"THE THING" MACREADY, 35. Helicopter pilot. Likes chess. Hates the cold. The pay is good. GARRY, 46. The station manager. Stiff. Ex - army officer. Wears a handgun. CHILDS, 33. Six - four. Two - fifty. Black. A mechanic. Can be jolly. But do n't mess. BLAIR, 50. Sensitive. Intelligent. Unassuming. An assistant biologist. DR. COPPER, 45. Professional. A decent man. A good doctor. PALMER, 27. Second string chopper pilot. Crack mechanic. Long hair. Slight sixties acid damage. NAULS, 22. The cook. Bright. Black. Irreverent. But kindhearted. Roller skates. NORRIS, 44. Stocky. Rugged looking. A geophysicist. An incipient heart condition. BENNINGS, 38. A meteorologist. Dutiful. An old pro. CLARK, 24. The dog handler. Likes it here. Good at his job. SANCHEZ, 21. The radio operator. Hates it here. Lousy at his job. In the winter of 1982 these men were commissioned by the United States National Science Foundation to gather data concerning the physical and natural sciences on the continent of Antarctica. THE MAIN COMPOUND OF U.S. OUTPOST # 31 The interior is a cramped and never ending maze of hallways, passageways and doors which connect the many rooms and compartments within the compound. Sturdy, but prefabricated materials have been used in its construction. There is a laboratory. An infirmary. A kitchen and mess hall. A communications room and sleeping quarters. Other cubicles are for storage and supplies. The most spacious area of the building, and the main center of activity, is the Rec Room. Of the many entrance ways to this room can be seen the small work chambers with their sophisticated computers and other scientific equipment. The below quarter houses the generator and still other compartments for storage. A long underground tunnel connects the main compound to the dog kennel. A STARRY BLACKNESS From out of the billions, the smallest of specks drives slowly forward. It closes ; getting larger ; its features becoming more identifiable : a vessel. Flip - flopping ; out of control. Its stern roaring with flame. It passes ; its blue fire surging into the screen. `` THE THING'' A thundering. BLIND AND FERAL WHITENESS. Glacial desert. gusts of snow. superimpose : ANTARCTICA, 1982, WINTER. A SOUND Loud and strident. A helicopter streaks across frame. It travels precariously close to the ground ; its chassis battered and swayed by the wind.

INT. COPTER Red dials beam on the faces of two men. One carries a rifle and searches the horizon with binoculars. The other pilots. Their unkempt faces, their blazing eyes notate a wildness. They bark at each other in some Scandinavian tongue. Two men arguing like mad and desperate children. The man with the binoculars sights something.

EXT. HORIZON - BINOCULARS' POV - A DOG It turns and snarls at the craft some fifteen hundred yards to its rear. Then whirls and gallops off. A gun blast kicks up snow at its heels.

INT. COPTER Another blast of rifle fire as the man takes issue with his prey. The pilot slams a fist into his gunman friend and implores for better aim. The craft swoops lower and the engine is put into full throttle.

EXT. HILL - THE DOG running feverishly up and over a hill of ice. A weather - beaten, wooden sign sticks up on the other side : U.S. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION - OUTPOST # 31 A rifle blast kicks up more snow.

EXT. COMPOUND OF U.S. OUTPOST #31 A large, almost snow - covered building. Not far from that a tall, meteorological balloon tower. A scattering of several small shacks at varying distances from the main compound. The smaller hovels are connected by wooden planked walkways and steadying ropes. Multicolored pennants stick put of the snow marking pathways and directions to outdoor experiments. A tractor and two helicopters sit idle, covered with mounds of continuously mounting snow. TWO MEN, NORRIS AND BENNINGS standing some thirty yards from the main building are in the process of letting up a large red balloon. Childs, a hefty black man, is twenty yards away tinkering with a snowmobile. Their beards are caked with ice. It is winter and it is harsh. The faint sound of the copter turns their attention. THE COPTER flying ever lower now. The man with the gun leans dangerously outside and fires away at the dog as it nears the outpost. THE MEN outside the compound look to one another, incredulous. THE COPTER much too low now, and chastised by the wind, attempts a high - speed landing, directly on the heels of the sprinting dog. It bounces violently on the hard - packed surface. Once. Twice. Passing the dog. A third bounce sends it skidding. It flips ; its blades snapping off like toothpicks. It lands belly - up, soundless except for the whine of its engine. The man with the gun rolls out before the explosion.

INT. MAIN COMPOUND The half a dozen men, playing cards, monitoring equipment, listening to music - spring to their feet, startled.

EXT. COMPOUND The dog reaches Norris and Bennings, as they awkwardly wade through the snow, toward the downed copter. THE SURVIVOR of the crash, his eyes crazed with determination, struggles to his feet. Heedless of his companion, he double - times his way to the men and the dog. He reloads his gun and bellows in his Scandinavian tongue. Norris and Bennings have no idea what he is saying. The survivor waves his arms as if shooting them off, screaming as he does so ; his face now caked with blood. The two men are bewildered. The dog jumps up, licking and pawing them, imploring for safety. Blam! The visitor fires. The men jump back in disbelief. NORRIS What the fu. Blam! Blam! The crazed visitor screams and fires as he stalks after them. His countenance ablaze, mad. Ice and snow kick up about the terrified Americans. A bullet smacks into the dog's hip, sending it skidding and howling in pain. Childs, the black man by the snowmobile, takes cover, diving behind his machine. Bennings is hit. Norris pulls, drags him back toward the compound. The dog crawls along beside them. The intruder is relentless in his assail. He runs, screaming, firing, screaming, reloading and firing.

INT. COMPOUND Total confusion. Some watch helplessly through the small, fogged - up and translucent windows. Others try to mobilize grabbing for their heavy jackets. CLOSE ON A.357 MAGNUM as it efficiently breaks through a windowpane and into the cold. A steady hand grips it firmly. THE SCANDINAVIAN getting closer. Kablam! Suddenly, his head jerks back. He falls to his knees and then face down into the snow. NORRIS AND BENNINGS stare blankly, but relievedly at the fallen man. The dog whimpers in pain. CHILDS pokes his head out from under the snowmobile.

INT. MAIN COMPOUND - REC ROOM The rumbling of voices fades. The men adjust their eyes to station manager Garry, as he extracts his gun from the broken window, relieves it of its spent shell and puts it away.

EXT. BURNING COPTER Several men spray snow on the burning wreckage. There is no hope for the pilot.

INT. COMPOUND CLOSE ON THE PALLID FACE OF THE SCANDINAVIAN INTRUDER A neat round hole is set in the middle of his forehead. Station manager Garry holds up something akin to an ID. GARRY Norwegian. Jans Bolen. Fuchs, a young and sensitive - looking biologist, stands closest to the large area map of Antarctica. Several men sit and stand around viewing the body that lies on two brought - together card - tables. FUCHS Got ta be from the Norwegian camp. GARRY How far's that? FUCHS ` Bout eighty kilos southwest. GARRY -LRB- surprised. -RRB- That far? Garry directs his attention to Childs, the large black man who had been working on the snowmobile. Next to him sits Norris, the rugged - looking, fortyish, geophysicist, who was one of the men being shot at. GARRY You catch anything he was saying? CHILDS Am I starting to look Norwegian to you, Bwana? Garry motions inquiringly to Norris. NORRIS Yeah. I caught that he wanted the better part of my ass to come apart.

INT. INFIRMARY Dr. Cooper, mid - forties, works on the outstretched leg of Bennings, the meteorologist. Clark, the dog handler, is mending the hip of the wounded dog off in the corner. Bennings lets out with an ouch. DR. COPPER Do n't `` ouch'' me. Two stitches. It just grazed you. He helps a shaken Bennings up off the table. BENNINGS What in the hell were they doing? Flying that low. shooting at a dog. at us. DR. COPPER Stir crazy. Cabin fever. Who knows. The dog yelps and whimpers as Clark tries to calm him. CLARK I'll be here a while. Shell's pretty deep.

INT. RADIO ROOM Blair, senior biologist, fifty, balding, leans against the entrance door. He looks on as the young, bored - looking radio operator, Sanchez, attends to his equipment. Bursts of static. SANCHEZ It's no go. BLAIR Well, get to somebody. Anybody. We've got to report this mess. SANCHEZ Look, I have n't been able to reach shit in two weeks. Doubt if anybody's talked to anybody on the whole continent.

INT. HALLWAY Nauls, the cook, glides along on his roller stakes down one of the many narrow hallways that connect the various compartments of the main compound. He is black, a little mischievous, about twenty - two. He comes to a flashy skidding stop at one of the entrances to the rec room area, where the men are gathered with the dead Norwegian. NAULS Maybe we at war with Norway. Palmer, a spacy, twenty - seven year old, novice pilot and mechanic, grins as he lights a joint. He directs a remark to station manager Garry. PALMER Was wondering when `` El Capitan'' was going to get a chance to use his pop gun. Garry rebukes him with a stern look and then turns to Fuchs. GARRY How long have they been stationed there? Fuchs leafing through a pile of papers. FUCHS Says here about eight weeks. Dr. Copper enters the room. Bennings limping after him slightly. GARRY -LRB- shaking his head. -RRB- That's not enough time for guys to go bonkers. NAULS Bullshit, Bwana, sweetheart. Five minutes is enough to put a man over down here. PALMER Damn straight. NAULS I mean Palmer been the way he is since the first day. Palmer smiles and flips the cook the bird. GARRY How many in their party? FUCHS -LRB- referring. -RRB- Started with six. There'd be four others left. DR. COPPER How do you know? The men's attention turn to Copper. DR. COPPER Guys as crazy as that could have done a lot of damage to their own before they got to us. GARRY Nothing we can do about that. DR. COPPER Yes, there is. I'd like to go up. GARRY In this weather? DR. COPPER -LRB- turns to. -RRB- Bennings? BENNINGS Winds are going to let up a tad, next couple of hours. GARRY A tad? BENNINGS Ca n't condone it myself. But it is a short haul. Hour there, hour back. Garry still does not much like the idea. Palmer takes another hit off his joint. PALMER Shit, Doc, I'll give you the lift if. GARRY Forget it, Palmer. Doc, you're a pain in the ass. GARRY -LRB- turns. -RRB- Norris, go get MacReady. Slight laughter from some of the men. NORRIS -LRB- grins. -RRB- MacReady ai n't going nowhere. Bunkered in till spring. GARRY Just go get him. NORRIS -LRB- stands. -RRB- Anyway, he's probably ripped.

EXT. U.S. OUTPOST #31 Norris, bundled in his sixty - five pounds of clothing, exits the main compound. He walks the prefab wooden planks up the precipice ; his destination is someone a hundred yards up the slope - to a shack. He grabs onto the steadying ropes and pulls himself against the wind and blowing sleet.

INT. MACREADY'S SHACK - CLOSE ON ICE CUBES being dumped into a glass, followed by the pouring of whiskey. An electronic Voice is heard. VOICE Bishop to knight four. MacReady takes a sip of his drink ; makes his way over to his electronic chess game. A large Mexican sombrero hangs on his back. He is tall ; about thirty - five. His shack is sparse but unkempt. A few centerfolds on the wall are interspersed by an occasional poster of some Mediterranean or South American paradise. The chess game is of larger than normal size. The pieces move automatically with the press of a button. He sits down and chuckles over his opponent's bad move. MACREADY Poor little son of a bitch. You're starting to lose it, are n't you? He confidently taps out his move. His companion's response is immediate. VOICE Pawn takes queen at knight four. MacReady's grin slowly fades as he examines the board. There is a pounding at his door. MacReady broods for a bit, heedless of his visitor and makes his next move. VOICE Rook to knight six. Check. More impatient pounding. MacReady glares at his opponent for a beat. He bends forward, opens up a flap containing the chess game's circuitry and pours in his drink. There ensues a snapping, popping sound as smoke and sparks rise from the machine ; followed by a flush of chess gibberish. MacReady gets up from his seat, mumbling on his way to the door. MACREADY Cheating bastard. He opens the door. Norris steps in followed by a flurry of snow and wind. NORRIS You jerking off or just pissed? MACREADY We got any more of those electronic chess things down in supply? NORRIS Get your gear on. MACREADY What for?

EXT. OUTPOST One of the grounded choppers is being readied for take - off. Childs holds a huge industrial torch to the engine, warming it up.

INT. MAIN COMPOUND - CORRIDOR Garry, Bennings, Dr. Copper, Palmer and MacReady wind their way through the slender corridors on their way to the chopper. Dr. Copper carries a satchel of medicine supplies. MacReady, going over his flight chart, looks mad as hell. Dialogue overlaps. MACREADY Craziness. This is goddamn insane. GARRY Quit the griping MacReady. Sooner you're there - sooner you're back. MACREADY It's against regulations to go up this time of year! DR. COPPER Screw regulations! Four guys could be crawling around on their bellies out there! MACREADY So, I do n't want to end up crawling around with them when we go down. GARRY Look, if you're going to keep bitching, MacReady - Palmer's offered to take him up. MACREADY What are you talking?! He's had two months training in those choppers! PALMER -LRB- defiant. -RRB- Four! MACREADY -LRB- to Bennings. -RRB- What is it out there, anyway? Forty - five knots? BENNINGS Sixteen. MACREADY -LRB- disgusted. -RRB- And the horse you rode in on. Sixteen for how long?! You ca n't predict this time of year.

INT./ EXT. CHOPPER Dr. Copper sits next to MacReady, who is at the controls. MacReady tightens the string of his sombrero around his neck and starts up its choking engine. MacReady fights violently with the controls as he struggles to get the craft into the air. It finally rights itself and moves up and off into the grey - white sky.

INT. MAIN COMPOUND A couple of the men mingle in the area. Clark, the dog handler, looks out the window. CLARK Mac's really taking it up, huh? The dog, a large bandage on his hip, wades through the room. Under tables. Past men's legs. It hobbles slightly. No one takes notice.

EXT. THE CHOPPER moves over a ridge of ice. Columns of smoke can be seen rising ominously from a quarter mile off.

INT. CHOPPER - POINT OF VIEW As they near, the smoke looms thicker. A black, tar - like gush ; billowing up into the grey sky from the whiteness below.

EXT. NORWEGIAN CAMP Smoke climbs upward in the f.g. MacReady sets his craft down. Pull back to reveal the camp itself : resembling the aftermath of a western fort, sacked and ravaged by Indians. Small fires and debris are strewn everywhere. The prefab Administration Building exposes gaping holes. Smoke rises from the almost entirely snow - buried Quonset huts. Embers swirl in every direction.

INT. CHOPPER The two men look at each other in silence. They get out. CLOSE ON A LARGE, MAKESHIFT FUNERAL PYRE smoldering to a close. A hastily conceived crematorium. Wood, books, furniture, tires, anything that will burn has been mixed together with the charred remains of several dogs and the body of a man. Curious mounds of a melted and blackened goo are heaped within the mess. A small can of gasoline lies nearby. A large oil drum not far off. MACREADY AND COPPER their faces ashen as they take in this grotesque sight. MacReady turns to view the Norwegian compound. He then exchanges a look with Copper. MacReady heads back toward the chopper. THE CHOPPER MacReady unhinges the shotgun that is latched to the panel behind the seats.

EXT. THE MAIN BUILDING - THE DOOR MacReady and Dr. Copper stand hesitantly amidst the wisps of snow and embers. MacReady tries the door. It is unlocked. He slowly pushes it open with his gun. A creaking. A long pitch - black corridor. Copper shines a flashlight. DR. COPPER Anybody there?! No answer. Just wind. They exchange a look and enter.

