Episode 97: "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came” – The Sheridan Tapes
CONTENT WARNING: Discussions of loss and grief including mentions of depressions and suicidal ideation, existential dread and despair, explosions and gun violence, elements of body horror and transformation, pyrophobia, mentions of a child drowning, character injury, squelching sound effects, and loud noises including screams
????2020_07a: The rescue of Anna Sheridan begins…
Starring James Cain as Peter Slate, Amitola Lomas as Maria Sol, Mike Kennedy as Edgar Morrison, Maurice Cooper as Jerry Price, Jesse Steele as Bill Tyler, Chris Martin as Robert Quincy, Ezra J. Wayne as Ned Leroux, Van Winkle as Sam Bailey, Virginia Spotts as Kate Sheridan, Sam Taylor as Ren Park, Alejandra Cejudo as Amanita, Airen Neeley Chaconas as Anna Sheridan, and Ray O’Hare as Ellis Spengler, with original music by Jesse Haugen. Written by Van Winkle and produced by Virginia Spotts, with dialogue editing and sound design by Van Winkle.
This episode was made possible by our supporters at Patreon.com/homesteadcorner, ko-fi.com/homesteadcorner, and our backers on Seed&Spark.
Script
Transcript
CONTENT WARNING: Discussions of loss and grief including mentions of depressions and suicidal ideation, existential dread and despair, explosions and gun violence, elements of body horror and transformation, pyrophobia, mentions of a child drowning, character injury, squelching sound effects, and loud noises including screams
[Waves lap on the shore of the lake]
[Footsteps in the sand]
[The distorted air of the bubble shimmers around them]
Peter Slate
You know… you don’t have to do this.
Maria Sol
No. I have to be there. If Sam didn’t get my message, then I need to find him and tell him about the lake before it’s too late.
Peter Slate
We don’t even know what happens to people who pass through the bubble, Maria. It could kill you for all we know.
Maria Sol
Maybe. But I have to try.
[Peter sighs]
[Long pause]
Peter Slate
What if… what if we’re already too late?
Maria Sol
Too late for what?
Peter Slate
What if Morrison… I mean, he hates all of you so much. What if he’s already found them and… and…
Maria Sol
Hey — hey! Look at me. You can’t think like that right now. Okay?
Peter Slate
But I could have told Kate to come home… I could have…
Maria Sol
No, you couldn’t have. You know as well as I do that you couldn’t have talked her out of it even if you’d tried. This was her choice, not yours.
Peter Slate
But I’m her husband… I should have done more.
Maria Sol
Listen to me Peter — you can’t afford to think like this right now. I spent most of a year blaming myself for what happened to Anna, and all it did was make me a danger to myself.
Peter Slate
And what, this is better? You’re about to jump through some kind of… eldritch barrier on a hunch. I can’t just sit here and watch you kill yourself, Maria!
[Pause; Maria considers something]
Maria Sol
Did Kate ever tell you about what happened to me at Heceta Head? Right before I met her in Oslow?
Peter Slate
Uh… I think she mentioned it, yeah. Something about a lighthouse?
Maria Sol
That was where despair took me. I was down to my last fifty bucks with a dozen tapes left to look into. I could barely afford to put gas in my van, but I still wanted to follow up on all of Anna’s unfinished business… but I knew I wouldn’t get the chance. I told myself I was going out into the woods at night to look for a ghost, but the truth is… I was just looking for an end.
Peter Slate
You… you mean…
Maria Sol
Honestly, if that vision of Anna didn’t show up when she did, I probably would have just thrown myself into the sea… ended it right there before I figured out the truth.
Peter Slate
Oh god, Maria…
Maria Sol
No, it’s fine… it didn’t happen, and I’m… well, not okay, but… better.
Peter Slate
So… so why are you telling me this now?
Maria Sol
Because I need you to understand that I’m not doing this out of desperation, or despair, or as a way to get myself killed. I’m doing this because I finally have a sliver of a hope that I’ll get to see Anna again. And I’m willing to risk anything to make that happen.
[Pause]
Peter Slate
Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?
Maria Sol
I’m sure, Peter.
Peter Slate
Well… that’s your call, I guess. [slight pause] So what am I supposed to do out here? While you’re all in there saving the world?
Maria Sol
Kate needs hope too.
[Footsteps towards the bubble]
[The bubble makes an energetic rippling noise as Maria passes through]
[Cassette noises]
[Long pause; Peter takes a deep breath]
Peter Slate
Hope.
