 tired of the everyday grind ever dream of a life of romantic adventure want to get away from it all we offer you escape escape design to free you from the four walls of today for a half hour of high adventure world of decay and desolation looking down on what was once a great city while coming slowly to meet you a hand stretched out in greeting to you is a beautiful girl whose very existence may be the cause of your death listen now as escape brings you jack London's classic novel the scarlet plague I am recording this only for myself for my own sanity perhaps even from some age old sense of duty for I have not the slightest hope that it will ever be heard by any living human being I was at one time a professor of English literature in the great University at San Francisco professor James Smith a man who believed in reason and intellect and who abhorred the instincts of animal nature but that was before before the terror and the madness of the scarlet plague this morning I killed a sheep with my bare hand then squatting on the ground I tore a hunch from my prey and ate it raw it began simply on a Monday morning as I recall I was having breakfast at the counter in the campus cafeteria with Bill Dombey of the physiology department he was glancing over the front page of the morning paper I don't know why I do it Jim do what buy a paper every morning nothing changes but the date senator so-and-so back in Washington after whirlwind tour love nest killing an Omaha new bomb tested into a talk schedule but what's that item down to bottom where down the corner New York fight scarlet plague some news reporters hybrid I suppose nine persons have died since last evening of a strange melody which has left doctors of Manhattan hospitals admittedly baffled the disease if it is a disease strikes without warning and slays its victim in less than an hour apparently the first symptoms are a feeling of well-being and light headed this accompanied by a slight rise in temperature a few minutes later a fiery red rash appears on the hands and face and spreads rapidly over the entire body within 10 to 30 minutes the victim goes into coma and dies ridiculous no disease it acts like that it's food poisoning something of that sort he's bill I'm eating medical authorities are unanimously agreed however that no general danger exists and that there is no cause for public concern or alarm which is double talk for we don't know what it is yet hmm what about a mutation mutation of what how do I know you're the physiologist no you're talking about those scare stories I suppose harmless virus or bacteria mutates and throws down some new deadly type antibiotics won't touch it medical science help us a million people wiped out overnight it's a possibility isn't it no Jim bacteria strains are always mutating and usually the mutation is less harmful than the parent that idea has been overworked for years pass a cream please no Bill is it a possibility or not yes it's a possibility you're stalling Jim that rooks the only piece you can move and you know it don't rush me I still got the queen back here let's see the latest development on the scarlet plague no the following statement I would move on how are you a public health up to this hour the official death toll in greater New York is 321 persons in Boston 94 Washington DC 111 Chicago 181 spreading like wildfire around the clock it is expected momentarily that the causative agent of the disease will be isolated and an effective treatment prescribed meanwhile stay home and stay calm we return you now to turn it off Jim how can it spread so fast it's hard to tell not knowing the period of incubation whether it's airborne contagious by contact how long it's contagious before the symptoms show up might even knowing what it is in fact one thing sure though something's got to be done fast I guess we can call ourselves lucky out here there hadn't been a case reported in San Francisco no not yet breathers of this world are dead you still shall live such virtue have my pen where breath most breathes even in the mouths of me now I did not choose this particular sonnet because of possible contemporary suitability but because it does I think best keynote the transitional phase that later that later appears in the philosophies and the poetic is something wrong back there yes what's the problem is cold and dying everyone who gets it dies I'm only 19 and I'm dying there when all we have this dead in San Francisco I'm in the empty classroom paralyzed by shock by a strange fear I'd never felt before the fear of the unknown the girl had walked into my class smiling and talking and now she lay dead at the back of the room why how could it happen so suddenly what had caused the plague where the terror started where would it end I went to the faculty club Bill Donby was listening to the latest reports around the nation include the following figures greater New York estimated 184,000 deaths Philadelphia estimated 150,000 deaths St. Louis estimated 83,000 deaths Chicago one moment please a bulletin has just been handed to me from is raging in Europe unofficial reports from Russia