SILENCING THE VOICES

by Matthew Russell

Scene 1
Scene 2
Scene 3
Scene 4
Scenes 5-7

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Nick: A 21-year-old college student, good looking, happy, normal, boyfriend of Laura and Jon.

Laura: A 20-year-old college student, good-looking, normal, happy, girlfriend of Nick and Jon.

Jon: A mentally disturbed 21-year-old, boyfriend of Nick and Laura.

Sheila: Nick’s ex-girlfriend.

Balthazar: Jon’s 60-year-old foster dad, very eccentric, slightly scary.

TIME

Fall of present day.

PLACE

Portland -- a studio apartment shared by the threesome.

SILENCING THE VOICES

SETTING: A large studio apartment, crammed with everything to suit the needs of three young adults: a chair, a love seat, a TV, a stereo system, a counter with bar stools, some kitchen appliances (just enough set decoration to let the audience know that there is a kitchen), a potty alcove, a bed, some abstract art on the walls, a desk with a computer, a large window.

AT RISE: Darkness, quiet, except for street lights from the window and the sound of rain and/or cars driving by five stories down. It’s the middle of the night, and NICK, LAURA, and JON are sleeping in the bed, NICK in the center. They sleep quietly.

(SOUND: a haunting melody, origin unknown. Red lights from various places around the room start to dim and flicker on and off. The eerie music gets louder as Nick starts to stir in his sleep. Then, after a moment, the lights go out and the music stops. Nicks jolts up in the bed with a shriek. He breaths heavily as JON and LAURA wake up.)

LAURA: Nick, what’s wrong?
JON: Are you all right?

(LAURA turns on a lamp next to the bed.)

NICK (pause, dazed): Yeah, uh...I’m fine. Bad dream.
JON: I’ve never seen you wake up like that before.
NICK: No...not very often.
LAURA: What was it about?
NICK: (slight awkward chuckle): My ex-girlfriend.
LAURA: Oh, that is scary.
JON: Why? Have you met her?
LAURA: No. But he’s told me enough about her.
JON (teasing): Oh, you can’t rely on that; any break-up story has one person portrayed as a psycho, and it’s usually not the person telling the story.
NICK: You’re right. But she really is a psycho. Take my word for it.
LAURA: Are you sure you’re okay?
NICK: Yeah. But tired. Let’s go back to sleep.
LAURA: I hope you can.
JON: Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.

(JON puts his arms around NICK and clenches tightly, leaning his head against him.)

LAURA: So will I.

(LAURA wraps her arms around both of them, and the lights black out.)

(SOUND: music, loud and grating, in the darkness, then after a few moments, NICK screaming. A struggle. As the music continues at a low volume, dim red lights fade in to reveal SHEILA and NICK alone on the bed. SHEILA is hunched over him, strangling him. NICK tries to break free, but is unable to. SHEILA starts to bang NICK’s head on the headboard. The lights and music slowly fade out.)

(The next afternoon. JON is riding on the back of NICK, who is crawling around on the floor. They both wear jeans, but no shirt or shoes.)

JON (calm, almost in a trance): And we ran. What else could we do? Sure, it was pointless. The Rhortans surrounded us. Like dragons,through the sky, blowing fire from their mouths, setting buildings aflame. Swooping down and burning scores of people...That is, the ones they didn’t sink their murderous teeth into. Everyone wondered whether they would be devoured or burned to death. And they let out ear-piercing screams. Until they were silenced by shooting gusts of flame.There was no chance, but we still ran, hoping to find the Portal between worlds that legend said existed. By the time we found it, there weren’t many of us left. From underneath a fallen tree in the middle of a forest clearing shined a yellow light. Those of us remaining ran towards that light. I turned and saw my parents and one other man standing next to me; everyone else was gone. "Get down!" my dad yelled. "Crawl under!" I got on my knees. Then I turned back once more, and that’s when I saw my dad consumed by a pillar of fire. And...(trance wearing off, a little shaken here) And my mom split in half in these giant monsterous jaws...her blood was spilling out all over me. I saw those evil red eyes staring at me, coming for me, so I turned and crawled under the tree, until I was absorbed by the light. I felt paralyzed and dizzy. And then I was someplace else. All of a sudden, I was on a different world. Your world.

