Deadly Pursuit: A Dystopian Thriller "Runner"

0:12 Speaker 1: With this key, you unlock the world to your dreams. What lies beyond could be the doorway to nightmare. Come in. Welcome. I'm Artemis Black. According to Clarence Darrow, there is no such thing as justice in or out of a courtroom. And yet, we seek it in every part of our lives.

0:58 Speaker 2: You got court tomorrow?

1:00 Speaker 1: Yes.

1:01 Speaker 3: You ever been? To court, I mean.

1:04 Speaker 2: I wouldn't still be here if I had. Ah, you got nothing to worry about.

1:10 Speaker 3: But I didn't do anything.

1:11 Speaker 4: Ha ha ha!

1:13 Speaker 2: Of course you didn't. Nobody here did anything. Well, that isn't the point. It's all about the verdict. And the sentence.

1:25 Speaker 3: What's the worst that they could do?

1:26 Speaker 2: That's the one thing you never want to hear the judge say. He sentences you to.

1:35 Speaker 1: Run. Our mystery drama, Runner. was adapted from the short story and written especially for Doorway to Nightmare by Winslow Swan and edited by Crimson McKenzie. Our cast includes Raven Adams and Annie Mick. I'll be back shortly with Act One.

1:56 Speaker 5: Act One.

2:12 Speaker 1: Our story tonight is not set at any particular time or place. It is simply a story, a fantasy dreamed up by a writer. At least, keep telling yourself that as we present Runner.

2:37 Speaker 3: My name is.

2:37 Speaker 4: is.

2:40 Speaker 3: To be honest, I really don't remember. I was designated as R2754 at my so-called court hearing. My crime? Does it really matter in this day and age? They never read me the charges. I was simply led away to a detention center.

3:05 Speaker 2: You get the top bunk. Alright with you?

3:08 Speaker 3: Where am I?

3:10 Speaker 2: Where do you think you are?

3:12 Speaker 3: But I didn't do anything. I never broke a law in my life.

3:18 Speaker 2: And you think it makes a difference? Look what's going on around you. Haven't you been keeping up with the news?

3:26 Speaker 4: No.

3:27 Speaker 3: I don't particularly care for the reporting being done.

3:30 Speaker 2: Oh, so you are one of the blissfully ignorant. Now look where it landed you.

3:40 Speaker 3: I never dreamed. I mean, I heard the stories from other people about.

3:45 Speaker 2: Well, it doesn't take much to break the law, now does it?

3:53 Speaker 3: But they still haven't told me what I was supposed to have done.

3:56 Speaker 2: I'm telling you, it doesn't matter anymore.

4:09 Speaker 3: I was taken to court the next day. There wasn't an attorney representing me. There was no DA with a file on me. It was only the judge sitting there with a scowl.

4:27 Speaker 6: You are now an unperson. Your designation is R2754. But what have I done? Why am I here? Silence in this courtroom. I will not tolerate any more outbursts from the accused.

4:46 Speaker 3: I have a right to know what- Right?

4:49 Speaker 6: What do you know about rights? We decide what your rights are. Now, it is the sentence of this court that you run.

5:01 Speaker 3: I had only heard about running. Scared whispers around the office. The people who knew the son or daughter of a friend who had been sentenced to run. But there was never proof of such a thing happening. Until now.

5:25 Speaker 1: H.L. Minkin once said, Injustice is relatively easy to bear. What stings is justice. I'll return shortly with Act 2.

5:55 Speaker 1: In our country, the accused have certain rights, which are spelled out in the law books. However, how many times have those rights been completely ignored? Come on, R2754. It's time.

6:16 Speaker 3: I have a name you know.

6:18 Speaker 1: Not anymore, you don't. Let's go.

6:26 Speaker 3: What's going to happen now?

6:27 Speaker 7: First, you get your clothes back. Then, you get $ 250. Don't spend it all in one place. I.

6:39 Speaker 3: I don't understand.

6:40 Speaker 7: After we process you, we let you out the front gate. From then on, You're on your own.

6:47 Speaker 3: You mean I can go home?

6:50 Speaker 1: Home?

6:51 Speaker 7: You think you still got a home?

6:52 Speaker 3: Then what do I do?

6:55 Speaker 7: Exactly what the judge said. You run by any means possible.

7:02 Speaker 3: I still don't understand.

