When You're Lost in the Darkness transcript

Not to be confused with When You're Lost in the Darkness (HBO's Podcast)/Transcript.

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The following is the full transcript of "When You're Lost in the Darkness", the first episode of the first season of HBO's The Last of Us.

Transcript

1968

[A title card reading "1968" fades in onscreen; dialogue is spoken underneath.]

Murray: And that's your biggest worry?

Dr. Schoenheiss: Yes, any kind of virus, but most probably something similar to influenza.

Murray: Because of air travel.

Dr. Schoenheiss: Through the air—coughing, most—

[Cut to a 1960s ABC studio set. Two epidemiologists—Dr. Neuman and Dr. Schoenheiss—sit across from a TV host, Murray, in front of a live studio audience. Neuman puts out a cigarette.]

Murray: Uh, I-I'm sorry, I meant people on planes. Uh, that was something you described in your book.

Dr. Schoenheiss: Yes. A new virus in Madagascar, say, could be in Chicago within a matter of weeks and we end up with a global pandemic. Pan meaning 'all', the whole world becomes sick all at once.

Murray: Hm… And, uh, Dr. Neuman, you're also an epidemiologist. I presume the prospect of a viral pandemic keeps you up at night as well?

Dr. Neuman: No. [Shakes his head]

Murray: No?

Dr. Neuman: No!

Murray: All right! Well, that's our show. [The audience laughs.]

Dr. Neuman: No. Mankind has been at war with a virus from the start. Sometimes, millions of people die, as in an actual war, but in the end, we always win.

Murray: Uh, but you—uh, just to be clear, you—you do think microorganisms pose a threat?

Dr. Neuman: Oh, in the most dire terms.

Murray: Bacteria.

Dr. Neuman: No.

Murray: You like saying "no."

Dr. Neuman: Yes.

[The audience and Murray laugh.]

Murray: Not bacteria, not viruses, so…?

Dr. Neuman: Fungus.

[The audience murmurs in disbelief.]

Dr. Neuman: Yes, that's the usual response. Fungi seem harmless enough. Many species know otherwise, because there are some fungi who seek not to kill, but to control. Let me ask you: where do we get LSD from?

Murray: Where do you get it from?

[The audience, again, laughs. Neuman continues, unfazed.]

Dr. Neuman: It comes from ergot, a fungus. Psilocybin? Also a fungus. Viruses can make us ill, but fungi can alter our very minds. There's a fungus that infects insects—gets inside an ant, for example, travels through its circulatory system to the ant's brain and then floods it with hallucinogens, thus bending the ant's mind to its will. The fungus starts to direct the ant's behavior, telling it where to go, what to do, like a… puppeteer with a marionette. And it gets worse. The fungus needs food to live, so it begins to devour its host from within, replacing the ant's flesh with its own. But it doesn't let its victim die, no. It… it keeps its puppet alive by preventing decomposition. How? Where do we get penicillin from?

Murray: [Quickly] Fungus.

[The audience chuckles, hesitant. Neuman points to Murray in affirmation. Schoenheiss groans.]

Murray: Dr. Schoenheiss, you're in distress—

Dr. Schoenheiss: Fungal infection of this kind is real, but not in humans.

Dr. Neuman: True, fungi cannot survive if its host's internal temperature is over 94 degrees, and currently there are no reasons for fungi to evolve to be able withstand higher temperatures. But what if that were to change? What if, for instance, the world were to get slightly warmer? Well, now there is reason to evolve. One gene mutates—an ascomycete, uh, Candida, ergot, Cordyceps, Aspergillus, any one of them could become capable of burrowing into our brains and taking control, not of millions of us, but billions of us. Billions of puppets with poisoned minds, permanently fixed on one unifying goal: to spread the infection to every last human alive by any means necessary. And there are no treatments for this. No preventatives, no cures, they don't exist, it's not even possible to make them!

[One audience member groans in distress.]

Murray: So, if that happens…?

Dr. Neuman: We lose.

[The studio settles into an awkward silence. Ominous music plays. Murray clears his throat.]

Murray: Uh. We'll be back.

[Cut to the title sequence. Gustavo Santaolalla's theme plays over the credits, depicting fungal growths spreading into the shape of a city landscape in the United States, a clicker, barbed wire, and eventually, Joel Miller and Ellie Williams walking through a field.]

Outbreak Day

[A title card reading "2003" fades in onscreen.]

[Sunlight streams through the window of Sarah Miller's bedroom as she wakes up in the morning. She looks at the clock as it reads 7:08 AM. Cut to her rushing down the hallway and knocking on the door of her dad's much messier bedroom.]

Sarah: Alarm.

[Joel stirs awake, clad in nothing but his underwear. He softly grunts.]

Sarah: Alarm!

[Later in the kitchen, Sarah prepares scrambled eggs to "Tomorrow" by Avril Lavigne playing on the radio. She starts rummaging through a cabinet. Joel trudges down the stairs, zipping up his pants.]

Sarah: Where's the pancake mix?

Joel: Oh, was I—? Yeah, I was. Sorry.

Sarah: I was gonna make you birthday pancakes. [Sighs] I swear.

Joel: Now, you know I don't really like pancakes.

Sarah: I know you don't like them. It's for my benefit.

[Joel pours coffee. Sarah pours orange juice and offers it to Joel.]

Sarah: Vitamin C.

[Joel reluctantly puts down the coffee and sips the orange juice. He makes a disgusted face and picks up his coffee again, watching Sarah cook.]

Joel: You get your, uh, homework done? [Sarah spares Joel a glance.] Fractions? [Sarah giggles.]

[Later, Sarah and Joel are eating breakfast at the kitchen table.]

Sarah: How old are you, again?

Joel: Thirty-six.

Sarah: Gonna have to wear diapers soon.

Joel: Who says I don't already?

[Joel takes another bite of egg and picks something out of it.]

Joel: Shell.

Sarah: Calcium! [She brightly smiles with a mouthful of eggs.]

Joel: Lovely.

[The garage door opens offscreen.]

Joel: Is there enough for our uncle Tommy?

Sarah: Well, there would've been…

[Tommy Miller walks in from the door leading into the garage.]

Tommy: Ay! [Pats Joel on the back] You're still alive, you old fucker!

Sarah: Aw, he loves you.

Joel: He's dependent on me, not the same.

Sarah: I think it's the same.

Tommy: It's definitely the same. I thought we was havin' pancakes?

[Joel throws his hands up in exasperation.]

Joel: We'll pick you somethin' up on the road. Concrete guys gonna be there?

