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Weekly Spooky
Weekly Spooky
Scary stories, urban legends, haunted places, cryptids and dark folklore with Henrique Couto. New nightmares throughout the week. Halloween all year long.
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May 2, 2025

5 Monster Horror Stories — Chupacabra, Forest Gods and Snow Beasts

5 Monster Horror Stories — Chupacabra, Forest Gods and Snow Beasts
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Are the monsters gone… or have they just learned to hide?

In this chilling episode of Weekly Spooky, host Henrique Couto presents five horrifying stories where creatures of legend and nightmare emerge from the shadows to torment the living. Whether they come from the forest, the snow, or your deepest fears—these monsters are hungry… and they walk among us.

🩸 This episode includes:

- The God Tongue by Dan Wilder
A mute hermit living deep in the forest must face his violent past and the monstrous force tied to it—one that may consume him entirely.

- The Beast of Roca de Vaca by Morgan Moore
A school field trip to a mysterious ranch spirals into bloody chaos as students come face-to-face with the terrifying truth behind El Chupacabra.

- Ol’ Bones by Joe Solmo
A sacred patch of wilderness holds a deadly guardian. When campers disturb it, the ancient forest god demands a sacrifice… in blood and bone.

- The Creature from Richardson Lake by Charles Campbell
A long-haul trucker gets stranded in a brutal blizzard—only to find he’s not alone. A monstrous predator stalks the storm, and it won’t stop until he’s dead.

- I Was Hunted by a Cryptid in a Snowstorm by Michael Kelso
A relaxing winter trip becomes a frozen nightmare when a mysterious creature begins to stalk the narrator through the snow-covered woods. Can he escape, or will he become just another local legend?

—
👁️ Don’t close your eyes… they’re watching.

The lineup reaches beyond familiar cryptid names. “The God Tongue” links a hermit’s history to a forest power; “The Beast of Roca de Vaca” brings Chupacabra terror into a school trip; “Ol’ Bones” guards sacrificial woodland; and the two snowbound stories use isolation and reduced visibility to let different predators close in.

Listing all five titles and writers gives the monster anthology a searchable structure. Forest gods, livestock legends, truck-stop survival, blizzard stalking, and ancient territorial rules provide distinct creature logic instead of treating every unexplained beast as the same generic cryptid.

🎧 LISTEN NOW and subscribe for spine-tingling horror stories every week!

🎉 Unlock exclusive bonus episodes and support the show on Patreon!
👉 WeeklySpooky.com/Join

📬 Contact Us / Submit Your Horror Story!


🎵 Music by Ray Mattis 👉 Check out Ray’s incredible work here !
👨‍💼 Executive Producers: Rob Fields, Bobbletopia.com
🎥 Produced by: Daniel Wilder
🌐 Explore more terrifying tales at: WeeklySpooky.com
WEBVTT

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Hello, my spookies. It's your host and narrator Enrique Kuto

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here with a very special compilation of the best and

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scariest stories from Weekly Spooky to make sure you start

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your may on the right bloody severed foot. So get comfortable,

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because these are five terror tales and they all have

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one thing in common, the idea and the fact that

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monsters stalk the world of man. So get comfortable. Make

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sure your earbuds aren't blocking your ability to hear any

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howls or scratching at your back door. And make sure

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you're subscribed on your favorite podcasting app, because every single

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Wednesday there's a brand new story to enjoy. Tonight is

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just a sampling of over three hundred episodes, So kick

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back and enjoy.

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The God Tongue by Dan Wilder.

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Born without a tongue to grant him the power of speech,

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Ezra had long been the target of derision by his peers,

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so much so that when his beloved mother had breathed

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her last, he abandoned the home in which he was

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raised and took to the hills and forests that bordered

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the microcosm of the world's backwoods notions That was the

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town of Jaden's Cross. Once there, Ezra built himself a

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modest cabin, financed with his meager inheritance, where he could

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find solace away from the chorus of mocking voices. Living

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off the land, Ezra killed only that which he could consume,

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and his growling stomach, coupled with his barren ice box,

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had told him it was high time to venture out

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into the crisp autumnal evening. After long, fruitless hours, Ezra

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had seen nary a hint of prey, and though the

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moon hung swollen in the sky, a mist had begun

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to encroach upon the landscape of stoic pines that pointed

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like accusing fingers at the heavens. Ezra exhaled wearily and

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sat down at the base of the nearest pine. The

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miasma played seductively at his neck and chin, causing his

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skin to turn to goose flesh. As the fog was

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a great deal cooler than the air that surrounded it,

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Ezra closed his eyes for a moment and let the

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symphony of the forest fill his ears, and for minutes

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it did just that, until his placid repose was shattered

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by the sound of a twig breaking that echoed through

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the cool air, like the report of a shotgun being discharged.

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Ezra's eyes snapped open, and as his gaze furatively darted

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to and fro, he spied majestic antlers rising from the

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fog in a fluid motion. He rose to his feet

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and brought the sight of his Remington rifle to bear

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on the dark shape that stood just below the mist.

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Ezra squeezed the trigger, sending fire and thunder forth into

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the night, and as soon as they appeared the antlers fell.

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He bolted forward through the swirling gray, which seemed to

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recoil from his advancing form, as if fearful of his

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presence to his quarry. As he approached, the fog had

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now parted and refused to trespass where the beast lay.

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And while Ezra was unable to give voice to his shock,

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his slack jaw and bulging eyes more than conveyed his emotions.

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For while he expected to find a stag, he instead

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found a caricature of a man, albeit a man with antlers.

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Ezra kneeled and rolled the creature on its back. Its

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lifeless eyes were large, dark and set wide upon a

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face covered in coarse fur. It wore little in the

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way of clothing, just a simple robe, from which extended

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limbs that resembled a dog's leg that ended in long,

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tapered fingers tipped with crimson nails. It was in one

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such appendage that the creature clutched what at first appeared

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to Ezra to be a smooth ebony stone. He reached

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for the object and found it malleable and warm, more

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flesh than mineral. As he turned the artifact over and

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over in his palm, the mist began to slowly creep back,

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and with it came the inhuman wailing. Ezra panicked as

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the mist around him produced its litany of grief, which

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resulted in a mad flight through the dense pines. As

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he ran, Ezra could feel the miasmas strike his legs

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as it began to solidify into long, lashing tendrils. As

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if that wasn't disconcerting enough, the whailing had now transformed

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into protracted screams of pure rage. Onward, he flew, tripping

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and struggling as the fog continued its battery. Finally, he

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saw the familiar outline of his cabin in the clearing

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just beyond the forest. He threw his weight against the

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unlocked front door and exploded into his domain. In an instant,

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he slammed shut the door, threw the bolt into place,

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and collapsed to the floor in a crumpled mass of

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pure exhaustion. He sat for minutes as hot tears ran

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down his cheeks and his heart beat so fast and

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hard that at any other time he would have been

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sure he was having a heart attack. Indeed, his hammering

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pulse was all he could hear, and it was that

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fact that made him realize that whatever outray abominations he

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had left behind in the woods, they had decided not

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to stray from that realm. Finally, he gained control of

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his faculties, moving his hands to his face to rub

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the last vestiges of tears from his eyes, Ezra realized

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he still clutched that preternatural stone, and where once it

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was merely matt black, now it glowed a brilliant gold

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from a thousand hairline cracks that crossed its surface like

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arteries no wider than a human hair. Ezra was entranced

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by the artifact, so entranced he failed to notice the

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mist that had crept ever closer along the floorboards. As

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it issued forth from the small wood burning stove behind him.

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Ever onward it came crawling up his back, until finally

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it plunged deep into his brain via his left ear canal.

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Ezra's brain exploded with a thousand images of a history

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not his own. He saw an endless array of beings,

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more beast than man, hideous and beautiful in equal measure.

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He floated onward through a great city beneath the forest floor.

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Finally he saw a diaphanous stag over twenty feet high,

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its head adorned with seven sets of antlers. The image

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swirled and rippled as the sight of that ebony edifice

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he held filled his field of vision. Ezra felt his

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arm move of its own accord, and while he struggled

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to make it remain at rest, he was powerless to

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stop its ascent or the action which followed. His hand

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simply placed the glowing midnight hued object into his mouth,

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which had mechanically opened to accept it. For the briefest

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of seconds, he could taste infinity, and with them he

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could feel a new organ grow inside him, a tongue

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which pulsed and throbbed within his mouth. His first words

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were a scream. Then came blackness.

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You murdered the historian. You must take his place.

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The voice echoed so loud in his mind that it

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snapped him awake. Ezra found himself lying on the cold

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floor of his cabin. Historian, he said involuntarily. His eyes

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grew wide as the memory of the dark tongue which

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had replaced his own missing organ, flowed into his head.

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With a start, he lifted himself from the floor and

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sped to the bathroom. Examining himself in the mirror, he

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opened his mouth to view that demon tissue, which he

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seemed to know, by some arcane intuition, was connected to

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that ancient stag. There sat the obsidian stone like mass

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of the previous night, but now it pulsed and throbbed

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with an unearthly power, which flowed through those golden veins

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which now had spread throughout the interior of his mouth.

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Ezra began clawing at the offending member, but to no avail.

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The flesh, though supple, was completely unyielding, his thoughts locked

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upon its removal, Ezra ran to the kitchen to procure

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a large steak knife. As he steeled his nerves, Ezra

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stuck out his tongue and brought the blade into place

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for the amputation. The air split with static before he

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could begin that dreaded surgery. The small shortwave radio, his

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one mechanical distraction, which provided for him a chance to

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voyeuristically listen to the voices of others without being pressed

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to respond in kind, had come to life from its

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home atop his rough hewn dining room table. As he

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dashed into the room, his eyes beheld yet another incomprehensible sight,

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the mist, now solidified into the contours of a vaguely

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humanoid shape, save for the long horns protruding from its

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incorporeal forehead. It hunched over the device and exhaled streams

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of vapor directly into the microphone from somewhere that sounded

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both close and at the opposite end of the galaxy.

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Came a sound that at first was not unlike the

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purring of a large cat, but quickly turned into a low,

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guttural growl, before finally becoming words that simply could not

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have been formed by human lips. Pass on, old friend,

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we are coming. Ezra reached for the figure, which dissipated

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into the ether at his touch, accompanied by a chorus

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of melodic laughter. He grabbed for the microphone in one hand,

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and with the other tried furiously to find the proper

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channel to connect him with the one agency he felt

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would be able to help him fend off whatever malevolence

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was creeping his way the town militia of Jaden's Cross. Finally,

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he arrived at the proper frequency and parted his dry

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lips to do that which had eluded him low these

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many years. Pressing the button which would allow his voice

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to travel the waves, Ezra began to speak. What followed

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was not one voice but legion somewhere mere growls. Others

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came like gently chirping birds, and a few were close

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to human, yet still possessing a preternatural timber. But above

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all rang the impossibly deep tones of their god. For

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the stag did speak, the great animal whose voice was

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known when the universe was a mere speck of dust

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hanging like a moat in the eye of infinity. With that,

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the radio exploded in a shower of acrid smoke and

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sparks that knocked Ezra to the floor. Ezra began to weep,

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Yet the sound of crying that issued from his mouth

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was again the product of that unholy throng. Unable to

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retain his tenuous grasp on sanity, he was determined to

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rip the organ from his mouth with his bare hands,

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hands that he noticed were covered in ruins and glyphs

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carved deep upon the surface of his skin. Furiously, he

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flew again to the bathroom, where he exhaled in shock

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at the face that met his gaze within the mirror.

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Like his hands and every other scrap of visible flesh,

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he was covered in those strange markings. Ezra clawed at

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the skin, which gave way in thin sheets to reveal

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layers of fresh dermis below, marked the same as the

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skin above. He attempted to scream, but what came instead

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was the shouting of every supernatural being that had ever

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or will ever walk the earth, all proclaiming their name

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to the midnight that lie just beyond the cabin's roof.

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Ezra ran towards the door of the cabin, the ancient

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instinct to flee that which we do not or simply

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cannot understand overtaking him. But suddenly he could move forward

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no more, as that demon mist once more held him firm,

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where it issued from between the floorboards. Of the cabin

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to solidify into its humanoid form, the shifting arms of

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which wrapped tightly around its panic stricken prey. You murdered me,

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it whispered seductively.

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Now you shall walk eternally into that resplendent ebony with

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your brethren.

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Ezra struggled for a moment until a sound distant at first,

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yet growing ever nearer, began to fill the room, the

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pounding of hoofs upon cold ground. The front door exploded

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in a mouthstrom of splinters. As a menagerie appeared that

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was equal parts animal and man, and the worst of both.

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Ezra once again succumbed to the ebb and darkness. Over

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the next hours, Ezra would occasionally regain consciousness, and while

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the moonlight illuminated only endless miles of forest, it also

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revealed the talon tipped hands that held him aloft, as

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well as the nightmares they belonged to. Finally, he came

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to the group had stopped before a long forgotten farmhouse.

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Even in the waning moonlight, the house looked impossibly ancient

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and beyond any hope of repair. One of the creatures

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to his left loped forward and threw open the large

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storm doors, whose hinges creaked and protested, and led Ezra

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down into the darkness. They walked for what seemed several

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minutes through the inky blackness. Occasionally Ezra could swear that

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he felt hot breath on the back of his neck,

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or a gentle touch of something inhuman reaching toward him

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from the darkness. Soon, in the distance, a faint light

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could be seen, which grew brighter and brighter, until Ezra

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could make out the lithe silhouette of his guide. They

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arrived in a large, circular room which was carved from

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the earth itself. A multitude of doorways dotted the walls,

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and in the darkness of each Ezra could see indescribable

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shapes moving ever closer in the light. Finally, all were

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revealed as creatures which may have been constructed of wild

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day dreams absent theres visions and children's chalk drawings. Gathered

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in the chamber, Ezra shrunk under their gaze, for here,

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as in the world above, he felt the outsider say

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hello to your new family. Something croaked from the assemblage.

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A being more owl than man stepped from the crowd

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and stared at Ezra for what seemed like days. As

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it looked, it would crane its head from side to

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side and snap its great beak open and shut. Ezra

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stood stock still. Suddenly it dawned on him that the

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beast wasn't figuring out the best way to pluck out

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his eyes. Rather, it was reading the glyphs that adorned

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his face. He gasped, as the owl spoke, you you

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tell the story of my family. Ezra could only stare

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at the being dumbfounded. No, came a voice from the throng.

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He tells the tale of the fleet claws. I can

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read it even from here and the moon rates, came

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a response from the crowd.

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No, no, he tells the story of us all.

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Look.

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Ezra looked down at his hands, which had started to

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unravel into long flesh scrolls, which were soon picked up

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by the discolored fingers, talons, and tentacles, the owners of

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which read aloud and babbled excitedly of the stories contained therein,

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of their sacred lineage as well as their futures. Soon

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Ezra was unraveling from every piece of exposed skin, some

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of which drifted to the ground as torn pages from

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an ancient tome. More creatures arrived and picked up the pages,

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laughing as they celebrated all that made them. Onward and

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onward the pages and scrolls fell, until finally all that

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was left of Ezra were the pages themselves. Each tribesmen

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held a page or scroll of their own, and each

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cherished the sacred words they contained. The stranger came to.

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Speak to us all, and what words he has brought us?

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The Beast of Roca Divoca by Morgan Moore. All right, kids,

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everybody going to Ranch Roca Devaca. Be on the bus

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in five minutes, the teacher shouted through a megaphone to

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a parking lot full of kids and their parents. This year,

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the decision for a class trip included a weekend at

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a ranch to learn more about agriculture and the kind

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of self operated business that were most common in the

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surrounding area. While there were a number of ranches within

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the same area, Ranch Rocco Devaka stood out for being

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run by immigrants from Puerto Rico. To both the parents

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and the teachers, this meant the kids could learn not

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only about agriculture, but also about another culture as well.

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In the hustle and bustle of all the kids and

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adults getting everything ready. Patrick Adams stood with a group

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of his friends. Patrick was excited to go on the trip,

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especially since it gave him a weekend away from his parents.

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He loved his parents, but he was also twelve years

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old and was at that age when he needed time

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away from his folks to be on his own every

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so often. Man, I can't wait to get out of

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this parking lot. No parents for a whole weekend, Sean,

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one of Patrick's friends, said, with excitement. Yeah, but we'll

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have mister Osborne and mister Riley as chaperone's plus all

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the people at the ranch. Tommy, another friend, mentioned, Hey,

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I'll take it. At least they'll let us explore and

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have fun, unlike our parents. Sean replied, guys, guys, Patrick

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started to say, a smile on his face. It doesn't

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matter who is or isn't with us. All that matters

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is no classes and no parents for the next four days.

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His friends shrugged and nodded their heads in agreement. The

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three of them knew they'd do some schoolwork over the

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course of the trip, but the knowledge that it wouldn't

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completely be like school was something they were happy about.

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It was a kid's dream last call, everybody on the

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bus if you want to go to the ranch. Another

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announcement came from the teacher, getting the attention of everybody

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in the lot. Parents gave their children final farewells, as

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well as telling them to have fun and be safe.

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Patrick and his friends said their goodbyes to their parents

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and started to head towards the bus. The right to

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the ranch took a couple of hours, and once there,

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the children were directed over to an area by a barn.

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In front of the barn stood an older man dressed

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in traditional ranching garb, with a dog sitting beside him. Hello, everybody,

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my name is Michael and this year is Picasso. Welcome

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to Ranch Rocco de Vaca. We're excited to have you

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all here and we hope that you will all have

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a fun time. The kids cheered loudly with excitement as

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the teachers clapped and cheered with them, though not as energetic.

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Michael smiled and bowed his head in thanks, Thank you

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very much. Now, before we get all you kids settled

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into your rooms, we just want to set a few

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ground rules. First of all, you can see this as

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a big area with a lot of open land. We

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ask that while you stay with us, you not explore

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outside of the fenced areas at all, and that if

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you must venture out that way for any reason, make

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sure you have an adult with you. Being outside at

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night goes with that as well. Other than that, I

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hope that you all have a good time and we'll

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see you later tonight for a campfire. Once night had fallen,

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everybody met back up at the location Michael told them

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to for the camp fire. It was a fun time

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with hot dogs, s'mores, roasted corn, perfect for kids that

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had been cooped up all day with just snack food.

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Picasso went up to everybody and sniffed at them, trying

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to get some food before Michael called him back to

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his side. After everybody had eaten, Michael stood up from

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his seat and whistled, calling all the children to attention.

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You guys enjoyed dinner, he asked, getting a thunderous applause

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in return. Well, I'm glad to hear that. Would you

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all like a story, assuming y'all can handle it? The

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kids screamed at the man in front of them, demanding

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the story and promising that they wouldn't be scared. After

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a minute or two, the kids quieted down, ready for

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the story they were promised. Many years ago, back in

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Puerto Rico, on a ranch not too different from this one,

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my grandpa started to lose some of his livestock. Goats, cows, pigs,

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00:20:28.319 --> 00:20:31.759
just about everything he had started to disappear, and when

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the animals would be found, they were dead and drained

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of blood. A couple weeks later, my grandpa went out

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with some buddies one night, who also happened to be ranchers.

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As the night went on, my grandfather asked if any

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of them had experienced anything similar to what was going

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on at his ranch. To his surprise, they all had

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been dealing with the same things. Well, at least one

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of his friends had an idea. He claimed that it

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was a monster. Now, as one might expect, everybody in

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the room laughed at that point, but he stuck to it,

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saying that this sort of thing happened years ago, but

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suddenly stopped because of its affinity for goats. He named

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the beast el Chewbacabra, the goat sucker. Sure enough, the

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animals suddenly stopped disappearing. Now, for me, I'm not too

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sure about it all, but you never know. After all,

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why do you think we don't want you guys going

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out alone at night? Michael grinned as he finished his story,

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and an animal howled in the distance. The kids looked

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shaken a bit. The teachers too. A moment later came

355
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another howl cutting through the night air, which caused the

356
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group to jump. Their host and storyteller laughed a little

357
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at the reaction the kids had from the multiple howls.

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No need to worry about those howls, boys and girls.

359
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That's the dogs we keep on the ranch to keep

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the animals in line. No El Chewbacabra's here. Taking his

361
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words to heart, everybody got up and headed off to

362
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bed after taking care of the fire. The next day

363
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brought hours of learning how the farm was run, a

364
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huge lunch spread, and hours of horseback riding, after which

365
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everyone was excited for another campfire. But once they got

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close enough to the ranch, everyone could see that something

367
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wasn't quite right. A ranch hand ran over to Michael, distraught, Boss,

368
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it's terrible, just terrible, the ranch hand blurted out, feverishly.

369
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What is it, Michael replied, his voice remaining calm. There's

370
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a hole in the fence where the goats and the

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pigs sleep, and and the worker spurted out in a

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slight mumble. Well, come on, what is it, Michael said,

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in a tone that was both commanding and now starting

374
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to be tinged with concern. They're dead, all dead, he

375
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spat out. Michael found himself dumbstruck, and the kids were speechless,

376
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their faces twisting into horrific expressions. Without hesitating, Michael rode

377
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off towards the area the ranch hand had described while

378
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the and motioned the children towards the stable and instructed

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them to return to their rooms. Patrick was very concerned.

380
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After all, animals just dropping dead wasn't something that happened

381
00:23:10.240 --> 00:23:13.240
every day. He shared his concerns with Sean and Tommy,

382
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and while they did find it strange, it didn't seem

383
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to bother them or make them feel as weird as Patrick.

384
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Hopefully tomorrow would be a better day. Unfortunately for Patrick

385
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and the rest of the class, it was not a

386
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better day. All activities were canceled and the children were

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confined to the large dining area. Patrick managed to sneak

388
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away at one point and eavesdrop on his teachers, Michael

389
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and some of the ranch staff standing just outside an

390
00:23:38.359 --> 00:23:42.359
open window. What are we going to do, mister Osborne asked,

391
00:23:42.960 --> 00:23:45.599
Is there any way you and the children could leave early?

392
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A female ranch hand asked no, mister Riley started, Unfortunately,

393
00:23:50.920 --> 00:23:53.920
the bus won't be back until tomorrow morning. Unless you

394
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have something to transport all the kids and make the

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one hundred mile round trip, we have to stay until

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seven in the morning. Well that settles it, then, doesn't it?

397
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Keep the children in their rooms for the remainder of

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the day, only let them out for dinner. I'll have

399
00:24:08.160 --> 00:24:10.559
some of the workers stand guard by the doors. That way,

400
00:24:10.640 --> 00:24:12.319
if a child needs to go to the bathroom, they

401
00:24:12.319 --> 00:24:14.880
can have a chaperone. Tonight, me and some of the

402
00:24:14.920 --> 00:24:17.200
other workers will stay up to keep watch over the ranch.

403
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Michael spoke calmly but seriously. The teachers nodded, and Michael

404
00:24:22.119 --> 00:24:25.400
and his staff turned and left. I cannot believe this

405
00:24:25.440 --> 00:24:27.720
is happening. I thought the school said everything about this

406
00:24:27.759 --> 00:24:31.200
place checked out perfectly fine, mister Osborne asked his colleague.

