NOCTURNUM COLLECTIVE – SEASON FOUR
Bury the Ashes – Chapter Six
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, The Nocturnum Collective in association with Legends of the Night, presents the thrilling conclusion of -- Bury the Ashes, chapter six. Written by Karl White.
(MUSIC – drone)
NARRATOR: The future. A concept of time existing beyond the present. A vast array of potential choices and outcomes. The uncharted, the undecided, the unknown. The future represents a path with endless possibilities. We can anticipate and prepare, but we can’t control the future. But its arrival is coming, inching ever closer, ticking towards us second by second. Beware.
(SFX – sting)
NARRATOR: After waking to find her husband Fred turned into a ravenous blood-thirsty corpse, Pam, fully dressed and carrying the axe, hurries down the blue path towards the boat slip, hoping to escape the island for help...But emerging at the slip, Pam finds the damaged boat. As she walks towards it, through the tall grass, she doesn't see the animal trap Fred set the day before.
(SFX – trap and scream)
NARRATOR: Snapping on her foot...Her anguished scream echoes all over the island...The teeth of the trap are dug into her deep. She tries to pull it, but it’s no use. The trap is too old, and she’s not strong enough to get it to release -- Just then, a MOAN rings out from behind.
(SFX – zombie moan)
NARRATOR: Pam looks over her shoulder to see Fred coming right towards her. She SCREAMS.
(SFX – Pam screams)
NARRATOR: Dragging her foot, with the trap attached, she can’t escape. But she is able to make it around to the other side of the boat as Fred aggressively charges at her…The boat is the only thing separating the two of them. Fred lunges, trying to grab his scared wife. Pam SCREAMS again and gives a warning swing with the ax. It doesn’t deter him.
(SFX – Pam screams)
NARRATOR: Fred chases Pam around the boat. Uncoordinated, he stumbles and trips over his own feet, landing face-first in the sand.
(SFX – thud in sand)
NARRATOR: With no other means of escape, Pam thinks fast. She dives on the ground and grabs the edge of the boat. As Fred recovers from his tumble, he looks back. Pam struggles to overturn the vessel. He comes at her. She can feel him closing in.
(SFX – Pam scream cut short)
NARRATOR: As Pam SCREAMS again, she’s able to flip the boat on top of herself as he reaches for her -- cutting her shriek short…He rocks the boat, knowing she’s under it. Inside, Pam holds on, trying to keep Fred from getting to her.
(SFX – fighting sounds)
NARRATOR: Outside, Fred fights with the boat. His primitive mind unable to process simply “turning it over”. All he knows is that what he wants is underneath…The struggle goes on for several moments, then like a wild animal, Fred’s attention is broken by a bird overhead.
(SFX – bird)
NARRATOR: Fred labors to his feet...and by the time he’s up, his infected brain has forgotten about Pam. So, he shuffles on, aimlessly through the sand, towards the blue path.
(MUSIC – tense)
NARRATOR: The hours of the day have ticked away...and as the sun slips past the horizon, Doug kneels, lifting the boat up to see what’s underneath. Pam’s in the sand, pointing the axe at his throat.
(SFX – sting)
NARRATOR: He lifts the boat off of her, putting his hands in the air in surrender. She sits up...Looking at his clothes, his appearance, it’s safe for her to assume, he’s not part of a rescue team. But first things first...
PAM: Where is he? Have you seen him?
DOUG: Who?
PAM: My husband. He’s sick, something’s wrong.
NARRATOR: So much to say between them -- but they both know there isn’t enough time in the world to tell their stories. Doug looks at the leg-hold trap around Pam’s ankle. He reaches for it, trying to help her. Prying the trap open enough, Pam slips her foot out. She assesses the damage, able to rotate her ankle, it’s hurt but not broken.
PAM: Who are you? How did you get here?
DOUG: My name’s Doug...I was on a ship that went down. I came here looking for help.
NARRATOR: Doug stands, looking out at the ocean.
DOUG: Is there any way off this island?
NARRATOR: She looks at the damaged boat, that was the last bastion of hope, gone.