(JON re-positions himself so that he is lying on his stomach, on NICK’S back, arms around NICK, hands pressed against NICK’S chest, as NICK is still crawling, carrying JON’S weight, as JON’S legs drag along the floor.)

NICK: Then a middle-aged woman spotted you laying along side the road and drove you to the hospital.
JON: I told them I didn’t know who I was.
NICK: And in a month, you were in foster care. With Balthazar.
JON: Worst three years of my life.
NICK: You’ve never told me why it was so bad. He seems like he’d make a cool dad.
JON: That’s because you’re an outsider. He puts on a show for the outsiders.
NICK: So...What’s he really like?
JON: You don’t want to know.

(LAURA enters, home from school with her book bag.)

LAURA: Hey, guys.

(JON gets off of NICK.)

JON: Hi Laura.

(JON kisses LAURA. NICK stands up and LAURA comes over to kiss him.)

LAURA: And how are you doing?
NICK: Okay...I guess. Better than last night. I had another dream. I’m surprised I didn’t wake you two again. This time she was choking me.
LAURA: Oh God.
NICK (rubbing the back of his head) And whacking my head against the end of the bed.
JON: Ouch!
LAURA: You look like you still feel it.
NICK: I do have an awful headache.
LAURA: Oh, honey, I’m sorry. This is dreadful. I wonder why these dreams of her are coming up all of a sudden?
NICK: I know. I haven’t thought about Sheila for months, much less dreamed about her.
JON: Is it your anniversary or something?
NICK: No. Nothing like that.
JON: Pretty creepy...You’ll have to tell me about you two, since I seem to be the only one who doesn’t know.
NICK: And that, my friend, is something you don’t want to know.
JON: Oh yeah I do. But it’ll have to wait. I gotta get going.

(JON puts on a shirt and his shoes.)

JON: God, I hate this job. You know...Yesterday, I accidentally ran some guy’s potato chips over the scanning device two times, and I didn’t remember what button to push on the register to correct the mistake. So I had to call Charlie over to do it for me. While Charlie was on his way, this guy with the potato chips said, "Goddamnit, I’m in a hurry and I have to choose the counter with this incompetent moron." (pause) Well, I don’t have to take that crap. I don’t get paid enough to take that crap. So I got out my .45 and shot the bastard.

(JON puts on his coat and exits.)

LAURA: Doesn’t that bother you sometimes?
NICK: What?
LAURA: That Jon belongs in a mental hospital?
NICK: No.
LAURA: Not just a little?
NICK: No. I accept him for who he is.
LAURA: It’s fine and good for him to tell these stories. But what if someday he pulls something for real--
NICK: Actually, Jon would have explained to you that he could keep anyone from witnessing the shooting, or even remembering that there was a Potato Chip Guy in the first place, you know, with those special powers of his--
LAURA: Nick, is this serious.
NICK: He told me the story again today.
LAURA (apathetic) Oh, great. What does that make it, the tenth time?
NICK: At least. And it’s always the same--never any variation.
LAURA: How does he come up with all that alien stuff? You think he gets it from that whacko, Balthazar?
NICK: I don’t know.
LAURA: You know, I wouldn’t be surprised if those dragons of his, what do you call ‘em?...
NICK: Rhortans.
LAURA: ...If those Rhortans were just a symbol, formed in his subconscious mind, of the real monster in his life, his father figure. I think he’s a perv. He probably sexually abused him.
NICK: Oh, that’s bullshit. I think the whole dragon thing has to have a different origin. It had to come from an earlier trauma. Before that lady found him laying in the road that night. That’s why I listen to his story so often. Looking for clues. And I think it’ll all come out when he’s ready.
LAURA: Last week, he and I were alone--you were working late--and we were being intimate. Suddenly I found myself thinking of that bizarre story he tells. I heard his voice in my mind, saying "The Rhortans were coming after us." He sounded so innocent in his delusion. And all of a sudden, the face that was kissing me seemed like the face of a little boy. But he was thrusting his hard, man-sized unit inside of me. He...He came, and I wondered if that aspect of him which he just imparted to me would also impart his imagination, his dreams, his fantasies, so we would think alike, so I wouldn’t feel like I was fucking a child.
NICK (pause): I’ve had that exact same experience. (a beat) And I kind of dig it.

