WEBVTT
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When it comes to celebrating fall traditions, especially around Halloween,
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there's very little as stereotypical and wholesome as the Corn Maze. However,
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what happens when you enter a maze and you don't
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know it's maker? And worse yet, what do you do
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when you can't get out?
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There's a hill in the air must be fall Join
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me for a tale of Falloween. You will experience tales
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f o ghosts, and it is not recommended for the
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week at Heart. Join me for a tale of Fallowey.
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This is Weekly Spooky.
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Hello, my spookys, don't worry, it's not Wednesday, it's actually Friday.
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But it's October. It's spooky season, so I'm here to
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bring you a little more spooky in your weekly. I'm,
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of course, your host and narrator, Enrique Kute, and tonight's
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story is one that really brought out a lot of
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Halloween nostalgia, and I think it'll do the same for you.
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But before we head out to the city limits to
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the old Corn Maze, I want to say thank you
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so much for joining us, for spending some of your
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spooky season with us and allowing us to make your
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Halloween season that much sweeter. And if you love what
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we're doing here, please please make sure you're subscribed because
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there'll be a new show every single day of October
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and this show runs all year long, so if you
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need Halloween in your week all fifty two weeks of
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the year, well subscribe today and while you're on your
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favorite podcasting app, leave us a five star rating. It
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really helps other spookies discover the show. And if you
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want to support us in a very direct way, you
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can go to Weeklyspooky dot com slash join and become
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a patron on Patreon for as little as one dollar
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a month. You get two bonus shows every month and
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five years of bonus content from the past, so definitely
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a bargain at Weeklyspooky dot Com slash join, and if
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you go to Weeklyspooky dot com you can find all
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of our old episodes, merchandise, books, and a whole lot more.
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But now, my friends, I think it's time to get
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in the car. It's time to roll the windows down
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and let the fall air enter our nostrils because we're
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heading to the old Corn Maze. We're gonna have a
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hell of a good time, emphasis on hell. Make sure
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you're comfortable and wearing your favorite sweater. Maybe get something
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warm to drink, because we're starting the story after these
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quick words. Never enter the Old Corn Maze on Halloween
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by William Rayne. There are always plenty of strange rumors
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circulating in small towns across the world. The one I
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grew up in has everything from tales of lizard creatures
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beneath the woods to a bizarre bridge that leads you
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somewhere else if you can cross it on foot. Still,
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the one tail that I can personally attest to is
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the haunted Corn Maze just outside the city limits. The
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labyrinth had been out there since long before I came along.
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What always unsettled me about the thing, be it from
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simple urban legend or the truth of things, nobody seemed
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to know who even made it. Another unnerving aspect of
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it was that, while there was no caretaker, it never
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became overgrown or unkempt. Sure, the elusive individual who put
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the whole thing together may well have family members who
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maintained it when nobody was around. Given the fact that
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it was out in the middle of nowhere, but nobody
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knew one way or the other, it was a strange thing,
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for sure, but the rumors of that place throwing open
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the door to the other side on that one particular
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day of the year always freaked me out. When I
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was a kid. It was the Halloween of two thousand
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and five that I learned this was not a place
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to be so casually visited, not by the living anyway,
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not on the thirty first of October. I was around
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thirteen at the time, while my brother was approaching seventeen.
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I idolized Derek had since we were kids. Even when
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he was younger, he always seemed to be so much
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more worldly than I am, though I imagine just about
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anyone with a few more years under their belt would
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come off as more knowledgeable than a wide eyed and
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curious kid. He had already abandoned the sacred traditions of
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trick or treating, something I was not yet ready to
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give up. But when he invited me to attend a
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party with him on the night of the thirty first,
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I both eagerly and reluctantly agreed. As much as I
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loved spending time with my brother, I wasn't thrilled about
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turning my back on the opportunity to score a bagload
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of candy. Derek knew how much I loved getting dressed
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up and going door to door, so he promised me
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he'd take me around the neighborhood before we headed out
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that night. Being a costume party we were headed to,
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he decided to bring a bag himself when he joined
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the crowd of kids playfully running from one house to
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the next. In all honesty, he looked as happy as
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I was while we toured the surrounding blocks. Sure, his
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vampire costume wasn't exactly the most extravagant garb for the occasion,
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slick back hair, phony fangs in his mouth, and a
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long black coat. Honestly, it paled in comparison to my
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Michael Meyers's outfit. But I knew his girlfriend Alicia was
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going to meet up with us at the party, so
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I couldn't blame him for dressing more stylishly, cool and all. Supposedly,
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her little sister was going to be there as well,
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something that left me both nervous and a little intimidated.
