The Faculty / Jeremiah (TV) - Reboot Universe - written for Lamds of Magic

[prisca]

This is a post I created for a LoM Challenge some time ago. I have never written a script before, so please be patient.

Three mini scripts, taking place in my Reboot Universe.

Scene one: Herrington
Scene two: On the Road
Scene three: The Mountain



After the downbreak of the world, some teenagers found refuge in an abandoned hotel. Sometime after the alien incident, the teenager finally gets used to the changed life and tries to make the best of it.

Only Casey Connor, the boy who had killed the alien queen and caused the outbreak of the virus, which killed all adults by doing so, still has his problems accepting that everything was not his fault. His friends are worried about him.




Marriott Hotel (the most expensive hotel in Herrington before the incident) - the restaurant

The hotel's elegant restaurant has become a more practical room; only the high ceiling and the white and golden wallpaper still remind of the former luxury. Lunchtime is over; it is already getting dark outside because it is a cold and rainy autumn day. The lights are turned off; energy is much too valuable to waste it for the handful of people still sitting in the room.

A young girl (Delilah Profitt) is cowering on the floor near the fireplace (the fire is burned down but still radiates some warmth) with a toddler (girl), playing with wooden toy blocks. Casey Connor is sitting at a small, round table on the other side of the room, near the big window front, accompanied by a short guy wearing an old, thick coat (Mr. Smith) a big backpack on the ground beside the table. A plate with soup is standing in front of the guy; he is eating with slow movements.

Zeke Tyler enters the room, looking around. He frowns when he notices Casey together with the foreign guy, then he crosses the room with wide steps.

Zeke
Case, here you are. I've been looking for you for a while already.

Casey
(turning to Zeke)
What's the matter?

Zeke
(eying the man up and down)
Can we talk?

Casey
Sure.

Zeke
Alone!

Casey
(smiling wide)
Oh, I understand.
(he turns to the guy who has now finished his soup)
I will be back in a minute. Don't leave.

Mr. Smith
(shaking his head, his voice weak)
There is nowhere I could go; I am right where I am supposed to be.

Zeke
(grabbing for Casey's arm, pulling him to the other side of the room)
What the heck is this again? What is he doing here?

Casey
I met him in the woods, and obviously, he needs help. He shouldn't be outside during this weather.

Zeke
(slightly angry)
You shouldn't go into the woods alone, no matter the weather. It's not safe with this group of renegades around.

Casey
(amused voice)
Calm down, Zeke.
(Smiling, he looks over to Delilah and the little girl who are still playing near the fireplace)
I am not a toddler anymore; I don't need a babysitter.

Zeke
(huffing)
I'm not sure about this; sometimes Marie seems to be smarter than you are. It's not the first time that you will bring yourself into trouble. I don't agree often with Gabe, but here he is right. You need to be more careful. The world is not a safe place anymore. Too many weirdos out there.

Casey
(turning back to the guy, who has now put his head onto his arms, falling asleep)
Does he look like a danger to you? He is exhausted, and he probably has a fever. Maybe a pneumonia. I am not sure if he can survive much longer when he doesn't find a place to recover. At least, until next spring, until it gets warmer again.

Zeke
Wait! You want him to stay here? Case, you need to stop this! You can't invite every dodger in. Our resources run short, and the winter is coming.

Casey
It is even more important for him to find some quarters. Where else could he go? He can't even remember where he comes from. Not even his name. He says God has sent him here.

Zeke
(his body stiffens)
What the heck is this supposed to mean?

Casey
(shrugs)
I don't know. He seems to believe that he is a kind of messenger. Of God.

Zeke
Oh shit! Great! Even you must agree that this sounds pretty weird.

Casey
A lot of people are a bit weird nowadays.
(suddenly looking lost)
Not a big surprise when you think about all they have to go through. All these people, thrown off their lives in no time...
(he pauses and sighs)

Zeke
(his voice calmer)
You need to stop tormenting yourself, Casey. None of this is your fault. What you did was pretty courageous.

Casey
(whispers)
I wanted to save our world, but I failed miserably.

