EXT. GIOVANNI'S WHEAT FIELD - DAY
GIOVANNI
You didn't have to send him away
like that!
(SMACK! FALL)
HERAUT
Did your eyes see something different
from the rest of ours?
GIOVANNI
No.
HERAUT
Then off your sorry knees and get
back to what needs to be done.
AMIRIA
I hear Mister duBris is not doing
well. Haven't seen him outside for
three days now. And Mrs. Morel looks
a ghastly pale when she peeks out to
toss the chick grain. You know
they've closed the city's gates,
leaving us alone up here.
GIOVANNI
My eyes have never seen such sickness
before.
HERAUT
And I said to stop talking about it.
The air up here is clean ... clear.
Whatever is down in the city will
not come up here to us.
Suddenly, Sanson leapt from the grass, face muddied, with
stalks of weeds sticking out of his nostrils. (He growled
like a ferocious monster at Leticia)
LETICIA
Get that stuff out of your nose, you
rat!
(SANSON LAUGHS)
LETICIA
Go away!
AMIRIA/HERAULT
Sanson!
(SANSON GIGGLES).
AMIRIA
Now look at you. This rain is not
going to clear that off your face.
Go get cleaned up.
(SANSON RUNS OFF)
AMIRIA
I wonder when Fina will get back.
She is usually not this late when
visiting the wheelhouse.
GUILLAUME
(snicker)
She didn't go to the wheelhouse.
She been heading out to the forest
every day.
GIOVANNI/AMIRIA/HERAULT
What?
EXT. RIVER FALLS - DAY
As always, Elouan left his clothes and bag of belongings on
the shore. He took a moment to feel each drop of rain kiss
his bare flesh, then stepped into the raging waters of the
river. The storm made the flow quicker and harsher, but he
knew precisely where to plant his feet and focus his energy
to make the trek safely to his now-familiar meditation rock.
He slipped only slightly when he climbed onto it from the
wetness of the rain; however, he remained resolute to reach
that inner space needed for clarity, and the boulder was the
only guarantee of the needed privacy to achieve that
objective.
Or so he thought.
Fina kept herself hidden behind trees and marveled at his
physique as soon as he began undressing. At last, she had
finally found where he had gone, and the reward of her pursuit
gave her more than she could imagine. What a wonderful
surprise when she got to see him the way God had made him.
She thought he was like an angel as she watched the rain
stream over his poised body. Indeed, it appeared he was in
communion with the falling waters, as they formed rivulets
over the contours of his muscles and down his spine, as if
his flesh were made precisely for the particular flows in
that singular moment.
EXT. GIOVANNI'S FARM - DAY
Giovanni rushed to saddle up a horse. Heraut raced to reach
his own steed, but Amiria held him back.
AMIRIA
No, let Giovanni find her.
HERAUT
If she is with that devil --
GIOVANNI
Then I will bring her home.
(sigh)
He would never harm her ... or any
of us.
AMIRIA
Let him go. He will be all right.
RACHEL
Giovanni!
(GALLOPING IN)
Giovanni! Where's Elouan?
GIOVANNI
Maybe with my sister. This way.
(HORSES RUN OFF)
EXT. RIVER FALLS - DAY
The symphonic roar of the rain and rushing river masked Fina's
approach as she carefully moved out from the trees. She
stopped beside Elouan's clothes, paused, then tumbled her
gown around her feet. At first, the cool air made her shiver,
but she was already wet from the rain. Within moments, her
exposed body acclimated to the rain's temperature. She closed
her eyes and hoped to achieve some measure of union with the
shower as Elouan had. She wondered if the dousing would be
adequate preparation for the coolness of the river ahead.
EXT. ROAD TO COUNTRYSIDE - DAY
Giovanni curved and entered the thick woods. Rachel followed,
allowing only for the passing of an occasional tree between
them.
RACHEL
If she did follow him, where do you
think they have gone?
GIOVANNI
My sister knows these woods well.
She would often go with my father
when he hunted rabbits. But if I
know Elouan, he would find the place
that is most beautiful.
RACHEL
And where is that?
GIOVANNI
The falls.
