3 Bloody Valentine's Stories!

WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.880 --> 00:00:05.280
Hey, my spookies, love is
in the air. That's right. Whether

2
00:00:05.320 --> 00:00:11.320
you love or hate Valentine's Day,
one thing is certain. There's nothing quite

3
00:00:11.560 --> 00:00:20.039
like a terrifying tale of love and
possibly dismemberment, and weekly Spooky is never

4
00:00:20.120 --> 00:00:25.120
hesitated to bring you the goods.
So tonight, right here, I'm going

5
00:00:25.160 --> 00:00:31.399
to bring you three of our Valentine's
Day tales, something to wet your appetite

6
00:00:31.719 --> 00:00:37.759
before our brand new Valentine's Day novella
releasing next Wednesday. So, my dear

7
00:00:37.799 --> 00:00:42.560
listener, get yourself comfortable. Maybe
get yourself a glass of wine to go

8
00:00:42.640 --> 00:00:48.799
with those chocolates you got from a
secret admirer. Don't worry, you'll find

9
00:00:48.840 --> 00:00:53.039
out if they have needles in them
in no time. So get comfortable,

10
00:00:53.119 --> 00:00:58.880
get cozy. Here's three tales of
sick love, just for beloved you after

11
00:00:58.960 --> 00:01:08.480
these quick words words a Sunken Heart
in he Obey by Jeff Carpenter, All

12
00:01:08.560 --> 00:01:15.439
life emerged crawled out from the sea. Now I don't know what's crawling out.

13
00:01:18.359 --> 00:01:23.359
He Obey High School Science Biology class, Monday, two forty three pm.

14
00:01:23.719 --> 00:01:26.680
A Umi scribbles into her notebook,
hunched over her desk, protecting her

15
00:01:26.719 --> 00:01:32.120
work. Her eyes are obscured by
black horn rims matching her long jet black

16
00:01:32.159 --> 00:01:37.359
hair tied into a ponytail. Are
you like? In Grade three, a

17
00:01:37.439 --> 00:01:41.040
girl beside her with dyed brown hair
grabs the notebook off a Yumi's desk.

18
00:01:41.599 --> 00:01:45.519
The pen leaves a streak across the
page. She turns to the second girl

19
00:01:45.560 --> 00:01:49.680
and shows her the notebook. The
second girl makes a sour face, gesturing

20
00:01:49.760 --> 00:01:56.239
dismissively at the drawings In a ligned
notebook page cartoons a girl sunbathing in a

21
00:01:56.239 --> 00:02:00.480
boat, reading a book, and
below her myriad of sea creatures from in

22
00:02:00.519 --> 00:02:05.640
the deep, an octopus and crab
feasting on something. The girl points at

23
00:02:05.640 --> 00:02:09.280
a figure farther down the page,
a masked scuba diver rising to the surface

24
00:02:09.319 --> 00:02:15.280
holding something in his hand. Oh
my god, is that mister Herata?

25
00:02:15.840 --> 00:02:19.400
What is that in his hand?
What has he got? A pearl?

26
00:02:19.680 --> 00:02:23.800
A present for you? She and
her friend laugh at the suggestion. Aumi

27
00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:28.280
tries to grab it. Give it
back. He'd only kiss you if you

28
00:02:28.319 --> 00:02:32.080
had gills and a tail. She
already smells like she does. Give it

29
00:02:32.280 --> 00:02:36.800
back. There's a crack at the
front of the class. The student's heads

30
00:02:36.840 --> 00:02:39.439
turned to the front. The teacher
rests his hand on a book atop some

31
00:02:39.560 --> 00:02:45.199
scattered papers on his desk. A
Umi, please see me after class.

32
00:02:46.360 --> 00:02:53.439
Oohoo, The two Girlfriends coup and
chorus. Aumi holds a stack of textbooks

33
00:02:53.439 --> 00:02:57.560
and crossed arms close to her chest. I'm not sure what's come over you.

34
00:02:57.120 --> 00:03:00.159
You were disturbing the class today and
you have handed in your assignment.

35
00:03:00.280 --> 00:03:06.039
Yet usually you're a very well behaved, punctual student. What's gotten into you?

36
00:03:06.919 --> 00:03:17.520
She can't meet his eyes. Tomorrow, mister Herada, Tomorrow. A

37
00:03:17.680 --> 00:03:23.400
Umi's household, Monday, six forty
nine pm. The melted chocolate cools in

38
00:03:23.479 --> 00:03:28.439
the bowl and the double boiler on
the counter beside the stove, or a

39
00:03:28.479 --> 00:03:31.439
box of sea salt, a jar
of raspberry jam, a bowl of herring

40
00:03:31.520 --> 00:03:37.879
row, a collection of spoons and
heart shaped molds. A Umi's grandfather walks

41
00:03:37.960 --> 00:03:42.680
up behind her, looking over her
shoulder, surprises her for a boy.

42
00:03:43.400 --> 00:03:46.680
It's good you take an interest in
normal school life outside of the tales you

43
00:03:46.719 --> 00:03:50.439
read in your books. It's good
you spend time with people your own age.

44
00:03:50.800 --> 00:03:53.719
Dead authors and old men like me
are not ideal companions for young girls.

45
00:03:54.599 --> 00:03:59.919
A Umi ignores her grandfather and increases
her focus on spooning the jam into

46
00:03:59.919 --> 00:04:04.360
the cool chocolate molds. With intense
deliberation. She plucks two individual eggs from

47
00:04:04.400 --> 00:04:10.199
the herring row and placing them side
by side in the raspberry jam. Squishing

48
00:04:10.240 --> 00:04:14.039
them together in the gooey jam,
they leak their briny, golden insides into

49
00:04:14.080 --> 00:04:17.319
the surrounding compote. She sprinkles a
pinch of sea salt into the molds,

50
00:04:17.639 --> 00:04:23.759
finishing her creation with a flourish Could
I have a taste of that chocolate though,

51
00:04:24.360 --> 00:04:31.480
reminds me of your grandmother? Tuesday, Valentine's Day, one fifty six

52
00:04:31.560 --> 00:04:35.519
PM, a girl bumps into a
yomie in the hall. She drops her

53
00:04:35.560 --> 00:04:40.199
books and makes a desperate grab as
the red cardboard box folded into the shape

54
00:04:40.199 --> 00:04:43.879
of a clamshell, slips from her
fingers. As she bends over to pick

55
00:04:43.879 --> 00:04:46.759
them up, she notices a boy, a strong athletic boy from her gym

56
00:04:46.800 --> 00:04:50.639
class, looking at her with a
kind of faint smile she hasn't seen before,

57
00:04:51.199 --> 00:04:55.439
and she sees that her skirt is
riding up high on her legs.

58
00:04:56.040 --> 00:04:59.279
She straightens up and pulls her skirt
down. The boy still has the funny

59
00:04:59.319 --> 00:05:02.680
look on his face, and he
looks weak somehow, as if all his

60
00:05:02.800 --> 00:05:09.199
strength is leaked away just by looking
at her. She feels flushed and rushes

61
00:05:09.240 --> 00:05:15.560
to class. What's this, mister
Herada flips the cardboard clamshell open on his

62
00:05:15.680 --> 00:05:20.839
desk, revealing the chocolates within.
Ayumi looks at the Valentine's Day present on

63
00:05:20.920 --> 00:05:28.279
display, one of the heart chocolates
cracked from the fall. It's for It's

64
00:05:28.279 --> 00:05:32.000
for you, Aumi. I can't
accept this. You know it is inappropriate

65
00:05:32.040 --> 00:05:35.759
for a student to offer such gifts
to her teacher. I'm sorry, it

66
00:05:35.800 --> 00:05:39.560
looks like you put a lot of
work into this gift, but I just

67
00:05:39.639 --> 00:05:44.879
can't. Ayumi hugs her books tight
and shuffles to her seat. Otani,

68
00:05:45.319 --> 00:05:48.360
the grizzled old janitor, totters into
the classroom and empties the waste paper basket

69
00:05:48.360 --> 00:05:51.959
by the teacher's desk. He winks
at the gang of girls huddled together,

70
00:05:53.360 --> 00:05:57.600
gossiping and giggling. One of the
girls with dyed brown hair leans over to

71
00:05:57.639 --> 00:06:00.399
Ayumi and hisses at her, if
you want older, man. I'm pretty

72
00:06:00.399 --> 00:06:05.120
sure mister Otani is available, but
better act quick before one of us snatches

73
00:06:05.160 --> 00:06:10.639
him up first. The huddle of
girls convulses with laughter as Otani staggers out

74
00:06:10.639 --> 00:06:14.839
the door. A Yumi looks up
from her book and over at mister Harada's

75
00:06:14.920 --> 00:06:17.439
desk. From her vantage point,
she can see that one of the chocolates

76
00:06:17.519 --> 00:06:21.879
is missing. There is a space
there. It is undeniable. Did she

77
00:06:23.040 --> 00:06:30.800
just see mister Harada lick his lips? Did he really? Ayumi watches intently,

78
00:06:30.040 --> 00:06:33.560
her elbows on her desk, chin
resting on her knuckles, and rapt

79
00:06:33.560 --> 00:06:39.639
attention. My last dive, I
saw definite changes. The outflow from these

80
00:06:39.680 --> 00:06:45.120
chemical plants is causing untold damage to
the ecosystem. I'm finding noticeable mutations in

81
00:06:45.160 --> 00:06:49.279
the local sea life. Over Long
exposure to this pollution is ravaging local populations.

82
00:06:49.680 --> 00:06:55.720
I've decided to devote my time recording
and cataloging these mutations. We have

83
00:06:55.800 --> 00:06:59.800
to do something to change this.
We all have to do something what I'm

84
00:06:59.800 --> 00:07:04.160
doing as cataloging the mutations. He
plops a ziploc bag holding a fist sized

85
00:07:04.199 --> 00:07:09.839
thing enveloped in gelatinous syrup on the
desk. It is a creature curled into

86
00:07:09.839 --> 00:07:15.160
a fetal ball. Two appendages pierce
the syrupy envelope, terminating its claws.

87
00:07:15.079 --> 00:07:20.160
Know what this is. No guesses
it's a fish. Does it look like

88
00:07:20.199 --> 00:07:25.000
a fish to you? The students
shake their heads. I don't think so.

89
00:07:25.639 --> 00:07:29.360
I found this swimming off the breakwater
in Heino Bay. Well, it

90
00:07:29.480 --> 00:07:35.240
was trying to swim, more like
paddling in a circle. Those those bastards,

91
00:07:35.439 --> 00:07:41.040
excuse me, those blameless industrialists in
the plant on the shore. They've

92
00:07:41.040 --> 00:07:46.319
turned Heno Bay into a living science
experiment. All life emerged. It crawled

93
00:07:46.319 --> 00:07:50.680
out of the sea. Now I
don't know what's crawling out. He turns

94
00:07:50.720 --> 00:07:56.480
back to the specimen. This is
the caudal fin, the tail of the

95
00:07:56.519 --> 00:08:05.000
so called fish. An iridescent turquoise
caudal fin unfurls in the swirling sea green

96
00:08:05.120 --> 00:08:11.759
water. It swishes to and fro
back and forth, lazily, propelling the

97
00:08:11.800 --> 00:08:16.920
creature upward, breaking the surface.
She notices that the creature is her.

98
00:08:16.720 --> 00:08:22.000
She is the creature, her bare
human body above the water, her scaly

99
00:08:22.079 --> 00:08:26.920
torso and tapered tail beneath the waves, trailing off into the darkness, and

100
00:08:26.959 --> 00:08:31.639
the murky depths below. Her long
black hair flows out behind her, slowly

101
00:08:31.759 --> 00:08:35.759
undulating in the motion of the ripples. She feels the water rise in a

102
00:08:35.799 --> 00:08:41.679
soft swell, and he is there
beside her in the black rubber wetsuit.

103
00:08:41.159 --> 00:08:46.960
A gentle wave pushes them closer together. He pulls off his face mask and

104
00:08:46.039 --> 00:08:52.159
removes the regulator from his mouth.
He presses it against her lips. Breathe,

105
00:08:52.799 --> 00:08:56.480
breathe, he urges. She opens
her mouth, letting him inside her

106
00:08:56.960 --> 00:09:05.000
and breathes in, breathes deep,
and she feels herself going down, down,

107
00:09:05.120 --> 00:09:11.519
into unconsciousness. Aumi opens her eyes, she smiles and squeezes the pillow

108
00:09:11.559 --> 00:09:22.360
tight to her body. Wednesday,
three h two pm. The daughter of

109
00:09:22.399 --> 00:09:26.360
the dragon King was Ningyo, Princess
of the Deep. She could assume various

110
00:09:26.399 --> 00:09:31.120
forms and would often take the form
of a beautiful woman who could put any

111
00:09:31.200 --> 00:09:35.679
man who ventured into the sea under
her spell. Aumi stands at the front

112
00:09:35.720 --> 00:09:39.399
of the class. Her magic pearls
could turn a Umi. The assignment was

113
00:09:39.399 --> 00:09:45.799
supposed to be about sea life,
real actual sea life. Dragons don't exist.

114
00:09:46.440 --> 00:09:50.200
Why would you what made you do
your assignment on that? I'm going

115
00:09:50.240 --> 00:09:54.879
to be forced to give you an
f Please see me after class. Aumi

116
00:09:54.919 --> 00:10:00.000
tries to hold back a faint smile. He slumps back in his chair,

117
00:10:00.159 --> 00:10:03.080
pulls off his tie, loosens his
collar, unbuttons the bottom button on his

118
00:10:03.159 --> 00:10:09.200
shirt. He leans forward. She
can see down his open shirt. There

119
00:10:09.240 --> 00:10:13.200
are iridescent scales catching the light on
his neck, spreading out and down to

120
00:10:13.240 --> 00:10:20.759
his chest. Mister Herada, yesaumi. Do you think people can change?

