CLARISSA: You just admitted to fear.
LINDA: But also to not understanding your link between that and a consequent inaction.
(Nestor somewhat raises the gun at Linda.)
NESTOR: Well there’s no time to explain but you’re staying.
LINDA: If I’m right you can explain it to me later and if I leave in error you’ll need to conserve as much breath as possible. Either way put that thing down as I’m not sure all our troubles aren’t directly traceable to it.
(She leaves. Nestor drops to a sitting position on the floor. He looks at his hands, one of which continues to hold the gun.)
NESTOR: Think I see her blood on them already. See it?
(He shows Clarissa his palms.)
Why bother to plan with Chaos as partner? See the blood?
(Shows her his palms again then places the nose of the gun under his chin as his hand trembles.)
CLARISSA: Don’t.
NESTOR: Do you find the question difficult? Just look at my hands and tell me if they’re awash with Linda’s blood.
CLARISSA: I’m not sure, only you can tell for sure.
NESTOR: I know why you can’t tell.
(He removes the gun from his chin and points it at Clarissa.)
I see now that you wanted her to go.
(A mournful sigh, barely audible, is heard from outside.)
CLARISSA: What was that?
(She runs over to the telescope and looks through it while Nestor remains seated but follows her with the gun.)
I see nothing!
NESTOR: What does Nothing look like? Is it as terrible as it sounds?
CLARISSA: There’s nothing there, complete blackness.
(She begins to walk toward Nestor.)
Were I you I’d start thinking of a really compelling explanation because I am all but out of patience.
NESTOR: Don’t crowd me Clarissa.
(He raises the gun at her.)
CLARISSA: I’m sorry, am I making you uncomfortable?
(She quickly grabs his wrist, swings to his side like a matador, bends said wrist into what appears to be an excruciatingly painful position, and removes the gun which she now puts to his head.)
NESTOR: Take it easy.
CLARISSA: Not in the mood for ease. Explain what I see when I look through that thing!
NESTOR: How can I? Ignorant as I am of what you saw has you so worked up.
CLARISSA: I just told you. But see for yourself and feign surprise if you must.
(She pushes him via the gun to the telescope.)
NESTOR: I don’t see blackness.
CLARISSA: What are you talking about?
(She presses the gun to his temple.)
NESTOR: That’s emptiness, not blackness.
CLARISSA: Not so interested in what you’d call it as in how you explain it!
NESTOR: Explain emptiness? How it suffuses everything yet still retains the patina of a long-held secret recently spilled? If I could explain all that would I really be subjugated at the end of a gun right now?
CLARISSA: You said you saw things, described them in grim detail. You cost us Linda by saying those things! When you wonder shortly at the bullet lodged in your skull you can credit your homicidal artifice.
NESTOR: There was none. I reported what I saw, no different than you just did. I’m no more responsible for the content of those visions than a camera.
CLARISSA: Then where are they?
NESTOR: You attribute all sorts of special knowledge to me as if I weren’t just fellow passenger but somehow the driver.
CLARISSA: Good then. Since you’re of no use to me except as irritant incapable of being suffered I’m going to toss you out into that black absence like a human trial balloon and see if I can learn something.
NESTOR: We’re all that’s left. Would you halve the world that you might better know it?
Understand, I don’t mean to dissuade. I welcome it now.
Squeeze your hand, please.
What would you be robbing me of? Primarily you would be robbing me of anticipatory dread. Isn’t this the prize the dead lord over us? That they no longer wonder where or when or even why?
Please, squeeze.
(Now it’s Clarissa who drops into a sitting position. She tosses the gun a few feet from her and Nestor immediately picks it up. She puts her face in her hands.)
Clarissa has this room shrunk?
(it has)
CLARISSA: Maybe we’re growing larger.
(they aren’t)
NESTOR: Hear that? (the Drums have resumed)
This isn’t over, stand so we can at least have the dignity that comes with a defiant end.
(Clarissa and Nestor stand together as the noise of the Drums achieve crescendo until Adam walks in, blood covering his chest and the point of his spear, and the Drums cease.)
CLARISSA: Holy…
NESTOR: Hell.
CLARISSA: (noticing the blood and moving toward Adam)
You’re injured!
NESTOR: Stop! That’s not his blood!
CLARISSA: What?
NESTOR: Not his blood. Yet!
ADAM: He’s right.
(Nestor raises the gun at Adam.)
CLARISSA: Who’s then?
ADAM: Linda. It’s Linda’s blood.
(Nestor cocks the gun.)
NESTOR: Now let’s see what a mixture of yours and hers looks like.
ADAM: Wait. It was you two who unfeelingly sent her out there to her death. You think I wanted this?
NESTOR: Yes.
ADAM: It’s her blood but I didn’t spill it. I almost died trying to protect her.
NESTOR: You look quite lively.
ADAM: I can explain.
NESTOR: Please, explain. But first I’m going to kill you just in case.
CLARISSA: Let him explain Nestor, we need to know what happened!
NESTOR: Fine, he puts down the spear and we can discuss it.
ADAM: When I put down this spear it’s going to be into your heaving chest for what you did to Linda.
NESTOR: Or we can (he shoots Adam in the chest) proceed differently.
CLARISSA: What did you do? What if he was telling the truth?
NESTOR: He wasn’t, don’t go near him.
(Clarissa runs over to Adam, drops to her knees, and begins to attend to him.)
CLARISSA: He’s still alive.
NESTOR: Don’t grant him last words.
CLARISSA: Why not? That’s his right.
ADAM: (struggling) Because he doesn’t want me to pronounce what he did.
CLARISSA: Which is what? What did he do?
(Adam’s fighting but can’t form the words. Nestor walks over to them.)
NESTOR: Stand clear, I need to finish this.
CLARISSA: No chance.
(She stands to turn Nestor and his gun away from Adam.)
NESTOR: I believe it’s pronounced… gui—
CLARISSA: What?
(Nestor turns to reveal that Adam’s spear is sticking out of his back. He drops to his knees. He turns and raises his hand to shoot Adam but when he squeezes his hand he discovers it is empty as Clarissa has taken the gun from him.)
NESTOR: You too Clarissa?
CLARISSA: Me too what Nestor? I don’t know what to think anymore. What are we up to by now, the old quadruple cross?
(Drums)
NESTOR: What more do you need? He killed Linda.
ADAM: Not true.
CLARISSA: Then who did?
ADAM: He did.
CLARISSA: He was here with me. Who literally killed her?
ADAM: You don’t understand.
CLARISSA: Make me understand! In the plainest language possible explain how Linda came to her end and why I should disbelieve the mountain of circumstantial evidence against you.