S3, E16 | Goodnight, Sheol

Season Three Finale

Parking his car and slamming the door shut, Emilio strolls up to the fences of Sheol Center and walks over the gates having been taken down by the convoy. Picking up a gun from beside a dead body, Emilio takes aim and fires at whatever he finds dressed in black, dropping one body after another in a hidden rage with the intent of simply killing. As he casually strolls his way through the streets of Sheol Center, listening into the gunfire on the other side of the lake, he comes across a convoy member critically wounded, but not yet dead.

Pleading for help, the convoy member looks at Emilio and tries to crawl away, recognizing him as not one of their own. Taking a sadistic enjoyment out of the torture of this man, Emilio plants his foot on the wounded man’s bullet-riddled knee, putting force on it and snapping the bone beneath like a twig. Hearing the running footsteps of people behind him, Emilio turns around and takes aim, firing at two convoy members altered by the screaming and rendering them a pile of blood and bones.

Dragging himself away in hopes of finding a miracle, the convoy man senses Emilio returning and pleads for mercy, only to be met with a curbstomp into the asphalt below, breaking teeth and many bones in his face. Silenced, the guard’s groans for mercy turn into whispering breaths as Emilio stomps the man’s head in the rest of the way to death before exclaiming, “there’s no such thing as mercy anymore” and walking off.

Spotting someone disappearing behind a cardboard sign, Emilio takes chase, well behind the figure but managing to catch up with every step taken up. From the top of the stairwell, bullets can be overheard adding to the mix below as Emilio continues his ascent. His target just out of reach, Emilio follows it into a shack doorway and shoves it forward just as it fires off a single shot.

Taking aim, Salem looks at Emilio in surprise before noticing Arsenal lying in a pool of his own blood from the convoy’s gunshot. Looking at the sights, Emilio takes out his frustration on the convoy member, taking a cord and wrapping it around his throat, squeezing before slamming his head into the desk, keeping the mixture before chucking him against the wall. “Emilio!” Salem shouts, alerting the man to the guard’s return to his feet, taking aim at Emilio before the man in question swipes it out of his hands and tosses it down the mountainside.

After a few strikes, Emilio grabs a hold on the man’s shirt without question and holds him over the lip of the platform. “Please! I’m sorry! I swear!” the man pleads, only for whatever sniping post finds itself on the opposite side to put three bullets into his back, slowly inching him closer to death before it finally consumes him. Having spotted the sniper of the other edge, Salem fires a shot and buries it in the back of his head, allowing for Emilio to drop the guard through the opening and watch his body roll down the mountainside before coming to a stop at the bottom, mangled and broken like twisted metal from a car wreck.

“Emilio?” Salem calls again, having said his name what feels like a thousand times, only for this occurrence to be spliced with a calm, eerie rest in the air unrivaled by even the flurry of gunfire across the water. Looking to his left at the woman beyond taken aback by his presence, Emilio picks drops to his stomach and takes over Arsenal’s post, laying beside Salem and firing one shot after another down at whatever he can see. Looking at the man going to work like he was taking over for his shift, Salem slowly returns to her spot and joins the man in the gunshow, picking off whatever she can, whilst glancing over at him every free chance she gets, perplexed by what exactly she just bared witness to.

= Rise is created by Zachary Serra, all rights to the series belong to Zachary Serra and the entity of Pacer1 Media from the start of Season 3 onwards =

Hurrying for a place to take cover in, Tyler and Angela quickly come across Reggie, embroiled in a gunfight easily won with their additional help. “Come on!” Tyler shouts, directing the man to join them as the hurry around the back of the building. Firing off a shot every few yards, the trio duck into the courtroom and close the door behind themselves, taking the moment to breath and survey the scene outside, watching random people just fire at each other without concern for the others around them.

“These guys are fighting like it’s normal for them” Reggie says, catching his breath and looking through the basement windows. Just outside he watches Alicia and Franklin wailing at whatever moves. Sneaking up on one of the guards, Alicia slits his throat whilst Franklin shoots the man beside him, dropping them as if they were the cleanup crew. “Left!” Alicia declares, turning around one massive stone pillar to find Jack and Lauren charging in their same direction.

