Mad Science Body Horror Stories: Experiments, Mutations, Monsters & Flesh-Ripping Terror

0:00 Welcome back, my spookys. Tonight we're cracking open the kind of stories that smell like ozone, antiseptic gasoline, and old blood. These are tales of bodies that don't stay bodies, of science that stops asking permission, of monsters that were never supposed to get loose, and of people discovering far too late that nature has teeth, secrets have claws, and revenge comes home, humming through the walls like a live wire.

0:43 Somewhere tonight, a doctor learns that death is not the end of the experiment. Somewhere else, something ancient and hungry tears its way out of a place that was never really a chemical plant. In the dark, the woods begin to squeal and snort and feed, and behind locked doors in a warehouse where the rich bury their sins, something lonely, broken and bloodstain wants to play. So keep your hands inside the vehicle, do not tap on the glass, and whatever you do, don't assume the thing screaming in the dark is human, Because Tonight is all about mad science, body horror, and the terrible little question. Every monster story eventually asks what happens when the thing we may starts making choices? Of its own, and make sure you're subscribed on your favorite podcast app because every Wednesday there's a brand new scary story. Now let's begin. I used to be a doctor in an insane asylum. My patient destroyed my world by Michael Kelso this story needs to be told.

2:13 Those who have suffered must understand why it's not as simple as some have made it to be, which is why it needs to come from the person most responsible. Me. It began when I was least expecting it. But then don't things always seem to happen that way? I'm telling you, Doc, people just don't understand, Frederick said, while rocking back and forth in the chair. What exactly don't they understand? I said, trying to look more relaxed than I felt. There's just something that takes over. You can't stop it. Impulse control?

3:00 What's that mean? Frederick said, struggling against his straight jacket, trying to get comfortable. It means that when you want to do something, you try your hardest not to. It means you try to control or suppress the urge to do things you know are bad. Frederick's mouth alled open. He narrowed his eyes in confusion. Why would I want to do that. I suppressed the urge to sigh, because that's what people do, I said. They think about doing bad things, but then they control themselves and don't do them because those things are wrong and could hurt other people.

3:43 Hurting people is wrong, he said, Yes, Frederick, hurting people is wrong. He shook his head as if he were trying to shake away a fly that was annoying him. Why why is hurting people wrong? No? Why are you telling me this? I don't understand. You're saying I'm bad, he said, trying to raise from his chair. You're saying I didn't need to hurt those people, that I'm a bad person. I got up from my chair and started backing toward the heavy metal door. I'm not bad, he yelled at me. You're bad. I knocked on the door and the orderly opened it. As Frederick got to his feet, I slipped through the door as it slammed shut from the impact of his body hitting into it. Bad, bad, bad, he screamed. Bad. Dah dah dah da da da da da dah dud Spit flew from his mouth, landing on the small observation window with metal grates embedded in it.

4:45 You okay, doc, the orderly said, startling me. Yes, I'm fine, thank you. I turned and walked down the white hallway, hoping the orderly wouldn't notice the quickness in my step. I ignored the sound of Frederick beating on the door. I ignored all the sounds I heard. I just wanted to get away. It was a long walk to my office through many security gates. At each one, the nurse buzzed me through and gave me an acknowledging look that used to be a smile. I suppose this place gets to everyone eventually. I finally reached my office, closed and locked the door behind me, and collapsed into my chair.

5:27 I breathed out a sigh of relief at reaching relative safety. I turned and looked out my window to the beautiful flowers blooming on the trees in the courtyard. I looked up at the tree stretching toward the sky. I remember when they planted those. I turned back to my center, my means of solace, the only thing that mattered in this cruel, unfair world. I picked up the picture of my lovely wife and smiled. She was the one who kept me sane all these years. She kept me seeing the best in people, or at least trying. Sometimes there was no good to see, especially in my patience. It takes a special kind of doctor to care for the mental needs of those who have done heinous things that are so bad they don't even bother sending them to prison.

6:21 They send them to me. I'm like the dumpster for the dregs of society. Just drop them in the asylum and forget about them. I kissed my wife and set her back on the bare desk, then turned on my computer and added notes from today's session. There was never a recommendation for release. Once patients came here. The only way they left was in a body bag. There was no curing them, only trying to make them docile until they left. Oh, and there were experiments. That was a large part of how we were funded. Companies would pay for certain tests to be done. Some might call it torture, but we called it research. I finished typing my notes and leaned back in my seat. The diplomas and degrees stared down from their perches on the bare walls, mocking me, demanding why I hadn't gotten a better job. As usual, I didn't have an answer. My office suddenly felt stuffy, I closed down my computer and left. Driving down the packed freeway, all I could think about was collapsing on the couch beside my lovely Elizabeth, not telling her about my day until she dragged it out of me. Then listening to her encouraged me to help those who have been left in my care because I'm the only hope they have. Traffic was bumper to bumper and not helping my overall opinion of humanity much, especially when a car

7:54 that was swerving from lane to lane nearly sideswiped me. It kept going on in front of me, nearly hitting several other cars. The driver and passenger seemed to be having a disagreement about how to drive the car, and it looked like it was about to come to blows. Fortunately they were soon out of sight and someone else's problem. For the next few miles, I kept watching the side of the road, waiting to see the offending car sitting in a ditch. However, they surprised me. They must have turned off to go terrorize some neighborhood streets with their reckless driving. I hummed to myself, not wanting to have whatever drek was on the radio forced on me. When I was nearly to my exit, my phone rang. I immediately recognized the number as Work. I contemplated answering it for a moment, then thought better of it. There had never been a time when Work called with good news, and I was in no mood for bad news. I hummed a little louder, trying to drown out the sound of the ring, before it finally stopped. The closer I got to home, the less I thought about work, and the more I thought about Elizabeth. Until I turned off at my exit, I had nearly forgotten work altogether. Maybe I would take tomorrow off and go do something with my wife. We hadn't been out for a while. The weather had been lovely, and I know she would adore a walk down by the lake. My thoughts were interrupted when I turned down our driveway and saw a car

9:24 in front of the house. It wasn't quite in the driveway, it was sitting at an angle halfway in the front yard. I parked my car and slowly got out. Something struck me about this car, but I hadn't figured out what. I approached the driver's side to have words with the person still sitting at the wheel. Excuse me, I said, staying a few steps back from the driver's door. He didn't hear me. Excuse me, I said a little louder. Still no answer. I tapped on the window, and he ignored toward me. I opened the door. Okay, look, I said, but it was I who would do the looking. The man fell out of the car, thudding on the grass.

10:10 The inside of the car was covered in blood. I looked down and the man's throat had been cut. Oh my god, I said, jumping back. I watched to see if the man was breathing, but the way his neck was bent at an unnatural angle against my yard told me everything that I needed to know. I glanced through the car, but didn't see the passenger. It was then my eyes drifted to my front door. It was open. I stepped through the shrubs and up onto the porch, walking in a daze. The surrealness of the moment had yet to sink in. I was going inside to check on my wife and make sure everything was okay. It didn't strike me as anything more than that. Oh, she just left the door open. That's all. My mind kept trying to tell me that I wanted desperately to believe it, even though she had never been that careless during the entire time we'd been married. I had pushed aside all reason and common sense in favor of pure denial. Everything was going to be okay. With Elizabeth. Everything was always okay.

11:19 She could literally light up a room with her positivity. She was the best person I ever knew. I've no idea how I got so lucky as to know her, let alone be her husband. I floated in through my front door on my cloud of denial and looked for my wife. It didn't take me long to find her. There was one wall of the living room she was constantly redecorating. She always said it looked bare and empty no matter what she did with it. She was hanging from that wall, naked, her beautiful body desecrated by slices and rips. Her throat had been slit and blood still poured from it. I ran to her, tried to take her down, screamed her name, and then it was my turn to scream. I looked down and saw a knife blade sticking out from my abdomen. It was part of the cutlery set I had gotten for Elizabeth three Christmases ago.

12:18 I screamed as I slowly turned to face my attacker. What's up, Doc, Frederick said, wearing a maniacal grin. The shock had punched a hole in my reasoning. I saw him standing there, but I couldn't accept it any more than I could accept my beautiful wife strung up like a macabre painting hanging on our living room wall. My eyes tried to focus on his face to make me recognize him as a threat. How's that impulse control working for you, doc? He ripped the knife out of my back. The pain, along with his arrogance, woke me from my shock induced stupor. Now do you understand, he said, as he shoved the knife into my belly. I did understand.

13:05 I understood at that moment that I was already as dead as my wife. I knew that this piece of human garbage had taken something beautiful from this world. I knew I had to do something about it before there was nothing I could do before my body succumbed to injuries and I was unable. I grabbed him by the throat. He tried to laugh, but my grip was fueled by desperation. He tried to free himself, but couldn't. He began stabbing me over and over. I refused to release him. I carried him by his neck over to the kitchen counter and began bashing his head off the marble. I was rewarded with spots of his blood. I knew, at least I had made him bleed, and that made me smile.

13:56 His eyes grew wide as my grin grew maniacal. I smelled, repeatedly crushing him against the sink, breaking the faucet and causing water to spray into the air. His eyelids fluttered as he lost his grip on the knife. He was nearly gone. I would take him with me, and that would be my parting gift to the world, removing something so evil. Suddenly, my body wouldn't obey commands. My grip loosened. I tried to tighten it, but I had lost all control. I looked down and I was standing in a pool of my own blood. His eyes fluttered open, and he coughed, no, no, no, no no. I thought, he can't live, he can't win.

14:41 I had him. He stood as I sank to the floor. Looks like, maybe you do understand, doc, he said from what seemed like miles away. Too bad, you won't be around to discuss it. We could have a session and evaluate how it makes you feel. His foot came down on my spine. I felt a crack. He started kicking me in the side, repeatedly, splashing water and blood on me. As I felt my ribs crack. I fought with everything I had. My body didn't even twitch. No, I screamed, it can't end like this. I heard a sizzling sound, and then there was darkness. I could feel movement. Wasn't I dead? Was this what happened after? It was still dark? Hello?

15:42 I tried to say, nothing, just the sensation of movement. Am I in a body bag? Am I on my way to the morgue or the grave? Please don't let me be buried? Alive? But I'm not alive? Am I? I don't feel any pain. That's a good thing, but not a good sign. The last thing I remember was lots of pain. Suddenly there's a light and my movement stops. I look up from the floor of a house. I don't recognize where the hell am I. I'm on the floor next to a wall, looking up at an electrical outlet.

