SILENCING THE VOICES

by Matthew Russell

Scene 5
Scene 6
Scene 7
Scenes 1-4

(Late that night, NICK, JON, and LAURA are in bed. SOUND: grunts and groans associated with love-making. SOUND: a KNOCK on the door. They all sit up.)

LAURA: Is it her?
NICK: If it’s her...We’re all here. Together. There’s strength in numbers. She can’t hurt all of us.
JON: Don’t worry about Sheila. I’ll handle her. Now, who’s going to get the door?

(SOUND: more knocking.)

LAURA: I’ll get it.

(LAURA gets out of bed and turns on the light. She grabs her robe and gets it on just as she’s opening the door to BALTHAZAR who stands there in the same outfit as before.)

LAURA: Oh, hi.
JON: Pop, what are you doing here?
BALTHAZAR: Ever since this afternoon, I’ve smelled somethin’ funny.
NICK: Sure it’s not just you? When’s the last time you’ve taken a bath?
BALTHAZAR: I dunno what it is, but there’s somethin’ happenin’, and I want you to tell me. Now.

(BALTHAZAR walks in and has a seat.)

BALTHAZAR: First though, some coffee. It’s awful late, and I’m tired, but I can’t get to sleep cos of this thing, whatever the hell it is, and it’s your fault.
NICK: Our fault?
BALTHAZAR: Yes. I don’t know how, I’m hoping you can explain. Like voices inside my head... (to Laura) Though not like the ones I told you about this afternoon. More like screamin’, I thought I maybe recognized the voice at bein’ Nick screamin’--
NICK (to Laura): He was here this afternoon?
LAURA (sitting back down on the bed): Yeah, he stopped by right after you left.
JON: Why’d ya do that, Pops?
BALTHAZAR: Don’t ask me, ask the missus. Look, that ain’t what’s important now anyway. You gotta tell me what’s goin’ on cos I’ve had a headache nearly 24 hours straight. Can’t take any aspirin cos of recurring nosebleeds. My hemorrhoids are flarin’ up, and I got the worst case of bursitis, and I ain’t even been sleepin’ uncovered or with the window open. Just this cold breeze creepin’ in, I dunno where it’s comin’ from. But it feels like it’s comin’ from right here in this apartment, though I live ten miles away. Don’t ask me how I come across that feeling, I sure as heck don’t know.
NICK: Well, to be totally truthful, you sound a bit whacko, Pappy.
BALTHAZAR: I’m a lot whacko, but that’s beside the damn point! The point is, I came here and I smelled somethin’. And then I felt somethin’. Next, I’ll see somethin’. Now, where the heck’s that coffee, honey doll?
JON: Nick, maybe now would be a good time for you to tell us why you think Sheila might be after you.
BALTHAZAR: Who is Sheila?
NICK: All right. Maybe we could all use that coffee.

(As NICK tells his story, JON gets out of bed, puts on some underwear, and goes to make some coffee.)

NICK: Once upon a time there was a girl named Sheila, and I liked her, and she liked me, and we were supposed to live happily ever after. This was high school, and I got the impression she didn’t date much. I don’t know why...She’s very pretty...at least without the fangs.
BALTHAZAR: Fangs? My 19th girlfriend had fangs...And claws.
NICK: That’s very interesting. Anyway, she was blown away to be going out with me.
LAURA (fake swoon): Oh yes, blown away!
NICK: She was!
BALTHAZAR: Okay, she was! Go on!
NICK: She was blown away, like I was Keanu Reeves or something.

(JON and LAURA laugh heartily.)

