The Infernal Circle of Eternal Return Part 2

Brady Hitchcock struggles to maintain his sanity as he is drawn deeper and deeper down into the never-ending whirlpool of eternal return. His mind reels as he relives the same horrific day again and again, and no matter how hard he tries to try and change it, he simply cannot escape his hellish reality. But as hope fades and all seems lost, he realises that to save himself, he must first save young Abby Robbins from the terrifying grip of The Monster.

Transcript

BARON SORDOR'S THEATRE OF THE DOOMED

EPISODE 4: THE INFERNAL CIRCLE OF ETERNAL RETURN PART 2

Written by

Aaron Harvie

Copyright (c) 2024

RALPHUS

There’s an old, decrepit theatre down

the end of a dark, deserted alley. On

the thirteenth night of every month

Baron Sordor throws open his theatre

doors to the lucky few invited to see

the show. The crowd are slowly

ushered inside to take their seats,

whispering in nervous expectation.

Then the music starts to rise and the

red velvet curtains are drawn aside.

A dark figure strides to the edge of

the stage and the audience gasps in

nervous anticipation, because when

the clock strikes midnight, it’s time

for Baron Sordor’s Theatre of the

Doomed.

BARON SORDOR

Thank you dear Ralphus and good

evening honoured guests, I am your

host Baron Vladimir Sordor, welcome

to another night at the Theatre of

the Doomed.

BARON SORDOR (cont'd)

Tonight we bring you the conclusion

of one of the most brain bending and

tantalizing tales of all time, The

Infernal Circle of Eternal Return.

But before we continue dear friends,

I have been asked to warn anybody in

tonight's audience with an ailment of

the heart or nervous condition to

please leave now and listen no

further, for the horrors that await

are simply too much for those weak of

body and mind to endure. For those of

you not cursed with a cowardly

constitution I brace your self for a

tale of terror that will shred your

soul... I give to you, the conclusion

of THE INFERNAL CIRCLE OF ETERNAL

RETURN.

SCENE 13

SFX

(the sound of a tape

rewinding)

SFX (cont'd)

(sound of alarm

ringing)

NARRATOR

7.10 am, Brady Hitchcock’s Apartment.

Brady Hitchcock woke as if still in a

dream. He opens his bloodshot eyes

and peers blearily at the blaring

alarm clock on his bedside table.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

(croaky voice)

Jesus fucking Christ.(groans). What

time is it?

NARRATOR

He reaches over and slams his hand

down hard on the top of the alarm.

SFX

(alarm sound stops)

NARRATOR

Brady lies in his bed letting the

sickly waves of his hangover wash

over him. He considers closing his

eyes and going back to sleep then

remembers he has to go to work.

Slowly, he sits up and swings his

legs over the side of the bed,

ignoring the ruin of his head

screaming in protest. His bedroom is

a disaster. The bedside and the floor

are littered with empty beer cans,

dirty clothes and a quarter-filled

bottle of whiskey. The remnants of an

8-ball of cocaine are spilled across

the top of his dresser. He tries to

stand up and feels his stomach lurch.

His alcoholic hands already shaking

for a drink. Brady reaches down and

grabs the bottle of whiskey, twisting

off the lid and chugging. It's not

till he's almost finished the bottle

that he notices the woman in the bed

beside him.

(MORE)

NARRATOR (cont'd)

Brady recognises her. She's the

barmaid from the Gemini.

SHELIA CRAWFORD

(sleepily)

Mmmm... good morning.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

(in fear)

What the fuck is going? What are you

doing here?

NARRATOR

Brady leaps up from the bed, his eyes

wide and panicked, his brain

desperately trying to process the

insanity it is witnessing before him.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

(panicked)

No, no, no, no, no... This can't be

happening. It's the same... you're

the same.

NARRATOR

Sheila ignores his rude tone and

stretches seductively across the bed,

letting the sheets slip down across

her naked body.

SHELIA CRAWFORD

(seductively)

It's so early. Why don't you come

back to bed?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Why are you here... again?

NARRATOR

Shelia Crawford's face crumples and

she sits up, pulling the sheets over

her naked chest.

SHELIA CRAWFORD

(upset and vulnerable)

What do you mean here again? What’s

with you?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Are you fucking with me? Is some kind

of a joke or something? What the fuck

are you doing in my house?

SHELIA CRAWFORD

(angry)

You fucking prick...

BRADY HITCHCOCK

(panicked)

Last night, at the Gemini, you told

me... you told I was banned from the

bar, you said you never wanted to see

me again.

SHELIA CRAWFORD

No I didn't. I only met you for the

first time last night.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Last night?

SHELIA CRAWFORD

I just started working at my brothers

bar yesterday.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Friday.

SHELIA CRAWFORD

Are you high? Today's Friday. My

first shift was last night, Thursday

night.

NARRATOR

Sheila looks at Brady like he's out

of his mind and gets out of bed,

grabbing her clothes from the floor

and dressing quickly.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

No, you’re wrong. Today’s Saturday,

yesterday was Friday, look I can

prove it.

NARRATOR

Brady runs out from his bedroom out

to the lounge room. It's totally

different. He passed out on the couch

last night. He smashed the TV. But

the lounge room looked like last

night had never happened. The TV was

untouched and the ashtray where it

always was, overflowing in a sea of

beer cans on his coffee table.

(MORE)

NARRATOR (cont'd)

Brady feels his chest get tight and

he runs to the door and opens it,

grabbing the morning paper from out

front of his neighbours door.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

(desperately to

himself)

There's got be be an explanation...

NARRATOR

Brady opens the paper and stops. It's

yesterday's paper. Friday the 4th of

June 1976. It can't be. He remembers

everything that happened yesterday.

How could he forget?

SHELIA CRAWFORD

Alright hon, I'm gonna go.

NARRATOR

Bray looks back at her, waiting to

see his friends or the guys from the

precinct jump out and start laughing

like this was all some kind of joke.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Are fucking with me?

NARRATOR

Sheila smiles politely and kisses him

on the cheek, squeezing past him and

starting down the hall.

SHELIA CRAWFORD

If I was you I'd drink some coffee or

something doll before you go to work

today. I'll see you around, alright?

NARRATOR

He stands in his doorway watching

Sheila disappear down the stairs.

Then, as if on cue, his phone starts

ringing.

SFX

(phone ringing)

NARRATOR

Brady's breath catches in his throat

and his heart seems to skip a beat.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

(scared and timid

voice)

Hello?

CAPTAIN FRANK DODD

(phone voice)

Brady, is that you?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Yeah.

CAPTAIN FRANK DODD

Jesus, you sound like shit.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

I'm... I'm okay.

NARRATOR

Brady's hands become clammy and he

starts to feel faint. This is all too

familiar.

CAPTAIN FRANK DODD

(phone voice)

(dubious) Yeah alright Brady, if you

say so. We gotta call, this is

serious. Another girl went missing

last night...

BRADY HITCHCOCK

The... (gulps) Monster.

CAPTAIN FRANK DODD

(phone voice)

Yeah that's right. All Metro officers

have been called in to help.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

So... does this mean I'm on active duty again?

CAPTAIN FRANK DODD

(phone voice)

Active duty? Are fucking drunk or

something? You better be ready in

fifteen minutes or there'll be hell

to pay...

NARRATOR

Brady hangs up the phone and walks to

the kitchen, grabbing what's left of

a bottle of vodka from the freezer.

He closes his eyes and drinks till

he's almost sick. He repeats this

can't be real over and over and over

again in his head, hoping he will

open his eyes and see his TV smashed

and everything back the way it should

be. But when he opens his eyes it's

just the same. Like yesterday never

happened. He dresses like he is in a

trance, pulling on the first thing he

can find on the floor then cuts

himself two long lines of coke and

heads out the door.