Tommy: Yeah, they said "maybe."

Joel: Maybe? We can't frame until we pour, we're not gettin' paid until we frame.

Tommy: Well, we could bring someone else on, get the job done faster.

Joel: No, no. I'm not splitting this job, I barely wanna split it with you. We could work a double.

Sarah: Literally? Today?

Joel: [To Sarah] I know, I'll be done by nine. [To Tommy] By nine, right?

Tommy: Yeah.

Joel: Okay. I'll bring back a cake, I promise.

[Sarah resumes eating her eggs, but briefly pauses to catch a news story on her radio.]

Female reporter: …continued disturbances in Jakarta, but are advising U.S. citizens to avoid the area…

Joel: Jakarta. Where is that, Middle East?

Tommy: Doesn't ring a bell. It's definitely a country. Or maybe part of Asia?

Sarah: Jakarta isn't a country. Being a part of Asia isn't mutually exclusive with being a country and, in fact, it's the capital of Indonesia.

[Joel looks over at Sarah, smirking with pride.]

Tommy: Shit. Hope for us yet!

[Joel finishes his coffee, goes to check his watchless wrist, then slaps his said wrist before pulling out his pager to check the time. He then begins clearing the table.]

Joel: All right. Finish up quick, we'll drop you off.

Sarah: I'm still eating my eggshells.

Joel: You got seven minutes.

[Joel deposits his dish in the sink.]

Sarah: Your T-shirt's inside out.

[Joel quickly checks and sags, realizing she's right.]

Joel: Shit.

[Tommy, eating leftovers, looks after Joel fondly and shrugs to Sarah.]

Tommy: He's losin' it.

[Sarah smiles, continuing to pick into her eggs. Later, Sarah grabs her bag for school and briefly checks down the hallway to see if Joel is coming. She then sneaks into her father's room and turns off the fan, opening a drawer to find his busted watch and a stack of cash. She then picks up her dad's pocketknife and turns it in her hands. She opens the blade and runs her finger along the dull edge. The horn of Joel's truck honks outside, startling her.]

Joel: [Offscreen] Sarah!

[Sarah quickly puts the knife back and takes the watch, along with the cash. Outside, she shuts the front door to the house and walks to Tommy's truck.]

Danny Adler: [Offscreen] Hey, neighbor!

Sarah: Oh, hi!

[The Millers' neighbor, Mr. Adler, sits outside feeding his wheelchair-bound mother-in-law biscuits by hand.]

Danny: Uh, Connie was askin' after you, since you haven't been over in a while.

[Sarah looks at Joel as he pauses in loading the truck bed. He looks back at his daughter.]

Joel: Go make 'em happy.

[Joel walks away. Sarah turns back to the neighbors with a smile.]

Sarah: Oh, I could come by after school? But, just for, like, a little bit?

Danny: Oh, she'll take whatcha got! Y'all can… bake, or whatever. [Joel walks back to the truck.] Speakin' of… [Grabs a tray of biscuits off the table behind him.] We got a lotta extra here. Y'all—y'all want some biscuits?

Sarah: Dad, you love biscuits!

[Joel's head pops up just in time to see Danny push another piece into Nana's mouth. His face subtly falls.]

Joel: I do… But I'm on Atkins.

Danny: On what now?

Joel: It's, uh—you know what? We gotta run, but Sarah'll be by later, she'll stay as long as you want! [Closes up the truck bed.] Tell ya all about Atkins! [Walks over to the backseat, opening the door for Sarah.]

Danny: Great! I'll let Connie know.

Sarah: [To Joel] Solid.

[Sarah enters the truck. Tommy buckles up, a lit cigarette in his mouth.]

Tommy: Can't tell you how exciting it was listenin' to that fuckin' conversation.

Joel: Put that out.

[Tommy takes his cigarette out of his mouth and drops it out the window.]

Tommy: Happy birthday to you.

[The engine starts, a cut outside the car revealing a bumper sticker reading "Operation Desert Storm Combat Veteran." The truck pulls out of the driveway and drives off. Text reveals the setting -- Austin, Texas, 26th September 2003. Later, Sarah is taking notes in a school classroom.]

Mrs. Lauterstein: I want you to write this diagram out exactly as I have it. [Sarah looks at the clock: 2:25 p.m.] Always subject and predicate; verb and noun. Okay, the sentence is, "Where are you going?" Subject is you. "You… are going." Predicate. Where, adverb. You see it? Okay. Have some nods, shaking of heads. I swear you will use this later in life. Believe me, that's why you're here. Okay, so, use subject—

[The audio begins to get increasingly muffled as ominous music plays. A student's hand twitches, another student coughs. The bell rings and the students begin gathering their things to leave.]

Mrs. Lauterstein: Yes, you need to know this! Yes, it's on your test next week! Homework is due end of class tomorrow!

[Cut to Sarah leaving the school and getting on a city bus. She looks out the window at the Austin cityscape as she rides the bus. Later, she gets off at a store called Lone Star Watch & Jewelry, a watch and jewelry repair store. Inside, the owner Nasir inspects Joel's watch and offers Sarah a price.]

Nasir: Twenty.

Sarah: That's it?

Nasir: Okay, thirty.

Sarah: [Smiles] Twenty's good.

Nasir: It's a spring. I'll do it right now.

[He turns around and starts fixing Joel's watch. A phone rings as Sarah starts looking around the store. Police cars and fire trucks with their sirens wailing drive by.]

Nasir: All day. I swear.

[A woman who co-owns the store, Tahira, enters from the back.]

Tahira: We're closing.

Nasir: Huh?

Tahira: انت مش عم تسمع؟ We're done for today. [Turns the "Open" sign to read "Closed".]

Nasir: It's 3:15, we close at 7.

Tahira: كنت عم بحكي عالتلفون مع اختي، ما عندك فكرة شو عم بصير, okay? [To Sarah] I'm very sorry, he cannot finish.

Nasir: I'm already finished.

Tahira: !طب خلصني وأعطيها اياها بقى [Nasir hands her the watch inside a box and she gives it to Sarah.] You should go home.

[Tahira guides a confused Sarah out of the store as she locks the door behind her and shuts the blinds. Cut to Sarah ringing the doorbell at the Adler residence. Mrs. Adler answers.]

Connie: There you are, sweetie.

Sarah: Sorry.

Connie: I was gettin' worried.

Sarah: I was getting something for my dad.

Connie: Ah.

[Sarah enters their home as their family dog Mercy comes to see Sarah.]

