"NARRATOR:" "How does a nightmare begin?" "For David Vincent, architect, returning home from a business trip, it began at a few minutes past 4 on a lost Tuesday morning, looking for a shortcut that he never found." "It began with a welcoming sign that gave hope of black coffee." "It began with a closed, deserted diner, and a man too long without sleep to continue his journey." "In the weeks to come," "David Vincent would go back to how it all began many times." "[NARRATOR READING ON-SCREEN TEXT]" "Starring Roy Thinnes." "With guest stars Diane Baker," "J.D. Cannon," "James Daly," "John Milford." "[NARRATOR READING ON-SCREEN TEXT]" "Highway 166, dirt road, Bud" "Wait a second." "Bud's Diner." "Well, anything else, Mr. Vincent?" "I know it sounds wild." "There was this" "There was this light, a kind of glow." "Yes, you told us that." "Anything else?" "Well, no, I got out of there right away." "I came here." "I see." "Show him in." "Now, look, that ship landed just over an hour ago." "It could still be there." "Now, if you want me to go, I'll go with you." "Oh, I don't think that will be necessary, Mr. Vincent." " David, what happened?" " Alan, what are you doing here?" "They woke me up to ask me if I have a partner who sees things." "So I" "Oh, excuse me." "My name is Landers." "I'm Mr. Vincent's partner." "I thought maybe I could help." "I know who you are, Mr. Landers." "I appreciate your coming down, but I think you told us everything we needed to know on the phone." "They wanted to know if you were really on a business trip." "Then they told me some wild story about your claiming to have seen a space ship." "I'm afraid it's true." "I know, it shook me up too." "HOLMAN:" "Mr. Vincent, you've driven a long way in the last 20 hours." "I'd like to suggest you leave your car here." "Mr. Landers or one of my men will drive you." "I'm not going anywhere until you do something." "You're gonna need those notes to find the ship." " It's 6 a.m. and we're all a little tired." " Stop playing games with me." "I insist you do something." "Well, it seems to be Kelly's Diner." "You said Bud's Diner." "Ready to go home now, Mr. Vincent?" "It came down right over here." "It stretched out, uh, from about right around in through here." "It looks as if nobody's been around here for a hundred years." "Alan, I saw it." "Look, I'm no crackpot, you know that." "I really saw it." "All right, David." "[GUNSHOT]" "Hello." "Say, I was driving out here last night and I saw something very" "Excuse me." "Vincent." " That was a good shot." " Thank you." "I'm Detective Lieutenant Holman." "We're investigating an incident reported last night by Mr. Vincent here." "Uh, what sort of incident?" "Were you around here last night?" "At what time?" " All night." " All night?" "Well, yes, see, we have this camper truck parked up behind the big tree over there." "My wife and I, we, uh, were just married." "How long have you been camped here?" "Uh, two days." "At approximately 4:20 this morning, did you see or hear anything unusual?" " No." " Nothing." "How can you be sure of anything" " at 4:00 in the morning?" " Mr. Vincent, let me." "BRANDON:" "Well, look, you see, we were awake, you know?" "We were getting ready to go fishing." "I mean, uh, there was nothing." "Well, you must have seen something." "I drove in here." "I parked at the diner." "Now, if you were awake, you must have seen me." "I'm sorry." " It was here." "Right" " Wait a minute, Mr. Vincent." "Sorry to have troubled you." "Oh, I'll need some identification for the report." "Well, I, uh, do have a driver's licence." "I suppose you'll be in the vicinity a few days in case there are any further questions, Mr. Brandon." "Uh...." "Well, we had planned on going back today." "Pretty short honeymoon." "Yes, it is." "Well, I have to get back to my store." "But, uh, we'd be glad to stay until tonight." "Thank you, Mr. Brandon." "Oh, uh, congratulations on your marriage." "Thank you." "Mrs. Brandon." " What do you want?" " I wanna ask you a question." "Did you change the sign on that diner?" "I don't know what you're talking about." "We agreed to stay until this evening, but we have to go." "Quickly, get the truck." "It's past time for me." "You, you go away." "Nobody has hurt you." " I wanna see your hands." " We have to go." " Take off those gloves." " We