PAM: We need to call for help.
DOUG: The phone at the house is disconnected. There’s a radio...station, but someone did to it, what they did to this boat...
NARRATOR: Suddenly -- Fred bursts through the brush. He makes a beeline for Doug, tackling him violently from behind.
(SFX – tackle, body thud)
NARRATOR: They land in the sand, Doug on his stomach. Fred on top of him, growling in his ear.
(SFX – zombie attack)
DOUG: Get him off me!
NARRATOR: He turns back screaming at Pam, who backpedals in the sand.
DOUG: Help!
NARRATOR: She looks at the axe, then Fred. His skin is red and flush, the veins and blood vessels in his face are raised and look like they could burst. He has open sores around his mouth. His lips are bloody, cracked and decaying, peeling back to expose his teeth and gums…Blood weeps from his eyes, nose, and ears. The large black, bloody gash on his forehead is rotting. It’s not her husband. Not like she knows him...Doug pleads.
DOUG: Help me, please!
NARRATOR: Pam springs to her feet. She raises the axe, ready to use it on Fred, but she can’t bring herself to do it. Instead, Pam hurries away as fast as she can. This is about survival.
(SFX – zombie attack)
NARRATOR: Still under attack, Doug tries to fight back, bucking his body against Fred. But Doug’s in a defenseless position. Fred furiously slashes and bites at Doug’s back and neck -- The attack is fast and unrelenting...Doug claws at the ground trying to pull himself free from Fred’s clutches.
(SFX – sting)
NARRATOR: Gaining enough of an advantage, Doug is finally able to fight Fred off, using his legs, kicking him away. As Doug climbs to his feet, he gets his first real, up-close look at his attacker...Shocked at Fred’s horrific appearance, adrenaline kicks in and Doug runs for his life.
(SFX – running)
NARRATOR: He heads up the path, not looking back. Running with reckless abandon. Going off the trail, he darts between trees and navigates through the thick brush. He doesn’t know where he’s going, just away from danger.
NARRATOR: Running for what seems like an eternity...legs churning, lungs burning, Doug unexpectedly bursts from the woods into the backyard of the cottage. He stumbles as he goes from the trees to the grass, tumbling to the ground.
(SFX – body thud)
NARRATOR: He quickly gets back up and heads for the house…At the door, it’s locked. Doug bangs on it frantically.
(SFX – bang on door)
NARRATOR: Pam pulls the curtain back and peers out the window.
PAM (from inside the house): Go away.
DOUG: Please. I don’t want any trouble...I lost my fiancé. I landed here looking for help. I just...wanna go home.
NARRATOR: Watching him, Pam can’t help but feel empathetic...She hesitates but opens the door and waves Doug inside.
(SFX - door unlock/open)
NARRATOR: Doug darts into the kitchen. Pam slams the door behind him, unable to get the lock to engage, she wedged a chair under to fortify it…With axe in hand, she keeps a close eye on her new guest.
(SFX – coat rustling)
NARRATOR: Exhausted, he rips off his tuxedo jacket, throwing it on the ground. Doug sits in a chair and leans on the kitchen table. His shoulders slump, his muscles finally relaxing, worn out from his stressful, ordeal-ridden day.
(SFX – sting)
NARRATOR: He sees Pam looking at him, mouth agape...That’s when he notices his hands. They’re covered in BLOOD, as are the sleeves of his white shirt.
(SFX - sting)
NARRATOR: Doug’s whole body is in pain, so he doesn’t know how or where the injury is. He checks himself for cuts, trying to find the source of the blood. He feels his arms, everything seems okay, nothing immediately hurts. Then, his hand trails up to the back of his neck. He cringes. A worried look comes over him...Doug pulls his hand back to see it covered in fresh red blood.
(SFX – sting)
PAM: You, you’ve got it.
DOUG: Got what?
PAM: Fred came home last night with a bite on his hand, said it was a cut, but I think it was from our dog. We had birds die, I think the dog did too...then Fred wasn’t feeling well.