EXT. RIVER FALLS - DAY
Nature's opus of rain and rapids quickly moved Elouan into
the inner space of contemplation. Time lost its hold and the
physical sensation of bombardment by the showers retreated
from his awareness. Instead, his mind narrowed to search a
different landscape not filtered by the physical senses. He
homed into the feeling of his father's energy, recalling it
from his memories. He had been attempting to do this for the
last several days. He hoped that once he settled into the
nature of Ranulf's frequency, he could cast it out across
the countryside and feel it magnetize in a particular location
where Ranulf might presently be. It was a bold step. Instead
of asking the universe to guide him to the correct road,
Elouan was attempting to ascertain the road on his own. He
felt with the arrival of the pestilence, time in the physical
world demanded innovation in locating the lost; it required
one to take matters into his own hands. This, of course,
necessitated intense concentration.
Because of such mental absorption, Elouan remained oblivious
that Fina had stripped bare and placed her first step into
the raging river. The water was significantly colder than
the rain, but Fina knew once she reached the boulder, Elouan's
arms (as well as the rest of his body) would warm her in
exactly the way she dreamed. The inspiration propelled the
next step. Then the next. The further she went, the more she
became aware of just how powerful the current pushed against
her.
A foot slipped on the gravel of the riverbed, but she quickly
regained balance.
Halfway to Elouan, the current came harder, faster, and
heavier. She stiffened her thighs to remain upright but felt
unable to muster the strength to bury her feet with stability.
She glanced at the shore, wondering if she could make it
back, but alas realized she had already come too far.
She took the next step. The turbulence first shoved her to
the left, then to the right. Fina raised her arms horizontally
to maintain a sense of equilibrium while her feet searched
frantically for a place to rest. Luckily, the river's current
shoved her closer to the great boulder, but she also knew it
could easily whisk her past the rock and over the falls. She
clenched her legs again. The swiftness of the water twisted
around her feet and swept them off the riverbed. She slipped
and paddled to get closer. Her outstretched fingers scraped
the rock's surface-then the current abducted her.
(SCREAM)
Just as Fina flung forward toward the fall's edge, Elouan
grasped her wrist and pulled her safely onto the boulder
with him. She clung to him in terror.
ELOUAN
Fina, you should not be here.
FINA
You do not know what --
ELOUAN
I know what you want, but I am not
the right person.
FINA
Then who? Who could love with more
tenderness? Affection? Passion?
EXT. FOREST-RIVER FALLS - DAY
Giovanni and Rachel parted the forest branches to reveal
Fina and Elouan in a naked embrace on the boulder. Giovanni
gawked, stunned, as Fina leaned into Elouan for a kiss.
GIOVANNI
What the --
ELOUAN
Fina, no.
RACHEL/GIOVANNI
No!
GIOVANNI
Fina, NO!
Fina gasped and quickly huddled to cover herself. She hid
behind Elouan, using him as a shield against Rachel and her
brother. On the other hand, Elouan remained at ease, not at
all concerned that everyone was witnessing him au naturel.
Giovanni leapt from the stallion and rushed toward the
riverbank.
GIOVANNI
What are you doing?
ELOUAN
As you've seen me do all week.
Communing.
Rachel looked curiously at Giovanni as she dismounted,
wondering if Elouan was right--had Giovanni been spying on
him all along?
FINA
Giovanni? Is that true?
Elouan stepped aside and took Fina's hand. Clearly, it didn't
matter to him that Giovanni had watched him days before; he
was more concerned for Fina's safety.
ELOUAN
Please, take her home.
Rachel gathered Fina's clothes as Elouan slipped into the
river. He gently brought Fina into the waves, locked a warm
arm about her, then guided her carefully across the rapids.
The sight mystified Rachel and Giovanni. They couldn't fathom
how he kept himself and Fina from being swept away in the
powerful drag of the current.
RACHEL
Here, here.
ELOUAN
Why are you here?
RACHEL
There is ... trouble back at the
town. So many are dying.
ELOUAN
So many are finally learning the
immeasurable worth of their
connections instead of their
separateness.
GIOVANNI
What were you doing? Fina?
ELOUAN
So many are finally affirming their
bonds ... This is what disasters do.
I do not know what you think I am
capable of.
RACHEL
You know things ... Can do things.
GIOVANNI
Would you perchance be a sorcerer?
FINA
He bewitched me.
ELOUAN
No, I am no sorcerer. I am a Guardian
... a priest ... from a faraway place.
GIOVANNI
Not any kind of priest
we know.
RACHEL
Not any kind of priest we
know.
GIOVANNI
What are you 'guarding'?
ELOUAN
What every priest vows to protect.
Another's soul with that of its
creator.
FINA
What? My soul is damned now, for
sure.
