"THE DAMNED THING" "Smells good, mom." "Ribs?" "Three times this month, according to my chart." "He keeps a chart." "Watching my protein intake as suggested by the FDA." "I'll say grace." "For this delicious meal, ribs in particular, we thank the Lord for His love and grace." "Amen." " Amen." " Amen." "Damn." "It's bad this year." "It's early." "I know." "Wind's a bear." "All the guys down at work gettin' restless." "Yes?" "It's a legal defense for homicide in Norway." "The wind." "Look it up." "Hey, you know, Jackie isn't herself." "She went off on me today down at the mailbox." "It's so weird." "Everyone in the neighborhood is all stirred up and acting weird." "She's a nut." "She was born screwed up." "Is she still thinking Kenny Rogers is Jesus, mom?" "Far as I can tell, yes, she does." "I'm gonna get another napkin." "Honey, let me." " Thanks, hon." " You're welcome." "Kevin, honey?" "Give me a hand with something here in the kitchen." "Yeah." "Hi, honey." "Grab the plates." "Mom?" "Honey, I-I'm sor..." "This was supposed to be a surprise." "Happy birthday, dad!" "John, what are you doin'?" "That ain't funny." "Put that away." "The damn thing." "Dad..." "Johnny, put that down." "You're scarin' Kevin." "It found me." "Put that away, please." "No!" "Kevin!" "Stop!" "God dammit!" "Come on, son, don't make me chase ya." "Kevin!" "Kevin!" "Son!" "Slow down, boy!" "Come on." "Kevin!" "I ain't gonna hurt you." "Kevin!" "Slow down for your dad!" "Kevin!" "God!" "Come on, son." "Kevin!" "God god god!" "Come on, son, I ain't gonna hurt you." "Kevin!" "Kevin!" "Come out!" "Kevin!" "Come on out here." "Come on, son, I ain't gonna hurt you." "Don't you hide on me, you little bastard." "Come on out!" "I know you're in there." "I ain't gonna hurt you, son." "Come on!" "Just come on!" "Talk to your dad." "Kevin!" "You get out here right now!" "You're startin' to piss me off, you little bastard." "Kevin!" "Kevin!" "You get out here right now!" "Just come on out." "Come on, talk to me." "Come on, Kevin!" "Just come on!" "Talk to your dad!" "Son?" "Kevin?" "Kevin." "I never knew what it was that got to him... or that killed him." "There wasn't much left in me after that night." "But everybody I ever met has a wound one way or the other." "Thing is, you gotta sew it up good and tight." "Otherwise, it'll just keep opening." "Then one day you'll bleed to death." "Hey, man, what if he sings?" "I mean, Mickey sang, right, so..." "I think he just talks in that high-pitched voice, you know?" "No, I think Mickey sings, man." "I think he serenaded Minnie." "And women love that, too." "Even mouse women." "That's the power of friggin' song." "I wouldn't have him sing if I was you." "I don't know, it just sounds superfluous." "Okay, okay, I see that." "But if Mickey doesn't sing, then Nicky the rat could." "And that would make a difference, you know." "It would give him his own persona." "I wouldn't." "Just being honest." "Look at this." "Look at this." "If I could give this to Steve jobs at that pixie company that does all those big animation movies," "Nicky's gonna be huge, man." "Yeah, maybe." "People love Nicky." "Hell, Mikey likes him." "Especially if he sings, right?" "I don't know about the singing part." "Here's the whole thing about Nicky." "I don't know if I ever told you this." "He is a pure spirit in a world gone mad." "Did I ever tell you that?" "Yeah, you probably did at one point or another." "Hey, what are you doin' for your birthday this weekend?" "I got you a portable DVD player." "It was meant to be a surprise, but..." "Well, I appreciate that, I do, but you know I don't celebrate." "Come on." "You know, if it was me, I'd sell the place." "It's a bad idea, living in a house where your old man..." "I know what happened, Strauss." "I'm just sayin' maybe it's time to move, you know, get back together with Dina." "You gotta miss her and Mikey, that's all I'm sayin'." "That's it, roll the credits, the end." "That house is all I got left of the family." "There ain't enough paint in the world." " Morning, Charity." " Hey, good morning, sheriff." "Nicky