4 Thanksgiving Horror Stories!

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Hello, my spookys. We're now
entering the deep end of autumn, and

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soon in America anyway, we'll be
celebrating what we're thankful for on Turkey Day

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Thanksgiving. Well, Weekly Spooky has
had some terrifying stories about Turkey Day,

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and we're going to bring them all
to you in one nice little schmorgasbord right

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here. So kick back and relax
with four terrifying tales of Thanksgiving, and

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remember, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving,
there'll be a brand new one waiting for

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you, so make sure you're subscribed. We've got a whole lot of fun

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coming to you this month, but
for now, I think I'm getting a

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little hungry. I don't know about
you. So we're going to start things

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off with Thanksgiving Dinner by my cutting
deep into horror co host Rachel Rodolphi right

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here at Weekly Spooky after these quick
words from our sponsors. Thanksgiving Dinner by

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Rachel Ridolfi, a Weekly Spooky original. Monticello, Indiana, just an hour

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and a half from the infamous Gary
and still less than three hours from Chicago.

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It was a small town with a
population that barely scratched five thousand men,

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women and children. Most residents grew
up together, worked together, went

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to school together. Hell, most
of them even frequented the same five churches.

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That's why when Sophia got the chance
to move, she chose Monticello,

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just close enough to home that she
could visit her family if she chose to,

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but usually she chose not to.
She loved her family, but they

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were a thorn in her side.
Chicago wasn't quite her speed. There was

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just too much going on all the
time, and she just couldn't cope with

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all of that, not anymore.
Aside from being constantly high strung from all

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the work she had to do for
the city, she also found herself increasingly

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depressed dealing with the less than responsible
members of her precinct. With the recommendation

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of her chief, and with a
little bit of finagling, when a position

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opened up, Sophia got herself a
cushy job in Monticello, Indiana. She

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considered it cushy because she really didn't
have to do much or deal with much,

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aside from the odd noise complaint or
writing your standard parking tickets. Sure,

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in the summer, she would have
to work a little harder to control

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traffic or stave off the common drunken
tourist. But for the most part,

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she really didn't have to work that
hard. It really felt like the only

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time she was working was May through
August. Once the chilly September air hit,

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everything quieted down and she got a
chance to relax. Sitting in her

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cruisers, she got a text on
her phone. Are you coming or not?

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The text message from her brother bellowed, Sofia yeah, grimaced at her

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phone, sighed and stretched out.
It had been a long shift already.

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She really didn't feel like dealing with
her family. She glanced at a picture

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on her dashboard before opening up her
phone and responding, No, I'm not

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coming. The drive is too long. She tapped back three dots. Someone

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honked across the street, and she
glanced up. One elderly driver was taking

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too long to make a left turn
to light. She decided to ignore it.

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The response finally chimed, dinner starts
at six. Just say you don't

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want to see us. Okay,
fine, I don't want to see you.

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She hastily pounded back, then hit
send. She was working the double

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anyway. Chief Lewis called off sick, and she'd taken his shift even if

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she wanted to see her family.
She couldn't. Her black coffee gave off

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big puffs of heat vapor. She
took a huge, scolding gulp and hissed

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fuck her at her phone, before
glancing back up at traffic. The picture

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on her dashboard glowered at her in
mono chromatic tones. The elderly driver had

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figured out the problem in traffic was
moving along fine. It was never busy

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during noon anyway, but during the
holiday season it was so slow she could

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almost take a nap. Another ding. She glanced at the home screen of

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her phone, which had the banner
of but Grandma really misses you her and

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Mom. She honestly debated opening up
that message. It had been a whole

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year since her brother had attempted an
honest to God conversation with her. She

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was curious to see what he would
try to pull this time. Officer Cortes,

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please report. A familiar and friendly
voice chimed. Nancy was always too

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polite. If she didn't end a
call with please, Sophia would be suspicious.

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Officer Cortes reporting, Sophia said back, we have a request for a

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welfare check at nineteen eleven East Davidson. Please Nancy said. Sophia plugged it

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into her GPS. It was less
than three miles away. Now this one

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here is a doozy, Nancy continued. Probably should have just called animal control,

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if you please. Officer Cortes talked
back through the receiver. If you

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needed animal control, you should have
just called them. Why am I going

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here? Well, to be honest, Nancy droned. If she wasn't droning,

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something was wrong, perfectly honest,
mind you. The animal isn't of

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the utmost concern, all right,
then, So what is Norman Roberts.

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He ain't been in contact with his
neighbor and his dog is still outside,

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if you please. Abigail White called
and said he hadn't been seen over twelve

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days. Sophia started her car,
and the engine of her cruiser grumbled to

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life when she followed the directions on
her GPS. Oh, good, you

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are going. I'll let Chief Lewis
know. He don't need to go all

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the way down there, Nancy said. Sophia paused, furrowed her brows,

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hissed into the radio. You didn't
disturb him, did you. Oh,

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I've been keeping him updated on all
activity in the town. Nancy chortled back

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cheerily. Sophia sighed, pinched her
brow at a stop sign and groaned,

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let him know I'm handling it,
and then just stop. Please, he

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needs his rest. Oh sure,
Nancy chirped. Sofia headed forward and followed

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the directions on her phone. I
guess chemo ain't easy after all, the

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dispatcher noted, No, it's not, Sophia reassured, trying not to look

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at the picture of her father.
Sophia took a turn, waited at a

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traffic light, and took another sip
of her coffee. Well paved roads gave

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way to gravel as she headed towards
the trailer park. The soy fields were

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barren and empty. A corpse of
oak trees with vibrant orange leaves towered near

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a fence line, and a few
crows glowered at her from their perch on

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the phone lines. The road was
bumpy, and her cruiser had a rough

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time hopping over all the potholes.
Monticello was doing well, but not well

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enough to buy new SUVs for the
police or repave all the roads. As

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well as the city was doing,
it still had its rough areas, just

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like any city around the world.
Sophia just counted herself lucky that this particular

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city didn't have many of the other
issues as elsewhere in the country. While

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driving past a barren grove of trees, her phone chimed again, another message

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from her brother, this time insisting
Dad would want you here. That almost

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set her off. Feeling the blood
pounding heart in her arms and burning the

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sense of rage in her chest,
she paused, took a deep breath,

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and counted one, two, three, four, five. She released the

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breath, glanced at the picture of
her father in uniform. She kept in

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the car and scowled, grumbling to
herself, Now he's trying to use you

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against me. She wouldn't dignify her
brother's harassment with a response. She turned

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a corner at the entrance of the
trailer park and followed each left hand turned

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until she came to the address she
was looking for. An elderly woman definitely

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past her seventies rushed out of a
trailer and swarmed Sophia's suv. Are you

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here for norm, the woman asked. Sophia nodded, stepped out from the

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car with hardly a glance at the
photo, and considered leaving her phone in

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the car, but then thought better
of it. If this was an emergency,

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she would want her phone, and
if it wasn't well, it was

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still set on vibrating, wouldn't disturb
her. The woman, Abigail, bombarded

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Sophia with a ti rate of information. I've been waiting for what seems like

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forever. It's Thanksgiving now, and
norm promised to have dinner with me.

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He always promises, but rarely keeps
them. Almost two weeks ago, though

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I made him swear on his mama's
grave he'd come for Thanksgiving dinner with me,

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and he ain't said a word.
Sophia nodded, took out her notepad,

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and wrote down any pertinent information she
could discern. There was none.

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So the last time you spoke to
Norman was twelve days ago, she asked,

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Yes, twelve days ago. Abigail
confirmed with a nod. He just

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got home from a long hall and
promised me a visit today. Sophia closed

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the door of her car with a
slam, and immediately a cacophony of barks

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sounded from behind the trailer. Within
a few moments, the entire park was

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filled with warning howls of dogs.
He does that when anyone comes over,

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Abigail explained, pointing at the small
yard behind the trailer. He's been chained

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up this whole time, for almost
two weeks. Yeah, I just been

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giving him food and water, Abigail
explained, looking rather sheepish. Sophia grimaced

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before the yelping died down and only
the baying of Norman's hound remained. Have

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you tried contacting Norman directly, she
pried. Abigail nodded. I banged on

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the door, both front and back, and he ain't said nothing. She

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explained. I called him last week, but it went straight to voicemail.

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Sophia nodded and glanced over at Norman's
trailer. None of the other trailers were

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in the best of shape, but
his was the most worn down. The

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paint had peeled off of practically every
inch. All of the windows had been

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broken and replaced with plywood. The
front door itself was held in place with

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a patchwork of duct tape and bungee
cords. The trailer sat at nearly a

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forty five degree angle at the left
corner because the foundation had settled unevenly.

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She noted a security camera duct tape
just above the front door and she assumed

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on instinct there was a twin on
the other side of the house. She

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didn't mention this to Abigail. Officer
Cortez took a step forward and asked,

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so, when was the last time
you spoke to him directly. Abigail's answer

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finally raised enough alarm that Sofia had
to write down the answer just about three

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weeks ago, right before he went
on the road, noting it and raising

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an eyebrow. Sofia took another step
forward, and the dog in the backyard

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began to growl again. Another noise
like a dog growling, but very muffled,

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caught her ear. Sofia nodded and
asked, does he travel often every

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week? Abigail said, as Sophia
took another few steps toward the front door,

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he's a trucker. Both nodded.
Abigail, finding a sense of urgency,

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yelled back at the dog, hush
your face, hank The dog out

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back whimpered, then shut up,
while the near silent grumbling indoors still continued.

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The wind picked up and changed direction, and Sophia's nose wrinkled when she

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caught an acrid metallic scent. Been
stinking like that for almost a week.

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Abigail said, seeing her face,
don't smell good, but it's not a

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gas leak. No, Sophia agreed, definitely not a gas leak. She

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took a step up onto the porch
and the dog began barking again. The

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smell definitely wasn't gas, but it
wasn't good. It was bittersweet and smelled

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of decomposition. It was the smell
of death, and she knew it.

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She'd smelled it before when her father
passed. And you've tried contacting him directly,

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Sophia pressed, trying to be heard
above the hound, her hand hovering

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over the doorknob, Abigail nodded.
Every day at three pm when the mail

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comes, Sophia nodded, opening the
door. The smell was undeniable. Decomposing

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flesh was somewhere nearby. Over the
howling barks of the dog, she could

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still hear that growling noise. The
door creaked open, The dog whimpered and

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then fell silent, but the growling
continued. Norman Roberts, She called into

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the trailer. No answer, this
is Officer Cortes with Monticello PD. Still

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nothing but the faint growling and the
hum of a TV. The living room

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housed an old TV still running,
ads a dilapidated recliner with a bowl of

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popcorn. Flies buzzed around the bowl, then dispersed as she walked forward.

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The room itself was sparse. There
was furniture, a TV stand and a

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TV, a recliner, even a
bookshelf, but no books or decorations,

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no pictures, no posters, not
even a loose receipt. Every step she

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took echoed around that blank room.
The growling grew louder, but Sophia couldn't

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place where it was coming from.
First, she searched the room to her

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right, a bedroom. She walked
slightly uphill against the setting foundation boards creaking

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underfoot. The bed wasn't a real
bed. It lacked a frame and was

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really only a mattress on the floor. A line a nylon cord like the

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kind used to contain a dog,
was bolted to the floor near the mattress

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and extended to the doorframe of the
room. No pictures or anything to make

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the room homie, just the mattress
and the cord. The windows were enclosed

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with boards nailed from the inside hank. The dog began to whimper. When

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he heard the floorboards creak, Sophia
called back to the station, Nancy,

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I need you to stay on the
line with me. Her eyes followed the

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cord from the far end of the
room to the door she was standing at,

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and she could still hear Hank's whimpering, now an excited yelping, as

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well as the constant grumbling. In
that bare bedroom. There was a closet

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to her left and a dresser to
her right. She considered searching either of

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them, but since this was only
a welfare check, she decided against it.

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She doubled back and paced through the
living room, the ad on TV

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proclaiming it could cure any subscriber of
all credit card debts. While the growling

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grew louder, little hairs on Sophia's
neck prickled, and she could feel her

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heart begin to s beat up.
Something wasn't right. When she came to

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the doorway for the next room,
Hank's yelping silenced, and so did the

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growling. For a brief moment,
the only things she could hear were the

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pounding of her own heart and the
TV switching over to sports commentary. The

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kitchen had no natural light, Every
single window in the trailer was covered,

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and there were no other lights aside
from the TV. In the darkest corner

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to her left, something shuffled.
Hello, no answer, Norman Roberts.

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This is Officer Cortes. I've been
called for a welfare check. Still nothing.

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Don't go away, weakly, spooky, We'll be right back. She

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took a step forward and counted her
heartbeats to the count of five, one,

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two, three. A shadow pounced
forward from the corner and reached hissing.

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Sophia took one step back and pulled
her gun from its holster, shouting,

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this is Officer Qrtes with Monticello PD. The cord around the goblin's neck

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caught it and stopped in mid air, crashing it to the ground. Hank

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00:16:12.720 --> 00:16:18.360
began whimpering again, and when the
goblin hissed it Sophia, the dog howled.

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Nancy, I need backup now,
Sophia said into her radio, taking

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a few steps back. The gaunt
figure paced on all fours, tugging against

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its leash. It stopped hissing and
then growled like a dog, ready to

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strike when it got the chance.
The goblin barked at her thrice, then

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sat on its haunches, head tucked
between its shoulders and glowered at her.

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It attempted to pull against the collar
around its neck, to no avail,

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so it stumbled back on all fours
to its corner and grabbed an object and

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began chewing on it. Then the
smell hit her, decomposing flesh and death

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and the tangy scent of some kind
of infection. The goblin screamed at her,

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then went back to gnawing its bone, an arm, an entire human

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arm. Sophia glanced to the right
end of the kitchen in the trailer and

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saw the main source of the stench, the bloated corpse of a man with

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one missing arm, slouched over the
table, only barely out of reach from

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the naked goblin. Scratching bike marks
riddled his body. The creature hissed,

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shrieked, and then charged her again. Its lithe and lanky frame was caught

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by the nylon cord in mid air
and fell to the ground for a second

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time. The broken eyes of a
human child glanced at her beneath the matted

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hair on its head. Officer Cortes
fled the scene, never mind what her

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father would have thought and emptied the
contents of her stomach in front of Abigail.

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They both waited for reinforcements. Second
officer arrived. The baying of hounds

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filled the air, and ninety seconds
after entering the trailer, he fled as

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00:18:06.480 --> 00:18:11.000
well. Two more officers were called
in. Then they called in the EMT,

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the coroner, Animal Services, and
Child Protective Services. It took only

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thirty minutes to extract the dog,
Hank, a full blooded, unneutered male

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German shepherd. He nearly mauled one
of the animal control officers and they assumed

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he would have to be put down. The goblin, however, Officer Cortes

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couldn't leave the scene, despite how
much she wanted to. Abigail made coffee

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for everyone except Sophia, who got
a cup of tea and accepted it without

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argument. Abigail kept her arm wrapped
around Sofia while the other officers extracted the

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remaining suspect victim. No one was
really able to tell at that point whatever

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it was. They had to sedate
it just to move it from the scene.

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It wasn't a goblin apprehended from the
scene, but a child, and

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00:19:04.599 --> 00:19:08.319
after she was sedated and carted off
with the EMTs. Sophia had to stick

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around with the investigators to explain what
she'd seen, and then, because she

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was covering for Chief Lewis, follow
up the rest of the investigation as her

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instincts predicted. Animal Control found another
security camera facing the back yard when they

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caught Hank. CPS found a camera
in the kitchen while they were trapping the

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child. Officers found another camera in
the bedroom hidden in a corner where Sophia

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00:19:34.039 --> 00:19:40.960
couldn't see. Chains and nylon cords
everywhere, whips, handcuffs, and muzzles

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for both dogs and humans in the
bedroom and kitchen. That night, on

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the drive home after everything was revealed, Sofia talked to her father via the

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picture of him she kept on her
dashboard. As she talked, she reflected

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00:19:53.079 --> 00:19:56.720
on what she'd seen. She couldn't
stay stoic like her father had been,

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00:19:57.200 --> 00:20:02.000
and she'd been finding herself discovering more
and more differences between the two of them.

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At home, she actually called her
mother and explained what had happened.