DOUG: That was him? Fred?
NARRATOR: As Pam nods...Doug turns and points at the back of his neck.
DOUG: How bad is it?
NARRATOR: The wound is gnarly. Blood oozes out, in the shape of a bite mark.
PAM: It’s bad.
NARRATOR: Suddenly, a SCRATCHING sound at the back door gets their attention.
(SFX - scratching)
NARRATOR: Pam and Doug both recoil as they see Fred’s mangled face, outside, pawing at the door, trying to get in…But the simple barrier is enough to keep him out. Doug stands. Pam steps out of his way as he approaches the door.
DOUG: He can’t get in here, can he?
PAM: I don’t think he knows how.
DOUG: What do you mean?
NARRATOR: But at the window, as he studies Fred...Doug can see there’s no life or reasoning left in Fred’s bloodshot, bleeding eyes.
DOUG: What in the hell did you do to me, man?
NARRATOR: Fred, void of thought and emotions, continues to scratch at the door.
(SFX – sting)
NARRATOR: Suddenly, without warning, Doug heaves and lurches forward -- He scrambles to get to the kitchen sink and throws up copious amounts of blood.
(SFX – coughing up)
NARRATOR: Pam keeps her distance. Doug wipes his mouth with his white shirt sleeve and turns to her.
DOUG: There’s no hope for me, is there?
NARRATOR: A sharp pain suddenly surges through Doug’s head. He rubs his temple.
DOUG: I need to lay down.
NARRATOR: Pam points at the couch in the living room. As Doug steps away from the counter, his legs are wobbly. He stumbles towards the kitchen entryway. He grips the wall to steady himself...
(SFX – sting)
NARRATOR: With all the strength he has left, Doug pushes off the wall and clumsily barrels towards the couch. Pam watches as he violently crashes onto his stomach. It’s an all too familiar sight, like Fred the night before.
DOUG: How long before I become a walking wound?
PAM: I don’t know. Few hours, maybe less.
NARRATOR: Another pulse of pain hits Doug as he curls up into the fetal position.
DOUG: Oh, god. Make it stop.
NARRATOR: His eyes flutter. Sweat rolls down his forehead, the veins in his face are beginning to become visible.
(SFX – scratching)
NARRATOR: The sound of Fred at the back door can still be heard. But in Doug’s sensitive head, it’s much louder.
DOUG: Stop scratching--
NARRATOR: --He stops mid-sentence as excruciating pain overtakes him. He focuses on the axe in Pam’s hands.
(SFX – surge of pain)
DOUG: Got anything else to put me out of my misery, besides that?
PAM: Fred had a gun, but I can’t find it.
DOUG: You’ve got to get out of here.
PAM: Seems Fred did all he can to prevent anyone from leaving.
DOUG: I came on a life raft. It’s on the shore.
PAM: Where? What part of the island?
DOUG: I don’t know. I was on a big stretch of beach.
PAM: I think I know the place you’re talking about.
DOUG: Well, what are you waiting for? Go.
NARRATOR: She looks at him on the couch, and Fred at the back door.
PAM: I don’t know that I'd be able to find my way around here at night. I don’t know what to do...
DOUG: Even when life seems dim, you push forward. You fight.
NARRATOR: He hangs his head, thinking of Mary. But for Pam, a plan pops into her mind, and she takes off for the stairs.
(SFX – sting)
NARRATOR: She stops mid-way up and comes back.
PAM: If I even so much as hear you on these steps, I’ll use this axe.
DOUG: Fair enough.
PAM: I’m sorry this happened.
DOUG: Me too.
(SFX – whoosh transition)
NARRATOR: In the master bedroom, Pam’s barricaded the door, with unpacked boxes and furniture. Ready to ride out the rest of the night in safety. She braids bedsheets into a makeshift rope, preparing for her escape as soon as it’s light.
(SFX – sting)
NARRATOR: Downstairs, the house remains quiet. Infected Fred still stands at the back door, but has for the time being, stopped scratching. Doug’s on the couch, passed out from the pain he was feeling before. His side rises and falls with deep breaths.
