The Last of Us, HBO Max, Naughty Dog, PlayStation Productions, Sony Pictures Television, The Mighty Mint, Word Games

Global Pandemic

The Last of Us, HBO Max, Naughty Dog, PlayStation Productions, Sony Pictures Television, The Mighty Mint, Word Games

HBO Max original series The Last of Us premiered January 15th, 2023.

#TheLastofUs has been renewed for a second season.










rottentomatoes: 97%

metacritic: 84

imdb: 9.4



Ellie Williams, The Last of Us, HBO Max, Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, Government of Alberta, Naughty Dog, PlayStation Productions, Province of British Columbia Production Services Tax Credit, Sony Pictures Television, The Mighty Mint, Word Games, Bella Ramsey

Ellie Williams

Ellie Williams is immune to the mutant Cordyceps fungus that has ravaged humankind outside of Boston, Massachusetts.

Ellie Williams, The Last of Us, HBO Max, Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, Government of Alberta, Naughty Dog, PlayStation Productions, Province of British Columbia Production Services Tax Credit, Sony Pictures Television, The Mighty Mint, Word Games, Bella Ramsey

“One, two, three, four– one. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Fuck… you. Veronica. Same as yesterday… and the day before… and the day before, and the– hey, people are gonna come looking for me. People from FEDRA. You hear me? Let me out or you’re gonna pay, motherfuckers! I’m not supposed to be here!” — Ellie Williams

“Oh, my God. Agh! You fucker! One, two, three, four– you’re not scared. Then unlock me. For what? Yeah. Why did you stop them? The same. Is it gonna happen? So, can I go? I won’t tell anyone about any of this. I swear. You think I chose that place? They put me there when I was a baby. It’s for orphans. You my fucking mom or something? Nooo, you do not. Why would a terrorist dump me with FEDRA? Why won’t you let me go home?” — Ellie Williams

“Fuck. Yeah. Oh shit! Gimme my knife. I’m not goin’ with them! What are they capable of? Asshole!” — Ellie Williams

“Really? That fast?” — Ellie Williams

“What the fuck?! So, who’s Bill and Frank? The radio’s a smuggling code, right? ’60s song, they don’t have anything new, ’70s, they got new stuff. What’s ’80s? What are you doing? Well, what am I supposed to do? Your watch is broken.” — Ellie Williams

“You mumble in your sleep. I’ve never been on the other side of the Wall. Look how dark it is. You guys go out there a lot? When was the last time? But you know where to go. So we’re gonna be okay. Something like that. Oh, the radio came on when you were sleeping. He kept sayin’, like, like, ‘Wake me up before you go-go?’ Gotcha. ’80s means trouble. Code broken. Yeah.” — Ellie Williams

“Holy shit. I’m actually outside. Oh shit. Yeah. Yeah, of course.” — Ellie Williams

“No, no! No, I’m not sick! I am not sick! I’m not sick! Look! Look! This is three weeks old. Nobody lasts more than a day! Does this look a day old to you?! You would’ve killed me! It doesn’t matter! You have to trust me! They’re gonna catch us if we don’t run!” — Ellie Williams


Joel Miller, The Last of Us, HBO Max, Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, Government of Alberta, Naughty Dog, PlayStation Productions, Province of British Columbia Production Services Tax Credit, Sony Pictures Television, The Mighty Mint, Word Games, Pedro Pascal

Joel Miller

“Oh, was I– yeah, I was. Sorry. You know I don’t really like pancakes. You get your, uh, homework done? Fractions?”

“Thirty-six. Who says I don’t already? Shell. Lovely. Is there enough for Uncle Tommy? He’s dependent on me. Not the same. We’ll pick you something up on the road. Concrete guys gonna be there? Maybe? We can’t frame until we pour. We’re not gettin’ paid until we frame. No, no. I’m not splittin’ this job. I barely wanna split it with you. We could work a double. I know. I’d be done by nine. By nine, right? I’ll bring back a cake. I promise.”