121
00:10:20.799 --> 00:10:24.759
She pivots on her legs, twisting
back and forth. Yes, of course,

122
00:10:26.960 --> 00:10:31.720
change into something so wonderful, so
strange, that you don't know what

123
00:10:31.840 --> 00:10:37.679
they might become. What are you
talking about? Kiss me? Mister Harada

124
00:10:37.720 --> 00:10:41.919
stared at her kiss me. Why
couldn't she say it out loud? Her

125
00:10:41.960 --> 00:10:46.799
lips strained white against her teeth.
She bites her lower lip until she is

126
00:10:46.840 --> 00:10:50.240
sure blood will pop and trickle down
her chin. She drops a potty training

127
00:10:50.279 --> 00:10:56.440
manual on the teacher's desk. What's
this? I'm going to get my diving

128
00:10:56.440 --> 00:11:01.799
certificate. Really, it's an intensive
course. You sure it won't interfere with

129
00:11:01.840 --> 00:11:05.559
your school studies? No, sir, I always think of you with your

130
00:11:05.600 --> 00:11:09.360
nose in the books, not outside
getting your hands dirty. He gives her

131
00:11:09.440 --> 00:11:16.240
an approving smile. Always think of
you, Always think of you, always

132
00:11:16.240 --> 00:11:20.960
you. It's kind of late in
the year to undertake such a big thing

133
00:11:22.080 --> 00:11:24.679
like this, don't you think.
She takes off her glasses and twirls them

134
00:11:24.679 --> 00:11:30.360
in her fingers. She looks straight
at Herada. I dreamed that we were

135
00:11:30.399 --> 00:11:33.399
swimming together last night, and you
swam up to me and looked deep into

136
00:11:33.399 --> 00:11:37.080
my eyes and said, you are
the queen of the sea, and the

137
00:11:37.159 --> 00:11:41.240
sea is the mother of life,
all life. And you held me close,

138
00:11:41.519 --> 00:11:46.879
and you put your lips on Aumi, this isn't appropriate. You're my

139
00:11:46.919 --> 00:11:50.840
student and i'm your teacher. I
want you to teach me real things,

140
00:11:52.240 --> 00:11:56.039
not the things I can get from
books on my own. Spending so much

141
00:11:56.080 --> 00:12:00.360
time in the water, maybe is
not such a good idea. We have

142
00:12:00.440 --> 00:12:03.519
to I'll grow scales. We'll both
be as free as the fishes. We'll

143
00:12:03.600 --> 00:12:09.080
change into them. We'll be living
in the ocean as sea creatures forever.

144
00:12:09.039 --> 00:12:15.240
You must never never speak about this
again to anyone, do you understand.

145
00:12:15.879 --> 00:12:20.080
Aumi jams her lips shut and looks
at the floor. Aumi, please let

146
00:12:20.120 --> 00:12:26.120
me go swimming with you. Silence. I promise not to talk about these

147
00:12:26.120 --> 00:12:35.080
things again. I'll think about it. Aumi's household, Thursday, six forty

148
00:12:35.080 --> 00:12:39.639
five pm. Aumi takes book after
book from her bookcase, and puts them

149
00:12:39.679 --> 00:12:43.600
down beside the others on her bed. She flips through them, smiles a

150
00:12:43.600 --> 00:12:46.360
faint smile, then, with the
reverence of a funeral, places them in

151
00:12:46.399 --> 00:12:50.519
a large cardboard box marked with a
black pen on the side, five hundred

152
00:12:50.600 --> 00:13:01.120
yen each. Hinobey Recreation Center,
ten fifty four. Am A Yumi plunges

153
00:13:01.159 --> 00:13:03.639
into the swimming pool. The weight
belt sinks her to the bottom. The

154
00:13:03.720 --> 00:13:07.000
instructor gives her the thumbs up,
then turns and ignores her, just like

155
00:13:07.080 --> 00:13:11.440
he did after she gave him the
money from selling all her favorite books.

156
00:13:11.320 --> 00:13:16.799
She looks around, surrounded by water. Everyone else is so far away.

157
00:13:16.360 --> 00:13:22.360
She is alone. If anything went
wrong, She closes her eyes. Her

158
00:13:22.360 --> 00:13:28.679
heart pounds in her head, blood
rushes in her ears. She hyperventilates.

159
00:13:28.960 --> 00:13:33.399
Her eyes are big. She's going
to drown down here. She sucks in

160
00:13:33.480 --> 00:13:37.200
water with her air. She sputters
and coughs. Blinded by bubbles escaping from

161
00:13:37.200 --> 00:13:41.559
her mouth, she drops her weights
and scrambles to the surface. The diving

162
00:13:41.600 --> 00:13:46.279
instructor swims over to her. You
panicked. He hands Ayumi her weight belt.

163
00:13:46.720 --> 00:13:52.919
This time. Breathes slow, breathe
deep, Keep calm, relax,

164
00:13:52.480 --> 00:13:56.679
nothing's going to get you. Sometimes
it helps to tell yourself a story to

165
00:13:56.759 --> 00:14:03.200
keep your mind focused. High School, Monday, two pm. A Yumi

166
00:14:03.279 --> 00:14:07.559
wears a gold badge embroidered on her
jacket. She carries a certificate between her

167
00:14:07.559 --> 00:14:11.240
stack of textbooks. She wears a
big smile in her face as she walks

168
00:14:11.279 --> 00:14:16.440
straight to the science classroom. She
takes her seat. A strange woman is

169
00:14:16.480 --> 00:14:20.720
at the front desk. Her smile
fades. She raises her hand. Where's

170
00:14:20.799 --> 00:14:26.559
mister Harada? He is on indefinite
leave. My name is missus Kotani and

171
00:14:26.600 --> 00:14:33.080
I'm the replacement teacher for this class. Hin Obey, Breakwater, Tuesday,

172
00:14:33.320 --> 00:14:37.960
two forty three pm. Shouldn't you
be in school? Teacher's not here today?

173
00:14:39.440 --> 00:14:43.080
A taxi idols parked but running in
a slot by the sea wall.

174
00:14:43.480 --> 00:14:46.799
Ayumi struggles with the air tank as
she pulls them up out of the trunk.

175
00:14:46.559 --> 00:14:50.879
You need a hand with that,
miss, Just a couple of trips.

176
00:14:50.639 --> 00:14:56.240
She hauls the gear down the breakwater
swim fins mask under her arms,

177
00:14:56.600 --> 00:15:01.120
oxygen tank hanging off of one shoulder. The dive tank slips off her shoulder,

178
00:15:01.440 --> 00:15:03.919
bangs off, her hip bone,
bounces off and rebounds into her legs,

179
00:15:05.159 --> 00:15:07.559
giving a dull blow to her knee
and shin. She cries out,

180
00:15:07.799 --> 00:15:13.519
stumbles and drops the tank, which
rolls on the ground. You alone,

181
00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:18.480
She turns back to look at him. Miss you alone. I heard it's

182
00:15:18.519 --> 00:15:26.480
not good to dive all by yourself. Oh, I've got someone. She

183
00:15:26.600 --> 00:15:30.440
makes it down to the end of
the breakwater. She clambers over the jagged

184
00:15:30.480 --> 00:15:33.639
boulders a umi spots a black shape
bobbing in the water about one hundred and

185
00:15:33.639 --> 00:15:39.279
fifty meters off shore. It must
be him. She dons her scuba gear,

186
00:15:39.519 --> 00:15:43.399
nervously strapping and clicking it all into
place. She hobbles into the sea,

187
00:15:43.559 --> 00:15:46.440
lapping onto the rocks. Once she's
up to her chest, she begins

188
00:15:46.480 --> 00:15:52.080
paddling out to sea. She looks
out toward the horizon. The black shape

189
00:15:52.159 --> 00:15:56.039
is gone. She can't see him
anymore. She puts the regulator in her

190
00:15:56.039 --> 00:16:02.200
mouth and ducks under the water.
It's cold and dark. She breathes in,

191
00:16:02.840 --> 00:16:07.000
but short and shallow. She coughs. She has to come up for

192
00:16:07.039 --> 00:16:11.240
air. She spits out salty sea
water and scans the horizon again. Nothing.

193
00:16:12.120 --> 00:16:17.159
She's going to have to go out
there. Her heart pounds beneath her

194
00:16:17.200 --> 00:16:26.600
wetsuit. This is it. She
clears her mask and goes under. She

195
00:16:26.720 --> 00:16:30.519
swims in slow, steady strokes.
She can't help feeling she is being shadowed

196
00:16:30.559 --> 00:16:36.399
by something not so far below her, but she fights the enshrouding panic,

197
00:16:36.799 --> 00:16:41.240
swallows her fear and breathes in long, deep breaths. She flashes back to

198
00:16:41.320 --> 00:16:45.320
books she's read about the sea,
most of them not factual accounts, of

199
00:16:45.360 --> 00:16:52.440
course, deep treasures hidden within the
protective maws of giant clams, fierce mortal

200
00:16:52.519 --> 00:16:57.039
battles between giant squids and deep diving
whales, and the jealous octopus dragging divers

201
00:16:57.039 --> 00:17:03.720
to their deaths for daring to croach
on its submarine territory. But she kind

202
00:17:03.759 --> 00:17:08.400
of remembers the true story mister Herada
told her of Ngyo or was that her

203
00:17:08.519 --> 00:17:14.960
dream? In any case, she's
having trouble remembering it completely. It was

204
00:17:15.039 --> 00:17:22.400
about a girl who swam out to
sea alone to find treasure a pearl.

205
00:17:22.880 --> 00:17:29.039
No, it was to find her
lover missing at sea. And yes,

206
00:17:29.960 --> 00:17:37.039
she finally does find him. He's
alive, but he's not alone. He's

207
00:17:37.119 --> 00:17:42.279
caught in the embrace of Ninyo.
The man's name is Herata and who is

208
00:17:42.400 --> 00:17:48.920
Ninyo. Ninyo pulls Harada close,
the water lapping against their bare bodies,

209
00:17:48.039 --> 00:17:52.720
writhing against him, rubbing off a
patina of irandescent scales onto his face and

210
00:17:52.839 --> 00:17:57.160
neck. She kisses him all over, runs her tongue along his arm,

211
00:17:57.559 --> 00:18:02.960
licks his fingers. Karata twists his
head, looks over his shoulder, eyes

212
00:18:03.000 --> 00:18:06.759
the girl from within the arms of
the tight embrace. Ningyo turns to see

213
00:18:06.759 --> 00:18:11.440
what he's looking at. She hisses
a sibilant sigh. Oh, you brought

214
00:18:11.480 --> 00:18:15.960
a pretty one, a little scrawny
perhaps, please to meet you. I

215
00:18:17.000 --> 00:18:21.480
am Ninyo, the first and the
last, and you will know the truth

216
00:18:21.519 --> 00:18:27.000
of that soon enough. I'm a
Yumi. Get out of that silly suit

217
00:18:27.079 --> 00:18:32.359
of yours. Can't be truly free
in the sea until you feel the caress

218
00:18:32.480 --> 00:18:37.039
of the salt water on your skin. The girl hugs herself. It's too

219
00:18:37.119 --> 00:18:41.839
cold, nonsense. How will you
ever feel what it is to be a

220
00:18:41.880 --> 00:18:45.880
woman if you can't be naked beside
a man? Ayumi looks at Herada.

221
00:18:47.440 --> 00:18:52.160
She lets her mask sink to the
depths below. Ningyo helps her out of

222
00:18:52.160 --> 00:18:57.279
her wet suit. A chemical slick
surrounds them, warming the water as Harada

223
00:18:57.319 --> 00:19:02.400
reaches to touch a Yumi. The
girl feels Nino come up behind her and

224
00:19:02.519 --> 00:19:07.759
envelop her. She wraps her arms
around a Yumi and pulls her down Somewhere.

225
00:19:08.160 --> 00:19:12.480
An octopus embraces its prey and drags
it down to the bottom, holds

226
00:19:12.519 --> 00:19:18.759
it down until it drowns, then
feasts on it at its leisure. A

227
00:19:18.839 --> 00:19:23.799
crab feeds on the scavenged remains of
a muscular organ, still beating a heart

228
00:19:25.839 --> 00:19:32.200
a sunken heart. The chemical spill
reaches the seafloor, the pres apat coating

229
00:19:32.279 --> 00:19:37.319
everything. It touches A jointed limb, telescopes out of the organ, and

230
00:19:37.440 --> 00:19:41.599
snatches up the crab in its terminating
claw. An aortic valve opens up in

231
00:19:41.640 --> 00:19:47.640
a tooth studded maw that bites down
on the crustacean, swallowing it whole.

232
00:19:48.200 --> 00:19:52.519
An eyelid opens on the vein covering
of the organ. An eye blinks,

233
00:19:52.720 --> 00:19:56.400
and the bubble of a tear trickles
out of its corner and races to the

234
00:19:56.480 --> 00:20:02.119
surface to expire in the air.
The hearts sprouts three more limbs and crawls

235
00:20:02.160 --> 00:20:07.920
away along the sea bottom, fading
into the murky darkness. An empty wetsuit

236
00:20:08.359 --> 00:20:15.039
floats on the surface of the sea, bobbing in the gentle swells of the

237
00:20:15.160 --> 00:20:33.039
unchanging, ever changing ocean. Deb
Debbie devereauh by Shane niggli Abota. The

238
00:20:33.160 --> 00:20:40.960
cat thinks I'm fucking nuts. She
may be right. I'm wearing my nicest

239
00:20:41.039 --> 00:20:45.640
dress. Dean Martin is on the
stereo, and I have a gun to

240
00:20:45.720 --> 00:20:52.000
my head. I'm dancing with my
dead husband on Valentine's Day. Angel,

241
00:20:52.720 --> 00:20:57.400
our cat, died three days ago. Her ashes sit on the mantle in

242
00:20:57.440 --> 00:21:02.680
an urn next to my husband.
I see her on her favorite spot on

243
00:21:02.720 --> 00:21:08.119
the couch, watching me. She
really is an angel. Now I pull

244
00:21:08.200 --> 00:21:14.440
the hammer of the revolver back.
I'm ready to join them. Click,

245
00:21:15.599 --> 00:21:22.920
son of a bitch empty. Good
job, Deborah. I forgot the fucking

246
00:21:23.160 --> 00:21:29.799
bullets. I dropped the snub nose
on the coffee table. I haven't found

247
00:21:29.799 --> 00:21:33.119
where Johnny hid the bullets. He
bought the gun for me, worried about

248
00:21:33.200 --> 00:21:37.880
us being all alone out here in
the boondocks. What good is a gun

249
00:21:37.920 --> 00:21:42.880
if the bullets are hidden. Excuse
me, mister rapist, while I find

250
00:21:42.920 --> 00:21:48.079
the bullets to shoot you. Maybe
Johnny never got around to buying any Ain't

251
00:21:48.119 --> 00:21:52.559
that a kick in the head,
Dean. I dropped to the couch,

252
00:21:52.160 --> 00:21:57.039
defeated. My mind isn't what it
used to be. Grief and despair have

253
00:21:57.119 --> 00:22:02.119
pushed everything out to the point that
I have trouble dealing with the day to

254
00:22:02.200 --> 00:22:07.519
day shit. It's for the best, I suppose. I'm not a religious

255
00:22:07.559 --> 00:22:11.480
woman, but I'd like to think
there was something waiting, you know,

256
00:22:11.160 --> 00:22:17.079
after that I could be with them
in some kind of way. If there

257
00:22:17.119 --> 00:22:22.640
is a God and suicide is a
sin, I'd better not risk it being

258
00:22:22.680 --> 00:22:26.200
sent to hell. I'd never see
them again. If you ask me,

259
00:22:27.480 --> 00:22:36.400
this is hell, this world,
Johnny, My Johnny. I missed that

260
00:22:36.480 --> 00:22:40.799
lopsided grin of yours, The way
your stubble felt when you kissed me,

261
00:22:41.720 --> 00:22:45.440
how your hair fell across your eyes
when you woke up, The touch of

262
00:22:45.480 --> 00:22:53.400
your coarse hands on my shoulders.
Gone all gone. Five and a half

263
00:22:53.480 --> 00:22:59.759
years ago, a drunk driver named
Dave Robins. Johnny had been on his

264
00:22:59.759 --> 00:23:03.599
way home from work when the bastard
ran a red light and struck Johnny's car.