NICK: Oh ha-ha.
LAURA: At least you’d be a better actor than Keanu.
JON: Bite your tongue, woman!
BALTHAZAR: Who is this Kee-nu?
NICK: Do you want me to finish this fucking story, or not?
LAURA: Yes. We’re sorry. Go on.
NICK: We dated a few times. And I have to admit, I was starting to like her almost as much as she liked me. And why not? She was gorgeous. And spontaneous. She’s like, "Let’s ditch school and go to the beach." I say, "That’s two hours away." She says, "No, the place I wanna go is four hours away." We had the same taste in music, movies, everything. She had the kind of quirky sense of humor that I like, the kind I find in you two... (looking at Jon) Especially you. She would say strange things and I wouldn’t know what the fuck she was talking about, and it would make me laugh.
JON: Like what would she say?
NICK: Oh, I don’t know, just weird shit. Like, "I’m coming back with fried yak." That was one of her favorites. Whenever I had a test or some other stressful thing to do, instead of saying "Good luck", she’d say, "Mortise the strike!". She gave the strangest advice, always some symbolism I could never get. Not "Be true to yourself" or anything like that. It was always, "A Dutch cheesecake is love" or "A human potato will eat its head". She came up with bizarre song titles, as a way to pass the time. She’d rattle them off while we were driving. "Tapping Into the Strawberries of Delight." "Caressing Earth Along the Scratchy I-Love-You."
BALTHAZAR: Alright, we get the picture. She was a fucking wierdo. Go on.
NICK: Well, we were getting close, and introducing each other to our families and the like. Then... (pause) I shouldn’t have been surprised, I thought I was ready, didn’t think I’d be caught off guard. She asked me to marry her. And at that moment, I suddenly realized that I was in a situation I didn’t want to be in. And it wasn’t as simple as saying no to marriage. I suddenly wanted to say no to her, completely. Just like that. To disconnect myself.
JON: So you did.
NICK: No. I said I’d marry her.
LAURA (having head all this before) Ha! Isn’t that the bomb?
NICK: I didn’t want to hurt her. And I didn’t understand why I was suddenly feeling this way. I thought I’d come to my senses and realize I really did want to marry her. But instead, I started noticing all her shortcomings. Her bad habits, her pickiness, her mood swings. When she was satisfied, she was angelic...but she was hard to satisfy. She sent her meals back when we went to restaurants. She would send gifts back that I got her.
JON: Wait a minute! You weren’t always a cheapskate?
NICK (ignoring the comment): She was unhappy. I understand that. I’m not apathetic. But she was so hell-bent on spreading that unhappiness. Complaining about everything, big and small. From "It’s too hot in here" to "Why can’t my parents love each other?" I try to say parents get divorced; it just happens, like death and getting canned. She always told me how being an 18-year-old child of divorce is no less painful than being a five- or ten-year-old child of divorce. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but I wanted to comfort her as much as I could. But she wallowed in her grief all of the time. She didn’t even try to be happy, for her own sake or for mine. And when she sensed that I’d had enough of hearing about one particular crisis, she would come up with another one to bitch about. "Me and Lisa had another misunderstanding." Well, gee, I’m sorry. What the fuck am I going to do about it?"
JON: Then you took a hike.
NICK: Yeah. I realized she wanted to date Superman or Jesus or someone who would solve all her problems.
JON: Did you ever love her? Do you regret hurting her?
NICK (pause): I don’t know. I don’t know if I care or not. I know that sounds awful. I think maybe I did sort of love her at one time. But it just got squeezed out, you know? There was no room for it. Between playing her shrink and trying not to rip her head off for making me all depressed... Whatever love I might have felt just sort of flew out the window, like Sheila did tonight.
BALTHAZAR What?

(Long pause.)

