Title cards read the following:
San Bernardino, California
Int. Commune room 1 - NIGHT
The camera swivels slowly from a central point on a coffee table, one by one revealing four young adults in an eccentric and messy living room. The four are under the influence of some kind of substance, something which shows in their lackadaisical movement and dialogue. It opens on DIANE, who stares blankly toward the floor. Next in rotation is CURTIS who is mid-speech. After is CLAUDIA, who gets up from her seat as the camera pans past her. Finally is JOEL, who alternates between a blank stare and a euphoric giggle. The shot begins with the following conversation:
CURTIS
I’m telling you man, they turned a Navy Destroyer completely invisible, teleported it to Virginia and then teleported it back to Philadelphia where they started. They just had to cover the whole thing up because everyone on the ship was all fucked up after.
CLAUDIA announces her exit as she stands up and removes herself from the circle:
CLaudia
(In her own world)
I'm gonna go for a walk.
JOEL smiles at CURTIS, skeptic to his story but enjoying it nonetheless.
CURTIS
It’s serious shit man. Some said they couldn’t even move man.
(Pointing toward JOEL)
I’m telling you, you’re gonna see, Jimmy Carter’s gonna blow the whole thing wide open after he pardons all the draft dodgers.
CURTIS gets distracted by the movement of his finger as he wags it to make his point, now slowing down the movement and studying it as if he is seeing each individual temporal slice of its movement at once, like some sort of long-exposure image.
The camera lands back on DIANE, bringing its swiveling motion to a halt.
DIANE looks up to the group with wide eyes.
Diane
(decidedly)
Guys.
JOEL and CURTIS snap their attention toward her.
DIANE
(Rushed, run-on)
Do you remember what Father was talking about at seminar last Friday, about the calling feeling your soul will have when it's ready for the next plane? He said the fact that we are asking questions about whether we are ready to leave our current form means we aren't.
JOEL and CURTIS look to her to finish, hanging on every word.
DIANE
We're there right now. Like, we have been. Can't you guys see that too? We've been stalling.
Joel
(Responding to her energy but less clear)
Yea.. yea. I think she's right. Like we could go whenever.
CuRTIS
(Smiling at first, then fading with thought)
I mean I don't know we...
DIANE cuts him off
DIANE
(Excited)
We could go right now!
DIANE stands up smiling ear to ear and begins searching around the room for something.
CURTIS turns to see what she is doing, only for a moment, before turning back toward Joel, speaking again with a smile.
CURTIS
Hey I'm happy you guys feel this way and everything but I'm pretty sure Father Young would tell us if we were ready...
As CURTIS speaks he faces forward only to JOEL, oblivious to DIANE's actions behind him.
JOEL's eyes watch DIANE move while CURTIS speaks.
CURTIS
I mean even if we were ready, I'm sure everyone would want to do some whole ceremony or a celebration or something.
DIANE finds a pistol among items in the cluttered room, notably some books by WARREN YOUNG that feature his name and face: "SALVATION, TELOS, and the FINAL PLANE," "ONTOLOGY OF THE FINAL PLANE"
DIANE grabs the gun and walks up to CURTIS from behind.
CURTIS
(Smug in his logic)
Plus, doesn't the comet not come for like another ten years
DIANE puts the gun to the back of CURTIS's head.
JOEL's eyes light up in disbelief as he watches this unfold, unable to interpret the situation and react accordingly.
Int. Commune room 2 - NIGHT
Before CURTIS can finish his sentence, we cut to the next room over.
We hear two gunshots and see their flashes through the doorway. They are spaced out by about 1.5 seconds.
CLAUDIA, who is stood reading next to a bookshelf, jumps at the shots, dropping her book.
She freezes in terror as she listens to the now silent air.
She waits for a few seconds then begins to move forward toward the commotion.
Before she enters the room yet another shot causes her to scream and stop in her place.
