1 EXT. FIFTH CITY - STREETS - DAY

The avenues and boulevards are not unpopulated, but barren is the right word. There is token greenery here and there to break up the grey and brown, and nobody seems to be interested in going anywhere. The lifeless architecture is almost evocative of a park or communal space in how people are treating it. There is a sense of boredom - and a sense that everyone is comfortable with it.

A stream flows lazily through the town. A metal TELEPHONE POLE, twisted out of shape, hangs off the side of a bridge like a crucifix. It is ready to fall, but its cables suspend it above the water. Two children run past it, playing chase. A building is covered in things that only vaguely resemble satellite dishes - they are more spherical, and point towards the ground rather than the empty sky.

2 EXT. HILL OVERLOOKING THE FIFTH CITY - DAY

A TOWER looms over the Fifth City, high into the sky. The top is above the clouds, and then beyond that. It is impossible to see the top even from the faraway grassy hills. A dead log lies on its side, the wood open like an eye socket on a dragon's skull. A boy and a girl are sitting on it, eating a meal together.

3 EXT. FIFTH CITY - SQUARE - DAY

An old stone fountain is running, worn out of shape. The faces of statues can no longer be discerned. A man is washing his hair in the water.

4 EXT. FIFTH CITY - STREETS - DAY

A piece of the TELEPHONE POLE falls into the water. The Fifth Tower is visible here too, of course.

5 EXT. FIFTH CITY - SQUARE - DAY

A digital CLOCK is counting down the years, months, days, and so on. It crosses the five-day mark. Digital billboards light up, reading in stark plain text:

"FIVE DAYS TO GO"

The text lingers, and then changes.

"DO NOT COMMIT SUICIDE"

Everyone seems to ignore the notices. They are more focused on each other. The Tower, like a sundial, casts a shadow over the clock.