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Where Death Follows the Rails – Episode 2 – All Things End

Philip Robotham — Fri, 30 Aug 2019 22:34:49 +0000

Below we present the complete text of “All Things End”, episode 2 (and final) of our new Weird Western serial; Where Death Follows the Rails. This is a brand new (unpublished draft) series (featuring Jim Wilkes, Annie Deems, Sally Turner, and Speeding Elk). If you would like to see these new stories advance from being drafts into polished publications then please consider supporting us by purchasing one or more of our previously published titles (they’re only $25.99 (AUD), great value for a whole night of entertainment for 6 – 8 people). Every sale directly funds the production of new stories.

Parental Guidance Recommended: May contain content some parents may feel is inappropriate for younger children

WHERE DEATH RIDES THROUGH

EPISODE #2 – All Things End

by Philip Craig Robotham

Cover Illustration by Miyukiko

Unedited Draft

Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) Edition.

CC by-nc-nd 4.0

This play is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) International license. This play may not be commercially reproduced, performed, or sold. Non-commercial production, performance, and reproduction are allowed under this license so long as attribution is maintained. No derivative content or use is allowed. It can be freely shared in its current form (without change) under this license. If you would like to purchase one or more copies of this work (for your own personal non-commercial use, or to help financially support the author) then please return to https://www.weirdworlstudios.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Other works by this author can be found at the author’s website: https://weirdworldstudios.com or through select, online book retailers.

Serial #4: Where Death Follows the Rails

Their quest is coming to an end; Jim Wilkes, the undead sheriff murdered by Mayor Dan Wilson, a skin-walker that has escaped from the spirit world, along with the equally undead Annie Deemes, Sally Turner, and Speeding Elk, are finally catching up in their pursuit of the mayor. Can they stop him from getting back East to turn the government into an army of mindless hosts, waiting to be taken over by monsters just beyond the walls of reality? Tune in and thrill to the excitement of “Where Death Follows the Rails” and find out for yourself.

Episodes in the Host Your Own “Old Time Radio Drama” series are designed to provide a fun dinner party experience for 6–8 participants. Read along, taking on the role of one or more of the characters in the story, and listen as the exciting drama unfolds. This is the theater of the mind, where the special effects are only limited by your imagination, and your participation will build a memory that you’ll treasure for years to come.

ALL THINGS END

CAST LIST

NARRATOR: The Narrator

JIM WILKES: Dead Sheriff of Liberty Gulch

ANNIE DEEMES: Dead Crack-Shot

SALLY TURNER: Dead Gambler

MAYOR WILSON: The Skinwalker

CROW’S SHADOW: Medicine Man

BILL: Telegraph Worker

JACK: Telegraph Worker

JOE: Prospector

HECTOR: Prospector

SHAMBLING DEAD: Zombies

SHRIEKING SPIRITS: Banished Skinwalker Spirits

SCENE 7: EXT – AT THE TRACKS (LATER)
(JIM, ANNIE, SALLY)

MUSIC: OPENING THEME
NARRATOR: Their quest is coming to an end; Despite the loss of their friend, Speeding Elk, Jim Wilkes, the undead sheriff murdered by Mayor Dan Wilson, a skin-walker that has escaped from the spirit world, along with the equally undead Annie Deemes, and Sally Turner, are finally catching up in their pursuit of the mayor. Can they stop him from getting back East to turn the government into an army of mindless hosts, waiting to be taken over by monsters just beyond the walls of reality? Can they save the world from a supernatural invasion?
SOUND: (WALLA) TRUDGING FEET ON SAND – ESTABLISH AND UNDER.
SALLY: (WITH A CATCH IN HER THROAT) Thanks for taking the time to bury him.
JIM: Speeding Elk was our friend. There was no way we’d have left him there. I don’t care if the delay did risk us missing the train.
ANNIE: I doubt Speeding Elk would have approved, but I agree; there was no way I was gonna leave him there like that. Well, I can see the train rounding that bluff in the distance, so I guess we made it. What’s your plan for getting on board.
SOUND: DISTANT TRAIN WHISTLE – LET IT FINISH.
JIM: I don’t have one. By now, everyone on that train is dead. I intend to stop the train, not board it.
ANNIE: Well, how are you gonna do that?
JIM: Just a second.
SOUND: RUSTLING OF SADDLEBAGS- LET IT FINISH.
JIM: Here we go. I got these from that little shed back at the station.
SALLY: Is that… dynamite?
JIM: Ahuh. This should create a break in the tracks and that should derail the train.
SOUND: MATCH STRIKE AND HISS – ESTABLISH AND UNDER
JIM: Come on. Let’s get clear, behind those boulders.
SOUND: CRUNCH OF BODIES DIVING INTO SAND – LET IT FINISH.
SALLY: (BEAT) Nothing. Something must have gone wrong…
SOUND: EXPLOSION – APPROACHING TRAIN – SCREECH AND CRASH – LET IT FINISH.
SALLY: (BEAT THEN COUGHING) Then again…
SOUND: (WALLA) SHRIEKS AND CRIES OF POSSESSED PASSENGERS- ESTABLISH AND UNDER.
ANNIE: Well, here they come, climbing out of the crashed rail cars and such.
JIM: We’ve got some cover for now… but we’ve to make our way toward the engine at the front.
SALLY: Why’s that?
JIM: I don’t imagine the mayor would’ve trusted anything else to drive the train.
SALLY: All right. Just… give me… one… second.
ANNIE: What on earth are you doing now? (DISBELIEF) Are you shuffling cards?
SALLY: Just… getting us some… luck. There, we’re going to need it?
ANNIE: Aw, come on.
SALLY: (MIFFED) You never questioned Speeding Elk and the mumbo-jumbo he could do?
ANNIE: That’s ‘cause I had good reason to believe Speeding Elk. You on the other hand…
SALLY: Oh, shut up and get down… again.
ANNIE: What?
SOUND: SERIES OF EXPLOSIONS ROLLING THE LENGTH OF THE TRAIN, CARRIAGE BY CARRIAGE, ACCOMPANIED BY WHISTLING SHRAPNEL. LET IT FINISH.
JIM: The carriages ignited.
SALLY: (PANTING, WEAK) Ahuh. (PANTING SOME MORE) But I think… I put everything I’ve got into that one.
ANNIE: What? But how?
SALLY: The ghost rock is volatile… I used the cards… to shift the odds in favor of that volatility… resulting in an explosion because of the crash.
ANNIE: But…
SALLY: Just once… cain’t you take my word for it.
JIM: Sally, are you gonna be okay.
SALLY: Yeah, I think so. But I’m not gonna be any use to you in a fight for a while.
JIM: Yeah, I can see that. Here, sit down.
ANNIE: She’s gone pale… well paler.
SALLY: I’m right here y’know.
ANNIE: (SHEEPISH) Sorry. But you don’t look good.
SALLY: I think I borrowed some of that power the Indians gave us… maybe too much.
ANNIE: Alright, you wait here and rest. We’ll be fack for you.
SALLY: Should have less of ‘em to deal with now.
JIM: Yeah, I count about fifteen or so. No sign of the mayor, though.
SALLY: I didn’t get him.
JIM: How’d you know?
SALLY: I just know. I’d have felt it. (EMPHASIS) You’d have felt.
JIM: Yeah, I guess I would.
SALLY: Killing his body… is only the first step.
ANNIE: She’s turning delirious.
SALLY: No, the body is just what he’s wearing… A headshot’ll do for the body… but you’re gonna need a ghost rock bullet to finish him off.
ANNIE: Would one of Speeding Elk’s arrows do? He used some of the ghost rock for his arrowheads.
SALLY: Yeah… it will… now go.
JIM: C’mon. Time’s a-wasting.
ANNIE: (FONDLY) I don’t believe it. She always finds a way to avoid the heavy work.
SALLY: (LAUGHING WEAKLY) Still here, you know. Come back and get me soon… If not, I’ll see you on the other side… (DYING GASP)
JIM: C’mon, let her rest.
ANNIE: (TEARY) Yeah, I guess we got us some killing to do.
SOUND: RUNNING FEET, GUNS BLAZING – FADE UNDER AND OUT.
MUSIC: NEUTRAL SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH.

