STORM OF THE CENTURY 207
153 INTERIOR: OUTSIDE THE TOWN HALL LADIES' ROOM.
Standing back from the door, arms around each other, are ANDY and JILL ROBICHAUX. Closest to the bathroom are MELINDA HATCHER and MOLLY. SANDRA BEALS stands between the two pairs.
SANDRA
I'm sorry ... I can't. I can't take any more.
She brushes past JILL and ANDY and hurries back down the aisle.
154 INTERIOR: THE TOWN OFFICE NIGHT.
SANDRA, weeping now, hurries into this area, meaning to go downstairs. Before she can, the front doors open and MIKE comes in, covered with snow and stamping more snow off his boots. He is followed by URSULA and JOANNA. SANDRA stops and gives the new arrivals a wild, startled glance.
168
MIKE Sandra, what is it? What's wrong?
155 INTERIOR: THE LADIES' ROOM, ANGLE ON THE DOOR.
It opens slowly . . . reluctantly. MOLLY and MELINDA come in together, huddled shoulder to shoulder for comfort. Behind them, we see ANDY and JILL ROBICHAUX. MOLLY and MELINDA look, faces filling with horror and wonder.
MELINDA
Oh, my dear God.
156 INTERIOR: THE WASHBASINS, FROM MOLLY AND MELINDA'S POINT OF VIEW.
Kneeling in front of one of them is CORA STANHOPE. The basin is full of water, and CORA'S white hair floats on its surface. She has drowned herself in the basin. Written above it in lipstick, on the line of mirrors, is the same old song: 'GIVE ME WHAT I WANT AND I'LL GO AWAY.' Flanking it at either end, CORA has drawn BLOODY LIPSTICK CANES. Of the real cane, the one with the wolf's head, there is no sign.
FADE TO BLACK. THIS ENDS ACT 4.
Act 5
157 EXTERIOR: THE LIGHTHOUSE NIGHT.
Waves still crash against the headland rocks hard enough to splatter the lighthouse with foam, but the tide is on the ebb, now, and things are better than they were. Temporarily only, however, because:
158 INTERIOR: LIGHTHOUSE CONTROL ROOM NIGHT.
The lights still BLINK and FLASH, but some of them are now BEADED WITH ICE from the spray, and little drifts of snow are piling up in the corners of the room. The WIND WHISTLES, and the anemometer is still topping sixty MPH.
SOUND: A HIGH-PITCHED COMPUTER BEEP. THE CAMERA MOVES IN on a computer screen that has gone RED. White letters appear on the screen: 'NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STORM SURGE
WARNING FOR ALL OUTER ISLANDS, INCLUDING CRANBERRY, JERROD BLUFF, KANKAMONGUS, BIG TALL, AND LITTLE TALL. HIGH TIDE AT 7:09 AM. MAY PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT FLOODING AND
LOWLAND DAMAGE. OUTER ISLAND RESI-
208
STORM OF THE CENTURY 209
DENTS ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO MOVE TO INLAND AREAS OF HIGH GROUND.'
As if to punctuate this, an especially powerful wave SPLASHES IN through the broken windows and splatters this computer screen with foam.
159 INTERIOR: LOWER ATLANTIC STREET NIGHT.
Godsoe Fish & Lobster is totally gone, except for the ragged stump of the building. So is the town dock. The waves slap the rocks where the dock was. Splintered pieces of lobster traps float back and forth . . . and a single waterlogged bale of pot BOBS AND SURGES.
160 INTERIOR: THE TOWN OFFICE NIGHT.
URSULA is comforting SANDRA. MIKE is heading for the meeting hall section of the building, when JOANNA steams past him. He grabs her arm.
MIKE Slow down, Mrs. Stanhope easy does it.
169
The door between the meeting hall and the office area opens. MOLLY and MELINDA HATCHER
come through. MOLLY'S distress turns to gladness when she sees MIKE, and she almost hurls herself into his arms. He hugs her hard. JOANNA, meanwhile, doesn't give a shit about 'easy does it.' She dodges past MELINDA and heads down the aisle that leads to the toilets. URSULA and SANDRA walk to where MIKE and MOLLY are drawing apart a little.
161 INTERIOR: TOWN MEETING HALL NIGHT.
ANDY and JILL are sitting on a bench about halfway down. ANDY has got an arm around his wife, offering what comfort he can, when JOANNA hurries past toward the ladies' room.
ANDY
Joanna, I wouldn't
She pays no attention, simply hurries on down the aisle.
210 STEPHEN KING
162 INTERIOR: LADIES' ROOM, FEATURES THE DOOR.
It opens. JOANNA stands there, eyes widening, mouth dropping open. After a moment, MIKE
joins her. He takes one look and then moves her away. As the bathroom door starts to close on its pneumatic hinge:
MIKE Moll. Help me.
163 INTERIOR: THE TOWN HALL.
MIKE gently passes the stunned JOANNA to his wife, who walks her up the aisle as far as ANDY
and JILL There JOANNA stumbles and utters a little CRY OF BEWILDERMENT AND GRIEF.
JILL Let me.
JILL sits her down and puts an arm around her. JOANNA begins to WEEP.
MOLLY starts back toward the ladies' room. MIKE comes out, his arms wet almost to the elbows.
MOLLY looks at him questioningly. MIKE shakes his head and puts his arm around her shoulders. As he leads her past the trio on the bench:
