[OMITTED]
[EXT. SMITH HOUSE – DAY]
(Superimposition: "Cleaves Mills, 1976" A bright spring day. The Smith house looks the same as it always has, and will. We're outside the house, outside the front gate, on the street. An old mercury sedan enters frame like a rusted out Star Destroyer, parks near the gate. The door opens and out steps James Stillson, a linebacker build in a cheap white linen suit, capped off with a crew cut. He dabs at sweat beads on his forehead with a handkerchief, pulls out a small white 3X5 card, reads it, and looks up at the Smith mansion. Yep, right place all right. The passenger door opens and a ten year old boy steps out, wearing a nearly matching suit, and a junior contour haircut that is so good you wonder how it came out of a wreck of an old Mercury. Greg Stillson takes in the big house with curious, piercing grey-blue eyes. James opens the trunk and pulls out a very large valise. He walks over to Greg, sets the bag down, pulls out a comb, and rakes it over Greg's already perfect hair. Knocks a speck of dust off his collar. Then grills him:)
JAMES: Look at me. When rich folks fill out the card, what's it mean?
GREG: Means they got religion.
JAMES: And if they got religion…
GREG: They want to buy.
JAMES: So what do we sell 'em?
GREG: The whole set.
JAMES: What are the big three?
GREG: Eye contact. Confidence. Smile.
(Greg smiles brightly, as if for a picture.)
JAMES (CONT'D): (cold frown) Warm smile.
(Greg adjusts his grin, attempting a "warm smile.")
JAMES: Don't screw this up.
(Off Greg, warm smile frozen on his face…)
[INT. SMITH HOUSE – DAY]
(Vera Smith, in a flowery seventies dress, opens her door to reveal the Father and Son sales team.)
JAMES: Afternoon, Mrs. Smith. I'm James Stillson, this here's my son Greg. We're from the church, can we borrow a moment of your time?
VERA: (not unpleasant) From First Beacon? I don't believe I've seen you before…
JAMES: That's right, Ma'am. Reverend Mackey sent us, you filled out your name on this card here…
(He holds up a registration card. Vera remembers.)
VERA: Oh, you're from the bible company.
JAMES: Now she's got it.
VERA: Well, I do have, I mean to say, we already have several bibles in the home…
GREG: Not like this one, Ma'am.
(And Greg steps forward, holding a mammoth white bible in his arms, size of a fat picture album. He opens it, displaying several color plates intermixed with text.)
GREG: You can see it has beautiful art from all the great masters. In color. See, you can see the baby Jesus right there. See…
VERA: Beautiful.
GREG: And there's over forty five of these color plates, and they tell the whole story. See, here's Jesus with the loaves and fishes.
(Vera smiles at Greg, clearly taken with him.)
VERA: You know your bible pretty well, I'd say.
GREG: I learned from the pictures first, they made me want to read.
JAMES: You can see how this adds value to a home. I can tell you it has for mine. Greg here is the proof.
(Greg smiles his warm smile. Vera smiles at Greg's charming mix of huckster and innocent.)
VERA: I'll get my pocketbook.
(Vera steps out of the way to reveal Johnny, nine years old, standing behind her, curious.)
VERA: Oh, I didn't see you there, Johnny.
(She heads for the kitchen. Johnny and Greg stare at each other. Greg in his cheap suit, Johnny in a cotton polo.)
JAMES: Johnny, is it? Have you read the good book, son?
(Greg smiles, and hands over the tome to Johnny. And as Johnny adjusts to hold its weight, the tips of his fingers touch the tips of Greg's fingers under the book… The close-up image of their fingertips touching grinds to a halt, and a rumbling sound begins… As the rumbling gets louder, a Freeze Frame of Greg's eyes dissolve over Johnny's in an overlay, changing the color of both their eyes into a deep violet, and then we push in through the iris to see, for the first time, the…)
[MONOLITH IMAGE]
(The image is blurry, out of focus, but we can make out a thin black shape in the dead center of the frame, set against an orange-red background. A push-in/zoom-out effect brings the background closer as the black tower seems to stand in place… the rumbling is almost unbearable now, testing the lower registers of TV speakers all across the nation…)
[SOUND CUTS OUT]
(We are back in the quiet Smith house. Johnny drops the bible, which claps against the floor. He staggers, weak in the knees, then almost faints, collapsing to an awkward sitting position. Instead of offering Johnny a hand, Greg bends down and picks up the bible, dusting off the merchandise and almost scowling at Johnny. Vera is back on the scene, hoisting Johnny up.)
VERA: Oh boy. You okay? (To Stillsons) Johnny fell and knocked his head on the ice, 'bout two months ago. He's had a couple fainting spells since, from the concussion… you okay? You want some water?
(Johnny nods. Vera smiles. James smiles. Greg smiles.)
[EXT. SMITH HOUSE – DAY]
(James and Greg walk out of the Smith gate and get into the old Mercury.)
[INT. MERCURY SEDAN – CONTINUOUS]
(James doesn't start the car, looks at Greg for a beat.)
JAMES: Which picture'd you show, again?
(Greg opens a thick red bible, finger points to a page. James savagely slams the book shut with Greg's hand caught inside. Greg gasps in pain as James holds it shut.)
JAMES: (very calm) Now let's go over this again. What do we sell?
GREG: But... but she bought…
JAMES: We sell the whole set. How are we supposed to sell the whole set when you knock down the buyer's kid right in front of her, and then pick up the bible instead of the kid?
GREG: I didn't…
(James presses harder, Greg squints out tears.)
JAMES: You didn't think. You just reacted. Like a dumb animal. You want to be a dumb animal? You want to be doing this job for the rest of your life?
(Greg musters inner strength, glares at his father.)
GREG: No.
(James releases the pressure, opens the book.)
JAMES: Damn right you don't.
(He starts the car, tosses Greg his handkerchief.)
JAMES: Wipe off the page.
(Greg, trembling, nursing his swollen hand, looks out the window... and spots Johnny, watching from an upstairs window. Greg holds the stare, and their eyes never leave each other's until the Mercury rolls out past the gate.)
END OF TEASER
ACT ONE
[EXT. JOHNNY SMITH HOUSE – DAY]
(Present day. Dana and Johnny exit the front door, heading down the steps to Dana's car. Both in a good mood.)
DANA: What are you guys reading?
JOHNNY: We're up to pulp detective novels. More complex than the Westerns.
DANA: Oho, my favorite. Hard boiled cops. Femme fatales…
JOHNNY: Sleazy reporters…
DANA: Hey, just remember which sleazy reporter hooked you up with this job.
JOHNNY: For which I'm very grateful.
DANA: Bet your ass.
(They stop at her car. Johnny gets serious.)
JOHNNY: I mean it, Dana. Even if it's one kid, two days a week…
DANA: You're a teacher again.
JOHNNY: I like Johnny the Teacher. There's no drama there.
DANA: No story for those sleazy reporters.
(Johnny steps close to her.)
JOHNNY: Now I just have to figure out how to deal with the femme fatales…
(Dana smiles, and just as they're both about to take action, Sarah's jeep comes rolling up the driveway. Johnny involuntarily takes a step back from Dana, who notices. Sarah notices, too, as she pulls up. After an exchange of Hi's… silence. Sarah just blankly sitting there. Johnny has to speak up.)
JOHNNY: What's up?
(Sarah realizes she drove here.)
SARAH: Oh. I was just coming by to get you. It's Saturday morning. (Johnny looks confused) Mighty Clams are scrimmaging… remember?