407
00:24:31.839 --> 00:24:34.440
It did from what I saw. Besides, you can't control

408
00:24:34.480 --> 00:24:38.759
what goes on in nature. Mister Riley replied with a sigh,

409
00:24:38.880 --> 00:24:42.359
you're right, But still, you would think they'd have this

410
00:24:42.680 --> 00:24:47.480
more under control. Almost all the animals are dead, drained

411
00:24:47.519 --> 00:24:52.960
of their blood. It's just weird. Mister Osborne mused, you've

412
00:24:53.000 --> 00:24:56.839
got that right, mister Riley said. The two then walked off,

413
00:24:56.960 --> 00:25:00.599
continuing to talk as they went. No way, Tommy said,

414
00:25:00.599 --> 00:25:04.960
after Patrick finished telling him and Sean what he'd overheard. Yeah, Patrick,

415
00:25:05.160 --> 00:25:08.200
there's no way a monster is responsible for everything going on.

416
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Sean chimed in, Come on, guys, it would be one

417
00:25:11.720 --> 00:25:14.279
thing if they drop dead. But I heard them say

418
00:25:14.319 --> 00:25:18.480
there was no blood at all. Patrick retorted, it could

419
00:25:18.519 --> 00:25:21.599
just be some wild animal that broke in. Sean offered

420
00:25:21.599 --> 00:25:25.680
as a potential explanation. Okay, so it is a wild animal,

421
00:25:25.680 --> 00:25:28.119
but the fences are made up of barbed wire. If

422
00:25:28.160 --> 00:25:30.480
any animal broke in to kill the livestock, it would

423
00:25:30.480 --> 00:25:34.279
have been cut from the wire. No blood, remember, Patrick

424
00:25:34.319 --> 00:25:38.400
shot back, all right, so it is that chupa cabra monster.

425
00:25:38.920 --> 00:25:41.240
Why does it matter to us? If we're just going

426
00:25:41.240 --> 00:25:43.640
to be stuck here all day, then we'll be safe,

427
00:25:43.920 --> 00:25:47.279
Tommy said, Because would it be cool to say you

428
00:25:47.359 --> 00:25:52.319
saw a monster? Patrick asked, I mean yeah, but nobody

429
00:25:52.319 --> 00:25:56.400
would believe us. You would have to have photographic proof. Wait,

430
00:25:57.000 --> 00:26:01.640
no way, Patrick, Tommy said, figuring out his friend's Come on, Tommy,

431
00:26:01.680 --> 00:26:04.119
it's simple. We just hide after dinner so we don't

432
00:26:04.119 --> 00:26:06.480
get locked in here. We bring your camera with us,

433
00:26:06.480 --> 00:26:08.799
and we go on a little monster hunt. Once we

434
00:26:08.880 --> 00:26:11.240
get our proof, we run off and sneak back into

435
00:26:11.279 --> 00:26:14.880
our room. There's nothing to worry about, Patrick explained to

436
00:26:14.920 --> 00:26:19.000
the two of them. Pat, that sounds really dangerous. I mean,

437
00:26:19.519 --> 00:26:22.440
if there is a monster, what could it do to us?

438
00:26:22.680 --> 00:26:24.640
Plus we'd get in loads of trouble if any of

439
00:26:24.640 --> 00:26:28.559
the ranchers caught us. Sean mused, we're going back tomorrow.

440
00:26:28.640 --> 00:26:31.519
What possible trouble could we get in? I think you

441
00:26:31.559 --> 00:26:33.880
guys are just scared. You guys want to join me

442
00:26:33.920 --> 00:26:35.680
and have some fun before we go home? Or do

443
00:26:35.720 --> 00:26:37.359
you want to just stay in here bored out of

444
00:26:37.400 --> 00:26:41.400
your minds? Patrick asked. His friends looked at him and

445
00:26:41.440 --> 00:26:44.200
then at each other. After a few minutes of silence,

446
00:26:44.279 --> 00:26:49.359
the two spoke up together, Okay, we're in. That night,

447
00:26:49.440 --> 00:26:52.559
the boys put their plan into action. The tricky part

448
00:26:52.640 --> 00:26:55.039
was figuring out how to stay under the radar so

449
00:26:55.119 --> 00:26:58.920
that they didn't get sent back to their room after dinner. Patrick, Tommy,

450
00:26:58.960 --> 00:27:01.759
and Sean decided to leave dinner early and head back

451
00:27:01.799 --> 00:27:05.240
to their rooms ahead of everybody else. Once they were outside,

452
00:27:05.240 --> 00:27:07.400
the three boys carefully made their way into one of

453
00:27:07.440 --> 00:27:09.759
the barns and hid by a pile of hay and

454
00:27:09.839 --> 00:27:12.519
began to wait. Through the cracks in the walls of

455
00:27:12.519 --> 00:27:15.319
the barn, they could see the light shining in from outside,

456
00:27:15.680 --> 00:27:19.759
and once the light faded completely into darkness, they emerged

457
00:27:19.759 --> 00:27:22.960
from their hiding spot. When they exited the barn, the

458
00:27:23.000 --> 00:27:25.880
calmness of the night sent a shiver down their collective spines.

459
00:27:26.480 --> 00:27:29.200
None of them were afraid of the dark, but being

460
00:27:29.240 --> 00:27:32.359
on the ranch at night while a monstrous creature might

461
00:27:32.400 --> 00:27:34.880
be on the prowl, was something that put all three

462
00:27:34.920 --> 00:27:38.519
of them on edge. Patrick took the lead, brandishing a

463
00:27:38.559 --> 00:27:41.359
flashlight he swiped earlier from a storage closet in the

464
00:27:41.400 --> 00:27:43.880
building where the rooms were. He turned it on and

465
00:27:43.920 --> 00:27:47.039
looked at Tommy and Sean, who returned his gaze. The

466
00:27:47.079 --> 00:27:49.640
three boys nodded and then started to make their way

467
00:27:49.640 --> 00:27:53.839
around the ranch. They moved slowly and carefully, making sure

468
00:27:53.880 --> 00:27:57.200
they weren't spotted by any workers, but also making sure

469
00:27:57.640 --> 00:28:03.160
they didn't miss anything. This is boring, Sean, whispered, be quiet.

470
00:28:03.400 --> 00:28:07.519
Tommy whispered back back at you. Sean responded, both of

471
00:28:07.559 --> 00:28:10.519
you shut up. Patrick shot at the two of them.

472
00:28:10.960 --> 00:28:13.240
The trio continued to make their way around the ranch,

473
00:28:13.519 --> 00:28:17.240
not wanting to potentially have missed anything. After the second walkthrough,

474
00:28:17.279 --> 00:28:19.960
they agreed that there was clearly nothing going on and

475
00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:22.759
decided it was time to head back. When they reached

476
00:28:22.799 --> 00:28:25.279
the front of their building, they stopped for a bit.

477
00:28:25.960 --> 00:28:30.559
Well that was a whole lot of moveing, Sean stated,

478
00:28:30.640 --> 00:28:35.960
yawning afterwards. I gotta admit, Pat, that was pretty pointless. Look,

479
00:28:36.000 --> 00:28:38.039
I know the way those animals died is weird, but

480
00:28:38.079 --> 00:28:41.480
we searched the whole ranch twice. It isn't a monster,

481
00:28:41.839 --> 00:28:46.119
Tommy said. Patrick sighed and shrugged a little bit. I

482
00:28:46.160 --> 00:28:49.319
guess you guys were right. Sorry I kept you both up,

483
00:28:49.839 --> 00:28:53.160
but hey, at least we didn't get into trouble. Let's

484
00:28:53.160 --> 00:28:56.160
go to bed. The three boys started to open the door,

485
00:28:56.680 --> 00:28:59.480
but they stopped when a horrible shriek filled the night.

486
00:28:59.839 --> 00:29:02.599
They looked at each other in shock. Without hesitating, they

487
00:29:02.720 --> 00:29:05.119
raced to where they thought the noise originated from. As

488
00:29:05.160 --> 00:29:08.039
they got closer, Patrick went to raise the flashlight stopping

489
00:29:08.079 --> 00:29:10.240
in sudden terror when he saw what was in front

490
00:29:10.240 --> 00:29:13.319
of him. The suddenness of his stopping caused Sean and

491
00:29:13.359 --> 00:29:17.000
Tommy to crash into him. The trio tumbled to the ground,

492
00:29:17.000 --> 00:29:19.920
sending the flashlight rolling away. When they looked up towards

493
00:29:19.920 --> 00:29:23.200
where the light shone, all three of them started in terror.

494
00:29:23.799 --> 00:29:26.880
In front of them was a creature squatting over a dog,

495
00:29:27.640 --> 00:29:31.160
licking its lips. The beast looked like a mutated mixture

496
00:29:31.160 --> 00:29:34.000
of a wolf and a bat, a sharp spike like

497
00:29:34.079 --> 00:29:38.000
spine poking out from its back, its eyes glowing deep crimson.

498
00:29:38.519 --> 00:29:46.039
This creature, this thing, matched Michael's description of El Cheopacabra. Patrick, Sean,

499
00:29:46.160 --> 00:29:50.039
and Tommy stood up slowly, fear taking over their bodies.

500
00:29:50.400 --> 00:29:53.519
The monster roared and started towards the boys. They ran,

501
00:29:53.759 --> 00:29:56.799
taking off as fast as they could. El Cheopacabra roaring

502
00:29:56.839 --> 00:30:00.039
again and gaining on them quicker than they expected, so

503
00:30:00.160 --> 00:30:02.880
quick in fact, it passed them and stopped in front

504
00:30:02.920 --> 00:30:05.920
of them, standing up in its full height, drooling and

505
00:30:06.000 --> 00:30:09.359
growling like a dog interrupted from eating. All three boys

506
00:30:09.359 --> 00:30:12.599
stopped suddenly again, sweating bullets. With every nerve in their

507
00:30:12.640 --> 00:30:16.200
body on full alert. The monsters started to walk towards them,

508
00:30:16.319 --> 00:30:21.960
slowly eyeing up its new prey. They wanted to run,

509
00:30:22.400 --> 00:30:26.559
they needed to run, but the fear paralyzed them in place. Tommy, Sean,

510
00:30:26.599 --> 00:30:29.440
and Patrick could think of nothing, do nothing. They were

511
00:30:29.480 --> 00:30:34.000
simply stuck with the towering, unholy creature in front of them. Suddenly,

512
00:30:34.119 --> 00:30:36.839
Picasso came rushing from behind them and jumped on the beast.

513
00:30:37.000 --> 00:30:38.720
The dog bit into the neck of its enemy and

514
00:30:38.759 --> 00:30:41.039
shook its head, digging in as much as it could.

515
00:30:41.200 --> 00:30:45.559
It seemed to work, as el Chupacabra cried out in pain. However,

516
00:30:45.839 --> 00:30:47.960
it didn't work for long, as it ripped the dog

517
00:30:48.000 --> 00:30:50.160
away from its neck before taking a bite out of it.

518
00:30:50.960 --> 00:30:54.079
El Choopcabra threw the dog away like a piece of garbage.

519
00:30:54.279 --> 00:30:56.880
Picasso hit the wall of the building and fell to

520
00:30:56.960 --> 00:31:03.079
the ground, staying there motionless. The beast turned its eyes

521
00:31:03.119 --> 00:31:06.279
back towards the boys. This time, though they had enough

522
00:31:06.279 --> 00:31:08.920
of their wits about them to start running again. The

523
00:31:08.960 --> 00:31:13.279
monster chased after them. Everywhere they went. The monster followed,

524
00:31:13.279 --> 00:31:16.559
cutting them off time after time. Patrick, Shawn, and Tommy

525
00:31:16.640 --> 00:31:19.519
somehow managed to always pivot at the last minute. The

526
00:31:19.519 --> 00:31:22.839
beast shrieking in anger each time. Barks soon began to

527
00:31:22.839 --> 00:31:24.960
fill the night as the sound of the beast stirred

528
00:31:24.960 --> 00:31:28.359
the security dogs, soon joined by voices echoing behind them

529
00:31:28.359 --> 00:31:32.480
in Spanish. We need to get inside anywhere, Tommy screamed

530
00:31:32.480 --> 00:31:35.039
feverishly at his friends. The boys darted into the first

531
00:31:35.039 --> 00:31:38.000
building they saw, a small barn filled with farming equipment.

532
00:31:38.240 --> 00:31:41.519
Elchubicabra stormed in after them, ripping the doors off their hinges.

533
00:31:41.680 --> 00:31:43.960
It roared at them and once more began to move

534
00:31:44.000 --> 00:31:46.680
towards them. Patrick and his friends backed away from it,

535
00:31:46.759 --> 00:31:50.079
slowly grabbing anything they could to throw at what was

536
00:31:50.119 --> 00:31:52.240
in front of them, though none of it had any

537
00:31:52.279 --> 00:31:56.039
effect on the monster. Soon they found themselves backed against

538
00:31:56.079 --> 00:31:58.839
a table, each boy feeling around for something to use

539
00:31:58.839 --> 00:32:02.000
as a weapon. Though they're efforts proved fruitless. With the

540
00:32:02.039 --> 00:32:04.759
creature almost right in their faces, they came to the

541
00:32:04.799 --> 00:32:08.319
conclusion that this was it, This was where everything was

542
00:32:08.319 --> 00:32:12.480
to end. A bang shot through the barn, and Elchiobicabra

543
00:32:12.559 --> 00:32:15.920
swung its body around. Michael stood there holding a shotgun

544
00:32:15.960 --> 00:32:18.680
aimed at the monster. It rushed at Michael and slammed

545
00:32:18.720 --> 00:32:21.640
him down to the ground, then kicked him away, Michael

546
00:32:21.720 --> 00:32:24.319
crashed into the metal wall of the building, leaving behind

547
00:32:24.359 --> 00:32:26.599
a dent. As the creature was about to go in

548
00:32:26.640 --> 00:32:29.480
for the final blow, Picasso slammed into the leg of

549
00:32:29.519 --> 00:32:31.880
the beast and started tearing at its leg. The dog

550
00:32:31.960 --> 00:32:35.079
let go and backed up as its opponent shrieked. Picasso

551
00:32:35.160 --> 00:32:37.240
rushed at the thing, and the two went tumbling to

552
00:32:37.279 --> 00:32:41.200
the ground, biting at each other ferociously. Sean and Tommy

553
00:32:41.240 --> 00:32:44.519
sprinted over towards Michael, screaming out for help. Patrick, however,

554
00:32:44.599 --> 00:32:47.720
ran after the two fighting animals. He found where they were,

555
00:32:47.839 --> 00:32:50.119
but was unable to see the combat clearly thanks to

556
00:32:50.160 --> 00:32:53.720
the frenzy. Growls, barks, shrieks, and cries filled the air

557
00:32:53.759 --> 00:32:57.359
in equal measure as dirt flew everywhere. Finally, they backed

558
00:32:57.359 --> 00:33:00.759
away from each other, wheezing and breathing heavily, staring each

559
00:33:00.759 --> 00:33:04.599
other down before exploding into violence once more. Patrick cried

560
00:33:04.640 --> 00:33:06.839
out and ran back to where Michael and his friends were.

561
00:33:07.240 --> 00:33:09.480
Once there, he found Michael was on his feet, Sean

562
00:33:09.559 --> 00:33:12.599
and Tommy by his side. The workers are calling the

563
00:33:12.599 --> 00:33:15.039
police and arming themselves. Come on, let's get to safety,

564
00:33:15.279 --> 00:33:18.319
Michael told the boys. But what about Picasso? He's still

565
00:33:18.400 --> 00:33:21.960
fighting that thing, Patrick stammered out in a worried tone.

566
00:33:22.319 --> 00:33:25.400
Michael looked at him, gulping a bit. He had forgotten

567
00:33:25.400 --> 00:33:28.200
that his dog had saved him from certain doom. The

568
00:33:28.240 --> 00:33:30.359
man knew he had to get to safety, to get

569
00:33:30.359 --> 00:33:33.359
the boys to safety, but he couldn't just abandon his

570
00:33:33.400 --> 00:33:36.720
friend without any more thought. Michael picked up the shotgun

571
00:33:36.799 --> 00:33:39.359
and ran off towards where Patrick had come from. Patrick

572
00:33:39.400 --> 00:33:41.519
and the boys followed after him. They stopped once they

573
00:33:41.519 --> 00:33:44.880
got to where Michael was standing, clearly in shock. When

574
00:33:44.880 --> 00:33:48.279
the boys looked where he was, they too became shocked.

575
00:33:49.200 --> 00:33:53.119
In front of them stood Picasso, covered in dirt, wounded

576
00:33:53.240 --> 00:33:56.519
and weak. On the ground. Was the monster, the beast

577
00:33:56.920 --> 00:34:03.160
el Choupacabra defeated. The next morning, the kids lined up

578
00:34:03.160 --> 00:34:05.000
to get on the bus to take them back home.

579
00:34:05.559 --> 00:34:08.320
Patrick and his friend stood beside Michael, who was all

580
00:34:08.360 --> 00:34:11.440
smiles and warm spirits as he said goodbye and waved

581
00:34:11.440 --> 00:34:14.800
at the various children. Picasso stood next to them, as well,

582
00:34:15.159 --> 00:34:18.599
bandaged from his fight. When it came time for Sean, Tommy,

583
00:34:18.639 --> 00:34:21.440
and Patrick to board the bus, Michael looked at them,

584
00:34:21.960 --> 00:34:27.239
his smile still there, but he now appeared weary. Thank

585
00:34:27.320 --> 00:34:30.440
you boys for all your help. Michael told them, Hey,

586
00:34:30.760 --> 00:34:32.960
it's thanks to you and Picasso that we were even

587
00:34:33.000 --> 00:34:38.320
able to be any help. Patrick responded, patting Picasso's head. Yeah,

588
00:34:39.000 --> 00:34:41.599
but what happened you sent us back to our room

589
00:34:41.639 --> 00:34:44.920
before the police or your workers came to help. Did

590
00:34:44.960 --> 00:34:48.760
they see the monster, Tommy asked curiously, As Sean nodded

591
00:34:48.800 --> 00:34:53.360
in agreement. Michael's smile faded and he took a deep breath.

592
00:34:54.639 --> 00:34:58.159
They didn't. I told Picasso here to drag the body away.

593
00:34:58.760 --> 00:35:00.639
When they were out of sight, tired my gun and

594
00:35:00.679 --> 00:35:03.119
told everybody that it was a wolf. I said, I

595
00:35:03.119 --> 00:35:06.159
shot at it and that it ran off afterwards. But

596
00:35:06.599 --> 00:35:09.159
what about the damage to the barn and the wall,

597
00:35:09.519 --> 00:35:12.679
Sean questioned. I told them that the wolf and Picasso

598
00:35:12.760 --> 00:35:15.960
caused the damage with how violently they were fighting. As

599
00:35:15.960 --> 00:35:18.480
for the wall, well, a wolf charging at you at

600
00:35:18.480 --> 00:35:20.440
full speed and slamming you into a wall is going

601
00:35:20.480 --> 00:35:23.239
to leave some kind of an impact, especially considering how

602
00:35:23.239 --> 00:35:26.639
big I am. Besides, that was an older building, so

603
00:35:26.679 --> 00:35:30.199
its walls weren't as strong as the others. Anyways, after

604
00:35:30.239 --> 00:35:32.840
the police came and everything died down, I had Picasso,

605
00:35:32.880 --> 00:35:35.440
show me where he took the thing and buried it myself,

606
00:35:36.000 --> 00:35:40.519
Michael explained. Last call, all students on the bus, Pronto,

607
00:35:41.079 --> 00:35:44.800
mister Osborne announced through a megaphone. Michael patted the boys

608
00:35:44.800 --> 00:35:48.000
on their respective shoulders. Go on now, you don't want

609
00:35:48.039 --> 00:35:50.360
to be late. He smiled at them as he spoke.

610
00:35:51.039 --> 00:35:53.880
They smiled back and picked up their bags and started

611
00:35:53.880 --> 00:35:57.079
to walk towards the bus. When they got there, Sean

612
00:35:57.239 --> 00:36:00.519
entered first, and then Tommy. Patrick started to the bus,

613
00:36:00.519 --> 00:36:03.760
but stopped. He turned around and waved at Michael again.

614
00:36:04.440 --> 00:36:07.960
Patrick's eyes then moved downwards to Picasso, and he smiled

615
00:36:08.000 --> 00:36:10.960
at the dog. The dog wagged its tail and barked

616
00:36:10.960 --> 00:36:14.800
happily at the boy. But as Patrick started to turn

617
00:36:14.840 --> 00:36:19.599
back around, he stopped. Something caught his eye. He turned

618
00:36:19.639 --> 00:36:23.000
back around and looked once more at Picasso, and his

619
00:36:23.079 --> 00:36:29.440
eyes widened in surprise and growing horror. Picasso's eyes glowed

620
00:36:29.960 --> 00:36:49.159
a deep crimson. Old bones by Joe Salmon. Old bones

621
00:36:49.239 --> 00:36:51.400
is what my grandpa used to call him back in

622
00:36:51.480 --> 00:36:55.559
the days of black and white TVs. I've never seen

623
00:36:55.639 --> 00:37:00.360
him myself, but I was sure he existed. Nothing's scared

624
00:37:00.400 --> 00:37:05.360
my grandfather, nothing but old bones. That is, most of

625
00:37:05.400 --> 00:37:09.079
the local folk will tell you they seen old bones

626
00:37:09.119 --> 00:37:12.519
here or there, but most of them are full of shit.

627
00:37:13.440 --> 00:37:16.079
For a while, one of them TV crews came in

628
00:37:16.119 --> 00:37:19.480
and filmed the town telling stories, but that's all they

629
00:37:19.519 --> 00:37:24.079
were shit. Even farmer Kendrick over on Route seventy had

630
00:37:24.119 --> 00:37:26.440
a story, and that son of a bitch never left

631
00:37:26.440 --> 00:37:30.360
his house. His fields were all overgrown like seventies bush.

632
00:37:30.719 --> 00:37:33.679
Our family and the neighbors next door we had a

633
00:37:33.719 --> 00:37:37.480
special deal. My grandfather said our lands butted up with

634
00:37:37.519 --> 00:37:41.960
the state forest, but Pappy called that his territory. He

635
00:37:42.079 --> 00:37:44.519
told us we could hunt in there, but we had

636
00:37:44.559 --> 00:37:48.480
to leave the first kill for old bones, kind of

637
00:37:48.519 --> 00:37:52.440
a sacrifice of sorts and offering. So we would leave

638
00:37:52.519 --> 00:37:55.239
us alone when we were out there, as long as

639
00:37:55.280 --> 00:37:59.159
we didn't cross the markings along the creek. We would

640
00:37:59.159 --> 00:38:01.239
shoot a nice bus and have to leave it in

641
00:38:01.320 --> 00:38:04.880
the clearing. It pissed me off, but not enough to

642
00:38:04.960 --> 00:38:08.840
cross old bones. Usually a day or so later we'd

643
00:38:08.840 --> 00:38:12.239
find the carcass, most of the meat gone strung up

644
00:38:12.280 --> 00:38:15.559
in the damned trees. Of all places. Could it be

645
00:38:15.599 --> 00:38:20.280
a mountain lion? They are around, but rare and I've

646
00:38:20.320 --> 00:38:23.400
never seen one in these parts, but I have seen

647
00:38:23.440 --> 00:38:27.360
the tracks of old bones left under the tree. I

648
00:38:27.400 --> 00:38:30.559
would ask my grandfather all the time, what old bones

649
00:38:30.599 --> 00:38:33.800
looks like? He'd always say, if I ever saw him,

650
00:38:34.360 --> 00:38:36.920
I was sure to shit my pants and run if

651
00:38:36.960 --> 00:38:41.880
I was lucky. Not very descriptive, I know. I pressed

652
00:38:41.920 --> 00:38:45.440
him once when he took me hunting on my sixteenth birthday.

