Out of the Woods

AT CURTAIN RISE
SCENE 1

ALEX and HARPER are walking along a path in the woods. Leaves, branches, and other debris cover it so it’s hard to tell where exactly it ends and the forest begins. Old pines surround the path blocking their view of too much else however just through their branches the faint, blue outline of a lake can be seen. The day is a nice cool day, almost perfect for a hike, but there are more than a few clouds in the sky. HARPER glances nervously up ahead. Her gaze flits around every which way, as she tries to spot the danger she believes is lurking everywhere. She stops occasionally to adjust her ill-fitted hiking gear. ALEX walks ahead of her, back straight, eyes fixed on the map in front of her. A backpack full of supplies is on her back. She walks with a kind of rehearsed confidence, her back straight, her hair tied tightly behind her, her eyes ahead. 

Just off stage is a branch blocking the path. HARPER is the first to spot it. She stops immediately, however, ALEX, oblivious keeps walking. 
 HARPER
Alex, look out!
 ALEX stops abruptly. She turns to HARPER, and HARPER points up ahead. ALEX stops stunned for a moment.HARPER
You could’ve run straight into that—
 ALEX
Harper—
 HARPER
Just like that—
 ALEX (louder)
Harper—
 HARPER
Tripped and fallen—
ALEX
Harper! I’m fine, Harper. I’m fine.
 HARPER
Yeah but—
 ALEX
We’ll just have to find a way around.
HARPER
How?
 ALEX
If I can find where we are on the trail the map should show us how to get around. 
HARPER
If?
 ALEX
Don’t worry. I know where we are… kind of?HARPER
Kind of?
ALEX
I have a general idea.

HARPER
How general?

ALEX
I mean… I know we’re in the woods 
 HARPER looks at her horrified. ALEX looks into the trees and spots the outline of the lake.
ALEX
And we are by the lake!
 She turns and begins to look over the map intently. HARPER begins to pace anxiously.HARPER
We’re lost!
 ALEX
[looks up from the map] Don’t be ridiculous we are not-
HARPER
Lost! Dead lost. Alone in a vast sea of wilderness-
ALEX
Harper! Stop, being so overdramatic. We are not lost. 
HARPER feels a drop of rainfall on her.
HARPER
What was that?
ALEX (still looking at the map)
What was what?
 HARPER begins to speak when she feels another drop fall on her.
HARPER
That. Alex, I think it might—
 ALEX (she looks up annoyed)
Harper—Rain begins to fall.
HARPER
— be raining… 
 ALEX slowly and delicately begins to fold up the map. While HARPER stands in shock, ALEX takes off her backpack, puts the folded map in the front pocket, careful to move it behind other things so it has a barrier between it and the rain. HARPER begins to slowly move again, as ALEX takes things out of her bag to set up camp with.HARPER
What are you doing? 

ALEX
Setting up camp.

HARPER
Alex no, we can’t!
ALEX doesn’t respond, she just continues to take things out of her bag. 
 HARPER
Felix, and Ellie—

ALEX
Have you ever had pneumonia, Harper?

HARPER
No! Why would I—

ALEX
Well, if you don’t want to, I’d suggest helping me set up camp.

HARPER
But—

ALEX
They’re grown adults, they can handle themselves.

HARPER 
But we have the food, and the tents, and… 

ALEX
I don’t know what to tell you, Harper, if they find us we’ll pitch a tent for them.
She swings a tent bag over her shoulder and picks up a covered sleeping bag, which she tosses at HARPER.ALEX (throwing it)
Take this.

HARPER
But Alex—

ALEX
What Harper?

HARPER
You said it yourself they could get pneumonia, or starve—

ALEX
We’ve hardly been out here long enough to worry about that.
ALEX begins to pitch the tent, as HARPER carries on, pacing while clutching her wrapped sleeping bag to her stomach. She uses the sleeping bag like a stress ball.
HARPER
Mountain lions! They could get eaten by mountain lions.

