DELLA BISSONETTE They're dead! He's killed them!
STORM OF THE CENTURY 293
URSULA No! Oh, God, please no! Not Sally! Not my Sally!
She pushes her way through the people in her way, actually knocking a couple of them over. She is maddened with grief and terror . . . this lady lost her husband just the day before, remember.
Shoving down the stairs almost masking down the stairs comes ANDY ROBICHAUX, dragging JILL by the hand. ANDY knocks old BURT SOAMES down on the stairs. There's a CRUNCH as BURT'S
ARM BREAKS. The old guy SCREAMS WITH PAIN.
BETTY SOAMES
(shrieking) You're trampling him! Stop! You're killing him!
ANDY and JILL take no notice. They don't care about BURT SOAMES; they care about HARRY, who is lying with the others.
Meanwhile, DELLA'S hysterical cry has been picked up by the others, and it jumps from person to person like a virulent flu germ: they're dead; the kids are dead; LINOGE has somehow killed the children.
51 INTERIOR: MIKE, MOLLY, RALPHIE.
As MOLLY arrives, CRYING WITH TERROR, MIKE is gently lifting RALPHIE into a sitting position and dropping one ear to the boy's face and chest.
221
MOLLY
Is he
MIKE takes her hand and holds it in front of RALPHIE'S nose and mouth. She feels his breath going in and out. An expression of deep relief comes over her face. Her shoulders sag.
MOLLY Thank God. Is he asleep, or
MIKE I don't know.
He scoops RALPH into his arms and stands up.
294 STEPHEN KING
52 INTERIOR: THE BASEMENT DAY-CARE AREA, ANGLE ON THE STAIRS.
ROBBIE has DONNIE in his arms now. He runs for the stairs, with his BEWILDERED, TERRIFIED
wife tumbling along in his wake. His way is blocked by the SOAMESES; BETTY is just helping BURT
to his feet. Also nearby are JOHNNY HARRIMAN, SONNY BRAUTIGAN, and UPTON BELL. But the SOAMESES, unlucky parents of the late BILLY, are ROBBIE'S first obstacle.
ROBBIE
(no great diplomat he) Outta my way!
He shoves BURT, whose broken arm smashes against the side of the stairs. BURT SCREAMS
AGAIN, and BETTY grabs him again. JOHNNY, outraged, blocks ROBBIE'S path.
JOHNNY HARRIMAN
Here, here, now! That's an old man you're pushing around! Where do you think you're going, anyway?
ROBBIE Let me by! I have to get him to a doctor!
SONNY
Good luck to you, Robbie Beals closest one's across the reach in Machias, and the wind's blowin'
a hurricane.
ROBBIE looks at him, wide-eyed, some semblance of sanity dawning. SONNY is right, of course.
SANDRA joins ROBBIE and brushes DONNIE'S hair gently back from his brow. BETTY SOAMES, hugging her WEEPING HUSBAND, glares at them.
53 INTERIOR: THE BASEMENT DAY-CARE AREA, ANGLE ON THE ANDERSONS.
MIKE is aware of the panic in the parents, which is bad, and the panic of the ISLANDERS in general, which could be even worse. He draws in a deep breath, and lets loose the LOUDEST SHOUT
he can manage.
MIKE
Everybody JUST. . . SHUT. . . UP!!!
STORM OF THE CENTURY 295
Some people in their immediate vicinity quiet down . . . and that quiet SPREADS OUTWARD. Only ROBBIE BEALS doesn't turn toward the constable, and by now that shouldn't much surprise us.
ROBBIE
Where's Ferd? He's got EMT training, at least . . . Ferd Andrews, where the hell are you?
222
FERD
(lost in the back of the crowd) Here
We see him struggling to get through.
ROBBIE Get your ass down here! Folks, let him pass! My boy HATCH That's enough. Shut up.
ROBBIE
Don't you tell me to shut up, fatso. I've had all the crap out of you I'm going to take.
The two men face each other, each with an UNCONSCIOUS CHILD in his arms, but ready to brawl, just the same.
MIKE
Stop it. Both of you. Robbie, I don't think Don's in any immediate danger. Or Pippa, or Ralphie, or any of them.
URSULA has been kneeling over SALLY, keening to her. Now MOLLY whispers something in her ear, and URSULA stands up.
MARY HOPEWELL Then . . . they're not dead?
The ISLANDERS are all quiet now, watching and hoping. ANDY has got his son HARRY in his arms.
JILL is standing next to them. Nearby, JACK is holding BUSTER while his wife the haggard, newly gray-haired ANGIE kisses the boy's cheek and whispers in his ear.
296 STEPHEN KING
ANDY
I think . . . he's sleeping.
URSULA This isn't sleep. If they were asleep, we could wake them up.
