A Dangerous Game: What Are the Odds of Two Serial Killers?

0:03 Speaker 1: When you sleep, you enter into another world. Beyond that world lies the doorway to nightmare. Come in. Welcome. I'm your host through the doorway to nightmare. Many years ago, hitchhiking was almost the norm for certain travelers. According to them, it was a great way to see the country. It is not as common as it used to be, but on occasion... It still happens.

1:02 Speaker 2: So, where are you from?

1:05 Speaker 3: Why do you want to know?

1:07 Speaker 2: Oh, I was just trying to make conversation.

1:09 Speaker 3: Do you always pick up hitchhikers?

1:13 Speaker 2: Well, as a general rule, no.

1:17 Speaker 3: Then why did you pick me up?

1:19 Speaker 2: I don't know. Sometimes I get a little voice that tells me to help people. So I do.

1:26 Speaker 3: Maybe you shouldn't listen to that little voice.

1:34 Speaker 1: Our mystery drama, A Dangerous Game, was written especially for Doorway to Nightmare by Winslow Swan and stars Crimson McKenzie and Winslow Swan. It is sponsored in part by Swanage Press. I'll be back shortly with Act One. Act One The open road still calls, like a nearly forgotten song of childhood. Perhaps Carl Sagan began his journey by hitchhiking. To see a complete stranger on the side of the road and make the conscious decision to pick them up is something that can be thrilling and dangerous.

2:25 Speaker 2: Yes, Daddy, I got plenty of gas. No, I won't have to stop again for a while. How's Uncle David? Well, tell them I'm looking forward to our fishing trip, too. No, Daddy, I just got this one job to do, then I'll be there. Oh, it shouldn't take more than a day. Okay, Dad. Yes, I'll be careful. Ain't I always? See you and Uncle David on Friday. Such lonely country. Not a sign of a store.

3:06 Speaker 3: Nothing.

3:07 Speaker 2: Why did I come this way? Wish the radio worked.

3:11 Speaker 3: Oh.

3:12 Speaker 2: Now what's he doing out here? Need a lift?

3:27 Speaker 3: Yes, I do.

3:34 Speaker 2: How far are you going?

3:36 Speaker 3: As far as I can.

3:40 Speaker 2: My name's Claire. Claire Browning.

3:42 Speaker 3: I'm Todd.

3:44 Speaker 2: Just Todd?

3:45 Speaker 3: Just Todd.

3:47 Speaker 2: Well, how long were you out there, Todd?

3:50 Speaker 3: Just a couple of hours.

3:51 Speaker 2: You from here?

3:53 Speaker 3: No, Atlanta.

3:54 Speaker 1: Oh!

3:55 Speaker 2: That's where I'm heading back to. My parents live there and I'm on my way to go visit them. What part of Atlanta are you from?

4:03 Speaker 3: You sure do play a dangerous game.

4:07 Speaker 2: What do you mean?

4:08 Speaker 3: Well, you just picked me up, a complete stranger, and.

4:12 Speaker 2: Not a complete stranger. I know your name's Todd, and you come from Atlanta.

4:17 Speaker 3: Well, no, that's only what I told you. How do you know my name isn't Steve from San Diego, or Paul from New York?

4:25 Speaker 2: All right, all right, point made. Should I throw you out now or wait another mile?

4:29 Speaker 3: If you had been smart, you never would have picked me up in the first place.

4:32 Speaker 2: Ooh, very ominous. Did you just get through murdering an entire family?

4:39 Speaker 3: Well, as a matter of fact, yes, I did.

4:42 Speaker 2: I only do that on Tuesdays. Why, Todd, I do believe that I should be driving you to the local police station. You know where it's at?

4:54 Speaker 3: They're a nice family, the Stevens. Pick me up just before the Texas border. But boring? He was an accountant and just went on and on about IRAs and 401k plans.

5:09 Speaker 2: Well, you had no choice but to kill him. Took care of an accountant, put the rest of the family out to misery.

5:16 Speaker 3: How do you know that I'm not telling you the truth?

5:19 Speaker 2: Because a killer, a real one, never go into the details.

5:23 Speaker 3: Are you sure?

5:24 Speaker 2: I am. Real killer with Woo their victims into a false state of security before plunging the knife in.

5:33 Speaker 3: Oh, no, no. I hate knives. Too much blood. No, I prefer the old-fashioned way of clenching my hands around their necks.

5:43 Speaker 2: Oh, too much work for my taste. And I'm a small girl. Small hands. And if you don't do it right, they may not die.

5:52 Speaker 3: I see your point.

5:53 Speaker 2: Well, how do you feel about guns?

5:55 Speaker 3: Oh, well... They're okay if you're in a hurry.

5:59 Speaker 2: My kind of killer. Like to take your time doing things, don't you?

6:04 Speaker 3: I have never been known to rush things. Mind if we stop and get something to eat?