SCENE 8: (EXT) RUINED ENGINE OF CRASHED TRAIN (JIM, ANNIE, THE MAYOR)

SOUND: (WALLA) CREAK OF METAL IN BREEZE, DRIP OF SIZZLING WATER FROM CRACKED BOILER, FLICKER OF FLAME FROM REMAINS OF EXPLOSION – ESTABLISH AND UNDER.
SOUND: TWO SHOTS – LET THEM FINISH.
ANNIE: Ugh. They’re messy to put down when they’re freshly dead, ain’t they?
JIM: Uh-huh. On account of how they ain’t dried out yet. (BEAT) That seems to be about all of ‘em as was left. You see any sign of the mayor?
ANNIE: Nope. But this is the engine… or what’s left of it. If he ain’t skedaddled, this is where he’ll be.
JIM: Maybe not. This’ll be where he was, but his first priority will probably be gathering up the ghost rock that hasn’t been blown up.
WILSON: That’s about right.
ANNIE: It’s him.
SOUND: CLANK AND WHIRR OF A GATLING GUN – ESTABLISH AND UNDER.
WILSON: Now, now, don’t go making any sudden moves. This here Gatling gun will tear you clean in half.
JIM: You cain’t kill us, you know?
WILSON: Well, if it ain’t my old friend, Sherriff Wilkes. I’ll be the first to admit I ain’t had a lot of success so far. You must’ve done well to survive the traps I laid for you along the way, but…
Now, there is somethin’ a little odd about you.
ANNIE: (STAGE WHISPER) Keep him busy while I line up a shot.
WILSON: Well I’ll be. You’re already dead. Now ain’t that the damnedest thing? (BEAT) No, no. Now let me think about this a moment and tell me if I’m right? You folks ain’t got any natural magic in you, and no one in town could’ve brought you back… I’m guessing it was them damned Injuns. Am I right? Are you their little puppets, sent to kill me?
JIM: We’re here to kill you alright.
WILSON: I didn’t think cold-blooded murder was quite your niche, hero.
JIM: It’s hardly your place to cast aspersions on anyone’s character. You’ve done nothing but kill wantonly since the beginning. Besides, you ain’t even the mayor no more. You’re just wearing what’s left of him.
WILSON: (AMUSED) Well ain’t you the clever one. (VOICE CHANGES TO A LOW MONSTROUS GROWL) I wouldn’t have guessed you had the intellect to understand my secret. I intend to kill you now. Of course, not straight away. I’d be happy for you to spend 100 years or so with all your limbs severed at the bottom of a mine shaft first. Mwahahahahahaha.
ANNIE: Now that’s just rude, Mister.
SOUND: RIFLE SHOT, BODY DROP, DROP OF GATTLING GUN – LET IT FINISH.
ANNIE: Forget about the women folk again did you?
JIM: Good shot, Annie. You got him right between the eyes. Quick, help me get his head off.
ANNIE: Ugh. I hate this part.
SOUND: TEARING SQUELCH NOISE – LET IT FINISH.
JIM: There. That’s it. I guess we…
SOUND: WIND RISES – LET IT FINISH.
ANNIE: Wait, something’s happening. I don’t think this is over yet.
SOUND: SHRIEKING METAL AND CLUNKS OF METAL COMING TOGETHER – LET IT FINISH.
JIM: I think you’re right. The body’s dead but the spirit is free.
ANNIE: It’s pulling the wreckage of the engine apart.
JIM: It’s building some kind of armor. It’s huge, twenty feet tall!
SOUND: SHRIEK OF STRAINING METAL – LET IT FINISH.
ANNIE: Jim. It’s got me. (TRAILING SHRIEK OF PAIN) Aaaarghhhhh!
SOUND: WET TEARING SOUND FOLLOWED BY TWO OVERLAPPING WET THUDS – LET IT FINISH.
SOUND: CRUNCH OF HUGE METAL FOOT STRIKING THE GROUND – LET IT FINISH
JIM: No!
WILSON: Oh dear! I seem to have torn your friend in half and stomped on her head. Hahahaha.
JIM: I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you.
SOUND: GUNSHOTS BOUNCING OFF ARMOR; SIX SHOTS THEN CLICKING OF EMPTY CHAMBERS – LET IT FINISH.
WILSON: No. You are weak. You are pathetic. But mostly you are irrelevant.
SOUND: TWISTING METAL AND WET SWORD THRUST NOISES – ESTABLISH AN UNDER.
JIM: (SCREAMING IN TIME WITH SWORD THRUST SOUNDS) Aaargh. Argh. Arrrrgh.
WILSON: (LAUGHING) What do you think of this little prison I’ve fashioned for you, hmmm? A few bits of track, jagged metal. More than just a cage really. The bars get to pass…
SOUND: WET SWORD THRUST – UNDER FOLLOWING SCREAM.
JIM: (SCREAMS) Aaargh.
WILSON: through you and, with a bit of a twist,…
SOUND: METAL TWISTING – UNDER THE FOLLOWING SCREAM.
JIM: (SCREAMS) Aaargh.
WILSON: I can even add a bit of extra pain to the mix. Mwahahahahaha.
JIM: (PANTING WEAKLY) I’m going to kill you. You are never going to get away with this.
WILSON: Mwahahaha. I already have. There’s enough ghost rock left to succeed in my plans once I’ve gathered it. The rifts created by the ancestors of your savage benefactors are still open. I can even get myself a new body at the next town I reach. No, you’ve lost. I’m going to leave you here for the buzzards… and then, when I have begun our takeover of your world, I’m going to come back and the real fun can begin.
SOUND: HEAVY CRUNCH OF METAL FOOTSTEPS WALKING AWAY – FADE.
JIM: (WEAKLY) No. Noooo.
MUSIC: TIME PASSING SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH.

