Play

Chap. 1

OLLY: Good God! What is it Duke? 90 thousand degrees in here? (DUKE nods) How long have we even been here?

DUKE: Might as well have been a thousand years. (DUKE rolls his eyes) Say, Mary, where's Mercy? (MARY shrugs)

OLLY: MERCY!! (OLLY raises his hands to the sky) Give us relief from this heat! (DUKE laughs outright and MARY giggles at OLLY) No, but really, one of you fix this problem. I'm about to pass out.

DUKE: Can't. I'm resting for the big game. (DUKE leans back in his chair, lacing his hands behind his head)

OLLY: (OLLY crosses his arms) It's summer, Duke. This is "summer" school.

DUKE: Dude, either way, I'm here for the whole summer. You guys only have a few weeks.

(OLLY rolls his eyes and shakes his head)

(MARY rises and crosses the room to the thermostat near the door. The boys watch as she adjusts the temperature.)

OLLY: Thank you Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. (MARY rolls her eyes at this)

(As MARY returns to her seat, DUKE offers her a stick of gum)

DUKE: Thanks for your trouble. (DUKE says this with a cheeky grin)

(MARY accepts the gum and returns to her seat)

(The door flies open and MERCY enters the room)

MERCY: Hey Duke--you finished copying my homework yet? It's due today y'know.

DUKE: I haven't even started it.

MERCY: (Angered) What do you mean you haven't started? I gave it to you yesterday--

OLLY: Chill out, you can have mine. Wasn't gonna turn it in anyway..

(MERCY smiles slighty, sitting down next to OLLY. MARY picks up a book and begins reading. The boys throw a paper ball back and forth.)

(Suddenly, the lights go out and the intercom turns on. About five seconds pass until the lights return and the intercom turns off.)

OLLY: What the-- (OLLY looks around the room, clearly confused)

MERCY: Why did the intercom come on?

OLLY: No, the lights went out.

MERCY: Yes, but I also heard the intercom beep.

DUKE: I only noticed the lights.

OLLY: Come on, Mercy. I think the rest of us would've heard the intercom.

MARY: They both went off. (MARY speaks up, clearly surprising the rest)

(MARY returns to her book as MERCY, DUKE, AND OLLY turn to face each other)

OLLY: Well...what happened?

DUKE: Maybe there was a short power outage and someone in the office accidentally hit the intercom button trying to fix it.

MERCY: We're the only ones here, plus you can't turn the lights back on from the office.

DUKE: Mr. Jacobs is here, dummy. He went to go make copies.

MERCY: It's 90,000 degrees in the middle of summer, it's almost lunch time, and it's happy hour at Sonic. Do you honestly think Jacobs is still here? He probably left us for dead. (MERCY says this sarcastically)

OLLY: Oh come on, he wouldn't just leave us, would he?

DUKE: Either way, someone's gotta be here. This stuff just doesn't happen on its own.

OLLY: There's probably just bugs in the system.

MERCY: Yeah this school is crap. Remember in January when the lights went off during lunch? The principle said it was just a glitch in the system.

DUKE: That's what he told you? (DUKE scoffs) It was a freshman smoking marijuana on the ceiling in the gym.

MERCY: Ok, then maybe it was rats.

(OLLY shudders)

OLLY: As much as I hate the idea of rats, it's plausible. I've heard that rats are always chewing on the wires in the band hall.

DUKE: And that's why you're not in band.

MERCY: Let's just forget about it. Olly, homework?

OLLY: Right, hold on. (OLLY fumbles through his backpack, searching for his papers, not wanting to displease MERCY. Once found, he hands them to MERCY)

MARY: Mercy, you're smart. You don't need to copy off Olly.

DUKE: Hey, what about me?

MARY: Duke, I won't lie to you. You should probably keep copying Mercy's homework.

(DUKE feigns a hurt look and playfully smacks MARY on the arm)

OLLY: Ok you two, knock it off--

(A loud THUMP resounds throughout the building. The four look around, somewhat alarmed.)

MERCY: What in the world..?

OLLY: Did anyone else hear that?

DUKE: Hear what? (He smirks, obviously playing dumb)

OLLY: That THUMP!!

DUKE: What thump?

OLLY: The thump that just thumped you idiot!

MARY: Oh would you two cut it out?

DUKE: Yes ma'am. (DUKE teases her, raising his arm in a salute)

MERCY: What's going on? First the lights and the intercom, and now this?