Zeke
(grabbing for his shoulder, shaking him slightly)
No, you don't! It didn't go as we had hoped, and yes, this was bloody hell. But we are still here, and the world still has a chance. Look at Delilah and Marie; look at everyone living here. Without you, we all would have been lost. Puppets in the hand of a creepy alien queen.
(squeezes Casey's shoulders harder than planned; Casey winced)
Sorry!
(Zeke steps back)
But I can tell you, I would prefer to be dead than this.

Casey
(with a shaking voice)
I am glad you are not. And Deliah, and Marie, and all the others... I am so happy that they are still here and at least have a chance to live. But isn't this pretty selfish?
(licking his lips)
What's with everyone out there? So many have lost their homes, their family, their friends. They are all alone. Don't know where to go. What kind of future do they have?
(tears sparkle in his eyes, while looking over to the still sleeping man at the table)
All I can do is to help at least some of them. To help him. I owe him. Why can't you understand that?

Zeke
(eying him silently for a moment, than he smirks)
I guess I shouldn't be that surprised. You always were the golden boy who wanted to do the right thing, no matter what trouble it got you into. Some things will never change. And maybe it is good that way.

Casey
(smiling weakly)
Does this mean you will help me? He can't stay here in the cafeteria forever; he needs a bed.

Zeke
(nodding slowly)
We should talk with Stokes. She knows all about the hotel's resources.
(Casey beams, and he pulls his face)
I might regret this one day. Wouldn't be surprised if he will cause lots of trouble. But I promise, if he will ever dare to hurt you, he will have me to deal with.

Casey
(the smile widens, his eyes sparkle)
Thank you, Zeke. For all.





Casey Connor and Zeke Tyler have been on the road for a while already, looking for a place named 'The Mountain.' One day, they stop at a tavern in the small town of Brownsville.

The room is only dimly lit, with smoke in the air from the open fireplace and smoking people and loud voices. Shabby furnished; some self-timbered tables and chairs, a makeshift bar counter, some guys standing there, glasses with ominous-looking drinks in their hands. One guy is playing on an off-tuned piano, while two barely dressed girls are dancing on a table; some more guys are standing around, cheering them on.

A man behind the bar, long, stringy hair, holds off with a bandana, a rag in his waistband. He is talking to Zeke while Casey looks around in the room.

Casey
Oh shit!

Zeke
(turns to him)
What's happened?

Casey
Do you see this? There is a little girl sleeping under a table. What the heck is she doing here?

Guy behind the bar
(follows his gaze and shrugs)
Oh, the little one again. Don't worry about her. She's fine.“

Casey
(shocked)
She is fine? But how can you let this happen?
(his look wanders over from the drunken guys at the bar to the barely dressed women on the table)
This is not a place for a little girl.

Guy behind the bar
What can I do? I tell her to stay downstairs, but she always sneaks back here and hides somewhere under a table until she finally falls asleep. Poor, little thing, but I let her stay as long as she doesn't bother anyone.

Casey
She is what – maybe five years old? Six? How can you bring your daughter to such a place? Where is her mom?

Guy behind the bar
(has grabbed a bottle from the shelf, pouring a grey-brown liquid into a glass. Now he stops, looking at Casey slightly frowning)
She is not my daughter, okay? One day, she turned up here with a woman, maybe her mother, maybe not. I don't know. The bitch was gone the next morning.
(points at the girl under the table)
She was still here. I don't have the heart to kick her out. End of the story.

Casey
(wants to say something but is stopped by Zeke)

Zeke
(putting his hand on Casey's shoulder)
Let it rest. That's none of our business.

Casey
(turns around and stares at him with his eyes wide open)
So you think this is okay? That this is a good place for a little girl to grow up? What kind of life can she have? Tell me that!“

Zeke
Look, he lets her stay. She gets something to eat and a warm place to sleep. That's a lot more than others would do. At least she has a chance now.

Casey
(shrugs Zeke's hand off, breathes heavily)
You call this a chance? Marie has a chance! Because we all loved her from the very first moment. Delilah is like a mother to her, and everyone knows Delilah is the last one who cares for others. We all would never let it happen that she has to grow up like this.

This guy? He couldn't care less. And when she gets older one day she might end up like one of these girls on the table.

Zeke
(noticing the guy stepping forward with growing anger on his face, grabbing for Casey's arm quickly to pull him towards the door)
Shit, Case! Will you stop now before you bring us into serious trouble? I am sure he is just a good guy who tries to help.

Casey
But...

