Episode 52: Somewhere, Off Air

The voice of Tanner is Chuck Raymond. The voice of Ada is Rae Lundberg (The Night Post) The voice of Jackson is Nathan Lunsford (The Storage Papers) The voice of Matt is Athan (@AthansMusic, Grotto, Redacted) The voice of Samuel is Jamie Petronis (The Cellar Letters, Redacted). The voice of Martha is Day Chase. 

Featuring David Ault (Shadows at the Door, and many more!) as the Be All. 

CW: Depictions of injury, pain, distress, existentialism, animal attack, amateur medical procedures, loud noises, gunfire, butchering, kidnapping, death. 

Sound effects this episode courtesy of Creative Commons contributions from Freesound.org and Pixaby. 

Nowhere, On Air is created, voiced and produced by Jesse Syratt. Cover art by Moon Hermit Crab.

We'd love to hear from you! Email us at nowhere.onair@gmail.com. Or, find us on Bluesky, @nowhereonair.bsky.social

Transcript

[THEME MUSIC, INTO SWITCHING CHANNELS, INTO STATIC, INTO:] 

JESS: Hey Martha. Me again. Me always. Missing you. Missing- Braedon. Missing Tim Horton’s double doubles beneath a cool, clear night sky. What I wouldn’t give for a cup of coffee right now. 

I’ve been at this radio station for a few weeks. Probably more like two months. It just- I keep thinking about moving on and it just doesn’t feel right. At least not yet. I- something about giving up the one bit of safety and familiarity I have in this world understandably doesn’t sit well with me. It feels a little too perfect to abandon. Of course I end up here, right? 

I got to broadcast something a few nights ago. It was— not my best work, it reminded me of this one show we had back when we moved from a late night to an evening show, and… yeah. A little worse. But not much. 

Anyways. The past few hours I’ve been seeing what looks like smoke rising in the distance. I can’t really tell how far away it is, but- well, where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and maybe, where there’s fire, there’s someone who lit that fire. And- well, you know my fatal flaw is curiosity so I’m gonna do something a little stupid. Not totally stupid, if I was totally stupid I would just go on over and check it out. But, because I’m still at that radio station, I'm going to climb the radio tower and I should be able to see it from up there. I don’t know what’s out there. I don’t feel like getting killed today by either a wild animal, a person, or some monster I can’t even conceptualize. If I get killed by my own stupidity, and die falling off this thing, that’s different. 

I also found a shirt with a pocket in some boxes in a back room, so I should be able to talk to you while I go. Carry you with me, or, at least, the proxy of you. Which helps. Cause I’m scared of heights. As you know. But not scared enough, obviously. 

[SIGHS] Okay. Here we go. 

[A FEW GRUNTS AS SHE’S CLIMBING, WIND RISING, PANTING.] 

JESS: [TAKING A QUICK BREATHER] This is taller than it looked from the ground. I shouldn’t need to get too high, but– [SIGHS, THEN] I have a better view of the sky from here. The clouds are… dancing. Weirdly green and blue. It's always overcast, I don't remember the last time I saw the sun properly. It constantly feels like it's about to storm here. The whole world seems like it's holding its breath, just waiting for a storm to break. 

Anyways. 

[STARTS CLIMBING AGAIN. FINALLY SETTLES ON A BAR, PANTING. BEAT, THEN] 

Woah. 

That’s…  not smoke. 

Martha I wish I could do this justice. There’s-... I’m high up enough I can see for… ages. In the distance, which is so… fluid I can see what was once the next town over, there’s this large cloud of colour and vapour dancing and writhing down from the sky, and it's… like a slow motion tornado, its tearing the buildings apart and pulling them brick by brick, piece by piece, into the air… and they’re just… dissolving. Like a cloud of smoke it's just– the rising rubble of whatever used to be here. 

Its- its grabbed some trees now. Poured down in a funnel, a   Breaking it apart and drawing it into itself. 

I- I can hear a faint and low humming from here. A whirring. The air feels a little more… alive. 

Oh my– oh my god, there– there must have been a deer or something down there, it… a sprouting of red in the dust, inconsistencies and pale interruptions that must be bones or… the trail of its guts or… God. Maybe it's a good thing I can’t do this justice.

[BEAT. BREATH HITCHES]

I feel- I feel like I’m too close. Or its getting closer. My stomach just dropped, like– I should– get down, I don’t want it to know that I’m here–

[CLIMBING BACK DOWN, THEN- A GASP, SLIP, FALLING. JESS HITS THE GROUND. THE PHONE SMASHES. STATIC. JESS GROANS IN PAIN.]

JESS: [WEAKLY, PAINED] Shit-

[STATIC]

TANNER: [ENTERING, LIKE IT WOKE HIM UP FROM SLEEPING] Jess…? What the hell are you playing? 

[STATIC, NONSENSE, INTO:] 

JESS: Hey Martha. It's me. I think this phone is broken cause I literally landed on it, but I- I’m a creature of habit for one, and secondly, I’m alone so no one can make me feel crazy for pretending it's working. But if I pretend I’m not alone it doesn’t hurt so bad. The loneliness, yes, but also I- I’m- I’m just taking a breather cause I- I definitely broke a couple ribs a few days ago and I’m so stupidly hungry right now, I just need a distraction. 

It's been a long time since I’ve found anything. That- the radio station I’m at is close enough to whatever’s left of a town that I’ve been making trips in to see what I can find but– understandably pickings have been more than slim. And by close enough I mean it takes half an hour on foot. And with how much pain I’ve been in… and how tired I am [SIGHS] It's a slow journey. 

And- and at night, or at least whenever darkness seems to fall, these… sometimes these things come out. Not like what Tanner described from wherever he went but… similar in concept, I guess. I’ve never really gotten a good look at them. I just hear them in the distance. They kind of sound like… a voice. It actually reminded me of what you taught me about cougars and foxes and bobcats and how they all can sound like a person calling for help. I probably would have been tricked into thinking it was someone. Not that they sound that convincing when you listen close, but desperation does interesting things to the mind. 

Tanner said they just called them bears or wolves in his world cause it was the closest thing conceptually, but I think that was a missed opportunity to give something a name. So I’ve been workshopping some names. 

