Season 1, Episode 14

The Forsaken Son

Content Warnings:
-Strangulation

[Pre-episode announcement]

Hey, everyone, Victor Stark here, with a mic that my cat knocked off of a table and dented. Thanks, Zoe. 

I just wanted to tell you guys about some exciting news. Like I said last episode, The Marksbury Incident will be wrapping up its first season next episode, after which we’ll be taking a hiatus. And hey, you’re gonna need something to fill up that time. You like classic literature, right? Well, Alli Malone, voice of Christine Daae in The Marksbury Incident, is currently casting for Hamlet: A Modern Retelling. In this new adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic, Hamlet, Horatio, and Ophelia must face off against family drama, corporate espionage, and supernatural forces. Casting is open through May 7th. For more information and updates, check out @PariahPod on Twitter, or at pariahpodcasts.com.

That’s it from me! Here we go!

--

[Immediately after the previous episode. Victor is breathing heavily, clearly terrified. Erik is loving it.]

ERIK

Why so quiet all of a sudden?

VICTOR

Get away from me.

ERIK

That sounds like a threat.

VICTOR

Maybe it is.

ERIK

Is that so? [He laughs] Now that would be a sight.

VICTOR

So-- So what, is-- Is it time, is that why you’re here? Finally bored of watching, ready for it to be over? [He forces a laugh] But you-- You can’t kill me. 

ERIK

And what makes you say that?

VICTOR

Christine Daae. Christine, she-- She knows everything. If-- if I turn up dead, who do you think she’s going to go to for answers? It’s not hard to put two and two together, she’s smart. Ooh, that'd break her heart. She’s already seen what you did, anything more and she--

[He is cut off as Erik begins choking him]

ERIK

Do not use her as merely a bargaining chip. You are unworthy to so much as say her name. And whatever reasons Christine has for protecting you, know that even she cannot deter me forever. Your time will come, Frankenstein. We both know how our stories end. But we’ve yet to arrive at that final chapter. That is not why I’m here.

[He lets Victor go, Victor gasping for breath and coughing. This man has been strangled a lot lately]

ERIK

You have far more eyes on you than you are aware of.

VICTOR

Wh-- What?

ERIK

How does it feel? Knowing that one selfish night undid all the work that your mother risked her life for?

VICTOR

What the hell are you talking about?! How do you-- How do you know about any of this?!

ERIK

One hears many things in the dark. 

VICTOR

What kinds of things?

ERIK

There has been talk. Whispers of plans nearing fruition, of allies being gathered. Propositions being made.

VICTOR

What are you-- What kind of propositions, what do you mean?

ERIK

You’re a clever man, Frankenstein. I’ve no doubt that you can piece it together.

VICTOR

...Someone wants me dead. Someone else. The woman in red?

ERIK

Among others.

VICTOR

Care to elaborate?

ERIK

No.

VICTOR

For goodness sake.....

ERIK

That being said, I will tell you that they have been seeking you out for some time. That they have plans even more horrible than mine.

She approached me several months ago. How she managed to find me, I am unable to say, but I will admit that I was intrigued. Ever since the disastrous series of events that drove me from the theater I’d made my home, I have been taking shelter wherever possible. For the moment, I had fashioned myself a small shelter in the forest, miles away from the nearest city and the cruelty of its inhabitants. For several weeks, I knew something quite nearly resembling peace, resting by day so that I might venture out under cover of darkness. 

It was as I slept one afternoon that I was awoken. Strange, perverse whispers that could not be dismissed as merely the wind through the trees. 

ERIK (Cont.)

As I heard her footfalls outside, I prepared to defend myself should the need arise. And yet, before I could investigate, she spoke to me. She called me by name, told me that she had been watching me for quite some time. And she asked if I wanted Victor Frankenstein dead.

ERIK (Cont.)

Cautiously, I approached her. For a moment, I wondered if she was perhaps the sister I had allowed to live, but this was not the case. This was a woman I had never seen, and yet she spoke of both you and I as though she had known us for years. 

She lifted her hand, and before I had time to react, my mask was ripped away and thrown to the ground, though she stood perhaps ten feet away, and she and I were alone. Even as she looked upon my face, she did not recoil, as most do. In fact, she approached, laying a gentle hand on my cheek as she spoke. I shall never forget her words, her voice so soft. “Look what he has done to you, my boy,” she told me. So few times I have felt such compassion, I was taken aback, near speechless. 

ERIK (Cont.)