653
00:38:46.280 --> 00:38:48.840
He had gotten me a nice thirty OT six and

654
00:38:48.880 --> 00:38:51.679
we had sighted it in the night before. He had

655
00:38:51.719 --> 00:38:54.400
gone hunting without me two days prior and gave up

656
00:38:54.400 --> 00:38:58.880
an offering to old bones so my kill would be ours.

657
00:38:59.440 --> 00:39:02.039
We reached the tree where he had lain our buck,

658
00:39:02.440 --> 00:39:05.400
and we saw the tracks come into the clearing as

659
00:39:05.480 --> 00:39:10.000
fresh as this morning, big tracks, looking like a giant

660
00:39:10.079 --> 00:39:14.039
moose's print. We get moose now and again in northern

661
00:39:14.079 --> 00:39:17.159
New York, but I've never seen a bull that big.

662
00:39:18.079 --> 00:39:21.480
The tracks were over a foot long, twice as big

663
00:39:21.519 --> 00:39:24.880
as I've ever seen myself in these here woods. His

664
00:39:24.960 --> 00:39:28.519
old bones just a big moose. Is that what you're

665
00:39:28.559 --> 00:39:32.239
afraid of? I asked him. Don't be simple, boy, There

666
00:39:32.280 --> 00:39:34.159
ain't a moose i'd run from. When I got a

667
00:39:34.159 --> 00:39:38.280
loaded rifle. Was his reply. As I studied those tracks,

668
00:39:39.079 --> 00:39:41.599
the left track had a bit of a crack in it,

669
00:39:42.199 --> 00:39:45.119
like the foot had an old injury. The right one

670
00:39:45.239 --> 00:39:48.880
dragged just a bit in the dirt. Then it hit me,

671
00:39:50.280 --> 00:39:54.719
there were only two legs. He stands up like we do,

672
00:39:55.360 --> 00:39:58.000
I asked, looking at the circular hole in the ground

673
00:39:58.199 --> 00:40:01.199
an inch, you're so deep. There seemed to be one

674
00:40:01.280 --> 00:40:04.719
every twenty feet or so. Sometimes there was a little

675
00:40:04.719 --> 00:40:06.719
bit of a drag there as well.

676
00:40:07.960 --> 00:40:08.679
What could it be?

677
00:40:09.920 --> 00:40:13.199
Never mind how he stands, Just give him no reason

678
00:40:13.239 --> 00:40:16.000
to come looking for you, and you'll be just fine,

679
00:40:16.599 --> 00:40:19.000
he told me as he placed his hand on my shoulder.

680
00:40:19.840 --> 00:40:21.960
He had lost a foot a long time ago, and

681
00:40:21.960 --> 00:40:25.719
the artificial one never quite was comfortable for him, But

682
00:40:25.840 --> 00:40:28.760
it wasn't inconvenience enough for him to keep from taking

683
00:40:28.800 --> 00:40:31.960
care of the deal with old Bones. I kept my

684
00:40:32.039 --> 00:40:34.800
eyes peeled that trip, but never got a peek at

685
00:40:34.840 --> 00:40:38.320
Old Bones, even though I got the feeling something was

686
00:40:38.559 --> 00:40:42.440
peeping on me. But then again, I always got that

687
00:40:42.599 --> 00:40:45.880
feeling when I was in those woods. The deeper in

688
00:40:46.199 --> 00:40:49.239
the darker the forest got. Some of those trees were

689
00:40:49.239 --> 00:40:52.760
one hundred feet tall or more. The old growth forest

690
00:40:52.880 --> 00:40:56.320
kept out all but the most persistent sunlight. It was

691
00:40:56.360 --> 00:40:59.280
the best hunting ground most of the time, but once

692
00:40:59.320 --> 00:41:02.320
in a while there wouldn't be a damn thing around.

693
00:41:03.280 --> 00:41:09.239
No birds, no game, nothing, just dead silence in the forest.

694
00:41:10.159 --> 00:41:12.880
On those trips, we learned to give up early and

695
00:41:12.960 --> 00:41:17.119
come home. We'd have better luck another time. My uncle

696
00:41:17.199 --> 00:41:19.440
Jim once said he caught a glimpse of what had

697
00:41:19.480 --> 00:41:22.440
to be Old Bones. It was a foggy morning, and

698
00:41:22.480 --> 00:41:26.280
he said the forest just got real quiet, like he

699
00:41:26.400 --> 00:41:28.920
stood still as the hair raised on the back of

700
00:41:28.960 --> 00:41:32.320
his neck. He said he knew Old Bones was near

701
00:41:32.480 --> 00:41:34.880
because the rest of the animals had the good sense

702
00:41:35.440 --> 00:41:39.880
to fuck off somewhere else. He stood there, peering into

703
00:41:39.920 --> 00:41:43.400
the forest, and he said, standing next to a large

704
00:41:43.480 --> 00:41:49.039
pine tree was Old Bones, about fifty yards out, barely

705
00:41:49.119 --> 00:41:53.320
perceptible in the fog. He said, it slid through the forest,

706
00:41:53.760 --> 00:41:57.079
its great limbs having no problem as it traversed the

707
00:41:57.159 --> 00:42:01.639
uneven forest floor. He was scared to get a closer look.

708
00:42:02.480 --> 00:42:05.119
He said. It stopped between the trees and sniffed the

709
00:42:05.159 --> 00:42:10.159
air for a moment, two large sniffs, before turning to

710
00:42:10.199 --> 00:42:14.559
face my uncle. He said, its eyes smoldered even in

711
00:42:14.599 --> 00:42:18.840
the fog cutting through it stared a hole into him

712
00:42:18.840 --> 00:42:23.320
for about ten seconds or so before nodding and moving

713
00:42:23.360 --> 00:42:26.719
on through the forest. Uncle Jim said he sat there

714
00:42:26.760 --> 00:42:29.480
waiting for Old Bones to go on about his business.

715
00:42:30.159 --> 00:42:32.960
Whether he was too scared or was playing it smart

716
00:42:33.000 --> 00:42:36.760
was anyone's guess. He listened as the thing moved through

717
00:42:36.760 --> 00:42:41.639
the forest, creaking branches and heavy footfalls fading into the distance.

718
00:42:42.639 --> 00:42:47.000
He told me Old Bones was tall, like really tall,

719
00:42:47.559 --> 00:42:50.320
and if he didn't move, he would have mistaken him

720
00:42:50.360 --> 00:42:53.239
for a tree at that distance. I asked him if

721
00:42:53.239 --> 00:42:55.239
he saw a bigfoot, and he told me it was

722
00:42:55.280 --> 00:42:59.960
nothing like that. He said it was something older, much older.

723
00:43:00.920 --> 00:43:04.400
Now I must tell you Uncle Jim was a drinker,

724
00:43:04.960 --> 00:43:06.719
but we'd like to give him the benefit of the

725
00:43:06.800 --> 00:43:10.840
doubt since he doesn't usually drink in the am. He

726
00:43:11.000 --> 00:43:14.639
died about a month after that, so we can't ask

727
00:43:14.719 --> 00:43:19.000
him now. The neighbor boy Neil, saw him once. We

728
00:43:19.079 --> 00:43:21.079
didn't believe him at first on account of the kid

729
00:43:21.159 --> 00:43:23.519
is slow in the head, but I guess his eyes

730
00:43:23.599 --> 00:43:27.440
worked just fine. His daddy came running over all excited

731
00:43:27.480 --> 00:43:30.079
to talk to my father about it. I watched him

732
00:43:30.079 --> 00:43:32.360
from the doorway to my room because it was past

733
00:43:32.440 --> 00:43:36.039
my bedtime. It was the second week of deer season,

734
00:43:36.480 --> 00:43:38.960
but neither family had managed to get out there yet.

735
00:43:39.679 --> 00:43:40.079
He said.

736
00:43:40.159 --> 00:43:42.440
Neil was out back of the house putting away his

737
00:43:42.559 --> 00:43:45.280
toys because a fog had rolled in and his mother

738
00:43:45.400 --> 00:43:48.280
was worried he would get lost out there. Said it

739
00:43:48.320 --> 00:43:52.840
was standing there next to the barn, looking at him,

740
00:43:53.199 --> 00:43:58.559
its eyes burning straight into his soul. Neil pissed himself

741
00:43:58.599 --> 00:44:02.400
and started to cry. I listened as he described Old

742
00:44:02.400 --> 00:44:05.880
Bones to my dad. From Neil's account, it was almost

743
00:44:05.880 --> 00:44:08.280
as tall as the gable roof on the old two

744
00:44:08.320 --> 00:44:12.519
story barn. They had said it just stared at him

745
00:44:12.920 --> 00:44:15.400
until his mom came out of the screen door looking

746
00:44:15.440 --> 00:44:20.559
for him. That thing hadn't been oiled in ages. The

747
00:44:20.639 --> 00:44:23.199
creek probably scared him off, if you ask me.

748
00:44:24.280 --> 00:44:24.760
Anyway.

749
00:44:25.320 --> 00:44:28.239
They said it took long strides and moved off into

750
00:44:28.280 --> 00:44:31.400
the woods past the field behind the barn, taking one

751
00:44:31.400 --> 00:44:34.800
of their sheep with it, held it in one large hand.

752
00:44:35.760 --> 00:44:38.239
That was the last time one of our families didn't

753
00:44:38.239 --> 00:44:41.320
get Old Bones some meat on opening day. Let me

754
00:44:41.400 --> 00:44:44.360
tell you, it didn't hurt to offer up some other

755
00:44:44.480 --> 00:44:48.559
times as well. It never went to waste. Old Bones

756
00:44:48.599 --> 00:44:51.760
always found what we left for him. Was it a

757
00:44:51.840 --> 00:44:55.400
creature or a man? I may never find out myself,

758
00:44:55.840 --> 00:44:59.079
and I think I'm okay with that. I was fascinated

759
00:44:59.119 --> 00:45:03.199
as a kid, but after everyone's stories, I think I'm good.

760
00:45:03.559 --> 00:45:06.639
You know, as an adult, I really don't want nothing

761
00:45:06.719 --> 00:45:09.719
to do with it. But that's not always my choice, now,

762
00:45:09.920 --> 00:45:13.119
is it. I wanted to let you know that about

763
00:45:13.199 --> 00:45:15.880
ten or so years ago, there was a couple of

764
00:45:15.960 --> 00:45:19.639
campers that went out there and went too far cross

765
00:45:19.719 --> 00:45:23.679
an Old Bones Creek without any regard or offering. They

766
00:45:23.719 --> 00:45:27.039
really didn't know any better, mind you. Like they say,

767
00:45:27.639 --> 00:45:31.920
ignorance is no excuse. The search party never found them,

768
00:45:32.480 --> 00:45:35.039
but we sure did. Can you guess where?

769
00:45:35.800 --> 00:45:35.880
No?

770
00:45:37.119 --> 00:45:40.480
Up in the goddamn trees. I just wanted to let

771
00:45:40.519 --> 00:45:43.880
you know that you ain't the first I looked over

772
00:45:43.960 --> 00:45:47.039
at the unlucky camper. He came to my door an

773
00:45:47.039 --> 00:45:50.480
hour ago seeking help because something got his friend out

774
00:45:50.480 --> 00:45:54.519
in the woods. I knew what it was, Old Bones.

775
00:45:55.360 --> 00:45:57.559
I almost felt bad for the guy until he told

776
00:45:57.559 --> 00:46:01.119
me a story. You crossed the creek your fair game,

777
00:46:02.000 --> 00:46:05.719
but even that wasn't enough for this guy. You see,

778
00:46:06.079 --> 00:46:09.199
there are these totems out there. They kind of mark

779
00:46:09.280 --> 00:46:13.239
Old Bones sacred grounds. This guy comes to my door

780
00:46:13.320 --> 00:46:17.000
seeking help and says, they burned some weird carved wood

781
00:46:17.079 --> 00:46:20.000
for warmth last night. It had to be one of

782
00:46:20.000 --> 00:46:24.159
the totems, for sure, these dumb pricks. Now, I gotta

783
00:46:24.199 --> 00:46:27.639
march this asshole back into the woods at gunpoint because

784
00:46:27.679 --> 00:46:30.440
there's no reasoning with him. Got to get him to

785
00:46:30.480 --> 00:46:33.199
the clearing and let Old Bones take him. You got

786
00:46:33.199 --> 00:46:37.320
a second gear there. You're awfully slow, I said, I

787
00:46:37.320 --> 00:46:39.840
don't understand why you're doing this. If you didn't want

788
00:46:39.840 --> 00:46:42.440
to help me, I could have gone somewhere else. The

789
00:46:42.519 --> 00:46:46.199
camper said to me, you gotta learn that's not an option.

790
00:46:47.079 --> 00:46:49.960
You know what got your buddy, It was Old Bones,

791
00:46:50.320 --> 00:46:52.639
and Old Bones has a certain way of doing things.

792
00:46:53.079 --> 00:46:55.280
And damned if I'm gonna be the one to cross him.

793
00:46:55.719 --> 00:47:00.719
I've heard too many stories about what happens. I explained,

794
00:47:01.480 --> 00:47:06.800
what's Old Bones? The camper asked, It's everything. It's older

795
00:47:06.840 --> 00:47:10.800
than the forest. It is the forest. It's an inescapable

796
00:47:10.880 --> 00:47:15.079
hunger that roams these here woods. I told him, yeah,

797
00:47:15.079 --> 00:47:19.320
but what is it? The annoying fuck asked? Around here,

798
00:47:19.880 --> 00:47:23.480
we say it's a god. We revere it, we take

799
00:47:23.480 --> 00:47:25.599
care of its needs, and it lets us hunt his

800
00:47:25.719 --> 00:47:30.079
land to feed our families. It really ain't nothing personal.

801
00:47:30.639 --> 00:47:32.920
I gotta make it right with Old Bones. I don't

802
00:47:32.920 --> 00:47:35.119
hate you or nothing, I said to the guy.

803
00:47:36.280 --> 00:47:36.960
Don't hate me.

804
00:47:37.320 --> 00:47:39.599
You're bringing me out into the woods at gunpoint to

805
00:47:39.599 --> 00:47:42.840
feed me to something you call a forest god. Don't

806
00:47:42.840 --> 00:47:46.400
hate me, but you're gonna just kill me, the camper yelled.

807
00:47:47.119 --> 00:47:50.199
First of all, I don't like that tone, and second

808
00:47:50.239 --> 00:47:52.280
of all, I don't have no choice in the matter.

809
00:47:52.559 --> 00:47:53.840
Old Bones will want.

810
00:47:53.639 --> 00:47:57.280
The trespassers who entered his sacred groves and disturbed his totem.

811
00:47:57.639 --> 00:48:00.119
You sealed your own fate when you crossed the creek,

812
00:48:00.480 --> 00:48:03.440
I said, just let me go. I got eight hundred

813
00:48:03.480 --> 00:48:05.440
dollars in cash in my wallet. It's yours if you

814
00:48:05.559 --> 00:48:08.920
just let me go, the camper said. I shook my

815
00:48:09.000 --> 00:48:13.320
head at his stupidity. That money is already mine. Old

816
00:48:13.360 --> 00:48:17.039
Bones has no use for it. Hand it over, I said,

817
00:48:17.119 --> 00:48:19.400
pointing the barrel of that thirty odd to six I

818
00:48:19.440 --> 00:48:23.119
got so long ago at him. He sighed and handed

819
00:48:23.159 --> 00:48:27.880
over the cash. What did we learn here today, I asked.

820
00:48:28.519 --> 00:48:32.159
He just stared back at me with anger. We learned

821
00:48:32.599 --> 00:48:36.239
to keep our mouths shut. I finished for him. We

822
00:48:36.280 --> 00:48:39.119
walked further down the path my grandpa walked all those

823
00:48:39.199 --> 00:48:42.400
years ago. I knew it pretty well, but he knew

824
00:48:42.400 --> 00:48:46.400
it inside out. It's a shame he's gone. He would

825
00:48:46.440 --> 00:48:49.400
have gotten a kick out of this camper's predicament. I

826
00:48:49.440 --> 00:48:52.480
could hear the sound of the creek now we were close.

827
00:48:53.400 --> 00:48:56.039
Once we reached it, the path followed it south for

828
00:48:56.079 --> 00:49:01.880
about a mile or so. Then comes the clearing. What's

829
00:49:01.920 --> 00:49:04.440
gonna happen to me? The camper asked, now that he

830
00:49:04.480 --> 00:49:08.760
had calmed down. Well, old Bones will take you and

831
00:49:08.800 --> 00:49:11.280
open you up, gobble up the bits he wants, and

832
00:49:11.480 --> 00:49:15.199
whatever's left he'll toss into the trees. Why he does that,

833
00:49:15.320 --> 00:49:18.599
I don't know. Maybe to feed the birds. They gotta

834
00:49:18.639 --> 00:49:21.920
eat too, you know, I explained, matter of factly to

835
00:49:21.960 --> 00:49:27.639
the camper, whose eyes grew larger with every word. You're joking, right,

836
00:49:28.159 --> 00:49:30.760
he asked me. I stopped on the trail and gave

837
00:49:30.800 --> 00:49:34.199
him a look. What did old Bones do to your friend?

838
00:49:34.639 --> 00:49:39.119
I asked him. He it pulled him right out of

839
00:49:39.159 --> 00:49:41.760
our tent. It was dark. I just heard the screaming.

840
00:49:42.039 --> 00:49:45.119
By the time I found the flashlight, there was nothing

841
00:49:45.159 --> 00:49:48.920
but a blood trail. I followed it for a bit,

842
00:49:49.000 --> 00:49:53.159
but then it just it just ended. The camper said, forlorn,

843
00:49:54.000 --> 00:49:56.360
Did you look up in the trees? I asked him.

844
00:49:56.760 --> 00:50:00.119
Why the fuck would I do that? He queried, I

845
00:50:00.119 --> 00:50:02.840
bet that's where old Bones stuck him, had his fill

846
00:50:02.880 --> 00:50:05.559
and tossed him to the clouds like the early season

847
00:50:05.639 --> 00:50:08.599
stags we leave for him. Your friend is up in

848
00:50:08.639 --> 00:50:12.039
the branches. I'd bet you well, I'll bet you eight

849
00:50:12.119 --> 00:50:16.679
hundred dollars, I joked with the camper. You're demented, you

850
00:50:16.800 --> 00:50:20.400
know that right, There's something off in your brain, the

851
00:50:20.480 --> 00:50:23.320
camper said. I smacked him with the barrel of the

852
00:50:23.440 --> 00:50:26.440
rifle and pointed it down the trail. For a second,

853
00:50:26.800 --> 00:50:29.599
I thought he was going to try something, but he

854
00:50:29.760 --> 00:50:33.440
gave up and started walking off. Why should I keep going,

855
00:50:33.840 --> 00:50:36.960
he said defiantly, and stopped in the path A moment later.

856
00:50:37.599 --> 00:50:40.639
I'm gonna die either way. I'd rather get shot than

857
00:50:40.719 --> 00:50:45.719
ripped apart, he reasoned. Well, it ain't your choice, son,

858
00:50:46.280 --> 00:50:49.519
I explained, and pointed yonder with the barrel of my gun.

859
00:50:50.079 --> 00:50:53.039
The clearing was just ahead. He looked like he was

860
00:50:53.079 --> 00:50:55.280
going to make a run for it, but I kept

861
00:50:55.320 --> 00:50:58.719
the barrel pointing right between his eyes. I figured he

862
00:50:58.800 --> 00:51:02.440
was bluffing anyway. I took him for a coward and

863
00:51:02.639 --> 00:51:07.079
eight hundred bucks get on in there by that stump,

864
00:51:07.400 --> 00:51:10.760
I commanded him. He waited a second or so before

865
00:51:10.800 --> 00:51:13.920
following his orders. I took the rope from my pocket

866
00:51:13.960 --> 00:51:17.039
and followed him over. I tied him up against the stump,

867
00:51:17.119 --> 00:51:20.199
eyeing the carvings on it. Grandpa said it was the

868
00:51:20.320 --> 00:51:23.360
natives that lived here a long time ago that carved

869
00:51:23.360 --> 00:51:27.719
into the stump. It sure was weathered enough, Grandpa said.

870
00:51:27.760 --> 00:51:30.760
The carvings tell how to leave offerings for old bones.

871
00:51:31.360 --> 00:51:34.599
It's how our family figured it all out. Live food

872
00:51:34.639 --> 00:51:37.920
gets tied up, but the dead won't run away. I've

873
00:51:37.920 --> 00:51:41.639
never left live food before, but there's always a first time.

874
00:51:42.320 --> 00:51:44.960
I remember my grandpa telling my father how to do

875
00:51:45.039 --> 00:51:47.960
it when we came across a stag with a broken leg.

876
00:51:48.920 --> 00:51:51.519
It was crazy to try to grab the thing, but

877
00:51:51.599 --> 00:51:53.960
it had to have been struggling for days and was

878
00:51:54.079 --> 00:51:57.199
just tuckered out. We got it to the clearing, then

879
00:51:57.280 --> 00:52:00.079
they told me to leave, to go home and tell

880
00:52:00.119 --> 00:52:03.639
Mom they'd be back soon. I can still see my

881
00:52:03.719 --> 00:52:06.719
grandpa pointing to this very stump and explaining to my

882
00:52:06.880 --> 00:52:10.519
dad what to do. I first made the camper tie

883
00:52:10.599 --> 00:52:13.519
up his own feet at gunpoint. I didn't want him

884
00:52:13.559 --> 00:52:16.679
to kick me, after all, that's what my kin did

885
00:52:16.679 --> 00:52:19.800
with the stag so many years ago. Then I tied

886
00:52:19.800 --> 00:52:22.840
his arms around the stump, with his chin resting on

887
00:52:22.960 --> 00:52:27.039
top and a little groove facing deeper into the forest.