“Jakarta. Where is that, Middle East? All right. Finish up quick, we’ll drop you off. You got seven minutes. Shit. Sarah! Make ’em happy. I do. But I’m on Atkins. It’s, uh– you know what? We gotta run, but Sarah’ll be by later. She’ll stay as long as you want. Tell ya all about Atkins. Put that out.”

“You locked the door for once. Good job. I know. They… gave us the wrong size for the headers. That doesn’t mean anything to ya. I’m sorry. Shit. I’ll get us one tomorrow. You got me a present? On my life. Wow. Did you? I don’t hear anything. Yeah, I know. Where’d you get the money for this? It’s better than what I do. Mm. Thank you. Oh, this is the one with the deleted scenes. Don’t fall asleep.”

“Hello? Yeah? Goddamnit. Now. Well, which jail? Travis County? Goddamnit, Tommy. Okay. Fuckin’ idiot.”

“Get in the truck! Right now! Move!”

“Baby, I’m sorry. Sarah, listen to me. It’s not just the Adlers. But we’re gonna be brave and we’re gonna get outta this. Get in. Denise, you get back inside the house! You lock your doors! Now! Get your seat belt on. You take 70– we don’t know. We don’t know. No. Of course not. What? That’s right. They would. That’s probably why. What are you doin’? So do we. Keep driving. Somebody else’ll come along. All right, all right. Let’s think it through, we’ll think it through. All right, take the field. We cut across and we pick up on the, the west side. All right, keep movin’. Head north. 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! Yeah. Yeah, I know that place. This can work.”

“I don’t know. Mexico. Just far, far as we can. How much gas? 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. All right, keep goin’, keep goin’. Shit. Tommy! Tommy, you can’t stop here. Are you serious?! Just keep goin’! Go, go, go. Back, back, back, back, back, back, back! Tommy, go faster! We gotta go! Find an alley! Roll the fuck over them! We gotta get off this street now! We’re gonna be okay. Just keep drivin’. Holy shit! Move… move!”

“Sarah… Sarah. Stay right there. Don’t move. Tommy, you okay? Sara… don’t look. You look at me… okay? I’m sorry, baby, I know, I know. Come here. Put your arms around me. Come here, come here. I got you. I got– I got you. Got you. Are you okay? Are yo okay? All right, okay. Tommy?! Tommy?! Tommy! He’ll be fine. Can you run? You keep your eyes on me. Okay? And don’t look anywhere else. Alright.”

“It’s okay, baby. You’re safe. My daughter’s hurt. Her ankle. Okay. Easy now. We’re not sick. We’re gonna get you somewhere safe first. Then we’ll go back for him, okay? Okay. We’re not sick. Sir… we are not sick! Please, don’t. No. Oh no. No, no. No. Okay… you’re okay. You’re okay. Move your hand, baby. Move your hand. I know, baby, I know, I know, I know, I know. I know it hurts. Alright. Don’t look down, look up, look up. Come on, baby. You’re okay, you’re okay. 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 come on. You come on. I know, baby. No, no. I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know. Tommy, help me! C’mon, baby girl. C’mon, baby girl, I gotta get you up. Come on. Come on, we’ll get up. Come on, baby girl. Come on… come– please.”

“You got anything else? Which pays more?”

“Yeah, but then what would you do? You’re short five… Hydro. Three months. I don’t know where he gets ’em from. I just know they’re real. Well, the more you shoot people, the harder it is to sleep, I guess. You want ’em or not? I need the bag back. How we doin’ with the vehicle? Okay, how much? And they don’t have any batteries. I know. I can see about 200 for the other guys… two hundred for you. Yeah you too.”

“Nothin’? Is there any chance it’s comin’ in at night? You’re sleepin’. You miss it? And you’re talkin’ to the tower? It’s been three weeks. It’s never taken him more than a day to respond. Show me where the tower is. But you’re ‘sure’ Tommy’s okay?”