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00:20:07.400 --> 00:20:11.400
Further investigation was required, and searching
around the house found even more evidence of

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00:20:11.519 --> 00:20:18.119
more torture to the child. Cages
that were too small for hank more restraints

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and tethers. Physically, the child
looked to be eight. That was almost

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00:20:22.960 --> 00:20:26.880
a relief to everyone involved. Then
a researcher found medical records that Norman Roberts

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00:20:26.880 --> 00:20:33.160
had a wife that died in childbirth
nineteen years ago, but even the county

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00:20:33.200 --> 00:20:37.400
coroner couldn't find a death certificate for
the baby. The next week, Chief

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00:20:37.480 --> 00:20:40.799
Lewis took a turn for the worst
and Sophia had to helm the investigation.

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She was there the day the investigators
found something strange in the backyard and began

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to dig. At the end of
the day, they'd recovered bones from corpses

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00:20:49.799 --> 00:20:56.359
of four different children, all aged
between five and eleven. The graves were

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00:20:56.440 --> 00:21:02.200
unmarked and bore all appearances of just
simply being holes Norman dug just to dump

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00:21:02.240 --> 00:21:07.000
the evidence. Digging under the trailers
showed dozens of external hard drives, the

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00:21:07.039 --> 00:21:14.000
source of the slump in the foundation, constituting days of footage documenting the torture

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00:21:14.039 --> 00:21:18.599
of children. Sophia herself had to
search records for missing children and eventually found

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00:21:18.599 --> 00:21:23.240
four missing person reports that all coincided
with the apparent ages of the children.

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00:21:25.200 --> 00:21:29.440
She made Nancy make calls to the
families. That night, she called her

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00:21:29.480 --> 00:21:33.880
brother and talking about everything she was
seeing, they'd managed to go thirty minutes

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00:21:33.920 --> 00:21:37.720
without an argument. Searching the bedroom
eventually turned up a laptop with over a

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00:21:37.799 --> 00:21:42.119
decade worth of footage. Most of
it had been scrubbed, but there were

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00:21:42.200 --> 00:21:48.880
highlight reels from over the years and
at least six months of security footage.

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00:21:48.319 --> 00:21:53.680
The security footage was mostly hours and
hours of nothing, just Hank barking out

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00:21:53.720 --> 00:21:59.039
back or Abigail standing at the front
door, but sometimes Norman would go out

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00:21:59.079 --> 00:22:03.559
back to fetch Hank, and that
coincided with the highlight reel, which were

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00:22:03.599 --> 00:22:07.559
almost exclusively Norman chaining down the girl
in the bedroom, then encouraging the dog

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to have his way with her.
Each day, a new horror from the

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case awaited Sophia. Norman had initially
kept a cadre of five children in his

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home, only one of them related
to him. Over time, all of

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them had died off but one.
No one in the community had reported anything

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00:22:26.960 --> 00:22:32.279
wrong, because they didn't think there
was much wrong with a grown man blocking

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00:22:32.279 --> 00:22:37.960
out his windows and keeping secrets.
A month later, and Sophia had learned

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00:22:37.000 --> 00:22:42.119
that the remaining child was really Norman, Robert's own progeny, with his wife

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really dying in childbirth. Shortly after
the death of his wife, he had

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00:22:47.960 --> 00:22:53.079
adopted four other children and then Highlander
style chained them up in the house and

279
00:22:53.160 --> 00:22:59.960
systematically starved them to see who would
survive the longest. Videos showed a mark

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00:23:00.079 --> 00:23:03.680
to change in his torture of the
children when he acquired Hank. The dog

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00:23:03.759 --> 00:23:07.839
was eventually put down, and normally
Sophia would feel kind of bad for an

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00:23:07.880 --> 00:23:11.680
innocent animal getting caught up in crime
like this, but after the footage she

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00:23:11.720 --> 00:23:18.279
saw, she couldn't feel bad.
Toxicology reports of Norman Roberts showed that when

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00:23:18.319 --> 00:23:21.559
he died, he had a bad
heart and had taken too many pills for

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00:23:21.599 --> 00:23:25.640
a rectile dysfunction. It was a
simple case of trying to make himself too

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00:23:25.680 --> 00:23:29.680
horny when his heart couldn't take it. He died at the kitchen table,

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00:23:29.920 --> 00:23:33.559
and the only thing that had saved
his daughter was the fact that his arm

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00:23:33.680 --> 00:23:37.400
was just close enough she was able
to rip it off and use it for

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00:23:37.440 --> 00:23:44.000
sustenance before Officer now Chief Cortes had
arrived. The girl had no name,

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00:23:44.400 --> 00:23:48.400
she had no story other than what
the investigators could discover. She didn't have

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00:23:48.440 --> 00:23:52.240
a way to explain what had happened. She had nothing. She was nearly

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00:23:52.279 --> 00:23:56.559
twenty years old, trapped forever in
the body of a malnourished eight year old

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00:23:56.599 --> 00:24:00.839
with the mind of a beast,
and that was about it. Sophia wished

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00:24:00.880 --> 00:24:03.240
she could keep track of the child, but honestly, that's not what Chief

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00:24:03.279 --> 00:24:07.599
Lewis would have done. And even
if her father would have followed up,

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00:24:07.960 --> 00:24:11.319
he was dead now, so it
really didn't matter. Over the course of

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00:24:11.359 --> 00:24:17.119
this investigation, she learned that she
admired him, but she was nothing like

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00:24:17.200 --> 00:24:22.799
him. Sophia Cortes would never be
the same. A month later, Chief

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00:24:22.839 --> 00:24:26.400
Cortes got a text on her phone. Are you going to be here or

300
00:24:26.440 --> 00:24:30.240
not? Her brother asked. She
tapped back, I'll be there in time

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00:24:30.240 --> 00:24:44.000
for dinner, she thought, then
added, just like Dad would want turkey

302
00:24:44.079 --> 00:24:52.640
shoot by David O'Hanlon. The white
sheet was a rorshack test of ruddy blooms

303
00:24:52.680 --> 00:24:59.640
across the uneven surface. Sheriff Eldenhart
dabbed Vapo rub on his upper lip as

304
00:24:59.640 --> 00:25:03.599
he ended the makeshift morgue of Rhoda
Baines's office. It was little more than

305
00:25:03.599 --> 00:25:10.119
a meat locker built along the back
wall of the country Smile's dentistry. The

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00:25:10.160 --> 00:25:15.279
tiny township of Fiddler's Gap rarely needed
a morgue, and nestled in the Ozark

307
00:25:15.319 --> 00:25:19.279
Mountains, they didn't call on a
dentist much either. Still, between her

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00:25:19.319 --> 00:25:25.960
dental practice and double duty as county
coroner, Rhoda's office stayed busy enough.

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00:25:26.839 --> 00:25:30.880
Deputy Alex Hargrove was new to the
area despite eight years in law enforcement.

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00:25:30.960 --> 00:25:34.640
This was his first corpse, and
he slathered the vapor rub on his lip

311
00:25:34.680 --> 00:25:38.960
into a greasy mustache. Rodo waved
him off when he offered her the jar,

312
00:25:40.480 --> 00:25:45.960
and she chuckled softly. The sound
was somewhere between melodious playfulness and a

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00:25:45.960 --> 00:25:49.200
braying mule, and it brought a
smile to the stone face of Sheriff Heart.

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00:25:49.920 --> 00:25:53.920
Rhoda snapped on a pair of nitrial
gloves and passed the box to the

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00:25:53.960 --> 00:25:59.839
cops, who did the same.
Heart flipped on the articulated examination light.

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00:26:00.319 --> 00:26:03.880
He nodded to Roda, who pulled
the sheet back like a loungejacked magician clearing

317
00:26:03.880 --> 00:26:11.039
a tablecloth from beneath the guest's glasses. Whoo. Deputy Hargrove leaned away,

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00:26:11.680 --> 00:26:17.759
that's not what I was expecting.
Nope, Hart added simply. The body

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00:26:17.880 --> 00:26:22.240
was largely held together by the remains
of his clothing. The face consisted of

320
00:26:22.279 --> 00:26:26.039
a few patches of flesh too stubborn
to come off. The eyes were gone,

321
00:26:26.400 --> 00:26:30.279
along with the lips, which left
the tobacco and blood stained teeth grinning

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00:26:30.359 --> 00:26:37.559
around a maw occupied only by the
stumpy remains of the victim's tongue. The

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00:26:37.599 --> 00:26:41.920
spine was a stretch of ashen desert
between ravaged muscles, with the soft tissue

324
00:26:41.920 --> 00:26:47.640
of the throat completely absent. Hart
walked along the length of the steel table

325
00:26:48.039 --> 00:26:55.119
as he continued his observations. Holes
ranging from pencil with to fist size dotted

326
00:26:55.119 --> 00:26:59.319
the torso, and the flannel shirt
was in tatters around the wounds. The

327
00:26:59.359 --> 00:27:03.279
connective tis issue of the left arm
had been torn away, leaving the appendage

328
00:27:03.279 --> 00:27:07.640
in his sleeve but no longer attached
to the body. The gut was hollowed

329
00:27:07.720 --> 00:27:11.400
like a jack o' lantern. The
shredded blue jeans held much of the same.

330
00:27:11.839 --> 00:27:15.839
Heart poked his finger into a hole
in the man's thigh, then examined

331
00:27:15.880 --> 00:27:22.720
the bear tibia below. Okay,
so what are we looking at here?

332
00:27:22.079 --> 00:27:26.960
He finally asked, dead Caucasian male
in his thirties. No id, but

333
00:27:27.000 --> 00:27:30.519
he does have a tattoo on his
forearm. The part that wasn't eight,

334
00:27:30.599 --> 00:27:36.519
that is. Rhoda used a sponge
to clean the Torso Foxy found our victim

335
00:27:36.559 --> 00:27:40.200
about five this morning and brought him
to me. I have left him alone,

336
00:27:40.279 --> 00:27:45.279
but I did a cursory examination.
Hell, Foxy shakes like a tweaker

337
00:27:45.319 --> 00:27:48.400
in an earthquake. How'd the old
fart bring? Hargrove waved his hand at

338
00:27:48.400 --> 00:27:56.000
the body this without it falling apart
carefully. Rhoda shrugged, all right?

339
00:27:56.079 --> 00:28:00.559
But what was an old hermit doing
out in the woods that early? The

340
00:28:00.640 --> 00:28:04.480
deputy asked, Foxy hunts turkeys for
the families that can't afford one for Thanksgiving.

341
00:28:04.880 --> 00:28:10.799
Hart answered, the Fox family's done
it since the Great Depression. Foxy

342
00:28:10.839 --> 00:28:14.519
doesn't like people, but he cares
about them. He prodded another hole.

343
00:28:15.599 --> 00:28:19.119
What did you mean by the part
that wasn't eight? The soft tissue was

344
00:28:19.160 --> 00:28:23.640
destroyed throat, crook of the arm, belly, eyes, the intestines are

345
00:28:23.640 --> 00:28:29.240
missing large portions, and some of
the organs are gone in their entirety.

346
00:28:29.759 --> 00:28:33.640
Rota took a gauge and measured a
puncture wound for their benefit. These are

347
00:28:33.720 --> 00:28:38.920
peck marks. Well, shit,
I'll go put out the APB right away.

348
00:28:40.400 --> 00:28:45.079
Hargrove clapped his hands together, big
ass bird red thing on his head,

349
00:28:45.319 --> 00:28:49.960
answers to woody hearts, smirked,
then cleared his throat. Scavengers dig

350
00:28:51.000 --> 00:28:55.240
in through the soft spots. Could
be vultures found him, That was my

351
00:28:55.400 --> 00:28:59.200
first thought. Rhoda rolled the man
on his side and raised his shirt.

352
00:29:00.119 --> 00:29:06.119
More peck marks and long cuts adorned
the flesh. There's no lividity, however,

353
00:29:07.440 --> 00:29:11.759
meaning heart scratched at his stubble,
suddenly wishing he'd stop to make himself

354
00:29:11.799 --> 00:29:15.160
presentable before coming to see Rhoda.
He snapped his fingers as best the gloves

355
00:29:15.160 --> 00:29:21.039
would allow. Shit, he bled
out. Roda bit her lip and smiled.

356
00:29:21.920 --> 00:29:26.920
Precisely. He was either very recently
dead or never mind, that's ridiculous.

357
00:29:27.680 --> 00:29:32.319
Maybe not, Hargrove said, catching
up with Rhoda's line of thought.

358
00:29:32.880 --> 00:29:36.559
Maybe he fell and knocked himself out
cold. Might have been in a coma

359
00:29:36.640 --> 00:29:41.920
or something and they thought he was
dead. Perhaps Rhoda watched the young deputy

360
00:29:41.960 --> 00:29:47.279
for a moment. Pretty good theory. Regardless, we need Foxy to take

361
00:29:47.359 --> 00:29:51.519
us where he found him. Heart
leaned in to examine the cuts. This

362
00:29:51.759 --> 00:30:00.079
is a murder until we prove otherwise, Benoit Foxy fox Were the third leaned

363
00:30:00.119 --> 00:30:03.680
on the tailgate of the Chevy Sea
one hundred with his pipe clenched between his

364
00:30:03.799 --> 00:30:08.039
teeth. The truck was four different
colors and two shades of rust, putting

365
00:30:08.039 --> 00:30:12.880
it at odds with the palatial home
beyond. The Foxworths made their money in

366
00:30:12.960 --> 00:30:18.880
copper mining and then reinvested in oil, which ensured Foxy could live comfortably for

367
00:30:18.279 --> 00:30:23.160
twenty lifetimes. Still, he never
liked people enough to bother in pressing them,

368
00:30:23.640 --> 00:30:29.319
so he only kept the truck running
at best. The octagenarian sharpened the

369
00:30:29.359 --> 00:30:33.839
thin bladed knife meticulously while he watched
the battered Dodge Durango crunch up the gravel

370
00:30:33.920 --> 00:30:38.759
drive. Foxy kept the trees clear
so he could welcome any guests with a

371
00:30:38.799 --> 00:30:45.000
warning shot should they come up uninvited. Foxy set the wetstone down and sheathed

372
00:30:45.039 --> 00:30:48.920
the blade before going to meet the
officers. I ain't kill him, Foxy

373
00:30:48.920 --> 00:30:52.640
said, before the window was down
all the way. I didn't reckon you,

374
00:30:52.680 --> 00:30:56.920
did. Hart put the suv in
park and turned his hands over thoughtfully.

375
00:30:57.599 --> 00:31:03.680
Now, if he'd been shot,
that'd be different. Well he weren't.

376
00:31:03.240 --> 00:31:07.880
Foxy stared at the sheriff before sighing
and opening the back door of the

377
00:31:07.960 --> 00:31:11.799
Durango. If we're going back out
there, you're taking me to get some

378
00:31:11.920 --> 00:31:15.839
groceries. On the way back,
I forgot bread. I think we can

379
00:31:15.880 --> 00:31:19.920
manage that. The ride along the
old Highway took them to Caroline Marvel's dine

380
00:31:19.920 --> 00:31:25.720
in motel and eatery, which counted
as the area's fine dining. The girl

381
00:31:25.839 --> 00:31:30.039
was barely twenty and inherited the establishment
after her parents were murdered. She didn't

382
00:31:30.079 --> 00:31:34.480
know much about business, but heart
made sure she turned a profit. Any

383
00:31:34.519 --> 00:31:40.039
petty offense would be overlooked if you
went straight to the dine in and tipped

384
00:31:40.599 --> 00:31:45.839
very generously. Caroline waved from the
front door as she finished setting up the

385
00:31:45.839 --> 00:31:51.039
sandwich board advertising the annual community Thanksgiving
dinner that evening. The locals started the

386
00:31:51.039 --> 00:31:53.480
tradition when the mines dried up in
the last days of the nineteenth century,

387
00:31:53.720 --> 00:31:57.920
and kept it alive ever since.
Hart even made a trip to nearby Marshall

388
00:31:57.920 --> 00:32:01.920
to pick up rolls and hand cranberry
sauce it didn't seem like much of a

389
00:32:01.960 --> 00:32:07.160
contribution compared to the work others put
in. But no one was hungry enough

390
00:32:07.200 --> 00:32:12.319
to eat the sheriff's cooking, including
him. The general stores freezer section provided

391
00:32:12.319 --> 00:32:15.759
the meals he didn't get at the
diner. You've been to the dining yet,

392
00:32:15.799 --> 00:32:20.920
Alex Hart asked, It's on my
list of things to do, Sir.