888
00:52:27.920 --> 00:52:30.159
I made sure he was good and tight before I

889
00:52:30.199 --> 00:52:34.039
stepped back and gave the clearing a look over. Only

890
00:52:34.079 --> 00:52:37.960
one more step left. I drew my knife and came

891
00:52:38.079 --> 00:52:41.440
up behind the hiker. You're just going to leave me

892
00:52:41.519 --> 00:52:46.679
here with that thing in the woods, the camper asked, Yeah,

893
00:52:47.000 --> 00:52:51.159
that's the plan. Haven't you been paying attention. Look, man,

894
00:52:51.519 --> 00:52:54.039
I told you it's nothing personal. If I don't get

895
00:52:54.079 --> 00:52:57.239
the transgressor to Old Bones, then my family will pay

896
00:52:57.239 --> 00:53:00.079
and I can't have that, I said, as I sliced

897
00:53:00.119 --> 00:53:04.159
into his flesh. Not too deep, not in a vital spot,

898
00:53:04.239 --> 00:53:08.039
mind you, Just enough to make him bleed, to get

899
00:53:08.039 --> 00:53:11.400
the scent out into the air, to let Old Bones

900
00:53:11.519 --> 00:53:17.239
know we were ready. You're a murderer, the camper yelled out.

901
00:53:17.800 --> 00:53:20.679
I ain't gonna murder you. That's for Old Bones to do,

902
00:53:21.239 --> 00:53:25.800
I explained. Leaving me here is murdering me. I ain't

903
00:53:25.880 --> 00:53:29.000
arguing semantics with a person that got himself tied up.

904
00:53:29.320 --> 00:53:32.480
I told him, all you're saying is what you ain't

905
00:53:32.519 --> 00:53:35.400
going to do. Well, what are you going to do?

906
00:53:35.480 --> 00:53:35.679
Then?

907
00:53:36.119 --> 00:53:40.920
The camper asked me, followed by an exasperated sigh. Just

908
00:53:41.039 --> 00:53:44.920
then Old Bones made himself known with a cry out

909
00:53:44.920 --> 00:53:49.239
in the forest, followed by the boom of a large footfall.

910
00:53:50.039 --> 00:53:53.320
I moved in front of the camper. I'm gonna take

911
00:53:53.360 --> 00:53:57.239
my leave, give my regards to Old Bones, I said,

912
00:53:57.559 --> 00:54:01.719
and turned towards the trail back home. Don't fucking leave me,

913
00:54:02.360 --> 00:54:05.280
he yelled. As I left the clearing, I stopped and

914
00:54:05.360 --> 00:54:09.840
turned around. The footfalls from Old Bones were getting closer

915
00:54:10.239 --> 00:54:14.360
really quick. I got myself an idea and ducked down

916
00:54:14.480 --> 00:54:18.000
in the small bushes that lined the clearing, peeking through

917
00:54:18.039 --> 00:54:21.599
at my offering, this might be a good chance to

918
00:54:21.719 --> 00:54:25.800
finally see what Old Bones looks like. I listened to

919
00:54:25.840 --> 00:54:28.639
the sound of the trees creaking, as if they were

920
00:54:28.639 --> 00:54:31.960
making way for Old Bones to walk among them. In

921
00:54:32.039 --> 00:54:37.079
the distance, he could see the branches swaying. He could

922
00:54:37.159 --> 00:54:41.119
be here any moment. The hair on the back of

923
00:54:41.159 --> 00:54:44.159
my neck stood as a wave of chills ran through me.

924
00:54:44.880 --> 00:54:48.559
The camper started to scream as the primordial aura of

925
00:54:48.639 --> 00:54:53.079
old bones took over the clearing. All those years of wondering,

926
00:54:53.760 --> 00:54:57.079
all the stories from the townsfolk, even the bits and

927
00:54:57.199 --> 00:55:00.280
pieces of information I got from my own family, didn't

928
00:55:00.280 --> 00:55:02.880
prepare me for what I saw step into the clearing.

929
00:55:03.719 --> 00:55:07.559
It stood almost twenty feet tall, standing like a person.

930
00:55:07.599 --> 00:55:11.760
Wood thick muscles adorned its body. There were parts where

931
00:55:11.800 --> 00:55:15.400
white bone was exposed in holes in the flesh. Its

932
00:55:15.599 --> 00:55:18.840
huge feet were cloven, just like the prints I had

933
00:55:18.880 --> 00:55:24.000
saw so long ago. The long arms were thin but strong.

934
00:55:24.800 --> 00:55:27.719
The left pushed off the trunk of a pine tree.

935
00:55:27.840 --> 00:55:31.679
The right clutched a gnarled walking staff made from some

936
00:55:32.039 --> 00:55:35.639
ancient wood. Resting on top of its shoulders was a

937
00:55:35.760 --> 00:55:40.800
huge head, a moose's head, scarred and scraped with countless

938
00:55:40.880 --> 00:55:45.719
years of existence. The large antlers had stains and scrapes

939
00:55:45.760 --> 00:55:49.360
as well. I tried to take it all in, but

940
00:55:49.480 --> 00:55:54.119
my eyes kept focusing on its gaze. The fires of

941
00:55:54.159 --> 00:55:57.480
Prometheus burned in the orbs as it looked down on

942
00:55:57.519 --> 00:56:00.559
the offering before it. It was like looking at a

943
00:56:00.599 --> 00:56:04.760
whacked out moose version of a minotaur. Old Bones had

944
00:56:04.760 --> 00:56:08.679
a smell about him, like fresh turned dirt, just an

945
00:56:08.719 --> 00:56:12.000
earthy smell about him. It was like he was part

946
00:56:12.039 --> 00:56:16.440
of the forest. He blended in so well, except for

947
00:56:16.519 --> 00:56:21.599
those eyes currently focused on the camper. It cocked its

948
00:56:21.719 --> 00:56:24.760
large head like a dog and raised the staff in

949
00:56:24.800 --> 00:56:29.039
the air. Old Bones poked the camper with the weathered end.

950
00:56:29.840 --> 00:56:33.559
When the camper screamed out in terror, Old Bones raised

951
00:56:33.559 --> 00:56:38.400
an eyebrow. He seemed pleased by the live offering. Even

952
00:56:38.440 --> 00:56:41.480
from my position, I could smell the piss on the camper.

953
00:56:42.360 --> 00:56:46.559
How disrespectful. With a large hand, Old Bones grabbed the

954
00:56:46.599 --> 00:56:50.159
camper and raised him into the air, snapping my ropes

955
00:56:50.239 --> 00:56:53.559
like they were nothing. He opened his large moose jaw.

956
00:56:54.159 --> 00:56:58.639
Inside weren't the teeth of a moose, but sharp fangs

957
00:56:58.679 --> 00:57:01.719
of a carnivore. It bit off the camper's head in

958
00:57:01.800 --> 00:57:05.360
a snap, and I nearly lost my lunch. I would

959
00:57:05.360 --> 00:57:08.960
have been sad too. My wife makes a mean chicken salad.

960
00:57:09.800 --> 00:57:12.559
I watched his blood poured out the side of his mouth.

961
00:57:13.079 --> 00:57:16.280
He chewed on the head for a few seconds and swallowed.

962
00:57:16.920 --> 00:57:20.440
He huffed twice into the air With a pointed finger.

963
00:57:20.519 --> 00:57:23.679
He dug into the chest and ate the organs by

964
00:57:23.760 --> 00:57:27.559
dumping the chest out all over his head into his mouth.

965
00:57:28.239 --> 00:57:32.000
A lung missed and splattered on the ground. It exploded

966
00:57:32.079 --> 00:57:35.559
like a water balloon. I wretched and tried to keep

967
00:57:35.559 --> 00:57:40.119
it down. Old Bones must have heard me. Our eyes

968
00:57:40.199 --> 00:57:44.039
met for a second. The eons of burning earth before

969
00:57:44.079 --> 00:57:48.440
it had cooled, branded my brain. I felt the ebb

970
00:57:48.480 --> 00:57:52.159
and flow of the magma below the crust. I thought

971
00:57:52.199 --> 00:57:55.079
I was going to die. That Old Bones was going

972
00:57:55.119 --> 00:57:58.280
to kill me. My own stupid need to see him

973
00:57:58.400 --> 00:58:01.760
was going to do me in. He tossed the camper's

974
00:58:01.840 --> 00:58:05.000
corpse into the air. It landed in the branches of

975
00:58:05.039 --> 00:58:08.159
the large pine trees. He picked up his staff and

976
00:58:08.239 --> 00:58:11.119
took a step towards me. I didn't have it in

977
00:58:11.159 --> 00:58:14.039
me to move. I was just trying not to break down.

978
00:58:14.880 --> 00:58:17.760
He took a massive step and was now.

979
00:58:17.559 --> 00:58:18.199
In front of me.

980
00:58:18.760 --> 00:58:24.119
Mortal Old Bones muttered. He commanded my attention. His voice

981
00:58:24.159 --> 00:58:27.639
came from nowhere, but from everywhere. At the same time,

982
00:58:28.280 --> 00:58:30.760
the ember stare burned into my head.

983
00:58:31.360 --> 00:58:33.639
I thank you for the offering.

984
00:58:34.400 --> 00:58:37.880
It has been some time since I have had flesh

985
00:58:38.760 --> 00:58:43.440
of a man. I think I would like some more.

986
00:58:43.920 --> 00:58:47.400
I forgot the taste of the arrogance of the young race.

987
00:58:48.360 --> 00:58:50.679
We need to amend the deal.

988
00:58:51.000 --> 00:58:55.199
It spoke into my brain. No, humans are hard to

989
00:58:55.199 --> 00:58:57.840
get a hold of, and it's wrong, I replied.

990
00:58:58.480 --> 00:59:04.119
I can't do it. Shame mortal. If I do not

991
00:59:04.320 --> 00:59:08.840
receive a live offering of manflesh by the longest day

992
00:59:08.840 --> 00:59:13.639
of the year, then I shall take my payment from

993
00:59:13.679 --> 00:59:14.440
the farms.

994
00:59:15.320 --> 00:59:19.719
Anything else. Please don't ask this of me, I begged.

995
00:59:20.199 --> 00:59:23.239
I have spoken.

996
00:59:23.199 --> 00:59:27.400
Old Bones said, and turned from me. He walked into

997
00:59:27.440 --> 00:59:30.760
the woods without another word. I looked at the camper

998
00:59:30.760 --> 00:59:35.199
in the trees, almost envying him if I was being honest.

999
00:59:36.400 --> 00:59:39.079
Now I had to go home and explain to our

1000
00:59:39.119 --> 00:59:44.239
families the new terms. We dare not go against Old Bones,

1001
00:59:45.079 --> 00:59:48.239
not if we want to protect our loved ones. At

1002
00:59:48.320 --> 00:59:51.880
least now I know what Old Bones looks like. If

1003
00:59:51.920 --> 00:59:54.880
only I had left the clearing, I never would have

1004
00:59:54.920 --> 01:00:00.360
seen Old Bones or interacted with him. Everyone that seen

1005
01:00:00.440 --> 01:00:05.719
Old Bones has had to pay a price, and mine

1006
01:00:06.000 --> 01:00:19.480
will be paid in man flesh. The creature from Richardson

1007
01:00:19.639 --> 01:00:25.639
Lake by Charles Campbell. It was July in the valley

1008
01:00:26.000 --> 01:00:28.320
and it was one of the hottest summers on record,

1009
01:00:28.360 --> 01:00:33.239
with daily temperatures averaging over ninety five degrees, much hotter

1010
01:00:33.320 --> 01:00:37.000
if you include the heat index. Sally Richardson was on

1011
01:00:37.079 --> 01:00:40.760
register duty, taking money from the flock of patrons coming

1012
01:00:40.800 --> 01:00:44.119
in to take a swim or sunbathe on the imported beach.

1013
01:00:44.199 --> 01:00:47.880
Sand Richardson's Lake had been opened for business since the

1014
01:00:47.960 --> 01:00:51.039
nineteen fifties and it was still as popular as it

1015
01:00:51.079 --> 01:00:55.440
ever was. Sally was the great granddaughter of Milo Richardson,

1016
01:00:55.760 --> 01:01:00.039
the original owner of this redneck riviera. Sally had a

1017
01:01:00.039 --> 01:01:02.519
couple of cousins helping her run the place, along with

1018
01:01:02.599 --> 01:01:07.280
a few Valley teenagers from Midland Valley High Schools swim team.

1019
01:01:07.719 --> 01:01:11.400
The days were mostly drama free. The biggest issues they

1020
01:01:11.440 --> 01:01:14.719
had outside of bad weather here and there were valley

1021
01:01:14.800 --> 01:01:17.360
kids trying to pass off the stamp on their hands

1022
01:01:17.360 --> 01:01:20.840
from the day before as paid admission for that day.

1023
01:01:21.679 --> 01:01:25.199
Sally had a system when stamping hands that involved many

1024
01:01:25.360 --> 01:01:28.519
changing symbols and colors at the start of each swim day.

1025
01:01:29.239 --> 01:01:33.440
Summer passes were also available, which some folks took advantage

1026
01:01:33.480 --> 01:01:37.639
of but most of them paid as they entered. Richardson's

1027
01:01:37.679 --> 01:01:41.400
Lake was also a cash only establishment, so they could

1028
01:01:41.440 --> 01:01:44.400
be a little fudgy when it came to tax time.

1029
01:01:45.079 --> 01:01:47.840
There was a hard and fast rule that everyone knew

1030
01:01:47.880 --> 01:01:54.039
and no one broke until someone did. No swimming after sundown.

1031
01:01:55.239 --> 01:01:57.880
Well that should give you a hint of where we're

1032
01:01:57.920 --> 01:02:01.760
going with this story. Some dumbass Valley kids ignored the

1033
01:02:01.840 --> 01:02:11.280
rule one night, and this is what happened. Cecil Dalton

1034
01:02:11.400 --> 01:02:13.960
had a cooler full of beer and a big pinch

1035
01:02:14.000 --> 01:02:16.719
of skull in his gums. He was sitting on the

1036
01:02:16.719 --> 01:02:20.480
front stoop of his mama's double wide trailer, spitting tobacco

1037
01:02:20.599 --> 01:02:24.480
juice as he waited. Then he saw Billy Frost's jeep

1038
01:02:24.559 --> 01:02:27.920
turned down Oak Street. Cecil leaped from the stoop and

1039
01:02:28.000 --> 01:02:31.679
grabbed the cooler. Billy dimmed the jeep lights when he approached.

1040
01:02:32.360 --> 01:02:35.039
He wasn't sure if Cecil's mama cared if he went

1041
01:02:35.119 --> 01:02:39.800
out this late or not. Your mama home, Billy asked, Yeah,

1042
01:02:39.840 --> 01:02:42.199
she's asleep. She don't give a shit where I go,

1043
01:02:42.360 --> 01:02:46.559
So you're good, Cecil said with a grin. Hey, ceci

1044
01:02:47.079 --> 01:02:50.440
Angie renewed shouted from the passenger seat. She was a

1045
01:02:50.519 --> 01:02:53.599
hyper little thing, skinny as a string bean, and Billy

1046
01:02:53.760 --> 01:02:57.639
was smitten with her. Hey, little girl, guess you got shotgun,

1047
01:02:57.960 --> 01:03:00.920
Cecil said. He smiled when he saw who was in

1048
01:03:00.960 --> 01:03:04.440
the back seat. Now that ain't who I think it is,

1049
01:03:04.440 --> 01:03:07.119
is it? Get on back here, Cec and give me

1050
01:03:07.199 --> 01:03:11.519
some sugar, hollered Mandy Hudson. Mandy was not skinny as

1051
01:03:11.519 --> 01:03:14.599
a string bean. She was completely filled out in all

1052
01:03:14.639 --> 01:03:18.119
the right ways. She had known Cecil since grammar school,

1053
01:03:18.119 --> 01:03:21.599
and Mandy always loved flirting with her big teddy bear.

1054
01:03:22.280 --> 01:03:25.920
Oh yeah, Cecil was an offensive lineman for the varsity

1055
01:03:25.960 --> 01:03:29.559
football team at Midland Valley High. He climbed into the

1056
01:03:29.599 --> 01:03:32.039
back of the jeep and she planted a big wet

1057
01:03:32.079 --> 01:03:36.719
one right on his lips. Ew he's got a mouthful

1058
01:03:36.760 --> 01:03:40.360
of that skull shit, Angie screamed when she heard the smooch.

1059
01:03:41.360 --> 01:03:46.519
I don't care more flavor, Mandy replied. Angie glanced at

1060
01:03:46.519 --> 01:03:50.360
her man and said, let's skidaddle. Billy obeyed, and the

1061
01:03:50.440 --> 01:03:54.719
quartet headed to Warrensville, South Carolina, home of the valley

1062
01:03:54.760 --> 01:04:04.480
famous Richardson's Lake. Billy cut the lights when he approached

1063
01:04:04.519 --> 01:04:07.679
the driveway to Richardson's Lake. They needed to be as

1064
01:04:07.760 --> 01:04:10.360
quiet as they could because Sally's house was at the

1065
01:04:10.400 --> 01:04:13.320
top of the hill, less than a quarter mile away

1066
01:04:13.440 --> 01:04:17.079
from the swimming hole. Billy stopped short of the driveway

1067
01:04:17.119 --> 01:04:20.360
and pulled the jeep into a cutaway that was somewhat secluded,

1068
01:04:20.880 --> 01:04:23.960
especially at night. It was a full moon, so they

1069
01:04:24.000 --> 01:04:27.000
had that working for them. There were no lights on

1070
01:04:27.119 --> 01:04:31.239
inside the confines of Richardson Lake. Cecil smiled when he

1071
01:04:31.320 --> 01:04:35.320
noticed the moon's reflection in the still water. He wished

1072
01:04:35.360 --> 01:04:38.400
he'd brought his fishing gear. But if the bass popped

1073
01:04:38.440 --> 01:04:40.199
like he thought they would on a night like this,

1074
01:04:40.880 --> 01:04:43.800
it wouldn't be long before the Warrenville PD were called

1075
01:04:43.840 --> 01:04:48.559
to deal with late night trespassers. You bring the floats,

1076
01:04:48.880 --> 01:04:51.639
Billy asked Angie. Yeah, you saw me put them in

1077
01:04:51.679 --> 01:04:54.480
the jeep. You bring the air pump, because I ain't

1078
01:04:54.480 --> 01:04:57.159
about to be blowing on floats for an hour. Angie

1079
01:04:57.199 --> 01:05:00.480
shot back, well, floats ain't what I got for you

1080
01:05:00.559 --> 01:05:03.679
to blow, Billy. You better stop that sentence or definitely

1081
01:05:03.719 --> 01:05:07.159
won't happen. Angie cut him off as she winked at Mandy.

1082
01:05:07.760 --> 01:05:11.320
Mandy was latched onto Cecil's arm. Yeah, I got the

1083
01:05:11.320 --> 01:05:15.559
air pump. Put some fresh batteries in it too. Billy said, well,

1084
01:05:15.599 --> 01:05:18.840
I got the most important thing here. Cecil said, as

1085
01:05:18.880 --> 01:05:22.480
he lifted the cooler full of beer. I reckon, everybody

1086
01:05:22.519 --> 01:05:27.960
likes PBR. If you don't, you're sol good deal. Now,

1087
01:05:28.039 --> 01:05:30.239
we can't be hooping and hollering when we get to

1088
01:05:30.239 --> 01:05:33.119
the water. Sally does have a shotgun, and I know

1089
01:05:33.199 --> 01:05:35.880
she ain't scared to use it. I'm sure it's just

1090
01:05:36.079 --> 01:05:38.920
rock salt, but I have personally been hit with rock salt,

1091
01:05:39.159 --> 01:05:41.480
and I think Cecil has too, if I remember right.

1092
01:05:41.960 --> 01:05:46.119
Cecil shook his head in the affirmative, and that shit hurts.

1093
01:05:46.760 --> 01:05:49.440
She might pepper us with it before she calls the law.

1094
01:05:49.639 --> 01:05:53.679
So we can swim. We can have some fun, he

1095
01:05:53.800 --> 01:05:57.000
smiled at Angie. But we need to keep it down.

1096
01:05:57.639 --> 01:06:02.760
So no, we won't be playing, got it, Mandy said,

1097
01:06:03.199 --> 01:06:07.000
she drugged Cecil by the arm. Through the path. Richardson's

1098
01:06:07.039 --> 01:06:09.639
Lake was mostly fenced in, with the exception of a

1099
01:06:09.679 --> 01:06:12.119
small break where a deer plowed through the wood the

1100
01:06:12.159 --> 01:06:15.840
summer before. Sally hadn't gotten around to fixing it, and

1101
01:06:15.880 --> 01:06:18.760
Billy noticed it a few saturdays back when he and

1102
01:06:18.800 --> 01:06:22.800
Angie swam beyond the yellow ropes, which got whistles galore

1103
01:06:22.920 --> 01:06:26.840
from the Midland Valley high staffers. Angie had a beach

1104
01:06:26.880 --> 01:06:29.599
bag full of towels and a couple of flattened floats.

1105
01:06:30.159 --> 01:06:32.559
Billy grabbed the air pump and they followed Cecil and

1106
01:06:32.639 --> 01:06:44.400
Mandy down the path in the dark corner of Richardson's Lake,

1107
01:06:44.760 --> 01:06:48.159
well beyond the yellow ropes that segregated the swimming hole.

1108
01:06:48.639 --> 01:06:52.800
The creature raised its head from its meal. It stopped

1109
01:06:52.880 --> 01:06:56.760
chewing on the very dead body of a fat copperhead

1110
01:06:57.599 --> 01:07:01.079
to listen. The gills on the side of its neck

1111
01:07:01.199 --> 01:07:04.880
flexed open. Before closing, the creature took in a deep

1112
01:07:04.960 --> 01:07:07.840
breath of night air through the two slits it had

1113
01:07:07.880 --> 01:07:11.000
for a nose. The scent made it drop what was

1114
01:07:11.079 --> 01:07:15.599
left of the snake. Something tastier was just added to

1115
01:07:15.679 --> 01:07:20.000
the menu. The creature slinked into the dark water and

1116
01:07:20.119 --> 01:07:28.280
swam slowly toward the swimming hole. Cecil was sitting on

1117
01:07:28.320 --> 01:07:32.599
a towel, chugging down his second PBR. Mandy was stuck

1118
01:07:32.639 --> 01:07:35.559
to his side drinking one of her own. Billy and

1119
01:07:35.599 --> 01:07:39.239
Angie were quietly swimming I don't know why they don't

1120
01:07:39.280 --> 01:07:43.559
open this place at night. Mandy said, yeah, it's pretty

1121
01:07:43.639 --> 01:07:46.480
nice out here with the moon and all. Cecil replied.

1122
01:07:47.159 --> 01:07:51.559
They heard Angie splash Billy, followed by a sh from Billy.

1123
01:07:52.719 --> 01:07:54.800
We're gonna get hit with some rock salt, aren't we,

1124
01:07:55.199 --> 01:07:58.639
Mandy asked as she placed her head on Cecil's large shoulder.

1125
01:08:00.719 --> 01:08:03.960
Cecil answered and finished off his beer before putting his

1126
01:08:04.079 --> 01:08:08.079
arm around Mandy for a good squeeze. He loved the

1127
01:08:08.119 --> 01:08:11.519
feel of her next to him. He couldn't imagine squeezing

1128
01:08:11.559 --> 01:08:15.039
Angie like this, He figured she'd snap like a twig.

