Context: Did I ever tell you about this door in my house? A simple broom closet with a lock on the door knob for both the outside and the inside. Isn't that a perplexing thing? Why does it have a lock? I mean, my Uncle used to tell me stories about how he'd torture people by Why does it have a lock? I always thought it was weird how pleased he looked when he described how their bones would Why does it have a lock?

Setting: I don't know where I am right now

Tags: [M4A][Horror][Comedy][Lock][I Didn't][Know How Else][To Tell You][That Something][Is In the House][With Me][CW: Violence/Distressing Situations]

Usage: You may tweak or record this script, just be quiet. Please credit me if you use this script in any of your projects, if I'm still alive. Gender-flipping is OK, it doesn't matter what you call them now. Changing the title is OK, we left him there, in the dark. If you would like to use this script for a paywalled recording please DM me first. Why does it have a lock, Why does it have a lock, Why does it have a lock, Why does it have a lock, Why does it have a lock, Why does it have a lock, Why does it have a lock, Why does it have a lock, Why does it have a lock, Why does it have a lock, Why does it have a lock, Why does it have a lock, Why does it have a lock, Why does it have a lock, Why does it have a lock, Why does it have a lock, Why does it have a lock, Why does it have a lock, Why does it have a lock

Ég verð að búa til meira pláss.

***

[Scene opens on your home as you do the last bit of sweeping. Your guest will be along soon and you all are very excited]

[SFX: A doorbell ringing]

[You glance at the mess you’ve set to sweep up and, with a shrug, quickly shuffle it under the front door rug. That done, you open the door to greet a bedraggled young man]

“Hey there! I’m your house guest for the next two weeks or so while Sea Dogs is going on. Nice place you got here, by the way.”

[You thank him, giving him a brief tour of the place and what amenities he has access to during his stay. It takes you a moment before you realize he’s stopped and is staring at the hallway closet door]

[Pause?]

“Hm? Oh, sorry. I just noticed this closet door has a lock on the outside. Has it always had that or did you have it installed?”

[You tell him a half-truth: you did not have it installed]

[He stares at it again, seemingly mulling this over before he speaks again]

“But why would a closet door need a lock on the outside?”

[You, again, tell him a half-truth: it came with the house and you’ve never bothered to change it]

[He stares at it for a bit longer before, at last, following you back to his spare room]

“Heh, sorry to fixate, I’ve just never seen that before. What on Earth would you want to lock within a closet that small?”

[You tell him a half-truth: you don’t know who would want to do that either. With that, you bid him goodnight]

**[Time transitions to late into the evening]**

[SFX: A door knob jiggling, followed by footsteps crossing and a door opening]

[The young man stares at you, seeming confused]

“Hey, um, sorry to wake you. Do you hear rushing water? Like… a lot of rushing water? I looked outside and it’s not raining but I swear it sounds like fifteen bathtubs are overflowing!”

[Pause]

“Right, right, probably the jet lag. Sorry again.”

[SFX: A door shutting and footsteps fading away]

**[Time transitions to a few days later]**

[SFX: Another knock in the dead of night, followed by footsteps and a door opening]

[The young man stares at you from the shadows of the hallway, eyes wide and face coated in a thin layer of sweat]

“I…I’m so sorry! I thought this was the closet, I, ah…That doesn’t make it any better, does it? Sorry, I just, I don’t know why but I can’t stop thinking about that damned lock. It’s like something nibbling the back of my brain! I tried to do a guided meditation to sleep, but instead of seeing something fun like an astronaut floating in space, I was…I can’t describe it…”

[...Pause…]

[His eyes are glassy, darting about, and as you watch, he turns and begins to rhythmically hit his head on the wall]

[SFX: Rhythmic thuds, if the VA chooses]

“Why does it need a lock? Why does it need a lock? Why does it need a lock? Why does it need a lock? Why does it need a lock? Why does it need a lock? Why does it need a lock? Why does it need a lock? Why does it need a lock? Why does it need a lock? Why does it need a lock? Why does it need a lock? Why were they left down there, I can hear it, but even still it makes no sense, they’re dead, they’re all dead, sightless, limbless, worms, worms, why does it need a lock?! I can’t make sense of it no matter how I BASH MY HEAD AGAINST THE WALL!”

