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Stake Land (2010)
Call me Martin.
I've seen things you wouldn't believe. Things a boy shouldn't see. But... I'm not a normal boy anymore. And it ain't a normal world. Get used to it. That's what Mister tells me. We live by his rules or we die. Or worse. We die and we come back. But let's begin at the beginning. I was like any other kid, I had a family. I went to school, I didn't believe in the boogey man. But then the world woke up to a nightmare. ...Stay in your homes and not to travel by night. Route 22... Maybe we should wait. We'll take the back roads, you'll be safer there. No. Martin, come back! Hey! Martin! Cooper! Cooper! Cooper... Cooper... Cooper! Martin, run! Mom! Shh! Shh! You wanna live boy, you listen to me. You scream, I'll break your neck. They're dead! There's nothing to be done about it but kill that thing. Can you shoot? You shoot me I'll fuckin' kill you! ...A 24 hour hotline for missing persons attributed to the outbreak has been set up on a county by county basis. Phone lines in all areas have been flooded in. Officials ask for patients as recovery teams are doing all they can to maintain order on the east coast... ...I repeat, do not venture outside after sundown. Stay in your homes and lock the doors and windows... Get a fuckin' hammer! I only got two hands, boy. Do it! Save him... One day you'll learn not to dream at all. Get your shit. Welcome to Stake Land, kid. Months passed in a blur of days and nights. We traveled east and west, but always north. Away from death. We avoided the cities. Mister said they were the worst, hit the hardest in the beginning. As people flocked together for safety, the plague marched through their locked gates and they became death traps. When Washington fell, it was over for America as we knew her. As government blew away, our great leaders ran for it. And hope was abandoned. We were on our own now. Me and Mister. Traveling through a ruined land. Pockets of civilization survived. Towns locked down behind fences and guns holding the night away. Cults spread like wildfire across the southern states. Waitin' for the messiah, but he never came. Death came instead. And it came with teeth. Dumb fuck got himself trapped. Burnt up in the sun. Berserker. It's the oldest of the vamps. Can't stake 'em in the chest. Got a breast bone like iron. Gotta get 'em in the base of the skull. Vamps... function from the reptile brain. It's like pullin' the plug on a computer. We were all orphans. Just lookin' for something to hold on to. He's a Mister. Maybe that's why he keeps me with him. What's that? Garlic oil. Does that really work? Don't hurt. One strike boy. Make it true. Where you boys comin' from? South. Get outta the car. Did you get any? They alright boys, let 'em roll. Another town, another lockdown. People just tryin' to go on. Hopin' they'd wake up and it would all be a bad dream. They could go back to their lives, families and careers. He needs more fresh food. And some vitamins, if you can find them. Where's his folks? Dead. He'd be better of here. With people. Other children. What do I owe you? I could use all of them. Good. Hey. Got any liquor in this town? Jake's. Homemade, mostly. We got some tap beer. Little sour, but it wont kill ya. Boy needs a haircut. Sheriff said take whatever you need. It's on me. Have you been through Haggerstown? I had family there. Vamped out, everything south of here. Rea? He really kills 'em, huh? You gotta get 'em in the heart. Pierce the breast plate. Guns hurt 'em but unless you sever the spine they keep comin'. You got any gum? Yes. Cool. Ah, just... So who are you? His helper. Where are you, uhh... where are you guys headin'? North. Uh, Mister says less population, less bloodsuckers. Wait, wait, wait... Not New Eden right? We had a fella, he came through here. He said there's nothing there, there's no food at all. He said it's not the Vamps ya need to worry about... it's the cannibals. Thanks. Sometimes I think I could stay in a place like this. Make friends, live in the daylight. Just be a kid. But the truth is I don't feel safe around people. They can think what they want but New Eden was real. It was the answer to all of this and we were gonna find it. Fight our way north, make the open territories. Like Mister says. 