GIOVANNI
Not of the usual faith, I imagine.
Probably pagan. But if the good
duke didn't have cause to slay you --
ELOUAN
A bit different from what you are
used to, yes. But all faiths blossom
from the same root; and like the
branch of a tree, each leaf is its
own valuable and unique expression.
I come from a place you would call a
'mystery school.' A temple quite far
from here, in the high mountains.
He gently brushed Fina's chin.
ELOUAN
Listen to me, the great creative
force that birthed this universe
does not punish those searching for
true enlightenment. Even if you
feel that enlightenment is in the
joining of the hips. Which in most
cases, it is not.
He kissed her forehead, then moved to his own clothes and
started to dress.
FINA
Then 'its not God's wrath I should
fear, but mother and father's.
Giovanni circled behind her and helped position Fina's wet
clothes onto her thin frame.
GIOVANNI
Not really. These are dangerous
woods. You were watching for his
safety ... As was I.
Elouan finished donning his garments, then wrapped up his
herb pouches, put them in his sack, then hitched the bundle
to his waist. The pack was smaller now, as he had earlier
rid himself of what he no longer considered necessary. He
smiled at Giovanni.
ELOUAN
Bless you.
Elouan joined Rachel upon her horse.
GIOVANNI
God speed with you.
ELOUAN
Keep your distance from others, both
of you ... to stay safe.
GIOVANNI
And what are you doing?
Rachel reprimanded him with a fierce look, then hustled the
stallion away.
(FOOTSTEPS)
GIOVANNI
Ah, do not look so sour. I hear the
pope himself takes a gander every
now and then.
Giovanni climbed onto the stallion and offered a compassionate
hand to his sister. She took it.
GIOVANNI
You still have all the fun... We'll
take it slow.
(SLOW TROT)
EXT. CATHEDRAL GATE
The sky had turned orange and purple as the falling sun
pierced the storm clouds. When they approached the field
outside the wall of the cathedral, Elouan had Rachel guide
the horse near the gate. Chills ran through him as he spied
the massive trench, knowing what its use was intended for.
RACHEL
Are you sure this is most wise?
ELOUAN
It is one gate we can be sure they
will open.
Elouan dropped off the stallion. As soon as his feet struck
ground, a cold chill spiraled up his legs and wrapped about
his temple, feeling caught in a spider's web. It was at once
startling, but also expected; with so many dead, he knew the
energies of the deceased would be near. He did his best to
push the sensations aside as he nestled close to the wall
and placed his hands on its stone surface. He leaned in,
accepting that by touching the barrier he could link into
the whole of its length and maybe gain insight as to where
(and when) the friars might arrive to open the doors. Instead,
something else caught his attention. Curious. He looked down
the wall, off to the right, but didn't see anything unusual.
He closed eyes and refocused, and again was hit with a
peculiar insight.
Elouan kept his left hand on the wall as he marched its length
off to his right, the touch keeping the vision clearly in
his awareness.
RACHEL
Where you going? Elouan?
Elouan ignored her as he turned a slight curve. He stopped
as the mystery revealed itself: a series of ivy vines grown
up and over the partition, painting the wall with its leaves
and climbers. Excited, he rushed to the foliage and tugged
several of the strands to test their strength. Satisfied, he
glanced toward the top of a nearby parapet where it would be
easy for a watchman to stake him with an arrow if caught
climbing the greenery. Fortunately, no one was on duty-most
likely because of they had succumbed to the sickness.
ELOUAN
We won't have to wait for them after
all. Meet me at the gate.
With that, he clutched a handful of vines and pulled himself
up the wall.
EXT. MAIN ROAD - DAY - CONTINUOUS
Elouan and Rachel left the cathedral behind. With the arrival
of sunset, the friars had stayed inside the abbey, giving
the pair no resistance upon opening the gate.
They trotted into the city streets. (OCCASIONAL SOBBING IN
APARTMENTS. COUGHING.)
Rachel replaced the mask back onto her mouth and nose to
ward off the thick odor of decay. Elouan felt the chilling
cobweb sensation of disembodied minds tightening around his
body. The constriction made his head throb.
2ND STORY WOMAN
Look out below!
Rachel politely shuffled the stallion to the far side of the
lane as she tossed the contents. (SLOP!) Rachel moved the
stallion back into the street.
(DOG ATTACKING PIGS) (HORSE PANIC)
Elouan jumped off the horse, pulling Rachel with him.
