Out of Yellowstone, a screenplay, continued
A LITTLE LATER
Rex directs the remaining 9 visitors into the helicopter.
Standing by the cockpit, Robin strains to hear Frank.
FRANK
(loudly to Robin)
This makes a full load. I'll have
to come back for you two. It'll be
about dark then.
EXT. LANDSLIDE AREA - TWILIGHT
A convoy of motor homes, pickup campers, and camper trailers
travel in the twilight. Gus's motorhome travels through the
excavated landslide and past the abandoned bulldozer.
I/E. GUS'S MOTOR HOME - SAME
The motor home closely follows behind a travel trailer in the
procession. Up ahead, just left of the roadway, a new geyser
develops in steams and spurts.
GUS
What the Hell's that?
As they approach, the geyser erupts before them.
Stella grips the dashboard and screams. Water SPLASHES down
on the roof.
STELLA
Gus!
GUS
I hate this place.
EXT. LANDSLIDE AREA - TWILIGHT
A pickup camper following Gus's motor home gets pounded by
water from the geyser. The right side of the road sinks and
takes the camper with it. The earth trembles.
More of the road breaks up followed by a devouring torrential
slide. The procession behind comes to a halt.
Gus's motorhome is unharmed and the convoy ahead travels on.
INT. GUS'S MOTORHOME - TWILIGHT
Gus taps on the empty Coke can in his cup holder.
GUS
Stella.
She dutifully gets him one from the refrigerator.
EXT. GRANT VILLAGE - TWILIGHT
The helicopter lands on the empty roadway. Tim, the Park
Policeman assists the people getting out.
TIM
(extremely concerned)
Where's Robin?
FRANK
Gotta go back for 'em.
TIM
Let me go with you.
FRANK
Why not. You gotta see this.
I/E. FRANK'S HELICOPTER/ OVER YELLOWSTONE LAKE - TWILIGHT
Seen through the helicopter, every facility in the Grant
Village area within 200 feet of the water is destroyed. Lots
of debris. The road along West Thumb is washed out in
several places. There are submerged cars, abandoned cars.
TIM
Unbelievable.
FRANK
Check that out.
On the east side of Yellowstone Lake, a small but violent
emerging volcano spews ash, steam and rocks.
EXT. ROADWAY, HAYDEN VALLEY - TWILIGHT
Rex and Robin sit on a car hood, looking toward the fires.
ROBIN
... course the pines are full of
pitch, so they'll burn, and that
area has a lot of small pine and
deadfall. But everything else is
really green. Of course anything
will burn if you take a blow torch
to it.
The front of the car raises up. That rouses them. Upheaval
and rocking continue. A new crevice opens up.
While being jostled about, Robin sees the terrifying. She
grabs Rex's arm. Fear grips them both.
Lava spits out of the older crevice. The new fissure
enlarges.
EXT. GRASSLAND - TWILIGHT
Robin and Rex sprint across the grassland. They run hard.
Finally stopping, heaving to catch their breath, they look
back in dread.
Lava sparks and oozes where the cars and roadway used to be.
Robin hears something unnerving and turns to see the
terrifying.
A HERD OF BUFFALO stampedes toward them.
Robin and Rex dive for the protection of a long, low rock.
The buffalo thunder closer.
EXT. HELICOPTER VIEW, LAVA, HAYDEN VALLEY - TWILIGHT
HELICOPTER NOISE. As seen from above, sparking lava oozes
over portions of the former road bed.
INT. FRANK'S HELICOPTER - SAME
The Frank frantically tries for radio response.
FRANK
...Do you read me...Unit 3... Unit
3? Robin, Rex...
EXT. GRASSLAND - TWILIGHT
Pressing himself against the rock, Rex, on top of Robin,
shields his head with his arms as the buffalo storm over and
around them.
Dust, dirt, and clumps of grass fly.
They hear the radio but can't maneuver to get it with the
situation such as it is.
FRANK (V.O.)
(on radio)
Come in...Robin, Are you there...
Unit 3, Come in...Rex...Rex?
