Nov. 1, 2024

8 Stories from Beyond the Grave for Dia de los Muertos!

8 Stories from Beyond the Grave for Dia de los Muertos!
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Tonight, we dive into a chilling exploration of the spectral and the macabre, with stories of lost souls and vengeful spirits!

In this special episode, we celebrate the timeless tradition of storytelling as we pay homage to the Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos! While the world outside may be shutting its doors to the eerie and the unexplained, here we gather tales that remind us of the spirits that linger between life and the afterlife. So, grab your blanket, dim the lights, and prepare for a journey through eight spine-tingling narratives that conjure voices from beyond the grave!


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Contact Us/Submit a Story
twitter.com/WeeklySpooky
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Music by Ray Mattis http://raymattispresents.bandcamp.com

Executive Producers
Rob Fields
Mark Shields
Bobbletopia.com

Produced by Daniel Wilder

This episode is sponsored by 
HenFlix.com

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

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📬 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. Well it looks like the season of

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how Loween has come to an end. But of course,

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here at Weekly Spooky, it's always Halloween at least once

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a week, so make sure you're subscribed. But today is

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a special day. It's Die de rosmrtos, the Day of

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the Dead, a day when we spend time remembering those

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we've lost and when they can possibly speak for themselves.

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So I've put together a special compilation of some of

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my favorite stories all about returning from the grave. Some

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of them are scary, some of them are disgusting. Some

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of them are even a little funny. So get comfortable

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and get ready for eight stories from Beyond the Grave.

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I hope you enjoy them as much as I did,

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so thank you and enjoy.

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The spirit of Langley Pond by Charles Campbell.

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Summer nineteen eighty one. Elena Ann Sanders swam for all

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she was worth. She could hear the echo of her

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mother's sentiment in her mind. Don't get into any trouble.

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Call me if you need me to come get you.

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No questions asked. Elena wished she had listened to her

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mother instead. It was nearly midnight, and she was swimming

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for her life to shore. Elena was beginning to think

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she was going to make it. She was going to

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see her mother again. The crack of a gunshot was

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the last sound Elena heard before the darkness of the

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water claimed her. Langley Pond was going to be her grave.

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Summer two thousand and twenty one, Langley Pond had changed

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quite a bit in the last forty years, Being billed

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as the largest pond in North America, it was nearly

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the size of a lake. No longer were clay mud

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slides used as makeshift boat ramps. Now there were full fledged,

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paved boat ramps descending into the water. There were designated

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picnic areas spread around the shoreline, along with a few

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cabins that were rented nearly every weekend. It was almost

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ten o'clock at night and the humidity of the day

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still hung in the air. Brianna Turner glanced at her

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cell phone. It was eighty two degrees. Ugh, I can't

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believe how hot it is, Brianna said. She peeled a

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strand of sweat stuck hair from her forehead and grinned

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at her friend Andy Spires. Andy smiled back and said, yeah,

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it was over a hundred today. Thought we might get

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a little relief by being near the water and all

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guess not. At least we have the cabin with the

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window unit. That's a plus. You're right, that's a plus,

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Brianna agreed. They both turned toward the woods when they

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heard snapping twigs and shuffling feet. Hey, Frog, y'all catch anything,

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Andy asked when he saw Frog Spradley and his girl

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of the week, Jenny Coggins clear the tree line into

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their sight. Had a few nibbles, but nothing big. Threw

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them all back, Frog said, Jenny smiled, but she didn't

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look all that happy to be trapesing through the woods.

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Good thing we brought beanie weenies. Then, Andy said. Jenny

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gave him the you can't be serious look, and Frog replied,

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damn man, you are a lifesaver. Beanie weenies are the shit.

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I thought I'd have to break out the Vienna sausages

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and saltine crackers. Hey, Jenny, you want to go in

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the cabin and cool off, Brianna asked, yes. Jenny shouted

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it was hot, she was sticky, and if this excursion

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with Frog taught her anything, she was definitely an inside girl.

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The boys watched as the girls walked into the cabin. Okay, Frog,

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where'd you find that one? Andy asked. Frog gave him

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a sneaky smile, and sheepishly shrugged his shoulders. Come on, man,

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I don't recognize her. She ain't one of your usual

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Valley honeys. She's from Martinez. Frog whispered, Why are you whispering?

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She can't hear us out here. What in the world

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were you doing in Martinez? And how'd you get her?

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She looks too sophisticated to be stomping around Langley Pond,

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especially with you the prints of the valley. She don't

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know nothing about the valley, does she? Andy asked, Well

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she does now. I told her about the spirit of

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Langley Pond. Frog replied, you didn't, and she hasn't left screaming,

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not yet. Maybe it's because her phone died while we

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were fishing. She seemed more interested in whatever was on

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Instagram or Facebook than catching a catfish inside the cabin.

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Oh my god, that ac feels fantastic, Jenny said, and

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stuck her face in front of the window unit. It

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was turned all the way up and Jenny's sandy blonde

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hair blue behind her like she was riding on the

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back of a motorcycle. Yeah, it's the only cabin out

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here with one. Andy sprang for the extra sixty bucks,

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said it would be worth it to sleep in comfort,

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and he ain't wrong. It's sticky as hell outside. How

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long you and Frog been seeing each other? Oh? I

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just met him yesterday. Where are you from? You ain't

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from the valley valley? What's the valley, Jenny asked? You're

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in it, Brianna answered and continued. You know that main

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road you took to get here, the one that went

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through a bunch of little bitty towns. Yeah, Jenny replied

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and turned to face Brianna. Brianna was grinning and her

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brown eyes were gleaming. Jenny really paid attention to Brianna

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for the first time, and she had this country girl

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pretty thing going for. She looked like she could be

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fun in the sack, but could kick your ass out

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of it if necessary. Well, that road is four twenty

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one and for twenty one is the valley Rednecks for

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as far as the eye can see. And you got

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yourself what we call a valley prince, that right? Why

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is he a valley prince? He's a Spradley, and Spradley's

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have been around the valley for as long as anybody

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can remember. Everybody calls him Frog. I don't even know

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if that's his given name, but I know his daddy

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was called Frog and his daddy's daddy was called Frog.

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They owned several businesses in the valley. His brother Ricky

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owns Valley Video. His other brother, Johnny, owns Spradley's filling

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station in Langley. His sister Darnell Well, she owns a

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beauty shop in Gloverville named Can you guess Spradley's Beauty Shop?

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Jenny asked as she shrugged her shoulders. Yep, nailed it.

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So if you're from the valley, you know who the

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Spradleys are. Oh really, that's good to know. So what

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do you know about this spirit he was telling me

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about while we were fishing? He didn't tell you about

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the spirit of Langley Pond. Please tell me he didn't

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try to scare you with that story, Brianna suppressed a chuckle.

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He did, and it it freaked me out a bit.

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Is there any truth behind it? From what I've heard,

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these local legends start with a grain of truth somewhere

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and that grain grows and gets exaggerated over the years.

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That's kind of what I'm thinking. Am I wrong? Should

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I be afraid of a ghost in the pond? Jenny asked.

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Brianna smiled and motioned for Jenny to take a seat

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in the living room. Yeah, I know about the grain

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that started the story. It was something that really happened

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about forty years ago. It went something like this summer

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nineteen eighty one. It was Friday morning and Elena bit

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her mother farewell for the weekend. Her mother's voice issued

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a lifeline as Elena walked out the door to meet

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her boyfriend, Dustin Hines. Don't get into any trouble. Call

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me if you need me to come get you. No

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questions asked. Elena told her mother not to worry and

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that she would be home on Sunday night. Hey babe,

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Dustin said. As Elena hopped into his forward pickup, she

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leaned over and gave Dustin a quick kiss before she

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pounded the dashboard, which meant it was time to burn rubber.

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Dustin pulled out of the driveway and be lined to

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Belvideer Clearwater Road. Finally, Elena shouted she was ready to

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have a weekend alone with Dustin. They had been talking

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about it for the better part of six months. Elena

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leaned her head out of the open window to feel

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the wind in her face. Hey, babe, watch out for

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telephone polls. You don't want to get your head knocked off.

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Who would really put a damper on the weekend, Dustin said,

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as he tugged on Elena's arm. Okay, okay, I'm just

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excited that I know. It's just Langley Pond, Just Langley Pond,

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Just Langley Pond. You know, what's the pride of the valley?

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Dustin said. He looked at Elena with his blue eyes,

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and he could see her melt just a little. You're

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laying on a little thick there, ain't you. Everybody knows

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Richardson's Lake is the pride of the valley, she said,

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enamored with her.

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Man, don't go away weekly, Spooky will be right back.

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I beg to differ. He can't put a boat on

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Richardson's Lake, And I really don't know how they can

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call that tiny mud puddle a lake anyway. Langley Pond

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should be a lake. I mean it's as big as one.

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Speaking of boats, Elena interrupted, Does your daddy still have

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that john boat at Langley Pond? He does, Dustin smiled,

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trolling motor in the back of the truck. Dustin answered sweet,

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Elena replied. The pair rode in silence for the next

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nine minutes. Elena hopped out of the truck as soon

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as it rolled to a stop just inside the confines

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of Langley Pond. I can't wait to jump in the water,

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Elena screamed and shed her clothing as fast as she could,

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revealing her bathing suit underneath. Dang, girl, you ain't gonna

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wait for me to put up the tent, Dustin asked

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the air. Elena was already splashing in the water. Dustin

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set up the two person tent and pulled the trolling

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motor from the back of the truck. Alena swam to

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shore when she saw the tent was all set up

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and the trolling motor was attached to the john boat. Hey, babe,

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we gonna do some night fishing. The bass should be

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popin' top water plugs tonight, Elena said, as she took

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a seat in the lawn chair set outside the tent.

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I reckon, we can do that. Mama, up some ham

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sandwiches in the small cooler, and I got papst in

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the bigin. I love you, Dustin, shut up, you do not.

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You just want me for my money, Dustin joked. The

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couple ate sandwiches, drank beer, let their food and drink

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settle before they made clumsy love. In the tent, Elena

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fell asleep with Dustin's arms wrapped around her. She woke

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up five hours later alone. Dustin you outside, Elena asked,

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as she rubbed her eyes and stretched. She shuffled out

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of the tent and heard the frogs croaking their night tunes.

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The crickets returned to symphony of their own. Dustin, where

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are you at? You know you can pee in front

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of me, Elena shouted. She looked around and was comforted

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that the truck was still parked in the same spot,

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so Dustin didn't decide to go on a midnight snack

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run and leave her out here all alone. But he

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didn't answer her, and that was a reason for concern

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until she saw the light from the flashlight out in

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the middle of the pond. The john boat. Wasn't there

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that sorry sack of potatoes? Elena shouted, Dustin, get your

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ass back over here and pick me up. She hollered

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into the night toward the light of the boat. The

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light flashed in her direction, but the boat didn't move.

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Don't make me swim out there, Dustin. I swear I will,

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and I'll make so much noise that no fish is

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gonna bite for the rest of the night. Don't test me.

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Elena was leaving playful and moving into piste off. The

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light flashed in her direction once more, but the boat

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still did not move. Okay, I'm coming. Elena sloshed into

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the pond and began swimming toward the boat. The boat

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still did move. The longer she swam, the angrier she became.

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He better not dare ask for sex the rest of

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the trip, is what she was thinking, Not even a

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hand job. The light still shined like a beacon from

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a lonely lighthouse. Elena was about thirty yards away from

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the john boat when she realized something was very, very wrong.

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There was a figure standing in the center of the boat,

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a figure that was a mite bit shorter than her boyfriend.

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That was their john boat, but that wasn't Dustin. Elena

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swam a little closer to see if she could make

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out who it was standing in the boat and screamed

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in horror when she saw what the man was holding

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in his left hand. It couldn't be real. It had

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to be some kind of joke. Her mind was telling

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her someone was just pranking her. The man in the

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boat swung his left arm up around and launched the

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severed head of dust and hinds in Elena's direction. She

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waited what seemed like hours on the sound of the splash,

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and when the sound came, Elena turned around and swam

222
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for all she was worth. Elena felt as if bricks

223
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were weighing her down. The burning in her lungs felt

224
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like she inhaled lit gasolene. She could hear the echo

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of her mother's sentiment in her mind, don't get into

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any trouble. Call me if you need me to come

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get you, no questions asked. Elena wished that she had

228
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listened to her mother instead. She was swimming from her

229
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life to shore. Elena was beginning to think she was

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going to make it. She was going to see her

231
00:15:46.200 --> 00:15:50.799
mother again. The crack of a gunshot was the last

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sound Elena heard before the darkness of the water claimed her.

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Langley Ponnd was going to be her grave summer twoenty

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twenty one. Jenny's face was flush when Brianna finished the story.

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Was that true what you told me? She asked, pretty much.

236
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I don't know if that's exactly how the conversations went down,

237
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but the facts are, Elena and Dustin went to Langley Pond.

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Dustin's head was chopped off. They found the body in

239
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the boat, and Elena had been shot in the head.

240
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It took them a while to find her body, though

241
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longer than it probably should have. They say her body

242
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was in the pond long enough for her spirit to

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be trapped here. Some people say they can hear splashing

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around and hollering. Sometimes me, I think it's just the

245
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bass having their late night snacks. They can make quite

246
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a ruckus when they're attacking frogs, lizards and whatnot. I

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wouldn't let it scare you too much, though. Brianna finished

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and patted Jenny on her hands. Did they ever catch

249
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the guy that did it? Jenny asked, Well, that's the

250
00:17:10.759 --> 00:17:14.880
thing they did. That's how we got this story that's

251
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been passed down for forty years. But he was shot

252
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in the head with a long range rifle as he

253
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was escorted to the courthouse. Let's just say the police

254
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didn't spend a lot of time looking for the killer

255
00:17:25.519 --> 00:17:29.599
of Billy Jean Morris. From what's been passed down, a

256
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lot of folks think it was set up that way.

257
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The police can turn a blind eye sometimes when it

258
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comes to valley justice, especially when it's a couple of

259
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local kids that were killed. Kids that everybody knew, kids

260
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that everybody loved. There were some rumors that it was

261
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Elene's daddy or even Dustin's daddy. They were both avid

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hunters with rifles to do the job. They weren't even questioned.

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I don't blame either one of them. If they killed

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Billy Jean, he deserved it, Brianna finished. Jenny looked at

265
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her in all seriousness and said, what if Billy Jean

266
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didn't kill them, what if someone else did? And what

267
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if that someone else is still around? Jenny asked, clearly

268
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working herself up into something that Brianna thought was silly.

269
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Calm down, girl, it was Billy Jean. I know it

270
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was Billy Jean. It's a valley thing. He wouldn't understand. Now,

271
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let's go see what those boys are up to. Frog

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was grinning from ear to ear as he saw the

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girl's approach and he was downing another PBR. I was

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beginning to worry about you too. You get your girl

275
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talk in, Frog asked, as he grabbed his own PBR. Yeah,

276
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something like that, Brianna replied and winked at Jenny to

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let her know it was okay. It was just a

278
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stupid local legend. Nothing to worry about, Frog. Are we

279
00:18:55.720 --> 00:18:59.079
really having Beanie Weenies for dinner? I mean, I'd rather

280
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go to the store and I have some sandwich stuff.

281
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Maybe Brianna and I could run to the grocery store

282
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real quick. We'll get a bag of ice and some

283
00:19:05.799 --> 00:19:08.680
more of that beer, y'all like. Frog was all set

284
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to disagree and force the Beanie Weenie supper, but when

285
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the bee word came up, he changed his course of thinking.

286
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I think that'd be okay. What do you think Andy,

287
00:19:20.279 --> 00:19:22.519
The girls can go get the sandwich stuff in another

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00:19:22.599 --> 00:19:25.200
case of beer. I'll contribute ten bucks for the cause,

289
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Frog said, and pulled a crinkled bill from his well

290
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weathered leather wallet. Yeah, I reckon that'll be okay. Brianna

291
00:19:33.359 --> 00:19:35.839
take her to the Bilo where Jimmy works he'll let

292
00:19:35.880 --> 00:19:39.000
you buy the beer with no id. Brianna rolled her

293
00:19:39.039 --> 00:19:42.160
eyes at Andy like she didn't already know that she

294
00:19:42.279 --> 00:19:44.960
had bought beer at that bilo since she was fourteen

295
00:19:45.079 --> 00:19:48.000
years old. The valley kids knew where to go without

296
00:19:48.079 --> 00:19:51.440
being ripped off. There was always the quick shop option,

297
00:19:51.599 --> 00:19:53.839
where the owner would only sell the swill known as

298
00:19:54.000 --> 00:19:57.839
Milwaukee's Best for triple the labeled price to desperate teens.

299
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That's the only way he could get rid of the crap,

300
00:20:01.160 --> 00:20:02.920
and he had to carry it because it was such

301
00:20:02.920 --> 00:20:06.279
an under the table money maker for him. Any Way

302
00:20:06.400 --> 00:20:08.720
he can stick it to the government and help raise

303
00:20:08.759 --> 00:20:11.200
the next generation of valley rats, the better for his

304
00:20:11.400 --> 00:20:13.440
valley pride and his pockets.

305
00:20:15.519 --> 00:20:17.920
Did you hear that? Better check the locks on your

306
00:20:18.039 --> 00:20:21.440
doors weekly, spooky. We'll be right back.

307
00:20:23.319 --> 00:20:26.759
Andy tossed the truck keys to Brianna. Be careful, babe,

308
00:20:27.079 --> 00:20:29.400
don't wreck my truck, and don't get caught with that beer.

309
00:20:30.079 --> 00:20:32.599
Brianna gave him another eye roll and trotted to the

310
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driver's side. Jenny felt a wave of relief when Brianna

311
00:20:36.440 --> 00:20:39.319
started the engine and the cool lair from the ac

312
00:20:39.720 --> 00:20:45.559
kissed her face. Andy Frog said with a wicked grin. Yeah,

313
00:20:46.839 --> 00:20:49.160
I had Jenny going pretty good with the spirit of

314
00:20:49.240 --> 00:20:52.359
Langley Pond. You want to have some fun and scare

315
00:20:52.400 --> 00:20:55.960
the girls when they get back, more Jenny than Brianna.

316
00:20:56.559 --> 00:21:00.319
I know she's tough to scare. I don't know, oh man,

317
00:21:00.759 --> 00:21:03.359
that new girl might go off the deep end. I mean,

318
00:21:03.519 --> 00:21:06.519
you don't know her all that well, and it'll severely

319
00:21:06.599 --> 00:21:09.160
reduce your chances of playing Hide the Snake. If you

320
00:21:09.519 --> 00:21:13.160
catch my drift, it'll be more like a whack a mole.

321
00:21:13.640 --> 00:21:17.880
Andy replied and smiled. I don't care, Frog began. I

322
00:21:17.960 --> 00:21:20.680
don't think she's gonna give it up anyway. May as

323
00:21:20.720 --> 00:21:23.119
well have some fun with her. She's creeped out over

324
00:21:23.200 --> 00:21:27.599
the ghost of Elena Sanders. First, what did you have

325
00:21:27.680 --> 00:21:31.440
in mind? And second, if Brianna gets pissed, it's on you.

326
00:21:32.200 --> 00:21:36.559
Andy replied, Look, while they're gone, I'm gonna go to

327
00:21:36.640 --> 00:21:39.319
the edge of the woods over yonder Frog pointed to

328
00:21:39.400 --> 00:21:42.240
the shoreline at his left. You see that cluster of

329
00:21:42.319 --> 00:21:46.119
trees over there. Yeah, well, I'm gonna go over there

330
00:21:46.279 --> 00:21:49.200
behind them trees and start tossing some of the red

331
00:21:49.279 --> 00:21:51.920
bricks that Ricky put over in that clearing into the pond.

332
00:21:52.559 --> 00:21:54.960
He'll never miss him. He done forgot he put them

333
00:21:55.000 --> 00:21:57.759
out there, and check this out real quick, give me

334
00:21:57.799 --> 00:22:00.599
a second. Frog ran to his car, and Andy could

335
00:22:00.599 --> 00:22:03.119
hear him rustling before he came trotting back with a

336
00:22:03.200 --> 00:22:07.799
palm sized speaker. It's a bluetooth, man, I'm gonna play

337
00:22:07.880 --> 00:22:11.319
some Halloween screams out of this bad boy. It works

338
00:22:11.400 --> 00:22:14.680
right off my phone. And while you're doing all this shit,

339
00:22:15.279 --> 00:22:18.039
where am I supposed to tell them? You are? Tell

340
00:22:18.079 --> 00:22:19.440
them I went to the other side of the pond

341
00:22:19.519 --> 00:22:22.799
to go gigin. Brianna will believe that she knows how

342
00:22:22.880 --> 00:22:26.559
much I love to go giggin, and when she finds

343
00:22:26.599 --> 00:22:29.519
out that's a lie, then me and my right hand

344
00:22:29.559 --> 00:22:31.200
are going to be best friends for the rest of

345
00:22:31.240 --> 00:22:35.720
the trip. I don't think so, Andy replied, you have

346
00:22:35.920 --> 00:22:37.359
to take the fun out of everything.

347
00:22:37.480 --> 00:22:37.680
Man.

348
00:22:37.960 --> 00:22:40.119
Look, I will tell you that I was going gigin

349
00:22:40.319 --> 00:22:42.640
and I'm going to disappear for a little while. Then

350
00:22:42.720 --> 00:22:44.680
you won't be lying and you can act like you're

351
00:22:44.839 --> 00:22:47.559
just as pissed as the girls. I suspect I'll be

352
00:22:47.640 --> 00:22:50.039
taking Jenny home after this stunt, and you and Brianna

353
00:22:50.079 --> 00:22:53.359
will be all alone. In the cabin. Frog grinned and

354
00:22:53.519 --> 00:22:55.680
poked his finger through the hole he made with his

355
00:22:55.799 --> 00:23:00.119
other hand. A smile ran across Andy's face. Now, now

356
00:23:00.279 --> 00:23:03.599
that sounds like a better plan. My man, I know nothing,

357
00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:06.480
I see nothing, I hear nothing but the spirit of

358
00:23:06.519 --> 00:23:11.279
Elena Anne Sanders splashing and screaming in the water. That's

359
00:23:11.359 --> 00:23:20.599
the spirit, Frog replied, without realizing the pun. Darkness was

360
00:23:20.680 --> 00:23:23.160
closing in on the valley when Andy saw the lights

361
00:23:23.200 --> 00:23:27.319
of his truck coming down the path. They're back, he shouted,

362
00:23:27.319 --> 00:23:30.480
which sent Frog scurrying for the tree line. Brianna and

363
00:23:30.640 --> 00:23:33.799
Jenny were still laughing from their conversation on the trip back.

364
00:23:34.680 --> 00:23:38.680
Hey girls, need a hand, Andy walked toward them. Where's

365
00:23:38.720 --> 00:23:42.279
Frog was the first question from Jenny's lips, and Brianna

366
00:23:42.319 --> 00:23:45.640
already had her doubting eyes looking around for the mischievous

367
00:23:45.759 --> 00:23:49.680
valley prince. He'll be back directly, he went Giggan on

368
00:23:49.720 --> 00:23:53.440
the other side of the pond. What's gigin, Jenny asked,

369
00:23:53.799 --> 00:23:56.720
thinking it was some made up thing by these valley people.

370
00:23:57.599 --> 00:24:01.359
He went to kill his namesake. Giggin is when you

371
00:24:01.480 --> 00:24:04.519
basically take a three prong metal spear and go stab

372
00:24:04.640 --> 00:24:08.079
frogs with them. Don't worry, though, Frog isn't killing them

373
00:24:08.240 --> 00:24:10.880
entirely for fun. He'll cut the legs off and fry

374
00:24:10.960 --> 00:24:15.240
them up. Ew he's going to eat their legs. Jenny

375
00:24:15.319 --> 00:24:19.240
couldn't believe what she was hearing. Yeah, I'll probably eat

376
00:24:19.279 --> 00:24:22.759
some too, Andy, though he's not much on frog legs,

377
00:24:22.839 --> 00:24:26.440
are you, babe? Briann asked, y'all can have that. If

378
00:24:26.519 --> 00:24:28.359
I eat a fried leg, it better have belonged to

379
00:24:28.400 --> 00:24:31.640
a chicken. That's all I'll say. Did he say when

380
00:24:31.680 --> 00:24:36.160
he's coming back? Jenny asked, Well, with frog, you never

381
00:24:36.240 --> 00:24:38.880
can tell. If he starts sticking them left and right,

382
00:24:39.000 --> 00:24:41.200
it might be a while. But if he can't catch

383
00:24:41.279 --> 00:24:44.359
him then he might not be gone so long. Is

384
00:24:44.480 --> 00:24:48.160
he good at catching them? Jenny asked, best in the valley?

385
00:24:48.480 --> 00:24:53.200
Brianna replied, oh. Jenny said she thought that was a

386
00:24:53.240 --> 00:24:55.400
hell of a way to treat your date. Send her

387
00:24:55.440 --> 00:24:57.720
off to get your beer while you go kill frogs

388
00:24:57.759 --> 00:25:00.519
around the pond. Jenny made up her mind that Frog

389
00:25:00.559 --> 00:25:02.279
would have to take her home as soon as he

390
00:25:02.359 --> 00:25:06.400
got back. Here's your beer, Brianna said, and pulled the

391
00:25:06.519 --> 00:25:09.200
case from the bed of the pickup. It's still cold.

392
00:25:09.599 --> 00:25:11.440
Jenny and I are going to make ourselves a couple

393
00:25:11.480 --> 00:25:14.519
of sandwiches. You want a ham and cheese, you know

394
00:25:14.640 --> 00:25:17.000
I do? Can you bring it back out here? I'm

395
00:25:17.039 --> 00:25:19.599
going to start a fire in the pit. It's eighty

396
00:25:19.680 --> 00:25:21.880
something degrees out Andy, do you really want to make

397
00:25:21.920 --> 00:25:24.599
it any hotter? I like to see the people in

398
00:25:24.680 --> 00:25:28.680
the flames, Babe. I won't keep it lit all night. Alrighty,

399
00:25:28.759 --> 00:25:32.240
then go see your flame people. Come on, Jenny, I'm starving.

400
00:25:32.880 --> 00:25:35.519
The girls went into the cabin. Andy lit up the

401
00:25:35.599 --> 00:25:39.039
fire pit and waited to hear the first splash. Brianna

402
00:25:39.119 --> 00:25:41.640
came out ten minutes later with andy sandwich wrapped in

403
00:25:41.720 --> 00:25:46.119
a paper towel. Did Frog really go giggin? Brian asked?

404
00:25:46.759 --> 00:25:50.240
Andy truthfully answered that's where he told me he was going.

405
00:25:50.359 --> 00:25:53.079
But you never know with Frog. He added that just

406
00:25:53.160 --> 00:25:55.200
to cover his ass for when the shit went down.

407
00:25:56.200 --> 00:25:58.960
All Right, it's pretty dark out here. Now, you coming

408
00:25:59.000 --> 00:26:01.880
in soon? Yeah, I'll be in in a little bit.

409
00:26:02.319 --> 00:26:04.119
I was trying to wait on Frog to get back.

410
00:26:04.319 --> 00:26:06.440
I'm surprised he didn't come running when he heard the

411
00:26:06.480 --> 00:26:10.119
beer truck, Andy said, already thinking of how fake mad

412
00:26:10.200 --> 00:26:12.759
he was going to be with Frog when the prank unfolded.

413
00:26:13.319 --> 00:26:15.559
Andy wondered if Frog would let him get a punch

414
00:26:15.680 --> 00:26:19.559
in just to completely exonerate himself from any involvement in

415
00:26:19.680 --> 00:26:22.960
his childish ploy. Just put that fire out before he

416
00:26:23.079 --> 00:26:24.880
come in. We don't want to be the ones to

417
00:26:24.960 --> 00:26:29.400
burn down the cabins. Roger that. Andy smiled and pursed

418
00:26:29.440 --> 00:26:32.640
his lips for a kiss. Brianna gave him a quick pack.

419
00:26:33.599 --> 00:26:37.039
Fifteen minutes passed and there was no splash, no sound

420
00:26:37.079 --> 00:26:40.599
from the area in which Frog disappeared. Andy was getting

421
00:26:40.599 --> 00:26:43.039
a little antsy as he stood from his chair, took

422
00:26:43.079 --> 00:26:46.720
another gulp of PBR, and turned toward the cabin. He

423
00:26:46.799 --> 00:26:49.160
could see the outline of the girls standing near the

424
00:26:49.240 --> 00:26:53.559
ac unit. Andy began walking toward the cabin when the

425
00:26:53.640 --> 00:27:01.319
first splash finally came. Ah, so it began, Andy thought

426
00:27:01.359 --> 00:27:04.640
to himself. The girls didn't hear it, or if they did,

427
00:27:05.119 --> 00:27:07.720
it wasn't enough ruckus yet to make them come outside.

428
00:27:08.640 --> 00:27:14.440
Then there was a second splash, much louder than the first.

429
00:27:15.240 --> 00:27:18.519
He saw Brianna's head turn, but she didn't come outside.

430
00:27:19.440 --> 00:27:21.920
I guess third times a charm is what Andy thought.

431
00:27:22.599 --> 00:27:25.839
The third splash came and it was much louder than

432
00:27:25.880 --> 00:27:30.759
the first two. This time he saw Brianna move toward

433
00:27:30.799 --> 00:27:39.200
the door. Then came the scream. It was loud, shrill,

434
00:27:39.640 --> 00:27:45.000
and brief, almost inhuman. It was a scream of severe pain.

435
00:27:45.799 --> 00:27:49.359
Brianna came bursting out the door. All right, Andy, tell

436
00:27:49.480 --> 00:27:52.319
Frog to cut the shit. Jenny's freaking the hell out

437
00:27:52.359 --> 00:27:56.119
in there. She's afraid to come out. Frog, cut the shit,

438
00:27:56.839 --> 00:28:00.480
Brianna hollered in the direction of the commotion. There were

439
00:28:00.559 --> 00:28:07.680
more splashes. They got louder and closer, louder and closer.

440
00:28:08.960 --> 00:28:14.359
Then the second scream. It was so loud. Andy was

441
00:28:14.440 --> 00:28:17.079
thinking that was one hell of a speaker. Frog had brought.

442
00:28:17.599 --> 00:28:20.799
Andy and Brianna heard running, and it was coming toward

443
00:28:20.920 --> 00:28:26.000
them very quickly. Frog emerged from the darkness and his

444
00:28:26.160 --> 00:28:29.359
face was white as a sheet. Frog, you son of

445
00:28:29.440 --> 00:28:33.359
a bit. Brianna began and then stopped. Her heart felt

446
00:28:33.440 --> 00:28:36.359
like it was going baboom out of her chest when

447
00:28:36.400 --> 00:28:40.440
she heard the next scream. This was no bluetooth speaker.

448
00:28:41.480 --> 00:28:45.960
This was menacing and so full of pain. Damn Frog,

449
00:28:46.640 --> 00:28:50.319
how are you doing that? Andy asked, still not getting it.

450
00:28:51.079 --> 00:28:55.759
Actually impressed with his friend's skill, it's not me, Andy,

451
00:28:56.400 --> 00:29:00.599
it's a Lena, and I pissed her off. Stopped at frog.

452
00:29:00.960 --> 00:29:04.279
Take me home. I'm done with this shit, Jenny yelled.

453
00:29:04.839 --> 00:29:08.319
Her entire body was shaking. The poor girl was scared

454
00:29:08.359 --> 00:29:10.880
out of her mind. I think we all need to leave,

455
00:29:11.359 --> 00:29:15.240
Andy said, as he realized his buddy wasn't joking. Andy

456
00:29:15.359 --> 00:29:18.839
kept calm. Let's just go. We'll come clean up our

457
00:29:18.920 --> 00:29:23.160
crap in the morning. There was another tremendous splash, and

458
00:29:23.319 --> 00:29:26.279
it was closer than any of the others. The rhythm

459
00:29:26.519 --> 00:29:30.640
was almost like thunder followed by lightning. A few seconds

460
00:29:30.680 --> 00:29:34.519
after the splash, the screech came. It was a sound

461
00:29:34.599 --> 00:29:38.680
of unmitigated pain. The four of them froze in place

462
00:29:39.400 --> 00:29:43.839
and their mouths fell open, almost in unison at what

463
00:29:44.000 --> 00:29:49.000
they saw next. The apparition of Elena was floating above

464
00:29:49.039 --> 00:29:52.359
the water, just past the shoreline. The front of her

465
00:29:52.400 --> 00:29:55.799
head was busted wide open, and her eyes were contorted.

466
00:29:55.880 --> 00:30:00.799
Black pools that looked in opposite directions fell into the

467
00:30:00.880 --> 00:30:06.920
water with a loud, cursed splash, and slowly rose again.

468
00:30:08.119 --> 00:30:12.559
Her mouth opened wide, and this time the scream pierced them.

469
00:30:13.240 --> 00:30:15.559
The ear drums of all four of them were on

470
00:30:15.680 --> 00:30:18.920
the verge of exploding in their skulls. Hands went to

471
00:30:19.000 --> 00:30:22.519
cover ears on instinct, but it didn't matter. This scream

472
00:30:22.920 --> 00:30:27.200
moved through flesh and bone, through space and time. This

473
00:30:27.599 --> 00:30:32.519
was the scream of the dead, the dead trapped in

474
00:30:32.640 --> 00:30:36.319
her watery grave. It was a macabre dance of the

475
00:30:36.440 --> 00:30:39.400
dead in which Elena was forever trapped.

476
00:30:41.400 --> 00:30:45.240
You're not safe yet, weekly Spooky will be right back.

477
00:30:49.440 --> 00:30:52.440
Jenny was the first to speak when the screaming stopped.

478
00:30:53.400 --> 00:30:56.759
She's not gonna let us leave. Brienna looked at Andy

479
00:30:57.119 --> 00:30:59.799
and they felt the same apprehension that Jenny spoke a

480
00:30:59.880 --> 00:31:03.920
loud but Andy simply said, let's get the hell out

481
00:31:03.960 --> 00:31:07.079
of here. Andy and Brianna ran to the truck, while

482
00:31:07.200 --> 00:31:11.000
Frog and Jenny ran to Frog's mustang. Andy turned the

483
00:31:11.079 --> 00:31:15.039
key and heard the clicking sound associated with a dead battery.

484
00:31:15.759 --> 00:31:19.119
Frog did the same. Jenny was shaking in her seat.

485
00:31:19.720 --> 00:31:22.599
Brianna was already thinking that they would just book it

486
00:31:22.960 --> 00:31:26.279
to four twenty one on foot. It wasn't that far away,

487
00:31:26.319 --> 00:31:28.599
and once they were on that stretch of road they

488
00:31:28.640 --> 00:31:32.440
would be home free. The wind suddenly picked up and

489
00:31:32.559 --> 00:31:35.720
the temperature dropped. The four of them got out of

490
00:31:35.759 --> 00:31:40.319
the vehicles and moved closer to one another. Brianna wanted

491
00:31:40.359 --> 00:31:43.359
to scream, wanted to tell them to run, but something

492
00:31:43.400 --> 00:31:46.599
in her gut warned her that would be a big mistake.

