(perfect)
...You?

The Hunter's strength seems to fade even more...

Then, suddenly, with the last of his diminishing
strength, he lashes out with one arm, activating the
lethal, razor sharp SPURS on his wrists.

The Hunter's coiled leg kicks upward with incredible
force, his terrible spur ripping into Schaefer's thigh,
hurling Schaefer into the air, flipping him over,
sending him crashing to his back into the shallow pool
of water, momentarily losing his bow.  He flounders
desperately in the water, searching for the bow.  He
finds it just as...

The Hunter rises slowly to his feet, GASPING desperately
for breath.  He inhales deeply, hungrily, gaining
strength with each breath.

Schaefer looks from the pool to SEE the Hunter, raising
his weapon to throw.

In one totally instinctual movement, Schaefer draws
back on the arrow to its very tip and fires.

The arrow, with a deadly THUD, penetrates deeply into
the Hunter's neck.  Another bloodcurdling SCREAM of RAGE
as the Hunter clutches his throat, dropping his weapon.
An instant later and the Hunter is gone.

219     EXT. LOG BRIDGE - NIGHT (PRE-DAWN)                   219

Emerging onto a huge log leading to the rim of the
canyon, Schaefer holding the Hunter's weapon, pauses
several times, finding more traces of the Hunter's
blood, the deep WOUND in his thigh flowing heavily.
He continues across the log and climbs the bank,
following the traces into the jungle.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

97

220     EXT. JUNGLE - PRE-DAWN                               220

Moving along the rim of the coulee, Schaefer follows
the thick, orange blobs hanging on leaves and spent on
the forest floor.

Too weak to move through the trees, the Hunter has
left a SWATH of trampled grasses, broken twigs and
branches in his headlong retreat from Schaefer:  the
Hunter turned Hunted.

221     EXT. TWO ATTACK HELICOPTERS - DAY (PRE-DAWN)         221

Powering upward from the canyon, the WATERFALL in the
b.g., clear the rim, racing along at treetop height,
heading towards the island promontory.

222     EXT. HUNTER'S P.O.V. - CAMP -PRE-DAWN                222

Staggering into the clearing, bleeding severely.  The
Hunter is rapidly losing his camouflage ability, his
skin turning a PALE GREEN, flexing and pulsing in
shock.  The glow of light from the ENERGY FIELD
reflecting off the spreading apron of BLOOD flowing
from his wound.

With trembling hands he grasps the arrow and breaks
it, pulling the shaft from his neck.  He screams in
pain.

223     EXT. GLEN - PRE-DAWN                                 223

Schaefer follows the blood trail, deeper into the
incredibly dense vegetation, ripping aside the heavy
growth, plunging onward.

Before him, covering a narrow passageway, is a huge
SPIDER WEB, intricate, four feet across.  Schaefer
starts to sweep aside the web.  With a sharp intake
of breath, he halts, inches from the wed.  Something
is wrong.

Examining the web closer he sees not silken threads
but a hard and shiny network of HAIR-FINE WIRE: A TRAP.

He backs up, picking up a hefty branch from the ground.
He swings the branch with a mighty heave, clenching
his teeth in pain.  The branch sails end over end
into the web impacting the strands.  A metallic SNAP
is HEARD; a high-pitches WHINE and the log is violently
severed, the pieces flying in opposite directions with
great speed.

(CONTINUED)

------------------------------------------------------------------------

98

223     CONTINUED:                                           223

Schaefer runs on, again picking up the blood traces of
the fleeing Hunter.

224     EXT. HUNTER'S CAMP                                   224

At the edge of the site.  He SEES the Hunter staggering
through the foliage.

Schaefer starts after him but then stops, dumbfounded
by the incredible images that crash in on him:
TRANSLUCENT HUMAN SKINS stretched over frames, the hair
of the attached scalps moving lightly in the wind;
SKINNED BODIES, some lying on the ground, others hung
from the trees, like Hopper and his men were.

He turns back, SEEING the Hunter as he passes through
the shimmering distortion of a FORCEFIELD enveloping
the forest.  Within the force field he SEES the vague,
nearly transparent OUTLINE of the Hunter's ship.

He approaches it, wide-eyed, his senses reeling with
astonishment and rage.

From within the force field, a PASSAGE WAY of BLUE LIGHT
appears, the Hunter's form backlit as he ascends the
RAMP to his spacecraft.

225-                                                 OUT     225-
226                                                          226

227     THE HUNTER                                           227

as he passes his hand through a light BEAM, the ship
instantly responds, as a low, TURBINELIKE HOWL is
HEARD, building slowly in volume and pitch.

228     SCHAEFER                                             228

in his weakened condition staggers forward, looking
up, SEEING the passage way of light diminish as the
door begins to close.

As rising HEAT WAVES begin to envelope the ship, the
Hunter stares out at Schaefer, the heat waves
increasing as the KEENING WHINE of the ship's drive
builds.  He enters the force field, the door now
inches from closing.

On the ground, nearly obscured by the grass and leaves,
Schaefer SEES the Hunter's WEAPON, lying where he
dropped it in his desperate flight to escape.

(CONTINUED)

------------------------------------------------------------------------

99

228     CONTINUED:                                           228

Schaefer grabs up the weapon and holds it.  How the
hell does it work?...He squeezes the handle of the
weapon feeling it resist.  Nothing happens.

With the last ounce of his strength, and with a BELLOW
of RAGE, his arm muscles bulging, he crushes down on
the handle...

In a FLASH of blue-white light, the weapon becomes
ACTIVATED.

Schaefer raises the weapon, sensing its power and
function.

In the final seconds before the door closes, Schaefer,
with a triumphant SCREAM, fires the weapon...