393
00:32:21.359 --> 00:32:24.119
Hargrove stared out the window at the
valley just beyond the flimsy guardrail.

394
00:32:25.119 --> 00:32:30.000
You really think it was birds.
Weird shit happens out here. Heart slowed

395
00:32:30.039 --> 00:32:35.039
for the turn on the old logging
road. Foxy, we gonna be able

396
00:32:35.119 --> 00:32:39.680
to reach this spot mostly, Foxy
puffed the sweet rich smoke between the officers.

397
00:32:40.319 --> 00:32:45.240
Game trail is pretty clear, but
she's gonna be bumpy. We'll have

398
00:32:45.319 --> 00:32:47.559
to go across the holler on foot, though, and then it's about a

399
00:32:47.680 --> 00:32:52.680
mile as the crow flies. Why'd
you go all that way to shoot a

400
00:32:52.720 --> 00:32:58.799
turkey, Hargrove asked, Ever hunted
turkey boy, Foxy squinted at the deputy.

401
00:32:59.480 --> 00:33:02.240
Hargrove turned in his seat. No, I used to hunt deer back

402
00:33:02.279 --> 00:33:07.480
home, but we don't get a
lot of turkeys. They're elusive. Foxy

403
00:33:07.519 --> 00:33:13.200
grunted. The valley we're going to
has natural borders that aren't worth the effort

404
00:33:13.279 --> 00:33:16.720
to most hunters, human and otherwise. When I was a kid, we

405
00:33:16.839 --> 00:33:22.039
called the valley turkey shoot because there
were so many of them critters about.

406
00:33:22.279 --> 00:33:25.039
Then came the quake of fifty three. Weren't no easy way out there.

407
00:33:25.079 --> 00:33:30.960
After that, no one hunts turkey
shoot no more. So what made you

408
00:33:30.039 --> 00:33:35.720
make the trip? Foxy Heart's teeth
clacked together as the tire dropped into a

409
00:33:35.759 --> 00:33:39.640
pothole. Been hearing the gobblers out
there for a bit. They're getting loud

410
00:33:39.720 --> 00:33:43.839
like there's too many of them.
So I went out to check and found

411
00:33:43.880 --> 00:33:47.680
a path. Foxy scratched his chin
when they opened the dam a few months

412
00:33:47.759 --> 00:33:52.240
back. It must have moved some
stuff. Left a pass straight through to

413
00:33:52.279 --> 00:33:57.000
Big Creek. Heart turned onto the
trail. They bounced in their seats until

414
00:33:57.039 --> 00:34:01.599
the tires found Foxy's ruts and settled
in for a marginally smoother ride. Hargrove

415
00:34:01.640 --> 00:34:06.480
braced himself against the dashboard and shook
his head while they banged down the path.

416
00:34:07.640 --> 00:34:13.079
This is a more than bumpy.
Hargrove's head thumped against the window are

417
00:34:13.119 --> 00:34:25.000
we there yet about another twenty minutes, Foxy laughed. Foxy had a great

418
00:34:25.079 --> 00:34:29.800
sense of time. Twenty one minutes
later, they got out of the suv,

419
00:34:29.960 --> 00:34:32.840
put on their coats, and grabbed
some water bottles. Is that?

420
00:34:34.559 --> 00:34:38.480
Heart pointed at the metallic backpack.
What I think it is? Oh damn,

421
00:34:39.559 --> 00:34:44.480
I forgot to tell you about that. Hargrove said, you sent me

422
00:34:44.559 --> 00:34:49.519
to Circe County to buy their old
gear last week. Remember I don't remember

423
00:34:49.559 --> 00:34:53.599
a flamethrower being on the list.
Heart scowled. They used to burn weed

424
00:34:53.639 --> 00:34:58.960
crops with it, and I thought
it might be useful. Hargrove shrugged.

425
00:34:59.320 --> 00:35:04.639
Besides, it was all only fifty
bucks. A flame thrower is never going

426
00:35:04.719 --> 00:35:08.320
to be useful. Heart shut the
latch and shook his head. Maybe next

427
00:35:08.360 --> 00:35:14.320
time you can find a bazuka.
Hargrove's smile beamed. I think they have

428
00:35:14.440 --> 00:35:17.519
two over in PULASKI want me to
call them. Hart pinched the bridge of

429
00:35:17.519 --> 00:35:22.760
his nose and started into the woods. They used the overabundance of rocks as

430
00:35:22.840 --> 00:35:28.079
natural stairs. Down the slope of
the holler. Large outcroppings loomed overhead.

431
00:35:28.519 --> 00:35:32.199
Foxy crunched through the fallen leaves into
tritus, leading the way to a groove

432
00:35:32.280 --> 00:35:37.760
left by a long extinct waterfall.
It was steep and narrow, but craggy

433
00:35:37.880 --> 00:35:43.639
enough to allow the geriatric to shimmy
up. Heart and Hargrove followed his lead.

434
00:35:44.360 --> 00:35:45.880
They made it to the edge of
Big Creek, where they took a

435
00:35:45.920 --> 00:35:52.079
breather on top of a large flat
rock. The dam at Lake Pocahontas drained

436
00:35:52.079 --> 00:35:55.760
along the formerly dry riverbed that people
took to calling Big Creek. At the

437
00:35:55.840 --> 00:36:00.920
moment, it wasn't particularly big.
It looked like Foxy was right, and

438
00:36:00.000 --> 00:36:05.440
the opening of the spillway had displaced
dozens of boulders, many as large as

439
00:36:05.480 --> 00:36:10.119
a car along this path. A
series of calls sounded nearby, a rapid

440
00:36:10.320 --> 00:36:15.480
putt put putt that faded down and
away from where it had began. Boys,

441
00:36:16.360 --> 00:36:21.559
we done been spotted, Foxy said, and pressed himself up, stretching

442
00:36:21.599 --> 00:36:28.440
his back before steeping into the creek. That call means dangers close. A

443
00:36:28.480 --> 00:36:31.760
single yelp answered the call from a
treetop, then another to the other side.

444
00:36:32.840 --> 00:36:37.280
What's that mean, Hargrove asked.
Another half dozen of the short calls

445
00:36:37.320 --> 00:36:44.400
came down. Foxy squinted at the
tree tops. That's the others saying there,

446
00:36:44.599 --> 00:36:47.960
watching us. Come on, We're
almost there. The leaves just on

447
00:36:49.000 --> 00:36:52.920
the other side of the creek were
still damp with blood from where the John

448
00:36:52.000 --> 00:36:58.480
Doe had been killed, making the
forest flora slippery mess Heart huffed into his

449
00:36:58.559 --> 00:37:01.840
hands and rubbed them together. The
man's weapon lay undisturbed next to the largest

450
00:37:01.880 --> 00:37:08.000
collection of blood. A turkey feather
twisted lazily in the puddle. Heart knelt

451
00:37:08.039 --> 00:37:14.519
and collected the shotgun. Inspecting scratch
marks across the receiver. He eased the

452
00:37:14.559 --> 00:37:19.679
pump back and found a shell still
in the chamber. A brown streak darted

453
00:37:19.679 --> 00:37:22.800
from the tree tops and disappeared behind
a knee high stone. Heart brought the

454
00:37:22.800 --> 00:37:29.000
shotgun up on instinct. The hell
was that, Hargrove moved his hand to

455
00:37:29.039 --> 00:37:34.920
his pistol. Was that a bobcat? No numb nuts, Foxy laughed?

456
00:37:35.559 --> 00:37:40.199
Was a turkey? Turkeys can't fly? The deputy saw the other men's expressions

457
00:37:40.199 --> 00:37:49.039
inside. Can they damn city folk? Foxy grumbled. The bird bobbled out

458
00:37:49.079 --> 00:37:52.480
of its cover, and Heart lowered
the gun. It hissed once and called

459
00:37:52.480 --> 00:37:58.400
out in a burst of clucks and
yelps. Another turkey answered him and lighted

460
00:37:58.440 --> 00:38:02.920
nearer the three men. Two more
came down. The third glided past Foxy

461
00:38:02.960 --> 00:38:09.800
and settled beside him. The five
turkeys, fat juicy gobblers started walking slowly.

462
00:38:10.519 --> 00:38:15.159
They're dangling. Snoods swelled and rows
erect above their beaks, and their

463
00:38:15.239 --> 00:38:22.440
wattles flared out. What's with the
bird boners, Hargrove asked, that's the

464
00:38:22.480 --> 00:38:29.719
snood hard answered means they're excited.
I know I'm sexy, but you're really

465
00:38:29.760 --> 00:38:34.719
not my type, Hargrove said to
the closest of the flock. Six more

466
00:38:34.719 --> 00:38:39.320
turkeys dropped into the gaps between the
others, also mail and also engorged.

467
00:38:40.000 --> 00:38:45.519
With the extra members, the formation
became clear, and the birds circled the

468
00:38:45.639 --> 00:38:52.800
men. Foxy's knife hissed as it
cleared the leather sheath. They're doing a

469
00:38:52.840 --> 00:38:57.199
predator check, Foxy shook his head. They want to make sure we're not

470
00:38:57.280 --> 00:39:01.440
a threat, that's all. Then
why you get Nancy Heart looked at the

471
00:39:01.480 --> 00:39:07.159
old man and the blade trembling between
his bony fingers. Sons of bitches are

472
00:39:07.239 --> 00:39:12.960
huge, not one less than thirty
pounds, and look at the snowt on

473
00:39:13.000 --> 00:39:15.239
that one. He stepped closer to
the sheriff and pointed out one of the

474
00:39:15.239 --> 00:39:21.920
birds, then redirected his finger and
that one. What about it? Hargrove

475
00:39:21.960 --> 00:39:25.880
eased his pistol out. It's probably
a foreign concept to you, Heart said,

476
00:39:25.880 --> 00:39:30.159
with a smirk. But the ladies
lack big ones. There's one dominant

477
00:39:30.159 --> 00:39:35.239
male in an area. Why are
there two massive toms in this group?

478
00:39:35.800 --> 00:39:39.559
Hargrove bent and squinted at one of
the accused as they continued their death march

479
00:39:39.599 --> 00:39:45.239
around the trio. That's a mighty
interesting question, Sheriff. I got a

480
00:39:45.239 --> 00:39:50.320
better one. He shifted to a
two handed grip on his weapon. Why

481
00:39:50.360 --> 00:39:54.400
the fuck has that one got flannel
stuck in its chest hair? Heart glanced

482
00:39:54.400 --> 00:40:00.119
at the bird and saw the shred
of red shirt dangling from the beard and

483
00:40:00.159 --> 00:40:05.480
the slightly two dark spots on its
feathers where blood had caked on. He

484
00:40:05.639 --> 00:40:10.159
saw it, but he didn't understand. Did you hear that? Better check

485
00:40:10.199 --> 00:40:15.519
the locks on your doors. Weakly, spooky, We'll be right back.

486
00:40:17.000 --> 00:40:22.760
Not until the bird flapped toward him, gobbling ferociously. The sheriff back pedaled

487
00:40:22.880 --> 00:40:24.840
and fell, with the bird coming
straight for him. He raised the shotgun,

488
00:40:24.960 --> 00:40:29.440
barring the creature's attack. Its claws
scratched at the steel along with the

489
00:40:29.440 --> 00:40:32.960
older markings, and Heart realized just
what had happened to the dead man and

490
00:40:34.039 --> 00:40:38.199
rode his orthodontic mortuary. Deputy Hargrove
kicked the bird like a game winning field

491
00:40:38.239 --> 00:40:42.440
goal and opened up with a barrage
of gunfire. Before it could right itself,

492
00:40:42.599 --> 00:40:45.679
he grabbed the sheriff's collar and hoisted
him to his feet. The turkeys

493
00:40:45.679 --> 00:40:50.199
were no longer circling. They stood
perfectly still, looking at their fallen comrade

494
00:40:50.679 --> 00:40:57.119
and then at the trespassers. The
birds took methodical steps forward, clucking between

495
00:40:57.159 --> 00:41:01.280
themselves, and the circle began to
dilate in on the humans. Foxy snatched

496
00:41:01.320 --> 00:41:05.880
the shotgun from Heart and fired,
leaving a cloud of drifting feathers where a

497
00:41:05.920 --> 00:41:09.519
turkey used to be we ought to
be running. The three men sprinted from

498
00:41:09.519 --> 00:41:14.400
Big Creek, blasting away at their
attackers. The birds gave chase. The

499
00:41:14.440 --> 00:41:17.280
trees rustled with excitement, and the
hens began swooping to the ground and joined

500
00:41:17.280 --> 00:41:22.119
in the pursuit. A fierce primal
gobble filled the valley, and snapping branches

501
00:41:22.159 --> 00:41:27.800
signaled the coming of more feathery fiends. Heart looked over his shoulder in time

502
00:41:27.840 --> 00:41:32.840
to see the single Titanic beast tearing
from the underbrush. The Saint Bernard sized

503
00:41:32.880 --> 00:41:37.360
tom lowered its head and ran for
all it was worth to catch up with

504
00:41:37.440 --> 00:41:39.480
the rest of his rafter. He
quickly passed the others, who fell in

505
00:41:39.559 --> 00:41:44.480
formation behind him. Hargrove dashed across
the creek and took a knee, laying

506
00:41:44.559 --> 00:41:47.599
fire down for Heart. Foxy was
hobbling along as fast as his eighty three

507
00:41:47.679 --> 00:41:52.039
year old legs would carry him,
but the birds were closing in. Heart

508
00:41:52.079 --> 00:41:55.159
stopped, turned and lifted the senior
over his shoulder. The slide locked back

509
00:41:55.199 --> 00:41:59.639
on Hargrove's pistol, and he reached
for a fresh magazine, only to find

510
00:42:00.239 --> 00:42:05.519
the holder was empty. Hart crossed
the creek and dumped Foxy into the deputy's

511
00:42:05.599 --> 00:42:07.880
arms. Wheezing from the effort,
The men made it another hundred feet before

512
00:42:07.880 --> 00:42:13.920
Hargrove slowed and tugged Heart's coat.
Wait, now's not the time to wait,

513
00:42:14.000 --> 00:42:17.280
kid, Heart turned and stopped.
Cold. Foxy limped ahead and rested

514
00:42:17.320 --> 00:42:21.840
against a tree to see what was
the hold up. He watched the birds

515
00:42:21.840 --> 00:42:24.760
flapping their wings and calling out in
frustration as they paced the near side of

516
00:42:24.760 --> 00:42:29.800
the creek among the array of scattered
boulders. He raised the shotgun to his

517
00:42:29.840 --> 00:42:34.639
shoulder and lined the beads side up
with the large dominant mail. Don't shoot,

518
00:42:34.960 --> 00:42:38.320
Hargrove said, patting the air.
It's turkey load. He won't get

519
00:42:38.320 --> 00:42:44.960
past the feathers on that thing.
Kid's right heart concurred. Why'd they stop

520
00:42:45.159 --> 00:42:50.960
because they're dumb, Foxy grumbled them
rocks used to be one big heap.

521
00:42:51.360 --> 00:42:55.039
They don't realize the wall is gone
and they never needed to fly over it.

522
00:42:55.639 --> 00:43:00.679
Heart backed away slowly. Let's get
back to town and call game and

523
00:43:00.760 --> 00:43:08.199
fish man. Eating turkeys is their
jurisdiction, why, Hargrove asked, Why

524
00:43:08.199 --> 00:43:13.559
are they eating meat? They always
ate meat, numb nuts, Foxy lowered

525
00:43:13.559 --> 00:43:16.719
the shotgun. Turkeys eat lizards and
snakes. They get big enough, I

526
00:43:16.800 --> 00:43:22.239
reckon, they start on squirrels and
groundhogs too. That monster probably takes down

527
00:43:22.280 --> 00:43:27.440
anything he comes across, though,
and the birds with the biggest face dick

528
00:43:28.000 --> 00:43:34.119
gets all the turkey pussy, Hargrove
muttered, Shit, these others are his

529
00:43:34.199 --> 00:43:39.079
babies. They got their daddy's taste
buds. What is he doing, Hart

530
00:43:39.079 --> 00:43:44.079
pointed at the father of the flock. The big tom took a hesitant step

531
00:43:44.159 --> 00:43:47.760
forward, prodding the ground with long, slender toes before curling his claws into

532
00:43:47.800 --> 00:43:52.960
it. The snowed dangling over the
side of his face twitched and swelled.