SCENE 14

NARRATOR

7.35 am, Detective Lee Lucas’s Sedan.

Brady Hitchcock seems unusually quiet

as he gets into Detective Lucas's

shitty brown Ford.

LEE LUCAS

Morning Sergeant.

NARRATOR

Brady timidly nods hello, retrieves

his silver hip flask from his jacket

pocket and takes a swig. Lee Lucas

glances over at him and frowns

dissaprovingly but remains light

lipped, his eyes on the road. They

sit in silence for some time before

Brady turns to him and snaps.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

You too, huh?

LEE LUCAS

Mee too what?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

This has gotta be some kind of joke

or something? Did the guys at the

station put you up to this?

LEE LUCAS

I don't understand Sergeant, put me up to what?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

This. This whole fucking thing is a

joke isn’t it? It's got to be.

LEE LUCAS

What thing?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

We just did this yesterday.

LEE LUCAS 

Did what?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

This. The whole fucking day. You came

and picked me up, we went to the

crime scene then I did a whole

fucking report to the state police.

LEE LUCAS

I don’t know what...

BRADY HITCHCOCK

(interrupting angrily)

They found the fucking girl in a bag

in the river last night. You were

there with me, you were fucking right

there...

LEE LUCAS

No I wasn’t sergeant. We were

following up leads on the Kingston

homicide yesterday.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

No, that was Thursday, I'm talking

about yesterday. Friday.

LEE LUCAS

Today's Friday sir. Yesterday we got

a call about a boating accident... a

girl from the lakes was killed when

Jimmy Kingston ran his boat into a

bridge. You tried to beat him up in

the holding cell...

NARRATOR

Brady looks at him like he's losing

his mind. But Lee Lucas isn't lying.

He's telling the truth, Brady can see

the genuine confusion and earnestness

in his eyes. Nausea begins to radiate

from Brady's stomach and he feels his

body lurch, his equilibrium shifting

as if he was on a boat in rough seas.

NARRATOR (cont'd)

Brady takes a deep breath and tries

to rationalize what is happening. Was

this some kind of drug induced

psychosis he was experiencing or

stress or a fucking tumour in his

brain? But how could he be losing his

grip on reality if he was aware of

it? Someone who's lost their mind

doesn't think their insane. It's just

the opposite. They think they're

perfectly normal. So how could he try

and rationalize what was happening to

him?

LEE LUCAS

Are you okay sergeant?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

I don't think I know anymore.

SCENE 15

NARRATOR

7.52 am, the EZ Mart. Brady follows

Lee Lucas past the police line and

into the carpark. Police buzz around

him but he barely notices. He feels

like he is in a dream, his mind

reeling from the scene playing out in

front of him. Nothing seems real.

There was no explanation for what is

happening, no rational one anyway,

and as every moment that passes Brady

feels his grip on reality slip

further and further from his grasp.

LEE LUCAS

Alright, what have we got.

NARRATOR

Lee Lucas calls over Officer Dailey

and starts talking to him while Brady

stands there mute, staring at them

both with bug eyes.

OFFICER DAILEY

I think, that is, we think it could

be the Monster again.

NARRATOR

Detective Lucas glances back at Brady

waiting for him to say something.

After an uncomfortably long silence

Officer Dailey clears his throat

nervously and continues.

OFFICER DAILEY

There’s a severed finger over there

if you want to see?

LEE LUCAS

Sergeant? Do you want to have a look?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Uh, yeah, okay.

NARRATOR

Brady follows Detective Lucas and

Officer Dailey across the lot,

listening to them have the same

conversation he had the day before.

NARRATOR (cont'd)

When they reach the crime scene

photographer Steve Gilmore and Dr

Amanda Pyke they both look up and say

hello, engaging in the exact same

small talk they did the day before.

Everything is the same as it was

before. The girls severed finger is

curled up on the bitumen in a dried

puddle of blood, the fingernail

painted with glitter polish, the lone

red sneaker sits on the other side of

the lot. Brady nods and smiles

desperately trying not to scream or

throw up.

LEE LUCAS

Looks just like the others.

DR AMANDA PYKE

Injuries look consistent with the

other victims. Judging by the

lividity I'd say she was attacked

about 8 to 10 hours ago, which fits

the timeline.

NARRATOR

Just then Abby Robbins parents arrive

at the crime scene. The girls mother

is hysterical, her face a mess of

pain and tears and mascara. Her

husband tries his best to keep her

from collapsing on the street. Brady

watches them with his mouth agape,

his eyes so wide it looks like they

might fall right out of his head.

DR AMANDA PYKE

Brady, come see me around noon. I

should have a report for you then.

NARRATOR

Brady doesn't reply.

LEE LUCAS

Sergeant? Are you okay?

OFFICER DAILEY

(from across the

carpark)

Sergeant Hitchcock, sir.

NARRATOR

Brady looks up to see Officer Dailey

walking over and waving his arms to

get his attention.

OFFICER DAILEY

Sergeant, we just got word from

Captain Dodd over the radio. He needs

back at the station ASAP.

NARRATOR

Whatever is left of Brady's tenuous

grip on reality slips.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

I... I... can’t do this.

OFFICER DAILEY

Sergeant Hitchcock sir, Captain Dodd

told me to tell you that the state

police are coming in for a briefing

at nine and if we weren’t there that

you should go find yourself another

job.

NARRATOR

Brady shakes his head and backs away,

panic gripping his chest like a vice.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

I have to go... I can't be here

anymore. I need... I need borrow

someone’s car.

NARRATOR

Lee Lucas throws him his keys.

LEE LUCAS

Take my car, I'll take care of this

and meet you at the station later.

SCENE 16

NARRATOR

9.25 am. Home of Heidi Hitchcock.

Brady screeches to a halt in front of

his estranged wife’s house. He is

hyperventilating and in the grips of

a panic attack. He keeps mumbling to

himself, assuring himself that he's

okay. Brady notices blood on his

hands and when he releases his white

knuckle grip on the steering wheel he

realizes he was holding it so tight,

he'd split the webbing of his

fingers. He tries to calm himself but

he feels like a frightened animal.

Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Brady

drinks the rest of his flask then

snorts two huge lines off the

dashboard before he stumbles out of

the car and up the drive to the

house. He knocks on the door, then

listens for the familiar and

comforting sounds of her footsteps

coming down the hall. Heidi opens the

door with a smile... till she sees

Brady.

HEIDI HITCHCOCK

What are you doing here Brady?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Look... I just need to ask you

something.

HEIDI HITCHCOCK

(sniffs the air) Are you drunk?

You're fucking drunk aren't you?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

I’m not drunk... I...

HEIDI HITCHCOCK

(through gritted

teeth)

You fucking piece of shit. How dare

you come to my house drunk.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Look baby, it’s not like that. I've

got a serious...

HEIDI HITCHCOCK

(cutting him off)

Don’t you ever call me baby you

fucking shit...

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Stop... please... Look, I don’t want

to fight. I just want to as you

something. Do you remember yesterday?

HEIDI HITCHCOCK

Are you serious?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Do you remember us meeting at the

diner yesterday?

HEIDI HITCHCOCK

If this is some kind of trick...

BRADY HITCHCOCK

No, that's not it. Look, can I talk

to you Heidi? I'm mean really talk,

me and you without the baggage?

HEIDI HITCHCOCK

It's not even ten in the morning and

you're falling down drunk Brady.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

I... I... think I’m having a

breakdown. Tell me straight okay, did

we meet yesterday and talk about the

divorce?