(Johnny now sees Johnny Jr. in the passenger seat, dressed in his soccer uniform.)
JOHNNY: Oh, gosh, guys, I'm sorry. I've got my last session with Chuck today. In ten minutes, actually.
SARAH: No problem. Hop in, we'll give you a ride.
JOHNNY: No, that's okay, I was gonna catch a ride with Dana…
(Awkward silence again. Dana eventually breaks it with a smile directed at Johnny Jr.)
DANA: Go Clams!
(Johnny Jr. looks down, blushing. Sarah fixes Dana with a mirthless smile.)
SARAH: Alright. Well, the game against Heatherfield is next Sunday.
(Sarah smiles and drives off, wincing at her banal parting words. She looks in the rearview mirror, which frames Johnny and Dana, the image receding into the distance…)
[INT. CHATSWORTH HOME - STUDY – DAY]
(Chuck Chatsworth, a popular, handsome high school football star who also manages to be a nice guy, reads from a thin paperback book. Johnny is tutoring Chuck in his father's study.)
CHUCK: "The clerk barely looked up to ask, 'Relation to the deceased?' Hammond smiled, took off his hat, and told the truth. "He was my partner." (Closes the book) Damn. Good ending. (Checks his watch) Just in time for my friends.
JOHNNY: Right after questions.
CHUCK: (standing up) C'mon, Smitty, I already graduated. You were there.
JOHNNY: Tell it to the S.A.T.'s.
CHUCK: That's like four weeks away. Tonight, on the other hand…
(Chuck pauses, waiting for something. Sure enough, a doorbell rings from downstairs. Chuck smiles broadly.)
CHUCK: ...Is the party.
(Chuck bounds out of the room. Johnny can't help but smile to himself.)
[OMITTED]
[INT. CHATSWORTH HOME - LIVING ROOM – DAY]
(Chuck pounds down the stairs and jogs past the living room down the hall to the front door. He opens it, greeting friends - two girls and a guy. But we hang back in the living room, where Roger Chatsworth, wealthy industrialist, watches TV on a huge screen. Roger is a self made man, self-assured but down to earth. He perks up as Johnny walks down the stairs.)
ROGER: Here he is.
(Roger stands, picks up a slip of paper from an end table, holds it out for Johnny. His paycheck. Johnny takes it.)
ROGER: Just want you to know, this does not measure my level of gratitude.
JOHNNY: Thank you. It was very satisfying.
ROGER: You succeeded where others failed. Remember that.
JOHNNY: Chuck's the one who really succeeded. With a reading phobia like Jackson's Syndrome, I've found it's the high achievers who suffer the most…
(Roger nods, attention distracted by the TV.)
ROGER: Wait, shh, look at this.
(And Roger turns up the volume on the remote. The TV is showing an interview between anchor George Walters and
congressional candidate Greg Stillson, now 36 and very handsome - the curious eyes now sharper, more knowing.)
GEORGE WALTERS (TV): I didn't mean to imply that, I'm just having difficulty trying to articulate your platform. One wants to say moral reform…
(Greg cuts him off, speaks with speed, passion, and anger.)
GREG (TV): Yes, but no. I don't want to reform the morals of the people. They have morals, they're Americans. What they need is respect. And faith.
GREG (TV) (CONT'D): And those are two things they're not getting from Washington, where Democrats and Republicans from every level of office are using taxpayer time and money to cheat on their wives and diddle the staff interns.
JOHNNY: Did he just say, "diddle?"
ROGER: (cracking up) I love this guy. Watch.
GEORGE WALTERS (TV): (fishing) So, you're against big government…
GREG: I'm against bad government, George. And I've got a message for every selfish, godless, and just plain stupid old white man who's part of it: Greg Stillson's coming' to getcha.
(Johnny can't believe this guy.)
JOHNNY: He gonna bring his thirty ought?
(Roger is doubled over with laughter. On the TV, the interview has been replaced by George at his desk.)
GEORGE WALTERS (TV): And there you have it. Former State Representative Gregory Ammas Stillson, ex-real estate, insurance, and bible salesman… Now the favored candidate for Maine's second district Congressional seat in Washington.
(TV: over this the shot cuts to Stillson on stage at a rally, throwing his arms up. A huge crowd (stock footage?) Responds with a roar of approval befitting a rock star.)
JOHNNY: (loses his smirk) They're not serious about this guy, are they?
ROGER: You should really start reading the papers again. People are going nuts for this nut. "A breath of fresh air." Don't worry they'll come to their senses. Right son?
(Chuck entering with his friends. They must've visited the kitchen, because they've all got soft drinks in their hands now.)
CHUCK: Hey, Dad. Smitty! Picking up your check? (To room, loud and exaggerated) Pay this man whatever he wants, he is a god.
[CHUCK]
(Slaps Johnny on the back- Blue strobes flash accompanied by a thunderclap and we rocket into Johnny's eye without warning where fire envelopes the frame. We hear awful howls of human terror (this happens so fast it should make everyone jump)…)
[INT. SARAH'S KITCHEN – DAY]
(Close on flames from a gas range. They die down as Sarah turns off the burner. She scoops scrambled eggs onto two plates and walks them over to Walt and Johnny Jr.)
WALT: Smells good.
(She seems agitated as she watches them dig in.)
SARAH: Whatever happened to Dana? Is she still hanging around the office?
WALT: Dana Bright? Not really. Why?
(But then Walt realizes why. Sarah shrugs, looking down.)
SARAH: Just wondering.
WALT: I assume she's still on the police beat, but Dana was always looking for a promotion. She did write some articles on Johnny… (Takes a bite of eggs) Maybe she moved on to something better.
(The tone of his voice is very pointed. Sarah now looks at him. Johnny Jr. looks back and forth between them. Obviously something is going on between Mom and Dad, but he doesn't know what. Sarah is about to say something when the phone rings. She answers it.)
SARAH: Hello? … Johnny?
(Walt looks at Johnny Jr., who now gets what they were talking about. "That man.")
[EXT. CATHY'S STEAKHOUSE – DAY]
(A banner over the front door reads, "WELCOME GRADUATES! CLASS OF 2002!" Underneath it, Steve Carrick, owner, is arguing with Johnny and Walt. Surrounding them are Sarah, Roger and Chuck Chatsworth.)
STEVE CARRICK: Look, graduation parties and Cathy's steakhouse are a twenty year old tradition. I'm not gonna ruin the night for all these kids because some psychic predicts something.
SARAH: Mr. Carrick…
CHUCK: Johnny.
(But Johnny abruptly holds up his hand, and keeps it up as he talks to Carrick. Low, measured, and very intense.)
JOHNNY: I'll say it again. Tonight your restaurant will be struck by lightning. There will be a flash fire. The insulation will burn. The doors will jam. They will find bodies six and seven deep in the exits. Do you understand?
(Carrick's eyes narrow to slits. He speaks slowly.)
STEVE CARRICK: Sick… son of a bitch. Are you threatening me?
JOHNNY: I'm warning you.
STEVE CARRICK: Sheriff, I want this man off my property right now.
WALT: No.
STEVE CARRICK: No?
WALT: I've been through this enough times to know that what Johnny sees, is what's gonna happen.
STEVE CARRICK: I see things too, you know. Like a sky with no clouds.
(Everyone looks up. The sky is flawless blue. Walt notices something else. Clears his throat.)
WALT: No lightning rods on your roof, either.
SARAH: Does that violate a code?
