THE PRICE OF A PROPHET by Brandi Powell
CHARACTER NAME
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
AGE
GENDER
Iscariot (31): Cult leader. Misogynistic, egotistical, uses religion to control, power obsessed Ana (9/17): Minor released from the cult. Independent, rebellious, strong belief in cult. Sully (6/14): Minor released from the cult. Fearful of strangers, follower of Ana, defensive, aggressive. Zoey (7/15): Minor released from the cult. More open to Perry than Ana or Sully. More critical of Iscariot. DR. JANUS (38/46): Child Psychiatrist called in to help reintroduce the minors into the world, heal past trauma. Jeff (35): ATF agent.
SCENE ONE. A deteriorated children’s bible study room. Bookcases line the stage. A decorative rug, posters across the walls. Children sit criss-cross-applesauce with their backs to the audience on the rug and stare expectantly ahead. We hear, but do not see, ISCARIOT. Iscariot begins to hum a deep OMMM. The children wait a few beats before following suit. ISCARIOT Hello children. Welcome. ALL CHILDREN Hello Iscariot. ISCARIOT Have you all brought your Bibles with you today? ALL CHILDREN Yes, Iscariot. ISCARIOT Can anyone tell me what we spoke of last week? ANA (9) raises her hand. ISCARIOT Yes, Ana? ANA Iscariot, you told us about the four laws of the lord. ISCARIOT And can we repeat them? ALL CHILDREN Yes Iscariot. ISCARIOT Begin. FirstALL CHILDREN Follow Iscariot. Our lord, our prophet.
2. ISCARIOT Good, good. And second? Ana raises her hand. ISCARIOT Ana. ANA Prepare for our ascension to heaven. Those outside the walls know of only blasphemies and sin. They will attempt to stop us. ISCARIOT Can anyone tell me the third? Ana and ZOEY (7) raise their hands. ISCARIOT Zoey? ZOEY We must adhere to the promises of salvation. ISCARIOT And we all know our promises, correct? ALL CHILDREN Yes, Iscariot. ISCARIOT Good. And lastly? Ana raises her hand. ANA Destroy the unbelievers. ISCARIOT Children, we must not be deterred from our salvation. I know you’ve heard murmurs about the future of the commune, but fear not. For the lord has cast me here to protect you. Look outside - war, famine, disease. God sent me to bring together the best and most worthy believers. No doubt shall exist within these walls. And the unbelievers, the dissenters, if they come in the night or in the day, if they come with tanks and guns and grenades, we will do what we have been taught. We won’t lie down.
3. We wont accept their terror on our beliefs. Children of god, you are here for me. Open to Deuteronomy 20:14. The children all open their Bibles robotically and flip to the passage. ISCARIOT Read along with me: “but the women and the little ones, the livestock, and everything else in the city, all its spoils, you shall take as plunder for yourselves. And you shall enjoy the spoil of your enemies, which the LORD your God has given you”. You all are a gift to me, my cultivated and bright little flowers. And you soon will lead the revolution. The children close their Bibles with a THUMP. BLACKOUT SCENE 2 Eight years later. We are looking into a sterile room, similar to hospital conference rooms. Brochures line a table center stage. A two way mirror is stage left. Stage right is the door. This is the center of a child-toadolescent study village. DR. JANUS (38) enters. The stress weighs heavily on his shoulders. He sits at one of the chairs that surround the table. He flips through a manilla folder, looking at teenagers’ profiles. Sighs. JEFF (35), ATF uniform, enters with Ana, now 17. He looks more troubled than her. JEFF Ana, this is DR. JANUS. He’s going to talk to you for a bit, okay? Ana remains silent. She stares at Perry. Jeff exits. DR. JANUS Nice to meet you Ana. Would you like to sit down for a bit? ANA No. I want to go back.
4. DR. JANUS You’ve been brought here for your safety. ANA I’m going back. The minute I turn 18. You should let me go home. DR. JANUS We can’t let you go back to such a dangerous place, Ana. ANA It was never dangerous. Everyone I meet tells me that but I’m the only one who actually lived there. And I am perfectly fine. DR. JANUS Then tell me your story. Sit down and tell me the truth. ANA Are you the boss? DR. JANUS Of what? ANA Of this place DR. JANUS Well, I work with a lot of other people here. Nobody is really the boss. ANA Someone always has to be. Or this would descend into mass chaos. DR. JANUS Well, where you came from, maybe you learned that. But here, we don’t really have a single leader. ANA Iscariot told me you’d say that. DR. JANUS motions for the chair next to him. Ana ignores it and takes the seat furthest away. DR. JANUS Who’s that?