ELOUAN
Let him go! Let him go!
(HORSE RUNS AWAY)
The dog zeroed in on them. Big. Black. With buboes ringed
around its neck and poking from an armpit. Clearly, the
sickness had driven the canine to madness. His muzzle curled,
revealing already bloody fangs anxious to taste Elouan and
Rachel's flesh. Elouan locked into its gaze to meet the dog's
spirit.
Rachel gaped as Elouan slowly sat on the ground.
RACHEL
What are you doing?
Elouan remained focused on the canine as he lowered his rear
into the dirt and crossed his legs into meditation position.
However fraught the animal's energy may be, he didn't want
to disconnect from it, so he tunneled his awareness to harness
only himself and the soul of the dog and blocked out the
rest of the environment.
Rachel cautiously fled into the covered stairwell of an
apartment building. She could tell Elouan was up to something
but didn't have a clue as to what. Would it even work?
Elouan's consciousness merged with the canine's. The energetic
nexus blossomed to an optimal blend-or at least, it felt
that way. Like the wolf pack, he hoped to communicate through
the linkage and inspire the dog to rush off. To bring that
message home, he had to move the energy in a specific way,
and the best course was to raise his hand, just as he had
done before.
(POUNCE!) (RACHEL SCREAM)
The beast slid across the pavement as Elouan kicked it off.
The Alpine guardian swiftly got back on his feet, both arms
striped from claws and teeth. Within a flash, the hound was
at him again! Elouan pressed the canine at its throat to
evade the lashing teeth, while its paws flailed wildly. With
a massive burst of adrenaline, Elouan hurled the animal away.
The dog slammed into the cobblestones and rolled end-over-
end.
Elouan took a deep breath, then sat again.
RACHEL
What are you doing?
Elouan ignored her as he summoned the well of peace to
envelope him. He knew if he could expand his consciousness
beyond the boundaries of time, he could better handle the
canine's speed, like how he rescued Fina at the waterfall.
What's more, in his expanded state, he could potentially
tune in to the correct field of magnetism that would link to
the animal's normal state of being, making communication
more likely at least, he hoped.
The dog twisted from its crash-landing until it could find
the right position to plant its feet and stand. It turned to
see Elouan again, then drooped its head, snarled, and bared
its bloodied teeth. All its muscles tightened, its stiffened
tail swung pensively back and forth, and its ears twisted
forward.
(DOG RUNNING)
Elouan met the beast with open arms and wrestled it to the
ground. He held the animal's muzzle closed while forcing the
dog's brow to his forehead.
ELOUAN
The light embraces you. The light
saves you. You are free ... free.
(DOG YELP).
The canine fell into an abrupt seizure. The trembling lasted
mere moments. The dog suddenly turned still and cold. Elouan
embraced the lifeless canine in a crushing grip, his eyes
closed in heartbroken grief.
Shocked, Rachel pulled down her face mask.
RACHEL
What the --
Drained, Elouan sluggishly rose to find stunned witnesses
circling him. A terrified man slinked backward several steps.
A lady who had watched from a ground floor apartment quickly
turned in and slammed the door. Others hid in the shadows of
stairwells. However, those who watched from above felt their
elevation gave them security.
2ND STORY WOMAN
Witch!
MAN IN CROWD
Demon!
Elouan bolted. He rushed by a stairwell, where the bystanders
jumped up the flight to avoid him. Then he sprinted down an
alley. Rachel raced after, convinced more than ever that he
contained a power capable of saving Marie -- or heck, maybe
even resurrecting Sarah and Clarice from the dead.
RACHEL
This way! Follow me.
Elouan allowed her to lead him through several more blocks,
then up the stairwell of Sarah's tenement. They stopped where
Oudin's body still laid crumpled. Though he had held
Merovech's body and was altogether familiar with death, the
sight of a corpse still had the tendency to shock Elouan. He
tried to let it go as he hurried into the apartment behind
Rachel.
INT. SARAH'S ROOM - 2ND STORY - DAY
Elouan halted as if slamming into a wall. All his senses
seized, and his blood curdled.
Marie's body lay draped where Rachel had left her. She
exhibited no signs of life, just a still resignation of her
fate. Elouan knelt to the ruined mother and listened for her
breath.
ELOUAN
She still lives. Friends?
RACHEL
Can you save her? Can you bring
them back?
ELOUAN
No.
MARIE
Rachel? Is that you?
RACHEL
Yes. I have brought a friend.