6:18 Speaker 2: I was just going to ask you the same thing. Hopefully there's something at the next exit. I need to take a bathroom break as well. No, Daddy. I'm still in Texas. Well, yes, I'm being careful. What? And you saw this where exactly? Oh, well, you know you can always trust the internet. I'm sure a killer is lurking on the roadsides just waiting to be picked up by the police. No, Daddy. I ain't picked up anyone. You know me better than that.

6:57 Speaker 1: Or does he? And something else has been said that has even me a little worried. Claire seems like a level-headed young woman who would never purposefully put herself in danger. But it seems that perhaps she has. We shall know more when I return with Act Two. there have been many famous people who have seen the country through the form of transportation known as hitchhiking there seems to be a sort of freedom that comes with the mystery of meeting someone new oh.

7:47 Speaker 2: I wish the dang radio worked what's wrong with it oh i don't know i think the Fuse blew about 100 miles ago. Dang rental cars.

7:56 Speaker 3: Do you rent a lot of cars?

7:58 Speaker 2: Well, yes, I do. So what do you do for a living?

8:02 Speaker 3: I thought you knew. I'm a serial killer.

8:08 Speaker 2: Is there much money in that? Yes, we did that bit already.

8:14 Speaker 3: No, I really am.

8:17 Speaker 2: Oh, sure. You hitchhiked all you crime scenes. Ditto.

8:22 Speaker 3: It just so happens that the car I took from my last victim broke down. I'm surprised you didn't pass it.

8:30 Speaker 2: Oh my goodness, was it a Ford? My daddy swears by them, but every one I've had's done me wrong. How'd you do it?

8:39 Speaker 3: How did I do what?

8:41 Speaker 2: Well, how'd you kill your latest victim?

8:43 Speaker 3: Oh, that. Actually, it was a family.

8:48 Speaker 2: So you weren't lying before, huh?

8:51 Speaker 3: I never lie.

8:53 Speaker 2: Okay. So how'd you do it?

8:57 Speaker 3: They weren't home. So I broke in and hid until they came in. I listened to them. Happy, talking about their day. Typical family. Two teenagers. Mother, father.

9:14 Speaker 2: Patient, aren't we? Where'd you hide?

9:17 Speaker 3: I was in the hall closet. crouched behind some boxes.

9:21 Speaker 2: Must have been pretty cramped.

9:23 Speaker 3: You'd be surprised how long I can stay in one position.

9:27 Speaker 2: And they didn't hear you?

9:30 Speaker 3: I'm very quiet.

9:32 Speaker 2: Well, I can see that. All right, go on. What happened?

9:37 Speaker 3: Well, they were starting dinner. I heard the mother in the kitchen. The kids were setting the table. Dad was watching the news. I listened to them sit down. They said, Grace, Imagine it. They were praying for the food they were about to receive. Not knowing that death was waiting for them.

9:59 Speaker 1: That I.

10:00 Speaker 3: Was waiting for them.

10:04 Speaker 2: So how'd you present yourself?

10:07 Speaker 3: What do you mean?

10:08 Speaker 2: Well, I mean, you didn't just jump out and say, Hi, I'm your serial killer. Please say a different prayer, because you're really going to need it tonight.

10:18 Speaker 3: I waited until they went to bed.

10:21 Speaker 2: You broke into someone's home, hid yourself, just waited all day, part of the night just to kill them?

10:27 Speaker 3: That's pretty much it, but I tell it better.

10:31 Speaker 2: Did you rape the wife?

10:33 Speaker 3: I beg your pardon?

10:34 Speaker 2: Well, come on. You're a pretty good looking guy. I don't suppose you have any problems in that department. I just, I was curious, wanted to know if you had sex with the woman before you killed her.

10:45 Speaker 3: And why do you want to know?

10:47 Speaker 2: Well, call me Curious Cat. Oh, wait. Don't tell me you had sex with her after you killed her. No, of course not. Oh, thank God. Oh, my. Oh, did you have sex with a father?

11:03 Speaker 3: Oh, first I'm a necrophiliac, and now I'm gay.

11:06 Speaker 2: Hey, hey, don't take offense. Some of my friends are gay.

11:10 Speaker 3: How did this conversation even start? Ha, ha, ha.

11:15 Speaker 2: Curiosity, perhaps. And I might have initiated it. Remember?

11:21 Speaker 1: Fine.

11:22 Speaker 3: Why don't you tell me what you do for a living?

11:25 Speaker 2: Oh, haven't you guessed? I'm a serial killer as well.

11:29 Speaker 3: Oh, of course you are.

11:30 Speaker 2: You still haven't told me how you killed him.

11:33 Speaker 3: You really want to know?

11:34 Speaker 2: Yes, I do. I'm always looking for some New and interesting ways to dispatch someone.

11:41 Speaker 3: Well, my way is neither new or interesting. So? I stabbed them to death.

11:49 Speaker 2: All of them?

11:50 Speaker 3: Yes, after I slit their throats.

11:53 Speaker 2: Now I know you're lying.

11:54 Speaker 3: And why do you say that?

11:55 Speaker 2: Because earlier you said that you didn't like blood.

11:58 Speaker 3: Okay, so I shot them.

11:59 Speaker 2: Once.

