July 4, 2026

Cannibals & Cursed Ground | Late Night Horror Anthology With Supernatural Revenge

Cannibals & Cursed Ground | Late Night Horror Anthology With Supernatural Revenge
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Four terrifying tales of isolation and predation: a waterfall campsite, lonely Ohio highway, Halloween prank, and deserted rest area become hunting grounds for serial killers, cannibals, and shapeshifting monsters. This late night horror anthology blends true crime terror with supernatural revenge and desperate fights for survival—expertly narrated for maximum chills.

“Fortune Falls” — by David O’Hanlon
Two college friends secretly camp beside a remote Oregon waterfall, but their plans to witness its beautiful sunrise are interrupted by a mysterious cowboy, a speeding truck, and an ax.
“Roadkill” — by Travis VanHoose
An arrogant Ohio photographer earns his first major success by transforming roadside death into art—until two strange hitchhikers confront him over the animals he deliberately left behind.
“Old Jerry” — by R.T. Raynaud
A Halloween prankster enters the neighborhood recluse’s homemade haunted house and discovers that Old Jerry has a vicious sense of humor, a failing power saw, and an appetite no amount of candy could satisfy.
“The Rest Area” — by Rob Fields
Two friends stop at an isolated Ohio rest area and play one frightening prank too many—awakening the attention of an escaped ax murderer who has been searching for his next meal.

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📬 Contact Us / Submit Your Horror Story!


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

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Welcome back, my spookys. Tonight, every road leads somewhere worse.

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A mountain waterfall promising a beautiful sunrise hides a man

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who only comes alive after dark. A deserted stretch of

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Ohio asphalt remembers every creature left broken beside it. One

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neighborhood porch light welcomes tricker treaters into a house where

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the tricks are cruel and the treats are still screaming.

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And at a lonely rest area, an old roadside legend

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is waiting with an axe and a terrible appetite. These

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are stories about places we pass without a second thought, campsites,

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country roads, quiet houses, and glowing rest stops. After midnight,

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even the most ordinary destination can become a hunting ground.

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So check the back seat, ignore that hitchhiker, and keep

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on driving. When the next rest area appears, turn down

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the lights, turn up the volume, and prepare yourself for

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four terrifying tales of killers, cannibals, monsters, and deadly detours.

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And make sure you're subscribed on your favorite podcast app,

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because every Wednesday we bring you a brand new terror tale,

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whether you like it or not. Now, let's begin Fortune

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Falls by David O'Hanlon. Janine and Rose were on summer

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break from their third year at the University of Kansas.

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Being from a flat, landlocked wasteland, the Lady Jayhawks usually

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took their breaks on a beach in Galveston. Then something

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immensely terrifying it happened the previous year. They'd been on

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the beach for three days. Between surf lessons and volleyball games,

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all anyone could talk about was this new movie opening

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that weekend. They decided to take a chance and join

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some of their friends for the first evening showing of

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Jaws the next day. They all just sat on the

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sand the day after and every day after that until

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it was time to return to school for the summer

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of seventy six. They decided they'd try something different and

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far away from the threat of shark attacks. Kansas didn't

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have been but it didn't have mountains either. Oregon was

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Jeanine's idea, and Rose had fallen in love with it.

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She studied the maps and picked the route for their

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journey of self discovery. Five days of backpacking and camping

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from the isolated town of Sheldon to the Silver Creek lodge,

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where they'd celebrate with a final day floating lazily down

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the Snake River. We should just camp here, Janine said.

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It's going to be dark soon, and we still kind

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of suck at setting up the tent. The signs say

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overnight camping is prohibited. Rose replied that couple said it

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was only eight miles to the next town. We'd be

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lucky to do that in three hours, Rosy. Besides, everyone

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we've talked to has said that we need to see

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this waterfall at sunrise. We already missed it this morning

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because you didn't want to get a ride from that trucker,

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because hitchhiking is dangerous, she scoffed. And that guy was gross.

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He looked like an evil Jerry Garcia. Scary Garcia, Janine said,

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with a giggle. Come on, Rosie, everyone's leaving the park anyway.

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No one will know we're here. Worst case, some ranger

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smith guy comes by and we make dough eyes at

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him until he just gives us a warning. Rose seemed

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to consider it. She looked over to the parking area,

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and Jeanine was correct. Almost everyone had already cleared out.

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The park. Rangers wouldn't lock the gate until sundown, but

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with less than an hour to go, there wasn't much

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to do except feed the mosquitoes. A family of was

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packing everything into their station wagon, a couple of teams

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made out on a park bench, local kids played the

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last downs of their football game, and a red pickup

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truck sat unoccupied in the far corner of the lot.

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No one would be around to notice them, and it

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would be nice to see the waterfall at first light.

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That had been their original plan, after hearing about it

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from a couple at a diner two days earlier. The

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locals called it Fortune Falls because the water broke up

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and sparkled like a cascade of diamonds at sunrise. Roses

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better safe than sorry approach had set them back hours. However,

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when they arrived at noon, the site was anything but impressive.

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The waterfall wasn't particularly large and only descended some fifty

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feet to the punch bowl below. After the big show

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at dawn, most people moved along to the larger recreational areas.

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It did seem unlikely park services would spend much time

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locking down the tiny Fortune Fall site. An engine turned

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over and rose glanced around again. The station wagon was

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ready to go. The winning football team was high fiving

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while the losers collected their bikes from the lawn, and

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the makeout session was getting hot enough that it would

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soon need to move to a more private location. That

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red truck still sat there. However, an ominous feeling came

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over Rows, but she shrugged it off. She always had

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an ominous feeling. It seemed okay, we can stay, she conceded,

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but we'd better not get caught. Janine used the sawback

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of the survival knife to split a thick limb. She

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tossed one half into the fire and stuck the knife

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into the ground next to her. Janine's boyfriend, Howard, was

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in the rotc back home. He'd insisted she'd take the

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knife along, joking that she could use the compass on

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the pommel to find her way back home. Janine watched

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the needle settle and look to the southeast. She knew

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that somewhere beyond the expansive wilderness was Kansas. She'd never

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liked it there, over the last three days, she'd come

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to like it even less. It was boring in every

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possible way, right down to the men, she thought. As

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she pulled Howard's knife from the earth. Two more days

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and we'll be at the river, Rose said, folding her map.

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There's so much more stuff to see. We could come

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here every summer, and I don't think we'd ever find

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it all. I don't think I want to come here

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next summer, Janine whittled at the end of the stick. Jesus, Rosie,

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just look at it. How could anyone go back to

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Kansas once they've seen all this?

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Like?

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You want to transfer here? Why not? The university is

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a few hundred miles that way, she pointed with the knife,

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then checked the compass and corrected her aim. That way.

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There's an entire ocean nearby, an ocean that's too cold

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for sharks too. Didn't Jaws take place in New England? Okay,

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so maybe they still have sharks. But there's a whole

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state of this. She gestured to the deep black wilderness

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around them. Have you met anyone boring in the last

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few days? I'm sure I have. Rose couldn't think of

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any When did you decide this? I haven't decided anything,

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Janine sheathed the knife and inspected the point she'd put

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on the limb. Everywhere we've been this week has been

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so alive Kansas is just an after birth. It's like

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God ran out of ideas and just left the canvas

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blank when he made it. What about Howard, the boys

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are cuter, Rose laughed. She didn't necessarily agree with her friend,

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but there was a ruggedness about the Oregon mountain men

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they'd encountered that was lacking in the Kansas stock. Howard

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is sweet, Janine continued, But all he can think about

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is the future. How can anyone give a rat's ass

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about the future when we have all this right now?

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Maybe you're right. We got an eight mile hike tomorrow

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to talk about it. Rose said, Let's get some rest.

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We don't want to miss the sunrise showing. We can

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make sure we have the best view before the gates

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even open. It's going to be magical. Yeah, Janine tossed

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the wooden spike into the fire. There's a lot to

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see tomorrow. The tent lit up suddenly from the outside.

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The bright light shone through the nihil, turning the structure

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into an oversized lantern and roused the girls from their slumber.

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Jeanine rubbed her eyes, trying to clear away confusion. With

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the sleepiness. Rose groaned and rolled over in her sleeping bag.

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It cannot be mourning already, she mumbled, it's not. Jeanine

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sat up sharply. She could hear the gentle rumble of

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a truck engine outside. Shit, I think we're busted. Rosy

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Rose said something, but the words were lost in the

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sudden rumble of the motor. The light became more intense

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as the headlights rushed closer. The shower of earth and

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rocks thrown up by the truck tires rained noisily through

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the tree branches. Janine watched as the tense, thin skin

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glowed brighter and brighter until the side collapsed and rushed

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towards her. Wrapped around a half ton of Detroit steel,

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Jeanine couldn't comprehend what was happening, or that the thing

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that struck her was the truck's bumper. Suddenly it was

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dark again. The ravaged tent lay draped over the women.

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Rose was silent. Jeanine felt a crushing weight on her

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right arm. She tried to move it, but the appendage

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wouldn't budge. She pulled harder. A lightning bolt shot threw

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her fingertips to her elbow. From the effort, Rosie, she

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cried out a gentle sob answered her. The tent rustled wildly.

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I can't move, Rose, Janine said, what's happening? Rose sniffled.

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She fought with the nylon, clawing and punching at the

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tent as it collapsed on top of her. Her voice

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grew panicked and shrill. I can't, I can't get this

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off me. Why is this happening? The truck pulled forward,

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releasing Janine's arm from beneath its tire. The ground moved

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beneath them. Rose screamed. The tent was caught on the truck.

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They were being dragged. The fabric tore, but not enough

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to get free. Janine pulled her injured arm close to

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her body and rolled over, looking for a way out.

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The engine growled as the driver hit the gas. Rocks

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and branches tore through the bottom. As the tent sped

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along behind the vehicle, deeper into the woods. It finally

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came free. The truck's tires slid loudly to a stop.

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Rose found a tear and worked at it with both hands,

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forcing it open until she could get through Janine. She

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searched the ruins of the tent for her friend, finding

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a body shaped lump beneath Janine. Get me out of here, Rosie.

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I'm hurt, bad, I will Oh my god, We're in

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big trouble. Rose stared at the truck, unable to look away.

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She could only discern the outline of the vehicle in

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the moonlight, but was convinced that it was the red

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pickup truck from earlier. The truck reversed, turning around slowly.

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The back bumper crunched against a tree. The noise snapped

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Rose out of her paralysis. She wrestled the tent off

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of Jeanine and gasped. Her friend's face was a mask

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of blood. Her forehead was split open in a large gash,

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showing bone beneath. Rose moved the flap of flesh back

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over the exposed skull. The headlights shined fully upon them

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as the truck finished writing itself. Rose leaned close to Jeanine.

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Stay really still, she whispered, don't make a sound. The

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engine revved. The driver did it two more times, letting

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the women know he could run them down with ease.

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Then the door swung open. A man stepped out of

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the vehicle, but leaned back inside to get something. He

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stepped in front of the lights, casting a long shadow

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over the women. Rose couldn't see any of the man's

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features except the distinctive shape of a cowboy hat atop

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his head, and then the even more distinctive shape of

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the axe held at his side. Why are you doing this,

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she asked shakily. She clenched her teeth and drew a

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deep breath. She blew it out and asked again, with

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more force, why are you doing this? What do you want?

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The cowboy moved towards her without a word. He swung

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the axe on to his shoulder. His walk was cocky

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and nonchalant. He looked like he was out for a

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casual stroll. Janine groaned and Rose shushed her quietly, praying

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the cowboy didn't hear. If he did, he didn't let on.

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He just kept walking closer. Please stop this, Rose shouted.

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She pushed her hands out in front of her. Just

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leave us alone. The cowboy swung the axe one handed.

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The blade whooshed by harmlessly, and he placed it on

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the opposite shoulder, spitting tobacco juice playfully at Rose. He

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took a backhand swing. Rose fell felt the hit, but

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didn't realize the gravity of it until the three stumps

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on her right hand spurret it. Before she could respond,

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the cowboy took a two handed chop, it struck with

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the sound of a gunshot, and flung her into the dirt.

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Rose wheezed air sputtered wetly out of her collapsing lung.

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She rolled over, hugged her chest, broken ribs gouged into

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her palm. Janine shifted carefully in the tent. Her legs

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were still inside the sleeping bag. She moved slowly to

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wipe her eyes with shredded tent fabric, being careful not

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to draw attention to herself. Everything was blurry, but simultaneously

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all tis clear. She could see the cowboy and the axe,

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00:19:04.839 --> 00:19:10.640
and her best friend laying on the ground. She closed

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00:19:10.640 --> 00:19:15.519
her eyes again, but it didn't protect her from what

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came next. She listened to the crack of the axe

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00:19:21.200 --> 00:19:31.119
striking Rose again. Why. Rose asked why. The cowboy answered

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her with another chop. Rose kept repeating the word, and

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their attacker continued to respond the same way. Sharp cracks

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became softer, wetter. Rose's voice got weaker, and then went

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silent entirely. Two more chops followed. Janine dared to look

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00:19:59.519 --> 00:20:05.680
once more. The cowboy was kneeling over Rose. He sat

229
00:20:05.720 --> 00:20:11.359
on her hips and leaned on his axe. Janine carefully

230
00:20:12.079 --> 00:20:18.240
crawled free. The blood pouring down her face slipped past

231
00:20:18.319 --> 00:20:22.720
her lips. She knew she'd be tasting a lot more

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of it. If the cowboy spotted her, he probably thought

233
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she was dead already. She could have laid there until

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he left, but maybe he wouldn't have. Maybe he would

235
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have used the axe to make sure she couldn't take

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the risk. She knew begging wouldn't work. It hadn't for Rose.

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Once her legs were free, she brought herself into a

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crouch and glanced over her shoulder. The cowboy was standing,

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00:21:02.279 --> 00:21:08.400
but still seemed focused on Rose. Janine wiped her eyes again.

240
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She kneaded a few seconds of clear vision. She pushed

241
00:21:14.119 --> 00:21:18.440
off in a dead sprint for the running truck. She

242
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heard a frustrated curse from the cowboy. Janine stumbled, bouncing

243
00:21:23.839 --> 00:21:28.319
off the bumper. She pulled herself up and whipped inside

244
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the cab. Her injured hand struggled with the shifter, forcing

245
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her to use her left. The cowboy ran at her

246
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in the headlights. Janine stomped the gas pedal down. The

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tires spun and threw up dirt. They gained traction as

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the cowboy grabbed the open door. The truck jolted forward.