265
00:23:04.799 --> 00:23:10.119
I still remember the trooper showing up
at work. He stood there in

266
00:23:10.160 --> 00:23:15.480
his uniform, looking so out of
place. His words were unintelligible as my

267
00:23:15.559 --> 00:23:21.839
heart pounded in my ears. They
gave that man ten years in prison,

268
00:23:22.480 --> 00:23:26.440
ten fucking years. He took away
our future, and they gave him ten

269
00:23:26.559 --> 00:23:33.079
years. He got out in four
for good behavior, good fucking behavior.

270
00:23:33.680 --> 00:23:37.759
I dreamed about killing him for so
long. How I'd do it, how

271
00:23:37.799 --> 00:23:41.880
i'd drag it out, make him
suffer. I'd even toyed with the idea

272
00:23:41.880 --> 00:23:48.559
of killing his family in front of
him. But no, there was angel

273
00:23:48.599 --> 00:23:53.559
to think of. The cat,
a housewarming present from Johnny, got me

274
00:23:53.599 --> 00:23:59.160
through that first grim year. She
was there for me when I got home

275
00:23:59.200 --> 00:24:03.160
from another dream day at work,
happy to see me, purring her feline

276
00:24:03.160 --> 00:24:07.359
heart out. She was such a
tiny little thing when he surprised me with

277
00:24:07.400 --> 00:24:11.119
her. She hid under the couch
for the first couple of days, until

278
00:24:11.200 --> 00:24:15.240
one night I sat on the couch
watching the evening news, waiting for Johnny

279
00:24:15.240 --> 00:24:19.119
to come home from work. I
felt something small and warm curl up next

280
00:24:19.119 --> 00:24:25.160
to me. Now she's gone too, I'm left all alone in this house

281
00:24:25.200 --> 00:24:30.119
that used to represent our future together, a house that's become a tomb.

282
00:24:30.119 --> 00:24:34.519
The house was so empty and vast
when I'd come home from the vet carrying

283
00:24:34.559 --> 00:24:40.160
little angels, ashes and a small
container. Nobody there to greet me at

284
00:24:40.160 --> 00:24:42.799
the door. I dread the thought
of coming home after a day at work

285
00:24:42.839 --> 00:24:51.359
to this empty, god forsaken place. But I'll have to. I took

286
00:24:51.400 --> 00:24:55.079
a couple sick days, told Emily
I had a bug. They don't need

287
00:24:55.119 --> 00:24:57.880
to know the real reason. Most
of them look at me with some sort

288
00:24:57.920 --> 00:25:03.519
of pity, walking on eggshells around
me. The others treat me as if

289
00:25:03.200 --> 00:25:07.519
this sickness in my heart can simply
be sent away, that I should get

290
00:25:07.559 --> 00:25:14.839
over it and move on. There
is no moving on. I could take

291
00:25:14.880 --> 00:25:18.279
some medication, I guess, something
to help me at the cost of this

292
00:25:18.920 --> 00:25:25.039
hornet's nest of pain in my stomach, the pain that helps me remember them,

293
00:25:25.440 --> 00:25:29.960
that keeps them in my thoughts.
Would I lose their memory in a

294
00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:34.319
haze of medication, The record ends. I stare at the snub nose.

295
00:25:36.079 --> 00:25:41.640
I should really find those bullets.
There's other ways I could do it.

296
00:25:41.799 --> 00:25:45.920
Pills, sure, or that old
razor blade in the bathtub. Bit those

297
00:25:45.920 --> 00:25:52.279
are easy enough. I suppose hanging
myself is off the table. I can't

298
00:25:52.279 --> 00:25:55.880
tie knots for shit. Besides,
some idiot might think I was trying to

299
00:25:55.880 --> 00:26:00.480
get off and died by accident.
Shit fuck it. The phone rings.

300
00:26:00.599 --> 00:26:04.480
I pick it up, looking at
the number. It's Catherine Wade from work,

301
00:26:06.079 --> 00:26:10.599
probably checking up on me. Hello, Kat, how are you feeling,

302
00:26:10.680 --> 00:26:15.359
trooper? She answers in her unbearably
cheery voice. I lie, Oh,

303
00:26:15.400 --> 00:26:19.599
okay, just a bit of a
bug. You need anything? No,

304
00:26:19.799 --> 00:26:25.279
I'm fine. Thanks. I want
to hate her for caring. Damn

305
00:26:25.279 --> 00:26:30.160
it, I just can't. The
phone crackles with static. Aren't you forgetting

306
00:26:30.200 --> 00:26:36.160
something? Deb? Another voice asks
Kat? You there? I can hear

307
00:26:36.200 --> 00:26:41.400
something metallic on the other end.
Have you checked the basement? Who is

308
00:26:41.440 --> 00:26:47.400
this? I ask, my voice
trembling, but no answer. God,

309
00:26:47.519 --> 00:26:52.359
damn it. Who is this?
Are you okay? Deb? Kat asks,

310
00:26:52.400 --> 00:26:57.039
sounding a bit shaken. Yeah,
yeah, just this bug. I

311
00:26:57.079 --> 00:27:00.799
think I need a nap Before you
can finish saying goodbye, I hang up.

312
00:27:02.839 --> 00:27:07.279
What just happened? I'm not even
sure. I take a deep breath.

313
00:27:07.599 --> 00:27:11.319
I get off the couch. Maybe
I should just go buy some fucking

314
00:27:11.440 --> 00:27:15.880
bullets. Looking out the window,
I see I'm not going out anywhere today.

315
00:27:17.440 --> 00:27:21.680
The snow is coming down in a
heavy white blanket. Frustrated, I

316
00:27:21.759 --> 00:27:26.559
turned the TV on. They're calling
it the Valentine's Day blizzard. The weatherman

317
00:27:26.640 --> 00:27:30.480
proclaimed, as if he was a
proud father praising his golden child. These

318
00:27:30.599 --> 00:27:36.000
cocksuckers really piss me off. And
how much they get off on bad weather.

319
00:27:36.519 --> 00:27:41.400
I think they get hard over delivering
bad news. Expect record snowfalls,

320
00:27:41.880 --> 00:27:45.720
Expect me not to give a fuck, I say, wishing about now the

321
00:27:45.759 --> 00:27:49.839
gun was loaded so I could shoot
the TV. I never hated anybody till

322
00:27:49.920 --> 00:27:56.359
Johnny died. Now I can't stand
anyone, most of all myself. The

323
00:27:56.440 --> 00:28:00.599
smiling weatherman is replaced by a nicely
dressed Chinese woman the day's other big story,

324
00:28:00.880 --> 00:28:06.480
all but one of the escaped convicts
have been captured. Police gather round

325
00:28:06.480 --> 00:28:10.319
an overturned prison bus and a ditch
as the anchor woman goes over the details.

326
00:28:10.920 --> 00:28:15.039
Police are still searching for Charles Lee
Andrew, convicted serial killer and rapist.

327
00:28:15.319 --> 00:28:21.079
He's considered highly dangerous should you spot
him? Why do these assholes always

328
00:28:21.079 --> 00:28:25.480
have three names? Is it a
serial killer thing? They linger on his

329
00:28:25.559 --> 00:28:30.319
face? He's handsome enough except for
the scar over his left eye. Crazy

330
00:28:30.400 --> 00:28:33.920
burns hot in those eyes. Even
in a photograph, you can feel his

331
00:28:33.039 --> 00:28:40.680
stare just penetrating your soul. Bored, I walk out to the kitchen a

332
00:28:40.759 --> 00:28:45.519
drink maybe and a sandwich. Dirty
dishes clog one of the two sinks.

333
00:28:45.599 --> 00:28:49.599
I've let the house go to shit. Haven't felt like cleaning since the cat

334
00:28:49.680 --> 00:28:55.079
died. I pour myself a glass
of brandy and make a roast beef sandwich.

335
00:28:55.480 --> 00:28:59.160
I hold a stainless steel knife in
my hands, catching my reflection on

336
00:28:59.200 --> 00:29:03.599
the blade. The house isn't the
only thing that's gone to shit. I

337
00:29:03.640 --> 00:29:07.480
look terrible. My hair's a mess. There's bags under my eyes. Fuck

338
00:29:07.559 --> 00:29:11.400
it all. Why should I care
how I look? It's all a sick

339
00:29:11.480 --> 00:29:15.279
joke. The blade quivers in my
hand, so sharp, one of those

340
00:29:15.559 --> 00:29:19.799
as seen on TV jobs you get
at a save mart. Why I bet

341
00:29:19.839 --> 00:29:26.359
if I just took the knife and
sliced Debbie. A sweet sing song voice

342
00:29:26.359 --> 00:29:33.039
echoes out from the living room.
The TV has to be a coincidence,

343
00:29:33.079 --> 00:29:40.839
deab The voice giggles, who's there? I call out, feeling a bit

344
00:29:40.920 --> 00:29:45.880
embarrassed because it's most likely the TV. I grip the knife. Stepping into

345
00:29:45.880 --> 00:29:48.720
the short hallway, I walk towards
the living room. I can hear a

346
00:29:48.759 --> 00:29:55.000
soap opera on the TV. I
stop and listen. Under the din of

347
00:29:55.079 --> 00:30:00.200
dialogue from the TV. I hear
the wind outside, the tick tick sound

348
00:30:00.240 --> 00:30:08.200
of snow and freezing rain against the
windows, and then floorboards creaking with the

349
00:30:08.319 --> 00:30:17.039
unmistakable sound of someone walking over them. Debby, the voice giggles again,

350
00:30:17.519 --> 00:30:21.559
Come and find me. I storm
into the living room, ready to confront

351
00:30:21.559 --> 00:30:29.680
the weirdo intruder. You picked the
wrong fucking time. Empty, I switched

352
00:30:29.720 --> 00:30:33.599
the TV off and I listen again. Maybe my mind finally has hitched a

353
00:30:33.720 --> 00:30:40.640
ride to crazy town. The house
is still silent save for the wind and

354
00:30:40.720 --> 00:30:45.400
snow outside. The furnace in the
basement rumbles on, making me flinch.

355
00:30:45.880 --> 00:30:49.720
I laugh like a maniac, tears
sting my eyes as laughter gives way to

356
00:30:49.799 --> 00:30:56.039
crying. I really have fucking flipped
out, wiping them away. I see

357
00:30:56.079 --> 00:31:02.240
them there, reflected in the black
of the TV screen, watching me from

358
00:31:02.240 --> 00:31:06.680
the hall, darting away before I
can turn. Scrambling to my feet,

359
00:31:06.720 --> 00:31:08.799
I grabbed the empty gun and give
chase. I can hear them upstairs.

360
00:31:10.400 --> 00:31:14.720
Yesterday upon the stair I met a
man who wasn't there. He wasn't there

361
00:31:14.799 --> 00:31:18.519
again today, Oh, how I
wish he'd go away? The voice sang

362
00:31:18.559 --> 00:31:23.200
out from somewhere upstairs. I know
that poem from a long time ago,

363
00:31:23.920 --> 00:31:29.640
when I was a little girl.
I creep up the stairs, no easy

364
00:31:29.680 --> 00:31:33.119
feet, since they're creaky as hell. A door slams shut somewhere upstairs.

365
00:31:33.759 --> 00:31:37.599
How the hell did they get in? I didn't hear anything. Everything is

366
00:31:37.640 --> 00:31:41.680
locked. I didn't forget something.
Right, With a knife in one hand

367
00:31:41.680 --> 00:31:45.359
and an empty gun in the other, maybe I can scare the living crap

368
00:31:45.400 --> 00:31:49.920
out of them. Yeah right,
Why am I scared? I was thinking

369
00:31:49.920 --> 00:31:55.200
about ending my life moments ago.
No, it's not death that frightens me.

370
00:31:55.240 --> 00:32:00.480
It's what could happen in place of
that. Rape, being aimed,

371
00:32:00.559 --> 00:32:05.240
being paralyzed, a coma. Those
things frighten me. A living hell I

372
00:32:05.279 --> 00:32:08.480
can't escape. I search the upstairs, trying to look as bad ass as

373
00:32:08.519 --> 00:32:15.200
possible with an empty gun. That's
when it hits me. I am fucking

374
00:32:15.480 --> 00:32:19.519
nuts. There's not a living soul
up here. I search every room,

375
00:32:19.599 --> 00:32:22.480
every nook, every cranny under the
beds, in the Closet's not a sign

376
00:32:22.519 --> 00:32:28.839
of anybody being here other than me. Nothing out of place, nothing touched.

377
00:32:29.920 --> 00:32:32.559
Feeling tired, I walk into the
bathroom connected to the bedroom. I

378
00:32:32.640 --> 00:32:37.720
run cold water over my face and
stare at my haggard reflection in the mirror.

379
00:32:38.519 --> 00:32:44.400
Through the open door, I see
the bed sitting there, legs hanging

380
00:32:44.440 --> 00:32:49.519
over the side, A dark figure
watching me. I spin around, nearly

381
00:32:49.519 --> 00:32:52.960
slipping on the tiled floor. Who
the fuck? I blurt out. The

382
00:32:53.079 --> 00:32:59.000
dark featureless figure, almost an outline
of a young woman. Its long hair

383
00:32:59.079 --> 00:33:05.319
and pigtails hang down on black shoulders. It tilts its head and waves,

384
00:33:05.880 --> 00:33:09.599
hey, Debbie, long time no
see. I gawk at it for a

385
00:33:09.599 --> 00:33:16.440
few minutes, speechless. There's something
about this thing, this girl, that

386
00:33:17.640 --> 00:33:22.279
seems familiar. Something's been buzzing around
the back of my head all day,

387
00:33:22.359 --> 00:33:28.319
wanting to get out. Is this
it? I should feel scared, yet

388
00:33:28.599 --> 00:33:34.319
I don't. I feel oddly reassured. What's wrong? Sunshine? No?

