ACT IV
EXT. THE
WITHERED WOOD – NIGHT
Beth backs away
from the hulking fiend wielding the black club.
She turns to run away, but…
The fiend is
right there. She turns again, the fiend
greets her. It’s as fast as shadow –
instantaneous.
She turns one
more time, but now finds herself surrounded by stone walls. She’s literally backed herself into a corner.
The fiend
raises its black club. Beth exhales, and
then the thing comes down for her.
She doesn’t
close her eyes, or cower with fear. She
stands tall, watching her doom fall on her.
Until it doesn’t.
A white and
silver blade comes between her and the oncoming black. Beth looks over to the wielder of this
weapon.
Spero is fixed
on the fiend. He struggles against the
strength of the monster. Then, Spero
launches his weapon and his body up, sending the fiend toppling backward.
Spero is on the
living shadow in an instant.
The shade
STRIKES UP at Spero, but the former angel SLICES OFF ITS HANDS before the club
can make contact.
A WAIL OF RAGE
AND AGONY pierces the night sky.
Then Spero,
TURNING his blade over and RAISING it high, PIERCES the shadow with his lighted
sword.
FLASHBACK
MONTAGE - VARIOUS
A) EXT. DESERT HILLTOP – DAY – We’re close on
Jesus as he prays over the basket with two small fish and a single loaf of
bread. But we don’t stay with him. We move back to the tree, where Spero stands
watching. The angel looks from his
height down to the small market that sits on the coastline, at the bottom of
the hill he’s currently on top of. He
flies down, and with superhuman speed and agility, grabs a net full of fish and
a basket of large loaves of bread. Back
on Jesus, we hear a gust of wind kick up and see it blow the hair out of his
face. When the prophet opens his eyes,
all he finds are the followers he was preaching to, and more fish and bread
than he could have imagined. The
congregation delights in the miracle, and Jesus offers a relieved smile.
B) EXT. BEACH – NIGHT – We’re with Christ
again, looking out on a violent storm that’s tossing a small fishing boat
around like a child’s toy. Even on top
of the storm’s tumult, we can hear the panicked voices of men from the
boat. Jesus, giving a familiar exhale,
steps into the ocean. At first, his feet
sink beneath the shallow water. He goes
farther out, the water reaches his waste.
He pauses to shiver as the storm turns on him. Then, he takes another step forward. Suddenly, he’s lifted. His feet touch the surface of the water. Amazed, he takes a step, and doesn’t sink. He goes on, and as we shift perspective, we
see that Spero has positioned himself underneath Jesus. His wings flap wildly in the ocean, but they
don’t disturb the water. As Jesus walks
forward, Spero swims forward, and slowly they make their way closer to the
boat.
C) EXT. GETHSEMANE ROAD – NIGHT – We see
Christ kneeling before the Roman Centurion who’s had his hear chopped off by
Peter. We see the man give that all too
familiar exhale now, and then we see him take up the ear, place it back on the
Centurion’s head, and bow his head to pray.
The Centurion looks on Christ as though he’s fucking crazy. The other Centurions laugh among themselves
as they watch. Then, we’re CLOSE ON
Christ’s hand as another, glowing hand, sets itself overtop. We follow that glowing hand, and arm, past
the praying face of Christ, to its source.
Spero. With eyes open, and a look
of intense focus, the angel’s whole body flashes. Then, he pulls his hand away. Christ opens his eyes and lets his hand fall
from the man’s head, and we see that the ear has been restored. Everyone is in shock, but Christ looks
relieved.
END OF
FLASHBACK MONTAGE
EXT. THE
WITHERED WOOD – CONTINUOUS
Spero awakens
from his flashes, the ashes of the fiend smoldering below him.
The former
angel finally gets to his feet, lifting his sword out of the grey and black
earth. He turns to Beth.
SPERO
Are you alright?
Beth nods. But she looks at him with curiosity.
BETH
Are you?
