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CONTENT WARNING: Depictions of loss and grief, existential dread and terror, gun violence, elements of body horror and character death, claustrophobia, pyrophobia, mentions of a child drowning, character injury and betrayal, guilt and self-destructive behavior, small town decline and collapse, depictions of a natural disaster, and loud noises including screams

Omnibus 01: A compilation of moments from the final years of Anna Sheridan’s life, leading up to her disappearance on Halloween night, 2018.

Starring Clayton Currie as Andrew Sheridan, Roberta Jackson as Deborah Sheridan, Airen Neeley Chaconas as Anna Sheridan, Matthew Chaconas as Anthony Perdue, Sam Taylor as Ren Park, Wray Van Winkle as DeWitt and Sam Bailey, Kris Allison as Daniella Caldwell, Karim Kronfli as David Nathan Robinson, Paul Warren as Craig Domhnwell, Lesley-Anne Hoxie as Waitress, Amitola Lomas as Maria Sol, Joanna Swan as Strange Woman, Mike Kennedy as Edgar Morrison, and Ray O’Hare as “The Sponsor,” with original music by Jesse Haugen. Our end credits song was “You Won’t Find me” by Narrow Skies. This episode was written and produced by Wray Van Winkle and Virginia Spotts, and made possible by our supporters at Patreon.com/homesteadcorner and ko-fi.com/homesteadcorner.

Transcript

CONTENT WARNING: Depictions of loss and grief, existential dread and terror, gun violence, elements of body horror and character death, claustrophobia, pyrophobia, mentions of a child drowning, character injury and betrayal, guilt and self-destructive behavior, small town decline and collapse, depictions of a natural disaster, and loud noises including screams

[The sound of cars rolling past a residential area]

[Children play in the distance]

Andrew Sheridan

Garage sale isn’t as busy as I thought it would be.

[A moment of awkward silence]

I think there’s a ballgame tonight… maybe more people will show up after that?

[Deborah Sheridan makes an unconvinced sound]

[Andrew clears his throat, readjusting in his chair]

Andrew Sheridan

Hey, at least Katey’s making bank with that lemonade stand — it’s hotter than heck out here.

[Deborah shrugs, sips her lemonade, and retreats into the house]

[The screen door squeaks and shuts]

[Andrew sighs]

Anna Sheridan (Young)

Dad! Daaaad!

[The sound of footsteps as she runs to him; thud as she sets a box down]

Andrew Sheridan

What is it, bug?

Anna Sheridan (Young)

Look what I just found!

Andrew Sheridan

Where did you get that?

Anna Sheridan (Young)

In the back of the old wardrobe! It was just sitting there!

Andrew Sheridan

What on earth were you doing back there?

Anna Sheridan (Young)

Oh, ummm… Well nobody’s even been looking at it, so I just thought I should check and make sure we didn’t leave anything in there… 

[Andrew looks inside the box and examines it]

Andrew Sheridan

So that’s where you ended up… 

Anna Sheridan (Young)

Do you know what’s inside it?

Andrew Sheridan

What do you think it is?

Anna Sheridan (Young)

It’s an EMF scanner! For finding ghosts and other stuff like that — it detects changes in electromagnetic fields that usually happen when a poltergeist or cryptid are close—

Andrew Sheridan

—they have other uses, you know… it’s built for testing electronics and checking for interference, not looking for ghosts.

Anna Sheridan (Young)

Y-yeah, but it can be used for that!

Andrew Sheridan

[he laughs] I suppose it could be.

[He sets it back down]

Anna Sheridan (Young)

Where did it come from?

Andrew Sheridan

Hmmmm?

[Anna examines it again]

Anna Sheridan (Young)

Look, it says it from somewhere in Nevada. How did it get in the wardrobe?

Andrew Sheridan

Must have… picked it up at a swap meet or something. Forgot we still had it.

Anna Sheridan (Young)

So… Can I keep it then?

Andrew Sheridan

Oh. Uh… sure, sure. So long as you can actually get it to work, it’s pretty old.

Anna Sheridan (Young)

Oh thank you thank you thank you!

[She hugs him enthusiastically]

Andrew Sheridan

Whoa, easy there bug… ooof, you’re getting so strong.

Anna Sheridan (Young)

Are you sure it’s okay?

Andrew Sheridan

Y-yeah, sure — why not? I mean… what harm could it do now?

[Cassette noises]

[Click]

[Main Theme]

[Muffled sounds of an office, phone ringing, voices]

[Papers flipping, shuffling]

Anthony Perdue

Okay, let me see — Now where did I put that…

[Door opens]

[Footsteps]

Anna! I didn’t think you were coming in today?

[Door closes]

Anna Sheridan

I’m not.

[footsteps]

Listen, Anthony, I need to ask you a favor…

Anthony Perdue

Whoa whoa whoa… Slow it down, alright? You feeling okay? You look a little…

Ann Sheridan

Please, Anthony, just… Listen, okay?

[Footsteps]

Anthony Perdue

Could you at least sit down? You know standing and talking makes me nervous.

Anna Sheridan

Fine.

[Anna sits]

Anthony…

Anthony Perdue

And I’m going to get you a glass of water, okay? You need to take care of yours…

Anna Sheridan

Anthony! Any other day I’d really appreciate it, but right now, just stop and…

Anthony Perdue

Anna, I know how you get when you’ve got a fire under you, so I’m not giving you a choice.

[Refrigerator opens, closes]

[Pours water into a small glass]

Drink this, take a deep breath, and then start over. Okay?

[Footsteps]

[Anna drinks]

Better?

Anna Sheridan

Okay, fine. Yes. Better.

Anthony Perdue

Glad to hear it. So: tell me what’s on your mind?

[Anthony sits]

Anna Sheridan

I’m… I’m not sure how much I can tell you. I don’t know how much of it you’d understand…

Anthony Perdue

Anna, remind me how long I’ve been your agent? I don’t think there’s much you can tell me I won’t understand.

Anna Sheridan

I need to… Go away for a while. Quite a long while, actually.

Anthony Perdue

What like, another writing trip? Well, I can’t imagine Poultice would have any trouble with that, so long as you don’t burn anyone’s house this time…

Anna Sheridan

No. Anthony… No. Not like that. I need to go away. I need to… disappear.

Anthony Perdue

[Nervous laugh]

Well, we all need to do that now and then. Get away from it all and…

Anna Sheridan

No! Anthony, listen to what I’m saying right now: I’m going away. I’m not looking for inspiration, I’m not writing another book, I’m not going on vacation or taking a break. I’m disappearing.

Anthony Perdue

For how long?

Anna Sheridan

I don’t know.

[Glass slips from her fingers, shatters]

Anthony Perdue

Whoa! Anna, are you alright?

[Footsteps]

Anna Sheridan

Goodbye, Anthony.

[Glass tinkles as Anna leaves]

Anthony Perdue

Bye? You just got here… Anna? Anna?

[Door opens and closes behind her]

[Anthony’s footsteps]

[Picks up phone and dials]

Phone Voice

Security.

Anthony Perdue

Yes, this is Anthony Perdue on level 4, Anna Sheridan just left my office. Could you send someone to the front lobby to… Uh, to…

Phone Voice

Sir?

