Jeremiah (2002) s01e01 Episode Script
The Long Road (1)
(Jeremiah) Dear dad, I think about you every day.
The end of your world, the beginning of mine.
6 billion lights that went out in 6 months.
6 billion lives lost to a mystery.
All the mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, over the age of innocence.
I'm 15 years full of missing you, but I keep you alive In my words.
I know you.
I have a warning for you.
And a blessing.
They're the same thing.
More efficient that way.
The thunder will change you forever.
But everyone you love will fall at the end of the world.
[thunder clapping.]
What's that supposed-- (Jeremiah) I think about you every day.
well, Jeremiah, have you decided you like fishing? Devon, there's a phone call.
It's the lab.
They say there've been 10 more deaths in New Delhi, and 3 this morning in Paris.
(Jeremiah) The end of your world (female reporter) Public concern continues to grow with mass panic across the globe as the virus continues to kill anyone above the age of puberty.
(Jeremiah) The beginning of mine.
(Devon) Jeremiah listen to me.
If anything should happen to me and your mother, I want you to watch out for yourself and your brother.
I want you to promise me that you'll take care of them now.
He's too young to understand.
Promise me.
(Jeremiah) The end of your world there's one last plane for Valhalla Sector in an hour.
I promise we'll be back in less than an hour, OK? (Jeremiah) The beginning of mine.
(Devon) What's causing this can't affect you directly.
You're too young.
(Jeremiah) The end.
[alarm beeping.]
(Jeremiah) The beginning.
(woman) Stop, thief! [people yelling.]
(Michael) Jeremiah! [gasping.]
[water splashing.]
[bird cawing.]
[bird hooting.]
[rustling.]
[twanging.]
Shit! Oh, shit.
Ow! [coughing.]
Listen, listen, I--I--I'm sorry about your fish.
I didn't know they were yours.
I--I didn't see nobody-- [gasping.]
[sighs.]
OK.
OK, so what you're saying is you're pissed.
Well, look, look, I'm sorry I took your goddamned fish, OK? But you didn't have to go tying me up and shit.
Uh, what if something happened to you over there, huh? Like-- I don't know, maybe you--you--you--you choke on a fish bone or something, and I'm over here stuck, all tied up, huh? Then I'd be fucked.
I would be so completely, supremely, eternally fucked that-- I don't even think there's a word for that level of fuckosity.
You know what I'm sayin'? Look, it's-- it's just that I haven't eaten in the last few days, OK? And I'm--I'm--I'm just hungry.
All right? I'm I'm just hungry.
That's all.
Wait--wait a minute.
Wait, look, look.
What the fuck? I said I was sorry.
What--what're you-- What're you going to do? Look, I--I said I was sorry, man.
I said I was sorry.
Next time, try asking.
[ropes snapping.]
I caught plenty, more than I could eat by myself.
I can't exactly freeze the rest.
Figured I'd take them into Clarefield tomorrow, trade 'em for some supplies.
I can spare a couple.
Do you want 'em or not? So why Clarefield? You know, there's another town a lot closer.
I hear a lot of people have been going to Clarefield lately for trade.
Maybe I'm looking to find something.
What's that? End of the story.
You got a name? Kurdy.
Kurdy? Your name is Kurdy? Yeah, it is.
What of it? Oh, I know.
"What the hell kind of name Is Kurdy?" Well, go ahead, I've heard all the jokes.
"Kurdy must be wordy.
" "Look at little kurdy-birdy up in the tree.
" "Dirty-kurdy, nerdy-kurdy, purdy-kurdy.
" Oh, yeah, "turdy-kurdy.
" See, I've heard 'em all before, so, go ahead, you just take your best shot.
I was just going to say I knew a guy in Seattle named Kurdy.
He, uh, he had a snake tattooed all up his left side.
Oh.
Good guy, you know, stand-up guy.
Just hadn't heard the name since.
OK.
Fine.
I'm sorry I blew up.
Yeah, it's OK.
After a while you get so tired-- It's OK.
Forget about it.
What about you? What's your name? Jeremiah.
Jeremiah.
Can't do much with that.
Nope.
You live around here? I'm just passing through.
[laughing.]
Well, who isn't? Uh, man, I've been on the road for so long, it's all I remember.
I mean, that's why I Well, you--you know the laws of the road: You see food, you take it, 'cause you never know when you're gonna see it again.
Hey, you want to see somethin'? I found this in the back of a store 2 years ago.
Rock candy.
Stays fresh forever.
I've been holdin' onto this for a special occasion.
Haven't had one yet.
Haven't even seen one.
So, uh, how old were you when it-- I don't want to talk about that, OK? Yeah.
It helps to think about the way things were before, you know, sometimes it gives you something to shoot for.
There wasn't no other time.
Not for me.
And not for mostly everybody else.
I don't remember what went on before, and I don't give a shit.
As far as I'm concerned, the only world that matters is this one, because this is the one I've got to live in.
Now, what came before, what comes after, other people's shit, it's not my problem, you know.
Sometimes.
Other times You know, my dad always said that, uh, other people's problems are everybody's problems.
Otherwise it all falls apart.
Well, I don't mean to alarm you or anything, but it already has fallen apart.
I don't even remember my father, so I sure as shit don't care what yours had to say about any goddamn thing.
Hey, what are you doin'? Writing a letter.
A letter? Well, how the hell you figure on mailin' it? I'd say that's my problem, wouldn't you? [sighs.]
[bird calling.]
[people chattering.]
[chickens clucking.]
(seller) Come on.
All right, people, listen up.
I'm looking for cans of milk.
I've got 6 bullets to trade off, here.
I'm giving 2 bullets for a can of milk.
People, talk to me.
You won't get a deal like this anywhere.
Step up, step up.
Look at that.
Come on, now.
Come on.
Cheese.
That'll do, that'll do.
I'll give you 2 bullets for that.
[people chattering.]
(seller) I've got 2.
Count them, 2 fully charged "d" batteries.
Fuck you.
Nobody's got batteries anymore.
You can't charge them past a certain point.
I said fully charged, and I meant fully charged.
Money back.
Guaranteed to work.
What're you asking in trade? Coffee.
Whole bean, ground, freeze dried.
I don't care just as long as it's coffee.
Coffee? The last boat from South America came in 15 years ago.
Or gas.
I'll take gasoline in trade.
Get out of here.
If we had gas, we could charge our own damned batteries.
Nobody's holding gas.
[woman screaming.]
OK, nobody moves! Jimmy, Dex, get the stuff! Hurry up! No, please.
Look, look.
They're all I've got.
I said, let go.
[whistle blowing.]
[people screaming.]
(man) Watch out! [groaning.]
[grunting.]
Clear! Pickup.
[boys panting.]
[goat bleating.]
[sighing.]
(man) Are you OK? [crowd murmuring.]
Anybody hurt? (woman) No.
(man #1) No.
Well, all right.
(man #2) Is he all right? (Colin) Are you Theo? I've--I've heard a lot about you.
it's an honor.
What do you want? Those are my batteries.
I came here to sell them.
I can give you a good price.
Look out! [gun firing.]
[grunting.]
Are you OK? Well, generally, I prefer to be on top, and usually there are flowers involved, but, yeah, I'm OK.
Good.
[rooster crowing.]
Uh, wait, wait, you didn't pay me for-- I don't pay for anything I already own.
And if they're in my hand, well, I own them.
That's not fair.
One thing for another.
Excuse me? "One thing for another.
" That's what the sign says.
That's the law of the marketplace.
You made the rules.
You hung the sign.
I figure you ought to abide by them, same as everyone else.
[scoffing.]
Yeah.
Sure, why not? Anything of value you find on him, it's yours.
I don't know if this guy-- Say, "thank you, Theo.
" Thank you, Theo.
You're welcome.
Sam, you ever seen that guy before? (Sam) No.
He must have just rolled in today.
Send him my way when you get a chance, and anybody else who just got into town.
Yeah, all right.
Look, maybe it's gone.
I mean, we're not even sure what it was-- Shh.
[beeping.]
[sighing.]
A signal.
Whoever it is, they're back.
I had my boys check the signal strength.
They think it's real close, maybe even right here in town.
Somebody's got a radio! And a radio means transmitters and receivers.
And that means you've got electricity-- (Sam) Or batteries.
And a way to keep them charged.
And that means resources.
And resources means-- That means the end of the world.
Find them, Sam.
Find them.
It's important.
[chuckling.]
[people chattering.]
[music playing.]
What'll you have? What've you got? Bathtub gin, bathtub vodka, fresh-made whiskey that's gonna take all your chits and half your brain cells.
And some local brewed beer.
Tastes like rat piss, but after about 4 glasses, you really don't care anymore.
Beer.
(woman) I ran into this guy who made it as far as Chicago, and he says the big death ain't permanent.
(man) What do you mean, "it ain't permanent"? Dead is dead.
Yeah, unless they were just asleep.
You know, some kind of sleep so deep that no one could tell they were still alive.
I've heard of diseases like that.
It could've been like an infection.
Exactly.
So this guy says that every night, all over Chicago, the dead come back, wandering the streets, looking for their lost kids.
Quite a bunch, huh? They come in here every night trying to figure out what the hell happened.
It gets crazier every time.
Geniuses and philosophers, every one of them.
How about you? You got a theory? Me? I've got 9 chits, this beer, you to talk to.
I don't need a theory.
Best answer I've heard all night.
Next one's on me.
[grunting.]
Hey.
Listen, I saw what you did out there.
It was very cool.
There's not many people that stand up to Theo like that.
Well, not many people still living, anyway.
Why'd you do it? I guess the same reason anybody does anything.
It seemed like the right thing to do at the time.
Well, that puts you in the minority.
See, most people, they tend to do the most convenient thing.
The right thing? Well, that's a little harder to do.
My name's Simon.
Jeremiah.
Jeremiah, my friends and I were thinking that we could use a man like you.
My gate doesn't swing that way.
No, no, no, no.
This is a job.
It might be the most important job anyone can think of.
We could use guys like you: People who aren't afraid to stand up, who haven't given up on the dream of making something that's Something that's better than this.
No.
I've been hustled too many times.
Everybody's got some big idea how they want to rebuild the world.
I don't buy into that shit.
I just go my own way.
Simon, we've got to go.
Our appointment.
Right.
Well, we'll talk again later.
(man #1) You are so full of crap.
(woman) No, I'm not.
It's totally true.
this guy was serious.
(man #2) That is unbelievable.
How many drinks did this guy have? None.
None.
He's totally serious.
OK, I heard that there are armies building up on the East Coast of China, getting ready to move in.
They probably started this.
Will you give it a break? Jesus.
Look, I've been on the road a long time, and if there was walking armies and dead folks, I would've seen it.
You want to know what happened? What I think really happened? Somebody fucked up! [music stops.]
Something got loose that wasn't meant to get loose.
Somebody grew this thing in a lab, and he felt real proud of himself.
And he thought how smart he was, and how he was going to get a raise and be real important.
Only one day, that thing in the lab got bigger than he was.
And it bit him.
And it escaped out into the world, and the dying started.
All because of one asshole with too much time on his hands.
[sighs.]
So, like, did this guy say he'd actually seen dead folks walking around Chicago? [music starts.]
Come on.
3 cans of food for 2 chits? Are you feebed out or what? That's the price, man.
Take it or split.
Jeez.
At least Jesse James had a horse.
Who's Jesse James? I don't know.
It's something my dad used to say.
Look, man, 3 cans of food is--is too high.
It's freaking extortion.
I mean, not that I can't afford it.
It's just the principle of the thing, you know? (Sam) We called you as soon as my guys found it.