16:26 Nothing around me seems familiar. I try to stand, but it feels weird. It isn't difficult, and there's still no pain. It just carries an odd sensation with it, like my body is just relearning things, just like when I was a toddler. I teeter back and forth as I rise, but eventually I'm upright. My first few steps are tentative, but after that I gain confidence with each stride. Aside from the strange surroundings, there's a sensation like ants crawling all over me. I pass a bathroom and glance inside. The reflection in the mirror draws me back. I slowly approach it, seeing something unique and terrifying. It looks like someone drew an outline of a human form using a lightning bolt. The electricity shimmers and crackles as it raises around the empty form of the being. I wonder if it will hurt me, Not sure if I want to test the limits of my newfound lack of pain. I hesitantly reach for this creature. It reaches for me at the same time. I'm mesmerized by this mutual curiosity. My hand is about to touch the electric pulse, shaped like its hand. I tremble with anticipation and fear as we touch. Surprisingly, I don't feel any pain. I don't feel anything except a hard surface. I move my hand back and forth.

18:00 The creature does the same. I make quicker movements, and so does it. Finally, out of frustration, I reach back and strike at the creature. My hand strikes the hard surface and its splinters. There are now multiple creatures staring back at me. I step back and make a horrible realization. I am the creature. One month later, and police have been unable to find any credible leads in the string of brutal killings that began shortly after the patient escape from the mental hospital last month, the handsome anchorman stated from behind his desk, they're asking people to call in if they know the whereabouts of Frederick Winston, now known as the Mangler. In other news, the Larsen Electric Company has issued a statement that the recent power surges are no cause for alarm. These surges seem to be random in people's homes and certain businesses, and LEC spoke stated that there appears to be no pattern to the surges and that so far no one has reported them causing any harm. LC is tracking down the problem and should have it under control soon. The anchorman shifted in his seat and turned to another camera and on a lighter note, with Halloween months away, it seems that reports of ghosts are on the rise, he said, wearing a half Grin several area residents have reported what they call a ghost like figure outlined in light visiting them. Reports vary as to the duration and location of the visits, but they

19:33 do seem to have a few things in common. The visits are usually short. In fact, most people say that if they blink, the figure is gone. No one has reported the ghost doing any harm, and it seems like anyone within close proximity feels a tingling sensation and their hair standing on end. Maybe I should be visited by this ghost instead of my next hairdresser's appointment, the attractive woman anchor said, with a laugh. Schedule me a visit TI two, the mail anchor said, smiling, and that's our news for the evening. Good night. Jimmy switched the channel. Gimme a break, he said, to the TV ghosts, who's playing? What this is some marketing scheme to sell Halloween crap like that stunt they pulled a few years back with the clowns hanging around the schools to promote that stupid movie.

20:22 He switched off the TV and rolled over in his bed. It wasn't long before his breathing slowed, but before sleep could take him, he noticed a glow in the hallway. He didn't remember leaving any lights on when he came to bed. Living alone had its advantages. If he heard someone in his apartment, he knew they weren't supposed to be there. He slowly reached over to the bedstand and pulled out his glock nine millimeter handgun, then held it close and listened. He watched as the glow moved. It seemed like someone was looking around, but for what. He didn't really have anything aside from his TV, phone and video games. If anyone wanted those, they would be in a world of hurt. He had been lucky to get this apartment. If he was honest with himself, it cost more than he could afford, but when he had the chance, he took it. It was too bad the opening came because the person who lived there before him was one of the Mangler's victims. That's probably why he was able to rent the place so quickly and get the price down to where he could afford it. Almost maybe the glow was one of the street people who were stupid enough to see if there was an empty apartment to claim.

21:39 That wasn't gonna fly either. Jimmy had jumped on this apartment to get away from the dingy rat hole he used to live in on the other side of town, and there was no way he'd let some bum come in here and take what was his. The glow crept closer. He could feel the hairs on his arms raise. There was a sound too. It wasn't loud, almost felt more than heard, a soft crackle like electricity. When it sparked. The sensory input was almost too much for Jimmy to take. He pointed the gun in the direction of the glow and saw the barrel was shaking. His resolve that he could deal with anyone as long as he had his gun was beginning to fade. The glow became so bright that it finally took form. Jimmy's eyes widened. It was the form of a person, just like the news it said.

22:34 It seemed to look around the room, then settle its gaze on the bed. Jimmy began to sweat as it approached and stared into his eyes. It was the oddest thing, staring into what should be eyes, but nothing was there. The flashes of many lightning bolts formed shapes that looked almost human, but it was just an outline. There was nothing inside should be the body. He shoved the shaking gun out from under the blanket and pointed it at the glowing figure. The figure noted the presence of the gun, then continued to advance. Stop. Jimmy said, I'm warning you.

23:17 The figure ignored the warning. Jimmy squeezed the trigger, setting off a deafening shot that went right through the face of the figure. It acted as though nothing had happened, continuing to advance. The ringing in Jimmy's ears made all sounds seem muffled. The figure stopped two inches from Jimmy's face. Mangler, it said, sounding less like a voice and more like a transmission over an old, staticky radio. I'm I'm not the Mangler, he said. The person who used to live here was killed by him. It seemed to ponder this for a moment. Find Mangler, it said, I I don't know where to find him. It moved an inch closer as the flashes of electricity arked and licked hungrily at Jimmy's face. Find him, Okay, okay, I'll find him, Jimmy said, feeling the heat from the electricity. The figure seemed to consider that for a moment, then backed away. It moved toward the bedroom wall. Then, like someone had turned on a vacuum, it was sucked into an electrical outlet and disappeared.

24:32 Jimmy laid back in bed, breathing hard. His eyes darted left and right all around the room, but the only evidence of the figure that had remained was the bullet hole in his bedroom wall. The trips through the electrical conduits had become easier. There were still times when I came out someplace I didn't intend to, but I was usually able to recover quickly and get to where I wanted to go. But where did I want to go? At first, I wandered around, lost in this new form, I found myself trapped inside. It was only after I had overheard a news report about the serial killer they called the Mangler, that I gained my purpose. Of course, Frederick was going to keep on killing. Of course, they weren't going to be able to catch him. He'd been inside, away from his victims before, and he didn't like it.

25:30 Not being able to torture and kill innocence was like a normal person not being able to breathe. Not that I know much about being normal or breathing anymore. I suppose on some level I should thank him. I thought about it for a long time, and the only thing that makes any kind of sense is when we were fighting, somehow the water and blood I was laying in got splashed into an electrical socket. Instead of killing me, it bonded with me, making me able to become the electrical current to write like a wave to wherever I wanted. I became faster than any person ever was, and yet I wasn't a person anymore. I have no idea how I retained my consciousness, let alone my memory, but somehow I justify it by the old adage. I think therefore I am. My life has become an endless hunt for the person who destroyed me, the person I must destroy.

26:27 I don't even know what I'll do when I find him, but I will find him. I will stop him this time. I won't fail. I'll end him like I should have before. I owed it to the people he's tortured and killed since my failure. Most of all, I owe it to my wife. I know she wouldn't approve of my bloodlust. She would say there must be some other option. But if she would be able to see her own dead body hanging naked from our living room wall, I think she just might change her mind. My thoughts are interrupted as I arrive at my next destination, another victim's house.

27:09 I'm not sure what I'll find that the police haven't, but I have to try. Maybe I can pick up his scent somehow, a plan almost assuredly doomed to failure since I lost all sense of smell in the transformation. I'm surprised, though, that I can still see and hear. I suppose waves of light and sound somehow intersect with my electrical body and it senses them. I don't question it. I've learned to just go with it. On the plus side, I don't have to worry about eating, drinking, or using the bathroom. I guess there's an upside to everything. Elizabeth would be so proud of me. I arrive at the room where the victim was murdered. Looking around, there's still blood everywhere. Along with evidence markers where they took pictures.

27:58 The sheer amount of blood tells me he took his time. He desecrated this girl in her own room. Her parents must have been out, because there's no way they didn't hear the struggle. There were books on the floor, a chair overturned, and blood everywhere. The room was a disaster. It looked like she fought him. I wish she would have succeeded where I had failed. But then I wish I hadn't failed and this girl was still alive. There's nothing I can do now except find him and end him. Finding him was proving more difficult than I thought. I had unlimited access to anywhere with electricity, but I couldn't use a computer or a GPS. I was limited to transportation only through electricity. Granted, that still made me the fastest being alive. I say being because I don't think I qualify as a human anymore. But I was limited to traveling to a place and then trying to find out where I was and if he was there, If he knew I was searching for him, all he would have to do is live the rest of his days in a cabin in the woods. With no electricity, and I'd never be able to reach him. I believe two things worked in my favor with that theory. First, I don't think he's that smart, and second, I don't think he knows I'm looking for him. I believe that surviving our fight only further empowered him to kill. When someone

29:29 feels invincible, they're bound to make a mistake. An officer walked into the room, and I ducked back into an outlet. I was able to hang on where I was and watch from the inside of the outlet without being transported somewhere else. The officer looked startled and stared at the empty air that I had just vacated. She looked like she was unsure if she trusted what her eyes had seen in the instant before I vanished. She slowly stepped over to the corner and bent down to peer into the outlet. For a moment, I wondered if she could see me and what exactly she would see, But then her radio squawked, calling her to another scene. When I heard the voice on the radio say the address and that they might have the killer cornered, I didn't waste any time. It was maybe fifteen seconds until I was across town at the address i'd heard. There was a lot of screaming and crying going on. I came out of the outlet and saw blood on the floor beside a body that wasn't moving. There was a girl being beaten by a man with his back to me. He turned to take another swing, and I knew my search was over. My therapist used to tell me I needed to work on my impulse control, he said calmly as he slapped her. I think I'm doing pretty good. I've been here ten whole minutes, and you're still alive. I shot across the room and knocked him to the floor.

30:59 He jumped back and looked around for what had hit him. What the hell? I saw the fear in his eyes when he saw me. I know Elizabeth would have been ashamed of me, but I was enjoying his anxiety, after all he had done to me and so many others. I drank it in like an elixir. He started edging toward the door. I was there in a heartbeat. His eyes darted back and forth where I used to be and where I now stood. The panic in his eyes doubled. I wanted to make him suffer. But I didn't want to make the same mistake I'd made before and let him escape with his life. I lashed out with a bolt that used to be my arm. The energy slashed through his shirt and fried a hole in his shoulder.

