 A helpless man and woman fall into a trap from which there is no escape but death. Inferno. Written by Peter Fernandez. Lester, did you see that sign? Hmm? Which one, dear? The last one in front of that gas station we just passed. No. Missed it. What did it say? It suggested that we check our oil, water and gas because it's over 50 miles to the next station. Relax, honey. We've got enough gas for at least twice that distance. Well, you know best, dear. You tired, Sheila? Yes. And warm. Well, I'm afraid I can't turn the air conditioner any higher. That desert out there must be 130 in that sunlight. 130? Just imagine. Yeah. That's real desert, all right. Remember in school, the history book? Mm-hmm. Our forefathers crossing that and without air conditioning. Two miles an hour behind a couple of oxen and not even a road. I don't know how they did it. There. I snapped a good picture of that clump of cactus we just passed. You better save some film, honey. Before. Well, we might as well get pictures of everything. Not every year that you get transferred clear across the country to California. When we stopped for the picnic lunch that you had that restaurant make-up, I'm gonna find us something real colorful. Maybe you're on those maces out there. You want some shots of those, won't you? All right, Les. Oh, you see, this made me so drowsy. I think I'll take a little nap. Good idea, honey. I'll wake you when I find a good spot to have our picnic. Lester, for goodness sakes, where are we? I don't know. Just saw this old dirt road leading off the highway to these hills. Old mining road, probably. Thought we could follow it a bit. It's about time for lunch. I promise you. Don't be beautiful, dear. I promised you something special for our picnic. But how far are we from the highway? Five miles, maybe. There. Up ahead there. Under that big rock formation, there's good shade there. Oh, why, it's beautiful. We'll be there in a couple of minutes, will we? Oh, we got nothing but your crazy talk that we're going to try to reach. Candice, it was right around here a hundred years ago that the four leaf clove of mine was covered over in a slide. That's your story, Bates. I was a fool to stick this whatever scent I got. I'm through. Listen to me again. I'll listen long enough, I'll tell you. We're low on grub. It ain't even a shadow for the gun if we used to see even a jack-o'-lantern. I'm going back to camp, take my things and get out of here. Well, you shut up and listen. Huh? Why? Don't you hear that? Yeah. Yeah, what is it? It's a car. That's what it is. A car all the way up here. Oh, who would be fool enough to... Hey, hey, stop it right over there by them rocks. Get down. Get your head down. Yeah, yeah. But I've seen it. I just hope they ain't seen you. What difference does that make? I'll get my stuff and hit you right out of here. Wait a minute. I've got an idea better than that. Huh? Well, what do you mean? Take another look, Candy. Careful, though. Careful. Yeah? That's a fancy car. I mean, new. Toss a lot of money. Look, Bates, it's too blame-hard for Chitcha. What's she thinking? I'm thinking if them folks are stupid enough to come and place your crews in up to a place like this, they deserve to lose that car. You mean take it? Sure. That and anything else we can get our hands on. You know, Bates, for the first time since you talked me into coming up here, I see how we can make a strike after all. What a spot, mister. Sure beats the state park back in Greenville for a picnic. That was a good lunch. Now about those pictures. Fine. Now you want to take one of me against this rock? Oh, no, let's. I couldn't get any of the scenery. Oh, look, over there. Where? Over there with all those hills in the background and see that long stretch of desert? We'll take turns. I'll get a nice shot of you and then you can take one of me in the same setting. Out there? Honey, that's out in the sun. No, I think here in the shade where it's not so hot. Oh, it'll only take a few minutes and then we can get back in the car and cool off. Come on, dear. We'll never be able to get shots like this again. Well, okay. But let's make it fast out in that sun, huh? Come on. Well, that's the end of this roll, honey. Now let's get back to the car before we melt. What's the matter, Sheila? The sun. I had no idea how hot it was. Sheila, Sheila, carry you back to the car. Oh, yes, sir. I'm afraid it's something like this. I wish you would have stayed by the car in the shade. I'll be all right now, dear. You can put me down. Oh, no. Here. Sit here in the car. Oh, there's heat. I'll switch on the air conditioner. I'll sit right there. We're under the driver's seat. We'll be all right with the air conditioner going. Here we are. As soon as you're feeling better, we'll get out of here. It's not working. Oh, of course. I've got to start the engine for the air conditioner to work. Always forget that. That's funny. What's funny, Les? I thought I'd left the keys in the ignition, but I probably slipped them into my pocket without thinking it. Nope. Are they on the seat there? Oh, well, I don't see them. I'm not sitting on them. Neither am I. Maybe you dropped them out there. I better go look. Okay. Now, don't be alarmed, Sheila. Just keep your fingers crossed, honey, and hope that I can spot those keys. Yeah, Gandhi. I just grabbed them out of the car while them fools was taking pictures. Well, is this all? A bunch of keys? Look over there, Gandhi. Careful now, so they don't spot you. You see where that sun's reaching now? That rock overhang ain't going to be shaping that car for long. They're going to be right out in the sun. So? So without these keys, they can't get away. They've got to stay in the sun. Them folks is going to roast, Gandhi. Roast. When they're dead. Please, stay there with me. 50-50? That's right. So come on. Enough of us to do the wait for that sun to kill him. Let's get back to camp. My canteen's empty and I'm thirsty. The keys are out there. I couldn't find them. Lester, what are we going to do? Do, do. I don't know. The heat. Sheila, we've got to get out of here. Maybe you could start the car without the keys. There is a way crossing some wires. I've read about car thieves doing it all the time. But what wires? Where? I don't know how. But your hand is shaking. Don't worry, darling. We'll be all right. It's too hot to spend any time out in