493
00:31:47.640 --> 00:31:51.200
Jenny's lips were quivering with fear, and Frog didn't look

494
00:31:51.279 --> 00:31:54.000
like a prince at all. For the first time in

495
00:31:54.119 --> 00:31:58.200
his life, Frog truly felt fear rush up his spine.

496
00:31:59.000 --> 00:32:02.400
The calmness that Andy displayed just moments before was replaced

497
00:32:02.440 --> 00:32:06.279
with a feeling of despair. They all felt like Brianna

498
00:32:06.920 --> 00:32:11.200
felt as if they should run but couldn't. Not that

499
00:32:11.359 --> 00:32:15.279
anyone or anything was stopping them, but it just felt

500
00:32:15.960 --> 00:32:19.960
like a very bad idea. There was another screech, and

501
00:32:20.079 --> 00:32:23.319
the four of them turned toward the pond. The apparition

502
00:32:23.599 --> 00:32:27.079
was floating above the water, just at the shoreline. Her

503
00:32:27.200 --> 00:32:31.000
dark hair was flowing behind her, and she wasn't falling

504
00:32:31.160 --> 00:32:34.680
this time. Her mouth was contorted as if she were

505
00:32:34.759 --> 00:32:39.200
about to release another screech, but this time she didn't.

506
00:32:40.119 --> 00:32:42.960
The spirit of Elena looked directly at Frog with a

507
00:32:43.039 --> 00:32:48.240
face of recognition. The spirit began shaking above the water.

508
00:32:48.839 --> 00:32:53.920
What the fuck, Frog, Andy whispered, I don't know, man,

509
00:32:54.559 --> 00:33:00.400
Frog whispered back, she's pointing at you, Jenny said, verge

510
00:33:00.440 --> 00:33:05.279
of sobbing. No she's not. She's pointing at us. She

511
00:33:05.440 --> 00:33:07.119
don't want us to be here, and I think we

512
00:33:07.200 --> 00:33:11.559
should give her what she wants. Frog whispered back, Andy, Jenny,

513
00:33:11.599 --> 00:33:16.720
and Brianna slowly stepped away from Frog. Elena's spirit kept

514
00:33:16.799 --> 00:33:21.319
pointing to the Valley Prince. It was recognition and it

515
00:33:21.519 --> 00:33:25.319
wasn't coincidence. What the hell, man, what did I ever

516
00:33:25.400 --> 00:33:28.359
do to her? I don't know, man, but I wouldn't

517
00:33:28.359 --> 00:33:34.839
make any sudden movements if I were you. Summer nineteen

518
00:33:34.920 --> 00:33:38.240
eighty one, he had seen Elena come in his store

519
00:33:38.319 --> 00:33:42.200
through the years. He longed for her, but she was taken.

520
00:33:43.079 --> 00:33:46.119
Dustin Hines was her man, and it didn't sit well

521
00:33:46.160 --> 00:33:49.440
with him, not one bit. He heard it through the

522
00:33:49.480 --> 00:33:51.960
grapevine that they were going to Langley Pond for a

523
00:33:52.079 --> 00:33:57.680
romantic getaway this weekend, and today was Friday. Elena wouldn't

524
00:33:57.720 --> 00:34:00.400
give him the time of day, would barely utter a

525
00:34:00.519 --> 00:34:02.599
word when she came in to pick out a movie.

526
00:34:03.359 --> 00:34:06.799
Sometimes Dustin would be with her. She would come in

527
00:34:06.960 --> 00:34:10.480
with her beautiful, long black hair and perfect smile, teasing

528
00:34:10.559 --> 00:34:13.280
him Elena had to know that he was in love

529
00:34:13.320 --> 00:34:16.159
with her, but she would come in with Dustin, flaunting

530
00:34:16.239 --> 00:34:20.079
her love for him and in a sense a disdain

531
00:34:20.960 --> 00:34:26.159
for Frog Spradley. He didn't understand why Valley Video was

532
00:34:26.199 --> 00:34:29.199
going to be his outright. In another year, he would

533
00:34:29.199 --> 00:34:32.400
be a reputable business owner. Frog was sure that the

534
00:34:32.480 --> 00:34:36.000
video rental business would be a necessity for generations to come.

535
00:34:36.880 --> 00:34:41.679
But she would come and go, tease him, taunt him,

536
00:34:42.400 --> 00:34:45.559
show him what he can't have, show him who was

537
00:34:45.639 --> 00:34:49.079
getting her love. This wasn't going to work for Frog.

538
00:34:49.920 --> 00:34:52.880
He would be at that pond tonight, just like the

539
00:34:53.039 --> 00:34:59.280
song said, bang bang he shot me down, Bang bang

540
00:35:00.159 --> 00:35:05.760
hit the ground, bang bang that awful sound bang bang,

541
00:35:06.400 --> 00:35:10.760
My baby shot me down. And that's exactly what Frog

542
00:35:10.840 --> 00:35:14.239
would do. He would go to the pond. He would

543
00:35:14.280 --> 00:35:17.239
hear them making love in the tent. He would take

544
00:35:17.320 --> 00:35:20.679
his machete and get Dustin to come outside. While Elena

545
00:35:20.840 --> 00:35:24.599
was sleeping. He'd hack him up and chop off his head.

546
00:35:25.320 --> 00:35:28.639
He'd take the john boat out late he heard them

547
00:35:28.719 --> 00:35:32.360
talking about their late night fishing trip. She would come out.

548
00:35:32.920 --> 00:35:35.320
She would see the light. She would think that her

549
00:35:35.400 --> 00:35:38.639
lover was fishing without her. She'd see the man that

550
00:35:38.760 --> 00:35:42.920
she scorned, see what she could have had. He would

551
00:35:43.000 --> 00:35:46.360
toss the head of her betrothed. She would see him.

552
00:35:47.159 --> 00:35:50.519
All she had to do was keep swimming to the boat,

553
00:35:51.079 --> 00:35:54.679
and she would have lived. But she turned and swam away,

554
00:35:55.480 --> 00:35:57.840
afraid of the man that was truly meant for her.

555
00:35:58.400 --> 00:36:01.760
He'd line her up with his dear Frog was a

556
00:36:01.840 --> 00:36:05.800
dead shot. He wasn't going to miss. He'd let her

557
00:36:05.880 --> 00:36:08.920
feel as if she may get away before the shot

558
00:36:09.320 --> 00:36:12.920
would zip through the back of her skull. It was

559
00:36:13.039 --> 00:36:16.119
pure luck that they pinned it on Billy Jean. He

560
00:36:16.239 --> 00:36:19.559
always had a short fuse, and that was all very

561
00:36:19.639 --> 00:36:23.599
well and good. With Frog. He'd find another love, one

562
00:36:23.679 --> 00:36:27.039
that would love him. They'd have a baby boy, and

563
00:36:27.199 --> 00:36:30.599
he would keep the name of Frog alive. Frog was

564
00:36:30.639 --> 00:36:34.400
the spitting image of his father and his grandfather. He'd

565
00:36:34.440 --> 00:36:37.840
grow up as a valley prince. Frog Senior wouldn't think

566
00:36:37.880 --> 00:36:41.800
of Elena again until he took his final breath in

567
00:36:41.880 --> 00:36:46.599
twenty fifteen, when the song floated through his mind for

568
00:36:46.719 --> 00:36:52.400
the first time since that day. Bang bang, he shot

569
00:36:52.480 --> 00:36:58.440
me down, Bang bang, I hit the ground, Bang bang.

570
00:36:59.159 --> 00:37:04.400
That awful so bang bang my baby shot me down.

571
00:37:05.800 --> 00:37:09.239
Frog died with his loved ones around him and tears

572
00:37:09.320 --> 00:37:14.360
in his eyes. His family didn't know the tears weren't

573
00:37:14.400 --> 00:37:20.559
for them, but for Elena, the spirit of Langley Pond,

574
00:37:24.440 --> 00:37:30.239
Summer twoenty twenty one. The specter was transfixed on Frog,

575
00:37:30.719 --> 00:37:34.360
and he was in turn locked onto her lifeless eyes.

576
00:37:35.320 --> 00:37:38.559
Her mouth curled in pain, and it was as if

577
00:37:39.079 --> 00:37:43.519
she were the one seeing a ghost. Frog couldn't move.

578
00:37:44.199 --> 00:37:47.119
It was as if he were stuck knees deep in mud,

579
00:37:48.000 --> 00:37:51.039
and the air around him was infused with a coldness

580
00:37:51.519 --> 00:37:56.280
that chilled him to his soul. The spirit of Langley

581
00:37:56.400 --> 00:37:59.760
Pond seemed to know him, and she didn't seem all

582
00:37:59.840 --> 00:38:04.239
that thrilled that he was looking at her. Oh my god,

583
00:38:04.840 --> 00:38:09.440
Brianna screamed in Frog's direction, she knows you. Andy turned

584
00:38:09.480 --> 00:38:13.440
away from the ghost and saw the angst in Frog's

585
00:38:13.480 --> 00:38:18.119
face before he said, that's impossible. There's no way she

586
00:38:18.280 --> 00:38:22.480
knows Frog. The ghost floated closer to them and seemed

587
00:38:22.519 --> 00:38:26.079
to put her feet on the ground. The entire shoreline

588
00:38:26.159 --> 00:38:30.159
got much colder, and the others felt it. Everyone was

589
00:38:30.280 --> 00:38:33.519
stuck in their spot, afraid to make any sudden movement.

590
00:38:34.519 --> 00:38:37.280
The four of them formed somewhat of a straight line,

591
00:38:37.840 --> 00:38:40.960
and they all faced the spirit of Elena, But that

592
00:38:41.159 --> 00:38:45.679
spirit was only focused on one of them, and she changed.

593
00:38:46.239 --> 00:38:49.920
The life came back into her eyes. They turned from

594
00:38:50.039 --> 00:38:55.000
black pools to light brown. The distortion in her face

595
00:38:55.159 --> 00:38:59.119
also melted away. The ghostly apparition that the four of

596
00:38:59.159 --> 00:39:02.960
them witnessed flowing above the pond changed into healed flesh

597
00:39:03.119 --> 00:39:07.880
and blood. She no longer floated, but walked toward Frog.

598
00:39:08.960 --> 00:39:14.440
He managed to utter the first words to break the silence. Hey, look,

599
00:39:15.760 --> 00:39:18.960
what do you want from us? The young woman smiled

600
00:39:18.960 --> 00:39:22.559
at him and held out her hands. Frog wanted to

601
00:39:22.639 --> 00:39:25.360
believe this was just a dream, that he had drank

602
00:39:25.480 --> 00:39:28.880
five too many PBRs and would wake up any minute,

603
00:39:29.400 --> 00:39:31.679
but he knew that he was in the here and

604
00:39:31.880 --> 00:39:38.360
now take my hand. You were there, You killed my boyfriend,

605
00:39:39.159 --> 00:39:43.920
you chopped off his head, and you shot me, Elena said,

606
00:39:44.000 --> 00:39:48.360
and continued, Take my hand so I can leave this

607
00:39:48.639 --> 00:39:53.119
god forsaken place. Frog trembled. His brain was trying to

608
00:39:53.199 --> 00:39:58.800
fight the overwhelming compulsion to grab Elena's hand. If he did,

609
00:39:59.400 --> 00:40:01.320
he thought it might might be the last thing that

610
00:40:01.440 --> 00:40:07.840
he ever did. Brianna found her courage and spoke Elena.

611
00:40:08.599 --> 00:40:12.000
The girl turned to face her. He couldn't have killed

612
00:40:12.000 --> 00:40:17.920
your boyfriend or you. Please just listen to me, U

613
00:40:18.039 --> 00:40:19.039
sh it was.

614
00:40:19.079 --> 00:40:23.800
Only the wind. You're safe, weekly, Spooky will be right back.

615
00:40:25.559 --> 00:40:29.159
Elena placed her hands at her side and gave Brianna

616
00:40:29.199 --> 00:40:34.679
a sense of relief. She was going to listen to her. Good. Good. Look.

617
00:40:35.679 --> 00:40:39.320
The year is twenty twenty one. You were killed in

618
00:40:39.440 --> 00:40:42.599
nineteen eighty one by Billy Jean Morris. It was in

619
00:40:42.719 --> 00:40:45.719
all the papers. My mama told me about it. The

620
00:40:45.800 --> 00:40:49.159
whole town knew it was Billy Jean. He was shot dead, Elena.

621
00:40:49.760 --> 00:40:52.119
They got the man that killed you and your boyfriend.

622
00:40:53.760 --> 00:40:57.159
Elena turned her attention away from Frog for just a

623
00:40:57.280 --> 00:41:01.480
moment and walked to Brianna. Jenny ran to Andy and

624
00:41:01.559 --> 00:41:03.440
stuck her head in the crook of his arm, like

625
00:41:03.559 --> 00:41:06.000
she was trying to shield herself from seeing a kill

626
00:41:06.039 --> 00:41:10.599
in a horror movie. Elena walked toward Brianna. She seemed

627
00:41:10.599 --> 00:41:14.039
to admire the beauty of the girl. They were close

628
00:41:14.119 --> 00:41:17.880
to the same age. Billy Jean Morris did not kill me.

629
00:41:18.760 --> 00:41:22.639
Billy Jean Morris never talked to me. I know who

630
00:41:22.719 --> 00:41:27.519
I saw, and it was his face, she said, and

631
00:41:27.679 --> 00:41:33.039
pointed back at Frog. Shit woman, I wasn't even born yet, please,

632
00:41:33.840 --> 00:41:38.480
Frog pleaded. It was him, Elena said and started to

633
00:41:38.599 --> 00:41:42.639
turn away from Brianna. Brianna lunged forward and grabbed Elena

634
00:41:42.760 --> 00:41:46.480
around her wrist. She was surprised that she didn't pass

635
00:41:46.559 --> 00:41:50.199
through her. Brianna really had a grip on the young woman.

636
00:41:50.920 --> 00:41:54.920
Elena spun around and Brianna's backwards hug like a slippery eel,

637
00:41:55.360 --> 00:41:59.559
and placed her hands on Brianna's head. The memory of

638
00:41:59.639 --> 00:42:03.880
that night and her death filled Brianna's mind in what

639
00:42:04.079 --> 00:42:11.159
felt like a wave of electricity. Brianna blinked rapidly. Andy

640
00:42:11.239 --> 00:42:15.039
pushed Jenny away and started to run toward his girlfriend. No,

641
00:42:15.960 --> 00:42:21.400
Brianna screamed, stop. Andy stopped in his tracks. Elena looked

642
00:42:21.440 --> 00:42:27.360
into Brianna's eyes, looking for understanding. You see it was him,

643
00:42:28.400 --> 00:42:33.079
You see that now right. Elena broke Brianna's grip around

644
00:42:33.119 --> 00:42:37.280
her waist and turned back to Frog. What the hell, man,

645
00:42:37.599 --> 00:42:41.840
I wasn't even on the planet. Then it was his daddy,

646
00:42:42.239 --> 00:42:47.199
Brianna shouted. This made Elena pause. It is twenty twenty one.

647
00:42:47.760 --> 00:42:50.519
His daddy's name was Frog, and his name is Frog.

648
00:42:51.079 --> 00:42:53.800
He looks just like his daddy. He didn't have anything

649
00:42:53.840 --> 00:42:57.280
to do with it. Andy rushed to his girlfriend's side,

650
00:42:57.559 --> 00:43:01.000
and Jenny was right behind him. Three of them stood together.

651
00:43:01.599 --> 00:43:05.920
Frog was still frozen in place. Elena moved closer to Frog.

652
00:43:06.559 --> 00:43:09.079
She could see the man that chopped off Dustin's head.

653
00:43:09.800 --> 00:43:12.519
She could almost feel the bullet break open the back

654
00:43:12.559 --> 00:43:16.039
of her skull all over again. He put his hands

655
00:43:16.119 --> 00:43:18.880
out in front of him, hoping this would keep her

656
00:43:18.920 --> 00:43:23.400
at arm's length. She touched his hand and it was

657
00:43:23.559 --> 00:43:26.960
colder than anything he had ever felt in his young life.

658
00:43:27.599 --> 00:43:31.880
You have his blood, and a penance has to be paid,

659
00:43:32.400 --> 00:43:35.599
Elena said, as she grabbed the valley prince by the hand.

660
00:43:36.119 --> 00:43:39.480
I will not stay here any longer. I was waiting

661
00:43:39.559 --> 00:43:43.719
on him to return, and he never did, but his

662
00:43:43.960 --> 00:43:47.440
son will do. You carry the blood of the man

663
00:43:47.559 --> 00:43:52.440
that killed me. You should have never been born, Elena said,

664
00:43:52.920 --> 00:43:56.960
and pulled Frog closer to her. Brienna and Andy started

665
00:43:57.000 --> 00:44:00.960
to run toward them. Jenny was a blubbering man to

666
00:44:01.079 --> 00:44:04.679
save their friend, but it was too late. Elena had

667
00:44:04.719 --> 00:44:07.599
a firm grip on both of Frog's arms, and she

668
00:44:07.840 --> 00:44:12.199
morphed back into the specter. Frog was lifted straight up

669
00:44:12.239 --> 00:44:15.559
into the sky, his legs kicking and his lungs screaming

670
00:44:15.679 --> 00:44:20.000
into the night. Brienna and Andy shouted Frog's name. As

671
00:44:20.039 --> 00:44:26.440
he disappeared into the sky, his screams went silent. Andy

672
00:44:26.519 --> 00:44:30.159
and Brianna looked at one another, waiting for another sound,

673
00:44:31.000 --> 00:44:35.719
another sign of life from the valley prince. What they

674
00:44:35.880 --> 00:44:39.840
heard in the far distance of the pond was a splash,

675
00:44:40.920 --> 00:44:49.840
a cackle, and then silence. The spirit of Elena Anne

676
00:44:49.960 --> 00:44:55.360
Sanders was now free. It was replaced by the son

677
00:44:55.440 --> 00:44:59.440
of the man that killed her and dustin. This would

678
00:44:59.480 --> 00:45:05.360
be the pen that set her free. Brianna, Andy and

679
00:45:05.519 --> 00:45:09.079
Jenny would never be able to explain what they witnessed.

680
00:45:09.960 --> 00:45:13.800
They just said Frog went giggin and never came back.

681
00:45:15.199 --> 00:45:27.760
What else could they say? The Truth about Groundhog Day

682
00:45:28.599 --> 00:45:37.400
by Rob Fields February second, eighteen twenty one. Hollow Point

683
00:45:37.559 --> 00:45:41.440
was established one year ago on this date. It was

684
00:45:41.519 --> 00:45:45.000
a small farming village where most everyone greeted each other

685
00:45:45.440 --> 00:45:49.760
with courtesy and friendship. This was an ideal place to

686
00:45:49.880 --> 00:45:54.559
raise kids or crops. Hollowpoint had all of the basic

687
00:45:54.719 --> 00:45:58.840
essentials for education. There was a one room schoolhouse that

688
00:45:59.039 --> 00:46:03.079
serviced every grade level. There were stores and markets that

689
00:46:03.280 --> 00:46:07.880
serviced most everyone's needs, from food to tools. The village

690
00:46:07.960 --> 00:46:11.639
Hall was the biggest building on the square. The constables

691
00:46:11.719 --> 00:46:15.119
occupied a small building next door to it. There was

692
00:46:15.199 --> 00:46:18.840
also a library and a few small inns for food

693
00:46:19.199 --> 00:46:23.320
and rest. On this day, a festival was being held

694
00:46:23.400 --> 00:46:27.679
to celebrate the first year anniversary of Hollow Point, and

695
00:46:27.800 --> 00:46:32.559
it was on this day that she had come. During

696
00:46:32.679 --> 00:46:36.320
the festival, as Mayor Jeffrey Miron was standing on the

697
00:46:36.360 --> 00:46:40.840
gazebo and giving his speech to commemorate the anniversary, a

698
00:46:40.960 --> 00:46:45.719
beautiful young woman approached the village square dressed all in black.

699
00:46:46.440 --> 00:46:49.440
She wore a dress with a flowing skirt and a

700
00:46:49.559 --> 00:46:54.519
long cape that flowed down her back evenly. In her hands,

701
00:46:55.159 --> 00:47:00.400
she cradled a brown adult groundhog. When the mayor caught

702
00:47:00.480 --> 00:47:03.199
sight of her, all of the other villagers turned to

703
00:47:03.280 --> 00:47:06.599
look at her. She stood at least fifty feet away

704
00:47:07.000 --> 00:47:12.360
as she gazed upon them hatefully. Hear me, people of

705
00:47:12.519 --> 00:47:16.920
Hollow Point, and hear me well, the woman said boldly.

706
00:47:17.639 --> 00:47:21.800
Today you celebrate the birth of your village. Prior to

707
00:47:21.920 --> 00:47:25.079
the birth of Hollow Point, you and yours alike drove

708
00:47:25.199 --> 00:47:29.199
many of our people from our land. Hardly any of

709
00:47:29.280 --> 00:47:33.159
you showed regret for the terrible wrongs you have done.

710
00:47:34.000 --> 00:47:37.719
Why should we show any regret? Girl, Mayor Miron asked,

711
00:47:38.000 --> 00:47:41.639
just as boldly. A petition was received stating a need

712
00:47:41.760 --> 00:47:44.599
for new land due to the overcrowding in our neighboring

713
00:47:44.679 --> 00:47:48.079
village of Strickfield. By rights, this land was ours to

714
00:47:48.159 --> 00:47:51.039
begin with. It was left to us by our forefathers.

715
00:47:51.760 --> 00:47:57.920
Your forefathers, the woman replied bitterly. Was that the lie

716
00:47:58.079 --> 00:48:00.880
you told your people to get them to drive us

717
00:48:00.960 --> 00:48:05.519
from our land and kill us. Your forefathers had nothing

718
00:48:05.639 --> 00:48:08.559
to do with our land. It was in our family

719
00:48:08.760 --> 00:48:13.320
long before Columbus himself journeyed to this country. You sought

720
00:48:13.400 --> 00:48:16.039
to drive us from our land so that you could

721
00:48:16.119 --> 00:48:19.880
build this pitiful village, and with the help of some

722
00:48:20.039 --> 00:48:24.960
of these people here you did so. I recognize their faces.

723
00:48:25.719 --> 00:48:28.800
It was you and your followers who violently put our

724
00:48:28.880 --> 00:48:31.199
people to death in order for there not to be

725
00:48:31.400 --> 00:48:36.039
any opposition to you. You had your way, and your

726
00:48:36.159 --> 00:48:41.159
village would be built, and today you celebrate the birth

727
00:48:41.239 --> 00:48:44.559
of it. Wait a minute, one of the men cried,

728
00:48:45.119 --> 00:48:48.480
I know who she is that's Greta Finny, the daughter

729
00:48:48.559 --> 00:48:55.400
of Helia, a witch. Greta Finny chuckled, yes, And can

730
00:48:55.480 --> 00:48:58.800
you tell me what else happened the day you established

731
00:48:58.840 --> 00:49:04.039
your village, fool, We burned your mother at the stake

732
00:49:04.159 --> 00:49:07.280
for her evil. What's to keep us from doing the

733
00:49:07.360 --> 00:49:13.559
same to you, Greta Finny. Mayor Mirn retorted, Greta held

734
00:49:13.639 --> 00:49:15.800
up the groundhog for all to see.

735
00:49:16.920 --> 00:49:16.960
This.

736
00:49:18.679 --> 00:49:21.360
The mayor and the rest of the villagers laughed at her.

737
00:49:22.239 --> 00:49:26.880
Despite this, Greta Finney stood her ground. They were playing

738
00:49:27.039 --> 00:49:31.159
right into her hands, and she knew it. She also

739
00:49:31.320 --> 00:49:35.119
knew that the time had now come for the citizens

740
00:49:35.519 --> 00:49:40.760
of Hollow Point. Greta Finny continued to stare hard upon them,

741
00:49:41.880 --> 00:49:47.960
Gaze upon this groundhog, fools, Gaze upon him well, because

742
00:49:48.039 --> 00:49:51.920
from this day forward, your very lives, as well as

743
00:49:52.000 --> 00:49:57.360
those of your descendants, shall depend upon him. You and

744
00:49:57.519 --> 00:50:00.960
yours alike drove us from our homes and murdered us

745
00:50:01.239 --> 00:50:05.519
so that you could build your precious village. You murdered

746
00:50:05.559 --> 00:50:10.079
our people because of who we are. Only I now live.

747
00:50:10.920 --> 00:50:14.559
You think Hollow Point is your pride. I say it

748
00:50:14.679 --> 00:50:17.519
is both your prison and your tomb.

749
00:50:20.159 --> 00:50:24.360
More scares to come weekly, Spooky will be right back.

750
00:50:27.400 --> 00:50:31.119
From this day forward, none of you shall ever again

751
00:50:31.639 --> 00:50:37.159
leave the boundaries of your village. Greta's eyes shifted from

752
00:50:37.199 --> 00:50:41.760
their hazel color to bright red. Then her eyes and

753
00:50:41.920 --> 00:50:45.840
those of the groundhog began to glow. She looked to

754
00:50:45.920 --> 00:50:51.880
the sky. Hear me, dark mother, I Greta Finny, daughter

755
00:50:51.960 --> 00:50:57.679
of Helia Finny, invoke thee. These mortals have stolen from

756
00:50:57.719 --> 00:51:01.679
our people and built wrongfully upon that which did not

757
00:51:02.039 --> 00:51:07.199
rightfully belong to them. These mortals have spilled the sacred

758
00:51:07.280 --> 00:51:12.000
blood of our people in doing so. Hear me, dark Mother,

759
00:51:12.440 --> 00:51:15.480
I curse these people who have done evil onto us.

760
00:51:16.039 --> 00:51:19.679
I curse the land they now inhabit that was once ours.

761
00:51:20.159 --> 00:51:22.800
I decree that the lives of these mortals and of

762
00:51:22.920 --> 00:51:27.320
their descendants are to be bound to this groundhog, of

763
00:51:27.480 --> 00:51:32.719
which I now hold and offer to you. The winds

764
00:51:32.840 --> 00:51:37.239
began to blow slightly, then they gradually increased, until the

765
00:51:37.320 --> 00:51:40.719
citizens were forced to hold their own hats and bonnets

766
00:51:40.760 --> 00:51:43.920
to their heads. Greta's cape began to flow in the

767
00:51:44.000 --> 00:51:49.239
windy breezes. She continued her chanting. The shadow of this

768
00:51:49.480 --> 00:51:54.400
groundhog shall be decided with the mystic number of six,

769
00:51:55.360 --> 00:51:59.599
six consecutive years upon this date that this groundhog sees

770
00:51:59.639 --> 00:52:05.000
his shed, shall bring your wrath down upon them, unless

771
00:52:05.159 --> 00:52:09.599
one among either their number or of their descendants comes

772
00:52:09.760 --> 00:52:14.599
forward and offers payment of their lives to you willingly,

773
00:52:15.440 --> 00:52:22.360
a payment fit only onto you, hell Weaver. Furthermore, anyone

774
00:52:22.480 --> 00:52:26.079
who should dare to leave this village, which I now curse,

775
00:52:26.639 --> 00:52:31.239
shall be forbidden from ever doing so. The winds blew

776
00:52:31.320 --> 00:52:34.480
even harder. Now some of the villagers were forced to

777
00:52:34.519 --> 00:52:37.719
grab onto something in order to keep their ground. Many

778
00:52:37.880 --> 00:52:42.320
hats and bonnets now flew in different directions. The children

779
00:52:42.360 --> 00:52:47.039
were so terrified that they screamed and cried. Greta still

780
00:52:47.159 --> 00:52:50.880
held her position, Her cape flowed wildly behind her. Now

781
00:52:51.400 --> 00:52:56.280
both Finney's eyes and the groundhogs glowed even brighter. As

782
00:52:56.360 --> 00:53:01.000
all ties to this curse fall upon this groundhog, she screamed.

783
00:53:01.559 --> 00:53:04.920
He shall be immortal upon this earth until either he

784
00:53:05.079 --> 00:53:08.199
sees not his shadow upon this day for six years,

785
00:53:08.960 --> 00:53:12.880
or when the last citizen or descendant of Hollow Point dies.

786
00:53:14.519 --> 00:53:19.199
This is my curse, dark Mother. I invoke THEE. I

787
00:53:19.519 --> 00:53:23.360
invoke THEE. She finished at the top of her lungs.

788
00:53:24.280 --> 00:53:29.760
I involve thee. Suddenly, a bolt of red lightning struck

789
00:53:29.840 --> 00:53:35.320
the groundhog. To the surprise of the villagers, neither the

790
00:53:35.400 --> 00:53:40.079
groundhog nor Greta Finney were harmed. Greta herself wasn't even

791
00:53:40.199 --> 00:53:43.760
moved from where she stood. The groundhog appeared to be

792
00:53:44.840 --> 00:53:49.719
different now. Its fur was tinted brimstone, and its eyes

793
00:53:49.920 --> 00:53:56.000
glowed crimson red. The winds began to die down until

794
00:53:56.079 --> 00:53:59.840
the weather was as normal as it had been before

795
00:54:00.039 --> 00:54:05.360
Greta Finny had arrived. She lowered her head to face

796
00:54:05.480 --> 00:54:12.199
the villagers. It is done, fools of hollow Point, Greta said,

797
00:54:12.920 --> 00:54:16.079
From this moment on, you shall never again leave the

798
00:54:16.199 --> 00:54:22.320
boundaries of your accursed village. What have you done, Greta Finny.

799
00:54:23.320 --> 00:54:27.960
Mayor Miron shouted at her. Are you that ignorant? Jeffrey Miron?

800
00:54:28.559 --> 00:54:32.800
Greta retorted, you would be advised to hear me well,

801
00:54:33.440 --> 00:54:35.639
for the rest of your lives and those of your

802
00:54:35.719 --> 00:54:40.960
descendants depend upon it. She held out the groundhog. He

803
00:54:41.280 --> 00:54:43.519
is the key to the curse. As long as he

804
00:54:43.719 --> 00:54:47.199
does not see his shadow for six consecutive years, upon

805
00:54:47.320 --> 00:54:52.000
this very day, you shall continue to prosper the only

806
00:54:52.119 --> 00:54:54.639
way that you may be spared from your fate is

807
00:54:54.760 --> 00:54:58.199
that he does not. And what if he does, a

808
00:54:58.320 --> 00:55:02.280
frightened woman stammered. If he does, then you shall all

809
00:55:02.440 --> 00:55:06.239
suffer the wrath of the dark Mother. And believe me,

810
00:55:07.000 --> 00:55:11.800
you would sooner die first than face the hell Weaver herself,

811
00:55:12.320 --> 00:55:15.800
all of you. The only way to avoid this fate

812
00:55:16.079 --> 00:55:19.280
is for one or more of you to willingly offer

813
00:55:19.400 --> 00:55:24.400
your lives to the hell Weaver. Upon six straight years

814
00:55:24.519 --> 00:55:27.920
of the groundhog not seeing his shadow, you shall all

815
00:55:28.039 --> 00:55:31.840
be free from my curse. The reason I have so

816
00:55:32.079 --> 00:55:35.480
granted you this favor is because there were a select

817
00:55:35.599 --> 00:55:40.159
few of you who had decent hearts. It was those

818
00:55:40.320 --> 00:55:43.599
few who fought for the freedom of my family before

819
00:55:43.639 --> 00:55:48.239
they were either banished or killed by you. She lowered

820
00:55:48.280 --> 00:55:52.400
the groundhog and released it. It just stood in front

821
00:55:52.400 --> 00:55:57.000
of Greta and looked at the villagers. The mayor pointed

822
00:55:57.079 --> 00:56:02.360
to the cursed creature. Capture that groundhogg. Greta just laughed.

823
00:56:03.440 --> 00:56:06.079
And what would you do with it upon capturing it?

824
00:56:06.880 --> 00:56:11.880
Kill it? You cannot. I have seen to that. Now.

825
00:56:12.679 --> 00:56:17.159
If you will excuse me, my task here is finished.

826
00:56:18.000 --> 00:56:21.960
Enjoy your pitiful village. You only have the remainder of

827
00:56:22.039 --> 00:56:28.519
your lives, she paused, or until six consecutive years of

828
00:56:28.599 --> 00:56:34.199
Groundhog's shadow on this day have passed. We will kill

829
00:56:34.280 --> 00:56:38.320
you for this, Greta Finny. Another citizen shouted, lay a

830
00:56:38.440 --> 00:56:42.000
finger upon me. Any of you and you shall truly

831
00:56:42.199 --> 00:56:45.559
know what it is to suffer. I am protected by

832
00:56:45.599 --> 00:56:49.400
the dark Mother herself, and you will all die where

833
00:56:49.480 --> 00:56:54.840
you stand. She looked down at the groundhog. Away with you.

834
00:56:56.079 --> 00:56:59.639
As the groundhog turned and ran away quickly. The mayor

835
00:56:59.679 --> 00:57:04.119
shall capture that groundhog. Some of the villagers quickly ran

836
00:57:04.239 --> 00:57:08.800
after it. The mayor looked to Greta again. You shall

837
00:57:08.920 --> 00:57:15.519
pay dearly for this, Greta Finny. Finny smirked, I seriously

838
00:57:15.679 --> 00:57:21.119
doubt that Mayor, Jeffrey Miron. Now I take my leave

839
00:57:21.320 --> 00:57:25.519
of you. She wrapped herself in her cape and laughed

840
00:57:25.679 --> 00:57:36.239
scornfully as she disappeared. Groundhog Day the present. It was

841
00:57:36.360 --> 00:57:39.599
late Saturday afternoon as the four girls crossed into the

842
00:57:39.760 --> 00:57:44.960
village of Hollow Point. They explored the village, taking pictures

843
00:57:45.000 --> 00:57:49.199
on their smartphones and being excited about their first experience

844
00:57:49.679 --> 00:57:52.840
in a ghost village. When it got to be dark,

845
00:57:52.920 --> 00:57:56.039
they built a campfire in the village square and began

846
00:57:56.119 --> 00:57:59.280
to prepare a meal from food they had brought. Leslie

847
00:57:59.360 --> 00:58:03.639
Meetschum was tending to the food. Connie Damien was sitting

848
00:58:03.719 --> 00:58:07.400
with her back against the gazebo. Cynthia Andrews was sitting

849
00:58:07.440 --> 00:58:11.119
on a picnic table. Next to her was Gretchen Sable.

850
00:58:12.079 --> 00:58:15.760
Gretchen decided to invite her new friends from Strickfield University,

851
00:58:16.159 --> 00:58:20.079
who were all too eager to accept her invitation, especially

852
00:58:20.199 --> 00:58:22.960
when they knew they would have a whole village all

853
00:58:23.079 --> 00:58:27.480
to themselves and now here they were. When the food

854
00:58:27.639 --> 00:58:32.079
was ready, they began their feast. Hey, Gretch, where did

855
00:58:32.119 --> 00:58:35.599
you say your parents were going for their vacation? Connie asked.

856
00:58:36.199 --> 00:58:40.000
Gretchen seemed surprised. You mean I didn't tell any of

857
00:58:40.079 --> 00:58:44.679
you No, Cynthia replied, you just told us they would

858
00:58:44.719 --> 00:58:47.480
be gone all day today and all night tonight. Then

859
00:58:47.519 --> 00:58:50.280
they would come by the university to see you tomorrow evening.