I willed myself to form my question, asking who she was. She told me her name and her connection to your family, neither of which I will relay to you, dear creator. And with such vigor, she explained her situation, her grand scheme decades in the making. And how you and I fit into it. 

ERIK (Cont.)

It was now that she proposed collaboration. If I would work with her and her allies, then they would see to it that I would see you dead, and would never again live in solitude. I would walk the earth without shame, and all those who once derided me would fall one after the other.

ERIK (Cont.)

For weeks, she attempted to win my favor, bringing me food, blankets, books, even a viola. And while I did accept the gifts, bribery is a tool that is given far too much credit. However, I will admit that I was tempted. Had I not received another visitor, this could very well have been a much different conversation. 

ERIK (Cont.)

I would say that of the admittedly small number of people I have known in my life, only one has ever come close to being considered a friend. A curious individual, whom I have yet to understand completely. They discovered my sanctuary beneath the theater soon after I arrived, and have kept in contact ever since, always able to track me down no matter how far I may wander. Having seen my love for the music performed above, they gifted me a piece by a French composer, from whom I took my name. This composition in particular struck me, as it elicited both an aura of mystique, as well as an underlying sense of longing. And the structure itself, unique in its own way. For months, I was unable to get it out of my head, I was so completely enthralled. But… I digress.

ERIK (Cont.)

It had been quite some time since I had seen my friend, and I had begun to fear that perhaps they had fallen ill or something similar. And yet, they arrived looking just the same as last we met. They found me once again on a night when the warmth of summer was beginning to fade, and I confided in them my current debate, explained my conflictions. And before the night was through, I had made my decision.

VICTOR

And what decision is that…?

ERIK

[Audibly smirking]

Rest assured, I will not be accepting her offer.

VICTOR

Wh-- Why not?

ERIK

Because my vengeance will be mine alone. And your story will end only when I allow it.

VICTOR

And your-- Your friend. Who are they?

ERIK

I’ve no idea.

VICTOR

What’s that supposed to--

ERIK

They have not disclosed to me their name. 

[Victor scoffs. There is now more of an edge to Erik’s voice]

I am many things, Frankenstein, but a liar is not one of them. Even if I did know, that is not information that you need. I will not give you another person to harm.

VICTOR

For me to harm?!

ERIK

Have you still not accepted the fact that you are not infallible? That your actions have consequences on not only your life, but the lives of others? I thought I had taught you that lesson. Did you learn nothing? Perhaps you need another reminder.

VICTOR

Fuck you! [The sudden burst of strength fades just as quickly as it appeared] So-- So, what? Why are you telling me this? To make sure I'm prepared so that these people don't kill me before you can?

ERIK

I'm glad that you understand.

VICTOR

[He scoffs again]

Great. Fantastic. Thank you.

ERIK

...I can see it in your eyes, you know.

VICTOR

What?

ERIK

Your true self. Such a unique amalgamation of fury and cowardice. You long to end my life as much as I want to end yours. [Mocking now] Such a noble deed, avenging those you lost. And yet, you lock yourself away, drinking away your sorrows as you deny the fact that you are not the victim you claim to be. You want me dead, and yet, [He lunges forward just enough to scare Victor, who takes a sharp inhale] you lack the ambition, the ability to make your move.

VICTOR

I-- I could. I could, I--

ERIK

[Whispered, having leaned in close]

So try it. [Beat.] Such a pathetic child. Even if you brought yourself to attempt it, you know as well as I do that that is a battle you would not win. But then again, I must admit I am curious as to how that might awaken something in you, watching the life slip away from someone who has caused you such pain. No doubt, that would affect even your brilliant mind.

VICTOR

Shut up.

ERIK

Afraid you might enjoy it?

VICTOR

No. No, I know for a fact I'd enjoy it. And believe me, I wouldn’t lose a moment’s sleep.

ERIK

[He laughs] 

There is a darkness in you, Frankenstein. And your dear friend. Never forget that.

VICTOR

Wait, what? What are you--

ERIK

For now, this should help you find your way.

[There is a faint rustle of paper as Erik pulls a note out of his pocket]

VICTOR

[Reading]

“She intends to besiege the masquerade”? What the hell does that mean, what does any of this mean?!

HENRY

[Far off, but approaching]

Victor? Victor, that you? What the hell are you doing?

VICTOR

Clerval? Hold on, what-- What are you doing?

HENRY

You weren’t at home, I figured I’d find you here. Who were you talking to?

VICTOR

I…. [Beat. Erik has clearly vanished] ...No one. Listen, do-- Sorry, I just…. Would you wanna stay the night…?

HENRY

Say no more.