Stranded

This story involves 5 guys roughly in their early 20's who get stranded on a deserted island. But something lives and is secretly watching them! Slowly one by one the men disappear and those who remain find themselves desperately struggling to survive..

Stranded

 

By Daniel Seal

 

 

Characters

 

Steve

Colin

Jay

Dave

Nick

 

Italics – Stage directions

 

Scene 1 – The Beach (9pm)

 

(The stage is dark for a moment. We hear the sound of wind and the tide coming in, water splashing etc. Dim lights come up very slowly on stage. To the left we see a rowing boat that seems to have recently crashed. STEVE is by the boat trying to fix it. Centre stage are JAY & COLIN sitting down by what seems to be wood and straw. Just to the side of them is NICK standing and holding a map. Jay is trying to start a fire)

 

Jay:

(rubbing sticks together)

Come on! Come on! COME ON! This is bloody useless.

 

Colin:

Er...Jay?

 

(Colin reaches into his pocket)

 

Colin:

Why don’t we just use my lighter?

 

(Jay snatches the lighter from Colin)

 

Colin:

Whoa! Hey! Chill man don’t be so aggressive!

 

Jay:

You should have told me earlier Colin.

 

Nick:

Guys this isn’t good. I have no idea where we are on this map you know. That storm really took us in the wrong direction.

 

Colin:

Well we can’t be too far off course Nick. I mean we only wanted to visit that lighthouse we’d seen.

 

Steve:

Yo guys can you pass me the hammer please?

 

(Colin picks up the hammer and gives it to Steve)

 

Colin:

Here you go Steve. How’s the boat coming?

 

Steve:

(hammering)

Well the way it looks now…not too good. We’re running out of patches for these holes at the side of the boat and unless we can find something else soon we are going to be stranded. That bloody wind was vicious! I can’t believe we crashed.

 

Colin:

Yeah well at least we were fortunate enough to crash land on this island.

 

(From stage right DAVE enters carrying a rucksack and a pile of heavy sticks and straw/grass etc.)

 

Dave:

Guys! Can you help me please, kinda heavy here!

 

(Jay and Nick go over and take the pile from Dave)

 

Dave:

Thanks! You’d never think a pile like that would be so heavy. That should be enough to keep the fire going for tonight.

 

Jay:

Oh Dave! Please tell me you managed to get some more food?

 

Dave:

(opening his rucksack)

Well other than the food we already had I only managed to find a few bananas and coconuts but that’s it I'm afraid.

 

Jay:

(eating)

I'm starving.

 

Dave:

There’s something really strange about this island you know guys.

 

Nick:

How do you mean Dave?

 

Dave:

Well when I was out looking for things to use on the fire as well as collecting food for us, every now and then I felt like I was being watched.

 

Colin:

Watched?

 

Dave:

Yeah. I heard noises that sounded like footsteps and quiet whispers but I couldn’t see anything.

 

Jay:

(mouthful)

You would have just imagined it mate. Probably the wind, we are after all by the sea.

 

Dave:

Hmmm I don’t know guys, something doesn’t feel right.

 

Steve:

(rising)

Right, well let’s call it a day. It’s getting late. Hopefully with any luck we might be able to leave tomorrow if I can patch up the left side of the boat. We’ll have to put up a shelter tomorrow as well, hope the fire lasts for tonight. Who’s keeping watch?

 

All:

Er, Well, I, Er Etc.

 

Nick:

I will Steve.

 

Steve:

Cheers Nick! I’m bloody knackered to do it.

Goodnight lads.

 

All:

Goodnight.

 

(Blackout)

 

Scene 2 – The Beach (Midnight)

 

(The stage is dark the same as in Scene 1. We also hear the same sound of wind and the tide coming in. The lights raise up dimly as before. The fire has now gone out. On stage lying down next to the burnt out fire is Steve, Colin, Jay & Dave. Jay is first to wake up)

 

Jay:

(shivering)

Damn! Feckin’ fire’s gone out. Nick? Nick where are you? Nick? NICK?

 

(Nick is nowhere in sight. He looks around and exits briefly offstage. He re-enters)

 

Jay:

Guys! Wake up!

 

Colin:

(yawning)

What’s up Jay?

 

Dave:

What’s goin’ on?

 

Jay:

Nick’s gone.

 

Colin/Dave:

Gone???

 

Steve:

What do you mean gone? Gone where?

 

Jay:

I don’t know. He’s disappeared. I woke up to find that the fire has gone out and Nick vanished.

 

Dave:

S**t! Where could he have gone? This isn’t good. NICK! NICK!

 

Steve:

Calm down! Listen he might have gone looking for some more firewood, I mean after all the fire has gone out. Let’s call him on his phone.

 

Dave:

(slightly calming down from panicking)

Yeah…yeah your right Steve.

Colin:

I’ll call him.

