We Embraced Death
2018
Int. Parking Garage - Dark
A large white domed vehicle idles in a parking spot. The engine shuts and for a moment there's just silence. Then the doors open.
Joan
-in that ridiculous hoodie. And you didn't even read the brochure! You couldn't have just taken this seriously for once, just-
From the left side of the vehicle steps JOAN, 60s, poised in a tailored gray suit. She puts a matching hat on over her densely curled hair with determination and walks around to the right side.
Charlie
I do take this seriously, thank you very much. And that's exactly why I should be able to do this my own way!
With Joan's help, CHARLIE carefully steps from the right side. Blue hoodie with the word CALIFORNIA scrawled across, pajama pants with multicolored dogs. 20s and already too tired. She's cradling a small urn with both arms.
Joan
Your way or not, we've got to keep to the schedule like everyone else. We'd better get moving so we can do this at sundown. Come on.
CHARLIE
What, is there a guided tour or something?
Joan puts out her hand and tries to smile. Charlie takes it and follows slowly, towards a pale blue light that grows brighter with every step.
INT. PARKING GARAGE - Continuous
Thousands of white domed vehicles idle and shut in the cavernous underground garage. Thousands of quiet passengers disembark from their vehicles, carrying urns, carrying others. They swarm towards the pale blue light like mosquitoes on a hot night. It's far away, but Joan leads her through the growing crowd.
Joan
Are you serious? Yes. We were told explicitly by the Regional Grief Counselor to be here by 3PM or else we'd miss the last tour. You have got to get going or we'll have to do this again tomorrow.
Charlie
Do it again tomorrow! There's no way we're doing this again. I didn't want to do it in the first place and now you're telling me if we miss it we'll have to do it again? Then let's just go home and beat the traffic!
Charlie stops and their hands separate. Joan stops a few feet away and turns.
Joan
We've come all this way. There's no sense in turning around now, we might as well try.
Charlie
But its so much easier to not try.
Joan
Why do you have to be so difficult about this?
Charlie
I'm not being difficult. If anything, I'm the one of us being easy.
Joan turns and starts walking back towards the light with the flow of the crowd.
Charlie
And clearly there's no rush. We're not the only ones here for the tour.
The crowd has grown thick and pulls them forward as more people emerge from the darkness of the garage to walk towards the blue light.
Finally, it comes into view: chrome turnstiles, white tile, softly humming escalators, fluorescent lighting. Men and women in red uniforms with matching pillbox hats stand at the gates directing and counting visitors. Above their heads, a very large neon sign bathes the darkness blue.
In flowing cursive it reads:
LEBANON, KS: America's Necropolis
INT. Entrance to lebanon - Continuous
The turnstiles whirl to a flurry of clicks as the attendants in red count some, skip others. Behind them, a bank of steep escalators rises, carrying everyone upward. Joan has been waiting and pulls Charlie along.
Charlie
So did we make it? Is everything going to be ok?
Joan
Laugh now, but wait till you see the line.
Charlie
This place is huge and there are so many people, but there's only one line?
Joan
It serves its purpose, like everything else here. If you opened your eyes, you might see that.
Charlie
Well sorry, mother, but not everyone sees the world the way you do.
Their turn has finally come to pass through the gates and be counted. A WOMAN IN RED eyes Charlie as she clears the turnstile.
Woman in Red
Looks like someone didn't do their assigned reading.
Joan
Right? I tried to tell her to take this seriously. But kids will be kids...
Joan keeps walking toward the elevator while Charlie stops.
Charlie
(Calling after Joan, then turning to the attendant)
I'm almost 30 and I can do this however I damn well please... And you don't have the right to judge me. I've been watching - you're doing you're job wrong. You're not counting everyone.
WOMAN IN RED
(Smiling)
I only count the visitors, like you.
Charlie
Isn't everyone a visitor? Don't you just work here?