Anthony Perdue

Just make sure she makes it out of the building safely, alright?

Phone Voice

Um… Yes, of course sir. Anything else?

Anthony Perdue

No, thank you.

[Anthony hangs up]

[Sighs]

Please Anna… Don’t do anything stupid.

[Click]

[Silence]

[Click]

[Static fades]

[Anna’s home; a storm blowing outside, rain and wind]

Anna Sheridan

It begins with silence — a shadow falling across the land where no soul dares speak and the air will not deign a sound to pass. A calm, before the storm. And then light! Lines of white and blue that split the night, thundering against the deafening silence. Where they touch the earth, fires sprout and spread like weeds, and where the flames meet the sea the water boils. All but the fiercest living things will die, and those who remain may never walk beneath the open sky again.

Far above, a tall-masted ship sails into the heavens, riding on the comet’s tail in search of safer harbors… but they do not know there are dragons between the stars, and the king of the dragons finds them on the border of its lands. It splits their hull with a swipe of its tail, setting her crew adrift on the tides of the nothing that is everything… but it will not end with the Earth. For the dark was not killed, and it needs not the air to spread — the sun shall be extinguished, and the moon dissolve to dust as the lightless stars burn out one by one by one as the universe endures — forever dead, forever ageless. And then… then… 

[Anna falters]

[Her bed creaks as she shifts in frustration]

Fuck. That’s the third time this week, and I still can’t remember what comes next. At least I got more of it down this time — I should’ve known better than to try and write it down by hand.

[She sighs]

I really wish I’d paid more attention to my dreams growing up. I have to wonder if this isn’t all as new as I think it is. Maybe I’ve been having these dreams all my life, and I’m just now remembering them — Dad, the nightmare… whoever that shadow figure I keep seeing is.

[She considers; sighs again]

No… no, these don’t just feel like normal dreams. I’ve never had recurring nightmares before, not even as a kid. There’s no point in worrying about them, though — I’m not going to the doctor’s and telling them I keep dreaming about the end of the world, that’s for sure. Not unless… 

[She trails off]

[She reaches for her phone and dials a number]

[The other side rings; someone answers]

Ren Park

Anna? What time is it?

Anna Sheridan

It’s, uh… 2:30. Shit, sorry Ren.

Ren Park

No, it’s okay… I’m pulling an all nighter anyways. Needed the distraction. What’s up?

Anna Sheridan

Are you still interested in… the possibility of precognition? After what happened at QA?

Ren Park

Uh… a bit, yeah. Why? Do you have something new?

Anna Sheridan

I… I think so, Ren.

[Click]

[Silence]

[Click]

[Hiss of static, then fades]

[Sounds of light rain]

[Footsteps over wet asphalt]

[Footsteps stop]

Anna Sheridan

There’s something… Deeply unnerving about ghost towns. It’s not just the empty, decaying ruins of old buildings, but that’s certainly part of it. And it’s not the thought that they might actually be haunted — I’ve visited more than a hundred and never found any evidence to suggest that “Ghost Town” is more than a snappy moniker. No: they’re unnerving because they’re wrong.

[Footsteps resume]

It’s impossible to ignore the feeling when you’re walking through. No matter how long ago it was abandoned, or how much it’s fallen apart, you still feel the presence of the people who lived here. Even if their souls aren’t trapped here, the memory of them is: the imprint of their lives, written on every inch of this empty, lifeless place.

[Footsteps stop]

Look one way and you’ll see a child’s doll, tossed aside in the rush to leave town. Did they carry it with them when they walked to school each day? Did it have a name? A personality? What did this doll mean to that child? And what did that child mean to this town?

[Footsteps resume, then stop]

Look the other way, and you’ll see the husk of a car, stripped for parts and left with nothing but its bones, slowly rusting away. Whose car was that? What did they do here? What were their hopes, their dreams? It’s impossible to say now, but that car still belongs to this place, long after this place has ceased to belong to anyone.

[Footsteps resume]

But that’s the thing about places like this: you can feel that once, not so long ago, people lived and worked and died here, feeling like they had some ownership of this place — or perhaps, that this place had some kind of ownership of them.

[Footsteps stop, then resume]

I know how that goes. Small towns like this… They keep a kind of hold on you, even once you’ve left them for good. Most of the time you can forget about it if you really try, pretend like you’ve never belonged anywhere… But every time you think back, even for a second, you realize that you never really left home. Not completely.

[Footsteps stop]

Try as you might to cut ties and move on, you leave a piece of yourself there when you go, and carry a piece of it out into the world wherever you end up.

[Footsteps resume]

Even if there aren’t any real ghosts here, there’s certainly a lot of memory in this place.

[Footsteps stop]

Memory, and grief.

[Click]

[Silence]

[Click]

[The recorder re-starts in a quiet medical lab]

[Footsteps as Ren settles in]

[Distant boom of machinery, quietly ticking clock]

Ren Park

Doctor Ren Park, recording for ISPHA internal records: experimental report, May 31st, 2017 at 8:32pm Mountain Daylight Time.

Anna Sheridan

It’s already that late?

Ren Park

Yeah, I know… easy to lose track of time this far down. ISPHA built most of these [papers flipping] tunnels back in the 80’s in case of nuclear war, so I guess being disconnected from the outside world was kind of the point.

Anna Sheridan

Yeah… sure Ren.

[Ren continues walking around, preparing equipment]

Ren Park

Don’t worry — we barely use them anymore. Most days, it’s just the technicians and a handful of scientists running high-energy experiments down here. ISPHA’s not in the business of planning for the end of the world.

Anna Sheridan

So why is this lab full of high-end medical equipment…?

[Ren laughs]

Ren Park

I requisitioned most of this last week, specifically for this project. Most of it’s just on loan from UNM.

Anna Sheridan

And Caldwell let you do that?

Ren Park

Well… technically. I mean, pushing the boundaries of scientific inquiry is literally a phrase in my job description, and I’d say this probably counts. Plus, once I got clearance from the medical science division, I didn’t need her signature on those requisition forms, so… 

Anna Sheridan

Right, right, let’s just — get started.

Ren Park

Perfect. If you would, just… go ahead and lie down, and I’ll tell the techs to get started.

Anna Sheridan

A CT scanner?

Ren Park

Yeah, I, uh… I wanted to check for any mundane causes for your dreams before we get any further. Physiological abnormalities, tumors, hemorrhages — that sort of thing.

Anna Sheridan

Are you sure that’s… really necessary?

Ren Park

Given your lifestyle and the amount of time you spend in potentially hazardous environments… yes, I’m afraid it is.

Anna Sheridan

And you need the techs because… 

Ren Park

Because I’m an engineer, not a medical doctor. I’ve been reading as much as I can since you called, but… I don’t even know how half the equipment works.

Besides, how often do you get the chance at a free CAT scan? We really should be billing our time to your insurance, you know.

Anna Sheridan

Ha ha, Ren.

[Rustling as Ren reaches for the recorder]

Ren Park

Ooh, better turn you off before— 

[Click]

[Silence]

[Click]

Anna Sheridan

This is the story of so many towns like this. The specifics are unique to each one, but it’s almost always the same: boom, then bust, and then a long, steady decline. New generations grow up with fewer and fewer happy memories of the place they were born, and those who remain there grow more and more bitter with each passing year.

