The Vail (Episode Ten: The Truth)

This one is either gonna make or break the Vail. Please comment.

The Vail

By Joey Pettine



Episode Ten: The Truth



(A basement, damp and dark. A bare light bulb hangs from the ceiling giving minor relief to the deep, pervasive shadows. Directly beneath the dim bulb is a workbench, a vise bolted into its surface, framed by a wall of power tools, one of them being a rusty circular saw. A sawed off shotgun sits ominously upon the workbench. Offstage there is the slow creak of a door opening and then the rhythmic thump of feet upon dusty wood as ANDY VAIL, ALINA WAITTS, and STEVEN TILLHOUSE come down the steps with stern, ready faces. Their attention is on the shadows around them. Andy, his eyes ablaze with anger and his body a furious tableau of calm repose, takes the shotgun off the bench, letting it dangle in his hand as if he doesn’t really need it, hid free hand shakes uncontrollably. Andy nods to Alina who unholsters a revolver. Steven is unarmed and seems a bit nervous about it. Andy stares directly into the dark.)



ANDY

I can see you, Henry. It’s no use hiding.



(HENRY enters from the shadows, locking his gaze with Andy’s and ignoring the other two. Henry stands tall and straight, his hands steady, his face an epitome of calm neutrality, his eyes soft.)



HENRY

I had no intentions of hiding. I do not believe it is possible to hide from you. I was merely waiting. It is time to tell you the truth.



STEVEN

You knew we were coming.



HENRY

I knew Andrew was coming.



ANDY

How?



HENRY

I was told. Would you like to know by whom?



ALINA

Shut up!



ANDY

I’m the strong one now. You can’t fool me anymore, Henry. I mean, Mischa.



HENRY

You have learned much and are correct, this body is not my own. I needed a vessel so that I might traverse this world. Yet Mr. Bratton, Mischa as you call him, is unharmed. His personality is buried, asleep, in his subconscious and when I exit his body he will, in a manner of speaking, wake up. Unfortunately, it seems that information is all that you have learned. I have never manipulated you, Andrew. I am sure whoever has sent you to murder me would like you to believe that I have and that the serum within your veins protects you from my influence. Remember this, Andrew; you were immune to my will before Mynot’s concoction poisoned your system. You were always special. However, you do not look so healthy anymore. How much more of the serum have you injected yourself with?



ANDY

I’m better than I ever was. I could bench press you one handed, I could find you in a pitch black warehouse, I have become one with nature and the universe.



HENRY

You have taken an experimental drug that has heightened your natural instinctual abilities. Your physical abilities, such as speed and strength, have been modified in direct association with the human survival instinct. You have also become more attune to the extraordinary phenomenon of this universe, what you might call “the supernatural”. This is how you were able to track me like a mindless beast.



ALINA

What the hell are you doing? Kill him!



HENRY

Yet it is also instinctually human to become slaves to our emotions, especially the negative ones. Your anger and grief has been exponentially heightened. I can only imagine the pain you are in. I am sorry but it is also this affliction which blinds you from what you need. For is it also not instinctually human to seek out the truth? It is why you cannot find peace, your mind has been poisoned with lies and, somewhere, you know it. Tonight, I promise you only the truth, no matter how painful.



STEVEN

What is he talking about?



HENRY

Steven, I am sorry to see that you have been resurrected. Death is a gift of life.



ALINA

I’m done with this shit.



ANDY

NO! I GOT THIS!



(Andy raises the shotgun at Henry, the barrel trembles in his face.)



ANDY

Deja fuckin’ vu. Doesn’t this seem familiar?



(Henry reaches for the saw. Andy presses the gun into his neck.)



ANDY

WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!





HENRY

The saw is unplugged, Andrew. I merely want to show you something. You may keep the weapon trained upon me if it comforts you.



ALINA

Kill him, Andy!



HENRY

You are not a murderer, Andrew. I am.



(Henry presses the trigger on the saw and the blade spins. He stops. Andy’s entire bdy is tebling now, his eyes bug from his skull.)



HENRY

You know what this means.



ANDY

YOU MURDERING SHIT EATING ALIEN SON OF A BITCH I WILL EAT YOU—



(Andy fires the gun and a puff of soke explodes from the back and hits Andy in the face. He falls to his knees, dropping the gun in a daze. Henry quickly places the saw upon his neck.)



STEVEN

No!



ALINA

SON OF A BITCH!



HENRY

Do not fire, Misses Waitts. I mean Andrew no harm however if I was shot I might involuntarily power the saw.



STEVEN

You unholy bastard.



HENRY

Andrew is alright. I rigged the gun to backfire but it was loaded with tranquilizers, he is no more than dazed. You have to understand, I knew I could never physically overpower you and I need you to listen. The truth is that I did kill your brother but I did not murder him.



ALINA

Fuck this! I’m shooting, Steve.



STEVEN

No! He’ll kill him.



HENRY

And although your brother’s murder has already affected your life, it has not yet occurred in mine. I am from your future, Andrew. As a matter of fact, I am your future, I am human evolved. Leaper is not the name of my race but the name of the organization I work for, a name taken from old Earth historical documents. This explains why I am able to influence weaker minds, why I am adept at your technology, and why I can do such things as emit steady electrical charges from my palms. These are all natural capabilities humans are finally able to utilize once your brains fully evolve and are used at full capacity. This is also why the way I talk seems odd to you, language has changed quite a bit in millions of years but this body’s brain is trying to translate it into your era’s linguistic capabilities. However, human evolution is in grave danger. The time I come from is a hostile Earth, cities lie in ruins and there are only a handful of humans still alive. We live underground, in old sewers, wherever we can hide.



STEVEN

Hide from what?



ALINA

Don’t listen to this bullshit!



ANDY

Hide from what?



HENRY

From the Insects, a horrific alien race that has dominated Earth for thousands of years. No one knows where they came from or why they chose Earth but they use our bodies as vessels. They enter the brain via the ear canal, gestate inside the skull while feeding upon the brain, and then use the body as a vehicle of sorts. They run rampant in my world, hunting us remaining humans. Our intellect may be more advanced than theirs, but their numbers are staggering. Project Leaper was created to stop the Insects. We were able to use our minds, our most powerful weapon, to pinpoint the hypothetical time and location of the first Insect infestation.