INT. NARROW CORRIDOR The two men move slowly. It is dank and cold. Their breath, bleating like exhaust. A soft, steady wind howls overhead. The flashlight is not much help. Further down, they hear a faint hissing sound. As they get closer it more resembles static. The flashlight finds a door at the end of the corridor. The sputtering static comes from within. The face of the door has been shredded. An ax sticks out from its middle. MacReady wrenches out the ax. There is blood on it. The men acknowledge this for a beat. MacReady tries the knob. It opens slightly. Something is blocking it from the other side. MACREADY Anybody in there?! Nothing. DR. COPPER We're Americans! Nothing. MACREADY Come to help you! MacReady pushes against the door. MACREADY Give me a hand. They push, shove, grunt. The door gives a bit. Finally more. It widens enough for MacReady to see that a large computer - like machine is blocking their path. MacReady wedges in and shines the flashlight. It is the communications room. Holes in its roof have allowed in the freezing cold. The flashlight exposes the back of the radio chair. One more nudge allows them into the room. A beat as they catch their breath. MacReady spots a Coleman lantern. He lights it with a match. Holds it up. The brighter light exposes the top of a man's head sitting in the radio chair. MACREADY Hey, Sweden! You okay? The chair rocks slightly with the gentle breeze. They inch closer. A yard from the chair, MacReady stops the Doctor. He pokes his gun at the chair's back. MACREADY Sweden?! Dr. Copper spots something. From the man's wrist on the armrest, he follows a long, yarn - thick, red line, ending in a pool of frozen blood on the floor. The two men step around the chair. The Norwegian stares up in blanched death. A gaping black hole for a mouth. His throat and wrists slit. An old - fashioned straight razor in his lap. MacReady turns off the hissing radio, and marches to the other door. It is locked and barricaded. DR. COPPER -LRB- more to himself. -RRB- My God, what in hell happened here? MACREADY Come on, Copper. The two men free a machine - like obstacle from the other exit. MacReady opens a lock and pushes the door open. More blackness. Stronger wind. Copper holds the lantern high as they make their way down a row of wooden steps and into a cavernous, underground causeway. MACREADY Hey, Sweden! DR. COPPER -LRB- irritated. -RRB- They're not Swedish, goddamn it, they're Norwegian, MacRe - Whap! Something slaps into the Doctor's face from the darkness. The lantern crashes to the ground. The Doctor stumbles, falls. MacReady grabs the flashlight and whirls in different directions. A panting beat. Silence. Dr. Copper holds up what hit him. A thick centerfold, buffeted by the wind. MacReady takes it. MACREADY Norwegian of the Month, Doc. Harmless. MacReady pockets it for further viewing.

INT. THE NARROWEST OF CORRIDORS The supporting beams have long since buckled and cracked from the constantly moving ice underneath. The evidence of fire has further weakened the foundations. The wood creaks overhead. Bits of ice and silt trickle down. The two men walk hunched, cautious. MacReady gingerly tries to make his way around a broken and smoldering beam. He brushes it gently sending a shower of debris from the yawning roof. The two men wait until it subsides and then moves on. Further down. MacReady's knee bumps into something along the wall, causing him to stumble slightly. He shines his light on it. An arm is sticking out of a steel door about three feet off the ground. The door has been slammed shut. The arm pinned, its fist still gripping a small welding torch. The flame long since gone out. MACREADY -LRB- wincing. -RRB- Holy shit. He tries the door. Unlocked. It opens. The arm drops to the ground. It has been severed by the force of the slam. Its owner is nowhere to be seen. MacReady, sickened, coughs. Dr. Copper mumbles. DR. COPPER Christ. They step over the arm and into another slim passageway. Moving along they come to rest in front of a door with Norwegian lettering on it. MacReady pushes it open with his foot. Dozens of papers fly about, flailed by the holes in the Quonset hut - style roof. The place is a wreck. They enter. MacReady surveying the small room with his flashlight. DR. COPPER Laboratory. Broken beakers, test tubes, a microscope are illuminated. MacReady notices a video camera. MACREADY Portable video unit. Copper makes his way over to the main work table. He shuffles through papers, glancing at the writing. MACREADY Anything? DR. COPPER All in Norwegian. Dr. Copper bends down and begins gathering the papers, strewn about the room. MACREADY What are you doing? DR. COPPER Could be important work. Might as well bring it back. MACREADY It's getting late. Hurry it. I'm going to check the last few rooms. He exits. Amongst the rubble, Dr. Copper finds a pocket tape recorder and several cassettes. He selects a tape and is about to pop it in when he senses something to his rear. He turns. Looks. A beat. Nothing.

INT. HALLWAY MacReady shoves himself into another room.

INT. ROOM Debris and wood flush down on him. The receding ceiling had been blocking the door from above. He brushes his coat and shines the light upwards. The ceiling is a shambles. He then shines the light deeper into the room.

INT. NORWEGIAN LAB Dr. Copper is playing the small tape recorder. A casual Norwegian voice drones on as if making notes. He fast forwards. The same casual drone. MACREADY -LRB- O.S. -RRB- Copper, come here!

INT. ROOM Dr. Copper enters, squeezing in, through the door. The wood cracks overhead. More debris comes falling down. MACREADY Careful. It's about to go. Copper dusts himself. MacReady stands before a huge block of ice. Fifteen feet long. Six feet wide. Four feet tall. It has partially melted, but its thawing process has been stopped by the now freezing temperatures within the outpost. Its one curious feature : the middle has been thawed and scooped out. Giving it the appearance of a large bathtub. The two men study it uncomprehendingly. MacReady's gaze turns to a large metal cabinet at his left. He moves for a closer look. Several photographs are pasted to its door. Small snapshots of the Norwegians at work and play. He tries to open it. Stuck. The partially caved - in ceiling is slightly blocking the top of the door. He tries again, careful not to dislodge the wood and plaster above. Bits of dust float down. DR. COPPER Watch it. His grip is too strong. It gives suddenly, unexpectedly. The large metal door flies open. Large chunks splash from the ceiling. They come thumping to the floor, behind and in front of the open cabinet door. MacReady coughs and waves away the dust. He peers inside. Nothing much. Some empty shelves. Some small scientific gear. His flashlight then locates a large photograph taped to the inside of the cabinet door. It is a picture of five Norwegians, arm in arm, all smiles, toasting each other. They are on either side of the frozen block of ice, pridefully displaying it for the camera. The block looks much thicker. Its interior opaque. MacReady looks to the block of ice and then back to the photograph. He untapes it, pockets it and shuts the door. An armless corpse swings into his face from behind the closing door. Dislodged from the ceiling, the body and MacReady go crashing to the floor.

INT. U.S. OUTPOST - RECREATION ROOM The loud beat of Warren Zevon's song, `` The Werewolves of London,'' can be heard throughout the compound. The room is empty. Close on a video pong game, its ball of light lazily traveling back and forth. The dog, its tail wagging, its bandage on, walks by.

INT. KITCHEN Zevon's record is blasting from Nauls' stereo. He skates from the big walk - in freezer and plunks down a large side of beef on the wood - cutting table to thaw. He skates from pot to pan keeping time with his sounds. He smells. Tastes. Adds a little something here, a touch there. He clearly enjoys his work. Station Manager Garry stops past the open door. GARRY Turn that crap down, Nauls. You can hear it all over the camp! NAULS Oui, Bwana. Can do. He skates over and turns it down, but not much.

INT. COMMUNICATIONS ROOM Garry enters and sees that Sanchez has nodded off in front of his receiver. His headgear is still on. Garry walks over and turns up the volume, the static jolting Sanchez awake. SANCHEZ Hey, man! GARRY You reach anybody yet? SANCHEZ We're a thousand miles from anybody else, man. It's going to get a hell of a lot worse before it gets better. GARRY Well, stick to it.

INT. COMPOUND CORRIDOR An empty hallway. Larger than most. Doors to several sleeping quarters on either side. The dog slowly walks through. One of the doors is open up ahead of his left. The dog stops in front of it and looks in. Someone is inside. Inside the small cubicle, a slight portion of a man's back can be seen as he sits bent over a chair ; his large shadow displayed on the wall. Back in the corridor. The dog looks up the hall once and casually to the other end. No one. He enters the room. The sound of a man's voice, too indistinct to tell whose, mumbles : MAN'S VOICE Hello boy. A beat. The sound of a glass breaking. A muffled scuffling. The door is slammed shut from the inside. And then silence.

EXT. COMPOUND Fuchs, the young biologist, is finishing up his daily jog around the compound. He stops at the end of a long Quonset hut almost completely buried in the snow. The hut is fifty yards long and connects to the main compound. He enters a tunnel from a latch door up top.

INT. TUNNEL He jogs down the steps, passing the underground dog kennel and trots toward the compound through the long narrow tunnel. He passes and waves to Clark, who rolls along a wheelbarrow of dog food. CLARK opens the door to the small kennel and serves up the dinner. The dogs, about seven of them, yelp and bark eagerly.

INT. UNDERGROUND PASSAGEWAY near the fuel supply bladders. Older and more rickety than the quarters above. Childs waltzes through, humming, a big smile on his face. He stops at a door with six locks on it. Different kinds. Combination locks, key locks, etc.. He opens each one separately.

INT. STORAGE ROOM Inside are several marijuana plants. Sun lamps beam down on them. Childs inspects them with a wide grin. CHILDS How my brothers and sister doing today? Doin' fine. He moves over to a tape deck, selects a cassette, grins back at the plants and turns it on. CHILDS What say to some nice Al Green for my babies, huh? He waters them carefully, as Al Green sings softly. He hears a panting and turns around to see the dog. His bandage is gone. CHILDS What you? You get the hell on out of here. The dog is shooed off. Childs turns back grumbling. CHILDS Comin' in here. goin' to urinate on my babies.

INT. MAIN COMPOUND - HALLWAY Blair passing through, holding a chart and carrying a rack of test tubes, notices a large bandage on the floor. He picks it up, inquiringly. It is mangled and shredded.

INT. GENERATOR ROOM Palmer works on the generator. He hears the sound of approaching propeller blades from outside. And then the sound of his tool box crashing to the floor. He turns to see what caused the ruckus. The dog, who has entered the shed, has jumped on the work table and upended the tool box on its eagerness to look out of the above window. Palmer curses under his breath and calls out. PALMER Clark! Will you kennel this goddamn dog? -LRB- bangs wrench against pipe. -RRB- Hey, Clark?! THE DOG It paws at the window and watches as the chopper, carrying MacReady and Dr. Copper, fights against the newly arrived heavy winds and lands safely.

INT. STATION MANAGER GARRY'S QUARTERS Garry, MacReady, Dr. Copper, Norris, Bennings, Blair and his assistant, Fuchs, are present. The small Norwegian video unit has been set up and its contents are being viewed on a TV screen. Grainy, home movie - ish, no sound. The proceedings are grim. Shots of the Norwegian's at work. Others of them playing soccer on ice. Generally the footage is a prosaic record of their day - to - day life. Norris shuffles the bundle of notes Dr. Copper brought back with him. NORRIS Seems they were spending a lot of time at a place four miles northeast of their camp. GARRY What were they involved in? MacReady, working on the video machine, answers. MACREADY Little ice core drilling. some seismology. glaciology. same old shit we do. The present footage is a shot of them all naked and probably drunk, holding a sign across their waists as they stand outdoors in super - freezing weather. BENNINGS How much more of this crap is there? DR. COPPER About nine more hours. BENNINGS We ca n't learn anything from this. DR. COPPER Probably right. MacReady turns on the light and shuts off the video machine. He then slides the portable tape deck across the table to Dr. Copper. They exchange a look. DR. COPPER MacReady and I were listening to some of these cassettes on the way back. -LRB- somberly. -RRB- Like you gentlemen to hear it. A Norwegian voice drones on calmly, making verbal notes. Norris shrugs. BENNINGS What do you want from us? MACREADY -LRB- flat. -RRB- Just listen. Dr. Copper fast forwards. The calm voice continues. And then a loud blast, followed by pounding. The sounds of confusion. Voices. Loud. Frenetic. Men's feet running up and down wooden floorboards. A gurgling. A hissing. Screams. And then a screeching. More blasts mixed with the din of wild, carnage - wrought cries. And then more screeching. A screeching unlike anything these men have ever heard. The men look from one another in silence as they listen. Dr. Copper turns it off. DR. COPPER Goes on like that quite awhile. -LRB- beat. -RRB- What do you gentlemen make of it? GARRY Could be anything. Men in isolation. some beef that snowballed. got out of hand. NORRIS Maybe the whole camp got bent. Something they ate. What about food poisoning, Doc? Dr. Copper taps the tape deck pensively. DR. COPPER Maybe. He glances at MacReady, and then back to the others. DR. COPPER There's something else we want you to see.

INT. INFIRMARY Dr. Copper and MacReady begin dumping the heavy contents of a large plastic trash bag onto the slab. DR. COPPER We found this. Displayed on the slab is what appears to be the corpse of a man. Badly charred. What is left of the trousers and shoes of the bottom torso are ripped and split, as if his legs and feet had burst from the inside. His upper body is an almost undecipherable gnarled mass of protoplasmic mush. The head is strangely disfigured and looks larger than normal. It is situated not on its shoulders but near the abdomen. Tendon - like appendages are wrapped around the carcass and sticking up and out in odd postures. One is wrapped around the body's left leg. The shirt has been ripped and lies shredded in the tar - like mess. The men grimace. DR. COPPER I know he's pretty badly burned. but could fire have done this? Blair, sickened but fascinated, pokes at the tendon - like things and the tarry goo. DR. COPPER Blair, I'd like you and Fuchs to help me with autopsies on this one and the one Garry shot this morning.

INT. REC ROOM - LATER - CLOSE ON A TABLE HOCKEY GAME Foosball. Nauls and Clark are going at it hot and heavy. Sanchez sits off in a corner thumbing through an old issue of Photoplay. Bennings, Norris and Garry are engaged in a card game. Bennings is about to play a card when he feels something under the table. He looks. It is the dog. BENNINGS Clark, will you put this mutt with the others where he belong?!

INT. LAB larger than most of the other rooms and well - equipped. Dr. Copper is performing an autopsy on the Norwegian intruder, killed early that morning. Blair sits over his microscope, while Fuchs prepares slides. The other body is draped with a sheet, waiting its turn. Dr. Copper pulls off his gloves. DR. COPPER Nothing wrong with this one. Physiologically, anyway. -LRB- to Blair. -RRB- Find anything toxic? BLAIR No drugs. alcohol. Nothing.

INT. TUNNEL Clark leads the dog through the long, cold tunnel toward the kennel. A new dressing has been placed on its hip. He unlatches the door to the kennel and leads him in.

INT. KENNEL About twenty feet long, five feet wide. Poorly lit. Cramped with dogs. Some of them sleeping. Others pacing around and curious, greet their new companion, sniffing, panting and rubbing up against him. Clark pats the dog and several others, then leaves, latching the door behind him.

INT. SLEEPING CUBICLE Childs lies in his cot watching a small television. The show is a tape of an American TV game show. He has seen this one too many times, extracts the cassette and injects another game show. Palmer is stretched out in the other cot, reading a comic book and smoking a joint. Childs beckons for it and takes a hit.

INT. PUB A small area, just off the rec room. Set up like a bar. MacReady is alone looking over the rest of the videotapes from the Norwegian outpost. Mundane to esoteric chores of Antarctic camp life. He looks bored.

INT. LAB Blair, hovering over the microscope, lays in a slide, focuses and motions for Dr. Copper to take a look. Copper is confused as he examines. He shrugs. DR. COPPER I do n't understand. Fuchs takes the opportunity to look. Blair moves over to the disfigured corpse and indicates one of the fibrous, tendon - like appendages. BLAIR It's tissue from one of these sinewy rods. Fuchs is befuddled as he examines. FUCHS What in the world kind of cell structure is this? BLAIR That's the point. DR. COPPER -LRB- tired. -RRB- I do n't get you, Blair. BLAIR I'm not sure it is any kind of cell structure. Biologically speaking. DR. COPPER -LRB- sighing. -RRB- This really is n't my field, Blair. Let's wrap for the day. Dr. Copper undoes his lab coat and lays it over a chair as he exits. Blair stares down ominously at the mutilated body.