“What guys? It’s a miracle you’re alive. These aren’t new. What? What? I need the battery, Tess. Truck’s no good with one, and if I don’t get to Tommy soon, he’s gonna die out there. Who’d he sell it to? Well, where is he? All right.”

“You tell me to ‘look for the light’ and I’ll break your jaw. The one Miguel used to use. Pay this fucker back.”

“Yeah. This one’s done. Take it he wasn’t down here last time? Well, maybe down here is where he was infected.”

“It’s like they reframed the whole structure. Probably in the ’80s. Everyone was cutting down on apartment sizes to sell more condos. How far up we goin’? You smell that? Tess. Marlene?”

“What do you need a car battery for? Don’t. ‘To know things.’ You’re the cause of it. You turned my own brother against me. The hell we are. We don’t smuggle people. Sorry.”

“Firefly vehicle usually means repurposed FEDRA stuff. So better-than-decent chance makin’ it to Tommy in one of those. The second we hand that kid over–“

“So, what’s the plan? That leaves the long way. Things look bad, we’ll come up with something. We’ll have to drop, head to Bill and Frank’s. Stock up on anything we may need. Wait. Why do I have to– Tess. Tess!”

“Killin’ time. I’m sure you’ll figure that out.”

“I guess. Maybe a year. What’s it matter? Yeah. So what’s the deal with you anyway? You some kinda bigwig’s daughter or somethin’? What? What was the song? Shit. Listen–“

“Okay, let’s talk this out. Hold on– now hold on– fine. Everythin’ off of this run, and half off on all of the pills. Whoa, whoa! We can fix this.”

Sarah Miller, The Last of Us, HBO Max, Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, Government of Alberta, Naughty Dog, PlayStation Productions, Province of British Columbia Production Services Tax Credit, Sony Pictures Television, The Mighty Mint, Word Games, Nico Parker

Sarah Miller

“Alarm. Alarm! Where’s the pancake mix? I was gonna make you birthday pancakes. I swear. I know you don’t like them. It was for my benefit. Vitamin C.”

“How old are you again? Gonna have to wear diapers soon. Calcium. Well, there would’ve been. Ah, he loves you. I think it’s the same. Literally? Today? 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.”

“I’m still eating my eggshells. Your t-shirt’s inside out. Oh, hi. I could come by after school, but just for, like, a little bit? Dad, you love biscuits. Solid.”

“Twenty’s good. Sorry. I was getting something for my dad. Hi, Mercy. Hey, is everything okay? Like, on the news? Well, no, there was just a lot of police and stuff on the road today. Chocolate chip? Be right there! Hey, Mrs. Adler? Could I borrow this? You know what? My dad’s gonna be back real soon. I should go. Yeah.”

“Yeah. It’s 10. Where’s the cake? C’mon, man. Swear, or you don’t get your present. Swear. Fixed it for you. What? That was lame. You’re lame. Drugs. I sell hardcore drugs. It was only $20, which I stole from you. I could’ve stolen 60, but I put the change back because I’m an honest thief. Besides, it’s the thought that counts. And you were never gonna do it for yourself, so. Oh! There’s one more. Borrowed it from the Adlers. Yeah, imagine how bad those have to be. C’mon, pop it in. While it’s still your birthday. ‘Course, I won’t. It’s too riveting.”

“Dad? Dad?! Shh, shh… easy. Easy, Mercy. What’re you doing out here, boy? C’mon, let’s get you home. C’mon, Mercy. Please. Mercy! Mrs. Adler? Mrs. Adler? Mrs. Adler?”

“You killed her. Daddy– is it from terrorists? Are we sick? Why did things blow up? How do you know? How do you know we’re not sick? The Adlers would take Nana into the city. To the hospital for stuff. But… you’d have to go a lot… right? All right. We could put them in the back. Isn’t that good?”

“Maybe its everywhere. Maybe there’s nowhere to go. Dad?!”

“Mm-mm. My ankle. We can’t leave him. No. Okay. Okay. What about Uncle Tommy? Okay.”

