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

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 This is a brand new (unpublished draft) series (featuring Jim Wilkes, Annie Deems, Sally Turner, and Speeding Elk).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.

WHERE DEATH RIDES THROUGH

EPISODE #2 – All Things End

by Philip Craig Robotham

Cover Illustration by Miyukiko

Unedited Draft

Copyright 2016 Philip Craig Robotham

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

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.

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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)

286. MUSIC: OPENING THEME
287. 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?
288. SOUND: (WALLA) TRUDGING FEET ON SAND – ESTABLISH AND UNDER.
289. SALLY: (WITH A CATCH IN HER THROAT) Thanks for taking the time to bury him.
290. 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.
291. 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.
292. SOUND: DISTANT TRAIN WHISTLE – LET IT FINISH.
293. JIM: I don’t have one. By now, everyone on that train is dead. I intend to stop the train, not board it.
294. ANNIE: Well, how are you gonna do that?
295. JIM: Just a second.
296. SOUND: RUSTLING OF SADDLEBAGS- LET IT FINISH.
297. JIM: Here we go. I got these from that little shed back at the station.
298. SALLY: Is that… dynamite?
299. JIM: Ahuh. This should create a break in the tracks and that should derail the train.
300. SOUND: MATCH STRIKE AND HISS – ESTABLISH AND UNDER
301. JIM: Come on. Let’s get clear, behind those boulders.
302. SOUND: CRUNCH OF BODIES DIVING INTO SAND – LET IT FINISH.
303. SALLY: (BEAT) Nothing. Something must have gone wrong…
304. SOUND: EXPLOSION – APPROACHING TRAIN – SCREECH AND CRASH – LET IT FINISH.
305. SALLY: (BEAT THEN COUGHING) Then again…
306. SOUND: (WALLA) SHRIEKS AND CRIES OF POSSESSED PASSENGERS- ESTABLISH AND UNDER.
307. ANNIE: Well, here they come, climbing out of the crashed rail cars and such.
308. JIM: We’ve got some cover for now… but we’ve to make our way toward the engine at the front.
309. SALLY: Why’s that?
310. JIM: I don’t imagine the mayor would’ve trusted anything else to drive the train.
311. SALLY: All right. Just… give me… one… second.
312. ANNIE: What on earth are you doing now? (DISBELIEF) Are you shuffling cards?
313. SALLY: Just… getting us some… luck. There, we’re going to need it?
314. ANNIE: Aw, come on.
315. SALLY: (MIFFED) You never questioned Speeding Elk and the mumbo-jumbo he could do?
316. ANNIE: That’s ‘cause I had good reason to believe Speeding Elk. You on the other hand…
317. SALLY: Oh, shut up and get down… again.
318. ANNIE: What?
319. SOUND: SERIES OF EXPLOSIONS ROLLING THE LENGTH OF THE TRAIN, CARRIAGE BY CARRIAGE, ACCOMPANIED BY WHISTLING SHRAPNEL. LET IT FINISH.
320. JIM: The carriages ignited.
321. SALLY: (PANTING, WEAK) Ahuh. (PANTING SOME MORE) But I think… I put everything I’ve got into that one.
322. ANNIE: What? But how?
323. 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.
324. ANNIE: But…
325. SALLY: Just once… cain’t you take my word for it.
326. JIM: Sally, are you gonna be okay.
327. SALLY: Yeah, I think so. But I’m not gonna be any use to you in a fight for a while.
328. JIM: Yeah, I can see that. Here, sit down.
329. ANNIE: She’s gone pale… well paler.
330. SALLY: I’m right here y’know.
331. ANNIE: (SHEEPISH) Sorry. But you don’t look good.
332. SALLY: I think I borrowed some of that power the Indians gave us… maybe too much.
333. ANNIE: Alright, you wait here and rest. We’ll be fack for you.
334. SALLY: Should have less of ‘em to deal with now.
335. JIM: Yeah, I count about fifteen or so. No sign of the mayor, though.
336. SALLY: I didn’t get him.
337. JIM: How’d you know?
338. SALLY: I just know. I’d have felt it. (EMPHASIS) You’d have felt.
339. JIM: Yeah, I guess I would.
340. SALLY: Killing his body… is only the first step.
341. ANNIE: She’s turning delirious.
342. 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.
343. ANNIE: Would one of Speeding Elk’s arrows do? He used some of the ghost rock for his arrowheads.
344. SALLY: Yeah… it will… now go.
345. JIM: C’mon. Time’s a-wasting.
346. ANNIE: (FONDLY) I don’t believe it. She always finds a way to avoid the heavy work.
347. 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)
348. JIM: C’mon, let her rest.
349. ANNIE: (TEARY) Yeah, I guess we got us some killing to do.
350. SOUND: RUNNING FEET, GUNS BLAZING – FADE UNDER AND OUT.
351. MUSIC: NEUTRAL SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH.