389
00:33:34.480 --> 00:33:39.799
Hello for good old Maddie, Maddie. I stammer, my mouth suddenly dry.

390
00:33:42.240 --> 00:33:45.240
Was that you running around the house? None other? Don't you remember

391
00:33:45.279 --> 00:33:52.039
deb how we used to? I
rubbed my head. There's a stabbing pain.

392
00:33:52.160 --> 00:33:57.000
Something wants out. Poor old deb
went and grew up. It's a

393
00:33:57.000 --> 00:34:00.480
delusion, that's all. I walk
out of the bathroom, waving my arms

394
00:34:00.519 --> 00:34:05.079
about go away. You're a figment
of my deteriorating mental state. You're not

395
00:34:05.240 --> 00:34:09.639
real. Good old Maddie slides off
the bed, sauntering towards me. Not

396
00:34:09.840 --> 00:34:15.199
real, she pokes me with an
ebony finger. That real enough for you.

397
00:34:15.280 --> 00:34:21.880
I flinch as I involuntarily back up. You made me, poor little

398
00:34:21.920 --> 00:34:25.920
deb her parents always fighting. Nobody
at school likes her. She reads too

399
00:34:25.960 --> 00:34:30.199
much, She's too much of a
tomboy. Boo hoo, Maddie mocks me,

400
00:34:30.440 --> 00:34:36.199
making a tearful face. Somebody needed
a friend, and Maddie got the

401
00:34:36.280 --> 00:34:42.840
call. Her voice suddenly changes,
becoming cold. Until somebody tossed me aside.

402
00:34:43.880 --> 00:34:47.440
Maddie backs away from me, her
gaze locked on me. But I

403
00:34:47.519 --> 00:34:52.400
didn't go away. Couldn't that figure
in the corner of your eye, that

404
00:34:52.559 --> 00:34:55.400
shadow in the dark room, that
was me? She does a little jig.

405
00:34:55.800 --> 00:35:00.679
You can't kill yourself, deb,
I won't let you. If I

406
00:35:00.840 --> 00:35:04.719
made you, I can unmake you. I grab a small ceramic statue on

407
00:35:04.760 --> 00:35:07.400
the dresser and throw it at this
Mattie. It bounces off her head when

408
00:35:07.440 --> 00:35:13.800
I expected it to pass right through
ow. She hollers, the manic joyfulness

409
00:35:13.800 --> 00:35:16.920
gone from her voice. Bitch.
She runs out of the bedroom, holding

410
00:35:16.920 --> 00:35:21.239
her head. I can hear her
feet on the stairs as she goes down.

411
00:35:22.159 --> 00:35:25.199
Looking down at the plush royal blue
carpet, I see a trail of

412
00:35:25.559 --> 00:35:32.599
crimson blood. I follow Mattie's blood
downstairs to the kitchen. Bloody handprints on

413
00:35:32.599 --> 00:35:36.920
the door frame welcome me. As
I enter, Mattie has bent over the

414
00:35:36.960 --> 00:35:40.199
sink, washing the blood off of
her forehead with a wet towel. Fuck

415
00:35:40.239 --> 00:35:45.400
you, deb you always did have
a temper. She turned to glare at

416
00:35:45.440 --> 00:35:50.679
me, a gash of bright crimson
and her black forehead. She holds the

417
00:35:50.679 --> 00:35:53.760
wet towel to it as she finishes
off my glass of brandy, leaving behind

418
00:35:53.800 --> 00:36:00.719
bloody fingerprints on the glass. I'm
I'm sorry. I think you can feel

419
00:36:00.760 --> 00:36:05.480
pain. Well, No, duh, of course I can feel pain.

420
00:36:06.159 --> 00:36:08.840
She pours herself more brandy, gulping
it down in one go. This is

421
00:36:08.880 --> 00:36:15.800
some good shit. By the way, got any bandages? Don't go away?

422
00:36:15.440 --> 00:36:22.760
Weakly, spooky, We'll be right
back. I go to the downstairs

423
00:36:22.840 --> 00:36:27.599
bathroom, grabbing some bandages from the
medicine cabinet. When I come back,

424
00:36:27.639 --> 00:36:31.880
Maddie and her bloodstains are gone.
Suddenly, I feel light headed. My

425
00:36:32.719 --> 00:36:37.119
head is buzzing. Uh. I
take more aspiren than the recommended dosage.

426
00:36:37.320 --> 00:36:42.239
Lying down on the couch, I
feel as if I'm melting into it,

427
00:36:42.280 --> 00:36:46.719
becoming one with the upholstery. I
wake up some time later. The sun

428
00:36:46.800 --> 00:36:51.320
is low in the sky, Snow
still falling, but not as heavy as

429
00:36:51.360 --> 00:36:55.000
before. My head feels better now. Maybe that was all a dream.

430
00:36:55.960 --> 00:37:00.440
The snubnose sits on the coffee table
next to the knife. I'd left those

431
00:37:00.519 --> 00:37:05.800
upstairs. Yes, yes, it
was all a dream. I'd just fallen

432
00:37:05.840 --> 00:37:09.519
asleep on the couch and dreamed the
whole damn thing a fever dream. The

433
00:37:09.559 --> 00:37:15.119
floorboards upstairs creak, and my heart
skips a beat. This is an old

434
00:37:15.119 --> 00:37:17.159
house. It's just settling, that's
all. I pick up the gun.

435
00:37:17.400 --> 00:37:22.199
Still no bullets. That hasn't changed. What also hasn't changed is it's still

436
00:37:22.440 --> 00:37:27.320
fucking Valentine's Day. Why couldn't I
have just slept through the rest of it

437
00:37:27.599 --> 00:37:30.800
instead of the day that won't end, dragging on, not letting me forget

438
00:37:30.840 --> 00:37:37.639
what I've lost. I remember one
Valentine's Day, Johnny made this specialty for

439
00:37:37.679 --> 00:37:42.320
dinner, spaghetti and salad. We
watched an old western on the TV,

440
00:37:43.039 --> 00:37:46.559
something starring the guy that played Superman's
dad. It had been an exhausting week

441
00:37:46.599 --> 00:37:50.079
for both of us, and we
fell asleep on the couch halfway through the

442
00:37:50.119 --> 00:37:53.519
film, my head on his shoulder. The holiday didn't end up in a

443
00:37:53.559 --> 00:38:00.800
moment of passion and ended in a
moment of mundane tenderness, and I wouldn't

444
00:38:00.800 --> 00:38:05.400
trade it for anything. A knock
at the front door startles me out of

445
00:38:05.440 --> 00:38:08.800
my fond memory. I wait,
holding my breath. Perhaps it was just

446
00:38:08.840 --> 00:38:14.280
a noise and not somebody at the
door, some snow falling off the roof,

447
00:38:14.360 --> 00:38:19.639
for the like. Then another knock
comes, ruining my fabrication, followed

448
00:38:19.719 --> 00:38:23.519
rapidly by a third Hello. A
man asks from the other side of the

449
00:38:23.559 --> 00:38:29.000
door, is anybody there? Don't
answer it, Mattie says, dropping into

450
00:38:29.000 --> 00:38:31.960
the recliner in the corner. The
chairs old springs straining from the sudden weight.

451
00:38:32.559 --> 00:38:36.320
Fuck me, I blurted out,
in surprise. Where did you come

452
00:38:36.360 --> 00:38:39.920
from? I notice her features have
become more defined now, the darkness lessening

453
00:38:40.000 --> 00:38:44.840
somewhat. Her head no longer has
a bandage, nor a bloody gash.

454
00:38:44.960 --> 00:38:49.000
I've been hovering about, sleepy head. She tilts the recliner back. You

455
00:38:49.039 --> 00:38:52.480
know you talk in your sleep.
Mattie looks up at the ceiling. Who's

456
00:38:52.559 --> 00:38:57.679
Rex. Johnny used to kid me
about talking in my sleep? Rex?

457
00:38:57.719 --> 00:39:01.079
Why does that name seem familiar?
Hello? The knocking at the door becomes

458
00:39:01.159 --> 00:39:05.559
more aggressive. I can hear you
in there. Please come to the door.

459
00:39:05.880 --> 00:39:09.360
The man pauses. His voice sounds
strained. I need help. I

460
00:39:09.400 --> 00:39:14.519
pick up the empty gun, holding
it like a magical charm capable of warding

461
00:39:14.519 --> 00:39:16.960
off evil. As I approach the
front door, I look through the people

462
00:39:17.039 --> 00:39:22.280
at the man outside. He stands
on the porch, a desperate look etched

463
00:39:22.320 --> 00:39:25.840
on his face. His hair looks
recently shaved off, and he's wearing snow

464
00:39:25.880 --> 00:39:30.559
covered clothes and a band aid on
his forehead over his left eye. The

465
00:39:30.639 --> 00:39:34.960
man looked over his shoulder anxiously before
turning back to the door. Please you

466
00:39:35.119 --> 00:39:37.440
have to hurry, the man pleads, as he knocks again. I reach

467
00:39:37.480 --> 00:39:42.480
for the dead bolt. I wouldn't
do it, Maddie warns me. Shush.

468
00:39:43.360 --> 00:39:45.840
I turn the lock on the door, only partly convinced there's really someone

469
00:39:45.880 --> 00:39:50.719
out there and it's not another delusion. I pull open the door a little

470
00:39:51.000 --> 00:39:54.360
peeking through the crack at this unwelcome
stranger. His clothes look ill, fitting

471
00:39:54.480 --> 00:39:59.039
a size or two too big for
his frame. Behind him, I notice

472
00:39:59.079 --> 00:40:04.199
his tracks through the ankle deep snow. Yes, you took long enough,

473
00:40:04.239 --> 00:40:08.199
the man grumbles. Excuse me?
The man shivers, looking around. I'm

474
00:40:08.239 --> 00:40:13.039
freezing out here? Can I come
in? Can I trust him? Should

475
00:40:13.079 --> 00:40:16.239
I? What are you doing way
out here in a storm? Suddenly,

476
00:40:16.559 --> 00:40:20.880
violently, he pushes the door open, knocking me to the floor. I

477
00:40:20.960 --> 00:40:22.800
land hard on my back. The
air pushes out of my lungs, the

478
00:40:22.840 --> 00:40:27.679
empty gun sliding across the floor.
I don't have time for your shit,

479
00:40:28.000 --> 00:40:30.400
he angrily screams as he slams the
door shut, gasping for air. I

480
00:40:30.440 --> 00:40:34.239
tried to get to my feet,
get a weapon. It's no use.

481
00:40:34.440 --> 00:40:37.760
The man pushes me to the floor
with a snow covered boot. Is there

482
00:40:37.760 --> 00:40:40.639
anyone here? Are you alone?
His head darts back and forth as he

483
00:40:40.679 --> 00:40:45.519
takes in the room. He gives
me another love tap from his booted foot

484
00:40:45.639 --> 00:40:49.559
before retrieving the gun from the floor. He checks the cylinder, laughing,

485
00:40:50.440 --> 00:40:53.480
what were you gonna do? Wave
this around and use harsh language to scare

486
00:40:53.519 --> 00:40:58.159
me. Mattie slides up behind him. Told you not to let him in.

487
00:40:58.920 --> 00:41:01.320
I didn't let him in. I
managed able to breathe again. The

488
00:41:01.360 --> 00:41:07.599
man looks around, perplexed. The
fuck you talking about, lady? What

489
00:41:07.719 --> 00:41:09.519
do you want? I ask?
I don't have any money. Oh,

490
00:41:09.559 --> 00:41:14.119
we'll see about that. He pulls
me up, dragging me to the couch.

491
00:41:14.360 --> 00:41:16.360
Both our eyes go to the knife
on the coffee table before meeting again.

492
00:41:16.679 --> 00:41:20.239
He hurls me into the couch.
When I managed to sit up,

493
00:41:20.320 --> 00:41:23.960
he hits me in the face hard, hard enough that the world goes black.

494
00:41:25.079 --> 00:41:29.400
When my eyes open again, the
man stands over me, the knife

495
00:41:29.440 --> 00:41:32.480
in his hand. Just what the
hell were you up to here? He

496
00:41:32.599 --> 00:41:37.079
leans forward, giving me a good
view of the knife. I'll ask you

497
00:41:37.159 --> 00:41:43.000
again, is there anybody else here? I shake my head, noticing I've

498
00:41:43.000 --> 00:41:45.119
been tied to a dining room chair
in the living room. I can taste

499
00:41:45.159 --> 00:41:50.960
blood on my lips. If you're
lying, I can make it very unpleasant

500
00:41:51.000 --> 00:41:53.559
for you. I glare at him, more angry at myself than him.

501
00:41:54.280 --> 00:42:00.039
For once I should have listened to
the delusion prancing around my house, And

502
00:42:00.079 --> 00:42:05.480
as he looks down at me,
I recognize who's invaded my home. Charles

503
00:42:05.559 --> 00:42:12.000
Lee Andrew, serial killer and rapist. With this revelation, a stark fear

504
00:42:12.119 --> 00:42:15.519
creeps into my belly. Yes,
I want to die, but not like

505
00:42:15.599 --> 00:42:21.639
this, and not by his hand. I'm gonna go poke around. Uh,

506
00:42:21.679 --> 00:42:24.880
you sit tight. He goes to
leave and stops. Last chance.

507
00:42:25.320 --> 00:42:30.440
There's nobody here, right, Because
if there is, they're fucked. I

508
00:42:30.519 --> 00:42:35.320
shake my head again, satisfied.
He leaves me alone as he searches the

509
00:42:35.360 --> 00:42:40.280
house, our house, Johnny and
me and little Angel. He has no

510
00:42:40.440 --> 00:42:45.519
right to be here. Fear begins
to give way to anger, this time

511
00:42:45.559 --> 00:42:49.920
directed towards this interloper. I can
hear him in the kitchen, opening and

512
00:42:49.960 --> 00:42:52.679
closing the fridge. He walks back
into the room, eating a leftover chicken

513
00:42:52.760 --> 00:42:59.400
leg good chicken, you make it, he smirks, a greasy chicken smile.