ANDY

Michael?



HENRY

Yes, your brother. Once we had this knowledge we built a device that could send the consciousness of a living being back in time. Numerous units were sent back, I was only one. The girl, Savannah, was another agent sent back from even further in my future. It is from her that I received the most vital of information. Mere moments before her death she informed me of all that she knew. She told me about this confrontation that we are having, she told me that I was the one who cut open your brother’s skull, and she told me that I was the one who gave her this information. Sometime in my future, after all of this is over, I must return even further back in time to inhabit the body of Nancy Vail and I must use her to kill your brother and cut the gestating Insect from inside his skull. I must do it because if those horrible things do not happen then these things would never take place and they must take place, you must become who you are, you must become the Vail.



ANDY

The Vail?



HENRY

We never knew what the Vail was. My people had heard rumors, that in the days before humanity fell it was supposed to be the only thing that might have stopped the insects but we never knew entirely until I met you. You are the Vail, your actions stop the Insects here and now and save the future of the world.



ANDY

And Nancy loses everything.



HENRY

It is a side effect of inhabiting her body. Even though I am the murderer, her brain is telling her that she is.



(Andy stands, dazed but seemingly under control.)



ANDY

So it was you. When Nancy came into my office, told me abut Mike, it wasn’t her at all. It was you trying to help me. You told me I saved your life.



HENRY

I have no knowledge of this.



ANDY

It makes perfect sense. She even sounded like you that night.



(Andy begins to laugh, quite maniacally, and then they turn into sobs. Steven looks dumbfounded, Alina looks pissed.)



ANDY

Oh, God, it’s true isn’t it?



ALINA

Yes, actually, but we were hoping you wouldn’t figure that out. Guess I gotta do this myself.



(Alina aims at Henry and fires.)



ANDY

No!



(Andy jumps in front of the bullet, Henry catches him from collapsing. Alina goes to fire again but Steven knocks the gun out of her hands. She punches him hard and then bolts up the steps. Steven looks after her then runs over to Andy to look after him. Henry holds Andy, blood soaking him, looking quite confused.)



HENRY

Andrew, you saved my life.



ANDY

You fucker. I knew you killed my brother.





(Andy’s eyes close. Steven and Henry look worried. The lights fade.)

The Vail (Episode Nine: New Life)

I know what you're all thinking... "A new episode so soon." Well, today just happens to be your lucky day. I believe this is going to be one of the favorite episodes. I definitely enjoyed writing it.

The Vail

B y Joey Pettine

Episode Nine: New Life

(A dark stage. Spotlight on ANDY VAIL and ALINA WAITTS, embracing each other, sweet kisses pass between their lips, oblivious of the dark that threatens to swallow them whole.)\

ANDY

I never once thought, through all of this, that I’d ever be able to feel good again. But you… You know me. I was losing it, Alina. My life was nothing, and... It’s over now. Henry’s left, that thing that killed my brother is dead, and I have you.

ALINA

We have each other.

(They kiss again, not seeing the two shambling ZOMBIES emerge from the darkness, tearing the lovers apart, kicking and screaming. The spotlight goes out and the screams die in the dark. Llights slowly come up on a small mortician’s basement. Andy and Alina are strapped to two gurneys in a standing position, facing each other. In between them are two more gurneys covered in white sheets. The two zombies stand at either end of the room, guarding the entrance and exit, and along the back wall is a massive chemistry set of pipes and tubes. A green liquid flows through the beakers and burners, percolating and churning. DR. NORTH, enters the room, the zombies stand aside to let him in. He is a mousy man with oversized, black rimmed glasses. He talks with his hands, either swinging them to and fro or keeping them clasped and fumbling close to his chest. He frequently pauses as well, as if some words are more difficult to spit out than others. He cracks smelling salts and rouses Andy who wakes with a gasp.)

ANDY

Where are we? Why can’t I move my arms?

DR. NORTH

You’re in my… laboratory… perfectly safe. I’m Dr. North.

(Dr. North heads for Alina. Andy violently tears at the straps. There is a snap as Andy breaks the strap on his left wrist, reaching for the doctor, already out of reach.)

ANDY

GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER! LEAVE HER ALONE!!

DR. NORTH

My, my… you’ve become quite strong. I’d advise you to calm down, though, Mr. Vail or… no I guess you can’t calm down can you. It’s not really your fault. But I’m going to advise you anyway. I’d hate to have to sedate you. I want you alert for this. I’m not going to hurt Ms. Waitts, I’m just going to wake her.

(Dr. North does the same to Alina. She wakes with a gasp.)

ALINA

Where am I? Andy?

DR. NORTH

See… I mean no harm.

ANDY

Let us go.

DR. NORTH

I have you restrained because I find most… individuals… react… badly… to my work.

(Dr. North whips the sheet off one of the gurneys, throwing it to one of the zombies who fumbles with it stupidly then throws it to the ground. On the gurney is the corpse of STEVEN TILLHOUSE. He is pale and obviously deceased yet he doesn’t look too bad, except for the fact that his entire abdominal area has been devoured and most of his internal organs hang out in a sloppy mess. One long intestine snakes from the table almost touching the ground. Steven has also been strapped to the gurney. Alina gasps, Andy looks stunned.)

DR. NORTH

The late Mr. Steven Tillhouse, brother of the even later Dr. Ainsley Tillhouse. Would you both agree that Steve here looks quite… dead?

ANDY

What the fuck are you doing?

DR. NORTH

Please save all questions until after the… show. Zed, the hydraulic hypodermic please. Zed and Zod are my labor force. Mindless zombies are great for tedious work.

(One of the zombies sloughs over, hands Dr. North something that looks like a gun, then slumps back to it’s sentry. A vial of the strange green liquid has been inserted into the handle of the gun. Dr. North holds the gun up to the witnesses like a magician showing the audience there is nothing up his sleeve.)

DR. NORTH

A simple vial of Agent North…

(He aims the gun directly between Steven’s dead eyes.)

DR. NORTH

…injected directly into the forebrain of the deceased. This will save his life.