“Duck!” Jack shouts, watching the opposite couple do as instructed and allow Jack to level three of the guards in quick succession, allowing them to follow in Jack and Lauren’s direction. “Pick it up!” Jack shouts, directing Lauren to a better firearm whilst he notices a grenade casually beside the guard. Pocketing it, the four continue moving before being forced to duck behind a rock by oncoming gunfire.

From within the courtroom, Reggie sends off a few bullets, taking down the impending threat coming the foursome’s way. Looking around the corner, Alicia spots Reggie with a thumbs up before sending one right back at him. “We’ve got to figure out how we’re getting out of here before it’s too late” Jack states, reminding everyone that John could look to set the nuke off at any moment. “Any plans?” Franklin asks, catching his breath as Lauren points out a speedboat just out. “If we’re meeting Cam and Heather on Long Island, we can take that think up north and cut around the area if necessary.”

“We should do it now” Alicia says, suggesting they abandon the fight. “This place isn’t going back to what it was, it’s only a matter of when, I’d suggest we not get caught up in that” the woman argues, making a good enough case to bring both Franklin and Lauren on board. As the final man opposed to the idea, Jack surrenders, suggesting they’ve made better decisions than he has.

Stumbling down a wet, unstable patch of bog, the four leap into the boat and put the keys in the ignition, starting the engine and driving off. Being forced to duck and cover from gunfire, the four just barely manage to get out of range for most of the guns on the ground. “To our left!” Franklin shouts, making everyone aware of the convoy boat on the water with the same idea as them. As both boats begin to notice the existence of company, the convoy boat begins opening fire, forcing the four to duck behind what they can.

“Everyone down!” Jack shouts, removing his hand from the wheel and pulling the pin on the grenade. Standing from cover, Jack launches the explosive and takes a bullet in the shoulder for his efforts, dropped back into cover just as the boat off to their side is engulfed in flames, bursting like a balloon as the four keep up their break to freedom.

“You good?” Lauren asks, Alicia taking over as the captain, watching him nod in approval as he picks wraps what he can get his hands on over the wound to stop the bleeding, having succeeded in escaping the inevitable downfall of Sheol in the process. Back in the courtroom, Reggie, Tyler and Angela are still stranded, keeping their eye out for passing convoy guards they easily dispose of.

“Jack, Lauren, Alicia and Franklin got away” Reggie states, putting a smile on Tyler and Angela’s faces. “Good, we’ve got to start figuring out the same” Tyler replies, met with the same hesitation as John did from Reggie, refusing to leave until he’s been guaranteed there will be no need for him to go down with the ship. “Reggie, we can’t even get to the main lobby right now. It’s a waste of time worrying about how to kamikaze at this point. “Tyler, I get that you don’t want to accept that people you love are going to die tonight, but I’m not going to live in that world with you.”

“Reggie, it’s noble. I’m not going to deny that, but it’s not even looking possible right now. Let’s figure out our alternative” Tyler says, met with further resistance, with Reggie stating that his only alternative is to go down putting up a fight. “I’ve already accepted that tonight’s my last night on earth, Ty… Don’t start thinking the same of yourself, it doesn’t need to be yours. Figure out how to get yourself and the miss out of here before you start worrying about how to spare me.”

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“Jess!” John shouts, hoping to hear a response amidst the hale of gunfire being sent back and forth. Hurrying across the lot, John is stopped in his tracks when he spots a convoy guard just too late, lifting his gun to fire as the bullet leaves the guard’s gun, only be spared by a well-placed shoulder tackle from Katie, who draws her gun amongst impact with the ground and drops the guard on the spot.

“You saved my ass!” John shouts, helped to his feet by the woman who claims that it’s what she does best. Running off together, they interject themselves amidst a firefight and bring down whatever guards they come across, getting a few grazes along the way for their efforts. Behind cover, Jess and Meghan appear, having been reunited with each other before being forced to hurry off to whatever cover they can find.

“In here, come on!” Tyler shouts, directing the four into the courtroom before seeling the door shut behind them, taking a moment to breathe and catch their breath. “Is it thinning out?” Tyler asks, watching John confirm the suspicions, stating that they’re running out of time. “I’’m trying to tell them that, but they won’t listen” Reggie says, telling John that he’s made peace with dying already and the pair won’t accept it.

“We’ve gotta start getting people out of here” John states, “this place isn’t going to last much longer.” As the dread of knowing that they’re putting forth a losing fight again, mirroring what happened with the downfall of the New World Order at times, John stands firm by his belief. “I’m not letting you all die for this” the man says, telling Reggie to follow him and the rest to get out and get far away.

