In this penultimate episode, Elio is determined to prove himself, and summons a demon within the hideout.
You can find more information, including our full cast list and transcripts, at DesperadoRadio.com.
Credits:
Written and produced by Samy Souissi.
- Elio – Samy Souissi
- Shinji – Tibet Boyer
- Talia – Tami Ige
- Baron Samedi – AJ Bediako
- Samar – Kawtar Morchadi
- Alma – Marina Persephone Amarante
Transcript
Please be advised the content of this podcast includes driving sound effects, violence, firearms and gunshots, alcohol, smoking, blood, death, and mentions of suicide. This episode also features insects and spiders. We also swear a whole lot, so please listen at your own discretion.
Previously, in Desperado…
Elio, Talia, Shinji, and Samar were finally reunited in a hideout on the outskirts of London. Once Elio woke up, Shinji and Samar went to bug Asher’s flat to try and obtain some more information on the imprisoned goddess.
They found out the Witches have a plan to steal Catrina’s powers by bringing the crystal to Stonehenge, and they must now intercept the SCU before they can perform their ritual.
Despite his new lack of powers, Elio refused to be left behind and asked Samar to put him to the test, to prove he won’t be a burden and doesn’t need to be protected. She agreed on very simple terms. If he invoked and killed a demon, he’d be free to come.
This… is Desperado…
Eerie intro music…
SFX: Window latches being locked shut
ELIO
Between the four of us, preparations were made quickly. Windows barricaded, exit doors locked and obstructed, and we even had to fix a whole in the cellar just in case. I remember all day long, you two were constantly second-guessing Samar’s decision.
TALIA
I mean, I still think it was… look. There are other ways to “prove yourself”, is all I’m gonna say.
SHINJI
Honestly, I just rolled with it and thought “well… shit, if things go wrongs, I’ll just fly in and help out.”
ELIO
Aw.
SHINJI
Because someone always has to save you two…
TALIA
Oh. One. Time!
SHINJI
You, at least twice!
TALIA
Twice?
SHINJI
First time in Mexico-
TALIA
Mexico?! When?
ELIO
Three actually! I had to pull her back into the shield. She was trying to get shot.
TALIA
Wha- Okay. And who got the crusaders?!
SHINJI
And who got the inquisitor?
TALIA
That’s teamwork, bitch! That’s not a rescue!
ELIO
Okay, we still had to pull you out of the club.
TALIA
Did you? Because it feels like you could have just waited for Samar-
SHINJI
Uhhh… we didn’t know where she was.
ELIO
Yeah.
SHINJI
She left for almost two weeks on the last hunt. We had no idea when she’d come back. And they don’t have any signal in the forest or… sewers or- wherever she went.
TALIA
Bet you she just went to the spa when she got tired of us.
SHINJI
(chuckling softly)
Yeah. Go get a little phone cleanse.
TALIA
Disconnect, to reconnect.
TALIA
Elio?
ELIO
Mh?
TALIA
You’re okay?
ELIO
Yeah, yeah, sorry was just thinking.
SHINJI
You know… we don’t have to do it today.
ELIO
No, no, I’m just… I already did the mental prep, so I’d rather get it over with, honestly.
SHINJI
On your own time dude.
ELIO
It was… uh… it was a night. Yeah.
Last thing we had to do was circle the entire house with salt, and wait for Samar to cast her spell.
SFX: crickets, a gentle breeze… the sound of a forest at night. Footsteps approach through the dirt.
SAMAR
Go over your inventory again. Feels like we’re forgetting something.
ELIO
Sure. Sword. Dagger. 2nd dagger. Throwing knives. Flashlight. Matches. Ooh! Got a lil snack right here.
SAMAR
Is the Henna set?
ELIO
I think so, yeah. It’s been half an hour so I rinsed it off, but… I can’t really see it over the tattoos.
SAMAR
Yeah, it looks fine. Oh, I know!
ELIO
She went to look into one of her bags and brought bag a set of rings, both adorned with Kalsaras.
SAMAR
If you lose your blade, you’ll still pack a punch.
SHINJI
That’s… a lot of precaution.
