Robbie, why didn't you come? After all I did for you, all I gave up for you Robbie, don't!
174
HATCH (voice)
FALSE MOTHER
Why did you leave me to die with strangers? Why did you leave me to die alone?
She holds out her thin, trembling hands to him.
181 INTERIOR: THE MARKET.
HATCH, JACK, and KIRK dash for the open door of the constable's office.
182 INTERIOR: THE CONSTABLE'S OFFICE.
HENRY, still hardly aware of what's happening, walks toward the cell. LINOGE is sitting on the bunk, holding out his hands to ROBBIE . . . and here, from HENRY'S perspective, it really is LINOGE.
LINOGE looks at the door leading into the market. It SLAMS SHUT in HATCH'S face.
183 INTERIOR: THE MARKET SIDE OF THE DOOR, WITH HATCH, JACK, KIRK.
HATCH actually strikes the door and BOUNCES OFF. He tries the handle, but it won't turn. He slams his shoulder against the door, then turns to the other two.
HATCH Don't just stand there; help me!
184 INTERIOR: RESUME CONSTABLE'S OFFICE.
We hear THUDS as the men outside try to break down the door. The 218 STEPHEN KING
FALSE MOTHER sits on the cot in her johnny, looking at her wayward son.
FALSE MOTHER
I waited for you, Robbie, and I'm still waiting for you. Down in hell, I'm waiting for you.
ROBBIE You stop. Or I'll shoot you.
FALSE MOTHER With that?
She looks at the gun contemptuously. ROBBIE follows her gaze.
185 INTERIOR: ROBBIE'S HAND, FROM ROBBIE'S POINT OF VIEW, CLOSE-UP.
The gun is gone. He's holding a WRITHING SNAKE. ROBBIE SCREAMS and opens his hand.
186 INTERIOR: THE CONSTABLE'S OFFICE.
We see the rest of this from HENRY BRIGHT'S POINT OF VIEW, which means we see things pretty much as they are. It's the gun ROBBIE drops, not a snake, and it's LINOGE in the cell, now off the bunk and walking toward the bars.
LINOGE
I'll be waiting for you in hell, Robbie, and when you get there, I'll have a spoon. I'm going to use it on your eyes. I'm going to eat your eyes, Robbie, over and over again, because hell is repetition.
Born in sin, come on in.
HENRY bends for the gun. LINOGE looks at it, and it slides all the way across the floor. LINOGE
looks back at ROBBIE, looks hard, and ROBBIE suddenly goes FLYING BACKWARD. He strikes the wall, rebounds, and goes to his knees.
175
HENRY
(horrified whisper) What are you?
STORM OF THE CENTURY 219
LINOGE
Your destiny.
He turns and lifts the mattress of the cot. Beneath it is the cane. He takes it and raises it. As he does, a BRILLIANT BLUE LIGHT begins to shine from it.
HENRY backs away, raising an arm to shield his eyes. ROBBIE, who has managed to get up, also shields his eyes. That GLOW becomes BRIGHT, BRIGHTER, BRIGHTEST. The constable's office now SCREAMS WITH LIGHT.
187 INTERIOR: THE MARKET SIDE OF THE DOOR.
LIGHT streams through the keyhole, around the hinges, and through the gap at the foot of the door. The three men step back, afraid.
JACK What is it? What's happening?
HATCH
I don't know.
INTERIOR: THE CONSTABLE'S OFFICE.
HENRY and ROBBIE stand on one side of the room, cringing against that BRILLIANT FLOOD OF
LIGHT. In it, we for the first time see LINOGE for what he is: an ancient wizard whose upraised cane is his chief instrument of magic an evil version of Aaron's staff. It is shedding that BRILLIANT
LIGHT in waves.
On the bulletin board, papers come loose and FLOAT in the air. MIKE'S blotter rises from his desk and also FLOATS. The desk drawers open, slowly, one after the other, and the objects inside rise up and begin to circle the desk: pens and paper clips, handcuffs and a forgotten half of ham sandwich.
The in/out basket waltzes with HATCH'S PowerBook in midair.
On the far side of the room, the pistol ROBBIE meant to use on LINOGE (what a foolish idea that seems now) rises, turns its muzzle to the wall, and discharges six times.
220 STEPHEN KING
189 INTERIOR: THE MARKET SIDE OF THE DOOR.
HATCH, KIRK, and JACK react to the shots. HATCH looks around, sees a display of hardware, and grabs a hatchet from it. He turns and begins hacking away at the area around the doorknob. JACK
grabs at him.
JACK Hatch! Maybe you shouldn't
HATCH shoves him backward and goes on hacking. Maybe he shouldn't, but he's going to do his duty if he can.
190 INTERIOR: THE CONSTABLE'S OFFICE.
The home-welded bars start FALLING AWAY from the cell door one by one, almost like falling leaves. ROBBIE and HENRY watch, numb with terror. The bars fall faster and faster, creating a man-shaped hole. When it's complete, LINOGE steps easily through. He looks at the two COWERING
MEN, then turns and raises his cane toward the door leading to the market.
191 INTERIOR: THE MARKET SIDE OF THE DOOR.
176
HATCH is raising the hatchet for another blow when the door suddenly OPENS ON ITS OWN.
BRIGHT BLUISH SILVER LIGHT streams out.
LINOGE (voice) Hatch.
HATCH steps into that FLOOD OF LIGHT. JACK grabs at him.
JACK Hatch, no!
HATCH ignores him. He goes into the light, the hatchet slipping from his fingers as he does.
192 EXTERIOR: THE MARKET NIGHT.
The Island Services four-wheel drive turns into the front parking area. The storm shutters are down over the market's display windows, but we can see BRILLIANT BLUE LIGHT shining through the door.
