Buried Alive – Episode 1

Image by Headfone

The Christmas season is on and I’m now working like its Groundhog Day, seven-days a week. That said, the Westcoast Milblogger is taking a little time off while continuing to monitor global events.

Fortunately, I wrote a new audio drama called Buried Alive for a company called Headfone headquartered in India. Not sure when it’s getting released on their app. However, I have the first draft of the project and I’m going to release one episode per week until the new year.

Of course that means you’ll have to get the Headfone app to hear how it ends. Ha, ha, while I’ve downloaded the final recording, I’m a little worried it might already be blacklisted. Hoping you’ll get a chance to hear how it turned out.

Either way, you can now read the first couple of episodes right here for the next couple of weeks.

So, without further ado, I’ll begin with the outline and then the audio drama script for Buried Alive:

The Meeting: Episode 1

Characters Involved: Narrator, Marie, Allen

Scene 1:

We hear dirt being shoveled onto a wood coffin. The Narrator gives us a description of the location and an indication of what's happening.

Scene 2:

Marie wakes up to find herself buried alive inside a coffin. There’s nothing to see. Yet we get a description through smells, touch, and sound.

She’s scared and crying for help. Soon realizing it’s pointless to be afraid, she starts to think about her family, the things she should be doing, and wondering if she’s going to be trapped until her death.

Then Allen, the Serial Killer who abducted her begins speaking to her through speakers inside the coffin. He informs her that he can hear her too and shares other features meant to make her feel more comfortable.

Marie knows about some of the other crimes Allen has committed. He's notorious.

Allen tells her he wants her to live. Only he needs her family to pay a ransom first.

Scene 3:

Allen signs off, looking at where Marie's buried on his property. It's now time to call the police. Allen is nervous though because this is a change to his normal modus operandi. This is his big chance at a big payday. He wants to stop murdering people and live the beach life somewhere far away.

EPISODE 1 - SCENE 1

(SFX of a shovel digging into dirt. Then throwing the dirt onto a wooden coffin a couple of feet below.)

NARRATOR
(Scary seductive voice)
Sandy Valley, Nevada, is a small town with a big secret. Located in the Mojave Desert outside of Las Vegas, near the California border, it's a secluded place where retired people move to disappear.

Yet one of its more infamous residents wants to retire and move somewhere else. This afternoon he's burying a treasure on his property (followed by SFX of digging again) away from the road near a small grouping of trees visible from his kitchen window.

SCENE 2
(SFX of fists hitting against the inside of a wooden coffin. Then a scream.)

MARIE
(Crying and scared, yet she's young and athletic, able to face this adversity)
Where am I? How can it be so dark? I feel paralyzed while being able to move my arms up and down and side to side (followed by SFX of brushing against hallow wood).

Why can't I raise my arms? (She's on the verge of tears again from the pain of not being free) I'm stuck! (Screams again).
My legs too. Nothing but the invisible force keeping me from moving. It's a coffin and I'm buried alive. Not to mention being naked with some kind of ergonomic curve for my backside. I don't even have my gold necklace. O God why! (Yelling)

There's nothing I can do.(Panting) I can't stand not being able to move around. This is torture wanting to move and I can't. Just the feel of this smooth wood to my sides and above me, the memory foam beneath me, and the darkness.

O God it's so dark. When I think of my family it's as if I'm dreaming. I don't know if my eyes are open or closed. Still I see my Mom's face in the faded colors of dreaming. What am I doing here? (Agony)

I should be getting cleaned up after my run. I should be getting ready to visit the new club on the Las Vegas Strip. My little sister is supposed to be jealous because she's too young. (Sobbing)

It's only been a couple of minutes and I'm going insane. How long is it going to take to die here in this void of light? This is madness. I can't do anything. Just think while staring into the void. (She's starting to calm down)

I can only think. Not even make a plan. Just think, as if I'm alive and dead at the same time. As if I'm awake and dreaming at the same time. There is no time. Not even a lunch time. I'm not even sure if I'm speaking or if these are just thoughts traveling out into space. It's just not fair.

ALLEN
(CREEpy like Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs) Hello MARIE. I can hear you. (Over speakers inside the coffin)

MARIE
YOU Must be a demon from hell. (Now resigned to fate) I'm not sure what I've done to deserve this punishment, but it must have something to do with partying too much. I should have listened to my Mom and got serious about finding a job, or a husband, instead of using my trust fund to have fun on the stripe. It's just too much temptation living in Sin City.