[Footsteps stop]

Soon, even those driving by on the highway begin to wonder how and why that little town is still there, and if anyone even lives there anymore. Before the town becomes a ghost, it becomes a zombie: shambling forward with no greater vision or purpose than to stay alive. And like all undead, it feeds on those who live there.

[Footsteps resume, then stop after a moment]

No matter how fervently those old locals swear that they love the peace and quiet of their home, they feel the same impatience, frustration, and impotence of the teenagers who can’t wait to leave as soon as they turn 18. Some of them make it, but a part of their soul is still attached to their home, and sooner or later they begin to feel the tender pull of nostalgia for the simpler, quieter world of their childhood. It might take twenty or thirty years for that feeling to really get its claws into them, but sooner or later, most of them return, if only for a little while. Some escape again. Others don’t. And some never leave, getting more bitter with every year that passes and brings no visible change but the slow decay of time.

[Desolate gust of wind]

[Footsteps resume]

For a while, this place wasn’t any different. The economy stagnated, the population shrank, and for nearly 20 years after the lake evaporated, it clung to life out of stubborn refusal to die. But about a year ago, something terrible happened — something unimaginable.

[Footsteps stop]

A child drowned.

[Click]

[Silence]

[Click]

[Later; an analog EEG machine ticks in the background]

[Anna breathes softly as she sleeps]

Ren Park

Doctor Ren Park, recording for ISPHA internal records: experimental update, June 3rd, 2017 at 11:43pm Mountain Daylight Time. It’s been several days since the subject arrived at Meriwether, and we’ve conducted a number of sleep studies in an effort to determine the cause of her dreams. These early tests were all conducted under the supervision of Doctor Wright, but he was called away several days ago and left me in charge once he was confident I had a firm grasp of the experiment. Thankfully we’re using much simpler equipment at this stage as well, so I’ve been able to release the medical techs. Even so… none of these trials have been successful. In fact, the subject’s dreams have thus far failed to reoccur in a clinical setting. I’m beginning to wonder if there might be some environmental trigger to her dreams, either in her home in Lake Isabella, or in her van. She’s reported having these dreams in both, so I suspect it might be something she normally carries with her but didn’t bring this… 

[Anna groans in her sleep; cutting Ren off]

[The EEG ticks louder and faster]

Strike that — it seems like something is happening. The subject appears to be in a state of some distress — elevated heart-rate and respiration, somniloquy… and her EEG seems to indicate she’s having a night-terror. Or at least something similar — from what I’ve read, night-terrors are rare for adults without a previous history of parasomnia. But it’s… 

[He observes the data]

It’s… the EEG has changed. She was in slow wave NREM sleep a moment ago, but now it’s… these are alpha waves.

Notation: the subject’s brain waves have entered an alpha phase similar to the characteristics of wakefulness, despite the fact that bodily functions remain within the parameters of normal sleep and the subject clearly remains unconscious. I don’t know what could be—

[EEG increases in intensity as she speaks]

Anna Sheridan (sleep-talking)

In the desert where the water sleeps, where the wealthy drink the liquor gold and silver and bury lights in the earth where no light should dwell, a power will rise below the sand more terrible than any before or after. It shall try to close a door, but in so doing throw open doors within itself that shall never be closed again, and through those doors a terror shall rise [Ren begins speaking and rushes over] to poison the land and freeze the sun—!

Ren Park

Anna? Anna, wake up, it’s just a dream, you’re fine.

[She startles awake]

Anna Sheridan

Ren! Ren, you need to help us, help me — it’s coming!

Ren Park

What’s coming? What did you see?

Anna Sheridan

Help me… please, help us… the world is dying, Ren… 

Ren Park

I will. I promise. We just need more data.

[Click]

[Silence]

[Click]

Anna Sheridan

His death finally took away whatever excuses still remained to stay, and within a week the town’s population dropped from 50 to 1. As far as I can tell, the only person left is one last police detective, still trying to find an answer.

[Footsteps resume]

That was nearly a month ago. Strictly speaking, the town doesn’t exist anymore — without anyone in charge, it’s been downgraded to an “unincorporated community…” A nice way of saying the county doesn’t consider it a real place anymore. If they ever did.

[Footsteps stop]

I don’t know if that detective is still here. I’m standing across from the police station, and it certainly looks abandoned. There are no lights on, and all the windows are tightly boarded up. The plywood over the door looks loose though, as if someone’s been here recently.

It’s strange to see it like this. This town hung on through twenty years of poverty and slow decay, but died less than a year after the impossible touched it. And make no mistake: it was the impossible that did this. Because there have always been stories about this place: first about the lake, then the town, and then the people in it. In fact, the whole county seems to be a paranormal hot spot. Santa Lucia’s only a few miles west of here, and we all know how many ghosts that place has. There are plenty of rumors about Oslow as well, but I’ve never been able to confirm any of them. But as far as anyone knows, there has always been something in the waters of Agate Shore.

[Footsteps resume]

The lake gave the town life — but everyone who lived here knew the lake took it away as well. The number of drownings each year was significantly higher than the national average, and there were plenty of stories of people hearing voices when they went out swimming alone. Voices that asked them questions and spoke to them in riddles. And even after the lake was drained, the people who lived here still heard that voice on cold winter nights when the fog seeped out of the old lakebed and rolled over the town.

[Footsteps stop]

Across the decades, that voice has always been here — and the question has always been the same.

[Faint, crackling static rises]

“What would you do to save yourself?”

I’ve heard that question before — when I almost drowned up in Tahoe, on that last trip with Maria. And there are records of that exact same question all over the world, in dozens of languages and across hundreds of years: all connected with water.

[Thunder rumbles in the distance]

Lakes, rivers, streams, wells — people drowning, and being offered a chance to save themselves at some terrible cost. I don’t know if it’s the same entity in all the stories, or just some similar one. But this is a place of power. I’ve been looking for somewhere like this for a long time: somewhere isolated and with a strong connection to…

[A low, heavy explosion echoes in the distance]

Oh my god. The, um… The dam just…

[A second, louder explosion in the distance]

[Anna turns and runs]

[Low rumbling, rolling noise rises behind her]

[Rumbling grows louder, structures crackling as they shatter]

[Click]

[Silence]

[Click]

[EEG machine hums and clicks in the background]

[Anna breathes slowly]

[Ren speaks through a microphone]

Ren Park

Anna?

[He waits for the EEG to stabilize]

Anna, can you hear me?

[Pause]

Anna, look around you — observe your surroundings closely. What do you see?

Anna Sheridan (half-asleep)

A lab.

Ren Park

Where is this lab?

Anna Sheridan

I don’t know.

Ren Park

Anna… can you move around? Explore where you are?

[The ticks of the EEG sound like footsteps]

What do you see, Anna?