CuT TO:
Int. Bedroom
WARREN feverishly packs clothes into a suitcase, with haste and a look of immediate worry. The camera points up at him from the position of the suitcase.
The camera now focuses on a phone receiver that hangs by its cord off of a nearby table. Out of focus in the background, WARREN races around collecting items to take with him.
CuT TO BLACK.
Main act
TITLe cards read the following:
Micanopy, Florida
1 month later
Int. THE Apartment - ROOM - eVENING
Through a television set, we see the following scene:
Int. COMMUNE STUDIO - INDESC.
Through VHS footage we see a video lecture. Cult leader WARREN YOUNG sits in front of the camera in a black robe. A live feed of the camera is projected twice onto a screen behind him, giving him two digital silhouettes of himself.
WARREN
(Warmly)
Hello everybody. My name is Warren, some call me Father Young. Neither utterances are my name in the true sense, but both are used to refer to me on the planet Earth. Now one of my students, who, and some of which are sat in front of me now (he motions past the camera), asked me to give, in video form, a lecture on orienting the soul for the final plane. Now, (with a slight chuckle) you may be thinking well that’s quite the task to cover in lecture format, but I appreciate that student’s eagerness to leave our current form, this is something anyone who truly understands the final plane would be empathetic to. Now for those tuning in who aren’t familiar with our project here, when I say the final plane I am referring to my original birthplace, something many of you may be familiar with on this planet as the kingdom of god, or colloquially, heaven. I was sent to this planet with a purpose, though it is not a purpose I hold solely to me. We are all here in this world for the same reason: to find and save as many of each other as we can. In twenty years, with the passing of the Wollaver Comet, our plane as we know it will undergo a reprocessing. Only those of us who have devoted ourselves to Telos and his word will be allowed to join his side in the final plane. It is no coincidence that your world is about to undergo this extreme planetary event within your timeline, among the current generations of human beings is said to be the original souls belonging to the first disciples of Telos, transmaterialized through multitudes of corporeal forms before resolving to their current human capacities. You may see now the urgency of this imperative: we must save each other. As a being of the higher plane and a student of Telos myself, I have the utmost knowledge of how to orient the human soul towards the higher plane, but my lecturing will seldom be enough on its own for your soul to reach what you desire. I could sit here and give a lecture on how to play the piano, but the simple fact of the matter is that you will not be able to play the piano after having heard it, no matter how close you paid attention. To learn the piano, you must play the piano. Orienting and devoting your soul to Telos works this same way. The bulk of our work we do every day couldn't happen without our physical community here in San Bernardino, at the Fellowship of Truth. Attending daily prayer, studying the texts,
(he holds up a book of his)
nightly ritual, absolving yourself privately with me or another higher member of the church, these are all typical actions of those whose souls are in preparation for the next plane.
A knock is heard.
CuT TO:
int. The Apartment - room - eVENING
A knock on the door breaks WARREN's (and the camera's) focus from his TV. He sits in his apartment watching the footage we were being shown.
We faintly hear more of the tape in the background of the next shots until it is turned off:
WARREN
(over the TV)
While much of your progress will come about from your time here at the Fellowship, it is important to study the literature and lectures, as you must act with the right understanding in mind. Meaningless, automatic worship will not bring you closer to Telos. You must connect with his word.
He stands up at heads to the door, stumbling across a cord that gets caught on his foot. He spends a moment unsuccessfully kicking it off of his leg before it finally gives.
He continues his path to the door just for a moment before turning back to turn off the television set. He then sets off again and makes it to the door.
He opens the door to his neighbor MARSHA, who by her posture, appears as if she was about to give up and turn back to her room. She turns back to him brightly.
Int. The Apartment - HALL - EVENING
MARSHA
Hi Mr. Smith. I don't mean to bother you...
WARREN
(Caught off guard)
No not at all!
MARSHA
Would it be too much trouble to use your phone?
