NOCTURNUM COLLECTIVE – SEASON FOUR
Bury the Ashes – Chapter Three
Written by Karl White
NARRATOR (OPEN): There are constants that endure in the known world. Space, time, energy, matter. Physical and scientific laws constraining us to this existence. But there's a current below the surface. Contrary to the explainable, it's where the unknown resides, where meaning and form collide with the abstract, where shadows hold dominion…Enter the Nocturnum Collective.
(MUSIC – opening sequence)
NARRATOR: And now, together with Legends of the Night, The Nocturnum Collective presents -- Bury the Ashes, chapter three. Written by Karl White.
(MUSIC – drone)
NARRATOR: Memories are a residue, stalking like a mournful shadow, haunting us of what was, what's lost, what will never be again.
(SFX – sting)
NARRATOR: Far enough away from the terror he witnesses at the cottage, Doug’s pace slows to a brisk walk as he makes his way down the red path...But he still looks back after every dozen steps or so, not knowing if anyone saw him or knows he’s on the island..As his adrenaline wears off, his breath is heavy, carrying the weight of the backpack. He has to stop.
(SFX – footsteps in woods)
NARRATOR: Stepping into the woods, Doug finds a dense spot to rest. He strips off the backpack and slumps against the trunk of a tree. Pulling out the water, he takes a much-needed drink.
(SFX – drinking)
NARRATOR: Pouring a bit of the liquid on his hands, he cleans them off, wiping them dry on the coat.
(SFX – sting)
NARRATOR: His face contorts, feeling something is in the right pocket. Reaching in, he pulls out a handful of alkaline batteries. Examining them, he wonders what they’re for. He stuffs them back in the pocket, thinking they might come in handy later. But he has more on his mind than being saved. He’s starving.
(SFX – backpack unzips)
NARRATOR: Digging in the backpack, Doug fishes a piece of bread and takes the lid off the jar of peanut butter. Sans-silverware, he greedily scoops some out with his fingers, wiping it on the bread.
(SFX – eating)
NARRATOR: He savors the first bite, closing his eyes like it’s the most scrumptious thing he’s ever had. It feels good to finally eat something. As Doug licks his fingers clean...he notices dried blood on the cuff of the jacket. He inspects it carefully as he chews on the sticky peanut butter...
(SFX – distance branches break)
NARRATOR: But the serene moment is broken by the distant noises of a branch breaking, and slow footsteps. The sounds startle Doug…He quickly flattens against the tree, staying quiet.
(SFX – sting)
NARRATOR: He peeks out, searching for the source of the noise...About a-hundred-yards off, a stranger, dressed in a blue sweatshirt and sweatpants, makes their way through the woods.
(SFX – distant steps)
NARRATOR: The stranger is considerably far away and hard to see, but they seem to be heading in the opposite direction. They don’t look lost; it’s more like they’re wandering aimlessly.
(SFX – sting)
NARRATOR: Doug contemplates calling out, but remembering the scene at the cottage keeps him quiet. Waiting until the person is out of sight, Doug softly gathers his belongings, hurrying in the opposite direction of the mysterious stranger.
(SFX – steps in the woods)
NARRATOR: After a few steps, Doug slips behind another tree. He glances back towards the path, the coast is clear, so he pushes on...But as he moves along through thick jutting branches, the coat he’s wearing snags and the bottom of the pocket rips...
(SFX – fabric rips)
NARRATOR: Doug is too preoccupied, looking back over his to notice the batteries falling out.
(SFX – whoosh transition)
NARRATOR: A cinder-block utility station with a bright orange door and a large antenna, sits in a small opening, deep in the woods. Fred comes off the orange path, Teddy’s lifeless body draped over his shoulder. His hand wrapped in a blood-soaked cloth.
(SFX – body thud)
NARRATOR: He places the dog’s corpse in the grass and unlocks the orange door, throwing the padlock on the ground.
(SFX – padlock unlocks)
NARRATOR: As he watches it land, Fred notices something curious, a few yards away.
(SFX – sting)
NARRATOR: Around the side of the station, in some overgrowth, Fred stands over a dead squirrel. The carcass, like the birds, is decaying.
FRED: What the hell is going on?
NARRATOR: A few feet away, another rotting squirrel. As Fred approaches, he nearly steps on another dead bird. And as he looks around, he notices there isn’t just one, but many. Like stars on a clear night, the closer he looks, the more he sees.
(SFX – footsteps)
NARRATOR: Each step reveals a path of dead woodland creatures, leading to an unnatural mound in a defoliated area, tucked discreetly about fifty yards from the station.
(SFX – sting)
NARRATOR: Obscured by tall grass and fallen leaves, if you weren’t looking for it, you wouldn’t notice it...Fred tests the ground with his foot. There’s crunching.