31:45 He screamed in pain and horror as he looked at the smoking hole in his skin. He tried to run, but in an instant I was there in front of him, firing another bolt and searing the skin across his waist to his jeans. His screams of pain and rage were only matched by the feral desperation in his eyes. Not knowing what to do, he went with the familiar attack the innocent. He grabbed the girl who had been crawling away from the scene. He grabbed her again and held her in front of him like a human shield. What a waste of skin. I fired a bolt into a ceiling light beside me, which ricocheted and hit him full force in the leg, nearly severing it. He went down like a ton of bricks, trying to hold on to his hostage, but she was fighting to get away from him.

32:34 She broke free, and he crumpled to the floor. What do you want? He screamed at me with everything that is within me. I wanted to tell him who I was and what he had taken from me, and what I was about to take from him. But I didn't want to give him the satisfaction. I wanted to give him only uncertainty and fear to cling to. I could feel the seconds ticking away. I knew I had to make the most most of this opportunity, or he would get away again, and after this I might never find him. I unleashed every ounce of energy at him. I couldn't even see him. He was only a smoking pillar of frying skin. Just then the police burst through the door.

33:19 Free The first officer started, then the shock of what he was seeing stole the rest of the word from his mouth. He stood there, mouth agape. When the female officer stepped in behind him. She looked at me, and her wide eyes narrowed as she put two and two together and recognized me from the last crime scene. I had no reason to fear. I didn't know if I could even be harmed in my current state. But when you see that blue uniform burst through a door with a gun aimed at you, all rational thought takes a vacation. I dove for the outlet and was gone. I didn't even care where I was going. I knew I had done what I wanted to do. The monster was destroyed.

34:04 Something felt different. Was it pride at finishing my crusade. Was it shame knowing Elizabeth wouldn't have wanted me to do it? I don't know. But there was something else. It was like there was added weight to my existence. I guess you can have a conscience in whatever you'd call this existence. I appeared in the place that made the most sense. Ironically, it was my old home, the one where everything I loved died, including me. It was where I took on this unintended new existence. Is that why I felt this extra weight? Was it some cathartic after effect of my search for revenge that was finally over.

34:48 I looked around the charred debris of what used to be my home. In my mind's eye, I didn't see the burned out shell of what was left. I saw it as it was when we first moved in, when Elizabeth started decorating, when the interior was finally finished, and I turned to her and said, for now, knowing she would decide to change everything at some time in the future when she was bored, just like all women seemed to do. I remember getting a paint brush across the mouth for that comment. I smiled, remembering kissing her with my freshly painted mouth and ending up in the bedroom. As I turned toward where I had entered the house, my smile quickly faded. For some reason, I was still connected to the outlet that had never happened before. Another curiosity arose when I noticed the color of my electrical body was now tinged purple. It had always been blue before.

35:48 The tale of what had yet to come out of the outlet was red. As I pulled and it came the rest of the way out, it merged with me and turned purple. What the hell? I heard some one say. I whipped around, but no one was there. Where am I? The voice said? Who are you? I said to the air. There was a long silence. Doc, Doc, the voice said, As far as I knew, it wasn't possible for my spine to turn to ice, since I no longer had a spine, but the feeling seemed the same. Frederick, I said, what happened? He asked, This crazy electric thing attacked me and now wait a minute. How am I talking to you?

36:38 You died months ago. My shock gave way to utter despair. My enemy was now part of me. Night of the tie Yrants by David o'hanley. Good things come to those who wait, Leslie Bonner said in his low Texan drawl before taking a pull off of his Marlborough Bad things come to those who live here. He wasn't wrong. The town of Fortune, Missouri, had a way of dishing out horrible fates for its residents. Bruce and Maggie Boudreaux knelt on the stained carpet of the single wide trailer that sat on the far western edge of the Gables, a trailer park converted into an industrial sized meth lab by the Dixie mafia. If you lived in Fortune, you either worked for the Gables or the Waiste Containment Facility. Bruce wasn't about to risk his health handling toxic waste. Cooking crank had been much safer, at least until he stole ten kilos of uncut ice. Mags wanted new tits, and Bruce couldn't object to them that his cock came up with the plan before his brain had a chance to consider the logistics of moving so much product. He'd never sold dope before in any quantity, but it seemed simple enough.

38:13 Took less than a week to find a buyer for the whole damn batch, as it were. Unfortunately, the buyer turned out to be and undercover fed. Bruce and Maggs escaped, but their car was left on the side of the road. Bonner's mole in the dea tipped him off and he made the trip over from Nashville to deal with the mess. The entire operation would be relocated, which would mean months of lost production, months that Bruce and Maggie wouldn't be around for. Leslie knelt behind Maggie, blowing a spear of smoke past her face. His pewter eyes cut down her bony back to the tramp stamp above the exposed neon green strings of her thong. He glanced at Bruce with his sleeveless flannel shirt and stick and poke tattoos. He wasn't sure if the couple were cliche stereotypes or if Jack Turney had decided on this being the official uniform of all of his employees. Jack rocked on a stool to the Springsteen tape playing on the boombox. Leslie never liked Jack personally, but he was the best choice to run the lab. He'd been a manager at Walmart, after all.

39:27 Killing him wouldn't exactly be wasteful, but it wouldn't be the most pragmatic choice either. Leslie tongued a chipped moler and weighed his options. It wasn't like he could take out an ad in the help wanted section. Leslie eyed the man carefully and flicked his ash on the carpet. Jack could live. The other two would just have to die more painfully. To make sure the point still got across, Leslie extinguished the cigarette behind Maggie's ear. She fell forward, shrieking before curling up in a fetal position. What the fuck, Bruce howled, Stop that, leave her alone. Leslie backhanded him across the cheek. His topaz ring tore a divot from the tweaker's gaunt face. Maggie's scream seemed to get louder, changing pitch, and then went on forever. Jack stopped rocking and looked at one of the foil covered windows. The aluminum blocked the heat signature of the labs from the police choppers using infrared scanners, but it also left the occupants blind to the outside world. His shaking hand battered the top of the radio until he found the stop button.

40:39 Leslie turned his ear up to the ceiling. It wasn't his victim he was hearing. That's an emergency siren. Jack stammered. Something's happened at the waist plant, toxic spill, maybe shit, nothing else. It could be great, Leslie hissed. He stood slowly, scratch matching at his chin. A smile creased his face, and he gave Mags a kick in the tailbone. Actually, this is great, fucking full on act of God. Great. How you figure that? Less? Jack chewed his fingernails in anticipation of the answer. FEDS can't snoop around if the whole area has gone nuclear or whatever the shit they have out there. Leslie chopped his hand down on the back of Bruce's neck and sent him crashing over. What the hell do they have over there? Nothing good, Jack muttered.

41:37 Maggie crawled on her knees to Bruce's side and stroked his face. You okay, baby, course he is, Leslie snorted. I ain't about to kill either of you that quick. Just a little thump to make sure you're both paying attention, you bastard. Maggie sniffled. The running mascara became white trash war paint as she glared at him to fight biantly. If I wasn't tied up, you'd be free. The trailer rocked violently. Leslie drew the oversized laar grizzly pistol from his shoulder holster and went to the nearest window, ripping away the tinfoil that covered it for a peak outside. He scanned the park for anything out of the ordinary, but only saw more of his employees stepping out of their trailers to investigate for themselves. Was that one of the labs? Jack asked, shakily, too far away. Less reassured him something must have gone really rotten up at the chemical depot. You keep any respirators in here? Jack nodded and jabbed a finger toward a cabinet near the sink.

42:44 Good Leslie waved him towards the window with the pistol. Come watch for anything unusual. Jack did as instructed. He cupped his hands around his eyes and pressed them to the glass for a better look. One of the crooks for the nearest. Lab lifted his safety goggles and squinted into the surrounding woods. The man took a few tentative steps forward, then stopped. He was pointing at something. Jack turned to tell Leslie when he noticed Bruce, Hey knock it off. Jack grabbed a half empty schlitz Caan and chucked it at him. Bruce flinched as it bounced off his shoulder, and the tiny pocket knife clattered to the floor.

43:27 Mags snatched it up quickly. Boss, the bimbo thinks she's being cute, Jack tattled, she is cute. Jack, just look at that face. Leslie cocked the hammer back. Wonder if it'll still be cute dripping down the wall. Maggie looked from Jack to the gun, then up to the surgical eyes of Leslie Bonner. He wasn't bluffing. She turned the knife over in her hands and stabbed it into the floor. Less took a respirator from the cabinet without looking. Jack snapped his fingers and pointed to the far wall. Get your bony ass over there until you're told otherwise. He waited for her to stand before turning his attention back to the window. Leslie set the gun down long enough to get the mask on. The glass exploded inward, and Jack staggered backwards. He stumbled left, then right, then forward, back again. Maggie's screams filled the meth lab, rivaling the siren outside. Leslie snapped the gun up into a two handed grip and aimed at the window. Jack continued to square dance, blood splashing against the ceiling from the stump on his shoulders. He finally collapsed next to Bruce, knocking over an ether tank in the process. His severed arteries spurted the prisoner's face, drawing gas and whiny curses. Bruce

45:02 rose to his knees and scuttled away from the corpse. Where the fuck is his head, Leslie barked. He swung the pistol toward Maggie. What the what happened? There's something out there, she shrieked. It it bit off his goddamn head, obviously, Leslie changed his aim back to the window. But what was it? Hungry, you dumb son of a bitch, Bruce cried, That's what it was. It's a monster. I'm the only monster here, Bubba, Leslie reminded him. People were screaming outside the trailer rocked, and the ceiling creaked as something heavy settled onto it. Footfalls thumped like sledgehammer blows overhead. Maggie slid across the carpet on her knees for the knife.

45:53 She began sawing through the ropes as whatever was stalking across the roof came to a stop directly above her. Something flashed past the broken window. Leslie's pistol unleashed a clap of artificial thunder and blasted a chunk from the frame. Bruce cupped his hands over his ears. Jesus, couldn't you find something smaller, he whined, Sure, lend me your pecker. Leslie stomped over to Maggie and snatched the knife from her. He pressed the edge against her cheek. The respirator made his eyes appear even less human. He cut her loose with a precise slash and dropped the blade in front of her with a nod to Bruce. Cut the little bitch loose, he grumbled, I could use an extra canary.

