Most of the day.The Mist · 2007 — Chapter 9 of 11 · 4'03" · B2
David Plans His Escape, Explained: at bay
The store has settled into dread: Joe is dead of his burns, and talk of "expiation" is whipping the crowd up. As some plot an escape, one person says flatly, "I'd rather die out there trying than in here waiting," and David decides he needs to know what they are really up against.
What happens
David wakes after sleeping most of the day and learns that Joe died of his burns while he slept. In the store, panic and religious fervor are spreading, and a few survivors quietly plan to make a run for it. David wants answers first, and says he intends to talk to the soldiers about what caused the mist.
Listen for
up againsta direct line to Godyour callat bay
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Phrase of the scene
at bay
held off and kept away
卡莫迪太太追问什么才能把这些怪物 keep at bay，也就是挡在门外、不让它们近身。
A good coat will keep the cold at bay.
Also in this scene
- up against
facing something difficult or powerful
- a direct line to God
claiming direct communication with God
- your call
your decision to make
Everything marked in this scene
41 notes across 92 lines
Just passed out is more like it.liaison
Just passed out is more like it.I just shut down for a while.Joe died of his burns while you were asleep.We were just too late.She's getting people whipped up.claiming direct communication with God
She has a direct line to God.Why wouldn't they? Woman never shuts up. Like those speeches Castro used to make.Ollie says you're thinking of leaving.I mean, come on, you saw what happened to Bobby Mike. I won't do that again. I won't be responsible.You might want to reconsider that.might want to for soft advice
You might want to reconsider that.held off and kept away
What will keep these evil, these abominations at bay? What will keep them away?What will keep these evil, these abominations at bay? What will keep them away?liaison
What will keep these evil, these abominations at bay? What will keep them away?The dead tree give no shelter.What will end it? Let me hear it.Good. Say it again like you mean it.That boy hasn't been right since the pharmacy.His mind's just snapped, gone.I'm not spending the rest of my life here, I tell you what.I can quietly gather up some bags of groceriesyour decision to make
It'll be your call.would rather A than B
I'd rather die out there trying than in here waiting.facing something difficult or powerful
I want some idea of what we're up against.what-clause as object
I want to know what this mist is.What's that gonna do?The situation was insane.He said he was sorry. Wasn't that the word he used?That's right, he said it was their fault, right? What did he mean by that?That's what we're gonna find out.liaison
That's what we're gonna find out.Not that big a store, it's kinda hard to lose.Not that big a store, it's kinda hard to lose.Do I look like their keeper?I don't know nothin'. I got nothin' to do with it.I don't know nothin'. I got nothin' to do with it.The only place we haven't looked is the loading dock.The only place we haven't looked is the loading dock.Couldn't just disappear.David Plans His Escape, explained
What's really going on
The chapter is about a group running out of reasons to stay. The threat outside is terrible, but the pressure inside is worse: a woman's sermons are "getting people whipped up," and grief for Joe turns into a search for someone to blame. Everyone is measuring the same two bad options. One survivor says it plainly: "I'd rather die out there trying than in here waiting." That line sets the film's whole second half in motion — once waiting feels like a slow death, the mist becomes the lesser danger. David's counter-instinct is to slow down and ask what they are up against, which is why he wants to question the soldiers instead of just fleeing blind.
Theme
SurvivalTrapped between monsters outside and a mob inside, the survivors weigh two kinds of death and choose to move.
FaithMrs. Carmody turns fear into sermons, offering 'expiation' as the answer and gaining followers as hope runs out.
What you'll learn
- Notice how "for these" changes the exchange.
- Listen for the attitude carried by "for these".
- Try the phrase in a comparable conversation.
Listen for
- passed out — liaison
- keep them away — liaison
- find out — liaison
I'd rather die out there trying than in here waiting.A declaration that staying put is its own death sentence; the speaker chooses action over a slow, trapped end.
I just shut down for a while.The speaker reframes passing out as a machine switching off — not sleep but a system giving way under too much.
We were just too late.The blunt verdict on Joe's death: not fate or evil, just the group's failure to reach him in time.
It's the only place they can be.A logical guess that narrows the search to the loading dock — the last unchecked corner of the store.
Questions about this scene
Why is David asleep when the scene begins?
He collapsed after the events at the pharmacy and was out for most of the day; when he wakes, he learns Joe died of his burns while he slept.
Why do some survivors want to leave the store?
The mist outside is deadly, but the store has become a place where a preacher is gaining power and people are turning on each other. They would rather take their chances on the road.
What does "at bay" mean in Mrs. Carmody's sermon?
To keep something at bay is to hold it off or keep it from getting close. She is asking what will keep the creatures and evil away, and offering her own answer.
Who is the private David wants to question?
One of the soldiers from the nearby base, who was with the MP at the pharmacy. David hopes he knows what the mist is and what the base was working on.
The Mist · 11 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 10point the fingerThe Arrowhead Project Revealed
Chapter 1the end of daysThe Mist Reaches the Store
Chapter 2sense of proportionDavid Argues With His Neighbor
Chapter 3at stakeDavid Argues the Mist Is Real
Chapter 4meet one's makerMrs. Carmody Preaches the End
Chapter 5tightly woundThe Group Debates Seeking Rescue
Chapter 6for the bestAftermath at the Grocery Store
Chapter 7cut and runThe Crowd Turns on David
Chapter 8leave well enough aloneCarmody Blocks the Pharmacy Run
Watching · Chapter 9at bayDavid Plans His Escape
Chapter 10point the fingerThe Arrowhead Project Revealed
Chapter 11wait and seeDavid Promises Billy He'll Never LeaveChapter 9 of 11 · about 11 min to go