 tired of the every day grind have a dream of a life of romantic adventure want to get away from it all we offer you escape escape designed to free you from the four walls of today for a half hour of high adventure we're alone in a giant forest seeking a way of escape while around you gaining with your every step the relentless enemy of witches fire is closing in from every side until there will be only one way out and that way is death so listen now as escape brings you Anthony Ellis's exciting story the Red Forest the trail had led from a lumbered town along a washboard road and into the forests I'm no woodsman but in the daylight I found the place and then I started back to the car but something was different maybe tall shadows there wasn't a trail anymore only streams where they hadn't been before trees that were the same but weren't and sounds sounds that when you were a kid on a hike with fun and now they scared you I'd thrown my last cigarette away three four hours before and that's when the fire had started and it was then that I started to run run it was nearly dark when I found the road I'd come to it about a half a mile below where I'd park my car a half hour later on the outskirts of a little town my headlights picked up a girl standing by the side of the road she carried a cheap paper suit case and she was summing a ride I'd Mr. sure put your case in the back not many cars on the road tonight now been walking one my way to Miss Ola my last ride dropped me a mile or so back yeah you live around here no I don't guess you'd be going as far as Miss Ola sure gee that's well I got a job there starting tomorrow kind of broke if you know what I mean buses cost money I know what you mean hey your face fun you've been hurt you all scratched up oh I I was hunting I got lost just the other side of town if you want to take a nap it's okay we got about a hundred miles to go thanks gee it's nice out here kind of lonely not much of a road smells good what about that is over there what bright like see could almost be Seattle from a long ways off I had a boyfriend used to take me driving at night and when we came back you could see a glow just like that I knew what it was that glow in the sky it was on our right and as the road twisted through the trees it fell behind us and then to our left and then circled until it was straight ahead again the girl had fallen asleep very quickly I saw our face in the light from the dash then pretty and peaceful it was about 15 minutes after I'd picture up that I saw the lights on the road and then closer the figures waving there already I just got to sleep no there's something wrong there's a cop coming this way what's the trouble we want you mister wait you want me fire bad one we got out of every man we can find we can use her to well look I'd like to roll okay Rose the forest ranger he'll explain how look I'm sorry but I'm on my way to Missoula tonight you're not I've got authority to do this mr. I'm sorry but we need you but I haven't got you couldn't get much farther anyway the roads cut off the mountains going up like a torch if it spreads there's three towns gonna go to come on I got some clothes and boots for you hey what about me I gotta get to Missoula I got a job in the morning sorry sister you got a job serving coffee here you cop five dollars a day a day or longer it depends let's go there was nothing else to do so I got into the clothes the Ranger gave me and then stood around and waited I wasn't tired anymore just scared scared of going into that forest again the wind came up a bit and with it the smell smell of burning smell of death a long way off but closer than the glow had been we could see flickering against the sky and it was in a lot of places and then suddenly it was too warm and too quiet all right you guys the telephones burned out I've made contact with a shortwave said you mr. what's your name Pindell Pindell never use one of these not a walkie-talkie yeah sure I was in the signal core okay you'll carry it now listen this is bad it's real bad the fires got behind us we can't get any more men through here for several hours they've got to come around from the other side that's 30 miles let's get out yeah I'm putting you in charge you know what to do get in as close as you can to the river and set a backfire sure I've got to stick here with a transmitter I'll let you know what's happening sure you stay here with a pretty girl we go and get fried up and then you'll have to go with them three is not enough sure you better take along some food and canteens now step on it got a couple of sandwiches I made up here thanks this sure is something isn't it yeah you scared scared why your face is white you scared I'm from the city I know what you mean those trees give me the willies too dark yeah sure that's it you'll be all right listen kid if if anything happens you take my car here here are the keys what do you mean well if if I don't come back keep the car here's the registration you kidding you're coming back yeah yeah so long hey my name's Jan what yours Wally you'll be careful Wally we went into the forest men with spades men against fire and terror there was the man they called fat 300 pounds of ungainly body topped by a tiny and almost disgustingly childlike face there was crowbar a big