transcript

Speaker 1:
[00:03] National Emergency is a psychological horror audio drama that explores disturbing themes and intense moments. Some content may be unsettling for some listeners. Listener's discretion is advised. The Midnight Mystery presents National Emergency. Season one, episode eight, The Forest.

Speaker 2:
[00:53] Come on, move, move, move!

Speaker 3:
[00:58] How far?

Speaker 4:
[00:59] 30 minutes. Maybe less if I push?

Speaker 3:
[01:01] What happened? Did they say what happened?

Speaker 4:
[01:04] No details, just incident at 847 Maple Street.

Speaker 3:
[01:07] Could mean anything.

Speaker 4:
[01:09] Yeah, that's what worries me.

Speaker 3:
[01:15] I wanted to bring her with us.

Speaker 4:
[01:16] I wasn't bringing Lisa. She's already been through enough.

Speaker 3:
[01:20] I know, you made the right call. I just... I hope she's okay.

Speaker 4:
[01:25] I should have had a unit follow her home.

Speaker 3:
[01:27] You couldn't have known something would happen.

Speaker 4:
[01:29] I'm a detective. It's my job to know. The emergencies are accelerating.

Speaker 2:
[01:37] What do you mean?

Speaker 4:
[01:38] 15 months ago, 200 incidents per week globally. Last week, over 1,500.

Speaker 3:
[01:47] Jesus.

Speaker 4:
[01:48] Survival rates dropping, too. Started at 90%. Now it's 65.

Speaker 3:
[01:54] There's no pattern to them. No way to predict when they'll happen.

Speaker 4:
[01:59] No. There isn't.

Speaker 3:
[02:01] So what are we supposed to do? Just wait for the next one?

Speaker 4:
[02:04] We survive. It's what we do. We follow the instructions and we survive.

Speaker 3:
[02:18] Why are you helping me? What? You could have arrested me after the bus. Let the feds take me. But you didn't. You've been protecting me, standing between me and Shen. Why?

Speaker 4:
[02:32] It's not the time for this.

Speaker 3:
[02:34] I need to know.

Speaker 4:
[02:37] You still don't remember me. You remember Crescent Creek, the old swimming hole?

Speaker 3:
[02:45] Yeah. I went there as a kid.

Speaker 4:
[02:49] Summer of 98. I was there alone. Some high schoolers showed up, decided it'd be fun to see how long I could hold my breath. They held me under. I was drowning. Then someone pulled them off, started swinging, broke one of the kid's nose. Pulled me out and made sure I could breathe.

Speaker 3:
[03:17] That was you. Yeah. You were sitting on the bank, soaking wet. I asked if you were okay. You nodded and left.

Speaker 4:
[03:30] I was embarrassed. Didn't want anyone to know. I went home that day and told my parents I fell. Well, didn't tell anyone what really happened. But I thought about you, the kid who didn't even know my name, but fought for me anyway.

Speaker 3:
[03:50] I didn't even remember until now.

Speaker 4:
[03:53] You just did what was right.

Speaker 3:
[03:57] So were you.

Speaker 2:
[04:14] Right there.

Speaker 4:
[04:17] Oh, God.

Speaker 3:
[04:21] Is she inside?

Speaker 4:
[04:23] She better be. Move, out of my way.

Speaker 3:
[04:56] Lisa!

Speaker 2:
[04:57] Thank God!

Speaker 5:
[04:59] You're here.

Speaker 3:
[05:01] Are you okay?

Speaker 1:
[05:02] Are you hurt?

Speaker 5:
[05:03] I'm fine.

Speaker 4:
[05:04] We got here as fast as we could.

Speaker 5:
[05:06] Did you?

Speaker 3:
[05:07] Detective, the homeowner's been giving her statement. House is clear, but we haven't processed the scene yet.

Speaker 4:
[05:13] Let us through. I'll take it from here.

Speaker 1:
[05:15] Sir, protocol says, let us through.

Speaker 5:
[05:18] Yes, sir.

Speaker 3:
[05:23] Oh, my God. The windows.

Speaker 4:
[05:26] Every single one.