WARREN
(Now more composed)
No, come right in.
Int. THE Apartment - ROOM - EVENING
Marsha dials her friend who promptly picks up.
She holds the phone to her head with a smile and twirls the cord with her other hand as she speaks, looking around the room but not at any one item. We don't hear the other end of the conversation.
MARSHA
(Over the phone, jovial)
Hey! It's Marsha. Yea... Yea... I'm sorry if you were trying to reach me my phone line's down... yea I'm using a neighbor's... Mr. Smith... yea...
As MARSHA speaks to her friend in the distance, WARREN scans his room for ways to tidy.
MARSHA
(She smiles and laughs lightly as she listens)
No he's older. Listen I just wanted to make sure we're still on for tomorrow. Yea... that's what I was thinking... yea... yea sure let her know too...
In doing so he notices a book, "SALVATION, TELOS, and the FINAL PLANE by Warren Young" that features a photo of him on the cover. He first reacts quickly, starting off towards the book. He then pauses to reorient his action as something banal enough to escape Marsha's interest, walking to his desk slowly and organizing other items of less interest before putting the book underneath a stack of others.
MARSHA continues her call, oblivious to WARREN's arbitrary actions.
MARSHA
(Wrapping things up)
Well alright, I just wanted to make sure you didn't think I was bailing on you... alright...
(she laughs again at something said)
I'll see you then. Bye.
MARSHA hangs the receiver back to the base of the phone.
INt. The Apartment - bathroom - night
Open on WARREN placing a tube of toothpaste in a cabinet in front of him.
He closes the cabinet, with the mirror door now displaying his face to the camera as he brushes his teeth.
He pauses brushing for a moment to examine his face closely, dragging a hand down from about 2 inches below his eye, pulling on his skin and letting it spring back into place as his hand slides off.
He continues brushing for a few seconds longer before spitting into the sink.
He looks down to see a significant amount of blood in his spit, as well as a quarter in the sink.
Int. THE APARTMENT - ROOM - NIGHT
WARREN enters his room from the bathroom.
The camera holds on the door rather than following him as he searches through one of the drawers of his dresser.
WARREN's hands come into focus as he places a piece of paper tape from the edge of the door to the doorframe. He flattens it tight against the door before flicking off the light switch.
Cut TO BLACK.
DREAM SEQUENCE
A CLOSE-UP of the liquid in a red punch bowl as more is poured in.
Overlaid is the image is the cult's symbol.
The overlaid image meshes into that of WARREN following MARSHA from a distance. The entire sequence is on a gradient of red to black.
Int. THE Apartment - ROOM - MORNING
Warren wakes up in bed. He opens his eyes slowly and looks around the room. His face is confused as if for a moment he did not know where he was.
CuT TO:
WARREN is still in his room but now out of his bed. He puts a shirt on and buttons it up as he finishes getting dressed. He sternly stares straight ahead past the camera through the entire action, never breaking his focus.
WARREN pauses for just a moment after fastening his last button and then walks forward to the door. The camera turns with him, away from his face and now towards the door. He opens the door and exits closing it behind him.
As the door shuts the camera moves in so that its view is perpendicular with the door. It can now be seen that the tape is broken.
Int. Bar - daY
WARREN sits at a bar along with two other men, WRITER and BAR PATRON, spaced out from each other and drinking alone. BARTENDER is across the bar cleaning glasses. WRITER is a middle-aged man, wearing a wrinkled white collared shirt and a dingy black blazer with matching pants. BAR PATRON is slightly younger and shorter in comparison, wearing a tidier three piece suit with a tie. BAR PATRON is in the middle, with WRITER furthest from the camera.
We open on WRITER staring at his journal intently but not writing. He lifts his hat to scratch his head with the end of a pen.
BAR PATRON rolls his knuckles against the bar as he looks around in boredom.
WARREN works on a newspaper crossword puzzle, not paying much mind toward the other patrons of the bar.