The last of the herd thunders by. Robin struggles (under
Rex) to get up.
ROBIN
Get off of me.
Staggering to her feet, ready to answer the radio, her
expression again turns to terror.
A BUFFALO BULL freight trains toward her.
The radio flies from her hand as Robin hits the deck on top
of Rex.
Dirt flying, a massive HOOF SMASHES THE RADIO.
EXT. LAVA, AERIAL SHOT, HAYDEN VALLEY - NIGHT
The only details perceptible are the ribbon of lava and the
river below. Darkness and clouds of steam obscure the
visibility.
INT. FRANK'S HELICOPTER - NIGHT
FRANK
(coughing into radio)
No, not a word. We've got to get
out of here.
TIM
We just can't leave them.
FRANK
(to both Tim and Radio)
.
I don't have a mask, The fumes
getting to me. Plus it's too dark
to see.
INT. DISPATCH OFFICE - NIGHT
Mike and a wise looking OLDER RANGER are at a dispatch desk.
OLDER RANGER
(into microphone)
Get some sleep, Frank. You'll have
National Guard reinforcements
tomorrow.
Mike and the older ranger are solemn.
MIKE
Well, if anyone could make it, it
would be those two.
The older ranger places a hand on Mike's shoulder.
OLDER RANGER
It's all up to you, guy.
INT. FRANK'S HELICOPTER - NIGHT
TIM
Come on, let me go down there.
FRANK
No.
TIM
You should have brought them out
first.
FRANK
They wouldn't hear of that and you
know it.
TIM
I know I can find them.
FRANK
I'm sorry. I'll be back in the
morning. It's all we can do.
EXT. GRASSLAND - NIGHT
Ash rains down on Rex and Robin as they keep moving on,
covering their noses as best they can.
ROBIN
(coughing)
I always figured when I died I'd
have my ashes scattered over
Yellowstone. I didn't figure it
would be visa versa.
INT. YELLOWSTONE VOLCANO OBSERVATORY, UTAH - NIGHT
The scientists and students watch an aerial video, taken late
day over Yellowstone, showing the destructions of facilities,
the fracturing, the venting, the lava, etcetera.
HUFF
(into wireless headset)
...yeah Rob, we're watching it now.
(pause to listen)
No, haven't come to it yet. Wait,
there it is.
The screen shows the small developing steaming volcano on the
east side of Yellowstone Lake.
HUFF
(into wireless headset)
Steam blast. Oh lordy!
LATER
HUFF
(to everyone present)
I've just enacted emergency
warnings.
(beat)
We've got a press conference in one
hour. I need summaries of
everything. And Karen, I need some
quick graphic art work.
KAREN, a student, nods.
EXT. NEAR A LONE PINE TREE - NIGHT
Rex and Robin have a small pile of wood and an unlit
campfire. The distance glows with the orange.
Surrounded by grassland, the campfire location is mostly bare
from the years of buffalo trampling. Close by is an easily
climbable lone pine tree.
Rex searches through his day pack.
ROBIN
Oh good! No matches.
REX
I don't see your survival kit, Miss
Perfect.
He nods his head toward the orange glow of the lava.
REX
At least we know where to go to get
warm.
Robin shivers from the cold night air.
ROBIN
This is the only place on the
planet where you can simultaneously
bake, boil, fry, roast, blanch,
scald and freeze to death.
REX
Ah ha! One cigarette lighter. No
Boy Scout should be without one.
The ground shakes. Robin grabs Rex's arm for balance.
A LITTLE LATER
Rex tends the fire that is still getting going.
Poised in a stance of mock authority, Robin looks down at
him.
ROBIN
Hey you. This is a National Park.
Don't you know fires are illegal in
the backcountry. You could scar
the landscape. You could cause a
wildfire. You could get fined. You
dastardly criminal, you.
LATER
The two sit on the ground by the fire. He pulls two granola
bars from his pack and hands her one.
REX
Here, its all I've got.
He stares pensively into the fire.
REX
When I was a kid, I'd have given
anything for dad to do stuff with
me. Like take me camping or
fishing or just play catch. But he
was always too busy, so he said.
