1. The Hitch-Hiker
First Aired: 22 January 1960
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2. There is a fifth dimension.
Beyond that which is known to man.
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3. It is a dimension as vast as space.
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4. And as timeless as infinity.
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5. It is the middle ground
between light and shadow...
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6. between science and superstition.
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7. And it lies between
the pit of man's fears...
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8. and the summit of his knowledge.
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9. This is the dimension
of imagination.
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10. It is an area which we call:
The Twilight Zone.
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11. Her name is Nan Adams.
She's 27 years old.
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12. Her occupation, buyer at a
New York department store.
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13. At present on vacation, driving
to Los Angeles, California.
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14. How fast were you going, miss?
- Oh, 60, 65. Something like that.
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15. Blowout, skid marks, shoulders like
pudding and going 65 miles an hour.
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16. You're very lucky. By rights, you
shouldn't have called for a mechanic.
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17. Somebody should have
called for a hearse.
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18. Just follow me into town, miss.
Maybe I got a new tyre for you.
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19. Minor incident on highway 11
in Pennsylvania.
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20. Perhaps to be filed away under
'Accidents you'd walk away from.'
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21. But from this moment on, her companion
to California will be terror.
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22. Her route, fear.
Her destination, quite unknown.
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23. Five bucks for the call. $24,90
for the tire. The total is $29.70.
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24. It's cheaper than a funeral.
- You can say that again.
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25. Here you are, miss.
Change from your two 20s.
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26. Checked the other tires for you.
They look okay.
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27. Anything wrong?
- No.
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28. No, I was just looking at
that hitchhiker.
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29. What hitchhiker?
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30. He's gone. Guess he got picked up.
- Probably.
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31. Funny, I saw him a little while ago
while, you were changing the tire.
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32. He probably got a lift right
after we passed him.
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33. Thank you very much for your help.
- It's okay, miss.
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34. Have a nice, safe trip.
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35. Thank you.
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36. I saw him again 50 miles further on.
And on the stretch through Virginia.
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37. Just standing there.
Not menacing, really.
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38. If anything, drab, a little mousy.
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39. Just a shabby, silly-looking,
scarecrow man.
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40. I shouldn't even think about him
at all, but, it's that coincidence.
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41. That wherever I go, there he is.
Wherever I stop, I see him.
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42. No matter how far I travel or
how fast I go, he's ahead of me.
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43. I'm on a turnpike now.
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44. I don't know why it is,
but I'm frightened.
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45. A fear just about as vague
as its object.
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46. Maybe it isn't really a fear.
It's more just a sense of disquiet.
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47. A feeling that things
are a little wrong.
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48. It's vague because that's what
that hitchhiker is. He's vague.
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49. I wonder why it is
he's always there.
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50. I wonder why I can't shake him.
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51. Many hitchhikers around here?
- Hitchhikers, here? Ooh.
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52. Rare, huh?
- It couldn't be no rarer.
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53. The guy would be a fool hitching
a ride on a turnpike.
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54. Miles and miles straight away.
And practically no speed limit.
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55. What car is gonna stop and
pick up a guy? Would you?
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56. A guy might get a ride by the toll
house before the turnpike starts.
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57. Its a long ride. Most cars wouldn't
pick up a guy for that long a ride.
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58. And then, it's kind of
lonely country around here.
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59. Flatland, hills, that sort of thing.
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60. Did you see anyone hitching?
- No, I was just wondering.
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61. Is something wrong, miss?
- I don't know, I...
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62. I was just thinking...
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63. I was just thinking how good it's
gonna be to be able to stop driving.
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64. It's getting so...
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65. I hate that car.
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66. You'll have to wait a minute, miss.
Construction ahead.
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67. Heading west?
- No, I'm not heading west, sorry.
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68. I'm not heading west, I'm just
going up the road a little way.
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69. Miss, where are you going?
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70. Now the fear is no longer vague.
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71. The terror isn't formless.
It has a form.
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72. He was beckoning me.
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73. That thin, gray man in the cheap,
shabby suit. He was beckoning me.
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74. He wanted me to start to cross.