514
00:43:00.320 --> 00:43:04.400
I stare holes through him, imagining
his body being riddled with bullets,

515
00:43:04.679 --> 00:43:07.719
jerking around in a death dance,
as flesh and boner shredded in a hail

516
00:43:07.800 --> 00:43:12.719
of lead. Of course, that
would leave a hell of a mess when

517
00:43:12.760 --> 00:43:15.320
I really wouldn't want to clean up. You know, you look like shit,

518
00:43:15.639 --> 00:43:19.719
he remarks, setting a plate with
the half finished chicken leg down at

519
00:43:19.719 --> 00:43:22.440
the coffee table. I mean other
than where I socked you in the kisser,

520
00:43:23.280 --> 00:43:28.320
I watched as he looks out the
window. This is perfect with the

521
00:43:28.360 --> 00:43:30.800
storm in this place. Being in
the middle of nowhere in East Jesus,

522
00:43:31.480 --> 00:43:36.480
the comps won't be around. I
can definitely lie low and catch a breath.

523
00:43:36.920 --> 00:43:39.159
He bends down close to me and
locks me in his gaze. And

524
00:43:39.280 --> 00:43:45.760
I definitely plan on having some fun
before I go. He tries kissing me

525
00:43:45.840 --> 00:43:47.920
on the lips. I managed to
pull away, and he kisses my cheek.

526
00:43:49.599 --> 00:43:52.039
I turn my head in disgust.
Seeing Johnny's urn on the mantle,

527
00:43:52.400 --> 00:43:58.079
I start to cry. I don't
want him to see this, not my

528
00:43:58.199 --> 00:44:02.679
Johnny notices my tears, sees the
urn and the picture of Johnny next to

529
00:44:02.719 --> 00:44:07.559
it. Aw, what are you
crying about, sweet cheeks? He picks

530
00:44:07.599 --> 00:44:12.360
up the picture, gawking at it
with those soulless eyes, before turning his

531
00:44:12.400 --> 00:44:15.920
attention to the urn. This your
You're dead, hubby, Fuck you,

532
00:44:16.480 --> 00:44:21.760
I spit out between sobs. You
will, don't worry, you will.

533
00:44:22.320 --> 00:44:25.480
He drops the picture to the floor, shattering the glass. First, I

534
00:44:25.480 --> 00:44:30.320
think I'll look around and then freshen
up. Maybe take a nice shit and

535
00:44:30.360 --> 00:44:34.320
see if you still have some of
your old man's duds. Seeing your little

536
00:44:34.320 --> 00:44:37.840
shrine here, I'm willing to bet
that's a yes. And then I'm left

537
00:44:37.840 --> 00:44:44.440
alone, left alone to think about
this mess. I'm in mess. It's

538
00:44:44.440 --> 00:44:49.199
a fucking nightmare. I can hear
him moving about the first floor, ransacking

539
00:44:49.199 --> 00:44:53.920
the place and making comments, stoking
the boiling anger inside me. I struggle

540
00:44:53.960 --> 00:44:58.480
against the ropes holding me to this
chair. I flex my muscles, imagining

541
00:44:58.480 --> 00:45:01.679
myself bursting through the ropes with sheer
force of will. When this fails,

542
00:45:02.000 --> 00:45:07.480
I slump in the chair, tired
and defeated. Maybe I will die this

543
00:45:07.599 --> 00:45:10.840
day, just not how I envisioned. Come on, you can do it,

544
00:45:10.920 --> 00:45:15.719
kiddo. Maddie sits down on the
floor in front of me. Easy

545
00:45:15.760 --> 00:45:17.960
for you to fucking say, I
grumble. Why don't you help me?

546
00:45:19.519 --> 00:45:22.320
She lies down on her side,
propped up on one elbow. It don't

547
00:45:22.320 --> 00:45:29.360
work like that. Gotta do it
yourself. That fucking figures. Cheeze it,

548
00:45:29.519 --> 00:45:31.760
Maddie warns me. I could hear
him coming back down the hall.

549
00:45:32.159 --> 00:45:37.119
After a tense couple of minutes waiting, he appears in the doorway, not

550
00:45:37.280 --> 00:45:39.800
much down here. Got a question, though, what's with the lock on

551
00:45:39.840 --> 00:45:45.840
the basement door? I shrug,
I don't know. Doesn't everybody have that?

552
00:45:45.840 --> 00:45:50.360
Sure, I'll deal with that later. For now, I'm headed upstairs.

553
00:45:50.599 --> 00:45:53.719
Hope this shithole gets better on the
second floor. Mattie sticks her tongue

554
00:45:53.719 --> 00:45:58.280
out as he walks away. What
a dick, She turns back to me.

555
00:45:58.519 --> 00:46:01.280
Come on, now's your chance.
While he's screwing around upstairs, I'm

556
00:46:01.320 --> 00:46:05.480
thinking, I'm thinking, I say, before letting out a loud fart.

557
00:46:06.559 --> 00:46:09.880
Maddie backs away, waving at the
air. Oh fuck, really, sorry,

558
00:46:10.159 --> 00:46:15.400
just the stress. I think something
died. Maddie coughs. You could

559
00:46:15.480 --> 00:46:20.639
kill him with that reek. Sure
you can smell that. Yet you can't

560
00:46:20.679 --> 00:46:23.519
help me. Hey, I don't
make the rules. She stands, holding

561
00:46:23.519 --> 00:46:29.000
her nose. I'm gonna sit this
one out. Maddie leaves. Finally a

562
00:46:29.079 --> 00:46:32.639
chance to think. I can hear
him upstairs doing god knows what. Maddie's

563
00:46:32.679 --> 00:46:37.800
right, I have to get free, Unable to do anything but look around

564
00:46:37.840 --> 00:46:42.199
the room and think, I start
to form a desperate plan. By the

565
00:46:42.239 --> 00:46:45.159
time he comes back downstairs, dressed
in some of Johnny's clothes, night had

566
00:46:45.199 --> 00:46:49.840
fallen outside, and I had a
plan. He now has a piece of

567
00:46:49.880 --> 00:46:52.400
paper in his hand. He holds
it out, showing me a newspaper clipping

568
00:46:52.400 --> 00:46:57.920
about a missing man. Who's this? You got all these clippings about the

569
00:46:58.000 --> 00:47:01.119
search for this guy. He picks
up Johnny's picture from the floor, shattered

570
00:47:01.119 --> 00:47:06.800
glass falling off. Don't look like
your husband, he grins. Did you

571
00:47:06.840 --> 00:47:10.119
have something on the side? My
heart races somewhere deep in my mind.

572
00:47:10.159 --> 00:47:15.599
A loud banging starts. A door
that desperately wants to open begins to crack.

573
00:47:15.320 --> 00:47:20.360
I know who you are, Charles
Lee Andrew. You're on the run,

574
00:47:21.159 --> 00:47:24.760
he grins, a devil's grin.
My reputation precedes me. Then you

575
00:47:24.840 --> 00:47:30.679
know how dangerous I am. I
know you're just a sad, sick shit

576
00:47:30.000 --> 00:47:35.880
who gets off hurting women. Then
you should be nice to me. I

577
00:47:35.880 --> 00:47:39.880
ignore his words, watching how my
words hit him. What's wrong? Daddy

578
00:47:39.920 --> 00:47:45.280
beat you? Mommy didn't love you
enough? Boo fucking who Charlie? I

579
00:47:45.400 --> 00:47:50.159
fake cry. This was too much
for him. He storms over to the

580
00:47:50.159 --> 00:47:54.840
mantle, grabbing Johnny's urn. Shut
your fucking mouth or he opens the urn,

581
00:47:54.920 --> 00:47:59.719
forcing my husband's remains into my mouth. I choke on the ashes,

582
00:47:59.760 --> 00:48:02.599
my eyes eyes burning finished. He
throws the urn down across the room.

583
00:48:02.840 --> 00:48:07.440
That's one way to suck your husband. The son of a bitch laughs.

584
00:48:07.920 --> 00:48:13.400
I stain for air, coughing out
clouds of black. That's all you got,

585
00:48:13.880 --> 00:48:16.679
pussy boy, I say, hoping
to push him further. I bet

586
00:48:16.719 --> 00:48:20.840
Mommy used to touch you and call
you her special little boy, and you

587
00:48:21.119 --> 00:48:23.280
liked it. Give you a nice
hard one, did it, I smile

588
00:48:23.360 --> 00:48:28.719
with ash covered lips. No,
maybe it was Daddy who did the touching,

589
00:48:29.639 --> 00:48:32.840
cunt. He screams, every letter
filled with venom. Lifting me in

590
00:48:32.880 --> 00:48:36.920
the chair off the ground, he
slams me down on the floor. I

591
00:48:37.000 --> 00:48:38.960
scream out in pain as my arms
are pinned to the floor by my own

592
00:48:39.000 --> 00:48:43.719
weight. Not wasting any time,
my now numb hand gropes around on the

593
00:48:43.719 --> 00:48:46.760
carpet. Come on, come on, they have to be here somewhere.

594
00:48:46.920 --> 00:48:51.159
Those shards of glass from Johnny's picture. If I can just grab one and

595
00:48:51.199 --> 00:48:54.440
get enough time to use it.
But this enraged asshole isn't giving me much

596
00:48:54.440 --> 00:48:58.920
of a chance. He looms over
me, kicking at my down body.

597
00:48:59.239 --> 00:49:01.639
I need to get a look at
the floor. Thankfully, this douchebag didn't

598
00:49:01.679 --> 00:49:05.880
see fit to tie my legs to
the chair. I kick out. After

599
00:49:05.920 --> 00:49:08.239
a couple of tries, I score
a direct hit, hitting him in the

600
00:49:08.280 --> 00:49:13.719
balls, doubling the bastard over and
buying me some time. I roll over

601
00:49:13.760 --> 00:49:17.079
onto my knees, my eyes searching
the carpet. There a couple of big

602
00:49:17.119 --> 00:49:21.440
shards of glass. I roll over
onto my back, trying to keep the

603
00:49:21.480 --> 00:49:24.280
gap of the chairs back even with
the glass, I keep my eyes glued

604
00:49:24.280 --> 00:49:28.559
to the bastard as my fingers run
over the floor, feeling for more.

605
00:49:28.960 --> 00:49:31.880
Charlie glares at me as he clutches
himself in pain. The jagged glass cuts

606
00:49:31.920 --> 00:49:35.880
into my fingers when I find it, I poke my arms a couple of

607
00:49:35.880 --> 00:49:38.559
times as I line the glass up
with my bonds, the glass slicing into

608
00:49:38.599 --> 00:49:42.880
my hands as easy as it does
the rope restraining me. I feel my

609
00:49:42.920 --> 00:49:45.960
hands come free. As Charlie limps
toward me, anger so intense, I

610
00:49:45.960 --> 00:49:51.800
can feel its heat boils out of
his very Being freed of the chair,

611
00:49:51.840 --> 00:49:53.920
I push away from it, kicking
it into his path. Pained, he

612
00:49:53.960 --> 00:49:58.760
barely dodges it, his face red
with rage. Charlie lunges at me,

613
00:49:58.920 --> 00:50:01.079
his hands at my throat. I
strike out with a shard of glass.

614
00:50:05.400 --> 00:50:07.800
Thank you, officer, I appreciate
it. I smiled at the trooper on

615
00:50:07.880 --> 00:50:13.199
my porch, just doing our job, ma'am. The storm really hindered our

616
00:50:13.239 --> 00:50:15.840
search well, as you can see, I really got snowed in here.

617
00:50:16.559 --> 00:50:21.920
Not that it matters. You're the
first visitor I've had in ages. After

618
00:50:21.960 --> 00:50:24.880
a little small talk, the trooper
leaves. I watch him leave, locking

619
00:50:24.880 --> 00:50:30.320
the door as he drives off.
I lucked out. I was shoveling off

620
00:50:30.320 --> 00:50:32.800
the porch when the trooper showed up. My cut hands were covered up by

621
00:50:32.840 --> 00:50:37.679
black and purple gloves. If he'd
seen them, would he have known?

622
00:50:37.920 --> 00:50:43.360
Would he have probed further? I
don't know. I pick up a set

623
00:50:43.400 --> 00:50:45.719
of keys from the stand by the
front door, my hands still sensitive as

624
00:50:45.719 --> 00:50:50.960
they begin to heal. I walk
to the basement door, unlocking the silver

625
00:50:51.039 --> 00:50:55.039
padlock and stepping down into the darkness. The nauseating smell of feces and pists

626
00:50:55.119 --> 00:51:00.159
burned my eyes and nose. I
need to buy a couple dozen air freshmens

627
00:51:00.320 --> 00:51:04.360
down here. My hand runs over
the walls, stopping at the light switch.

628
00:51:04.840 --> 00:51:07.480
The basement lights hissed life below me. I feel as if a great

629
00:51:07.559 --> 00:51:13.840
milestone has been taken off my shoulders
during that fight with Charles Lee Andrew.

630
00:51:14.280 --> 00:51:19.800
The door buried deep in the back
of my mind finally flew open, just

631
00:51:19.840 --> 00:51:23.239
in time too. I step onto
the cold cement floor, and I'm greeted

632
00:51:23.280 --> 00:51:30.280
by a pitiful, sobbing grunt.
Music to my ears. How are we

633
00:51:30.440 --> 00:51:34.760
doing today, Charlie, chained to
a wall in a pair of stained briefs.

634
00:51:34.960 --> 00:51:38.280
My new pet groans into his cloth, gag his bare chest and back

635
00:51:38.360 --> 00:51:44.239
a map of scars and bruises.
I wheel out my tray of toys,

636
00:51:44.280 --> 00:51:50.519
selecting a nasty looking box cutter.
Are we ready for playtime? Charles Lee

637
00:51:50.719 --> 00:51:55.360
Andrew, once a feared killer,
tries to plead through his cloth gag no

638
00:51:55.519 --> 00:52:00.480
doubt, begging me to let him
go. Don't worry, the cops don't

639
00:52:00.480 --> 00:52:05.119
even think you're in this county anymore. From the other side of the basement,

640
00:52:05.559 --> 00:52:08.760
chains rattled as he stirred. A
thin, filthy man emerged from the

641
00:52:08.760 --> 00:52:15.159
shadows, crawling on all fours.
His knees bore the scars of two bullet

642
00:52:15.159 --> 00:52:20.480
wounds. Don't worry, Rex,
Mommy won't forget you again. I coo,

643
00:52:21.239 --> 00:52:24.760
I turned back to Charlie. I
think Rex is a little jealous of

644
00:52:24.800 --> 00:52:29.800
you. Don't worry, you two
will have plenty of time to get to

645
00:52:29.840 --> 00:52:35.199
know each other. Perched on the
stairs, Maddie watches with delight as I

646
00:52:35.320 --> 00:52:50.039
begin to slice be Mine by Shane
Migliovoka. She just sat down on the

647
00:52:50.039 --> 00:52:53.400
bed with the cat snuggling up next
to her, when the knock came at

648
00:52:53.440 --> 00:52:58.639
the door. Blake looked over at
her roommate, Cassie, buried in her

649
00:52:58.679 --> 00:53:05.800
phone and closer to the door.
Cassie didn't answer. Nope, guess not.

