Nightwing (1979) - full transcript

A colony of vampire bats terrorize a small Indian community in New Mexico. Standard "Nature goes berserk" plot takes a twist toward the end when supernatural forces are discovered working through the bats.

[♪♪♪♪♪]

RADIO ANNOUNCER:

...bringing you

the coolest sounds

from KMGX, Tucson,

the jewel of the west.

Let me warn all you good people

it's gonna be a broiler today.

Predicted highs of 100

in Tucson, Phoenix,

and up to 120

in the desert,

so stay close to

your swimmin' pools.

And those of you

who may be planning

to visit the Maski Reservation

this weekend

for the annual rain dance,

don't count on those dancers,

bring your own water.

And now here we go back

to the big C&W beat,

Crystal Gayle's "Don't It Make

My Brown Eyes Blue."

[CRYSTAL GAYLE'S "DON'T IT MAKE

MY BROWN EYES BLUE" PLAYING]

♪ I don't know when ♪

♪ I've been so blue ♪

♪ Don't know

What's come over you ♪

♪ You've found someone new ♪

♪ And don't it make

My brown eyes blue ♪

♪ I'll be fine ♪♪♪

Where in the hell

have you been?

Cleaning swimming pools.

What do you gotta show me?

Well, come on.

DURAN: When did you find him?

JOE: Sunup.

Wave that thing, Ben.

Did you hear anything

last night?

No. Nothin'.

Keep it moving, Ben.

She didn't kick anything.

Her hooves are smooth.

JOE:

Well, what do you think?

[SIGHS]

I don't know.

It was coyotes.

No. You would have heard 'em.

Besides, no coyote

makes bites like that,

and no cat

makes bites like that either.

[HELICOPTER WHIRRING]

What the hell did you do?

Sent for Walker Chee.

That wasn't right, Joe.

Well, it's my business,

Duran.

You ought to know

better than that.

The Pahana have

no jurisdiction here.

Well, they got

what I need.

Pahanas are like Anglos.

They got everything.

Whirlybirds, animal doctors.

And Chee,

he gets things done.

What we've got here is a bunch

of goddamn priests

chewin' datura root.

And you!

Came as quick

as we could, Joe.

I appreciate that.

You got no right being here.

Joe asked us over.

This is Maski territory.

Or did you forget?

You're right, Duran.

I should have given you a call,

but Joe had trouble.

Why are we arguing

about territory?

We're all interested

in the same thing.

And what's that?

To find out what killed

Joe's mares, right?

I mean,

that is the problem.

Or am I wrong?

Come on, Joe.

Show us the way.

In here.

Never seen anything

like it.

Any ideas, doc?

No.

She'd have died of blood loss

if you hadn't shot her.

Gonna have to take some skin,

blood samples.

What about

the smell of ammonia?

That's right. It's strong as

hell. You use ammonia out here?

No.

Well, could you

hurry it up, doc?

I got some important business

back in Diamond Rock.

You selling the reservation

this time?

Why don't you come off it,

Duran?

I'm tired

of your little putdowns.

I spent my whole life

trying to bring some industry,

some help to this hellhole,

and not for my own people

but for your people as well.

Now, you really want to know

what's happening?

I'll tell you.

Peabody Mining

has found some shale oil

out in some of those canyons,

and I'm gonna nail that

oil down before it gets lost

in the fine print of the Indian

Bureau's contract department.

So if you

really want to be helpful,

you'll go back to your people

and have some of your priests

say a few prayers for me.

Whatever you say, Chee.

Only don't make any deals

that include Maski.

Okay?

And that goes

for your private police, too.

Right, deputy, right.

What about you, Joe?

What about your mares?

What about them?

Well, I can tell you

what's gonna happen.

Nothing's gonna happen.

What do you mean?

He'll file a report,

stick it in a cabinet

in the bureau,

and that'll be it.

Let Chee find out

what bled your animal to death.

Made bite marks

no one's ever seen

and left a stink of ammonia.

So long, Joe.

Now, wait a minute, Duran--

No, no, no, you talk to Chee.

He's got whirlybirds

and doctors.

Me, I'm just

a dumb Maski cop.

VET:

He's right

about one thing, though.

What's that?

These bites,

they go right through to

the bone, just like razors.

Just like piranha fish.

Clean through the hide,

right to the bone.

Hello, Duran.

DURAN:

That's quite

a piece of artwork.

I'm sorry, boy,

but they've all got to die.

Is that a fact?

Anybody I know?

Wine is good

and cold, Abner.

Don't want any.

Menlo brothers worked hard

to bring you this wine.

Imported from California.

They can keep it.

Now, you promised me you would

never make magic around me.

You told me

you didn't believe in it.

That's not the point.

It scares the tourists.

No tourists around here.

Now, you know

that's bullshit.

Two weeks ago,

you stood in the middle

of the highway naked,

covered in rabbit's blood,

and wearing a coyote head.

And damn near wiped out a camper

full of little old ladies

on their way to Vegas.

Them old ladies had blue hair.

It took me all afternoon

to calm them down.

I sent for

the fire clan priests.

They could see this.

The priests

are afraid of you.

Everyone is afraid of you.

Everyone except you?

To me, you've always been

a great man,

but you chased everyone away.

The time has come

for them to die.

The priests?

Everyone.

They all got to go.

I saved the center

for the tablet of Yehwah.

The tablet's a myth,

Abner.

No one's ever seen it.

I've seen it. It's real.

It has great power.

You're stoned on datura root.

Have to open my mind.

You want some?

No, thanks.

I'll stick with

the Menlo brothers.

Just what the hell

are you up to, Abner?

I've opened a circle.

I'm ending the world.

The 4th world.

Hmm? When?

Today.

I've decided

to end the world.

They all have to go.