Anna Sheridan

I see… a star. A far away star, burning in a window of light that is an eye staring into the distant past a billion billion billion miles away… 

…A brilliant blue sun, young and blazing — but there’s a second star —  a corpse star — the remains of her long dead sister, still circling in a dance of death. And it’s… it’s consuming her… feeding on her… the corpse star, struggling to be reborn. It’s close… so very close… and it— 

[She cuts off with a sharp gasp, breathing hard]

[The EEG spikes]

[Ren throws a switch, triggering a familiar and harsh alarm]

[Anna wakes with a strangled scream]

[Ren runs into the room]

Ren Park

What did you see?

Anna Sheridan (breathing hard)

Ren — please help me—

Ren Park

What did you see!?

Anna Sheridan

The dead star blazed back into life, exploding in rebirth — the small green world orbiting it had no warning before they were erased. All life utterly destroyed… an entire civilization cut short before it could even begin. Billions of living things dead before they had a chance to understand what was happening to them.

Ren Park

When is this happening? How far in the future?

Anna Sheridan

It’s already happened… it was millions of years ago.

Ren Park

No, I mean — when will we know that it’s happened? Did you see a clock in that lab?

Anna Sheridan

December 1st, 2017 — 8:45am.

[The EEG quiets]

[Ren breathes a sigh of relief and relaxes]

Ren Park

Thank the goddess… I almost thought this was all for nothing, but — that sounds like a type 1-A supernova. Exploding Neutron Star. Those are pretty easy to spot and highly characteristic. It’ll take a few months, but once the observatories spot it—

Anna Sheridan

What the hell did you do?

Ren Park

Oh my god, Anna… I’m so sorry. I should’ve explained it, but… we both wanted to figure out how your dreams work, and I couldn’t warn you without messing up the results.

Anna Sheridan

I just watched an entire planet die, Ren. You think I was ready to answer questions?

Ren Park

I’m sorry, but… I thought you wanted to know the truth about your dreams? That you wanted my help?

Anna Sheridan

Yeah. I thought I wanted that too. 

[Clack]

[Silence]

[Click]

[Sound of a car engine]

Anna Sheridan

Okay. Okay. We got away. We’re okay. That… Shit. I — I guess you didn’t see that, but… The dam. The dam up at Arrowhead — the one that drained the lake. It just… Broke. There… There definitely wasn’t anyone in town besides me, so I don’t think anyone got caught in the flood, but I barely got to the van in time to get out of the way.

[Anna turns in her seat]

God… The whole town is just… Gone. Washed away. God, I hope no one was between the dam and the lake when it…

[Police siren starts behind her]

What the — Oh, shit. Great. Oslow PD. This isn’t going to be easy to explain.

[Tires crunch gravel as she pulls over]

[Keys rattle, engine stops]

[Police car’s door opens in distance]

[Footsteps approach]

[Anna rolls down her window]

LT. De Witt

License and registration, miss.

Anna Sheridan

Right. Of course. Got it around here somewhere, I’m sure…

LT. De Witt

Hands where I can see them, please.

Anna Sheridan

Well do you want me to get my registration, or do you want me to keep my hands on the wheel? Cause I can’t do both.

LT. De Witt

Are you giving me attitude, miss?

Anna Sheridan

Of course not, officer.

LT. De Witt

Well then — license and

registration, please.

Anna Sheridan

Can I at least get it out of the

glovebox, then?

[De Witt takes a step forward]

LT. De Witt

Is… Is that a recording device, miss?

Anna Sheridan

Oh, well yes it is. I was just running it before… Hey!

[Fabric rustling, sound of a scuffle]

LT. De Witt

Give me that recorder, now!

Anna Sheridan

What the hell are you doing? You…

[Anna’s scanner is bumped, and it begins going off loudly]

[Both stop moving]

Anna Sheridan

Holy shit.

LT. De Witt

Uh… Please give me that recorder miss, I’m terribly sorry about all this… OOF!

[Anna hits him, then starts the van]

[Tires squeal and engine roars as she drives away]

Anna Sheridan

Holy shit. He — that officer, he — he wasn’t human.

[Scanner continues to beep]

What the hell is this place?

[Clack]

[Silence]

[Click]

[Static fades away]

[A quiet conference room: A/C, buzzing lights]

Dr. Ren Park

Alright — tape is running. [He flips through papers] Could everyone state their names and occupations, for the record? Anna?

Anna Sheridan

What? Oh right — Anna Sheridan, writer and… uh—

Dr. Ren Park

Writer is fine for now. Dr. Caldwell?

Dr. Daniella Caldwell

Doctor Daniella Caldwell, head of experimental research, ISPHA Laboratories.

David Robinson

David Robinson, research assistant, experimental projects, ISPHA.

Dr. Ren Park

Mister, uh [he flips through pages] — “Dum-well?”

Craig Domhnwell

“Don-ell.” Craig’s fine, if ye insist on putting my name on yer tapes, though I cannae say I’m all in favor of it.

Anna Sheridan

Craig, just—

Craig Domhnwell

No, no, I’ll go along wi it. I dinnae choose to be here for yer fancy words — I came for Anna’s sake, and no one else.

Dr. Ren Park

Duly noted, Mr. Domhnwell. And what is your occupation?

Craig Domhnwell

Writer, same as Anna. Researcher into the wee folk and their histories.

[An amused snicker escapes from David]

[Craig turns in his chair]

Craig Domhnwell

Did I say somethin’ funny, Mr. Robinson?

David Robinson

A little bit, yeah—

Craig Domhnwell

Cause if I’m not mistaken, we’re all here on account o Anna, and even if ye use different words fur it, what she studies is no less strange than the faeries I write aboot.

Dr. Daniella Caldwell

No one’s saying it’s not, Mr. Domhnwell. My colleague spoke out of turn.

David Robinson

The hell I did… 

Dr. Daniella Caldwell

Please continue, Dr. Park.

Dr. Ren Park

Right, um [shuffling papers] — My name is Dr. Ren Park of the Institute for Stellar Propulsion, Heuristics, and—

Dr. Daniella Caldwell

Ren.

Dr. Ren Park

Lead researcher, Experimental Projects division. I oversee some of ISPHA’s more… Unconventional lines of inquiry.

David Robinson

You can say that again.

Dr. Ren Park

While I’m aware that some of you may be skeptical about Ms. Sheridan and Mr. Dohmnwell’s fields of study, let me assure you that they’ve both furnished empirical evidence of their claims to this institute on several occasions. If anyone wishes to question their place on this team, I suggest you take it up with myself — or Dr. Caldwell — before we go further.

[Silence]

[David sighs]

David Robinson

No, I’m — I’m fine.

Dr. Daniella Caldwell

I’m sure you are. Ren?

Dr. Ren Park

All yours, Dr. Caldwell.

Dr. Daniella Caldwell

Thank you.

I know some of you have doubts about this project, but let me assure you: if what we’re searching for is even remotely possible, then this investigation may change not only our understanding of physics, but the future prospects of humanity as a species. Each member of this team has been carefully selected for their specific set of skills, along with their perspective on both the scientific and the supernatural. If you feel skeptical about your place here… that is intentional. Whether you believe it or not, your role on this expedition will be vital to its success.

[Click]

[Silence]

[Muted conversations, the sound of traffic through a window, clattering dishes and silverware]

[Footsteps]

Waitress

Sure you don’t want me to get something started for you, hun?

Ren Park

No, I’m fine, just — still waiting for someone.