HEIDI HITCHCOCK

No, we didn't.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

(desperately)

I think I’m losing my mind Heidi. I

don’t know who to talk to about this

but you. This all happened, this

entire day has already happened...

and I’m living it again.

NARRATOR

Tears well in Brady's eyes as he

looks at his wife, imploring her to

open her heart and understand what he

is trying to say.

HEIDI HITCHCOCK

(furious)

You piece of shit. I knew you were

fucking high. You think you can fuck

with me cause your police? My lawyer

said I can get a restraining order

against you... he said you’ll never

see Ellie again!

BRADY HITCHCOCK

(pleading)

Please, Heidi, please. You gotta help

me. I don't know what else to do. You

loved me once, didn’t you? Please...

I need...

HEIDI HITCHCOCK

(interrupting)

I don’t give a fuck what you need

Brady. I never loved you... you hear

me? Not ever.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

(in tears)

Heidi please...

HEIDI HITCHCOCK

I don't want to see you again Brady,

I don't want you around Ellie

anymore, you hear me?

NARRATOR

Before Brady can answer Heidi screams

in frustration and slams the door in

Brady's face.

SFX

(door slamming)

HEIDI HITCHCOCK

(muffled)

You'll be hearing from my lawyer.

SCENE 17

NARRATOR

10.05 am Port Perte Metro Police

Station. Brady Hitchcock stumbles

into the station. He is drunk and

high, having finished a fifth of

whiskey out in the parking lot and

snorting what was left of his

cocaine. Everything is a blur, he can

barely keep his red raw eyes focused

in front of him. As he walks into the

bullpen the door to Captain Dodd's

office swings open and Police Chief

Greaves and Mayor Finn storm out. As

soon as he sees Brady, Mayor Finn and

comes over to chastise him.

MAYOR FINN

(angry)

There you are Sergeant. So nice of

you to join us.

NARRATOR

Brady steadies himself against the

desk beside him and nods

incoherently.

MAYOR FINN

(angry)

You were supposed to be here an hour

ago briefing us on the Monster case.

What the hell have you got to say for

yourself?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

I'm sorry sir... I... was.

NARRATOR

Mayor Finn shakes his head in fury.

MAYOR FINN

This is your lead detective Captain

Dodd? A drunk. Look at him, he can

barely stand up. No wonder this case

is a fucking disaster. I should have

your badge Captain for allowing this

embarrassment to serve on our force.

CAPTAIN FRANK DODD

Look, this has been a hard morning

for all of us. I can assure you that

Sergeant Brady is an officer of

integrity.

NARRATOR

Whatever is left of Brady's rational

mind snaps. He lunges at Mayor Finn,

grabbing him by his lapel and

smashing his fist into his face,

breaking his nose in a spurt of snot

and blood. They tumble to the floor

and Brady pins him, smashing his fist

into his face in a crazed fury, then

grabs his head and slams it into the

floor again and again until it slaps

with a with thump. It takes four

officers to drag Brady off Mayor

Finn. Brady screams and fights like

an animal, screaming about how he is

losing his mind, how he is living the

same day over again.

NARRATOR (cont'd)

1.51 pm Port Perte Remand Centre.

Brady sits in the cell, his eyes

locked on the floor. He mumbles to

himself every now and then, telling

himself that this isn't real, that

none of this is real. Just before a

quarter past two a guard ducks his

head in and tells Brady that Mayor

Finn has died in surgery.

NARRATOR (cont'd)

4.22pm Port Perte Municipal Court.

Brady is led into court to be

arraigned. His lawyer tells him not

to say anything, that he'll come see

him Monday morning to discuss his

defence. Before the judge says

anything Brady starts screaming

hysterically, insisting he knows where

the Abby Robbins is going to be

dumped. It takes three officers to

restrain him and the judge orders

Brady to held without bail.

NARRATOR (cont'd)

8.48pm Port Perte County Jail. Brady

Hitchcock is led into the protected

wing of the lock up and takes a seat

on the furthest bench away from

informants and low lives. He ignores

the drone of the TV and says no to

dinner, curling up on the bench and

crying until sleep finally takes him.

SCENE 18

SFX

(the sound of a tape rewinding)

SFX (cont'd)

(sound of alarm ringing)

NARRATOR

7.10 am, Brady Hitchcock’s Apartment.

Brady Hitchcock woke as if still in a

dream. He opens his bloodshot eyes

and peers blearily at the blaring

alarm clock on his bedside table.

His booze soaked, drug addled mind

kicks into gear and he sits up,

expecting to be in jail. But he's

not. He's laying in his bedroom,

hungover, the barmaid sleeping beside

him. Brady starts screaming

hysterically and the woman beside him

wakes and jumps back against the

headboard, as if trying to escape

from some unseen attacker.

SFX

(hysterical screaming)

SHELIA CRAWFORD

(scared)

What's happening? Are you okay?

NARRATOR

Sheila scrambles from the bed,

pulling the bedclothes across her

chest. Brady curls up into a ball and

starts rocking on the bed in a foetal

position.

SHELIA CRAWFORD

Jesus, are you overdosing? Have you

taken something?

NARRATOR

Brady's eyes roll back in his head

and he starts moaning as if in agony.

Sheila looks at the naked man, then

casts her eyes across the room. The

empty bottles. The coke on the

dresser. She dresses quickly and

grabs the phone.

EMERGENCY OPERATOR

(phone voice)

Please state the nature of your

emergency.

SHELIA CRAWFORD

Shit... uh, yeah, I need an ambulance.

EMERGENCY OPERATOR

(phone voice)

Slow down miss. It's alright. Take a

deep breath.

SHELIA CRAWFORD

Fuck you... he's fucking

overdosing... please...

EMERGENCY OPERATOR

(phone voice)

What is your location?

SHELIA CRAWFORD

Sheila looks around frantically. She

grabs his pants from the floor then

jacket, tearing at his pockets till

she finds his wallet.

SHELIA CRAWFORD (cont'd)

Yeah okay... it's apartment 213, 924

North 25th Street.

NARRATOR

She sees his police shield and backs

away, dropping the phone before

running out of the apartment.

EMERGENCY OPERATOR

(phone voice)

Hello? Are you there? Miss? Are you

there?

NARRATOR

8.32 am 924 North 25th Street.

Emergency vehicles fill the street in

front of the apartment block.

Detective Lee Lucas helps guide a

stretcher towards the ambulance

parked out front. Brady Hitchcock is

strapped to the gurney catatonic and

drooling. Captain Dodd stands

solemnly nearby, his face a mask of

stoic sadness. They watch as Brady is

loaded into the ambulance.

NARRATOR (cont'd)

When the doors close Lucas turns to

his Captain and says he’s amazed that

Sergeant Hitchcock lasted as long as

he did with all the drugs he was

taking. The Captain nods sadly and

says that the state mental

institution will give Brady the help

he needs.

SCENE 19

SFX

(Montage of rewinding

tape, back and forward)

NARRATOR

Brady Hitchcock's life is like a

dream. He wakes the next day and

doesn’t even get out of bed. He does

the same thing the next day and the

day after that. Every day his

depression grows and grows and every

day he is discovered catatonic in bed

and shipped to the state mental

institution. Days become weeks...

Brady's rejects reality and hides

from the world around him. Time knows

no bounds like his own melancholy.

But one day, the pile of his own self

pity finally teeters and falls and

Brady pulls himself out of bed. He

gazes into the abyss of his soul and

what gazes back is twisted and angry

and full of hate. He has never felt

so alone, so betrayed and forgotten,

and a homicidal desire to extract

some semblance of vengeance from the

indifference of the universe flares

brightly in his heart.

NARRATOR (cont'd)

At that moment something snaps inside

of Brady's head. He calmly crosses

the room and retrieves his gun from

its holster then shoots the barmaid

asleep in his bed till she is dead.