The damn Pahanas,

the federal court,

the Indian Bureau,

the mining companies,

and all them Anglo cities

puttin' out their poison!

ABNER:

I set Yehwah free

of the circle.

Look here.

You see that running figure

between the snakes?

That's you.

You're coyote warrior clan.

You have more power

than the fire clan priests,

and I need your help,

because

I'm going to die tonight.

That's why I sent for you.

For what, Abner?

To see the painting.

To know

I've opened a circle.

To know

you are a part of it.

I'm sorry.

I got to end the world.

But it's a last chance

for our people.

You understand that,

don't you, boy?

Goodbye, Abner.

ANNE:

That's good, Lena.

That's good, Lena.

Hold your breath and push.

That's good. Push.

And just keep on pushing.

Push. Push. That's good.

No, Dattor! No!

I need her to help me.

Push. Come on, push.

Come on. Come on.

No. Please.

No. I want her to help me.

That's good. That's good.

Now relax. Relax. Relax. Relax.

That's good. Breathe.

[HUFFING]

That's good.

Press under your legs

if you have to. Keep pushing.

That's good. Relax.

I think we're almost there.

Come on. Push, push.

That's good.

[DOG BARKING]

Hey, Robert.

ROBERT:

Hi, deputy.

[KNOCKING ON DOOR]

Hi.

God, am I glad to see you.

I've missed you.

It was just last night.

Oh, last night

was a long time ago.

What's the matter?

I just finished a report to the

Indian Bureau medical section.

We almost lost the baby.

What happened?

It was turned

in the wrong position.

[SIGHS]

If we just had a clinic

with prenatal care, x-rays.

I mean,

just the basic facilities

that other Americans

are provided with.

Maybe we could deal

with these things better.

I just feel so inadequate.

[SNIFFLING]

I feel so alone.

You're not alone.

Not with me.

Let's go

to Kachina Springs.

Every time

you get emotionally upset,

you want to take

a hot bath.

Well, it worked

for the Romans.

And look what happened

to them.

Come on.

Grab your stuff.

It's great out there

at sundown.

My God, we were so lucky

to save that baby.

[SNIFFLING]

I love you, Anne.

DURAN:

Whatever happened

to your foundation people?

ANNE:

They're at Selwyn's.

We take 'em out into

the desert for a few days.

They gonna build us

a hospital?

I hope so.

What tribe are they

this time?

Some missionary group

back east with lots of money.

Tell 'em we'll convert. That

should be worth at a clinic.

Oh, yeah? Since when are you the

guardian of the Maski religion?

I've always been

the guardian.

Abner says

I'm coyote warrior clan.

Big power.

And you are

my white goddess reborn,

risen out

of a $200,000 Phoenix villa,

complete with swimming pool

and tennis court.

What's the matter?

What's wrong?

I've been accepted

at Baylor Medical.

Congratulations.

Duran, I've got to do it.

Yeah. Sure you do.

What the hell?

I'll see you in five years.

[SIGHS]

Look,

Houston isn't the moon.

And there's no law

that says you can't visit.

Oh, terrific.

Save a weekend for me.

For chrissake, Duran,

I don't see why

you can't understand.

I want to know more.

I don't like to feel

helpless like this.

I don't like to watch

people die,

because maybe

I don't know enough.

I understand.

You know damn well

I understand.

But it's tough.

This stuff is hell for me.

I have these visions of you,

strolling around campus

with all those white boys,

driving their beautiful

Spyder Porsches

to their beautiful

swimming pools.

And I'm here looking

at cactus and scorpions.

I'm jealous.

I'm sorry.

I wish I wasn't, but I am.

Okay.

I can accept jealousy.

But the rest of it

you can stuff.

You know,

today it's a good thing

we came up here.

Mmm-hmm.

Running out of time.

Abner's ending the world.

Oh, yeah? When?

Today.

You believe him?

Abner's a very great man.

[GRUNTS]

What's the matter?

I don't know.

[SIGHS]

Just felt a chill.

Put your arms around me.

[SHEEP BLEATING]

♪ Four hungry children ♪

♪ And a crop in the field ♪

♪ I've had some bad times ♪

♪ Lived through

Some sad times ♪

♪ This time your hurtin'

Wouldn't heal ♪♪♪

[DOG BARKS]

[RUSTLING]

[SHEEP BLEATING]

[BARKING]

[DOG BARKING]

[SHEEP BLEATING]

[♪♪♪♪♪]

[BIRD SQUAWKING]

Okay, Abner.

Okay.

[DOG BARKING]

Of course

these people need help.

I've dedicated my life

to these people.

Speaking absolutely frankly,

as I know I can do amongst

Christians,

I have poured love

all over these people.

I have watered

the gardens of their souls

with love.

Then why did you give up

your missionary work?

Because you can shout

hallelujah at lizards

and get more gratitude

than you can from an Indian.

I sell them food on credit,

and they hate me for it.

My generator runs that freezer

that they throw their meat in,

and do they thank me for it?

On the contrary, friends,

they hate me for it.

But you're married

to an Indian woman.

Yes.

Yes.

Married to an Indian.

My wife

and daughters there

are just five more reasons

for them to hate me.

I was not aware

the Quaker mission

requires gratitude

for its service.

Listen to me, friend.

I was full of thees and thous

when I come out here

40 years ago.

Full of the word, I was.

One day,

I caught my congregation

chopping up an old woman.

"Why are they doing this?"

I asked!

"Because she's a bad witch,"

They said.

And by heaven, they'd have

chopped me up next

if I got in the way.

Indians.

[SPITS]

Don't tell me

about Indians, mister.

Huh.

You mean they actually

murdered an old lady?

[SELWYN CHUCKLES]

Mr. Selwyn is

a notorious exaggerator.

These are good,

hard-working people,

And they don't believe

in witches.

SELWYN:

Well, friends,

we have got a celebrity

in our midst.