that sun. I'd never make it. So the only thing I can figure is that we'll wait until nightfall. Then I'll hike the five or six miles back to the highway and get help. We'll go together. No. Now you'll be safer here. The only thing is... What, dear? How are we going to last until that sun goes down? We'll try, Lester. Well, just try. The sun's already hitting part of the car. It's getting so hot in here. Honey, I'm afraid we'll have to get under the car. It'll give us some shade and there'll be some air. It's our only hope, Sheila. It'll last out just until nightfall. Now, come on, honey. Wait a minute. We still have a bottle of soda pop left from our picnic. I better bring it along. Good. No. Come on, Sheila. We've got to hold out until sunset. Lester? Lester? I guess I dozed off. The sun's gone. It's getting dark. Yeah. And that breeze. It's cooler. Feel it? No. I'll try to make that highway. Wait. Wait until you're feeling stronger. Well, come on. At least we can get out from under this car now. Thank goodness. And once I'm on my way... Oh, Lester. You almost fell. I'm okay. I've just got to get help. We never last to another day. I'm going now. Wait. Here. Here. There's a drop left in this pop bottle. It's for you. No. No, you drink that, Sheila. I've had most of it already. Please, darling. You stay right here. I'll be back before morning. And be careful. I love you and I don't want anything to happen to you. I love you too, Sheila. Please don't worry. What's that? What's what, dear? Just something over there. Where do I get this flashlight on? We thought there was no one around here for miles. That's what I was thinking. The big fancy automobile too. Where did you come from? Up there. Where are you from, miss? Where are you heading? Well, the plain fact is that right now we're stuck. Yeah. We can't get our car started. So I'm going to hike to the highway to get some help. That's what you're planning to do, eh? Thought so. You couldn't ever make it, mister. Not the shape you're in. Your hand's shaking like that. Ain't hardly able to stand. I've got to. I've got the burrow here. I have to get to the highway for you. You'd do that for us? I'll make it worth your while. We'll be safe now. Come on, Sheila. We'll sit in the car. Try to get some rest. I'll be. He was going to leave for help. I stopped him. He's going to wait for me now. Wait! Wait till doomsday, huh? That's right. You might as well stretch out here. We're getting caught up here. Just imagine. Can't it bring me a dip of full of water from the goatskin? Just thinking about them folks gives me a powerful sense. Yeah. That moon, Sheila. Almost as bright as daylight. Mm-hmm. But cooler. Much cooler. We must be thankful for that. What time is it? Ah, quarter past ten. He's been gone for almost an hour and a half. Could he have reached the highway yet, do you think? Six miles? No, not even near it. Even riding the burrow. I wonder how far he is. Oh, now to find out. In this moonlight, with this elevation, I should be able to spot him. See now. Well, there are shadows. Those rocks way out there. If he's moving, we should be able to... Ah, that's strange. What do you mean? I wonder if we haven't been fooled the way he looked at us and at the car. Mm-hmm. Almost as if... Sheila, he's not out there. But he went in that direction. He could have circled around behind these rocks. Right now, he could be waiting until morning and that sun again and... in the end for us. He seems such a harmless old man. Harmless? To kill us, he would need a gun or a knife, not out here. Just to trick us, as he's done now. Then you'll have to try to make the highway after all? No, I can't. Why not? If that's his plan, to stick around until dawn, to watch us die and then take everything, he's a killer. And I can't leave you alone here. Sheila... Yes, dear? Look, you see where I've got the flashlight pointing? Uh-huh. That's a print from his animal in that alkaline dust. And then, over here, see? Another. Yes. If we follow those prints, maybe we can find him. If he is hanging around here, then he's got water. And we've got to get to him before sunrise. Let's go. I don't know. It could have been an animal. Ah, that furrow of his. He must have a camp around here. Mr. Locke, between those boulders, isn't that a tent? Yes. And beside it, it's to that pole. See something else, too. Where? Hanging from that point of rock. Yeah. There's only one thing carried and something like that out here. Water. And all that right now, he's sleeping in that tent. Sleeping, waiting for that sun to come up and kill us. Honey, you stay here. I've got to try to sneak that goat's skin of water out of there. Let me help. It might be heavy. No, no. We make too much noise together. Here, you hold the flashlight, but keep it off. Be careful. He might have a gun. He might have a knife. Ready. He dropped our water bag. We'll pick it up. It's empty. You knocked it out of my arms. Are you all right, Les? Yes, but does it matter? There's no water. He's right, mate. We've got to get more water before sunrise. We'll all die here. Us as well as him. You don't have to tell me. Now, unhitch the barone pack or gear. We'll take the car just like I planned. You still got the keys for it? I got them. Don't you worry about that. Let's get moving. I'm coming, babe. I'm coming. Did you hear that? They took the keys. Yes. But you can't start it. That's true. At least we can try to prevent them from taking it. We'll be following that old mine road. No matter what happens, that's what you're going to have to do. Neither are you making it with no water while that sun is up. Maybe we can hold them off. We'll return for the concluding act of suspense. Thank goodness. Thank goodness. We can't leave them there without sending someone to help them. No, dear. Of course we can't. Not us. We lost a whole day and night up there, but... Anyway, at least you got some good pictures. Just in case we'd never get a chance to cross this section of the country again. Lester, dear, if we ever have to go this way again, let's not. Listening to Inferno, written for suspense by Peter Fernandez. In a moment the names of our players and the word about next week's story of suspense. Richard Holland is Lester. Mandel Kramer is Bates. And Robert Dryden as Gandhi. When we return with Night Man by Lucille Fletcher. Another tale well calculated to keep you in.