[As soon as it began, he shudders and looks back at you]

“... You know, it’s funny…I just got such a headache…”

[A thin trail of blood darts down from his crown and vanishes down behind his ear]

[Pause]

“H-Huh? R-Right, I’ll go back to bed. Sorry again!”

[He rubs his head and hurries off, almost swaying a bit]

[SFX: A door closing and a low rumble]

**[Time transitions to a few days later]**

[You catch your guest sitting at the breakfast table, staring blankly at some toast. Before you can say a word, he begins to speak, almost entirely monotone:]

“I know how to describe it now.”

[Pause?]

“I could see it perfectly in my mind after the last guided meditation. I saw the back of that closet clearly, even though I’ve never opened the door. The walls…shifted and almost warbled like flesh, expanding into this incredible…gullet, I guess would be the best way to put it. The smell was…dirt. Old, wet dirt, maggots, and decomposition. I…I SHOULDN’T HAVE GONE FURTHER DOWN BUT I HAD TO FUCKING KNOW WHY THIS STUPID DOOR HAS A LOCK ON THE OUTSIDE OF IT?! Look at it! Look at the fucking thing!”

[You glance at the door and tell him another half-truth: it is a door, yes]

“I went down. I went down for what felt like miles and miles. I knew I was incorporeal, I knew I was dreaming! But winding through that gullet felt like trying to worm my way through the tightest underwater caves. Faces pressed through the membrane, silent, tongueless, but they thrashed so desperately before…s-something yanked them back into the murk. Did you…did you know that there are old mines under this place?”

[You tell a non-truth: you did not]

“I-I was DOWN there. I saw men in fucking old-timey gear trudging through. I saw the dread and terror creep into their eyes as the rain started above… They promised it wouldn’t rain…They promised…and I watched them die.”

[...]

[He rubs his face with one hand, his voice cracking]

“Their lanterns went out. The rain was pouring down and they were in the wrong chamber. There was…no way. They scrambled into tight nooks and crannies, trying to get that one last breath. Those nooks and crannies…They were cutting off limbs just to fit, just to…”

[Pause…]

[SFX: A knife thunking into a table and a steady drip…drip…drip…]

“Imagine knowing there’s nothing you can do… Can’t even bleed out before the darkness comes. You crush yourself, wriggle into tight spaces like a worm: no limbs, no eyes, no tongue…The suffocation becomes comforting. The weight, the countless, ineffable weight above…Not a single thing there to show compassion or mercy…”

[SFX: Drip…drip…drip]

“Hm? The dripping noise.”

[For a moment, he stares straight ahead as though trying to remember before it dons on him]

“Forgive me, I… I was overcome with a very powerful urge to cut off all of my limbs. I only got halfway through the bone, though….”

[He drags what remains of his mangled, bloody arm and sets it on the table, staring at his own muscles pulse and twitch with no response]

[Pause]

“...would you be a love and call an ambulance.”

[You do so, doing your best to staunch the bleeding]

“...mutilation isn’t enough, is it? I can already feel it… There are bugs in the back of my head, chewing out the backs of my fucking eyes! Please! Please, just tell me it’ll let me be when I leave here? P-Please…”

[You lie to him and assure him all will be fine as sirens grow closer. Even now, you hear it contort and settle]

[SFX: The sound of something significant being swept up, then a door opening, closing, and a lock winding shut]

[To be continued]

***

Vinsamlegast hjálpaðu mér, það skilur mig þegar ég tala. Það hatar

Den hatar

I hope everyone is having a really, really nice day.

***