Goosedogs. That’s based on the sound. Or like… Greebys or something. I don’t know. Maybe it makes them less scary if you give them a silly made up name. 

“Oh no, I hope the Greebies don’t get me” like– 

[LAUGHTER, COUGH, WINCE]

Ah, shit. Man this sucks. But-

[GRUNTS AND STANDS. STATIC]

I’m wasting time. I want to be on my way back before dark. 

[STATIC]

JESS: This makes no sense- I don’t understand how this is happening! Stop– 

[STATIC] 

JESS: Well, Martha, you might be excited to hear I got not one, not two, but three cans of soup that look safe to eat. I also found some bottled water, so that’s a treat for another time. But it's– [NOTICING] Damn, it's so dark out, I- I thought I had more time before that would happen. Sometimes I feel like the sun just does whatever the hell it wants–

[CREATURE CRY IN THE DISTANCE]

JESS: That– that was close. I should get out of here- or, I think I saw a storage closet, maybe I should tuck in there if it gets any closer… 

[CREATURE SOUNDS GET CLOSER. A SOUND NEARBY OF THINGS SHIFTING/BEING MOVED. JESS FREEZES, HEAVY BREATHING]

JESS: [LOW, WHISPERS] I think– [LOUDER] Shit–! Shit! [IMPACT. A STRUGGLE] Get off–! [STRUGGLING CONTINUES. PAIN, FLESH, GROWLING. RUNNING. A DOOR CLOSES]

[STATIC.]

JESS: Stop-! [SMACKING THE BOARD, THEN A CRY OF PAIN, GRIMACING] Ah, fuck-!

TANNER: Take it easy, okay. Please tell me you didn’t just break your hand-

[STATIC] 

JESS: [WEAKLY] Me again. Playing pretend. I tap the screen on this thing and some sort of light comes on so– good enough for me. I– no way was I making it back tonight so– I found a room in the back of this place to hide out and wait for morning. I- I found some first aid stuff and I’m gonna– most of the scratches aren’t bleeding a whole lot anymore but– but one of them is— it’s not good and the bite is bad and I’m pretending I’m talking to you because it feels more– justifiable than straight up talking to myself and I really need a distraction because its not stopping bleeding and it's so deep so… 

I’ve gotta stitch this up and I really don’t want to be alone. I mean I never really want to be alone but right now… my hands are shaking so bad. 

Everything is slick and I— there’s a light in here from somewhere, I don’t know where it's coming from and I don’t really care to find out… I can see enough. That’s what matters. 

[DEEP BREATH. WORDS SLURRING A LITTLE. TO SELF:]

I can do this. Because I have to. It's okay because it has to be. 

[WINCING AND SUBDUED SOUNDS OF PAIN AND FLESH AS SHE’S STITCHING] 

Fuck this– ouch-! 

If this isn’t some shitty afterlife and I’m not dead already, I’m going to be. Whether its bleeding out or- or infection from this stupid– 

[GRUNTING IN PAIN, FLESH SOUND]

I can’t believe it bit me. 

I got bit by a monster. By a fucking– greeby. Serves me right for giving them a stupid name. 

[STATIC]

TANNER: Just calm down for a second– 

JESS: Stop standing there, looking at me like that and help me-!

[STATIC] 

JESS: I’m still alive. I don’t know how. I made it back to the station. I don’t know how either. Longest walk of my life. 

Not the station- not our station– this station. This hollow echo of what was once a radio station in a better place and time. I- I think it's all getting infected. No surprise there to be honest. 

Maybe this will also become my tomb. There’s a poetical sort of end there, isn’t it? 

[SNIFF] 

I’m gonna die here. I’m gonna die and I’m never gonna see you again and I’m never gonna see my parents again or go back to school or get to see the ocean or…  

[BEAT]

I mean, I knew I was gonna die out here, but… like this? This? 

[STATIC] 

JESS: [SPEECH A LITTLE SLURRED] I think- I think a storm’s blowing in. The walls are shaking. I- I think I’m dying but I think the storm’s real. I’m- I’m laying on the floor. I think I was sleeping but it got so loud… It’s so cold. 

[THE WIND BLOWS]

The wind sounds like wolves. I used to be scared of the sound as a child when it would howl through the little gaps in my window. Howling. Like coyotes. I used to listen to the howl from my trailer when I was— and pretend I was home— in my room—  

It’s like James. Y’know, when she would stare at random points in the distance and howl and freak us out-… but… 

[LAUGHTER INTO COUGHING] 

I’m so cold. I’m so- scared. I’m so tired. 

I want to go home. 

I just keep thinking, there was something here once. And maybe one day in the near future, that’ll be me. I- I should’ve wrote my name on the desk like you would in school– to say I was here. But. But maybe one day, this storm will pass, and this place will be quiet. And maybe the door will have rusted off its hinges, and the glass will have given way to the wind, and- and sunlight will trickle in through the empty windows. And maybe a coyote will wander in, sniffing at the strange ruins of a structure that does nothing but obscure the landscape. And maybe within these half-empty walls, littered with faded pictures of faces and names no one will remember and photos of a world that no longer exists, with these shelves and wires and things that have no purpose and no meaning… maybe that coyote will find my bones here. Resting. As close to the earth as I could get. And even though it's a coyote, maybe it too will get the sense that… that something was here. That I was here. 

I was here… 

[STATIC. THE DOOR SWINGS OPEN, THEN CLOSES] 

ADA: Damn that wind— got dust in my eyes— 

JACKSON: Well, this place popped up out of nowhere just in time. 

MATT: Alright, let's check it out. Make sure that light wasn’t something or someone luring us in. 

[SOME SHUFFLING, SEARCHING, THEN] 

ADA: Ah geez- there’s someone back here!

JACKSON: Still alive? 

ADA: I- I think so. Shit, I don’t know. 

[FOOTSTEPS]

JACKSON: Looks like someone’s been through the ringer. 

MATT: Alive. Probably attacked by those things we heard, judging by-... shit, yeah, these are infected.

ADA: Don’t we still have those antibiotics we found back in- whatever that town was called? They’re probably still good right?

JACKSON: Hmm. 

MATT: We do, but–

ADA: But what?

MATT: What happens if one of us needs them? [SIGHS] I see the lock on your face,  I’m not trying to be cruel, just practical. 