(SFX – crunching underfoot)
NARRATOR: Brushing leaves away, he uncovers a decaying camouflage ghillie net underneath. He pulls the net away, revealing a concrete slab, with a metal HATCH DOOR protruding from the ground...Surrounding the door are decayed rats.
(SFX – lever)
NARRATOR: Fred struggles to turn the rusty wheel handle with one of his hand’s wounded, it takes a moment but finally gives.
(SFX – rusty door)
NARRATOR: Opening the hatch door...there’s a short, descending stairwell with a metal door at the bottom. The entry is heavy-duty, reinforced steel. An ID number: “S.H.E.D - 56-145” is painted on the door, in U.S. Army font, with the words “KEEP OUT” stenciled below.
(SFX – sting)
NARRATOR: In the stairwell, Fred sees live cockroaches climbing the steps and wall to the outer vault. When daylight splashes the stairwell, some of the vermin retreat under the decomposing seal at the bottom of the steel door...Other cockroaches crawl out of the hatch, causing Fred to recoil and slam the access shut.
(SFX – metal door slams)
NARRATOR: Inside the utility station, Fred flips a switch, and the overhead fluorescent lights flicker on.
(SFX – fluorescents flicker)
NARRATOR: The station is small but efficient. There’s a large breaker box on the opposite wall, across from the door...In the back, a desk with a radio and comms station set-up. Built up around the station is a shelving unit with about two dozen different receivers and microphones. Back-ups, given the isolated nature of the island. A rotary phone also hangs on the wall next to the unit.
(SFX – backpack)
NARRATOR: Fred tears off his backpack and sits at the desk, inspecting the blood-soaked cloth wrapped around his hand. He tries to make a fist, but the pain is too much.
FRED: Fuck!
NARRATOR: Carefully, he peels back the cloth revealing a nasty wound. The skin around the bite Teddy left is already black and necrotic. His heart sinks.
(SFX – backpack unzips)
NARRATOR: From the backpack, Fred pulls out the “Epidemiology Field Guide”. He flips through the pages with his good hand, comparing his wound with others in the book. Nothing matches. He leans back in the chair, mind racing. Then he glances at his watch... Fred grabs the rotary phone, dialing.
(SFX – rotary phone dial)
NARRATOR: In Key West, Florida, at a small beachside bar on a gorgeous day, the sun slowly slipping from the sky...tourists, townies, and barflies are scattered throughout, drinking. Have a good time…The owner, ROY STARLING, 68, a former CIA agent with a big presence, he sits behind the bar, reading. The phone on the wall behind him rings.
(SFX – phone rings)
NARRATOR: He looks at it a moment, unsure he wants to be interrupted... but he marks his place in the book and answers.
ROY: Codebreakers, you got Roy.
FRED (over phone): Roy, it’s Fred.
NARRATOR: Roy lights up hearing the familiar voice.
ROY: Hey, kiddo, how’s paradise?
NARRATOR: There’s a pause, as in the utility station on Sedna, Fred fights back his emotions.
FRED: There’s been...an incident.
ROY (over phone): Is Pam alright?
FRED: She’s fine. But something’s going on, here on the island.
ROY (over phone): What is it?
FRED: We had some birds...die. Carrier pigeons. The lot was okay one minute. Dead the next. That ever happen to you?
NARRATOR: On his end, Roy takes a quiet breath as if someone knocked the wind out of him.
ROY (over phone): Call the Agency. I’m sure they can brief you, see if there’s an avian flu outbreak up in your area.
FRED: You and my uncle Larry once told me a story, something about what you guys saw in Burma during the war. A virus, I remember you likened it to a plague…I know I’m not supposed to ask, but what’s in the vault?
ROY (over phone): Fred, I’m retired and not the right person to be talking to--
FRED: --I remember your story specifically because you said animals came up sick...Then people. They died real, real quick. I used to have nightmares about it. And I only heard it second hand from you guys...Remember?
ROY (over phone): Fred, all that’s highly classified. I can’t talk about it over the phone like this.
FRED: Our dog, Teddy, got ahold of one of the dead birds, and I found him in the woods, rabid. There are animals all over, dead. A high concentration near the vault door. You told me there was nothing under wraps here. So I’m asking you again, what’s in the vault?
NARRATOR: There’s a beat, neither man saying anything, just thinking to themselves...then...
ROY (over phone): The island is an old Army storage depot.
FRED: Don’t give me a fucking line. You were here a long time. What in the holy hell is going on? I need specifics.
ROY (over phone): You didn’t go inside the vault, did you?
FRED: Of course not. There was an identifier on the door. Sierra, Hotel, Echo, Delta...SHED.
ROY (over phone): It stands for Special Hazardous Environmental Directive.
FRED: And what does that mean?
ROY (over phone): It means there’s really bad shit inside. That’s why the agencies always had someone stationed there. To protect it.
