THE SHELTER
Rod Serling SYNOPSIS OF ACT ONE: On a summer evening, a birthday celebration is go-
ing on at Dr. Stockton's. Among those present are his neighbors: the Hen-
dersons, the Weiss's and the Harlowes. In the midst of it comes unexpected-
ly over the radio the announcement of the President of the United States declaring
5 a state of emergency for suspected enemy missiles approaching. The party
breaks up and the neighbors hurry home.
However, shortly afterwards they return one after another to the Stockton
house for the simple reason that they want to survive-- want to share with
the Stocktons the bomb shelter which is the only one on their street.
ACT TWO
(abridged) OUTSIDE STOCKTON HOME
HENDERSON It'll land any minute. I just know it. It's
going to land any minute-
MRS. HENDERSON ( grabs hold of him )What are we going to
do?
5
Thoughout above and following dialtogue, a portable radio carried by one of
the children carries the following announcement:
ANNOUNCER'S VOICE This is Conelrad. This is Conelrad. We are
10 still in a state of Yellow Alert. If you are a
public official or government employee with
an emergency assignment, or a civil defense
worker, you should report to your post im-
mediately. If you are a public official or
15 government employee...
MRS. HARLOWE Jerry, ask again.
HARLOWE Don't waste your time. He won't let anyone
in. He said he didn't have any room or sup-
plies there and it's designed for three peo-
20 ple.
MRS. HENDERSON what'll we do?
HAR LOWE Maybe we ought to pick out just one base-
ment and go to work on it. Pool all our
stuff. Food, water, everything.
25 MRS. HARLOWE It isn't fair. ( she points toward Stockton
house ) He's down there in a bomb shelter
completely safe. And our kids have to just
wait around for a bomb to drop and-
HENDERSON Let's just go down into his basement and
30 break down the door?
A chorus of voices greet this with assent.
As HENDERSON rushes through toward the basement entrance, HARLOWE
35 overtakes him saying:
HARLOWE Wait a minute, wait a minute. All of us
couldn't fit in there. That would be
crazy to even try.
40 WEISS Why don't we draw lots? Pick out one fami-
ly?
HARLOWE What;difference would it make? He won't
let us in.
HENDERSON We can all march down there and tell him
45 he's got the whole street against him. We
could do that.
HARLOWE What good would that do? I keep telling
you. Even if we were to break down the
door, it couldn't accommodate all of us.
50 We'd just be kihing everybody and for no
reason.
MRS. HENDERSON If it saves even one of these kids out
here - I call that a reason.
55 The voice comes up again.
WEISS Jerry, you know him better than any of us.
You're his best friend. Why don't you go
down again? Try to talk to him. Plead with
60 him. Tell him to pick out one family-Draw
lots or something--
HENDERSON One family, meaning yours, Weiss, huh?
WEISS ( whirls around to him ) Why not? I've got a
three-month-old infant--
65 MRS. HENDERSON What differenee does that make? Is your
baby's life any more precious than our kids?
WEISS ( shouting at her ) I never said that. If you're
going to start trying to argue about who de-
serves to live more than the next one--
70 HENDERSON Why don't you shut your mouth; Weiss?
( with a wild, illogical anger ) That's the way
it is when the foreigners come over here.Ag-
gressive, greedy, semi-Americans--
WEISS (his face goes white ) Why you garbage-
75 brained idiot you--
MRS. HENDERSON It still goes, Weiss! I bet you're at the
bottom of the list-- WEISS suddenly flings himself through the crowd toward the man and there's
80 a brief, hand--td--hand fight between them broken up by HARLOWE who stands
between them breathless. HARLOWE Keep it up, both of you.Just keep it up.We
won't need a bomb. We can slaughter each
85 other.
MRS. WEISS (pleading) Marty, go down to Bill's shelter
again. Ask him--
WEISS I've already asked him. It wouldn't do any
good.
90
Once again the siren sounds and the people seem to move closer together,
staring up toward the night sky. Off in the distance we see searchlights. HARLOWE Searchlights. It must be coming closer.
95 HENDERSON ( as he sudenly pushes HARLOWE aside and
heads for as he sudthe steps ) I'm going down
there and get him to open up that door. I
don't care what the rest of you think. That's
the only thing left to do.
100 MAN#1 He's right. Come on, let's do it.
INSIDE THE SHELTER
GRACE is holding tight to PAUL .STOCKTON stands close to the door Iisten-
105 ing to the noises from outside as they approach. There's a pounding on the
sheltsr door that reverberates.
OUTSIDE THE SHELTER
HENDERSON Bill? Bill Stockton? You've got a bunch of
110 your neighbors out here who want to stay
alive.Now you can open the door and talk to
us and figure out with us how many can come
in there. Or else you can just keep doing
what you're doing --and we'll fight our way
115 in there.
HARLOWE appears and pushes his way through the group and goes over to
the shelter door.
120 HARLOWE Bill. This is Jerry. They mean business out
here.
STOCKTON'S VOICE And I mean business in here. I've already
told you, Jerry. You're wasting your time.
You're wasting precious time that could be
125 used for something, else ... like figuring
out how you can survive.
MAN#1 Why don't we get a big, heavy log to break
the door down?
HENDERSON We could go ove to Bennett Avenue. Phil
130 Kline has sorne giant logs in his basement.
I've seen them. Let's get one. And we'll
just tell Kline to keep his mouth shut as
to why we want it.
WEISS Let's get hold of ourselves. Let's stop and
135 think for a minute--
HENDERSON ( tuning to face WEISS ) Nobody cares what
you think. You or your kind. I thought I
made that clear upstairs. I think the first or-
der of business is to get you out of here.