He feels nothing. Brady dresses

quickly, ignoring the phone and

heading downstairs to wait for his

partner. As soon as Lee Lucas arrives

he calmly walks over to the car,

shoots Detective Lucas in the face

before dumping his body on the side

of the road and driving off in his

car. He arrives at his old house, the

house where his ex-wife and daughter

live. Fifteen minutes later the three

of them are dead.

NARRATOR (cont'd)

Each day that follows is filled with

atrocities, each worse than the next.

(MORE)

NARRATOR (cont'd)

The horror in Brady's mind knows no

limits but all the murders and mass

shootings and executions do not break

the infernal circle of eternal return

he his mind is trapped inside. Soon

he turns his anger inward, taking his

own life over and over and till one

day, without realizing why, he finds

himself here...

SCENE 20

SFX

(the sound of a tape rewinding)

NARRATOR

2.09 pm Offices of Dr Dawn Clearer

PhD. Brady walks into the

psychiatrists’ office and sits down.

He looks pale and drawn and he

fidgets nervously.

DR DAWN CLEARER

Well, I'm surprised to see you here

today. I didn't think you'd be

returning after our last session.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Yeah, sorry about that.

DR DAWN CLEARER

It's your time Sergeant. What you get

out of these sessions is entirely up

to you.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Alright. And we can talk about

anything, right?

DR DAWN CLEARER

Of course.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Well, I don't know how to explain

this. I've been living the same day

over and over again.

DR DAWN CLEARER

Go on.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

It's like I'm trapped in a déjà vu,

but it's not one moment, it's an

entire day, the same day that keeps

repeating again and again. It's been

going on for so long... I feel so

alone, so trapped. Everything has

become meaningless. At first I

thought it was all the drugs, that I

was having some kind of psychosis or

some kind of breakdown but now...

I... I don't what's real anymore.

DR DAWN CLEARER

Exactly what drugs are you taking?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

I drink. A lot.

DR DAWN CLEARER

How often?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Everyday.

DR DAWN CLEARER

Go on.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Whatever gets me through the day.

DR DAWN CLEARER

And why do you think you do this?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

To cope. You can't see what we see on

the job and then come home and play

happy families, at least I couldn't

anyway.

DR DAWN CLEARER

And are you coping now?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

No. I'm so lost right now. Can you

help me? I think I might be losing my

mind. Is there something you can do?

DR DAWN CLEARER

You said before you felt as if you

were living the same day over and

over again. Were you speaking

literally?

NARRATOR

Brady could see red flags waving in

Dr Clearer's eyes as she leant

forward and waited for his answer. He

chose his next words carefully, ever

mindful of being carted off to the

State Hospital again.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

(cautiously)

No... but what's the difference?

I take coke, quaaludes, smack...

DR DAWN CLEARER

Well, if I thought you were speaking

literally it would have cause for

concern. That type of delusion is

very serious and could be a symptom

of a much larger problem like DPRD,

depersonalization-derealization

disorder. But that is very rare. What

you seem to be describing to me is

some type of existential crisis.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

What does that mean?

DR DAWN CLEARER

The human mind has many ways of

dealing with stress. An existential

crisis is the feeling of unease

experienced by an individual when

contemplating the very meaning of

their life or the choices and

freedoms within it. What is the

meaning of life? Am I insignificant

in the face of an infinite universe?

To put it simply, this anxiety can

cause people to feel that their life

is inherently pointless. With the

breakdown of your marriage and the

possibility of not only losing your

job but also facing criminal charges

and incarceration it is not all that

surprising you feel as if your life

is falling apart, that you have no

control anymore. Dr Irving Yalom

identifies what he calls the four

ultimate concerns of life which are-

death, freedom, isolation, and

meaninglessness. It is not uncommon

for somebody confronted with one or

more of these concerns to experience

problems with addiction and

depression as well as anti-social and

compulsive behaviour. When things

change dramatically in your work life

or in relationships, especially when

dealing with feelings of loss, people

may relive or even mourn significant

moments in their life, regretting

decisions they've made and ultimately

where that has led them.

DR DAWN CLEARER (cont'd)

You know Friedrich Nietzsche spoke of

Eternal Recurrence, he said that said

we are all destined to live the same

life over and over again without

change or control of its outcome.

NARRATOR

Brady looks up at Dr Clearer in

complete shock, as if she had just

looked right inside of his mind and

witnessed what had been happening for

these past days, weeks and months.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Right there, that's what's happening

to me. What you said just then...

Eternal Recurrence. What does that

mean?

DR DAWN CLEARER

Eternal Recurrence or eternal return

as it is sometimes known, frames

existence in terms of endlessly

repeating cycles. Put simply, time is

a circle, it repeats itself in an

infinite loop, and the same events

will continue to occur in exactly the

same way, over and over again, for

eternity. How literally you want to

interpret that is up to you, but I

must warn you, this is a

philosophical principle, a thought

experiment at best, rather than an

actual psychological condition

Sergeant.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Can someone actually experience this

and be conscience of it?

DR DAWN CLEARER

Well, we are all at the mercy of

ever-shifting perspectives Sergeant.

The truth is that as a cosmological

principle, it is not clear to what

extent, if at all, that even

Nietzsche believed in the truth of

it. But there was a famous Russian

esotericist by the name of P. D.

Ouspensky who did.

DR DAWN CLEARER (cont'd)

As a child, he was prone to vivid

sensations of déjà vu and when he

grew older and encountered the theory

of eternal return in the writings of

Nietzsche, it occurred to him that

this was a possible explanation for

his experiences.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Go on.

DR DAWN CLEARER

He wrote a book about man who

convinces a magician to send him back

to his childhood and give him the

chance to live his life over again.

The magician agrees, but warns him

that he will be unable to correct any

of his mistakes. This turns out to be

true; and although he knows in

advance what the outcome of his

actions will be, he is unable to keep

himself from repeating them. In

despair he asks the magician whether

there is any way to change this. The

magician says there is, but that he

must first change himself or be

doomed to repeat the same mistakes

forever.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

How do you mean, change myself?

DR DAWN CLEARER

We must all look at ourselves and

understand how our actions both

effect and create the world the we

live in.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

I think I understand.

DR DAWN CLEARER

I would like to remind you again

Sergeant that eternal return is a

philosophical theory not a clinical

condition. If you are actually

feeling like you are living the same

day over and over again then there is

some cause for concern. Symptoms of

DPRD coupled with what could be a

form of drug induced psychosis

require an immediate mental status

examination.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Thanks doc, I'm alright. You've

really given me a lot to think about.

NARRATOR

Brady smiles politely at Dr. Clearer

and gets up to leave. She looks at

him with great concern.

DR DAWN CLEARER

Sergeant Hitchcock, I cannot stress

this more clearly, if you are

suffering from feelings of alienation

and emotional disconnection as if

you're living in a movie or a dream

as well as experiencing distortions

in the perception of time and not

being able to differentiate the past

from the present I urge you to give

my office a call. In the meantime

I'll prepare a report for the

department.

NARRATOR

That afternoon Brady returns to his

apartment a changed  man. What Dr

Clearer explained is a revelation. He

thinks about what his wife said to

him that day at that cafe... that

he'd never done a thing for anyone

but himself. She's right. He has to

change. But while the truth is

finally sinking in, Brady begins to

understand that no matter what he

does, he cannot change the shitty

things he’s already done in his life.

Not in one day. He he cannot change

what he's how he's treated his wife

or his daughter or the hundreds of

people he's fucked over in his life,

including the poor bastard in laying

in the ICU right now. No matter what

he does he's still probably going to

be dismissed from the force or

imprisoned for what he's done. All he

can do is reap what he has sewn. The

only thing he can change is what

happens today. He cannot save

himself, but he can try and save that

little girl.