5. ANA You know who he is. You’re the boss here. DR. JANUS I don’t know him like you do. Can you tell me about him? ANA He is the prophet. DR. JANUS Was he sent from heaven? ANA Yes. DR. JANUS How do you know that? ANA He told us. He proved it. There’s this aura of superiority and power over him, you wouldn’t understand, but there is. He can heal people. DR. JANUS I don’t. Try to explain more. ANA I don’t think you’ll ever understand what I feel. You’re narrow-minded, judging every word I say. That’s your job, to dissect me. To cut my life up into neat little pieces to taste and digest. And then you’ll dump me in a home I’ve never known. I know how this goes. DR. JANUS Are you familiar with developmental psychology? ANA A bit. DR. JANUS That’s what I do. I’m here to see if your early childhood memories caused significant damage. And what I truly want, is to be proved wrong. I genuinely want nothing more than to be shown by you and your peers that you were treated with care. ANA I was.
6. DR. JANUS Then do me a favor and answer some simple questions. Answer truthfully, and I can give my advice to the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms officers that negotiated for you three, and send you back home. ANA All you guys do is ask us questions, constantly. DR. JANUS Well, there’s reason to believe the commune is militant, planning an uprising in Waco County, and that children are being abused. We need to know if the situation is dire, and soon, before any other kids get injured. ANA That’s just a scapegoat to come in and ruin what we’ve built. It’s not your typical Catholicism, or Baptist religion, so you all seek to watch it burn. You detest our progressive beliefs, our free love. You’re sick. Not us. DR. JANUS Then prove it to me. I can’t help you if you don’t cooperate. If you want the commune to remain functional, you’ll tell me what you know. ANA The truth isn’t what you’re looking for, but I’ll tell it because I know where we stand. And I believe in our community. DR. JANUS Can you explain how you got to the commune? ANA My mother. I was four. And I was loved by everyone there. Never felt in danger. DR. JANUS She took you? Ana nods. DR. JANUS What about your brothers and sisters? ANA They stayed with my Dad. My parents had divorced, and my Dad kept them. I chose to follow my mom.
7. DR. JANUS Why? ANA I went to his speeches. My mom took me. And I liked him. I felt safe, protected. I knew even then. DR. JANUS Did you speak with him personally? ANA He came up to us after. My mom introduced me. He didn’t bend down to my level, like I was a baby. Instead he pulled over a couple of chairs, and sat face-to-face with us. He asked me my name. Asked if I liked to hear him talk. He told me that the Bible had called for a second son to be born. And that this son would come at a time when the Earth needed him. He was going to be a martyr. And that he would teach us about heaven and God and being saved. And he told us about his farm. All the animals and kids there. I told my mom I wanted to visit. We went and decided to stay. Jeff enters. JEFF Sorry, gotta get Ana. Her aunt is here for a visit. Ana gets up and exits as another staff member escorts her away. JEFF Bruce? DR. JANUS Yes? JEFF We need more to work with. There are more kids still there, you have to find out more. We barely know their rituals or how severely the discipline is. If we don’t know by the end of the week, this can get ugly. The government is sending FBI in, they’re gonna push, and hard. DR. JANUS We’re handling it, Jeff.
