SCENE THREE: HE USES HIS GUN HAND TO PRETEND TO PLAY THE GAME.

 

JACK: Rock beats paper, paper beats.... ah....

JENNIFER: Scissors.

JACK: Detective Scofield, how pleasant to see you out in our neck of the woods, so to speak.

BRIAN: Well Jack, you said you were looking for a place to put....

JACK: Ah....

BRIAN: It's funny, you're out here in the woods and you can hear everything and it's very easy to overhear something and you were saying.... looking for a place to put....

JACK: Look.... to put.... place to put.... Oh! You thought we were talking about.... Miss Horton, he thought we were talking about.... you know.

JENNIFER: Oh that...that.

JACK: That.... yeah. You.... you thought we were talking about the mysterious gun. I know you were. And you probably still are but we weren't talking about that. We were talking about the.... the sanitary...the latrine situation.

JENNIFER: Right. You know when you got to go, you got to go.

JACK: That's right and I.... you know being the first one up I took it upon myself to scout out a sanitary location. I mean bears do.... in the woods. I'm fairly obsessive about my basic bodily functions.

JENNIFER: He is. He's always been like that. He always will be.

BRIAN: Hohohoho. Alright Deveraux, you're driving me nuts once again but let me tell you something right now, I know what you're up to and I'm going to find out what's going on and where it is.

 

BRIAN WALKS AWAY IN DISGUST.

 

JACK: Yeah, alright, good luck and watch where you step.

JENNIFER: Jack, Jack.

JACK: He is going to need luck because that gun is sleeping with the squirrels and the finches.

JENNIFER: Look Jack, if we get rescued, what are you going to do? You're not going to have time to come right back here to get the gun.

JACK: Wait a minute, you're right.

JENNIFER: Yeah.

JACK: You're right. Keep an eye out.

 

JACK HURRIES OVER TO A TREE AND DIGS AT THE BASE TO GET THE GUN OUT.

 

JACK: Ooooh.... aaaaaah. Back you go.... whoooooa.

JENNIFER: Cold, huh?

JACK: Yeah. (Beat) Ah you know what you were saying before about rescuing? Ah I was looking around this morning in the daylight and.... ah.... well everything looked very green.... I mean evergreen.

JENNIFER: Meaning?

JACK: Meaning.... if a helicopter flies overhead it's not going to see us. (Beat) Meaning that the walls of the cliff are too steep to climb. If you're looking for a steep ravine, we've found it. Ice, gravel, no way out.

JENNIFER: So what you're trying to say is....

JACK: What I'm trying to say is, that no one is going to find us until spring.

SCENE FIVE: BACK IN THE CARRIAGE, EVE AND FRANKIE HAVE LOOKED AROUND AND FOUND A BOX OF CANNED WEENIES. SHE AND FRANKIE DECIDE TO HAVE BREAKFAST AND THEY OPEN A CAN EACH. THEY ARE COLD AND DISGUSTING BUT THEY ARE FOOD. EVE STILL THINKS JACK HAS THE GUN AND SHE COMES UP WITH A PLAN TO GET HIM TO GIVE IT TO BRIAN. SHE SAYS THAT ALL NIGHT, JACK'S STOMACH WAS RUMBLING WITH HUNGER SO SHE IS GOING TO BRIBE HIM WITH FOOD. AT THAT MOMENT JACK AND JENNIFER COME BACK INSIDE.

 

JACK: Goooooood morning campers!

EVE: Jackie darling. Jennifer, good morning. Did you guys have a lovely walk out in the snow? Frankie and I, we were going to go but you know we decided to go later, you know, after we had some breakfast.

 

JACK'S FACE LIGHTS UP.

 

JENNIFER: Breakfast?

EVE: Yeah.

 

EVE HOLDS UP A WEENIE CAN.

 

EVE: Hmmm, yum, yum, yum, hmmm.

JACK: Wa...wai.... wait a minute. Whe...where did you get that can?

EVE: Francoise found it, Frankie found it, isn't that right?

JENNIFER: You did. Did you find anymore? Can we have some, we're so hungry.

JACK: Where are the rest of the cans?

EVE: The rest of the cans?

JENNIFER: Yeah.

EVE: Um....

JENNIFER: Come on Eve, stop fooling around. I haven't had anything to eat in 24 hours. Where's the rest of the cans?

JACK: Yeah.