12:00 Speaker 3: Right in the head.

12:01 Speaker 2: But you told me you liked to strangle your victims.

12:04 Speaker 3: Maybe I should strangle you.

12:07 Speaker 2: Well... That's a possibility. I mean, I have seen your face. You just haven't admitted to killing the entire family. And you just don't appear to like me very much.

12:20 Speaker 3: I think that maybe you should pull over.

12:24 Speaker 2: Do you really want me to do that?

12:28 Speaker 3: Yes, I think it would be better for both of us.

12:33 Speaker 1: Things are beginning to get a little tense on this cross-country drive. Claire begins to eye her passenger a little closer as she continues to drive down the highway. We shall continue with Act 3 shortly. Strong and content, I travel the open road. I wonder if Walsh Whitman ever met someone like Todd. Claire has been treating the whole situation as a sort of joke until Todd tells her to pull over.

13:23 Speaker 2: Now why'd I want to pull over?

13:25 Speaker 3: Because I told you to.

13:27 Speaker 2: Ha ha ha! You're about as threatening as a small kitten.

13:32 Speaker 3: Stop laughing at me.

13:35 Speaker 2: Oh, Todd. If this is the way you kill people, you're doing such a great job.

13:41 Speaker 3: Stop laughing at me.

13:42 Speaker 2: I can't help it. There's no way that you kill people.

13:47 Speaker 3: Pull this damn car over now or I will gut you like a fish.

13:52 Speaker 2: Oh, my. What a big knife you have.

13:56 Speaker 3: If you don't pull this car over right now, I swear.

14:00 Speaker 2: All right, Todd. All right, Todd.

14:03 Speaker 3: Chill.

14:04 Speaker 2: Breathe. It's a really beautiful night.

14:17 Speaker 3: Give me the keys.

14:19 Speaker 2: Now what you gonna do?

14:21 Speaker 3: I'm going to slice you from your pretty little neck right down to your belly. I'm going to slice you open and let you watch your gut spill out.

14:32 Speaker 2: Wow, that's a little graphic. You're going to use a Chevy key. My daddy would say that'd never work.

14:41 Speaker 3: You're not even scared, are you?

14:44 Speaker 2: Should I be?

14:46 Speaker 3: Yes, you really should be.

14:55 Speaker 4: Yes, Daddy, I'm fine.

14:59 Speaker 2: No, no, no troubles at all. I still got that job to do, but I promise I'll call you as soon as I'm finished. Yeah, you give Uncle David a big hug from me. Yes, I love you too. Now Todd, with no last name, quieten down. I got a phone call to make.

15:27 Speaker 1: Hi.

15:28 Speaker 2: It's me. Oh, no. No problems. No, not really, anyway. Oh, I picked up a hitchhiker. No, I'm not charging you for this. You just make sure that you're in New York City tomorrow. Go out. Make yourself seen. Go to restaurants, bars, clubs, one of those 24-hour gas stations. Make a show of it. Make sure you keep your seats. You gotta have a solid alibi, hon. Oh, don't worry. That target will be taken care of by your deadline. What?

16:07 Speaker 3: No.

16:09 Speaker 2: A hitchhiker? Oh, I think I got a little time to have some fun.

16:15 Speaker 3: No.

16:16 Speaker 2: No gun. I got a knife. Or at least a Chevy key. Oh, I'm sorry. That's a That was an inside joke. I'll call you after the job, hon. All right. Now, Pod, don't be so dang impatient. You got all night to die. You know what they say. Patience averts you. And you really should take care of your knife. You got blood stains all over it. Don't worry. After I'm done with you. I'll make sure that it's completely clean.

17:04 Speaker 1: Claire smiles as she brandishes the knife that she has procured from the killer, Todd. She runs a finger along the blade and smiles. I'll be back shortly. In the words of Carl Sagan, the open road calls softly. You just have to be careful while traveling. Our cast included Crimson McKenzie and Winslow Swan. The entire production was under the direction of Winslow Swan. And now, a preview of our next tale.

17:57 Speaker 2: Oh, aren't the trees lovely this time of year, Elliot?

18:01 Speaker 3: I only came out here because I thought I might be able to talk some sense into you.

18:05 Speaker 2: Oh, the breeze.

18:08 Speaker 4: Like a lover's kiss.

18:10 Speaker 3: It is simply a matter of a signature. All you have to do is sign the divorce papers.

18:17 Speaker 4: But isn't it just lovely to take a walk through the woods?

18:21 Speaker 2: Yes.

18:22 Speaker 3: Are you going to sign the papers or not?

18:24 Speaker 4: Did you ever love me? Even for one precious moment?

18:33 Speaker 3: Just sign the papers, please.

18:36 Speaker 4: Not even for one solitary moment?

18:40 Speaker 3: Not even for one moment.

18:45 Speaker 1: Doorway to Nightmare is brought to you in part by Swanage Press. This is your host inviting you to return with us through the doorway to nightmare for another adventure into the world of your terrifying imagination. Until next time, slumber peacefully. Epilogue. The butler did it.