Robin uneasily gropes for a stick to throw into the fire.
REX
No, he wasn't always too busy. He
just didn't want to take time for
me.
Rex unwraps his granola bar, but just stares through it.
REX
How I envied my best friend, Bobby
Jordan. He had the greatest
father. Sometimes he'd even take
me fishing. I vowed that when I
grew up, I'd be that kind of
father. So here I am. Two boys
that really didn't want to do
anything with me. Sports were
boring. Fishing was boring. I was
boring. Yellowstone was boring.
ROBIN
I don't think they'd have been
bored today.
REX
I guess I should be grateful Lori
and the boys aren't here right now.
INT. BAR - NIGHT
George and SYLVIA swirl a lively Western Swing as a COUNTRY
BAND plays. Sylvia's dancing dress is Western style, but
very skimpy. She's a knockout blonde in her early 20's.
The bar is crowded with COWBOYS, URBAN COWBOYS, MISCELLANEOUS
OTHERS, and A FEW MOUNTAIN MEN. The motif is cowboy.
George hugs Sylvia as the song ends.
BAND LEADER
Don't go away. We'll be back after
a short break.
Arms around each other, George and Sylvia walk between the
pool table and the bar. A Television set above the Bar
attracts the attention of several people. The volume is too
low to be audible.
ONE COWBOY
(to the bartender)
Hey Dave, turn that up, will ya.
DAVE turns the News way up.
On the television screen Angela Greyfeather reports outdoors,
in the dark night.
ANGELA (ON TV)
...An estimated four thousand
people remain trapped in the Canyon
Village area and above the Grand
Canyon of the Yellowstone.
The Television is now the center of attraction in the bar.
On TV, the attention shifts from Angela to the approaching
helicopter lights.
ANGELA (V.O. ON TV)
(continuing)
Evacuation has been slow, but
should speed up once National Guard
helicopters arrive. The first are
expected within the hour... Glen.
On TV, the Anchorman at his news desk talks to a screen with
Angela on it.
ANCHORMAN (ON TV)
Will road crews be able to get any
of the people out?
Angela fills the screen.
ANGELA (ON TV)
No, they figure it's much too
dangerous at this time.
Earthquakes have been pounding
Yellowstone.
To the south of Canyon Village, the
road is not only broken up in
numerous places, but lava has been
breaking through the surface.
The crowd around the set squeezes tighter. George and Sylvia
are in the core. All are transfixed on the news.
ANGELA (ON TV)
To the north, there are both
landslides on top the road, and
roadways that just slid away. And
to the west there are now boiling
pools of water over the roads.
On TV, the Anchorman speaks from his desk.
ANCHORMAN (ON TV)
The confirmed death toll in
Yellowstone now stands at twenty
three. The number of people
reported missing continues to rise.
Behind the Anchorman are photos of Rex and Robin.
ANCHORMAN (ON TV)
Among the missing and feared dead
are Park Superintendent, Rex
Montgomery, and Head Naturalist,
Robin Taylor.
George is stunned. He lets go of Sylvia and looks for a way
to leave.
GEORGE
Stay here.
INT. DISPATCH OFFICE - NIGHT
The older ranger rapidly shoves files into a cardboard box.
A YOUNGER RANGER (21) carries a computer toward the open
door.
The PHONE RINGS. The two rangers exchange surprised glances.
YOUNGER RANGER
Phone's working?
The older ranger answers it.
OLDER RANGER
Dispatch... George, where are
you?... Still in Jackson? ...
No, there's no way you can get
through the park. But there's a
command post in West Yellowstone.
You can get around through Idaho.
They need you, buddy. Everyone's
been working extended shifts... Oh
yeah, I would leave tonight...
The younger ranger, still holding the computer, eyes the
older one curiously.
OLDER RANGER
(into phone, continuing)
We're the last ones here in Mammoth
and we're out the door as we speak.
The older ranger has a mischievous smile.
OLDER RANGER
(into phone, continuing)
We're making temporary headquarters
in Gardiner.
INT. BAR - NIGHT
George hangs up and leans against the wall.
