Sacrifice | The Dead Man’s Inheritance: A Dark Crime Audio Drama

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.

0:25 Speaker 2: Nightmare.

0:38 Speaker 1: Come in.

0:41 Speaker 3: Welcome.

0:43 Speaker 1: I'm your host, Artemis Black. Joan of Arc once said that one life is all we have, and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are, and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying.

1:12 Speaker 2: What the hell?

1:13 Speaker 3: No, Miss Smith. Please don't move. I don't want to shoot you. That would defeat my purpose.

1:21 Speaker 2: And just what is your reason for breaking into my home?

1:23 Speaker 3: Oh, believe me, I didn't want to do this. I tried every legal means I could to acquire this house. Tell me, why is it so important that you remain here?

1:37 Speaker 2: If you must know, I happen to like it here.

1:42 Speaker 3: Oh, come now, Miss Smith. That can't be the only reason.

1:52 Speaker 1: Our mystery drama, Sacrifice, was written especially for Dora Wade's Nightmare by Winslow Swan and edited by Crimson McKenzie. Our stars include Winslow Swan, Jenna Mitchell, Mick Davis, and Jonathan Rosignol. I'll be back shortly with Act One. Perhaps you remember Darius Morgan. No? You don't recall the rather colorful adventures of a Multi-millionaire who traveled the world and found great treasures? The name doesn't ring a bell with you? Well, no matter. Our story doesn't concern him, but rather begins at his funeral.

2:58 Speaker 4: It was a lovely funeral, Miss Smith.

3:01 Speaker 2: Please, Mr. Harper, call me Joan. Yes, the director did a remarkable job.

3:08 Speaker 4: I'm surprised that there were not more people here.

3:11 Speaker 2: Darius wanted something simple. Not a lot of fanfare. He had no other family, and except for me, no true friends.

3:19 Speaker 4: You would think that with all of his contributions around the world, the museums would have sent some sort of representative.

3:28 Speaker 2: But that was Darius. He never made a lot of noise when it came to those contributions. He... He preferred to stay in the shadows.

3:37 Speaker 4: The world has lost a great humanitarian. Now, about the will.

3:45 Speaker 2: I'm sure that you have everything in order, Mr. Harper. After all, Darius trusted you as his attorney and executor.

3:53 Speaker 4: I'm simply confused about the deposition of his fortune, which was quite vast.

4:00 Speaker 2: What is so confusing?

4:02 Speaker 4: You see, Last year, he consolidated all of his holdings and business into cash. He left quite specific instructions on what to do.

4:17 Speaker 2: Are you sure this is the time to be going over that?

4:20 Speaker 4: I don't see why not. It will save you a trip to my office and to court. Probate should not take very long. It just puzzles me why he would dispose of his fortune this way.

4:37 Speaker 2: What are you talking about?

4:38 Speaker 4: Well, most of his money has been donated to various museums, schools for the arts, and certain social programs. The house and everything in it he left to you.

4:55 Speaker 2: To me? But why?

4:57 Speaker 4: I suppose that he felt you deserved it. Oh, and there is your salary.

5:04 Speaker 2: What about it? I assumed after his death I would be unemployed.

5:09 Speaker 4: On the contrary, he opened a special account where you would continue to receive your weekly salary for the next 20 years. That includes annual raises to keep up with the cost of living.

5:26 Speaker 2: He was a great man and a good friend.

5:30 Speaker 4: Of course, you can always sell the house and start a new life somewhere. You would still receive your salary regardless.

5:38 Speaker 2: No, I would very much like to stay. It's been my home for over 15 years.

5:43 Speaker 4: You won't have to worry about taxes or upkeep. A separate fund has been created for any repairs and improvements that you may want to make.

5:53 Speaker 2: Thank you, Mr. Harper. I just don't know what to say.

5:56 Speaker 4: I believe that Darius wanted you to have a happy life. You are still young enough to have one. He just wanted to make it easier for you to have. After all, you did sacrifice your youth to be his companion.

6:21 Speaker 2: What the hell? Who are you?

6:24 Speaker 3: No, no, Miss Smith. Please don't make any sudden movements. I don't want to shoot you.

6:30 Speaker 2: Is that why you have a gun?

6:32 Speaker 3: Think of it as an insurance policy. It protects both myself and you.

6:40 Speaker 5: No.

6:41 Speaker 3: If I kill you, it would defeat my purpose.

6:45 Speaker 2: Would you mind if I fixed me a drink?

6:48 Speaker 3: By all means. And then we can have a nice little chat.