FRED: (heavy sigh) Why didn’t you tell me?
ROY (over phone): Cause I was there for twelve years, and nothing happened. I guess in my mind, I thought there was nothing to worry about...Your dog came up sick, huh?
FRED: Yeah
ROY (over phone): Put the animal down, immediately. Burn the carcass. Bury the ashes. Do it someplace remote. Somewhere on the island that you’ll never go.
FRED: I shot the dog...
ROY (over phone): Good. Now call for an evac and get the hell out of there.
NARRATOR: It’s not that easy...Fred hangs his head, silent.
ROY (over phone): Fred? Did you hear me? You’ve got to leave. Just to be on the safe side.
FRED: The dog...bit me, Roy.
ROY (over phone): How bad?
FRED: Broke the skin. And the wound is...
ROY (over phone): Black? Rotting?
NARRATOR: A heavy SIGH from Fred says it all.
ROY (over phone): How long ago did it happen?
FRED: Thirty minutes ago.
ROY (over phone): Jesus Fucking Christ.
FRED: What is this thing? What do I have?
ROY (over phone): It’s the reason I took the post in the first place. Your uncle and I saw it first-hand, what it could do. I knew it was in the vault. I just figured it’d degraded enough not to hurt anyone.
FRED: I mean, is there a cure? Or do I have time to reverse what’s happening?
ROY (over phone): I’m gonna level with you...It’s not gonna be pretty.
FRED: Am I gonna die?
ROY (over phone): It’s what happens after that’s bad. Real bad.
FRED: Tell me what I need to do.
ROY (over phone): Luckily, you’re on an island with no population but the two of you. I’d say get Pam out of there ASAP and then kill yourself. Do not, and I repeat, do not touch her. Try to keep a safe distance at all times.
FRED: She may have come in contact with the birds.
ROY (over phone): Has she shown any signs of illness? Vomiting blood, rapid heartbeat? Open sores?
FRED: No, none of that, and she doesn’t know I’ve been bitten.
ROY (over phone): This is hard for me to say, but you know what you have to do, don’t you? Neither of you can leave. You can’t take any chances.
NARRATOR: Fred clenches his teeth, closing his eyes a moment as he takes it all in.
ROY (over phone): Fred? Did you hear me? This thing. You have to stop it from spreading. Have you contacted anyone else.
FRED: No, but I have to call the post in Fairbanks for a status update.
ROY (over phone): Not a word about what’s going on. Do you understand? I need to hear you say it.
FRED: Yes, I understand.
ROY (over phone): Good. And make sure Pam doesn’t call for help either. If anyone comes to the island answering a distress call, without knowing what’s going on...Jesus, I’d hate to think of what could happen. I’ll alert Langley and take care of things on that end…I’m sorry this is happening...I love you like a son, you know that don’t you.
FRED: Yeah.
ROY (over phone): Don’t make this hard on yourself. You have to stay strong. Your uncle would say the same thing. Treat this like any other assignment. It has to be done…The clock is ticking here. God be with you, my boy. You and Pam are in my prayers.
FRED: Goodbye, Roy.
(SFX – hang up phone)
NARRATOR: Fred hangs the phone up and puts his face in his hands as he begins to silently weep.
(SFX – bar walla)
NARRATOR: Back at the bar in the Keys...Roy looks out at the jovial bar patrons, feeling how fragile and thin the line between life and total annihilation really is. He hurries to the back room, picking up the desk phone to make another call.
(SFX – phone dial)
ROY: This is Roy Starling, retired. ID 0-4937...I need to speak with Director Martin…No I won’t hold, I need to report a level five medical, involving a biological agent. Get him on the line, RIGHT FUCKING NOW!
NARRATOR: Back at the utility station on Sedna. Fred pushes his emotions aside, re-composing himself. He turns on the radio, turning the dial to tune in a signal.
(SFX – microphone click)
FRED: G-019, this is G-634, do you read me? Over.
NARRATOR: He waits a moment...then, through the static, a voice calls back.
G-019 (over radio): Copy that, I read you loud and clear, over.
FRED: Last transmission May, nineteen. Reporting now, May twenty-four for status update at outpost 32...Status is...unchanged, over.
G-019 (over radio): Status updated. How’s our new favorite outpost operator?
FRED: All’s quiet here.
G-019 (over radio): Me and the other guys are still trying to figure out who you pissed off to get this deployment?
FRED: I actually requested the assignment.
G-019 (over radio): Why in God’s name would you do that?
FRED: I’ve been in the field a long time, wanted a chance to have a quiet life and reconnect with my wife...
NARRATOR: Fred trails off, the weight of his word playing on his mind.
G-019 (over radio): Fred. You’re breaking up.
FRED: Sorry, interference, I guess.