ACT 3

SCENE 9: EXT – AMIDST THE TRAIN WRECKAGE – JIM, CROW’S SHADOW

SOUND: (WALLA) CRICKETS, OCCASIONAL OWL, COYOTE HOWL – FADE IN ESTABLISH AND UNDER.
SOUND: MAGICAL RINGING SOUND.
JIM: (WEAKLY) Who’s there?
CROW’S SHADOW: One less foolish than you, I think.
JIM: Crow’s Shadow? Is that you?
CROW’S SHADOW: You appear to be failing, Jim Wilkes.
JIM: I’d say I’ve failed already. The others are dead – really dead this time – and I’m trapped here.
CROW’S SHADOW: Yes, Jim Wilkes, you are a disappointment to us.
JIM: To you? How is this my fault? We did everything you asked of us. It was your tribe who brought us back after we was killed. Do you think we wanted any of this? And there was no chance of us surviving to begin with.
CROW’S SHADOW: Yes, you have been our puppets. We energized you to follow the path we set before you. To many in my tribe you are just tools. I argued long that we should allow you the ability to think and remember your living selves. It cost us much, but eventually my tribe agreed that your chances of success would be higher if we let you remain human and trusted to your natural gifts. But no, you were never going to be allowed to continue beyond your mission. We do not have the power to sustain your bodies forever. Death will claim you when you are no longer of use to us.
JIM: Then why am I still here? Why haven’t you released me?
CROW’S SHADOW: It was always a risk, allowing you humanity. We knew you might give in to despair, and this has happened. But you can go on.
JIM: But I’m trapped here. I cain’t move for the pain. These spears of scrap metal have run me through.
CROW’S SHADOW: And if you had not been so full of despair you would have realized they are nothing. Even the pain is not real.
JIM: What?
CROW’S SHADOW: Did you not see Speeding Elk receive a series of bullets in the town filled with birds? Were you not aware that he did not feel pain?
JIM: But these spears… they hurt.
CROW’S SHADOW: No, they are the memory of pain. Had you been truly alive you would have died almost at once when they pierced you. Your head and skull must be broken to release the power that moves you. Everything else can be ignored.
JIM: (HOPEFUL) Then Speeding Elk and Sally, they can still come back…
CROW’S SHADOW: No, they cannot. They are like branches that have burned from the inside out. The power is gone and cannot return for nothing remains to bring back.
JIM: And I saw Annie die. That thing crushed her skull. You cain’t bring her back either. can you?
CROW’S SHADOW: But you remain. The fire still burns within you. You desire the monster’s death still.
JIM: (BITTER) Yes, I “desire” it. For my friends and for the people that thing wants to destroy. But you put it in me didn’t you? Made it a compulsion I cain’t throw off?
CROW’S SHADOW: I am sorry we did that. My people could not trust that you would hold to your mission. You will find no rest until your mission is complete… or you truly die trying.
JIM: (SHUDDERING BREATH). Alright, there seems to be nothing for it. Help me out of this and I will go on.
CROW’S SHADOW: You will have to help yourself. I am not physically here. What you see is an image sent far across the land to you from where my people are. Time runs out and I must return.
JIM: Wait, how do I kill it? It doesn’t have a body no more?
CROW’S SHADOW: (STARTING TO FADE) The ghost rock… It gives it life and will bring it death. Pierce the armor it has created with arrow, knife, or bullet formed of ghost rock. Do so at its head and it will die… (FADING FURTHER BUT STILL AUDIBLE) Gather Speeding Elk’s arrows… their tips are of ghost rock. Gather the gambler’s cards and the rifle woman’s gloves. They have power of their own to aid you…
JIM: Crow’s Shadow? Crow’s Shadow wait? I need to know… He’s gone. (BEAT) The pain’s a memory, huh? It feels real to me.
SOUND: WET AND LIKE A SWORD UNSHEATHING – UNDER SCREAM.
JIM: (CRY OF PAIN) Aaargh. (PANTING) Well, that was one of em. Two more to…
SOUND: WET AND LIKE A SWORD UNSHEATHING – UNDER SCREAM.
JIM: (FURTHER CRY OF PAIN). Aaargh. (GROANS) That’s number two. Just one more to… Oh, damn. This one’s bent.
SOUND: METAL SCREECHING AS IT IS BENT. WET SOUND LIKE A SWORD UNSHEATHING – UNDER SCREAM.
JIM: (FINAL CRY OF PAIN). Aaargh. (FOLLOWED BY WHIMPER AND PANTING) Even for a memory that hurt!
SOUND: BODY COLLAPSES TO GROUND.
JIM: Just gonna catch my breath a minute (not that I’ve got any to catch) and gather up them tools.
SOUND: TIME PASSING SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH.

SCENE 10: EXT – TRAIN WRECK – STANDING OVER ANNIE AND SALLY’S GRAVES – LATER (JIM, BILL, JACK)

SOUND: (WALLA) SQUEAK OF RAILWAY HANDCART SLOWLY APPROACHES – FADE IN AND KEEP UNDER.
SOUND: SHOVEL IN DIRT – LET IT FINISH.
JIM: Well, that does it. Your both underground. I’ll miss you Annie. There ain’t been too many women folk in my life that I felt I could talk too. I’m sorry I never met you sooner… and I’m sorry about your gloves, too. They was just too small for me to wear without cutting the tips out of ‘em. I hope it don’t mess with the magic as was in ‘em.
I guess I should thank you, too Sally, for your cards. I know you cain’t hear me, but, hell, it just seems polite is all. (BEAT)
What’s that sound? (HOPEFUL) It’s a handcart coming up the track from where we came.
SOUND (WALLA) SQUEAK OF HAND CART – BRING IT UP AND APPLY SQUEAK OF BRAKES – LET IT FINISH.
BILL WYLAND: Whoa, there. I guess we’ve arrived. (BEAT) Well, I’ll be.
JACK FENCE: Dang, if that don’t beat all.
BILL: When they said the telegraph was down, they never said nothing about no train crash.
JACK: I’m guessing they didn’t know. What happened to these people. Most of ‘em are missing their heads.
BILL: Injun’s do you think?
JACK: I’ve fought ‘em and this doesn’t look like something they’d do. No horse prints or arrows either.
SOUND: NEAR SIMULTANEOUS COCKING OF TWO HANDGUNS – LET IT FINISH.
JIM: And on that score, you’d be right.
BILL: (FRIGHTENED) Whoa, there partner, don’t shoot. We don’t want any trouble. The railway sent us from back a ways to check on the telegraph.
JIM: You’ve got nothing to fear… long as you do as I say and keep your hands clear of any weapons. My name’s Sherrif Jim Wilkes and I’d be mighty obliged if you took of those gun belt’s you’re wearing and toss them over here.
SOUND: BELTS BEING UNBUCKLED AND THROWN OVER – LET IT FINISH.
JIM: Thank you.
JACK: (TENTATIVE) You ain’t looking too good, Sherrif. Were you on the train? Can we help you?
JIM: I wasn’t on the train, no. And the man that did this is getting away. So I don’t have much time.
BILL: (SHOCKED) You mean one man did all this?
JIM: (ANGRY – SOUNDING A LITTLE CRAZED) Didn’t you hear me? He’s getting away and I ain’t got much time.
JACK: (PLACATING AND WORRIED) Sure, sure, Sherrif. We’ll help you any way we can.
JIM: That’s better. (BEAT) I need you to get that hand cart over past the gap in the tracks. I need to take it on if I’m to catch him.
BILL: You think he’s following the tracks… is that it?
JIM: Ahuh. I do.
BILL: But Jack, we’re in the middle of nowhere. We caint get back without the cart. We’ll die out here.
JACK: He’s right mister. Come back with us and get a posse together. Maybe get some of those wounds looked at. He’s on foot so he cain’t get too far away.
JIM: (ANGRY) No! (SIGHS AND SPEAKS LESS ABRUPTLY) No. I cain’t let him get away. You can follow the tracks back around the bluff to the Way Station. There’s water and a telegraph that should work (since its back before the break in the line). You’ll be fine there til the railroad can send someone to get you.
JACK: And if we say no?
SOUND: GUNSHOT AND RICOCHET – LET IT FINISH.
JIM: That mightn’t be too wise. The next time it might not be your hat I put a hole in. Do we understand each other?
JACK AND BILL: Uh, yes sir. Yes. Right away.
SOUND: GRUNTS AND SQUEAK OF HANDCART BEING PUSHED – ESTABLISH AND UNDER.
MUSIC: NEUTRAL SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH.

SCENE 11: EXT – BRIDGE OVER CHASM – LATER (JIM, MAYOR)