TALIA
Yeah, how strong is that thing?
ELIO
I’ll be fine.
TALIA
I’d rather hear it from Samar.
SHINJI
Yeah. What she said.
SAMAR
He might die.
TALIA
Uhhhh…
SHINJI
So…
TALIA
Are you fucking serious?!
SHINJI
Yeah… I’m gonna go out on a limb and say this is… pretty fuckin’ stupid.
SAMAR
Elio is a host without God. He’s blood in the water for every ghost, every demon and spirit that needs a body. This… is bound to happen.
ELIO
And we’ve been doing this. Everyday. Crusaders, inquisitors, witches, demons… We’ve tried running, hiding, waiting and pleading- nothing works. They always come…. And they take. So I’m not running anymore. I… I mean except, in the other direction. Like… running… at them. I’m running in-
SHINJI
(Interrupting)
O-okay, champ, y-y-you started really strong there, but-
TALIA
Yeah, but you kinda lost… lost us at the-.
ELIO
If this is gonna be the rest of my life, I’d rather know now whether I can do it or not. So… Wish me luck!
TALIA
Fuck. Luck. It’s what got us into this in the first place!
ELIO
Okay… not really the moment to unpack all that but-
SHINJI
Good luck!
ELIO
Thank you.
SAMAR
Keep your guard up!
ELIO
I will!
TALIA
Don’t fucking die!
ELIO
You too! You too.
SAMAR
Right, let’s activate the salt. Step back a little bit.
SHINJI
I, uhhh… I thought you said you weren’t a witch?
TALIA
Yeah, that’s witchcraft.
SAMAR
Not a witch. I just know one…
SFX: Wind howling. Whispers. Spirits.
SAMAR
Hello, auntie. Would you lend me your rhymes once more?
TALIA
My body tensed immediately. Samar had her back to us, but we didn’t to see her face to notice the changes. Her shoulders drew back, her balance shifted… She wasn’t there anymore. Not entirely. And I took a step back because… I mean… How could you just… allow someone to change…
Down to your posture itself. Even the innate is gone. That means there’s… nothing left of you in that body. You’re not drawing breath anymore. You’re not! What if you never came back? What would we do without Samar? And… I guess I wasn’t being super subtle because it’s about when Shinji grabbed my hand and said:
SHINJI
Hey. She knows what she’s doing.
TALIA
Okay.
SFX: Spirit whoosh. Samar recites an incantation in Arabic.
SFX: Arabic style music/vocalization as magic shield activates. We hear a whoosh of energy as a protective dome forms around them, whilst a thunderous crack booms through the air.
SHINJI
Energy sparked in the air, and a ray of moonlight caught the protective dome as it formed. As long as Samar kept her focus… no spirit could escape the house. And none could enter.
SFX: footsteps, pacing across wooden floor.
ELIO
(Deep breath)
Okay. Let’s make some space… Not trying to trip on something.
(thinking)
Push the couch….
SFX: furniture slides across floor as he rearranges. It’s got some weight
…Table. Hgnn…
(aloud)
There we go… Okay. Okay. Now…
(thinking)
…what was next? Now wha- what was it again?
(aloud)
Find the mirror.
(thinking)
Find a mirror. Where am I gonna find a mirror? Where’s the bathroom again?
(aloud)
Oh right…
SFX: Footsteps. Door creaks open slowly.
(aloud, softly)
Mirror…Mirror… It’s… it’s broken.
(thinking)
It’s broken… broken…
(aloud)
Does it matter?
ELIO (CONT’D)
(thinking, overlapping slightly)
Does it matter? Does that matter?
(aloud)
I doubt iiiiiit? (deep sigh) Let’s get this over with.
(thinking)
Is it even gonna work? Imagine if it’s a prank. That would be… kinda funny.
(aloud)
Do you wanna like maybe focus?
(thinking)
Okay. Shhh. Shutup.
(aloud)
Alright. Now, say her name…
SFX: ear ringing tone… static-like sound in the air
SFX: a dull, almost liquid sound overtakes the ambience. The way the water sounds in your ears when you dive into a pool. Whoosh.
(aloud)
Where is she?
