WEBVTT
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Good evening, my Spookys. Tonight, we're throwing the map in
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the glove box and heading for the places nobody wants
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to stop after dark. You know, the kind a stretch
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of road where the gas gauge drops a little early,
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a town that looks abandoned until you notice something watching
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from a window, a cabin trail in the ozarks where
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the woods seem hungry, A gas station glowing in the
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middle of nowhere, like the last safe place on Earth,
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right up until you realize it absolutely is not. These
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are the stories that live between highway lines and tree roots,
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where one detour, one breakdown, one wrong job, or one
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bad shift can send your whole life skidding sideways into
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a ditch. So settle in, lock the doors, and maybe
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don't trust any place with a hand painted warning sign
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out front. And while we're riding into the dark together,
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make sure you're subscribed on your favorite podcast app, because
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every single Wednesday there's a brand new scary story right
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here at Weekly Spooky. But now I guess it's time
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to start the engine, roll up the windows and hit
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the open road. Strikeout by Morgan Moore. How much longer?
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Dad Calie Jensen asked for today or in general, He replied,
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I guess both. The eleven year old answered, well, we'll
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probably stop in an hour or so for the night
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at a hotel. Then tomorrow it shouldn't be much longer
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to Grammys. He told her. Awesome, Callie responded. Her father
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smiled at her eagerness. Calli and her father were on
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their way to her grandmother, or as she had always
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called her grammys house in Maryland. It was a tradition
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they had kept every spring since Callie could remember. She
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and her father loved baseball, and the Baltimore Orioles were
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their shared favorite team. Her name, in fact, came from
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one of their more storied players, in cal Ripken Junior.
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Callie's dad insisted on using the name in any way,
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shape or form for his first born, so when he
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and her mom learned they were having a little girl,
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they decided on Calli. Currently, they were nearing half way
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point of their trip. Calli and her family lived in Ohio,
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which meant she and her father would trek through the
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Buckeye State, down through West Virginia, Virginia, and finally Maryland.
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Calli's dad usually considered West Virginia the halfway point unless
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they got up super early, where they would do the
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trip in one go. Knowing they would be stopping soon
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brought joy to Calli, as they usually stopped in the
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same town known as Morgantown and almost always either went
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to a diner near the hotel or ordered pizza. Then
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it would be breakfast at the hotel in the morning,
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and then onward to Grammys, where, save for some eating out,
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they dined on her grandmother's homemade cooking, with her chocolate
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chip pancakes being Calli's favorite. She could almost taste them.
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Not to mention opening day for the Orioles, Callie returned
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her attention to the book she was reading, her normal
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way of passing the time on the drives, unless she
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wanted to break out her Game Boy Advance and replay
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one of the Pokemon games for the umpteenth time. If
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she had her way, Calli would have her mitt and
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ball with her and pass the time by lightly tossing
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it and catching it. But her dad had vetoed that
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since last year when she nearly caused him to have
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an accident. The mitten ball, along with her bat would
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have to wait. Calli felt her eyes start to grow heavy,
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As she continued to read, the heaviness soon overcame her
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and they began to close. Once fully closed, she was
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out like a light. Her eyes shot open as her
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body was jolted away. Her eyes danced around before catching
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a glance at the time on the radio deck, six
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thirty pm. She turned her attention to her dad, who
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was cursing under his breath. Daddy, she asked, in shocked fright.
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I don't know what I hit, but two of our
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tires just blew out, he told her. What do we do?
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CALLI questioned, Well, normally, when you have a flat tire,
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you just change it, but I don't have two spares,
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so he trailed off. So then what do we do?
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She asked, with fear creeping into her tone more and more. Well,
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we're not close to a town yet, he responded, as
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his eyes looked at their surroundings. We're in trouble, Callie asked.
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Her father does not answer. Instead, he keeps his eyes
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scanning the area. Finally, a small smile appears on his
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mouth and he snaps his fingers. There we go, he exclaims,
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in hopeful joy. Callie turns her attention to where her
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father was looking. Shortly up ahead was what looked like
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the start of a driveway. Does that lead to somebody's house?
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She asked. We'll find out soon enough, honey. Either way,
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it'll lead somewhere that will hopefully find people and can
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plan our next steps from there, he answered. Will we
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make it with the tires? Callie questioned, as her nostrils
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became filled with the smell of burning rubber. I hope so, sweetie,
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he said. Callie's father carefully turned the car leftwards into
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the opening and began driving up the path slowly. While
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night was not far behind, the sun was starting to lower.
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As dusk took over, The path winded up part of
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a mountain whose trees, along with the slowly setting sun,
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left little light for them to use. Finally, they arrived
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at an open gate. The father and daughter rolled down
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their windows and poked their heads out. CALLI spotted an
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old metal sign dangling from one of the gate doors.
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She squinted her eyes to read it. Keep out, she said,
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What was that, sweetie? Her father asked, there's a sign
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that said keep out. I think that means we shouldn't
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go in anymore, daddy, Callie told her father the gate
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is open though. Besides, even if they don't necessarily want
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strangers around, we do have a valid reason on our side.
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We need help, he explained. Are you sure about this, Dad,
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Calli questioned, It's either this or pulling over on the road.
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He answered with that, Her father drove through the gates
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as he switched on the headlights. The pair continued forward.
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As the large house came into view via the headlights,
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Calli's father slapped the steering wheel in excitement. Once close enough,
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Callie's dad pulled to a stop and turned off the truck.
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Dad Calli said, what is it, honey, he returned, I
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don't have a good feeling about this, She told him.
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How come, he asked, It just doesn't feel right going
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somewhere we shouldn't. Besides, she started, as she looked at
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the surroundings, this place gives me the creeps, she finished.
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Her father smiled at her. I know, hon, it's a
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new place and we're in a bad spot. But at
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the end of the day, I like to believe that
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people are good and will help their fellow man. Even
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if the people who live here are angry that we
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pulled in, surely they'll understand why come on, Let's find
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out what fate has in store for us, he said.
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On that note, her father swung his door open and
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exited the car. Hesitating for a moment, Calli took some
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deep breaths before getting out of the car and joining
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her father. She grasped and curled her hand around his,
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prompting a smile from him and a ruffle of her
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hair in response. The father and daughter made their way
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across the grounds. The duo ascended up a small set
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of steps onto the wooden patio of the house. At
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the door, Calli's father took a deep breath, put on
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his best friendly smile, and knocked on the door. Nothing.
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He waited for a moment before knocking again a bit harder,
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still nothing. Frowning a bit, Calli's father banged on the
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door with his whole fist. Not two seconds later, the
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door swung open violently. Go away, A grisly voice commanded.
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Calli and her dad looked at the man in front
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of them. He was tall and burly, with a full
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and bushy black beard and head of dark hair that
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looked messy and greasy. He was dressed in jeans a
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plain colored T shirt and opened up workshirt and large boots.
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Most importantly and jarringly to the father and daw was
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the shotgun he held in his hands. Hello, Callie's dad started.
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MY name is Nathan Jannam. This is my daughter Calli.
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We were on our way to visit some family when
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two of our tires blew. He points to their car.
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I know it's late and probably not what you wanted
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to have at your doorstep this time of night, but
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we really need help. My cell phone is close to dead.
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I do have some cash, though, if you'd be willing
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to help us, he finished, as his hand slides into
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his pocket and withdraws his wallet. I don't care get
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the man told them with growing menace. Callie shuddered at
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the look in his eyes. I'm sorry, sir, but a
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father in a bad predicament with his daughter. I promise
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if you let me use your phone, me and her
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will get out of your hair as fast as possible,
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Callie's dad said. The man held up and aimed the
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shotgun right at Calli's father. I don't give a shit
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who you are and what you want. Get off my
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property now, last warning, he told her father directly, before
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giving a look at Calli. That made her skin crawl.
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Her father gulped and then sighed and took another breath. Listen, buddy,
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I'm not falling for this tough guy who lives out
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in seclusion in the wilderness. Crap, we need help. The
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least you can do if you won't help us is
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tell us who will? Her father all but ranted. The
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man's response, aunts was a simple one. He raised his aim,
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pulled on the trigger of the shotgun, and blew the
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head of Calli's father right off. Blood and brain matter
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splattered all over the porch, as well as the man
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and Calli. She turned and looked to where her father
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had stood a moment prior, only to find him splayed
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out on the ground with his head blown open and
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a messy pile of flesh and blood and brain. Callie
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wanted to scream, but couldn't find the ability to do
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so due to the shock. Her eyes returned to the man,
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who was loading two fresh slugs into the shotgun and
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locking it into place. He pointed it at her torso
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before she knew what was happening, she jumped off the
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porch and started running across the grounds. A shot thundered
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out from the gun, and she saw the ground off
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to her side erupt he missed. She kept her pace up,
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unsure of where to go or how far the man
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would give chase. Another blast from the gun echoed through
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the air, and Calli felt the ground right behind her
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at her feet blown apart. The impact on the ground
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near her caused her to stumble and then fall forward,
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slamming face down into the dirt. She felt like she
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had been punched square in the face and was dizzy.
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Her eyes fluttered open and stared ahead. Callie became grateful
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that she landed where she did, only a few inches
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away from where she fell was a snap trap. If
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she had kept running or fell a bit farther, either
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her foot or her face would have been crushed. She
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got to her feet slowly and risked a look behind her.
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The man was off of the porch and started to
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run toward her. Unsure of what was the best option,
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Calli looked down and around the ground. In her search,
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she found an old beer bottle and picked it up.
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Better than nothing, she told herself. Callie turned to face
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the oncoming threat, and when he was just close enough
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as he started to raise the gun, she reared back
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her arm and threw the bottle like she was trying
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to strike out a player to win a game. The
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bottle collided with the man's face and shattered. He rubbed
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and picked at his visage to remove any glass that
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might have embedded itself in his flesh. Using the opportunity
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to her advantage, Callie sprinted past the man and kept
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running past the house towards its backyard. Behind her, all
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she heard was the man, I'm gonna kill you, you little bitch.
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Callie's eyes darted around the backyard. Her options for a
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hiding spot were not the best. There was a shed,
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but surely the man would look there first, and it
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was possible that it was locked. She considered trying the
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back door, but who knew what horrors were inside. Callie
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considered hiding under the raised back porch, climbing a tree,
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or to simply keep running. Then her eyes landed on
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a doghouse which looked to be big and dug into
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a decently deep level. Callie sprinted towards it and slid
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into the opening. The space inside was tight, but was
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indeed deep enough to allow her to partially crawl out
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of view, Lying in the dirt. The tears finally came
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as Callie processed the last few minutes. Her father had died,
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No was slaughtered before her eyes. Her white and black
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baseball shirt was covered in his blood, and she could
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feel the wetness of brain matter on her face and
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in her hair. Daddy, she cried in her head. She
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dared not to speak and give away her hiding spot.
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Calli shook her head. Get it together. You need to
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keep it together if you want to survive, she told herself.
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How though, was the question. She didn't know fully why
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she had even chosen to run to the back yard.
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Her best guess was fear that if she left the
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property that the man would pursue her and most likely
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get her. After all, he lived out here and most
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likely knew the land better than anybody. Not to mention
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it was possible he did leave the property, Thinking she
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may have gone back down the mountain and could have
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closed and locked the gate, she thought about running past
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the back yard, but was unsure if and when it
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would stop. It seemed plaw the man might have another
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gait or fence somewhere behind his house. In her mind,
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that left one option, the car. Calli knew her father
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had the keys with him when they went to the door,
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most likely in one of his pockets. The issue, though,
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was both being able to get to them before being
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caught and the fact that two tires were unusable. Callie
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didn't know much about cars, but she knew driving on
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blown out tires leads to driving on rims, which is
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an even worse problem. Add to that the growing darkness
250
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and her inability to drive, which meant it was most
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likely not a good idea. A few seconds later, though,
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a fresh idea entered Calli's head and brought a smile
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to her face. Her the baseball stuff was in the
254
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trunk of the car, which meant her baseball bat was
255
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in there as well. If she could get the keys
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to the car, Callie could unlock the trunk, get her bat,
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and have a weapon. True, she knew a baseball bat,
258
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especially a wooden one, wasn't the best choice against a shotgun,
259
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but it was something Besides, She told herself, if you
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00:20:28.920 --> 00:20:34.279
could outrun and dodge two shots, maybe you can do
261
00:20:34.400 --> 00:20:38.519
it again. When he would go to reload, you can
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go up to him and start beating him with the bat.
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Her smile turned to a grin as she envisioned getting
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revenge against the man. It was a risky plan, but
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the only feasible one CALLI could think of. She started
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to crawl out of the doghouse. She figured it might
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be best to run around the house the opposite way
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she came into the backyard in case the man was
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waiting for her. Callie considered crawling on the ground to
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do so, but if there was one spring trap on
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the premises, there would likely be more. This man clearly
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took any and all precautions to keep people away. Exiting
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the doghouse, Callie slowly rose to her feet when a
274
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thought occurred to her. There was a doghouse, but there
275
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didn't seem to be a dog. Unless foss the man's
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voice roared. Callie turned her attention to the back porch
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and saw the man standing there. Next to him was
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a dog, a cane corso. The moment it heard its
279
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master speak, it shot forward like a speeding train towards Calli.
280
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The plan to go around the house vanished as Callie
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began sprinting for her life back the way she came,
282
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with the dog in pursuit behind her. How am I
283
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going to get the keys and get away before the
284
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dog even catches me. The answer was simple, I'm just
285
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going to have to. Callie rounded a corner into the
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front of the grounds and turned to the porch. She
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ran towards it, with the dog barking right behind her.
288
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Callie jumped up the small steps and slid to a
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crash against the wall. She shook it off and hustled
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to her father and checked his pockets. The keys were gone.
291
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The man must have taken them, she said to herself.
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Before she could think any further, the dog jumped onto her, snarling.
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Callie remembered when a police officer visited her class and
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00:23:04.079 --> 00:23:06.599
explained to them what to do if a dog ever
295
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attacked you. Normally, it would be to stay still, but
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this was no ordinary dog. Callie shook her body around
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back and forth to gather any momentum she could. Feeling
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confident enough, Callie rolled her body to the side and
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brought the dog onto its side. She then gave it
300
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a hard punch to its chest, which elicited a yelp
301
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and a momentary retreat from the dog. Callie jumped to
302
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her feet. If I want in the trunk, I'll have
303
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to use the hatch in the car. She hoped and
304
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prayed the man hadn't locked it as she left off
305
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the porch and ran towards the car. She pulled hastily
306
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on the driver's side door and was relieved to find
307
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it unlocked. Callie quickly got inside and shut the door.
308
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A moment later, the dog jumped against the window, barking fiercely.
309
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Callie screamed as she searched for the right lever to pull,
310
00:24:14.079 --> 00:24:17.839
pulling on all of them just to be sure. Hearing
311
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the trunk click and pop open, Callie breathed a sigh
312
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of relief. Then she stared out the front of the
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car and found the dog standing by the man, his
314
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shotgun aimed right at the vehicle. The next thing she knew,
315
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there was a bang and the windshield shattered. Screaming in terror,
316
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Callie crawled from the driver's seat into the back. There
317
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she opened a door and crawled out. Staying on the ground,
318
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she made her way to the back of the car,
319
00:24:51.720 --> 00:24:55.680
then moved onto her knees. Gripping the latch of the trunk,
320
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she pushed it open the rest of the way and
321
00:24:59.319 --> 00:25:04.680
there it was her baseball bat. She grinned as she
322
00:25:04.720 --> 00:25:07.519
pulled it out of the trunk and wielded it like
323
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a sword. Okay, Callie, time to do either the bravest
324
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or dumbest thing in your whole life, she said, to
325
00:25:18.759 --> 00:25:23.400
hype herself up. Calli stood up and walked around the
326
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car to find the man and the dog. The man
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had the shotgun aimed at her. He eyed the baseball
328
00:25:30.920 --> 00:25:36.599
bat in her hands, adjusted his aim, and fired the
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bat blew apart in Calli's hand, sending wood all over
330
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the ground as well as into the flesh of her hands, arms,
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and face. She fell to the ground, ears ringing from
332
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the force of the blast, and screamed in agony. She
333
00:25:55.720 --> 00:26:01.480
felt more pain than she could have ever imagined. Boss
334
00:26:01.519 --> 00:26:06.559
the man commanded again. She heard the snarl, but couldn't
335
00:26:06.559 --> 00:26:10.480
find the strength to move. A moment later, the dog
336
00:26:10.640 --> 00:26:14.400
was on her and elicited fresh screams from her throat
337
00:26:14.720 --> 00:26:18.400
as it ripped and teared into her thigh. With what
338
00:26:18.559 --> 00:26:22.519
strength she had, Callie beat on its head to no avail.
339
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Her defense only caused the dog to tighten its hold.
340
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It shook its head, causing more damage through growingly hazier eyes.
341
00:26:34.480 --> 00:26:38.200
Callie turned her head and saw that in her right hand.
342
00:26:39.160 --> 00:26:43.160
She was still gripping the shattered and splintered remains of
343
00:26:43.200 --> 00:26:49.680
the bat. She looked at the dog, Dear God, I'm sorry.
344
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In one furious movement, she plunged the remains of the
345
00:26:55.200 --> 00:26:59.759
bat into the neck of the beast. She twisted it
346
00:27:00.200 --> 00:27:04.039
as she pulled it out and watched blood flow out
347
00:27:04.079 --> 00:27:10.400
of the wound barbous. The man screamed, almost as if
348
00:27:10.440 --> 00:27:14.200
the first stab filled her with more energy. Calli screamed
349
00:27:14.200 --> 00:27:17.839
as she repeatedly thrust the broken bat into the dog's
350
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throat and its torso her body became covered in its
351
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blood as life quickly drained from it. Callie shoved the
352
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dog off of her and slowly stood up, her body
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shaking from shock. She looked to where the man was
354
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and saw him running at full speed toward her. You
355
00:27:42.759 --> 00:27:47.759
have one chance, Callie, she told herself. The moment the
356
00:27:47.799 --> 00:27:51.759
man was in rage, Callie shrieked and pushed her body
357
00:27:51.839 --> 00:27:56.359
forward and plunged the remains of the bat into the
358
00:27:56.400 --> 00:28:01.960
man's hip. He howled in pain and in response, dropped
359
00:28:02.000 --> 00:28:06.960
the shotgun as he staggered back a few inches. Not
360
00:28:07.079 --> 00:28:10.759
wasting a moment, Calli picked up the shotgun and aimed
361
00:28:10.799 --> 00:28:14.519
it at the man. She watched as he pulled out
362
00:28:14.519 --> 00:28:19.000
the bat and threw it to the ground. His eyes
363
00:28:19.119 --> 00:28:23.880
moved to her, and a grin formed across his bearded mouth.
364
00:28:25.720 --> 00:28:31.079
What's you gonna do with that, bitch, he asked, tauntingly,
365
00:28:33.400 --> 00:28:36.359
I'm going to shoot you, just like you did my dad,
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Calli retorted. The man's grin widened. Really, now, sure you
367
00:28:45.440 --> 00:28:50.799
have enough strength to do it? Uh huh, she answered,
368
00:28:51.519 --> 00:28:57.519
knowing her strength was indeed fading fast. Are you sure
369
00:28:57.559 --> 00:29:05.920
it's loaded? The man? Wha? Callie responded. The man chuckled,
370
00:29:07.599 --> 00:29:11.279
What makes you so sure it's loaded? After all, you
371
00:29:11.359 --> 00:29:14.359
were in La La Land getting mauled by my dog,
372
00:29:15.039 --> 00:29:17.400
So how do you know if I ever loaded it again?
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Of course you did, Callie says back to him, but
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00:29:23.480 --> 00:29:26.519
it admits in her head that the man raises a
375
00:29:26.599 --> 00:29:32.279
viable point. Really, now you bet on it being loaded,
376
00:29:32.920 --> 00:29:42.799
he taunts, Yeah, she squeaks out. Well, what about this one,
377
00:29:43.039 --> 00:29:47.200
the man said, as he reached behind him and brandishes
378
00:29:47.240 --> 00:29:53.119
a pistol, aiming it at Calli. You have another gun,
379
00:29:54.079 --> 00:30:00.720
Callie questioned, in genuine surprise. Course I do, prepared to
380
00:30:00.799 --> 00:30:07.119
protect yourself and whatnot? The man answered with a menacing glee.