533
00:43:52.719 --> 00:43:58.519
He clucked twice. Some of the
hens answered with yelps and putts. Two

534
00:43:58.559 --> 00:44:02.079
males mounted the boulders, their heads
jerking side to side quizzically, before one

535
00:44:02.079 --> 00:44:06.960
of them hopped down and landed on
the other side. The leader threw his

536
00:44:07.039 --> 00:44:09.880
head back and gobbled, causing a
chain of jovial calls from his brood.

537
00:44:12.480 --> 00:44:16.960
I think they just figured out they
can leave, Heart whispered. They got

538
00:44:17.039 --> 00:44:22.960
everything they need here, Hargrove replied. The smaller birds squatted and wiggled in

539
00:44:22.000 --> 00:44:25.840
place before launching themselves into the air, soaring just over the heads of the

540
00:44:25.880 --> 00:44:31.760
men. Like you said, kid, they got their daddy's taste buds.

541
00:44:32.320 --> 00:44:36.960
Heart jogging toward the car. It's
Thanksgiving. They're gonna want to have supper

542
00:44:37.000 --> 00:44:40.480
with the family, just like everyone
else. The diner fox, he said

543
00:44:40.559 --> 00:44:45.119
grimly. They can't fly for long, but they can go where we can't.

544
00:44:45.360 --> 00:44:49.079
We can still beat them there if
we hurry, heart said, on

545
00:44:49.159 --> 00:44:52.920
the run. The tom cried out
and leaped onto a boulder. From his

546
00:44:52.039 --> 00:44:58.840
height, he was considerably lean thanks
to his largely carnivorous diet. Hargrove watched

547
00:44:58.920 --> 00:45:05.000
him for a moment. Something that
big can't fly, right, he asked,

548
00:45:05.679 --> 00:45:08.280
I must have missed Animal Planet when
they was talking about giant flesh eating

549
00:45:08.360 --> 00:45:15.239
turkeys. Foxy told him the turkey
squatted, Fuck me. Hargrove turned and

550
00:45:15.320 --> 00:45:24.159
darted after the sheriff, with the
bird's wings beating powerfully overhead. The Durango

551
00:45:24.280 --> 00:45:28.480
slid to a stop in front of
the dine in with its lights flashing and

552
00:45:28.519 --> 00:45:32.920
siren screaming. Foxy leaned against the
windows, still panting from exertion. Hargrove

553
00:45:34.000 --> 00:45:37.880
sprang out and addressed the line of
diners making their plates along the buffet tables.

554
00:45:37.360 --> 00:45:43.000
Everybody, get inside. The turkeys
are coming, he shouted. Everyone

555
00:45:43.079 --> 00:45:46.840
cheered No, not the ones to
eat, he corrected, the ones that

556
00:45:46.880 --> 00:45:52.719
are gonna eat you. The residents
looked at the young man curiously and exchanged

557
00:45:52.719 --> 00:45:57.840
glances. Some eased further from the
bedraggled deputy, and others burst into laughter.

558
00:45:58.400 --> 00:46:01.440
None of them moved inside. Listen
up. Hart cocked his rifle.

559
00:46:01.920 --> 00:46:06.639
The deputy gave you a lawful order. There's a flock of rabid turkeys attacking

560
00:46:06.679 --> 00:46:09.079
folks, and I'm gonna need all
of you to proceed to shelter immediately.

561
00:46:10.239 --> 00:46:15.920
Turkeys can't get raby, Sheriff Barney
Allen said, And they travel in rafters,

562
00:46:16.000 --> 00:46:21.719
not flocks. William Bla added,
it's a new raby's heart pinched the

563
00:46:21.760 --> 00:46:25.159
bridge of his nose. It's from
China. It doesn't matter what it is.

564
00:46:25.360 --> 00:46:29.840
Rhoda pushed her way between the folks
gathered around her table of assordid pies.

565
00:46:30.440 --> 00:46:32.280
Fox he found a dead man this
morning. And what the sheriff saying

566
00:46:32.320 --> 00:46:36.679
lines up. We need to get
you all inside. That's why you don't

567
00:46:36.760 --> 00:46:39.440
let no Dennis be the coroner,
Barney grumbled, Let alone a woman,

568
00:46:39.519 --> 00:46:44.079
Dennis. It all sounds fake to
me. Ain't no such thing as killer

569
00:46:44.119 --> 00:46:49.079
turkeys. The killer turkey that dive
bomb. Barney did not agree. The

570
00:46:49.159 --> 00:46:52.360
man crashed into the arms of Willard, who screamed highly as the bird thrust

571
00:46:52.400 --> 00:46:57.840
its head into Barney's throat and wriggled
deeper into its prey. He dumped barney

572
00:46:57.840 --> 00:47:00.559
to the sidewalk and ran, shouldering
smaller diners on his way. A tom

573
00:47:00.679 --> 00:47:05.159
hid him between the shoulders, driving
him through a table full of greens.

574
00:47:05.599 --> 00:47:08.360
Everyone panicked. Some of the mountain
folk drew guns and fired at the birds

575
00:47:08.360 --> 00:47:13.119
that were gathering overhead and landing in
the streets. The sharp ping of a

576
00:47:13.199 --> 00:47:15.880
ricochet was followed by the hollering of
the bystander it struck. More of the

577
00:47:15.920 --> 00:47:21.239
residents ran for the gun racks in
their vehicles for more formidable weapons. Most

578
00:47:22.000 --> 00:47:25.000
just ran. A shotgun blast removed
the car mirror a foot behind heart.

579
00:47:25.360 --> 00:47:30.440
Every fucking time, Heart groaned.
These yahoos are going to kill as many

580
00:47:30.440 --> 00:47:32.920
of themselves as the goddamn turkeys.
Do we need to wrap this thing up?

581
00:47:34.719 --> 00:47:37.400
I'm open to suggestions, Boss Hargrove
kicked a hen against the side of

582
00:47:37.440 --> 00:47:42.239
the diner. A jake landed on
his back and pecked his skull. He

583
00:47:42.280 --> 00:47:45.280
shrieked as it tore a strip of
flesh from his neck. He swatted at

584
00:47:45.320 --> 00:47:47.599
it, only for the foul fowl
to roll and slice his hand with its

585
00:47:47.639 --> 00:47:52.239
spurs. The bird pushed its head
into his flesh, and the deputy fell

586
00:47:52.280 --> 00:47:55.679
to his knees. There was a
boom, and the attack finally ceased.

587
00:47:57.400 --> 00:48:00.679
Hargrove reached behind him and pulled the
severed head of the jews nile from his

588
00:48:00.719 --> 00:48:05.559
collar. Feathers drifted calmly around him, and Caroline winked at him from behind

589
00:48:05.599 --> 00:48:07.880
the sights of her shotgun. She
pivoted and hit another, and then a

590
00:48:07.880 --> 00:48:12.800
third. Hargrove tried to ignore the
swelling of his own snood while he watched

591
00:48:12.840 --> 00:48:15.400
the girl pick off murder turkeys like
she was trying to win the big stuffed

592
00:48:15.440 --> 00:48:21.280
animal at a carnival duck shoot.
The rafter gathered its numbers. Turkeys swooped

593
00:48:21.280 --> 00:48:24.239
from the roofs and tackled anyone still
running. A tom circled a pickup,

594
00:48:24.360 --> 00:48:29.320
clucking angrily after the prey that cowered
beneath it. A pair of smaller jakes

595
00:48:29.320 --> 00:48:31.840
had no problems spotting the man and
sprang at him, pecking at his legs.

596
00:48:32.039 --> 00:48:36.039
The man kicked at them and clutched
the undercarriage as the birds tried to

597
00:48:36.079 --> 00:48:38.800
drag him out, and artery tore
open in his fight, splattering the road

598
00:48:38.840 --> 00:48:43.880
and drawing more turkeys to the party. Gunfire erupted, tearing chunks from the

599
00:48:43.960 --> 00:48:46.599
road and managing to kill a jake
before the turkeys leaped back into the air.

600
00:48:46.760 --> 00:48:51.239
Bullets pinged through the body of the
truck and the body beneath it.

601
00:48:51.960 --> 00:48:54.480
The Walsh cousins, all six of
them that weren't currently in jail, walked

602
00:48:54.480 --> 00:48:59.679
side by side with their automatic rifles, bucking wildly between whoops and howls of

603
00:48:59.679 --> 00:49:04.639
excite. Bobby Joe Walsh dropped his
empty magazine to the ground and spat tobacco

604
00:49:04.760 --> 00:49:07.639
juice from the corner of his smirking
mouth. Don't worry yourself none, Sheriff.

605
00:49:07.960 --> 00:49:13.519
Nothing the judicious application of the Second
Amendment can't handle, whew. The

606
00:49:13.559 --> 00:49:17.039
remaining members of the flock gathered on
the storefront eaves. Eddie Walsh dropped one

607
00:49:17.159 --> 00:49:21.599
like a beer can off a fence
post. The males threw their heads back

608
00:49:21.719 --> 00:49:24.000
and gobbled in unison as the rest
of the Walshes opened fire on them.

609
00:49:24.519 --> 00:49:29.960
Why aren't they attacking anymore, Hard
asked while he checked on a clawed up

610
00:49:30.039 --> 00:49:35.159
victim keening in the street. They're
just letting themselves get shot. It's like

611
00:49:36.320 --> 00:49:39.719
they're waiting for something. The alpha
turkey plummeted out of the night sky and

612
00:49:39.760 --> 00:49:44.480
flattened Eddie beneath its bulk. Its
lanky necks stretched in a flash, and

613
00:49:44.519 --> 00:49:47.800
Bobby Joe's belly spilled open. The
other Walshes found themselves as quickly dismembered before

614
00:49:47.800 --> 00:49:52.639
the behemoth turned its attention to a
guttural cry from behind. Willard stood clutching

615
00:49:52.679 --> 00:49:58.559
two lifeless turkeys in his massive fists. His clothes were torn asunder, and

616
00:49:58.599 --> 00:50:02.119
he leaked from hundreds of pecks,
but somehow stayed breathing. He threw the

617
00:50:02.159 --> 00:50:07.719
carcasses aside. The tom tore open
Eddie's throat and gobbled at its challenger.

618
00:50:07.159 --> 00:50:12.679
Willard roared back, and they charged
one another. Heart raised his rifle,

619
00:50:12.840 --> 00:50:15.639
his leg buckled, sending the shot
into the sky. The quartette of hens

620
00:50:15.679 --> 00:50:20.639
pecked him until he fell. The
tom leapt on the run and took Willard's

621
00:50:20.679 --> 00:50:24.280
head off as it glided towards the
last person still standing. Oh damn it

622
00:50:24.320 --> 00:50:29.000
all to hell. Hargrove reached for
his pistol belt, pulling his baton before

623
00:50:29.000 --> 00:50:31.320
the turkey slammed into him. They
crashed through the window of the dining and

624
00:50:31.360 --> 00:50:36.599
slid across the stained linoleum floor.
Hargrove swung the baton up to deflect the

625
00:50:36.599 --> 00:50:39.000
turkey's peck. It reared its bald, pink head back for another go,

626
00:50:39.199 --> 00:50:43.880
and Hargrove grabbed for its two foot
long beard, tearing the hairs from its

627
00:50:43.960 --> 00:50:47.280
chest. The baton thunked off the
monster's skull and the deputy tried to crawl

628
00:50:47.320 --> 00:50:52.719
away before the leathery foot pinned his
head to the tile. Hey Big Bird

629
00:50:52.280 --> 00:50:57.559
Heart raised the rifle time for the
main course. He lined the side up

630
00:50:57.599 --> 00:51:02.199
with the beady Sorian eye staring back
at it him. Then the rafter swarmed

631
00:51:02.280 --> 00:51:07.239
him. Between the flurry of attacking
fiends, the sheriff could see Foxy sauntering

632
00:51:07.239 --> 00:51:12.159
across the street from the general store. The geezer puffed his pipe and the

633
00:51:12.199 --> 00:51:16.760
bag of wonderbread swung from his spotted
fist. Like terror turkeys weren't currently murdering

634
00:51:16.800 --> 00:51:21.880
the townsfolk. A beak dug into
Heart's cheek, pulling him back to the

635
00:51:21.880 --> 00:51:24.920
current crisis. Hart clamped his teeth
onto the bird's throat and kicked another into

636
00:51:24.960 --> 00:51:29.119
the air, snapping his rifle up
and blasting it like a clay pigeon.

637
00:51:29.559 --> 00:51:32.960
He punched another and the group launched
away from their victim. Hargrove tried pressing

638
00:51:34.000 --> 00:51:37.039
himself up, but the Tom dribbled
his head off the floor. The deputy

639
00:51:37.079 --> 00:51:40.320
wasn't sure which would crack first,
but he knew one of them was imminent.

640
00:51:40.599 --> 00:51:45.199
Caroline's shotgun rumbled through the diner.
The tom's tail feathers spread and rustled.

641
00:51:45.639 --> 00:51:52.599
It lowered its weight, putting pressure
on Hargrove's skull, preparing to lunge.

642
00:51:52.679 --> 00:51:58.400
Then its offspring started screaming. The
alpha turned. The turkeys flailed and

643
00:51:58.440 --> 00:52:02.039
flopped in the streets. Some dashed
madly with their feathers burning brightly. The

644
00:52:02.079 --> 00:52:07.000
octagenarian stepped into the diner with a
flamethrower, casually slung over one shoulder.

645
00:52:08.000 --> 00:52:13.800
Don't you know I always supply the
turkey around these parts, he grumbled.

646
00:52:14.079 --> 00:52:17.159
A stream of pressurized fuel shot through
the pilot light, igniting on its path

647
00:52:17.440 --> 00:52:22.360
to the Titanic Tom. The jelly
petroleum clung to its feathers, withering them

648
00:52:22.400 --> 00:52:25.679
all the way to the skin.
The bird shrieked and leaped toward the old

649
00:52:25.719 --> 00:52:31.159
man. The flamethrower sputtered, hissed, and then extinguished. Foxy stood his

650
00:52:31.239 --> 00:52:37.000
ground. The empty fuel tank clanged
as it fell. Foxy's weathered hands eased

651
00:52:37.000 --> 00:52:40.320
to his belt. Heart watched in
terror as the bird with the funeral pyrate

652
00:52:40.320 --> 00:52:45.480
plumage charged the senior citizen. His
oozing wounds ached as he stretched for his

653
00:52:45.599 --> 00:52:49.880
rifle, praying to get off a
shot before Foxy was torn to pieces.

654
00:52:50.320 --> 00:52:52.320
His fingers found the grip of the
rifle and he wrestled it to his shoulder.

655
00:52:52.599 --> 00:52:57.199
Heart wasn't about to lose another citizen
of Moscow County. He squeezed the

656
00:52:57.199 --> 00:53:00.199
trigger and the striker fell on an
empty chamber with a sharp, soul crushing

657
00:53:00.239 --> 00:53:05.119
snap. Foxy turned away, His
arm looped through the air, and the

658
00:53:05.159 --> 00:53:08.440
tom ran past him, bouncing off
a wall before collapsing. Its beak clicked

659
00:53:08.480 --> 00:53:14.559
open and closed on the floor.
Fried was always better than roasted, anyhow,

660
00:53:14.800 --> 00:53:19.280
The old man kicked the severed head
away from him and shrugged. Hargrove

661
00:53:19.400 --> 00:53:22.880
rolled over and shielded his eyes from
the glare of the burning bird. He

662
00:53:22.960 --> 00:53:25.960
watched Foxy slip the knife back into
his belt and walked to the Durango.

663
00:53:28.039 --> 00:53:31.440
I ain't never liked these social gatherings. Foxy climbed into the passenger seat.