ELOUAN
Where is the welt?
Rachel lifted Marie's dress to expose the buboes on her thigh.
They were as large as eggs. Elouan noted a lesion had formed
over one carbuncle's summit, splitting the flesh and oozing
a sickly dark goo. He quickly retrieved an herb pouch, dipped
his fingers deep into the bag, then sprinkled the fine powder
over the hideous abrasion.
RACHEL
Can you save her?
ELOUAN
I can only offer inspiration. If it
is her path, she will travel it.
He opened another pouch and took a pinch of herbs, then
lightly scattered them on Marie's lips. Satisfied, he dabbed
some onto his own wounds still afire from the attack of the
hell hound.
ELOUAN
When you return home, burn your
clothes and wash every part of your
skin.
RACHEL
How will that help if it's the air?
Cleaning the skin will open the pores
and it will get in --
ELOUAN
This is not miasma. This is not
something carried on the wind. But
could be smaller than the eyes can
see -- jumping from person-to-person
on their clothes.
RACHEL
What about you?
ELOUAN
I will find new apparel.
Elouan paused as a force smashed into his mind. He crumpled
slightly, then took a deep breath, trying to still himself
against the unexpected intrusion. It felt as if the tightening
cobwebs had finally broken through the barrier of his flesh
and took root inside his brain. (His eardrums rumbled,
starting from a light roll and quickly building to a pounding
crescendo).
ELOUAN
I have to go.
RACHEL
Where? Where will you go?
(RUNNING OUT)
RACHEL
What are you seeing? Why has this
plague come to us?
EXT. 2ND STORY TENEMENT ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Elouan nearly tripped on a couple of the stairs as he bounded
down to the street. He hadn't seen anything, as Rachel
thought. It was all about what he was hearing. The piercing
whine became layer upon layer of calamitous voices.
SPIRIT VOICES
Where am I? / What is this place? /
Lies ... / Can't believe this / Why
didn't they tell us about this? /
You must let my family know ...
ELOUAN
Journey toward the white sun you see
ahead of you.
(The cacophony grew louder and denser, giving him a
debilitating migraine). The surface of his skin burned, as
if pricked by a thousand tiny needles, while his inner organs
vibrated and boiled. Elouan panicked. He knew the nerve
structure of his body could not handle such a high dose of
stimulation.
He fought to find a way of disrupting the onslaught. Right
now, his body and mind were at a certain "pitch" that created
an auric frequency capable for disembodied minds to "blend"
and "link" into him-and with so many disembodied from the
plague, this link would be quite irresistible. Spirits often
saw people who had the talent to hear them as bright lights,
or a type of "consciousness window" back into the physical
world, and no doubt they saw that with Elouan.
Elouan sensed his consciousness drowning. He couldn't project
a thought, much less summon enough strength to engage his
vocal cords. Instead, he grasped haphazardly inside his own
consciousness for anything that might act as a lifeline. A
feeling. A picture. Anything that might break the sympathetic
vibrations that allowed the deceased to blend.
He saw the harbor.
Elouan hobbled down the alleys and streets as fast as his
feet could carry him, while simultaneously struggling to
survive the crush of the voices and the burning of his
insides. A few passersby--courageous for being outside--dashed
away, wondering if he was in delirium from the plague. He
hit the wall of a building to stay upright and attempted to
slow the inner eruptions.
ELOUAN
I cannot help you. Go into the white
sun. Your answers are there.
SPIRIT VOICES
I must see my family! Tell them I'm
still alive! / Where are my last
rites? I must have my last rites!
Answer me! / I'm lost! This can't
be Heaven. / I'm going to be judged
and sent to Hell!
EXT. HARBOR
Elouan clambered onto a pier. He was unsure of how long it
took to reach the harbor, but relieved to have made it. He
struggled to ignore the voices so he could carry out the
next portion of the rescue. It was getting tougher, his body
close to collapsing. He toppled into a small rowboat, then
cleaved to the hull and untied its moorage. With oar in hand,
he shoved off from the pier. The boat cut a course through a
floating cemetery of plague corpses.
ELOUAN
Leave me alone!
Squinting from the pain, he paddled hard to break through
the bodies floating on the waves. Fortunately, the clamor of
voices blocked the macabre song of corpses hitting the canoe
as he worked to break free. Once clear, he hustled to create
distance between himself and the shore. Of course, distance
didn't matter to the spirits of the dead, he knew, it was
more about where in the open water the sources of the plague
might not be swimming (indeed, if they could swim at all-or
better yet, be drowned). The best he could do was estimate,
based on where the bodies fell from the Genoese trading ship
after it had launched, and where recently dumped bodies had
been carried on the tide.