Sarah: Hi, Mercy. [Starts petting him. She turns to Mrs. Adler.] Hey, is everything okay? Like, on the news?

Connie: Like what, hon'?

Sarah: Well, no, there was just a lot of police and stuff on the road today.

Connie: Well, that's true every day, innit? People out there need to get right with Jesus. Three nails, plus one cross, equals four-given. [Walks into the kitchen] I was thinkin' we'd make some cookies.

Sarah: Chocolate chip?

Connie: Raisin.

[Cut to the cookies being baked in the oven. Sarah is doing her homework as Mrs. Adler attempts to feed Nana in the background.]

Connie: C'mon, Mama. It's green. You love that. [The oven timer goes off.] Oh! Here we go! [She sighs and gets up. To Sarah] I don't know why I talk to her. She's completely deaf.

[Sarah glances around as Mrs. Adler stops the timer and takes out the cookies. Sarah gets up and walks over to a shelf with DVDs. She starts shuffling through them.]

Connie: [Offscreen] You wanna give me a hand?

Sarah: Be right there!

[She continues to look through the DVDs as Nana begins twitching behind her. Sarah doesn't notice and picks out a DVD, Curtis and Viper 2.]

Sarah: Hey, Mrs. Adler? [She heads to the kitchen.] Could I borrow this?

Connie: Oh! [Puts on her glasses and takes the DVD. She chuckles] Yeah, sure. It's one of Danny's.

Sarah: You know what? My dad's gonna be back real soon. I should go.

Connie: You sure?

Sarah: Yeah.

Connie: Well, you're takin' some cookies.

[Cut to Sarah putting the DVD and a tub of cookies in her backpack. She begins to leave when she notices Mercy whimpering at Nana, who is sitting still once again. She leaves the house as three fighter jets fly overhead. Later, Sarah is sitting on the couch at her home reading a magazine as a news segment plays on the TV.]

Female reporter: No comment today from the Austin Police Department regarding a rash of violent incidents across the city, some suggesting a new street drug may be to blame. More on that when we return with Manuela Sanchez reporting live from…

[Joel unlocks the front door and enters.]

Joel: You locked the door for once. Good job.

[Sarah stops reading and turns off the TV.]

Sarah: Yeah.

[Joel sits beside her and groans.]

Sarah: It's 10.

Joel: I know. They… gave us the wrong size for the headers. That doesn't mean anything to ya. I'm sorry. [He takes off his shoes.]

Sarah: Where's the cake?

Joel: [Murmurs] Shit.

Sarah: C'mon, man.

Joel: I'll get us one tomorrow.

Sarah: Swear? Or you don't get your present.

Joel: [Turns to Sarah] You got me a present?

Sarah: Swear.

Joel: On my life.

[Sarah turns around and grabs the box containing the watch from behind a cushion. She hands it to Joel.]

Joel: Wow. [He opens the box.]

Sarah: Fixed it for you.

[Joel pulls the watch out of the box and puts it to his ear.]

Joel: Did you?

Sarah: What? [Worried, she grabs Joel's arm to get a closer view of the watch.]

Joel: I don't hear anything.

[As she looks, she finds the watch is ticking fine. It was all a joke by Joel. She scoffs and pushes his arm away. Joel laughs.]

Sarah: That was lame. You're lame.

Joel: Yeah, I know. Where'd you get the money for this? [He starts putting the watch on.]

Sarah: Drugs. I sell hardcore drugs.

Joel: It's better than what I do.

Sarah: It was only twenty dollars, which I stole from you. [He looks up at her.] I could've stolen sixty, but I put the change back because I'm an honest thief.

Joel: Mm.

Sarah: Besides, it's the thought that counts. And you were never gonna do it for yourself, so.

[Joel briefly looks at her before back down at the watch.]

Joel: Thank you.

Sarah: Oh! There's one more.

[She reaches behind the cushion again and hands him the Curtis and Viper 2 DVD.]

Sarah: Borrowed it from the Adlers.

Joel: Oh, this is the one with the deleted scenes.

Sarah: Yeah, imagine how bad those have to be. C'mon, pop it in. While it's still your birthday.

[Joel gets up and puts the DVD in. He sits back down with Sarah.]

Joel: Don't fall asleep.

Sarah: 'Course I won't. [Joel turns on the TV.] It's too riveting.

[Cut to Sarah sleeping on the couch as the movie plays in the background. The camera pans to Joel, still watching. His phone starts vibrating and he answers.]

Joel: [Softly] Hello?

Tommy: [On phone] Joel, it's me. Uh, I'm okay.

Joel: Yeah?

Tommy: But I'm in jail.

Joel: [Mutters] Goddammit.

Tommy: Wasn't my fault this time. I was at the bar, some guy goes crazy, starts swingin' at a waitress. I stepped in, knocked him out, cops show up—look, it doesn't fuckin' matter. You gotta bail me out.

Joel: Now?

Tommy: It's Friday, you don't get me out tonight, I'm in here all weekend. It's a fuckin' madhouse, Joel. I gotta get out.

Joel: Well, which jail? Travis County?

Tommy: Yeah, on 10th.

Joel: Goddammit, Tommy.

Tommy: I'm sorry. [Joel sighs] Please.

Joel: Okay. Fuckin' idiot.

[He hangs up. Cut to Joel putting Sarah to sleep in her bedroom. He gives her a kiss before he leaves. The clock reads 11:03 p.m. as the door shuts. Later, helicopters hover above as Sarah is still in bed. The clock reads 2:16 a.m. as sirens wail in the background. Dull booms and helicopters overhead rattles the house, waking Sarah. She opens her door and starts walking to Joel's bedroom.]

Sarah: Dad? [More helicopters fly overhead and the house continues to rattle.] Dad?!

[Sarah goes downstairs as unsettling music begins to play and enters the living room. She turns the TV on and an emergency national alert starts playing.]

Male voice: [On TV] —indoors. Law enforcement and emergency services are in the area and will be in contact with further instructions.

[A loud thud bangs on the outside door and Sarah gasps. It's Mercy, who begins barking.]

Male voice: Stay indoors. Law enforcement—

[Sarah opens the door and comforts Mercy, who is whimpering.]

Sarah: Shh, shh… Easy. Easy, Mercy. What're you doing out here, boy?

[Sarah gets up and walks out to the road as Mercy continues barking. Another helicopter passes by above. Cut to Sarah bringing Mercy home by the collar.]

Sarah: C'mon, let's get you home. [Mercy continues to whimper—but begins to resist.] C'mon, Mercy. Please.