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

352. SOUND: (WALLA) CREAK OF METAL IN BREEZE, DRIP OF SIZZLING WATER FROM CRACKED BOILER, FLICKER OF FLAME FROM REMAINS OF EXPLOSION – ESTABLISH AND UNDER.
353. SOUND: TWO SHOTS – LET THEM FINISH.
354. ANNIE: Ugh. They’re messy to put down when they’re freshly dead, ain’t they?
355. 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?
356. ANNIE: Nope. But this is the engine… or what’s left of it. If he ain’t skedaddled, this is where he’ll be.
357. 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.
358. WILSON: That’s about right.
359. ANNIE: It’s him.
360. SOUND: CLANK AND WHIRR OF A GATLING GUN – ESTABLISH AND UNDER.
361. WILSON: Now, now, don’t go making any sudden moves. This here Gatling gun will tear you clean in half.
362. JIM: You cain’t kill us, you know?
363. 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…
364. Now, there is somethin’ a little odd about you.
365. ANNIE: (STAGE WHISPER) Keep him busy while I line up a shot.
366. 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?
367. JIM: We’re here to kill you alright.
368. WILSON: I didn’t think cold-blooded murder was quite your niche, hero.
369. 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.
370. 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.
371. ANNIE: Now that’s just rude, Mister.
372. SOUND: RIFLE SHOT, BODY DROP, DROP OF GATTLING GUN – LET IT FINISH.
373. ANNIE: Forget about the women folk again did you?
374. JIM: Good shot, Annie. You got him right between the eyes. Quick, help me get his head off.
375. ANNIE: Ugh. I hate this part.
376. SOUND: TEARING SQUELCH NOISE – LET IT FINISH.
377. JIM: There. That’s it. I guess we…
378. SOUND: WIND RISES – LET IT FINISH.
379. ANNIE: Wait, something’s happening. I don’t think this is over yet.
380. SOUND: SHRIEKING METAL AND CLUNKS OF METAL COMING TOGETHER – LET IT FINISH.
381. JIM: I think you’re right. The body’s dead but the spirit is free.
382. ANNIE: It’s pulling the wreckage of the engine apart.
383. JIM: It’s building some kind of armor. It’s huge, twenty feet tall!
384. SOUND: SHRIEK OF STRAINING METAL – LET IT FINISH.
385. ANNIE: Jim. It’s got me. (TRAILING SHRIEK OF PAIN) Aaaarghhhhh!
386. SOUND: WET TEARING SOUND FOLLOWED BY TWO OVERLAPPING WET THUDS – LET IT FINISH.
387. SOUND: CRUNCH OF HUGE METAL FOOT STRIKING THE GROUND – LET IT FINISH
388. JIM: No!
389. WILSON: Oh dear! I seem to have torn your friend in half and stomped on her head. Hahahaha.
390. JIM: I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you.
391. SOUND: GUNSHOTS BOUNCING OFF ARMOR; SIX SHOTS THEN CLICKING OF EMPTY CHAMBERS – LET IT FINISH.
392. WILSON: No. You are weak. You are pathetic. But mostly you are irrelevant.
393. SOUND: TWISTING METAL AND WET SWORD THRUST NOISES – ESTABLISH AN UNDER.
394. JIM: (SCREAMING IN TIME WITH SWORD THRUST SOUNDS) Aaargh. Argh. Arrrrgh.
395. 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…
396. SOUND: WET SWORD THRUST – UNDER FOLLOWING SCREAM.
397. JIM: (SCREAMS) Aaargh.
398. WILSON: through you and, with a bit of a twist,…
399. SOUND: METAL TWISTING – UNDER THE FOLLOWING SCREAM.
400. JIM: (SCREAMS) Aaargh.
401. WILSON: I can even add a bit of extra pain to the mix. Mwahahahahaha.
402. JIM: (PANTING WEAKLY) I’m going to kill you. You are never going to get away with this.
403. 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.
404. SOUND: HEAVY CRUNCH OF METAL FOOTSTEPS WALKING AWAY – FADE.
405. JIM: (WEAKLY) No. Noooo.
406. MUSIC: TIME PASSING SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH.