(There is q quick hydraulic sound, Steven’s head twitches a little. Dr. North steps back with a smile. There is a sharp intake of breath as Steven’s body springs to life, still pale and damaged, but alive.)

STEVEN

ANNIE! NO!

(Steven hushes, looking at his surroundings.)

STEVEN

Where am I? The hospital?

DR. NORTH

Far from it… Steven. You’re dead.

(Dr. North makes a show of holding up the long, dangling intestine from Steven’s stomach and snipping it off. Steven yelps in pain.)

DR. NORTH

Dead but feeling. Dead but not. That is the beauty of Agent North, a resurrectional formula cultivated from epinephrine, formaldehyde, glucose, sucrose, lactose, sodium, an alien fungus that I grow in the old fruit cellar below this one, and cocoa. Agent North revitalizes and empowers the brain. It works on the same level as a placebo. An uber placebo… if you will, the same way certain people believe raw honeycomb can cure cancer or that Advil can work as well as oxycontin. Agent North tricks your brain into believing it is alive, it uses that… forgotten piece of the mind… your willpower in itself keeps your limbs moving, your eyes seeing… your dead, cold, rubbery flesh… feeling… it does not, as you may believe, stimulate the body at all. No, no, no. You, Steven, are dead and… so is you’re body. If you are cut, the skin will never heal. Bones will not mend, organs will not beat or churn, but you will still have to clip your nails and style your hair… The serum will preserve your body, in an immaculate fashion might I add, compacting the muscles and bone marrow making you stronger and more resilient to both pain and damage, simultaneously delivering oxygen to that most important of organs, the brain. Your heart may not be beating and your blood might have run dry but… your brain is alive and throbbing with thought. There is only one thing Agent North cannot do but… don’t feel bad it happens to all men. And I hear they make pills for it now. You won’t even miss… those things. You are unfettered by the aches and pains, wants and needs of the living body… New life, from me to you, and I have but one simple scientific question. Did you see anything? Bright lights, men with pitchforks, possibly a few dozen virgins?

STEVEN

No. Can I get up from the table now?

ANDY

You’re taking this quite well.

DR. NORTH

My doing…. I lace Agent North with a heavy tranquilizer. It will wear off in a few days. Keeps the… unliving… calm, from hurting themselves, makes the rebirthing experience go smoother. We already enter this world kicking and screaming once. Now, my living participants… You have witnessed the defiance of death, peer into the face of a man made God, and seen the redefinition of life itself?

ALINA

You like to talk, don’t you?

ANDY

Untie us!

DR. NORTH

I need you to listen first… I’ve been… watching you, Mr. Vail. I’ve had… my eye on you since my cameras caught you in Mynot’s lab. I apologize for everything that has happened to you... I would have… I am in grave danger, we all are… Except you, Mr. Tillhouse, you’re dead. But this concerns you… because… you’ve lost someone you love. All of us have. And the fault lies… no further than with me… and my colleagues.

STEVEN

What are you talking about?

DR. NORTH

As you may have… noted, I am a brilliant man… one of a group of six… friends. We met in college. Your brother, Dr. Vail. Your brother, Dr. Tillhouse. Dr. Randolf, Dr. Mynot, and, your grandfather, Dr. Waitts. Together we were… monumental… and arrogant. Dr. Waitts had these books--

ALINA

Oh, my God!

ANDY

What?

ALINA

My family… They… no.

DR. NORTH

The Waitts family is rooted deep… in the occult… going back centuries. Dr. Waitts had these book…

But you don’t understand… what we could do… Gateways into other worlds, alien beings… their bodies coursing with cures to diseases… chemicals, even potions capable of resurrecting the dead. The conjunction of old world magic and new age technology. But all sciences… For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

ANDY

You guys brought this on yourselves?

DR. NORTH

One of the… experiments went wrong. None of us even knew. It took your brother first, then it got Mynot, your grandfather, and it would have gotten Dr. Tillhouse… as well.

STEVEN

If he hadn’t died by his own experiments, you mean.

DR. NORTH

Yes.

ANDY

But that thing is dead. Steven died getting rid of it. Which by the way, how the hell did you get his body? Why have you just been watching us all die? WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT? AND GET ME THE FUCK OUT OF THIS YOU PIECE OF SHIT!!

DR. NORTH

You get angry… a lot lately… don’t you? Yes, Steven did succeed in avenging… my colleagues. My… Zed and Zod, retrieved the body of… you, Steven, as well as Mr. Skinner. I needed to be sure. Yes. The parasite is dead. One of them. And the machine was turned off. Let us… all hope we never truly understand what happened to your brother Ainsley, Mr. Tillhouse.

ALINA

One of them.

DR. NORTH

Something else was conjured. There was the… parasite… which incubated inside Dr. Vail, dead now, but there was something else. It took Dr. Randolf first. Then Randolf’s wife, finally, his neighbor. I was able to bind it… trapped it in it’s current body. You’ve been… with him for… a few weeks.

ANDY

Henry?!

DR. NORTH

Henry. His real name is Mischa… Bratton. Although… I think it… safe to assume Mr. Bratton is no longer there.

ANDY

What are you talking about?

DR. NORTH

Henry… needs me dead… to break the binding… But you can stop him, only you are immune. He’s bound in that body and if that body dies… I think he tried to use you to find me. I’m going to untie your friends now.

(Dr. North unstraps Alina, who stands there dumbfounded, and Steven, who goes to untie Andy.)

DR. NORTH

Leave him.

(Steven does but seems confused.)

STEVEN

Why did I listen to you?

DR. NORTH

I haven’t run… tests yet but I believe it is a subconscious mechanism for dealing with being brought back to life… You have to listen to me because I brought you into this world.

ANDY

Why won’t you let me down? I don’t even know where Henry went.

DR. NORTH

You’ve felt confused… recently. Like your body… brain is trying to pull itself in two. You’ve been fighting it.

ANDY

Fighting what!?

DR. NORTH

Dr. Mynot had a theory. He did some experiments with… animals. Like with earthquakes and disasters, animals seem to sense things… especially mammals. He theorized humans must have this innate ability as well… his plan was to create a serum that would enhance these natural instincts. A sample of this… serum was injected into the base of your neck over a month ago. The anger, enhanced strength, I think it is a direct result. Your body is trying to adjust to these new… feelings. No one can be sure what this… will do to you. But I’ve been watching… I have a theory that you can sense… things… I think you could use this to find Henry.

