Quietus

FADE IN:

INT./EXT. CAR - NYC STREETS - DAY
SETH, dapper businessman (50s) with tired eyes, sits in the back of a chauffeured car. He plays Mario Kart on a handheld Nintendo against BENJAMIN, a sweet-faced seven year old.

 
BENJAMIN
Dad. Why's Mario Italian?

SETH
What do you mean? He just is.

BENJAMIN
Besides Luigi, no one else

is Italian. Toad’s a shroom. 

SETH
I don’t know. Stop distracting me.

Benjamin stops distracting him. And then he starts again. 

BENJAMIN
Why do Italians go down pipes?

SETH
No one goes down pipes. 

BENJAMIN
Why are Italians

fighting a dinosaur?

SETH
Stop talking. It’s not fair.  

BENJAMIN
Are we Italian?

SETH
Polish.

BENJAMIN
Do Polish people

go down pipes?

SETH
Nooo!

BENJAMIN
No, Polish people don’t

go down pipes? Or no-

SETH
-this game cheats. I’m done. 

He throws the Nintendo into the seat.

SETH
I’m going to get good

at this, and then I’m

going to destroy you.

BENJAMIN
I got skills, Dad. You know that.

Seth leans up to the CHAUFFEUR. 

SETH
Can you pull over here? 

Seth rubs Benjamin’s head. 

SETH
Rematch tonight, punk. I love you.  

BENJAMIN
Love you too, Dad.

Seth kisses Benjamin’s head and exits into-

EXT. NEW YORK CITY STREET - CONTINUOUS
The car U-turns. Seth smiles bye. Waves and turns. His smile evaporates as he looks into the dying street, soaking in every detail as he walks. 

 

The road's cracked in half. Most buildings sit collapsed. For the ones lucky enough to be standing, they're boarded off, plastered with DO NOT ENTER signs and graffiti. 

 

Homeless inhabit any cavity of shelter like plagues of rats.

He walks by a hospital. Elderly outnumber the young 5:1. A young man cradles his bleeding wife. He pushes to the front of the long line inside. Security chops him with a nightstick. 

Above Seth a sign reads NASDAQ. The bulbs that once displayed price, shutter in error. 

He stops at a pristine building too nice for the block. A gold plated WINCHESTER sign hangs overhead. 

He takes one last look down the diseased street then walks past the heavily armed guards into the- 

INT. WINCHESTER LOBBY - CONTINUOUS
Fresh flowers, tvs, and leather couches line the room. 

WOMAN ATTENDANT
(to Seth)
CAEDYN will be here any minute, sir. 

SETH
Thank you. 

Seth leans against the counter. Looks to the room filled with quiet patients. No smiles. Some on the verge of tears.  

A SKINNY MAN approaches the counter. Hands the receptionist an intake form. Under a list of body parts (kidney, eye, partial liver, etc.), he checks off kidney -- $500.

SKINNY MAN
I thought kidneys were

going for a thousand.  

RECEPTIONIST
Not legally. I’m sorry.   

Caedyn, mid-40’s businessman aged from the cigarette he flicks into the street, walks in as the defeated Skinny Man still hands the packet to the attendant.

 

Caedyn nods to Seth then walks past him to the elevators. Seth follows.

 

DING. Elevator opens.  

SETH
Thanks for coming.

INT. ELEVATOR - CONTINUOUS
They walk in. Caedyn presses ten. Elevator closes.

SETH
Did you see the new numbers?

SILENCE until DING. Tenth floor. Seth enters the passcode. The door opens to a-

INT. PENTHOUSE OFFICE - CONTINUOUS
-surrounded by windows. They enter. The door closes.

CAEDYN
Are you out of your mind?   

Seth brushes past Caedyn and stops at the window. 

CAEDYN
If you don’t have the balls to do

it yourself, step down, and I’ll do it.  

SETH
(back turned)
It’s not about having balls. 

CAEDYN
Your plan failed. Get over it.

SETH
It's not about pride either.

It’s about doing what’s right. 

Caedyn confronts him a foot from his face. 