“I’m coming with you” Jess shouts, telling Katie and Meghan to lead Tyler and Angela to the cars. Storming up the hill and putting bullets in the convoy guards atop it, dodging their bodies as they roll down the incline, John, Jessica and Reggie make it back to the main grounds, firing a few shots off, hitting a few and missing another few.

“Let’s go!” John shouts, his command suddenly cut short as a bullet from the barrel of a sniper rifle beyond the treeline grazes his cheek and allows him to fire a shot in the dark, nailing the hidden guard as if it took no effort. “Reggie!” Jess shouts, watching the man just behind John drop to the ground as the grazed bullet managed to find him right between the eyes, killing him instantly.

“Fuck!” John shouts, another bullet firing from the treeline and ripping through his shoulder blade. Turning to fire, Jess drops the sniper on the first try as well, helping John into the main lobby and away from any further potential gunfire as Tyler and his group hurry to help. “What happened?” Tyler asks, only getting a simple recap of snipers having gotten Reggie. “So we’re back to square one” Angela asks, annoyed once more as they help tend to John’s wound.

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Ascending the staircase to the radio control tower, Troy bursts through the door and finds both Salem and Emilio stationed at the observation deck. “We’ve gotta go right now, they’re setting up for the detonation” Troy states, watching Salem take her things and begin to leave, only to notice Emilio remaining, blowing up whatever crate he can get his eyes on whilst picking snipers out from wherever he can spot a reflection through the dark.

“Emilio, we’ve got to go” Troy repeats, met with a simple goodbye. “Emilio, let’s go” Troy repeats, again met with another simple answer, this time with a straight-forward no. “I’m parked outside the fence, take the car and get out of here” Emilio states, tossing the duo the keys as they simply look at each other, trying figure out what they’re going to do about this.

“Emilio, we’re not leaving without you” Salem replies, met with assurance that they’ll head out eventually, and the demand for Emilio to come along is only a result of novelty. Refusing to let Emilio continue to think that they’d just leave him behind, Salem places her equipment back down and rejoins the firefight, sending off one round after another before Troy does the same, taking a seat on the sofa beside the two and catching a breather.

“Seriously, you don’t need me…” Emilio states, “Get out.” Still met with stubborn refusal, Emilio grows annoyed, taking his eyes away from the scope and demanding the pair leave right now. “We’re not leaving without you, Emilio” Troy states, firm by his belief with Salem doing nothing to convince him otherwise.

“Guys, I’m a lost cause to the both of you. Go get someone else and get your asses on the road” Emilio demands, ignored by both as they continue on as if nothing happened. “Emilio, I get losing your husband sucks, but we’re not going to let you cope with it by killing yourself” Salem shouts, met with blissful ignorance. “Pretend I don’t exist, get out of here before you get us all killed” Emilio demands, watching both survivors continue to refuse to leave him behind.

“My husband is dead, he hid cancer from me for a month, and he committed suicide without saying goodbye or even leaving a note. I’m not mourning, I’m killing for the sake of killing, there are just bad guys for me to target instead of people like you.” Watching the man return to his fire as they’re forced to watch him continue to refuse another day, the pair do the same, willing to go down with the ship beside him.

Realizing that the pair will not break, Emilio gives in and picks up his equipment, telling the pair to get their shit and get moving as they leave the radio control tower behind. Having reached the bottom of the stairs as the wind begins picking up, Emilio takes his rifle and leads the charge, putting whatever bullets he can into whomever he can spot. “Just ahead” Emilio shouts, climbing over the downed fencing and taking out a few more guards on the way out, the trio board the car and make a break for it, leaving Sheol behind as the remainder of their group continues to let their fate hang in the balance.

“Emilio?” Troy calls out, telling the man to pull over the car once they’ve reached the main road. “What’s wrong?” Emilio asks, unclasping his seatbelt in preparation of leaving the car before Troy hands him a note. Slowly pulling it from the man’s fingers, Emilio unfolds the paper and reads a note from Bill, directed to him.

“It was too hard to imagine forcing you to watch me do this, so I just decided to tell you how much I love you and want you to be happy. I don’t want to imagine what you’ll have to go through after you find me, if you find me, but I want you to know that you’re stronger than whatever it is, and you’ll push through.”