SOUND: (WALLA) SQUEAK OF HANDCART HANDLE AND CLACK OF WHEELS ON TRACK – ESTABLISH AND UNDER
JIM: (PUFFING) You ain’t gonna get away from me. You’re following this track and so help me I’ll catch you up no matter what… and when I find you I’m gonna kill you. You might have wrapped yourself in 20-foot tall armor made out of that train wreck but I’m still gonna kill you.
SOUND: BRAKING AND SLOWING OF HANDCART HANDLE AS CART COMES TO A HALT – ESTABLISH UNDER AND STOP.
JIM: What’s that up ahead? A chasm? No, a bridge over a canyon. And there he is, on the bridge. Looks like he gathered as much of the leftover ghost rock as he could find and he’s carrying it in a sack on his back.
SOUND: GIANT METALLIC FOOTSTEPS GETTING NEARER – ESTABLISH AND UNDER
JIM: (CALLING OUT) Wilson? Dan Wilson, or whatever the hell you call yourself now you’ve lost your body? You cain’t run from me.
SOUND: GIANT METALLIC FOOTSTEPS COME TO A STOP. SQUEAL OF METAL AS GIANT ARMOR TURNS TO FACE JIM – LET IT FINISH.
WILSON: (MONSTER VOICE – LAUGHING) Mwahahahaha. You surprise me, Sherriff. I was certain your despair would keep you trapped until I returned. I see you turned your despair into anger and have continued the pursuit. It is of little consequence. You are hardly in a position to stop me.
SOUND: (WALLA) WIND WHISTLING – JIM’S FOOTSTEPS ALONG THE TRACK – ESTABLISH AND UNDER (CONTINUE UNTIL 489)
JIM: (STOMPING ALONG THE TRACK) Oh, I don’t know. You’re a long way from the other side of this canyon and I’ve still got some dynamite. I’m pretty sure I can finish you off.
WILSON (NERVOUS BUT QUICKLY RECOVERING) You think that will stop me? It will delay me at the most… and you will put an end to yourself at the same time.
JIM: Despairing remember? I’m not nearly as fussed about saving my life as I am about ending yours. I understand that rock you’re carrying, while able to summon more of your kind into our world, can also kill you. Armor or not, can you be certain that none of that rock you’re carrying won’t pierce you if you’re standing in the center of an explosion.
WILSON: Impudent fool. You cannot threaten me. I am powerful beyond your ability to measure. I have walked the spaces between worlds and have reduced cities to ruin and worlds to waste. You should be on your knees, cowering before me.
JIM: I’m beginning to think you preen a little too much. Tell me, just between us fellas, do you have trouble dragging yourself away from the mirror in the mornings?
WILSON: Such stupidity. Come closer little man. I’ll tear you in half as I did your friend.
JIM: (STAGE WHISPER) Ahuh. Let me get closer. (CALLING OUT) Yeah, I guess something as ugly as you don’t have a lot of time for mirrors. I bet with a face like yours you’d even scare yourself. Tell me, is that what you’re compensating for with all that bluster, or is it something else?
WILSON: (ANGRY ROAR) Do you think you can threaten me with pathetic insults? And… (INCREDULOUS) is that a bow and arrow you’re pointing in my direction? HAHAHAHAHAH.
SOUND: MATCH LIGHT AND HISS OF FUSE – UNDER.
JIM: Even with all that armor I can still see your eyes glow more hotly through those slits when you’re insulted. I guess even monsters have their frailties.
WILSON: Why you…
SOUND: ARMORED FOOTSTEPS BUILD QUICKLY TO A LUMBERING RUN APPROACHING – ESTABLISH AND UNDER.
JIM: (STAGE WHISPER) Even with Annie’s gloves on, Sally’s cards in my pocket, and Speeding Elk’s bow and ghost rock tipped arrows, an eye shot’ll need to be one in a million…
SOUND: TWANG OF BOW AND DEPARTING HISS OF ARROW – LET IT FINISH.
SOUND: THUNK OF ARROW STRIKING HOME – LET IT FINISH.
WILSON: No! How did you? (BEAT) (TRAILING OFF) I am unmade…
SOUND: MUSICAL EXPLOSIVE NOISE TRAILING OFF – LET IT FINISH.
SOUND: CRASH OF METAL ARMOR COLLAPSING – LET IT FINISH.
JIM: It’s done. I killed it. I… But wait. The ghost rock. I’ve got to destroy it… bury it so it cain’t be found again. The dynamite should…
SOUND: EXPLOSION – LET IT FINISH.
JIM: The dynamite. It’s done. The rock will never be recovered now. It’s lost in the canyon. But what happens to me… What is… Ugh.
SOUND: Body slumps to ground.
CROW’S SHADOW: (FROM A DISTANCE AND FADING AWAY) Thank you my friend. Rest now and go on to what awaits you. Your work here is done…
MUSIC: TRAGIC SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH.

SCENE 12: THE CANYON FLOOR – 150 YRS LATER (JOE, HECTOR)

SOUND: (WALLA) HOOF BEATS OF MULE, OCCASIONAL SCREECH OF HAWK, LIGHT WIND – ESTABLISH AND UNDER.
JOE: Hey, Hector? How long have you been prospecting through these old canyons?
HECTOR: A mite over 20 years now I guess, Joe. Why?
JOE: I heard there was a railway track that used to run somewhere hereabouts?
HECTOR: You heard right. But that was a hundred years before I was even born. It used to cross this very canyon on a bridge.
JOE: What happened?
HECTOR: Oh, there was some kind of wreck. No-one ever did get to the bottom of it. A load of engine parts ended up here and a large section of the bridge was blown up. The rest of the train was derailed some four miles away. No one survived to say why and this canyon’s had a nasty reputation ever since.
JOE: How many people were on board?
HECTOR: About sixty or so is what I heard tell, but you know how these story’s get exaggerated. I reckon it was probably a lot less.
JOE: What happened to the railway line? Why didn’t they rebuild it?
HECTOR: They found a better path for it, and folks didn’t want to take the train out this way much after that.
JOE: So what are we looking for here?
HECTOR: I cain’t say really. There’s just something about this place. It calls to me somehow. I’ve always felt there was something here that I’ve been missing.
JOE: Like treasure?
HECTOR: Maybe.
JOE: I don’t mean to press you, Hector, but I am paying you to teach me prospecting, and so far all you’ve shown me are a bunch of dusty old canyons.
HECTOR: Easy there, sonny. You’ve been pretty patient by your own lights I’m sure, but you’re still pretty wet behind the ears and you’ll have to learn a lot more patience yet if you think you’re gonna make a go of this kind of work… even as a hobby. (BEAT) Whoah. Hold up there Nellie.
SOUND: MULE COMING TO A HALT – LET IT FINISH.
JOE: Hey, what’s happening? Did you see something interesting?
HECTOR: Maybe. There’s been some recent erosion and some of that cliff wall’s come away recently. Looks like some rock’s embedded there. Grab me that geologist’s hammer will you, Joe.
JOE: Sure Hector…
SOUND: RUMMAGING IN SADDLE BAG – LET IT FINISH.
JOE: … here you are.
HECTOR: (MOVING AWAY) Thanks, sonny.
JOE: You want to be careful there. With that much erosion, the whole cliff face could be unstable.
HECTOR: (FROM A DISTANCE) I’ll be fine. I just want to take a sample.
SOUND: TAPPING OF HAMMER ON ROCK – LET IT FINISH.
HECTOR: That’s strange. It’s some kind of crystal… but I don’t think I’ve ever seen this kind of rock before… I’ll just break off a…
SOUND: CRACKING OF ROCK – LET IT FINISH.
SOUND: RINGING MAGICAL CHIME – LET IT FINISH.
JOE: Hector? You didn’t finish what you were saying there? (BEAT) Hector? Are you all right? What’s the matter with your eyes? Hector? You’re scaring me. Put down the hammer. Hector? Hector? No… (SCREAMS) Aaaargh.
HECTOR: (MONSTER VOICE, LAUGHING) Bwahahahahaha.
MUSIC: CLOSING THEME AND CREDITS

CASTING SHEETS — MAJOR CHARACTERS

JIM WILKES: I was the Sheriff of Liberty Gulch. I’ve been a lawman fer a long time. Liberty was meant to be a change – a chance to relax after my time as a U.S. Marshall. It don’t look like I’ll be doing much relaxing though. The town has been destroyed. Its people are dead, and now, I’m undead and hell-bent on being revenged upon the thing that wears the face of Dan Wilson, the mayor of Liberty Gulch.

ANNIE DEEMES: I used to run the local store. I’m a woman alone in a tough town and I hold my own. A few months back I was shot and killed, but I’m still here, raised to a pseudo-life by the powerful magic of a local Indian tribe. I was murdered by the Mayor and I was then brought back by Crow’s Shadow to seek revenge upon the man that did it.

SALLY TURNER: I am a drifter and gambler. I’ve had to make a quick exit from many a town over the years, but, until recently, my luck kept me one step ahead of the game. I say “until recently” because my luck ran out in Liberty Gulch. I was murdered by the mayor and brought back by Crow’s Shadow to seek revenge upon the man that killed me.

CASTING SHEETS — MINOR CHARACTERS

NARRATOR: Hello, I am your narrator. I introduce the cold stormy nights on which our stories take place, the dark alleys, and darker personalities who inhabit the lonely city. It is my job to set the scene and establish the serious tone of suspense and intrigue that will carry the story forward. It is also my job to remind listeners of what came before in a calm, trustworthy voice and ensure that everyone is oriented to where we are and where we are going.

CROW’S SHADOW: I have power, but I respect and fear it. I can work great medicine but I do not do so lightly. I perform dances for my people, to cure sickness, to bring rain, and to protect our lands from the Nagloshi and other spirits from beyond.

BILL AND JACK (TELEGRAPH WORKERS): We get paid to repair the telegraph lines when they’s down. We follow the rails and and fix any breaks we find. We’re not particularly brave men. We ain’t paid enough for that. But we do our job.