estimate the death toll in Moscow at 180,000 with additional millions dead and dying throughout the Soviet Union and China new bulletins will be broadcast whenever they are received for as long as our facilities last and we no word of any cure yet Jim I didn't hear you come in just walked across the campus it's completely deserted yes the faculty club here is the only holdout and at that there are only four four counting you our Blake of graphic arts she went over to her room to pack some keepsake she'll be back dr. Barnes out in the kitchen trying to rustle up something to drink bill that girl who died in my class a while ago one minute she was all right and a minute later she was dead well it's fast that's one thing can you get it from contact I lifted her head I put some books under nobody knows how you get it I don't suppose contact matters much it couldn't be all contact not millions of cases in less than 48 hours well why can't they find a cure they've had two days now what are they all doing dying Jim like everybody else don't be Smith oh dr. Barnes yeah maybe this will help scotch why not the whole case of it out there I think it might be a good idea to keep that radio on yes you're probably right dr. Barnes technicians engineers they've died by thousands all over the country how much longer can services like radio telephone transportation to go all conveyances regardless of ownership or occupancy are being stopped and turned back at army control points stay where you are do not attempt to travel you are no safer in one place than another the plague is everywhere repeat the plague is everywhere I'll still try around this anywhere just as long as it's somewhere else not mutiny repeat the army has not mutiny did not be getting rusted by headman C Dover Senate member and acting president of the United States and by the Joint Chiefs of Staff Fullerton just handed to me Johns Hopkins regretfully states that Dr. Theodore von Zwickler who had earlier announced partial success in identifying because of an agent of the plague has just died so Dr. Zwickler left no notes on his work hospital personnel continued to what happened to the lights I power failure I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later there's a flashlight in that desk drawer I got it there's a portable radio with batteries in the game room oh let's leave it for the moment I guess the liquor sounds better than the news well in that case one of what's keeping this Blake she was coming right back wait a minute where's that light coming from it's like a fire maybe we can see from the windows not one fire a thousand fires down there toward the Bay Berkeley Oakland and over in the city why what started them to hear why Jim gunfire yes they're not waiting for the plague to do the job now they're already out in force the looters the mamers the robbers people with a hate and a grievance if it started already it'll get a lot worse oh yes it'll get worse listening to the scarlet plague tonight's presentation on escape Sunday afternoon CBS radio will bring you another of its successful on the scene reports gathered by its feature project team this time we'll take you to the United States wide open backdoor the Mexican border the crossing point for two million illegal entrance last year alone we call this report the wetbacks because that's what so many of these illegal entrants are called as they swim the Rio Grande into the United States here the wetbacks Sunday on most of these same stations and now escape and the second act of the scarlet plague we stood at the window of the faculty club looking out across the campus down over the hills toward the Bay where fires lit up the growing night and where even fiercer fires of greed and lust and hate burned in hearts that were beating their last hours or even seconds of life in this world for a world was dying at our feet and though we had so far been spared we knew we too were dying with it contact is still being maintained with Buenos Aires and since London overseas went silent a few minutes ago this is now our only contact outside continental North America makes you know you're really only two stations in this country Washington and Chicago the West Coast has been silent for some 30 minutes and we do not know whether we are being heard there at this time this is unbelievable we are waiting for work from Washington aiming the new president of the United States to replace Edmund C. Dover who died on the Senate platform while attempting to be done what's the use well we still agreed on leaving we must if by some miracle we do survive we'll be out of food here in three days and tonight may be the last chance to find any probably looting every store in the Bay area grocery stores liquor stores jewelers for shops more the reason to get started now then right if we can make three or four trips with the station wagon tonight we ought to be set here for quite a while what about those pistols dr. Barnes said they were a couple in the safe yes I'll I'll get them funny how things are changing he was chancellor this university now he's foraging for food yes well