PITCH BLACK

                              JOHNS
               What if you're one of five?

     Riddick stares. "I'm listening."

     EXT. BONEYARD - NIGHT

                              AUDREY
               What're they doin' up there?

                              IMAM
               Talking about the canyon, I suppose.
               How to get us through.

     Overhearing, Fry looks. It's odd to see Johns and Riddick
     walking side by side, like equals. Like partners.

     EXT. BONEYARD - NIGHT

                              JOHNS
               Look, it's hellified stuff -- but no
               different than those battlefield doctors
               when they have to decide who lives and who
               dies. It's called "triage," okay?

                              RIDDICK
               Kept calling it "murder" when I did it.

                              JOHNS
               Either way, figure it's something you can
               grab onto.

                              RIDDICK
                         (doping it out)
               Sacrifice play. Hack up one body, leave
               it at start of the canyon. Like a bucket
               of chum.

                              JOHNS
               Trawl with it. There's a cable on the
               sled. We can drag the body behind us.

                              RIDDICK
               Nice embellishment.

                              JOHNS
               Don't wanna feed these land-sharks -- just
               keep 'em off our scent.

                              RIDDICK
                         (looking back)
               So which one caught your eye?

                              JOHNS
               Don' look, don' look, don' look....

     EXT. BONEYARD - NIGHT

     Fry spots Riddick's look -- and Johns' non-look.

                              FRY
               Imam. Slow down.

                              IMAM
               What?

                              FRY
               Don't stop, just slow down.  Little more
               space 'tween us and them.

                              IMAM
               I would rather we all stay--

                              FRY
               Do what I say. Please.

     EXT. BONEYARD - NIGHT

                              RIDDICK
               What's her name, anyway?

                              JOHNS
               What do you care?

     Riddick shrugs. "I don't."

                              JOHNS
               Then let's not name the Thanksgiving
               turkey, okay? I assume you still got a
               shiv.

                              RIDDICK
               What, you 'spect me to do it?

                              JOHNS
               What's one more to you? Like this is the
               one that sends you to Hell?

                              RIDDICK
               Oh, you're a piece of art, Johns. They
               oughtta hang you in a museum somewhere.
               Or forget the museum -- maybe they should
               just hang you.

     EXT. BONEYARD - NIGHT

     As Fry and the others keep slowing.

     EXT. BONEYARD - NIGHT

                              JOHNS
               Awright. You do the girl, I'll keep the
               others off your back.

     Riddick stops. Reconsiders.

                              JOHNS (CONT'D)
               Aw, don't tell me you're growin' scruples.

                              RIDDICK
                         (shakes head)
               Just wonderin' if we don't need a bigger
               piece of chum.

                              JOHNS
               Like who, Mr. Chrislam?

     EXTREMELY TIGHT on both men: In their eyes, we see the new
     partnership splintering apart: "Like Mr. Johns."

     Riddick makes a play for the shotgun. It BLASTS skyward.

     EXT. BONEYARD - NIGHT

     As the fight erupts:

                              FRY
               Bring the light!

                              AUDREY
               What're they doing? What're we --

                              FRY
               Leave the sled, let's go, go, go!

     EXT. BONEYARD - NIGHT

     FIGHT SCENE: Johns' light hits the ground, creating an arena of
     illumination. FAST CLICKING nearby. Still struggling, Riddick
     and Johns somehow manage to gang-aim the shotgun and BLAST THE
     CLICKING AWAY.

     The shotgun goes free. Johns lunges for it, but Riddick kicks it
     into the night. And then pulls his shiv.

                              RIDDICK
               Gotta stay in the light, Johns. That's
               the only rule.

     Johns circles inside the light. Fucking with him, Riddick starts
     poking and jabbing, backing him up against the wail of dark.
     Johns stumbles over something. A bone. A club.

     Riddick finds his own bone-club, and now they go at it like two
     cavemen. Riddick beats on Johns' club-hand, breaking fingers,
     forcing him to drop the bone. Just trying to get away now, Johns
     makes a desperate lunge for the light, but...

     Riddick shivs open his back.

                              RIDDICK
               Remember that moment?

     Gushing blood, Johns starts crawling pathetically with the light.
     Riddick dogs him.

                              RIDDICK
               Shoulda never took the chains off, Johns.
               You were one brave fuck, before. Now look
               at you. Oh, yeah, you were Billy Bad-ass
               with your gauge...with your chains....

     Johns finds the shotgun. "And I'm still Billy Bad-ass." He
     sweeps it around with the light, ready to kill...

     Blackness. Where'd Riddick go?

     CLICKING behind Johns. He whirls to see...