[Click]
[Main Theme]
Recording Begins
[Cassette noises]
[Click]
[Static fades]
[Morrison issues a grand speech on loudspeakers in the background, echoing in the city]
[The city is otherwise quiet]
Jerry Price
God, does this guy ever shut up?
Bill Tyler
Not for all the money in the world.
Robert Quincy
Guess that’s what happens when there’s no one left to tell him he’s killing the mood. Remember that Christmas party last year?
Bill Tyler
[Uneasy laugh] If only I could forget. Do you think Ned got into position okay?
[Rob ducks out slightly]
Robert Quincy
I’m not sure… I think the officer next to Morrison looks a little taller than he should be, though?
Bill Tyler
Of course Ned couldn’t resist making himself a little taller.
Jerry Price
Focus, lovebirds. Is the uh… the thing ready?
Bill Tyler
You can say “bomb” Jerry, it’s not like we’re at the airport.
Jerry Price
Bill, this really isn’t the time for jokes.
[Rob unzips his backpack, fiddling with the bomb inside]
Robert Quincy
I’ve got it right here in my bag, Jerry. And it’s as ready as it can be… it’s not like this Lara person made it very complicated.
Bill Tyler
Still can’t believe she didn’t notice Ned take it.
Robert Quincy
Well, he did say there was a lot going on at the time.
Morrison (in background)
Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice!
[A John Philip Sousa march begins to play]
[Troops march]
Bill Tyler
That’s it! That was Ned’s signal — he made it in okay!
Jerry Price
Hopefully he can make it back out alright.
Bill Tyler
Hey, don’t worry about it… Ned can handle himself.
[Squelching in the background]
Ned Leroux
Oh I can handle way more than that, Billy boy.
[Pause]
Bill Tyler
…I uh… I definitely have a comeback for that, just give me a second.
Ned Leroux
[Laughs] Hey, take your time… it’s not everyday you see your boyfriend turn into goo.
Bill Tyler
I don’t know about that… Rob’s had some pretty rough days.
Robert Quincy
Hey!
[Rob punches Bill in the arm playfully]
[The three of them laugh]
Jerry Price
Oh, get a room, you two.
Ned Leroux
Oh don’t you worry — soon as this is over, that’s the first thing we’re gonna do.
[The loudspeakers pop as the music cuts out]
[The marching stops]
[Pause]
[The first notes of the 1812 Overture]
Bill Tyler
Looks like that’s got them confused, alright.
Robert Quincy
Is Morrison back in the palace?
Bill Tyler
Yeah, yeah it looks like it… hopefully he stays there.
Ned Leroux
He should. I got a better look at him up on the podium… asshole looked like he needs about 20 years of bedrest.
Jerry Price
So… we’re actually doing this?
[Pause]
Ned Leroux
It’s still a risk. A big one.
Robert Quincy
We know.
Ned Leroux
There’s no guarantee we all make it out of there alive.
Bill Tyler
Look, there was no guarantee when Sam and Kate and Maria came to rescue me from Morrison. Or when you and Sam saved us from the Source. It’s… it’s time to return the favor.
Ned Leroux
Jerry?
Jerry Price
Oh, I’m going for sure… not missing my chance to finally kick Morrison’s ass.
Ned Leroux
[With a laugh] Hell yeah.
Bill Tyler
Ned? [Pause] Whatever happens in there… if we don’t make it out, I just want to say that… that I’m just really glad we…
Robert Quincy
Thank you, Ned. For everything.
Ned Leroux
It was my pleasure.
[The music shifts into the next movement]
Jerry Price
Alrighty everyone… pick your weapons.
[Sound of wooden bats clunking against each other]
Bill Tyler
God, I wish I still had my service pistol.
Ned Leroux
It would be too noisy… besides, these things are barely being held together as it is — baseball bats should do the trick.
Jerry Price
Come on… Let’s move.
[The team rushes out of the alley, stopping and looking ahead of them from time to time]
[An officer beats its baton against a metal gate in warning]
[Rob grunts and swings his bat, crushing the hollow skull of the officer]
[An alarm begins to sound]
[Distant marching begins, growing closer]
Ned Leroux
Shit, that got their attention.
Bill Tyler
Just get that gate open, Ned! We’ll cover you.
[Ned squelches, shifting his hands into the heavy lock on the gate]
[Footsteps continue to approach]
[Click]
[Silence]
[Cassette noises]
[Click]
[Static fades]
[Portable radio playing the Sousa march, quietly]
[Empty desert, and the wind within it]
Sam Bailey
Sam Bailey, recording.
Kate Sheridan
Kate Sheridan, recording.
Ren Park
Ren Park, recording.
All
Marker.
