"And I thought we'd be outta the snow by now." "Yeah, well, being in the mountains, it's gonna be cold." "That means snow." "Comes with the territory." "We'll be out of it soon, though." "Yeah, right." "Dear dad, I..." "What're you doing?" "Nothing." "Dear dad..." "You know, it's not nothing." "'Cause I've seen you do nothing, and that ain't it." "I mean, that is almost something', what you're doing right there, know what I mean?" "It's not quite something', but it's almost something', but it's definitely more than nothin'." "It's somewhere between somethin' an-and-and nothin'." "Are you done?" "Yeah." "That last one about made the left side of my brain explode." "Good." "Still, wh-what're you doing?" "Look, I'm writing something, ok, same as last time you asked me, man." "Look, do I bother you when you're writing letters to your dad?" "Yes." "Well, then, lead by example." "Dear dad," "I'll get back to you." "The road splits here." "The map didn't say anything about that." "Look, all we have to do is find this place where Marcus said people are making a comeback and building up a community." "We open up formal relations and then we get back." "I don't wanna get lost driving around these back roads for 3 days, all right?" "Yeah." "Me neither." "So, right it is." "Whoa, whoa." "Why right?" "What?" "Why did you decide right?" "I don't know, 'cause I'm driving." "And why are you driving?" "'Cause I got the key?" "And why do you have the key?" "Because I need it to start the car." "Kurdy, did I say somethin' that pissed you off, man?" "'Cause if I did..." "I'm just saying there are two of us here." "The odds are exactly the same that either one of these roads is the correct road." "Suppose I wanna go left?" "Left it is." "I..." "I..." "I just said "suppose."" "Ok, d-did I miss a meeting or something?" "'Cause we... people aren't supposed to have conversations like this unless they are married." "And they've been married, like, 5 years or something, and they got kids in the back seat, screaming, you know?" "On the way to Disneyland and they're lost 'cause there's..." "There's kid puke on the map, and he's too stupid to ask for directions." "It's 115 degrees in the shade." "Now, kurdy, we're close, but we are not that close." "You know what your problem is?" "Repressed hostility." "Oh." "You know what, would you..." "left, right?" "Just choose!" "Right." "'Cause I don't care." "See, left, there's nothing going on on that road." "But right, right's a little more inviting." "I don't care." "Right, left, just 2 roads, you know, going different ways." "What... what are we gonna see going down one that we don't see going down the other?" "Take a look." "I told you right was better." "Dear dad, it's been 15 years since the big death wiped out everyone over the age of innocence..." "The end of your world, the beginning of mine." "Hey." "Hello." "You guys, uh, part of a parade or something?" "We're on a pilgrimage." "We left east, heading west, almost a year ago." "You've been walking for a year?" "That's what a pilgrimage is." "We're almost there, though." "You're quiet." "Ah, sorry." "I'm kurdy." "This is Jeremiah." "What's your name?" "Constance." "We're about to set up camp for the night." "There'll be food, of which there's not a lot, but we're happy to share." "And stories, of which we have multitudes." "You're welcome to join us." "Thank you, constance, that's very nice..." "We'd love to." "But we have..." "To go." "That's David." "He speaks for all of us." "The pilgrimage was his idea." "We all signed on to his dream." "Those are the stewards." "They handle the cooking, setting up the tent." "Go ahead and have a seat." "I'll be right back." "It's kind of nice." "Yeah, it's nice." "This kind of nice makes me worry." "It usually means somebody wants something from you." "Trust me." "I've been hustled before by guys like this." "You know, Jeremiah, my mom used to say there are 2 kinds of people:" "Those who kiss, and those who offer the cheek." "I don't get it." "Look..." "I mean, you know, nothing against your mom, it's just I, uh, I don't get that." "Uh, forget it." "She also said there are 2 types of kids." "See, you give a kid a big old box full of shit." "Now, some kids, they gonna see only the shit, because that's what they're used to seeing, so they walk away." "But another type of kid..." "Dives in, digging like crazy, 'cause he figures if there's that much shit, then there has to be a pony in there somewhere." "Your mom said "shit"?" "Do you got something to say about my mom?" "No, man, I..." "I think it's cool." "It's just, you know, I..." "I don't ever remember my mom saying "shit."" "I feel kind of deprived about the whole thing, now that I think about it." "We're starting." "Another night..." "Another night closer to the end of our journey." "Your strength, your will, by God's grace, has kept us all together through