SCENE 21

SFX

(sound of alarm ringing)

NARRATOR

7.10 am Brady Hitchcock’s Apartment.

Brady Hitchcock woke as if still in a

dream. He opens his bloodshot eyes

and peers blearily at the blaring

alarm clock on his bedside table.

The doctors words ring out through

the fog of his alcohol soaked brain.

Brady turns off the alarm and sits up

as the sickly waves of his hangover

wash over him. He politely asks the

barmaid to leave all the while trying

his best to avert his eyes from the

bottle of whiskey at his feet. He

breaks out in a cold sweat and starts

shaking, the alcohol withdrawals

almost too much for him to handle.

Then the phone rings. He listens to

the Captain's briefing then nausea

overcomes him and he runs to the

toilet and is violently ill. His mind

may want to change but his body

cannot, well not right away anyway.

The only way he can get through he

day is to keep on drinking. He too

far gone to quit cold turkey. Brady

drinks until his equilibrium returns

then dresses then meets Lucas out the

front of his apartment and heads to

the crime scene.

NARRATOR (cont'd)

11.02 am Port Perte Metro Police

Station. Brady goes through the

motions at the EZ Mart then heads

back to the station where he gives

his report and waits for the Captain

to call him in his office and give

him his ultimatum. When the Captain

is through Brady sends Lucas out to

follow up the door knock interviews

and decides to immerses himself in

the case files. For the next hour he

scours the reports, looking for

anything that might help break the

case.

(MORE)

NARRATOR (cont'd)

He knows the two witness statements

they have are useless, neither Howard

Granger at 48 Broad Street or Sharon

Brown at 22 Boulder Lane saw anything

worth following up. He knew this

because he'd interviewed them both

dozens of times. Even Sharon's

husband Daryl was a dead end. Then

Brady sees Officer Kember and Officer

Horton walk into the bullpen.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Hey, did you two do the door knock

interviews for Abbie Robbins case

this morning ?

OFFICER HORTON

Uh-huh.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Got a minute?

OFFICER KEMBER

Sure Sarge, what can we do for you?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

How'd they go?

OFFICER KEMBER

It was late, nobody saw a thing.

OFFICER HORTON

Didn't Detective Lucas give you our

report?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

He did, I looked through before. You

only got two statements. That's

pretty light.

NARRATOR

The officers look at each other

confused.

OFFICER KEMBER

Three Sarge.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

There's only two in the report.

OFFICER HORTON

No sir, we interviewed three people.

NARRATOR

The officers both get out their

notebooks and skim through till they

find the right page.

OFFICER HORTON

Howard Granger at 48 Broad Street.

Ummm, Sharon Brown, 22 Boulder Lane.

and Doreen Hanson 108 Meadow Ave.

NARRATOR

Brady opens the case file on his desk

and shows them their signed report.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Look. Doreen Hanson. She's not in

here. No record of the interview at

all.

NARRATOR

The officers look at the report, both

confused as to why the interview is

missing.

OFFICER HORTON

I don't know how that happened.

OFFICER KEMBER

Yeah Sarge, we definitely filed that

report.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Well, someone fucked up, didn't they?

Tell me who she is, what did she see.

OFFICER HORTON

Not too much. She lives alone, in her

late eighties, and seemed quite

confused. Dementia maybe. She was

convinced someone was running through

her yard last night.

NARRATOR

Brady grabs his coat from the back of

his chair and heads for the door.

OFFICER HORTON

Where you going Sarge?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Where do you think? To follow up

Doreen Hanson.

SCENE 22

NARRATOR

12.45 pm 108 Meadow Ave. The house on

Meadow avenue is two blocks down from

where Abby Robbins lives. It looks as

if it was recently abandoned, the

once well-maintained yard was now

neglected with overgrown garden beds

and the fall leaves left to rot on

the ground. Weeds poke up through the

ornamental white pebble drive and the

low hanging tress at the front of the

property cast long shadows across the

house. Brady gets out of his car and

walks up the drive, the soft crunch

of pebbles beneath his feet breaking

the eerie silence around the house. A

dog starts howling from out the back.

It sounds as if it was hungry or in

pain. There's an air about this

place, a feeling of neglect and

decay. A cold wind rises and the

leaves rustle and whisper as they

blow across the yard. Brady knocks

loudly at the front door and listens

for footsteps but the house is quiet.

He knocks again then walks over to

one of the front windows and peeks

inside. Shadows fall across the room

and it hard to make anything out. It

looks like the shape of a person on

the floor and he taps the window and

calls out loudly to see if they move,

but nothing. There's no one home.

Brady peeks in one more time before

heading back to his car. For some

reason goose flesh crawls up his

spine as he walks away from the

house.

SCENE 23

NARRATOR

8.08 pm Port Perte Metro Police

Station. After Brady left the home at

108 Meadow Ave he walked the route

from Abbie Robbins house to the crime

scene, trying to imagine the girl

walking down the dark suburban

street. When he reached the EZ Mart

he scoured the car park and

interviewed the manager again, before

door knocking every house within a

two block radius. But it was just

like the two officers said. No one

saw a thing.

NARRATOR (cont'd)

When he was finished with the door

knocks Brady headed over to the

library where he checked out several

books by Nietzsche and Ouspensky that

Dr Clearer had discussed with him

then returned to the station and

started reviewing the files in the

Monster case. Two murders. One

abduction. One mysterious phone call.

The two murder victims were Ellie

Rose 14 and Raynor Langton 12. They

lived in different neighbourhoods and

went to different schools. Neither

had anything in common with each

other or Abbie Robbins other than all

three have had been picked up by the

police for petty crimes. Perturbed by

his lack of progress Brady realizes

that evidence simply isn't there to

solve these cases or save Abbie

Robbins. In order to make a break in

the case he needs to figure out if

there was a third victim out there,

if the mysterious phone call they got

months ago was from the killer or

some shitbag teenager with too much

time on his hands. Brady waits for

the events of the evening to play

out, first helping Captain Dodd with

the State Police hand over then

getting told he's facing criminal

charges for the assault of John

Bailey. Brady waits till after the

Monster calls the station at 8.06 pm,

then asks to speak to the Captain

privately.

CAPTAIN FRANK DODD

Make it quick Brady. I don't really

have time for your bullshit right

now.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Look, I think I know where the killer

is going to dump the body.

CAPTAIN FRANK DODD

How the fuck could you possibly know that?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Call it a hunch. We need to have

surveillance set up at Orleigh Park,

tonight.

CAPTAIN FRANK DODD

You're full of shit.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

I'd stake my badge on it.

CAPTAIN FRANK DODD

(laughs)

You're badge isn't worth anything

Brady. Besides, the State Police are

calling the shots now, it's outta my

hands.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Well... let me go then. Just let me

take a car on my own. Please Captain,

you said it yourself, I'm probably

facing criminal charges over the John

Bailey thing, they'll probably

suspend me next week. Let me help,

even if it's just for a little while

longer.

CAPTAIN FRANK DODD

(reluctantly)

Yeah alright. I'll tell Captain

Gibson I've got someone covering

Orleigh Park.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Thanks Captain. I appreciate it.

CAPTAIN FRANK DODD

But Brady... no more fuck ups. I

can't cover for you anymore.

SCENE 24

NARRATOR

8.32 pm Port Perte, Orleigh Park.

Brady sits alone in his car parked in

the lot across from Orleigh Park

where the body is going to be found.