ANDY

You’re crazy.

DR. NORTH

How else can you explain what’s been happening? How Henry can… influence everyone but you. You are the only one who can do this. And if you do…

(Dr. North removes the sheet from the last body, revealing the oddly preserved corpse of MIKE VAIL.)

DR. NORTH

If you do this for me… I will bring your brother back to life… and your grandfather… all of them. But not until this is done and I’m safe. I’m going to untie you now…

(All of them stand there, stunned. Dr. North approaches Andy. Fade to black.)

The Vail (Episode Eight: Songs In The Attic)

I'm not entirelu sure people are reading these anymore but I sure hope so because things are going to start getting really strange around here. I also hope that I haven't made the Vail too comfusing or complicated. My original idea with the Vail was just a way to tell some weird stories every week but unfortunately I lacked the insight to realize that once you start a complex mystery it is hard to pull away from the mystery and just have crazy side stories. I hope I can do my best to deliver some fun stuff over these next couple of weeks, though, as well as answer a few questions.
Also, the idea for this week's story comes from an old fear of mine. The fear of the attic. It always spooked me because, for one thing, it was the basement but on top of the house, and, for another, there always sounded like things were running around up there. Always. So I hope it spooks you a little too and that the main plot of the Vail doesn't ruin the spooks.
For those of you who need to catch up:
The Journey So Far: Andy's brother Mike has been horribly murdered, his throat curshed and his brain removed, and it is now being learned that some of Mike's colleagues, scientists of utter genius, are being murdered as well. He attempted to find the grand daughter of one of the scientists, Alina, but has had no luck. Yet in an attempt to return to normalcy, Andy went to his sister-in-law Nancy's New Years Party. It was there they were visited by a disgusting figure who struggled to keep control of his body and who spoke with the sound of a million buzzing flies. His name was Mr. Skinner and Nancy watched as he grabbed her friend, Savannah, and with his bare hands, electrocuted her to death. Nancy is now in a catatonic state, Andy is still caught up in this madness, and his only ally is a strange man with even stranger powers who Andy believes, with all his heart, killed his brother Mike. Thus, we return to the Vail.

The Vail

by Joey Pettine

Episode Eight: Songs In The Attic

(A dark room. Instantly, fluorescent overheads spring to life and light every corner of the attic, every bare floorboard and exposed rafter and blinking electronic. In the center of the attic sits a bulky, barrel shaped machine with a strange antennae atop. At it's forefront is attached a small monitor and keyboard. To the right of the machine is a tiny desk with a modified radio, which has picked up in the middle of “Innocent When You Dream” by Tom Waits, and video camera, the latter which is connected to a large, wall mounted monitor. Enter ALINA WAITTS, a young girl who seems a bit tomboyish, and STEVEN TILLHOUSE, a finely dressed man with an open padlock in his hand. Steven clicks off the radio.)

STEVEN

This don't bode well.

ALINA

What is that thing?

STEVEN

Whatever my genius brother was working on. But it isn't like him to leave the door open. Annie's never left without locking up his work. Something happened to him.

ALINA

You don't know that, you're just thinking the worst. Bad thoughts don't help bad times.

STEVEN

Of course. My brother's missing and three of his colleagues are suspiciously dead. If there was ever a time to think of the worst...

ALINA

Mayhap he ran off like I did. Hid.

STEVEN

You don't understand Annie, he's too anal. He owns three houses, one he never uses, and has a cleaning lady in them all twice a month. Top to bottom scrub. He'd never take off like that, not without getting things in order.

ALINA

You think I made plans to run off? Seeing my grandfather like that. He wasn't even human anymore. I was scared. Then you tell me Grandfather was only one corpse in a trail of bodies! Like he was nothing.

(Alina sniffles out a cry. Steven watches her, wanting to help but not comfortable enough to approach her.)

STEVEN

I'm sorry bout your grand dad. Dr. Waitts was a brilliant scientist, a talented musician, and a wonderful grand pop, I'm sure.

ALINA

You didn't even know him.

STEVEN

No. I knew my brother and what he had to say him. He was a good man. They all were.

ALINA

Dr. Vail, Dr. Mynot, dead.

STEVEN

Murdered. Not just dead.

ALINA

Oh, God, I just thought of Mynot's boyfriend.

STEVEN

He's alright. Safe at least.

ALINA

How do you know?

STEVEN

I checked. It's what I do. As thorough as my brother, just not a genius.

ALINA

You found me at the Drunken Pianist. That was pretty genius.

STEVEN

No, that was logical. Three men dead, one of em your gramps, who you lived with, and you nowhere to be found. You'd run, “lay low”, if you wanna talk like that, because there was no body. The murderer hasn't been shy about bodies so far, why hide yours. You had to be alive. From there it was all about the money. Screw DNA, screw suspects, no one can do anything without money.

STEVEN

I know people, looked at your accounts. But no money was being moved. Which meant you were getting help elsewhere. I tried your friends, no luck. But Annie'd talked a lot about meeting your grand dad at the Drunken Pianist, “as brilliant a musician as a scientist”, he always said. He was proud to be his friend. And I knew you were there. Under the table job, perfect for a pretty girl, rooms above for rent, a place to remind you of your gramps, and a place no one would look unless they really knew, really cared about your grandpa. Logical thinking. That's how I know something happened to Annie. The fifth richest man in America yet no money has moved in or out of his account in the past month. If he was out there, surviving, he'd have taken money with him. No. Something happened to him, in this room.

ALINA

What about Dr. North? Or Dr. Randolf?

STEVEN

No sign. But no bodies either. I think they're somewhere.

ALINA

You're good at this stuff, you know.

STEVEN

Just logical.

ALINA

I don't think your brother is dead, though. Annie. Why do you call him that?

STEVEN

Annie always had bad luck. The deepest misfortune was being named Ainsley by our folks which worked for him since Ainsley sounds kinda genius. But I hated it and thought it was funnier to call him Annie. It stuck. He never seemed to mind.