DUKE: I told you we weren't alone. Maybe there's a techie somewhere around here, working on the system.

OLLY: Doubt it. I hardly think they'd show up to work in this heat.

MERCY: What if someone broke in?

DUKE: Maybe Jacobs is back.

(OLLY rises and looks out the window toward the parking lot)

OLLY: I don't see his car in the parking lot.

MERCY: Then who could be here? Are there any cars out there at all?

OLLY: Only ours. (turns back to the group) Looks like someone broke in.

DUKE: Why would some one break into the school?

MERCY: I don't know! But apparently some one did.

MARY: We have no proof. We could just be over-reacting.

DUKE: Maybe you're just under reacting.

MERCY: Duke, would please just shut up and be serious?!

(DUKE looks a mixture of angry and hurt and looks down at his lap)

OLLY: What should we do?

MERCY: (nervous) Is it too soon to block the door?

OLLY: Yes...far too soon. (OLLY says this melodramatically)

MERCY: Then what do we do?!

MARY: Staying calm sounds like a good idea.

MERCY: But death feels so close!

OLLY: Mercy! Shut it! Please; you'll only make it worse.

MERCY: (sighs and sits back down in her seat, arms crossed) Sorry I'm paranoid and concerned for our lives!

OLLY: Its fine- just don't do it out loud.

MERCY: Well then how else am I-

DUKE: Guys! Chill! Dang!

OLLY: I'll go out and check the halls if every one will feel better.

MERCY: (in unison) Yes!

DUKE: (in unison) No! Everyone needs to calm down!

MARY: You haven't been phased this entire time by any of what's just happened- what's your deal?

DUKE: Nothing! Geez...

(What sounds like footsteps are heard out in the hallway)

MARY: Ok, I think this has passed the line of technical crews and rats.

OLLY: I agree, my curiosity is killing me. I'm checking it out.

(OLLY steps outside the classroom leaving the door cracked. The others remain silent, awaiting OLLY'S return. Time passes slowly. During this time, MARY tells DUKE that she is enjoying the gum he offered her and she asks for another piece which he gives to her)

MERCY: Ok this is getting ridiculous, where's Olly?

(MARY and DUKE shrug. Out of nowhere, the door to the classroom slams shut as more footsteps are heard)

MERCY: Oh God!!! Olly!

(MERCY rushes to the door, but DUKE stops her and tries to take her back to her seat)

DUKE: Mercy, calm down, calm down. I'm sure Olly is just playing a joke on us. You know how he is.

(MERCY nods and sits down in her seat, still very wary as to what's going on)

MARY: Well then what are we suppose to do now? Wait until he gets back?

DUKE: It's the only thing we can do. Show him that his little "joke" isn't funny.

(The remaining three sit casually in their desks. MARY turns back to her book, DUKE throws his pencil around in the air, MERCY stares at the door)

MERCY: That's it. I'm going out there and finding Olly, and if this really is a joke, he's gonna be so screwed.

DUKE: Mercy, come on, don't play his game.

(MERCY ignores DUKE and makes her way out the door, shutting it)

(MARY sighs and continues reading. DUKE shrugs and stands up, making his way over to MARY'S desk)

DUKE: Sooo...just you and me eh?

(MARY glances up from her book, looks him over, and turns her eyes back to her book)

DUKE: I'm bored, I'm gonna go find Mercy and Olly.

(MARY continues to ignore DUKE. He huffs, obviously frustrated. He opens the door and leaves the room)

(A car is heard approaching outside. MARY gets up and hurries to the window)

(MARY looks out the window and is taken aback at what she sees)

(Mr. Jacobs enters the room, taken aback by MARY'S prescence)

MARY: Mr. Jacobs Mercy and Olly and Duke all left the room on some wild goose chase and now their outside! Look!

MR. JACOBS: Mary, what're you doing here? You students aren't suppose to be here until eight?

MARY: B-but Mr. Jacobs.....(MARY looks out the window in a frenzy. She screams at what she sees)

MR. JACOBS: Mary, what is it?! Are you alright?

MARY: (Visibly shaking) It-it's me out there! That's me!

(The door opens as OLLY, DUKE, AND MERCY enter the room)

OLLY: Mary, what're you doing here? I didn't see you pull up outside?

(MARY looks around frightened)

(The door opens again but the person stays in the doorway, hidden from the audiences view.)

MERCY: (looking at the doorway) Mary?

(MARY screams as the lights fade)