Speaker 5:
[05:28] Don't touch anything. They said they need to process it.

Speaker 3:
[05:33] Oh, Jesus Christ, Lisa.

Speaker 4:
[05:37] Lisa, I'm so sorry.

Speaker 5:
[05:41] Where are you?

Speaker 3:
[05:42] Lisa?

Speaker 5:
[05:44] Save it. They were very thorough. Every window, every door, most of the furniture.

Speaker 2:
[05:55] This is...

Speaker 4:
[05:57] what happened? Are you really okay?

Speaker 5:
[06:00] Physically, I'm fine. They never touched me. But my home is destroyed. And you two left me alone at that station.

Speaker 3:
[06:14] We didn't know this would happen.

Speaker 6:
[06:15] Didn't you?

Speaker 5:
[06:16] Really? After the town hall? After what they did to my garage? You didn't think they might escalate?

Speaker 3:
[06:23] Lisa.

Speaker 5:
[06:24] Don't Lisa me. You made the call to leave me there. Said you'd be right back. That was hours ago.

Speaker 3:
[06:37] Can you tell us what happened?

Speaker 5:
[06:40] I left the station around 9, got in my car, started driving home.

Speaker 2:
[06:46] And?

Speaker 5:
[06:48] About halfway here, I noticed headlights behind me. Following. Same distance back no matter what I did.

Speaker 3:
[06:56] Did you recognize the vehicle?

Speaker 5:
[06:59] Dark sedan. Couldn't tell the make in the rain.

Speaker 4:
[07:02] Why didn't you call for help?

Speaker 5:
[07:03] I did. I tried calling both of you. Neither of you picked up.

Speaker 3:
[07:10] We were at Jenkins. My phone was on silent.

Speaker 4:
[07:13] Mine too. I'm sorry. I should have...

Speaker 5:
[07:17] Yeah, you should have. So, I kept driving. Figured maybe I was paranoid. Maybe they were just going the same direction.

Speaker 3:
[07:29] But they weren't.

Speaker 2:
[07:30] No, they weren't.

Speaker 5:
[07:34] I pulled into my driveway. They drove past, didn't stop. I thought maybe I was wrong, so I came inside, locked the door, put my keys down.

Speaker 4:
[07:44] How long before they came back?

Speaker 5:
[07:46] Maybe five minutes. I was about to make tea when I heard knocking.

Speaker 3:
[07:52] Did you answer it?

Speaker 5:
[07:54] No. It was late, so I looked through the people.

Speaker 4:
[07:59] What did you say?

Speaker 5:
[08:05] Three men, all wearing balaclavas, just standing there on my porch.

Speaker 2:
[08:11] Oh, God.

Speaker 5:
[08:13] I stepped back, grabbed my phone to call 911. That's when they kicked the door in.

Speaker 4:
[08:21] You don't have to go through this if...

Speaker 5:
[08:23] I'm fine. I came inside. Didn't say anything at first, just... started destroying everything. One went for the windows. Another kicked in the bedroom door. The third just stood there, watching me.

Speaker 3:
[08:41] They didn't hurt you?

Speaker 2:
[08:43] No.

Speaker 5:
[08:45] That wasn't the point.

Speaker 4:
[08:47] What was the point?

Speaker 5:
[08:48] To scare me. And it worked.

Speaker 3:
[08:56] Did they say anything?

Speaker 5:
[08:58] After they finished the windows, the one watching me spoke. Said, stop protecting people who caused the emergencies.

Speaker 4:
[09:06] Those exact words?

Speaker 5:
[09:08] Exact words.

Speaker 3:
[09:11] Lisa...

Speaker 5:
[09:13] Then he said if I kept defending you, they'd come back. Next time it wouldn't just be my windows.

Speaker 4:
[09:19] Did you recognize any voices?

Speaker 5:
[09:21] No. One was disguising his voice, speaking lower.

Speaker 3:
[09:26] But you have a guess.

Speaker 5:
[09:28] Parents from the town hall. Has to be. The ones who lost kids on the bus. The Brennans, the Pattersons. Could be any of them.

Speaker 4:
[09:37] We'll bring them in. Question them.