381
00:30:08.839 --> 00:30:12.839
Silence fell between the two, with only the sound of
382
00:30:12.960 --> 00:30:18.839
nature filling the space between them. They stare each other down,
383
00:30:19.799 --> 00:30:23.720
each one waiting for the other to make the first move.
384
00:30:26.000 --> 00:30:29.759
So you really want to bet your life on that
385
00:30:29.880 --> 00:30:36.400
shotgun being loaded, the man asked, Finding she had little
386
00:30:36.440 --> 00:30:41.400
strength left to speak, Callie nodded her head to say
387
00:30:41.440 --> 00:30:46.759
that she does. Well. I guess we'll find out, then,
388
00:30:47.839 --> 00:30:52.880
the man said. They let silence fall over them once
389
00:30:53.000 --> 00:30:58.480
more as they listened to crickets and other nocturnal sounds.
390
00:30:59.279 --> 00:31:03.720
Their fingers each squeeze and then pull back on their
391
00:31:03.759 --> 00:31:09.839
respective triggers. There was a bang and the odor of
392
00:31:09.960 --> 00:31:22.279
gun smoke as it filled the night. I was sent
393
00:31:22.359 --> 00:31:26.480
to a small town where strange things were happening by
394
00:31:26.559 --> 00:31:33.079
Michael Kelso. Even thinking about retelling this story has made
395
00:31:33.079 --> 00:31:37.240
me the most afraid I've ever been in my life.
396
00:31:37.359 --> 00:31:42.119
I suppose if I keep it bottled up, I'll go insane.
397
00:31:42.160 --> 00:31:45.920
God knows, the security company isn't talking. I feel like
398
00:31:46.000 --> 00:31:51.000
if I don't warn people and they go there, all right,
399
00:31:51.720 --> 00:31:53.960
if I'm telling the story, then I'd better back up
400
00:31:54.000 --> 00:31:57.240
a bit. It started a little over a month ago.
401
00:31:58.440 --> 00:32:02.079
I work for a security firm that guards projects all
402
00:32:02.119 --> 00:32:06.759
over the country. I'm sort of a specialist. It seems
403
00:32:06.880 --> 00:32:09.839
like if there's some weird stuff happening at a site,
404
00:32:10.519 --> 00:32:15.079
I get called in. I'm not sure why, maybe my
405
00:32:15.200 --> 00:32:20.640
ex military background, or maybe the fact that, well, we'll
406
00:32:20.680 --> 00:32:23.880
get to that. This place up in New England was
407
00:32:23.920 --> 00:32:27.400
having some trouble. A local firm was remodeling an old
408
00:32:27.480 --> 00:32:31.720
church when workers suddenly started quitting. No one seemed to
409
00:32:31.759 --> 00:32:34.160
have a good reason why they didn't want to work
410
00:32:34.200 --> 00:32:37.680
there anymore, so guess who got the call to come
411
00:32:37.720 --> 00:32:42.079
in and straighten things out. Driving up there gave me
412
00:32:42.160 --> 00:32:46.119
the most profound feeling of being alone I've ever had.
413
00:32:46.599 --> 00:32:51.519
And mind you, I've sat watch in caves, foxholes, ditches,
414
00:32:52.119 --> 00:32:55.160
some of the most god forsaken places on the planet,
415
00:32:55.880 --> 00:32:59.680
all by my lonesome, and never did I ever feel
416
00:32:59.680 --> 00:33:03.559
as old, crushingly alone as driving up that little two
417
00:33:03.640 --> 00:33:07.519
lane road that was the only sign of humanity, as
418
00:33:07.559 --> 00:33:11.319
the trees seemed to close in on me from every side.
419
00:33:12.400 --> 00:33:16.079
As unnerving as that was, it was nothing compared to
420
00:33:16.119 --> 00:33:19.200
pulling into the little town where the church was. It
421
00:33:19.319 --> 00:33:22.960
was like the nightmare scene from a B horror movie.
422
00:33:23.079 --> 00:33:25.079
I guess arriving at night in the middle of a
423
00:33:25.160 --> 00:33:30.079
rainstorm didn't help much. I pulled in beside the only
424
00:33:30.200 --> 00:33:33.759
vehicle I saw and ran inside the hotel that looked
425
00:33:33.799 --> 00:33:37.039
like a saloon out of an old Western. I barely
426
00:33:37.079 --> 00:33:39.559
got the door closed when there was a light and
427
00:33:39.599 --> 00:33:43.559
a gun shoved in my face. Who the hell are you,
428
00:33:44.240 --> 00:33:48.960
said a man from somewhere behind the glare of a flashlight. Jones,
429
00:33:49.480 --> 00:33:53.559
I said, slowly, raising my hands. I was called in
430
00:33:53.599 --> 00:33:58.119
to help out with your worker problem. The light lowered,
431
00:33:58.599 --> 00:34:01.960
but the gun stayed. What company do you work for?
432
00:34:03.160 --> 00:34:07.319
Sentinel Security? I saw the man relax a little, but
433
00:34:07.480 --> 00:34:10.559
mostly I was happy that he lowered the gun. In
434
00:34:10.599 --> 00:34:13.079
the best of times, a gun in a situation is
435
00:34:13.159 --> 00:34:17.880
less than ideal. All kinds of accidents can happen. I've
436
00:34:17.880 --> 00:34:21.840
seen many innocent bystanders fall victim to contagious gun fire.
437
00:34:23.239 --> 00:34:26.440
The man stepped over to a table and sat. As
438
00:34:26.480 --> 00:34:28.639
I looked around the room, I was surprised at how
439
00:34:28.719 --> 00:34:31.280
much it looked like a movie set from an old Western,
440
00:34:32.119 --> 00:34:35.079
right down to the lit lanterns on the tables and
441
00:34:35.199 --> 00:34:38.840
hanging from the rafters. He beckoned me over and I
442
00:34:38.920 --> 00:34:43.039
sat across from him. Judging by the welcome, I'm guessing
443
00:34:43.039 --> 00:34:46.159
the workers aren't the only ones who are spooked, I said.
444
00:34:46.920 --> 00:34:49.800
He looked at the gun, then laid it on the table.
445
00:34:50.559 --> 00:34:53.360
He seemed to be in his forties or fifties, but
446
00:34:53.440 --> 00:34:56.719
there was a tiredness in his eyes. He looked weary
447
00:34:56.800 --> 00:35:00.920
and haggard. Truth be told, I'm not even sure a
448
00:35:00.920 --> 00:35:04.639
gun would do any good. Maybe you should tell me
449
00:35:04.679 --> 00:35:08.320
when the trouble started. He looked at me. I could
450
00:35:08.320 --> 00:35:12.840
see worry tugging at his eyes. Your contract's open, right,
451
00:35:13.400 --> 00:35:16.719
I nodded, which means you have to finish the job
452
00:35:16.880 --> 00:35:21.960
or you don't get paid. Right. I nodded again. He
453
00:35:22.000 --> 00:35:25.440
looked me over for a long moment, then sat back,
454
00:35:25.880 --> 00:35:31.440
drained his glass of amber colored liquid, and sighed. I
455
00:35:31.519 --> 00:35:35.639
bought this town a while back. He started. Recently, with
456
00:35:35.679 --> 00:35:37.960
the passing of my wife, I decided I needed to
457
00:35:37.960 --> 00:35:41.559
throw myself into a project to keep me busy. I
458
00:35:41.639 --> 00:35:44.119
wanted to revitalize this town and turn it into a
459
00:35:44.119 --> 00:35:50.000
tourist attraction. I'm sorry for your loss. He nodded in recognition,
460
00:35:50.480 --> 00:35:54.039
but never said another word about her. Things were going
461
00:35:54.079 --> 00:35:57.719
along smoothly, he said, the buildings you see have all
462
00:35:57.760 --> 00:36:01.440
been restored. They look good. You should have seen them
463
00:36:01.480 --> 00:36:05.480
when we started, he scoffed, they were falling apart. No
464
00:36:05.559 --> 00:36:08.000
one had lived here for years. That's why I was
465
00:36:08.039 --> 00:36:10.000
able to buy the whole place for next to nothing.
466
00:36:11.039 --> 00:36:15.920
I'm thinking that's not the only reason. Yes, he said,
467
00:36:16.159 --> 00:36:20.079
as a haunted look passed through his eyes. We saved
468
00:36:20.079 --> 00:36:22.760
the church for last because it needed the most work.
469
00:36:23.679 --> 00:36:31.320
But once they started remodeling is when things began to happen. Things.
470
00:36:31.719 --> 00:36:35.440
It wasn't much at first. Shovels and saws would go missing,
471
00:36:35.800 --> 00:36:38.320
tools would be left in fine order at night, only
472
00:36:38.360 --> 00:36:41.679
to be in complete disarray in the morning. For a while,
473
00:36:41.760 --> 00:36:44.360
the workers blamed each other, saying there was a prankster
474
00:36:44.440 --> 00:36:50.559
among them. But that wasn't the case. Oh how I
475
00:36:50.599 --> 00:36:53.840
wish it was. I waited for a long moment for
476
00:36:53.920 --> 00:36:58.760
him to continue. We found the first body shortly after that,
477
00:36:59.400 --> 00:37:03.639
he said, so quietly, I barely heard him. Of a worker.
478
00:37:04.400 --> 00:37:10.639
He nodded dead. He nodded again. Why didn't you stop
479
00:37:10.679 --> 00:37:15.480
everything and leave? Because it was already too late, he said.
480
00:37:16.679 --> 00:37:21.599
We had disturbed it disturbed what. He opened his mouth
481
00:37:21.639 --> 00:37:25.280
as if to speak, but no words came out. He
482
00:37:25.360 --> 00:37:28.599
shook his head and looked away for a moment. I
483
00:37:28.639 --> 00:37:31.199
could swear I saw a tear run down his cheek.
484
00:37:32.880 --> 00:37:35.960
I'm sorry, he said, rubbing his palms on his face.
485
00:37:36.960 --> 00:37:38.760
Let me take you to your room and we'll discuss
486
00:37:38.840 --> 00:37:42.639
this further in the morning. My curiosity wanted him to
487
00:37:42.679 --> 00:37:45.840
finish the story, but it seemed like his weariness had
488
00:37:45.880 --> 00:37:49.440
been amplified by alcohol. I followed him as he carried
489
00:37:49.480 --> 00:37:52.159
the lantern up the stairs to the first floor and
490
00:37:52.280 --> 00:37:55.039
opened it for me. He handed me the light and
491
00:37:55.079 --> 00:37:57.760
told me the bathroom was across the hall if I
492
00:37:57.880 --> 00:38:01.039
needed it. I'll be here bright and early in the
493
00:38:01.079 --> 00:38:04.360
morning to give you the dollar tour, he said, sounding
494
00:38:04.400 --> 00:38:08.599
more like a host. Aren't you staying here tonight? His
495
00:38:08.719 --> 00:38:14.159
eyes flashed genuine fear. Not here, he said, I'll be
496
00:38:14.239 --> 00:38:18.519
back in the morning. I looked around the comfortable looking room,
497
00:38:18.639 --> 00:38:21.519
trying to decide what was so wrong with it. As
498
00:38:21.559 --> 00:38:25.440
he stepped to the door. Oh, by the way, he said,
499
00:38:25.480 --> 00:38:28.679
stopping at the doorway. Don't bother with your cell phone.
500
00:38:29.519 --> 00:38:33.400
There's no signal up here. I glanced down at my phone,
501
00:38:33.440 --> 00:38:37.559
and when I looked up, he was gone. I picked
502
00:38:37.599 --> 00:38:39.760
up the lantern and stepped to the doorway, but I
503
00:38:39.800 --> 00:38:43.199
didn't hear him leaving. He would have thought someone walking
504
00:38:43.239 --> 00:38:46.199
out on the hardwood floor would make some noise, but
505
00:38:47.480 --> 00:38:51.039
it was silent. The only noise I heard was the
506
00:38:51.119 --> 00:38:55.039
rain pelting against the windows. Since I was already in
507
00:38:55.079 --> 00:38:58.400
the hallway, I decided to check out the bathroom. I
508
00:38:58.440 --> 00:39:01.320
walked a short distance down the hall and found it
509
00:39:01.320 --> 00:39:05.880
to be functional and clean, but nothing extraordinary. While I
510
00:39:05.960 --> 00:39:08.800
was there, I used the toilet and washed my hands,
511
00:39:09.599 --> 00:39:12.079
then went to my room and got my toiletry's kit
512
00:39:12.159 --> 00:39:15.840
to brush my teeth. Carrying a lantern around was a51300:39:15.880 --> 00:39:20.760
little disconcerting. I've had to deal without electricity many times before,51400:39:21.559 --> 00:39:25.119
but that wasn't what was bothering me. The shadows from51500:39:25.119 --> 00:39:28.199
the lamp danced all over, giving the impression of others51600:39:28.199 --> 00:39:31.920
in the room with me. It's strange because I've never51700:39:32.000 --> 00:39:37.000
had that feeling before. Shadows were always just shadows. I51800:39:37.079 --> 00:39:39.440
was trained to be cautious of who could be hiding51900:39:39.480 --> 00:39:44.039
in the shadows, but not the shadows themselves. I finished52000:39:44.119 --> 00:39:48.599
up my bedtime routine and settled in to sleep. There52100:39:48.679 --> 00:39:51.679
wasn't much of anything else to do, so might as52200:39:51.679 --> 00:39:54.840
well get some rest. One of the things I was52300:39:54.880 --> 00:39:58.159
taught early on in my career was that any time52400:39:58.199 --> 00:40:01.679
you'd get a chance rest, you never know when the52500:40:01.719 --> 00:40:05.519
next chance will come. I laid down on the comfortable52600:40:05.519 --> 00:40:10.360
bed and did some relaxation exercises. Before I knew it,52700:40:11.119 --> 00:40:23.039
I was asleep. I woke with a start, not knowing52800:40:23.119 --> 00:40:27.480
why it was pitch black in the room. Instead of panicking,52900:40:27.519 --> 00:40:30.760
I touched my watch to illuminate it and found my phone.53000:40:31.440 --> 00:40:34.320
Turning on the flashlight and lighting the lamp helped me53100:40:34.440 --> 00:40:38.079
get my bearings, but still didn't tell me why I53200:40:38.199 --> 00:40:42.360
was awake. I sat there for a long moment. Then53300:40:42.400 --> 00:40:45.840
I heard it. There was a loud clanking sound coming53400:40:45.880 --> 00:40:49.880
from somewhere outside. Sleeping in my clothes when on a53500:40:50.000 --> 00:40:52.760
job was a habit I'd gotten into when I first53600:40:52.760 --> 00:40:58.079
started doing private security, another carryover from the military. I53700:40:58.119 --> 00:41:01.480
slipped out of bed and into my boots, then strapped53800:41:01.480 --> 00:41:04.519
on my utility belt, then checked to make sure my53900:41:04.639 --> 00:41:08.199
side arm was loaded. I turned off the phone's flashlight54000:41:08.280 --> 00:41:10.920
and grabbed a small utility flashlight from one of the54100:41:10.960 --> 00:41:14.440
pouches on the belt. For the moment, I holstered the54200:41:14.480 --> 00:41:19.360
gun and explored with just the flashlight. This could be nothing.54300:41:19.960 --> 00:41:22.519
I didn't want to go in gangbusters just to find54400:41:22.559 --> 00:41:25.400
some kids playing around or a worker who came in early.54500:41:26.480 --> 00:41:29.760
I double checked my watch. It was five o'clock in54600:41:29.800 --> 00:41:33.239
the morning. Seemed like an odd time for a worker54700:41:33.280 --> 00:41:37.199
to come in, but stranger things have happened. Working my54800:41:37.280 --> 00:41:40.920
way down the stairs quietly, I double checked the bar room.54900:41:41.599 --> 00:41:45.119
It was empty. Opening the door, I had the strangest55000:41:45.119 --> 00:41:49.480
feeling that something was wrong. Nothing seemed to be out55100:41:49.480 --> 00:41:52.440
of place. It had stopped raining, and I stepped out55200:41:52.440 --> 00:41:54.920
into the street to find a light layer of fog.55300:41:55.800 --> 00:41:59.320
Looking up and down the street, I heard the noise again.55400:42:00.559 --> 00:42:03.679
It sounded like it was coming from the direction of55500:42:03.719 --> 00:42:08.840
the church. Leading with the flashlight, I started in that direction.55600:42:09.880 --> 00:42:12.679
There seemed to be a slight orange glow coming from55700:42:12.760 --> 00:42:17.000
the inside of the building. The closer I got, the55800:42:17.000 --> 00:42:19.920
beam of my flashlight made the air around me glow.55900:42:20.760 --> 00:42:23.239
It made me feel like I was giving my position away.56000:42:24.119 --> 00:42:27.559
I fought back the feeling. This was a little town56100:42:27.639 --> 00:42:31.360
in Vermont, not an active war zone. I had to56200:42:31.400 --> 00:42:36.559
be cautious but also temperate with non lethal actions. The56300:42:36.679 --> 00:42:39.960
church loomed in front of me. It seemed much larger56400:42:40.079 --> 00:42:43.159
up close. I climbed the steps and reached for the56500:42:43.199 --> 00:42:47.559
doorknob when a loud crack sounded behind me. I whipped around,56600:42:47.599 --> 00:42:51.480
shining my flashlight at everything, but there was nothing there.56700:42:52.440 --> 00:42:54.440
As I was looking back, I noticed a light in56800:42:54.480 --> 00:42:57.440
the window of my room. I must have left the56900:42:57.519 --> 00:43:01.960
lantern lit. As I I saw the light dim for57000:43:02.000 --> 00:43:06.480
an instant and then get brighter, almost as if someone57100:43:06.480 --> 00:43:09.519
had walked in front of it. The temperature felt like57200:43:09.599 --> 00:43:12.440
it was in the lower seventies, but that didn't keep57300:43:12.480 --> 00:43:16.480
a chill from running down my spine. Someone was curious57400:43:16.519 --> 00:43:20.800
to know who I was. From years of experience, I've57500:43:20.840 --> 00:43:23.360
found that it's never good if someone wants to find57600:43:23.400 --> 00:43:26.320
out who you are but doesn't want to do it57700:43:26.360 --> 00:43:30.000
face to face. That would be something to deal with.57800:43:30.039 --> 00:43:32.960
When I got back to my room, for now, there57900:43:33.000 --> 00:43:36.280
was a church to explore, I got the feeling that58000:43:36.360 --> 00:43:39.880
someone was trying to distract me from entering. I reached58100:43:39.920 --> 00:43:42.880
the top of the stairs and turned the knob, but58200:43:42.960 --> 00:43:46.920
nothing happened. It didn't feel like it was locked. It58300:43:47.000 --> 00:43:49.159
was almost as if someone was on the other side58400:43:49.360 --> 00:43:52.559
holding the knob. I turned as hard as I could,58500:43:52.599 --> 00:43:56.360
and finally it gave and the door opened, dragging me58600:43:56.480 --> 00:44:00.920
inside and nearly knocking me to the floor. Gaining my balance,58700:44:01.239 --> 00:44:05.000
my hand hovered over my gun, expecting to see someone58800:44:05.079 --> 00:44:09.320
doing something they weren't supposed to. As I slowly panned58900:44:09.320 --> 00:44:15.920
around the room, I found something much worse, absolutely nothing.59000:44:17.360 --> 00:44:19.800
There was a lit lantern set up on a table59100:44:19.880 --> 00:44:22.920
near the altar that was in the middle of being restored.59200:44:23.599 --> 00:44:26.360
Other than that, there were a lot of pews that59300:44:26.400 --> 00:44:30.039
were halfway constructed. The ones that were finished looked like59400:44:30.079 --> 00:44:32.199
they had been sanded and were waiting for a layer59500:44:32.239 --> 00:44:36.199
of stain. I walked down the center aisle as if59600:44:36.239 --> 00:44:40.400
looking for a seat at a wedding or a funeral.59700:44:48.000 --> 00:44:52.400
As I approached the partially reconstructed pulpit, I looked up59800:44:52.440 --> 00:44:55.480
and saw a life sized wooden carving of Jesus on59900:44:55.519 --> 00:45:00.639
the cross. It looked old, not like wine that ate well,60000:45:00.719 --> 00:45:05.360
but like decrepit. It had been painted flesh colors at60100:45:05.360 --> 00:45:08.760