STEVE CARRICK: No law says I have to have a rod.
WALT: It's strongly recommended.
STEVE CARRICK: "Strongly recommended." I strongly recommend you all try and run a business. (To Johnny) Because then you'll appreciate what closing down on one of your biggest nights of the year really means.
JOHNNY: I'm not talking about closing down. I'm talking about burning down.
WALT: Listen to him, Mr. Carrick.
STEVE CARRICK: Or what? You'll arrest me for not listening?
SARAH: How about reckless endangerment?
STEVE CARRICK: Free lawsuit money. (Holds out fists) Cuff me!
WALT: Don't tempt me.
(During this, Johnny pulls Roger Chatsworth aside, away from the escalating confrontation. Chuck trails them.)
JOHNNY: What's it gonna take to convince you I'm right?
ROGER: Your problem's not with me. There's no way I'm letting Chuck come here tonight.
CHUCK: What? Dad…
ROGER: No way.
CHUCK: What the hell am I supposed to do?
(Roger looks back at "Cathy's." Steve makes his kiss off.)
STEVE CARRICK: Have a nice day.
(He disappears into the restaurant. Walt throws up his hands. Roger turns back to Johnny and Chuck.)
ROGER: They can come to our house. The whole class. I can have it set up in six hours. Better food, better music.
(Chuck nods, warming up to the idea.)
JOHNNY: Then we have to start making calls. Every parent, every student. Right now.
[BEGIN MONTAGE: INT. CHATSWORTH HOME – NIGHT]
(All ready for the party. Food's out. Music's on. Chuck greets the first of his guests through the door.)
[OMITTED]
[INT. CHATSWORTH HOME – LATER]
(Now the room is almost filled with teens, dancing to a throbbing beat.)
[MONTAGE CONTINUES]
(A) CHATSWORTH HOME - Find Johnny, in the corner, not in a party mood. Not all the kids have been accounted for. Bruce walks over with a drink to join him. Johnny grabs his coat off a chair and heads for the door. Bruce sets his drink down and follows.
(B) CATHY'S STEAKHOUSE - Cars pulling up out front. Focus on one particular senior girl as she heads inside under the large welcome banner…
(C) The night sky begins to crowd with heavy storm clouds.
(D) SARAH'S HOME - Sarah, alone at the kitchen table, troubled eyes staring off into space, then flicking down to something red and gold in her hand, which we only see a bit of before she closes her fingers around it.
(E) CLOSE ON SENIOR GIRL dancing, the same one who we traced walking into Cathy's. F) We move into real time as lightning strikes the roof!
(G) Inside, Steve Carrick reacts as the lights black out, emergency strobes turn on, highlighting fear on teen faces. Moving back to slow motion…
(H) Kids pour out of the entrance, followed by black smoke.
(I) Johnny and Bruce arrive in the PT Cruiser. Fire is reflected in the passenger window over Johnny's face. He's too late…
(J) CHATSWORTH HOME -- A girl stands, cell phone to her ear. We can tell that she screams, "What?" all the kids and parent chaperons turn their heads. Chuck stands up.
(K) Overlapping Dissolves: Water blasting from a hose/A shot glass melting, whiskey inside flaming/A familiar Necklace, melting in the heat/The Welcome Banner blackening and curling and flaming…
(L) CATHY'S PARKING LOT - Bruce helping the girl who wore that necklace to the pavement. She coughs her lungs out…
(M) Walt jumping out of his car, fire truck behind him, flickering orange glow on his face. He yells an order to someone off-screen, the he sees…
[JOHNNY SMITH]
(Standing in front of the restaurant, his back turned away from it, head bowed. We can't see his face because the fire is back-lighting him, turning him into a silhouette. He is in the dead center of the frame, and from this angle he looks exactly like the black monolith, set off against the orange-red background…)
END OF ACT ONE
ACT TWO
[EXT. STREET – DAY]
(A large RV style trailer rolls down the street, painted red white and blue. The white part is a large stripe across the center which bears a slogan: "VOTE STILLSON FOR CONGRESS!")
[INT. STILLSON CAMPAIGN TRAILER – DAY]
(Greg Stillson leans back in a squeaking office chair as an intrepid twenty year old campaign volunteer named Katie sits on his lap, riding him. Katie is no more than twenty, and she's completely naked except for a straw hat with a red, white, and blue ribbon on top. Greg, on the other hand, is almost fully dressed. In fact, as Katie bounces, we see that her hands are working the buttons on his cotton shirt - buttoning them up.)
GREG: Now the tie.
(And she reaches for a silk tie, playfully wraps it around his collar…)
[INT. TRAILER - CAB – CONTINUOUS]
(James Stillson sits next to the driver while he reads through poll reports. He gets up and heads back through the kitchenette and into the…)
[OMITTED]
[INT. STILLSON CAMPAIGN TRAILER – CONTINUOUS]
(Katie has just finished knotting Greg's tie as James enters the scene, and winces.)
JAMES: God as my witness…
GREG: Oopsadaisy. Off you go.
(Greg unceremoniously shoves Katie off. Panicked and blushing red, Katie rapidly grabs her strewn about clothes to cover her body.)
GREG: Hi Daddy.
JAMES: (furious re: Katie) Who the hell is this? I told you no volunteers on the bus!
(Katie runs into the bathroom, locks herself in.)
GREG: She was just helping me get dressed.
(Daddy Jim ignores his son, walks past him, past the bathroom, and flings open another door to reveal a tiny office where a handsome, Aryan looking man with green eyes checks stocks on a laptop. This is Sonny Elliman, Greg's right hand man. The astute observer will note a pistol and shoulder harness hanging on the back wall.)
JAMES: And you're supposed to be watching out for this dumb crap!
GREG: (standing) I told you not to say…
JAMES: Shut up. I'm not calling you dumb. I'm calling some of the things you do dumb. Now zip your fly and make yourself presentable.
(He reaches out, straightens Greg's collar over his tie, finishing up Katie's job.)
JAMES: We have a major photo op.
(Off Greg, curious…)
[OMITTED]
[MULTIPLE ANGLES - VIDEO FOOTAGE (EDITED CLIPS)]
(Greg inspecting the burned out restaurant. Greg consulting with the Fire Marshall. Greg consoling a foursome of parents. One of the mothers begins weeping. It almost looks like a rough commercial. Which, in a way, it is.)
GREG (V.O.): When I heard what happened, I came straight away. I told my staff, cancel all my engagements.
GREG (V.O.) (CONT'D): I came down here, and… pain. That's all I can say. Pain. My prayers are with the parents of the nine kids who didn't make it out of there. And with the parties responsible for this. May God have mercy on their souls?
[REPORTERS – CONTINUOUS]
(Surrounding Greg, aiming cameras and microphones. Dana Bright is near the back of the group.)
REPORTER ALEX ROSS: Mr. Stillson, you mentioned people responsible. Who's responsible for this?
(Greg nods to the Fire Marshall, now standing next to him.)
GREG: If you want to know, just ask Bill Martel. He's your Fire Marshall; he'll tell you there were no lightning rods on the roof. Why? Because some bureaucrats in Augusta didn't see fit to make it a law. First week after I'm in office? You'll see lightning rods on every public roof from Van Buren to Kittery.
DANA: What's your comment on Johnny Smith, the psychic who saved hundreds of lives here last night?
(Greg clearly doesn't know what she's talking about, but he rolls with it.)
GREG: Well, ma'am, I'd say we wouldn't need psychics if the government was doing its job to protect the safety of its citizens.