Figured you'd want to have one of your boys look at it, too, huh? Keith, check it out.
Careful, now.
It might be booby-trapped.
It's probably got a 20-gallon tank.
30, when you add those 2 cans of reserve.
Assuming it gets 25 miles a gallon, we're talking a range of 750 miles.
Gas tank reads half-full.
Assuming they haven't set up any fuel depots between here and the car's point of origin, that means wherever it came from is within a distance of 375 miles.
Theo, check this out.
[radio beeping.]
Huh? Same signal.
The one we heard earlier, baby.
Yeah, you were right.
Means somebody's been spying on our little operation.
(Keith) Hey, Theo.
Some of these recent modifications suggest the use of power tools, access to equipment, cars, gasoline.
Whoever this belongs to, they represent a significant danger.
Or an opportunity.
Sam, I want guards posted around the clock.
Whoever left this here will be coming back for it sooner or later.
And I want 'em alive.
Got it.
[music playing.]
[people chattering.]
And I've got some pretty big plans for the future.
Mmm-hmm.
See, I've been stashing stuff away ever since before.
And with everybody running out of everything, pretty soon, it's going to be time to start trading it all in.
I'm going to be wheelin', dealin', buyin', sellin'.
And before it's all over with, I'm going to be so set for life.
Now I figure if you, uh, come with me, we could probably work something out.
Do you know how many other guys have come in here with that line today? No, for real.
I've got it-- In storage back home, right, where no one can find it? Give me a break.
No, uh, hey, I've got all kinds of stuff, woman, y-y-you not knowing.
Let me show you, OK? I've got this little place I can take you to.
I've never shown it to anybody.
Another one.
Hey, Kurdy.
How are you doin'? Bitchin'.
Good.
That's real good.
Hi.
I'm cherysse.
I'm Jeremiah.
Old friend of Kurdy's.
Hi, Jeremiah.
You know, I couldn't help but notice this morning how you took delivery of that load of fish that we discussed the other day.
Now, you remember our little discussion, don't you? Yeah.
Yeah, I remember the discussion.
See, he's just got so much stuff, it's hard to keep track of.
That little, uh, deposit we talked about, the, uh, finder's fee.
Shouldn't be a problem, right? No, it's not a problem.
No problem at all.
I've got it right here.
Thanks.
Pleasure doing business with you, Kurdy.
Oh, and, uh, take care of my friend, will you? He's loaded.
I think we can work something out.
[sighs.]
Thanks for not ratting me out.
Yeah, well, we're even now.
That's what matters.
Sure you know what you're doing? Don't have a clue.
But she's got a sweet face.
And you don't see that many sweet faces around here, you know? No, I guess you don't.
Good luck.
Thanks.
I owe you one.
Mmm.
[groans.]
Theo wants to see you.
this way.
Now my day's complete.
You're sure this is the right place? This is where they said to wait.
Then where the hell are they? I don't know.
[bell ringing.]
[wind blowing.]
Oh, dear God.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, yeah, baby, that's good.
Just like that.
Come on, baby.
Come on.
Wait, wait.
Not so fast.
Oh, no, no.
Fast is better.
Fast is better! Come on! Look, I just want to-- What? [panting.]
What's your name? I told you, it's cherysse.
Is that your real name, or is that name you use downstairs? What does that have to do with anything? Why do you need to know my real name? Well, I don't know.
I just do-- Baby, baby, there'll be plenty of time for that later.
Now, come on.
Come on.
Give it up for cherysse! Come on.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, yeah! That's great, baby.
Come on! [dog barking.]
(Theo) Come on.
Nice place.
One of my brain boys calls it postmodern entropy.
I don't know what it means.
But I sure like the way it sounds.
Yeah, after the big death, the first places we burned down were the schools.
That just goes to show you how stupid we are, because they had civil defense shelters, fences.
Roofs you can secure.
[scoffing.]
And the basketball courts keep everybody happy.
What's this all about? I ask anybody new in town to come by for a chat.
I like to keep up on what's happening outside, find out about any new players before they come knocking at my front door.
Not much to say.
Say it anyway.
I've got time.
Well I have seen more raiding parties than usual, up around the border.
They seem to be ranging further afield to find their supplies.
More and more people are fighting over the pieces left of the old world.
I hear the skinheads have about taken over Montana, and, uh, they're making moves around here.
Hmm.
They always were pretty well organized.
It must be all that marchin' up and down.
Chicago, Detroit, New York, the big cities Pretty much empty.
You can't grow food on concrete, and nobody's bringing it in.
The best places I hear about are in the south: Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina.
Farming's come back.
You can pick your dinner right off the trees.
Is that where you're headed? No.
I'm looking for someplace.
Well, hey, aren't we all? What place? Valhalla sector.
Valhalla? [laughing.]
Now, the only Valhalla I ever heard of was in a book.
Some kind of an afterlife, heaven.
Somethin' like that.
But not a real place.
What's that? Some--some kind of a town or somethin'? I don't know.
Just some place I heard my dad mentioned.
he, uh Some place he needed to go.
Your dad is dead, Jeremiah.
Everybody's dad is dead.
I know.
It just, uh, seemed really important to him and, uh, I kind of want to know how the story ends, you know? It's like a door in my head.
I can't shut it until I find it.
What do you know about the end of the world? I got over it.
No, the end of the world.
That's a place where all the stuff of the old world still works.
They've got electricity, guns, all the food you can eat.
That's just a story.
Like, uh, the dead walking around Chicago.
I don't buy it.
Yeah, well, we'll see.
One other thing.
You saved my life out there today.
Now, that doesn't happen every day.
So I figure that deserves some kind of thanks.
You found a bed yet? No, not yet.
But if you're offering No, not like that, sugar.
[scoffs.]
Not yet, anyway.
Let me show you around.
You like what you see, you can stay on for a few days.
Come on! Let me show you the world accordin' to Theo.
What is it? Something's wrong.
Somebody's been here.
We'd better get out of here now.
[grunting.]
[crowd chanting.]
Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Hey, boys, how's it hangin'? (all) Hey, Theo.
Yeah, what y'all got for me today? Prep the engine.
But it still needs more testing.
I said, do it.
It'll just be a minute.
How'd you ever get all this stuff together? After the big death, when the world turned into camps-- Big kids against small kids, boys against girls, dumb kids against smart kids, I knew I had to get protection.
I had to invest in the future.
I got the jocks to protect me and do all the heavy lifting, and my boys here to do all the heavy thinking.
There were books on how to build a nuclear power plant or make phones work.
But you had to understand all the stuff leading up to that to know what the hell was in those books.
Am I right? Most of us here have been with Theo since the beginning.
She, uh, lets us read all the time.
We don't have to work.
She finds books for us, and looks after us.
We, uhEven get laid sometimes.
Yeah, and in return, we get goodies that help keep things moving forward.
We're ready here.
(Keith) Now, it took us a while to get all the parts we needed.
Every town has its supplies, but they don't like to share because they don't want anybody getting an unfair advantage.
What is it? It's a steam engine.
[engine revving.]
Watch.
(Phil) It's only a prototype.
We just started wiring it into the system here to see how far we could power up the lights.
Pretty soon, we think we can light up the whole building.
[laughing.]
Whoo! Whoo! That's my boys.
Oh, I love you guys.
Hey, cheerleaders for everybody! whoo! [inaudible.]
I've got to go.
You're free to stay here as long as you like.
(Theo) You know, I've met some guys That like to get hurt before.
but you are taking it to a completely new level, Simon.
Where did you come from? OK.
Then why don't you tell me what this is, hmm? Sam says you had it hidden in your back pocket, fought like hell to keep him from taking it.
This must be important.
Oh, well.
I did TryTo be Civil! I'll tell you what.
I'm going to ask you one question, just one.
Answer it, and all y'all can go.
Where is the end of the world? I saw your car.
It had to come from someplace with more resources than we've got.
Where did you get it? Where is the end of the world? It's closer-- [spits.]
It's closer than you think.
You think we're playing some kind of fucking game here? Is that what you think? Let's play! No! [gun firing.]
Where is it? There is no such place.
[scoffs.]
You know what? The last time I did this Hah! The last time I did this Whoo! I got so pissed, I screwed up and pulled the trigger.
You remember that, Sam, don't you? You see, I've got this temper.
It's such a burden, you see.
Whoo.
Hang on now.
Let me think through this now.
Because if I kill you, and I kill him, then, well, there ain't going to be nobody left to answer my question, is there? [sighs.]
So maybe I will just try another one.
Did anybody else come here with you? No.
(Sam) He's lying, Theo.
I seen him talking to your new pal down at the club.
Find him.
Get him here.
Now, you see? You see how good it is to be observant? Let's all hear it for Sammy.
[grunting.]
No! You bastards! [dog barking.]
Hey.
So, uh How'd it go? OK.
Oh, just OK? She wasn't what I was looking for.
[laughing.]
Now, don't get me wrong, she was great.
It cost me 4 cans of food and a chunk of beef jerky.
But she just wasn't it.
Well, what are you looking for? Hell if I know.
I'll know when I see it, though.
You know, I heard this place was making a big comeback.
But now I'm here, I don't think so.
No.
[grunts.]
Why is it nothing is ever as good as it's supposed to be? Oh, you mean Her? No, no, no, not her.
OK.
Well, yeah, her, too, I guess.
It's like you sit down and eat, right? And whatever's on the next guy's plate is always better than what you've got.
I mean, it's like, if I've got chicken and he's got chicken, he's got a bigger piece.
You know, or--or--or it's crunchier.
And I like my food crispy-crunchy.
You know what I'm saying? Oh, yeah, crunchy's good.
But it's never right, man.
It's never the way it's supposed to be.
Never the way you think it's going to be.
You get a new shirt, it's either too small or it itches.
You get to a new town and they've got running water, they've also got running rats.
And everything breaks before it's supposed to.
It sucks! Yeah.
You think it was like this before? Probably not.
Yeah, probably not.
Probably nothing ever broke before.
Oh, I don't know.
Something sure did or the world wouldn't look like this.
You've got that right.
[sighing.]
Look, I was thinking.
You know, you-- You're kind of odd.
Not in a bad way.
You--you--you've got a lot happening up here.
You know, and most of these guys around here, man, they act like they know what's up.
But they don't.
But you, though, it's like you're the man with the plan.
You've definitely got something going on, and I like that.
And I don't have it all figured out, but I was thinking that maybe me and you can work together.
You know, I--I watch your back, and you let me know what it is you're after.
You in? I'll think about it.
I'll get back to you.
(man) Theo wants you, Jeremiah.
Guys, not now, OK? Tell Theo if I want to be hassled, do it before 6:00.
Shit.
[grunting.]
Come on.
Give me a hand.
This is not my problem.
It's not my problem.
I mean, he didn't say yes, he just said, "I'll think about it.
" I sat here and poured my heart out, and he just said, "I'll think about it.
" you think about it.
(Theo) You know, it doesn't have To be like this.
if we combined our resources, work together, do you have any idea what we could accomplish? I know what it takes to get by out here, to survive, to organize, get people to do what I want.
I learned hard, but fast.
Yeah, those first few years, huh! The things I had to do just to survive.
Girls had it worst of anybody, you know? Is that so? Mmm-hmm.
Yeah, when the big death hit, anybody above puberty died fast, and bad.
So for everybody on the edge, when it happened, oh, well, it gave the idea of hitting puberty a lot more terror than the need to go find a tampon, you know what I'm saying? You see, with a girl, the moment you hit puberty, you know it.
With guys, it takes 10, 15 years to notice a difference, but we knew it right off.
We had to live with the terror: "am I going to die now? Is it my turn?" we had no idea the big death was over.