INT. DISPATCH OFFICE - NIGHT
The younger ranger still holds the computer.
YOUNGER RANGER
What'd you tell him to come up for.
OLDER RANGER
Hey, you're working. I'm working.
If I really liked the guy I'd of
told him to stay there.
INT. BAR - NIGHT
The television, without volume, has a late night talk show
that nobody is watching. The band plays. On the dance floor
a few people two-step but the majority of the patrons have
left.
Sylvia, at the bar, chats with Dave.
DAVE
Sure. April in the Baja is premo.
You want to go next year, I'll give
you all kinds of tips. Tip number
one, if a kid wants fifty cents to
keep an eye on your car...
George comes over.
DAVE (cont'd)
Give him the fifty cents.
GEORGE
Coffee to go, Dave. Large. He
gives Sylvia a big squeeze. Gotta
go, Love.
SYLVIA
Tonight?
GEORGE
Duty calls. I'll take you home.
No one notices as warnings scroll across the bottom of the
screen and the video switches to the newsroom. Superimposed
scrolling on TV: ... "Emergency Evacuation ordered for the
following counties: In Montana:" ...
EXT. TETON PASS - NIGHT
The snow remains deep at the high altitude. The road is bare
and dry. A sign warns, "AVALANCHE AREA, NO STOPPING."
George's pickup powers up the mountain.
INT. GEORGE'S PICKUP - NIGHT
George grabs the coffee cup.
EXT. NEAR A LONE PINE TREE - NIGHT
Rex and Robin lay close to the fire for warmth.
REX
So you think it's going to blow?
ROBIN
(smiling)
Like an egg in a microwave.
REX
One of my boys actually did that.
Blew the microwave door open. Heck
of a mess.
ROBIN
Heh. Everything I read said the
dome building phase would happen
slowly over a long period of time.
I don't think we had that, so maybe
it won't be the big one.
(beat)
All the talk has been about the
super volcanos that have happened
every six hundred thousand years.
But since that last colossal one,
Yellowstone has had at least thirty
volcanos. Nobody talks about that.
Some of those were huge, like five
times more powerful than Mount
Saint Helens. That's as big as any
in recorded history. The last one
was seventy thousand years ago.
That kind of thing is more likely
to happen.
(beat)
And it would kill us just as dead.
REX
Your kidding. I've yet to see a
volcano here - well except what's
happening right now.
ROBIN
They blew themselves apart,
collapsed, filled in with welded
ash and lava. West Thumb is one of
those calderas.
INT. CONFERENCE ROOM, UTAH - NIGHT
Huff speaks at the podium to MEMBERS OF THE PRESS crammed
into a conference. Scientists #1 and #2 are in the
background.
HUFF
.... Although we monitor every
which way we can think of, we can
not predict the scale of the next
eruption.
However, we do predict a
significant and violent, explosive
volcanic eruption within twenty
four hours.
The lights dim. The screen shows the VIDEO of the steam
blast on the east side of Yellowstone Lake.
HUFF
You are looking at a lit fuse.
This video was taken just after
sunset today. This is called a
phreatic eruption or steam blast.
Real time satellite imagery show it
is now five times as large.
Simple ANIMATION illustrates his talk.
HUFF
A fracture occurred below
Yellowstone Lake, allowing water to
come in contact with hot rock and
instantly flash to steam. As water
expands into steam it forces the
crack to get larger and create new
channels, allowing more water, more
steam blasting, causing a chain
reaction that quickly leads to a
horrific conclusion.
(beat)
Double jeopardy, the surrounding
hot rocks are porous and are full
of compressed steam. When the
pressure is released the rock
explodes, releasing more pressure,
more explosions.
(beat)
Triple jeopardy. The molten rock
in the magma reservoir below is
also full of gas under tremendous
pressure. Suddenly releasing the
pressure above is like uncorking a
shaken up champaign bottle. This
thing could blow at any moment.
(beat)
Quadruple jeopardy ...
EXT. NEAR A LONE PINE TREE - NIGHT
Rex and Robin separately huddle by the fire.