'Live free or die tryin'. Fuck the cannibals. What's her name? I didn't ask. Why did this happen? How can God let this happen? How can this be his love... Oh... oh, God! Oh... oh, God! It's okay, lady. - No! No! - Shh. Shh. It's okay! - No! No! - It's alright! No! It's okay. It's okay. it's okay, it's okay. Mister, where'd all that hate come from? I never asked. Those men that... They said they were Christians. We don't do history. Doesn't do anybody any good. Grab them traps, boy. Give me a finger. Time to go fishin'. Get the long pole. Sister Agitha. We thought she was dead. She is. What are you gonna do? I'm gonna kill that thing. Go with God. Lock the door. Newbie. Shouldn't be too hard. Too fat, I can't break the spine. You missed the heart ya, dumb shit. Fuckin' vamps! Stop it! Mister dug a grave. I think he felt bad for the sister. He did pull the fangs out, but... he waited till she went to pick the flowers. How many of those things have you killed? Not enough. And people? Those two men? In my book, rapists got no place to live. It's not ours to judge. Then don't. Next lockdown, we drop you off. You go save some souls. And what about him? He's just a boy. Yeah. A live one. But we never dropped her off. Where was she gonna go? Satan's soldiers march the night, but God has not abandoned us. Those who believe in him shall never fall. Jesus and the angels are coming and judgment is upon us and the Christian Army of Aryans are here to fight for you. And have created a safe refuge for the holy among us. Join us brothers and sisters, Lafayette Valley welcomes the righteous and the pure. Together we shall lead the world back to the light. And the right, the America God loves. In desperate times, false gods abound. People put their faith in the loudest preacher and hope they're right. But sometimes they're wrong. Dead wrong. My name is Jebedia Loven. And you killed two of my men. In cold blood. Staked one in the back. He was my son. My own boy. He was only sixteen. He cried for his mother for three hours before he died. God rest his soul. Now you a fine lookin' young buck. That's your father? My father's dead. Oh, don't you worry. We'll get you some religion. Bring you to God and the right way. Good stock. You'll still serve. As for you, Mister. Oh, yeah. We know who you are. You kill them that come back, them that serve us, them that God brought down to do his work. Leavin' us to purify the blood of our fathers. And when that day comes, he will bring them back in peace and purity will reign on the earth. Forever! Amen! Amen! What do you have to say for yourself, sinner? Fuck you and fuck your God. Well... You can tell him that yourself. You're about to meet him. Welcome to the Valley of Them. Last stop for the weak of faith. Get him out here! Ow! Ah, look at them. The children of salvation. They come at my calling. They feed on the unfaithful. Shh. They say hell is cold, Hunter. Don't let that flame burn out. Get back, you bloodsuckers. How's your head? Mister. I'm sorry. Go down to the creek, fill 'em up. Bring 'em back. Wait. Hey, boy. You can run if you want to. Ain't nothing out there but sundown and them. You won't get far. Mister taught me how to read the stars. I could make my way back to the car, get the weapons, find them robe-wearin' crazies and send them back to that God they kept talking about. I had to keep movin'. Had to make the car before night came. Mister was gone. And out here alone I didn't stand a chance. Shh. How many of them things out there? One. But she's really pissed off. Make some noise. Hey! In here! Hey! Hey, hey, hey! Come and get me! Yeah, that's right, come on! I'm in here! Hey, I'm in here! Heeeey! Come on, baby, come on, baby. Martin. I hate fuckin' vampires. The Brotherhood needs your eyes, followers. There are evildoers among us. This enemy of America walks with faith. His name is Mister and he is traveling with a young boy. They are armed and dangerous. What happened? They were last seen heading north to Lafayetteville. If spotted, dispatch of them immediately. These actions will not go unrewarded. We're gonna leave in the morning. We'll have to take a back road. Brotherhood got the rest locked down. Let it go, boy. Get over there. You're gonna be crispy in the mornin'. Come on, Willy! Give