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Happy Halloween! This is our first episode back from hiatus, and we're very excited to be here.

Lara wakes up in the headquarters of Reverend Boone's cult - but will she be able to leave?

Featuring a special trailer for Elaine's Cooking For the Soul, a podcast featuring our very own Rosa Delgado as the host of a post-apocalyptic cooking show. Find them on social media @ElainesCooking or check them out on Spotify.

Transcript for this episode is available at BelieverPodcast.com.

CONTENT NOTES

  • Cults
  • Imprisonment
  • Illness, sounds of medical equipment
  • Hallucinations
  • Loud noises, knocking sounds, dog sounds

Written, Directed, and Produced by Julie Saunders. Sound Design by Ester Ellis.

CAST

  • Sara Gorsky - Camille
  • Julie Saunders - Lara
  • Rosa Delgado - Terri Boone
  • David Pinion - Reverend Boone
  • Samantha Ronceros - Doctor Simmons
  • Mara Hernandez - Rose
  • Seth Ellsworth - Marcus/Juniper
  • Archie - SodaPop

MUSIC

  • Aaron Ferenc - "Julie's Melody (Believer Theme)"
  • Jay Varton - "Eye For Detail"
  • Christian Andersen - "The Lure"
  • Walt Adams - "Devil in a Can"

Music tracks (besides Believer Theme) courtesy of Epidemic Sound.

Phone voice generated at: https://filmmusic.io/voiceovers

Sponsored by Zencastr, an online recording and podcasting platform. Click this link or go to Zencastr.com and enter promo code "believer" for 30% off your pro plan.

Recommended
Transcript

Introduction and Sponsorship

00:00:01
Speaker
This episode was made possible by Zencaster, which is a brand new sponsor for the show. Check out our discount link in the show notes and stay tuned at the end for more information. Hi, quick announcement. This is an ongoing audio drama show. If this is your first time listening, you're gonna wanna go back to episode one and come forward from there. If you are all cut up, I'm so excited to have new episodes for you.

Beginning of Episode: Unheard Messages

00:00:25
Speaker
Please enjoy Believer, season one, episode six, The Rules.
00:00:31
Speaker
You have unheard messages. First message. Nothing that time either? Ugh. Well, then where is her phone? It wasn't on her. Maybe we should... Next message. Lara Campbell, you are in danger. Lara Campbell, you are in danger. End of messages. Believer.
00:01:02
Speaker
Episode 6. The Rules.

Lara's Predicament: Headache and Danger

00:01:25
Speaker
How's your head? Pounding. Oh yeah, you probably have a pretty bad hangover. There's water and pills by the bed if you want any. Yeah, right there. I'm not taking medicine from you. It's just aspirin, Laura. Uh-huh. Do you want me to take it first? Here.
00:01:44
Speaker
See? Well now it has your spit on it. Get more from the bottle. I'm good. At least drink some water. It's filtered. I'm good. This isn't how I wanted to do this, you know? The kidnapping, you mean? It's not kidnapping. You drugged me and took me to a concrete room? Is this your basement? Does your mom know about this? Hey, Dr. Simmons!
00:02:08
Speaker
Be quiet. Don't touch me. Lara, I'm a friend.

Reverend Boone's Church Discussion

00:02:13
Speaker
That's what I thought before the kidnapping. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just had to get you out of the sanctum. Reverend Boone's old church? It used to be a church. Now it's something more. Oh, God. Only Reverend Boone and his daughter are allowed to go there. I've been asking, but it's very sacred and dangerous. It takes weeks of study and meditation to be ready.
00:02:37
Speaker
Because it's full of psychedelic substances, and if you don't brainwash yourself first, you might have the wrong visions. This was a mistake. Like I was saying. You're not ready to be here. Oh god. Camille? Oh no, what did I do? Oh my god. Camille, it's okay. You can just let me go. No, no, no, no, no. I need to think. Camille? Sit here. I'll be... I'll be right back. Camille, wait! Drink some water. Camille? Camille!
00:03:06
Speaker
Can someone at least check on my dog? Maybe Jake'll notice I'm gone. Now, where am I?