JOE AND HECTOR (PROSPECTORS): We’re friends. Have been for a long time. There ain’t much money to be made form prospecting, but when it pays off, it can pay off big. I guess we’d be considered gamblers if we was doing this for a living. Really, though, it’s just a hobby – a way to spend our weekends in good company.

SHAMBLING DEAD: We follow. We obey. We feed.

SHRIEKING SPIRITS: We want hosts. We want to inhabit human bodies. We wish to be free to walk the world once more instead of being banished to eternal torment. But most of all we wish to be revenged upon the living.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Philip Craig Robotham grew up in a house full of books and has held numerous jobs as a teacher, computer programmer, graphic and web designer, an e-learning consultant and, most recently, writer. He currently lives in Sydney, Australia with his wife and two sons. When he was younger and fitter he enjoyed martial arts, but in recent years his hobbies have tended towards more sedate fare (board games, movies, books, and role-playing games).

He is extremely grateful for the encouragement he receives from his biggest fans — his wife and two boys — all of whom read and enjoy his scripts and in general make his life worth living.

You can contact the author regarding performance rights (or simply to say hello) through his website: https://weirdworldstudios.com.

Don’t forget to check out the free sample portions of our titles at https://weirdworldstudios.com/product-category/our-products/.

This post and all its content is copyright © 2013 Philip Craig Robotham and has been released under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license. This play cannot be reproduced, shared, or performed commercially without the written permission of the author. The production of derivative content, merchandise, or creative works and materials is expressly forbidden under this agreement. However you may share, reproduce, and perform this play freely so long as authorship is acknowledged, no money changes hands, and the play is not modified in any way.

The post Where Death Follows the Rails – Episode 2 – All Things End appeared first on Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama.

Where Death Follows the Rails – Episode 1 – Closing the Distance

Philip Robotham — Sat, 24 Aug 2019 00:35:22 +0000

Below we present the complete text of “Closing the Distance”, episode 1 of our new Weird Western serial; Where Death Follows the Rails. This is a brand new (unpublished draft) series (featuring Jim Wilkes, Annie Deems, Sally Turner, and Speeding Elk). If you would like to see these new stories advance from being drafts into polished publications then please consider supporting us by purchasing one or more of our previously published titles (they’re only $25.99 (AUD), great value for a whole night of entertainment for 6 – 8 people). Every sale directly funds the production of new stories.

Parental Guidance Recommended: May contain content some parents may feel is inappropriate for younger children

WHERE DEATH RIDES THROUGH

EPISODE #1 – Closing the Distance

by Philip Craig Robotham

Cover Illustration by Miyukiko

Unedited Draft

Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) Edition.

CC by-nc-nd 4.0

Other works by this author can be found at the author’s website: https://weirdworldstudios.com or through select, online book retailers.

Serial #4: Where Death Follows the Rails

Their quest is coming to an end; Jim Wilkes, the undead sheriff murdered by Mayor Dan Wilson, a skin-walker that has escaped from the spirit world, along with the equally undead Annie Deemes, Sally Turner, and Speeding Elk, are finally catching up in their pursuit of the mayor. Can they stop him from getting back East to establish to turn the government into an army of mindless hosts, waiting to be taken over by monsters just beyond the walls of reality? Tune in and thrill to the excitement of “Where Death Follows the Rails” and find out for yourself.

CLOSING THE DISTANCE

CAST LIST

NARRATOR: The Narrator

JIM WILKES: Dead Sheriff of Liberty Gulch

ANNIE DEEMES: Dead Crack-Shot

SPEEDING ELK: Dead Indian

SALLY TURNER: Dead Gambler

SHAMBLING DEAD: Zombies

SHRIEKING SPIRITS: Banished Skinwalker Spirits

ACT 1

SCENE 1: EXT – A MAKESHIFT CAMP – NIGHT (JIM, ANNIE, SALLY)

MUSIC: OPENING THEME
WALLA: NIGHT NOISES – DISTANCT CRICKETS, OWL HOOT, CAMP FIRE CRACKLE – ESTABLISH AND UNDER.
SOUND: CLANG OF HORSHOE HITTING SPIKE – LET IT FINISH
JIM: Not bad. You hit the spike with your shoe but it bounced. You need to ease off a little on the power of your throw.
ANNIE: What is it with men and unwanted advice. I’ve been playing horseshoes since I was a mere slip of a girl, Jim Wilkes, and I don’t need your advice.
JIM: Okay. Okay. I was just trying to help.
SALLY: Hmpf! Like your help is needed here.
JIM: Since when have you and Annie been on the same side?
SALLY: Since it looks like she’s gonna whip your…
ANNIE: There ain’t no call for talkin like that Sally.
SALLY: Well, hell. (MUTTERING TO HERSELF) You try to do something nice…
JIM: (LAUGHING) You’re on fire this evening Annie. The only person you ain’t insulted yet is Speeding Elk, and that’s only cause he’s not here.
ANNIE: Yeah, well he’d probably have had more sense than to agree to playing this stupid game.
JIM: You’re just sore cause you’re losing. How many games is that now? Three? Four? I’m kinda losing count.
ANNIE: Aargh!
SOUND: ANNIE’S FOOTSTEPS MARCHING AWAY – FADE UNDER.
SALLY: (QUIETLY) You’re gonna pay for that later.
JIM: (AMUSED) Yeah. I bet I am too.
SALLY: Where’d you get them horseshoes anyway? Those dino-whatsit’s we’re riding don’t wear ‘em.
JIM: These? I just enjoy a game is all. I keep ‘em in my saddlebag.
SALLY: Bet you cain’t make three out of three.
JIM: Uh uh. No way. I can see the cards in your hand.
SALLY: (TEASING) I thought you didn’t believe in my power to shift the odds with the cards.
JIM: That’d be Annie you’re thinking of. Since we died I’ve kind of broadened my perspective a little.
SALLY: Well, you cain’t blame a girl for trying. (BEAT) So where is Speeding Elk? It looks like the sun’ll be up soon.
JIM: He went on a scouting mission ahead. I think he needs a bit o’ time by hisself.
SALLY: I’m startin’ to worry about him.
JIM: I’m worried about all of us. It looks like we’re finally about to catch up with that monster we’ve been tracking and none of us has any earthly idea what happens once we do.
SALLY: We kill ‘im o’ cours… or he kills us.
JIM: Yeah, but then what? We’re tools Sally. Brought back from the dead by a vengeful indian tribe to hunt down and destroy a possessed shape changing mayor. What happens to us once we’re done? Do we live on? Do we finally die? I don’t know.
SALLY: We could run for it.
JIM: (LAUGHS BITTERLY) Speeding Elk couldn’t. His promise to his tribe binds him. As for the rest of us, I don’t think we could either.
SALLY: Why not?
JIM: Try it. (BEAT) Go on. Try and force yourself to leave.
SALLY: But I don’t want to.
JIM: Uhuh. And you don’t find that a little strange. Annie pointed it out to me on the trail. I can’t even concentrate on the possibility of running for very long.
SALLY: Aw shucks, Jim. That’s just cause it ain’t in your nature to run. You just ain’t built that way.
JIM: And what about you? I reckon you’ve had to leg it out of more than one town in your time. Can you spend any time seriously thinking about running away?
SALLY: (PUZZLED) Now you come to mention it, no. It’s like the moment I try – I mean really try – my thoughts just slide away from the notion, like trying to pick a slimy rock up in a riverbed.
JIM: If it’s any consolation, the same thing happens to me. All my life I never ran from a fight… but I always thought about it. Anyone who says they don’t think about it’s a liar. I’ve thought about it every time… until now.
ANNIE: (AT A DISTANCE) Hey, you two. Speeding Elk’s coming back, and fast. You better saddle up them monsters quick.
SALLY: I still cain’t get over what we’re riding.
JIM: Yeah, I know. I heard tell that these things used to roam this country long before buffalo and men came along.
SALLY: Yeah? I never heard of ‘em afore we saw ‘em up close and personal in that hidden valley.
JIM: Yeah. I met a man named Edward Cope once. He called himself a… aw, hell. I cain’t remember the name. Lots o syllables anyhow. He was making a name for himself digging up the bones o’ these huge creatures. He was an arrogant man. Quarrelsome by nature. And he had a competitor by the name of Marsh. From all I heard, he was a pretty ornery cuss too. It’s hard to believe two men could hate each other as much as these two did. Still, they had a name for these things. Dinosaurs, they called ‘em. Cope reckoned they all died out a long time ago. What he wouldn’t give to see some live ones like we got.
SALLY: I guess that makes us pretty special then, huh?
JIM: You mean apart from comin’ back from the dead?
SALLY: Yeah, I guess.
ANNIE: (STILL AT A DISTANCE) Hey, you two, get the lead out.
MUSIC: (BRIDGE) NEUTRAL SCENE ENDER (LET IT FINISH).