(Pause. LAURA puts her arms around NICK.)

LAURA (seductively): If I remember correctly, you were going to skip your math class this afternoon...
NICK: I wish I could, honey, but...(pulling himself away) I got a midterm.

(NICK stars to get dressed, LAURA heads to the refrigerator, where she finds some grapes and starts eating them.)

NICK: I thought you had to get over to Sharies pretty soon anyway.
LAURA: Not ‘till seven.
NICK (standing up): I almost forgot. Before I go, there was a question I wanted to ask you. It’s for my lit. class. If Herman Melviille had been a feminist, would he have named his book Moby Cunt?
LAURA (throwing a grape at him): Get outta here.

(NICK takes off, and then LAURA has a seat on a chair next to the phone. After a moment, she picks up the phone and dials.)

LAURA (nervously): Hi, Balthazar, it’s me, Laura. I was wondering if you could come on over...(pause) Well, how about now? (pause) I just wanted to talk to you about something. (pause) Oh, great. I’ll be waiting for you.

(LAURA hangs up the phone, and at that moment, there is a loud KNOCK on the door. She gets up to answer it. BALTHAZAR is standing there in slippers and a robe. LAURA is instantly startled to see him.)

LAURA (shouting, in stunned disbelief): What the fuck?!
BALTHAZAR: Uh, hi missy. You called.

(LAURA is speechless.)

BALTHAZAR: Are you gonna let me in or what? Traffic was awful, I thought I’d never get here.

(LAURA motions for him to come in.)

BALTHAZAR: Awful sweet of ya. Like to see my Jon-boy.

(BALTHAZAR comes in and has a seat on the sofa as LAURA closes the door behind him.)

BALTHAZAR: Ya got some coffee brewing? Make me some coffee.

(LAURA heads into the kitchen area to get the coffee going.)