Mysterious Markings and Urgency

00:03:23
Speaker
I know, right? Actual cult kidnapping. It's like there was some kind of creepy small town checklist this place was working from.
00:03:35
Speaker
Yeah, anyway, they put me in this small concrete room underground. It was probably supposed to be a storage closet. One window up high, too high to reach, naturally. But the really interesting thing... Wait, what is that? All over the room, the floor, the walls, there were these scratch marks.
00:04:04
Speaker
Long, shallow grooves crossing every surface. At first it seemed random, but... Wow. It was a pattern, I think. The lines converged or maybe began in this tangle in the middle of the room.
00:04:25
Speaker
The lines would loop out and away from each other and then converge again. So many layered at these convergence points that it almost became a circle or a star and then away again. The way that they split and twisted and grew. It made me think of, well, it's hard to explain, but it wasn't random. It seemed organic.
00:04:50
Speaker
Like Rose's room, or like the church, but so much more deliberate. I mean, it was carved into the floor. Someone was determined. Someone... Hold on, what? What is that? Beeping? Uh... Hello?
00:05:21
Speaker
Come in. Okay, who's doing that? You guys locked it from the outside, remember? I can't really... Is someone out there? I could really use some help. Oh no. Oh, not again. Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. Oh, I'm not listening. Ah!
00:05:50
Speaker
Lara? Lara, Lara, are you okay? I'm fine. I'm fine. Oh, sorry. Well, I just was checking. Camille, um, wait. What? This is the Boone house, isn't it? How did you know that? The beeping. Reverend Boone's heart monitor. I can... I can feel it.

Cult Dynamics and Meeting Boone

00:06:17
Speaker
What do you feel, Lara?
00:06:19
Speaker
These marks, did Rose make them? Yes. Rose was here when the visions overtook her. You can feel that. Do you think I can't sense Rose's presence? There's so much of her here. She locked herself in here for three days a few months ago. When she came out, that's when everything began. Oh my God. The lines reaching in the dirt. I knew you could sense her. That's what I was trying to...
00:06:49
Speaker
You were supposed to lead me to Rose and then just go home. I didn't realize that you'd feel oblivion. Oblivion? Is that what you call it? Yes. There was only one way out of there. I... I see its signs everywhere. In my dreams, on the walls, in the Sanctum. In the Sanctum? You had a vision? What did you see? It was... indescribable.
00:07:15
Speaker
Camille, help me understand. What do you worship here? The hand of God. Yes, of course. You can feel it, right? What do you feel? I... I guess I feel... Nothing. What? The sweet release of nothingness. Yes, I feel nothing.
00:07:42
Speaker
Absolutely nothing. I think you should meet the others. I'd love that. Come on. Everyone, this is Laura. Hi.
00:07:59
Speaker
It was a pretty typical basement hangout room, couches, TV, stereo. Pretty popular when Rose was in high school, I bet. There were probably about a dozen people in there and they were all staring at me. Laura has seen the nothingness. Come on, let's sit over here. Okay.
00:08:26
Speaker
So I'm not a cult expert, but I know a few things. Rule one, never tell someone who's in a cult that they're in a cult. It'll just make them mad. So your group seems friendly.
00:08:41
Speaker
We try to be welcoming. It's hard because, you know, it's so easy to misunderstand. Rule two, everyone outside the cult is bad. Not just confused, like actively evil. So try to be an insider.
00:08:59
Speaker
It's so simple, though. They must not understand. You know, some people just have a really hard time with no idea. I've noticed that. You know, people think that these things, suffering, division, are just part of life. So that's what the nothingness is, then, the end of suffering? Kind of, but it's more than that. See, pain, loneliness, isolation, these are symptoms. They mean that something is wrong.
00:09:25
Speaker
Reverend Boone explains it so much better than I can, but we're not trying to end the world. We just want it to work the way it's supposed to. And this reaching thing? The hand of God. It can do that? That's all at once. Okay, well, this has been amazing, but I really think I should go check on my dog. Wait, Lara. He knows Rose better than anyone, so I'll just go get him and come right back. So if you'll excuse me,
00:09:53
Speaker
I wouldn't recommend that. Mayor Boone. They actually call me the conductor here. Sure, of course. Camille mentioned we had a new inductee who's already had her first vision of the hand of God. I figured it was probably you. Yep, that's me. Well, isn't that lovely. Listen, um... The Reverend would like to greet you, personally.
00:10:20
Speaker
The Reverend? Really? I just started teaching her the basics. It was his personal request, so... Uh, of course. Lara, this is quite an honor. Uh, yeah, I'm honored. Rule three. Never question the cult leader. Ever.
00:10:42
Speaker
I'll take her upstairs, Camille. Why don't all of you here prepare for a vision ceremony? It's been a while after all. Sure, Mayor. Madam Conductor. Just conductor is plenty, Camille. Yes, ma'am. Conductor. Come on.