7:03 Speaker 7: Look, R2754, it's really simple. You committed a crime. You got sentenced. Granted, It's a death sentence, but at least you get a small chance.

7:18 Speaker 3: What happens? I mean, after you let me go.

7:22 Speaker 1: Oh, that.

7:24 Speaker 7: Well, you are the designated runner. So we supply you with the designated hunter.

7:34 Speaker 4: Hunter?

7:35 Speaker 1: Think of it as your executioner. Now, don't worry. Who knows?

7:43 Speaker 7: You may get one of the more sporting hunters.

7:48 Speaker 3: Sporting hunters?

7:50 Speaker 7: They like to give the runners a bit of a head start. Sometimes it's an hour. Sometimes it's a day.

7:57 Speaker 3: Where do I run to?

7:59 Speaker 1: Anywhere you want.

8:01 Speaker 7: Hey, you may even make it out of the country. Of course, no one has been able to do that.

8:09 Speaker 2: Yet.

8:17 Speaker 3: So, I ran. Unless you have had to do it, you can never know the fear of constantly looking over your shoulder, knowing that somewhere there was someone with a gun or a knife ready to... to.

8:35 Speaker 3: Was I shot?

8:37 Speaker 1: No.

8:38 Speaker 3: Cynthia Carr. But the constant fear.

8:54 Speaker 3: No one to help me? I stole a car and made my way towards the border. If I get out of the country, I would be safe.

9:02 Speaker 5: Alive.

9:02 Speaker 3: And $ 250 would at least be a start.

9:22 Speaker 8: Anything to declare at all coming in?

9:24 Speaker 4: Alcohol?

9:24 Speaker 1: Tobacco?

9:26 Speaker 3: Any fruits, vegetables, plants?

9:27 Speaker 7: You guys have a good night.

9:31 Speaker 3: I can't go through the gates. I have to cross the border through the woods. Start walking. Avoid everyone. Anyone could be a hunter. No idea how far I've gone.

9:59 Speaker 1: Lost.

10:00 Speaker 3: Can't get my bearings. Up ahead, I see the lights of a cabin. Maybe I can get some help.

10:09 Speaker 9: Rest. Rest.

10:28 Speaker 3: Oh, my. Please, miss. You gotta help me. You got to... help.

10:49 Speaker 1: Oh, what happened?

10:52 Speaker 9: You fainted. Probably from exhaustion.

11:00 Speaker 8: Here, drink this. It'll help.

11:07 Speaker 3: Thank you.

11:09 Speaker 8: How long have you been running?

11:11 Speaker 1: You know?

11:12 Speaker 8: Not hard to figure out. So, how long?

11:16 Speaker 3: I'm not sure. A week, I guess.

11:21 Speaker 9: You've lasted longer than anyone else I know that was sentenced to run.

11:26 Speaker 4: Oh, it's madness!

11:29 Speaker 3: I wasn't even accused of anything.

11:31 Speaker 8: Doesn't matter. At least, not anymore.

11:35 Speaker 9: They've been talking about putting the whole process on television. Entertainment for a mass, sadistic audience.

11:45 Speaker 3: What has happened to this country?

11:47 Speaker 8: You said it yourself.

11:48 Speaker 2: Madness.

11:50 Speaker 9: They took away our so-called freedoms, one by one.

11:54 Speaker 8: And we let it happen.

11:56 Speaker 3: But I never broke the law, don't you understand?

11:59 Speaker 9: Oh, you broke the law. You just don't know which one it was. Did you have a gun? Did you say something to somebody? Did you cross the street against the light?

12:11 Speaker 3: I just can't believe.

12:13 Speaker 8: Believe it.

12:15 Speaker 3: But what about you?

12:16 Speaker 8: What about me?

12:18 Speaker 3: You live out in the middle of nowhere. How do you do it?

12:22 Speaker 8: Oh, just a little know-how.

12:26 Speaker 3: How long? I mean, how long did you run?

12:30 Speaker 9: What makes you think I was a runner?

12:33 Speaker 3: Like you said, not too hard to determine.

12:37 Speaker 8: Three years.

12:39 Speaker 9: They won't admit to it that someone actually got away, but I did.

12:45 Speaker 8: And then I came back.

12:46 Speaker 3: Why would you come back to this country?

12:48 Speaker 9: To help other runners like yourself.

12:51 Speaker 8: The border is right over that field. Once you cross it, they can't touch you.

12:56 Speaker 3: Don't they patrol the area?