[Simultaneous clap]
Sam Bailey
There we go… hopefully we won’t miss anything from here on.
Kate Sheridan
I mean, it’s not like we weren’t already taping everything.
Sam Bailey
I know, but… if something goes wrong or we get reset, I want to make sure we know what happened. Plus… if this actually works, it would be a shame not to get it on tape.
[The radio goes quiet suddenly]
[Pause]
[The bubble barrier hums]
[The 1812 Overture begins over the radio]
Kate Sheridan
That’s the signal. Is the lake…
[Distortion rises in Sam’s voice]
Sam Bailey
It’s close. I can feel it… the barrier is right at the shoreline, and the lake is fighting it as much as it can, but… it’s about to give way.
Ren Park
We’re t-minus 2 minutes 15 to the attack. Hopefully Morrison is distracted enough by then not to notice us.
Kate Sheridan
Something on your mind, Ren?
Ren Park
I mean… you all know I’ve been struggling with the implications of the Source a lot. But this… Sam, you’re trying to find one person in one specific moment in one specific timeline, and you’ll have access to every second of history in every universe that’s ever existed or ever could exist. What if it goes wrong? What if you end up finding the wrong Anna and bringing her back? If that happens, then the causal loop won’t close, Morrison will still be in control, and he’ll just kill us all when you get back. Or worse… what if you step into the wrong moment in time and break history? What if this is all a big mistake—
Kate Sheridan
—and what if it all works out like it should? What if this is where we finally get Anna back and stop Morrison for good? You keep saying that an infinite multiverse means anything is possible, right? Well what if we’re in the timeline where we win?
Sam Bailey
I know the risks, Ren. We all do.
Ren Park
I don’t know how you’re staying so calm, Sam.
Sam Bailey
I’m really not. Tell you the truth, I’m fucking terrified of going back in there. But this is our one chance to finally set things right. I’d say that’s worth the gamble.
[Energetic rippling, ripping noise as the barrier passes over the lake]
[The sounds of lapping waves]
Ren Park
Huh… right on time, I guess.
Kate Sheridan
The lake… it’s back.
[Sam faces Kate]
Sam Bailey
I’ll bring her back, Kate. I promise.
Kate Sheridan
We’ll be waiting for you right here when you do, Sam.
[Sam turns, takes a deep breath, and goes into the water]
[The music evolves into the next movement]
[Splash as Sam disappears]
Kate Sheridan
[Whispered] Good luck, Sam.
[Crackling, energetic, ripping noise]
[Maria emerges a little ways off]
Maria Sol
Oh good… I’m not dead.
Ren Park
…Maria!?
[Maria runs to them]
Maria Sol
Ren…? Kate! Oh thank god… did you get my message? Where’s Sam?
[Maria wraps them both in a big hug]
Maria Sol
God, I was so worried I’d never see you again.
Kate Sheridan
It’s okay Maria… We’re okay. We got your message, and Sam… Sam’s already on his way.
Maria Sol
You mean…
Kate Sheridan
He’s going to find Anna, Maria. He’s bringing her back to us.
Maria Sol
Oh my god… it’s finally happening.
Ren Park
Um… Maria… great to see you, but I’m… kinda having trouble breathing here.
Maria Sol
Oh right! Sorry!
[Maria releases them, Ren coughs]
Ren Park
Thanks Maria… and I mean that. I’m really glad you’re okay.
Maria Sol
Me? You’re the one who’s been stuck in this… whatever this is.
Kate Sheridan
It… Hasn’t been the best time, no. But it’ll all be over soon.
Maria Sol
I hope so… cause you’ll never guess who’s waiting for you on the other side of the bubble.
[Click]
[Silence]
[Click]
[Ned continues to try and pick the lock]
[Jerry, Bill, and Rob grunt as they swing at officers as they come close]
[The creatures fall with a hydraulic scream and hiss]
[The sound of boots marching on the street]
[The sound of the 1812 Overture on the loudspeakers]
Jerry Price
[Grunting as he swings] How’s that lock coming?
Ned Leroux
It’ll go slower the more you distract me.
Bill Tyler
[Grunting as he swings] We can’t hold them off forever Ned!
Ned Leroux
Almost… there…
[Mechanical clunking noise]
[More whirring and clunking]
Ned Leroux
Dammit! Morrison keeps changing the lock, it’s fighting me!
Robert Quincy
[Grunting as he swings] What about the bomb?
Jerry Price
No, we need that to get into the palace, and we’ve only got one!
[The alarm changes pitch]
[More officers start pouring into the streets]
Bill Tyler
Fuck! Ned, we need to get this open, now!
