eric runs out on to the beach. the only sounds are his feet pounding the pebbles and his hurtful panting.
carter is gaining on eric rapidly. eric looks round and panics. he stumbles and falls over.
on the other side of the headland, the scene is extraordinary. the deserted beach is like the edge of the world. the sand is black as far as the eye can see. it's littered with rubbish. several old lorries are sunk deep in the sand. high, grass-covered cliffs flank it on the left. it's deserted.
eric nears the line of buckets and cuts inland towards the mine. carter has nearly caught up. the buckets grind and crash as they move along the cable.
eric's body, loaded on to a a coal bucket, moves off on it's final journey. carter, laughing, walks beside it, gun riding on his shoulder. the bucket shudders and grinds as it moves along the cable. eric's body moves of on its final journey. it reaches the end of the line, where an automatic catch tilts it. eric's body drops into the sea. the coal slag follows in a cloud of black dust. the waves pass over and everything is gone.