Waitress

Well, let me know if you change your mind, okay?

Ren Park

Of course. Thank you.

[Footsteps retreat]

[The door chimes ring as someone enters]

Ren Park 

Anna!

[Anna crosses and sits across from him]

Ren Park 

What took you so long?

Anna Sheridan

Good to see you too, Ren.

Ren Park

Yes, of course. Sorry. I was just… worried something happened.

Anna Sheridan

I’m fine. Just got a little sidetracked on the way here.

Ren Park

With what?

Anna Sheridan

Picked up another signal, just off the highway. Thought I’d better check it out.

Ren Park

Was it… you know, the…

Anna Sheridan

No. Different signature. But it was strong. There’s definitely something here.

Ren Park

Here in Arrowhead?

Anna Sheridan

Here in Oslow County. All of it.

[Papers shuffling, placed on table]

Ren Park

Are these readings accurate?

Anna Sheridan

As far as I can tell, they are.

Ren Park

But… that means…

[Footsteps]

Waitress

Ah good, your friend’s here! What’ll it be, then?

Ren Park

What are you doing…!

Anna Sheridan

Uh, Turkey club on rye. We’ll split it.

Waitress

Fries or salad?

Anna Sheridan

Both.

Waitress

Alrighty then, should have that out to you in no time!

[Footsteps retreat]

Anna Sheridan

What the hell was that?

Ren Park

I could ask you the same question. I hate rye.

Anna Sheridan

Why are you so jumpy?

Ren Park

Why aren’t you? That waitress has been over here at least ten times since I got here. She knows something’s up.

Anna Sheridan

[Scoffs]

What, do you think the wait staff is spying on you now?

Ren Park

Someone is. Security caught someone trying to break into the Merriweather Facility last night. And project files keep going missing off the server. IT keeps telling me it’s just a glitch, but…

Anna Sheridan

Who would be trying to spy on us? Who would even know about this?

Ren Park

I was hoping you could tell me. You don’t think… whatever’s causing these readings might have something to do with it?

Anna Sheridan

I don’t know. Maybe? But there’s just too much on the scanner to make out any clear patterns… Too many different signals, all interfering with one another. It’s almost like…

Ren Park

Almost like what?

Anna Sheridan

Everywhere else I’ve found these things, it’s like they’ve… slipped through the cracks in a wall one by one, bit by bit. Here… here, it almost seems like someone’s opened the floodgates for them.

[Music]

[Click]

[Wind blows beyond the canvas walls of a tent]

Anna Sheridan

Anna Sheridan, recording for ISPHA internal records – daily log, January 20th, 2018, 1724 CET.

We landed at KRK earlier today after an unexpected layover in Heathrow… apparently it’s a bit of a gamble to fly into central Europe in the middle of winter. We picked up our supplies in Kraków and made it to basecamp before it really started getting dark, and the local guides had already set up the tents when we arrived. It’s still tenting on the side of a mountain in January, but it won’t be nearly as bad as some of the backpacking trips I’ve done: the canvas and plywood flooring do a remarkable job of keeping the cold out, and once we got the heaters going they warmed up nicely. We don’t have the fuel to keep them on all the time, and the weather will make the solar generators nearly useless, but we’re sure as hell going to make the best of them when we can. The cots are a pretty nice upgrade too, though I doubt I’ll be sleeping much, even with the jet lag. I’ve… been having—

[The tent flap zips open, letting in the roar of the cold wind outside]

[Someone steps inside and zips the tent back up]

Craig Domhnwell

Are ye gonna join us anytime soon, Anna? I cannae keep David off the rest ae that bottle a’ night.

Anna Sheridan

I think you can manage until I’m done with this.

Craig Domhnwell

Taping yerself again?

Anna Sheridan

Need to keep a record of the expedition — Ren insisted.

Craig Domhnwell

I hardly think they needed tae.

Anna Sheridan

You should be recording too, if you have the time. I’ll try to be thorough, but I might miss a few things you—

Craig Domhnwell

Aye, aye… If ye say so. I’ll try an save ye a drink if I can.

[He moves to the exit again]

Anna Sheridan

Don’t bother. You know I can’t stand vodka.

Craig Domhnwell

I told ye, it’s not vodka — it just smells like it is all… 

[Anna laughs lightly]

[Craig unzips the tent flap again: roaring winter wind]

[He steps out and zips it shut again: the wind goes quiet]

Anna Sheridan

Honestly, I’m glad Craig’s here — between the four of us, he’s the most well-balanced. Caldwell’s nothing if not professional, but I know obsession when I see it. And Robinson’s… Well, he doesn’t really care what we find, so long as we find it quickly. But Craig believes it — at least, he believes that I believe it, and that’s enough.

Truth be told, though… I’m really not sure if I do. Not completely. But I need someone in my corner, at least for now.

That being said, I don’t know exactly what we’re looking for — my dreams are always a little sparse when it comes to specifics. All I know is that whatever it is, it’s here on Babia Góra — “the old witches’ mountain,” literally translated — it has something to do with “corrosion” and “evolution…” or maybe “transformation,” I’m not sure. The rest of the dream was just a mess of dark shapes and bad vibes, but it was the only one where I was able to pick out an actual location.

It definitely seems like the right kind of place — Craig was very keen to point out that a lot of the local folklore points to this mountain as the location of the “witches’ sabbath.” I don’t know about witches, but it does feel a lot like some of the other mountains I’ve had encounters on. Like it’s the opposite of a holy mountain — a place where the barriers between worlds are thin, but what’s on the other side is a little less than friendly.

Even so… I’m not convinced we’re looking in the right place. There must be something to my dreams, so… there must be something here. But if there is… if we find what we’re looking for up the mountain tomorrow… then I don’t know what that means for me. For all of us.

I still haven’t told them everything — not Ren, not Caldwell or Robinson… and definitely not Craig. 

I can’t tell him. I want to be honest with him, but… I don’t know if it would help right now. It’s certainly not helping me.

[She sighs]

God, I need that drink.

[Click]

[Silence]

[Fade in to…]

[A gentle rain is falling]

[A single car passes occasionally]

[Clink. Clink. Someone slips two quarters into a payphone, then dials]

[The phone rings twice]

MARIA SOL

Hello, Maria Sol speaking.

ANNA SHERIDAN 

Hey there, stranger.

MARIA SOL

Anna? What are – where the hell are you calling from? I thought you were a client.

ANNA SHERIDAN

Payphone – I don’t have any signal out here. It’s good to hear your voice again, Maria.

MARIA SOL 

Ye-Yeah, same. How are you? Are you doing okay?

ANNA SHERIDAN

I’m… Well, things are a bit – a bit weird right now. Weirder than usual, I mean. I was just calling to ask if you wanted to… I mean, if you had some time and wanted to get out of L.A. for a bit, then…

MARIA SOL 

You need my help again, don’t you?

ANNA SHERIDAN

It’s… [sighs] Yeah. I do.

MARIA SOL 

You do, what?

ANNA SHERIDAN

Come on Maria, this is serious.

MARIA SOL

I just want to hear you say it, for a change.

ANNA SHERIDAN 

[Sighs]

I need your help Maria. It’s getting really messy out here, and I’d really appreciate it if…

MARIA SOL 

Sure. Where should I meet you?

