PLAY #18

RAIL RIDERS

Written by
Joseph Frost

Draft
8/23/17

written as part of the 2017 31 Plays in 31 Days challenge

FrostJosephD@gmail.com
Member, Dramatists Guild of America
 A railroad car. Well in the past.

A lantern hangs and shifts as the car rattles down the

tracks.

There sits a girl, ANNE. She does not belong here.

Two rough looking men in dark clothes stand off to one

side, by a wall. PAL and MIKE. They do belong here.

MIKE
I still dont know why you did it.

PAL
What was I supposed to do?

MIKE
What are we supposed to do now?

PAL
How do I know? I just couldnt--

MIKE
Of all the stupid things.

PAL
She needed help, Mike.

MIKE
We need help, Pal.

PAL
I know.

MIKE
How are we supposed to help anyone? Cant help ourselves.

PAL
I just couldnt leave her.

MIKE
I dont know how you thought you could bring her along.
 2.

PAL
You shoulda seen the guy, Mike. Hes bigger than you.

MIKE
And you want that guy come looking for her?

PAL
Hows he gonna do that? Were on our way to the coast.

MIKE
He can talk to the railroad people. Find out where were going. Probably get there before
we do.

PAL
Hows that?

MIKE
By car.

PAL
Oh.

MIKE
Oh is right.

PAL
I didnt mean nothing by it, Mike.

MIKE
I know you didnt. I know that. Im just.. I dont know what to do is all.

PAL
We can leave her.

MIKE
Which is what you should have done, but now shes here. I mean, wheres she gonna
sleep?

PAL
Shell just sleep there, I guess.

MIKE
You guess.

PAL
What does it hurt us she sleeps over there?
 3.

MIKE
We sleep. One of the guards looks in. We got a girl sleeping over. Why? I mean look at
her. We probably kidnapped her. They think were doing horrible things to her. Were
arrested. We get shot by the side of the tracks and dumped for the vultures.

PAL
You dont think that, Mike.

MIKE
I dont know, Pal. I just dont know. I cant say no.

PAL
Im sorry, Mike.

MIKE
I know you are. Im not mad at you. I just dont know what to do.

PAL
I shouldnt have brought her along.

MIKE
No.

PAL
I was only trying to do right, you know. On account of my paw. He liked to hit, too. The
bottle, then my maw and me. I couldnt let that stand.

MIKE
All right. Settle down.
(looks at her a moment.)
You think she needs some water or anything?

PAL
I bet she does.

MIKE
Can you go get her some?

PAL
Bring it here?

MIKE
Yeah.

PAL
Sully dont like to let the ladle go. You know that.
 4.

MIKE
Hell understand. Well bring it back.

PAL
He wont let it go for nothing.

Mike takes off his coat.

MIKE
Collateral. I want it back in a few minutes when we bring back the ladle.

PAL
Right. Ill go get it.

Mike studies Anne as Pal makes his way to the end of the
car.

Pal shimmies through an open wooden plank on the side

and disappears.

Anne finally turns to Mike.

ANNE
Im not thirsty.

MIKE
Pals gone to get you a drink.

ANNE
Its cold in here. I didnt imagine it would be cold in here.

MIKE
Its night.

ANNE
Its summer.

MIKE
Were lucky tonight.

ANNE
Are we?

A moment.
 5.

MIKE
Pal tells me you got a mean old man. Put the knuckles to you.

ANNE
Wasnt the first time.

MIKE
Happened a lot.

ANNE
More than Id like.

MIKE
So you wanted to run off. What made you think a runt like Pal would take care of you?

ANNE
I didnt think he would.

MIKE
Then why did you --

ANNE
I thought hed help me get to the trainyard. Looked like a fella who knew how to sneak in.

MIKE
You got an eye for drifters.
(beat)
You wanted to get west.

ANNE
I wanted to get gone.

MIKE
Well congratulations, princess. Youre gone now.

ANNE
You told him you was worried my man would show up where youre going.

MIKE
I gotta tell him stuff like that.

ANNE
You scared him.
 6.

MIKE
Hes better when hes scared. Pal was a drunk when I found him. Hed a been dead or
worse if I hadnt suffered through his shakin of the poison with him. I dont know much
of who he was in his life before, but I know he aint always so bright now. I dont scare
him offa bringin home girls at every stop, instead of bringin food like hes supposed to, I
got myself a problem.

ANNE
Im the one who asked him to bring me.

MIKE
So.

ANNE
So it wasnt his fault.

MIKE
He didnt say no.

ANNE
I can be convincing.

MIKE
One of my favorite things about Pal is how he can be selectively very stubborn. He dont
want to do something, cant no one convince him.

ANNE
He listens to you.

MIKE
I dont ask him to do things that dont benefit him too. And he knows that.

ANNE
He trusts you.

MIKE
I guess.

ANNE
And if you ask him to do something he doesnt want to?

MIKE
Never tried it.
 7.

ANNE
Youve done this for a while.

MIKE
Dont have a watch, dont have a calendar. Ride enough to not know the seasons much
anymore. Sometimes its hot, sometimes its cold. Sometimes its south, and other times
its not.

ANNE
North.

MIKE
Or west. Or east.

ANNE
Where are you going?

MIKE
There is no where. Im just going.

ANNE
Youre from somewhere.

MIKE
Sure am. And Im making sure I dont do that again.

ANNE
Me too.

MIKE
Its a romantic notion. Total freedom. Adventure. Always something new.

ANNE
I suppose.

MIKE
Its also poverty. Hunger. No comforts. Always losing things.