249
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The cowboy stumbled, tossing himself over the side of the

250
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truck bed. Jeanine swerved around a tree. The rear window shattered,

251
00:22:05.079 --> 00:22:08.119
and the cowboy boots struck her in the back of

252
00:22:08.160 --> 00:22:12.720
the head. The truck veered hard, throwing her out of

253
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the open door. It plowed into a stump. The cowboy

254
00:22:18.400 --> 00:22:25.039
flew over the vehicle and disappeared into the darkness. Jeanine

255
00:22:25.200 --> 00:22:31.759
climbed woozily to her feet. She ran the trees, blocked

256
00:22:31.799 --> 00:22:37.599
the pitiful moonlight. Branches tore at her skin to tritas

257
00:22:37.640 --> 00:22:42.920
stabbed into her feet. She bounced off the trees and

258
00:22:43.039 --> 00:22:50.039
kept on running. She was terrified. She was blind, she

259
00:22:50.279 --> 00:23:03.000
was hurt, she was heartbroken. She was flying. Jeanine laid

260
00:23:03.119 --> 00:23:08.119
against the rocks. The water gently sloshed over her face

261
00:23:08.759 --> 00:23:12.920
and down her throat, choking her back into the world

262
00:23:13.000 --> 00:23:18.200
of the living. The waterfall poured down across the pool

263
00:23:18.319 --> 00:23:23.200
from her. She blindly ran straight over the edge in

264
00:23:23.319 --> 00:23:28.200
her desperate escape. It was still dark out, but there

265
00:23:28.279 --> 00:23:31.799
was nothing blocking the moon at the waterfall, and she

266
00:23:31.839 --> 00:23:35.880
could inspect the damage to her arm for the first time.

267
00:23:36.920 --> 00:23:41.880
It was swollen, with the skin deeply miscolored. She could

268
00:23:41.880 --> 00:23:45.720
move her fingers, but the pain made her wish she couldn't.

269
00:23:46.559 --> 00:23:51.799
She knew it was definitely broken. She risked touching her forehead.

270
00:23:52.480 --> 00:23:55.720
It wasn't bleeding as badly as she feared, but she

271
00:23:55.880 --> 00:23:59.559
chalked that up to being almost out of blood. She

272
00:23:59.640 --> 00:24:04.880
knew Rose was dead. She'd laid there and listened to

273
00:24:05.000 --> 00:24:11.279
her best friend die. No you didn't, she reminded herself.

274
00:24:12.400 --> 00:24:16.720
You don't know she's dead. Janine looked around for any

275
00:24:16.880 --> 00:24:21.519
sign of the cowboy. Not finding any, she worked her

276
00:24:21.599 --> 00:24:26.079
way onto the rocks and began her hike back to

277
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the campsite. She checked her watch. It was a dainty,

278
00:24:31.519 --> 00:24:35.799
pretty thing that she'd picked out for esthetics and not

279
00:24:36.039 --> 00:24:40.319
its ability to survive a fifty foot fall into a pond.

280
00:24:41.559 --> 00:24:45.680
She put it close to her ear. It wasn't ticking.

281
00:24:47.119 --> 00:24:51.160
The time was stuck at three am, but she had

282
00:24:51.240 --> 00:24:55.319
no idea when it had stopped. What she did know

283
00:24:56.119 --> 00:24:59.720
was that meant there was less than three hours until

284
00:24:59.720 --> 00:25:04.119
the opened. She needed to get back to the campsite

285
00:25:04.640 --> 00:25:08.519
and check on Rose. Then she could wait for the

286
00:25:08.599 --> 00:25:13.960
rangers to come and open the park. The cowboy had

287
00:25:14.000 --> 00:25:18.160
to be gone. He couldn't know where Jeanine had run to.

288
00:25:18.480 --> 00:25:24.880
And that red truck, she remembered it was still there

289
00:25:25.000 --> 00:25:28.119
when we left to set up the tent. He would

290
00:25:28.119 --> 00:25:31.680
have to leave his truck to escape. He has to

291
00:25:31.720 --> 00:25:34.519
make sure I'm dead. He's still here.

292
00:25:36.480 --> 00:25:40.799
More scarce to come, weekly, Spooky, We'll be right back.

293
00:25:43.839 --> 00:25:47.359
She pulled herself from the punch bowl and started up

294
00:25:47.440 --> 00:25:52.559
the steep incline back to the campsite. Janine was sure

295
00:25:52.680 --> 00:25:57.119
the cowboy was looking for her. She wasn't going to

296
00:25:57.160 --> 00:26:01.119
make it easy for him. She had to serve. If

297
00:26:01.160 --> 00:26:05.119
she didn't, then there was nothing stopping that bastard from

298
00:26:05.160 --> 00:26:11.000
doing it again and again. Rose might not have even

299
00:26:11.119 --> 00:26:15.680
been his first, and she certainly wouldn't be his last.

300
00:26:16.599 --> 00:26:20.440
If Jeanine didn't get to the police, there'd be dead

301
00:26:20.559 --> 00:26:30.720
Roses all over Oregon. The hike back to the campsite

302
00:26:30.759 --> 00:26:34.839
came as close to killing Janine as the cowboy had.

303
00:26:35.839 --> 00:26:41.839
Her arm throbbed as she collapsed to her friend's side.

304
00:26:42.119 --> 00:26:47.079
Rose's face was gone, her arms ravaged where she tried

305
00:26:47.160 --> 00:26:53.400
to defend herself. There were no errant swings. The cowboy

306
00:26:53.519 --> 00:26:59.039
had practiced this, he'd killed before. Janine was sure of that.

307
00:27:00.440 --> 00:27:04.839
Rose hadn't wanted to camp there. If Jeanine had listened,

308
00:27:05.759 --> 00:27:11.839
none of it would be happening. I'm sorry, Rosie, she whimpered.

309
00:27:13.559 --> 00:27:20.000
This is all my fault, and I'm so sorry. Janine

310
00:27:20.160 --> 00:27:25.680
scoured at her tears, aggravating the head wound in the process.

311
00:27:26.839 --> 00:27:32.920
She looked around quickly. The truck was gone. There were

312
00:27:32.960 --> 00:27:38.240
no headlights shining anywhere in the woods, no flashlight searching

313
00:27:38.319 --> 00:27:42.799
for her trail. Janine tried to convince herself the cowboy

314
00:27:43.000 --> 00:27:49.160
was gone, but she didn't buy it. Maybe he's waiting

315
00:27:49.200 --> 00:27:53.400
for the Rangers himself. She thought he could say he

316
00:27:53.480 --> 00:27:58.039
got stuck inside and they'd just let him go. He'll

317
00:27:58.039 --> 00:28:02.559
be in Canada by the time they finds. That can't happen.

318
00:28:03.640 --> 00:28:10.480
It won't happen. I promise Rosie, it won't fucking happen.

319
00:28:12.000 --> 00:28:16.640
Janine rummaged through the wrecked tent until she found Howard's

320
00:28:16.680 --> 00:28:21.400
survival knife. She cut a strip of nylon and tied

321
00:28:21.440 --> 00:28:25.400
it around her head, pulling it tight to hold the

322
00:28:25.440 --> 00:28:30.079
flap of skin in place. A bent up aluminum tent

323
00:28:30.160 --> 00:28:34.839
post made a quick splint for her arm. Once the

324
00:28:34.880 --> 00:28:40.240
wounds were taken care of, it was time for other concerns.

325
00:28:40.799 --> 00:28:45.279
She'd helped her father cut firewood back home. Swinging an

326
00:28:45.319 --> 00:28:51.200
axe was exhausting and slow. She thrusted the knife into

327
00:28:51.240 --> 00:28:56.200
the air a few times. That wasn't slow at all.

328
00:28:57.359 --> 00:29:00.799
She found her belt and attached the kN knife to it,

329
00:29:01.519 --> 00:29:05.279
but could only manage to scrounge up a mixed pair

330
00:29:05.400 --> 00:29:10.279
of their hiking boots. Rose's pack was mangled, but the

331
00:29:10.319 --> 00:29:16.160
metal flashlight on the side had survived. Janine inspected rogue

332
00:29:16.279 --> 00:29:20.559
stitches on the face of the pack. The Jayhawk patch

333
00:29:20.680 --> 00:29:26.240
Rose carefully centered on it was missing. The idea of

334
00:29:26.319 --> 00:29:32.279
the cowboy taking a trophy turned her stomach. She envisioned

335
00:29:32.359 --> 00:29:37.039
him mounting the patch over his mantle with souvenirs from

336
00:29:37.119 --> 00:29:41.759
other kills, like the antlers her father had mounted back home.

337
00:29:43.440 --> 00:29:47.640
Janine took the light and started towards the parking lot.

338
00:29:48.920 --> 00:29:53.240
The red pickup was sitting in the corner spot, exactly

339
00:29:53.319 --> 00:29:58.119
where it had been before. Janine dropped behind a bush

340
00:29:58.640 --> 00:30:02.880
and watched for movement. There was still no sign of

341
00:30:02.920 --> 00:30:08.960
the occupant or any other axe swinging psychos. Janine stayed low,

342
00:30:09.759 --> 00:30:14.880
crawling along the perimeter of the lot. With still no

343
00:30:15.119 --> 00:30:20.440
cowboy present, Janine made her move on the truck. She

344
00:30:20.599 --> 00:30:24.359
broke into a crouching run and rolled to the side

345
00:30:24.359 --> 00:30:28.240
of the vehicle. It hurt more than the TV shows

346
00:30:28.319 --> 00:30:33.640
led her to believe. Her heart skipped. A sudden dread

347
00:30:34.240 --> 00:30:40.400
washed over her. There was something wrong, or, more correctly,

348
00:30:41.480 --> 00:30:46.079
nothing was wrong. She peeked around the front of the

349
00:30:46.200 --> 00:30:51.519
truck to inspect the bumper. It was rusty and dinged up,

350
00:30:52.000 --> 00:30:55.599
but she'd seen the truck wrack into a tree. The

351
00:30:55.720 --> 00:30:59.680
crash she'd heard must have done more than a few dents.

352
00:31:00.839 --> 00:31:04.519
She moved down the side and checked the back glass.

353
00:31:05.880 --> 00:31:12.400
It was intact. It wasn't the cowboy's truck, So where

354
00:31:12.440 --> 00:31:17.480
the hell is he? She looked around frantically. There were

355
00:31:17.680 --> 00:31:23.680
no other trucks, no other anything. She was completely alone.

356
00:31:24.119 --> 00:31:28.119
As far as she could tell. She'd seen the tire

357
00:31:28.200 --> 00:31:31.480
tracks all the way from their camp site back to

358
00:31:31.559 --> 00:31:36.359
the parking lot. Rose's killer had definitely driven out the

359
00:31:36.440 --> 00:31:40.759
same way he'd come in. She clicked on the flashlight

360
00:31:41.440 --> 00:31:46.759
and set out for clues. She shined high first, hoping

361
00:31:46.839 --> 00:31:50.359
to catch a glint off the truck, or to spotlight

362
00:31:50.839 --> 00:31:55.119
the sun of a bitch himself. When that didn't work,

363
00:31:55.759 --> 00:32:00.599
she moved the light down to search for tracks. A

364
00:32:00.640 --> 00:32:06.359
metal door clanged behind her. Jeanine spun, waving the flashlight

365
00:32:06.440 --> 00:32:11.680
around for the source. She froze. The light hung on

366
00:32:11.799 --> 00:32:18.480
the blocky concrete building that housed the bathrooms. Each had

367
00:32:18.519 --> 00:32:22.200
a steel outer door that could be padlocked during the

368
00:32:22.279 --> 00:32:28.680
off season. Jeanine snuck to the restrooms and waited. She

369
00:32:28.799 --> 00:32:32.960
didn't hear anyone inside, but knew the door was too

370
00:32:33.079 --> 00:32:37.680
heavy to have blown in the barely present breeze. She

371
00:32:37.880 --> 00:32:42.960
sat the flashlight down on the archaic water fountain. Jeanine

372
00:32:43.119 --> 00:32:47.240
drew the knife. It was uncomfortable in her left hand,

373
00:32:47.720 --> 00:32:50.640
but it was going to be a lot more uncomfortable

374
00:32:51.319 --> 00:32:55.839
in the cowboy's belly. She pulled the outer door and

375
00:32:56.000 --> 00:33:00.359
pushed the other inward with her foot. No one chopped

376
00:33:00.400 --> 00:33:06.039
it off. Janine sprang inside, keeping the knife close to

377
00:33:06.119 --> 00:33:10.440
her body. A chunky, disheveled man threw his hands into

378
00:33:10.480 --> 00:33:15.400
the air, hiking his keep on truckin shirt over his belly.

379
00:33:16.440 --> 00:33:21.400
His eyes flicked to the knife. Fuck shit, He shook

380
00:33:21.440 --> 00:33:27.839
his head violently. Be cool, Be cool, you motherfucker. Janine hissed,

381
00:33:28.400 --> 00:33:33.880
where is it? Where's the truck right outside? The man

382
00:33:34.000 --> 00:33:40.839
pointed shakily, Not that truck. That's the only one I got.

383
00:33:41.599 --> 00:33:45.559
The man shrugged. I know the sign says no camping,

384
00:33:45.680 --> 00:33:50.160
but stabbing is a bit fucking extreme. Lady, aren't you

385
00:33:50.240 --> 00:33:55.240
supposed to write me a ticket or something camping? Who

386
00:33:55.279 --> 00:33:59.759
are you Phil? Why did you try to kill me?

387
00:34:01.000 --> 00:34:04.720
Kill you, lady, I went to jail for being a

388
00:34:04.799 --> 00:34:11.880
conscientious objector. I don't even kill bugs. The park is closed,

389
00:34:12.400 --> 00:34:18.119
Janine snapped, Why are you here? Fleetwood Mac is playing

390
00:34:18.119 --> 00:34:23.039
in Boise this weekend? He let his hands fall, slapping

391
00:34:23.119 --> 00:34:27.400
against his thighs. I stopped here to score some weed

392
00:34:27.480 --> 00:34:31.079
from a buddy had got super baked and fell asleep

393
00:34:31.119 --> 00:34:34.239
by the falls. By the time I got back, the

394
00:34:34.320 --> 00:34:38.519
gate was locked. Janine hadn't gotten a good look at

395
00:34:38.519 --> 00:34:43.039
the cowboy, but she was sure he had been slimmer

396
00:34:43.760 --> 00:34:49.960
and taller and didn't reek of marijuana. She leaned against

397
00:34:49.960 --> 00:34:55.440
the wall and started to cry. If Phil wasn't the cowboy,

398
00:34:56.079 --> 00:35:01.239
then she'd failed, and the axe murderer had escaped. Phil

399
00:35:01.360 --> 00:35:05.679
took tentative steps towards her, patting the air as he went.

400
00:35:07.400 --> 00:35:12.880
Please don't stab me, he said softly. You look really

401
00:35:12.960 --> 00:35:15.960
banged up. Let's go to my truck and get you

402
00:35:16.039 --> 00:35:20.480
some help. It's a dodge, it'll crash right through that gate.

403
00:35:21.719 --> 00:35:27.159
What time you got, Janine asked, sheathing the knife. Phil

404
00:35:27.280 --> 00:35:32.199
checked his watch quarter past five, About an hour until

405
00:35:32.239 --> 00:35:36.480
anyone comes to rescue you. Guess that makes you my

406
00:35:37.599 --> 00:35:43.679
shining night. You uh drew the short straw, then he chuckled.

407
00:35:44.800 --> 00:35:48.360
Janine let Phil help her off the wall when a

408
00:35:48.400 --> 00:35:54.119
bright light assaulted her eyes. What are you two doing here,

409
00:35:54.920 --> 00:36:00.760
a strong masculine voice demanded. The park is closed. The

410
00:36:00.880 --> 00:36:05.239
man moved the light back and forth between their faces,

411
00:36:06.079 --> 00:36:10.320
keeping them both blinking and blocking their eyes with their hands.