6:56 Speaker 2: Would you like one?

6:58 Speaker 3: Oh, I never drink alcohol. It dulls the senses.

7:03 Speaker 2: So who are you?

7:05 Speaker 3: You may call me Mr. Sharpton.

7:08 Speaker 2: I guess you'll have to shoot me now. I know your name and I've seen your face.

7:13 Speaker 3: I have many names and many faces. No, killing is just not in my nature.

7:21 Speaker 2: So why have you decided to break into my home?

7:25 Speaker 3: I tried the legal ways to... acquire this house. I'm curious, Miss Smith, why do you wish to stay in such a large home?

7:37 Speaker 2: It's been my home for years. Why would I want to leave?

7:42 Speaker 3: And there was nothing between you and Darius Morgan?

7:48 Speaker 2: I resent that. I came to work for Mr. Morgan as a caregiver and companion and nothing more.

7:56 Speaker 3: And he paid you quite well for your sacrifice.

7:59 Speaker 2: I never considered it a sacrifice. It is true, we became very close, but only as friends.

8:08 Speaker 3: Oh, I believe you. I'm simply wondering why. Why you didn't just sell the house and move on with your life?

8:19 Speaker 2: Why should I? And what business is it of yours anyway?

8:23 Speaker 3: Oh, I offered five times what this place is worth, and yet you still wouldn't sell. So, logically, there must be a reason.

8:36 Speaker 2: I like it.

8:38 Speaker 1: Oh, no.

8:39 Speaker 3: I believe there is another, far more important reason for you to remain here.

8:46 Speaker 2: Oh, please, Mr. Sharpton, why don't you enlighten me? Then we'll both know.

8:52 Speaker 1: You know.

8:53 Speaker 3: About the Aztec gold that is somewhere within these walls.

9:06 Speaker 1: Joan Smith's eyes grow wide with shock. She looks at the man who calls himself Mr. Sharpton with disdain and wonders what asylum he has escaped from. Escape with me shortly when I return with Act Two. The actor William Shatner once said that success is different for everyone. Everybody defines it in their own way. We find what each person wanted to achieve and what their willingness to sacrifice for that was.

10:03 Speaker 2: Are you completely mental?

10:05 Speaker 3: How about a little music, Miss Smith? I believe you have a fondness for Beethoven.

10:13 Speaker 2: Music does suit the savage beast. Hey, Mr. Sharpton.

10:21 Speaker 3: Ah, much better. Now, shall we talk about the gold?

10:27 Speaker 2: You honestly believe in that story?

10:30 Speaker 3: Oh, it is much more than just a story.

10:33 Speaker 2: It's a fantasy. An adventure of Darius Morgan that never happened.

10:38 Speaker 3: I believe that it did happen. I have it on very good authority the story is completely true.

10:46 Speaker 2: Ha, ha, ha. Ha, ha, ha. You need to stay off the internet.

10:53 Speaker 3: Surely Darius told you all about it.

10:56 Speaker 2: Of course he did. Many times.

10:59 Speaker 3: Why don't you enlighten me?

11:02 Speaker 2: If it will get you out of my home any faster. Supposedly, Darius was on a dig in Mexico when he came across an ancient city that had not been discovered. While exploring, he found some sort of vault.

11:16 Speaker 3: Where he found a rather large quantity of gold. Yes, Miss Smith, that is rather common knowledge.

11:25 Speaker 2: Am I telling the story, or are you? Seems you know as much about it as I do.

11:32 Speaker 3: The gold disappeared and has never been seen since.

11:39 Speaker 2: Let me guess. You are one of those conspiracy nuts who believes Darius smuggled the gold into this country and then hid it away somewhere. Right?

11:49 Speaker 3: Oh, not only did Darius hide the gold, but he hid it right in this very house.

11:57 Speaker 2: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! You really are mental. Ha ha ha ha ha! I've been living here for over 15 years. Not once have I found a hidden treasure.

12:08 Speaker 3: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ah, so you did look for it.

12:14 Speaker 2: There was nothing to look for. Look, Mr. Sharpton, Darius was an old man when I came to help him after his stroke. He donated everything that he found on his archaeological digs to museums all over the world. Why would he hide a bunch of gold here?

12:29 Speaker 3: Because of the curse.

12:36 Speaker 2: I was wondering when you get to that. Yes, Darius told me all about how his team died. One by one. You do know that it's simply poisonous spores which make a person sick and eventually kills them, right?

12:50 Speaker 3: I told you that I have a very good source of information. I was able to track down the only surviving member of the team. He explained to me the reason the others died was because they had become... Greedy?