NICK: It’s been three years. She harassed me for a little while after the initial break-up. She even threatened to kill me, but I honestly didn’t think much of that.
BALTHAZAR: Didn’t think much of it? Why not?
NICK: I don’t know. I was too busy being happy that I was free. After a couple months, I really was free. Sheila dropped out of school. And I never saw her again. (a beat) Until last night, when she was calling for me in my sleep, and then choking me in a dream. Today she came over and took a bite of my ear.
BALTHAZAR: Oh yes, I see...
NICK: She squeezed my balls and flew out the window.
BALTHAZAR: Ouch.
NICK: Except there was no splat. When I say she flew out the window...she really flew out the window.
BALTHAZAR: Interesting.
NICK: But what does that have to do with your headaches and shit?
LAURA: Did you say you heard Nick screaming? In your mind?
BALTHAZAR: Not necessarily. I said I thought it was probably Nick. I don’t know for sure.
JON: If you thought it was Nick, then it probably was. But the question is, were you hearing screaming that Nick has already done--and he’s done a lot today--or were you hearing Nick scream sometime in the future?
NICK: Wait a minute. Since when did Balthazar have psychic powers?
LAURA (to Balthazar): Were you here in this building at all, other than our talk this afternoon?
BALTHAZAR: Nope.
LAURA: How did you get here so fast when I called?
BALTHAZAR: What?
LAURA: How did you get here--
BALTHAZAR: What are you talking about?
LAURA (very perplexed): This is not making any fucking sense!
JON: That’s the problem with you people. Everything has to make sense. Except that your definition of "sense" covers such a narrow bit of ground, you render yourselves completely incapable of understanding 95% of what goes on around you. Let us, for once, try to engage in a little bit of creative thinking here.
NICK: Okay. So how do we do that?
JON: Q&A. Let’s systematically try to demystify all the confusing elements of our situation. Start with what we already know. We know that Sheila is some kind of supernatural manifestation trying to take revenge on Nick...Or...?
LAURA: Or what?
JON: Or is she trying to get him back?
NICK (laughs): Yeah, she’s making a lot of points with me, what do you think?
JON: Maybe she doesn’t think she has to. Maybe she thinks she can control you, or at least force you into being with her.
NICK: I’d die first.
JON: Yes, maybe so. Maybe that’s the idea. (pause) But yours may not be the only life at stake here, Nick. There are other people being affected.
LAURA: Wait a minute. You don’t think that what happened at the restaurant is a direct result of Sheila, do you?
JON: It makes sense. You haven’t heard of this weird shit happening anywhere else in town. Popsy said he felt the cold chill emanating from right here. Not anywhere else. I think it’s just our battle, Laura. I think she hit Sharies because you were there. She knows about you. She hit Balthazar because he’s an acquaintance.
NICK: Why not you, Jon? Why didn’t she do anything to you?
JON: Maybe she’s afraid of me.
BALTHAZAR: This is nuts.
NICK: It is fuckin’ nuts, and you know what? It’s making me tired. I’m gonna repeat what I said before. We’re all together. Pap, you can crash here if you want. We should be safe tonight. We can figure out everything else in the morning. What do you say?
LAURA: Yeah. Let’s get some rest, it’ll do us all good.
JON: Okay.
BALTHAZAR: Whatever.
NICK: All right, well...Goodnight.

(NICK collapses his head on the pillow, and LAURA discards her robe, and rejoins him in bed. BALTHAZAR lays down on the couch, and JON goes to turn off the light.)

JON: Sweet dreams.

(JON turns out the light. Blackout.)

(Later that night. Everyone sleeps. LAURA carefully gets out of bed and puts on a robe. She is not herself. She is deeply disturbed and in a daze. She goes to the window, where she stands for awhile in silence, looking out. After a moment, she starts to speak.)

LAURA (very softly): Caressing Earth along the scratchy "I love you"
Giving birth to the heavens above you
Breathing life to the flower of your lust
Bleeding strife to overcome my mistrust
Diving off the ridges of resignation
Swimming in the sea of contemplation
Shielding my soul from your heart’s cold fire
Tapping into the Strawberry of Desire.

(LAURA begins to cry, and buries her face in her hands, trying not to wake the others. This lasts a few moments. Then she wipes the tears away, and walks slowly to the kitchen, where she opens a drawer and pulls out a knife. She goes back to the window.)

LAURA (very softly, in a strange voice): Oh Nick. If only you could see me now. See my grief. I know you’d care. But...I can’t get your attention. Why won’t you answer my letters? Oh dear Nick...

(LAURA grips the knife in both hands and positions it above her head to stab herself. As she recites the next verse, her voice gets gradually louder.)

LAURA: Kissing dirt in the smarmy "I’m sorry"
Hurling hurt from the phallic jetty.

(NICK starts to be roused from his sleep.)

LAURA: Courting danger in dungeons of mud
Flirting with strangers on glaciers of blood.

(NICK sits up in bed and sees her.)

NICK: Laura?
LAURA: Filling ravines with saltwater tears
Planting land mines and moats lined with spears.