ANNA SHERIDAN 

You’re… Maria, I’m not joking. It’s… It might be dangerous out here.

MARIA SOL 

[Laughs]

When isn’t it? I can handle myself.

ANNA SHERIDAN

I didn’t say you couldn’t, it’s just…

MARIA SOL 

Look, we can argue about it when I get there, alright?

ANNA SHERIDAN 

Sure you wanna lose again?

MARIA SOL

Are you planning to tell me where I should meet you before or after you run out of quarters for the payphone?

[Pause]

ANNA SHERIDAN 

Oslow County. Nevada.

[Fades out]

[Click]

[A snowstorm whips around rocks and ice]

[Crampons and snow poles crunch and clink through the snow]

David Robinson [yelling over the wind]

—Four days! Four days on this goddamn mountain, and what do we have to show for it, besides bruises and a risk of frostbite?

Craig Domhnwell [yelling back]

Ye think four days on this mountain is long enough to keek anythin’? We’ve hardly started lookin’!

David Robinson

Yeah, well some of us have got more important work we’d like to get back to!

Craig Domhnwell

And what do ye mean by thae, Mister Robinson?

David Robinson

All I’m saying is that Dr. Caldwell and I don’t spend months on top of a mountain looking for ghosts or goblins or whatever the hell you two claim to see out here! We’re scientists, for christ’s sake!

Craig Domhnwell

Oh, is that sae? I’ve seen things that would scare the skeptic right oota ye. Believe ye me, ye’ll ken how deep the dark goes afore we’re done here.

David Robinson

Dr. Caldwell, could you please give me some backup here?

Dr. Daniella Caldwell

Not right now I can’t. I’m a little busy trying not to get blown off this mountain.

David Robinson

Could you at least tell me you don’t believe in ghosts or monsters or… whatever we’re supposed to be looking for here?

Dr. Daniella Caldwell

No. I don’t believe in ghosts—

David Robinson

Thank you!

Dr. Daniella Caldwell

—But… Anna did make a prediction that is scientifically impossible. Either she’s incredibly lucky, or there’s something beyond our understanding going on here. I intend to figure out what it is before we leave this mountain. Understood?

David Robinson

Yes, Doctor Caldwell.

[Anna shivers]

Craig Domhnwell

Ye a’right Anna?

Anna Sheridan

What?

Craig Domhnwell

Are ye okay? Yer bein’ awful quiet up there.

Anna Sheridan

Yeah, I’m… I’m fine. Just distracted.

Craig Domhnwell

Have ye been sleepin’ any better since we got here?

Anna Sheridan

No, I haven’t.

Craig Domhnwell

Bad dreams?

[Anna hesitates and continues hiking]

Craig Domhnwell

Anna?

[She notices the recorder]

Anna Sheridan

Oh shit, I must have bumped the—

[Click]

[Silence]

[Click]

[Another canvas tent, quiet except for a slow-building argument in the background]

Anna Sheridan

Anna Sheridan, daily log, January 31st, 2018, recorded at 1832 CET. We’ve been on the mountain for 16 days now — far longer than we anticipated, but still within the acceptable range. We’re supplied for at least a month — longer if we decide to start rationing — and while the roads to Babia Góra are closed, we can still be resupplied by snowmobile if needed. I’m not worried about the supplies though, and neither is Dr. Caldwell. 

What I’m more worried about is the weather. Most of the northern slope is completely exposed to the elements, and conditions can change extremely quickly. I’m starting to see why people call this place “the mother of bad weather.” But I’m honestly more concerned that—

[David unzips the tent and steps inside]

[The wind outside roars]

David Robinson

Sheridan! [He zips the tent again] Sheridan, I want a word with you.

Anna Sheridan

[Under her breath] Of course you fucking do…

[Calling out] What is it?

David Robinson

I want to see your journal, now.

Anna Sheridan

Absolutely not.

David Robinson

We’ve been stuck on this mountain for half a month because of your dreams. The least you could do is let us know what we’re supposed to be looking for—

Anna Sheridan

What part of “absolutely not” did you miss? No, you can’t look at my journal. It’s private.

David Robinson

If it concerns the team, it shouldn’t be.

Anna Sheridan

Well it is. Look, if you’re so skeptical about my dreams, why do you want to know about them?

David Robinson

I don’t. But if I know what we’re supposed to be looking for, we can get off this mountain faster. That’s all I care about.

Anna Sheridan

Do you really think I’d keep that to myself if I knew?

David Robinson

You’re holding something back. Whether it’s about your dreams or something else…

[Craig unzips the tent, wind howling outside]

[He steps inside]

Craig Domhnwell

Robinson, I suggest ye take a step back before I find somethin’ heavy in here an’ make ye.

David Robinson

Is that a threat, Domhnwell? We both know you wouldn’t hurt a fly.

Craig Domhnwell

I think ye’d best consider the difference between someone threatenin’ me, an’ someone threatenin’ a friend of mine.

David Robinson

I’m not threatening anyone, I’m just—

[Caldwell pokes her head into the tent]

Dr. Daniella Caldwell

David! A word, if you please.

[David grunts, walks off, and zips the tent shut behind him]

[The sound of the wind dies down]

[Anna lets out a long sigh]

Craig Domhnwell

Shit… Anna? What’s wrong?

Anna Sheridan

Nothing, Craig, I just… I don’t want to talk about it.

[Craig creeps closer and sits down]

Anna Sheridan

I said—

Craig Domhnwell

Aye, I heard ye. I’m jist gonna sit here, is all. If ye dinnae want tae talk, that’s fine.

[They sit in silence]

[Anna sighs, pained]

Anna Sheridan

What the hell am I doing out here?

Craig Domhnwell

The same thing yer always doin’ — looking fur answers tae questions most people dinnae think tae ask, and like as no find them.

Anna Sheridan

I don’t know if I want answers this time. Not to these questions.

Craig Domhnwell

What, are ye afraid yer dreams are portents? I cannae think ae any prophet who was happy tae—

Anna Sheridan

No, Craig, that’s — that’s not what I’m scared of.

If I’m wrong — if my dreams don’t mean anything, and I’ve sent us all up here for nothing — then I’m just… delusional. People have called me that all my life: I can live with it.

But if it’s true — If I really can predict the future…

[She trails off, sighing]

Craig Domhnwell

Are ye so afraid ah yer nightmares ye’d let them stop ye from livin’? That doesn’t sound like the Anna Sheridan I kent.

Anna Sheridan

It’s — It’s not those dreams I’m worried about, Craig.

Craig Domhnwell

Then what is it?

[Anna hesitates, then leans over and stops the recorder]

[Click]

[Fades in]

[Crickets singing in the desert night]

[Semi truck pulls away from a small roadside motel]

[Fade to…]

[Inside of a hotel room, a shower running in the background]

[Anna starts a tape recorder]

Anna Sheridan

Oh me! Oh life! of the questions of these recurring,

Of the endless trains of the faithless, 

of cities fill’d with the foolish,

Of myself forever reproaching myself, 

(for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)

Of eyes that vainly crave the light, 

of the objects mean, of the struggle ever renew’d,

Of the poor results of all, 

of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me,

Of the empty and useless years of the rest, 

with the rest me intertwined,

The question, O me! so sad, recurring—

What good amid these, O me, O life?