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If I'm being honest, I had only recently started appreciating
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the opposite sex at that time, but it was enough
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to make my palms sweaty while we're stricting my tongue's
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ability to function properly when attempting to form words. Regardless
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of my apprehensions, I was having a great time just
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hanging out with Derek, even with his friendly reminders that
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I needed to just be myself when we got there.
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When the sun finished its descent for the night, it
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was time for us to head back to the house
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to pick up my brother's car. We dropped the candy
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in the house, gave an obligatory goodbye to our folks,
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and got on the road. I hadn't been informed about
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where the party was taking place, but I had just
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assumed it would be at one house or another. When
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we passed by the last neighborhood before the city limits sign,
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the butterflies dancing in my stomach began to sink to
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the bubbling acid below. Where are we going? I asked,
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though I had a solid idea of the answer. I
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didn't tell you, Derek said, looking genuinely uncertain. The parties
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out at the old corn Maze. Who oh, come on,
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that police don't still freak you out, does it? He asked,
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with a chuckle. What, No, of course not. I just
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didn't there's nothing to be scared of, kid. We ain't
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going into it or anything. Just seemed a good kind
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of creepy spot for the party, is all. I couldn't
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argue with that. It was one hell of an eerie
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spot out there in the middle of nowhere. I knew
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some of the older kids would go out there sometimes,
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but I still felt uneasy about it. I was certain
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that most of the stories folks told about the old
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Maze were made up, just spooky tales to mess with
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the younger generation and all, but they would still get
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my imagination going. You sure we should be going out
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there tonight, though, I asked, attempting to hide the trembling
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in my throat. They're just stories, Danny Derek said with
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a smile. You know that, right, I mean yeah, but
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it's only to scare people, kid. Hollow was invented by
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the candy companies. You know, nowhere gets haunted just because
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it's the thirty first. It's all bullshit, just like every
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other stupid story around these parts. You gotta stop being
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so scared of everything. When I head off to college,
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you're gonna be on your own. I love you, kiddo,
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but I ain't always gonna be around to protect you.
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It was hard to argue with him, as he fully
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believed every crazy urban legend to be false, this one
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more than others. I still felt a little embarrassed by
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the way he talked to me. Yeah, I was very
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easily freaked out at that age, but I was getting
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better that creepy old Labyrinth, though I never wanted to
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get within a shout of that place. I trusted my
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brother on just about anything, but I couldn't convince myself
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to side with him on this. A few years before,
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some guy named Jackson Fiddle supposedly went missing while investigating
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the Labyrinth just around the thirty first Sure, I didn't
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even know if he was a real person, being that
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just about everyone seemed to know everyone in our little town,
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and I had never heard of the guy before the
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rumors of his disappearance. The story about the woman who
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showed up at the emergency room on the morning of
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November one of ninety eight, all bloody and beaten, though,
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that one messed me up for a while. From what
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she said, or from what folks said, she said her
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car broke down out by the old Corn Maze, this
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being before everyone and their mother had a cell phone,
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she couldn't reach out to anyone, so she just started
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walking somehow or another. Whether she got turned around or
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just wasn't paying attention, she ended up strolling right into
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the neatly preserved labyrinth. When they asked her why she
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didn't just turn around, she claimed she tried, but it
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closed up behind her as soon as she crossed into it.
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As far as what happened to her when she got
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lost in there, that varies from person to person. Some
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say that some local boys up to no good followed
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her inside after having sabotaged her car to break down.
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According to that version of things, they beat her and
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raped her, leaving her for dead in that damned place.
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After she crawled her way out of there, she managed
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to get back to town, but was never the same since.
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Other more exaggerated stories claimed that she came up on
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some devil worshipers in there who tried to sacrifice her
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before she managed to make her escape. Some even say
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that she ran into anything from supernatural creatures were wolves
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or Wendy Goes and the like, to aliens looking to
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run some experiments on her. I think the alien one
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came around because the pathways through the maize aren't so
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much cut down as the stalks are folded flat against
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the ground. Seems like it's sort of like how crop
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circles are arranged where supposedly no man or machine could
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have bent them so perfectly, and all that craziness. Oh yeah,
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a lot of tall tales came from that old place.
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I suppose my story is no different, or will be
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when I get done telling it. I imagine most will read
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these words with as much skepticism as Derek had back then.
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I can't blame any of you, of course, truth be told,
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I still have a hard time believing it to this day.
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For the sake of picking up the pace, or in
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not dragging this out any longer than necessary, I won't
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waste time getting into much concerning the party itself. Yes,
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there was a veritable herd of teenagers out there when
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we arrived, each one dressed in everything from lazy to
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extravagant costumes. That alone set my mind more at ease
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when we got there the fact that everyone there looked
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to be just having a good time, hidden behind one
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mask or another. We spent most of our time hanging
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out with Alicia and Sandra, her sister. She was a
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bit younger than me, but she was a really cool girl,
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also quite pretty in her gender. Swapped freddy costume. The
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fact that we were both dressed as eighty slashers made
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it easier for me to get over my nerves. We
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talked a lot about scary movies and the like, something
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we were both huge fans of. Everything was going great,
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even after I took it upon myself to sneak a
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beer from the table they had set up beside the keg.
