Aug. 1, 2026

4 Scary Animal Horror Stories | Werewolf, Killer Hippos, Demon Cat & Monster Dog

4 Scary Animal Horror Stories | Werewolf, Killer Hippos, Demon Cat & Monster Dog
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Key Takeaways

  • This special Summerween horror compilation features four distinct animal horror stories exploring deadly encounters with supernatural and wild creatures.
  • The episode includes 'Stay Hungry' by David O'Hanlon, following documentary filmmakers investigating Pablo Escobar's notorious cocaine hippos in the Colombian jungle.
  • Rob Fields' contribution 'Wolf Rage' introduces a supernatural werewolf tale set in Strickfield, Ohio, where a former model discovers that uncontrolled anger awakens her inner monster.
  • In David O'Hanlon's 'My Dog, Doug,' a family moving into an isolated house faces a massive rat infestation and the bizarre, terrifying transformation of their pet dog.
  • Douglas Waltz's 'Feline Troubles' delivers a chilling story about an aging calico cat that becomes violently possessed by a demonic entity.
  • Listeners can expect a blend of survival horror, dark comedy, body horror, and terrifying creature features designed to bring Halloween thrills straight to the summer season.

Four scary animal horror stories unleash killer hippos, a rage-fueled werewolf, a shape-shifting monster dog, and a demon-possessed cat. Celebrate Summerween and Halloween in summer with a complete horror fiction anthology filled with supernatural creatures, deadly animal attacks, cursed pets, survival horror, and dark comedy.

A documentary crew travels deep into the Colombian jungle to investigate Pablo Escobar’s infamous cocaine hippos—but the expedition becomes a blood-soaked fight for survival when the enormous animals attack. Then former Malibu model Dani Boy returns to Strickfield carrying a werewolf curse that transforms her whenever her anger becomes uncontrollable.

A horror writer moves his family into an isolated house where scratching inside the walls leads to thousands of rats, supernatural creatures, and the disturbing transformation of the family dog. Finally, an aging calico cat develops glowing red eyes, unnatural aggression, and a demonic condition that may be capable of passing into a new host.

This Summerween horror compilation features:
“Stay Hungry” by David O’Hanlon
A killer animal survival story about documentary filmmakers, an infamous poacher, and Pablo Escobar’s cocaine hippos running wild in the Colombian jungle.
“Wolf Rage” by Rob Fields
A supernatural werewolf story set in Strickfield, Ohio, where a former model discovers that anger—not the full moon—awakens the monster inside her.
“My Dog, Doug” by David O’Hanlon
A darkly funny creature feature about a shape-shifting dog, a haunted new house, an enormous rat infestation, and vicious supernatural brownies.
“Feline Troubles” by Douglas Waltz
A demonic cat story in which a family pet becomes violently possessed and begins hunting the children inside an isolated farmhouse.

These terrifying tales combine werewolf horror, killer animal attacks, cocaine hippos, jungle survival, demonic possession, cursed cats, monster dogs, shape-shifters, haunted houses, supernatural pets, creature features, body horror, dark comedy, and Strickfield horror.

Perfect for listeners searching for scary stories, animal horror stories, horror audiobooks, horror fiction podcasts, werewolf stories, killer animal horror, demon stories, possessed pet stories, monster stories, supernatural thrillers, Summerween entertainment, and Halloween podcasts.The summer night is warm, the moon is rising, and the animals are beginning to behave strangely.

Halloween may still be months away, but something hungry has already escaped into the darkness.

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

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

📬 Contact Us / Submit Your Horror Story!


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

Frequently Asked Questions

What animal horror stories are featured in this Weekly Spooky episode?

This episode features four terrifying tales: a story about Pablo Escobar's killer cocaine hippos in Colombia, a werewolf tale set in Strickfield, Ohio, a creature feature about a shape-shifting monster dog, and a story about a demon-possessed cat.

What is Pablo Escobar's cocaine hippos story about?

Titled 'Stay Hungry' by David O'Hanlon, the story follows a documentary crew and an infamous poacher deep into the Colombian jungle, where they discover that the descendants of Pablo Escobar's imported hippos have turned the jungle into a blood-soaked fight for survival.

Where can I listen to Weekly Spooky horror stories?

You can listen to Weekly Spooky on your favorite podcast app every Wednesday for a brand-new scary story, and support the show to unlock exclusive bonus episodes at WeeklySpooky.com/Join.

WEBVTT

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Whoever decided how Lowen had to wait until October clearly

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never spent a warm summer night listening to something scratch

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inside the walls. The fireflies are glowing, the moon is

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hanging over the trees. Somewhere nearby, something is growling, and

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it may not be as domesticated as its collar would

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have you believe. Tonight, we're celebrating summer ween with four

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frightening reminders that nature does not need our permission to

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become unnatural. Deep in the jungle, hungry giants are waiting

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beneath the water. In Strickfield, anger can bring out the

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animal hiding beneath the skin. Inside one quiet home, man's

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best friend is learning a few disturbing new tricks, and

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somewhere in the darkness, a pair of red eyes is

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watching from the furniture. So lock your doors, keep your

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pets where you can see them, and try not to

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smell to appetizing. These are some of the scariest stories

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from our weekly Spooky Vault, But remember every single Wednesday

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is a brand new scary story, So make sure you're

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subscribed on your favorite podcast app and join us for

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even more fear. As we lead in to October. Now,

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I say we head out and see about a meal,

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but hopefully not of us stay hungry by David Ohany.

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Ella Scott watched in disbelief as the man passed the

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folded bills to the boat captain. Kane Marlowe was one

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of the most infamous poachers in the world, and last

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she'd heard was in a Kenyon prison. She doubted he'd

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been released on good behavior. Ella's face reddened as Marlowe

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went to stow his luggage, Her finger nails dug into

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her palms, and her entire body shook. Keith, the cameraman

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for the documentary, stepped in front of her with his

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hands raised defensively deep breaths. He said, it's just a

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mix up, I'm sure. Ella shoved him out of her

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way and stormed over to the captain, grabbing for his

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collar but mostly getting chest hair. The short, stocky man

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whined and slapped at her hands. What are you thinking?

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She demanded that I didn't ask for a manscaping. He

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rubbed his chest. You want to go up the river

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or no? Yes, Ella barked back to film the hippos migrating,

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not being butchered. Goddamn it. Louise, do you know who

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that is? Of course, Louise said, he's the guy that

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just paid me a lot more than you did to

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go to the exact same place. I can make a

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dozen trips to more popular locations in the same time.

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This trip is not cost effective. I got plenty of room.

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If someone else wants to come along, I'll take them too.

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I think you misunderstood. Keith chimed in. Ella is concerned

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because that man is a poacher. I don't care how

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he eats his eggs. Louise shrugged and started up to

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the ship's helm. He'll slaughter them, Ella said, this is Columbia,

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Miss Scott. Louise leaned on the rusted railing. This village

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here has been burned down at least three times since

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I've been alive. Human life is cheap. Hippos aren't many

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men pay to hunt these animals. You're upset that he

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is here, but you use this boat, so you'll tolerate him.

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I understand it's your boat, but it's their boat. The

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captain cut her off. The hunters are why this boat

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has a running motor. They are the reason I was

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able to pay off my debts. When your hippos killed

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the fish I used to catch for a living. You

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hate the hunters, but the hunters are the only reason

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you're going upriver to go where you wish. You either

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take this boat or you swim. Guess we're riding with

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the poacher. Keith muttered, I'm not letting him kill anything.

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Ella said, mark my words. After the Colombian government slaughtered

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the bull named Pepe, there had been an international outcry

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to protect the so called cocaine hippos. Pablo Escobar had

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imported four of the animals for his private zoo back

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in the eighties, which had escaped into the wild after

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his death. Without a dry season, they begun reaching sexual

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maturity faster. Their number had swelled to at least two

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hundred in the years since. If interventions weren't found, there

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would be a thousand by the end of the next decade.

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In recent months, reports had come in of hippopotamus sightings

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far from Median. However, a local group of activists exploiting

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the rampant political corruption, had supplied Ella with satellite imagery

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of the area, as well as aerial photographs of what

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appeared to be three juveniles. Several hundred miles to the north.

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Ella studied the photos with the same intrigue she had

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when she first seen them in the alien jungles of

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South America. The animals often behaved in ways unseen among

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their African relatives. Still, it seemed unreasonable. Still, it seemed

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unreasonable for a group to break off from the herd

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when all their needs were being met in the Magdalena

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River they called home. If they had been forced out

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by a dominant bull, then they should have stopped moving

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once they were outside his range, which would have been

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no more than ten miles. The exodus made no sense.

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Ella needed to film them in the wild and to

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figure out exactly why they had moved so far. She

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had to show the world that the Colombian hippo had

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become its own species if she wanted to save them.

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They'd been on the river all day. Keith had occupied

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himself with filming establishing shots for the first few hours.

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Ella had shot thirty three takes of her introduction, detailing

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the history of the hippos in Columbia, the efforts to

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contain them, and how they had transformed from an invasive

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species to a meaningful part of the ecosystem. That they

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now lived within. Keith wasn't sure he bought into that

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last part, no matter how many times she made him

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reshoot it. He was from Indiana and had seen the

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negative effects of feral hog's first hand. The hippos were

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a lot bigger and more ill tempered than the pigs

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back home. They'd started their trip at the tourist trap

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in Median The hippopotamuses had created a strange paradox for

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the locals. They killed the fish that provided the basis

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for their economy and diet, while simultaneously creating revenue through

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eco tourism. It was much cheaper to come see the

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hippos in South America than venturing to Africa for a

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pricey photo safari. Keith didn't see the appeal. The hippos

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did nothing but soak in a river and immodestly shit

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for the flashing cameras. It hardly seemed worth the airfare.

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While Ella reviewed the maps and photographs again, he optioned

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to take some still photos of the vast array of

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wildlife occupying the riverbanks. He zoomed in on the stone

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faced Colombian sitting at the rear of the boat. Hector

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filled every role on the boat as he was needed.

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He was a former FARC soldier and his bear torso

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was pock marked with shrapnel, scars and burns from his

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past life. Once they made land, Hector would make sure

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they were safe while filming. Ella had of course protested

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an armed guard, but Luis had only been paid half

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up front and insisted Hector go with them. Keith wasn't

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sure if the man never spoke because he didn't know English,

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or if it was some sense of warrior stoicism. Either way,

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the cameraman found Hector as intriguing as he was frightening.

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Keith pried his lens away from his subject and moved

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to the opposite end of the rickety boat. Cain Marlowe

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stood at the bow with one boot on the edge

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and his Rigby rifle propped on his hip, like he

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was gracing the cover of a Harley Quinn romance novel.

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He looked the part with his Safari shirt, sleeves rolled

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up over muscular forearms, and the top two buttons down

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to show the valley between thick pectorals. Exotic oils made

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his golden beard glisten in the setting sun. He was

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a bondy Beach Allen Quartermain. The only thing out of

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place about him was the ragged scar on the right

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side of his face. The claws had left distinctive raised

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lines from his temple to his jaw. His eye was

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stuck in a permanent squint on account of the nerve damage.

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Keith wondered if some unfortunate jungle cat had turned the

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tables on the poacher, or if it had been his

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origin story. Perhaps the beast had mauled a young Marlowe,

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beginning his desperate need to kill them in retaliation. Like Hector,

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Keith found Marlowe to be more interesting than the hippos.

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This is insane, Ella said, snapping him back to reality.

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The photos clearly show the hippos have moved on. This

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is completely uncharted behavior for them. We're onto something huge here,

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and crocodile dun dumbass wants to murder them. Maybe they're

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trying to go home, Keith said. They are moving in

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the general direction of Africa. Ancient Egyptians thought they were

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supernatural beings. Ella seemed to consider it. Perhaps the truth

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is somewhere in between, perhaps, Keith snorted. Or perhaps you're

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reading too much into them going for a walk. They've

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traveled over two hundred miles. Ella scoffed. That's hardly an

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evening stroll. It's an invasion. Marlow said, that's what the

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Venezuelans are calling it. They've got enough problems without a

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bunch of hungry, hungry hippos coming to dinner. So you're

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going to kill them and be the big hero. Ella asked,

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wouldn't be much fun or profit in that. Marlow corrected her.

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If the herd crosses the border, they'll be slaughtered. That's

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exactly what you don't want. If I recall, you're killing

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them for their own good Ella laughed, that's a new spin.

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I'll kill one or two. Marlow admitted. These animals are

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simply exploring their boundaries. It takes a predator to set

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some Luckily you have me. They don't go to Venezuela

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to be massacred, and I get a grand hunt. We

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both win. Miss Scott Keith looked around the boat and

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raised his hand like he was back in film school. Yes,

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Marlow asked, there doesn't seem to be room for a

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dead hippo, let alone two of them. The cameraman said

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he's only bringing back the teeth, Ella said, pointedly, trading

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in hippo ivory is illegal internationally. Marlow said, with a

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grim smile. They're not an indigenous species, so the Colombian

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government doesn't have a law on the books about domestic sales.

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You think you Americans have the patent on rich assholes.

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I can sell those tusks in Bogata for a mint.

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I won't let that happen. Ella ensured him the sightings

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indicate an entire pod up there that's big enough that

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we can both get the kind of shots we're looking

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for without being in each other's way. Marlow stepped closer

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to Ella. You're on the backside of Burke now. No

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police ya, no human rights, no fucking Starbucks. Is that

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supposed to be a threat. A reminder you're not live

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streaming a protest outside of Maybelene. Everything out here is lethal. Piranha,

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crocs and acandas and jaguars, even the fucking ants. Anyone

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can come into the jungle, but it takes a special

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breed to come back out. And I don't think you're

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of that stock. He nodded to Keith. That bloke certainly

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isn't Marlowe climbed the ladder to join Louise at the helm.

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Ella looked back at Hector, wondering if his role as

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their protector extended to keeping them safe from marlow as well.

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The former soldier locked eyes with her and replaced the

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strap on his holster, letting her know he'd been prepared

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to move if things had escalated. On Whose behalf he'd

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have acted was still a mystery. It had been a

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long night, so far from civilization. The wildlife went about

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their routines uninterrupted all night long. Animals carried on in

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an endless cacophony of mating calls and ferocious hunts. Every

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time an animal cried out from the jaws of some predator,

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Ella would snap awake, expecting to see Marlowe carrying a

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gruesome trophy back on board the boat. It never happened.

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Each time she was roused from sleep, she found the

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hunter peacefully resting in his hammock. The sounds of death

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must have been his favorite lullaby. He didn't stir in

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the slightest while she snuck away with his rifle. They

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made good time. The next morning, Keith sat beside Louise

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at the helm. Ella watched him shakily pouring a fresh

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cup of coffee into a cracked mug with faded letters.

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Despite having gotten even less sleep than her, Keith seemed

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wide awake. Now. Ella went to the top of the ladder. Keith,

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She called, yeah. He yipped excitedly. His feet tapped rapidly,

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and he was grinding his teeth. Oh you want me

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to get some more, Beeyl, that would be great. She

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gestured to the cup. How much coffee have you had?

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This is my second cup. Keith nodded vigorously. Louise held

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up three fingers. You seem a little jittery, Ella said,

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it's really good. Keith slapped Louise on the back. Folgers

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doesn't know shit about Columbian blend. Colombian blend, Ella asked,

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Colombian blend, Louise said, tapping his nostril for clarity. Take

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him before he shakes us off course, Jesus, Okay, no

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more coffee, Keith. Ella snapped her fingers, pointing to the bow.

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We have work to do. Pour it over the side.

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I don't think so. Louise took the mug from Keith

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and down to gulp. Last thing we need is piranhas

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swimming in this. Go make movies with your girlfriend and

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leave the coffee to the men. Keith laughed, he thinks

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you're my girlfriend, Move your ass, Keith. Ella dropped to

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the deck and went to stern for the camera equipment.

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She looked around suspiciously. Hector had stayed at the rear

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of the ship the entire day, but had seemingly given

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up his post. A sharp whistle drew her attention and

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apparently the captain's as the boat slowed. I think you

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should come and see this, miss Scott, marlow shouted from

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the bow. Ella pulled the camera from the bag and

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shoved it into Keith's arms. On the way past. Hector

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was there, cradling an assault rifle in his arms and

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sipping at his own coffee. Marlowe pointed to the riverbank.

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You see that, miss Scott, he asked. Make sure your

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cameraman gets a good look. Flies swarmed over the corpse

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of the American crocodile. It laid on its back, with

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its intestines bulging out of its split belly. One leg

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was completely torn from its body. A yellow headed vulture

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tugged at a strand of muscle hanging from the stump.

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The birds stretched the tissue until it snapped loose. Was

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trampled around the scene, with deep hoof prints clearly visible

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in the mud. There are five thousand American crocodiles in

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the entire world, Marlow said, minus one, thanks to your hippos.

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Maybe you two would like to get off the boat

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and film that. Fuck you, Marlow, Ella spat. Territorial disputes

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happen across species in every ecosystem. Don't try to justify

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what you do. That croc was at least fifty years old,

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Marlow said, pointing at the carcass. There was no dispute, dearie.

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This was his territory. Your hippos kill him for the

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sport of it. Funny how you seem to have such

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a problem when I do that. The crocodile has not

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been dead long, maybe since last night, Hector said, in

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an even mechanical tone. We should not be this close.

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What do you mean? Keith looked around, swinging the camera

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as he turned his head close to what blimey? Marlow

259
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scanned the water for air bubbles. A territorial dispute, you say,

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Ella gasped, Oh shit? What? Keith shouted? Why does everyone

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know what's going on except me. We moving on or

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what Louise asked, we were wrong, Ella shouted, get down

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here and bring your map. Ella laid her photos in

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topographic map on a small table and waited for Luis

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to add his own. The others gathered around to hear

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what she said, but Hector and Marlowe kept their eyes

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on the river. Hippos stay in the water most of

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the time, but will travel around ten miles to graze.

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Ella pointed at a circle on the map. Our photos

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were taken here, so we assumed they had migrated up

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the Magdalena to this inlet. It was the only logical

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place they could be. But we know a hippo was

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here recently. The inlet is too far away for a

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bull to have wandered. We were going to go right

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past them. I'm thrilled for you, lady, Louise said, But

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like my mother in law always says, you pay full

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price even if you don't go all the way. Was

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your mother in law a prostitute, Keith asked, second finest

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in all of Columbia. Louise told him if she'd have

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been the first, I'd have married her instead. It might

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have worked out better, Hector added, the answer seemed so

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obvious that no one looked for another. Ella sketched a

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rough circle that joined their current location to the confirmed sighting.

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The calves were photographed at one end of the grays Lands,

285
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and we're sitting on the other. You can't see it

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on my map because of the canopy, but yours is

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hand drawn. There's a large pond right in the center.

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What isn't on your map is the tributary that feeds it.

