Ditch (10 page)

Mrs Peel
(
Shouts.
) That's enough!

Megan
(
Cries hideously
.) You killed him.

Mrs Peel
Enough.

Megan
(
Wails.
) I have a baby.

(
Silence.
)

Mrs Peel
You stupid. Stupid. Stupid girl!

Pause.

Mrs Peel
How far gone?

Megan
Five months.

Mrs Peel
You tell me this now?

Megan
Dint want to get rid a' it.

Mrs Peel
You can't keep the damn thing!

Megan
It my baby.

Mrs Peel
You don't have that choice.

Megan
Made my choice.

Mrs Peel
You took that rod out?

Megan
It a gift.

Mrs Peel
No. no. you'll pay a price for it.

Turner
, blood on his clothes, enters.

Mrs Peel
Where's Burns?

Turner
Where's Bug?

Mrs Peel
(
Quietly.
) Where's Burns?

Turner
Need to tell Bug . . . there's too many a' 'em . . . they, they comin' from everywhere . . . runnin' right past us like we aint even there . . . like we nothin' . . . like we aint what they afraid a' . . . where's Bug? Cause Burns . . . Burns is off his horse runnin' among 'em askin' . . . askin' why they runnin' . . . bullet come out a' nowhere . . . where's Bug? Need to tell him Burns's dead . . . that we gotta get out a' here cause . . . we been left. We been left behind. A train took all Security North this mornin' and no one thought to come the fuck out here and fuckin' tell us! (
Rage.
) Where's Bug?

Mrs Peel
(
To
Megan
.) Wait outside.

Turner
(
Rage.
) They fuckin' left us out here to burn!

Turner
wheels round erratically.

Mrs Peel
(
To
Megan
.) Now.

Turner
Where's Bug?

Megan
leaves.

Mrs Peel
He aint here.

Turner
is still frantic when suddenly he stands still, calm.

Turner
I'm dyin' for some breakfast.

Beat.

Mrs Peel
I make it way past seven.

Turner
laughs a little.

Turner
Yeah, guess it is.

Turner
walks away, stops, his back to
Mrs Peel.

Turner
They been firin' nuclear missiles from the airbase. Ultimatum expired. We're gettin' one back.

Turner
walks away,
Mrs Peel
goes after him.

Mrs Peel
What d'you mean?

Turner
turns to
Mrs Peel
.

Turner
Boom.

Turner
leaves.
Mrs Peel
steps backwards and sits in the chair where
Megan
sat before. She sits very still for a few seconds, then picks up a potato and peels it.
Megan
enters; watches
Mrs Peel
attempting to peel the potato with trembling hands. Pause.

Mrs Peel
continues to peel the potato.

Megan
It a good sign?

Mrs Peel
continues to peel the potato.

Megan
Mrs Peel?

Mrs Peel
continues to peel.

Megan
They risen like Burns said?

Mrs Peel
stops peeling.

Megan
That what it mean?

Mrs Peel
looks at
Megan
. Pause.

Mrs Peel
Yeah. Yeah. It do.

Megan
What that mean for us?

Mrs Peel
We'll soon find out.

Mrs Peel
wanders away.

Megan
Where you goin'?

Mrs Peel
Make us a tea.

Scene Seven

Peak. Late afternoon.

Bug
is sat, holding his flask.
Turner
is stood.

Turner
We gotta get up North.

Turner
looks at
Bug
who stares out vacantly.

Turner
We got a' head up the Pennine Way.

Beat.

Turner
You hear what I said?

Beat.

Turner
(
Kicks the flask.
) Answer me you useless piece a' shit!

Beat.
Turner
stiffens.

Turner
Get up.

Beat.

Turner
Get up now.

Beat.

Turner
Get up we're goin'.

Beat.

Turner
Up. (
Kicks
Bug
's foot.
) Now.

Turner
walks away, stops, back turned to
Bug
.

Turner
Get up!

Turner
puts his hands on his hips.

Turner
On your feet soldier.

Bug
There are soldiers runnin' blind through smoke as another bomb slams down.

Turner
(
Barks.
) On your feet soldier.

Bug
Some are fallin', some are dragged down by the man behind.

Turner
On your fuckin' feet!

Bug
The earth buries 'em there and then together as the explosion ploughs the earth.

Turner
(
Screams.
) That's an order!

Bug
There are soldiers waitin' for order to retreat.

Turner
(
Despair.
) That's an order.

Bug
There are soldiers tryin' to sleep where they are cause the order never comes.

Turner
(
Breaking.
) I order you.