13:08 Speaker 2: Greedy? In what way?

13:10 Speaker 3: Well, they decided to help themselves to some of the gold. As soon as they filled their pockets, they died. Almost instantly.

13:20 Speaker 2: Darius left that part out in his story to me.

13:24 Speaker 3: I'm not surprised. According to my contact, Darius was able to smuggle the gold to this house, which he had just finished building. Somewhere in here is the Aztec gold. I think you know exactly where it is and how to get it.

13:49 Speaker 2: I really hate to disappoint you. You're partially right. When Darius first told me about it, I did start looking around. I never found any secret room with a fortune hidden away. Eventually, I lost interest.

14:05 Speaker 3: Or you simply just gave up?

14:09 Speaker 2: Darius was a good man. He never did anything for me to think otherwise. He paid me well, let me live here, and even after his death, continues to take care of me.

14:21 Speaker 3: And you have no regrets for your sacrifice?

14:25 Speaker 2: Mr. Sharpton, I'm only 37 years old, still quite attractive, and now I no longer have to worry about a place to live or money to live on.

14:34 Speaker 3: Aren't you the least bit curious about the gold?

14:40 Speaker 2: An internet conspiracy theory that has never, never been proven. I could care less.

14:50 Speaker 3: Perhaps this will change your mind.

14:56 Speaker 2: These look like floor plans.

14:58 Speaker 3: Exactly. They are the original blueprints for the house.

15:04 Speaker 2: Planning on building one yourself?

15:06 Speaker 1: Oh, no.

15:07 Speaker 3: I believe that they will show the exact location of the Aztec gold.

15:19 Speaker 1: Joan looks at the floor plans spread out on the desk. She takes another drink and realizes that her interest has indeed been stirred. I'll be back shortly with Act Three.

15:47 Speaker 1: Le Corbusier once said, the home should be the treasure chest of living. In the home of Darius Moreland, the current resident could find more than just a shelter.

16:02 Speaker 3: A rather splendid library, I must say. Did Darius read... All of these?

16:09 Speaker 2: Yes, and wrote quite a few himself.

16:14 Speaker 3: What are you staring at, Miss Smith?

16:17 Speaker 2: I'm not sure. There's something off about this room.

16:21 Speaker 3: Wait, have you discovered.

16:23 Speaker 2: No, don't get ahead of me. I was just looking at the floor plans, and... Well.

16:30 Speaker 3: You must tell me!

16:32 Speaker 2: The dimensions are all wrong. Look, here. This room should be about 15 feet wide... according to the plans. But when I walk off the length, one, two, three, four, you see, about twelve feet.

16:52 Speaker 3: So, what does that tell you, Miss Smith?

16:55 Speaker 2: You just might be right about there being a secret room.

17:00 Speaker 3: I knew it! Darius brought the gold here and hid it. Oh, Miss Smith, You have made me so... Why would he do that?

17:13 Speaker 2: Darius always, always donated everything to the museums. Why would he feel the need to hide such a treasure from the world?

17:22 Speaker 3: Oh, who cares? We need to find out how to get into that room. There must be some secret panel somewhere.

17:32 Speaker 2: A room full of books on shelves and his desk. I can't find any secret button of any.

17:37 Speaker 3: Did he happen to have a favorite book that he liked above all others?

17:43 Speaker 2: As a matter of fact, he did. Let me see. I think it's over....

17:50 Speaker 5: Yes!

17:50 Speaker 2: Here it is.

17:51 Speaker 3: Hmm. Treasure Island. Robert Louis Stevenson. How appropriate.

18:01 Speaker 2: Oh, my God. When you pulled on the book... The wall opened. Look, a metal door.

18:10 Speaker 3: Why don't you sit over there, Miss Smith?

18:14 Speaker 2: Oh. Oh, I see. Now you're going to kill me.

18:20 Speaker 3: Oh, perish the thought. No, I'm simply going to tie you up, incapacitate you, retrieve my treasure, and when I am far enough away... I shall call someone to come and find you. Oh, I will take a few trinkets to keep the story of a burglar going for you.

18:50 Speaker 2: Don't do me any favors.

18:59 Speaker 3: It's a pretty solid door.

19:02 Speaker 2: I wouldn't touch that gold if I were you.

19:04 Speaker 3: Are you speaking of the curse? Please, Miss Smith, neither one of us believes in such fairy tales. I have sacrificed quite a lot to find this treasure, and I intend to have it.