EXT. COMPOUND - NIGHT A steady stream of sleet pounds the compound and small surrounding shacks.

INT. REC ROOM Vacant. The wall clock reads four - thirty.

INT. HALLWAY Sleeping cubicles on either side. The sound of snoring.

INT. PUB Bleary - eyed, MacReady is in the process of blowing up some strange inflatable object. As he puffs away, he still keeps an eye on the Norwegian video tapes. His balloon begins to take shape. It blossoms into a life - size replica of a full - breasted woman. Something on the tape catches his eye. He rewinds, then starts it forward again. The screen shows the Norwegians on the surface of what appears to be an enormous, flat glacier. They are spread out on the ice around a large odd oval shape ; their arms outstretched. It fades to black and then a Norwegian comes on mugging childishly in front of the camera, apparently quite pleased with something. The tape fades to black again and the picture reappears. This time they have marked off the large oval area with flag sticks. Closer shots show three of the men digging a deep hole into the ice. There is a small patch of something dark and metallic at the bottom. MacReady leans forward, intrigued. The men are now sinking something deep into the ice at various points around the markings. MacReady squints and mumbles to himself. MACREADY Decanite? Thermite charges? The tape jump cuts again showing a long shot of the markings. No Norwegian in sight. An explosion kicks up the ice. A beat as the ice sprays to the ground. Then the camera appears to shake as the ground beneath it quivers. Another immense explosion follows. An earthquake - like force throws the camera to the ground. MACREADY What in. The tape continues, distorted, unviewable. A distinct crack in the lens. MacReady lets go of his companion and quickly rewinds. The deflating mannequin is sent sputtering around the room.

INT. KENNEL - NIGHT Most of the dogs are sleeping or lounging. The new dog watches them calmly, silently. He takes several steps towards a group of about five dogs and sits upright. Completely still. He stares at them. A beat. The dogs are aware of something. They begin to seem a bit confused, uncomfortable. The new dog continues to stare. Sitting rigidly, unnaturally still. His eyes dead, lusterless black spheres. Bewildered, a few dogs start to pace. As if sensing something : a portent. A danger. But so odd. They begin a soft, purring growl. The new dog remains a statue. The growling builds. More dogs begin to pace. Nervously. Faster, encircling. Emitting hisses, snarls. The lack of response driving them into a frenzy. Barks. Growls. More frenetic pacing. The din escalating. Three dogs start to close in on the stranger. They attack. THE SHADOW OF THE NEW DOG against the kennel wall. The shadow suddenly lurches upward, seeming larger. The kennel roars.

INT. PUB MacReady is still going over bits of the same footage, fascinated. He hears the far - off clamor of the dogs.

INT. NAULS' QUARTERS He, too, bothered by the noise, tosses and turns in his sleep.

INT. CLARK'S QUARTERS Clark snores. MacReady has entered. MACREADY Clark. No response. MacReady nudges him. Clark rolls away, annoyed. MacReady pinches his snoring nose, cutting off the air. Clark sits up, groggy. MACREADY Dogtown's going nuts. Take care of it.

INT. TUNNEL Clark, sleepy, irritated, makes his way down the freezing corridor. The wind soughing loudly overhead. CLARK reaches the kennel door. The savage outpouring of noise from within baffles and angers him. He unlatches the door. CLARK What's got into. Smack! Just as he opens the door, two dogs, as if jettisoned from a cannon, knock him off his feet. Growls, barks, snarls. And a screeching from within.

INT. KITCHEN MacReady is fetching himself a beer. The sound of the far - off screeching. He freezes. A beat. He turns and sprints. HIS BEER CAN as it smashes the glass of the fire alarm. He pulls the lever.

INT. TUNNEL The alarm is blaring throughout the camp. MacReady, Garry, Norris run through the narrow tunnel led by Clark. MacReady carries a shotgun. Garry, half - dressed, has his.44. Clark, a fire ax. CLARK I do n't know what the hell's in there, but it's weird and pissed off, whatever it is.

INT. HALLWAY Chaos. Men, half - naked, bounce from their cubicle. Pulling on their pants, digging into shoes.

INT. CHILDS' CUBICLE Childs is grappling with his belt buckle. CHILDS Mac wants the what?! BENNINGS -LRB- at the doorway. -RRB- That's what he said. Now! Move! Bennings is off.

INT. TUNNEL as the men approach the locked kennel door. The two dogs, thrown into Clark, back ferociously and scratch at the door trying to get back in. One is badly bloodied. The fight inside rages on. MacReady and Clark brace themselves by the narrow door. Norris and Garry hold back the two hysterical dogs. Clark undoes the latch and he and MacReady enter the kennel. The light has been broken and it is pitch black. MacReady snaps on his flashlight. Norris and Garry ca n't contain their animals and the dogs burst into the room. They smash into MacReady and send him sprawling. Total confusion : the dogs ; the men ; the screeching ; the blackness. CLARK Mac, where are you? MacReady gropes for his flashlight and rights himself. He finds Clark. Then shines it around the cramped room trying to get his bearings. The light finds a mass of dogs in a wild melee in the corner. Barking mixed with hissing, a gurgling, a screeching. Dogs being hurled about and then charging back into the fray with a vengeance. The flashlight illuminates parts of some `` thing.'' A dog. But not quite. Impossible to tell. It struggles powerfully. Garry pokes his head into the blackness. GARRY What's going on, damn it? MacReady aims his shotgun at the entire pack. MACREADY I'm going to shoot. CLARK No! Wait! Clark wades into the pack, grabs at dogs' hides and throws them back. He then wields his ax into the fray, chopping and hacking away at the gurgling, hissing silhouette. From out of nowhere, a large, bristly, arachnid - like leg springs up and wraps around Clark's ax. It sends Clark smashing violently into the wall. OUTSIDE More men running, nearing the kennel. Several squeezing in with Garry, trying to get a look. INSIDE MacReady fires several rounds. A dog is flung at him, knocking him and his flashlight once more to the ground. Garry squeezes in and begins blasting away in the direction of the hissing and screeching. A dog is hit. MacReady crawls for his flashlight. MACREADY Clark? Where are you? Clark! Blam. Blam. Garry continues firing at the silhouette.

INT. TUNNEL Childs, huffing and puffing, lugs the huge industrial torch toward the crowded kennel doorway. CHILDS What's happening? MACREADY -LRB- O.S. -RRB- Childs, you got the torch? You get your ass in here!

INT. KENNEL Childs scrunches in, disoriented by the blackness, and bumps into Garry, knocking him off balance. CHILDS Where are you? MacReady signals with his flashlight and then points it at the gathering of snarling dogs. MACREADY Torch it over there! CHILDS The dogs? MACREADY Screw the dogs! Torch it! Childs lets loose with a burst of blue flame. A mewing, a screeching. Part of the kennel starts to burn. GARRY -LRB- panic. -RRB- We're on fire! MACREADY Do n't let up, Childs! GARRY -LRB- to outside. -RRB- Extinguishers. Childs moves closer, continuing his assault on the hissing, gurgling presence. Men charge into the room and begin spraying dogs and burning walls. Dogs and men choke and cough amidst the smoke and CO2. The screeching lessens. The hissing and gurgling fade. Childs turns off his torch.

INT. REC ROOM - NEXT MORNING Those of the men that have gathered exhibit a pale and quiet uneasiness. Blair, in silent awe, stands over the badly burned corpses of two interlocking dogs, that lie before him on a table. They are connected as if they were one animal. Though, the one wearing the remnants of Clark's bandage is much larger and appears less dog - like. Its entire torso is cracked and peeled, as if its innards were trying to burst out. Odd appendages, recoiled and withered by the flame, are wrapped grotesquely about both bodies. Clark, his eyes set in glassy stare, sits in shock. Nauls comforts him. Childs stands nearby smoking a joint and staring at the floor. Blair, transfixed, continues hovering over the united cadavers. Weighing. Thinking. A very worried look on his face. The dead bodies of two other dogs from the kennel are not far off.

INT. INFIRMARY Fuchs is attending to the shredded bodies of three other badly wounded dogs.

INT. REC ROOM Nauls pats Clark on the shoulder and grins, trying to pick up his spirits. NAULS It's okay now, man. It's dead. It's over. -LRB- beat. -RRB- You see. Clark turns to him with a childlike smile. CLARK I know. Mr. Childs killed it. I saw. NAULS Right, man. Right.

INT. SMALL WORKROOM Norris is going through some maps. MacReady is bent over his shoulder. Norris finds the one he's looking for. NORRIS Here. This is where they were spending most of their time. Bennings pokes his head in the room. BENNINGS Pretty nasty out, Mac. Thirty - five knots. MACREADY Screw it, I'm going up anyway.

INT. MAIN COMPOUND - MORNING Station Manager Garry has joined Blair by the stuck - together bodies. Blair motions to the bandage. BLAIR Was that dog, the Norwegian dog? GARRY I just ca n't comprehend any of this. It was just a dog. CHILDS -LRB- evenly. -RRB- `` twere n't no dog, Bwana. BLAIR That tape MacReady showed us this morning. GARRY Could n't make much of it myself. BLAIR I've asked him to try and locate the site. Okay with you? GARRY Sure. You think there's a connection? BLAIR Maybe.

EXT. CHOPPER high above the Antarctic expanse.

INT. CHOPPER MacReady pilots. Young Palmer and Norris are with him. It is clear but the winds are troublesome. The ride is a shaky one. Norris refers to their map. He points. NORRIS One of their sites would be directly over here. They aim for a large mountainous wall. As they go up and over. they see : FLAT, GLACIAL EXPANSE On the surface, an enormous blackened oval shape.

INT. U.S. OUTPOST #31 - LAB All the bodies of the dogs have been brought in. Fuchs stands by as Blair studies through his microscope. INSERT - A MICROSCOPIC SAMPLING of two cells. They appear to be much different from each other. They are joined at the ends but are completing the process of breaking off from each other. ON BLAIR A disturbed look on his face. He checks his watch, as if timing the procedure.

EXT. GLACIER - TRACKING WITH MACREADY, NORRIS AND PALMER as they walk along the ice. They come to a stop at the edge of a sharp drop. Pull back to reveal - the massive black hole about fifteen feet beneath the ice. Charred, gnarled and mangled metal are all that is left of what was once an enormous sphere. MacReady's and Norris' eyes meet each other in silence. Palmer is in awe. PALMER Wow. MacReady finds a burst thermite canister. He and Norris climb down. They move along amongst the wreck. Almost everything but the skeletal superstructure has disintegrated into a fine ashy powder. Norris digs for ice samples at the perimeter of the wreckage, while MacReady browses through the center. Palmer continues to marvel, as he walks around the oval, atop the ice. MacReady returns and kneels down next to Norris as the latter examines a piece of metal. NORRIS Magnesium of some type. or some kind of strange alloy. -LRB- looks out at debris in disgust. -RRB- And those poor dumb bastards had to go and blow the hell out of it. MACREADY So what do you make of it? NORRIS You know damn well what we both make of it. MACREADY No chance it could have been some new kind of test craft? Norris shakes his head no. NORRIS Seismic activity has been pushing this are up from way down for a long time. -LRB- holds up ice sample. -RRB-. This ice it was buried in. It's over a hundred thousand years old. Palmer calls out, waving them over.

EXT. GLACIER The two men join Palmer about fifty yards from the oval. A large rectangular chunk has been cut out of the ice. It is fifteen feet long, six feet wide and eight feet deep. MacReady kneels down to observe. A beat. A gust of wind picks up the snow at their feet.

INT. REC ROOM - NIGHT Fascinated, a few of the men are reviewing the Norwegian video tapes of the finding of the mysterious craft. MacReady sits quietly by his chess set contemplating a large glass of Scotch. Clark, less interested than the others, is flipping through the Norwegian nudie magazine. Blair, looking worried, sits off in a corner, pondering the photo of the block of ice and fingering a piece of crumbled - up metal brought back from the site. Childs, viewing the tapes, ca n't quite believe it all. CHILDS Okay now, Mac, run this by me again. Thousands of years ago this rocket ship crashes, right? And the. MacReady is not listening. CHILDS MacReady! MACREADY Look, I'm just guessing. CHILDS Well, go on.

INT. KITCHEN Nauls, about to prepare dinner, scowls as he rummages through his many cabinets. NAULS Where's that big ol' steel pot of mine?! Damn! He turns to examine the cabinets above the large stove. He spots something in the nearby kitchen trash can. Disgusted, he pulls out a torn and shredded pair of long johns.

INT. REC ROOM MacReady theorizes. MACREADY So it crashes, and this guy, whoever he is, gets thrown out, or walks out, and ends up freezing. CHILDS I just ca n't believe this voodoo bullshit. You believe this voodoo bullshit, Blair? Blair says nothing, lost in thought. Palmer, stoned, a joint dangling from his mouth, is searching for information through stacks of old issues of The National Enquirer and The Star. PALMER -LRB- rambling. -RRB- Happens all the time, man. They're falling out of the skies like flies. Government knows all about it. Chariots of the Gods, man. They practically own South America. I mean they taught the Incas everything they knew. CHILDS Cool it, Palmer! Palmer shakes a magazine at him adamantly. PALMER Read von Daniken! Have you read von Daniken? Get your facts straight! Clark marvels at a particular photo. CLARK Jesus, why would those guys ever want to leave Norway? Nauls skates into the room. He shakes the crumpled - up pair of long johns in his fist. NAULS Which one you muthers been tossing his dirty underwear in the kitchen trash?! He flings it across the room. It lands on MacReady's chess set. NAULS I want my kitchen clean. Germ free! Nauls spins on his skates and storms off. MacReady fetches the strangely shredded underwear and rolls it up, while Childs paces. CHILDS So, MacReady, come on now. These Norwegian dudes come by. find him and dig him up. MacReady tosses the ball of cloth across the room into a trash bin. MACREADY Yeah, they dig him up and cart him back. He gets thawed out, wakes up and scares the shit out of them. And they get into one hell of a brawl. CHILDS Now how's this motherfucker wake up after thousands of years in the ice, huh? MACREADY -LRB- annoyed. -RRB- I do n't know how. Because he's different than we are. Because he's a space guy. What do you want from me, anyway. Go ask Blair. CHILDS You buy any of this, Blair? A beat as Blair stares straight ahead, transfixed. He speaks softly, to no one particular. BLAIR It was here. got to that dog. It was here in this camp. The men take in his grave countenance. GARRY So? So what? It's over with. Blair turns to them. A pause. The men search his face. BENNINGS -LRB- edgy. -RRB- Well, is n't it?