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00:22:22.839 --> 00:22:25.640
That's because we already have enough ways to get killed

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in this country without going down. Rio dedl mortal seriously,

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Ella stiffened. It's actually called the river of deadly evil.

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You have a river of deadly evil. Keith screeched, Of

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course not, Luis laughed. It's hard enough to get taurists

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this far into the jungle without scary rivers. It looks

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narrow and shallow. Probably someone just figured there was no

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point drawing it on. Can the boat make it through?

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Marlow asked, If not, I don't give refunds. Louise sipped

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his coffee. You'll both see your hippos soon. Louise ducked

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under a branch, careful to keep his hand on the wheel.

300
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The hull scraped noisily against the rocky banks of the

301
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narrow channel. He stood and eased back on the throttle.

302
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Navigating the unmarked river had proven more challenging than the

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map suggested. The jungle reached out for the boat on

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both sides, swatting at the passengers like it was shooting gnats.

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00:23:41.599 --> 00:23:44.839
A monkey jumped from one of the trees, using the

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boat as a stepping stone to the other side. Louise

307
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watched the foliage to make sure it wasn't being pursued

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Alto Alto. Hector called out from the bow. Something in

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the bushes ahead. Check it out quickly, Pendell Louise shouted back.

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Hector stepped onto the rail, using a branch for stability

311
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as he hopped over a round boulder and on to

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the bank. The former rebel moved gracefully through the brush.

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He stopped in his tracks as something rustled behind him.

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He turned to find Ella picking herself up from the ground.

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He should have stayed on the boat, Hector told her,

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00:24:33.759 --> 00:24:38.279
many dangerous things here. Marlowe swung from a vine to

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land between them. He unslung the rifle from across his back.

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Hector groaned and signaled for both of them to stay

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quiet before moving on. Ella shoved past marlow to catch up.

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The hunter chuckled. The smell of death lingered, but without

321
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the usual accompaniment of scavengers. Hector pushed through waste high grass,

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stepping into mud. Blood squished up around his boot soles.

323
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A hippopotamus carcass laid on its side. The bones were

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still wet where the meat had been removed, and its

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organs were strewn from its split belly all the way

326
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to the water's edge. Ornaments hung from the trees like

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archaic wind chimes. Ella investigated one of them. Vertebrae were

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spaced out along hand braided ropes with conical spikes at

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the end. These teeth are crocodilian, she said. The bones aren't,

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though they're human. Marlowe informed them some poor bastard spine.

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This animal was butchered, Hector said, kneeling to examine the

332
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bear femur. There are knife marks another poacher. Ella asked,

333
00:26:12.920 --> 00:26:17.839
with a baleful glare at Marlowe, Jesus the monsters cut

334
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out its teeth, all of them. Marlowe said a hunter

335
00:26:23.039 --> 00:26:26.920
would have only taken the tusks These cuts are ragged

336
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and much too rough for steel. This was indios revenge.

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Hector rattled one of the wind chimes. The crocodile has

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been revered across the globe since time began. Marlowe nodded.

339
00:26:43.680 --> 00:26:47.440
The hippo killed one of their gods. They got their payback.

340
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They probably took the meat to appease the other crocs

341
00:26:51.400 --> 00:26:56.920
and keeping there good graces. Holy shit, Keith called from

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00:26:56.920 --> 00:27:02.799
the boat. He zoomed in on the carnage. That's insane, Ella,

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you're not going to believe the shot. He should probably

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keep quiet, Marlow suggested, while bringing his rifle to bear.

345
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This was a pup. The hippos will be more aggressive now.

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There's too many rocks here. Louise bellowed, I can't slow

347
00:27:23.480 --> 00:27:27.759
down anymore. You need to get back on the boat. Hector,

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00:27:28.480 --> 00:27:32.519
what color is the bottom of the boat. Ella watched

349
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the crock teeth swaying on the ceremonial decor white, I guess.

350
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Hector shrugged like a croc belly. Marlow whispered back on

351
00:27:46.000 --> 00:27:51.920
the boat, Louis ordered. Marlow turned slowly, scanning the jungle

352
00:27:52.000 --> 00:27:57.359
for movement. Ella gasped when he pointed the rifle straight

353
00:27:57.359 --> 00:28:02.200
at her. She watched as his finger moved to the

354
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trigger and took up the slack. The muzzle flash stretched

355
00:28:07.240 --> 00:28:12.359
at her like dragon's breath, accompanying the terrifying roar of

356
00:28:12.440 --> 00:28:17.200
the big game rifle. The ground rumbled around her. She

357
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whirled around to see the hippo dead at her feet.

358
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A wisp of smoke drifted from the fist sized hole

359
00:28:28.480 --> 00:28:33.920
in its skull. Crikey, that was a close one. Marlow

360
00:28:34.039 --> 00:28:39.680
chambered another round. Good thing, I reloaded, since someone took

361
00:28:39.720 --> 00:28:43.720
the bullets from my rifle. No worries I brought more.

362
00:28:45.359 --> 00:28:50.440
Keith screamed as the boat listed violently. Great boulders bobbed

363
00:28:50.440 --> 00:28:54.640
to the surface around the vessel. A muffled whoomp came

364
00:28:54.720 --> 00:28:59.200
from the water, jostling the boat again. The group stood

365
00:28:59.440 --> 00:29:04.400
petrified as the boulders stretched open their wide jaws and

366
00:29:04.519 --> 00:29:10.680
cried out. Unseen members of the pod responded throughout the jungle.

367
00:29:11.359 --> 00:29:15.839
An immense hippo exploded out of the water, crashing bodily

368
00:29:15.920 --> 00:29:20.759
onto the boat's stern. The bow rose up, throwing Louis

369
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from the helm. The captain hit the deck with a splash.

370
00:29:25.480 --> 00:29:30.480
Four thousand pounds of hippopotamus pressed it deeper into the water.

371
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Louis clawed at the floorboards. The beast's fetid breath washed

372
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over him as he slid closer to the gaping maw

373
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on the shore. The others watched as Louise was dragged,

374
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screaming beneath the surface. Keith Ella cried out, you have

375
00:29:54.400 --> 00:29:59.559
to jump. Water rose around the cameraman's legs. The ship

376
00:29:59.640 --> 00:30:03.519
was going down fast. Hippo jaws snapped at him over

377
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the guardrails. He shook his head. I can't jump, Are

378
00:30:08.519 --> 00:30:14.720
you insane? He whined, They'll eat me. You're sinking, dopey.

379
00:30:15.400 --> 00:30:20.319
Marlow shouted, now get off the bloody boat. Automatic rifle

380
00:30:20.400 --> 00:30:25.079
fire masked any reply Keith might have given. Hector sprayed

381
00:30:25.119 --> 00:30:28.839
from his hip at the charging bull. The barrage did

382
00:30:28.920 --> 00:30:33.160
nothing to slow the beast. Hector fumbled a fresh magazine.

383
00:30:33.920 --> 00:30:38.960
The hippo swiped its head once, impaling the soldier with

384
00:30:39.079 --> 00:30:44.480
its tusks. It raised Hector's screaming body into the air,

385
00:30:45.079 --> 00:30:50.519
crushing his torso like an aluminum can. Marlowe knelt and

386
00:30:50.640 --> 00:30:55.920
fired a shot through the hippo's eye. The hippopotamus collapsed

387
00:30:56.359 --> 00:31:02.000
with Hector wheezing his last breaths still between its teeth.

388
00:31:03.240 --> 00:31:08.400
Everybody run, Marlowe barked. Keith put a foot on the

389
00:31:08.519 --> 00:31:12.839
railing and leapt for the shore. Ella reached out for him,

390
00:31:13.599 --> 00:31:19.200
and so did a hippo. The jaws closed around his legs,

391
00:31:19.559 --> 00:31:23.839
swinging him to the shore. Ella grabbed him by the wrists.

392
00:31:24.400 --> 00:31:28.640
The hippo tugged on him. Ella dug her heels into

393
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the muck and tried desperately to pull him free. The

394
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hippo gave a slight jerk, ripping Keith's legs off with ease.

395
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Ella cried as she dragged him up the embankment to her.

396
00:31:45.240 --> 00:31:48.920
She was torn away from him. Suddenly, she landed on

397
00:31:49.039 --> 00:31:55.240
her back, expecting to see tusks closing around her face. Instead,

398
00:31:56.319 --> 00:32:02.559
she saw Marlowe dragging her away by the collar. No,

399
00:32:03.440 --> 00:32:07.680
she shouted, She clawed at the hunter's hands. We have

400
00:32:07.839 --> 00:32:12.119
to help him. There's no help for him. Marlowe struggled

401
00:32:12.119 --> 00:32:16.160
to get her up. Get on your feet, Keith cried out.

402
00:32:17.079 --> 00:32:21.960
Ella wrestled free and scrambled to the edge. The big

403
00:32:22.079 --> 00:32:26.160
female that capsized the boat rushed out to meet her.

404
00:32:27.119 --> 00:32:31.960
A hoof came down on Keith his rib cage collapsed

405
00:32:32.599 --> 00:32:37.960
in one wet crunch. Jaws snapped shut in front of

406
00:32:38.039 --> 00:32:42.119
Ella's face with enough force to blow her auburn hair back.

407
00:32:43.359 --> 00:32:47.440
Marlowe blasted a chunk from the beast's snout and worked

408
00:32:47.519 --> 00:32:52.880
the rifle bolt. Now can we bloody leave? Ella used

409
00:32:52.920 --> 00:32:57.240
Marlowe's belt to pull herself up. The hunter swung her

410
00:32:57.279 --> 00:33:01.920
by the arm. Despite the uneven start, she gained her

411
00:33:01.960 --> 00:33:06.359
footing quickly and broke into a full sprint with marlow

412
00:33:06.680 --> 00:33:11.319
on her heels. The giant female charged out of the jungle,

413
00:33:11.680 --> 00:33:16.920
uprooting trees in furious pursuit of the humans. Shoot it.

414
00:33:17.480 --> 00:33:22.200
Ella plaied, I only have one more shot. Marlow answered,

415
00:33:22.880 --> 00:33:27.799
you said you had more on the boat. Marlow snarled,

416
00:33:28.759 --> 00:33:33.680
what is that? Look up ahead? The jungle broke open,

417
00:33:34.119 --> 00:33:38.960
giving way to a sun drenched clearing full of tall grass.

418
00:33:39.519 --> 00:33:43.319
On the far end stood something as out of place

419
00:33:43.759 --> 00:33:49.880
as the cocaine hippos themselves? Is that a mansion? We're

420
00:33:49.920 --> 00:33:53.039
not going to live long enough to find out. Marlow

421
00:33:53.160 --> 00:33:57.839
growled that Sheila's right on our ass. The hippo let

422
00:33:57.880 --> 00:34:03.079
its jaw hang open, ready to chomp through them. Marlowe

423
00:34:03.160 --> 00:34:06.400
knew he wouldn't have time to line up a kill shot.

424
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He threw himself into Ella, sending her careening into the

425
00:34:11.199 --> 00:34:17.199
lush flora. Marlowe leaped the other direction. The hippo slid

426
00:34:17.320 --> 00:34:21.920
and stumbled as it tried to correct course. It wheeled around,

427
00:34:22.320 --> 00:34:27.159
turning its head between the two possible victims. Its black

428
00:34:27.199 --> 00:34:30.760
eye focused on the rifle that had mauled its face.

429
00:34:31.599 --> 00:34:34.800
It snorted and scratched at the earth with its hoof.

430
00:34:35.880 --> 00:34:40.119
There was no time to aim. Marlowe's bullet went wide,

431
00:34:40.679 --> 00:34:45.280
striking the hippo in the neck. Blood spurted from the crater.

432
00:34:46.440 --> 00:34:51.280
The monster fell on a bent knee. Ella walked towards it,

433
00:34:52.039 --> 00:34:58.599
cupping her hands over her mouth. The hippo dragged itself along.

434
00:34:59.119 --> 00:35:03.199
Its jaws snapped weakly as it tried to get close

435
00:35:03.280 --> 00:35:10.360
to marlow for one final go finish it. Ella sniffled.

436
00:35:11.679 --> 00:35:16.079
Put it out of its misery. I told you I'm

437
00:35:16.119 --> 00:35:22.239
out of ammunition now, Marlowe laughed. As the hippo collapsed.

438
00:35:23.000 --> 00:35:27.679
He watched its struggle for breath. Even after all of this,

439
00:35:28.400 --> 00:35:33.280
here still on their side. You still have my bullets.

440
00:35:34.039 --> 00:35:38.000
Ella reached to the pocket on her vest. The brass

441
00:35:38.199 --> 00:35:43.760
rattled as she shakily fished out a single bullet. That's

442
00:35:43.760 --> 00:35:47.840
a good lass. Marlowe walked to her and shoved the

443
00:35:47.960 --> 00:35:52.400
rifle into her chest. You got the ammo, now you

444
00:35:52.440 --> 00:35:56.719
have the rifle too. Marlowe leaned against a tree trunk

445
00:35:57.320 --> 00:36:02.559
and gestured for her to finish the wounded animal. Go on,

446
00:36:03.280 --> 00:36:09.159
he said, do it, end it suffering. Ella loaded a

447
00:36:09.159 --> 00:36:14.719
bullet into the chamber and closed the bolt. You heard

448
00:36:14.719 --> 00:36:20.239
the calls, Ella, We're surrounded by them, Marlowe continued. I

449
00:36:20.320 --> 00:36:23.719
can keep you alive until help comes. I'm the only

450
00:36:23.880 --> 00:36:26.960
chance you have, and you haven't even got that until

451
00:36:26.960 --> 00:36:30.519
you show me you're worth saving. Kill the fucking thing.

452
00:36:31.639 --> 00:36:35.960
Ella raised the rifle to her shoulder. She tried to

453
00:36:36.079 --> 00:36:41.800
sight through the scope, but tears obscured her view. A long,

454
00:36:42.239 --> 00:36:48.719
plaintive wine came from the hippopotamus before it fell still.

455
00:36:50.440 --> 00:36:55.559
Ella watched for signs of life, but none came. It

456
00:36:55.639 --> 00:37:00.159
had bled out. She let the rifle hang limply in

457
00:37:00.239 --> 00:37:07.039
her hands. How's that for principles? Marlow snorted and walked away.

458
00:37:08.280 --> 00:37:11.440
Such an animal lover, but you let one die like that,

459
00:37:12.719 --> 00:37:15.440
I reckon, that makes you a damn sight worse than me.

460
00:37:16.519 --> 00:37:21.000
Fuck you keep shouting, Ella, It'll distract the others while

461
00:37:21.000 --> 00:37:24.599
I make a run for the hacienda. Ella kept her

462
00:37:24.639 --> 00:37:28.880
finger on the trigger as they crossed the clearing. If

463
00:37:28.920 --> 00:37:34.320
there was another attack, she'd be ready, ready to put

464
00:37:34.320 --> 00:37:41.960
her one shot right between Marlowe's shoulder blades before she died. Nearby,

465
00:37:42.599 --> 00:37:47.320
a hippo bellowed. Ella listened to the number of responses

466
00:37:47.960 --> 00:37:51.920
and shook her head. The calls were coming from across

467
00:37:51.960 --> 00:37:56.480
the POD's entire range. She tried to guess at how

468
00:37:56.519 --> 00:37:59.840
many animals were out there. The number she came up

469
00:37:59.880 --> 00:38:06.159
with was entirely too large. She'd assumed the hippo sidings

470
00:38:06.199 --> 00:38:10.559
were a secondary herd that had migrated away from the original.

471
00:38:11.440 --> 00:38:16.000
She'd anticipated a colony of a dozen at most. The

472
00:38:16.039 --> 00:38:22.239
female that attacked them was fully matured and larger than average.

473
00:38:22.639 --> 00:38:28.119
A pungent stench disrupted her thoughts. Ella paid attention to

474
00:38:28.199 --> 00:38:33.239
the grass for the first time. Hippo shit clung to

475
00:38:33.360 --> 00:38:38.679
the long, swaying blades. It had smeared across her shorts

476
00:38:38.800 --> 00:38:43.280
and bare legs. Ella stared at the small mansion beyond.

477
00:38:44.199 --> 00:38:47.760
It looked like a private getaway and had clearly been

478
00:38:47.800 --> 00:38:53.400
abandoned for quite a while. Pablo Escobar had many homes

479
00:38:53.440 --> 00:38:59.440
across the country. This one looked special, a place where

480
00:38:59.480 --> 00:39:03.599
he was a father and not a drug lord. She

481
00:39:03.760 --> 00:39:09.320
froze in her tracks. Hippos were her daughter's favorite animal.

482
00:39:11.199 --> 00:39:15.880
Looks like Pablo was a regular. P T. Barnum Marlow said,

483
00:39:16.119 --> 00:39:20.199
coming to the same conclusion. He waved a hand at

484
00:39:20.199 --> 00:39:25.239
the expansive retaining pond. A rusty fence lay in ruins

485
00:39:25.280 --> 00:39:30.559
around it. Red algae formed a thick layer, concealing its

486
00:39:30.679 --> 00:39:35.880
murky depths. Guess they're more effective than guard dogs. The

487
00:39:36.000 --> 00:39:40.679
authorities definitely never found this place. I bet there's a

488
00:39:40.719 --> 00:39:46.440
ton of cocaine inside. You won't find out. Ella said, Oh,

489
00:39:47.079 --> 00:39:50.480
why is that? Marlow put his hands on his hips.

490
00:39:51.440 --> 00:39:54.199
I'm perfectly safe as long as you have the gun.

491
00:39:55.440 --> 00:39:59.719
Ella aimed the rifle. Marlow followed the barrel to the

492
00:39:59.719 --> 00:40:05.159
pond and the bubbles popping on its surface. She fired.

493
00:40:06.280 --> 00:40:10.320
The stagnant water erupted in a geyser that showered the hunter.

494
00:40:11.360 --> 00:40:16.320
The bull sprang up. Marlowe watched the small fortune of

495
00:40:16.440 --> 00:40:21.519
ivory stretch open wide. The pink gullet rushed towards him.

496
00:40:22.320 --> 00:40:28.760
Darkness enshrouded the poacher. His feet kicked helplessly as he

497
00:40:28.880 --> 00:40:34.559
descended whole down the hippo's throat. The four ton bull

498
00:40:34.679 --> 00:40:39.039
let itself slide off the side and sunk back to

499
00:40:39.159 --> 00:40:44.800
the bottom of the lake to digest its meal. Ella

500
00:40:44.960 --> 00:40:49.440
walked to the mansion steps. A baby hippo ran from

501
00:40:49.519 --> 00:40:53.400
the porch when it saw her coming. The door was

502
00:40:53.519 --> 00:40:59.280
long gone. Inside, she found all the furnishing still in place.

503
00:41:00.599 --> 00:41:04.079
It seemed as though Marlowe had been correct about no

504
00:41:04.079 --> 00:41:09.480
one finding the property. The local wildlife certainly had, though.

505
00:41:10.559 --> 00:41:15.239
Ella flopped onto a couch, freeing thirty years of dust.