46:45 Maggie did as instructed, then closed the knife and tucked it into her haltertop. She helped Bruce to his feet, wiping Jack's blood from his face. It's going to be all right, baby, she lied to him. The thing on the roof shifted its weight, crumpling the tin loudly. Leslie fired two shots through the ceiling. The muzzles fireball made the cloud of dislodged asbestos twinkle as it swirled around them. Crimson drops falling through a fist sized hole spotted the carpet. Leslie grunted contently. Whatever it is, it ain't bulletproof, he mused.

47:26 The trailer shook as something threw itself against the wall outside. It ain't happy neither. Bruce said, we can't stay here. I agree, Leslie jabbed him in the gut with the pistol. You're going to hold the door open for us? Fuck that? Bruce shook his head. Ain't that something? Leslie eyed him over, then turned to Maggie. It's not every day you meet a broad with two pussies. Her face reddened as much from embarrassment as anger. Bruce was a sweet guy, and he treated her nice. She'd married him because she genuinely liked him, after all, But Leslie was right. He was a fucking coward. She squeezed Bruce's scrawny arm. Please sugar, It'll be all right. She looked at the wall behind them as the thing outside rammed it again. The panel split from the blow. See that it's on the other side of the trailer. Just go open the door. What if there's more than one, Bruce asked, then you wouldn't be able to count them anyhow. Leslie moved the gun to Maggie's pink lips. You open the door right now, and perhaps I find something I'd like to shoot more than your old lady. Get it, Baba, I get it, he mumbled. Bruce's shoulders sagged and he scuffled to the door like a scolded child. He gripped the knob, but froze there. Maggie turned on her heel and kick the wall.

49:01 She beat her fists against the wood paneling, and the monster revved up its attacks. The trailer home rocked from the thing's assault. She looked over her shoulder to Bruce. Hurry up, baby, I'll keep it distracted over here, she told him. Yeah. Leslie hissed, good idea. He joined her at the wall, stomping his shit kicker against it and whooping like a knight at the rodeo. Maggie screamed profanities at the unseen evil outside. It shrieked back, stopping the humans dead still. They'd officially pissed it off. Claws dragged across the aluminum siding outside. The high pitched grating made Maggie cover her ears instinctively. Less ground his teeth together.

49:51 The way it switched from furiously battering the structure to meticulously scratching at it was familiar. It was the sort of six psycho logical game he played to rattle people. Maybe he really wasn't the only monster in the gables. The door creaked on its hinges, and Leslie whirled around, expecting something to shoot. He stared at Bruce's back, waiting for the monster to pull him outside or snap off his head like poor Jack. Bruce turned slowly, his face whiter than normal. He ran to the sink, vomiting loudly into the steel basin. What is it, Leslie demanded. Bruce pointed to the door between heaves. Less leaned and craned his neck to see without having to get closer. It wasn't a great view, but it was enough. In the piss yellow light of the street lamps, he could see the body parts wrapped in the tattered remains of white tyvek coveralls and the bare open rib cage of the torso.

50:56 He cocked his head. The urge to join Bruce at the sinks swelled in the back of his throat. The torso and the limbs were from two different bodies. The damnable thing outside had been ripping his employees to shreds. Why did it get quiet, Maggs whispered, because it wants to scare us. Leslie said, certain that he understood it. Whatever it was, we heard it made it personal. It wants to play with us. You heard it, you stupid asshole, Maggie corrected him. You got the fucking gun. That's right, I fucking do. He grabbed her by the back of the neck, and I got the keys to the chevy outside.

51:42 You pick which one gets you out of here. I'll take the truck, she snarled. Then go check that the coast is clear. He gave her a shove. She gripped the door jam and rocked on the balls of her feet. She took a deep breath to steal her nerves, then shot her head outside for a quick look in both directions. She backpedaled quick as she could. It's clear there's nothing out there but dead folk. She sniffled and wiped her nose with the back of her hand, Lots of them. Well, it's a dangerous job. Less strolled to meet her, digging the keys out of his black jeans along the way.

52:23 Let's blow this joint. Something blue, all right. The trailer's windows shook and the siding rattled. The creature outside screamed, and another answered it, then a third, a fourth. Their primal calls carried with the rumble of the explosion. It wasn't like the first one. It was smaller, full of metallic clattering, and it was a lot closer. Most of the ingredients were volatile, and Less made sure his people had the purest, high grade versions of all of them. For his brand of crank. Explosions were inochi patiental hazard under normal conditions, and the night had been anything but normal.

53:06 The creature sprang through the open door, bending the frame with its girth. Leslie brought the pistol up and fired without thinking. A hunk of pebbled brown green skin tore from its shoulder. It wriggled inside, its elongated snout stretched open in a shrill angry call. It slouched and snapped at Maggie's ankles. She jumped backwards, crashing through a table of Pyrek's dishes and beakers. Less fired again. The jacketed hollow point punched into the creature's chest. A stubby, clawed forearm dangled from its twisting sinew. Another round blasted through the billowing leathery neck and painted the wall with a thick arterial spray. The final shot passed through its eye, turning its head into a gory party popper that littered the trailer with bits of matter and skull fragments. It collapsed with its powerful hind legs, twitching and shredding the carpet.

54:08 Bruce walked to it cautiously. Leslie joined him, followed by a limping Maggie. The top of the thing's head was gone, its nose laid three feet to the left, but the bottom jaw and its curved, serrated teeth were still intact. The thick muscular tail squirmed on the floor the way a snake does after its head's been chopped off. Maggie sagged to the carpet beside it. It can't be, she said, it is, Leslie informed her. He smiled big, the way only a Texan would in such situations. Sweet cheeks, we just killed us a dinosaur. Dinosaurs ain't even real, Bruce shouted.

55:01 Less hit him with the pistol, driving him to his knees next to his wife. They are, and there's plenty more of them, Leslie growled, at least three. Matter of fact, let's go to that truck. Mag whispered. She snapped her eyes to Leslie. Now. The keys fell into her lap. She held them up by the rabbit foot keychain for good luck. Less explained, the rabbit had four of them, and look how he wound up. She stood skirting around the dinosaur carcass. The tail flopped about to block her path to the door. She tried stepping over, and it swept her leg, making her stumble forward. Leslie watched her topple over the threshold and disappear off the rickety steps.

55:52 He couldn't hear her hit the ground over the still screaming siren. He heard other things, though. Guns popped off around the gables, the sound of his employees fighting back against the prehistoric super predators. Screaming and roars interrupted sporadically. Then Less screaming, then less shooting. He didn't get to Fortune often, so he wasn't sure how many people Jack employed, but so long as they were fighting, it meant the dinosaurs were distracted. He gave Bruce a kick in the hip. Get up, I think we should hide, Bruce said, sniffling.

56:36 The alarm means the depot called for help, don't it. How the fuck should I know? Leslie looked down at the dinosaur and huffed, Oh hell, we better hope that ain't what it means. Huh, goddamn boy, this lizard's brains are all over the living room, and it's still smarter than you. Less grabbed Bruce's collar and hoisted him to his feet. They said, it's a chemical storage site, but they're making dinosaurs. Don't you get it. Bruce stared at Leslie for a long moment before shrugging he did not get it. It's a secret project where no one's gonna give a fuck about it. Leslie explained. This town's always had shit luck, and plenty of it. One more disaster ain't gonna hurt nothing. Whoever's running the operation, really running it is going to kill every motherfucking pecker Wooden Fortune and blame the whole thing on a chemical spill. Oh, Bruce spit his lip. His eyes widened when it all sank in. Oh, we gotta go. Glad you approve of the plan, Leslie rolled his wrist. The pistol felt reassuring in his hand, but it also felt light. He ejected the magazine and tossed it over his shoulder. It clattered into the kitchen. He eased the slide back a bit, but didn't look. It. Took him three more seconds to get up the nerve for that. He glanced quickly, scared of what he'd find. He gave a sigh of relief

58:08 at the hint of polished brass. There was still one bullet in the chamber. He couldn't waste it on Bruce, not until the now leaving Missouri sign was miles behind them. Anyhow, The sudden rumble of his truck brought him back to the present. He gave Bruce a shove toward the door. The dinosaur's tail flailed once more and fell still, as if letting them pass by choice. Headlights blazed across the yard, and the truck slid to a stop in front of the porch. Less gave Bruce another prod to exit. Would you look at that, Bubba, your old ladies come to save You're sorry ass, Bess. We don't keep her waiting.

58:49 He nudged him with the gun for emphasis. Bruce nodded and eased himself forward. Maggie was waving frantically for him to hurry. The tweaker watched the dino tail, expecting it to jump up again. He made it out onto the porch without incident and breathed a heavy sigh. Just get in the bed, baby, mag shouted, We need to hurry. The whole mountain's on fire. I just seen one of them things. Bruce saw one too. It launched itself into the bed of the truck, slamming its snout through the back glass in one fluid motion. Bruce watched it bite through the dashboard with a crunch. He screamed and jumped over the dead saurus, sprinting back into the safety of the meth lab. You fucking coward, Leslie, shouted. The gangster knelt and braced the pistol over his arm, taking aim into the cab of his truck. There was no clean shot.

59:44 Maggie pushed the door and it banged against the porch an inch away she was trapped. The monster spat out the vinyl and swatted Maggie with its snout. It squirmed in placed, breaking away safety glass with its thick neck in an attempt to get a at her angle on the succulent human morsel. A forelimb shot into the cab, rending the leather seats. Maggie tried to go out the window, but was stopped by another blow from the dinosaur's skull. It bared its teeth in front of her face. The fetid, hot breath reeked of blood and the scraps of raw meat clinging between the serrated fangs it snapped down. Maggie jerked her head away, leaving a clump of AquaNet flavored curls in the beast's mouth. Her foot battered the petals in her attempt to escape. The engine revved, drawing a hiss from the monster. The dinosaur's fingers curled around the steering wheel. It wrestled itself further into the cab, rocking the truck violently. With the effort. The monster tried to bite again, nipping away a piece of flesh from Maggie's shoulder.

1:00:55 She saw Leslie in the doorway, taking aim but holding its fire. She didn't see her loving husband, However, Leslie holstered the weapon and turned his head down. If Maggie was going to survive, she'd have to save her own ass. Another hot breath hissed across her flesh. She swung her hand around, looking for salvation. Her fingers struck the chrome skull atop the gearshift. She stamped the clutch to the floor. The steering column shattered as the wheel was wrenched from it. Maggie hooked her fingers around the skull and forced the shifter into gear. The truck crawled forward. She slammed into the door, banging it into the porch again again, one more time to no avail. The roof of the cab bent, allowing the dinosaur the room to move. It reached its head back and hissed. Maggie threw herself against the door again, still trapped, the monster spread its jaws and lunged for a killing chomp. Maggie's face hit the ground, shattering her nose.

