EXT. DESERT – DAY
We move slowly across a
stark, red desert. In the distance,
there are the clay walls of a city.
Outside the main gate, a mix of men and women: some in woolen tunics and
cinctures, others in rich Roman robes: come and go about their business.
This is not the modern
world.
We keep moving, slowly,
finally settling on a small, solitary hill. Through the shimmering desert heat, the hill
looks like the back of a skull cap, with two crosses sticking out the top of it
like swords.
And in the distance, we
hear the faint CLINK.
EXT. DESERT HILL –
CONTINUOUS
A twitching hand fills
the frame. Fingers are bent at unnatural
angles, but where they split, we can see the signs of something dull, grey, and
blurry.
There is a loud CLINK, and
as the blurry grey thing is pushed down, a blurry crimson shoots up.
CRUCIFIED MAN (O.S.)
AH!
We look down on a pair
of sunburnt feet, caked in dried mud and blood.
A pair of strong, tanned hands forces one foot on top of the other. A grey spike is set on top of them.
They pierce the skin,
and as a drop of blood runs down the top foot, we see the shadow of a large
mallet being pulled up, revealing the silhouette of the man using it.
The shadow falls
fast. CLINK.
CRUCIFIED MAN (O.S.)
AH!
We’re COSE ON the top
of the CRUCIFIED MAN’S head. His skin is
brown, his hair is raven black, and he wears a crown of thorns. Everything we can see of him is absolutely
still, as if his body has given up.
Everything except his
eyes. With frenetic urgency, his half
open lids constantly blink away the blood and sweat that keep falling in.
Behind the Crucified
Man’s face, we see the red of the desert landscape for one final moment, before
we’re LIFTED.
We STAY ON the top half
of the Crucified Man’s face as the scene behind him changes: from the red
desert, to the grey horizon, until finally we fall into place with a THUNK.
And for a moment, the
half-dead man is brought back to life with the longest, and most unearthly,
scream he’s given yet.
CRUCIFIED MAN
AHHHH!
EXT. FOOT OF THE CROSS
– CONTINUOUS
On the ground, we watch
as a familiar pair mourns this man that is dying before their eyes. Neither one of them are looking up at him.
An OLDER WOMAN, in her
fifties, wears a black robe that does little to hide her stout figure. She’s half a foot shorter than the YOUNG
WOMAN she’s consoling.
The Young Woman is in
her late twenties, but with her face buried in the bosom of a woman so much
shorter, she looks like an overgrown twelve year old. She too wears all black, with a black
veil. And she’s sobbing so hard that her
whole body’s shaking.
The Older Woman turns
from the death scene in front of her, to look behind her, And when she does, we
see what she sees.
A group of men standing
far away, draped in shadow. All of them
have their heads bowed, and not a one of them raises his eyes to meet hers.
She turns back and
hesitates a moment. But finally, she
looks up, and we see through her eyes again.
We finally get a full
view of the Crucified Man, but with so little light, he’s nothing more than a
silhouette.
CUT TO:
We’re behind the cross
now, slowly rising over the Crucified Man’s shoulder and descending onto the
scene below. We see the two mourners,
but this time there is a third figure at the foot of the cross.
SPERO is on his knees. He’s an angel, which we know by his giant
outspread wings that rest, wilted, in the desert sand. He’s outfitted in pristine, silver armor
that’s clean despite the dust all around, and gleams despite the sun being
covered by clouds. And as we get closer,
we notice he bears a striking similarity to our collective image of the man on
the cross. Locks, beard, perpetually 30,
it’s all there.
We get in tight on his
face, and without a word we see the single, heartbroken thought running through
his mind: What the fuck?
The Older Woman pats
the back the of Younger. Time to
go. Without acknowledging the
otherworldly miracle next to them, they turn their backs on the cross and walk
toward the city.
A CYLINDER OF LIGHT
suddenly shines from above. From it,
GODRIC descends, landing between Spero and the cross. This
new angel wears the same armor as Spero, and sports a long spear. His face is hid behind a full helm, and as he
slowly stands to his full height, easily over six feet, he engulfs Spero in his
imposing shadow.
GODRIC
Spero!
You foolish child.
SPERO
Godric…
(Not fucking now)
Please!
GODRIC
I
am bound by the commandments of the Lord on high,
SPERO
A
lord you’ve never seen.
GODRIC
As
dictated to me by our brethren. The
eldest of us who are in his consort, and speak with his voice.
SPERO
So
they tell us.
GODRIC
Spero
He declares the name
with a great BOOM, as if his mouth were a canon firing. The earth shakes under Spero.
GODRIC
Thou
hast failed.
Spero looks from Godric
to the man on the cross behind him.
SPERO
I know.
GODRIC
Not
him, you fool. Us. Me.
Thine own family. Thou hast
broken one of the Lord’s most sacred commandments.
SPERO
For
him.
Spero nods toward the
crucified man.
SPERO
For
his message. Because I am his guardian.
GODRIC
Not
for long. He is dying. And his memory will be bent and broken…
Godric points his spear
in the opposite direction of the cross.
Spero turns to see the city not far away.
GODRIC
In service of their ambition.
Spero turns back, his
anger clear on his face. He stands defiantly.
SPERO
Then
why bother guarding any of them in the first place? If they are so deplorable?
GODRIC
Because
we are commanded to.
SPERO
That’s
not good enough anymore!
Godric just
exhales. This fuckin guy.
GODRIC
You
stand on a dangerous line, little brother.
The last of us to doubt the Lord was sent to his eternal torment. Him, and all those who followed him.
SPERO
Godric,
I do not seek to overthrow God. Only to
see him for myself. To know him. I still believe.
GODRIC
But you have no faith.
Spero opens his mouth
in retort.
GODRIC
No Spero.
There is nothing left
to
say. For it is the truth. And it is not in our nature to deny the
truth.
Spero closes his
mouth. He gives a stiff nod.
SPERO
What now, Godric?
GODRIC
Now?
Godric grips his spear
with both hands. The tip erupts in a red
fire.
GODRIC
Judgement.
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