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75. He wanted me to die.
I know that now.
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76. I don't know what to do now.
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77. Should I turn around and go back
to New York or go on ahead?
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78. Stabbing little thoughts gouge my
brain. Ugly, frightened thoughts.
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79. Projections of tomorrow
and the next day.
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80. Driving through plains
and the desert.
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81. Unspeakably, nightmarishly alone.
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82. And I know I'll see him.
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83. I'll see him at detours,
at railroad crossings.
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84. He'll be looking at me at stoplights.
I don't know what to do now.
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85. I just don't know what to do.
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86. Three days and three nights
now of driving.
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87. Past Tennessee into Arkansas.
Three days and three nights.
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88. Stop for food and then drive.
And the routine goes on.
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89. Towns go by without names,
landscapes without form.
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90. Now it isn't even a trip,
it's flight.
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91. Route 80 isn't a highway anymore,
it's an escape route.
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92. So I keep going.
I've got to get where I'm going.
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93. I can't let that hitchhiker
close in on me.
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94. On the fourth day, halfway
across New Mexico I took a side road.
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95. Hoping to lose the hitchhiker.
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96. At 11:00 at night, the engine stopped.
I sit there in the front seat.
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97. Refrigerated by fear: Out of gas.
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98. Please, somebody Help me.
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99. Yeah? What is it? What do you want?
- I'm out of gas.
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100. My car's down the road.
- Come back in the morning.
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101. Please. I can't stay here all night.
I have to have some gas.
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102. Lady, it must be past midnight.
- It's only a little bit after 11:00.
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103. Well, we close up here at 9:00.
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104. Please. I've got to have a can of
gas. I can't stay there by myself.
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105. There's a suspicious-looking man.
- What about this man?
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106. What was he doing?
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107. Nothing, I...
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108. He just stands there
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109. I've been seeing this man all
the time. He doesn't do anything.
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110. That's nothing to wake a man up
in the middle of his sleep about.
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111. I think he's trying to rob me.
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112. If he does, then you come back here.
And I'll call the sheriff.
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113. No, please help me, please.
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114. Lady?
- Yes.
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115. That's what I am. I'm a lady.
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116. What are you doing out so late?
You work here? This your place?
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117. I ran out of gas. The car's down the
road, but he won't give me any gas.
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118. I saw your car. The keys are in it.
- Do you live around here?
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119. No, I'm on my way back from leave.
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120. Where you headed?
- My ship. I'm heading San Diego.
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121. Do you want a ride?
- Are you kidding me?
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122. I mean it. I'll take you all the way
to San Diego. Will you drive with me?
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123. Lady, you don't have to ask twice.
You got yourself a rider, honest.
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124. I don't have any gas, though. We'll
fix that up. You try the people here?
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125. The man's in bed.
- Let's get him out of bed.
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126. Hey, pop, you got some
customers out here.
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127. Do you mind If I take off my shoes?
My feet feel like two hot bricks.
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128. No, go right ahead.
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129. You know, I keep thinking
I'll wake up or something.
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130. Middle of the night, no cars,
no nothing. Who do I meet?
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131. Lady who looks like a movie star.
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132. When I tell the guys on the ship...
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133. Do you know what the odds are
for even one guy believing me?
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134. I said: 'Do you know what the odds
are for one guy to believe me?'
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135. I'll write an affidavit.
We can get a notary to sign it.
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136. You hitchhike much?
- Back and forth on leave mostly.
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137. It's tough in this open country.
Trucks they'll pick you up.
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138. But you have trouble with cars.
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139. You know, most people in cars
won't pick up hitchhikers at night.
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140. Oh, I suppose not.
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141. If you got a good pickup and a fast
car, you could go places faster...
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142. than another person in another car.
- I suppose.
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143. For instance. If I'm driving across
the country at 45 miles an hour.
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144. Could a fellow like
you waiting for a lift...
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145. beat me to town after town, provided
he got picked up every time...
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146. in a car going about 65 to
70 miles an hour? Could he?
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147. I suppose.
Maybe he could, maybe he couldn't.
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148. What difference does it make?