(Now it's Steven's turn to look sad. Alina does come over and takes his hand. Steven quickly pulls his hand and begins inspecting the camera, the logical thing.)

ALINA

What are you doing?

STEVEN

Watching the video. It'll tell us when Annie was here last and maybe some other things.

(Alina nods then begins to inspect the strange machine, deeply curious. She badly seems to want to press the button.)

ALINA

I wonder what this machine does?

(She is immediately distracted when the camera's tape begins to play on the screen. On it we see a close up of DR.TILLHOUSE setting up the camera on the tiny desk. In the background “Innocent When You Dream” is playing. The camera stops jostling then Dr. Tillhouse takes three steps back, a small remote is in his hand.)

DR. TILLHOUSE

One, two, three.

(He points the remote at the camera, it zooms out showing he is standing in front of the machine.)

DR. TILLHOUSE

Good day. The date is Friday, December 18, 2009.

ALINA

Oh my, that was last year.

STEVEN

Shh.

DR. TILLHOUSE

Dr. Ainsley Tillhouse speaking here on Project Beyond. I have completed my calculations and administered them into my machine, the Ainsley Device. All is ready for the first test which I am performing--

(He zooms the camera out so the whole of the attic can be seen.)

DR. TILLHOUSE

--in the attic of House C, 4103 Harper Street, Indiana, Pennsylvania, which I believe to be the optimum location for attaining what I have begun to call the Tillhouse Effect.

(He zooms it back in so he can be seen best. He looks at his watch.)

DR. TILLHOUSE

In theory, our universe is made up of matter which, in theory, consists of tiny vibrating strings, of which we are all made of, of which all matter, in theory, is made of. It is these tiny vibrations, our constantly moving atoms, that create contact, the atoms of our bodies bouncing off of the atoms of all other matter. Continuing the theory, men before me have postulated that if the correct frequency was found, one could alter the vibrations of matter itself and pass through the strings of this universe into another dimension.

ALINA

Impossible.

STEVEN

Not for Annie.

ALINA

I have done what men before me could not. I have created that machine, the Ainsley Device. When activated, it will play a number of musical notes, incapable of being heard by human ears, which will emit in all directions for, roughly, thirty four yards, a specific vibratory frequency. This frequency will alter the vibration of that thirty four yard diameter and induce the Tillhouse Effect, allowing us to see into the world beyond our own. Ladies and gentlemen of this world, this is one small step for a man, one that will make me a God, and usher in a new era of being.

(Dr. Tillhouse taps the keyboard a few times then glances at his watch.)

DR. TILLHOUSE

The time is approximately 7:20 PM.

(He presses the button and the screen goes instantly black, Tom Waits can still be heard singing in that black, as well as the wet, gurgling screams of Dr. Tillhouse. There is another, more horrific noise as well, one that is utterly monstrous yet still gives off the impression of intelligence. It is a devouring sound as well as a thinking sound. The camera turns to a blue screen. Steven shuts it off.)

STEVEN

That's it. We have to destroy this machine.

ALINA

That is impossible. You can't just vibrate into another dimension. It's impossible!

STEVEN

I don't think so. I believe Annie did exactly what he said he would.

MR. SKINNER

Wwich ssavez mmme the trouble of having to kill himmm.

(The voice buzzes with the sound of winged insects, yet a faint hum of electricity lies beneath. Mr. Skinner enters the attic, blocking Steve or Alina's exit. He moves toward them, shuffling disturbingly, as if he wasn't in complete control of his limbs. His shaky hand stretches toward them and his fingertip pops with a spark. Steven steps in front of Alina.)

MR. SKINNER

I came here to do awayy with yyour brother but yyou two wwill ssatizfyy. Thankz for finding the wwoman. She wwaz being troublezommme.

(There is a loud crash and Mr. Skinner turns to the exit, enter HENRY, with his shotgun, and ANDY, with his revolver.)

ANDY

DON'T YOU FUCKING MOVE!

HENRY

Let them be, Mr. Skinner.

(Andy looks nervously around, squinting at the dark corners of the attic, trying to see something.)

MR. SKINNER

Yyou again! Thiz iz none of yyour buzinezz, Leaper!

ANDY

There's something wrong with this room.

ALINA

You're a leper!

STEVEN

He said leaper, a leper is diseased.

MR. SKINNER

Yyour kind iz a dizeaze, Leaper. Mmmove on!

ANDY

Why is he calling you that?

HENRY

You are not leaving this room, Mr. Skinner. Do not make it any harder.

MR. SKINNER

Wwe both knoww I'mmm not human, Leaper. Thoze weaponz are uzelezz.

HENRY

Not if I shoot open your skull.

ANDY

What the hell is he, Henry?

HENRY

An insect.

MR. SKINNER

Wwhyyy do yyou followw himmm, Mmmizter Vail? Wwhyy do yyou bother thingz yyou should not? Falze hopez for a return to a normal life?

HENRY

Don't listen to him, Andrew. You will never be able to return to the existence you knew.

(Andy looks at Henry as if he just said something important.)

ANDY

Believe me, Henry. Mike's dead, Nancy's catatonic, and I'm losing it. There is no more normal. But I can kill you, Mr. Skinner. And I know it would make me feel good.

MR. SKINNER

Ssomeone put mmmurder in yyou, boyy. Wwaz that mmme?

(Andy twitches as if he saw something move.)

ANDY

What was that?!

MR. SKINNER

The vail haz been lifted for himmm. Did yyou mmmake himmm yyour bloodhound, Leaper?

ANDY

FUCK YOU!

HENRY

No, Insect. He is the Vail.

MR. SKINNER

YYOU LIE!

(Steven takes this chance to ambush Mr. Skinner from the back, Mr. Skinner turns and catches Steven by the neck.)

ANDY

LET HIM GO!

MR. SKINNER

Bad mmove. Mmmy grazp iz lightning.

(Sparks shoot from Mr. Skinner's hands as he shocks Steven, Andy and Henry immediately open fire. Mr. Skinner drops Steven who drops to the floor in front of the machine, alive, but coughing and smoking. Smoke wafts from Mr. Skinner's fingertips as he faces their bullets. His face contorts into what should be a smile but isn't. Henry stops firing.)