have to go!" "Hurry." "Hurry up." "What happened?" "Do you remember anything?" "Oh, the truck." "I almost got out of the way it must have sideswiped me." "Don't try to remember anymore." " Take these." " What are they?" "Something to help you get back to sleep." "No." "No." "Otherwise, we will be forced to administer it intravenously." "Will you take these now?" "Arthur Gordon?" "What are you trying to do to me?" "What is this?" "You're one of them, aren't you?" "[YELLS]" "Help." "Help me." "For God's sake, help me." "All right?" "Oh, yeah." "Fine, thanks." "MAN:" "David." "Oh, hi, buddy." "David, I wanna tell you how sorry I am about what happened yesterday, but I was afraid in a larger hospital there might be reporters, and people who would twist the story of what you saw." "I didn't wanna take a chance on your making any calls, and I gave them a phoney name." "I tried to tell you yesterday, but they had you too heavily sedated, I couldn't." "As it stands, one of the papers did get wind of your accident," " but I think I talked them out of using" " Accident?" "You don't remember?" "Holman says your car went off the road and you were thrown clear." "No, no." "That's not the way it happened." "I, uh, brought some magazines for you." "The doctor told me you can go home tonight." "And I don't wanna see you in that office for at least two weeks." " They'll have your car fixed" " Will you listen to me for a moment?" "I found some proof." "I can't show it to you, but that man and woman at that camper truck, they were some kind of alien being." "I know it." "There was something about their skin." "They" "They started to glow." "And their hands, the bone structure was different." "David, please." "That's over now." "It's not over." "You've gotta talk to Holman and find out everything you can" " about that man and woman." " No more." "Not now." "We'll talk about it later." "I've got to get back to the office." "We'll talk about it this evening when I pick you up." "I promise." "It wasn't easy, but I got the name and address of that honeymoon couple from Holman." "Mr. and Mrs. John Brandon, 285 Front Street, Kinney." "Kinney?" "It's a little town between San Luis Obispo and Bakersfield." "David." "I want to believe you." "Thanks." "[SIRENS WAILING]" "All right, get those other people." "You all right?" "Come on, let's go." " These look like the last ones." " All right." "Dennis," " bring up that ladder." " There's an old woman up there." "Better go check her out." "Let's have those flag poles up here." "All right, Dennis, where's the ladder?" "Any idea how it started?" "The old woman, she must have done it." "Pete and Phil, they broke through." "There's nobody there." " No body." "No nothing." " Well, she's" "WOMAN:" "Can I help you?" "I'm Mrs. Adams." "I run this place." "Looks like you lost a town somewhere." "Where is everybody?" "Our total population is down to 12 now." "And that's including the two dogs and my little Siamese cat." "Thank you." "Doesn't seem to affect business." "Oh, the sign?" "That just means we're not open to the public right now." "Golly, it's hot." "I'm, uh, looking for someone." "A man and a woman named Brandon." " They gave this as" " Pardon?" "Brandon?" "A man and a woman?" "They gave this as their last address." "Brandon." "Gee, I don't think I've" "Sorry, it doesn't ring any bells." "You can check the register, but if they were clients of Mr. Kogan's they wouldn't have registered." "DAVID:" "Who's Mr. Kogan?" "Well, I don't suppose there's any real secret to it." "Mr. Kogan's the head of the investment group that's buying up this town." "I think they're going to turn it into one of these retirement cities." " How do you go about buying a town?" " Well, I" "First, you gotta find the right town." "Then you just walk in with a suitcase full of cash." "Howdy, my name's Carver." "I saw your car outside." " You, uh, looking for someone?" " A couple of friends." "Well, they probably moved away." "This used to be a going town until the state closed down its hydroelectric plant." "Oh, a few of them are still holding out, but in the end, they'll sell." "Does that include you?" "No, I sold out just after my husband died." "I'm staying on as a sort of caretaker until Mr. Kogan's group takes over." "Sometimes he sends clients down here." "CARVER:" "Mind