all the hard days and long roads." "I understand we even have guests." "Yes." "This is Jeremiah, and this is kurdy." "Welcome, both." "Welcome, friends." "Welcome." "Yeah." "Kumbaya to you, too." "And the world is no longer what it was, but neither is it what it could have been." "The earth could have been scrubbed clean of life, swallowed by fire," "frozen by night." "But it wasn't." "When God sent the flood, he also sent Noah, so that some of us could survive and rebuild the world." "When the great death came, he sent us." "He sent you..." "To rebuild the world and bring the light of hope." "The great death was not the off switch." "It was the reset button." "This is not about endings." "This is about beginnings." "We have walked this long walk as a testimony to that new beginning." "When we come to that place where the sea meets the sky, clouds will open, and a great white ship with golden sails will descend from the sky, and we will be taken up and away," "and this will be a sign to all the world that there are still miracles." "And where there are miracles, there is hope." "I should probably bring some of this out to your friend." "No, it's ok." "Then you should bring some of this out to your friend." "No, he knows where the food is." "The man can smell dinner at a half a mile." "Besides, he walked out." "You take these things personally." "No, I don't." "It's just..." "It's just when someone else is being offended?" "I know you." "Oh, really?" "How so?" "You're a protector." "You'll never admit it, but you're a protector." "Most of the protectors I know got that way because the world was so cruel to them, and they couldn't do anything about it." "So they work it out by trying to make things easier for everybody else." "But they deny it." "Because saying it means admitting they need to touch other people." "And because they've been disappointed so many times, they've learned to live without." "They've learned to give, but they've never learned how to receive," "how to ask for compassion, or something as simple as a hug." "Good bread." "Why'd you do that?" "Because you asked me to." "No, I didn't." "Yes, you did." "You did." "It's cold." "You should come inside." "I'm all right out here." "At least take one of these, then." "Must have been a terrible thing." "What?" "Whatever made you this angry." "I don't know, 6 billion people dying so you can turn it into a sermon about how God loves us?" "I think that'd be good enough reason right there, without having to look around for something else." "So you don't believe in God." "Let's just say we had a little falling out." "I don't bother him, he doesn't bother me." "It works fine for both of us." "Yes, I can tell." "Look, if you're thinking that I'm gonna try to convert you to anything," "I'm not." "Anybody here can believe or not believe anything they want." "You just have to believe in something, even if it's just the hope that tomorrow will be better than the day before." "You don't even have to believe in God, but, to go to war with God, from what I've heard, that never ends well for anyone." "Vow of silence?" "Keep up the good work." "And I wonder if the sunset of my mind is darker than the sunset of my eyes." "Because either way, I cannot see the road." "Do we keep on asking "why"" "till we die?" "They give a sigh of absolution, 'cause there's really no solution to the road." "'Cause the road just is." "And you are." "And we're getting there together, 'cause we are the road." "What's that?" "Nothin'." "Well, maybe it'll be something later." "You know, we're about 5 Miles from where we're supposed to meet up with this new community, and about a day behind schedule." "Yeah, man, I know." "Great, so?" "They're goin' the same way we're goin'." "Yeah, man, at 5 Miles an hour." "Well, you know, I just think it wouldn't be a bad idea to have a little company on the road, you know?" "You guys mind if we go with you?" "Sure." "Except, you're not." "You're in the car." "Which means you're not with us, you're beside us." "Which is fine, if that's what you prefer." "Hey, where you going, man?" "Just going for a walk." "Hey, kurdy, this is the place, man, it's gotta be." "Look, houses are all nice, people are taking care of 'em." "Yeah, that's nice." "Look, I'm gonna go on up ahead and check it out." "I'll catch up with you later, all right?" "Who are those guys?" "They joined up with us about 3 or 4 weeks ago." "They're a fairly new order." "They consider themselves to be pallbearers for the old world, here to bear witness to the end." "End of what?" "Everything." "They believe that the grave, once opened, does not close easily." "They say there's one more darkness yet to come." "David!" "Stay out of here, you son of a bitch!" "What's wrong?" "Caught this guy stealing supplies out of the back of my house!" "Like you guys don't already have plenty of stuff, by the looks