dark man quiet and filled with the knowledge of the woods handsome the state trooper thin and wiry is natty khaki shirt stained with sweat and dirt and me we'd gone about a mile when we first heard it it came in gusts with the wind high above us wait a minute oh shut up let's get out of here about three miles I think it's coming fast about that far from the river are we yeah yeah listen you guys if it's close to river we're sunk let's get out hey Wally yeah get row tell him it's coming this way pretty fast look look up there look see sure fast box fire hello calling row and dull calling row over row we're still about three miles from the river we can hear it over you can't backfire now the winds changed you better come back over right he says go back that's okay with me boy come on listen to that I wanted to run again that same feeling I'd known before the fear all around us closing in and down there was no sky above only blackness tinged with red pressing and behind the living forest running over taking and passing us when we reached the road again the sound was steady but I had a strange feeling of relief when I saw the forest ranger and the girl Jan it was like coming home I think it was then that I stopped being afraid come on row we can't do no good now we got to try and join up at the others what do you mean the fires on three sides of us that means we head southeast oh can't we take the road back no it's cut off there's 200 men trying to keep a path open for us we've got to make five miles and in a hurry bad as that it's worse if we don't get there in time and they can't make a fire break we're gonna be smack in the middle and there's not gonna be any way out we will return to escape in just a moment lightning may strike more than once in the same place but it can't begin to compete with man when it comes to starting forest fires for one fire caused by lightning supposedly rational humans cause nine by trifling carelessness with matches cigarettes and bonfires we need our forests for timber to conserve our water supply to add beauty to our lives let's not burn them up and now back to escape we didn't carry anything but can teens it was hot and because it was hot it made you thirsty even when you didn't need water the going was rough and we can only head and what we thought was the general direction of safety it was at the ridge that we lost the first man winds changing again crowbar which way you can't tell it's haywire with this fire do we go straight ahead might as well wait a minute you see that ridge yeah I'm going up there shouldn't take more than ten minutes I'll be able to get a better look give me the flash I'll signal to you I don't know we haven't got much of a start the fires behind us a lot faster than walking toward it remember it's on three sides okay make it fast for sure good luck thanks what do we do just sit my head that's right but listen you're the Ranger why don't you go what you saying crowbar for he's bought fires before he knows he's a better man to climb up there he's faster than me yeah I'll bet you okay kid sure well it's fine I guess I'm not used to walking out is high heels don't help well you take it easy my feet feel like they did once in a dance I went to some big lung climbed all over me I guess you won't have that job in Missoula if I get out of this that's all I care about yeah it's hey Wally I'm scared give me a hand will you she held on tight to my hand it wasn't the darkness that frightened her now there wasn't darkness anymore but a yellowish-red light that came from everywhere it was another kind of fear fear of something you could see here and with every minute feel more and more we waited there 10 minutes 11 12 and then you hear something yeah seem to come from over there from the the ridge maybe maybe listen you think something got crowbar lion or something I'll go up no what do you mean no no time we waited too long what he may be hurt I know that but it'll take you longer than it took crowbar to get there come on no you couldn't find him in the dark who says he's hurt anyway we'll move on he'll catch up I said we go after it not me all right put it to a vote hurry up Hanson we go on that let's get out of here and I say go on that leaves you miss I'm staying with Wally all right we'll go with you we never saw crowbar again maybe a lion got him maybe it got lost we never saw him again the ranger went ahead finding trails somehow keeping us moving we began to climb and after a while we were on another ridge and for the first time we could see the fire it stretched out for miles like a huge red sea then it was all around us gee Wally hey I know kid I know it hurt much I don't know take a breather I'm gonna try the walkie talkie again he's not scared is he I guess not is that because he's a ranger because he's very brave Jan you're a funny girl no I'm not hey what sure why did you want me to do that I don't know you're a nice fella I'll miss you listen Jan I want to tell you something what if we get out well maybe look I'm all right I mean maybe we could have fun together I know well I did something wrong once I I killed a man why he framed me he got me put away for something I didn't do we were driving in the east and ran over a woman he was at the wheel but he ran off and left me but you didn't