(SFX – breathing)
NARRATOR: But a look of fear slowly creeps over Doug’s sleeping face, as if he’s having a bad dream. His mouth scowls. His eyes begin to flutter like he’s in the deep REM stage of sleep. Suddenly, Doug’s body rocks back and forth, struggling to escape some sort of pain he is feeling. He rolls, momentum takes him to the edge of the couch and onto the floor.
(SFX – muted thud)
NARRATOR: Upstairs, in bed, Pam hears the thud downstairs. She hurries to the door, listening...it’s quiet. She checks her barricade and sits on the bed, axe in hand, as she waits for daybreak. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees the photograph of her and her sister. Then her glance moves to another photo of her and Fred…She lies back and closes her eyes as a tear rolls down her temple.
(SFX – sting)
NARRATOR: Downstairs, Doug writhes on the floor. His eyes suddenly and abruptly open. His back arches painfully. Every muscle in his body is straining. He tries to scream but can’t.
(SFX – sting)
NARRATOR: Doug begins to thrash violently. Turning his head, he spots the gun Fred tucked under the couch. He reaches for it, but an intense pain shoots through his body. He grips his chest, feeling his heart THUMPING rapidly. Like an engine pushing itself to the limit, faster and harder with every beat...
(SFX – fast heartbeat)
DOUG: Mary...
NARRATOR: Thoughts of her fill his mind as he takes one last breath. His eyes widen...his HEART abruptly stops.
(SFX – heart stops)
NARRATOR: His muscles go limp. His hands fall to his sides. Blood weeps from his eyes and nose. Doug Norwood is now fully infected...
(SFX – whoosh transition)
NARRATOR: It’s daybreak, Pam is curled up on the bed, sleeping soundly. NOISES echoing out from downstairs wake her.
(SFX - sound downstairs)
NARRATOR: She’s instantly on high alert, remembering the circumstances of her reality from when she fell asleep...
(SFX – stair squeak)
NARRATOR: Pam sneaks to the top of the stairs. Below, she sees Doug, now reanimated from the virus, slowly crawling up the edge of the couch trying to stand...As quietly as she can, Pam heads back to the bedroom.
(SFX – sting)
NARRATOR: In the living room, Doug finally stands. It’s an eerily sad sight as his legs quiver, muscles forcing themselves to work through the slight rigor mortis that has set in.
(SFX – zombie moan)
NARRATOR: In the kitchen, infected Fred is still outside the door, looking in. His face is darker, blistered. The skin around his mouth and eyes are rotting and peeled back further as the virus is causing his body to decompose at a rapid rate. The hand Teddy bit is more decayed, tissue and bone exposed. When he sees Doug, he begins to scratch at the door again.
(SFX – scratching)
NARRATOR: One step at a time, and Doug seems to be getting the hang of walking. As he makes his way through the kitchen he slips on his suit jacket, lying on the floor where he left it the night before. Mary’s engagement ring falls out of the breast pocket, sliding across the linoleum. Doug steps on it, continuing to lumber towards the door. He knocks into the chair wedged under the knob, sending it to the floor.
(SFX – chair hitting floor)
NARRATOR: Fred tries to push the door open, knocking the chair into Doug who continues to try to move forward. It’s almost comical to watch them struggle with such a simple thing, but they soon figure it out.
(SFX – sting)
NARRATOR: Upstairs, Pam softly climbs from the window, using the makeshift rope. The axe and a bag of provisions are secured to her back. As she lowers herself, her hands slip...Not far from where she’s attempting her escape, Fred stands by the backdoor, not appearing as threatening as before. Joined by Doug, his new infected companion in death. Off to the left -- Pam falls to the ground, landing on her already hurt ankle.
(SFX – Pam cries out in pain)
NARRATOR: The sound prompts Doug and Fred to turn and look. As Pam struggles to her feet, Fred charges towards her. Doug clumsily follows...She's forced to hobble away, barely escaping their grasp...