WOMAN IN RED
About half of these people live and work here. How else do you think we can take care of people like you?
Joan
(in the distance)
Coming, Chuck? We've got a long ride to the surface.
Charlie
(Ignoring Joan)
If there are so many people here just to accommodate me, then why is there only one line?
WOMAN IN RED
Everything serves a purpose, ma'am, you'll see. And in case you're feeling self-conscious, there should be some shops on the surface where you can get a change of clothes, or at least a proper hat.
Joan
Get a move on, Charlie. I want to take a picture when we get up there.
WOMAN IN RED
(Still smiling)
Now, could you please catch up with your mother? You're holding up the line.
Charlie shuffles closer to the bank of escalators. Joan is waiting patiently and offers her hand again, but Charlie doesn't see and steps onto the escalator first. Joan rushes to catch up, coming to a rest just below her daughter as the first screen on the wall lights up.
It reads: WHY WE GRIEVE.
Int. Escalator to Lebanon - Continuous
Glowing monitors on the walls tell the story of Lebanon, Kansas, but Charlie faces Joan and sits with the urn between her legs. There are some murmurs of conversation, but all the other people riding the escalators are formally dressed, watching the welcoming videos in quiet appreciation.Charlie stands out in her slippers and dog pajamas, drawing looks.
Charlie
(whispering)
Everything about this place is weird.
Joan
It might seem a little unsettling, but-
Charlie
No, I don't just mean the place, the people too.
Joan
They're all just like us, you know. Every one of them is like you.
CHARLIE
No they're not. This all seems so forced. Why can't we just do this our own way, like people used to?
Joan
If you would pick your head up and just look at the screens like everyone else, you'd already know the answer to that question.
Charlie
It's bullshit and you know it. They all have to know this, right?
Joan
(hissing)
Charlie!
Charlie quiets down, Joan resets her hat and straightens her suit. The other well dressed people try to give the pair space.
One screen displays INFORMATION ABOUT THE VIRUS. Another has headlines like 75% MORTALITY RATE and AVOID INFECTED CORPSES. A video plays on the ceiling of people in suits hauling the dead out of houses, whole apartment blocks being razed with fire, cities transformed overnight.
Joan
The only bullshit around here is how you decided to dress today...
CHARlie
Oh let it go-
Joan
I didn't realize I raised you to be rude and disrespectful to everyone around you.
Charlie
I'm being rude to no one. You're the one out of line here, forcing me to do this.
Joan
No one's forcing you to-
Charlie
Of course I'm being forced! There wasn't even a question-
Joan
Because it's the right-
Charlie
I was in the room with him. With his body, mom, and I was getting messages-
Joan
We were all worried about-
Charlie
I was standing...
Joan
Its what you do when something like this happens. Its what we all did.
Charlie
He was laid out in front of me and I got to hold his hand one last time. And my purse wouldn't stop vibrating, just... buzzing, yelling at me, and every one of the well-wishers wanted to know the same thing... When was I going to go to Lebanon.
Joan
We've all been here before, it was the right thing to ask. You can't be upset at your friends for caring.
Charlie
Well I haven't and I can because the moment that I stepped away from James to answer those incessant calls, they came and took him. I turned my back on his body for one second, and they took him and turned him into this.
Charlie holds the urn out in front of her. The screens play scenes of men shaking hands, cranes hauling beams, blueprints laid out as Lebanon takes shape.
Joan
You were lucky you got to see him one last time... Most of us didn't have that luxury 30 years ago.
Charlie
All the more reason why I should have been able to keep James, at least a little longer. It was an off-grid semi that took him, not the plague, so why did they have to turn him into this so quickly...
Charlie pulls the urn in close to herself and grows sullen. Joan puts a hand on top of Charlie's head and watches the walls as they rise.
One screen shows the Retaking of Denmark during the European purges, with lines of people scorching each city block. Another, shows a dignitary at the base of a monument so massive it's mostly out of frame.