CAEDYN
Seth. It’s too late to-

SETH
-you’re wasting your breath. 

CAEDYN
(grabs Seth's chest)
Our country will die because of you.   

Seth leans into the hold with a demonic glare.

SETH
You’re seriously going to argue

that I’m killing this country? Me?
Your plan is literally murder.  

 

Caedyn glares. Almost speaks. Then releases him. Leaves. Seth turns to the window. Looks out into his dying city.

INT. BRAVERLY’S HOUSE - NIGHT

BANG! BANG! BANG! 

Rioting flashes across the tv. Young rioters toss Molotov cocktails into seas of charging people, forty years and older. Police stand idle, refusing to take sides. 

SARA, a tough teenager, watches unphased from the living room of their modest American house.  A NEWS ANCHOR speaks over the video-

NEWS ANCHOR (O.S.)
As rioting continues across

the United States,  the rest of

the world anxiously looks on. 

A JOURNALIST interviews a FRAIL WOMAN (30s). If Big Ben wasn't in the background, you would think they were in a third-world country, not London.  

JOURNALIST
What would it mean to you if The

United States passes the Quietus?

FRAIL WOMAN
Um. Hope? Yeah. Hope that my kids

would have a chance. Just look at

it here. If we don’t do something, we’re

all going to die soon anyway. Right?

An ANGRY MAN (50s) jumps into the frame. Scolds the Woman.  

ANGRY MAN
You people are delusional.
(looks to the camera)
The Quietus is a holocaust.

Why can't you see that? 

Cheers can be heard from unseen bystanders. 

REBEKAH BRAVERLY, a motherly brunette (40s), chimes in from the open kitchen next to the living room.  

REBEKAH
Sara, let’s give it a break. 

SARA
I want to remember how shitty

it was before Dad fixed it.  

REBEKAH
Don’t say shitty. And put your

clothes away before we eat, please.

The front door opens. Then SLAMS. 

BENJAMIN (O.S.)
Attack!

He charges Sara. She forearms him into the couch then darts upstairs carrying her basket of clothes.

RING! Rebekah’s phone. 

REBEKAH
(on the phone)
Please tell me you’re

out of the city.

SETH (O.S.)
I’ll be home late, hun. 

REBEKAH
(on the phone)
You told Caedyn, huh?

SETH (O.S.)
And now the board. I’ll call

you when it’s over. I love you.

REBEKAH
(on the phone)
Seth, you’re doing the right thing.

SETH
I hope you’re right. 

INT. MEETING ROOM - NIGHT 
Seth hangs up his phone. Walks into a baron room with nothing except a table and eight stern businessmen. 

All sit except a smoking Caedyn. Seth walks to his seat. Pulls his chair out. Pauses. Looks at the men.

SETH
Before any one of you

says a damn thing-

OLD BUSINESSMAN 
-we just want to talk. That’s it.   

SETH
I didn’t come here to talk.

I came here to kill the Quietus. 

FAT BUSINESSMAN 
(standing, yelling)
You flip-flopping prick. We trusted you.

INT. BRAVERLY’S HOUSE - NIGHT
Rebekah sets BBQ chicken onto the table. Benjamin dives in. 

REBEKAH
Benjamin. Did you say grace?

BENJAMIN
I said it in my head. 

DING DONG. Rebekah walks to the front door. Eyes the peephole -- a lovely-looking couple wait on her doorstep. 

She opens the door. 

REBEKAH
Hello.  

MAN
We’d like to talk to you

about the negative effects

of the Quietus.

REBEKAH
Honey, you’re preaching

to the choir. 

WOMAN
Not this choir. 

The MAN slams the door into Rebekah.

INT. MEETING ROOM - NIGHT
Fat Businessman slams the table. Most stand. Others sit restlessly. Except for a calm Caedyn, the room's unhinged.  

FAT BUSINESSMAN 
America will burn because of you.

SETH
No, America burns because it

dropped us into a nuclear war. 

STOCKY BUSINESSMAN 
But Seth, our country supports this.

It’s not your place to say no.