Thanking Troy, keeping his emotions under reps, Emilio puts the car in drive and wipes away the few tears being brought out. Noticing the emotional importance of the note, Salem stares at the man and smiles, knowing the decision she and Troy made turned out to be a good one, even if it meant the pain would have to be felt for a little while longer.

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“I’m fine, it just stings” John states, trying to thwart the group’s attempt at assessing his wounds whilst the gunfire outside begins to dramatically lessen from what it started out as. “Meghan and Katie, you guys go head out now whilst the gunfire’s dying down” John directs, demanding they start moving now. Heading through the main doors, Meghan and Katie make a break for the front gates, ducking behind a car parked on the side of the road as gunfire in their direction intensifies.

“You’ve got one to your-” Katie begins, only to be met with Meghan immediately putting down the sniper in question. Hurrying out of cover, the duo prys open one of the convoy doors in hopes of taking over the vehicle, only to be confronted with a scared teenage kid surrendering himself and pleading for them not to kill him. “Get out” Meghan replies, demanding the kid exit before he kicks the gun from her hand and makes a leapp at Katie, who immediately sends a bullet through his skull from beneath his chin and joins Meghan in the front seat.

We’ve got to go south, down towards Long Island” Katie directs, watching the woman back the vehicle up and hit another convoy van in the process. “Great driver?” Katie asks, met with an enthusiastic and emphatic ‘nope’ from the woman, giving Katie all the assurance needed that John made the right choice in partnering with her.

As they reach the bottom of the road, they’re brought to a halt by an oncoming car, which stops just in time to avoid a head-on collision. Illuminated by the headlights, Emilio, Salem and Troy find themselves at a standoff, with the trio exiting the vehicle in favor of joining Meghan and Katie. “I’ll take over driving this thing” Salem says, switching spots with Meghan much to the group’s joy.

As they begin to start driving, they’re slowed again by another convoy van, this time with Jack and Lauren driving as Alicia and Franklin keep lookout through open van doors. “Small world!” Salem jokingly says, opening the van doors to show the remainder of the group in tow. “Who’s left?” Lauren asks, finally getting clarification.

“We lost Reggie” Katie states from the passengers seat, “Louis, too.” From the opposite vehicle, Jack asks for clarification on who’s left in there. “John, Jess, Tyler and Angela, but John’s shot” Katie states, watching Jack conflict with himself. “You said they’re in the main lobby?” Jack clarifies, switching the van into the next gear. “We were the first ones out, we’ll go back and pick them up. Head south for a few miles and stop when you get to the intersection leading into Long Island. We’ll meet you there and head off the rest of the way.”

Understood, the two convoy vehicles separate and head in their opposite directions, with Jack’s convoy returning to ensure no man is left behind.

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“What happens now?” Angela asks, with John ensuring that this place cannot be left standing. After a brief moment of calmness, John looks to Jessica and tells her to keep Amy safe. “John, you’re not doing this. We’ll figure out another way” Jess implies, only for her husband to assure her that there is no other way. “If we leave this place standing, whatever’s left of their convoys will come down and cease control again. Eventually, it’ll be like nothing ever happened here” John states, implying that if there is anyone who’s going to go down with the ship, it should be the person that declared war first.

“I got us into this mess, and now I’ll get you guys out of it” John concludes, forcing himself to his feet and telling Jess that there are no other options. “They could have backup on their way right now and we wouldn’t know about it until it’s too late. We’d all be the main target if they got the chance. I can’t let that happen.”

“John, you’re not doing this. I don’t care what you think your moral code demands of you, but it’s not convincing me. Let’s get your ass out of here and get moving.” Refusing to let her husband take any steps towards that chamber door, Jess blocks his way, refusing to budge and holding her stance as best she can despite John’s best efforts. Closing his eyes at the sight, Tyler grits his teeth as Angela holds his hand, listening to John’s desperate pleas for Jess to let him do what needs to be done. “Tell Amy I’m sorry that I couldn’t come home, okay?” John asks, refusing to acknowledge Jessica’s efforts, continuing to voice his request until he’s finally placed his hand on the doorknob.

“Tyler, a little help?” John asks, watching the man let out a deep exhale before pulling Jessica aside, despite her trying to fight her way out of the hold. Holding his hand out, John watches Tyler trying to fight Jess back and goes to hug her one final time. “It’s all going to be okay, Jess” John states, trying to ease her struggle before she gives up and welcomes the embrace.

