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EXT. FOREST - NIGHT
As before. The rain quiets a little. Camille, Lara, and Rose
stand among the trees. SodaPop wags his tail happily.
Rose is oddly calm, as if they just ran into each other on
the street or something.
LARA
Rose.
ROSE
Hello, Lara.
CAMILLE
Rose! Oh, Lara, I knew you'd help us
find her.
ROSE
You came to find me?
LARA
Um, yeah.
ROSE
But I'm right here.
LARA
I see that.
SodaPop barks happily.
ROSE
SodaPop found me. Is that why you
came?
LARA
No, I brought him. He missed you,
though.
ROSE
I missed him too.
(to SodaPop)
Good boy, baby. Oh, your hair is
getting so long!
(to Lara)
Do you still go to that same groomer?
What was her name -- Annie?
LARA
Um, no, we had to switch when we
moved out of the Hawthorne District.
We're up by St. John's now. I found
this place --
CAMILLE
Um, excuse me, I'm sorry, I don't
want to interrupt. But I'm so glad we
found you, Rose! You know the New
Moon is almost here.
LARA
Camille, not now.
ROSE
It's all right. I know all about the
New Moon. Are you going back to my
father's house? I'll walk with you.
She walks past them.
LARA
Yeah, let's...do that.
They follow her through the brush.
LARA (V.O.)
I can't tell you what it was like,
seeing her again. Almost
anticlimactic. Like we just walked
into the woods and...there she was.
Not hurt, not scared, just...fine.
LARA
Rose, are you okay?
ROSE
Of course. Why?
LARA
Well, do we need to go pick up your
supplies or a campsite, or...?
ROSE
I have everything I need.
LARA
But...where have you been?
Rose stops walking. The question seems to confuse her.
ROSE
I've been right here.
2.
CAMILLE
Rose, your father will be so excited
to see you. We've all been worried.
ROSE
But I'm fine.
LARA
Rose...how long do you think you've
been gone? Because it's been at least
two weeks.
ROSE
Two weeks? No, that can't be right.
CAMILLE
You must feel so much more connected
with the Hand of God. I bet you know
exactly how to call Oblivion now.
ROSE
I know everything I need to know.
LARA
Do you remember calling me?
ROSE
(very surprised)
Why would I call you?
LARA
You said you needed help, and that I
should come see you. You said you
wanted me to hear something?
ROSE
That doesn't sound like me.
LARA
I know. That's why I came.
ROSE
(pets SodaPop)
Well, as long as I get to see this
little fluffy-face.
SodaPop makes happy dog noises.
CAMILLE
There's still a lot to do before the
New Moon. We've been doing vision
ceremonies every day, but we still
haven't found all the materials yet.
3.
ROSE
I'm sure you're doing fine, Camille.
Camille falters.
CAMILLE
I didn't -- I didn't know you knew my
name.
ROSE
I know everything I need to know,
Camille.
CAMILLE
(to herself)
Wow.
LARA
Rose...
ROSE
Lara. Stop worrying! I'm fine.
SodaPop whines happily. Rose laughs.
ROSE
See? SodaPop knows.
He pants happily.
LARA
I guess.
ROSE
He still loves me, doesn't he?
LARA
Yeah.
LARA (V.O.)
She was so beautiful.
CAMILLE
Rose? I think we should hurry.
ROSE
Okay.
They walk faster.
FADE TO:
4.
EXT. BOONE HOUSE - NIGHT
They walk up a quiet street. SodaPop runs around
investigating smells, happy as can be.
CAMILLE
Almost home, Miss Boone.
ROSE
Hm.
LARA
Wait. Rose. Maybe you shouldn't go
back yet.
They stop walking.
ROSE
Why not? If it's really been two
weeks, I mean, that's plenty of time.
Lara can't think of what to say.
LARA
Um. Are you sure you don't want to
see a doctor? You could be dehydrated
from all that time in the woods.
ROSE
I feel fine, Lara.
LARA
But --
ROSE
Honestly -- I'm really sorry, I
didn't want to do this now, but -- I
don't understand why you're here.
LARA
You asked me to come.
ROSE
I really doubt that.
LARA
You left me a message.