860
00:58:51.280 --> 00:58:55.920
That's right, Gretchen agreed. Leslie leaned forward and gazed at

861
00:58:55.960 --> 00:59:00.920
her intently. So where are they all ready? Gretchen laughed?

862
00:59:01.639 --> 00:59:07.880
Would you believe PUNKSATONI Pennsylvania? Are you serious? Cynthia asked,

863
00:59:07.920 --> 00:59:11.760
in surprise. Yeah, Gretchen answered, how do you think I

864
00:59:11.880 --> 00:59:14.199
was able to text all of you about punks Atoni

865
00:59:14.239 --> 00:59:17.559
Phil seeing his shadow. Mom and Dad called me earlier

866
00:59:17.599 --> 00:59:20.079
this morning and told me they were at the annual

867
00:59:20.159 --> 00:59:24.000
Groundhog Day celebration. They even saw punk Satoni Phil in

868
00:59:24.119 --> 00:59:29.559
the fur. Yay, six more weeks of winter. Connie muttered, yeah,

869
00:59:30.199 --> 00:59:34.440
like you can complain. Gretchen returned, you three are attending

870
00:59:34.480 --> 00:59:38.519
Strickfield University on full ride scholarships. You all can afford

871
00:59:38.559 --> 00:59:41.239
to go on spring break next month. Some of us

872
00:59:41.360 --> 00:59:43.719
have to make coffee at the Bitter End in Wilder

873
00:59:43.800 --> 00:59:48.360
Hall to help pay for school. Connie raised her hands, Hey, Gretch,

874
00:59:48.480 --> 00:59:51.679
come on, it ain't like that. No, you're our friend.

875
00:59:52.159 --> 00:59:55.199
Cynthia agreed, and we haven't made any plans to go

876
00:59:55.360 --> 00:59:58.039
on spring break. I know I could actually stay in

877
00:59:58.079 --> 01:00:02.159
Strickfield for my break, Les said, it's such an awesome town.

878
01:00:02.440 --> 01:00:06.159
Face it, Gretch, you're stuck with us. Cynthia took one

879
01:00:06.199 --> 01:00:10.480
of Gretchen's hands. Come on, honey, we're friends here. You're

880
01:00:10.679 --> 01:00:13.239
our friend. We're here for the night in this village.

881
01:00:13.320 --> 01:00:16.920
We've got all to ourselves. You're fined. We're here to

882
01:00:17.000 --> 01:00:20.239
have fun. So let's pull together here and have some fun. Okay,

883
01:00:21.199 --> 01:00:25.920
Gretchen nodded, Okay, I'm sorry about what I said anyway,

884
01:00:26.360 --> 01:00:30.000
I was just messing around. Well, that groundhog definitely made

885
01:00:30.039 --> 01:00:33.119
the right prediction about six more weeks of winter, Leslie

886
01:00:33.199 --> 01:00:37.119
muttered as she shivered, it's cold out here. Well, we've

887
01:00:37.159 --> 01:00:40.159
got our fire and our sleeping bags to keep us warm.

888
01:00:40.519 --> 01:00:45.440
Connie reminded her. Then she had an idea. Hey, we

889
01:00:45.519 --> 01:00:50.320
could tell scary stories. We are in a ghost village, right,

890
01:00:51.480 --> 01:00:55.440
Gretchen raised her finger, and I've got the perfect one

891
01:00:55.559 --> 01:00:56.440
to start us off.

892
01:00:58.280 --> 01:01:02.719
If you're not afraid, then you're you're already dead. Weekly spooky.

893
01:01:02.840 --> 01:01:03.719
We'll be right back.

894
01:01:06.599 --> 01:01:10.559
You girls want to hear something about groundhog Day, something

895
01:01:10.639 --> 01:01:17.320
you won't believe what. Connie asked. How groundhog Day really

896
01:01:17.840 --> 01:01:23.159
got its name, Gretchen revealed, Doug Gretch everybody knows about that.

897
01:01:24.039 --> 01:01:27.280
Leslie replied, it's why we celebrate it, you know, the

898
01:01:27.400 --> 01:01:32.880
longer winter and early spring stuff. Gretchen shook her head slowly. Nope,

899
01:01:34.039 --> 01:01:37.920
far from it. Huh. The other girls uttered in wonder.

900
01:01:38.800 --> 01:01:43.280
Gretchen just looked at their disbelieving faces. What part about

901
01:01:43.320 --> 01:01:46.719
what I just said, didn't you understand? Are you saying

902
01:01:46.800 --> 01:01:52.360
that Groundhog Day is totally something else? Cynthia asked. Gretchen

903
01:01:52.440 --> 01:01:56.920
pointed to her sharply, Hey, you win the prize. Oh

904
01:01:57.000 --> 01:02:00.519
come on, Gretch. Connie muttered, what do you claim to

905
01:02:00.599 --> 01:02:02.920
know about Groundhog Day that the rest of this country

906
01:02:03.039 --> 01:02:07.360
don't more than the rest of this country? Gretchen cracked.

907
01:02:07.920 --> 01:02:12.400
She became serious. Then everything I know I learned here

908
01:02:13.000 --> 01:02:18.800
at hollow Point, this place here, Cynthia asked, This village

909
01:02:18.880 --> 01:02:23.039
about five miles from Strickfield, This village that's supposed to

910
01:02:23.119 --> 01:02:29.360
be cursed, haunted maybe, Gretchen finished for her, that's right,

911
01:02:30.280 --> 01:02:34.159
But how would you find that information here? Leslie demanded.

912
01:02:35.199 --> 01:02:38.480
There's an old log in the village hall. Gretchen pointed

913
01:02:38.519 --> 01:02:41.519
to it right over there. Let's go look at it.

914
01:02:41.639 --> 01:02:45.760
Then Connie suggested, we're here for the night. This village

915
01:02:45.840 --> 01:02:48.519
is all ours. We might as well explore it more.

916
01:02:49.400 --> 01:02:53.079
I like that idea, Cynthia said, show us the log, Gretch.

917
01:02:54.079 --> 01:02:57.360
When Gretchen stood up, the others followed her lead. They

918
01:02:57.480 --> 01:02:59.800
walked to the old town hall building and went in.

919
01:03:00.519 --> 01:03:03.400
They went into the mayor's office. Gretchen sat at the

920
01:03:03.480 --> 01:03:07.159
desk and had the others gather around. This is the log,

921
01:03:07.639 --> 01:03:11.880
she said, pleasantly, pointing to a large, thick, hard bound book.

922
01:03:12.639 --> 01:03:16.119
The cover had the words the Colony of Hollow Point

923
01:03:16.719 --> 01:03:21.400
Established eighteen twenty embedded into it. What do you think,

924
01:03:21.920 --> 01:03:25.639
Gretchen asked. Cynthia reached her hand out and felt the cover.

925
01:03:26.559 --> 01:03:30.719
It's definitely old leather, that's for sure. What you don't

926
01:03:30.719 --> 01:03:35.679
believe me, Gretchen demanded, I never said that, Gretchen pointed

927
01:03:35.719 --> 01:03:40.440
at her. But you sounded like it. Cynthia shrugged. Well,

928
01:03:40.639 --> 01:03:45.239
it's just that it's all so unbelievable, that's all. Gretchen

929
01:03:45.320 --> 01:03:49.480
lowered her finger. And yet we're all here, aren't we.

930
01:03:50.239 --> 01:03:54.519
For a moment, nobody said anything. I'll show you what

931
01:03:54.639 --> 01:03:59.599
I found, Gretchen said, and opened the log. Yeah, Connie

932
01:03:59.639 --> 01:04:03.360
agreed with the same excitement. Gretchen slowly turned through the

933
01:04:03.480 --> 01:04:08.119
log's aged pages. The entries were all handwritten and were

934
01:04:08.159 --> 01:04:12.559
still readable. Try to find where the curse starts, Connie said,

935
01:04:13.119 --> 01:04:16.880
I'm trying, Gretchen replied, flipping through the pages. I just

936
01:04:16.960 --> 01:04:20.440
have to remember what page it's on. Hey, wait, here's something.

937
01:04:21.159 --> 01:04:24.239
Gretchen pointed at a paragraph on one page where mention

938
01:04:24.360 --> 01:04:28.079
of the curse was. After Gretchen read the entry, she

939
01:04:28.280 --> 01:04:30.599
turned back the pages to try to find where the

940
01:04:30.679 --> 01:04:34.400
first entry of the curse was. Hey, I remember now,

941
01:04:35.000 --> 01:04:39.960
February second, eighteen twenty one. Yeah, right here. The others

942
01:04:40.039 --> 01:04:43.119
leaned in close as Gretchen read the pages about how

943
01:04:43.199 --> 01:04:45.960
a young witch by the name of Greta Finny had

944
01:04:46.039 --> 01:04:49.840
cursed the village on that day. Wow, how long have

945
01:04:49.920 --> 01:04:52.800
you been coming out here and reading this? Connie asked?

946
01:04:53.440 --> 01:04:55.960
Mom and Dad let slip about this village while they

947
01:04:56.000 --> 01:04:59.400
were talking to me about their trip. So I decided

948
01:04:59.440 --> 01:05:02.880
to find it. When I got here, I explored. I

949
01:05:02.960 --> 01:05:06.679
found this log and read some of it. Then Leslie

950
01:05:06.760 --> 01:05:10.079
had an idea, go to the last entry. Let's see

951
01:05:10.079 --> 01:05:13.199
if it says what happened to the people. Gretchen quickly

952
01:05:13.320 --> 01:05:17.760
turned the pages until she found the final entry, February second,

953
01:05:18.360 --> 01:05:23.480
nineteen eighty six. She murmured, Wow, that wasn't too long ago.

954
01:05:24.599 --> 01:05:27.320
They all read the entry in the log to themselves.

955
01:05:28.679 --> 01:05:31.639
My brother Gary and I John Miron are among the

956
01:05:31.719 --> 01:05:35.960
last remaining survivors in Hollow Point. The Hollow Point Groundhog

957
01:05:36.079 --> 01:05:39.760
has again seen his shadow for the sixth consecutive year.

958
01:05:40.559 --> 01:05:43.519
That means the curse of the witch Greta Finny will

959
01:05:43.559 --> 01:05:47.400
be realized once again. The curse will bring the hell

960
01:05:47.440 --> 01:05:51.599
Weaver herself in time. Our village only has around twenty

961
01:05:51.639 --> 01:05:55.719
eight people remaining, counting Gary and I. My brother and

962
01:05:55.800 --> 01:05:58.039
I are going to offer ourselves to the hell Weaver,

963
01:05:58.519 --> 01:06:02.360
who will soon arrive to rack the village. From this entry,

964
01:06:02.679 --> 01:06:06.400
someone else must continue the log of hollow point, assuming

965
01:06:06.480 --> 01:06:09.719
any of us survive the hell Weaver. When I think

966
01:06:09.800 --> 01:06:13.000
about what my ancestors did to build this accursed village,

967
01:06:13.440 --> 01:06:15.239
it makes me just want to go back to the

968
01:06:15.320 --> 01:06:18.840
exact moment in time and beg Greta Fini to spare

969
01:06:18.920 --> 01:06:23.440
the remaining people and take me instead, But Greta Fini

970
01:06:23.559 --> 01:06:27.480
is probably long since dead by this time. It is

971
01:06:27.559 --> 01:06:30.440
also my shame to say that I and my brother

972
01:06:30.559 --> 01:06:33.199
are both descended from the first mayor of the village,

973
01:06:33.880 --> 01:06:37.639
Geoffrey Miron. He was instrumental in putting nearly all of

974
01:06:37.719 --> 01:06:41.599
the witches who once lived peacefully here to death, with

975
01:06:41.800 --> 01:06:46.400
the exception of Gretafini. I can only hope that after

976
01:06:46.480 --> 01:06:49.679
tonight the curse of Gretafini will finally be lifted and

977
01:06:49.800 --> 01:06:52.480
the rest of the population can go on living in peace.

978
01:06:53.679 --> 01:06:58.320
I now conclude my final log entry here Mayor Jonathan

979
01:06:58.400 --> 01:07:02.159
Miron February second, nineteen eighty six.

980
01:07:03.320 --> 01:07:03.559
Whoa.

981
01:07:04.679 --> 01:07:11.800
Connie uttered, this is really intense. Definitely, Leslie agreed. Wait

982
01:07:11.840 --> 01:07:16.800
a second, Hollow Points abandoned now, Cynthia recalled. If what

983
01:07:16.960 --> 01:07:20.159
the mayor here said is true, then how that was

984
01:07:20.239 --> 01:07:21.920
going to be the second part of the story. I

985
01:07:22.039 --> 01:07:25.480
was going to tell all of you, Gretchen answered, tell us.

986
01:07:25.559 --> 01:07:29.480
Then Connie cried. Gretchen stood up and closed the book.

987
01:07:30.360 --> 01:07:34.960
Let's go back to the fire. Yeah, good idea, Cynthia consented,

988
01:07:35.599 --> 01:07:38.719
it is chilly. The girls left the town hall and

989
01:07:38.840 --> 01:07:41.760
went back to the comfort of their campfire. As soon

990
01:07:41.800 --> 01:07:45.960
as they were all situated, Gretchen began, Okay, as I said,

991
01:07:46.599 --> 01:07:50.239
we already know the first part of the story. So

992
01:07:50.719 --> 01:07:54.559
what did this Greta Finny do to the village? Connie asked,

993
01:07:55.440 --> 01:07:58.519
Remember the part in the final log about the Hollow

994
01:07:58.599 --> 01:08:03.880
Point groundhog. Yeah, Greta Finney had the groundhog in her

995
01:08:03.960 --> 01:08:06.920
hands when she put the curse on the village. She

996
01:08:07.079 --> 01:08:11.360
called upon the Dark Mother, herself hell Weaver, to grant

997
01:08:11.400 --> 01:08:15.400
her the curse the groundhog was the focal point of it.

998
01:08:16.119 --> 01:08:19.079
If the Hollow Point Groundhog saw his shadow for six

999
01:08:19.239 --> 01:08:23.359
consecutive years on February second, then the Dark Mother would

1000
01:08:23.359 --> 01:08:26.840
appear in this village and unleash their hellish wrath upon

1001
01:08:26.920 --> 01:08:30.199
the people who lived here. But if he didn't see

1002
01:08:30.279 --> 01:08:33.520
his shadow for six straight years, then the curse would

1003
01:08:33.560 --> 01:08:36.920
be lifted. The curse would also be lifted when the

1004
01:08:37.000 --> 01:08:41.319
last surviving citizen of Hollow Point died. Not only that,

1005
01:08:42.079 --> 01:08:44.640
those who lived in Hollow Point at the time couldn't

1006
01:08:44.720 --> 01:08:50.319
leave whatsoever, and neither could their descendants. She raised her finger. However,

1007
01:08:50.960 --> 01:08:57.039
it turned out there was a loophole. What loophole, Cynthia asked, well,

1008
01:08:58.000 --> 01:09:00.359
not a loophole to end the curse itself, but one

1009
01:09:00.399 --> 01:09:02.520
that would allow descendants to not have to be in

1010
01:09:02.600 --> 01:09:07.119
the village. Gretchen said, the people living here couldn't leave

1011
01:09:07.199 --> 01:09:10.600
the village, but there was nothing in the curse about outsiders.

1012
01:09:11.079 --> 01:09:14.079
They could come and go as they pleased. There were

1013
01:09:14.119 --> 01:09:17.159
women who came through Hollowpoint and became romantically involved with

1014
01:09:17.279 --> 01:09:20.800
the men here. They became pregnant and had their babies

1015
01:09:20.840 --> 01:09:27.720
outside the village. WHOA So what happens to them. Connie asked, well,

1016
01:09:28.199 --> 01:09:33.920
supposedly the groundhog still exists because descendants still exist. Gretchen

1017
01:09:34.000 --> 01:09:38.119
answered that was in the log too. About midway, Hey,

1018
01:09:38.640 --> 01:09:43.279
what about just killing the groundhog, Leslie asked. Suddenly, Gretchen

1019
01:09:43.319 --> 01:09:46.960
shook her head slowly. Greta Finny fixed it so it

1020
01:09:47.039 --> 01:09:50.600
couldn't die. The villagers tried to kill it and failed

1021
01:09:50.600 --> 01:09:54.960
at every turn. Hey, I just thought of something, Connie exclaimed.

1022
01:09:55.560 --> 01:09:57.880
How would the people know if the groundhog saw his

1023
01:09:57.960 --> 01:10:01.560
shadow or not? Fogg mentioned how the village had a

1024
01:10:01.640 --> 01:10:05.800
bad storm snow or rain just after the groundhog saw it.

1025
01:10:06.319 --> 01:10:08.079
If he didn't see it, the weather would go on

1026
01:10:08.199 --> 01:10:12.119
as normal. Of course, there were never six consecutive years

1027
01:10:12.199 --> 01:10:15.680
the Hollow Point groundhog didn't see his shadow. Getting back

1028
01:10:15.720 --> 01:10:19.479
to my story, Jeffrey Miron saw the area as good

1029
01:10:19.560 --> 01:10:22.600
building land. The only problem was that a coven of

1030
01:10:22.720 --> 01:10:26.239
witches lived here. To make this part of the story short,

1031
01:10:26.359 --> 01:10:29.119
he was able to get enough followers behind him to

1032
01:10:29.239 --> 01:10:32.720
help him drive the witches from this land on Jeffrey

1033
01:10:32.760 --> 01:10:36.439
Miron's orders. They even shot and killed them when they protested.

1034
01:10:38.199 --> 01:10:43.359
If you thought that was scary, just you wait weekly spooky,

1035
01:10:43.560 --> 01:10:44.560
we'll be right back.

1036
01:10:46.640 --> 01:10:49.640
On the first day of Hollow Point, the remaining witches

1037
01:10:49.800 --> 01:10:52.079
came into the village to try to wreck it in

1038
01:10:52.199 --> 01:10:55.039
determination to get revenge for the deaths of their kind

1039
01:10:55.359 --> 01:10:58.439
and being driven off their land. But the villagers were

1040
01:10:58.479 --> 01:11:01.600
able to kill many of them. What few that remained

1041
01:11:01.920 --> 01:11:05.479
were captured and hung that very night. One of them

1042
01:11:05.920 --> 01:11:09.800
was Helia Finney. But she wasn't hung, she was burned

1043
01:11:09.840 --> 01:11:14.800
at the stake. That must explain, Greta Leslie figured, right,

1044
01:11:15.359 --> 01:11:18.840
Gretchen confirmed, From there you know the rest of the story.

1045
01:11:19.399 --> 01:11:22.079
Greta Finny, the last of her coven, came back a

1046
01:11:22.199 --> 01:11:25.479
year later and invoked her revenge by cursing the village,

1047
01:11:25.880 --> 01:11:30.560
thus creating the Hollow Point Groundhog. Okay, but what happened

1048
01:11:30.560 --> 01:11:35.600
in nineteen eighty six, Cynthia cheered in anticipation. Simple story there,

1049
01:11:36.199 --> 01:11:41.079
Gretchen replied. John's brother Gary was secretly practicing the Dark Arts.

1050
01:11:41.600 --> 01:11:44.279
He was determined to use his powers to drive the

1051
01:11:44.359 --> 01:11:48.199
Dark Mother away. See he'd been practicing over the years

1052
01:11:48.239 --> 01:11:51.920
and was learning powerful magic. His idea was to confront

1053
01:11:51.960 --> 01:11:55.920
the hell weaver head on. Well, if Hollow Point is

1054
01:11:55.960 --> 01:11:59.000
a ghost village, then that means Gary Miron must have failed.

1055
01:11:59.439 --> 01:12:04.479
Connie did, That's right, Gretchen confirmed. His brother tried to

1056
01:12:04.560 --> 01:12:07.520
convince him to stop, but he wouldn't listen, and when

1057
01:12:07.560 --> 01:12:11.479
the hell Weaver came, she immediately destroyed him. She was

1058
01:12:11.600 --> 01:12:14.079
far too powerful and he never even stood a chance

1059
01:12:14.119 --> 01:12:18.000
against her. John Miron tried to offer himself to hell Weaver,

1060
01:12:18.760 --> 01:12:21.399
but Gary must have pissed her off so badly that

1061
01:12:21.560 --> 01:12:24.760
she also destroyed him and the remaining twenty six people

1062
01:12:25.119 --> 01:12:28.920
who lived in Hollow Point. From that moment on, Hollow

1063
01:12:29.000 --> 01:12:31.960
Point was a ghost village. The curse was believed to

1064
01:12:32.000 --> 01:12:35.119
have ended that night, once and for all. As far

1065
01:12:35.199 --> 01:12:39.800
as how Groundhog Day became so big in Punksatoni, Pennsylvania, again,

1066
01:12:40.039 --> 01:12:43.920
outsiders could pass through Hollow Point. Some must have caught

1067
01:12:44.000 --> 01:12:47.560
wind of the curse anyway. One of them was from

1068
01:12:47.560 --> 01:12:50.279
the Punksatoni area and was able to get the people

1069
01:12:50.359 --> 01:12:53.840
to start observing the traditions in eighteen eighty seven, calling

1070
01:12:53.920 --> 01:12:57.680
this day Groundhog Day. Only difference was that the story

1071
01:12:57.760 --> 01:13:00.199
of the curse was watered down to predict either six

1072
01:13:00.279 --> 01:13:03.760
more weeks of winter or in early spring. You know,

1073
01:13:04.039 --> 01:13:07.479
something fun to look forward to once a year. Gretchen finished.

1074
01:13:08.119 --> 01:13:12.119
Now that was a story, Cynthia exclaimed in approval. Yeah,

1075
01:13:12.760 --> 01:13:16.399
Leslie agreed, and it's all true, every word of it.

1076
01:13:16.760 --> 01:13:21.399
Gretchen murmured, hold it, I've got a question, gretch Connie

1077
01:13:21.479 --> 01:13:27.319
said with skepticism, what, Gretchen replied in anticipation. If the

1078
01:13:27.439 --> 01:13:30.399
log only goes up to February second, nineteen eighty six,

1079
01:13:30.560 --> 01:13:33.079
then how would you know what happened after the last

1080
01:13:33.199 --> 01:13:37.359
entry was made. Gretchen smiled, I'm so glad you asked.

1081
01:13:38.199 --> 01:13:43.600
Then her gentle smile became a more sinister, evil smile.

1082
01:13:44.880 --> 01:13:50.359
Gretchen began to laugh. The winds began to grow stronger. Suddenly,

1083
01:13:50.840 --> 01:13:54.800
Gretchen floated off the ground to a standing position. The

1084
01:13:54.920 --> 01:13:58.079
others gasped when they saw the face that was once

1085
01:13:58.199 --> 01:14:03.199
Gretchen Sable replaced by that of Greta Finney. She still

1086
01:14:03.279 --> 01:14:05.800
looked as young and beautiful as she did the day

1087
01:14:05.920 --> 01:14:09.720
that she had cursed Hollow Point on February second, eighteen

1088
01:14:09.880 --> 01:14:15.239
twenty one. Now do you understand, Greta asked scornfully, because

1089
01:14:15.439 --> 01:14:20.000
I was the one who cursed this foul village. The

1090
01:14:20.119 --> 01:14:23.159
girls were too scared to run. They huddled together and

1091
01:14:23.239 --> 01:14:27.319
looked up at her. What do you want, Connie stammered.

1092
01:14:27.880 --> 01:14:32.640
Greta chuckled, Why nothing, I already have the three of you.

1093
01:14:33.520 --> 01:14:37.479
You see, you are the last remaining descendants of Hollow Point.

1094
01:14:38.520 --> 01:14:40.800
Using my ancient magics, I was able to find the

1095
01:14:40.840 --> 01:14:45.119
descendants who remained. Getting you here was so very easy

1096
01:14:45.479 --> 01:14:50.119
with the free ride scholarships to Strickfield University. And now

1097
01:14:50.319 --> 01:14:53.439
the three of you will see my curse to its end.

1098
01:14:54.199 --> 01:14:58.479
You three shall remain here for the remainder of your days.

1099
01:15:00.760 --> 01:15:04.960
Why would you do this to us, Cynthia cried. Greta

1100
01:15:05.039 --> 01:15:10.039
looked even more hateful. Now, why because your ancestors destroyed

1101
01:15:10.159 --> 01:15:13.239
every one of my people all those years ago, leaving

1102
01:15:13.439 --> 01:15:17.600
me as the soul survivor. Her eyes began to glow

1103
01:15:17.680 --> 01:15:22.079
red and bright. But don't worry, you three won't be alone.

1104
01:15:22.439 --> 01:15:25.840
You'll have my precious pet here to keep you company.

1105
01:15:26.479 --> 01:15:29.920
Greta pointed, and the girls looked to see the Hollow

1106
01:15:30.000 --> 01:15:33.279
Point groundhog. Its fur was as dark as brimstone, and

1107
01:15:33.359 --> 01:15:37.680
its eyes glowed as evilly red as its creators. You

1108
01:15:37.920 --> 01:15:42.479
three shall remain here and see my curse to its end. Then,

1109
01:15:43.119 --> 01:15:47.520
only then will the souls of my people finally rest

1110
01:15:47.880 --> 01:15:51.920
she laughed, an evil laugh. You have only until either

1111
01:15:52.039 --> 01:15:55.680
the rest of your natural lives or until my little

1112
01:15:55.760 --> 01:16:00.119
friend here brings about the hell weaver from there. One

1113
01:16:00.159 --> 01:16:03.359
of you will have to offer her life to appease her.

1114
01:16:04.119 --> 01:16:09.000
She raised her finger. However, this groundhog may not see

1115
01:16:09.039 --> 01:16:14.079
his shadow for six consecutive years. Then you will be free.

1116
01:16:15.159 --> 01:16:19.159
So I've given you hope. You can't do this, Connie shouted,

1117
01:16:19.399 --> 01:16:23.199
We treated you as our friend. Greta fired twin beams

1118
01:16:23.239 --> 01:16:26.319
from her eyes to strike Connie down. Then she said

1119
01:16:26.319 --> 01:16:30.039
to them, I don't need your friendship. You may wish

1120
01:16:30.119 --> 01:16:33.359
to try and make friends with this groundhog, because he'll

1121
01:16:33.439 --> 01:16:36.960
be all that you'll see for years to come unless

1122
01:16:37.039 --> 01:16:39.159
outsiders come into this village.

1123
01:16:39.520 --> 01:16:39.840
That is.

1124
01:16:40.880 --> 01:16:44.439
Having fulfilled my revenge with you three, I take my

1125
01:16:44.680 --> 01:16:49.840
leave now. With that, Greta Finny disappeared. The remaining three

1126
01:16:49.920 --> 01:16:53.760
girls turned and tried to leave Hollow Point. As they

1127
01:16:53.840 --> 01:16:58.119
reached the boundary, they found themselves blocked, as if by

1128
01:16:58.159 --> 01:17:04.159
an invisible barrier. You can't leave, Leslie cried, We're really

1129
01:17:04.279 --> 01:17:08.840
stuck here. Connie groaned. Cynthia gasped as she turned around.

1130
01:17:09.520 --> 01:17:11.800
The other two girls turned with her to see the

1131
01:17:11.960 --> 01:17:16.680
evil groundhog standing before them. Its eyes glowed red as

1132
01:17:16.760 --> 01:17:20.159
it looked at them. It made no move to attack them, however,

1133
01:17:20.960 --> 01:17:25.680
but then it really didn't have to, as Greta Finny

1134
01:17:25.760 --> 01:17:29.560
had told them, they were now permanent residence in Hollow

1135
01:17:29.640 --> 01:17:32.640
Point until such.

1136
01:17:32.560 --> 01:17:43.640
Time the God Tongue by Dan Wilder.

1137
01:17:44.119 --> 01:17:46.880
Born without a tongue to grant him the power of speech.

1138
01:17:47.359 --> 01:17:50.600
Ezra had long been the target of derision by his peers,

1139
01:17:51.239 --> 01:17:53.960
so much so that when his beloved mother had breathed

1140
01:17:53.960 --> 01:17:56.640
her last, he abandoned the home in which he was

1141
01:17:56.760 --> 01:17:59.920
raised and took to the hills and forests that bordered

1142
01:18:00.279 --> 01:18:03.800
the microcosm of the world's backwoods notions that was the

1143
01:18:03.920 --> 01:18:08.479
town of Jadon's Cross. Once there, Ezra built himself a

1144
01:18:08.560 --> 01:18:12.039
modest cabin, financed with his meager inheritance, where he could

1145
01:18:12.039 --> 01:18:16.720
find solace away from the chorus of mocking voices. Living

1146
01:18:16.840 --> 01:18:20.319
off the land, Ezra killed only that which he could consume,

1147
01:18:20.840 --> 01:18:24.239
and his growling stomach, coupled with his barren ice box,

1148
01:18:24.640 --> 01:18:26.840
had told him it was high time to venture out

1149
01:18:26.920 --> 01:18:32.039
into the crisp autumnal evening. After long, fruitless hours, Ezra

1150
01:18:32.159 --> 01:18:34.880
had seen nary a hint of prey, and though the

1151
01:18:34.960 --> 01:18:38.000
moon hung swollen in the sky, a mist had begun

1152
01:18:38.159 --> 01:18:41.479
to encroach upon the landscape of stoic pines that pointed

1153
01:18:41.880 --> 01:18:46.119
like accusing fingers at the heavens. Ezra exhaled wearily and

1154
01:18:46.239 --> 01:18:48.840
sat down at the base of the nearest pine. The

1155
01:18:48.960 --> 01:18:52.720
miasma played seductively at his neck and chin, causing his

1156
01:18:52.800 --> 01:18:55.439
skin to turn to goose flesh. As the fog was

1157
01:18:55.479 --> 01:18:57.760
a great deal cooler than the air that surrounded it,

1158
01:18:58.760 --> 01:19:01.159
Ezra closed his eyes for a moment and let the

1159
01:19:01.239 --> 01:19:04.800
symphony of the forest fill his ears, And for minutes

1160
01:19:05.000 --> 01:19:08.359
it did just that, until his placid repose was shattered

1161
01:19:08.600 --> 01:19:11.159
by the sound of a twig breaking that echoed through

1162
01:19:11.199 --> 01:19:14.840
the cool air like the report of a shotgun being discharged.

1163
01:19:15.680 --> 01:19:20.039
Ezra's eyes snapped open, and as his gaze furatively darted

1164
01:19:20.119 --> 01:19:23.800
to and fro, he spied majestic antlers rising from the

1165
01:19:23.920 --> 01:19:27.199
fog in a fluid motion. He rose to his feet

1166
01:19:27.479 --> 01:19:29.640
and brought the sight of his Remington rifle to bear

1167
01:19:29.720 --> 01:19:32.239
on the dark shape that stood just below the mist.

1168
01:19:32.880 --> 01:19:36.159
Ezra squeezed the trigger, sending fire and thunder forth into

1169
01:19:36.239 --> 01:19:39.720
the night, and as soon as they appeared, the antlers fell.

1170
01:19:40.399 --> 01:19:43.319
He bolted forward through the swirling gray, which seemed to

1171
01:19:43.399 --> 01:19:46.159
recoil from his advancing form, as if fearful of his

1172
01:19:46.279 --> 01:19:50.359
presence to his quarry. As he approached, the fog had

1173
01:19:50.439 --> 01:19:53.279
now parted and refused to trespass where the beasts lay.

1174
01:19:53.960 --> 01:19:56.640
And while Ezra was unable to give voice to his shock,

1175
01:19:57.279 --> 01:20:00.680
his slack jaw and bolding eyes more than conveyed it emotions.

1176
01:20:01.239 --> 01:20:04.800
For while he expected to find a stag, he instead

1177
01:20:05.319 --> 01:20:10.039
found a caricature of a man, albeit a man with antlers.

1178
01:20:11.720 --> 01:20:15.079
Ezra kneeled and rolled the creature on its back. Its

1179
01:20:15.119 --> 01:20:18.560
lifeless eyes were large, dark and set wide upon a

1180
01:20:18.640 --> 01:20:22.199
face covered in coarse fur. It wore little in the

1181
01:20:22.239 --> 01:20:25.680
way of clothing, just a simple robe, from which extended

1182
01:20:25.760 --> 01:20:29.199
limbs that resembled a dog's leg that ended in long,

1183
01:20:29.439 --> 01:20:33.680
tapered fingers tipped with crimson nails. It was in one

1184
01:20:33.760 --> 01:20:37.359
such appendage that the creature clutched what at first appeared

1185
01:20:37.359 --> 01:20:40.840
to Ezra to be a smooth ebony stone. He reached

1186
01:20:40.880 --> 01:20:45.359
for the object and found it malleable and warm, more

1187
01:20:45.560 --> 01:20:49.439
flesh than mineral. As he turned the artifact over and

1188
01:20:49.720 --> 01:20:53.199
over in his palm. The mist began to slowly creep back,

1189
01:20:53.960 --> 01:20:59.159
and with it came the inhuman wailing. Ezra panicked as

1190
01:20:59.199 --> 01:21:02.359
the mist around him produced its litany of grief, which

1191
01:21:02.479 --> 01:21:05.439
resulted in a mad flight through the dense pines. As

1192
01:21:05.479 --> 01:21:08.439
he ran, Ezra could feel the miasmas strike his legs

1193
01:21:08.479 --> 01:21:12.319
as it began to solidify into long, lashing tendrils. As

1194
01:21:12.399 --> 01:21:15.920
if that wasn't disconcerting enough, the wailing had now transformed

1195
01:21:15.920 --> 01:21:21.319
into protracted screams of pure rage. Onward, he flew, tripping

1196
01:21:21.439 --> 01:21:24.960
and struggling as the fog continued its battery. Finally, he

1197
01:21:25.039 --> 01:21:27.520
saw the familiar outline of his cabin in the clearing

1198
01:21:27.720 --> 01:21:30.479
just beyond the forest. He threw his weight against the

1199
01:21:30.560 --> 01:21:34.079
unlocked front door and exploded into his domain. In an instant.

1200
01:21:34.119 --> 01:21:36.560
He slammed shut the door, threw the bolt into place,

1201
01:21:36.680 --> 01:21:39.399
and collapsed to the floor in a crumpled mass of

1202
01:21:39.560 --> 01:21:43.760
pure exhaustion. He sat for minutes as hot tears ran

1203
01:21:43.880 --> 01:21:46.399
down his cheeks and his heart beat so fast and

1204
01:21:46.560 --> 01:21:48.760
hard that at any other time he would have been

1205
01:21:48.840 --> 01:21:52.520
sure he was having a heart attack. Indeed, his hammering

1206
01:21:52.640 --> 01:21:54.920
pulse was all he could hear, and it was that

1207
01:21:55.119 --> 01:21:59.520
fact that made him realize that whatever outray abominations he

1208
01:21:59.600 --> 01:22:02.439
had left behind in the woods, they had decided not

1209
01:22:02.600 --> 01:22:06.359
to stray from that realm. Finally, he gained control of

1210
01:22:06.439 --> 01:22:09.359
his faculties, moving his hands to his face to rub

1211
01:22:09.399 --> 01:22:13.079
the last vestiges of tears from his eyes. Ezra realized

1212
01:22:13.119 --> 01:22:16.720
he still clutched that preternatural stone, and where once it

1213
01:22:16.880 --> 01:22:21.399
was merely matt black, now it glowed a brilliant gold

1214
01:22:21.560 --> 01:22:25.520
from a thousand hairline cracks that crossed its surface, like arteries,

1215
01:22:25.640 --> 01:22:29.560
no wider than a human hair. Ezra was entranced by

1216
01:22:29.600 --> 01:22:33.119
the artifact. So entranced he failed to notice the mist

1217
01:22:33.319 --> 01:22:36.760
that had crept ever closer along the floorboards as it

1218
01:22:36.880 --> 01:22:40.279
issued forth from the small wood burning stove behind him.

