Scene One: The Disturbance
The Actors
Humphry
Dukes
Leopold
Corpse
[Open scene]
[Three men in a graveyard at night, one holding a lantern the other two
digging in search of a coffin. The church clock strikes midnight, the man with
the lantern gives a startled jump]
Leopold: Let's get out of here.
[Leopold, the man with the lantern, seems uneasy]
Dukes: We've been digging graves ever since we were old enough to pick up
a shovel and you've never been nervous before.
Leopold: I...I can almost smell the death in the air tonight.
[Dukes obviously agitated by his friends behavior]
Dukes: Oh bloody hell Leopold, your just being paranoid.
Leopold: I'm not being paranoid. I'm telling you if we stay here tonight we'll
all be damned.
[the third man now speaks with a hint of authority]
Humphry: Be quiet you two, I've uncovered the coffin.
[Humphry and dukes lift the coffin out of the grave and then proceeded to
open it with crowbars. The three men look down at the coffins contents with
amassment]
Dukes: Look at this stuff, this guy must have been a Lord or Duke.
[Humphry takes a beautiful silver dagger from the coffin and puts it into his
belt. All the while Dukes is stuffing things into his sack. The third man
,Leopold, is looking around nervously]
Leopold: I think we should put the stuff back in the coffin and get ou.....
[Dukes interrupts Leopold]
Dukes: Oh be quiet will you, we'll be gone soon enough.
Leopold: I'm leaving, this is madness.
[Leopold begins to walk away]
Dukes: Come on Leopold just a few more minutes.
Humphry: Oh to hell with him Dukes, now we'll only have to split the loot
between the two of us.
[Leopold mutters something to himself and walks back to pick up his satchel
and shovel. Humphry and Dukes pick up the last of the loot, then put the
coffin back into the grave and start to walk away]
Leopold: What the hel...oh my god!
[Leopold's leg has been grabbed by a hand that is dragging him into the grave.
Humphry and Dukes turn back only to see Leopold's arms being taken into
the grave, Leopold gives one last scream]
Dukes: My god.....the corpse...is..is alive.
[The corpse crawls up from the grave. Humphry pulls a matchlock gun out
from his belt and fires twice at the corpse.]
Humphry: Dukes...Dukes run for your life!
[The surviving two run off the stage]
[Close curtain]
Scene Two: The Hunters
Actors
Sedrick Windsor
Gaven
Julia
Dukes
Alice Carrol
[Open scene]
[Three people sitting in a well furnished room, appears to be a library. Two
men and one women. The older of the two men is reading the news paper,
while the other man and the lady speak with each other quietly]
Julia: Did you see the Headlines today?
Sedrick Windsor: Yes, it is quite a puzzling situation isn't it.
Gaven: I do agree my old friend, what do you make of it?
Sedrick: Grave Robbers no doubt, most likely fought over what they found
and killed their partner.
Gaven: You think there was more than one?
Sedrick: Oh of course, grave robbers usually travel in groups of two or three,
two to dig up the coffin and one to keep watch.
Gaven: How do you know so much about grave robbers.
Sedrick: I've learned some strange things over the years....
Julia: Yes, but...but what of the corpse, it's still missing.
Gaven: Yes what could they have wanted with the body Sedrick?
Sedrick: Honestly I haven't a clue, it was most likely to decomposed to be of
any use to a medical school.
[a knocking on the door]
Gaven: Come in
[A maid walks in]
The Maid: Sorry to inter'upt you Sir...
Gaven: No need to apologize Miss Carrol, now what is it?
Miss Carrol: A mis'der Dukes is 'ere to see Mis'der Windsor, an he says it's
'bout the papers.
Sedrick: Did you say a "Mister Dukes?"
Miss Carrol: That I did sir
[Sedrick looks a bit uneasy, Gaven notices]
Gaven: Very well send him in
Miss Carrol: Yes sir, I will right away
[Miss Carrol leave the room, a few seconds later Dukes walks in wearing the
same clothes as he was the night before. He looks uneasy]
Sedrick: Dukes...It's been a long time. You must be in a bit of trouble if you
took the time to seek me out.
[Dukes speaks a little tensely, he looks at Julia and Gaven suspiciously as he
talks]
Dukes: Sedrick I was on a little, let's say...business trip last night.
Sedrick: I can imagine
Dukes: Yes, but you don't understand, we were all finished with the job and
started to walk away and...oh God poor Leopold.
Sedrick: I'm not quite sure I follow you...
Dukes: The corpse it...it killed Leopold...
Gaven: Good God man, what are you talking about. Is this some sort of
joke?
[Dukes speaks angrily]
Dukes: I'm not kidding here boy, there are things in this life that you may not
understand.
Gaven: Are you suggesting that a dead body just got up and killed this
Leopold fellow?
Dukes: Are you suggesting that I am a liar? I know what I saw.
Gaven: Sedrick do you believe any of this?
[Sedrick appears to be thinking it over]
Sedrick: I have seen things in my life that I can not begin to explain, I will
neither believe or disbelieve anything at this point...Dukes tell us about this
Leopold fellow.
Dukes: He was raving all night about how we'd all be damned if we didn't
leave the cemetery, after we uncovered the coffin...
[Julia looks surprised and her eyes are open wide in disbelief]
Julia: What exactly do you do Mister Dukes?
[Dukes gives a heavy sigh]
Dukes: I am a "Grave Robber" as you would call it.
[Julia and Gaven gasp]
Gaven: So...so your connected to the story in the papers and this Leopold of
whom you speak is the dead body?
Dukes: Correct...So the corpse the corpse grabbed Leopold and killed him,
killed him right off like an insect.
Gaven: Poppycock
Dukes: Listen to me young man, if you agitate me any more I'll take the
liberty of teaching you a lesson in respect.
[Gaven is outraged]
Gaven: You dare threaten me in my own house?
Dukes: I do not fear the wrath of any man. I am not going to harm you and I
am not going to challenge you. Now listen to what I have come to say, make
no more or any less of my words.
Gaven: Just let the man tell his story.
[Gaven is clearly angry]
Gaven: As you wish
{dukes turns to the three others in the room and starts to tell his story, Gaven
is standing up in the room clearly angry.]
[Curtain down]
Scene Three: The Investigation
Actors
Dukes
Gaven
Julia
Sedrick
The Bobby
[Up Curtain]
[Back to the Graveyard, night time. Dukes and Sedrick dig up the grave, the
second night it has been unearthed. Dukes and Sedrick unearth the coffin and
drag it up. Julia watches in horror and Gaven appears interested. Sedrick
and Dukes take off the top of the coffin which has been resealed]
Julia: But I don't understand, I thought they said the body was missing, if it
was gone then why would they reseal the coffin?