BAR PATRON turns to WRITER, lifting his head and peering at the blank journal.
WRITER is staring at his journal but still hasn't touched his pen to it.
BAR PATRON smiles as he begins to speak.
BAR Patron
(Smug)
What're you writing a list of your friends?
WRITER responds without looking up from his journal.
WRITER
(Cold and direct)
Shut up.
This pleases BAR PATRON who smiles over to BARTENDER.
BARTENDER shakes his head trying not to instigate, but has a hard time holding back his smile.
BAR PATRON turns back to WRITER and tries again.
BAR PATRON
Do you bring that book here just to act like you're doing something?
WRITER slams his pen on the bar and turns to BAR PATRON. He looks BAR PATRON up and down as he thinks of a comeback.
writer
(Stern)
Do you bring that face in here just to act like it's not fucking stupid.
BAR PATRON laughs, enjoying the insult.
WRITER doesn't laugh; he keeps a serious face as he turns back to his journal and begins writing.
BAR PATRON's laughter calms and boredom sets back in. His eyes wander once again, this time landing on WARREN.
BAR PATRON
What's your story, are you a drifter?
WARREN looks BAR PATRON up and down, then back to his crossword as he answers.
WARREN
(Disinterested)
No I just moved here.
BAR PATRON
What brings you here?
WARREN pauses and looks straight forward as he answers.
WARREN
Retirement.
BAR PATRON laughs.
BAR PATRON
Why the hell would anyone want to retire here?
WARREN thinks about this genuinely before answering.
WARREN
It's quiet.
BAR PATRON shrugs as he considers this (his face expresses "I guess").
BARTENDER
(Joining in)
What'd you do before?
WARREN
(Caught off guard)
I was uhh... a professor.
BARTENDER and BAR PATRON exchange a look acknowledging WARREN's strange manner of response.
CUT TO:
int. Bar bathroom
WARREN is stood in front of a urinal.
BAR PATRON enters the bathroom and heads straight to the sink. He pulls out a small bag of white powder, taps some out on to his finger and sniffs it hard, shutting his eyes and tensing his face with its impact.
WARREN flushes the toilet and walks over to the sink.
BAR PATRON makes room for WARREN who begins washing his hands.
WARREN looks over towards BAR PATRON's antics, studying him for a second.
Warren
Can I have some?
BAR PATRON smiles.
BAR PATRON
No way. The professor. What's in it for me?
WARREN thinks for a second and then pulls out mint tin from his pocket. He opens it to reveal a few blotter tabs on a bed of aluminum foil.
BAR PATRON smiles.
BAR PATRON
Well, why the hell not.
WARREN closes the tin and hands it to BAR PATRON.
BAR PATRON taps some of the powder out on to the tin. He cuts it into two lines with a razor
CUT TO:
Int. BAR - DAY
WARREN and BAR PATRON are sitting at the bar once again. They are laughing along with BARTENDER about something that had been said. WARREN and BAR PATRON are notably in more attentive and positive moods.
WRITER sits in the same spot, writing away furiously without bringing his pen off of the journal.
BARTENDER
(Assuring)
She'll come around.
Bar PATRON
(Smiling still)
Eh I don't know, this isn't like anything in the past. There's no explaining this one away.
BARTENDER
Something tells me you don’t actually regret it.
BaR PATRON
Of course I don’t!
WARREN, BAR PATRON and BARTENDER all laugh.
BaR PATRON
What I do regret is getting caught. But really, why should I have to feel bad about something that makes me feel good? Life is for the taking, only fools pass up on the things life hands them -- All out of some moral grandstanding.
WARREN shakes his head in agreement.
BAR PATRON
You take what you can and the strongest end up with the lot of it.
BARTENDER shakes his head and laughs.
BarTENDER
What a way to look at the world.
We focus again on WRITER, who amidst his writing, comes to a sudden halt.