1219
01:22:41.239 --> 01:22:45.000
Ever onward it came crawling up his back, until finally

1220
01:22:45.479 --> 01:22:49.119
it plunged deep into his brain via his left ear canal.

1221
01:22:50.119 --> 01:22:53.079
Ezra's brain exploded with a thousand images of a history

1222
01:22:53.520 --> 01:22:56.520
not his own. He saw an endless array of beings,

1223
01:22:56.800 --> 01:22:59.960
more beast than man, hideous and beautiful in equal measures.

1224
01:23:00.479 --> 01:23:03.720
He floated onward through a great city beneath the forest floor.

1225
01:23:04.159 --> 01:23:07.920
Finally he saw a diaphanous stag over twenty feet high,

1226
01:23:08.239 --> 01:23:11.880
its head adorned with seven sets of antlers. The image

1227
01:23:11.920 --> 01:23:14.800
swirled and rippled as the sight of that ebony edifice

1228
01:23:14.920 --> 01:23:18.680
he held filled his field of vision. Ezrah felt his

1229
01:23:18.880 --> 01:23:21.880
arm move of its own accord, and while he struggled

1230
01:23:21.920 --> 01:23:24.319
to make it remain at rest, he was powerless to

1231
01:23:24.359 --> 01:23:27.479
stop its ascent or the action which followed. His hand

1232
01:23:27.560 --> 01:23:30.760
simply placed the glowing midnight hued object into his mouth,

1233
01:23:31.399 --> 01:23:35.159
which had mechanically opened to accept it. For the briefest

1234
01:23:35.199 --> 01:23:38.560
of seconds, he could taste infinity, and with that he

1235
01:23:38.640 --> 01:23:42.239
could feel a new organ grow inside him, a tongue

1236
01:23:42.920 --> 01:23:47.359
which pulsed and throbbed within his mouth. His first words

1237
01:23:47.600 --> 01:23:50.279
were a scream. Then came blackness.

1238
01:23:51.039 --> 01:23:54.760
You murdered the historian. You must take his.

1239
01:23:54.920 --> 01:23:58.159
Place, The voice echoed so loud in his mind that

1240
01:23:58.279 --> 01:24:01.600
it snapped him awake. Ezra found himself lying on the

1241
01:24:01.680 --> 01:24:06.439
cold floor of his cabin Historian, he said involuntarily. His

1242
01:24:06.600 --> 01:24:09.159
eyes grew wide as the memory of the dark tongue

1243
01:24:09.279 --> 01:24:12.159
which had replaced his own missing organ, flowed into his head.

1244
01:24:12.800 --> 01:24:15.319
With a start, he lifted himself from the floor and

1245
01:24:15.479 --> 01:24:18.640
sped to the bathroom, examining himself in the mirror. He

1246
01:24:18.720 --> 01:24:21.840
opened his mouth to view that demon tissue, which he

1247
01:24:21.920 --> 01:24:26.159
seemed to know, by some arcane intuition, was connected to

1248
01:24:26.279 --> 01:24:30.560
that ancient stag. There sat the obsidian stone like mass

1249
01:24:30.640 --> 01:24:34.079
of the previous night, but now it pulsed and throbbed

1250
01:24:34.119 --> 01:24:37.960
with an unearthly power, which flowed through those golden veins

1251
01:24:38.359 --> 01:24:41.960
which now had spread throughout the interior of his mouth.

1252
01:24:42.800 --> 01:24:46.560
Ezra began clawing at the offending member, but to no avail.

1253
01:24:47.119 --> 01:24:52.119
The flesh, though supple, was completely unyielding, his thoughts locked

1254
01:24:52.159 --> 01:24:55.279
upon its removal, Ezra ran to the kitchen to procure

1255
01:24:55.319 --> 01:24:58.720
a large steak knife. As he steeled his nerves, Ezra

1256
01:24:58.840 --> 01:25:01.600
stuck out his tongue and brought the blade into place

1257
01:25:01.720 --> 01:25:04.960
for the amputation. The air split with static before he

1258
01:25:05.000 --> 01:25:08.319
could begin that dreaded surgery. The small short wave radio,

1259
01:25:08.600 --> 01:25:11.800
his one mechanical distraction, which provided for him a chance

1260
01:25:11.880 --> 01:25:15.239
to voyeuristically listen to the voices of others without being

1261
01:25:15.359 --> 01:25:18.479
pressed to respond in kind, had come to life from

1262
01:25:18.520 --> 01:25:22.359
its home atop his rough hewn dining room table. As

1263
01:25:22.439 --> 01:25:25.000
he dashed into the room, his eyes beheld yet another

1264
01:25:25.119 --> 01:25:30.680
incomprehensible sight, the mist, now solidified into the contours of

1265
01:25:30.800 --> 01:25:34.680
a vaguely humanoid shape, save for the long horns protruding

1266
01:25:34.760 --> 01:25:38.720
from its incorporeal forehead. It hunched over the device and

1267
01:25:38.840 --> 01:25:43.239
exhaled streams of vapor directly into the microphone from somewhere

1268
01:25:43.720 --> 01:25:46.479
that sounded both close and at the opposite end of

1269
01:25:46.520 --> 01:25:49.479
the galaxy. Came a sound that at first was not

1270
01:25:49.680 --> 01:25:53.239
unlike the purring of a large cat, but quickly turned

1271
01:25:53.239 --> 01:25:57.840
into a low, guttural growl, before finally becoming words that

1272
01:25:57.920 --> 01:26:01.039
simply could not have been formed by human lips.

1273
01:26:01.640 --> 01:26:04.399
Pass on, old friend, we are coming.

1274
01:26:05.039 --> 01:26:08.319
Ezra reached for the figure, which dissipated into the ether

1275
01:26:08.800 --> 01:26:12.359
at his touch, accompanied by a chorus of melodic laughter.

1276
01:26:13.039 --> 01:26:15.359
He grabbed for the microphone in one hand, and with

1277
01:26:15.479 --> 01:26:18.239
the other tried furiously to find the proper channel to

1278
01:26:18.319 --> 01:26:20.760
connect him with the one agency he felt would be

1279
01:26:20.800 --> 01:26:23.840
able to help him fend off whatever malevolence was creeping

1280
01:26:23.920 --> 01:26:28.880
his way the town militia of Jaden's Cross. Finally, he

1281
01:26:29.119 --> 01:26:32.640
arrived at the proper frequency and parted his dry lips

1282
01:26:32.960 --> 01:26:36.760
to do that which had eluded him low these many years,

1283
01:26:37.560 --> 01:26:39.960
pressing the button which would allow his voice to travel

1284
01:26:40.000 --> 01:26:44.239
the waves, Ezra began to speak. What followed was not

1285
01:26:44.399 --> 01:26:50.439
one voice but legion. Some were mere growls, others came

1286
01:26:50.640 --> 01:26:54.119
like gently chirping birds, and a few were close to human,

1287
01:26:54.239 --> 01:26:58.800
yet still possessing a preternatural timber. But above all rang

1288
01:26:58.880 --> 01:27:03.119
the impossibly deep tones of their God. For the stag

1289
01:27:03.279 --> 01:27:06.880
did speak, the great animal whose voice was known when

1290
01:27:06.920 --> 01:27:10.159
the universe was a mere speck of dust, hanging like

1291
01:27:10.279 --> 01:27:13.560
a moat in the eye of infinity. With that, the

1292
01:27:13.720 --> 01:27:17.079
radio exploded in a shower of acrid smoke and sparks

1293
01:27:17.119 --> 01:27:20.439
that knocked Ezra to the floor. Ezra began to weep,

1294
01:27:20.840 --> 01:27:23.199
yet the sound of crying that issued from his mouth

1295
01:27:23.359 --> 01:27:28.039
was again the product of that unholy throng. Unable to

1296
01:27:28.119 --> 01:27:31.439
retain his tenuous grasp on sanity, he was determined to

1297
01:27:31.560 --> 01:27:34.079
rip the organ from his mouth with his bare hands,

1298
01:27:34.439 --> 01:27:37.279
hands that he noticed were covered in ruins and glyphs

1299
01:27:37.439 --> 01:27:41.119
carved deep upon the surface of his skin. Furiously, he

1300
01:27:41.239 --> 01:27:44.399
flew again to the bathroom, where he exhaled in shock

1301
01:27:44.760 --> 01:27:47.479
at the face that met his gaze within the mirror.

1302
01:27:48.640 --> 01:27:51.600
Like his hands and every other scrap of visible flesh,

1303
01:27:51.880 --> 01:27:55.560
he was covered in those strange markings. Ezra clawed at

1304
01:27:55.560 --> 01:27:58.119
the skin, which gave way in thin sheets to reveal

1305
01:27:58.239 --> 01:28:01.359
layers of fresh dermis below, marked the same as the

1306
01:28:01.439 --> 01:28:05.479
skin above. He attempted to scream, but what came instead

1307
01:28:05.600 --> 01:28:09.119
was the shouting of every supernatural being that had ever

1308
01:28:09.600 --> 01:28:12.560
or will ever walk the earth, all proclaiming their name

1309
01:28:12.960 --> 01:28:16.000
to the midnight that lie just beyond the cabin's roof.

1310
01:28:16.560 --> 01:28:19.279
Ezra ran towards the door of the cabin, the ancient

1311
01:28:19.359 --> 01:28:22.359
instinct to flee that which we do not or simply

1312
01:28:22.439 --> 01:28:26.840
cannot understand overtaking him. But suddenly he could move forward

1313
01:28:26.920 --> 01:28:31.079
no more, as that demon mist once more held him firm,

1314
01:28:31.399 --> 01:28:33.880
where it issued from between the floorboards of the cabin

1315
01:28:34.199 --> 01:28:38.079
to solidify into its humanoid form, the shifting arms of

1316
01:28:38.119 --> 01:28:40.840
which wrapped tightly around its panic stricken prey.

1317
01:28:41.319 --> 01:28:43.479
You murdered me.

1318
01:28:44.319 --> 01:28:49.880
It whispered seductively. Now you shall walk eternally into that

1319
01:28:50.039 --> 01:28:55.000
resplendent ebony with your brethren. Ezra struggled for a moment

1320
01:28:55.319 --> 01:28:59.039
until a sound distant at first, yet growing ever nearer,

1321
01:28:59.159 --> 01:29:02.760
began to fill the room, the pounding of hoofs upon

1322
01:29:02.920 --> 01:29:06.479
cold ground. The front door exploded in a molstrom of

1323
01:29:06.520 --> 01:29:10.119
splinters as a menagerie appeared that was equal parts animal

1324
01:29:10.439 --> 01:29:13.920
and man, and the worst of both. Ezra once again

1325
01:29:14.000 --> 01:29:19.439
succumbed to the ebben darkness. Over the next hours, Ezra

1326
01:29:19.520 --> 01:29:23.720
would occasionally regain consciousness, and while the moonlight illuminated only

1327
01:29:23.880 --> 01:29:27.760
endless miles of forest, it also revealed the talon tipped

1328
01:29:27.800 --> 01:29:31.199
hands that held him aloft, as well as the nightmares

1329
01:29:31.279 --> 01:29:35.560
they belonged to. Finally, he came to the group had

1330
01:29:35.640 --> 01:29:39.760
stopped before a long forgotten farmhouse. Even in the waning moonlight,

1331
01:29:39.840 --> 01:29:44.159
the house looked impossibly ancient and beyond any hope of repair.

1332
01:29:44.840 --> 01:29:47.880
One of the creatures to his left loped forward and

1333
01:29:48.039 --> 01:29:52.000
threw open the large storm doors, whose hinges creaked and protested,

1334
01:29:52.119 --> 01:29:55.560
and led Ezra down into the darkness. They walked for

1335
01:29:55.680 --> 01:30:00.439
what seemed several minutes through the inky blackness. Occasionally Ezra

1336
01:30:00.520 --> 01:30:02.960
could swear that he felt hot breath on the back

1337
01:30:03.000 --> 01:30:06.399
of his neck, or a gentle touch of something inhuman

1338
01:30:06.600 --> 01:30:10.920
reaching toward him from the darkness. Soon, in the distance,

1339
01:30:10.960 --> 01:30:13.560
a faint light could be seen, which grew brighter and

1340
01:30:13.720 --> 01:30:17.079
brighter until Ezra could make out the lithe silhouette of

1341
01:30:17.159 --> 01:30:20.720
his guide. They arrived in a large circular room which

1342
01:30:20.840 --> 01:30:24.439
was carved from the earth itself. A multitude of doorways

1343
01:30:24.520 --> 01:30:27.960
dotted the walls, and in the darkness of each Ezra

1344
01:30:28.039 --> 01:30:33.000
could see indescribable shapes moving ever closer in the light. Finally,

1345
01:30:33.279 --> 01:30:36.319
all were revealed as creatures which may have been constructed

1346
01:30:36.359 --> 01:30:40.520
of wild daydreams, absent visions, and children's chalk drawings. Gathered

1347
01:30:40.560 --> 01:30:44.840
in the chamber, Ezra shrunk under their gaze. For here,

1348
01:30:45.119 --> 01:30:48.760
as in the world above, he felt the outsider say

1349
01:30:48.840 --> 01:30:53.720
hello to your new family. Something croaked from the assemblage.

1350
01:30:54.399 --> 01:30:58.039
A being more owl than man stepped from the crowd

1351
01:30:58.159 --> 01:31:01.159
and stared at Ezra for what it seemed like days.

1352
01:31:01.960 --> 01:31:04.600
As it looked, it would crane its head from side

1353
01:31:04.680 --> 01:31:08.399
to side and snap its great beak open and shut.

1354
01:31:09.640 --> 01:31:14.439
Ezra stood stock still. Suddenly it dawned on him that

1355
01:31:14.520 --> 01:31:17.000
the beast wasn't figuring out the best way to pluck

1356
01:31:17.039 --> 01:31:19.960
out his eyes. Rather, it was reading the glyphs that

1357
01:31:20.039 --> 01:31:24.239
adorned his face. He gasped as the owl spoke, you

1358
01:31:25.560 --> 01:31:28.560
you tell the story of my family. Ezra could only

1359
01:31:28.600 --> 01:31:32.479
stare at the being dumbfounded. No, came a voice from

1360
01:31:32.560 --> 01:31:32.960
the throng.

1361
01:31:33.279 --> 01:31:35.520
He tells the tale of the fleet claws. I can

1362
01:31:35.600 --> 01:31:37.880
read it even from here and the moon rays.

1363
01:31:38.319 --> 01:31:39.920
Came a response from the crowd.

1364
01:31:40.680 --> 01:31:43.960
No, he tells the story of us all. Look.

1365
01:31:44.760 --> 01:31:47.159
Ezra looked down at his hands, which had started to

1366
01:31:47.239 --> 01:31:50.560
unravel into long flesh scrolls, which were soon picked up

1367
01:31:50.960 --> 01:31:54.640
by the discolored fingers, talons, and tentacles, the owners of

1368
01:31:54.720 --> 01:31:58.960
which read aloud and babbled excitedly of the stories contained therein,

1369
01:31:59.560 --> 01:32:03.680
of their acred lineage as well as their futures. Soon

1370
01:32:03.800 --> 01:32:06.960
Ezra was unraveling from every piece of exposed skin, some

1371
01:32:07.159 --> 01:32:09.479
of which drifted to the ground as torn pages from

1372
01:32:09.520 --> 01:32:13.520
an ancient tome. More creatures arrived and picked up the pages,

1373
01:32:13.920 --> 01:32:17.159
laughing as they celebrated all that made them. Onward and

1374
01:32:17.279 --> 01:32:20.760
onward the pages and scrolls fell, until finally all that

1375
01:32:20.920 --> 01:32:25.079
was left of Ezra were the pages themselves. Each tribesman

1376
01:32:25.159 --> 01:32:27.840
held a page or scroll of their own, and each

1377
01:32:28.159 --> 01:32:32.119
cherished the sacred words they contained. The stranger came.

1378
01:32:32.039 --> 01:32:35.399
To speak to us all, and what words he has

1379
01:32:35.560 --> 01:32:36.079
brought us?

1380
01:32:44.720 --> 01:32:49.680
Alien Zombie Punks from Upstate New York by Dan Wilder.

1381
01:32:51.359 --> 01:32:55.079
Why is it so dark in here? Damn it, I

1382
01:32:55.279 --> 01:32:59.520
just hit my head on a ceiling. Wait a minute,

1383
01:33:01.159 --> 01:33:03.119
I think I'm.

1384
01:33:04.840 --> 01:33:05.119
Dead.

1385
01:33:10.600 --> 01:33:14.000
Let's see if I can piece this thing together. We

1386
01:33:14.159 --> 01:33:17.920
went into the city earlier. It was me Sloppy Suicide,

1387
01:33:18.359 --> 01:33:21.960
or Ricky as he was known before last year, Debbie

1388
01:33:22.319 --> 01:33:26.199
and myself. We strolled around the city streets, which were

1389
01:33:26.279 --> 01:33:29.159
both ten to twenty degrees warmer than the streets of

1390
01:33:29.279 --> 01:33:32.840
the nowhere mountain town we left three hours earlier, but

1391
01:33:33.000 --> 01:33:39.119
also inexplicably smelled like chocolate flavored breakfast cereal, which was

1392
01:33:39.279 --> 01:33:42.399
strange but better than the leather mill runoff that usually

1393
01:33:42.520 --> 01:33:46.359
tickled our noses with its award losing scent of sickly

1394
01:33:46.520 --> 01:33:51.560
sweet putrescence mixed tenderly with chemicals that were most likely

1395
01:33:51.720 --> 01:33:56.439
banned everywhere else in the free world anyway. Earlier, our

1396
01:33:56.560 --> 01:34:00.880
punk rock asses clamored into Ricky sorry Sloppy, busted up

1397
01:34:00.960 --> 01:34:04.840
conversion van with bags of snacks and beer and began

1398
01:34:04.960 --> 01:34:08.520
the long drive to the Big Apple. It was already

1399
01:34:08.640 --> 01:34:11.600
snowing steadily as we tore down the roads leading to

1400
01:34:11.680 --> 01:34:14.399
the highway entrance that would bring us close to our

1401
01:34:14.520 --> 01:34:19.119
ultimate destination, Max's Kansas City for a likely to be

1402
01:34:19.279 --> 01:34:23.479
unforgettable night of punk music and New Year's revelry. But

1403
01:34:23.680 --> 01:34:27.079
the chains wrapped securely around the van's tires kept us

1404
01:34:27.600 --> 01:34:30.720
thankfully on the road, no matter how dicey the weather was.

1405
01:34:31.760 --> 01:34:35.760
Apparently it was in part forgettable, because piecing this shit

1406
01:34:35.880 --> 01:34:40.920
together is getting harder. But I digress. So we walk around,

1407
01:34:41.159 --> 01:34:45.039
got buzzed. Debbie bought a few trinkets from the street vendors,

1408
01:34:45.079 --> 01:34:47.720
and eventually we wandered our way over to the venue.

1409
01:34:51.680 --> 01:34:56.439
After arriving and stepping gracefully over a disturbingly large puddle

1410
01:34:56.479 --> 01:35:03.399
of puke, we stepped inside. The place was wall to wallpunks, bullshitting, drinking,

1411
01:35:03.880 --> 01:35:07.960
being charmingly rude, All of our greatest qualities brought out

1412
01:35:08.000 --> 01:35:11.760
in mass. We mingled, we drank, We were loud, and

1413
01:35:11.960 --> 01:35:16.039
soon the opening band lurched to life. I can't, for

1414
01:35:16.159 --> 01:35:19.199
the life of me remember their names, but they sang fast,

1415
01:35:19.279 --> 01:35:23.760
aggressive songs about alienation, indiscriminate, fucking. There might have even

1416
01:35:23.800 --> 01:35:26.920
been a television cover in there. They were quickly followed

1417
01:35:26.960 --> 01:35:30.119
by more scruffy snot leaking bands that played forty song

1418
01:35:30.239 --> 01:35:33.640
sets in the space of twenty minutes. Apiece so far,

1419
01:35:34.359 --> 01:35:37.960
So worth it. The night wore on and on, but

1420
01:35:38.199 --> 01:35:41.560
soon the headliners took the stage. Coming straight from the

1421
01:35:41.680 --> 01:35:45.920
wilds of New Jersey. These folks looked, for all the

1422
01:35:46.000 --> 01:35:49.079
world could tell, like Ghules returned from the dead to

1423
01:35:49.199 --> 01:35:53.760
raise unholy Hell, and they were louder and more confrontational

1424
01:35:53.880 --> 01:35:58.640
than all the other acts combined. Wait a minute, Gules,

1425
01:35:59.560 --> 01:36:03.600
that true, here's something to fire off deep within my brain.

1426
01:36:06.119 --> 01:36:08.600
The scream started from the back of the club, but

1427
01:36:08.680 --> 01:36:11.159
it was barely audible over the din of the band

1428
01:36:11.279 --> 01:36:15.319
and the crowd cheering them on. Occasionally, the band's bass player,

1429
01:36:15.399 --> 01:36:18.560
a hulking dude with long black hair brushed in front

1430
01:36:18.600 --> 01:36:21.640
of his face, would smash his instrument into anyone foolish

1431
01:36:21.720 --> 01:36:25.479
enough to dare to get on stage. Onward, they played

1432
01:36:25.600 --> 01:36:29.159
bringing Us Chain Gang, choruses and three Angry chords, all

1433
01:36:29.279 --> 01:36:33.479
wrapped around tales of the Kennedy assassination, teenagers from outer

1434
01:36:33.600 --> 01:36:39.239
space and Satanic werewolves, and subtly the crowd noise became

1435
01:36:39.439 --> 01:36:43.319
less and less. I have no idea what compelled me

1436
01:36:43.439 --> 01:36:48.800
to turn around, but I did then quickly regretted it.

1437
01:36:50.399 --> 01:36:52.920
In the front of the house, someone, or more accurately,

1438
01:36:53.600 --> 01:36:59.039
something moved among the crowds swiftly. The being's eyes reflected light,

1439
01:36:59.159 --> 01:37:03.239
not unlike a or a cat, which was disquieting enough

1440
01:37:03.319 --> 01:37:06.720
for sure, but the fact that it was seemingly murdering

1441
01:37:06.840 --> 01:37:12.039
patrons left and right was undoubtedly its worst feature. I

1442
01:37:12.159 --> 01:37:15.800
turned back to warn Debis and Debbie, but another shadow

1443
01:37:15.880 --> 01:37:19.119
being had torn them to pieces before setting to work

1444
01:37:19.159 --> 01:37:23.079
on the band, who admittedly fought like leather clad perserkers,

1445
01:37:23.680 --> 01:37:26.520
but no amount of leather clad muscle and violence could

1446
01:37:26.560 --> 01:37:30.159
stop the creatures, whose numbers had now swollen to four.

1447
01:37:31.399 --> 01:37:33.920
Upon seeing this, I did the only same thing I

1448
01:37:33.960 --> 01:37:37.359
could think of. I ran the fuck out of there.

1449
01:37:42.560 --> 01:37:46.560
I pushed through the throng, slid constantly on barf, blood,

1450
01:37:46.600 --> 01:37:50.079
and lord knows what other bodily secretions, before I burst

1451
01:37:50.119 --> 01:37:53.960
out onto the city street. The heavily falling snow made

1452
01:37:54.039 --> 01:37:57.960
everything seem like a Christmas card worthy winter wonderland, but

1453
01:37:58.960 --> 01:38:04.159
the sky held less en chanting prospects. Far above the skyscrapers,

1454
01:38:04.279 --> 01:38:08.119
meteors streaked across the sky, leaving violet trails in their wake.

1455
01:38:09.079 --> 01:38:14.880
I ran on, passing various New Yorkers staring uncharacteristically in shock.

1456
01:38:15.359 --> 01:38:18.199
As feet away, one of the meteors hit the sidewalk,

1457
01:38:18.680 --> 01:38:22.960
splitting it violently. One of the shadow beings rose from

1458
01:38:23.000 --> 01:38:27.439
the smoking rubble and immediately attacked a bystander, sending a

1459
01:38:27.520 --> 01:38:30.920
geyser of blood up into the frigid night sky, the

1460
01:38:31.079 --> 01:38:34.560
resulting crimson rain freezing to red ice as soon as

1461
01:38:34.600 --> 01:38:39.760
it collided with the ground in steam hissing droplets. Shit,

1462
01:38:40.760 --> 01:38:44.359
why is this happening? I thought stereotypically as I tore

1463
01:38:44.479 --> 01:38:47.119
ass on and on without a destination and no other

1464
01:38:47.199 --> 01:38:50.199
motivation than saving my narrow ass from getting ripped a

1465
01:38:50.279 --> 01:38:54.760
new one from astromonsters falling from the heavens. A few

1466
01:38:54.840 --> 01:38:59.760
blocks down, things got much worse. I saw one of

1467
01:38:59.760 --> 01:39:03.279
the sh shadow creatures attack a woman, but amazingly, it

1468
01:39:03.359 --> 01:39:06.039
didn't finish her off before it bounded off after a

1469
01:39:06.479 --> 01:39:09.960
faster moving victim that ran like a fucking cartoon character

1470
01:39:10.319 --> 01:39:13.239
over a sheet of ice before regaining his footing and

1471
01:39:13.399 --> 01:39:17.159
speeding off into the night. Against all common sense, I

1472
01:39:17.239 --> 01:39:18.960
made my way over to the woman to try and

1473
01:39:19.039 --> 01:39:22.640
help her, but upon arrival, she was a complete and

1474
01:39:22.720 --> 01:39:25.520
total mess that looked more like a plate of discarded

1475
01:39:25.560 --> 01:39:28.079
spaghetti and red sauce than a young lady out for

1476
01:39:28.159 --> 01:39:37.680
a stroll. Please please just hold me, she whimpered. I did, immediately,

1477
01:39:37.840 --> 01:39:41.840
soaking my best T shirt and blood. What's your name,

1478
01:39:42.920 --> 01:39:46.159
I asked, mainly because it's what I saw characters do

1479
01:39:46.319 --> 01:39:53.720
on TV when they encountered similar, deeply shitty situations. Uh, Olivia,

1480
01:39:54.439 --> 01:39:59.720
she muttered weakly. That's a great name, I said, unconvincingly.

1481
01:40:00.680 --> 01:40:04.319
So what brings you out tonight? What the hell kind

1482
01:40:04.399 --> 01:40:08.079
of question was that? In response to my quandary, her

1483
01:40:08.199 --> 01:40:12.880
eyes glazed over cataract white. Suddenly, she sat up straight

1484
01:40:12.960 --> 01:40:16.479
and shoved me back hard, sending me directly on my ass.

1485
01:40:17.119 --> 01:40:20.279
A hiss escaped her now blue lips, which were flecked

1486
01:40:20.319 --> 01:40:23.880
with neon green phlegm. Her gums had retracted to the

1487
01:40:23.920 --> 01:40:27.920
point where her teeth now appeared ginormous. Speaking of teeth,

1488
01:40:28.279 --> 01:40:32.399
she began clicking them together rhythmically. Somewhere behind me, I

1489
01:40:32.479 --> 01:40:36.199
heard a slight commotion which quickly grew in intensity before

1490
01:40:36.199 --> 01:40:41.399
a group of What the hell are these things? Zombies? Yeah,

1491
01:40:41.800 --> 01:40:44.520
let's go with that. A group of zombies spilled forth

1492
01:40:44.560 --> 01:40:48.399
from a nearby bodega, their limbs flailing wildly as they

1493
01:40:48.520 --> 01:40:53.239
moved both fast and clumsily forward. I screamed and possibly

1494
01:40:53.359 --> 01:40:56.039
peed a tad and booked it like a freight train

1495
01:40:56.199 --> 01:40:57.039
straight out of hell.

1496
01:40:59.039 --> 01:41:03.159
I like it weekly, Spooky, will be right back.

1497
01:41:11.720 --> 01:41:14.720
I ran until my lungs burned from the freezing air.

1498
01:41:15.439 --> 01:41:19.880
Then I made the absolutely idiotic decision to stop for

1499
01:41:20.000 --> 01:41:23.720
a second get my shit together. The zombies were on

1500
01:41:23.880 --> 01:41:27.479
me before you could say George A. Romero. I felt

1501
01:41:27.560 --> 01:41:36.520
no pain, but darkness soon took me. I came to

1502
01:41:36.760 --> 01:41:40.720
for the briefest of seconds. The sound of unearthly trumpets

1503
01:41:40.800 --> 01:41:43.880
filled the sky, and as soon as they arrived, the

1504
01:41:44.000 --> 01:41:48.199
creatures formed back into meteors and rose into the sky.

1505
01:41:48.359 --> 01:41:53.079
As the strange music became more and more like sirens.

1506
01:41:54.399 --> 01:42:04.960
Blackness came for me again, and then I woke up

1507
01:42:05.039 --> 01:42:08.119
to even more blackness and a minor head injury from

1508
01:42:08.199 --> 01:42:12.720
the aforementioned ceiling. I stared into the darkness before my

1509
01:42:12.840 --> 01:42:15.399
eyes finally settled on a sliver of light down by

1510
01:42:15.479 --> 01:42:18.760
my feet. I slid forward on my back and pressed

1511
01:42:18.760 --> 01:42:23.159
my feet towards the light. Damn, whatever I pushed up

1512
01:42:23.199 --> 01:42:29.640
against was cold, cold, but very forgiving. A door opened,

1513
01:42:29.720 --> 01:42:33.800
letting harsh fluorescent lights smash into my eyes. With wild abandon,

1514
01:42:34.760 --> 01:42:38.079
I pushed forward and immediately fell onto the rigid tile floor.

1515
01:42:38.840 --> 01:42:41.520
It took me about three point seven seconds to realize

1516
01:42:41.560 --> 01:42:46.560
where I was the morgue. I looked down at my

1517
01:42:46.680 --> 01:42:49.279
now bare feet and removed the Manila tag that was

1518
01:42:49.359 --> 01:42:52.720
tied around my big toe. I have no idea what

1519
01:42:52.840 --> 01:42:56.560
had happened to me, but I was definitely not dead.

1520
01:42:57.680 --> 01:43:00.560
I caught my reflection in a nearby mirror mounted on

1521
01:43:00.640 --> 01:43:06.199
the wall. I wasn't a zombie either. Then I saw

1522
01:43:06.279 --> 01:43:14.000
the two forms rise from the gurneys behind me. Rick,

1523
01:43:14.640 --> 01:43:19.239
Sloppy Whoever, and Debbie sat up. They were nude minus

1524
01:43:19.319 --> 01:43:22.319
the thin sheets that covered them, but Sloppy's mohawk was

1525
01:43:22.680 --> 01:43:26.399
unmistakable since it was hot pink with electric blue tips.

1526
01:43:27.159 --> 01:43:29.159
It took a minute, but I could tell they were

1527
01:43:29.239 --> 01:43:31.800
much the same as Olivia from earlier in the evening,

1528
01:43:32.319 --> 01:43:36.359
but their faces seemed downright friendly instead of, you know,

1529
01:43:37.239 --> 01:43:42.319
menacing as could possibly fucking be. You guys look like shit,

1530
01:43:43.520 --> 01:43:48.600
Thanks Pal, you look naked. I hadn't noticed it before,

1531
01:43:48.680 --> 01:43:51.479
but Sloppy was right. I was every bit as naked

1532
01:43:51.479 --> 01:43:54.520
as my friends, but where I was shivering from the

1533
01:43:54.600 --> 01:43:57.239
coldness of the room, they seemed to be as cozy

1534
01:43:57.279 --> 01:44:00.279
as could be. My eyes darted around the room for

1535
01:44:00.399 --> 01:44:03.319
something to cover up in, and then they fell on

1536
01:44:03.439 --> 01:44:07.159
a plastic bin filled with my clothes. Wallet. Hell, even

1537
01:44:07.199 --> 01:44:10.399
my beat to shit Doc Martin's were accounted for. I

1538
01:44:10.520 --> 01:44:14.239
crossed the room and pulled on my clothes. So, uh,

1539
01:44:15.119 --> 01:44:19.159
what's new with you two? Well, we were ripped apart

1540
01:44:19.239 --> 01:44:21.880
by aliens and woke up as zombies. But you know,

1541
01:44:22.600 --> 01:44:27.560
doesn't feel too bad, Debbie said, cheerfully. You guys don't

1542
01:44:27.600 --> 01:44:32.479
want to eat me, not particularly, No turn me into

1543
01:44:32.520 --> 01:44:38.680
one of you. Nope, Sloppy said flatly, Well what do

1544
01:44:38.920 --> 01:44:44.880
you want to do? We sat at Max's drinking our

1545
01:44:44.920 --> 01:44:49.039
stolen beer, just me and my two naked zombie pals.

1546
01:44:49.760 --> 01:44:53.479
The walk back was uneventful. This particular area of the

1547
01:44:53.560 --> 01:44:59.239
city seemed completely abandoned. Only corpses remained. Occasionally we'd hear

1548
01:44:59.359 --> 01:45:02.560
noises of happy crowds from deeper within the city, or

1549
01:45:02.640 --> 01:45:06.439
footsteps close behind us or from the rooftops, But if

1550
01:45:06.520 --> 01:45:09.479
more creatures prowled tonight, we sure as fuck didn't see them.

1551
01:45:10.279 --> 01:45:13.800
The entire thing was very omega man to be quite honest,

1552
01:45:14.239 --> 01:45:18.159
but as previously mentioned, one with less monsters for a change,

1553
01:45:18.279 --> 01:45:22.359
so that was a big plus. Anyway, a punk and

1554
01:45:22.479 --> 01:45:26.399
two naked zombies walked into a bar. No punchline, We

1555
01:45:26.600 --> 01:45:29.399
just walked in, stole beer, and sat at a table

1556
01:45:29.479 --> 01:45:32.600
surrounded by corpses on a chilly New Year's Eve night.

1557
01:45:33.800 --> 01:45:36.760
Hell As hard as it is to believe, the New

1558
01:45:36.840 --> 01:45:40.279
year had already begun a few hours ago, probably between

1559
01:45:40.319 --> 01:45:42.800
the time we were eaten by monsters and waking up

1560
01:45:42.840 --> 01:45:46.439
as either one a guy that obviously fainted at the

1561
01:45:46.479 --> 01:45:49.640
prospect of being eaten, when in fact, some cosmic twist

1562
01:45:49.720 --> 01:45:52.680
of fate called the herd home before said eating could

1563
01:45:52.720 --> 01:45:57.159
take place, or two as monsters that behave absolutely nothing

1564
01:45:57.239 --> 01:45:59.880
like monsters that made them, who in turn or made

1565
01:46:00.000 --> 01:46:04.920
from other monsters from space. It makes perfect sense if

1566
01:46:04.960 --> 01:46:09.239
you're drunk or mentally ill, or a combo of the two.