8. JEFF Sorry, but this is your first time dealing with a ticking clock. We don’t have time to get the kids to trust us. We need info, because outside of these walls, we have armed officers lined up to save those other kids. DR. JANUS stands and walks Jeff to the door. DR. JANUS We can’t demand anything from these kids. They’re teenagers, Jeff. They’re scared. They learned to fear him, and now they fear us. They don’t understand anything else. We have to learn slowly, let them reveal at their own pace. JEFF I understand, Bruce, I do, but my job isn’t to be gentle with the kids. We need to know more. We need to know how militant this group is, how crazy this guy is, if the people are trained with weapons, the whole bit. If not, my guys are walking into a death trap. DR. JANUS You can’t seriously be considering a raid this soon. We just negotiated for these kids, and you’re pushing back? JEFF We have to, or there will be an uprising. There are more vulnerable people inside. And you know better than anyone how dangerous this guy is. You talk to these kids, you know what he’s done. DR. JANUS sighs, rubs a hand over his face. DR. JANUS I’ll see what I can do. JEFF Thanks. DR. JANUS heads back to the table. Jeff begins out the door before JEFF Working with kids right out of a place like this...it’s tough. Just...just don’t lose your head in this too, buddy. BLACKOUT SCENE 3
9. Later that day. The three teenagers sit at two separate tables, eating lunch. They are separated by gender. DR. JANUS and Jeff sit at the side, watching the kids intently. JEFF Why do they do that? DR. JANUS Do what? JEFF C’mon, you see it. Why do they sit like that? DR. JANUS Separately? That’s what Iscariot taught them. Girls and boys cannot mix. The girls were his play-things, the boys his soldiers. Poor Sully sits alone. JEFF He’s fucking warped. We have to get in there soon. DR. JANUS The kids aren’t ready. The stress of a possible raid could really set them back. And from what I’m getting, it’s potentially deadly. These people are not going down without a fight. JEFF Are you kidding? They’re teenagers, they can take it. Once it’s over they can start getting better. You really think this’ll be another Jonestown? DR. JANUS It’s quite possible. The three of them aren’t even afraid of death. They think their heaven is better than any day on Earth. And God, I’d like to hope so too, after all they’ve been through. JEFF This Iscariot guy is a psychopath. DR. JANUS It’s likely he was abused in childhood too. JEFF Well, so were 20,000 other kids and you don’t see them running cults, calling themselves the Second Son.
10. DR. JANUS There’s more to it than that. Dysregulated attachment patterns, chronic maltreatment, poor born temperament. You wouldn’t believe how severe the trauma some of my pediatric patients have endured. But this isn’t about me, or even him. It’s about the kids. JEFF Sure. DR. JANUS I’m going to attempt to breach their tradition. Watch closely. DR. JANUS takes his bagged lunch over to the girls’ table and sits down. All of them watch in shock. ANA You can’t sit here. DR. JANUS Of course I can. ANA You can’t. DR. JANUS Why’s that? ZOEY You’re a man. We can’t share a table. DR. JANUS Boys and girls can eat together. ANA No. You gotta go. We know what you’re doing. Get out. DR. JANUS We talk together, we go on walks together. Why can’t we eat together? ANA You just can’t. DR. JANUS Who says so?
11. ANA Iscariot says so. Can’t you let us praise the Second Son as we please? ZOEY This country is founded on freedom of religion. And speech. And yet you still let the government dictate who can and cannot practice religion. It’s not just us. You judge the Islamists, the Buddhists.... DR. JANUS Surely you don’t agree with everything Iscariot has said. Maybe you’ve wanted to be friends with guys the way you are with Ana. We can practice now and talk like we usually do. ANA I won’t eat with you here. Ana pushes her tray away and crosses her arms. Zoey does the same. ZOEY Me either. DR. JANUS Well you have to eat sometime. ZOEY Nope. One week Iscariot didn’t give us food for four days. He said it builds strength. DR. JANUS Okay, I’ll leave. But girls, you need to consider what it takes to adapt to reality. The staff here all eats together. ZOEY ‘cause you’re heathens. DR. JANUS stands up and walks back to Jeff. JEFF Jesus. DR. JANUS They’ve internalized his traditions and routine. That’s all they’ve known. Can we blame them?
12. JEFF Not really. But what can fix that? DR. JANUS Time. BLACKOUT SCENE 4 Back in the sterile conference room. DR. JANUS and Zoey are sitting at the table. DR. JANUS Now tell me what your favorite day at the commune was like. ZOEY Can we be done yet? I’ve been answering questions for an hour. DR. JANUS We’re almost done. ZOEY How close? DR. JANUS It’s not based on time, but content. When I feel you’ve come to a good checkpoint, we’ll stop. ZOEY This is bullshit. You’re holding us captive. DR. JANUS Many would say the same of the commune. ZOEY The difference is that I wanted to be there. I loved life there. And you took that away from me. DR. JANUS I didn’t take you away, your leader negotiated for you, Ana, and Sully to be released. It’s giving him time.
13. ZOEY To prepare. DR. JANUS perks up. DR. JANUS For what? ZOEY Don’t act innocent. I know you’re trying to get us to spill the details. We know you’re planning on storming in, stripping people of the only home they’ve ever known. You’ll say it’s for safety, but it’s just to calm down the rest of the county that seems so bothered by us keeping to ourselves. DR. JANUS How do you think they’ve prepared? ZOEY I don’t know. We each had a separate job. And I wouldn’t tell you if I did. DR. JANUS Have you considered that telling us the truth about the commune’s plans could keep your little sister out of harm’s way? And your parents? ZOEY I don’t care. We have to fight back. And in the worst case scenario, they die, and go to heaven. And we aren’t scared of that possibility. DR. JANUS Why? Why don’t you fear death? What if heaven isn’t as promised? Silence. A long beat. ZOEY Iscariot told me I was chosen. DR. JANUS For what? ZOEY To be his wife. DR. JANUS coughs, covering his shock.