He feels anxious, nervous even, and

his stomach twists in knots. The park

ahead is dark, bathed only in the

soft glow of the street lights that

run along the pathway on the waters

edge. It is cold and there is the

scent of saltwater in the air. Across

the bay he can see the bright lights

of the shipyards reflected on the

dark water. The park is all but

deserted. Brady waits and watches in

silence.

NARRATOR (cont'd)

9.58 pm Port Perte, Orleigh Park.

He leans forward in his seat as a

couple holding hands appears from the

shadows and makes their way along the

waters edge. Could this be it? Brady

grabs the binoculars from the

dashboard and peers closely at the

pair. They stop by the waters edge

and point into the bay. Brady's heart

sinks. He recognizes the couple. He's

seen them before. They're the ones

who discover the bag in the water. He

swears loudly and hits the steering

wheel in frustration. There’s more

than a hundred waterways feeding into

Port Perte. The killer could have

dumped the bag anywhere and at

anytime for the currents to carry it

right here. It's going to take a

miracle to figure out where the

killer dumped the body. Brady turns

over the ignition and revs the engine

before peeling out of the car park.

In the distance he can hear the

couple screaming.

SCENE 25

SFX

(the sound of a tape rewinding)

NARRATOR

7.33 am Detective Lee Lucas’s Sedan.

Brady gets into the car with an angry

grunt. He is still fuming about the

night before. He had returned home

after the debacle at Port Pert and

started drinking, then decided to

read the books he'd checked out of

the library. But the more he read,

the angrier and more frustrated he

became. Übermensch. The death of God.

The Will to Power. None of it made

any sense to him. Finally he threw

them out of his apartment window in a

fit of rage and smashed up the

apartment till the police arrived and

hauled him off to jail.

LEE LUCAS

Good morning Sergeant.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

We need to make a pit stop.

LEE LUCAS

Really, I mean do you think that's a

good idea? The Captain...

BRADY HITCHCOCK

(interrupting)

We need to go to 108 Meadow Ave

before we head to the crime scene,

alright?

NARRATOR

Lee Lucas stares at Brady strangely.

LEE LUCAS

Why do you want to go there?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Cause it was missing from the goddamn

report.

LEE LUCAS

What report?

NARRATOR

Brady remembers that the report

hasn't been filed yet and backtracks,

noticing that Lee Lucas is still

staring at him intently and not

watching the road.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Eyes on the road. I gotta tip, alright?

LEE LUCAS

A tip, how the hell can you get a

tip? We haven't even been to the

crime scene yet.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Just trust me okay, we won't take long.

LEE LUCAS

I'm sorry, I can't do that sir,

Captain Dodd was very clear...

BRADY HITCHCOCK

We'll only be a few minutes, why do

you fucking care?

LEE LUCAS

I've got a job to do Sergeant.

Another girl’s gone missing...

BRADY HITCHCOCK

(laughs & interrupts)

You honestly think that anything we do matters? I mean really matters? You think that us running around scraping murdered fucking children off the side walk is going to change anything?

LEE LUCAS

I do.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

All this shit, none of it means

anything. This world is a fucking

meat grinder. The same horrible shit

is gonna’ keep on happening whether

we’re there to clean it up or not.

LEE LUCAS

That's not true Sergeant.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Oh, you don’t believe me? Trust me

Lee, there’s always gonna be another

sick fuck out there. We can't save

everyone. Truth is, we can't save

anyone, no matter how hard we try.

NARRATOR

Jesus Christ can save you soul Sergeant... 

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Oh wow. Do you know how stupid you

sound right now? This life, it’s just

the same fucking thing over and over

again, all of us doomed to repeat the

same mistakes till the day we die.

Look at me for example, I have a

panoramic view of the circle shit I’m

trapped in, but still, no matter how

hard I try there's not one thing that

I can do to unfuck this shitty world

around me.

LEE LUCAS

So, you believe that you have no

choice, do you? That all of this is

meant to happen?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Again and again and again.

LEE LUCAS

I’m sorry sergeant but I’m a

Christian... I believe we have free

will, the choice to do right or

wrong. Jesus died for our sins...

remember that.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

That’s fucking hilarious. No one

chooses this. We're dragged into this

existence kicking and screaming over

and over again, the same messed up

bag of meat for eternity. Can’t you

see it? What, do you think I chose to

be who I am? Do you think I want to

be a middle-aged cop whose fucking

wife and kid won’t even speak to him

anymore? You think this is something

that I wanted to be?

LEE LUCAS

I choose who I am, because I believe

that I create my own destiny.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Then you’re a fucking idiot. It’s all

the same, every fucking day. None of

it matters, because we can’t change a

thing about it. No matter what we do,

no matter how hard we try were are

trapped in the same cycle of abuse,

over and over again.

LEE LUCAS

That’s a pretty pessimistic way to

look at the world.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Oh fuck you... at least I can see the

truth. You've still got your head up

your ass.

LEE LUCAS

You know sergeant, I feel sorry for

you. How can your soul be blessed if

it's doomed to return to misery? You

know, where I'm from...

BRADY HITCHCOCK

(interrupting)

Oh yeah? And what bum fuck town is

that?

LEE LUCAS

I grew up in Hindley...

BRADY HITCHCOCK

(interrupting)

Let me tell you something, there is

nothing, not in your heaven or in

this entire fucking universe that's

going to deliver me or you or even

that poor little girl from this

fucking hell here on earth. We're

trapped, like rats in a maze for

eternity. And there's nothing that

can save us. Now take me to 108

Meadow Ave... NOW!

SCENE 26

NARRATOR

7.47 am 108 Meadow Ave. Brady makes

his way up the drive to the front

door of the house with Lee Lucas

trailing somewhat reluctantly a few

steps behind. He looks to Brady as if

he's nervous about something. Fucking

kiss-ass, Brady thinks to himself.

He's probably worried about a uniform

seeing him here and telling the

Captain. Brady knocks on the door

loudly and the dog starts howling

again. He can hear movement in the

house. The door is suddenly answered

by an elderly lady in a stained

nightdress. She looks like a shut in,

behind her Brady can see a labyrinth

of furniture and junk and magazines

piled high almost to the roof. The

smell of mould and rot hits him

almost immediately and he has to stop

himself from gagging.

DOREEN HANSEN

What do you want?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Good morning. Are you Doreen Hansen?

NARRATOR

Her hair is white and thin and sticks

up at odd angles as if it has not

felt a brush for sometime. She seems

confused, angry even, and she stares

at Brady with a dull and vacant gaze.

DOREEN HANSEN

Who's asking?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Well ma'am, I'm Sergeant Hitchcock

from the Port Perte Police

Department.

DOREEN HANSEN

Is this about the dog? I told that

bitch next door that it's none of her

business.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

This isn't about the dog, I can assure you.

BRADY HITCHCOCK (cont'd)

I'm here to talk to you about what

you saw last night, the people you

reported running through your yard?

DOREEN HANSEN

How do you know about that?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

You reported it to some of our officers.

DOREEN HANSEN

I did? I don't remember that. Who's he?

NARRATOR

Doreen Hansen points at Lee Lucas who

is skulking on the porch behind

Brady.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

That's Detective Lucas ma'am. Can you

tell me what happened last night?

NARRATOR

She looks at Brady like someone who

needs glasses and is straining to see

the world.

DOREEN HANSEN

It's those kids. They come round here

you know, they come round here and

they and mess with my dog. They were

down there mucking around in my

basement.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Is there someone in your basement ma'am?

DOREEN HANSEN

There was.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Okay, well, did you see anyone last

night? Was someone in your yard or in

the basement?

NARRATOR

Doreen seems confused by the question

and looks over at Lee Lucas again.

DOREEN HANSEN

(suspicious)

Who's he?