664
00:53:31.840 --> 00:53:37.159
I want to go home now.
I guess we'll be serving turkey through Valentine's

665
00:53:37.199 --> 00:53:39.400
Day at this rate, Caroline said, as she helped the deputy to his

666
00:53:39.440 --> 00:53:45.360
feet. She braced him against her
and helped him outside. What did I

667
00:53:45.400 --> 00:53:51.320
get myself into? Hargrove moaned,
Caroline scrunched her nose. Things get a

668
00:53:51.360 --> 00:53:57.559
little strange up here. Bodies littered
the streets. Rhoda was treating patience in

669
00:53:57.559 --> 00:54:00.360
front of the VFW with the help
of the other survivors. A siren cried

670
00:54:00.400 --> 00:54:05.559
down in the holler as emergency vehicles
wound their way up the mountain. That's

671
00:54:05.599 --> 00:54:10.639
what communities did when bad things happened. They came together, and Moscow County

672
00:54:10.960 --> 00:54:15.639
gave them plenty of opportunity to prove
it. Heart made it to the Durango

673
00:54:15.679 --> 00:54:21.760
and gripped the doorframe for balance.
What are you doing for Christmas? Foxy,

674
00:54:22.280 --> 00:54:27.079
he asked, avoiding you. I'm
too old for this shit. The

675
00:54:27.159 --> 00:54:31.280
old man jerked the door from Heart's
grip and slammed it shut. Happy Thanksgiving,

676
00:54:32.360 --> 00:54:40.320
Yeah, Hart nodded, Happy Thanksgiving, and then he passed out the

677
00:54:42.199 --> 00:54:59.840
end Fiendsgiving by rob Fields. Thanksgiving
Night last year, Come on, seth

678
00:55:00.599 --> 00:55:05.320
Mandy Craven cried from the back seat. We're gonna be late. I'm driving

679
00:55:05.360 --> 00:55:09.559
as fast as I can. Seth
Bergmann muttered, relax, I can get

680
00:55:09.599 --> 00:55:15.559
out and crawl as slow as you
drive. Mandy persisted. Seth was annoyed.

681
00:55:15.239 --> 00:55:19.079
You could have gone by yourself.
You know you want to get out

682
00:55:19.079 --> 00:55:22.039
that bad. I'll gladly pull over, but we're going to be late.

683
00:55:22.880 --> 00:55:29.840
Mandy further persisted, you know how
upset Chelsea Miron can be. Seriously,

684
00:55:29.920 --> 00:55:35.000
what a spoiled fucking bitch. Alan
Hurtz looked over his shoulder at her while

685
00:55:35.039 --> 00:55:39.639
sitting in the passenger's side. Better
late than dead. You don't understand,

686
00:55:40.159 --> 00:55:45.800
Mandy shrieked. If we're late to
Chelsea's friends giving, she'll go ballistic on

687
00:55:45.119 --> 00:55:50.199
all of us. Don't you remember
what happened at her Halloween party? You

688
00:55:50.400 --> 00:55:54.280
wanted to pull over and pick up
geeky little Aileen Donnerly when she was walking

689
00:55:54.320 --> 00:55:59.119
to the party. We were five
minutes late, and Chelsea practically had an

690
00:55:59.159 --> 00:56:04.360
aneurysm. That bitch ripped into me
and I wasn't even driving. Seth was

691
00:56:04.840 --> 00:56:07.559
really annoyed. Hey, Alan,
and I didn't even want to go to

692
00:56:07.679 --> 00:56:14.000
Chelsea Mirron's Halloween party. But you
practically twisted our arms. What do you

693
00:56:14.039 --> 00:56:19.880
have against Aileen Donnerly, Alan demanded. Mandy glared at him. Aileen's a

694
00:56:19.920 --> 00:56:25.000
skinny, geeky little skink who's really
on Chelsea's good side, especially after she

695
00:56:25.079 --> 00:56:30.159
was tutoring her. I think you're
just jealous because you're not in Chelsea's circle

696
00:56:30.199 --> 00:56:36.679
of friends, Seth said. Mandy
lunged forward, Fuck you. I have

697
00:56:36.760 --> 00:56:40.320
a much better body and a nicer
rack compared to Aileen Donnerly, and she

698
00:56:40.400 --> 00:56:46.480
picks Aileen Donnerly over me. What
the fuck? Whoa If you hate Chelsea

699
00:56:46.559 --> 00:56:51.079
and Aileen so much, why are
you demanding we hurry up to get to

700
00:56:51.159 --> 00:56:57.199
Chelsea's house, Alan asked. Mandy
didn't answer right away. Then Seth answered

701
00:56:57.199 --> 00:57:01.800
for her. Because Mandy heard there's
an open on the cheerleading squad Tammy Rich

702
00:57:01.920 --> 00:57:07.800
lost her eligibility when she flunk too
many classes last midterm. Mandy wants to

703
00:57:07.840 --> 00:57:13.519
try and sweet talk Chelsea into giving
her the opening turn here, Mandy suddenly

704
00:57:13.519 --> 00:57:17.719
cried here. Seth quickly turned onto
the road by Strickfield Chemicals. His tires

705
00:57:17.760 --> 00:57:23.719
squealed careful, Seth Alan advised,
Let's get to Chelsea's alive if possible.

706
00:57:24.559 --> 00:57:30.519
Just hurry up, please, Mandy
cried. Mandy, shut up, okay,

707
00:57:30.079 --> 00:57:35.119
Seth shouted, fuck you. She
shouted back. If we're late,

708
00:57:35.280 --> 00:57:38.880
we'll just explain why, Alan said, trying to restore some kind of order.

709
00:57:39.599 --> 00:57:43.360
Hey, Seth, here's our turn. Wo whoo. Slow down.

710
00:57:44.000 --> 00:57:45.800
You make this turn too fast and
will end up taking some of the plant's

711
00:57:45.840 --> 00:57:50.719
fence with us. I know what
I'm doing, Seth replied. Hang on.

712
00:57:51.719 --> 00:57:54.880
Seth turned too quickly and sharply,
running the red light. As Seth

713
00:57:54.920 --> 00:58:00.119
straightened the car, a small chemical
truck was entering the road almost directly in

714
00:58:00.159 --> 00:58:05.639
front of them. Seth, stop. Oh shit, Mandy screamed, stop

715
00:58:05.719 --> 00:58:09.119
Seth. Seth quickly jammed on the
brakes and turned the wheel to try and

716
00:58:09.199 --> 00:58:15.440
avoid a collision with the truck.
However, he'd been driving too fast and

717
00:58:15.599 --> 00:58:21.480
slammed into the vehicle side to side. The car's engine sputtered out soon after.

718
00:58:22.400 --> 00:58:25.840
Seth and Allan had been wearing their
seat belts so they avoided injuries.

719
00:58:27.719 --> 00:58:31.400
Mandy had managed to brace herself and
was also unhurt, but she had glass

720
00:58:31.480 --> 00:58:36.280
all over her from where the back
window on the driver's side had shattered from

721
00:58:36.280 --> 00:58:43.519
the crash. Everybody all right,
Alan asked, Oh my god, Mandy

722
00:58:43.639 --> 00:58:50.840
uttered quickly, ah man. Seth
screamed, my car's wrecked. Alan looked

723
00:58:50.840 --> 00:58:54.519
at Seth. You shouldn't have been
going so fast. Seth glared at Alan

724
00:58:54.960 --> 00:58:59.599
and pointed to the truck. He's
the dumb son of a bitch who pulled

725
00:58:59.599 --> 00:59:01.920
out right now in front of us. Alan threw open his door and got

726
00:59:01.960 --> 00:59:07.400
out a few seconds later. Seth
screamed in frustration. Then the driver of

727
00:59:07.440 --> 00:59:13.519
the chemical truck approached Alan. What
do you think you're doing, Alan shouted

728
00:59:13.519 --> 00:59:15.920
at him. The driver screamed to
curse at Alan, and then added,

729
00:59:16.159 --> 00:59:22.760
you stupid kids should have been watching
where you were going us. Alan screamed

730
00:59:22.800 --> 00:59:25.679
back, you pulled out right in
front of us. Back in the car.

731
00:59:25.880 --> 00:59:30.559
As Alan the chemical truck driver continued
arguing with each other, Mandy felt

732
00:59:30.599 --> 00:59:38.519
warm sprinkles on her arm that began
to burn slightly. She slowly turned and

733
00:59:38.599 --> 00:59:43.599
saw that the sprinkles were coming from
the damaged nozzle on the chemical truck.

734
00:59:44.840 --> 00:59:49.880
To her horror, the nozzle was
pointing right at her. Oh shit,

735
00:59:50.400 --> 00:59:54.880
Mandy choked out as she saw the
liquid chemical slightly spraying instead of sprinkling.

736
00:59:55.280 --> 01:00:01.280
Seth look Seth turned her way and
saw she was pointing at Let's move.

737
01:00:01.719 --> 01:00:07.719
Seth cried. He quickly moved to
the open passenger side door and got out.

738
01:00:07.280 --> 01:00:10.320
Just as Mandy was moving to climb
over the seat to follow Seth.

739
01:00:12.000 --> 01:00:17.480
The damaged nozzle burst. Mandy was
soaked instantly, and she screamed when she

740
01:00:17.519 --> 01:00:23.280
felt the burning sensations everywhere on her
body. Seth quickly went back into the

741
01:00:23.280 --> 01:00:28.079
front seat and reached his left hand
out for Mandy. Some of the chemicals

742
01:00:28.079 --> 01:00:31.199
splashed onto his hand. He cried
out in pain and quickly pulled it away.

743
01:00:31.840 --> 01:00:37.119
By then Alan had returned to the
car and pulled Seth out. Suddenly,

744
01:00:37.159 --> 01:00:42.000
Seth's hand had caught on fire.
Seth screamed in both surprise and pain.

745
01:00:42.679 --> 01:00:45.239
Once the guys were away from the
car, the fire on Seth's hand

746
01:00:45.280 --> 01:00:50.840
had gone out, Seth started crying
from the intense pain in what was left

747
01:00:50.880 --> 01:00:54.920
of his hand. Alan looked back
to Seth's car in desperation. As Mandy

748
01:00:55.000 --> 01:00:59.960
continued to be sprayed with the chemical. The driver of the truck at All

749
01:01:00.039 --> 01:01:04.320
already radioed for a containment crew.
Once he saw what had happened. That

750
01:01:04.480 --> 01:01:08.719
was all that could be done for
Mandy Craven, since the driver wouldn't go

751
01:01:08.800 --> 01:01:20.000
anywhere near Seth's car or the damaged
nozzle. That evening, in the hospital

752
01:01:20.079 --> 01:01:25.199
Morgue, a medical examiner had Mandy's
naked corpse on the long table slab.

753
01:01:27.280 --> 01:01:30.000
She was going to do the autopsy
on Mandy and tried to determine what the

754
01:01:30.079 --> 01:01:35.519
chemical had done to her to cause
her to die in spite of the fact

755
01:01:35.519 --> 01:01:40.280
that she remained nicely preserved. After
the examiner finished putting on her rubber gloves,

756
01:01:40.679 --> 01:01:45.639
she picked up her scalpel and was
ready to make her first incision.

757
01:01:45.559 --> 01:01:52.440
Suddenly, Mandy opened her eyes and
sat up straight. The examiner, not

758
01:01:52.559 --> 01:01:57.800
believing what she had just seen,
dropped the scalpel and screamed, where am

759
01:01:57.840 --> 01:02:06.159
I? Mandy asked? The examiner
quickly ran to her phone. In Seth's

760
01:02:06.280 --> 01:02:10.079
room, Mandy's friends were anxiously waiting
for her. Though Seth had hours ago

761
01:02:10.199 --> 01:02:15.400
undergone an emergency amputation, he wanted
to see for himself that Mandy was still

762
01:02:15.440 --> 01:02:22.039
alive. He wondered how she would
look or if her still being alive really

763
01:02:22.159 --> 01:02:25.679
was a hoax. After all that
chemical had damaged his left hand so badly

764
01:02:27.119 --> 01:02:31.760
it had to be amputated. Seth's
eyes widened when he saw Mandy enter the

765
01:02:31.880 --> 01:02:38.719
room, wearing a hospital issued gown. She still looked as beautiful and vibrant

766
01:02:38.719 --> 01:02:45.800
as she did before the accident.
Mandy. Alan rushed over to her and

767
01:02:45.880 --> 01:02:52.320
hugged her tightly. Are you okay? Mandy hugged him back. I'm fine.

768
01:02:52.960 --> 01:02:57.559
In fact, I've never felt better. What did the doctor say,

769
01:02:58.039 --> 01:03:02.760
Seth demanded harshly. Seth, what's
wrong? Mandy asked. Surprised by his

770
01:03:02.880 --> 01:03:07.440
tone, she moved away from Alan. When she saw the stainless steel hook

771
01:03:07.480 --> 01:03:12.239
in place of where his left hand
used to be, she gasped and wished

772
01:03:12.239 --> 01:03:16.320
that she hadn't asked that question.
What's wrong? Seth held up his hook

773
01:03:16.360 --> 01:03:21.760
hand. I lost my hand because
of that chemical getting on it. That

774
01:03:21.840 --> 01:03:25.559
truck douses you down like a fire
hose, and nothing even happened to you.

775
01:03:27.599 --> 01:03:30.599
Seth, Come on, Alan implored, don't do this. You should

776
01:03:30.679 --> 01:03:36.239
be glad we're all alive. Get
the fuck out of your Mandy, Seth

777
01:03:36.280 --> 01:03:40.480
screamed. He glared at Alan,
you get out too. Mandy started to

778
01:03:40.519 --> 01:03:45.599
cry. Alan took her hand and
guided her toward the door. I don't

779
01:03:45.639 --> 01:03:49.760
ever want to see either of you
again, Seth yelled behind them. It's

780
01:03:49.800 --> 01:03:53.159
because of you, Mandy, that
I'm a cripple now. When Mandy heard

781
01:03:53.199 --> 01:03:57.880
this, she tore out of Alan's
grip and spun around to face Seth.

782
01:03:58.800 --> 01:04:03.440
How dare you? She shouted,
that's not fair, bullshit. You're the

783
01:04:03.480 --> 01:04:08.679
one who kept yelling hurry up,
Seth, Remember, he pointed at her

784
01:04:08.679 --> 01:04:13.400
with his good hand. You're the
one obsessed with getting on the cheerleading squad

785
01:04:13.519 --> 01:04:17.639
and getting in bed with Chelsea Miron. Mandy pointed back, I wasn't the

786
01:04:17.679 --> 01:04:23.599
one driving like a fucking maniac.
I don't want to talk to you anymore,

787
01:04:23.599 --> 01:04:30.639
Mandy or you Alan. Seth then
screamed, just go away now.

788
01:04:30.880 --> 01:04:35.519
Alan took Mandy's hand, this time
she didn't stop him as he led her

789
01:04:35.559 --> 01:04:40.639
out of the room. Once they
were gone, Seth looked at his new

790
01:04:40.679 --> 01:04:49.079
hook and sobbed. Thanksgiving night one
year later. To be honest, I'm

791
01:04:49.119 --> 01:04:55.280
not really that big into Thanksgiving.
It just hasn't been the same without mom

792
01:04:55.320 --> 01:05:00.519
and Dad. I have my older
brother, Martin, but Martin's usually working

793
01:05:00.559 --> 01:05:08.199
on Thanksgiving. Mirn Automotive has closed
both Thanksgiving and Black Friday, but Denoyer's

794
01:05:08.199 --> 01:05:14.199
Grill never closes. Martin's picking up
hours by working Thanksgiving. At least,

795
01:05:14.199 --> 01:05:18.480
Denoyer's pays their people overtime for working
on the holidays. Things are different this

796
01:05:18.599 --> 01:05:23.880
year, however, Martin will still
be working at Denoyer's Grill for Thanksgiving,

797
01:05:23.920 --> 01:05:28.119
but Bell's and I are on our
way to Chelsea Miron's house for friends Giving.

798
01:05:28.679 --> 01:05:33.000
Chelsea would actually rather stay in Strickfield
than go on family trips. And

799
01:05:33.400 --> 01:05:40.039
why wouldn't she? She has that
nice house all to herself inside that gated

800
01:05:40.079 --> 01:05:44.440
community that the Mirons live in.
Believe me when I say that she takes

801
01:05:44.559 --> 01:05:48.639
full advantage of that. She hosts
cheerleading parties after our games. She threw

802
01:05:48.679 --> 01:05:54.760
this awesome Halloween party last month.
Everybody loved Bell's costume and makeup as a

803
01:05:54.840 --> 01:06:00.840
vampire. The funny part, Bell's
wasn't even wearing a costume. Bells is

804
01:06:00.880 --> 01:06:06.039
a vampire, but a very unique
one. For one thing, she can

805
01:06:06.639 --> 01:06:11.199
walk in the daylight. Ah,
but I'm getting off track here, aren't

806
01:06:11.199 --> 01:06:15.360
I? Ever since Bells and I
got on the cheerleading squad, things have

807
01:06:15.480 --> 01:06:20.239
totally changed for us now we're both
actually popular. Bells and I even get

808
01:06:20.320 --> 01:06:26.000
invited to things. We really didn't
want to go to any of Chelsea's parties,

809
01:06:26.039 --> 01:06:31.079
but she can be pretty persuasive.
Bells doesn't like her, but she

810
01:06:31.199 --> 01:06:35.440
sensed that Chelsea was being sincere about
having us come and suggested we try the

811
01:06:35.480 --> 01:06:41.119
Halloween party. So we go and
we both had a lot of fun.