ADA: You wanna be stuck in here with a dead body til the storm blows over? 

JACKSON: Could be days. 

MATT: We don’t need an extra mouth to feed. Bad enough as it is with the three of us– 

ADA: We can cross that bridge when we get there. 

JACKSON: Look, in your opinion, we give her this stuff- she pull through? 

MATT: Hey, can you hear me? 

JESS: [GROANS WEAKLY]

ADA: Guess she can. 

JACKSON: Feels like that settles it. 

MATT: Alright, alright, I- 

[ZIPPER. SORTING THROUGH BAG. STATIC, BACK INTO:]

TANNER: Jess- just calm down-

JESS: How is this happening? Stop it, stop it–

[STATIC. THE STORM RAGES LOUDLY. THE DOOR SHAKES]

JACKSON: Sounds like the roof’s gonna give. 

MATT: Looks like she’s been holed up here for a while, I’m sure this place’ll hold. 

JESS: [MUMBLING, HOARSE, DELIRIOUS] What’s–

ADA: Go back to sleep. You’re okay, kid. 

JESS: Someone’s at the door…

ADA: It's just the wind. 

JESS: [WEAKLY TRYING TO MOVE] Martha– James, she’s outside, she’s outside, she wants to come in– 

ADA: Shhh, it's okay- 

[STATIC]

JESS GASPS AWAKE AT MUFFLED CONVERSATION IN THE OTHER ROOM.  THE WIND IS STILL RAGING OUTSIDE. FOOTSTEPS.]

ADA: Look who’s decided to join the land of the living. 

JESS: Who are you? When- how-?

MATT: Long story. Gotta admit, I’m surprised you’re still here. 

JESS: I- I’m alive? 

ADA: Yeah. And you look like you’ll fall over if someone breathes on you, come sit down. [BEAT] Are those scissors? 

JESS: Uh, yeah, sorry, I-  You’re- you’re the first people I’ve met in a long time. 

JACKSON: Got some kind of crazy luck, huh kid? 

MATT: Hey, the antibiotics helped. Glad to know we didn’t waste them. No offense. 

JESS: Uh, none taken. Thank you. I- you didn’t have to help me. 

ADA: Course we did. 

JESS: Well. Still. [BEAT. WIND RAGES OUTSIDE] God. When do you think this storm will let up? 

ADA: Hard to say. Usually they only last a couple days, and you’ve been out a little while, so… 

JACKSON: We’re hoping by tomorrow.

MATT: How are you feeling? 

JESS: Fine. 

ADA: That’s his “incredulous” face. 

JESS: Better. A lot better. Everything still hurts but, I feel- alive. So… um. Thanks. 

MATT: Hungry?

JESS: Not really, but I’ll eat if you’re offering. 

MATT: Good. Sorry, we just started burning stuff, hopefully…

JESS: That’s fine. Most of this isn’t mine. 

MATT: I’m Matt, that’s Ada-

ADA: Yo. 

MATT: And that’s Jackson. 

JACKSON: Hey. 

JESS: I’m… [BEAT] Charlotte. Charlie. Charlie, if you want. 

MATT: You sure? Didn’t hit your head, did you? 

JESS: I’m sure. Thanks. 

MATT: You did those stitches yourself? 

JESS: [CHUCKLING] Isn’t it obvious? 

MATT: It’d be a little impressive if it wasn’t so stupid. 

ADA: Go easy on her, man. Don’t take it personally, kid, he’s just grumpy. 

MATT: I think I’m entitled. 

ADA: It’s the apocalypse for us, too. Should we see if there’s anything good on the static tonight? 

MATT: Radio’s bust, remember? 

ADA: Is that why Jackson’s sulking? 

JESS: Might be a good place to find parts to fix it.

ADA: Ah, none of us have the relevant skill set. Unless you’re about to reveal you’re a radio mechanic. 

MATT: Would make you an invaluable addition to the team. 

JESS: Unfortunately nothing quite as practical. I just live here. 

ADA: How long? 

JESS: Maybe a month? Was just wandering around before that. Got a pack of sticky notes I had in my pocket somewhere, and I’m keeping track. 

MATT: Track of the days? 

JESS:  Something to do. 

ADA: Been alone the whole time? 

JESS: Yeah. Since… yeah. 

ADA: Damn. That’s rough. 

JESS: I wasn’t really sure how many people were left out there. 

JACKSON: We know the feeling. 

[STATIC TRANSITION, INTO: THE FIRE IS OUT. THE STORM SOUNDS HAVE FADED] 

JACKSON: The sweet sound of silence. 

JESS: Sounds like it's passed over. 

MATT: About time. How are you feeling? 

JESS: Fine. Good. 

MATT: Good. Not the most conventional treatment so… glad it’s working. 

ADA: Gonna look badass with those wicked scars. 

JESS: Ha. [BEAT] Well, thank you. For everything. It was nice to have company, people to talk to, y’know. You’re welcome to stay, obviously, but I imagine you folks wanna keep moving. 

JACKSON: Look, we’ve been talking… Miserable world to face alone. 

MATT: We keep moving, day in, day out, so if you don’t think you’re up for that… 

ADA: But if you are… well, at the very least, it would be rude not to extend the offer. 

[STATIC, TRANSITION, INTO:] 

JESS: [SIGHS. NIGHT TIME SOUNDS] Hey, Martha. It's me. No phone still, none of that anymore, just– I haven’t done this in a while. Months, actually. I’m– the others are asleep, it's my turn to be on watch. I was just- thinking about you. I do, often, I promise but– it's quiet, and for a second the way the wind swelled sounded and smelled like the trees just off the Crowsnest river back home, where I used to watch the memories in the water ripple by and… I thought maybe… it would be nice to remember you. And bring my memories of you into this moment. I’ve been distant. The cosmic space between us seems to have caught up with me and… 

There just- isn’t much to say, to be honest. We’re heading west because there was this voice on the radio they’d been picking up for a while saying there’s a safe haven on the west coast. That’s really all the info we have. It's really all we have, full stop. 

Apparently, also, hard as it seems to believe, this used to be Canada, so, at least I’ve been on semi-familiar turf. This world seems pretty close to the one, or ones, I’m used to. I still don’t know how any of this happened. I’ve tried asking, but… it's a touchy subject. Which, I think, is fair enough. 