When he thought he had gone far enough, Elouan climbed to
his feet, turned his back to the boat, then raised his arms
high. If anything was going to break the sympathetic bond of
spirits to his mind, the sudden immersion into the coolness
of the sea would do it; it would upset all of the physical
body's sense frequencies, thus also the ability to harmonize
with anything outside its normal range. There was also a
grave risk: he could very well black out and drown.
Nevertheless, he fell backward into the shocking coldness of
the sea.
INT. CATHEDRAL - DAY
PARISHONER
Not even the clergy have been spared!
(Others chiming in)
Judging by the empty rows all throughout the cathedral, the
epidemic kept away a half or more of the usual members. How
many were dead and how many were staying home, no one knew.
But it was evident from the shortage of monks in the choir,
the missing deacons and other church officials, that even
those considered most holy still succumbed to the onslaught
of the sickness.
PARISHONER 2
Where is your connection to God if
even his faithful servants are also
dying?
BISHOP JEAN
There is not one of us that is without
sin here, and we know this.
Therefore, we shall conduct weekly
processions, carrying our relics out
to the city center and back here to
our holy sanctuary; treading barefoot
along the cemeteries, begging our
Lord for His divine mercy; attending
stations every Friday in each parish
throughout this county, as word has
come the pestilence has now crossed
into Avignon, Paris, and will soon
be in the streets of Calais.
(sigh)
Pray the rosary thrice daily, for as
I have said, we are wicked sinners
and God is taking us by way of this
great mortality.
Many parishioners fell to their knees, hands clasped in
prayers of desperation.
BISHOP JEAN
Oh, Christ Jesus, we commit ourselves
before you even more greatly in
repentance, as even in this dark
hour you guarantee us eternal life.
The bishop intended his prayers to extend beyond the cathedral
itself; to touch the bodies of the dead discarded in the
massive trench outside the barrier wall. The mass grave
accepted corpses by the hundreds, piled on top of each other,
with loose dirt tossed between the layers.
BISHOP JEAN
For all of you before me ... worry
not for individual services of your
loved ones. The pope has given full
rites for everyone who might be
stricken, so long as you confess
your earthly sins at the time of
death. You may confess upon your
neighbor, a stranger, or -- because
times are so graven -- even a woman,
if she be willing.
(A shrill wail erupted, as several ladies in the congregation
broke down at this sudden burden).
Rachel and Umfrey, like many parishioners, knelt from a lone
pew a good distance from others to stay safe. Rachel clenched
her jaw and sucked back her own tears-not because hearing
another's confession was a burden, but rather, it spoke to
the severity of the disaster.
BISHOP JEAN
With no one yet to replace the town's
mayor, and so many members of the
city council already gone, the gate
is being re-opened for those who
wish to retreat to a more rural land,
where the threat of this contagion
in the air may be lessened. God,
Christ Jesus, please forgive us, as
we cleanse our souls of our beastly
sins.
(cough)
EXT. CITY - MAIN ROAD - DAY
The exodus began even before the gate was raised. Families
lined up, some closed tightly in horse-drawn carriages, while
others walked with whatever they could carry. On the whole,
they were a gaunt bunch; too worn to weep. When the passage
cleared, departure was fairly civil. Those in carriages
resisted pushing into a swift gallop, though they were sure
not to make it a leisurely pace either. A few on foot did
choose to run, while others thought it more prudent to tread
carefully, lest they get too near someone who might
unwittingly be carrying the disease.
Of course, not everyone had a place to go outside the city
walls -- no country villa, small vacation home, or even
extended family -- so were forced to stay in the poisoned
town. The vast majority of those departing, however, were
the wealthy, which naturally made many remaining townsfolk
jealous. It felt like the rich were rubbing everyone's faces
in shit.
MAZELINA
Look out below!
The party splintered to avoid the expected splash of the
chamber pot from the second story window. Instead, a dead
body fell head-over-heels to the cobblestone street. The
passersby scattered more in surprise than terror.
MAN IN CROWD
Puturelle!
MAZELINA
Bourgeois cowards!
(SPIT)
INT. DUKE'S MANOR - PRIVATE CHAMBER - DAY
Not all who had the means to escape took the opportunity.