didn't..." " Hey, buddy." " Hi, dad." " How are you?" " Hi, dad." "No." "No no no, alone." "No, I'm at the wizard." "I already had my hot dog and a burger, too." "You want my onion rings?" "I already put ketchup on them." "I have to go play." " I..." " I'll take 'em right here." "You hand out food, he's gonna grab it." " I got you something." " What is it?" "Well, that is a compass." "You see that red arrow?" "That always points north." "That's where Santa Claus lives." "Awesome." "So you keep an eye on him, all right?" " All right." " Where's your momma?" "Okay." "You're late." "You all take the scenic route?" "Let's see." "Swiss for Derrik." "Jack and extra tomatoes for my darling husband." "Thank you, ma'am." "The slaw machine's having a cow, so you each get a stick of celery." "Try to contain your excitement." "You gotta be kidding me." "He said what?" "Okay." "Next time, just don't tell him." "Now, that's good." "Now it's early." "Not even March yet." "Yes, weird weather all around." "People aren't feelin' too good in town." "Not sleeping' well." "It's the flu." "It's like clockwork." "So Oliver thought he had a heart attack last night?" "He didn't have a heart attack." "What he had was one too many double Wallys." "Oh, Dina, I gotta ask you a question." "Mickey mouse sang, right?" " Um, no." " No?" "Are you sure?" "A ballad?" "An opera?" "Something like that?" "Look, Mikey watches cartoons around the clock, Strauss, which makes me an expert on what every major cartoon character does or has ever done for the last 75 years." "Unfortunately for me." "Well, Nicky the rat does sing." "Oh, hi, father, how you doin'?" "Hey." "How y'all doin'?" "I know it's the anniversary in a few days." "And, uh, well, pain likes people that's vulnerable, kinda comes by uninvited, you know?" "And, uh, you're gettin' to be the age your daddy and grandpa was when they passed, so..." "Well, if you ever feel lonely," "God's a good listener." "'Cause the devil can sneak upon a man, you hear me?" "Father Tulli, I'm sorry to interrupt." "Could I steal my husband for a second?" " You betcha." " Thanks." "See you in church." "How you doin', father?" "Thanks for that." "He's just bored." "Not enough sin in this town." "Well, that's the way I like it." "Mikey sure looks a lot better." "I know." "Sniffles." "No biggie." "I told ya." "You did?" "The phone, last night, you and me." "Yeah, I was just..." "This time of year, I just..." "You know, I've never met anyone who could live with either one of us." "You know that, right?" "That your way of sayin' we should be back together?" "Oh, Christ, Dina." "It's been three months." "You know, it just... just seems unnatural." "I don't know." "How can you live in that trailer?" "No cameras." "No monitors." "Oh, it's the house." "You hate the house." "And I'm difficult to live with." "What did you say, distant?" "I'm distant, I know." "Feel free to disagree with any of these, by the way." "It's not the house." "I just wish you'd get back to see Dr. Delchamps." "We've been over it a thousand times, Dina." "Do you miss me?" "You know, they're not full of fear like adults at this age." "No kid should ever have to live being afraid." "So the guy says to this blind chick..." ""the reason my snake keeps spitting up when you stroke it is that it thinks it's my cock."" "Dammit!" "The way I see it, people you care about never die." "They just go somewhere else and wait for ya." "That's about as religious as I get." "Better than God deserves from me, considering." "It was the only thing of my father's that I kept." "He told me he hid his dreams inside." "I've never opened it." "There's no key." "I can imagining' what's in there." "The best of him." "Sheriff Reddle." "Sheriff Reddle." "Hello?" "Hello?" "Leave me alone!" "Come on." "Dammit." "Come on." "Come on." "Dammit." "It's fine..." "It's sheriff Reddle here." "Charity, I can't get a signal, so I'm gonna have to take you to the hospital myself." "All right?" "The road... was alive." "The road was alive." "I'm gonna try not to hurt ya, all right?" "Here we go." "I