1567
01:46:10.319 --> 01:46:13.720
So we sat and drank and laughed as if absolutely

1568
01:46:13.840 --> 01:46:17.399
nothing was off in any way. It was kind of perfect,

1569
01:46:17.479 --> 01:46:21.199
to be honest with you, So now, what what what

1570
01:46:21.880 --> 01:46:25.199
I mean? You too can't exactly go back home again

1571
01:46:25.279 --> 01:46:28.720
unless everyone in your family. Fuck that if the whole

1572
01:46:28.840 --> 01:46:32.840
damn town was suddenly stricken blind. You know that's kind

1573
01:46:32.880 --> 01:46:37.039
of mean, but totally true, don't you think, Rick, Debbie asked,

1574
01:46:37.079 --> 01:46:40.720
a little string of neon green flems slash drool escaping

1575
01:46:40.800 --> 01:46:44.000
from her mouth as she spoke. It does make sense

1576
01:46:45.079 --> 01:46:47.199
you're not going to correct her for calling you Rick

1577
01:46:47.960 --> 01:46:52.279
after being dead. I don't know, the nickname seems tacky.

1578
01:46:52.399 --> 01:46:57.319
Now it's not just now, kiddo, Debbie countered. Rick flipped

1579
01:46:57.359 --> 01:47:00.520
her the bird playfully. I think the first thing we

1580
01:47:00.560 --> 01:47:03.319
should do is assess just how far this thing spread.

1581
01:47:04.279 --> 01:47:08.239
The rest of the city seems okay, but here you'd

1582
01:47:08.319 --> 01:47:12.840
think there'd be emergency crews or or something. I said,

1583
01:47:12.920 --> 01:47:16.279
looking for a TV or radio we could use. I

1584
01:47:16.399 --> 01:47:19.960
finally located a small transistor radio behind the bar and

1585
01:47:20.079 --> 01:47:23.319
switched it on. Only static filled the air no matter

1586
01:47:23.399 --> 01:47:27.439
what channel I tuned to. Well, so much for that.

1587
01:47:28.520 --> 01:47:30.960
Rick got up and wandered around the room for a minute.

1588
01:47:32.000 --> 01:47:35.720
I think we have to consider something else, he said, solemnly,

1589
01:47:36.600 --> 01:47:40.439
which is those things will be back. You can bet

1590
01:47:40.520 --> 01:47:44.720
on that. What makes you so sure, Debbie asked, her white,

1591
01:47:45.039 --> 01:47:49.239
pupilless eyes, staring blankly. Why come all this way, rip

1592
01:47:49.279 --> 01:47:51.479
shit up for under an hour, then just piss off

1593
01:47:51.600 --> 01:47:55.279
back to whatever demented home? World could spawn space invader

1594
01:47:55.359 --> 01:47:58.239
rejects that turn people into zombies, most of which are

1595
01:47:58.479 --> 01:48:02.319
hungry for human flesh except when they aren't like me

1596
01:48:02.479 --> 01:48:08.000
and deb That seems like a solid assumption. Maybe this

1597
01:48:08.279 --> 01:48:11.680
was like a dry run test shit out. See how

1598
01:48:11.720 --> 01:48:16.159
it goes, Debbie said quietly. I'd say it went swimmingly,

1599
01:48:16.239 --> 01:48:19.239
with the exception of you guys, what if we are

1600
01:48:19.399 --> 01:48:23.680
the desired result and the others were failures. Rick offered

1601
01:48:24.800 --> 01:48:28.239
no offense, but naked zombies that are no different than

1602
01:48:28.319 --> 01:48:32.479
regular humans other than looks seems like an experiment created

1603
01:48:32.560 --> 01:48:36.239
by an asshole convention, or just by someone that has

1604
01:48:36.359 --> 01:48:41.880
next to zero common sense. I mean, they're aliens, presumably,

1605
01:48:42.520 --> 01:48:45.479
maybe their standards of intelligence are vastly different from ours.

1606
01:48:46.520 --> 01:48:50.119
As logical as anything else that's gone on tonight, Debbie,

1607
01:48:50.199 --> 01:48:52.279
can I talk to you in private for a moment?

1608
01:48:52.960 --> 01:48:56.079
Ricky asked, sounding more like an adult than I've ever

1609
01:48:56.199 --> 01:48:59.760
heard him before. Debbie and Ricky crossed to the opposite

1610
01:48:59.800 --> 01:49:02.840
end of the room. They stood silhouetted by the stage

1611
01:49:02.880 --> 01:49:06.119
lights that remained on. I couldn't help but wonder what

1612
01:49:06.319 --> 01:49:09.079
in the hell was so damn important? But I didn't

1613
01:49:09.119 --> 01:49:11.000
have a long time to contemplate as soon as they

1614
01:49:11.079 --> 01:49:15.600
returned to the table. So listen, man, me and deb

1615
01:49:15.680 --> 01:49:19.239
were just talking and we have a proposition for you.

1616
01:49:20.319 --> 01:49:23.760
Is this going to get weirdly sexual? Debbie and Rick

1617
01:49:23.880 --> 01:49:26.880
laughed until they coughed up more green goo that hung

1618
01:49:27.000 --> 01:49:32.000
tenaciously to their cold blue lips. No, it's more like

1619
01:49:32.119 --> 01:49:37.079
dinner plans. Spill it. Let's say, for instance, that those

1620
01:49:37.199 --> 01:49:40.800
cosmic creeps make a return engagement tonight. Do you think

1621
01:49:40.880 --> 01:49:45.079
your chances of continued survival are greater or lesser given

1622
01:49:45.159 --> 01:49:48.880
your current state? Obviously, to be like you would help,

1623
01:49:48.960 --> 01:49:52.399
but I'm not too keen on joining the ranks of

1624
01:49:52.439 --> 01:49:56.880
the shambling dead. We move around just fine, and we're

1625
01:49:56.880 --> 01:50:01.560
impervious to the cold. Deb added merrily. That's all well

1626
01:50:01.640 --> 01:50:05.239
and good, But say I agree to this. What makes

1627
01:50:05.279 --> 01:50:07.359
you so sure I won't end up like the others

1628
01:50:08.399 --> 01:50:11.479
because we aren't like that, and we'll both bite. You

1629
01:50:12.119 --> 01:50:15.680
better your chances that way? And then what do we do?

1630
01:50:16.560 --> 01:50:20.399
Hide out? Maybe gather some weapons. If they think we're

1631
01:50:20.439 --> 01:50:22.239
on their side, we may be able to just walk

1632
01:50:22.359 --> 01:50:24.319
up and pop them before they know what hit them.

1633
01:50:25.319 --> 01:50:27.960
I truly hate it when you make reasonable arguments.

1634
01:50:29.039 --> 01:50:29.439
Is that a.

1635
01:50:29.560 --> 01:50:34.920
Yes, I mean, back home is comfortable. But I can't

1636
01:50:34.960 --> 01:50:37.399
help but think I have a greater purpose in life

1637
01:50:37.479 --> 01:50:41.720
than being a counter jockey at a video store. Saving

1638
01:50:41.760 --> 01:50:46.239
the whole damn planet would definitely qualify for that. Fuck

1639
01:50:46.800 --> 01:50:50.520
all right, I'm in. Debbie barely let out an excited

1640
01:50:50.600 --> 01:50:59.199
yay before the biting began. When I woke up, I

1641
01:50:59.319 --> 01:51:06.560
felt nothing, no more cold, no more warmth, thankfully, no hunger. Eventually,

1642
01:51:06.680 --> 01:51:09.720
we gathered some supplies, clothes, and made our way back

1643
01:51:09.760 --> 01:51:12.800
to our van. Soon we were headed due west. As

1644
01:51:12.840 --> 01:51:15.920
we exited the city, which, besides the few blocks we

1645
01:51:16.000 --> 01:51:19.199
spent the night on, seemed perfectly normal in every single way.

1646
01:51:20.359 --> 01:51:24.680
For now, we sat under the hot desert sky, just

1647
01:51:24.760 --> 01:51:27.399
outside the trailer we had shared for over fourteen years.

1648
01:51:28.239 --> 01:51:31.520
We sipped lemonade from glasses adorned with various sci fi

1649
01:51:31.680 --> 01:51:35.560
flick characters, more for nostalgia than anything, since we no

1650
01:51:35.680 --> 01:51:40.000
longer required any food or drink whatsoever. As the years

1651
01:51:40.039 --> 01:51:43.079
wore on, we became less and less sure our intergalactic

1652
01:51:43.199 --> 01:51:46.800
enemies would ever return, But since we basically just hung

1653
01:51:46.840 --> 01:51:49.880
out and watched TV and made music, it really didn't

1654
01:51:49.920 --> 01:51:59.720
matter much until the day that changed The saucer hovered

1655
01:51:59.760 --> 01:52:03.439
low in the sky before releasing three meteors that collided

1656
01:52:03.520 --> 01:52:07.479
with the desert floor. Three shadow beings crossed the sand.

1657
01:52:08.119 --> 01:52:10.680
We drew weapons we've never fired, and prepared for what

1658
01:52:10.800 --> 01:52:15.960
we guessed was coming. Except what came was vastly different

1659
01:52:16.000 --> 01:52:19.479
than any scenario we'd imagined over the years. The beings

1660
01:52:19.560 --> 01:52:24.199
held out their smoky hands, and our weapons vanished. Didn't

1661
01:52:24.239 --> 01:52:28.359
plan on that, Ricky whispered. Then the largest of the

1662
01:52:28.439 --> 01:52:33.279
three spoke to us, Hey, folks, we just want to

1663
01:52:33.359 --> 01:52:36.399
say sorry for the trouble we caused you. As children.

1664
01:52:37.039 --> 01:52:40.319
We've done some serious growth since then and realized how

1665
01:52:40.479 --> 01:52:45.199
childish our prank was. But we were just young punks.

1666
01:52:46.119 --> 01:52:48.479
We all looked at each other with our cataract eyes,

1667
01:52:48.880 --> 01:52:52.840
and it finally all made sense. The anarchy, the chaos.

1668
01:52:53.560 --> 01:52:58.239
We as punks held those beliefs deer, and so did

1669
01:52:58.279 --> 01:53:02.000
our brothers from the stars. I cracked some beers and

1670
01:53:02.119 --> 01:53:06.399
handed them to our guests. So what bands were you? Guys?

1671
01:53:06.479 --> 01:53:23.439
Into Grave consequences by Killian Crane, Dennis's shovel bit into

1672
01:53:23.520 --> 01:53:27.279
packed dirt. Years of practice told him he'd passed the

1673
01:53:27.399 --> 01:53:30.560
five foot marker only a few more inches and his

1674
01:53:30.680 --> 01:53:33.840
blade would strike the coffin lid. This was one of

1675
01:53:33.920 --> 01:53:37.079
the good cemeteries. It was off of a main road,

1676
01:53:37.199 --> 01:53:40.199
but the town was sleepy and there were no lights.

1677
01:53:41.079 --> 01:53:44.000
No lights meant he could park damn near on top

1678
01:53:44.079 --> 01:53:47.600
of the grave. He wouldn't have to lug everything from

1679
01:53:47.640 --> 01:53:51.279
a block or two away. As an added bonus, the

1680
01:53:51.399 --> 01:53:55.279
night dripped with a heavy fog, it would be impossible

1681
01:53:55.359 --> 01:53:59.319
to see his electric lantern from a distance. Mister Piles

1682
01:53:59.399 --> 01:54:02.199
told him too for an old money tombstone, and he

1683
01:54:02.399 --> 01:54:06.520
wasn't kidding. The once lavish tombstone had a statue of

1684
01:54:06.640 --> 01:54:10.239
a weeping angel wielding a sword, staring down at Denis

1685
01:54:10.520 --> 01:54:14.359
as he worked at the angel's feet. Read here lies

1686
01:54:14.560 --> 01:54:18.800
Vanya Mills. Her birth year was worn away, but she

1687
01:54:19.039 --> 01:54:23.560
died in sixty two. Chances were any one coming to

1688
01:54:23.680 --> 01:54:26.600
check on dear old Vanya was either an old fart

1689
01:54:27.319 --> 01:54:32.640
or buried close by. He dug faster, feeling sweat dripped

1690
01:54:32.680 --> 01:54:36.640
down his chin. He learned long ago to keep plenty

1691
01:54:36.720 --> 01:54:39.800
of sweat rags handy for long nights, and there was

1692
01:54:39.840 --> 01:54:42.319
a fresh beech towel already waiting for him in the

1693
01:54:42.399 --> 01:54:45.399
driver's seat. Of his truck. He had a change of

1694
01:54:45.520 --> 01:54:48.720
shoes in his covered bed, where he'd place his muddy

1695
01:54:48.760 --> 01:54:51.479
boots and tools of the trade in one large trash

1696
01:54:51.560 --> 01:54:56.079
bag and his hall in another. If it was too big,

1697
01:54:56.640 --> 01:54:59.399
he'd just wrap it in painters plastic and tape it up.

1698
01:55:00.159 --> 01:55:02.760
Once upon a time, Dennis was something of a jack

1699
01:55:02.840 --> 01:55:05.600
of all trades, a pipe fitter when he could pass

1700
01:55:05.600 --> 01:55:08.960
a drug test, a construction hand when he couldn't, and

1701
01:55:09.119 --> 01:55:12.720
a thief in between. It was a stroke of genius

1702
01:55:12.800 --> 01:55:16.560
that he found his favorite form of larceny grave robbing.

1703
01:55:17.640 --> 01:55:21.439
Many homeowners were getting home security systems, the ones with

1704
01:55:21.640 --> 01:55:25.520
anything worth stealing anyway. The same was basically true of

1705
01:55:25.640 --> 01:55:30.680
people you'd never guess who all was packing across the country. Sure,

1706
01:55:30.920 --> 01:55:34.800
some places had hinky gun laws, but that didn't stop

1707
01:55:34.920 --> 01:55:39.840
Granny from carrying a forty five. Dennis knew that from experience.

1708
01:55:41.079 --> 01:55:43.720
Several years ago. He'd held up an old woman and

1709
01:55:43.840 --> 01:55:47.960
she pulled heat on him. Luckily, her hands shook something fierce.

1710
01:55:48.359 --> 01:55:51.560
The forty five rang his ears but didn't ventilate him.

1711
01:55:52.279 --> 01:55:55.439
Dennis had enough gumption to snatch the revolver from her hands.

1712
01:55:55.880 --> 01:55:59.840
He retaliated, stomping granny's ass into the ground. She had

1713
01:56:00.000 --> 01:56:03.600
He's just been protecting herself, but she damn near killed him.

1714
01:56:04.199 --> 01:56:06.880
To teach her a lesson, Dennis made sure that she

1715
01:56:07.000 --> 01:56:10.800
had the ass whooping of her long life. When he

1716
01:56:10.880 --> 01:56:13.199
found the only thing of value she had was the

1717
01:56:13.319 --> 01:56:16.399
revolver and a coin purse with a whopping five dollars

1718
01:56:16.600 --> 01:56:20.640
and change, he decided that robbing people was just too

1719
01:56:20.720 --> 01:56:24.560
much drama. That night, he used the five dollars to

1720
01:56:24.600 --> 01:56:27.399
get a coffee at a local diner. The night had

1721
01:56:27.439 --> 01:56:30.520
been rough, so sweet thang at the counter wasn't getting

1722
01:56:30.560 --> 01:56:33.760
a tip. The local paper was on the counter, opened

1723
01:56:34.359 --> 01:56:38.239
to the o bits. One in particular caught his eye.

1724
01:56:39.039 --> 01:56:42.800
A local heiress, pretty little thing probably in her forties,

1725
01:56:43.279 --> 01:56:47.239
had kicked the bucket. She wore something intricate around her neck.

1726
01:56:48.079 --> 01:56:50.640
The black and white photo didn't do the thing justice,

1727
01:56:51.159 --> 01:56:55.079
but he could tell it was gold and diamonds. It

1728
01:56:55.239 --> 01:56:59.520
was then he had an idea. While he waited for

1729
01:56:59.600 --> 01:57:02.479
her to be buried, Dennis pawned the forty five for

1730
01:57:02.560 --> 01:57:05.560
three hundred dollars, then went to the hardware store for

1731
01:57:05.680 --> 01:57:12.680
things he thought he'd need. A shovel, crowbar, mallet, good rope,

1732
01:57:13.560 --> 01:57:20.840
bolt cutters, flashlights and a lamp, towels and large trash bags.

1733
01:57:21.880 --> 01:57:24.319
It all came out to just under two hundred dollars.

1734
01:57:24.920 --> 01:57:28.600
Another eighty five went to a shithole motel nearby, and

1735
01:57:28.680 --> 01:57:31.079
the last fifteen dollars to his name went to a

1736
01:57:31.199 --> 01:57:34.479
good hot meal. He had a full night's work ahead

1737
01:57:34.479 --> 01:57:37.000
of him and he needed to have his strength up.

1738
01:57:37.960 --> 01:57:41.199
Once he was at the cemetery, he realized just how

1739
01:57:41.319 --> 01:57:46.720
brilliant his plan was. Graveyards were empty at night. The

1740
01:57:46.880 --> 01:57:51.319
dead made people uneasy, except goth kids, but they were

1741
01:57:51.399 --> 01:57:55.520
easy to scare off. Another plus, there were no pigs

1742
01:57:55.600 --> 01:57:59.439
on patrol. Small town pigs couldn't be bothered that late

1743
01:57:59.760 --> 01:58:01.960
when there was a car to sleep in or doughnuts

1744
01:58:02.039 --> 01:58:06.000
to suck on. Best of all, graves didn't call the

1745
01:58:06.079 --> 01:58:13.079
police or shoot back. They were buried treasure waiting to

1746
01:58:13.239 --> 01:58:17.119
be plundered. As he dug up the Arris's grave, he

1747
01:58:17.279 --> 01:58:21.239
had this feeling of destiny. As macabre as it was,

1748
01:58:22.079 --> 01:58:24.600
this was what he was truly put on earth for.

1749
01:58:25.800 --> 01:58:29.479
His shovel bit greedily into the dirt Like a first date.

1750
01:58:29.800 --> 01:58:33.680
He was both nervous and excited to meet little miss money.

1751
01:58:34.479 --> 01:58:36.840
When he finally felt the thunk of his shovel on

1752
01:58:36.920 --> 01:58:39.800
her coffin lid, he scraped away enough of the dirt

1753
01:58:39.880 --> 01:58:43.039
to put his hand on bare wood. He gave the

1754
01:58:43.119 --> 01:58:48.880
coffin a little knock you in there, sweet thing. No answer,

1755
01:58:50.119 --> 01:58:53.520
don't you worry. I'm on my way. He cleared the

1756
01:58:53.560 --> 01:58:56.119
dirt away from the top and the sides, and slid

1757
01:58:56.199 --> 01:58:59.159
his crowbar under the lip of the lid. It was

1758
01:58:59.319 --> 01:59:01.560
like he was at a casino pulling the handle of

1759
01:59:01.600 --> 01:59:05.920
a slot machine. Would he hit? Would he bust? He

1760
01:59:06.079 --> 01:59:10.399
pulled the crank. The lid popped with a hiss. She

1761
01:59:10.560 --> 01:59:15.640
still smelled sweet like flowers. He turned away, caught in

1762
01:59:15.720 --> 01:59:19.399
a sneezing fit. Anything scented always did this to him.

1763
01:59:19.880 --> 01:59:23.800
Well damn near anything, really, he had a sensitive nose.

1764
01:59:24.680 --> 01:59:27.640
He sniffled, embarrassed that she saw him like this on

1765
01:59:27.720 --> 01:59:32.039
their first meeting, But that embarrassment evaporated when he saw

1766
01:59:32.159 --> 01:59:36.279
the gold chain encrusted with diamonds around her pretty little

1767
01:59:36.399 --> 01:59:42.359
neck jackpot. He took the necklace off her. She didn't

1768
01:59:42.399 --> 01:59:45.319
seem to mind. As he stared at her, he had

1769
01:59:45.319 --> 01:59:49.239
another bright idea. She wasn't doing anyone any good. Laying

1770
01:59:49.279 --> 01:59:52.479
in that coffin, but maybe she could still be good

1771
01:59:52.560 --> 01:59:55.600
to someone out there. He threw the arrass over his

1772
01:59:55.720 --> 01:59:58.600
shoulders and loaded her into the back seat of his sedan.

1773
01:59:59.439 --> 02:00:01.760
It took a lot doing to get her seated on

1774
02:00:01.840 --> 02:00:05.800
account of her being so stiff, but he got it. Tone.

1775
02:00:06.600 --> 02:00:09.600
Dennis buckled her in and covered his work in the

1776
02:00:09.720 --> 02:00:12.840
driver's seat, he wiped his forehead with an old bandana.

1777
02:00:13.800 --> 02:00:17.520
He saw her through the rear view mirror, staring at him.

1778
02:00:18.399 --> 02:00:21.880
The glue holding her eyes closed had come undone.

1779
02:00:23.960 --> 02:00:27.560
Don't go away, weakly, spooky, We'll be right back.

1780
02:00:31.880 --> 02:00:34.399
It freaked Dennis out a little, but she was just

1781
02:00:34.479 --> 02:00:38.680
a stiff. Nothing she could do to anyone. I know.

1782
02:00:38.840 --> 02:00:41.600
This car ain't what you're probably used to, he said,

1783
02:00:41.720 --> 02:00:45.079
giving her a bashful smile, But I hope you enjoy

1784
02:00:45.199 --> 02:00:48.680
the ride. He threw the sedan in drive and crept

1785
02:00:48.720 --> 02:00:52.239
out of the cemetery. To Dennis's surprise, it didn't take

1786
02:00:52.319 --> 02:00:56.359
much searching to find a buyer for the Heiress. Down

1787
02:00:56.439 --> 02:00:59.560
a dirt road that the sedan didn't like, he found

1788
02:00:59.640 --> 02:01:03.520
the old ranch house of mister Piles. He was an

1789
02:01:03.520 --> 02:01:07.119
old man with a look in his eye of terrible intelligence.

1790
02:01:07.680 --> 02:01:10.560
He and Dennis shook, and he explained that he was

1791
02:01:10.600 --> 02:01:15.359
a sort of artist. After viewing the heiress and seeing

1792
02:01:15.439 --> 02:01:19.319
what he liked, he paid Dennis two thousand dollars for

1793
02:01:19.439 --> 02:01:24.760
her in cold, hard cash. He was floored like a

1794
02:01:24.880 --> 02:01:27.960
kid looking at the ocean for the first time. Before

1795
02:01:28.000 --> 02:01:30.960
Dennis could leave, mister Piles fetched two glasses and a

1796
02:01:31.039 --> 02:01:34.239
batch of moonshine from the cabinet. You got time for

1797
02:01:34.319 --> 02:01:37.680
a drink, the old man asked, I got an offer

1798
02:01:37.760 --> 02:01:41.279
for you you might like to hear. Dennis never was

1799
02:01:41.399 --> 02:01:44.119
one to say no to good money, so he stayed

1800
02:01:44.159 --> 02:01:47.359
for the drink. I've been looking for someone like you,

1801
02:01:48.039 --> 02:01:52.359
mister Piles said, been looking a long while. You know,

1802
02:01:53.039 --> 02:01:55.439
in the right hands, a dead body can be spun

1803
02:01:55.560 --> 02:02:00.479
into gold. He poured two shots of moonshine and slid one. Dennis,

1804
02:02:01.279 --> 02:02:04.199
How would you like to make this a regular thing?

1805
02:02:05.359 --> 02:02:08.119
Dennis stared at the shot of moonshine, reminiscing about the

1806
02:02:08.239 --> 02:02:11.560
thrill of the dig. He flexed his fingers, remembering the

1807
02:02:11.640 --> 02:02:14.399
tension of his crowbar under the lid of the coffin.

1808
02:02:15.520 --> 02:02:19.720
For the sake of formality, he had to ask, what's

1809
02:02:19.800 --> 02:02:25.159
the pay? Mister Piles smiled same for her two thousand

1810
02:02:25.199 --> 02:02:28.520
dollars as stiff. Anything on their person is a bonus

1811
02:02:28.600 --> 02:02:34.560
for you, unless specifically instructed otherwise. For Dennis, it was

1812
02:02:34.600 --> 02:02:38.760
a no brainer. They toasted the moonshine burned on the

1813
02:02:38.800 --> 02:02:43.680
way down, and their packed was forged. Mister Piles gave

1814
02:02:43.760 --> 02:02:47.079
him a burner phone, a name, a photo of a gravestone,

1815
02:02:47.439 --> 02:02:52.000
and an address. Dennis set out immediately. Things went that

1816
02:02:52.119 --> 02:02:55.840
way for three good years since then. Dennis sold the

1817
02:02:55.920 --> 02:02:58.680
sedan in favor of a four wheel drive truck with

1818
02:02:58.800 --> 02:03:02.359
a long bed to hard cover. An eight foot bed

1819
02:03:02.479 --> 02:03:04.840
meant he could put a basketball player in the back

1820
02:03:05.239 --> 02:03:09.039
if need be. His new profession took him all across

1821
02:03:09.119 --> 02:03:12.520
the country. He found that northern dirt didn't like to

1822
02:03:12.640 --> 02:03:15.119
give like the ground in the south, and the more

1823
02:03:15.239 --> 02:03:18.600
rain a place got, the better for the older graves.

1824
02:03:19.359 --> 02:03:22.199
Wet ground meant the coffins weren't busted when he got

1825
02:03:22.279 --> 02:03:25.880
to them. He wasn't sure why that was, He just

1826
02:03:26.000 --> 02:03:28.000
knew it meant he had a lot less work to do.

1827
02:03:28.920 --> 02:03:32.920
A busted coffin meant playing archaeologist, and on more than

1828
02:03:33.000 --> 02:03:37.680
one occasion it resulted in a bust. Despite his love

1829
02:03:37.760 --> 02:03:41.479
of Southern coffins. Southern air played hell with his allergies.

1830
02:03:42.279 --> 02:03:44.720
They were bad enough as it was, but the South

1831
02:03:44.880 --> 02:03:47.960
really let him have it. He caught a sneeze in

1832
02:03:48.000 --> 02:03:50.239
the crook of his arm for probably the tenth time

1833
02:03:50.319 --> 02:03:55.359
that night. The angel looked down at him scornfully. Bless me,

1834
02:03:56.000 --> 02:03:58.920
he said, blowing a snot rocket at her feet before

1835
02:03:58.960 --> 02:04:02.399
he kept digging. Most of the houses near the cemetery

1836
02:04:02.479 --> 02:04:06.319
looked like old money. Chances were Vanya was probably a

1837
02:04:06.439 --> 02:04:10.239
trophy wife for some local millionaire when she was alive,

1838
02:04:11.039 --> 02:04:15.680
meaning she carried some trophies into the after life. Dennis

1839
02:04:15.760 --> 02:04:20.600
hoped anyway. He wondered if Vanya was feeling lonely down there,

1840
02:04:21.560 --> 02:04:24.079
maybe she was looking forward to finding a new friend

1841
02:04:24.199 --> 02:04:27.479
in mister Pile's. He wasn't sure what the old man

1842
02:04:27.600 --> 02:04:30.319
did with any of the bodies. Dennis brought him all

1843
02:04:30.439 --> 02:04:34.119
kinds of people at various stages of decay. He learned

1844
02:04:34.159 --> 02:04:37.279
that graves over fifty years old were usually just the frame.

1845
02:04:38.239 --> 02:04:41.880
He enjoyed those graves. The best bones were easy to

1846
02:04:41.960 --> 02:04:44.880
pick and clean and load into the truck. As he

1847
02:04:44.960 --> 02:04:47.680
bit into the dirt, the shovel jolted with a thunk.

1848
02:04:48.920 --> 02:04:53.359
The ar she be, he whispered with a smile. He

1849
02:04:53.520 --> 02:04:56.920
cleared away enough dirt to touch the coffin lid. If

1850
02:04:56.960 --> 02:05:00.439
that little bit was any indication Vanya's caught often was

1851
02:05:00.479 --> 02:05:03.920
a good looking one in its heyday. Fingers crossed for

1852
02:05:04.000 --> 02:05:07.960
a bonus, he gave the lid a little knock. I'm

1853
02:05:08.039 --> 02:05:11.319
coming for you, old biddy, You better be decent. He

1854
02:05:11.479 --> 02:05:14.199
cleared away the dirt as he had so many times before,

1855
02:05:14.640 --> 02:05:17.640
and grabbed his crowbar. If the lid wouldn't act right,

1856
02:05:17.880 --> 02:05:20.239
he'd have to grab the mallet and force it open,

1857
02:05:20.840 --> 02:05:23.920
but he wasn't worried about that. Vanya was going to

1858
02:05:23.960 --> 02:05:26.760
be a good girl. She wanted to feel the air

1859
02:05:26.880 --> 02:05:29.640
on her old cheeks again, and if she played her

1860
02:05:29.720 --> 02:05:33.800
cards right, she could leave with Dennis like a good

1861
02:05:33.960 --> 02:05:37.720
Southern coughin the crowbar, slid under the lip with no resistance.

1862
02:05:38.199 --> 02:05:40.920
Gripping in his hands. Feeling how ready the lid was

1863
02:05:41.000 --> 02:05:45.159
to pop, Dennis wiped excited sweat from his brow. Would

1864
02:05:45.199 --> 02:05:48.720
he hit, would he bust? All he had to do

1865
02:05:49.479 --> 02:05:53.560
was pull and find out. The lid popped with a hiss.

1866
02:05:54.319 --> 02:05:57.479
Dead air swelled into the night sky and Dennis found

1867
02:05:57.520 --> 02:06:02.399
himself in another sneezing fit. Allergies and the dead didn't mix. Well,

1868
02:06:03.960 --> 02:06:07.199
it's okay, old gal, he said, once he could breathe again,

1869
02:06:08.000 --> 02:06:11.920
We'll get you out of that stinking box. Lid up,

1870
02:06:12.359 --> 02:06:16.640
Dennis leveled his lantern, not understanding what he saw. Where

1871
02:06:16.760 --> 02:06:21.159
Vanya should have been, there was a ragged hole leading

1872
02:06:21.239 --> 02:06:25.800
somewhere below the ground. Dennis lowered his lamp, trying to

1873
02:06:25.840 --> 02:06:30.479
see past the dark. Uneasily, he realized that wherever the

1874
02:06:30.560 --> 02:06:35.520
hole went, it went deep from the depths below. A

1875
02:06:35.680 --> 02:06:40.079
screech shattered the silence of the night. Dennis tripped face forward.

1876
02:06:40.399 --> 02:06:42.640
Before he could grab for anything, he was falling through

1877
02:06:42.640 --> 02:06:46.960
the coffin into nothing. As he slid, the dirt scraped

1878
02:06:47.119 --> 02:06:51.720
painfully into his stomach. Then he stopped sliding and started falling,

1879
02:06:52.199 --> 02:06:56.880
spinning in the air. Something not dirt broke his fall.

1880
02:06:57.600 --> 02:06:59.720
A jolt of pain shot from his ankle as he

1881
02:06:59.760 --> 02:07:05.319
landed wrong, and his lantern went out Above, he heard

1882
02:07:05.399 --> 02:07:13.880
the coffin lid slam shut. He was left in total darkness. Instinctively,

1883
02:07:14.279 --> 02:07:17.159
he reached for his leg, but he was waist deep

1884
02:07:17.279 --> 02:07:22.159
in something slimy and dense. His heart pounded in his

1885
02:07:22.359 --> 02:07:26.239
throat as pitch black pressed in on him. The smell

1886
02:07:26.479 --> 02:07:30.399
was unbearable, making him vomit on himself. He tried to

1887
02:07:30.479 --> 02:07:35.119
be quiet about it, because somewhere someone was crying. He

1888
02:07:35.279 --> 02:07:38.600
fumbled for his lantern, fingers trembling as they dug into

1889
02:07:38.720 --> 02:07:44.359
slime and something else. Please, he whispered, the sound of

1890
02:07:44.399 --> 02:07:48.560
his echoing voice, terrifying him. After what felt like an eternity,

1891
02:07:49.439 --> 02:07:53.479
he found the lantern. He pressed the button, but it

1892
02:07:53.520 --> 02:07:59.319
wouldn't come on. No, he hissed, no, no, no. He

1893
02:07:59.479 --> 02:08:03.880
jammed the button madly, but still the light wouldn't activate.

1894
02:08:04.600 --> 02:08:09.960
He felt himself sinking deeper. Liquid drenched his clothes and

1895
02:08:10.039 --> 02:08:15.520
wet his skin. Whatever it was, it felt disgusting. Please,

1896
02:08:16.079 --> 02:08:20.880
he cried, terror, almost drowning him. After an eternity, the

1897
02:08:21.000 --> 02:08:24.600
lantern blessedly came on, and the echoes of someone crying

1898
02:08:25.239 --> 02:08:30.680
stopped immediately despite its blinding effect, Dennis held the light

1899
02:08:30.760 --> 02:08:34.000
close to himself, thanking the powers that be that it

1900
02:08:34.159 --> 02:08:38.239
wasn't dark anymore. But as his eyes adjusted and he

1901
02:08:38.359 --> 02:08:41.960
saw what it was he'd fallen into, realized what it

1902
02:08:42.239 --> 02:08:46.880
was that he smelled, He wished otherwise he was in

1903
02:08:46.960 --> 02:08:51.359
a large cavern. As he squirmed, he sank deeper into

1904
02:08:51.399 --> 02:08:55.800
a pile of bodies, each of them at wildly different

1905
02:08:55.880 --> 02:09:00.520
stages of decomposition. Through the muck, he could see that

1906
02:09:00.640 --> 02:09:05.960
they were missing parts, faces ripped off, hands, missing bodies

1907
02:09:06.479 --> 02:09:11.000
torn in two. He tried to wriggle free, only succeeding

1908
02:09:11.079 --> 02:09:15.000
and falling further into the pile. The dead weight began

1909
02:09:15.119 --> 02:09:17.359
to press on him, and with the little air he

1910
02:09:17.439 --> 02:09:21.960
had left in his lungs, he screamed. From the single

1911
02:09:22.119 --> 02:09:26.680
rough entrance to the cavern, came a faint light accompanied

1912
02:09:27.319 --> 02:09:31.760
by wailing. Whatever the crying thing was it knew he

1913
02:09:31.960 --> 02:09:35.279
was near. He tried to turn off the lamp, but

1914
02:09:35.439 --> 02:09:38.760
the button was jammed. The glow beyond the cavern grew

1915
02:09:38.840 --> 02:09:41.960
brighter as the patter of bare feet and wild shrieking

1916
02:09:42.039 --> 02:09:45.520
closed in on him. He was out of time and

1917
02:09:45.640 --> 02:09:50.039
only saw one option. He flung the lantern away and

1918
02:09:50.159 --> 02:09:55.079
played dead. The crying things stepped into the cavern, having

1919
02:09:55.159 --> 02:09:59.479
to hunch over. She was tall, with long red hair

1920
02:10:00.000 --> 02:10:04.279
and impossibly long arms and legs. She wore a ragged

1921
02:10:04.359 --> 02:10:07.800
black dress that was much too short for her skeletal frame,

1922
02:10:08.359 --> 02:10:11.319
exposing her bony legs to the tops of her thighs.

1923
02:10:12.520 --> 02:10:17.199
One slender hand held an electric lantern, bathing the room

1924
02:10:17.359 --> 02:10:21.479
with questing light. With her other hand, she held her face.