12:58 Speaker 8: This is all my land. Over 40 acres worth. They wouldn't dare.

13:05 Speaker 3: So, you are going to help me?

13:10 Speaker 8: I said I would, didn't I?

13:12 Speaker 3: How do I know that you aren't a hunter?

13:18 Speaker 8: You don't.

13:20 Speaker 1: Do you? Glenn Beck once said, We have allowed the system to be so corrupted that many want justice to be empathetic, not blind. I'll be back in a moment with Act 3. Act 3 Eliot Spitzer once said, our criminal justice system is fallible. We know it, even though we don't like to admit it. It is fallible, despite the best efforts of most within it, to do justice.

14:15 Speaker 1: What are these?

14:16 Speaker 9: Once you get over the border, you're going to need some sort of identification.

14:21 Speaker 8: That money they gave you isn't.

14:23 Speaker 3: Any good either. What do you mean?

14:26 Speaker 8: It's fake. Way to get you caught.

14:28 Speaker 2: Here.

14:29 Speaker 8: There's a thousand in that envelope. It'll at least get you started.

14:35 Speaker 1: Why?

14:36 Speaker 9: Why what?

14:37 Speaker 3: Why did you come back?

14:40 Speaker 8: Because of my sister. They sentenced her to run. I didn't find out about it until... Until... I'm.

14:49 Speaker 3: Sorry. I didn't mean to... It's okay.

14:52 Speaker 8: I vowed I would... Help whenever I could.

14:55 Speaker 3: How long have you been back?

14:57 Speaker 8: About a year now.

14:58 Speaker 3: Aren't you afraid that they will come after you again?

15:00 Speaker 8: That's why I live like I do. I'm completely off the grid. I would be very surprised if they could even find me.

15:11 Speaker 3: Then, I guess it's time for you to be surprised.

15:18 Speaker 8: What are you talking about?

15:19 Speaker 3: You shouldn't have come back, R1852. You really should not have come back.

15:29 Speaker 2: Who are you?

15:30 Speaker 3: We knew that someone was helping the runners. We had no way of knowing who it was. I suggested a month ago that the only way to find you was to become a runner myself.

15:43 Speaker 8: But how do you know that you are not a runner?

15:48 Speaker 3: What do you mean?

15:49 Speaker 9: How do you know you haven't become a runner yourself?

15:55 Speaker 3: Because I'm working undercover. That's how I know.

15:59 Speaker 2: Are you?

16:00 Speaker 8: Are you absolutely sure? You are only working?

16:04 Speaker 3: It's time for your sentence to be carried out, R-1852. The name of the state, I.

16:21 Speaker 8: Well, it's about time. How long were you going to stand there and do nothing?

16:29 Speaker 9: Who.

16:31 Speaker 3: Who are you?

16:32 Speaker 8: I told you.

16:33 Speaker 9: To shoot him in the head. Poor little misguided rump. Hunter, cop, or whatever the hell you think you are.

16:43 Speaker 3: There....

16:45 Speaker 9: There.

16:45 Speaker 3: There will be others....

16:50 Speaker 9: We know, and we will deal with them accordingly while we wait.

16:58 Speaker 8: Ha, ha, ha, ha.

17:17 Speaker 1: As David lays dying on the floor in his final moments, he realizes that justice is truly blind. I'll be back shortly with a final word. I leave you with the words of Wendell Berry. Whether we and our politicians know it or not, nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do. Our cast included Raven Adams, Annie Mick, Crimson McKenzie, William Stafford, and Winslow Swan. The story was edited by Crimson McKenzie and directed by Winslow Swan.

18:29 Speaker 1: And now, a preview of our next tale. But how did you get in here?

18:38 Speaker 4: I've always been here, you moron.

18:40 Speaker 1: No, no, no.

18:41 Speaker 2: I'm sure that I locked the door when I came in.

18:44 Speaker 4: Who said anything about a door?

18:46 Speaker 2: Oh, then you broke into a window.

18:48 Speaker 4: I never said that.

18:50 Speaker 2: Then how the devil did you get into my private study?

18:55 Speaker 4: I've told you already. I've always been here.

18:59 Speaker 1: This is Artemis Black, inviting you to return with us to the doorway tonight, Mayor, for another adventure into the world of your terrifying imagination. Until next time. Slumber peacefully? Epilogue.

19:21 Speaker 6: The butler did it.