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It would not be until later in life that I
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developed a taste for it. That first sip of whatever
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cheap brand the underage drinkers had gotten their hands on,
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damn near flipped my stomach. Derek full on slapped the
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red Solo cup out of my hand when he noticed it,
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looking at me with an expression of disappointment and anger,
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before cracking up so hard he spilled his own drink
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across the ground. Can't blame you for trying, kid, he said,
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wrapping his arm around my shoulder, when a couple of
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the older looking guys walked up, causing my brother to
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visibly tense up. Our night went from a fun and
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relaxing time to something that still haunts my dreams to
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this day. Got some balls showing up here, Russell said,
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the guy wearing the cheaply made Frankenstein costume something quite
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fitting to his considerable bulk. The fact that he called
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my brother by our surname made me believe this wasn't
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just friendly badgering. Yeah, what we gonna do about this?
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The other, smaller, more slender guy dressed as a mangy
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looking werewolf, asked, cracking his knuckles. Back off Nate, Derek said,
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pushing himself in front of Alicia and me. Everyone's just
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trying to have a good time, guys. We can settle
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this another time, Nah, Bud Franken's stein said, how about
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we settle up right now? Head back to the car, Danny,
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my brother said, giving me a quick glance before turning
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his attention back to the duo before him. I'll be there,
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and his words were cut short when the werewolf pushed him,
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causing him to almost topple over his girlfriend. Most of
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the crowd stopped whatever they were doing, turning their attention
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to the fight that was likely to break out any minute.
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There were murmurs throughout the group as they gathered around
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us forming a makeshift circle, something that assured me that
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things were about to get messy.
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Don't go away, weakly, spooky, We'll be right back.
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Not here, Derek said, not now. They're not a part
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of this. Sandra and Alicia were attempting to back away
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while I was darting my eyes from my brother to
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the guys who had some score to settle. Tell you what,
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the big guy said, placing his hand on his buddy's
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shoulder as if commanding his guard dog to heal. I
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got an easy resolution to everything. If you guys got
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the balls, dude, just drop it. Okay, this is didn't
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say you could speak yet. Frankenstein cut in, pushing my
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brother back again with one hand. Derek looked fit to burst.
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I knew he could hold his own in a fight.
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I'd seen it myself when some bigger kids were giving
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me a hard time at school. Sure they were a
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year or two younger than him, but he taught them
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both a solid lesson. After he caught them trying to
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clean my clock. He kicked both their asses, barely breaking
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a sweat. Still, the big guy with the poorly applied
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makeup looked like he could easily bench press my brother's chevy.
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So what do you say? Willing to get your hands
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a bit dirty to make all this go away, Frank said,
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glaring down his nose at Derek. Fine, he replied, with
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a heavy sigh. What the hell do you want me
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to do? No? No, not just you. He glanced over
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at me with a menacing smile. This is for you
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and Junior both. Hell, how about the little ladies too,
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Go to hell, Nate, Derek sneered. They got nothing to
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do with this. They do if Nate says, they do.
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The Weasley werewolf added, this is between you and me,
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don't It's okay? Alicia cut in, having walked up beside
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her boyfriend. We'll play his stupid little game. Sandra nodded,
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folding her arms, while I gave another token nod. I
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can't say I was thrilled about whatever they had in
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store for us, but I would be damned if I
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was about to turn my back on my brother. Derek
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whispered back and forth with his girl for a moment
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before turning back to his opponent. All right, what the
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hell do you want us to do? Simple enough, he said,
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cutting his gaze to the old corn maze, y'all spend
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one hour in there, just one whole hour to the second,
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and we're good. That's it, Derek replied, while my fingers
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began to tremble. One hour, that's it, buddy boy. You
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gotta go in, though, don't just hang out in the
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entrance or nothing like walk around and shit, can't just
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stand there waiting for the time to run out. Then
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we're done. You and I squeaky clean. Nothing more to
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be said or done. Okay, then, Derek said, glancing back
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at me and the girls, nodding his head. One hour
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and we're good. I'll even pour you a beer when
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you come out, Frankenstein said, with a satisfied smile. But
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y'all come out even one minute early, and I'll I'll
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kick your ass so bad you'll be eating Thanksgiving dinner
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through a feeding tube. You got me? One hour, Derek said,
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holding his hand out. One hour. The big guy nodded,
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shaking my brother's hand. I'm so sorry about this, Derek said,
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as we approached the entrance to the Old Corn Maze.