of it." "Is this true?" "I didn't know anyone was living there." "I thought the place was abandoned!" "You lying piece of shit!" "Get the fuck outta my way." "No." "Go on back with the others." "We'll be on our way now." "Hey, you better run, bunch of thieving... bastards!" "No." "In order to stay, we've all taken a vow of nonviolence." "You're kidding." "David doesn't believe in violence." "Oh, yeah?" "Well, what about when violence believes in him?" "He prays." "A lot." "You could come inside, you know." "I like it out here." "And you don't like it in there?" "It's nothing personal, it's just..." "You don't trust me." "I don't trust you." "How's that not personal?" "Every time someone drags God into the conversation," "It's because they want something." "It's a con, it's a hustle, or worse." "So excuse me if I look at all you got goin' on here, and I wonder what it is that you're really up to." "You know, a few centuries ago, people went on pilgrimages all the time." "To testify to their belief, to encourage hope, to receive absolution." "They expected miracles, and they got 'em." "I believe in miracles a lot less than I believe in whatever it is you're sellin'." "But why?" "It's a new world." "Rules have changed." "Technologically, we've been plunged back into the middle ages, right?" "Maybe that's the only place where miracles are possible." "Maybe God stopped appearing because he got a little tired of all the noise." "Maybe he only appears when the world is quiet enough to pay attention." "Either way," "I know we will find our miracle at the end of our journey." "Tell me something." "Do you believe that there's hope for a better world, Jeremiah?" "Yeah." "Yeah, I do." "Well, then, like it or not, you, and me, and God," "we're all on the same side." "I'll have them keep a plate of food warm for you inside." "Just in case." "And I dreamed about the great white ship and the golden sails." "I dreamed that I got on board, and flew high up above the clouds," "just looking down on..." "Tomorrows." "Anyone else?" "It can be anything, a poem, a story, a testimonial." "I think kurdy has something." "Come on, kurdy." "Come on, kurdy." "Try." "Uh, well, just so you know, I was, uh, set up." "I mean, the piece isn't really done yet." "But, uh, here goes." ""I wear hope around my neck" ""like a noose." ""It's loose enough for me to breathe what I need to get me through the day." ""And with each swagger and sway," ""comes a new belief" ""that there's a new relief just around the way." ""So I keep going," ""halfway knowing it's just a trick" ""my mind likes to play so I don't quit." ""Or is it?" ""Maybe I'll never know." ""Maybe I'll never go past" ""the dreaming that there's more." ""The scheming that what I'm searching for" ""is seemingly reminiscent to the folklore" ""that there's a garden paradise where I can settle," ""and never have to leave." ""Where I can" ""breathe" ""deep breaths and exhale with abandon." ""Maybe that paradise is wherever I'm standing tall," ""believing in myself" ""that I can conquer all the sadness," ""and all the madness," ""and have a ball wherever I go." ""Could that be the paradise I'm looking for?" ""Maybe." "Maybe I'll never know."" "All right!" "That was great, man." "Thanks, man." "Why didn't you tell me you could write like that?" "I don't know." "Probably never felt right, I guess." "Y-y-y-you got any more like that?" "Yeah, man." "I..." "I got a bunch more in my sock drawer back at the Mountain." "Oh, in the sock drawer, huh?" "Well, I'll tell you what." "They're 100 percent safe in there." "I can tell you that, having seen your socks up close and personal, ain't nobody gettin' in the sock drawer." "Hey, hey, I wouldn't talk." "I don't know if I've ever seen you leave the Mountain without that vest of yours." "Hey, take it easy on the vest, man." "I told you, this is my father's vest, all right?" "Same vest, same boots, same ugly-ass leather pants." "That's consistency." "One less thing I have to worry about every day." "Hey, if you don't want me to mess with the vest, then I suggest you give the vest a rest." "All right, look, man, you know, if this little detour was what it took to find out about this side of you, then it was worth it." "But in the morning, we gotta get back on the road." "I got the name of the guy we're supposed to talk to." "And we'd better get to it, 'cause Marcus and the marcusoids, they're waiting for a full report." "I know." "And that's why I think you need to just go on for a while without me." "You're stayin'?" "It's... it's not permanent, man." "I just wanna, you know, hang out with them till they get to the end of the road." "I wanna be there, man." "I wanna see what happens." "Kurdy, you can walk all the way to China if you want to, but that doesn't mean some big fucking golden ship with white sails is comin' down to take these people to heaven, 'cause that's