The Conductor's Warning

00:11:08
Speaker
He's asleep. Good. I swear this is the only room in the house where those people can't overhear us. Um, you can hear the beeping downstairs, actually. So talk more quietly than the beeping. Right. Um, I'm sorry, what's going on? We are going to wait until the shrooms kick in downstairs, and then you are going to go very far away from here.
00:11:32
Speaker
So all this oblivion, hand of God, resetting the world, you don't actually believe any of it? Here's what I know, Laura. You cannot find Rose. What? Rose is gone, she needs to stay gone, and you need to get away from here. I don't understand. The sacred rose! My rose! My rose and the scorched back to earth!
00:11:57
Speaker
Mitchell? Mitchell, stay calm. Please, honey, you're confused. You! You! Hey, whoa! You will find my rose. You will bring the one. Salvation! Mitchell, do you hear me? Honey, you need to let go of Rose's friend.
00:12:19
Speaker
Four? Four runner. The herald. I didn't see it, but... Sir, I think that you should rest. No. No. She is so close. You must. Please. Please. Mitchell. Mitchell?
00:12:43
Speaker
Is he okay? He's sleeping. He's not... He gets confused lately. Terry? Time to go. Oh, uh, okay. Down the hall, out the door, run, now. If you need anything... Now! Okay, okay. Just a few more days, Mitchell. You'll see.
00:13:19
Speaker
Lara, the rest of the group's down here.

Escape Attempt and Encounter with Rose

00:13:21
Speaker
Oh, um... You weren't leaving, were you? I thought you enjoyed it here. I do. I just... I got a feeling. A vision. So I need to go now. Is it Rose? I'll come with you. No, um... I... I need to go alone. I should really come with you. But if you meditate here... No, Lara. I'm coming with you. Sorry. We are coming with you. Hey.
00:13:47
Speaker
Hi. Right. A lot of strength training in this group, I guess. What was that? Nothing. Let's, um, let's go. Great. Come on, guys. Cult rule four. Getting out is a lot harder than getting in. They make sure that I was just going into the woods right here. Sounds good. Marcus and Juniper love hiking. They work out a lot. That's great.
00:14:18
Speaker
Next message. This is Dr. Penelope Simmons, general practitioner, calling once again to try and make an appointment. Ms. Campbell, there is a serious infection emerging in the town of Charity. Source and progression of the disease remains unclear, but your assistance could be key to determining next steps. Please be on the lookout for symptoms such as visual or auditory hallucinations, difficulty breathing, or anything that has had...
00:14:48
Speaker
can't be. As I was saying, I... Hello? I'm not currently seeing patients. If you don't have an appointment... Richard? I thought you can't be. You're dead. Richard. What are you, Richard? Don't touch that. No, it's not Richard. You're not Richard. It's nothing. It's nothing. It's nothing. Go away.
00:15:13
Speaker
You hear me? You're nothing. You're nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Message deleted. Are we getting close? I think so. I had this idea that once we got out into the woods, I could just lose them.
00:15:41
Speaker
It was getting dark, and the rain and the fog had already moved in. I stepped off the path, so there wasn't an obvious way to go. It should have been easy, right? Whoa, it is dark out here. I feel like I can barely see it all. Lara, I'm gonna hold onto your arm, okay? Oh, uh... Marcus, why don't you grab her other arm? Okay. Juniper, you stay close. It's slippery out here. Dammit. What was that?
00:16:10
Speaker
Almost there! I forgot about rule five. Don't assume cult members are stupid. Cults really like smart, well-educated people, actually. People don't join cults because they don't know better. They do it because the cult has something that they need at that moment. And then they give you more and more reasons to need them until you can't live without it.
00:16:41
Speaker
I wonder what that first thing was for Camille. So I guess when I heard Reverend Mitchell's message, I just was like, you know, I was really lost. Like, here I am back in my hometown, this place I swore I'd get away from. I'm just getting away from this horrific relationship, and it just seemed like there was no purpose to any of it. I mean, this guy I was with at school was just...
00:17:07
Speaker
I mean, I won't get into it, but I was pretty broken. Uh-huh. And it's like, how does a loving God create a person like that and then not even warn me I'm in his path? It just seems senseless. But then, shh. What? Are we there? Do you hear that? Hear what? Soda pop. Lara, wait. Soda pop. Come here, buddy. It's her.
00:17:35
Speaker
Hello, Laura. Rose. Thank you so much for listening to Believer. We're so excited to be back. Your support has meant the world over the last year. And I just want to thank everyone who's sent messages or told friends about the show. I just I can't tell you how much it mattered during this difficult time