[Ned snarls and transforms his body to physically rip the metal lock apart]
Ned Leroux
It’s open! Come on!
Jerry Price
Too late, here they come!
[They turn to face their fate]
[An explosion suddenly rocks the street, stopping the marching]
[BANG! BANG! BANG! A rifle fires from the roof of a building]
[Officers are hit and fall to the street]
Ned Leroux
Holy shit, it’s Lara!
[Lara continues to fire]
[Officers continue to march again]
Bill Tyler
Ummm… they’re splitting up guys, I don’t think that’s…
[Heavy, metallic scraping noises as a manhole cover is pushed aside on the street from below]
[All noise stops, and everyone looks into the tunnels]
Robert Quincy
What the hell is happening…?
Amanita (supernaturally amplified, echoing)
Morrison! The Source of all that was and was not and will be again has seen your crimes, heard your words, weighed and judged your actions as god-king of this world, and it has found you… lacking. Behold now, oh king of kings… the power of the Prophet of the Earth.
[A low growling, snarling noise from dozens of Amanita’s converted officers as they crawl out of the manholes]
[Swings of batons, firing of guns]
[The organic noise of mycelia crawling on the other officers]
Robert Quincy
Oh my god…
Ned Leroux
Quick! This is our chance — come on!
[They turn and run into the outer wall of the ziggurat]
Ned Leroux
Rob, your bag, now!
Robert Quincy
Here!
[Slightly more distant sounds of the fight in the street]
[Rob tosses Ned his bag, Ned pulls out the IED and attaches the adhesive tape of it to the wall]
[He sets a short timer, and runs back]
Ned Leroux
Get back! Back!
[They all crouch]
[The egg timer goes off, and a BOOM rocks the courtyard]
[Click]
[Silence]
[Cassette noises]
[Click]
[Static fades]
[Watery, echoey space as Sam sinks into the Source]
Sam Bailey
Huh… yeah, looks like the recorder is still working… even though it looks like I’m underwater. I guess I’m not really, though — just how my brain is seeing it. It’s strange… this feels different from the other times I’ve entered the lake. I can breathe, for one thing. Although maybe that’s because it’s not really the same lake anymore… it’s the well. Or… the power behind the well, I guess.
I think I’ve stopped sinking now… guess I’m fully in the Source now. I’m going to try to keep describing what I see as best I can… Not sure how much of this will actually read on the tape. Not that I can see that much, anyways… it’s pitch black down here. Nothing to navigate by… nothing except intention, I guess.
[Sam takes a long, slow breath; distortion rises]
Anna Sheridan. Hear me in your final moment, in your greatest danger. Show me how to find you.
[A moment of silence]
[Hundreds of voices call out, snippets of Anna in fear and despair]
[Sam cries out]
Ah! No, no — enough!
[The voices fall away immediately]
[Sam collects himself]
God, Ren was right… it’s like finding a needle in a haystack in here. Or… infinite haystacks. God, my kingdom for a fucking magnet…
[Someone distantly humming Ring Around the Rosie]
Sam Bailey
Is… what is that…
Anna Sheridan (Other, distant)
Well now… isn’t this an unpleasant surprise. Never thought I’d hear that irritating voice again.
Sam Bailey
Who said that… who’s there!?
Anna Sheridan (Other, distant)
Oh you know well enough, Bailey… after all, you’re the one who put me here.
Sam Bailey
You… no. No, it can’t be — I destroyed you.
[Watery movement and static as the figure approaches]
[Her voice echoes like something not quite here]
Anna Sheridan (Other)
And of course you managed to fuck that up too… like everything else in your miserable little existence.
Sam Bailey
Echo.
Anna Sheridan (Other)
Detective.
Sam Bailey
What the hell are you doing here?
Anna Sheridan (Other)
What do you mean? You called, didn’t you?
Sam Bailey
I called Anna, not you. And you didn’t answer my question — how are you still alive?
Anna Sheridan (Other)
I’d hardly all this living, Bailey. And you’re the one who offered me up to your patron, remember? Handed me over on a silver platter so it wouldn’t take you. Only that means I was pulled back across the veil, but not by the power that made me. So…
Sam Bailey
So you can’t actually die. Not unless the lake releases you.
Anna Sheridan (Other)
And it’s not going to do that on its own any time in the next eternity.
[Brief pause, Sam realizes something]
Sam Bailey
Echo… are you still linked to Anna? Like you were before?
Anna Sheridan (Other)
Obviously — otherwise I wouldn’t still be wearing her face.
