A Shot in the Dark

A Play in One Act

by Jonathan Durden
 Characters

Benny A 20 year old college student struggling to

make ends meet. He has good intentions, but
his desire to pay tuition has led him to
pursue criminal activities.

Robert A 30 year old man with a shady past, the

sort of guy who wears a black leather jacket
in the summer. He has a vague air of posh
British upbringing that may have shone
through in a different life. In this one he is
little more than a hardened criminal. (He
should be read with a light, posh British
accent.)

Place
A large city on the east coast.

Time
Mid-December, 2010.

2
 SETTING: The dining room of a nice condo.
There is a glass table top and wall to wall
windows. Four chairs made of high quality
mahogany surround the table. Near the table is
a clean, white rug. Across the stage a kitchen
area can be seen. Various expensive
appliances are set into the wall, but what
stands out the most is the stove. Sitting atop
one of the gas burners is a kettle. Across from
the stove is a sink. None of the appliances are
real, but the illusion of pouring water and a
whistling kettle should be created when
appropriate. The lighting consists of subdued
colors of traditional indoor lights.
AT RISE: There is a knock at the door.
ROBERT rises and walks over to answer it.
BENNY walks in, distressed. Robert leads
Benny over to the table where they both sit
down.
BENNY

(quietly)

I need to talk to you.

(Robert doesn’t look up from

his soup. He stirs the broth
thoughtfully.)

BENNY (cont)
Look, this is important.

(Robert takes a sip of soup

and continues staring into the
bowl.)

BENNY (cont)
I haven’t slept at all. I really think we should talk about this.

(Robert stands and carries his

soup over to the sink. He then
grabs the kettle and carries it
over to the sink, filling it with
water, and heating it over the
stove.)

3
 BENNY (cont)

(angrily)

This isn’t easy for me you know! You’re part of this too!

(Benny stands up from the table,

walks over to the cabinet and pulls
out a flask of what looks like
whiskey and takes a swallow.)

BENNY (cont)

(sarcastically)

Hope you don’t mind.

(The kettle begins to whistle,

so Robert takes out a tea
strainer with loose leaf tea. He
sets the strainer in the mug,
then carefully lifts the kettle
and pours the boiling water
into it. He then walks over to
the table with the mug of tea
and motions for Benny to join
him.)

BENNY (cont)
What will her family think huh? Can you imagine—not knowing?

(Robert leans across the table

and puts a hand on Benny’s
shoulder.)

ROBERT

(calmly)

Benny, look at me.

(beat)

No one saw what happened, we did a perfect job cleaning everything up, so just calm the fuck
down before I blow your fuckin’ head off.

4
 (Benny just stares at Robert,
watching him drink his tea.)

BENNY
How can you just sit there, and drink tea?

ROBERT
Why can’t I enjoy a delicious cup of Earl Grey? Is there any sort of rule stating that sinners may
not drink tea? You really are overreacting about all this you know. There was a chance that
someone might die when we pulled the operation and you knew it. But you came along anyway
and when it came down to it, you did a good job. And a damn good job at that.

(Benny suddenly stands and

begins pacing around the
room furiously, shaking his
hands at some imaginary
opponent.)

BENNY
That’s just it! It was just a gut reaction! An accident! Jesus-fucking-Christ I can’t believe I did it!
I just can’t believe I did it.

ROBERT
An accident? Was it now?

(Benny stares at Robert.)

BENNY (cont)
I’m not you ok! I’m not like you; I’m a good person dammit! I’m a good person, I would never
hurt anyone, and I would never do what I did! It’s not me ok?? I can’t believe it. I refuse to
believe it.

ROBERT

(slowly)

What? What can you not believe, exactly? Tell me Benny; tell me exactly what was going
through your mind that night. It will make you feel better I’m sure.

(Becoming progressively
angrier, Benny grabs
Robert’s teacup and throws it
across the room. The tea
splashes everywhere and
stains the rug.)