(Alex Ross spots Johnny and Bruce walking out of the tent, and across the lot toward the PT Cruiser.)
REPORTER ALEX ROSS: There he is!
(All the press turn to see Johnny, and scramble away from Greg and over to Johnny, like bees to a bigger rose. Dana doesn't follow them, grimacing at the vulture-like behavior of her colleagues, and feeling sorry for Johnny. Descend like buzzards, pecking with questions.)
VARIOUS PRESSES (O.S.): What did you see? Mr. Smith? How long did you know about it?
(Johnny hikes up his collar over his face. Sonny Elliman steps up next to his boss, who smiles.)
GREG: How about that. Upstaged by a psychic. Look at 'em go.
SONNY: They're not serious about this freak, are they?
GREG: He must be good. Can't blame him for playing the angle, though. We've all been there…
(Greg watches Johnny get into his car, and we cut extremely close on Greg’s eyes - The curious twinkle returning…)
[EXT. NEW ENGLAND FARMHOUSE – DAY]
(The film stock again hints at a brighter, more ideal past, though this is the late 80's, and farmers in America aren't doing too well. Making them excellent targets for bibles.)
[INT. FARMHOUSE]
(22 year old Greg Stillson is closing a sale. Sitting at a small kitchen table, dressed in a solemn black suit, and cloth bowtie, he reads from the bible (white). Farmer crow and his wife listen in reverence with eyes closed. American Gothic circa 1988. Greg had this one sewn up about ten minutes ago, and now he's indulging. The reason why is leaning up against the kitchen wall. Seventeen years old and stuck on the farm for all of 'em. Charlotte, the proverbial farmer's daughter. Fitting as Greg reads from Proverbs (5:3-6). As Greg reads, his eyes never leave hers, and her eyes never leave his. Her parents eyes remain closed.)
GREG: "For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; but in the end she is better as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave. She gives no thought to the way of life; her paths are crooked, but she knows it not…"
(Off Charlotte, staring at Greg, biting her lip…)
[INT. CHARLOTTE'S BEDROOM - DAY (LATER)]
(Greg fucks the Farmer's daughter up against a wall, a la Sonny Corleone in "The Godfather." Her sundress is hiked up, her legs wrapped around the cheap black suit. The door opens and the Farmer's Wife walks in.)
MRS. CROW: Charlotte?
(She sees Charlotte, lets out a yelp of surprise, followed shortly by a scream. Greg spins around. Charlotte falls to a crouch. Mrs. Crow screams again.)
GREG: Wait now…
(She screams again, even louder. Greg's face tightens and he moves toward her. We never know what he intended because Farmer Crow comes through the door, holding a shotgun. Greg backs away swiftly.)
FARMER CROW: What the hell now!
(Crow instinctively brings up the shotgun, pointing it at the one thing in the room that doesn't belong there. Bad move. Greg grabs Charlotte and holds her as a body shield. Worse move. Now this potential comedic incident has become an ugly, desperate drama.)
GREG: Drop it, old man!
FARMER CROW: Let her loose now you! You!
CHARLOTTE: Daddy…
(Mrs. Crow screams again. Greg pulls Charlotte closer, his head craned over her neck, cheeks touching.)
GREG: That's a twelve gauge Remington you got there, Mr. Crow. No way to hit me without tearing up your baby here. (Calm, regaining control) Now, we're gonna work this out like gentlemen, and the first rule is you keep that bitch's pie hole shut.
(Mrs. Crow's shaking hands go quickly to her mouth.)
[EXT. NEW ENGLAND FARMHOUSE – DAY]
(The idyllic image is corrupted as Greg Stillson backs out of the front door, holding Charlotte in front of him. A beat later, Farmer Crow follows, still leveling the shotgun. His wife behind him. Greg backs to his Mercury. Charlotte is scared, yet also, in a perverse way, excited. Maybe at the specter of her Father in a state of emotional panic. Greg opens the drivers’ side door.)
GREG: We're getting in together so make sure you don't get any ideas. You'll still hit us both.
(He slides in, pulling Charlotte on his lap. Reaches around her waist and starts the engine.)
GREG: Close the door, honey.
(She does. He backs up, hands reaching around her to steer. The car accelerates in reverse, then spins around and takes off. Mrs. Crow screams again. Farmer Crow runs into the dust plume kicked up by the departing Mercury.)
[INT. MERCURY SEDAN - TRAVELING (SECONDS LATER)]
(Charlotte is now in the passenger seat. Greg pounds the steering wheel, furious.)
GREG: God damn primates! I'm done with it! Done! Driving into piss-ant towns knocking on doors, I'm through!
(He ferociously rolls down the window, almost ripping the handle off in the process. He drives in silence for a beat, wind whipping his bangs. His face becomes composed, and then puzzled. When he speaks again, it's almost under his breath. But we can hear every word, even against the wind.)
GREG: I'm meant for something else. Something more. Like my Dad says… greatness. And it's not in here.
(He holds up a bible, looking at Charlotte, who is backed against the door, staring.)
GREG: It's in me.
(He throws the bible out the window, and turns back to the road. A faraway look enters his eyes…)
GREG: I get dreams, you know. Powerful… dreams. I don't even know what they mean. They come to me and… I'm gonna get there someday. Hasn't even started. But I can feel it coming. Do you know what I mean?
(Greg is so unstable he's almost on the verge of tears. Charlotte stares at him, hypnotized, breathless.)
CHARLOTTE: Take me with you.
(Greg blinks. He wasn't selling anything, and this girl is ready to buy the whole set. The faraway look fades and the curious twinkle returns, as he witnesses a reflection of his powerful potential. His lips curl.)
[CHARLOTTE]
(Charlotte is standing on the shoulder of the dirt road as the Mercury's door slams shut and Greg Stillson drives off, leaving her in his dust. Rolling down the straight farm road leading to his future…)
[OMITTED]
[EXT. JOHNNY SMITH HOUSE – DAY]
(Now we're looking at the road outside of Johnny's house. Cars are paralleled down the usually quiet block. Bruce's PT cruiser is one of them. He gets out and is immediately accosted by Johnny groupies. He ignores them as he collects Johnny's mail. Ignores the packages they try to shove into his arms. We also notice some media types outside the house, as well as a couple sidewalk vendors, who have set up bridge tables and are hawking crystals, pyramids, etc.)
[INT. JOHNNY SMITH HOUSE – DAY]
(Overflowing with mail of all shapes and sizes. It dominates tabletops, it rules the floor. Bruce sits across from Johnny, a chessboard between them. Johnny stares glumly at the board while Bruce flips through his mail.)
BRUCE: Dear Johnny, Dear Johnny, Gas Bill, Dear Johnny… hmm…
JOHNNY: You gonna make a move?
BRUCE: You know you got a letter from Dateline NBC?
JOHNNY: Do tell.
BRUCE: (skimming letter) They want an interview. They say this is their second letter and they tried to call three times.
(Johnny just shrugs, then gestures to the chessboard.)
BRUCE: How long you gonna keep this up?
JOHNNY: Till they forget about me.
BRUCE: Which they're not gonna do. Disconnect your phone, lock yourself in, play chess all day and you'll just get more famous. Like J.D. Salinger.
JOHNNY: I was hoping for Willy Wonka.
BRUCE: A joke. Good. We should be joking about this. It's ridiculous. (leaning forward) It's also the way the world works. If you're a psychic who ends up saving hundreds of lives, Barbara Walters will call. NBC will call.