HENRY

Stop. It won't work.

ANDY

FUCK YOU!!

(Andy fires until the gun is empty. Blood oozes from Mr. Skinner's wounds.)

MR. SKINNER

Mmy kind iz immune to lead poizoning.

(Andy twitches as if he sees something again.)

ANDY

There's something in here, Henry.

HENRY

Ignore it.

ALINA

Ignore what?

(Mr. Skinner bends down and grabs Steven's wrist, he hoists Steve onto his feet and wobbles sickeningly as he holds him. Alina takes this moment to run around to Andy, clinging tightly to him.)

MR. SKINNER

Let mme pazz and I let himm live.

HENRY

Take Mrs. Tillhouse and leave, Andrew.

ANDY

Fuck no. We didn't spend two weeks tracking this guy to let him go. He killed Mike.

MR. SKINNER

Yyou don't sseemmm too sure of that.

HENRY

I have no intention of allowing him to leave, Andrew. I need you to take care of Mrs. Tilhouse.

MR. SKINNER

Don't lizten to himmm, boyy. He'z no mmmore human than I.

ANDY

Gee, what a fucking surprise.

HENRY

Leave, Andrew, there is something wrong with the reality in this attic. I do not trust it.

MR. SKINNER

Sstayy, boyy! Let mmme assure yyou. I killed yyour brother.

ANDY

What!?

HENRY

Do not listen to him.

MR. SKINNER

Yyez, boyy. Lizten. Yyou knoww I sspeak the truth. I killed yyour brother and ate himmm inzide out. I crawled into himmm, sslithered down the canal of thought, and feazted upon hiz hopez and dreamz. I greww plump and buzzzzzzzzing in hiz head. And afterwardz, I sslid into hiz wwife. She mmmoaned az I mmmoved inzide her and ssuzpected nothing. I killed yyour brother, mmy action definez yyou.

HENRY

Andrew--

ANDY

Is that true, Henry?!

HENRY

Yes but he wants y--

(Andy becomes a force, screaming like a wild animal as he rushes Mr. Skinner. Mr. Skinner, expecting this, drops Steven and grabs Andy's neck.)

MR. SKINNER

Yyou are not the Vail. Yyou are nothing.

(That's when Steven grabs the radio and smashes it over Mr. Skinner. Mr. Skinner drops Andy. Andy rushes back to his group, scared.)

STEVEN

Run.

(Steven presses the button on the machine and three of them exit quickly. The room goes dark with an eerie glow. The shadows move. Mr. Skinner angrily stands and grabs Steven, sparks flash and Steven screams. When Mr. Skinner lets go he is nothing but a twisted and charred mass. That's when something begins to whistle in the dark. Whistling “Innocent When You Dream”. Dr. Tillhouse steps out of the shadows, looking perfectly alright, but casting a sickly pallor. His eyes are intelligent but look at the world in such an alien fashion. Mr. Skinner actually seems to be shaking with fear now, the sound of bugs and electricity has died as well. There is only the whistling. Then Dr. Tillhouse stops whistling. The stage goes completely dark and Mr. Skinner begins to scream, a wet inhuman sound. The stage lights up infrequently with flashes of electricity and each time all we see is that another piece has torn from Mr. Skinner, ragged wounds flowing with blood and bile. Then the screaming stops and there is quiet dark. In that dark something starts to whistle the song again. It fades.)

The Vail (Episode Seven: Ten Years Gone)

Happy New Years, my faithful readers. It's hard to believe it's already 2010, an entire decade has already passed in the new millenium and if John Cusack is correct the world will be ending in a mere two years. So I better get in as much writing as possible.
Today marks not only the start of the New Year but the beginning of something else for Andy Vail, the beginning of something dangerous. For those of you who've been faithfully following, this is the start of what you've been waiting for, for those of you just tuning in, have fun.
I hope you all had a wonderful past ten years and I hope your journey to 2020 is just as amazing and hopefully doesn't involve the end of the world. Especially an end of the world with John Cusack.
Without further ado, it's time for things to change on "The Vail".

The Vail

by Joey Pettine

Episode Seven: Ten Years Gone

(A dining room, table center stage. Sitting at the table is ANDY VAIL, calm and lost within a book. NANCY VAIL enters carrying a bottle of wine and three glasses. She places the glasses and tries to open the wine.)

NANCY

What are you reading, Andrew?

ANDY

Prayers For Rain by Dennis Lehane, best mystery writer of the twentieth century. It's not as good as his last book.

(Andrew looks up from his book, marking a page with a bookmark. Nancy pulls on the cork to no avail.)

NANCY

So does that mean you need to start casing for the best mystery writer of the twenty first century?

ANDY

Casing? I'm quite sure that's not the correct word. Let's try to ring in the new millennium with good grammar. If Stanley Kubrick and Ray Bradbury are right we'll be living in space stations and taking trips to Mars in a few months. Do we really need to bring incorrect gerunds to the universe.

NANCY

Don't you mean well grammar?

ANDY

Now you're just messing with me. Do you need help with that?

NANCY

Yes, please, Mr. Spade, I'm just an old fashioned gal in a new fangled world.

(Andy opens the bottle and pours the wine.)

ANDY

So you aren't a stranger to the genre.

NANCY

Just the names. Agatha Christie, James Patterson, Conan Doyle..

ANDY

...Dashiel Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Stuart Kaminsky, Ellery Queen.

NANCY

I have no idea who those men are. You're really a fan.

ANDY

One of them is two men, actually, and at one point I wanted to be a detective.

NANCY

Really, when?

ANDY

When I was eight. Mike would be in the basement playing Frankenstein and I would be trying to figure out who stole the body parts for him.

NANCY

How did I miss that?

ANDY

Because you were a Guilford, heir to the big house on the hill o' money. Just because you played with the poor kids didn't mean you knew us.

NANCY

Well I'm not a Guilford anymore. And the amateur detective grew to be an accountant. How do you go from solving crimes to counting numbers?

ANDY

Numbers calm me, there are unbreakable rules to numbers, and I like to think of what I do as a form of detection. Instead of finding criminals, I find where everyone's money is going. You, on the other hand, are the truest mystery. Throwing away a life of material wealth for my workaholic brother.