5
 BENNY
YOU want to know what went through MY mind that night? For fuck’s sake man, I don’t even
know what I was thinking! It just happened ok? It was dark and I was scared and hell I didn’t
know what was going on I just wanted to get outa there without getting caught! Why the fuck
was she still there huh? Why the fuck did she get in the way I STILL DON’T KNOW! And here
you are sitting around calm as fuck acting all high and mighty like it doesn’t matter at all when it
does damn it! It does matter! To someone out there it matters! To me it matters! I just don’t get
how you can sit there and fuckin’ psychoanalyze me like you’re just outside of the whole fuckin’
situation like it doesn’t apply to you at all! Because it does!

(Robert looks angry for a

brief moment, and then it
passes. He stands and walks
over to the cabinet where he
pulls out a broom and
dustpan. He then walks over
to Benny and offers them to
him. Benny looks astounded.)

ROBERT

(impassively)

Would you mind cleaning up the mess you made? This is my home after all, you don’t have the
right to come in and throw teacups about willy-nilly, no matter how bad your day has been.

(Benny turns red in the face

and looks like he is about to
hyperventilate. Slowly, he
takes the broom and begins
sweeping with a rough,
staccato motion.)

ROBERT (cont)
After all, it’s just part of the trade. If you want to make it big sometimes you have to break a few
necks along the way. It was just a girl.

(Benny continues to sweep.

The look on his face is
unreadable. Robert stands
and walks to the cabinet,
pulls out another teacup and
places his tea leaves and
strainer in it, then pours the
remaining hot water into it.)

6
 ROBERT (cont)
How do you think I managed to get where I am today? Money doesn’t grow on trees. It grows
out of bloodstained ground fertilized with the corpses of those who stop you from getting what
you want. It takes a little time to get used to that reality but after you do—

BENNY
That is your reality. Not mine.
(Benny is no longer
sweeping. He stares at
Robert, who just sips his tea
and stares back.)

ROBERT

(coldly)

I’m not the one who killed her.

(Benny opens and shuts his

mouth, as if gasping for air.)

BENNY
But that’s, that’s, I can’t, you…

ROBERT
Why do you yell at me as though it were I who pulled the trigger? Does that help you forget what
you did? Are you sure you didn’t like the way it felt, the recoil of the gun and that reassuring
crack? She didn’t even have time to scream did she? Right between the…

BENNY
THAT’S ENOUGH!

(Benny just stands there,

staring at the floor, looking at
the broken glass. His
breathing is heavy. Suddenly,
he pulls out a gun and points
it at Robert.)

ROBERT
What are you going to do Benny? Shoot me? Haven’t you killed enough today?

BENNY
It’s your fault! You made me do it! I never would’ve been there if it weren’t for you!

7
 (Robert takes another sip of
tea and stares back at Benny.
Benny’s hands are shaking as
he tries to hold the gun
steady.)

BENNY (cont)
How could you have let me do that? How could you have? Fuck man, she got on me! Bits of her
splattered on me, shit!

ROBERT
You came to me. You came to me looking for money. I offered to help you if you helped me. No
one forced you to come to me. What were you expecting to happen?

BENNY
Not this! Never this! What am I going to do now huh? My life is over!

ROBERT
Why is it over? There is nothing to connect you to the crime. I already told you—

BENNY
I can’t just forget this happened ok!?

(Suddenly Benny turns the

gun to his own head, sticking
it against the side of his
temple.)

BENNY (cont)
I know how I can forget.

(LIGHTS OUT)

SETTING: The night after the incident. The

stage is empty and dark. A single chair sits
in the center. Next to the chair is a small
table. The lighting should consist of lots of
dark blue hues, as a means of creating a
somewhat mystical atmosphere. A bright
spotlight should be used to make the
characters stand out, as indicated in the stage
directions.

AT RISE: ROBERT is sitting in the chair,

slumped over. On the far side of the stage
BENNY is standing in the shadows. As the

8
 spotlight focuses on him, he opens the desk
drawer and pulls out a small notebook.

ROBERT

(speaking aloud as he writes)

Pulled a job yesterday. What we found in the safe was entirely unexpected.

(He stops writing for a

moment, looks up, then looks
back at the notebook.)

ROBERT (cont)

(resuming)

I have reason to believe that the jewelry store may be working for a terrorist organization. I
haven’t decided what actions need to be taken, if any. A profit could be made if the right people
were contacted.

(Robert pauses and then grins.)