CAMILLE
(conspiratorial)
She keeps saying her voicemails won't
play.
5.
LARA
Camille!
CAMILLE
Sorry. I'm not involved.
ROSE
Look, I...thank you for bringing
SodaPop. It's great to see him. But I
really don't think there's anything
for you to do here.
LARA
If...if we could just talk...
ROSE
I don't think we need to do that,
Lara.
LARA
But...
ROSE
Lara, there's nothing to say. Okay?
Go home.
(hesitates, softens)
I'll call you. Okay?
LARA
Okay.
Rose walks away. SodaPop follows.
LARA
SodaPop!
SodaPop hesitates. He sneezes, then runs after Rose.
LARA
Oh. No, you can go with Rose too.
That's...that makes sense.
Camille follows Rose. She stops.
CAMILLE
Listen, um, I guess we don't really
need you here after all.
LARA
Yeah. I'm getting that.
6.
CAMILLE
You should see my mom, though. The
doctor. She really wants to see you.
Okay?
LARA
Yeah. Okay.
ROSE
(calls)
Camille -- are you coming?
CAMILLE
Coming!
(to Lara)
Okay. Uh. Good night.
She runs off after Rose. SodaPop barks and whines happily.
LARA
Wait -- can I get a ride back to my
car? It's all the way back at the...
church...
The door of the Boone House opens and closes. They're gone.
LARA
Okay, yeah. I can walk.
EXT. FOREST ROAD - NIGHT
Night sounds. Lara walks on the gravel.
LARA (V.O.)
I just kind of...walked around for a
while after that. I figured I'd
eventually end up back at the cabin.
Lara's footsteps on the gravel.
An ANIMAL CALLS in the distance.
LARA (V.O.)
For the record, Rose was the one who
actually left in the end. She's the
one who moved out. Not that I was...
there just came a point where I
couldn't help her. I didn't know what
to do. Though, I don't know, maybe
that's not fair. See, something
happened in that last year we were
together.
7.
I still don't really understand it.
There was the thing with my brother
and my mom's house and the water
hammer. And then I started to notice
other things, too. I learned about
cold reading and cognitive biases and
illusory correlations... It was like
everything I thought I knew about the
world was coming apart. One after
another. I started to see why I'd
never been able to get conclusive
evidence of the things I thought I
saw. It was... consuming. So I guess
I was distracted. Because I didn't
really notice what was going on with
Rose until it was too late, I think.
Lara sings softly to herself.
LARA
(sings)
Creepy road in the middle of the
night, doo-dah, doo-dah... Creepy
road, no end in sight, oh, doo-dahday...
LARA (V.O.)
She started to get...erratic.
Disconnected. She'd disappear for
hours, sometimes overnight, and then
come back like nothing happened. We
started fighting over -- nothing,
anything, just dumb things. She was
distracted a lot, but wouldn't tell
me why. And she had these nightmares.
She claimed not to remember them, but
sometimes in her sleep, she said
things...and then during the day,
she'd say them again. Quietly. To
herself. God, if I hadn't been so
wrapped up in myself, I might have
put it together earlier. Something
wasn't right. Rose wasn't...well.
LARA
(sings)
Gonna walk all day, gonna walk all
night, on this creepy road I sing
this song, oh, doo-dah --
Twigs snap in the trees. Lara stops.
8.
LARA
Hello? Is someone there?
No response. She keeps walking, hums softly.
LARA
(to herself)
Why does anyone live in the woods?
LARA (V.O.)
By the time I thought to tell her to
see someone, it just...came out
wrong. It sounded like an attack. It
probably was an attack. Everything
was an attack by then. I was angry
and hurting; she was angry and
confused. We were in our own painful
little worlds, I guess, and there was
no way to communicate through that
anymore.
(sighs)
Anyway. One day she was just...gone.
Went to her parents' house. I thought
it might be good for her.
Another group of twigs. Lara stops.
LARA
Who's there?
LARA (V.O.)
I can see why she hates me, though.
LARA
Hello?
She gasps. Lara steps back.
LARA (V.O.)
So anyway. I was walking. It was
dark. And then it got really dark.
