A PDF version of this transcript is available here.
INT. LARA'S INBOX
Internal sound of a phone ringing.
Voicemail from DOCTOR PENELOPE SIMMONS (63). She is serious, clipped, no-nonsense.
The message is heavily distorted, with lots of electrical interference.
DOCTOR SIMMONS: Hello, this message is for Lara Campbell. This is Doctor Penelope Simmons, General Practitioner in the town of Charity, Oregon. I don't know your plans here in Charity, Ms. Campbell, but I must ask you not to go inside the Boone home. There appears to be some kind of contaminant related to --(static; the message breaks in and out) Symptoms including respiratory depression -- cinations, periods of catatonia -- (more static) Again, I must advise you to avoid the area as a matter of public health. Please contact me with any...
The message glitches out.
TITLES
NARRATOR: Believer. Episode 2. Dead Zone.
EXT. JAKE'S HOUSE / LARA'S COTTAGE - DAY
It's morning. A calm day -- wind moves gently in the trees, birds chirp. SODAPOP sniffs around merrily.
LARA and JAKE stand over a set of large footprints.
LARA: I don't think it's a footprint.
JAKE: Aw, come on. You've got the impression of a heel here, a slight incline where the arch would be -- that's a Sasquatch track.
LARA: It's an...impression. In the dirt.
JAKE: When this plaster cast comes up, you'll see. What do you say, 18, 18 and three-quarter inches? That's a full-grown one, right there. Probably an adult male. And what with the wood-knocking last night --
LARA: Whoa, whoa, wood-knocking?
JAKE: Sasquatch knock pieces of wood together to warn off outsiders and communicate with their clans. It's very well-documented. That is what you heard, right? Knocking?
FLASHBACK: The sound of knocking, thumping, and the wet squishy sound...
It breaks off, back to the present.
LARA: It was a dream.
JAKE: I guess we'll see. Ready to Squatch Walk?
LARA: Terrible name, by the way.
JAKE: But it pairs with my podcast, Squatch Talk.
LARA: Of course you have a podcast.
JAKE: Every Tuesday and Thursday! Well, that's the plan anyway. Just gotta find some guests. Okay, is the dog going to be alright, or..?
Sodapop whines.
LARA: He's fine. He hikes off-leash all the time. Pops -- Sodapop! Let's go, bud.
Sodapop runs around happily and pants.
JAKE: Well, keep an eye on him. Animals sometimes get spooked in Sasquatch territory.
LARA: Noted.
They walk into the grass and brush.
EXT. FOREST - MOMENTS LATER
They trudge along through the back country.
JAKE: Trail seems to lead this way. Which makes sense, because that's where I heard my first 'squatch. Now, if you look off this way, see those look like natural rock formations, but no no no, see...
His voice fades out as they walk. Lara's voiceover takes over -- played from a recording device.
LARA (V.O.): Knocking. Thumps in the night. It's so classic I'm surprised I even fell for it.
JAKE: Now, I want you to pay attention to these tree limbs, okay? Broken limbs represent a boundary, a kind of message to the others in the clan.
LARA: Uh-huh.
LARA (V.O.): In 1848, a family in Rochester, New York began to hear a mysterious "rapping" noise in the night. Bumps on the floor, knocks on the walls, without cause or explanation. The sounds were random at first, but two of the younger girls, Kate and Maggie, devised a way to communicate. Kate would snap her fingers, and the knocking sounds would reply.
Jake stops them.
JAKE: Wait. Shh. You hear that?
It's all just regular forest noises.
LARA: What am I hearing?
JAKE: Nah. False alarm. They're mostly nocturnal, but you never know.
They continue walking.
LARA (V.O.): Now the girls claimed that the knockings came from a spirit called Mr. Splitfoot -- which is a nickname for the Devil, naturally. But this ability caused a giant sensation. People came from miles around, and the girls demonstrated their abilities in homes and concert halls all across the northeastern United States. They gave guidance on investing, love affairs, even criminal investigations.
When the sisters communed with Mr. Splitfoot, people said they felt hands on their shoulders, spirits walking among them. They saw flashes, they felt a presence.
Jake approaches a tree.
JAKE: Here, here -- you see this?