NARRATOR

Brady smiles and tries his best to be patient.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

That's Detective Lucas. Ma'am if I could ask...

NARRATOR

She smiles broadly at Lee Lucas.

DOREEN HANSEN

No. You're Mark. You're my son.

NARRATOR

Lee Lucas smiles politely, confused.

LEE LUCAS

I'm sorry Mrs Hansen, ummm, you must

have me confused with someone else.

DOREEN HANSEN

Who's your friend Mark? Come on in

and I'll fix you both something to

eat.

NARRATOR

Brady glances back at Detective Lucas

who shrugs and looks utterly

perplexed.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Ma'am... if you could just focus for

a minute. We're here to talk to you

about the complaint you made to the

police.

NARRATOR

Doreen looks at both of them for a

moment as if it's the first time

she's seen them.

DOREEN HANSEN

Are you the police?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Yes ma'am. You told one of our

officers about someone running

through your property last night

around 10 or 11 o'clock. Do you

remember that?

DOREEN HANSEN

They hate my dog you know.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Who? Who hates your dog?

DOREEN HANSEN

That bitch next door... she hates

him. She's always telling me she's

going to send the police. They were

in my yard last night. That bitch

called the police in my yard...

NARRATOR

Doreen trails off, then looks at Lee

Lucas again.

DOREEN HANSEN

Who's he?

NARRATOR

Brady smiles as best he can to

placate the old lady. It's obvious

this is another dead end.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Alright. Thanks so much for your

time, we have to go now.

NARRATOR

Brady turns to leave, then stops.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Ma'am can I ask you one more

question?

DOREEN HANSEN

About what?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Do you have any plans today? Is there

any reason you wont be home later?

DOREEN HANSEN

I haven't left this house since Mark

and I moved in. What's this all about

anyway? Who are you?

NARRATOR

The two detectives say goodbye

politely and leave while the old

woman stands at the door, watching

them suspiciously.

NARRATOR (cont'd)

All the while the dog howls miserably

from the back yard. They reach the

car and Lee Lucas jumps inside,

revving the engine.

LEE LUCAS

Well that was a complete waste of

time. Come on, we've gotta go.

NARRATOR

Brady looks back at the house. He

didn't know why but there was

something about this place that put

him on edge.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

You go. I've got somewhere else to be.

SCENE 27

NARRATOR

8.12 am Port Perte Metro Police

Station. Brady returns to the station

and makes his way to the records

room. Luckily the state police, Mayor

Finn and Chief Greaves haven't

arrived for their meeting yet, but

even so he makes sure to avoid the

attention of the detectives in the

bullpen. If he has any chance of

finding the Monster he needs a

breakthrough, something more than he

has. And the only way to find that is

to find the third victim.

NARRATOR (cont'd)

The records room is deathly quiet,

cold and smells of industrial

cleaner. The length and breadth of

the space is filled with floor to

ceiling shelves of folders and files

and lit from above by harsh

florescent lights. Brady starts

pulling files on missing children and

runaways from a week before the call

until now. He spends the next three

hours combing through papers till he

finds a runaway named Joseph King.

The boy was reported missing twelve

hours after the third suspected call

from the Monster. But for some reason

he was never even flagged as a

possible victim. That seems strange

to Brady and he takes a closer look

at the case. There isn't much there

and it's obvious that Joseph King's

disappearance wasn’t properly

investigated. But why? Two uniforms

conducted an preliminary interview

with the father but there was no

recorded follow up by a detective.

Nothing. Stranger still was that when

the case went cold it wasn't passed

onto major crimes and Joseph King was

never even officially listed as a

missing person. In fact, for some

strange reason, he'd been filed as a

runaway. None of it made sense. The

investigation didn't follow proper

procedure. It seemed as if someone

had tampered with the file

deliberately.

NARRATOR (cont'd)

There was only on way to figure out

what was going on, and that was to

speak to Joseph King's father.

SCENE 28

NARRATOR

2.25 pm Kings Salvage, Home of

missing boy Joseph King. The junk

yard is located in Red Cliffs Creek,

about 40 minutes from town, right on

the edge Port Perte jurisdiction.

It's pretty out here, lots of green

trees, blue skies and pristine

waterways. Brady parks his car out

front of the junk yard and makes his

way inside. It's a wire fenced lot

filled with stacks of old cars, scrap

metal, discarded furniture and junk.

Crickets sing loudly at the midday

sun. There's a shack near the front

entrance with a sign on the door that

reads "Trespassers will be shot,

Survivors will be shot again." Brady

knocks on the door and waits. The

boys father Neil greats him, a big

smile plastered across his face. He's

short and round with a blonde

receding hair, adult acne and the

long healed scar of a cleft lip.

NEIL KING

You looking for something?

NARRATOR

Brady introduces himself as police

and Neil King's demeanour sours

almost instantly.

NEIL KING

Look, I've had this same conversation

with every new cop that starts on

this beat. I don't deal in stolen

goods. Every one of my transactions

is logged and verified...

BRADY HITCHCOCK

(interrupting)

I'm not that kind of police. I work

homicide. I want to talk about your

son, Joseph.

NARRATOR

Neil King's face crumbles and Brady

can see the endless torment he lives

within his eyes.

NEIL KING

(voice breaking as if

he's about to cry)

Homicide? It's been a while since we

heard from you guys. You got some

news on my boy?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Nothing new. I was hoping you could help me.

NEIL KING

Yeah of course, whatever you need.

The police came through here after

Joe first disappeared. I've been

trying to get someone to help to me

for weeks. Tell you the truth I'd

almost given up hope. The last thing

they told me was Joe was listed a

runaway.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Yeah, well I'm sorry about that Mr King.

NEIL KING

You wanna come in, have a cup of

coffee or something?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Thanks, but we've already wasted

enough of your time. I want to talk

about the day Joe went missing.

NEIL KING

Yeah alright. It was a Saturday. Joe

was supposed to work with me here at

the yard but he wanted to go meet his

friends at the boathouse instead, a

whole group of them was gonna take

their boats out for the day, you

know, kids messing about on the

creek, that sort of thing. That's

nothing out of the ordinary mind you,

they did it all the time. Anyway he

left about half past nine, a quarter

to maybe. Old Rodd Bloodman from up

the road saw him walking past his

place just before ten. He never

arrived at the boathouse. I didn't

even know till after seven that

night. Even then I weren't worried. I

just thought he was out late.

NEIL KING (cont'd)

Wasn't till he hadn't come home past

ten I started calling around and

checking on him.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Why that late?

NEIL KING

Joe's always been a good kid. But he

was wild. A few months before he

disappeared he got into some trouble

with the law. Nothing major, just

kids stuff. He got caught with a

bunch of his friend’s spray painting

their names on a fence near the

school. The police arrested him, but

instead of juvie they put him into an

'at risk program'. That really

changed him, scared him straight. He

was different after that.

Responsible. He said he never wanted

to get in trouble with the police

again.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

I'm sure you've been asked this but

did you see anything unusual before

Joe disappeared? Any strange

customers at the yard or phone calls?

Anything that struck you as out of

the ordinary?

NEIL KING

Nothing at all.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

All right. Thanks for your time Neil.

Here's my card, I'll be in touch.

NARRATOR

Brady shakes hands his card to Neil

King and turns to leave.

NEIL KING

Well I'll be, it's about time.

NARRATOR

Brady stops and turns back to Neil

King.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Everything okay Mr King?

NEIL KING

You're the detective who came out

here before aren't you? You spoke to

my wife a few weeks ago.

NARRATOR

Brady shakes his head confused.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

No, I think you're mistaken. I

haven't been out here before. Did a

detective come and interview your

wife Mr King?