(thinking)
Where is she?
(aloud)
Did it work?
(thinking)
I don’t know… Maybe…
BEHIND! (echoes in his mind)
(aloud)
No. Okay. Guess it went to voicemail.
SFX: electricity buzzes as it surges. The lights blow out.
ELIO (CONT’D)
(aloud, with a sigh)
And she got the lights.
(thinking)
Of course…
(aloud)
Fuck.
(thinking)
There you go. You asked for it.
(aloud)
You asked for it.
(thinking)
Find your flashlight.
SFX: flashlight clicks on.
(aloud)
There we go.
SFX: footsteps.
House looks different. Feels different.
(thinking)
Feels different…
(aloud)
Walls, darker. Ceilings, higher.
(thinking echoes)
…higher.
(aloud)
Goddess, it’s dark in here…
SFX: more footsteps, insect buzzes… crunch.
What is that?
(thinking)
What is- what is that?
(aloud)
There’s something on the ground.
SFX: Skin. Molting.
…Paper.
(thinking)
No.
(aloud)
Shreds of…
(thinking)
Of what? …Snakeskin.
(aloud)
No, that ain’t right. No.
(thinking)
No. It breaks to the touch.
(aloud)
Molting.
(thinking)
Molting- molting. It’s molting.
(aloud)
An insect? There’s so much of it…
(thinking)
Everywhere… fuck…
(aloud)
How big is this thing?
SFX: Elio gasps as a huge insect attacks. It hisses and chitters as Elio plunges his blade into it. We hear it’s exoskeleton crack and its liquid insides spill out. All goes quiet for a moment.
ELIO (CONT’D)
(aloud)
Ok. Great. That was just a spider on the ceiling corner.
(thinking)
I mean… great throw, though.
(aloud)
Do spiders scream?
(thinking)
Do spiders scream? Or… hiss? What the fuck was that noise it made? Alright just get the knife back.
SFX: Spider chitters before attacking with a hiss. Elio slashes it with his blade.
(aloud)
Fuck! Fuck!
SFX: squelches as Elio stabs the creature twice
(thinking)
Diosa Mia… Okay…
SFX: spider hisses again
(aloud)
Oh shut up!
SFX: cronch
…We have cockroaches bigger than you at home.
(thinking)
Was that it?
SFX: Ominous winds, creaking wood
(aloud, with a sigh)
Of course not… Upstairs it is.
SAMAR (V.O)
Demons are spirits born out of superstition. Usually only strong enough to latch on to animals. Children maybe. But… then the killing starts… and superstition turns to fear, and fear in faith.
SAMAR (CONT’D)
Power. They may look like it, but they’re no mindless beast. You’ll need more than a blade against a daughter of fear.
ELIO
The stairs… stairs, stairs… There we go.
SFX: small rustling noises
Oh. And now it’s ants… That thing is bringing everyone out, huh? Crawling everywhere. They’re all over the stairs.
(thinking)
Ugh. It’s literally just ants… Climb up, dude.
SFX: Footsteps climbing. Then… drip… drip… drops.
(aloud)
What?
(thinking)
Your shoulder, your shoulder… your shoulder! Something just dropped.
SFX: drops come faster
The ceiling. They’re on the ceiling! They- AH! Fu- AAAAH! It burns. It burns. It burns. They’re EVERYWHERE! Shit, shit, shit… Water. Upstairs! The shower! SHOWER! GO!
SFX: Running. Bathroom door bursts open. He throws the curtain back and quickly turns the shower head on. Water sprays out.
(aloud)
They’re stuck!
(thinking)
They’re stuck to your skin they’re still biting! FUCK! Take them out, take them out, TAKE THEM OUT!
SFX: Water splashes
Alright. You know what? You know what- Fuck it. Okay, we don’t need this house. Burn it down and everything with it.
(aloud)
I’m out. I’m out.
(thinking)
You could have done that from the start. Do you want the attention? You don’t want the attention. Firemen? Civilians? Police. S.C.U.
(aloud)
Fuck if-
(thinking)
Fuck it! There’s a demon in there!
SFX: Match strikes once, twice, three times. It finally lights… for a second. It fizzles out quickly.
