I Bury The Living | The Graveyard Admin's Deadly Secret: A Thriller

0:00 Speaker 1: Hey guys, this is Crimson. And this is Swan. And we'd love to know what you think of the stories. Even if it's bad. So leave us a comment. Or give us a thumbs up.

0:10 Speaker 2: Thank you!

0:11 Speaker 1: It lies.

0:17 Speaker 3: 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. Come in. Welcome. I'm your host, Artemis Black. Let's talk of graves, of worms, of epitaphs. Make dust our paper, and with rainy eyes write sorrow on the bosom of the earth.

1:11 Speaker 1: It was just a mistake. A bloody mistake.

1:15 Speaker 4: You can't honestly stand there and tell me that you're the cause of Mr. Hoskins' death.

1:20 Speaker 1: No, not directly.

1:22 Speaker 4: You just made a mistake. You stuck the wrong color pen into the map.

1:27 Speaker 1: And Mr. Hoskins died.

1:31 Speaker 4: It's only a coincidence.

1:33 Speaker 2: Is it?

1:35 Speaker 1: I mean, what if by some strange power, I killed Mr. Hoskins?

1:44 Speaker 3: Our mystery drama, I Bury the Living, was suggested from the short story and adapted for Doorway to Nightmare by Winslow Swann. and edited by Crimson McKenzie. Our stars include Jonathan Rosignol, Jim Mitchell, and Dave Arkpog. I'll be back shortly with Act One. Act One We all have some sort of occupation in this life.

2:25 Speaker 1: Me?

2:25 Speaker 3: I am an actor, who dons a different personality with each character. Some are doctors, lawyers, or work with the public. However, there are those who have what many would call a morbid profession.

2:59 Speaker 2: Mr. Parker?

3:01 Speaker 1: You must be Mr. Cullen.

3:03 Speaker 2: Yes, sir. That I am. So happy to finally meet you.

3:07 Speaker 1: They told me that you were going to show me to my, uh, office.

3:12 Speaker 2: Oh, yes, sir. Just up this way.

3:16 Speaker 1: So you're the caretaker here?

3:18 Speaker 2: Yes, sir. Been making sure our guests have a beautiful place to rest in for almost 30 years now.

3:25 Speaker 1: Long time. What does your family think about it?

3:28 Speaker 2: Oh, sir, I don't really have a family. My wife passed away five years ago. We never had any children, so it's only me.

3:37 Speaker 1: Well, you could always meet someone else.

3:40 Speaker 2: There was never a better woman than my father.

3:43 Speaker 1: I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry.

3:46 Speaker 2: No apology necessary, sir. Well, here we are.

3:50 Speaker 3: Oh.

3:56 Speaker 1: Larger than I imagined.

3:58 Speaker 2: Now, over there is your desk. You'll find the schedule of upcoming funerals for this week. Filing cabinet over there, and then, of course, there is the map.

4:10 Speaker 3: Map?

4:12 Speaker 2: Yes, the map. It shows all of the plots in the cemetery.

4:16 Speaker 1: What are these pens for?

4:18 Speaker 2: Well, sir, the white ones designate empty and unsold plots. The black ones... mean that a guest is currently occupying that one.

4:29 Speaker 1: Um, guests?

4:31 Speaker 2: Oh, yes, sir. I call our residents guests. Eventually, depending on your religious beliefs, we may just come back someday.

4:41 Speaker 3: I see.

4:43 Speaker 1: What about these green pins?

4:47 Speaker 2: Oh, those tell us which plots have been sold in advance. You'll find the owner's information in the filing cabinet.

4:54 Speaker 1: It's not all on a computer.

4:56 Speaker 2: Well, our previous manager was beginning to do just that. But I suppose you know what happened to Mr.

5:05 Speaker 3: Evans.

5:06 Speaker 1: No, I haven't heard.

5:07 Speaker 2: Oh, well, he was the last cemetery manager. He lost his wife and son in a car accident last year. And he sort of, well, I guess you'd say lost it.

5:23 Speaker 1: What did he do?

5:23 Speaker 4: Now.

5:24 Speaker 2: I don't like to speak ill of the dead, but he was getting more melancholy lately. He even started living here.

5:32 Speaker 3: Here?

5:34 Speaker 1: At the cemetery?

5:35 Speaker 2: Yes, sir. Through that door was a storeroom. He put in a bed, a hot plate, small TV, and started staying in there. You're more than welcome to it. He had no other family, and I didn't get around to getting rid of this stuff.

5:53 Speaker 1: Oh, I think I'll be quite happy living with my wife in our apartment.

5:57 Speaker 2: Yes, sir. Well, if you need anything else.

6:00 Speaker 1: What happened to Mr.