INT. LAB - CLOSE ON A SHEET as Blair rips it off exposing the tangled mess of interlocking dogs. Pull back. All the men have gathered. Some of the men settle into chairs, others stand. BLAIR Whatever that Norwegian dog was. It. It was capable of changing its form. -LRB- indicates their dog. -RRB-. when it attacked our dog. it somehow was able to digest. or. absorb it. and in the process shaped its own cells to imitate our dog's cells exactly. -LRB- holds up gooey dog leg. -RRB-. This for instance is n't dog at all - it's imitation. We got to it before it had time to finish or. NAULS Finish what? BLAIR I think the whole process would have taken an hour. maybe more. And then I suppose both would have changed back to dog form. PALMER Well, that Thing in the ice sure were n't no dog. BLAIR -LRB- impatient. -RRB- Of course not. But whatever it was revived, it. Well, The Thing was probably disoriented. and realized it could n't survive for long in our atmosphere. But being the incredibly adaptable creature it was. it tried to become something that could. Before the Norwegians killed it. it somehow got to this dog. CLARK What do you mean `` got'' to the dog? BLAIR It was a life form that was able to imitate and reproduce, whatever it ate or absorbed, cell for cell. Silence. BLAIR The concept is staggering. I know. I. I do n't fully understand it myself. CHILDS -LRB- skeptically, points. -RRB- You're saying. that big muther in the ice, became the dog. BLAIR -LRB- nodding. -RRB- I think we're talking about an organism. that could imitate other life forms. perfectly. It could have gone on and on. It could have become one dog. It could have become as many dogs as it wanted to - and without losing any of its original mass. NORRIS You been into Childs' weed, Blair? Blair slams his fist on the slab. BLAIR Look, I know it's hard to believe. GARRY -LRB- breaking in. -RRB- So what's our problem? BLAIR Well. there's still some cell activity. it's not entirely dead yet. Several of the men nearest the carcasses jump back knocking over a chair.

EXT. COMPOUND - NIGHT - CLOSE ON THE DOG CARCASSES lying on the snow. Splash. They are being soaked with gasoline. FUCHS -LRB- O.S. -RRB- -LRB- in violent protestation. -RRB- You ca n't do this! You ca n't burn these remains. Pull back. Fuchs is beside himself. Childs has the large torch. MacReady empties another can on the bodies. Dr. Copper stands nearby. MACREADY And the horse you rode in on, Fuchs. -LRB- to Childs. -RRB- Light it up. Childs lights the tip. Fuchs makes a determined move for the torch. FUCHS Well, I'm not going to let this happen. Childs struggles with him for a beat and then flings him to the ground. Dr. Copper grabs him preventing him from getting back up. Childs splays the remains with a jet of flame. Fuchs shakes his head in frustration and disgust. FUCHS I just ca n't believe it. We're going to go down as the biggest bunch of assholes in history. MACREADY Fuck history. At least we're going to live to be an old bunch of assholes.

INT. KENNEL - NIGHT The night feeding. Clark dishes out the food. Blair is taking blood samples from the remaining three dogs. BLAIR -LRB- perplexed, bothered. -RRB- Clark, did you notice anything strange about that dog? Just anything at all? Any little thing? CLARK No. Just that he recovered real quick. That night when I found him in the rec room, he had already scraped off his bandage. Before I put him with the others, I redressed his wound and noticed it had healed up real good. A beat as Blair stares at Clark. BLAIR That night? CLARK -LRB- pets dog vigorously. -RRB- Yeah. BLAIR What was he doing in the rec room? CLARK Well, after I worked on him - thought I'd let him rest. Left the room for a bit. When I came back, he was gone. BLAIR Well, where was he? Where did he go? CLARK Do n't know. Looked for him for a bit. could n't find him. BLAIR -LRB- a long beat. -RRB- You're saying he was n't put into the kennel until the night? Clark seems uneasy under Blair's intense gaze. CLARK Well. yeah. Blair stands, his eyes still glued to Clark. BLAIR How long were you with the dog? Alone, I mean? CLARK Ah. He was hurt bad. Bullet nicked an artery. I do n't know. An hour. hour and a half. Blair's eyes glaze as if in revelation. CLARK What the hell you looking at me like that for? BLAIR Nothing. Nothing at all. He backs out of the kennel.

INT. HALLWAY - COMPOUND Irritated, distressed, station manager Garry moves briskly down the hall. Blair, worried and pale, tries to keep up with him. BLAIR It could have gotten to somebody. GARRY Anybody sick? BLAIR No, I. I do n't mean infection. or disease. Garry stops at the entrance to the communications room. GARRY Any luck yet? Sanchez shrugs. SANCHEZ Couple seconds of an Argentine disco station. GARRY Well, stick with it. I want you at it round the clock. We got to get help in here. BLAIR -LRB- alarm. -RRB- No. No, you ca n't let anyone in here. That dog was all over this camp. Bennings interrupts, entering the hallway, referring to his meteorological chart. BENNINGS -LRB- to Garry. -RRB- Travel - wise, tomorrow may be okay. But after that some pretty nasty northeasterly shit's coming in. FUCHS Goddamn fools. The men outside come stomping through the hallway. BLAIR -LRB- pleading. -RRB- Listen to me, Garry. Please. GARRY -LRB- to MacReady. -RRB- If the weather clears enough before we reach anybody - I'm sending you and Doc up to MacMurdo. BLAIR No! You ca n't let people leave. MACREADY I ai n't going anywhere in anything over forty knots, Garry. GARRY -LRB- snapping. -RRB- The hell you wo n't, MacReady! BLAIR Do n't you understand?! That Thing did n't want to become a dog. GARRY -LRB- fed up. -RRB- Damn you, Blair! You've already got everybody half - hysterical around here. BLAIR You ca n't let anybody leave! GARRY I've got six dead Norwegians on my hands, a burned up flying saucer, and we've just destroyed the scientific find of the century. Now fuck off! Close on Blair, ashen - faced, falling silent. As if in a daze, he watches the men as they continue to converse. Suspicious, frightened.

EXT. COMPOUND - NIGHT Pitch black except for the barest of lighting which outlines the building. Wind. The swirl of ice.

INT. MACREADY'S CABIN - NIGHT Far away from the others, MacReady sits in his little hovel putting the final screw into his mended chess set. On the other side of the set, his busty, inflatable companion has been propped up in a chair. His sombrero hangs down her back, keeping her in place. Hawaiian music plays from his tape deck. MACREADY All set. He puts down his screwdriver, holds up his glass and offers a toast with a big grin. MACREADY To us. He clinks the drink he has made for her that rests on her side of the board. He sips. He turns on the machine and makes his first move. MACREADY Now go easy on me, Esperanza. I'm just a beginner. The set answers for Esperanza. CHESS VOICE Rook takes bishop at Queen four - Rook take pawn at Queen two - Rook takes Queen at Queen one - Checkmate. MACREADY Aw shit. He flips open the circuitry panel in disgust. He tosses his screwdriver on the board and grabs his drink, downing it. MACREADY Sorry, hon. He reaches inside his ice bucket. Empty. MACREADY Never any damn ice around here.

EXT. MACREADY'S CABIN - NIGHT MacReady exits. He swacks at a nearby bank of ice with a small ice pick. MACREADY Now in Mexico. Tahiti. They got ice. They got ice coming out of their ears. The sound of a clanking. He turns his attention. Metal against metal. Strange. MacReady listens. It appears to be coming from far off below, near the camp. MACREADY as he makes his way down with the aid of the steadying ropes. The clanking louder now. He senses the direction. MACREADY at the bottom near the main compound. The sound has stopped. He looks around in the near blackness. A beat. THE CHOPPERS sitting idle in the dark. MacReady approaches. The door to one of the cockpits is slightly ajar. He opens it cautiously.

INT. CHOPPER MacReady slips in. He turns on a flashlight. The controls have been mangled. Beaten with something heavy. Bang! MacReady, startled, turns. Like the sound of a gun. Coming from the main compound.

INT. COMPOUND - MAIN ENTRANCE Confusion. Shouts. MacReady enters. He grabs Palmer as he and Bennings rush by. MACREADY What's. PALMER Blair. He's gone berserk. BENNINGS He's in the radio room. Got a gun. Beat on Sanchez something fierce. HALLWAY - RADIO ROOM ENTRANCE The men are on either side of the open radio room doorway. Garry peeks his head in. A gunshot blast forces him back. RADIO ROOM Sanchez lies on the floor, groaning. Blair holds the gun on the door. He wields a fire ax with the other hand and smashes down on the radio. BLAIR Anybody interferes, I'll kill! Nobody's getting in or out of this camp. HALLWAY MacReady has joined the others. MACREADY He smashed one of the choppers up good. Childs, go check the other one and the tractor. Childs is off. RADIO ROOM Blair crunches the ax down once again, while keeping an eye on the door. BLAIR You think I'm crazy? Fine! Most of you do n't know what's going on - but I'm damn well sure some of you do! -LRB- crunch. -RRB- BACK TO HALLWAY NORRIS The back window. A couple of us could maybe surprise him. MACREADY Too damn dangerous. BACK TO RADIO ROOM BLAIR You think this Thing wants to become an animal? Dogs ca n't make it 1000 miles to the sea. No skua gulls to imitate this time of year. No penguins this far inland. Do n't you understand?! It wanted to become us! He brings the ax down hard on the radio. BACK TO HALLWAY Childs runs up, out of breath. CHILDS He got both choppers and the tractor. I do n't know how bad yet. Garry readies his large.357 Magnum. MACREADY No, wait a minute. -LRB- to Norris. -RRB- The fuse box. Norris double - times down the hall. MacReady turns the corner and into the rec room. He grabs one of the thick card tables. MacReady returns with the table to the hallway. BLAIR Ca n't you see? If one cell of this Thing got out it could imitate every living thing on Earth. Nothing could stop it! Nothing! MACREADY -LRB- humoring. -RRB- Look Blair, maybe you're right about this. But we've got to be rational. We've got to talk this over. I'm unarmed and I'm coming in. BLAIR No, you're not! I do n't trust any of you! NORRIS reaches the fuse box. He opens it. HALLWAY MacReady readies the table like a shield. MACREADY If you're right we've all got to stick together. The lights go out. MacReady charges into the black room. Blair fires. MacReady barrels into him, knocking him to the ground. He pummels him with a right hand and manages to control the gun. The others dive in and pile on.

EXT. COMPOUND Heavily - clothed, MacReady, Fuchs and Dr. Copper help a dazed Blair to a toolshed some seventy - five yards from the main compound.

INT. TOOLSHED More spacious than MacReady's. Very livable. Two windows. Blair has been placed on the cot. Dr. Copper injects him with a sedative. BLAIR Why am I here? DR. COPPER It's for your own protection, Blair. MACREADY And mainly ours.

EXT. SHACK Fuchs and MacReady nail boards over the windows. MACREADY Leave a bit of an opening so he can see out. Blair's droopy - eyed, heavily drugged features loom up at MacReady through the window. MACREADY How you doin', old boy? BLAIR -LRB- softly. -RRB- I do n't know who to trust. MACREADY -LRB- humoring. -RRB- Know what you mean, Blair. Trust is a tough thing to come by these days. Just trust in the Lord. BLAIR -LRB- beat. -RRB- Watch Clark. MACREADY What? BLAIR Watch him close. Ask him why he did n't kennel the dog. Blair's face disappears from the window.

EXT. COMPOUND - DAY Harsh and grey. Getting very dark as winter takes a stronger hold. Bennings is dumping the trash in a large hole in the snow which acts as the trash dump. Bennings finishes and drags the empty bins past Palmer and Childs, who are fixing the wounded choppers.

INT. RADIO ROOM The radio looks a mess. Norris and Sanchez, a bandage wrapped around his head, examines the damage. He is in pain and still looks a little groggy. SANCHEZ I'll see what I can do. But they did n't teach me much about fixing these things. Norris smiles and pats him comfortingly. NORRIS They did n't teach you much about working them either.

INT. MESS HALL - MORNING CLOSE ON A BUFFET OF EGGS, BACON, TOAST, ETC.. Pull back. The men help themselves. It is a cramped, elongated room. Dr. Copper approaches Nauls and hands him a capsule. DR. COPPER Put this in Blair's juice before you take him his tray. Clark comes running into the room, pallid, out of breath. The men turn to look. CLARK The dogs.

INT. THE KENNEL Empty. Clark and Garry examine the latch of the kennel door. GARRY Does n't look broken. CLARK No. Door was wide open. I know I latched it.

EXT. COMPOUND ABOVE THE UNDERGROUND KENNEL CLOSE ON THE DOGS' TRACKS in the snow. They lead from the kennel's open stairwell and out onto the ice. All the men have gathered. CLARK All three of them took off. MacReady is writing down what appears to be a list on a pad. DR. COPPER How long do you suppose they've been gone? CLARK I have n't seen them since their last feeding. Could be as much as twenty - four hours. MACREADY They could n't have gotten that far in this weather. Garry and several others turn to MacReady quizzically. GARRY You're not thinking of going after them, are you? MACREADY I am going after them. NORRIS What in the hell for? Even if Blair's right - they'll just die out there. No food. They're over a thousand miles from anything. PALMER Chopper are n't going to be ready for days. MacReady hands his list to Bennings. MACREADY Get these things out of supply and meet me over by the snowmobiles. GARRY You're not going to catch them in one of those with the start they got. MACREADY Palmer, how long would it take you to strap those big four - cylinder carburetors on? PALMER -LRB- grins. -RRB- Oh, I got you. Not too long. MACREADY Then get a move on. Childs, come with me. He puts his arm around Childs and pulls him along. The others watch them walk off, a little bewildered. GARRY -LRB- shouting after them. -RRB- Besides, what are you going to do when you catch up to them? Bennings is reading MacReady's list. BENNINGS Holy shit. -LRB- hands list to Garry. -RRB- Whatever he's going to do, he ai n't fucking around.

EXT. OUTDOOR WORK AREA - CLOSE ON THE BARREL of the large torch. A fierce stream of flame bursts from its nozzle. Pull back. The stream has shot out some fifteen feet. Childs has been modifying it. CHILDS I can get maybe another five or six feet out of it. MACREADY That's good enough. CLOSE ON PALMER as he works on the snowmobiles. Into frame rolls a wheelbarrow on sleds. A box marked DYNAMITE is its most prominent article. Pull back. Bennings reads off the list of supplies. BENNINGS All right. Box of dynamite. box of thermite. three shotguns. box of flares. two flare guns. thirty cans gasoline. and a case of alcohol. MACREADY Let's load'em.