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I didn't expect them to be here. No worries, babe,
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Alicia said, rubbing her hand on his back. Yeah, Sandra, said,
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I say, we go in, find a place to chill
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and tell some scary stories for an hour, then come
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00:19:35.079 --> 00:19:38.480
back out and party some more. I just nodded, trying
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my best to keep the trembling of my extremities as
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00:19:41.359 --> 00:19:46.440
hidden as possible. I can't lie. I was scared. Even
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with Derek convinced that the stories of the labyrinth were
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blown out of proportion, the idea of actually entering the
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00:19:52.680 --> 00:19:55.839
thing had me shook. Of course, I wasn't about to
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00:19:55.880 --> 00:19:59.319
reveal that, especially since I had already developed a bit
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of a crush the girl in the Freddie costume who
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00:20:02.319 --> 00:20:05.279
came off like this was just as simple as strolling
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into a grocery store with her folks. Before we walked in,
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00:20:09.480 --> 00:20:12.440
we all looked back to see every face of every
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00:20:12.519 --> 00:20:17.400
costumed party goer glaring in our direction. From the expressions
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00:20:17.400 --> 00:20:19.359
on a few of them, I could tell that I
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00:20:19.440 --> 00:20:21.680
was not alone in my fear of the old Maze,
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something that didn't exactly help my concern at the time.
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00:20:27.119 --> 00:20:31.799
See y'all in an hour. Frankenstein called out, don't chicken out, now,
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00:20:32.400 --> 00:20:40.839
we'll be watching. For the first few minutes, we just
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00:20:40.960 --> 00:20:43.960
walked in silence. I never really took in the height
321
00:20:44.000 --> 00:20:48.720
of the cornstalks before, how they almost towered over our heads,
322
00:20:48.799 --> 00:20:51.720
just like the stories told. It wasn't just grass or
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00:20:51.759 --> 00:20:57.119
dirt under our feet, but perfectly flattened stalks. They crunched
324
00:20:57.119 --> 00:21:00.240
slightly as we strolled onwards, but I couldn't even make
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00:21:00.279 --> 00:21:02.839
out the sounds of the crowd outside after we entered.
326
00:21:03.519 --> 00:21:07.400
The aisles weren't particularly wide, causing us to walk two
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00:21:07.480 --> 00:21:11.200
by two as we sauntered on. Derek and Alicia walked
328
00:21:11.240 --> 00:21:14.079
in front of Sandra and me, but I just gazed
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00:21:14.119 --> 00:21:17.400
around as we moved deeper in, even with the moon
330
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shining down from above. I was actually quite surprised how
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00:21:21.160 --> 00:21:24.599
easy it was to see. Still, I wasn't about to
332
00:21:24.680 --> 00:21:27.640
let my guard down, and neither was anyone else from
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00:21:27.680 --> 00:21:31.720
what I could tell. Anyway, I say we round this corner,
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Derek said, gesturing to the right turn up ahead, and
335
00:21:36.319 --> 00:21:40.319
just plant our asses and weight works for me, I said,
336
00:21:40.720 --> 00:21:43.720
feeling no inspiration to bury myself any deeper in this
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00:21:43.799 --> 00:21:47.680
place than we had to. As my brother suggested, we
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00:21:47.759 --> 00:21:51.640
took that turn, stopped and sat down on the cozier
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00:21:51.640 --> 00:21:55.880
than expected ground. Perhaps had we a little more time
340
00:21:56.000 --> 00:22:01.200
to appreciate how comfortable flattened cornstalks can be. This would
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00:22:01.200 --> 00:22:05.200
not be a worthwhile tale to tell before I so
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00:22:05.359 --> 00:22:08.160
much as allowed my butt cheeks to snuggle themselves into
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a comfortable setting. The blood curdling squeal that echoed from
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00:22:12.039 --> 00:22:15.519
somewhere ahead of us very nearly inspired every ounce of
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blood pumping through my veins to stop cold. Derek and
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Alicia looked as freaked out by this as I was,
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00:22:22.839 --> 00:22:26.319
while Sandra darted her head between each of us. What
348
00:22:26.359 --> 00:22:29.880
the hell was that? She asked, placing her palms against
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00:22:29.920 --> 00:22:34.759
the ground. Probably someone trying to mess with us, Derek suggested,
350
00:22:35.240 --> 00:22:39.440
looking as uneasy as the rest of us. That far ahead, though,
351
00:22:39.839 --> 00:22:43.440
I asked, I could see from behind us, But how
352
00:22:43.519 --> 00:22:47.680
could another scream much closer than the last? Cut my
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00:22:47.759 --> 00:22:51.359
words short. I got back to my feet, as did
354
00:22:51.519 --> 00:22:55.400
Eric and the girls. This is a setup, my brother said,
355
00:22:55.400 --> 00:22:59.240
appearing confident in his theory. Nate probably sent someone in
356
00:22:59.279 --> 00:23:01.720
while we weren't low looking. They might have been in
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00:23:01.759 --> 00:23:04.680
here for a while, just waiting to have some fun
358
00:23:04.720 --> 00:23:08.599
with us. It did make sense. The big guy in
359
00:23:08.640 --> 00:23:11.720
the Frankenstein costume did come off like he knew something
360
00:23:11.759 --> 00:23:15.160
when he gave us that friendly reminder before we entered.
