ANNOUNCER:
And now--
SOUND:
ECHOING FOOTSTEPS
ANNOUNCER:
THE HALL OF FANTASY!
MUSIC:
ECHOING DRUMBEATS ... THEN IN BG
ANNOUNCER:
Welcome to THE HALL OF FANTASY. Welcome to the series of radio dramas dedicated to the supernatural, the unusual, and the unknown. Come with me, my friends. We shall descend into the world of the unknown and forbidden, down to the depths where the veil of time is lifted and the supernatural reigns as king. Come with me and listen to the tale of--
MUSIC:
GONG!
ANNOUNCER:
"The Shadow People"!
DAVID:
Elaine, have you been--? I mean, have you seen anything else since you spoke to me last?
ELAINE:
No, I haven't. Ever since mother died, nothing's happened.
DAVID:
Well, I only hope that--
MR. DAVIS:
(BLOODCURDLING DEATH SCREAM, OFF)
ELAINE:
What's that?
DAVID:
It came from upstairs. Come on!
ELAINE:
(WORRIED EXCLAMATION) Oh!
SOUND:
THEIR HURRIED FOOTSTEPS UP STAIRS, IN BG
ELAINE:
You don't think--?
DAVID:
I don't know what to think. I only hope that--
ELAINE:
Oh, David-- David, if anything's happened to him--
SOUND:
THEIR FOOTSTEPS FROM STAIRS TO DOOR, IN BG
DAVID:
We'll see in a moment.
ELAINE:
There's no light in his room.
DAVID:
You wait here, Elaine.
SOUND:
DAVID'S FOOTSTEPS STRIDE INTO ROOM
DAVID:
Where's the light?
ELAINE:
(OFF) Over to your left.
SOUND:
DAVID'S FOOTSTEPS TO LIGHT SWITCH ... CLICK! OF SWITCH ON ... BEAT ... CLICK! OF SWITCH OFF ... DAVID'S FOOTSTEPS RETURN SLOWLY TO ELAINE
ELAINE:
David? What's wrong? Why didn't you leave the light on?
DAVID:
(BEAT, LOW) Your father's dead, Elaine.
SHADOW:
(HUSHED EVIL LAUGHTER)
MUSIC:
GONG! FOR A CURTAIN
ANNOUNCER:
In just a moment, THE HALL OF FANTASY will present "The Shadow People."
COMMERCIAL:
BREAK
ANNOUNCER:
And now for our story, an original tale of fantasy by Richard Thorne entitled, "The Shadow People."
MUSIC:
EERIE ... THEN IN BG
DAVID:
(NARRATES) Somewhere along the line of your life, you've met them. You have come in contact with -- the Shadow People.
MUSIC:
A MILD ACCENT ... THEN BEHIND DAVID--
DAVID:
(NARRATES) When did we first discuss it? Oh, yes. Brian and Elaine and I. It was in my apartment. There was only one light on in the entire place.
ELAINE:
(STARTLED SHRIEK)
BRIAN:
What's wrong?
DAVID:
Elaine, what's the matter?
ELAINE:
(STAMMERS) Oh, it's silly, I know, but I - I thought I saw something in that doorway over there.
DAVID:
Where?
ELAINE:
Over there, right over there.
SOUND:
DAVID'S FOOTSTEPS, IN BG
ELAINE:
Where are you going, David?
DAVID:
(MOVING OFF) Over to that archway, just to let you know that nothing's here.
SOUND:
DAVID'S FOOTSTEPS STOP ... CLICK! OF LIGHT SWITCH ON
BRIAN:
There, you see, Elaine? Nothing's wrong. Nothing at all.
DAVID:
(OFF) Are you satisfied that there's no one else here but us?
ELAINE:
Yes, I-- Oh, I'm sorry, I just thought that I'd--
SOUND:
CLICK! OF LIGHT SWITCH OFF
ELAINE:
(QUICKLY) Leave the overhead lights on!
DAVID:
(OFF) I'm sorry, I thought that--
ELAINE:
Put them back on, David! Please!
DAVID:
(OFF) All right, Elaine.