LAURA: You just missed Jon. He’s at work.
BALTHAZAR: Then why the hell did you call me over?
LAURA: I wanted to talk to you.
BALTHAZAR: He’s at work, did you say?
LAURA: Yes.
BALTHAZAR: My boy works?
LAURA: You know he does. At Fred Meyers.
BALTHAZAR: Oh yes, the biggest employer in the state. They must be if they’re gonna hire Jon.
LAURA: Do you do that a lot?
BALTHAZAR: Do what, sweetie?
LAURA: Put him down.
BALTHAZAR (snapping): Hell no! Why would I put Jon down? He’s a good boy. (short pause) I just can’t believe he got himself a job. He can’t do anything.
LAURA: You just did it again.
BALTHAZAR: What?
LAURA: Never mind.
BALTHAZAR: Now listen, my little bitchy broomstick bimbo...I need to know why you called me out here.
LAURA: Where does all this hostility of yours come from?
BALTHAZAR: What do you mean?
LAURA: Well, Nick is oblivious to it, like everything else that doesn’t directly affect him. But I notice it. All the time, in fact. Whenever we used to come to your place to see Jon. Before he moved in with Nick and me. And the rare occasions when you come by here to see him. Nick thinks you’re cool because you flaunt your oddities. But there’s always that underlying...oh what’s the word...annoyance, like someone’s shooting little spit wads up your ass while we’re talking or watching the football game.
BALTHAZAR: What’s your point?
LAURA: Look...We’ve been trying to get Jon to open up.
BALTHAZAR: About what?
LAURA: The past, for one thing. It’s about time he face reality, don’t you think?
BALTHAZAR: Why? I’d give anything to have his imagination. Wouldn’t you?
LAURA: It isn’t healthy.
BALTHAZAR: For who? You and Nick are envious, that may not be healthy. But Jon’s as happy as can be.
LAURA: First of all, happiness and health are two different things--
BALTHAZAR: Better to die happy than live miserable. I know from experience.
LAURA: And second, I’m not sure Jon is as happy as you think.
BALTHAZAR: And why is that?
LAURA: You should hear him talk. About his parents...
BALTHAZAR: Oh yeah, it’s sad they were eaten . Or burned by dragons or whatever the fuck they were. But they died with the whole damn planet! You think it would make him feel better to think that they died in some drunk driving accident instead? Or that maybe they abandoned him? That maybe they didn’t give a shit about him?
LAURA (pause): I don’t know. I’ve always believed that the truth was better than a lie.
BALTHAZAR: Oh yes, that’s very righteous of you.
LAURA: Don’t you see his fantasies are only a way to cope? To push aside the pain of what really happened. If he knew the truth, whatever that may be, he could deal with it and move on.
BALTHAZAR: And what do you mean by "deal with it"?
LAURA (pause): I don’t know. Fuck it, I’m tired of arguing, okay? (pause) Do you miss Jon? Did you have good times together? Do you know something that we don’t?
BALTHAZAR: You know all there is to know.
LAURA: You seemed to get along fine whenever we came over. Aside from a little back and forth razzing. You fart, and Jon says "You could start a band with that, Pop", and you say your bodily noises sound ten million times better than what he listens to, and everybody laughs, though none of it is the slightest bit funny. Tired gags performed as an apparent act of love. Was that all it was--just an act?
BALTHAZAR (flustered): Why...What put these crazy thoughts into your head?
LAURA: Jon has said you were...(searching for the words) Angry a lot.
BALTHAZAR: So?
LAURA: Angry at Jon?
BALTHAZAR: Hell, no.
LAURA: Well then, what?
BALTHAZAR: When you get to be my age, and you’re all alone, and all you can do is masturbate in a Kleenex, let’s see how perky you’ll be...(pause) "Don’t do it so loud!" he says. I tell him to mind his own friggin’ business. Little bastard. I’d hate to hear you three in the middle of the night. (pause) "Don’t walk around naked!" he says. What do I look like, road kill?

(BALTHAZAR stands up and opens his robe in front of LAURA. She turns her head away.)

BALTHAZAR: Ya wanna crawl into my cave, baby? Huh? (shouting) HUH?!

(BALTHAZAR closes his robe.)

BALTHAZAR: Mary woulda loved me still after all these years. She’d a lusted after me like she wanted to eat me alive. It ain’t my fault. It ain’t my friggin’ fault them irresponsible bastards stole her from me. (pause, then a shout) Damn Hanford! Nuclear power, the wave of the future. Dumping all their toxic shit in the river and the animals drink it, and then everything from the animals is contaminated, and nobody knew before it was too late. Mary’s body just wasn’t as immune as mine and most people’s. Taken much longer for the cancer to catch up to me. Except maybe the cancer of the heart.

(LAURA pours some coffee into a mug and brings it to BALTHAZAR before sitting next to him.)

BALTHAZAR (low, somber voice): I always think about her. Even when I don’t want to, when I...can’t stand it. Sometimes I even hear her. I don’t see her; that would be too much. But I hear her. At first, it’s comforting because I think she must know how lonely I am. But then I hear what she’s saying, and she’s not trying to be soothing. She’s trying to make me suffer or just relive the torment, hoping I’ll do something about it this time, as if I could. She says, "Look what’s happening to my body...Oh my god, stop this!" And other voices join in: scientists, technicians, politicians, and they’re laughing at the sound of her crying. Just laugh, laugh, and laugh!

(BALTHAZAR screams.)

BALTHAZAR (short pause): And I pray to God or whoever is listening, "Shut them up! Give me peace! Shut the hell up!"

(BALTHAZAR buries his face in his hands, crying. LAURA just looks on for a moment, not knowing what to do. Then, slowly, just after the sobbing subsides, BALTHAZAR raises his head from his hands, and has a wide and wicked smile on his face, which makes LAURA back away in fear.)