The only law

on the reservation,

Deputy Duran.

I have to talk to you.

I need some cornmeal,

a rope, and a white sack.

Who died?

Abner.

Hard to believe.

I always thought

the old bastard was immortal.

Was he a Christian?

Never. Not even dead.

Abner was a witch.

A dangerous priest.

Had the power

to talk to Yehwah.

Who is Yehwah?

The Maski god.

A monster who guards

the gates of life and death.

Put it on my tab.

Your tab is gettin'

big enough for a dowry.

When you gonna marry

my daughter May?

[SIGHS]

I always hoped that Duran would

go for my daughter May.

May would never be trouble.

Hell, she don't even know

who Mick Jagger is.

Sorry about Abner.

So am I.

He raised me.

He was a fine man

years ago.

Where you gonna bury him?

Holy ground.

Place he loved,

near River canyon.

[DOG BARKING]

Where you taking

those bible thumpers?

Hila Mesa.

You're not worried about me

in the desert, are you?

How long

you gonna be out there?

Few days.

Going up to Mamoa's fishing,

then over to the reservation

for the rain dance.

[BIRDS CHIRPING]

Duran,

what's bothering you?

I don't know.

Is it Abner?

In a way.

Look, be careful out there.

I know you respect the desert,

but be careful.

Promise me that.

Okay.

[VULTURES SQUAWKING]

Fascinating,

these burial rituals.

The half moon over his eye

indicates

he was a priest

of some importance.

I assume the Maski

copied the half moons

from the Mayans and Aztecs.

Who the hell are you,

mister?

My name's Phillip Payne.

You're trespassing

and violating the remains

of a Maski priest.

I assure you

I mean no disrespect.

I saw the vultures outside.

Put that envelope back down.

These specimens

are a biological necessity.

I can show you

proper credentials.

I'm what you might call

a specialist.

Put it down.

I apologize

for what this looks like,

but if you give me a chance,

I can explain.

Leave that envelope

where it is.

Pack your bag, get in

that fancy truck of yours,

and break the speed limit

for a while.

It's too bad.

By studying

the tissue content,

I might have found out

the cause of his death.

You better leave

while you can, mister.

You're making a mistake.

Abner Tasupi was a high priest

of the Maski faith.

No one is gonna make

a souvenir out of his body.

Get out.

You're not actually

going to use that, are you?

[GUN COCKS]

One vulture

is the same as another.

It's a shame, really. But then,

one can't fight superstition.

It's a very old enemy of mine.

You realize, of course,

you've obstructed

a vital piece of research.

Well, you can always report me

to the people you work for.

I work for myself.

My skills are quite unique.

In biblical terms,

you might call me

the exterminating angel.

[DOOR CLOSES]

[♪♪♪♪♪]

[SIGHS]

[SIGHS]

Well, Abner,

I don't know if you were

a good man or not,

but you were a great priest.

The two should go together,

but they don't.

They were all afraid of you,

the priests,

even the Anglos.

You must have

known something.

[♪♪♪♪♪]

CHEE:

I'm on your side, Roger.

Look, we got a problem

with the Maski,

but if there's oil up there,

we'll get it out.

I understand.

Sure. I want this

as soon as possible.

If necessary,

at the appropriate time,

I'll go to the Indian Bureau.

Not to worry, Roger.

I know my way

around Washington. Hmm?

Right.

Tomorrow. Yeah.

Bye-bye, Roger.

You said this was important.

Right.

Do the words "Desmodus

rotundus" mean anything to you?

Look, Payne,

I like that fancy rig

you drive,

and I'm crazy

about your English accent,

but I have no time

for riddles.

Well, this riddle

may save your entire nation.

What animal can turn circles

in the air around a fly,

has echo sensitivity equipment

superior to a

billion-dollar bomber,

can see in the dark

better than a cat,

communicates

with high-frequency sounds,

converts the blood of other

animals into its own blood,

mates all year round

like a human,

can't live in harmony

with other animals,

has no fear of humans, and,

in fact, thinks of us as food,

carries bubonic plague

without dying of it.

CHEE:

Go on. I'm listening.

Yes, I hope so.

'Cause the only animal

that fits that description

is the vampire bat,

biological name

Desmodus rotundus.

What has that

got to do with me?

I have reason to believe

that a vampire colony

has settled in a cave

somewhere in this territory.

Payne, there are no vampire

bats in the United States.

There weren't any

in the Sonora mountains

in Mexico, either,

until 1973.

Two weeks ago,

six vampires were found

in a church steeple

near Alamogordo.

They're migrating.

I've pursued them.

But every colony I destroy

always has a few survivors,

and those survivors

multiply, flourish,

mass, and move on.

And the last colony has settled

somewhere in these canyons.

Payne, I've got my hands full

of Maski mysticism right now.

Rumors about vampire bats

and bubonic plague--

I don't deal in rumors, Chee.

Well, when you get proof,

you come and see me.

We'll talk again.

I might have had proof

if not for that deputy.

He confiscated

critical tissue samples.

That's probably the most

intelligent thing

Duran's ever done.

Right.

If you should come across

any animal carcasses

drained of blood

and smelling of ammonia,

you better find me fast.

[♪♪♪♪♪]

[VULTURES SQUAWKING]

[BIRDS SQUAWKING]

[♪♪♪♪♪]

Abner's dead.

I saw him go down

into the Kiva.

When?

Last night.

I buried him yesterday.

Then what I saw was a vision.

He died without friends.

He has friends now.

You all treated him

like he was nothing.

Abner became dangerous.

I buried a lonely old man.

You did a fine and noble

thing to bury him.

His wounds bled after death.

He had great powers.

Abner said

he was ending the world.

He said

he painted Yehwah free,

and the sacred tablet

was in the painting.

Why?

Was the circle

in the painting open?