(NICK notices the knife and rushes out of bed towards LAURA.)

NICK: Laura!
LAURA: Thirsty for dew on the hot desert floor
Searching through caves in the Mountain of More.

(JON and BALTHAZAR get up, as NICK struggles with the knife. Just as NICK gets the knife out of her hands, LAURA makes a pantomime stabbing gesture, as if she still had the knife. She reacts as having been stabbed, in pain, and having her wind taken out. She sinks to the floor.)

NICK: Oh God, Laura...

(JON and BALTHAZAR rush to LAURA, as LAURA falls on her face to the floor, and lies motionless.)

NICK: Oh dear God...

(NICK starts to try to rouse LAURA, and suddenly she rises up on her knees, disoriented and confused.)

LAURA: What’s going on?
NICK: Oh thank God, Laura, you’re okay.

(NICK tries to embrace LAURA, but she dodges him. LAURA turns to JON and embraces him instead.)

LAURA: Tell me it’s going to be okay. Please tell me...
JON: It’s going to be okay.
LAURA: Tell me again. Tell me a million times.
JON: It’s going to be okay. It’s going to be okay. It’s going to be...

(JON continues this mantra even a few moments after the lights blackout.)

(Morning. JON, NICK, LAURA, and BALTHAZAR sit in four separate areas of the room, in a tired daze.)

BALTHAZAR: I should’ve known it’d come back to me. Everything does. You can’t do anything without it coming back to you. You might as well tie my arms and legs, cut off my tongue and dick... That’s how you have to be. To never be punished.
NICK: Pap Smear...What are you talking about?
BALTHAZAR: Somewhere between bein’ shocked outta my mind and pissed off as hell, I found myself watching the power plant. Everyday. I would see who came and who went and when. I’d notice the same guys comin’ in everyday, and when they left. I picked one. They were all guilty, so I just picked one. An ugly one. One who didn’t look like he gave a shit what he was doin’ to the air and water and the people. I followed him home. Managed to stay hidden, parked down the block. I knocked on the door, and when he opened I pushed myself in. I packed a wallop in my younger days, I tell ya. His wife and kid weren’t there. I knew he had some by the pictures on the wall. Knocked him down with one punch. He yelled. But I quickly jumped on top of him and banged his head against the floor. Until he stopped moving and stopped yelling. Until he was silent.
NICK (to Jon): Did you know about this?
JON (matter-of-factly): No.
BALTHAZAR: Rest in peace, Patrick Stone.
NICK: What? Did you say...Stone?
BALTHAZAR: Yes.
NICK (mortified): Oh fucking Jesus!
BALTHAZAR: What?
LAURA: Stone is Sheila’s last name, isn’t it?

(SOUND: the phone rings. After the third ring, when no one has answered it, LAURA gets up and answers it.)

LAURA: Hello? (a beat) Oh, hi Mr. King. Yes, I know, it was terrible what happened last night... (a beat) Why did I leave? Well, because it was raining blood all over the place, that’s why. (pause) Well, I’m sorry. I panicked. I think everybody did. It was just too weird. You’re not gonna fire me because... (short pause) Yeah, okay, I’ll be right there.

(LAURA hangs up the phone.)

LAURA: Boss wants me down at the restaurant to help clean up and answer some questions.
NICK: That’s fine. It’s just as well. Who’s to say when Wrath will strike again?
LAURA: I wanted to be here for you when it does.
NICK: I think last night showed it doesn’t make any difference. Whoever’s here with me gets it, no matter how many of us there are.
LAURA: Except Jon.
BALTHAZAR (getting up): Well, I’m goin’ home. Maybe if I don’t hang out here, it won’t get me. (to Nick) If it wants you, it can have you. I ain’t stickin’ around for it.
JON (to LAURA): Remind me not to get him anything for Father’s Day.
BALTHAZAR: I ain’t your father. I shoulda never took ya. I shoulda asked for somethin’ else. A girl. Or a dog. Boys are too damn much trouble, especially if they’re whacked in the head. (opens the door) If I don’t see any of you again... (a beat) I’ll call that divine grace.

(BALTHAZAR exits. Pause as LAURA finishes getting dressed and getting her stuff together.)