506
00:41:16.440 --> 00:41:20.199
If she was never found, at least she'd die in style.

507
00:41:21.760 --> 00:41:26.159
Ella ejected the empty casing from the rifle and rummaged

508
00:41:26.199 --> 00:41:30.519
for another bullet. She wondered if any canned goods would

509
00:41:30.559 --> 00:41:34.840
still be edible, or if she'd find some way to

510
00:41:34.960 --> 00:41:39.079
call for help. Ella pressed a bullet into the chamber

511
00:41:39.719 --> 00:41:43.679
and closed the bolt. There may have been things she

512
00:41:43.760 --> 00:41:47.559
could use, but she needed to search while there was

513
00:41:47.599 --> 00:41:53.199
still daylight coming through the dingy windows. She begrudgingly gave

514
00:41:53.320 --> 00:41:59.920
up the comfort of the sofa. The door frame crashed inward, showered,

515
00:42:00.039 --> 00:42:05.239
ring the imported marble with debris. The bull looked around slowly.

516
00:42:06.360 --> 00:42:10.360
Ella ducked behind the couch and risked a peak at

517
00:42:10.400 --> 00:42:16.679
the animal. Years of battle scars ornamented its flesh. The

518
00:42:16.800 --> 00:42:22.079
bull stared back at her and snorted, its jaw hung open.

519
00:42:23.360 --> 00:42:29.760
Ella swore she could hear Marlowe crying deep inside its belly.

520
00:42:31.320 --> 00:42:36.480
She'd been so adamant about preserving the Colombian hippos, but

521
00:42:36.719 --> 00:42:41.679
she didn't want to die either. She raised the rifle,

522
00:42:42.360 --> 00:42:47.679
steadying it on the back of the couch. Tears welled up.

523
00:42:48.519 --> 00:42:53.000
She thought about killing it to save herself, only to

524
00:42:53.079 --> 00:42:57.920
be killed by another one later. It would all be worthless.

525
00:42:57.960 --> 00:43:03.440
Then she broke down, sobbing and choking for a breath.

526
00:43:04.440 --> 00:43:09.239
She heard the marble cracking under his hoofs. The room shook.

527
00:43:10.320 --> 00:43:15.119
All she could see was the blurry mammoth form charging

528
00:43:15.159 --> 00:43:20.960
at her. Someone was crying out for help. Maybe it

529
00:43:21.039 --> 00:43:28.079
was Marlowe slowly digesting inside, or maybe it was her

530
00:43:28.159 --> 00:43:37.719
own voice begging for another solution. Heaving, stinking breaths assaulted her.

531
00:43:38.239 --> 00:43:53.280
As it drew closer, Ella squeezed the trigger. Wolf rage

532
00:43:54.079 --> 00:43:59.880
by rob fields. It's Friday night, and I'm out here

533
00:44:00.039 --> 00:44:03.400
on the football field at Strickfield High School. It wasn't

534
00:44:03.400 --> 00:44:07.119
too long ago. I was entertaining people in Malibu, California

535
00:44:07.440 --> 00:44:10.199
as they watched me strut my shit on the runway

536
00:44:10.559 --> 00:44:14.360
while posing in the latest fashions. Now I'm strutting my

537
00:44:14.440 --> 00:44:17.880
shit to the local crowds in Strickfield, Ohio in a

538
00:44:18.119 --> 00:44:22.199
cheerleading uniform. Yeah, I was on top of the world.

539
00:44:22.599 --> 00:44:26.639
I'd made it. I had everything, and I lost it

540
00:44:26.719 --> 00:44:32.000
all just like that. My name's Danielle Boyd, which my

541
00:44:32.079 --> 00:44:36.960
friends usually shortened to Danny boy. I left Strickfield after

542
00:44:37.079 --> 00:44:40.119
Junior High was over, taking what little money I had

543
00:44:40.559 --> 00:44:43.760
and wearing only the clothes on my back. I was

544
00:44:43.840 --> 00:44:46.880
determined to get away from my parents and get to

545
00:44:46.960 --> 00:44:51.719
California anyway I could. I got there by riding my

546
00:44:51.840 --> 00:44:54.960
thumb and believe me when I say I had no

547
00:44:55.159 --> 00:44:58.559
problem getting rides. I didn't even have to show any

548
00:44:58.599 --> 00:45:03.000
of my goodies or perform sexual favors. Anyway. I made

549
00:45:03.000 --> 00:45:06.400
it to Malibu. Like I said, I had very little money.

550
00:45:07.119 --> 00:45:11.360
I was homeless. Here's some irony. When mom and I

551
00:45:11.440 --> 00:45:13.880
had our last fight, she told me I'd never be

552
00:45:13.960 --> 00:45:17.360
able to get by on my looks alone. But that's

553
00:45:17.440 --> 00:45:21.159
exactly what I ended up doing. I wasn't homeless long

554
00:45:21.239 --> 00:45:25.440
before someone from the Inglewood Talent agency approached me. No

555
00:45:25.840 --> 00:45:29.199
I wasn't being tapped star in movies and damn sure

556
00:45:29.280 --> 00:45:33.760
not porn. No I had the look the agent was

557
00:45:33.800 --> 00:45:37.800
looking for, so after going through all the formalities, they

558
00:45:37.840 --> 00:45:40.400
didn't care I was under age at the time. I

559
00:45:40.480 --> 00:45:43.840
ended up posing for magazine ads and appearing in commercials.

560
00:45:44.280 --> 00:45:47.559
It wasn't long before I became a runway model, posing

561
00:45:47.599 --> 00:45:51.920
in some really extravagant fashions. I didn't become rich, but

562
00:45:52.039 --> 00:45:54.280
I was making more than enough money to be able

563
00:45:54.280 --> 00:45:57.039
to eat, have fun, and come up with my share

564
00:45:57.039 --> 00:45:59.320
of rent. Once I started living with a few girls

565
00:45:59.400 --> 00:46:02.159
from the agent, we were living in a house at

566
00:46:02.199 --> 00:46:06.079
the Ocean, I had it made. I really felt like

567
00:46:06.159 --> 00:46:08.239
I was going to be carefree in living the good

568
00:46:08.280 --> 00:46:10.920
life for as long as I wanted to. I always

569
00:46:10.960 --> 00:46:13.199
played by the rules when it came to the agency.

570
00:46:13.800 --> 00:46:16.840
I didn't drink or do drugs. I did what was

571
00:46:16.880 --> 00:46:20.440
asked of me and got paid great money. But you

572
00:46:20.639 --> 00:46:24.880
just knew something was going to go horribly wrong just

573
00:46:24.960 --> 00:46:28.400
looking around this football field. Now I'm half naked and

574
00:46:28.440 --> 00:46:31.880
feeling my tits bounce as I'm doing the routines. I'm

575
00:46:31.920 --> 00:46:34.440
sure plenty of the male population are checking out my

576
00:46:34.519 --> 00:46:39.079
ass when I bend over. God, I fucking hate cheerleading.

577
00:46:39.559 --> 00:46:43.880
Hate it. I'm only doing it as a kind of meditation,

578
00:46:44.760 --> 00:46:49.440
you see. I have some serious anger issues. When the

579
00:46:49.440 --> 00:46:52.320
game's over, I'm in the shower and cleaning up. Then

580
00:46:52.360 --> 00:46:55.159
I get dressed and start walking back to the apartment

581
00:46:55.199 --> 00:46:59.760
that Darla Cantrell, my best friend, is sharing with me. Oh,

582
00:46:59.840 --> 00:47:04.519
my parents definitely know I'm back. They let me know

583
00:47:04.760 --> 00:47:10.119
on no uncertain terms, I'm not welcome back home. Yeah,

584
00:47:10.159 --> 00:47:15.320
fuck my parents. My anger issues definitely started with them.

585
00:47:15.840 --> 00:47:19.519
My parents are constant Bible thumpers for the First Church

586
00:47:19.559 --> 00:47:22.719
of the Divine Power, and just kept shoving their religion

587
00:47:22.760 --> 00:47:25.639
down my throat. They'd even yell at me for the

588
00:47:25.760 --> 00:47:29.719
stupidest shit. They'd make me dress up in the shittiest clothes,

589
00:47:30.039 --> 00:47:32.519
and they dragged me to church as much as possible.

590
00:47:33.199 --> 00:47:36.719
My parents hated all the looks people gave me. I

591
00:47:36.760 --> 00:47:39.960
guess I made any clothes look good, and my parents

592
00:47:40.000 --> 00:47:43.360
accused me of being a flirt a slut or a

593
00:47:43.480 --> 00:47:48.320
harlot because of it. The day came when they told

594
00:47:48.360 --> 00:47:51.400
me I was going to marry the evangelist's son and

595
00:47:51.440 --> 00:47:56.880
be his loyal wife. Oh that was the last fucking straw.

596
00:47:57.280 --> 00:47:59.719
My anger built up so much over the years that

597
00:47:59.760 --> 00:48:03.760
I finally couldn't take my parents anymore and totally lost

598
00:48:03.800 --> 00:48:07.440
my shit. That was when I grabbed the handyman's hammer

599
00:48:07.719 --> 00:48:11.320
and started smashing anything in that church I could. I

600
00:48:11.400 --> 00:48:15.440
never knew I could get that angry, but God damn

601
00:48:15.480 --> 00:48:19.639
did releasing it just feel exhilarating. When I finished, I

602
00:48:19.679 --> 00:48:22.719
walked right out of that church and left for Malibu

603
00:48:23.159 --> 00:48:26.840
that very night. When Mom told me before that I'd

604
00:48:26.880 --> 00:48:29.639
never make it on my looks, I told her to

605
00:48:29.840 --> 00:48:33.079
just watch me. In fact, Mom was quick to tell

606
00:48:33.119 --> 00:48:35.960
me that again when she saw I was back in Strickfield.

607
00:48:36.679 --> 00:48:40.199
So here I am living the poor life again. But

608
00:48:40.280 --> 00:48:42.679
I'd rather be living the poor life than living with

609
00:48:42.760 --> 00:48:46.719
my parents. I'd rather live my life for me. Do

610
00:48:46.800 --> 00:48:50.239
I sound selfish and conceited? Well, you try living with

611
00:48:50.320 --> 00:48:54.599
my parents then, Speaking of whom, their van just pulled

612
00:48:54.679 --> 00:48:57.840
up beside me. I keep walking, but they're driving to

613
00:48:57.920 --> 00:49:00.679
a crawl. I tell them to leave me alone, but

614
00:49:00.719 --> 00:49:03.519
they keep telling me I'm a Jezebel who turned her

615
00:49:03.559 --> 00:49:06.599
back on God when I walked out on them. Now

616
00:49:06.639 --> 00:49:09.320
I know they were at the game and saw me cheerleading.

617
00:49:10.039 --> 00:49:13.079
I keep telling them to leave me the fuck alone,

618
00:49:13.159 --> 00:49:18.719
that I'm never coming back home or back to their church. Finally,

619
00:49:18.800 --> 00:49:20.760
Dad gets out of the van and comes at me.

620
00:49:21.039 --> 00:49:23.639
He grabs me and tells me they're bringing me back

621
00:49:23.679 --> 00:49:26.400
to God if it's the last thing they do. As

622
00:49:26.440 --> 00:49:29.480
I'm struggling against Dad, I gasp. When I feel the

623
00:49:29.559 --> 00:49:33.960
sudden surge throughout my body. I scream and pull, free

624
00:49:34.000 --> 00:49:37.639
falling on my ass. I quickly get up and I run.

625
00:49:38.519 --> 00:49:42.239
I'm really hating my parents for lighting my fuse right now.

626
00:49:42.920 --> 00:49:44.880
I make it into an alley. When I feel my

627
00:49:44.960 --> 00:49:49.840
clothes starting to get tight and rip, my spine crackles

628
00:49:49.840 --> 00:49:53.599
and gets long. My muscle's hurt and get bigger and thicker.

629
00:49:53.880 --> 00:49:58.360
I feel pricklyes as the fur starts growing out my mouth,

630
00:49:58.800 --> 00:50:04.320
my hands, and my feet start to elongate. My body's

631
00:50:04.400 --> 00:50:11.480
even growing. When I finish changing, I'm a big silver werewolf.

632
00:50:13.159 --> 00:50:16.440
When Dad finally comes at me, I glare right at

633
00:50:16.519 --> 00:50:21.079
him and roar I chase my dad back to his van.

634
00:50:22.000 --> 00:50:25.360
Mom screams when she sees me. I give her a roar.

635
00:50:25.480 --> 00:50:28.880
She won't soon forget. When Dad gets the van going,

636
00:50:29.079 --> 00:50:32.039
I grab the driver's side door and rip it off.

637
00:50:32.559 --> 00:50:34.960
I roar at them before I throw the door away

638
00:50:35.480 --> 00:50:39.639
and run after them on all fours. When they make

639
00:50:39.679 --> 00:50:42.440
a turn, they feel me slam against the side of

640
00:50:42.480 --> 00:50:45.199
the van and make it stop. I pull Dad out

641
00:50:45.440 --> 00:50:47.440
and slam him up against the side of the van.

642
00:50:47.840 --> 00:50:51.360
I roar again. Then Mom comes around with a gun.

643
00:50:52.320 --> 00:50:55.199
I'm so pissed at them right now. We parted ways

644
00:50:55.239 --> 00:50:59.480
a long time ago. Just leave me the fuck alone.

645
00:51:00.199 --> 00:51:04.960
Mom shoots me with a few silver bullets. Oh yeah,

646
00:51:05.119 --> 00:51:08.000
that'll work. I slapped the gun out of her hand

647
00:51:08.000 --> 00:51:12.480
and watch them run away. I really want to tear

648
00:51:12.559 --> 00:51:15.679
them apart. The more I think about it, the more

649
00:51:15.719 --> 00:51:20.480
I decide they're not worth it. I turn and run

650
00:51:20.559 --> 00:51:24.880
before other people can see me. Anyway. Now you know

651
00:51:25.039 --> 00:51:29.239
why I had to leave Malibu behind. In fact, it

652
00:51:29.360 --> 00:51:33.599
was there where I was cursed. Now I know what

653
00:51:33.639 --> 00:51:36.960
you're going to ask. Wait a minute, Danny boy, don't

654
00:51:37.000 --> 00:51:40.079
you change only when it's a full moon? You'd figure

655
00:51:40.679 --> 00:51:48.159
I suppose I better explain that I just finished to

656
00:51:48.239 --> 00:51:51.760
follow up pictorial in Vanity Fair, followed by a Runway

657
00:51:51.800 --> 00:51:55.800
show two months ago. I posed nude for Vanity Fair.

658
00:51:56.400 --> 00:51:59.199
It was quite the artistic pictorial, if I do say

659
00:51:59.239 --> 00:52:03.760
so myself. Today, like most days, was a long one.

660
00:52:03.800 --> 00:52:07.039
I was very tired and wanted to go home. I

661
00:52:07.159 --> 00:52:09.159
was going to get naked and go swimming in the

662
00:52:09.159 --> 00:52:12.440
ocean out back, like I did most every night. That

663
00:52:12.800 --> 00:52:17.039
or some night surfing for the record. There was a

664
00:52:17.079 --> 00:52:20.360
solar eclipse going on. I knew my roommates would be

665
00:52:20.400 --> 00:52:23.559
on the upper patio watching it. I just wanted to

666
00:52:23.599 --> 00:52:27.119
go swimming. I took a shortcut through Malibu Bluff's Park

667
00:52:27.440 --> 00:52:30.719
to save me ten minutes getting home. Any other night

668
00:52:31.159 --> 00:52:35.440
there was no problem, but not on that eclipse night. No.

669
00:52:35.880 --> 00:52:40.199
Something was going to happen that would change my life forever.

670
00:52:40.880 --> 00:52:43.840
As I walked through the park, I had that strange

671
00:52:43.920 --> 00:52:48.280
feeling I was being watched. I walked faster, but still

672
00:52:48.320 --> 00:52:51.400
had a little ways to walk before reaching Malibu Road.

673
00:52:52.480 --> 00:52:55.360
Suddenly I heard a loud growl and was attacked by

674
00:52:55.400 --> 00:52:58.760
something big. It crashed into me and knocked me on

675
00:52:58.880 --> 00:53:01.960
my ass. Then the thing grabbed me, and I screamed

676
00:53:01.960 --> 00:53:05.960
as it bit into my naked shoulder and clamped down hard.

677
00:53:06.760 --> 00:53:10.519
The pain was unbearable and I couldn't stop screaming. I

678
00:53:10.599 --> 00:53:15.360
felt blood slowly running down my skin. I stopped screaming

679
00:53:15.960 --> 00:53:19.559
and cried. The more I struggled, the worse the pain got.

680
00:53:20.639 --> 00:53:24.119
When I screamed again, the monster finally moved away from me.

681
00:53:25.360 --> 00:53:29.119
I think we both heard voices. Something deep down told

682
00:53:29.159 --> 00:53:32.480
me I didn't want those people finding me. I forced

683
00:53:32.480 --> 00:53:35.719
myself to move and hide in some bushes. A bunch

684
00:53:35.760 --> 00:53:39.559
of people hurried past me, probably looking for the thing

685
00:53:39.639 --> 00:53:42.360
that bit me. I took my top off to push

686
00:53:42.360 --> 00:53:45.960
it against my bites until I could get home. Funny thing,

687
00:53:46.800 --> 00:53:52.480
I wasn't hurting anymore. Also, my injuries healed up fast.

688
00:53:53.400 --> 00:53:56.360
Deep down, I knew shit was going to get real,

689
00:53:57.199 --> 00:54:01.960
just a question of when, not if. When I got home,

690
00:54:02.039 --> 00:54:05.559
my roommates saw me and asked what happened. I lied

691
00:54:05.599 --> 00:54:07.800
and told them I was daydreaming and tripped on my

692
00:54:07.840 --> 00:54:12.920
own feet. Yeah, they didn't believe me. When I assured

693
00:54:12.960 --> 00:54:16.079
them I wasn't raped, they left me alone. I got

694
00:54:16.199 --> 00:54:18.840
naked and headed out back to do some night swimming.

695
00:54:20.039 --> 00:54:23.800
A few weeks later, Ldonna, one of my roommates, asked

696
00:54:23.800 --> 00:54:26.000
if i'd pick up her car at the garage since

697
00:54:26.000 --> 00:54:28.760
I was off. She gave me her plastic and I

698
00:54:28.800 --> 00:54:31.920
went and got her car. I was driving it back

699
00:54:31.960 --> 00:54:35.639
to the house. Of course, some drunken fuck tard had

700
00:54:35.719 --> 00:54:38.639
run a red light and slammed into me. At the

701
00:54:38.679 --> 00:54:41.320
same time I heard a tire blow. I had to

702
00:54:41.320 --> 00:54:44.000
fight to control the car, but I still slammed into

703
00:54:44.039 --> 00:54:48.280
a tree. I was fine thanks to the seatbelt. However,

704
00:54:48.360 --> 00:54:51.719
I was trapped inside the car, pinned by the steering wheel,

705
00:54:51.880 --> 00:54:56.000
and worse, I couldn't open my door. I got scared

706
00:54:56.079 --> 00:54:58.440
fast when I saw smoke coming out from under the

707
00:54:58.440 --> 00:55:02.679
hood and knew the end was on fire. This car

708
00:55:03.239 --> 00:55:07.760
was going to explode. First, I was bitten by whatever

709
00:55:07.800 --> 00:55:10.760
that thing was. Now I was trapped in Ladanna's car.