Speaker 5:
[09:39] And they'll deny it. No proof. No cameras. Just three men in masks.

Speaker 3:
[09:47] This is my fault.

Speaker 6:
[09:48] Oh, shut up, Owen!

Speaker 3:
[09:50] What?

Speaker 5:
[09:51] Shut up!

Speaker 6:
[09:53] I am so sick of hearing you blame yourself for everything!

Speaker 3:
[09:57] But it's true.

Speaker 6:
[09:58] No, it's not!

Speaker 5:
[10:00] You didn't cause the National Emergencies. You didn't make those men come here. You didn't kick in my door or smash my windows. They did that.

Speaker 6:
[10:09] Not you!

Speaker 3:
[10:10] But they did it because of me.

Speaker 5:
[10:12] They did it because they're scared and looking for someone to blame. Because it's easier to blame you than accept that the world is falling apart and there's nothing anyone can do about it. So stop, stop making yourself the villain. You're not, you're just a man who survives something impossible three times.

Speaker 6:
[10:40] That's, that's not your fault. That's, that's just bad luck.

Speaker 2:
[10:48] I'm leaving.

Speaker 6:
[10:50] What?

Speaker 3:
[10:52] I'm going to the forest.

Speaker 5:
[10:54] You're serious about this?

Speaker 2:
[10:56] Yes.

Speaker 5:
[10:58] Is this what you were doing tonight? Figuring out if the forest actually works?

Speaker 4:
[11:03] We went to see William Jenkins.

Speaker 5:
[11:06] Jenkins? The bus driver before you? The one who took his kids off grid?

Speaker 2:
[11:13] Yeah.

Speaker 3:
[11:14] He lost his daughter, Sarah, in an emergency. Took his other two kids, Michael and Emma, into the forest.

Speaker 2:
[11:21] And?

Speaker 3:
[11:22] For four weeks, it worked. No emergencies. Nothing.

Speaker 5:
[11:28] But?

Speaker 4:
[11:29] Jenkins' story fell apart when we questioned him. Inconsistencies. Details that didn't match.

Speaker 5:
[11:36] What kind of inconsistencies?

Speaker 3:
[11:39] He lied about how his kids disappeared. Said there was an emergency broadcast in the forest. But there wasn't.

Speaker 5:
[11:48] I don't understand.

Speaker 3:
[11:51] Jenkins killed his children, Lisa, Michael and Emma. Then tried to cover it up by claiming an emergency took them.

Speaker 2:
[12:00] What?

Speaker 4:
[12:01] When we confronted him, he confessed. Said he was protecting them. Saving them from future emergencies.

Speaker 3:
[12:09] He couldn't handle the fear anymore. The waiting. So he killed them himself.

Speaker 6:
[12:16] Oh my god.

Speaker 2:
[12:19] Yeah. But...

Speaker 5:
[12:23] He was in the forest for four weeks. With no emergencies.

Speaker 3:
[12:29] Exactly.

Speaker 5:
[12:30] That's why you're going.

Speaker 3:
[12:32] I need to know if it's real. If there's actually a place where the emergencies can't reach.

Speaker 5:
[12:37] Are you insane? Jenkins went crazy out there.

Speaker 3:
[12:42] Jenkins went crazy because he couldn't handle the isolation. Because he let the fear consume him. But the emergencies didn't find him. For four weeks, they didn't find him.

Speaker 5:
[12:52] And then he murdered his children.

Speaker 3:
[12:55] Because he broke. Not because the forest didn't work. Someone needs to test this. Someone needs to find out if going off grid actually keeps the emergencies away.

Speaker 6:
[13:08] And that someone has to be you?

Speaker 3:
[13:10] Yes.

Speaker 1:
[13:11] Why?

Speaker 5:
[13:12] Why does it have to be you?

Speaker 3:
[13:14] Because I've survived three of them. Because I need to know if there's a way out. And because if it works, people need to know. They need to have a choice.

Speaker 4:
[13:25] Owen, even if it works, even if the forest is safe, what then? You can't live out there forever.

Speaker 3:
[13:35] If it's safe, I come back. I tell people. I give them proof that there's a refuge. But first I need to know if it's real.