ALLEN
I'M Not a demon. (His feelings are hurt) I'm speaking to you through speakers inside the coffin. There's a mic in there so I can record you and talk with you. If you move your head to your right and up, you should be able to find a straw to drink water, try it now.

MARIE
ALRIGht. (Grudgingly, after a beat followed by the SFX of drinking water through a straw) Ahh (Relief).

ALLEN
SEE MARIE, I'm not a demon (almost cheerful), I've done my best to take care of you. I only removed your clothes to make it easier to go to the bathroom. There's a hole under your butt for waste.

MARIE
THANKs. (Disgusted)

ALLEN
I'VE also taken your necklace. Don't worry, you can have it back if you survive this ordeal.

I'm sorry there's no way to give you food. There are some air holes like the water straw that are designed not to let light in. I think you can survive for six days or more.

MARIE
SURVIve for six days or more. (Panic starts to resurface) Who are you? Why have you done this to me you evil bastard! (Yelling)

ALLEN
CALM down MARIE. (Hurt again) I don't want to kill you. I just want to collect a ransom from your family and then I'll let you out.

MARIE
A RANsom. (Crying)

ALLEN
YES, I just need some money to move somewhere else for a while. Without going into detail about myself, so I can free you without worrying about the authorities, you need to know I'm the man who's been burying people alive in the Mojave Desert.

MARIE
WAIT. (Still sobbing) There's a man burying people in the Mojave Desert alive. When did that happen?

ALLEN
YOU Haven't heard about the man burying people alive in the Mojave Desert.

MARIE
NO! (Disturbed yell)

ALLEN
IT'S been in the news. I usually listen to the reports on the radio in my car. Have you heard of the Casino Killer?

MARIE
(TERRified scream) The Casino Killer! (Followed by thrashing inside the coffin in a vain attempt to break free) Get me out of here! Please!
(Note to sound engineer: Please layer these voices for simultaneous delivery)

ALLEN
MARIE calm down. (Authoritative) MARIE calm down. Calm down MARIE.

MARIE
PLEASe let me go. (Begging sobs) Please. Please. Please let me go now.

ALLEN
(AFTEr a beat) I'll let you go home MARIE. First you need to give me your Mom's phone number. Then I'll give her a call. If you're nice, I'll let you guys talk to each other for a second. It should work. I'll just put my cellphone against the speaker and microphone in my office. I've never tested it before, but I'm pretty sure you guys should be able to speak with each other.

MARIE
OK. I'll be good. (A complete shell of her former self) I just want to talk to my Mom. (Sob) Her phone number is . . .
SCENE 3

(SFX of chewing food)

NARRATOR
ALLEN Stands in his kitchen eating a sandwich, looking out the window above the sink, at a small cluster of trees shielding his house from the world. MARIE is buried there about four-feet underground.

Even in the heat of the afternoon desert, in the shade of the trees, being in the dirt should keep her cool enough. Yet ALLEN is more worried about her getting through the cold nights because the air shafts should let the hot air out. She's also naked without enough room to turn on her side or cover herself with her arms to keep warm.

ALLEN feels surprise at how fast he broke her spirit. She's such a youthful, athletic, healthy woman brought to despair in less than half an hour. (Followed by SFX of barely audible sobbing in the background this should continue until cued)

ALLEN left MARIE's mic on in his office to hear her suffering. With the others he buried alive he never had the chance to relish in this moment. He could only fantasize about their thoughts as death closed in on them.

ALLEN
WELL I guess it's time to call her Mother. (Cold) Hopefully she's worried and answers the phone right away. I'm going to get angry if I have to keep calling her back to ask for the ransom.

NARRATOR
ALLEN Walks through a hallway into his office. (SFX of sobbing grows a little louder) He picks up one of many disposable cell phones purchased for this project, then turns down MARIE's sad hopeless cries coming from a speaker on his desk
(SFX of sobbing fading out).

ALLEN feels nervous as he begins to dial the number for MARIE's Mom (SFX of cell phone numbers being dialed). He's changed his habits for this project in order to get the money. It makes him think of his first kill with the police always on his mind as a life in prison seemed to be waiting for him around every corner. (SFX of phone ringing) Years had passed and he had become numb to that fear. Only now it returned with the change in routine.

Listening to the phone ring, ALLEN knows he's taking a risk that could lead to his arrest.

Thank you,
Cyrus Emerson

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