Joan
Will you let me take a picture when we get to the top?
Charlie
(into her knees)
I don't know. I'll see how I feel when I get there.
Joan
I know it must feel terrible now, but I think you're going to want a picture.
Charlie
Its strange that you'd think I'd want to celebrate this.
Joan
Not celebrate. Just... remind yourself that you were here, and you went through this.
Charlie
I have James to remind me of that. I don't think I'll ever forget.
Joan
You might want to remember it exactly how it is... but you're right. This isn't a place you'll forget...
The entrance is near at this point and daylight approaches.
Joan
Its been a long time since I've been back here and I've spent a long time wishing I had taken a picture to capture my last visit perfectly. I don't want you to go through the same.
The last screen passes showing a drone's eye view of Lebanon's bustling main strip. Insurance adjusters flowing in and out of glistening skyscrapers, college students running to class at the Academy of Mortuary Arts & Sciences, and religious men of all types eating together at one of Lebanon's many outdoor cafes. A rabbi, a priest, and an imam all give a thumbs up over beers and then fade away.
The screens give way to art as the escalator brings the pair to the surface. Vivid murals adorn the walls with slogans like, "We're glad you could make it," and, "Thank you for joining us." Charlie gets up and looks at the walls and smiles for the first time.
Charlie
(holds James in one hand to gesture)
'Lebanon: You've gotta die somewhere,' right?
Joan
There's worse places to be sent off. Now be careful, we're coming to the end.
Like a soft wave, the escalator deposits the two on Lebanon's shore, and they step out of the tunnel and into the sun. They cover their eyes and move away from the entrance to get their bearings.
EXT. LEBANON - DAY
Charlie looks around her for the first time. Lebanon's strip is chaotic, frantic. It's very different from the video on the escalator.
With no cars, tens of thousands of people in suits and hats rush about on moving walkways. The buildings are taller, the ground is dirtier, and the strip seems to run to the horizon. A busboy smokes a cigarette down a nearby alley.
Charlie
Its so... normal. For a city that bills itself as 'America's Necropolis,' it does a bad job of giving me the heebie-jeebies.
Joan
(pointing east)
It's mostly just houses, some shops, and the smaller insurance companies that way. But let's go that way first. We'll get a better picture from this angle.
The pair walk east for a little past a series of shops. A large hat store advertises the latest in veils.
Joan
There. They don't tell you in the welcome videos, but its all built a little uphill to give the best view. But we should be good from here.
They turn and look down the center of the street. Buildings tower on either side, then drop off suddenly and are replaced by religious houses further down, and then just as suddenly, by official government offices. But its difficult to miss the monument at the very end.
Just beyond the government buildings stands The National Urn, several hundred feet tall, devouring the sun and casting a shadow that blankets half the town.
Charlie
This place doesn't make it easy.
Joan
I'm sure you get used to it.
Charlie
How can something like that just fade into the background?
Joan
Same way everything else does. Now let's get that picture and visit the ladies room before the tour begins.
Despite it being a busy street, Joan pulls out her phone and stands behind Charlie, arm outstretched. The Urn rises ominously behind them.
Charlie
Are you about to take a selfie?
Joan
I thought you were alright with me taking a picture.
CHARLIE
I am, but not with a selfie. I don't want to be in this. Here, let me take the picture I want.
Joan
Fine, fine. I just thought you might want to remember how you looked too.
Charlie
In these? I don't think so.
Charlie takes the phone and centers the Urn against the deep blue sky. Even juggling James she can still take a great picture. She hands the phone back to Joan and begins to walk back.
Joan pauses for a minute and takes a selfie of herself against the Urn before hurrying to join her daughter.
EXT. LEBANON - CONTINUOUS
Back by the escalator exit, groups are beginning to form around guides.
Joan
Let's get going. If this goes quick, we can hit the Steletorium and still be back on the road with plenty of time.