Sam Bailey
Look… I know you have no reason to help me, but I’m trying to find Anna. Apparently there’s a causal loop and it all… it’s important. I need to find the moment she disappeared in Oslow — can you lead me there?
Anna Sheridan (Other)
Maybe I could… for a price.
Sam Bailey
What do you want from me?
[Pause]
Anna Sheridan (Other)
Let me die.
Sam Bailey
I… what?
Anna Sheridan (Other)
You trapped me here, Bailey… took me from the world but didn’t finish me off. And I am done. Let me fade back into the dark. Let me die.
[Sam stammers for a moment, then…]
Sam Bailey
Okay.
[Click]
[Silence]
[Click]
[Footsteps in a silent, tiled hall of Morrison’s palace]
Bill Tyler
…it’s quiet… too quiet.
Jerry Price
Not now, Bill.
Bill Tyler
Would you prefer “I have a bad feeling about this?”
Jerry Price
I’d prefer you didn’t give us away by making cheap jokes.
Bill Tyler
What are you talking about? We haven’t seen anyone since we got in here.
[Jerry stops and faces him for a moment]
Jerry Price
That’s what’s worrying me.
Ned Leroux
I hate to say it Bill, but… I think he has a point.
Robert Quincy
What’s wrong?
Jerry Price
What’s wrong is that we haven’t seen anyone since we got past the walls. Didn’t you say that Morrison could make as many of those things as he wants?
Ned Leroux
It definitely seems like it.
Jerry Price
So why are they all outside fighting Lara and that… Amanita person? Morrison must know we’re in here… why isn’t he trying to stop us?
[They all stop and look around]
Ned Leroux
Wait a second… this doesn’t look right.
Robert Quincy
Certainly looks… familiar.
Bill Tyler
Ned, do you think this is actually the old PD—
Ned Leroux
Yeah, that’s what it looks like.
Jerry Price
Like what?
Robert Quincy
OCPD headquarters, Jerry… the old OCPD, before Morrison changed it.
Bill Tyler
Shit… that looks like the door to Sam’s old office.
[Bill takes a few steps towards the door, preparing to open it]
Jerry Price
Wait… Bill, wait, stop!
[Jerry snatches Bill’s hand away violently]
Bill Tyler
Ow! What the hell, Jerry?
Jerry Price
Bill, look around you. This place isn’t supposed to be here. Think about what Sam and Ned found — Morrison’s entire MO in Oslow is making people relive their worst moments and brainwashing them into obedience. How many bad memories do we all have in these exact same halls?
[They look around nervously]
Robert Quincy
Shit… I think he’s right.
[Pause]
[A slow clap]
[A low, familiar laughter echoes through the halls]
[The walls suddenly fall away like a poorly constructed set]
[They are in the echoing expanse of Morrison’s empty great hall]
[He sits on a massive throne, observing the four of them]
Edgar Morrison
Oh well done, you four… well done. I honestly wasn’t expecting you to make it out of that little trap. It’s good that one of you knows how to keep a level head. Congratulations, uh… Terry?
Jerry Price
Jerry.
Edgar Morrison
Jerry, of course. Well done on seeing through that ruse.
Jerry Price
Your bullshit never fooled me before, Morrison… it’s not going to start working now.
[Morrison growls in anger, rises to his feet, and throws a jet of flame past them]
Edgar Morrison
Don’t speak to me like that! I am not a man to be mocked… I am not a man at all! I am your god and your king and you will bow down and honor me in the flames of hell!
[Morrison catches his breath for a moment, then thinks]
Though you are not the only one who’s quick to spot a ruse, Jerry… my eyes are quicker still. I thought you came here to kill me, but looking at you now… what weapons have you brought to this battle? Sports equipment, hand tools, a couple of heavy rocks? You used a bomb to breach the walls of my home… why didn’t you bring another, if you truly meant to dispatch your mortal enemy?
Bill Tyler
Ned… how bad is this?
Ned Leroux
[Whispered] Very fucking bad, Bill.
Edgar Morrison
I thought the sniper on the rooftop and the monsters from below were meant to be a distraction from your attack, but no… this is the diversion. You meant to keep my eyes from wandering outside the city, and Sam… Sam is missing from your little raiding party. I hardly think he’d pass up a chance to take his revenge on me.
[He takes a deep breath, then chuckles]
Ahh… so he managed to find his way back into the Source after all. Always clever that one… when he wasn’t too stupid to live. [Distortion rises] Oh! And it looks like dear Maria has joined Kate and Ren at the lakeside, waiting for Sam’s return. Good… I’ve rather been looking forward to paying her back for the pain she caused me in the tunnels.