one time, but now it was cracked and peeling away60200:45:08.800 --> 00:45:12.639
from the carving. It looked grotesque to see layers of60300:45:12.719 --> 00:45:16.079
skin peeling away, like it was rotting off his body.60400:45:17.280 --> 00:45:20.960
I'm not the most religious man, but I believe in Jesus.60500:45:21.519 --> 00:45:26.280
I've prayed enough prayers, sitting in foxholes and caves, asking60600:45:26.360 --> 00:45:29.920
to be rescued from bad situations, and I'm still here.60700:45:30.960 --> 00:45:33.800
I wouldn't call him and I best buds. I know60800:45:33.880 --> 00:45:37.760
our relationship could be closer, but seeing him that way,60900:45:38.360 --> 00:45:44.000
rotting to pieces was just disturbing. As I looked into61000:45:44.000 --> 00:45:47.440
his face, I swore I saw his eyes open. For61100:45:47.480 --> 00:45:50.159
an instant, I blinked my own eyes to be sure61200:45:50.199 --> 00:45:54.000
I was seeing right, But when I looked again, they61300:45:54.000 --> 00:45:58.159
were closed. It was my imagination playing tricks on me.61400:45:58.960 --> 00:46:00.840
At least that was what I told hold myself. As61500:46:00.840 --> 00:46:04.880
I stepped onto the platform and looked around. Off to61600:46:04.920 --> 00:46:08.039
each side were doors. I went to the one to61700:46:08.079 --> 00:46:11.400
the right and found a small broom closet. The one61800:46:11.440 --> 00:46:13.559
on the left held a set of stairs that went61900:46:13.639 --> 00:46:18.320
down and disappeared into darkness. Just inside the door, there62000:46:18.360 --> 00:46:21.519
was yellow and black caution tape blocking the way down.62100:46:22.440 --> 00:46:25.360
I shone the light on the stairs and they looked62200:46:25.760 --> 00:46:29.239
sturdy enough. I reached for the tape, but before I62300:46:29.280 --> 00:46:32.719
got hold of it, a strong hand grabbed my shoulder62400:46:32.760 --> 00:46:36.000
and turned me around. What do you think you're doing here,62500:46:36.719 --> 00:46:39.199
said a man who was a full foot shorter than me,62600:46:39.760 --> 00:46:42.559
but his grip felt like iron. I was about to62700:46:42.599 --> 00:46:45.800
go down those stairs, I said. He looked at me62800:46:45.880 --> 00:46:49.079
with the incredulous look a parent gave a toddler who62900:46:49.119 --> 00:46:52.719
was reaching for a hot stove. And you didn't see63000:46:52.760 --> 00:46:57.159
the caution tape, he said, I saw it. Who are63100:46:57.199 --> 00:47:02.039
you anyway? I've never seen you before, jones, I said,63200:47:02.119 --> 00:47:06.079
offering my hand. I'm with Sentinel Security. I was called63300:47:06.079 --> 00:47:09.679
in to investigate why workers keep quitting. He looked at63400:47:09.679 --> 00:47:15.440
my hand, then at me. So this investigation includes ignoring63500:47:15.480 --> 00:47:19.480
obvious warnings. My hand was still extended but had yet63600:47:19.519 --> 00:47:23.119
to be shaken. I let it fall to my side.63700:47:23.280 --> 00:47:27.280
Are you a worker or a foreman? He scoffed, Nothing63800:47:27.400 --> 00:47:30.280
so formal. I make sure people do what needs to63900:47:30.320 --> 00:47:35.320
be done, so foreman. His eyes bled with suspicion as64000:47:35.320 --> 00:47:38.639
he stared at me. Where did you say you were from? Again?64100:47:39.679 --> 00:47:42.960
As I was about to answer, more workers entered, followed64200:47:42.960 --> 00:47:46.039
by the owner i'd met last night. Let's ask the64300:47:46.079 --> 00:47:49.960
boss if he knows you, the foreman said smugly. The64400:47:50.000 --> 00:47:52.760
owner locked eyes with me and gave me the strangest64500:47:52.840 --> 00:47:56.960
look as he walked up to us. Good morning, he said,64600:47:57.000 --> 00:48:00.599
addressing both of us, Good morning, sir. The ormond said,64700:48:01.119 --> 00:48:04.719
I caught this man snooping around in here, did you now?64800:48:05.199 --> 00:48:10.559
He said? Is that true? I wasn't snooping. I was investigating,64900:48:10.800 --> 00:48:14.199
I said, don't you remember our conversation from last night?65000:48:14.960 --> 00:48:18.119
His eyes opened a hair wider for an instant, then65100:48:18.199 --> 00:48:22.000
went back to normal. Of course I do, he said,65200:48:22.039 --> 00:48:26.079
with a smile that seemed forced. Remind me again. My65300:48:26.199 --> 00:48:30.360
memory isn't the best. We met in the saloon, talked65400:48:30.400 --> 00:48:31.960
for a little bit, and then you showed me to65500:48:32.000 --> 00:48:37.239
my room. Indeed, he said, with a raised eyebrow. Did65600:48:37.239 --> 00:48:40.639
I say anything else? You told me you bought this65700:48:40.719 --> 00:48:43.880
place after your wife passed away, and problems started after65800:48:43.920 --> 00:48:47.880
you found the first dead worker dead. The foreman said,65900:48:47.880 --> 00:48:52.800
with alarm. When did this happen? The owner burst into laughter.66000:48:53.840 --> 00:48:58.440
It appears mister Jones, mister Jones here has pulled a66100:48:58.440 --> 00:49:01.719
fast one on you, he said to the foreman. Perhaps66200:49:01.719 --> 00:49:04.000
he and I should go and discuss the matter in private,66300:49:04.360 --> 00:49:07.440
and you can continue with your work. The owner grabbed66400:49:07.440 --> 00:49:10.159
my arm and guided me away from the foreman, whose66500:49:10.199 --> 00:49:13.320
eyes burned as they followed us out the door. We66600:49:13.400 --> 00:49:16.039
walked out of the church in silence as he nodded66700:49:16.039 --> 00:49:18.400
to workers who were straggling in to start work for66800:49:18.440 --> 00:49:21.599
the day. He led me back to the saloon, where66900:49:21.599 --> 00:49:25.280
we sat at the same table as before. So you67000:49:25.360 --> 00:49:28.639
and I met in this saloon last night, he said,67100:49:29.480 --> 00:49:32.800
at this very table. I said, I came to the67200:49:32.800 --> 00:49:36.360
door and you pulled a gun on me. His eyebrows raised.67300:49:37.239 --> 00:49:41.760
Did I now, and what time was this? I'd say67400:49:41.840 --> 00:49:44.880
around nine? We sat here and talked about what was67500:49:44.920 --> 00:49:48.320
going on with the workers. And what else did I67600:49:48.400 --> 00:49:53.000
say other than about the worker? I asked you why67700:49:53.039 --> 00:49:56.199
you hadn't left, and you said it was too late.67800:49:57.360 --> 00:50:00.000
This time, he didn't try to hide it. His eye67900:50:00.000 --> 00:50:02.920
eyes grew wide. He stared at me for a long moment,68000:50:03.639 --> 00:50:08.280
then seemed to gather himself. I apologize, mister Jones, if68100:50:08.559 --> 00:50:12.599
this all seems a little strange, he said. You and68200:50:12.679 --> 00:50:16.760
I did not have a conversation last night. It was68300:50:16.840 --> 00:50:20.760
my turn to raise my eyebrows. At nine o'clock last night,68400:50:21.159 --> 00:50:25.159
I was in bed with my very much alive wife.68500:50:25.320 --> 00:50:30.400
But you said, and we have not had any workers die.68600:50:30.559 --> 00:50:34.480
I don't understand. Neither do I. I thought about it68700:50:34.480 --> 00:50:37.960
for a long moment. You were drinking when you talk68800:50:38.000 --> 00:50:41.400
to me. Is it possible you were too drunk to remember?68900:50:42.280 --> 00:50:45.840
He leaned a little closer. I haven't had a drink69000:50:46.159 --> 00:50:50.199
in nineteen years. He reached into his pocket and set69100:50:50.199 --> 00:50:52.639
a coin on the table. I picked it up and69200:50:52.679 --> 00:50:57.400
looked at it. It was an alcohol anonymous coin. Then69300:50:58.199 --> 00:51:01.280
who did I talk to last night? He put the69400:51:01.360 --> 00:51:04.800
coin back in his pocket. Are you sure it was69500:51:04.920 --> 00:51:08.000
me who was drinking? I looked at him and read69600:51:08.039 --> 00:51:12.360
the suspicion in his eyes. I don't drink. He leaned69700:51:12.400 --> 00:51:16.360
back in his chair. It seems we've reached an impasse,69800:51:16.760 --> 00:51:19.880
he said. Perhaps I should call your company and have69900:51:19.960 --> 00:51:23.679
a different person come and investigate the matter. I wanted70000:51:23.719 --> 00:51:27.639
to find out what was going on. Perhaps you should70100:51:27.679 --> 00:51:30.559
give me at least a day to investigate, I said,70200:51:31.239 --> 00:51:33.639
unless there's some other reason, you don't want me to70300:51:33.679 --> 00:51:37.679
get to the bottom of this, he smiled, but it70400:51:37.760 --> 00:51:45.039
wasn't friendly. Please continue your investigation, mister Jones, he said, unimpeded.70500:51:46.039 --> 00:51:48.599
I will inform the foreman to allow you free reign.70600:51:49.599 --> 00:51:54.440
Thank you, I said, standing to leave. Just one more thing.70700:51:54.840 --> 00:51:58.079
He said, what was the last part of what my70800:51:58.199 --> 00:52:02.079
doppelganger told you? You said it was too late to70900:52:02.199 --> 00:52:06.079
leave because you had disturbed something. His eyes fell to71000:52:06.119 --> 00:52:09.920
the table, as if deep in thought. I went back71100:52:09.960 --> 00:52:12.280
to the church and began talking to the workers one71200:52:12.320 --> 00:52:15.519
by one. Each of them was hesitant to talk around71300:52:15.519 --> 00:52:18.320
the foreman, but once they were out of earshot, told71400:52:18.440 --> 00:52:22.480
very similar stories. There had been strange things going on,71500:52:22.880 --> 00:52:26.239
especially at night. It was more than just tools being71600:52:26.280 --> 00:52:30.199
moved around. Strange symbols would appear carved into the wood71700:52:30.239 --> 00:52:32.960
they were using. The owner would tell them to cut71800:52:32.960 --> 00:52:35.760
the symbols out and use whatever they could of the wood.71900:52:36.599 --> 00:52:39.480
One of the workers had gone missing, but after a72000:52:39.559 --> 00:52:42.480
day or so, the owner said he had quit. The72100:52:42.599 --> 00:52:45.840
strange thing was no one was able to contact him72200:52:45.880 --> 00:52:49.760
after that. The more I dug, the more I found.72300:52:50.480 --> 00:52:53.119
Some of the workers had become curious as to why72400:52:53.159 --> 00:52:56.400
they were restoring this town out in the middle of nowhere.72500:52:57.000 --> 00:53:00.119
It turned out it had been long suspected that Satan72600:53:00.320 --> 00:53:04.320
rituals were carried out in this very church. It was72700:53:04.400 --> 00:53:08.079
also suspected to be the site of the earliest witch burnings.72800:53:09.000 --> 00:53:11.199
But the two facts that stuck out in my mind.72900:53:11.239 --> 00:53:14.880
Were no one hung around after dark, That was when73000:53:14.920 --> 00:53:18.880
things were alleged to get strange, and no one was73100:53:18.920 --> 00:53:21.480
allowed down the steps I had found before the foreman73200:53:21.559 --> 00:53:24.960
stopped me. The workers had been told the steps were73300:53:25.039 --> 00:53:27.920
unsafe and could collapse under the weight of a person.73400:53:28.840 --> 00:53:31.400
It didn't take much convincing to keep them away from73500:53:31.480 --> 00:53:35.400
the creepy stairs. By afternoon, I knew exactly what my73600:53:35.480 --> 00:53:38.239
next move was. I went back to my room and73700:53:38.320 --> 00:53:42.119
checked around to see if anything was missing. Nothing seemed73800:53:42.119 --> 00:53:45.119
to be, so I set my watch and took a nap.73900:53:46.360 --> 00:53:49.199
The alarm went off at nine o'clock. I went to74000:53:49.280 --> 00:53:52.119
the bathroom to splash some water on my face, then74100:53:52.239 --> 00:53:56.559
geared up for my expedition. When I got to the church,74200:53:56.800 --> 00:53:59.280
it was empty. I made a bee line for the74300:53:59.360 --> 00:54:03.400
left door and the creepy staircase with flashlights attached to74400:54:03.480 --> 00:54:06.440
a headband and my waistband, I was good to go.74500:54:06.519 --> 00:54:08.880
To keep my hands free for whatever I might need74600:54:08.920 --> 00:54:12.719
them for, I attached a safety rope like mountain climbers74700:54:12.760 --> 00:54:15.519
do and found a sturdy spot to anchor it into74800:54:15.599 --> 00:54:18.480
the wall. If the stairs gave out on me, at74900:54:18.559 --> 00:54:23.239
least I wouldn't fall as advertised. Every stair creaked like75000:54:23.280 --> 00:54:26.320
it was about to give out, but thankfully none of75100:54:26.320 --> 00:54:30.440
them did. The trip down was an assault on the senses.75200:54:31.000 --> 00:54:34.239
The damp, musty smell of rotting wood in general decay75300:54:34.400 --> 00:54:38.199
was nearly overwhelming. I was surprised at the general lack75400:54:38.280 --> 00:54:41.880
of cobwebs. It told me this area wasn't quite as75500:54:41.920 --> 00:54:46.400
off limits as some had let on. Surprisingly, the bottom75600:54:46.440 --> 00:54:49.400
didn't open up into a full basement. There were a75700:54:49.440 --> 00:54:52.000
few wooden shelves at the base of the stairs, but75800:54:52.599 --> 00:54:58.400
they were empty. Instead, it became a narrow passageway. The75900:54:58.440 --> 00:55:00.920
floor was made of dirt, and the walls were the76000:55:00.960 --> 00:55:03.679
same stone the foundation of the church was made from.76100:55:04.599 --> 00:55:07.639
It seemed whoever had built this tunnel built it at76200:55:07.679 --> 00:55:11.480
the same time as the church. The ceiling barely made76300:55:11.480 --> 00:55:14.039
it to six feet. I had to duck to keep76400:55:14.039 --> 00:55:17.360
from brushing my head against it. I wasn't sure what76500:55:17.400 --> 00:55:20.559
I expected to find, but this was the key to76600:55:20.639 --> 00:55:24.800
discovering what was happening here. I had been walking for76700:55:24.880 --> 00:55:29.320
ten minutes since his alert hand on my holstered side arm.76800:55:30.519 --> 00:55:35.360
Suddenly the air changed, The smell became more pungent and76900:55:35.400 --> 00:55:39.400
the air warmer. There was a feeling of closing in77000:55:39.480 --> 00:55:42.719
that made the hairs on my arms stand up. I77100:55:42.800 --> 00:55:45.280
turned a corner and the tunnel opened into a large77200:55:45.360 --> 00:55:49.000
room with a high ceiling. I panned around, trying to77300:55:49.039 --> 00:55:51.639
get the scope of the room, when my light fell77400:55:51.679 --> 00:55:55.480
on something big in the corner. It looked like a77500:55:55.519 --> 00:56:01.719
massive black boulder that was made of leather. Watching transfixed,77600:56:02.039 --> 00:56:06.440
I noticed it was moving, not much, but just a bit,77700:56:06.639 --> 00:56:14.199
rising and falling. I realized it was breathing. Fear gripped me.77800:56:14.920 --> 00:56:17.480
I no longer had any interest in finding out what77900:56:17.639 --> 00:56:20.360
was going on here. I just wanted to turn and78000:56:20.440 --> 00:56:26.559
slowly back away. The thing made a noise. It was78100:56:26.599 --> 00:56:29.719
either a snort or a cough, but in either case78200:56:29.760 --> 00:56:33.480
it seemed to be waking up. I doused my lights78300:56:33.519 --> 00:56:36.639
and stayed as still as possible while listening in the78400:56:36.679 --> 00:56:42.400
total darkness. Its breathing became louder and less steady. I78500:56:42.440 --> 00:56:45.880
heard a creaking that sounded like bones when someone stretched.78600:56:47.000 --> 00:56:49.719
It was getting up, and I was standing in the78700:56:49.719 --> 00:56:53.559
middle of the tunnel. If by some miracle, it didn't78800:56:53.599 --> 00:56:56.440
already know I was here, as soon as it walked78900:56:56.440 --> 00:56:59.679
over here, it would run right into me. My mind79000:56:59.760 --> 00:57:02.480
raised to come up with options. As I heard footsteps79100:57:02.800 --> 00:57:07.199
coming closer. I backed up against the wall and started79200:57:07.320 --> 00:57:09.840
edging to the left, hoping I was in the main79300:57:09.960 --> 00:57:13.760
room and not still in the tunnel. The footsteps were79400:57:13.800 --> 00:57:17.440
so close when they suddenly stopped, the absence of sound79500:57:17.559 --> 00:57:20.440
was deafening. I tried to hold my breath as I79600:57:20.519 --> 00:57:24.440
listened for the beast's breathing. It was slow and sporadic,79700:57:25.159 --> 00:57:29.880
as if it was listening for me. Neither of us moved.79800:57:30.800 --> 00:57:34.360
We barely breathed, each waiting for the other to reveal79900:57:34.400 --> 00:57:38.239
their location. My hand drifted to the gun as I80000:57:38.280 --> 00:57:40.920
tried to pull it out of the holster as quietly80100:57:40.920 --> 00:57:45.159
as possible. The air shifted. The beast had moved, but80200:57:45.239 --> 00:57:49.400
I didn't know where. I heard a strange squelching sound,80300:57:49.840 --> 00:57:54.760
and then, what are you doing, mister Jones. I tried80400:57:54.800 --> 00:57:58.719
to hold off as long as possible, but curiosity got80500:57:58.719 --> 00:58:01.599
the best of me. I turned on my headlamp to80600:58:01.599 --> 00:58:05.000
find the owner standing right in front of me, staring80700:58:05.039 --> 00:58:10.199
at me with a maddening smile. My eyes darted around80800:58:10.320 --> 00:58:14.199
looking for the beast, but I knew I wouldn't find it.80900:58:14.199 --> 00:58:18.199
It was standing in front of me. So are you81000:58:18.360 --> 00:58:21.519
the real thing, I said, hoping to keep the panic81100:58:21.519 --> 00:58:24.840
out of my voice, or are you some shape shifter81200:58:24.920 --> 00:58:27.719
who pretends to be someone else because he has no81300:58:27.840 --> 00:58:31.800
identity of his own. I am whoever I want to be,81400:58:32.480 --> 00:58:36.199
he said. I heard the squelching again, only this time81500:58:36.239 --> 00:58:39.760
I had the displeasure of watching it happen. His entire81600:58:39.840 --> 00:58:43.719
body rippled and tore itself apart, only to reform into81700:58:43.719 --> 00:58:47.239
the beast for a moment, then tear apart again and81800:58:47.360 --> 00:58:53.599
reform into something much more terrifying. I gasped, looking into81900:58:53.599 --> 00:58:58.639
my very own eyes. You see, he said in my voice,82000:58:59.320 --> 00:59:02.440
I can take your place and travel around pretending to82100:59:02.480 --> 00:59:06.679
solve problems. While he was changing, I glanced around to82200:59:06.760 --> 00:59:08.639
see if there was anything else in the room I82300:59:08.639 --> 00:59:11.639
could use. In the far corner, I saw what looked82400:59:11.679 --> 00:59:15.320
like a nest and an inverted cross hanging on the wall.82500:59:16.719 --> 00:59:21.039
If you could, why haven't you, I said, playing a hunch.82600:59:22.199 --> 00:59:25.559
What if you were free to go anywhere, then why82700:59:25.599 --> 00:59:27.760
haven't you? Why sit here in the middle of the82800:59:27.760 --> 00:59:32.000