(aloud)
THEY’RE FUCKING WET!
(thinking)
Pendejo. You suck at this.
SFX: Singing… ethereal elven style.
(aloud)
Que? What is that?
(thinking)
Que es?…Mama? No…
(aloud)
No, no, no, we’re not going after the singing. No. Don’t even- don’t even think about it. We’re not going after the singing. It’s not real.
(thinking)
It’s not real.
(aloud)
It’s not her.
ALMA (V.O.)
Elio?
ELIO (CONT’D)
(thinking)
What if it is?
(aloud)
Mama…?
(thinking)
No es ella.
ALMA
Elio! Ven aqui!
ELIO
Mama!
SFX: smoke wisps, hiss, roar.
ELIO
NO!
SFX: Roar grows louder. Alma screams. Wind whooshes. Door closes
Nothing. Of course…
(thinking)
Of course there’s nothing. How? Her voice… It was her voice. She had her voice…
(aloud)
Mama…
(thinking)
HOW?! NO ONE DOES THAT TO YOU. NO ONE. Make her pay.
(aloud)
She’ll pay for this.
(thinking)
Make her bleed. Make her pay. MAKE HER BLEED.
SFX: Chittering.
What was that?
ELIO (CONT’D)
(thinking)
What was that?
SFX: Cracking. Growling.
It’s near. It’s close. What is it? Something big. Where? Where is it? Where? What was that? ABOVE!
SFX: Demon jump fighting. Bite. Elio stabs with a squelch, demon roars in pain, its shrill scream pierces the air. Demon escapes.
ELIO
Listen, we’re talking really nasty shit here. Top of the shelf nightmare who decided to compound the bodies of thousands and thousands of insects and held it together into a parody of human posture. And under that patchwork of shells and remains it covered itself with, you could see the dark and raw muscle right underneath. Slithering and leaking through the holes of that… mess of an exoskeleton.
The legs were bent the wrong way, the forearms, four, all seemed slightly out of place. Until I realized they wer meant to touch te ground sometimes and offer some extra balance because the legs were just so fucking badly built. It looked like a mistake. It felt like a mistake. Like something my brain should never have had to process or tolerate.
I’ll give her one thing though. The claws… the fucking mandibles… she nailed it. Yeah, that she got. And when she jumped at me, she threw herself at me. Stupidly, I thought at first. Because my sword immediately found the opening and dug right through its chest. And she screeched in pain, alright. But then she pushed… right through. Driving the blade deeper just to reach me and almost bit my head off. I should have just let the sword go, but… well, I didn’t and hindsight is 20/20. So, fuck off. Ummm… anyway. Instead I moved my chest out of the way and her teeth got to my arm. I didn’t feel the pain at first, just… adrenaline, you know. So I pulled my dagger out and stabbed her untl she fucking let go. Until she screeched again and I could pull back my sword- almost tearing her apart really. But almost isn’t good enough. And she ran out. Disappeared inside the house again to build herself back up. Leaving me there just slightly concerned, you know?
(thinking)
Fuck. Shit, shit, shit! She bit me! What the fuck was that? Her skin wasn’t skin. Her shell? No… like Chitin. Jaws. Mandibles, mandibles. Too many eyes. Too many eyes. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. What’s on your blade? What is that? Your arm, Elio. It shouldn’t hurt like that. It’s getting worse. Swelling. Swelling? Shit. Venom? Venom… How long do you have? What body did she take? What was that? Spider? Mantis? Both? No, no, no, no. She’s in all of them. A swarm. She got eyes everywhere. Fuck! Can’t carry on like this. It hurts. It hurts. Go get some help. Get out… GET OUT!
(silcence)
SFX: beastly roar
TALIA
What was that?
SHINJI
Samar?
TALIA
Alright… we’re beating a demon’s ass. Let’s go.
SFX: Magic shield.
What the- Samar STOP THIS!
SHINJI
What the fuck is in there?!
TALIA
Shinji, wings!
SFX: WING Slash. Shield.
Nothing.