Seth’s phone rings. He silences it.

SETH
It’s my company. I can use it how I want.

And if that means pissing off a bunch

of nihilistic Americans, then so be it. 

Brooding silence. Caedyn puts out his cigarette. 

CAEDYN
(gently)
Seth. I know Mom raised you with God

but look at the world. Does it look like

something He cares about? Ten years

earlier, I’d say this idea was lunacy too.

But this is now. We have no other choice.  

INT. BRAVERLY’S HOUSE - NIGHT
SMACK! Rebekah’s bloody head into the entryway table. 

REBEKAH
(hysterical)
What do you want?

WOMAN
Your safe’s combination, please.  

REBEKAH
We don’t have a safe.

The Man rips a broken leg off the table. He cocks back and-

BENJAMIN (O.S.)
Mom!?

REBEKAH
Benjamin, run!

Too late. The Woman yanks Benjamin in front of Rebekah. Jams the barrel of her gun into his mouth. 

Sara, on a phone and unnoticed upstairs, watches with horror. 

REBEKAH
(screaming)
92721.

INT. MEETING ROOM - NIGHT 

CAEDYN 
If you would just-

SETH
-no. I'm done. 

Seth’s phone rings again. Shuts the tone off -- again.   

SETH
I didn’t come here to argue

anymore. I came here to

discuss our next step.

 
RING! Again. Shuts it off. 

SETH
So -- actually, no. I have to ask.

Do you honestly think I don't

know the real reason you want

this passed? Are you that naive? 

 

He glares around the room. Silence.

SETH
Answer the damn question. 

Ring! He finally answers his phone. 

SETH
(on the phone)
What?!

His face drops. He sprints out of the muted room.

INT. SETH’S BEDROOM - BRAVERLY’S HOUSE - NIGHT
Sara rummages through a closet with a phone to her ear. 

SARA
(panicking)
I can’t -- wait. I found it. 

She grabs it. Footsteps. Her breathing stops. She jumps in the closet. Closes it as much as she can before the Man enters. 

He scans the wall with a blue light until a virtual keypad reveals itself. He enters a code. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

​

A safe lowers from the ceiling. Opens.

SETH (O.S.)
Sara? Are you there?!

The Man removes a folder from the safe. Replaces it with another one.

SETH (O.S.)
SARA!? Answer me. Please. 

Sara tries to lower the volume on her phone. Fails. The speakerphone activates. 

SETH (O.S.)
(loudly on speakerphone)
What's happening?!

The Man turns. Steadies his gun at the closet door. 

INT./EXT. CAR - CITY STREETS - NIGHT
Seth’s in the backseat on the phone. His driver speeds by protesters on the sidewalks. CLICK! Sara hung up. 

People, from kids to elderly, wave “YOU CAN’T KILL AMERICA” signs in front of the courthouse. Another protest, only young people, walk through traffic waving Q-shaped flags. “The New US” stitched across it. 

INT. SETH’S BEDROOM - BRAVERLY’S HOUSE - NIGHT
The Man aims his gun at the closet. Waits for another sound. Nothing. He returns to the safe. Shuts it. As he walks away -- RING RING RING! Sara’s phone. 

BANG BANG BANG! Sara shoots Seth’s Glock. The Man fires back. SILENCE. Bleeding from his side, he runs out.

INT. KITCHEN - BRAVERLY’S HOUSE - NIGHT
Benjamin holds his tied and gagged mother. The Man runs in.

WOMAN
Did you get it?

MAN
Yes. 

She aims the gun at Rebekah’s head. BANG. Point blank.

The Man drops a piece of fabric with the Resistance logo as they exit. Benjamin shrieks hauntingly.

INT./EXT. CAR - CITY STREETS - NIGHT
The car is stuck in the traffic. Protesters slam fliers against the windows. Seth pleads to his phone-

SETH
(on the phone)
Sara. Stay with me. There’s

an ambulance on the way. 

More protesters surround the car. One presses a US flag against Seth’s window.

SARA (O.S.)
Dad, if I don't make it, just

know that I love you.   