JOHNNY: It's not them I'm worried about. It's…
(Johnny gets up, takes an envelope off the table.)
JOHNNY: It's Florence Wickett from Boulder. "My husband ran out on me in 1996. Here's a pair of his socks, tell me where he is so I can get child support outta the cheap bastard."
(Johnny grabs another package, we hear something rattle inside. His grin is gone.)
JOHNNY: Or Michelle Barnes from L.A. "My baby choked to death last year, here's his rattle, please tell me if he's happy with the angels." (beat, grabs a letter) Or better yet, good 'ol Anonymous from Traverse City Michigan, who thinks I should burn in hell. Did you know the bible says regular sinners get tossed in a lake of fire but false prophets burn forever and ever?!
BRUCE: Johnny.
JOHNNY: Wait, there's another one…
(Johnny paws through the mail pile. Bruce looks away. Johnny sweeps the pile off the table and onto the floor. For a beat, there's just silence. Then, a phone rings. Johnny and Bruce look at each other. Bruce spots Johnny's cell phone, the one Sarah gave him. He answers it.)
BRUCE: Johnny Smith's cell phone.
[INT. SARAH'S KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS (INTERCUT PHONE)]
SARAH: Hey, Bruce, it's Sarah. Is Johnny there?
BRUCE: Hey Sarah. (Off Johnny shaking his head, "no") No, Johnny's not here. I'm just dropping off some stuff.
SARAH: Okay. Could you do me a favor, though?
BRUCE: Sure.
SARAH: Put him on.
(Bruce hands Johnny the phone, who looks betrayed. He take the phone, slumps back down in his chair.)
JOHNNY: Hello.
SARAH: You don't want to talk to me?
JOHNNY: You just caught me at a bad time. What's going on?
SARAH: You tell me. You don't return calls, haven't left your house…
JOHNNY: What do you want me to say, Sarah?
SARAH: …Nothing. I want to see you.
JOHNNY: (closes his eyes) Why?
SARAH: Why? I have to have a reason now?
JOHNNY: (eyeing mail on floor) Everyone else does…
SARAH: Know what, you have to stop feeling sorry for yourself. What happened at that restaurant wasn't your fault. And all those people who…
JOHNNY: Is that why you wanna come over? To give me advice? 'Cause I'll save you the trip, I don't want it hear it. I just want to be left alone.
(He hangs up, snaps off the battery, and looks up at Bruce, who is staring at him.)
JOHNNY: You got any more advice for me?
BRUCE: No, man. You seem to have it all figured out.
(Bruce leaves. Johnny sits back, glaring at the chessboard. At the big King piece, surrounded by its defenders…)
[INT. FAITH HERITAGE ALLIANCE – DAY]
(A small room has been set up for a catered press conference. Reverend PURDY sits behind a long table, flanked on either side by Greg and James Stillson. Reporters jockey for questions. We notice a lack of cameras. Purdy controls the room, singling out questions.)
REPORTER ALEX ROSS: Reverend Purdy, Alex Ross, WPOV. Most will be surprised by your backing of Greg Stillson as an independent candidate. Does this signal the alliance is breaking its ties with the G.O.P?
PURDY: I've never felt that I nor the Faith Heritage Alliance swore loyalty to any particular party. My responsibility is to find the candidate most dedicated to God's agenda. This election year, that candidate is clearly Greg Stillson.
(More raised hands. Purdy smiles as he calls on…)
PURDY: Yes, Dana.
DANA: How are you planning to address your candidate's checkered past? The alleged claims of bribery, for example?
JAMES: Now that's not appropriate. This is a press conference for a press release. If you wanna mudsling, buy airtime and shoot a commercial.
(Purdy leans into his microphone.)
PURDY: Really, Dana. I think that kind of rumor-mongering is beneath you. The bible warns us not to go down as a talebearer amongst others.
GREG: Leviticus. Chapter nineteen.
PURDY: You see? Another reason I like him.
(Light laughter from the press. Purdy has them where he wants them. All except for Dana.)
PURDY: My support for Greg is founded on his future, which promises to be very bright. Today, we've announced this to the press. On Sunday we plan on sharing it with everyone, at the Interfaith festival.
(Reporters scribbling. One reporter blurts out…)
REPORTER ALEX ROSS: Reverend, what's your association with psychic Johnny Smith?
(It's like the floodgates were opened. Other reporters start jumping on the bandwagon, as if these were the questions they really wanted to know: "Have you talked to him?/Is he for real? /How did he predict the fire?" Greg's eyebrow arches as he again loses the spotlight to this psychic guy. And this time he's not even here. Purdy motions for quiet.)
PURDY: Johnny Smith is a dear friend of mine. I've known him since birth, and have also been his legal guardian for the past five years.
(Questions start up again, but he silences them.)
PURDY: I believe in miracles. Of all shapes and sizes. Johnny Smith works in the realm of big miracles. I've had the privilege to see them, firsthand. He has his fair share of detractors, yes, but so did Abraham. So did Daniel. So did Christ.
(Somehow Purdy has managed to turn a quote into a sermon. And for a moment the reporters sit there like good Sunday School students. Greg looks at Purdy out the corner of his eye.)
[INT. PRESS ROOM – LATER]
(The press conference is breaking up. Dana is slinging her purse over her shoulder, edging her way out. Purdy walks over and corners her in the aisle.)
PURDY: Dana.
DANA: Excuse me, Gene. Gotta go write up your sermon.
PURDY: Have you spoken to him?
DANA: He's not speaking to anyone. He's shut himself in his house.
PURDY: I can only imagine what he must be going through.
DANA: But that won't stop you from using him.
PURDY: Using him? How would I use him? I look on Johnny as a son. (Closer) And you have no business acting righteous toward me.
(He moves away, back to the Stillsons, who are greeting faculty. Dana suddenly feels a chill, turns to see Sonny Elliman across the room, leaning up against a wall, looking at her with his cold green eyes.)
[INT. JOHNNY SMITH HOUSE - KITCHEN – DAY]
(Find Johnny making a sandwich in the kitchen. The phone rings. It's a different ring. One for the outside intercom. Johnny touches the phone, and grimaces. He picks it up, already knows who it is:)
PURDY (V.O.): Johnny, it's Gene Purdy. May I come in?
[OMITTED]
[INT. KITCHEN - MOMENTS LATER]
(Johnny sits across from Purdy at the kitchen table. He eats his sandwich, slightly petulant.)
JOHNNY: I'm glad you stopped by.
PURDY: I meant to sooner, but I felt you needed your space…
JOHNNY: I need money.
(Purdy is caught off guard, but recovers quickly.)
PURDY: Of course.
JOHNNY: A lot of money. I want to drain my trust. (Off Purdy's look) I'm taking a trip. And I'm not coming back for a while.
(Johnny takes a big bite out of his sandwich. Purdy nods.)
PURDY: You can do whatever you want to, of course. I'll honor your wishes. But at least consider my offer.
JOHNNY: What offer?
(Purdy gestures to the piled up mail.)
PURDY: You can't live your life under these conditions. I understand that. I want to help you.
JOHNNY: Help me with what? The mail?
PURDY: The mail. The media. All the other chaos. If you wish, we can even arrange for living quarters on campus… (Johnny almost chokes) Or you can live here. The bottom line is I will use my resources to protect you.
JOHNNY: What do you get out of it?
(Purdy stares at Johnny for a beat. Then leans forward, his voice drops, becomes almost conspiratorial.)