Zeke
(rolling his eyes)
You are still the same little shit as you've been at highschool. You never knew when it was better to keep your mouth shut and run, no matter what trouble it got you into.
C'mon, let's split. Doesn't look as if we can find any info about the Mountain here anyway.

(Zeke pulls the door open, but Casey is still hesitating. He looks back to the girl, who is now woken up, yawning as she rubs her eyes. She is wearing a too-big red shirt and flap trousers; her hair brown and long, hanging around her face. Still cowering under the table, scanning the room until her eyes fall on Casey. She tilts her head.)

Casey
Oh! She's awake.
(smiles at the girl - ignoring Zeke's protest, he crosses the room kneels down in front of the table)
Hey. What are you doing there? It can't be very comfortable to sleep under a table. Unless you are a cat. And you don't look like one.

Girl
(eyes him without any movement)

Casey
I see you don't want to talk. But why don't you come out there? Let me help you.
(when stretching out his hand, the girl moved back up to the wall as quick as a flash)
Okay. Then I will sit down here, keep you some company. Hope you don't mind.
(sits down on the floor)
Name is Casey. Maybe you will tell me yours?

Girl
(only shrugs)

(Camera goes back to the bar)

Guy behind the bar
(watching the scene with narrowed eyes, murmuring more to himself)
That's all for nothing. Poor little thing.

Zeke
(comes back, smiles at the guy's words)
Maybe not; Casey can be very stubborn. He mostly gets what he wants.

Guy behind the bar
(turns to Zeke and huffs slightly)
Huh. Why does he care for her anyway? One should think everyone has enough to do with their own problems.

Zeke
She reminds him of home. A little girl, younger than she is, we found her at an abandoned mall as a baby. Marie. Casey loves her, and it hurts him that he had to leave her behind. Though he knows others will take good care of her.

Guy behind the bar
(smirking)
Better than I do. Is that what you want to say? That a guy like me should not take care of a little girl?

Zeke
(shrugs)
Well, times are complicated, I guess. Often, there is not much of a choice.

Guy behind the bar
(laughs slightly)
I see you are trying to be diplomatic, though you would like to agree with him. Well, I would agree, too. This...
(makes a sweeping gesture)
… is not the paradise, and I am not a saint. I never was interested in taking care of a little crab like her. And yes, when I found her under the table all alone, my first thought was how to get rid of her as soon as possible.
(looks over to the table where Casey is still sitting on the floor, talking with her)
But, you see, in the end, she stayed. There's not much I can do, but I hope she's better off this way than with some of the guys she might have met.

Zeke
(nods thoughtfully)
Understand. But you wouldn't mind if someone else would take over the job to care for her.

Guy behind the bar
(narrowed his eyes slightly)
You didn't say much about your plans, but obviously, you don't intend to go home soon. You think the road is a better place for her?

Zeke
I don't know where this ride will take us or if we ever find what we are looking for. So, no, it's me and Casey, and we won't take over responsibility for anyone else. Even if Casey sometimes sees this differently.
(chuckles)
Seems as if he has found a way to break through her shell.

(Camera goes over to Casey, who is still sitting on the floor before the table.)

Casey
See what I found at an abandoned drugstore last week.
(holds up a red-white candy stick, puts it on the floor, and pushes it under the table)
It's delicious. Wanna try?

Girl
(A small hand slowly grabs the goodie. Silence for a long while, then a low sizzling noise when she starts to pull the paper from the candy)

Casey
Try it! Put it in your mouth. I am sure you will love it.

Girl
(makes a smacking noise, then chuckles slightly)

Casey
See!
(laughs)
I knew you would like this. And now... why don't you come out there?
(girl comes a bit closer, full of distrust, her hand clutching the candy stick)
Don't worry, it's yours.
(grabs for her hand, and slowly, the girl comes out)

(Camera goes back to the bar)

Guy behind the bar
Hard to believe. I've never seen her so close to anyone else before. Always on distance. Barely says a word; at the beginning, I was even wondering if she might be dumb or deaf, or both. But sometimes, when she is sleeping, she talks in her dreams.

Zeke
As I said, Casey knows how to get what he wants.

Guy behind the bar
Nonetheless, he will be on the road again with you in a few hours, and she will stay behind here.

Zeke
Maybe not.