[He slips out from his collar and begins to run off.]

Sarah: Mercy!

[Sarah hears a clanking noise from inside the Adlers' home.]

Sarah: Mrs. Adler?

[She enters the Adlers' home and spies Mercy's leash on the floor. She unrolls the rug with her foot.]

Sarah: Mrs. Adler?

[No one answers. She hears a noise coming from the kitchen. She slowly walks toward it and hears a bang from outside, then a car alarm. Sarah, breathing heavily, continues to the kitchen, where more clanking is heard.]

Sarah: Mrs. Adler?

[She enters the kitchen and her foot slides on a puddle of blood. She looks over and sees Mr. Adler with a wound on his shoulder and in shock.]

Danny: [Softly] Help me.

[Sarah slowly walks toward him as he groans in pain. She looks to her right and sees Nana, infected by the Cordyceps brain infection, feeding on her daughter's body. Nana looks up—tendrils coming from her mouth—and notices Sarah. Nana gets up, screams, and starts chasing Sarah, forcing her to flee the house. Sarah runs out where Joel and Tommy pull up in their truck. They both get out of the truck, Tommy is armed with a hunting rifle.]

Joel: [Yelling] Get in the truck! Right now! Move!

[Nana runs out of the house snarling and hits the door frame, causing her to crack a bone and fall to the ground. She gets back up and runs toward them. Tommy aims his rifle at her.]

Tommy: What are we doin', Joel?!

[Joel strikes Nana in the face with a wrench, killing her. He drops the wrench and goes to comfort Sarah.]

Sarah: You killed her.

Joel: Baby, I'm sorry. [He hugs her.]

Tommy: Joel, we gotta go.

Joel: Sarah, listen to me. It's not just the Adlers. But we're gonna be brave, and we're gonna get outta this.

[An explosion occurs in the distance.]

Tommy: Hey. Let's go. Come on.

Joel: [To Sarah] Get in.

[Sarah climbs into the back seat and Joel shuts the door behind her. Their neighbor, Denise, comes out to see what the commotion is all about.]

Denise: Joel?

Joel: [Yelling] Denise, you get back inside the house! You lock your doors! Now!

Tommy: C'mon, c'mon, get in!

[Joel gets in the passenger seat. They start driving and in front of them are an infected Danny and Connie Adler.]

Joel: Get your seat belt on.

Tommy: Hold on.

[Tommy drives forward and rams into the Adlers.]

Denise: Jesus Christ, Joel!

[Sarah looks back and sees Denise go to help Connie, but is pounced on by Danny. Distant explosions occur.]

Joel: You take 71—

Tommy: 71, I know.

[Police cars with their sirens on drive by them at an intersection. Tommy turns right.]

Sarah: Daddy—

Joel: We don't know.

Tommy: They're saying it's a virus. Some kind of parasite.

Sarah: Is it from terrorists?

Joel: We don't… know.

Sarah: Are we sick?

Joel: No, of course not.

[Tommy tries turning on the radio. They hear nothing but static.]

Sarah: Why did things blow up?

Tommy: No cellphone, no radio. Minute ago, newsman wouldn't shut up.

Sarah: How do you know?

Joel: What?

Sarah: [Choking back tears] How do you know we're not sick?

Tommy: They're sayin' it's mostly people in the city. That's why they got the highway blocked off.

[They drive past a burning farmhouse.]

Tommy: God. It's Jimmy's place.

Sarah: The Adlers would take Nana into the city. To the hospital for stuff.

Joel: That's right. They would. That's probably why.

Sarah: But… you'd have to go a lot… right?

Tommy: We're fine… trust me.

Sarah: [Softly] All right.

[They come across a couple and their young child on the side of the road, and their minivan broken down.]

Male civilian: Here! Right here! Hey! [Tommy slows down.]

Joel: [To Tommy] What are you doin'?

Tommy: They got a kid, Joel.

Joel: So do we. Keep driving.

Sarah: We could put them in the back.

[Tommy speeds up and drives past as the father pleads in the background.]

Joel: Somebody else'll come along.

[A tear streams down Sarah's face. They go to get onto the highway but notice it is backed up by traffic. Cars are driving the wrong way towards them.]

Tommy: Fuck! Everybody had the same fuckin' idea. [Cars honking] I can't get through this.

Joel: All right, all right. Let's think it through, we'll think it through.

Tommy: Fuck!

Joel: All right, take the field. We cut across and we pick up on the—on the west side.

Tommy: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. West, west, all right. All right, hang on.

[Tommy turns off the highway into the field. Other vehicles start following them. They come to a military blockade set up ahead of them.]

Tommy: Aw, shit! Fuckin' Army.

Sarah: Isn't that good?

Tommy: It's good for them, but that's the highway we're tryin' to get to.

Joel: All right, keep movin'. Head north.

Tommy: Could be a lot of people.

Joel: Well, we can't go south, we can't go east, we can't go west. Hell else we supposed to go? Tommy, come on!

[Tommy starts heading north.]

Joel: Yeah, I know that place. This can work.

Tommy: Yeah, but then what?

Joel: I don't know. Mexico. Just far, far as we can. How much gas?

Tommy: Three-quarter tank.

Joel: Go through town, golf course by the river, straight across, we pick up the highway on the other side of the blockade… then we're out.

[They get back onto the road as intense music plays.]

Sarah: Maybe it's everywhere. Maybe there's nowhere to go.

[They suddenly hear a loud noise coming from above them. Tommy turns around and looks up. Sarah covers her ears in discomfort.]

Tommy: What the fuck?!

[Sarah looks back to see a group of airplanes flying low, right above them. They come to a police blockade.]

Tommy: Son of a bitch. Gotta go around. Grab somethin'!

[Tommy cuts through an alley and gets back onto the road.]

Joel: All right, keep goin', keep goin'. Shit, Tommy!

[A pickup truck almost crashes into the side of them, but they get away unscathed. In the road, chaos ensues between a mob of people.]

Joel: Tommy, you can't stop here.

Tommy: I can't drive through 'em all.

Joel: Are you serious?! Just keep goin'!

[A large group of people begin running out of a movie theater in front of them.]

Joel: Back. Back, back, back, back, back, back, back, back, back!

Tommy: I'm trying!

[After struggling with the shifter, Tommy starts reversing the truck.]

Joel: Tommy, go faster! We gotta go!

Tommy: I'm tryin'! There's nowhere to fuckin' go!

Joel: Find an alley!