Spero doesn’t
answer. Instead, he turns back to look
at the remains of the fiend. Then he
looks at his sword.
What the fuck
did he do?
Spero turns
back to Beth, naturally going to sheath his sword at his belt, but he doesn’t
have a sheath to put it in.
He pauses. His arm falls naturally to his side, gripping
the sword tight, and he turns to Beth.
He eyes her warily,
finally settling on half of a metal disk that sticks out of her hand.
SPERO
What is that?
Beth brings her
hand up and opens it, showing the full disk.
Spero’s eyes
widen with familiarity. He’s seen this
thing before. He looks up at Beth’s
face.
SPERO
Who are you?
BETH
My name’s Bethel Shaw.
SPERO
Bethel.
BETH
(Suddenly embarrassed)
Beth’s fine.
SPERO
(Points to the Disk)
That belongs to me.
BETH
Really? Um, well, my teacher said he found it on an
archeological dig. I’d give it back to
you, but I’m pretty sure it’s the only thing keeping me here.
SPERO
Do
you even know where you are?
BETH
Eden.
Beth looks
around at the dark, spectral wood surrounding them.
BETH
I thought.
SPERO
And
how does a human manage to stumble her way into the sacred land not once, but
twice?
BETH
Your
guess is as good as mine. I just touched
some artifacts and, whoosh. Professor
Kind thinks I have some special gift.
SPERO
Professor
Kind?
BETH
My
teacher. Who gave me this.
She raises the
disk.
BETH
Hey. What is this, anyway?
SPERO
My shield.
BETH
Like
a knight’s shield? It’s too small for
that.
SPERO
Not
in my hands.
Beth notices
the gleaming sword in his hand.
BETH
So I guess that’s your
sword?
SPERO
I suppose so. The tree of knowledge…
Spero suddenly
turns to the cave he came from, but no light comes from its doorway now.
BETH
Like,
the Biblical tree of knowledge? The one
that Adam and Eve ate from and were cast out of Eden for?
SPERO
I
do not know. I was born after the time
of the first mortals. Molded in the
shape of the man I was made to protect. Though
I do remember their stories being told by the firesides in my early days.
BETH
That’s
why you look like Jesus Christ. Even
though, you’re not mortal?
SPERO
I
don’t know what I am now. Once, long
ago, I was an archangel in the service of the creator. A guardian.
BETH
A
guardian angel. I can’t believe you’re
real. And you were Jesus’s
guardian. Why make you look like him?
SPERO
To
develop a bond. To remind me that we
were brothers.
BETH
You
were Jesus’s brother?
SPERO
I
am a brother to all mortalkind. The same
creator gave us shape. Thus, we are all
family.
BETH
That’s
not what they taught me in Sunday school.
SPERO
Sadly
child, it is not a lesson much championed since the Father’s disappearance.
BETH
You
mean God? He’s gone?
SPERO
So
they say. He left the kingdom on high
just after forming me. Gave a final
commandment that none of the Heavenly host was to show themselves to
mortals. At all costs, they could not
know we were protecting them.
BETH
What
were you protecting them from?
SPERO
Fiends. The dark monsters that crept from the shadows, against which they were powerless. And that was all. For it was a foe from which they could not defend themselves. In all other matters, we were not to interfere.
Fiends. The dark monsters that crept from the shadows, against which they were powerless. And that was all. For it was a foe from which they could not defend themselves. In all other matters, we were not to interfere.
BETH
Except,
you did. Didn’t you? That’s why you don’t have wings. That’s why you’re not an angel anymore.
SPERO
It
did not seem right to allow a man to suffer so much, who sought only to bring
hope. He spoke of the Father as though
he knew him. Not in the past, but at
that present moment. As though they were
communing with each other. I too wanted
to know him.
BETH
You
were jealous.
SPERO
No. Far from it.
I was hopeful. Jesus of Nazareth
seemed my one way of knowing our Father, who had long since left the high
heavens. From the beginning I had been
told of the Father by those who had known him long ago. Enough so that I believed in him. But in Jesus, I found my faith.