Duke Areles remained at his stately home, where earlier the
pestilence had announced its entry with colossal fury. Many
of his servants had perished since the party, as well as
several tenants renting apartments, and acquaintances
throughout the city. He hoped to assist all he could by
staying behind, to the point of risking his own health if
necessary. He washed the feet of his servants, raised their
wages, wept alongside them when they mourned their losses.
He gave more to the church, not just in money, but also in
food and necessities. In many ways, the plague was far greater
than any conventional battle he had ever fought.
Unfortunately, his efforts failed to protect those he loved
most. Beatrix's symptoms came on a day-and-a-half earlier,
hitting with a violent fever and a rash of buboes over her
thighs and armpits. Many husbands would have abandoned their
spouses with such proliferation of the disease, but the duke
persisted, steadfast. He had taken a vow to love her in both
sickness and in health, and his heart could not bear to break
the oath. He fed her sips of water from a flask, wiped her
forehead with a damp cloth, and rolled down the bed covers
to keep her cool from the ravages of the fever. Indeed, he
resolved to stay with her to the end.
Jehan reacted quite differently. He, too, saw servants fall
ill and die. The way the disease turned the body grotesque
with hideous boils, rashes, and blackening limbs, he just
couldn't stomach. The threat of such ugliness, accompanied
by the pain, kept him locked away in a separate wing of the
villa. He refused entry from any laborer. He worried intensely
about Rachel and dared not imagine her beauty ruined by such
a scourge. Yes, he wanted to hear how she was doing, but
alas, he wasn't going to risk his own life to do it. The
only way he kept abreast of any news was by a male servant
he paid to stand outside on the patio grounds below his upper
window and shout it to him. Even then, Jehan refused to appear
at the pane and acknowledge the herald, in case the disease
could somehow be transmitted by merely looking at the fellow.
It was through this arrangement he learned of the gate opening
for people to flee. The opportunity was like finding a
passageway out of a burning house, especially since he heard
the news of his dear mother taking ill. He quickly gathered
his finest clothes, assortment of jewelry, and tossed them
into a satchel, then raced from the safety of his parlor to
convince his father to join him. He knew the duke would be
with Beatrix, but Jehan refused to enter his mother's chamber,
instead staying in the corridor beyond the doorway when he
arrived at her door.
JEHAN
Father ... Come with me to our manor
out in the countryside, where you
will be safe. You cannot stay here.
We can bring some of our closest
friends ... Dine, drink, and not
speak about any of this. It will be
like it never happened.
DUKE
Like it never happened ... I refuse
to leave your mother.
JEHAN
Father, servants are dictating to us
their wages now, outrageously -- if
they are not running. Even if we
keep only a few, they will bankrupt
us. The dieners -- those who take
the bodies for burial -- they are
going to cost five times more tomorrow
than they do today. They are the
lowest of peasantry, taking advantage
of everyone in this crisis. She is
going to die. I beg you. A noble
crusader should not pass like this.
DUKE
Do not speak to me of death when you
haven't even lived! You think life
is getting your prick wet with
whatever lassie you sat eyes on!
You don't care about their piety.
You don't care about their well-being.
Go! Take all the women you can grab
hold of now, before it's too late!
The blow infuriated Jehan. What good was life if it was to
always be about sorrow and pain? Life was to be enjoyed, as
God provided opportunities for glorious pleasures. Alas, it
was here at this nexus of pestilence and potential freedom
that his own beliefs glared in stark contrast with his
father's. And at this moment, he needed to make the ultimate
choice so, he stormed out.
The duke let him go, knowing his son was bent on saving
himself over everyone else. The best he could do was give
faith to the Lord that whatever lessons be learned, Jehan
would be cultured by them. By such faith, he put Jehan out
of mind and kept attention on his wife. He brushed Beatrix's
temples. She quaked while weeping, having overheard the
argument.
DUKE
I promise, I will never leave you.
He leaned over her, then pressed his lips to hers, proving
his undying love in face of the plague.
INT. RACHEL AND UMFREY'S HOME - GROUND FLOOR - DAY
Rachel could no longer bury her fear. If Elouan saw something
that worried him enough to abandon her, and Bishop Jean said
people could now confess their sins to a woman, it seemed
that any chance of hope had vanished in the face of the
apocalypse. If she and Umfrey could make haste to the
countryside, perhaps there would be a slight chance for
survival, given the cleaner air and wider spaces between
people. She hurriedly stuffed small bunches of clothes into
a rucksack to prepare for the departure.