14. DR. JANUS Zoey, what is it like to be Iscariot’s wife? ZOEY It means you’re special and you really stand out to him. It means you get a better place in heaven. DR. JANUS Zoey, did Iscariot ever touch you? ZOEY None of this is your business. I’m 15, and with my parents’ consent, I can legally marry Iscariot. DR. JANUS Did he ever make you uncomfortable? Long beat. ZOEY You can’t be uncomfortable when the son of God touches you. DR. JANUS Zoey, he may be holy in your eyes, but he has no right to your body. You belong to yourself, never anyone else. Silence. DR. JANUS Zoey? You’re safe now. You can tell me what happened. ZOEY I’m not going to. I won’t...I won’t go to heaven if I tell. I can’t riskDR. JANUS Regardless of your belief, there is no God that will punish you for the truth. For being scared and uncomfortable. And telling me, so I can help others. ZOEY Why should I help anyone else? Nobody helped me. DR. JANUS You don’t really agree with that, Zoey. ZOEY How do you know that? Maybe I do.
15. DR. JANUS You don’t. You never let him near your sister, I hear. ZOEY Who told you that? DR. JANUS Doesn’t matter. The fact is, you protected her. ZOEY Not really. She was just young, too young. DR. JANUS And so were you. ZOEY Maybe. But I asked for itDR. JANUS You were how old when it started? ZOEY When what started? DR. JANUS You know what I’m asking. (beat) DR. JANUS Think about your little sister. She’s still there. Long silence. ZOEY Nine. I was nine. DR. JANUS And how old is your sister? Long silence. ZOEY I won’t tell you everything. And I want this anonymous.
16. DR. JANUS Of course. Zoey looks directly at DR. JANUS for the first time. She’s shaking. ZOEY Get the other girls. Just...just get them out. That’s all I can give you. My word. And that’s enough. BLACKOUT SCENE 5 Jeff sits at the table in the sterile room. The table is covered in files. DR. JANUS comes in. DR. JANUS The rest of the kids are in danger. Specifically the girls. JEFF I knowDR. JANUS But we can’t strike just yet. JEFF C’mon, Bruce! We can’t wait forever. DR. JANUS If you send them in now, Zoey is going to retreat back. And Sully too. Zoey is really recovering, finally opening up about her abuse. And Sully is agreeing to outings with us. If we go in now, we’re going in blind. We are only just now getting information. JEFF Blind or not, we are letting 19 other kids in that commune put up with that monster. DR. JANUS I know, I know. But these kids, they’re just recovering. They’re just now telling me these things. And we can’t raid until we know the full scope of what we’re dealing with. We don’t even have an accurate number to account for all their weaponry!
17. JEFF It doesn’t matter, Bruce. Kids are in danger. You’re really going to put the mental wellbeing of three kids over the physical well-being of 19 more? DR. JANUS Who’s to say mental well-being isn’t as dire as physical? JEFF Me. I say that because a live kid with a fucked brain is better than one with poison in their body. We’re going in. DR. JANUS But we’ve made so much progJEFF Do you hear yourself? You think you’re their new Messiah, showing them reality and “the light”. You love that they worship you. And you think the new kids will ruin that. DR. JANUS That is absolutely not//true JEFF //I’m sorry. We’re calling the raid. Jeff stands up and begins to walk out. JEFF Bruce, the kids will be okay. They’ll adapt. They’re resilient. Just look at how close they’ve gotten with the staff. And they’ve opened up to you. DR. JANUS But that’s it - they listen to me because of their innate sense of power. They recognize that I oversee them, and respond to my position by living under my thumb. They want me to give them instructions, to punish them, to tell them what’s next. They can’t live, or think, or exist outside the spectrum of a dictatorship. How can we assure that they’ll ever recover if we take on this raid and their entire families are murdered? Do you think that’ll be the reason for their breakthrough? Because I know what it means. They’ll retreat deeper into what they already know. They’ll get aggressive, and defiant, and cold. And we haven’t found a proper method of discipline, because they don’t respond to any form other than direct physical abuse. It’s only going to get worse, Jeff. JEFF We are responsible for every life inside there.