His eyes shoot forward and his hand freezes.
He drops the pen and collapses to the floor.
The occupants of the bar all look to see what happened, standing up from their stools.
WRITER seizes on the floor violently, with a blank stare in his eyes.
WARREN looks over shocked, but not necessarily distraught.
BAR PATRON looks down at him with poorly masked amusement, stifling his laughter.
BAR PATRON
(Jokingly)
Oh?
BARTENDER rushes to the phone and dials 911.
BAR PATRON continues to stare with a sadistic smile; he furrows his brow with curiosity.
BAR PATRON
I think he may be dying.
BAR PATRON begins speaking as the phone connects.
BARTENDER
(Worried and rushed)
Hello - someone just collapsed in my bar - he's having a heart attack or seizure or something - JT's on 6th ave - please hurry.
We see WARREN is now focused on the man's open journal; on it is a picture of two anthropomorphized dogs, each holding a human on respective leashes.
WARREN stares with concern.
ext. Bar/Street - DAY
WARREN walks down the street. He stares at the ground with the same expression on his face.
His faces moves as he reflects on what just happened, his confusion forms something of a worry. He picks up his pace as his thoughts begin to race.
A man in a vested suit hands out pamphlets to on-goers, delivering a pitch as they walk by.
Pamphlet man
Save yourself... save yourself
The man places a pamphlet in WARREN's hands as he walks by.
WARREN grabs it, moving forward without paying it any mind.
After walking for another 15 seconds, he looks down at the pamphlet which reads: ""
He turns back to find that the man is gone.
INT. THE Apartment - ROOM - eVENING
WARREN enters his room coldly. He heads straight to his phone, picking up the receiver and using his other hand to retrieve the pamphlet from his pocket.
He stares at the pamphlet for a moment before dialing the number.
It rings for a few seconds before anyone picks up.
Unknown caller
Greetings.
WARREN hesitates before answering.
WARREN
Who are you people?
UNKNOWN CALLER
(matter-of-factly, sensing hostility in WARREN's phrasing)
We are 'The Order of Light'
WARREN grinds his teeth deciding what to say next.
WARREN
What is it you're selling?
UNKNOWN CALLER
We're not selling anything Sir.
WARREN
(quickly)
Everyone's selling something.
WARREN waits a few seconds for a reply, though there is none. He repositions himself and calms his tone.
WARREN
What's the goal?
UnKNOWN CALLER
Salvation, ascension to a higher existence, reuniting with our true creator before it's too late.
WARREN cuts him off before he can say more.
WARREN
(Angrily)
You think you can just come up with some fucking synonyms and a bullshit drawing and call it your own? This is my life's fucking work! My shit means something! Where am I calling, huh? Where are you people running this sorry fucking-
The dial tone interrupts WARREN as the caller hangs up. He pulls the receiver from his ear and looks at it before forcefully hanging it up to the base. (Close-up of the base as the receiver slams into it)
Cut TO:
INT. THE APARTMENT - ROOM - NIGHT
Moments later in the same room, WARREN pours himself a glass of whiskey. We hear his voice through a video lecture playing on his TV.
Through WARREN's television set we are shown the following:
int. COMMUNE STUDIO - INDESC.
WARREN sits in the same position as we saw in the last VHS tape. He says the following:
WARREN
When I started the church 20 years ago, it was just me and four fellow brothers and sisters I had met preaching on the streets of San Francisco. I'm proud of what our mission has became, how much we have been able to do for Telos. When I look out into this crowd I have before me now, I'm reminded exactly how important our mission is. Today's lesson is of utmost importance - we shall discuss the ontology of the final plane, and how much we can understand from the limited perspective of our current forms
CuT TO:
INT. THE Apartment - ROOM - evening
WARREN stands up from his chair and combs through his collection of VHS tapes. The tape currently playing can still be heard:
WARREN
The final plane is nothing like ours. It feels wrong to discuss them as the same kinds of thing, or to consider the final plane as a thing at all.
