Dark Quests (Three Screenplays)

by J. R. Rain

Tess looks away, still profoundly hurt. Ricky is playing with a vine that has reached down from above. Boy and vine play a sort of mimicking game.

  EXT. EDEN, VILLAGE COURTYARD

  Simple instruments are used to strike up a merry tune as Edenites dance traditionally in the village square. These people have come from all cultures and all eras, melding into one diverse melting pot in the Garden of Eden.

  Tess and Jack sit together on the outskirts of the festivities. They watch as Zahir dances with a rather pretty, raven-haired Edenite.

  CUT TO ZAHIR: He’s dancing with his pretty partner. She seems very intrigued with the arrival of a new male in the village. In fact, many of the women are highly interested in both Zahir and Jack.

  ZAHIR

  (dancing and pointing up)

  So tell me, what’s the source of your

  light above?

  RAVEN-HAIRED GIRL

  It’s the Flaming Sword that guards the

  Tree of Life, of course.

  ZAHIR

  (spinning her, shrugging)

  Of course!

  INT. TUNNELS – DAY

  A small cavalcade of Hummers moves single-file through the wide tunnel into Eden. The Hummers barely fit. Soldiers fill the vehicles, all armed to the teeth. Sitting in the passenger seat, a grim-faced and determined Boris leads the way in the front vehicle...

  EXT. EDEN, VILLAGE COURTYARD

  Thomas and Pagnian are now sitting together with Jack and Tess near the bonfire. They drink from leather containers.

  JACK

  (to Thomas)

  Why is the Garden of Eden here?

  I mean, what is its purpose?

  THOMAS

  To protect the Tree of Life, the life support of earth.

  (a beat)

  The Tree must be protected at all costs.

  TESS

  And how have all these people come to be here?

  THOMAS

  Over time, one way or another, they have found

  their way to Eden. Many are hundreds of years old,

  sustained by the life-giving Tree.

  Jack is about to open his mouth to protest this crazy statement when a massive EXPLOSION suddenly rocks the entire Garden of Eden. Dust sifts down from the rocky fortress above. The dancing and partying immediately stops and everyone turns to look at the black smoke rising in the far distance, near the entrance.

  JACK

  (grimly)

  They’re here.

  INT. CENTRAL VILLAGE BUILDING

  An emergency village meeting. All who call Eden their home are in attendance, with Jack standing at the forefront, speaking to them all. Alana, the village leader, stands with Jack.

  JACK

  (addressing everyone)

  The men who come today seek to destroy Eden.

  They do not see this as paradise. They see

  this as opportunity.

  ALANA

  But there are safeguards in place, Jack.

  We are not afraid of these men. We are

  protected. All of Eden is protected.

  JACK

  But these men come bearing weapons to

  bypass the safeguards.

  ALANA

  We are confident Eden will be protected,

  my new friend.

  JACK

  Perhaps Eden will be protected. Or perhaps not.

  Either way, who will protect you?

  INT. TUNNEL LEADING INTO EDEN

  After having blown open a massive opening, four Hummers and a small legion of heavily armed men pour into Eden. Boris Karakov is in the the rear Hummer.

  CAMERA TIGHT on his sickly face as he takes a long drag on a fat cigar. He exhales a plume of gray smoke and smiles. A tiny finger of flame flickers in his pupils, a reflection of the mysterious fiery sword that hovers in the sky like a mini sun.

  Boris grins around his cigar, surveying Eden. He takes a final drag, and then flicks the stogie away. It lands in some nearby brush, where it smolders. The Russian’s contempt for the sacred land is obvious. Although still dying of the sickness within him, Boris looks more alive now than he has so far.

  INT. WITHIN THE EDEN JUNGLES

  But not all is as it seems in the Garden of Eden. Borsis’s men are clearly spooked. We get a sense that they feel watched as they move together in a military procession.

  WIPE TO: A curious vine reaches out and strokes the face of a Russian soldier. The soldier gasps—and immediately hacks at the vine with a machete. The severed end of the tentacle gushes green sap as it quickly retracts. Like striking cobras, other vines react, lashing out from the dense jungle canopy. Boris’s soldiers turn their assault weapons onto the living shrubbery, opening fire.

  CUT TO: Hardly believing what he’s seeing, Boris watches all of this in stunned silence.

  BACK TO: One vine makes its way through the maelstrom of bullets, and promptly snakes around the neck of an unsuspecting soldier. Within seconds, it drags him screaming into the jungle.

  CUT TO: Boris motions to one of his men who’s brandishing a FLAME THROWER.

  BORIS

  Now!

  FLAMES lash out, burning the dense jungle before them. The vines retract, disappearing, but many burn and twist in apparent agony.

  WIDE SHOT as Boris and his men move through the forest. A vanguard of flame throwers leads the way, clearing a path.

  INT. MEETING HALL

  The village meets in a large dwelling. In the near distance are explosions and gunshots. The sounds appear to be coming closer and closer. A man suddenly bursts into the room. Out of breath, he speaks rapidly in a language that’s clearly foreign to Jack and Zahir.