SCENE 2: EXT – ON THE TRAIL (EARLY MORNING)
(JIM, ANNIE, SALLY, SPEEDING ELK)

SOUND: THREE SETS OF DINOSAUR FEET WALKING TOGETHER, ONE SET APPROACHING AND ALL COMING TO A STOP (BEGIN AND FADE UNDER).
JIM: Whoah. (BEAT) What’s the news Speeding Elk.
SPEEDING ELK: We must hurry. You must follow.
SOUND: DINOSOUR FEET AGITATED.
JIM: Now, hold on. What’s up?
SPEEDING ELK: We are nearly upon him. He has stopped. But he waits for an Iron Horse.
ANNIE: An Iron horse. Jim, he’s found hisself a train station.
JIM: Uh-huh. That means he’s heading back East with that load o’ cursed rock he’s been hauling.
SPEEDING ELK: Come. Come quickly.
SALLY: Your damn straight we’re gonna come quickly. Let’s git. (Yah!)
SOUND: DINOSAURS BREAK INTO LOPING RUN AND FADE INTO DISTANCE (LET IT FINISH).
MUSIC: (BRIDGE) NEUTRAL SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH.

ACT 2

SCENE 3: EXT – APPROACHING THE TRAIN STATION (MID MORNING) (JIM, ANNIE, SALLY, SPEEDING ELK)

SOUND: FOUR SETS OF DINOSAUR FEET GALLOPING TOGETHER, JANGLE OF HARNESSES AND COMING TO A HALT (ESTABLISH AND FADE UNDER)
JIM: Whoah. (BEAT) Well there’s the station. It looks pretty quiet.
SOUND: DISTANT TRAIN WHISTLE – LET IT FINISH.
ANNIE: And there’s the train heading off into the distance. (SARCASTIC) Do you think we missed it?
JIM: (DEADPAN) I cain’t see any sign of the Mayor’s cart so that would be my guess.
SPEEDING ELK: The station is not empty.
SALLY: What’s that?
SPEEDING ELK: (FRUSTRATED) You white eyes! You look but do not see. There is movement behind the curtains.
ANNIE: Yeah, I see it.
SALLY: So, what do we do? Can these animals catch that train?
JIM: We’ve been pushing them pretty hard just to get here. Even if they was rested I don’t think they could catch it.
ANNIE: I thought you said he was heading back East. That looks North to me.
JIM: Yeah, the track skirts the edge of the mountains here, making its way around in a wide loop before heading back Eastwards. It was only a few miles out of their way to go round and the train company felt it would be quicker’n trying to blast their way through with a tunnel.
ANNIE: So if we can get across we could cut him off?
JIM: Maybe, but we’d have to find a way through those Mountains. Without a guide we could be lost for days.
SPEEDING ELK: I know a way. There is a hidden canyon. It can be reached from beyond those hills. My people have always shunned it.
SALLY: Why’s that?
SPEEDING ELK: It is the canyon of the soul stealers.
SALLY: Ooookaaay. That sounds cheerful.
ANNIE: Well, what’re our options; check out the station, follow the rail line, or risk the cheerful sounding canyon?
JIM: Just how dangerous is this canyon of yours Speeding Elk?
SPEEDING ELK: My people fear it. No-one has gone there in many generations. The reason has been forgotten.
ANNIE: Just great.
JIM: I think we need to take a look at the station… just in case the Mayor has left anything nasty behind for the next train.
ANNIE: And after that?
JIM: The canyon, I think. We don’t seem to have a lot of choice.
SALLY: Agreed.
SPEEDING ELK: (GRUNTS) Hmpf!
ANNIE: Alright then, let’s get this over with.
MUSIC: (BRIDGE) NEUTRAL SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH.

SCENE 4: TANNER TRAIN STATION (A SHORT WHILE LATER)
(JIM, ANNIE, SALLY, SPEEDING ELK, WALKING CORPSES)

SOUND: FOUR SETS OF DINOSAUR FEET COMING TO A HALT.
JIM: Well, what do you think?
ANNIE: Looks like a watering station… a place to top the engine up with water. There’s the main station itself, the wind pump, and that shack over yonder, but nothing else.
SALLY: Yeah, nice and secluded. As good a place as any for the mayor to embark.
SOUND: SQUEAKING OF WIND PUMP (ESTABLISH AND UNDER)
SALLY: Hey what’s that?
JIM: Just the windpump… no wait, there’s something up there… on the water tower.
SPEEDING ELK: Yes, and on the roof of the station.
SALLY: Is it one of them?
JIM: I cain’t tell.
ANNIE: You should consider getting’ your eyes checked and maybe a pair of spectacles.
JIM: I’ll take it under advisement… especially from someone who loses at horseshoes six times in a row.
SALLY: (SNICKERS) Heh.
ANNIE: Well, I may not be much show at some dumb game, but I can see plenty. It’s one of them alright. I cain’t see any reason why it’d be chewing on a human arm otherwise. Definitely, poisoned by the ghost-rock.
JIM: And the one on the station roof?
ANNIE: The same, a lookout maybe?
JIM: If so, they’re getting smarter.
ANNIE: How so?
SPEEDING ELK: The ghost rock drives out the spirit of the host leaving it empty. The remnant is alive but only knows hunger, thirst, rage… basic things. They are not human any more.
JIM: But they don’t stay that way, do they?
SPEEDING ELK: No. After a while a new spirit – a Manitou – comes to take over the body. Some are stupid and mean – spirits of mischief. Others are clever and cruel – spirits of evil.
SALLY: And the two that are playing lookout…
SPEEDING ELK: Are more clever than usual. They have been inhabited by spirits of evil.
SOUND: RIFLE BEING COCKED – LET IT FINISH.
ANNIE: Well, I’ve drawn a clear bead on one of them.
JIM: Annie, wait!
SOUND: RIFLE SHOT, DISTANT HISSING SCREAM, DISTANT THUD OF BODY FALLING FROM ROOF – LET IT FINISH.
SOUND: HISSING SCREAMS AND GROWLS FROM ALL AROUND – ESTABLISH AND UNDER.
JIM: Damnit, now they’re all coming out.
SALLY: Aw hell! Aim for the heads.
SOUND: MULTIPLE GUN SHOTS INTERSPERSED WITH THE SOUND OF ARROWS BEING FIRED – ESTABLISH AND FADE
MUSIC: OMINOUS SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH.