EVE: You haven't?

JENNIFER: No I haven't.

EVE: Oh no, I should have known. I mean.... here we sat, we stuffed out face for hours and you haven't had anything to eat in over 24 hours. Oh we shouldn't have eaten all the food.

 

EVE BEGINS TO MUNCH ON A WEENIE AGAIN.

 

JENNIFER: You what?

EVE: That's right kids, this is all there is and there ain't no more.

 

JENNIFER MAKES A GRAB FOR THE CAN.

 

JENNIFER: You give me that can. You give me....

EVE: Hey wait a minute for one thing in exchange.

JACK: Alright, cash or credit?

EVE: The gun Jack! You share the gun with me and I'll share the food with you.... alright.

 

SHE CONTINUES TO MUNCH ON CANNED WEENIES WHILE JACK AND JENNIFER STARE AT HER.

 

JACK MAKES A GRAB FOR THE CAN.

 

JACK: Wait a minute, you've got two seconds to give me those weenies or else!

EVE: Or else what Jack?

JACK: One one thousand, two one thousand....

EVE: Don't....

FRANKIE: ALRIGHT, STOP FIGHTING OVER THE WEENIES!

EVE: Don't Frankie.

FRANKIE: Stop it! Alright, that's it. Gosh, there's a case of food over there, alright.

JENNIFER: A case of food!

JACK: A CASE! I don't believe it.

 

JACK AND JENNIFER RUSH OVER AND GRAB A CAN EACH.

 

EVE: Frankie, why did you do that? She was just about to break and we would have found out where the gun is by now.

FRANKIE: Oh come on. It's weenies.

EVE: I don't care.

 

JENNIFER COMES OVER WITH A MOUTH FULL OF WEENIES.

 

JENNIFER: Are you trying to tell me that this whole time that you knew that when we came in that she tricked us?

FRANKIE: Ah, sort of.

JENNIFER: How could you let her do that?

FRANKIE: Look getting this gun is serious business for us Jen.

 

JACK HAS BEEN STUFFING IN WEENIES WHILE THEY TALKED.

 

JACK: For us?

FRANKIE: That's right. Jack we're going to get that gun no matter what. I don't know why you guys are so against it.

JENNIFER: We're not against you.

 

JENNIFER TURNS AROUND AND STEALS THE CAN OF WEENIES JACK IS HOLDING.

 

JACK: Ah...yeah. Look there are more important things right now like getting out of here. When we get back home we can worry about the rest of the stuff.

EVE: Which is going to happen pretty soon because how hard can it be to spot a derailed car.... I hope.

JACK: Is that a rhetorical question?

FRANKIE: Oh come on, how bad can it really be out there?

JACK: Do yourself a favor, don't ask!

FRANKIE: There's got to be something we can do.

JENNIFER: Jack.

 

JENNIFER IS LOOKING IN A BOX.

 

JACK: Listen, I'm open to any kind of suggestions.

JENNIFER: Jack.

JACK: Can you tell me how to climb an unscalable hill?

JENNIFER: Jack.

JACK: Can you tell me how to signal when there's not a fire or matches to light a fire?

JENNIFER: Jack.

JACK: Can you tell me.... I mean I almost wished some of us smoked. I almost do.

JENNIFER: Jack.

JACK: I almost wish that....

JENNIFER: Jack.

EVE: Oh my god, what is it Jennifer, what is it?

JENNIFER: I've found a way out!

EVE: A way out!

JACK: Well why didn't you say so?

 

THE ALL RUSH OVER TO THE BOX JENNIFER WAS LOOKING AT. SHE PULLS OFF THE BLANKET COVERING IT AND THEY ALL BEGIN TO LAUGH AND SMILE.

 

JENNIFER: Look.

JACK: Oh.... heheheeheheh.

SCENE SIX: MINUTES LATER THEY ARE STUMBLING AROUND OUTSIDE TRYING TO FIND A SMALL CLEARING.

 

EVE: This is great, let's hurry.

FRANKIE: It's like a miracle.

JACK: What do you mean, like a miracle? It is a miracle. It's our salvation right here. HAHAHAHAH.

 

JACK HOLDS UP AN EMERGENCY FLARE.

 

JACK: Our little flare, baby, baby. Come on, come on, light our fire. All I have to do is find the right time and place to set it off.

FRANKIE: Jack, now is the right time.