[BEAT. SIGH] 

I miss you. It hurts differently now. It’ll always hurt, I’m sure, but… I don’t know. I- I don’t know if I’m happy. But- I’m content. And that feels like a win. I’ve been counting the days as best I can, and… there’s a lot of them. But what is time when- when the world has stopped and you’re scraping the bottom of the barrel of existence? 

That was more bleak than this life deserves. I think Matt’s rubbing off on me. 

I don’t know if I’ll ever see you again. Probably not. I think, maybe if there’s something or someone out there looking out for me… perhaps they’ll choose to be kind to us. But I wanted you to know I’m okay, and I’m not alone anymore, and I still miss you, and– 

JACKSON: [APPROACHING] Who you talking to, kid? 

JESS: Huh? Sorry, if I woke you, uh, I was just… talking to myself. 

JACKSON: Ah, I’m just restless. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop… 

JESS: It’s fine.  

JACKSON: You want some company?  

JESS: …Sure. 

[JACKSON GRUNTS AS HE SITS NEXT TO HER ON THE GROUND] 

JACKSON: …How you holding up? 

JESS: Fine. Fine. You? 

JACKSON: Same old, same old. 

JESS: Good. Nice night. 

JACKSON: Yeah. Quiet. Almost too quiet. [BEAT] Like I said, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but–

JESS: It's fine. 

JACKSON: Excuse my asking so, but, why do you talk like that? 

JESS: Like what? 

JACKSON: I dunno, all- poetical. 

JESS: Just something I picked up, I think. 

JACKSON: Oh?

JESS: Part of my job, I guess. Was. 

JACKSON: Which was?

JESS: I was a radio host. In a small town.  

JACKSON: I thought your voice sounded familiar. 

JESS: What?

JACKSON: Couple months ago now, we were listening to the usual static, when something else cut through. Not long, but– we heard you. Made the damn thing go crazy, starting sparking. The speakers blew. 

JESS: That’s how it broke? 

JACKSON: Mmhmm. 

JESS: Weird. 

JACKSON: Liked that radio. 

JESS: Damn. Sorry. 

JACKSON: Ain’t your fault. 

[STATIC. BONFIRE.]  

JESS: That can’t be true. 

ADA: I swear on Matt’s mother’s grave–

MATT: Hey-

ADA: He was so mad I thought steam would come out of his ears.

MATT: I thought he was going to shoot us. 

JACKSON: I would have, if the sound of the shot wouldn’t attract even more of the damn things– 

[STATIC. TRANSITION. BONFIRE]

ADA: Sleep okay? 

JESS: Yeah. Cold last night. 

JACKSON: Season’s changing. 

ADA: Next place we stop we’ll do our best to find something better for ya. 

JESS: Two blankets duct taped together is better than what I had before, I’m not complaining. 

MATT: We’ll all need more when the snow comes. Almost didn’t make it through last winter. 

ADA: We decided to try and tough it out instead of hunkering down like we should have done. 

MATT: Well if we keep a good pace, we’ll be at the coast before the worst of it hits. 

JACKSON: And find whatever mystery miracle is waiting for us there. 

JESS: I’ve never seen the ocean. 

ADA: Well, hopefully it's still there. 

[STATIC, TRANSITION. ALL WALKING. JESS IS HUMMING]

JACKSON: What’s that? 

JESS: Oh- nothing. Just got a song stuck in my head. 

[STATIC.] 

ADA: Charlie. Charlie.  

JESS: Huh? Sorry. Yeh?

ADA: You okay? Was calling your name for a while…  

JESS: Just- thinking. What’s up? 

ADA: Gonna go check the hunting traps we set. Thought maybe you’d wanna come, I could show you a few things. 

JESS: Guess it’s time I made myself useful. 

ADA: Just want you to be able to take care of yourself. 

[STATIC]

ADA: You okay? Not gonna hurl on me, are you? 

JESS: No, I… my dad always wanted to take me hunting with him, growing up. Just regretting never taking him up on that… I don’t regret missing out on the “butchering the animal aftermath”… this is a rabbit?  

ADA: Skinny bastard, huh? 

JESS: Yeah. 

ADA: Everyone’s hungry. It's like the world’s being bled dry. 

JESS: What happened? 

ADA: What do you mean? 

JESS: To- everything. To the world. 

ADA: What? You sleep through the apocalypse or something? 

JESS: Or something. I’m serious, what happened? 

ADA: We don’t talk about it. 

JESS: I- I’m sorry. I can’t imagine how painful it must be—

ADA: There are things that listen. Things that– when you talk about them, you call out to them. Things that wait. 

JESS: Oh. 

ADA: After Maria died, we- we all promised. 

JESS: Okay. Yeah. Sure. 

ADA: You really don’t know? 

JESS: It’s a long story. 

ADA: You keep saying that. One day you’re gonna have to tell it. 

[JESS LAUGHS LIGHTLY.]

ADA: [LOWER] It… didn’t happen all at once. It was slow. Things just- started to change. People started disappearing. Everything just sort of- fell apart. But it was gradual and then, it felt like you blinked and– it was the end. But it wasn’t over. Felt like it should have been, like all existence sort of- hiccuped. And we’ve been… doing our best since. 

JESS: Oh, I… I’m so sorry. 

ADA: To who– to me? You don’t have to apologize, we’re in the same boat. Though I can’t say I’m not a little jealous it seemed to pass you by. 

[STATIC TRANSITION, INTO:] 

MATT: Yeah, I think- yeah if you put your foot there, should be enough of a foothold to boost yourself up and grab–

JESS: Can’t really see where you’re pointing when I’m trying to focus on climbing and not falling. 

MATT: Just there– where it juts out a little–

ADA: Matt, quit micromanaging and let her figure it out. 

MATT: I’m just trying to be helpful. 

JACKSON: We’re right behind you, kid. 

[SCRAPING AGAINST ROCK.]

MATT: Yeah, that’s the one. 

JESS: Okay. Okay… 

MATT: If you can boost yourself to the next one there- 

JESS: I see it. Oh shit, dude- 

MATT: [LEANING DOWN TO HELP HER UP] I gotcha. 