him a hand! Whoa! What have ya got for trade? Antibiotics. Some weed. And these. Goddamn. That's a big one. What about the boy? I ain't got no soda pop. Give him another glass. You fellas look like you've seen some trouble. A little. Vamps? Holy rollers. Yeah, well, we don't tolerate religion or politics in here. Where's the next lockdown? Just over the mountains. Past Lafayette Valley. But that's Brotherhood territory. They don't take too kindly to strangers. # ...I'll shiver the whole night through # Her husband, was a hardworking man # Just about a mile from here Thanks. Been talk there was a hunter about. Thought you was all dead by now. Not yet. # ...My girl, my girl, don't lie to me # Tell me where did you sleep last night. # In the pines, in the pines, where the sun never shines, # I'd shiver the whole night through. Thank you. We got one more for ya. Ready, boys? # Maria please don't leave me now I need ya # I'm a wanted # There's nowhere I can go # My up's turned down # My luck's spun round and left me # No I didn't see it... Her name was Belle. Her story was no different from anyone else's. Home gone. Family gone. Oh, and she was pregnant. But I guess life goes on. She wanted to get to New Eden before the baby came. Hi. Scamp! In the attic! Do it. Stake the bitch. Stake the bitch! I let her go and she'll eat your ass! A Scamp. That's what Mister called the kid vamps. She was just a kid. And if not for Mister, I might have become like that. Out of the fuckin' car! Out of the fuckin' car! Get your hands on your head. That's a nice shot, kid. Fuck. Hey, hey. What the hell happened to you, man? Fuckin' Brotherhood dumped me out of a truck. For vamp bait. This is their territory. Let's get the fuck out of here. I was in the Marines. Got called back from the war when it started. What happened with the war? No one left to fight it. The Middle East is gone. Vamp land. How did you end up here? We were deployed to see to the evacuation to Canada. Keep the peace. But we couldn't contain it. Most of their troops left, tryin' to make it home to their families. I guess you heard the President's dead. Which asshole's president now? Beats me. Way I see it, muthafuckas booked and left us with our dick in our hands. Baby don't you cry. Papa's gonna make sure don't... Please help! No! Please! I need a doctor. The baby's coming. Where the hell did you come from, girl? I'm traveling with three men, but they can't help me. Where are they? Right behind you. You should have been an actress. What are they doing? They've been takin' out the lockdown towns with captured vamps. They crash the trucks into roadblocks and let the vamps do their thing. They even crached a few planes loaded up with vamps into cities at the beginnin'. That's what took down Washington. Check the other one. Howdy, Clem. This your boy, Clem? Shit! Where's the woman? Bitch run off. We was just tryin' to protect her. Run! Vamps could smell blood from miles off. Mister knew it. And so did Jebedia Loven. I could tell by the look in his eye. We were movin' north. Away from The Brotherhood, skirting the Adirondacks Less towns, less people. Hadn't seen any vamps yet. Mister said it was too cold for them up here in the mountains. They were cold-blooded. Like reptiles. When we hit the lowlands, they'd be back. If you are receiving this signal, you are approaching the Strivington border. Under protection of the United States volunteer militia. All those seeking asylum will be processed and dealt with accordingly. Weapons will be confiscated... You get 'em back when you leave. Mm-hmm. Where you comin' from? South. Lafayetteville. Any trouble with The Brotherhood? Nothin' we couldn't handle. They renamed their town Strivington. Said it all. It gave me hope for people. It gave me hope for New Eden. Sometimes hope is all ya got. And it was over, like that. All that goodness. Shattered by some Christian crazies droppin' vamps from the sky. We're gonna stay right here till morning. Fine by me. How you doin', mama? She's gone. Tough old lady. Climbed those stairs and didn't say a word. Damn Brotherhood shit-kickers. Ten dead. We've got things under control now. We'll have this place up and runnin' in no time. Sure you won't stick around for a while? We could use a couple good men. No. We're