412
00:36:10.960 --> 00:36:15.599
Whoa dude, chill with the light, Phil whined, This lady

413
00:36:15.639 --> 00:36:21.920
needs help. She was attacked, I know, the man said.

414
00:36:22.320 --> 00:36:27.159
The flashlight clattered to the floor. Janine's vision was blurred,

415
00:36:27.679 --> 00:36:31.800
but she could make out the curves of the cowboy hat.

416
00:36:32.599 --> 00:36:37.000
The axe split Phil's face and stopped in the back

417
00:36:37.039 --> 00:36:42.519
of his throat. Phil stumbled backwards, bounced off a stall,

418
00:36:43.159 --> 00:36:49.159
and came forward. Woo oie. The cowboy exclaimed, we got

419
00:36:49.199 --> 00:36:53.920
ourselves a dancer. He grabbed Janine by the hair and

420
00:36:54.079 --> 00:36:58.239
pulled her close to him. You see that, he asked,

421
00:36:58.880 --> 00:37:02.360
means he's dead, but his body don't know it. I

422
00:37:02.559 --> 00:37:06.400
love when that happens. I wonder if you'll be a dancer.

423
00:37:07.320 --> 00:37:10.679
What do you think, dollface, you want to dance with me?

424
00:37:11.519 --> 00:37:15.519
Janine pulled the knife and brought it down into the

425
00:37:15.599 --> 00:37:20.679
cowboy's thigh. He howled and let the axe fall. Janine

426
00:37:20.719 --> 00:37:26.360
twisted the blade and jerked back, but the knife didn't budge.

427
00:37:27.360 --> 00:37:31.440
She could see the strands of meat caught in the sawback.

428
00:37:32.679 --> 00:37:37.079
Since it wouldn't come out, she went back in. She

429
00:37:37.239 --> 00:37:41.239
worked the saw through his thigh until the cowboy whipped

430
00:37:41.280 --> 00:37:46.760
her away. Her face smashed into the wall, breaking teeth

431
00:37:46.840 --> 00:37:53.519
against the cinder blocks. Janine slumped down. The axe sparked

432
00:37:53.519 --> 00:37:57.840
off the wall. Janine rolled away. Her boots slipped in

433
00:37:57.920 --> 00:38:02.719
Phil's brains, and she toppled against the sink. The axe

434
00:38:02.760 --> 00:38:08.639
shattered the porcelain. It continued downward, hacking into Janine's foot.

435
00:38:08.880 --> 00:38:12.880
She fell on top of Phil. The cowboy straightened his

436
00:38:13.000 --> 00:38:17.400
hat and limped to her. He took the axe handle

437
00:38:17.480 --> 00:38:21.840
with both hands and rested the blade on Jeanine's forehead.

438
00:38:22.679 --> 00:38:26.960
He took each hand off in turn, rolling the wrists

439
00:38:27.000 --> 00:38:32.840
in preparation for the killing blow. Why are you doing this,

440
00:38:33.679 --> 00:38:38.519
Janine asked, Someday one of you will ask an original question.

441
00:38:39.119 --> 00:38:46.119
He said, it's always why. Well, Dolphace, why not how

442
00:38:46.159 --> 00:38:50.360
about that one? He raised the axe high to show

443
00:38:50.440 --> 00:38:56.039
his might. The asbestos tile overhead shattered, raining down dust

444
00:38:56.199 --> 00:39:01.360
around the cowboy. The distraction was just enough for Janine

445
00:39:01.880 --> 00:39:06.920
to move her head. The axe buried into Phil's body.

446
00:39:07.760 --> 00:39:11.800
The cowboy wrestled to free it from Phil's oversized belly.

447
00:39:12.719 --> 00:39:17.079
Janine kicked the protruding knife with her good leg. Her

448
00:39:17.119 --> 00:39:22.199
attacker fell, smacking his head on the wall. Tobacco juice

449
00:39:22.280 --> 00:39:28.000
rolled from his lips across his fancy Western shirt. Well,

450
00:39:28.039 --> 00:39:31.880
I'll be damned, doll face. He stretched for his hat

451
00:39:32.280 --> 00:39:36.599
and used the trash can to pull himself up. I reckon,

452
00:39:36.639 --> 00:39:40.880
that's a pretty fine answer to my question. He put

453
00:39:40.920 --> 00:39:46.000
his hat back on and unsnapped his shirt pocket. He

454
00:39:46.000 --> 00:39:50.199
held up something for Janine to see. He squeezed it

455
00:39:50.239 --> 00:39:54.519
into a ball and tossed it to her. I think

456
00:39:54.519 --> 00:39:58.360
I've had enough sport for tonight. Sooner rather than later,

457
00:39:59.440 --> 00:40:05.760
I'm going to see you dance, he promised. Then he

458
00:40:05.960 --> 00:40:12.039
was gone. Janine lifted the crumbled Jayhawk patch. She crawled

459
00:40:12.119 --> 00:40:17.639
frantically for the exit. A truck engine rumbled to life outside.

460
00:40:17.920 --> 00:40:20.920
Janine used the door handle to come to her knees

461
00:40:21.519 --> 00:40:26.119
and forced her way outside. Her face hit the ground.

462
00:40:27.159 --> 00:40:30.239
She pushed herself out into the lawn in time to

463
00:40:30.280 --> 00:40:34.840
see the dark blue Ford pulling from behind the outbuilding.

464
00:40:35.800 --> 00:40:39.599
Janine was helpless to stop him as he plowed through

465
00:40:39.679 --> 00:40:44.400
the gate. She rolled onto her back and held the

466
00:40:44.480 --> 00:40:49.199
patch to her chest. She watched moths bounce off the

467
00:40:49.320 --> 00:40:55.840
dim yellow light overhead. The sound of the truck faded out,

468
00:40:56.000 --> 00:41:01.920
and she laid there alone. Janine wondered if the cowboy

469
00:41:02.639 --> 00:41:07.519
was a man of his word, and somehow knew that

470
00:41:07.639 --> 00:41:13.920
he was. If she lived, he would find her, and

471
00:41:14.079 --> 00:41:19.199
if she lived, she'd make damn sure she was ready

472
00:41:19.239 --> 00:41:34.000
for him. Roadkill by Travis van House. Lucas Riggs was

473
00:41:34.039 --> 00:41:37.719
on top of the world. For years, he had struggled

474
00:41:37.719 --> 00:41:41.800
to make it as a professional photographer, a career he

475
00:41:41.840 --> 00:41:46.079
believed he was destined for. Yet he had never made

476
00:41:46.119 --> 00:41:49.519
a sale like the one he had just closed. He

477
00:41:49.559 --> 00:41:54.880
attributed his sudden success to the unorthodox and disturbing subject

478
00:41:55.000 --> 00:42:01.440
matter of his latest series of photographs. Buyers had placed

479
00:42:01.519 --> 00:42:05.960
competitive bids on the series, resulting in a crisp check

480
00:42:06.400 --> 00:42:12.280
for one hundred thousand dollars folded neatly in his back pocket.

481
00:42:12.719 --> 00:42:17.679
It's been a long time coming, Lucas thought. He always

482
00:42:17.719 --> 00:42:21.159
knew he was talented, and could hardly believe it had

483
00:42:21.199 --> 00:42:25.559
taken until age thirty three to get his first big break.

484
00:42:26.480 --> 00:42:29.719
He had flown home to Ohio with a shit eating

485
00:42:29.800 --> 00:42:33.639
grin plastered on his face. He was eager to spread

486
00:42:33.679 --> 00:42:38.480
the word of his good fortune. His few friends would

487
00:42:38.480 --> 00:42:42.440
refer to him as arrogant. They believed he expected the

488
00:42:42.480 --> 00:42:46.840
world to hand him everything on a silver platter, and

489
00:42:46.960 --> 00:42:52.039
his obsession with status defined him. They all knew he

490
00:42:52.159 --> 00:42:56.760
was living life on his parents' dime. Those in the

491
00:42:56.920 --> 00:43:01.440
art world despised him. Lucas had a habit of dismissing

492
00:43:01.480 --> 00:43:06.719
their work as amateurish and lacking inspiration, even though he

493
00:43:06.800 --> 00:43:11.199
had not sold a single peace since college. He was

494
00:43:11.239 --> 00:43:17.960
a hypocrite with many enemies. Lucas riggs his arrogance extended

495
00:43:18.119 --> 00:43:23.239
far beyond his photography, seeping into every aspect of his life,

496
00:43:24.000 --> 00:43:29.960
especially his interactions with women. Lucas believed he was God's

497
00:43:30.039 --> 00:43:33.920
gift to women and would seethe with rage whenever he

498
00:43:34.039 --> 00:43:38.280
was rejected. When he looked in the mirror, he saw

499
00:43:38.320 --> 00:43:43.320
a masterpiece and couldn't understand why any woman would ever

500
00:43:43.519 --> 00:43:48.480
consider turning him down. He believed they should feel honored

501
00:43:49.079 --> 00:43:53.360
to be in his presence. When a woman rejected him,

502
00:43:53.920 --> 00:43:57.960
he always found a way to get his revenge. He

503
00:43:58.079 --> 00:44:01.480
wasn't violent by nature, but he acted out when he

504
00:44:01.559 --> 00:44:06.320
felt slighted. Once he had been snubbed by a girl

505
00:44:06.360 --> 00:44:09.519
at a bar. When he saw her kissing another guy.

506
00:44:10.679 --> 00:44:15.039
Recognizing the cars she drove to the bar, he slashed

507
00:44:15.440 --> 00:44:21.119
all four tires with the switchblade he always carried. Physically,

508
00:44:21.280 --> 00:44:26.639
Lucas was undeniably attractive. He worked out and took care

509
00:44:26.679 --> 00:44:30.320
of his body. He had well defined muscles and a

510
00:44:30.400 --> 00:44:37.119
strong jawline. His arms were covered with expensive tattoos. His

511
00:44:37.280 --> 00:44:43.119
smile revealed full lips, perfect teeth, and deep dimples. His

512
00:44:43.239 --> 00:44:49.000
eyebrows and lashes were dark and striking, framing his hazel eyes.

513
00:44:50.000 --> 00:44:53.920
His hair short on the sides and tussled on top.

514
00:44:54.559 --> 00:44:59.079
Seemed casually perfect, though he spent at least half an

515
00:44:59.079 --> 00:45:03.559
hour each morning creating the just rolled out of bed look.

516
00:45:05.159 --> 00:45:09.400
Rolling down the window of his red BMW, Lucas lit

517
00:45:09.440 --> 00:45:13.559
a cigarette and cranked up the stereo. An old rock

518
00:45:13.639 --> 00:45:18.119
tune blasted through the speakers as he drummed his fingers

519
00:45:18.159 --> 00:45:22.159
in time with the music on the steering wheel. The

520
00:45:22.239 --> 00:45:26.119
cocaine he had snorted in the airport parking lot was

521
00:45:26.199 --> 00:45:30.400
still coursing through his veins, and his buzz was keeping

522
00:45:30.480 --> 00:45:34.480
him sharp and jittery. He couldn't wait to get home

523
00:45:35.079 --> 00:45:39.400
to keep the party going. The night stretched on as

524
00:45:39.440 --> 00:45:42.719
he drove down an old road known as Route seven

525
00:45:42.840 --> 00:45:47.880
forty seven that led to Rigg's Manor, where he lived

526
00:45:48.320 --> 00:45:52.840
with his wealthy parents. He had the guesthouse to himself

527
00:45:53.440 --> 00:45:57.639
and rarely engaged with his mother and father. In his mind,

528
00:45:58.159 --> 00:46:02.679
their only purpose was to fund the extravagant lifestyle he

529
00:46:02.719 --> 00:46:07.480
had been accustomed to since birth. He never said it

530
00:46:07.519 --> 00:46:11.400
out loud, but he couldn't wait until they died so

531
00:46:11.480 --> 00:46:15.559
he could inherit their fortune, something he felt he was

532
00:46:15.800 --> 00:46:21.400
entitled to. Lucas's father was a day trader, and his

533
00:46:21.559 --> 00:46:25.880
mother was a famous lifestyle blogger. Together, they brought in

534
00:46:26.039 --> 00:46:32.440
nearly thirty million dollars a year. Lucas couldn't understand why

535
00:46:32.480 --> 00:46:38.280
they lived in Ohio. He continuously encouraged them to relocate

536
00:46:38.360 --> 00:46:43.400
to the West Coast, but they refused, explaining that they

537
00:46:43.480 --> 00:46:48.519
loved the tranquility of their small Ohio town, hobbs End,

538
00:46:49.440 --> 00:46:53.679
believing it kept them grounded. They feared moving to a

539
00:46:53.719 --> 00:46:58.559
big city would change them and challenge their humility. Mister

540
00:46:58.760 --> 00:47:04.760
and missus Riggs knew they were solely responsible for Lucas's behavior.

541
00:47:05.679 --> 00:47:09.440
They spoiled him as a child and often discussed cutting

542
00:47:09.519 --> 00:47:12.320
him off to find his own way in the world,

543
00:47:13.119 --> 00:47:16.440
but neither of them could bear the guilt of actually

544
00:47:16.480 --> 00:47:21.360
doing it. Towering stalks of corn flanked the road the

545
00:47:21.400 --> 00:47:27.559
BMW was speeding down. Lucas's sharp eyes scanned the road ahead.

546
00:47:28.599 --> 00:47:32.840
The cocaine heightened his senses, and his wide eyes were

547
00:47:33.039 --> 00:47:38.159
overly alert. Deer were notorious for darting out from the

548
00:47:38.280 --> 00:47:41.400
sides of the road this time of year, and he

549
00:47:41.440 --> 00:47:48.559
had no intention of damaging his pristine BMW by hitting one.

550
00:47:49.079 --> 00:47:52.639
Just a month earlier, he hit a deer on this road,

551
00:47:53.360 --> 00:47:56.840
but unlike the others who might swerve to avoid the deer,

552
00:47:57.800 --> 00:48:09.280
Lucas deliberately hid it for his art. An art professor

553
00:48:09.400 --> 00:48:14.880
once told Lucas that there is beauty in everything, even death.

554
00:48:16.000 --> 00:48:19.599
He was referring to the vibrant hues of the leaves

555
00:48:19.760 --> 00:48:24.679
changing color in the fall, but Lucas took this to

556
00:48:24.760 --> 00:48:29.840
the extreme. His mind fixated on Route seven forty seven,

557
00:48:30.760 --> 00:48:35.519
the desolate stretch of road to his home. It was

558
00:48:35.599 --> 00:48:38.840
the kind of road where you could speed for miles

559
00:48:39.199 --> 00:48:43.800
before passing another car. For this reason, it was also

560
00:48:44.000 --> 00:48:49.639
littered with roadkill. All types of wildlife lived in the

561
00:48:49.679 --> 00:48:54.800
woods and fed in the cornfields surrounding the road. Almost

562
00:48:54.840 --> 00:48:59.320
everyone who lived along Route seven forty seven had at

563
00:48:59.360 --> 00:49:04.960
some point hit a helpless critter on this stretch of asphalt.