SETH
(to the Chauffeur)
Get us the hell out of here. 

BAM! A bat to Seth’s tinted window. Glass shatters. 

BANG. BANG. BANG. A protester shoots inside the car. 

The phone falls from Seth's hand. 

SARA (O.S.)
Dad. What was that?

Dad?! Say something!

The same Resistance logo flutters through the window. It lands on the puddle of blood flowing from Seth’s body.

INT. PRIVATE JET - MORNING
A teary-eyed Benjamin, in a suit with a Winchester pin, looks out the window to a city of smoke and fire below. 

A SUITED MAN enters. Nods to Caedyn, who smiles as the man leaves. Caedyn pulls Benjamin’s window shade down.

 

CAEDYN
Don’t worry, bud. You’re safe

with me. The Resistance

won’t get you up here. 

Caedyn hugs him. Benjamin curls into his arms. Tears pour out as he squeezes onto a framed picture of his dead family.

As Benjamin sobs, Caedyn looks up at the tv. Smiles like the Cheshire cat. The news' headline reads-

“EXECUTIVE ORDER -- THE QUIETUS PASSES.” 

EXT. CEMETERY - MORNING (PRESENT DAY)
Benjamin, still in a suit, still with a Winchester pin, only twenty-five years older, puts the same family picture on the tombstones of Seth, Rebekah, and Sara Braverly. 

He wipes tears from underneath his Ray-Bans. 

INT./EXT. BENTLEY - MORNING
Benjamin lowers his window as they drive through the city. Men in suits walk on clean sidewalks. Fresh flowers in window boxes of every storefront. Well-dressed women shop with well-dressed kids. Not a poor man to be seen.

“Winchester” is branded everywhere: stores, banks, hospitals, churches, etc. One 3D billboard projects into the air -- “60...It's Where Life Begins.” 

INT. CHURCH - DAY
A packed congregation listens to a man at the pulpit, PRESTON PRICE. He’s 60 and exudes Hollywood charisma. A closed casket lies below him.

“Winchester” can be seen branded on a pane of stained glass. 

PRESTON PRICE
-and as most of you know, I made my

living from acting. And by that, I mean

I acted like all of you were my friends. 

Preston and the congregation laugh together.

 
PRESTON PRICE
Before I finish, I want to thank all of you for

making this stage of my life so enjoyable.

I always thought it’d be tough giving my

sixtieth birthday eulogy. I was wrong. My

soul's cleansed, and I am overwhelmed

with joy to move on to the next life. If

anything, I feel guilty I can’t bring you with

me now. Everyone except Benjamin, that is. 
(pointing)
Who let you in here? 

As everyone laughs, including Benjamin, Preston raises his wrist to look at his bracelet. It's a seamless titanium band that displays a digital countdown. It reads 00.00.00.00.59.99

PRESTON PRICE
Well, folks, I'm officially down to

one more hour of this life. So

again, thank you. It’s been one

hell of a show, and I’m glad you

could make it out. Drive home

safely, and I’ll see you in the afterlife. 

Applause roars, quickly followed by everyone singing "Happy Birthday". As people clap and cheer, we can see everyone has the same bracelet that Preston has. 

NOTE: Every American citizen in the film wears a bracelet. 

Preston hugs through the crowd. Jumps on a pew and takes one last bow.

INT. FACILITY - DAY
The Church connects to a facility that looks like a ritzy retirement center. Birthday banners hang everywhere. 

Preston passes by rooms with people, all the same age, cheering him as he goes. Most of them eat birthday cake. 

He stops at a long hallway with a blue door at the end. Smiles. Continues forward. Benjamin watches from behind. 

INT. QUIETUS ROOM - DAY
Preston lies on a bed in a spa-like room. Benjamin stands above him.

BENJAMIN
Goodbye, my friend.

I’ll see you in about

thirty years. 

Benjamin embraces his hand. Both he and Preston smile. 

PRESTON
Time to roll the credits, Doc. 

The doctor nods and injects a syringe into Preston's IV. His tall smile fades as the injection takes effect. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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