LAURA: You two gonna be all right?
NICK: We’re fine. You go. Be careful around all that blood. Maybe this mess will be over by the time you get back.

(Pause, then LAURA exits. NICK is still seated on the floor and JON on the bed.)

JON: So it’s just me and you.
NICK: Yep. Come here.

(JON gets up and stands at NICK’S feet. NICK reaches an arm up to JON.)

NICK: Pull me up.

(JON takes NICK’S hand and pulls him up. NICK takes JON in his arms and kisses him passionately.)

NICK: I love you.
JON (short pause): Do you?
NICK: Yes. I do.

(JON and NICK kiss some more, then JON breaks away.)

JON: How do I know that won’t change? How do I know I won’t have some kind of problem that will make you stop loving me?
NICK: I...I don’t know how to explain this. I feel like you are...a part of me. You say you could have some kind of problem, well...You already do. And it’s a pretty major one. But despite that, I love you with all my heart. When we’re together, I feel like we’re the same person. Your problems don’t matter cos they’re part of what make you who you are. (pause) I love you and Laura both. We’re perfect, the three of us. If you weren’t there, I don’t know if I could be complete with Laura. But if Laura wasn’t there...I think I could still be complete with you.

(JON starts to kiss NICK again, but NICK gently pushes him away.)

NICK: Just a second. There’s something else I have to say. (pause) When you tell me your stories about your world...I’m enchanted. I mean...I’m sad too when you tell me what happened to your parents. But I’m mesmerized by the worlds in your head.
JON: And you think they’re just in my head.
NICK: I want you to be safe, Jon. This should prove my love for you. I want you out of here. I want you not to think you can protect me. If you try, you’ll get hurt.
JON: You love me, but you don’t trust me. You don’t believe in me.
NICK: I wouldn’t say it that way--
JON: It doesn’t matter how you say it.
NICK: Jon, look...You couldn’t help last night, could you?
JON: I wasn’t prepared. I need time to know what to do. I was panicked myself.
NICK: I know you think what you’re saying is the truth, but--
JON (humiliated): I gotta get out of here.

(JON turns and quickly exits. NICK stands alone for a moment, then gets dressed. He then opens the drawer and pulls out a gun.)

NICK (yelling out): Hey Sheila! Where are you, ya fuckin’ hoe? Better come get me! I’m right here, hurry up! If you don’t get here soon, I’m coming after YOU! Moby Cunt!

(NICK laughs, then is quiet for a moment. He looks at the door. He stares at the door for a few seconds until he hears the KNOCK.)

NICK: Come in.

(SHEILA opens the door and steps in. She is soaked with blood.)

SHEILA: I ran into your friend on the way out.
NICK: You ran... (breaks down into hysteria) Oh my god...Oh Jon...oh my god, oh my god, oh my god........................

(NICK sinks to his knees and starts to cry and scream. He drops the gun.)

NICK: Just kill me, then! Kill me, you stupid bitch, kill--
SHEILA (shouting): Silence!

(NICK is suddenly quiet. He looks up to SHEILA.)

SHEILA: To everything, there is a season, turn, turn, turn. And a time for every purpose under heaven. A time to ache. A time to recover. A time to plan. A time to frighten. A time to punish. A time to destroy.
NICK: I...I don’t know what to say.
SHEILA: Yeah, you told me that last time. That may be because nothing would suffice anymore.
NICK: I didn’t set out to hurt you. I’m SORRY--
SHEILA (slowly, pointedly): You. Are. Not. For. Giv. En. (short pause.) When my dad met a younger, more attractive woman, he kept it a secret from Mom, but not from me. She would come over when Mom was visiting at a friend’s house. Dad would ask me to make her something to drink. With lots of ice. I get out the bag of ice from the freezer and a knife from the drawer to chop it with. She says, "You better be careful with that." And I just look at her and say, "No...You better be careful." But who’s ever careful these days? We live in perilous times.
NICK: What are you gonna do, Sheila?
SHEILA: What if I gave you a choice?

(As SHEILA delivers this next monologue, she caresses NICK’S body in various places, visually fantasizing about what she’s saying.)