18. And the longer we wait to raid, the more trigger-happy they get. We don’t want another mass suicide. We can’t sit back and let that happen to these poor kids. DR. JANUS I can’t make any decisions for you, only advise you to act within the information I provide. JEFF Like I said, the raid’s happening. And soon. BLACKOUT SCENE 6 DR. JANUS, Ana, Zoey, and Sully all sit together. The two girls interact with Sully - progress? SULLY Can I have your Snickers? Zoey goes to hand her extra to Sully, Ana whacks her hand. ANA No. DR. JANUS So, how are we feeling today? Silence. DR. JANUS How about you, Zoey? Zoey ignores his question for a beat. DR. JANUS Zoey? ZOEY I’m okay. DR. JANUS Can you tell me more?
19. Zoey gives a look at DR. JANUS. A silent plea. DR. JANUS stands up and begins to walk to the two-way mirror. He gives a quick hand signal. A few moments later, Jeff comes in. DR. JANUS whispers something in his ear. JEFF Alright. Ana, Sully come with me. The two stand and begin to exit. ANA How can we trust you with Zoey? DR. JANUS I’m a licensed medical professional. I’m a father myself. ANA Is anyone behind that two way mirror? DR. JANUS What? ANA Who’s behind the mirror? DR. JANUS hesitates. DR. JANUS There are other medical professionals. Officers. She’s safe. Ana looks to Zoey. ANA Don’t tell him anything, Zoey. Not a word. He’s watching// Ana begins stalking towards Zoey. JEFF //Ana! StopANA Zoey, not a word-
20. Jeff begins to take Ana by the shoulders and lead her outside the room. ANA I know you’ve been talking, Zoey, you are so ungrateful! You must be loyal to your husband! You’ll pay for this. Hell. Zoey, you’ll burn- You’llJeff pushes Ana and Sully out. The door slams.. DR. JANUS sits with Zoey at the table. DR. JANUS Zoey, what’s bothering you? ZOEY Isn’t it obvious? DR. JANUS I’d like to hear from you, what’s going on inside your head. ZOEY You don’t want to know. DR. JANUS We will protect you. He should have never touched you, Zoey. Nobody ever should. And if they do, you tell people you trust to protect you. ZOEY That’s what you don’t understand. Everyone I trusted told me I was lucky to be chosen as his wife. DR. JANUS They were wrong, Zoey. He made them do things they shouldn’t have done. They trusted him too much. And he hurt you, didn’t he? ZOEY Yes DR. JANUS Don’t trust people who hurt you, Zoey. No matter how old they are. You can always report to me. ZOEY But what do I do when I have to leave here?
21. DR. JANUS I’ll make sure you have my number. ZOEY But what about my grandma? DR. JANUS What about your grandma? ZOEY She believes in Iscariot too. DR. JANUS sighs. He can’t help Zoey, no matter how much he tries. DR. JANUS Zoey, I’m afraid that you will have to move in with her. I...I can’t find you a safer home until we know she’s dangerous to you. And her believing in him isn’t enough for us to relocate you. I’m so sorry Zoey. I’ll make sure you can contact me, any time of the day or night, I’ll answer. If she hurts you, call 911 immediately, and I will be notified, and I’ll be there. ZOEY I just can’t help but to believe it. To believe everyone. I’ve never known anything else. And it scares me that I could be in heaven, with Iscariot, forever. DR. JANUS Zoey, I can’t tell you what happens when we pass. Nobody alive knows. But I know that Iscariot won’t be able to hurt you. He wasn’t a good man. DR. JANUS chokes up. DR. JANUS I believe he won’t be going to the same place as you. ZOEY I hope not. BLACKOUT SCENE 7 Sully and Jeff eat lunch together in the lunchroom. The other girls sit far away at their own table.
22. JEFF Sully, how are you feeling about leaving this place? SULLY I don’t know. I don’t have any other family. And I really don’t want to move in with strangers. JEFF Would you rather move back into the commune, if the raid hadn’t happened? SULLY I guess not. I never got to go outside. I didn’t even know what television was. And I am kinda attached to Seinfeld now. Jeff laughs. JEFF I suppose the lack of military training here helps too. SULLY Yeah. I wasn’t a good shot anyways. JEFF What happened if you messed up in training? SULLY Well, if we were training outside on cans, we would have to stay out all night, practicing in the dark. No food either. Sully shrugs, no biggie. JEFF Sounds worse than my basic training. You’ve put on a lot of good muscle weight here, do you feel better? SULLY Yeah, for sure. I didn’t really know how tired and weak I was. We didn’t always have enough food to go around. And the girls ate first. JEFF Are you worried about going to a public school now?