We didn't know that son of a bitch was so fast that it killed off everybody who carried it, so that by the time we started pumping out those hormones, there was nobody left to infect us.
We knew none of that.
So, you'll excuse me if it left some of us just a little bit fucked up.
If you get somewhere near a point soon, you just send up a flare, OK? I'm saying you had it easy.
You don't know what it takes to survive out here.
From what I understand, you guys have all the comforts of home at the end of the world.
There is no such place.
I want what you've got.
And if you won't give it to me, I'll take it one way or another.
[door opening.]
There you go, boss.
He's got nothing to do with this.
Yeah? Well, how come we saw him talking to you two clowns at the club, huh? He was talking real quiet and intense-like, you know? A couple of the other guys saw him, too.
Mmm-hmm.
Boy, you get around, don't you? Is that why you saved my life, to get close to me, learn more about my setup? I don't know what you're talking about.
I met these guys at the bar and we talked a little bit.
That's it.
(Theo) Put him in the cage.
Put both of 'em in the cage.
(Sam) All right.
[footsteps thumping.]
[grunting.]
Are you all right? I'm OK.
I'm OK.
How's he doing? He's bleeding to death.
Mmm-mmm-mmm.
Slow, bad way to go.
I can take care of that.
[gun firing.]
(Simon) No! [Simon grunting.]
I'm tired of fucking around with y'all.
You either give me what I want or he's next, and you When we're through with you, you're gonna wish you were dead.
Now, you decide if this is something really worth dying for.
Do you mind telling me what the hell his is all about? She thinks the end of the world is a real place.
Did you tell her that it's not, that it's just some goddamned story? Yes, I did.
She didn't believe me.
Why not? 'cause it is real.
(woman) And I was talking with people today from back east, they said the government's coming back.
Not that again.
They say it's been slow.
But things are gonna improve around here real soon.
We're going to have running water, power, everything we-- Is that a-- Yes, it is, and if you don't mind, I'd like to continue eating in peace, thank you.
I haven't seen a stick of candy like that in-- Where'd you get it? Well, I'm really not supposed to tell.
Where? It fell off a truck, OK? What truck? Who's got a truck? Look, I will get in serious trouble if I say anything-- What truck? (Kurdy) OK, all right.
Relax.
(woman) Check it out.
Check it out.
It's just like you were saying about the government coming back.
it's true.
They've had the red cross sending in supplies for about 6 months now.
Man, they've got food, they've got blankets, they've got candy.
If they've been sending in all this stuff, how come we haven't seen any of it? 'cause Theo's been grabbing it all.
You are so full of shit.
Wait a minute.
I saw a big truck going into Theo's place tonight.
All covered up with tarps so you couldn't see what was on it.
Guards all over the place.
I asked what was so important.
And they said to mind my own business or I'd find myself dead.
[crowd exclaiming.]
They've got a truck? With gas? Where the hell are they getting gas? Same place they got this.
See, the way I hear it, they've been bagging stuff earmarked for this whole town for months now.
And now that they've got everything they need, they're gonna steal the whole thing, split town, and sell it on the black market.
Leave everybody here high and dry.
Hey, hey, hey, hey.
I don't buy it.
The only evidence you've got is that stupid piece of candy.
Do you see anybody else here willing to back you up? You? You? [crowd chattering.]
There you go.
See, I ain't taking on Theo.
(Carol) He's telling the truth.
Had a guy come in here earlier from the red cross.
Had I.
D.
And everything.
Said they'd sent him out here to check things out.
Make sure the stuff was getting to the right people.
Now all of a sudden, he's gone.
Must've been that guy they jumped a little while ago.
They took him up to Theo's place.
You know, this is all starting to fit.
I was talking to a friend there.
They've got electricity now, guys.
[crowd exclaiming.]
They've got power, they've got gas, and they've got food.
We ain't getting shit! (all) Yeah! Now they're going to run out on us! Like hell! I'm going up there and I'm taking what's mine.
(all) Yeah! [all yelling.]
Thanks.
It's OK.
I was planning on leaving town anyway.
I'm sorry, Jeremiah.
I should never have involved you in all this.
It's funny.
She--she spends all this time looking for something.
Finally she has it, she doesn't even realize she's got it.
This place that Theo calls the end of the world, does it go by any other names? Yeah, it does-- Is one of them Valhalla sector? No.
How do you-- How do you know the name of Valhalla sector? Shh.
I heard something.
[crowd yelling.]
Open this gate! Theo, open the gate! What the Come on.
What the hell is going on? We've come to get back what's ours! (crowd) Yeah! What's going on? I don't know.
I can't tell.
It's too dark.
Is Theo in trouble? What part of "I can't tell" couldn't you understand? There's no way to tell how many people there are out there.
Yeah, but we can fix that.
Get the engine ready.
We're taking it to the max.
We've got a freaking riot out there! come on! We need everybody we can get.
Oh, hey, man! You've been robbing us blind for months! Robbing you? Are you out of your fucking minds? If it wasn't for me, you would be dead by now! What's in the truck, Theo? What's in the truck you brought in today, huh? (crowd) Yeah! That's none of your business.
(crowd) Oh! And where'd you get gas for a truck, when you said you don't have gas to heat the town? Hurry up.
Hurry up! Come on.
Go! Come on, come on.
Go, go, go, go, go! [crowd yelling.]
Y'all need to get to stepping before I get pissed off.
You've got it all: Food, gas, electricity.
(Theo) You know, you are out of your mind, you know that? I keep trying to tell y'all, we don't have any electricity here! [electric buzzing.]
Contact.
[crowd stops yelling.]
Well, shit.
(man) Let's get her! [engine starting.]
Hang on.
Goddamn, we're gonna make it.
[knocking on door.]
We finally got rid of the last of them, Theo.
But we lost 2 of our trucks, one of our guys, and the prisoners got away.
Put the word out.
We'll trade food for information.
Whoever turns them in can come in here and take whatever he wants, however much he can carry.
I'm sorry, Theo.
Find 'em, Sam.
Whatever it takes, however long it takes, I don't care.
This is important.
Find 'em! [tires screeching.]
All right.
I think we made it.
[horn honking.]
Simon! Simon! (Jeremiah) Oh, fuck! He's been hit.
(Kurdy) How bad? It's bad.
[grunting.]
Here, sit him down.
Oh, man.
We have--have to Warn the-- Warn the others.
There's a radio on the Rover.
(Jeremiah) It's broken.
It's shot up.
No, no.
Listen-- Listen to me.
I want-- I want you to take this.
There's--there's a map under the rear axle.
There's a hidden compartment there.
And I want you to take this back to Thunder Mountain.
I want you to p-promise me that y-you'll tell 'em, that you'll warn 'em.
Tell 'em what? What? It's coming.
It's coming again.
Prom-- Promise me that you'll tell 'em.
I promise.
You could've helped.
I don't touch dead guys.
Thunder Mountain, huh? Only Thunder Mountain I've ever heard of was in Disneyland.
Now, why would he want us drive this Rover all the way to California? I don't think he meant that Thunder Mountain.
There's another one.
I heard about it a long time ago.
He's got contacts all over the place: C.
D.
C.
, Thunder Mountain, Wright-Patterson.
If anyone can get us on a plane to Valhalla sector, it's max.
It doesn't matter either way.
I mean, we've got the car, man.
Do you know what we can get for this thing? Do you have any idea what we have-- We're not selling it.
What do you mean, we're not selling it? What good's it gonna do us to keep it? Sooner or later, it's gonna run out of gas, and we don't have the resources-- We're not selling it, we're not keeping it, we're taking it back, just like he asked.
You're shitting me.
Do I look like I'm shitting you? I mean, seriously, is my face twitching or something that I don't know about? I've got your twitch.
We've got something valuable here.
You can't just throw it away.
I mean Why? Because I think it's important.
I think he knew something about Valhalla sector.
Besides, I promised him I would.
Oh, you are nuts, you know that? You are messed up.
Because you promised him? Let it go, will you? Look, I'm talking to you--hey! The last day I saw my father alive, I promised him I would take care of my little brother, 'cause he couldn't take care of himself, he was too young and he didn't understand, and And what? Well, do you see a little brother standing beside me? Do you? He's dead.
Because I let my guard down for just a minute because I was tired.
He was just being a kid, and I just didn't want to Look, I screwed up one promise, and I am not going to screw up another.
This car is half mine.
My half's going to Thunder Mountain.
Fine, I'm going with you.
Suit yourself.
Keep an eye on my investment.
And hey, when we get to wherever the hell it is we're going, and we find there's nothing there, we do things my way, OK? OK? I'll think about it.
[engine starting.]
[engine starting.]
Hey, hey, hey! Hey, hold up! Slow down, quick draw.
I want you to know, I was only mostly done.
Well, I guess I timed it about right, then.
Damn door.
[yawning.]
[tires screeching.]
So, uh What're you doing? Waiting for a call.
Oh.
[crow cawing.]
(Kurdy) I don't like this, man.
Are you sure there isn't another way? (Jeremiah) Yeah, about 10 miles back that way.
[skinheads chattering.]
(leader) 600 years ago, [skinheads yelling.]
The black death wiped out most of Europe.
They thought it was the end of the world.
Just like we did when the big death hit.
But it isn't.
It's another chapter in our struggle against the inferior breeds who brought the big death to our families and our parents.
You see, mass death like this is just [woman sobbing.]
Nature's way of saying there's too many people breeding too quickly.
(skinhead #1) We need purity! (leader) Now, if we'd kept things pure, then it would've hit Africa and it would've hit Israel, or China, or Mexico, and left us alone! (skinhead #2) That's right! (leader) But because they were here and multiplying like there was no tomorrow, my brothers, there almost was no tomorrow.
(skinhead #3) White power! (leader) But in the new world, we will not make that mistake again.
We're gonna clean up this mess once and for all! [all yelling.]
(leader) We caught these racial inferiors trying to settle in our area.
(man) Force 'em out! White power! Our people are looking for the rest of them and we shall have them within a few days.
(man) Yeah! Let's do this! Get in there! (leader) And when we have them all gathered together, we'll proceed with a mass execution unlike anything you've seen before.
[woman sobbing.]
(skinhead #4) Damn 'em! Let me at 'em! (leader) We will send a message and make it clear that some things will not be tolerated.
And we will strike a blow for purity that will be heard clear across the country! [all agreeing.]
Come on, what are you waiting for? What about those people? What are we supposed to do, Jeremiah? Take on a whole army by ourselves? You think I don't want to help? Now get in the freakin' car, man.
[engine starting.]
[crickets chirping.]
(Kurdy) Hey, Jeremiah? Yeah? Remember I told you that I didn't remember anything from before? Uh-huh.
Well, it's not exactly true.
There's one thing I do remember: (Kurdy) Stars.
[inaudible.]
I remember the stars were a lot brighter then.
Yeah, yeah, I think they were.
Night, Kurdy.
Yeah.
Just like I thought.
There's nothing here, man.
It's sealed and dead.
Sealed, yeah Not dead.
[engine revving.]
[tires screeching.]
Now what the hell did you do that for? Old chain, new lock.
That's a goddamn big door.
Yeah, it had to be big.
Thunder Mountain.
That was NORAD's name for this place.
NORAD? North American aerospace defense.
They built it deep inside the mountain.
In the event of a nuclear attack, it'd be safe.
My dad said if the end of the world ever came, this place would survive.
Well, I guess he was wrong.
There's no way in.
I mean, you could chip away at this thing for years and not get through.
We may not have to.
[beeps.]
[metallic clanging.]
[machinery humming.]
Holy shit.
Uh, I'm not going in there with you.
Suit yourself.