Engagement and Promotion

00:18:03
Speaker
away.
00:18:03
Speaker
If you want to get in touch, you can follow the show on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook at BelieverPod, or send us an email at believerpod at gmail.com. For transcripts, cast and crew information, and to support the show, go to believerpodcast.com.
00:18:21
Speaker
Patreon supporters receive each episode one week early, along with other extras and behind-the-scenes information. You can find out more about that at patreon.com slash believer podcast. This episode was written and directed by Julie Saunders, that's me, and features the voice talents of Sarah Gorsky, Rosa Delgado, David Pinion, Samantha Ronceros, Mara Hernandez, Seth Ellsworth, Julie Saunders, and Archie. Sound design by Esther Ellis.
00:18:50
Speaker
Speaking of voice acting by Rosa Delgado, our pod cousins at Elaine's Cooking for the Soul have just returned with season two. Rosa stars as the titular Elaine, hosting a cooking show, trying to keep a nice face on things during an actual apocalypse. She's so fantastic, and she even wrote one of the episodes this season, so you definitely want to check that out. Stick around after this for a trailer for Elaine's Cooking for the Soul.
00:19:17
Speaker
Until next time, if you see strange shapes at the corner of your eyes, or small children with unnaturally dark expressions, eyes like holes into nothingness that stare at you from your front step. But don't worry, it's probably just trick-or-treaters. It is Halloween, after all. But either way, you probably shouldn't invite them inside. Happy Halloween.
00:19:57
Speaker
Hello and welcome back to Elaine's cooking podcast for the soul. The show that turns meager rations into eager passions. I'm your host, Elaine Martinez. Congratulations on your continued survival. These days, it was anything but guaranteed. What with, you know, the rise of Android patrolmen. Those crows have holed up in the sewers. The persecution of dissenting bread makers. Your elbow and rob Reiner in the gut for the last star of kimchi in a fully looted Ralsparken lot.
00:20:27
Speaker
But along the way, we found ways to not only survive, but thrive with new friends and fresh-ish recipes. A bougie bloody Mary. East Asian influenced stir fry. Alternative protein. A nasty Jane. Vegan butter I made myself. Don't ask how. I got stuck in LA during the apocalypse for avocado on toast. Find us wherever you listen to your underground survivalist cooking podcasts.
00:21:07
Speaker
This episode was sponsored by Zencaster. You may have heard me talk about Zencaster before. When we first started the show, we were recording in person in a studio about halfway through the season, a global pandemic hit, and made it impossible for us to meet in person. The only reason that we were able to come back from hiatus was Zencaster. Because we were recording in person, not everybody in the cast was even set up to record remotely.
00:21:31
Speaker
Nobody really knew what to do. I'd never done it before. Zencaster made it really easy. You just set up your session. You send everybody a link. It records everybody automatically on separate tracks, which for our show is crucial. It's set up for podcasts. So it has a lot of features that you won't get from trying to record on a Skype call or Zoom or something similar. And it's really been a lifesaver for us.
00:21:54
Speaker
If you're interested in trying Zencaster, you can use most of its tools for free. If you decide you want to upgrade from there, you can use our coupon code Believer for 30% off of a pro plan. Once again, that's zencaster.com. It's z-e-n-c-a-s-t-r.com. And use coupon code Believer for 30% off your plan.