23. SULLY Of course. I’m gonna be that weird kid from the cult. Everyone is gonna think I’m crazy. I’m not really, maybe I could’ve been, but I got out early enough, right? JEFF Crazy’s subjective. Everyone is a little messed up, maybe they get to keep it a bit more private than you, but I think you’ll be okay. SULLY I think I just never understood why I was there in the first place. I didn’t really believe the way everyone else did, so desperate for it to be true. I always was the only one to miss all the targets in practice. Maybe it was a subconscious decision. ‘Cause I really just liked to lay down outside, away from everyone else, and look out on the mountains, the stars. I knew the world was a lot bigger than the commune, but I would never dare leave. I had nowhere to go anyways. So I’d just sit and think. About Iscariot and why my parents believed so much that he was a good man. I knew him as the guy that paddled me when I took more than a scoop of corn for dinner, or knocked me with a pan for speaking to the girls. I never really thought he was that great, but that’s all anyone talked about how great he was and how lucky we were to live alongside the new King. I felt cheated. JEFF And now? SULLY I think I’m behind, probably. I won’t ever live a normal life. JEFF There was a time when I thought that too. You know, I was abused as a boy. About your age too. My old man was nasty, just a monster. The resentment you feel, you’re going to need to let that out, Sully. If you let it fester, it’ll control you, make you bitter. SULLY How can I ever not resent him? My parents? JEFF Dr. Janus will find a reputable psychiatrist. He’ll do check-ins. Sully, you’re not to blame for any of this. There’s so much time ahead of you. SULLY I guess I just always think that I’m not really given forever. Like, in the commune, we were never led to believe we had a full life ahead. We were taught Iscariot would take us to heaven, and soon. I kept wondering when it would finally come. And it never did. But now I can’t really believe I have a lot of life left. I feel like I’m just waiting for the next moment to be my last.
24. JEFF You don’t have to live with that fear anymore. You are now the single person who can define your future, It’s up to you, Sully. And you’re incredibly resilient. You escaped a lot of long-term problems. SULLY Maybe it’s because I went outside every night. That’s when the girls’ screams began. BLACKOUT SCENE 8 Jeff and Dr. Janus sit in the sterile room.Dr. Janus types at his laptop. A few moments of silence pass before Dr. Janus stops typing. DR. JANUS I’m feeling hopeful. They have showed remarkable promise. They’re starting to let go of their rulesJEFF Well, not all of them DR. JANUS Yeah. Ana’s struggling. She still believes. JEFF Will she ever stop? DR. JANUS quiets for a moment. DR. JANUS It’s hard to say. It depends on her relocation. We’re doing some background checks on her relatives. It seems they don’t have many issues with Iscariot. But the fire could’ve changed that. JEFF Hopefully. DR. JANUS I’m worried. They’re going to have to leave here and reintegrate. Some are going to foster homes, others are going to relatives, and a lot of these grandparents, aunts, uncles they follow Iscariot.
25. JEFF We can’t favor foster care over relative care, Bruce. They need their family. DR. JANUS Of course they do. But I’m worried the kids’ progress will be lost. There’s not much more I can do to prepare them for life outside the commune. Most don’t even remember that time, but they’re getting a grasp of it. Breaking his rules, becoming more independent. JEFF Is there any legal way to check-in with these kids? DR. JANUS Depends on how they see me. Child psychiatrist or quack. If they don’t approve visits, I can’t go. JEFF I just can’t believe what these kids have seen. And haven’t seen. DR. JANUS We just celebrated Sully’s birthday yesterday - his first ever birthday party. They trust us. Well, most of them. Dr. Janus continues typing. JEFF What has you so connected to your laptop lately? DR. JANUS Just some psychiatry work. JEFF Like? DR. JANUS I...well, I’ve been recording everything that’s happened here... JEFF Yeah? DR. JANUS And I’ve been putting things together. A collection of the experiences and methods-
26. JEFF ...a book? DR. JANUS Not a book, more like a guideJEFF Bruce, you’re not seriously considering this are you? DR. JANUS Why shouldn’t I? This sort of case is incredibly rare, I could help othersJEFF Jesus. You’re so self-righteous. Jeff stands up quickly, pushes the chair back in anger. JEFF All these kids needed was some adults to trust. DR. JANUS What does this have to do with trust? JEFF Everything! They relied on you for care, even if they resented it, and now you’re doing thisDR. JANUS Doing what, Jeff? JEFF Profiting off of them. A long silence DR. JANUS Is that what you really think? Is that who you think I am? JEFF Maybe. You tried to prolong the raid. You kept citing their progress, claiming they’d regress, but it was just so you were given more time to pick and prod their brains, right? So you could sit down and write a neat little book about their traumatic childhood. Dr. Janus stands up angrily, slapping his hands down on the table.