564
00:49:06.480 --> 00:49:09.440
Once a week, a city clean up crew arrived to

565
00:49:09.519 --> 00:49:15.039
collect and dispose of the dead carcasses. Lucas often wondered

566
00:49:15.400 --> 00:49:19.280
what type of man could do such a job. In

567
00:49:19.360 --> 00:49:24.599
his eyes, public waste workers were beneath him. What a

568
00:49:24.760 --> 00:49:29.719
sad fucking existence, he would think with a sneer when

569
00:49:29.719 --> 00:49:34.159
he saw them working. On more than one occasion, he'd

570
00:49:34.199 --> 00:49:37.239
even tossed an empty bottle from his window at them,

571
00:49:37.920 --> 00:49:44.800
his lips curling in satisfaction. Beauty in everything, even death,

572
00:49:46.000 --> 00:49:50.440
The professor's words echoed in Lucas's mind the day he

573
00:49:50.519 --> 00:49:54.280
pulled his car to the side of Route seven forty seven,

574
00:49:55.079 --> 00:49:59.159
where he spotted what looked like a dead raccoon in

575
00:49:59.239 --> 00:50:04.280
the middle of the Grabbing his camera, he slung the

576
00:50:04.320 --> 00:50:08.039
strap over his neck and stepped on to the hot asphalt.

577
00:50:08.880 --> 00:50:12.800
He could smell the decay as the animal rotted in

578
00:50:12.880 --> 00:50:18.800
the beating sun, but the odor didn't bother Lucas. To him,

579
00:50:19.280 --> 00:50:26.199
the scent represented art. When he arrived within touching distance

580
00:50:26.639 --> 00:50:31.280
of the dead and bloated animal, his brilliant white teeth

581
00:50:31.320 --> 00:50:35.559
appeared behind a smile that would have been disturbing if

582
00:50:35.599 --> 00:50:40.960
anyone else had witnessed it. Large black flies buzzed around

583
00:50:41.360 --> 00:50:46.119
the rotting corpse, and maggots were already feasting on the critter.

584
00:50:47.119 --> 00:50:50.360
A black beetle crawled from a hole where one of

585
00:50:50.400 --> 00:50:56.119
the raccoon's eyes used to be. Raising the camera, Lucas

586
00:50:56.199 --> 00:51:01.280
began shooting the raccoon. The camera clicked and the film

587
00:51:01.360 --> 00:51:08.360
inside rolled. As Lucas collected photograph after photograph, he knelt

588
00:51:08.400 --> 00:51:12.039
to adjust his angle, then lay flat on the hot

589
00:51:12.079 --> 00:51:17.320
asphalt to snap an even lower perspective of the poor animal.

590
00:51:18.480 --> 00:51:23.000
As he stood up, he noticed large black winged vultures

591
00:51:23.480 --> 00:51:29.480
circling above. Their slow, ominous movements told him they would

592
00:51:29.519 --> 00:51:34.039
descend to feast the moment he left, he made a

593
00:51:34.079 --> 00:51:38.440
mental note to return in a few hours to capture

594
00:51:38.639 --> 00:51:45.239
the gruesome act of the circle of life. Throughout that afternoon,

595
00:51:46.280 --> 00:51:53.000
Lucas captured what he considered beautiful photographs of raccoons, squirrels,

596
00:51:53.519 --> 00:51:57.760
a possum, and even a dog. He had found his

597
00:51:57.880 --> 00:52:02.840
inspiration in death and believed each photograph was a work

598
00:52:02.880 --> 00:52:11.679
of art. But he craved something more, something significant, smashed

599
00:52:12.079 --> 00:52:20.039
and strewn across the road, something big and fresh. Lucas

600
00:52:20.079 --> 00:52:23.119
spent the rest of the day developing film in his

601
00:52:23.239 --> 00:52:26.719
photo lab tucked in the back of the guesthouse of

602
00:52:26.840 --> 00:52:31.239
Riggs Manor. His parents had paid for every piece of

603
00:52:31.360 --> 00:52:36.920
expensive equipment. As he watched the pictures slowly develop, he

604
00:52:37.039 --> 00:52:41.679
was consumed with excitement. He had never seen something so

605
00:52:42.519 --> 00:52:47.679
beautiful as the entrails of roadkills spilled on Route seven

606
00:52:47.800 --> 00:52:52.199
forty seven. He was amazed at how the white maggots

607
00:52:52.719 --> 00:52:58.119
shined in the bloody folds of the dark fur. This

608
00:52:58.320 --> 00:53:03.159
calls for a celebration, Lucas said aloud, patting himself on

609
00:53:03.239 --> 00:53:07.800
the back. As he admired his work. He poured himself

610
00:53:07.960 --> 00:53:12.039
tall glasses of whiskey and coke, and he was thoroughly

611
00:53:12.159 --> 00:53:19.440
drunk by nightfall. That is when inspiration struck a brilliant,

612
00:53:19.679 --> 00:53:26.119
twisted idea to complete his collection of photographs. He'd take

613
00:53:26.199 --> 00:53:30.960
the gardener's truck, head down Route seven forty seven and

614
00:53:31.119 --> 00:53:35.800
scatter apples from the family orchard along the deserted road.

615
00:53:36.920 --> 00:53:41.079
He'd bust them open, hoping the scent would lure a deer,

616
00:53:42.280 --> 00:53:47.480
maybe even an entire family, on to the road. When

617
00:53:47.480 --> 00:53:52.039
the moment was right, he would floor the truck, propelling

618
00:53:52.079 --> 00:53:58.880
it forward, metal meeting flesh and bone. He'd then take

619
00:53:58.960 --> 00:54:05.639
his camera and create another photographic masterpiece, the perfect work

620
00:54:05.679 --> 00:54:17.559
of art, to complete his collection. Returning from his art

621
00:54:17.639 --> 00:54:22.239
exhibit in California, Lucas hadn't seen a single piece of

622
00:54:22.360 --> 00:54:27.199
roadkill on Route seven forty seven. He was still thirty

623
00:54:27.280 --> 00:54:31.039
miles from home and eager to tell his parents about

624
00:54:31.079 --> 00:54:36.719
his good fortune, letting them know he would relocate to California.

625
00:54:37.840 --> 00:54:41.320
He couldn't wait to hold up his check and prove

626
00:54:41.440 --> 00:54:45.519
to his parents he had finally made it. He'd have

627
00:54:45.639 --> 00:54:48.559
called ahead, but had left his cell phone in the

628
00:54:48.599 --> 00:54:53.199
hotel room in California. It was being shipped back to

629
00:54:53.280 --> 00:54:58.840
Rigg's Manor the next day. Up ahead, something caught his eye.

630
00:54:59.800 --> 00:55:04.880
This time it wasn't roadkill. It was a woman, a

631
00:55:04.920 --> 00:55:08.559
stunning woman. She stood on the edge of the road

632
00:55:08.679 --> 00:55:12.239
with a brown suitcase in one hand and her skirt

633
00:55:12.719 --> 00:55:17.079
hiked up with the other. Her leg gleamed in the

634
00:55:17.119 --> 00:55:22.000
moonlight and the headlights of his car. Even from a distance,

635
00:55:22.639 --> 00:55:27.000
he could see the woman's smile, her long blonde hair

636
00:55:27.119 --> 00:55:32.320
blew gently in the evening breeze. Lucas eased his foot

637
00:55:32.320 --> 00:55:35.440
off the gas pedal, pulling the car to the side

638
00:55:35.480 --> 00:55:39.639
of the road. He assumed the woman needed a ride,

639
00:55:40.280 --> 00:55:44.719
and Lucas was more than willing to offer one, perhaps

640
00:55:44.840 --> 00:55:51.079
even more if the opportunity presented itself. As the car

641
00:55:51.239 --> 00:55:55.719
rolled to a stop, the woman swiftly moved toward the vehicle,

642
00:55:56.320 --> 00:56:02.320
her suitcase gone. Lucas barely linked his eyes before both

643
00:56:02.360 --> 00:56:07.920
the front and back passenger doors swung open. The vixen

644
00:56:08.079 --> 00:56:12.599
slid gracefully into the front seat, while a strangely dark,

645
00:56:13.079 --> 00:56:18.039
rough looking man slid into the back. What the fuck,

646
00:56:18.920 --> 00:56:24.000
Lucas froze as both the doors slammed shut. I thought

647
00:56:24.039 --> 00:56:30.760
she was alone. He became instantly nervous, jumping slightly. When

648
00:56:30.800 --> 00:56:34.039
the cigarette he had been smoking had burned down to

649
00:56:34.159 --> 00:56:39.000
his finger tips, searing his skin. He flicked the butt

650
00:56:39.039 --> 00:56:43.320
out the window without taking his eyes off his passengers.

651
00:56:44.360 --> 00:56:47.880
His eyes darted to the rear view mirror. He had

652
00:56:47.920 --> 00:56:51.639
seen enough movies to know he might be in a

653
00:56:51.800 --> 00:56:57.159
terrible predicament. Thanks for picking us up, the blue eyed

654
00:56:57.239 --> 00:57:02.119
vixen said, with a comforting smile. I'm Doris, and that's

655
00:57:02.159 --> 00:57:08.039
my boyfriend, Derek. She nodded toward the back seat. No problem.

656
00:57:08.760 --> 00:57:13.320
Lucas's tone was sharp and steady, although he was nervous.

657
00:57:13.960 --> 00:57:17.239
His hand trembled as he gripped the steering wheel so

658
00:57:17.480 --> 00:57:22.000
tight his knuckles turned white. He didn't like the idea

659
00:57:22.119 --> 00:57:26.400
of a strange guy sitting behind him. Too many horror

660
00:57:26.440 --> 00:57:31.360
stories about people picking up hitchhikers and being robbed or

661
00:57:31.760 --> 00:57:38.440
murdered started this way. Don't worry, we're not psychopaths, Doris

662
00:57:38.559 --> 00:57:42.880
laughed lightly. As if she could read his mind. We

663
00:57:42.880 --> 00:57:46.880
were riding with another guy, but he kept getting handsy,

664
00:57:47.000 --> 00:57:50.360
so we had him drop us off. He's not the

665
00:57:50.440 --> 00:57:54.280
type of guy Derek and I would invite into our bedroom,

666
00:57:54.920 --> 00:58:01.960
she remarked playfully. Lucas's shoulders relaxed slightly. He wasn't against

667
00:58:02.000 --> 00:58:05.480
the idea of joining Doris and her boyfriend in the bedroom,

668
00:58:06.039 --> 00:58:09.760
as he couldn't take his eyes off her. Yeah, you

669
00:58:09.840 --> 00:58:12.159
have to be careful who you ride with or pick

670
00:58:12.280 --> 00:58:16.440
up these days, Lucas said, glancing at Derek in the

671
00:58:16.440 --> 00:58:20.800
rear view mirror. He was tall and lanky, and Lucas

672
00:58:20.880 --> 00:58:23.480
knew he could take him in a fight, as long

673
00:58:23.519 --> 00:58:26.960
as the guy didn't have a weapon. He also had

674
00:58:27.039 --> 00:58:31.679
long brown hair, which Lucas considered to be sissy hair.

675
00:58:32.679 --> 00:58:36.079
He didn't believe real men should grow their hair long

676
00:58:36.679 --> 00:58:42.679
unless they were bikers. Where are you headed, Doris asked, Home.

677
00:58:43.239 --> 00:58:47.679
I live about thirty miles down the road. Lucas glanced

678
00:58:47.719 --> 00:58:51.239
at the glove compartment, wishing his switchblade was in his

679
00:58:51.360 --> 00:58:57.039
pocket instead of locked away. Perfect, we can find our

680
00:58:57.079 --> 00:59:00.320
way to town from there. We're just trying to meet

681
00:59:00.400 --> 00:59:03.679
up with some friends. They were supposed to pick us

682
00:59:03.760 --> 00:59:06.760
up from the bus station, but their car broke down,

683
00:59:07.440 --> 00:59:12.119
Doris said, with a smile, sorry to hear that. Lucas

684
00:59:12.159 --> 00:59:15.480
put the car and drive, pulled back onto the road

685
00:59:16.079 --> 00:59:21.199
and speeded down Route seven forty seven. Once again. He

686
00:59:21.320 --> 00:59:24.199
kept his eye on Derek through the rear view mirror

687
00:59:24.599 --> 00:59:29.679
to ensure he wasn't up to something sinister, but he

688
00:59:29.800 --> 00:59:34.880
sat quietly, holding the brown suitcase on his lap. There

689
00:59:34.960 --> 00:59:38.159
was a big white sticker on the side that declared

690
00:59:38.840 --> 00:59:43.960
pork sucks. The rock music on the stereo played softly,

691
00:59:44.639 --> 00:59:49.480
almost blending into the engine's hum. I don't even remember

692
00:59:49.519 --> 00:59:55.239
turning it down, Lucas thought. Don't you get scared driving

693
00:59:55.280 --> 01:00:00.679
on these old roads alone at night? Doris asked, scared?

694
01:00:01.800 --> 01:00:06.159
Should I have something to be scared about? Lucas knew

695
01:00:06.280 --> 01:00:10.800
the cocaine buzzing through his system was most likely making

696
01:00:10.880 --> 01:00:16.039
him paranoid. He shook off the creeping anxiety but remained

697
01:00:16.079 --> 01:00:21.920
on guard. Not really, I like the seclusion. It's beautiful

698
01:00:21.920 --> 01:00:27.719
out here, Lucas replied, focusing on Doris. He prayed that

699
01:00:27.840 --> 01:00:31.800
she didn't hear the tremor in his voice. This time,

700
01:00:31.960 --> 01:00:35.920
he couldn't hide it. Something was off about the couple,

701
01:00:36.800 --> 01:00:40.960
but he couldn't put his finger on it. He regretted

702
01:00:41.000 --> 01:00:43.880
picking them up, but couldn't think of a way to

703
01:00:43.960 --> 01:00:48.159
politely get them out of his car, so he stepped

704
01:00:48.159 --> 01:00:51.840
harder on the gas pedal, speeding up to get to

705
01:00:51.960 --> 01:00:56.960
his house as soon as possible. I just think it's

706
01:00:57.039 --> 01:01:02.280
creepy out here, Doris said, her voice soft. She crossed

707
01:01:02.320 --> 01:01:06.119
her legs in a deliberate motion, and Lucas couldn't help

708
01:01:06.199 --> 01:01:10.679
but notice we heard strange sounds when we were standing

709
01:01:10.679 --> 01:01:15.480
alongside the road. I started to imagine spirits lurking in

710
01:01:15.519 --> 01:01:21.440
the woods or cornfields, She laughed, nervously. I've never seen

711
01:01:21.480 --> 01:01:25.679
a ghost out here. Lucas scoffed. He didn't believe in

712
01:01:25.760 --> 01:01:30.679
such foolishness. I drive this road almost daily, and the

713
01:01:30.719 --> 01:01:39.480
grisliest thing I've seen has been roadkill. No ghosts, Lucas replied, calmly. Really,

714
01:01:40.320 --> 01:01:44.679
Doris asked what the hell does she mean by really?