SHEILA: How I’ve dreamed of skinning you alive! Or cutting you up, and sticking the pieces in the oven, cooking and eating you for a midnight snack. I could set you on fire and watch you burn slowly, tie you up and throw darts at you. I could staple you to death! But that might take some time. Do you have a BB gun? Or I could melt you with acid, one drop at a time. Does any of this sound appealing?
NICK: Oh yeah...It’s like tapping into the strawberries of delight.

(SHEILA laughs out loud. In a moment, NICK joins her.)

SHEILA: Yes. You’re right. Tap into this.

(SHEILA places the tip of an index finger against one of NICK’S nipples. NICK screams in agony. He tries to back away, but the finger is stuck to the tit. Then she takes it away, and NICK immediately covers his nipple with his hand, trying to ease the pain.)

SHEILA: Why is it all you can do is scream? Scream and run. What if I wanted to tell you something? You’re too busy screaming and running in the other direction.
NICK: What would you tell me?
SHEILA: See, my problem is, I don’t think you care one way or another.

(SHEILA places her whole palm against NICK’S neck and he cries out again.)

SHEILA: Shut up!
NICK: You’re hurting me.......
SHEILA: Shut up anyway! You think hurt gives you the right to scream?

(NICK manages to take it down to a light sob.)

SHEILA: That’s a little better. I’m trying to tell you something.

(SHEILA releases her hand, but gets up closer to NICK, who backs away until she has him against a wall.)

NICK: What?
SHEILA: I’m trying to tell you...

(Short pause; NICK is visibly terrified.)

SHEILA: ...That I’m over you.

(SHEILA pounces on NICK. Everywhere her body touches, his aches. SHEILA brings NICK to the floor and digs her nails into his flesh. They are like knives dipped in acid. NICK shrieks and cries, unable to do anything to defend himself. This lasts a few moments, and then JON enters. JON points three fingers at SHEILA. As he moves his arm, pointing the fingers in a different direction, SHEILA is magnetically drawn to the place where JON’S fingers are pointing. JON leads SHEILA off of NICK and pins her against the wall. NICK gets up. SHEILA tries to move, but cannot.)

NICK: I thought Sheila killed you...The blood...
JON (mournful pause): It wasn’t me, Nick.
NICK: Oh dear God...Laura...

(JON, still holding his arm up toward SHEILA, stares into SHEILA’S eyes, and the stare seems to burn her, as she cries out. Blood starts to pour from SHEILA’S mouth. She sinks down on her knees. The crying and bleeding go on for a moment as NICK looks on, then JON releases her. SHEILA remains on her knees.)

JON: To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven. A time to grieve. A time to punish. A time to forgive.

(JON walks over to SHEILA, takes her hand, and pulls her up. He then, slowly escorts her to the door, opens the door, and gently leads her out. JON closes the door.)

NICK: What...? I thought...Why didn’t you kill her?
JON (pause): If I wasn’t your friend, I’d kill you.
NICK: Me? Why?
JON: When our planet was invaded, some said there was no hope. But a few thought differently and decided to fight, to run for the Portal they believed in their hearts existed somewhere. If we could only find it, we might survive. But most people didn’t find it. Everyone who fought was killed. Everyone trying to find the doorway to another universe lost out, except for me. One by one, my people’s hopes were extinguished by streams of fire. And by teeth. But for the short time, when they had that hope, they were blessed by it. (short pause) I wonder if Sheila ever felt hope. When she saw things start to deteriorate in your relationship, if she ever allowed herself a glimmer of hope that things might turn around. That you might keep loving her. It doesn’t really matter, does it? When the hope was extinguished by your heart’s cold fire.

(JON turns away, and goes for the door.)

NICK: Jon, where are you going?

(JON exits.)

NICK: Wait! Don’t go!

(NICK starts to go after him, but changes his mind. He stands alone in the room, silent for a moment.)

NICK (quiet echo): Don’t go.

(NICK suddenly begins to choke. He puts his hands to his neck the way that choking people do, and tries to cough. He continues choking, gasping for air. He falls to his knees. After a moment, the lights fade to black.)

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