27. DR. JANUS I’m doing this so that I can help others! This isn’t about moneyJEFF If it isn’t about money, donate every penny. To the kids. DR. JANUS You really think it’s wise to dump cash on these kidsJEFF Yeah, I do. Ana and Zoey are being sent back to their relatives. Low income families. And Sully is heading to a foster home. They need financial support. Maybe a college fund. DR. JANUS You really believe Ana will go to college? Interact with others? JEFF It’s selfish to assume she isn’t capable. God, do you hear what this has turned you into? DR. JANUS You sound delusional. I’m crafting a narrative of this experience. It can be useful. JEFF Useful to who? Certainly not the kids. DR. JANUS Fine. Call me selfish for making a collective recollection of our time here. I learned a lot. As a psychiatrist, and as a man. And if the kids resent me for it, fine. They’re doomed to the same fate they were born into. They’ll repeat their parents’ mistakes. But I’m not going to let my work go unpublished. JEFF Let’s see if you can life with this person you’ve become. You’re no better than the man who extorted them in the first place. DR. JANUS It’s a cycle. If you don’t speak for yourself, somebody will do it for you. BLACKOUT SCENE 9
28. Sterile conference room. The children are scattered about the room. DR. JANUS stands at the front looking troubled. Jeff enters through the door stage right and whispers in Dr. Janus’s ear. DR. JANUS nods. He takes a position at the front of the room, similar to Iscariot with the kids in scene 1. DR. JANUS Hey, listen up. EveryoneThe chatter in the room phases out. All eyes on Dr. Bruce Dr. Janus. DR. JANUS I have some important information to share. DR. JANUS rubs the back of his neck, nervous tick. He can’t quite find his words. DR. JANUS The commune was raided last night. The police were worried about the rest of the minors involved based on some credible sources. They were in danger. So around 6:30, the police started coming in. It’s still not clear exactly what happened, but a fire broke out. And some people got hurt. ANA What?! SULLY Hurt? How? DR. JANUS There were some casualties. ZOEY Is my sister? Dr. Janus pauses, his face falling. DR. JANUS Zoey... Zoey waits a beat before she jumps up, runs out of the room in tears. Jeff runs after her. Ana begins angrily...
29. ANA How many? DR. JANUS looks at Jeff. JEFF Eighty. Some policemen were hurt too...very few people from the commune escaped. We believe Iscariot ordered your families to set fire to the commune. ANA None of this would’ve ever happened if we stayed! This is your fault! DR. JANUS The plan was never to harm anyone. The commune reacted, and I can honestly tell you that mistakes were made at a high level. The raid was a failure, and I’m deeply sorryAna speaks through gritted teeth. Ana Is Iscariot okay? (beat) DR. JANUS No, he passed. Ana... ANA Save it. You killed the godforsaken world’s only hope. Maybe I should be thankful, knowing he’s not imprisoned, like us. DR. JANUS Ana, again, you’re not here forever. After some preliminary family assessments by the welfare system, you’ll be relocated to other family members or foster homes. We’re finding the right fit for all three of you. Maybe it’s time to reconsider// ANA //He’s finally where he belongs. And so is my family. We will join them soon, and you guys will be left to burn. BLACKOUT SCENE 10 A local bookstore, eleven years later. DR. JANUS, older and greyed, sits at a table covered in copies of his book.