PURDY: Have you ever had a boring vision, Johnny?
JOHNNY: What?
PURDY: In the time since your Dead Zone has been active, have you ever touched someone, and seen them mowing their lawn? Or taking a nap?
(Johnny's never thought about it before.)
JOHNNY: No.
PURDY: Why do you think that is? I'll tell you why. Because you are important.
JOHNNY: I think you mean unfortunate.
PURDY: I know this isn't the life you would have chosen. But it is the life that has chosen you. And you cannot deny the possibility that some other force is guiding you. Choosing what you will see.
JOHNNY: Just say his name, Reverend. I know you're dying to.
PURDY: Destiny, Johnny. It is your destiny to help people. I truly believe that.
(Johnny considers this. Fights not to accept it, though deep in his soul, it's a losing battle.)
JOHNNY: (attempting glib) I always thought destiny was a rosier word for fate.
PURDY: Call it whatever you want. Every event in your life has been preparing you for this. Lessons. To make you ready.
(And this makes Johnny pause, for something in it rings true to him. Something he's felt before.)
JOHNNY: Ready for what?
PURDY: I will make it my mission in life to help you find out.
(Purdy sits back, pulling back his intensity. He stands.)
PURDY: Think it over. Call me when you're ready.
(As he passes Johnny, Purdy touches him on the shoulder. We spin 180 degrees to face Johnny, who reacts to the redorange glow as he sees…)
[VISION FLASH]
(A billowing flame cloud churning in super slow motion. The black obelisk roars straight toward us, its impact blacks out the frame.)
[JOHNNY]
(Jolts in his seat. The vision lasted half a second, but has left Johnny in a state of shock. Reverend Purdy is already past him, and didn't notice a thing. Johnny turns around, but words fail to come out of his mouth. Purdy is already gone. Johnny turns back to the table, heart pounding in his chest…)
END OF ACT TWO
ACT THREE
[INT. JOHNNY SMITH HOUSE - LIVING ROOM – NIGHT]
(Johnny has lit a roaring fire, using some mail as kindling. He stokes the fire with a black iron poker. He regards the blaze for a moment. Then he leans the poker lengthwise against the fireplace mouth. Walks to his couch and sits down, facing the fire with the thin black line in the middle. Staring intently at it. Johnny shakes his head. Doesn't understand what it means Suddenly, the unmistakable sound of a key entering a lock. Johnny turns his head. The sound is coming from outside the room, from the front entry way. Johnny grips his cane and stands, moves as quickly and quietly as he can to the door to the foyer. He presses himself up against the wall, and peeks his eye into the darkened room to see Sarah stepping in, her eyes adjusting.)
JOHNNY: Sarah?
SARAH: (jumps) Oh, God, you scared me!
JOHNNY: Scared you? How'd you get in here?
(Sarah holds up a key ring. Johnny crosses to her.)
SARAH: Gave 'em to me ten years ago. I was just bringing 'em back.
(Johnny shuts the door, shuts the door, locks the locks, puts out his palm. She hands him the keys.)
JOHNNY: You came here at ten o'clock to return my keys?
SARAH: I would've called first, but that didn't go so well last time.
JOHNNY: I'm sorry about that…
(She walks past him, into the flickering living room, taking in all the mail and mess strewn about.)
SARAH: Oh, Johnny, look at this place.
JOHNNY: It's not that bad.
SARAH: No, it just needs a woman's… bulldozer.
(He studies her studying the room.)
JOHNNY: Why are you really here, Sarah?
SARAH: I came here to give you something.
JOHNNY: My keys?
SARAH: Something else.
(She turns around, and in her hand, is a red and gold plastic ring, a cheap souvenir from a prize machine. Johnny approaches her slowly, pulled by it.)
SARAH: Recognize this? You won it for me in a nickel machine the night of the county fair. Do you remember? You put it on my finger in the car. You said, "I know it's not three karats but it is two months salary."
(Sarah chuckles, but Johnny lifts his gaze from the ring to stare at her, troubled.)
JOHNNY: How long have you been holding on to this? I mean…
SARAH: I always meant to give it back to you. I was just waiting for the right time. Then I realized… there may never be a right time.
(Johnny isn't buying it.)
JOHNNY: Why'd you come over here, Sarah?
SARAH: I just told you. How many times are you going to ask me?
JOHNNY: 'Till you give me the real answer.
(A long moment passes between them. Sarah lowers her head, shamefaced and confused.)
SARAH: I don't know. I thought I knew. (Beat) I don't know. Maybe because sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night, and for a second I forget who I am. Then I look over at Walt, and remember. But the first thing- the first thought that goes through my brain, is that somehow I've been cheated.
(Johnny isn't ready to hear this. He begins to shake his head, but Sarah refuses to acknowledge it. She needs to get this out, and he's the only one she can tell.)
SARAH: Then I start to think "what if?" What if you didn't get in that car crash? What if we didn't make a son that night? …But then it passes, and I come back to myself. Except lately it hasn't been passing, and I don't know if it's because I feel you slipping away from my life, or because my heart is trying to tell me something. (Beat) Do you believe in fate, Johnny?
JOHNNY: I don't know yet.
SARAH: You don't know? Doesn't it kill you, not knowing? Do you ever think about it? Ever?
JOHNNY: I never stopped thinking about it.
(They both stare at each other. Vulnerable, honest, and alone together - for the first time in six years. Sarah moves to kiss Johnny, but he recoils from her advance, before she can touch him. She is bewildered.)
JOHNNY: I'm afraid. (Re: her touch) Of what I'll see.
(Sarah stares at him, her impulse denied, her armor returning. She reaches out, takes his hand, and softly presses the ring into it. Then turns and walks away. Johnny watches her go, clenching the ring, which prompts…)
[VISION - FROM "WHEEL OF FORTUNE," SARAH IN HER CAR, SHAKING AS SHE TAKES OFF HER WEDDING RING. OVER THIS WE HEAR…]
SARAH (V.O.): My maiden name was Bracknell…
(Next comes a rush of images - all of Sarah's face through various episodes, all stolen glances at Johnny.)
[SARAH]
(She has passed into the foyer when Johnny grabs her and turns her around. They look at each other, both framed in the doorway between the living room and the foyer. Then Johnny kisses her, long and full on the lips. She opens her mouth and puts her arms around him, pressing him back into the room, devouring him. Losing herself. He gives in, letting it all go and letting it all in. Johnny and Sarah fall to the living room floor, desperately clinging to each other, everything pent-up being released. Johnny, preparing to make love to Sarah, still clenching the plastic souvenir ring in his hand, begins to experience one of the strangest visions of his life - a montage sequence going backward in time, stitching together a tapestry of his evolution up to this point, the pieces of the puzzle that created the new Johnny Smith.)
(A) From "Shaman," the meteor hits the mountain and explodes. The fireball slows to a freeze frame.
PURDY (V.O.): Every event in your life has been preparing you for this.
The shot reverses, the explosion re-forms into the meteor which shoots back into the sky, and we wind back out of the vision to show Johnny releasing grip on the shaman.
(B) From "Unreasonable Doubt," Johnny's vision in the convenience store as he fires the murder weapon.
PURDY (V.O.): Lessons. To make you ready.
And the vision reverses, the bullet sucked back into the gun, and we wind back out of the vision to show Johnny holding the gun in one hand and the bullet in the other.