6:01 Speaker 3: Evans? Oh, that.

6:04 Speaker 2: Well, he committed suicide. I found him that morning, hung himself, right there in that beam.

6:12 Speaker 1: Sorry I asked. Did he leave a note or something?

6:16 Speaker 2: Well, yes, there was a note, but I hesitate to tell you what it said.

6:22 Speaker 3: Come on.

6:23 Speaker 1: How bad could it be?

6:24 Speaker 2: Oh, not bad, sir. Just curious. It only had one line that he'd written.

6:31 Speaker 3: Which was?

6:34 Speaker 2: I bury the living.

6:44 Speaker 4: You're home late. I left dinner in the oven for you.

6:47 Speaker 1: I'm not feeling very hungry.

6:48 Speaker 4: Hard first day?

6:50 Speaker 1: Not so much hard, just Tedious.

6:53 Speaker 4: How much do you have to do at that job?

6:56 Speaker 1: Miriam, you know it was the only job I could get. After what happened in New York.

7:01 Speaker 4: Which wasn't your fault. And you know that. Besides, you will get your law license back eventually. Daddy assured me.

7:10 Speaker 3: I know.

7:12 Speaker 1: I know. I made a stupid mistake.

7:16 Speaker 2: Now.

7:18 Speaker 1: Now I'm a secretary for a graveyard.

7:20 Speaker 4: Cemetery, dear. and one of the largest in the state. So, what do you do there?

7:28 Speaker 1: Stick pins in a map.

7:30 Speaker 4: Sounds very. Taxing, love.

7:33 Speaker 1: Oh, ha ha. Seriously, that is my job. I see what graves have been filled and replace a white or green pin with a black one.

7:45 Speaker 4: David, are you kidding? And that took you this long?

7:50 Speaker 1: Apparently the previous manager fell behind before he committed suicide.

7:54 Speaker 4: Now, that's a little raw.

7:55 Speaker 3: Seriously.

7:57 Speaker 1: Poor fellow just couldn't take the job.

7:59 Speaker 3: Anymore, I guess.

8:00 Speaker 4: Well, don't worry, my love. I'm sure that Daddy will have the whole mess straightened out. And we can move back to New York.

8:07 Speaker 1: One can only hope. I hate these little towns.

8:17 Speaker 3: Hello?

8:19 Speaker 2: Mr. Parker? It's Cullen.

8:21 Speaker 3: Yes, Mr.

8:22 Speaker 1: Cullen. What can I do for you?

8:24 Speaker 2: Well, sir, it's kind of strange. It's about the map.

8:29 Speaker 1: What about the map?

8:30 Speaker 2: I know that you were trying to catch up on the pins, but I think you made a mistake. You took out a green pin and put in a black one.

8:40 Speaker 3: So what?

8:41 Speaker 1: Just change it out.

8:43 Speaker 2: Well, sir, you see, that's the strange part. See, the pin was on a Mr. Ralph Buckley. He paid for the plot about a year ago.

8:53 Speaker 1: And this couldn't wait till tomorrow?

8:55 Speaker 2: He's dead, sir. Just got the call from the morgue.

9:00 Speaker 3: What?

9:02 Speaker 1: What happened to him?

9:04 Speaker 2: All I know is that he's dead. He'll be arriving tomorrow afternoon. Just seemed kind of funny, you know, to put that black pin in his plot. And then he died.

9:18 Speaker 3: Coincidence? Probably. Or could it be something more sinister? After all, we deal in the more frightening aspects of life and death. I'll be back shortly with Act 2. Euripides once said, no one can confidently say they will be alive tomorrow.

10:07 Speaker 4: David, I don't know why you insisted on coming to the funeral.

10:12 Speaker 1: I'm hoping to find out how the man died.

10:14 Speaker 4: People die. That's it.

10:16 Speaker 1: He was in the peak of health, Miriam. There was no reason for him to die.

10:20 Speaker 4: Why does there have to be a reason? Oh, now wait a minute. You are not going to say that just because you put the wrong colored pin on his burial plot. But that is ludicrous.

10:36 Speaker 1: Whether it's ludicrous or not, you have to admit that it is a rather funny coincidence.

10:43 Speaker 4: Yes, and that's all that it is. A coincidence.

10:48 Speaker 3: You're right.

10:49 Speaker 1: I'm sorry that I dragged you out here. Why don't you just go on home and I'll see you tonight, okay?

10:54 Speaker 4: Honey, it's going to be all right. Just don't think about it. I'll see you tonight.

11:06 Speaker 2: Working kind of late, aren't you, Mr. Parker?

11:09 Speaker 1: Not really working, I guess. Just studying the map.

11:14 Speaker 2: Well, if you're worried about sticking the wrong pin into.