JESS: Thanks. That sucked. Oh, god. 

MATT: What, scared of heights or something? 

JESS: Yes. 

ADA: Alright, Jackson, after you. 

JACKSON: [BEGINNING CLIMBING] Alright… 

[STATIC.]

JACKSON: [MURMURING, IN HIS SLEEP]  

JESS: Jack, you okay? [WAKING HIM] Hey, Jackson. 

JACKSON: [TIREDLY, STILL HALF ASLEEP] Ally…?

JESS: No, it's… it's Charlie. 

JACKSON: What is it? 

JESS: You- you were dreaming. Sorry, are you hungry? 

JACKSON: You were supposed to wake me. 

JESS: You were tired. 

JACKSON: You were up all night. 

JESS: I’m okay. 

[JACKSON GRUNTS AS HE SITS UP] 

JESS: How’re you feeling? 

JACKSON: [WINCING] Fine. 

JESS: Matt said he left painkillers in–

JACKSON: I’m fine. 

JESS: They should be back tonight. 

JACKSON: Wouldn’t have taken so long if they’d had all hands on deck. 

JESS: Should have thought about that before falling down a ravine, old man. 

JACKSON: Yeah, I’ll be more considerate next time we do a supply run. 

JESS: Hopefully it was a successful trip.  I- I made scrambled eggs with the last of the eggs. Mystery eggs, but… 

JACKSON: I’m not hungry. You have my share. 

JESS: You sure? 

JACKSON: I’m sure. 

JESS: Okay… Thank you. 

JACKSON: Wind’s coming from the north. 

JESS: Feels like winter. 

JACKSON: Yeah. 

JESS: Who’s Ally? 

JACKSON: What? 

JESS: You were saying that name. 

JACKSON: …She was my daughter. Alexandra. 

JESS: Oh. I had no idea you… 

JACKSON: Yeah. She, uh. She would be about your age, actually. 

[HE PULLS SOMETHING OUT OF HIS POCKET] 

JESS: This is her? 

JACKSON: And my wife. Maria. 

JESS: They’re- they look happy. 

JACKSON: We were. 

JESS: It’s- it's special that you have a picture of them. 

JACKSON: My prized possession. You got anything you’re holding onto? 

JESS: No. I wasn’t able to…  

JACKSON: Ah. 

[BEAT AGAIN]

JACKSON: Hey, kid– 

JESS: Yeah? 

JACKSON: There’s a jar of instant coffee at the bottom of my bag. 

JESS: What? 

JACKSON: Been hanging on to it for a rainy day. 

JESS: Been holding out on us, more like. 

[RUMMAGING.] 

JACKSON: Should be enough just for two. 

JESS: Well, I’ll boil some water. 

JACKSON: Our little secret. 

JESS: It's very kind of you to share. I have something for you too, funny enough. [RUMMAGING IN HER BAG] I had to uh, borrow your tools, so, sorry…  

JACKSON: Was wondering where that screwdriver went. 

JESS: But… [REVEALING] I fixed the radio. Sorry it took literally months. 

JACKSON: How?

JESS: Uh, this is gonna sound crazy but, I had a dream about it. Still was damn complicated though. 

[TURNING IT ON, STATIC] 

JACKSON: Now how about that. 

[STATIC TRANSITION. FIRE. QUIET. HOWLING IN THE DISTANCE]

JESS: Coyote. 

JACKSON: Yeah? Hardly ever hear ‘em anymore. 

JESS: Yeah. I uh, I used to have one. A pup, my friend and I, we rescued it. 

ADA: That’s sweet. What was its name? 

JESS: Her name was James. 

MATT: That even legal? To keep one? 

JESS: Oh, definitely not. Not the most, uh… responsible thing to do, either. 

[HOWLS AGAIN] 

JACKSON: Sounds like it's all alone out there. 

JESS: We’re here. We’re listening. 

ADA: I had a dog growing up. Golden retriever named Ziggy. Loved watermelon. 

MATT: Who doesn’t? 

[STATIC. MAP UNFOLDING.] 

JACKSON: We getting close? 

MATT: Give me a minute to get my bearings… 

ADA: [JOKING, TO JESS] You know, sometimes I’m still not convinced he isn’t just pretending he knows how to read a map to try and seem useful. 

[JESS LAUGHS LIGHTLY] 

MATT: Oh what, and my three years of med school hasn’t been useful? Saved each and every one of your asses at least once. You’re just jealous that accounting means nothing in the apocalypse. 

ADA: Shut up and figure out where the hell we are. We’re losing daylight. 

MATT: Okay. That city we saw from the peak should be… like two kilometers if we just follow the highway. [BEAT] I remember this. It’ll add a couple days, but we should go around this place. 

ADA: Here? 

MATT: Yeah. 

ADA: Seriously?  It's a whole ass city, dude, and a third of it’s still standing. We need to resupply. 

MATT: We do not want to get caught here. 

JACKSON: There’s another town just beyond, we could stretch things out until then. 

ADA: Maybe, but if we don’t follow the main road, it’ll take us too long. Especially if the weather keeps getting worse. I don’t wanna get stranded in the snow again. I can’t lose any more toes. 

MATT: In my opinion, the detour’s worth it. Remember when we ran into those folks going east? 

JACKSON: Mmm. 

ADA: Yeah, they were losing it. Everyone knows the east coast is gone and keeps going. 

MATT: They were running. 

ADA: From what’s out here? 

MATT: Apparently. 

JESS: Wait, where are we? Not sure I’ll be much help but can I see the map? 

MATT: Yeah, uh, sure. [PAPER SOUNDS] So, we’re here, and just up the road is– 

JESS: [RECOGNITION, DISBELIEF] Wait– oh my god. 

MATT: What? 

[JESS STARTS RUNNING, VOICES DISTANT, CALLING AFTER:]

ADA: Charlie!

MATT: Wait! Wait! 

JACKSON: Charlie? 

[FOOTSTEPS AFTER HER.]

JESS: [PANTING] Oh my god, holy shit– 

[STATIC] 

JESS: [MUTTERING AS SHE RUNS] 34- 40– 42- 47. Oh my god.  No way. No way-

[JESS TRIES THE DOOR, BEFORE SHE STARTS TRYING TO BREAK IT DOWN. AFTER A FEW TRIES, FOOTSTEPS FINALLY APPROACH]

ADA: What the hell are you doing? 