Guy behind the bar
Huh? You changed your mind? On the road with a little girl like her?

Zeke
(shakes his head)
Not on the road, no. But I know about an old convent near Clearwater. We passed it two days ago. A nun is living there, together with some homeless children. It's a good place.

The convent has always existed autarkic, so there is still fresh water and enough to eat. The children get the love they need, and they can even go to school.

Guy behind the bar
A place like this doesn't exist anymore; the whole fucking world is turned into a madhouse.

Zeke
Yeah, I wouldn't believe it myself if I hadn't been there. Sister Hannah is a special woman, making the convent a special place. The only right place for the little one. So, if it is okay for you, we will bring her there.

Guy behind the bar
(eying Zeke up and down)
Tell me, why should I trust you?

Zeke
(chuckles)
You don't have to trust me. Trust him. Like she does.
(points at Casey, who is crossing the room, his arm around the girl's shoulders)
He will fight tooth and nail to protect her. No matter the price for him.

Casey
(stopping beside Zeke, smiling reassuring at the girl who looks at Zeke and the guy behind the bar with her eyes wide open )
This is Zeke, he's a friend, no need to be afraid.
(squeezes her shoulder)
He will bring you home.

Zeke
(frowns)
I will what?

Casey
You will bring Rose to Herrington. She can grow up together with Marie; I am sure Delilah won't mind caring for both of them.

Guy behind the bar
Wait, she told you her name?

Casey
(shrugs)
No, she doesn't talk to me so far. But that doesn't matter; I will call her Rose because I refuse to call her little one or poor thing. That's so dumpish.

Zeke
Herrington, huh? It's a long way back home. Wrong direction.

Casey
That's because you will take her there. It's not your mission anyway to find the Mountain; you don't even believe that this place exists.

Zeke
(pulls his face)
No way, Case, no matter what I think about your stupid idea that finding the Mountain might bring the world's rescue, you won't go anywhere without me.

Casey
Don't be selfish. She can't stay here. And we can't take her with us. Herrington is the only reasonable place I can think of.

Zeke
I've already thought about this. Remember the convent and Sister Hannah? We would only lose some days.

Casey
(keeps quiet for a moment before grinning wide)
That's a brilliant idea; why I haven't thought about this first?

Rose
(clutching Casey's hand, her voice low, almost inaudible)
I want to stay with you.

Guy behind the bar
(huffs, surprised)
I can't believe it.

Casey
(bends down to her)
Yes, you can come with us. We will take you to a place you will like. You can play with other children. You will go to school.
(pauses when he notices the fearful look in her eyes. Sadness running over his face when he continues)
Maybe you don't even know what this is supposed to mean. Playing. School.
(brushes a strand of her out of her face, smiling reassuringly)
You will learn soon. And you will love it, I promise.

Rose
(looks at him without facial reaction)
Like candy?

Casey
(laughed)
Just as good, yes. Maybe even better. What do you think, do you trust me? Wanna give it a try?

Rose
(Shrugs slowly. Biting her upper lip, breathing quicker. Finally, she turns to the bar, looking at the guy behind questioningly)

Guy behind the bar
(smirks, then nods)
It's okay. You can go with them; they are good guys.

Rose
Okay.
(looks from Casey to Zeke back to Casey. Suddenly, she runs toward the bar and behind, throwing her arms around the guy)

Guy behind the bar
(unsure, he answers her embrace, his voice low)
I'm going to miss you, too, little one. But it's better that way.
(loosens her arms, pushing her forward)
And now, get along with you. Find a better life.

Casey
(steps forward, grabbing her hand again)
Did you ever drive in a car? A big and really cool one. Shall we take a look at it?





Casey and Zeke have finally reached Thunder Mountain – a former secret military laboratory that now is a hidden refuge for many people. Only with the help of Kurdy, a guy they have met on the road, helping him out of some trouble with a group of skinheads, they are allowed to enter the place.

A long hall, grey walls, some doors on the right and left sides. Neon tubes lighten the main hall, but both ends of the long hall lie in shadows. A small figure hides there when a big guy, Kurdy, followed by Zeke and Casey, enters through the main gate.

Zeke
(looking around)
What kind of place is this? No one seems to know much about it.

Kurdy
(turns around)
Better not to be too curious. Even if Markus says you can stay for a night or two, it doesn't mean that everyone here trusts you blindly. Lee, our security chief, thinks we should better close the Mountain from every stranger.