I'm not going in there with you, I'm going in with what's gonna be my car after whatever's in there eats your ass.
[scoffs.]
Come on.
Let's go! [engine starting.]
[guns cocking.]
Did I mention in the last 5 minutes that coming here was a stupid idea? 3 times.
Just checkin'.
We finished going over the Rover.
The blood type matches one of the people we sent out with it.
Well, I told you, he was shot and killed when we tried to get away.
(Lee) Was that before or after you stole the Rover? We didn't steal it.
He gave it to us.
An expensive piece of equipment like that, and he just gave it to you, because you seemed like good guys and he knew you'd come all this way to return it? Something like that.
Well, you know what I think happened? I think you ambushed them.
(Lee) You figured wherever this came from, there might be more Goodies to steal.
so you tortured them until you found Out where they came from.
and then you killed them.
That's a lie.
Bullet holes in the rear and side of the Rover, signs of a struggle, blood, that's all the proof I need.
Look, we told you what happened.
You don't believe us, fine, but it's the truth.
We came here to give you back the Rover.
And a message.
What's the message? I'll give it to the guy in charge here and nobody else.
(Marcus) That would be me.
Marcus? you don't have to get into this.
I know, Lee.
I want to.
[buzzing.]
Who the hell are you? Marcus Alexander.
I'm "the guy In charge here.
" and I'm here to say 3 very important words to you: I believe you.
Why? I spoke with Simon shortly before he died.
He was on his way to an appointment.
A very important appointment, by the sound of it.
He spoke of you, Jeremiah.
You, Kurdy, he didn't mention.
Figures.
He said he considered you a likely candidate for recruitment.
Simon's only recommended 2 other people before you.
One of them, Matthew, died by his side.
Lee Chen, here, is the other.
I have always trusted Simon's judgment.
So did I.
But he could've made a mistake.
We don't know what happened afterward.
We don't know anything.
Actually, we know quite a few things.
I know that Simon would never betray our location to someone he couldn't trust.
But even if he did talk, even if you did steal the Rover, you never would have traveled all this way, hundreds of miles, on the vague hope that there might be more here to steal.
You would've taken it to the nearest town and sold it.
No, we never would've done that.
Let them go.
Marcus, I don't trust them.
Do you trust me? You know I do.
Then let them go.
A gesture of my sincerity.
Now perhaps we can have one from you in exchange.
You said Simon had a message for me.
What was it? It's coming again.
Did he say anything else? No.
He was dying, it was about all he had time for.
"tell them.
Warn them.
It's coming again.
" now does this mean what we think it means? What do you want me to do with them? They've traveled a long way to do us an important service.
I think the least we can do is see to it that they're fed and made comfortable.
Have Sarah show them around.
We'll talk again before you leave.
This place was built to survive a nuclear attack.
It would've taken decades before the environment outside was livable.
So they designed a combination of solar and other power sources.
We've got hydroponic gardens, water filtration systems-- Well, yeah, yeah, I see you've got all this stuff, but what, you're just sitting on it? I mean, outside, people are dying every day.
You could use this stuff to help them.
If we let the outside world know we're here, they'll swoop down, take everything they can carry, burn the rest, and we'll be right back where we started.
It's not my decision or yours.
[people chattering.]
There's some rec rooms and a swimming pool down this way.
They have a rec room.
[people chattering.]
Thanks.
- Dig in.
(Jeremiah) - OK.
I have never seen so much food in one place.
Don't get too excited.
It's not as good as it looks.
What do you do here? I work with Marcus on newcomer integration and orientation.
So where does Marcus fit in all this? Marcus is the heart of this place.
Without him, I think the whole thing would fall apart.
He's an extraordinary man.
He believes in things.
He believes in us, this place.
In the future.
And he has this amazing ability to make other people believe in things, too.
Before I came here, I didn't think there was a future to believe in anymore.
Excuse me.
Elizabeth.
Oh, honey, I'm sorry.
I'm all right.
My name is Elizabeth Munroe.
The man that you helped, Simon We just started seeing each other about a year ago.
He was everything to me.
I'm sorry.
Yeah, I'm--I'm-- I'm sorry, too.
I was wondering if I could ask you a favor.
Um, ever since I found out that Simon was I keep picturing it in my head, and I think I could sleep better tonight if I knew what actually happened, rather than what my brain conjures up in the middle of the night.
I I--I can do that.
I apologize for taking you away from your friend.
That's OK.
He is your friend, isn't he? I don't know.
I think so.
It's just, I've never had one before, so it's hard to say.
I'm sorry.
It's just the way it is.
My collection.
Simon would always bring me back whatever he found outside.
He said if things as delicate and fragile as these could survive, there was hope for the rest of us.
He said he was determined to bring me back a glass swan.
I'm sorry.
I'll get the tea going.
You're all alone.
Sarah had some work to finish.
I figured I'd just wait here.
It's quite the place, isn't it? Of course, it's an illusion.
If we lost power, the darkness would come and all this would be dead in a week.
As peaceful as it seems on the inside, the world outside is still the world outside.
And the world that built this Is gone.
Question is, what comes next? For 15 years we've been living off the scraps of the old world.
Now those scraps are almost gone.
Playtime's over.
Either we let the world keep falling apart, or we start building a new world out of the ashes of the old one.
The shape that that world takes will be determined either by us in here, or by the monsters out there.
Yeah, and I've seen the monsters out there.
There's a lot more of them than there are of you.
Which is why we're gonna need all the help we can get when the time comes.
And when's that gonna be, huh? How long are you gonna wait? Marcus, I understand that you don't want the world to find out about this place, and I'm OK with that.
But you could do something.
How many people are gonna die while you just sit and wait for the right day? A good many, I imagine.
You imagine.
I can guarantee it.
On the way here, we saw a group of skinheads.
Now, they're gonna kill a bunch of people just because they don't like them.
Said they were gonna do it in a few days.
That's any time now.
And you want to do something about it? Yes.
But you know what? I don't have I don't have all this.
But if I did-- What? What would you do? OK.
I don't know.
But I would do something.
It's too dangerous.
We'd risk exposing our situation here.
We could figure out a way to do it without ever leading anyone back here.
You could help those people.
They would never know it was you.
You can't be sure of that.
No, I can't.
But if you're willing to just sit on your hands, and let people die 20 miles down the road just because it's inconvenient for you, because you don't want to risk anything, what kind of world are you trying to build? And who do you think's gonna wanna live there? Well, I should get going.
So what did he want? Nothing.
That's the problem.
Hmm.
Well, look, I, uh, I told Elizabeth that Simon wanted us to say goodbye and to tell her that he loved her very much.
Yeah, which he didn't.
He didn't have time.
Yeah, I know.
But I think it was something she needed to hear.
Maybe so.
Remember when you asked me what I was looking for, and I said I didn't know, but I would know it when I saw it? Mmm-hmm.
I saw it, man.
It figures.
I finally found what I'm looking for, and I will never even get close to having a chance with her.
Why not? Come on, man.
You really think they're gonna let 2 guys like us move in here? No way, baby.
Nobody gives you a free ride.
In my entire life, everything I've always wanted, I never got.
So why should this be any different? We're still on our own.
Always will be.
Fucking "a.
" Do you really think you could help those people without getting caught or giving away our position? Yes, I do.
Show me.
[skinheads shouting.]
(skinhead #1) OK, get 'em on out! Let's go! Who wants to be next? That one! Let's do her, man, do her right now! (woman) No! [captives protesting.]
(skinhead #3) Hey, you! Game's over, snake eye! [screaming.]
[skinheads yelling.]
[yelling.]
[skinheads whooping.]
[skinheads yelling.]
Shit! What the hell is going on? [woman coughs.]
Come on.
You OK? Let's go.
[grunts.]
[yelling.]
[woman yelling.]
(Jeremiah) Go! [dynamite igniting.]
[Kurdy laughs.]
Now I see why these guys think they're so superior and all.
How do you figure? I ain't never seen nobody run that fast in my life.
You see that, Jeremiah? Uh-huh.
All right, well, check this out, baby.
[dynamite exploding.]
Yeah.
Pretty damn fast.
All right, we better get going before they look up here.
Nobody saw us.
Nobody knows we're here.
We did what we came to do.
Yeah.
Yeah, we did, didn't we? Welcome to the real world, Marcus.
(Marcus) Sorry to see you go, but you, uh, have to understand we have certain limitations on who we can let stay on here.
Yeah, we figured as much.
(Marcus) Everybody here has a role to play, a job to do, that's the only way we can maintain our limited resources.
Still, I've had some supplies set aside for you.
Enough for a few weeks anyway, to get you back on your way again.
It's the least we could do.
Thanks.
If that's all, we'll be on our way.
Unless you'd like to have a role here for yourselves.
I'm listening.
We have half a dozen search teams out there, bringing back information, and keeping an eye on things.
When Simon died, we lost one of the best teams that we had.
You've proven you can handle yourselves in a crunch.
You could replace them, pick up where they left off.
We could use someone with your knowledge of the world outside.
How are we supposed to get information for you when you're holding back information from us? I don't know what you're-- Simon's message.
When I gave it to you, it hit you pretty hard.
It has something to do with the big death, doesn't it? The big death wiped out 6 billion people in 6 months.
We still don't know what it was, or why it came, or if it might come back again.
Simon's job was to answer those questions.
He was tracking a lead when he left here for the last time.
(Jeremiah) Do you know who he talked to, who--who he was gonna meet? No.
Simon kept a journal, lists of contacts, things he was investigating, questions in need of answers.
But this must've come up at the last minute 'cause there's nothing in his journal about it.
Still, I could always trust his judgment.
If he thinks these people knew something, then they knew.
What is it? This list, uh, names, places Yes, those were some of the things he was looking into.
Why? This entry right here: Valhalla sector.
What do you know about it? Just that it was one of the last things he was investigating before he died.
So someone on that list of contacts must know something about it.
I've told very few people about Simon's message.
No reason to cause a panic.
But this raises the stakes enormously.
We could use the help.
What do we have to do? Go back outside, find out who our potential friends and enemies are, look for resources we can use in the future, reconstruct Simon's list of contacts, and find out what you can about the big death, so we can prepare for the worst, if necessary.
At the end of the day, try to come home alive.
Do we get to keep this? Of course.
It'll give you a place to start.
So, what do you say? (Kurdy) Look, if this thing's comin' back, there's nothing you or anybody else can do to stop it.
Anybody with half a brain would just go out there and party until the big "d" comes again.
However, I'm in.
Jeremiah? I'm in, too, on one condition.
While we're out there, you let me look for places where we can use your resources here to start helping people pick themselves back up again, without giving away your location.
I figured you would ask that.
So my answer is a qualified yes.
I'm not willing yet to risk this place.
But I am willing to risk you.
You can do as you say, but if it goes wrong, we will not come looking for you.
Will that do? That'll do just fine.
[people chattering.]
So I hear you're ready to go.
Yeah, yeah, looks like.
Hey, I, uh, found this when we got the Rover back.
I guess he found one after all.
It's beautiful.
Thank you.
You have, uh, a glass cat? No.
You will.
[car door closes.]
I expect you back here in 2 weeks.
And we'll be here.
[engine starts.]
(Jeremiah) Dear dad, I think about you every day.
The end of your world, The beginning of mine.
the world that's yet to be, Waiting to be born.
We're all set.
What's the deal with that anyway? Letters to my dad.
I write 'em whenever I can.
I tell him where I'm at, what I'm doing, apologize for letting him down.
How long you plan on keeping that up? Some day I'll put 'em in the fire, and they won't burn, and I'll know it's enough.
Come on, let's get outta here.
[car door opens.]
[car engine starts.]