  ZAHIR

  Greek to me.

  TESS

  (nodding)

  It’s ancient Greek. I can only make

  out fragments.

  Tess’s father translates for them.

  THOMAS

  He says our Russian friends have arrived in

  full force.

  ALANA

  Then we will greet them.

  JACK

  No. He will kill anyone who stands in his way.

  ALANA

  We are protected.

  JACK

  Not from his weapons.

  ALANA

  It has been decided.

  JACK

  (to Zahir)

  I don’t like this.

  EXT. EDEN VILLAGE

  Boris and his men are now moving through the center of the village, which appears to be empty...until he spies the Meeting Hall, filled with lights and people.

  INT. THE MEETING HALL

  The doors burst open and Boris Karakov, with a contingent of armed men, steps in.

  BORIS

  As they say in the movies, take me

  to your leader.

  The beautiful Alana steps bravely forward. She dispenses with niceties.

  ALANA

  You must leave before it’s too late.

  Boris looks over at Abdullah. The slaver shrugs. In a very rapid movement, Boris draws a pistol from his shoulder holster and shoots Alana between the eyes.

  BORIS

  Now are there any others who object to

  my presence in Eden?

  (to his men)

  Kill anyone who moves.

  EXT. AT THE TREE OF LIFE

  Soldiers hammer in hollow steel tubes into the trunk of the great tree, tapping the great tree. Almost instantly thick, glutinous oil seeps from the tree and into attached buckets. As the oil seeps from the tree, THREE things happen simultaneously:

  -Defensive vines reach down from the branches above...

  -The Flaming Sword, which had been acting as a mini sun, stops flashing back and forth, pauses, then speeds rapidly down toward the Tree of Life...

  -At the entrance into Eden, the eyes of the great statues crack open, emitting rays of silver light...

  EXT. AT THE TREE OF LIFE

  Like living whips, the vines lash out, b
ut the soldiers use machetes and flame throwers to fend them off. The Biblical Flaming Sword, which guards Eden, slashes through the air, leaving behind a blazing smoke trail. It instantly cuts through the necks of two of Boris’s soldiers. The heads fall over, skin charred and smoking.

  CUT TO BORIS: Boris calmly looks over at a soldier standing next to him. The soldier is holding a wicked-looking weapon that appears to be part rocket launcher and part fire extinguisher. Clearly it’s been forged for just this occasion. Boris nods to the man.

  BORIS

  Do it now.

  CUT TO THE FLAMING SWORD: It flies parallel to the ground, cutting through anything in its way, bearing down on Boris.

  BACK TO BORIS: The soldier pulls the trigger and a great burst of carbon-dioxide enriched foam explodes from the weapon. The foam completely engulfs the fiery blade. A BEAT. A moment later, we hear a clatter, and there resting at his feet is the great sword, now charred black and smoking. Boris grins.

  BORIS

  There, now. That wasn’t so bad.

  Eden is now plunged in darkness. Boris’s men, who are well-prepared, instantly light torches and set them around the perimeter of the Tree of Life.

  INT. THE MEETING HALL – NIGHT

  Outside, darkness has fallen. Thomas looks grimly at the others.

  THOMAS

  It appears they’ve overcome one of

  Eden’s defenses.

  TESS

  The Flaming Sword—

  THOMAS

  Has been extinguished.

  At the entrance to the meeting hall, the two guards ignite magnesium tubes, casting the entire hall in an eerie blue light.

  EXT. THE TREE OF LIFE – NIGHT

  As the buckets continue to fill with life-giving sap, Boris’s men seal them and store them in the back of the Hummers. Boris takes hold of one of the jugs, uncorks it and lifts it to his lips. He drinks heavily, sap running down the sides of his mouth. He sets the container aside and instantly looks stronger. His pallid skin regains color. The haggardness is gone. He has been completely healed. He laughs and clenches his fists, feeling his strength returning. He glances up at the Tree of Life towering over him and his good humor disappears instantly. He frowns. The tree is noticeably sagging. Something is wrong.

  BORIS

  That can’t be good.

  EXT. OUTSIDE WORLD, SKIES AROUND THE GLOBE

  Furious storms, lightning, hurricane-level winds, tornadoes, earthquakes, tidal waves appear instantly and sweep across the earth...

  EXT. EDEN GATEWAY – NIGHT

  The statues continue to awaken, their stone outer shells crumbling away, emerging as if from a cocoon. Hairline fissures spread like spider webs throughout the stone, and great beams of light issue from within. As the stone encasing crumbles away, silver light radiates out. The statues now break away from the Gateway into Eden, where they had been attached for unknown eons. In doing so, the stone gateway begins the slow process of collapsing. The Biblical cherubim are horrific to behold. Massive in height and breadth, they are closer, in fact, to demons. Their once stone swords now crackle in blue fire.

  EXT. WITHIN THE VILLAGE

  Boris hears a distant rumbling. He turns and sees a sort of silver glow in the distance.

  BORIS

  Looks like we have visitors.