EXT. ANTARCTICA - ICESCAPE The two vehicles rip across the hard, flat ice, bolstered by the added horsepower. They follow the still visible dog tracks in the snow. THE SUN sliding across the horizon, signaling midday. The snowmobiles whoosh past. Bennings drives the one loaded with supplies. MacReady and Childs double up on the other. MACREADY steadying his binoculars, while Childs drives, spots something up ahead. The vehicles slow down and come to a halt. Something lies just ahead of them in the whiteness, in the middle of the dog tracks. THE MEN kneel down by the `` something.'' It is the half - eaten remains of a dog. Its hind legs and lower stomach picked clean. Its ripped hide, flapping in the wind. Its top half missing. CHILDS What is it? MacReady follows the line of continuing dog tracks. MACREADY Maybe dinner. BENNINGS Dogs do n't eat each other. MACREADY -LRB- beat. -RRB- I know. CHILDS Where's the other half? MACREADY Probably the next meal. MacReady moves to the snowmobile and grabs a two - gallon can of gasoline. He turns to Bennings. MACREADY Where these tracks headed? BENNINGS Nowhere. Just straight to the ocean. A beat as MacReady takes this in. He pours the gas over the remains and sets it aflame. MACREADY Let's move. Childs and Bennings are not that anxious to continue. CHILDS They could be hours ahead of us, Mac. BENNINGS Gon na get dark soon, too. Supposed to be fifty below tonight. MacReady gets on and revs up the engine. MACREADY Turn back if you want. Childs and Bennings return shrugs. THE SUN making its last pass, rolling off the horizon. Only a slight orange hue left. THE SNOWMOBILES move slower, positioned on either side of the tracks. The tracks abruptly change direction. The men come to a stop. It is much colder now. Their beards, a mask of white powder. MacReady surveys the new direction. They are headed toward a far - off ridge of bluffs. Large, windswept mounds of ice. THE SNOWMOBILES as they move through a valley of newly - formed dunes and tall ice cliffs. The last of the sun obscured, the headlamps are turned on and pointed at the tracks. The men look behind, in front, and from side to side, as they proceed cautiously through the maze. Up ahead MacReady spots : A DOG It sits, its back to them, unconcerned, heedless of their arrival. It is munching on the other half of the dog carcass. The men stop their machines some twenty yards from it. They are hemmed in at the valley's narrowest point. Childs, carrying the torch, and MacReady, armed with a thermite bomb, wade awkwardly but carefully toward the animal in their snowshoes. Bennings stands back by the snowmobiles. Childs and MacReady spread out some dozen feet from the dog. It continues to pay them no mind, content to chew its food. CHILDS Where's the other one? Bennings surveys the tops of the snow bluffs that encircle them with his flashlight. MACREADY -LRB- to dog. -RRB- Where's your buddy, boy? Huh? No response. MacReady searches the near vicinity with his light. All three are growing uneasy. MACREADY Let that thing fly, Childs. Do n't let up until he's ash. Childs turns on the gas and lights the tip. Bennings is still watching the bluffs. Something from beneath the snow reaches up and grabs his feet. He is ripped back down through the hard snow in one incredibly powerful motion. He screams, his head the only thing sticking out of the ice. Childs and MacReady turn, confused, unable to see anything be Bennings' screaming head. They rush toward him. MacReady stumbles. The sound of a snapping, a crackling to MacReady's rear. He freezes ; turns back to the dog. Its back is still to him ; its coat of hair sticking up like that of a porcupine. It snarls ; its face turns slowly toward him. Its skin splitting ; its mouth ripping open wildly. MACREADY Childs! Childs stops, confused as to who to help first. He notices the dog hunched and ready to spring. He steps back toward MacReady. The dog/Thing leaps for MacReady ; an incredible jump of some twenty feet. Childs lets loose a blast, hitting the dog in midair ; the force of the spray knocking it back and tumbling to the ice in flames. MacReady throws his thermite canister. It discharges and engulfs the screeching animal in fire. BENNINGS howling in pain. The ice underneath him thrashes violently. Childs and MacReady stand by helplessly, unable to see what has him or what action to take. Childs moves closer to help. MACREADY -LRB- pulls him back. -RRB- Stay back! Bennings' head disappears with a sudden jerk through the ice. The ice continues to rumble like boiling water, moving in different directions. Part of Bennings' body pops up in a different area and is just as quickly pulled back down. MacReady and Childs watch on in frustration and anger. CHILDS What we going to do?! MACREADY How the fuck do I know?! Bennings' head and shoulders then surface near one of the snowmobiles. Something has him. Unclear as to what. The jowls of a dog. But huge. Bennings' heavy clothing begins to rip, tear, as if his skin underneath was bulging out. The jowls seem to be absorbing his head. MacReady runs for the snowmobile. MACREADY Torch them! CHILDS But. MACREADY He's gone already! Do it! Childs blasts away. The ice begins to melt as Bennings and whatever has him catch fire. A screeching. MacReady grabs cans of gas from the snowmobiles. Suddenly a steel - like, arachnid - shaped arm shoots out in pain and with incredible force pierces the fiberglass chassis of the snowmobile. MacReady is knocked back. He recovers and dumps cans of gasoline on the writhing mess. He dives and rolls away from the lunging appendage. He and Childs watch on as Bennings and The Thing roar in flame. Behind them, the other dog/Thing continues to burn. The screeching, mewing and gurgling wails on, all about them. They look to each other in disbelief, their faces illuminated by the flickering flames. The strident sounds beginning to subside. THE SUN Its slim, orange arc sets, signaling the start of the Vernal Equinox. And the beginning of six months of darkness.

INT. COMPOUND - REC ROOM The men are interrogating Clark. He is frazzled and defensive. CLARK I'm telling you I do n't remember leaving the kennel unlatched. Childs is holding the industrial torch directly in his face. CHILDS Bullshit! You left it open so they could get out!

EXT. TRASH DUMP MacReady, waist - deep in trash and snow, searches for something.

INT. REC ROOM The interrogation continues. CLARK Would I even have told you they were gone if I had anything to hide? GARRY But why did n't you kennel that dog right away? CLARK I told you I could n't find. -LRB- pushes torch away. -RRB-. get that out of my face. Childs grabs him by the collar and rips him off his chair. CHILDS Do n't you be telling me. Nauls steps between them. NAULS -LRB- to Childs. -RRB- Lighten your load, sucker. You ai n't the judge and executioner around here! CHILDS Who you trying to protect, mutherfucker? I'm telling you this S.O.B. could be one of them. Garry breaks it up, pulling them apart. MacReady enters from the outside. A bundle is tucked under his arm. GARRY Hold on, damn it. We're getting nowhere. If this bit of Blair's about absorbing and imitating is true. then that dog could have gotten to anybody. DR. COPPER And if it got to Clark. Clark could have gotten to anybody. MacReady moves over to the table. DR. COPPER Theoretically any of us could be whatever the hell this thing is. Norris shakes his head, rubbing his chest in slight discomfort. NORRIS It's just too damn wild - I ca n't believe it. MacReady pushes his sombrero back over his head. MACREADY Well, you can believe it now. He drops the bundle he had been holding on the table between the men. It is the shredded pair of long johns. MACREADY Nauls found this yesterday. It's ripped just like the clothing on the Norwegian we brought back. The same thing was happening to Bennings' clothes when it got to him. Seems these Things do n't imitate clothes. Just flesh and bone. The men look from one another. Silence. MacReady picks it up and examines the label. MACREADY Size large. -LRB- grins. -RRB- What do you wear, Clark? Clark stews. CLARK So what? NORRIS I wear a size large, too. MACREADY So do I. So do most of us. The uneasiness in the room grows. MACREADY Doubt if it got to more than one or two of us. But it got to someone. -LRB- beat. -RRB- Somebody in this room ai n't what he appears to be. A pause as all eyes travel from man to man. SANCHEZ -LRB- scared. -RRB- Well, what we going to do? Norris turns to Dr. Copper and Fuchs. NORRIS Can there be. some kind of test? To find out who's what? DR. COPPER A serum test possibly. FUCHS Right. Why not? GARRY What's that? DR. COPPER It's a simple blood typing test. This Thing's blood chemistry is different than ours. Basically we mix someone's blood with uncontaminated human blood. If we do n't get the proper serum reaction - then that person is n't human. CHILDS Whose uncontaminated blood we going to use? DR. COPPER We've got blood plasma in storage. GARRY How long will it take you to prepare this? DR. COPPER A couple of hours. GARRY Well, get to it. Garry unhinges a key from his belt and hands it to Dr. Copper. Dr. Copper and Fuchs head for the infirmary. PALMER How's that Thing get to the dogs? I though we stopped it in time. MACREADY Copper thinks they swallowed pieces of it during the fight. PALMER And that was enough? DR. COPPER -LRB- O.S. -RRB- Garry. The rest of you! Come here!

INT. INFIRMARY The men rush in. Fuchs and Copper stand by the open plasma storage refrigerator. The inside is a mess of dried blood. The bladders have been ripped open. Copper is ghastly pale. DR. COPPER Somebody got to the blood. sabotaged it. NAULS Oh, my God. A horrified silence. MACREADY Was it broken into? FUCHS No. Somebody opened it. Closed it. And then locked it. Sanchez twitches, terrified. MACREADY Well, who's got access to it? DR. COPPER I guess I'm the only one. GARRY And I've got the only key. Several pairs of eyes turn to Garry. MACREADY Would that test have worked? DR. COPPER I think so. NORRIS Somebody else sure as hell thought so. MACREADY Who else could have used that key? GARRY Ah. no one. I give it to Copper when he needs it. MACREADY Could anyone have gotten it from you? DR. COPPER I do n't see how. when I'm finished I return it right away. NORRIS When was the last time you used it? DR. COPPER -LRB- uneasy. -RRB- A day or so ago. I guess. Garry senses the nervous and inquiring eyes on him. GARRY I suppose. well, it's possible someone might have lifted it from me. But. CHILDS That key ring of yours is always hooked to your belt. Now how could somebody get to it without you knowing? GARRY -LRB- upset, flustered. -RRB- Look, I have n't been near that. that refrigerator. Silence as the men continue to stare. Sanchez is perspiring. GARRY Copper's the only one who has any business with it. The eyes shift from Garry to Copper. DR. COPPER Now. wait a second, Garry, you've been in here on several occasions. FUCHS And the Doc thought of the test. CHILDS -LRB- anger. -RRB- So what?! Is that supposed to leave him in the clear?! Bullshit! Sanchez bolts out the door. Stunned for a beat, the others chase after him. GARRY Hey, Sanchez! SANCHEZ in terror, runs at top speed through the narrow corridors. Opening and shutting doors. The others are in pursuit. They shout for him to stop. SANCHEZ as he reaches a small armory. A glass case set into the wall. A half dozen rarely used guns are inside. He tries the handle. Locked. He hears the clamor of feet and voices as the others are nearing. He breaks the glass and grabs a shotgun. Then a box of shells. He frantically tries to load, but is too nervous. The others arrive at the end of the hallway. Garry pulls his handgun and points. GARRY Put that down! SANCHEZ -LRB- trembling. -RRB- No. GARRY I'll put this right through your head. No one doubts Garry's sincerity. SANCHEZ You guys going to let him give orders? I mean he could be one of those Things. The other regard Garry tensely. No one oblivious to the fact, that Sanchez just might be right. MACREADY -LRB- calm. -RRB- Put it away, Sanchez. Just put it away. Still trembling, he tosses the shells back into the broken case, leans the gun against the wall and begins to sob. Nauls skates over to comfort him. The men watch as Garry lowers his gun. He turns to them. GARRY I do n't know about Copper. But I did n't go near that plasma. -LRB- beat. -RRB- But I guess you'll all rest easier if someone else is in charge. He hands his gun to Norris. GARRY Ca n't see anyone objecting to you, Norris. NORRIS Sorry, gentlemen. -LRB- rubs chest. -RRB-. Do n't think I'd be up to it. Have n't been feeling well lately. Childs goes for the gun. CHILDS I'll take it. MacReady beats him to it. MACREADY Maybe it should be someone a bit more even - tempered, Childs. Childs glares. MACREADY -LRB- to others. -RRB-. Any objections? Roving eyes pass about the hallway. Nobody is sure who to trust. MacReady seems as good as any.

INT. REC ROOM The men have gathered to discuss plans. Furtive and untrustworthy glances are passed around the room. MACREADY From what we know this Thing likes to go one on one. So we stick together as much as possible. In two's and three's. Childs points to Garry, Dr. Copper and Clark. CHILDS What do we do about those three? MACREADY We got morphine, do n't we. Fuchs nods. MACREADY Well, we keep them loaded. Stash them here in the rec room and watch'em twenty - four hours. PALMER -LRB- ears perk up. -RRB- Morphine? You know I was pretty close to that dog, too. Palmer is ignored. NORRIS We should sleep in shifts. MACREADY Right. Half of us awake at all times. SANCHEZ How we going to try and find out who's. you know, who's who? MACREADY -LRB- to Fuchs. -RRB- Can you think of any other tests? FUCHS I'll try. I could sure use Copper's help though. CHILDS You can eighty - six that thought right now, man. Dr. Copper eyes his accuser solemnly. MACREADY Also. When this Thing turns. it turns slowly at first. I think we can handle it in that state. But if it ever got to full power. from what I saw of that Norwegian camp. well, I just do n't know. It would probably take it an hour or more to get like that. So no matter what anybody's doing, we all return to this room every twenty minutes. Anybody gone longer than that. anybody trying to leave. we kill'em.

EXT. COMPOUND - DARKNESS It is the dead of winter. Six months of darkness ahead. Palmer fights the cold as he works dismantling the engine of the helicopter. He frowns, searching for something. PALMER -LRB- mumbles. -RRB- Where's that magneto? Ca n't find a darn thing around here any more.

INT. REC ROOM Copper, Clark and Garry sit moodily together on a couch. Norris awkwardly prepares to give them their injections. He is new at this. Childs stands guard with his torch. Dr. Copper offers to help. DR. COPPER I'll do it. You're going to break the needle in my arm. CHILDS No, Doc. He's doing a real fine job.

EXT. COMPOUND MacReady and Sanchez are foraging through the trash dump. MACREADY Look for shoes, too. And burned cloth.

INT. RADIO ROOM Norris has begun dismantling the radio. He rubs at his chest as he disengages the headset.

INT. HALLWAY Following Nauls as he skates through the labyrinth. Checking waste bins. Pausing to look behind shelves and any obscure hiding place. MacReady passes him coming the other way. NAULS That thing's too smart to be hiding any more of its clothes, MacReady. MACREADY Just keep looking.

INT. LAB Fuchs is poring over a book. Several others lie open on his desk. MacReady pokes his head in the lab. MACREADY How's it going? FUCHS Nothing yet. But, MacReady, I've been thinking. If our dogs changed by swallowing parts of that other one. We better see to it that everyone prepares their own food and we eat out of cans. MACREADY Gotchya.

EXT. COMPOUND A siren goes off, signaling the end of a twenty - minute period. Sanchez pulls himself out of the trash dump. Palmer carries a large part of a helicopter engine toward the compound.

INT. COMPOUND The hallway near the supply storage cubicle. MacReady holds the door open as Palmer makes his way to him lugging the heavy helicopter part. Childs passes by from the other direction. PALMER Childs, where's that magneto from Chopper One? CHILDS Ai n't it there? He passes by. PALMER No it ai n't there. Would I be asking if it were there? MACREADY Move it, Palmer.

INT. SUPPLY STORAGE ROOM Palmer sets down the heavy part. Norris follows him inside with a bundle of radio gear. They move back out into the hallway. MacReady locks the door behind them. HALLWAY The three move down the hall toward their appointed rendezvous at the rec room. MACREADY -LRB- to Palmer. -RRB- Start taking apart those snowmobiles next, huh?

INT. KITCHEN Cramped. Several of the men are preparing their food. Opening cans. Heating them in pots.

EXT. COMPOUND Nauls wearily approaches Blair's tool shed with a tray of food. He hears a pounding from within. NAULS I got your goodies, superdude. He peeks in through the opening in the boarded - up window. Blair is nailing himself in from the inside. He looks pretty crazed. NAULS What you doin'? BLAIR Nobody's getting in here. You can tell them all that! NAULS Well, who the hell you think wants to get in there with you? Nauls slides the tray in the slot. It is immediately shoved back out and topples onto the ice. Some of the food has splashed on Nauls' heavy coat. NAULS Now why'd you go and. BLAIR And I do n't want any more food with sedatives in it. I know what you're up to. Do n't think I do n't. And if anyone tries to get in here - I've got rope. I'll hang myself before it gets to me. NAULS You promise? Nauls picks up the tray, heads back mumbling. NAULS Crazy white scientist motherfucker.

EXT. COMPOUND Palmer works on the snowmobile. Sanchez resumes searching through the trash.

INT. BALLOON TOWER MacReady slashes into the huge uninflated weather balloons, rendering them useless. Tanks of helium and hydrogen are stacked nearby.

INT. KITCHEN Nauls does the dishes. His cassette plays in the b.g.

INT. REC ROOM Childs continues guarding the three men. CLARK Got ta go to the can, Childs. Childs follows him to the other end of the room. CHILDS Be quick. Clark walks to the head. Childs moves back to the middle of the room. As the guard he is much more vulnerable in this position. Being split between his prisoners. The lights begin to flicker. The soft purr of the generator begins to fade. CHILDS Oh, no. The lights go out. Nauls calls from the kitchen. NAULS -LRB- O.S. -RRB- Childs! That a fuse? CHILDS No. The generator. You got the auxiliary box just off the kitchen. Get to it. -LRB- fumbling around. -RRB- Where's the damn flashlight? -LRB- calling out. -RRB- You fellas okay over there? Dr. Copper giggles in the dark. CHILDS Cut that out, Copper. -LRB- beat. -RRB- Nauls? What's taking you?! NAULS -LRB- O.S. -RRB- I'm working it! Nothing's happening! CHILDS That's impossible, man! Okay, Clark, out of the john where I can see you! NAULS -LRB- O.S. -RRB- It's shorted out or something! CHILDS -LRB- shouting. -RRB- Clark, you come on out here! Childs lights the tip of his torch, allowing him a strong candlelight. Garry is no longer in the room. CHILDS Where's. Where's Garry? Dr. Copper looks numbly at the empty seat next to him. Childs finds the portable siren and blares it.