They're on their way.
original source: peritta synced and corrected: quinnell
The end of your world, the beginning of mine.
6 billion lights that went out in 6 months.
6 billion lives lost to a mystery.
All the mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, over the age of innocence.
I'm 15 years full of missing you, but I keep you alive In my words.
I know you.
I have a warning for you.
And a blessing.
They're the same thing.
More efficient that way.
The thunder will change you forever.
But everyone you love will fall at the end of the world.
[thunder clapping.]
What's that supposed-- (Jeremiah) I think about you every day.
well, Jeremiah, have you decided you like fishing? Devon, there's a phone call.
It's the lab.
They say there've been 10 more deaths in New Delhi, and 3 this morning in Paris.
(Jeremiah) The end of your world (female reporter) Public concern continues to grow with mass panic across the globe as the virus continues to kill anyone above the age of puberty.
(Jeremiah) The beginning of mine.
(Devon) Jeremiah listen to me.
If anything should happen to me and your mother, I want you to watch out for yourself and your brother.
I want you to promise me that you'll take care of them now.
He's too young to understand.
Promise me.
(Jeremiah) The end of your world there's one last plane for Valhalla Sector in an hour.
I promise we'll be back in less than an hour, OK? (Jeremiah) The beginning of mine.
(Devon) What's causing this can't affect you directly.
You're too young.
(Jeremiah) The end.
[alarm beeping.]
(Jeremiah) The beginning.
(woman) Stop, thief! [people yelling.]
(Michael) Jeremiah! [gasping.]
[water splashing.]
[bird cawing.]
[bird hooting.]
[rustling.]
[twanging.]
Shit! Oh, shit.
Ow! [coughing.]
Listen, listen, I--I--I'm sorry about your fish.
I didn't know they were yours.
I--I didn't see nobody-- [gasping.]
[sighs.]
OK.
OK, so what you're saying is you're pissed.
Well, look, look, I'm sorry I took your goddamned fish, OK? But you didn't have to go tying me up and shit.
Uh, what if something happened to you over there, huh? Like-- I don't know, maybe you--you--you--you choke on a fish bone or something, and I'm over here stuck, all tied up, huh? Then I'd be fucked.
I would be so completely, supremely, eternally fucked that-- I don't even think there's a word for that level of fuckosity.
You know what I'm sayin'? Look, it's-- it's just that I haven't eaten in the last few days, OK? And I'm--I'm--I'm just hungry.
All right? I'm I'm just hungry.
That's all.
Wait--wait a minute.
Wait, look, look.
What the fuck? I said I was sorry.
What--what're you-- What're you going to do? Look, I--I said I was sorry, man.
I said I was sorry.
Next time, try asking.
[ropes snapping.]
I caught plenty, more than I could eat by myself.
I can't exactly freeze the rest.
Figured I'd take them into Clarefield tomorrow, trade 'em for some supplies.
I can spare a couple.
Do you want 'em or not? So why Clarefield? You know, there's another town a lot closer.
I hear a lot of people have been going to Clarefield lately for trade.
Maybe I'm looking to find something.
What's that? End of the story.
You got a name? Kurdy.
Kurdy? Your name is Kurdy? Yeah, it is.
What of it? Oh, I know.
"What the hell kind of name Is Kurdy?" Well, go ahead, I've heard all the jokes.
"Kurdy must be wordy.
" "Look at little kurdy-birdy up in the tree.
" "Dirty-kurdy, nerdy-kurdy, purdy-kurdy.
" Oh, yeah, "turdy-kurdy.
" See, I've heard 'em all before, so, go ahead, you just take your best shot.
I was just going to say I knew a guy in Seattle named Kurdy.
He, uh, he had a snake tattooed all up his left side.
Oh.
Good guy, you know, stand-up guy.
Just hadn't heard the name since.
OK.
Fine.
I'm sorry I blew up.
Yeah, it's OK.
After a while you get so tired-- It's OK.
Forget about it.
What about you? What's your name? Jeremiah.
Jeremiah.
Can't do much with that.
Nope.
You live around here? I'm just passing through.
[laughing.]
Well, who isn't? Uh, man, I've been on the road for so long, it's all I remember.
I mean, that's why I Well, you--you know the laws of the road: You see food, you take it, 'cause you never know when you're gonna see it again.
Hey, you want to see somethin'? I found this in the back of a store 2 years ago.
Rock candy.
Stays fresh forever.
I've been holdin' onto this for a special occasion.
Haven't had one yet.
Haven't even seen one.
So, uh, how old were you when it-- I don't want to talk about that, OK? Yeah.
It helps to think about the way things were before, you know, sometimes it gives you something to shoot for.
There wasn't no other time.
Not for me.
And not for mostly everybody else.
I don't remember what went on before, and I don't give a shit.
As far as I'm concerned, the only world that matters is this one, because this is the one I've got to live in.
Now, what came before, what comes after, other people's shit, it's not my problem, you know.
Sometimes.
Other times You know, my dad always said that, uh, other people's problems are everybody's problems.
Otherwise it all falls apart.
Well, I don't mean to alarm you or anything, but it already has fallen apart.
I don't even remember my father, so I sure as shit don't care what yours had to say about any goddamn thing.
Hey, what are you doin'? Writing a letter.
A letter? Well, how the hell you figure on mailin' it? I'd say that's my problem, wouldn't you? [sighs.]
[bird calling.]
[people chattering.]
[chickens clucking.]
(seller) Come on.
All right, people, listen up.
I'm looking for cans of milk.
I've got 6 bullets to trade off, here.
I'm giving 2 bullets for a can of milk.
People, talk to me.
You won't get a deal like this anywhere.
Step up, step up.
Look at that.
Come on, now.
Come on.
Cheese.
That'll do, that'll do.
I'll give you 2 bullets for that.
[people chattering.]
(seller) I've got 2.
Count them, 2 fully charged "d" batteries.
Fuck you.
Nobody's got batteries anymore.
You can't charge them past a certain point.
I said fully charged, and I meant fully charged.
Money back.
Guaranteed to work.
What're you asking in trade? Coffee.
Whole bean, ground, freeze dried.
I don't care just as long as it's coffee.
Coffee? The last boat from South America came in 15 years ago.
Or gas.
I'll take gasoline in trade.
Get out of here.
If we had gas, we could charge our own damned batteries.
Nobody's holding gas.
[woman screaming.]
OK, nobody moves! Jimmy, Dex, get the stuff! Hurry up! No, please.
Look, look.
They're all I've got.
I said, let go.
[whistle blowing.]
[people screaming.]
(man) Watch out! [groaning.]
[grunting.]
Clear! Pickup.
[boys panting.]
[goat bleating.]
[sighing.]
(man) Are you OK? [crowd murmuring.]
Anybody hurt? (woman) No.
(man #1) No.
Well, all right.
(man #2) Is he all right? (Colin) Are you Theo? I've--I've heard a lot about you.
it's an honor.
What do you want? Those are my batteries.
I came here to sell them.
I can give you a good price.
Look out! [gun firing.]
[grunting.]
Are you OK? Well, generally, I prefer to be on top, and usually there are flowers involved, but, yeah, I'm OK.
Good.
[rooster crowing.]
Uh, wait, wait, you didn't pay me for-- I don't pay for anything I already own.
And if they're in my hand, well, I own them.
That's not fair.
One thing for another.
Excuse me? "One thing for another.
" That's what the sign says.
That's the law of the marketplace.
You made the rules.
You hung the sign.
I figure you ought to abide by them, same as everyone else.
[scoffing.]
Yeah.
Sure, why not? Anything of value you find on him, it's yours.
I don't know if this guy-- Say, "thank you, Theo.
" Thank you, Theo.
You're welcome.
Sam, you ever seen that guy before? (Sam) No.
He must have just rolled in today.
Send him my way when you get a chance, and anybody else who just got into town.
Yeah, all right.
Look, maybe it's gone.
I mean, we're not even sure what it was-- Shh.
[beeping.]
[sighing.]
A signal.
Whoever it is, they're back.
I had my boys check the signal strength.
They think it's real close, maybe even right here in town.
Somebody's got a radio! And a radio means transmitters and receivers.
And that means you've got electricity-- (Sam) Or batteries.
And a way to keep them charged.
And that means resources.
And resources means-- That means the end of the world.
Find them, Sam.
Find them.
It's important.
[chuckling.]
[people chattering.]
[music playing.]
What'll you have? What've you got? Bathtub gin, bathtub vodka, fresh-made whiskey that's gonna take all your chits and half your brain cells.
And some local brewed beer.
Tastes like rat piss, but after about 4 glasses, you really don't care anymore.
Beer.
(woman) I ran into this guy who made it as far as Chicago, and he says the big death ain't permanent.
(man) What do you mean, "it ain't permanent"? Dead is dead.
Yeah, unless they were just asleep.
You know, some kind of sleep so deep that no one could tell they were still alive.
I've heard of diseases like that.
It could've been like an infection.
Exactly.
So this guy says that every night, all over Chicago, the dead come back, wandering the streets, looking for their lost kids.
Quite a bunch, huh? They come in here every night trying to figure out what the hell happened.
It gets crazier every time.
Geniuses and philosophers, every one of them.
How about you? You got a theory? Me? I've got 9 chits, this beer, you to talk to.
I don't need a theory.
Best answer I've heard all night.
Next one's on me.
[grunting.]
Hey.
Listen, I saw what you did out there.
It was very cool.
There's not many people that stand up to Theo like that.
Well, not many people still living, anyway.
Why'd you do it? I guess the same reason anybody does anything.
It seemed like the right thing to do at the time.
Well, that puts you in the minority.
See, most people, they tend to do the most convenient thing.
The right thing? Well, that's a little harder to do.
My name's Simon.
Jeremiah.
Jeremiah, my friends and I were thinking that we could use a man like you.
My gate doesn't swing that way.
No, no, no, no.
This is a job.
It might be the most important job anyone can think of.
We could use guys like you: People who aren't afraid to stand up, who haven't given up on the dream of making something that's Something that's better than this.
No.
I've been hustled too many times.
Everybody's got some big idea how they want to rebuild the world.
I don't buy into that shit.
I just go my own way.
Simon, we've got to go.
Our appointment.
Right.
Well, we'll talk again later.
(man #1) You are so full of crap.
(woman) No, I'm not.
It's totally true.
this guy was serious.
(man #2) That is unbelievable.
How many drinks did this guy have? None.
None.
He's totally serious.
OK, I heard that there are armies building up on the East Coast of China, getting ready to move in.
They probably started this.
Will you give it a break? Jesus.
Look, I've been on the road a long time, and if there was walking armies and dead folks, I would've seen it.
You want to know what happened? What I think really happened? Somebody fucked up! [music stops.]
Something got loose that wasn't meant to get loose.
Somebody grew this thing in a lab, and he felt real proud of himself.
And he thought how smart he was, and how he was going to get a raise and be real important.
Only one day, that thing in the lab got bigger than he was.
And it bit him.
And it escaped out into the world, and the dying started.
All because of one asshole with too much time on his hands.
[sighs.]
So, like, did this guy say he'd actually seen dead folks walking around Chicago? [music starts.]
Come on.
3 cans of food for 2 chits? Are you feebed out or what? That's the price, man.
Take it or split.
Jeez.
At least Jesse James had a horse.
Who's Jesse James? I don't know.
It's something my dad used to say.
Look, man, 3 cans of food is--is too high.
It's freaking extortion.
I mean, not that I can't afford it.
It's just the principle of the thing, you know? (Sam) We called you as soon as my guys found it.
Figured you'd want to have one of your boys look at it, too, huh? Keith, check it out.
Careful, now.