710
00:55:11.280 --> 00:55:14.320
That's two nights in two weeks. I was in situations

711
00:55:14.320 --> 00:55:16.960
where I felt like I was going to die, but

712
00:55:17.119 --> 00:55:21.719
now I knew I was completely fucked. The more I struggled,

713
00:55:21.840 --> 00:55:25.800
the more I got pissed. I'm not dying, not like this,

714
00:55:26.320 --> 00:55:31.519
I yelled. Suddenly, a powerful surge seemingly shot through my body.

715
00:55:31.920 --> 00:55:34.039
I screamed when I saw the whole front of the

716
00:55:34.119 --> 00:55:37.440
car was on fire. Now that sudden surge made me

717
00:55:37.559 --> 00:55:43.360
feel so weird. What was happening to me? I felt

718
00:55:43.360 --> 00:55:46.760
myself aching all over. I heard my clothes ripping and

719
00:55:46.840 --> 00:55:50.119
saw my top and booty shorts were coming apart. And

720
00:55:50.199 --> 00:55:55.800
I started to feel amazingly strong. Hair was growing all

721
00:55:55.840 --> 00:55:58.679
over my body. I felt my mouth stretching out. My

722
00:55:58.800 --> 00:56:02.239
teeth were getting really sharp. I could see my fingers

723
00:56:02.559 --> 00:56:10.880
turning into claws. I kept changing, changing, changing. I put

724
00:56:10.920 --> 00:56:13.599
my clawed hand on the side of the door and

725
00:56:13.719 --> 00:56:17.519
pushed it away. I grabbed the steering wheel and easily

726
00:56:17.559 --> 00:56:20.239
broke it off. I got out of the car and

727
00:56:20.400 --> 00:56:24.880
leaped away from it just as it exploded. I landed

728
00:56:24.920 --> 00:56:31.239
on my hind legs. I looked myself over and saw

729
00:56:31.280 --> 00:56:35.679
I was covered with silver fur. I looked and felt

730
00:56:36.280 --> 00:56:41.480
incredibly strong. I was much taller, I had claws for hands,

731
00:56:41.639 --> 00:56:46.440
wolf like feet, and even a long tail. I wanted

732
00:56:46.440 --> 00:56:51.400
to ask what the actual fucking fuck, but all that

733
00:56:51.519 --> 00:56:55.079
came out was a bunch of growls. I was attacked

734
00:56:55.079 --> 00:56:59.800
by a werewolf and survived. So now the curse finally

735
00:56:59.840 --> 00:57:03.320
caught me only. There were a few things wrong with

736
00:57:03.920 --> 00:57:10.039
my particular story. One there was no full moon. Two,

737
00:57:10.639 --> 00:57:14.159
I could think for myself, not like a beast. I

738
00:57:14.239 --> 00:57:18.199
knew my name was Danielle Boyd and lived in Malibu, California.

739
00:57:18.679 --> 00:57:22.079
I knew I was a fucking werewolf. I couldn't speak

740
00:57:22.119 --> 00:57:26.679
as a human, but I could think in English. Just fine.

741
00:57:26.840 --> 00:57:28.880
I was a werewolf for the rest of that night.

742
00:57:29.639 --> 00:57:33.719
When daylight came, I was still a werewolf. Would I

743
00:57:33.840 --> 00:57:35.920
be what was supposed to be a creature of the

744
00:57:36.000 --> 00:57:42.280
night forever? Fortunately? No. As I hid and sat down

745
00:57:42.360 --> 00:57:50.679
to think, I started to change, change, change. I was

746
00:57:50.800 --> 00:57:56.719
Danielle Boyd again, and completely naked. A few cops saw

747
00:57:56.760 --> 00:57:59.880
me and chased me down. I lost them fast. I

748
00:58:00.119 --> 00:58:02.519
made it home and got inside through an open window.

749
00:58:03.280 --> 00:58:06.360
After I took a shower, I got dressed and took

750
00:58:06.400 --> 00:58:12.880
an uber to the agency. And that's where things got messy.

751
00:58:14.000 --> 00:58:24.159
Don't go away weekly, Spooky will be right back. I

752
00:58:24.280 --> 00:58:29.519
was modeling some new designer swimwear. The photographer, Kendall Boswell,

753
00:58:29.719 --> 00:58:33.800
was a real asshole who liked biting and snapping at everyone.

754
00:58:33.920 --> 00:58:37.800
Kendall's pissed me off many times. I'm in this chute

755
00:58:37.840 --> 00:58:41.480
with Paris, my other roommate, who's a very sensitive girl.

756
00:58:42.199 --> 00:58:45.320
Almost midway through the chute, Kendall pushed Paris to the

757
00:58:45.320 --> 00:58:49.400
point where she started to cry. I comforted Paris and

758
00:58:49.440 --> 00:58:53.320
told Kendall to go get fucked. He never liked when

759
00:58:53.320 --> 00:58:56.480
I stood up to him. He quickly put the camera down.

760
00:58:57.000 --> 00:59:00.599
Then he lashed out, slapped me and told me to

761
00:59:00.639 --> 00:59:05.039
start knowing my place. Oh did I ever see red?

762
00:59:05.280 --> 00:59:09.280
And that sudden surge hit me like lightning. Kendall got

763
00:59:09.320 --> 00:59:12.800
scared quick and pissed his pants when he saw me changing.

764
00:59:13.400 --> 00:59:17.159
I felt the pain when I changed. Soon I was

765
00:59:17.199 --> 00:59:21.119
a werewolf again, just like before. I was fully aware

766
00:59:21.199 --> 00:59:26.000
of everything, including the fact that I was still seeing red.

767
00:59:26.679 --> 00:59:29.960
I grabbed Kendall and lifted him off the floor. He

768
00:59:30.119 --> 00:59:33.480
screamed and shrieked like a little girl. I wanted to

769
00:59:33.599 --> 00:59:37.360
yell fuck you, but all that came out was a

770
00:59:37.400 --> 00:59:41.159
loud roar. I heard Paris scream and look to see

771
00:59:41.199 --> 00:59:43.880
her hands were covering her mouth and her eyes were

772
00:59:43.920 --> 00:59:47.559
wide open. I dropped Kendall, who got up and ran

773
00:59:47.639 --> 00:59:50.719
away like his ass depended on it. I turned to

774
00:59:50.719 --> 00:59:55.000
tell Paris not to be scared. I just couldn't speak English,

775
00:59:55.320 --> 00:59:59.360
only growl and snap. I held up my clawed hands

776
00:59:59.400 --> 01:00:03.320
to tell Paris to calm down, but she screamed again.

777
01:00:03.840 --> 01:00:07.320
Then the security guards were coming. I turned and escaped,

778
01:00:07.800 --> 01:00:11.400
running on all fours. I crashed through a window and

779
01:00:11.519 --> 01:00:15.800
dropped to the alley below. It was still daytime. More

780
01:00:15.840 --> 01:00:19.719
people saw me and screamed. I turned and ran. I

781
01:00:19.840 --> 01:00:23.159
kept running until I got back to the house. I

782
01:00:23.280 --> 01:00:25.679
crawled in through a window and sat in a corner.

783
01:00:26.599 --> 01:00:29.800
I needed to think. As time passed, I was calming

784
01:00:29.840 --> 01:00:33.039
down and relaxing to where I could change back to

785
01:00:33.119 --> 01:00:38.119
my human form again. Like before, I was completely naked,

786
01:00:38.599 --> 01:00:42.880
being honest, I love my body. Before this shit happened,

787
01:00:42.880 --> 01:00:45.840
i'd catch hell from Paris and LaDonna for walking around

788
01:00:45.840 --> 01:00:49.159
the house naked. They'd really give me hell when I

789
01:00:49.199 --> 01:00:52.559
answered the door naked to the pizza guys. I didn't care.

790
01:00:53.360 --> 01:00:57.559
I feel free when I'm naked. Besides, pizza delivery boys

791
01:00:57.639 --> 01:01:01.400
know what naked females look like, right, But seeing my

792
01:01:01.519 --> 01:01:06.400
nudity now reminded me I was cursed, and I cried

793
01:01:07.599 --> 01:01:12.000
that werewolf attacked me and passed his shit to me. Somehow,

794
01:01:12.039 --> 01:01:14.599
I knew deep down the werewolf that attacked me was

795
01:01:14.639 --> 01:01:19.679
a normal one, not capable of thinking the way I could. Also,

796
01:01:19.800 --> 01:01:24.079
it was during a solar eclipse, which probably counted as

797
01:01:24.119 --> 01:01:27.000
a full moon. But the more I thought about it,

798
01:01:27.280 --> 01:01:29.639
the more I felt it had to be the eclipse.

799
01:01:30.079 --> 01:01:33.920
How else could I explain my unique differences from regular werewolves,

800
01:01:34.400 --> 01:01:37.559
at least as I understand them from books and movies.

801
01:01:38.360 --> 01:01:41.320
I decided to find the werewolf who turned me and

802
01:01:41.519 --> 01:01:45.760
tear that fucker apart. I waited until the next full

803
01:01:45.840 --> 01:01:49.559
moon and went back to Malibu Bluff's Park. I hung

804
01:01:49.639 --> 01:01:53.000
around there and waited. Then I saw I was still human,

805
01:01:53.039 --> 01:01:56.320
which meant I did not change during a full moon,

806
01:01:57.440 --> 01:02:00.440
was being cursed under a lunar eclipse. Really that big

807
01:02:00.440 --> 01:02:03.760
of a deal shows how much I know about things

808
01:02:03.840 --> 01:02:09.519
like werewolves, and I fucking hate horror movies. Suddenly, the

809
01:02:09.519 --> 01:02:12.360
monster shot out of the bushes and attacked me. After

810
01:02:12.400 --> 01:02:14.800
we rolled around, I got up and faced the fucker.

811
01:02:15.559 --> 01:02:18.679
Oh I was pissed. I mean I was fighting mad.

812
01:02:19.199 --> 01:02:21.920
I gasped when the powerful surge hit me, and the

813
01:02:21.960 --> 01:02:25.880
other wolf watched as I changed. When I was finished,

814
01:02:25.960 --> 01:02:29.599
I roared and attacked. At first I was fighting like

815
01:02:29.639 --> 01:02:33.920
an animal. Then I remembered I could actually think, so

816
01:02:34.039 --> 01:02:36.559
I used my skills that I learned on the streets

817
01:02:36.800 --> 01:02:40.639
and started kicking the other werewolve's ass. I relished every

818
01:02:40.719 --> 01:02:43.159
bit of this. I was going to rip that other

819
01:02:43.199 --> 01:02:48.280
wolf into as many pieces as I could. Unfortunately, that

820
01:02:48.440 --> 01:02:53.960
didn't happen. Those people showed up again, and they had shotguns.

821
01:02:54.559 --> 01:02:57.800
I easily saw the one leading them. He was a big,

822
01:02:57.880 --> 01:03:01.920
fat hillbilly bob with a camel fla vest, a hunting cap,

823
01:03:02.320 --> 01:03:05.480
and a shotgun of his own. Those people wasted no

824
01:03:05.639 --> 01:03:09.760
time shooting first and asking questions later. We both got

825
01:03:09.800 --> 01:03:13.320
shot up with silver bullets. I didn't even fight back.

826
01:03:14.239 --> 01:03:18.119
The truth was I really didn't want this curse and

827
01:03:19.440 --> 01:03:23.760
no such luck. The fucker who turned me was definitely killed.

828
01:03:24.000 --> 01:03:27.400
In fact, that werewolf turned back into some fuckwad I'd

829
01:03:27.440 --> 01:03:32.199
never even seen before me. I suddenly sat right up.

830
01:03:32.400 --> 01:03:35.679
I was still a werewolf, and all the silver bullets

831
01:03:35.679 --> 01:03:40.239
were popping right out of me. Seriously. When I stood up,

832
01:03:40.280 --> 01:03:42.639
the hunters and I had a brief stare down before

833
01:03:42.639 --> 01:03:45.840
I surprised them. I moved my hand to my shoulder

834
01:03:46.159 --> 01:03:49.199
and acted like I was brushing dirt off it. Then

835
01:03:49.239 --> 01:03:52.239
I raised both my middle fingers to them and ran

836
01:03:52.320 --> 01:03:56.719
off to quickly leave them behind. That was it. That

837
01:03:56.920 --> 01:03:59.840
was the end of Malibu for me. I couldn't stay

838
01:03:59.840 --> 01:04:03.800
there anymore, especially with those hillbilly Bob's and Bessie's who

839
01:04:03.920 --> 01:04:09.039
hunted my kind being around like that. Okay, silver bullets

840
01:04:09.079 --> 01:04:12.320
couldn't kill me, and I wasn't waiting around for those

841
01:04:12.360 --> 01:04:15.880
trigger happy fuckers to find something that would. But what

842
01:04:16.039 --> 01:04:19.760
hurt more was that Paris was scared of me, so

843
01:04:19.840 --> 01:04:22.480
I couldn't live at the house with her and LaDonna anymore.

844
01:04:23.199 --> 01:04:26.960
Plus other people had seen me change. My dream life

845
01:04:26.960 --> 01:04:33.760
in Malibu was fucked. I was fucked. After I got dressed,

846
01:04:33.760 --> 01:04:35.719
I left my final share of the rent on the

847
01:04:35.800 --> 01:04:39.719
kitchen table with a note saying goodbye, and walked out

848
01:04:40.320 --> 01:04:44.360
for the last time. All I had was the money

849
01:04:44.400 --> 01:04:46.920
I had on me and the clothes on my back.

850
01:04:47.559 --> 01:04:51.199
The only place I could go was back to Strickfield.

851
01:04:51.880 --> 01:04:55.719
As before, I walked and rowed my thumb along the way.

852
01:04:55.800 --> 01:04:58.280
I worked a few odd jobs for room and board

853
01:04:58.280 --> 01:05:01.559
when offered, which was how I learned about working on

854
01:05:01.639 --> 01:05:05.639
a farm. I finally made it back to Strickfield. There

855
01:05:05.719 --> 01:05:08.320
was no way I was going back home, though it

856
01:05:08.360 --> 01:05:12.199
wouldn't matter. Someone would eventually tell my parents I was back,

857
01:05:12.960 --> 01:05:15.119
Like when I first got to Malibu. I was all

858
01:05:15.159 --> 01:05:19.719
set to live on the streets. Then my childhood friend,

859
01:05:20.079 --> 01:05:23.719
Darla Cantrell saw me. I kept in touch with her

860
01:05:23.800 --> 01:05:26.920
since leaving Strickfield. She was my best friend and I

861
01:05:26.920 --> 01:05:29.920
couldn't just shit on her. I didn't want to tell

862
01:05:29.960 --> 01:05:33.400
her I was homeless. I could never get anything past Darla,

863
01:05:33.440 --> 01:05:36.400
though she quickly invited me to come live with her

864
01:05:36.440 --> 01:05:40.400
at her apartment at Strickfield Cove. Darla was a senior

865
01:05:40.440 --> 01:05:43.400
at Strickfield High School. However, she worked as a stripper

866
01:05:43.440 --> 01:05:47.480
at Sexpectations, a gentleman's club just a couple miles outside

867
01:05:47.519 --> 01:05:50.480
the village. She really didn't care if the principal of

868
01:05:50.519 --> 01:05:53.400
the high school found out or not. She started working

869
01:05:53.400 --> 01:05:56.920
as a stripper just after she turned eighteen. Darla told

870
01:05:56.960 --> 01:06:00.639
me she could get me a job at Sexpectations. I

871
01:06:00.639 --> 01:06:02.719
would have liked to have taken it, but I knew

872
01:06:02.760 --> 01:06:06.039
I had to stay out of the limelight. Darla told

873
01:06:06.079 --> 01:06:09.519
me about the kinds of assholes that frequent there. I

874
01:06:09.559 --> 01:06:13.800
didn't need to lose my shit because of them. Darla

875
01:06:13.880 --> 01:06:17.000
talked me into coming to school with her. Strickfield High

876
01:06:17.000 --> 01:06:21.079
always has open enrollment. When I was modeling the agency

877
01:06:21.159 --> 01:06:23.840
I worked for, got teachers for me. Since I couldn't

878
01:06:23.880 --> 01:06:26.960
go to public school on account of the job, I

879
01:06:27.119 --> 01:06:29.800
just had to get through senior year and would do

880
01:06:29.840 --> 01:06:33.679
it at Strickfield High. When I was enrolling, Principal Matthew

881
01:06:33.760 --> 01:06:38.320
Van Diast couldn't keep his eyes off of my bust line.

882
01:06:38.360 --> 01:06:41.880
He's a man, so I couldn't really blame him anyway.

883
01:06:42.280 --> 01:06:45.280
I love the attention. I quickly noticed he had his

884
01:06:45.360 --> 01:06:49.119
eyes on some skinny chick named Bella Tabon, who would

885
01:06:49.159 --> 01:06:52.920
soon become one of my fellow cheerleaders. So there I

886
01:06:53.119 --> 01:06:58.039
was in an actual high school. It really hurt deep inside.

887
01:06:58.639 --> 01:07:01.400
I missed Malibu so much much. I knew I could

888
01:07:01.480 --> 01:07:05.280
never go back thanks to my curse I had fallen

889
01:07:05.320 --> 01:07:09.239
from grace. I didn't know how smart those hillbilly bob

890
01:07:09.280 --> 01:07:12.400
werewolf hunters were, but I couldn't take the chance of

891
01:07:12.760 --> 01:07:14.800
tapping any of the money I put in my bank

892
01:07:14.840 --> 01:07:18.320
account back in California. I didn't need to bring those

893
01:07:18.400 --> 01:07:22.440
fucks to Strickfield. I filled out some job applications and

894
01:07:22.480 --> 01:07:25.880
got a night management position at Roth's Rings, a twenty

895
01:07:25.920 --> 01:07:29.719
four hour donut shop near the university. The pay wasn't

896
01:07:29.760 --> 01:07:32.639
bad and the hours were great. At least it was

897
01:07:32.679 --> 01:07:36.679
something until I could find something better. Darla talked me

898
01:07:36.719 --> 01:07:39.960
into going out for the cheerleading squad. At first I

899
01:07:40.000 --> 01:07:43.559
didn't want to. Finally I gave in and tried out.