A bug flies around.
JAKE: Look -- this tree. You see the way the limbs are all broken on just this side. And that one up there. That one too. See?
LARA: Uh-huh.
JAKE: Wayfinding. They use it to communicate with the rest of the clan.
LARA: They travel in clans.
JAKE: Oh, sure. They're social, just like other hominids.
LARA (V.O.): The Fox Sisters later confessed thaat this knocking sound? They were just popping their joints. Toes, mostly, but ankles and knees too. These girls could pop their toes so loud that entire auditoriums of people heard it. And when the people heard the popping, they imagined spirits touching them.
JAKE: There. See the bent branches over there? He went this way.
They continue through the forest.
LARA: What do you think it sounds like when Bigfoot pops his toes?
JAKE: What?
LARA: He's got big feet, right? Probably some big toe knuckles on there.
JAKE: You think a Sasquatch was popping its knuckles last night?
LARA: Well, it's possible, right?
JAKE: Well, yeah...I guess...
LARA (V.O.): It didn't matter that it was fake, though. It started a movement. Spiritualism. Ouija boards? Seances? Most of what I do? It all goes back to a couple of girls with really creaky toes. And if you know all that history, right, it's foundational to what you do and why you do it, what do you think your nightmares will be about? Of course, it was gonna be knocking.
Jake stops suddenly.
Beside them, Sodapop stops too. He seems deeply interested in something.
LARA: Jake? What is it?
JAKE: I, um...I don't think we should go this way.
LARA: Okay, well, I think I see some more bent branches up that way. To be honest, I see them everywhere. It's almost like they're naturally occurring.
Distant droning and creepy sounds move in.
JAKE: Go back.
LARA: What?
JAKE: You need to go.
LARA: Jake, I'm sorry if I seemed --
JAKE: No. Let's go.
LARA: Okay, uh, Pops --
Sodapop suddenly growls and crashes off into the bushes, chasing something.
LARA: Pops? Sodapop! Get back here!
She steps after him. Jake stops her.
JAKE: Lara, don't.
LARA: Come on, I just --
JAKE: It's a bad place, Lara.
Rustling sound.
LARA: Jake, I'm gonna need you to let go of me. (beat) Thank you. Now I'm going to get my dog.
JAKE: I wouldn't.
LARA: So don't.
Lara crashes into the bushes and trees.
EXT. DEAD ZONE - CONTINUOUS
She stops. Everything has gone silent. No trees. No birds. Nothing. Just a distant drone to tell us this is creepy.
Lara takes a step forward.
LARA: What the...?
She looks around. It's eerily quiet.
LARA: Soda? Sodapop?
Lara takes a few nervous steps forward over the sandy ground.
LARA: Where you at, buddy? You checking out those deer...carcasses...? Jesus, that's a lot of dead deer.
She pivots, looks around.
LARA: And trees.
LARA (V.O.): A neat circle of dead...things. Trees, bushes, animals. Birds looked like they'd fallen out of the sky. Even the dirt felt dry and lifeless.
Lara pulls out her phone. Shutter sounds as she takes photos.
LARA: What could do this? I mean, elk don't do graveyards, they're not elephants, it's...
LARA (V.O.): The weird thing -- and I didn't reaally think about this until later -- but there weren't even any bugs. No flies, no worms, nothing. But the deer were still decayed like normal? I don't know. You expect flies, you know? It just made the whole thing seem really, really quiet.
LARA: Pops? Sodapop! Oh, thank god.
Sodapop whines.
LARA: What'd you find, buddy?
She reaches toward him. Sodapop growls.
LARA: Hey, hey, it's just a...sweater...let me see that, bud.
She takes the sweater. Sodapop whines and jumps for it -- he wants it back.
LARA (V.O.): Strawberry University. A dumb joke sweater I got for Rose in Portland one time. She said she threw it out before we even broke up.
LARA: Is this why you ran off, Pops? You could...smell her?
LARA (V.O.): She said it in one of those dumb fights. The bad ones, toward the end. I guess she just wanted to hurt me.
She calls back to Jake.
LARA: Jake? Jake! I found something!
LARA (V.O.): She kept it, though. So that's something.