woods with nothing to do. I choose to stay here,82900:59:32.559 --> 00:59:36.480
he said, in my voice. You choose because this is83000:59:36.480 --> 00:59:41.320
where your power is? You know so little. I'm rebuilding83100:59:41.320 --> 00:59:44.119
this place so my worshippers can live here and pray83200:59:44.199 --> 00:59:48.320
to me, giving me all the power I need, just83300:59:48.400 --> 00:59:51.719
like when this place was first built, and until my83400:59:51.880 --> 00:59:57.440
followers thrive, I survive off of human sacrifices. So you83500:59:57.519 --> 01:00:00.599
did kill the worker, and no one rem members him,83601:00:01.360 --> 01:00:05.440
just like they won't remember you. He grinned and took83701:00:05.480 --> 01:00:08.000
a step toward me, but I drew my pistol and83801:00:08.039 --> 01:00:11.440
shot him in the forehead. He fell to the ground, bleeding.83901:00:12.400 --> 01:00:15.679
It was a strange sight to watch myself die. But84001:00:15.840 --> 01:00:19.639
then the squelching began again and he reshaped into his84101:00:19.679 --> 01:00:23.840
demonic form. He stood ten feet tall and covered in84201:00:23.960 --> 01:00:27.559
leathery skin that looked like tiny teeth. His face was84301:00:27.639 --> 01:00:31.079
a nightmare of glowing red eyes and massive sharp fangs.84401:00:31.599 --> 01:00:34.679
He roared at me in what sounded like a thousand voices.84501:00:35.320 --> 01:00:37.880
I turned and ran down the tunnel, ducking so I84601:00:37.920 --> 01:00:40.920
didn't hit my head and knock myself out. That would84701:00:40.960 --> 01:00:44.840
have ended my escape and my life. I heard the84801:00:44.880 --> 01:00:49.159
squelching again and heard my voice call after me. He84901:00:49.280 --> 01:00:52.480
can't escape, and besides, I know how to find you.85001:00:53.199 --> 01:00:56.960
I turned and fired, hitting him or me in the chest.85101:00:57.559 --> 01:01:01.280
He dropped and squelched again. I wanted to watch him85201:01:01.320 --> 01:01:04.679
turn into his demon form, to see him squashed into85301:01:04.719 --> 01:01:07.480
the tunnel that was too small for him. But I85401:01:07.519 --> 01:01:11.320
didn't dare squander this time for anything but escape. It85501:01:11.400 --> 01:01:14.519
seemed like forever until I came to the stairs. I85601:01:14.599 --> 01:01:17.559
took them two at a time. Once I reached the top,85701:01:17.639 --> 01:01:20.360
I turned to see him at the bottom. I shot85801:01:20.440 --> 01:01:24.239
him again, then found a lantern inside the church, lit85901:01:24.280 --> 01:01:28.559
it and tossed it down the stairs. The glass shattered,86001:01:28.559 --> 01:01:31.960
spreading fire all over the bottom stairs. They began to86101:01:32.000 --> 01:01:36.519
burn almost immediately. I could hear his desperate cries as86201:01:36.559 --> 01:01:41.079
the flames crawled up the stairs, destroying them one by one.86301:01:41.400 --> 01:01:44.239
Turning and running out the doors, I didn't bother with86401:01:44.320 --> 01:01:47.159
my things in my room. I hopped in my car86501:01:47.559 --> 01:01:50.440
and drove like a bat out of well, you know.86601:01:51.519 --> 01:01:53.920
My hands shook on the steering wheel as I glanced86701:01:53.920 --> 01:01:56.760
in my rear view mirror, hoping I wouldn't see that86801:01:56.920 --> 01:02:02.400
thing chasing me. Instead, I saw a glow growing in86901:02:02.480 --> 01:02:06.519
the forest behind me. I prayed the whole church was87001:02:06.519 --> 01:02:10.119
on fire and it would spread to all the houses.87101:02:11.119 --> 01:02:13.800
I only wished his followers were in the houses when87201:02:13.840 --> 01:02:17.400
they burned. I wondered how many more places there were87301:02:17.559 --> 01:02:28.880
like this in the world. Bite me by David O'Hanlon.87401:02:31.960 --> 01:02:35.079
The rabbit exited the log he'd taken shelter in and87501:02:35.199 --> 01:02:37.639
kicked at the fleas that had done much the same87601:02:38.079 --> 01:02:42.599
inside his ear. The bunny stretched then hopped onto the log.87701:02:43.360 --> 01:02:46.920
His nose twitched in the adorable way that rabbit noses do.87801:02:48.039 --> 01:02:51.400
The air was cool and smelled of the previous night's storm.87901:02:52.159 --> 01:02:55.800
The morning sun caught in the dewdrops bedazzling the high88001:02:55.840 --> 01:02:59.760
grass of the meadow. His beady eyes surveyed the land.88101:03:00.400 --> 01:03:04.440
Parasites be dammed. It was a beautiful morning in the Ozarks.88201:03:05.400 --> 01:03:08.400
Just across the field there was a downward slope that88301:03:08.519 --> 01:03:12.480
led to a narrow holler rife with tight caves. Berry88401:03:12.480 --> 01:03:16.280
bushes grew plentifully, and rain water pooled in the various88501:03:16.320 --> 01:03:20.480
porous stones. For the small fur bearers of the forest,88601:03:21.000 --> 01:03:23.840
it was like hanging out at the mall. The rabbit88701:03:23.920 --> 01:03:27.119
was only half way across the field and could already88801:03:27.199 --> 01:03:30.559
smell the females. He was late to the party, but88901:03:31.119 --> 01:03:34.760
it was better to be late than belated. A persistent89001:03:34.880 --> 01:03:38.000
eagle had chased him for over an hour the day before,89101:03:38.679 --> 01:03:42.679
forcing him out of his normal foraging range. He finally89201:03:42.760 --> 01:03:46.280
managed to escape at the expense of a squirrel that89301:03:46.360 --> 01:03:50.199
had been distracted by an acorn. Even in the woods,89401:03:50.800 --> 01:03:54.920
shit happens. The storm rolled in before the rabbit could89501:03:54.960 --> 01:03:58.440
get back to the warren, necessitating a night in the89601:03:58.480 --> 01:04:02.760
log motel. The rabbit knew arriving late wasn't going to89701:04:02.840 --> 01:04:06.639
hurt his chances any Aside from the fleas, he was89801:04:06.679 --> 01:04:11.000
the perfect specimen of rabbit masculinity. He was almost to89901:04:11.039 --> 01:04:14.519
the safety of the trees when a shadow cast over90001:04:14.639 --> 01:04:20.159
him from above. Before he could react, the flaming mass90101:04:20.199 --> 01:04:24.000
struck in front of him. The earth erupted, and the90201:04:24.079 --> 01:04:30.880
rabbit disappeared, his body becoming indistinguishable from the explosion. His90301:04:31.000 --> 01:04:34.400
head bounced when it finally came back down and rolled90401:04:34.400 --> 01:04:38.280
to a stop next to the smoldering crater left by90501:04:38.320 --> 01:04:42.360
the falling object. His dead eyes stared at the scorched90601:04:42.400 --> 01:04:45.719
metal and the strange glow of the other worldly power90701:04:45.800 --> 01:04:50.840
source that had taken it across the galaxy and inside90801:04:50.880 --> 01:04:54.880
the rabbit's ears, the fleas enjoyed their meal next to90901:04:54.920 --> 01:05:04.760
a romantic radioactive fire. Several months later, Lilah's nails tore91001:05:04.960 --> 01:05:08.920
through the tense nylon bottom as she climaxed yet again.91101:05:09.960 --> 01:05:13.440
Rocco was a terrible boyfriend and a miserable human being,91201:05:14.320 --> 01:05:17.840
but he was a great lay. With that in mind,91301:05:17.920 --> 01:05:20.519
she'd suggested they camp in the woods the night before91401:05:20.639 --> 01:05:23.960
the big reunion in hopes they could fuck away any91501:05:24.000 --> 01:05:27.840
relationship tensions that might boil over during the weekend with91601:05:27.880 --> 01:05:32.320
their former high school click. Rocco groaned and collapsed on91701:05:32.400 --> 01:05:36.880
top of her, signaling the end of round three without91801:05:36.920 --> 01:05:39.519
taking any of his weight off. He reached from the91901:05:39.559 --> 01:05:43.039
nearby pack of camels and pulled one out with his teeth.92001:05:43.840 --> 01:05:48.519
Got a spare. She asked about ten of them, he replied,92101:05:48.920 --> 01:05:52.239
tossing the pack into the corner of the tent. Rocco92201:05:52.400 --> 01:05:56.679
crawled over Lilah and unzipped the entrance, freeing the accumulated92301:05:56.679 --> 01:06:00.599
body heat and pheromones of the last hour his smoke,92401:06:00.679 --> 01:06:04.280
and discarded the lighter before shuffling out into the humid92501:06:04.440 --> 01:06:10.000
Arkansas evening. Twenty yards away, Antenna twitched to life and92601:06:10.159 --> 01:06:13.000
rose out of the protection of the fossie to take92701:06:13.039 --> 01:06:17.039
in the chemical stench of sex and co two. The92801:06:17.079 --> 01:06:21.000
combination hit the creature's sensory organs, bringing it out of92901:06:21.000 --> 01:06:25.159
its torpor like a fresh cup of folgers. Rocco, the93001:06:25.239 --> 01:06:29.119
last true gentleman, wiped his cock on the tent flap93101:06:29.400 --> 01:06:31.960
and then walked to the tree line to relieve himself.93201:06:32.880 --> 01:06:35.840
He took a long pull from the cigarette and thought93301:06:35.840 --> 01:06:39.719
about the others as his bladder let loose. Every year93401:06:39.800 --> 01:06:43.400
since high school, they'd gotten together at Hawk's family cabin93501:06:43.519 --> 01:06:48.519
to brag about their accomplishments, and every year Rocco had93601:06:48.599 --> 01:06:52.679
nothing to add to the conversation. He hated those assholes.93701:06:53.199 --> 01:06:58.119
They wasted their lives being overachievers, and every reunion they93801:06:58.159 --> 01:07:01.320
tried to make him feel bad, like he was wasting93901:07:01.440 --> 01:07:06.239
so much potential, as if he did everything he wanted94001:07:06.280 --> 01:07:11.280
to without the burden of success. Successful people set expectations94101:07:11.320 --> 01:07:14.360
that they have to live up to, whereas Roco just94201:07:14.440 --> 01:07:19.079
had to live to exceed expectations. Piss spattered his feet,94301:07:19.519 --> 01:07:23.480
breaking him out of his self congratulations. He looked down94401:07:23.519 --> 01:07:27.280
at his bare toes and something shuffling through the fallen94501:07:27.360 --> 01:07:31.679
leaves toward him. Roco redirected the stream in its direction.94601:07:32.760 --> 01:07:38.320
Whatever it was stopped but didn't retreat. Kinky, little son94701:07:38.360 --> 01:07:42.280
of a bitch, aren't you, he chuckled. The warm fluid94801:07:42.400 --> 01:07:45.920
rolled down the armored plates to the still stiff limbs94901:07:45.960 --> 01:07:49.920
of the creature. Its simple eyes zeroed in on the95001:07:49.960 --> 01:07:53.719
source of the heat. The glowing end of the cigarette95101:07:54.119 --> 01:07:57.039
could have been an ice cube compared to the bright95201:07:57.199 --> 01:08:02.559
glow of Rocko's shrinking erection. The creature sprang for cover.95301:08:03.960 --> 01:08:07.280
Lilah scuttled out of the tent in a panic. Roco's95401:08:07.320 --> 01:08:10.559
shrill screams drew nearer, and she spun on her hands95501:08:10.559 --> 01:08:13.679
and knees, trying to find out where they were coming from.95601:08:14.639 --> 01:08:18.920
She finally spotted him. He stumbled wildly with a large95701:08:19.000 --> 01:08:22.960
dark object obscuring his crotch Like an over zealous censor.95801:08:23.960 --> 01:08:27.560
The thing fell between his legs, bloated with its first meal.95901:08:28.640 --> 01:08:33.159
Blood rerupted from the swollen, torn flesh volcano that had96001:08:33.199 --> 01:08:37.600
once been Roco's penis and showered the foot long insect.96101:08:38.239 --> 01:08:41.199
It rolled on to all six feet and turned its96201:08:41.239 --> 01:08:47.119
gaze to the hot, terrified exhalations of Lilah. She started96301:08:47.159 --> 01:08:50.800
to scream, but the creature was too fast. In a96401:08:50.840 --> 01:08:54.600
single bound, it covered the distance between them and impacted96501:08:54.640 --> 01:08:58.159
her face with the force of a baseball bat. Teeth96601:08:58.239 --> 01:09:01.760
flew into the darkness, and the giant flea turned its96701:09:01.800 --> 01:09:05.920
attention to the blood pooling in the young woman's mouth.96801:09:07.039 --> 01:09:11.039
The serrated stylets of its mouth plunged into the puddle96901:09:11.640 --> 01:09:17.600
and threw the back of her skull. The next afternoon,97001:09:19.479 --> 01:09:23.800
that fucking losers probably in jail again, Hawk said, as97101:09:23.840 --> 01:09:28.039
he navigated down the steep slope of the holler. Roco97201:09:28.159 --> 01:09:32.039
keeps getting older, but he's never gonna grow up. Kara97301:09:32.079 --> 01:09:35.600
and I are about to open our second dealership. Rocco's97401:09:35.680 --> 01:09:41.199
still passing around his first demo. The world needs musicians97501:09:41.239 --> 01:09:45.439
as much as it needs car salesman Danny replied. His97601:09:45.640 --> 01:09:51.479
bands called Thundercock. Hawk snorted, let's not pretend he's Beethoven.97701:09:52.600 --> 01:09:56.119
I meant we shouldn't downplay the value of art, not97801:09:56.279 --> 01:10:02.079
that he was making any Thundercock is dune. Brian chimed in,97901:10:02.720 --> 01:10:05.439
but I gotta admit they're just as good as a98001:10:05.439 --> 01:10:11.720
lot of mainstream bands White Snake, Danny said, curiously, Yeah,98101:10:11.840 --> 01:10:16.119
they're on that list, Brian replied, before noticing his wife98201:10:16.439 --> 01:10:21.560
had stopped to inspect something in the foliage. Wait, you98301:10:21.640 --> 01:10:25.600
mean you saw a snake, Brian shivered. The woods are98401:10:25.680 --> 01:10:28.039
just a part of life when you grow up in Arkansas,98501:10:28.439 --> 01:10:31.279
but that doesn't mean you have to like everything about them.98601:10:31.880 --> 01:10:34.439
Ever since an incident in the Scouts, when he first98701:10:34.479 --> 01:10:37.640
came face to face with a copper head nesting on98801:10:37.680 --> 01:10:40.560
the side of a tree trunk, Brian had a lurking98901:10:40.680 --> 01:10:46.239
fear that the scheming serpents constantly surrounded him. Next to99001:10:46.279 --> 01:10:51.439
that log, Danny told him, a solid white snake, that's99101:10:51.560 --> 01:10:55.319
no log, Hawk said, pushing past her for a better look.99201:10:56.279 --> 01:10:59.920
Would it kill y'all to slow down? Kara's thick toe99301:11:00.359 --> 01:11:04.159
called from the top of the embankment. Take your time, honey,99401:11:04.520 --> 01:11:09.720
Frank said, dismissively. The opaque things slithered under the log.99501:11:10.239 --> 01:11:14.199
When the humans got too close. Danny circled the object99601:11:14.199 --> 01:11:17.960
and put a hand on her stomach. Revulsion churned her,99701:11:18.000 --> 01:11:22.800
still digesting breakfast like a queason art. The desiccated skin99801:11:23.000 --> 01:11:27.880
had shrunk back, making the terrifying teeth look even more menacing.99901:11:29.039 --> 01:11:34.439
There was no blood anywhere. Stranger still, no bugs chewed100001:11:34.520 --> 01:11:40.640
on the dehydrated flesh. It's a bear, Hawk nearly whispered,100101:11:42.000 --> 01:11:47.920
why does it look like that? Danny asked, dehydration, Brian100201:11:48.039 --> 01:11:55.279
said as he approached. It's been shit. It's mummified. Revenge100301:11:55.319 --> 01:12:01.760
of the mummy bear. Wah, Hawk teased, Come on, man, mummified,100401:12:03.079 --> 01:12:08.840
that's why nothing's eating it. Brian informed him. He's bear jerky.100501:12:10.039 --> 01:12:14.319
Sucks to be him. Hawk shrugged. The lake is calling100601:12:14.600 --> 01:12:20.319
the fuck Something just touched my ankle. The leaves shuffled100701:12:20.359 --> 01:12:24.520
around them, and something long and white inched along beneath100801:12:24.600 --> 01:12:30.000
their cover. Then more, something's moved. Brian kicked at the100901:12:30.039 --> 01:12:35.520
detritus and saw the six inch larvae crawling hurriedly toward101001:12:35.600 --> 01:12:40.600
the shelter of the bear's corpse. Well that's enough outside101101:12:40.640 --> 01:12:46.039
for me, he grumbled. Ditto. Danny whispered, What are y'all101201:12:46.039 --> 01:12:49.079
looking at? Down there? Kara called as she tried to101301:12:49.119 --> 01:12:52.960
ease down the decline, but only managed a semi controlled101401:12:53.039 --> 01:12:57.039
slide instead. Gosh, did y'all see that? I almost fell101501:12:57.119 --> 01:13:00.000
right on my keyster. Ain't this where we saw them101601:13:00.079 --> 01:13:03.680
squirrels last year? The other three looked around at the101701:13:03.680 --> 01:13:08.199
still trees. The dingbat was right. It had been like101801:13:08.279 --> 01:13:12.079
a Disney scene when they last visited, with every variety101901:13:12.119 --> 01:13:16.039
of woodland critter having a block party despite the encroachment102001:13:16.079 --> 01:13:20.159
of the nuisance of humans. Even Roco's boombox and his102101:13:20.279 --> 01:13:24.960
metallica tape hadn't been enough to disturb them. But this time,102201:13:26.039 --> 01:13:30.840
where are all the fucking animals? Brian asked. Danny knelt102301:13:30.840 --> 01:13:34.800
beside a strangely shaped stone and flipped it over, revealing102401:13:35.000 --> 01:13:39.239
the bucked teeth. Just like the bear, the jack rabbit102501:13:39.279 --> 01:13:44.159
had been completely dried out by something. Snap it to102601:13:44.239 --> 01:13:48.800
a slim gym Hawk said, holding up the dehydrated remains102701:13:48.800 --> 01:13:52.319
of a raccoon by its tail. What the hell could102801:13:52.319 --> 01:13:58.119
have done this? That? Though those Danny finally managed to102901:13:58.159 --> 01:14:02.640
get out, she pointed on steadily toward Kara. The dark103001:14:02.680 --> 01:14:06.119
sclerites that armored their bodies blended in with the rocks103101:14:06.239 --> 01:14:10.239
jutting from the hillside almost perfectly. One of the insects103201:14:10.279 --> 01:14:13.239
launched itself at Kara, so quickly that it appeared to103301:14:13.319 --> 01:14:16.880
teleport from its moss covered perch to the pale skin103401:14:17.000 --> 01:14:21.800
beneath the ragged hem of Kara's cutoffs. The impact sent103501:14:21.840 --> 01:14:25.039
her to the ground with a muted squeal. Two more103601:14:25.079 --> 01:14:28.720
fleas pounced on her. The cracking of her rib cage103701:14:29.000 --> 01:14:34.560
sent the others running. Like a starter pistol, a flea jumped,103801:14:34.680 --> 01:14:37.720
covering twenty feet in the blink of an eye. It103901:14:37.880 --> 01:14:42.279
landed between Hawk's broad shoulders and pierced his back, scraping104001:14:42.359 --> 01:14:46.319
against the scapula with its mouth parts. The former football104101:14:46.359 --> 01:14:50.319
star tumbled forward and rolled back to his feet. The104201:14:50.359 --> 01:14:53.520
fall shook the bug loose, but the armored body had104301:14:53.560 --> 01:14:56.319
protected it from the weight of the human crashing down104401:14:56.399 --> 01:14:59.640