[Slower, almost whispering]

What good amid these, O me, O life?

[Anna pauses… then shifts, sitting up straight]

Answer: That you are here — that life exists and identity. 

[The shower in the background stops]

That the powerful play goes on… and you may contribute a verse.

[Someone steps out into the main room]

Maria Sol

What, are you recording again?

Anna Sheridan

Just… getting some thoughts down. Clearing my head, before… well, you know.

Maria Sol

Actually, I kind of don’t.

Anna Sheridan

Maria, I already told you I can’t…

Maria Sol

Yeah, yeah. It’s… It’s fine. I just wish you’d trust me a little more after all we’ve been through.

Anna Sheridan

I do! It’s just… There’s more on the line here than you know. Maybe even than I know. And I’m sorry, but… It’s better this way.

Maria Sol

Better for who?

[Silence]

[Anna sighs]

Anna Sheridan

I really don’t want to fight about this, Maria. Not tonight.

Maria Sol

Fine. Come on, scoot over.

[Anna shuffles over on the bed, and Maria lays down next to her]

Maria Sol 

Can you at least tell me what’s going to happen tomorrow?

Anna Sheridan

I don’t know. Not really. But I know you’ll be there with me. That’s enough.

Maria Sol

Aw, shucks, you’re making me blush.

Anna Sheridan

[Laughs]

Oh, shut up. I mean it.

Maria Sol

You always were a bit cheesy.

Anna Sheridan

And you’re a total brat!

Maria Sol

Takes one to know one.

[They laugh at one another]

Anna Sheridan

I love you.

Maria Sol

You’d better.

[Fade out]

[Silence]

[Click]

[Shuffling as Anna handles the recorder]

[A long, narrow, echoing cave: rumbling wind, echoes of footsteps and Anna’s voice, faint dripping of melting ice]

Anna Sheridan 

Anna Sheridan, project update. Recorded in the field, February 1st, 2018 at 1400 CET… Or at least, that was the time when my watch stopped working.

I must have hit it on a rock at some point… I got separated from the rest of the team earlier. I was trying to reconnect with them when I felt the ground shake. I don’t know if it was an earthquake or a lightning strike, but I looked up and saw a wall of snow barreling down on me. I just managed to duck inside a nearby cave entrance, but the avalanche completely buried it before I could get out. I tried chipping at the snow with my ice axe, but there was just too much for me to dig out on my own. Thankfully I still had a headlamp, so I’ve been looking for another way out ever since. The cave is fairly extensive — and I’m pretty sure it’s not supposed to be here. The entrance wasn’t on any of the maps I saw, at least. And I’m pretty sure I’ve—

[She stops, hearing the mutter of a distant voice]

Anna Sheridan [whispering]

That’s the third time I’ve heard that voice down here. I mostly started recording to see if it’s picked up by the tape or not. If so, then I can finally have proof of what’s going on down here and can shut David up a bit… If I ever make it out of here, that is. And if he didn’t get caught in the avalanche too. Dr. Caldwell did say there was a risk going up the mountain in this weather. I just hope they’re all okay.

[Half-pause]

But right now, I need to focus on getting out. The air smells fresh [she begins walking again] and doesn’t seem to be thinning out, so there must be another exit somewhere. I’ve been marking my path with grease pencil so I should be able to find my way back if I get turned around. Speaking of which…

[She pauses to mark a nearby rock with a grease pencil]

I can’t let myself get too distracted recording this. So far there’s only been one or two turn offs, but I’ve been trying to find one that leads back up towards the surface of the mountain…  trying and failing. They all seem to curve back in on themselves, and the further I go the more they seem to slope down. I would be more worried about getting further underground if this all didn’t feel so… oddly familiar. I think I might have seen this place before. Thinking back on it, it might have been a—

[She hears strange, distant noises again]

Anna Sheridan [whispering]

I… I think whatever’s whispering is through here. There’s a thin gap in the wall of the cave, and… 

[She clicks off her headlamp]

There’s a light on the other side. Not sunlight, but a… a faint blue. Some kind of bioluminescence, maybe?

Or I might be about to crawl into another supernatural hotspot. Why did I have to lose the skeptic squad before I found this?

[Anna grunts as she squeezes through a narrow chasm]

Okay… It’s a tight squeeze, but I’ve made it through worse. Just… Keep… Pushing, and… There!

[Anna takes a shaky breath]

Made it… Made it. For someone who hates caves as much as I do, I seem to spend an ungodly amount of time in… 

[She stops, noticing an underground river snaking by]

Holy shit. Okay, this was definitely not on the map — I don’t think it’s on any map. It’s a large grotto with a deep central pool, fed by an underground stream that seems to originate from one of the tunnels leading off of the chamber. The ceiling is about eight or nine feet high with a number of large stalactites, but… 

Well, the reason I can see all that is because there are large patches of glowing mushrooms growing around the pool and along the cavern wall. There must be some geothermal activity in this cave too, since there’s no sunlight to—

[Anna cuts off with a faint gasp]

[The voice has returned, and it’s obvious who is speaking]

Craig Domhnwell [chanting, continuous]

Eve, when she saw the fruit good to eat, 

And Adam, standing nearby, 

Could not bear the sting of separateness more, 

Unity, lest they die. 

Tie, bind… 

Anna Sheridan [simultaneous to Craig]

Craig? Craig, what are you doing down here?

Is there another way down? Did you find some other way into the cave when the avalanche—

[Anna gasps, horrified]

[Craig turns to look at her, a sound of cracking bone & twisting organic matter]

[He moves towards her, unhurried]

Craig Domhnwell [chanting, continuous]

…joining yet still, 

Adam and Eve in their mirth, 

Knew the mind of God, 

the Father of God

The Prophet of the Earth.

When the Word is spoken to you, little children, 

Remember well these words: 

That the Prophet will make a new home once more —

The Promise of New Birth. 

Stand not against the roots of heaven, 

Resist not the union of bliss, 

Be at One all the same and remember the name 

Of Time and Creation’s Kiss.

Anna Sheridan [horrified whisper, simultaneous to Craig]

No, no, no — Please Craig, please fight this, please don’t be… 

Craig, listen: it’s me. It’s Anna. You can come back. You don’t have to give in to this thing. You can beat it, I know you can. You’re stronger than this, and we can figure it out—

[Anna shrinks against the stone wall of the cave]

Anna Sheridan

I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.

Craig Domhnwell [voice filling the cave]

The Source of All that Was and Was Not and Will Be Again is Within Me and Without Me [distortion rising] and Beyond Me and Below Me and Before—

[A sudden BANG, followed by a fleshy THUNK]

[Hiss of burning flesh]

[David stands, panting]

David Robinson

Are you… Are you alright?