Uncle Tommy, The Last of Us, HBO Max, Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, Government of Alberta, Naughty Dog, PlayStation Productions, Province of British Columbia Production Services Tax Credit, Sony Pictures Television, The Mighty Mint, Word Games, Gabriel Luna

Uncle Tommy

“Ay! You’re still alive, you old fucker. It’s definitely the same. I thought we was havin’ pancakes. Yeah, they said maybe. Well, we could bring someone else on, get the job done faster. Yeah. Doesn’t ring a bell. It’s definitely a country. Or maybe part of Asia? Shit. Hope for us yet.”

“He’s losin’ it. Can’t tell you how exciting it was listenin’ to that fuckin’ conversation. Happy birthday to you.”

“Joel, it’s me. Uh, I’m okay. But I’m in jail. 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. 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. Yeah, on 10th. I’m sorry. Please.”

“What are we doin’, Joel? Joel, we gotta go. Hey. Let’s go. Come on. C’mon, c’mon, get in! Hold on. 71, I know. They’re saying it’s a virus. Some kind of parasite. No cellphone, no radio. Minute ago, newsman wouldn’t shut up. They’re saying it’s mostly people in the city. That’s why they got the highway blocked off. It’s Jimmy’s place. We’re fine. Trust me. Got a kid, Joel. Fuck! Everybody had the same fuckin’ idea. I can’t get through this. Fuck! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. West, west, all right. All right, hang on. Shit! Fuckin’ army. It’s good for them, but that’s the highway we’re tryin’ to get to. Could be a lot of people. Yeah, but then what?”

“Three-quarter tank. What the fuck?! Son of a bitch. Gotta go around. Grab somethin’! I can’t drive through ’em all. I’m trying! I’m tryin’! There’s nowhere to fuckin’ go! What alley?! There’s people everywhere!”

“Yeah, I’m okay. We gotta get off the street! Shit! Head to the river! I’ll find a way. Get her outta here, Joel! Go! Oh God. Joel.”

Mr. Adler

“Hey, neighbor! Uh, Connie was askin’ after you, since you haven’t been over in a while. Oh, she’ll take whatcha got. Y’all can bake, whatever. Speakin’ of… we got a lotta extra here. Y’all, y’all want some biscuits? On what now? Great! I’ll let Connie know.”

“Help me.”

Mrs. Adler

“There you are, sweetie. I was gettin’ worried. Like what, hon? Well, that’s true every day, innit? People out there need to get right with Jesus. Three nails, plus one cross, equals four-given. I was thinking we’d make some cookies. Raisin.”

“C’mon, Mama. It’s green. You love that. Oh! Here we go! I don’t know why I talk to her. She’s completely deaf. You wanna give me a hand? Oh! Yeah, sure. It’s one of Danny’s. You sure? Well, you’re takin’ some cookies.”

Tess, The Last of Us, HBO Max, Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, Government of Alberta, Naughty Dog, PlayStation Productions, Province of British Columbia Production Services Tax Credit, Sony Pictures Television, The Mighty Mint, Word Games, Anna Torv

Tess

“I’m not askin’ you to say anything. Well… how about we just let it go? What else are you gonna do? Ya gonna keep me here? Kill me? Then, Robert… what do ya want? Done. 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? Yeah, so discipline them. You cut off a finger or whatever the fuck you want. I don’t care. They’re your fuckin’ guys. 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 can 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 ’til my face stops hurting. So, are we good?”

“Oh shit. They’re shooting. They’re shooting at us. No, no! I’m not a F– I’m not a, I’m not a Firefly!”

“I got jumped by a couple guys. Just a couple teenagers. Said some shit, probably shouldn’t’ve. Come on. You know these guys were born after the outbreak. Never learned how to argue. They just start swingin’. Fuckin’ 19-year-old pieces of shit. It’s a miracle any of us are alive. No. I was in FEDRA lockup all day. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I need you to take a breath. Joel– the guys who jumped me were with Robert. He sold our battery to someone else. Nothing’s lost. Shit like this is gonna happen. Now we just shake it off, and we go get our cards back, or the battery. Okay, fuck it. We get our money back and the battery. But Joel, listen, Robert is terrified of you. So you march outta here all Clint Eastwood, he’s gonna get wind of it and skip. I need you to take a breath. Don’t know. 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 hunt that motherfucker down, and get our battery and our truck, and then we’ll go find Tommy. All right?”