1:02:05 She'd never been so happy to hurt so bad. The snap of the teeth closing behind her echoed in her skull. She rubbed the tears from her eyes and watched the truck roll away, with the dinosaur wrestling in the entrapment. It roared and shrieked furiously. The others answered the cries. Trees shook as one of them ran to its pack mate. The chemical plant or whatever it really was, had blown sky high and set the mountain ablaze. The orange red hell fire of the spreading inferno revealed the shadow of the beast. A realization far more terrifying than her brush with death came to Maggie. She pushed herself from the ground and ran back into the trailer. Thought you were a goner, Leslie said, He shrugged with a grin. Told you the rabbit foot was lucky. Maggie slugged him across the jaw, sending him reeling into the kitchen. A second punch caught him in the temple. He blinked away the stars in his vision and found himself nose to nose with Maggie. He felt the prick of her blade against the prick in his jeans. She gripped the strings of his bolo tie and twisted the pocket knife, drawing a grunt from Less and making him rise on his tiptoes.

1:03:26 You could have shot it, she growled. Only have one bullet left, he informed her, saving it for a special occasion. Killing a dinosaur ain't special enough for you. Already did that tonight. Better be prepared to do it a few more times. Maggie relaxed her grip. The trucks gone. We're gonna need new wheels, baby, Bruce said, in a shaky, uncertain voice. Baby, you made it. Maggie turned to face him. Blood poured freely from her nose down to the buttons of her denim shorts. Bruce's face paled at the sight of his frail little wife, bloodied face, streaked with running makeup, and a knife digging into a drug lord's scrotum. His mouth moved silently, sampling the possible apologies for running away.

1:04:19 Maggie stared toward him, and he took an instinctive step back. Baby, baby babe, just calm down, he gulped, knowing that was exactly what not to say. I mean a fuck. Maggie gave him a shove and pointed the knife at him. She knelt next to Jack Turney's corpse. The keys jangled as she jerked them from his pants. She looked at the dead dinosaur. Remembering the scene outside, she stuffed the keys into the shallow pocket of her shorts. We got a ride, she said. Now we just need a plan. Jack's parked two trailers over. Less indicated the direction with his thumb. We only got one bullet to get us there.

1:05:07 You didn't bring any more, Bruce asked, incredulously, I was only planning on killing the two of you. Less shrugged. Maggie pulled a vial of crank from Jack's shirt and treated both blood filled nostrils to a sample. It burned like a motherfucker all the way up, and the chemical rushed down the back of her throat. Was a mix of copper and ammonia, with the bitter aftertaste of a fedrin. She ground her teeth while it went to work on her nervous system. Less and Bruce were arguing, but she couldn't make out a word of it. They needed a plan, and nothing on earth is more creative than a tweaker with a fresh toot up their nose. She crawled along the floor to retrieve something shiny. She stood up, slinging the cylinder over her shoulder. She elbowed past Leslie into the kitchen and let the ether came anister klank onto the countertop. Maggie continued tearing through the cabinets for various supplies without speaking to the men, Despite their questions and pestering.

1:06:11 It took another fifteen minutes to assemble the components and attach a makeshift sling to the newly formed apparatus. Maggie slung it onto her back and held up a long barreled wand made from the sink's pea trap and a section of shower curtain rod. She waved it around the room, pointing it at imaginary monsters. Guttural growls outside told her time was almost up. She stripped a barbecue lighter to its bare essentials and used duct tape liberally to finish up her project. Less looked it over and raised an eyebrow, then snapped his fingers. I'll be damned, he said, with an appreciative whistle. Little lady made us a flamethrower. Me, she corrected him, clicking the switch to ignite the pilot light made me a flame thrower. You and your one bullet are following to make sure nothing tries biting my ass What about me, Bruce asked, Oh, Sugar, I got a perfect job for you. Maggie smiled menacingly. Since you like runnin' you can lead the way to the car.

1:07:18 You know which one, the big blue caddie. You're always oglin Get movin'. But a wush of flame ignited the curtains to let him know she was not fucking around. Bruce nodded and cut a quick path to the door. He didn't waste time stepping outside. A woman with a flame thrower is scarier than any monster, it turns out. He looked around and gave them a thumbs up before jumping down from the porch. Maggie unless joined him a moment later. The gangster pointed to a ramshackle trailer, A mangled body hung out of one of the busted windows, and pieces of another meth cook decorated the yard like gory nomes others of that one. Les whispered, that's where he's parked. They scurried across the open avenue quickly and ducked into the shadow of the nearest lab. The trio kept low, moving slowly and watching for the rest of the prehistoric monstrosities Maggie's mind kept racing back to the one she'd seen in the firelight, pain, fear, methamphetamines, a lot of shit going through her system that could have made her see things that weren't there. But she knew that wasn't the case. It was real. She'd seen it, and she knew damn well that she was right. The chittering of one of the creatures froze them all in their tracks. It limped out into a yellow pool of light.

1:08:44 Leslie bit his bottom lip. The thing was missing a few toes, and he knew it was the one he'd shot on the roof. It lowered its head to the ground, sniffing around. It visibly tensed and let out a raspy bar. It called again, turning in a slow circle. Maggie never took her eyes off it as she prodded Bruce to continue on. It'll see us, he whispered under the porch. She told him. Bruce crawled forward, disappearing through a gap in the broken latticework around the porch's base. He held out a hand and waved for the others. They started forward.

1:09:25 When Leslie grabbed Maggie's ankle, she glared over her shoulder, ready to burn him alive on the spot. He shook his head and pointed at the porch. Bruce's waving arm was all she could see. The rest of him was completely cloaked in the darkness beyond. Then it moved. The glint of eye shine was right behind her husband. His arm jerked under the porch impossibly fast. She heard the wet crunching before he could cry out. Maggie screamed furious and cranked the valve wide open. A spear of flame shot through the opening, igniting the porch in a flash.

1:10:08 She saw the burning lizard dart under the trailer and followed it with a sustained blast from her weapon. Time to leave, Leslie shouted, trying to pull Maggie up by the band of her shorts. It's gonna blow. She looked up at the lab, now a five alarm structure fire and knew he was right. The dinosaur shrieked in agony as it cooked in the crawl space. The wounded one limped at them fast as it could manage. Maggie spun and put a wall of fire between it and them. The dinosaur couldn't stop fast enough on its injured foot. It toppled over and cried out as Maggie adjusted her aim to burn it too. They rounded the trailer. Jack's blue el Dorado was waiting in a gravel parking spot one hundred yards away. They ran as hard as they could, passed her and got to the car first. He pulled the door handle, only to find it was locked. He looked back and held out his hand for the keys.

1:11:09 The ground trembled around him. Maggie slid to a stop, falling flat on her ass. Leslie looked at her curiously. Loud, fast thumps echoed through the night, each one reverberated through his body. He glanced at the caddy's side mirror and the warning that the object within was closer than it appeared. He rolled his wrist. The gun still felt, reassuring it was the special occasion he'd been saving that bullet for. He whipped the muzzle under his chin. The mother tyranosaurus snatched him off the ground in her powerful jaws. Her teeth shredded his guts and snapped through his back. There was a muffled pop as the gun went off inside her mouth. She lung her head from side to side until his lower appendages sailed over the top of a trailer.

1:12:06 She turned her snout up and choked down Leslie's torso hole. Maggie got to her feet and fired the flamethrower in short bursts, like a lion tamer cracking a whip. The Big Mama backed up slowly. The meth lab she'd set a blaze exploded, startling the creature. Maggie got to the car and reached into her pocket for nothing. The keys were gone. She looked back and saw them shimmering in the firelight where she'd fallen. The flamethrower sputtered. She discarded it and dropped to the ground, rolling under the car.

1:12:49 As the beast scooped up a mouthful of gravel, It bashed its head against the car, shoving it to the side. Maggie scooted along to stay underneath it. The explosion had thrown flaming materials into the surrounding mobile homes. They were all starting to go up. She was trapped under a car being pursued by a dinosaur in the middle of Hillbilly Hiroshima. Metal crunched and the frame of the car got uncomfortably closer to her. She crawled on her back toward the front of the Cadillac. The drive shaft tore her haltertop open, and for the first time ever, she was thankful for her small endowments. She heard the clatter of the knife falling out of her ruined top. Her fingers curled around the wooden grip, and she opened it with a dainty click that the t Rex answered with a mighty roar. Maggie hurried to the engine compartment and wriggled her arms up, groping blindly for the fuel line.

1:13:49 She cut at anything that felt right. The third try sent a spurt of gasoline into her left eye and let her know she'd found it. Maggie dropped the knife and kids continued forward. As the pool spread beneath her. She grabbed the bumper and took a deep breath, holding it in while the monstrous Mommy stomped over the car to the other side. Maggie looked at the clawed feet. It was facing away from the trailers. She had a chance. Maggie pulled hard on the bumper, freeing herself from under the car and grating away the flesh of her shoulders in the process. She rolled to her hands and knees, scrambling like mad until she got her feet under her and could run. The trailer exploded the car went up. Next, she heard the pissed off roar of the beast. She looked back to see it staggering away from the brutalizing heat.

1:14:45 Another lab came apart in a massive fireball, engulfing the beast and spurring her to run faster. The glades continued exploding for another thirty minutes, and Maggie ran the entire time. She could barely hear the small pops of secondary blasts by the time her legs gave out and she collapsed on the side of County Road two thirty two. Her feet twitched like they wanted to keep going, but the muscles in her legs weren't having any of it. Helicopters rumbled overhead on a path toward fortune. She rolled onto her back, clapping her hands to get their attention. Her lungs were too busy fighting for air to call out.

1:15:29 She slapped the ground in defeat. Maybe they were the army or something, and they'd kill that big bitch of a dino before it caught up with her. Headlights crowned a hill further down the street, and Maggie forced herself to her knees. She tried to slow down her heaving breaths, but it was pointless. It took all her effort just to stand. Something chittered behind her. She bent, putting her hands on her knees and shook her head. She looked at the headlights at her salvation, then over her shoulder, just in time to see the teeth closing around her face.