Speaker 5:
[13:45] So what? You just disappear into the woods tomorrow? Hope for the best?

Speaker 3:
[13:51] Yes.

Speaker 6:
[13:53] Of course.

Speaker 5:
[13:55] Because that's not reckless at all.

Speaker 3:
[13:57] It's not reckless. It's necessary.

Speaker 5:
[14:00] And what about me?

Speaker 6:
[14:02] What about Hutchins?

Speaker 5:
[14:04] We're just supposed to sit here and wait to find out if you're dead?

Speaker 3:
[14:08] I'll be careful.

Speaker 5:
[14:10] Careful? Right.

Speaker 4:
[14:13] When are you planning to leave?

Speaker 3:
[14:16] Tomorrow.

Speaker 2:
[14:18] Dawn.

Speaker 5:
[14:19] Of course. Tomorrow. Why give anyone time to talk you out of it?

Speaker 3:
[14:24] Because my mind's made up.

Speaker 5:
[14:26] You're such an asshole. Fine. Then I'm taking you.

Speaker 3:
[14:33] What?

Speaker 5:
[14:34] If you're going, I'm driving you. I'm not letting you just disappear without seeing where you're going.

Speaker 3:
[14:41] Lisa, you don't...

Speaker 5:
[14:42] I know I don't have to. But you two left me behind tonight and look what happened. I'm not getting left behind again.

Speaker 4:
[14:51] Lisa, that's not what...

Speaker 5:
[14:52] Not what you meant? Really? Because it feels like you two made decisions about my safety without including me. Again.

Speaker 3:
[14:59] We were trying to protect you.

Speaker 5:
[15:01] By leaving me alone to get my house destroyed. Great job.

Speaker 2:
[15:06] You're right.

Speaker 4:
[15:08] We should have brought you with us. Or at least made sure you got home safe. I'm sorry.

Speaker 3:
[15:15] Yeah, that was stupid of us. I'm sorry.

Speaker 5:
[15:18] Yeah, well...

Speaker 4:
[15:19] I'm coming with you both tomorrow.

Speaker 3:
[15:22] To the forest?

Speaker 4:
[15:24] To see you off. Make sure you have what you need.

Speaker 3:
[15:28] Okay. Thank you.

Speaker 5:
[15:31] We should probably board these windows up. Can't leave it like this overnight.

Speaker 1:
[15:36] Yeah.

Speaker 3:
[15:38] Let me help.

Speaker 4:
[15:40] I'll call the station. Have them bring supplies.

Speaker 5:
[15:43] You do that.

Speaker 3:
[15:48] Lisa, I really am sorry. About tonight, about all of this...

Speaker 5:
[15:55] I know you are. Doesn't change what happened.

Speaker 3:
[15:59] No, it doesn't.

Speaker 4:
[16:08] Supplies are on the way. Should be here in ten minutes.

Speaker 5:
[16:12] Great.

Speaker 3:
[16:13] Lisa.

Speaker 4:
[16:15] Owen and I will stay here tonight. For your safety.

Speaker 5:
[16:19] What?

Speaker 4:
[16:20] Those men threatened to come back. We're not leaving you alone.

Speaker 5:
[16:25] You don't have to...

Speaker 3:
[16:25] Yes, we do.

Speaker 2:
[16:28] Okay.

Speaker 5:
[16:29] Thank you.

Speaker 4:
[17:03] That's the best we can do tonight.

Speaker 5:
[17:05] It'll have to do.

Speaker 3:
[17:08] Thank you for letting us help.

Speaker 5:
[17:10] You broke it, you fix it.

Speaker 4:
[17:15] It's late. We should all try to get some rest.

Speaker 5:
[17:19] Couch is yours, Hutchins.

Speaker 4:
[17:21] Thank you.

Speaker 5:
[17:23] Owen, you know where the guest room is. And Owen, stop blaming yourself. I mean it.

Speaker 3:
[17:34] I'll try.

Speaker 5:
[17:36] Don't try. Just stop.

Speaker 4:
[17:44] She's right, you know.

Speaker 3:
[17:46] When isn't she?