EXT. COMPOUND MacReady, Palmer and Sanchez heed the call and head for the compound.

INT. REC ROOM Childs jerks his head around in different directions. CHILDS Where are you, Garry? Do n't you move an inch, Copper. -LRB- shouts. -RRB- Nauls, bring me a goddamn flashlight!

INT. KITCHEN Pitch black. NAULS Somebody's taken it. I ca n't find it! CHILDS -LRB- O.S. -RRB- Clark, you want me to come in after you?!

INT. HALLWAY MacReady, Sanchez and Palmer come in from the outside. They bump into each other trying to get their bearings from the lack of light. Palmer, the only one who seems to have one, turns on his flashlight. MACREADY -LRB- shouting. -RRB- What's happened?! NORRIS -LRB- O.S. -RRB- MacReady, that you? MACREADY Yeah! NORRIS -LRB- O.S. -RRB- It's the generator I think! No power. MACREADY -LRB- to Palmer. -RRB- Well, let's get down there. CHILDS -LRB- O.S. -RRB- MacReady! MACREADY What? CHILDS -LRB- O.S. -RRB- Garry's missing! MACREADY -LRB- to self. -RRB- Oh, shit! -LRB- shouts. -RRB- Well, hang on! CHILDS -LRB- O.S. -RRB- Gee, thanks!

INT. GENERATOR ROOM Palmer and MacReady stumbling down the stairs. MacReady turns around, looks. MACREADY Where's Sanchez? Both look around. Sanchez is gone. Palmer's light finds the motionless generator. He examines it. PALMER The fuel pump. it's gone. -LRB- frantic. -RRB- You've got to get up to supply, Mca. If we do n't get this thing started soon, it'll freeze on us and we'll never get it going. MacReady dashes upstairs into the darkness.

INT. HALLWAY The lab door is opened. Fuchs holding a small candle walks out. As he passes, the shoulder of a man springs into frame.

INT. GENERATOR ROOM Palmer is feverishly working underneath the generator on his back.

INT. REC ROOM The temperature continues to drop rapidly. Childs swats himself to keep warm, while still keeping an eye on Dr. Copper and the rest of the room.

INT. HALLWAY MacReady rushes out of the supply room, with a fuel pump, bumps into somebody. MACREADY Who. Who is that? The silhouette moves on down the hallway. MACREADY Sanchez? Hey, who. PALMER -LRB- O.S. -RRB- Mac, where the hell is that pump!

INT. GENERATOR ROOM MacReady holds the flashlight for Palmer. Their breath, puffs of white smoke. PALMER Somebody definitely messed with it. MACREADY We going to make it? PALMER Hope so. Another ten, fifteen minutes. What I do n't get is. The sound of a screeching. From somewhere in the compound. The two men's faces, locked in fear.

INT. REC ROOM The generator has been repaired ; the lights within the compound are back on. Grim and tense. Everyone is present but Fuchs. Eyes flit from man to man. Palmer, Nauls and Sanchez are spread out about the room, keeping as much distance as possible from the rest. Norris and Childs are tying the Doctor, Clark and Garry to the couch. MacReady prepares several makeshift blowtorches as he kneels on the ground. SANCHEZ Where were the flashlights? MACREADY Screw the flashlights. Where the hell were you? PALMER Tons of stuff's been missing around here. Magnetos, cables, wire. NAULS Kitchen things, too. MACREADY Anybody see Fuchs. or hear him? Huh? No answer as the men's faces roam the room. Childs glares at Garry as he begins to tie him in. CHILDS Where'd you go? Garry's groggy features stare blankly. CHILDS I said where? Where'd you go?! GARRY Was dark. find a light. CHILDS You lying bastard. Garry struggles to his feet, affronted. GARRY -LRB- slurring. -RRB- I rather do n't like your tone. He grabs Childs by the collar. CHILDS You sit back down. Childs whales on him with a right hand. Both go tumbling over the couch. MacReady and Norris dive in breaking it up. NORRIS Enough. MacReady, furious, pulls Childs away. Norris breathing heavily from the activity, massages his chest. The strong, stormy winds overhead batter the roofing. MacReady glances up. He and Childs release each other. MACREADY That storm's going to start ripping any minute - so we do n't have much time. He thrusts one of the blowtorches hard into Childs' stomach. MACREADY We've got to find Fuchs. When we find him - we kill him. SANCHEZ Why? MACREADY If he's one of those Things, we've got to get to him before he changes. Nauls, you and Childs and I'll check the outside shacks. He tosses torches to Sanchez and Palmer. MACREADY Sanchez, you and Palmer search the inside. PALMER I ai n't going with Sanchez. Sanchez snaps his head toward Palmer. Palmer looks at the others. PALMER I ai n't going with him. I'll go with Childs. SANCHEZ Well, screw you, man! PALMER I ai n't going with you! CHILDS Well, who says I want you going with me?! MACREADY Cut the bullshit. Okay, Sanchez, you come with us. Norris. you stay here. -LRB- refers to tied - up men. -RRB- Any of them move - you fry'em. And if you hear anything, anything at all you let loose the siren. We all meet back here in twenty minutes regardless. -LRB- a beat. -RRB- And everybody watch whoever you're with. Real close. The men survey each other. MACREADY Let's move.

EXT. COMPOUND - NIGHT MacReady and Nauls, wearing their snowshoes and using flares for light, pull themselves along the steadying rope that leads to Blair's shed. They are careful to keep an eye on each other as they move along. Sanchez heads off in the direction of another shack.

INT. COMPOUND - HALLWAY One of the many doors creak open. Childs and Palmer stealthily move into the next corridor. Palmer falls a few steps behind. PALMER What'd we ever do to these Things anyway. Childs freezes and snaps his head around facing Palmer. A beat. PALMER What? CHILDS Do n't walk behind me. Another beat. PALMER Right. He moves to the other side of the wall, parallel with Childs. They continue on, skimming along the sides of the corridor in plain view of one another.

EXT. COMPOUND Nauls and MacReady arrive at Blair's shack. They peer in through the spaces between the boards. A weak light burns as Blair is seated eating out of a can. A hangman's noose dangles from the ceiling nearby. MACREADY Hey, Blair! Blair jumps in fear, spilling his can. MACREADY Has Fuchs been out here? Blair approaches the boarded - up window. He looks haggard and afraid. BLAIR I've changed my mind. I'd. I'd like to come back inside. I do n't want to stay out here any more. Funny things. I hear funny things out here. MACREADY Have you come across Fuchs? BLAIR Fuchs? No, it's not Fuchs. You must let me back in. I wo n't harm anyone. I promise. MACREADY We'll see. He and Nauls trudges off. Blair shouts after them. BLAIR I promise! I'm much better now! I'll be good! I'm all better! Do n't leave me here!

INT. REC ROOM Norris continues his watch on the sedated trio. He anxiously tries to keep an eye on the various entrances behind and in front of him. He rubs his chest in pain. DR. COPPER I'm getting worried about you. You ought to have a checkup. NORRIS Let's just not get worried about anything just now. DR. COPPER -LRB- yawning. -RRB- After all this mess then. NORRIS -LRB- nodding. -RRB- After all this mess.

EXT. COMPOUND - THE SLOPE TO MACREADY'S SHACK The winds are thick and vicious now. MacReady and Nauls pull themselves along the rope fighting their way up the slope. A violent gust sends MacReady's body horizontal, but still hanging onto the rope. The wind slaps him back down. His flare and torch tumble back toward Nauls. Nauls saves the torch from rolling down the hill. MacReady, lying vulnerable, watches Nauls pull his way toward him. He tenses. Nauls reaches him. A beat. He hands back his torch. Relieved, MacReady pulls himself upright.

INT. COMPOUND - KITCHEN - CLOSE ON THICK POWER CABLES that line the wall. They have been torn apart. Childs and Palmer examine. PALMER Auxiliary light cables? Been cut. CHILDS Cut, bullshit. Been pulled apart.

EXT. MACREADY'S SHACK as they reach the top. The remaining flare their only light. Very dark. They stand on either side of the door. MacReady shoves it open. Pitch black inside. MacReady flips the light switch. Does n't work.

INT. SHACK They enter. Hunched. Torches ready. The place is a mess. The winds as strong as on the outside. The single flare illuminating the ceiling. Almost all of the corrugated, steel roofing is gone. As if ripped off. NAULS -LRB- shouting to be heard. -RRB- Where's the roof?! MacReady stares up incredulous, as they advance through the room. NAULS This storm do that? MACREADY -LRB- shouting. -RRB- Could n't be possible. Must have weighted a ton and a half. Nauls kicks over a chair. A naked, fleshy object bounds high into the air. Nauls thrusts out his torch, catching the breasts of the inflatable woman. She pops and is sucked out through the hole in the roof. Nauls tries to catch his breath. NAULS Goddamn white women.

INT. COMPOUND Underground, rickety corridor. Palmer stands by as Childs undoes the many locks to the room that houses his plants. One by one. Palmer twists his head in every which direction. Nervous. Childs pulls open the heavy door. A flush of snow and wind push them back. They wedge their bodies at the entrance to the lightless room. CHILDS My babies. They enter. The light from the hall exposes the completely smashed - in window high above the plants. The plants look frozen. PALMER Somebody broke in. CHILDS Now who'd go and do. Saddened, angry, Childs goes to check the damage to his plants. Palmer, his face set in horror, yanks him back. PALMER Childs! CHILDS Let go of me. PALMER Do n't get near'em. The plants! They're alive. Those things can imitate anything. CHILDS What's it going to do, being a plant? Palmer readies his small torch. PALMER We got to burn'em. CHILDS Now hold on, you dumb. Palmer sprays them with flame. Childs pushes him to the ground, and tries to swat out the fire. CHILDS You stupid, sonofa. Palmer, his mouth agape with terror, screams and points to the closing door to their rear. Childs whirls. FUCHS One arm outstretched, swings into view. An ax, embedded deep into his chest, pins his frozen body to the inside of the door.

INT. REC ROOM Norris startled by the scream, turns on the siren.

INT. PLANT ROOM Sanchez has joined Childs and Palmer. The body of Fuchs is still pinned to the door. Sanchez tries to wrench the ax loose. It is too deeply embedded and wo n't budge. SANCHEZ Whoever put this through him. Sanchez observes Childs' hulking frame and adds pointedly : SANCHEZ is one bad - ass and strong muther. CHILDS No one's that strong, boy!

INT. PASSAGEWAY Tracking with the three men. Opening and closing doors, as they make their way back to the rec room. They keep their distance from each other, watching each other while they walk. PALMER Why did n't it imitate Fuchs? Is n't that its number - to get more recruits. CHILDS Was n't enough time. Generator was out, what? Thirty minutes. Takes the bastards an hour, maybe two to absorb somebody. SANCHEZ Why Fuchs? CHILDS He was working on a test. Fuchs must have been onto something. These bastards got scared and got rid of him. -LRB- suddenly realizing. -RRB-. Hey. Where's.

INT. COMPOUND - CLOSE ON PALMER'S FACE shouting down a passageway. PALMER MacReady! CLOSE ON CHILDS bellowing. CHILDS Nauls! MacReady!

EXT. COMPOUND A strong driftwind streams snow across the ground obscuring everything but the very top of the buildings. The siren screams.

INT. REC ROOM Rigid, immobile faces. Listening to the storm overhead. CHILDS How long they been out now? NORRIS Forty. Forty - five minutes. Silence, as the uneasy eyes measure one another. CHILDS We better start closing off the outside hatchways. VARIOUS ANGLES OF THE COMPOUND Childs, Sanchez and Palmer - closing off and bolting the entrances to the camp. NORRIS -LRB- O.S. -RRB- All of you! Come here!

INT. COMPOUND MAIN HALLWAY - POINT OF VIEW - THE MEN Through the fogged - up windows, a figure can be seen approaching the main compound. It pulls and drags its way along the guide rope, fighting the gale force winds. THE MEN weapons in hand, huddle at the main doorway. They unbolt it. Sleet and hail send Nauls rolling in from the outside. The men force the door back and lock it. The weary Nauls kneels on the floor and gasps for air. The others surround him. PALMER Where's MacReady? Nauls weighs each of them ominously, while digging down underneath his heavy jacket. NAULS Cut him loose of the line up by his shack. CHILDS Cut him loose? NAULS When we were up poking around his place. I found this. He pulls out a thick bundle of heavy clothing. It is mutilated and partially burned. He holds out the jacket to show the inside collar. Close on name tag - it reads : R.J. MACREADY The men, as they examine in a hush. NAULS It was stashed in his old coal furnace. wind must have dislodged it. I do n't think he saw me find it. The men continue to examine in various states of disbelief. NAULS Made sure I got ahead of him on the towline on the way back. cut him loose. SANCHEZ -LRB- incredulous. -RRB- MacReady? NAULS He's one of them. SANCHEZ -LRB- scared. -RRB- When do you think it got to him? PALMER Could have been anytime. Anywhere. CHILDS -LRB- to Nauls, suspicious. -RRB- If it did get to him. NAULS Look, man. PALMER When the lights went out. NORRIS Would have been a perfect time. PALMER Right. Garry was missing. -LRB- pointedly. -RRB-. And Sanchez. SANCHEZ -LRB- goes for him. -RRB- Fuck you, Palmer. Childs and Norris separate them. NORRIS This is just what it wants. to pit us against each other. A pounding at the door sends the men jerking backward. Nauls scampers to his feet. They tense. MACREADY -LRB- O.S. -RRB- Open up! No answer as the men surround the door, their weapons ready. Fear. MACREADY -LRB- O.S. -RRB- Hey, somebody! Open up, it's me, MacReady. -LRB- still nothing. -RRB-. Come on, damn it. The towline snapped. Been crawling around like a seal out here. NAULS -LRB- harsh whisper. -RRB- Bullshit! He's got to know damn well I cut it! The men keep their voices low. PALMER Let's open it. CHILDS Hell no. More pounding. SANCHEZ -LRB- shaking. -RRB- You think he's changed into one of those Things? NORRIS He has n't had enough time. CHILDS Nothing human could have made it back here in this weather without a guideline. MACREADY -LRB- O.S. -RRB- Where is everybody?! I'm half frostbit! PALMER Let's open it. Now. CHILDS -LRB- edgy, hostile. -RRB- Why you so damn anxious to let him in here. PALMER -LRB- slightly trembling. -RRB- He's so close. Maybe our best chance to blow him away. CHILDS No. Just let him freeze out there. SANCHEZ -LRB- voice cracking. -RRB- What if we're wrong about him? CHILDS Then we're wrong. The muffled breaking of a window down the hall. The men turn. PALMER The supply window! SANCHEZ -LRB- terror. -RRB- What we going to. NORRIS All right. all right. we've got no choice now.

INT. SUPPLY ROOM Pitch black. MacReady's voice is heard cursing as he appears to be stumbling around, looking for a light switch. He responds to the muffled voices at the door. MACREADY What's going on out there? HALLWAY Palmer stands by as Childs tries the knob. Locked. CHILDS Damn it, he's got the keys. Childs rips a nearby fire ax off the wall and begins hacking away at the door.