ALEX
Mountain lions are generally solitary animals. They could get eaten by a mountain lion singular—although they don’t live around here, either so—

HARPER
Well, a bear could eat them!

ALEX
Bears also don’t live around here. (pause as she struggles with the tent) It’s more likely to be a pack of wolves.

HARPER
Wolves? Plural?

ALEX
It’s more likely than a mountain lion (seeing HARPER’S horrified face she adjusts quickly) Still, not at all likely though.

HARPER
Oh god, I’m going to die out here, in the middle of nowhere.

ALEX
It’s not nowhere we have to be somewhere.

HARPER
I’m going to die in the middle of somewhere, all because you dragged me on some stupid hike!

ALEX
You’re not going to die.

HARPER
I will be mauled to death by a bear.

ALEX
Again, more likely to be wolves.

HARPER
Oh well, that’s fine then!
HARPER resumes pacing. While ALEX sighs and continues working on the tent. HARPER turns to her.HARPER
Do you know where we are?

ALEX
Not exactly (HARPER looks to interrupt her) However, I do have a general sense. 
We’re near the lake and there are a couple of trails that cut off from the loop… but they’re on opposite sides, and there aren’t any other landmarks for awhile. Do you think you could give Ellie a call? See where she and Felix went off to? Maybe they could tell us which trail they’re on.
HARPER nods eagerly and reaches into her pocket. She fishes out her phone and attempts to turn it on. Her face falls when nothing happens.
 HARPER
Battery’s dead.

ALEX 
Right then. We’ll spend the night.

HARPER
The night?

ALEX
Yeah, it’s getting dark anyway, and I don’t want to get us more lost then we are. 

HARPER
Here though, there are so many bugs.

ALEX
It is the woods.

HARPER
I know, but still. I can practically feel them crawling over me already.

ALEX
Are they crawling over you?

HARPER
They might.

ALEX
You'll live.

HARPER
You’re not taking me seriously, are you?

ALEX (rising from the tent)
If you have something serious to say I’ll listen. Otherwise, I’m going to plot out our route for tomorrow.

HARPER
And what about Felix and Ellie?

ALEX
They'll be fine.

HARPER
And if they’re not?

ALEX
Then they’ll be just as not fine in the morning.

HARPER
I can’t believe you. You don’t care one bit, do you?

ALEX
Of course, I care, they’re our friends! I just also think we have to look at the practical side of things. It’s getting dark, setting off at night is dangerous and us getting more lost won’t help them.

HARPER
I still think we should go after them.

ALEX
How? We don’t even know where we are, let alone where they are.

HARPER
We should still try. We have all the gear, it’s unfair to just leave them out there, stranded like that.

ALEX
That can’t be helped now. And we will search for them… in the morning.

HARPER
And what if that delay costs them their lives?

ALEX
It won’t.

HARPER
What if it does?

ALEX
It just won’t. 
HARPER moves away from ALEX. She takes a deep breath and looks to the trails up ahead. She walks forward and ALEX pretends not to notice, she fiddles with the details of the tent.
HARPER
I’m going to find them.
 ALEX
Okay. 
HARPER begins to push at the fallen tree.
 ALEX
Harper, there’s no way you can move that.
HARPER doesn’t respond. ALEX stops looking at the tent. 
 ALEX
Harper be serious.
HARPER continues to push at the fallen tree. ALEX stands up. HARPER continues to push and ALEX walks over towards her.
ALEX
Harper!
 The tree moves very slightly.
HARPER
Ha, you said it couldn’t be done!

ALEX
And I was basically right.

HARPER
Well, it moved, didn’t it?

ALEX
Yeah but—look are you going to spend all night out here trying to move this thing, or are you actually going to get some rest so we can search for Felix and Ellie tomorrow?
HARPER doesn’t respond, and ALEX walks away exasperated. She finishes setting up the tent.ALEX
Fine then.

