May 1 2017

THE FOLLOWING IS A TRANSCRIPTION OF AN AUDIO DOCUMENT
[RUSTLING]
CARSON: Oh, fuck me.
GALE: What are you going on about now?
CARSON: My camera’s broken. I wanted to video some of this.
GALE: Why?
CARSON: To show everyone that it isn’t real. You heard Aedon the other day; nothing happens at Saint Mary’s, and I’m damn tired of reading all the paranormal blogs that talk about how scary it is.
ROSE: Aedon went in years ago, when he was in high school. You’ve heard about all the break-ins since then.
CARSON: So someone kills a couple chickens and draws some wonky stars on the floor, doesn’t mean there’s something here. Besides, the audio is fine. Those ghost hunting guys get ghost voices, too, so maybe if we don’t get anything like that people will believe us.
ROSE: Its called ‘Electronic Voice Phenomena’. If you’re going to try to disprove the paranormal, at least get the proper terminology.
CARSON: Alright, cool, thanks Mother Mary. [THUD] Jesus, Rose! You hit like your brother.
ROSE: Don’t call me Mary. Just because I’m Catholic doesn’t make me a ‘holier than thou’ know it all.
GALE: No, it’s because you’re Irish. [THUD] Fine! We’ll stop. Damn.
ROSE: Guys, I still don’t feel good about this.
CARSON: Rose, it’ll be fine. We’re just going to look around for a minute. Five minutes- ten at max.
GALE: You jumped times three times in one sentence. I don’t think that’s going to help your case.
CARSON: Rose, it’ll be fine. You can walk in the middle and we won’t stay long- I promise. Eagle Scout’s honor.
ROSE: [SIGH] Fifteen minutes and not a second more.
CARSON: After we get in the building. You can’t take time out of actually exploring; its unfair.
ROSE: Fine. But y’all owe me.
CARSON: I’ll buy you something to eat afterwards. Whatever you want.
ROSE: There’s a start.
[ALL THAT IS HEARD FOR ABOUT A MINUTE IS CRUNCHING AND FOOTSTEPS, WITH THE OCCASIONAL HEAVY BREATH]
ROSE: Whoa.
GALE: Wicked cool. How did you find this again?
CARSON: My dad and I were hiking and got off the path. I wanted to go in, but good ol’ Lawyer Campbell refused. Something about it being illegal.
GALE: No shit; there’s a sign back there that says so.
CARSON: Whatever. No one will come by here at 1 am.
ROSE: Yeah. ‘Cause no one’s that stupid. Wait...where are you going?
GALE: The basement.
ROSE: Boys, no. Not the basement.
CARSON: You wanna go around to the front and go in that way? Get caught?
ROSE: You said no one would be around because it's 1 am.
CARSON: I meant by a little boy with a banjo.
[THERE IS A PAUSE IN THE CONVERSATION. WE HEAR FOOTSTEPS AND THE THREE MUMBLE INAUDIBLY FOR FIVE MINUTES]
GALE: Look at this shit!
CARSON: Are those...filing cabinets?
GALE: Check it out, one is pushed farther back than the others.
[SCRATCHING]
ROSE: Did you hear that?
CARSON: It's probably just a racoon, Rose. Little shit probably fell into through a window and can’t get out now.
ROSE: But, it's the basement; there aren’t any windows. There’s no way for a racoon to-
GALE: Carson, help me move this.
[SHUFFLING]
ROSE: [SHUFFLING OVER AUDIO]thing in there that we aren’t supposed to know about. We should just-
[METALLIC SCRATCHING, FOLLOWED BY A LOUD BANG]
CARSON: One.
[METALLIC SCRAPES, ROSE SAYS SOMETHING INAUDIBLE, A NEW VOICE IS HEARD, BUT IS ALSO INAUDIBLE. A BANG]
CARSON: Do we need to move that one?
GALE: Nope.
[A THUD, FOLLOWED BY A CREAKING AND AN EVEN LOUDER BANG THAN BEFORE]
ROSE: Satisfied?
GALE: The hell is this? Do either of you have a flashlight?