ANNE
Sounds like where I just left. Thats something I already know.

A moment.
 8.

MIKE
You aint been hit.

ANNE
What?

MIKE
You aint been hit. I wont say for sure, but Id bet you aint even got a man whod be the
one to do it. Im lookin at your face, and I dont see no bruises. Skins smooth. Nose
aint been broke. Clean as a whistle. You aint running from a man who beat you.

A long moment.

ANNE
This trains going west.

MIKE
That a fact.

ANNE
Thats what Pal told me.

MIKE
Thats what I told Pal.

ANNE
Is that so?

MIKE
I wasnt lying to him.

ANNE
I didnt say you were.

MIKE
I dont lie to him.

ANNE
Thats for the best.

MIKE
Thats for his best. And my best. Its best that Pal isnt lied to.

ANNE
What happens when Pal is lied to?
 9.

MIKE
I dont want to find out. Hes an angry man, Pal.

ANNE
Angry.

MIKE
He fights in his sleep.

ANNE
In his sleep.

MIKE
Sometimes. Tosses. Turns. Punches. Kicks. Sometimes he yells, shouts. Its not nice,
the things he says.

ANNE
Hes dreaming. Having nightmares.

MIKE
Could be. Could be its whats really inside him making its way out when his guard is
down.

ANNE
I think hes a sweetheart.

MIKE
I know you do. Im telling you hes not what he seems.

ANNE
Not much is.

MIKE
Not much is what.

ANNE
The way it seems.

A moment.

MIKE
I dont trust you as far as I could throw you.

ANNE
And how far is that?
 10.

MIKE
Youd like to find out.

ANNE
Ill scream.

MIKE
Who would hear you? Were on a train.

Another moment.

ANNE
Pal is coming back with water.

MIKE
No hes not.
(beat)
Sully wont give up the ladle. Doesnt matter if its for a girl. He wont take collateral.

ANNE
But hell come back.

MIKE
Pal can certainly be stubborn.

A moment.

ANNE
What do you want, then? What do you want from me? Hm?
(beat)
You havent seen a girl in a long time, have you. Had one right in front of you. Had one
here with you in an empty car. Just you and her. No other men around. How long has it
been? Its been a long time. You dont have to say it. A long time.
(beat, she rises)
Youve dreamed about it, havent you? What did you dream? What happened? Did you
talk about your friend for a long time, and then threaten her? Make her feel unwanted? I
dont think that was your dream at all. I think your dream was very different from that.
You didnt make her feel unwanted. You made her feel wanted. Very much so. Isnt that
right?
(beat, she gets close to him)
Funny thing, dreams. Sometimes, you cant tell if its real or your sleeping. Just feels so
much like life. Sometimes life feels like youre asleep, doesnt it? Time drifts by and you
cant remember how you got somewhere, and there you are. Something different right
under your nose. And you cant remember how it got there and you cant remember if you
care how it got there. Its there. And now what? And now... what.
 11.

Anne is very very close to Mike.

Mike takes a sharp inhale. He stumbles backward.

In Annes upstage hand, which was behind Mike, there is

a knife. Out of sight of the audience, Anne has stabbed
Mike.

Mike slams back into the wall of the train car. He slides to
the floor. He gasps for air.

ANNE (CONTD)
Bet that wasnt in the dream.
(beat)
Aint no man ever hurt me. And it aint gonna happen. See Im out of that trash pile town
and Im off to greener pastures. Ill get where Im going, and thats all. This is my ride.

A noise as Pal is making his way back into the car.

Anne races back to her original place. She works up tears

and begins to cry.

Pal has arrived. He still has the coat.

PAL
You were right, Mike. He wouldnt give up the ladle. Even for the coat.

Pal notices Mike on the floor. Mike has bled out and is
dead. Pal rushes to him to be sure.

PAL (CONTD)
Oh god! Oh Mike. Oh!
(to Anne)
Oh miss! What happened?
(notices her crying)
Oh! Youre crying. Whats wrong what happened are you OK? Are you hurt?

Pal rushes to Anne.

ANNE
He... he... he... oh my gooooooodddd.

Anne breaks down heavily. She falls into Pals chest. He

comforts her.
 12.

PAL
Oh my. There there now. I dont... what...

Anne points with the knife.

ANNE
He came over to me... he spoke to me... and he....

PAL
Here, let me take that from you for a...
(takes knife, sets it away)
There there.

ANNE
I was so scared.... I didnt know what to doooooo.....

PAL
I cant believe that Mike would do something like that ---

ANNE
What was I supposed to do? What what I supposed to do? Tell me that! Tell me!

PAL
Oh no, I didnt mean to say that... you had to defend yourself... I mean... its all right...
shhhh.. there there... there there...

Pal comforts her for a few moments. Anne calms down.

ANNE
(whispering)
Thank you. Thank you.

PAL
Oh. Oh. Its OK. Its OK. Shhhh.

A long moment where they cuddle.

ANNE
Pal?

PAL
Yes, Anne?

ANNE
Where is this train going?
 13.

PAL
Where?

ANNE
Yes. I want to know where were going.

PAL
You said before you didnt care.

ANNE
I did. I said that.

PAL
You changed your mind.

ANNE
I did. Do you know where were going?

PAL
I do.

ANNE
Where?

PAL
West.

ANNE
West.

PAL
Yes.

ANNE
Are you sure?

PAL
I am. I am sure.
(beat)
Mike told me. Caught the west-bound.

They embrace for a few more moments.

Anne shifts and gets comfortable, laying down. Pal

continues to cradle her.
 14.

The train continues to rattle as lights go down.