It might be booby-trapped.
It's probably got a 20-gallon tank.
30, when you add those 2 cans of reserve.
Assuming it gets 25 miles a gallon, we're talking a range of 750 miles.
Gas tank reads half-full.
Assuming they haven't set up any fuel depots between here and the car's point of origin, that means wherever it came from is within a distance of 375 miles.
Theo, check this out.
[radio beeping.]
Huh? Same signal.
The one we heard earlier, baby.
Yeah, you were right.
Means somebody's been spying on our little operation.
(Keith) Hey, Theo.
Some of these recent modifications suggest the use of power tools, access to equipment, cars, gasoline.
Whoever this belongs to, they represent a significant danger.
Or an opportunity.
Sam, I want guards posted around the clock.
Whoever left this here will be coming back for it sooner or later.
And I want 'em alive.
Got it.
[music playing.]
[people chattering.]
And I've got some pretty big plans for the future.
Mmm-hmm.
See, I've been stashing stuff away ever since before.
And with everybody running out of everything, pretty soon, it's going to be time to start trading it all in.
I'm going to be wheelin', dealin', buyin', sellin'.
And before it's all over with, I'm going to be so set for life.
Now I figure if you, uh, come with me, we could probably work something out.
Do you know how many other guys have come in here with that line today? No, for real.
I've got it-- In storage back home, right, where no one can find it? Give me a break.
No, uh, hey, I've got all kinds of stuff, woman, y-y-you not knowing.
Let me show you, OK? I've got this little place I can take you to.
I've never shown it to anybody.
Another one.
Hey, Kurdy.
How are you doin'? Bitchin'.
Good.
That's real good.
Hi.
I'm cherysse.
I'm Jeremiah.
Old friend of Kurdy's.
Hi, Jeremiah.
You know, I couldn't help but notice this morning how you took delivery of that load of fish that we discussed the other day.
Now, you remember our little discussion, don't you? Yeah.
Yeah, I remember the discussion.
See, he's just got so much stuff, it's hard to keep track of.
That little, uh, deposit we talked about, the, uh, finder's fee.
Shouldn't be a problem, right? No, it's not a problem.
No problem at all.
I've got it right here.
Thanks.
Pleasure doing business with you, Kurdy.
Oh, and, uh, take care of my friend, will you? He's loaded.
I think we can work something out.
[sighs.]
Thanks for not ratting me out.
Yeah, well, we're even now.
That's what matters.
Sure you know what you're doing? Don't have a clue.
But she's got a sweet face.
And you don't see that many sweet faces around here, you know? No, I guess you don't.
Good luck.
Thanks.
I owe you one.
Mmm.
[groans.]
Theo wants to see you.
this way.
Now my day's complete.
You're sure this is the right place? This is where they said to wait.
Then where the hell are they? I don't know.
[bell ringing.]
[wind blowing.]
Oh, dear God.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, yeah, baby, that's good.
Just like that.
Come on, baby.
Come on.
Wait, wait.
Not so fast.
Oh, no, no.
Fast is better.
Fast is better! Come on! Look, I just want to-- What? [panting.]
What's your name? I told you, it's cherysse.
Is that your real name, or is that name you use downstairs? What does that have to do with anything? Why do you need to know my real name? Well, I don't know.
I just do-- Baby, baby, there'll be plenty of time for that later.
Now, come on.
Come on.
Give it up for cherysse! Come on.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, yeah! That's great, baby.
Come on! [dog barking.]
(Theo) Come on.
Nice place.
One of my brain boys calls it postmodern entropy.
I don't know what it means.
But I sure like the way it sounds.
Yeah, after the big death, the first places we burned down were the schools.
That just goes to show you how stupid we are, because they had civil defense shelters, fences.
Roofs you can secure.
[scoffing.]
And the basketball courts keep everybody happy.
What's this all about? I ask anybody new in town to come by for a chat.
I like to keep up on what's happening outside, find out about any new players before they come knocking at my front door.
Not much to say.
Say it anyway.
I've got time.
Well I have seen more raiding parties than usual, up around the border.
They seem to be ranging further afield to find their supplies.
More and more people are fighting over the pieces left of the old world.
I hear the skinheads have about taken over Montana, and, uh, they're making moves around here.
Hmm.
They always were pretty well organized.
It must be all that marchin' up and down.
Chicago, Detroit, New York, the big cities Pretty much empty.
You can't grow food on concrete, and nobody's bringing it in.
The best places I hear about are in the south: Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina.
Farming's come back.
You can pick your dinner right off the trees.
Is that where you're headed? No.
I'm looking for someplace.
Well, hey, aren't we all? What place? Valhalla sector.
Valhalla? [laughing.]
Now, the only Valhalla I ever heard of was in a book.
Some kind of an afterlife, heaven.
Somethin' like that.
But not a real place.
What's that? Some--some kind of a town or somethin'? I don't know.
Just some place I heard my dad mentioned.
he, uh Some place he needed to go.
Your dad is dead, Jeremiah.
Everybody's dad is dead.
I know.
It just, uh, seemed really important to him and, uh, I kind of want to know how the story ends, you know? It's like a door in my head.
I can't shut it until I find it.
What do you know about the end of the world? I got over it.
No, the end of the world.
That's a place where all the stuff of the old world still works.
They've got electricity, guns, all the food you can eat.
That's just a story.
Like, uh, the dead walking around Chicago.
I don't buy it.
Yeah, well, we'll see.
One other thing.
You saved my life out there today.
Now, that doesn't happen every day.
So I figure that deserves some kind of thanks.
You found a bed yet? No, not yet.
But if you're offering No, not like that, sugar.
[scoffs.]
Not yet, anyway.
Let me show you around.
You like what you see, you can stay on for a few days.
Come on! Let me show you the world accordin' to Theo.
What is it? Something's wrong.
Somebody's been here.
We'd better get out of here now.
[grunting.]
[crowd chanting.]
Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Theo! Hey, boys, how's it hangin'? (all) Hey, Theo.
Yeah, what y'all got for me today? Prep the engine.
But it still needs more testing.
I said, do it.
It'll just be a minute.
How'd you ever get all this stuff together? After the big death, when the world turned into camps-- Big kids against small kids, boys against girls, dumb kids against smart kids, I knew I had to get protection.
I had to invest in the future.
I got the jocks to protect me and do all the heavy lifting, and my boys here to do all the heavy thinking.
There were books on how to build a nuclear power plant or make phones work.
But you had to understand all the stuff leading up to that to know what the hell was in those books.
Am I right? Most of us here have been with Theo since the beginning.
She, uh, lets us read all the time.
We don't have to work.
She finds books for us, and looks after us.
We, uhEven get laid sometimes.
Yeah, and in return, we get goodies that help keep things moving forward.
We're ready here.
(Keith) Now, it took us a while to get all the parts we needed.
Every town has its supplies, but they don't like to share because they don't want anybody getting an unfair advantage.
What is it? It's a steam engine.
[engine revving.]
Watch.
(Phil) It's only a prototype.
We just started wiring it into the system here to see how far we could power up the lights.
Pretty soon, we think we can light up the whole building.
[laughing.]
Whoo! Whoo! That's my boys.
Oh, I love you guys.
Hey, cheerleaders for everybody! whoo! [inaudible.]
I've got to go.
You're free to stay here as long as you like.
(Theo) You know, I've met some guys That like to get hurt before.
but you are taking it to a completely new level, Simon.
Where did you come from? OK.
Then why don't you tell me what this is, hmm? Sam says you had it hidden in your back pocket, fought like hell to keep him from taking it.
This must be important.
Oh, well.
I did TryTo be Civil! I'll tell you what.
I'm going to ask you one question, just one.
Answer it, and all y'all can go.
Where is the end of the world? I saw your car.
It had to come from someplace with more resources than we've got.
Where did you get it? Where is the end of the world? It's closer-- [spits.]
It's closer than you think.
You think we're playing some kind of fucking game here? Is that what you think? Let's play! No! [gun firing.]
Where is it? There is no such place.
[scoffs.]
You know what? The last time I did this Hah! The last time I did this Whoo! I got so pissed, I screwed up and pulled the trigger.
You remember that, Sam, don't you? You see, I've got this temper.
It's such a burden, you see.
Whoo.
Hang on now.
Let me think through this now.
Because if I kill you, and I kill him, then, well, there ain't going to be nobody left to answer my question, is there? [sighs.]
So maybe I will just try another one.
Did anybody else come here with you? No.
(Sam) He's lying, Theo.
I seen him talking to your new pal down at the club.
Find him.
Get him here.
Now, you see? You see how good it is to be observant? Let's all hear it for Sammy.
[grunting.]
No! You bastards! [dog barking.]
Hey.
So, uh How'd it go? OK.
Oh, just OK? She wasn't what I was looking for.
[laughing.]
Now, don't get me wrong, she was great.
It cost me 4 cans of food and a chunk of beef jerky.
But she just wasn't it.
Well, what are you looking for? Hell if I know.
I'll know when I see it, though.
You know, I heard this place was making a big comeback.
But now I'm here, I don't think so.
No.
[grunts.]
Why is it nothing is ever as good as it's supposed to be? Oh, you mean Her? No, no, no, not her.
OK.
Well, yeah, her, too, I guess.
It's like you sit down and eat, right? And whatever's on the next guy's plate is always better than what you've got.
I mean, it's like, if I've got chicken and he's got chicken, he's got a bigger piece.
You know, or--or--or it's crunchier.
And I like my food crispy-crunchy.
You know what I'm saying? Oh, yeah, crunchy's good.
But it's never right, man.
It's never the way it's supposed to be.
Never the way you think it's going to be.
You get a new shirt, it's either too small or it itches.
You get to a new town and they've got running water, they've also got running rats.
And everything breaks before it's supposed to.
It sucks! Yeah.
You think it was like this before? Probably not.
Yeah, probably not.
Probably nothing ever broke before.
Oh, I don't know.
Something sure did or the world wouldn't look like this.
You've got that right.
[sighing.]
Look, I was thinking.
You know, you-- You're kind of odd.
Not in a bad way.
You--you--you've got a lot happening up here.
You know, and most of these guys around here, man, they act like they know what's up.
But they don't.
But you, though, it's like you're the man with the plan.
You've definitely got something going on, and I like that.
And I don't have it all figured out, but I was thinking that maybe me and you can work together.
You know, I--I watch your back, and you let me know what it is you're after.
You in? I'll think about it.
I'll get back to you.
(man) Theo wants you, Jeremiah.
Guys, not now, OK? Tell Theo if I want to be hassled, do it before 6:00.
Shit.
[grunting.]
Come on.
Give me a hand.
This is not my problem.
It's not my problem.
I mean, he didn't say yes, he just said, "I'll think about it.
" I sat here and poured my heart out, and he just said, "I'll think about it.
" you think about it.
(Theo) You know, it doesn't have To be like this.
if we combined our resources, work together, do you have any idea what we could accomplish? I know what it takes to get by out here, to survive, to organize, get people to do what I want.
I learned hard, but fast.
Yeah, those first few years, huh! The things I had to do just to survive.
Girls had it worst of anybody, you know? Is that so? Mmm-hmm.
Yeah, when the big death hit, anybody above puberty died fast, and bad.
So for everybody on the edge, when it happened, oh, well, it gave the idea of hitting puberty a lot more terror than the need to go find a tampon, you know what I'm saying? You see, with a girl, the moment you hit puberty, you know it.
With guys, it takes 10, 15 years to notice a difference, but we knew it right off.
We had to live with the terror: "am I going to die now? Is it my turn?" we had no idea the big death was over.