650
00:53:06.800 --> 00:53:10.119
Blake looked down at her cat,
Dean, Sorry, buddy. She

651
00:53:10.280 --> 00:53:15.079
stood as the cat looked up at
her, completely disappointed. Blake crossed the

652
00:53:15.119 --> 00:53:21.239
small, messy dorm room as another
knock came. I got it, huh,

653
00:53:22.039 --> 00:53:25.679
Cassie mumbled. Opening the door,
Blake was greeted by Maggie from down

654
00:53:25.719 --> 00:53:30.760
the hall. The girl beamed at
her from behind a pair of thick glasses.

655
00:53:30.480 --> 00:53:37.079
Here she thrust a pink heart shaped
box at Blake. Uh. Thanks,

656
00:53:37.639 --> 00:53:42.480
I guess, Blake said, taking
the box. Maggie frowned, It's

657
00:53:42.480 --> 00:53:45.639
not from me. It was sitting
on the table in the lobby with your

658
00:53:45.719 --> 00:53:51.840
name on it. Oh, thanks, a box of candy for her.

659
00:53:52.800 --> 00:53:55.960
There was nobody she could think of
who'd do something like that. Going to

660
00:53:55.960 --> 00:54:00.840
the Valentine's dance tonight, Maggie asked, before Blake could shut the door.

661
00:54:00.599 --> 00:54:06.400
Nope, got a paper to finish. That sucks. Blake shut the door.

662
00:54:07.159 --> 00:54:09.320
It really did suck, but not
for the reason. Maggie thought.

663
00:54:09.719 --> 00:54:14.239
She was struggling with the assignment,
dragging her feet on it since day one.

664
00:54:14.800 --> 00:54:19.199
Now the deadline was looming. There
was a pink envelope taped to the

665
00:54:19.199 --> 00:54:23.280
boxes front with Blake's name written in
glitter. Inside was a Valentine's card with

666
00:54:23.360 --> 00:54:30.199
a cute cat on the front,
which read your Prefect. Underneath the card's

667
00:54:30.199 --> 00:54:36.159
message was another written in red ink. It read Roses are red, Violets

668
00:54:36.199 --> 00:54:40.880
are blue. I choose you meet
me under the East bleachers at eight pm.

669
00:54:43.039 --> 00:54:49.320
What's that, Cassie asked, she
lives. Blake answered, huh.

670
00:54:49.679 --> 00:54:53.800
Blake rattled the box. Someone left
me a Valentine's gift. You got a

671
00:54:53.840 --> 00:55:00.960
secret admirer. Guess so they want
me to meet them tonight under the bleachers.

672
00:55:00.480 --> 00:55:06.360
Probably some tawny rapists looking to assault
a rich college girl. I'm not

673
00:55:06.559 --> 00:55:10.400
rich. They don't know that.
Pop that fucker open, Cassie said,

674
00:55:10.440 --> 00:55:15.840
sliding forward on her bed. Bet, there's a human heart inside. Nope,

675
00:55:16.119 --> 00:55:21.480
candies, Blake answered, popping a
chocolate into her mouth. Damn,

676
00:55:22.039 --> 00:55:27.679
Cassie groaned, gonna meet this mystery
admirer. No time for love, doctor

677
00:55:27.800 --> 00:55:30.639
Jones. I've got a paper to
finish, Blake pet the cat, still

678
00:55:30.719 --> 00:55:35.599
lounging on her bed, before picking
up her coat and book bag. I'm

679
00:55:35.639 --> 00:55:39.880
off to the library. Billy's letting
me in. Oh kinky, Cassie laughed.

680
00:55:40.239 --> 00:55:45.320
There's your secret heart sender, Billy. I'm pretty sure he's gay.

681
00:55:46.239 --> 00:55:52.159
Well so are you, Casey stated, it doesn't work that way. He

682
00:55:52.199 --> 00:55:57.119
doesn't have the kind of parts I
like. Blake slipped on her coat and

683
00:55:57.199 --> 00:56:00.599
rested the strap of the book bag
on her shoulder. What about you meeting

684
00:56:00.599 --> 00:56:05.800
Steve at the dance? Cassie's gaze
drifted over to her phone, lying on

685
00:56:05.840 --> 00:56:09.280
the bed next to her. Nah, he's busy tonight, Just gonna chill

686
00:56:09.320 --> 00:56:15.119
here with the cat and some TV. Oh sorry, I knew you were

687
00:56:15.119 --> 00:56:20.360
looking forward to it. A smile
crept across Cassie's face. Hey, we

688
00:56:20.400 --> 00:56:23.480
could go together. Blake could see
the hopeful look in her friend's eyes,

689
00:56:24.000 --> 00:56:29.920
which made what she had to say
painful. I'm sorry, I wish I

690
00:56:29.960 --> 00:56:34.199
could, she said, if I
don't hunk her down and finish this paper,

691
00:56:34.719 --> 00:56:37.039
I can't screw up. My parents
sacrificed a lot to get me here.

692
00:56:37.800 --> 00:56:42.280
She could feel her heart start to
beat a bit faster as she imagined

693
00:56:42.320 --> 00:56:46.119
going back home after flunking out.
The disappointment etched into her parents' faces.

694
00:56:46.800 --> 00:56:51.639
Blake felt sweat trickled down her cheek
as she started to breathe more rapidly.

695
00:56:52.679 --> 00:56:58.039
Control, she told herself, taking
in a deep, slow breath. Don't

696
00:56:58.079 --> 00:57:02.000
worry about it. I wasn't totally
seen, Cassie said, perhaps sensing her

697
00:57:02.039 --> 00:57:08.119
friend's stress. I'm better off staying
in tonight anyway. Everything okay, Yeah,

698
00:57:08.360 --> 00:57:14.000
just a little bummed, nothing big. You sure I could stay?

699
00:57:14.760 --> 00:57:20.239
I'm sure. Go get that paper
done? Okay, I'm sorry, don't

700
00:57:20.280 --> 00:57:23.880
be I never am. Blake stepped
out into the hallway, making her way

701
00:57:23.920 --> 00:57:28.880
past a group of girls all dressed
up for the dance, before stepping outside

702
00:57:28.920 --> 00:57:32.400
into the bitter February air. The
cold cut through her as she started across

703
00:57:32.400 --> 00:57:37.159
campus. Taking a pair of earbuds
from her coat, she hit play on

704
00:57:37.199 --> 00:57:39.760
her phone. She'd put together a
mix for tonight, something to get her

705
00:57:39.800 --> 00:57:45.679
motivated and keep her going. Walking
along a lit path, snow and ice

706
00:57:45.719 --> 00:57:49.719
crunched under Blake's boots. Taking in
a deep breath of cold air, she

707
00:57:49.719 --> 00:57:53.239
felt her heart beat going back to
normal. Since middle school, Blake had

708
00:57:53.280 --> 00:57:59.000
suffered from panic attacks. She had
trouble keeping her grades up, trouble fitting

709
00:57:59.039 --> 00:58:00.760
in. She found ways to cope
with it over the years, with the

710
00:58:00.800 --> 00:58:06.599
help of the school counselor Miss Cheryl. Getting this paper finished would relieve a

711
00:58:06.760 --> 00:58:10.280
lot of stress. Most of the
campus buildings were dark, only lit by

712
00:58:10.320 --> 00:58:15.119
a few lights left on and some
spotlights on the outside, So many shadows,

713
00:58:15.679 --> 00:58:21.920
perfect for a Towney to be lurking. Blake wanted to laugh off Cassie's

714
00:58:21.920 --> 00:58:27.239
comment, but here alone in the
night, she wasn't so sure it was

715
00:58:27.280 --> 00:58:30.800
something to laugh at. Stopping to
adjust her heavy book bag, Blake became

716
00:58:30.840 --> 00:58:37.760
aware of something as the song she
was listening to faded out. Footfalls on

717
00:58:37.840 --> 00:58:43.840
the snow. She turned, picturing
a salivating pack of Towney boys ready to

718
00:58:43.920 --> 00:58:46.840
pounce, ready to swing her book
bag like a mace. Blake wouldn't go

719
00:58:47.000 --> 00:58:52.440
down without a fight. She turned
and found herself face to face with a

720
00:58:52.519 --> 00:58:58.519
campus security guard. Hey, hey, miss, the man nodded, where

721
00:58:58.519 --> 00:59:02.440
are you headed tonight? Not wanting
to get Billy in trouble, she Fibbedmitting

722
00:59:02.440 --> 00:59:07.079
a friend to study, she smiled. She noticed his name tag Red stew.

723
00:59:07.719 --> 00:59:12.400
He looked like a stew, Blake
thought, I see nose to the

724
00:59:12.400 --> 00:59:17.239
grindstone and all that commendable thanks.
Blake could feel his eyes on her as

725
00:59:17.239 --> 00:59:22.440
she continued on. She felt a
little better knowing there was somebody out keeping

726
00:59:22.519 --> 00:59:25.159
watch. While most of the campus
was at the dance. The library,

727
00:59:25.360 --> 00:59:29.960
designed in the mid sixties, stood
out against the rest of the campus,

728
00:59:30.000 --> 00:59:34.360
which had been renovated over the last
few years. She knocked on the staff

729
00:59:34.400 --> 00:59:37.639
door around the building's back. After
a few minutes of standing around, waiting

730
00:59:37.679 --> 00:59:43.000
and thinking Billy wasn't even there,
the lock clicked and the metal door opened.

731
00:59:43.519 --> 00:59:46.159
A young man, a thin shadow
of stubble covering his lower face,

732
00:59:46.239 --> 00:59:51.480
peeked his head out. His eyes
darted back and forth before stopping on Blake.

733
00:59:52.280 --> 00:59:57.840
Is it secret? Is it safe? Billy Blake said wearily. He

734
00:59:57.960 --> 01:00:04.320
smiled broadly. Sorry, couldn't resist
all this clandestine shit. It was your

735
01:00:04.360 --> 01:00:07.159
idea for me to use the staff
entrance. Didn't want somebody seeing you come

736
01:00:07.159 --> 01:00:12.000
in the front after hours. Old
man Styles would have my ass for breakfast.

737
01:00:12.480 --> 01:00:15.880
Blake shivered as the wind gusted,
gonna let me in already, My

738
01:00:15.960 --> 01:00:20.719
non existent lady balls are freezing off. Billy stepped aside, and Blake entered

739
01:00:20.760 --> 01:00:24.519
what appeared to be the library's office
area, a cluttered mess of desks and

740
01:00:24.679 --> 01:00:30.559
cabinets from somewhere in the library.
Elvis crooned away as they stepped into the

741
01:00:30.599 --> 01:00:35.039
main room. Only half lit,
the library was a maze of bookshelves and

742
01:00:35.079 --> 01:00:38.199
shadows. Feel free to set up
shop anywhere. I'll be down here doing

743
01:00:38.239 --> 01:00:43.400
inventory a while, so don't worry
about getting the boot. Blake smiled,

744
01:00:44.000 --> 01:00:46.360
Thank you for this. There's just
too much chaos back at the dorm to

745
01:00:46.400 --> 01:00:52.639
focus. Besides, Cassie didn't go
out tonight. Oh she didn't go to

746
01:00:52.679 --> 01:00:58.159
the dance. Nah, God stood
up kind of the same for me.

747
01:00:58.599 --> 01:01:01.599
All my help bailed so they could
go to the dance. Well, at

748
01:01:01.679 --> 01:01:06.199
least you got the king. Music
isn't going to be a problem, is

749
01:01:06.239 --> 01:01:10.039
it. Nope? Brought my own. Blake pointed to her earbuds. Where's

750
01:01:10.039 --> 01:01:15.159
it coming from anyway? Old man
Styles has a record player hooked up to

751
01:01:15.199 --> 01:01:19.119
the PA. He's got a shit
ton of vinyl in his office. Billy

752
01:01:19.199 --> 01:01:22.280
pointed over his shoulder at the head
librarian's office. Helps the night go by.

753
01:01:22.360 --> 01:01:27.480
Quicker. Blake headed upstairs and plopped
down at a desk off in a

754
01:01:27.599 --> 01:01:31.400
corner with her paper and reference material
laid out on the desk, Blake popped

755
01:01:31.440 --> 01:01:37.159
open an energy drink and took a
sip Sweet Sweet caffeine. She unpaused her

756
01:01:37.239 --> 01:01:45.400
music and got to work. Cassie's
finger hung over the send button. How

757
01:01:45.440 --> 01:01:49.239
long ago had it been since she'd
sent it? She wasn't sure. She

758
01:01:49.360 --> 01:01:53.199
read the message again, I know
about the two of you. The message

759
01:01:53.199 --> 01:01:59.119
remained unseen by Steve. A part
of her regretted sending it, the part

760
01:01:59.239 --> 01:02:05.280
that still loves him even though she'd
seen them together. Fuck it, fuck

761
01:02:05.400 --> 01:02:09.719
him the shit. More cheaters coming
up after this, the TV promised.

762
01:02:10.400 --> 01:02:15.159
Cassie pet the cat lying next to
her. Here I am on Valentine's Day

763
01:02:15.199 --> 01:02:22.039
petting my gay roommate's pussy, watching
cheaters all alone. Cassie groaned, tapping

764
01:02:22.039 --> 01:02:24.679
the back of her head against the
wall. Sorry, kitty, but I

765
01:02:24.719 --> 01:02:30.159
got a bounce. Cassie put on
some lipstick, looking at herself in the

766
01:02:30.159 --> 01:02:36.159
mirror. Fuck you, Steve.
Putting on her jacket, Cassie looked at

767
01:02:36.159 --> 01:02:38.840
the cat curled up on her bed. I'll leave the TV on for you.

768
01:02:39.400 --> 01:02:44.559
Learn from cheaters, pal, don't
fall in love. Snow had begun

769
01:02:44.639 --> 01:02:47.400
to fall, whipped along by the
wind. Cassie was in the mood to

770
01:02:47.400 --> 01:02:52.760
do something bad. She could head
to the dance, maybe find some action

771
01:02:52.920 --> 01:03:00.119
there now, all those couples dancing
kissing, she'd feel more alone than back

772
01:03:00.159 --> 01:03:06.480
in the dorm room. Instead,
Cassie headed towards the library. She hugged

773
01:03:06.480 --> 01:03:08.960
herself as the wind blew across the
path, swirling snow in its wake.