ROBIN
It's impossible to sleep. Wish we
had found more wood.
REX
How come you never got married?
Robin shifts uncomfortably.
ROBIN
I don't know. I guess a career's
always been more important to me.
I'm married to the Park Service.
You know this game. You can get
transferred anywhere. He'd have to
quit his job to follow me around.
What man would want that? There's
no way I could be just a housewife
or a store clerk or something.
REX
What about relationships?
ROBIN
Oh, I've had a few, very few. But
they lasted for quite a while. Once
they start pushing for a
commitment, I get scared. I can't
picture myself being married to any
one of them. I like men better as
buddies than as lovers. I like my
freedom.
REX
Don't you ever get lonely?
ROBIN
No. Well, if I go somewhere where
everyone is with someone, yeah
then.
REX
I get so lonesome it hurts inside.
But the last couple years was
painful, all the put downs. I'd be
afraid of all that happening again.
But I can't take the loneliness.
WOLVES HOWL
REX
Who can you meet around here
anyway?
The locals are either isolationists
or ranch widows looking to marry a
ranch hand. I really don't think I
know how to date anyway.
ROBIN
You must have dated your wife.
REX
I never thought of it as dating. We
just did things together. After
awhile I couldn't picture myself
doing anything without her.
They both stare into the fire. The earth violently shakes.
They grab on to each other looking around helplessly.
ROBIN
(yelling up at God)
Knock it off.
Rex pulls her closer.
REX
Uhm. It's warmer this way.
I/E. FRANK'S HELICOPTER - EARLY MORNING
Frank and his WIFE scan landscape. She spots something
significant.
FRANK'S WIFE
Down there!
FRANK
Yo!
EXT. BRIDGE BY LEWIS FALLS, HELICOPTER SHOT- EARLY MORNING
HELICOPTER SHOT: a large passenger van with a canoe trailer
and six canoes is parked on the road. The bridge is out from
earthquake damage.
The Boy Scouts signal. Some use mirrors, others wildly wave
things like yellow raincoats. Two boys send smoke signals
from the campfire burning on the road. There is also a big
"X" made from large sticks.
EXT. BRIDGE BY LEWIS FALLS - EARLY MORNING
HELICOPTER NOISE. Some scouts jump up and down, others wave
arms or raincoats exuberantly.
The land beneath the rig buckles and breaks apart. Pavement
cracking, the troop flees up the road.
EXT. NEAR THE LONE PINE TREE - EARLY MORNING
Robin kind of marches in place, vigorously rubbing her upper
arms as she tries to get warm.
ROBIN
Too bad we let the fire die.
Rex drops what little wood he was able to collect.
Standing behind her, he maneuvers his hands as if he's about
to rub her arms. Catching himself, he brings his hands back
to his sides.
REX
They should be looking for us
pretty soon.
Eyeing a buffalo chip, he picks it up and smiles.
REX
You know, I always wanted to try
burning buffalo dung.
ROBIN
Trust me, the stuff stinks. I
don't know how the pioneers could
stand it.
GRIZZLY BEAR'S POV: About 150 feet away, Rex and Robin are
watched from behind. The sounds are the HEAVY BREATHING and
LOW SNORTS of a bear.
Robin quits marching and stretches her arms upward, eyes
closed.
Arms still up, she pops open her eyes and cocks her head,
suddenly apprehensive. Slowly lowering her arms she looks
behind her.
A grizzly bear stands on his hind legs, sniffing the air.
Robin stares back, wide-eyed, muscles tense. But she remains
relatively composed. Quietly, she warns Rex.
ROBIN
Rex. Grizzly!
Rex and Robin slowly back toward the tree.
Bear's POV: The bear drops down to all fours and charges the
terrified duo. Rex drops to the ground in a fetal position,
arms covering his neck. Robin dashes for the tree.
The bear is on Rex, GROWLING ferociously.
Robin scrambles to a safe limb.
The bear straddles Rex.
Robin helplessly looks on in horror.
ROBIN
No! No! No! Oh Rex!
A National Guard helicopter flies overhead.
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