(C) Blood from a vision speckles Johnny's face in the police interrogation room in "Here There Be Monsters…"
WALT FROM "SIEGE" (V.O.): You trying to change fate?
JOHNNY FROM "SIEGE" (V.O.): It's a jigsaw puzzle, and I'm in the middle of it!
The image reverses, the blood leaps off his face and Johnny pulls the knife out of the table.
(D) From "The Siege," Johnny sits next to Sarah, hostages.
JOHNNY: You have everything you really want, right Sarah?
SARAH: Do I?
(E) Back in the living room: Johnny, experiencing this vision, and making love to Sarah, a different kind of sex than Greg Stillson’s. Their lovemaking is slower, more intense, bespeaking pained history. As Johnny braces his hand over her breast…
(F) VFX SHOT: HEART BEATING. Thump-Thump. Thump-Thump.
VERA SMITH (V.O.): Heed the still, small voice when it comes.
The vision reverses, and we rewind through the arteries, the bloodstream, out the skin and out of the vision, where Johnny has just touched Todd in "Quality of Life."
VERA SMITH (V.O.): It came to Jeremiah and Daniel and Amos and Abraham. It will come to you. And when it does… do your duty.
Over this voice-over, a climax of cascading images - visions in reverse from all across Season One. Tommy becoming Johnny in "Enigma." Frank Dodd becoming Johnny in "What it Seems." Ramp-outs from Johnny's face.
(G) Johnny to himself in "Quality of Life."
JOHNNY: Heed the still small voice.
(H) Johnny and Sarah making love.
(I) The fiery car crash that sent Johnny into the coma rolls in reverse, stops at the point of impact, then plays forward with full sound. The explosion sending Johnny's car tumbling down the embankment on fire. It comes to rest at the bottom, smoldering…
(J) Johnny and Sarah in each other's arms, eyes closed. Sarah's fingers intertwine with Johnny's, which makes him release his grasp on the plastic souvenir ring.
(The ring rolls to the floor, ending the vision.)
[EXT. ROAD - DAY (1995)]
(Looking down a long, forested road. In the near distance, a luxury sedan approaches. LEGEND: "June 6, 1995" The morning after the car crash. A moment we've never seen till now. A tow truck pulls the wreck off the side of the road. Ambulance has long since come and gone. A luxury sedan drives by, not slowing down.
[INT. LUXURY SEDAN – CONTINUOUS]
(The boy is older, the suit is nicer, but the country music remains the same as Greg Stillson drives past the accident scene, adjusting his rear view mirror for a look-see, and letting out a low whistle. Sonny Elliman sits in the passenger seat.)
[EXT. OFFICE BUILDING – DAY]
(Greg puts his car in park and steps out into the sunshine. He and Sonny head for the building.)
[INT. RICHARDSON'S OFFICE – DAY]
(Greg and Sonny exit the elevator onto the 5th floor, cross the hallway right into Richardson's waiting room, past
Linda the secretary (whom Greg graces with a flirtatious wink) and into the office, where sits Charlie Richardson, who frowns at the interruption.)
GREG: How's tricks, Charlie?
RICHARDSON: I'm busy. What do you want?
(Greg sits in the seat opposite Charlie. Sonny closes the door, and stands off to the left behind Greg.)
GREG: I just wanted to have a chat with my old buddy. You're not too busy to chat, are you? Hell, you've been chatting to the Bangor Daily all week.
RICHARDSON: What are you talking about?
SONNY: No, it's what you're talking about.
(Sonny tosses a newspaper on his desk.)
SONNY: Dirty real estate deals. Kickbacks. Payoffs. One hand washing the other. You're a regular Deep Throat.
RICHARDSON: The Shady Pines article? You think I was the source on that?
GREG: Charlie don't. Just don't. We know.
(Charlie hesitates, then narrows his eyes at Greg. Admitting it was him, and refusing to apologize for it. Greg smiles, reaches into his jacket, pulls out a folder.)
GREG: I've found, when running for office, that it's a good practice to make a list. A list of friends, and enemies. And to make sure the people who count are on one, or the other.
(He slides the folder across to Richardson, who smiles as if to say, "is that all?")
RICHARDSON: Think you can scare me by putting my name on some list?
(Greg says nothing. Charlie opens the file with a smirk, and swallows it when he sees what's inside. Black and white photos of him and Linda, his secretary we just saw, in various sexual positions on a cheap motel bed. Richardson glances at the Lucite cube on his desk, which displays a photo of his wife and kids.)
GREG: I haven't put your name on either list as yet, because up until now you really haven't mattered.
(Charlie cracks an ugly grin, spreads his hands.)
RICHARDSON: Know what, Greg? You put me on whatever list you want. I'm not the one running for re-election. So here… (Tosses him photos) Go blackmail someone who cares.
GREG: (smiles thinly) Who said anything about blackmail?
(Sonny steps around the desk, GRABS Charlie with both hands, hauls him to the window, which Greg opens wide. Charlie flails, bats his arms at Sonny, as Sonny dangles him halfway out the window, five stories up.)
GREG: Let me tell you a story.
RICHARDSON: Stop!
GREG: Story about a man who finds some pictures in the mail. Pictures of him and another woman.
RICHARDSON: LINDA!
GREG: That's right, Linda. His secretary.
(Linda opens the office door, sees her boss being dangled out the window.)
RICHARDSON: Linda! Help! Call the police!
LINDA: What, they didn't tell you? I quit.
SONNY: She's got a new job.
(Richardson's eyes widen in horror, fix on Greg.)
GREG: So, the man is devastated. Sick to his stomach. Then the phone rings, and a voice tells him his wife's been sent the photos, as well as her family and his family, etcetera. And then this poor sap, you know what he does? (Sighs) Throws himself out his fifth story window.
RICHARDSON: Wait!
GREG: Body hits a parking meter, pow, head snaps clean off.
RICHARDSON: I'll do whatever you want!
GREG: (leans in, whispers) You wanna steer clear of me, Charlie. You wanna let someone else stop me. Someone with less to lose.
RICHARDSON: I won't stop you.
GREG: That's right, you let someone else be the hero. Meantime, I'm putting you on my friends list. (Beat) And don't worry so much. I'm not gonna be Mayor forever…
(Greg smiles as a flash-pop illuminates his face.)
[INT. STATE ROOM – DAY]
(Photos are snapped as Greg, in a crisp suit, takes another oath for another office. LEGEND: "September 1, 2001")
GREG: For the office of State Representative. I, Gregory Ammas Stillson, do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of Maine…
[EXT. COUNTRYSIDE – CONTINUOUS]
(As Greg's oath continues, we find ourselves soaring over the countryside, flying/dissolving over small towns across Maine, eventually arriving at our signature aerial shot of Cleaves Mills. The sound of a heartbeat quickening…)
GREG (V.O.): …Against all enemies, foreign, and domestic; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion…
(Zeroing in on cleaves mills hospital, flying inside…)
[INT. CLEAVES MILLS HOSPITAL – CONTINUOUS]
(Flying down hallways, heartbeat sound racing…)
GREG (V.O.): And that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties upon which I am about to enter.
(Suddenly we are in Johnny Smith's bed, at the exact moment that he comes out of the coma, at the exact moment that Greg Stillson, miles and miles away, has just ascended to the next rung of power. Johnny grabs the Nurse…)
JOHNNY: Something's wrong, Something's wrong…
(And what we thought was a preamble to his second vision (the girl in the burning house), is revealed to be something else entirely. A calling.)
