Scene excerpt from Act One

TRIMBLE: (To Bobby Lee) What were you doing at Graceland?

BOBBY LEE: I was doing my own investigation.  Let’s just leave it at that.  Anyway, three days ago, I’m sitting on the porch, and I hear a loud scream from inside the house. I go in and find Roland, sitting on the floor, holding that bag.  Welcome to zombie-land.

TRIMBLE: What do you think triggered it?

BOBBY LEE: Well, you know how some people scream because they see something, or they scream because they hear something.  I think Roland screamed because he believes something.

TRIMBLE: Okay.  Let’s look at the possibilities. Drugs. There’s a drug you can make from the adrenal gland that will stun your entire nervous system, except, normally you would be frozen in this position.  (He freeezes, eyes and mouth wide open for a moment) So we can rule that out. Has he ever been to Haiti?

BOBBY LEE: Not that I know of.

TRIMBLE :We can rule out the zombie cucumber. There’s always epilepsy.

BOBBY LEE: That’s right. He could be an epileptic.

TRIMBLE: Yeah, but that’s too uninteresting a choice. Let’s go with this other thing.  He had an idea, or a revelation, that shut his brain down. Let’s work on that premise.

BOBBY LEE: What if you’re wrong?  What if he’s just crazy?  Catatonic?

TRIMBLE: Then he’s crazy.  We can do anything we want to him and it’ll hardly interrupt his drool cycle. What’s in the bag?

BOBBY LEE: His stuff.  Notebooks.  Pictures.  Diagrams.  (Pause) Tapes.

              When she mentions “tapes”, Roland clutches the bag to him and growls softly.

TRIMBLE: That’s interesting.

BOBBY LEE: Happens every time. Watch this.  (Pause) Tapes.

Roland growls

TRIMBLE: Mind if I try?

BOBBY LEE: Knock yourself out.

Trimble gets very close to Roland.

TRIMBLE: Tapes. (Pause. There is no response from Roland.) Tapes!  (Pause) TAPES, TAPES!

BOBBY LEE: He can tell you’re just trying to get a response.  When you say it, I don’t know, there’s something in your voice. You could be talking about any tapes. When I say it, he knows I’m talking about the tapes.

             Roland growls.

TRIMBLE: Well, I think we need to hear those tapes.  (Roland growls) As opposed to just any tapes.  (No response.) Those tapes. (Roland growls) Fabulous.  We have to have them. The tapes. (Roland growls)

BOBBY LEE: Now you’re just playing with him.

TRIMBLE: No, I’m giving him a sense of security.  Because, in just a few seconds, we’re going to j…u…m…p him.

BOBBY LEE: Great.  Like zombies can’t spell.

TRIMBLE: When I count to three.  Okay.  One…( Roland growls).  Now, he’s growling at numbers.

BOBBY LEE: I think he hears us.  He associates the numbers with the tapes.  (Roland growls))

TRIMBLE: Never mind. Okay. One…(Growl)…Two…(Growl)…THREE!

They both jump on Roland and try to tear the bag from him. It is a mighty struggle, and, in he midst of it, the bag splits open and the contents fly all over the room; pictures, papers, diagrams, and…the tapes. Roland pounces on the tapes, backs up  against the wall, and screams at Bobby Lee.

ROLAND: BETRAYAL!  BETRAYAL!  I TRUSTED YOU!  YOU BETRAYED ME!

BOBBY LEE :You can talk.

ROLAND :I could talk a couple of days ago.  I WAS TESTING YOU!  I wanted to see what you would do. And what you did was betray me. You told the amazing asshole about my tapes. About everything. You don’t know who he is. He could be one of them.

TRIMBLE: One of who?

ROLAND: Oh, you’d like me to answer that question, wouldn’t you?  Because then you’d know if I knew what you were one of. Well, you know, and what I know is my business, especially if you’re one of what I think you’re one of.

TRIMBLE: You’re right, of course.  If I were one of them, you’d be right not to let me know that you knew.

BOBBY LEE: Don’t patronize him.

ROLAND: (To Bobby Lee) And don’t YOU patronize me!  Don’t EITHER of you patronize me!  (Trimble slaps him.) Geez, what was that for?

TRIMBLE: I’m just trying not to be patronizing.

ROLAND: Well, I didn’t mean to hit me.  (To Bobby Lee) Did you see that?  He hit me.

BOBBY LEE: You deserved it.