ACT 3

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

407. SOUND: (WALLA) CRICKETS, OCCASIONAL OWL, COYOTE HOWL – FADE IN ESTABLISH AND UNDER.
408. SOUND: MAGICAL RINGING SOUND.
409. JIM: (WEAKLY) Who’s there?
410. CROW’S SHADOW: One less foolish than you, I think.
411. JIM: Crow’s Shadow? Is that you?
412. CROW’S SHADOW: You appear to be failing, Jim Wilkes.
413. JIM: I’d say I’ve failed already. The others are dead – really dead this time – and I’m trapped here.
414. CROW’S SHADOW: Yes, Jim Wilkes, you are a disappointment to us.
415. 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.
416. 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.
417. JIM: Then why am I still here? Why haven’t you released me?
418. 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.
419. JIM: But I’m trapped here. I cain’t move for the pain. These spears of scrap metal have run me through.
420. 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.
421. JIM: What?
422. 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?
423. JIM: But these spears… they hurt.
424. 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.
425. JIM: (HOPEFUL) Then Speeding Elk and Sally, they can still come back…
426. 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.
427. JIM: And I saw Annie die. That thing crushed her skull. You cain’t bring her back either. can you?
428. CROW’S SHADOW: But you remain. The fire still burns within you. You desire the monster’s death still.
429. 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?
430. 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.
431. JIM: (SHUDDERING BREATH). Alright, there seems to be nothing for it. Help me out of this and I will go on.
432. 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.
433. JIM: Wait, how do I kill it? It doesn’t have a body no more?
434. 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…
435. 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.
436. SOUND: WET AND LIKE A SWORD UNSHEATHING – UNDER SCREAM.
437. JIM: (CRY OF PAIN) Aaargh. (PANTING) Well, that was one of em. Two more to…
438. SOUND: WET AND LIKE A SWORD UNSHEATHING – UNDER SCREAM.
439. JIM: (FURTHER CRY OF PAIN). Aaargh. (GROANS) That’s number two. Just one more to… Oh, damn. This one’s bent.
440. SOUND: METAL SCREECHING AS IT IS BENT. WET SOUND LIKE A SWORD UNSHEATHING – UNDER SCREAM.
441. JIM: (FINAL CRY OF PAIN). Aaargh. (FOLLOWED BY WHIMPER AND PANTING) Even for a memory that hurt!
442. SOUND: BODY COLLAPSES TO GROUND.
443. JIM: Just gonna catch my breath a minute (not that I’ve got any to catch) and gather up them tools.
444. SOUND: TIME PASSING SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH.

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

445. SOUND: (WALLA) SQUEAK OF RAILWAY HANDCART SLOWLY APPROACHES – FADE IN AND KEEP UNDER.
446. SOUND: SHOVEL IN DIRT – LET IT FINISH.
447. 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.
448. 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)
449. What’s that sound? (HOPEFUL) It’s a handcart coming up the track from where we came.
450. SOUND (WALLA) SQUEAK OF HAND CART – BRING IT UP AND APPLY SQUEAK OF BRAKES – LET IT FINISH.
451. BILL WYLAND: Whoa, there. I guess we’ve arrived. (BEAT) Well, I’ll be.
452. JACK FENCE: Dang, if that don’t beat all.
453. BILL: When they said the telegraph was down, they never said nothing about no train crash.
454. JACK: I’m guessing they didn’t know. What happened to these people. Most of ‘em are missing their heads.
455. BILL: Injun’s do you think?
456. JACK: I’ve fought ‘em and this doesn’t look like something they’d do. No horse prints or arrows either.
457. SOUND: NEAR SIMULTANEOUS COCKING OF TWO HANDGUNS – LET IT FINISH.
458. JIM: And on that score, you’d be right.
459. 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.
460. 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.
461. SOUND: BELTS BEING UNBUCKLED AND THROWN OVER – LET IT FINISH.
462. JIM: Thank you.
463. JACK: (TENTATIVE) You ain’t looking too good, Sherrif. Were you on the train? Can we help you?
464. JIM: I wasn’t on the train, no. And the man that did this is getting away. So I don’t have much time.
465. BILL: (SHOCKED) You mean one man did all this?
466. JIM: (ANGRY – SOUNDING A LITTLE CRAZED) Didn’t you hear me? He’s getting away and I ain’t got much time.
467. JACK: (PLACATING AND WORRIED) Sure, sure, Sherrif. We’ll help you any way we can.
468. 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.
469. BILL: You think he’s following the tracks… is that it?
470. JIM: Ahuh. I do.
471. BILL: But Jack, we’re in the middle of nowhere. We caint get back without the cart. We’ll die out here.
472. 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.
473. 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.
474. JACK: And if we say no?
475. SOUND: GUNSHOT AND RICOCHET – LET IT FINISH.
476. 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?
477. JACK AND BILL: Uh, yes sir. Yes. Right away.
478. SOUND: GRUNTS AND SQUEAK OF HANDCART BEING PUSHED – ESTABLISH AND UNDER.
479. MUSIC: NEUTRAL SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH.

