Copyright © 2012
by Barry Richert
Library e-Book : 978-1-5384-7322-1
Trade e-Book : 978-1-5384-7323-8
This digital document has been produced by Nord Compo.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
DANIEL CONWAY – Army private who is happy to be home after a tour in Viet Nam, but is haunted by visions of his recent stay in a POW camp; 20’s
FRANK CONWAY (PA) – Big, friendly bear of a man who would do anything to help his son; as a World War II veteran and a past POW himself, he empathizes with his son’s struggles; 60’s
HANGMAN – Cruel Viet Cong tormentor of POWs; has a wicked sense of humor and no regard for human life; 40’s
MERLE BASS – Tough-as-nails owner of the town’s hardware store; grizzled Korean War veteran who in his own gruff way tries to help Daniel deal with his nightmares; 50’s
KEITH MOLLOY – Feisty cellmate of Daniel’s who endures an unthinkable torture; 20’s
LIEUTENANT – Friendly, good-humored Navy SEAL from Texas; 30’s
CORPORAL – Navy SEAL officer who escorts Daniel out of the prison; 20’s
CAB DRIVER – Amiable cabbie who drives Daniel home from the airport; 30’s
SOLDIER – Unidentified cellmate of Daniel’s who suffers unbearable torture at the hands of The Hangman; 20’s
SOUND:
Signature opening.
MUSIC:
Fangoria theme.
ANNOUNCER:
You can run but you can’t hide. It’s far too late for that. Welcome to the dark side, where the night never ends – as Fangoria presents. . .Dreadtime Stories. With your host, Malcolm McDowell. Tonight’s Dreadtime Story: “The Final Battlefield” by Barry Richert.
SOUND:
INTERIOR OF A MOVING VEHICLE.
DANIEL:
There! It’s right there at the end of the road. . .see it?
CAB DRIVER:
Yup, I see it.
DANIEL:
It hasn’t changed.
CAB DRIVER:
How long did you say you were in Viet Nam?
DANIEL:
Four years.
CAB DRIVER:
You know, I’ve driven a lot of soldiers home from the airport. . .but you’re my first POW! Must be good to see the old place after staring at prison walls for a couple of years.
DANIEL:
You have no idea. (a beat) There’s my dad!
SOUND
CAB STOPPING AND ENGINE SHUTTING OFF.
PA:
(off) Daniel! Come out of that taxi and let me take a look at you!
SOUND:
CAB DOORS OPENING, UNDER.
DANIEL:
Hi Pa.
PA:
Come here, boy! (gives Daniel a big bear hug with plenty of back slapping) It’s good to see you son. Real good. I missed you.
DANIEL:
I missed you.
CAB DRIVER:
Where do you want the suitcases?
DANIEL:
The porch is fine.
CAB DRIVER:
Sure thing.
SOUND:
CAB DRIVER WALKING AWAY ACROSS GRAVEL, UNDER.
PA:
So, how are you, Daniel? Did they hurt you in those camps?
DANIEL:
Nothing permanent. There were guys who had it worse. Guys who didn’t make it.
PA:
I heard stories about how those Viet Cong treated POWs. How’d you get through it?
DANIEL:
I just kept thinking of being back in the world. . .riding down that dirt road right there. . .standing here talking to you in front of the house - I didn’t let them inside my head. That was the only way to survive.
SOUND:
CAB DRIVER WALKING BACK ON GRAVEL, UNDER.
PA:
I’m sorry you had to go through that, son. Seems like a different war from the one I fought in Europe. Well, it’s over - for you, at least.
CAB DRIVER:
All set!
DANIEL:
What do I owe you?
CAB DRIVER:
Seventeen seventy-five.
PA:
I’ll take care of that, Daniel.
SOUND:
RUSTLE OF MONEY.
PA (cont’d):
There you go. . .and that’s for you.
CAB DRIVER:
Thank you, sir. (to Daniel) Good luck, buddy.
DANIEL:
Thanks.
SOUND:
CAB DRIVER GETTING INTO CAB, STARTING ENGINE, AND DRIVING AWAY DOWN DIRT ROAD, UNDER.
PA:
I’ll help you get these suitcases in the house.
SOUND:
THEIR FOOTSTEPS ON GRAVEL.
DANIEL:
(takes in a breath) Mmm. . . haven’t smelled that clover in a while.
PA:
Seems to be especially fragrant today.
DANIEL:
Smells good. Smells like home.
SOUND:
THEIR FOOTSTEPS WALKING UP THE WOODEN STEPS.
PA:
I think you’ll find the old place hasn’t changed much.
SOUND:
WAY OFF IN THE DISTANCE, A MAN SCREAMS IN AGONY. DANIEL’S FOOTSTEPS STOP.
PA:
Daniel? What’s wrong?
SOUND:
IN THE DISTANCE, ANOTHER SCREAM. . .THIS ONE ESPECIALLY HAIR-RAISING.
PA:
Son? Are you okay?
DANIEL:
I thought I heard something. It sounded like. . .
PA:
Like what?
DANIEL:
(a beat. . .then, uncertainly) Nothing. . .nothing. I think it was a couple of. . .of crows out in the field.
PA:
Wouldn’t surprise me. Come on. . .let’s get you settled in.
SOUND:
SCREEN DOOR SQUEAKING OPEN, THEIR FOOTSTEPS WALKING IN, THEN DOOR SLAMMING SHUT, UNDER.
NARRATOR:
The year: 1968. The place: Clover Ridge, Iowa. The scenario: the return of Private First Class Daniel Conway from a four-year tour of duty in Vietnam. . .a year-and-a-half of which was spent in prisoner-of-war camps. And although he’s delighting in sensations he never thought he’d experience again - seeing the cherished house he grew up in, embracing his beloved father, and smelling the clover he so closely identifies with home - Private Conway will soon learn that there is one final battle in which he must engage. . .a battle that has been known to drive some men to madness.
ANNOUNCER:
Fangoria’s Dreadtime Stories will continue in a moment.
ANNOUNCER:
Now back to Fangoria’s Dreadtime Stories and “The Final Battlefield.”
NARRATOR:
As the sun sets on Daniel Conway’s Iowa home, he unpacks his belongings - marveling at how well he is able to navigate the room he’s been away from for four years. He maneuvers around as if he never left to go to boot camp. . .as if he never saw hard combat and watched his fellow soldiers die gruesome, bloody deaths. . .as if he hadn’t spent a year-and-a-half in filthy, vermin-infested prisoner-of-war camps, where survival was a test of one’s physical and mental capacities.
SOUND:
A KNOCK AT THE DOOR.
DANIEL:
Come in.
SOUND:
DOOR OPENING AND PA WALKING IN.
PA:
How you comin’, Daniel? Just about unpacked?
DANIEL:
I think so. Didn’t have that much, really. It’s funny, I’ve been gone for four years, but I remember absolutely everything about every inch of this
DANIEL (cont’d):
room. I even remember which floorboard I hid my Roger Maris baseball card under! I didn’t even have to think about it! It’s like I never left.
PA:
The mind’s a funny thing. It tucks away all kinds of odds and ends we thought we forgot. (a beat) Well, you’ve had a long day. I won’t keep you up.
SOUND:
PA’S FOOTSTEPS WALKING TOWARD DOOR, THEN STOPPING.
PA (cont’d):
I’m sure you’re looking forward to sleeping in