812
01:06:41.800 --> 01:06:45.199
Now Chelsea's parents are gone for Thanksgiving, as they are every year. Chelsea

813
01:06:45.400 --> 01:06:49.000
likes to host friends Giving at her
house. She doesn't have any of us

814
01:06:49.079 --> 01:06:54.000
bring anything. She has plenty of
food to go around. She even promised

815
01:06:54.000 --> 01:06:58.920
Bells to have lots of food just
for her if she would come by.

816
01:06:59.039 --> 01:07:02.920
Now, news of bell Monster appetite
has spread from Denoyer's grill to the halls

817
01:07:02.960 --> 01:07:09.599
of Strickfield High. Chelsea lives in
the merengated community and texted me the code

818
01:07:09.639 --> 01:07:14.079
to get in Bell's and I are
almost to Chelsea's. I'm telling you,

819
01:07:14.159 --> 01:07:17.079
Anie, if people at this fucking
thing start taking bets on how many turkeys

820
01:07:17.119 --> 01:07:21.440
I'll be putting away, Bell grumbles. I give her a warm smile.

821
01:07:23.039 --> 01:07:27.280
It'll be okay, Bell's. When
we reach Chelsea's, the front door suddenly

822
01:07:27.320 --> 01:07:30.840
opens Chelsea shoots right out onto the
porch. Oh my god, Bella,

823
01:07:30.880 --> 01:07:36.599
Aileen, you two really came.
Why wouldn't we Bell's mutters. You did

824
01:07:36.639 --> 01:07:40.360
invite us, right, Yes,
I did, Yes, I did,

825
01:07:40.440 --> 01:07:44.360
Yes, I did, Yes I
did. Chelsea's always this vibrant. It's

826
01:07:44.400 --> 01:07:48.119
like she's on a constant caffeine high, though you've never seen her drink coffee

827
01:07:48.239 --> 01:07:53.360
or even an energy drink. When
we get on the porch, she snatches

828
01:07:53.400 --> 01:07:56.960
me to her and gives me a
big hug. Then she hugs Bells.

829
01:07:57.480 --> 01:08:01.199
Thank you so much for coming.
She pulls away from Bells and looks at

830
01:08:01.239 --> 01:08:05.159
both of us. Can you believe
it? Those other bitches on the squad

831
01:08:05.239 --> 01:08:09.800
call me at the last minute and
say they can't come, Her eyes open

832
01:08:09.880 --> 01:08:14.800
wide. They could have just told
me themselves when I personally invited them to

833
01:08:14.880 --> 01:08:18.479
friends giving a cheerleading practice last week. Bells and I look at each other.

834
01:08:19.439 --> 01:08:24.840
What what come on? You two? Just say it? What's wrong

835
01:08:24.880 --> 01:08:31.920
with me? Chelsea demands. Maybe
it's your overly abundant charisma. Bells replies,

836
01:08:32.479 --> 01:08:38.079
I'm not sure if Bells is being
serious or sarcastic, but that works

837
01:08:38.119 --> 01:08:41.399
for you. As our cheerleading captain, right, I add, backing up

838
01:08:41.439 --> 01:08:45.359
Bells. Chelsea looks from both me
to Bells and sighs. That's what I

839
01:08:45.399 --> 01:08:49.000
love about you, too, you
always give it to me straight. She

840
01:08:49.119 --> 01:08:55.079
steps aside. Now, well come
in. As soon as Bells and I

841
01:08:55.119 --> 01:08:59.520
walk in, we're both hit with
the smell of Thanksgiving dinner. Yeah,

842
01:08:59.640 --> 01:09:02.880
I'm I'm definitely ready to eat,
heiny, Bell says. We hear the

843
01:09:02.920 --> 01:09:09.119
door close and Chelsea walks past us. Of course, Bella, and like

844
01:09:09.239 --> 01:09:14.520
I said, I have plenty of
food just for you. Suddenly I get

845
01:09:14.560 --> 01:09:18.199
a video call from Martin. I've
got to take this Chelsea. Of course,

846
01:09:18.600 --> 01:09:24.000
Chelsea replies, I step back outside
and talk to Martin. What's up?

847
01:09:24.479 --> 01:09:28.520
You better send Bell over here to
Denoyer's right away, Einstein. Martin

848
01:09:28.640 --> 01:09:32.840
always calls me Einstein on account of
my big brain. Martin turns his phone.

849
01:09:33.680 --> 01:09:38.479
A couple of vampires are really fighting
it out here. What am I

850
01:09:38.600 --> 01:09:45.479
supposed to see? Then? I
see stuff flying by itself. Vampires can't

851
01:09:45.520 --> 01:09:48.479
cast a reflection, so they won't
show up on video either. I'll send

852
01:09:48.560 --> 01:09:54.760
Bells over Martin and I disconnect.
I open the door and call Bell's outside.

853
01:09:55.520 --> 01:10:00.920
Once I explain things to her that
fucking Figures mutters, Okay, I'll

854
01:10:00.920 --> 01:10:05.039
head that way. Tell Chelsea,
I'll be back. Just play the family

855
01:10:05.119 --> 01:10:10.680
emergency card for me. Bell's leaps
away in the direction of Denoyer's grill.

856
01:10:11.399 --> 01:10:15.840
I turn around and head back in. Is everything okay? Chelsea asks?

857
01:10:16.760 --> 01:10:21.199
A family emergency came up? I
tell her Bell's will be back soon.

858
01:10:23.039 --> 01:10:27.319
Chelsea seems disappointed, but she brings
me into the dining room where the rest

859
01:10:27.319 --> 01:10:30.880
of the guests are. Seth Bergman, Alan Hurtz, and Mandy Craven are

860
01:10:30.920 --> 01:10:35.039
sitting together on one end of the
table. Some other people I've seen at

861
01:10:35.039 --> 01:10:40.560
school but don't know are also there. The thing that always catches everybody's attention

862
01:10:40.640 --> 01:10:44.399
about Seth is the hook he has
for a left hand, which he got

863
01:10:44.439 --> 01:10:47.920
a year ago. Today, it
sounds like Alan is telling everybody the story.

864
01:10:48.880 --> 01:10:54.680
Okay, Alan begins. This couple's
out on a date. They're making

865
01:10:54.720 --> 01:10:58.800
out on a hilltop a few miles
away from a nearby prison. The guy

866
01:10:59.000 --> 01:11:04.359
finds some romantic music on the radio. When he does, an announcer breaks

867
01:11:04.399 --> 01:11:10.800
in with a news bulletin saying a
murderer's escape from a nearby prison. He

868
01:11:10.880 --> 01:11:16.520
has a hook in place of one
of his hands. More scares to come

869
01:11:17.279 --> 01:11:25.199
weekly spooky, We'll be right back. When the couple hears this, they

870
01:11:25.239 --> 01:11:29.359
quickly roll up the car windows and
lock the doors. Then the girl gets

871
01:11:29.399 --> 01:11:33.479
scared and wants to go home.
The guy he's not worried. When they

872
01:11:33.560 --> 01:11:38.039
argue about it, the killer suddenly
breaks through the driver's side window with his

873
01:11:38.079 --> 01:11:42.399
hook and kills the guy. He
kills the girl too. Shortly after,

874
01:11:43.079 --> 01:11:47.560
whoa Alan No Seth quickly interjects,
If you're going to tell that story,

875
01:11:48.079 --> 01:11:53.600
at least tell it right. That
was how it happened. Alan protests,

876
01:11:54.239 --> 01:11:59.520
bullshit. Mandy disagrees and takes a
drink from an unmarked glass bottle. The

877
01:11:59.640 --> 01:12:04.920
killer didn't kill the couple, then
what really happened, Alan demands, challenging

878
01:12:04.960 --> 01:12:13.239
her. Mandy smiles well. The
couple drives away. They go to Woody's

879
01:12:13.319 --> 01:12:16.239
Drive in downtown for some food.
The boy gets out of the car and

880
01:12:16.319 --> 01:12:21.279
goes around to open the passenger door
for the girl. There, to both

881
01:12:21.319 --> 01:12:29.239
his horror and a car hops is
the escaped lunatic's hook hanging on the door

882
01:12:29.319 --> 01:12:33.800
handle. Later that night, the
killer ends up being killed by the angel

883
01:12:33.840 --> 01:12:42.159
of Death that actually happened here in
strickfield. That's right, Seth agrees.

884
01:12:42.840 --> 01:12:46.000
Alan suddenly turns and looks right at
me. You'd better watch it. Next

885
01:12:46.039 --> 01:12:50.319
time you and some guy are making
out somewhere secluded and romantic, sethier might

886
01:12:50.359 --> 01:12:56.640
come along and get you with his
hook, and I will too. Seth

887
01:12:56.680 --> 01:13:00.960
holds up his hook hand. Chelsea
stares at Seth and belief. How can

888
01:13:01.000 --> 01:13:05.840
you just let people joke around about
your hand like that? Seth becomes serious.

889
01:13:06.840 --> 01:13:11.840
What do you want me to do? Go out and hack people up?

890
01:13:13.000 --> 01:13:16.880
What's stopping you? Alan asks.
Seth closes his eyes and bows his

891
01:13:16.960 --> 01:13:23.239
head slightly. I had no one
to blame but myself for what happened last

892
01:13:23.279 --> 01:13:29.760
Thanksgiving. I was the one driving
the car recklessly. Look it's over now,

893
01:13:30.159 --> 01:13:32.760
Mandy says, Can we please try
to get on with our lives here?

894
01:13:33.399 --> 01:13:38.439
She takes another drink from her bottle. Seth looks at her sharply.

895
01:13:39.319 --> 01:13:41.920
Easy for you to say, Mandy, you don't have to live with the

896
01:13:41.920 --> 01:13:44.319
fact that you're going to be a
freak for the rest of your life.

897
01:13:44.560 --> 01:13:47.399
The kind of freak people our age
tell stories about at night around a campfire

898
01:13:48.159 --> 01:13:51.760
or at a friend's giving. Gathering. I thought you said you were used

899
01:13:51.760 --> 01:13:59.119
to it, Seth Alan says,
I never said that. Seth contradicts you

900
01:13:59.279 --> 01:14:02.079
just assumed I was. Now,
if you'll excuse me, I'd like to

901
01:14:02.119 --> 01:14:06.560
be alone. He doesn't give anybody
a chance to speak as he gets up

902
01:14:06.560 --> 01:14:12.960
and storms off. Mandy sighs and
takes another drink from her bottle, and

903
01:14:13.039 --> 01:14:18.119
then I'm having a very bad feeling. I hope Bells will be back soon.

904
01:14:21.520 --> 01:14:25.439
I'm sitting in the living room with
a plate of food and talking to

905
01:14:25.520 --> 01:14:30.000
a girl named Lisa Walcott. I
learned that these other people I don't know

906
01:14:30.039 --> 01:14:35.119
from Strickfield High either weren't doing anything
special for Thanksgiving or didn't have any place

907
01:14:35.159 --> 01:14:41.399
to go, so Chelsea invited them. Lisa and I were just talking about

908
01:14:41.520 --> 01:14:45.800
whatever. Then she tells me she'll
be right back. She gets up and

909
01:14:45.840 --> 01:14:49.079
heads to the bathroom. I watched
the TV and see that Planes, Trains,

910
01:14:49.079 --> 01:14:54.279
and Automobiles is on. It's at
that funny scene where Steve Martin and

911
01:14:54.319 --> 01:14:59.159
John Candy are in bed together in
the motel room. Then we all hear

912
01:14:59.199 --> 01:15:03.000
a blood curdle scream. Everybody gets
up and heads straight to the bathroom.

913
01:15:03.000 --> 01:15:06.720
That Lisa's in. One of the
other guests I don't know is lying on

914
01:15:06.760 --> 01:15:13.520
the floor dead. As I'm looking
at things closer, I can see the

915
01:15:13.560 --> 01:15:17.119
body is almost white. There's a
big gaping hole in the body's throat,

916
01:15:18.119 --> 01:15:25.279
but very little blood. And then
my mind moves to the one decisive thing

917
01:15:25.680 --> 01:15:30.640
that could possibly make an incision like
that. Seth Bergmann has a hook for

918
01:15:30.720 --> 01:15:36.239
a hand. He got upset and
defensive earlier and went away from everybody.

919
01:15:38.199 --> 01:15:43.279
What's going on? Mandy asked,
somebody call the police. Chelsea cries,

920
01:15:43.880 --> 01:15:48.039
I can't find my phone. One
person says, neither can I. Alan

921
01:15:48.159 --> 01:15:55.600
says, I go to pull out
my phone. Huh, where's my phone?

922
01:15:55.760 --> 01:16:00.680
It's not in my back pocket.
Chelsea leaves the bathroom and goes to

923
01:16:00.720 --> 01:16:04.880
the kitchen counter. Seriously, where
the hell is my phone? I laid

924
01:16:04.920 --> 01:16:10.439
it right here. Chelsea turns and
reaches for the land line, picks up

925
01:16:10.439 --> 01:16:15.760
the receiver and punches nine one one. Then she slams the receiver back into

926
01:16:15.800 --> 01:16:20.680
place. It's dead. Seriously,
what is going on here? Chelsea points

927
01:16:20.680 --> 01:16:25.600
to some of us, You folks
stay here. I'm going next door to

928
01:16:25.640 --> 01:16:29.640
call nine one one. But as
Chelsea tries to open the front door.

929
01:16:30.760 --> 01:16:34.279
Oh, come on, Then she
points to me, Eileen, the back

930
01:16:34.319 --> 01:16:39.840
door. I rush to the back
door and try it. I can't open

931
01:16:39.880 --> 01:16:43.399
it, Chelsea. Chelsea moves to
a window and tries to open it,

932
01:16:44.039 --> 01:16:47.399
with no success. She moves and
goes into the den. Oh, you

933
01:16:47.520 --> 01:16:53.479
have got to be fucking kidding me. I walk to the den and find

934
01:16:53.560 --> 01:16:58.119
Chelsea freaking out. What is it? She grabs my arm and points to

935
01:16:58.159 --> 01:17:03.399
the small control panel on the screen. It says security system enabled. The

936
01:17:03.439 --> 01:17:09.159
security systems on the windows and the
doors are locked tight. We can't leave

937
01:17:09.720 --> 01:17:15.720
and nobody can come in, and
somebody damaged the controls. We can just

938
01:17:15.800 --> 01:17:20.000
break a window, right, I
asked? Chelsea shakes her head. My

939
01:17:20.159 --> 01:17:26.159
dad really sank money into our security
system. The glass is unbreakable. We're

940
01:17:26.239 --> 01:17:31.760
stuck here. I keep calm,
but I'm getting scared. Where are you?

941
01:17:31.880 --> 01:17:36.159
Bells? Chelsea and I returned to
the kitchen, where everybody else is.

942
01:17:36.199 --> 01:17:41.680
Now. Mandy Craven speaks up.
We've got to find Seth. He's

943
01:17:41.720 --> 01:17:45.840
got to be around here somewhere.
I know he's still pissed off about what

944
01:17:45.960 --> 01:17:50.880
happened a year ago, but I
never thought he'd resort to murder, and

945
01:17:50.920 --> 01:17:55.880
then I have another feeling in the
pit of my stomach. I move past

946
01:17:55.920 --> 01:17:59.760
the others and head back to the
bathroom. Lisa Walcott is still in there

947
01:17:59.800 --> 01:18:03.039
with the body. I lower myself
to look at the neck wound again.