ROBERT (cont)
Benny made his first kill tonight. The girl was unexpected. But probably not innocent, given the
contents located in the safe. Benny has the potential to progress in the organization. The first kill
is always the hardest.

(Spotlight moves away from

Robert and fixates on Benny.
Robert remains still in the
darkness, no longer part of
the scene.)

BENNY

(Looking over himself.)

So much blood… so strange. This shirt is no good anymore.

(He reaches out and

pantomimes washing his
hands.)

BENNY (cont)
It shouldn’t wash off so easily.

9
 (He sits down on the floor of
the stage and puts his head in
his hands. The spotlight
moves back to Robert, who
becomes reanimated once
more.)

ROBERT
I wonder, I wonder if any of my contacts would be interested in a terrorist group…

(Robert reaches into his

pocket and pulls out a cell
phone and then dials a
number.)

ROBERT (cont)
Hello. It’s Robert. I’ve got some information for you—

(A faint sobbing is heard

from Benny. He remains in
the dark, as if on the edge of
consciousness.)

ROBERT (cont)
The jewelry store owned by that European family… yes, you know which one I’m talking about.
The hit? Of course that was me, who else? I found something interesting when I was raiding their
vault. Besides the jewels, they had weapons grade nuclear material…weird I know. No I didn’t
take it. The containing unit was built into the safe, I didn’t have any way of moving it without
being fried…yeah.

(Robert becomes still and the

spotlight shifts away from
him and towards Benny, who
stands and faces the
audience, looking slightly
upward.)

BENNY

(quietly)

How much money is a life worth? Did she know she’d be paying for my college when she
decided to stay in the office that night?

10
 (He walks down the stage,
closer to Robert.)

BENNY (cont)
She played her role… as I played mine. But the scene just keeps playing… it won’t stop.

(Benny walks offstage, the

spotlight highlighting his
exit. The light returns to
Robert, who is in the middle
of the same conversation.)

ROBERT
War? Maybe. Which side do you think will pay more?

(LIGHTS OUT)

SETTING: Two days before. The location is

a closed, upper class jewelry store on the
nice side of town. On stage, there is a mock
side wall, and towards the back of the stage,
there is a large, surreal safe. It’s not meant
to appear realistic. It should be open up to
allow the actors to go inside, and the inside
of the safe should be covered in jewels, and
towards the back a small light should glow
with a toxic shade of green. Across from the
safe is an office with light shining
underneath the door.

AT RISE: Sitting inside the office is a GIRL

reading a book. She is inside what is meant
to be the employee office of the jewelry
store. In front of the store, BENNY and
ROBERT are crouched down by the side
door. ROBERT is fiddling with the lock
mechanism.

BENNY

(half-joking)

Can’t get the damned thing open huh?

(Robert continues fiddling

the lock, then pulls out a

11
 round, silver device and
attaches it to the door.)

ROBERT
Quiet. This isn’t a simple matter of breaking and entering. This place is completely wired. If I
don’t disable the system the cops will show up as soon as I unlock the thing.

BENNY
Yeah, yeah. What’s up with that car in the parking lot? You don’t think someone is still in here
do ya?

ROBERT
Doubt it. All the lights are off. Place is closed up tight.

(He opens up the silver

mechanism stuck to the door
and begins keying in some
complex code. A digital
beeping noise can be heard.)

BENNY
Got it yet? It’s cold as balls out here. And I’m startin’ to feel like those security cameras are
recording something.

(Robert shakes his head and

chuckles.)

ROBERT
Don’t worry about it. The cameras were the first thing I took care of. Just trust me, we won’t be
showing up on film any time soon.

BENNY
I’ll take your word for it. What sort of payout are we expecting from this any way?

ROBERT
Let’s just say you shouldn’t have to worry about paying your tuition anymore. This is the most
expensive jewelry store in town. All the pretentious pricks go here to buy wedding rings that cost
more than your average middle class twit will see in a lifetime.

BENNY
Thank God. I’m glad you’re helping me out here by letting me tag along. I gotta be honest with
ya, this stealing business isn’t for me. I want to be a CPA.

(Robert pulls off the silver

device and curses. A red light
goes on inside.)

12
 BENNY (cont)
Shit! What’s that mean?

(Robert frantically reattaches

the device and rapidly keys in
more code.)