Yes, he opened the circle.

Where is the painting?

It's gone.

I burned the shack, the

painting, the Kachina dolls,

the magic sands, everything.

You did all things right.

ROGER:

If you're trying to play

my offer against Seaboard,

you're making a mistake.

We mining companies

never fight each other.

Now, I'm warning you.

Don't play games with me.

I'm not playing any games

with you, Roger.

I brought you out here

so you could see for yourself.

These Maski cling to

superstitions

and ancient rituals.

I've got to deal with a council

full of primitive old priests

who are stoned out of their

minds most of the time.

Well, then, you better

start dealing with them.

What would you

suggest, Roger?

They've been down in that

Kiva pit praying for rain.

Been there three days.

Goddamn it, Chee,

now, you either get that

damn permit or forget it.

I need a few more days,

Roger.

Excuse me.

You're on

the wrong reservation.

I don't think so.

Then you're confused.

Duran, you don't offend me,

because I understand you.

I got loads of my own Indians

just like you.

Dumb and poor.

That's life

on the reservation.

But it doesn't have to be.

I've gone to the white schools

and mastered their world.

I go to D.C., New York,

L.A., Dallas.

I speak at their forums,

at their dinners,

to prove to the Anglo

that Indians are not drunks

and religious fanatics.

I've got three power plants,

and six proposed power plants

on my reservation.

That says that Indians can

do more than just make dolls.

Now, you tell me, Duran,

how much have you done

for your people?

Not much.

Well, you've got

a wonderful opportunity now.

You see that Anglo up there?

He's Peabody Mining.

His experts tell me

that Maski Canyon

sits on a shelf of shale oil.

It could mean a whole

new world for our people.

Maski Canyon

is sacred ground.

All right, Duran, let's cut

through the sophomoric bullshit.

Money is the white man's god,

his holy grail.

To me, it means schools,

clothing, food,

irrigation, and clinics.

These things should be

more sacred to us

than some goddamn ghosts.

You tell that to the priests.

Tell them how rich

they're gonna be.

A Mercedes Benz

in every backyard.

A swimming pool

in every adobe.

Trips to Disneyland,

weekends in Vegas.

All they gotta do

is let you strip-mine

the souls of their ancestors.

How come you don't court

my pretty daughter May?

She's got a good brain.

She works harder

than a mule,

and she'd never

run around on you,

and she'd never want

a Mercedes Benz.

I don't need a wife.

Yes, you do.

Every man needs a good wife.

DURAN:

Stop here.

SELWYN:

Where the hell are we?

[BIRDS CHIRPING]

Where the hell are we?

Holy ground.

What for?

To visit Abner's grave.

SELWYN:

Hey, pass me the bottle!

I don't need to be

any ways near Abner's grave.

You think Abner

was a witch?

No. I think he's

a wonderful person.

He really was, you know.

Like hell he was.

He was a killer priest.

DURAN:

Well, he can't hurt you now.

SELWYN:

Uh-huh. I knew it.

The bastard rose up.

DURAN:

Someone dug him up.

Uh-uh. There's no shovel marks

or footprints.

Grave robbers

don't leave names.

It was the fire clan priests.

Or maybe

that crazy Englishman.

No, no, no.

I tell you, he's risen.

[WIND HOWLING]

Feel that wind?

He's here with us.

[♪♪♪♪♪]

Um, I want the mother and father

at the hospital too.

Okay. Yeah, doc.

I'll take care of it.

CHEE:

What do you think, doc?

I don't know.

Time is everything.

If you're not bled to death,

you've got a chance.

Doctor, I'd like to show you

something. You, too, Chee.

I've got four species of flea

on this slide:

carnivore, dog,

exciopus, and bat.

I'm going to put a blood spot

on the slide.

Now what do you see?

DOCTOR:

Well, the bat flea

is ingesting the blood.

Keep looking.

Now what do you see?

DOCTOR:

It's a bacilli.

And virulent.

You mind

if I take a look at that?

PAYNE:

Go ahead.

Where did you get

that blood specimen?

PAYNE:

Same place as the fleas,

the dead sheep.

What kind of bacilli

is that?

Bubonic plague.

Now, how the hell

do you know that?

It's my business to know.

What do you think, doc?

Well, it certainly

could be plague.

What mystifies me

is the loss of blood

and, uh, the stench of ammonia

and the bites.

I've never seen bites

like that.

Bite marks come from the

incisor teeth of vampire bats.

The blood loss and the ammonia

are one and the same.

Meaning what?

Vampires consume one and a half

times their weight in blood.

They piss the excess out

so they can get airborne again.

That excess blood

turns into ammonia.

Make no mistake.

There's a highly intelligent

colony of vampire bats

roosting in a great cave

somewhere in these canyons.

Their attacks inevitably

will be drawn closer

to mass human dwellings,

and with these attacks

come the bubonic plague.

That's what

you got to face, Chee.

What about placing the

reservations under quarantine?

No. That won't help.

You can't protect people

from nocturnal sweeps

of 30,000 or 40,000

vampire bats.

If you called a quarantine,

you'll create

a greater disaster.

You'll have a small army

of inexperienced

health department bureaucrats

stumbling around dropping

T.N.T. into those canyons.

They'll scatter

this vampire colony

into every major city

in the southwest.

Now, so far they haven't hit

the populated area.

We still have time.

You mean to find them

and kill them?

Yes.

Now, this is a formula

I've used in the past.

It's a mixture of biotics,

myacins and sulfur.

It's not a plague vaccine,

but if injected early,

it does provide

a degree of resistance,

much the same way

as gamma globulin

provides limited resistance

to hepatitis.

I suggest

you fill it in quantity.

Now if you don't mind, doctor,

I'd like to talk to

Mr. Chee alone.

Of course. And thank you

for your help, Mr. Payne.