“Well, I mean, it cost us a couple of cards, but, uh, we got him. He’s supposedly takin’ the battery to a red-tagged building. But get this… corner of Stillman and Cross. Yeah, I’m thinkin’ so. I mean, we can take the subway tunnel under Haymarket, get into the building from below, and take Robert by surprise.”

“Okay. Ready? Oh, that’s the one. Oh! Oh fuck. Oh shit. Yeah… I know. I just– I wasn’t expecting it. No. You think he came down after he was infected? Let’s keep movin’. Oh. This has been ‘Construction Corner’ with Joel Miller. Uh… this far. So, this… this opens into the ha-hallway. What the fuck? Someone put a piano in front of this? Yeah… gunpowder. Well, the battery’s no good. And he still tried to sell it. Twice. You greedy fuck.”

“So this is who Robert screwed us over with? The Che Guevara of Boston. I mean, war must be goin’ pretty shitty for you to be buying from scumbags like him. Who is she?”

“You trust her? No, me neither, but she seems desperate. Okay. Here’s the deal. We’ll get her to your crew at the State House. But before we hand her over, they give us everything that we want. If not, we kill her, there and then. Let’s go.”

“Give us a minute, all right? Hm. There’s not a lot of options. There’s the short way or the long way. The short way is pretty much… we leave after dark. Stay with the kid.”

“The spot under Lancaster looks good. You got a jacket in your pack? Okay, get it. It’s time to go.”

“Jesus Christ. Okay, we’re gonna take the left edge around the buffer zone. You stay close and you follow my lead. Let’s go. Just get on your knees, just get on your knees. Listen, you let us do this run… we’ll split the cards with you. Yeah. Really man? Jesus Christ. All right. What about three-quarters? Ellie, Ellie! Joel! Joel, Joel! I should fucking kill you! When did it happen? Joel, we gotta move. We gotta move, Joel! Joel!”

Marlene, The Last of Us, HBO Max, Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, Government of Alberta, Naughty Dog, PlayStation Productions, Province of British Columbia Production Services Tax Credit, Sony Pictures Television, The Mighty Mint, Word Games, Merle Dandridge

Marlene

“The team in place at Southeast 3? Hm… okay. Is that your question? My answer is to follow fuckin’ orders. Tell them to follow fuckin’ orders. You two, go to Southeast 3. Now. Kim. We are in a war against a military dictatorship to restore democracy and freedom. Does that sound about right? Are we winning? Are we beating FEDRA here? Are the Fireflies beating FEDRA anywhere? You fight for 20 years and you get nowhere, you’re not a rebellion. Just spray paint. We’re not hitting FEDRA ‘all over’ the QZ. We got ’em here, here, here, here, here. Where are we right now? I want FEDRA everywhere but here. I want them as distracted as possible because tonight, every Firefly in Boston is gonna gather in this building, and we are gonna leave the QZ. Permanently. No. We’re taking that random girl locked in that room west. From our guy in the radio tower in Salem. I believe it is. Keep it quiet.”

“How about we start with ‘thank you?’ For saving your life? I am the one who told ’em not to shoot you if you recall. We’ll get to that. So… Veronica… how ya feelin’? No. No. Where you gonna go? Back to FEDRA military school? You that anxious to be a soldier? ‘They’ didn’t put you there. I did. Ellie. Do I look like your mom? My name is Marlene. I’m the leader of the Fireflies in the Boston QZ. 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? Because you have a greater purpose than any of us could’ve ever imagined. So we’re leaving tonight, and we’re taking you with us. Five minutes. What I’m about to tell you cannot be repeated to anyone. Because if you do… I assure you… you will die.”