Bug
Explosions gun fire cries.

Turner
(
Begging.
) I order you under the authority of the Security to your feet.

Bug
Just have to stay where they are.

Turner
turns to
Bug
.

Turner
I order you under the authority of this government to your feet.

Beat.

Bug
I no longer recognize this government.

Turner
leaves.

Bug
There's a man. Young. Never seen him before. There are men runnin' fallin' cryin' all around him. He's on his knees. Can't take my eyes off a' him. The earth ploughs up around him. None a' it seems to matter. He's waitin' there on his knees. Then the sudden shock a' it. Couple a' instinctive jerkin' movements before bein' covered in earth.

Bug
kneels, slowly hangs his head, waits.

Scene Eight

Plot of land. Late afternoon, the light is fading fast.

Mrs Peel
enters holding a bag of seeds,
Megan
is with her.

Megan
Why a' we leavin'?

Mrs Peel
No need for us to be here no more, is there?

Megan
shakes her head.

Megan
Don't seem real.

Mrs Peel
It'll sink in soon enough.

Mrs Peel
starts sowing seeds
.

Megan
There been a time when you and me were out here workin', and you spotted a hare munchin' away at your salad leaves. You snuck up behind and grabbed hold a' it. I followed you inta the kitchen and you dropped a blow on its neck. Hare froze as straight as a fence post. You held it whilst I pulled back the skin, and you must a' been hungry cause you chopped it up right there and then on the board inta chunks. I couldn't stop lookin' at them chunks cause they were movin'. Jitterin', like they were cold or somethin'. You put them chunks inta the pan and they still jitterin'. You put the heat on 'em and I say to you: them chunks are still alive! You say: they dead they just don't know it yet.

Beat.

Megan
I feel like I'm alive and I just don't know it yet.

Megan
turns to
Mrs Peel
, she looks away.

Mrs Peel
Let's sow these seeds before it gets dark.

Mrs Peel
kneels down and sows.

Megan
Why a' you sowin' seeds?

Mrs Peel
For the future.

Megan
But we aint gonna be here.

Megan
Who gonna tend to it?

Mrs Peel
This soil don't need us. Everythin' that happens upon it – failure a' crops, spreadin' a diseases, flood, drought – don't mean nothin' to it. Only the sun matters. Where there's light there will be life. S'long as the sunrises all will be.

Megan
You should a' said that a long time ago.

Mrs Peel
I like keepin' busy.

Beat.
Megan
stops sowing, sits back.

Megan
I'm gonna have a baby, Mrs Peel.

Mrs Peel
I know.

Megan
I'm not gonna know how to do things.

Mrs Peel
You'll be fine.

Megan
Most a' things I know you told me.

Mrs Peel
You gonna be good at it, Megan.

Megan
looks at
Mrs Peel
.

Mrs Peel
(
Softly.
) You're gonna be good.

Megan
(
Beams.
) You never said that before.

Mrs Peel
No. I should a'.

Megan
A' we gonna leave together?

Mrs Peel
If you want.

Megan
We gonna stay together?

Beat.

Mrs Peel
If you want.

Megan
I do. Where we gonna go?

Beat.

Mrs Peel
I spent my childhood in Cumbria. Used to go out on the Lakes with my father on weekends. We'd be out there in all weathers too, hail comin' at us, thunder rollin' in, bitin' winds. We'd stop and eat sandwiches on a brow lookin' out at them moors, at valleys covered in droves a'
heather, and fells . . . fells white with snow. If I think about the places I been, and I been my fair share, those white fells a' the loveliest thing I ever seen. I'd like to go there. I'd like to see snow on the fells again.

Megan
But there won't be any.

Mrs Peel
No. There won't.

Megan
But we could still go there.

Mrs Peel
nods. She moves behind
Megan
.

Megan
(
Turns to
Mrs Peel
.
) When a' we gonna leave?

Mrs Peel
We' leavin' at sunrise.

Megan
Tomorrow?

Mrs Peel
(
Smiles.
) Tomorrow.

Megan
turns her beaming face round.

Mrs Peel
raises the knife and slits
Megan
's throat.

Mrs Peel
stands motionless for a long time.

A long shear of light. A series of low concussions.

Mrs Peel
kneels, takes the blade and slits her throat.

The sun sets. The sun rises.

A shoot grows out of the earth.

Blackout.

Ditch

Beth Steel
was born in Nottingham and was part of the Invitation Group for Emerging Writers at the Royal Court and is currently a writer on attachment for both HighTide and Theatre503.
Ditch
is her first play.