So I didn’t hesitate… didn’t try any other way. I turned around and fully tried to punch Samar in the face. She leaned away from my hook and laid me down on the floor without ever breaking focus. Never even glanced at me. Whoever her aunt used to be, it shouldn’t have been a surprise she was a fighter.
SFX: Shinji’s wings deploy.
SHINJI
Whoever you are. Enough.
SAMAR
(with an eerie, disembodied version of her voice)
… She asks… that you stop bothering me.
TALIA
She’ll speak for herself!
SHINJI
He’s going to die!
SAMAR
(still in the voice)
The man… is her student?
SHINJI
Yes!
TALIA
Samar! Fuck the hunt, fuck this stupid test, Elio’s in da-!
SAMAR
Sit down! Or do you believe she’d train a fool? A prey? I said sit down! Before I make you.
SFX: Earth rumble.
TALIA
And the earth rumbled under our feet. Eager… and listening.
SFX: Far away scream cuts through the air. Someone running, very out of breath.
ELIO
Come on, come on, the stairs! Come on, come on! Fuck!
SFX: Elio falls with a thud
Fuck! It’s fine, keep going. It’s behind- she’s behind- The door, the door’s right there! Come on- Fuck!
SFX: demon crashes in from the ceiling with a sickening roar
Where did she come from? Fuck! She’s blocking the door! How did she make that body? Everything razor sharp. Get out of here. I can’t feel my arm. Well, use the other one, buddy! Look out!
SFX: Thud. CLANG AGAINST FLOOR.
Your sword. Get it back! Ugh! It got your legs. It got yur legs! I can’t get out! I can’t get out!
SFX: its TONGUE slithers out with a chitter
The fuck is tha- A tongue?! It’s its mouth. What is it doing? Is it- No! Don’t touch me! [muffled struggling] It wants you alive. Perfect host. Possession? No, no, no…
SFX: HENNA activates, the creature roars in pain. gasp.
THE HENNA! RUN! Get to the basement, the basement! Come on, come on!
SFX: RUN. PANTING. STAIRS.
Lock the door, lock the door! Fuck! Come on!
SFX: Door slams shut and the lock closes with a heavy clang. We hear heavy thuds as the creature tries to force its way in, almost as though it’s knocking. It pauses. Hissing from the other side. Gutteral chittering.
ELIO
No… Diosa por favor… No… (voice cracking) no, no, no!
(thinking)
Venom. It’s spreading.
(aloud again, whimpering, panting)
I don’t wanna die…
SFX: crickets
TALIA
Samar! That thing is nothing like the demon in Bristol! We can both feel it! You have to stop this! Shinji do something!
SHINJI
What am I supposed to do? I can stab her?
SHINJI
Samar… Samar, please listen to me. His soul is screaming. He’s slipping away! (a beat)
…Talia?
SFX: Jazzy saxophone music. Spirit whoosh. Applause fades in as a deep, thunderous chuckle cuts through the atmosphere.
SFX: crash. Knocking, followed by a scream. Whispers cut through the air like smoke.
ELIO
Wake up… wake up! Elio, wake up! You’re losing it! Hallucinating…
ALMA
(far away)
Elio? Elio…
(closer)
Elio, mirame. [baby Elio screams] Shhh. I’m here. It’s okay. You had a nightmare, carino. It’s okay. Shhhh. You’re home. Hey. Listen… listen! Papa is still snoring. Can you hear him? (chuckles softly) You’re safe, mijo. (a beat) Did you wanna tell me?
ELIO
(his voice is grown up now. He’s panting as he speaks)
It was red and…
ALMA
Red? (a beat) Who told you about that monster? Is it Manuel? Elio. Es importante. Es Manuel? Okay. I’ll talk to his parents.
ELIO
Is it gonna come back?
ALMA
No, because now you have this. Una Kalsara. Can you feel it? If the monster comes again, it will be trapped inside. Now, Elio, you have to promise me that you’ll leave it right there on the table and you don’t touch it. You don’t put it under your pillow, you don’t sleep with it, and you never ever put it in your mouth. Or else it won’t work, okay? It likes to be on the table.
(chuckles softly) Que bueno. Do you want me to stay?