We didn't know that son of a bitch was so fast that it killed off everybody who carried it, so that by the time we started pumping out those hormones, there was nobody left to infect us.
We knew none of that.
So, you'll excuse me if it left some of us just a little bit fucked up.
If you get somewhere near a point soon, you just send up a flare, OK? I'm saying you had it easy.
You don't know what it takes to survive out here.
From what I understand, you guys have all the comforts of home at the end of the world.
There is no such place.
I want what you've got.
And if you won't give it to me, I'll take it one way or another.
[door opening.]
There you go, boss.
He's got nothing to do with this.
Yeah? Well, how come we saw him talking to you two clowns at the club, huh? He was talking real quiet and intense-like, you know? A couple of the other guys saw him, too.
Mmm-hmm.
Boy, you get around, don't you? Is that why you saved my life, to get close to me, learn more about my setup? I don't know what you're talking about.
I met these guys at the bar and we talked a little bit.
That's it.
(Theo) Put him in the cage.
Put both of 'em in the cage.
(Sam) All right.
[footsteps thumping.]
[grunting.]
Are you all right? I'm OK.
I'm OK.
How's he doing? He's bleeding to death.
Mmm-mmm-mmm.
Slow, bad way to go.
I can take care of that.
[gun firing.]
(Simon) No! [Simon grunting.]
I'm tired of fucking around with y'all.
You either give me what I want or he's next, and you When we're through with you, you're gonna wish you were dead.
Now, you decide if this is something really worth dying for.
Do you mind telling me what the hell his is all about? She thinks the end of the world is a real place.
Did you tell her that it's not, that it's just some goddamned story? Yes, I did.
She didn't believe me.
Why not? 'cause it is real.
(woman) And I was talking with people today from back east, they said the government's coming back.
Not that again.
They say it's been slow.
But things are gonna improve around here real soon.
We're going to have running water, power, everything we-- Is that a-- Yes, it is, and if you don't mind, I'd like to continue eating in peace, thank you.
I haven't seen a stick of candy like that in-- Where'd you get it? Well, I'm really not supposed to tell.
Where? It fell off a truck, OK? What truck? Who's got a truck? Look, I will get in serious trouble if I say anything-- What truck? (Kurdy) OK, all right.
Relax.
(woman) Check it out.
Check it out.
It's just like you were saying about the government coming back.
it's true.
They've had the red cross sending in supplies for about 6 months now.
Man, they've got food, they've got blankets, they've got candy.
If they've been sending in all this stuff, how come we haven't seen any of it? 'cause Theo's been grabbing it all.
You are so full of shit.
Wait a minute.
I saw a big truck going into Theo's place tonight.
All covered up with tarps so you couldn't see what was on it.
Guards all over the place.
I asked what was so important.
And they said to mind my own business or I'd find myself dead.
[crowd exclaiming.]
They've got a truck? With gas? Where the hell are they getting gas? Same place they got this.
See, the way I hear it, they've been bagging stuff earmarked for this whole town for months now.
And now that they've got everything they need, they're gonna steal the whole thing, split town, and sell it on the black market.
Leave everybody here high and dry.
Hey, hey, hey, hey.
I don't buy it.
The only evidence you've got is that stupid piece of candy.
Do you see anybody else here willing to back you up? You? You? [crowd chattering.]
There you go.
See, I ain't taking on Theo.
(Carol) He's telling the truth.
Had a guy come in here earlier from the red cross.
Had I.
D.
And everything.
Said they'd sent him out here to check things out.
Make sure the stuff was getting to the right people.
Now all of a sudden, he's gone.
Must've been that guy they jumped a little while ago.
They took him up to Theo's place.
You know, this is all starting to fit.
I was talking to a friend there.
They've got electricity now, guys.
[crowd exclaiming.]
They've got power, they've got gas, and they've got food.
We ain't getting shit! (all) Yeah! Now they're going to run out on us! Like hell! I'm going up there and I'm taking what's mine.
(all) Yeah! [all yelling.]
Thanks.
It's OK.
I was planning on leaving town anyway.
I'm sorry, Jeremiah.
I should never have involved you in all this.
It's funny.
She--she spends all this time looking for something.
Finally she has it, she doesn't even realize she's got it.
This place that Theo calls the end of the world, does it go by any other names? Yeah, it does-- Is one of them Valhalla sector? No.
How do you-- How do you know the name of Valhalla sector? Shh.
I heard something.
[crowd yelling.]
Open this gate! Theo, open the gate! What the Come on.
What the hell is going on? We've come to get back what's ours! (crowd) Yeah! What's going on? I don't know.
I can't tell.
It's too dark.
Is Theo in trouble? What part of "I can't tell" couldn't you understand? There's no way to tell how many people there are out there.
Yeah, but we can fix that.
Get the engine ready.
We're taking it to the max.
We've got a freaking riot out there! come on! We need everybody we can get.
Oh, hey, man! You've been robbing us blind for months! Robbing you? Are you out of your fucking minds? If it wasn't for me, you would be dead by now! What's in the truck, Theo? What's in the truck you brought in today, huh? (crowd) Yeah! That's none of your business.
(crowd) Oh! And where'd you get gas for a truck, when you said you don't have gas to heat the town? Hurry up.
Hurry up! Come on.
Go! Come on, come on.
Go, go, go, go, go! [crowd yelling.]
Y'all need to get to stepping before I get pissed off.
You've got it all: Food, gas, electricity.
(Theo) You know, you are out of your mind, you know that? I keep trying to tell y'all, we don't have any electricity here! [electric buzzing.]
Contact.
[crowd stops yelling.]
Well, shit.
(man) Let's get her! [engine starting.]
Hang on.
Goddamn, we're gonna make it.
[knocking on door.]
We finally got rid of the last of them, Theo.
But we lost 2 of our trucks, one of our guys, and the prisoners got away.
Put the word out.
We'll trade food for information.
Whoever turns them in can come in here and take whatever he wants, however much he can carry.
I'm sorry, Theo.
Find 'em, Sam.
Whatever it takes, however long it takes, I don't care.
This is important.
Find 'em! [tires screeching.]
All right.
I think we made it.
[horn honking.]
Simon! Simon! (Jeremiah) Oh, fuck! He's been hit.
(Kurdy) How bad? It's bad.
[grunting.]
Here, sit him down.
Oh, man.
We have--have to Warn the-- Warn the others.
There's a radio on the Rover.
(Jeremiah) It's broken.
It's shot up.
No, no.
Listen-- Listen to me.
I want-- I want you to take this.
There's--there's a map under the rear axle.
There's a hidden compartment there.
And I want you to take this back to Thunder Mountain.
I want you to p-promise me that y-you'll tell 'em, that you'll warn 'em.
Tell 'em what? What? It's coming.
It's coming again.
Prom-- Promise me that you'll tell 'em.
I promise.
You could've helped.
I don't touch dead guys.
Thunder Mountain, huh? Only Thunder Mountain I've ever heard of was in Disneyland.
Now, why would he want us drive this Rover all the way to California? I don't think he meant that Thunder Mountain.
There's another one.
I heard about it a long time ago.
He's got contacts all over the place: C.
D.
C.
, Thunder Mountain, Wright-Patterson.
If anyone can get us on a plane to Valhalla sector, it's max.
It doesn't matter either way.
I mean, we've got the car, man.
Do you know what we can get for this thing? Do you have any idea what we have-- We're not selling it.
What do you mean, we're not selling it? What good's it gonna do us to keep it? Sooner or later, it's gonna run out of gas, and we don't have the resources-- We're not selling it, we're not keeping it, we're taking it back, just like he asked.
You're shitting me.
Do I look like I'm shitting you? I mean, seriously, is my face twitching or something that I don't know about? I've got your twitch.
We've got something valuable here.
You can't just throw it away.
I mean Why? Because I think it's important.
I think he knew something about Valhalla sector.
Besides, I promised him I would.
Oh, you are nuts, you know that? You are messed up.
Because you promised him? Let it go, will you? Look, I'm talking to you--hey! The last day I saw my father alive, I promised him I would take care of my little brother, 'cause he couldn't take care of himself, he was too young and he didn't understand, and And what? Well, do you see a little brother standing beside me? Do you? He's dead.
Because I let my guard down for just a minute because I was tired.
He was just being a kid, and I just didn't want to Look, I screwed up one promise, and I am not going to screw up another.
This car is half mine.
My half's going to Thunder Mountain.
Fine, I'm going with you.
Suit yourself.
Keep an eye on my investment.
And hey, when we get to wherever the hell it is we're going, and we find there's nothing there, we do things my way, OK? OK? I'll think about it.
[engine starting.]
[engine starting.]
Hey, hey, hey! Hey, hold up! Slow down, quick draw.
I want you to know, I was only mostly done.
Well, I guess I timed it about right, then.
Damn door.
[yawning.]
[tires screeching.]
So, uh What're you doing? Waiting for a call.
Oh.
[crow cawing.]
(Kurdy) I don't like this, man.
Are you sure there isn't another way? (Jeremiah) Yeah, about 10 miles back that way.
[skinheads chattering.]
(leader) 600 years ago, [skinheads yelling.]
The black death wiped out most of Europe.
They thought it was the end of the world.
Just like we did when the big death hit.
But it isn't.
It's another chapter in our struggle against the inferior breeds who brought the big death to our families and our parents.
You see, mass death like this is just [woman sobbing.]
Nature's way of saying there's too many people breeding too quickly.
(skinhead #1) We need purity! (leader) Now, if we'd kept things pure, then it would've hit Africa and it would've hit Israel, or China, or Mexico, and left us alone! (skinhead #2) That's right! (leader) But because they were here and multiplying like there was no tomorrow, my brothers, there almost was no tomorrow.
(skinhead #3) White power! (leader) But in the new world, we will not make that mistake again.
We're gonna clean up this mess once and for all! [all yelling.]
(leader) We caught these racial inferiors trying to settle in our area.
(man) Force 'em out! White power! Our people are looking for the rest of them and we shall have them within a few days.
(man) Yeah! Let's do this! Get in there! (leader) And when we have them all gathered together, we'll proceed with a mass execution unlike anything you've seen before.
[woman sobbing.]
(skinhead #4) Damn 'em! Let me at 'em! (leader) We will send a message and make it clear that some things will not be tolerated.
And we will strike a blow for purity that will be heard clear across the country! [all agreeing.]
Come on, what are you waiting for? What about those people? What are we supposed to do, Jeremiah? Take on a whole army by ourselves? You think I don't want to help? Now get in the freakin' car, man.
[engine starting.]
[crickets chirping.]
(Kurdy) Hey, Jeremiah? Yeah? Remember I told you that I didn't remember anything from before? Uh-huh.
Well, it's not exactly true.
There's one thing I do remember: (Kurdy) Stars.
[inaudible.]
I remember the stars were a lot brighter then.
Yeah, yeah, I think they were.
Night, Kurdy.
Yeah.
Just like I thought.
There's nothing here, man.
It's sealed and dead.
Sealed, yeah Not dead.
[engine revving.]
[tires screeching.]
Now what the hell did you do that for? Old chain, new lock.
That's a goddamn big door.
Yeah, it had to be big.
Thunder Mountain.
That was NORAD's name for this place.
NORAD? North American aerospace defense.
They built it deep inside the mountain.
In the event of a nuclear attack, it'd be safe.
My dad said if the end of the world ever came, this place would survive.
Well, I guess he was wrong.
There's no way in.
I mean, you could chip away at this thing for years and not get through.
We may not have to.
[beeps.]
[metallic clanging.]
[machinery humming.]
Holy shit.
Uh, I'm not going in there with you.
Suit yourself.
I'm not going in there with you, I'm going in with what's gonna be my car after whatever's in there eats your ass.
