Dead Don’t Die | A Haunting Paranormal Horror Story

0:05 Speaker 1: It lies in wait amidst your dreams, where nothing is ever how it seems. It is a portal to a terrifying world beyond the doorway to nightmare. Nightmare. Come in. Welcome. I'm Artemis Black. It happens through everyone at some point. The black curtain of death which envelops the human body is an unfortunate certainty. It isn't something we like to ponder or even dwell on.

1:04 Speaker 2: So....

1:08 Speaker 3: This is it.

1:09 Speaker 4: The final. I'm really dead, but am I? I'm lying in this coffin, but shouldn't there have been some sort of.

1:19 Speaker 5: I don't know.

1:21 Speaker 3: A bright light? Or a figure to guide me into the... No.

1:26 Speaker 4: None of this makes any sense. And yet, I am lying in a coffin, so.

1:33 Speaker 3: I must be dead.

1:34 Speaker 2: Dead?

1:38 Speaker 1: Right? Our mystery drama, The Dead Don't Die, was written especially for Doorway to Nightmare by Winslow Swan and edited by Crimson McKenzie. Our stars include Raven Adams, Gemma Mitchell, Mick Davis, and Winslow Swan. I'll be back shortly with Act One. Mark Twain once said that the fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time. But let's face it, is anyone truly prepared to go into that? night.

2:46 Speaker 3: None of this makes sense. I can't seem to move.

2:52 Speaker 5: Oh, yes.

2:56 Speaker 3: I'm inside of my coffin.

3:00 Speaker 4: I always thought that there was some sort of light or some thing came for you.

3:07 Speaker 3: Maybe I was just.

3:09 Speaker 6: Forgotten.

3:10 Speaker 4: But then, why am I in a coffin? I can smell the flowers around me.

3:21 Speaker 1: Weird.

3:23 Speaker 4: I can feel the satin lining under me. That must be Pastor Rick.

3:34 Speaker 3: Yes, it is definitely him.

3:37 Speaker 4: Leave it to my wife to let him officiate at my funeral.

3:43 Speaker 3: Wait, I can hear him. I wonder if I can talk. Hey, I'm not dead. Can anyone hear me?

3:53 Speaker 4: Well, I guess three senses is better than none. That's right, Pastor Rick.

4:03 Speaker 3: And just keep.

4:03 Speaker 4: Talking, and talking, and talking, and talking. And you always wondered why I was rarely at your services. I mean, really, Carol? I know I discussed my memorial service with you, and I specifically asked you not to have that. Well, perhaps I shouldn't speak ill of the living. I wish I could remember what exactly happened to me.

4:30 Speaker 3: Let me see.

4:32 Speaker 4: The last thing that I remember was.

4:34 Speaker 3: Good.

4:51 Speaker 6: Morning, dear.

4:52 Speaker 5: Huh.

4:53 Speaker 3: And what is all of this?

4:55 Speaker 6: I thought that we could have breakfast on the patio. It's such a beautiful day.

5:01 Speaker 4: Pancakes, eggs, bacon, coffee, juice, fruits.

5:06 Speaker 3: Don't tell me that you made all of this.

5:08 Speaker 6: Now, don't be silly. You know I don't know how to boil water. No, I had Cook make everything this morning before she left for her sister's.

5:19 Speaker 3: How is her sister doing?

5:21 Speaker 6: From what I could gather, not very well. Oh, you know, Cook, asking if we could manage for a couple of weeks without her.

5:29 Speaker 4: And of course, you told her that she would come back to find us, a couple of rotting corpses in the kitchen, because we don't know how to use a can opener.

5:37 Speaker 6: David Kramer. What a horrible thing to say.

5:41 Speaker 4: Oh, I'm only kidding. Carol, don't take everything so seriously.

5:47 Speaker 3: You'll live longer.

5:48 Speaker 6: Well, anyway, she said that unless something happened, she would be back on the 14th.

5:54 Speaker 3: In the meantime.

5:55 Speaker 4: I suddenly see a lot of takeout in our future. DoorDash is going to love us.

6:03 Speaker 6: Actually, I was thinking about asking Sally Rogers' cook to perhaps help us out for a while.

6:14 Speaker 4: And what will Sally do?

6:16 Speaker 6: They are going on a cruise, and I thought that perhaps their cook come here for the two weeks they will be gone.

6:21 Speaker 4: Well then, ask them. I'm sure they wouldn't mind.

6:25 Speaker 6: Great! Now eat some breakfast before it gets cold. Here, your coffee. Just the way you like it.