1925
02:10:22.119 --> 02:10:25.720
Tears streamed between her fingers and down her forearm, where

1926
02:10:25.760 --> 02:10:30.279
they dripped from her elbow. Peeking between her fingers, Denis

1927
02:10:30.359 --> 02:10:34.119
caught a look at her eyes. They were puffy and

1928
02:10:34.279 --> 02:10:37.319
impossibly red and searching for him.

1929
02:10:39.199 --> 02:10:43.279
Did you hear that? Better check the locks on your doors? Weakly,

1930
02:10:43.439 --> 02:10:45.119
Spooky will be right back.

1931
02:10:47.479 --> 02:10:50.439
It took everything he had to keep up the act.

1932
02:10:51.239 --> 02:10:54.960
Her hand, which ended in jagged nails covered with black grime,

1933
02:10:55.720 --> 02:10:59.680
dropped from her vericos face, revealing crude makeup that ran

1934
02:10:59.800 --> 02:11:03.479
down on her cheeks and cracked lips, dribbling the same

1935
02:11:03.640 --> 02:11:08.960
black grime on her fingers. What that grime could possibly be,

1936
02:11:09.920 --> 02:11:13.520
Dennis didn't know. Snot flowed from her nose, and a

1937
02:11:13.560 --> 02:11:16.600
fresh line of drool leaked from her mouth. She looked

1938
02:11:16.640 --> 02:11:19.239
like she was always trying to say something, but the

1939
02:11:19.359 --> 02:11:24.279
tears only aloud, hitching sobs. Her cries reminded him of

1940
02:11:24.399 --> 02:11:26.760
his mother's the day his baby brother was put in

1941
02:11:26.800 --> 02:11:31.199
the ground. That memory, in this strange place, sent cold

1942
02:11:31.319 --> 02:11:35.119
sweat trickling down his spine. He wanted to look away,

1943
02:11:36.199 --> 02:11:39.760
but he didn't dare move. She put her lantern down

1944
02:11:39.880 --> 02:11:42.359
and reached for the one Dennis had flung, picking it

1945
02:11:42.479 --> 02:11:46.600
up with two spindly fingers, She sniffed at the handle,

1946
02:11:47.359 --> 02:11:51.880
licking it with a long, dirty tongue. Tears streamed down

1947
02:11:51.960 --> 02:11:56.720
the lantern, glistening in the light. She gently placed his

1948
02:11:56.880 --> 02:12:00.640
lantern on the ground and sniffed at the air. Her

1949
02:12:00.800 --> 02:12:05.840
nose danced in his direction with a sad grunt. She

1950
02:12:06.000 --> 02:12:09.520
worked both hands into the piles of bodies. She fished

1951
02:12:09.520 --> 02:12:12.319
out the bottom half of a corpse, her hand still

1952
02:12:12.399 --> 02:12:16.680
searching the pile. Her sobbing mouth worked around a bloated thigh.

1953
02:12:17.159 --> 02:12:20.840
Every bite a struggle as her teeth sank into decayed flesh.

1954
02:12:21.520 --> 02:12:24.560
Black goo bubbled around her mouth as her slender neck

1955
02:12:24.680 --> 02:12:28.640
flexed and pulled the sound of old thigh me tearing

1956
02:12:28.720 --> 02:12:31.520
from the bone made Denis sick again, but he kept

1957
02:12:31.560 --> 02:12:36.279
his face stone dead. His eyes begged him to blink,

1958
02:12:36.760 --> 02:12:40.399
but he didn't care. As she chewed and swallowed, he

1959
02:12:40.479 --> 02:12:43.399
could feel her other hand questing the muck near him.

1960
02:12:44.680 --> 02:12:47.960
The dark liquids oozed down the length of the half corpse,

1961
02:12:48.279 --> 02:12:51.840
mixing with her tears into the dirt. Even as she ate,

1962
02:12:52.560 --> 02:12:58.880
she sobbed, her fingers, prodded his foot. His heart jumped

1963
02:12:58.920 --> 02:13:00.840
in his chest as she grabsbbed him by the ankle,

1964
02:13:01.000 --> 02:13:04.039
testing him. As she pulled his leg, he grimly thought

1965
02:13:04.079 --> 02:13:07.840
of his crowbar against the lid of the coffin. Would

1966
02:13:07.920 --> 02:13:14.039
she hit? Would she bust? She squeezed, shooting fresh pain

1967
02:13:14.199 --> 02:13:16.800
up his leg. He knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt,

1968
02:13:17.039 --> 02:13:20.920
his ankle was broken like her. He began to cry.

1969
02:13:21.239 --> 02:13:24.680
The tears rolled down his cheeks, but somehow he kept

1970
02:13:24.760 --> 02:13:28.600
himself from blinking. Back and forth, she worked his leg,

1971
02:13:28.760 --> 02:13:31.479
forcing Denis to use willpower he didn't know. He had

1972
02:13:31.880 --> 02:13:38.279
to stay absolutely still. There was a rumbling in the pile.

1973
02:13:38.960 --> 02:13:42.960
Her questing had disturbed some precarious balance, and the meat

1974
02:13:43.399 --> 02:13:48.199
shifted in response. Dennis became even more entangled, only his

1975
02:13:48.359 --> 02:13:52.439
head above the pressing corpses. The mourner squealed, her hand

1976
02:13:52.560 --> 02:13:55.640
darting from his ankle into the shifting. She thought she

1977
02:13:55.800 --> 02:14:00.199
had him. This might be my chance. He thought. It

1978
02:14:00.319 --> 02:14:04.319
was a slim one, so impossibly slim. But maybe if

1979
02:14:04.399 --> 02:14:09.600
she didn't find anything, she'd move on. It would be terrible,

1980
02:14:10.199 --> 02:14:13.960
but maybe he could wait her out. There had to

1981
02:14:14.039 --> 02:14:17.000
be another way out of this cavern. She got down

1982
02:14:17.039 --> 02:14:20.760
here somehow. He wasn't sure yet what he'd tell mister Piles,

1983
02:14:21.199 --> 02:14:23.199
but he'd burn that bridge when he got to it.

1984
02:14:24.119 --> 02:14:30.199
Right then, he just had to stay calm as the

1985
02:14:30.319 --> 02:14:33.680
Piles shifted. The body of an ancient woman whipped around

1986
02:14:33.720 --> 02:14:37.199
to face Dennis. Around her bony neck was a solid

1987
02:14:37.239 --> 02:14:41.560
gold necklace, sparkling with fine emeralds. He was face to

1988
02:14:41.680 --> 02:14:46.479
face with Vonya Mills. He didn't know how he knew,

1989
02:14:47.520 --> 02:14:51.159
but he did. His night had already been the craziest

1990
02:14:51.199 --> 02:14:53.840
of his life. He was terrified, and he should have

1991
02:14:53.920 --> 02:14:57.479
been screaming, but all he could do was look at

1992
02:14:57.520 --> 02:15:04.600
that necklace. It was beautiful, easily the most valuable thing

1993
02:15:04.880 --> 02:15:07.960
he'd ever seen on a dead person, easily worth more

1994
02:15:08.119 --> 02:15:12.319
than the bones wearing it. Dear old Vanya was just

1995
02:15:12.399 --> 02:15:17.159
another skeleton, begging Dennis to pick her clean. Mad Lee

1996
02:15:17.319 --> 02:15:20.920
threatened to creep into his stone face. He flexed his fingers,

1997
02:15:21.000 --> 02:15:24.760
fighting the urge to grab the precious jewelry. The mourner

1998
02:15:24.880 --> 02:15:27.960
wailed in anger, grabbing a body and flinging it into

1999
02:15:27.960 --> 02:15:31.000
the cavern ceiling. It exploded up there like a party.

2000
02:15:31.079 --> 02:15:35.800
Favor and parts reigned. An arm struck Dennis in the head.

2001
02:15:36.239 --> 02:15:39.000
He couldn't scream. Now he had to have that necklace.

2002
02:15:39.319 --> 02:15:42.680
This thing thought she had him licked. She didn't. She

2003
02:15:42.800 --> 02:15:45.319
didn't have any idea who Dennis was, what he was

2004
02:15:45.399 --> 02:15:48.880
capable of. He was in his element. He understood then,

2005
02:15:49.159 --> 02:15:52.039
the intoxicating thrill he felt the night he stole to heiris.

2006
02:15:53.359 --> 02:15:56.439
His entire life had been building up to this very moment.

2007
02:15:56.920 --> 02:16:02.520
He breathed carefully, shallow breathes, reveling and how the dead

2008
02:16:03.359 --> 02:16:07.159
made him feel alive. Vanya must have been able to

2009
02:16:07.239 --> 02:16:11.319
read his mind, because as he stared into her empty hollows,

2010
02:16:11.960 --> 02:16:17.600
she gave him a light, knowing smile. He wanted to

2011
02:16:17.640 --> 02:16:22.119
smile back. No, Vanya, he thought, unblinking as his vision

2012
02:16:22.199 --> 02:16:25.840
began to blur. He won't get me that easy. I'll

2013
02:16:25.880 --> 02:16:27.840
be getting out of this one, and that necklace around

2014
02:16:27.880 --> 02:16:32.239
your scrawny neck will be mine. The mourner collapsed, pulling

2015
02:16:32.280 --> 02:16:34.680
at her hair, ripping it out in clumps, and pounding

2016
02:16:34.719 --> 02:16:38.399
her fists into the ground. The thuds made Vanya's head

2017
02:16:38.520 --> 02:16:43.680
tilt to one side. Now she was questioning Dennis. She

2018
02:16:43.879 --> 02:16:47.000
thought she had him licked too. She and the mourner

2019
02:16:47.079 --> 02:16:50.920
were in this together. He might take Vanya's head as

2020
02:16:50.920 --> 02:16:54.760
a souvenir, just to spite her, take her on a vacation,

2021
02:16:55.000 --> 02:16:57.879
paid for it with her necklace. That would show her,

2022
02:16:58.399 --> 02:17:01.280
That would put her in her place. Who did she

2023
02:17:01.479 --> 02:17:05.399
think she was? She thought she was a match for Dennis.

2024
02:17:05.920 --> 02:17:09.760
He'd robbed hundreds of graves, hundreds, all of them preparing

2025
02:17:09.879 --> 02:17:14.479
him for this, his masterpiece. You can't stop me, Vanya,

2026
02:17:15.120 --> 02:17:18.760
he thought, No one can. I'm getting out of here.

2027
02:17:19.319 --> 02:17:24.120
I'm gonna win. Vanya laughed at him, not out loud,

2028
02:17:25.120 --> 02:17:28.559
but in his head. As she did, her head whipped

2029
02:17:28.639 --> 02:17:32.440
back and her jaw fell open. Dust spewed from her

2030
02:17:32.520 --> 02:17:36.120
skull into Denis's face. The kiss of death hit him

2031
02:17:36.520 --> 02:17:39.680
just right. He wanted to cover his face, but he

2032
02:17:39.799 --> 02:17:43.079
was thoroughly trapped by the dead. His grand plan to

2033
02:17:43.159 --> 02:17:46.879
steal the necklace and Vanya's head evaporated as he let

2034
02:17:46.920 --> 02:17:51.920
out a loud sneeze. The morning Lady stopped pounding the

2035
02:17:52.000 --> 02:17:57.520
ground and their eyes met for the first and last time. Terrified,

2036
02:17:57.879 --> 02:18:00.280
Dennis realized he knew that look in her eyes eyes

2037
02:18:00.719 --> 02:18:16.440
all too well. Jackpot echo echo Echo by shame shame,

2038
02:18:16.600 --> 02:18:21.920
biglea Vodka. I first met him last week, though I'd

2039
02:18:21.959 --> 02:18:25.000
heard about the new guy in town before that. Castle,

2040
02:18:25.120 --> 02:18:29.159
New York was the smallest of small towns. Word travels

2041
02:18:29.239 --> 02:18:32.840
fast when somebody knew moves to town. Travis looked like

2042
02:18:32.920 --> 02:18:35.879
he stepped out of one of those fifties biker films.

2043
02:18:35.920 --> 02:18:38.520
And last Thursday, when he walked into the diner I

2044
02:18:38.639 --> 02:18:41.520
work at, I couldn't take my eyes off him, and

2045
02:18:41.639 --> 02:18:44.239
he knew it. He caught me looking at him and

2046
02:18:44.360 --> 02:18:48.440
smiled that sly smile of his. My eyes darted away

2047
02:18:48.479 --> 02:18:50.040
and I tried to make it look like I was

2048
02:18:50.120 --> 02:18:53.479
working around the diner, but it was too late. He

2049
02:18:53.680 --> 02:18:59.120
strode over to me. Hello there, he said. Hey. I

2050
02:18:59.239 --> 02:19:01.799
tried to sound confident, like I didn't give a fuck,

2051
02:19:01.920 --> 02:19:06.280
but my voice cracked. He smiled at me. Can I

2052
02:19:06.399 --> 02:19:12.200
get a chocolate milkshake to go? Sure? I heard there,

2053
02:19:12.360 --> 02:19:16.719
like wow here. I started making the shake. As he

2054
02:19:16.840 --> 02:19:19.479
leaned on the counter, he looked at his reflection in

2055
02:19:19.520 --> 02:19:23.520
the glass case of donuts, adjusting his perfect hair. Yeah

2056
02:19:23.559 --> 02:19:28.280
they're really good, I said, unsuccessfully, thinking of something cool

2057
02:19:28.360 --> 02:19:33.239
to say, lived here all your life, he asked. Unfortunately,

2058
02:19:34.040 --> 02:19:37.959
ain't so bad. I've been to worse. I finished the

2059
02:19:38.000 --> 02:19:40.399
shake and brought it over to him. He gave me

2060
02:19:40.479 --> 02:19:43.840
a wink and took a sip. Before I could say anything,

2061
02:19:44.040 --> 02:19:46.680
he slid a ten dollars bill across the counter. A

2062
02:19:46.840 --> 02:19:50.520
large silver ring gleamed on his hand. He turned and

2063
02:19:50.719 --> 02:19:54.799
started to leave. Let me get your change. The rest

2064
02:19:54.920 --> 02:20:00.040
is for you, Dolly. I watched him go, Dolly. He

2065
02:20:00.040 --> 02:20:03.239
felt a bit offended, but at the same time I

2066
02:20:03.399 --> 02:20:09.040
was feeling something else, love lust, whatever it was, it

2067
02:20:09.159 --> 02:20:13.600
made me somewhat forgiving of the Dolly remark. So that's

2068
02:20:13.680 --> 02:20:16.959
the new guy, not bad. I turned and it was

2069
02:20:17.040 --> 02:20:20.600
my coworker and friend, bren She adjusted her raven hair.

2070
02:20:21.479 --> 02:20:24.559
What did he say to you, Ronnie? Nothing much, Just

2071
02:20:24.959 --> 02:20:30.280
wanted a milkshake? Yeah, yours. We both laughed. Brenn has

2072
02:20:30.399 --> 02:20:33.840
this obnoxious laugh that usually ends up making me laugh

2073
02:20:33.920 --> 02:20:37.159
even harder. The next day he didn't show up, but

2074
02:20:37.399 --> 02:20:40.799
the day after that he was there again, this time

2075
02:20:40.959 --> 02:20:44.840
wanting a milkshake and a burger. No matter who waited

2076
02:20:44.879 --> 02:20:47.719
on him, he always ended up talking to me, usually

2077
02:20:47.799 --> 02:20:52.360
asking me about some town idiosyncrasy or whatnot, always coming

2078
02:20:52.399 --> 02:20:56.200
in at the same time every other day. It continued

2079
02:20:56.239 --> 02:20:59.040
like this for a month. We'd small talk a little,

2080
02:20:59.159 --> 02:21:01.760
and then he'd leave. I never saw him outside of

2081
02:21:01.799 --> 02:21:06.440
the diner. Then one day he changed the routine. I

2082
02:21:06.559 --> 02:21:09.360
got off work one sunny Monday afternoon and Travis was

2083
02:21:09.440 --> 02:21:12.920
waiting for me. He was leaning ever so slightly against

2084
02:21:12.959 --> 02:21:16.440
the side of the diner. He smiled at me. Hey,

2085
02:21:17.159 --> 02:21:21.239
I said, hey, he answered. He flicked out a metal

2086
02:21:21.319 --> 02:21:24.000
lighter and lit a slim cigarette. So what do you

2087
02:21:24.120 --> 02:21:27.639
do for a kick around here? There's the movie theater

2088
02:21:27.920 --> 02:21:35.200
or the bowling alley? No, no, you? He took a puff. Me, Uh,

2089
02:21:36.440 --> 02:21:44.719
not much. Nah, dang, shame, pretty little girl like you. Thanks.

2090
02:21:45.440 --> 02:21:48.680
The flattery made me blush. Was he hitting on me?

2091
02:21:49.799 --> 02:21:51.719
I sucked at this kind of thing? I wasn't sure

2092
02:21:51.719 --> 02:21:55.680
if he wanted me to say anything. I haven't found

2093
02:21:55.799 --> 02:22:00.040
much in town to get excited about Dullsville. Really, he

2094
02:22:00.120 --> 02:22:03.360
took a long drag on his cigarette, so I was wondering,

2095
02:22:03.399 --> 02:22:07.559
if you want to hang? I thought, for a second,

2096
02:22:08.280 --> 02:22:12.399
he's asking me out. I suck at dating. He's good

2097
02:22:12.440 --> 02:22:15.639
looking and seems nice, but there's no way a date

2098
02:22:15.680 --> 02:22:19.879
between us won't end an embarrassment for me and perhaps

2099
02:22:20.000 --> 02:22:23.520
him too. How can I talk him out of it?

2100
02:22:25.159 --> 02:22:28.479
It's kind of been a rough day, you know, mondays,

2101
02:22:29.200 --> 02:22:32.680
I just want to go back home and chill. It

2102
02:22:32.760 --> 02:22:33.760
don't have to be today.

2103
02:22:35.280 --> 02:22:35.920
Oh cool?

2104
02:22:36.959 --> 02:22:40.399
So want to see a flick? He said, show the

2105
02:22:40.479 --> 02:22:44.760
new guy the sights? Sure? Am I really going to

2106
02:22:44.879 --> 02:22:50.319
do this? Yeah? I guess I was. Why not? I

2107
02:22:50.479 --> 02:22:52.719
deserve some fun, right right?

2108
02:22:53.600 --> 02:22:53.879
You do?

2109
02:22:54.680 --> 02:22:56.760
Brand was always trying to get me to go out.

2110
02:22:57.520 --> 02:23:02.920
This would really shocker tomorrow night. Good, I thought about it.

2111
02:23:03.600 --> 02:23:08.520
Did you know I didn't have to work the day after? Sure, aces,

2112
02:23:09.000 --> 02:23:13.239
it's a date. Then I'll let you pick the flick. Cool? Yeah,

2113
02:23:14.280 --> 02:23:16.319
he looked at me. You should always have.

2114
02:23:16.360 --> 02:23:17.000
Your hair like that.

2115
02:23:18.040 --> 02:23:20.600
I touched my hair. I forgot I tied it back

2116
02:23:20.639 --> 02:23:23.639
at work. This was probably the first time he saw

2117
02:23:23.719 --> 02:23:31.840
it loose. It's so beautiful and red like a rose. Thanks.

2118
02:23:32.719 --> 02:23:37.440
My face lit up as I blushed. Great, got a run, babe,

2119
02:23:37.680 --> 02:23:40.200
be seeing you. He did a little point at me

2120
02:23:40.280 --> 02:23:43.159
and winked before leaving, the spurs on the back of

2121
02:23:43.239 --> 02:23:46.799
his cowboy boots jangling as he went. What had I

2122
02:23:46.959 --> 02:23:51.360
got myself? Into Our first date went well, as did

2123
02:23:51.440 --> 02:23:54.440
the next three. Before I realized it, we were a

2124
02:23:54.719 --> 02:23:59.319
thing in town. I think Brenn was jealous. For our

2125
02:23:59.399 --> 02:24:01.879
fifth date, Travis wanted to take me on a picnic

2126
02:24:01.920 --> 02:24:04.719
to Harmony Lake. It would be our first date in

2127
02:24:04.799 --> 02:24:09.319
a less public space. I wasn't too worried. On every date.

2128
02:24:09.680 --> 02:24:12.440
Travis had been quite the gentleman. I was getting ready

2129
02:24:12.440 --> 02:24:15.159
in the apartment I share with Brenn. I stood doing

2130
02:24:15.239 --> 02:24:19.520
my hair over and over again. You look good. Let

2131
02:24:19.600 --> 02:24:22.559
it go, she said. I turned from the mirror and

2132
02:24:22.639 --> 02:24:26.360
presented myself. You think, I said, twirling around in my

2133
02:24:26.479 --> 02:24:32.120
new dress. You're hideous, hilarious. Seriously, hun, you look a

2134
02:24:32.239 --> 02:24:35.559
maze balls, she hugged me. Have fun at the lake.

2135
02:24:36.200 --> 02:24:40.360
Try not to get too lucky. Hey, it's been a while,

2136
02:24:40.440 --> 02:24:44.239
but not that long. Travis picked me up in his

2137
02:24:44.360 --> 02:24:48.399
nineteen fifty seven Plymouth Fury. It was a convertible. The

2138
02:24:48.479 --> 02:24:50.959
thing looked like a shark that decided to crawl out

2139
02:24:50.959 --> 02:24:53.280
of the ocean and start looking for meals on land.

2140
02:24:54.079 --> 02:24:57.879
He tooted the horn as he pulled up. You look stunning, babe,

2141
02:24:58.360 --> 02:25:01.319
he said. Ever the gentlemen, he wouldn't let me into

2142
02:25:01.360 --> 02:25:03.760
the car unless he got out and opened the door

2143
02:25:03.879 --> 02:25:07.120
for me. Some old song was playing on the car radio.

2144
02:25:07.719 --> 02:25:10.959
In fact, I don't think he ever listened to anything

2145
02:25:11.040 --> 02:25:13.920
after the fifties. We headed out of town as the

2146
02:25:14.079 --> 02:25:18.440
King sang on the radio. I can't get over your car, Travis,

2147
02:25:18.639 --> 02:25:22.360
I said, it looks so good for its age. I

2148
02:25:22.479 --> 02:25:24.840
take care of this baby means a lot to me

2149
02:25:25.440 --> 02:25:29.959
sentimental value. I keep her cherry, try to get maximum performance.

2150
02:25:30.760 --> 02:25:33.760
He steps on the gas and we're moving a little

2151
02:25:33.840 --> 02:25:36.959
too fast through town. I look at him nervously as

2152
02:25:37.040 --> 02:25:39.959
he speeds up. Don't sweat it, Rose, I got this.

2153
02:25:41.040 --> 02:25:45.120
Travis had started calling me Rose. Honestly, I didn't mind.

2154
02:25:45.760 --> 02:25:50.319
He took my hand. I think today is going to

2155
02:25:50.360 --> 02:25:56.920
be special. The lake looked beautiful in the summer sun

2156
02:25:57.000 --> 02:25:59.399
as we walked to a nice secluded spot under a

2157
02:25:59.520 --> 02:26:04.079
large tree. Travis left the car radio on Down in

2158
02:26:04.239 --> 02:26:08.479
the willow garden where me and my love did meet,

2159
02:26:09.559 --> 02:26:13.120
he set down a large blanket. My dear, he said,

2160
02:26:13.360 --> 02:26:17.079
ushering me to the blanket. We brought quite the selection

2161
02:26:17.200 --> 02:26:21.120
of food. Travis popped open a bottle of wine. Was

2162
02:26:21.200 --> 02:26:24.239
that weird for a picnic? He caught me making a face.

2163
02:26:25.159 --> 02:26:28.719
Don't tell me you don't drink wine. No, just seems

2164
02:26:28.879 --> 02:26:32.639
like a bit much for an afternoon picnic. Well, it's

2165
02:26:32.680 --> 02:26:37.040
a celebration too, babe. It is. What are we celebrating?

2166
02:26:37.680 --> 02:26:43.680
Five dates? I laugh, Okay, I'll drink to that, my love.

2167
02:26:44.200 --> 02:26:47.559
She did not know. The song played on as he

2168
02:26:47.680 --> 02:26:50.760
poured us each a glass of wine. We eat and

2169
02:26:50.879 --> 02:26:53.399
I take a couple SIPs of wine. I haven't had

2170
02:26:53.479 --> 02:26:56.040
much in the way of wine, but this is really good.

2171
02:26:56.520 --> 02:26:59.479
I wonder where he dug it up around here. As

2172
02:26:59.520 --> 02:27:03.239
we eat, we talk mostly about me. He always has

2173
02:27:03.399 --> 02:27:07.000
so many questions. Every time I ask him something about him,

2174
02:27:07.959 --> 02:27:12.239
he seems sad, almost on the verge of tears. I

2175
02:27:12.280 --> 02:27:15.680
don't want to bring up any bad memories. As we talk,

2176
02:27:15.840 --> 02:27:20.319
my head starts to feel light, which was a dreadful sign.

2177
02:27:21.559 --> 02:27:26.799
What's up, Ronnie wow? Uh getting a head rush. I

2178
02:27:26.920 --> 02:27:29.280
try to stand up, but my legs feel like rubber.

2179
02:27:29.840 --> 02:27:33.000
Travis catches me as I come crashing back down on

2180
02:27:33.120 --> 02:27:39.239
the radio, the song keeps repeating a dreadful sign. He

2181
02:27:39.319 --> 02:27:41.920
brushes the hair out of my face and gives me

2182
02:27:42.000 --> 02:27:49.200
a sad smile. I'm so sorry, dull what sorry about?

2183
02:27:49.840 --> 02:27:52.280
I stammer. My mouth doesn't want to move.

2184
02:27:53.280 --> 02:27:55.120
I'm sorry. You have to die.

2185
02:27:56.200 --> 02:28:01.559
All beauty must die. It's my curse. I summon up

2186
02:28:01.600 --> 02:28:04.760
all my strength and push away from Travis. He tries

2187
02:28:04.840 --> 02:28:07.079
to grab me, and I scratch his face with my nails.

2188
02:28:07.399 --> 02:28:10.159
Trying to stand again, I fall to my knees. The

2189
02:28:10.239 --> 02:28:13.840
world begins shaking apart at the seams. My eyelids feel heavy.

2190
02:28:14.159 --> 02:28:16.680
Every time I blink, it feels like it'll be my last.

2191
02:28:17.239 --> 02:28:20.680
Maybe if I just sleep, it'll be better. I'll wake

2192
02:28:20.760 --> 02:28:24.680
up from this nightmare. No fight it. I start crawling

2193
02:28:24.760 --> 02:28:28.000
on all fours, dragging myself, digging my nails into the ground.

2194
02:28:28.399 --> 02:28:31.319
I have to get away, have to fight, have to

2195
02:28:31.399 --> 02:28:35.600
get to the car. A dreadful sign. I see someone

2196
02:28:35.680 --> 02:28:39.559
standing by Travis's car. I can't make them out. Why

2197
02:28:39.600 --> 02:28:46.479
won't they help? Please Rose, No one can help. I'm sorry.

2198
02:28:47.079 --> 02:28:49.719
He grabs me by the leg, pulling me back. Travis

2199
02:28:49.799 --> 02:28:53.200
turns me over, glaring at me. The scratches on his

2200
02:28:53.360 --> 02:28:58.559
face aren't bleeding. I like playing with you, Rose, he said,

2201
02:28:58.840 --> 02:29:05.399
But my dear, you're breaking my heart. Fuck you. I

2202
02:29:05.520 --> 02:29:08.079
try to hit him, but I have no strength left.

2203
02:29:08.399 --> 02:29:12.040
Why won't that person do something? He stands up, pulling

2204
02:29:12.079 --> 02:29:15.000
a large knife from his leather jacket. I could gut you,

2205
02:29:15.799 --> 02:29:19.959
but that's no fun, not anymore. He looks at his

2206
02:29:20.079 --> 02:29:23.840
reflection on the knife blade. He adjusts his hair. I

2207
02:29:24.000 --> 02:29:28.520
used to find his vanity. Cute, bastard. The poison isn't

2208
02:29:28.600 --> 02:29:35.239
killing you, just making it hard for you to do anything. Why?

2209
02:29:36.280 --> 02:29:39.239
Why not? I tried to move my head to see

2210
02:29:39.239 --> 02:29:42.799
if that person was still standing there a dreadful sign.

2211
02:29:44.239 --> 02:29:47.200
Why is that song repeating? Is that an effect from

2212
02:29:47.239 --> 02:29:50.239
the drugs? Travis notices me trying to look at the car.

2213
02:29:50.879 --> 02:29:54.639
I can hear him talking to somebody. I think, go away.

2214
02:29:55.040 --> 02:29:59.239
He says, you're not welcome here. He turns the radio off.

2215
02:30:00.239 --> 02:30:03.200
Who was that? Who was he talking to.

2216
02:30:05.159 --> 02:30:08.639
A sh It was only the wind. You are safe,

2217
02:30:09.120 --> 02:30:11.120
weekly spooky. We'll be right back.

2218
02:30:13.479 --> 02:30:16.520
After what seems like hours, Travis comes back, holding a

2219
02:30:16.600 --> 02:30:21.399
large cinder block and rope. Comfortable, dull, go to hell.

2220
02:30:21.840 --> 02:30:26.120
I manage my mouth starting to fail me. Travis just laughs,

2221
02:30:26.760 --> 02:30:30.479
be right back. He walks off, carrying the cinder block

2222
02:30:30.520 --> 02:30:35.799
and rope. My mind races, move, move, but I can't.

2223
02:30:36.440 --> 02:30:40.719
It's physically impossible. I try to will myself, picturing my

2224
02:30:40.840 --> 02:30:44.559
spirit leaving my body, flying over the trees, finding brend

2225
02:30:44.799 --> 02:30:47.760
or my folks, telling them what's happening here. If I

2226
02:30:47.840 --> 02:30:52.319
want it strong enough, I can make it happen. Run, flee,

2227
02:30:53.000 --> 02:30:57.840
I will my spirit to soar. He comes back, standing

2228
02:30:57.920 --> 02:31:02.159
over me. He reaches down and my legs. Going for

2229
02:31:02.280 --> 02:31:06.079
a little trip, my beautiful rose. He drags me across

2230
02:31:06.120 --> 02:31:08.639
the ground. I can see the grass ending as we

2231
02:31:08.760 --> 02:31:12.319
go over a rocky area, but I can't feel any

2232
02:31:12.360 --> 02:31:15.040
of it. I can't feel his hands on my legs,

2233
02:31:15.239 --> 02:31:19.399
just a great numbness. We go up a small hill

2234
02:31:19.479 --> 02:31:23.520
near the beach. He stops dragging me. We're here. We

2235
02:31:23.600 --> 02:31:26.879
don't have much time left together. He kneels down and

2236
02:31:27.000 --> 02:31:31.040
touches my face, wiping away my tears. He pulls out

2237
02:31:31.079 --> 02:31:33.360
two coins and puts one on each of my eyes.

2238
02:31:34.239 --> 02:31:37.520
I blink my eyes and they slide off. He gets frustrated,

2239
02:31:38.200 --> 02:31:41.920
Why did you do that? Therefore your journey over. He

2240
02:31:42.040 --> 02:31:44.200
takes them and sticks them in one of my hands,

2241
02:31:44.680 --> 02:31:47.760
bawling it into a fist. I see the cinder block

2242
02:31:47.799 --> 02:31:50.360
with the rope tied to it near my feet. He

2243
02:31:50.479 --> 02:31:55.040
crawls over to it and ties the rope to my legs. No, no, no,

2244
02:31:55.719 --> 02:31:58.799
he's going to drown me. You've been a blast. He

2245
02:31:58.879 --> 02:32:00.479
picks up the cinder block and he walks to the

2246
02:32:00.600 --> 02:32:03.360
edge of the hill, overlooking the lake. I scream, but

2247
02:32:03.840 --> 02:32:06.840
my throat fails me. I can barely make more than

2248
02:32:06.879 --> 02:32:10.719
a crackling noise. He hefts the block up. He sighs,

2249
02:32:11.360 --> 02:32:16.520
parting sweet sorrow and whatnot. He throws the block over

2250
02:32:16.600 --> 02:32:18.520
the side, and I can hear the rope quickly chasing

2251
02:32:18.600 --> 02:32:21.520
after it, knowing that any second I'll be following it,

2252
02:32:21.959 --> 02:32:27.319
and then I'm falling, followed by the slam of hitting

2253
02:32:27.360 --> 02:32:32.399
the water. I sink, my lungs quickly filling with water.

2254
02:32:33.799 --> 02:32:40.040
I welcome it. Please let there be peace. I feel

2255
02:32:40.120 --> 02:32:45.639
so tired. I just want it to be over. I

2256
02:32:45.719 --> 02:32:50.360
can see the sunlight trickling down through the water. Darkness

2257
02:32:50.479 --> 02:32:52.239
starts to creep into my vision.

2258
02:32:53.520 --> 02:32:54.319
Until the light.

2259
02:32:56.000 --> 02:33:04.200
Is swallowed by it. I wake, unable to move, my

2260
02:33:04.319 --> 02:33:10.600
heart racing where am I. I'm in my room, laying

2261
02:33:10.639 --> 02:33:14.959
on my bed. I hear a noise, a crackling hiss,

2262
02:33:15.440 --> 02:33:19.239
almost like static. My eyes catch movement in the darkness.

2263
02:33:20.239 --> 02:33:22.959
The thing nears the edge of my bed. My heart

2264
02:33:23.040 --> 02:33:26.600
pounds faster and faster. Am I having a heart attack?

2265
02:33:27.239 --> 02:33:29.479
A low, whispering hiss comes from the shade at the

2266
02:33:29.479 --> 02:33:34.479
foot of my bed. Not a dream. Heed the sign,

2267
02:33:36.200 --> 02:33:39.719
and then the world went back to normal. I could

2268
02:33:39.840 --> 02:33:43.239
move again. I wiped the sweat from my forehead. My

2269
02:33:43.360 --> 02:33:46.360
heart beat started to slow. I curled up in a

2270
02:33:46.399 --> 02:33:49.680
ball on the bed, pulling the blankets over me. For

2271
02:33:49.760 --> 02:33:53.479
the longest time, I didn't move, fearing that that thing

2272
02:33:54.200 --> 02:33:58.399
was waiting for me in the darkness. Eventually I drifted

2273
02:33:58.479 --> 02:34:01.680
off to sleep again. I woke and my room was

2274
02:34:01.760 --> 02:34:04.959
lit by the light of early morning. Had it just

2275
02:34:05.040 --> 02:34:10.120
been a dream? A nightmare? I get up, dangling my

2276
02:34:10.239 --> 02:34:12.719
legs over the side of the bed. Was this all

2277
02:34:12.799 --> 02:34:16.559
a nightmare brought on by being nervous over my big

2278
02:34:16.680 --> 02:34:21.239
date with Travis. I stand in the shower, almost in

2279
02:34:21.319 --> 02:34:24.639
a trance, as the water pours over me. I've taken

2280
02:34:24.719 --> 02:34:28.280
plenty of showers before of it. This just seems weird.

2281
02:34:28.959 --> 02:34:31.319
The water feels like it's closing in on me. I

2282
02:34:31.680 --> 02:34:36.520
hear the jarring sound of static through the shower curtain.