do it that's what I say but I've been drinking and went to sleep when I woke up I was behind the wheel he put me there and that's how the cops found me I got five years I was married I lost my wife my job my friends and I saw right get my pal and I did he knew I was after him and he ran but I caught up with him I don't care don't you I I don't know why I told you that me maybe because if we do get out sure I know I know it's okay come on Vendell the Rangers moving off it was the state trooper Hanson I worried how much he'd heard but there wasn't time to worry about it then Rowe thought he'd seen a break in the fire and we headed for it when we got down in the trees again I began to get a feeling that I'd been there before it was nothing I could recognize but just a feeling a couple of hundred yards along I knew why hold up there's a shack looks like someone is living there better have a look doors open hey it's a man give me a hand here sure he's been shot yeah a few hours ago from the looks of it you think the man who did this might have started it what do you mean that fire started a few miles north of here we figured somebody got careless with a match maybe it was the killer running away I'd like to get the fellow who did that maybe I will me too well we can't do anything here come on from there on nobody talked it was hard enough to lift your feet Jan was nearly through I have carried her if Rowe knew where he was leading us he didn't say we followed and knew that sooner or later we'd stop because we were too tired to go on that was the first wait wait a minute you've got to go on there's still a chance just for me no please one minute that's all get up I can't I can't okay you stay no come on I can't I'm sorry catch up to us stay on the train come on chan we're almost dead ourselves I don't know whether it was because none of us liked him or because we knew that we couldn't do anything funny how you can lose a man and know he's gonna die you put him out of your mind perhaps we wanted to live so badly we figured the fire would take time out from us to attend to fat Hanson was next I've finished no you're not here no you save the girl I'm sorry Hanson I was gonna go on maybe I can catch up but I got a rest you Wally did me a favor what I lost my gun somewhere you know what I mean it'll be quicker that way you you got one yeah thanks one bullet fired and that's what I wanted to know okay Pindell I've had enough rest I can keep up with you now I feel a little safer with this on me all right go ahead I'll walk behind you he knew he knew of what I'd done but I didn't care now it wasn't important anymore right now all I wanted to do was get the chan out of this what was that he's behind us it started like Hanson come on come on but watch that reveal he must have fallen we gotta help him there's no time we got to oh he didn't help fat why him I don't know please all right all right stay here and son but keep calling can you get up broken I guess Hanson you know about me don't you yeah yeah I know I heard you telling the girl she won't say anything no I guess not the fella had it come into him I wouldn't know I'm a cop yeah it's getting hot put your arm over my shoulder no you you can't get me up there well I can try come on we can't make it I'll get roll I'll come back no there's no time go on get out of here but like go on I've got your gun nobody you'll ever know that's not sorry I get get out of here somehow I made it up the trail again I thought I heard a shot or maybe it was a burning tree going down John was waiting for me we caught up with Ro and went on until the trees began to thin out and we heard the shots of men but I don't remember anything else because I passed out for a long time I woke up Jan was sitting by my bed and it was cool again hi Jan Jan did they get Hanson out no no listen Jan about what I told you back there you know the man I killed yeah well I'm not sorry I mean it was all right about him but not Hanson crowbar in fact that was my fault you know yeah well I want you to call the cops now listen I've been dreaming about it it's no good not be a good kid and call the cops I don't have to they're outside in the corridor what do you mean Ro sent for him you told what you did while you were unconscious I told oh that's good that's good I'm glad you want me to hang around it's up to you I guess I guess it is I'll hang around escape has brought you the Red Forest written and directed by Anthony Ellis starring William Conrad as Wally and Georgia Ellis as Jan featured in the cast were Parley Bear John Dana Jane Avello and Tom Tully the special music for escape was composed and conducted by Leith Stevens next week we're in a lighthouse off the steaming coast of French Guinea while around you frightful in its fury a nightmare of terror and violence is closing in on you a nightmare from which there is no escape so listen next week when by popular request escape repeats one of its most unusual stories three skeleton key by George to do those favorites of millions yours truly Johnny dollar and Mr. and Mrs. North make for highly exciting listening on as Johnny prowls the world for adventure and the North's meet murder merrily now most of these same stations also bring you 21st 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