6:42 Speaker 4: Jesus, that man could talk for hours about nothing. Why is he still going on?

6:48 Speaker 6: Oh well.

6:52 Speaker 4: Yes, I remember breakfast. I remember you, Carol, handing me the cup of coffee. I also remember how bitter it tasted, but naturally I didn't say anything about it.

7:10 Speaker 3: Now what's going on?

7:11 Speaker 6: You're such a wonderful man.

7:15 Speaker 4: I'm so sorry.

7:17 Speaker 3: I wonder who that was. I couldn't quite place the voice.

7:21 Speaker 2: We're going to miss you.

7:22 Speaker 3: You really kept that place, don't you?

7:24 Speaker 4: Now, that was Arnie Metcalf. Best foreman I ever hired.

7:31 Speaker 2: Uh, Miss Kramer.

7:32 Speaker 6: Hello, Pastor Rick. Thank you for doing this on such short notice.

7:37 Speaker 2: It was my pleasure, Miss Kramer. Did you give him enough?

7:41 Speaker 6: Yes, it was. Very sudden. Quiet. Someone will hear.

7:49 Speaker 1: Sorry.

7:50 Speaker 2: Don't worry. Everyone is in the banquet hall.

7:53 Speaker 6: See?

7:54 Speaker 5: We're all alone.

7:57 Speaker 6: I hadn't noticed.

7:59 Speaker 1: So, did you?

8:00 Speaker 6: Yes, exactly what you told me to put in.

8:04 Speaker 2: And he drank the entire cup?

8:08 Speaker 6: I suppose it was good to the last drop.

8:13 Speaker 2: Carol, if he died at home, how were you able to get by without the police doing an autopsy?

8:18 Speaker 3: Ha ha!

8:20 Speaker 6: Money does have its privileges. Besides, I simply told them it was against our religion.

8:26 Speaker 2: And what about the will?

8:28 Speaker 6: Don't worry, darling. Everything is in order. It may take a little time to probate, but afterwards, we can be together.

8:41 Speaker 2: Why don't you come into the office?

8:45 Speaker 6: Why, Pastor Rick? What would the mourners say?

8:48 Speaker 2: It's one of my duties as a representative of the church to console the bereaving widow, isn't it?

8:54 Speaker 6: And how do you plan on consoling me?

8:59 Speaker 2: Use your imagination.

9:10 Speaker 4: Carol, you and that so-called Haster, I always suspected you were seeing someone else, but him? And you, you murdered me?

9:32 Speaker 1: Death may be the greatest of all human blessings, wrote Socrates, but I often wonder of the untimely deaths that occur every day. What sort of plans and dreams went undone that might have changed the lives of those around them? I'll be back, perhaps not with an answer, with Act Two.

10:12 Speaker 1: Philip Moeller once wrote, Death is the end of one story and the beginning of another. In the case of David Kramer, his other story is just beginning.

10:29 Speaker 3: Killed me! Poisoned me! How could you, Carol? I provided everything for you.

10:36 Speaker 4: I gave you the house that you insisted on having, the car, the servants, everything. You never had to work, although I told you that if you wanted a career, I would be more than happy to support you. Even when you put me off on having children, I didn't argue. Damn it, I was good to you. Maybe that's why you ran to another man. Maybe it's why I'm in this coffin now.

11:09 Speaker 5: I'm so sorry, David.

11:12 Speaker 1: I got here as fast.

11:14 Speaker 5: As I could. Brandon?

11:17 Speaker 6: When did you get in?

11:18 Speaker 1: Carol.

11:20 Speaker 5: About an hour ago. I came straight from the airport.

11:24 Speaker 6: I told you that it really wasn't necessary for you.

11:27 Speaker 5: I know what you told me, Carol. But he is my brother.

11:30 Speaker 6: Yes, of course. You are right. He looks rather peaceful, wouldn't you say?

11:37 Speaker 1: Just tell me what happened.

11:39 Speaker 6: Now, I thought that I explained all of it over the phone last night.

11:43 Speaker 5: Well, I want to hear it again, in person. Very well.

11:47 Speaker 6: We were having breakfast on the patio and somehow he was. Stung. By a bee.

11:54 Speaker 5: Did... Did you see it? Or hear it?

11:58 Speaker 6: Well, no. David yelled. Collapsed. And by the time the doctor got there, he was... It must have been an allergic reaction. Besides, with all the sugar he used in his coffee, it's no wonder.

12:14 Speaker 5: What did the autopsy have to say?