ROSE: I have the flash on Carson’s camera, but it isn’t doing much good.
[BEEPING]
GALE: My...my phone died.
CARSON: Good one, headass.
GALE: No- I charged it on the way over here. It was at seventy when we came in. I just got it out. Rose? Lemme have yours.
ROSE: Here.
GALE: Shit!
[A CLATTER]
GALE: Rose I think I just killed your phone. [PAUSE] Dammit, it won’t come on.
[SCRAPING]
ROSE: Guys...are...are we sure this is an orphanage.
CARSON: Why?
[HEAVING BREATHING NEXT TO THE MICROPHONE]
ROSE: Do either of you see this?
GALE: My mom has one of these at the museum! [FOOTSTEPS] She says they used to be used for- wait. Rose, shine the thing over there. [PAUSE] Are those...morgue trays?
CARSON: Rose, open one.
ROSE: Fuck you.
CARSON: No, do it.
ROSE: I said ‘fuck you’.
GALE: I’ll do it.
ROSE: Gale, don’t-
[CREAKING, SCRAPING, FOLLOWED BY A LOUD BANG. THE FOURTH VOICE SAYS SOMETHING, ALSO INAUDIBLE]
[SCREAMING]
ROSE: Shit!
GALE: Rose, get the fuck away!
CARSON: What are you doing? Get up, get up!
GALE: Go go go!
[INAUDIBLE]
[THE MICROPHONE FALLS, THERE’S A GROAN, AND RAPID SHUFFLING]
GALE: C’mon, get up, go!
[RUNNING, BANGING, SCRATCHING, HEAVY BREATHING, A DOOR SLAMS]
CARSON: Rose-
GALE: Are you-
ROSE: I think I’m bleeding.
[ALL SPOKEN AT THE SAME TIME]
CARSON: Give me that. [SHUFFLING] There’s three scratches.
ROSE: Are they deep?
CARSON: I don’t think so. You’re bleeding, though.
GALE: Fuck!
ROSE: Gale, shh. It's going to be okay. [PAUSE] What?
GALE: Didn’t...you see it?
ROSE: Not...not really. I just felt it…
GALE: I only saw its arm. Its skin was….it just looked so…
CARSON: It was pale. And tall- it had to crouch to stand in the room with us. And when it screamed...it had these teeth. They were flat and rotten and its eyes...it had these eyes.
[PAUSE]
ROSE: We have to get out of here.
CARSON: No shit, Sherlock. But fucking how- that thing is-
ROSE: I know. I’m not stupid. But we can’t stay here all night.
GALE: How come it didn’t get us when we came in?
ROSE: Because the two of you let it out of the morgue. It had been locked up there for a reason and your dumbasses let it out.
CARSON: We have to put it back in there. We need to-
ROSE: How? You said you saw it for yourself; it's probably as tall as the two of you stacked on top of each other. And you see what it did to my arm. Imagine if we were really threatening it.
CARSON: Rose, don’t fucking yell at me it’s not my-
GALE: You guys! This isn’t the time. Especially with that thing loose.
CARSON: Gale, what are we supposed to do? Sit here on our asses and wait for what-
[ONE SHUSHES CARSON. THERE IS BANGING AND SCRATCHING. BOTH GROW CLOSER. THERE IS A MOMENT OF SILENCE BEFORE THERE IS A DEAFENING SCREAM. SHUFFLING AND BANGING AS ROSE, CARSON, AND GALE ALL SCREAM. THERE ARE A FEW MOMENTS OF SHUFFLING, BANGING, AND SCREAMING BEFORE THERE’S A LOUD SHATTERING SOUND. A SCREAM.]
CARSON: C’mon Gale, you’re okay.
GALE: I can’t move my knee. I can’t move my knee, oh God.
[INAUDIBLE]
CARSON: Our Father, in Heaven, hallow be your name. The Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth and heaven. Give us bread and wine. Forgive us for the wrongs we do and...and…
ROSE: Carson, if you’re going to pray, please do it right. [PAUSE] What floor are we on?
GALE: Third. I think…
CARSON: It’s so...quiet. Why’s it so quiet.