[Clack]

[Fade to…]

[Inside a quiet hotel room, a heater whirs]

[Distant sounds of crickets outside singing before sunrise]

[Maria Sol snores softly on the bed]

[Anna sighs and sits up beside her, bed creaking]

[She zips her bag open, pulls her tape recorder out, and starts recording]

[She stops recording after a few moments and sighs]

[She stands, walks to the hotel room door, unlocks it, and steps outside]

[Noises of distant traffic as she steps into the open air]

[The door creaks as it shuts, she shivers, and zips her jacket up]

[She walks out to the edge of the parking lot]

[She activates her scanner, it pings wildly for several seconds]

[She shuts it off and sighs again]

[She turns around and begins to head back to the hotel room]

Strange Woman

What’ve you got there?

Anna Sheridan (jumping)

Ah!

Strange Woman

[light laugh] Now now… I’m not as scary as all that.

[The woman lights a cigarette with a Zippo lighter and takes a drag]

Anna Sheridan

Sorry, it’s just… you surprised me, is all.

Strange Woman

I tend to do that. [she extends a cigarette] Want one?

Anna Sheridan

No thanks.

Strange Woman

Don’t smoke?

Anna Sheridan

No, but… my partner hates the smell.

Strange Woman

Fair enough. [she takes another drag] So… what do you have there?

Anna Sheridan

Oh, um… it’s an EMF scanner. It… detects changes in electromagnetic fields.

Strange Woman

You a scientist, then?

[Anna laughs dryly]

Anna Sheridan

No, not really — my dad was the scientist. I got it from him.

Strange Woman

And what’s it tell ya? I could hear that racket all the way over here.

Anna Sheridan

I — I don’t know. I’ve never seen readings like this before, but… I think it means something bad is coming.

Strange Woman

What, like what happened up in Agate Shore?

Anna Sheridan

No, I’m… I’m scared it’s something worse. Something… bigger. Here in Oslow.

[The older woman scoffs and takes another drag on her cigarette]

Strange Woman

If that’s true, then it’s about damn time. Oslow’s been due a reckoning for a while now.

Anna Sheridan

What do you mean?

Strange Woman

Don’t let the desert charm fool ya — this whole place is rotten to the core. Far as I’m concerned, flood wiped out the wrong town.

Anna Sheridan

But… Agate Shore was abandoned.

Strange Woman

And?

Anna Sheridan

…and people still live here.

[The woman laughs dryly]

Strange Woman

“Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Wilt thou sweep away…” No, I guess there are still good folk, even in this town. But the ones in charge put ‘em on a path, whether they know it or not — and they don’t fight it. If nothing changes, it’s gonna spill out in death sooner rather than later.

Anna Sheridan

You seem… awfully sure about that.

Strange Woman

I’ve been around a while. Seen a few things. And everywhere I go, the pattern’s always the same. It might take a while to get there… but it always comes round. Always.

[She grinds her cigarette down on her tailgate and flicks away the butt]

[She walks to the cab, and opens her door, which squeaks]

[She gets inside]

Anna Sheridan

Does it have to, though?

Strange Woman

Come again?

Anna Sheridan

Does it have to happen like that, or… can people change it?

Strange Woman

Ethos Anthropos Daimon, Anna. Wherever you’re going — whatever you do next — it’s yours to decide. Yours to shape. Trust your instincts… and listen.

[The woman closes her door, starts the truck, reverses, and drives off]

[Anna watches her go and shivers again]

[She looks at the scanner in her hand]

Anna Sheridan

You brought me this far, dad… and I’m thankful for that. But I think we both know I have to take this last step on my own.

[She walks to a trash can, opens the lid, dumps it inside, and closes the lid]

[She walks back to the hotel room door and opens it, calling inside]

Maria? Are you up yet? It’s time to go.

[Cassette noises]

[Click]

[Static fades]

[The tape continues; a clock can be heard ticking on the wall]

[A gas fire hisses and crackles; the rain is faintly heard coming down outside]

Anna Sheridan

We landed at LAX this morning. I didn’t ask Maria to pick me up this time… I didn’t want her to see me like this. I haven’t been sleeping since we left Babia Góra, and this… 

God, I don’t know how I’m going to tell her what happened. I don’t know how to… I don’t know if I can tell her anything. I’ve just been listening to this tape over and over again, trying to decide what to do, and it’s… 

Craig agreed to let me record him on our last trip to Aberdeen. I never got his whole story, and Maria wanted to hear it as well, so he finally agreed to put it down on tape. I always… Craig always felt like a mentor to me. He never saw himself that way, but — he spent his whole life chasing the impossible, just like I did. Except he knew when to stop — when to turn back. I always thought — I hoped — he would outlive me. That he’d die peacefully… at home, in his sleep, like normal people do. He deserved that much.

But that isn’t what happened. I brought him to Poland. I asked him to come because I needed someone I could trust — someone who’d look after me, after what Ren did. And he died because of me.

[Anna falls silent for a moment]

It has to mean something. It has to. Craig can’t die for nothing. I have to make it worthwhile. No matter how scared I am.

Every night since I left the mountain, I’ve dreamed of my own death. I can’t sleep, but I still dream — I still see it, even when my eyes are open. I see a desert, and a tunnel, and a door in the earth. I see a gun, firing. And then I’m not there anymore.

I was afraid to say it before… I was afraid that would make it true, make it real. But I have to make this pain worth it — even if it costs me everything. These dreams have already taken too much.

[Clack]

[Fade to…]

[A quiet lunch rush at a diner: scattered laughter and conversation, clinking of utensils and plates]

Ren Park

Are you done eating?

Anna Sheridan

What? Oh… Yeah. I was just thinking about… I mean, what could possibly affect our readings that much? Something that powerful, that wide-ranging… I think we’re out of our depth, Ren.

Ren Park

Are you sure you’re okay to keep going, Anna?

Anna Sheridan

I… I have something for you.

[Anna pulls a manilla envelope out of her bag and hands it to Ren]

[He tucks it inside his jacket]

You’re not going to read it?

Ren Park

Not here. I still think there might be someone watching us. I’ll open it later.

Anna Sheridan

If you’re so worried about it, maybe you should just leave. I’m still finishing my coffee.

[She sips her coffee indignantly]

Ren Park

You can’t get rid of me that easy, Anna.

[The waitress approaches]

Waitress

Here’s some more coffee for you, darlin’.

[She pours more coffee]

Anna Sheridan

Thanks.

Waitress

No problem. Oh! Y’all see the news last night? Good god, all those poor crows fallin’ outta the sky? Makes ya feel like the world’s endin’.

Ren Park

We just need our check, if you could?

[The waitress pauses for a half second]

Waitress

Of course.

[She retreats]

Anna Sheridan

You’re right. She’s acting strange. Could you… at least look at the title? It’s right under the seal.

[Ren sighs]

Ren Park

If you insist… 

[Ren pulls out the envelope, opens the top, and thumbs over the pages inside]

“The Last Will and Testament of Anna…”

[The waitress approaches again]

Anna, why are you giving me this now—

Waitress

[oddly flat] Uh oh… who died?

[Anna ignores her, signs the check, and returns it]

Anna Sheridan

Thank you.

[The waitress retreats]

Just… hold onto that for me, would you?

[She gathers her things and prepares to leave]

Ren Park

Anna, please… just tell me what’s going on. Why do I need this?

Anna Sheridan

You don’t. Someone else will.

[Anna stands and walks to the exit door]

[The bell on the door jangles as she exits]

[Fade out]

[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]