Zeke
(annoyed)
We can go when we are not welcome. I don't like this place anyway. Feels like being caged under the ground.

Kurdy
You will get used to that quickly. Thunder Mountain is a good place. Maybe the best refuge you can find because Markus cares not only for his people but for the world. But Lee is right; we need to be careful. There are lots of rebels out there who love chaos more than peace. They can ruin everything Markus tries to rebuild again in a split of a moment.
(looks from Zeke to Casey and winks)
You don't look like one of them. So, give me a moment; I will talk with Markus. Until then, try out the cafeteria. Coffee as much as you want, freshly baked biscuits, and a delicious stew.

Casey
(his eyes wide open)
Freshly baked biscuits? This sounds heavenly.

Kurdy
(laughs)
You won't regret it.
(points to left)
Just follow the noise, and you will find the cafeteria at the end of the hall. I will meet you there again in about half an hour.
(opens one of the doors and vanishes)

Casey
(turns back to Zeke)
You could stop making a face as long as a fiddle. We are here! We made it to the Mountain. Even if you never believed in the existence of this place.

Zeke
Hm. Are you sure that this is the place you were looking for? Really, I can't imagine what you are supposed to do here.

Casey
We will find out.

Zeke
I'm not sure if I want to find out. Too many secrets around here.

Casey
(laughs)
Well, I can understand that they are careful and unwilling to share everything with strangers. We did the same back in Herrington.

Zeke
That is different. The Merriott was a hotel once, not a secret military lab. I am not sure if I want to know what exactly is going on here. All I want is for you not to get involved in all this.

Voice from the dark
Don't worry, his mission is done.

Zeke
(jerks around, staring at the figure stepping out of the shadow)
Shit!

Casey
(surprised)
Smith?! Is this you? I didn't expect to meet you again after you left the Merriott Hotel in the middle of the night without a word.

Mr. Smith
(wearing a longsleeved checkered shirt, his backpack over his shoulder)
It was all said. The rest was up to you.

Casey
But why didn't you tell me that Thunder Mountain is your destination, too?

Mr. Smith
Because I didn't know.

Zeke
(stares at the man with narrowed eyes)
Hey, stop that! You won't do this again. You won't twist his mind again with your shit, but tell us what all this is about. Why did you want him to risk everything to find this place? What is he supposed to do here?

Mr. Smith
It was not me who sent him on this mission. It was...

Zeke
(grabs for his collar and pulls him closer)
If you dare to say God again, I'm going to hit the shit out of you!

Casey
(shocked)
Zeke! Stop that! Let him go!

Zeke
(loosens his grip only a bit)
Maybe I should have done this much earlier. We would still be in Herrington, and you wouldn't have to deal with all the danger out here.

Mr. Smith
(ignores Zeke's anger; his eyes calm while looking for eye contact)
The danger might still be some distance away from Herrington, but it will get closer one day. It will take over the world if you don't stop it.

Zeke
(surprised he lets him go, stepping back)
Me? I can tell you, I am not interested in saving the fucking world again. I'll do all to survive this madness, I and all the people I care about. The rest of the world... I couldn't care less. Charity begins at home, especially in times like this.

Mr. Smith
(pulls his lips into an implied smile)
But you are here, not in Herrington. And I am here to deliver a message to you.

Zeke
(smirks)
Not interested!

Mr. Smith
(shrugs)
I am just the carrier. It's up to you what you are gonna make out of it. God says the Mountain is the place where the future will begin. And you are a part of it; if you fail, it might be the end of everything.

Zeke
Go to hell, Smith.

Casey
Oh!

Zeke
(turns around)
Oh?! What's this supposed to mean?

Casey
I guess I understand now.

Zeke
(his voice sharp)
Casey! Leave it to him to talk in riddles.

Casey
Sorry. But when I think about it, it makes so much more sense now. It was never about me, right? I am not the one who is supposed to be here.
(looks at Smith)

Mr. Smith
I guess not. I'm afraid you were only a part of God's complex plan. Sorry!

Zeke
Wait! What is this supposed to mean?

Casey
(laughs slightly)
Don't you get it, Zeke? It was always about you! But you would have refused to listen to his words. You wouldn't be here now without me.