MATT: [LOW, URGENT] We need to keep it down-!

JESS: I need- [GRUNTS AS SHE HITS THE DOOR AGAIN] I need to get inside. Please!

MATT: We cannot stay here. Charlie, stop-

JESS: I have to-!

JACKSON: Okay, okay, calm down and just- take a breath. 

JESS: This- this is my house. This is my fucking house- I- [TRYING THE DOOR MORE] 

ADA: What? 

JESS: Please just help me! This is my house. I used to live here, this is my house-! 

MATT: Seriously, come on- okay-

ADA: I got it. Step back. 

MATT: Ada, we can’t- you know we can’t– 

[ADA GRUNTS AS SHE KICKS THE DOOR THREE TIMES BEFORE IT SWINGS OPEN. JESS PUSHES PAST.]

ADA: Okay, wait, don’t just–

JESS: [CALLING] Hello? 

ADA: Okay. Five minutes. 

JACKSON: You okay? 

JESS: I- I don’t know why, or what I expected… 

JACKSON: Hope is a… mean thing sometimes, kiddo. Keeps you going but, in a world like this one, tends to just let you down. 

JESS: This isn’t fair. 

JACKSON: Never been about fairness. It's about doing what you can with what you got. 

JESS: [SNIFFS] My room is upstairs, can I– I just need like, a minute. 

ADA: Grab what you want–

MATT: And then we’re gone. 

JESS: Yeah, totally. Thank you. 

[SHE WALKS UP THE STAIRS. DOOR OPENS TO HER ROOM. JESS GASPS SOFTLY. SNIFFLES. SHE STEPS FORWARD AND OPENS HER BACKPACK, CLEARING HER THROAT. ZIPS IT BACK UP. BEAT]

JESS: [SOFTLY] I’m so sorry I left. I’m so sorry, I-... I never wanted… I’m sorry I never got to say goodbye, or I love you, or… [SNIFFLES] I don’t know how any of this works but maybe there’s a world out there, somewhere, where we’re all together. Where you still have me. I hope she’s happy–

[LOUD COMMOTION DOWNSTAIRS INTERRUPTS. SOUNDS OF MOVEMENT. SHOUTING AS THEY’RE STRUGGLING/FIGHTING:] 

JACKSON: Shit- 

ADA: Hey-!

MATT: God dammit- run! 

JESS: Guys? 

[RUSHES DOWN THE STAIRS AS SHOUTING AND SOUNDS OF EFFORT CONTINUES.] 

JESS: [REACTING SUDDENLY AS SHE’S GRABBED, THEN FIGHTING] Hey- hey-! Get off-!

[THUD. STATIC TRANSITION. EARS RINGING. ALL SOUNDS AND VOICES ARE MUFFLED, THEY ARE SPEAKING LOW.] 

ADA: I still think we should take our chances with running. It's just a shed, between the two of us we can get the door down. 

JACKSON: [A LITTLE ASBENTLY] Wouldn’t get far, all those guns. 

ADA: I don’t wanna wait and see what’s worse than the guns–

JACKSON: Shhh!

ADA: What? What can you hear? 

JACKSON: …It's her. 

ADA: What? 

JACKSON: Charlie… they’re talking about Charlie. 

[DOOR. FOOTSTEPS]

JACKSON: [LOW, URGENT, TURNING TO WAKE HER UP] Time to get up, kid– 

SAMUEL: It is time to call it forth. 

ADA: Hey- Get your hands off me, motherfucker– 

JACKSON: Wake up. Charlie- 

JESS: [GROANS, PAINED] Shit… 

ADA: Get off of me! 

JACKSON: Kiddo– 

JESS: What’s going on? Ada? 

JACKSON: Quickly, please, take this– 

JESS: What? Where are– hey, wait- 

JACKSON: Remember them for me– [GRUNTS AS HE’S GRABBED]  

JESS: I– Jackson… What's going on? Wait– wait, what– hey! Where are you taking him?!

[JACKSON STRUGGLING AND SHOUTING AT THE PEOPLE RESTRAINING AND LEADING HIM AWAY. FINALLY:] 

JACKSON: [CALLING] Don’t you blame yourself for this. The end was bound to catch up with us sooner or later. 

JESS: Hey-!

[DOOR CLOSES. SHE IS ALONE.]

JESS: Matt? 

[BEAT. NOTHING FOR A WHILE. THEN- THUNDER. THE SOUND OF ADA, JACKSON, SCREAMING IN PAIN OUTSIDE.] 

JESS: [GASPING, LOW] Oh my god, oh my god… 

[DOOR OPENS AGAIN. FOOTSTEPS] 

JESS: Don’t- don’t come any closer. Who are you? What do you want? 

SAMUEL: It’s you. 

JESS: What did you do to my friends? 

SAMUEL: All that waiting, all that searching… you’ve come home. 

JESS: What happened to them? What did you do? 

SAMUEL: They’ve moved on from this place. As all things will. 

JESS: What the hell is that supposed to mean? Who are you?

SAMUEL: I know you. I know your face. Like I know a dream.

JESS: What the fuck are you talking about?  

SAMUEL: And your voice- I know it. I’ve heard you. I have heard you calling out from some strange distance. Like a voice in the next room, cutting through the silence. Crier in the dark. Herald at the door. You’re finally here. 

JESS: I don’t know what you’re–  

SAMUEL: I looked upon your face, untouched by time, and the truth was revealed to me.

JESS: Where did you get that? 

SAMUEL: The lost, desperately searched for, never found. Until now. Charlotte Jessica Miller. Disappeared 2017. You have been in my dreams. The revelations it whispers to my sleeping mind… 

JESS: Where did you get that? Give it to me-!

SAMUEL: Wayfaring stranger, you’ve wandered back. 18 years, we have been waiting. 

JESS: …18 years? 

SAMUEL: The winding roads were paved in ways we cannot understand, but the paths always converge at the right time.

JESS: You- I have that tattoo. 

SAMUEL: You too bear the sign. 

JESS: …of what? 

SAMUEL: [GRABBING HER ARM] It has been looking for you. It told me where to find you.