bullshit." "You know that." "Why do you wanna piss in their pond, huh?" "Just because you had a falling-out with God, you expect everybody else to live in the same crap you do." "We got work to do." "Yes, we do." "But "we" ain't the same as "me."" "You're looking for Valhalla sector." "You're looking for your father, you're looking to rebuild the fucking world!" "I'm just looking for someplace to belong." "I'm just looking for somebody to talk to, man." "I thought we could talk." "Yeah, but it's different." "She listens." "And... and I don't?" "Me and you are cool, man." "In spite of you being a control freak, which is another topic for another time, but..." "I lost my family when I was a little younger than you." "Now, I ain't crying about it." "I finished doing that a long time ago." "But it'd be nice to get that feeling of belonging to a family again." "Even if it's just for a little while." "So I'm gonna stay on with them." "You sure this is what you wanna do?" "Yeah, I'm sure." "I hope you know what you're doing." "Hey." "What you doin' up here?" "Smell the wind." "Salt air." "Where the sea meets the sky." "Just beyond those trees." "We're close, kurdy." "We're so close." "Constance, what if you get to this place, and I'm not saying this for sure, I'm just asking." "Mmm?" "But what if we get there and nothing happens?" "I mean, no big white ship, no golden sail coming out of the sky?" "Faith means believing in impossible things." "But what if the impossible really is impossible?" "Do you know how many people we've reached on the road, touching them with our dream?" "What happens to us doesn't matter." "What matters is we made our journey, kept faith with ourselves." "I guess that's all that really matters for everybody, huh?" "Hmm." "At the end of it all, this isn't about God." "It isn't about the road, and it isn't even about the big white ship." "It's about believing that miracles are possible." "Because of what we're doing, thousands of people believe who didn't believe before." "And they'll get their miracle, no matter what." "Because a world without miracles isn't worth saving." "Why do you wear these all the time?" "I like the way they look." "And they're good in a fight." "There's no one here to fight, kurdy." "I know." "Will you take 'em off for me?" "They're soft." "I didn't expect that." "Close your eyes." "Why?" "Just close your eyes." "Turn around." "Open." "I drew that..." "For you." "You and your people have done a great job with this neighborhood." "Thanks." "Of course, it's hard sometimes." "Some folks come through and try and fit in." "Sometimes it doesn't work out." "We have to ask 'em to leave, and sometimes they don't wanna leave." "Then things get difficult, you know?" "I suppose." "But to survive, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do." "This isn't a world for the weak." "We can't afford to waste any of our resources." "We even managed to get a couple of cars working, but that's it." "Just getting by, day to day, it's hard." "Yeah, I know." "I know." "The group I represent, we're looking to find other groups out there who can help us out." "In return, maybe from time to time, we could help you guys out." "But you can't tell me anything about your group?" "No, I can't." "I'm just here to gauge your interest." "Well, I'm interested." "Just as long as this isn't just one more hustle." "I've been hustled by guys like you before." "This ain't no hustle." "Anyway," "I better get going." "I gotta find my friend." "I saw you driving around with those wackos." "They your friends?" "No." "We were just, uh, checking 'em out." "Good." "You're probably safer that way." "Stay clear of 'em, 'cause, uh, there may be trouble." "See you around." "This is not a good idea, Jeremiah." "Looks to me like these people took along all their worldly possessions." "Whatever they could carry." "I mean, it's like a freakin' shopping mall on the hoof." "Yeah." "We could use some of those supplies to get through winter." "And since they don't believe in fighting' back, just a few of us can go in there and take everything they got." "But maybe we kill a couple of 'em, just to make the point." "I mean, a bunch like that needs martyrs now and then, right?" "I'm with you." "I say a break like this comes along, you can't just look away." "I'm tired of it, you know?" "I mean, look at these boots." "They got holes in 'em." "Yeah, well, we all got our cross to bear." "The main thing is, to keep this place going, we just gotta do what we gotta do." "Now, it seems like new people are joining up with them all the time, so getting you inside shouldn't be a problem, and since you know the area, you can tell 'em a better way to go." "Lead 'em to a place where we can control 'em, herd 'em in like cattle." "Then we can take what we want." "Out here!" "Not yet." "We may need him." "Go and see if anybody else came with