G-019 (over radio): Say, Mack wanted me to ask if you had any specific provisions required? You have a shipment scheduled day after tomorrow
FRED: You know what, cancel the delivery. I repeat, do not deliver provisions to the island the day after tomorrow.
G-019 (over radio): Is something wrong?
FRED: Uh, no. I miss-counted rations. We’re good for another month, easy. Bean counters have been getting on my ass about expenditures since the move. You know how they get.
G-019 (over radio): A big ten-four. Uncle Sam’s always trying to squeeze a dollar from a dime.
FRED: I’ll report back, five days from now. Let you know if anything changes.
G-019 (over radio): One last thing, be advised, you need to be on the lookout for castaways.
FRED: Say again?
G-019 (over radio): Not sure if you heard...a cruise ship went down a few hundred miles south of you. Coast Guard located most of the passengers, but there are still a few dozen unaccounted for. If you come across any, dead or alive, give us a shout. We’ll send someone.
FRED: Uh, sure, copy that.
G-019 (over radio): Have a good week, Fred. Over.
FRED: Do the same. G-643 signing off. Over and out.
(SFX – turns radio off)
NARRATOR: Fred leans back in the chair, absorbing everything. The simple life with Pam he was hoping for, has been compromised. A vortex of anger swirls. He picks up his “Epidemiology Field Guide” throwing it across the station.
(SFX – book crashes against wall)
(SFX – panicked screams)
NARRATOR: A flashback...the main deck of the cruise ship. Panicked screams fill the air as the massive ship pitches onto its side.
(SFX – metal stress sounds)
NARRATOR: Passengers slide off the deck into the black waters of the Pacific Ocean…Doug grabs Mary as gravity pulls them towards the edge. As they slide across the deck, Doug tries to grab onto a rail, but can’t hold on...and they go over, plummeting.
(SFX – splash)
NARRATOR: Splashdown. Doug and Mary hit the dark, choppy water. Within moments, Doug surfaces.
(SFX – coming up for breath)
NARRATOR: But Mary doesn’t. Doug swivels in the water, searching for any sign of her.
DOUG: MARY?
NARRATOR: He’s further out, as he and Mary were the last to fall off the boat as it tipped. Behind him, flames rise from the starboard side of the cruise ship as it sits crooked in the ocean…But Doug is in an all-out panic, searching for Mary.
DOUG: MARY??
(SFX – surfacing)
NARRATOR: Mary suddenly bobs up from the water, gasping for air. She thrashes, arms flailing, trying to stay afloat.
MARY: Help me!
NARRATOR: Doug quickly swims over. Mary wraps her arms around his neck. He holds her up so she can breathe.
DOUG: Straighten your body. Kick your legs.
NARRATOR: Mary complies but still fights to keep her head above water.
DOUG: Breathe normal. Put your arms out and paddle.
NARRATOR: She struggles at first but is able to stay afloat.
MARY: I can’t keep this up.
DOUG: You can. I believe in you.
NARRATOR: Nearby, Doug spots a lifejacket floating on the waves. He swims to the preserver, coaxing Mary to come to him.
DOUG: Come on. Paddle and kick.
NARRATOR: Mary struggles through the water, but she makes it to Doug.
He helps her put on the lifejacket. But once she has it secured, she stops paddling and starts to go under. Mary kicks her legs, resurfacing, spitting water out.
(SFX – spitting water)
DOUG: You have to keep moving your legs. You have to keep fighting. Help has gotta be on the way.
NARRATOR: In the distance, near the sinking ship, others are congregating in the water. Mary sees them.
MARY: Do we need to be over with them?
DOUG: No, it’s not safe.
NARRATOR: Doug starts to wave his arms, yelling at the other passengers.
DOUG: GET AWAY FROM THE SHIP!
NARRATOR: Some in the group look at him, not reacting...Just then, the ship lets out a mighty GROAN.
(SFX – metal groans)
NARRATOR: The group of gathered passengers look up. The giant cruise ship is pitching more. Doug sees what’s happening and his eyes grow in terror.
DOUG: SWIM!
NARRATOR: He grabs Mary, kicking in the opposite direction to get them further away. Some of the passengers notice the ship tilting and Doug and Mary swimming, they start to swim out, but it’s too late…The ship suddenly capsizes, crashing onto its side, landing on the poor souls that were too close
(SFX – water crash)
NARRATOR: Waves ripple out, pushing Doug and Mary further out into the ocean. Doug looks back, the passengers that were there before, are gone. The fiery ship bubbles under the water, sinking faster.
(SFX –terror sting)
NARRATOR: To be continued…
(MUSIC – Outro)
NARRATOR: For more killer content, subscribe or go to https://www.NocturnumCollective.com
And for more information about Bury the Ashes and the LOTN universe, go to http://www.LegendsOfTheNight.com