headin' north. Stick to the back roads. They're the only way outta here. Brotherhood owns the rest. Good luck to you. Thanks. We'd come far. We didn't know what was waitin' for us. But anything had to be better than what we left behind. At least I kept telling myself that. But when I close my eyes, I kept seein' that little girl's dead legs stickin' out from under that tarp. Ah, fuck. What is it? Fuckin' radiator. Can you fix it? Not this time. She's dead. Everybody grab your shit. One week in the woods and we were becoming different people. Small talk stopped. We worked as a pack, each to his task. It was cold here in the hot passes, but we hadn't seen any vamps. The forest cast a kind of magic over us. Away from people. I stopped thinking about the past. And about my family. I had found a new one. You think we'll make it? I'm just worried about the girl. She's slowin' us down. There's no wind. Berserkers. Run! Come on! We gotta run now, lets go. Move! She's comin'! No, no, no! What are you doin'?! What are you doin'?! We gotta go! Keep movin'! - Please, Please. We gotta move. - I need one second! Sister? I got you, I got you. Just a little bit further. Come on, keep moving. She's comin'! Keep going. Come on, we gotta go. We gotta go faster. Come on, you fuckers. The Lord is my strength. My Lord is my... Father, forgive me. Martin, let's go. I don't think she's coming, Martin. Come on. We've been travelin' for days now and hadn't seen a soul. It was like people had just disappeared. But Mister wasn't takin' any chances. What's wrong? Nothing. I'm just getting old and scary. You okay? Oh, yeah... Baby just kicked, I'm okay. Here, give me your hand. - Wanna feel? - Yeah. Oh, wow. Let me check that out. Here, give me your hand, wait. That kid's got a strong kick. She's like, "Let me out, I wanna meet everybody." Wake up. Get your boots on and your guns ready. Willie's missin'. Something's dead. It's fresh. Jesus! Fuck... Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck. Fuck. Oh, my God... Come on. Come on. - Come on. We have to go. - I can't. Come on. From now on you keep your weapons close and ready. That thing took Willie away to kill him. He got around our traps. What are you saying? This one uses its brain. I've seen a lot of mutant vamps but I ain't never seen a thinker before. We were entering the lowlands. New Eden was just beyond the mountains. We were getting close. But so far no sign of anything... Alive anyway. - You okay, girl? - I... I have cramps. My back hurts really bad. I just... I just need to sit for a minute. I'm sorry. - We gotta keep movin'. - I can't. It's okay. I got you. You okay? My daddy used to carry me like this when I was little. I'm not your daddy. You ain't such a hard ass, you know. Let her sleep. She needs it. At daylight were gonna put some distance between us and this place. What are we gonna do when the baby comes? Oh, fuck. Fuck. This way. It's close. That's her. That's her. Wait. It's leadin' us, boy. Tough shit. Drink up, boy. I am a vengeful god. Eye for eye. Tooth for tooth. Son for son. This is between me and you, you bloodsuckin' son-of-a-bitch. When you left me for them, I prayed. I prayed and God listened. So when they came for me, the hungry ones, I gave my blood, willingly, hunter. Thank you. I am your God now. Yah. Nice try, child. Try this, you fucker. 'Bout time you learn how to drive. Almost there. Almost. 'Almost' is a big word. Fuck. Hold it right there! Don't move. Thank you. You boys look like hell. Shit happens. Yeah, sure does. But like my mom used to say, "Things are what they are. Get used to 'em." Smart woman. She owned this place. Last stop before the wilderness. Buried her out back and I've been on my own ever since. Except for them. It's good shootin'. Lots of practice. I'm gonna take a look around. What's your name? Martin. I'm Peggy. It's been a long time since I seen a boy. Come on. You gotta wait 'til it's in the lot. What's wrong with it? They're runnin' out of food so they're... skinnier but meaner. It smells us now. Oh shit. It's Walter again. I went to high school with him and I haven't been able to get a clean shot. He was such an asshole. I'll get him. Martin! No, stop! Get in here. What are you doing? Martin! |
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