SCENE 5: EXT – TANNER TRAIN STATION (A GUNFIGHT LATER)
(JIM, ANNIE, SALLY, SPEEDING ELK, WALKING CORPSES)

SOUND: FADE IN SOUND OF GUNS FIRING – LET IT FINISH.
SALLY: I think that was the last of them.
JIM: Yeah, I’m pretty sure we ain’t gonna be bothered by the likes of them around here no more.
SALLY: No thanks to her.
ANNIE: Hey!
SALLY: Aw, no offence meant. I’m just enjoying NOT being the one who screwed up for once.
ANNIE: (SARCASTIC) Ha ha!
SALLY: No really, is this how you feel all the time? You know, superior and benevolent all at once?
ANNIE: (WARNING) I’m not sure you’ll feel much at all after I knock your damned head off.
SALLY: No, I mean it. Is this what it’s like to overlook other people’s weaknesses. Hell, I could get used to this.
ANNIE: Why you…
JIM: That’s enough out of both of you.
SALLY: But…
JIM: One more word and I’ll let Annie take you apart.
ANNIE: (MUTTERING) Like you could stop me.
JIM: And as for you, what in tarnation were you thinking? We’ve got Speeding Elk for the silent kill. There’s no need to be announcing our presence like that when we already know we’re walking into a trap.
ANNIE: (MUMBLING) You’re right.
JIM: What was that?
ANNIE: I’m sorry, already. I wasn’t thinking.
JIM: (BEAT) Good enough.
SPEEDING ELK: (BEAT) (HOSTILE) We can’t stay to bury the dead.
JIM: We’ve talked about this before, Speeding Elk.
SPEEDING ELK: Not this time. We have to get through the canyon before the iron horse reaches the other side.
ANNIE: I’m sorry Jim, I’m inclined to agree. If we don’t stop that train, we’ll be forced to follow on behind Mayor Wilson all the way to Washington.
SALLY: She’s right Jim. We’ll come back and see to the dead once this is over. But we cain’t delay now. We’re too close and we won’t have another opportunity like this.
JIM: (BEAT) (DEFEATED) Aw hell and damnation.
ANNIE: Jim?
JIM: Hell!
ANNIE: What is it?
JIM: No, you’re all right, of course. I know you are. It’s just that…
ANNIE: What?
JIM: I’m not sure there’s gonna be any “us” to come back here once we’re done.
SALLY: Well aint you the pessimist. I ain’t gonna allow that filthy mayor to kill me twice.
JIM: That’s not what I mean. Even if we do win, and it’s always been a risk that we might not, but even if we do… It’s like I was saying this morning. I ain’t certain what’ll happen next. I don’t want to just drop dead like carrion beside a wagon trail.
SALLY: What? You don’t think them Injuns who resurrected us are going to let us stay alive after we’ve completed this job?
SPEEDING ELK: It costs much energy to keep the spells sustaining us alive. I do not know if they are permanent or if…
ANNIE: Or if we go back to being dead once we’re done.
SPEEDING ELK: Yes.
SALLY: Then what are we doing this for? We should be putting off ending this for as long as possible.
JIM: We caint. It’s the same for all of us. We’re committed, but I cain’t help feeling bad about these folks.
SALLY: Well, we may not have time to bury ‘em but we can look them up in the station out of the sun and away from any animals that might come by. Will that do?
JIM: There’s only about ten bodies in total. I guess it’ll have to. Besides I want to have a look in that shed over there.
ANNIE: Why’s that?
JIM: I just have a feeling we might find something useful.
SPEEDING ELK: More delay. We must hurry.
JIM: I won’t be a moment.
MUSIC: NEUTRAL SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH.

SCENE 6: EXT – ENTERING THE CANYON (MID-DAY)
(JIM, ANNIE, SALLY, SPEEDING ELK, SHRIEKING SPIRITS)

SOUND: STEADY FOOTFALLS OF DINOSAUR MOUNTS – ESTABLISH AND UNDER
SALLY: Danged if you ain’t the clever one, Speeding Elk. This canyon’s so well hidden, no one would find it in a million years. And it’s so close to the train station too. Who’d have thought?
SPEEDING ELK: (GRUNTS) Hmpf.
SALLY: You know, you’ve never been the most talkative cuss, but you could at least acknowledge a compliment.
SPEEDING ELK: I did not mean to cause offense.
SALLY: … And?
SPEEDING ELK: (CONFUSED) I did not mean to cause offense.
SALLY: No, I mean what’s got you so distracted?
SPEEDING ELK: I am not distracted. I am listening.
SALLY: What to? I can’t here a thing.
SPEEDING ELK: Mmm. No sound. Makes me cautious.
SALLY: But it’s gorgeous in here. The sandstone is beautiful. What kind of danger could there be?
SPEEDING ELK: I do not know… but I feel… something is wrong.
SALLY: You’ve just got the jitters is all. You said yourself that your people haven’t been here in living memory. The canyon was probably home to a bear or some such. Probably long dead…
And besides our mounts ain’t reacting?
SPEEDING ELK: Our mounts do not react to wrongness. If they did we could not ride them.
SALLY: It’s a fair point. Maybe I should let the other two know.
JIM: We know. We’re right behind you.
SALLY: (EMBARRASSED) Uh, yeah. Sorry I forgot about you there for a minute there.
ANNIE: Heh.
SALLY: (WHINING – TO ANNIE) Shut up!
SOUND: HOWL OF WIND WITH A HISSING CRY UNDERNEATH IT – LET IT FINISH.
ANNIE: What was that?
SPEEDING ELK: Soul Stealer.
JIM: Let’s not go jumping to conclusions. It could just be the wind.
SPEEDING ELK: No, it is a soul stealer. Take out your amulets.
JIM: Why, what’ll they do?
SPEEDING ELK: They have power. They let us control our beasts. We will need this power.
ANNIE: So… you actually have no idea and you’re just playing it safe?
SPEEDING ELK: Yes.
ANNIE: I’m sold. Let’s get ‘em out.
SOUND: ANOTHER SCREAMING HOWL – MUCH CLOSER THIS TIME – LET IT FINISH.
SALLY: (PANICKED) What was that? I felt it rush past my face.
SOUND: ANOTHER SCREAMING HOWL- LET IT FINISH
JIM: Whoah, I felt that one.
SPEEDING ELK: (URGENTLY) Take hold of your amulets.
JIM: Why?
SPEEDING ELK: I can see them?
ANNIE: Land sakes, yeah, the amulets let you see em… and they’re hideous. Like shadows or charcoal smudges with glaring red eyes, claws and teeth.
JIM: Stay together. The amulets seem to be holding them back.
SALLY: You don’t have to ask me twice.
SOUND: MORE HOWLS – INCREASING IN NUMBER – ESTABLISH AND UNDER.
SOUND: WIND RUSH IN AND OUT LIKE SLOW HEAVY BREATHING – ESTABLISH AND UNDER (IN SYNC WITH ABOVE)
JIM: There’s more of them the further we go in…
ANNIE: And they seem to be pulsing somehow. Like they’s being pushed out and sucked back in… kind of like something’s breathing.
SALLY: Except every once in a while one of them breaks away and escapes out of the canyon.
SPEEDING ELK: Usually they are trapped, but the ghost rock is calling to them, providing them with hosts.
JIM: Trapped? Trapped by what?
SPEEDING ELK: Trapped by that.
SOUND: LOW ELECTRICAL CRACKLING SOUND – FADE IN BELOW.
SALLY: Crimeny, what is that?
SPEEDING ELK: It is a tear, a wound in the world, and it leads to the place of evil spirits. We cannot safely go nearer, even with the protection of the amulets.
JIM: You seem to know a lot about these… things. I thought you said that whatever inhabits this canyon was forgotten by your people.
SPEEDING ELK: It was. But I have seen this before, in my dreams. This is not the only such place. There are many of them. Once, long ago, my people were not scattered as they now are. There were not many tribes but only one. They harnessed the power of the earth and the wind and became masters of great medicine. In their pride they performed the great Ghost Dance, pressing their power into the world beyond, desiring to make it serve them. Their strength did not match their ambition and calamity struck. Holes were torn in the world through which nightmares poured. The great grandfather, greatest among us, poured the power of his spirit, his breath, into the tears. He could not close the holes and the effort took him from us, but he trapped the spirits so that none but the most powerful, the wendigo, could escape the immediate area of the holes. This is one such place.
JIM: So, if they’re trapped, what’s the danger?
SPEEDING ELK: They are attracted to empty vessels. While the grandfather’s breath anchors them to the holes through which they attempt to enter our world, the ghost rock frees them to enter an infected host.
JIM: So they can’t hurt us then?
SPEEDING ELK: No, we are in their midst. Any living being they can reach can be dispossessed of its soul so that one of them may enter.
ANNIE: That’s horrible. What happens to the original soul.
SPEEDING ELK: It is lost, sucked into the nightmare realm to be tortured forever.
SALLY: Just when you think it cain’t get any worse, but surely it cain’t effect us. We’re dead already.
SPEEDING ELK: We are dead, and we are not. Our souls are still bound to this realm and those monsters can still harm us.
SALLY: … but hey, did you say you reckon you seen this in a dream?
SPEEDING ELK: Yes. My people have a unique gift. The moment of our death comes to us in a dream when we are children. I have long been confused, for I did not see my death at the hands of the Mayor’s men in my dreams… but now I understand.
SALLY: Wait you don’t mean?
SPEEDING ELK: This is the place I saw in my dreams. I know what must be done here.
SALLY: Wait, what are you getting off your mount for?
SOUND: SPEEDING ELK DISMOUNTING – LET IT FINISH.
SPEEDING ELK: You should dismount here. The beasts will not be needed beyond this point.
JIM: Now, hold on. Are you saying it all ends here?
SPEEDING ELK: No. We must get beyond this tear in the world and we cannot do it with the animals.
JIM: I don’t understand.
SPEEDING ELK: Take your amulets and focus your concentration on me. Will the power in my direction.
SOUND: DINOSAURS GROWLING NERVOUSLY – LET IT FINISH.
JIM: I think we’d better do as he says.
SOUND: REMAINING RIDERS DISMOUNT – LET IT FINISH.
SALLY: He’s walking straight towards it.
JIM: Concentrate.
SOUND: BRING UP SOUNDS OF HOWLING, HISSING SPIRITS. OVERLAY WITH THUDS AND BUFFETTING NOISES. ESTABLISH JUST BELOW SPEECH.
ANNIE: (SHOUTING TO BE HEARD) Damn it, they’re attacking him. Speeding Elk is being hit from all sides.
JIM: Keep concentrating. They’re hitting him, but they’re bouncing off. They aren’t getting inside him.
SALLY: And you’re okay with this. He’s going to get himself killed.
JIM: We’re all that’s keeping him safe. I couldn’t stop him now, if I wanted to. We’ve just got to keep concentrating.
ANNIE: He’s reached the tear. Goodness, he’s taking hold of it… pulling it shut.
SPEEDING ELK: (AT A DISTANCE – GRUNTING WITH EFFORT) Aaaargh!
SALLY: I’ll be damned if it ain’t closing, sucking them back through.
SPEEDING ELK: (AT A DISTANCE – PAINED GRUNTING) Aaargh!
SALLY: He’s hurting. Ain’t there anything more we can do?
SPEEDING ELK: (AT A DISTANCE – ONE LAST GRUNTING EFFORT) Aaaargh!
SOUND: ELECTRIC SIZZLE AS CRACK CLOSES CUTTING OFF HOWLS. BACKGROUND HUM (ESTABLISH UNDER AND INCREASE SLOWLY).
SPEEDING ELK: (AT A DISTANCE – PANTING BUT HAPPY) It is done. We have succeeded in closing one of the holes.
SOUND: AGITATED GROWLS OF DINOSAURS – LET IT FINISH.
SOUND: FOUR POPS OF DISINTEGRATING AMULETS – LET THEM FINISH.
SALLY: What the?
ANNIE: The amulets. They’re collapsing, crumbling to nothing.
SOUND: DINOSAURS GROWL AND WHINE IN DISTRESS THEN GALLOP AWAY IN A PANIC – ESTABLISH, UNDER AND OUT.
SALLY: No! Our mounts. We cain’t control them without the amulets.
SPEEDING ELK: They cannot help us now, but the exit through the canyon is not far and the metal tracks of the iron horse lie just beyond.
SOUND: RISING HUM – UNDER BUT INCREASING.
SPEEDING ELK: I am sorry I cannot be with you to the end.
SALLY: What are you…?
ANNIE: Where the crack was, something is starting to glow.
JIM: Look out!
SOUND: ELECTRIC EXPLOSION – LET IT FINISH.
JIM: (COUGHING) An explosion. Closing the hole must have caused it somehow.
SALLY: Speeding Elk! Oh no! (BEGINNING TO SOB)
SOUND: SALLY RUNNING TO SPEEDING ELK’S SIDE – LET IT FINISH.
SALLY: (SOBBNG) Speeding Elk. No. Oh, Speeding Elk.
JIM: I’m so sorry. He’s gone.
SALLY: (WEEPING)
ANNIE: (COMFORTING SALLY) It’s Okay. You just let it all out. He’s gone and we’ll all miss him. But I guess you’ll miss him the most.
SALLY: (WEEPING) Ohhh.
MUSIC: TRAGIC SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH.
SOUND: CLOSING THEME AND CREDITS – LET IT FINISH.