couldn't get a signal." "You did what you could." "How are you doing, sheriff?" "Any idea what caused the accident?" "She said the road was... alive." "Well, we'll test for alcohol, the usual." "Yeah." "Deputy, I need to talk to you about the guy you brought in." "I, uh, phoned you an hour ago." "You picked up, the phone kept dying." "Gabe Green was working around his house." "His son found him." "Yeah." "I..." "I'll just wait over here and let you two talk." "Went after himself with a hammer." "Horrid way to commit suicide." "I left you a message a couple hours ago about him." "What?" "A message." "I left you one." "Yeah, yeah." "My, uh, phone has been, uh... and I..." "I didn't get the message." "There's something else I think you should see." "Was my ex-associate, Dr. Morris." "We were talking." "He grabbed a pair of scissors and slashed his throat." "I don't want this getting out." "People are scared enough." "They need to know that this is a safe place that they can come to." "Yeah." "Yeah." "The girl... someone needs to contact her family." "I'll do that." "You look exhausted, sheriff." "I'll handle it." "All right." "Sheriff Reddle?" "What's happening?" "I'm sorry?" "Look around you." "Something is happening." "Should I be scared?" "No." "That's when the real trouble comes." "Looks to me as if it's already here." "The shrink I used to see, Bill Champ, told me it's anxiety... grief that never went away." "I thought I had it under control." "I was gettin' worse." "So was Cloverdale." "Oh, this is perfect." "Oh, and that's two points for Johnson on a nice inside throw;" "beautiful play by Johnson." "Ah, thanks." "Who's winnin'?" "Uh, I wasn't really watching'." "Really?" "How's life, sheriff?" "Get up, still in the mirror, no complaints." "I'd ask the mirror how it felt about that." "No food or beverages, Mr. Litton." "You know, actually..." "I meant who was winning in Cloverdale." "You or whatever it is, that's drivin' people insane and killing 'em." "My paper just likes to stay current." "Well, we get wild animals around here." "Well, I spoke with Dr. Cohen." "She said it wasn't a wild animal." "Said you concurred." "Eh, write it the way you like it, Mr. Litton." "You do it anyway." "Didn't know you read my stuff, sir." "I'm flattered." "Did you know there was one other time when crime went crazy in Cloverdale?" "Did you know that?" "Murder, violence, rates just shot up." "People couldn't sleep, got sick for no reason, went crazy." "Bodies were found skinned, crushed... just like up the road in Sturgess." "You ever been there?" "No." "No." "Can't say that I have." "Well, I heard you had family from there." "But anyway, I heard that all that mayhem was from the electric project in the '30s,." "Messed up something in the earth." "So, this force, sheriff, that's assaulting Cloverdale, you know, the one you don't wanna talk about?" "Mr. Litton, things like that only exist in the minds of frightened, unstable people." "Like your father." "You never knew my father." "Well, I guess you didn't either." "What did you say your daddy called it when they found you?" "The damn thing." "Now why do you think it keeps coming back?" "Must be hard to live with all your memories." "Seein' everyone you love murdered when you're just a kid." "Can I get a quote from you about that?" "You're a damn prick, Mr. Litton." " How 'bout that?" " Thank you, sir." "Why do you think a guy would buy all of these surveillance cameras and monitors, which I hear he's got a bunch of already, if he didn't think there was something out to get him?" "Maybe you're expecting a monster." "Or maybe he won't be happy until the same thing happens here that happened up the road in Sturgess while you just pretend you're in control." "You need to stay away from me." "The final stage of denial is self-destruction, sheriff." "I realized at that moment... he had no dreams." "He knew there wouldn't be time." "Sturgess had been 40 miles south of Cloverdale before it became a ghost town." "I remember hearing the stories when I was a kid." "It began with bad weather." "Wind