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149. No difference, really.
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150. Just a silly kind of idea I
had here sitting in the car.
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151. I guess it's a good way to
spend your time, though, huh?
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152. What's going on? What's the matter?
- Did you see that man?
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153. The one standing beside the road.
- Honey, I didn't see anybody.
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154. There was nothing there.
You trying to run us off the road?
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155. The thin, kind of gray-looking man?
- I didn't see anybody.
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156. Lady, you must be overtired.
I didn't see nobody. Nothing.
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157. I saw him.
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158. Look, lady, maybe you'd
better let me drive, huh?
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159. You must have seen him that time.
- I didn't see anybody.
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160. What were you trying to do?
- I was trying to hit him.
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161. Yes, I thought maybe if I could
kill him, I could make him stop.
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162. Where you going?
- No place in particular. Just away.
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163. I'm going to put distance
between me and this automobile.
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164. Please don't go. I don't know
what came over me. Don't go.
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165. Look, baby, I'd like to get
back to my ship in one piece.
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166. And that will not happen this way.
- I promise I'll drive more carefully.
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167. I'm sorry.
But you'll have to excuse me.
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168. You can't go, you understand that?
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169. I'll take you all the way into
San Diego. Even right to the docks.
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170. Thanks, but no thanks.
- Look, I like you.
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171. I really like you very much. That's
why I picked you up. I liked you.
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172. I thought that we could be friends,
and you could to take me out.
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173. Really. Please?
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174. I'm sorry, ma'am.
- No, please. Please.
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175. I know you think I'm out of my mind.
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176. This man's been following me
all the way across the country.
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177. Help me and just stay with me
till I reach the coast.
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178. Please don't go.
Please?
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179. Just give me my shoes.
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180. You listen, honey. What you need
is a good night's sleep.
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181. You don't need a boyfriend,
just a good night's sleep.
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182. I'll see you around.
- No. Don't go.
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183. I'm outside of a diner near Tucson.
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184. There's a pay phone outside,
and I'm going to call to New York.
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185. Put in a call to my mother.
So I can speak to someone familiar.
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186. Someone I love.
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187. Someone to bring back reality to me.
Just a voice.
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188. A warm, familiar voice.
So I won't lose my mind.
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189. Operator, I'd like to make a call
to New York. My name is Nan Adams.
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190. Telephone number is Trafalgar 41098.
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191. Hello, mother?
- This is Mrs Adams' residence.
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192. Whom do you wish to speak to, please?
- Who's this?
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193. This is Mrs Whitney.
- I don't know any Mrs Whitney.
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194. Is this Trafalgar 41098?
- Yes, it is.
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195. Where's my mother, Mrs Adams?
- She's still in the hospital.
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196. A nervous breakdown.
- There's nothing the matter with her.
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197. What do you mean,
a nervous breakdown?
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198. It's all taken place since
the death of her daughter.
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199. The death of her daughter? What do
you mean, the death of her daughter?
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200. Who's this? What number is this?
- It's all been very sudden.
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201. Nan was killed six days ago in an
automobile accident in Pennsylvania.
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202. A tire blew out and
her car turned over.
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203. Very odd.
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204. The fear has left me now.
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205. I'm numb, I have no feeling.
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206. It's as if someone had pulled out
some kind of a plug in me and...
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207. everything, emotion, feeling,
fear, has drained out.
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208. And now I'm a cold shell.
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209. I'm conscious of
things around me now.
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210. The vast night of Arizona,
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211. The stars that look down
from the darkness.
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212. Ahead of me stretch a thousand
miles of empty mesa.
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213. Mountains, prairies, desert.
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214. Somewhere among them,
he's waiting for me.
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215. Somewhere I'll find out who he is.
I'll find out.
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216. I'll find out what he wants.
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217. But just now, for the first time...
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218. looking out at the night...
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219. I think I know.
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220. I think I know.
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221. I believe you're going my way?
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222. Nan Adams, age 27.
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223. She was driving to California.
To Los Angeles.
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224. She didn't make it.
There was a detour...
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225. through the Twilight Zone.
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