19:21 Speaker 2: I'm only warning you. Darius had a reason for hiding it in there. Maybe you should just leave now.

19:28 Speaker 3: When I am this close?

19:35 Speaker 2: What do you see?

19:38 Speaker 3: It's more than I ever imagined. The Aztec gold.

19:47 Speaker 2: Mr. Sharpton, are you okay?

19:50 Speaker 6: It's beautiful.

19:54 Speaker 3: It's going to take quite a bit of time to get this out of here, so make yourself comfortable.

20:05 Speaker 2: Mr. Sharpton, why did you close the door?

20:08 Speaker 1: I didn't.

20:11 Speaker 4: It closed just as I touched the gold.

20:16 Speaker 2: Let me out! I can't let you out. Remember? You tied me up. And quite well, I might say.

20:25 Speaker 6: What's going on?

20:32 Speaker 2: I warned you, Mr. Sharpton. Darius told me about the gold. and the safeguard that he put into place to keep it safe.

20:43 Speaker 6: What do you mean?

20:56 Speaker 2: Don't you hear that motor? It's pumping out all of the air. You are going to suffocate, Mr. Sharpton.

21:03 Speaker 1: No!

21:03 Speaker 4: Let me out!

21:08 Speaker 2: I would, but you tied me up. You tied me up. You are going to die, a very rich man. No, no, can't, can't die.

21:41 Speaker 3: I can't reach it.

21:44 Speaker 5: No.

21:46 Speaker 3: No, I won't die. Let me out.

21:57 Speaker 1: Head drums.

22:02 Speaker 3: I feel it in my mouth.

22:05 Speaker 5: I feel.

22:08 Speaker 1: It in my blood.

22:13 Speaker 3: Breath of air.

22:15 Speaker 1: My stomach.

22:19 Speaker 3: Breath of air. Breath of air. Just the breath of air.

22:28 Speaker 1: Breath of air. Breath of air.

22:42 Speaker 4: Are you okay, Miss Smith?

22:44 Speaker 3: Yes.

22:45 Speaker 2: What are you doing here?

22:46 Speaker 4: Oh, well, that was just a happy accident. I'm grateful I found you tied up in the library.

22:54 Speaker 2: What happened? When I came home, some man was here. He tied me up and then, well, I don't know what happened.

23:01 Speaker 4: There doesn't appear to be anything missing. I searched the whole house and there is no one here now.

23:08 Speaker 2: So, why did you come?

23:10 Speaker 4: I found this among the legal papers. addressed to you personally. I thought it might be important. As long as you are all right, I'll see myself out.

23:38 Speaker 2: My dearest Joe, you have... been not only my companion, but my dearest friend. If I had been 30.

23:46 Speaker 7: Years younger, or even 20, I would have asked you to be my wife. Alas, we have lived in two different worlds. I have taken care of you financially, just as you have taken care of my needs. This letter is a confession. The Aztec gold is real. You will find it in a secret room in the library. However, be forewarned, the curse is just as real. You must find someone who will willingly make their own sacrifice to get the gold. It is a human sacrifice that will satisfy the curse and allow you to take the gold to do as you will.

24:29 Speaker 5: I have already taken care of the method of killing. I would not want blood on your hands. I love you, Jones Smith. Please.

24:41 Speaker 7: For my memory, I have the life that you sacrificed for me.

24:50 Speaker 1: Joan folds the letter and throws it into the fireplace. She pours herself a glass of wine and makes a silent toast to her benefactor as the tears fall down her cheeks. I'll return shortly with a final word. Follow your passion. Be prepared to work hard and sacrifice. And above all, don't let anyone limit your dreams, wrote Donovan Bailey. Joan Smith did just that. As for Mr. Sharton, as far as I know, He is still entombed in a secret, airtight room. Our cast included Gemma Mitchell, Jonathan Rosignol, Nick Davis, and Winslow Swan.

26:05 Speaker 1: The story was edited by Crimson McKenzie, and the production was under the direction of Winslow Swan.

26:15 Speaker 1: And now, a preview of our next tale.

26:19 Speaker 3: And you haven't seen any signs of the animal.

26:22 Speaker 7: Sheriff, I've been all over this valley.

26:25 Speaker 2: None of the traps have been disturbed.

26:28 Speaker 1: Not one camera has picked up any trace of it.

26:31 Speaker 3: And so where does that leave us? Two dead bodies mutilated beyond recognition in the morgue. And I'm scared.

26:40 Speaker 2: I'm really scared.

26:42 Speaker 1: This is your host, Artemis Black, 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.