He finally lands on one titled, "Diane's First Sacrament". He stares at it intently and puts his drink down to grab it - brushing off any dust with his other hand..
He promptly ejects the current tape and replaces it with the new one.
WARREN grabs his drink and returns to his chair.
WE SEE THE FOLLOWING SCENE ON THE TV SET:
INT. Ritual room - iNDESC.
Warren finishes setting up the camera we are viewing from and then walks out of frame.
Warren
You may enter, Diane.
DIANE enters the frame wearing a white dress. She sits in the chair positioned in front of the camera.
Warren
Who are you?
Diane
I'm Diane.
WARREN
Who are you?
Diane
(Smiling)
Diane.
WARREN
Let's try this again, who are you?
DIANE
Diane Richards, father
WARREN
And why are you here Diane Richards?
DIANE
To join the fellowship.
WARREN
Why are you here?
DIANE pauses.
DIANE
It's my purpose.
WARREN
Are you prepared for today's rite.
DIANE
Yes.
WARREN pauses.
WARREN
Are you prepared for today's rite.
DIANE
Yes.
WARREN
Are you prepared for today's rite.
DIANE
Yes.
WARREN
Book 3, Chapter 7.
DIANE pauses as she collects her thoughts. She begins reciting the following from memory, making mistakes as she goes along that prompt WARREN to interject and make her restart:
DIANE
I, Diane Richards, pledge myself to Telos, and to the mission of the Fellowship of Truth.
I pledge to dedicate the entirety of my mind, body, and spirit to the pursuit of ascension and salvation. I understand that the fate of humanity and the spiritual realm is in my hands.
I pledge to contribute to the cause in both material and spiritual offerings.
I pledge to be faithful to the teachings and requests of Father Young.
I understand that Telos lives through me.
I understand that this plane will soon be no more.
Back to:
Int. THE Apartment - ROOM - NIGHT
A close up shows WARREN staring at the screen in a hypnotized and drunken malaise.
CUT TO:
A wider shot showing WARREN asleep in the same chair; the light of the TV static hits his face.
Back to a similarly framed close up of WARREN's face. He suddenly wakes up, looking around only for a moment before fixating on the TV.
WE SEE THE FOLLOWING SCENE ON THE TV SET:
Int. The Apartment - HALL - NIGHT
WARREN slowly walks into the room of his neighbor.
Back to:
INT. THE Apartment - ROOM - MORNING
WARREN wakes up again in his seat, this time it is morning.
We see the TV set again but this time it is just static.
He turns around and sees that his door is ajar.
INT. laundry room - morning
WARREN enters the laundry room balancing a stack of clothes in his arms.
He puts the clothes down on the dryer and steps to his left to open the washing machine.
WARREN looks down into the washer with confusion, noticing that it is full.
He slowly pulls out what appears to be a white dress, analyzing it as if it is familiar.
As he holds it up to view, Marsha enters the room.
MaRSHA
Oh I'm sorry I'll switch my clothes.
Her sudden presence along with WARREN's compromised position startles him, causing him to suddenly drop her clothes back into the machine.
WARREN nervously takes a couple steps back.
MARSHA rushes in front of him to switch her clothes, not nearly as uncomfortable with intruding on WARREN's space as he seems to be.
WARREN
(Nervously)
I'll just come back later when you're done.
MARSHA
(Kindly)
No are you kidding? It'll take two seconds.
WARREN
(Almost muttering)
No I- uh, it's alright I have -
WARREN grabs his clothes off of the dryer as he finishes stammering and heads out of the room before MARSHA can say anything else.
Int. THE APARTMENT - ROOM - DAY
WARREN enters back in his room with his clothes. He places the stack on his chair and walks over to the mirror above his dresser.
He stares at himself for a moment and then looks down at the pamphlet.