LARA
Where did this fog come from? I can
barely see the trees...
Lara walks around. She stops.
LARA
There was a tree. Right there. There
was...I'm on the road. Right?
She turns again, then turns back.
9.
LARA
No way.
LARA (V.O.)
I could see the road, somewhere far
behind me. Trees extended back the
way I'd come. But ahead of me...
LARA
Nothing. It's...it's nothing.
Drone/music rises as the nothingness approaches.
LARA (V.O.)
Absolute absence. Just this void of
darkness in every direction. But it
wasn't peaceful. It was...reaching. I
mean, I know it wasn't, but -- it
felt like it was looking for
something. Like it was reaching for
me.
LARA
This isn't happening. This can't be
real.
A trill of drone sound.
Lara turns and runs.
LARA (V.O.)
I didn't know what else to do. I ran.
Lara runs. Pants. She trips, stumbles, and sprints,
desperate. The rumble, the creepiness rises.
LARA (V.O.)
It was like a dream. Maybe it was a
dream. I ran and ran, but there was
nowhere to go. I swear, I pushed
until my lungs burned, until I
couldn't feel my feet, until...and
the road was still just as far away
as it was before.
LARA
(rasps)
Please...please...
(screams)
Somebody help me!
She slips, falls, scrambles in the dirt.
10.
LARA
Oof!
LARA (V.O.)
And just like that...
Lara sniffs.
LARA
(it smells awful)
What's that smell? Oh, god.
Two big, heavy FOOTSTEPS.
LARA
Oh my god.
LARA (V.O.)
I don't -- I don't think we need to
talk about what I saw next, actually.
I mean, it wasn't really there,
anyway. I probably swallowed some of
the hallucinogenic cult tea. And I
hadn't eaten or drunk anything for a
long time. It was just a random trick
of the imagination. Only a few
seconds long.
A softer version of the strange animal cry -- like a puma,
bear, and elephant trumpeting at once.
LARA
(quiet)
Bigfoot?
The heavy footsteps step toward her. A small, questioning
sound.
LARA
Are you...the Sasquatch?
Step. Step. And then it turns and LEAPS away, with a little
grunt.
LARA
Wait! Come back...
But it's gone. Quiet, tranquil forest night sounds.
LARA
Wow.
Lara slowly gets up.
11.
LARA (V.O.)
So really, we should just move on.
LARA
Oh. The cabin. I'm home.
She walks across the gravel. She stops. She turns around.
EXT. JAKE'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Lara knocks on the door. Jake answers.
JAKE
Lara? Are you okay?
LARA
We found Rose.
JAKE
Oh. Good.
LARA
Yeah, she's...she's...
(bursts into tears)
She's good! Everything's so good.
JAKE
Okay, uh, why don't you come inside?
LARA
Okay.
He pulls the door open. She walks into...
INT. JAKE'S HOUSE - ENTRYWAY
Jake closes the door behind Lara.
LARA
I'm sorry. I'm sorry. This day has
just been really...weird.
JAKE
It's okay, really. You want a drink?
LARA
Please. Mind if I take off my shoes?
They're pretty soaked.
JAKE
Of course! Make yourself at home.
12.
He steps toward the kitchen. Lara removes her shoes and
coat.
LARA
I've been out in the rain for hours.
After we found Rose.
JAKE
Wait -- Rose was missing?
Lara sighs.
LARA
Yes, Jake. Rose was missing.
JAKE
Is she okay?
LARA
She was in the woods. Just like
everyone said. And she was fine. Just
like everyone said.
JAKE
That's good, though, right?
(hands her a glass)
Here.
LARA
What is this?
JAKE
Whiskey.
Lara drinks it. She coughs.
LARA
Oh my god! This is awful.
JAKE
I can get you a beer if you want.
LARA
Nobody likes beer, Jake. It's just
the first thing we could afford and
now we all think it's what alcohol
tastes like.
JAKE
Even Pabst?
LARA
Especially Pabst.
13.
JAKE
(disagree noise)
Pshh.
LARA
Sorry. I'm...I'm out of my mind.
Lara takes another drink. She gags.
LARA
It's growing on me.
JAKE
Come on. I've got a fire going. You
must be freezing.