SOUND:
CLICK! OF LIGHT SWITCH ON ... DAVID'S FOOTSTEPS SLOWLY RETURN BEHIND--
BRIAN:
Well, what's bothering you, Sis?
ELAINE:
I don't know, it's just that-- (SIGHS) I don't know.
DAVID:
Tell us about it, Elaine. Tell us what's bothering you.
ELAINE:
You promise that you-- You won't laugh at me?
DAVID:
Of course not.
ELAINE:
Brian?
BRIAN:
Well, Elaine, I'm your brother. If something's troubling you, I'd like to know about it.
ELAINE:
All right, then. The reason I was so upset - was the fact that I saw someone or - some thing - standing in that archway.
BRIAN:
But, Elaine, David showed you that there was no one else in here. When the lights were put on, you saw for yourself that we were alone.
ELAINE:
I'm not talking about something you - you can see in the light, Brian. I'm not talking about a human being.
BRIAN:
Then what's it all about, Elaine?
ELAINE:
In darkness, I - I saw something that can't be seen in a lighted area -- and I've seen it several times before.
BRIAN:
You're sure you're not imagining this, Elaine?
ELAINE:
Oh, I don't have that good an imagination, Brian.
DAVID:
How long have you - have you seen this thing, Elaine?
ELAINE:
(SIGHS) Well, it-- It started about six weeks ago. You were in Detroit on business, Brian. Mom and Dad were on vacation. I was in the house by myself -- in the library.
MUSIC:
EERIE, IN BG
ELAINE:
(NARRATES SLOWLY) There was only one light on. I sat in the chair beneath it, reading. Several times, I thought that something was watching me. I felt there was someone in the room with me, standing right in back of me. Every so often, I'd glance back over my shoulder, but - there seemed to be nothing there. And then-- Then I thought I heard someone whispering. I wasn't sure, but when I heard it again, I got up and I - I looked all over the house. Oh, I'm not easily frightened, you know that, but-- But, out in the hallway, it was almost entirely black. Luckily, I was near a light switch. I looked back over my shoulder and - and I saw this huge, hulking shape for the first time. And I heard a voice. Or, rather, the whisper of a voice. I couldn't distinguish the words. But that dark shape seemed to be moving towards me. My hand was on the light switch and I turned it on. The minute the light flooded the hallway--
MUSIC:
OUT ABRUPTLY
ELAINE:
(NARRATES) The shape was gone.
MUSIC:
QUIET PUZZLED TAG, FADES OUT BEHIND--
ELAINE:
(NARRATES) There was nothing there. I was alone again. (BEAT, INSISTENT) As long as there's light, I know it can't hurt me. I know it can't reach me.
BRIAN:
(LIGHTLY) Well, you might have imagined it, you know.
ELAINE:
Oh, of course, that's possible, but I'm sure I didn't. It was so real. (WHISPERS) So real, that shape in the darkness. (BEAT) It was the very essence of evil itself.
MUSIC:
ACCENT FOR A TRANSITION, THEN BEHIND DAVID--
DAVID:
(NARRATES) There was an old man I knew of, a Dr. Hesselius. I'd heard that he knew quite a good deal about the supposed supernatural manifestations which had taken place in the world. I went to him, to see if he knew anything that might explain the events of the story Elaine had told us.
SOUND:
KNOCK ON DOOR ... WOMAN'S FOOTSTEPS TO DOOR WHICH OPENS
WOMAN:
Yes, my good sir? What do you wish?
DAVID:
I have an appointment with Dr. Hesselius.
WOMAN:
Oh, yes, yes. He mentioned something about it. You are Mr. Drake?
DAVID:
Yes.
WOMAN:
If you'll come inside.
DAVID:
Thank you.
SOUND:
DAVID'S FOOTSTEPS IN ... DOOR CLOSES
WOMAN:
Dr. Hesselius is in the study. Please come with me.
SOUND:
THEIR FOOTSTEPS DOWN HALLWAY TO STUDY
WOMAN:
(CALLS GENTLY) Doctor? A visitor for you.
HESSELIUS:
(OFF) Oh, yes. Bring him in.
