The Endless

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1

(DISTANT SIRENS WAILING)

(PHONE VIBRATES)

(PHONE VIBRATES)

Hi.

Um, whoever's watching,

I just wanted to say,

if you are at the camp

and we're not back yet,

that I just wanted to say

don't worry.

Uh, the ascension is something

we've all been looking forward to

and we couldn't be happier,

so our round-trip from this

place and back

is really something

to celebrate.

So, um...

eat and drink and make yourself

comfortable,

and we look forward to seeing

you when we return.

Um...

Okay. Bye.

You seriously spent

$20 on that

and didn't get

the car battery?

You said they did it

already.

- Nope. No.

- Yeah. Yeah.

No. I said that

right before we left,

I was told that they were all

were gonna kill themselves.

And that's why we left

the cult.

She didn't say anything about

killing themselves.

She didn't.

It's a UFO death cult.

It's what they do.

They just call it

something different.

I rescued us from a cult.

I saved you from mass suicide.

You're welcome.

The, uh, owner still gone?

Yep. But be fast.

You want, um, pork or shrimp?

Uh, neither. I'm good.

- You're not eating lunch?

- Nope.

Gotta save the money you spent

on antique video equipment

and not the car battery.

Oh, tattoos, those were

an investment.

What?

You know they used to feed us

real food.

You know, vegetables and fish

that's not powder.

I'd rather be alive and eat

raman

than be dead and eat...

corn.

I know they were going to do

it, now they clearly are,

so I was, like,

ten years off.

They didn't say anything about

killing themselves.

They said...

Move your head.

They said they were going

somewhere,

and we don't know how long or

where they were going...

- Good.

- How's that good?

If we were back at the camp,

we'd have, like,

good food and support,

and we wouldn't be

one dirty house away

from being homeless.

I need the car.

I've got deprogramming in, like,

half an hour. Ow.

I don't want to go to

deprogramming anymore.

Are you gonna be the one to

get another job

if we don't qualify for aid?

And stop leaving the dome light

on in the car.

You're making the car battery

even worse if that's possible.

(RAZOR BUZZING)

It was mostly a joke.

But, um...

he's not happy.

I heard him crying

the other night, again.

And, um...

the cult sent us

a good-bye video.

WOMAN:

Whoa. What was that like?

I mean, I was relieved,

at first,

because... they're not dead.

And then I felt bad.

Because now Aaron thinks

I pulled him out

all those years ago

for no reason.

All of his memories

of the cult

are as a kid or a teenager

or whatever.

So all those memories

are good,

and he sees our lives here

as horrible.

But, to me,

the thing that makes our lives

here better

is thinking for ourselves.

And I don't know why we haven't

been able

to make a living

or make friends...

meet girls.

WOMAN:
Recovery from cult mind

control is a lifelong process,

and if he resents you for

pulling him out,

that's common.

Whether he resents me

or he doesn't,

feeling responsible for

his well-being 24/7

is exhausting.

They're gonna take the car.

The credit card was

a bad idea.

I'll figure it out.

Yeah, okay.

I wanna go back.

Have fun with that.

No, I'm serious.

I'm going,

just... for a visit.

You have a horrible memory.

That place is not

what you think it is.

- I know.

- Great. Let's not go.

Why do you wanna go back?

We can say good-bye.

Get some closure.

They were our family.

One day.

One night.

We come straight back.

Will that make you

feel better?

Uh...

Because if that'll get you

out of this slump,

we can go back.

I mean, he's trying.

He's trying lots of things,

but...

this one time,

by some miracle,

we met these girls

at the park,

and he takes 'em to this

cheap Mexican food place,

down by the apartment.

And, out of, like...

out of, like,

nervousness or something,

he's like, "I'm an ex-UFO

death cult member."

And she's like, "Okay, I have

to go to the bathroom."

And she obviously never

comes back.

And her friend never

returned my calls.

But that's him, though,

you know?

Uh...

He's trying to do

the right thing.

He really is.

But it has to be his way...

which never works.

And so the only thing that's

worse than this shitty life

he's built for us is having

no f***ing control over it.

I'm sorry.

WOMAN:
Have you talked

to him about this?

No, no, he's my brother.

WOMAN:
And you're

sure it's a good idea

to go back to the cult?

It's not a cult.

It's a commune.

Uniforms. Redefining words.

Calling death "ascension."

Worshipping a deity

in the forest

that no one else knows about.

And...

castration.

Okay, yeah, that's a cult.

But I actually don't remember

any of those things.

I just remember, like, bonfires,

family time, and good food.

It's wasn't like they were

keeping us prisoner or anything.

Actually, hang on a second.

If they were gonna be, like,

pointing machine guns at our

heads

and make us drink cyanide

Kool-Aid,

why would you be driving us

there right now?

All right, I never saw

anything specifically like that.

But in your distorted memory,

we were, like...

petting deer and dancing with

koalas.

We were, I remember that.

B*obs.

Ah, the b*obs.

(MUSIC PLAYING ON RADIO)

There is a house

in New Orleans

You broke the goddamn antenna.

Do not put me through this.

They call

the Rising Sun

You sound like a raccoon

with strep throat.

It's been the ruin

of many a poor boy

And Lord I know I'm one

You sound exactly like the mating

possums outside our window.

(LOUDLY)

My mother was a tailor

Hey, Mom. I know we don't

visit much, but...

I just wanted to say I'm doing

my best to take care of him.

What?

What?

- Nothing.

- I heard you.

No, you didn't.

- You becoming religious?

- No.

You're praying to her grave.

It's not a grave,

it's a memoriam.

Ah, talking to a memoriam.

That's totally not praying

to a grave.

That's sweet. I think someone's

been by or something.

Look. It's brand-new.

No, we actually made that from

when we were little

because she liked to paint.

Wow, that really held up.

(BIRDS CAWING)

What the heck are those?

It's like a volcanic

event,

hundreds of thousands

of years ago.

And then erosion or...

something.

Hey, mind of I drive

for a bit?

Nah, I'll just go

the rest of the way.

You drove the whole way.

I wanna drive.

I'm driving.

Get in.

Not a cult at all.

Smells good.

Smells like the barley.

Hey!

Good to see you two.

What the dickens bring you

all the way out here?

Just thought we'd visit while

you're, uh... here.

We're always here.

You hungry?

I'm always hungry.

Let's get you fed.

You boys remember Tim,

right?

- How's it going, Tim?

- Hey.

You gotta try Tim's

new Hefeweizen.

It is delicious.

Whoa! I didn't know you guys

were gonna be here.

It's good to see you guys!

- Shane, Anna.

- Hi!

This is weird. Aaron is, like,

all grown up.

Do you remember me?

Yeah, a little.

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