if I have some lemonade, Kathy?" " Oh, no, go right ahead." " Thank you." "Uh, when Mr. Kogan does bring his clients down here, what do they do?" " Hunting and fishing, I guess." " Where?" "Gee, you know, I don't know." "Let's see, there's a wooded lake a couple of miles north of here." "And there's the river, of course." " Where's that?" " On the other side of town." "Gee, I'm awful sorry I couldn't be of more help." "No, no, thank you." " Really." " Thank you." " So long." " Goodbye." "When is Lieutenant Holman due back?" "Well, tell him he was right." "That psycho of his did show up down here." "I'll keep an eye on him." "MAN:" "Kinney speaking to Bakersfield control, red alert, red alert." "Kinney speaking to Bakersfield control, red alert, red alert." "Kinney speaking to Bakersfield control, red alert, red alert." "Kinney speaking to Bakersfield control, red alert, red alert." "[ROCK MUSIC PLAYING ON JUKEBOX]" "Have you got a telephone that works?" "Pardon me, do you have a telephone?" " What?" " Do you have a telephone that works?" "No, they ain't pulled that one yet." "Operator, I wanna make a collect call to Santa Barbara." "The number is 555-5235." "My name is David Vincent, I'm calling Mr. Landers." "Alan, it's David." "I'm in Kinney." "I think I found something, some proof." "Alan, you've gotta come up here right away." "If you don't get here right away, somehow it'll all be gone." "I'm not sure I can get away right now." "Look, they're here in Kinney." "They may be" "They may be all over this planet." "Now, I need a witness." "Just one witness." "Look, Alan, if I can't ask you, who can I ask?" "I'll be there as soon as I can." "All right." "Now, there's a hotel on Front Street here." "I'll be waiting for you there." "Thanks, buddy." "I see you've found the sole entertainment centre in Kinney." "Yeah, I heard the music." "Have you met Mr. Kemper?" "He's one of our last holdouts." "And those are the Ackerman girls." "They live just outside of town." "Can I offer you some coffee?" " Oh, that's a good idea." " Good." "Deputy Carver's looking for you." "He telephoned Santa Barbara." "Hey, you don't look like a dangerous psycho to me." "I'm not." "If you're worried about him, don't be." "He already checked here." "It'll be a while before he comes back again." "Here." " Is something the matter?" " No." "Now, how long has Carver been in town?" "A few months." "Uh, he came in about the same time the Kogan people began buying up the town." "Doesn't what Carver said about me bother you at all?" "Mm-mm." "Just because you happen to see certain things doesn't mean" "Who said anything about seeing things?" "Carver." "Oh, I've been through this before." "For months before my husband died, he kept saying over and over" "Well, what did he see?" "No." "Well, how did he die?" "Well, it" " It was a heart attack." " Tell me what he saw, please." " No." "It's over." "He's dead and I don't wanna talk about it anymore." "Please, don't go." "Mrs. Adams, I need your help." " I wasn't sure I could talk." " I've gotta take this" " Look, Mr..." " David Vincent." " Mr. Vincent, I" " Will you sit down here and just listen to me for a moment?" "Please." "I'm gonna tell you something you won't believe." "Someday I'll get them all." "There were transparent tubes large enough to fit a human form." "Now, I think they need these tubes to regenerate themselves somehow." "I don't know." " If I could see them, see something." " Yeah." "Well, maybe when my friend gets here." "I want you to see them." "Because, Mrs. Adams, when Kogan finishes buying up this town, his people are gonna take over." "They'll have a foothold, and it's gotta be stopped." "Because who knows how many towns like this there are in the world." "All right." "All right, is there anything I can do to help you?" "Do you believe me?" "I don't know what I believe." "Just tell me what I can do." " Is your aunt still at the motel?" " Yes." "Tell her that my business partner is coming here." "He'll be here in a few hours." "His name is Landers." "I can call her from here." "Yeah, that's a good idea." "And tell her to have him meet me here." "But don't let Carver find out about it." " Look, what was his name again?" " Landers." "Landers." "If that Vincent fella comes back here, Aunt Sara, try and stall him, all right?" "I'll