Tommy: What alley?! There's people everywhere!

Joel: Roll the fuck over them! We gotta get off this street now!

Tommy: That's what I'm tryin' to do, Joel.

Joel: We're gonna be okay. Just keep drivin'.

Sarah: Dad?!

[Another loud noise is heard behind them. Tommy looks back in surprise.]

Tommy: Holy shit! [He starts driving forwards.]

Joel: Move… move!

[They see an airplane crash behind them, causing a large explosion. A piece of debris strikes their truck, causing them to roll over.]

[Cut to Sarah waking up in the crashed truck. Joel struggles beside her.]

Joel: Sarah… Sarah. Stay right there. Don't move. Tommy, you okay?

Tommy: Yeah, I'm okay.

[Sarah starts breathing heavily. She looks out to see flaming debris on the road and infected feeding on civilians.]

Joel: Sarah… don't look. You look at me… okay? [Goes to help Sarah out. Sarah winces in pain.] I'm sorry, baby, I know it hurts, I know. Come here. Put your arms around me. Come here, come here. I got you. I got-- I got you. Got you.

[Joel pulls Sarah out of the car and stands her up. Sarah grunts.]

Joel: Are you okay?

Sarah: Mm-mm.

Joel: Are you okay?

Sarah: My ankle.

Joel: All right, okay.

Tommy: We gotta get off the street! Shit!

[A police SUV crashes into their flipped truck, closing off the alley and separating Tommy from Joel and Sarah.]

Joel: [Shouts] Tommy?! Tommy?! Tommy!

Tommy: Head to the river! I'll find a way. Get her outta here, Joel! Go!

Sarah: [To Joel] We can't leave him.

Joel: He'll be fine. Can you run?

Sarah: [Shakes head] No.

[Joel picks her up and carries her in his arms.]

Joel: You keep your eyes on me.

Sarah: Okay.

Joel: Okay?

Sarah: Okay.

Joel: And don't look anywhere else. All right.

[Joel starts running down the alley and sees several infected feeding on civilians. One stands up and starts chasing them. Joel enters a diner as the runner roars and clumsily chases them. He exits out the other side of the diner and a gunshot kills the runner chasing after them. Joel turns around to look at the corpse.]

Joel: It's okay, baby, you're safe.

[A light hits Joel's face.]

Soldier: Don't move!

Joel: My daughter's hurt! Her ankle—

[Cut to show a U.S. Army soldier, armed with an assault rifle. A Humvee is parked behind him.]

Soldier: [Points gun, demanding] Stop right there!

Joel: Okay… Easy, now. We're not sick!

Soldier: [Using radio] I got two civilians by the river. One of 'em injured. [...] Ankle.

Sarah: What about Uncle Tommy?

Joel: [Quietly] We're gonna get you somewhere safe first. Then we'll go back for him, okay?

Sarah: Okay…

Joel: Okay.

Soldier: [Using radio] I'm sorry, repeat? [To Joel and Sarah] Hey! No one told you to move! [Using radio] Yes, sir. [...] Yes, sir. [...] Yes, sir…

[The soldier raises his gun and aims it directly at Joel and Sarah.]

Joel: We're not sick. Sir… We are not sick—!

[The soldier opens fire. Joel quickly turns and is grazed by a bullet to the side. Sarah screams and is thrown from Joel's arms. They both roll to the ground and Joel groans in pain. The soldier walks toward Joel and aims his gun at his head.]

Soldier: I'm sorry.

Joel: Please, don't—

[The soldier is suddenly shot in the head and collapses. Tommy enters the scene with his rifle still drawn, inspecting him and then Joel. Joel sits up, grunting and touching the wound on his side.]

Tommy: Oh, God…

[Sarah's panicked gasping comes from offscreen, causing Joel to whip his head around.]

Joel: No. Oh, no…

[Joel frantically crawls over to his daughter, who is clutching at a heavily bleeding gunshot wound on her stomach.]

Joel: No, no, no! Sh-sh-sh-sh, okay, you're okay. Y-You're okay, move your hand, baby. Move your hand.

[Joel looks over the wound in despair before applying pressure.]

Sarah: No—! [Winces in pain as she frantically grabs at Joel.]

Joel: I know, baby, I know, I know, I know, I know! I know it hurts. All right. Don't look down, look up, look up. Come on, baby. You're okay, you're okay…

[He resumes applying pressure. Sarah grabs at his arm.]

Joel: I know, I know, I know, I know, baby. I know, I know! I know this hurts. You're gonna be okay. All right… Baby, baby, baby, listen to me—I gotta get you up, okay? I gotta get you up. All right? You c'mon. You c'mon.

[Joel gently picks Sarah up, her gasping in pain all the while.]

Joel: I know, baby! No, no. I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know! [Shouts] Tommy, help me!

Tommy: Joel…

[Joel turns back to Sarah. She has gone completely limp.]

Joel: C'mon, baby girl. C'mon, baby girl, I gotta get you up. C'mon! C'mon, we'll get up! [Starts crying] C'mon, baby girl, wake up! C'mon… come—please.

[Joel collapses to his knees, completely in tears, hugging his dead daughter close as melancholy music plays. Cut to black.]

Twenty years later

[A title card appears that reads in bold white letters "Twenty years later".]

[The title card fades in to a nature scene. A young boy is walking down a cobblestone path through a forest. He strides through the bushes into a clearing overlooking a ruined city with a section walled off. Text reveals the setting -- Boston, 2023.]

[Cut to a disused traffic light gantry in front of an entrance into the walled-off section. A watch tower looms over the area, and WELCOME is painted above the entrance in large letters.]

[Two FEDRA soldiers are repairing a searchlight. They notice the boy walking towards them. He collapses in the street and they rush to his aid. A closer look at the signs above the entrance reveals where the boy is headed -- the walled-off section of Boston is the city's Quarantine Zone. It is one of many Quarantine Zones set up by FEDRA across the United States to separate the uninfected population from the infected.]

[Cut to inside the entrance, looking out towards the city. A traffic light changes from red to green and the doors open, letting the light shine through and exposing the ruined cityscape beyond. In the distance, a soldier runs out and disappears out of sight.]

[Cut to inside a building. Two soldiers open the door, and a third soldier wheels the boy inside on a wheelchair. He is strapped in to keep him secure if he turns infected. The boy fiddles a FEDRA badge in his hands.]