ROBERT

(angrily)

Just shut up for a second! You’re distracting me.

(Benny frowns and continues

crouching by the door.
Robert keys in a few more
digits and the red light goes
off. Smiling, he stands and
opens the door.)

ROBERT (cont)
Voila! After you, my good sir.

(Both step into the building

and shut the door behind
them. Rows and rows of
display cases stand empty.)

BENNY
Where the hell do they keep the jewels at night?

ROBERT

(annoyed)

The safe of course. Where else?

BENNY
Right. I knew that.

(Both men walk towards the

safe. Lights go on
illuminating the girl sitting in
the office. )

13
 GIRL
It’s so quiet here.
(Looking around the office wistfully)

That is what makes it so great I suppose. I’m glad Jerry lets me study here but sometimes the
quiet is… mind blowing.

(Robert and Benny can be seen on

the other side of the stage, fiddling
with the safe. It is bathed in an eerie
blue light.)

GIRL (cont)
He must really trust me to leave me here alone at night. Of course all then nice things are kept
locked away in that big safe of his, but still. I wonder.

(She stands up and walks

over to the filing cabinet,
then opens it. She flips
through the files for a
moment and then suddenly
stops, staring at one file that’s
caught her eye. She picks up
the file and lays it open on
the table.)

GIRL (cont)
So this must be… what was that?

(She looks up startled. Robert

and Benny have opened the
safe and the blue light
suddenly turns red. A
beeping noise can be heard,
quiet but persistent.)

BENNY

(upset)

What the hell is that?

ROBERT
Calm down. It’s just an alarm that goes off whenever the safe door is open.

BENNY

14
Well isn’t that a bad thing??

ROBERT
It would be, if I hadn’t already shut down all outside communications to this place.

(Both men enter the safe and

begin rifling though the
jewelry. Absurdly large gold
necklaces, chains, and gems
surround them. They pick up
the jewels and begin stuffing
them into their black canvas
bag. Benny seems almost
child-like in his excitement.)

BENNY
Sweet mother of… damn Robert. I owe you one. I really owe you one. This is insane.

ROBERT
Just another day’s work. Like my father always said, “A day’s work for a day’s pay.”

BENNY
Your father must have been a fine man!

(Back in the office, the girl is

standing close to the door,
trembling.)

GIRL

(under her breath)

Oh God what do I do, what do I do?

(She paces back and forth

between the desk with the
open file and the door.)

BENNY

(hesitantly)

Robert… what’s this?

(Robert walks over to where

Benny is standing. On stage a

15
 glowing light can be seen
coming from something in the
safe. Both characters, Benny
and Robert, stand back,
scratching their heads or chins
respectively.)

ROBERT
I don’t understand…

BENNY
But why would a jewelry store…?

(The girl moves her head .

She then walks back, picks
closer to the door, listening
up the file, hesitates for a
moment, and returns it to the
filing cabinet. She then walks
back to the door and opens it
slightly, trying to see the
thieves.)

GIRL
I wonder if I can sneak past them… I need to ask him about this immediately, he’d be able to
answer my questions.

(She opens the door a little,

then suddenly several things
happen at once. The girl exits
the room and begins to
quietly walk towards the
front of the stage, entering
the store area.
Simultaneously, Robert and
Benny turn to one another in
awe at the site of the glowing
material.)

ROBERT

(cautiously)

It looks radioactive.

16
 (A loud crash is heard off
stage. All the lights in the
store go out, and a piercing
alarm is heard.)

BENNY
SHIT! Someone must have seen us come in!

(Benny and Robert both

sprint out of the stage,
towards the front of the store.
At the same time, the girl
who was in the office runs
straight into Benny. The girl
runs out and runs straight into
Benny. A loud grunt and a
gunshot are heard.)

(LIGHTS OUT)

SETTING: A few hours before the robbery.

The stage is dark and empty. Two chairs
facing one another sit in the center. There is
a black bag between them.

AT RISE: BENNY is sitting in one of the

chairs with a spotlight highlighting him,
leaving the remainder of the stage in
darkness.

BENNY
Almost time.

(He picks up the black bag

and begins looking through
it.)