774
01:03:09.760 --> 01:03:15.840
Cassie approached the sliding glass door and
peered inside. She knocked on the glass,

775
01:03:15.599 --> 01:03:21.159
Hello, anybody around. She shivered
and knocked on the window again.

776
01:03:21.800 --> 01:03:24.800
There seemed to be music coming from
inside. Someone had to be in there.

777
01:03:25.679 --> 01:03:30.239
Hey, anybody alive in there?
Keep it down, A voice sparked

778
01:03:30.280 --> 01:03:35.119
at her from inside. Billy glared
at her from over a stack of books.

779
01:03:35.760 --> 01:03:40.320
Cassie frowned. Sorry, geez,
is Blake in there? Why I'm

780
01:03:40.360 --> 01:03:45.599
a roommate. I gotta tell her
something. Cassie shivered, Please, Billy

781
01:03:45.599 --> 01:03:51.679
shook his head. Go around back. Thanks. Going around the back of

782
01:03:51.719 --> 01:03:53.559
the building, she saw the door
open, and the young man motioned for

783
01:03:53.599 --> 01:03:58.960
her to hurry up. He slammed
the door shut behind them as Cassie silently

784
01:03:59.000 --> 01:04:02.159
gave thanks for the He when I
invited Blake to study here tonight, I

785
01:04:02.320 --> 01:04:09.000
didn't think it was an open invitation, Billy, Cassie asked. Blake didn't

786
01:04:09.039 --> 01:04:12.840
tell me you were such a grump, he laughed. I just don't want

787
01:04:12.840 --> 01:04:15.639
to get my ass in trouble.
This job helps pay the bills. Cassie

788
01:04:15.679 --> 01:04:21.039
looked him over. I don't see
any trouble with your ass. This visibly

789
01:04:21.079 --> 01:04:26.519
threw him off. So Blake is
upstairs studying. I can show you the

790
01:04:26.559 --> 01:04:30.119
way, No need to show me. I've been here before, I know

791
01:04:30.199 --> 01:04:35.000
her hangout spot. I've noticed you
around. Really. A loud knock from

792
01:04:35.039 --> 01:04:39.440
the front of the library startled the
both of them. What the fuck,

793
01:04:39.719 --> 01:04:45.880
Billy complained, Are you expecting somebody? Um? No, unless the cat

794
01:04:45.960 --> 01:04:50.199
followed me. Bill Murdoch, a
man hollered from outside. Shit. Billy

795
01:04:50.239 --> 01:04:56.360
said, stay here, stay hidden. Billy left the office. Cassie could

796
01:04:56.400 --> 01:05:00.320
hear him talking to the other man. Music from the speaker's obscuring some of

797
01:05:00.320 --> 01:05:04.920
their conversation. Billy assured him everything
was okay. The man laughed, then

798
01:05:04.960 --> 01:05:10.679
wished Billy a good night. He
came back looking harried. Everything cool,

799
01:05:11.079 --> 01:05:15.599
Cassie asked, yeah, just the
security guy making his rounds. You better

800
01:05:15.639 --> 01:05:20.079
head up before someone else shows up. U sh it was only the wind.

801
01:05:20.679 --> 01:05:31.159
You are safe, weekly, spooky, We'll be right back. Stu

802
01:05:31.320 --> 01:05:35.000
almost made it back to the security
hut, as he called it, when

803
01:05:35.039 --> 01:05:40.039
his phone rang. The Psycho theme
ring tone told him all he needed to

804
01:05:40.079 --> 01:05:44.199
know. He didn't want to answer
it, but ignoring it would be worse.

805
01:05:45.480 --> 01:05:48.079
Hi, honey, Stu tried to
sound happy as he answered, what

806
01:05:48.119 --> 01:05:54.360
are you doing walking my rounds?
How about you, honey? Sitting here

807
01:05:54.400 --> 01:05:59.599
alone? What do you think?
Shit? Wrong choice of words. I'm

808
01:05:59.679 --> 01:06:01.199
sorry, baby. If I could
get out of this, I would,

809
01:06:01.239 --> 01:06:05.599
but there's nobody else. Tell me
the truth. You're not banging one of

810
01:06:05.599 --> 01:06:11.199
those young college floozies, are you? No, he tried to reassure her.

811
01:06:11.639 --> 01:06:16.159
I never would. I love you. Somebody giggled, Are you laughing

812
01:06:16.159 --> 01:06:21.719
at me? He asked, the
hell are you talking about? The childlike

813
01:06:21.800 --> 01:06:29.960
giggle came again. This time he
was sure it wasn't his wife. Okay,

814
01:06:30.000 --> 01:06:34.239
who's out here? Another giggle came
from somewhere in the dark, just

815
01:06:34.320 --> 01:06:40.159
off the footpath. Stu took out
his flashlight and shined it into the darkness.

816
01:06:40.880 --> 01:06:45.119
He expected to see a couple of
students pranking him, but instead there

817
01:06:45.159 --> 01:06:49.679
was nothing. Stu, what the
hell is going on? His wife asked,

818
01:06:50.199 --> 01:06:55.920
sorry, honey, work gotta go. He hung up. Stepping off

819
01:06:55.960 --> 01:06:59.679
the path, he shined his light
over the snow covered ground. There was

820
01:06:59.679 --> 01:07:02.639
nothing out of the ordinary, but
a quick flash of movement among the trees

821
01:07:02.679 --> 01:07:09.000
caught his eye. More giggling rung
out, look, knock it off,

822
01:07:09.079 --> 01:07:13.079
kid, go back to the dance
or the dorm. And Holstering his pistol,

823
01:07:13.159 --> 01:07:16.079
Stu approached the trees. If I
catch you and you're high on something,

824
01:07:16.119 --> 01:07:20.639
your butt will be expelled. His
gut instinct was to walk away.

825
01:07:21.400 --> 01:07:26.920
Don't give the little punk the satisfaction
of playing their game. Sadly, when

826
01:07:26.920 --> 01:07:30.960
it came to his job, Stu
was a stubborn man, so he went

827
01:07:30.039 --> 01:07:34.159
forward. Listen, show yourself,
I'll take you in. You can sleep

828
01:07:34.199 --> 01:07:39.039
it off on the couch and go
in the morning. Sound good, Stu

829
01:07:39.199 --> 01:07:45.039
was answered with the sound of glass
shattering. Shit had to do this the

830
01:07:45.079 --> 01:07:48.159
hard way. Ahead through the trees, Stu could see the side of the

831
01:07:48.239 --> 01:07:51.679
Visual Arts building. The glass of
one of the ground floor windows had been

832
01:07:51.719 --> 01:07:56.719
broken, shining the flashlight inside.
He could see traces of snow on the

833
01:07:56.800 --> 01:08:01.920
dark linoleum floor. So much or
a quiet night, he muttered. Entering

834
01:08:02.000 --> 01:08:06.719
the side door rounding the corner,
he stopped. Something was laid out on

835
01:08:06.760 --> 01:08:12.000
the floor in a straight line leading
further down the hallway. Stu bent down,

836
01:08:12.400 --> 01:08:15.920
getting a good look at what was
sitting on the floor, a little

837
01:08:15.960 --> 01:08:20.640
pink candy heart. For the first
time he could remember, Stu was scared

838
01:08:20.720 --> 01:08:25.239
shitless. As much as he wanted
to head back to the hut and forget

839
01:08:25.279 --> 01:08:30.359
this crap, he couldn't. He
stood gun at the ready and followed the

840
01:08:30.399 --> 01:08:34.239
trail of candy. The trail ended
in front of a pair of large auditorium

841
01:08:34.279 --> 01:08:41.319
doors. Stu nudged the doors open
slowly. The large room was completely dark.

842
01:08:42.079 --> 01:08:45.319
He advanced slowly down the main aisle, swinging his flashlight side to side.

843
01:08:46.000 --> 01:08:49.319
The light danced over the seats,
pausing on each one long enough to

844
01:08:49.359 --> 01:08:56.880
see nobody. There was only one
place left someone could be hiding, the

845
01:08:56.920 --> 01:09:00.640
stage. The stage was made up
to look like a girl's bedroom. There

846
01:09:00.680 --> 01:09:04.039
was a large bed, a desk, and nightstand. As he walked up

847
01:09:04.079 --> 01:09:08.560
the wooden steps to the stage,
there was an obvious shape under the blankets

848
01:09:08.600 --> 01:09:13.760
on the bed, A human shape. All right, Stu said, gun

849
01:09:13.800 --> 01:09:17.239
trained on the bed. Game's up. He yanked back the blankets in one

850
01:09:17.279 --> 01:09:23.119
swift motion, ready to grab the
little shit hiding there. A grinning plastic

851
01:09:23.199 --> 01:09:28.600
face stared up at him from the
human sized doll that laid there. Suddenly,

852
01:09:28.640 --> 01:09:31.199
pain erupted from his left achilles tendon. He fell hard, sending his

853
01:09:31.239 --> 01:09:35.600
gun in flashlight from his hands and
across the stage floor. Stu watched as

854
01:09:35.600 --> 01:09:40.279
the figure slid out from under the
bed and stood brandishing a bloody knife in

855
01:09:40.319 --> 01:09:44.840
their gloved hand. The short figure
wore a beat up old army jacket with

856
01:09:44.880 --> 01:09:47.920
a gray hoodie. Underneath. The
hood was pulled up, hiding their face

857
01:09:48.000 --> 01:09:55.640
in shadows. They playfully waved at
him. Oh god, Stu stammered,

858
01:09:55.800 --> 01:09:59.960
turning over. He crawled towards the
gun. Leave me alone, he scream.

859
01:10:00.800 --> 01:10:03.039
Those words would be Stu's last.
As the figure jumped on his back,

860
01:10:03.279 --> 01:10:06.399
driving their knees in and knocking the
wind out of him. Stu felt

861
01:10:06.439 --> 01:10:12.600
the cold steel of the blade against
his throat as that childish laugh filled his

862
01:10:12.720 --> 01:10:20.760
ears. Cassie found Blake sound asleep
at her desk. She didn't have the

863
01:10:20.800 --> 01:10:26.119
heart to wake her sleeping friend.
Instead, she went downstairs, where Billy

864
01:10:26.199 --> 01:10:30.000
was still hard at work as Bobby
Darren sang about the sea. Don't you

865
01:10:30.000 --> 01:10:33.439
ever take a break? Sooner?
I get this done, sooner I get

866
01:10:33.479 --> 01:10:38.880
to go home and sleep, Billy
said, scanning a book. Sleep is

867
01:10:38.920 --> 01:10:42.520
overrated. Come on, take a
break. She walked over to Billy and

868
01:10:42.640 --> 01:10:45.119
leaned on one of the bookshelves,
trying to look as seductive as possible.

869
01:10:46.039 --> 01:10:50.800
How's Blake doing, Billy asked,
sounding a little uncomfortable with her close proximity.

870
01:10:51.880 --> 01:10:58.039
Unfortunately, she's sleeping. Now here's
my thing. I'm having a bad

871
01:10:58.159 --> 01:11:02.000
night. I need something, anything, to take my mind off the shit.

872
01:11:02.720 --> 01:11:08.800
She leaned in close to Billy's ear. So how about taking a break.

873
01:11:10.199 --> 01:11:15.239
You're very attractive, don't think I
haven't noticed, but I have a

874
01:11:15.279 --> 01:11:18.279
lot of work here in shit.
She kissed him on the cheek. I

875
01:11:18.359 --> 01:11:26.399
can help. I'm very good with
the Dewey decimal system. Well, oh,

876
01:11:26.720 --> 01:11:31.279
Cassie exclaimed, so not gay.
Huh. Billy looked up at her.

877
01:11:31.960 --> 01:11:35.279
Nothing, she said, breathing heavy. They were in the back corner

878
01:11:35.319 --> 01:11:40.680
of the library, behind a shelf
of rarely used books. Cassie laid her

879
01:11:40.680 --> 01:11:44.279
head on Billy's bare shoulder. I
don't do this, it's just tonight,

880
01:11:44.600 --> 01:11:47.960
she said. I don't want you
to think I'm easy. I don't.

881
01:11:48.439 --> 01:11:51.920
I wouldn't. Billy said, I
know this is just a fluke, a

882
01:11:53.000 --> 01:11:57.439
one time thing. I wouldn't say
that. She laughed. We'll see,

883
01:11:57.680 --> 01:12:02.079
okay. Yeah. Cassie laid there, feeling her heartbeat go back to normal.

884
01:12:02.439 --> 01:12:08.520
It was the first time she noticed
the silence the record stopped. She

885
01:12:08.640 --> 01:12:12.720
said, guess so, how much
trouble would you be in if old man

886
01:12:12.800 --> 01:12:15.880
Styles caught us? Are you crazy? He'd have my ass thrown out of

887
01:12:15.920 --> 01:12:19.720
school. From what I've heard,
this isn't the first time someone got some

888
01:12:19.840 --> 01:12:26.720
in the library, Miss Walton.
Cassie nodded, and Coach Greer, it's

889
01:12:26.760 --> 01:12:30.399
a rumor anyway. Billy laughed,
It's more than that. I almost walked

890
01:12:30.439 --> 01:12:33.640
in on them one night in the
projection room. She might have asked you

891
01:12:33.680 --> 01:12:39.119
to join in. The pair giggled. Well, I gotta get back to

892
01:12:39.119 --> 01:12:43.439
work, Billy said, I wish. Cassie cut him off, kissing him.

893
01:12:44.119 --> 01:12:47.199
I know duty calls. She sat
up. I'll go see if Blake

894
01:12:47.279 --> 01:12:51.960
is up. The PA crackled with
static as another record started to play.

895
01:12:54.640 --> 01:13:00.600
How Cassie asked, looking at Billy, only one way, he replied,

896
01:13:00.239 --> 01:13:06.319
somebody else who Blake wouldn't I don't
think I'll go. Look, I'll go

897
01:13:06.399 --> 01:13:11.119
with you. Stay here. If
it's the old man, or stew or

898
01:13:11.239 --> 01:13:15.199
somebody, I'm toast. He surprised
Cassie by giving her a quick kiss on

899
01:13:15.239 --> 01:13:20.279
the cheek. She watched him hurry
off, Feeling a sudden nervousness. She

900
01:13:20.399 --> 01:13:26.720
waited, listening with the music.
It was hard to make anything out.