JESS: Ah- let go of me-!

SAMUEL: The lost one returned. It has been waiting for you, listening and searching. It speaks to me about you, in my dreams.

JESS: What do you want from me? 

SAMUEL: It wants you. 

JESS: What are you talking about? 

SAMUEL: The storm has been brewing. We have been preparing for this. It has been waiting here. 

JESS: For what? 

SAMUEL: For you to come home. To complete the end. 

JESS: Where are my friends? What did you do to them? Where are they?

SAMUEL: It is time to be released from this dying world. To be unburdened by this hunger, to be released into its embrace– 

JESS: [STRUGGLING] Let go of me– let go– what are you doing-? 

[CONTINUING TO STRUGGLE, DRAGGING. FOOTSTEPS. WIND. STORM– OPEN FIELD. THE STORM INCREASES AS HE SPEAKS. JESS STRUGGLES THROUGHOUT] 

SAMUEL: [CALLING OVER THE SOUND OF THE STORM] Brothers and sisters, it is time! 

I dreamt last night of silence! Noiselessness. All things going quiet, going still. I dreamt the ruins of this world fell away. And then all worlds into ruin, into decay, before they too, were no more. All things into nothing, all places into nowhere! 

I dreamt I walked away and out onto the open fields. I dreamt all things were forgotten. I dreamt the walls cracked and crumbled and broke away into void. Into consumption. Into a mouth that swallows all things whole, swallows all things into oblivion! I dreamt of a voice on the wind. Howling. 

I dreamt there was an eye that looked back upon me. An eye that sees all. A black iris, glowing edges. A sun eclipsed. A fire that never fades, a burning that will not be quenched. 

I dreamt that something beyond even the end called forth to us. A door into a dream we are all welcome to enter… to pass through… 

And in this dream, I was glad!--  

JESS: Holy shit– 

[WITH ONE LAST SOUND OF EFFORT, SHE IS FREE AND BEGINS TO RUN.] 

SAMUEL: You cannot escape this! [RUNNING AFTER. TACKLING:] There is no edge of the universe it cannot find you-!

JESS: Get off me-! Get off-!

[JESS HITS SAMUEL. BOTH GRUNTING AS THEY FIGHT IN THE DARK. THUNDER CRACKS CLOSELY OVERHEAD. JESS CRIES OUT IN PAIN] 

SAMUEL: Surrender to the end and set us free from this dead world. You will usher us all into the peace you have so long deprived us– [CUT OFF AS JESS, IN ONE DESPERATE ATTEMPT, PUNCHES HIM AND KNOCKS HIM OFF HER.] 

JESS: [SCRAMBLING TO HER FEET] Let me go-! 

[SHE GETS A FEW STEPS AWAY BEFORE THUNDER CRACKS OVER HEAD. BEAT. JESS CRIES OUT; THE SOUND OF WIND AND FLESH TEARING] 

THE BE ALL: I will find you. I have your scent and I will hunt you. I know your voice, and there is no corner of any universe you can hide from me- 

JESS: Ah-! Let- let go—! 

[SHE PULLS AWAY AND BEGINS RUNNING, INTO THE TREES] 

SAMUEL: [CALLING, DISTANT] Even the trees and the mountain will be taken, and there will be nowhere for you to hide from it! 

[JESS GASPING AS SHE’S RUNNING THROUGH WOODS. SUDDENLY, SHE GASPS, A STRUGGLE. SHE TRIES TO SPEAK– MUFFLED. BEAT]

MATT: Charlie? 

JESS: Matt? Oh my god, you’re alive– what happened-?

MATT: Christ, we gotta get out of here. Where are the others? 

JESS: They- I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry- 

MATT: Okay, it’s alright, come on- what happened to your back? 

JESS: I’m so sorry- 

MATT: Can you walk? 

JESS: The storm- it- it ate them. It tore them apart and ripped them away– 

MATT: Shhh. I know, but we gotta go. Come on– [MORE URGENCY] we gotta go now, okay? 

[GUNSHOTS.]

JESS: [DUCKING] Oh my god-! 

MATT: Run. Come on- now! 

[STATIC. TRANSITION. THEY STOP RUNNING]

JESS: I… I think we lost them. 

MATT: Good… shit. 

JESS: You okay? 

MATT: I think, I… 

JESS: Oh fuck, no– why didn’t you say anything, you idiot– 

MATT: Charlie– 

JESS: Don’t talk, just let me look–

MATT: Its okay, its fine, I just– 

JESS: You’re bleeding out– sit down- 

MATT: Okay, okay. It's– it's okay. 

JESS: Oh my god, Matt. You should have said something. 

MATT:  Go- 

JESS: I’m not leaving you– 

MATT: I can’t keep going. 

JESS: This is all my fault, I can’t-

MATT: Charlie- you gotta go. 

JESS: I can’t leave you here. 

MATT: Now that I’ve stopped… I’ve lost my momentum. 

JESS: We can just… sit here for a bit. 

MATT: They’ll catch up. 

JESS: Maybe it's time.  

MATT: No. If Jackson and Ada are dead, and I’m… You don’t get to take this for granted. 

JESS: Neither do you. Come on. 

[GRUNTS AS SHE BENDS DOWN TO HELP HIM UP]

MATT: Charlie– 

JESS: We need to put more distance between us and them. We can lose them deeper in the trees. 

[STATIC. TRANSITION. MOVEMENT, THEN:] 

MATT: Okay. I can’t- I can’t go anymore. Just stop, please. 

JESS: [PANTING] Okay, okay…

[BOTH GRUNTING AS SHE HELPS HIM SIT DOWN]

JESS: I can make a fire- 

MATT: They’ll see it. 

JESS: You’re freezing. 

MATT: I’m in shock… 

JESS: Let me take a look-

MATT: There’s no point-

JESS: Don’t be stupid. You’ve been shot– 

MATT: It's done. I’m done. 

JESS: Don’t– say that. 

MATT: It's okay. 

[BEAT] 

JESS: I’m so sorry. 

MATT: You don’t have to-

JESS: You warned me. You said it wasn’t safe.

MATT: What’s done is done. 

JESS: I just need you to know I’m sorry. For all of it. This is all my fault, Jackson and Ada. I’m so sorry. 