BENNY (cont)

(removing the pistol)

How it got to this point… I couldn’t tell you. Things happen. Things happen that you don’t
expect and you’re left with no choice but to ride it out.

17
 (He taps the gun against his
palm, staring at it
thoughtfully.)

BENNY (cont)
I shouldn’t need this. Right?

(He sets the gun on the floor.

From the bag he pulls out
dark clothing, boots, items
that may have been used for
the costume in the previous
scene.)

BENNY (cont)
This doesn’t make me a criminal. I’m not a bad guy—I’m not! Just a regular guy trying to make
ends meet. No one can blame me for that. I’m like Robin Hood! I’m poor, so stealing from the
rich must be justified…

(ROBERT enters from the far

side of the stage. A second
spot light follows him as he
walks towards Benny and sits
down in the empty chair.)

BENNY (cont)
What, you? I’m not going to be you.

(Robert eyes him doubtfully.)

BENNY (cont)
You can think whatever you like. Just this one job and I go straight.

(Robert continues to stare,

saying nothing. Benny
stands, frustrated.)

BENNY (cont)

(as if speaking for Robert)

Oh Benny, how do you think I started? With just one job!

(Benny shakes his head.)

BENNY (cont)

18
It won’t be like that. I’m going to be a CPA. Make a respectable living. I can have a kid, and his
Mom can tell him “Daddy’s an accountant!” There would be no secrets. And I’d be happy.

(Robert raises one eyebrow

quizzically, and then shakes
his head.)

BENNY (cont)
What are you looking at me like that for? You aren’t even really here right now. You’re just a
day dream brought about by pre-heist jitters.

(Robert smiles, as if agreeing

with him. The spot light goes
off of him and he quietly
moves off stage as Benny
walks to the front.)

BENNY (cont)

(with conviction)

I’ll do what I have to do.

(LIGHTS OUT)

SETTING: One week before the robbery. A

college dorm room with papers and pizza
box scattered across various corners. Crude
posters hang from the wall and piles of dirty
laundry are seen in the background. Front
and center is a desk with a computer and a
classic office chair that spins and has wheels
for feet.

AT RISE: BENNY sits at his desk, while

talking on his phone and typing on his
computer.

BENNY

(exasperated)

What do you mean I failed accounting? I studied all day for that test!

19
 (He swivels around in his
chair as he listens to the
person on the other line.)

BENNY (cont)
You don’t understand. I can’t afford to fail. Literally.

(He looks over at his desk

and picks up his checkbook.
He rifles through it
nervously.)

BENNY (cont)
Well what am I supposed to do? Damn it!

(Benny closes the phone and

tosses it on his desk.)

BENNY (cont)

(to no one in particular)

I just can’t get ahead can I? Every time I catch a break the whole world decides to turn against
me. Every time!

(He grabs his phone from the

table and dials a number.)

BENNY (cont)
Hey Mom. Do you have Uncle Robert’s number? Yeah, I just wanted to talk to him about some
business…Uh huh. Well I wouldn’t worry about that. That’s just a rumor. He seems like a nice
guy. You just don’t like him because he’s British!

(Benny laughs.)
BENNY (cont)
Thanks Mom. Classes? Oh, they’re going great. Just great. In fact, I’m calling Robert to see
about getting an internship. Yeah. Well I’ve gotta go, so I’ll talk to you later. Bye.
(Benny hangs up and dials a
new number.)
BENNY (cont)
Robert? This is Benny. Listen, I’m in a bad way. I was hoping you had some work I could help
you with. Just something to get me back on my feet. Really? Yeah, you can drop by here. I don’t
have any other plans.

20
 (Benny nervously runs his
hands through his hair. He
stands up from the computer
and begins pacing back and
forth. He walks over to the
door and opens it, as if he is
considering walking out. He
then shuts the door and
quickly walks back to his
chair and sits down with a
heavy sigh.)

BENNY (cont)
Listen Robert, I know a little bit about your line of work. I don’t want to get in too deep you
know? I mean, I just need to cover a few unexpected expenses…right we’ll talk about it when
you get here.

(Benny closes the phone and

stares off into space for a
moment. He stands and clears
trash away from around the
desk. He gathers the dirty
clothes and puts them away
into a hamper. All the while
his actions should express a
fidgety nervousness. After a
couple minutes, or when the
time seems appropriate, a
knock is heard.)