INT. SUPPLY ROOM MACREADY What are you doing? CHILDS -LRB- O.S. -RRB- You're a dead man, MacReady - or a dead whatever the hell you are! MacReady begins to rummage through the supplies in the darkness. CHILDS -LRB- O.S. -RRB- We found your clothes - the ones you tried to burn. MACREADY What clothes? CHILDS -LRB- O.S. -RRB- You been made, MacReady. Childs chops away. MacReady desperately continues rummaging through the supplies. MACREADY Someone's trying to mark me, you bastard. trying to frame me. HALLWAY Childs cautions to Palmer as he prepares for one last blow. CHILDS Move in slow now. Crunch. The door gives. The men move in. Their blow torches ready. They freeze. MacReady stands before them holding a lighted flare. His hair and clothing are covered with snow ; his cheeks and nose blackened by frostbite. Tucked under his arm is an entire box of dynamite. He holds the flare dangerously close to the open box. MACREADY Anyone messes with me - the whole camp goes. He appears to mean it. They do n't seem anxious to test him. MACREADY Put those torches on the floor and back off. They do. He follows them out into the hall. HALLWAY The men step backwards carefully. MACREADY back way off. They heed, retreating further down the hall. MacReady glances behind him. MACREADY Where's the rest. Nauls and Norris, who have silently crept in through the supply window, come flying through the hacked - up door and barrel into MacReady. Both going straight for the flare. MacReady spins Nauls off and rips into Norris, sending him crashing violently into the wall. Nauls tackles MacReady's legs, pulling him to the floor. The others rush him. MacReady, still in control of the dynamite and flare, bellow : MACREADY So help me I mean it! They skid to a halt. Nauls crawls away, quickly. NAULS It's cool, man. We ai n't near you, man. Stay cool. PALMER Yeah, man, really. Just relax. MACREADY Anybody touches me. we go. Norris, lying on the floor, coughs as if gasping for breath. He quivers for a moment and then is still. Nauls crawls over to him and shakes him. A beat. NAULS I do n't think he's breathing. Nauls listens to Norris' chest. MacReady stands. MACREADY Go untie the Doc. Get him in here. Bring the others, too. -LRB- grins menacingly. -RRB- From now on no one gets out of my sight.

INT. INFIRMARY Norris' body is plopped on the examination table. Copper stumbles and is steadied by some of the men. MacReady continues to keep his distance. Copper places an oxygen mask over Norris' face. He then rips open his shirt. MACREADY So you sweethearts had yourselves a little trial. I just may have to kill you on general principle, Nauls. Copper begins swathing Norris' chest with a gelatin substance. MACREADY Ever occur to the jury that anybody could have gotten to some of my clothes and stuck them up. CHILDS We ai n't buying that. DR. COPPER Damn it, quit the bickering and give me a hand. Wheel that fibrillator over here. Sanchez pushes over the portable fibrillator. Copper climbs up on the table and straddles Norris' chest. Unnoticed, Clark paws the contents of the instrument tray behind his back. DR. COPPER Palmer, turn on that oxygen and hold the mask over his face. Childs, grab his shoulders. They do so. Copper holds electrical prongs over Norris' chest. CHILDS -LRB- to MacReady, threatening. -RRB- You're going to have to sleep sometime. DR. COPPER Quiet down. -LRB- to Sanchez. -RRB-. turn that thing on. Sanchez depresses the `` on'' button. DR. COPPER Now hold him. MACREADY I'm a real light sleeper, Childs. DR. COPPER Enough, MacReady! Dr. Copper presses the prongs onto Norris' chest and shoots a bolt of current. Norris' body heaves upward. A slight crackling sound and an odd chirp through the oxygen mask. DR. COPPER Again. More current this time, Sanchez. Buzzz. Several more jolts from the prongs. Clark's hand has found a scalpel. He gently lifts it out, bringing it to his side. MACREADY And if anyone tries to wake me. DR. COPPER Damn you, MacReady! Norris' body begins bounding up. More crackling and popping. His chest begins to break up and spread. The mask pops off - a hideous mewing escaping from Norris' distorted mouth. The men jump back, incredulous. Dr. Copper scrambles off his chest and flops to the floor. SANCHEZ God. what? They watch on in stunned horror as The Thing that was Norris begins to change, to spread awkwardly on the slab. Its clothes tearing. A shoe splits in half and falls to the floor, exposing the beginnings of a talon. MacReady charges toward it, shooing the men off. MACREADY Get out of the way! He unloads with a stream of flame. The body writhes in pain, belching and hissing. The slab catches fire. It struggles, lunges for the floor, straightens up, and moves a few feet. A black and yellow substance rips through its trousers and squirts to the floor. Norris' body collapses on the fibrillating machine in flames. Extinguishers are ripped from the walls and put to work. MacReady watches the smoking particles of ooze in fascination, as they twitch and mew on the floor. Within seconds the fire is out. The men stand around in awe as they look upon The Thing that was once Norris. MacReady continues to observe the small particles. Their tiny squeals abating into silence.

INT. REC ROOM MacReady, still carrying the industrial torch, has maneuvered all the men into the room. He holds Garry's.44. He has untaped the explosives from his chest and laid them on the nearby table next to two more boxes of dynamite. CLARK What you got in mind, MacReady? MACREADY A little test. PALMER What kind of test? MACREADY I'm sure a lot of you already know. He tosses a ream of steel cable and some rope to Palmer. MACREADY Palmer, you and Copper tie everyone down. Real tight. CHILDS What for? MACREADY For your health. GARRY -LRB- to others. -RRB- Let's rush him. He's not going to blow us all up. MACREADY Damn if I wo n't. CHILDS -LRB- a beat. -RRB- You ai n't tying me up. MACREADY Then I'll have to kill you. CHILDS Then kill me. MacReady points the.44 at Childs' head. MACREADY I mean it. MacReady cocks his gun. Childs holds his ground. CHILDS I guess you do. A beat. Clark springs for MacReady. Scalpel raised. MacReady spins and fires three shots, point - blank, the forces of the charges sending Clark flying backwards. The others, themselves about to pounce, stop - as MacReady whirls the torch and gun back toward them. THE MEN being tied securely to couches and chairs. MACREADY Tie up Clark, too. PALMER -LRB- bemused. -RRB- He's dead. MACREADY Norris looked pretty dead, himself. Bullets do n't kill these Things. MacReady turns on a Bunsen burner while he cuts the rubber covering off an electrical cord, exposing the copper wire. All the while, he keeps his eye on the men. CHILDS -LRB- muttering. -RRB- We should have jumped his ass. MACREADY Now Copper, you tie Palmer up. Copper starts to tie Palmer to the small couch next to Childs and Garry. MACREADY We're going to draw a little bit of everybody's blood. NAULS What are you going to do? Drink it? MACREADY Watching Norris in there. gave me the idea that maybe every part of you bastards is a whole. Every piece of you is self - sufficient, an animal unto itself. When a man bleeds it's just tissue. But blood from one of you Things wo n't obey. It's a newly formed individual with a built - in desire to protect its own life. When attacked, your blood will try and survive - and crawl away from a hot needle say. SANCHEZ grimacing as Dr. Copper pinches a scalpel to his thumb and collects a small portion of his blood in a dish. All the men have been tied up. Palmer, Childs and Garry on the small couch. The others, including the lifeless corpse of Clark, in chairs. Copper returns the plate to the table and sets it down in line with the other plates of blood that he has collected. The names of each man have been scribbled onto the plates. MacReady slides the Doctor a fresh plate. MACREADY Now you. Copper cuts his thumb, his blood dribbles onto the plate. He stands nervously for a beat. MACREADY Slide it back here. Copper pushes it toward MacReady. MACREADY Now step way back. Copper steps backward, moisture beginning to collect on his brow. MacReady begins to heat the copper wire over the Bunsen burner. The men watch intently. The wire begins to glow. MacReady points the torch directly at the Doctor. Both of them perspiring. MacReady lifts the glowing wire from the flame. The Doctor is dead still. MacReady slowly touches the wire to the Doctor's plate. A soft hiss. MacReady heats it again and tries once more. The same soft hiss. MacReady and the Doctor both let out a sigh. MACREADY I guess you're okay. DR. COPPER -LRB- shaken, facetious. -RRB- Thank you. MACREADY I did n't think you'd use that fibrillator on Norris if you were one of them. He hands Copper the torch. MACREADY Watch them. He cuts himself with the scalpel and begins collecting his own blood. MACREADY Now I'll show you what I already know. He heats the wire and puts it to his plate. The same harmless hissing. All eyes continue to watch as he tries again. The same result. Childs mumbles. CHILDS Load of bullshit. MACREADY We'll see. Let's try Clark. He heats the wire and lays it in Clark's dish. The hissing. CHILDS So Clark was human, huh? MacReady nods. CHILDS So that make you a murderer. MacReady glances over the group. MACREADY Palmer now. He sets Palmer's plate in front of him and heats the wire. GARRY Pure nonsense. This wo n't prove a damn thing. MACREADY Thought you'd feel that way, Garry. You were the only one who could have gotten to that blood plasma. -LRB- placing the wire in Palmer's dish. -RRB-. we'll do you last. Screech! The blood howls, trying to crawl off the plate. Palmer bolts forward with incredible force, racing for MacReady ; his face splitting ; his mouth roaring - dragging the couch, Childs and Garry with him. He smashes into MacReady knocking him over the table. MACREADY Copper! It's all happened too fast. Copper tries to get off a burst of flame. The ever - changing Palmer breaks his bonds and leaps on the Doctor. The others sit helpless, struggling at their bindings. MacReady dives on Palmer's back and the three go rolling to the floor. Screeching. Crackling. MacReady pounds viciously at Palmer's head. A powerful, shirt - splitting arm sends him skidding across the floor. Copper momentarily has control of the torch. Just as he positions it, Palmer's mouth splits from his chin to his forehead and engulfs the entirety of the Doctor's head. The big torch slaps against the wall. Palmer bounds to his feet, wrapping his arms around the dangling, struggling body of Dr. Copper. The men are screaming hysterically. MacReady tries to fire up the bruised torch. Busted. Wo n't work. Frustrated, he charges up behind Palmer and begins hammering the thick steel instrument over his head. The shirt of Palmer's back erupts in MacReady's face. Splitting and ripping wildly, exposing the beginnings of yet another orifice. A blackened, iron - strong tongue lunges outward. Stunned, MacReady manages to elude it, diving for the top of the table by the boxes of dynamite. MacReady lights the fuse of a thick roll and bounds from the table. Palmer awkwardly spins in circles, swinging the Doctor's body like a propeller blade, struggling to keep on balance, as he advances on MacReady. The second orifice, spitting and snarling as it continues to take form. MacReady waits until Palmer's back spins around, facing him. Only two yards away, MacReady flings his lit roll into the ever - evolving second mouth and leaps onto the couch covering Childs and Garry with his body. A muffled boom, as the swallowed explosive ignites from deep within Palmer and sends his flesh splattering all over the room. MacReady rolls away from Childs and Garry as fast as he can. MACREADY perspiring profusely, his hand trembling slightly, prepares to continue the test. He heats the wire. The men are pouring sweat, white - knuckled. One of the smaller torches is pointed at Nauls. He closes his eyes. MacReady places the heated wire into his plate. Hiss. MacReady exhales. Nauls opens his eyes. MacReady unties Nauls with one hand, while the torch stays glued to the others. MacReady heats the wire once again. Both he and Nauls have torches aimed at Sanchez. Sanchez is near tears. The wire is dipped into the plate. Hisssss. Sanchez breaks down and sobs. CHILDS sits stoicly, while he watches the preparations for his turn. CHILDS Let's do it, Bwana. Nauls and Sanchez take aim five yards away. Fierce, determined. The wire comes off the flame into the plate. the harmless hissing. The muscles in Childs' face melt into a sigh. CHILDS Muthafu. ALL EYES snap towards station manager Garry. Childs, suddenly realizing who he is sitting next to, squirms. CHILDS Get me. get me the hell away from. cut me loose, damn it! Nauls rips away his bindings. The other two stand guard. Childs scrambles off the couch and onto the floor. GARRY stares grimly ahead. Childs soaks his clothing with a can of gasoline. He is then surrounded. The room tenses, adrenalin pumps, breathing halts. The burner. The torches. The wire. The plate. Garry's face. Hisssss. MacReady tries again. Hiss. The men breathe. Their torches are lowered. Nauls throws his on the floor. Sanchez and Childs flop down in chairs. MacReady wipes his face. A long silence. Sanchez weeps quietly with relief. GARRY I know you gentlemen have been through a lot. But when you find the time. I'd rather not spend the rest of the winter tied to this couch. A beat. Childs starts to giggle. The strain on MacReady's jaw begins to lessen. Garry sits catatonic. Nauls scowls at Childs' uncontrollable laughter. The infectious rasping causes MacReady a slight smile as he looks up, taking comfort in the sound of the raging Antarctic wind vibrating the roof. Nauls, untying Garry, grumbles, at Childs. NAULS Shut the damn hell up. Childs wipes his eyes and grins over toward MacReady. His smile fades, MacReady is now stone - faced. Childs' grin goes stale, in sudden realization. MACREADY -LRB- almost a whisper. -RRB- Blair.

EXT. COMPOUND - NIGHT The wind rumbles. The storm is at its peak. MacReady, Childs and Nauls, guided by their flares, pull themselves along the steadying rope, headed, for Blair's shack. BLAIR'S SHACK The door is wide open. They pause by the entrance, trying to balance against the wind. They enter.

INT. BLAIR'S SHACK Empty. A few of the floorboards are loosened. They pull them up. They stare down into a large hole beneath the planking. Something is down there. They pull up more boards. The hole is some fifteen feet deep. Its dimensions are the same as the shack. Its space is almost completely taken up by some strange metallic object. Crudely fashioned, a patchwork job, but streamlined. Sheets of corrugated steel are visible ; but cut apart and welded into the desired shapes. The object appears to be unfinished. NAULS What is it? MACREADY Everything that's been missing. CHILDS Spaceship of some kind. MACREADY Smart S.O.B.. He put it together piece by piece. NAULS Where was he trying to go? MACREADY Anyplace but here. MacReady pulls out a dozen tightly wrapped sticks of dynamite. MACREADY But he ai n't going to make it. Far off, amidst the howling gale - the screeching. The men jump. MacReady lights the fuse, as they make it to the exit. He tosses it in.

EXT. COMPOUND ALONG THE ROPE The explosion echoes behind them. The men pull along. Their heads jerk in circles, searching into the blackness. Some twenty yards to their rear something swooshes down, severing the line. The wind sends the men tumbling along the ice. Childs loosens the line and is blown away, rolling out of sight. MacReady and Nauls have lost their torches. They pull feverishly along the ground trying to make it to the compound. The screeching closes in behind them. MacReady loses his grip on the rope and is blown toward the main building. He crawls along looking for an opening. Nauls slides near the outside entrance to the dog kennel. He climbs down through the open stairwell.

INT. PLANT ROOM MacReady has found the broken window. He rolls through it, landing on the frozen plants below. Something smashes at the glass above his head, trying to get in. He sprints for the door. Fuchs' frozen body is still pinned to it with the ax. MacReady grapples with the stiff torso which blocks the knob. He finally gets it open and lets himself out, slamming and locking the door from the hall. Fuchs' body swings eerily, back and forth.

INT. HALLWAY MacReady charges up the stairs from the plant room. He zooms down the twisting corridors, opening and closing doors. He rounds a bend and crashes into Nauls coming the other way.