140
With this he strikes out, smashing his fist into WEISS's face in a blow so un-
expected so wild that WEISS, totally unprepared, is knocked against the
wall. His wife screams and, Still holding the baby, rushes to him. There's a
commotion as several men try to grab the neighbor and HARLOWE is immedi-
145 ately at WEISS's side trying to help him to his feet . Once again the sirens
blast.
HENDERSON (shouts over the noise and commotion) Come
on, let's get something to smash this door
150 down.
They start out of the cellar toward the steps.
INSIDE THE SHELTER
155
STOGKTON slowly turns to face his wife. The angry screaming cries of the
people ring in their ears even as they depart.
GRACE (looks up) Bill? Who were those people?
160 STOCKTON ( turning to stare toward the door ) "Those people? " Those are
our neighbors, Grace. Our friends. The people
we've lived with and alongside for twenty years.
(then in a different fixed expression and in a
different tone ) Come on, Paul. Let's put stuff up
165 against this door. Everything we can.
The man and boy then start to pile up a barricade, using fumiture, the genera-
tor, books, any movable object they can get their hands on.
170 OUTSIDE OF THE SHELTER
The mob marches down the street carrying a large heavy log that is perhaps
fifteen feet long. Their own shouts mix with the sound of the intermittent siren
and with the voice of the annouricer on the Conelrad station.
175
ANNOUNCER'S VOICE We've been asked to once again remind the
population that they are to remain. calm,
stay off the streets. This is urgent. Please
remain off the streets. Everything possible
180 is being done in t he way of protection. But
the mili-tary and important civil defense
vehicles must have the streets clear. So
you're once again reminded to remain off
the streets. Remain off the streets!
185
The minute the mob gathers before the STOCKTON house, they smash into it,
carrying the giant log. They move down the cellar steps. As the log smashes
into the shelter door, the siren goes up louder and more piercing and it is at
this moment that we see both WEISS and HARLOWE join the men on the
190 heavy log to lend their support to it.
INSIDE THE SHELTER
STOCKTON and PAUL lean against it as it starts to give under the weight,
195 under the pressure. The air is filled with angry shouts, the intermittent siren,
the cries of wonen and children. INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE SHELTER 200 And it all reaches one vast pitch just as the door is forced open. PAUL and
STOCKTON are pushed back into the shelter and just at this manent the Iights
go on in the basement. The siren also reaches its top and then suddenly goes
off and there is absolute dead silence for a long moment. Then from the
portable radio in the corner comes
205
ANNOUNCER'S VOICE This is Conelrad. This is Conelrad. Remain
tuned for an important message . Remain
tuned for an important message. ( a pause)
The President of the United States has jist
210 announced that the previously unidentified
objects have now been definitely identified as
being satellites. Repeat. There are no enemy
missiles approaching. Repeat, there are no
enemy missiles approaching . The objects
215 have been identified as satellites. They are
harmless and, we are in no danger. Repeat.
We are in no danger.The state of emergency
has officially been called off . We are in no
danger. Repeat. There is no enemy attack.
220 There is no enemy attack.
MRS. WEISS ( her eyes closed. and crying softly ) Thank
God. Oh, thank God.
WEISS ( in a whisper, his face bruised and blood clot-
ted ) Amen to that.
225 HENDERSON Hey, Marty. . . Marty. . . I went crazy. You
understand that, don't you? I just went
crazy. I didn't mean all the things I said.(he
wets . his Iips, his voice shaking ) We were all
of ua. . . we were so scared. . . so confused.
230 (he holds out his hands in a gesture ) Well,
it's no wonder really, is it? I mean . . . well,
you can understand why we blew our tops a
little--
235 There's a murmur of voices, a few half--hearted nods, but they' re alI still in a
state of shock. HARLOWE I don't think. Marty's going to hold it against
you. ( then turning to STOCKTON ) I just hope
240 Bill won't hold this-- ( he points to the
wreckage around him ) against us.We'll pay
for the damage, Bill. We'll take up a collec-
tion right away. 245 AS STOCKTON walks past them across the cellar and up toward the stairs,
all eyes are on him and there's an absolute dead silence.
WEISS ( hisvvoice shaky and nervous ) We could . . .
we oould have a block party or something to-
250 morrow night. A big ce~ebration. I think we
deserve one now. He looks around smiling at the otfiers, a nervous smiie bom of a carry--over of
fear and the realization that sflmething has taken hold of alI of them now.
255 Something deadening in its effect and dlsquieting beyound words.
STOCKTON takes a step up on the stairs then stops and turns back toward
them. His face is expressionless. HARLOWE (with phony laughter desperately trying to re-
260 lieve situation ) Block party's not a b~d idea.
( looking around at the others ) Anything to
get back to normal.
STOCKTON ( looks from face to face and slowly shakes his
head ) Normal? ( a pause ) I don't know. I
265 don't know what " normal " is. I thought I
did, but I don't any more.
HARLOWE I told you we'd pay for the damages-
STOCKTON ( stares at him ) The damages? ( he nods ) I
wonder if we realize just what those damages
270 are? ( he looks from face to face again )
Maybe the worst of them was finding out just
what we're like when we're normal. The
kind of people we are. Just underneath the
surface. I mean all of us. A lot of naked ani-
275 mals who attach such great importance to
staying alive that they claw their neighbors to
death just far the privilege. ( he leans against
the stairway wall, suddenly desperateiy tired,
very softly as he tums away from them ) We
280 were spared a bomb tonight. . . but I wonder
if we weren't destroyed even without it.
He continues up the steps. | 
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