EVE: Yeah.

ACK: That's what I was saying, the right time. Which is.... ah.... which is now.

EVE: Okay, it's going to work.

JACK: Okay, okay, I've just got to hit it with the right amount of force.

 

JACK REMOVES THE CAP FROM ONE END AND STRIKES IT AGAINST THE SAME END.

 

JACK: And.... violù!

EVE: Oh.... no.

JACK: And.... GO!

 

HE STRIKES IT THE SAME WAY AGAIN.

 

JACK: And.... presto!

FRANKIE: Jack....

JACK: And.... don't say another word, don't say a word.

FRANKIE: Use the other end, idiot!

JACK: Ah.... right!

FRANKIE: Yeah.

EVE: Hurry up, hurry up.

JACK: I am. Come on little zing.

JENNIFER: Jack it's alright. You did everything you could, alright.

JACK: I did it right. You just got to hit it with the right amount of force. You just got to....

 

JACK STRIKES THE CAP AGAINST THE OPPOSITE END AND THE FLARE IGNITES.

 

JACK: AAAARGH.... WHOA.... WHOA!

 

THEY ALL HOOT AND YELL WITH EXCITEMENT THEN THE FLARE STARTS TO BURN DOWN.

 

JACK: AARGH.... IT'S TOO HOT!

 

JACK THROWS IT INTO THE SNOW BUT IT KEEPS BURNING BRIGHTLY AND IGNITES A SMALL BUSH NEARBY. JACK GRABS JENNIFER IN A BIG HUG.

 

JACK: COME ON BABY, LIGHT MY FIRE!

 

THE FIRE CONTINUES TO BURN IN THE WOODS WHILE JACK, JENNIFER AND FRANKIE LOOK TO THE SKY FOR A HELICOPTER TO RESCUE.

 

JACK: See anything, see anything. I see Orion's Belt.

EVE: THERE'S A FIRE GUYS, FIRE. I GOT IT, I GOT IT.

 

EVE HAS PANICKED BECAUSE THE FIRE IS GETTING BIGGER AND SHE STARTS TO THROW SNOW ALL OVER IT TO PUT IT OUT. THE OTHERS DON'T NOTICE WHAT SHE'S DOING.

 

FRANKIE: Hey, belt you!

JACK: Hey I'm trying, I'm trying. Hey you try, listen, I did the best I could.

 

HEY WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

 

EVE: I GOT IT!

JACK: HEY!

EVE: I did, I got it out, did you see.

 

THEY ALL STARE IN HORROR AT WHAT SHE HAS DONE.

 

EVE: What's the matter, what's wrong?

JENNIFER: We don't have any matches. So no matches, no fire.

JACK: No fire, no light, no signal. And you know if you left that alone somebody might even have seen it.

FRANKIE: Oh come on now, she was just trying to help Jack.

EVE: I was trying to save your necks, that's what I was trying to do.

JACK: Well thank you very much!

FRANKIE: AS IF YOU'VE NEVER MADE A MISTAKE. YOU DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHICH END TO LIGHT.

JACK: Oh look at you....

 

MELISSA AND BRIAN COME BACK.

 

MELISSA: We saw smoke. What happened?

JACK: Oh did you really? Oh amazing!

MELISSA: What happened?

 

THEY ALL START TALKING AT THE SAME TIME, AND IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT ANYBODY IS SAYING.

 

JACK: Well smokey the Bear over there stopped the....

 

THEY ARE ALL SCREAMING AT EACH OTHER WHEN BRIAN STOPS IT.

 

BRIAN: I got it, I got it.

MELISSA: You got all that?

BRIAN: Yeah. Jennifer found a flare, Jack had trouble lighting it and apparently it started a fire and Eve put it out. But I have a question about the flare.

JENNIFER: What about it?

BRIAN: How many are there, any more and are there any left?

JACK: That's two.

EVE: Is there any left, you want to know if there's any left? BRIAN: That was the question.

EVE: Well I'll answer your question Brian. There is none left.

BRIAN: None?

FRANKIE: None.

JENNIFER: None.

JACK: None.

 

THE ALL STAGGER BACK TO THE TRAIN CAR AND ARE STILL ARGUING AS THE COME INSIDE HUDDLED IN THEIR BLANKETS.

 

BRIAN: Alright, quieten down. We all have to agree to stay in couples. Is that agreed?