715
01:01:46.360 --> 01:01:50.079
A sound came from the back seat. It was slow,

716
01:01:50.920 --> 01:01:55.920
heavy breathing. If that dude is masturbating behind that suitcase,

717
01:01:56.199 --> 01:02:00.599
I will be pissed. Lucas couldn't bring him self to

718
01:02:00.679 --> 01:02:04.800
look in the rear view mirror. He was focused on Doris,

719
01:02:05.440 --> 01:02:10.639
who shifted her skirt higher. Lucas was sure she was

720
01:02:10.760 --> 01:02:16.239
intentionally giving him a show. Yeah, I hit a deer

721
01:02:16.280 --> 01:02:19.480
out here a few weeks back, tore the shit out

722
01:02:19.519 --> 01:02:21.480
of the front hood of the truck I was driving,

723
01:02:22.199 --> 01:02:27.400
Lucas said, his voice thick. He felt himself growing hard.

724
01:02:28.599 --> 01:02:32.719
He didn't know if it was because of Doris or

725
01:02:33.679 --> 01:02:38.000
from remembering how beautiful the dead deer had been when

726
01:02:38.039 --> 01:02:42.320
he smeared it across the road. He could still remember

727
01:02:42.360 --> 01:02:47.360
that night as vividly as if it had happened yesterday.

728
01:02:48.880 --> 01:02:53.480
After scattering apples along the pavement, Lucas pulled the gardener's

729
01:02:53.480 --> 01:02:56.320
beat up green truck to the side of Route seven

730
01:02:56.440 --> 01:03:01.199
forty seven and waited with the headlights on. He knew

731
01:03:01.360 --> 01:03:05.760
most deer were reckless when it came to light. People

732
01:03:05.840 --> 01:03:08.880
said they ran straight toward the light, as if they

733
01:03:08.920 --> 01:03:14.159
were drawn to them, like moths to a flame. Lucas

734
01:03:14.199 --> 01:03:17.880
didn't have to wait long. From the edge of the cornfield,

735
01:03:18.199 --> 01:03:24.280
a large deer had emerged, cautious but curious, its legs

736
01:03:24.320 --> 01:03:29.280
moving hesitantly across the grass before stepping on to the pavement.

737
01:03:30.719 --> 01:03:34.960
It placed its nose against the concrete, sniffing the broken

738
01:03:35.000 --> 01:03:39.119
apples on the asphalt. Tapping the apples with its nose,

739
01:03:39.599 --> 01:03:44.000
It lifted its beautiful head to stare directly at Lucas

740
01:03:44.440 --> 01:03:49.559
and the truck. Then hunger went over fear, and it

741
01:03:49.639 --> 01:03:55.760
dipped its head again, nibbling at the apples. Tightening his

742
01:03:55.880 --> 01:03:59.519
seat belt, Lucas eased the truck to the center of

743
01:03:59.559 --> 01:04:04.559
the road. The deer didn't seem to notice or care.

744
01:04:06.000 --> 01:04:12.320
He pressed the gas slowly at first, then harder. The

745
01:04:12.400 --> 01:04:17.360
deer looked up with only a few seconds left to escape,

746
01:04:17.400 --> 01:04:22.119
but was frozen in the headlights. Lucas hit the accelerator,

747
01:04:22.960 --> 01:04:28.559
colliding with the deer. He heard the sickening thud, followed

748
01:04:28.599 --> 01:04:32.199
by the scrape of the body hitting the bumper as

749
01:04:32.239 --> 01:04:36.800
it flew up and over the hood before landing on

750
01:04:36.880 --> 01:04:43.519
the pavement. Fuck yeah, Lucas screamed, spittle flying from his lips.

751
01:04:44.079 --> 01:04:47.079
He slammed on the brakes, coming to a screeching halt.

752
01:04:47.840 --> 01:04:51.559
He placed the truck in park, opened the door, and

753
01:04:51.760 --> 01:04:56.960
ran to the deer. It was twitching and making horrible sounds.

754
01:04:57.840 --> 01:05:02.400
It was still alive, strug to get up, but Lucas

755
01:05:02.440 --> 01:05:05.719
could see one of the legs was broken and bleeding,

756
01:05:06.440 --> 01:05:10.639
nearly torn from the hip. Blood was pulling around its

757
01:05:10.719 --> 01:05:15.960
mangled body. But that wasn't enough for Lucas. He wanted

758
01:05:16.039 --> 01:05:23.480
more slick blood, torn flesh, and twisted organs. Lucas was

759
01:05:23.599 --> 01:05:27.159
panting as he jumped back into the truck, put it

760
01:05:27.199 --> 01:05:31.840
in drive, and floored it. He felt the dull crunch

761
01:05:31.920 --> 01:05:36.480
as the tires rolled over the deer. The brake squealed

762
01:05:36.760 --> 01:05:40.519
as he put the truck into reverse, backing over the deer.

763
01:05:41.519 --> 01:05:45.840
This time, the tires crushed its skull and tore its

764
01:05:46.000 --> 01:05:51.840
flesh from its bones. Its guts smeared across the road.

765
01:05:53.480 --> 01:05:57.880
Lucas killed the engine, grabbed his camera and ran to

766
01:05:57.960 --> 01:06:03.760
the deer. It was still twitching, barely alive. His hands

767
01:06:03.920 --> 01:06:09.079
trembled with excitement as he began snapping photos, each one

768
01:06:09.280 --> 01:06:14.000
more beautiful than the first. It was the most incredible

769
01:06:14.039 --> 01:06:18.519
work of art he had ever created. Amid the frenzy

770
01:06:18.559 --> 01:06:22.679
of his work, he didn't hear the faint cries from

771
01:06:22.679 --> 01:06:29.440
the cornfield. A noise that was both animalistic and disturbingly

772
01:06:29.599 --> 01:06:41.480
human was the deer. Okay. Doris lowered her eyes, then

773
01:06:41.679 --> 01:06:46.360
stared out the windshield. Her voice was slow and quiet,

774
01:06:46.639 --> 01:06:52.559
almost haunting. Lucas shook away the vivid memory of killing

775
01:06:52.599 --> 01:06:56.719
the deer, wondering why the hell. She asked if the

776
01:06:56.760 --> 01:07:00.559
deer was okay. He thought it was just a pointless

777
01:07:00.639 --> 01:07:05.599
animal with no soul or purpose, even if its meat

778
01:07:06.119 --> 01:07:11.840
tasted fowl. Don't know, Lucas lied with a casual shrug.

779
01:07:13.280 --> 01:07:15.679
I got out and it was still moving a little,

780
01:07:15.719 --> 01:07:18.960
but I didn't know what to do, so I just

781
01:07:19.119 --> 01:07:23.679
drove on, leaving it on the roadside. He didn't want

782
01:07:23.679 --> 01:07:28.480
to share the secret of his creative process that was

783
01:07:28.639 --> 01:07:34.639
just for him to savor. You hit a poor, defenseless

784
01:07:34.679 --> 01:07:38.440
animal and left it to die on the roadside. Doris's

785
01:07:38.559 --> 01:07:43.280
voice wavered with shock. Lucas turned to look at her.

786
01:07:43.880 --> 01:07:47.880
Her eyes, which had been a beautiful shade of blue,

787
01:07:48.079 --> 01:07:53.679
now appeared almost entirely black, as if her pupils had dilated,

788
01:07:54.480 --> 01:07:58.800
erasing all color. It had to be the faint glow

789
01:07:59.000 --> 01:08:04.159
from the stereo to display playing tricks on him. Lucas

790
01:08:04.199 --> 01:08:08.000
glanced into the rear view mirror and was pleased to

791
01:08:08.039 --> 01:08:11.559
see the guy in the back seat staring blankly out

792
01:08:11.599 --> 01:08:17.760
the window, uninterested in their conversation. He reached for his

793
01:08:17.840 --> 01:08:22.479
cigarette in the center console, grabbed one and placed it

794
01:08:22.560 --> 01:08:28.239
between his lips. Do you mind, he asked. Doris shook

795
01:08:28.239 --> 01:08:33.279
her head slowly. Lucas lit the cigarette, taking a long

796
01:08:33.479 --> 01:08:38.359
drag to calm his nerves. It was just an animal,

797
01:08:38.920 --> 01:08:43.840
he muttered. Wanting to change the subject, he tried to

798
01:08:43.880 --> 01:08:47.880
switch the conversation to see if the couple was interested

799
01:08:47.920 --> 01:08:50.359
in going to his guest house to party for a

800
01:08:50.399 --> 01:08:53.720
bit and let Doris show off more of her legs.

801
01:08:54.720 --> 01:08:58.720
His mind flicked to the fat check in his pocket.

802
01:08:59.279 --> 01:09:03.159
He was no longer afraid of the situation. He wanted

803
01:09:03.199 --> 01:09:08.600
to celebrate his big win. Just an animal. What the

804
01:09:08.640 --> 01:09:11.720
hell do you mean by that? That deer was a

805
01:09:11.760 --> 01:09:15.880
living and breathing organism. It had a family and friends.

806
01:09:16.760 --> 01:09:22.720
It even had kids. Doris screamed in rage. Lucas almost

807
01:09:22.880 --> 01:09:26.880
laughed at the absurdity. He assumed she was an animal

808
01:09:26.960 --> 01:09:32.439
activist or a dirty hippie. He hated hippies. He nervously

809
01:09:32.520 --> 01:09:36.520
took another drag of his cigarette, noticing the sincerity in

810
01:09:36.560 --> 01:09:41.119
the girl's eyes. At the same time, he once again

811
01:09:41.279 --> 01:09:46.600
heard the man in the back seat breathing heavily. It

812
01:09:46.680 --> 01:09:50.439
was a deer, just an animal. No harm was done,

813
01:09:51.279 --> 01:09:55.159
Lucas said flatly. He glanced in the rear view mirror

814
01:09:55.520 --> 01:09:59.800
as fear crawled up the back of his neck. He froze,

815
01:10:00.520 --> 01:10:04.199
his cigarette hanging from his lips as the heavy breathing

816
01:10:04.279 --> 01:10:08.319
from the back seat turned into a low, guttural growl.

817
01:10:09.680 --> 01:10:14.079
Lucas's heart pounded in his chest as sweat pooled under

818
01:10:14.119 --> 01:10:19.000
his armpits. It wasn't just a deer, it was my father,

819
01:10:19.720 --> 01:10:25.079
Doris screamed, her voice trembling with fury. What the fuck,

820
01:10:25.760 --> 01:10:29.600
Lucas hissed. I think it's time I drop you too off.

821
01:10:30.359 --> 01:10:35.039
Lucas wanted to say more, but the words died in

822
01:10:35.119 --> 01:10:39.960
his throat. Lucas's foot eased off the gas as his

823
01:10:40.079 --> 01:10:44.760
trembling hand reached for the gearshift. Cigarette smoke burned his

824
01:10:44.880 --> 01:10:51.159
eyes As Doris's face began to change, her soft porcelain

825
01:10:51.359 --> 01:10:58.239
skin faded, replaced with coarse, bristly brown fur. Shocked. His

826
01:10:58.319 --> 01:11:02.800
cigarette fell from his lips, landing between his legs. He

827
01:11:02.920 --> 01:11:06.800
slammed the brakes as her long blonde hair morphed into

828
01:11:06.840 --> 01:11:12.159
a thick brown pelt sprouting from her scalp. Lucas didn't

829
01:11:12.159 --> 01:11:15.359
want to believe his eyes as he stared back at

830
01:11:15.399 --> 01:11:22.800
Doris's unblinking, black as tar eyes. Doris, the woman was

831
01:11:22.920 --> 01:11:27.520
no longer sitting next to him, replaced by something else.

832
01:11:28.640 --> 01:11:32.880
The growling from the back seat increased. Lucas dared to

833
01:11:33.000 --> 01:11:36.399
look into the rear view mirror, just in time to

834
01:11:36.479 --> 01:11:40.560
see the man, Doris called Derek now with the face

835
01:11:41.079 --> 01:11:48.960
and hoofs of a deer, his mouth stretched unnaturally wide.

836
01:11:49.159 --> 01:11:54.000
Deer don't have teeth like that, Lucas's mind screamed. The

837
01:11:54.119 --> 01:12:00.800
teeth were elongated into jagged, razor sharp points. Derek lurched forward,

838
01:12:01.399 --> 01:12:06.880
the suitcase tumbling aside. Lucas let out a strangled scream

839
01:12:07.239 --> 01:12:12.239
as Dereck's teeth sank into his cheek. Blood rolled down

840
01:12:12.359 --> 01:12:16.960
his neck as the flesh was torn from the bone.

841
01:12:17.000 --> 01:12:20.279
His foot slipped from the brake pedal as the car

842
01:12:20.359 --> 01:12:26.199
inched forward into the ditch next to the cornfield. This

843
01:12:26.560 --> 01:12:32.279
can't be fucking happening, Lucas's mind twisted, but he couldn't

844
01:12:32.319 --> 01:12:38.920
deny what was occurring. The two strange hitchhikers had transformed

845
01:12:39.000 --> 01:12:44.359
before his eyes into deer with razor sharp teeth. We

846
01:12:44.560 --> 01:12:49.560
are more than roadkill. We are alive. We are man

847
01:12:50.039 --> 01:12:56.039
and beast. Doris's distorted voice roared as she bit into

848
01:12:56.079 --> 01:13:01.399
his side. Lucas cried out in pain, blood dripping from

849
01:13:01.399 --> 01:13:06.479
his torn flesh. Derek spoke for the first time. She

850
01:13:06.720 --> 01:13:10.920
watched you hit him and run him over again and again.

851
01:13:11.960 --> 01:13:14.680
Had I been there, you would have been dead that night.

852
01:13:15.800 --> 01:13:21.439
We've been watching you and waiting for this moment. Their

853
01:13:21.960 --> 01:13:27.800
dear and people. This was the last coherent thought Lucas

854
01:13:27.840 --> 01:13:32.720
had as Doris and Derek tore him apart with teeth

855
01:13:32.880 --> 01:13:38.720
and claws. They ripped open his stomach, spilling his guts,

856
01:13:38.800 --> 01:13:43.279
just like he had done to Doris's father. When the

857
01:13:43.319 --> 01:13:48.439
grizzly task was done, Doris and Derek began to shift

858
01:13:48.560 --> 01:13:53.680
back to their human forms. Their clothes were tattered and

859
01:13:53.800 --> 01:13:59.960
torn as they sat naked, covered in blood. Doris leaned over,

860
01:14:00.960 --> 01:14:08.119
kissing Dereck gently. Thank you, baby, she whispered through tears.