1129
01:08:17.880 --> 01:08:21.199
I want to jump off the diving board, Angie whined,

1130
01:08:21.960 --> 01:08:25.399
absolutely not. He want to go to jail tonight. Billy

1131
01:08:25.439 --> 01:08:29.039
said no, Can we at least swim out to the

1132
01:08:29.039 --> 01:08:33.479
big platform, Angie asked, puffing out her lips. Yeah, that

1133
01:08:33.640 --> 01:08:36.159
we can do. We can even race if you want,

1134
01:08:36.159 --> 01:08:40.039
but no shouting. I'll even give you a thirty second

1135
01:08:40.079 --> 01:08:45.000
head start to make it fair. Billy finished, deal. So

1136
01:08:45.199 --> 01:08:48.840
what do I get if I win? Angie asked, Well,

1137
01:08:48.960 --> 01:08:50.880
I'll take you to that movie you've been begging me

1138
01:08:50.920 --> 01:08:54.479
to see, that chick flick The Wedding or something or

1139
01:08:54.520 --> 01:08:59.520
whatever it's called the Nuptials of Rosy and Blake, Angie corrected.

1140
01:09:00.880 --> 01:09:04.720
When he heard that vomit inducing title, Billy knew he

1141
01:09:04.840 --> 01:09:08.680
had no choice but to win. And if I win,

1142
01:09:09.399 --> 01:09:12.680
we can revisit that blowing thing we were discussing earlier,

1143
01:09:13.039 --> 01:09:16.920
Billy said. Angie rolled her eyes and counted down from

1144
01:09:17.000 --> 01:09:21.399
five before she started furiously swimming for the platform. Billy

1145
01:09:21.479 --> 01:09:25.920
stayed in place and began counting. He didn't realize how

1146
01:09:26.039 --> 01:09:29.319
long thirty seconds could be, especially when it meant the

1147
01:09:29.359 --> 01:09:33.319
possibility of a shitty chick flick in his immediate future.

1148
01:09:35.680 --> 01:09:39.680
The creature stealthily approached the swimming hole. It was just

1149
01:09:39.760 --> 01:09:42.319
beyond the yellow ropes, and it could see two of

1150
01:09:42.359 --> 01:09:45.479
them in the water and two on the shore. It

1151
01:09:45.640 --> 01:09:48.960
focused on the two in the water. The smaller one

1152
01:09:49.000 --> 01:09:53.159
started swimming in the creature's direction. The creature dropped its

1153
01:09:53.159 --> 01:09:57.600
head below the surface and tracked Angie's movement. She was

1154
01:09:57.640 --> 01:10:00.840
coming toward it, and the creature began an inn sept course.

1155
01:10:01.760 --> 01:10:04.439
It could have moved swiftly and pulled her to the

1156
01:10:04.479 --> 01:10:08.159
deep within seconds, but this creature was like a cat

1157
01:10:08.239 --> 01:10:12.279
in one regard. It liked to play with its food.

1158
01:10:14.159 --> 01:10:18.119
Billy was almost to thirty, and although it wasn't super loud,

1159
01:10:18.159 --> 01:10:20.840
he could hear the steady rhythm of Angie moving her

1160
01:10:20.960 --> 01:10:23.760
arms and legs. She had quite the lead with the

1161
01:10:23.800 --> 01:10:27.399
thirty second head start, and Billy seriously doubted he could

1162
01:10:27.399 --> 01:10:31.079
make up the time. He was just about resigned to defeat.

1163
01:10:32.000 --> 01:10:35.359
Then the count was at thirty and Billy took off

1164
01:10:35.840 --> 01:10:41.680
like a speed boat. Angie could see the platform just ahead,

1165
01:10:41.840 --> 01:10:44.479
and she could hear Billy slicing through the water some

1166
01:10:44.680 --> 01:10:48.960
distance behind her. He sounded fast, no doubt spurned on

1167
01:10:49.119 --> 01:10:53.239
by the reward. She didn't exactly promise him, but would

1168
01:10:53.239 --> 01:10:57.000
give him anyway. But she really wanted to see this movie,

1169
01:10:57.319 --> 01:11:00.720
so Angie kicked it into another gear. She was only

1170
01:11:00.760 --> 01:11:04.239
about twenty feet away from the platform when she felt

1171
01:11:04.239 --> 01:11:08.319
something graze her right leg. She didn't stop to figure

1172
01:11:08.319 --> 01:11:13.079
out what it could be. Angie swam faster. Then something

1173
01:11:13.159 --> 01:11:16.520
grazed her left leg, ten feet away from the platform.

1174
01:11:16.560 --> 01:11:18.600
Now she would be on the ladder in just a

1175
01:11:18.600 --> 01:11:22.479
few seconds. Angie wanted to scream, but she knew that

1176
01:11:22.520 --> 01:11:25.720
it would bring all kinds of unwonted attention, and for

1177
01:11:25.800 --> 01:11:30.720
what a couple of curious fish bumping into her. She smiled.

1178
01:11:30.760 --> 01:11:32.800
As she was within a couple of feet of the ladder,

1179
01:11:33.399 --> 01:11:37.880
Angie could almost taste the popcorn, and Riverwatch Cinema popcorn

1180
01:11:38.119 --> 01:11:40.239
was the best popcorn on the planet as far as

1181
01:11:40.239 --> 01:11:44.720
Angie was concerned. Angie reached up, grabbed a ladder rung,

1182
01:11:46.119 --> 01:11:49.199
and in a blink of an eye, she was pulled under.

1183
01:11:51.560 --> 01:11:56.359
A few moments before, the creature was directly underneath Angie.

1184
01:11:56.399 --> 01:11:59.560
She was swimming with a purpose. The creature extended a

1185
01:11:59.640 --> 01:12:03.119
scale arm and gently swiped at her leg with its

1186
01:12:03.119 --> 01:12:08.119
webbed hand. Angie kept swimming. The creature swiped her other leg.

1187
01:12:08.840 --> 01:12:12.239
She kept swimming. The creature was aware of the platform.

1188
01:12:12.840 --> 01:12:15.600
Even if Angie reached it and pulled herself up, she

1189
01:12:15.640 --> 01:12:19.079
would be no match for the creature. The creature darted

1190
01:12:19.079 --> 01:12:23.079
ahead and positioned itself just under the ladder and waited

1191
01:12:23.119 --> 01:12:27.399
a few seconds until Angie grabbed the wrung. The creature

1192
01:12:27.439 --> 01:12:30.800
grabbed Angie by both feet and yanked her under the water.

1193
01:12:31.720 --> 01:12:33.920
She was so light and the creature moved her with

1194
01:12:33.960 --> 01:12:38.479
no effort. Angie was literally screaming under water. Her eyes

1195
01:12:38.520 --> 01:12:41.359
were opened, but she couldn't see a thing. She felt

1196
01:12:41.399 --> 01:12:43.840
a sharp pain in the side of her neck, followed

1197
01:12:43.840 --> 01:12:48.279
by the sensation of being wrapped in something slimy. The

1198
01:12:48.359 --> 01:12:51.399
creature it enveloped her, and it was ripping at her

1199
01:12:51.439 --> 01:12:56.399
neck and throat with razor sharp teeth. Angie was dead.

1200
01:12:57.520 --> 01:13:01.399
The creature pulled her along quickly to its nest on

1201
01:13:01.439 --> 01:13:04.680
the other side of the shore. There she would keep

1202
01:13:05.199 --> 01:13:13.199
while it went out to get more groceries. Billy reached

1203
01:13:13.199 --> 01:13:19.439
the platform. He didn't see Angie. Stop messing around, Billy said,

1204
01:13:19.520 --> 01:13:22.640
trying not to be too loud. He pulled himself up

1205
01:13:22.720 --> 01:13:25.640
onto the platform and walked around, trying to see if

1206
01:13:25.680 --> 01:13:28.319
she were hanging on any of the sides, waiting to

1207
01:13:28.399 --> 01:13:32.640
jump up and scare him. All Billy saw was dark water,

1208
01:13:33.399 --> 01:13:36.720
and his heart started to race. Should he scream out

1209
01:13:36.760 --> 01:13:39.479
loud and wake up Sally in her rock salt with

1210
01:13:39.560 --> 01:13:43.720
Angie surely revealing her location before the shit show started,

1211
01:13:44.279 --> 01:13:47.479
or would he just swim back to shore and wade

1212
01:13:47.479 --> 01:13:51.000
out her Shenanigans. He would go with the second option

1213
01:13:51.439 --> 01:13:54.000
and hoped he knew his girlfriend like he thought he did.

1214
01:13:55.039 --> 01:14:01.039
Billy dove into the water and began swimming. They sure

1215
01:14:01.079 --> 01:14:05.119
got quiet on us, Mandy said. Cecil smiled because that

1216
01:14:05.319 --> 01:14:08.479
was okay with him. Mandy was laying in his arms

1217
01:14:08.520 --> 01:14:12.560
in her bathing suit no less, and they were stargazing together.

1218
01:14:14.079 --> 01:14:18.159
You think there's something out there somewhere, Cecil asked, in

1219
01:14:18.239 --> 01:14:23.000
the stars. Yeah, I'm sure there is too many possibilities

1220
01:14:23.000 --> 01:14:26.640
for their not to be, Mandy said. She burrowed into

1221
01:14:26.720 --> 01:14:29.439
the pit of his arm like a needy pup. I

1222
01:14:29.520 --> 01:14:32.760
wonder what they look like. You think they have big brains,

1223
01:14:32.880 --> 01:14:38.039
like in that movie where they zapped everybody, Cecil pondered, maybe,

1224
01:14:38.439 --> 01:14:41.840
Mandy replied. She sat up when she heard someone swimming

1225
01:14:41.920 --> 01:14:45.119
back to shore. They could tell by the force that

1226
01:14:45.199 --> 01:14:49.399
it had to be Billy. Where's Angie, Mandy asked, as

1227
01:14:49.439 --> 01:14:52.760
Billy sloshed his way back to shore. I was hoping

1228
01:14:52.800 --> 01:14:55.479
she was up here with you. I think she's messing

1229
01:14:55.520 --> 01:14:58.199
with me. We raced to the platform and she beat me,

1230
01:14:58.760 --> 01:15:00.600
But now I think she's trying to rub it in

1231
01:15:00.640 --> 01:15:02.960
a little. But seeing as she ain't up here with

1232
01:15:03.000 --> 01:15:06.199
you two, it might be time for me to worry,

1233
01:15:06.720 --> 01:15:09.279
Billy said as he turned back toward the dark water.

1234
01:15:10.800 --> 01:15:14.319
Come on, Cecy, let's help him. Look, she's probably still

1235
01:15:14.319 --> 01:15:16.359
near the platform, trying to get us to crack and

1236
01:15:16.399 --> 01:15:20.279
wake up. Sally Mandy said, But why would she do that?

1237
01:15:20.720 --> 01:15:23.920
Cecil asked to make a memory and be able to

1238
01:15:23.960 --> 01:15:26.600
talk about that time we almost got tattered up with

1239
01:15:26.720 --> 01:15:30.239
rock salt by, Sally Mandy replied, as she followed Billy

1240
01:15:30.279 --> 01:15:35.359
into the water. That's pretty fucking dumb. Cecil replied, I

1241
01:15:35.399 --> 01:15:39.119
didn't say it was smart. Come on now, Cecy, Mandy said,

1242
01:15:39.399 --> 01:15:43.079
and waited until Cecil was beside her. They followed Billy

1243
01:15:43.199 --> 01:15:49.159
back toward the platform. The creature had a membrane much

1244
01:15:49.279 --> 01:15:52.520
like an alligator, that slid over its eyes when submerged.

1245
01:15:53.159 --> 01:15:56.560
It slid open when its face broke the surface. It

1246
01:15:56.680 --> 01:16:02.199
watched the trio enter the water there, submerged and watched

1247
01:16:02.239 --> 01:16:05.600
them from below. It wasn't going to have to hunt

1248
01:16:05.640 --> 01:16:15.319
for a while after tonight. The three of them climbed

1249
01:16:15.359 --> 01:16:19.239
on the platform one at a time. Mandy searched the

1250
01:16:19.399 --> 01:16:24.760
edges like Billy had done not long before. Angie Mandy hollered,

1251
01:16:24.760 --> 01:16:28.199
holding back as much as she dared. This isn't funny.

1252
01:16:28.359 --> 01:16:31.880
Get your bony ass up here right now. Cecil and

1253
01:16:31.960 --> 01:16:36.560
Billy listened for movement. After Mandy's command. Cecil glanced in

1254
01:16:36.600 --> 01:16:39.520
the direction of Sally's house to see if any lights

1255
01:16:39.560 --> 01:16:42.039
came on. It was still dark.

1256
01:16:43.760 --> 01:16:44.239
Damn it.

1257
01:16:44.680 --> 01:16:47.960
Mandy said. All phones were on the beach because none

1258
01:16:48.000 --> 01:16:50.399
of them were waterproof and they didn't think they would

1259
01:16:50.439 --> 01:16:53.279
be in a predicament where they would need them. They

1260
01:16:53.319 --> 01:16:56.800
honestly believed that Angie would emerge from wherever she was

1261
01:16:56.880 --> 01:16:59.960
hiding and say the joke was all on them. Now,

1262
01:17:00.159 --> 01:17:04.680
the realization of that not happening was setting in. Billy

1263
01:17:04.800 --> 01:17:08.560
was walking around the platform. Mandy approached Cecil to say

1264
01:17:08.600 --> 01:17:11.720
something when the creature burst up from the ladder and

1265
01:17:11.840 --> 01:17:16.760
on to the platform. Fuck, Mandy screamed. The creature was

1266
01:17:16.840 --> 01:17:21.000
tall over seven feet, slender, and a very dark shade

1267
01:17:21.039 --> 01:17:23.800
of green. The gill flaps on the sides of its

1268
01:17:23.840 --> 01:17:27.159
neck were pulsating. Its body was covered in scales, and

1269
01:17:27.199 --> 01:17:30.000
its hands and feet were webbed with claws as sharp

1270
01:17:30.000 --> 01:17:33.960
as its teeth, and the fucker was fast. Before Billy

1271
01:17:33.960 --> 01:17:36.279
could react, the creature grabbed him by the back of

1272
01:17:36.279 --> 01:17:39.199
his long hair and slammed him to the platform before

1273
01:17:39.279 --> 01:17:41.840
pouncing on top of him and ripping his throat out.

1274
01:17:42.520 --> 01:17:47.000
It had even more groceries to collect. Mandy and Cecil

1275
01:17:47.039 --> 01:17:49.560
didn't waste any time. They were in the water and

1276
01:17:49.600 --> 01:17:52.560
swimming for all they were worth. Mandy was screaming as

1277
01:17:52.640 --> 01:17:55.079
loud as her body would allow, with every free breath.

1278
01:17:55.640 --> 01:17:58.279
Cecil was ahead of Mandy. He heard the splash of

1279
01:17:58.359 --> 01:18:02.279
the creature diving into the water. Cecil slowed so Mandy

1280
01:18:02.279 --> 01:18:04.960
could get in front of him. Chivalry was not dead.

1281
01:18:05.560 --> 01:18:09.479
Mandy glanced back. She saw light. The lights came on

1282
01:18:09.600 --> 01:18:15.680
at Sally's house. Sally Sally shotgun. Mandy hollered as much

1283
01:18:15.680 --> 01:18:18.560
as she could while still swimming for her life. The

1284
01:18:18.600 --> 01:18:22.960
feeling in Cecil's gut was one of hopelessness. He couldn't

1285
01:18:22.960 --> 01:18:25.239
hear the creature, but he knew it was gaining on

1286
01:18:25.319 --> 01:18:29.079
them all the same, and it was so sudden. Cecil

1287
01:18:29.119 --> 01:18:31.600
watched in terror as Mandy was pulled under in front

1288
01:18:31.600 --> 01:18:34.840
of his very eyes. She was there, screaming and swimming,

1289
01:18:35.560 --> 01:18:39.399
and then she was gone.

1290
01:18:39.439 --> 01:18:41.239
Sally Sally.

1291
01:18:42.000 --> 01:18:45.359
Cecil was now hollering. He heard a car moving quickly

1292
01:18:45.399 --> 01:18:48.279
down the driveway out of Richardson's Lake. He heard the

1293
01:18:48.279 --> 01:18:52.279
screech of tires. Sally had heard them. Cecil hoped like

1294
01:18:52.359 --> 01:18:55.760
hell she brought the shotgun. Cecil was now in waste

1295
01:18:55.760 --> 01:18:58.159
deep water. He was fighting for all he was worth

1296
01:18:58.199 --> 01:19:01.039
to get to shore. Cecil could see the towel he

1297
01:19:01.079 --> 01:19:04.319
and Mandy were laying on not half an hour ago.

1298
01:19:04.840 --> 01:19:08.000
Oh no, no, no, no, Sally screamed as she ran

1299
01:19:08.000 --> 01:19:11.560
by the jeep, shotgun in hand. Cecil was now crawling

1300
01:19:11.560 --> 01:19:17.039
on the shore, almost completely out of breath. Monster Monster,

1301
01:19:17.760 --> 01:19:21.279
he said, pointing to the water behind him. Sally nodded

1302
01:19:21.319 --> 01:19:23.840
at Cecil as if to say everything was going to

1303
01:19:23.840 --> 01:19:27.880
be okay. When she raised the shotgun, Cecil turned back

1304
01:19:27.880 --> 01:19:31.000
toward the water to see where she was aiming. Was

1305
01:19:31.039 --> 01:19:34.920
the creature behind him. Sally racked the shell and pulled

1306
01:19:34.920 --> 01:19:40.079
the trigger. Cecil's head exploded like a watermelon with a

1307
01:19:40.159 --> 01:19:44.000
lit cherry bomb inside. There was no rock salt in

1308
01:19:44.039 --> 01:19:48.199
this shotgun. Sally took a seat in the dirt. She'd

1309
01:19:48.199 --> 01:19:51.079
wait until the family secret came and gathered the last

1310
01:19:51.119 --> 01:19:55.079
of his groceries. The law would find an abandoned jeep

1311
01:19:55.399 --> 01:19:58.720
some empty beer cans. Sally would be sure to empty

1312
01:19:58.760 --> 01:20:03.680
them all. No kids, they'd half asked, drag the lake.

1313
01:20:04.159 --> 01:20:06.239
Ask her a question or two, of which she would

1314
01:20:06.279 --> 01:20:10.960
be clueless. You see, Sally was asleep inside the whole time.

1315
01:20:11.479 --> 01:20:14.359
Oh and Sally would be sure to point out the

1316
01:20:14.399 --> 01:20:22.039
biggest rule of Richardson's Lake, no swimming after sundown, and

1317
01:20:22.119 --> 01:20:36.159
that reminded her to fix the fence. I was hunted

1318
01:20:36.199 --> 01:20:42.920
by a cryptid in a snowstorm by Michael Kelso. I

1319
01:20:43.039 --> 01:20:46.880
never thought it would end like this. My truck's windows

1320
01:20:46.920 --> 01:20:51.359
smashed blood all over the interior, the frigid wind and

1321
01:20:51.479 --> 01:20:55.479
snow blowing in on me as those two empty eyes

1322
01:20:56.239 --> 01:21:01.279
stared in like a predator sizing up a helpless animal

1323
01:21:02.079 --> 01:21:06.720
for the kill. It didn't start out like that, of course.

1324
01:21:07.680 --> 01:21:11.119
When I started out for my morning run, it wasn't

1325
01:21:11.119 --> 01:21:15.720
even snowing. There was snow on the ground. There had

1326
01:21:15.760 --> 01:21:18.600
been a quick storm with some squalls that left to

1327
01:21:18.680 --> 01:21:21.439
half a foot of white stuff on the roads just

1328
01:21:21.520 --> 01:21:24.960
a few days earlier. The state took care of it

1329
01:21:25.039 --> 01:21:30.319
pretty quickly, and travel was barely interrupted. Everyone went about

1330
01:21:30.359 --> 01:21:35.199
their merry way, even me. The fact that I hated

1331
01:21:35.279 --> 01:21:41.000
winter even more than driving a truck never entered my mind. Okay,

1332
01:21:41.800 --> 01:21:45.119
that was a lie. As I drove down the road,

1333
01:21:45.199 --> 01:21:48.239
I found myself looking at the small piles of snow

1334
01:21:48.359 --> 01:21:51.960
along the roadside and cursing them for not being enough

1335
01:21:52.000 --> 01:21:55.640
to cancel my run. I had to drive my truck

1336
01:21:55.720 --> 01:21:59.199
through some pretty empty places, the kind that made you

1337
01:21:59.319 --> 01:22:02.279
long for an anything to break up the monotony of

1338
01:22:02.399 --> 01:22:07.520
two lanes of asphalt surrounded by endless trees. I had

1339
01:22:07.520 --> 01:22:10.560
to drive that route quite often, and it never got

1340
01:22:10.600 --> 01:22:16.039
easier to stay awake. I would even imagine seeing odd

1341
01:22:16.079 --> 01:22:19.560
things looking out of the trees as I flew by.

1342
01:22:20.800 --> 01:22:23.399
I knew it was my mind playing tricks on me,

1343
01:22:24.039 --> 01:22:27.920
trying to scare me into staying alert and not crashing

1344
01:22:27.960 --> 01:22:31.439
the truck. If it had been a deer or bear

1345
01:22:31.800 --> 01:22:35.560
or something like that, I would have just laughed it off.

1346
01:22:36.760 --> 01:22:41.000
But this thing looked like it was out of some nightmare.

1347
01:22:42.039 --> 01:22:45.439
That's how I knew it wasn't real. There was no

1348
01:22:45.600 --> 01:22:48.760
way it could exist, so I put it out of

1349
01:22:48.800 --> 01:22:53.640
my mind and kept on driving. Fortunately, with it being

1350
01:22:53.720 --> 01:22:56.560
a two day run, I was able to pick where

1351
01:22:56.600 --> 01:23:00.399
I wanted to stay after I got my load. Tells

1352
01:23:00.439 --> 01:23:03.479
were nice, but if needed, I had the sleeper in

1353
01:23:03.560 --> 01:23:08.479
my cab, which I called Home away from Home. It

1354
01:23:08.560 --> 01:23:12.279
wasn't so bad as far as cramped spaces go. There

1355
01:23:12.399 --> 01:23:15.479
was lots of shelf space above the bunk. I had

1356
01:23:15.520 --> 01:23:18.279
a TV mounted on the wall which was hooked up

1357
01:23:18.319 --> 01:23:21.479
to a game cube. There was a DVD player with

1358
01:23:21.520 --> 01:23:24.079
an assortment of movies that I rotated out on a

1359
01:23:24.079 --> 01:23:28.640
weekly basis, and there were some paperback books Lord of

1360
01:23:28.680 --> 01:23:33.880
the Rings, Frankenstein, This Present Darkness. Along with all the

1361
01:23:33.920 --> 01:23:37.159
indie author books I had on my phone, I didn't

1362
01:23:37.199 --> 01:23:40.439
have to worry about being bored. There was always my

1363
01:23:40.560 --> 01:23:44.800
laptop that held the novels I'd started writing and never finished.