LARA
I am, actually.
They take a few steps. Jake stops.
JAKE
Wait -- Rose was missing?
Lara groans.
INT. JAKE'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER
A soft fire in the fireplace. Quiet rain outside.
LARA
I went out there with Camille -- you
know her? Anyway, the reasons don't
really matter, I guess. You wouldn't
believe me if I told you.
JAKE
Come on, I'm a great listener.
LARA
Well, the point is that once we got
back to the Boone house, Rose just...
told me to leave. She doesn't want to
talk, she doesn't remember leaving me
a message. And now she's safe, she
has my dog, and she never wants to
see me again.
(drinks)
This whiskey is actually growing on
me. An acquired taste?
14.
JAKE
I guess so.
He refills her glass.
JAKE
That sucks, Lara. About Rose. And
SodaPop! Are you gonna get him back,
or...?
LARA
I have no idea. Maybe I should just
leave him here. He was always her
baby, anyway. He'd definitely rather
be with her than me.
JAKE
Come on, I've seen that dog with you.
He's your dog.
Lara sighs.
LARA
You know, Rose and I broke up, like,
a long time ago.
JAKE
I wondered. You know, she didn't even
tell us you guys were lesbians.
LARA
She's a lesbian. I'm...
JAKE
Oh?
LARA
Pansexual, I guess. I like who I
like.
JAKE
So like, women and men?
LARA
Women, men, neither, both. I like who
I like.
JAKE
Okay.
Lara slides the whiskey bottle over to Jake.
15.
LARA
Drink more. So it's not just me.
JAKE
If you insist...
He pours another drink.
LARA
I can't believe she didn't want to
see me. I mean, I can. But I just
feel so stupid.
JAKE
Listen, Lara, Rose...what's the nice
way to say this? She's got problems.
LARA
Well, now I just feel bad.
JAKE
Okay, how about she's got problems...
if she can't see how great you are?
LARA
I doubt that.
(drinks)
Good save, though.
JAKE
Come on! You're the Lara Campbell.
You solved the Brigittine Haunting.
Banished the Corwin House Entity.
LARA
With Rose.
JAKE
Okay, well, you've kept it going on
your own.
LARA
I guess.
JAKE
Do you know how cool it was to take
Lara Campbell on a Squatch Walk?
LARA
That was fun.
(beat)
Have you ever -- have you ever seen
Sasquatch?
16.
JAKE
Not yet. But they're out there. I
mean, you saw the tree markers.
LARA
So you wouldn't know if they look
kind of like...
JAKE
Like what? Did you see something?
LARA
I, um...no. I was upset and it was
dark and...I think it was just a
really mossy tree, actually.
JAKE
Did it smell like sulfur? Make a
sound like an elephant mixed with a
lion? Or a high-pitched, chirping
call?
LARA
It, um...no. I -- it was nothing.
JAKE
Are you sure? Because I could get one
of my lures, if you remember where it
was.
LARA
No. No. Let's just sit here and
drink.
She shudders.
JAKE
What are -- you shivering? Are you
cold?
LARA
It's fine.
JAKE
Of course you are, you're still
soaked from the rain. How long were
you out there?
LARA
I don't know, I had to walk back
and...
17.
JAKE
Here. My mom keeps sending me these
throw blankets. No idea what to do
with them.
He grabs a blanket.
LARA
They're throw blankets, right? Pretty
sure you throw them.
JAKE
Well, let's just put this one around
your shoulders. Don't want to spill
the drink.
LARA
Yeah...
A beat. A moment. They are very close to each other.
JAKE
There.
LARA
(softly)
Thanks.
JAKE
(clears throat)
I'll just, uh, I'll put another log
on the fire.
LARA
You can stay over here. On the couch.
With me. If you want.
JAKE
No, uh, that's...okay.
He pulls open the wood stove, adds another log.
LARA
Um. Cheers.
JAKE
Cheers.
They clink glasses. They drink.
JAKE
Actually it is warmer. Over here.
18.
LARA
Yeah.
A beat.
LARA
Jake?
JAKE
Yeah?
LARA
Do you want to kiss me?
JAKE
Uh...yeah.