361
00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:18.279
Given the fact that whatever beef he had with my
362
00:23:18.319 --> 00:23:21.880
brother would be set right by this little dare, it
363
00:23:21.920 --> 00:23:24.279
would stand to reason that he wasn't going to make
364
00:23:24.319 --> 00:23:28.559
it easy for us. Yeah, I thought, they just want
365
00:23:28.599 --> 00:23:31.559
to force us to take off running, make us embarrass
366
00:23:31.599 --> 00:23:34.000
ourselves in front of everyone before he kicks the crap
367
00:23:34.000 --> 00:23:38.880
out of Derek. Three more screams, each coming from different directions,
368
00:23:39.359 --> 00:23:42.920
assured me that our working theory was right. While the
369
00:23:43.000 --> 00:23:46.200
girls looked back at my brother and me, both smiling
370
00:23:46.240 --> 00:23:50.759
at us. I nodded my agreement. Hell with it, Derek said,
371
00:23:50.799 --> 00:23:53.720
with a mischievous grin. Let's go see what they cooked
372
00:23:53.799 --> 00:23:58.480
up for us. Yeah, yeah, I said, feeling the most
373
00:23:58.519 --> 00:24:02.480
confident I had since walking into this labyrinth. I can't
374
00:24:02.480 --> 00:24:05.440
deny that somewhere in the back of my grapefruit, I
375
00:24:05.519 --> 00:24:10.359
still felt uneasy about both my surroundings and the unsettling shrieks,
376
00:24:10.960 --> 00:24:13.920
but a higher percentage of my mind fully believed this
377
00:24:14.079 --> 00:24:17.680
to be what we thought. That my brother's adversaries wanted
378
00:24:17.680 --> 00:24:20.920
to put on a little show for us. Who were
379
00:24:20.960 --> 00:24:25.559
we to deny their invitation. After walking for another five minutes,
380
00:24:25.680 --> 00:24:28.440
or so right, turn here up a few more feet,
381
00:24:28.559 --> 00:24:31.960
another left and right, and on to another straightaway. With
382
00:24:32.039 --> 00:24:36.240
the occasional dramatic, painful yells guiding our path, we finally
383
00:24:36.279 --> 00:24:38.759
caught sight of one of the likely handful of people
384
00:24:39.279 --> 00:24:43.400
who were screwing with us. This particular pathway looked to
385
00:24:43.400 --> 00:24:46.200
be a good twenty feet long, with one opening to
386
00:24:46.240 --> 00:24:49.839
the left and another right. About half way up at
387
00:24:49.880 --> 00:24:52.519
the far end, standing directly in front of another wall
388
00:24:52.559 --> 00:24:56.680
of cornstalks, was a tall, slender individual in a filthy
389
00:24:56.720 --> 00:24:59.680
black robe with the hood pulled down low enough to
390
00:24:59.720 --> 00:25:05.079
only reveal the wider than human toothy grin. When I
391
00:25:05.119 --> 00:25:08.000
first saw it, my heart skipped a beat or four.
392
00:25:08.799 --> 00:25:11.839
It wasn't until Derek let out a soft giggle that
393
00:25:11.920 --> 00:25:15.240
I took in how comically sinister the costumed person was
394
00:25:15.279 --> 00:25:19.200
trying to come off. They just stood there, heaving an
395
00:25:19.279 --> 00:25:23.240
exaggerated breath, keeping their head tilted down with their arms
396
00:25:23.519 --> 00:25:27.079
somewhat outstretched from their sides. It was sort of like
397
00:25:27.160 --> 00:25:30.480
how that quintessential douchebag at the gym looks after knocking
398
00:25:30.480 --> 00:25:34.720
out that first handful of reps that I'm swollen now
399
00:25:34.799 --> 00:25:38.680
because I lifted heavy stuff sort of thing. When all
400
00:25:38.720 --> 00:25:41.880
of us started to laugh at intermittent intervals, the mimicked
401
00:25:41.880 --> 00:25:46.359
heavy breathing became more agitated, inspiring the hooded figure to
402
00:25:46.480 --> 00:25:50.799
wail out in one final attempt to intimidate us. Unfortunately
403
00:25:50.839 --> 00:25:54.680
for our cose playing friend, we weren't buying it. Even
404
00:25:54.720 --> 00:25:58.240
after two more similarly dressed individuals walked out from the
405
00:25:58.319 --> 00:26:01.920
left and right openings ahead, our laughter didn't let up.