[Morrison raises his hand, and it sweeps through the air with an energetic crackling]
I assume Sam is trying to rescue poor Anna from her fate. Maybe he’ll even succeed. But the three interlopers awaiting his return will be no trouble to deal with. In the meantime… I’ll deal with you four myself.
[Click]
[Silence]
[Cassette noises]
[Click]
[Static fades]
[The waves of the lake churn more aggressively]
Maria Sol
Maria Sol, recording — Marker. [She claps] That should have been picked up on your recorders as well… syncing shouldn’t be a problem if we need to compare them.
Kate Sheridan
I just hope we’ve got enough tape left… we’ve been rolling since Sam went in there.
Maria Sol
We should be fine… I’ve got [She looks at it] 90 minutes left on this thing. I doubt Sam’s going to be gone that long.
Ren Park
Hard to say… Time won’t exactly be flowing smoothly for him either.
Maria Sol
Hmm.
[Pause, they think]
Kate Sheridan
The water’s getting choppier. I don’t think it’s happy about what’s happening either.
Ren Park
Well if it was fighting the barrier before, I’m guessing it can feel when it’s being…
Maria Sol
Consumed.
[Pause]
[Splash in the lake]
Ren Park
What was that?
Kate Sheridan
I… I think I saw someone out there.
Maria Sol
Is it Sam? Is he back already?
Ren Park
I can’t see anything… Are you sure?
Kate Sheridan
Yes! I don’t think it’s Sam, it looked like—
[Another loud splash, distant coughing; Kate gasps in horror]
Maria Sol
What? What is it?
Kate Sheridan
It’s a kid… there’s a kid in the water!
Maria Sol
What? Where?
Kate Sheridan
There! Right–! [Horrified pause] Oh my god it’s Andrew.
Maria Sol
…what?
[She bolts for the shore, ripping off her jacket]
Ren Park
Kate, stop!
Maria Sol
[Chasing after her] Kate!
[Maria chases after her, jumps, and pushes Kate down onto the beach before she reaches the water]
[Kate struggles against Maria]
Kate Sheridan
What are you doing, let me go! He’s drowning!
Maria Sol
Kate! Kate, listen to me, there’s no one out there!
Kate Sheridan
Yes there is!!
Maria Sol
No there isn’t! Ren! Don’t just stand there, help me—
[The silence of an empty beach]
Maria Sol
Ren?
[Kate cries out as she momentarily gets loose]
[Maria gets a hold of her again]
Kate Sheridan
Nooooo! Andrew! Let me go, Maria — Let me go!
[Kate struggles and cries]
Maria Sol
Kate, there’s no one out there, Ren is gone, and this is… [She trails off, realizing] Oh god… it’s Morrison. He knows we’re here.
[Click]
[Silence]
[Click]
[The dark, echoing, watery space of the Source]
Sam Bailey
Are you sure we’re going the right way?
Anna Sheridan (Other)
Yes Bailey, I’m sure.
Sam Bailey
Right, right, just… checking.
[Brief pause]
Anna Sheridan (Other)
Funny, isn’t it?
Sam Bailey
What is?
Anna Sheridan (Other)
How far you’ve gone, just to end up here… back in the lake, back in Agate Shore, back with me… seems like you’ve spent a long time searching, just to end up going in one big circle.
Sam Bailey
It’s… it’s a bit more complicated than that. There were a lot of things I had to figure out before I could do this in the first place — and back then, I was still convinced Anna was dead.
Anna Sheridan (Other)
Still, would have been simpler if you’d just done what you were supposed to in the first place… ignored Maria and accepted that I was Anna. Would have saved you a lot of pain in the long run. And was it so much to ask for you to let me live in peace? All I wanted was to exist, same as any living thing, and you couldn’t even let me have that—
Sam Bailey
—Don’t act like you were some kind of victim here. You didn’t want your own existence… you wanted to take Anna’s away from her.
Anna Sheridan (Other)
It doesn’t matter either way. You already took away my chance at a real life… all I can hope for now is to die for good. [Buzzing rises] Speaking of which…
[They stop]
[A buzzing, glowing gash in the fabric of the Source pulses ahead of them]
[Electric distortion in the air]
Sam Bailey
What is that?
Anna Sheridan (Other)
At a guess… it’s one end of your little causal loop. The point where Anna’s timeline meets the Source.
Sam Bailey
And you’re sure it’s the right Anna?
Anna Sheridan (Other)
Of course I am.
[Brief pause]
Sam Bailey
…right.