LARA
Okay.
FADE TO:
INT. JAKE'S HOUSE - BEDROOM
Lara and Jake pull the door open, giggling.
LARA
So, this is the bedroom.
JAKE
This is where the magic happens.
LARA
(teasing)
Eww, that's not what you tell girls,
is it?
JAKE
It's a saying. People say that.
Lara laughs.
LARA
Okay, well, if I'm gonna...
She stops. Her tone changes.
LARA
Jake -- what is that?
19.
JAKE
What? Oh, yeah, that's a joke. I
don't actually like Justin Bieber.
See, my little cousin wanted to see
him live, and she didn't have anyone
to go with, so I said...
LARA
No, those black streaks in your
walls. All around the bed.
JAKE
What?
LARA
Right there. It looks like some kind
of...mold, maybe?
JAKE
I really don't know what you're
talking about.
LARA
You don't see that?
JAKE
See what, Lara?
LARA
You've been sleeping in this room.
Right there.
JAKE
Uh, yeah. That's my bed.
LARA
Oh my god. Oh my god.
JAKE
Okay, um, I'm sorry if the room is
kind of a mess, but I wasn't really,
you know, expecting anybody.
LARA
Jake, you have a serious mold
problem. Do you know what that can do
to you? Breathing that in night after
night?
JAKE
Lara, there's nothing there!
20.
LARA
Is this why...is this why you've been
so...
JAKE
What?
Lara sighs.
JAKE
Did I do something wrong?
LARA
No. I'm -- I'm sorry. I don't think
you're really in a mental state to do
something like this right now.
JAKE
I feel fine. I mean, yeah, I've had a
couple of drinks...
LARA
Okay, well, then I'm not in the right
state for this. You know, it's a
crazy day, and I don't usually drink
whiskey...
JAKE
I get it. Okay.
LARA
I can't stay here.
JAKE
Yeah. It's fine.
LARA
No, I -- I don't think you should
stay here, either. With the mold.
JAKE
I don't follow you.
Lara groans. She is too exhausted to deal with this right
now.
LARA
Okay. I -- I'm scared, okay? I'd just
feel better if you slept over in the
cabin tonight.
JAKE
You mean like...?
21.
LARA
Like, literally, can you just sleep
on my floor?
JAKE
You can sleep here on the couch if
you want.
LARA
No, it's...I don't know. I had a
weird day, and I think I saw
something in the woods, maybe, and
without SodaPop here I just...please?
Come over to the cabin with me.
JAKE
And sleep on the floor.
LARA
Please?
Jake considers.
JAKE
This is weird.
LARA
Yeah.
JAKE
You're sure you don't just want the
couch?
LARA
Please, Jake.
JAKE
(sighs)
Okay, fine. I guess.
LARA
Thank you.
JAKE
This is...not how I saw this going.
LARA
I know the feeling. Come on, let's
go. We -- I need to get out of this
house. Now.
JAKE
Lead the way.
22.
She hurries to the door, stops. Then continues out. Jake
shakes his head.
JAKE
Lara Campbell.
He sighs. He follows her out.
END OF EPISODE
...
Thank you so much for listening to Believer. This episode
was written, directed, and sound designed by Julie Saunders,
with voice acting provided by Mara Hernandez, Sara Gorsky,
Jason Markoff, Julie Saunders, and Archie.
A special thank you to our Patreon supporters. Tomecko,
Vance Barnhill, Peter Larsen, Kristy Smith, Anna of
Amsterdam, and Michael Armes have provided crucial support
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join in yourself, go to Patreon.com/believerpodcast. That’s
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We’ll be back again in two weeks. Until next time, if you’re
standing outside and you sense a strange shadow cast on
everything, and you look up and the moon has turned a sickly
blood red, and you begin to feel something primal and
hungry…check the date. If it’s November 18th or 19th of this
year, you are experiencing the last lunar eclipse of 2021.
23.
Maybe have a glass of red wine and remember that while you
don’t need astrology to validate your own intuition, it
sometimes helps to know that Jupiter, Saturn, Venus and the
Moon are all visible at once and that…probably means
whatever you need it to mean.
See you next time. Bye now.
24.