  But he doesn’t appear alarmed. Indeed, it seems that Boris has thought of everything. He quickly organizes some of his men, who all set up surface-to-air missile launchers.

  INT. WITHIN THE MEETING HALL

  Those within the meeting hall can feel the earth rumbling, and through the windows, they can also see an eerie silver light approaching over the tree tops.

  THOMAS

  Here comes the cavalry.

  ZAHIR

  (nervous)

  What, exactly, does that mean?

  THOMAS

  The Guardians are here.

  ZAHIR

  (turning to Jack)

  Those crazy statues?!

  Jack looks at Thomas. Thomas nods solemnly.

  ZAHIR

  (swallowing)

  Somebody hold me.

  Little Ricky reaches over and puts his arms around Zahir’s shoulders.

  ZAHIR

  (shrugging)

  Better than nothing.

  EXT. VILLAGE

  Easily as tall as the surrounding trees, two massive guardians appear at the edge of the village. They pause, seemingly surveying the scene, and then move forward in unison, slashing with their fiery swords, severing two Hummers in half. The guardians continue toward the Tree of Life. Boris, standing at the base of the tree, watches the approaching creatures, his face awash in silver light. He swallows hard.

  BORIS

  Now there’s something you don’t see everyday.

  As the living statues continue their approach, most of the soldiers scatter. But one, paralyzed with fear, stands directly in the statues’ path. He fumbles for his AK-47, aims it at the statues with shaking hands, and then lets loose with a burst of gunfire. The bullets disappear within the molten silver of the statues. Unfazed, the nearest statue slashes with its fiery sword, decapitating the soldier.

  BORIS

  Fire!

  Four rockets launch at once, streaking through the air. Two each plunge deep into the fiery hides of Eden’s guardians. A BEAT. Followed by massive explosions that tear the statues into smithereens. Molten silver rains down everywhere. One such shard falls on Boris’s boot, and promptly burns a hole through the leather.

  BORIS

  Son of a bitch!

  EXT. OUTSIDE WORLD, ACROSS THE GLOBE

  Fierce global storms continue to rage. In the background we can hear newsmen issuing panicky bulletins of great destruction and worldwide mayhem...

  EXT. THE TREE OF LIFE

  Boris is grinning from ear to ear, clearly pleased with himself; that is, until one of his men points up. Boris follows the finger—and stops grinning. Circling the sky, glowing like silver hawks, are dozens more cherubim. They stop circling...and drop from the sky, dive-bombing. Streaking through the air, racing towards Boris and his men.

  Boris leaps into action, getting his men into place. Dozens of his mercenaries take up their rocket launchers and lock in on the cherubim. A BEAT. A brief, small silence settles over Eden. But it’s quickly replaced by the sound of flapping wings. And now the cherubim are upon them, swooping low and hard, screeching. Their unhinged jaws gape wide, their massive, clawed hands stretched out before them...

  BORIS

  Fire!

  Rockets hurl through the sky, leaving behind blazing smoke trails. Some hit their targets, as cherubim explode into a hail of molten silver. But some Guardians escape unscathed. They swoop down at incredible speeds, snatching fleeing soldiers off the ground.

  The launchers are reloaded and fired again. More cherubim are destroyed. Mercenaries flee, only to be chased down and decapitated by the flying dark angels wielding their flaming swords. The battle is fierce, but in the end, an exhausted Boris and his men have more ammunition than Eden has protective cherubim. Finally, the last screeching cherub is blown from the air, its silver, supernatural body falling like burning rain all around them.

  INT. WITHIN THE MEETING HALL

  With the silver light gone as well, Eden is once again plunged into darkness. Thomas looks at everyone.

  THOMAS

  Eden is without hope.

  JACK

  Don’t give up just yet.

  Jack slips away through the darkness, and over to one of the guards, who’s sweeping the room with a high-powered flashlight. Jack flattens himself against a wall, and when the flashlight moves away from him, he dashes forward. He slams the guard to the ground and a punch or two later, the guard is out cold.

  Jack takes his weapon, and turns and sees Zahir and Thomas doing the same to the other guard. Zahir, however, takes a mighty punch to the jaw that sends him reeling. Luckily, Thomas finishes off the second guard. Soon, the
three men are standing around the open doorway, looking out into the night. Lit by spotlights and torches, they watch as Boris and his men continue to tap the Tree of Life.

  THOMAS

  They’re killing it, the idiots.

  In that moment the ground begins to shake violently. Above Eden, dust sifts down from within the surrounding rock fortification.

  JACK

  I may be no expert, but I think someone

  needs to pull the plug on those taps.

  The earth continues to tremble. Drained of its life force, the Tree of Life continues to sag and wither away.

  JACK

  I have an idea...

  EXT. AT THE TREE OF LIFE

  Abdullah is standing with Boris as they oversee the filling of the oil drums. Abdullah is looking increasingly nervous. He should be. The ground is shaking more and more. Large chunks of rock are breaking lose from above. Abdullah now looks down at the ground surrounding the Tree of Life. The ground itself is rapidly drying and cracking, spreading rapidly like a cancer. What was once lush and plentiful now withers and dies.