on top of it. Another flea landed on his chest.104501:15:00.359 --> 01:15:03.520
Hawk pulled it away before it could bite. He tried104601:15:03.520 --> 01:15:06.119
to squash it in between his hands, and when that104701:15:06.159 --> 01:15:11.000
didn't work, opted for headbutting it. The exoskeleton ruptured with104801:15:11.079 --> 01:15:14.760
a spray of hemolymph a cross Hawk's face. The flea's104901:15:14.800 --> 01:15:19.000
forelimbs grappled with the human's wrists. Its hooked feet latched105001:15:19.000 --> 01:15:21.520
into the muscles and ripped them free from the bone.105101:15:22.239 --> 01:15:26.560
Hawk dropped the bug and stumbled away. He stared helplessly105201:15:26.680 --> 01:15:31.039
at the mauled tissue and exposed arteries within. The two105301:15:31.119 --> 01:15:35.239
fleas leaped at the wounds. Their voracious appetites overpowered the105401:15:35.319 --> 01:15:41.079
giant human. In seconds, Hawk's whirled spun, his knees wobbled,105501:15:41.079 --> 01:15:45.479
and his vision blurred. He hit the ground hard, but105601:15:45.600 --> 01:15:51.239
it did not disturb the buffet. Long after everything went dark,105701:15:51.760 --> 01:15:56.279
he could still hear them slurping noisily at the last105801:15:56.399 --> 01:16:04.079
drops of his life. Danny didn't know where the hell105901:16:04.239 --> 01:16:07.560
she was running to, but knew that wherever it was106001:16:07.640 --> 01:16:11.279
would be better than where they'd been. They'd stumbled into106101:16:11.319 --> 01:16:15.199
the monster bug's nest. Once they were far enough away,106201:16:15.560 --> 01:16:18.920
they'd be safe. At least, she hoped that was how106301:16:18.960 --> 01:16:22.920
it worked. She didn't know much about regular insects, let106401:16:22.960 --> 01:16:29.000
alone twelve inch demon fleas. Left. Brian gasped, he slowed106501:16:29.039 --> 01:16:32.880
to a jog Go left. Danny was breathing too hard106601:16:32.920 --> 01:16:36.319
to speak. Her legs were on fire. She wanted to106701:16:36.359 --> 01:16:39.680
stop running to gather her thoughts to formulate a plan,106801:16:40.279 --> 01:16:43.520
but she was convinced every stone and massive leaves she106901:16:43.640 --> 01:16:48.439
saw was another one of those damned things. She banked left,107001:16:48.560 --> 01:16:52.520
jumping over a fallen log, and veered towards something resembling107101:16:52.640 --> 01:16:57.479
a trail. It is a trail, she realized. Two years107201:16:57.520 --> 01:17:01.039
before they'd ridden hawks three wheelers along the path. To107301:17:01.079 --> 01:17:04.039
an abandoned summer camp on the north end of the lake.107401:17:04.680 --> 01:17:08.920
They weren't far from the cabin. More importantly, they weren't107501:17:08.960 --> 01:17:12.760
far from their jeep. Danny's energy levels surged with her107601:17:12.800 --> 01:17:16.920
new hopefulness. She ignored the pain and pushed onward, faster107701:17:17.079 --> 01:17:21.560
than before. After several minutes, the path grew steeper. Her107801:17:21.640 --> 01:17:25.199
legs couldn't hold up any longer, and she fell forward,107901:17:25.880 --> 01:17:28.880
but didn't allow it to stop her. She dug her108001:17:28.880 --> 01:17:32.319
fingers into the earth, crawling along until she could run again,108101:17:33.119 --> 01:17:37.800
then falling and repeating the process all the way to safety.108201:17:38.239 --> 01:17:41.319
She didn't stop until she'd clambered up the steps and108301:17:41.399 --> 01:17:45.199
onto the front porch. Spots filled Danny's vision as she108401:17:45.279 --> 01:17:49.199
lay there, choking on the breaths she tried desperately to inhale.108501:17:50.119 --> 01:17:53.560
It took several minutes until she gained some control over108601:17:53.600 --> 01:17:59.920
herself and finally sat up. She was alone. Fear fled108701:18:00.279 --> 01:18:05.119
her with another burst of adrenaline. Brian Brian. Danny looked108801:18:05.119 --> 01:18:10.520
around frantically. Brian answer me, he didn't. The woods were108901:18:10.560 --> 01:18:13.760
as still and dead as that bear had been, as109001:18:13.800 --> 01:18:19.680
her friends were, as Brian probably was two. Danny climbed109101:18:19.720 --> 01:18:22.640
to her feet, taking only a few seconds to scan109201:18:22.720 --> 01:18:26.520
the path for him. Once more, no one was coming.109301:18:27.479 --> 01:18:29.800
She threw open the cabin door and ran to their109401:18:29.880 --> 01:18:32.760
room for the car keys. He'll be there when you109501:18:32.800 --> 01:18:37.039
get outside, she told herself. He's never been a strong runner.109601:18:37.079 --> 01:18:39.000
He'll catch up by the time you find the keys.109701:18:39.079 --> 01:18:43.319
He's probably waiting at the jeep already. She grabbed the109801:18:43.399 --> 01:18:47.399
rabbit's foot keychain from the nightstand and rolled the soft109901:18:47.520 --> 01:18:51.119
ornament in her palm. Her dad gave it to her110001:18:51.159 --> 01:18:56.079
the first day of college for good luck. Good luck,110101:18:56.520 --> 01:19:00.319
she laughed softly. Hugh had four of them, and look110201:19:00.359 --> 01:19:05.039
what happened to you? Glass broke in the kitchen. Danny110301:19:05.079 --> 01:19:07.880
stuffed the keys into her shorts and crept stealthily into110401:19:07.880 --> 01:19:12.159
the hallway. A pan clattered to the floor. She looked110501:19:12.199 --> 01:19:15.720
around for a weapon, though she wasn't sure exactly what110601:19:15.880 --> 01:19:20.359
she could use to fight a giant flea. She eased110701:19:20.399 --> 01:19:24.319
along the wall to the kitchen door. A cabinet banged open.110801:19:25.000 --> 01:19:29.680
More things crashed. Another cabinet slammed. She took a deep110901:19:29.720 --> 01:19:34.880
breath and momentarily forgot how to exhale. The bugs didn't111001:19:34.880 --> 01:19:38.000
have a reason to trash the place, which meant someone111101:19:38.199 --> 01:19:43.880
or something else was inside. She finally managed to let111201:19:43.960 --> 01:19:48.279
go of the captive breath and rounded the jam. The111301:19:48.359 --> 01:19:54.279
scream was unintentional. Kara leaned on the counter, wheezing. Sweat111401:19:54.319 --> 01:19:58.000
plastered her hair to her face. Bug bites the size111501:19:58.039 --> 01:20:03.159
of hubcaps oozed from their gate centers. Kara scratched violently111601:20:03.199 --> 01:20:06.199
at them, chris crossing the deep furrows she'd left with111701:20:06.279 --> 01:20:12.399
earlier attempts. Vomits stained her gory shirt. Her eyes were111801:20:12.479 --> 01:20:17.560
milky puff filled orbs tinged with pink swirls from the111901:20:17.640 --> 01:20:23.119
internal Hemorrhaging convulsions racked her body, bringing her to her knees.112001:20:24.039 --> 01:20:28.399
Danny started toward her, kicking something across the floor. She112101:20:28.520 --> 01:20:32.239
followed the noise as it rolled it bumped against the112201:20:32.319 --> 01:20:36.039
leg of the dining room table. Danny smiled at the112301:20:36.119 --> 01:20:39.680
yellow can of six twelve, the insect repellent that had112401:20:39.680 --> 01:20:43.039
been banned the year before, but Kara insisted it was112501:20:43.079 --> 01:20:46.520
the only thing that worked against the beefy mosquitoes of112601:20:46.600 --> 01:20:50.800
bull shoals. Apparently it worked on mutant fleas as well.112701:20:51.520 --> 01:20:53.800
That must have been what Kara was searching for in112801:20:53.880 --> 01:20:57.560
the ah. Kara moaned and clawed at the bite on112901:20:57.600 --> 01:21:02.840
her chest. She coughed, hacking up crimson phlegm. Stop, make113001:21:02.880 --> 01:21:07.199
it stop. Kara banged the inside of her head against113101:21:07.279 --> 01:21:13.520
the counter. Stop it, she hissed. The banging grew harder faster.113201:21:14.199 --> 01:21:19.680
The trim cracked. Spatter decorated the cabinet doors. Kara continued113301:21:19.720 --> 01:21:23.840
shrieking and moaning like one of the undead. Danny dived113401:21:23.840 --> 01:21:28.159
for the can of repellent. Kara's screams were punctuated by113501:21:28.199 --> 01:21:31.800
the frantic strikes of her head against the counter. Then113601:21:32.760 --> 01:21:37.159
she collapsed. Gray matter pushed through the shards of broken113701:21:37.279 --> 01:21:41.319
skull to mingle with the other fluids in Kara's matted hair.113801:21:42.920 --> 01:21:45.960
Danny stretched her sweat drenched T shirt over her nose.113901:21:46.840 --> 01:21:50.520
Fleas carried plagus. She didn't want to believe that's what114001:21:50.560 --> 01:21:54.239
the bugs were, but there was no denying it. The114101:21:54.279 --> 01:21:58.640
way they jumped, the way they ate. Giant fleas had114201:21:58.680 --> 01:22:02.840
attacked them, and if the insects had mutated, then maybe114301:22:02.880 --> 01:22:06.720
the viruses they carried had as well. She backed out114401:22:06.760 --> 01:22:10.399
of the kitchen, rubbing the repellent across her exposed areas.114501:22:11.000 --> 01:22:13.680
She blasted through the front door, then slid to a114601:22:13.680 --> 01:22:18.760
sudden halt. Everything was quiet, save for the ticking of114701:22:18.800 --> 01:22:23.880
the tin roof expanding in the afternoon sun. A childhood114801:22:23.920 --> 01:22:27.520
memory scratched at the back of her mind, as persistent114901:22:27.600 --> 01:22:30.880
as any flea bite. She thought about the stray that115001:22:30.960 --> 01:22:35.159
had wandered into their yard when she was five. The115101:22:35.199 --> 01:22:38.479
pup rolled over onto his back for belly rubs, and115201:22:38.600 --> 01:22:42.479
little Danny had been scarred for life. The fleas were115301:22:42.560 --> 01:22:47.399
clustered together, turning the dog into their own personal bonanza buffet.115401:22:48.319 --> 01:22:51.319
She hadn't understood what the little dark specks all over115501:22:51.399 --> 01:22:56.760
the animal were. Some crawled freely between his stiff, tawny hairs.115601:22:57.800 --> 01:23:00.600
She probed at a suckling swarm of the pair paraites.115701:23:01.079 --> 01:23:05.800
Detecting new prey, they leapt onto Danny's hands. They'd bitten115801:23:05.880 --> 01:23:08.640
her dozens of times before she managed to get them115901:23:08.640 --> 01:23:13.359
all off. She had nightmares for months, which had only116001:23:13.399 --> 01:23:17.159
been quelled once her father explained to her that fleas116101:23:17.359 --> 01:23:22.359
couldn't survive without an animal to live on. That's why116201:23:22.439 --> 01:23:27.520
everything was silent. She realized the sparse populations of black116301:23:27.560 --> 01:23:30.960
bears and elk were the largest animals in the ozarks.116401:23:31.560 --> 01:23:35.039
It wouldn't have taken the monsters long to exhaust those options.116501:23:36.039 --> 01:23:40.000
There were no viable hosts, so they'd turned to attacking116601:23:40.079 --> 01:23:43.680
everything they could for even a few drops of warm blood.116701:23:44.880 --> 01:23:49.199
Danny started off the porch and the first step squeaked116801:23:49.239 --> 01:23:52.760
under her weight. It reminded her of a dying animal.116901:23:52.800 --> 01:23:57.439
In the silence surrounding the cabin, she paused. One of117001:23:57.479 --> 01:24:01.760
the rocks in the yard seemed to move. She blinked117101:24:01.760 --> 01:24:04.199
the sweat away from her eyes as best she could117201:24:04.840 --> 01:24:08.399
and watched it for a moment. It was just a rock.117301:24:09.960 --> 01:24:13.159
She took another step, and the stairs gave a relieved groan.117401:24:14.600 --> 01:24:18.680
She wondered if fleas even had ears. The popping of117501:24:18.720 --> 01:24:22.760
the roof grew more rapid. She glanced over her shoulder117601:24:24.000 --> 01:24:28.840
and started running. The encroaching humans had been enough to117701:24:28.920 --> 01:24:34.199
awaken the entire scratch of super Fleas after months of dormancy.117801:24:34.760 --> 01:24:39.039
They were desperate for a meal, any meal. The hot117901:24:39.119 --> 01:24:41.880
roof made the cabin look like a giant animal to118001:24:41.920 --> 01:24:47.840
their simplified heat sensing eyes. They'd forgotten entirely about the118101:24:47.920 --> 01:24:51.199
humans that had led them there, and attached themselves to118201:24:51.239 --> 01:24:55.600
the first hope they'd had for a suitable host. Their118301:24:55.640 --> 01:24:59.960
piercing stylets punched fruitlessly into the unnatural skin of the house.118401:25:00.880 --> 01:25:04.319
Starvation was taking its toll on them. One of the118501:25:04.319 --> 01:25:07.520
weakest slid off the roof and into the yard. Its118601:25:07.600 --> 01:25:11.399
legs curled up to its abdomen as it died without118701:25:11.399 --> 01:25:15.720
a sound. The others continued working away at the cabin's118801:25:15.760 --> 01:25:19.359
metal flesh. Danny was almost to the jeep when the118901:25:19.359 --> 01:25:24.079
windshield of Hawk's Toyota shattered. The malnourished flea had misjudged119001:25:24.119 --> 01:25:27.800
its jump and smashed face first into the safety glass.119101:25:28.319 --> 01:25:32.680
Its lanky hind legs kicked for another go. The sickle119201:25:32.880 --> 01:25:37.399
like claws scraped divots into the truck's hood. Another famished119301:25:37.439 --> 01:25:41.239
flea launched itself from the roof, landing a foot from Danny.119401:25:42.159 --> 01:25:45.760
She squeezed the bottle of six twelve, blasting the bugs119501:25:45.760 --> 01:25:49.520
in the face. It hopped in a circle, toppling wildly119601:25:49.600 --> 01:25:54.319
over itself, and then bounded into the woods. The incessant119701:25:54.399 --> 01:25:58.119
pecking of the parasites on the roof stopped in near unison.119801:25:59.199 --> 01:26:04.239
One after another, they sprang from their perch. Danny stumbled119901:26:04.279 --> 01:26:07.800
backwards and fell to the ground. She scrambled on all fours,120001:26:08.000 --> 01:26:11.399
finally getting to her feet just in time to grab120101:26:11.439 --> 01:26:14.800
the jeep's door handle. She threw open the red door,120201:26:14.880 --> 01:26:19.680
inadvertently batting down an attacking creature. Another landed on her arm.120301:26:20.199 --> 01:26:23.439
She grabbed its head, mashed her thumb into the thing's eye,120401:26:23.960 --> 01:26:26.760
and slung it away so quickly that its clawed feet120501:26:26.840 --> 01:26:31.000
tore through her skin. Danny screamed and fell backwards into120601:26:31.039 --> 01:26:35.239
the vehicle. The insects swarmed around her. She pulled the120701:26:35.279 --> 01:26:40.359
door shut, catching one in the jam. Its armored exoskeleton cracked,120801:26:40.880 --> 01:26:44.520
but it didn't break. The monster tried to bite. It120901:26:44.600 --> 01:26:48.359
squirmed and swung its head around. The lancing mouth parts121001:26:48.439 --> 01:26:53.039
stabbed into the seat repeatedly. Danny leaned back, pulling the121101:26:53.119 --> 01:26:56.640
door with all her weight. It never made a sound,121201:26:57.319 --> 01:27:02.279
and somehow that terrified her more than anything else. It121301:27:02.319 --> 01:27:06.000
should have roared or hissed or made some other horrifying121401:27:06.079 --> 01:27:10.239
noise like the monster it was, but the thing was121501:27:10.319 --> 01:27:14.199
completely silent. As the two combatants tried to murder one another,121601:27:15.840 --> 01:27:18.800
Danny reached for the keys and found the pocket empty,121701:27:19.720 --> 01:27:23.279
the flea inched inside. She quickly pulled the door with121801:27:23.359 --> 01:27:28.640
both hands again. The windshield cracked in tiny snowflakes. The121901:27:28.720 --> 01:27:32.359
fleas were striking at her heat signature, fracturing the barrier122001:27:32.439 --> 01:27:38.119
between themselves and their feast. She was dead, and she122101:27:38.199 --> 01:27:41.560
knew it. Either her arms were going to tie her122201:27:41.560 --> 01:27:45.560
out or the windshield was going to shatter, but sooner122301:27:46.119 --> 01:27:49.600
rather than later, the fleas would be inside the jeep122401:27:49.640 --> 01:27:54.119
with her. Her muscles burned. Danny wondered which would be122501:27:54.199 --> 01:27:58.960
more painful, a single flea or the entire scratch latching122601:27:59.000 --> 01:28:03.199
on at once. She'd probably lose enough blood to pass122701:28:03.239 --> 01:28:05.399
out in a second or two if all of them122801:28:05.479 --> 01:28:10.399
got to her. The canvas roof sagged suddenly, hooks tore122901:28:10.560 --> 01:28:12.880
through the top as others searched for another way in.123001:28:13.600 --> 01:28:16.279
She tried to weigh her options, only to find herself123101:28:16.279 --> 01:28:20.039
without any The lacerations on her arms leaked down the123201:28:20.079 --> 01:28:24.600
door panel. The handle started slipping through her grasp. Danny123301:28:24.720 --> 01:28:27.960
swung the appendage over the entrapped flea and flexed the123401:28:28.039 --> 01:28:31.920
muscles to speed up the flow. Droplets pelted the monster123501:28:32.079 --> 01:28:36.039
like crimson rain. It twitched and twisted, trying to find123601:28:36.079 --> 01:28:40.199
the source of the smell. Driven mad by hunger, it123701:28:40.399 --> 01:28:44.159
stabbed into its own thorax, Chasing a drop of the123801:28:44.199 --> 01:28:48.720
precious fluid, Danny released enough pressure to kick it to123901:28:48.760 --> 01:28:52.560
the ground while it was distracted. Before she could slam124001:28:52.600 --> 01:28:56.319
the door, she saw other fleas descend on it. They124101:28:56.439 --> 01:28:59.840
ferociously bit into their brethren, trying to get their share124201:29:00.000 --> 01:29:03.760
of the blood. Danny hit the door locks out of instinct.124301:29:04.359 --> 01:29:06.600
She crawled into the back of the vehicle to find124401:29:06.600 --> 01:29:10.119
a weapon. A nylon bag caught her eye. While she124501:29:10.199 --> 01:29:14.039
wrestled the tire iron free. She looked out the plastic124601:29:14.079 --> 01:29:18.560
back window behind the extra gas can. The driveway was124701:29:18.600 --> 01:29:22.279
a steep hill that banked hard to the right. The124801:29:22.319 --> 01:29:26.520
fabric tore overhead as more fleas congregated. She could see124901:29:26.520 --> 01:29:29.720
them through the widening gashes and knew she was almost125001:29:29.800 --> 01:29:32.479
out of time. They were going to get in through125101:29:32.560 --> 01:29:36.159
sheer dumb luck. When the weight brought the canvas top down,125201:29:37.159 --> 01:29:40.479
a plan was starting to formulate, but she needed just125301:29:40.520 --> 01:29:43.920
a little longer to put it into motion. She clamored125401:29:43.960 --> 01:29:46.640
back to the front and rolled the passenger window down125501:29:46.720 --> 01:29:51.279