SFX: smoky whispers, slowly transforms into heavy breathing. The breathing is mechanical, as though on a ventilator.
ALMA
You have to be able to do this on your own Mijo, so come on. What can you tell me about this patient?
ELIO
I…
ALMA
Look, here. You know this.
ELIO
Finger discoloration.
ALMA
Mhm…
ELIO
And– Skin is really cold. Feels like… leather. Is he having seizures?
ALMA
Yes.
ELIO
Not sleeping?
ALMA
No. But not awake either.
ELIO
…Red Plague?
ALMA
Exactly. What can you tell me about it?
ELIO
A Kalsara infection does not kill, but that’s not a good news. The crystal can spread through the human body in a matter of days, or much quicker if actively fed with energy. Until completely taking over. It shares its hunger with the host, and sooner or later, the patient will give in. They stop resisting. They feed their will to the crystal and… let it cover their skin. They shape it into claws and fangs… Anything to help the crystal feed. And then the host starts to hunt. Making it a danger for everybody…
ALMA
Excellent. Treatments?
ELIO
It’s too late for this one.
ALMA
But if it wasn’t?
ELIO
Anti-viral in early stages would do… Amputation, maybe?
ALMA
Chanting, Elio.
ELIO
No.
ALMA
No?
ELIO
You’re a doctor. Not a witch.
ALMA
Mijo.
ELIO
Mama it’s too late! You can’t save him. It- it reached the heart. Escuchame, escuchame, Mama! You’re just a doctor! …They’ll know if you do this!
ALMA
(voice echoing)
Vete, Elio. Por favor, Mijo.
ELIO
…Si, mama.
SFX: more hissing and smoky whispers
SAMAR (V.O.)
Faith and Will are two sides of the same coin. And umm… I guess… I guess you’re the coin? No. Ugh. My brother was so much better at this. Wha- What I mean is… It’s just a piece of copper. What do you do with it? Throw it? Give it? Trade it? Do you even believe in it? Doesn’t matter. It’s just a coin. It doesn’t care. It’s you. You’re the well and the source. You’re raw power.
And don’t you dare believe otherwise.
ELIO
The kalsaras…
SFX: Roar. Sound of crystal shattering. Gulp. enchanting music as the crystal covers Elio.
DISEMBODIED VOICE
Grow…
(echoing)
Feed them. Feed them. Grow. Power. Power. Power.
Burning blood, frozen skin, Claws and Fangs. Red and sharp.
SFX: slash, slash.
Crush and kill. DEVOUR! KILL HER!
SFX: Door crashes open as demon roars.
ELIO
She roared, and I replied with my own.
SFX: Elio roars back
I heard my voice bounce through the deepest depths. On each facet of the crystal growing within me. In the west, they call them kalsara. Kalpsar, in Arabic. The desert’s heart, from where they came. Some venture they were created by the very first believers. Other, Samars included, say kalsaras are primal demons. An oganism mutated by beliefs eons ago into the most insidious parasite on earth. But when you’ve endured the embrace of a god, bending a leech to your will is nothing. And so she hesitated. I saw a demon… hesitate. And I struck.
(internally)
Kill her!
SFX: blade slashes as demon growls in pain
Again… [slash!] And again… [slash!] And again. [slash!]
SFX: demon hisses
ELIO
I would have torn it apart… limb by limb. The crystal wanted its strength up to the very last drop. And when I tell you that fucking thing didn’t stand a chance, I’m not boasting. I’m just saying, there’s a reason my mother warned me.
But I never got to satisfy that hunger.
ELIO (CONT’D)
Someone got there first…
As the demon jumped away and tried to run back inside the house, a spear came down from the stairs…
SFX: whistle of the blade sailing through the air at speed. It hits its target with a squishy thud as it impales the creature.
An ivory blade, made of a dozen bones melded together, impaling the demon to the ground like it was nothing but a butterfly.
SFX: demon hisses as it dies. Slow, steady footsteps.
TALIA/SAMEDI
Look at that thing. What a waste of faith.
ELIO
Talia…
TALIA/SAMEDI
Oh, please… She could never aim like that.
SFX: whoosh through the air as she recalls the blades