[scoffs.]
Come on.
Let's go! [engine starting.]
[guns cocking.]
Did I mention in the last 5 minutes that coming here was a stupid idea? 3 times.
Just checkin'.
We finished going over the Rover.
The blood type matches one of the people we sent out with it.
Well, I told you, he was shot and killed when we tried to get away.
(Lee) Was that before or after you stole the Rover? We didn't steal it.
He gave it to us.
An expensive piece of equipment like that, and he just gave it to you, because you seemed like good guys and he knew you'd come all this way to return it? Something like that.
Well, you know what I think happened? I think you ambushed them.
(Lee) You figured wherever this came from, there might be more Goodies to steal.
so you tortured them until you found Out where they came from.
and then you killed them.
That's a lie.
Bullet holes in the rear and side of the Rover, signs of a struggle, blood, that's all the proof I need.
Look, we told you what happened.
You don't believe us, fine, but it's the truth.
We came here to give you back the Rover.
And a message.
What's the message? I'll give it to the guy in charge here and nobody else.
(Marcus) That would be me.
Marcus? you don't have to get into this.
I know, Lee.
I want to.
[buzzing.]
Who the hell are you? Marcus Alexander.
I'm "the guy In charge here.
" and I'm here to say 3 very important words to you: I believe you.
Why? I spoke with Simon shortly before he died.
He was on his way to an appointment.
A very important appointment, by the sound of it.
He spoke of you, Jeremiah.
You, Kurdy, he didn't mention.
Figures.
He said he considered you a likely candidate for recruitment.
Simon's only recommended 2 other people before you.
One of them, Matthew, died by his side.
Lee Chen, here, is the other.
I have always trusted Simon's judgment.
So did I.
But he could've made a mistake.
We don't know what happened afterward.
We don't know anything.
Actually, we know quite a few things.
I know that Simon would never betray our location to someone he couldn't trust.
But even if he did talk, even if you did steal the Rover, you never would have traveled all this way, hundreds of miles, on the vague hope that there might be more here to steal.
You would've taken it to the nearest town and sold it.
No, we never would've done that.
Let them go.
Marcus, I don't trust them.
Do you trust me? You know I do.
Then let them go.
A gesture of my sincerity.
Now perhaps we can have one from you in exchange.
You said Simon had a message for me.
What was it? It's coming again.
Did he say anything else? No.
He was dying, it was about all he had time for.
"tell them.
Warn them.
It's coming again.
" now does this mean what we think it means? What do you want me to do with them? They've traveled a long way to do us an important service.
I think the least we can do is see to it that they're fed and made comfortable.
Have Sarah show them around.
We'll talk again before you leave.
This place was built to survive a nuclear attack.
It would've taken decades before the environment outside was livable.
So they designed a combination of solar and other power sources.
We've got hydroponic gardens, water filtration systems-- Well, yeah, yeah, I see you've got all this stuff, but what, you're just sitting on it? I mean, outside, people are dying every day.
You could use this stuff to help them.
If we let the outside world know we're here, they'll swoop down, take everything they can carry, burn the rest, and we'll be right back where we started.
It's not my decision or yours.
[people chattering.]
There's some rec rooms and a swimming pool down this way.
They have a rec room.
[people chattering.]
Thanks.
- Dig in.
(Jeremiah) - OK.
I have never seen so much food in one place.
Don't get too excited.
It's not as good as it looks.
What do you do here? I work with Marcus on newcomer integration and orientation.
So where does Marcus fit in all this? Marcus is the heart of this place.
Without him, I think the whole thing would fall apart.
He's an extraordinary man.
He believes in things.
He believes in us, this place.
In the future.
And he has this amazing ability to make other people believe in things, too.
Before I came here, I didn't think there was a future to believe in anymore.
Excuse me.
Elizabeth.
Oh, honey, I'm sorry.
I'm all right.
My name is Elizabeth Munroe.
The man that you helped, Simon We just started seeing each other about a year ago.
He was everything to me.
I'm sorry.
Yeah, I'm--I'm-- I'm sorry, too.
I was wondering if I could ask you a favor.
Um, ever since I found out that Simon was I keep picturing it in my head, and I think I could sleep better tonight if I knew what actually happened, rather than what my brain conjures up in the middle of the night.
I I--I can do that.
I apologize for taking you away from your friend.
That's OK.
He is your friend, isn't he? I don't know.
I think so.
It's just, I've never had one before, so it's hard to say.
I'm sorry.
It's just the way it is.
My collection.
Simon would always bring me back whatever he found outside.
He said if things as delicate and fragile as these could survive, there was hope for the rest of us.
He said he was determined to bring me back a glass swan.
I'm sorry.
I'll get the tea going.
You're all alone.
Sarah had some work to finish.
I figured I'd just wait here.
It's quite the place, isn't it? Of course, it's an illusion.
If we lost power, the darkness would come and all this would be dead in a week.
As peaceful as it seems on the inside, the world outside is still the world outside.
And the world that built this Is gone.
Question is, what comes next? For 15 years we've been living off the scraps of the old world.
Now those scraps are almost gone.
Playtime's over.
Either we let the world keep falling apart, or we start building a new world out of the ashes of the old one.
The shape that that world takes will be determined either by us in here, or by the monsters out there.
Yeah, and I've seen the monsters out there.
There's a lot more of them than there are of you.
Which is why we're gonna need all the help we can get when the time comes.
And when's that gonna be, huh? How long are you gonna wait? Marcus, I understand that you don't want the world to find out about this place, and I'm OK with that.
But you could do something.
How many people are gonna die while you just sit and wait for the right day? A good many, I imagine.
You imagine.
I can guarantee it.
On the way here, we saw a group of skinheads.
Now, they're gonna kill a bunch of people just because they don't like them.
Said they were gonna do it in a few days.
That's any time now.
And you want to do something about it? Yes.
But you know what? I don't have I don't have all this.
But if I did-- What? What would you do? OK.
I don't know.
But I would do something.
It's too dangerous.
We'd risk exposing our situation here.
We could figure out a way to do it without ever leading anyone back here.
You could help those people.
They would never know it was you.
You can't be sure of that.
No, I can't.
But if you're willing to just sit on your hands, and let people die 20 miles down the road just because it's inconvenient for you, because you don't want to risk anything, what kind of world are you trying to build? And who do you think's gonna wanna live there? Well, I should get going.
So what did he want? Nothing.
That's the problem.
Hmm.
Well, look, I, uh, I told Elizabeth that Simon wanted us to say goodbye and to tell her that he loved her very much.
Yeah, which he didn't.
He didn't have time.
Yeah, I know.
But I think it was something she needed to hear.
Maybe so.
Remember when you asked me what I was looking for, and I said I didn't know, but I would know it when I saw it? Mmm-hmm.
I saw it, man.
It figures.
I finally found what I'm looking for, and I will never even get close to having a chance with her.
Why not? Come on, man.
You really think they're gonna let 2 guys like us move in here? No way, baby.
Nobody gives you a free ride.
In my entire life, everything I've always wanted, I never got.
So why should this be any different? We're still on our own.
Always will be.
Fucking "a.
" Do you really think you could help those people without getting caught or giving away our position? Yes, I do.
Show me.
[skinheads shouting.]
(skinhead #1) OK, get 'em on out! Let's go! Who wants to be next? That one! Let's do her, man, do her right now! (woman) No! [captives protesting.]
(skinhead #3) Hey, you! Game's over, snake eye! [screaming.]
[skinheads yelling.]
[yelling.]
[skinheads whooping.]
[skinheads yelling.]
Shit! What the hell is going on? [woman coughs.]
Come on.
You OK? Let's go.
[grunts.]
[yelling.]
[woman yelling.]
(Jeremiah) Go! [dynamite igniting.]
[Kurdy laughs.]
Now I see why these guys think they're so superior and all.
How do you figure? I ain't never seen nobody run that fast in my life.
You see that, Jeremiah? Uh-huh.
All right, well, check this out, baby.
[dynamite exploding.]
Yeah.
Pretty damn fast.
All right, we better get going before they look up here.
Nobody saw us.
Nobody knows we're here.
We did what we came to do.
Yeah.
Yeah, we did, didn't we? Welcome to the real world, Marcus.
(Marcus) Sorry to see you go, but you, uh, have to understand we have certain limitations on who we can let stay on here.
Yeah, we figured as much.
(Marcus) Everybody here has a role to play, a job to do, that's the only way we can maintain our limited resources.
Still, I've had some supplies set aside for you.
Enough for a few weeks anyway, to get you back on your way again.
It's the least we could do.
Thanks.
If that's all, we'll be on our way.
Unless you'd like to have a role here for yourselves.
I'm listening.
We have half a dozen search teams out there, bringing back information, and keeping an eye on things.
When Simon died, we lost one of the best teams that we had.
You've proven you can handle yourselves in a crunch.
You could replace them, pick up where they left off.
We could use someone with your knowledge of the world outside.
How are we supposed to get information for you when you're holding back information from us? I don't know what you're-- Simon's message.
When I gave it to you, it hit you pretty hard.
It has something to do with the big death, doesn't it? The big death wiped out 6 billion people in 6 months.
We still don't know what it was, or why it came, or if it might come back again.
Simon's job was to answer those questions.
He was tracking a lead when he left here for the last time.
(Jeremiah) Do you know who he talked to, who--who he was gonna meet? No.
Simon kept a journal, lists of contacts, things he was investigating, questions in need of answers.
But this must've come up at the last minute 'cause there's nothing in his journal about it.
Still, I could always trust his judgment.
If he thinks these people knew something, then they knew.
What is it? This list, uh, names, places Yes, those were some of the things he was looking into.
Why? This entry right here: Valhalla sector.
What do you know about it? Just that it was one of the last things he was investigating before he died.
So someone on that list of contacts must know something about it.
I've told very few people about Simon's message.
No reason to cause a panic.
But this raises the stakes enormously.
We could use the help.
What do we have to do? Go back outside, find out who our potential friends and enemies are, look for resources we can use in the future, reconstruct Simon's list of contacts, and find out what you can about the big death, so we can prepare for the worst, if necessary.
At the end of the day, try to come home alive.
Do we get to keep this? Of course.
It'll give you a place to start.
So, what do you say? (Kurdy) Look, if this thing's comin' back, there's nothing you or anybody else can do to stop it.
Anybody with half a brain would just go out there and party until the big "d" comes again.
However, I'm in.
Jeremiah? I'm in, too, on one condition.
While we're out there, you let me look for places where we can use your resources here to start helping people pick themselves back up again, without giving away your location.
I figured you would ask that.
So my answer is a qualified yes.
I'm not willing yet to risk this place.
But I am willing to risk you.
You can do as you say, but if it goes wrong, we will not come looking for you.
Will that do? That'll do just fine.
[people chattering.]
So I hear you're ready to go.
Yeah, yeah, looks like.
Hey, I, uh, found this when we got the Rover back.
I guess he found one after all.
It's beautiful.
Thank you.
You have, uh, a glass cat? No.
You will.
[car door closes.]
I expect you back here in 2 weeks.
And we'll be here.
[engine starts.]
(Jeremiah) Dear dad, I think about you every day.
The end of your world, The beginning of mine.
the world that's yet to be, Waiting to be born.
We're all set.
What's the deal with that anyway? Letters to my dad.
I write 'em whenever I can.
I tell him where I'm at, what I'm doing, apologize for letting him down.
How long you plan on keeping that up? Some day I'll put 'em in the fire, and they won't burn, and I'll know it's enough.
Come on, let's get outta here.
[car door opens.]
[car engine starts.]
They're on their way.
original source: peritta synced and corrected: quinnell