(MUSIC – tense)
NARRATOR: Pam heads through the woods, trying to remember the way to the shore. She's feeling weak, winded. Her head pounding. Wondering if the infection afflicting Fred and Doug is inside of her too ...but no time to think about that now…Ahead, she hears the roar of the ocean.
(SFX – ocean)
NARRATOR: Pam hits the shore, fighting through the sand, as she makes her way towards Doug’s life raft. She pulls it off the lean-to, struggling to drag it to the water.
(SFX – drag across sand)
NARRATOR: Fred emerges onto the beach, Doug a step behind. They barrel towards her violently. She lets go of the raft and strips off her pack. With axe in hand, she readies to defend herself -- But suddenly, two quick GUNSHOTS ring out in rapid succession.
(SFX – gunshots)
NARRATOR: Fred and Doug tumble to the sand. Each with a well-placed shot to the head. Pam looks over to see a band of soldiers in military biohazard suits, approaching. Some brandish flamethrowers...Pam throws down the axe and puts her hands up as guns are trained on her.
PAM: Please, help me.
NARRATOR: Roy, also dressed in a biohazard suit, stands behind the soldiers.
ROY: Hold your fire!
NARRATOR: He cautiously steps towards Pam but keeps his distance.
ROY: Pam, it’s me, Roy.
NARRATOR: Hearing his familiar voice, she falls to her knees and begins to cry.
ROY: Pam, it’s important. Did you come in contact with either of them?
NARRATOR: But Roy can see it on her face before she even shakes her head, “YES”. He turns to one of his men, eyes saying it all. The soldier raises his gun aiming it at Pam...
(SFX – gunshot)
NARRATOR: Roy and the soldiers march through the woods. Behind them, on the beach, a large fire blazes.
ROY: Be on the lookout for signs of the infected. Burn anything that moves.
NARRATOR: At the utility station, spray from the flamethrowers shoot into the doorway. Fire consumes the inside.
(SFX – flamethrower)
NARRATOR: Roy stands at the top of the short stairwell heading down to the vault. He sees the dead rats and cockroaches.
ROY: I need a breach.
(SFX – plasma cutter)
NARRATOR: From the inside of the darkened concrete vault, a plasma cutter slices through the rusted-shut metal door. Once the lock is cut away, the heavy metal creaks open, and light from flashlights spill in.
(SFX – metal door)
NARRATOR A contingent of biohazard soldiers come in, looking around. Inside the vault, shelves lined with old military equipment and boxes, untouched for decades.
(SFX – soldiers marching)
NARRATOR: Roy leads the soldiers towards several rusted storage drums on the far side of the room…The outside of the drums are labeled DANGER - S.H.E.D., with a faded skull and crossbones painted on. The bottoms are corroded, liquid leaking out.
ROY: Burn everything.
NARRATOR: Yellow streams of scorching fire covers the room.
(SFX – flamethrower)
NARRATOR: On the other side of the island, flames melt away the tall grass and engulf the remnants of the damaged boat at the slip. Soldiers spray Fred and Pam’s cottage with the flamethrowers from all sides. The house is consumed by a hot inferno. Roy stands off to the side, watching it burn.
(SFX – ocean sounds)
NARRATOR: Back on the shore, soldiers are sprayed with a decontaminant, then carry equipment through the water to a landing craft. Roy is the last man on the beach. He watches all the trees at the shoreline burn. The flames reflect off the window in his oxygen mask -- Paradise, lost.
(SFX – park sounds)
NARRATOR: A warm spring day in Vancouver British Columbia. An old man sits on a park bench, feeding pigeons.
(SFX – pigeons)
NARRATOR: But on the edge of the flock, the Man notices something...One of the pigeons, wearing a colored tag band around its foot, has fallen over, dead. Another one in front, near him, keels over...then another...and another.
(SFX – sting)
NARRATOR: Like dominoes, they drop...until all of the birds are dead at his feet. Others around him notice the uncanny sight. They gather with confusion and concern, gawking.
(SFX –horror riser)
NARRATOR: The End.
(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 https://www.LegendsOfTheNight.com