like a banshee got under people's skin." "Neighbors and friends became enemies." "Fear became violence." "Official story was the town couldn't take it when the oil fields dried up, turned on itself." "208 people died like animals." "Witnesses describe an overwhelming force." "Then, it was gone." "The ones who lived, moved." "Some to Cloverdale, like my folks." "The damn thing destroyed the whole town." " Hello?" " Hey, it's me." "Hi." "Hey, um..." "I was thinkin', maybe you, me, and Mikey can get together for your birthday tomorrow." "I know he'd love it." "He's got, uh, somethin' special for his daddy." "Listen, Dina, I need you and Mikey to get out of town right away." "What's goin' on?" "My father knew there was somethin' comin' to kill him." "What was coming?" "I..." "I don't understand." "He knew there was somethin' bad in Cloverdale." "Somethin' came from Sturgess, caused the slaughter in '59." "There was something he set free, somethin' that followed him." "Here we go again." " Kevin..." " No." "He and my mother moved, and it found him." "That's what he said that night." "He said, "It found me."" "You wonder why we can't be together, you just listen to yourself, okay?" " It's totally..." " Get Mikey in the car and meet me at the gas station in an hour." "Hold on." "Mikey, turn it down." "I like it loud." "Turn it down right now or no more TV, okay?" "I'm not kidding." "Kevin?" "Kevin, hello?" "Dani!" "Hello?" "What?" "Yeah, I think this weather is part of it." "Who gives a fuck what you think?" "This is your fault." "Letting the whole town be scared, letting your own son be scared to death." " Mom, what's wrong?" " You shut up!" "Dina, let me talk to Mikey right now." "You leave us alone." "You don't have any feelings for anybody." "And our son is gonna turn out just the same." "Mom!" "I told you to shut your mouth!" "Dina, put Mikey on the phone right now." "Dina!" "Dina!" "Dina!" "Put Mikey on the phone." "Shit!" "Dina?" "Mikey!" "Mikey!" "Where is your mom?" "I told you to leave us alone!" "Dina!" "Dina!" "Dina!" "Let's get out to the car." "Out to the car." "Mikey, with your mom." "Honey, I almost... if you hadn't..." "It wasn't you, baby." "It wasn't you." " Where are you?" " I'm in town." "It's bad down here, Kev." "People are coming unglued." "All right, stay put." "I'll get there asap." "I'm gonna drop Dina and Mikey off at the house." "I'll be there." "I've never seen people like this, okay?" "They are... not listening to me." "I'm getting real scared." "I don't know what to do." "I'm in way over my head here." "Way over me head here, Kev." "Strauss, listen to me." "Kev, you gotta come down here right now." " Kev?" " Strauss?" "Kev?" "Damn." "Kev?" "Forgive me father, for I have sinned." "It's been a month since my last confession." "Go on, my son." "Well, it's kinda going nuts out there, so I don't have a lot of time, but I just really needed to talk to you." "Ignore them." "Go on." "Well, um, Cloverdale's always been real quiet and safe, but lately, it's been kind of crazy." "I mean, just, bodies showing up and people are yelling and screaming at each other and, I mean, listen to them out there." "It's like anarchy." "I don't know what to do." "You know, how can I call myself a law man...?" "Will God forgive me?" "Excuse me." "Yeah?" "Kev, slow down." "You gonna stay at your place?" "You want me to try to get people out of town?" "I can't do that, Kev." "People won't listen to me." "Hello?" "Hello?" "Damn it!" "I'm sorry, Father." "Look, I know this is supposed to be anonymous, and everything, but I'm pretty sure that you know that it's me." "There's just not much else I can say except I'm scared and..." "I mean, just because people... they won't listen to me out there." "I mean, it's like people already think that I'm a big joke." "You know, my ex-girlfriend even said that I was immature because I tried to win her back with Nicky the rat." " Who?" " Nicky the rat." "He's my cartoon creation." "Kinda like Mickey mouse except he sings." "You tried to win your girlfriend back with a cartoon rat?" "No wonder she