I'll be in touch

when I get back.

Can you trust him

to stay calm?

Absolutely.

How do you know?

I pay him.

Why?

Because I'm gonna track

this vampire colony.

I'm going to exterminate it.

I want no interference.

What we know

remains with us.

There's no problem,

Payne.

We have

similar interests.

Yes.

For different reasons,

I suspect.

Will $25,000

cover your fee?

There's no price.

I kill vampire bats.

That's what I do.

I find them,

and I kill them.

How long

will it take you?

Three days at the outside.

PEOPLE:

♪ Michael,

Row the boat ashore ♪

♪ Hallelujah ♪

♪ The river Jordan,

Deep and wide ♪

♪ Hallelujah ♪

♪ Milk and honey

On the other side ♪

♪ Hallelujah ♪♪♪

[ALL LAUGHING]

Quiet. Listen.

[OWL HOOTING]

What is that?

It's a night owl.

They roost

in the cactus holes.

WOMAN:

Are they part of the Maski

mythology, Miss Dillon?

The Maski people

are desert people.

The desert creates

its own mythology.

The Maski religion's

just based on that mythology.

MAN:

But in practical terms,

it's all just superstition.

ANNE:

Isn't all religion?

That sounds close

to blasphemy, Miss Dillon.

Well, I'm sorry.

It wasn't meant to be.

I just mean that the time,

the place, and the events

dictate the beliefs

of any people.

I'm cold.

I'm gonna go check

the weather report.

Why? The night is so clear.

Just look at all the stars.

Well, the wind

seems to have changed,

and storms come up

pretty quickly out here.

JOHN:

Miss Dillon tells

that old Maski saying,

"The Indian builds a small fire

and crouches close to it."

[COYOTE HOWLING]

WOMAN:

John, would you please

toast me a marshmallow?

With any luck at all, we'll have

mountain trout tomorrow.

Trout in the desert?

Anne says there's a trout stream

up above the Mamoa Ranch.

You talk about that girl

as if she were a prophet.

[CHUCKLES]

What was that?

What?

That sound.

Well, it must be the wind.

What else could it be?

Quiet. Listen.

[FLAPPING IN DISTANCE]

[SCREECHING]

[SCREAMING]

[ALL SCREAMING]

[BATS SCREECHING]

[ALL SCREAMING]

[OWL HOOTING RAPIDLY]

[SCREAMING]

[EXCLAIMING]

[MAN GROANS]

[ALL SCREAMING]

MAN:

The camper!

[ALL SCREAMING AND SHOUTING]

MAN 1:

Ow! Oh!

MAN 2:

Open it!

Pull on it! Pull on it!

Get back!

I can't get the door open!

[SCREAMING]

Please! Please!

Please! Please! Push it!

[JOHN GROANING]

WOMAN 1:

Please! Oh, John!

John! John, please!

John! John! John! Wait!

ANNE:

You've got

to open the door!

JOHN:

They'll bite me!

ANNE:

You've got

to let them in!

You can't!

Get her off me!

Get her off me!

Aah!

John! No!

Wait a minute!

You've got to open the door!

[SCREAMING]

[ENGINE STARTS]

God! Oh, God! Oh!

Oh! Oh! Oh!

[♪♪♪♪♪]

ANNE:

Please stop! Please!

Oh, you've got to go back!

Please! You've got to go back.

JOHN:

Just bear with me.

We've got to get away.

Stop!

Stop the car!

Let me go!

[GRUNTS]

John, stop it!

Oh, God!

[SCREECHING]

[ANNE SCREAMING]

[♪♪♪♪♪]

[♪♪♪♪♪]

You ought to keep

sucking that juice.

Cactus pulp's

all we got.

Pray for me.

Please.

We're not expected

for three days.

Save yourself.

ANNE:

I'm not gonna die.

Save your breath.

Where are you going?

Going fishin'.

[♪♪♪♪♪]

[PEOPLE SINGING

IN NATIVE LANGUAGE]

No rain clouds yet.

I've been thinking

of Abner.

His grave was empty.

Any tracks?

No.

But someone stole his body.

Abner stole

the tablet of Yehwah,

and now he has great power.

How do you know that?

Abner told me.

He's driving

all the whites away.

Yehwah is bringing back

the civilization of the Maski,

and we're gonna rise up

like we did 400 years ago

when we wiped out

the Spaniard.

Abner told me that.

When did he tell you this?

This morning.

While I was praying,

he came and told me.

Aren't the priests supposed

to come up for the dance?

That has always been

the custom.

I want permission

to go down there.

Our laws say

it is forbidden.

I know.

I have to go.

[♪♪♪♪♪]

[♪♪♪♪♪]

Female.

Caucasian.

Spine crushed by tire.

Second corpse, female.

Burned.

Both bodies

drained of blood.

Heavy smell of ammonia.

No trace of survivors.

Wounds inflicted

by vampire specie.

[♪♪♪♪♪]

[SCREECHING]

JOHN:

You fished for snakes.

That's really funny,

you know.

[GROANING]

JOHN:

I saw God while I slept.

Shh.

He knew me.

He said, "Welcome."

All right, let's get this body

down to the ambulance.

Now let's get these

to the ambulance, too.

Any swelling

on the bodies?

No. Just gray.

What killed them?

No clear signs,

but the froth on the mouth

does indicate

pulmonary complications.

Toxic agents.

And no flea bites.

No buboes.

And no bite marks.

These symptoms are not

the same as the Laloma boy.

Symptoms, my ass!

Those bodies are gray.

He's worried about

losing a business deal.

But you're a doctor,

so let's cut the crap.

Froth means

lung infection,

and gray skin means

no oxygen in the blood.

Those seven men died of

pneumonic plague.

I've seen enough Maski

die of pneumonia

to know it when I see it.