MATT: [BEAT- SIGHS] It was just a matter of time. 

JESS: If I hadn’t– 

MATT: Everything ends, okay? And- that’s just what it is. And when you see it coming, you can run from it, or make peace with it. We were running long enough. [WINCE] 

JESS: …Matt? 

MATT: You gotta go. You gotta keep going. We made it this far. If there’s anything out there worth finding, at least one of us has gotta find it. 

JESS: Not without you. 

MATT: Fuck, its cold. 

JESS: Here. 

[JESS TAKES OFF HER JACKET AND LAYS IT OVER HIM. BEAT.] 

MATT: They had a picture of you. 

JESS: What? 

MATT: A poster. A missing poster. 

JESS: Yeah.

MATT: Never did get to hear that long story of yours. 

JESS: Yeah. 

MATT: No time now. [SIGHS, PAIN] Came back in time just to see it all end, huh? 

JESS: It’s not fair. 

MATT: None of it is. [PANTING] God, I’m so tired. 

JESS: Sleep. I’ll- I’ll keep watch. 

MATT: Yeah. Yeah, okay. 

[BEAT. HIS BREATHING IS RATTLED AND DIFFICULT] 

JESS: Matt? 

MATT: Yeah. 

JESS: I’m so sorry. 

MATT: Yeah. 

[A FEW AWFUL BREATHS, THEN: QUIET. SILENCE.] 

JESS: …Matt? Matt? [BEAT- SOFTLY CRYING] I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.

[STATIC]

JESS: [NEAR HYSTERICAL] What the hell is this. What the hell– that wasn’t– I never recorded that! I didn’t record any of that–

[STATIC]

[THE WIND RISES. THUNDER CRACKS IN THE DISTANCE. A SINGING, SHIMMERING VOID APPEARS BEFORE HER] 

JESS: No fucking way… what? You couldn’t have come a few minutes sooner? You couldn’t have saved us-? Why? Why now? What the fuck do you want from me? Why can’t you just leave me alone? Why do you rip me from the places and the people that I love, and shove me through- through the fucking cosmic inbetween and– and why can’t I just… rest? Where do you go, huh? Will you lead me home? Why me? 

[THUNDER CRACKS OVER HEAD. MUCH CLOSER. VOICES WHISPER ON THE WIND] 

JESS: I… 

[BEAT. THUNDER CRACKS AGAIN, IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE, AND THE TREES BEGIN TO RIP OUT OF THE CLOUDS. JESS SCREAMS AS SHE RUNS INTO THE SHIMMERING VOID. DISTORTION AND SOUND, TO:]

RIVER: Take it easy- 

JESS: Where am I? 

RIVER: Welcome home. 

JESS: What do you mean, home? What is this place? 

MARTHA: Jess? 

JESS: Martha?

[STATIC]

JESS: This isn’t fair- this isn’t fair-!

TANNER: Jess, maybe you should just— 

JESS: Don’t touch me-! 

TANNER: Jess, you’re bleeding– 

JESS: It’s not even fucking plugged in– 

TANNER: Just sit down before you– 

JESS: This was my life– this is my fucking life– how does it know? This-

[STATIC, INTO: JESS AND MARTHA ARE SITTING ON THE HOOD OF HER PICKUP TRUCK] 

MARTHA: Well, they taste the same this side of reality? 

JESS: Yep. Turns out Tim Hortons double doubles are universal constants. 

MARTHA: Glad to hear it. That’s one mystery solved. 

JESS: [LAUGHING LIGHTLY, TIREDLY, SOMETHING IS STILL BOTHERING HER] Yeah. Thanks, for this. I appreciate it. 

MARTHA: Yeah. Of course. You earned it. [BEAT] You did good tonight. I mean, you do good every night, but tonight– y’know? I know the new schedule has been enough to adjust to without shit like that happening-

JESS: Yeah, you’d think that the weird stuff would be more likely to happen at 3 AM. I know I complained about those hours but that almost made me miss how quiet it was. Even the weird stuff seemed… sleepier. Don’t know if I’ll ever get that voice out of my head.

MARTHA: You handled it like a champ. 

JESS: Thanks. 

MARTHA: Seriously. You okay? 

JESS: Yeah- just… Still thinking about it, I guess. 

MARTHA: Well, don’t think about it too hard, okay? That’s how I deal with it, anyways. All of this. Shit happens like that here sometimes. It makes no sense, and that’s okay, because it has to be. 

JESS: That helps. Thank you. I’ll remember that. [BEAT] I mean, a night like this also helps. Like, damn. These stars. 

MARTHA: If you think this view is good, you gotta come night hiking with me sometime. Those stars are something else. Literally. Sometimes I think they’re actually different. 

JESS: It's just so… 

MARTHA: So, what? [BEAT, SHE DOESN’T SAY ANYTHING, STILL LIGHT, TEASING] What?

JESS: It feels like we’re at the edge of something. Or like something’s listening. Like… 

MARTHA: Yeah. I think I know what you mean. 

JESS: I don’t know. 

MARTHA: Honestly, when the night ‘round here feels empty, or too quiet, that’s when I’m worried. 

JESS: Maybe we just shouldn’t drink coffee. 

MARTHA: Sounds like quitters talk. 

JESS: Well, I am many things, but a quitter isn’t one of them. 

MARTHA: Good. I was worried you might hand in your notice after tonight. 

JESS: [CHUCKLES] No. I mean, nowhere else for me to go. 

MARTHA: That’s… really sad, but you made it sound really sweet. 

JESS: I meant it in a nice way. Or more in the, “it's okay because it has to be” kind of way.

MARTHA: For what it's worth, I’m glad you’re here. Now. No one else wants to get double doubles with me at this ungodly hour and I’ve been struggling to convince Frank to keep this place open til midnight just for me. 

JESS: Well, same time tomorrow? I could get used to this. 

MARTHA: Yeah. [SILENCE] Hey, Jess? 

JESS: Yeah? 

MARTHA: I know- I know it kind of cosmically sucks that you’re here. But I’m glad you are. Here, now. In case no one’s ever said it to you. I don’t know what you left behind but… I hope you find something here worth calling home. 

JESS: Thanks, Martha. Me too. 

[STATIC. SHIMMERING VOID. THUNDER]