NEIL KING

I was away at the time, a detective

named Brady Hitchcock came out and

spoke to my wife. He didn't leave a

card or nothing but he said he'd be

in contact. I called a few times but

I was told Brady Hitchcock wasn't

working the case. It was you wasn't

it?

NARRATOR

Time seemed to stand still for a

moment. How could this be? He'd never

been here before, well, not that he

could remember.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

No sir. It wasn't me.

NEIL KING

Well isn't that strange. Never heard

of a coincidence like that before.

Two detectives by the same name.

NARRATOR

Brady remains silent, his mind

reeling. There was no other Brady

Hitchcock.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Could I speak to your wife at all Mr King?

NEIL KING

She's driving up to her sister's

place. She should be there sometime

tomorrow if you wanna’ give her a

call. This has been awful hard on her.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

That's alright, Mr King. I'll be in touch.

SCENE 29

NARRATOR

3.37 pm Rodd Bloodman's house.

Brady walks back to his car almost as

if he's in a daze. What the fuck was

happening to him? Was he living this

day over and over again while living

other days at the same time without

even knowing? Was there multiple

versions of himself running around?

The thought of this makes him feel

sick. It's like lying in bed and

trying to comprehend your own

mortality or the endlessness of

universe. Nothing makes sense and he

feels small and insignificant. Brady

gets into his car and tries to calm

his nerves. He's breathing hard and

sweating. His hands are shaking.

"None of this is real" he whispers to

himself as he cuts a huge line of

cocaine on the dashboard an snorts

it. Two more and a deep drink from

his flask and Brady starts to feel

alright again. He turns over the

engine and drives up the road to Rodd

Bloodman's house, the last person to

see Joseph King alive.

NARRATOR (cont'd)

Rodd Bloodman's property backs onto

Red Cliff Creek. The house looks like

it's seen better days, the exterior

is weather-beaten peeling paint

criss-crossed with curling fingers of

ivy. Rodd sits out the front on a

lawn chair drinking a beer, a mottled

mongrel of a dog at his feet. The old

man looks like his house, battered

and grey and about to fall down. As

Brady approaches the dog growls and

raises its hackles.

RODD BLOODMAN

Rex... down.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Rodd? I'm Sergeant Hitchcock. Mind if

I ask you a few questions?

RODD BLOODMAN

This about the King boy?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Yeah it is. Why would you ask that?

RODD BLOODMAN

It's the only thing that's happened

round here the past 20 years.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Joe's dad Neil says you were the last

person to see him. He told me you saw

Joe walking past here the morning he

disappeared.

RODD BLOODMAN

I wasn't the last person to see him.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

How's that?

RODD BLOODMAN

Whoever killed that boy saw him after

me.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

How can you be so sure he's dead?

RODD BLOODMAN

14-year-old boys don't just up and

vanish into thin air now do they.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Kids runaway all the time.

RODD BLOODMAN

Not without packing a bag first. That

boy walked up the road and never came

back. He didn't have anything but the

shirt on his back. You see many

runaways like that?

BRADY HITCHCOCK

No sir I don't. Do you remember the

day Joe King went missing?

RODD BLOODMAN

I was sitting right here when he come

by. It was five to ten in the

morning.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

How do you know that? I mean that's a

pretty specific thing to remember.

RODD BLOODMAN

It was my birthday. My son came and

picked me up for lunch not five

minutes after.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Did your son see him too?

RODD BLOODMAN

No sir. As I said he arrived five

minutes after.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

I don't suppose you saw anything else

unusual that day?

RODD BLOODMAN

No. I was out till about seven. But,

when I got home Rex here was making a

hell of a fuss about something round

the back of the house. I remember

cause I thought someone had broken

in. But when we checked we couldn't

find anything.

BRADY HITCHCOCK

Alright. Mind if I take a look around?

RODD BLOODMAN

Be my guest.

NARRATOR

Brady walks around the house and

checks the tool shed, unsure of what

he's looking for or what he thinks

he'll find. There's nothing there but

cobwebs and the smell of old motor

oil. He can't stop thinking about

what Neil King told him, about the

other Brady Hitchcock, and the more

he thinks about it the more confused

he feels. The rear of the property

backs onto Red Cliffs Creek. Gnarled

and twisted trees grew along the

banks and in the murky water, their

branches heavy with thick curtains of

Spanish moss. Insects buzz around

Brady's face as he walks down to the

jetty, which is nothing more than

algae encrusted rotting wood with a

aluminium boat tied to the end.

NARRATOR (cont'd)

He walks out to the end of the

ramshackle pier and looks out to the

water, his mind a mess of cluttered

confusion. He is numb, everything is

distorted. He could feel himself

losing touch with what is real and

what isn't, he felt almost as if he

was watching himself, watching his

own thoughts. The water beyond is

blanketed in shadows. It looks more

like a marsh, the stream clogged with

the moss covered trunks of fallen

trees and thick vegetation. Without

even thinking he unties the boat and

steps aboard, pushing himself away

from the jetty and out into the

darkness.

SCENE 30

NARRATOR

4.16 pm Red Cliff Creek, behind the

property of Rodd Bloodman. The light

has changed and twilight is fast

approaching. Golden rays of sunlight

push their way through the thick

canopy of trees above. It is calm.

Frogs and toads croak from hidden

corners and the water murmurs softly

around the boat. Brady can hear his

own heartbeat in his ears. Nothing

seems real. He could not tell the

past from the present anymore.

NARRATOR (cont'd)

The boat drifts through the brackish

water. It's littered with garbage. A

half submerged body of an old rusted

car peeks up from the depths.

Discarded tyres and old plastic bags

clutter the exposed roots of the

trees. 'What am I doing out here?' he

asks himself out loud as looks across

the scum clogged water. There's

nothing out here, he thinks to

himself. This is another dead end,

another... before he can even finish

his thought something catches his

attention, something caught in a

slime covered log up ahead. There's a

mass of tangled refuse, a black

garbage bag with what looks like a

white branch poking out the top.

He guides the boat closer. It's not a

white branch. It is the femur bone of

a human. It is protruding from a

tattered black garbage bag. Brady's

heart starts beating like a drum and

he paddles over to the log, grabbing

hold of it's slimy exterior and

carefully pulling the bag up into the

boat. The sickly sweet smell of

decomposition rises up from the water

as he hauls the black garbage bag

into the boat and it splits open as

it hits the deck. A slime coated,

putrefied skeleton spills out, still

partially clothed in a black Led

Zeppelin t-shirt and blue jeans, the

same outfit Joe King was supposed to

be wearing the day he disappeared.

NARRATOR (cont'd)

The smell is overwhelming and Brady

buries his nose and mouth in the

crook of his elbow as he leans in to

examine the corpse. He notices saw

marks on the bones beneath the boys

head, as well as his arms and legs.

His right index finger is missing,

the bone jagged and broken as if it

was bitten off. Brady checks the boys

pockets for some form of ID. He finds

a wallet in his back jeans pocket. A

library card inside reads Joseph

King. There nothing else in his

pockets but a set of keys and a

handful of white pebbles. Brady

collects the paddle and slowly starts

back for shore. The's no doubt now

that Joseph King was the third victim

of the Monster.

EPILOGUE 

BARON SORDOR (cont'd)(evil laughter)Oh my, my, my... Will Brady Hitchcocksave young Abby Robbins from herwatery grave or curse her to aneternal hell in the gruesome clutchesof the Monster? Only time will tell.While I'm sure you are eager tocontinue we must, for the moment atleast, say goodbye. So please join usnext time for the conclusion of TheInfernal Circle of Eternal Return atBaron Sordor's Theatre of the Doomed.