WARREN grabs the first dirty shirt off of his chair, puts it on, and leaves out of his door.
ExT. BAR/STREET - DAY
WARREN walks down the same street he was originally handed a pamphlet.
He looks around standing in the same spot, not finding what he is out for.
WARREN continues down the street.
Ext. Park - tree - day
WARREN sees BAR PATRON sat on a concrete bench with his back turned towards WARREN.
WARREN approaches him.
WARREN
Hey! Hey did you see a man when you left yesterday?
BAR PATRON looks at WARREN with tears streaming down his face.
BAR PATRON
You! You made me realize!
WARREN
(Almost angry)
What?
BAR PATRON contorts his face as he begins to cry.
BAR PATRON
I've had it all wrong. I've had it all wrong.
BAR PATRON pauses his fit as the sight of a flower grabs his full attention. He smiles in awe.
BAR PATRON
It's all so beautiful.
BAR PATRON throws his head in his hands as he begins to weep again.
BAR PATRON
It's too late! Oh it's too late! I don’t deserve another go at it all. There’s no hell, it’s worse than that. We have to feel it now. Do you understand me? This is it now
WARREN slaps BAR PATRON across his face before he can finish.
BAR PATRON looks up at WARREN in shock.
WARREN
(With genuine anger)
Get it together. What the hell is wrong with you? Look at yourself.
WARREN turns around and walks away.
EXT. PARK - fountain - daY
WARREN walks further through the park, sitting on a bench opposite a fountain.
He turns toward a young boy standing in front of the fountain.
The boy holds a coin close to himself and looks toward WARREN. Though far away, we see an extreme close up of his mouth as he makes his wish.
CHILD
I wish that man would die.
WARREN is frozen for a moment, in disbelief of what he has heard. He walks a few feet in the direction of the child, exclaiming:
WARREN
(Firmly)
Hey! What did you just say? Kid!
The child turns his focus away from the fountain and toward WARREN. He stares blankly for a quick moment before running off in the other direction.
WARREN freezes as the kid begins to run, looking around now at the commotion he is causing.
The pair of friends and the pair of colleagues stare at WARREN with concern.
WARREN approaches the same spot at the fountain that the child was standing in.
WARREN rolls up his sleeve and dives his hand into the fountain, wading it around for the coin.
After staring at the multitude of coins, he resolves to grabbing as many as he can, throwing each one out of the fountain with a passionate anger.
WARREN
(Under his breath)
Murderers!
Int. THE Apartment - HALL - NIGHT
WARREN walks up the stairs.
As he walks up, he notices MARSHA's room is ajar.
He sees the following:
Int. Marsha's room - night
At first, the scene is shot through the crack of the door, only showing an obscured and narrow view.
MARSHA sits in a white dress reminiscent of DIANE in the VHS tape. To her sides and in front of her are three CULTISTS in a black robes, with their hoods obscuring their faces. The CULTIST directly in front of her holds a candle.
In an extreme closeup, MARSHA holds out her hand.
Another extreme closeup shows the hands of the CULTIST holding the candle as he tips it forward slightly, spilling the melting wax.
CUT TO:
InT. THE APARTMENT - HALL - NIGHT
WARREN winces as he watches (Close-up).
WARREN then slowly proceeds up the stairs, trying his best not to make a noise while straining to focus on what is happening in the room. One of the wooden steps creaks loudly as he makes contact.
Int. MaRSHA'S ROOM - NIGHT
Through the crack in the door we see MARSHA and the CULTIST turn toward the ajar door as they hear the creak of the step.
Int. THE APARTMENT - HALL - night
WARREN looks down at his feet and pretends as if he has seen nothing as he continues up the stairs and into his room.
INT. THE APARTMENT - ROOM - night
WARREN enters his room, closing the door behind him and leaving his hands pressed against the door.
He sits down in his chair, hunched over trying to maintain his composure.