an inch. Pressing her wounded arm against the opening, she125601:29:51.479 --> 01:29:54.920
mashed at the cuts. Blood trickled down the glass in125701:29:55.000 --> 01:29:58.039
tiny rivlets, but it was more than enough to draw125801:29:58.079 --> 01:30:02.560
the attention of the ravenous fleas She cranked the window125901:30:02.680 --> 01:30:06.560
almost closed, but left enough gap to give them false hope.126001:30:07.039 --> 01:30:11.079
As she smeared the fluid over the upholstery, the parasites126101:30:11.119 --> 01:30:14.880
fought for space, knocking each other aside and clawing away126201:30:14.920 --> 01:30:17.680
the more persistent ones for their chance to get into126301:30:17.720 --> 01:30:22.159
the jeep. Danny toppled into the back once more. She126401:30:22.239 --> 01:30:26.119
grabbed the bag and rustled out an emergency flare. A126501:30:26.119 --> 01:30:29.439
flea dropped through the roof and scurried onto the back seat.126601:30:30.279 --> 01:30:34.359
Danny brought the tire iron up, running it through. She126701:30:34.520 --> 01:30:37.520
swung the spiked nd bug and all toward the back126801:30:37.560 --> 01:30:42.399
window and slashed the plastic. She discarded the weapon, watching126901:30:42.439 --> 01:30:46.199
the flea suckling desperately at its own bodily fluids oozing127001:30:46.279 --> 01:30:50.239
down the metal, Danny struck the flare and wedged it127101:30:50.239 --> 01:30:53.560
into the gas can's handle. She flipped over the back127201:30:53.600 --> 01:30:55.920
seat and released the parking brake. As she moved to127301:30:55.960 --> 01:30:59.560
the driver's seat, she rubbed her arm across the dashboard.127401:31:00.359 --> 01:31:04.439
The roof collapsed and Danny opened the door, letting herself127501:31:04.479 --> 01:31:08.600
drop backwards out of the rolling vehicle. Fleas sprang onto127601:31:08.600 --> 01:31:11.640
the fresh blood trail she'd left for them. The jeep127701:31:11.680 --> 01:31:15.680
gained speed as it descended the driveway. The starving fleas127801:31:15.760 --> 01:31:18.880
were too busy stabbing at the instruments and radio in127901:31:18.960 --> 01:31:22.720
hopes of finding more blood within to notice their predicament.128001:31:23.840 --> 01:31:27.279
The jeep missed the turn and jumped a stump, careening128101:31:27.319 --> 01:31:31.199
into the woods before slamming into a tree. The impact128201:31:31.279 --> 01:31:34.800
ruptured the gas can. The flare ignited the wave of128301:31:34.840 --> 01:31:39.439
fuel as it washed over the vehicle. The fleas became fireballs,128401:31:39.680 --> 01:31:43.199
shooting out of the wreckage. Others were trapped inside the128501:31:43.239 --> 01:31:48.039
mangled jeep, their internal fluids boiled until they exploded from128601:31:48.079 --> 01:31:52.119
the pressure inside their armored bodies. Danny laughed at the128701:31:52.159 --> 01:31:58.640
sound of the parasitic popcorn bursting. She'd survived. She'd won.128801:31:59.720 --> 01:32:03.800
The sheep's gas tank exploded, rumbling the ground beneath her.128901:32:04.359 --> 01:32:07.359
She watched the pillar of fire and smoke rise above129001:32:07.399 --> 01:32:11.920
the tree tops. Danny laid back. She'd find the keys129101:32:11.960 --> 01:32:15.760
to Hawk's truck later. Maybe Roco and Lila would finally129201:32:15.800 --> 01:32:19.319
show up and she wouldn't have to, or maybe the129301:32:19.399 --> 01:32:23.439
fire would attract a game warden that part could wait129401:32:24.600 --> 01:32:28.439
five minutes before she was sure she was going to die.129501:32:28.479 --> 01:32:31.560
She was safe, and she just wanted to spend some129601:32:31.720 --> 01:32:36.640
time relishing in that. She closed her eyes. Her heart129701:32:36.720 --> 01:32:40.520
rate was starting to slow down when she heard branches129801:32:40.520 --> 01:32:45.560
in the trees above. She opened her eyes slowly, looking129901:32:45.640 --> 01:32:51.159
for the source. A fat squirrel eased out onto a branch,130001:32:51.880 --> 01:32:56.479
looking down curiously at the human. Danny smiled at the130101:32:56.479 --> 01:33:01.479
critter and brought her wounded arm up and waved at it.130201:33:01.479 --> 01:33:07.800
It chittered in response. Hey there, she said, fighting back130301:33:07.840 --> 01:33:12.880
the urge to cry. We made it, little fella. It130401:33:13.000 --> 01:33:18.920
chittered again. A shadow fell across its furry form. Danny130501:33:18.920 --> 01:33:22.600
barely processed it before the flea dropped onto the rodent.130601:33:23.199 --> 01:33:28.239
The stilets punctured the squirrel's neck, effectively decapitating it. The130701:33:28.279 --> 01:33:31.840
flea drank greedily from the stump, and Danny watched in130801:33:31.880 --> 01:33:35.640
horror as the plump body shriveled. The slurping let her130901:33:35.640 --> 01:33:40.439
know the parasite had finished the appetizer. The flea jumped131001:33:40.439 --> 01:33:45.039
from the branch straight for Danny's prone body. Something boomed131101:33:45.319 --> 01:33:50.119
and bits of exoskeleton pelted Danny's body. She rolled over131201:33:50.199 --> 01:33:53.600
and saw Brian limping toward her with one of Hawk's131301:33:53.640 --> 01:33:59.479
skeet guns over his shoulder, kills on contact, he said,131401:34:00.680 --> 01:34:05.319
Oh my god, tears welled up in her eyes. You're alive.131501:34:06.319 --> 01:34:09.439
Danny ran to him, throwing her arms around his plump131601:34:09.439 --> 01:34:14.159
waist and burying her face into his chest. He kissed131701:34:14.199 --> 01:34:16.880
the top of her head and forced himself to let131801:34:16.880 --> 01:34:20.000
out a manly chuckle that was harder to believe than131901:34:20.119 --> 01:34:25.680
giant mutated flies. Danny squeezed him harder, and they both132001:34:25.760 --> 01:34:30.840
sank to the ground. I thought they got you, Danny sniffled,132101:34:32.000 --> 01:34:37.039
almost he whispered. They wouldn't follow Kara because of all132201:34:37.079 --> 01:34:40.359
the bugspray she had on, so I followed her back.132301:34:41.640 --> 01:34:43.720
It was like they couldn't find me in her trail.132401:34:44.640 --> 01:34:47.960
Then I saw them gathering on the roof, so I hid.132501:34:49.000 --> 01:34:54.399
I shouldn't have. I'm sorry. I don't care. I'm just132601:34:54.520 --> 01:34:58.760
glad you made it. Danny squeezed his chubby face between132701:34:58.800 --> 01:35:04.600
her hands that we made it. Yeah, me too. Brian132801:35:04.680 --> 01:35:09.439
stood and helped her up. I appreciate the romantic fire, honey,132901:35:09.479 --> 01:35:12.359
but I wish you'd blown up some one else's car.133001:35:13.399 --> 01:35:17.720
The ground trembled beneath them again, but there hadn't been133101:35:17.800 --> 01:35:22.640
another explosion. Danny looked around at the rocks dotting the yard,133201:35:23.680 --> 01:35:28.399
wondering which of them might be hidden bugs. Her eyes133301:35:28.520 --> 01:35:34.119
flicked to the trees, nothing was moving. Her hand moved133401:35:34.119 --> 01:35:39.319
from Brian's side to the double barreled shotgun. She snatched133501:35:39.359 --> 01:35:42.399
it from his hand, passing it behind her back to133601:35:42.479 --> 01:35:46.680
her dominant hand like a majorrette. The ground began to133701:35:46.760 --> 01:35:54.479
pulse and crack. Hey, babe, she said quietly, I think133801:35:54.560 --> 01:36:06.920
it's time we flee. I hate working at the gas133901:36:06.960 --> 01:36:13.880
station after discovering its dark secret by Michael Kelso. Every134001:36:13.960 --> 01:36:16.840
morning it's the same thing, people lining up at the134101:36:16.880 --> 01:36:20.000
pumps that seem to always be full. I have seen134201:36:20.079 --> 01:36:22.960
fights erupt when someone cuts line at the pump, and134301:36:23.079 --> 01:36:25.239
dear God, don't get in the way of them ordering134401:36:25.239 --> 01:36:27.920
their gallon sized bucket of coffee to go with their134501:36:27.960 --> 01:36:31.560
pseudo egg wrapped in dough and deep fried part of134601:36:31.600 --> 01:36:35.720
this nutritious breakfast. Every morning it looks like an army134701:36:35.720 --> 01:36:39.399
of ants on crack running around grabbing whatever food type,134801:36:39.439 --> 01:36:43.600
substance and drinks they can, then taking their usual position134901:36:43.760 --> 01:36:48.119
of impatiently waiting in line. I love the different poses.135001:36:48.720 --> 01:36:52.760
The watch watcher. They must glance at their watch every135101:36:52.880 --> 01:36:57.800
two seconds to show how much they're being inconvenienced. These135201:36:57.840 --> 01:37:01.439
are usually the ones getting into a Mercedes BMW when135301:37:01.439 --> 01:37:04.079
they leave. I don't know why they don't get their135401:37:04.119 --> 01:37:08.439
breakfast catered. I'm sure they can afford it. The foot tapper,135501:37:09.039 --> 01:37:11.640
usually they have something stuck in their ear and can't135601:37:11.680 --> 01:37:16.680
hear their order being called. The heavy sire exhales loudly135701:37:16.840 --> 01:37:20.159
every third time the watch watcher checks the time, and135801:37:20.239 --> 01:37:22.439
when the foot tapper has to be told to move135901:37:22.520 --> 01:37:26.039
up in line, as if anyone could hear him over136001:37:26.079 --> 01:37:30.000
the music that's blaring so loud over the speakers, making136101:37:30.039 --> 01:37:35.800
it so easy for everyone? Did I mention I work here?136201:37:36.640 --> 01:37:40.079
Sometimes I wonder why, after the things I've seen, not136301:37:40.199 --> 01:37:45.479
just the idiots, but other things, much darker things. But136401:37:46.159 --> 01:37:49.199
we'll get to that. Every morning I have to deal136501:37:49.199 --> 01:37:52.800
with these idiots. Is it still called road rage if136601:37:52.800 --> 01:37:55.920
you feel it in a gas station? As much as136701:37:55.920 --> 01:37:59.479
I hate them, customers are actually the easiest part of136801:37:59.520 --> 01:38:02.239
my job. I mean, who wouldn't want to get out136901:38:02.279 --> 01:38:04.039
in the middle of the night when the temperature is137001:38:04.079 --> 01:38:06.800
below zero? And the wind is howling to change the137101:38:06.840 --> 01:38:10.760
bags in the trash cans because it's the appointed time.137201:38:11.399 --> 01:38:15.720
And who appointed the time? You ask? Why the manual?137301:38:15.760 --> 01:38:19.359
Of course, the corporate bean counters have done studies and137401:38:19.439 --> 01:38:23.399
run focus groups or some nonsense to decide the perfect137501:38:23.399 --> 01:38:27.680
time of day or in this case, night to empty137601:38:27.960 --> 01:38:31.800
the trash. It's all in the manual. The manual is137701:38:31.840 --> 01:38:35.479
your friend. The manual is your god. The manual must137801:38:35.560 --> 01:38:40.119
be obeyed at all costs. That's what the manual says.137901:38:41.039 --> 01:38:45.000
So if it's cleaning the toilets, emptying the trash, washing138001:38:45.079 --> 01:38:48.680
out the coffee makers, the manual tells us exactly when138101:38:49.239 --> 01:38:52.840
and how to do it. That's a load off my mind.138201:38:52.880 --> 01:38:54.840
I don't even have to worry about not knowing how138301:38:54.840 --> 01:38:59.079
to clean a toilet. The manual tells me. What it138401:38:59.159 --> 01:39:02.239
doesn't tell me is what happens when the power goes138501:39:02.239 --> 01:39:08.399
out only at our station every night at exactly two138601:39:08.560 --> 01:39:14.079
fifty nine am and comes back on at three oh one.138701:39:14.279 --> 01:39:17.199
I've seen this so many times. I watched the McDonald's138801:39:17.199 --> 01:39:21.239
beside us, and their lights never go out. What's even138901:39:21.319 --> 01:39:24.479
stranger is the security cameras never seem to pick it up.139001:39:25.319 --> 01:39:29.560
I've reviewed the recordings. No loss of power ever shows.139101:39:29.960 --> 01:39:32.840
What does happen is somehow the timestamp on the video139201:39:32.960 --> 01:39:36.079
suddenly shoots from two fifty nine to three oh one,139301:39:36.399 --> 01:39:41.119
like those two minutes never existed. The corporate techies call139401:39:41.159 --> 01:39:44.560
it a glitch and tell me to ignore it. The139501:39:44.600 --> 01:39:47.159
rest of us don't mention it, not if we know139601:39:47.199 --> 01:39:50.680
what's good for us. But I know why it happens.139701:39:51.760 --> 01:39:56.000
I don't tell anyone for fear of being sent to139801:39:57.520 --> 01:39:59.720
Is it corporate who keeps us shaking in terror at139901:39:59.720 --> 01:40:02.760
that p tension of letting outsiders know what happens during140001:40:02.760 --> 01:40:07.640
those two missing minutes every night? Yes, and no. It's140101:40:07.680 --> 01:40:14.840
something much closer, much darker, something that could I guess.140201:40:15.000 --> 01:40:17.359
The best way to describe it would be to tell140301:40:17.399 --> 01:40:20.640
the story of Kenny. I know when I first heard140401:40:20.640 --> 01:40:23.199
his name, I did the famous line from South Park,140501:40:24.199 --> 01:40:27.239
Oh my god, they killed Kenny. It used to make140601:40:27.279 --> 01:40:32.359
me chuckle. I don't do that anymore. He started working140701:40:32.359 --> 01:40:35.760
here around five months ago. Wow has it really been140801:40:35.800 --> 01:40:40.920
that long? Anyway? He was just another goofy teenager starting140901:40:40.960 --> 01:40:43.880
his first job after high school. Not that I was141001:40:43.920 --> 01:40:46.720
an elder scholar or anything. I only started here a141101:40:46.840 --> 01:40:49.800
year before Kenny did. He was fun to work with141201:40:49.880 --> 01:40:53.479
and we instantly became buddies. We loved to goof off141301:40:53.560 --> 01:40:56.399
during the night shift. Most nights it was just us141401:40:56.439 --> 01:41:00.840
working together. The place was usually dead from midnight until five.141501:41:01.359 --> 01:41:03.520
We would rush around to get all our chores done141601:41:03.600 --> 01:41:06.840
so we had some free time. More than once we141701:41:06.920 --> 01:41:11.039
got into chicken nugget battles, which would have us cleaning141801:41:11.079 --> 01:41:14.199
up right before the morning rush help came on. We141901:41:14.279 --> 01:41:17.279
found out exactly where the cameras could and couldn't see,142001:41:17.680 --> 01:41:20.920
and hid from them while we held our battles. We142101:41:21.039 --> 01:41:23.640
became so good at it that the night security guys142201:41:23.680 --> 01:41:27.359
would call to ask where we were. Yes, the corporate142301:41:27.399 --> 01:41:32.520
being counters monitored us day and night. Big Brother was142401:41:32.560 --> 01:41:35.880
always watching. More than once we discussed the option of142501:41:35.960 --> 01:41:39.319
tearing down the cameras and visiting corporate headquarters to shove142601:41:39.359 --> 01:41:45.239
them well in some very interesting and anatomically uncomfortable areas142701:41:45.279 --> 01:41:50.560
of management's collective persons. But as for what happened to Kenny,142801:41:51.800 --> 01:41:54.279
we were having one of our nugget battles when Kenny142901:41:54.319 --> 01:41:56.640
gave a shout. I went over to see what was143001:41:56.680 --> 01:42:00.880
wrong and found him holding his cheek. He said something143101:42:01.000 --> 01:42:04.640
sharp hit him. I told him I was just throwing nuggets.143201:42:04.720 --> 01:42:08.880
When he looked down and found the offending object. He143301:42:08.960 --> 01:42:12.439
picked up a nugget that was broken in half, but143401:42:12.479 --> 01:42:15.640
there was something sticking out of it. There was what143501:42:15.760 --> 01:42:20.640
looked like a woman's diamond engagement ring. We debated back143601:42:20.680 --> 01:42:22.840
and forth how it could have gotten lodged in there143701:42:22.880 --> 01:42:25.760
when Kenny pulled it out and found the meat perfectly143801:42:25.840 --> 01:42:28.920
formed around it. I don't think it got stuck in there,143901:42:29.239 --> 01:42:33.720
Kenny said, I think it was processed this way. That144001:42:33.760 --> 01:42:38.520
would mean I said that someone was accidentally processed in144101:42:38.560 --> 01:42:42.399
the meat machine. Are we sure it was an accident?144201:42:43.199 --> 01:42:45.159
Even as the words came out of my mouth, I144301:42:45.239 --> 01:42:48.680
knew how ludicrous they sounded. That kind of thing only144401:42:48.760 --> 01:42:53.960
happened in the movies, didn't it. Kenny's eyes locked on mine,144501:42:54.199 --> 01:42:56.520
and I could tell he was thinking the same thing.144601:42:57.399 --> 01:42:59.880
I looked up and saw we were in the camera's view.144701:43:01.199 --> 01:43:05.039
Stick that thing in your pocket, quick, I said. Kenny obeyed,144801:43:05.359 --> 01:43:08.159
and we went about cleaning up as usual, but I144901:43:08.199 --> 01:43:12.239
could tell it was bothering him. Forget about that thing, man.145001:43:12.680 --> 01:43:16.960
I told him, it was just some weird coincidence. How145101:43:16.960 --> 01:43:20.359
many chicken nuggets have you eaten from this place? He said,145201:43:20.359 --> 01:43:23.239
with a haunted look in his eye. I thought for145301:43:23.319 --> 01:43:25.800
a moment, knowing the answer was much higher than I145401:43:25.840 --> 01:43:29.520
wanted it to be. In fact, thinking about the ring145501:43:29.560 --> 01:43:32.279
and the potential source for the meat and the nuggets145601:43:32.319 --> 01:43:35.720
made me feel ill. Doesn't matter. I won't be eating145701:43:35.760 --> 01:43:39.520
any more. What about that poor woman and her family?145801:43:40.880 --> 01:43:44.520
What about her, I said, my eyes nervously, darting towards145901:43:44.600 --> 01:43:49.479
the nearest camera. Doesn't she deserve more than that? What146001:43:49.520 --> 01:43:51.520
do you want me to do? Hunt down her family146101:43:51.560 --> 01:43:54.800
and tell them where we found the ring? Kenny's eyes146201:43:54.840 --> 01:43:58.800
lit up. That's exactly what I'm going to do. Count146301:43:58.800 --> 01:44:01.159
me out of that, man, I said, hoping it would146401:44:01.159 --> 01:44:04.039
be enough to give him second thoughts about it. He146501:44:04.079 --> 01:44:07.199
shrugged and went about his cleaning duties. But from that146601:44:07.359 --> 01:44:11.199
moment on he changed. Every time he was on break,146701:44:11.279 --> 01:44:14.159
he would be looking things up on his phone. More146801:44:14.199 --> 01:44:16.199
than once I glanced over and he was looking at146901:44:16.239 --> 01:44:19.640
missing person sites and making notes on ones that were147001:44:19.640 --> 01:44:24.520
in the area. The longer he investigated this, the less147101:44:24.560 --> 01:44:27.640
he was interested in anything else. I swear it was147201:44:27.680 --> 01:44:30.880