2283
02:34:36.559 --> 02:34:39.760
I see a dark shape move the thing from my nightmare.

2284
02:34:40.319 --> 02:34:43.600
It's back for me. I back against the shower wall.

2285
02:34:44.120 --> 02:34:47.239
The wet tiles are cold against my back. I run

2286
02:34:47.319 --> 02:34:50.959
my hands over them, looking for escape. A voice snaps

2287
02:34:51.000 --> 02:34:55.680
me back to reality. You almost done, Brenn says, annoyance

2288
02:34:55.719 --> 02:35:02.120
in her voice. Water will be freaking cold. Sorry, almost done.

2289
02:35:02.760 --> 02:35:06.840
I hear the door slam shut. All dread is faded away,

2290
02:35:08.000 --> 02:35:10.680
and I just feel like a shit for hogging the shower.

2291
02:35:11.680 --> 02:35:14.200
I get out and dry off quick, trying not to

2292
02:35:14.280 --> 02:35:17.200
waste any more time. I leave the bathroom a towel

2293
02:35:17.280 --> 02:35:20.319
wrapped around me. Bren is waiting for me by the door.

2294
02:35:21.159 --> 02:35:25.559
You okay, Why what were you doing in the shower

2295
02:35:25.680 --> 02:35:31.319
so long? Daydreaming or a little pre date gratification? I

2296
02:35:31.399 --> 02:35:34.440
shoot her a look and bren does that laugh of hers.

2297
02:35:35.319 --> 02:35:39.159
I'm sorry, Ronnie, I know you're all stressed. She gives

2298
02:35:39.200 --> 02:35:41.879
me a kiss on the cheek and goes into the bathroom,

2299
02:35:42.399 --> 02:35:45.280
shutting the door behind her. I hear the lock click.

2300
02:35:46.280 --> 02:35:50.159
Guess I should have done that at work. It's no easier.

2301
02:35:50.319 --> 02:35:54.200
My mind drifts all day thinking about our date this afternoon,

2302
02:35:55.360 --> 02:35:59.000
The day moves in slow motion. What seemed like hours

2303
02:35:59.079 --> 02:36:02.079
were in fact minutes when I looked at the clock

2304
02:36:02.159 --> 02:36:05.920
and everything I did at work seemed like the wrong thing,

2305
02:36:06.680 --> 02:36:11.399
giving people the wrong order, spilling drinks. I shouldn't be

2306
02:36:11.479 --> 02:36:16.440
distressed over a date. No, it was that dream, that nightmare.

2307
02:36:17.360 --> 02:36:20.239
I consider calling the picnic off, but by the time

2308
02:36:20.319 --> 02:36:24.040
my shift is over, I've reconsidered maybe I could turn

2309
02:36:24.120 --> 02:36:26.840
this day around. When we get back to the apartment,

2310
02:36:27.360 --> 02:36:29.639
I strip out of my waitress uniform and splash some

2311
02:36:29.719 --> 02:36:32.799
water on my face. The water seems to engulf the

2312
02:36:32.879 --> 02:36:37.520
room for the briefest of seconds, but the hallucination quickly fades.

2313
02:36:39.280 --> 02:36:43.680
Am I losing my mind? The lake looked beautiful in

2314
02:36:43.719 --> 02:36:47.000
the summer sun. We found a nice secluded spot under

2315
02:36:47.040 --> 02:36:50.639
a large tree. Travis left the car nearby. He had

2316
02:36:50.680 --> 02:36:55.239
the top down and the radio on. Down in the

2317
02:36:55.399 --> 02:37:00.680
willow garden where me and my love did me. He

2318
02:37:00.840 --> 02:37:05.360
sat down a large basket. My dear, he said, ushering

2319
02:37:05.440 --> 02:37:07.319
me to the blanket with a wave of his hand.

2320
02:37:08.280 --> 02:37:11.680
We'd brought quite the selection of food. Travis popped open

2321
02:37:11.719 --> 02:37:14.440
a bottle of wine. Was that weird for a picnic?

2322
02:37:15.239 --> 02:37:18.959
He caught me making a face. Have we done this before?

2323
02:37:19.680 --> 02:37:24.719
Don't tell me you don't drink wine. No, just seems

2324
02:37:24.760 --> 02:37:29.799
a bit much for a afternoon picnic. Well, it's a

2325
02:37:29.879 --> 02:37:35.760
celebration too, Babe, my love. She did not know. I

2326
02:37:35.840 --> 02:37:38.799
put my hand up. I'm sorry, but I don't think

2327
02:37:38.799 --> 02:37:43.360
I should. I'm feeling a little sick, sick everything, Okay,

2328
02:37:44.399 --> 02:37:48.479
I just had a rough night, bad nightmare. He touches

2329
02:37:48.559 --> 02:37:52.280
my hand. I don't know why this makes me flinch.

2330
02:37:52.959 --> 02:37:57.639
He looks at me, puzzled. What kind of nightmare? I

2331
02:37:57.760 --> 02:38:00.719
think I was drowning and there was this figure there

2332
02:38:01.319 --> 02:38:04.079
when I woke up. I swear it was still there,

2333
02:38:04.719 --> 02:38:08.280
you know. He starts pouring wine into the glasses. I

2334
02:38:08.399 --> 02:38:12.760
think you need a little nip of wine, my rose. No, really,

2335
02:38:12.879 --> 02:38:17.799
it's okay. It'll help your nerves, Okay, maybe just a little.

2336
02:38:18.559 --> 02:38:21.639
Travis hands me one of the glasses. There's the sound

2337
02:38:21.680 --> 02:38:25.120
of static cutting through the air, like someone's adjusting the radio.

2338
02:38:26.280 --> 02:38:32.040
A dreadful sign. I look over at Travis's car and

2339
02:38:32.760 --> 02:38:37.239
see it there, the thing from my nightmare. The glass

2340
02:38:37.239 --> 02:38:39.239
of wine falls from my hand. It hits the ground,

2341
02:38:39.559 --> 02:38:43.239
rolling and spilling all over the blanket. The song skips

2342
02:38:44.000 --> 02:38:51.799
or repeats a dreadful sign. Not a dream, it said,

2343
02:38:52.559 --> 02:38:57.440
heed the sign At first, I don't realize I'm screaming

2344
02:38:58.040 --> 02:39:02.000
until I see Travis's face. He grimaces. He grabs me,

2345
02:39:02.120 --> 02:39:04.760
clapping a hand over my mouth. He holds me so tight.

2346
02:39:05.120 --> 02:39:07.760
I start to tear up. Shut the fuck up, would you.

2347
02:39:08.600 --> 02:39:10.680
I try to pull away, but his hands are like

2348
02:39:10.840 --> 02:39:13.479
iron clamps. I can see the anger in his eyes.

2349
02:39:13.680 --> 02:39:15.920
He looks over to the thing standing next to the car,

2350
02:39:17.159 --> 02:39:21.120
A dreadful sign. That's not gonna help you, Ronnie, dear,

2351
02:39:21.600 --> 02:39:25.440
he says, his voice never wavering. It's just an echo,

2352
02:39:26.239 --> 02:39:29.639
as if robbed of its power. The thing evaporates into

2353
02:39:29.680 --> 02:39:33.440
the air. He tightens his grip, tears streaming down my cheeks,

2354
02:39:33.879 --> 02:39:36.680
soaking his hand. I see the wine bottle lying there,

2355
02:39:36.959 --> 02:39:40.040
just out of reach of my free hand. I could

2356
02:39:40.120 --> 02:39:43.360
hit him with it. Listen to yourself, you're gonna hit him.

2357
02:39:43.799 --> 02:39:47.680
This is nuts. It has to be a game, right, No,

2358
02:39:47.840 --> 02:39:51.559
it's not. I just need a weapon to get away.

2359
02:39:52.200 --> 02:39:55.479
I rake his face with my fingernails, scratching jagged lines

2360
02:39:55.520 --> 02:39:58.239
down his face. For all the world, it sounded like

2361
02:39:58.319 --> 02:40:01.159
running your nails over stone. He lets go of me,

2362
02:40:01.520 --> 02:40:03.879
and I lunge for the wine bottle. As I reach

2363
02:40:03.959 --> 02:40:05.559
for the bottle. He grabs me by the belt of

2364
02:40:05.600 --> 02:40:08.200
my jeans. The bottle slips from my hands as he

2365
02:40:08.239 --> 02:40:11.719
yanks me towards him, rolling just out of reach. I

2366
02:40:11.840 --> 02:40:14.239
dig my feet and hands into the ground, pulling myself

2367
02:40:14.280 --> 02:40:17.120
towards the bottle, the sun reflecting off of it like

2368
02:40:17.239 --> 02:40:20.760
some magical weapon. It beckoned to me. My arms and

2369
02:40:20.879 --> 02:40:25.719
legs burned as I strained. Almost my fingers brushed off

2370
02:40:25.760 --> 02:40:28.520
the smooth neck of the bottle. Why won't you let

2371
02:40:28.600 --> 02:40:32.719
me help you, Travis says, help me, I'm going to

2372
02:40:32.799 --> 02:40:36.760
free you of all this bullshit. I manage a last

2373
02:40:36.799 --> 02:40:41.799
bit of strength and grab the goddamn bottle. I swing

2374
02:40:41.920 --> 02:40:43.879
it and hit him square in the side of the head.

2375
02:40:44.760 --> 02:40:48.399
Unlike in the movies, the bottle doesn't break. Travis lets

2376
02:40:48.440 --> 02:40:51.920
go of me. I hit him again, and again the

2377
02:40:52.000 --> 02:40:56.040
bottle doesn't break. He falls to the ground, momentarily stunned.

2378
02:40:56.520 --> 02:40:58.440
I bring the bottle down again on his head for

2379
02:40:58.559 --> 02:41:02.719
good measure. This time it shatters. I turn and run

2380
02:41:02.799 --> 02:41:05.719
for his car. As I reached the car, Travis appears,

2381
02:41:05.920 --> 02:41:08.680
pulling a large knife from his leather jacket. I didn't

2382
02:41:08.719 --> 02:41:11.760
want to make a mess Rose. He touches the wounds

2383
02:41:11.799 --> 02:41:15.479
on his face. Gonna have to fix these. I slide

2384
02:41:15.479 --> 02:41:18.319
into the driver's seat. Yes, the keys are there. I

2385
02:41:18.440 --> 02:41:20.840
start the car. It roars to life. I hit the gas,

2386
02:41:20.879 --> 02:41:24.040
aiming right for Travis. This is insane, am I in

2387
02:41:24.120 --> 02:41:27.360
a never ending nightmare? I ram into him, sending his

2388
02:41:27.440 --> 02:41:30.680
body flying up onto the hood. He smashes through the windshield,

2389
02:41:30.719 --> 02:41:34.879
his face contorted in a wicked smile. Hold hands you,

2390
02:41:35.079 --> 02:41:38.879
love birds, he says. The car plunges into the lake.

2391
02:41:39.399 --> 02:41:43.959
Water rushes in as we sink the nightmare. I'm going

2392
02:41:44.000 --> 02:41:48.239
to drown here with him. A shard of broken window

2393
02:41:48.319 --> 02:41:51.159
floats by me as we sink down. I grab it.

2394
02:41:51.879 --> 02:41:55.040
The jagged edges cut into my hand. I take it,

2395
02:41:55.840 --> 02:41:58.680
jabbing it into his eye. He lets go of me.

2396
02:41:59.280 --> 02:42:02.079
He smiles at me as I push him away. I

2397
02:42:02.200 --> 02:42:05.399
swim through the open top. For however long I live,

2398
02:42:05.479 --> 02:42:08.600
I don't think I'll ever forget that smile, the jagged

2399
02:42:08.680 --> 02:42:13.520
shard embedded in his eye. Travis and his car sinking

2400
02:42:13.639 --> 02:42:17.360
to the bottom. I pull myself onto the beach. I

2401
02:42:17.440 --> 02:42:20.079
think I pass out for a while, lying there in

2402
02:42:20.120 --> 02:42:24.559
the dirt, soaking wet. I wake with a start and

2403
02:42:24.680 --> 02:42:28.760
see a shadow fall across me. I look up and

2404
02:42:28.879 --> 02:42:32.520
see that thing, the thing from my nightmare, standing over me.

2405
02:42:33.200 --> 02:42:37.280
Its face and arms are blue and bloated, Its face

2406
02:42:38.040 --> 02:42:43.360
vaguely feminine, Its remaining hair rotten, hangs down in long strands.

2407
02:42:44.760 --> 02:42:59.239
It wore a dress, my dress first date by Rob

2408
02:42:59.440 --> 02:43:06.319
feel perspective Ariel Mirron. Who would have thought that my

2409
02:43:06.520 --> 02:43:10.360
life would have changed so drastically over the holidays. I'm

2410
02:43:10.399 --> 02:43:13.840
pretty good at keeping my feelings to myself, but I'm

2411
02:43:13.920 --> 02:43:18.559
still very angry and upset with my parents, mostly Mom.

2412
02:43:19.280 --> 02:43:23.000
I still can't believe that which offered me to Queen

2413
02:43:23.120 --> 02:43:27.719
Arcadia in exchange for her fame and fortune. Oh let

2414
02:43:27.840 --> 02:43:30.399
me tell you. I was so angry with Mom that

2415
02:43:30.479 --> 02:43:33.159
I screamed and threw everything at her that I could

2416
02:43:33.200 --> 02:43:37.200
get my hands on. I mean, I destroyed a lot

2417
02:43:37.319 --> 02:43:40.079
of stuff. My friends who were there with me had

2418
02:43:40.120 --> 02:43:43.040
to pull me off Mom when I finally attacked her myself.

2419
02:43:44.200 --> 02:43:47.520
I've had sufficient time now to calm down and assess

2420
02:43:47.639 --> 02:43:51.600
my current situation. I'm living with Madeline Donnerley and her

2421
02:43:51.680 --> 02:43:56.360
family now and actually have my own room. Mouse's parents

2422
02:43:56.479 --> 02:44:00.360
converted a spare bedroom just for me, not only I

2423
02:44:00.479 --> 02:44:04.600
figured that upon returning to Strickfield Junior High that people

2424
02:44:04.680 --> 02:44:08.680
would be jeering me about the whole fall from Grace thing.

2425
02:44:09.920 --> 02:44:14.120
No one said a word. In fact, I continued on

2426
02:44:14.360 --> 02:44:16.479
as if that whole blow up between Mom and I

2427
02:44:17.319 --> 02:44:21.760
had never happened. But something did happen at school today.

2428
02:44:22.479 --> 02:44:24.959
You probably know by now that Carter Cross and I

2429
02:44:25.399 --> 02:44:29.319
have always been polar opposites. Even now, he still calls

2430
02:44:29.399 --> 02:44:33.200
me princess, but he's not making fun of me because

2431
02:44:33.239 --> 02:44:36.399
of my fall from Grace. I wasn't letting him off

2432
02:44:36.440 --> 02:44:39.520
so fast, though. I still managed to swipe a few

2433
02:44:39.600 --> 02:44:44.399
of his sodas, including at lunch period today today, though

2434
02:44:44.920 --> 02:44:49.319
it just it didn't feel right. Normally, Carter's on me

2435
02:44:49.399 --> 02:44:52.799
the minute I swipe a soda. In fact, we both

2436
02:44:52.879 --> 02:44:56.639
had the can ready to fight for it, then he

2437
02:44:56.840 --> 02:44:59.719
just let me have it. The truth is, I have

2438
02:45:00.159 --> 02:45:02.600
forgotten that he asked me out the first weekend of

2439
02:45:02.680 --> 02:45:06.799
December when we were trapped in the Strickfield Town Center

2440
02:45:06.920 --> 02:45:12.319
Mall overnight hanging Christmas decorations for cousin harmony. I can't

2441
02:45:12.360 --> 02:45:15.280
stop replaying that event in my mind over and over.

2442
02:45:16.000 --> 02:45:20.520
Carter hasn't asked me out again since, though, However, I

2443
02:45:20.639 --> 02:45:24.680
haven't really given him an answer. Then I remember that

2444
02:45:24.799 --> 02:45:29.200
Carter Cross actually lives next door to me. Now I

2445
02:45:29.319 --> 02:45:31.959
go to my smartphone and text Carter to see if

2446
02:45:32.000 --> 02:45:36.440
he's home. I get a reply back almost immediately. Yes.

2447
02:45:37.239 --> 02:45:39.360
I get off my bed and head downstairs to go

2448
02:45:39.440 --> 02:45:42.000
to his house. He's right there at the back door

2449
02:45:42.040 --> 02:45:46.760
and invites me in. What's up, princess, he asks. I

2450
02:45:46.879 --> 02:45:49.840
take a deep breath and look at him. Yes, Carter,

2451
02:45:50.520 --> 02:45:53.159
I'm sorry I never answered you that night, but yes,

2452
02:45:53.680 --> 02:45:56.879
I will go out with you. Carter and I stare

2453
02:45:56.920 --> 02:46:02.159
at each other for a long moment. Sure, he asks quietly.

2454
02:46:02.959 --> 02:46:06.440
I nod quickly. We need to know for sure if

2455
02:46:06.479 --> 02:46:09.799
there's really something there between us. We can know for

2456
02:46:09.879 --> 02:46:13.520
sure in one date. Right. We stare at each other again.

2457
02:46:16.440 --> 02:46:21.239
What do we do? He stammers. I ain't never been

2458
02:46:21.319 --> 02:46:26.600
on a date before me neither, I admit. I guess

2459
02:46:26.680 --> 02:46:32.200
we can just go hang out together, right? Carter nods, okay, Yeah,

2460
02:46:33.239 --> 02:46:40.520
what time do you want to go? Perspective Carter Cross,

2461
02:46:41.479 --> 02:46:44.680
Madeline Donnerley, and me are playing video games at Roth's

2462
02:46:44.760 --> 02:46:48.319
Rings after losing a third straight game of Cruise in

2463
02:46:48.479 --> 02:46:53.680
USA Place in nearly last Madeline looks at me. Let's

2464
02:46:53.719 --> 02:46:57.559
go talk, buddy, she says in her mousey voice. We

2465
02:46:57.680 --> 02:47:00.920
grab our drinks and head outside. Then I just tell

2466
02:47:00.959 --> 02:47:04.520
her Ariel and me are going on a date tonight.

2467
02:47:05.319 --> 02:47:10.120
Her eyes are really wide. Now, really, I tell Madeline

2468
02:47:10.159 --> 02:47:12.440
about when I asked Ariel out at the mall during

2469
02:47:12.520 --> 02:47:16.639
that overnight last month. I just kept thinking about it.

2470
02:47:17.520 --> 02:47:20.239
You've been giving me a hard time about Ariel. I

2471
02:47:20.360 --> 02:47:22.879
know Mona and Bailey give Ariel a hard time too.

2472
02:47:23.840 --> 02:47:26.200
Ariel said, we got to know if there's something there,

2473
02:47:26.399 --> 02:47:31.239
so we're gonna do one date tonight. Now it's the

2474
02:47:31.319 --> 02:47:33.799
same silence like at my place when Ariel and I

2475
02:47:33.959 --> 02:47:38.760
agreed to go out. Madeline breaks the silence, told you

2476
02:47:38.879 --> 02:47:43.120
you liked her, buddy, I sigh. What if I mess

2477
02:47:43.200 --> 02:47:46.479
things up with her? Madeline, this is our first date.

2478
02:47:46.959 --> 02:47:50.399
It ain't gonna be like when we hang out, she smirks.

2479
02:47:51.360 --> 02:47:54.559
Just talk to her Carter. The rest will work itself out.

2480
02:47:55.360 --> 02:47:57.879
I ain't never dated yet, but I understand a few

2481
02:47:57.959 --> 02:48:03.280
things based on movie. She gently slaps my shoulder. Just

2482
02:48:03.440 --> 02:48:08.280
talk to her, I nod quickly. Sorry about what happened

2483
02:48:08.319 --> 02:48:12.120
in here. I should have just talked to you. It's

2484
02:48:12.159 --> 02:48:15.479
all good, buddy, she replies. I put my hand on

2485
02:48:15.559 --> 02:48:19.120
her shoulder. I'm glad I can always talk to you, Madeline,

2486
02:48:20.159 --> 02:48:24.239
and you always will, she promises me. Feeling better, we

2487
02:48:24.360 --> 02:48:27.719
go back inside and start playing again. Now I can

2488
02:48:27.799 --> 02:48:35.200
actually compete with Madeline when we start racing again. Perspective,

2489
02:48:35.840 --> 02:48:41.079
Ariel mirrn. I enter Mouse's house she calls it the Mousehole,

2490
02:48:41.879 --> 02:48:44.920
and see she's typing away on her computer. A few

2491
02:48:45.000 --> 02:48:48.079
minutes later, she's finally done. I think she finished a

2492
02:48:48.159 --> 02:48:51.120
paper for one of our classes. Now she looks right

2493
02:48:51.159 --> 02:48:55.239
at me. It's gonna be okay, Ariel, she tells me.

2494
02:48:56.079 --> 02:49:00.440
I sigh. Carter talked to you, didn't He turns in

2495
02:49:00.520 --> 02:49:02.319
her chair and waits for me to sit on her

2496
02:49:02.399 --> 02:49:06.239
lower bunk. He did, but you kind of been fidgeting

2497
02:49:06.319 --> 02:49:09.719
all day. You only ever do that when you're really nervous,

2498
02:49:09.840 --> 02:49:14.719
which don't happen often with you. I sigh again. I

2499
02:49:14.959 --> 02:49:19.799
hate you Mouse. She comes and sits beside me. It'll

2500
02:49:19.879 --> 02:49:22.879
be okay. You and Carter are gonna hang out, just

2501
02:49:23.319 --> 02:49:27.879
have fun and talk to him. Suddenly the doorbell rings.

2502
02:49:28.879 --> 02:49:32.479
It's Carter. Mouse tells me. I give her an odd look.

2503
02:49:33.120 --> 02:49:37.799
Carter usually just comes in. Mouse smirks, Yeah, Carter and

2504
02:49:37.920 --> 02:49:41.159
me usually walk into each other's houses. But Carter ain't

2505
02:49:41.200 --> 02:49:43.360
here to hang out with me. He's here for you.

2506
02:49:44.399 --> 02:49:47.600
Better go answer that. I look at the Freddy Krueger

2507
02:49:47.680 --> 02:49:51.280
clock next to the door. Seven point thirty. Time sure

2508
02:49:51.399 --> 02:49:54.360
flew since Carter and I arranged our date. I see

2509
02:49:54.440 --> 02:49:57.879
Mouse's smile and know everything's going to be all right.

2510
02:49:58.600 --> 02:50:00.280
I get up and make my way down to the

2511
02:50:00.319 --> 02:50:04.239
front door. Mouse is right when Carter's standing outside. We

2512
02:50:04.360 --> 02:50:07.239
look at each other for a long moment, just like

2513
02:50:07.360 --> 02:50:10.319
at his house earlier. Then I finally put on my

2514
02:50:10.479 --> 02:50:13.040
jacket and go out onto the porch, with him closing

2515
02:50:13.120 --> 02:50:17.399
the door behind me. Where officially on our first date.

2516
02:50:18.120 --> 02:50:23.479
Now, the only thing scarier than that is not being

2517
02:50:23.559 --> 02:50:27.040
subscribed weekly Spooky will be right back.

2518
02:50:32.319 --> 02:50:38.120
Perspective. Carter Cross, Ariel and me are both pretty nervous.

2519
02:50:38.680 --> 02:50:42.000
We're walking to downtown village together in silence, glancing at

2520
02:50:42.040 --> 02:50:46.760
each other at times. Finally, Ariel says something, I'm just

2521
02:50:46.879 --> 02:50:50.360
as scared as you, Carter. That makes me feel better.

2522
02:50:51.280 --> 02:50:54.159
What do you want to do? We stop right outside

2523
02:50:54.200 --> 02:50:58.639
the Strickfields Centennial Theater. There's only two movies playing, including

2524
02:50:58.719 --> 02:51:02.600
a special screening of Yeah, that bicycle movie from the

2525
02:51:02.680 --> 02:51:06.399
nineteen eighties. Ariel surprises me and wants to see it.

2526
02:51:07.239 --> 02:51:09.520
I pay for our tickets and buy us both cokes.

2527
02:51:10.440 --> 02:51:12.719
Madeline and I had seen this movie plenty of times

2528
02:51:12.760 --> 02:51:16.040
after we became friends. Rad got us into riding bikes

2529
02:51:16.079 --> 02:51:20.959
the way we do, even getting mongooses. Anyway, Ariel never

2530
02:51:21.079 --> 02:51:26.799
got bored once. Later, we're sitting in Big Ed's soda

2531
02:51:26.879 --> 02:51:30.479
parlor after the movie and talking about it. Madeline's right

2532
02:51:30.520 --> 02:51:34.600
about just talking to Ariel. Also, Ariel insisted on paying

2533
02:51:34.680 --> 02:51:38.920
for our Sundays since I paid it the movies. Suddenly,

2534
02:51:39.159 --> 02:51:43.559
Ariel's eyes get wide, so do mine. When Bailey Downs

2535
02:51:43.639 --> 02:51:47.959
and Mona Abels approach our table, Ariel's face goes red fast,

2536
02:51:48.600 --> 02:51:52.559
and not because she's mad. Awe, ain't you too cute?

2537
02:51:53.120 --> 02:51:58.879
Mona teases. Bailey just gives Ariel this weird smile. Now

2538
02:51:59.000 --> 02:52:03.280
Ariel does tough up. Yes, I am here with Carter Cross,

2539
02:52:03.639 --> 02:52:06.719
go tell the whole school. When Bailey and Mona look

2540
02:52:06.760 --> 02:52:10.440
at me, I just nod Ariel's way what she said.

2541
02:52:11.520 --> 02:52:14.639
Then Mona and Bailey smile wickedly and giggle a little

2542
02:52:14.719 --> 02:52:16.079
before they start singing.

2543
02:52:16.520 --> 02:52:20.840
Ariel's got a boy friend. Ariel's got a boy friend.

2544
02:52:21.760 --> 02:52:25.879
Ariel growls at them, I hate you both. Then they

2545
02:52:26.000 --> 02:52:29.239
turn and walk away, laughing. The last thing I hear

2546
02:52:29.360 --> 02:52:32.559
before they leave is Bailey telling Mona told you so.

2547
02:52:34.040 --> 02:52:36.360
Ariel takes a deep breath and looks at me. Now,

2548
02:52:37.440 --> 02:52:40.760
I really don't care Carter. I smile at Ariel.

2549
02:52:41.840 --> 02:52:45.159
Me neither. When we finish our ice cream, we leave

2550
02:52:45.280 --> 02:52:48.360
and go walking around. Then I decide to be a

2551
02:52:48.479 --> 02:52:53.239
man and take Ariel's hand. She gasps at first and

2552
02:52:53.479 --> 02:52:57.799
then relaxes. She doesn't take her hand back. Then we

2553
02:52:57.920 --> 02:53:07.600
get calm and start talking again. Perspective, Ariel, mirn. You

2554
02:53:07.879 --> 02:53:10.479
just know Bailey and Mona are going to tell anyone

2555
02:53:10.520 --> 02:53:13.239
who's willing to listen. I meant what I said. I

2556
02:53:13.319 --> 02:53:15.639
really don't care who knows that I'm on a date

2557
02:53:15.920 --> 02:53:19.440
with Carter Cross. I decide to be honest with him.

2558
02:53:20.360 --> 02:53:23.479
Maybe if I was still living back in the gated community,

2559
02:53:23.559 --> 02:53:26.760
I might have denied it. But I'm out here with

2560
02:53:26.879 --> 02:53:30.120
all of you. Now, you ever miss being in there?

2561
02:53:30.760 --> 02:53:36.239
Carter asks, no, I say, without hesitation. My parents never

2562
02:53:36.399 --> 02:53:39.840
once called Mouse's house asking for me. They never stopped

2563
02:53:39.879 --> 02:53:44.399
by either, not even anything in the mail. I smile

2564
02:53:44.479 --> 02:53:50.719
a little. Madeline's parents are good people, I know. Suddenly,

2565
02:53:50.879 --> 02:53:55.799
Carter and I just stop dead. How did we end

2566
02:53:55.879 --> 02:54:01.639
up walking down this street? Carter, I ask, we just did?

2567
02:54:02.159 --> 02:54:06.440
Carter tells me we just turned down this way. And well,

2568
02:54:07.360 --> 02:54:10.520
Carter and I are staring right at the old Carnivosh

2569
02:54:10.719 --> 02:54:14.559
estate from outside the high fence. When Carter and I

2570
02:54:14.719 --> 02:54:18.799
squeeze hands, I admit something to him. Mona Bailey and

2571
02:54:18.879 --> 02:54:20.879
I dared Mouse to go into this house when we

2572
02:54:21.360 --> 02:54:24.799
walked by it in early October. Mona asked her if

2573
02:54:24.840 --> 02:54:28.079
she was chicken. Mouse simply told us she was brave

2574
02:54:28.200 --> 02:54:32.200
enough to go in there, but not stupid enough. We

2575
02:54:32.319 --> 02:54:36.920
didn't say anything more to her about it after that. Okay, well,

2576
02:54:37.280 --> 02:54:42.120
let's just keep walking, Carter suggests, after a little bit. Yeah,

2577
02:54:42.639 --> 02:54:47.760
let's I agree fast, but neither of us move. It's

2578
02:54:47.840 --> 02:54:51.040
not because we're both scared of the house. It's because

2579
02:54:51.040 --> 02:54:55.239
we're looking through the main gate and seeing a little

2580
02:54:55.360 --> 02:55:00.520
girl standing in one of the windows, looking right out

2581
02:55:00.559 --> 02:55:11.120
at us perspective. Carter, cross Ariel and I both agree

2582
02:55:11.200 --> 02:55:14.040
we saw that little girl in the house We're both

2583
02:55:14.200 --> 02:55:18.040
pretty sure nobody lives in the Carnivosh estate, and not

2584
02:55:18.239 --> 02:55:21.920
for a very long time living in the village itself.

2585
02:55:22.000 --> 02:55:25.680
It would be big news fast if anyone actually moved

2586
02:55:25.760 --> 02:55:29.159
in there. When the little girl moves away from the window,

2587
02:55:29.280 --> 02:55:32.879
Ariel and I look at each other. Carter, we can't

2588
02:55:33.399 --> 02:55:37.399
leave that little girl in there, Ariel tells me. I gulp.

2589
02:55:38.239 --> 02:55:41.440
I was afraid you'd say that. Ariel and me don't

2590
02:55:41.440 --> 02:55:43.719
even got to talk about it. We climb the fence

2591
02:55:43.799 --> 02:55:46.840
and go inside. The property looks like this place ain't

2592
02:55:46.879 --> 02:55:50.879
had yard work done in years, even though it's early January.

2593
02:55:51.000 --> 02:55:54.559
Weeds seem to keep growing real good here. When we

2594
02:55:54.639 --> 02:55:57.920
reach the front door, one of them's wide open. Then

2595
02:55:58.000 --> 02:56:01.920
I hear Ariel gulp. She's breathing fast and giving me looks.

2596
02:56:02.879 --> 02:56:06.000
I know I gotta be looking scared too. Ariel and

2597
02:56:06.079 --> 02:56:08.879
I are still holding hands when we slowly go inside.

2598
02:56:09.840 --> 02:56:13.760
We hain't even two steps past the door when Ariel

2599
02:56:13.799 --> 02:56:15.959
and me both cry out and turn around to see

2600
02:56:16.000 --> 02:56:20.120
the doors are both completely closed. We go to them

2601
02:56:20.680 --> 02:56:26.639
and find we're locked in. Ariel quickly pulls out her phone. No,

2602
02:56:27.319 --> 02:56:32.319
she looks at me, no signal you. Uh huh, I confirm.

2603
02:56:32.719 --> 02:56:36.319
Then I open my settings. No nearby Wi Fi either.

2604
02:56:37.200 --> 02:56:40.440
We put our phones away. Then Ariel points to the stairway.

2605
02:56:41.639 --> 02:56:44.719
I don't think she was upstairs, Ariel, I say, I

2606
02:56:44.799 --> 02:56:46.520
thought the little girl was in the room to the

2607
02:56:46.600 --> 02:56:50.920
left of the doors. Ariel points in the direction in there.

2608
02:56:51.760 --> 02:56:55.360
Ariel quickly grabs my hand. Don't you dare let go.

2609
02:56:55.559 --> 02:56:59.079
I'm not losing you, carter cross. I shake her hand

2610
02:56:59.159 --> 02:57:02.159
to assure her I'm holding it. Then we walk into

2611
02:57:02.200 --> 02:57:06.879
what looks like a living room. Little girl, I call out.

2612
02:57:07.559 --> 02:57:11.040
Then I point to the window. There's where we saw her. Right.

2613
02:57:11.799 --> 02:57:14.000
We moved to the window and look outside to see

2614
02:57:14.079 --> 02:57:17.120
where we were before we came in. We'll have to

2615
02:57:17.200 --> 02:57:20.399
keep looking around. Ariel says, she's not in here. Now

2616
02:57:21.319 --> 02:57:25.079
I stop her fast, Ariel. She turns and sees I'm

2617
02:57:25.120 --> 02:57:29.440
pointing down a hallway where we see the little girl. Stop.

2618
02:57:29.840 --> 02:57:33.680
Ariel calls out, please come this way. Ariel and I

2619
02:57:33.799 --> 02:57:36.600
run down the hallway as she turns away. When we

2620
02:57:36.680 --> 02:57:39.920
reach the end, we come into a conservatory. We moved

2621
02:57:39.959 --> 02:57:42.000
to the other entrance and go through it to see

2622
02:57:42.000 --> 02:57:46.040
the little girl again. At the end of another hallway, Carter,

2623
02:57:46.639 --> 02:57:51.520
Ariel gasps, you seeing this, I nod fast. The little

2624
02:57:51.559 --> 02:57:54.639
girl's feet are pointing to the floor, but it's plain

2625
02:57:54.760 --> 02:57:59.440
as the noses on our faces. She's floating. Yeah, I

2626
02:57:59.600 --> 02:58:03.760
definitely I think she's a ghost, Ariel. I hate you, Carter.

2627
02:58:04.319 --> 02:58:08.639
Ariel stutters. She really squeezes my hand. Now, then we

2628
02:58:08.719 --> 02:58:11.600
look down the hallway. I think she wants us to

2629
02:58:11.719 --> 02:58:15.079
follow her. I say, it's like she's trying to tell

2630
02:58:15.159 --> 02:58:18.799
us something. Ariel gulps again and turns me to look

2631
02:58:18.840 --> 02:58:22.959
at the wall. There's an old Carnivoche family portrait hanging there.

2632
02:58:24.200 --> 02:58:26.600
Now we see the little girl at the very center

2633
02:58:27.319 --> 02:58:32.479
in front of her family. Clearly she was the youngest.

2634
02:58:33.200 --> 02:58:43.680
The date is January fourth, eighteen twenty four. Perspective, Ariel mirron.

2635
02:58:44.879 --> 02:58:48.120
That little Carnivosh girl is over two hundred years old.