900
01:07:44.199 --> 01:07:47.199
I made the cut. Darla still wasn't giving up on

901
01:07:47.320 --> 01:07:49.159
trying to get me to come to work with her

902
01:07:49.519 --> 01:07:54.000
at sexpectations. Come on, Danny boy, you know you wanna,

903
01:07:54.559 --> 01:07:57.960
she says at lunch break. You're just dying to show

904
01:07:57.960 --> 01:08:01.760
off that sizzling body of yours. You always walk around

905
01:08:01.760 --> 01:08:04.599
our apartment naked, So do it for an appreciative audience

906
01:08:04.639 --> 01:08:07.559
and get paid good for it. I shake my head.

907
01:08:08.360 --> 01:08:11.760
I'll keep making donuts and shaking my TNA on Friday nights.

908
01:08:12.400 --> 01:08:17.800
Thanks anyway, Darla flashes her sexy smile. Stephen Chase is

909
01:08:17.840 --> 01:08:21.439
looking at you right now. I can tell he's carrying

910
01:08:21.479 --> 01:08:24.680
a torch for you. Stephen Chase is in most of

911
01:08:24.720 --> 01:08:28.479
my classes, including the one I'm in now. He seems

912
01:08:28.600 --> 01:08:31.079
like a good guy. I can tell he wants to

913
01:08:31.079 --> 01:08:34.239
ask me out, but he's having a hard time approaching me.

914
01:08:34.880 --> 01:08:38.479
I definitely can't hide my feelings from Darla. She knows

915
01:08:38.520 --> 01:08:41.479
I'm considering giving him a chance if he asks me.

916
01:08:42.439 --> 01:08:45.760
But dare I take that leap? How do I explain

917
01:08:45.800 --> 01:08:48.760
it to him? When I get pissed off and change?

918
01:08:49.199 --> 01:08:52.920
And could he deal with a girl with serious anger issues?

919
01:08:53.600 --> 01:08:57.479
And again I relegate myself to playing the shy girl.

920
01:08:57.960 --> 01:09:01.720
I just can't get romantic with anybody. There can never

921
01:09:01.800 --> 01:09:05.560
be a normal me again. I put my hands on

922
01:09:05.640 --> 01:09:10.279
my forehead and groan. Suddenly, mister Scott Samborn is on

923
01:09:10.439 --> 01:09:13.079
me and points right at me. Since you seem to

924
01:09:13.079 --> 01:09:16.359
think my lecture's boring, you can take over and explain

925
01:09:16.439 --> 01:09:20.079
the problem on the board. I try to protest, at

926
01:09:20.119 --> 01:09:22.680
least to get my shoes. He won't even let me

927
01:09:22.760 --> 01:09:25.720
do that. Now I'm standing in front of the class.

928
01:09:25.880 --> 01:09:28.399
Every guy is checking out my bare legs and feet.

929
01:09:28.439 --> 01:09:32.079
As I'm explaining how to do the problem, Darla gives

930
01:09:32.159 --> 01:09:35.079
me that smirk that tells me I'm out there now

931
01:09:35.560 --> 01:09:38.600
and guys are going to be asking me out. Then

932
01:09:38.800 --> 01:09:43.960
she blows me a kiss. After I finished drying off

933
01:09:44.000 --> 01:09:46.840
from taking a shower. I walked to my room to

934
01:09:46.880 --> 01:09:50.279
get dressed for work. Darla sees me in the hallway

935
01:09:50.560 --> 01:09:54.520
and gives me that look again. Really, Danny, boy, you

936
01:09:54.600 --> 01:09:57.960
can't wear a towel to your room. She gives me

937
01:09:58.000 --> 01:10:01.880
a sexy smile. Siously, you want to be naked all

938
01:10:01.880 --> 01:10:05.520
the time, come to work at sexpectations with me? I smirk.

939
01:10:06.119 --> 01:10:09.840
What's the matter? Does me being naked make you nervous?

940
01:10:10.399 --> 01:10:13.119
I point at her, ain't no different than you walking

941
01:10:13.159 --> 01:10:17.119
around in your underwear. Darla groans again when she knows

942
01:10:17.199 --> 01:10:20.960
she won't win with me. Suddenly the door bursts open.

943
01:10:21.279 --> 01:10:23.960
My parents are there, along with some of their church people,

944
01:10:24.039 --> 01:10:27.399
and they've got guns. Get the fuck out of here,

945
01:10:27.920 --> 01:10:32.159
Darla demands. One of the fuckers raises his gun and

946
01:10:32.279 --> 01:10:36.039
shoots Darla in the shoulder, making her drop fast. I

947
01:10:36.079 --> 01:10:40.800
scream in terror, and then Dad shoots me, but it's

948
01:10:40.840 --> 01:10:44.520
a dart. I'm falling to the floor. In just seconds,

949
01:10:48.199 --> 01:10:51.760
I wake up to some familiar surroundings. I'm in the

950
01:10:51.800 --> 01:10:54.920
basement of the First Church of the Divine Power, a

951
01:10:55.039 --> 01:10:58.560
church my parents have been devout followers of. I'm in

952
01:10:58.640 --> 01:11:02.560
an office. I feel the gag and the handcuffs behind

953
01:11:02.560 --> 01:11:06.279
my back. Your father told you we were bringing you

954
01:11:06.359 --> 01:11:10.199
back to God, Danielle. Mom says, then I see the

955
01:11:10.279 --> 01:11:13.640
fucker who shot Darla, and I scream and rage through

956
01:11:13.680 --> 01:11:17.680
my gag. I'll fucking kill you. And then I hear

957
01:11:17.800 --> 01:11:21.920
Darla moan and see her tied and gagged across the room.

958
01:11:23.119 --> 01:11:28.000
She looks pretty bad, probably from blood loss. Then Mom

959
01:11:28.079 --> 01:11:30.840
says to me, your friend there lived in sin and

960
01:11:30.880 --> 01:11:34.319
wanted to take my baby girl with her. She deserves

961
01:11:34.359 --> 01:11:38.760
to die. She points at me. You owe God. He

962
01:11:38.960 --> 01:11:41.800
gave you your great beauty, and all you did was

963
01:11:41.920 --> 01:11:45.039
squander it. You even went against God's plan for you

964
01:11:45.119 --> 01:11:49.680
to marry the evangelist's son. Fuck you, I growl through

965
01:11:49.720 --> 01:11:53.159
the gag. Mom tightens her jaw and slaps me hard

966
01:11:53.199 --> 01:11:57.520
across the face. Don't you ever use vulgarity in God's house?

967
01:11:58.800 --> 01:12:01.479
She holds up a copy of Vanity Fair from two

968
01:12:01.520 --> 01:12:05.760
months ago. She slaps me harder, confirming she's seen my

969
01:12:05.880 --> 01:12:10.880
nude pictorial. I close my eyes in pain. Then Mom says,

970
01:12:10.920 --> 01:12:15.800
in disgust, how dare you? Then she says, to the

971
01:12:15.840 --> 01:12:20.960
coltist who shot Darla, give Danielle's friend her final judgment.

972
01:12:21.720 --> 01:12:26.199
She turns to Darla. You tainted my baby girl, and

973
01:12:26.279 --> 01:12:32.239
now you're going straight to hell. When Darla screams through

974
01:12:32.279 --> 01:12:36.479
her gag, I shake with anger and open my eyes. Mom,

975
01:12:37.279 --> 01:12:42.840
the coltists, and Darla gasp with surprise. Turns out. When

976
01:12:42.840 --> 01:12:46.840
my fire gets burning, my eyes turn blood red. I

977
01:12:46.920 --> 01:12:50.680
feel that incredible surge throughout my body again. I have

978
01:12:50.760 --> 01:12:53.479
an oversized T shirt on me, but it becomes too

979
01:12:53.560 --> 01:12:57.840
tight and rips apart as I change. The handcuffs break

980
01:12:57.960 --> 01:13:01.880
on both shackles. When I stand up, the coldest who

981
01:13:01.880 --> 01:13:05.720
shot Darla shoots me in the face. I want to

982
01:13:05.760 --> 01:13:09.560
scream at him, but all that comes out are angry roars.

983
01:13:10.199 --> 01:13:13.039
The bullet pops out of my face and I heel

984
01:13:13.119 --> 01:13:16.319
up fast. I grab the bastard's gun and break it.

985
01:13:16.840 --> 01:13:19.319
Then I hit him hard enough to send him through

986
01:13:19.319 --> 01:13:23.720
the wall. Now I turn to Mom to see her

987
01:13:23.800 --> 01:13:27.319
shaking all over. She makes the sign of the Cross

988
01:13:27.520 --> 01:13:31.239
as she utters, Oh God in heaven, Danielle, Oh my baby.

989
01:13:32.399 --> 01:13:36.640
My fire is a raging inferno. All I see is

990
01:13:36.800 --> 01:13:40.880
pure red. To think these fuckers were spying on me

991
01:13:41.000 --> 01:13:44.720
the whole time. Mom and Dad knew everything I was

992
01:13:44.800 --> 01:13:49.199
doing In Malibu, with the exception of getting cursed in

993
01:13:49.239 --> 01:13:52.439
my pissed off state, I remember that I call the

994
01:13:52.520 --> 01:13:56.359
shots when it comes to my werewolf body. Then I

995
01:13:56.439 --> 01:14:00.000
get shot again. I look and see Dad emptying him

996
01:14:00.199 --> 01:14:05.279
pistol into me, silver bullets. Like in Malibu, they just

997
01:14:05.399 --> 01:14:08.600
pop right out of my body. I roar in utter

998
01:14:08.720 --> 01:14:12.359
rage and knock Dad aside. I even shove Mom on

999
01:14:12.399 --> 01:14:15.760
her ass. The other Coultists try and attack me, but

1000
01:14:15.880 --> 01:14:19.880
I easily throw them off. Darla looks at me with

1001
01:14:20.000 --> 01:14:23.039
wide eyes as I untie her and lift her into

1002
01:14:23.039 --> 01:14:26.239
my arms and get her out of that church. I

1003
01:14:26.359 --> 01:14:28.800
run as fast as my hind legs can move me

1004
01:14:29.359 --> 01:14:35.319
and quickly get Darla to the hospital. Three days later,

1005
01:14:35.840 --> 01:14:40.800
I'm leaving Strickfield. I'm still reading yesterday's paper. It says

1006
01:14:40.840 --> 01:14:44.840
everybody at the first Church of the Divine Power was slaughtered.

1007
01:14:45.479 --> 01:14:49.600
In fact, the event is being called the Strickfield Church massacre.

1008
01:14:50.520 --> 01:14:57.319
But I know I didn't kill anybody. The police talk

1009
01:14:57.439 --> 01:15:00.199
to me but couldn't connect me with the event. They

1010
01:15:00.239 --> 01:15:03.560
even question Darla, and she didn't say one word to

1011
01:15:03.680 --> 01:15:06.960
them about me. I could see she was afraid of me.

1012
01:15:07.039 --> 01:15:11.560
Though I had no choice. I had to leave Strickfield

1013
01:15:11.760 --> 01:15:15.039
and keep moving from town to town. I have to

1014
01:15:15.079 --> 01:15:20.479
stay away from people, period. My life is totally fucked now.

1015
01:15:21.880 --> 01:15:26.239
Suddenly a car pulls up beside me. Stop right there,

1016
01:15:26.359 --> 01:15:30.520
Danny boy. Darla. She's out of the hospital with a

1017
01:15:30.560 --> 01:15:33.359
sling on her arm. I can tell she's still hurting,

1018
01:15:33.439 --> 01:15:38.239
but here she is with her car. I'm not coming back, Darla,

1019
01:15:38.640 --> 01:15:42.960
I reply, you saw what I am. Darla gets out

1020
01:15:42.960 --> 01:15:46.000
of her car and comes to me. You didn't kill

1021
01:15:46.039 --> 01:15:50.039
those people. I was there with you. I shake my head,

1022
01:15:50.720 --> 01:15:54.680
but I can't prove it wasn't me. So you're gonna run.

1023
01:15:55.279 --> 01:16:00.520
Darla snaps, You're gonna take the blame bullshit. She shoves me.

1024
01:16:01.000 --> 01:16:03.319
You're coming home with me and we are going to

1025
01:16:03.359 --> 01:16:08.039
figure out the truth together. But I'm a monster, Darla,

1026
01:16:08.840 --> 01:16:13.479
I remind her. Darla growls and shoves me again. So

1027
01:16:13.680 --> 01:16:17.359
fucking use it. Find the fuckers who did the massacre,

1028
01:16:18.000 --> 01:16:22.279
clear your name. Stop fucking running away, Danny boy. You're

1029
01:16:22.319 --> 01:16:27.439
stronger than this. When Darla hugs me, I know I

1030
01:16:27.479 --> 01:16:31.840
can't run from her. Darla truly is my dearest friend.

1031
01:16:34.119 --> 01:16:38.000
I agree to return to Strickfield with her. We have

1032
01:16:38.079 --> 01:16:42.720
to solve the Strickfield Church massacre, which means I'll be

1033
01:16:42.840 --> 01:16:46.720
back to share more of my exploits with you find people.

1034
01:16:47.680 --> 01:17:00.800
But until then, Tata my dog Dug by David o'hin daddy,

1035
01:17:01.159 --> 01:17:05.159
I want this one. Abby's tiny voice replayed in Barry's

1036
01:17:05.159 --> 01:17:07.560
head as he wiped the dog shit off of his

1037
01:17:07.600 --> 01:17:12.199
bare foot. Lindsey found the Armant on Craigslist. Normally, they

1038
01:17:12.239 --> 01:17:15.399
were extremely hard to find outside of their native Egypt,

1039
01:17:15.800 --> 01:17:21.079
not to mention expensive, smart, protective, and loyal. They were

1040
01:17:21.079 --> 01:17:24.319
the perfect breed for just about any family. He wasn't

1041
01:17:24.359 --> 01:17:26.960
a very large dog, less than two feet at his

1042
01:17:27.039 --> 01:17:30.600
scraggly shoulders, nor did he look like he ate a lot.

1043
01:17:31.079 --> 01:17:35.840
Plus he was free, which sealed the deal. The lady

1044
01:17:35.880 --> 01:17:38.399
had told them that Doug needed more attention than she

1045
01:17:38.439 --> 01:17:42.640
could provide, which wouldn't be an issue with Abbey. Why

1046
01:17:42.680 --> 01:17:46.199
any one would name a dog Doug, however, was beyond

1047
01:17:46.279 --> 01:17:51.159
Barry's understanding. Still, Abby and Lindsay thought it was adorable,

1048
01:17:51.319 --> 01:17:54.479
So Doug the dog joined the family with an excited

1049
01:17:54.520 --> 01:17:57.720
wag of his curly tail and a more excited screech

1050
01:17:58.239 --> 01:18:02.239
from Abbey. The Warners had just bought a new home.

1051
01:18:02.520 --> 01:18:05.000
It was much larger than they needed, but the location

1052
01:18:05.199 --> 01:18:08.560
was isolated and it had been priced to sell. That

1053
01:18:08.760 --> 01:18:11.960
was always a plus for the frugal Berry Warner. The

1054
01:18:12.039 --> 01:18:14.680
fourth bedroom was an extra, so Barry had made it

1055
01:18:14.720 --> 01:18:18.800
into a playroom for his daughter, who promptly re christened

1056
01:18:18.800 --> 01:18:21.760
it the set of the Abbey and Doug tea time review.

1057
01:18:22.439 --> 01:18:25.920
Every afternoon, they sat at the pretty pink picnic table

1058
01:18:25.960 --> 01:18:29.279
in front of a live studio audience of stuffed animals,

1059
01:18:29.560 --> 01:18:32.359
while Abby talked about the cartoons that her and Doug

1060
01:18:32.439 --> 01:18:35.640
had been watching. Doug's roll consisted of sitting on the

1061
01:18:35.680 --> 01:18:38.239
bench and fighting the urge to lick his own ass.

1062
01:18:38.960 --> 01:18:41.720
Barry credited the dog for being such a good sport.

1063
01:18:42.239 --> 01:18:44.439
Every once in a while, the dog would even offer

1064
01:18:44.479 --> 01:18:47.239
a yip of agreement to Abbey's seven year old opinions

1065
01:18:47.560 --> 01:18:51.199
on the geopolitical climate of Oz and other fantasy worlds.

1066
01:18:51.960 --> 01:18:54.279
They had been in the house a week when the

1067
01:18:54.319 --> 01:18:59.680
noises started scratching in the walls. That immediately sent Barry's

1068
01:18:59.680 --> 01:19:04.159
horror writer brain into action. You can't write scary stories

1069
01:19:04.199 --> 01:19:08.880
without believing on some base level that it could actually happen.

1070
01:19:09.800 --> 01:19:13.039
Barry was a practical man, so he immediately got out

1071
01:19:13.039 --> 01:19:17.359
his EVP recorder and began to scan the house. Obviously

1072
01:19:17.399 --> 01:19:20.800
there was something strange going on. He didn't pick up

1073
01:19:20.800 --> 01:19:24.119
anything out of the ordinary, though Lindsey told him it

1074
01:19:24.159 --> 01:19:27.439
was probably nothing. By the second week, they began to

1075
01:19:27.520 --> 01:19:31.520
find things out of place or just missing altogether. Still,

1076
01:19:31.880 --> 01:19:35.720
Lindsey insisted that they were simply being forgetful or Abby

1077
01:19:35.880 --> 01:19:38.760
was moving them in an attempt to be funny. Who

1078
01:19:38.800 --> 01:19:43.000
wouldn't find disappearing house key's humorous after all, And the

1079
01:19:43.000 --> 01:19:45.560
attic door opening on its own, well, that was just

1080
01:19:45.640 --> 01:19:49.640
a real gasser. Lindsay swore it was a breeze blowing

1081
01:19:49.680 --> 01:19:53.239
in from some bad seal or something. But Barry had

1082
01:19:53.239 --> 01:19:57.399
written this novel twice and knew the skeptic was always wrong.

1083
01:19:58.479 --> 01:20:01.720
The strangeness continued over the next three weeks, and Barry

1084
01:20:01.840 --> 01:20:04.520
was thoroughly convinced that there was a ghost in their

1085
01:20:04.560 --> 01:20:08.439
new home. It seemed Doug thought so as well. Barry

1086
01:20:08.479 --> 01:20:11.039
had been woken up at three one morning by a low,

1087
01:20:11.720 --> 01:20:15.920
long growl emanating from the playroom. Barry crept down the

1088
01:20:15.960 --> 01:20:20.159
hall armed with a less than intimidating participation trophy from

1089
01:20:20.159 --> 01:20:23.600
a Halloween writing contest he found Doug standing on the

1090
01:20:23.600 --> 01:20:28.000
picnic table, ears pricked up and teeth bared. He was

1091
01:20:28.039 --> 01:20:34.600
staring at the ceiling, growling continuously. Doug. Barry whispered. The

1092
01:20:34.680 --> 01:20:39.239
dog didn't respond more growling at the ceiling, but nothing else.