“Shit. Oh God. Just… oh shit, come on. Joel? You okay? Ellie… Ellie! No, it’s okay. I’ll be all right. And you can’t be stupid like this.”

“Yeah, it kinda has been. The merch was bad, and he obviously didn’t take ‘fuck off’ for an answer. Not at her. Point it at me. And to answer your question, I need it for a better reason than you do. No offense, but Tommy’s just one man. It’s our business to know things. Okay, Joel. I know. We were gonna move Ellie outta the zone tonight. But we won’t make it anywhere like this. Not for a while anyway. But we won’t make it anywhere like this. Not for a while anyway. So now I’m thinkin’… you’re gonna do it. Oh, you don’t have time? To you? She’s cargo. Kim, you don’t have a fuckin’ ear on your fuckin’ head. Could you please? There’s a team of Fireflies waiting for her at the old State House. I know what’s out there. We were going with an entire squadron for that very reason. But now I don’t have a truck, I don’t have a squadron, FEDRA’s five minutes away. What I do have is you. And I know what you’re both capable of. For better or worse. You get her there safely, and they’ll give you what you need. Not just a battery. The whole thing. Fueled-up truck, guns, supplies, all of it. I swear. I swear.”

“Y’all talk it through, but please remember that I’m bleeding out. Deal. You are all that matters. My team will not jeopardize that. Remember what I told you? Now go get your backpack. Now, Ellie. Joel… don’t fuck this up. Please.”

Kim

“I held them back. I have some questions. We’ve been blowing up meaningless FEDRA targets spread out all over the QZ, for two weeks. We’ve already lost four people, and we’re– what’s the point of this? That’s one of them. And why do you have some girl locked in a room? And the guys you have guarding her won’t tell me shit? Our people are asking what’s going on, and I don’t know what to tell them. Marlene. Yes? Rebellion takes time. We’re quitting? Is this real? Whatever you need. Whatever it takes. We’ll get her where she needs to go.”

“That was a lot of gunfire. FEDRA’s gonna be on the way. Let me take her. I can do it.”

Firefly 1

“Count slowly and clearly from one to 10. Slowly… and clearly. And hold out your– state your name, slowly and clearly.”

“He’s here.”

Firefly 2

“Hey, friend. Don’t worry. I don’t want anything. But if you’re feelin’ lost–“

Abe

“‘Tell Dad it’s a girl. That would be good, right? He wanted a granddaughter. Love, Becca.’ End message. Read back. Correct… 73-K Orlando. Out. Hm. When I’m sleeping, Gabriela listens, or my son. The smart one, not the other one, God bless him. If Tommy responded, we’d know. 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. I’m sure he’s okay. 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– it’s, uh, it’s the Cody tower… Q-Bar 4, but I don’t know exactly wh– next!”

Soldier

“Don’t move! Stop right there! I got two civilians by the river, one of ’em injured. Ankle. I’m sorry, repeat? Hey! No one told you to move. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. I’m sorry.”

Quarantine Zone

“We don’t want you falling out of the chair. What’s your name? Are you alone? And, uh… how did you get this? There’s gonna be a little tickle right here. What if I told you that after we gave you some medicine, we’re gonna find you your favorite food to eat. Would you like that? And then we’ll get you some new clothes… and toys. As many as you wanna play with. It’s just a little needle. It’s okay. You’re safe.”

Quarantine Zone 2

“I can’t.”

FEDRA Soldier

“Ten. Nothin’ today. Tomorrow, we got street sweeping… or sewer maintenance. That’d be the one with the shit. Late crew. 4 P.M. start.”

FEDRA Soldier

“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…”

FEDRA Officer

“C’mon. Or I could just shoot you. Oxy? How old? From Atlanta? If it’s real, it’s from Atlanta. FEDRA’s got a factory down there in the QZ. Supposedly only makes two things. Pills and bullets, bullets and pills. Oh, you guess? All set. Just had to get one last guy in the depot to buy in. Four of them on that shift plus me… six hundred total. Look, those trucks are shitheaped for a reason. Deal. Hey, do yourself a favor… stay off the streets for the next few nights. Fuckin’ Fireflies been blowin’ shit up all week. Two of our guys got shot this morning. Boss has got us working doubles. Guys are jumpy and tired. It’s easy to make a mistake in the dark. Stay safe.”