11:18 Speaker 3: No.

11:20 Speaker 1: It's not that. Just a mistake at the wrong time.

11:23 Speaker 2: You know, that's what Mr. Evans said when it happened to him.

11:27 Speaker 1: You mean he did the same thing?

11:31 Speaker 2: Yes, sir. He sure did. Got the idea that he was a god or something.

11:36 Speaker 1: You mean it happened more than once?

11:40 Speaker 2: Not too sure about that. All I know is what he told me. And then there was that note he left.

11:47 Speaker 1: I bury the living.

11:50 Speaker 3: All right.

11:52 Speaker 1: There's one sure way to find out.

11:56 Speaker 2: What are you looking for?

11:57 Speaker 1: Okay, let's see. Right here. Plot number 487.

12:07 Speaker 2: Mr.

12:07 Speaker 1: Harold Crossman.

12:08 Speaker 2: What are you about to do, Mr.

12:10 Speaker 3: Parker?

12:12 Speaker 1: And there we go.

12:15 Speaker 2: But you just put a black pen in his plot. Why would you.

12:19 Speaker 1: I happen to know Harry. He was on the board of directors that put me in this position. He's as healthy as a horse.

12:35 Speaker 4: Oh, David. I was worried. Where have you been?

12:40 Speaker 1: I've been driving around.

12:43 Speaker 4: But it's after midnight.

12:45 Speaker 1: I'm sorry, Miriam. I really am. Harold Crossman is dead.

12:50 Speaker 4: Who is Harold Crossman?

12:52 Speaker 1: You remember. The one who hired me for this.

12:56 Speaker 3: job.

12:57 Speaker 4: What do you mean he's dead? I.

13:00 Speaker 1: just wanted to be sure.

13:02 Speaker 4: Oh, David, darling. What is going on?

13:05 Speaker 1: I took out a green pin on Harry's plot and put in a black one. And now he's dead.

13:12 Speaker 4: Just another coincidence. That's all.

13:15 Speaker 1: Two within two days? I don't think so.

13:19 Speaker 2: David.

13:20 Speaker 4: You're in a state.

13:21 Speaker 1: You don't know the half of it.

13:22 Speaker 4: You mean there is more?

13:25 Speaker 1: Mr. Cullen told me that as part of my job, both you and I have plots in the cemetery.

13:32 Speaker 4: Now, that's just morbid.

13:35 Speaker 1: Miriam, I put a black pin in my plot.

13:44 Speaker 2: Good morning, Mr.

13:45 Speaker 3: Parker.

13:46 Speaker 1: Good morning, Mr. Cullen. And how are you on this wonderful day?

13:50 Speaker 2: You're in a cheery mood, considering.

13:53 Speaker 1: Well, yes, I am. It's a beautiful day. Great to be alive.

13:58 Speaker 2: Wait a minute. You don't know, do you?

14:01 Speaker 1: Know what?

14:02 Speaker 2: Where's your wife, Mr.

14:04 Speaker 3: Parker?

14:05 Speaker 1: She went up to see her sister in Scarsdale last night. Why do you ask?

14:09 Speaker 2: I just got a phone call. Mrs. Parker was killed in an auto accident late last night.

14:16 Speaker 3: What?

14:17 Speaker 1: That's impossible.

14:18 Speaker 5: I mean.

14:19 Speaker 1: The highway patrol would have called me.

14:21 Speaker 2: They tried, but they said there was no answer. It's your house, and you weren't home.

14:27 Speaker 3: Oh, my God.

14:30 Speaker 1: The map.

14:31 Speaker 2: That's what I've been trying to tell you. You put a black pin in Mrs. Parker's plot last night, not yours.

14:39 Speaker 1: No, that's impossible.

14:42 Speaker 2: Exactly where were you last night, Mr.

14:45 Speaker 3: Parker?

14:46 Speaker 1: Why is that any of your business?

14:48 Speaker 2: You sure you didn't maybe follow your wife and then kill her?

14:58 Speaker 3: Rather interesting supposition on the part of Mr. Cullen. Could David have murdered his wife? And for what reason? Or is something more sinister going on? Perhaps we shall learn the answer when I return with Act 3. Francis Bacon once said, Men fear death as children fear the dark. And as that natural fear in children is increased by tales, so is the other.

16:02 Speaker 2: Nice music, Mr.

16:03 Speaker 3: Parker.

16:04 Speaker 1: It was Miriam's favorite. Brahms, I think.

16:08 Speaker 2: Mr. Parker, I want to apologize for what I said yesterday.

16:12 Speaker 3: Oh.

16:13 Speaker 1: It's okay. Forget it. I shouldn't have been so short with you.

16:18 Speaker 2: None of my business, Mr.

16:20 Speaker 3: Parker.