Anna Sheridan (Other)
What, do you not trust me?
Sam Bailey
I mean, I certainly have good reason not to.
Anna Sheridan (Other)
But…
Sam Bailey
I don’t know… it just feels too easy.
Anna Sheridan (Other)
[She sighs] Well I don’t know what to tell you. I know it’s her, sure as I know whose face I’m wearing. I’ve fulfilled my part of the bargain… now it’s time for you to do yours.
Sam Bailey
What, now?
Anna Sheridan (Other)
If it’s not too much trouble?
Sam Bailey
Can’t you just… wait until I get back with Anna?
Anna Sheridan (Other)
You’re jumping into the last moments of her life, Bailey — I have no guarantee you’ll make it back at all.
Sam Bailey
…ah.
Anna Sheridan (Other)
And besides… I’d rather not run into Anna face to face again, if it’s all the same to you? It might go… poorly.
[Pause]
Sam Bailey
Okay.
[He takes a deep breath, distortion rises]
Go in peace, child of the void — return to the Source of all you were and are and might have been, and know at last the peace of oblivion.
[Distortion rises]
[The Echo begins to disintegrate into static-like energy, blowing away with a sound like a long exhale]
Anna Sheridan (Other)
Good luck, Bailey…
[Sam takes a breath]
[The gash crackles]
[Click]
[Silence]
[Cassette noises]
[Click]
[Static fades]
[Sounds of the desert at night]
[A van door closes]
Anna Sheridan
Maria, stop pouting for once and help me! Maria? Maria!
Maria Sol
I’m done with you treating me like this! Tell me the truth, or fuck off!
[Maria continues walking off]
[Anna watches her go for a long moment, and sighs]
[She walks a few steps, then pulls open a creaking metal hatch in the desert floor]
[She carefully begins to descend, the space becoming smaller and tinnier as she does]
[Her footsteps echo down the long descent]
[She hops off the ladder with a grunt, grabs for her flashlight, and turns it on]
[She walks on gravely ground, the wind echoing in the tunnels]
Anna Sheridan
I’m sorry Maria. If you’re hearing this, then I want you to know that I’m sorry for lying to you. I didn’t want to, but I didn’t have any other choice. My dreams… They almost always come true when I tell them to other people. Sometimes they don’t if I keep them to myself… not always, but sometimes. I have to hope this is one of those times.
[She brushes some debris from a surface, observing, then moves on]
And I’m sorry for making you come out here with me. Trust me, I’ve wanted to ask you to join me so many times on this last journey, and every time I resisted… until now. Until I realized I’d found what I was looking for… the place where I saw my own death. And I couldn’t face that alone. I hope you’ll be able to understand that, someday. I hope you’re able to forgive me — and I really hope you don’t blame yourself for whatever comes—
[The creak of a large metal blast door ahead]
[Anna freezes, unzips her backpack, and draws and cocks her pistol]
[Whispered] “Dauntless the slug-horn to my lips I set
And blew. “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower—”
[BANG! A gunshot ricochets off the floor nearby]
[Anna cries out as she drops to the floor, scrambling backwards]
Edgar Morrison (distantly)
Sheridannnn… Oh Sheridannn…
[She gets on her feet and runs for the ladder]
[BANG!]
[Anna continues running]
Edgar Morrison (distantly)
What? You think I didn’t know you were looking for me? That I wouldn’t be prepared?
[She reaches the ladder, starts to climb, and then drops when a bullet sparks off the rungs]
[She cries out and tumbles to the ground]
[She gets back to her feet and starts running again, firing her own gun wildly behind her]
Edgar Morrison (distantly)
[Dark laugh] Not even close, Anna! Didn’t your father teach you to look where you’re shooting? Screw your courage to the sticking place and shoot me already!
Anna Sheridan
Shut up!
[She continues running down the tunnels, looking for a place to escape or hide]
Edgar Morrison (distantly)
Oh, I’ve been waiting a long time for you to find your way back here… “the sins of the father are to be laid upon the children,” after all.
[She’s out of breath]
[She stumbles over rubble, then sees that her way out is blocked]
Anna Sheridan
No… no no no…
Edgar Morrison (distantly)
And where do you think you’re going, Anna? That tunnel’s been collapsed since before your father left… it’s a very dead end.
Anna Sheridan
[Whispered] I’m sorry Maria, Ren… Kate, Mom, I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry—
Sam Bailey
Anna.
[Anna cries out in surprise, spinning and firing without thought]
[Sam bites back agony as the bullet strikes him in the gut]
Sam Bailey
Anna wait, please — I’m here to help you, you need to listen to me.