12:17 Speaker 6: He didn't have one. Just like he wasn't embalmed. Now you know what our religious beliefs are.

12:24 Speaker 5: Oh, yeah. Yeah, the Church of the Everlasting Light, or whatever the hell you call it. We're the con artist for a preacher.

12:34 Speaker 2: I hear that.

12:35 Speaker 6: Oh, Pastor, this is Brandon, Dave's brother.

12:39 Speaker 2: I'll have you know that we're a fully ordained church. Maybe if your brother had come a little more often.

12:44 Speaker 5: Oh, and you must be the famous... Pastor Richard Foster. Well, what indeed an honor it is to meet such a distinguished member of the religious community.

12:57 Speaker 6: Brandon, that's enough.

12:59 Speaker 2: No, no, Carol. It's quite alright. I've had many dealings with unbelievers in my day. I shall pray for you.

13:07 Speaker 5: I think it would be very wise for you both to start praying.

13:11 Speaker 6: What does that mean?

13:13 Speaker 5: Because, my dear sister-in-law, If I have to find a judge, I will get a court order to perform an autopsy on my brother.

13:23 Speaker 2: Now you listen here.

13:25 Speaker 1: What the?

13:26 Speaker 2: Brandon, what's wrong?

13:30 Speaker 6: You look as if you saw something strange.

13:34 Speaker 3: I thought I saw.

13:38 Speaker 1: No.

13:41 Speaker 5: Never mind. It must have been just a trick of the light.

13:47 Speaker 3: No, Brandon, it wasn't. I moved my finger.

13:51 Speaker 4: I know that you must have seen it. It was only a slight twitch, but I know that you must have seen it move. Oh, God, if I could only speak.

14:03 Speaker 4: You really did a great job, Carol. You really did.

14:07 Speaker 6: How was your coffee?

14:12 Speaker 3: Um, a little bitter, but that's okay.

14:18 Speaker 6: So what are your plans for the day?

14:20 Speaker 3: Oh, nothing special.

14:22 Speaker 4: Unless one of the franchises needs something.

14:25 Speaker 3: I think that.

14:27 Speaker 1: that.

14:28 Speaker 6: Dave? What's the matter?

14:31 Speaker 3: I'm not sure. I don't feel... Dave? Something is wrong. My chest feels like I can't move. Hard to breathe.

14:52 Speaker 6: Then perhaps you should just die.

14:55 Speaker 3: Carol?

14:56 Speaker 5: Please, help me.

14:58 Speaker 6: Help you?

14:58 Speaker 1: Just die. The look.

15:15 Speaker 4: That cruel on your face, Carol. I remember it so well. Brandon warned me that you were no good, and I should have listened to him. But the heart wants what the heart wants. And now, look at me, lying in a coffin at my funeral. And you, Carol, making love to the pastor in his office at my funeral. The final nail in the coffin.

15:43 Speaker 6: Hehehehe.

15:45 Speaker 3: The final nail in the coffin.

15:48 Speaker 6: Brandon, can't you get through that thick skull of yours? Your brother was stung by a bee. And he died.

16:01 Speaker 2: It's quite unfortunate, but it does happen.

16:03 Speaker 5: Will you stay out of this, pastor? I find it funny that the police didn't insist on an autopsy.

16:11 Speaker 6: I've already told you.

16:13 Speaker 5: Yeah, religious police. Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. Would it interest you to know, dear sister-in-law, that Pastor Rick here has a rather dubious past?

16:25 Speaker 2: Choose your next words very carefully, Mr. Crawford.

16:29 Speaker 6: He is trying to help with your brother's funeral. His past does not concern me at the moment.

16:36 Speaker 5: Really? Did he ever tell you about his other wife? I warned you!

16:42 Speaker 2: Oh! Uh.

16:47 Speaker 5: Nice right cross, Richard. A little soft, though.

16:52 Speaker 1: Here.

16:53 Speaker 5: Try one of mine!

16:56 Speaker 6: How could you hit a man of the cloth? And at your brother's funeral? Right in front of his casket?

17:03 Speaker 5: I have a lot more in store. For both of you.

17:12 Speaker 6: Are you alright?

17:14 Speaker 1: Here.

17:15 Speaker 6: Let me help you up.

17:16 Speaker 2: I'm okay. Just don't.

17:19 Speaker 6: What am I doing wrong?

17:20 Speaker 2: I said I was okay. Has everyone paid their condolences to the deceased?

17:25 Speaker 6: I believe so. There doesn't seem to be anyone else here.

17:29 Speaker 2: Why don't you wait in the other room while I close the casket lid?