BETH
That’s
so weird.
SPERO
What?
BETH
I
was raised a Christian. Told the stories
of the Bible over and over again until I could recite them from memory. My family believed, my friends believed. Wholeheartedly. And I did too, for a while. When I was a kid. But then I grew up. I had questions no one could answer. Questions no one seemed to want to think
about. So I stopped believing. But I couldn’t shake the stories. They had a hold on me that kept, if not a
foot, at least a toe in the ocean of my religion. I realized one day, that was my faith. Before today, I could stand here and tell
you, without lying, that I think God exists.
But did I believe in God? Did I
believe in the stories? No. But now, after meeting you, after coming
here, I believe.
SPERO
Why?
BETH
Maybe
because I had faith all along, even if only a little. And that faith was rewarded today.
Beth offers the
disk she holds to Spero.
SPERO
You
offer me this? But, you’ll be sent back.
BETH
I
was always planning on going back. But I
had to find my answers first. I thought
it would take a lifetime. Lucky me, I
haven’t even started freshman year of college yet.
Spero doesn’t
understand this.
BETH
Besides,
it’s not mine. It’s yours. And maybe, by taking it back, you can find
the faith that you lost.
SPERO
Thank
you. Little sister.
Beth smiles
brightly at him.
Spero reaches
out his hand, his fingers close in around the disk.
A SCREECH RIPS
through the night. A shadow man, fitted
with spectral wings, races out of the dark trees.
Spero
reflexively grabs the stone. The shield
grows in his hand. He brings his sword
up.
The fiend races
forward, but it’s not aiming for Spero.
It tackles into
an already vanishing Beth.
She SCREAMS and
fights, trying to shake the fiend off.
But the shadow fiend is gripping tight.
Spero circles
around them, SEARCHING DESPERATELY for where he can strike so that he doesn’t
hit Beth.
But there is
nothing. Finally, Beth vanishes.
And the shadow
fiend goes with her.
INT. THE
CATACOMBS
Miriam sits at
one end of the table nervously, while Alton Kind sits at the other end as
relaxed as she is nervous.
The professor
pulls off his glasses, breathes on them, starts to wipe them down.
MIRIAM
So, did you grow up
religious?
ALTON KIND
No.
Well, so much
for that.
BOOM!
Above the stone
table separating teacher and student, Beth FALLS OUT OF THIN AIR. She screams, landing with a thud.
And into the
stacks that surround the table, a black shadow HURTLES. It CRASHES into the shelves, KNOCKING one
large one over.
Beth ROLLS off
the table in Miriam’s direction.
Professor Kind joins them quickly.
Kind GRABS
Beth’s shoulders, YANKING her focus.
ALTON KIND
How did you get back?
Beth looks
toward where the shadow creature currently lies still.
ALTON KIND
Good girl. What is it?
The shadow
thing SPRINGS TO LIFE, struggles with what’s on top of it -- as if it’s the
first time it has had to interact with the physical world.
BETH
I think it’s a demon.
It SHRIEKS – a
piercing, unearthly wail filled with malice and rage.
The flying
fiend reaches out with its arms and legs, SEARCHING for something.
It gets to the
line of shadow, just on the other side of light, where the light can’t reach,
and suddenly, it’s GONE.
BETH
Move!
The creature
SHRIEKS again.
Beth doesn’t
wait to be followed, but you can bet your ass she is.
She LEADS
Miriam and Professor Kind up the stairs, LEAPING through an open door into…
INT. ST. PAUL’S
CHAPEL – CONTINUOUS
Beth SPILLS out
into the sanctuary of the church proper, closely followed by Miriam.
Professor Kind
is right behind, though he pauses to SLAM the door shut behind them. Then he FUMBLES through his pockets,
SEARCHING for something.
Beth and
Miriam, hiding behind a pew, watch in horror as their professor stands only a
few feet from the closed door – a thin pane of wood between him and certain
death.