Well, pneumonic plague is

a distinct possibility.

But there was no bat attack.

How did they contract

the bacilli?

The fire clan priests

stole Abner's body.

Why?

To be certain he had

no afterlife powers.

The priests were afraid of

Abner, afraid of his power.

Well,

at least we know

what we're up against.

We can start the inoculation.

Against bubonic plague?

There's no such vaccine.

Payne gave me a formula.

He said it's resistant.

I brought a batch with me.

We'll inoculate the reservation.

And what then?

The whole southwest?

Now, you pay attention, Chee.

Right here, Black Mesa,

seven bodies.

East of Hila,

the Laloma boy.

And outside of Morami,

Abner.

So within an area

of 500 square miles,

a bat virus, turning pneumonic,

has killed nine people.

There's two more.

What?

Payne radioed.

He found two more bodies.

Women.

Thirty miles or so

east of here.

Jesus Christ.

Anne Dillon's party.

Relax, Duran.

It wasn't your lady friend.

The two corpses were

middle-aged women.

The bodies bore the same wounds

and ammonia smell.

That means Anne's

still out there with survivors.

You're panicking, Duran.

If Payne found two women,

Anne must have escaped

in the camper.

So we have

a localized problem,

and we can contain it.

How?

You want to quarantine

the Maski?

Then the Pahana nation?

You're worried about

an oil business deal.

What about Arizona

and New Mexico?

And you're worried

about Anne Dillon.

You're goddamn right, I am.

I want both of your choppers

in front of my office

in the morning.

Now, what the hell for?

To search for Anne Dillon

and what's left of her party.

And one more thing.

When we're through with this,

I'm going to alert every

health agency in the state.

Now, wait a minute,

Duran.

Come here.

I want to talk to you.

Look, Duran, I may be

a lot of things to you,

but I'm not stupid,

and I'm not a killer.

I know

what we're up against,

and I also know that if you tell

the state health authorities,

they'll alert

the Atlanta disease control,

and then we're gonna

have an army,

a white army of amateurs

running all over the place

spreading panic and plague.

A lot of people

are going to die.

We can't afford

to panic, Duran.

Now I need your help.

Help with what?

Give Payne 36 hours.

I've seen his credentials

and checked them out.

He's one of the five

acknowledged experts

in the world.

Expert in what?

In tracking and exterminating

vampire bats.

He's the only real chance

we have to stop this thing.

All I'm asking for

is 36 hours.

Then you can go ring

all the bells you want,

and I'll ring them right

alongside of you, all right?

Okay. You got the 36 hours,

but I still want those

choppers

tomorrow morning

with a full medical team.

Okay.

Maybe we owe

Anne Dillon that much.

All right,

you got the choppers,

but you better

organize your men

and start the inoculations.

Clock's running, Chee.

Those choppers,

in front of my office, sunup.

You have my word.

He's panicked.

In the morning,

I want that

Maski son of a bitch

in handcuffs.

DURAN [ON RADIO]:

I read your last heading.

Should be there before noon

if the jeep holds up.

The terrain

is rough as hell.

I'm signing off now.

[SCREECHING]

Night voices of 30,000 cycles.

Vampire colony

coming from the west.

Going up to

200,000 cycles.

Cutting mic arc

to 90 degrees.

[MACHINE BEEPING]

[COUNTRY MUSIC

PLAYING ON RADIO]

RADIO ANNOUNCER:

Now some late breaking news

relating to yesterday's

tragic events at

the Maski rain dance,

which was marred by the sudden

death of seven elderly priests.

At first it was thought that

the deceased

were victims of

the swine flu.

Autopsies show, however, that

the victims died of a botulism

contracted from

unrefrigerated food

left in their

ceremonial chamber.

And now a weather advisory

to all desert campers.

Temperatures today will reach

a scorching 128 degrees.

Be certain you have

ample water and shade

and under no circumstances

venture out

into the desert alone.

Another health advisory from

the Pahana Police Headquarters

at Diamond Rock.

A jackrabbit turned in

by Deputy Duran has proven

to have an animal form

of plague.

Deputy Duran is being

sought by authorities

so they can administer

necessary vaccines.

Anyone seeing Deputy Duran--

[SHUTS OFF RADIO]

[♪♪♪♪♪]

[♪♪♪♪♪]

[♪♪♪♪♪]

[ENGINE STARTS]

You're late, Duran.

I didn't figure on

a blown radiator.

Tell me. How much farther

could you go on foot?

[PANTING]

Another 10 feet.

You remember where you

found those women?

Yes, of course.

Well, Anne can't be

far away from there.

Jump in. If she's alive,

we'll find her.

Anne.

Anne, can you hear me?

I knew you'd come.

I never gave up.

Let me have a look.

I want to thank you,

Payne.

You can thank me after we've

destroyed the vampires.

What do you mean "we"?

She's dehydrated.

No bite marks.

No sign of plague.

Try to give her some water.

[GASPS]

Here.

Just a sip.

Easy.

[MOANING]

How'd you find me?

The tracks,

and the smoke.

Am-- Am I okay?

You're fine.

They're all dead.

I know.

I was in the camper.

They came just after dark.

Thousands of them.

They filled the sky.

[CRYING]

It was like

the end of the world.

You don't kill bats

with that, do you?

No. This shoots a small

electronic dart,

an F.M. sending unit.

It's hard to believe

that this helps me

track their movements.

You know

where the colony is?

Yes, somewhere in

Maski Canyon.

You sure?

Absolutely.

Then why the darts?

Well, there are lots

of caves in the canyon.

When we get near to Maski,

I'll nail one of them

and hopefully track them

to the right cave.

This is what I use

to kill them, cyanide gas.

Earlier today, when we found

Anne, you said "we."

When "we" kill the bats.

What did you mean by that?

You know Maski Canyon.

You can help me find the colony.