HARPER struggles with the tree for a little while longer before she walks over, and sits by the tent defeated. There’s a pause before ALEX speaks.

ALEX
We are helping Felix and Ellie by staying here.

HARPER (scoffs)
No we're not—

ALEX
We're making sure we're safe.

HARPER
Yeah but—

ALEX
They’d do the same.
HARPER scoffs again but doesn’t say anything.
 ALEX
You know I’m right.

HARPER
Are you?

ALEX
Yes.

HARPER
So what we’re supposed to just stay here and hope they’re alright?

ALEX
That’s all we’d be doing out there anyway.

HARPER
At least out there, I’d know that I was doing something, that I was trying to help. Here… 

ALEX
Staying here is the best choice though. At least this way, you can do something tomorrow when there’s light out.

HARPER sighs and sits down. ALEX follows her lead.

HARPER
I’m just so tired of waiting. I want to do something, I want to make sure our friends are alright.

ALEX
I want that too.

HARPER
I don’t want to be a bad person Alex… 

ALEX
What?

HARPER
I just—I know that they’re out there, and I know that if I were out there I’d want someone to find me. Staying here… it feels wrong. It feels selfish.

ALEX
You’d want people to find you, but you wouldn’t want people stumbling around in the dark after you, would you?

HARPER
No… but what if by going out there we could find them, and make them safe.

ALEX
We might… but we could also get even more lost… and then they might be safe but not know where we were. We don’t know what would happen.

HARPER
I just want them to be safe.

ALEX
I know.

HARPER
You, think they’re okay, out there?

ALEX
Honestly? (HARPER nods) I don’t know.

HARPER
You, think they will be?

ALEX
I hope so.

HARPER
I’m scared. For them (pause) and for us.

ALEX
We’re safe for now. 

HARPER
But what happens when we leave? We may not run into bears or wolves, but there will still be steep hills, brambles, and bugs…

ALEX
It won’t do us any good to think of that now. 

HARPER
It all just seems so unfair. That we get to be somewhere like here, while they’re stuck out there—no food, no water, no idea where they are—

ALEX
We don’t know where they are. Perhaps they’ve found a place like this too. Besides, we won’t help anything by getting up now.

HARPER
I just wish there was something we could do.

ALEX
We can rest. That’s something. (HARPER lays down).

HARPER
This place isn’t so bad you know?

ALEX
You think so?

HARPER
Yeah.

ALEX
You’re not still bothered by the bugs?

HARPER
I’ll live. (HARPER yawns tiredly)

ALEX
I’m sorry.

HARPER
For what?

ALEX
For getting us lost. You’re right. I’m the one who dragged us on this stupid hike anyways. It’s my fault Felix and Ellie are lost.

HARPER
There were circumstances outside of your control.

ALEX
Maybe, I still should have thought ahead more. I should have known we could get lost, I was being reckless and stupid and—

HARPER
You found us this clearing. That’s enough. (HARPER rubs her eyes, and begins to slump down)

ALEX
Maybe. 

HARPER walks over and grabs a sleeping bag for ALEX before she begins to unpack the one ALEX tossed her.

HARPER
For the record, I’m glad I came with you. Even if it turned out somewhat… 

ALEX
Disastrously?

HARPER
I wasn’t going to use that word… but yeah.

ALEX
Well, for the record I don’t think you’re a bad person.

HARPER (yawning)
Thank you. (pause) And we will find them.

ALEX nods.

HARPER (drowsily)
Tomorrow.

ALEX
Tomorrow. 

HARPER
It’ll all be okay.
ALEX nods as HARPER drowses off. As HARPER falls asleep ALEX stands and surveys the clearing. She sticks her hands in her pockets and stares up at the sky. She puts her hand out and feels the air. She smiles when she realizes it’s not raining anymore, but that smile quickly fades.

As she stands there her gaze falls from the sky and down towards the muddy ground.ALEX (quietly)
We’re not out of the woods yet.
The lights fade out.

CURTAIN FALLS
THE END