1093
01:20:40.119 --> 01:20:43.119
Barry stepped further into the room and said the dog's

1094
01:20:43.199 --> 01:20:46.720
name again. He noticed the time on the disney clock.

1095
01:20:47.800 --> 01:20:52.079
It's just a coincidence, he tried to convince himself. It's

1096
01:20:52.119 --> 01:20:57.680
definitely not a demon. Still, he cocked back the little trophy,

1097
01:20:57.760 --> 01:20:59.880
unsure if he would be better striking with the foam

1098
01:21:00.000 --> 01:21:04.319
marble bass or the bedazzled jack o' lantern topper. Barry

1099
01:21:04.399 --> 01:21:07.319
reached for a playbroom propped up on the little tyke's

1100
01:21:07.399 --> 01:21:10.680
kitchen and bumped the spot on the ceiling. Doug appeared

1101
01:21:10.680 --> 01:21:13.720
to be staring at. Barry jumped as things and the

1102
01:21:13.760 --> 01:21:16.760
ceiling ran in different directions to get away from his thumping.

1103
01:21:17.840 --> 01:21:20.680
In the dead of night, the tiny claws scratching the

1104
01:21:20.680 --> 01:21:24.600
crawl space echoed around him. Barry patted the dog with

1105
01:21:24.600 --> 01:21:28.479
a sweaty palm and went back to bed, but not

1106
01:21:28.640 --> 01:21:34.119
to sleep. That would take a while. It's definitely not

1107
01:21:34.399 --> 01:21:40.640
a demon, berry, he reassured himself. Shit, please don't be

1108
01:21:40.720 --> 01:21:44.479
a demon. Once the sun came up and some lucky

1109
01:21:44.560 --> 01:21:47.520
charms went down, he was ready to do some investigating.

1110
01:21:48.079 --> 01:21:51.640
Doug find the rats. He pointed at the ceiling with

1111
01:21:51.680 --> 01:21:54.680
a thumb. Doug climbed into the chair next to him

1112
01:21:54.680 --> 01:21:57.920
and waited for his cereal. Barry looked down at his bowl,

1113
01:21:58.119 --> 01:22:00.640
spooned out the last couple of marshmallows, and slid the

1114
01:22:00.680 --> 01:22:04.359
soggy leftovers to the dog. Don't get used to it.

1115
01:22:04.399 --> 01:22:07.720
I'm only doing it because you're my canary today. Once

1116
01:22:07.800 --> 01:22:10.239
Doug was done eating, Barry grabbed a box of milk

1117
01:22:10.279 --> 01:22:14.119
bones and headed for the basement door. Doug whimpered and

1118
01:22:14.159 --> 01:22:17.399
looked towards the ceiling. He ran upstairs, and Barry followed

1119
01:22:17.439 --> 01:22:22.560
after him. Maybe the rats are isolated upstairs, or maybe

1120
01:22:22.600 --> 01:22:25.720
the ghosts live in the basement. He wasn't sure which

1121
01:22:25.760 --> 01:22:30.159
idea he would prefer. The spry young dog made it

1122
01:22:30.239 --> 01:22:33.079
up the stairs long before he did, and he watched

1123
01:22:33.119 --> 01:22:35.359
as Doug ran over to Abby in the playroom and

1124
01:22:35.439 --> 01:22:38.760
gave her sloppy kisses. Abby gave him a hug and

1125
01:22:38.840 --> 01:22:41.960
told him she loved him, after which the dog trotted

1126
01:22:42.000 --> 01:22:45.159
back to the door, looked up at Barry and gave

1127
01:22:45.199 --> 01:22:49.359
a sharp bark before embarking back down the stairs. He

1128
01:22:49.439 --> 01:22:52.640
wanted to kiss his human goodbye before we face certain death.

1129
01:22:53.479 --> 01:22:57.359
Barry wiped a manly tear from his cheek. The basement

1130
01:22:57.399 --> 01:23:00.880
stairs creaked as Doug and Barry inched down them. The

1131
01:23:00.960 --> 01:23:05.560
dog was alert. Barry was spooked. His bladder quivered with

1132
01:23:05.640 --> 01:23:09.560
each groaning step. The basement was well lit and spacious,

1133
01:23:10.000 --> 01:23:12.920
the exact opposite of what every horror movie ever had

1134
01:23:12.960 --> 01:23:18.920
prepared him for. He waved his EVP recorder around the room. Nothing.

1135
01:23:20.119 --> 01:23:24.760
Doug stopped suddenly and began sniffing the air. He cocked

1136
01:23:24.760 --> 01:23:27.920
his head sideways and then walked cautiously to the old

1137
01:23:27.920 --> 01:23:31.159
work bench on the far side of the basement. Barry

1138
01:23:31.199 --> 01:23:34.159
watched as Doug worked his head underneath the bench and

1139
01:23:34.279 --> 01:23:37.960
came back over. Doug dropped the dead rat at Berry's feet.

1140
01:23:38.239 --> 01:23:40.640
Its head and one of its legs were missing, but

1141
01:23:40.720 --> 01:23:44.880
it was most definitely a rat. Damn it, Doug. Barry

1142
01:23:44.960 --> 01:23:48.720
kicked the rat. Lindsey was right, I'll never hear the

1143
01:23:48.800 --> 01:23:51.279
end of this. We'd better find the rest of them.

1144
01:23:51.520 --> 01:23:53.399
He was sure there had to be more of them.

1145
01:23:53.439 --> 01:23:56.640
After the noise they made the night before, he inspected

1146
01:23:56.640 --> 01:23:59.319
the baseboards for any holes they could be using to

1147
01:23:59.319 --> 01:24:03.079
get around. It occurred to him that he didn't actually

1148
01:24:03.159 --> 01:24:06.199
know what a rat's hole looked like. He doubted that

1149
01:24:06.239 --> 01:24:08.760
it would be the neat little archway of the cartoons.

1150
01:24:09.640 --> 01:24:13.840
He heard the scratching again. An unseen rat ran overhead,

1151
01:24:14.640 --> 01:24:19.159
then another, then a small group. A frantic burst of

1152
01:24:19.199 --> 01:24:21.399
barking sent him into the air and knocked ten years

1153
01:24:21.439 --> 01:24:25.239
off his life. Doug was going ballistic the armand snapped

1154
01:24:25.239 --> 01:24:28.239
at the air, snarling and barking as he bounced around.

1155
01:24:28.760 --> 01:24:31.720
The scratching in the ceiling grew louder and spread across

1156
01:24:31.720 --> 01:24:34.960
a wider area than before. There were a lot of

1157
01:24:35.039 --> 01:24:38.000
rats up there, and they were all moving at once,

1158
01:24:39.079 --> 01:24:43.840
moving towards him. The antique asbestos ceiling tiles broke under

1159
01:24:43.880 --> 01:24:46.399
their weight, and dozens of rats poured from the ceiling.

1160
01:24:46.720 --> 01:24:49.800
They swarmed around Barry's ankles and crawled across his feet.

1161
01:24:50.199 --> 01:24:53.079
He went michael flatly on their asses and started stomping

1162
01:24:53.079 --> 01:24:55.359
out a jig in an attempt to kill the vermin

1163
01:24:55.399 --> 01:24:57.640
before they could escape. He slipped on one of the

1164
01:24:57.720 --> 01:25:00.720
rupturing carcasses and almost fell into the sea of rodents.

1165
01:25:01.319 --> 01:25:04.199
Doug ran the direction the rats had come from, hitting

1166
01:25:04.199 --> 01:25:07.239
the wall full force. The rodents scurried away from Barry

1167
01:25:07.239 --> 01:25:09.159
in too many directions for him to keep track of,

1168
01:25:09.399 --> 01:25:13.680
but the dog was focused solely on the wall. Barry

1169
01:25:13.720 --> 01:25:17.399
screamed shrilly and slapped the beasts away as he struggled upright.

1170
01:25:17.800 --> 01:25:20.159
He shook and checked to make sure none were clinging

1171
01:25:20.199 --> 01:25:23.279
to him, before joining Doug by the wall. He beat

1172
01:25:23.319 --> 01:25:25.720
his fist against it to see if there were any

1173
01:25:25.720 --> 01:25:30.199
more rats hiding, but there was no scratching or fleeing

1174
01:25:30.279 --> 01:25:35.119
this time. No, there were no sounds of frightened rats.

1175
01:25:36.279 --> 01:25:44.279
This time something knocked back. Barry and Doug exchanged concerned glances,

1176
01:25:45.119 --> 01:25:51.399
and then both ran for the stairs. Barry went to

1177
01:25:51.439 --> 01:25:53.600
the basement later in the day to clean up his

1178
01:25:53.720 --> 01:25:57.319
kills before they started stinking. He rushed to dispose of

1179
01:25:57.359 --> 01:26:00.960
them before Lindsay got home from work, purely despare her

1180
01:26:01.000 --> 01:26:04.680
from the gruesome bag of squished rats, but mostly to

1181
01:26:04.760 --> 01:26:09.720
avoid admitting he was wrong. Unfortunately, she pulled in right

1182
01:26:09.760 --> 01:26:13.399
as he dumped them in the big green can. Apparently,

1183
01:26:13.960 --> 01:26:17.239
ghosts weren't as scary as rats. As soon as Barry

1184
01:26:17.279 --> 01:26:20.079
recounted the day's adventure, she ran to their room and

1185
01:26:20.119 --> 01:26:22.800
packed a suit case for her in abbey, Barry and

1186
01:26:22.880 --> 01:26:25.680
Doug would be left to handle the raging rodent problem.

1187
01:26:26.119 --> 01:26:29.000
He tried to tell her about the strange knocking and

1188
01:26:29.079 --> 01:26:32.119
how he thought that was a sure sign of a ghost.

1189
01:26:32.800 --> 01:26:35.600
It's a sure sign of a big damn rat, Barry.

1190
01:26:36.239 --> 01:26:39.840
She shoved the clothes into the bag haphazardly, and that

1191
01:26:40.399 --> 01:26:43.039
was the end of the discussion. If your wife says

1192
01:26:43.039 --> 01:26:46.439
the house isn't haunted, then the damn house isn't haunted.

1193
01:26:46.920 --> 01:26:50.279
That's the way it works. Barry sighed in defeat and

1194
01:26:50.359 --> 01:26:52.800
helped her pack. They left that night to stay with

1195
01:26:52.880 --> 01:26:57.000
family and Rogers away from the rabies infested vermin. Barry

1196
01:26:57.039 --> 01:26:59.720
sat on the couch and opened a can of Arkansas red.

1197
01:27:00.359 --> 01:27:03.039
He turned on the EVP recorder just to be sure,

1198
01:27:03.720 --> 01:27:07.439
as he opened his laptop. Tomorrow, we have to find

1199
01:27:07.439 --> 01:27:13.199
an exterminator, Doug. Tonight, though tonight we are chains. The

1200
01:27:13.279 --> 01:27:16.600
sixty nine eyes began playing through the laptop speakers while

1201
01:27:16.640 --> 01:27:20.560
Barry ordered a pizza. Would you like bread sticks or cheesybread?

1202
01:27:21.119 --> 01:27:26.039
Doug cocked his head and groaned, right, stupid question. Six

1203
01:27:26.079 --> 01:27:29.079
sticks of cheesybread and one slice of meat cravers later,

1204
01:27:29.520 --> 01:27:32.279
the dog was lying on its back, half asleep and

1205
01:27:32.399 --> 01:27:35.840
gassy as hell. Barry was trying to enjoy a hammer

1206
01:27:35.880 --> 01:27:38.840
film's marathon, but the scariest thing in the room was

1207
01:27:38.880 --> 01:27:42.880
the dog's farting. The next morning, Barry stepped into the

1208
01:27:42.880 --> 01:27:45.920
pile of dog poo by the front door. The squishy

1209
01:27:45.960 --> 01:27:48.960
warmth between his toes reminded him of his horrible decision

1210
01:27:49.039 --> 01:27:51.760
making the night before, and he made a mental note

1211
01:27:51.800 --> 01:27:55.439
not to feed the damn thing pizza ever again. He

1212
01:27:55.479 --> 01:27:58.680
cleaned up the mess and started looking for an exterminator.

1213
01:27:59.600 --> 01:28:03.439
Every time job can be done three ways, fast, correct,

1214
01:28:03.680 --> 01:28:06.479
and cheap, but you can only get two at a time.

1215
01:28:07.439 --> 01:28:09.680
He checked the Google reviews and found one that said

1216
01:28:09.760 --> 01:28:13.880
cheap same day service yacht See, we have a winner.

1217
01:28:14.479 --> 01:28:16.560
He dialed the number while munching on a piece of

1218
01:28:16.640 --> 01:28:20.239
leftover pizza. He had time to kill, so he decided

1219
01:28:20.239 --> 01:28:22.479
to get some writing done and sat down at his desk.

1220
01:28:22.920 --> 01:28:25.600
He was halfway into his second paragraph when Doug nudged

1221
01:28:25.600 --> 01:28:28.640
his leg. The dog held the TV remote from the

1222
01:28:28.640 --> 01:28:32.119
playroom in his mouth, Abbey's not home. You don't have

1223
01:28:32.159 --> 01:28:37.399
to watch cartoons today, Doug whined in response, what you

1224
01:28:37.479 --> 01:28:43.640
want to watch cartoons? Doug's tail wagged viciously. Right, of course,

1225
01:28:43.680 --> 01:28:47.319
you do. Come on. Then, Barry went into the playroom

1226
01:28:47.319 --> 01:28:49.960
and turned on the TV and started whatever movie was

1227
01:28:49.960 --> 01:28:52.680
in the DVD player. Doug hopped into one of the

1228
01:28:52.720 --> 01:28:55.359
miniature papas in chairs and waited for the show to start.

1229
01:28:55.960 --> 01:28:59.000
Barry sighed and retreated to the office, where he managed

1230
01:28:59.079 --> 01:29:03.760
an entire page before Doug was whimpering next to him. Now, Doug,

1231
01:29:04.239 --> 01:29:06.399
he gave the dog a gentle push with his foot.

1232
01:29:06.920 --> 01:29:10.159
The doggy door was unlocked so Doug could let himself outside,

1233
01:29:10.199 --> 01:29:13.079
and there was a bowl full of food he wanted

1234
01:29:13.079 --> 01:29:16.720
for nothing. Doug gave a small bark, spun in a circle,

1235
01:29:16.760 --> 01:29:20.000
and ran to the office door. Barry grunted and turned

1236
01:29:20.039 --> 01:29:24.680
back to the computer screen. He started rolling sideways slowly.

1237
01:29:26.000 --> 01:29:28.359
Barry wasn't sure how to process the sight of the

1238
01:29:28.359 --> 01:29:31.800
small dog dragging the office chair. Barry got up and

1239
01:29:31.880 --> 01:29:35.159
Doug ran out of the room. Barry followed him and

1240
01:29:35.239 --> 01:29:38.520
found him sitting on the bench of the pink picnic table.

1241
01:29:39.399 --> 01:29:43.840
Doug looked at Barry, then the TV. Then Barry again,

1242
01:29:45.439 --> 01:29:50.279
Really you want me to watch cartoons with you? A

1243
01:29:50.319 --> 01:29:53.600
single bark and some frantic tail wagging answered the question,

1244
01:29:55.279 --> 01:30:00.479
can you understand me? Another single bark? You're shitting me right?

1245
01:30:01.159 --> 01:30:06.439
Two barks. Barry twisted his mustache around his finger, looked

1246
01:30:06.439 --> 01:30:10.479
at Doug for a long time, and then decided that

1247
01:30:10.560 --> 01:30:13.479
this was the official limit for crazy in one week.

1248
01:30:14.479 --> 01:30:16.399
I'm going back to work now, and I'm going to

1249
01:30:16.439 --> 01:30:20.840
pretend this conversation never happened. He had just sat down

1250
01:30:20.880 --> 01:30:22.880
when the banging on the door made him jump back

1251
01:30:22.920 --> 01:30:25.560
out of it. All he wanted to do was finish

1252
01:30:25.680 --> 01:30:29.720
one damn chapter, but that clearly wasn't going to happen.

1253
01:30:30.359 --> 01:30:32.159
He looked out of the window and saw a pt

1254
01:30:32.359 --> 01:30:34.920
Cruiser painted to look like a rat in his driveway.

1255
01:30:35.600 --> 01:30:39.479
It even had a tail bolted onto the hatch. Cheap

1256
01:30:39.520 --> 01:30:42.880
and tasteful, I see. Barry stomped down the stairs and

1257
01:30:42.920 --> 01:30:45.960
opened the door. The man in the brown coveralls was

1258
01:30:46.039 --> 01:30:50.079
some horrific hybrid of John Goodman and an outhouse. He

1259
01:30:50.199 --> 01:30:53.680
spat a glob of tobacco into Lindsay's potted fern, narrowly

1260
01:30:53.720 --> 01:30:57.720
missing Barry. Zombie garden nomes. Barry squinted at the name

1261
01:30:57.800 --> 01:31:01.199
stitched over the man's breast and bright yellow. Looking back

1262
01:31:01.239 --> 01:31:03.760
at the man, Barry was certain it was neither a

1263
01:31:03.800 --> 01:31:08.560
typo nor a nickname. The exterminator's birth certificate definitely said

1264
01:31:08.720 --> 01:31:13.039
Ham as well, what's bugging you? He asked with a

1265
01:31:13.079 --> 01:31:18.640
brown tooth grin. Get it bugging you? You're a rodent exterminator,

1266
01:31:18.720 --> 01:31:23.279
So no, not at all. In fact, Barry stared blankly

1267
01:31:23.319 --> 01:31:28.199
at the Neanderthal. Well rats, Ham fake laughed at his

1268
01:31:28.239 --> 01:31:32.560
own pun, not even a chuckle. Huh damn. I worked

1269
01:31:32.560 --> 01:31:36.000
hard on that setup too. Look, I get paid twelve

1270
01:31:36.079 --> 01:31:38.479
shitty bucks an hour to crawl my big ass around

1271
01:31:38.520 --> 01:31:41.479
in space is sized for midget turds, while handling chemicals

1272
01:31:41.520 --> 01:31:44.000
that'll probably have me growing tumors in my eyeballs. I

1273
01:31:44.079 --> 01:31:46.359
suck at this people greeting stuff, but I'm mighty good

1274
01:31:46.399 --> 01:31:49.239
at waffle stopping, cute and cuddly rodents. So what do

1275
01:31:49.279 --> 01:31:54.600
you want me to kill? Now we're getting somewhere, Barry smiled. Rats.

1276
01:31:55.680 --> 01:31:59.840
Lots and lots of rats. They're in the walls and ceilings.