1364
01:23:45.479 --> 01:23:49.239
The only thing I really needed was food and a bathroom.

1365
01:23:49.640 --> 01:23:53.880
I had snacks stashed around, sometimes in places even I

1366
01:23:53.960 --> 01:23:57.640
didn't find for months, but it couldn't compare to a

1367
01:23:57.720 --> 01:24:01.439
nice hot meal. I had my favorite stops on the road,

1368
01:24:01.840 --> 01:24:05.479
and they all had two things in common, good food

1369
01:24:05.960 --> 01:24:10.279
and a quiet place to park and sleep. I didn't

1370
01:24:10.399 --> 01:24:14.399
like having my trucks squashed up against other trucks, wondering

1371
01:24:14.399 --> 01:24:16.359
if I would be able to get my door open

1372
01:24:16.399 --> 01:24:19.920
if they parked like an idiot. I liked parking near

1373
01:24:19.960 --> 01:24:23.680
the outskirts of any lot. It was more private and

1374
01:24:23.800 --> 01:24:27.239
I didn't feel as hemmed in. Of course, there was

1375
01:24:27.319 --> 01:24:31.039
a trade off. More privacy meant walking further to get

1376
01:24:31.079 --> 01:24:34.840
to the truck stop, sometimes a lot further, but I

1377
01:24:35.000 --> 01:24:38.600
used that to my advantage. Nothing like a nice long

1378
01:24:38.680 --> 01:24:41.279
walk to get the blood flowing to all those muscles

1379
01:24:41.720 --> 01:24:46.000
I didn't use when driving. Unfortunately, the place was a

1380
01:24:46.159 --> 01:24:49.680
local mom and pop operation, which meant they didn't have

1381
01:24:49.720 --> 01:24:52.199
the money to stay open twenty four hours a day.

1382
01:24:53.159 --> 01:24:55.600
Usually I would pull my truck into my spot in

1383
01:24:55.640 --> 01:24:58.720
the evening, go get supper at the lunch counter, then

1384
01:24:58.840 --> 01:25:02.640
grab supplies for the I'd always go inside one last

1385
01:25:02.680 --> 01:25:06.159
time to use the restroom just before they closed at midnight.

1386
01:25:07.039 --> 01:25:10.840
That evening, I followed the same pattern, pulled in, walked

1387
01:25:10.880 --> 01:25:13.760
to the store, got some supper, and went back in

1388
01:25:13.920 --> 01:25:17.680
around eleven thirty for the restroom and supplies before going

1389
01:25:17.720 --> 01:25:21.560
back to my truck and falling asleep. Normally I tried

1390
01:25:21.560 --> 01:25:24.840
to keep a good watch on upcoming weather. For whatever

1391
01:25:24.920 --> 01:25:28.680
reason I hadn't that day. I woke up around eight

1392
01:25:28.680 --> 01:25:32.079
a m. And looked out to a sea of white.

1393
01:25:33.000 --> 01:25:36.720
It had snowed, and it had snowed hard. It looked

1394
01:25:36.760 --> 01:25:39.119
like someone wanted to make up for the snow quote

1395
01:25:39.119 --> 01:25:42.039
of this winter and did it all in just eight hours.

1396
01:25:42.640 --> 01:25:45.079
I dressed in my cold weather gear and went out

1397
01:25:45.119 --> 01:25:47.880
to see how bad it was and if my truck

1398
01:25:47.920 --> 01:25:51.439
would be going anywhere today. When I jumped out of

1399
01:25:51.520 --> 01:25:55.520
the cab, my legs disappeared. There was at least two

1400
01:25:55.560 --> 01:25:58.319
feet of snow on the ground and it was still

1401
01:25:58.359 --> 01:26:01.880
putting it down. I trudged around the truck to make

1402
01:26:01.920 --> 01:26:05.560
sure everything was okay, then got back in the cab,

1403
01:26:06.000 --> 01:26:09.680
brushing off as much snow as I could. First, I

1404
01:26:09.760 --> 01:26:12.600
climbed into the bunk and turned on the news to

1405
01:26:12.680 --> 01:26:17.880
the announcement that a major blizzard had hit the area. Wow,

1406
01:26:18.319 --> 01:26:24.520
I thought, Wow, I thought, that is some great investigative reporting.

1407
01:26:24.600 --> 01:26:28.560
Right there, they were calling for another foot before the

1408
01:26:28.640 --> 01:26:33.199
snow stopped. Great time to call the boss and get

1409
01:26:33.239 --> 01:26:38.039
my ear chewed off. Why can't you get here, he growled.

1410
01:26:38.800 --> 01:26:43.560
There's this stuff called snow, I said. It lands on

1411
01:26:43.600 --> 01:26:48.960
the ground and piles up until it begins to impede travel.

1412
01:26:50.000 --> 01:26:52.600
All right, smart ass, when do you think you can

1413
01:26:52.640 --> 01:26:56.520
be here? Well, seeing that I haven't even seen a

1414
01:26:56.680 --> 01:27:00.159
snowplow go by, and I'm sitting in a parking lot

1415
01:27:00.199 --> 01:27:03.760
that probably won't get plowed until much later than the

1416
01:27:03.880 --> 01:27:06.840
highways on top of the fact that my tires are

1417
01:27:06.920 --> 01:27:10.600
nearly bald, even though I've been telling you for months

1418
01:27:10.680 --> 01:27:15.600
they needed changed, I'd say, I have no earthly clue.

1419
01:27:15.680 --> 01:27:19.920
When you'll see your precious cargo. He was silent for

1420
01:27:20.000 --> 01:27:25.920
a long moment. Do you like your job, he said,

1421
01:27:26.000 --> 01:27:32.399
through barely restrained fury. Not particularly, I said, then added,

1422
01:27:33.239 --> 01:27:37.000
when the weather's like this, you might want to update

1423
01:27:37.039 --> 01:27:42.720
your resume. With that, the line went dead. Thank you

1424
01:27:42.800 --> 01:27:46.199
for your support, I said to the no longer connected

1425
01:27:46.239 --> 01:27:50.800
cell phone. I settled back in, turned off the TV,

1426
01:27:51.079 --> 01:27:54.560
and went back to sleep. When I first started out

1427
01:27:54.600 --> 01:27:57.199
in trucking, a fellow driver gave me a tip that

1428
01:27:57.560 --> 01:28:00.840
I never forgot. Anytime, when you have a chance to

1429
01:28:00.880 --> 01:28:04.760
get some rest, take it. That little tidbit helped me

1430
01:28:04.840 --> 01:28:08.720
tremendously over the years. A little extra sleep means a

1431
01:28:08.760 --> 01:28:16.680
lot less coffee. When I woke a few hours later

1432
01:28:16.760 --> 01:28:21.000
and peeked outside, it was still snowing. I looked out

1433
01:28:21.000 --> 01:28:24.680
my driver's side window and even my tracks were gone.

1434
01:28:25.800 --> 01:28:28.760
I was feeling the call of nature and decided to

1435
01:28:28.800 --> 01:28:31.279
brave the elements to take the trek to the truck

1436
01:28:31.319 --> 01:28:35.279
stop for some relief. I felt a little silly for

1437
01:28:35.359 --> 01:28:39.720
putting on all my cold weather gear, including gloves and goggles.

1438
01:28:40.279 --> 01:28:44.079
That feeling didn't last long. It was snowing so hard

1439
01:28:44.119 --> 01:28:47.079
I couldn't even see the truck stop. I drew an

1440
01:28:47.119 --> 01:28:50.159
invisible line with the side of my truck, aimed in

1441
01:28:50.239 --> 01:28:54.880
that direction, and started walking. I never read Call of

1442
01:28:54.920 --> 01:28:59.319
the Wild. I never saw Alive. Maybe if I had,

1443
01:28:59.720 --> 01:29:02.319
I wouldn't have been so eager to throw myself out

1444
01:29:02.359 --> 01:29:06.640
into this blizzard just to go pee. Trudging through the

1445
01:29:06.680 --> 01:29:10.319
snow and the driving wind was growing old quickly, I

1446
01:29:10.399 --> 01:29:12.680
felt like I should have reached the truck stop by now.

1447
01:29:13.199 --> 01:29:17.079
I paused and looked around. Two realizations hit me at

1448
01:29:17.079 --> 01:29:21.960
the same time. First, I couldn't see the truck stop. Second,

1449
01:29:22.800 --> 01:29:28.520
I could no longer see the truck. As a lovely addition,

1450
01:29:29.439 --> 01:29:34.239
my tracks were quickly disappearing. I tried to focus on

1451
01:29:34.359 --> 01:29:38.039
my path toward the truck stop and begin trudging again.

1452
01:29:39.479 --> 01:29:44.199
Fifteen minutes later, I believe, by sheer luck, I saw

1453
01:29:44.239 --> 01:29:49.640
the store appear off to the right. My track hadn't

1454
01:29:49.680 --> 01:29:52.479
been dead on, but I was close enough to find

1455
01:29:52.520 --> 01:29:55.880
the place. My winter gear was starting to fail me,

1456
01:29:56.560 --> 01:29:59.680
especially with the wind. Finding all the little places it

1457
01:29:59.720 --> 01:30:04.880
could to inject frigid air. As I approached, I breathed

1458
01:30:04.880 --> 01:30:07.359
a sigh of relief at getting in out of the cold,

1459
01:30:08.159 --> 01:30:12.560
not to mention a massive cup of steaming hot coffee.

1460
01:30:12.680 --> 01:30:16.399
I reached for the door, but it refused to open.

1461
01:30:19.239 --> 01:30:24.640
Maybe it was frozen shut. I pulled harder, but nothing happened.

1462
01:30:25.760 --> 01:30:29.239
I looked in through the glass and saw no lights on.

1463
01:30:30.319 --> 01:30:34.840
It struck me how the walkway wasn't shoveled either. Oh no,

1464
01:30:35.640 --> 01:30:40.800
I thought the storm has them stuck at home. My

1465
01:30:40.960 --> 01:30:45.359
hopes for a nice, warm toilet and a steaming hot

1466
01:30:45.399 --> 01:30:50.399
cup of coffee plummeted. I took one last forlorn look

1467
01:30:50.439 --> 01:30:54.640
at the dark store and turned back toward my truck.

1468
01:30:56.840 --> 01:31:02.960
My disappointment grew as I realized my tracks were gone.

1469
01:31:04.159 --> 01:31:08.119
I was now snowblind and navigating without a compass or

1470
01:31:08.319 --> 01:31:12.600
any means of direction. I tried to draw an invisible

1471
01:31:12.640 --> 01:31:15.720
line with the outer wall of the store and hoped

1472
01:31:15.760 --> 01:31:19.279
it would lead me back to the truck. I felt

1473
01:31:19.279 --> 01:31:23.119
my cold, wet feet protest as I headed back toward

1474
01:31:23.239 --> 01:31:27.479
the warmth of my truck. I hugged my jacket, attempting

1475
01:31:27.560 --> 01:31:30.800
to keep the wind out. The snow was up past

1476
01:31:30.880 --> 01:31:36.239
my knees now and seemed like trudging through mud. In retrospect,

1477
01:31:36.319 --> 01:31:38.039
it would have been better for me to wait in

1478
01:31:38.079 --> 01:31:41.319
the truck until I saw a snowplow in the parking lot.

1479
01:31:42.000 --> 01:31:45.319
I had plenty of empty tea bottles for bathroom emergencies,

1480
01:31:46.239 --> 01:31:49.760
but there was no use chiding myself now. I had

1481
01:31:49.800 --> 01:31:52.600
to get back to the truck to keep this mistake

1482
01:31:53.239 --> 01:31:56.880
from becoming a fatal one. If I got lost and

1483
01:31:57.000 --> 01:32:00.239
couldn't find the truck, no one would come looking for me.

1484
01:32:01.039 --> 01:32:04.760
They might not find my frozen body until the spring thaw.

1485
01:32:05.640 --> 01:32:09.720
That was a cheery thought, as if my journey hadn't

1486
01:32:09.760 --> 01:32:13.880
been hard enough. After a while, something caught my foot

1487
01:32:14.319 --> 01:32:18.319
and sent me sprawling face first into the snow. I

1488
01:32:18.399 --> 01:32:21.359
struggled to wright myself and quickly wipe the snow from

1489
01:32:21.359 --> 01:32:26.319
my face, silently thanking God that I had worn my goggles.

1490
01:32:26.880 --> 01:32:31.319
I tried to get my bearings again, but curiosity nagged

1491
01:32:31.359 --> 01:32:34.279
at me. What had I tripped on in the middle

1492
01:32:34.319 --> 01:32:38.800
of a parking lot. I dug down and discovered the

1493
01:32:38.840 --> 01:32:44.399
offending object. It was a parking space barrier. I chuckled

1494
01:32:44.439 --> 01:32:48.079
for a moment until I realized to my horror that

1495
01:32:48.199 --> 01:32:51.000
I should never have come near any of these in

1496
01:32:51.079 --> 01:32:54.520
the middle of the parking lot. In fact, the straight

1497
01:32:54.600 --> 01:32:57.319
trail from the store to the truck would have been

1498
01:32:57.359 --> 01:33:00.800
a couple of dozen yards to the right the barrier

1499
01:33:00.840 --> 01:33:04.159
I had tripped on. I scraped the rest of it

1500
01:33:04.199 --> 01:33:07.960
off and saw it was running nearly parallel to my path.

1501
01:33:08.960 --> 01:33:12.840
I had veered off course badly. The bright side was

1502
01:33:13.439 --> 01:33:16.439
I now had a point of reference and hopefully could

1503
01:33:16.479 --> 01:33:20.800
correct my course. I looked around and found myself adrift

1504
01:33:20.840 --> 01:33:25.119
in a sea of white. The store had disappeared and

1505
01:33:25.199 --> 01:33:28.720
the truck was nowhere to be found. I took a

1506
01:33:28.720 --> 01:33:32.000
deep breath and used the barrier to aim toward where

1507
01:33:32.000 --> 01:33:36.000
the truck should be. I remembered one key fact in

1508
01:33:36.039 --> 01:33:40.439
the process. These barriers lined the edge of the parking lot,

1509
01:33:41.000 --> 01:33:45.319
and just past them was a drop off. In retrospect,

1510
01:33:45.359 --> 01:33:47.680
it was lucky I had tripped on it instead of

1511
01:33:47.680 --> 01:33:50.439
stepping over it and rolling down a hill that I

1512
01:33:50.520 --> 01:33:54.159
might never make it back up again. I turned to

1513
01:33:54.199 --> 01:33:57.119
aim myself where I thought my truck was, when out

1514
01:33:57.119 --> 01:33:59.920
of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw

1515
01:34:00.000 --> 01:34:06.239
a shadow of a figure walk by. Due to the

1516
01:34:06.279 --> 01:34:10.520
blowing snow visibility was almost impossible more than a few

1517
01:34:10.600 --> 01:34:14.039
yards away, making it hard for me to be certain.

1518
01:34:15.159 --> 01:34:18.199
It could have just been my imagination. I had been

1519
01:34:18.199 --> 01:34:21.159
out in the cold for much longer than I planned,

1520
01:34:21.520 --> 01:34:23.439
and it was time to get back to the truck.

1521
01:34:24.159 --> 01:34:26.600
I was suddenly reminded why I got out of the

1522
01:34:26.640 --> 01:34:30.560
truck to begin with. I had to peace so badly.

1523
01:34:31.560 --> 01:34:34.439
I did a quick look and saw nothing but snow,

1524
01:34:34.520 --> 01:34:37.760
so I whipped it out and let it go. I

1525
01:34:37.840 --> 01:34:40.760
think whipped it out was a bit of an oversimplification.

1526
01:34:41.600 --> 01:34:45.039
I fought to unzip my frozen zipper as my bladder

1527
01:34:45.159 --> 01:34:47.680
screamed a full red alert that it was about to

1528
01:34:47.720 --> 01:34:50.960
release the floodgates, whether I was ready or not. I

1529
01:34:51.079 --> 01:34:54.039
finally got it out and started the yellow stream. When

1530
01:34:54.079 --> 01:34:58.920
the wind shifted direction, sending it spraying all over my pants.

1531
01:34:59.479 --> 01:35:02.560
I quickly he turned so that the stream was down wind.

1532
01:35:03.159 --> 01:35:05.520
When I finished, I looked down at the front of

1533
01:35:05.520 --> 01:35:11.119
my now wet pants and swore internally, yet another reason

1534
01:35:11.159 --> 01:35:15.520
to find the truck. Quickly, Wet pants turned to frozen pants,

1535
01:35:16.000 --> 01:35:19.880
turned to dangerous pants. I looked down at the barrier,

1536
01:35:20.399 --> 01:35:24.439
now covered in flecks of yellow snow, and started on

1537
01:35:24.600 --> 01:35:28.279
my new course. The snow had not let up one bit,

1538
01:35:28.800 --> 01:35:32.039
and my energy started to wane. Even though I had

1539
01:35:32.119 --> 01:35:36.560
just been standing around for the last ten minutes, trudging

1540
01:35:36.600 --> 01:35:40.439
through nearly waist high snow was making me more tired

1541
01:35:40.520 --> 01:35:43.760
than I had been in a long time. The wind

1542
01:35:43.880 --> 01:35:47.399
rushing in my ears tore away my hearing. There wasn't

1543
01:35:47.439 --> 01:35:50.399
anything out here to listen to, and yet I thought

1544
01:35:50.399 --> 01:35:56.920
I heard something. I looked around but only saw white.

1545
01:35:58.720 --> 01:36:01.279
Was this my mind starting to play tricks on me,

1546
01:36:01.399 --> 01:36:03.800
like it did when I was driving and thought I

1547
01:36:03.880 --> 01:36:07.359
saw the creature that doesn't exist peeking out at me

1548
01:36:07.439 --> 01:36:11.560
from the trees. I turned back to my imagined destination,

1549
01:36:12.239 --> 01:36:15.640
wondering if delusions were the first step and freezing to death.

1550
01:36:16.560 --> 01:36:19.439
As if to answer, the wind hit me with a

1551
01:36:19.520 --> 01:36:24.039
solid gust, knocking me down. If I didn't know better,

1552
01:36:24.079 --> 01:36:26.520
I'd swear I felt a giant hand in the middle

1553
01:36:26.520 --> 01:36:30.319
of my back before I fell. I looked up and

1554
01:36:30.399 --> 01:36:36.079
saw nothing but snow swirling around, making many tornadoes. I

1555
01:36:36.199 --> 01:36:39.600
chuckled at the irony of them being called snow devils.

1556
01:36:40.119 --> 01:36:44.680
I guess my own personal snow devil was pushing me around.

1557
01:36:45.600 --> 01:36:48.760
I got up and started for the truck again. Every

1558
01:36:48.840 --> 01:36:53.079
step felt like my feet were encased in concrete. I

1559
01:36:53.159 --> 01:36:57.119
plodded on, trying to pull from whatever reserve energy I

1560
01:36:57.239 --> 01:37:02.119
had to keep going. I couldn't die in the middle

1561
01:37:02.119 --> 01:37:05.079
of a parking lot, just yards away from my nice,

1562
01:37:05.439 --> 01:37:11.279
warm truck. That would be the ultimate irony. I walked on,

1563
01:37:11.560 --> 01:37:15.960
barely conscious, wanting only my eighteen wheeled safe harbor from

1564
01:37:16.000 --> 01:37:21.159
this merciless storm. My head was down. I wasn't even

1565
01:37:21.279 --> 01:37:26.199
looking any more. It didn't make any difference. I knew

1566
01:37:27.199 --> 01:37:30.479
I would never find it. I knew it was like

1567
01:37:30.600 --> 01:37:33.960
looking for a needle in a field of haystacks. There

1568
01:37:34.039 --> 01:37:37.159
was no way I would ever get back. I slammed

1569
01:37:37.199 --> 01:37:41.000
into something and fell back. The snow was so deep

1570
01:37:41.039 --> 01:37:43.880
I just lay there like a turtle, unable to get

1571
01:37:43.880 --> 01:37:48.159
off my back. I looked up and saw the thing

1572
01:37:48.199 --> 01:37:51.279
that had hit me was the back corner of the truck,

1573
01:37:52.760 --> 01:37:55.439
two feet to the right, and I would have missed it.

1574
01:37:56.479 --> 01:38:00.399
I smiled, but it took a lot of energy. I

1575
01:38:00.479 --> 01:38:04.319
focused everything I had into getting up. Adrenaline took care

1576
01:38:04.359 --> 01:38:06.960
of the rest. I marched up to the driver's side

1577
01:38:07.000 --> 01:38:09.720
door and reached into my pocket for the key to

1578
01:38:09.800 --> 01:38:15.840
unlock it. I couldn't find the key. I ripped off

1579
01:38:15.880 --> 01:38:21.920
my glove and searched again. Still no key. Despair smothered

1580
01:38:21.920 --> 01:38:24.279
my mind. If I had dropped it one of the

1581
01:38:24.319 --> 01:38:27.640
times I fell in the snow, it was lost forever,

1582
01:38:28.520 --> 01:38:32.800
and so was I. I leaned against the truck door,

1583
01:38:33.840 --> 01:38:38.520
so close yet so far I could almost feel the

1584
01:38:38.600 --> 01:38:41.960
heat through it. I smashed my fist into my leg

1585
01:38:42.039 --> 01:38:45.239
in frustration, but felt more pain than I should have.

1586
01:38:46.319 --> 01:38:50.960
I patted the other pocket and felt a lump. I

1587
01:38:51.039 --> 01:38:53.760
tore off my other glove and reached into the pocket,

1588
01:38:54.119 --> 01:38:56.119
pulling out the holiest of holies.

1589
01:38:57.439 --> 01:38:58.159
The key.

1590
01:39:00.239 --> 01:39:03.520
Streamed down my face and quickly froze. As I stuck

1591
01:39:03.560 --> 01:39:06.640
the key in the lock and opened the door. It

1592
01:39:06.680 --> 01:39:09.159
took every ounce of energy I had left to climb

1593
01:39:09.239 --> 01:39:13.039
up into the cab and collapse into the driver's seat.

1594
01:39:14.079 --> 01:39:17.680
A wave of heat washed over me. For the longest time.

1595
01:39:18.119 --> 01:39:20.920
I just sat there until I mustered the strength to

1596
01:39:20.960 --> 01:39:25.039
start pulling off my cold weather gear, one piece at

1597
01:39:25.039 --> 01:39:28.720
a time. I threw them into the passenger seat until

1598
01:39:28.720 --> 01:39:32.560
I sat in my underwear only. I leaned my seat

1599
01:39:32.640 --> 01:39:36.000
back and basked in the warmth that flowed over me

1600
01:39:36.640 --> 01:39:41.119
like a wave from the ocean. I imagined sitting on a beach,

1601
01:39:41.199 --> 01:39:45.600
with the sun shining down on me and the water beckoning.