She waits. No answer.
LARA: What do you think, Bud? Is there a trail? Do that, you know, tracking thing.
Sodapop whines and scratches.
LARA: Well, I'm not staying here with all the bad meat. Come on, buddy, let's head back and regroup.
Sodapop whines.
LARA: No, you can have the sweater when we get home.
She walks away. Sound of heavy footsteps. She turns, gasps.
LARA: Someone there?
The sound stops. Sodapop keeps whining.
LARA: I'm really starting to hate this place.
She walks off.
INT. LARA'S INBOX
COMPUTER VOICE: First unheard message.
A young man, probably stoned.
PETER: Hey, uh, is this Lara Campbell? I can't find my keys, and like, I don't know if you do any work with poltergeists, but there is this...Oh. Hang on, they were just in my jeans. Never mind.
BEEP.
EXT. JAKE'S HOUSE / LARA'S COTTAGE - DAY
Lara and Sodapop crash out of the bushes.
LARA: Finally! Jesus.
She stops to catch her breath.
Sodapop groans.
LARA: (calls out) Jake? (beat) Jake? Are you here? It was great finding a way back without you, by the way.
She walks up to his house. The door opens with a creak.
LARA: Jake?
She waits a second, then sighs and shuts the door.
LARA: Come on, buddy, let's get back to the cottage. I'll make some calls or something.
Sodapop gives an inquiring whine.
LARA: Yes, you can have the sweater.
They walk across the gravel toward the cabin.
INT. LOFTY DINER - LATER
There's a low hum of conversation from other patrons. Silverware moves against plates, etc.
The bell over the door dings as Lara enters. CAMILLE (late 20s) approaches, cheerful.
CAMILLE: Welcome to the Lofty Diner. You want a booth or a table?
LARA: I'm actually just looking for Sheriff Tate. Dispatch said he was here?
CAMILLE: Oh, he is, but he's actually in a meeting with --
LARA: (bright, fake) Mayor Terri Boone? Is that you?
TERRI sits at a table with SHERIFF TATE (65), a jovial man with a folksy, avuncular approach to justice.
TERRI: Lara? What are you doing here?
LARA: I should've known I'd see you here. Among all your constituents.
Terri pauses. She makes a quick calculation. And she also switches to a bright, cheery tone...with an edge beneath it.
TERRI: You know me. Just chatting with the Sheriff, here.
SHERIFF TATE: Howdy. Sheriff Tate.
TERRI: Camille, why don't you see if you can find Lara a nice seat at the counter?
LARA: Oh, I actually have business with the two of you, if you don't mind.
CAMILLE: Is that alright with you, Mayor Boone?
TERRI: Honey, I keep telling you to call me Terri.
CAMILLE: Right, sorry.
SHERIFF TATE: Of course, we'll just pull up another chair for you here. I'm always happy to hear a citizen's report.
The chair scrapes as Camille pulls it across the floor.
CAMILLE: Okay, well, I'll just come back for the, um -- I'll check in on you.
LARA: Thanks.
She retreats.
SHERIFF TATE: Now, what can I help you with?
TERRI: I'm surprised to see you out and about, dear. I thought I was clear.
SHERIFF TATE: What's that now? Everything okay?
LARA: I just have a little history with Mayor Terri's daughter, Rose.
SHERIFF TATE: Oh...oh, you're Lara Campbell.
LARA: Have you been talking about me Mayor Boone? How flattering.
SHERIFF TATE: Well, she just mentioned a few things.
TERRI: Yes, so I wouldn't say there's much the two of you need to talk about. If you could just --
LARA: I found Rose's sweater.
This brings both of them to a stop. Silence for a short beat.
LARA: In the woods above Jake Talbott's house. I can take you right to it. Well, not right to it, but you know, I can find it again.
Another beat.
LARA: Come on. She must've passed through there on her way to -- wherever she went. It's a lead. She's a missing person, right? So if we just head back up there...
SHERIFF TATE: Rose Boone is not a missing person, Miss Campbell.
LARA: She's been gone for two weeks.
TERRI: She's fine.
SHERIFF TATE: And her mother says she's camping. Listen, Miss Campbell, I don't know when you were last in contact with Rose, but...this isn't so unusual with her.