30. The room is adorned for the release of his second collection, “The Devil Inside: A Look into How Trauma Creates Monsters” He signs copies for a modest group of adults in line. BOOKSTORE WORKER Everyone, the signing is coming to an end. Please remember to check out before you leave. The door opens. Ana, now twenty-eight, enters. She’s dressed in all red, hair in a ponytail. Stronger, but worn. Dr. Janus finishes signing and smiles at the last fan. Ana comes up directly behind her. DR. JANUS ...Ana? ANA Hello. BOOKSTORE WORKER Sorry M’am, but the signing is overDr. Janus raises a hand. DR. JANUS Let her stay. She’s an old friend. Ana scoffs. DR. JANUS Wow, it’s been so long. ANA Eleven years. Don’t think I would forget. DR. JANUS How have you been? ANA Don’t play coy. You know. DR. JANUS I’m glad to see you here. Would you like a copy? On the house-
31. ANA You’re going to offer me a book on my own life? DR. JANUS This is actually my second book, it’s on a separate caseANA Save it. I’m not here for your little book. DR. JANUS But you came. So there’s a reason. ANA Maybe. DR. JANUS Why now? Why reach out to me now and not years ago, when I asked? ANA Because I knew better. DR. JANUS What changed? ANA Nothing really. I just got tired of you asking - seeing your smug face in the papers, on the news. DR. JANUS We know that’s not the truth. ANA Maybe it is. I’m an impatient person. DR. JANUS I’m curious. I never got to here your response to the follow up questions. ANA Shoot. Dr. Janus picks up his first book from the table. He flips through towards the end and begins reading. DR. JANUS Ahh. Here we are. This was Zoey’s report. How about I ask the standard questions? Same sheet as hers.
32. ANA Oh, Zoey. That little pet. How is she? DR. JANUS She’s excelling. Graduated at the top of her class at Emerson, mother of two, she was divorced recently thoughANA Of course. Always so unsatisfied with her marriages. Let’s get to the questions. DR. JANUS Sure. Answer as you see fit. Ana smiles deviously. DR. JANUS How have your perceptions of Iscariot and the commune changed? ANA They haven’t. DR. JANUS You have no qualms? ANA I don’t believe in much else, Bruce. The abuse went too far, sure. But his teachings are still revolutionary. He didn’t have ninety followers for nothing. DR. JANUS What has helped you integrate back into reality? ANA Sticking to my conventions. Not letting pigs try to deter me from believing what I believe. DR. JANUS looks at her skeptically. DR. JANUS Who’s been your greatest influence in the healing process. ANA Myself. DR. JANUS Yourself?
33. ANA You heard me. DR. JANUS Not even Iscariot? ANA He was the wind of change. But I control myself now. DR. JANUS And you do. You always have. Ana shrugs. DR. JANUS How has life been different? ANA Well, I was forced out of my home, left to defend myself in the study center, and shipped back to my relatives. And they encouraged me to return to my former self. DR. JANUS How so? ANA You know. You’ve followed me. Like a ghost. DR. JANUS Just keeping up with what you make public. It’s because I care, Ana. ANA I’m sure you do. DR. JANUS My heart breaks for what you’ve been through. ANA Save it for your book. DR. JANUS Ana... ANA I’m glad someone can profit off of us. DR. JANUS
34. It’s a psychiatrist guide. Your experience was unprecedented, it could help others like you. ANA We never asked for help. We were fine. DR. JANUS The abuse was not fine. We had to interfere. ANA Says you and the rest of the world. But you didn’t live there. DR. JANUS No, I didn’t. But I saw the effects. ANA You shrinks, you want to believe so badly that you’re making a difference. You point out all the little things we do, the way we eat or dress or talk, and you pat yourselves on the back for being there for us. But all you do is spend every waking moment critiquing our existence, what we believe. Maybe we don’t act like you, or integrate the way you’d like, but that’s our choice, one governed by the Bible. You shove your standards and beliefs down our throats, tell us we are wrong, the only salvation and guidance we’ve ever known is wrong. And you are thrilled when we start to believe you. But I never let myself give in. And that haunts you. Because you feel like you’ve failed. Well, good. Because I’m never subscribing to your beliefs. I’m satisfied with my own. And when the time comes, and we turn to dust, you’ll see how ignorant you were. I’ll be saved, and you’ll burn. Serves you right. DR. JANUS is quiet for a long time. Choosing what to say, how to react. ANA Nothing? DR. JANUS What can I say that you won’t refute, Ana? ANA That I’m right. Silence. DR. JANUS Tell me this. Do you see yourself as a prophet?
35. ANA I don’t know if I’d say that. But Iscariot is gone, and someone has to take the reigns here. DR. JANUS Many will fall for your rhetoric. Especially now. In such a divided world. ANA Isn’t that the beauty in it? Finding a common connection. DR. JANUS Not when the connection results in bloodshed. ANA I’ll take it. Anytime. DR. JANUS So what’s next for you? Ana cackles. ANA Wouldn’t you like to know. I’ll live my life, and you can live yours. DR. JANUS Will there be a day when I’m taking kids from your world? ANA No. Because I’ll do a much better job of protecting what’s mine. Ana grabs a book from Bruce’s table and signs it with a flourish. She begins to back away. ANA Au revior, Bruce. BLACKOUT CURTAINS