Speaker 4:
[17:48] Get some sleep. Tomorrow's gonna be a long day.

Speaker 3:
[17:52] Yeah. Sleeping bag, tent, water bottles.

Speaker 5:
[18:11] Wait, I have more.

Speaker 3:
[18:12] Lisa, you don't have to...

Speaker 5:
[18:15] I had some old camping gear in the garage. Thought you might need it.

Speaker 3:
[18:19] This is... Thank you. I wasn't sure what I'd need.

Speaker 5:
[18:25] Matches, fire starter, extra rope, water purification tablets. You'll need those.

Speaker 3:
[18:32] You thought of everything.

Speaker 5:
[18:34] Someone has to. Owen, are you sure about this after last night?

Speaker 3:
[18:43] Jenkins.

Speaker 5:
[18:44] You watched a man confess to murdering his children and then... That was less than 12 hours ago. Maybe you should wait. Process what happened.

Speaker 3:
[18:57] I know this seems fast, but I need to do this before I lose my nerve. Before I talk myself out of it. If I wait, I'll just keep waiting. And nothing will change.

Speaker 5:
[19:10] Okay, just be careful out there.

Speaker 2:
[19:14] I will.

Speaker 3:
[19:16] I promise.

Speaker 5:
[19:22] Owen, wait.

Speaker 3:
[19:23] What?

Speaker 5:
[19:24] I... Nothing, nevermind.

Speaker 3:
[19:28] Lisa, what is it?

Speaker 5:
[19:31] I'm trying not to be the person who makes us harder for you.

Speaker 3:
[19:36] You're not making it harder.

Speaker 5:
[19:39] Aren't I? Standing here wanting to talk you out of it again.

Speaker 3:
[19:43] Yeah, but I'd expect nothing less.

Speaker 2:
[19:52] You two ready?

Speaker 3:
[19:53] Almost, just loading the last of it.

Speaker 4:
[19:59] That's a lot of gear.

Speaker 5:
[20:00] He'll need it. There's enough food here to last him.

Speaker 3:
[20:04] If Jenkins could survive four weeks out there, I can too.

Speaker 4:
[20:08] Four weeks. That's a long time alone.

Speaker 3:
[20:13] It's what needs to be done.

Speaker 4:
[20:17] Oh, it's the station. Hutchins.

Speaker 7:
[20:23] What?

Speaker 4:
[20:25] Now? I'm about to... You can't tell me over the phone? Why not? All right, all right. I'll be there in 20 minutes.

Speaker 3:
[20:40] What was that about?

Speaker 4:
[20:41] The station needs me urgently. They wouldn't say what it is over the phone.

Speaker 5:
[20:46] Is it serious?

Speaker 4:
[20:47] They said it's urgent. Something about Jenkins or the emergencies. I don't know.

Speaker 5:
[20:53] Jenkins? I thought that case was closed.

Speaker 4:
[20:57] So did I. Whatever it is, they need me there now.

Speaker 3:
[21:02] You should go.

Speaker 4:
[21:04] Yeah, I should. Owen, I hope you're right about this. About the forest.

Speaker 3:
[21:12] So do I.

Speaker 4:
[21:14] Be careful out there.

Speaker 3:
[21:15] I will. You too, Roy.

Speaker 4:
[21:19] I'll see you later.

Speaker 5:
[21:20] Yeah. Later.

Speaker 4:
[21:27] Owen, good luck.

Speaker 3:
[21:30] Thanks.

Speaker 5:
[21:41] Well, that was ominous. Come on, let's finish loading.

Speaker 3:
[21:51] This is heavier than I thought.

Speaker 5:
[21:53] Compass, matches, knife, first aid kit, and I put in a fishing line.

Speaker 3:
[21:59] Fishing line?

Speaker 5:
[22:00] There's a river that runs through the forest, about three miles in heading northwest. It'd be a good spot to camp. Clean water, fish.

Speaker 3:
[22:09] That's... that's really smart. Thank you.

Speaker 5:
[22:14] Just trying to keep you alive out there. Okay, that's everything.

Speaker 3:
[22:21] We should probably go.