SOUND:
THEIR FOOTSTEPS INTO STUDY
HESSELIUS:
You may go now.
WOMAN:
Yes, doctor.
SOUND:
WOMAN'S FOOTSTEPS DEPART
HESSELIUS:
Mr. Drake?
DAVID:
Yes.
HESSELIUS:
Sit down, please -- in that chair over there.
DAVID:
Thank you, sir.
SOUND:
DAVID MOVES TO CHAIR AND SITS
HESSELIUS:
Now, what is the nature of your visit to me?
DAVID:
Well, I understand, Dr. Hesselius, that you have a great knowledge of the supernatural manifestations which have occurred on the Earth.
HESSELIUS:
Great knowledge, Mr. Drake? No, hardly that. I have only scratched the surface in my years of study. Perhaps I can help you; then again, perhaps I cannot.
DAVID:
Well, may I tell you a story?
HESSELIUS:
By all means, my good sir.
DAVID:
All right. Now, this didn't happen to me, doctor, but to my fiancée. It seems that about six weeks ago when she was alone-- (FADES OUT)
SOUND:
TRANSITIONAL PAUSE
DAVID:
(FADES IN) --but when the light was on, the dark form disappeared. And that's the story, sir -- as much of it as I can remember.
HESSELIUS:
Mm hm, I see. It's a strange tale you tell.
DAVID:
I'm fully aware of that, Dr. Hesselius.
HESSELIUS:
You say she seemed to hear whispered voices?
DAVID:
Yes, that's what she says.
HESSELIUS:
I see. A moment, please.
SOUND:
HESSELIUS RISES, WALKS OFF
HESSELIUS:
(MOVING OFF) I have a book in my files. (BEAT, OFF) Oh, yes. Here it is. I believe this is the one. Yes.
SOUND:
HESSELIUS' FOOTSTEPS RETURN ... HE SITS AND FLIPS THROUGH THE PAGES OF THE BOOK BEHIND--
HESSELIUS:
Perhaps I may be able to help you after all. Let me see. This is a very ancient book, Mr. Drake. I seem to remember-- Yes! Here is an account of a happening such as you relate. (READS) "And we shall live on the Earth and they shall not see us. Yes, it has been foretold by the Ruler of the Darkness--" (FADES OUT)
MUSIC:
EERIE, IN BG, STARTING AT "THEY WHO LIVE BY DAY"
SHADOW:
(FADES IN, OVERLAPS WITH ABOVE AT "AND THEY SHALL NOT SEE US") And they shall not see us. Yes, it has been foretold by the Ruler of the Darkness. They who live by day -- and retire to sleep by night -- shall never know that we walk with them -- that we watch them -- that we wait for our chance. Only in the night will they see us -- for in the daylight we are not seen. Only in the night, when the darkness grows together, and the forms of the Shadow People are shaped from the blackness, they will know of us-- (FADES OUT)
HESSELIUS:
(OVERLAPS WITH ABOVE, FADES IN, FINISHES READING) "--will know of us and they will know that we are their companions, for we are the Shadow People."
MUSIC:
OUT WITH--
SOUND:
BOOK SET DOWN ON DESK
HESSELIUS:
I knew I had read something similar to the story you have told me, Mr. Drake.
DAVID:
Dr. Hesselius, what can we do?
SOUND:
A FEW PAGES FLIPPED BRIEFLY BEHIND--
HESSELIUS:
Well, give me a little time. Let me see if I can find any more references to these people of the darkness. One more thing, Mr. Drake.
DAVID:
Yes?
HESSELIUS:
Be sure that your fiancée is never left alone at night. Be sure that there is some living thing, animal or human, which accompanies her every second of the night, for she is in danger, Mr. Drake. A terrible danger.
MUSIC:
AN ACCENT ... THEN A GONG! FOR A CURTAIN
COMMERCIAL:
BREAK
ANNOUNCER:
Back now to our story, an original tale of fantasy by Richard Thorne entitled, "The Shadow People."
MUSIC:
EERIE ... THEN IN BG
DAVID:
(NARRATES) That night -- the night of the day I had seen Hesselius -- Elaine's mother died. She died in her sleep. When she failed to appear for breakfast, Elaine's father went upstairs to see what was wrong. When he entered her room, he discovered that she was dead. The family doctor couldn't explain it, for Elaine's mother had been in perfect health.
MUSIC:
AN ACCENT ... THEN BEHIND DAVID--
DAVID:
(NARRATES) A few weeks later, I was out at the house spending a weekend with them. I glanced at the clock on the mantel and it showed eleven.
SOUND:
MUSICAL CLOCK MELODIOUSLY CHIMES ELEVEN ... CONTINUES IN BG
MR. DAVIS:
I can't understand why Brian hasn't returned from town.
ELAINE:
Well, he said he had some extra work to catch up on. He told me this morning that he might be late.
MR. DAVIS:
Well, eleven o'clock -- I'm goin' upstairs. Glad you came out, David. Good seeing you again.
DAVID:
It's a pleasure to be here, sir.
MR. DAVIS:
Well, don't stay up too late. See you both in the morning. (MOVING OFF) Good night.
SOUND:
MR. DAVIS' FOOTSTEPS UP STAIRS DURING FOLLOWING--
ELAINE:
Good night, Dad.
DAVID:
Good night, Mr. Davis.
SOUND:
MR. DAVIS' FOOTSTEPS FADE OUT
ELAINE:
(SIGHS) He isn't the same, David. Ever since Mother died, he hasn't been the same.
DAVID:
I didn't realize that until tonight. He's changed.
ELAINE:
I only hope that he'll start living again. Ever since she died, it - it seems that a part of him died with her.
DAVID:
Elaine, have you been--? I mean, have you seen anything else since you spoke to me last?
ELAINE:
No, I haven't. Ever since Mother died, nothing's happened.
DAVID:
Well, I only hope that--
MR. DAVIS:
(BLOODCURDLING DEATH SCREAM, OFF)
ELAINE:
What's that?
DAVID:
It came from upstairs. Come on!
ELAINE:
(WORRIED EXCLAMATION) Oh!
SOUND:
THEIR HURRIED FOOTSTEPS UP STAIRS, IN BG
ELAINE:
You don't think--?
DAVID:
I don't know what to think. I only hope that--
ELAINE:
Oh, David-- David, if anything's happened to him--
SOUND:
THEIR FOOTSTEPS FROM STAIRS TO DOOR, IN BG
DAVID:
We'll see in a moment.
ELAINE:
There's no light in his room.
DAVID:
You wait here, Elaine.
SOUND:
DAVID'S FOOTSTEPS STRIDE INTO ROOM
DAVID:
Where's the light?
ELAINE:
(OFF) Over to your left.
SOUND:
DAVID'S FOOTSTEPS TO LIGHT SWITCH ... CLICK! OF SWITCH ON ... BEAT ... CLICK! OF SWITCH OFF ... DAVID'S FOOTSTEPS RETURN SLOWLY TO ELAINE
ELAINE:
David? What's wrong? Why didn't you leave the light on?
DAVID:
(BEAT, LOW) Your father's dead, Elaine.
SHADOW:
(HUSHED EVIL LAUGHTER)
MUSIC:
ACCENT ... THEN BEHIND DAVID--
DAVID:
(NARRATES) I had walked into the darkened bedroom. On the bed was Elaine's father. It didn't take a second look for me to know that he was dead. I had switched off the light and walked back into the hallway to tell Elaine what happened. And then from the room there had come an eerie, quiet laughter. In the darkness of that room was some unknown evil power. The voice itself was unearthly. There was no substance to it. It sounded as if - as if it came from the darkness itself.
ELAINE:
(SOBS) No. No, I don't believe you.
DAVID:
It's the truth, Elaine. There's nothing more I can do. We'll have to notify the police.
ELAINE:
Tell me it's not the truth, David! Tell me it's not true!
DAVID:
I'm sorry, Elaine. I wish I could. Your father's dead.
MUSIC:
TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND DAVID--
DAVID:
(NARRATES) After the burial, Dr. Hesselius got in touch with me. He said that he wanted to meet both Elaine and Brian, that he wanted to talk to the three of us. Accordingly, a few nights later, he came out to their house.
HESSELIUS:
Miss Davis, will you tell me just when you saw the first manifestation?
ELAINE:
The night Brian was in Detroit.
HESSELIUS:
Now, Miss Davis, you have even seen this apparition in the company of other people, is that correct?
ELAINE:
Yes. The night at David's apartment.
HESSELIUS:
All right. Now, I'll tell you what I think. You are in deadly danger, Miss Davis. These beings want to claim you. So far, they have had no success. Only in the darkness do they have power. Little by little, step by step, they have been removing the obstacles in their way to reaching you. First your mother and then your father, Miss Davis. Both died in the same fashion. In the darkness, death struck at them. Now tell me, do you feel their presence here in this room as I talk to you?
ELAINE:
(BEAT) Yes.
HESSELIUS:
Turn out the lights, Brian.
BRIAN:
(RELUCTANT) But--
HESSELIUS:
Stand by the switch, if you please, Brian. If anything happens, turn the lights back on.
BRIAN:
All right.
SOUND:
BRIAN'S FOOTSTEPS TO SWITCH
DAVID:
(UNHAPPY) Dr. Hesselius, I don't think--
HESSELIUS:
(INTERRUPTS) Do you want me to continue working with you?
DAVID:
Yes, sir.
HESSELIUS:
All right then. Brian, turn off the lights.
BRIAN:
(OFF) Yes, doctor.
SOUND:
CLICK! OF SWITCH OFF
HESSELIUS:
The room now is in darkness, Miss Davis. Do you feel or see anything?
MUSIC:
QUIETLY EERIE, IN BG
ELAINE:
(PAUSE) No, I-- Yes. (WHISPERS) Yes, I do.
HESSELIUS:
Do you see anything?
ELAINE:
(WHISPERS) Yes.
BRIAN:
(OFF) Doctor, I don't think--
HESSELIUS:
Be quiet, you fool! I know what I'm doing.
ELAINE:
(SLOWLY, ENTRANCED) In front of me -- the darkness -- gathering together -- into a huge, terrible--
SHADOW:
Not only do you see us, Miss Davis, but everyone else in the room also will see the vague shapes forming themselves in the blackness. We do not want you, Dr. Hesselius. The girl, we want. We advise you to drop this case. You'll only bring down the wrath of the Shadow People upon your head. The girl -- we want the girl. Do not stop us. Let us take her now.
MUSIC:
OUT WITH--
ELAINE:
(SCREAMS IN TERROR)
HESSELIUS:
The lights! Turn on the lights!
SOUND:
CLICK! OF SWITCH ON ... BRIAN'S FOOTSTEPS RETURN BEHIND--
BRIAN:
They're - they're gone.
HESSELIUS:
Miss Davis, are you all right?
ELAINE:
(UNNERVED) Yes. Yes, I am.
DAVID:
Just as she said. The darkness. I - I saw it form into something, too.
BRIAN:
So did I! What are we going to do, Dr. Hesselius?
HESSELIUS:
At the present moment, I don't know. But this much I do know. You must leave this house -- immediately. You must try to get out of their reach. I don't know if that is possible. I hope it is. I shall have to return to my home. I must learn if there is some manner by which we can defeat these creatures. For the moment, leave this house. Dispose of it, in any manner you may see fit, but - leave this house.
MUSIC:
AN ACCENT ... THEN A GONG! FOR A CURTAIN
COMMERCIAL:
BREAK
ANNOUNCER:
Back now to our story, an original tale of fantasy by Richard Thorne entitled, "The Shadow People."
MUSIC:
EERIE ... THEN IN BG
DAVID:
(NARRATES) We spent the night in my apartment, the three of us. The following day, Brian and Elaine made arrangements to dispose of the house. In the afternoon, Dr. Hesselius called me and asked that I come to see him.
HESSELIUS:
David, I'm glad you're here.
DAVID:
Anything new, doctor?
HESSELIUS:
Yes -- and no. You realize, of course, that this spiritual manifestation is not new, that it has gone on for centuries.
DAVID:
No, I wasn't aware of that.
HESSELIUS:
It's true, David. De Maupassant wrote what was supposedly a fiction story about the manifestation, David. He called it "The Horla." However, according to the information here on my desk, it was taken from an actual case history. Of course, he embroidered the story, added a few touches to something he didn't realize actually existed.
DAVID:
But have you found anything with which we can fight them?
HESSELIUS:
Everything depends upon an answer I receive from a colleague of mine in Paris, Dr. Henri Renault. I dispatched a telegram to him last night.
DAVID:
Well, why hasn't he answered by now?
HESSELIUS:
There are certain things that must be done. It will take a few days, I'm afraid. We have to wait, David. There's nothing else we can do.
MUSIC:
TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND DAVID--
DAVID:
(NARRATES) In the next few days, the house was sold and Brian and Elaine moved into a newer, more modern home a few miles from my apartment. Hesselius said it might take a few days for "them" to build up their power. I spent the nights at the new house. The lights were left on and I watched for any unusual occurrence. In the daytime, I'd return to my apartment and get some sleep. About four days after Elaine and Brian moved into the new house, I was at home when Hesselius phoned me.
SOUND:
PHONE RINGS ... DAVID RISES FROM BED ... HIS FOOTSTEPS TO PHONE ... RECEIVER UP
DAVID:
Hello?
HESSELIUS:
(FILTER) David?
DAVID:
Yes, Dr. Hesselius?
HESSELIUS:
(FILTER) I hate to tell you this, David.
DAVID:
What's the matter? What's wrong?
HESSELIUS:
(FILTER) They were a step ahead of me, David. I just received word that Renault died -- or was killed -- at the very moment I sent the telegram to him.
MUSIC:
AN ACCENT ... THEN BEHIND DAVID--
DAVID:
(NARRATES) Step by step, "they" had outwitted us, for they had anticipated every move we'd make. Even Dr. Hesselius was at a loss as to what to do. He agreed to meet me at the Davis house.
ELAINE:
What did you want to see us about, Dr. Hesselius?
BRIAN:
Did you find out anything more?
HESSELIUS:
I'm sorry to say that I haven't. At the moment, I'm at a complete loss. I don't know what to do.
DAVID:
But what did you want to see us about this evening?
HESSELIUS:
Merely to check to see if anything else has happened. Miss Davis, have you seen or heard anything?
ELAINE:
Not in the house. Only in my dreams.
HESSELIUS:
Your dreams?
ELAINE:
Yes. When I go to sleep at night -- in my dreams, in the the darkness -- I see them.
HESSELIUS:
Then it's grown worse -- much worse. I was hoping that it would not have progressed so far. There has been no disturbance in this house, but now they disturb your sleep, Miss Davis. Now, you must stay awake for as long as you can. I want the three of you to move into my house. Perhaps that will give you more protection.
MUSIC:
TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND DAVID--
DAVID:
(NARRATES) That night, we moved over to Hesselius' house. Perhaps Elaine would have more protection there. From there, we might be able to devise some plan of action, some way to beat those beings. For a few days, things were quiet. The Shadow People seemed to have withdrawn. For a while, I thought that we might have succeeded in thwarting their purpose. Elaine no longer complained of troubled sleep. But that condition lasted for a few days only. About ten days later, they made themselves known and felt again. That night, we were in the study, when suddenly Hesselius whirled around and--
HESSELIUS:
Elaine! What are you looking at?
ELAINE:
(TENSE) Outside the house -- right where the light leaves off -- I see them.
BRIAN:
She's right, Dr. Hesselius. I can see them, too!
DAVID:
What should we do, doctor?
HESSELIUS:
Nothing.
DAVID:
What do you mean "nothing"?
HESSELIUS:
There's nothing we can do.
BRIAN:
We can't just--
HESSELIUS:
We can't do anything, Brian. Don't you understand that they have us at their mercy? Greatest man in my field was Henri Renault. If he could do nothing against them, what do you think we can do?
ELAINE:
He's right, Brian. There's nothing we can do.
HESSELIUS:
As long as the house remains lighted, just so long will they remain outside. If the lights were to--
SHADOW:
(HUSHED EVIL LAUGHTER)
DAVID:
That sounds like--
ELAINE:
The night father was killed. The same sound! We heard the same sound!
BRIAN:
The lights! What's happened to the lights?
SOUND:
BRIAN, DAVID, AND ELAINE MURMUR IN SURPRISE
HESSELIUS:
Be quiet, please!
SOUND:
HESSELIUS' FOOTSTEPS TO DESK ... DRAWER OPENS ... RUMMAGES THROUGH DRAWER
HESSELIUS:
I thought of this emergency.
SOUND:
MATCH STRUCK!
ELAINE:
A candle!
HESSELIUS:
That's right, Miss Davis. As long as this burns -- this one candle -- we'll be safe, for they cannot advance into the light. They are limited by the darkness. As long as the candle burns, they will have to remain outside of this room.
SHADOW:
(HUSHED EVIL LAUGHTER, SLOWLY) Around you -- in every room of the house -- in the darkness outside -- we are around you. This time, you shall not escape. This time, we will claim you.
SOUND:
BRIAN'S JITTERY BUSTLING
DAVID:
Take it easy, Brian.
BRIAN:
(WILDLY) I can't stand it! I'm getting out of here!
SOUND:
BRIAN'S RUNNING FOOTSTEPS HURRY OFF
ELAINE:
Brian! Come back!
DAVID:
(CALLS) Don't be a fool! (TO ELAINE) I'm going after him.
HESSELIUS:
Stay here!
DAVID:
We can't just let him go.
HESSELIUS:
He won't have a chance. I doubt if he--
BRIAN:
(LENGTHY BLOODCURDLING DEATH SCREAM)
HESSELIUS:
(BEAT) Miss Davis, I'm afraid that your brother is dead.
ELAINE:
(WEEPS FOR A LONG MOMENT)
SOUND:
RISING WIND BLOWS OUTSIDE ... GROWS LOUDER DURING FOLLOWING--
DAVID:
The wind, doctor. Listen to the wind.
HESSELIUS:
I know.
SHADOW:
Yes, doctor. Listen to the wind. You must realize by now that the three of you haven't a chance. You must know in your minds that we can destroy you at any moment we desire. But, Dr. Hesselius, you may still save your own life. Let the others go. Give them to us.
HESSELIUS:
No. No, you will have to take all of us!
SHADOW:
Shall we destroy your life? Shall we move in on you now? (HUSHED EVIL LAUGHTER)
HESSELIUS:
As you wish. Do as you will!
SOUND:
CRASH! OF BROKEN WINDOW PANE ... NOISE OF WIND INCREASES IMMEDIATELY, BLOWING FIERCELY INTO THE ROOM ... CONTINUES IN BG
HESSELIUS:
I'm sorry, David. The candle is out.
SHADOW:
In the darkness -- the figures in the darkness --
ELAINE:
(SCREAMS)
MUSIC:
TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND SHADOW--
SHADOW:
We warned you, Hesselius. You and the others are dead now. And we shall live on the Earth, and man in the day shall not see us. They will know that we wait for our chance, that we walk with them. Only in the night, when the darkness grows together, and the forms of the Shadow People are shaped from the blackness, will they see us. Then they will know that we are their companions. Look next to you. There -- in the shadows. (HUSHED EVIL LAUGHTER)
MUSIC:
GONG! FOR A CURTAIN ... BEAT ... THEN ECHOING DRUMBEATS ... THEN IN BG
ANNOUNCER:
So runs tonight's tale of the unusual, the terrifying, the unknown! Join us again when next we journey down the corridors of THE HALL OF FANTASY to hear another strange tale of the supernatural.
MUSIC:
GONG! FOR A CURTAIN
ANNOUNCER:
All characters and events portrayed in these programs are fictional and any similarity to actual events or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
MUSIC:
ECHOING DRUMBEATS AND FOOTSTEPS ... THEN FADES OUT