17:33 Speaker 6: Don't be silly. I want that.

17:39 Speaker 5: Pleasure.

18:01 Speaker 1: The true wretchedness. Indeed, the ultimate woe is particular, not diffuse. To be buried while alive is, beyond question, the most horrific of these extremes which has ever fallen to the lot of mere mortality. Edgar Allan Poe suffered from such a condition, and I myself have often wondered how I would react to such a predicament. I'll return shortly with Act 3. Oscar Wilde wrote, Death must be so beautiful. To lie in the soft brown earth with the grasses waving above one's head and listen to silence.

19:06 Speaker 1: To have no yesterday and no tomorrow. To forget time. To forgive life. To be at peace.

19:22 Speaker 3: It's so dark now.

19:24 Speaker 4: When the lid was open, I could see the light through my closed eyelids, but now.

19:29 Speaker 3: nothing.

19:31 Speaker 4: Dammit, I know I moved my finger. I know that Brandon saw it. If I did it once, I might be able to do it again.

19:45 Speaker 6: Rick, when will they come to take the casket to the crematorium?

19:49 Speaker 2: I just spoke with... the director on the phone the van is tied up in traffic but should be here very soon.

19:54 Speaker 6: I just want to get this all over with.

19:58 Speaker 2: Will you come over tonight now do you think.

20:02 Speaker 6: That it would be proper for the widow to visit her pastor at his.

20:06 Speaker 2: Home no I suppose you're right But.

20:09 Speaker 6: There is nothing to prevent the pastor from the widow's church to pay a respectful visit to her home.

20:16 Speaker 1: What was that? What?

20:18 Speaker 6: I didn't hear anything.

20:20 Speaker 2: It sounded like it came over from over there.

20:23 Speaker 6: Quit being so nervous. The only thing over there is the coffin.

20:35 Speaker 3: I did it.

20:35 Speaker 4: I was able to knock on the side of the casket. So if I did it once, I can do it again.

20:45 Speaker 1: There.

20:46 Speaker 3: Someone must have heard it. My legs. I can feel my legs.

20:57 Speaker 2: My god, it is coming from the coffin.

21:00 Speaker 6: No. No, you're dead. I killed you. Why don't you die?

21:06 Speaker 5: That's all I wanted to hear.

21:11 Speaker 6: Brandon, I thought that you.

21:13 Speaker 5: Left for the hotel, Carol? I thought that the two of you were the cause of my brother's death. And now, I'm sure of it.

21:24 Speaker 1: Mr.

21:24 Speaker 2: Crawford, if there was anything said to me or in this church, you should know that it was said under the rules of confession.

21:34 Speaker 5: But this isn't a Catholic church. Those rules, they don't apply.

21:40 Speaker 2: On the contrary, they do.

21:44 Speaker 1: Wait, wait! What?

21:50 Speaker 5: What was that?

21:58 Speaker 6: What's going on?

21:59 Speaker 5: Oh my god!

22:02 Speaker 2: Look!

22:02 Speaker 6: Look!

22:04 Speaker 4: Carol, why do you want to put me in the cold, cold ground?

22:15 Speaker 6: No, you're dead.

22:17 Speaker 5: And now, for you.

22:33 Speaker 3: Pastor Rick.

22:37 Speaker 1: No!

22:38 Speaker 2: Stay away! Stay away from me!

22:44 Speaker 3: Poor Carol. Brandon, how is she?

22:48 Speaker 5: She's dead, dear brother. Must have had a heart attack.

22:53 Speaker 4: And what should we do with the good pastor?

22:58 Speaker 5: Well, I've got an interesting idea.

23:27 Speaker 3: Where are they going?

23:28 Speaker 5: The crematorium on the other side of town. Guys who carried the casket did mention how heavy it was. Wow.

23:38 Speaker 4: Two bodies are heavier than one. At least they'll be able to stay warm together.

23:54 Speaker 1: As the brothers watch the van drive away with the bodies in the casket, they smile. I'll be back shortly with a final word. Death is all around us, if we choose to acknowledge it. But I would rather remember the words of singer Joan Baez, You don't get to choose how you're going to die, or when. You can only decide how you're going to live. now. Our cast included Raven Adams, Gemma Mitchell, Mick Davis, and Winslow Swan. The story was edited by Crimson McKenzie and directed by Winslow Swan. This is your host, Artemis Black, inviting you to return with us to the doorway to nightmare for another adventure into the terrifying world of your imagination.

25:12 Speaker 1: Until next time, slumber peacefully. Epilogue The Butler Did It