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

480. SOUND: (WALLA) SQUEAK OF HANDCART HANDLE AND CLACK OF WHEELS ON TRACK – ESTABLISH AND UNDER
481. 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.
482. SOUND: BRAKING AND SLOWING OF HANDCART HANDLE AS CART COMES TO A HALT – ESTABLISH UNDER AND STOP.
483. 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.
484. SOUND: GIANT METALLIC FOOTSTEPS GETTING NEARER – ESTABLISH AND UNDER
485. 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.
486. SOUND: GIANT METALLIC FOOTSTEPS COME TO A STOP. SQUEAL OF METAL AS GIANT ARMOR TURNS TO FACE JIM – LET IT FINISH.
487. 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.
488. SOUND: (WALLA) WIND WHISTLING – JIM’S FOOTSTEPS ALONG THE TRACK – ESTABLISH AND UNDER (CONTINUE UNTIL 489)
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.
490. 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.
491. 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.
492. 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.
493. 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?
494. WILSON: Such stupidity. Come closer little man. I’ll tear you in half as I did your friend.
495. 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?
496. 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.
497. SOUND: MATCH LIGHT AND HISS OF FUSE – UNDER.
498. 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.
499. WILSON: Why you…
500. SOUND: ARMORED FOOTSTEPS BUILD QUICKLY TO A LUMBERING RUN APPROACHING – ESTABLISH AND UNDER.
501. 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…
502. SOUND: TWANG OF BOW AND DEPARTING HISS OF ARROW – LET IT FINISH.
503. SOUND: THUNK OF ARROW STRIKING HOME – LET IT FINISH.
504. WILSON: No! How did you? (BEAT) (TRAILING OFF) I am unmade…
505. SOUND: MUSICAL EXPLOSIVE NOISE TRAILING OFF – LET IT FINISH.
506. SOUND: CRASH OF METAL ARMOR COLLAPSING – LET IT FINISH.
507. 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…
508. SOUND: EXPLOSION – LET IT FINISH.
509. 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.
510. SOUND: Body slumps to ground.
511. 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…
512. MUSIC: TRAGIC SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH.

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

513. SOUND: (WALLA) HOOF BEATS OF MULE, OCCASIONAL SCREECH OF HAWK, LIGHT WIND – ESTABLISH AND UNDER.
514. JOE: Hey, Hector? How long have you been prospecting through these old canyons?
515. HECTOR: A mite over 20 years now I guess, Joe. Why?
516. JOE: I heard there was a railway track that used to run somewhere hereabouts?
517. 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.
518. JOE: What happened?
519. 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.
520. JOE: How many people were on board?
521. 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.
522. JOE: What happened to the railway line? Why didn’t they rebuild it?
523. HECTOR: They found a better path for it, and folks didn’t want to take the train out this way much after that.
524. JOE: So what are we looking for here?
525. 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.
526. JOE: Like treasure?
527. HECTOR: Maybe.
528. 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.
529. 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.
530. SOUND: MULE COMING TO A HALT – LET IT FINISH.
531. JOE: Hey, what’s happening? Did you see something interesting?
532. 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.
533. JOE: Sure Hector…
534. SOUND: RUMMAGING IN SADDLE BAG – LET IT FINISH.
535. JOE: … here you are.
536. HECTOR: (MOVING AWAY) Thanks, sonny.
537. JOE: You want to be careful there. With that much erosion, the whole cliff face could be unstable.
538. HECTOR: (FROM A DISTANCE) I’ll be fine. I just want to take a sample.
539. SOUND: TAPPING OF HAMMER ON ROCK – LET IT FINISH.
540. 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…
541. SOUND: CRACKING OF ROCK – LET IT FINISH.
542. SOUND: RINGING MAGICAL CHIME – LET IT FINISH.
543. 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.
544. HECTOR: (MONSTER VOICE, LAUGHING) Bwahahahahaha.
545. 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.

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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.

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