His voice growing soft, telling Jess that it’s time to let go, John squeezes the hold as tight as he can in hopes of relishing these moments in his dying breaths. “You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met, okay? You’re going to get through this, and you’re going to raise Amy because you’re a fucking badass and that’ll never change, okay?” John continues telling Jessica to let this be okay. Refusing to respond to any of it, Jessica just embraces the hug, knowing that it’ll take something far more out of her control to stop John from doing what he sets out to do, and this is one thing she’ll never be able to stop him from.

“Don’t do this” Jessica mutters, the tears from her eyes soaking John’s dirt covered shirt as the embrace reaches its fullest. “Always remember that it’s going to be o-” John says, stopped by the sounds of metal clambering around behind him. Curious as to what it is, John turns around to look behind him, where he notices Tyler having used the backup chain lock to ensure no one could take his place without his permission.

“Tyler, get out of there” John demands, watching the man stare at him before his attention is ripped away by Angela, who rushes to the door and pleads for him not to do what she knows he’s about to do. “Angela, I need you to listen to me very carefully, okay?” Tyler asks, watching her refuse any goodbyes, telling him not to do this to himself. “I’ve already made my mind up” Tyler says, laughing about it as he points over to John, “That motherfucker would be leaving his wife and kid behind if I didn’t!”

Refusing to let the trio’s final glimpse of him be with an expression of fear for what’s coming next, instead opting to let their final memories of him be a smile and a humorous outlook on the world that comes next. “Angela, I promised that I woul always keep you safe. What John’s saying is right, they come back and they get their hands on this shit, they’ll hunt us down until we’re all gone… But It shouldn’t be John having to do this, and it shouldn’t be either of you.”

Unable to get anything more than her hand through the slots in the door, and unable to pry the metal away, Angela finds herself helpless to do anything more than take Tyler’s hand as he holds it tightly. “I’m not afraid. I went out with a smile. Never forget that, okay?” Tyler says, his free hand caressing her cheek as Jack’s SUV rolls up to the main grounds, honking for them to board.

“Go! Be alive and enjoy it!” Tyler says, smiling as he spares the tears for a time when no one can see them. Returning to Tyler and shaking his hand, John thanks him for what he’s doing, thanking him for being more of a man than he was. “You just go keep everyone safe and not let this happen again, alright?” Tyler asks, watching John respond with a simple “Yes, captain” before returning to the vehicle waiting for him. “I’ll give you fifteen minutes!” Tyler shouts, earning a salute from John as he and Jessica board, giving Angela a few further seconds to look at the man that offered her a new lease on life for the final time.

Climbing into the van, Angela keeps her eyes glued on Tyler before he and the main lobby of Sheol fall out of sight, allowing for Tyler to begin letting his tears welter, still with a smile knowing that he got to go out in his own way. After about twenty minutes of sitting alone, waiting for the moment to be right, Tyler pulls free his firearm and looks down at both the crate of explosives and the nuke itself.

As the gunfire begins ceasing, and the final bullets devour the air, Tyler holds his gun up to the crate with a smile on his face, wiping away the final few tears left to be had before taking in a deep breath and letting it go. Ready to meet his maker, Tyler nods his head and locks on, muttering to himself as his final words, “Goodnight, Sheol” before pulling the trigger.

A few miles away, both group member-filled convoy trucks having reunited, the survivors are treated to what was the start of Tyler’s final sight, a massive eruption visible from their hilltop, engulfing what was once Sheol in a cloud of fire and smoke. Head veered away from the sight, Angela accepts the gracious shoulder pat from Troy, who does his best to comfort her in this time.

A deep breath filling his lungs, John’s eyes bare the reflection of the reaching inferno in the distance, his heart heavy with the weight of knowing what made such a sight possible.

“It’s up to Port Washington for us” the man states, the complete group now returning to their vehicles and preparing to continue the journey, entering Long Island with their final destination in sight. Off in the distance, the moonlight overhead is clouded by the mushroom cloud above, but is still strong enough to slightly appear. Driving by a “Welcome to Long Island” road sign, the group sets their first foot forward in their goal to finally reach the fabled lighthouse they’ve had their sights on since the start of this mess, with little left standing in the way of stopping them now.