LARA: Clearly it is, or else why would Mitchell --
TERRI: Mitchell suffers from a severe respiratory disorder. I don't see how he could've called you, Lara.
LARA: Do you want to hear the message? I've been having some issues with my voicemail, but I'm sure it's in there.
SHERIFF TATE: Miss Campbell. Believe it or not, we actually have things under control here in Wasco County. And we don't need people like you -- (off her reaction) N-no, no, no, not -- my niece is a lesbian, so I don't have a problem with that -- I just mean with your history of, of misrepresenting yourself, maybe you're not the right person to go around telling us what to do.
LARA: Misrepresenting myself? Why, Mayor Boone, what have you been saying about me?
TERRI: Nothing that isn't true.
SHERIFF TATE: The fake psychic business.
LARA: Fake?! You don't believe I'm really psychic?
Terri scoffs.
LARA: Oh...hold on...I'm feeling something.
TERRI: Lara.
Lara stands and addresses the room.
LARA: Someone here has unresolved business with someone on the other side. You've been thinking of them lately, unexpectedly. I'm getting maybe an...M? Or a D.
SHERIFF TATE: My great-aunt! Her name was Mary Dawson.
LARA: That's it! Oh, she has a message for you.
TERRI: Enough!
Terri slams the table. A collective awkward silence.
LARA: Hm. Nope. It's gone. Sorry, everyone.
Her chair slides as she sits again.
TERRI: What do you want?
LARA: I want you to investigate this. To care. Something.
SHERIFF TATE: Were there any signs of struggle around this sweatshirt you found?
LARA: Well, no, but there were a bunch of dead deer...
TERRI: That sounds like an issue for the Game Warden, wouldn't you say, Sheriff Tate?
SHERIFF TATE: Sure.
LARA: Come on, Sheriff --
SHERIFF TATE: Mayor Terri's got a point, Miss Campbell. From where I'm sitting, this doesn't seem to be a criminal matter at all.
LARA: But --
TERRI: Well, there you have it. And I think it's about time we both got back to work, wouldn't you say, Sheriff? I'll just go see the girl about the bill.
She stands.
TERRI: Camille, honey?
CAMILLE: Yes, Mayor Boone?
She walks off.
Sheriff Tate leans in confidentially.
SHERIFF TATE: Listen, about my aunt -- did she say anything in particular? Because there's a family rumor about some gold.
TERRI: Come on, Sheriff!
SHERIFF TATE: Well, we'll talk another time.
LARA: We definitely will.
Sheriff Tate gets up to leave.
EXT. LOFTY DINER - MOMENTS LATER
A quiet street. A few cars, some birds, etc.
The doorbell rings again as Lara marches out of the Diner. She takes a few steps down the sidewalk.
The door rings again and Camille races after her.
CAMILLE: Wait -- wait, don't go. It's Lara, right?
LARA: Love how everyone here already knows my name.
CAMILLE: Listen, I heard what you said in there. Not that I was eavesdropping, I just --
LARA: Okay, I don't think the spirits are going to give me any more information right now, so --
CAMILLE: No, I mean...are you really looking for Rose?
LARA: Oh. Yes.
CAMILLE: Oh, thank god. Look, I feel like I've been going insane. Everybody's acting like there's no big deal, and if you bring up Rose it's like...
LARA: Like what?
CAMILLE: Just -- come over here, will you? I don't want to be too close to the diner.
LARA: Fine.
They step aside, where sounds are more muted.
CAMILLE: When you mention Rose to any of those people, it's like, either they act like they can't hear you or they just kind of pat you on the head and tell you to calm down. It's bizarre.
LARA: Are they usually like that about, you know, town secrets?
CAMILLE: Up until now I didn't think we had any town secrets.
LARA: Hm.
CAMILLE: But if you're looking for Rose... (glances around) I want to help you.
LARA: That's great. Where do you think she is?
CAMILLE: Well...okay, so like a few weeks ago or, or maybe like a month, something happened.
LARA: What?
CAMILLE: Well I wasn't there, but some of the guys went to the woods to watch this meteor shower.
LARA: Okay...