RACHEL
It has been a few years since I've
seen my uncle -- your younger brother.
You know he would take us in and
care for us during this time of most
incredible need.
Umfrey looked down at his cot, refusing to put a single pair
of pants in his own sack.
RACHEL
Are your hands idle, poppa? You
always used to be in such a rush to
see him.
UMFREY
We cannot go.
RACHEL
Why? What do you mean?
Umfrey sat on the bed, then stabbed a finger inside a worn
hole in his leggings near the upper right thigh. He tore the
fabric to reveal a dreaded bubo bursting on his leg near the
groin. When he looked at her, Rachel saw the feverish sweat
beading his forehead.
Rachel choked back tears.
UMFREY
Seems I may be seeing your mother
sooner than I thought.
(POUNDING ON THE DOOR)
RACHEL
Who is there!?
JEHAN
It's me.
(PULLING WOOD - OPENING DOOR)
RACHEL
Jehan.
JEHAN
Thank the Lord, you look well. I've
missed you so. My father is refusing
to leave my mother. Come, while the
caravan is still moving. I can bring
you and your father with me. We can
go to the manor house in the
countryside and be safe from this
god-forsaken pestilence ... I can
protect you. Keep you safe from all
of this. Give you a taste of a life
that --
RACHEL
Jehan ... As much as you have given
me and shown me ... your kindness
and most gregarious passion . more
than anyone of my class deserves ...
and as much as I would be honored to
be with you --
JEHAN
Rachel ...
Rachel quickly retreated, allowing a tear to cascade down
her cheek.
RACHEL
You don't want to touch me.
JEHAN
No ... Are you sure you have it?
Could you not still be well? I-I
don't want to leave you here.
(faster)
I could still take you with me and
look after you. He can stay behind
with the others and join my father
at the manor, because my mother has
it, too. He would most surely be
welcomed for the time he has left.
I am perfectly healthy. We are our
parents' legacy. We owe them our
survival.
RACHEL
I can't.
JEHAN
Rachel ...
RACHEL
My place is here with my father.
Please go.
JEHAN
Then you will die with him.
(STEPS OUTSIDE) Jehan briskly marched to his enclosed carriage
and climbed inside.
JEHAN
Make haste!
(CARRIAGE ROLLS AWAY).
Rachel closed the door, fell, and quaked with sobs. Her world,
indeed, had collapsed around her.
EXT. PLAGUE PIT - DAY
Whereas Rachel cried at the destruction, Marie could only
look on with a hollowed stare as the bodies of her family
rolled into the newly dug plague pit behind the cathedral.
Clarice's rotted corpse landed haphazardly alongside the
body of her father, Oudin. There were already several layers
of bodies beneath her, each layer separated by only a shallow
inch of dirt. The putrid smell of the dead stung the nostrils,
even when covering the nose with a scented cloth. Marie wasn't
the only person here. A handful of others hauled the departed
upon their shoulders and dropped them into the trench. A few
were clearly family members disposing of their loved ones
because they were too poor to pay the corpse carriers, while
others were the lowly haulers willing to risk contracting
the disease themselves for the amount of money to be made.
By now, the regularity of death was so common few tears were
shed, Marie included.
MARIE
Why did I survive and they did not?
Her strength had returned two days earlier. The buboes shrank
to half their size, with the ghoulish color all but vanished.
But it was the decaying smell of the bodies that hastened
her drive to dispose of them on her own. She procured an
abandoned wheel-cart near one of the closed shops, then
dragged each corpse from the apartment and down the stairs.
The cart was incredibly small, (which is probably why nobody
else had stolen it to discard bodies), but she managed to
stack her daughters and husband onto the cramped bed. Their
legs and arms hung over the edge, scraping the ground as she
wheeled them through the streets. During the journey, she
became acutely aware of the magnitude of the catastrophe. So
many people had either died or fled; bodies laid carelessly
along sidewalks and streets-even pigs, dogs, and cats. It
seemed the end of the world had arrived and already wiped
out over half of the city. She pondered how many of her
friends had perished.
Marie's sight fell again to the corpses of her family in the
pit. Their silence, the sheer absence of their presence
removed from the bodies it all haunted her. She quickly
threw handfuls of dirt on their faces, committing them to
eternity.
EXT. ISLAND SHORE - DAY
Meanwhile, Elouan's body had washed ashore onto an island.