NANCY

Money isn't everything, Andrew.

ANDY

You're just much too fun to be with Mike.

NANCY

Who should I have married?

ANDY

So are we gonna eat any time soon?

NANCY

I told Michael dinner in ten and that was ten minutes ago.

ANDY

So we've still got five minutes to kill.

NANCY

You know your brother too well. Must be the detective within you.

ANDY

You're too sweet, Nan Guilford, always have been. That's why I had a crush on you for so long.

NANCY

Did you, Andrew? I never knew.

(She smiles and sweetly brushes Andy's cheek with her fingers. MIKE VAIL enters.)

MIKE

I thought you said the food was done.

NANCY

We weren't sure when you'd be done working. I'll set the table now.

ANDY

Can I help?

MIKE

She's got it. Pour me a drink, Dandy.

(Nancy exits. Mike takes his seat. Andy pours Mike's wine, tops off his own as well.)

ANDY

Happy New Year, Mikey.

MIKE

I hate that.

ANDY

Right, cause I love being called Dandy.

MIKE

Only because you are one.

(Nancy enters with plates and silverware.)

NANCY

It looks like it'll be a couple more minutes.

MIKE

Nancy, you told me dinner was ready. I could be working still.

NANCY

It won't kill you to visit with your brother. He's starting his own accounting firm, you know.

MIKE

I didn't know and I don't believe it. Dandy doesn't do something like that.

ANDY

It's not a firm, it's just a private business. More a way to keep me from working at a firm.

MIKE

So instead of being a part of something big you're going to hide behind some numbers in that little apartment of yours.

NANCY

Michael, be nice.

MIKE

It's the facts. He did the same thing when we were kids. If you'd been a stronger, Dandy, you wouldn't have taken so many beatings.

ANDY

Considering most of them were from you. Just because I didn't fight every asshole who wanted to doesn't mean I was weak. A fight means nothing if there's nothing to fight for. When something matters, that's when you fight.

MIKE

Like getting you're bike stolen, Dandy. Did I ever tell you this one, Nancy? When we were in seventh grade Dandy's bike was taken from our backyard, his own damn fault for not putting it away.

ANDY

Thanks, Dad.

MIKE

He figured out who it was in about an hour.

NANCY

Those keen detection skills, huh, Andrew?

MIKE

Except a great detective would have gotten his bike back. Dandy followed the kid for a week, watching him ride his bike, telling everybody his elaborate plans. One whole week. Then he just stopped talking about it. He never did anything and that kid rode Dandy's bike all over town for the remainder of junior high school. Dad never bought him another bike either. No balls, Dandy. That's why I got Nancy.

ANDY

Well we can't all change the world, Mikey.

MIKE

Don't mock me, Andrew! You have no idea the kind of work I do.

ANDY

That's because you don't tell anyone.

MIKE

Did Einstein go spouting off the theory of relativity?

ANDY

Maybe to his relatives.

MIKE

Enough! Always with the jokes, nothing serious. I take pride in my work, Andrew. The things I do are paving the way for the next millennium. You're a number cruncher hoping to be a real boy. Grow up, Andrew, have some self respect, and find your own wife. Then I'll stop calling you a dandy.

ANDY

You are such an asshole, Mikey.

MIKE

I don't need this disrespect, there are important things to do. You two were fine without me anyway.

NANCY

Michael, please.

(Mike exits. Nancy chases after him. Andy downs a glass of wine, starts on another. Offstage we hear a slap. Andy moves from his seat and heads across the room, anger on his face. Nancy reenters.)

ANDY

What did he just do?

NANCY

Nothing. Let's just eat, Andrew.

(Andy is fuming, his fist twitching, then, in an inspired moment, he grabs Nancy and kisses her.)

NANCY

Andrew!

ANDY

I love you, Nan.

(Mike enters, angry. He violently pushes Nancy out of the way.)

MIKE

Get out you fucking skank!

ANDY

Leave her alone!

(Nancy watches as Andy shoves Mike and they disappear offstage. Harsh, hurtful sounds follow. Nancy, wide eyed, sits at the table, drinking her wine. The lights go down, the sounds fade, leaving Nancy lit from above. Her eyes look weary, her hair down in a way that makes her look both stronger and weaker. After finishing the wine she pours another glass and drinks. The lights come up, Andy enters, looking older and wearier.)

ANDY

Not much longer on the pork. I like what you did with the kitchen, by the way. Everything's so different around here.

NANCY

A lot changes in ten years.

ANDY

Happy New Year?

NANCY

Happy New Year, Andrew.

(They down their glasses, pour another. They drink a solemn silence.)

ANDY

Why are you still living here?

NANCY

Because this is where I lived with my husband for over a decade.

ANDY

A decade that I couldn't see you and that ended with his death. This house can't hold many good memories, Nan. I loved Mikey too, despite what happened, but it's been over a month now, you can't keep doing this.

NANCY

Someone has to do it, Andrew. The police won't. Staying here helps me remember what I deserve.

ANDY

You're killing yourself.

(Nancy drinks quickly then refills her glass.)

ANDY

The police still won't recognize Mike was murdered?

NANCY

I tried. They don't believe me. A couple times they brought in a doctor, told me I was in shock, that Mikey died in an accident. Whenever I remind them of what I did they get this confused look. I stopped when Detective Williams yelled at me for wasting their time. It's as if it physically hurts them to admit Michael was murdered. They never even came back to finish cleaning the crime scene. I had to do it myself.

ANDY

Oh no.

NANCY

What happened to them, Andrew?

ANDY

Henry did.

NANCY

Who is he?

ANDY

I don't know. I can't figure anything about him.

NANCY

But you've been running around with him for the past five weeks.

ANDY

Nancy, it feels like I'm going crazy. Honestly. Every night I sit there and go over all that's happened and every time I come to the same conclusion: Henry killed Mike. I know it in my gut, my heart, and my mind. But it doesn't make sense. My brain's been split in two: one side trying to keep hold of my sanity, growing ever more confused, and the other just knows things.

NANCY

Knows things?

