MACFARLANE, SIMPSON and BROWN run on SR. BROWN is a teenager while the others are in their early twenties. All wear First World War British Army uniforms. MACFARLANE has a Lance Corporal’s stripe and the others are Privates. All are unarmed but SIMPSON and MACFARLANE carry gas masks. They dodge behind the tables until they reach the foot of the stairs, where they stop. For a moment they say nothing, trying to get their breath back.
SIMPSON: How long d’you think before they notice we’ve gone?
MACFARLANE: There’ll already be someone after us. BROWN: (scared) No! Not already.
MACFARLANE: Course there will. Nothing gets past Dexter. And you know who he’ll have sent, don’t you?
SIMPSON: Willis.
BROWN: Not Willis!
MACFARLANE: Who else? He’s never let anyone get away yet.
BROWN: I’m not going back! Don’t let him take me back, Terry!
SIMPSON: ’Salright, Brownie. You’re not going back. None of us are.
MACFARLANE: We will be if Willis catches up with us. We can’t stay here long. Stay here while I check for patrols.
He runs upstairs and goes off SL.
BROWN: We will make it, won’t we Terry?
SIMPSON: Don’t you worry, mate. I’ll look after you. We’ll find us somewhere nice and quiet to sit out the rest of the war.
BROWN: Where are we gonna go? Where’ll we live?
SIMPSON: (unconvincingly) Relax. Will an’ me got it all worked out. We just need to get away from ’ere first and then we’ll be fine.
MACFARLANE returns and rejoins them.
MACFARLANE: There was a patrol but it’s gone now. We’d better get moving.
Yellow smoke drifts across the stage.
SIMPSON: Gas!
MACFARLANE and SIMPSON hurriedly pull on their gas masks. BROWN reaches for his but it is not there. SIMPSON turns to check on him.
SIMPSON: Brownie! Where’s your mask?
BROWN: I... I forgot it.
SIMPSON: For God’s sake, Brownie!
BROWN: I’m sorry, Terry, I was in a rush.
SIMPSON pulls a handkerchief from his pocket and gives it to BROWN.
SIMPSON: ’Ere, you’ll ’ave to use this for now.
BROWN holds the handkerchief over his face.
MACFARLANE: Ssh!
They fall silent as they hear footsteps above them. A soldier, wearing a greatcoat and gas mask, enters from the SL end of the balcony. He leans on the banister for a moment, agitated and breathing heavily, and then starts descending the stairs. As he reaches the bottom, MACFARLANE quietly takes off his helmet and swings it at the soldier's head, knocking him down. MACFARLANE tears off the man’s gas mask and passes it to SIMPSON, who frantically helps BROWN to put it on. We do not see the soldier’s face. The trio run upstairs, SIMPSON helping BROWN. There is the whistle of an approaching shell. The soldier attempts to sit up but the shell explodes, killing him. The others look back and, after a hesitation, MACFARLANE returns to the body.
MACFARLANE: God, his face is blown off!
SIMPSON: For God’s sake, what are you doing?
MACFARLANE: Insurance.
MACFARLANE searches the soldier’s pockets and removes the man’s pay book. He then takes out his own pay book and puts it into the soldier’s pocket, taking the dead man’s for himself.
SIMPSON: How long d’you think before they notice we’ve gone?
MACFARLANE: There’ll already be someone after us. BROWN: (scared) No! Not already.
MACFARLANE: Course there will. Nothing gets past Dexter. And you know who he’ll have sent, don’t you?
SIMPSON: Willis.
BROWN: Not Willis!
MACFARLANE: Who else? He’s never let anyone get away yet.
BROWN: I’m not going back! Don’t let him take me back, Terry!
SIMPSON: ’Salright, Brownie. You’re not going back. None of us are.
MACFARLANE: We will be if Willis catches up with us. We can’t stay here long. Stay here while I check for patrols.
He runs upstairs and goes off SL.
BROWN: We will make it, won’t we Terry?
SIMPSON: Don’t you worry, mate. I’ll look after you. We’ll find us somewhere nice and quiet to sit out the rest of the war.
BROWN: Where are we gonna go? Where’ll we live?
SIMPSON: (unconvincingly) Relax. Will an’ me got it all worked out. We just need to get away from ’ere first and then we’ll be fine.
MACFARLANE returns and rejoins them.
MACFARLANE: There was a patrol but it’s gone now. We’d better get moving.
Yellow smoke drifts across the stage.
SIMPSON: Gas!
MACFARLANE and SIMPSON hurriedly pull on their gas masks. BROWN reaches for his but it is not there. SIMPSON turns to check on him.
SIMPSON: Brownie! Where’s your mask?
BROWN: I... I forgot it.
SIMPSON: For God’s sake, Brownie!
BROWN: I’m sorry, Terry, I was in a rush.
SIMPSON pulls a handkerchief from his pocket and gives it to BROWN.
SIMPSON: ’Ere, you’ll ’ave to use this for now.
BROWN holds the handkerchief over his face.
MACFARLANE: Ssh!
They fall silent as they hear footsteps above them. A soldier, wearing a greatcoat and gas mask, enters from the SL end of the balcony. He leans on the banister for a moment, agitated and breathing heavily, and then starts descending the stairs. As he reaches the bottom, MACFARLANE quietly takes off his helmet and swings it at the soldier's head, knocking him down. MACFARLANE tears off the man’s gas mask and passes it to SIMPSON, who frantically helps BROWN to put it on. We do not see the soldier’s face. The trio run upstairs, SIMPSON helping BROWN. There is the whistle of an approaching shell. The soldier attempts to sit up but the shell explodes, killing him. The others look back and, after a hesitation, MACFARLANE returns to the body.
MACFARLANE: God, his face is blown off!
SIMPSON: For God’s sake, what are you doing?
MACFARLANE: Insurance.
MACFARLANE searches the soldier’s pockets and removes the man’s pay book. He then takes out his own pay book and puts it into the soldier’s pocket, taking the dead man’s for himself.
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