The sounds of the other room are glaring yet nondescript; it is as if people are stomping around or dragging furniture.
WARREN turns his head to different parts of the wall as if to locate the source of what he is hearing. He speeds up this motion as more sounds are heard from different sections of the wall.
Suddenly the noise halts.
WARREN and the camera jolt toward his door as he hears the sound of MARSHA's door opening from the other side. We hear the sound of three or so people fielding down the stairs and out of the building. WARREN's eyes try to track this motion.
As WARREN hears the door close downstairs he darts towards the window and looks through the blinds.
Through the window we see MARSHA walking alone down the alley.
WARREN heads out the door after her.
Ext. Alley - night
We pickup in the alley beside the apartment, watching WARREN as he trails behind MARSHA.
Alternating shots show the two of them as WARREN follows at a distance, his presence escaping MARSHA.
Ext. Building - night
Outside of a large building, people are fielding in through a main entrance, some wearing black robes and some dressed casually and just holding them.
A man in a suit, BOUNCER, waits at the door, nodding at each person as they walk in.
WARREN watches this all from the bushes in the distance.
WARREN waits until the crowd dies down; BOUNCER does a final look to his left and right before turning around to head in himself.
WARREN takes after him following as silently as possible.
WARREN enters the building convinced he is unseen.
Int. Reception - night
WARREN enters the building closing the door behind him.
WARREN walks down a corridor onto a balcony that overlooks large ballroom. Upbeat baroque piano music and the murmuring chatter of a party can be heard.
The ballroom is filled with guests, formally dressed, each holding a glass of a deeply red liquid.
Four statue-like cloaked figures stand symmetrically between sets of black curtains that hand across the walls.
WARREN looks out confused, recognizing his cults symbol on the hoods of the cultists.
He sees the following amongst the crowd:
BAR PATRON and writer laugh together and share a drink.
MARSHA pours a pitcher of the red liquid into a her glass.
PAMPHLET MAN has a lively conversation with another cultist.
BARTENDER sips his glass.
CLAUDIA pours a cultist a drink from a pitcher.
Suddenly, PAMPHLET MAN catches WARREN from the corner of his eye. He smiles with the sight of him, tapping a ring on his finger against his glass as to get everyone's attention.
PAMPHLET MAN
The man who worked tirelessly, day and night to make it all happen; Not just the organization of tonight’s ceremony, not just the founding and accomplishments of our single chapter, but the sole exigence of the movement. The reason any human will stand the test of our planet’s destruction. The reason any of us will be back where we belong, in the finale plane, reunited with our lord Telos. Ladies and gentlemen, the pious and honorable Father Warren Young.
WARREN calls down from the balcony, echoing as if the room is empty:
WARREN
You can't be serious. Marsha, you're out of your mind. You can't do this! We're not ready! No one here is - whoever you are! And the reprocessing won't be for another fifteen years! Marsha call this off. None of your souls are oriented for the next plane. Don't go through with this. Seriously Marsha, you're gonna kill us all. Stop it! I’m serious!
MARSHA takes a large sip of her glass.
WARREN
I made it up okay. I made the whole thing up.
The music halts along with the chatter.
WARREN
Telos, the final plane the comet everything I made it up!
BAR PATRON and WRITER take a drink in unison.
WARREN
You guys can’t do this you’re crazy! I'm a sci-fi writer; it's just a story. You have to believe me. The earth isn’t gonna be reprocessed! You guys have to know this! I'm the one who wrote it all. I'm telling you right now it isn't real!
CLAUDIA lifts her glass to WARREN.
WaRREN
This must be revenge! You guys can’t all believe that shit, can you? What do you want me to say? I’m sorry? Yes. I made it all up to get my way. I’m sorry. Just cut this shit out! I can pay you guys. Is that what you want? Money? Yea! I have plenty! Please! What is wrong with you people?
WARREN's last words ring in an echo as the scene cuts to black.
END.