861
01:14:09.239 --> 01:14:14.039
Derek nodded, pulling the suitcase from the back seat. He

862
01:14:14.159 --> 01:14:19.840
ripped Lucas's still warm heart from his chest and placed

863
01:14:19.840 --> 01:14:24.159
it inside the suitcase to bring to the others as

864
01:14:24.319 --> 01:14:31.479
proof of their revenge. They scattered Lucas's remains, draping his

865
01:14:31.760 --> 01:14:37.000
entrails across the road, recreating the exact scene he had

866
01:14:37.079 --> 01:14:43.159
left behind the night he killed Doris's father. As the

867
01:14:43.199 --> 01:14:48.880
wind swept across Route seven forty seven, Lucas's shredded one

868
01:14:49.000 --> 01:14:57.000
hundred thousand dollars check fluttered free. Later that night, Lucas's

869
01:14:57.079 --> 01:15:03.560
mangled corpse would be discovered the most gruesome roadkill ever

870
01:15:03.760 --> 01:15:10.680
found en Route seven forty seven in hobbs End, Ohio.

871
01:15:17.520 --> 01:15:26.399
Old Jerry by RT. Reynard Great another broken blade, God

872
01:15:26.520 --> 01:15:30.079
damn saws all. This Japanese piece of shit just isn't

873
01:15:30.079 --> 01:15:34.880
built for hard work. Or is it Chinese? I don't know,

874
01:15:35.279 --> 01:15:39.119
it's one of those Oriental countries. I mean, if you're

875
01:15:39.239 --> 01:15:42.800
using it in an air condition, perfectly ventilated workshop a

876
01:15:42.840 --> 01:15:45.239
month after you bought it, and all your cutting is

877
01:15:45.439 --> 01:15:48.880
five eighth inch plywood, it'll work great. But I swear

878
01:15:49.520 --> 01:15:52.399
the moment you take it outside or it gets dirty

879
01:15:52.720 --> 01:15:55.319
or what you're cutting is a little messy, you spend

880
01:15:55.399 --> 01:15:59.119
more time on saw repair than you do actually sawing. Hmm,

881
01:16:00.359 --> 01:16:03.199
maybe I'm being too hard on it. I'm pretty sure

882
01:16:03.199 --> 01:16:06.800
that bone isn't something the saw was designed to cut. No,

883
01:16:07.199 --> 01:16:10.279
fuck that this thing is designed to cut through aluminum

884
01:16:10.359 --> 01:16:13.159
bone shouldn't be a problem. I should have just paid

885
01:16:13.159 --> 01:16:17.439
a little extra for an American made one fucker fine there,

886
01:16:17.800 --> 01:16:20.960
new blade, you happy saw? Can we please finish this

887
01:16:21.039 --> 01:16:26.800
before sunrise? I still have a hole to dig. Relax, Jerry, breathe,

888
01:16:27.680 --> 01:16:29.640
Just a little bit more work and you'll never have

889
01:16:29.720 --> 01:16:33.159
to see this kid's smug, little fucking face again. At

890
01:16:33.239 --> 01:16:36.479
least he'll never egg your house again on Halloween. I

891
01:16:36.520 --> 01:16:38.600
bet this was the little shit who's been doing it

892
01:16:38.640 --> 01:16:42.479
every year without fail. Each November First is spent cleaning

893
01:16:42.560 --> 01:16:46.159
rotting egg off of my stucco, or toilet paper out

894
01:16:46.159 --> 01:16:49.079
of my tree, or a smashed pumpkin off of my porch.

895
01:16:50.000 --> 01:16:52.800
I have been vowing for years to catch the fuck

896
01:16:52.880 --> 01:16:55.840
face who kept doing it, and I did, didn't I

897
01:16:55.920 --> 01:16:58.720
You little bastard. You thought that you could get away

898
01:16:58.760 --> 01:17:01.680
with it again this year. Huh. You thought, well, I'm

899
01:17:01.720 --> 01:17:04.560
just gonna pick on old Jerry, just minding his own business.

900
01:17:04.880 --> 01:17:06.800
You didn't count on the fact that I was watching

901
01:17:06.880 --> 01:17:09.800
this year, that I saw your little devil costume throwing

902
01:17:09.800 --> 01:17:13.039
that egg with your friend's Dracula zombie and skeleton cheering

903
01:17:13.079 --> 01:17:17.119
you on, that I would recognize your stupid little costume

904
01:17:17.439 --> 01:17:21.199
when you walked up to my door alone asking for candy.

905
01:17:22.600 --> 01:17:25.079
Kind of a bonehead move when you think about it.

906
01:17:25.439 --> 01:17:28.359
Everyone knows that when you're trick or treating, you walk

907
01:17:28.479 --> 01:17:31.640
up to the door, knock, ask for candy, get candy,

908
01:17:31.800 --> 01:17:34.399
and go on to the next house. It's called trick

909
01:17:34.800 --> 01:17:38.439
or treating for a reason. You know, it's in the disjunctive.

910
01:17:38.640 --> 01:17:42.239
You do one or the other, not both. That would

911
01:17:42.279 --> 01:17:46.000
be trick and treating. More on, even if it wasn't

912
01:17:46.119 --> 01:17:48.760
just plain illogical. If you're going to do both, you

913
01:17:48.760 --> 01:17:52.800
should do the trick after you've already gotten the candy. Dull,

914
01:17:53.520 --> 01:17:57.640
and you're never supposed to go into the person's house,

915
01:17:58.159 --> 01:18:03.159
particularly when you don't know them, particularly if you've already

916
01:18:03.159 --> 01:18:06.039
egged the house because you're a cocksucking asshole kid with

917
01:18:06.079 --> 01:18:09.640
no sense of decency, particularly when you've been fucking with

918
01:18:09.680 --> 01:18:13.199
old Jerry for years already. You weren't the sharpest crayon

919
01:18:13.279 --> 01:18:20.159
in the box, were you? Chief? Oh shit, see, that's

920
01:18:20.199 --> 01:18:22.880
exactly what I'm talking about. You'd think a saw could

921
01:18:22.880 --> 01:18:27.319
cut through some viscera without getting all jammed up, but no, Ugh,

922
01:18:27.960 --> 01:18:29.079
blood's all over the place.

923
01:18:29.119 --> 01:18:29.359
Now.

924
01:18:30.399 --> 01:18:33.960
Fuck it's in my goddamn I hold on this shit

925
01:18:34.079 --> 01:18:38.439
stings even in death. You're giving me crap. All right,

926
01:18:38.680 --> 01:18:41.319
it's settled. I need a new saw. When this is

927
01:18:41.359 --> 01:18:43.199
all over, I'm gonna dump this fucker in the hole

928
01:18:43.239 --> 01:18:49.000
with you, Bud. You know, honestly, I wasn't expecting the

929
01:18:49.199 --> 01:18:52.399
welcome to my Haunted House line to work. Most kids

930
01:18:52.439 --> 01:18:57.239
probably would have politely declined it was the obvious play. Admittedly,

931
01:18:57.439 --> 01:18:59.800
I hadn't expected you to have the balls to actually

932
01:18:59.800 --> 01:19:02.319
walk up to my house. I didn't have the time

933
01:19:02.359 --> 01:19:06.279
to think of a really creative way to lure you in.

934
01:19:07.279 --> 01:19:09.119
I was in the middle of cursing myself for my

935
01:19:09.199 --> 01:19:13.159
unpreparedness when you said thanks mister and waltz through my

936
01:19:13.239 --> 01:19:16.680
front door like you owned the fucking place. You fell

937
01:19:16.720 --> 01:19:20.960
for my ruse hook line and sinker, complete with stupid

938
01:19:21.000 --> 01:19:25.479
smile across your chubby, idiot face. I had such a

939
01:19:25.520 --> 01:19:28.399
hard time restraining my joy as I marched you through

940
01:19:28.399 --> 01:19:32.119
the house towards the kitchen. I probably could have done

941
01:19:32.159 --> 01:19:34.880
without that snide comment you made about how my home

942
01:19:34.960 --> 01:19:39.399
looked more like a haunted crack house. Yeah, I get it.

943
01:19:39.840 --> 01:19:43.239
I live by myself, and I wasn't expecting guests. It's

944
01:19:43.279 --> 01:19:45.479
as clean as I mind it, but it probably couldn't

945
01:19:45.520 --> 01:19:48.960
hurt to dust and mop more regularly, now that I'm

946
01:19:48.960 --> 01:19:51.439
reflecting on it, the condition of my house probably helped

947
01:19:51.479 --> 01:19:54.560
sell the half baked scheme in the first place. But

948
01:19:54.680 --> 01:19:58.159
who the fuck are you anyway? You're just some idiot kid.

949
01:19:58.279 --> 01:20:01.000
What the hell do you know about interior decoration. You

950
01:20:01.079 --> 01:20:03.600
probably have a fucking video game poster on the wall

951
01:20:03.600 --> 01:20:10.279
in your room. Classless, fucking asshole. And the comment about

952
01:20:10.279 --> 01:20:12.880
the insects on the dishes in the kitchen sink, apparently

953
01:20:12.920 --> 01:20:16.479
you're too good to eat bugs. I mean, it's food

954
01:20:16.520 --> 01:20:19.239
that walks right up to you. You'll eat whatever the

955
01:20:19.279 --> 01:20:21.479
hell nug it is, but if it has a thorax

956
01:20:21.520 --> 01:20:25.079
all of a sudden, it's too gross for you, bourgeois bitch.

957
01:20:25.960 --> 01:20:29.520
I swear some people have no vision. But you know

958
01:20:29.560 --> 01:20:33.199
what I regret. I regret not having a video camera

959
01:20:33.279 --> 01:20:37.000
set up to capture your face when you turned to

960
01:20:37.039 --> 01:20:40.199
me and said this is a pretty lame haunted house.

961
01:20:41.279 --> 01:20:45.279
You were expecting to see me disappointed at the bad review.

962
01:20:46.079 --> 01:20:48.560
I could see it in your eyes, in your shit

963
01:20:48.640 --> 01:20:52.720
eating grin. You wanted to ruin my night to inflict

964
01:20:52.840 --> 01:20:56.119
psychic torment on who you thought was a poor, earnest

965
01:20:56.199 --> 01:21:02.079
haunted house proprietor with your dissatisfied customer routine. I mean,

966
01:21:02.600 --> 01:21:04.199
I know it was just a ploy to get you

967
01:21:04.239 --> 01:21:06.479
in the house, but I was offering you a free

968
01:21:06.520 --> 01:21:09.840
haunted house tour Grottis as far as you knew, it

969
01:21:09.840 --> 01:21:13.439
would cost you nothing. Despite this, nothing would have given

970
01:21:13.520 --> 01:21:16.520
you more pleasure than to see old Jerry's feelings hurt.

971
01:21:17.319 --> 01:21:21.800
It's just sadistic when you think about it. You relished

972
01:21:21.840 --> 01:21:24.680
the opportunity to be an asshole right up until the

973
01:21:24.680 --> 01:21:26.800
moment I cracked you in the forehead with the hammer

974
01:21:26.840 --> 01:21:32.600
You never noticed me holding. If we're being entirely honest,

975
01:21:33.600 --> 01:21:36.680
I hit you too hard. I wanted you to know

976
01:21:37.319 --> 01:21:41.680
what was happening before I turned your lights out. I

977
01:21:41.760 --> 01:21:44.640
wasn't going for a scream of terror or anything like that.

978
01:21:44.800 --> 01:21:49.479
But if I had my druthers, no, please stop would

979
01:21:49.479 --> 01:21:51.600
have been nice to hear you say before the end.

980
01:21:52.640 --> 01:21:55.119
To be fair, blunt force head trauma is more of

981
01:21:55.159 --> 01:21:57.920
an art than a science, and it's not like I

982
01:21:58.000 --> 01:22:02.840
do this very often to kids your age anyway. As

983
01:22:03.079 --> 01:22:06.880
was you dropped limp without a sound, but ooh boy,

984
01:22:07.399 --> 01:22:11.199
it was still pretty sweet. I'm getting chills just thinking

985
01:22:11.239 --> 01:22:13.680
about it again. I knew I had to hit you

986
01:22:13.760 --> 01:22:16.239
again to make sure the deed was done, if only

987
01:22:16.279 --> 01:22:18.520
to make sure you couldn't surprise me and get away

988
01:22:18.520 --> 01:22:21.279
when I turned my back. I've been down this road

989
01:22:21.359 --> 01:22:24.199
too many times to not know that one should never

990
01:22:24.319 --> 01:22:29.319
underestimate the resiliency of the human body. Afterwards, I dragged

991
01:22:29.319 --> 01:22:31.359
you over to the basement door and pushed you down

992
01:22:31.359 --> 01:22:34.159
the stairs. There was no way for you to somehow

993
01:22:34.279 --> 01:22:38.000
magically escape from down there. I suppose I may have

994
01:22:38.039 --> 01:22:41.640
been being too cautious, but these are the kinds of

995
01:22:41.680 --> 01:22:45.840
lessons experience teaches you. I suppose that's the difference between

996
01:22:45.840 --> 01:22:51.319
old Jerry and other people. I like redundancies, but my

997
01:22:51.479 --> 01:22:54.279
worries were needless. You landed at the bottom with a

998
01:22:54.359 --> 01:22:58.640
dull flop, eyes open and dilated. You were clearly dead.

999
01:22:59.000 --> 01:23:03.720
Your blood droplets splattered all over my basement stairwell. Oh,

1000
01:23:03.880 --> 01:23:05.840
remind me later to get to the pharmacy to pick

1001
01:23:05.880 --> 01:23:09.279
up some hydrogen peroxide to clean all this up. Then

1002
01:23:09.359 --> 01:23:12.680
came step two of my plan. I cut you up

1003
01:23:12.720 --> 01:23:15.840
into little pieces so that I could properly dispose of you.

1004
01:23:16.439 --> 01:23:19.399
I mean, of course, I kept the tastiest parts of

1005
01:23:19.439 --> 01:23:23.880
you for dinner this week, but my refrigerator is only

1006
01:23:23.960 --> 01:23:29.079
so large. Eventually the rest of you'd start stinking. Eventually

1007
01:23:29.479 --> 01:23:32.720
the smell would draw notice. Best just to dump you

1008
01:23:32.760 --> 01:23:35.239
in a shallow grave and be done with you. I

1009
01:23:35.279 --> 01:23:37.479
had just been hoping that the disposal part of this

1010
01:23:37.560 --> 01:23:42.119
process hadn't been so taxing, if only this saw would cooperate.

1011
01:23:42.560 --> 01:23:45.760
I mean, look at me, I'm covered in your blood.

1012
01:23:46.159 --> 01:23:50.920
Old Jerry looks like he's been well, like he's been

1013
01:23:50.920 --> 01:23:57.640
in a basement cutting up a body all night. No, well,

1014
01:23:57.680 --> 01:24:00.560
I thought it was funny. Being splattered with your blood

1015
01:24:00.600 --> 01:24:03.760
does make for a pretty convincing Halloween costume, at least

1016
01:24:05.319 --> 01:24:08.840
when all's said and done. Kiddo, you're actually pretty easy

1017
01:24:08.880 --> 01:24:12.359
to talk to. Don't get me wrong. I still think

1018
01:24:12.399 --> 01:24:15.239
you're a prick. But I haven't had this much human

1019
01:24:15.279 --> 01:24:19.880
interaction in months, ever since that psychologist lady told me

1020
01:24:19.920 --> 01:24:20.920
to stop coming by.

1021
01:24:21.960 --> 01:24:22.880
Man.

