A PDF version of this transcript is available here.
INT. LARA'S CABIN - NIGHT
Crickets. Night sounds.
Fade in on Lara humming to herself as she scribbles furiously on sheets of paper. Sodapop whines softly. As she shuffles paper, Lara begins to sing.
LARA: The sweet annihilation (she hums again) All will be nothing, and we will be all
The walls creak. Sodapop growls. Lara draws even more furiously.
LARA: The harder they fight us, the harder they'll fall / All will be nothing, and we will be all. / All will be nothing, and we will be --
She hears a distant, eery cry. She stops, listens until it finishes.
LARA Okay. Good night.
She slumps onto the floor, unconscious. Sodapop grumbles to himself.
TITLES
Theme music.
NARRATOR: Believer. Episode 4: "The Voice of God."
End theme music.
INT. LARA'S CABIN - DAY
The next morning. Sodapop yawns and stretches. Lara types at her laptop.
LARA: Hey, Sodapop! About time you got up, buddy. (sighs) I've gotta remember not to look at those drawings Rose made before I go to bed. I had the weirdest dream. (beat) I don't remember printing them out, either...I guess it's not a terrible idea.
Sodapop makes a little irritated 'woof' noise.
LARA: Yeah. I gotta get more sleep. Anyway. (hits a button) Let's see what ol' Reverend Mitchell has to say.
Blip-bloop! The voice of MITCHELL BOONE, strong and confident, comes through the laptop speakers.
MITCHELL: Now, there aren't many of you seated in the pews these days. But that is the price of telling the truth. For I have heard the call of God, as you have, and I know, as you do, the signs of His coming.
LARA: Sounds pretty conventional to me.
The sound shifts so that we can hear Mitchell more clearly.
MITCHELL: In Revelations, chapter six: "Then I saw the Lamb open one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures call out, as with a voice of thunder, 'Come!'" And he saw four riders, on four horses. First, the rider on the white horse: Conquest. Man's attempt to control that which he cannot. We will grab at our minds ever tighter as they sift through our fingers. Then the red horse: War. Turning prey to predators so that all may have the chance to eat and be eaten. Then the black horse, representing famine, the choking vegetation. Starving root and bleaching soil. We have seen these. We will see these. But the last, on the pale horse. They call him death. But he is so much more. He is ending. He is silence. You will not see him coming. For you cannot see absence, loss, nothing. But you can feel it, can't you? The emptiness in your chest, yearning to join the void. That is what is coming. That is what we seek.
Bloop-blip. A beat.
LARA: Okay, yeah, I can see why that's not on the radio. But if they stopped airing his sermons, then why...
Blip-bloop! Next sermon.
MITCHELL: And when we meet that creeping annihilation, the void, the nothingness, we shall greet it as an old friend. For we are one. We are nothing. We are all.
A crowd chants behind him.
CROWD All is nothing! We are all! All is nothing! We are all!
MITCHELL (overlapping) The Earth shall be a sea of glass: nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing --
Bloop-blip. Lara groans.
LARA: Oh, god. Is there any small town that doesn't have a secretive underground cult? I mean, come on.
She types a bit on the keyboard.
LARA: Nothing online, but that's to be expected.
Lara sighs.
LARA: Okay, so, Rose's dad started a -- well, technically it's a "new religious movement." It's possible Rose was involved, but I doubt it. I mean, she's into paranormal stuff, but she'd never get into something like this.
She clicks. Blip-bloop! Another recording plays.
MITCHELL: "Lo, how a Rose e'er blooming from tender stem hath sprung." Do you know the hymn? "To show God's love aright, she bore to men a Savior, when half-spent was the night."
He takes a moment to catch his breath.
MITCHELL: And she will. She will bear to us this savior, this darkness. For she hears it. She hears it better than I ever have. And she carries it with her. The darkness. The nothing. Look -- look to my Rose in the scorched, packed earth. The sea of glass. She sees -- she sees --
Bloop-blip.
LARA: Ah. Never mind then.
Sodapop whines.
LARA Yeah, let's take you out. But then I've gotta look into this. Honestly, Sodapop, if this dumb cult took Rose, I am going to be so annoyed.
Sodapop scampers out the door ahead of her.
