II-III. A DEBT PAID
SOUNDSCAPE: THE STILL SILENCE OF A VAST AND ENDLESS DESERT.
SFX: BENNY ABSENTLY TOSSES ROCKS AT THE TRACKS.
BENNY: (bored sigh)
SFX: A COYOTE HOWLS.
BENNY: (looks up, out) Huh?
SFX: THE DISTANT SOUNDS OF AN APPROACHING HORSE.
BENNY: (sees something) Hey… (it clicks, all smiles) Hey! (laughing) He did it!
SFX: STRANGER ARRIVES ON HORSEBACK.
BENNY: You did it! You really did it! It is him, right?
SFX: STRANGER DISMOUNTS.
STRANGER: You tell me.
STRANGER GRABS A HANDFUL OF CLARENCE’S HAIR, PULLS HEAD UP.
CLARENCE: (pained groans) You can’t do this to me…
STRANGER: I can and I am.
BENNY: (looks on at CLARENCE) My God… the sight of him…
STRANGER: This your man?
BENNY: Yeah… Yeah, that’s Clarence.
SFX: STRANGER RELEASES CLARENCE.
Oh. Yeah. Right. (fumbles in pockets) I think this is yours.
SFX: BENNY DROPS TWO COINS IN THE STRANGER’S HAND.
I suppose this makes us even.
STRANGER: (agreeable grunt)
BENNY: (nods) Good. Good… (looks at CLARENCE) I still can’t believe that’s him. (to STRANGER) Ya know, I didn’t think about it till now, but… (emotional) with her folks, and now Clarence… me… Natalie’s all alone now.
STRANGER: Aren’t we all.
A SILENCE, THEN…
SFX: STRANGER TURNS, WALKS AWAY.
BENNY: What happens now? You… you take him to Hell, or somethin’?
STRANGER: My experience? Hell is what you make of it.
SFX: STRANGER MOUNTS HORSE.
BENNY: And me?
STRANGER: Follow the tracks west.
BENNY: (looks west) What’s out there?
STRANGER: (considers this) Maybe we’ll both find out someday.
BENNY: Yeah. I hope so.
SFX: STRANGER RIDES OFF INTO THE EAST.
A SILENCE, THEN…
SFX: BENNY WALKS WEST.
OUT.
THE END