[INT. JOHNNY SMITH HOUSE – MORNING]
(The iron poker falls on the fireplace, clanging. Johnny wakes from his sleep beneath the large comforter spread across him. He's still on the floor. He turns to find that Sarah is no longer with him. But on the sofa cushion where her head was, is the plastic souvenir ring. Johnny palms it, and holds it to his chest as he rolls on his back, staring at the ceiling.)
END OF ACT THREE
ACT FOUR
[INT. SARAH'S KITCHEN – DAY]
(Sarah clears the breakfast table, taking egg stained dishes to the sink. Robotic. Walt and Johnny Jr. scoot back from the table. Johnny Jr. is dressed in soccer uniform. Dad in police uniform.)
WALT: You ready for your big day?
JOHNNY JR.: You ready for your big day?
WALT: Ready as I'll ever be. (Over his shoulder) Mom knows I love crowd control.
(Sarah forces a smile. Walt gets up, adjusting his tie. He kisses Sarah on the cheek as he passes her.)
WALT: Call me at halftime.
(Walt heads out to work. Johnny Jr. stops, looks at Sarah.)
JOHNNY JR.: Aren't you gonna eat breakfast?
SARAH: I had a grapefruit.
(She keeps cleaning. Johnny Jr. waits, then exits. Sarah moves slowly, taking forever, staring into the sink steam. She bends over the sink, holding her stomach. Then darts for the waste basket, opens the lid and retches into it. Johnny Jr. watches from down the hall, peeking around a corner. Watching his Mom cry into the blue basket.)
[EXT. FAITH HERITAGE UNIVERSITY – DAY]
(The Interfaith Rally is in full swing. The predominating deity here is Uncle Sam. Red White and Blue everywhere. Bruce's PT Cruiser pulls up, and Bruce gets out… with Johnny, a baseball cap pulled down low over his eyes.)
JOHNNY: Thanks for taking me, man.
BRUCE: Hey, your fans are liable to recognize my car just as much as yours.
JOHNNY: I mean considering what a bastard I was the other day.
BRUCE: Oh. You're welcome.
(Johnny takes it in… his first day out in over a week, and its filled with people. Including Katie, the young volunteer who helped Greg get dressed, and her boyfriend, fresh-faced and naive. They offer Johnny a Stillson button, which he politely turns away. Bruce takes one for the hell of it. Edging along the side of the rally, Johnny searches the crowd for something, not finding it. Then he spots Walt, ordering a deputy to patrol a perimeter or something. Walt spots Johnny, and nods to him.)
JOHNNY: Maybe this was the wrong day to come…
PURDY (O.S.): Johnny!
(Purdy makes his way over, delighted to see Johnny. With Purdy are two bodyguard/assistants. Purdy and Johnny have to speak loudly over the din of the crowd.)
PURDY: I didn't expect to see you so soon.
JOHNNY: Neither did I.
PURDY: Have you considered my offer?
(Johnny is distracted by certain people in the crowd who have spotted and recognized him, and are making their way toward him. From all sides.)
JOHNNY: Looks like I'm not taking that trip after all.
JOHNNY (CONT'D): And I think that, at least on a trial basis, I could use your resources.
(Music to Purdy's ears. He gives Johnny a bear hug, and over Purdy's shoulder Johnny sees the…)
[MONOLITH VISION]
(The black obelisk screams toward us at incredible speed and then blacks out the frame.)
[JOHNNY]
(Jerks back from Purdy's embrace. Purdy is slightly off put, but Johnny doesn't have time to analyze as he notices the "Johnny-ites" getting closer and closer…)
JOHNNY: And I was thinking maybe we could start right now.
(Purdy now sees what he means. Nods to his bodyguards.)
PURDY: Come on, there's someone I want you to meet.
(Purdy shelters Johnny, leading him out of the throng and into a VIP section. Purdy's minions move to intercept the fans who are getting too close. Bruce walks next to Johnny, can tell that he's shaken.)
BRUCE: You saw something, didn't you?
JOHNNY: (nods so Purdy can't see) I'm not sure what…
[EXT. PLATFORM – BACKSTAGE]
(Greg Stillson and Daddy Joe are both on cell phones as Purdy and Johnny mount the steps up the back of the platform. They are in the wings of the giant stage, hidden from the crowd. We also spot Linda, Charlie Richardson's ex-secretary, in a sleek pant suit, conferring with a bodyguard type. Johnny slows as he realizes who Purdy is going to introduce him to. Greg turns to regard Johnny, closing up his phone.)
PURDY: Johnny Smith, meet Greg Stillson. Two of the essential people in my life.
ASSISTANT (O.S.): Reverend, we're ready.
PURDY: Excuse me.
(And Purdy walks right out on stage, a natural. The crowd applauds, then quiets for him. Johnny faces Stillson. It's an eerie moment for both men. Greg doesn't pour on his usual charisma.)
GREG: I've heard of you.
JOHNNY: Likewise.
GREG: Well, any friend of Reverend Purdy, is a friend of mine.
(Greg extends his hand. Johnny shakes it.)
[CAMERA]
(It spins 180 Degrees to shoot over Johnny's shoulder, as he witnesses the Monolith Vision again - although Greg Stillson doesn't vanish for the duration. Instead the monolith swallows Greg a split second before it blacks out the frame.)
[JOHNNY]
(He is truly shocked. He takes a step back, shaken, and then turns to look at Purdy, onstage. What does it mean? What's the connection?)
PURDY: (mid-intro) A man who represents hope for the next generation. A man who bridges the gap between the value of tradition and the idealism of youth. It is that bridge which will define our common destiny in the new millennium.
PURDY (CONT'D): (beat) Greg Stillson!
(The crowd cheers as Greg bounds onstage, shaking hands with the Reverend, then embracing him (more cheers). Johnny watches the two of them as if they were underwater. His gaze drops to their hands. Joined hands. Before he knows it, Johnny is moving toward those hands, which hold the key to the mysterious vision. He feels compelled to touch those hands, to know. Sonny Elliman grabs Johnny by the arm, stopping him. This attracts the attention of Purdy and Stillson, and wakes Johnny up to the fact that he has moved onstage, where the entire assembly can see him. Purdy smiles waves Johnny forward. Greg looks at Sonny, who releases Johnny. And before he knows it, Johnny is moving forward, torn between the impulse to run off the stage and hide, and the desire to touch those hands. Purdy shakes Johnny's hand, for the crowd and for the cameras. And then, without warning, standing between Johnny and Greg, raises each of their hands in "victory" to the crowd.)
[FINAL MONOLITH VISION]
(All sound drops out. Completely. Pull back to reveal Johnny all alone, standing with his arms pressed against a big black wall. No sound. No room tone. No breath. Johnny moves his hands down the wall, scraping the black off to reveal white stone underneath. He looks at his hands, palms covered with black soot. Then he looks up, and we pull back… and back… and back… to reveal the monolith as a towering black-soot covered obelisk. The Washington Monument.
Behind the monument, the Capitol City lies in ruin, flames pouring smoke into the sky. Johnny realizes he is inside a vision of Armageddon. He screams, but no sound comes out. The rumbling of the apocalypse bleeds back into applause as we go…)
[BACK TO SCENE]
JOHNNY, PURDY, STILLSON: A heroic raking three shot, three profiles looking like Mt. Rushmore, facing the crowd, absorbing the cheers.
(Johnny looks at Purdy and Greg. Greg, on the other side of Purdy, glances at Johnny. And smiles.)
END OF ACT FOUR
THE END