The dart's never foolproof.

That canyon is the holiest

ground in the Maski religion.

Yes, I know.

What do you say?

Will you help me?

I don't want Anne

in any danger.

There's no way

of sending her back.

Yes. I understand.

Well, we take no

chances with her.

Yes, of course.

Tell me, Payne. Why do you do

it? Why do you kill them?

Somebody has to.

But why you?

It's what I do.

It's what I know.

How do you survive?

I'm sorry?

Money.

I have a grant from

the World Health Organization.

It's not much,

but that's not important.

It just doesn't seem

natural for a man

to spend his life,

his entire life

killing bats.

Not just bats.

Vampire bats.

I kill them

because they're evil.

There's a mutual grace

and violence

in all forms of nature,

and each specie of life

gives something in return

for its own existence.

All but one.

A freak.

The vampire bat alone

is that specie.

Have you ever seen

one of their caves?

No.

I killed over 60,000 of them

last year in Mexico.

You really understand

the presence of evil

when you go into their caves.

The smell of ammonia alone

is enough to kill you.

The floor of the cave is a

foul syrup of digested blood.

And the bats up high,

hanging upside down,

rustling, fighting, mating,

sending constant messages,

waiting for the light to fade,

hungry for blood,

coaxing the big females to wake

up and flex their night wings

to lead the colony out

across the land,

homing in on any living thing.

Cattle, sheep, dogs,

children.

Anything with warm blood.

And they feast, drinking the

blood and pissing ammonia.

I kill them because they're

the quintessence of evil.

To me, nothing else exists.

The destruction of vampire bats

is what I live for.

CHEE [ON RADIO]:

Payne, come in.

I'm all over the band.

Come in, Payne.

This is Payne.

Go ahead.

I've got critical problems.

I need you here.

That's impossible.

I found the colony.

Where are you?

Hila Mesa.

The northwest side.

You'll find me there

in the morning.

Have you seen Duran?

I've seen no one.

I'm signing off now, Chee.

Wait a minute!

For chrissake--

DURAN:

We're 100 miles

from Hila Mesa.

Yes, I know.

Why did you send him there?

Because I don't want

a bunch of amateurs

dropping T.N.T.

into the canyons.

Why did you protect me?

Because I need you.

You take a chopper up

to Hila Mesa at daybreak

and find that bastard Payne.

What about Duran?

We'll take the other chopper

and start where Payne found

those two foundation women.

Meet us there.

CHEE:

Keep the quarantine

bulletins going,

but no mention

of vampire bats.

MAN:

Okay.

You got a drink here, Chee?

Yeah, sure.

You know,

Deputy Duran suddenly

becomes damned important.

CHEE:

Why?

Well, with those

Maski priests dead,

Duran's the only

authority left.

Duran will never agree

to sell the mining rights

to Maski Canyon.

Sure he will.

How do you know that?

When you sent police

instead of medics

in those two helicopters,

why didn't Duran

blow the whistle?

He could have alerted

all the state agencies.

He threatened to, didn't he?

Yeah.

But he would never take

the responsibility for that.

A panic call would paralyze

the whole state,

and Duran knows better.

He played poker with me,

hoping I'd send

the choppers with medics

to find his girlfriend.

I sent the police instead.

He figured my play.

You bet he did.

Duran is a smart

son of a bitch.

He's been out in the world.

You told him about

shale oil in Maski, right?

Sure I did.

And you can bet your ass

he was listening.

Duran's our deal maker.

Duran hates my guts.

But he doesn't hate money.

Those Maski priests

were fanatics,

but Duran...

Duran's like all of us, Chee.

He can be bought.

ANNE:

Maski Canyon.

The home of Yehwah.

The ghost pueblos

and the eternal fires.

Any ideas?

You can set

the lab up here.

I'm going to climb

those high ridges.

The bat cave would have

to have an open top.

I might get lucky.

All right.

But make sure you're back here

at least an hour before dark.

I don't want you running

into any of those bastards.

So strange that

something that evil

would settle in such

a sacred place.

Not so strange.

Abner had a winged figure

in the painting.

You don't really believe Abner

conjured them up, do you?

There are limits,

even to superstition.

One man's superstition is

another man's religion.

[♪♪♪♪♪]

[CHOKES]

[SPITTING]

[♪♪♪♪♪]

ABNER:

Hello, son.

Hello, Abner.

You did right

to take datura.

You have to

open your mind.

I'm fighting you,

Abner.

No. You saw the painting.

Yehwah is let out,

and you're in the painting.

You killed our own people.

Yehwah will keep the good

Maski out of the underground.

The rest will have to die.

Where are the bats?

[LAUGHING]

Tell me, uncle!

Where are they?

The flying animals

are Yehwah messengers.

I can't let you

kill everyone.

You're a good boy.

You'll do the right thing.

I'm fighting you, Abner.

Don't fight me, boy.

I have to fight you!

[ABNER LAUGHING]

RADIO ANNOUNCER:

Plague quarantine area

now includes

the southern rim

of the Black Mesa.

Also the towns of

Mowan Copy and Tupa City.

Tribal officials say

the plague will be under

control very soon...

Under control.

I hope they informed the bats.

Are you sure they can't

bite through this?

You can survive a bite.

You might even

survive a plague.

But if they settle

on you in a group,

they'll bleed you

to death in minutes.

And you set the batteries

at 115 volts,

then throw the switch.

[SCREAMS]

God, I'm sorry.

When the bats hit the mesh,

you throw the switch.

How can I be so sure

they're gonna come?

PAYNE:

They're close.

They'll soon find us.

ANNE: You okay?

Yeah.

PAYNE:

There are a lot of legends

about bats.

The Koran said

Jesus created the first bat.

He was in the hills

outside Jerusalem

and couldn't see

the western horizon,

so he took some clay

and made a winged creature

into which he blew life.