 

(Colin calls him on his phone. We hear a ringing noise over the speakers. After 3 rings there is a loud screech followed by a long beep sound. Colin drops his phone in shock)

 

Colin:

Jesus Christ!

 

Jay:

What the f**k was that?

 

(Steve picks up the phone and redials. Nick’s phone is now off)

 

Steve:

Nothing. His phone is completely dead.

 

Dave:

I somehow don’t think Nick has gone for firewood guys.

 

Steve:

I’m gonna look for him. You coming?

 

Colin:

We’re with ya mate.

 

Dave:

Yeah! Come on!

 

(Steve, Colin & Dave exit. Jay remains on stage and looks around for a moment)

 

Jay:

Something really strange is going on.

 

(He exits)

 

(Blackout)

  

Scene 3 – The Forest (2am)

 

 

(Moonlight shines through the trees. We hear the sound of snakes, birds and other animals over the speaker. Lights slowly raise very dimly. The 4 men enter slowly from the left)

 

Dave:

NICK? NICK? NICKKKKK!

 

Colin:

I don’t ever remember walking this far. We’ve been walking for 2 bloody hours.

 

Jay:

(nervous)

T…This place is really shitting me up guys!

 

Steve:

Stop worrying. I know Nick, he’s fine! He’s probably just got lost. It is dark after all.

 

(Suddenly we hear another loud screech over the speakers. Jay falls over in shock)

 

Jay:

AGHHHHHH!!!

 

(The other guys now begin to panic themselves)

 

Dave:

Ok…I think we can safely say that we’re not alone on this island.

 

Colin:

Steve. Surely now you can see there’s something wrong?

 

Steve:

Alright! We better head back. We’ll have to look for Nick tomorrow where at least there’ll be some daylight. Come on.

 

(As the boys turn around to head back the way they came, we hear a loud breathing sound over the speakers. The boys stop)

 

Jay:

D…d…do you hear that?

 

 Dave:

OH S**T! LOOK THERE! IN THE TREE!!

 

(We hear a very loud roaring sound followed by screams)

 

(Blackout)

 

 

Scene 4 – The Forest (3am)

 

 

(Lights are raised up as dim as before. On stage now is Steve, Colin and Jay. Dave is nowhere in sight. They are lying on the floor unconscious. Steve is first to wake up)

 

Steve:

Ugh! Guys! You ok? Wake up!

 

Jay:

Ugh man. My head is killin’

 

Colin:

What happened?

 

Steve:

I dunno, everything just went black. I remember hearing a loud roar and something pouncing from a large tree.

 

(Steve looks around for a moment)

 

Whoa…wait a sec! Where’s Dave?

 

All:

DAVE! DAVE! DAVE!

 

Jay:

(very worried)

Oh god no! That’s it! First Nick, now Dave! What the hell is going on?

 

Steve:

Calm down! We need to stick together on this

(pause)

Alright. There is definitely something living on this island and it’s taking us one by one. We have to find Nick and Dave and get the hell outta here immediately, somehow, someway.

 

Colin:

But what if they’re already dead?

 

Jay:

DON’T SAY THAT!!! What’s worse is…I don’t know where the hell we are. We are completely lost!

 

(Just then, as Jay is walking around in and out of the trees looking to see where they are, he stops and falls in shock)

 

Colin:

You alright Jay? What’s up?

 

(Jay is speechless and looking horrified)

 

Steve:

What’s wrong man? What is it?

 

Jay:

B…Behind there.

 

(Steve and Colin both look)

 

Colin:

JESUS! NO!!

 

(We now see Nick’s head and only his head! It is covered in blood and is lying beside the tree)

 

Steve:

S**t! Oh my god! It’s Nick’s f*****g head!!!

 

(Broken twigs, branches and footsteps are heard over the speakers. The breathing is heard once again, followed by another loud roar)

 

Steve:

RUN!!

 

(Steve and Colin run offstage. Jay is still frozen on the floor)

 

Steve/Colin:

JAY!!!

 

(Loud screech and roar over the speakers followed by Jay screaming)

 

(Blackout)

 

Scene 5 – A Small Cabin (moments later)

 

 

(The stage is completely dark for a moment. We then see moonlight shining in through a broken window stage left. Steve and Colin are sat centre stage)

 

Colin:

This is so fucked up man! I can’t take this! Nick, Dave and Jay are all dead! And we’re next. What are we gonna do?

 

Steve:

We were lucky to find this cabin. There must be someway of calling for help. Colin, we have to go out there together and face whatever it is. It’s the only way we can survive.

 

(The moonlight slightly fades. We see a large shadow by the window. Steve and Colin both look up nervously. A roar and screech is heard once more)

 

(Blackout. We hear a loud smash followed by Steve and Colin’s screams)

 

 

The End

 

Copyright 2006

Author's Note

All comments are appreciated. Let me know what you think and by all means, be critical.