1022
01:24:23.079 --> 01:24:27.319
Now that is a story, you see. The court ordered

1023
01:24:27.359 --> 01:24:29.520
me to see a shrink a couple of times a week,

1024
01:24:29.840 --> 01:24:32.239
but one week she forgot to give me my prescription.

1025
01:24:33.159 --> 01:24:35.560
I ran out over the weekend, but her office didn't

1026
01:24:35.600 --> 01:24:40.279
open until Monday, so I did some researching to find

1027
01:24:40.279 --> 01:24:47.439
where she lived and went to her house. Sh do

1028
01:24:47.479 --> 01:24:51.760
you hear something? I think I just heard a knock

1029
01:24:51.800 --> 01:24:57.560
on the front door. Hold on, let me go see. Hey.

1030
01:24:58.159 --> 01:25:02.199
Wouldn't you know your friends Dracula, Zombie and Skeleton are here.

1031
01:25:02.880 --> 01:25:08.520
They look a little worried, perhaps here to check on you. Ah,

1032
01:25:08.760 --> 01:25:10.800
now I see why you were so bold in coming

1033
01:25:10.880 --> 01:25:13.840
up to my house. This was all just some bit.

1034
01:25:14.600 --> 01:25:16.760
You must have thought your friends had your back if

1035
01:25:16.760 --> 01:25:20.079
anything went wrong. Maybe you should have stuck with the

1036
01:25:20.119 --> 01:25:24.640
plan and only asked for candy. Who's the joke on now, bitch?

1037
01:25:25.760 --> 01:25:28.479
They sure did take their time come in to your rescue,

1038
01:25:29.039 --> 01:25:32.600
didn't they, No doubt the product of an extended debate

1039
01:25:32.640 --> 01:25:35.000
about whether to go tell someone and risk getting in

1040
01:25:35.079 --> 01:25:39.279
trouble for tonight's hygiens. I really have to question your

1041
01:25:39.319 --> 01:25:41.800
friend's wisdom in approaching the same house you didn't come

1042
01:25:41.840 --> 01:25:46.399
out of. You really picked some idiot friends. Seriously, what

1043
01:25:46.479 --> 01:25:48.800
the hell are they teaching you kids about the mechanics

1044
01:25:48.800 --> 01:25:51.840
of trick or treating these days? Like I said, go

1045
01:25:51.960 --> 01:25:56.399
up to the house, get candy, leave, approach next house. Repeat.

1046
01:25:56.880 --> 01:26:01.319
None of this is rocket science. But I suppose they

1047
01:26:01.439 --> 01:26:05.640
still are witnesses who can link you back to me.

1048
01:26:06.199 --> 01:26:08.880
And I really don't want the police sniffing around here.

1049
01:26:09.520 --> 01:26:14.079
Way too much for them to find woo e. They'd

1050
01:26:14.119 --> 01:26:16.600
bury old Jerry under the jail if they found half

1051
01:26:16.640 --> 01:26:19.640
the shit I have down here, A few too many

1052
01:26:19.720 --> 01:26:23.560
skeletons in the closet and in the crawl space and

1053
01:26:23.720 --> 01:26:28.399
under the floorboards and in the backyard. Do you think

1054
01:26:28.479 --> 01:26:31.000
they'll fall for the same haunted house? Rus you did?

1055
01:26:31.520 --> 01:26:36.119
I mean, you did give me a great costume. How's

1056
01:26:36.159 --> 01:26:40.960
about it? Hass you in the mood for some company? Yeah,

1057
01:26:41.000 --> 01:26:46.760
well then we're agreed. Let me go get my hammer.

1058
01:26:48.560 --> 01:26:51.399
Oh fuck the goddamn saw the hell? Am I going

1059
01:26:51.479 --> 01:26:53.119
to cut up three more of you with this thing?

1060
01:27:01.800 --> 01:27:06.520
The rest area by rob Field. Brad and Robbie were

1061
01:27:06.560 --> 01:27:09.439
traveling along US Route twenty three while coming back from

1062
01:27:09.479 --> 01:27:12.680
the Ohio State Fair one Saturday evening late in the summer.

1063
01:27:13.119 --> 01:27:15.079
The two friends were talking about all the fun they

1064
01:27:15.119 --> 01:27:17.840
had while at the fair, when eventually they came to

1065
01:27:17.920 --> 01:27:20.880
a very dark part of the freeway, nearly devoid of traffic.

1066
01:27:21.560 --> 01:27:25.079
As Robbie was driving, Brad came up with a mischievous idea.

1067
01:27:25.800 --> 01:27:29.239
He grinned slightly and turned to face Robbie. Hey, Robbie,

1068
01:27:29.520 --> 01:27:33.399
have you heard the stories about Aaron Rudder. He's supposed

1069
01:27:33.439 --> 01:27:35.800
to be an axe murderer who just escaped from the

1070
01:27:35.800 --> 01:27:36.960
state mental hospital.

1071
01:27:37.079 --> 01:27:37.319
You know.

1072
01:27:38.239 --> 01:27:41.800
Robbie sighed, but kept his eyes on the road. It's

1073
01:27:41.840 --> 01:27:44.840
been said that he's hacked up about ten people around

1074
01:27:44.840 --> 01:27:48.479
this area in the last two days. Brad continued talking

1075
01:27:48.520 --> 01:27:53.079
in a more quiet, eerie voice. Robbie muttered a sigh.

1076
01:27:53.479 --> 01:27:58.560
You are so weird man. Brad continued. Rumor also has

1077
01:27:58.600 --> 01:28:04.159
it that he eats his victims too. Robbie tried to

1078
01:28:04.199 --> 01:28:09.880
ignore him, but Brad kept on going. Sometimes even flays them.

1079
01:28:10.600 --> 01:28:16.159
Robbie groaned, would you please shut up? Brad just laughed, Oh, Robbie,

1080
01:28:16.399 --> 01:28:19.840
you scare way too easy. Robbie didn't pay any attention.

1081
01:28:20.239 --> 01:28:23.359
They continued on down the freeway. Eventually they passed a

1082
01:28:23.399 --> 01:28:25.840
sign that said that a rest area was about one

1083
01:28:25.880 --> 01:28:29.239
mile ahead. Hey, Robbie, could you pull off at the

1084
01:28:29.239 --> 01:28:31.520
rest area When we get to it, Brad asked, I

1085
01:28:31.600 --> 01:28:36.600
need to use the bathroom. Robbie sighed, I guess. When

1086
01:28:36.600 --> 01:28:39.239
they got to the rest area's off ramp, Robbie pulled

1087
01:28:39.239 --> 01:28:42.000
off the freeway and parked the car. They both got out.

1088
01:28:42.680 --> 01:28:45.760
I'll just be a few minutes, Brad said, take your time,

1089
01:28:46.159 --> 01:28:49.560
Robbie replied. Brad walked to the men's restroom and went in.

1090
01:28:50.000 --> 01:28:52.199
After taking a piss, he washed his hands and came

1091
01:28:52.279 --> 01:28:55.359
back outside. He looked to the car to see Robbie

1092
01:28:55.439 --> 01:28:59.119
wasn't in it. Suddenly he heard something snap, not too

1093
01:28:59.119 --> 01:29:02.199
far off in the distance. He waited there for a moment.

1094
01:29:03.119 --> 01:29:05.960
When he didn't hear anything, he started walking back toward

1095
01:29:06.000 --> 01:29:10.520
the car. Suddenly he heard another snap, only it was

1096
01:29:10.600 --> 01:29:11.560
closer this time.

1097
01:29:12.560 --> 01:29:13.000
Robbie.

1098
01:29:13.159 --> 01:29:17.560
Brad uttered, is that you? There was no answer. Robbie

1099
01:29:17.800 --> 01:29:21.399
Brad repeated, now sounding tense. There was still no answer.

1100
01:29:21.920 --> 01:29:26.840
He heard another snap as before, it was closer. Brad

1101
01:29:26.920 --> 01:29:30.479
was feeling really uneasy. Then, as if on impulse, he

1102
01:29:30.520 --> 01:29:33.199
turned and headed toward the area where the vending machines were.

1103
01:29:33.960 --> 01:29:35.800
As he was about to open the door and head in,

1104
01:29:36.359 --> 01:29:40.159
he heard yet another snap, and again it was closer.

1105
01:29:40.960 --> 01:29:43.920
He turned around to look behind him. Suddenly a figure

1106
01:29:44.000 --> 01:29:46.880
leaped out from nearby Brad felt a straight edge strike

1107
01:29:46.960 --> 01:29:49.000
him at the back of his right shoulder blade. He

1108
01:29:49.079 --> 01:29:52.680
was struck again almost immediately. Brad screamed with each chop

1109
01:29:53.159 --> 01:30:00.600
and again and again and again, Chop chop, chop, chop,

1110
01:30:00.920 --> 01:30:05.039
chop chop. The axe murderer shouted with glee. Brad then

1111
01:30:05.119 --> 01:30:08.760
realized something wasn't right. For one thing, he didn't feel

1112
01:30:08.800 --> 01:30:13.640
anything actually cutting into his skin. Second, he recognized who

1113
01:30:13.640 --> 01:30:17.520
it was that was attacking him. Brad quickly turned around

1114
01:30:17.560 --> 01:30:22.199
to see him, Robbie. Brad shouted, it was you. Robbie

1115
01:30:22.199 --> 01:30:25.399
burst out into wild laughter. It was you all the time,

1116
01:30:25.840 --> 01:30:30.119
Brad cried. Robbie managed to collect himself. He pointed to Brad,

1117
01:30:30.359 --> 01:30:34.039
you should have seen your face. Brad's face twisted in anger.

1118
01:30:34.520 --> 01:30:39.039
I could just kill you. Robbie stopped laughing and became serious.

1119
01:30:39.520 --> 01:30:42.199
Oh but it was okay for you to keep carrying

1120
01:30:42.239 --> 01:30:43.760
on about Aaron Rudder in the car.

1121
01:30:43.960 --> 01:30:44.800
Huh.

1122
01:30:45.039 --> 01:30:48.479
When Brad heard this, he calmed down. Knowing Robbie was right,

1123
01:30:49.159 --> 01:30:54.560
he sighed, all right, we're even all right. Robbie agreed,

1124
01:30:54.960 --> 01:30:58.479
let's get out of here and get home. Sure. As

1125
01:30:58.520 --> 01:31:01.199
they were walking back to the car, Rad said, you know,

1126
01:31:02.079 --> 01:31:04.159
that was clever. How you broke those sticks on the

1127
01:31:04.159 --> 01:31:07.319
way to the vending machines. Robbie looked at Brad oddly,

1128
01:31:08.319 --> 01:31:11.600
I didn't break any sticks, man. Brad looked at him

1129
01:31:11.600 --> 01:31:16.880
in surprise. You didn't, no, Robbie answered, I was hiding

1130
01:31:16.920 --> 01:31:19.039
behind the car when I saw you going to the

1131
01:31:19.119 --> 01:31:21.039
vending area. I came out from behind the car and

1132
01:31:21.079 --> 01:31:24.840
got you. I know I didn't break any sticks. Now

1133
01:31:24.880 --> 01:31:29.960
Brad was really confused. Then if it wasn't you, I did,

1134
01:31:30.640 --> 01:31:33.399
A deep rumbling voice, not belonging to either of them

1135
01:31:33.439 --> 01:31:36.720
answered from behind them. They quickly turned around to see

1136
01:31:36.720 --> 01:31:38.960
a big man with an axe in his hands, and

1137
01:31:39.000 --> 01:31:42.279
he was smiling at them in a very demented way.

1138
01:31:42.760 --> 01:31:45.800
So nice, some of you guys to show up for

1139
01:31:45.920 --> 01:31:46.960
a late nine.

1140
01:31:46.880 --> 01:31:50.439
Dinner, the man said to them in a crazed tone.

1141
01:31:51.079 --> 01:31:53.479
Robbie and Brad knew at once who this man was,

1142
01:31:53.960 --> 01:31:57.720
and they screamed in terror. They quickly turned and ran

1143
01:31:57.800 --> 01:32:01.359
for their car. Aaron Rudder was right behind them. As

1144
01:32:01.439 --> 01:32:03.439
Robbie tried to get into the car, he heard the

1145
01:32:03.479 --> 01:32:06.159
slam and immediately saw the axe blade embedded in the

1146
01:32:06.199 --> 01:32:08.840
roof of the car. Brad was already a long way

1147
01:32:08.840 --> 01:32:11.680
away from the car. Robbie lashed out and kicked Rudder

1148
01:32:11.680 --> 01:32:13.960
in the stomach to stun him. Then he turned away

1149
01:32:14.000 --> 01:32:16.800
from the car and ran himself. Oh shit, oh shit,

1150
01:32:16.840 --> 01:32:19.399
oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, Robbie gasped

1151
01:32:19.399 --> 01:32:21.640
as he ran for all he was worth, so much

1152
01:32:21.680 --> 01:32:25.199
so that he was feeling his own heart pounding. Robbie

1153
01:32:25.199 --> 01:32:27.199
and Brad were both running into the woods behind the

1154
01:32:27.199 --> 01:32:30.439
rest area in separate directions. They both knew Rudder would

1155
01:32:30.479 --> 01:32:33.159
likely catch up to them. Robbie pressed himself up against

1156
01:32:33.159 --> 01:32:35.880
a tree to try and catch his breath. I've gotta

1157
01:32:35.880 --> 01:32:38.960
find Brad, he thought, as he continued to catch his breath,

1158
01:32:39.199 --> 01:32:42.000
trying to make his little noise as possible as he

1159
01:32:42.119 --> 01:32:46.880
quickly tried to process the hell he currently found himself in. Suddenly,

1160
01:32:46.960 --> 01:32:49.920
Robbie screeched as he just barely avoided the axe blade

1161
01:32:50.079 --> 01:32:53.800
that damn near embedded itself into his throat. He pushed

1162
01:32:53.840 --> 01:32:56.359
himself away from the tree and resumed running. Out of

1163
01:32:56.399 --> 01:32:58.399
the corner of his eye, he saw Aaron Rudder trying

1164
01:32:58.479 --> 01:33:00.720
to pull the axe out of the tree. Robbie knew

1165
01:33:00.760 --> 01:33:03.439
he didn't have much time before this insane psycho would

1166
01:33:03.439 --> 01:33:05.960
be after him again, and he still had to find Brad.

1167
01:33:06.479 --> 01:33:09.600
Robbie bolted into the darkness, barely avoiding oncoming trees. He

1168
01:33:09.680 --> 01:33:11.039
knew he had to try to get back to the

1169
01:33:11.039 --> 01:33:13.720
car somehow. He needed to get to his cell phone,

1170
01:33:13.720 --> 01:33:15.840
which he remembered leaving in one of the cup holders.