[They pass through the strip curtains, and the boy's wheelchair is stopped. He is scuffed with dirt and has a drowsy expression on his face. He looks around at the signs posted on the wall outlining symptoms and infection times of the Cordyceps brain infection. He is now in a FEDRA processing station, where anyone entering the zone is checked to ascertain whether they are infected or not.]

[Another soldier enters. She takes off her helmet and loosens the wheelchair straps.]

Soldier: We don't want you falling out of the chair. What's your name?

[The boy does not respond.]

Soldier: Are you alone?

[The boy manages a small nod.]

Soldier: And, uh... how did you get this?

[She examines a tear in his pants, which reveals a wound underneath on the left leg. Another soldier walks in with a scanning device.]

Soldier: It's gonna be a little tickle. [Gestures to her neck.] Right here.

[The other soldier places the scanner on the boy's neck. When the scanner finishes, he walks away -- briefly showing the scanner displaying a red light.]

Soldier: What if I told you that after we gave you some medicine, we're gonna find you your favourite food to eat. Would you like that? [The boy nods.] And then we'll get you some new clothes, and toys... as many as you wanna play with.

[The other soldier returns with a syringe in his hand. The boy turns his head to see him reaching for his left arm.]

Soldier: It's just a little needle.

[The other soldier injects a drug into the boy's arm.]

Soldier: It's okay. You're safe.

[Cut to a bonfire, where corpses are taken in for cremation. As some civilian workers are hauling corpses out of a truck and throwing them in, others are stoking the fire with coal rakes. They wear cloth masks to stop them inhaling the fumes.]

[After lugging in a corpse, one worker takes off her cloth mask and watches another pickup truck arrive. She wipes the sweat from her brow and goes to receive another load of corpses. She opens the cover and unlatches the tailgate, then stares with a dismayed expression. She places her hand on a co-worker's shoulder to get his attention. The co-worker turns his head -- he is Joel, now fifty-six years old and sporting the wrinkles and greying hairs to show for it.]

Worker: I can't.

[Joel takes a look at the corpses. Among this load is the corpse of the boy who came in earlier. He picks up the corpse and throws it in the fire.]

[Later, the fire has been put out. Joel and some other workers are shovelling ashes from the leftover pile into buckets. A buzzer sounds in the distance, indicating their shift is over. The workers put down their shovels and relax. Joel shovels one more load into his bucket and sticks his shovel in the pile.]

[Cut to a ration line, where a FEDRA officer named Knapp hands out ration cards to a resident.]

Knapp: Ten.

[The man walks off and Joel steps up. Knapp wordlessly hands Joel a stack of cards.]

Joel: You got anything else?

Knapp: Nothin' today. Tomorrow, we got street sweeping… or sewer maintenance.

Joel: Which one pays more?

Knapp: That'd be the one with the shit.

[Joel nods. Knapp stamps his approval on a slip.]

Knapp: Late crew, 4 P.M. start.

[Joel takes the slip and walks off.]

[Cut to a sequence of establishing shots showcasing daily life in the Boston Quarantine Zone. A FEDRA convoy drives down a city road; signage is posted regarding curfew times and CBI symptoms; two crippled men sit and chat, while a man wearing a Gore-Lieberman 2000 T-shirt smokes a cigarette; a FEDRA sniper keeps watch over a busy street; shoelaces and bootlaces are sold for ration cards; civilian workers are painting over graffiti depicting a firefly; Joel walks down a busy footpath.]

[Cut to a gallows where three individuals are waiting to be hanged as a crowd watches. A FEDRA officer stands, reading out their charges.]

FEDRA Officer: Jason Choi - violation of EMC 342.3: Unauthorized exit from a Quarantine Zone. Maria Elisiano - violation of EMC 342.7: Unauthorized entry into a Quarantine Zone. Each of you have been tried in a military court of justice, and each of you have been found guilty by the court martial panel, and with a sentence of death by execution, as empowered under the EMPA, Article 1, Section 5…

[Joel catches the eye of a FEDRA soldier named Lee, who motions for him to walk into an alleyway. After some hesitation, Joel heads back. Lee pulls a packet of ration cards out of his pocket and holds them out. Joel walks over and briefly scans the area.]

Lee: C'mon.

[Joel takes the cards and counts through them.]

Lee: Or I could just shoot you.

Joel: Yeah, but then what would you do? You're short five.

[Lee pulls a tinfoil pack out of one of his pockets and hands it over to Joel. Joel unwraps it, uncovering a pack of cigarettes and joints. The two men share a brief look before Joel pockets the contraband. In exchange, Joel pulls out a plastic bag full of pills and hands one to Lee.]

Lee: Oxy?

Joel: Hydro.

Lee: How old?

Joel: Three months.

Lee: From Atlanta?

Joel: I dunno where he gets 'em from. I just know they're real.

Lee: If it's real, it's from Atlanta. FEDRA's got a factory down there in the QZ. Supposedly only makes two things… [He scrapes off a bit of the pill, licking the powder. It's legit.] Pills and bullets. Bullets and pills.

Joel: Well, the more you shoot people, the harder it is to sleep, I guess.

Lee: [chuckles] Oh, you guess?

Joel: You want 'em or not?

[The smile fades from Lee's face. He holds his hand out.]

Joel: I need the bag back.

[He hands the rest of the pills to Lee, who drops the pill into the bag with the rest.]

Joel: How we doin' with the vehicle?

Lee: All set. I had to get one last guy in the depot to buy in.

Joel: Okay, how much?

Lee: Four of them on that shift, plus me? Six hundred total. Look, those trucks are shit-heaped for a reason.

[Lee pours the pills into another pocket on his suit.]

Joel: And they don't have any batteries. I know. That gets about 200 for the other guys, 200 for you.

Lee: Deal.

[Lee gives Joel the bag.]

Lee: Hey, do yourself a favor… Stay off the streets for the next few nights. Fuckin' Fireflies have been blowing shit up all week. Two of our guys got shot this morning. Boss's got us working doubles. Guys are jumpy and tired… It's easy to make a mistake in the dark.

[Lee walks away.]

Lee: Stay safe.

Joel: Yeah, you too…

[Joel steps away, but pauses, noting some graffiti left by the Fireflies — "When you're lost in the darkness, look for the light." He huffs sardonically and walks away.]

[Meanwhile, in a dingy room, a nervous man with a ponytail fidgets, looking at someone offscreen.]

Robert: What do you want me to say, Tess?

Tess: [offscreen] I'm not asking you to say anything.

Robert: Sure. It's not like I planned on ripping you off. I'm sorry…

[A bloodied woman with a black eye raises her head. She is Tess, and the nervous man is a contraband smuggler named Robert.]