BALTHAZAR (smiling widely): I am not going to talk about this anymore.

(BALTHAZAR gets up and heads for the CD rack.)

BALTHAZAR: You probably don’t have anything decent.
LAURA: Not as decent and as farts and burps.
BALTHAZAR: (surprised): Ah, but you do!

(LAURA goes over and checks the selection in his hands.)

LAURA: "Out with a Twang--a tribute to the late great legends of bluegrass." Where did this come from?
BALTHAZAR: Jonny stole it from my house.
LAURA: Why would he do that?

(BALTHAZAR, ignoring her, puts the disc in the player. SOUND: loud, fast, twangy bluegrass music. BALTHAZAR goes to the center of the room and begins his unique brand of clog dancing. This lasts for a few moments as LAURA looks on, amused. Then BALTHAZAR stops, and reaches out a hand to LAURA who reluctantly complies. He leads her in a two-person square dance. This continues as the lights fade out.)

(NICK is sitting at his desk, studying. There is an orange LIGHT glowing from under the bed, which NICK does not notice. As he is reading a text book and taking down some notes, he starts to hear light sobbing. He looks around the room to find out where it’s coming from. He goes to the door, opens it, looks out into the hall, then closes the door. Behind him, SHEILA crawls out from under the bed, and her sobs grow louder. Her hair is on fire. This startles NICK, making him turn around, and when he sees her, he jumps. SHEILA remains on the floor, on her knees, sobbing in her hands.)

NICK: (not quite believing what he is seeing): What are you doing here?

(SHEILA continues sobbing in her hands, and her words are almost incoherent.)

SHEILA: Why did you do this to me? I don’t understand...I thought...I thought you really cared about me...I loved you so much, I...Oh god, oh god, OH GOD, WHY?!!!

(NICK stands there in a kind of shock, not knowing what to do. SHEILA continues to cry, but after a moment it dies down a little, and SHEILA simply kneels on the floor, whimpering, defeated.)

SHEILA: I must be some kind of poison. Everything I touch either dies or wants to die. How can a human being be poison?
NICK: Sheila, I--
SHEILA: But I still love you.

(NICK pauses, and then starts to approach her.)

NICK: I don’t know what to say, I--

(NICK touches her shoulder, and SHEILA quickly snatches hold of his hand. She gets on her feet, and with a loud shriek, pulls him down to the floor. She opens her mouth wide to reveal fangs. SHEILA bites one of NICK’S ears and draws blood. NICK screams. With one hand, SHEILA grabs hold of NICK’S crotch and squeezes tightly. NICK screams again. Just when NICK gathers strength for a defense maneuver, SHEILA runs for the window and jumps out of it. NICK takes a brief pause before he gets up to look out the window. As NICK’S head is out the window, JON enters.)

JON: Nick?

(NICK backs up and bangs his head on the window frame.)

JON (sympathetic): Ouch!

(NICK gets his head in the window, and JON sees his bloody ear.)

JON: Oh Jesus, what happened?
NICK: Sheila! Shit! What the fuck is going on here?
JON: You tell me.
NICK: She was here. For real. Just now.
JON: Sheila was here?
NICK: She was hiding under the bed.
JON: And she...did something to your ear.
NICK: She bit my damn ear! And then she jumped out the window.
JON (nauseated): Ooh...Must’ve been after I came in the building. I didn’t see a splat out front.
NICK: That’s just the thing! She jumped, and I came over to check the damage, and she was nowhere to be found.

(Long pause.)

JON: Nick...I think we may be dealing with more than just a few bad dreams and a scorned ex-girlfriend. I think we might be dealing with a supernatural phenomenon.

(NICK just looks at JON.)

JON: We should do something with that injury.
NICK: There’s a first-aid kit under the sink in the bathroom.

(JON goes to get the kit.)