him." "Oh, love the boots, man." "Look like they're just about..." "My size." "Today is our last day on earth." "In a few hours, we leave to cross the last few Miles to the appointed place, where the sky will open to produce a miracle that will stand as testimony to our faith," "and to a new hope for the world." "I look forward to this new beginning with a joy that I have never felt before." "Because I have you, all of you, to share it with!" "Well, I gotta give it to him." "The man is one hell of a speaker." "Now, of course, he didn't make any of it rhyme, so he gets off a little easier." "I'm glad you chose to stay, kurdy." "Are you sure you wanna go all the way with us?" "Yeah." "Yeah." "I..." "I..." "I really do wanna see this thing through." "Then there are a few things you need to know, kurdy." "Everyone here understands the gravity of what it is they've been called upon to do." "It would be unfair of us to ask you to finish this journey without explaining everything." "David, I need to talk to you." "Of course." "What is it?" "This is George." "He's from around here, and from what he says, there may be a problem with the journey." "Uh, yeah, see, uh, the main road is blocked by a mudslide about 3 Miles from here." "But there is another way." "It's narrow and a little steeper, but, uh, shouldn't slow you down too much." "I know..." "Hey, man." "Yeah?" "Nice boots." "Oh, yeah, thanks." "Kurdy!" "What're you doing?" "Where'd you get 'em?" "Leave him alone." "No, those are Jeremiah's boots." "I recognize 'em." "I don't know what you're talking about." "You lie to me one more time, motherfucker," "I'm gonna tear you apart." "Now, where the fuck is he?" "No, no, no, no!" "Look, look, ugh, ok." "All right, keep talkin'." "I have to go get him, constance." "This is my fault." "Kurdy, that's not true." "When we teamed up, I promised him that I would watch his back, and he said he would do the same for me." "Now, if I was there, he wouldn't be in this situation." "There has to be another way." "These are violent men." "And violent men only understand one thing." "Only another violent man could make that assumption." "Are you a violent man, kurdy?" "Sometimes." "When I have to be." "Look, I'm..." "I'm sorry." "Let me take care of this and I'll catch up with you..." "No." "What you did can be forgiven." "You acted in the heat of the moment." "But if you go back there deliberately to do harm, you cannot join us again." "I'm sorry." "That's just the way that it has to be." "That's the way it has to be." "Where the fuck is he?" "He was supposed to be back here by now." "What if he chickened out?" "Well, I'll skin him alive, right after we take care of this asshole." "Aren't you a sweet talker?" "All your big-city words and fancy ways." "Shut up!" "Fuck you." "Head on out and see if you can spot him." "I mean, the only way this is gonna work is if we know for sure they're where we can control them." "Did you see anything?" "Yeah, man." "Kick his ass, man." "Hey, man, you ok?" "Yeah, sure." "Let's get back to the rover." "What you gonna do?" "We gotta make sure they can't follow us or your buddies." "What the fuck's he doing?" "He's fucking nuts!" "Look out!" "Thanks for gettin' my boots back, man." "This is my bad." "I should've never let you go off by yourself." "It's all right." "I should've known you'd get in trouble." "Your ass always gets into trouble." "Actually, it was your people that got me in trouble." "They're not my people anymore, ok?" "They're not?" "No, we had a little disagreement." "Wasn't gonna last much longer, anyway, man." "They're almost at the end..." "What?" "Right before that guy showed up and all hell broke," "I was talking to constance." "Uh, it all got knocked out of my head because of everything that happened, but she said thousands of people had come to believe because of their pilgrimage." "That people needed a miracle to believe in, and they were gonna make sure a miracle happened, no matter what." "And that miracle was them disappearing." "Into a white ship with golden sails coming out of the sky." "Where the sea meets the sky." "Lot of people can disappear into the sea, kurdy." "All right, they wouldn't do that." "Kurdy..." "They wouldn't do that!" "It's possible, man." "These people wanna prove something." "Now the only way they can prove that that miracle happened is to disappear..." "You just think that shit 'cause that's how your brain works." "Oh, yeah?" "Yeah." "Then how come you asked the question in the first place?" "I'm taking the rover." "Yeah, I figured." "I gotta see this thing through." "Look, kurdy, you got 2 choices here, man:" "The bad one, and the one where the big white ship comes down out of the sky." "Which one do you believe in?" ""What profits a man to gain the world and lose his soul?"" ""What profits a man to gain his soul, and lose his world?"" "Constance!" "Constance!"