On the Mile

Percy pauses near Coffey's cell, careless as always, getting

his holster buckled--and a massive black arm grabs him

through the bars. His SCREAM brings Paul and the others from

the restraint room.

Coffey's face is pressed so tight between his bars it looks

like he's trying to push his head through. He draws his lips

back, baring his teeth in an awful sneer...

Percy whacks him with his baton. Coffey barely seems to feel

it. He curls his free hand around the back of Percy's head,

pulling him ever closer...

...and Percy's screams are muffled as their mouths come

together. Coffey begins exhaling as if he'd held his breath

for hours. Percy jerks like a fish on a hook, but can't get

away. The men jump in, try to pry Percy loose, hollering for

Coffey to let him go.

The black " insects" are flowing from Coffey to Percy,

swirling into his mouth, up his nose, down his throat.

Several lightbulbs explode in their steel cages up and down

the Mile. Percy's baton drops from his nerveless fingers and

clatters to the floor, never to be picked up again.

And then Coffey steps back, rubbing his mouth as if he's

tasted something bad. The color has returned to his skin.

Percy, however, is ashen gray. His expression is blank as a

sheet of paper, not a trace of awareness in his eyes.

The men are stunned. Paul raises his hand to Percy's face,

snaps his fingers. Nothing. He tries again, clapping loudly.

Percy reacts slightly, eyes fluttering, swaying a bit.

PAUL

Easy, easy. You all right?

Percy says nothing. He turns and walks slowly up the Mile,

his movements vacant and disjointed. He comes to a swaying

stop at Wild Bill's cell...and turns slowly to look in.

Wild Bill is coming painfully around, groggily clutching his

head. He looks up, see Percy.

BILLY

What'a you looking at, you limp

noodle? You wanna kiss my ass or

suck my dick?

Nothing for the longest moment. Percy just staring...

...and then he pulls his gun and empties it into Wild Bill as

fast as he can pull the trigger. BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!

Bill takes all six rounds in the chest, reeling back across

the cell. He hits the wall and slides down, leaving a smear,

his face registering a final look of stunned surprise.

Paul and the other tackle Percy and bring him down, wrestling

the gun out of his hand. Dean is almost weeping:

DEAN

Oh God, oh God, no...

Percy is flat on his back, staring up at nothing. The black

" bugs" come drifting out of nose and mouth, swirling in the

air over his head. They turn white and disappear.

The men are speechless. Paul turns, sees Coffey sitting on

the floor at his bars, watching.

COFFEY

Punished them bad men.

PAUL

Why Wild Bill? Why?

COFFEY

I saw in his heart. When he grab

my arm, I saw what Wild Billy

done. Saw plain as day. Can't hide

what's in your heart.

PAUL

What? Saw what?

Coffey reaches toward him, straining through the bars.

COFFEY

Take my hand, boss. You see for

yourself.

BRUTAL

Paul, no!

Paul hesitates, torn between reason and Coffey's pleading

eyes. A whisper:

COFFEY

My hand.

Paul can't help it. He has to. Their hands come together.

Paul lurches wildly as that circuit starts blazing between

them...

PAUL

No...please...

COFFEY

Gots to, boss. Gots to give you a

little bit of myself. A gift,

like. A gift of what's in me so

you can see...

...and Paul sees:

The Detterick twins. Kathe and Cora. Laughing and playing

hopscotch in the dust under a later afternoon sun...

A dinner table. Family having supper late in the day, basket

of biscuits being passed. Twelve year old Howie Detterick

taking it, passing it on...

An hand with a paint brush slopping bright red paint on the

side of a barn...

Kathe skipping to the head of the hopscotch squares, turning

and starting back, laughing in the sun...

The paint brush slopping more paint, dripping like blood...

Paul jerks and twists, trying to pull away, trying to break

the circuit, but he can't, not till all is seen and done:

Marjorie Detterick calling from the porch for everybody to

come eat, supper's ready...

A hammer pausing. Klaus looking down from atop the barn...

The Detterick twins finishing their hopscotch, gathering

their jump ropes from the dust, running across the yard...

The basket of biscuits being passed to little Cora, who takes

a biscuit and passes it on...

Klaus coming down the ladder, calling to his daughters. The

little girls running past the man with the paint brush, who

turns and smile as they go by...it's Wild Bill.

The basket of biscuits is passed one last time. A hand pulls

one out, raises it for a bite. It's Wild Bill, smiling at the

little girls as conversation flows around the table...

Paul screams, trying to pull away, but:

The porch door is kicked off its hinges just before dawn, a

figure looming in the doorway. Kathe wakes, her scream cut

short as the man's fist punches her hard in the face...

Paul trembles violently as if riding the lightning himself,

pleading for it to stop, but there's one last thing:

Wild Bill looms over the terrified little girls like a

horrendous boogeyman, whispers to Kathe:

BILLY

You lover your sister? You make

any noise, know what happens? I'll

kill her instead of you.

(to Cora)

And if you make any noise, I'll

kill her.

And he drags them out into the coming dawn...

...as Coffey lets Paul go. Paul is gasping, back in the real

world where his men are staring at him with wide eyes.

COFFEY

He kill 'em with they love. They

love for each other. You see how

it is?

Paul nods, numb. Tears are flowing down Coffey's face. Softly:

COFFEY

That's how it is ever' day. That's

how it is all over the worl'...

CUT TO: