Scene 1
[Voice mail tone. Audio occasionally due to poor reception.]
AISLING
(cheerful, slightly tipsy) Hey Yolanda! I swear to god this better go through. I’ve been trying to ring you all evening but the reception here is shite. (chuckles) You seriously should’ve come with us, we’re having the best craic. These glamping pods are a lot smaller than I expected but it’s really cozy. (low, flirty) It’d be a lot cozier with you here.
[A door creaks open. A man’s voice is heard clearly]
DREW
(forced-friendly) Aisling, are you coming inside? We’re about to get started.
AISLING
Great! I’ll be in in a minute. I’m just giving my girlfriend a quick call.
DREW
My bad. I’ll give you some privacy.
AISLING
Thanks Drew!
[The door shuts]
AISLING
Alright I’d better go. Ollie brought Cards Against Humanity. (laughs) Trust me babe you are missing out. I might actually have a chance at winning this time! Promise you’ll come next time. We can go just the two of us, if you want. And if your boss tries to make you work over the weekend again, I’ll personally stick my toe so far up his hole he won’t be able to speak.
Oh and Joanne says “hi”, by the way. (pause, lowers voice) I love you Yolanda. Talk to you tomorrow.
[Robotic female voice, stating “You have no new messages”]
Scene 2
[Starts audio recording on a phone]
YOLANDA
(serious) Okay, it’s… 5:45pm. I just arrived at Sparrowview Glamp Site. The last place Aisling was sighted. I was planning to get here earlier but there was a problem with the car, and I’m still not used to driving on these English country roads. I don’t know how people have the nerve to drive so fast on them.
(sighs) It’ll be sunset soon. I’m not gonna have time to properly scope out the area before dark. But it seems like there’s not much to look at either way. There are only four cabins - actually they’re barely cabins. They’re more like tiny wooden huts. I have no idea why they’re called “pods” but apparently it’s the trendy thing right now. I can see why it was so cheap.
(pause) I’d better check in. The owner seemed kind of edgy on the phone when I said I’d be late. I’ll try to record from my pocket while I’m speaking to him. It’s probably not necessary, but I don’t want to miss anything.
[Recording ends]
Scene 3
[Another recording starts, slightly muffled]
STUART
(first word is cut off) -elcome to Sparrowview. (pause) How can I help you?
YOLANDA
Hi, my name’s Yolanda. We spoke on the phone?
STUART
Ah yes. Yolanda Thompson. (curious) Are your friends waiting outside? I need you all to sign a waiver. It’s just for security reasons.
YOLANDA
Actually it’s just me. I’m staying here on my own.
STUART
Oh? Not often we get girls coming here on their own. (suspicious) What neck of the woods are you from?
YOLANDA
(insert state that matches VA’s accent).
STUART
(grunts) Never been. What brings you all the way out here?
YOLANDA
Oh, I actually live in London now with my… friend. I heard about this place and thought I could use a break from the city.
STUART
Well the city has a way of polluting the soul. People get too wrapped up in made up problems. One night might not be enough for a full detox, but at least it’s a start.
YOLANDA
(awkward laugh)
STUART
Sign here. (pen scratches, pause) Here’s your key. You’re in pod 3. Toilets are in that hut over there. One gents and one ladies. Though I can move you to pod 4 if you’d prefer to be closer to the toilet. Don’t want you running across the site in the dead of night in your dressing gown. It’s due to rain.
YOLANDA
(quickly) No thank you. I’d prefer to stay in pod 3.
STUART
Funny you’d say that.
YOLANDA
What do you mean?
STUART
We had four student-types stay in that pod a couple of weeks ago. Police came sniffing ‘round a few days later. Said they never went home.
YOLANDA
(falters) Oh yeah, I think I heard something about that. Did they… find anything?
STUART
Not a lick. I told them as much.
YOLANDA
Did you see them at all?
STUART
They checked in and that was the last I saw of them. Stayed two nights and must’ve checked out early on the last day.
YOLANDA
Wouldn’t they need to come here to check out?
STUART
Nah. I open up at 9AM sharp. Their key was already in the drop box when I got here that morning. My cleaners said they didn’t leave a thing behind.
YOLANDA
(murmurs) That’s strange.
STUART
(scoffs) Only thing that’s strange about it is they cleaned up after themselves. Didn’t even leave so much as an empty tin of beer.
YOLANDA
What do you think happened to them?
STUART
They clearly went on some kind of bender. Four twenty-something year olds don’t just go missing without a trace.
YOLANDA
Hm… (awkward pause) I noticed there’s only one other car in the parking lot. Are you expecting any more guests tonight?
STUART
That’s my car, but we’ve got one young lad staying in pod 1. Quiet fellow. The other two pods are empty. Why d’you ask?
YOLANDA
I was just expecting you to be booked up. (nervous laugh)
STUART
We usually are at this time of year. Business has taken a hit since those kids went missing. I’ve already had a few cancellations. Having the cops around doesn’t bode well for the hippie types.
YOLANDA
I guess I’ll enjoy the peace and quiet then.
STUART
Well it seems you’ve got everything you need. If there’s any issues, give us a call. Checkout is 11AM sharp. If you’re checking out early, just leave your key in the drop box outside.
YOLANDA
Thank you, I will. Goodnight.
[Door closes. Audio cuts out]
Scene 4
[Audio recording starts]
YOLANDA
It’s almost 6:30PM. I’ve just gotten settled in. There’s no real point in unpacking, since there’s no closet space. This pod looks even smaller on the inside. It’s basically a wooden box with two mattresses and a mini fridge. (nervous laugh) I can’t imagine how it would’ve felt with four people inside…
(clears throat) Anyway, I haven’t learned anything new so far. The owner clearly didn’t know any more than I already did. The police only did a brief sweep of the area, but since Joanne’s car was gone and it looked like Aisling and her friends checked out, they didn’t do any forensic analysis. They’re treating it as a runaway case, and adult runaways apparently aren’t on their priority list.
(sighs) This isn’t like Aisling at all. She’d never run off without telling me. She wouldn’t run off period. She loves London. She loves me. She was so excited to start her new job next month, I know she wouldn’t give that up for anything and that’s what worries me. I’ve tried calling her phone countless times but it seems like it’s switched off. From what I hear from our mutual friends, Joanne and Ollie’s phones are inactive as well.
I’ve only met Joanne a couple of times but she seems sensible. She always makes sure Aisling gets home safe when they go clubbing. From what I hear, her boyfriend Ollie is kind of a party animal, but a good guy. And Drew…(uncomfortable) Ugh. This pod really is small. I’m going to head out. Go for a walk around the area and get a better feel for it. Maybe it’ll give me an idea of where Aisling might have gone. I could use the fresh air.
[Audio cuts off]
Scene 5
[Audio starts. Muted sounds of rain from outside the wooden pod]
YOLANDA
(disheartened) It’s officially 9 pm and I haven’t found a thing. Honestly, I don’t know what I expected to find. I thought the cops just weren’t being thorough enough. They just dismissed a missing person’s case because young drunk college grads apparently don’t count. But there really isn’t much to see around here.
There’s a small forested area around the site, but it’s too sparse to hide anything in. The rest is all hills and fields. It looks nice from a distance, but up close it’s pretty bland. A typical English countryside. There’s a lake on the other side of the road, definitely large enough to hide a car, but I shouldn’t be thinking about that. Anyway, if a car fell into the lake, someone would have noticed.
When Aisling first told me about this place, I didn’t expect to be spending a night here alone. Sipping wine, wondering where she is and if I’ll ever see her again. (sighs) I should have come with her… At least then I’d know. Maybe if I was there, she’d be safe. Whatever happened might not have happened at all.
[Pause before audio cuts off]
Scene 6
[Audio starts. Rain is louder as she stands outside the pod]
YOLANDA
(mildly anxious) It’s almost 10:30PM. I… I thought I heard someone walking by my pod but… no, I don’t see anyone.
(lowers voice) Huh… the light in that pod is on. The owner did say someone else was staying tonight. Some guy, apparently. He must have been coming back from the bathroom. (light-hearted) I say “bathroom”, but it’s basically a glorified porta-potty.
Hmm. I wonder what kind of person would come here all on their own? (nervous scoff) Well, I guess that’s exactly what I’m doing. They must have their own reasons.
[Audio cuts off]
Scene 7
[Audio starts indoors. Muffled rain can be heard falling on the roof]
YOLANDA
(slightly tipsy) Why did I come here? It doesn’t feel like Aisling was here at all. I can imagine her sitting right there, laughing until she makes that cute snorting noise like she always does. (soft chuckle) She really wanted me to come. It was important to her, to make me a part of her friend group. I’m just not used to that kind of thing… She’s the first girl I’ve ever dated. I didn’t even know I (emphasis) liked women until I met her…
I shouldn’t have lied to her. But I didn’t know how to tell her the pods were way too small for me without sounding like a major diva. Pretending I had to work seemed like the best option at the time. Even right now I feel cramped. I don’t know how I’ll manage to get any sleep tonight. I’d open the door but the rain is getting heavier and I can hear a lot of movement outside. It’s probably just the wind. At least I know there’s no bears in England, but I don’t want some badger sneaking in here and crawling into bed with me. (scoffs)
(pause) Something about this just doesn’t sit right with me. I keep listening to her last voice mail over and over, ever since the day she didn’t come home. Hearing my ex boyfriend on her message was definitely a shock. (awkward laugh) Aisling probably didn’t know who he was. She knew I had a boyfriend when I met her, but they never crossed paths. At least… not until they came here. It turns out Drew is friends with Ollie. I guess after I backed out, Drew was available to take my place.
It’s just a… really weird coincidence. I wonder if Drew realized that Aisling is my girlfriend. He didn’t exactly take it well when I said I was bi - or gay, I don’t know. I wasn’t sure at the time. The asshole told me to “pick a side”. Said I was “confused”. I haven’t talked to him since the breakup, even though he kept texting me for a month after that.
(sighs) Still, I hope he’s okay. I hope they’re all okay. I can’t wrap my head around what could have happened to them. Did they get lost on the way back and fall into a ravine? Go off road and lose their memories? Get abducted by a UFO? Or (falters) something worse?
For all I know, whatever it was, happened miles away from here. But I still don’t know for sure. And I’m afraid I never will.
[Long pause before audio cuts out]
Scene 8
[Audio starts in the middle of rapid, relentless banging on the door]
YOLANDA
(anxious, polite) Just give me one sec! (whispers) Who the hell is that? It’s nearly midnight. I pretended I was sleeping but they won’t let up. I’d better bring my key. Aisling taught me how to hold it like a weapon. (murmur) Just in case.
[Door opens]
YOLANDA
Huh? No one’s here…
[Footsteps as Yolanda walks out into the rain]
YOLANDA
(calls) Hello? (pause, shivers) That’s weird. That’s way too weird. Someone was definitely here. I recorded it. That wasn’t just the wind.
[Distant car alarm sounds]
YOLANDA
Is that- hey, that’s my car!
[Audio muffles as phone is pushed into pocket. Sounds of hasty footsteps crunching over a pebble driveway. Car alarm is switched off from a distance with keys]
YOLANDA
(sighs) What set off the alarm? I don’t see-
DREW
(gritty, firm) So you finally came.
YOLANDA
(gasp) Drew! You’re- what the hell? What are you-
DREW
I knew you just couldn’t help yourself.
YOLANDA
What are you doing here? (cautious) Where are the others?
DREW
I can show you.
YOLANDA
We should call the police… They’ve been looking for you. Stay there and I’ll… what happened to your head?
DREW
It’s just a scratch. (menacing) The others look a lot worse. Come with me. I’ll show you.
YOLANDA
(frightened) No, just stay where you are and- No! Get away from me!
DREW
(yelps in agony)
[Audio cuts out]
[Audio briefly comes back in. Frantic footsteps as Yolanda runs over pebbles, gasping and panting. Keys jingle. Car door slams. Tires skid]
DREW
(muffled from distance) Yolanda! Come back! I have to show you-
[Audio cuts out]
Scene 9
[Audio starts with Yolanda fumbling to get phone out of pocket]
YOLANDA
(panicked, panting) Tell me this isn’t happening. This can’t be happening. I can’t… (deep breath) I don’t even know where the hell I’m going. The sat-nav is… shit, I didn’t have time!
(trembling) I can’t believe I did that. I can’t believe the keys worked. Oh no. What if he bleeds out? No, no it was only his leg. It was self-defence. It’s okay. I’ll explain it to the police when I-
[Phone notification sound]
YOLANDA
Huh? A new voice mail? (gasps) It’s Aisling!
[Audio cuts off]
[Voicemail starts playing]
DREW
(low, heavy breathing) Aren’t you a crafty little bitch? I didn’t expect you to stab me in the leg with your (loud, aggressive) fucking (lowers again) car keys. But that doesn’t matter. There’s nothing else you can do to hurt me. Not anymore.
(mocking) Were you glad to see me? After all, you came all this way to find us, right? Or were you just concerned about your (bitter) little lesbian experiment? I doubt you gave a second thought about what happened to Ollie and Joanne. Least of all me. All you care about is (bitter) her.
Now, be a good girl and turn the car around. We both know you’re not going far. You’re nothing more than a babe in the woods. You don’t know where you’re going. You have no one else to turn to. I know you, Yo. I knew you better than anyone else for two whole years. You need to know everything. You’re dying to know every little detail of what happened on our trip. You just can’t help yourself. You’ve always been a nosy, controlling bitch.
(darker) You want to find out what happened to Aisling? Come back to the pods and I’ll show you exactly where she is. Then the two of you can be together forever. Just like you wanted.
[Audio cuts out]
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