INT. REC ROOM - CLOSE ON SANCHEZ pouring gasoline into empty bottles, preparing Molotov cocktails. Garry is connecting an electrical device : wires attached to two portable generators. MacReady appears to be injecting something into empty contact capsules. The men work feverishly. Nauls rushes in with another box of dynamite. NAULS What about Childs? MACREADY Forget about Childs. He's over. Nauls begins cutting the wicks off the dynamite. GARRY Make'em short. They'll go off quicker if we need to use them. The wind belts into the roofing overhead. Garry sets the wiring to the main doorway. MacReady begins blocking off one of the other entrances with a large computer. SANCHEZ What if it does n't come? MACREADY It'll come. It needs us. We're the only thing left to imitate. -LRB- to Sanchez. -RRB- Give me a hand. They block off a door with two heavy electrical games. MACREADY -LRB- to Sanchez. -RRB- You and Nauls got to block off the west side bunks, the mess hall and the kitchen. NAULS -LRB- protest. -RRB- You crazy? He might be inside already? MACREADY Chance we got to take. We got to force him to come down the east side to the door we got rigged. Nauls starts lacing his skates. SANCHEZ He might just wait us out. MACREADY I'm going to blow the generator when you get back. He'll have to come for us - or freeze. MacReady further barricades the door with small couch. MACREADY We've got portable heaters - we'll last longer. Sanchez and Nauls start to leave. MACREADY Hold it. He dispenses the capsules. MACREADY Sodium cyanide. We place them between our cheeks and gums. This Thing ca n't imitate anything that's dead. A grim silence. MACREADY If it gets a hold of you - bite down. They're supposed to be fast and painless. Now move.

INT. CORRIDOR Sanchez and Nauls inch their way through.

INT. REC ROOM MacReady rips linen, soaks the strips in gas, and stuffs them in the Molotov bottles. Garry tests the current on the door. Popping, sparks, smoke. MACREADY Looks good. GARRY One thousand volts. Should be enough.

INT. KITCHEN Nauls pushes a stove, reinforcing a locked door. Five yards away, Sanchez maneuvers the refrigerator in front of another outlet. Sanchez hears a quiet purring, bubbling sound. He turns to Nauls. SANCHEZ You hear that? NAULS Hear what? A blaring. They whip their attention to stereo speakers on either side of the kitchen. Rock music screams out. Top volume.

INT. REC ROOM The same loud music. MacReady and Garry look to the three speakers attached to the walls. MacReady yells his incomprehension to Garry. Garry tries to respond. Their voices drowned out.

INT. HALLWAY Empty. Another of the stereo speakers that line the walls, thunders.

INT. KITCHEN Nauls, in sudden realization, screams over the din and points back in the direction they came. NAULS It's got into the pub! It's turned on the stereo! SANCHEZ What?! NAULS It's in between us and them! How we going to get back?! SANCHEZ I ca n't hear you.

INT. REC ROOM MacReady, cursing, rips the speakers off the wall. MACREADY What are they doing out there?! The music is now subdued within the room, but continues booming throughout the camp. Nauls' scream can be barely heard. GARRY What's he saying?

INT. KITCHEN - NAULS at the top of his lungs. NAULS MacReady! We been cut off! A sharp, red, talon - like fingernail, pierces the top of the door above Nauls' head. It saws downward, quickly. Black goo drips through the slit. The sawing obscured by the music. Sanchez, eyes bulging, points. Nauls turns. A claw rips through the wood. Nauls dives to the floor. In the opposite direction, behind Sanchez, another arm splits through the door and the refrigerator, extends itself five feet and yanks Sanchez back as if he were a puppet. Sanchez struggles, looking imploringly at Nauls. He bites down on his capsule. Nauls takes off like a speed skater.

INT. REC ROOM The sound of the screeching over the music. MACREADY Got to get to the generator. He opens the door. Looks down the hall. No one. The speakers - blaring music. NAULS full speed down the maze. Left. Right. Totally reckless. He hits a straightaway. SANCHEZ'S BODY from out of nowhere, blasts through the hallway wall, directly in Nauls' path. A thick arm pins the body to the other side. Unable to stop, Nauls skids out of control, banging into the sides of the wall, his cyanide capsule flying out of his mouth. Whatever the rest of it is, it starts to crumble through the wall. Nauls dives over the arm, somersaults to his feet and takes off.

INT. MAIN HALL MacReady, running, spots Nauls careening out of a turn, heading toward him. NAULS Get back! MACREADY The generator! NAULS Screw the generator! Nauls blazes by him. MacReady hears the snarls and screeches heading his way. He streaks after Nauls.

INT. REC ROOM They make it in. Lock the door. MacReady tries to catch his breath. Nauls shakes, pants. NAULS Got Sanchez. World War Three would n't mess with this fucker. Can go through walls. And it's like all over the place. MACREADY Calm down and get in your position. NAULS Position, my ass. Garry fiddles with the two generators. GARRY I'm going to bump this up, much as I can. NAULS Boulder Dam might do it. The loud music in the compound is turned off. MacReady shuts off the lights. The men spread out. Silence.

INT. REC ROOM The men watch all the doors. Dead silence. Dark. Whispers. GARRY How long's it been? MACREADY Little over two hours. NAULS Maybe it ai n't coming. MACREADY Then we go after him. NAULS Bet the last place you ever go. The sound of a door opening and closing. Far off. Another creaking door is opened. A rustling. Still far off. MacReady and Nauls spread further apart. The soft bubbling, cooling sound. A slight scratch at the door. Garry's hand tightens around the generator switches. The scratching gets more pronounced. MacReady cautions Garry with a whisper. MACREADY Wait. The door begins to pound from the outside. Nauls and MacReady light two cocktails each. The door booms. The room's foundations shake. The ceiling quivers. The gas bombs are cocked. From the roof The Thing roars down into their midst. Stunned, the men stumble back. MacReady throws his gas bomb. Nauls the same. For a moment it stands silhouetted in flame. Enormous. Grotesque. Garry bolts for the main door. The Thing's tongue spirals from his mouth and spears him. The good two - thirds of its body follows its tongue and engulfs Garry by the door. Another leg slaps Nauls to the ground. MacReady dodges still another appendage, dives on the generators and throws the switch. The current rips through the door. Garry dies instantly. One of The Thing's talons, still caught in the door, sends it writhing in pain. It literally rips the door from its latchings and pounds it to the ground, trying to shake it loose. Nauls, hobbles, scrambles, out of the opening. MacReady dives through the window and out into the storm.

INT. COMPOUND - HALL The distant sound of a motor. Nauls, battered and bloodied, his leg apparently broken, crawls along the ground. Another sound, a bubbling and gurgling is heard well to his rear. But closing. The terror forces him to drag faster, oblivious to the pain. He reaches the bathroom stall. Crawls in. Locks it. The gurgling nears. Leaning on the toilet seat, he looks about himself, frantically. The Presence pauses at the door. A scratching. Nauls paws, rips at a cracked and weathered slab of wood, cutting his fingers as he tries to break it off the siding. A strong blow begins to breach the stall door. Nauls finally unhinges the piece of wood, brings the jagged end to one side of his throat and rips.

INT. LAB WALL The motorized rumbling nears. The wall seems to explode. The tractor barrels into the lab. Its enormous shovel scooper tearing half the room to shreds. MacReady drives. His eyes glint like a wild man's ; he looks stark raving mad. His frostbite, now in an advanced stage, resembles black war paint. He clenches a stick of dynamite between his teeth, like a buccaneer's cutlass. Two large, compressed air tanks have been tied together at the top and are draped around his neck. They are marked - HYDROGEN. They are used for the weather balloons. He pulls the tractor to a stop, yanks the stick from his mouth, grins and bellows. MACREADY Okay, creep! Just you and me now! Be on your toes! We're going to do a little remodeling! MacReady guns it through the next wall and into the infirmary. Medical equipment goes flying. The machine is powerful ; the prefabricated walls buckling under its force.

INT. COMPOUND A trail of viscous yellow ooze leads around a bend. Boom. MacReady rams into the mess hall, sweeping away tables, chairs. He sings out loud the lyrics of some Mexican song. All the while he keeps his eyes on everything. Through the kitchen. The foundation is crumbling. He sings on. NARROW PASSAGEWAY Gurgling and hissing. A taloned arm slinks around a corner in retreat. MACREADY -LRB- O.S. -RRB- Chime in if you know that words, old boy. MACREADY plows through several more rooms before ending up in the pub area. He backs it up and retrieves a bottle of liquor from the bar. MACREADY You like whiskey? Come on, join me for a drink. Be good for you. Grow fangs on your chest. He takes a drink and rams through another wall.

INT. REC ROOM The tractor blazes into the rec room. MacReady parks it directly in front of the hole in the roof, created by The Thing when it surprised them earlier. MACREADY Damn it, ran out of gas. He pulls off the heavy hydrogen tanks and drapes them over the tractor. As he talks his eyes move like a hawk passing from roof, to doorways, to rubble. Wind and ice bristle through the gaping holes, stinging MacReady with the cold. He winces at his mittenless, blackened fingers. MACREADY Sweetheart, it's going to get mighty cold in here soon. You better make your move. I mean, hell, I'm only one person. He takes a swig from his bottle. MACREADY I know you're bugged because we ruined your trip, right? Spiffy little toy you had there. A slight tremor perks his eyes and ears. He looks up through the hole, then around. He lights a lighter and cups it in his hand near the stick of dynamite in his lap. MACREADY But your real hang up is your looks. A stronger tremor. The adrenalin pumps. MACREADY -LRB- wants him bad. -RRB- Atta boy. I know you're around. The floor shakes. MacReady stands, his head whirling around the room. MACREADY Come on, sucker. The tractor inches up off the ground. MacReady falls forward and looks straight down through the chassis and into the vile and grinning face below. A claw flashes up, splitting the steering wheel but missing his face. He depresses the ignition, bolting the tractor ten feet. He jumps, hanging onto the edge of the hole in the ceiling. The Thing's face and arms burst through the metal plating of the tractor. The reaching claws just miss him as he pulls himself through.

EXT. ROOF He lights his fuse, drops in the stick, turns and runs. Half of The Thing's grotesque and angular torso bolts up through the hole, howling in fury. An appendage springs outward and winds around MacReady's jacket, hissing like acid into the fabric. An immense explosion. The hydrogen tanks send a white fireball fifty feet into the sky. The Thing's body disintegrating almost immediately. The force of the blast sweeps MacReady off the roof. He and the severed appendage crash to the hard ice in flames. He rolls over and over trying to smother the fire and tear off the insidious limb.

INT. CAMP A ruin. One half of it burnt almost to the ground. MacReady wears a thick blanket which covers him like a shroud, from his shoulders to the floor. He walks bent over and in much pain, trying to blunt patches of fire with an extinguisher. It is futile. He gives up.

INT. PUB AREA Mostly untouched by the fire, but like most of the rest of the camp, exposed to the outside. The storm has settled considerably. CLOSE ON MACREADY lighting a cigar. His hands are heavily wrapped. He pours himself a drink. A puffy white hand, missing two fingers, enters the frame and whirls a startled MacReady around. It is Childs. White and black blotches cover his frostbitten face. CHILDS Did you kill it? He looks as weak as MacReady. A beat. MACREADY I think so. CHILDS What do you mean `` you think so?'' Both men speak guardedly and stare at each other suspiciously. MACREADY Yeah. I got it. -LRB- refers to Childs' condition. -RRB- Pretty mean frostbite. Childs steps back, keeping his distance. He indicates his puffy white hand. CHILDS It'll turn black again soon enough. Then I guess I'll be losing the whole thing. -LRB- refers to feet. -RRB-. Think my toes are already gone. MacReady, carrying the bottle and glass, limps over and sits down behind a gaming table. There is a chess set and several decks of cards. The two men continue to eye each other. CHILDS So you're the only one who made it. MacReady begins setting up a non - electronic chessboard. MACREADY Not the only one. CHILDS The fire's got the temperature way up all over camp. wo n't last long though. MACREADY Neither will we. CHILDS Maybe we should try and fix the radio. try and get some help. MACREADY Maybe we should n't. CHILDS Then we'll never make it. MacReady puffs on his cigar. He reveals a small blowtorch from under the table and places it beside him on top. MACREADY Maybe we should n't make it. CHILDS -LRB- beat. -RRB- If you're worried about anything, let's take that blood test of yours. MACREADY If we've got any surprises for each other - we should n't be in any condition to do anything about it. -LRB- beat. -RRB- You play chess? They regard each other for a moment. Childs painfully sits down across from MacReady. CHILDS I guess I'll be learning. MacReady grins and hands the bottle to Childs. Childs smiles back and takes a healthy swig.

EXT. COMPOUND - NIGHT The fires smolder on. Bright embers dance in the blackness - pushed by the soughing wind. THE END

Summary: In Antarctica, a Norwegian helicopter pursues a sled dog to an American research station. The Americans witness the Norwegian passenger accidentally blow up the helicopter and himself. The Norwegian pilot fires a rifle and shouts at the Americans, but they cannot understand him and he is shot dead in self-defense by station commander Garry. The American helicopter pilot, R.J. MacReady, and Dr. Copper leave to investigate the Norwegian base. Among the charred ruins and frozen corpses, they find the burned remains of a malformed humanoid which they recover to the American station. Their biologist, Blair, performs autopsies on the remains and finds a normal set of human organs. Clark kennels the sled dog, and it soon metamorphoses and absorbs the station dogs. This disturbance alerts the team and Childs uses a flamethrower to incinerate the creature. Blair autopsies the new creature and learns that it can perfectly imitate other organisms. Recovered Norwegian data leads the Americans to a large excavation site containing a partially buried alien spacecraft, and a smaller, human-sized dig site. Norris estimates that the alien ship has been buried for at least 100,000 years. Blair grows paranoid that the creature could assimilate all life on Earth in a matter of years. The station implements controls to reduce the risk of assimilation. The "dead," malformed humanoid creature assimilates an isolated Bennings, but Windows interrupts the process and MacReady burns the Bennings-Thing. Blair sabotages all the vehicles, kills the remaining sled dogs, and destroys the radio to prevent escape. The team imprisons him in a tool shed. Copper suggests a test to compare each member's blood against uncontaminated blood held in storage, but after learning that the blood stores have been destroyed, the men lose faith in Garry, and MacReady takes command. MacReady, Windows and Nauls find Fuchs's burnt corpse and surmise he committed suicide to avoid assimilation. Windows returns to base while MacReady and Nauls investigate MacReady's shack. On their return, Nauls abandons MacReady in a snowstorm, believing he has been assimilated after finding his torn clothes in the shack. The team debate whether to allow MacReady inside, but he breaks in and holds the group at bay with dynamite. During the encounter, Norris appears to suffer a heart attack. As Copper attempts to defibrillate Norris, his chest transforms into a large mouth and bites off Copper's arms, killing him. MacReady incinerates the Norris-Thing, but its head detaches and attempts to escape before also being burnt. MacReady is forced to kill Clark in self-defense when the latter lunges at him from behind with a knife. He hypothesizes that the Norris-Thing's head demonstrated that every part of the Thing is an individual life form with its own survival instinct. He sequentially tests blood samples with a heated piece of wire. Everyone passes the test except Palmer, whose blood jumps from the heat. Palmer transforms and infects Windows, forcing MacReady to burn them both. Childs is left on guard while the others go to test Blair. They find that Blair has escaped, and has been using vehicle components to assemble a small spacecraft. On their return, Childs is missing and the power generator is destroyed. MacReady speculates that the Thing intends to return to hibernation until a rescue team arrives. MacReady, Garry, and Nauls decide to detonate the entire station to destroy the Thing. As they set explosives, Blair kills Garry and Nauls disappears. Blair transforms into an enormous creature and destroys the detonator. MacReady triggers the explosives using a stick of dynamite, destroying the base. MacReady sits nearby as the station burns. Childs returns, saying he became lost in the storm while pursuing Blair. Exhausted and slowly freezing to death, they acknowledge the futility of their distrust and share a bottle of scotch.