Professor Kind
finally PULLS out a SMALL REMOTE. He
PUSHES a button.
Nothing is
seen, but we’re ON Beth and Miriam as they hear DOORS LOCKING, METAL SLIDING
INTO PLACE and GEARS TURNING TO A FINAL CLICK.
MIRIAM
What was that?
ALTON KIND
My
security system. (To Beth) Where’s the
disk?
MIRIAM
You’re trying to lock that
thing in?
ALTON KIND
That’s
right. I’ve turned this whole place into
a panic room. (To Beth) Ms. Shaw?
MIRIAM
Ok. You’re crazy.
But that’s on you.
No one answers
her. Beth and Professor Kind just stare
at each other intensely.
ALTON KIND
Where is my disk?
BETH
I dropped it. When that thing hit me.
Professor Kind
looks angry. On the verge of
SNAPPING. He opens his mouth…
When a deep
THUD is heard, and the entire building SHAKES.
Dust fills the air, and Beth and Miriam grab hold of the pews for
balance.
Then, TENDRILS
OF SHADOW creep through the crevices of the door behind Alton Kind.
BETH
Professor!
He turns to the
inky smoke emanating from around the edges of the door and backs away.
MIRIAM
Look!
Beth and Alton
look to the dais, where Miriam is pointing, and find TENDRILS OF SHADOW
creeping in from either side. Like
rapidly growing vines, they inch their way over the pulpit.
BETH
Ah!
They follow
Beth’s cry, turning behind them. From
the entrance into the sanctuary, more TENDRILS OF SHADOW.
MIRIAM
It’s
coming in from everywhere.
Beth looks back
up at the dais. She notices the tendrils
of shadow trying to cover the large stained glass window, but backing away when
they hit the light shining through.
BETH
No. Not everywhere. Only where it’s dark. Look!
The tendrils
begin growing up and around the window instead.
ALTON KIND
In
darkness only can this darkness dwell.
BETH
Yeah. And that buys us time. Professor, how do we get out of here?
ALTON KIND
We
don’t.
MIRIAM
Oh
no, don’t go crazy bad guy on us now.
Please.
ALTON KIND
Don’t
be naïve Miriam. You both knew what I
was after from the beginning. And you
signed up to join me.
BETH
We
signed up to learn from you.
ALTON KIND
From
me and with me, Ms. Shaw. You were the
only one who could go to Eden. I had
hoped for many more trips there, but that option may be lost to us now. Even so. You brought a piece of Eden to us.
MIRIAM
You
want to study this thing?
ALTON KIND
You
oversimplify. I want to observe it. I want to communicate with it. In short, I want to know it. And through it,
discover some piece of the great puzzle we three set out to solve together.
Another THUD
precedes an even more VIOLENT SHAKE.
This one almost sends the three of them toppling over.
BETH
That’s
all well and good professor, but you can’t control that thing.
ALTON KIND
I
don’t want to, Beth. I just want to
contain it.
BETH
That’s
impossible.
ALTON KIND
Nothing’s
impossible.
It’s a standoff
between two people who can’t see the forest for the trees. But Miriam can.
MIRIAM
You’re
not letting us out of here, are you?
ALTON KIND
There
is no way to. Not without allowing the
creature to escape.
Miriam begins
to hyperventilate. Beth tries to CALM
her.
ALTON KIND
I’m, sorry.
BETH
You’re not.
ALTON KIND
No,
I am. Truly. Just not sorry enough.
The sounds of
WOOD CRACKING ECHOE throughout the sanctuary.
They all turn to the door they came from.
The door to the
catacombs is SPLINTERING and SPLITTING at the onslaught of shadow.
A DEEP GROAN is
heard which calls the trio’s attention to the dais.
It’s SINKING.
Miriam’s
HYPERVENTILATING shifts into overdrive.