certainly do what I can do." "We don't think he's dangerous." "Things seem to happen when he's around." "Fires, accidents, you know?" "We just wanna keep an eye on him." "All right." "Thank you, Lou." "Oh, Mr. Kemper, I'll close up." "Uh, we're waiting for a friend." "Oh." "Okay." " Good night." " Good night." "It's funny how a man's life can change so fast." "After I saw that saucer, it seems as though I had been cut off from everything, piece by piece." "Was it the same with your husband?" "Kathy." "Yes." "Yes, it was the same." "You know, I've been thinking." "What happened to him might not have been a heart attack." "They could have ways of arranging that." "If that's true, then it could happen again with you." "No." "I've already talked too loud and that fire in my apartment was their last safe shot." "Anything more would cause a lot of attention, make people think maybe I was right." "CARVER:" "Kemper?" "[DOORKNOB RATTLES]" "Kemper?" "Maybe your friend won't come." " Nah, he was delayed." "He'll be here." " How can you be sure?" " He'll be here." " Why should he really believe?" "You saw what happened when you told the truth." "Suspicion, right?" "Ridicule." "It's going to happen again, you'll see." "He'll be here." "[TYRES SCREECHING]" " I'm sorry." "I didn't see you." " Oh, that's all right, that's all right." "You are looking for Mr. Vincent, aren't you?" "Why, yes, that's right." "Well, he said you were to meet him at the power station." "You're to park your car there." " Here." " Yeah, go on." "Did you hear a car just now?" "No." "Oh, David." "Hey, forget about him." "Look, he won't come." "He's no different than anybody else." "Nobody wanted to hear the truth from my husband." "They just wanted to sell at a profit and get out of this town." "A lot of things killed him." "Hate, greed, ignorance." "If he'd thought about it, he would've wondered what he was fighting for." "What is there in this world that's so special, so worth preserving?" "You still have time." "You can think about that." "[ROCK MUSIC PLAYING ON JUKEBOX]" "Why did you do that?" "You know I'm listening for Landers." "[MUSIC STOPS]" "David, David." "I did it to wake you up." "Don't spend your life listening for cars that will never come." "Looking for faces you can never find." "Fingers?" "We're not all like that, David." "Some of us learn." "We're always learning." "Don't go." "Don't fight us." "You can't stop it." "It's going to happen." "Don't go." "Don't fight us." "No, don't go." "Alan." "Alan." "Alan!" "David." "David." "Alan!" "CARVER:" "Hold it, hold it." "Now, easy, Mr. Vincent." "Now, don't be afraid." "I'm not gonna hurt you." "We have to get into that power station right away." "Sure." "Now, look, if you're not one of them, you gotta help me." "Sure." "My partner's there." "He's alone." " They're gonna kill him." " Sure." "First thing, I'll call Mr. Kogan." "If it's all right, we'll go take a look at his power station." "Oh, no." "[SCREAMING]" "Alan." "Alan." "Alan?" "Alan." "All right, Vincent." "They did it." "Sheriff, they" "What happened?" "What is it?" " Nothing, Mr. Kemper." " What?" "Just a sick fella who got a little out of hand." "You two help me load him into the car, will you?" "What a shame." "He looked and talked so normal." "You just never know." "Good to see you, Ben." "Four or five years now." "HOLMAN:" "Well, Vincent, he'd still be alive today if he hadn't wanted to believe your crazy dreams." "Sheriff Carver checked out the power station." "Except for him, there was nothing." "No, there wouldn't be, not now." "The coroner's report was heart attack." "Whatever you think, that's the way it was." "Sure." "Ben, what do you want me to do with him?" " Let him go." " Let him go?" "That's right." "Let him go." "Well, I don't know why you came here, Vincent, but don't come back." "No reason to." "Not anymore." "Lieutenant." "I know I can find an answer to this if you'll only help me." "This is the final word, Vincent, the bottom line." "For your own sake, let it end here." "Whatever you're planning, let it end here." "I wish I could." "NARRATOR:" "How does a nightmare end?" "Not here in the forgotten town of Kinney." "Perhaps in Bakersfield." "Perhaps at some undiscovered beachhead in another state, or another continent." "Perhaps, for David Vincent, it will never end."