INT. LARA'S INBOX
VOICEMAIL: You have one unheard message. First message.
DR SIMMONS: Hello, this is Doctor Penelope Simmons, leaving yet another message for --
The sound glitches out into loud static.
ROSE: Laraaa...Laraa...
Odd distortion breaks in.
ROSE: Nothing's here.
The sound cuts back into static and then we're back to --
DR SIMMONS: Call me back, Ms. Campbell. Please.
BEEP.
EXT. MAIN STREET - DAY
Lara walks along the street. Sheriff Tate gets out of his car, approaches her.
SHERIFF TATE Miss Campbell! Still in town, I see.
LARA Sheriff Tate. You spend a lot of time in Charity?
SHERIFF TATE I'm responsible for the whole county, but I admit, I've got a soft spot for Charity.
LARA It is cute.
SHERIFF TATE It's wonderful. Anything I can help you find today?
LARA I'm actually looking for the church.
SHERIFF TATE Oh, well there's a brand new Presbyterian congregation on the end of Main Street.
LARA No, um, Reverend Boone's old church.
SHERIFF TATE I don't think that's a good idea.
LARA Nobody else has moved in there since he got sick and suspended services, right?
SHERIFF TATE Well, it's -- closed down. Locked. It'd be breaking and entering.
LARA I won't go inside. I just want to see something.
SHERIFF TATE Look, uh, I know you get your messaged from the Beyond and all...
LARA We should make an appointment to talk about your great-aunt, by the way.
SHERIFF TATE She's still talking to you?
LARA I think we could have a very promising conversation.
SHERIFF TATE Well, that's...interesting. But in the meantime, I need you to stay away from the Boone family.
LARA You can't believe everything Mayor Terri says about me, Sheriff. I'm not actually the Devil.
SHERIFF TATE No, it's...it's not safe.
LARA What's not safe?
SHERIFF TATE Just listen to me, Miss Campbell. We're not to the point of an official order here, and I know Rose meant a lot to you. But you really need to let this one go.
LARA I'm not gonna do that, Sheriff. Something is going on -- something is wrong in Charity. You've got to see that.
SHERIFF TATE Rose Boone is just fine. You'll see.
LARA I hope so.
SHERIFF TATE Well, I gotta get to another call. You stay out of that church, you understand?
LARA Yes, sir.
SHERIFF TATE And I suggest you head out of town as soon as you find what you're looking for.
LARA That's the plan.
SHERIFF TATE Good. Stay safe, Miss Campbell.
LARA I will.
He walks away, gets back in his car. Lara watches him go.
INT. INBOX
VOICEMAIL First skipped message.
MITCHELL Abe. I know you stopped airing my sermons. But you see, don't you? I have to share them. You have to...you have to hear it. We have to give ourselves. It wants us quiet and resigned. It wants us as...gifts...please...Abe...
He breaks off into a fit of coughing.
VOICEMAIL End of messages.
INT. CHURCH - CHAPEL - LATER
A window pane slides open with effort, and Lara squeezes through.
LARA Okay, if I can just -- ah!
She falls onto the floor. She gets up, wipes her hands on her clothes.
LARA See? Didn't have to break in. The window was open.
She takes out her phone. Blip-bloop! She starts recording.
LARA Okay. I'm in the old Church of the Seventh Seal in Charity. It's -- very dusty. Hasn't Mitchell only been sick for a month or so? This place looks like it's been closed for years.
She walks around, looking at things.
LARA It's small. Simple. Some pews, a podium up front, just the basics. No stained glass windows. No cross either. Honestly, the only thing you could call decoration is these lines in the woodwork. They're carved into the walls and along the center aisle, just these straight lines that kind of outline the room and then meet above the podium. It's a geometric shape, kind of like a star. Like I said, simple, but I guess it's something.
She walks across the floor.
LARA The pews have those book-holders, but there's nothing in them. So if this used to be a Christian church, someone chose to take out all the hymnals.
Up a few little steps.
LARA There's a little organ up front, no other seating, just the podium. A little lectern with...something on it. Under a very thick layer of dust. Let me see.
She wipes at the lectern, blows on it. Dust flies up. She begins to cough violently.
LARA Oh my god!