like he was slowly turning into a zombie. All he147301:44:30.920 --> 01:44:35.079
did was stare at his phone and make notes. One day,147401:44:35.119 --> 01:44:36.800
I came in the break room and he was just147501:44:36.840 --> 01:44:41.239
sitting there, motionless. His eyes were open, but focused on147601:44:41.279 --> 01:44:45.000
some point off in the distance. It was the creepiest147701:44:45.000 --> 01:44:50.119
thing I'd ever seen. You Okay, Kenny, I said. He147801:44:50.279 --> 01:44:57.680
slowly turned toward me, like some possessed doll. I'm fine, okay,147901:44:58.359 --> 01:45:02.560
I said. You know who she is? Who? Who is148001:45:03.800 --> 01:45:09.439
the woman whose ring we found? Okay? Who is she?148101:45:09.439 --> 01:45:13.560
She worked at the distribution center. You mean the company's148201:45:13.600 --> 01:45:17.600
distribution center where we get all our products. He nodded slowly.148301:45:18.520 --> 01:45:21.359
How did you find that out? I asked a lot148401:45:21.359 --> 01:45:25.600
of questions, asked who? He stared at me with an148501:45:25.600 --> 01:45:31.560
intensity in his eyes. I'd never seen before. People. What people?148601:45:32.359 --> 01:45:35.279
He turned slowly and looked up at one of the cameras.148701:45:35.760 --> 01:45:38.760
It's not important, he said, looking away from the camera148801:45:38.800 --> 01:45:44.720
and resuming his unfocused stare you okay, man, Yeah, I'm fine,148901:45:44.960 --> 01:45:49.560
he said in a monotone voice. It's just I waited149001:45:49.600 --> 01:45:51.960
for a long moment for him to finish his sentence,149101:45:52.800 --> 01:45:56.479
but he just sat there like someone at his pause button,149201:45:57.640 --> 01:46:01.520
just what I said. He jumped like I had startled149301:46:01.600 --> 01:46:05.880
him awake? What what do you mean what I said?149401:46:06.399 --> 01:46:12.479
You were talking and just stopped? I did, Yeah, what149501:46:12.520 --> 01:46:20.520
was I saying? That's what I was trying to find out? What? Yep, yep? No? What? What?149601:46:21.399 --> 01:46:25.159
I shook my head in frustration. Never mind, I said,149701:46:25.199 --> 01:46:29.439
walking away, leaving him sitting there staring into space. I149801:46:29.439 --> 01:46:31.520
couldn't figure out if he was messing with me or149901:46:31.520 --> 01:46:35.079
if something had happened. Had he really been tracking down150001:46:35.119 --> 01:46:38.039
where the ring came from? Had he really run across150101:46:38.079 --> 01:46:41.439
some people who had scared him so bad they turned150201:46:41.520 --> 01:46:45.920
him into this zombie? I decided it was time for150301:46:46.000 --> 01:46:49.319
some answers. After our shift was over, I followed him home,150401:46:49.960 --> 01:46:53.800
only he didn't go home. He drove to the distribution150501:46:53.960 --> 01:46:56.680
center and parked on a secluded spot outside the fence150601:46:57.039 --> 01:47:00.000
where his car wouldn't be seen. I waited for him150701:47:00.159 --> 01:47:02.039
to get out of sight before I parked my car150801:47:02.199 --> 01:47:05.560
and followed him. He stalked through the woods outside the150901:47:05.600 --> 01:47:07.680
fence for a while until he came to a section151001:47:07.760 --> 01:47:11.199
that came apart when he pulled it. He slipped inside,151101:47:11.239 --> 01:47:13.439
and I followed suit. After he was out of sight,151201:47:14.079 --> 01:47:16.840
I came around the corner of the massive building and151301:47:16.960 --> 01:47:20.239
found him sitting at a picnic bench smoking a cigarette.151401:47:21.199 --> 01:47:24.439
I stayed back and watched, shocked that I'd never seen151501:47:24.520 --> 01:47:27.640
him smoke before. I wondered why he would break in151601:47:27.720 --> 01:47:31.520
here just to smoke a cigarette. The answer came quickly.151701:47:32.359 --> 01:47:35.399
The door of the warehouse opened and three people stepped out.151801:47:36.279 --> 01:47:39.720
I held my breath, thinking he'd been caught, but he151901:47:39.840 --> 01:47:44.239
was calm and continued to sit at the bench. In fact,152001:47:44.840 --> 01:47:48.159
the people who had come out began talking to him.152101:47:48.880 --> 01:47:51.960
He even offered one of them a cigarette. It was152201:47:52.039 --> 01:47:55.119
then I realized they were in the same outfit he152301:47:55.239 --> 01:47:59.640
was wearing. The company didn't have different uniforms for those152401:47:59.680 --> 01:48:02.319
who were worked at the stations and those who worked152501:48:02.319 --> 01:48:06.359
in the distribution center. They chatted for a few minutes,152601:48:06.840 --> 01:48:10.680
then they all got up and went back inside. Kenny152701:48:10.760 --> 01:48:15.800
included it was brilliant. He slipped right inside, no fuss,152801:48:15.840 --> 01:48:19.680
no muss. I figured what the hell it worked for152901:48:19.800 --> 01:48:22.119
Kenny as I walked up and sat at the same153001:48:22.199 --> 01:48:25.079
picnic table. I didn't know how long it would be153101:48:25.199 --> 01:48:27.760
until the next break, so I tried a different approach.153201:48:28.840 --> 01:48:32.159
I knocked on the door for a few minutes, no153301:48:32.199 --> 01:48:35.640
one answered. Each time I knocked, I became more anxious153401:48:35.680 --> 01:48:38.079
that a security guard would show up and arrest me153501:48:38.359 --> 01:48:43.800
for trespassing. Finally, after knocking, the door opened. I stepped153601:48:43.800 --> 01:48:49.279
back when I saw a security guard standing there. I hesitated, Well,153701:48:50.119 --> 01:48:53.640
the large man said, in a deep voice. Well, what153801:48:54.319 --> 01:48:57.279
was all I could think to answer back, Well, are153901:48:57.279 --> 01:49:00.159
you going to come in or not? It took my154001:49:00.159 --> 01:49:03.720
brain a moment to comprehend what he'd said. Sorry, yeah,154101:49:04.159 --> 01:49:07.319
I said, Diving through the door. He shut it behind154201:49:07.359 --> 01:49:10.760
me with a loud bang. It sounded like my doom.154301:49:11.520 --> 01:49:13.479
I knew he was on to me. He was just154401:49:13.520 --> 01:49:16.039
getting me inside so he could contain me, and I154501:49:16.079 --> 01:49:20.840
couldn't get away. I stood there, vapor locked, unable to154601:49:20.880 --> 01:49:23.960
move for fear of what the guard would do. He154701:49:24.079 --> 01:49:27.560
stared at me, his eyes boring into mine, as though154801:49:27.640 --> 01:49:31.560
sucking every secret out of me. What do you think154901:49:31.560 --> 01:49:36.920
you're doing, he said, I don't know what you mean. Yes,155001:49:36.960 --> 01:49:39.760
you do, he said, folding his arms in front of155101:49:39.760 --> 01:49:44.560
his massive chest. No, I promise I don't know anything,155201:49:44.920 --> 01:49:49.000
I said, hoping my knees wouldn't start knocking. All right,155301:49:49.119 --> 01:49:52.760
enough of this, he said, I started to shake. I'd155401:49:52.800 --> 01:49:55.479
never been to prison. In fact, I'd never gotten in155501:49:55.560 --> 01:49:58.960
serious trouble in my life, and now here I was155601:49:59.079 --> 01:50:03.680
breaking and entering. Even though I didn't really break, I155701:50:03.840 --> 01:50:07.000
just knocked and entered. I wondered if the judge would155801:50:07.000 --> 01:50:10.920
take that into account. You've had your break. Now get155901:50:10.960 --> 01:50:14.560
back to work, he said. I stared at him, dumbfounded.156001:50:15.399 --> 01:50:18.840
Excuse me, you heard me. The company doesn't pay you156101:50:18.880 --> 01:50:23.960
to stand around. Get back to work, yes, sir, I said,156201:50:24.039 --> 01:50:27.319
feeling the weight of a prison sentence lift from my shoulders.156301:50:28.000 --> 01:50:31.720
I took a step, then stopped. Which way is it156401:50:31.760 --> 01:50:35.199
to where they processed the chicken nuggets? The guard rolled156501:50:35.199 --> 01:50:40.479
his eyes. Freakin' newbies, he muttered, Follow the red line.156601:50:41.279 --> 01:50:44.119
He pointed at the floor, where several different colored lines156701:50:44.239 --> 01:50:47.159
ran down the middle of the hallway and disappeared into156801:50:47.159 --> 01:50:51.159
the distance. Thanks, I said, quickly following the red line156901:50:51.199 --> 01:50:54.159
away from him. It led down a long hallway and157001:50:54.239 --> 01:50:56.359
right up to a large set of double doors that157101:50:56.439 --> 01:51:01.560
read processing. I looked left and right, but there was157201:51:01.640 --> 01:51:04.600
no sign of Kenny. I stepped in through the double157301:51:04.640 --> 01:51:08.920
doors to a huge room full of conveyor belts. I157401:51:08.960 --> 01:51:11.960
looked around but it was impossible to tell anyone apart157501:51:12.319 --> 01:51:16.079
when they were wearing hairnets and face masks. I hadn't157601:51:16.079 --> 01:51:19.159
made it two steps until I heard what do you157701:51:19.199 --> 01:51:29.520
think you're doing? A woman dressed in a white lab157801:51:29.560 --> 01:51:32.520
coat accosted me. You know you're not supposed to be157901:51:32.560 --> 01:51:35.319
on the floor without your hairnet and mask on. She158001:51:35.479 --> 01:51:37.800
shoved a hairnet on my head, then hooked a mask158101:51:37.840 --> 01:51:43.520
around my ears. Now, where's your station, I said, my158201:51:43.600 --> 01:51:47.720
eyes darting around as she watched me impatiently. How long158301:51:47.720 --> 01:51:51.880
have you worked here, she said, seeing my indecision first day,158401:51:52.319 --> 01:51:56.760
I lied, She sighed heavily. You're not even supposed to158501:51:56.760 --> 01:51:59.439
be on the floor, yet you have videos to watch?158601:52:00.159 --> 01:52:04.239
I shrugged. Wait here, she said, I'll go find someone158701:52:04.239 --> 01:52:07.600
to take you upstairs and start your videos. I waited158801:52:07.640 --> 01:52:09.960
long enough for her to leave the room. Then I158901:52:10.079 --> 01:52:14.159
roamed around trying to find Kenny. I walked past line159001:52:14.199 --> 01:52:17.079
after line of people sorting through the chunks of meat,159101:52:17.520 --> 01:52:21.000
tossing aside parts that weren't usable, or at least weren't159201:52:21.079 --> 01:52:24.760
usable for the main product. The bad parts were tossed159301:52:24.760 --> 01:52:28.000
into plastic bins. As I walked by, I saw some159401:52:28.359 --> 01:52:32.600
interesting things in those bins. There were little pieces of159501:52:32.680 --> 01:52:39.079
shiny objects, dark blobs I couldn't identify, rocks, loose change,159601:52:39.239 --> 01:52:42.800
and I swear I saw a finger As I passed.159701:52:42.840 --> 01:52:45.039
The people on the line took a second away from159801:52:45.039 --> 01:52:48.600
their work to shoot me nasty glances. I guess. Having159901:52:48.640 --> 01:52:52.760
someone stare over their shoulder who wasn't a supervisor was taboo.160001:52:53.800 --> 01:52:56.399
As I walked by, someone grabbed me and pulled me160101:52:56.479 --> 01:52:59.520
over to the line beside them. What the hell are160201:52:59.600 --> 01:53:05.359
you doing here, Kenny hissed, Looking for you, I said, okay,160301:53:05.439 --> 01:53:07.920
you found me. Now get out of here, he said,160401:53:08.000 --> 01:53:11.039
going back to sorting. Not until you tell me what's160501:53:11.119 --> 01:53:15.119
going on, I said, standing beside him and sorting pieces160601:53:15.119 --> 01:53:18.479
of meat. If I promise to tell you everything later,160701:53:18.800 --> 01:53:23.439
will you leave? I hesitated. My curiosity had been piqued.160801:53:24.560 --> 01:53:27.359
What the hell is going on here? I said, tossing160901:53:27.439 --> 01:53:32.079
a piece of rotten looking meat into a bin. He sighed, later,161001:53:32.439 --> 01:53:35.960
we can't talk about it now. I grimaced, knowing that161101:53:36.079 --> 01:53:38.960
he wouldn't let me in on the secret. I glared161201:53:38.960 --> 01:53:41.720
at him, when suddenly I saw the supervisor come back161301:53:41.760 --> 01:53:45.079
and look for me. Promise me we'll talk about this161401:53:45.119 --> 01:53:50.000
tonight at work, he said, I promise. I turned around161501:53:50.000 --> 01:53:53.079
and walked away from him. She saw me and made161601:53:53.119 --> 01:53:56.039
a bee line right for me. What were you doing161701:53:56.039 --> 01:53:58.079
on the line when you have n't been properly trained?161801:53:59.119 --> 01:54:06.000
Deciding deciding what that this job isn't for me, I said,161901:54:06.079 --> 01:54:10.039
handing her my hairnet and mask, I quit. She stared162001:54:10.079 --> 01:54:13.159
at me, jaw hanging open. As I stormed off. I162101:54:13.199 --> 01:54:16.560
glanced back to see her narrowing her eyes in Kenny's direction.162201:54:17.399 --> 01:54:20.079
I made my way back out of the hallway and162301:54:20.199 --> 01:54:22.279
followed the red line back to where I had come162401:54:22.319 --> 01:54:25.439
into the building. I reached the exit door when I162501:54:25.479 --> 01:54:29.600
heard a familiar deep voice. Decided, it's not for you, eh.162601:54:29.960 --> 01:54:32.199
I turned to see the security guard who had met162701:54:32.199 --> 01:54:35.399
me on the way in. That job's not for anyone,162801:54:35.479 --> 01:54:39.720
I said, Yeah, it's no tiptoe through the tulips. What162901:54:40.800 --> 01:54:43.479
it's an old saying? Never mind? Why are you going163001:54:43.479 --> 01:54:46.199
out this way? I suddenly remembered I was on the163101:54:46.239 --> 01:54:49.720
wrong side of the building. I figured i'd walk around163201:54:49.760 --> 01:54:53.039
to get some fresh air. He narrowed his eyes at me.163301:54:54.000 --> 01:54:56.119
I went for broke and bolted for the door. I163401:54:56.159 --> 01:54:59.520
could hear him running behind me stop. He yelled, much163501:54:59.560 --> 01:55:02.800
closer than I liked. I didn't obey. Instead, I hit163601:55:02.800 --> 01:55:05.640
the crash bar so hard I nearly knocked myself backward.163701:55:06.039 --> 01:55:08.880
The door flung open and smashed against the outside wall.163801:55:09.119 --> 01:55:11.439
I hit the open air and was around the corner163901:55:11.479 --> 01:55:14.159
before I knew it. I flew through the brush up164001:55:14.159 --> 01:55:16.039
to the fence and panicked when I couldn't find the164101:55:16.039 --> 01:55:19.359
open section right away. He was still in pursuit, but164201:55:19.560 --> 01:55:22.279
further behind. He must have lost sight of me for164301:55:22.319 --> 01:55:25.119
a minute. I ran along the fence, pushing on it164401:55:25.159 --> 01:55:27.720
as I went, and growing more desperate with every moment.164501:55:28.600 --> 01:55:31.039
If I was stuck inside the fence, it would lead164601:55:31.079 --> 01:55:33.159
me right to the main entrance and I'd be caught.164701:55:33.960 --> 01:55:36.359
I was sweating from running, but also from the thought164801:55:36.399 --> 01:55:38.880
of going to jail. When a section of the fence164901:55:38.920 --> 01:55:41.800
gave way when I pushed it, I breathed a quick165001:55:41.840 --> 01:55:44.399
sigh of relief as I dove through the open fence165101:55:44.520 --> 01:55:47.680
to freedom. I ran to my car, not even thinking165201:55:47.680 --> 01:55:50.560
about the brush that had torn at my uniform and skin.165301:55:51.279 --> 01:55:54.560
I dove into the car and took off home. Only165401:55:54.560 --> 01:55:56.920
once I was moving did I look back and see165501:55:57.039 --> 01:56:01.680
Kenny's car sitting there, partially hidden. I wondered why he165601:56:01.800 --> 01:56:05.399
was being so secretive. I wondered if I had compromised165701:56:05.479 --> 01:56:08.640
him by leading them so close to his car. As165801:56:08.680 --> 01:56:12.199
I drove, my breathing returned to normal, followed by an165901:56:12.239 --> 01:56:16.800
adrenaline crash. I barely made it home and fell into bed.166001:56:24.119 --> 01:56:26.520
When I woke, it was dark. I jumped up in166101:56:26.560 --> 01:56:29.279
a panic, not sure where I was until I banged166201:56:29.319 --> 01:56:33.159
my foot off my nightstand and screamed in pain. Once166301:56:33.159 --> 01:56:35.640
I could breathe again, I leaned over and turned on166401:56:35.720 --> 01:56:38.640
the light. It bathed the room in an eerie glow166501:56:38.680 --> 01:56:41.960
that made me think someone was here. I looked at166601:56:41.960 --> 01:56:45.199
the clock and realized I was late for work. I166701:56:45.239 --> 01:56:48.159
didn't have time to change shower or anything. I just166801:56:48.319 --> 01:56:51.000
ran out the door and hopped in my car. The166901:56:51.079 --> 01:56:53.800
drive to work was a blur. I hoped I wouldn't167001:56:53.800 --> 01:56:57.199
get pulled over. When I got there half an hour late,167101:56:57.680 --> 01:57:00.359
I got an earful from my supervisor about knock, calling167201:57:00.399 --> 01:57:03.399
in to tell him. I apologized and went about my167301:57:03.520 --> 01:57:07.800
nightly routine. This isn't the military, he said, as he167401:57:07.800 --> 01:57:10.479
headed out. But if you show up looking like that again,167501:57:10.520 --> 01:57:13.239
I'll have to write you up. I wasn't sure what167601:57:13.319 --> 01:57:16.319
he meant until I went to the bathroom and saw myself.167701:57:17.039 --> 01:57:19.640
My uniform looked like it had been run through a shredder.167801:57:20.680 --> 01:57:23.720
There were tears all over the shirt and pants. My167901:57:23.880 --> 01:57:27.399
narrow escape through the brush had not been kind. I168001:57:27.520 --> 01:57:30.239
cringed at the thought of dealing with customers looking like168101:57:30.279 --> 01:57:33.920
I had spent the night fighting off wild badgers. In168201:57:34.000 --> 01:57:36.399
the end, there was nothing I could do. I'd have168301:57:36.439 --> 01:57:38.479
to get a new uniform to replace this one and168401:57:38.600 --> 01:57:41.439
use one of my backups. I came out of the168501:57:41.439 --> 01:57:45.039
bathroom and nearly ran over Kenny. You ready to spill168601:57:45.039 --> 01:57:48.840
your guts yet? What are you talking about? He said,168701:57:48.840 --> 01:57:52.319
with a blank stare. That's not funny, I said, you168801:57:52.439 --> 01:57:56.920
promised you'd talk to me tonight. I am talking to you.168901:57:56.920 --> 01:58:00.079
You're a real comedian. Now spill it. Spill one, but169001:58:00.800 --> 01:58:03.920
I'm not laughing. Kenny, talk to me. He looked at169101:58:03.920 --> 01:58:08.479
me and his eyes glazed over. It scared me. Are169201:58:08.520 --> 01:58:13.720
you okay, man? I said, I'm fine, Okay. What do169301:58:13.760 --> 01:58:17.000
you remember about this morning? His eyes went a deeper169401:58:17.039 --> 01:58:20.479