Speaker 5:
[22:23] Yeah, we should. Less chance to change your mind.

Speaker 3:
[22:40] Good try, but I'm not changing my mind.

Speaker 5:
[23:09] You seem different this morning.

Speaker 3:
[23:12] Different how?

Speaker 5:
[23:13] Calmer. Less, uh, weighed down.

Speaker 3:
[23:17] What you said last night, about me not being the villain. I've been thinking about that.

Speaker 5:
[23:24] And?

Speaker 3:
[23:25] Maybe you're right. Maybe I've been carrying blame that isn't mine to carry.

Speaker 5:
[23:30] That's good. That's really good, Owen.

Speaker 3:
[23:33] I'm not saying it's easy, or that I'm suddenly fine with everything, but I can't keep drowning in guilt. Not if I want to actually help people.

Speaker 5:
[23:44] Anna would be proud of you for saying that.

Speaker 2:
[23:49] Yeah.

Speaker 3:
[23:51] Maybe she would.

Speaker 5:
[23:52] Remember when we were seven? First day of school?

Speaker 3:
[23:57] Oh God. You threw mud at me.

Speaker 6:
[24:01] You deserved it.

Speaker 5:
[24:03] You said girls couldn't climb trees.

Speaker 3:
[24:06] And you proved me wrong. Climbed higher than any of us.

Speaker 5:
[24:10] Damn right I did.

Speaker 3:
[24:11] And then I fell trying to beat you. Broke my arm.

Speaker 6:
[24:17] Your mom was so mad at me.

Speaker 3:
[24:21] She got over it. Eventually.

Speaker 5:
[24:29] We did everything together back then. Bike rides to Crescent Creek. Building forts in your backyard.

Speaker 3:
[24:38] That tree house your dad helped us build.

Speaker 5:
[24:41] You remember that?

Speaker 3:
[24:43] Of course I do. We spent half that summer up there.

Speaker 5:
[24:47] It's still there, you know. In my parents' yard.

Speaker 3:
[24:51] Really?

Speaker 5:
[24:53] Really. Probably falling apart now, but it's still there.

Speaker 3:
[24:59] We had so many plans back then. So many things we were gonna do. And then high school, and Anna.

Speaker 2:
[25:11] Yeah.

Speaker 5:
[25:12] And Anna.

Speaker 3:
[25:14] I miss her, Lisa. Every day.

Speaker 5:
[25:18] I miss her, too. I remember that road trip, senior year. The three of us drove to the coast.

Speaker 3:
[25:29] And I wanted to see the sunrise over the ocean.

Speaker 5:
[25:32] We stayed up all night. Sat on the beach. Talked about everything.

Speaker 3:
[25:38] Our futures. Our dreams.

Speaker 5:
[25:42] She wanted to be a doctor. Save lives.

Speaker 3:
[25:47] She was close. She was a nurse. Saved plenty of lives doing that. She used to say she'd go back for her MD when we were more settled. When the time was right.

Speaker 5:
[26:02] It absolutely counts. She would have wanted you to survive this, Owen. To keep going.

Speaker 3:
[26:11] You think so?

Speaker 5:
[26:13] I know so. She loved you. And she wouldn't want you to give up.

Speaker 3:
[26:20] I couldn't save her.

Speaker 5:
[26:23] No, you couldn't, but that doesn't mean you failed her.

Speaker 3:
[26:30] I've been so focused on what I couldn't do, who I couldn't save. Maybe I need to focus on what I can do, who I can help.

Speaker 5:
[26:42] Like testing if the forest is safe?

Speaker 3:
[26:44] If it works, people have a choice, a refuge.

Speaker 5:
[26:49] And if it doesn't?

Speaker 3:
[26:52] Then at least we'll know. And people can stop hoping for something that doesn't exist. Thank you for never giving up on me.

Speaker 5:
[27:06] I never could.

Speaker 3:
[27:08] I'll come back, Lisa. I promise.

Speaker 5:
[27:12] You better.

Speaker 3:
[27:14] I'll come back and tell everyone what I found.

Speaker 5:
[27:32] We're here.

Speaker 3:
[27:34] Yeah.