948
01:18:04.119 --> 01:18:10.039
Closer. Now I'm not a doctor, but I'm smart enough to know that

949
01:18:10.119 --> 01:18:14.720
a hook did not do this.
The hook would have pierced the skin and

950
01:18:14.840 --> 01:18:17.920
the throat. I mean, you
would have to go right into the throat

951
01:18:17.960 --> 01:18:26.000
itself. Looking closer, I see
bite marks. I use logic more often

952
01:18:26.000 --> 01:18:29.880
than anything else. In fact,
I don't even believe in God. But

953
01:18:29.960 --> 01:18:34.279
I'm going on record and saying that
someone in this house bit this person and

954
01:18:34.399 --> 01:18:39.680
drank up all the blood. There's
got to be another vampire in this house

955
01:18:40.359 --> 01:18:45.960
or something else that drinks blood.
What are you doing in here? A

956
01:18:45.039 --> 01:18:50.720
voice snaps. I look up to
see Seth Bergmann nothing. When Lisa sees

957
01:18:50.720 --> 01:18:56.159
it, Seth, She's scared for
her life. Seth, please don't kill

958
01:18:56.239 --> 01:19:00.399
us, she begs him. He
raises his hook hand to us. Shut

959
01:19:00.479 --> 01:19:04.279
up, both of you. Just
listen, Seth. We can get you

960
01:19:04.359 --> 01:19:09.600
some help. Lisa utters as she
starts crying. I said, shut up.

961
01:19:10.279 --> 01:19:16.279
Seth screams, where's Mandy? Tell
me why? Lisa demands, really

962
01:19:16.359 --> 01:19:21.840
crying now so you can kill us
two. Seth looks at her with wide

963
01:19:21.840 --> 01:19:30.720
eyes. You don't understand. He's
really hysterical now. Suddenly Mandy appears.

964
01:19:30.079 --> 01:19:33.960
Seth turns to Mandy. He points
to her with his good hand. You

965
01:19:34.600 --> 01:19:40.479
I'm going to kill you. I
don't think so, Seth, she purrs.

966
01:19:41.159 --> 01:19:45.199
Mandy hisses loudly, grabs Seth tightly
and bites deep into his neck.

967
01:19:45.600 --> 01:19:50.840
He screams as she drinks him quickly. I don't even have time to move

968
01:19:50.920 --> 01:19:56.640
to try and save him before Mandy
throws his drained body to the floor.

969
01:19:57.880 --> 01:20:03.800
Looks like Seth was the killer after
all, Mandy murmurs in a morbid tone.

970
01:20:03.920 --> 01:20:09.159
Or at least that's what it's going
to look like when I'm all through

971
01:20:09.279 --> 01:20:14.000
here. Alan was there, He
had seen what just happened. Why,

972
01:20:14.039 --> 01:20:19.920
Mandy, Why like you even have
to ask? Mandy answers scornfully. The

973
01:20:20.039 --> 01:20:26.800
accident one year ago. Today.
Alan looks confused. But you're fine,

974
01:20:26.840 --> 01:20:32.399
Mandy, You look fine, Mandy
laughs insanely. You think I'm fine,

975
01:20:32.680 --> 01:20:38.840
Alan, dear, I am not
fine. Far from it. In fact,

976
01:20:39.279 --> 01:20:44.760
I'm quite dead, she giggles a
little. The chemical spray killed me

977
01:20:44.880 --> 01:20:49.600
last Thanksgiving. My coming back to
life was an unexpected side effect. I

978
01:20:49.680 --> 01:20:55.439
seemed to be okay for a few
weeks. Then I accidentally cut my finger

979
01:20:56.279 --> 01:21:00.359
and saw that my blood was brown. I finally realized that my heart wasn't

980
01:21:00.359 --> 01:21:08.199
beating, and yet I was still
moving and talking and rotting. Are we

981
01:21:08.319 --> 01:21:13.960
learning anything yet? I'm a decaying
corpse, a zombie since I woke up

982
01:21:13.960 --> 01:21:16.920
in the hospital Morgue that night.
How come you don't look any different?

983
01:21:17.039 --> 01:21:21.800
Then? I demand? Mandy holds
up her unmarked bottle that she's been drinking

984
01:21:21.840 --> 01:21:27.720
from for meldehide. As long as
I drink this shit, much like drinking

985
01:21:27.800 --> 01:21:31.199
living blood, it spreads through my
body and preserves me. That's how I

986
01:21:31.199 --> 01:21:36.119
don't decay and rot in front of
your faces or stink. I had to

987
01:21:36.119 --> 01:21:42.239
stay nicely preserved so that I can
get my revenge. Alan was in the

988
01:21:42.319 --> 01:21:46.079
accident with Seth and me, but
he hardly got hurt. As for Seth,

989
01:21:46.680 --> 01:21:50.279
he only lost his hand. It
wasn't exactly fair for them to go

990
01:21:50.359 --> 01:21:56.560
on living when I died, now
was it? And Seth's pain was nothing

991
01:21:56.640 --> 01:22:01.920
compared to mine that day or now, none of you could possibly imagine.

992
01:22:02.039 --> 01:22:06.720
Chelsea appears you locked us in here. Yeah, bitch, I did,

993
01:22:08.199 --> 01:22:12.560
Mandy shouted. I owe you for
denying me a place on the cheerleading squad,

994
01:22:12.960 --> 01:22:16.359
and because your daddy owns Strickfield Chemicals. Daddy didn't tell you, did

995
01:22:16.399 --> 01:22:20.359
he? He covered up everything from
the accident a year ago. In fact,

996
01:22:20.960 --> 01:22:24.760
I drink up both of your parents
when they left for their trip.

997
01:22:25.520 --> 01:22:30.279
She glares at me. Now I'm
going to drink up little Aileen Donnerly here.

998
01:22:30.840 --> 01:22:34.039
You have no right to be on
the cheerleading squad, you little fucking

999
01:22:34.239 --> 01:22:41.000
mouse. Mandy screams with rage and
knocks everybody away from her with strength.

1000
01:22:41.000 --> 01:22:45.239
I've only seen Bell's possess. I
turn and run. Nowhere to run,

1001
01:22:45.319 --> 01:22:49.399
geek, Mandy yells. I find
the nearest door and open it to go

1002
01:22:49.520 --> 01:22:54.800
down into the basement. Just as
I pull the door shut, Mandy rips

1003
01:22:54.840 --> 01:22:58.800
it away. I scream and move, but Mandy shoves me down the stairs.

1004
01:22:59.199 --> 01:23:01.800
I fall over and till I land
flat on my back. I groan

1005
01:23:01.880 --> 01:23:08.119
and make myself get up. I
got all your phones and destroyed them,

1006
01:23:08.600 --> 01:23:14.279
Mandy says, I even learned Chelsea's
family security system code. It was all

1007
01:23:14.319 --> 01:23:16.920
perfect. All I had to do
was get Chelsea to invite me over for

1008
01:23:17.000 --> 01:23:24.920
her friend's giving. Now I can
kill and drink you all, and you're

1009
01:23:25.199 --> 01:23:29.399
next. I quickly duck a wild
swing. Then I run over to the

1010
01:23:29.439 --> 01:23:32.159
fireplace and pick up a poker to
use as a weapon. As Mandy's almost

1011
01:23:32.199 --> 01:23:36.000
upon me, I swing and hit
her hard in the face. I scream

1012
01:23:36.039 --> 01:23:40.479
when I see the left side of
Mandy's face land on the floor at my

1013
01:23:40.640 --> 01:23:45.600
feet. Mandy glares at me hatefully. Her right face is dead flesh preserved

1014
01:23:45.640 --> 01:23:51.000
by fermeldehyde or whatever blood she drinks, and her left face is bare muscle

1015
01:23:51.039 --> 01:23:57.119
and skull, with the eye still
in its place. Icky brown blood runs

1016
01:23:57.119 --> 01:24:02.079
from her exposed left face and down
her clothes. Now, Mandy hisses loudly

1017
01:24:02.279 --> 01:24:08.640
and advances menacingly towards me. I
turn and run. Mandy's right behind me.

1018
01:24:09.119 --> 01:24:14.760
Mandy can really run for a dead
girl. I quickly run back upstairs.

1019
01:24:15.399 --> 01:24:17.760
Come back to me, you four
eyed little bitch, Mandy yells.

1020
01:24:18.399 --> 01:24:21.640
When I reach the top, I
feel hands grab me and pull me off

1021
01:24:21.680 --> 01:24:27.800
to the side. Chelsea turns and
shoves me down a hallway. Go as

1022
01:24:27.880 --> 01:24:31.560
Chelsea's running behind me, she gets
tackled by Mandy. Shit. I turn

1023
01:24:31.600 --> 01:24:35.159
around, but Chelsea motions for me
to go get out of here. Aileen,

1024
01:24:35.640 --> 01:24:40.720
all you had to do was give
me a place on the cheerleading squad.

1025
01:24:41.359 --> 01:24:46.239
Mandy growls, But no, you
give all the fucking freaks places instead.

1026
01:24:47.119 --> 01:24:50.159
Mandy and Chelsea are wrestling on the
floor. Now as I move away,

1027
01:24:50.840 --> 01:24:57.239
you're one to talk, Mandy,
Chelsea hisses. I turn and see,

1028
01:24:57.600 --> 01:25:01.439
Yes, there's a big shotgun hanging
above the fireplace. I climb up

1029
01:25:01.439 --> 01:25:05.119
on a chair to grab it and
return to help Chelsea. I practically pee

1030
01:25:05.159 --> 01:25:10.079
my pants when I see Mandy's got
Chelsea flat on her back, and Mandy's

1031
01:25:10.119 --> 01:25:14.640
mouth is open wide enough to where
she can possibly bite off Chelsea's whole head.

1032
01:25:15.359 --> 01:25:19.680
Chelsea closes her eyes and screams as
Mandy lowers her mouth and Mandy's head

1033
01:25:19.720 --> 01:25:26.159
explodes all over Chelsea's face and upper
body. Mandy's corpse drops and the neck

1034
01:25:26.199 --> 01:25:35.159
area starts pouring more sickly brown blood
all over Chelsea. Oh. Chelsea shrieks,

1035
01:25:35.680 --> 01:25:45.079
then screams, I drop the shotgun
and move to help Chelsea. It's

1036
01:25:45.119 --> 01:25:48.319
a few hours later, when the
police and ambulances are gone. The police

1037
01:25:48.319 --> 01:25:53.720
got statements out of all of us. Funny thing. You'd think we'd lie

1038
01:25:53.800 --> 01:25:58.560
about what happened here, but Chelsea
actually suggested we all tell the truth.

1039
01:25:59.079 --> 01:26:03.520
So we all told the truth to
the best of our knowledge. The police

1040
01:26:03.600 --> 01:26:09.239
didn't really give us a hard time. I'm still wondering if they believed us

1041
01:26:09.359 --> 01:26:13.520
or not. None of us were
arrested, but we lost people as a

1042
01:26:13.560 --> 01:26:18.199
result of Mandy. Anyway, Chelsea
pretty much let all of us go.

1043
01:26:19.279 --> 01:26:24.199
I know she still has to clean
herself up yet, I've only walked a

1044
01:26:24.239 --> 01:26:28.640
little ways away from the mere engated
community when someone catches up to me.

1045
01:26:29.600 --> 01:26:34.640
Hey you, I'm overjoyed now,
Bells. What happened? Bells explains that

1046
01:26:34.680 --> 01:26:39.720
she had arrived at Denyer's grill to
break up the fight. As it turned

1047
01:26:39.720 --> 01:26:45.279
out, the two vampires fighting were
both parts of rival clans. The clans

1048
01:26:45.319 --> 01:26:48.720
themselves actually came to the diner.
Bells had to really work to take out

1049
01:26:48.760 --> 01:26:55.439
all those vampires and make sure that
nobody human was harmed. She still has

1050
01:26:55.520 --> 01:26:59.520
some blood on her. Then she
notices I've got a little of Mandy's blood

1051
01:26:59.560 --> 01:27:04.640
on me. What happened to you, Anie. I tell Bell's everything that

1052
01:27:04.720 --> 01:27:11.159
happened. Bells gives me a sympathetic
smile. I'm so sorry I didn't make

1053
01:27:11.199 --> 01:27:15.640
it back. I'm so glad you're
okay. Hugh did pretty good without me

1054
01:27:15.720 --> 01:27:21.520
there with you. I smile a
little, Yeah, I guess I did,

1055
01:27:21.600 --> 01:27:27.960
didn't I. Then I say,
I think Chelsea's pretty upset right now.

1056
01:27:29.000 --> 01:27:33.039
Bell shrugs, best to let her
calm down. Then she changes the

1057
01:27:33.079 --> 01:27:38.760
subject. Looks like we both never
got to have Thanksgiving dinner. How about

1058
01:27:38.800 --> 01:27:42.680
we go home, get cleaned up, and get some roasted turkey at Denoyer's.

1059
01:27:43.560 --> 01:27:55.000
I smile and sigh. Sounds good
to me. Bell's Turkey Terror by

1060
01:27:55.119 --> 01:28:00.920
Douglas Waltz. My first memory of
Thanksgiving was when I was five years old.

1061
01:28:01.640 --> 01:28:06.000
We were at my grandfather's house on
the shore of Lake Superior in the

1062
01:28:06.079 --> 01:28:12.119
Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The snow
was falling, and my father and my

1063
01:28:12.239 --> 01:28:16.279
uncle Bert were out hunting for the
turkey that would be the Thanksgiving feast.

1064
01:28:17.600 --> 01:28:21.680
My uncle had been many times,
but it had been my father's first time.

1065
01:28:23.560 --> 01:28:28.199
Family tradition dictated that all of the
men in the family needed to help

1066
01:28:28.239 --> 01:28:32.479
with Thanksgiving by hunting down and shooting
the burt that we would all eat.

1067
01:28:33.680 --> 01:28:38.640
Hours later, they had come in
the door triumphant with a massive bird in

1068
01:28:38.680 --> 01:28:43.199
my father's hands. I saw that
he had a huge scratch on his forehead

1069
01:28:43.680 --> 01:28:48.520
that bled profusely, and the look
on his face showed an indescribable fear that

1070
01:28:48.560 --> 01:28:55.960
my five year old brain completely understood. It was the fear of the unknown.

1071
01:28:56.920 --> 01:29:00.720
With each step of my boots crunching
in the ice covered snow, more

1072
01:29:00.800 --> 01:29:06.560
memories of the holiday so precious to
my family came to the forefront. I

1073
01:29:06.640 --> 01:29:11.960
remembered the time that my older cousin, Franklin, went out with my father

1074
01:29:12.039 --> 01:29:16.159
and uncle Bert to hunt the monstrous
bird. While they were successful, I

1075
01:29:16.199 --> 01:29:21.840
could see the anguish in my cousin's
eyes. I assumed that as years passed,

1076
01:29:21.840 --> 01:29:27.239
it would dim, much like my
father's had after he went on multiple

1077
01:29:27.319 --> 01:29:31.319
hunts, but it never did.
When he turned eighteen, he left the

1078
01:29:31.359 --> 01:29:36.279
family and went to live in Traverse
City. The next time I saw him

1079
01:29:38.359 --> 01:29:43.119
was at his funeral a year after
he had left. No one would discuss

1080
01:29:43.159 --> 01:29:46.600
what had happened, but I heard
my aunt Norma tell my mother that it

1081
01:29:46.640 --> 01:29:53.000
had been a suicide. I kept
moving through the icy wasteland that is the

1082
01:29:53.079 --> 01:29:58.359
Upper Peninsula, or up as it
is referred to anyone who's ever lived there.

1083
01:29:59.319 --> 01:30:04.359
The other pop popular term Upers was
more derogatory and rarely heard when it

1084
01:30:04.399 --> 01:30:10.960
was just local folk. I had
on a heavy parka thick woolen mittens,

1085
01:30:10.960 --> 01:30:15.479
with a pair of gloves under those, and two pairs of thermal socks inside

1086
01:30:15.520 --> 01:30:19.800
of my heavy boots. The bitter
wind that howled from the nearby lake shore

1087
01:30:20.039 --> 01:30:26.359
bit through my clothing like it was
non existent. I couldn't begin to imagine

1088
01:30:26.359 --> 01:30:30.359
what would happen to bear skin in
this weather. My scarf wrapped around my

1089
01:30:30.439 --> 01:30:35.279
bearded face, and I had the
foresight to put on tinted goggles before I

1090
01:30:35.319 --> 01:30:40.680
had made out, to accomplish what
no one in my family had ever considered

1091
01:30:41.880 --> 01:30:47.359
to end the family tradition of the
hunt. The ancient memory of when I

1092
01:30:47.479 --> 01:30:51.720
was eight and went to visit distant
relatives for the winter came without warning.