FRANKIE: Fine so what are we supposed to do. I mean what are the other two couples, what are they supposed to do.

BRIAN: Well we'll stay together, okay, in couples and then we'll find out. Someone should go and at least look out and get away.

JENNIFER: Well I don't want to just sit down. We'll go up and see if there is a way up the cliff or something.

BRIAN: Okay.

JENNIFER: We'll check back every quarter of an hour.

BRIAN: We'll be here when you get back.

JACK: We'll just.... okay.

SCENE SEVEN: EVE AND FRANKIE GO OUT AS WELL TO LOOK FOR HELP.

SCENE EIGHT: JACK AND JENNIFER LOOK AROUND FOR A WHILE THEN JACK STOPS AND CROUCHES DOWN. JENNIFER SQUATS BESIDE HIM.

 

JENNIFER: Well we really should be getting back.

JACK: Yeah, to the toasty fire and the marshmallows.

JENNIFER: Well I think they're probably going to start worrying about us. I mean at least there is something edible.

JACK: Depending on your state of desperation.

JENNIFER: My state of desperation is pretty impressive.

JACK: Is it? (Beat) I mean sometimes it's hard to see how desperate you are. I mean that makes it hard for one to know what to do.... sometimes.

JENNIFER: Jack, it's alright.

JACK: It is?

JENNIFER: Yeah, I mean I'm handling it okay. I just.... I'm thinking about how it was on the island. And I mean I don't what's going to happen to all of us but I do know that when I'm with you I feel really safe somehow. And I know that doesn't make any sense, but I do.

JACK: Look....

JENNIFER: What?

JACK: You're right, it doesn't make any sense.

JENNIFER: I know but sometimes nothing makes sense but there are some things that make a different kind of sense.

 

JACK IS PUZZLED AGAIN ABOUT WHAT SHE MEANS.

 

JENNIFER (CONT.): And as crazy as it may be and as crazy as it may sound, I mean no matter where we are and no matter what happens.... I love being alone with you.

 

JACK DOES NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE.

 

JACK: You do?

JENNIFER: Yeah, I do.

JACK: Well.... to each his own.

JENNIFER: You don't feel that way, do you Jack? You don't really like being alone with me, do you?

JACK: Oh wait.... look....

JENNIFER: Do you?

JACK: Ah, it's not really that. It's....

JENNIFER: Then what is it?

JACK: Well it's.... it's difficult to explain.

JENNIFER: You're scared. You're afraid for you and me to be alone, aren't you?

JACK: Me afraid? There's a concept that bares some contemplation.

JENNIFER: I'm afraid too Jack.

 

HE TURNS TO LOOK AT HER.

 

JENNIFER: I'm every bit as scared about all of this as you are. But the one thing that I'm most afraid of is the thought of holding you again the way I remember and it not feeling the same way. (Beat) Not feeling the way I remember it feeling.

 

SHE SITS DOWN ON A ROCK.

 

JACK: Well I don't know.... I don't know. I suppose we could do something.... at least.... try.

JENNIFER: Yeah we could try.

 

JACK SLOWLY SITS DOWN NEXT TO HER. HE IS VERY NERVOUS. HE PULLS THE BLANKET AWAY FROM AROUND HIS HEAD AND WRAPS IT AROUND HER WITH HIS RIGHT ARM. HE LOOKS DOWN AT THE GROUND AND IS SILENT. SHE IS UNCOMFORTABLE TOO.

 

JENNIFER: I guess.... I feel a little uncomfortable and I don't know what to do. JACK: Well it's.... nothing new but you already knew.... this wasn't going to be easy.

HER HAIR IS BLOWING GENTLY ON HIS FACE.

 

JENNIFER: I knew it wasn't going to be easy.

 

HIS HAND IS RESTING FLAT ACROSS HER CHEST TO KEEP HER WARM AND SHE SLOWLY BRINGS HER HAND OUT FROM UNDER HER BLANKET AND PLACES IT OVER HIS. SHE SQUEEZES IT GENTLY AND HE FEELS JUST AS UNCOMFORTABLE.

 

JACK: Well you know as they always say.... if at first you don't succeed....

JENNIFER: ....try, try, again.

 

JACK LOOKS UP AT THE SKY.

 

JACK: Try, try, again.

 

[Transcribed by Carol Vaughan
added material by Sally A. Wilson]