ALTON KIND
We’re
running out of time Ms. Shaw. Help me
figure out a way to trap this demon.
BETH
I
don’t know anything about it.
ALTON KIDN
You
were there. In its natural habitat. You saw how it lived. Tell me.
Beth looks over
at the dais. The pulpit is almost
completely underground.
ALTON KIND
And be quick about it.
INT. INSIDE THE
TREE
Elior sits
small in his high seat. Huddled inward,
as Michael walks back and forth before him.
On bended knee,
not far from Michael, are Lucian and Camilla.
They look up with worried eyes.
Michael’s wings
move in conjunction with his emotion.
When he’s making a point, they stiffen and rise into the air. When he’s angry, they shiver with his rage.
And he’s angry
now…
MICHAEL
It’s
been hours since they left him. He has
not returned.
ELIOR
And
you’re certain he’s nowhere to be found?
MICHAEL
No
where in this camp. Which can mean only
one thing – he has crossed over to the other side. Into the withered wood.
CAMILLA
I’m
sorry Elior. He was teetering. I know that now. I saw it.
But I wanted to trust him.
ELIOR
You
did the right thing, Camilla. And in
this place, that is what will always be expected of you.
MICHAEL
So
what do we do with Spero? When we find
him?
LUCIAN
If
we find him.
Michael turns
to Lucian with a look of incredulity.
LUCIAN
None
of us have every ventured into the land of shadow. We have no idea what it will do to him.
MICHAEL
But
we have a duty to get him back. So that
he may be punished.
LUCIAN
Don’t
we have a greater duty to our brothers and sisters who have remained loyal to
the Maker? If we send them into the
shadowland to look for Spero, they will be in just as much danger as he is.
MICHAEL
You
suggest we do nothing? That would go
against the will of our Lord.
ELIOR
He’s
not suggesting we do nothing.
Michael turns
back to Elior.
ELIOR
He’s
suggesting that our Father has already blessed us with the very solution we are
seeking.
MICHAEL
Spero
has been allowed to disobey the Maker not once, but twice. He must answer for his sin.
ELIOR
But
he need not answer to us.
MICHAEL
Elder. Brother.
If we choose not to act, then we are neglecting our duty to our
Lord.
Michael looks
intently at Elior.
MICHAEL
How
would that make us any different from him?
Elior wants to
answer, but he’s at a loss. He’s
frustrated – why can’t Michael just let this go?
And then,
Elior’s salvation comes running into the room.
SPERO (O.S.)
ELDER!
Spero sprints
down the long walkway, stopping suddenly right next to a bewildered
Michael. From their kneeling positions,
Camilla and Lucian slowly rise in disbelief.
SPERO
Elder, I must leave here at
once!
Michael has
just enough time for his shock to turn to rage.
He spins Spero around to face him.
MICHAEL
Spero!
Spero instantly
kneels, bowing his head.
SPERO
Elder Brother.
Michael looks
up at Elior, Camilla and Lucian – they all look stunned.
But Michael
recovers instantly.
MICHAEL
Where have you been Spero?
SPERO
Forgive
me. I went into the withered wood.
MICHAEL
Why?
SPERO
I
had to. A fiend attacked me on the edge
of the lagoon.
LUCIAN
On
our side of the isle?
SPERO
Yes. I killed it.
But there were more out there, in the dark. Watching me.
I could feel their eyes. So I
went in. To learn what I could.
ELIOR
And
what did you learn?
Spero turns his
head to look up at Elior.
SPERO
More
than you would tell me. More, perhaps,
than you even know.
MICHAEL
So
the wood…its taint…it has not corrupted you?
Spero looks up
at Michael.
SPERO
I’m afraid it has, brother.
Michael draws
the sword at his belt.
ELIOR
Michael,
you will not shed another’s blood in this place. It is forbidden.
MICHAEL
But this betrayer must be
punished.
Spero rises
slowly.
ELIOR
Spero,
you said you had to leave here. Why?