901
01:13:26.920 --> 01:13:30.000
Cassie could hear Billy say something.
Then he yelled one word that sent a

902
01:13:30.119 --> 01:13:39.720
chill through her whole body. Run
Blake woke with a start. She dreamed

903
01:13:39.720 --> 01:13:44.039
of a dark figure standing behind her, stroking her hair. A great mechanical

904
01:13:44.159 --> 01:13:48.880
roar erupted from within it, making
her jump above her The overhead heater rumbled

905
01:13:48.880 --> 01:13:54.119
to life. How long had she
been asleep? How much time had she

906
01:13:54.199 --> 01:13:58.960
lost? She'd only meant to grab
a quick nap. Groggy, Blake fumbled

907
01:13:58.960 --> 01:14:02.800
for her phone, knocking over an
empty energy drink caffeine, you betray me.

908
01:14:03.760 --> 01:14:09.079
The earbuds dangled from her ears,
but her phone was gone. Blake

909
01:14:09.199 --> 01:14:14.239
checked the rest of the desk and
floor. What the hell it couldn't just

910
01:14:14.279 --> 01:14:18.079
be gone? From downstairs? Music
drifted up. Billy was still here.

911
01:14:18.760 --> 01:14:24.600
The music was something classical, though
Blake wasn't sure of the composer. Blake

912
01:14:24.680 --> 01:14:29.199
went downstairs. Despite the music,
there was an odd stillness to everything.

913
01:14:30.520 --> 01:14:35.119
Billy. The song reached its climax
before going to static. Outside, wind

914
01:14:35.199 --> 01:14:40.840
rattled the library's large glass windows.
The snow was starting to fall heavier now.

915
01:14:41.640 --> 01:14:45.840
The clock over the front desk read
one thirty. She'd slept for hours,

916
01:14:46.479 --> 01:14:51.720
Billy. She called out again,
worry straining her voice. From somewhere

917
01:14:51.760 --> 01:14:58.199
in the library, A childlike giggle
answered her, Come on, this isn't

918
01:14:58.199 --> 01:15:02.039
funny. Stop screwing around. Fear
climbed up her rib cage and threatened to

919
01:15:02.079 --> 01:15:06.680
take hold of her A flicker of
light caught Blake's eye. Something moved in

920
01:15:06.720 --> 01:15:12.720
the library's rear, accompanied by the
sound of voices. The light was coming

921
01:15:12.760 --> 01:15:16.199
from the conference room. The wall
mounted TV had been turned on and a

922
01:15:16.239 --> 01:15:23.079
presentation on the college's renovations played to
a darkened room. A lone figure sat

923
01:15:23.399 --> 01:15:28.119
back to Blake, watching the screen. Blake walked around the side of the

924
01:15:28.159 --> 01:15:33.479
seated figure. Before she saw their
face, she knew Billy sat there,

925
01:15:33.880 --> 01:15:40.880
unmoving, staring straight ahead. A
large bloody wound covered his chest. His

926
01:15:41.039 --> 01:15:45.039
arms laid out stretched in front of
him, his hands cup together holding something

927
01:15:45.159 --> 01:15:49.960
an offering. A heart sat in
his hands. A note was pinned to

928
01:15:50.039 --> 01:15:56.359
it, I Heart you, written
in blood. She ran from the room

929
01:15:56.479 --> 01:16:00.239
and charged the front door, only
to find it locked. Frustrated and scared,

930
01:16:00.479 --> 01:16:04.039
she pounded on the glass, but
it was unwavering. There had to

931
01:16:04.119 --> 01:16:09.840
be another way out the office,
the office where Billy had led her.

932
01:16:09.840 --> 01:16:15.399
In. Entering the office, Blake
scanned the room. There could be somebody

933
01:16:15.479 --> 01:16:17.800
hiding behind one of the desks.
The door on the other side of the

934
01:16:17.880 --> 01:16:23.560
room might as well have been miles
away. Blake grabbed a silver letter opener

935
01:16:23.600 --> 01:16:27.520
from the nearest desk. She held
it out like a crucifix to ward off

936
01:16:27.560 --> 01:16:31.800
some unseen evil. Blake got to
the door without incident and found it locked.

937
01:16:32.920 --> 01:16:38.239
Shit. She headed back out to
the main area. There must be

938
01:16:38.279 --> 01:16:42.960
another way out, a fire exit
or something. She headed through the center

939
01:16:43.000 --> 01:16:47.199
of the library. Something slowly moved
down one of the aisles, making Blake

940
01:16:47.279 --> 01:16:53.960
stop crouching. She slid the letter
opener in her jean's pocket. She crawled

941
01:16:53.960 --> 01:16:57.840
on her hands and knees, trying
to get a better view. Slowly,

942
01:16:58.359 --> 01:17:01.520
she pulled a book from the shelf
and peered through the gap, coming face

943
01:17:01.600 --> 01:17:08.359
to face with Stu, the security
guard. His body lay on the ground,

944
01:17:08.760 --> 01:17:12.159
lifeless, his head tilted to the
side, looking straight at her.

945
01:17:12.880 --> 01:17:17.840
Her breathing became louder, more ragged, threatening to give her away control.

946
01:17:19.319 --> 01:17:26.039
A gloved hand gripped her shoulder boo. Grabbing a book from the shelf,

947
01:17:26.119 --> 01:17:30.279
Blake lashed out, hitting somebody.
She didn't stay to see who. She

948
01:17:30.520 --> 01:17:33.479
ran, throwing books over her shoulder
at an unseen pursuer. Blake ran back

949
01:17:33.520 --> 01:17:38.039
to the entrance, pounding on the
glass. Let me out, she screamed.

950
01:17:38.520 --> 01:17:42.319
Enthusiastic clapping made her turn to see
a figure sitting at the checkout counter,

951
01:17:42.640 --> 01:17:47.079
a hood obscuring their face. Wow, that was great. They pulled

952
01:17:47.079 --> 01:17:53.000
the hood down, revealing a young
woman with short black hair. I was

953
01:17:53.039 --> 01:17:56.960
surprised, the girl said, holding
up a cell phone, you have an

954
01:17:57.000 --> 01:18:00.520
eclectic taste in music. The girl
started swiping through the tracks on the phone

955
01:18:00.560 --> 01:18:06.159
as Blake stood watching in shock.
Some of it is good, but there's

956
01:18:06.199 --> 01:18:11.119
a lot of crap, she continued, going through the songs. Crap,

957
01:18:11.560 --> 01:18:17.960
crap, crap. Ooh, she
laughed, barrakuda, tossing the phone over

958
01:18:18.000 --> 01:18:24.960
her shoulder. What the fuck is
going on? Blake asked, why didn't

959
01:18:25.000 --> 01:18:29.159
you meet me? The girl sounded
hurt. I sent you chocolates. Would

960
01:18:29.159 --> 01:18:32.039
it have been so hard? I
thought you were different than those others.

961
01:18:32.479 --> 01:18:38.039
Blake had seen this girl somewhere before, in the dorm or a class.

962
01:18:38.840 --> 01:18:43.479
Maybe they'd passed in the hallway.
The girl looked at her genuinely hurt.

963
01:18:44.560 --> 01:18:48.640
You don't remember first day orientation.
You sat down next to me and smiled.

964
01:18:48.760 --> 01:18:53.119
We talked about how nervous we were, or that time I tripped.

965
01:18:53.399 --> 01:18:57.000
You stopped when nobody else did help
me pick up my books. Asked me

966
01:18:57.039 --> 01:19:00.520
if I was okay. The girl
sighed, I've loved you since I first

967
01:19:00.600 --> 01:19:04.239
saw you. That's why I got
transferred to mister Sigmund's class so I could

968
01:19:04.239 --> 01:19:11.319
be near you. You killed Billy
because of me. Blake felt her head

969
01:19:11.359 --> 01:19:16.560
spin like the song says, the
problem with me is you. The girl

970
01:19:16.640 --> 01:19:20.840
jumped down from the counter. Billy
wasn't the only one. As you saw,

971
01:19:20.920 --> 01:19:26.279
I killed that Dufus security guard.
Can't have him interrupting. She reached

972
01:19:26.319 --> 01:19:30.720
into her jacket and pulled out a
keychain. Besides, I needed this,

973
01:19:30.720 --> 01:19:35.479
This was madness. Blake needed to
get away, get help. She felt

974
01:19:35.479 --> 01:19:41.199
her heart beat faster, felt it
harder to breathe. You think I'll just

975
01:19:42.079 --> 01:19:45.960
fall in love with you? Why
not? You're the only one who ever

976
01:19:45.000 --> 01:19:50.199
noticed me. No one else has. They ignore me. Oh God,

977
01:19:50.279 --> 01:19:59.039
you insane bitch. I'm in love. Maybe maybe you are. Blake smiled.

978
01:20:00.119 --> 01:20:04.000
You did this all for me.
She walked towards the girl. I

979
01:20:04.039 --> 01:20:10.880
don't even know your name, Terry, my name is Terry. That's a

980
01:20:10.960 --> 01:20:15.039
nice name. Blake reached her hand
out towards the girl. Her hand slid

981
01:20:15.079 --> 01:20:19.479
into her pocket, touching the hilt
of the letter opener. Terry grabbed Blake's

982
01:20:19.479 --> 01:20:24.520
outstretched arm, pulling her along.
Come on, I have one last gift

983
01:20:24.520 --> 01:20:29.039
for you. They stopped at the
door to old man Style's office. What's

984
01:20:29.119 --> 01:20:33.119
behind door number one? Terry asked, and he guesses. Blake held the

985
01:20:33.199 --> 01:20:38.600
letter opener, now concealed under her
shirt sleeve. What could this maniac be

986
01:20:38.680 --> 01:20:44.279
planning? No? All right,
Terry sighed, a little disappointed. She

987
01:20:44.359 --> 01:20:48.199
opened the door to reveal a beaten
Cassie lashed to mister Styles's chair. Terry

988
01:20:48.239 --> 01:20:54.199
wheeled her out of the office.
Oh shit, Blake took a step back.

989
01:20:54.760 --> 01:21:00.800
What have you done? Nothing,
but you're going to see she had

990
01:21:00.800 --> 01:21:04.319
to come snooping around screw up everything. She gave Billy a pretty good screw

991
01:21:04.359 --> 01:21:09.760
before I killed him. Cassie glared
at the girl. A muffled fuck you

992
01:21:09.840 --> 01:21:15.800
could be heard through her gag.
If you really really love me, then

993
01:21:15.800 --> 01:21:20.159
you'll kill her like I killed for
you. Terry pulled Stu's gun from her

994
01:21:20.239 --> 01:21:25.760
jacket and pushed the barrel against Cassie's
temple. With her other hand, she

995
01:21:25.840 --> 01:21:29.239
pulled a large knife out and tossed
it onto the floor in front of Blake.

996
01:21:30.560 --> 01:21:34.119
Two things can happen, Terry stated, Pick up that knife and kill

997
01:21:34.159 --> 01:21:40.640
her or I kill the both of
you. Blake shook her head in disbelief.

998
01:21:41.880 --> 01:21:45.399
How would we get away with it? Your fingerprints, my fingerprints all

999
01:21:45.439 --> 01:21:50.720
over everything? Simple? She did
it. We'd be each other's alibi.

1000
01:21:51.199 --> 01:21:55.880
She went nuts, killed Stu,
fucked Billy, and then came after us.

1001
01:21:56.319 --> 01:22:01.439
We killed her in self defense,
and we live happily ever after more

1002
01:22:01.560 --> 01:22:05.279
or less. Blake looked down at
her best friend, then up at Terry,

1003
01:22:05.600 --> 01:22:09.399
bending down as she picked up the
knife and stood in front of her

1004
01:22:09.479 --> 01:22:15.600
terrified friend. Terry trained the gun
on Blake. Don't try anything. Blake

1005
01:22:15.640 --> 01:22:20.880
and Cassie locked eyes. Would you
just kill the bitch already? Terry ordered,

1006
01:22:21.560 --> 01:22:27.199
it's been a long night. Blake
took a deep breath. Finally in

1007
01:22:27.239 --> 01:22:30.199
control, she pushed the chair into
Terry with all her strength, knocking the

1008
01:22:30.239 --> 01:22:34.199
girl down. The gun erupted as
Terry fired. Blake fell on the girl.

1009
01:22:34.199 --> 01:22:38.319
They struggled, and the gun flew
from Terry's hand. The two fought

1010
01:22:38.319 --> 01:22:43.319
for the knife until finally the knife
found its way into Terry. Terry looked

1011
01:22:43.359 --> 01:22:48.199
into Blake's eyes and smiled, blood
staining her lips. She loves me,

1012
01:22:49.760 --> 01:22:55.600
She loves me, not Terry lamented, touching Blake's face before letting out a

1013
01:22:55.640 --> 01:23:00.680
groan and going limp. Blake used
her last bit of sid strength to cut

1014
01:23:00.680 --> 01:23:06.680
her friend. Free you okay,
she asked Cassie. Not really, Cassie

1015
01:23:06.800 --> 01:23:13.479
laughed, choking back tears. Fuck, Blake said, looking down at her

1016
01:23:13.520 --> 01:23:18.479
side and expanding red stain darkened her
shirt. I've been shot. Hang on,

1017
01:23:18.880 --> 01:23:23.880
I'll get help. Cassie ran into
Style's office. Blake could hear her

1018
01:23:23.920 --> 01:23:28.159
talking to nine one one. Blake
leaned against a bookshelf, looking at Terry,

1019
01:23:29.520 --> 01:23:40.199
Happy fucking Valentine's Day. Well,
my Spooky's I hope you've had your

1020
01:23:41.039 --> 01:23:46.920
lust for blood satiated at least for
tonight. Don't worry. We have some

1021
01:23:47.000 --> 01:23:55.319
more terrifying tales of Valentine's Day massacres
coming right your way. But for now,

1022
01:23:56.000 --> 01:23:59.880
it's time I leave you. We'll
be back here next week with even

1023
01:24:00.159 --> 01:24:06.520
more spooky in your weekly. Until
then, stay safe, and if you

1024
01:24:06.600 --> 01:24:12.640
will love love love what we do, head over to Weeklyspooky dot com,

1025
01:24:12.720 --> 01:24:16.880
click on Patreon and subscribe. That's
the best way to support us directly,

1026
01:24:17.000 --> 01:24:25.439
and you get two bonus scary stories
every single week. But now, my

1027
01:24:25.560 --> 01:24:30.359
dear listener, Now it's time to
snuggle up with that special someone in your

1028
01:24:30.399 --> 01:24:41.880
favorite bed, hammock, or casket. Until next time, Later, my friends,