left you." "You're an idiot." "Put that down." "What the hell are you doing in my house?" "It's not safe anywhere." "Our neighbor shot at us." "They blocked the road." "What the hell is going on, Sheriff?" "My wife tried to kill me an hour ago." "She slit her throat." "They lost their minds, Sheriff." "Harlan down at the wizard is chasing people with an axe!" "We had to fight to get up here." "You're the sheriff." "You took a solemn vow to protect us, and we are scared." "Shut the fuck up, Mary!" "You shut the fuck up." "You shut the fuck up, Lenney." "You freakin' bitch." "Stop it." "I said stop it." "I said stop it." "I want everybody downstairs." "Now." "Lock the door and keep quiet." "You'll be safe down there." "Let's go." "Now!" "You lock the door and you stay quiet." "Don't leave us down there, Sheriff." "You all have weapons." "If anybody tries to break in, you're gonna have to use them." "Don't make me go down there with them." "It's the safest place you can be." "All right, let's go." "You should take Mikey up to the bedroom." " Let's go." "Right now." " But I want to stay here with you, daddy." "All right, buddy, I want you to listen to me, all right?" "I want you to go up to your bedroom." "I want you to be really quiet." "I want you to take care of your mommy, 'cause she's scared." "Do that for me?" "All right, let's go." "Right now." "Come on." "You all right?" "I felt it go inside of me that trailer like a... poison." "What if it's still in me?" "If it didn't leave?" "If I..." " hurt him?" " No, no." "I think it just stays when it recognizes something it can make worse." "Something bad." "I've never known you to have anything like that." "Then I guess you don't know me that well." "Don't be scared." "Come here." "I don't like this!" "Turn on the lights!" "Back off!" "Back off!" "Shut the fuck up, Mary!" "Get out of my way, you fucking bitch." "I warned you!" "You better get out of his way." "Let me out of here, please, Sheriff!" "Please, they're all dead!" "Sheriff, please let me out!" "You've gotta help me!" "Kevin?" "Dina, come here, baby." "Dina." "You know I'd never hurt you, right?" "You know that, don't you?" " Mikey, lock the door." " What are you doing?" "What the hell's wrong with you?" "I said I'd never hurt you." "What the hell, are you not listening to me?" "My brother tried to kill my wife, came after me." "You knew this would happen, didn't you?" "Your granddaddy brought in the first drill." "He started it!" "He opened up the earth!" "It doesn't want us, it wants you!" "So let me in, goddamn you, you son of a bitch!" "You let me in!" "Stop it!" "Stop it!" "Stop it!" "Stop it!" "Dina!" "Stop it!" "Stop it!" "Open the goddamn door, Dina." "Dina, baby, open the door." "Please, baby." "I'm sorry about that downstairs, I just..." " Dina, open the door." " Come here." "Come here." "Sweetie, open the door." "Dina." "Come on, mom." "Dina, please, open the door." "God damnit, open the door." "You stinking bitch!" "Sheriff!" "Come out, come out, come out." "I want to talk to you." "Don't be afraid." "God loves you." "Don't you fucking ignore me!" "Here!" "Come here buddy." "Where your husband at, bitch?" "Huh?" "I told him to get down here." "You know, your husband and his whole family cursed this town." "He brought the evil here." "It's coming for you, too." "He put the evil on you, too, boy." "You and your daddy and your daddy's daddy." "Yeah, Now go on back to your mama." "You gonna die, too, little boy." "You alls like mommy's dirty legs." "Fornicating dog on the devil's bed." "Now you're gonna pay for the sins." "Hey!" "Hey!" "Hey!" "No!" "It only wants me." "The drilling let it out." "It's all... chaos down there." " Daddy!" "Daddy!" " Hang on!" "Dina, get the hell out!" " We're not gonna leave you." " Get the hell out of here!" "Take care of mama, boy." "Get the hell out of here now!" "Right before I died, I felt something inside me settle." "It was just past midnight." "My birthday." "Mommy!" "No." "No." "Shit, come on!" "Come on!" "This can't be happening." "Come on!" "No!" "Come on." "Mommy, look."