That creature, the bat,

flew out at night to tell

Jesus of the setting sun.

The Egyptians believed that

the presence of bats

ensured fertility.

To the Mayans,

the bat was a demon god.

The Aztecs made blood sacrifices

to vampire gods,

but it didn't help.

Their civilizations

disappeared.

The vampires came out of

the jungles hungry and thirsty,

invaded their cities,

and destroyed them.

[BATS SCREECHING]

DURAN:

There's something on

the scope, Payne.

Here they come,

only minutes after sunset.

West northwest

bearing directly towards us

in a tight formation. Listen.

[MACHINE BEEPING]

All right,

you hold that pole.

Anne, hit the switch

the moment I say so.

Keep your nerve

and don't throw it too soon.

Oh, God. That sound.

[SCREECHING IN DISTANCE]

[SCREECHING]

DURAN:

They're tearing the pole away.

Hit the switch.

Not yet.

Hit-- Payne!

[GUN FIRING]

Now, Anne!

Hit it, Anne!

ANNE:

Help me! It won't work!

PAYNE:

Hit the switch!

ANNE:

Christ, Payne, I can't.

Hit the switch.

It's not working.

Hit the goddamn switch!

ANNE:

Oh, my God!

Something's wrong, Payne!

Will you help me?

The clips are off.

[GUN FIRING]

I can't connect

the damn thing.

DURAN:

They're getting through!

They're getting through! Payne!

PAYNE:

Now.

[SCREAMS]

ANNE:

Duran.

[GUN FIRING]

[MACHINE BEEPING]

[MACHINE BEEPING]

[♪♪♪♪♪]

Go back and get me

the axe and the lantern.

[♪♪♪♪♪]

What are you doing?

I want you to stay here.

Duran, you're not leaving me.

Damn it, Anne!

Don't argue with me!

[CRASHING]

[WIND BLOWING]

[♪♪♪♪♪]

Payne!

Can you hear me?

My wrist's caught.

I can't get down.

I'm coming out, Payne.

PAYNE:

Not a chance.

It's getting dark.

They'll be awake by the time

you're halfway up.

Where's the poison gas?

Gone down in the pool.

Oh, my God.

Listen to me.

I want you to cut the line.

The drop's too far.

I'll catch the rocks.

Take out your knife,

hold it ready,

and start to swing your body.

It won't work, Duran!

I won't clear the rocks.

You can clear the rocks.

Now, do what I tell you.

There's soft sand

over there.

Swing your body towards it.

I'll tell you

when to cut the rope.

It won't work.

It's solid ammonia.

If I don't clear the rocks,

I'll fall in.

I'll be finished

in three seconds.

I'd rather die up here.

You want to die up there?

You want to be bled to death?

You want them to piss your

life's blood out into the floor.

Look at them.

They'll be up soon.

They'll be all over you.

Your eyes, your mouth,

your neck, your body.

I know how to kill them,

but if you don't try,

I'm walking out!

Payne! They win!

Payne!

That's it.

Now push out with your feet.

DURAN:

That's it.

Push out

with your feet.

Light's starting to go.

Keep going.

Put the knife

against the rope. Hold it.

Don't look up.

I'll yell now.

Now! Cut it, Payne!

[GROANS]

He needs morphine.

Too late. It's too late.

Bite into this.

You're nuts.

It's too late.

Bite. Chew.

Chew.

ANNE:

God, help him.

He's going into shock.

We have to keep him warm.

At least he's alive.

We gotta get him

out of here.

[MOANING]

Oh, God!

[♪♪♪♪♪]

Duran.

If he wakes up,

give him some of this.

[BATS SCREECHING]

[♪♪♪♪♪]

ABNER:

Hello, Duran.

I'm closing the circle,

Abner.

Duran, the bats

are waking up.

We're running out of time.

Anne, help me!

What are you doing?

I won't let it end, Abner.

Who are you talking to?

You gotta help me

close the circle.

What are we doing?

DURAN:

This shale's full of oil.

I'm gonna close the circle

and light the eternal fire.

Just do what I say!

[PAYNE MOANING]

Give him some datura.

I'll finish this.

They're waking up.

Go! Now!

[MOANING]

[♪♪♪♪♪]

Don't close the fire ring!

I've got to close the circle.

Duran, the light's gone!

The circle.

I've got to close the circle.

Duran, they're here!

[GRUNTING]

You can't light

the eternal fire!

You can't destroy

your own god!

What kind of god

kills his own people?

I have to end the world.

No. I won't let you.

You're not god.

You're not anyone's god.

You're not even real.

It's a last chance

for our people.

Join me, boy.

I did it for you!

I did it for our people!

The tablet of Yehwah says:

"The god of death shall

be consumed by fire."

I'm lighting

the eternal flame.

You don't have

the power.

You said I was

warrior clan!

I have greater power

than fire clan,

a greater power

than yours!

I'm sorry, uncle.

It's too late.

I'm closing the circle!

[SCREECHING]

[SCREAMING]

Get back to Payne,

Anne!

[BATS SCREECHING]

[♪♪♪♪♪]

[BATS SCREECHING]

DURAN:

Get him up. Come on!

[♪♪♪♪♪]

The choppers are on the way.

PAYNE:

Afraid I'm not much

at acrobatics.

It took a hell of a lot of

courage to cut that rope.

I didn't have much

choice, did I?

I got careless up there.

Too confident.

That canyon's

gonna burn forever.

Guess there won't be

any mining there.

Looks as if you won.

Abner won.

He knew the vampire bats

were in Maski Canyon.

He used them.

Used you, me,

Chee, and the priests.

He used everyone.

Nature, religion,

and his own powers

to stop that mine.

He summoned

the eternal fires.

[♪♪♪♪♪]

[♪♪♪♪♪]