406
00:26:02.599 --> 00:26:06.359
Gotta try harder than that, boys, my brother shouted, practically
407
00:26:06.440 --> 00:26:09.400
daring the trio to take their taunting to the next level.
408
00:26:10.240 --> 00:26:13.519
With one last howling scream, the one at the far
409
00:26:13.680 --> 00:26:17.640
end came charging toward us, slipping some sort of dagger
410
00:26:17.680 --> 00:26:22.559
from inside of its robe. Oh here we go, Derek said,
411
00:26:22.680 --> 00:26:26.720
still chuckling. This ought to be good. I'll never forget
412
00:26:26.720 --> 00:26:29.880
that smile he gave me when he glanced over his shoulder.
413
00:26:30.640 --> 00:26:32.880
He was so confident that he had this whole thing
414
00:26:32.960 --> 00:26:37.200
figured out. So was I, for that matter. Even when
415
00:26:37.240 --> 00:26:40.200
the robed figure showed no sign of slowing from only
416
00:26:40.240 --> 00:26:43.480
a few feet away, my brother still looked back at me,
417
00:26:44.319 --> 00:26:49.680
wearing that care free smile. The transition of our circumstances,
418
00:26:49.720 --> 00:26:52.880
going from something fun and care free to one of
419
00:26:53.359 --> 00:26:57.400
anguished shock and horror, barely allowed my mind to accept
420
00:26:57.400 --> 00:27:00.720
what was happening. It was the sound of the blade
421
00:27:00.759 --> 00:27:04.599
tearing into my brother's gut that hit me more so
422
00:27:04.799 --> 00:27:07.440
than the blood that spat from his still smiling mouth.
423
00:27:08.799 --> 00:27:11.200
I don't know if it was Alicia or Sandra who
424
00:27:11.240 --> 00:27:15.079
screamed first, perhaps both of them, for all I knew
425
00:27:15.119 --> 00:27:19.599
at the time. Three more times I heard that meaty
426
00:27:19.720 --> 00:27:23.720
thunk as the knife was pulled free and inserted back
427
00:27:23.759 --> 00:27:30.680
into Derek's Torso run Danny, he spluttered, spritzing more specks
428
00:27:30.680 --> 00:27:34.279
of crimson onto his shirt. I was frozen in place,
429
00:27:34.960 --> 00:27:37.559
barely aware that I still had a body attached to
430
00:27:37.599 --> 00:27:41.480
my reeling mind. When one of the girls grabbed me
431
00:27:41.519 --> 00:27:44.319
by the wrist, attempting to pull me back with them
432
00:27:44.359 --> 00:27:46.599
as they began to run back the way we came,
433
00:27:47.519 --> 00:27:49.759
I still could not so much as hope to break
434
00:27:49.799 --> 00:27:55.160
my gaze from my beloved brother's wide and horrified eyes.
435
00:27:56.680 --> 00:27:59.960
If whoever, or whatever these things were, could so easy
436
00:28:00.279 --> 00:28:02.640
put an end to someone who had always been so
437
00:28:02.759 --> 00:28:06.599
much stronger and more confident than me, I had no
438
00:28:06.720 --> 00:28:11.279
doubt I would not survive this. In some ways, I
439
00:28:11.319 --> 00:28:15.400
didn't even care. I felt so weak and pathetic at
440
00:28:15.440 --> 00:28:18.960
the time, I couldn't do a single thing to help Derek.
441
00:28:20.319 --> 00:28:24.640
I just stood rooted to the spot, preparing myself to
442
00:28:24.640 --> 00:28:28.799
share the same fate as my closest friend and brother.
443
00:28:30.920 --> 00:28:35.480
More scarce to come weekly, Spooky, We'll be right back.