ANDY

I don't know, I can't explain it well enough. I just... I've been following Henry around for weeks now. I've seen the man hypnotize people with his voice and hack into computers without touching the keyboard and it's as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Meanwhile, the rational side of my brain screams insanity every moment Henry speaks to me. His words literally weigh on my brain. Sometimes I can't see his face.

NANCY

You're not making sense, Andrew.

ANDY

I know but I mean it. Sometimes I literally cannot see Henry's face, it gets all blurry like how people look when they move too fast in a camera. Like every now and then his Henry mask slips off and his real face winks at me.

NANCY

A blurry face?

ANDY

A blurry photo image of reality. I think if I really did know what Henry was, I'd lose it. Even now I feel myself being twisted in two. I know Henry killed Mike, sometimes I dream about it, and I know Henry's lying to me but at the same time I want to trust him. I really do. I just don't know. I wish I could get away from him, from everything that happened, start the year with a new life. I wish we both could, Nancy.

(Nancy reaches and, in that sweet way, brushes Andy's cheek.)

NANCY

That's not how it works, Andrew.

(She goes to pull her hand back, Andy clasps it tight.)

ANDY

Nan. Please.

(She pulls her hand from him. Sorrow on his face.)

ANDY

I think I'm going to kill him, Nancy.

NANCY

What?!

ANDY

I think that's why I've been following him around. To try and avenge Mikey.

NANCY

Andrew, I killed your brother. Why can't you accept that?

ANDY

Because I know it's not true. Part of me says it is but I know, really know, that it's not. And I'm going to kill Henry for it. I keep having these vivid nightmares, dreams where I've got a knife or an axe and I'm-I'm murdering people. Sometimes during the day, like if I'm making a sandwich or driving, I'll think about ways that I could kill him. I go over everything step by step, planning it out. Two days ago I found myself doing it in the car, stopped at a red light lost in the thought.

NANCY

Andrew, what are you saying?

ANDY

If this is how it feels to lose your mind, Nan, it's actually quite calming. In fact, the only time I don't feel confused is when I think about the killings. I know who killed Mike, I know what I have to do to make it better, and I know that I have the power. It's nice. I think that's why I bought this.

(Andy takes out a revolver and places it on the table.)

NANCY

Oh, my God, Andrew.

ANDY

It makes me feel better.

NANCY

Andrew, what is happening to you?

ANDY

A lot changes in a decade.

NANCY

Put that away before Savannah gets here.

(He does.)

ANDY

Who is this girl anyway? She finds you covered in blood, admitting to a murder, and decides to help you.

NANCY

She has an exceptional heart.

ANDY

She's a sicko and a liar. She told you she was raped and beat by her father when she wasn't.

NANCY

It was to try and calm me down. People are more likely to open up if they feel others have been through the same thing. It worked, didn't it?

ANDY

She reenacted a Lifetime movie to help you. That's weird. College students don't do that.

(There is the sound of a doorbell, Nancy exits and reenters with SAVANNAH and HENRY. Andy looks surprised and unhappy.)

NANCY

Andrew, this is my good friend Savannah.

SAVANNAH

Pleasure to meet you. You can call me Savvy.

ANDY

Henry, what are you doing here?

HENRY

You told me you would be here today. I recently returned from the Rhode Island family home of the Waitts. No one has lived there for years and I found an occult library in a secret room in the attic. I now have reason to believe your brother and these five other scientists may have experimented with dark magics.

NANCY

Excuse me?

SAVANNAH

Did I interrupt something?

NANCY

No.

(From offstage the sound of a bell dings.)

NANCY

Pork's done. Excuse me.

(As Nancy is exiting, the doorbell rings again.)

NANCY

Can someone get that?

ANDY

Dark magics? Henry, please, I can't take any more weird.

HENRY

It is the truth, Andrew. Two men are dead and the whereabouts of Dr. Waitts and his granddaughter are unknown. I believe something may have already murdered the remaining four scientists and their families.

(The doorbell rings again.)

SAVANNAH

I'll go get that.

(Savannah exits, the moment she does a low, humming noise, like an electrical generator, begins. As the scene progresses the humming gets louder.)

ANDY

Something murdered their families?

HENRY

That is merely an assumption of mine from the lack of information regarding the whereabouts of certain beings. However, if it is a correct assumption than something may be coming for your sister-in-law as well.

(The humming grows to a head then cuts dead as Savannah re enters with MR. SKINNER, Nancy's neighbor, a disheveled and course looking man. He moves strangely and almost offensively, as if he isn't in complete control of his body, and the way he looks at things is intriguingly inhuman. Although the humming has ceased, there is an infrequent buzzing noise like nosy flies. It would be almost hypnotic if it wasn't disturbing. Nancy enters with the pork.)

SAVANNAH

It's your neighbor, Mister...

NANCY

Mr. Skinner. Happy New Year.

(Mr. Skinner is staring directly at Henry, his eyes wide with fear and recognition. He points one twitching hand at him. When Mr. Skinner talks his voice hums like electricity yet buzzes with insects. )

MR. SKINNER

Yyyou!

(As soon as Mr. Skinner talks, Henry's eyes go wide with understanding.)

HENRY

Stop him.

NANCY

What?

SAVANNAH

Excuse me?

(Mr. Skinner grabs Savannah and as he clutches her the lights begin to flicker rapidly, sparks flying from every direction. Light bulbs explode and the dark blinks in and out of existence. Savannah's screams, blood curdling and desperate, pervade the steady hum of electricity coursing through her body. Nancy has dropped the pork and is screaming as well. In the confusion, Andy takes out his gun and fires three shots. One of them hits and Mr. Skinner lets out the scream of a hundred dieing children. Immediately, the lights stop flickering and the sound of electricity dissipates. In the dim that remains, smoke rises off the charred and twisted remains of Savannah, Nancy is hugging her knees and rocking as she stares at the body, humming to herself. Andy drops the gun, rushes to her, trying to get some kind of reaction. Henry stands there, emotionless.)

HENRY

He's gone and he recognized me.

ANDY

Ah jeez, Henry, she's not responding.

HENRY

She's catatonic and in a severe state of shock.

ANDY

FUCK YOU!

HENRY

This was too much for her to take, Andrew.

ANDY

What the fuck was that thing?!

ANDY

Our killer.

(Blackout.)