She coughs some more. The recording ends. Bloop-blip. She picks up a single piece of paper. She shakes it to get the dust off.
LARA Well, at least I have a generic lunar calendar now! That was worth coating the inside of my lungs.
She coughs, clears her throat.
LARA Alright...oh! Let's see what's over here.
She crosses the floor to a closed bifold door. She pushes as it slides open. She steps into --
INT. CHURCH - OFFICE - CONTINUOUS
A small, carpeted office.
LARA Now this should be interesting.
She pulls out her phone. Blip-bloop!
LARA Looks like I found Reverend Boone's office. It's ridiculously cluttered, but I've got time, so --
An alert from the phone.
LARA 10% battery? God damn it. Fine, I'll just take pictures.
Bloop-blip. Recording off. She moves around the room shuffling papers as her phone camera makes shutter sounds.
LARA Okay...printed sermons...some increasingly erratic personal notes, I'll make sure I get those...is this a drawing? It spans a couple of pages...
From the other room, we hear organ music. Lara stops. The music continues. Now the quiet hum of people talking. Lots of people.
LARA Is -- is someone there?
Lara slowly approaches the door. From the other room, Rose's voice.
ROSE You can't find me...
LARA Rose?
ROSE You can't see me...
She races back through the door to the chapel --
INT. CHURCH - CHAPEL
Which is silent. She looks around.
LARA Hello?
A cassette player clicks on.
MITCHELL (RECORDING) Oh the ecstasy of nothingness. For when we exist, we suffer. Don't we?
The organ music returns. Lara jumps.
LARA Ah!
MITCHELL (CONT'D) But It is here to help us. It -- it will take us. And she will lead us there.
The player clicks off. Lara stumbles away, tripping down the steps from the front lectern. She sprawls, looks up.
LARA The lines. Over the altar. They're twisting...like...
She hears voices talking again. The high-pitched scream from the meteor shower begins. It's distorted, long, echoing around the room. The voices fade into a chant.
VOICES All is nothing, and we are all. All is nothing, and we are all. All is nothing, and we are all.
LARA (overlapping) Oh no. No. No no no no.
She breathes hard, scrambles to her feet. Lara reels around, lost, confused, hearing sounds.
LARA How do I...how is this...
The cacophany fades down. A beat.
LARA Camille?
CAMILLE Hi, Lara.
LARA Are you...are you real? Are you here?
CAMILLE I'm here, Lara.
She walks toward Lara. The sound continues to fade away as Camille gets closer.
LARA Oh, thank god. I don't know if I accidentally ate something or...mmph!
Camille shoves a rag over Lara's mouth and nose, muffling her voice.
CAMILLE Shhh, shhh...just breathe. Nice and deep.
LARA (muffled) But...why...ughhhh...
Lara collapses.
CAMILLE There you go.
Camille stands over her a moment.
CAMILLE That's right, Lara. You just sleep now. Everything's going to be okay.
Camille hums the melody to "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming."
END OF EPISODE
NARRATOR: Thank you so much for listening to Believer. You've been so wonderful sticking with us through these schedule disruptions, and to reward you for that I'm going to announce a bunch of cool new stuff...at the end of next episode. So make sure you stay subscribed. Today, I want to tell you about a really cool podcast that just came out. Crypto-Z is an immersive sci-fi audiodrama that just debuted on May 8th. It's about a pair of scientist-explorers who climb the Alps in search of an Ice-Man, who they hope holds the key to restoring life on the planet. I'm a giant sucker for frozen isolation horror and crypto-humans, and the first episode definitely delivers, so be sure to check it out. You can find it on Apple Podcasts or go to www.euphonie.media. This episode was sponsored by Saunders & Associates LLC, providing medical insurance consulting in the beautiful state of Oregon and beyond. See you again soon. In the meantime, if you find yourself staring into a mirror and suddenly you don't recognize what you see -- your eyes begin to slip down your face, and your lips curl in a way that shouldn't be possible, and soon all you can see is this distorted, nightmare-version of your face, shifting and changing even though you know you're not moving a muscle -- Look away for a moment and focus on another point in the room. The neurons you use to sense motion sometimes go into overdrive when you look at a static image for too long. But maybe don't touch that mirror. Just to be safe. Bye now.