444
00:28:39.359 --> 00:28:43.279
Snap out of it, Alicia demanded, slapping me hard across
445
00:28:43.319 --> 00:28:47.799
the face that exaggerated smile under the dusty black hood
446
00:28:48.319 --> 00:28:51.200
stared back at me as the blade was pulled from
447
00:28:51.240 --> 00:28:55.000
Derek's stomach for the last time, dropping him to the
448
00:28:55.039 --> 00:28:58.440
ground while his girlfriend still screamed at me. I was
449
00:28:58.480 --> 00:29:01.960
practically paralyzed by the sight of blood dripping from the long,
450
00:29:02.680 --> 00:29:06.400
jagged blade, blending with the pool forming around where my
451
00:29:06.440 --> 00:29:11.839
brother lay barely twitching. Damn it, Daniel, she yelled again,
452
00:29:12.160 --> 00:29:16.200
slapping me even harder than before, finally inspiring my mind
453
00:29:16.240 --> 00:29:19.559
to collide with my body. I looked at her and
454
00:29:19.680 --> 00:29:22.599
back to the robed figure who was wiping the dagger
455
00:29:22.720 --> 00:29:26.200
caked in my brother's blood across its chest. We got
456
00:29:26.240 --> 00:29:30.240
a run, kid, you with me, I just nodded, something
457
00:29:30.240 --> 00:29:33.799
that was likely difficult to differentiate from my bodily spasms
458
00:29:33.839 --> 00:29:36.920
at the time. As the robed figure began to move
459
00:29:36.960 --> 00:29:41.119
in closer, stepping over Derek, I started to back away
460
00:29:41.839 --> 00:29:45.559
as he, she, or whatever the hell it was, lunged
461
00:29:45.559 --> 00:29:49.359
at me. It fell hard to the ground itself. As
462
00:29:49.440 --> 00:29:55.519
my brother clutched its ankle go he moaned. That was
463
00:29:55.640 --> 00:29:59.640
enough to finally inspire me to run. Alicia and her
464
00:29:59.680 --> 00:30:01.799
sister there were already a good ways ahead of me
465
00:30:02.200 --> 00:30:05.599
while I kept stealing glances over my shoulder. It was
466
00:30:05.720 --> 00:30:08.319
during one of those intervals when I turned back to
467
00:30:08.400 --> 00:30:11.440
what lay ahead of me, only to see no trace
468
00:30:11.519 --> 00:30:16.039
of anyone, that I skidded to a halt once more. Alicia,
469
00:30:16.720 --> 00:30:21.519
I called out, barely more than a whisper, Sandra, where'd
470
00:30:21.519 --> 00:30:27.000
you go? Nothing. I began to move steadily forwards in
471
00:30:27.039 --> 00:30:30.160
whatever direction we had been going before I lost sight
472
00:30:30.200 --> 00:30:33.160
of my companions. But when I heard the crunching of
473
00:30:33.240 --> 00:30:37.200
quickly paced footsteps coming from behind, I had no more
474
00:30:37.240 --> 00:30:39.839
time to waste. I took off, hoping to be out
475
00:30:39.880 --> 00:30:42.039
of sight before the robed figures caught up to me.
476
00:30:43.000 --> 00:30:45.720
I could still see the unnervingly wide grin on the
477
00:30:45.759 --> 00:30:48.680
surface of my brain as I ran from one aisle
478
00:30:48.759 --> 00:30:52.440
to the next, getting myself so turned around. I had
479
00:30:52.440 --> 00:30:56.039
not the slightest clue where I was anymore. Even with
480
00:30:56.160 --> 00:30:58.720
the acknowledgment that I would not easily be making my
481
00:30:58.799 --> 00:31:03.000
way out of that god forsaken labyrinth, I still kept going,
482
00:31:03.440 --> 00:31:06.880
darting from right to left, up and down, over and over,
483
00:31:08.160 --> 00:31:10.720
after running on fumes for the better part of ten
484
00:31:10.960 --> 00:31:14.839
or twenty minutes. If I even had the slightest hope
485
00:31:14.880 --> 00:31:18.640
of guessing any sort of time frame, I slowed down,
486
00:31:19.160 --> 00:31:22.039
hoping to catch my breath before it left me passed
487
00:31:22.079 --> 00:31:26.440
out on the flattened cornstalks. When I stopped blindly charging onward,
488
00:31:26.960 --> 00:31:30.480
I tried to regulate my wheezing while attempting to listen
489
00:31:30.519 --> 00:31:34.519
out for any sounds around me. I couldn't hear a thing,
490
00:31:35.400 --> 00:31:40.519
no footsteps, no screams, no voices, only the thumping of
491
00:31:40.559 --> 00:31:43.960
my pulse against the inner lining of my ears. When
492
00:31:43.960 --> 00:31:46.960
the image of my brother falling lifelessly to the ground
493
00:31:47.400 --> 00:31:50.759
flashed before my eyes, I fought to shake it away,
494
00:31:51.640 --> 00:31:55.240
hopeful to focus on my escape before dwelling on whether
495
00:31:55.319 --> 00:31:59.400
he may or may not have survived this. If I
496
00:31:59.480 --> 00:32:03.680
get out, I thought, I'll get help. He's still alive.