2636
02:58:49.079 --> 02:58:52.399
Had she lived, we look to see her ghost is

2637
02:58:52.520 --> 02:58:57.319
still waiting for us. Come on, Carter, I stammer. The

2638
02:58:57.399 --> 02:58:59.879
two of us keep following the little girl until we're

2639
02:58:59.920 --> 02:59:03.879
another door. No doubt, this one's going to lead into

2640
02:59:03.920 --> 02:59:06.399
the one place you would never want to go in

2641
02:59:06.479 --> 02:59:11.559
a creepy old mansion like this, the basement. The door

2642
02:59:11.719 --> 02:59:14.719
opens on its own. Then the little girl floats down

2643
02:59:14.760 --> 02:59:18.159
the stairway. She's giving off this eerie light to show

2644
02:59:18.280 --> 02:59:22.159
she's at the bottom and waiting for us. Since she's

2645
02:59:22.239 --> 02:59:25.600
lighting our way, we can easily follow her down without

2646
02:59:25.680 --> 02:59:29.520
tripping over our own feet. Carter insists on leading the

2647
02:59:29.600 --> 02:59:33.159
way like the gallant guy I know he is. When

2648
02:59:33.200 --> 02:59:37.079
we reach the bottom, the ghost moves again, the basement

2649
02:59:37.239 --> 02:59:40.159
still lit thanks to her. She takes us through a

2650
02:59:40.239 --> 02:59:43.239
few rooms and finally stops next to a big brick wall.

2651
02:59:43.920 --> 02:59:49.440
Then she points right at it. You want us to break,

2652
02:59:50.040 --> 02:59:53.159
Carter mumbles. The little girl keeps pointing to the wall.

2653
02:59:53.799 --> 02:59:58.000
Then I see something over there. Carter grab that big hammer.

2654
02:59:58.639 --> 03:00:00.719
Carter and I let go of each other other's hands.

2655
03:00:01.120 --> 03:00:03.959
He finds the big sledgehammer on a workbench and brings

2656
03:00:04.000 --> 03:00:07.399
it over. It takes Carter a few really big hits

2657
03:00:07.799 --> 03:00:11.639
before he finally succeeds in cracking the mortar. He keeps

2658
03:00:11.719 --> 03:00:14.799
swinging and hitting until he finally makes a block come loose.

2659
03:00:15.639 --> 03:00:18.079
Then he keeps hitting it until it falls over on

2660
03:00:18.159 --> 03:00:22.360
the inside. Carter has to take little breaks to collect himself,

2661
03:00:22.440 --> 03:00:25.479
but he finally manages to break the wall in enough.

2662
03:00:26.239 --> 03:00:29.000
I take out my smartphone and shine my light through

2663
03:00:29.079 --> 03:00:34.079
the hole Carter made. Carter and I both scream when

2664
03:00:34.120 --> 03:00:38.879
we see a couple of skeletons, one big and one small,

2665
03:00:39.920 --> 03:00:43.600
and then the little girl smiles happily and points to

2666
03:00:43.680 --> 03:00:48.000
both of us. Suddenly, this huge flash of light washes

2667
03:00:48.079 --> 03:00:57.079
over us. Epilogue perspective aerial mirror. Later that night, Carter

2668
03:00:57.239 --> 03:00:59.920
and I are in the mousehole telling mouse about our

2669
03:01:00.159 --> 03:01:04.040
experience at the Carnivosh estate. We told her about finding

2670
03:01:04.079 --> 03:01:06.600
the little girl and then her leading us to where

2671
03:01:06.680 --> 03:01:09.760
she and her dad were both walled up in the basement.

2672
03:01:11.200 --> 03:01:15.000
Two hundred years ago today, a band of robbers came

2673
03:01:15.040 --> 03:01:19.879
to the Carnivosh estate and robbed it. Emilio Carnivoche tried

2674
03:01:19.920 --> 03:01:23.000
to save and protect his family from the robbers, but

2675
03:01:23.159 --> 03:01:26.680
it was all in vain. Emilio and little Rosemary were

2676
03:01:26.719 --> 03:01:30.079
walled up within the basement to cruelly separate the two

2677
03:01:30.159 --> 03:01:34.600
of them from Margo, the mother, and Rosemary's two older brothers,

2678
03:01:34.959 --> 03:01:39.319
Waldo and Morton. Emilio was badly hurt and weakened, and

2679
03:01:39.520 --> 03:01:44.239
Rosemary was too little unable to free themselves from their tomb.

2680
03:01:45.040 --> 03:01:49.639
They died of starvation we weren't shown what happened to

2681
03:01:49.680 --> 03:01:53.600
the rest of the Carnivoche family. I can feel like,

2682
03:01:53.920 --> 03:01:56.399
deep down that both the father and the little girl

2683
03:01:56.479 --> 03:02:00.959
are resting in peace. Now I finish. Yeah, we got

2684
03:02:01.000 --> 03:02:02.840
out of the house and went to Roth's Rings to

2685
03:02:02.920 --> 03:02:07.079
call the police. Anonymously, Carter ads. Carter and I both

2686
03:02:07.159 --> 03:02:11.319
Pinky promised Mouse that we weren't making up the story. Ah,

2687
03:02:11.440 --> 03:02:14.760
I believe you both, she said. Come on, we survived

2688
03:02:14.760 --> 03:02:19.280
Abigail Tomlin, a big vampire woman, and Queen Arcadia. Right,

2689
03:02:20.360 --> 03:02:24.719
good point, Madeline, Carter agrees. When we finish talking, Carter

2690
03:02:24.840 --> 03:02:27.959
and I leave the house. We find ourselves holding hands

2691
03:02:28.040 --> 03:02:32.399
again as we walk onto Carter's back porch. Carter and

2692
03:02:32.479 --> 03:02:34.520
I both look like we want to say something to

2693
03:02:34.600 --> 03:02:37.479
each other, but we just look at each other again.

2694
03:02:38.360 --> 03:02:43.760
Carter leans in a little. He's hesitating, I'm hesitating, and

2695
03:02:44.000 --> 03:02:47.639
then I barely feel it when we come apart, but

2696
03:02:47.840 --> 03:02:51.559
Carter and I shared our first kiss. We don't even

2697
03:02:51.639 --> 03:02:53.399
have to say anything to each other, but we know

2698
03:02:53.600 --> 03:02:56.680
mutually we're not going to be just one and done

2699
03:02:56.760 --> 03:03:00.239
on dating. Carter and I say goodbye, and I watch

2700
03:03:00.319 --> 03:03:03.200
him go into his house. I returned to the Donnerly

2701
03:03:03.319 --> 03:03:06.440
home and go back in. I head to my room

2702
03:03:06.520 --> 03:03:09.040
and lay on my bed, knowing I have a lot

2703
03:03:09.120 --> 03:03:13.000
to think about, and that's where this particular adventure ends.

2704
03:03:13.680 --> 03:03:18.120
But I can promise you we'll be back again very soon.

2705
03:03:23.600 --> 03:03:29.159
Lucian Grayshire and the Ghost from Applebee's by L. F. Falconer.

2706
03:03:32.360 --> 03:03:36.200
The three young girls in the corner booth continued to stare,

2707
03:03:37.280 --> 03:03:43.200
not due to rudeness, Lucian determined, merely out of morbid curiosity.

2708
03:03:44.399 --> 03:03:48.719
Their parents attempted to be more furative in their sidelong glances,

2709
03:03:48.840 --> 03:03:53.159
and struggled with useless, hushed commands to curtail their daughter's

2710
03:03:53.559 --> 03:03:58.879
blatant surveillance. Lucian no longer cared. With three quarters of

2711
03:03:58.920 --> 03:04:02.680
his body severely scarred from a house fire he'd survived

2712
03:04:02.719 --> 03:04:06.120
as a child forty years ago. He'd grown hardened to

2713
03:04:06.200 --> 03:04:11.319
the horrified scrutiny of others, the secretive glimpses, the whispers

2714
03:04:11.479 --> 03:04:15.920
behind his back. At one time his disfigurements brought him shame.

2715
03:04:16.719 --> 03:04:20.920
Now he wore these scars with honor, deeming his outer

2716
03:04:21.079 --> 03:04:26.520
grotesqueness more valuable than his business card. A man no

2717
03:04:26.680 --> 03:04:31.200
one truly wanted to see, yet one not so easily forgotten.

2718
03:04:31.959 --> 03:04:35.479
If he caused anyone nightmares along his journey through life,

2719
03:04:36.280 --> 03:04:39.959
he lost no sleep over it. Harried to the point

2720
03:04:40.040 --> 03:04:43.440
of distraction by their children, the two adults in the

2721
03:04:43.520 --> 03:04:47.040
corner booth remained oblivious to the fact that half their

2722
03:04:47.159 --> 03:04:51.040
current troubles were caused by the antics of the youthful poltergeist.

2723
03:04:51.520 --> 03:04:55.760
Hovering above their table a spilled glass of milk, the

2724
03:04:55.879 --> 03:04:58.639
forks fallen to the floor, the plate of French fries

2725
03:04:58.719 --> 03:05:01.319
toppled onto the youngest girl. His lap had nothing to

2726
03:05:01.440 --> 03:05:05.319
do with the carelessness of rambunctious children, and at this

2727
03:05:05.559 --> 03:05:09.440
moment the ghost was ever so slowly unscrewing the cap

2728
03:05:09.959 --> 03:05:14.360
on the salt shaker. Lucian savored the final bite of

2729
03:05:14.479 --> 03:05:18.159
his lemon chicken, then dabbed his napkin over the thin

2730
03:05:18.280 --> 03:05:22.520
lips below the cartoliginous remnants of his nose. He rose

2731
03:05:22.600 --> 03:05:25.079
to his feet and placed enough cash on his meal

2732
03:05:25.200 --> 03:05:28.159
check to cover his lunch, as well as a generous tip.

2733
03:05:29.079 --> 03:05:32.600
In response to his appearance, the server had neither bulked

2734
03:05:32.760 --> 03:05:37.159
nor over compensated. Shrugging on his wool jacket, he took

2735
03:05:37.280 --> 03:05:40.479
pity on the beleaguered parents in their challenge to maintain

2736
03:05:40.559 --> 03:05:44.639
a sense of decorum amid the chaos, especially as the

2737
03:05:44.719 --> 03:05:47.440
children's father had just ruined his own meal with a

2738
03:05:47.559 --> 03:05:52.680
full shaker of salt spilled upon it. The poltergeist above

2739
03:05:52.799 --> 03:05:58.799
the table glowed in rapid pulses of jade green. Leaving

2740
03:05:58.879 --> 03:06:03.079
his table, Usian limped directly to the booth the family occupied.

2741
03:06:03.959 --> 03:06:07.520
Everyone at the table fell transfixed, as if they'd all

2742
03:06:07.840 --> 03:06:11.159
just been caught with their hands in the till Lucian

2743
03:06:11.280 --> 03:06:15.879
greeted them with a courteous bow, good afternoon. He raised

2744
03:06:15.920 --> 03:06:21.120
his one good eye to acknowledge the ghost hovering above. Bemusedly.

2745
03:06:21.280 --> 03:06:24.760
The ghost cocked an eyebrow, then darted to the left

2746
03:06:24.799 --> 03:06:29.120
side of the table, taking refuge behind a potted imitation Philodendron.

2747
03:06:29.920 --> 03:06:34.520
Lucian straightened his gaunt frame and withdrew a business card

2748
03:06:34.600 --> 03:06:38.239
from his inner jacket pocket. Allow me to introduce myself.

2749
03:06:38.840 --> 03:06:42.600
I am Lucian Greyshire, and I have a business proposal

2750
03:06:42.639 --> 03:06:46.120
if you'd be interested. He handed his card to the father,

2751
03:06:46.840 --> 03:06:49.639
then glanced over at the ghost, who peeked through the

2752
03:06:49.760 --> 03:06:53.239
kelly green leaves, giving the young shade a polite nod.

2753
03:06:54.360 --> 03:06:57.520
The man at the table seemed hesitant to accept the card,

2754
03:06:58.120 --> 03:07:01.239
but once he took it into his possession, he scanned

2755
03:07:01.239 --> 03:07:04.799
it out loud. Let the Dead bring your party to life.

2756
03:07:05.479 --> 03:07:11.479
Grayshire Incorporated Unique Halloween Entertainment Services. He looked up at

2757
03:07:11.520 --> 03:07:16.879
Lucian with knitted brows. What's this about, I'm in need

2758
03:07:16.959 --> 03:07:20.799
of an assistant events coordinator. Lucian glanced back over at

2759
03:07:20.840 --> 03:07:24.000
the ghost. If you're interested, meet me in the park

2760
03:07:24.079 --> 03:07:27.079
across the street within the hour. He kept his one

2761
03:07:27.159 --> 03:07:30.559
eyed gaze on the ghost. I already have a job.

2762
03:07:31.000 --> 03:07:33.319
The man at the table tried to hand the business

2763
03:07:33.399 --> 03:07:36.840
card back, but Lucian stepped away from the table and

2764
03:07:37.040 --> 03:07:41.040
gave another slight bow. I'll be waiting, should you be interested.

2765
03:07:41.799 --> 03:07:45.680
His papery lips smiled at the ghost before he turned

2766
03:07:46.079 --> 03:07:51.239
and departed the restaurant. A somber sky loomed above, gray

2767
03:07:51.399 --> 03:07:56.159
with pewter clouds billowing like dust. Lucian breathed deeply of

2768
03:07:56.280 --> 03:08:00.360
the air, still wet from last night's tempest and laced

2769
03:08:00.399 --> 03:08:05.239
with faint hints of pine, damp, bark, and blight. Dying

2770
03:08:05.399 --> 03:08:09.280
boughs and limbs ripped from their hosts and tossed haphazardly

2771
03:08:09.399 --> 03:08:14.399
by the uncarrying gale, littered the park's greensward. Lucian blessed

2772
03:08:14.520 --> 03:08:18.600
the previous night's storm. The howling winds had covered every

2773
03:08:19.200 --> 03:08:25.200
muffled scream. The man's name had been Daniel. He was

2774
03:08:25.280 --> 03:08:30.840
sixty seven years old, and now he was dead. October

2775
03:08:31.000 --> 03:08:36.079
leaves in per simmon amber and blood crunched beneath Lucian's feet,

2776
03:08:36.680 --> 03:08:41.840
while crisp, lake eerie air nipped at his exposed, disfigured flesh.

2777
03:08:42.600 --> 03:08:46.479
He settled onto a park bench, his muscles aching strained

2778
03:08:46.520 --> 03:08:50.680
from last night's activities. Out of his jacket pocket, he

2779
03:08:50.879 --> 03:08:55.280
removed a well used paperback copy of Peter Nichols A

2780
03:08:55.440 --> 03:08:59.360
Day in the Death of Joe Egg. He'd barely read

2781
03:08:59.479 --> 03:09:05.360
three page when an adolescent apparition tentatively drifted near. Lucian

2782
03:09:05.479 --> 03:09:08.680
looked up from his book. Though little more than a

2783
03:09:08.799 --> 03:09:13.079
translucent shadow. The ghost featured a clinging, wet T shirt,

2784
03:09:13.600 --> 03:09:17.479
dark jeans, and high top athletic shoes. He looked to

2785
03:09:17.559 --> 03:09:20.399
have been maybe fifteen or sixteen at the time of

2786
03:09:20.520 --> 03:09:24.959
his death, His dark, damp ribbons of hair plastered against

2787
03:09:25.000 --> 03:09:29.159
his skull. Last night's events flickered through Lucian's mind in

2788
03:09:29.280 --> 03:09:33.159
high speed clips. Cold waters whipped to a frenzy by

2789
03:09:33.440 --> 03:09:37.879
boisterous wind. Daniel's hand clawing at Lucian's own as he

2790
03:09:38.000 --> 03:09:42.440
gurgled within the spume, The young shades scooted swiftly to

2791
03:09:42.559 --> 03:09:46.600
the left with a steady gaze. Lucian's good eye trailed

2792
03:09:46.680 --> 03:09:50.520
the movement. The shade darted back to the right, still

2793
03:09:50.680 --> 03:09:55.920
fixed beneath Lucian's magnetic stare. The ghost took a minor

2794
03:09:56.000 --> 03:10:02.479
step closer. You can really say, may Lucian closed his book. Indeed,

2795
03:10:04.239 --> 03:10:07.600
was this job offer really for me or for him?

2796
03:10:08.680 --> 03:10:11.120
The ghost jerked his head in the direction of the

2797
03:10:11.200 --> 03:10:15.719
restaurant across the street. For you, of course. I thought

2798
03:10:15.760 --> 03:10:19.360
I'd made that pretty clear. You was a bit fuzzy, mate.

2799
03:10:20.319 --> 03:10:22.879
I believe it would have been awkward to speak to

2800
03:10:22.920 --> 03:10:25.799
you directly when it's only I who am aware of

2801
03:10:25.879 --> 03:10:29.159
your presence. I'm not certain why you're trying to pull

2802
03:10:29.200 --> 03:10:32.440
off a phony accent. I happen to know you're an American.

2803
03:10:33.120 --> 03:10:37.280
The ghost took a step back, crossing his arms. And

2804
03:10:37.360 --> 03:10:41.600
what makes you so smart? Huh, Lucian winked his sighted eye.

2805
03:10:43.079 --> 03:10:47.280
I know many things. It's what I do. The ghost

2806
03:10:47.520 --> 03:10:50.840
jutted his chin forward. But I guess you don't know

2807
03:10:51.040 --> 03:10:55.799
my mum's Canadian. Lucian flipped his jacket collar up to

2808
03:10:55.920 --> 03:10:59.239
keep the lake chilled air off his neck. Point taken.

2809
03:10:59.559 --> 03:11:03.200
But that's neither here nor there. The important thing is

2810
03:11:03.280 --> 03:11:06.639
that you've come. You may call me Lucian, and what

2811
03:11:06.840 --> 03:11:11.000
may I call you? Anything you like? I suppose in

2812
03:11:11.079 --> 03:11:14.639
another life, I believe they called me Patrick, but can't

2813
03:11:14.680 --> 03:11:17.319
recall the last time I heard the name. Could just

2814
03:11:17.399 --> 03:11:20.120
be a name I like. I don't know. There's not

2815
03:11:20.280 --> 03:11:24.000
much about life I can remember. He relaxed, looking Lucian

2816
03:11:24.159 --> 03:11:27.280
directly in the eye. It's kind of like a shattered

2817
03:11:27.319 --> 03:11:31.000
mirror life, I mean, my life, and I'm afraid if

2818
03:11:31.040 --> 03:11:33.520
I try to put the pieces back together, I might

2819
03:11:33.600 --> 03:11:36.440
not like what I see. Other than looking like a

2820
03:11:36.559 --> 03:11:40.520
drowned rat, you're not a bad looking fellow. The ghost

2821
03:11:40.639 --> 03:11:44.239
faded slightly. It's not about my looks. I'm invisible, unlike you,

2822
03:11:44.959 --> 03:11:49.559
meaning no offense. But dude, really, Lucian shook his head.

2823
03:11:50.200 --> 03:11:53.000
No offense taken, and there's no need to pick up

2824
03:11:53.040 --> 03:11:56.239
the pieces. It could do you no good now, he

2825
03:11:56.399 --> 03:12:00.360
swiftly caught a wayward breeze blown newspaper page beneath his foot,

2826
03:12:00.840 --> 03:12:04.600
anchoring it to the ground. Patrick. It is then the

2827
03:12:04.719 --> 03:12:08.959
name suits you, So tell me, Patrick, would you like

2828
03:12:09.079 --> 03:12:09.479
the job?

2829
03:12:11.719 --> 03:12:16.079
A sh it was only the wind. You're safe, weekly,

2830
03:12:16.159 --> 03:12:17.680
Spooky will be right back.

2831
03:12:19.879 --> 03:12:23.280
Patrick settled onto the seat beside him. What's in it

2832
03:12:23.360 --> 03:12:25.559
for me? I'm free to come and go as I

2833
03:12:25.680 --> 03:12:29.319
please and don't have to answer to anyone. I dare say.

2834
03:12:29.440 --> 03:12:34.000
You're rather bored and lonely, Lucian thought, a feeling he

2835
03:12:34.120 --> 03:12:38.200
knew too well, being little more than a living wraith himself.

2836
03:12:39.280 --> 03:12:42.959
But what a pitiful way to spend eternity tormenting children

2837
03:12:43.000 --> 03:12:47.200
in a restaurant and an Applebee's no less ah, That's

2838
03:12:47.239 --> 03:12:50.440
why you're wrong, mate. I have no ties to the restaurant,

2839
03:12:50.520 --> 03:12:53.879
and I wasn't tormenting the children. I was tormenting the parents.

2840
03:12:54.799 --> 03:12:58.000
You hold a grudge against parents, do you? It would

2841
03:12:58.040 --> 03:13:00.399
seem that way, now, wouldn't it. But but I can't

2842
03:13:00.440 --> 03:13:03.399
say for schef. Could just be something I do for kicks,

2843
03:13:03.440 --> 03:13:08.360
you know, probably one of those broken pieces. Patrick leaned forward,

2844
03:13:08.479 --> 03:13:12.200
elbows on his knees. So how come you can see

2845
03:13:12.280 --> 03:13:16.239
me and hear me when no one else can. The

2846
03:13:16.360 --> 03:13:19.600
crackle of flames and the smell of charred wood inundated

2847
03:13:19.680 --> 03:13:24.760
Lucian's memory, smoke billowing beneath the locked bedroom door. On

2848
03:13:24.879 --> 03:13:30.959
the other side, his father shouts, heavy footfalls, leaving help me, Daddy.

2849
03:13:31.639 --> 03:13:37.280
Lucian's frantic cries, eyes burning throat, constricting, hot smoke wrapping

2850
03:13:37.399 --> 03:13:41.840
him in a shroud. I was dead once myself, he admitted,

2851
03:13:42.159 --> 03:13:46.399
glancing over at the ghost beside him. A fireman resuscitated me.

2852
03:13:47.680 --> 03:13:50.319
He had been brought back to life. His mother and

2853
03:13:50.440 --> 03:13:53.280
brother had been more fortunate, not having to live the

2854
03:13:53.440 --> 03:13:58.479
ordeal over and over and over again. The nightmares had

2855
03:13:58.559 --> 03:14:04.319
long ago disappeared, way for vivid, waking memories. Patrick straightened

2856
03:14:04.360 --> 03:14:07.440
in his seat. That's how you got all them scars. Eh,

2857
03:14:08.120 --> 03:14:11.319
that's rough, man, But that don't explain much. Other folks

2858
03:14:11.399 --> 03:14:14.760
have been resuscitated, but no one's ever seen me before,

2859
03:14:14.920 --> 03:14:19.479
So why you. For nearly a year during my recovery,

2860
03:14:19.520 --> 03:14:22.600
I remained in a state of flux, or half life,

2861
03:14:22.799 --> 03:14:26.319
if you will. Forced against his will into a world

2862
03:14:26.399 --> 03:14:29.559
of forgotten shadows, Lucian continued to keep one foot in

2863
03:14:29.680 --> 03:14:33.399
reality and the other foot in the grave. A part

2864
03:14:33.479 --> 03:14:36.200
of me still dwells in the realm of lost souls.

2865
03:14:36.799 --> 03:14:40.319
Some people might consider that a curse, but I view

2866
03:14:40.360 --> 03:14:43.000
it as a unique gift. For I am in a

2867
03:14:43.079 --> 03:14:48.200
position to offer those in limbo some comfort. Limbo sucks,

2868
03:14:48.680 --> 03:14:52.840
especially if you're invisible. Patrick's voice broke upon his words.

2869
03:14:53.719 --> 03:14:56.680
It was impossible to give the boy a hug. Lucian

2870
03:14:56.799 --> 03:14:59.920
had to rely on speech. That's why you feel compelled

2871
03:15:00.120 --> 03:15:03.000
to cause chaos. It's the only way you can validate

2872
03:15:03.040 --> 03:15:08.360
your dismal existence. Patrick leaned back, clasped his hands, and

2873
03:15:08.440 --> 03:15:12.479
twiddled his thumbs, staring up at the steely, cloud studded sky.

2874
03:15:13.399 --> 03:15:16.959
A pair of starlings roosted chattering quietly in the bare

2875
03:15:17.079 --> 03:15:20.600
tree tops above. Patrick shot up like a rocket and

2876
03:15:20.719 --> 03:15:24.840
thumped the branch, startling the birds into flight. As Patrick

2877
03:15:24.920 --> 03:15:28.239
settled back onto the bench beside him, Lucian stowed his

2878
03:15:28.319 --> 03:15:32.319
book away in his pocket. What I'm offering you, Patrick,

2879
03:15:33.000 --> 03:15:35.760
is a chance to do something productive with your existence.

2880
03:15:36.399 --> 03:15:39.079
I could use a man of your talents. I have

2881
03:15:39.200 --> 03:15:43.399
no talent, but you do. Very few spirits have the

2882
03:15:43.479 --> 03:15:46.479
ability to move objects. I can only do it if

2883
03:15:46.479 --> 03:15:49.000
they're not too heavy. I can't budge anything over a

2884
03:15:49.040 --> 03:15:51.680
couple of pounds, And I don't know why you'd want

2885
03:15:51.719 --> 03:15:56.319
a limbo ghost anyway, where a pathetic bunch nowhere to go,

2886
03:15:56.920 --> 03:16:01.239
nothing to do, bored like you said, and boring to boot.

2887
03:16:02.200 --> 03:16:04.559
I can do nothing about whatever is holding you here,

2888
03:16:04.680 --> 03:16:09.040
but I can offer you a sense of purpose. After tomorrow, I'll.

2889
03:16:08.920 --> 03:16:09.440
Be moving on.

2890
03:16:10.879 --> 03:16:13.680
This is an opportunity you may never come across again.

2891
03:16:14.840 --> 03:16:18.159
Patrick kicked at the leaves below his feet, swirling them

2892
03:16:18.239 --> 03:16:22.159
in a colorful dance upon the sidewalk, doing what exactly?

2893
03:16:23.360 --> 03:16:27.600
Helping me and my endeavors, that's all? What kind of endeavors?

2894
03:16:28.280 --> 03:16:32.680
What do you do besides no? Many things? Well? For one,

2895
03:16:33.360 --> 03:16:37.280
I throw parties, huge Halloween parties for the filthy rich,

2896
03:16:37.680 --> 03:16:43.120
excruciating extravaganzas. Really, but I always deliver on my client's contracts,

2897
03:16:43.440 --> 03:16:47.360
and they're willing to pay me quite well. Parties, huh.

2898
03:16:48.079 --> 03:16:50.440
I think there's more to it than that you said

2899
03:16:50.559 --> 03:16:56.079
for one? So what's for two? Talented and attentive? Even better,

2900
03:16:56.319 --> 03:16:59.639
Lucian thought, allowing his good eye to wander the immediate

2901
03:16:59.719 --> 03:17:03.520
vistasy for a moment. The threat of more stormy weather

2902
03:17:03.719 --> 03:17:07.879
kept the park relatively deserted. Ensured there was no one nearby,

2903
03:17:08.360 --> 03:17:15.159
he quietly confided, for two I kill people. Patrick sprang

2904
03:17:15.280 --> 03:17:18.200
from the bench. Hold a minute. He raised his hand

2905
03:17:18.280 --> 03:17:21.559
in a stop action and took a step back. Tormenting

2906
03:17:21.639 --> 03:17:23.840
folks is one thing, but I want no part in

2907
03:17:23.959 --> 03:17:29.399
killing innocence. Unapologetically, Lucian stared up at him. Only children

2908
03:17:29.440 --> 03:17:32.559
are innocent. The rest of us are all guilty of something.

2909
03:17:33.239 --> 03:17:36.719
Think of me as an extension of justice. Are you

2910
03:17:36.959 --> 03:17:39.799
like some kind of hit man? Or do people only

2911
03:17:40.079 --> 03:17:45.399
pay you for parties? Lucian hesitated momentarily. I do get

2912
03:17:45.440 --> 03:17:49.200
paid for hosting parties quite well, in fact, Yet there

2913
03:17:49.280 --> 03:17:52.479
are some clients who request an extra dash of pepper

2914
03:17:52.600 --> 03:17:56.639
on their salad, so to speak. Patrick paced the concrete,

2915
03:17:56.920 --> 03:18:01.120
stirring the leaves beneath his feet, back into action. I dunno, mate,

2916
03:18:01.840 --> 03:18:04.000
I start doing real harm to folks, and next thing

2917
03:18:04.040 --> 03:18:07.559
you know, I'm yanked straight into hell. Lucian folded his

2918
03:18:07.639 --> 03:18:12.200
gnarled hands, his sightless eye gleaming dully in the muted daylight.

2919
03:18:13.159 --> 03:18:16.159
I would never ask you to harm anyone. That pleasure

2920
03:18:17.000 --> 03:18:20.840
is reserved for me and me alone. I simply need

2921
03:18:20.920 --> 03:18:24.639
help in orchestrating my events, hence the job title of

2922
03:18:24.959 --> 03:18:31.600
assistant Events coordinator. Your soul and conscience remain unsullied. A

2923
03:18:31.719 --> 03:18:35.920
young couple holding hands strolled by, giving Lucian a wide berth.

2924
03:18:36.479 --> 03:18:39.479
They passed through Patrick, causing him to fade in and out.

2925
03:18:40.319 --> 03:18:45.200
He stopped pacing and lunged towards Lucian, Ripping the newspaper

2926
03:18:45.280 --> 03:18:48.040
page from beneath his foot, he swatted the couple with

2927
03:18:48.120 --> 03:18:49.959
it on the back of their heads before setting the

2928
03:18:50.040 --> 03:18:54.319
page free in the breeze. His bone colored face distorted

2929
03:18:54.360 --> 03:18:59.479
by deep thought, he swept back to Lucian's side. I'm

2930
03:18:59.520 --> 03:19:01.120
still not sure Show this is something I should be

2931
03:19:01.200 --> 03:19:04.200
taking part in, if you know what I mean, he muttered,

2932
03:19:04.719 --> 03:19:09.239
the killing pot. I understand your concerns, Patrick, yet you

2933
03:19:09.360 --> 03:19:12.399
seem to enjoy tormenting the living, and that's all I

2934
03:19:12.440 --> 03:19:16.360
would ever expect you to do during the party. Would

2935
03:19:16.399 --> 03:19:19.120
you be willing to give it a trial run? I

2936
03:19:19.200 --> 03:19:22.600
have an event scheduled tomorrow night at Gates Hotel, a

2937
03:19:22.719 --> 03:19:25.879
party at the Gates. Patrick snorted and took a step back.

2938
03:19:26.399 --> 03:19:29.600
While that should be a hoot, those two snobby sisters

2939
03:19:29.639 --> 03:19:33.000
there don't much care for company. Dead or alive, carrying

2940
03:19:33.079 --> 03:19:36.840
on like the world belongs to only them. That's odd,

2941
03:19:37.440 --> 03:19:41.600
Lucian said, I found them to be rather charming. It

2942
03:19:41.719 --> 03:19:44.799
had been those sisters who'd led him to Patrick, who

2943
03:19:44.959 --> 03:19:48.120
told him of the boy's talent and revealed the details

2944
03:19:48.520 --> 03:19:52.120
of his untimely death. And since the hotel is slated

2945
03:19:52.200 --> 03:19:55.920
to be raised before Christmas, Jasmine and Ruby have graciously

2946
03:19:56.000 --> 03:19:59.520
agreed to help me host this year's event. One last

2947
03:19:59.600 --> 03:20:03.600
hurrah for them, so to speak with them. Two, you've

2948
03:20:03.639 --> 03:20:06.000
already got the best. What do you need me for,

2949
03:20:06.879 --> 03:20:10.920
Lucian spoke with a smile. The sisters may be capable

2950
03:20:10.959 --> 03:20:15.319
of vivid manifestation and bone chilling audio, but they cannot

2951
03:20:15.440 --> 03:20:19.360
move things. The party guests will be expecting a magnificent

2952
03:20:19.520 --> 03:20:22.840
haunted experience. I'd prefer to give them a night to

2953
03:20:22.959 --> 03:20:28.120
truly remember. A green aura glowed from within, and Patrick smiled.

2954
03:20:29.399 --> 03:20:32.920
Most of these people are parents, right, I would assume so,

2955
03:20:33.959 --> 03:20:35.680
And I don't have to take part in no killing.

2956
03:20:36.440 --> 03:20:41.000
Lucian nodded, rest assured that contract has already been completed.

2957
03:20:42.079 --> 03:20:45.799
A small white lie. Sometimes a party was simply a

2958
03:20:45.879 --> 03:20:51.680
party and a target. A deliciously convenient coincidence Patrick gusted

2959
03:20:51.760 --> 03:20:54.879
across the sidewalk, knocking the hat off the woman pushing

2960
03:20:54.920 --> 03:20:59.239
a baby carriage, then sidled back to Lucian's side. Can

2961
03:20:59.319 --> 03:21:01.840
I ask who it was us? No, you may not

2962
03:21:02.840 --> 03:21:06.600
not even a clue. Lucian ran a ragged finger across

2963
03:21:07.000 --> 03:21:10.280
the thinly stretched skin of his missing lips, as if

2964
03:21:10.399 --> 03:21:13.680
zipping them shut. There was no need to tell the

2965
03:21:13.840 --> 03:21:17.719
lad it had been his father. Lucian's own father may

2966
03:21:17.760 --> 03:21:21.559
have been unsuccessful, but Patrick's had seen the deed through.

2967
03:21:22.280 --> 03:21:25.040
For thirty years, Patrick has wandered in the realm of

2968
03:21:25.159 --> 03:21:29.239
lost souls, and last night the father, like the sun,

2969
03:21:29.719 --> 03:21:34.360
unwillingly surrendered his life within the cold, dark waters of

2970
03:21:34.520 --> 03:21:39.000
Lake Erie. He wondered, had Patrick fought as hard to

2971
03:21:39.079 --> 03:21:44.239
survive as Daniel had. Lucian rose from the bench stick

2972
03:21:44.280 --> 03:21:46.879
with me, Patrick, and I promise you you will never

2973
03:21:47.040 --> 03:21:50.200
be forced to carry the burdens of my sin. Now

2974
03:21:50.799 --> 03:21:54.479
shall we go. There's a pair of fine nineteenth century

2975
03:21:54.600 --> 03:21:58.879
sisters i'd like you to meet. Lucian limped down the walkway,

2976
03:21:59.440 --> 03:22:08.280
the leaves beside him swirling in a kaleidoscopic dance. Well,

2977
03:22:08.440 --> 03:22:11.920
my spookys, it's time for me to leave you to

2978
03:22:12.040 --> 03:22:18.159
your own devices, but remember it's not over the other

2979
03:22:18.360 --> 03:22:22.840
world is all around us, waiting for the barrier to thin.

2980
03:22:25.319 --> 03:22:29.879
So anyway, my friends, please take care of yourselves if

2981
03:22:29.920 --> 03:22:33.079
you're fortunate enough, give a loved one a big hug,

2982
03:22:34.399 --> 03:22:39.079
and remember that spooky season is in our hearts, not

2983
03:22:39.440 --> 03:22:44.120
just in a calendar. And make sure you're subscribed because

2984
03:22:44.600 --> 03:22:47.479
we've got so much more to share with you as

2985
03:22:47.520 --> 03:22:52.000
we go into what may be another six years. Thank

2986
03:22:52.079 --> 03:22:55.520
you all so much. I'll talk at you later.