glaze as he fell into a thousand yard stare. He169501:58:20.560 --> 01:58:23.680
didn't say anything for a long moment, and then it169601:58:23.720 --> 01:58:25.560
was like he woke up from a nap and looked169701:58:25.560 --> 01:58:29.439
at me. I went home and went to bed. I169801:58:29.520 --> 01:58:32.840
took a step back from him. No, man, no, you didn't.169901:58:33.560 --> 01:58:37.359
I didn't. You went to the distribution center. Why would170001:58:37.359 --> 01:58:40.119
I do that? I tried my best to find any170101:58:40.199 --> 01:58:43.199
sign he was joking, but I couldn't. And I knew170201:58:43.239 --> 01:58:45.920
him well enough to tell when he was serious. He170301:58:46.079 --> 01:58:48.840
was dead serious and believed every word he was saying.170401:58:49.600 --> 01:58:53.079
You told me you had found something out. I said, what,170501:58:53.840 --> 01:58:56.119
I don't know. You said you would tell me tonight.170601:58:56.880 --> 01:59:01.239
His eyes lit up with curiosity. Did I I'll tell you, No,170701:59:02.039 --> 01:59:05.640
I said slowly. I was waiting for you to tell me.170801:59:07.399 --> 01:59:12.560
I wonder what it was, he said, his eyes becoming unfocused. Okay, man,170901:59:12.960 --> 01:59:16.800
you're scaring me. Just then there came a beep telling171001:59:16.840 --> 01:59:20.560
me someone had ordered food. I gotta get that, I said,171101:59:21.000 --> 01:59:23.159
staring at him as he stood there like a robot171201:59:23.199 --> 01:59:26.439
trying to figure out an equation. I ran to the171301:59:26.520 --> 01:59:29.920
kitchen and started preparing the order. When it was nearly done,171401:59:29.920 --> 01:59:31.920
I saw Kenny come to the register and ring up171501:59:31.920 --> 01:59:35.760
the customer number thirty eight. I called out setting the171601:59:35.760 --> 01:59:39.359
bag of food on the counter. I glanced up and171701:59:39.560 --> 01:59:42.720
froze when I saw who came for the bag. It171801:59:42.840 --> 01:59:47.560
was the security guard from the distribution center. So this171901:59:47.720 --> 01:59:51.000
is where you really work, he said, grabbing the bag.172001:59:51.640 --> 01:59:54.239
He shot me a sinister smile as he walked out.172101:59:55.199 --> 01:59:58.640
My fear melted, replaced with anger. I ran out the172201:59:58.680 --> 02:00:02.199
door after him. Hey, I yelled, as he reached for172302:00:02.239 --> 02:00:07.399
his car door. Yeah, I approached slowly. What did you172402:00:07.439 --> 02:00:13.199
do to my friend? Who the cashier? I said, pointing172502:00:13.239 --> 02:00:16.439
inside to Kenny standing there behind the counter looking like172602:00:16.479 --> 02:00:20.560
a statue. Then got a scared look in his eye.172702:00:21.560 --> 02:00:24.079
I have to go, he said, ripping his door open172802:00:24.119 --> 02:00:28.079
and diving inside. What did you do to him? I said,172902:00:28.119 --> 02:00:31.159
grabbing his car door and holding it open. Get away173002:00:31.159 --> 02:00:36.000
from me, he said, tell me first. His eyes darted around.173102:00:36.840 --> 02:00:39.720
I can't talk to you, he said, barely opening his173202:00:39.760 --> 02:00:44.119
lips and staring straight ahead. Why not? His eyes darted173302:00:44.199 --> 02:00:47.079
up to one of the many security cameras, then back173402:00:47.119 --> 02:00:50.079
to staring straight ahead. He ripped the door out of173502:00:50.079 --> 02:00:53.039
my hand, closed it, and roared out of the parking lot.173602:00:53.560 --> 02:00:56.960
I watched him go, more confused now than ever, I173702:00:57.079 --> 02:01:00.800
slowly looked around, and for the first time realized just173802:01:00.880 --> 02:01:04.079
how many cameras were aimed at the parking lot. I173902:01:04.119 --> 02:01:06.439
went back inside and did my job for the rest174002:01:06.479 --> 02:01:09.199
of the night, trying not to let my eyes drift174102:01:09.279 --> 02:01:11.840
up to any of the cameras. I kept my eye174202:01:11.920 --> 02:01:15.680
on Kenny, too, watching for any stray glances out of character,174302:01:16.279 --> 02:01:19.520
anything that would tell me he was joking. I didn't174402:01:19.560 --> 02:01:24.000
see one all night. The longer he went, the more174502:01:24.039 --> 02:01:27.920
scared I became. When our shift was over, I offered174602:01:27.960 --> 02:01:30.359
him a ride home, but he said he would be174702:01:30.399 --> 02:01:34.159
fine and drove off looking like a robot zombie. I174802:01:34.239 --> 02:01:37.399
wondered if you would make it. I tried to sleep174902:01:37.399 --> 02:01:40.279
that day, but I couldn't get my mind to shut down.175002:01:40.680 --> 02:01:42.880
It hadn't been two weeks since Kenny had found that175102:01:43.000 --> 02:01:45.960
ring and started his quest for the truth. I got175202:01:45.960 --> 02:01:48.439
out of bed, having slept maybe an hour, and dragged175302:01:48.439 --> 02:01:50.840
myself to the bathroom. When there was a knock at175402:01:50.840 --> 02:01:55.359
my door. I answered it and there stood the security guard.175502:01:56.640 --> 02:01:59.079
What are you doing here, I said, through bleary eyes.175602:01:59.880 --> 02:02:03.119
I come in. I don't know. Are you gonna arrest175702:02:03.119 --> 02:02:08.079
me for trespassing? Should I? I started to close the door. No,175802:02:08.279 --> 02:02:10.960
I'm going to tell you what happened to your friend.175902:02:11.840 --> 02:02:15.119
I stopped and reopened the door. He stepped inside, giving176002:02:15.159 --> 02:02:18.920
the place a quick once over. Okay, so what happened?176102:02:20.159 --> 02:02:24.319
He asked? Too many questions? What do you mean? He sighed.176202:02:25.239 --> 02:02:27.239
I've worked at that place for a while now, and176302:02:27.279 --> 02:02:31.359
one of the things I've learned is you don't ask questions.176402:02:31.800 --> 02:02:35.039
I don't get it. He showed up about a week176502:02:35.159 --> 02:02:38.119
or so ago. He just blended in and started working176602:02:38.119 --> 02:02:41.119
the line. Next thing I know, I'm hearing workers talk176702:02:41.159 --> 02:02:44.760
about someone causing trouble. I narrowed it down to your176802:02:44.800 --> 02:02:47.079
friend and tried to talk some sense into him. But176902:02:47.720 --> 02:02:50.439
he wasn't having it. That day that you pulled your177002:02:50.560 --> 02:02:54.680
escape act, they pulled him in and they had a177102:02:54.720 --> 02:02:58.159
discussion with him, and that's what made him go all177202:02:58.720 --> 02:03:02.319
zombie on me. You don't get it, the guard said.177302:03:03.000 --> 02:03:07.840
They drugged him. What they have this drug they use177402:03:07.920 --> 02:03:13.359
that slowly eats away your brain until there's nothing left. Wait,177502:03:13.399 --> 02:03:17.520
they're killing him, that's the way it works. But why?177602:03:18.279 --> 02:03:21.640
He looked around the room as if searching for something specific.177702:03:22.720 --> 02:03:26.119
Do you have an alexa or any other stuff like that? No,177802:03:26.960 --> 02:03:30.800
just my phone, give it to me. I hesitantly handed177902:03:30.880 --> 02:03:33.159
him my phone, and he proceeded to remove the battery.178002:03:33.960 --> 02:03:36.600
If they find out I'm telling you this, I'll be178102:03:36.720 --> 02:03:43.760
next telling me what the chickens? What about them? They178202:03:43.760 --> 02:03:47.079
aren't chickens? What the hell are you talking about? They178302:03:47.119 --> 02:03:50.560
have a system. They drive unmarked white vans out into178402:03:50.560 --> 02:03:54.239
the streets, round up homeless people, and take them to178502:03:54.279 --> 02:03:57.520
the distribution center. Once they have them there, they give178602:03:57.560 --> 02:03:59.960
them a much more powerful dose of the drug you're178702:04:00.079 --> 02:04:04.119
friend is on. It kills their brain within hours, Then178802:04:04.239 --> 02:04:07.720
they process what's left. I stared at him for a178902:04:07.720 --> 02:04:12.960
long time. So you're saying the chicken nuggets aren't chicken.179002:04:13.319 --> 02:04:15.840
I ran to the bathroom and vomited into the toilet.179102:04:16.439 --> 02:04:19.600
When I came back out, he hadn't moved. That can't179202:04:19.600 --> 02:04:24.680
be real, I said, that's horror movie stuff. You might179302:04:24.720 --> 02:04:27.119
be surprised how much stuff you see in movies is179402:04:27.159 --> 02:04:32.039
secretly real. So you're saying my friend was poisoned. He nodded.179502:04:33.079 --> 02:04:37.920
Because he asked too many questions, He nodded again. Then179602:04:37.960 --> 02:04:41.640
why is he still alive? I don't know. Maybe as179702:04:41.680 --> 02:04:45.720
a warning to you me, you were there too. That's179802:04:45.720 --> 02:04:48.960
how they work. They can get to you anywhere. They179902:04:49.000 --> 02:04:51.399
can slip it into your food or drink. They can180002:04:51.439 --> 02:04:53.800
mail you a letter with the drug on it. They180102:04:53.800 --> 02:04:56.800
can slip it on your car door's handle. It isn't180202:04:56.840 --> 02:05:01.640
just street people. They grab protesters, whistle anyone who threatens180302:05:01.680 --> 02:05:04.600
their business. Do you know how many people disappear in180402:05:04.640 --> 02:05:09.840
this city every day? No, let's just say they process180502:05:09.880 --> 02:05:14.000
a lot of chicken. What about all those workers. Wouldn't180602:05:14.039 --> 02:05:17.479
they know it wasn't chicken. They give them a lower dose,180702:05:17.680 --> 02:05:21.000
just enough to keep them from asking questions. I looked180802:05:21.000 --> 02:05:25.560
around the room. Okay, where's the hidden camera? His eyes180902:05:25.640 --> 02:05:29.880
darted around. What camera? The one for the reality show181002:05:29.960 --> 02:05:31.960
or whatever. You and Kenny are in to prank me.181102:05:32.760 --> 02:05:36.520
You don't believe me. I don't believe you. He hung181202:05:36.560 --> 02:05:41.600
his head. I stuck my neck out to come warn you. Well,181302:05:41.640 --> 02:05:46.560
I appreciate the warning, I said, sarcastically. He turned and181402:05:46.640 --> 02:05:50.079
walked to the door. Just keep an eye on your friend,181502:05:50.680 --> 02:05:54.760
he said, opening it, and watch out for white vans.181602:05:55.239 --> 02:05:58.920
He closed the door behind him. It was nearly time181702:05:59.000 --> 02:06:01.439
to go to work. I shook off the thought that181802:06:01.560 --> 02:06:04.640
was clinging to the back of my brain. What if181902:06:04.640 --> 02:06:08.159
he was right? I showered and dressed and made it182002:06:08.199 --> 02:06:11.680
to work on time. The shift was uneventful, except for182102:06:11.760 --> 02:06:15.520
my continual attempts to snap Kenny out of it. He182202:06:15.560 --> 02:06:18.960
didn't respond. It was just before three am when I182302:06:19.039 --> 02:06:22.319
saw a white van pull up. No one got out182402:06:22.319 --> 02:06:24.760
of it, and I couldn't see inside because it had182502:06:24.800 --> 02:06:28.000
tinted glass. I shrugged it off and went back to182602:06:28.079 --> 02:06:32.600
my job mopping the kitchen floor. The guard's words came182702:06:32.640 --> 02:06:35.439
to me as I was doing my chores. I looked182802:06:35.439 --> 02:06:38.399
back out at the white van, but it was gone.182902:06:39.359 --> 02:06:42.520
I shrugged and went back to cleaning. A few minutes later,183002:06:42.560 --> 02:06:45.359
I came out of the back room because someone was yelling,183102:06:46.159 --> 02:06:49.840
isn't anyone working around here? An angry man raged at183202:06:49.840 --> 02:06:53.239
the counter. I'm sorry, I said. The cashier must be183302:06:53.239 --> 02:06:55.520
in the bathroom. I took care of him, then went183402:06:55.640 --> 02:06:58.880
on a mission to find Kenny. In his condition, he183502:06:58.920 --> 02:07:01.199
could have wandered off some where or gotten stuck in183602:07:01.239 --> 02:07:04.920
a closet. Twenty minutes later, I was frantic I hadn't183702:07:04.960 --> 02:07:08.279
seen hide nor hair of Kenny. I was even tempted183802:07:08.279 --> 02:07:11.279
to check on the roof, but the access ladder was183902:07:11.319 --> 02:07:14.079
still locked. It was starting to get busy, and I184002:07:14.079 --> 02:07:17.279
didn't have time to search for him anymore. Between cooking184102:07:17.319 --> 02:07:20.359
and running register, I was falling behind by the second184202:07:20.920 --> 02:07:23.079
I had a lot of irate customers. By the time184302:07:23.159 --> 02:07:26.319
day shift came in and bailed me out, I was184402:07:26.359 --> 02:07:28.880
so far behind I stayed for an extra hour just184502:07:28.920 --> 02:07:31.720
to help them catch up. After my shift, I went184602:07:31.720 --> 02:07:36.000
to the supervisor. I'm worried about Kenny, I said, It's184702:07:36.119 --> 02:07:39.680
not like him to just disappear like that. Maybe he184802:07:39.720 --> 02:07:43.159
got sick and went home without telling you. Maybe, but184902:07:43.239 --> 02:07:46.119
then why is his car still here? He looked at185002:07:46.159 --> 02:07:49.560
the security monitors, and sure enough, Kenny's car was still185102:07:49.600 --> 02:07:53.720
sitting in the employee's parking lot. That is weird. Tell185202:07:53.760 --> 02:07:56.279
you what if he calls in, I'll give you a call,185302:07:57.039 --> 02:08:00.359
fair enough, I said, yawning. I drove home home and185402:08:00.399 --> 02:08:04.079
fell into a deep sleep. When I woke, I felt185502:08:04.079 --> 02:08:06.960
more refreshed than I had in days. I went into185602:08:06.960 --> 02:08:09.680
work that night, expecting to find Kenny there, laughing at185702:08:09.680 --> 02:08:15.239
me for falling for such an awesome prank. He wasn't there. Instead,185802:08:15.520 --> 02:08:18.199
I had someone from dayshift who had volunteered to work185902:08:18.239 --> 02:08:23.359
overtime for three days. Kenny didn't show up. On the186002:08:23.439 --> 02:08:27.720
fourth day, I got a surprise in the morning. I186102:08:27.800 --> 02:08:30.439
was making food orders when I called an order number186202:08:30.920 --> 02:08:34.840
and the guard walked up to take his food. Hey,186302:08:35.640 --> 02:08:38.960
have you seen Kenny at all? I said, I'm sorry,186402:08:39.000 --> 02:08:43.800
Do I know you? He said, ha ha, very funny. Seriously,186502:08:44.680 --> 02:08:48.239
I leaned closer. Do you think they did something to him?186602:08:49.359 --> 02:08:52.760
Who did what to who? I looked into his eyes186702:08:53.479 --> 02:08:56.760
and let go of his bag of food. He had186802:08:56.800 --> 02:09:01.439
the same vacant stare Kenny did just before he disappeared.186902:09:03.079 --> 02:09:05.840
You have a good day now, he said with a smile,187002:09:05.960 --> 02:09:10.640
before walking out. I suddenly felt surrounded and alone at187102:09:10.680 --> 02:09:13.359
the same time. I glanced up at one of the187202:09:13.399 --> 02:09:18.520
cameras as it's mechanical eye stared back at me. I187302:09:18.600 --> 02:09:23.640
stopped questioning what happened to Kenny. Deep down, though I187402:09:23.720 --> 02:09:31.039
knew they towed his car out of the lot, I187502:09:31.079 --> 02:09:33.920
don't know where it went to. Maybe there's a corporate187602:09:33.960 --> 02:09:38.439
car crusher for the vehicles of their victims. The worst187702:09:38.439 --> 02:09:40.960
part is they continue to get away with it. I187802:09:41.000 --> 02:09:43.199
wish there was some way I could prove what I know,187902:09:44.439 --> 02:09:48.159
but I can't without going into the distribution center and188002:09:48.199 --> 02:09:52.319
getting evidence. I've got nothing. I keep coming to work188102:09:52.359 --> 02:09:56.399
for some reason. I've started looking for another job. I've188202:09:56.399 --> 02:09:59.960
written this all down in hopes that someday someone might188302:10:00.199 --> 02:10:03.319
be able to use it, that they would read this188402:10:03.800 --> 02:10:07.600
and look in the right place to discover this horrible truth.188502:10:08.920 --> 02:10:12.560
I've been feeling more and more tired lately. Maybe it's188602:10:12.640 --> 02:10:16.239
just knowing about this horrible thing that's happened and having188702:10:16.239 --> 02:10:20.119
no way to stop it. I wanted to write more188802:10:20.119 --> 02:10:23.840
of what I remembered in my journal, but my thoughts188902:10:23.840 --> 02:10:29.239
seemed to slip away so easily. It's been a few189002:10:29.319 --> 02:10:34.319
days since I've written anything, I think, or has it189102:10:34.399 --> 02:10:39.800
been a few weeks. I keep getting thirstier for soda.189202:10:40.880 --> 02:10:43.279
I'm glad the company lets us have free soda when189302:10:43.319 --> 02:10:49.479
we work. I keep looking up at the cameras for189402:10:49.520 --> 02:10:57.520
some reason, but I can't remember why. I read the189502:10:57.560 --> 02:11:02.479
words on these pages, but uh, I don't remember writing them.189602:11:06.520 --> 02:11:10.159
I see a white van pull up. It must be189702:11:10.199 --> 02:11:16.079
a customer. It's nearly three in the morning. I hope189802:11:16.079 --> 02:11:26.560
they come in before the power serve. Well, my spookies,189902:11:27.239 --> 02:11:32.039
I'd say that was enough roadside misery to make anybody190002:11:32.159 --> 02:11:37.239
think twice about topping off the tank and taking the190102:11:37.279 --> 02:11:42.159
scenic route. That's what I love about this kind of horror.190202:11:42.680 --> 02:11:46.359
It doesn't need a castle or a graveyard to get190302:11:46.520 --> 02:11:51.880
under your skin. Sometimes all it takes is a busted tire,190402:11:52.520 --> 02:11:58.279
a lonely church, a patch of ozark woods, or a190502:11:58.359 --> 02:12:02.720
miserable little gasty where the night shift lasts just a190602:12:02.920 --> 02:12:09.640
bit too long. The ordinary stuff is what makes it meaner,190702:12:10.439 --> 02:12:14.479
because deep down we all know places just like these.190802:12:15.279 --> 02:12:19.000
We've passed them, we've even stopped at them. We've told190902:12:19.039 --> 02:12:25.239
ourselves they're harmless. Thank you for spending the evening out191002:12:25.279 --> 02:12:29.119
in the weeds with me, and make sure you're subscribed191102:12:29.199 --> 02:12:34.039
on your favorite podcast app, because every single Wednesday for191202:12:34.199 --> 02:12:39.239
seven years, there's been a brand new scary story waiting191302:12:39.520 --> 02:12:44.359
just for you on the weekly Spooky Feed. Until next time,191402:12:45.000 --> 02:12:49.279
keep your headlights on, your tank above half, and your191502:12:49.319 --> 02:12:54.640
eyes off any road that seems to appear only when191602:12:54.680 --> 02:13:10.760
you're desperate enough to take it.
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