1602
01:39:47.159 --> 01:39:51.439
I fell asleep like this. I woke to a sore

1603
01:39:51.600 --> 01:39:54.760
back and stretched as best I could in my seat,

1604
01:39:55.560 --> 01:39:59.399
then looked out the windshield. The snow seemed to have

1605
01:39:59.479 --> 01:40:01.880
let up a lit little bit, and the wind wasn't

1606
01:40:01.920 --> 01:40:06.159
nearly as fierce as before. There was still no sign

1607
01:40:06.199 --> 01:40:08.479
of a plow, and there was no way I was

1608
01:40:08.520 --> 01:40:13.119
getting anywhere without one. Off in the distance, I could

1609
01:40:13.159 --> 01:40:17.319
almost see the outline of the store. I wasn't going

1610
01:40:17.359 --> 01:40:20.920
there again until the parking lot was plowed, but looking

1611
01:40:20.960 --> 01:40:25.159
around I couldn't imagine how long that might be. There

1612
01:40:25.239 --> 01:40:28.359
was at least three feet of snow already on the ground,

1613
01:40:28.920 --> 01:40:32.479
and it was still putting some down. I crawled into

1614
01:40:32.479 --> 01:40:36.720
the bunk and covered up for a serious nap. Hours later,

1615
01:40:36.800 --> 01:40:40.159
I was starting to feel refreshed. I rolled over and

1616
01:40:40.199 --> 01:40:43.920
turned on the TV, trying to see how bad things were.

1617
01:40:45.119 --> 01:40:48.560
I couldn't even pick up the local station, so I

1618
01:40:48.640 --> 01:40:52.279
stuck in a movie. After it was done, I decided

1619
01:40:52.319 --> 01:40:55.920
I should probably take stock of my supplies, since I

1620
01:40:56.159 --> 01:41:01.560
might be here for a while. I had plenty of snacks, chips, pretzels,

1621
01:41:01.560 --> 01:41:05.600
and jerky, among other things. As long as I didn't binge,

1622
01:41:05.680 --> 01:41:08.479
I should have been fine. I had drinks in the

1623
01:41:08.520 --> 01:41:12.520
mini fridge too, but water wasn't a concern. All I

1624
01:41:12.560 --> 01:41:15.239
had to do was bring some snow inside and melt it.

1625
01:41:16.159 --> 01:41:18.560
I only needed to check one last thing to make

1626
01:41:18.600 --> 01:41:21.640
sure I could outlast this storm. I looked at the

1627
01:41:21.680 --> 01:41:25.880
fuel gauge. I rubbed my eyes and looked at the

1628
01:41:25.920 --> 01:41:32.199
gauge again. I only had a quarter tank left. That

1629
01:41:32.600 --> 01:41:37.680
might last, and it might not, depending on how long

1630
01:41:37.760 --> 01:41:41.960
it took to get plowed out. Obviously, once the plow

1631
01:41:42.079 --> 01:41:44.720
freed me, I could drive a hundred yards or so

1632
01:41:44.840 --> 01:41:48.039
to a gas pump. As I was looking at the

1633
01:41:48.079 --> 01:41:52.439
fuel gauge, my eyes drifted to the windshield and the

1634
01:41:52.479 --> 01:41:54.840
field of white that stretched out in front of me.

1635
01:41:56.520 --> 01:42:01.000
The snow had finally stopped. How long that would last?

1636
01:42:01.800 --> 01:42:06.439
I had no idea. I could finally see the store clearly,

1637
01:42:07.159 --> 01:42:10.880
but I could also see clearly that it remained closed.

1638
01:42:11.760 --> 01:42:14.359
It was hard to believe anyone would be plowing that

1639
01:42:14.479 --> 01:42:18.600
amount of snow anywhere. I guess that's why they had

1640
01:42:18.640 --> 01:42:21.119
the drop off along the edges of the parking lot.

1641
01:42:22.520 --> 01:42:27.560
As I softly chuckled at my realization, my eyes caught movement.

1642
01:42:28.880 --> 01:42:31.760
There was some kind of animal walking around in the

1643
01:42:31.800 --> 01:42:35.399
parking lot. At first, I thought it was a deer

1644
01:42:35.640 --> 01:42:38.920
because of the wide horns on its head, But the

1645
01:42:39.000 --> 01:42:44.800
longer I looked, the more I realized this creature was

1646
01:42:44.880 --> 01:42:49.680
something else. It seemed bigger than any deer I'd ever seen.

1647
01:42:50.720 --> 01:42:53.840
Its torso rode above the snow like it was a ship.

1648
01:42:54.640 --> 01:42:57.840
Its face looked like it had wasted away to bare skull,

1649
01:42:58.439 --> 01:43:02.279
and it had massive teeth that went far beyond its jaw.

1650
01:43:03.760 --> 01:43:08.840
It was rather haunting to look at It was sniffing

1651
01:43:08.880 --> 01:43:12.359
around in the snow. The more I thought about it,

1652
01:43:12.399 --> 01:43:16.800
I began to realize that was probably the spot where

1653
01:43:16.840 --> 01:43:21.159
I had taken a leak. I was mesmerized and horrified

1654
01:43:21.199 --> 01:43:24.800
by this thing at the same time. I was nearly

1655
01:43:24.880 --> 01:43:28.479
convinced my mind was playing a trick on me. When

1656
01:43:28.520 --> 01:43:32.399
it looked right at me and my blood turned to ice.

1657
01:43:33.880 --> 01:43:37.159
Its look pierced my soul and made me wish I'd

1658
01:43:37.199 --> 01:43:40.439
never come to this place. When it took its first

1659
01:43:40.479 --> 01:43:43.960
step in my direction, I dove back into the sleeper

1660
01:43:44.000 --> 01:43:47.720
and drew the curtain. I shook for reasons that had

1661
01:43:47.760 --> 01:43:51.039
nothing to do with the temperature, and was breathing in

1662
01:43:51.119 --> 01:43:57.520
panicked gasps. What was that thing? Did I really see

1663
01:43:57.640 --> 01:44:01.720
what I thought I saw? How could a creature like

1664
01:44:01.800 --> 01:44:05.479
that exist? I tried to settle down and get my

1665
01:44:05.560 --> 01:44:09.199
breathing back to normal, but my mind refused to let

1666
01:44:09.239 --> 01:44:15.239
go of the image of that thing. It's just my imagination,

1667
01:44:15.920 --> 01:44:20.319
I told myself. It's just a deer roaming around out there.

1668
01:44:21.399 --> 01:44:26.239
I told myself that same thing over and over until

1669
01:44:26.279 --> 01:44:32.159
my mind finally believed it. However, I didn't look through

1670
01:44:32.199 --> 01:44:35.560
the curtain to confirm it. I didn't call it denial.

1671
01:44:36.159 --> 01:44:41.279
I called it not pushing my luck. I pulled out

1672
01:44:41.319 --> 01:44:44.640
a pack of cheese crackers and turned on the first

1673
01:44:44.680 --> 01:44:50.479
Diehard movie to try and forget about the deer outside.

1674
01:44:50.520 --> 01:44:53.159
I was fifteen minutes into the movie when I felt

1675
01:44:53.199 --> 01:44:59.199
the first nudge. I didn't know what else to call it.

1676
01:44:59.199 --> 01:45:03.319
It felt like some something just nudged my truck. It

1677
01:45:03.399 --> 01:45:06.600
was almost like when a strong wind gust pushed the cab,

1678
01:45:07.760 --> 01:45:13.560
but I didn't hear any wind outside the two sides

1679
01:45:13.600 --> 01:45:16.640
of my mind engaged in a shouting match over whether

1680
01:45:16.760 --> 01:45:20.439
I should check it out or ignore it. Fear through

1681
01:45:20.439 --> 01:45:24.239
its own two cents in and ignore it one out

1682
01:45:25.399 --> 01:45:30.760
until the second nudge. Actually it was like the fifth

1683
01:45:30.840 --> 01:45:35.439
or sixth nudge, until curiosity took over and made me

1684
01:45:35.560 --> 01:45:40.079
go take a look. I peeked through the curtain and

1685
01:45:40.159 --> 01:45:45.560
didn't see anything but snow through the windshield. I climbed

1686
01:45:45.600 --> 01:45:49.800
out and looked through the passenger window, but saw nothing.

1687
01:45:50.600 --> 01:45:54.119
I chided myself for my skittishness when I looked through

1688
01:45:54.159 --> 01:45:58.239
the driver's side window and saw a set of horns.

1689
01:45:59.439 --> 01:46:05.199
I rubbed my eyes and looked again, but they were gone.

1690
01:46:05.399 --> 01:46:07.960
There were tracks in the snow that looked like deer,

1691
01:46:08.840 --> 01:46:16.239
only bigger. Or was that my imagination carrying me away again?

1692
01:46:17.720 --> 01:46:19.880
I looked in the rear view mirror and saw the

1693
01:46:19.920 --> 01:46:24.479
creature poking at my tires with its horns. I was

1694
01:46:24.560 --> 01:46:28.159
fairly sure it couldn't puncture one with just horns, but

1695
01:46:29.119 --> 01:46:32.840
I didn't want to chance it. I reached down and

1696
01:46:32.880 --> 01:46:36.640
grabbed my club and opened the door to scare it away,

1697
01:46:37.880 --> 01:46:43.680
but again it was gone. I was beginning to question

1698
01:46:43.920 --> 01:46:49.680
my sanity. Was this thing real? Was it my mind

1699
01:46:49.760 --> 01:46:54.439
playing tricks on me? Or was the creature toying with me,

1700
01:46:55.680 --> 01:46:59.640
drawing me out of the truck. I closed the door

1701
01:46:59.640 --> 01:47:03.199
and went back to my movie, but I couldn't get

1702
01:47:03.239 --> 01:47:07.119
that creature out of my head. I was on pins

1703
01:47:07.159 --> 01:47:16.079
and needles, waiting, listening, anticipating the next nudge. Before the

1704
01:47:16.159 --> 01:47:26.239
movie was over, I fell into a fitful sleep. I

1705
01:47:26.319 --> 01:47:30.039
was in a tall building and there were bad guys everywhere.

1706
01:47:30.600 --> 01:47:33.560
I had a machine gun, but had been better served

1707
01:47:33.640 --> 01:47:36.960
hiding and picking them off one by one. I was

1708
01:47:37.000 --> 01:47:39.680
sneaking up on one who was standing guard on an

1709
01:47:39.720 --> 01:47:44.840
isolated floor when I turned the corner and there stood

1710
01:47:44.960 --> 01:47:49.520
the deer creature. It was massive, standing on its hind

1711
01:47:49.600 --> 01:47:53.760
legs and its horns scraping the ceiling. It looked at

1712
01:47:53.840 --> 01:47:57.359
me with those empty eye sockets from its bare skull face.

1713
01:47:58.439 --> 01:48:01.840
It made a sound that was half grunt, half howl,

1714
01:48:02.920 --> 01:48:08.000
then started towards me. I backed away around the corner,

1715
01:48:08.319 --> 01:48:11.359
trying to get back to my hiding space, but as

1716
01:48:11.399 --> 01:48:14.960
I turned to run, suddenly the creature was in front

1717
01:48:14.960 --> 01:48:17.680
of me. I pulled up my machine gun and started

1718
01:48:17.720 --> 01:48:21.159
firing short bursts. I hid it in the chest, but

1719
01:48:21.279 --> 01:48:24.000
it kept coming. As I backed away, I shot it

1720
01:48:24.079 --> 01:48:27.000
several times in the head. I watched as chunks of

1721
01:48:27.079 --> 01:48:31.880
bone flew, but it kept coming as if it didn't care.

1722
01:48:32.920 --> 01:48:35.560
I shot at its legs, hoping to throw it off balance,

1723
01:48:36.359 --> 01:48:39.960
but it had no effect. As if it had had enough,

1724
01:48:40.359 --> 01:48:43.239
it charged, pinning me to a wall with its horns.

1725
01:48:43.600 --> 01:48:45.960
I looked down as the blood began to seep from

1726
01:48:45.960 --> 01:48:50.119
my belly around its antlers. It pulled back and charged

1727
01:48:50.159 --> 01:48:54.159
me again and again, sending shock waves of pain through

1728
01:48:54.159 --> 01:48:59.199
my body and crushing my spine. It pulled back and

1729
01:48:59.239 --> 01:49:03.319
allowed me to to the floor. Blood pulled around me.

1730
01:49:03.399 --> 01:49:06.760
As I tried to crawl away from the creature, I

1731
01:49:06.800 --> 01:49:10.520
could only use my arms. I couldn't feel anything below

1732
01:49:10.560 --> 01:49:15.279
my waist, which was a partial blessing because it cut

1733
01:49:15.319 --> 01:49:19.520
my pain in half. After I had crawled a few feet,

1734
01:49:20.039 --> 01:49:23.039
I suppose it had enough of toying with me. It

1735
01:49:23.119 --> 01:49:26.359
stomped its foot down on my neck so hard I

1736
01:49:26.399 --> 01:49:30.560
heard a snap and my arms went dead. I could

1737
01:49:30.640 --> 01:49:34.800
feel it tear into my back, ripping away pieces of meat.

1738
01:49:35.800 --> 01:49:39.880
I could hear the sickening, chewing and slurping as I

1739
01:49:40.000 --> 01:49:54.279
was eaten alive. I woke with a start, sweat pouring

1740
01:49:54.359 --> 01:49:58.680
from my forehead and looked around the sleeper cab, trying

1741
01:49:58.720 --> 01:50:02.600
to find the creature that was me to pieces. After

1742
01:50:02.640 --> 01:50:06.359
a few seconds, I came to the realization it had

1743
01:50:06.399 --> 01:50:10.359
been a nightmare. I turned off my DVD player and

1744
01:50:10.479 --> 01:50:13.239
stuck my head out through the curtain to check on

1745
01:50:13.359 --> 01:50:18.000
my fuel situation. The needle was well below the quarter mark,

1746
01:50:18.600 --> 01:50:21.840
almost down to an eighth. I looked out through the

1747
01:50:21.880 --> 01:50:26.960
windshield and the snow had not magically melted. In fact,

1748
01:50:27.560 --> 01:50:30.039
the wind had picked up and now it was starting

1749
01:50:30.039 --> 01:50:33.479
to drift. There was once an even field of snow,

1750
01:50:34.279 --> 01:50:38.079
Now there were peaks and valleys forming like dunes in

1751
01:50:38.119 --> 01:50:42.119
the desert. The store was still dark and there was

1752
01:50:42.199 --> 01:50:46.279
no traffic moving on the road. The sun was riding

1753
01:50:46.359 --> 01:50:49.119
low in the sky, and I had yet to see

1754
01:50:49.159 --> 01:50:53.680
another living soul. I wondered if my fuel would last

1755
01:50:53.760 --> 01:50:57.800
until a plow could rescue me. Soon I would have

1756
01:50:57.920 --> 01:51:03.000
to give some serious thought to conserving. It was an ideal.

1757
01:51:03.760 --> 01:51:06.359
The thought of bundling up and blankets in the dark,

1758
01:51:06.439 --> 01:51:09.920
with no heater and no TV to watch wasn't exciting

1759
01:51:09.960 --> 01:51:12.920
to me, but it was better than waiting until my

1760
01:51:13.039 --> 01:51:17.359
fuel ran out and I froze to death. As I

1761
01:51:17.479 --> 01:51:20.279
killed the engine. I chided myself for not coming up

1762
01:51:20.279 --> 01:51:23.920
with this plan sooner. I would have conserved fuel when

1763
01:51:23.920 --> 01:51:27.680
the sun was out and the temperatures were higher. Now

1764
01:51:27.720 --> 01:51:30.880
I was going to pay for my lack of foresight.

1765
01:51:31.840 --> 01:51:34.199
I dug out every blanket I had stored in my

1766
01:51:34.279 --> 01:51:38.439
closets and laid them over the bed, then tucked in

1767
01:51:39.279 --> 01:51:47.000
for a long nap. When I woke, I was drowning

1768
01:51:47.079 --> 01:51:50.560
in utter darkness. I panicked for a moment before I

1769
01:51:50.600 --> 01:51:54.840
remembered where I was. I looked at my watch and

1770
01:51:54.920 --> 01:51:58.199
it was four in the morning. I pulled the covers

1771
01:51:58.199 --> 01:52:02.000
off me and was immediately assaulted by cold air. I

1772
01:52:02.079 --> 01:52:04.840
grabbed a flashlight and found my way into the cabin.

1773
01:52:05.720 --> 01:52:09.159
I turned the key on and waited with bated breath

1774
01:52:09.199 --> 01:52:12.800
that billowed out in clouds that filled the cab until

1775
01:52:12.840 --> 01:52:17.079
the engine turned over. As it roared to life, I

1776
01:52:17.199 --> 01:52:21.399
felt even colder. I looked to my left and froze.

1777
01:52:23.119 --> 01:52:26.960
My driver's side window lay in pieces on the seat

1778
01:52:27.079 --> 01:52:31.560
and floor. I slowly turned to look at the passenger

1779
01:52:31.680 --> 01:52:37.279
side window when fear grabbed me. There was a face

1780
01:52:37.840 --> 01:52:41.680
looking in at me, but it wasn't a human face.

1781
01:52:42.840 --> 01:52:45.960
It was the ungodly face of the deer creature that

1782
01:52:46.079 --> 01:52:49.439
had gored me to death. In my dream, a river

1783
01:52:49.600 --> 01:52:52.640
ran down my leg, forming a yellow puddle on the floor.

1784
01:52:52.960 --> 01:52:56.159
As I stared into the dark, hollow eyes of this

1785
01:52:56.600 --> 01:53:00.960
thing sent straight from hell, it reared its head back

1786
01:53:01.279 --> 01:53:05.840
and then smashed into my passenger's window, splintering it. It

1787
01:53:05.920 --> 01:53:10.279
reared back again and this time shattered the window, reaching

1788
01:53:10.359 --> 01:53:14.399
in for me with its fierce, long teeth. I jumped

1789
01:53:14.439 --> 01:53:17.159
back and landed in the driver's seat full of glass.

1790
01:53:18.279 --> 01:53:21.439
I knew I was dead. There was nothing I could do.

1791
01:53:22.479 --> 01:53:25.960
I sat there as it entered the cab, coming for me.

1792
01:53:27.119 --> 01:53:32.760
Its head was halfway inside when it suddenly stopped. It

1793
01:53:32.840 --> 01:53:38.279
moved around a little bit, then roared in frustration. Its

1794
01:53:38.359 --> 01:53:42.560
horns were too wide to fit in the window. It

1795
01:53:42.680 --> 01:53:45.720
tried over and over to get in, but there was

1796
01:53:45.760 --> 01:53:50.239
no way it could fit with the horns. As suddenly

1797
01:53:50.279 --> 01:53:55.920
as it appeared, it vanished. I looked around to see

1798
01:53:55.960 --> 01:54:00.000
where it had gone, but the darkness of night covered

1799
01:54:00.159 --> 01:54:03.840
it like a shroud. As I was looking, it silently

1800
01:54:03.880 --> 01:54:06.880
reached in behind me and would have had me if

1801
01:54:06.920 --> 01:54:11.479
it hadn't breathed out, warning me of its approach. I

1802
01:54:11.640 --> 01:54:15.439
dove into the center console as its deadly jaw snapped

1803
01:54:15.439 --> 01:54:19.600
shut right where my spine had been. It continued its

1804
01:54:19.640 --> 01:54:24.159
assault on this window, gaining ferocity as it frustrated itself

1805
01:54:24.479 --> 01:54:27.800
by not being able to get hold of me. I

1806
01:54:27.920 --> 01:54:31.560
stood in between the two windows, hoping I was safe

1807
01:54:31.600 --> 01:54:35.520
from either direction. It was then I decided to go

1808
01:54:35.640 --> 01:54:40.399
back into my bunk and close the curtain. I covered

1809
01:54:40.479 --> 01:54:44.279
up and reached underneath the bunk to a secret compartment

1810
01:54:44.880 --> 01:54:50.039
and pulled out my forty caliber semi automatic handgun. I

1811
01:54:50.119 --> 01:54:53.319
took the magazine out and made sure it was loaded

1812
01:54:53.359 --> 01:54:58.279
with all ten rounds, then put it back in, pulled

1813
01:54:58.319 --> 01:55:02.439
back the side, and flicked on the safety. It made

1814
01:55:02.520 --> 01:55:06.560
me feel a little better, but not much. I didn't

1815
01:55:06.600 --> 01:55:09.760
know how true my dream was or if bullets would

1816
01:55:09.760 --> 01:55:14.920
do anything to this monster. I no longer had any

1817
01:55:14.960 --> 01:55:19.039
illusions that this was a deer. It was something much

1818
01:55:19.079 --> 01:55:24.199
more dangerous and terrifying, and it was after me. I

1819
01:55:24.279 --> 01:55:28.039
covered up with my blankets again, holding my gun close.

1820
01:55:29.319 --> 01:55:32.880
The heater wasn't doing much good with two windows broken out.

1821
01:55:33.680 --> 01:55:35.760
I would try to do something about them in the

1822
01:55:35.800 --> 01:55:39.199
morning when it was light. There was no way I

1823
01:55:39.239 --> 01:55:43.600
was doing anything in the dark with that thing lurking

1824
01:55:43.640 --> 01:55:47.880
out there. I lay there for an hour, watching every

1825
01:55:47.960 --> 01:55:52.319
second of the clock tick by, eyes wide open ears,

1826
01:55:52.439 --> 01:55:58.920
listening for any sound, but there was none, just the

1827
01:55:58.960 --> 01:56:03.680
wind howling in between the two broken windows, making my

1828
01:56:03.800 --> 01:56:09.399
curtains flutter. Eventually, I recognized the futility of having a

1829
01:56:09.399 --> 01:56:13.279
truck running and the warm air just escaping before it

1830
01:56:13.279 --> 01:56:16.880
could even get to me. So I got out of

1831
01:56:16.880 --> 01:56:20.680
my bunk, keeping my new best friend with me, and

1832
01:56:20.800 --> 01:56:24.600
slowly made my way out to the cab, my head

1833
01:56:24.680 --> 01:56:27.840
darting left and right to see if the creature was

1834
01:56:27.880 --> 01:56:32.199
about to launch itself through either of the windows. I

1835
01:56:32.279 --> 01:56:35.279
turned the key off, and before I could pull it

1836
01:56:35.319 --> 01:56:38.600
out of the ignition, a set of horns smacked against

1837
01:56:38.640 --> 01:56:41.479
the frame of the window, and the deadly teeth came

1838
01:56:41.520 --> 01:56:46.560
in and snapped just inches short of my face. I

1839
01:56:46.600 --> 01:56:51.439
whipped around and pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. It

1840
01:56:51.560 --> 01:56:55.199
snapped at me again, and I panicked until I realized

1841
01:56:56.000 --> 01:56:59.800
the safety was on. I flicked it off and aimed,

1842
01:57:00.920 --> 01:57:05.199
but the monster was gone. I didn't dare make a

1843
01:57:05.279 --> 01:57:08.920
move toward the window for fear it would launch itself

1844
01:57:08.960 --> 01:57:12.640
back in at me. I stood still as a statue

1845
01:57:13.119 --> 01:57:17.359
and stared at the window it had come through, then

1846
01:57:17.520 --> 01:57:21.640
slowly turned to the other side. I kept looking back

1847
01:57:21.720 --> 01:57:25.159
and forth between the two, trying to keep my peripheral

1848
01:57:25.239 --> 01:57:29.159
vision on both. At the same time, I was shaking,

1849
01:57:29.960 --> 01:57:32.840
not only from the cold, but also from the sheer

1850
01:57:33.039 --> 01:57:38.159
terror of not knowing where or when this thing was

1851
01:57:38.239 --> 01:57:42.560
going to show itself. I decided my cold weather gear

1852
01:57:42.880 --> 01:57:46.119
would be my best option, so I climbed back into

1853
01:57:46.119 --> 01:57:49.199
the bunk and put on as many layers of clothes

1854
01:57:49.239 --> 01:57:52.920
as I could find. When I popped my head back out,

1855
01:57:53.760 --> 01:57:59.079
I was met with the most terrifying sight imaginable. The

1856
01:57:59.159 --> 01:58:02.199
monster had climbed onto the hood of my truck and

1857
01:58:02.359 --> 01:58:05.760
was now bashing its head against the windshield, trying to

1858
01:58:05.760 --> 01:58:09.479
make its way inside. I knew the windshield was wide

1859
01:58:09.560 --> 01:58:13.439
enough that it would be able to get its antlers inside,

1860
01:58:13.479 --> 01:58:17.439
and I would be done. I pulled the gun up,

1861
01:58:18.039 --> 01:58:23.319
aimed at its head, and fired. The explosion was massive.