1:16:21 Hog Wild by David O'Hanlon. The half century old ruts left by the dump trucks hauling zinc out of Brodie Mines jostled the four men violently. Elijah Lurker wrung the steering wheel in his weathered fists like it owed him money. He was just a boy when the mine closed back in seventy nine after they discovered the first body. When they pulled out seven more, it never reopened. It was the perfect place to do the deed. Elijah looked to the passenger seat. Jackson Green fidgeted with the cylinder of the Bulldog of keeping the hammer held back with his thumb as he clicked each of the five chambers into place forwards and then backwards. Elijah watched the kid's tattooed fingers work the cylinder like a lethal Rubik's cube. Tough Love with two f's read across his fingers. The letters were blobby, green, blue, and crooked. They were the kind trailer part kids gave themselves in junior high and tried to hide during job interviews. Jackson was twenty two and already a two strike felon, so he didn't have to worry about that. He didn't have to worry about anything much longer. Elijah's eyes flicked to the rear view mirror.

1:17:45 Miles Dun was screwing with his phone as usual. A pall mall hung forgotten from his lips as he squinted at the screen, focused solely on his game. Walker Grimes sat directly behind Elijah. For a moment there met in the mirror. Elijah felt his own dread rippling across his skin in a wave of goosebumps. As soon as the job was done, Walker would kill Jackson. The three of them all agreed to it as if they had a choice. After the kids screw up in Bentonville, Elijah glanced at Dunn again in time to see the ash finally fall. Dunn took a drag off the cigarette and dusted the ash to the floorboard. The front tire dropped into a deep rut, banging the frame against the dirt road, Jackson's thumb slipped from the hammer, letting it fly forward. The forty four Special boomed in the confines of the sedan.

1:18:43 Elijah screamed. The window beside him shattered as something struck the side of the car. The men cursed and fought for something to grip. As the road was replaced with untamed wilderness, Jackson's shrill screeching drowned out everyone. Elijah fought with the steering wheel, narrowly missing a tree. They were no longer going up the mining road, but careening down the mountain. There was too much to process. As dusk turned to night, he felt the hard impact of stones striking a steel wheel, and then everything was upside down. The car slid on its roof, clipping tree trunks and rocks that twisted it to one side or the other.

1:19:26 On its downhill slalom, Elijah saw the edge of the precipice in the moonlight. He stomped the brakes out of habit. He squeezed his eyes shut as tight as he could manage. As the car went over the edge and twisted in the air, the landing was jarring. It felt like the seat belt might tear all the way through him. The air bag hadn't deployed, and as he tentatively opened his eyes, he saw why they hadn't hit the ground. Instead, they landed in the embrace of an oak tree. Her branches hugged the sedan and kept it wedged safely thirty feet above the forest floor. Elijah felt the weight on his back and nudged the seat with his elbow. You all right, walker, he asked. The weight shifted. How the fuck did you manage to park a car in a tree? We are never going to be able to explain this to the old man, Elijah ignored him. Done you good, I dropped my phone. Done, muttered, at least the seat belts still work on this old piece of shit. Where's Jackson? Elijah hadn't noticed the kid was missing. He realized the windshield was as well. He craned his neck and spotted him down below. The body laid crumpled and twisted in the pool of the headlines. He got out of the tree

1:20:58 after twenty minutes of arguing, the three men still hadn't come up with a plan. Dun laid on the back of Jackson's empty seat and lit another cigarette, staring out the back window at the cliff high above them. What about cutting all the seat belts and makin a rope, he suggested, they're load bearing, probably got about thirty foot of em too. Worth a go, Walker grumbled, this is the worst fucking tree house I've ever played in. Anyhow, Elijah released the pressure on his hastily applied tourniquet. Jackson's errant shot had passed through the meat just below the knee.

1:21:39 Even if they got down, he damned sure wouldn't be walking out of the mountains. He shifted his weight gingerly, trying to get the radio dials out of his back, but not jostle the vehicle in the process. It might work. Elijah turned enough to see over his shoulder and tried to gage the distance to the ground. Son of a bitch, Jackson isn't dead. The kids squirmed on the ground and cried out as he stretched broken limbs. He called for Elijah, then curled up into a fetal position. His plaintive cries carried straight to the cab of the sedan. He's hurt, he wanted help, he wanted to go home. Elijah's stomach twisted in knots. He wanted to help the kid, but to what end they were going to kill him. After they took care of the cargo in the trunk, Elijah looked between the headrests at the faded upholstery of the back seat. That issue might have resolved itself in the crash.

1:22:43 Start cutting the belts, he said softly. I can't reach these without moving us around. Got it, boss, done, said, snapping open the Kershaw pocket knife. The two went to work cutting the five straps free and passed them up to Elijah. He tied the ends together. Not tying and a dishonorable discharge were all he'd taken away from his stint in the Navy. Once he was finished, Elijah tossed an end back to Walker and let the rest unravel out the broken windshield. It almost reached the ground, Walker anchored it to the seat. When the screaming started. Elijah's eyes flicked to the back seat again, but the cries were coming from behind him, or rather below him. He turned, leaning over the dash for a better view. Jackson wasn't alone.

1:23:37 A passel of feral hogs circled the kid, sniffing noisily at his bloody wounds. Elijah watched as their numbers swelled to a baker's dozen. The mountains were full of those bastards. The rocky terrain made hunting them difficult, and there were no natural predators. They ate fucked and kept on moving three hundred pound large locusts. Worst of all, they weren't picky about what they ate. Help me, Elijah Jackson wailed. A few hogs took a step away when the McNuggets started making noise. A few, but not all. A big, tusked daddy of a hog nudged Jackson's ribs. The headlights of the suspended sedan threw a spotlight on the whole scene.

1:24:27 Jackson tried to shove the animal's head back. Elijah gagged as the boar nipped away his fingers. Done fire a shot at the pigs. Elijah said, no way, too much noise, Boss, it might shake us loose. Done replied, we're going to kill him anyway. Walker said, if the hogs do it for us, we don't have to worry about evidence or hiding the body, speaking of we can't leave the car in the tree. I'm aware, Elijah tugged the improvised rope. Start down, I'll go last, sure thing. Done pulled the lever to lay the passenger seat forward to the dash.

1:25:08 The car rocked ominously, and they all froze in place. Walker glared at Done, and he shrugged in return. Done went first. He climbed over the seat and gripped the rope as he eased through the empty window frame. Elijah had never seen Done nervous before. It would have been amusing. If it weren't wasting time, they might not have. Jackson's screaming was getting louder, but Elijah couldn't bring himself to look again. He focused on Done as the man twisted the belt around his forearm and slid along the hood. Done lowered himself slowly and paused. Just wait for me to reach the bottom before you come out, Walker, He hissed, No shit, think I want to fall. Walker leaned on the back of the driver's seat and stretched to watch Dun's descent. What's the plan, Elijah. Done gets to the bottom and scares off the pigs, then you can finish Jackson while I come down. Elijah sighed. After that, I don't know. You two walk until you have service and call the old man. I guess he's going to be righteously pissed. Walker looked over his shoulder. You hear that.

1:26:29 The back seat collapsed forward and the snitch in the trunk came toppling. After the dainty form hit Walker in the ass and sent him toppling through the windshield, the enforcer hit the ground like a lawn dart next to Jackson. Several of the pigs scattered from the heaven, sent morsel crashing down in the middle of their dining room. The animals squealed and hollered. The woods came alive with rustling and grunting. Elijah looked down at Done, still dangling from the straps rosen, stiff in disbelief. What the fuck was Dune slipped a little as he raised a hand to point. Gabby McKee, witnessed to the cock up in Bentonville, swung the tire iron at Elijah's head. He twitched to the side.

1:27:17 A spray of broken plastic peppered his cheek as the radio shattered against his skull. Gabby held on to the headrest and stepped on the console to take a short backhanded swing at him. Elijah caught her wrist and laid back, blaring the horn. He put a foot into her stomach and shoved her off. Gabby hit the roof and toppled over the leaning seat. She grabbed the headrest with her legs dangling out the windshield frame. She put her bare feet on the hot hood and tried to pull herself back in. The aluminum struts of the adjustable headrest bent, and she dropped the tire iron for a better grip. The cushion clicked twice as it slipped further out of its socket. Gabby shrieked and pulled harder, her pale, freckled arms tensed with effort. Elijah rolled over violently and caught her elbow as it gave out. The headrest bounced on the forest floor, and Elijah's eyes went wide with terror.

1:28:14 Dozens of pigs had joined the sounder. He guessed about fifty of them altogether. Some were already tearing into Walker's body. Others converged on Jackson until he couldn't be seen any longer, but he could still be heard. Elijah pulled Gabby up until she could grip the dash. She clamored inside and scurried into the back of the car. Resting on the driver's seat, She looked over her shoulder at Elijah. Thanks, but stay the fuck on your side of the seat. She hissed, I'm not going anywhere. Elijah huffed, you good done. Fuck no. Elijah didn't like the sound of his voice.

1:28:54 Something outside of the obvious was wrong. He braced himself for another look over the dash. He rolled back over and banged a fist against the door. The tree creaked in response. Don't do that again, Gabby whispered, you're making it angry. Falling might not be so bad, Elijah told her. Take a look for yourself. She peeked around the seat and gasped before turning away. She panted heavily and slapped a hand over her mouth to muffle the much needed scream. Yeah that's what I thought, Elijah said. A massive quarter ton boar had joined the party below. The others scampered away from Walker as it approached, but he wasn't interested in dead meat. The hog snorted loud enough to be heard over the still running car motor and pranced beneath Dun's swinging legs. Elijah watched the straps sway and debated what to do. I'm coming up done, hollered, Just shoot it, Elijah called back, are you fucking stupid? Nine mil won't tickle that motherfucker. The rope moved about more violently. Dun shrieked, and the ad hoc rope went still. Elijah didn't need to look. He could hear the screaming, and when he couldn't, he heard the crunching. They were all alone, just him

1:30:25 and the girl he was supposed to kill, stuck in a tree, waiting to die together. Hours passed and the hogs stayed put. They weren't going to abandon their meal, and two entrees were still marinating high above them. Elijah's entire body ached from his contorted position in the front seat. His leg was throbbing, and he could feel the gathered blood squishing inside his shoe. Hell of a thing, he whispered, I don't even eat pork. Why don't you go down there and see if the feeling's mutual. Gabby responded, you have every right to be pissed, he started, Well, thanks for giving me your blessing, asshole. You fucking breaking bad extras were going to murder me. Pissed doesn't cover it, if it makes you feel any better. Three and a half of us are dead a little. Gabby rolled over to look at Elijah. He was getting pale. You aren't kidding, You're really dying. You wouldn't think getting shot in the leg would be so serious. Gabby stretched and grabbed his pant leg. Nicked your fibular artery. Elijah raised an eyebrow.