Speaker 5:
[27:57] This is it.

Speaker 3:
[28:00] This is it.

Speaker 5:
[28:08] You have everything, Compass?

Speaker 3:
[28:11] Yeah.

Speaker 5:
[28:12] Matches? Yeah. The map to the river?

Speaker 3:
[28:14] Right here.

Speaker 5:
[28:16] Water purification tablets?

Speaker 3:
[28:18] Lisa, I have everything.

Speaker 5:
[28:21] Okay.

Speaker 3:
[28:23] I'll be back.

Speaker 6:
[28:25] I know.

Speaker 3:
[28:27] One month.

Speaker 5:
[28:28] One month.

Speaker 3:
[28:30] All right, I guess I'll see you later.

Speaker 2:
[28:35] Yep.

Speaker 6:
[28:37] See you later. Hey.

Speaker 4:
[29:27] Lisa, where's Owen? Is he still with you?

Speaker 5:
[29:30] No, he's gone. He's already in the forest.

Speaker 4:
[29:33] Oh, God.

Speaker 6:
[29:34] Why?

Speaker 4:
[29:34] No, no, no.

Speaker 5:
[29:35] Roy, what's wrong?

Speaker 3:
[29:36] Oh, no.

Speaker 6:
[29:39] What?

Speaker 5:
[29:39] What is it? What did you find?

Speaker 4:
[29:41] Lisa, Owen was wrong. The forest, it's not safe. It's not a refuge.

Speaker 5:
[29:48] What are you talking about?

Speaker 4:
[29:49] I found the reports on the survivors who went off grid into forests, deserts, mountains, away from everything. They're all dead, Lisa, every single one.

Speaker 5:
[30:01] What?

Speaker 4:
[30:02] All of them died within 48 hours of going into isolated areas. The government's been studying it, classified research. They haven't announced it yet. Wanted to complete the studies first. Understand why before causing mass panic.

Speaker 5:
[30:19] 48 hours? Wait, but Jenkins survived 4 weeks. You said...

Speaker 4:
[30:25] Jenkins wasn't alone, Lisa. He had his children with him. Two other people.

Speaker 5:
[30:30] Oh my god.

Speaker 4:
[30:31] The reports. Everyone who went off alone died in 48 hours. But Owen doesn't know that. He thinks...

Speaker 6:
[30:40] He's alone.

Speaker 5:
[30:41] He's completely alone out there.

Speaker 4:
[30:42] You have to go back. You have to get him out of there now before...

Speaker 2:
[30:47] Oh, no.

Speaker 6:
[30:50] Lisa!

Speaker 3:
[30:51] Lisa!

Speaker 6:
[30:52] No, no.

Speaker 3:
[30:54] This is the Emergency Alert System. National Broadcast.

Speaker 6:
[30:59] Mandatory Directive.

Speaker 1:
[31:09] This has been National Emergency, a Midnight Mystery production, created and written by Dean Smythe. Before the credits, we've got a brief ad coming up. Back in a moment. National Emergency, starring Michael Ursu as Owen Coleman, Maganda Marie as Lisa Park, and Amelia Monarch as Roy Hutchins. Soundtrack by Anna Landstrom, Daniela Lungsberg and Luba Hillman.

Speaker 7:
[31:49] Hey everyone, this is Dean Smythe, the creator and editor of National Emergency. This was the season finale of National Emergency, and I just wanted to take a second to say thank you. To everyone who listened week after week, who stuck with Owen and Lisa and Hutchins through this whole wild ride, thank you so much. You're the reason we get to make this stuff. A big thank you to my incredibly talented voice actors who brought these characters to life, and to my crew who helped put this whole thing together. You made this series what it is. And to my Patreon supporters, you're the backbone of this whole operation. Thank you for believing in what we're doing here at The Midnight Mystery, and helping us keep the lights on. If you enjoyed National Emergency, the best thing you can do is leave us a 5-star review wherever you're listening. Tell a friend about it, share it with someone who loves a good thriller. Every little bit of support helps us grow and keeps us making more episodes for you. The Midnight Mystery will be back with more stories soon. Until then, stay safe out there.