     Something big coming for him. Johns BLASTS IT back into the
     night, dropping the light as he does. Eyes in the back of his
     head, he whirls again and takes aim on...

     Another bull-rushing predator.

     Johns triggers a bad round. Crazed, he ratchets and levels the
     shotgun for another try. He's too late.

     BIG CLOSEUP as the ejected shell rolls to a stop. It's red.
     Johns loaded a morphine shell in the dark.

     RIDDICK'S POV: With Johns skewered by the armpits, the predator
     lifts him off the ground and "stares" with a deceptively gentle
     CLICKING-COOING SOUND.

     PREDATOR'S POV: Of Johns' final expression.

     RIDDICK'S POV: The predator rears back its head -- then slams
     forward, hitting Johns with the full force of its skull-blade,
     splitting him in two.

     EXT. NIGHT

     Fry, Imam, Audrey, Pilgrim #1. They're running, stumbling,
     trying to backtrack the sled marks. Checking for pursuit, Fry
     looks over her shoulder...

     And crashes into Riddick. He was just standing in the dark,
     waiting for them.

                              RIDDICK
               Back to the ship, huh?

                              FRY
               Get out of our way.

                              RIDDICK
               So everybody huddles together till the
               lights burn out? Until you can't see
               what's eating you? That the big plan?

                              IMAM
               Where's Mr. Johns?

                              RIDDICK
               Which half?

                              IMAM
               You mean....

     Conflicted, they all look back. Audrey starts to puddle up.

                              AUDREY
               Gonna lose everybody out here....

                              RIDDICK
               He died fast. And if we got any choice,
               that's the way we should all go out.
                         (to Audrey, softly)
               Don't you cry for Johns. Don't you dare.

     EXT. CANYON RIM - THE GAUNTLET - NIGHT

     BLACK SCREEN. We hear the canyon in full cry now -- CLICKING...
     BATTLING BONE-BLADES...MATING CRIES...the RENDING OF FLESH
     and SNAPPING OF TENDON. Far below, twin flames appear as the
     survivors reach the gauntlet. Predators perch in FOREGROUND,
     just hulking silhouettes "watching" from a canyon rim.

     EXT. START OF GAUNTLET - NIGHT

     They are but five: Fry, Riddick, Audrey, Imam, and Pilgrim #1.
     CLOSE on each face as they listen to the CANYON. There must be
     countless predators ahead.

                              FRY
               How many you see?

                              RIDDICK
               One or two.

                              FRY
               Audrey?

                              AUDREY
               Three full bottles. But almost time to
               refill.

                              FRY
               Doesn't seem like enough to turn back on,
               does it?

                              RIDDICK
               Only see one way. Turn the sled over and
               drag it like that, girl down low. Light
               up everything we got -- and run through
               like dogs on fire.

     A beat.

                              IMAM
                         (understanding)
               The sled as a shield....

                              FRY
               And what about the cells?

                              RIDDICK
               I'll take those.

     She looks at him hard.

                              FRY
               We're just here to carry your light,
               aren't we? Just the torch-bearers.

                              RIDDICK
               Let's drop back an' boot up.

     EXT. BONEYARD - NIGHT

     START on the power cells. They're been lashed together into one
     queue.

     Working amid the giant bones, Riddick crafts a new harness from
     the old straps. Close behind him, Imam is MUTTERING IN ARABIC.

                              RIDDICK
               What're you doin'?

                              IMAM
               Blessing you like the others.
                         (off his look)
               It's painless.

                              RIDDICK
               And pointless.

                              IMAM
                         (a beat)
               I see. Well, even if you don't believe
               in God, it doesn't mean He won't be --

                              RIDDICK
               You don't see.

     Riddick shrugs into the harness, snugs it down.

                              RIDDICK (CONT'D)
               'Cuz you don't spend half your life in
               lock-down with a horse-bit in your mouth
               and not believe. And you surely don't
               start out in a liquor store trash bin with
               an umbilical cord wrapped around your neck
               and not believe. Oh, absolutely I believe
               in God. And I absolutely hate the fucker.

                              IMAM
               He will be with us. Nonetheless.

                              RIDDICK
               Give my blessing to the girl. She needs
               a spare.

     EXT. START OF GAUNTLET - NIGHT

     The torches. Maxed out. Burning non-stop.

     Fry and Imam. Sled chains on. Lapping up O2. Each holding a
     torch.

     Pilgrim #1. Clutching a handlight.

     Audrey. Rolling under her sled-shield, becoming the turtle in a
     metal carapace.

     Riddick. Goggles on. He has no desire to see what horrors will
     surround them. There's just one path, anyway: Straight through.

                              RIDDICK
               As fast as you can.

                              FRY
               You sure you can keep --

                              RIDDICK
               As fast as you can.