“What the hell? Hey, hey! Don’t, don’t, don’t move. Don’t move! You gotta be shittin’ me. Turn around. Get on your fuckin’ knees. Get on your fuckin’ knees! What did I fuckin’ tell you, man? I said stay the fuck home. Get on your knees! Oh, will you? I’m so blessed. Hands on your head. Eyes forward. Hands on your head! Yep. We’re doin’ this by the book. Unauthorized exit. They’ll hang you for that. Half off? All off. Risk my job for half off. Outta your fuckin’ mind– fuckin’ bitch! Fuck! Get out of the fuckin’ way! Move. Move.”

Robert

“What do you want me to say, Tess? Sure. It’s not like I planned on… rippin’ you off. I’m sorry. Tess, c’mon. I want you to forget this ever happened. Don’t do that. My guys fucked you up. What about your guy? ‘Cause when he sees you, I mean, put yourself in my shoes. Yeah.”

FEDRA

“All citizens must clear the surrounding area immediately. Do not return until FEDRA authorities permit. All citizens must clear the surrounding area immediately. Do not return until FEDRA authorities permit. All citizens must clear the surrounding area immediately. Do not return until FEDRA authorities permit. All citizens must clear the surrounding area immediately. Do no return until FEDRA authorities permit. All citizens must clear the surrounding area immediately.”

“…mandatory curfew to fight infection and insurrection. Observe mandatory curfew to fight infection and insurrection.”

FEDRA Soldiers

“Firefly, up top! On your knees. On your knees!”

Firefly

“Free Boston now, motherfuckers!”

QZ 3

“Hey, there’s a line!”

Neighbor

“Joel? Jesus Christ, Joel!”

Pedestrians

“Here! Right here! Hey!”

Reporter

“…continued disturbances in Jakarta, but are advising U.S. citizens…”

“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…”

“…indoors. Law enforcement and emergency services are in the area and will be in contact with further instructions. Stay indoors, law enforcement…”

Teacher

“Want you to write this diagram out exactly as I have it. 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… yes, you need to know this! Yes, it’s on your test next week! Homework is due end of class tomorrow!”

Watchmaker

“Twenty. Okay, 30. It’s a spring. I’ll do it right now. All day. I swear. Huh? It’s 3:15, we close at 7. I’m already finished.”

Watchmaker’s wife

“We’re closing. We’re done for today. I’m very sorry. He cannot finish. You should go home.”

Talk Show Host

“And that’s your biggest worry? Because of air travel. Uh, I-I’m sorry. I meant people. On planes. Uh, that was something you described in your book. Hm… and, uh, Dr. Neuman, and you’re also an epidemiologist. I presume the prospect of a viral pandemic keeps you up at night as well. No? All right, well, that’s our show. Uh, but you– uh, just to be clear, you, you do think microorganisms pose a threat. Bacteria. You like saying no. Not bacteria. Not viruses. So? Where do you get it from? Fungus. Dr. Schoenheiss, you’re in distress. So if that happens? Uh, we’ll be back.”

Dr. Schoenheiss

“Yes, any kind of virus, but most probably something similar to influenza. Through the air. Coughing– 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 one. Fungal infection of this kind is real, but not in humans.”

Dr. Neuman

“No. No. No. Mankind has been at war with the virus from the start. Sometimes, millions of people die, as in an actual war. But in the end, we always win. Oh, in the most dire terms. No. Yes. Fungus. Yes, that’s the usual response. Fungi seems 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? 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? Oh… 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 to 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 and an ascomycete, uh, candida, ergot, cordyceps, aspergillus, any one of them could become capable of burrowing into our brains and taking control of not 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. We lose.”


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