16:21 Speaker 1: I spent the night with a friend of mine who was passing through, that's all.

16:24 Speaker 2: Like I said, none of my business. And I'm truly sorry about your wife.

16:30 Speaker 1: That damn map.

16:32 Speaker 2: Now, come on, Mr.

16:33 Speaker 3: Parker.

16:34 Speaker 2: You don't really believe.

16:35 Speaker 1: Wait a minute.

16:36 Speaker 3: No.

16:37 Speaker 1: It's too crazy.

16:39 Speaker 2: What are you talking about?

16:40 Speaker 1: Listen, let us assume.

16:43 Speaker 1: For the moment that by replacing a green or white pin with a black one will kill that person.

16:52 Speaker 2: Um, Mr. Parker, I don't think.

16:55 Speaker 1: So what would happen if I took a white pin like this and replaced the black one?

17:05 Speaker 2: But that's your wife's plot, sir.

17:07 Speaker 1: Exactly. So now let's see what happens.

17:23 Speaker 2: What are we doing out here in the cemetery at night?

17:26 Speaker 1: I want an independent witness.

17:29 Speaker 2: You don't really think that your wife is going to come back to you?

17:33 Speaker 1: That map. That cursed map. It kills people. So why shouldn't it bring Miriam back?

17:41 Speaker 2: Mr. Parker, I don't like this. I think we should get out of here.

17:46 Speaker 3: David.

17:49 Speaker 1: Listen. Listen.

17:52 Speaker 2: I only hear the wind, Mr. Parker.

17:55 Speaker 3: David, where are you?

18:00 Speaker 1: Over here.

18:01 Speaker 2: Who are you talking to?

18:03 Speaker 1: Don't you hear her? She's coming.

18:07 Speaker 3: Mr.

18:07 Speaker 2: Parker, your wife was killed in an auto accident. I talked with the sheriff. Mr. Parker, she was burned to death.

18:16 Speaker 1: Don't you hear her? She's coming. I'm over here by the shack.

18:26 Speaker 2: Oh god what is that coming out of the darkness.

18:30 Speaker 1: Miriam I'm over here Miriam Mr.

18:34 Speaker 2: Parker she was burned beyond recognition I gotta stop this.

18:40 Speaker 1: Cullen Cullen where are you going.

18:43 Speaker 2: I'm going back put that black pin.

18:46 Speaker 1: Back where it belongs no don't do it.

19:00 Speaker 2: Face.

19:01 Speaker 1: Flesh.

19:15 Speaker 2: It's all right now, Mr.

19:16 Speaker 3: Parker.

19:17 Speaker 2: I put the black pin back. Everything's all right now.

19:28 Speaker 3: David Parker falls to the ground in tears as the image of his dead wife takes hold in his mind. I'll be back with a final word shortly. The End

19:55 Speaker 3: I sum up our little drama with the words of Elizabeth Kubler-Ross. It is not the end of the physical body that should worry us. Our concern must be delivered while we are alive. To release our inner selves from the spiritual debt that comes with living behind a facade designed to conform to external definitions of who and what we are. Our cast included Jonathan Rosignol, Gemma Mitchell, and Dave Arkapoff. The story was edited by Crimson McKenzie, and the production was under the direction of Winslow Swan.

20:44 Speaker 3: And now, a preview of our next tale.

20:50 Speaker 1: This is Alan Pruitt in the KRB Newsroom with more breaking news. We have confirmed that the tanker truck that overturned on I-75 this morning was indeed hauling hazardous waste material. By law, such material is not supposed to be transported through a major city. Let's go back to Captain Mike Emery in the traffic chopper.

21:11 Speaker 2: Mike? Yeah, Alan. This is going to be a long day for the cleanup crews. I can see people getting out of their cars, and police are trying to make a lane for emergency vehicles. If you are heading into the downtown area, we have been informed by police to stay away from the downtown connector. Captain Mike Emery, the KRB traffic chopper, back to you, Alan.

21:36 Speaker 1: Thank you, Mike. According to our sources, the tanker truck was owned by Cross Country Band Lines. Exactly what the chemical was is still unknown. Stay tuned to KRB for more information. Now back to the morning zoo review with Skinny Bobby Wilson.

22:02 Speaker 5: Po' Boys and their latest hit on the morning to review. Skinny Bobby Wilson with you. And really, I mean, why am I not surprised that hazardous materials are being driven right through downtown? Doesn't surprise me in the least bit, but then you know what's going on because you, my friends, are probably stuck in it.

22:23 Speaker 3: This is your host, Artemis Black. inviting you to return with us through the doorway to nightmare for another adventure into the terrifying world of your imagination. Until next time, slumber peacefully. Epilogue. The butler did it.