Charlie
If James were still here, I'd bet he'd jump at that offer. But I don't think I'm in the mood for tomb stones today.
Joan
There's other things we can do if we're fast. Lebanon's pretty big.
Charlie
Then why don't we just go do them? What do we need a guide for - there's the National Urn, we're all sad, that should be enough, right?
Joan
Not for your first time. If it's your first time in Lebanon, you've got to take a tour. No ifs, ands, or butts.
Charlie
Was that in the brochure?
Joan
Almost positive. It doesn't matter, anyways, it was recommended to us by the Chief Grief Counselor for the Greater Cascadia Region. We're going.
Charlie
Fine, but I get to pick our guide.
Charlie moves closer to listen, but finds each guide giving the same speech with slightly different times. Their speeches end and Charlie walks up to one, a young man in a red vest and matching hat.
Charlie
Do any of these tours go through the National Academy? I've always wanted to learn more about how they came to prep-
Guide
(smiling)
First timer?
Charlie
...Yes, but I'd still-
Guide
Sorry, the tours are very strict. We go to The National Urn and The Urn alone. It takes a while, but its worth it.
Charlie
What if I absolutely had to go to my church?
GUIDE
Then you do it before or after you come to me. Same thing with the National Academy, The Federal Bureau of Sadness and The Department of Grief, or The National Steletorium. They're not going anywhere, neither is The Urn. But if you take my tour, then I'm taking you to The Urn.
Charlie
When do you leave?
GUIDE
25 minutes. With this many people, should take us about an hour to get there.
Charlie
So, if I wanted to get there at Sunset?
Guide
(growing impatient but still smiling)
That's going to be tough, cause that's when most people want to get up there. I'd say you should aim to be a little early...
Charlie
Thanks, I'll try to make it happen.
Guide
But if you'd like my advice, as a local, you really want to be up there just after the sun's dipped down below the horizon.
Charlie
Really?
GUIDE
Yeah. Don't get me wrong, the sunsets are gorgeous - the whole thing's built to capture that light and channel it. But there's just something about that place at true dusk.
Charlie
Sounds a little spooky. I like that.
Guide
You're sort of right. More spiritual than spooky. Its very... quiet and harmonious.
The guide turns and looks toward The Urn for a moment and then back at Charlie.
Guide
(back to genuine smiling)
But maybe in those pajamas you'd prefer an early night?
Charlie
Early night? I'd nap now if I could. I've been here for half an hour and I'm already exhausted. I don't know how you stay smiling this whole time.
Guide
It can be tough, but it always helps to know that I'm making a difference.
Charlie
By helping people get in line.
Guide
Sure, you laugh now, but just wait till its you in that line. You're gonna wish you had me to guide you.
Charlie laughs and shifts James in her arms. For a second she relaxes, but then tenses up again when she remembers where she is.
Charlie
Well, hopefully you'll be around when I need help next.
Guide
Its your first time. You're going to need help. One of us will be around.
The guide extends his hand.
Guide
I'm Max. Welcome to Lebanon. We're glad you could make it.
Charlie and Max shake, and then Charlie walks back to Joan.
Joan
Well? Are we going to go with that guy?
Charlie
No, I think I want to explore first.
Joan
We don't have time, we've got to get on line.
Charlie
Max said it would take us an hour, hour and a half max. Let's go walk around.
Joan
I really don't think that's right. And besides, sunset is in two hours. Let's get in line now.
Charlie
But then we'll miss sunset and we'll miss the spiritual time.
Joan
What?
Charlie
Nevermind, I just don't think this is the right time to go.
Joan
How about I get us some water and then we catch whichever tour you want. If you're right and we're early, then we'll hop out of line and wait.
Joan walks away leaving Charlie to contemplate The Urn. Slowly, another guide gathers their group.
EXT. LEBANON - Later
Charlie and Joan drink their water and then join up with the next group leaving. Everyone except Charlie is impeccably dressed - even the children wear suits and hats.