Tess: Well… How 'bout we just let it go?

[Robert inclines his head, then stands and paces, clearly stressed. Two of Robert's men stand, impassively watching her.]

Tess: What else are you gonna do? You gonna keep me here? Kill me?

Robert: Tess. C'mon…

Tess: Then, Robert… What do you want?

Robert: I want you to forget this ever happened!

Tess: Done.

Robert: See— Don't do that!

Tess: What? It's just a truck battery. I paid you for it, you sold it to someone else and you spent my money. I mean, you think I've never done shit like that?

Robert: My guys fucked you up!

Tess: Yeah, so discipline them! I mean, cut off a finger or whatever the fuck you want, I don't care! They're your fuckin' guys!

Robert: What about your guy? 'Cause, when he sees you, I mean— Put yourself in my shoes…

Tess: Look, he answers to me. So I give you my word that he won't hurt you. I'll tell him that I got jumped by... some guys, and then you and I can just move the fuck on. Now, your shit has pretty much ruined my week. And I'd like to go home and drink until my face stops hurting. So are we good?

[Robert considers.]

Robert: Yea—

[An explosion blows out a wall and rocks the building. Dust flies everywhere and Tess is thrown out of her chair. Coughing from inhaling the dust, she turns her head to see the corpse of one of Robert's henchmen. She gets up and clambers out through the hole.]

FEDRA P.A.: [Repeating] All citizens must clear the surrounding area immediately. Do not return until FEDRA authorities permit.

[Tess comes upon a wrecked, burning Humvee parked by the building. She notices a trail of blood and decides to get out of there, as alarms blare and the P.A. system repeats a warning message. Coming to an intersection, she sees a squad of FEDRA soldiers advancing down the adjoining street.]

Tess: Oh, shit.

[A gunshot rings out and a soldier is shot dead. Tess ducks behind the wall and covers her ears.]

Soldier: Firefly, up there! [The others shout as they lay down suppressive fire.]

Firefly sniper: Free Boston now, motherfuckers!

[Tess looks up to see a Firefly sniper on a building rooftop. He shoots and then disappears out of sight. She looks back to see two more FEDRA soldiers with riot shields, advancing in the direction she came from. Caught in the middle of a firefight with no other option, she raises her hands and walks toward the soldiers.]

Tess: They're shooting! They're shooting at us!

Soldier with riot shield: On your knees. On your knees!

Tess: No, no! I'm not a Fi-- augh!

[One soldier knocks her to the ground with the butt of his rifle, and the two of them restrain her.]

Tess: I'm not a-- I'm not a Firefly!

[Cut to a room where a young girl is chained to a radiator. The door opens and three adults enter. The two men stand guard, while the woman with a clipboard and pen approaches the girl, who is calling herself "Veronica" (although her real name is Ellie Williams). She kicks her serving tray and plate toward the woman's feet.]

Firefly woman: Count slowly and clearly.

Ellie: [Disinterested, speaking quickly] Onetwothreefour--

Firefly woman: Slowly. And clearly. [She writes on her clipboard while Ellie counts.]

Ellie: One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Fuck. You.

[She raises her middle finger to the woman, then outstretches her left arm.]

Firefly woman: Now hold out your-- [She notices Ellie is already doing that.]

Firefly woman: State your name. Slowly.

Ellie: 'Veronica'. Same as yesterday. [Relaxes her arm] And the day before. And the day before. And the--

[The adults begin to leave. One of the men picks up the serving tray.]

Ellie: Hey, people are gonna come looking for me. People from FEDRA, you hear me? Let me out or you're gonna pay, motherfuckers!

[The door shuts, revealing a firefly symbol on the inside.]

Ellie: [Shouting in despair] I'm not supposed to be here!

[Dejected, Ellie sits down and stares at some graffiti on the wall -- "When you're lost in the darkness." She buries her face in her legs as if about to cry.]

[Cut to a line of people standing in a corridor. Some are writing on scraps of paper. A baby cries out in the background. Joel enters and bypasses the line to the end of the corridor. Two children run by him.]

Man: Hey, there's a line!

Abe: [Reciting] "Tell Dad it's a girl. That would be good, right? He wanted a granddaughter. Love, Becca." End message. Read back.

[Joel reaches the communications room where a man named Abe sits next to a radio, reading a note. A pregnant woman, Becca, occupies the seat across from him. Abe indicates for Joel to wait, then turns back to the radio.]

Abe: Correct. 73-K Orlando. Out.

[Abe gives Becca her note back. Becca walks out of the room and Joel takes her seat, passing the tinfoil-wrapped cigarettes to Abe. Abe takes one out of the pack and retrieves his lighter. He briefly looks to Joel before shaking his head "no", then lights up and smokes.]

Joel: Nothin'? Is there any chance it's coming in at night? You're asleep and you miss it?

Abe: Hm.

[Abe takes the cigarette out of his mouth.]

Abe: When I'm sleeping, Gabriella listens, or my son. The smart one, not the other one, God bless him.

[Joel lightly hits the table and looks off to the side.]

Abe: If Tommy responded, we'd know.

Joel: And you're talking to the tower?

Abe: Every day! They gave him your message, they haven't seen or heard from him since, and that's it. It hasn't been that long…

Joel: It's been three weeks. It's never taken him more than a day to respond.

Abe: I'm sure he's okay.

[Joel retrieves a map and pushes it across the table.]

Joel: Show me where the tower is.

Abe: Oh, you can't be serious. J-Joel, it's in Wyoming! Uh, all- all this open country? I mean, you're a capable guy, but there are worse things than Infected out there — I hear everything on this. There are raiders, there are slavers—

Joel: But you're sure Tommy's okay?

[Abe pauses and sighs before grabbing a red pencil and drawing on the map.]

Abe: It's, uh… It's the Cody Tower. Q bar 4, but I don't know exactly wh—

[Joel takes the map and walks off. Abe takes a long drag of his cigarette.]

Abe: Next!

[Joel returns to his apartment and pushes a closet aside. He removes some loose floorboards and unpacks his stash. He unfolds a map of the US highway system and traces a route from Boston via the interstates to Wyoming, while drinking some whiskey and taking his pills.]

[Joel flops down into his bed. As he tries to get to sleep, Sarah's death plays out in his mind again -- his reassurances, her gasps, Tommy's shout of "Joel!" It is clear that her death still haunts him 20 years later.]

[Sometime later, Tess returns. She moves Joel over in the bed and wraps her arms around him.]