1862
01:58:23.920 --> 01:58:26.960
I instantly lost my hearing, except for the ringing in

1863
01:58:27.039 --> 01:58:31.239
my ears. I staggered back, but the monster kept coming.

1864
01:58:31.760 --> 01:58:34.239
Not only had my bullet done nothing to the creature,

1865
01:58:34.520 --> 01:58:39.520
it weakened the windshield, making it easier to get inside.

1866
01:58:39.560 --> 01:58:42.199
The monster shook its head in surprise when the bullet

1867
01:58:42.279 --> 01:58:46.600
ricocheted off the bone, and then continued its assault of

1868
01:58:46.640 --> 01:58:50.720
the windshield. It hammered on the glass until it shattered

1869
01:58:50.760 --> 01:58:54.279
into a million pieces. I was already aiming at its

1870
01:58:54.319 --> 01:58:57.600
face and fired two shots before the glass even hit

1871
01:58:57.640 --> 01:59:02.279
the floor. They both rancheted off its skull, causing it

1872
01:59:02.359 --> 01:59:04.680
to rear up just enough for me to fire two

1873
01:59:04.720 --> 01:59:09.680
shots into its chest. It didn't collapse screaming in agony

1874
01:59:09.800 --> 01:59:13.319
like I wanted, but I could tell it didn't like

1875
01:59:13.399 --> 01:59:17.439
it either. It jumped down off the hood and disappeared.

1876
01:59:18.720 --> 01:59:21.840
I stared out into the inky blackness, trying in vain

1877
01:59:21.960 --> 01:59:25.439
to pick up any glimpse of it. I whipped around

1878
01:59:25.439 --> 01:59:28.039
from one side window to the other and back again,

1879
01:59:28.800 --> 01:59:33.079
waiting for it to show its horrid face. After what

1880
01:59:33.239 --> 01:59:37.600
seemed like forever, I saw horns rising through the passenger

1881
01:59:37.640 --> 01:59:42.720
side window. I fired a shot into its face, and

1882
01:59:42.800 --> 01:59:47.279
it disappeared. I threw myself back into the passenger seat,

1883
01:59:47.319 --> 01:59:50.279
when suddenly I saw its head rising in the driver's

1884
01:59:50.279 --> 01:59:54.319
side window. I fired a shot, making it disappear again.

1885
01:59:55.239 --> 01:59:57.640
I jumped up and threw myself to the other seat,

1886
01:59:58.239 --> 02:00:02.319
knowing it would be on the passenger' sete soon. Sure enough,

1887
02:00:02.760 --> 02:00:06.439
ten seconds later, it appeared and I fired another shot.

1888
02:00:07.760 --> 02:00:11.119
It was toying with me. It disappeared, and I threw

1889
02:00:11.159 --> 02:00:15.319
myself over into the passenger seat, waiting, aiming at the

1890
02:00:15.319 --> 02:00:21.520
empty driver's window, but instead I felt teeth clamped down

1891
02:00:21.560 --> 02:00:25.479
on my neck. It had fooled me. I shoved my

1892
02:00:25.600 --> 02:00:29.359
gun up under its skull and fired a shot. If

1893
02:00:29.399 --> 02:00:32.319
I hadn't been deaf from the first one, this one

1894
02:00:32.479 --> 02:00:35.119
right next to my ear, would have done it. And

1895
02:00:35.199 --> 02:00:39.800
yet somehow I heard it squeal and pain as it

1896
02:00:39.840 --> 02:00:43.640
released me. I knew I had been inches from death.

1897
02:00:43.960 --> 02:00:46.199
I reached up and touched the wound on my neck

1898
02:00:46.680 --> 02:00:50.479
and came away with a handful of blood. I went

1899
02:00:50.560 --> 02:00:53.520
back into my bunk, tore away a piece of sheet

1900
02:00:53.880 --> 02:00:57.000
and pressed it to my wound. Then I tore some

1901
02:00:57.119 --> 02:00:59.720
more of the sheet and tied it around my neck

1902
02:01:00.079 --> 02:01:03.279
to hold the bandage in place. I went back out

1903
02:01:03.319 --> 02:01:06.000
to the cab, only to see it crouching on the hood,

1904
02:01:06.720 --> 02:01:10.359
waiting for me. I never thought it would end like this.

1905
02:01:11.239 --> 02:01:14.720
My truck's windows smashed blood all over the interior, the

1906
02:01:14.800 --> 02:01:18.399
frigid wind and snow blowing in. As those two empty

1907
02:01:18.560 --> 02:01:21.560
eyes stared in at me like a predator sizing up

1908
02:01:21.600 --> 02:01:25.439
a helpless animal for the kill. It crawled in through

1909
02:01:25.479 --> 02:01:28.800
the remains of the windshield. I knew I was dead.

1910
02:01:29.640 --> 02:01:32.439
In desperation, I shoved the gun into one of its

1911
02:01:32.520 --> 02:01:37.079
eye holes and squeezed the trigger. The sound it made

1912
02:01:37.239 --> 02:01:41.239
was something I'd never heard before and never wanted to

1913
02:01:41.279 --> 02:01:45.960
hear again. The scream was both a low guttural sound

1914
02:01:46.279 --> 02:01:49.800
and a high pitched shriek. It sounded like someone had

1915
02:01:49.880 --> 02:01:53.760
unleashed a demon from the pits of hell. My mind

1916
02:01:53.840 --> 02:01:57.560
screamed at me, get out of there. I fumbled with

1917
02:01:57.640 --> 02:02:01.199
the driver's door and ended up falling out When it opened.

1918
02:02:02.039 --> 02:02:04.640
On a clear day with no snow, I would have

1919
02:02:04.680 --> 02:02:07.960
gotten a concussion or broken bone falling on the bare

1920
02:02:07.960 --> 02:02:11.520
asphalt with three feet of snow on the ground, I

1921
02:02:11.640 --> 02:02:15.479
landed on a soft, cold pillow. It was the only

1922
02:02:15.560 --> 02:02:18.800
time in the last twenty four hours that the snow

1923
02:02:19.239 --> 02:02:23.199
had helped me. I immediately jumped up and looked around

1924
02:02:23.239 --> 02:02:28.199
for any place to hide, but there was nowhere. Everything

1925
02:02:28.319 --> 02:02:32.199
was covered in snow. I glanced back at the trailer

1926
02:02:32.279 --> 02:02:36.119
and realized the snow was so high that it reached

1927
02:02:36.119 --> 02:02:39.439
the bottom of the trailer. I couldn't see underneath it

1928
02:02:39.479 --> 02:02:43.600
at all. I quickly dove under it, then turned around

1929
02:02:43.640 --> 02:02:46.600
and tried to pile the snow into the opening to

1930
02:02:46.760 --> 02:02:50.239
hide where I had gone, I shone my light around

1931
02:02:50.279 --> 02:02:54.800
at the beautiful sight of bare asphalt. I lay on

1932
02:02:54.880 --> 02:02:59.399
my belly, gazing in every direction simultaneously to spot the

1933
02:02:59.399 --> 02:03:04.079
monster's potential attack points. My breath blew out in billows

1934
02:03:04.119 --> 02:03:09.640
of desperate smoke as I came up empty. There was nothing.

1935
02:03:10.720 --> 02:03:16.840
The monster wasn't there yet. I didn't dare hope to

1936
02:03:16.920 --> 02:03:20.560
imagine that my shot had killed it. If anything, it

1937
02:03:20.600 --> 02:03:24.560
had made it even angrier. It was probably destroying the

1938
02:03:24.560 --> 02:03:27.800
inside of my truck. At that very moment, what I

1939
02:03:27.880 --> 02:03:30.800
didn't trust was that the monster wouldn't find me underneath

1940
02:03:30.880 --> 02:03:34.600
the trailer. I looked around for anywhere I could use

1941
02:03:34.640 --> 02:03:38.279
as a better hiding place. My eyes fell on the

1942
02:03:38.279 --> 02:03:41.520
wheels of the truck. It looked like there was just

1943
02:03:41.680 --> 02:03:45.319
enough room between the tires and the differential. It would

1944
02:03:45.359 --> 02:03:48.159
be a tight squeeze, but it was better than that

1945
02:03:48.279 --> 02:03:51.840
thing finding me. I turned around and slid my feet

1946
02:03:51.880 --> 02:03:57.039
in first. The further I slid, the tighter it got. Ironically,

1947
02:03:57.119 --> 02:04:00.399
the grease and oil from the differential helped me slide

1948
02:04:00.479 --> 02:04:04.439
through a little easier. When I almost had my shoulders through,

1949
02:04:04.520 --> 02:04:06.119
it suddenly felt too tight.

1950
02:04:06.840 --> 02:04:07.520
I was stuck.

1951
02:04:08.000 --> 02:04:12.479
I couldn't move forward or backward. Panic flooded my mind,

1952
02:04:12.520 --> 02:04:16.520
and I struggled frantically like I couldn't breathe. After the

1953
02:04:16.600 --> 02:04:20.840
longest minute of my life, I finally managed to maneuver

1954
02:04:20.960 --> 02:04:25.720
my shoulders through and into my hiding spot. The hood

1955
02:04:25.760 --> 02:04:28.560
of my coat did double duty of keeping me warm

1956
02:04:28.840 --> 02:04:32.680
and completing my hiding place. I lowered it to the

1957
02:04:32.800 --> 02:04:35.720
level of the asphalt and would raise it just an

1958
02:04:35.800 --> 02:04:39.840
inch when I wanted to look out. The first half

1959
02:04:39.920 --> 02:04:43.119
hour was the worst. The ringing in my ears had

1960
02:04:43.119 --> 02:04:46.800
begun to subside, but I still didn't hear anything outside

1961
02:04:46.800 --> 02:04:52.079
of my own breathing. The cold slowly leaked through my clothes.

1962
02:04:53.039 --> 02:04:58.479
Still no sign of the monster. Another hour passed, My

1963
02:04:58.640 --> 02:05:03.720
muscles started to cramp up. Still no sign of the monster.

1964
02:05:05.479 --> 02:05:11.079
Another hour I felt like my bladder would burst. Still

1965
02:05:11.600 --> 02:05:16.039
no monster. During the long boredom in between, I pulled

1966
02:05:16.039 --> 02:05:19.199
the magazine out of the gun and counted how many

1967
02:05:19.199 --> 02:05:24.399
bullets I had left. No matter how many times I counted,

1968
02:05:24.920 --> 02:05:30.560
it always came out the same number one. I knew

1969
02:05:30.600 --> 02:05:34.800
one bullet wouldn't save me from the monster. There was

1970
02:05:34.840 --> 02:05:38.840
only one thing I could do with one bullet and

1971
02:05:39.039 --> 02:05:43.760
my suffering if it found me. I took it out

1972
02:05:43.760 --> 02:05:47.880
of the magazine and stared at it. I used my

1973
02:05:48.000 --> 02:05:51.880
coat to shine it up, then stared at my reflection

1974
02:05:52.560 --> 02:05:57.239
in the gleaming brass. The edges of the snow around

1975
02:05:57.279 --> 02:06:02.359
the trailer began to glow. I knew the sun was

1976
02:06:02.439 --> 02:06:07.680
coming up. Darkness was no longer my friend. I was

1977
02:06:07.720 --> 02:06:10.960
about to give up and crawl out of my hiding

1978
02:06:11.039 --> 02:06:17.960
place when I heard it, a soft sniffing sound. I

1979
02:06:18.039 --> 02:06:21.840
lifted my hood an inch just enough to peek out,

1980
02:06:23.199 --> 02:06:27.159
and there it was. Its head had broken through the

1981
02:06:27.199 --> 02:06:30.199
wall of snow, close to where I dove under the trailer.

1982
02:06:31.159 --> 02:06:33.880
There were a few drops of blood from my neck wound,

1983
02:06:34.399 --> 02:06:39.279
and it was sniffing them. These drops would lead it

1984
02:06:39.399 --> 02:06:43.279
right to me. Sure enough, it took a turn toward

1985
02:06:43.319 --> 02:06:46.199
the front of the trailer and looked in my direction.

1986
02:06:47.520 --> 02:06:50.600
I lay there still as stone as it inched its

1987
02:06:50.600 --> 02:06:54.760
way toward me. It was having trouble squeezing its massive

1988
02:06:54.800 --> 02:06:57.760
body under the trailer, and I could hear it growling

1989
02:06:57.840 --> 02:07:04.279
with frustration. Came closer, crawling right toward me. There was

1990
02:07:04.319 --> 02:07:07.760
no doubt it knew I was there. I closed my

1991
02:07:07.880 --> 02:07:12.359
eyes and stuck the barrel of the gun under my chin.

1992
02:07:13.600 --> 02:07:16.560
I felt its hot breath and smelled the stench of

1993
02:07:16.720 --> 02:07:22.000
death as I squeezed the trigger. Suddenly it shrieked, and

1994
02:07:22.039 --> 02:07:25.720
I could feel the truck bucking above me. I opened

1995
02:07:25.720 --> 02:07:30.800
my eyes to the most amazing sight. Its horns had

1996
02:07:30.840 --> 02:07:34.800
gotten caught in the chains hanging down underneath the trailer,

1997
02:07:35.439 --> 02:07:39.399
and it was tangled. It screamed and bucked and fought

1998
02:07:39.439 --> 02:07:43.039
to be free from its metal captors. It yanked backwards

1999
02:07:43.119 --> 02:07:46.119
so hard I felt the truck moved sideways an inch.

2000
02:07:47.199 --> 02:07:50.520
The differential was pressing on me now and I had

2001
02:07:50.560 --> 02:07:54.880
to shimmy over to avoid being crushed. I watched as

2002
02:07:54.920 --> 02:07:59.640
the chains broke away one by one, and then it

2003
02:07:59.680 --> 02:08:03.720
was I took the opportunity to crawl out from under

2004
02:08:03.760 --> 02:08:07.239
the truck. It was useless as a hiding place now

2005
02:08:08.199 --> 02:08:12.239
it had already tracked me there. I was almost out

2006
02:08:12.239 --> 02:08:15.439
when I heard another sound and saw a shadow pass

2007
02:08:15.520 --> 02:08:19.159
by the other side of the truck. It was coming back,

2008
02:08:19.800 --> 02:08:23.319
but it was trying from the other side. I crawled

2009
02:08:23.319 --> 02:08:27.119
as quickly as I could. This was my chance. If

2010
02:08:27.159 --> 02:08:29.479
it searched from the other side, it might not know

2011
02:08:29.680 --> 02:08:33.000
I had left. I had no idea where I would go,

2012
02:08:33.399 --> 02:08:35.520
but it was better to be out of a useless

2013
02:08:35.600 --> 02:08:40.840
hiding place. Besides, I desperately needed to stretch and pee.

2014
02:08:41.920 --> 02:08:44.159
As I stood next to the truck, I saw a

2015
02:08:44.239 --> 02:08:48.119
large patch of red in the snow. I guess shooting

2016
02:08:48.159 --> 02:08:51.640
it wasn't as useless as I had thought. I took

2017
02:08:51.680 --> 02:08:55.399
care of business first, peeing before I ruined another pair

2018
02:08:55.439 --> 02:08:59.640
of pants. I finished and thought about where to hide.

2019
02:09:00.359 --> 02:09:02.760
I looked up at the ruined cabin of my truck

2020
02:09:03.359 --> 02:09:09.439
when the Nightmare crept around the corner. I stood there helpless.

2021
02:09:09.880 --> 02:09:12.960
It had caught me flat footed. I had nowhere to go.

2022
02:09:14.279 --> 02:09:16.920
It stared at me as it limped around the corner.

2023
02:09:17.800 --> 02:09:22.760
Its empty eyes seemed to exude rage. I pulled up

2024
02:09:22.800 --> 02:09:28.359
the gun and aimed. When it disappeared into a moving

2025
02:09:28.479 --> 02:09:34.000
mountain of snow. The snow plow had finally arrived. I

2026
02:09:34.159 --> 02:09:37.279
watched as the plow pushed its mound of snow past

2027
02:09:37.399 --> 02:09:39.880
my truck and over the edge of the parking lot.

2028
02:09:40.760 --> 02:09:44.800
The driver backed up and stopped beside me. You been

2029
02:09:44.840 --> 02:09:49.760
here all night, the driver said, since before the storm.

2030
02:09:51.119 --> 02:09:54.479
What happened to your truck? He said, looking up at

2031
02:09:54.479 --> 02:09:58.760
my shattered windows. I followed his eyes and thought for

2032
02:09:58.840 --> 02:10:03.039
a moment some one tried to rob me. I lied,

2033
02:10:03.600 --> 02:10:07.720
knowing the truth was unbelievable. I see you took care

2034
02:10:07.760 --> 02:10:10.880
of it, he said, looking at the gun in my hand.

2035
02:10:11.399 --> 02:10:13.479
I looked down at the pistol and stuck it in

2036
02:10:13.560 --> 02:10:18.800
my waistband. It's been a hell of a night, I said. Well,

2037
02:10:18.840 --> 02:10:21.680
don't worry. The roads are getting cleared and I'll get

2038
02:10:21.720 --> 02:10:26.800
you plowed out of here. Thanks, I said. He nodded

2039
02:10:27.159 --> 02:10:30.640
and backed up to continue plowing. I looked at where

2040
02:10:30.680 --> 02:10:33.840
he had just plowed beside my truck and saw a

2041
02:10:33.920 --> 02:10:37.880
long smear of red. I followed it to the edge

2042
02:10:37.880 --> 02:10:40.439
of the parking lot and looked over the side with

2043
02:10:40.520 --> 02:10:43.680
my hand on my gun. The drop off was a

2044
02:10:43.680 --> 02:10:46.520
good ten feet or more, and the snow had already

2045
02:10:46.560 --> 02:10:50.199
started to pile up. I followed the path of red

2046
02:10:50.239 --> 02:10:54.359
down the hill with my eyes and saw antlers poking

2047
02:10:54.399 --> 02:10:58.520
out of the snow. I stared at them, looking for

2048
02:10:58.600 --> 02:11:04.000
any movement. For ten minutes. I watched, and they didn't move.

2049
02:11:05.319 --> 02:11:08.279
I was interrupted when the plow pushed another pile of

2050
02:11:08.359 --> 02:11:13.359
snow over the side, covering the antlers. I watched for

2051
02:11:13.399 --> 02:11:18.399
another five minutes, just to be sure. The plow guy

2052
02:11:18.439 --> 02:11:23.279
pulled up beside me. You okay, he said. I pulled

2053
02:11:23.279 --> 02:11:27.079
my eyes away from the snow pile. Yeah, I'm good.

2054
02:11:28.319 --> 02:11:31.319
You sure, he said, pointing at my neck.

2055
02:11:32.439 --> 02:11:32.760
Yeah.

2056
02:11:33.359 --> 02:11:36.439
I had just got nicked by some glass, I said,

2057
02:11:36.880 --> 02:11:42.279
remembering the teeth of the monster clamping down on my neck. Well,

2058
02:11:42.319 --> 02:11:45.239
I think someone just pulled into the store, he said.

2059
02:11:46.119 --> 02:11:50.279
Maybe you should go get something for that. I will, thanks,

2060
02:11:50.800 --> 02:11:55.560
I said, knowing I would do no such thing. I

2061
02:11:55.680 --> 02:12:00.000
wanted to avoid as many questions as possible. I climbed

2062
02:12:00.279 --> 02:12:03.520
into the cab, brushed the glass off my seat, and

2063
02:12:03.640 --> 02:12:08.079
drove over to the fuel pumps. After filling up, I

2064
02:12:08.199 --> 02:12:12.520
started the long trip home. I kept my cold weather

2065
02:12:12.600 --> 02:12:16.520
gear and mask on. Having no windows or windshield made

2066
02:12:16.600 --> 02:12:20.720
for a frigid trip. The heater was on max aimed

2067
02:12:20.720 --> 02:12:23.840
at my feet, keeping the bottom half of me warm.

2068
02:12:25.039 --> 02:12:28.760
I didn't call for a tow truck because I desperately

2069
02:12:28.800 --> 02:12:32.239
wanted to get away from there. I never went back

2070
02:12:32.239 --> 02:12:35.359
to that truck stop ever again. I didn't want to

2071
02:12:35.399 --> 02:12:40.920
take the chance that that thing was still alive. I

2072
02:12:40.960 --> 02:12:45.479
never told anyone else about the harrowing encounter. I wish

2073
02:12:45.600 --> 02:12:49.319
I could erase it from my mind. As I drove

2074
02:12:49.439 --> 02:12:53.239
towards my home terminal through the endless stretch of trees,

2075
02:12:54.439 --> 02:12:57.520
I saw one of the creatures peeking out at me

2076
02:12:58.399 --> 02:13:00.640
that I used to think was my imagination.

2077
02:13:02.039 --> 02:13:04.159
Now I know better.

2078
02:13:10.000 --> 02:13:13.199
Well, my spookys, you've made it to the end of

2079
02:13:13.359 --> 02:13:17.920
five horrifying and hair raising stories. So all that's left

2080
02:13:17.920 --> 02:13:21.960
to do now is make your way home in the dark.

2081
02:13:23.239 --> 02:13:28.399
Be careful, watch your step, and mind any bushes or

2082
02:13:28.520 --> 02:13:32.920
trees because you never know what's lurking behind those leaves.

2083
02:13:34.359 --> 02:13:36.960
And remember, if you love what we do here at

2084
02:13:37.000 --> 02:13:39.720
Weekly Spooky and you want to support us, head to

2085
02:13:39.760 --> 02:13:43.960
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