1:31:48 That sounds bad. It isn't good. She rolled over and snorted, kill her pigs, sci Fi channel bullshit. How'd it get so big? Serial killer back in the seventies, Elijah answered, He hid his victims in the mine shafts, so the Feds closed the mine. The whole area died after that. There's no one in this valley anymore, so it just keeps eating and growing, Gabby said. They sat in silence for a few more minutes until dueling banjos made them both jump. The car lurched from excitement Dun's phone. Elijah looked around and spotted the glow coming from the passenger side floorboards. He pointed, can you reach that? Gabby slithered through the narrow gap and dived head first beneath the glove compartment. She grabbed the cell phone, swiping to answer, shut up and listen. She commanded, we need help. Hello, can you hear me? God? God, damn it. The phone beaped as the call ended. She tucked the phone into her bra and tried to wiggle out of the hole.

1:33:00 Who was it, Elijah asked, trying to help her out of the hole. Your car warranty expired, so we're doubly fucked. She stopped struggling as something else caught her attention. Pull me up, I'm trying. Elijah tugged her studded belt hard while she pushed. You're heavier than you look. Just have to keep getting on my bad side, don't you. Gabby reached up from the dash and pushed herself with a groan. She held herself there and tried to catch her breath. Signal kept cutting out. Gabby raised Jackson's revolver and fired under her arm, striking Elijah in the chest. She fired again, putting another hole in his heart. You weren't going to make it anyway, she said, empathetically. That's the job. He wheezed, blood stained his teeth as he smiled at her. Still got time time to finish the job. Elijah kicked Gabby's wrist and she disappeared out the window. Gabby's fingers caught the steel bumper and she swung perilously over the reinvigorated herd, she fired the pistol at the massive Hogfather to drive it away. It rammed the tree instead. The car shook and the antique bumper creaked. She shot again, hitting its shoulder.

1:34:24 It growled and took another charge at the trunk. Gabby lined up the sights with the base of its skull and squeezed the trigger click. She threw the empty revolver at the boar and grabbed the bumper with both hands. She strained to pull herself up and lunged for the hood ornament. It snapped off, and she swung wildly again. The steel cut into her fingers, almost causing her to let go. The car rocked, the engine revved. Her captor wasn't dead yet. Gabby kicked her legs trying to reach the dangling seat belt rope. Elijah sat up and rocked his foot on the accelerator. He laughed, though it sounded more like a stopped up toilet trying to drain. I'm not dying in this fucking tree, he growled. He jerked the steering wheel hard to the left, then to the right, back and forth. He cranked the wheel with all he had.

1:35:26 The branches popped and cracked from the sudden attack. Gabby spun as the rope twisted. She looked above to see the tires shifting, peeling away weathered bark that rained down on her. She swore and let herself slide down, screaming the whole way. As the nylon strap scoured away flesh, a knot broke her grip. Gabby fell the last twelve feet. The giant boar broke her fall, and she bounced off its back, landing in the gory remains of done. She spotted the tire iron sticking out of the mud and sprang for it. The hog clamped down on her ankle, breaking bones with ease. The car horn bellowed above them.

1:36:09 The boar let go, and the smaller ones scattered and abandoned their leader. Elijah laid on the steering wheel, extending a middle finger for the stunned beast. Whoo pig suey. He stomped the pedal and pulled the wheel. The car came free and Gabby rolled away as it crashed down on the boar. The sinister swine was no match for Detroit steel. Viscera bulged in the back of its throat, pushed forward by the v eight, Resting on its rib cage. Its hoofs scratched at the earth, but it wasn't trying to escape. Gabby could see it in the monster's black eyes. Just like Elijah. It knew it was dead already. It wanted to finish the job. The boar didn't squeal in pain, it roared. The beast dragged itself toward its pray for a final kill. Gabby managed to stand and limped to the tire iron. The pig cried out as its flesh and muscle tore. It abandoned its pinned hind quarters beneath the car in testines unspooled as it crawled along, grunting in desperation. Gabby grabbed the tool and pulled it free.

1:37:22 She was starting to understand the pig and Elijah weren't any different. They lived violent, gluttonous lives, and that was how they wanted to die. Only neither of them was going to take her along for the ride. This little piggy cried, wee oi oi. Gabby raised the tool high and fell forward, using her weight to drive it through the boar's skull. All the way home, she whispered. Dueling banjos began playing again. As the feral pigs returned from their hiding spots. Gabby forced herself up and took painful steps backwards. She slipped the phone out and looked at the name on the screen. Boss. She accepted the call and listened to the man spewing profanities and threats, knowing full well it was the same voice that had ordered her death. The herd converged on their fallen leader and began biting off chunks. Gabby raised the phone to her mouth.

1:38:26 You're next, fucker. She ended the call and began limping back to town. The Warehouse of Blood by Shane Migliavaca, April thirteenth, nineteen seventy nine. It's one am on Friday the thirteenth, and I've been awake for two days. Will the thirteenth hold good luck for me? We'll see my long brown hair needs a good combing. Have him been back in the apartment in three days, and I think my bra starting to stink of bo I'm sitting here on a wood crate and my butt has fallen asleep. I've been following Teddy Stoneberry all night. Teddy's been the talk of the town lately. Only surviving son of Peter and Dorothy Stoneberry. Peter owns a huge shipping empire. Teddy's twin brother, Chuck, died in a fire when the boys were ten, which left Teddy to inherit everything. His younger sister Anne ran off with her female tennis instructor last year.

1:39:30 Word was the folks disowned her after that. Lately, Teddy has been seen gallivanning about town with a model by the name of Susie s No last name, just S. Guess that makes her interesting. Susie became a lot more interesting a week ago when she went missing. At first it was looked at as another Susie lost weekend coke binge. Then her purse showed up in a gutter on forty third Street. Everything intact, not even a penny missing, So robbery wasn't a motive. If it was a kidnapping, why hasn't anybody come forward? Pretty soon all signs were pointing at good old Teddy. He was known to have quite a little temper. The popular theory was they got in a fight over her drug habit and hit her a little too hard. Poor Susie is most likely stuffed in a crate on one of Daddy's cargo ships halfway to Singapore.

1:40:31 The other theory Susie's old flame, JJ Brown, he of a fifth rate punk band called Motherfuckers from Mars, killed her in a jealous rage. I don't buy that theory myself. Teddy he's involved somehow. I can feel it in my gut. I watch as he enters a warehouse owned by the family not far from the pier. I can hear the water crashing against the side of a nearby cargo ship. There's a chill in the air for me to pull my denim jacket tighter. It's furry collar prickly against my neck. I pull my wool wide brimmed hat down. Time to snoop Sam, I say to myself, watching my breath twirl in the cold night air. I slip off the box, worming my way past the stack of crates I was hiding behind my button legs are asleep from sitting there, causing me to limp along for a few seconds before the blood gets flowing again. This is my favorite time of any story I'm investigating. Digging up dirt, sneaking around, butting in where I'm not wanted. Might not be respectable, but sure as hell is fun. Though. If I can catch him red handed, I'll have the scoop of the year.

1:41:44 I'll be done with these shitty little news stories I've been covering for a year and a half. Just because I'm a woman, the chief gives me the most boring stories, imaginable flower festivals and craft fares. Fucking really catch him red handed. God knows what. I figure. He wouldn't have the body stashed here, right, Maybe he's got something of hers here. It's slim, but it's better than nothing. Teddy entered using a door marked office. Too risky trying to enter through there. Maybe I can find another way in an open window or something, preferably nothing that involves climbing. Me and heights don't get along too well since that case with that embezzling councilman in the high rise balconies.

1:42:31 Oh I'm in luck. I find a dumpster around the side of the warehouse. Above it is a large window. There's a horrible smell coming from the dumpster. The image of Susie's decomposing body pops into my head. Shit, no two ways about it. Now, I got a look. Fishing the small flashlight from my jacket, never leave home without it. I lift the lid of the dumpster. Thank god, I've got my riding gloves on. I shine the flashlight over the contents of the dumpster. There's a few black trash bags, some empty beer cans, some flattened cardboard boxes, and something else.

1:43:13 I can only see a little bit of it red bright red? Could it be Susie. I try to push some of the garbage out of the way, but it's too far down. I really really do not want to climb down there. I ease the lid back down and go hunting for something to extend my reach. After a little looking, I find a broken board from a wooden pallet. I head back to the dumpster and use it to push aside some of the trash while holding the flashlight in my other hand. Laying there under everything is what remains of a fair sized dog. The greasy cheeseburger I had for lunch almost makes a return appearance. I throw the board in and lower the lid. God, the dog looks like it was skinned. Not only skinned, but there's chunks missing, like somebody carved Fido up for lunch meat.

1:44:11 Who the hell would do that? Teddy got a dog meat fetish? That would be far out and make a hell of a headline. I decide to go back to why I'm here, checking out this warehouse and where Teddy got off to. I climb up onto the dumpster lid. The cold metal creaks under my weight one too many cheeseburgers. I try the window, but there's a wire mesh protecting it. That's what a high crime rate gets you. Worse. Yet, the glass is frosted, so peaking isn't possible. Damn their security and secrecy. I stand there, frustrated, trying to come up with another plan. That's when I hear a loud scream from inside shit. I jump down off the dumpster, trying not to break a leg in the process. I run around the side of the warehouse to where I saw the door marked office. Before I can pull it open, the door flies open of its own accord, knocking me on my ass and pushing the air from my lungs.

1:45:12 In the commotion, I see a vague man sized figure standing in the doorway back it with the light from within. I hear a groaning noise as it rushes past me. I try to get a good look as it runs away, but I'm too slow. I'm fairly sure it wasn't Teddy, but that's about all I'm sure of. I look off in the direction it went. I can try and follow or go in the warehouse. I decide to go into the warehouse. Whoever knocked me down left bloody footprints? What is going on here? Just to be safe, I pull a small double barreled derringer pistol from my jacket. I keep it for close encounters. Better safe than sorry. The mayor might be cleaning up the city, making it safer for the good people, but it can still be pretty dirty.