The weapon, flaring with deadly energy, drops and turns
sideways, accelerating through the door and into the
spacecraft.

229     INT. SPACECRAFT - DAY                                229

The weapon impacts the Hunter, his head EXPLODING in
a fountain of orange blood and pale green tissue.

The weapon continues on, burying itself into the energy
field, bolts of plasma-energy begin arcing from the
force field.

Schaefer falls forward onto his hands and knees,
staring at the Hunter's ship.  The SOUND of the
hyper-drive continues to increase, as the ship begins
to tremble.

230     EXT. HELICOPTER COCKPIT - DAY                        230

As suddenly the instrument panel goes wild, gauges
spinning, digital readouts racing out of control.
The SOUND of the turbine faltering, changing pitch.
The pilot lurches forward with the stick, fighting
for control.

231     EXT. HUNTER'S CAMP - DAY                             231

The multi harmonic whine of the Hunter's ship is
still building as the ground begins to shake.

Schaefer, realizing that the ship is going to explode,
and ignoring the pain of his shoulder and leg, runs
desperately, searching for cover.  He sprints for

(CONTINUED)

------------------------------------------------------------------------

100

231     CONTINUED:                                           231

the edge of the clearing, diving over the embankment
just as:

A blinding purple FLASH blows the ship to pieces.

232     EXT. HELICOPTER - COCKPIT - DAY                      232

Enveloped in the flash of intense light.  CRIES of
surprise fill the ship as the SHOCK-WAVE hits the
chopper, heeling it hard over to one side.

Below, the concentric waves of energy race outward
from the center of the blast, an unearthly sight, like
the miniature birth of a star.

The helicopter suddenly regains control, its power
restored.

PILOT
Holy, fuck, what was
that...?!!!

PHILIPS
Orbit right...check it out!

The helicopter levels out and heads toward the smoking,
devastated site of the blast.

233     EXT. HUNTER'S CAMP - DAY                             133

The jungle has been completely transformed.  No longer
lush and verdant, the area is clear-cut, two feet
above the ground, covered in FINE WHITE, smoldering
ASH.  Amongst the shattered stumps, debris from the
ship, bright as magnesium flares, burns with exotic
colors.

If the f.g., Schaefer, a living dead-man, streaked
with the alien ash, rises up from a shallow depression,
staring dumbstruck at the site.

Breaking in low over the treetops, the HELICOPTERS
flare up into position, one preparing to land.

As the chopper descends, the crew, standing in the
door way, stare transfixed at the devastation, their
eyes trying to penetrate the dense white smoke.

As the helicopter slowly descends, its propwash creating
a raging storm, Schaefer materializes from the SWIRLING
SMOKE AND ASH, his features taking form as he
approaches, his naked body covered in mud, blood and
ash.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

101

234     EXT. SCHAEFER'S P.O.V. - LANDING HELICOPTER - DAY    234

As the chopper, emerging from the vortex, settles
towards the ground where the spacecraft once stood.
Through the distorted veil, the helicopter, bristling
with WEAPONS, VISORED and HELMETED MEN, now covered
with WHITE ASH, looks like a landing spacecraft.

235     EXT. HELICOPTER - DAY                                235

The door gunner swings the M-60 into firing position,
pointing it at Schaefer.  He racks the bolt, loading
a round.

The crewmen look tense, frightened.

Anna, standing next to the door gunner, stares at the
strange creature before her, narrowing her eyes,
uncertain.  Is there something familiar about the
figure?

236     SCHAEFER                                             236

stands in the clearing, staring at the helicopter and
the array of weapons pointed at him.  He looks dazed,
like a man making contact with members of an alien
race, for the first time.

237     THE HELICOPTER                                       237

hovers low to the ground, the tension inside building
as Schaefer approaches.

More weapons swing into position.  Fingers tighten on
triggers.  Suddenly Anna recognizes the figure.
Realizing the danger she holds up her hands, shouting

ANNA
NOOOOOO!!!!!!

238     EXT. HELICOPTERS - JUNGLE - DAY                      238

Flash overhead, heading across the trackless jungle,
their rotors THUMPING like heavy machine gun fire.

239     INT. HELICOPTER - DAY                                239

Schaefer, a blanket over his shoulders, still in the
remains of his mud camouflage, his body laced with
deep cuts; his chest and shoulder caked with dried
blood, is seated on a bench in the cargo hold.

(CONTINUED)

------------------------------------------------------------------------

REVISED - "HUNTER" - 4/17/86                         102
*
239     CONTINUED:                                           239

Near the cockpit are General Philips, an ARMY MEDIC,
two MACHINE GUNNERS.  They look at Schaefer in awe.

The Medic, holding an open FIELD KIT, a syringe and
bandages, turns to Philips.

MEDIC
(shaking his head)
Looks like he's been through
hell...can't believe he's
still alive.  What the hell
went on down there?

PHILIPS
If it hadn't been for her, he'd
be dead now.  That story she
told us...I still can't believe
it.

He looks at Anna, her eyes meeting his, as if asking
for an explanation.  She looks at him a moment before
turning back to Schaefer, staring at him as if he were
risen from the dead.

She looks into Schaefer's face, Schaefer returning her
look, recognition passing between them.  Anna extends
her hand.  Schaefer slowly reaches out, touching her
fingers, then clasping her hand.

Schaefer turns his eyes to stare out the open door,
beyond the passing jungle below, out to the heavens.
He turns back, looking at Anna, a faint smile crossing
his face...they made it.

240     EXT. TWO HELICOPTERS - JUNGLE - DAY                  240

Pull away and head towards the distant, green horizon.

FADE OUT

THE END