1093
01:30:53.720 --> 01:30:58.199
My parents told me it would be
good for me. Twenty years later,

1094
01:30:58.399 --> 01:31:04.039
my face still flushed red with embarrassment
at the thought of the Thanksgiving meal prepared

1095
01:31:04.039 --> 01:31:11.359
for me by someone other than my
mother and my aunt's. The same things

1096
01:31:11.399 --> 01:31:16.760
were there, but just a little
different. The stuffing didn't taste quite right,

1097
01:31:17.600 --> 01:31:23.199
the mashed potatoes had no lumps.
The gravy needed salt, which I

1098
01:31:23.319 --> 01:31:27.840
snuck onto my plate when I didn't
think anyone else was watching. But it

1099
01:31:27.920 --> 01:31:31.359
was the bird, that damnable bird, sitting in the middle of the table

1100
01:31:31.399 --> 01:31:36.920
on a huge white platter. My
great uncle Ephraim asked me what my favorite

1101
01:31:36.960 --> 01:31:42.600
part of the bird was. I
said tentacle, which caused a nervous titter

1102
01:31:42.720 --> 01:31:47.000
amongst the people at the table.
My youngest cousin, Frederick, laughed that

1103
01:31:47.159 --> 01:31:53.520
unbearable laugh of his that sounded like
a jackass praying. My aunt Eunice was

1104
01:31:53.600 --> 01:31:57.920
quick to come to my rescue and
said, I believe he's referring to the

1105
01:31:58.000 --> 01:32:03.520
neck. Ephraim nodded sagely and remarked
how that could be mistaken for a tentacle.

1106
01:32:04.800 --> 01:32:10.199
Luckily for me, my aunt roasted
that part when she baked their oddly

1107
01:32:10.279 --> 01:32:14.760
shaped turkey. He put it on
my plate for me, and to say

1108
01:32:14.800 --> 01:32:19.119
I was disappointed in what lay before
me would be an understatement. In place

1109
01:32:19.159 --> 01:32:24.399
of the smooth, buttery textured tentacle
that I had grown up with. I

1110
01:32:24.520 --> 01:32:30.800
was given a dry, bony scrap
of meat that wouldn't feed anyone. I

1111
01:32:30.880 --> 01:32:34.039
still pretended to like it and managed
to take all the meat off of the

1112
01:32:34.119 --> 01:32:42.680
bony surface. My charade was complete. A loud, cracking noise to my

1113
01:32:42.800 --> 01:32:48.600
left brought me out of my reverie. I spotted a turkey slowly moving through

1114
01:32:48.640 --> 01:32:56.960
the underbrush. Its two front tentacles
grabbed various low hanging branches in search of

1115
01:32:57.119 --> 01:33:02.439
tender sprouts to eat from the trees. I brought up my shotgun a beast

1116
01:33:02.479 --> 01:33:06.399
of a ten gage that had belonged
to my father, and let loose with

1117
01:33:06.520 --> 01:33:13.239
both barrels. The impact moved me
backwards afoot, but I managed to keep

1118
01:33:13.279 --> 01:33:17.600
myself upright. The creature exploded in
a flurry of feathers and red gore,

1119
01:33:17.760 --> 01:33:23.960
staining the snow in all directions.
I knew I was nearing the cave.

1120
01:33:25.359 --> 01:33:29.479
The cave had no name. It
was on the shore of Lake Superior,

1121
01:33:30.000 --> 01:33:34.319
and water managed to find its way
in and out according to the tides the

1122
01:33:34.359 --> 01:33:40.319
turkeys called at home, and in
the entire lineage of my family, none

1123
01:33:40.399 --> 01:33:45.600
of us had ever gone into the
cave. There was no need to the

1124
01:33:45.640 --> 01:33:48.640
turkeys came out in search of food, and we would only kill one a

1125
01:33:48.760 --> 01:33:57.039
year for our Thanksgiving feast. We
appreciated nature's bounty and never asked questions like

1126
01:33:57.720 --> 01:34:01.079
why were our turkeys so much bigger
than the ones in the store, Why

1127
01:34:01.079 --> 01:34:06.720
did ours have the delicious front and
back tentacles while others did not? And

1128
01:34:06.800 --> 01:34:13.520
the taste? Why was the bird
we harvested every year such a delight to

1129
01:34:13.560 --> 01:34:18.000
the taste buds while ones that other
folk raved about, especially the coveted white

1130
01:34:18.079 --> 01:34:25.720
meat, tasted like a dry napkin. After my first experience with an outsider

1131
01:34:25.800 --> 01:34:30.960
Thanksgiving, I just didn't care to
ask any of these questions. I knew

1132
01:34:30.960 --> 01:34:35.920
it was wrong and they could have
that flavorless tiny fowl. I finally reached

1133
01:34:35.920 --> 01:34:41.960
the cave and unpacked my huge bag
that had everything I needed to stop this

1134
01:34:42.039 --> 01:34:47.279
Thanksgiving madness once and for all.
As I laid everything out in the snow

1135
01:34:47.319 --> 01:34:51.079
in front of the cave, the
final memory that had brought me to the

1136
01:34:51.119 --> 01:34:59.159
mouth of this hollow came without warning. I had been away at graduate school

1137
01:34:59.159 --> 01:35:04.119
in Kalamazoom, Michigan, when I
received the call from my mother. Without

1138
01:35:04.119 --> 01:35:10.279
hesitation, I stopped everything I was
doing and headed home as quickly as possible.

1139
01:35:11.239 --> 01:35:16.119
The southern part of Michigan was experiencing
an unusually warm November, but being

1140
01:35:16.159 --> 01:35:21.000
from the up I knew better than
to expect the same. When I returned

1141
01:35:21.000 --> 01:35:28.319
home, the weather stayed nice until
I crossed the Mackinac Bridge. Wind howled

1142
01:35:28.359 --> 01:35:33.680
across the giant suspension bridge. It
felt like invisible fists were drumming against the

1143
01:35:33.720 --> 01:35:39.479
metal shell of my car. There
was something in the air giving me warning

1144
01:35:39.600 --> 01:35:44.840
to turn around and abandon my quest. I ignored it over my duty to

1145
01:35:44.920 --> 01:35:53.000
family and pressed on, and finally
I was home. Apparently in preparation for

1146
01:35:53.039 --> 01:35:57.399
the Thanksgiving hunt, my father had
taken it upon himself to stake out a

1147
01:35:57.399 --> 01:36:02.520
good spot to find the perfect time
herkey for the celebration. He was lying

1148
01:36:02.560 --> 01:36:08.159
on the living room couch, wrapped
in a crocheted afghan that my great grandmother

1149
01:36:08.239 --> 01:36:13.279
had made so many years ago.
Half of his face was covered in gauze

1150
01:36:13.319 --> 01:36:17.439
and tape. Blood had managed to
seep out in spots. The gaunt,

1151
01:36:17.960 --> 01:36:24.920
robust man of my childhood had been
reduced to a frail version of his former

1152
01:36:25.000 --> 01:36:29.800
self. When I smiled at him, he returned it with a crooked smile

1153
01:36:29.840 --> 01:36:34.000
of his own. I found it
interesting that the look of fear that he

1154
01:36:34.039 --> 01:36:41.520
had brought into the house so many
years ago was completely gone. No trace

1155
01:36:41.520 --> 01:36:45.880
of it remained, and he took
my hand in his. I glanced at

1156
01:36:45.880 --> 01:36:49.760
my mother, and her tear stained
face told me all I needed to know.

1157
01:36:51.199 --> 01:36:59.039
She wasn't even capable of returning the
smile I gave her. Then,

1158
01:36:59.359 --> 01:37:04.239
with his last breath, he told
me what needed to be done. I

1159
01:37:04.359 --> 01:37:11.520
kissed his cooling forehead and hugged my
mother before I went to the outbuilding that

1160
01:37:11.560 --> 01:37:16.600
would have everything I would need for
my mission. When my father and uncle

1161
01:37:16.640 --> 01:37:21.880
had decided on erecting a few outbuildings
around the house, they discovered that most

1162
01:37:21.920 --> 01:37:28.279
of the land surrounding the home was
nothing but ledge. Only a few inches

1163
01:37:28.359 --> 01:37:31.760
of earth covered a huge mass of
rock that would have been impossible to build

1164
01:37:31.880 --> 01:37:38.760
anything on. It was what remained
of the dynamite that I had stuffed into

1165
01:37:38.760 --> 01:37:44.600
a convenient backpack hanging on a rusty
hook in the shed. I also grabbed

1166
01:37:44.600 --> 01:37:48.119
the huge augur that we would use
to make holes in a nearby pond for

1167
01:37:48.199 --> 01:37:54.840
fishing. Now these things lay on
the ground before me and I started the

1168
01:37:54.920 --> 01:38:00.680
laborious task of making a line of
holes in front of the cave. Occasionally

1169
01:38:00.039 --> 01:38:05.000
a turkey would be curious as to
my intentions. Then I would stop what

1170
01:38:05.079 --> 01:38:09.920
I was doing, grab the ten
gage, and turn the bird into a

1171
01:38:09.960 --> 01:38:15.079
pile of feathers and gore. After
the second time that occurred, I noticed

1172
01:38:15.079 --> 01:38:20.680
a small rumbling coming from the black
depths of the cave. There was also

1173
01:38:20.760 --> 01:38:29.279
a smell that my brain refused to
identify, sickly sweet, like rotted flesh,

1174
01:38:30.279 --> 01:38:36.439
but something much much worse that my
mind could not comprehend. After an

1175
01:38:36.479 --> 01:38:43.119
hour and four dead turkeys, I
had succeeded in planting twenty five sticks of

1176
01:38:43.239 --> 01:38:47.960
dynamite in a tight line. They
were all linked by a single wire that

1177
01:38:48.000 --> 01:38:53.399
would lead to a detonator box that
I figured out how to use before leaving

1178
01:38:53.399 --> 01:38:59.239
the house. The rumbling had grown
louder as I toiled in the increasingly warm

1179
01:38:59.359 --> 01:39:03.840
environment in front of the cavern.
At first I blamed my exertions, but

1180
01:39:04.600 --> 01:39:09.680
even in that bitter cold air that
flung itself off the icy cold surface of

1181
01:39:09.720 --> 01:39:14.520
the majestic Lake Superior, not a
single beat of sweat appeared on my brow.

1182
01:39:15.399 --> 01:39:18.279
I took off one of my woolen
mittens and the glove underneath, and

1183
01:39:18.359 --> 01:39:24.439
held it out in front of me. The warm air was coming from the

1184
01:39:24.479 --> 01:39:32.640
cave, and so was something else, something big. I quickly replaced the

1185
01:39:32.680 --> 01:39:36.279
glove and mitten and wound the wire
off the spool to take it back to

1186
01:39:36.319 --> 01:39:42.720
where I had placed the detonator box
out of harm's way. Then a long,

1187
01:39:43.079 --> 01:39:46.640
fleshy tentacle snapped out of the cave
and wrapped itself around my ankle.

1188
01:39:47.439 --> 01:39:53.239
The scarf, wrapped firmly around my
face muffled my screams as I struggled to

1189
01:39:53.279 --> 01:39:58.840
gain a foot to where the backpack
lay. As I felt myself being dragged

1190
01:39:58.840 --> 01:40:02.640
backwards, I lunged and snapped one
of the straps, plunging my hand into

1191
01:40:02.640 --> 01:40:06.880
the bag. It came out with
a newly sharpened hatchet my father had always

1192
01:40:08.079 --> 01:40:13.920
used in beheading the Thanksgiving turkey.
Now I used it to hack at the

1193
01:40:14.000 --> 01:40:17.800
writhing cord of flesh that was determined
to drag me to the very depths of

1194
01:40:17.960 --> 01:40:24.199
hell itself. Green eye cores splashed
my hand and pants. As I managed

1195
01:40:24.239 --> 01:40:28.840
to free myself. I did not
take the time to admire my handiwork.

1196
01:40:29.399 --> 01:40:33.399
Instead, I grabbed the spool of
wire and ran to the box. An

1197
01:40:33.479 --> 01:40:38.960
unearthly scream caught my attention as I
wrapped the wire on the posts of the

1198
01:40:39.000 --> 01:40:46.760
detonator. My mind tried to understand
what I was seeing. I assumed it

1199
01:40:46.800 --> 01:40:51.640
would just be a much larger version
of the turkeys my family had been consuming

1200
01:40:53.239 --> 01:40:59.760
for generations. I couldn't have been
more wrong. While the tentacles had been

1201
01:40:59.800 --> 01:41:03.920
the familiar green color of the smaller
birds, this wasn't a bird at all.

1202
01:41:05.119 --> 01:41:11.319
A huge, amorphous blob of sickly
white color was using the tentacles to

1203
01:41:11.399 --> 01:41:17.439
move slowly across the rough cavern floor. It resembled an octopus more than anything

1204
01:41:17.479 --> 01:41:23.720
else, but even that did not
do justice in the description of this creature

1205
01:41:23.760 --> 01:41:29.640
before me. Two huge, yellowed
eyes stared malevolently at me, and I

1206
01:41:29.640 --> 01:41:35.520
could feel the pure evil that emanated
from those massive orbs. I pulled the

1207
01:41:35.560 --> 01:41:43.920
stick out of the detonator and plunged
it down rapidly. The concussive blast sent

1208
01:41:44.000 --> 01:41:48.319
me hurling perilously close to the frigid
lake, and for what felt like the

1209
01:41:48.359 --> 01:41:58.119
briefest of moments, I felt everything
go dark. Later, it was the

1210
01:41:58.159 --> 01:42:02.399
coldness of the lake air seeping through
my scarf that brought me back to the

1211
01:42:02.479 --> 01:42:09.359
land of the living. The blast
had collapsed the cave mouth, and there

1212
01:42:09.359 --> 01:42:15.800
were gobbits of the monster's unnatural flesh
littering the surrounding area. Some of the

1213
01:42:15.840 --> 01:42:19.880
flesh was actually a blaze, and
the smell of it cooking made my mouth

1214
01:42:19.920 --> 01:42:25.079
water. When I realized what it
was that we had been eating all that

1215
01:42:25.239 --> 01:42:30.760
time, the unnatural union of monster
and bird. A wave of nausea made

1216
01:42:30.760 --> 01:42:36.159
my vision swim With little dots of
white light flickering. In my field of

1217
01:42:36.239 --> 01:42:44.319
vision, I saw a rather large
version of the tentacle turkey pecking away at

1218
01:42:44.319 --> 01:42:48.239
a piece of the ruined flesh.
The trusty ten gage was near the beast,

1219
01:42:49.119 --> 01:42:56.880
but another idea leapt into my now
addled brain. I located my father's

1220
01:42:56.920 --> 01:43:01.439
hatchet and walked up to the bird
and sliced off its head in one neat

1221
01:43:01.479 --> 01:43:08.479
swing of the weapon. Then I
flung it over my shoulder and made my

1222
01:43:08.600 --> 01:43:15.039
way back home. After all,
it was nearly Thanksgiving and the family would

1223
01:43:15.119 --> 01:43:19.479
be expecting their feast. None of
them would realize it was to be our

1224
01:43:19.560 --> 01:43:36.199
last taste of this delectable animal.
Thank you so much for joining us on

1225
01:43:36.239 --> 01:43:43.640
this little Turkey Day extravaganza of fear
right here at Weekly Spooky. I really

1226
01:43:43.680 --> 01:43:46.079
do appreciate it, but now it's
time for me to get back to work.

1227
01:43:46.279 --> 01:43:49.920
We have so many new stories to
bring you in November, and we're

1228
01:43:49.960 --> 01:43:55.640
going to bring you quite a few
bonus shows for the Christmas season as well.

1229
01:43:56.319 --> 01:44:00.760
But don't let Turkey Day slip by. It's important to be thankful,

1230
01:44:00.119 --> 01:44:04.239
and I'm thankful for all of you
who listen, who write in at Weeklyspooky

1231
01:44:04.279 --> 01:44:09.880
at gmail dot com, and especially
those of you who support us on Patreon.

1232
01:44:10.399 --> 01:44:13.319
If you want to find out more
about our Patreon, just go to

1233
01:44:13.359 --> 01:44:16.399
Weeklyspooky dot com. For as little
as one dollar a month, you help

1234
01:44:16.479 --> 01:44:23.439
make sure the Spooky comes every single
week and you get a bonus story every

1235
01:44:23.520 --> 01:44:29.039
month. So thank you again from
the bottom of my black heart. Until

1236
01:44:29.119 --> 01:44:36.279
next time, stay scared and stay
hungry.