1:46:00 I pull open the door. There's a modest office inside, with desks, carpet and filing cabinets. The bloody footprints mar an otherwise decent carpet. Shame Making my way through the office, Following the bloody footprints back to their source, leads me into a hallway. The blood leads down the hallway to the main warehouse area, aisle upon aisle of metal shelves about ten feet high, each one crammed with boxes and crates of various sizes and shapes. As far as the eye can see. The blood trail ends in a large pool in the center of one of the aisles. There's nobody, just a hat looks like the kind of security guard might wear. A pained moan comes from somewhere in the back the guard maybe. I try to follow the sound, but get lost among the aisles. After a little fruitless searching, I give up. Hello, I call out, where are you?

1:47:01 Then I add I'm here to help. I was actually here, snooping. They don't need to know that. There's no answer. I try a couple more times, holding my breath and waiting for an answer. When finally here the voice says, weakly, a man's voice, I'm here. Keep talking to me, buddy, I holler back, I'll find you. After a few minutes, I find a very beat up Teddy Stoneberry in the rear of the warehouse. He slumped against a wood crate, a large gash on his forehead, another on his chest. His hair is matted with blood. What happened? I asked, kneeling down by him. Who he mutters? Who are you?

1:47:49 I need a good lie, Jenny Smith. I was passing by heard a scream. Not good, but it'll do. He's barely with it anyway. His wounds look prett pretty bad. He needs help, but the reporter in me overrides my natural instinct to help. Who did this to you? I ask? His only answer is a groan, his eyes closing as he slumps forward. I check him, still alive, trying to wake him. I shake him a little, Come on, teddy, stay with me. He groans again, his eyes opening and promptly closing once more. Fuck. Wanting to stop his bleeding somehow, I scan the area for a rag or something. That's when I see the room behind a stack of crates, almost hidden away. I rush over. The room is dark.

1:48:38 I pull out my flashlight. Looks like someone was being kept here. There's a stained mattress on the floor and some blankets. There's also a bowl with hunks of bloody meat. The smell of rotting meat and urine is overpowering. I back away, trying not to vomit. That goddamn cheeseburger, won't stay down? God, were they keeping Susie here? What the fuck did they do to her? I go back over to Teddy, suddenly not caring about helping him anymore. Angry, I shake him hard till he moans, his eyes fluttering open. Who did you have here? Who? He mumbles, his head drooping forward. Hey, hey, I slap his face, leaving a red mark. Stay awake, Teddy, Come on, who is in that room? Susie? He laughs, coughing on his blood. Susie? Who, Susie?

1:49:34 Cue in that room? I point, were you keeping her there? Teddy coughs, spitting out some blood right onto my cheek. Thanks. He grabs my left arm. Tight. Brother, brother's here, he says, before finally going out again. His grip goes slack, his hand falling to his lap. Brother, Your brother's dead, I say, even the we can't hear me off in the distance. Somewhere in the warehouse, there's an excited whoop. Then one by one, each row of lights goes out, leaving Teddy and I in the darkness. Play play want to play?

1:50:15 A hideous voice calls out from somewhere in the pitch blackness. Deck Someone something runs through the warehouse. I click the flashlight on. The light beam dances around as my arm trembles. In my other hand, I grip the pistol tight. It's only two shots, but right now it's all I got play. I jump as a box comes crashing down off of one of the shelves a few feet behind me. I shine the flashlight upwards and catch a glimpse of a mangled bare foot. As somebody runs along the top of the shelves, I hear a noise and stop dead in my tracks. Another large crate crashes into the floor in front of me. I raise my arms as wood splinters and bottles why at me. I drop the flashlight in the process. As it rolls away from me. I catch a brief glimpse of an open space on one of the bottom shelves to my left. I use it to dart through into the next aisle, anything to distance myself from whoever is up there. I cross the next aisle until I come to another row of shelves. I press my back against it, using my hand in the darkness to inch along it, trying to head in the direction of the hallway. Drip, drip, drip. I stop moving water, a leak maybe drip drip drip nearby. Reaching out in front of me, A drop hits my hand warm. I pull my hand back, all it's right over there. A

1:51:46 large rough hand tries to grab me by the head, knocking my hat off. I push away from the shelves, trying to run, but they grab at my hair, yanking me back. Don't break down, it says the pistol. It's only two in the dark, I'd be firing blind, but I've got to risk it. I angle it up towards where I think it is, listening for its breathing. I squeeze the trigger. A bright flash in the darkness and an explosion of sound over the ringing of my ears. I hear it let out a loud scream, letting me go in the process. This is all I need. As I run, there's light ahead. I'm not sure if it's from outside or just my eyes reacting to the muzzle flash of the pistol. At this point, I don't care which it is. Running towards it, I hit something in the darkness. I go down on my knees hard frantically.

1:52:36 I pull myself up, limping forward towards the light. The light is all I have. Closer, closer, I reach the light. It's the office. Adrenaline surges through me as a way out looms ahead. I reach for the metal bar of the door. My hands feel the coolness of it. Freedom. Then reality's large, rough hands grab me by the hair, yanking me away from the door. Bat all My hands fly out, grabbing at anything to hold onto. They latch onto the corner of a desk. I kick at my attacker, digging my boots into their legs and bare feet. Howling in frustration, they throw me over one of the desks. I tumble over, colliding with a chair and crash to the carpeted floor. I lie there. The carpet really is nice.

1:53:22 I get take a nap here, Dolly, No, don't lie down and die. Fight. I see it there, just under the desk, a letter opener. I pull myself towards it, fingers outstretched. Crawl Sam almost there, bat at Dolly. A shadow falls over me. It's here, got it. My fingers wrapped around the plastic handle of the letter opener. I roll over, coming face to face with it with him. He looks down at me. His face was once handsome, but it's marred by horrible scars, now old burns, healed over drool hangs from his lip like a pendulum. Sparse tufts of hair dot his fire ravaged head, the right cheek of which is partially burned away, leaving a gaping hole.

1:54:12 Jagged bone poking through savage, bloody teeth line his mouth. How can somebody live like that? He reaches for me, his large, coarse left hand, caked and dried blood. The right arm hangs limp, a large bloody wound just below the shoulder. Is that where I shot him? Broken? Dolly? He says the words, whistling through his exposed cheek, his hand gently stroking my face. I fix. He grabs me by the throat, his grip tightening. Lord, he's going to pop my head off. I lash out with the letter opener, stabbing him in the neck with the blade, the handle snapping off in the process. He stumbles back, the blade stuck in his ne He pulls it out, blood jetting in big red spurts. I pick myself up off the floor, barely able to stand, gasping for air. He looks at me, panicked as his life drains away, Sadness in his eyes freading, he says, reaching out with his hand before tumbling backwards into a desk. He comes to a rest on the carpet, blood pooling around him. Damn, now the carpet's going to really be ruined. I stumble outside, the cold air waking me up, its bitterness rushing through my lungs. I hear sirens in the distance. Are they coming here? I could

1:55:43 go to my motorcycle, it's parked not far from here, stashed behind a shipping container. Disappear or stay. After a few moments of debating, I decide to stay. I really don't feel like walking. I sit down on the cold co and wait. Three hours later, I sit at a desk in the twelfth Precinct police station, sipping a very bad cup of coffee. It couldn't be more welcome at this moment. What a Fool Believes by the Doobie Brothers is playing on one of the detective's radios. The hardwood chair under my ass isn't doing me any favors. I thought that that crate was bad. I'm gonna feel like shit tomorrow. The police have grilled me over and over.

1:56:31 There was no use lying to them about why I was there. I already have a bad reputation with the boys in Blue. From what I've gathered, Teddy is still alive. The thing that knocked me down outside the warehouse and left behind a trail of blood. Turns out that was a security guard at the warehouse, got half his face bit off. Seems Teddy was paying him under the table, keeping his burnt brother there under lock and key. At least that's who I think it was. Did that crazy meat Loaf kill Susie? I think so, even though I have no proof and no way of proving it. Maybe Loaf was the dirty family secret, a secret that got free.

1:57:18 But it's not a story I'll ever get to tell. Teddy's family lawyer showed up about an hour ago. After some words with the detectives, I was given a choice keep quiet or face numerous charges, including trespassing, gun possession, and murder. What a fucking laugh. That is. Sure I shouldn't have been there, but Loaf, that was self defense. But I don't have the money to fight Teddy's team of lawyers, and I sure as hell don't like the thought of prison bars. Jimmy Quinn, my very put upon sidekick, and fotog comes marching up to the stairs outside the detective's bullpen, looking like I just woke him up from either a great dream or a hangover. He raises his arm up. This is becoming all too common, Sam, I shrug.

1:58:11 What can I say? He runs a hand through his messy hair. Weren't you supposed to be covering a spring flower show? A show got canceled. Take a last sip of the coffee before standing. Get my motorcycle, He tosses me the keys, right where you said it would be. Would you drive? I ask, stretching and yawning. All right in the sidecar. We walked towards the stairs. You know there's an all night Chinese place down the block from my place. Good old Quinn, always trying. Maybe one of these days I'll give in. Maybe all night. Huh, Well, I could go for some General So's chicken. And then he asks, looking a little awkward, hope in his eyes.

1:59:02 Then I'm going home to sleep alone. I could see how disappointed he was. Think I'll get shoot out by the chief, I ask, already knowing the answer for sure. Outside the cold air hits my face. I couldn't get the image of poor loaf out of my head, and the thought that poor Susy would never have justice. As tired as I am, I don't think sleep will come easy tonight. Well, my spooks, if you made it through all that in one piece, go ahead and count your fingers, check your reflection, make sure your shadow is still attached, because tonight we wandered through some very bad places. Rooms where doctors become ghosts. For us, it's where the food chain gets personal, and hidden corners where family secrets grow teeth.

2:00:08 There's a certain comfort in ordinary horror, a creaking floorboard, a dark hallway, a face in the window. But body horror, it's a different beast, isn't it. It doesn't just ask what's out there in the dark. It asks what's happening under your skin. It asks whether the monster is chasing you or really the monster is already using your hands. And mad science, well, mad science is just human arrogance with better lighting, a clipboard, a locked door, and a little funding and a little secrecy, and a little voice saying what's the worst that could happen? Then the power goes out, the cage opens, the trees start moving, the warehouse, it starts breathing, and suddenly somebody's last words are probably something very scientific like oh shit, so sleep tight tonight, my spookies. Try not to think about every electrical socket in the room. Try not to wonder what's moving in the woods. Try not to imagine what might be locked away in some forgotten building with a family name on the deed and something wet dragging itself across the floor.

2:01:40 And if you hear a sound in the walls, a scratch, a squeal, a crackle, a whisper saying it only wants to play, well maybe don't investigate. That's how they get you. Until next time. Stay creepy, my spookies.