CASTING SHEETS — MAJOR CHARACTERS

SPEEDING ELK: I am a tracker and hunter for my people. Murdered by white men, I have been brought back by Crow’s Shadow to serve my people in seeking their revenge upon the mayor of Liberty Gulch.

CASTING SHEETS — MINOR CHARACTERS

SHAMBLING DEAD: We follow. We obey. We feed.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

He is extremely grateful for the encouragement he receives from his biggest fans — his wife and two boys — all of whom read and enjoy his scripts and in general make his life worth living.

You can contact the author regarding performance rights (or simply to say hello) through his website: https://weirdworldstudios.com.

Don’t forget to check out the free sample portions of our titles at https://weirdworldstudios.com/product-category/our-products/.

The post Where Death Follows the Rails – Episode 1 – Closing the Distance appeared first on Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama.

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Where Death Follows the Rails – Episode 2 – All Things End

WHERE DEATH RIDES THROUGH

EPISODE #2 – All Things End

ALL THINGS END

CAST LIST

SCENE 7: EXT – AT THE TRACKS (LATER) (JIM, ANNIE, SALLY)

SCENE 8: (EXT) RUINED ENGINE OF CRASHED TRAIN (JIM, ANNIE, THE MAYOR)

ACT 3

SCENE 9: EXT – AMIDST THE TRAIN WRECKAGE – JIM, CROW’S SHADOW

SCENE 10: EXT – TRAIN WRECK – STANDING OVER ANNIE AND SALLY’S GRAVES – LATER (JIM, BILL, JACK)

SCENE 11: EXT – BRIDGE OVER CHASM – LATER (JIM, MAYOR)

SCENE 12: THE CANYON FLOOR – 150 YRS LATER (JOE, HECTOR)

CASTING SHEETS — MAJOR CHARACTERS

CASTING SHEETS — MINOR CHARACTERS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Where Death Follows the Rails – Episode 1 – Closing the Distance

WHERE DEATH RIDES THROUGH

EPISODE #1 – Closing the Distance

CLOSING THE DISTANCE

CAST LIST

ACT 1

SCENE 1: EXT – A MAKESHIFT CAMP – NIGHT (JIM, ANNIE, SALLY)

SCENE 2: EXT – ON THE TRAIL (EARLY MORNING) (JIM, ANNIE, SALLY, SPEEDING ELK)

ACT 2

SCENE 3: EXT – APPROACHING THE TRAIN STATION (MID MORNING) (JIM, ANNIE, SALLY, SPEEDING ELK)

SCENE 4: TANNER TRAIN STATION (A SHORT WHILE LATER) (JIM, ANNIE, SALLY, SPEEDING ELK, WALKING CORPSES)

SCENE 5: EXT – TANNER TRAIN STATION (A GUNFIGHT LATER) (JIM, ANNIE, SALLY, SPEEDING ELK, WALKING CORPSES)

SCENE 6: EXT – ENTERING THE CANYON (MID-DAY) (JIM, ANNIE, SALLY, SPEEDING ELK, SHRIEKING SPIRITS)

CASTING SHEETS — MAJOR CHARACTERS

CASTING SHEETS — MINOR CHARACTERS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SCENE 7: EXT – AT THE TRACKS (LATER)
(JIM, ANNIE, SALLY)

SCENE 2: EXT – ON THE TRAIL (EARLY MORNING)
(JIM, ANNIE, SALLY, SPEEDING ELK)

SCENE 4: TANNER TRAIN STATION (A SHORT WHILE LATER)
(JIM, ANNIE, SALLY, SPEEDING ELK, WALKING CORPSES)

SCENE 5: EXT – TANNER TRAIN STATION (A GUNFIGHT LATER)
(JIM, ANNIE, SALLY, SPEEDING ELK, WALKING CORPSES)

SCENE 6: EXT – ENTERING THE CANYON (MID-DAY)
(JIM, ANNIE, SALLY, SPEEDING ELK, SHRIEKING SPIRITS)