1171
01:33:16.000 --> 01:33:17.960
Or better yet, maybe he could get the hell out

1172
01:33:18.000 --> 01:33:21.000
of the place, rationality said in quickly, and he knew

1173
01:33:21.039 --> 01:33:24.119
he couldn't just leave Brad behind. What the fuck am

1174
01:33:24.159 --> 01:33:27.720
I gonna do? He demanded of himself. Robbie backed himself

1175
01:33:27.760 --> 01:33:30.520
up against another large tree again. He tried to take

1176
01:33:30.560 --> 01:33:33.279
breaths without being too loud and alerting Rudder to his

1177
01:33:33.319 --> 01:33:38.560
location if he didn't know already. Okay, okay, got you

1178
01:33:38.600 --> 01:33:42.600
gotta think straight now, he mouthed to himself. Okay, where

1179
01:33:42.640 --> 01:33:46.319
are you? You gotta think straight now? Where is the car?

1180
01:33:46.840 --> 01:33:50.800
Where is it? He took one more long, deep breath

1181
01:33:50.800 --> 01:33:52.760
and decided to try to get back to the rest

1182
01:33:52.760 --> 01:33:56.119
area and get to the car. Robbie looked both ways

1183
01:33:56.159 --> 01:33:58.399
to make sure that Aaron Rudder wasn't ready to chop

1184
01:33:58.439 --> 01:34:02.039
off his head again, slowly pushed himself away from the tree.

1185
01:34:02.560 --> 01:34:06.600
And turned around. Cautiously, he started to make his way

1186
01:34:06.640 --> 01:34:11.199
back to the car. After several careful steps, he muttered

1187
01:34:11.239 --> 01:34:13.319
a curse as he heard the stick that broke under

1188
01:34:13.359 --> 01:34:18.640
his foot. Fuck, he mouthed to himself. Shit. Robbie forced

1189
01:34:18.720 --> 01:34:21.640
himself to keep moving, pissed at Brad for not shutting

1190
01:34:21.640 --> 01:34:25.159
the fuck up about the insane psycho and just why

1191
01:34:25.239 --> 01:34:28.479
the batshit crazy fucking hell did Aaron Rudder really have

1192
01:34:28.560 --> 01:34:32.800
to even be at that rest area. Robbie didn't used

1193
01:34:32.840 --> 01:34:36.000
to believe in things like fate, but now he wasn't

1194
01:34:36.039 --> 01:34:39.000
so sure. Maybe Brad is on his way back to

1195
01:34:39.039 --> 01:34:42.479
the car, he mouthed to himself. Robbie moved from one

1196
01:34:42.520 --> 01:34:51.600
tree to another to another, cautiously, carefully quietly. Snap, God,

1197
01:34:51.720 --> 01:34:54.600
damn it, Robbie whispered loudly when he felt another stick

1198
01:34:54.640 --> 01:34:57.880
break under his shoe. Robbie forced himself to remain focused

1199
01:34:58.000 --> 01:35:00.319
and saw the lights in the distance. It had to

1200
01:35:00.319 --> 01:35:02.720
be the rest area. What else was lit up brightly

1201
01:35:02.760 --> 01:35:05.279
at that part of Outer Maryan, Ohio at that hour

1202
01:35:05.359 --> 01:35:09.039
of night. He kept looking left right, having eyes in

1203
01:35:09.079 --> 01:35:11.399
the back of his head, face front. The lights were

1204
01:35:11.439 --> 01:35:15.319
so close and so far away, Robbie also considered that

1205
01:35:15.359 --> 01:35:17.840
Aaron Rudder might even be waiting at the car for

1206
01:35:17.960 --> 01:35:20.800
either one of them. Okay, maybe Rudder wasn't hanging out

1207
01:35:20.840 --> 01:35:22.720
at the car, but it was possible that he was

1208
01:35:22.800 --> 01:35:25.239
keeping an eye on it. Okay, I just have to

1209
01:35:25.239 --> 01:35:27.560
get to my cell phone, Robbie thought, Or if Brad

1210
01:35:27.640 --> 01:35:29.479
is there, we can get the hell out of here,

1211
01:35:29.920 --> 01:35:32.800
Robbie felt in his pockets. He felt some relief in

1212
01:35:32.840 --> 01:35:34.960
knowing that he still had the keys on him, but

1213
01:35:35.039 --> 01:35:37.640
then he never just left his keys in the car

1214
01:35:38.079 --> 01:35:40.960
for any reason. He still had his wallet. Not that

1215
01:35:41.039 --> 01:35:44.159
he could buy Rudder off, right, But I just had

1216
01:35:44.199 --> 01:35:46.880
to leave my fucking cell phone in my car. Of

1217
01:35:46.960 --> 01:35:49.439
all the fucking things I could leave in my car,

1218
01:35:49.560 --> 01:35:52.600
I just had to leave my fucking cell phone. How

1219
01:35:52.760 --> 01:35:56.520
fucking dumb can I get? Robbie decided there was no

1220
01:35:56.600 --> 01:35:59.560
point in crying over spilled milk. He continued to creep

1221
01:35:59.600 --> 01:36:02.640
further towards the rest area. He started to feel as

1222
01:36:02.640 --> 01:36:05.520
if the rest area was moving further away from him.

1223
01:36:05.760 --> 01:36:09.920
He shook his head quickly and kept moving. After agonizing minutes,

1224
01:36:10.000 --> 01:36:12.880
Robbie had finally returned to the rest area. He moved

1225
01:36:12.880 --> 01:36:14.880
to the back wall and made his way around to

1226
01:36:14.920 --> 01:36:17.359
get back to the front. He was in such a

1227
01:36:17.359 --> 01:36:19.199
big hurry to get to the main entrance that he

1228
01:36:19.239 --> 01:36:22.880
didn't see the person had suddenly placed a hand on

1229
01:36:22.960 --> 01:36:27.560
his shoulder. Robbie shrieked and started to run. Robbie he

1230
01:36:27.640 --> 01:36:29.920
quickly stopped when he saw it was Brad. The two

1231
01:36:29.920 --> 01:36:31.880
of them both backed themselves up against the wall and

1232
01:36:31.920 --> 01:36:34.880
looked each other over. Robbie looked at Brad as if saying,

1233
01:36:35.119 --> 01:36:39.520
you're alive. Brad nodded in acknowledgment. They turned and started

1234
01:36:39.520 --> 01:36:43.199
to creep along the wall until they were both looking

1235
01:36:43.239 --> 01:36:46.319
out at the parking lot. A lone car suddenly sped

1236
01:36:46.359 --> 01:36:48.520
by the rest area. Both of them looked around to

1237
01:36:48.520 --> 01:36:51.720
see if Aaron Rudder was nearby. When they didn't see him,

1238
01:36:52.000 --> 01:36:54.680
they cautiously moved out into the open and made their

1239
01:36:54.720 --> 01:36:57.960
way towards the car. When they reached it, they quickly

1240
01:36:57.960 --> 01:37:00.399
got into the car and pulled the door shut. Robbie

1241
01:37:00.439 --> 01:37:02.000
locked all the doors with a simple push of a

1242
01:37:02.039 --> 01:37:05.159
switch on his inside door. He moved to start the car.

1243
01:37:06.119 --> 01:37:09.359
No keys, Robbie remembered that he had them in his pocket.

1244
01:37:09.840 --> 01:37:11.960
He quickly dug for them and pulled them out. As

1245
01:37:11.960 --> 01:37:14.800
he slid the ignition key in, Brad screamed and the

1246
01:37:14.880 --> 01:37:18.359
driver's side window shattered. Glass exploded all over Robbie and

1247
01:37:18.399 --> 01:37:25.000
Brad leaving so soon. Rudder grumbled, it's still dinner time.

1248
01:37:25.760 --> 01:37:27.880
Robbie didn't even think about it. He quickly turned the

1249
01:37:27.920 --> 01:37:30.279
ignition key and started the car. He quickly shifted into

1250
01:37:30.319 --> 01:37:32.520
reverse and sped out of the parking lot. Rudder raised

1251
01:37:32.520 --> 01:37:34.560
his axe and gave chase. Robbie put the car and

1252
01:37:34.640 --> 01:37:36.920
drive and hit the gas. They'd only gone a little

1253
01:37:36.920 --> 01:37:40.119
bit when they felt something hit the trunk. Brad turned around.

1254
01:37:40.399 --> 01:37:43.079
He hit the trunk with that axe. Robbie hit the brakes.

1255
01:37:43.239 --> 01:37:45.640
What the fuck are you doing, Brad yelled at Robbie.

1256
01:37:45.800 --> 01:37:48.199
Hang on. Robbie pulled the car in reverse again and

1257
01:37:48.279 --> 01:37:50.760
hit the gas. This time, both of them saw Rudder

1258
01:37:50.800 --> 01:37:53.239
holding onto his axe handle as Robbie backed the car

1259
01:37:53.279 --> 01:37:59.079
closer and closer until boom, shit. Brad cried, shit was right.

1260
01:37:59.359 --> 01:38:01.520
Robbie managed to get Aaron Rudder off of the car,

1261
01:38:01.680 --> 01:38:04.039
but at the cost of backing into a utility pole,

1262
01:38:04.319 --> 01:38:06.880
which caused the trunk to come open. The axe came

1263
01:38:06.920 --> 01:38:09.680
loose and landed near the back window. At that moment,

1264
01:38:09.760 --> 01:38:12.479
another car pulled into the rest area. Brad quickly got

1265
01:38:12.479 --> 01:38:14.279
out and frantically waved to the people in the other

1266
01:38:14.319 --> 01:38:17.439
car get the hell out of here. Brad took a

1267
01:38:17.479 --> 01:38:20.600
few steps and pushed the trunk lid shut. Surprisingly, it

1268
01:38:20.600 --> 01:38:23.119
didn't come open again. He got back in the car.

1269
01:38:23.439 --> 01:38:23.520
Go.

1270
01:38:24.239 --> 01:38:27.840
Robbie shifted the gears and floored the accelerator. The tires

1271
01:38:27.840 --> 01:38:29.560
squealed as the two of them pulled away from the

1272
01:38:29.600 --> 01:38:31.960
rest area. Robbie had hit one hundred miles per hour

1273
01:38:32.000 --> 01:38:34.520
by the time he'd merged onto US Route twenty three North.

1274
01:38:34.960 --> 01:38:37.159
He didn't slow the car down again until he cleared

1275
01:38:37.199 --> 01:38:40.479
the Merry And bypass and reached State Route four. From there,

1276
01:38:40.880 --> 01:38:48.119
they would turn towards Busyris and head for home. Later.

1277
01:38:48.199 --> 01:38:52.119
After dropping Brad off, Robbie walked into his house. Robbie

1278
01:38:52.119 --> 01:38:54.680
shrieked when he felt something leap out at him. Robbie

1279
01:38:54.720 --> 01:38:57.600
realized where he was again and whom he was holding.

1280
01:38:58.800 --> 01:39:02.119
Oh hey, do well yee, he said, you gotta stop

1281
01:39:02.159 --> 01:39:05.279
coming at me like that. He sighed, come on, let's

1282
01:39:05.319 --> 01:39:09.840
go to bed. Who Robbie said to himself, Well at

1283
01:39:09.920 --> 01:39:13.600
least we left that crazy motherfucker back at that rest area.

1284
01:39:14.720 --> 01:39:17.279
From there, Robbie went into his room and got ready

1285
01:39:17.319 --> 01:39:20.760
for bed. When he got into bed, his dog still

1286
01:39:20.800 --> 01:39:24.560
seemed restless, but still managed to get a few solid

1287
01:39:24.600 --> 01:39:27.520
licks in. Come on, Buddy, stop with the licking already

1288
01:39:27.560 --> 01:39:30.479
and go to sleep. That was the last thing Robbie

1289
01:39:30.520 --> 01:39:35.279
remembered before he was dead to the world. Licking is

1290
01:39:35.279 --> 01:39:38.600
what woke Robbie up from a sound sleep. Robbie groaned

1291
01:39:38.600 --> 01:39:40.359
as he felt the gentle licking on the side of

1292
01:39:40.359 --> 01:39:44.399
his face. Then Robbie realized something was off when he

1293
01:39:44.479 --> 01:39:50.439
smelled something weird as the dog kept licking barbecue sauce.

1294
01:39:51.079 --> 01:39:54.279
Robbie tried to move, but he realized quickly that he couldn't.

1295
01:39:54.720 --> 01:39:57.279
He quickly woke up fully and took in his surroundings.

1296
01:39:57.640 --> 01:40:00.359
He saw that he was outside in the backyard. He

1297
01:40:00.399 --> 01:40:03.359
also realized he was getting hotter. That was when he

1298
01:40:03.399 --> 01:40:07.640
felt his own flesh starting to burn. Robbie was tied

1299
01:40:08.039 --> 01:40:14.840
and gagged on his own barbecue grill. Oh hi, a horrible,

1300
01:40:15.319 --> 01:40:18.279
familiar grumbling voice said in his ear.

1301
01:40:18.920 --> 01:40:23.159
So glad you woke up. Dinner will be ready soon.

1302
01:40:24.119 --> 01:40:27.600
Robbie looked up and saw Aaron Rudder wearing an apron

1303
01:40:27.800 --> 01:40:30.560
and dipping the brush back into the barbecue sauce.

1304
01:40:31.399 --> 01:40:34.079
You worked up quite an appetite in me.

1305
01:40:34.680 --> 01:40:37.880
Rudder continued just a few.

1306
01:40:37.439 --> 01:40:41.880
More strokes and all done.

1307
01:40:42.600 --> 01:40:45.399
Robbie couldn't really think anymore. As the flames started to

1308
01:40:45.439 --> 01:40:51.159
lick and burn his flesh. Aaron Rudder would finally get

1309
01:40:51.760 --> 01:40:59.800
his dinner. Well, my spookyas I guess, we made it home,

1310
01:41:00.520 --> 01:41:07.000
but that doesn't mean everything we encountered stayed behind. Tonight

1311
01:41:07.159 --> 01:41:12.000
proved that warning signs exist for a reason, the dead

1312
01:41:12.119 --> 01:41:17.359
do not always remain helpless, and the friendly old man

1313
01:41:17.600 --> 01:41:21.720
offering a haunted house tour may already have a place

1314
01:41:21.840 --> 01:41:27.640
prepared just for you in his basement. For more frightening fiction,

1315
01:41:27.920 --> 01:41:31.760
make sure you subscribe right here to Weekly Spooky on

1316
01:41:31.840 --> 01:41:36.319
your favorite podcast app. A brand new scary story arrives

1317
01:41:36.479 --> 01:41:41.680
every single Wednesday and has for over four hundred episodes.

1318
01:41:42.439 --> 01:41:46.119
Also rating, leaving us a review and sharing the show

1319
01:41:46.640 --> 01:41:52.239
helps more spookies like yourself discover our dark little corner

1320
01:41:52.880 --> 01:41:58.199
of the world. Until next time, don't camp where it's forbidden,

1321
01:41:58.840 --> 01:42:04.640
never turning into art, at least not literally. Keep your

1322
01:42:04.680 --> 01:42:09.359
Halloween pranks far away from Old Jerry's house. And when

1323
01:42:09.359 --> 01:42:14.199
you see a deserted rest area glowing beside an empty highway,

1324
01:42:15.079 --> 01:42:20.279
remember you can always hold it until the next one.

1325
01:42:20.319 --> 01:42:26.640
Stay safe, drive fast, and stay creepy. My spooky is