1277
01:32:00.039 --> 01:32:03.199
About forty of them fell through in the basement. But

1278
01:32:03.840 --> 01:32:08.479
we've heard them upstairs too. Awesome. Rats are easy. Ham

1279
01:32:08.560 --> 01:32:11.960
slapped Barry's shoulder. I'll start by putting bait stations and

1280
01:32:12.520 --> 01:32:15.000
Barry cut them off. Do you know how to write

1281
01:32:15.000 --> 01:32:20.520
a novel? The exterminator thought about it. Don't reckon I do.

1282
01:32:20.520 --> 01:32:23.840
Do you want to learn? Ham gave an honest shrug,

1283
01:32:24.920 --> 01:32:28.279
not particularly well. I don't want to learn how to

1284
01:32:28.359 --> 01:32:31.800
kill rats. I do, however, want to write a novel.

1285
01:32:31.880 --> 01:32:34.520
So you kill the rats, I'll write the book, and

1286
01:32:34.560 --> 01:32:36.279
when you're done, I'll write you a check for an

1287
01:32:36.279 --> 01:32:39.279
hour longer than you actually worked, so you can, you know,

1288
01:32:39.399 --> 01:32:43.319
go grab a beer or something. Hell, that sounds like

1289
01:32:43.359 --> 01:32:45.920
a mighty good deal. Ham rubbed his double set of

1290
01:32:46.000 --> 01:32:50.039
chins thoughtfully. You know, my boss makes me use this

1291
01:32:50.760 --> 01:32:54.800
really shitty poison. It only kills the weak ones that way.

1292
01:32:54.840 --> 01:32:56.840
You think you're getting your money's worth, but you still

1293
01:32:56.880 --> 01:32:59.199
have to call us out for a second visit. But

1294
01:32:59.279 --> 01:33:02.640
if you were to take it two extra hours and

1295
01:33:02.760 --> 01:33:05.800
pay that bit in cash, I'd go ahead and use

1296
01:33:05.800 --> 01:33:09.319
the good stuff. Now you have a deal, good sir,

1297
01:33:09.760 --> 01:33:13.119
Now go make things dead please. Barry went back to

1298
01:33:13.199 --> 01:33:15.640
his office and found Doug sitting in a rolling chair

1299
01:33:15.680 --> 01:33:18.279
with a can of beer in his mouth. He let

1300
01:33:18.279 --> 01:33:21.439
the slobbery can roll across the desk when Barry walked in,

1301
01:33:21.479 --> 01:33:23.359
and then picked up his ball from the seat of

1302
01:33:23.399 --> 01:33:27.199
the chair. You're trying to bribe me into playing ball.

1303
01:33:27.880 --> 01:33:32.279
A single bark, No, Doug, We're not playing ball. Go

1304
01:33:32.319 --> 01:33:35.239
watch cartoons and lick yourself. I would if I could,

1305
01:33:35.560 --> 01:33:38.399
but I keep falling off the damn couch. Revel in

1306
01:33:38.479 --> 01:33:40.520
my envy of your flexibility and let me get some

1307
01:33:40.560 --> 01:33:45.439
work done. Please. Two barks. Barry grabbed Doug's collar and

1308
01:33:45.479 --> 01:33:48.000
tugged until he got out of the chair. He picked

1309
01:33:48.039 --> 01:33:50.520
up the beer, flopped down in the seat, and thumped

1310
01:33:50.520 --> 01:33:53.840
the top a couple of times before opening it. This

1311
01:33:53.880 --> 01:33:56.800
is a really cool trick, though. Tell you what, When

1312
01:33:56.840 --> 01:33:59.840
I finished this chapter, we'll play a little catch. Doug's

1313
01:34:00.279 --> 01:34:02.199
out of the room without a sound and returned to

1314
01:34:02.239 --> 01:34:06.039
the playroom. Barry continued working on his chapter. The hero

1315
01:34:06.119 --> 01:34:08.359
had just found the zombie whorehouse and he needed to

1316
01:34:08.439 --> 01:34:12.920
keep the image alive well undead. While he completed the scene,

1317
01:34:13.359 --> 01:34:16.840
he heard a crash down the hall and let his

1318
01:34:16.920 --> 01:34:20.119
head fall on the desk. The solid mahogany hit back

1319
01:34:20.239 --> 01:34:23.760
and he immediately regretted the decision. If Doug was tearing

1320
01:34:23.800 --> 01:34:25.800
things up, he was going to get dropped in a

1321
01:34:25.880 --> 01:34:29.600
walk before the night was through. In the playroom, he

1322
01:34:29.680 --> 01:34:34.760
found the dog, only Doug didn't quite look like Doug.

1323
01:34:35.439 --> 01:34:38.920
The tan and black fur ball rolled around the floor whimpering.

1324
01:34:39.760 --> 01:34:43.199
Barry felt the sudden tinge of guilt. The previous owner

1325
01:34:43.279 --> 01:34:45.159
said the dog was needy, but he never thought it

1326
01:34:45.159 --> 01:34:49.399
would drop dead from a lack of attention. Doug's collar

1327
01:34:49.640 --> 01:34:53.159
snapped off as his neck bulged and pulsated, and then

1328
01:34:53.880 --> 01:34:59.439
he went suddenly still. Barry stepped closer to check on him.

1329
01:34:59.760 --> 01:35:02.239
Doug Ug's front leg reached out from his body, and

1330
01:35:02.279 --> 01:35:06.920
Barry stopped in his tracks. The toes had extended into

1331
01:35:07.960 --> 01:35:11.920
nubby little fingers. He looked over the dog's body and

1332
01:35:11.960 --> 01:35:17.439
realized that wasn't the only change. He looked stockier, and

1333
01:35:17.520 --> 01:35:22.680
his hind legs looked wrong. Slowly, the dog got up

1334
01:35:22.680 --> 01:35:26.039
and stood on his back feet, his only feet. The

1335
01:35:26.079 --> 01:35:29.119
bipedal Doug looked at Barry and then lifted a tea

1336
01:35:29.159 --> 01:35:32.239
cup from the picnic table. He took a sip of

1337
01:35:32.319 --> 01:35:34.720
the make believe beverage with his brand new pinky in

1338
01:35:34.760 --> 01:35:40.479
the air. Oh shit. Barry eased the door closed and

1339
01:35:40.600 --> 01:35:44.199
backed out into the hallway. The doorknob turned and Doug

1340
01:35:44.279 --> 01:35:47.359
stood there for a moment. He raised his furry doggy

1341
01:35:47.479 --> 01:35:51.439
hand and wiggled his fingers. Barry ran for the stairs,

1342
01:35:51.479 --> 01:35:53.800
taking them to at a time, that is, until he

1343
01:35:53.840 --> 01:35:56.359
missed a step and took the last six at once.

1344
01:35:56.760 --> 01:35:59.439
He met the hardwood floor with a thud. He tilted

1345
01:35:59.479 --> 01:36:02.319
his head back and saw Doug bouncing down the stairs

1346
01:36:02.319 --> 01:36:06.279
as best his restructured legs would allow. Barry got up,

1347
01:36:06.520 --> 01:36:09.079
felt the pops and aches from the fall, and limped

1348
01:36:09.119 --> 01:36:12.039
to the kitchen. He threw open the basement door to

1349
01:36:12.039 --> 01:36:15.319
get the exterminator, but stopped on the steps. Doug ran

1350
01:36:15.359 --> 01:36:17.840
into his back and they teetered for a moment. Both

1351
01:36:17.880 --> 01:36:22.399
of them stood there, staring down into the basement. Ham

1352
01:36:22.520 --> 01:36:26.640
was nowhere to be seen, and neither was the floor. Instead,

1353
01:36:26.960 --> 01:36:30.359
there was just a tide of writhing black fur as

1354
01:36:30.439 --> 01:36:34.159
thousands of rats tried to move around one another. Doug

1355
01:36:34.199 --> 01:36:37.640
and Barry exchanged looks, decided that the basement was officially

1356
01:36:37.680 --> 01:36:41.479
off limits, and promptly headed back into the kitchen. Doug

1357
01:36:41.560 --> 01:36:45.039
shut the door, which was somehow more disturbing than the

1358
01:36:45.119 --> 01:36:48.560
rat orgy in the basement. Barry huffed with his hands

1359
01:36:48.560 --> 01:36:52.319
on his knees. Doug stepped forward, standing eye to eye

1360
01:36:52.319 --> 01:36:55.439
with the author. Barry gave the dog a quick kicking

1361
01:36:55.479 --> 01:36:58.279
the balls and bolted away while he yelped behind him.

1362
01:36:58.600 --> 01:37:01.560
Barry hobbled back up, still with Dug the dog boy

1363
01:37:01.600 --> 01:37:06.319
in pursuit. He screamed for the exterminator but got no response.

1364
01:37:06.920 --> 01:37:09.640
Doug growled behind him and Barry ducked into his bedroom,

1365
01:37:09.680 --> 01:37:13.239
slamming the door. Doug tried the knob, but it wouldn't

1366
01:37:13.279 --> 01:37:17.760
turn at You can't pick locks, can you, Doug, Barry

1367
01:37:17.840 --> 01:37:20.560
yelled through the door. He leaned against the door and

1368
01:37:20.600 --> 01:37:24.319
tried to process everything, and excited panting echoed his own

1369
01:37:24.359 --> 01:37:27.880
heavy breaths. It was then that he remembered the bathroom

1370
01:37:27.960 --> 01:37:31.439
that connected their room to Abbey's. Oh, you gotta be

1371
01:37:31.520 --> 01:37:34.359
kidding me. He turned around in time to see Doug

1372
01:37:34.439 --> 01:37:37.680
launch himself through the air. The door shattered into splinters

1373
01:37:37.680 --> 01:37:40.359
as the dog collided with him. Barry laid in the hall,

1374
01:37:40.479 --> 01:37:43.720
sucking air with a Doug sitting on his chest. Barry

1375
01:37:43.760 --> 01:37:45.840
swatted the dog off him and tried to get up,

1376
01:37:45.960 --> 01:37:48.640
only to feel Doug's teeth a latch onto his ankle.

1377
01:37:49.199 --> 01:37:51.359
Barry swung his leg like an extra and a ninja

1378
01:37:51.399 --> 01:37:55.279
flick and bounced Doug off the drywall. Doug, the malevolent

1379
01:37:55.359 --> 01:37:58.439
size of a toddler, threw a punch straight into Barry's groin.

1380
01:37:58.920 --> 01:38:01.279
The author collapsed and hit the dog with a piece

1381
01:38:01.319 --> 01:38:04.600
of broken door. They both groaned on the plush carpet,

1382
01:38:04.640 --> 01:38:08.880
trying to catch their breath. Whatever was about to happen, however,

1383
01:38:09.000 --> 01:38:12.840
was interrupted by the attic door swinging down. The oversized

1384
01:38:12.880 --> 01:38:16.359
exterminator did a funny little roll down the narrow steps

1385
01:38:16.399 --> 01:38:20.119
and face planted. Ham scrambled to his feet, jumped over

1386
01:38:20.159 --> 01:38:24.119
Doug and Berry and ran away with a scream of brownies.

1387
01:38:25.199 --> 01:38:28.359
He moved quickly for a man of his size, too quickly,

1388
01:38:28.359 --> 01:38:30.640
as he hit the stairs faster than he meant and

1389
01:38:30.680 --> 01:38:33.920
went toppling down. Doug and Barry got up and walked

1390
01:38:33.920 --> 01:38:36.520
to the top of the staircase. At the bottom, the

1391
01:38:36.560 --> 01:38:39.359
exterminator was still in the wreckage of a curio cabinet.

1392
01:38:39.920 --> 01:38:42.840
His neck was bent at an unnatural angle, with a

1393
01:38:42.880 --> 01:38:47.000
halo of broken action figures around his leaking skull. I

1394
01:38:47.079 --> 01:38:50.399
didn't think anything else would surprise me today, but here

1395
01:38:50.439 --> 01:38:54.800
we are. Barry twisted his mustache. My insurance is going

1396
01:38:54.880 --> 01:38:58.239
to go through the roof. Doug gave a bark of agreement.

1397
01:38:59.159 --> 01:39:02.399
What do you think he meant when he said knock, knock?

1398
01:39:03.439 --> 01:39:06.840
A raspy voice said behind them. Doug and his human

1399
01:39:06.960 --> 01:39:11.159
turned around hesitantly. Twelve tiny men about a foot tall,

1400
01:39:11.199 --> 01:39:14.119
with sharp teeth and clothes made from rat hides were

1401
01:39:14.159 --> 01:39:20.079
standing with spears and swords made of broken glass brownies.

1402
01:39:20.640 --> 01:39:24.840
Berry sighed, I guess that means Lindsey was right, it's

1403
01:39:24.880 --> 01:39:30.199
not ghosts. Doug barked once, Well, Doug, what do you say?

1404
01:39:30.640 --> 01:39:34.119
Barry looked down at Doug. The sheep shifting pooch laced

1405
01:39:34.119 --> 01:39:39.000
his furry fingers together and popped his knuckles. Barry rolled

1406
01:39:39.039 --> 01:39:47.840
his shoulders. Let's kick some brownie ass, one bark. As

1407
01:39:47.880 --> 01:39:50.760
it turned out, cleaning dog crap wasn't nearly as much

1408
01:39:50.760 --> 01:39:53.720
work as getting brownie stains out of the cream colored carpet.

1409
01:39:54.359 --> 01:39:57.840
The ambulance had taken away the exterminator's body, and his

1410
01:39:57.920 --> 01:40:00.840
boss promised a ten percent disc out on any future

1411
01:40:00.840 --> 01:40:03.720
service for the inconvenience of his worker dying in Barry's home.

1412
01:40:04.439 --> 01:40:08.439
Barry negotiated it up to fifteen. Lindsay and Abbey would

1413
01:40:08.479 --> 01:40:11.239
stay the weekend at her parents' house while the poison

1414
01:40:11.279 --> 01:40:14.560
worked on the rats, which meant there was only one

1415
01:40:14.600 --> 01:40:18.920
thing left for Barry to do. The sauce sizzled as

1416
01:40:18.960 --> 01:40:23.279
Berry tossed the meat and vegetables into the walk. The

1417
01:40:23.399 --> 01:40:25.560
damned dog had done a number on him, and he

1418
01:40:25.600 --> 01:40:29.199
had taped ice packs onto the various bruises. An imported

1419
01:40:29.199 --> 01:40:31.640
bottle of Irish whisky and a fistful of ivy profen

1420
01:40:31.680 --> 01:40:35.159
were helping with any remaining pain. He spooned the stirfry

1421
01:40:35.199 --> 01:40:38.000
over the noodles, grabbed a beer from the fridge, and

1422
01:40:38.079 --> 01:40:40.960
went to the living room. He pushed play and Captain

1423
01:40:41.000 --> 01:40:44.760
Cronos Vampire Hunter started up on the big screen. Doug

1424
01:40:44.800 --> 01:40:47.119
took the beer from Berry and cracked the top open.

1425
01:40:47.479 --> 01:40:50.399
His mouth wasn't designed for cans, so he poured it

1426
01:40:50.439 --> 01:40:52.960
into a bowl on the coffee table and lapped it up.

1427
01:40:53.600 --> 01:40:55.760
Barry took a bite of his stfry and offered the

1428
01:40:55.760 --> 01:40:59.520
plate to Doug, who gave a low growl. Don't be

1429
01:40:59.680 --> 01:41:02.560
like that. You haven't even tried it. It's actually pretty good,

1430
01:41:02.880 --> 01:41:04.880
and we have to do something about the rats. So

1431
01:41:05.239 --> 01:41:09.479
eat up tomorrow, will try smoking some. Doug took a

1432
01:41:09.560 --> 01:41:12.840
tentative bite of the rat chow main and proceeded to

1433
01:41:12.880 --> 01:41:16.680
pig out once it met his discerning approval. I hope

1434
01:41:16.680 --> 01:41:19.000
you know you're going back to doggie, Doug when the

1435
01:41:19.039 --> 01:41:21.720
girls get home. Doug let out a quick bark of

1436
01:41:21.760 --> 01:41:25.760
agreement before holding the plate out for seconds. You've got hands,

1437
01:41:25.760 --> 01:41:28.319
now go get your own. Barry put his feet up

1438
01:41:28.359 --> 01:41:31.760
on the table and sipped his whiskey. Doug was certainly

1439
01:41:31.800 --> 01:41:35.079
a handful, but it wasn't all bad. The shape shifter

1440
01:41:35.159 --> 01:41:37.560
would make a great assistant, and he liked all the

1441
01:41:37.560 --> 01:41:40.880
classic horror films. He even gave Galaxy of Terror two

1442
01:41:40.960 --> 01:41:44.600
freaking thumbs up. Having a dog monster might actually be

1443
01:41:44.720 --> 01:41:48.319
pretty awesome. Time would tell Barry would work on the

1444
01:41:48.359 --> 01:41:53.119
new book tomorrow. Tonight him and Doug were kings again.

1445
01:41:54.439 --> 01:42:09.039
The End Feline Trouble by Douglas Waltz. So standing in

1446
01:42:09.079 --> 01:42:11.920
the dark, back against the living room wall with a

1447
01:42:11.920 --> 01:42:14.720
baseball bat in one hand and an oversized oven mit

1448
01:42:14.720 --> 01:42:17.640
on the other was not on my list of things

1449
01:42:17.680 --> 01:42:21.720
to do on a Saturday evening. But then again, if

1450
01:42:21.760 --> 01:42:24.199
you had told me my cat would become possessed by

1451
01:42:24.239 --> 01:42:26.960
a demon, I probably would have told you you were

1452
01:42:26.960 --> 01:42:31.119
full of it. And here we are. It might help

1453
01:42:31.199 --> 01:42:35.359
for a little backstory, and things seem quiet right now,

1454
01:42:35.479 --> 01:42:39.239
so here we go. I've had a pair of cats

1455
01:42:39.600 --> 01:42:43.680
since they were kittens. Pashmina came up to me on

1456
01:42:43.720 --> 01:42:47.159
a walk home from work, just a fluffball walking down

1457
01:42:47.199 --> 01:42:50.479
the sidewalk that I mistook for some kind of weird

1458
01:42:50.520 --> 01:42:54.079
looking rat, But then as she got closer, I realized

1459
01:42:54.560 --> 01:42:57.760
she wasn't a rat. I asked around on my walk

1460
01:42:57.800 --> 01:43:01.119
home if anyone was missing a cat, but nobody was,

1461
01:43:01.239 --> 01:43:05.960
so she came home to a very surprised wife. Not

1462
01:43:06.039 --> 01:43:08.720
even a month later, one of my coworkers had adopted

1463
01:43:08.760 --> 01:43:12.359
a kitten founded a target loading dock. Odd place for

1464
01:43:12.399 --> 01:43:14.399
a cat to decide to give birth to a litter,

1465
01:43:14.479 --> 01:43:18.800
but probably not the weirdest. Anyway, Her cat did not

1466
01:43:19.039 --> 01:43:21.359
mesh well with the new addition to the family, so

1467
01:43:22.199 --> 01:43:24.920
I volunteered to take the cat, and we were stuck

1468
01:43:24.920 --> 01:43:30.399
with the name Coco. Strangely enough, both were female Calico kittens,

1469
01:43:30.920 --> 01:43:34.840
and they tolerated each other once in a while. We

1470
01:43:34.840 --> 01:43:37.840
would catch them sleeping next to one another, and they

1471
01:43:37.920 --> 01:43:40.920
hated it when we saw it. Now we need to

1472
01:43:40.920 --> 01:43:45.159
flash forward fifteen years and the household had increased by

1473
01:43:45.199 --> 01:43:47.920
a seven year old boy named Michael and a two

1474
01:43:48.000 --> 01:43:52.039
year old named Lily. Something had happened to Pashmina after

1475
01:43:52.079 --> 01:43:55.760
being accidentally locked in our basement for a day or so. See,

1476
01:43:55.920 --> 01:43:59.199
we own a farmhouse built in eighteen ninety five that

1477
01:43:59.359 --> 01:44:02.960
has what is popularly referred to as a Michigan basement.