Anna Sheridan
Who the fuck are you?
Sam Bailey
I’m not with Morrison, and that’s all you need to know right now. I’m going to get you out of here.
Anna Sheridan
How? We can’t get to the ladder.
Sam Bailey
There’s… I have another way out. But you need to trust me.
Edgar Morrison (distantly)
Sheridannnnnn?
[Another gunshot hits rubble above them]
Anna Sheridan
Where? How?
Sam Bailey
I’m sorry about this.
Anna Sheridan
About what—
[Sam grabs her and pushes her through the gap in the veil as it tears open]
[She screams, her cry beginning to warp]
[Click]
[Silence]
[Computer whirs as someone accesses a digital file]
[Typing]
[Beep]
[Edgar, alone, in the tunnels]
Edgar Morrison
Sheridan?! Sheridan! Where are you? Where did you go!?
[After a silence, he begins to laugh, defeated yet rejoicing]
[His radio crackles to life; Beep]
Ellis Spengler
Greyhound? Greyhound, come in — what the hell’s going on down there? Status report.
[Beep]
Edgar Morrison
This is Greyhound. All clear.
[Beep]
[Silence]
[Click]
[Anna screams and pants at the unfiltered, swirling chaos around her]
[The gash still buzzes behind them]
Sam Bailey
Anna! Anna, it’s okay, you’re safe, you’re alright!
Anna Sheridan
[Screaming] What is this? What the fuck is this!??
Sam Bailey
Shit… Come here, look at me.
Anna Sheridan
[Crying] Oh, fuck.
[Sam places his hands on Anna’s head, then pushes a thought in her mind]
Sam Bailey
[Distorted] See with my eyes, Anna.
[Anna stops screaming and crying]
Sam Bailey
There… sorry about that. I forgot how… disorienting this place can be if your mind isn’t prepared for it.
Anna Sheridan
What is this place? What happened to the tunnels — who are you?
Sam Bailey
I’m… my name is Sam Bailey. I’m a… I used to be a detective. I was assigned your case last year, and I’ve been looking for you ever since.
Anna Sheridan
Last… what?
Sam Bailey
We’ll get to that. As for this place… I’ve heard it called a lot of things. The beyond, the infinite, the abyss, the void… I call it the Source. It’s where pretty much everything… supernatural comes from. It exists outside the bounds of space and time, so… that’s how I came to find you. To bring you home.
Anna Sheridan
So… you came from the future? From… 2019?
Sam Bailey
2020, actually.
Anna Sheridan
20… how long have I been missing?
Sam Bailey
According to official records, you disappeared outside Oslow on Halloween night, 2018. It’s been nearly a year and a half since anyone’s heard from you. Most people assumed you were dead.
Anna Sheridan
So you’re… what, some kind of time traveler? Changed history just to save me? That’s new.
Sam Bailey
Not… exactly. Turns out, I was… always the reason you disappeared out of the tunnels.
Anna Sheridan
You were… but if you hadn’t pulled me in here yet, then how could I have been missing in the first place? How could you be looking for me at all, that’s not how it works—
Sam Bailey
Blame the Source… cause and effect don’t really matter too much in a place outside time, just so long as history stays consistent in our timeline.
Anna Sheridan
So it’s… a causal loop, then.
Sam Bailey
Exactly. And one that looks like it’s closed now.
Anna Sheridan
How do you know?
[Sam gestures towards the wound in the Source; it shrinks with an energized buzzing, then silence]
Sam Bailey
That was the scar it left behind. Looks like that should be the end of it.
Anna Sheridan
So… what now? We’re not just stuck here, are we?
Sam Bailey
Of course not… all we have to do is go back the way I came, and…
[He trails off, and looks around him]
Anna Sheridan
What is it? What’s wrong?
Sam Bailey
This… this isn’t where I came through. We should be… I don’t know where we are.
Anna Sheridan
But you know how to get back… right?
Sam Bailey
I… no. No, I don’t. The Source is linked to every moment in space and time in every possible universe… it’s infinite. And I don’t know how to get back to where I came from.
Anna Sheridan
But… the causal loop? If everything’s already happened, doesn’t that mean we have to be able to get out?
Sam Bailey
Oh god.
Anna Sheridan
What? What’s wrong?
Sam Bailey
The only thing the loop required was that I pull you out of time at the right point. Now that you’re here… the loop is closed. We’re on our own.
Anna Sheridan
What does that mean?
Sam Bailey
It means that unless I can find a way out…
…Then we’re trapped in here. Forever.
[Clack]
Homestead on the Corner 