HENDERSON： Why don't you shut your mouth， Weiss？ （with a wild， illogical anger） That's the way it is when the foreigners come over here. Aggressive， greedy， semi-Americans——

    WEISS： （his face goes white） Why you garbage-brained idiot you——

    MRS. HENDERSON： It still goes， Weiss！ I bet you're at the bottom of the list——

    WEISS suddenly flings himself through the crowd toward the man and there's a brief， hand-to-hand fight between them broken up by HARLOWE who stands between them breathless.

    HARLOWE： Keep it up， both of you. Just keep it up. We won't need a bomb. We can slaughter each other.

    MRS.WEISS： （pleading） Marty， go down to Bill's shelter again. Ask him ——

    WEISS： I've already asked him. It wouldn't do any good.

    One again the siren sounds and the people seem to move closer together， staring up toward the night sky. Off in the distance we see searchlights.

    HARLOWE： Searchlights. It must be coming closer.

    HENDERSON： （as he suddenly pushes HARLOWE aside and heads for the steps） I'm going down there and get him to open up that door. I don't care what the rest of you think. That's the only thing left to do.

    MAN # 1： He's right. Come on， let's do it.

    INSIDE THE SHELTER

    GRACE is holding tight to PAUL. STOCKTON stands close to the door listening to the noises from outside as they approach. There's a pounding on the shelter door that reverberates.

    OUTSIDE THE SHELTER

    HENDERSON： Bill？ Bill Stockton？ You've got a bunch of your neighbors out here who want to stay alive. Now you can open the door and talk to us and figure out with us how many can come in there. Or else you can just keep doing what you're doing —— and we'll fight our way in there.

    HARLOWE appears and pushes his way through the group and goes over to the shelter door.

    HARLOWE： Bill. This is Jerry. They mean business out here.

    STOCKTON'S VOICE： And I mean business in here. I've already told you， Jerry. You're wasting you time. You're wasting precious time that could be use for something else……like figuring out how you can survive.

    NAM # 1： Why don't we get a big， heavy log to break the door down？

    HENDERSON： We could go over to Bennett Avenue. Phil Kline has some giant logs in his basement. I've seen them. Let's get one. And we'll just tell Kline to keep his mouth shut as to why we want it.

    WEISS： Let's get hold of ourselves. Let's stop and think for a minute——

    HENDERSON： （turning to face WEISS） Nobody cares what you think. You or your kind. I thought I made that clear upstairs. I think the first order of business is to get you out of here.

    With this he strikes out， smashing his fist into WEISS's face in a blow so unexpected and so wild that WEISS， totally unprepared， is knocked against the wall. His wife screams and， still holding the baby， rushes to him. There's a commotion as several men try to grab the neighbor and HARLOWE is immediately at WEISS's side trying to help him to his feet. Once again the sirens blast.

    HENDERSON： （should over the noise and commotion） Come on， let's get something to smash this door down.

    They start out of cellar toward the steps.

    INSIDE THE SHELTER STOCKTON slowly turns to face his wife. The angry screaming cries of the people ring in their ears even as they depart.

    GRACE （looks up） Bill？ Who were those people？

    STOCKTON （turning to stare toward the door） "Those people？" Those are our neighbors， Grace. Our friends. The people we've lived with and alongside for twenty years. （then in a different fixed expression and in a different tone） Come on. Paul. Let's put stuff up against this door. Everything we can.