NICK: So...How was your day?
JON (coming out with the kit): Typical. I had to blast a few more people.
NICK: You should really stop doing that.
JON: Why? You don’t even believe that I do it.
NICK: What? Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I--
JON (digging through supplies): Can it, Nick.
NICK: Well...What did these people do to make you blow them away?
JON (pause, as he looks up at Nick): Do you really want to know?
NICK: Yes.
JON: Well, one just had too damn many groceries. And there was a long line behind her.
NICK: And the other?
JON: The other was just an ugly son of a bitch. Big nose. No chin. Hurt my eyes.
NICK: Well, in that case, I think you did the right thing.
JON: Oh, really?
NICK: Yeah, I mean I wouldn’t want to look at--
JON: Put a cork in it, Nick.
NICK: Whatever you say.

(JON pulls out a large bottle of black fluid and some bandages. He opens the bottle and pours it over NICK’S ear. NICK screams for several moments as JON nearly empties the bottle out. Having heard the screaming from outside, LAURA rushes in.)

LAURA: Oh my God! What happened?!

(JON stops pouring.)

JON: Sheila came over and tried to bite Nick’s ear off. Then she jumped out the window and flew away.
LAURA (disbelieving): What--
NICK: It’s not a joke...That’s exactly what happened.

(JON takes a bandage and starts to wrap it around NICK’s ear.)

LAURA: There’s some pretty strange shit going on here.
NICK: You’re home early.
LAURA: Oh, you would not believe what happened.
JON: I don’t know, I might be inclined to believe anything.
LAURA: I’m waiting on this table, giving this man his French dip. And suddenly the guy’s nose starts bleeding profusely. Right into the au jus. And before his wife could even begin to panic about her husband, her nose starts bleeding too. "I’ll get some napkins", I say. And as I’m walking past the other tables on the way to the kitchen, I notice that everybody seems to have a nosebleed. I go into the kitchen and all the food that’s being prepared is all bloody, and the cooks are plugging their noses. One of the cooks actually stuffed a French fry up each nostril. And then I started bleeding!
NICK: Damn...What did you do?
LAURA: I got scared and ran out of the building. Once I got into the fresh air, the bleeding stopped. I started to go back inside, but in the windows I could see people frantically running around with blood-soaked clothes, and people were screaming. There was no way I was going back in there.
NICK: Jeez, I’m sorry. I’d hug you, but I’m a little preoccupied.
JON: That’s okay. I’ll do it.

(JON goes to LAURA and gives her a hug and a kiss.)

NICK: Well, between your bloody nose, and my bloody ear, somebody’s gonna start spewing blood from their mouth pretty soon.
LAURA: Don’t say that!
JON (to Nick): Did she do any more damage?
NICK: No, except she grabbed my balls and tried to rip them off.
LAURA: Damn...First thing in the morning, I’m calling the doctor and the police.
JON: That won’t work.
LAURA: Why?
NICK: Because Jon thinks that Sheila is some kind of phantom.
JON: Or vampire.
LAURA: Oh, give is a rest, Jon
JON: Oh, alright. I’m just a fucking crackpot who talks about a dragon-like race that invaded my planet. Don’t listen to me.
LAURA: Look, we’re sorry. We don’t think you’re a crackpot.
JON (hurt): Yeah, right.
LAURA: Seriously. We have difficulty imagining some of the things you talk about, but...That may be just shortsightedness on our part. That especially seems to be the case considering what’s been going on. Do you have wisdom on this?
JON: Oh, I wish I did. But I don’t. I’m sorry.
NICK: God, why can’t she just go away?! Leave me alone. She’s in my head, teasing me, tormenting, trying to hurt me...
JON: I don’t know what the answer is...I don’t know what’s wrong or how to fix it, but I will fix it somehow. I’ll protect you.

(Long pause. NICK comes up to JON and embraces him.)

NICK: Okay. (with deep sincerity) Protect me, Jon.
JON: I’ll protect you.

(LAURA joins them in the embrace.)

LAURA: Protect us both.

(The three stay locked in each other’s embrace for a moment, and the lights fade out.)

Scenes 5-7

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