SPERO
I
met someone in the withered wood. A
mortal.
There are no gasps
of awe. There are only silent eyes
watching Spero intently.
ELIOR
Not
since the days of the first mortals have they been allowed to set foot here.
SPERO
Perhaps
the withered wood is different. But I
did see her. I spoke with her. She gave me this.
Spero pulls out
the small disk that rests in the palm of his hand. He flicks his wrist and the disk expands to a
full-size shield on his arm.
Michael looks
at it in disbelief. Then, for the first
time, the warrior angel looks at Spero’s side and spots a sword at his younger
brother’s belt.
MICHAEL
(Pointing to the sword)
Where did you get that?
Spero takes a
turn looking at the faces of Michael, Lucian, Camilla and Elior.
SPERO
Forgive
me brother. I wish to tell you, but it
is because of this sword that I cannot stay here. And I would not risk even the knowledge of
where it came from to force the same punishment on any of you.
ELIOR
Never
mind about the sword, where is the mortal?
SPERO
Gone. I’m not sure where. We were attacked by a fiend out of the
dark. The foul thing touched her just as
she gave me my shield. And at that
moment, the two of them disappeared.
CAMILLA
Disappeared? To where?
SPERO
To
where the rest of them live. Outside of
this haven.
ELIOR
Do
you realize what you’ve done?
They all turn
to look up at Elior, who for the first time looks ugly with rage.
ELIOR
We
are not meant to interfere with mortals.
A fiend in their midst will feed on them, and multiply.
SPERO
All
the more reason to send me there.
MICHAEL
You
cannot escape your punishment, little brother.
SPERO
I
do not wish to. But if I do not help her
now, she could die.
CAMILLA
She
may be already dead.
LUCIAN
There’s
no way to know.
SPERO
There
is a way. Let me go to her. Dead or alive, I can destroy the fiend at
least. And then, I shall return…to face
my fate. But please, let me make this
right.
ELIOR
I
see now that you are incapable of doing right, Spero. At least, not by your own kind. Besides, how will you go? You have no wings.
MICHAEL
I
will lend him mine.
Everyone looks
at Michael like he’s a fucking lunatic!
SPERO
You would help me?
MICHAEL
No. I would help the innocent you have
endangered. Your fate is already sealed,
and you will be judged accordingly for your misdeeds. Perhaps this one, last act, may buy you some
of the Maker’s good will.
Michael puts
both of his hands on Spero’s shoulders.
SPERO
You are helping me.
Michael bows
his head. Spero follows his elder
brother’s example.
Michael’s wings
begin to glow with a radiant, white light.
They get brighter and brighter, even as they fragment and dissipate.
They make their
way behind Spero where they recollect themselves.
Both angels
hold their heads up.
And it is
done. The glow on Michael’s wings fades
back, and they look exactly as they did before – only now, they’re on Spero.
SPERO
Thank you brother.
MICHAEL
Thank
me by following through on your word.
Spero
nods. He looks over his shoulder as much
as he can, and we see him adjust the wings and move them a bit.
SPERO
I
hadn’t realized how much I missed having these.
MICHAEL
Don’t
get too sentimental, little brother.
When your task is done, those wings will fly you right back here to
me. You will have no control over them.
Spero
nods. He takes a step back, bends at the
knees, and looks up at the starlit night sky hanging above them through the
opening at the top of the tree.
MICHAEL (O.S.)
Spero.
Spero looks back
at his brother.
MICHAEL
Do not fail.
Spero looks up,
dips, then shoots off.
We follow him
as he races up through the opening in the tree, until he BREAKS OUT INTO…
EXT. THE NIGHT
SKY OVER EDEN – CONTINUOUS
We see Spero, a
small shape in a sea of stars, as he banks and turns. We see the exhilarating joy wash over his
face as he remembers how good it feels to fly.
Then we see as
he makes a long turn away from the island, and SHOOTS OFF. He grows fainter and fainter, until he
finally disappears in the night.
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