[Cut to the morning of the next day. Joel is waking up as Tess is making coffee. She joins him at the table and he notices some wounds on her face.]

Tess: I got jumped by a couple guys.

Joel: What guys?

Tess: Just a couple teenagers. Said some shit, probably shouldn't've.

[Joel gets a cloth and a bottle of whiskey. He rubs some whiskey in the cloth.]

Tess: C'mon, you know these guys were born after the outbreak. Never learned how to argue, they just started swinging. Fuckin' nineteen-year-old pieces of shit.

Joel: It's a miracle you're alive.

Tess: It's a miracle any of us are alive.

[Joel inspects the wounds.]

Joel: These aren't new.

Tess: No. I was in FEDRA lockup. All day. Anyway, it doesn't matter. I need you to take a breath.

Joel: What?

Tess: Joel…

Joel: What?

Tess: The guys who jumped me were with Robert. He sold our battery to someone else.

[Joel buries his head in his hands.]

Tess: Nothing's lost. Now, shit like this is gonna happen. Now we just shake it off and we go get our cards back, or the battery—

Joel: I need the battery, Tess. [He slams his hand on the table and walks away.] Truck's no good without one, and if I don't get to Tommy soon, he's gonna die out there!

Tess: Okay, fuck it! [She walks after Joel.] We get our money back and the battery, but Joel, listen — Robert is terrified of you. So you march out of here, all Clint Eastwood, he's gonna get wind of it and skip. I need you to take a breath.

Joel: Who'd he sell it to?

Tess: Don't know.

Joel: Well, where is he?

Tess: Don't know. Yet. But we're gonna find out quietly, understand? Now, I promised Robert that you wouldn't hurt him. But I would very much like for you to hurt him. So let's go hunt that motherfucker down, and get our battery and our truck, and then we'll go find Tommy. All right?

Joel: All right.

[He retrieves a pistol and some ammunition from his stash.]

Ellie: One, two, three, four…

[Marlene walks in, carrying Ellie's backpack. She tosses it over and Ellie reaches in, pulling out a switchblade and flicking it open. Marlene sits by Ellie for several seconds.]

Ellie: You're not scared.

[Marlene shakes her head "no."]

Ellie: Then unlock me.

Marlene: How 'bout we start with "thank you?"

Ellie: For what?

Marlene: For saving your life? I am the one who told them not to shoot you, after all.

Ellie: Meh…

[She closes the blade.]

Ellie: Why did you stop them?

Marlene: We'll get to that.

[Marlene produces the key and unlocks Ellie.]

Marlene: So, "Veronica"… How ya feeling?

Ellie: The same. Is it gonna happen?

Marlene: No.

Ellie: So can I go?

Marlene: No.

Ellie: I won't tell anyone about any of this, I swear.

Marlene: Where you gonna go? Back to FEDRA Military School? You that anxious to be a soldier?

Ellie: You think I chose that place? They put me there when I was a baby. It's for orphans.

Marlene: They didn't put you there. I did. Ellie.

Ellie: …you're my fucking Mom, or something?

Marlene: I look like your Mom?

Ellie: No, you do not.

Marlene: My name is Marlene. I'm the leader of the Fireflies in the Boston QZ.

Ellie: Why would terrorists dump me with FEDRA?

Marlene: Because it's where you'd be safest, and you were safe there until you decided to sneak out, and… "Terrorist?" Was Riley a terrorist?

[Ellie turns away.]

[Joel takes the book from Ellie's hands and slams it on the table. She holds her hands up, sarcastically defensive, and follows Joel over to the couch. Joel lies down and closes his eyes.]

Ellie: What are you doing?

Joel: Killing time.

Ellie: Well, what am I supposed to do?!

Joel: I'm sure you'll figure that out.

[Ellie grabs the book from the table and walks over to the window.]

Ellie: Your watch is broken.

[Joel opens his eyes, takes a deep breath, and re-closes them, drifting off into sleep with the echoing ticking of a clock being the only sound.]

[Joel reopens his eyes, hours later. A helicopter hovers by outside.]

Ellie: [offscreen] You mumble in your sleep.

[Joel lightly rolls his eyes and sits up, facing her.]

Ellie: I've never been on the other side of the Wall. Look how dark it is… You guys go out there a lot?

Joel: I guess.

Ellie: When was the last time?

Joel: [sighs] Maybe a year. What's it matter?

Ellie: But you know where to go. So we're gonna be okay.

Joel: Yeah. So what's the deal with you, anyway? You some kinda bigwig's daughter or something?

Ellie: Something like that.

[A long beat.]

Ellie: Oh, the radio came on when you were sleeping.

Joel: What? What was the song?

Ellie: He kept saying, like… Like, "Wake me up before you go-go"?

Joel: [softly] Shit.

Ellie: Gotcha. 80's means trouble. Code broken.

[Joel stares at her for a beat, then stands.]

Joel: Listen—

[Outside the walls, Lee urinates. Out of the corner of his eye, he catches Joel, Ellie, and Tess attempting to sneak away.]

Lee: What the fuck? Hey! Hey, hey, hey, don't move! Don't move!

[Lee hastily zips his pants and points his gun at the group. Recognizing Joel, he lifts his helmet.]

Lee: You gotta be shittin' me.

Joel: Okay, let's talk this out.

Lee: Turn around.

Joel: Hold on—

Lee: Get on your fuckin' knees. Get on your fuckin' knees!

Joel: Hold on…

Lee: What'd I fuckin' tell you, man? I said, "Stay the fuck home." Get on your knees!

Tess: Just get on your knees. Just get on your knees!

[Tess kneels. The rest follow suit. Lee takes out the Cordyceps scanner.]

Tess: Listen. You let us do this run… We'll split the cards with you.

Lee: Oh, will you?

Tess: Yeah!

Lee: I'm so blessed. Hands on your head, eyes forward.

[Tess looks at him for a beat.]

Lee: Hands on your head!

[All three comply. Lee puts the scanner to Tess's neck.]

Tess: [incredulous] Really, man?

Lee: Yep. We're doing this by the book.

Tess: Jesus Christ.

[The scanner zaps. Ellie begins to look nervous.]

Lee: All right, what about three quarters?

[Tess's test comes back clean.]

Lee: Unauthorized exit. They'll hang you for that.

[He moves on to Joel.]

Joel: Fine, everything off of this run! And half off on all the pills!

Lee: Half off? All off.

[The scanner zaps. Joel comes back clean.]

Lee: Risk my job for half off… You're out of your fuckin' mind.

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