CAMILLE: I guess Rose was there? Or, well, I'm not sure. I don't really know her. But the guys said...they said the sky fell down.
LARA: The sky fell down.
CAMILLE: I know, it's...and they seemed pretty freaked out, but they wouldn't say much about it. And then they got sick. Like, really sick.
LARA: Huh.
CAMILLE: And since then things are just...off. It's like whatever happened that night spooked the whole town.
LARA: And Rose has been missing since then?
CAMILLE: Not long after.
LARA: Listen was this -- you said this happened in the woods?
CAMILLE: Yeah.
LARA: Have you heard anything about a kind of a "dead zone" in the woods above Jake's place?
CAMILLE: Jake Talbott?
LARA: Yeah.
CAMILLE: A dead zone?
LARA: I found this area with no vegetation. No leaves, grass, anything. And dead animals, too. Birds. A bunch of deer.
CAMILLE: Gross.
LARA: Yeah.
CAMILLE: I mean, I haven't been out there for a while. Jake doesn't really like people messing with his Bigfoot stuff.
LARA: But that's the way they went for the meteor shower? Out past Jake's place?
CAMILLE: Probably. They would've wanted to get up that hill.
LARA: Do you know when exactly this was? Who was there? Anything?
CAMILLE: I think I can look it up for you. And I can give you the guys' phone numbers, but I don't know how much it'll help you.
LARA: Why not?
CAMILLE: Well, like I said, they're sick. Like they're in the hospital sick. All of them. Tim's mom says he opens his eyes sometimes, but they can't speak. Everyone who was there that night except Rose.
LARA: Rose didn't get sick.
CAMILLE: No, apparently she was fine.
LARA: That's...weird.
CAMILLE: Right?!
LARA: Hm.
CAMILLE: Yeah. Listen, I've gotta get back to work, but, you know, see if you can find Rose's phone. She does these little Insta videos all the time? Maybe there's something from that night.
LARA: Yeah, actually, I found it at her house.
CAMILLE: What? She's always on her phone. She wouldn't leave it.
LARA: Yeah.
CAMILLE: God, this whole thing is just awful. (beat) But you know she's okay? Like, can you sense her or...?
LARA: Hm? Yeah. She's out there. She's got to be.
CAMILLE: Because you're -- you're psychic, right? Have you tried, like, connecting with the spirits, or...?
LARA: I'm doing everything I can, Camille.
CAMILLE: Good. Okay, yeah, I really need to get back in there. You tell me if you need anything, okay?
LARA: Yeah, here. Take my card. If you think of anything at all, call me. And if you don't get through, just try again or text or something, okay? I haven't been getting my voicemails lately.
CAMILLE: Okay. Thanks, Lara. I'm just -- I'm so glad someone believes me.
LARA: We'll find her.
CAMILLE: I know we will.
INT. LARA'S INBOX
BEEP.
COMPUTER VOICE: First skipped message.
ROSE: Lara...Laaaaaraaaa...it's so beautiful...the face of God...
More static. A distant, high-pitched cry.
BEEP.
INT. LARA'S COTTAGE - NIGHT
Door creaks open and closed. Lara jiggles the handle.
LARA: Sodapop? Hey, Buddy. You feeling okay? You seem kind of...
Sodapop gives a low growl.
LARA: It's okay, I won't take your sweater. Her sweater. Your mom's -- you know.
She walks over to the desk and rummages through her things.
LARA: Still no Jake, huh? Well, let's see if I can find anything about elk graveyards online.
She types.
Wind blows. More knocking. Lara pauses, hearing it. She waits, but the sound stops.
LARA: Jake, is that you?
She types again. It knocks again. She stops. It stops.
LARA: Okay, what is going on?
No response. Thunder in the distance.
LARA: I must be exhausted. I'm hearing things...
She yawns.
LARA: Actually I'm really, really tired.
Thunder.
LARA: I think I'll just...shut my eyes for a...
She slumps onto the floor, asleep.
The knocking moves across the field of sound.
Sodapop whines softly.
ROSE: (whisper) It's okay. I'll see you soon.
Sodapop yawns.
FADE OUT.
OUTRO
"All More," by Lax Superlative fades in...
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