I'll gas up the station wagon and get it over here so we can anybody here well Jim turn that flashlight on the door Myra Jim thank heaven you're still here dr. Barnes was worried about your Myra just went into the other room I'll tell him you're here all right Jim was afraid there might not be anybody here I was hurrying to get back and I caught my heel on the edge of the walk and fell I think I hit my head tripped and fell the whole world dying in you tripping fall yes it is funny Myra Bill what is it what's wrong Dr. Barnes is lying just outside that plague yes but he got the pistols thanks do you know how to use one of these Jim in a general way well we'd better get started Bill we shouldn't be too long myra you're not gonna leave me here alone she's right Jim I wouldn't want to be left alone either all right let's go we tried the Oakland docks first the big food warehouses along the railroad tracks it was a dead end from a mile away we could see the blaze towering into the night sky the whole dock area was in flames we swung the station wagon back onto the ramp and headed across the bay bridge toward the city itself fighting our way in and out of the jumbled traffic in the terrified crowds on foot turning and twisting among the dead and dying we better go back this is getting worse every block trying to get a chance to turn around there's there's an alley there by the hotel maybe you can edge in there with a try anyway I'm gonna push around from nobody not anymore I understand I told you I got you take a look at a 45 wise guy look close you can see the bullet coming out he's crazy myra come on hurry we've got to get out of here we'll leave the car come on out this side this way myra the hotel entrance out of the way come in they'll be after us any second the stairway there next to the elevators very much we can find a room some place to hide in case they come up the stairs try that one Jim all right Jim where can we go the hotels about 12 or 14 stories high the elevators aren't working I doubt if anybody'd bother us on one of the top floors they wouldn't have any reason to climb up there you want to try it all right Jim let's go we stayed on the top floor of the hotel and no one came up to bother us twice with pistol in hand I left myra in the room and slipped down into the streets to forage for food and supplies gradually over the three days I saw the mods diminish thin out the scarlet plague continued to rage unchecked and finally on the morning of the sixth day I brought myra down from the room to see what had happened to the city there's not a person inside no one but us not another living soul as far as you can see listen there's not a sound dead world there must be others Jim not just us they're hiding we'll take a car and drive and look for them there must be others but she was wrong we drove for a hundred miles all over the city and the countryside around it and when we finally stopped on a hill above the bay we knew that there was not another living soul in the whole city we were the only human beings left alive in San Francisco and most likely the only ones in the entire world but why Jim why us and no one else I don't know why I don't know why any of this it's just too vast to begin to comprehend but we're alive that's the only thing that certain we're both alive to be alone to be the only living human in the world would mean terror absolute terror and insanity I feel guilty somehow being alive and everyone else is dead I can't be any guilt when you don't have a choice it was nothing we did and besides myra don't you see what it means since we've been spared mankind itself has been spared and and civilization we'll have children we'll teach them see that they remember and pass on the greatness of the past yes oh yes together together we can do it we can give mankind another chance you and I myra we can keep it from being lost forever together everything is different there's a new hope something to live for and work for and we we what's wrong Jim myra what your face it's turning scarlet under the direction of Norman McDonald escape has brought you the scarlet plague by Jack London specially adapted for radio by Les Crutchfield starring Vic Perron featured in the cast were parley bear Virginia Greg and John Daner with Eleanor Tannen John Larch Barney Phillips and Sam Edwards your announcer George Walsh the special music for escape is composed and conducted by Leith Stevens next week you are standing in the bedroom of an English in the sound of revelry coming faintly at the stairs but in the shadows across the room from you the gun in his hand already aimed at you is an enemy agent whose success depends upon your death so listen next week when escape brings you Ben Wright story affair at Mandrake every Saturday evening at the Stars Address enjoy William Conrad as Marshall Matt Dillon in Gunsmoke it's a drama of the frontier of America in the 1870s authentic dramatic and full of the law that made the American cowboy a part of our national heritage remember Gunsmoke Saturday night Mr. King tracer of lost persons has heard Friday nights on the CBS radio network