door of the market, a notch almost like a tunnel has been dug. The four men MIKE ANDERSON, SONNY BRAUTIGAN, HENRY
BRIGHT, and KIRK FREEMAN are just entering.
2 INTERIOR: THE MARKET, BY THE CASH REGISTERS AFTERNOON.
198
The men make their way in, gasping and shedding snow. SONNY and HENRY have shovels. We can see their BREATH in the air, and the place is very dim.
SONNY
Gennie's out.
(MIKE nods) How long, do you think?
MIKE
Hard to tell. Since morning, anyway, from the way it feels. Snow probably piled up and blocked the exhaust.
He goes to the cash registers, bends beneath one, and begins to toss out big cardboard cartons.
257
258 STEPHEN KING
MIKE
Sonny, Henry. You're Meat Patrol. Get the big cuts of beef, plus the turkeys and chicken. The best stuffs back in the freezer.
HENRY
Will it still be all right, do you think?
MIKE
Are you kidding? It won't even be thawed yet. Come on, let's go. Dark's gonna come early.
SONNY and HENRY start up toward the cooler and the freezer beyond. KIRK comes over to the checkout and takes one of the cartons.
MIKE
We'll stick to the canned goods, this trip. All of us'll come back for bread, potatoes, and vegetables. And milk. Little kids have to have milk.
KIRK
You gonna tell 'em about what the guy's name spells when you move the blocks around?
MIKE What good would it do?
KIRK I dunno. God, Mike, that gave me a chill.
MIKE
Me, too. And for the time being, maybe we better just . . . keep the chill to ourselves. We've still got at least one more night to get through.
KIRK But
MIKE Come on. Canned goods. Let's load up. ,
I
STORM OF THE CENTURY 259
He starts up the aisle containing the overturned card table, and after a moment or two's consideration, KIRK follows.
199
3 EXTERIOR: THE TOWN HALL AFTERNOON.
We can barely see it in all the snow, but at regular intervals we can hear the BLARE OF A HORN.
4 EXTERIOR: THE PARKING LOT AFTERNOON.
The Island Services vehicle is idling here, not too far from the town hall's side door. It's not going to go anywhere not even a four-wheel drive can move in five feet of snow but the lights are on and we can see one man standing outside and another inside. The one behind the wheel is HATCH.
The one outside, wearing his V.F.D. parka and peering anxiously into the snow, is FERD ANDREWS.
The window between them is open. Snow is blowing into the cab of the truck, but at this point, neither man cares.
FERD cups his hands around his mouth and hollers into the SHRIEKING WIND as loud as he can.
FERD
Angle Carver! Billy Timmons!
HATCH
Any sign? Any at all?
FERD No! Wouldn't I tell you? Keep blowin' that thing!
HATCH continues to lay on the horn in long, measured beats. FERD peers anxiously into the snow, then turns and yanks open the door.
FERD
You watch and let me honk your eyes're better.
They change places.
HATCH
(squinting into the snow) George Kirby! Janie Kingsbury! Where are you guys?
260 STEPHEN KING
FERD keeps blowing the horn in long, measured BLASTS.
5 INTERIOR: THE TOWN HALL'S MAKESHIFT DAY-CARE AREA AFTERNOON.
SOUND, MUFFLED: THE HORN CONTINUES.
The KIDS have finished picking up and don't really know what to do with themselves now. No one has noticed that RALPHIE ANDERSON isn't among them. SANDRA has gotten CAT quieted down and now looks restless herself. CAT sees this and offers SANDRA a wan smile and a pat on the arm.
CAT I'm okay. Go on up. Find your husband and little boy.
SANDRA But ... the kids . . .
CAT gets up and approaches them. SANDRA watches apprehensively. This is the young woman who beat her boyfriend to death not long ago.
CAT
Who wants to play Giant Step?
HEIDI
200
Yeah!
SALLY GODSOE Me! Yayy, I do!
The kids start to line up, facing CAT. Only BUSTER CARVER lags.
BUSTER Where's my mommy?
SANDRA
I'll just peek and see if she's upstairs, shall I? Or your daddy?
BUSTER
Yes, please, Missus Beals.
STORM OF THE CENTURY 261