BENNY (cont)
It’s open!

(ROBERT enters, dressed in a dark suit.)

ROBERT
So. I take it the college thing isn’t working out as well as you thought it would?

BENNY

(annoyed)

Just a rough spot. It takes time to adjust.

(Robert smiles strangely and

looks around the dorm.)

21
 ROBERT
I remember those days back in Oxford. Your room is almost as clean as mine was.

BENNY
Yeah… organization was never my strong suit. Look Robert—

ROBERT
I know. You thanked me already. Now, I’ve got a hit lined up for this weekend. What are you
doing Saturday?

BENNY
My weekend suddenly looks free. What’s this going to involve?

(Robert walks over to

Benny’s chair and sits in it.
Benny sits near him on his
mattress.)

ROBERT
It’s a jewelry store. One of the finest in this part of the country. I could use someone to watch my
back.

(Benny picks up a pen and

begins twirling it nervously
between his fingers. He
swivels his chair more
towards Robert and looks
slightly past him.)

BENNY
Wait, a jewelry store? How big? What am I going to get from this?

ROBERT

(smiling)

Enough to keep you happy, that’s for sure.

(Benny stands up and wrings

his hands then begins to walk
back and forth.)

BENNY
I thought I told you I didn’t want to get in deep here. This sounds like heavy stuff.

22
 (Robert stands up from the
mattress, facing Benny. He
moves forward to block
Benny’s pacing.)

ROBERT
I don’t need a partner for a small time gig. You should know that by now. Besides, it’s a low risk
assignment. Mostly.

BENNY

(hesitantly)

Mostly?

(He stares at Robert for a

moment and then looks
away.)

ROBERT
You’ll carry a weapon of course. If someone gets in your way, I expect you to shoot them.

(Benny backs up and puts his

hands out in front of him, as
if pushing Robert away.
Robert grins and moves
towards Benny, not letting
up.)

BENNY
Shoot someone… I don’t see that happening Robert, I just don’t see that happening.

(Robert stands and pulls out a

black satchel. He reaches into
it and grabs a pistol. He
hands it to Benny.)

BENNY (cont)
What…?

ROBERT
Get used to holding that. Feel it in your hands. Feel that weight, nice isn’t it? Reassuring. This is
your friend. Someone sees you, make sure they don’t see you anymore. Clean and simple. The
first thing you gotta know about pulling jobs is, you don’t leave witnesses. No eye witnesses
makes it harder to be convicted. Why take a chance?

23
 (Benny looks concerned. He
lifts the gun up, as if
weighing it. He fiddles with
the safely and brushes the
barrel.)

BENNY

(stuttering)

I… I don’t think I’ll be able to use this.

(Robert glares at him. Benny

turns away, continuing to
fidget with the gun and
moving it from hand to
hand.)

ROBERT

(with conviction)

If you’re coming on the job, you’re carrying a gun.

BENNY
Alright, alright, I’ll carry the gun. But I’m not shooting anyone.

ROBERT
You WILL use this if necessary. Or you aren’t coming.

(Benny hesitates, then points

the weapon towards the wall,
aiming at an imaginary
target.)

ROBERT (cont)
I think you’ll be just fine. Now listen closely. In about a week, I’ll call you with the details on
the operation. Hold on to that gun for now. Get used to it. I’ll see you later.

(Robert exits. Benny stands

next to his desk and stares at
the gun.)

BENNY
I hope this works out.

24
 (He opens his desk and puts
his gun away inside it.
Changing his mind, he takes
the gun back out and sticks it
inside his coat. He then
proceeds to exit his room,
offstage.)

(LIGHTS OUT)

SETTING: Ten years prior. The stage is

again bare, with nothing but a single chair
and a desk with a rotary phone next to it,
center stage.

AT RISE: A younger appearing Robert is

sitting in the chair. He reaches over to the
phone, picks it up, and dials a number.

ROBERT
Hello Mother. Yes, my classes are going well. I was just calling to ask if you had Uncle James’
number. I wanted to talk to him about his business. You see, I was thinking I could work with
him…

(LIGHTS OUT)

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