ROSE: It got a rise out of us. It scarred us and now look what we did- we fucked up Gale’s bad knee again...it’s content...it’s watching us somewhere.
GALE: Guys, I can’t do it. I can’t make it. [THUD] You’re gonna have to leave me here. Find a way out and come back for me later, but I can’t make it down those stairs.
ROSE: Gale, don’t be stupid.
CARSON: We aren’t leaving you, buddy. Get back up and-
GALE: No! I’m not going to let one of you drag me around! That thing will come after the slowest of us and I can’t have-
CARSON: That’s stupid! I can’t leave you here- you’re trying to keep yourself from feeling guilty but-
GALE: No, I’m just being the logical-
ROSE: If you die and we live, how the fuck are we supposed to feel about having left you here?! No, we aren’t doing that. I’m going to stay here with you and Carson will go get-
CARSON: No the fuck I won’t. I’m not leaving you two.
ROSE: Carson, if you don’t go we aren’t going to get help.
CARSON: Why can’t you go? You’re the girl.
ROSE: I don’t know my way out of here- I couldn’t get back to your truck in time.
CARSON: But…
GALE: She’s right.
CARSON: Guys, don’t make me…
[PAUSE]
ROSE: Carson…
CARSON: [DEEP BREATH] Fine. Keep my phone; it can be a flashlight. Call me...well, you can’t, can you?
GALE: Take my phone. You can charge it and she can call you.
[PAUSE. THERE ARE SHUFFLING AND FOOTSTEPS]
CARSON: Alright, you scrawny bastard! Come get me!
[BANGING AND RUNNING. SOMETHING SCREAMS DISTANTLY. CARSON YELLS INAUDIBLE AS HE GETS FARTHER AWAY]
ROSE: Gale.
GALE: Rose.
ROSE: It’s eyes.
GALE: Yea?
ROSE: They were white.
GALE: No, Rose. They were red.
ROSE: Gale, I saw it. It was right in my face, it-
GALE: Rose. It’ll be okay. Calm down. We’ll argue about it tomorrow.
ROSE:Is this thing still recording? Oh, praise the Lord. If anyone finds this, I’m in Saint Mary’s Orphanage, somewhere on the third floor. Gale’s in here with me- Gale! [PAUSE] Gale...shit, he’s passed out. Dammit...now I’m alone...no, no you aren’t alone. You have...I don’t know, Jesus? That sounds so cliche. [BANG] Oh God...My name is Rose McGuire and I’m with Gale Durand. He can’t walk because he shattered his knee and Carson Campbell is trying to get out of here. But he will. He’ll drive to town and get us help and we will be okay. Everything will be [DISTANT SCREAMING] Oh God, I want to get out of here. But...I can’t leave Gale. God, I sound like a mom. [HEAVY BREATHING, QUIET SNIFFLING] No. No, I won’t cry, that’s stupid. I have to be brave- fake it till you make it.
What the fuck is that thing? I saw it. Gale said it had red eyes but they were white when I saw it. Maybe it changes...ghosts are supposed to be able to project themselves in different ways...what if it changed based on the person looking at it? [DISTANT SCREAM]
Carson?! Oh God, that didn’t sound good. I hope...what if it...
Oh God, please get me out of here. Please, please, please help us get out of- just help Carson and Gale. Get the two of them out of here. I mean...I want to get out, but the stupid white girl is always the first to die, right? [PAUSE] But I can’t leave my brother alone. Aedon, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I snuck out, I’m sorry I came here, I’m sorry I...thank you for everything. Thank you for leaving Washington for San Antonio after mom and dad died. Thank you for sacrificing and working so hard for me. I could never repay you for all of it. I’m so sorry.
[SCRAPING. THERE ARE FOOTSTEPS THAT GET CLOSER AND CLOSER. PAUSE.]
ROSE: Hey! Leave him alone! [GASP]
[THERE IS A LOUD BANG, MORE THAN LIKELY ON OR NEAR THE MICROPHONE.]
THERE WERE FOUR MORE HOURS OF AUDIO RECORDED. THERE WERE NO OTHER SOUNDS HEARD.