1478
01:44:03.760 --> 01:44:06.720
The walls are cement with a coat of plaster, and

1479
01:44:06.760 --> 01:44:09.840
there's a huge shelf running about four feet from the

1480
01:44:09.880 --> 01:44:13.840
ground throughout the entire basement. I'm not certain why it's

1481
01:44:13.920 --> 01:44:17.159
called a Michigan basement and have really never been curious

1482
01:44:17.239 --> 01:44:21.560
enough to find out. So after the basement incident, Pashmina

1483
01:44:21.680 --> 01:44:25.439
started dropping weight and she had developed a small crooked

1484
01:44:25.560 --> 01:44:29.119
jaw during her adventure. The loss of weight did not

1485
01:44:29.159 --> 01:44:32.119
affect her appetite. She would eat food right off of

1486
01:44:32.159 --> 01:44:34.960
your plate. We had her checked out by the vet

1487
01:44:35.079 --> 01:44:38.760
and they recommended a high protein diet. We did that

1488
01:44:39.399 --> 01:44:42.560
and it made little difference. She still tried to eat

1489
01:44:42.840 --> 01:44:46.399
anything in sight. No food was safe from this cat.

1490
01:44:47.359 --> 01:44:49.520
After a while, we had to have her sleep in

1491
01:44:49.560 --> 01:44:52.399
a cat crate at night or she would destroy the house.

1492
01:44:53.119 --> 01:44:57.039
She shredded food cartons, marked her territory, and left vomit

1493
01:44:57.119 --> 01:45:00.520
anywhere she could reach. It was a mess. Oh she

1494
01:45:00.560 --> 01:45:05.239
became a nighttime crate dweller. During this time, Coco remained

1495
01:45:05.279 --> 01:45:08.319
aloof and really didn't want much to do with Pashmina.

1496
01:45:09.279 --> 01:45:13.479
I couldn't blame her, really. One morning I came downstairs

1497
01:45:13.479 --> 01:45:16.640
to start my morning coffee and to let Pashmina out

1498
01:45:16.640 --> 01:45:20.039
of the crate. I opened it, but there was no

1499
01:45:20.159 --> 01:45:24.560
psychotic streak of fur launching themselves from the box. I

1500
01:45:24.640 --> 01:45:27.439
peeked inside and saw that she had passed away in

1501
01:45:27.520 --> 01:45:31.399
the night, one paw out stretched with the claws on

1502
01:45:31.439 --> 01:45:35.039
the cage door of the crate. I went out back

1503
01:45:35.079 --> 01:45:37.359
to the yard where it butted up against the woods,

1504
01:45:37.359 --> 01:45:39.600
and dug a small grave and put her in it.

1505
01:45:40.399 --> 01:45:43.680
I felt bad for her, but was glad that whatever

1506
01:45:43.720 --> 01:45:46.560
had turned her into an insane beast had gone with her.

1507
01:45:47.680 --> 01:45:52.840
Four weeks later we noticed similar symptoms in Coco. Now

1508
01:45:52.920 --> 01:45:55.640
remember that Coco had never been locked in the basement.

1509
01:45:56.119 --> 01:45:59.359
She wouldn't even go near the basement door, but she

1510
01:45:59.479 --> 01:46:02.399
developed the same weight loss and the little crook of

1511
01:46:02.439 --> 01:46:06.479
the jaw. The refreshing part would be that Coco only

1512
01:46:06.640 --> 01:46:11.359
was interested in actual cat food. Then the swelling of

1513
01:46:11.399 --> 01:46:15.039
her jaw began and I did a little online research.

1514
01:46:16.119 --> 01:46:18.640
The condition outlined in the articles I read, had a

1515
01:46:18.680 --> 01:46:22.479
small chance of recovery after a surgery costing about three

1516
01:46:22.560 --> 01:46:25.800
thousand dollars, And even then we were talking about a

1517
01:46:25.840 --> 01:46:29.199
fifteen year old cat, which made the odds even worse.

1518
01:46:30.640 --> 01:46:34.159
I rationalized that she ate food, used her litter box,

1519
01:46:34.199 --> 01:46:37.640
and drank water. We would keep her happy and comfortable

1520
01:46:37.720 --> 01:46:41.079
for as long as possible until two days ago when

1521
01:46:41.119 --> 01:46:44.479
Michael was coming down the stairs from his bedroom and Coco,

1522
01:46:44.960 --> 01:46:48.439
who was perched on the railing, knocked him down the stairs.

1523
01:46:49.479 --> 01:46:52.840
Seven year olds are extremely resilient and nothing was broken,

1524
01:46:53.199 --> 01:46:56.039
and there appeared to be no head trauma. But after

1525
01:46:56.119 --> 01:46:58.600
a call to the doctor's office, she said to just

1526
01:46:58.760 --> 01:47:00.840
keep him awake for a while and watch him for

1527
01:47:00.880 --> 01:47:05.560
anything like dizziness or nausea as many seven year olds

1528
01:47:05.600 --> 01:47:09.600
who have accidents. He was fine. Then on Friday, I

1529
01:47:09.720 --> 01:47:12.159
was working from home that day. One of the only

1530
01:47:12.199 --> 01:47:15.000
real benefits I could see coming from the COVID plague.

1531
01:47:15.560 --> 01:47:18.840
Funny how huge corporations have no problem with their employees

1532
01:47:18.880 --> 01:47:22.000
working from home to keep making that all important dollar.

1533
01:47:23.319 --> 01:47:26.239
Then they saw how much money they saved on maintaining offices,

1534
01:47:26.279 --> 01:47:30.560
and well, here we are. My wife Lisa was in

1535
01:47:30.600 --> 01:47:33.720
the kitchen where the laundry was located and getting assistance

1536
01:47:33.760 --> 01:47:37.119
from Lily. Michael was outside in our yard playing when

1537
01:47:37.159 --> 01:47:40.760
we heard the scream. I was closest to the door

1538
01:47:40.840 --> 01:47:43.600
and knew it was Michael's voice, so I flung it open.

1539
01:47:44.920 --> 01:47:48.960
Interestingly enough, Coco dashed inside before I could run out

1540
01:47:49.000 --> 01:47:52.479
to see what had happened. I saw that as interesting

1541
01:47:52.560 --> 01:47:57.239
because our cats have always been indoor cats. I spotted

1542
01:47:57.279 --> 01:47:59.680
Michael screaming at the base of the oak tree that

1543
01:47:59.720 --> 01:48:02.920
he was always climbing. He was still screaming, and I

1544
01:48:03.039 --> 01:48:05.159
rushed over to see that he had fallen from the

1545
01:48:05.199 --> 01:48:10.079
tree and his right arm was definitely broken. A huge

1546
01:48:10.119 --> 01:48:13.920
wave of nausea washed over me, and spots filled my vision.

1547
01:48:14.720 --> 01:48:18.399
Lisa took care of stuff like this, but I toughed

1548
01:48:18.399 --> 01:48:21.000
it out and screamed my wife's name. At the same time.

1549
01:48:21.680 --> 01:48:24.800
I was comforting him. When I heard Lisa gasp behind me.

1550
01:48:25.760 --> 01:48:28.880
Then she went into survival mode. She had me go

1551
01:48:28.960 --> 01:48:31.680
get a blanket to wrap Michael in. This kept my

1552
01:48:31.800 --> 01:48:34.439
racing brain occupied, so that when I came back out

1553
01:48:34.439 --> 01:48:37.239
with the blanket, she had already loaded him in the car.

1554
01:48:38.039 --> 01:48:40.239
She covered him with the blanket and told me she

1555
01:48:40.279 --> 01:48:44.000
would keep me posted. I numbly waved as she backed

1556
01:48:44.000 --> 01:48:48.279
out of the driveway, still in shock over what had happened.

1557
01:48:48.800 --> 01:48:51.479
I walked in the house and saw Lily walking towards

1558
01:48:51.479 --> 01:48:54.439
Coco in the living room. The cat was making an

1559
01:48:54.520 --> 01:48:58.560
unnatural noise and they were both advancing towards one another.

1560
01:48:59.479 --> 01:49:02.680
I shouted something, ran forward, and drop kicked the cat.

1561
01:49:03.279 --> 01:49:05.640
She flew through the air, hit the wall, and fell

1562
01:49:05.680 --> 01:49:08.920
behind the couch. I scooped up Lily and made a

1563
01:49:09.000 --> 01:49:13.279
quick scan of the living room. No cat, but I

1564
01:49:13.319 --> 01:49:15.840
could hear that noise. It sounded like it was coming

1565
01:49:15.920 --> 01:49:18.920
from behind the couch. But how could I be sure.

1566
01:49:19.800 --> 01:49:21.720
I tried to think of what could make the cat

1567
01:49:21.760 --> 01:49:25.840
act like this, and I kept thinking the same thing, rabies?

1568
01:49:26.560 --> 01:49:29.600
Could it be rabies? Though I had fed Coco an

1569
01:49:29.600 --> 01:49:31.720
hour before, Michael had fallen out of the tree and

1570
01:49:31.760 --> 01:49:36.000
she seemed fine. Then my brain replayed the whole incident

1571
01:49:36.079 --> 01:49:41.079
for me, and I saw it. The red scratches on

1572
01:49:41.159 --> 01:49:48.680
Michael's arm were they scratches or claw marks? Did Coco

1573
01:49:48.760 --> 01:49:51.760
attack Michael while he was in the tree. The noise

1574
01:49:51.800 --> 01:49:55.159
seemed to fade, which worried me more so so I

1575
01:49:55.239 --> 01:49:58.199
took Lily into the kitchen, where she demanded a snack.

1576
01:49:58.920 --> 01:50:01.279
As I fixed her something, my eyes were locked on

1577
01:50:01.319 --> 01:50:05.079
the doorway that led from the living room into the kitchen. Still,

1578
01:50:05.119 --> 01:50:09.279
no noise in Cocoa had not made an appearance. That

1579
01:50:09.439 --> 01:50:12.000
was also weird because I was making Lily a peanut,

1580
01:50:12.039 --> 01:50:15.159
butter and jelly sandwich. Anytime you opened a jar in

1581
01:50:15.199 --> 01:50:21.119
the kitchen, it summoned the cat. This time nothing. While

1582
01:50:21.159 --> 01:50:23.520
Lily enjoyed her sandwich, I stood in the doorway and

1583
01:50:23.640 --> 01:50:27.720
kept an eye out. I never saw the cat one second.

1584
01:50:27.760 --> 01:50:30.000
I'm staring in the living room doing a quick sweep

1585
01:50:30.079 --> 01:50:32.439
of the area. Then a hissing ball of fur and

1586
01:50:32.520 --> 01:50:36.119
claws had become attached to my face. I screamed more

1587
01:50:36.159 --> 01:50:39.800
from the surprise than the pain, although that came pretty fast.

1588
01:50:40.159 --> 01:50:42.880
I could hear Lily screaming, and, knowing how much it

1589
01:50:42.920 --> 01:50:45.800
would hurt, grabbed the cat with both hands, gave a

1590
01:50:45.840 --> 01:50:49.760
fatal squeeze and hurled it across the room. I used

1591
01:50:49.760 --> 01:50:51.760
my sleeve to get the blood off of my face

1592
01:50:51.840 --> 01:50:54.359
so it wouldn't get into my eyes, and looked where

1593
01:50:54.399 --> 01:50:59.520
I'd thrown the cat. Nothing. There was a tiny spot

1594
01:50:59.560 --> 01:51:02.239
of blood on the carpet, and I just knew it

1595
01:51:02.279 --> 01:51:06.439
was probably mine. Grabbing a towel hanging from the oven door,

1596
01:51:06.680 --> 01:51:09.640
I cleaned up my face and picked up Lily. She

1597
01:51:09.680 --> 01:51:13.760
stopped screaming after that, and we went upstairs. I took

1598
01:51:13.800 --> 01:51:16.720
her into mine in Lisa's room and shut the door.

1599
01:51:17.319 --> 01:51:19.760
I turned on the television and found some cartoons for

1600
01:51:19.840 --> 01:51:22.760
Lily to watch. She liked being in our room and

1601
01:51:22.840 --> 01:51:25.800
snuggled right into the bed while I checked my phone

1602
01:51:25.960 --> 01:51:29.439
that had just started vibrating. It was a message from

1603
01:51:29.479 --> 01:51:32.239
Lisa that Michael had a small fracture and they were

1604
01:51:32.279 --> 01:51:35.800
taking care of it. Then she also mentioned the doctor

1605
01:51:35.920 --> 01:51:38.880
was worried about scratches on his arm and that they

1606
01:51:38.960 --> 01:51:42.800
might have been a wild animal. I texted her back

1607
01:51:42.840 --> 01:51:45.800
about the cat without mentioning the attack. In the house.

1608
01:51:46.880 --> 01:51:50.159
Next to the bedroom door was my old Louisville slugger

1609
01:51:50.199 --> 01:51:54.000
wooden bat that I kept for home defense. It had

1610
01:51:54.079 --> 01:51:58.119
actual dust on it, because well, there had never been

1611
01:51:58.399 --> 01:52:02.359
a use for it before. My face burned from the scratches,

1612
01:52:02.359 --> 01:52:04.479
and I looked in the mirror to see that Coco

1613
01:52:04.560 --> 01:52:08.560
had done quite a number on me, but nothing too serious.

1614
01:52:09.079 --> 01:52:12.640
Then my eyes lit upon the laundry basket and a

1615
01:52:12.680 --> 01:52:15.640
pair of oven mits lying right on top of the

1616
01:52:15.680 --> 01:52:19.680
clean laundry. That pretty much brings us up to speed.

1617
01:52:20.199 --> 01:52:22.279
Going down the stairs with the bat in front of me,

1618
01:52:22.359 --> 01:52:25.920
I was shocked that the lights were out downstairs? Did

1619
01:52:25.960 --> 01:52:29.399
the cat do that? The house still had power because

1620
01:52:29.560 --> 01:52:32.000
the clock on the oven was on, but other than

1621
01:52:32.000 --> 01:52:35.479
that there were no lights. My bedroom still had a

1622
01:52:35.560 --> 01:52:38.319
light shining under the heavy wooden door that I double

1623
01:52:38.399 --> 01:52:43.159
checked to make sure was closed. Where was that damned cat?

1624
01:52:44.039 --> 01:52:46.319
I went to the light switch that controlled the lights

1625
01:52:46.359 --> 01:52:49.479
in the living room and flicked it on. Headed right

1626
01:52:49.520 --> 01:52:53.720
at my face was Coco, with bright red eyes, mouth agape,

1627
01:52:53.760 --> 01:52:57.199
and claws extended. I swung the bat on reflex and

1628
01:52:57.279 --> 01:53:00.960
heard a meaty thunk as the bat reverbering with the impact.

1629
01:53:01.640 --> 01:53:05.840
She hit the floor, spun and leapt again. I grabbed

1630
01:53:05.840 --> 01:53:08.880
her with the oven midhand and slammed her right into

1631
01:53:08.920 --> 01:53:12.399
the exterior door that was solid oak. I kept doing

1632
01:53:12.439 --> 01:53:16.239
that until she went limp in my hand. When I

1633
01:53:16.319 --> 01:53:19.159
released her, she fell to the floor with a terrible

1634
01:53:19.199 --> 01:53:24.439
thump on the kitchen tile. I tapped her tiny body

1635
01:53:24.479 --> 01:53:27.079
with my toe and was just ready for her to

1636
01:53:27.119 --> 01:53:31.680
come back to life and attack. A huge exhale of

1637
01:53:31.720 --> 01:53:35.199
relief escaped my lungs, and I heard my bedroom door open.

1638
01:53:36.199 --> 01:53:39.079
Lily must have been curious about the noise, so I

1639
01:53:39.119 --> 01:53:41.199
turned on the lights to the stairs and headed up

1640
01:53:41.239 --> 01:53:45.119
to meet her. At the top of the stairs, Lily

1641
01:53:45.279 --> 01:53:48.720
just stood there with an odd look on her face.

1642
01:53:51.199 --> 01:53:54.000
That's when I saw the small crook in her jaw.

1643
01:53:55.760 --> 01:54:08.119
She opened her mouth and said, and there you have it,

1644
01:54:08.319 --> 01:54:12.680
my spookies, for more reasons to spend the rest of

1645
01:54:12.720 --> 01:54:19.479
your summer indoors with the windows locked. Tonight, we learned

1646
01:54:19.560 --> 01:54:25.520
that jungle safaris rarely offer refunds. Cheerleading is an unusual

1647
01:54:25.680 --> 01:54:31.079
form of anger management. Giving your dog apposable thumbs might

1648
01:54:31.159 --> 01:54:38.159
be a mistake, and cats were apparently not frightening enough already.

1649
01:54:39.119 --> 01:54:43.079
That is the beautiful thing about summer ween. You don't

1650
01:54:43.119 --> 01:54:47.279
need cold wind, dead leaves, or an October calendar to

1651
01:54:47.359 --> 01:54:52.640
invite a little darkness into your life. Sometimes all it

1652
01:54:52.760 --> 01:54:56.640
takes is a warm night, an open window, and an

1653
01:54:56.680 --> 01:55:01.359
animal making a sound that no animal should know how

1654
01:55:01.399 --> 01:55:05.279
to make. Thank you for celebrating a little bit of

1655
01:55:05.359 --> 01:55:08.840
Halloween in your summer with us. Make sure to follow

1656
01:55:08.960 --> 01:55:12.399
or subscribe to Weekly Spooky on your favorite podcast app

1657
01:55:12.680 --> 01:55:16.760
and join us every Wednesday for a brand new scary story.

1658
01:55:17.359 --> 01:55:21.640
And we have a whole lot planned come Halloween time,

1659
01:55:22.279 --> 01:55:25.880
so you won't want to miss it until next time.

1660
01:55:26.000 --> 01:55:31.439
Stay spooky and stay safe, and also maybe let someone

1661
01:55:31.479 --> 01:55:35.079
else feed the pets tonight. See him