497
00:32:03.799 --> 00:32:07.759
I know he is. I fought to convince myself, but
498
00:32:07.839 --> 00:32:09.799
you can't get him the help he needs if you're
499
00:32:09.839 --> 00:32:13.839
dead too. Yes, with that sound of my brother's flesh
500
00:32:13.880 --> 00:32:17.480
being torn apart by the lengthy serrated blade beating against
501
00:32:17.519 --> 00:32:19.960
my ear drums, as much as the image is flashing
502
00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:23.079
behind my eyes, I didn't believe it for a second,
503
00:32:23.599 --> 00:32:26.359
but I had to convince my legs to get moving again.
504
00:32:27.319 --> 00:32:30.319
It was while I waged that inner battle that another's
505
00:32:30.319 --> 00:32:35.559
stomach churning squeal snapped my attention back to my dire situation.
506
00:32:36.400 --> 00:32:39.880
It was close, alarmingly close, but I knew I had
507
00:32:39.920 --> 00:32:42.759
to check it out. Given that it sounded as though
508
00:32:42.799 --> 00:32:45.359
it was one of the girls screaming this time, as
509
00:32:45.359 --> 00:32:47.880
opposed to those we had thought to be only messing
510
00:32:47.920 --> 00:32:50.160
with us, I knew I had to at least attempt
511
00:32:50.240 --> 00:32:53.119
to do what I could to save them. Sure, I
512
00:32:53.240 --> 00:32:55.880
was certain I wouldn't stand a chance against any of
513
00:32:55.880 --> 00:33:00.319
the robed figures, but I had to try, perhap, Ahaps.
514
00:33:00.319 --> 00:33:03.039
It was little more than my desperation to not be
515
00:33:03.119 --> 00:33:06.519
alone in this anymore that drove my actions, But it
516
00:33:06.599 --> 00:33:10.200
was something again. I ran from one turn to the next,
517
00:33:10.880 --> 00:33:15.279
pursuing yet another horrifying shriek as I plundered onwards. It
518
00:33:15.359 --> 00:33:17.559
didn't take me long to locate the source of the
519
00:33:17.599 --> 00:33:21.960
new sound to accompany those already haunting my subconscious. But
520
00:33:22.039 --> 00:33:25.000
when I found what I was looking for, I knew
521
00:33:25.039 --> 00:33:28.319
that there was nothing I could do to help. The
522
00:33:28.400 --> 00:33:32.160
red and green striped mini dress was almost treaded in places,
523
00:33:32.200 --> 00:33:36.839
revealing torn flesh and tissue, spilling more crimson fluids across
524
00:33:36.880 --> 00:33:40.720
the ground. My legs gave out, dropping to my knees
525
00:33:40.720 --> 00:33:44.400
beside the young girl, whose eyes glared lifelessly up at
526
00:33:44.400 --> 00:33:48.079
the night sky. Her long brown hair was matted with
527
00:33:48.119 --> 00:33:52.160
blood and chunks of gore, seemingly thrown back at her
528
00:33:52.200 --> 00:33:56.440
from the sequence of attacks that ripped her apart. I
529
00:33:56.519 --> 00:34:00.000
lost it. I just started crying and wailing out, unable
530
00:34:00.279 --> 00:34:03.119
to even hope to battle against such a formidable foe.
531
00:34:03.559 --> 00:34:06.319
The impact of my brother's death hit me at full force,
532
00:34:06.799 --> 00:34:09.039
colliding with the surface of my brain as though it
533
00:34:09.119 --> 00:34:12.199
was launched from a cannon. I continued to howl my
534
00:34:12.280 --> 00:34:15.679
hopelessness into the night, even when I felt myself being
535
00:34:15.760 --> 00:34:19.280
lifted from the ground. It was as though I was
536
00:34:19.320 --> 00:34:23.119
floating weightlessly as the robed individual carried me through the maze,
537
00:34:23.480 --> 00:34:26.119
having thrown me over its shoulder like a healthy sized
538
00:34:26.159 --> 00:34:30.000
bag of dog food. I didn't fight, I didn't rebel.
539
00:34:30.360 --> 00:34:33.599
I didn't attempt to escape. It had been futile to
540
00:34:33.639 --> 00:34:36.960
begin with, just the thought that I could survive something
541
00:34:37.000 --> 00:34:40.679
that my brother could not. When my escort stopped walking,
542
00:34:40.719 --> 00:34:42.760
I was still out of it, while my wrists and
543
00:34:42.840 --> 00:34:46.719
ankles were bound to some sort of wooden prop Through
544
00:34:46.760 --> 00:34:49.400
the tears that still flowed, I could see that I
545
00:34:49.480 --> 00:34:52.440
was in a much wider spot in the maze, one
546
00:34:52.480 --> 00:34:54.840
that was at least four or five times the size
547
00:34:54.880 --> 00:34:57.400
of the slender pathways I had been running in and
548
00:34:57.440 --> 00:35:00.800
out of. Could this be the scent of the maze?
549
00:35:01.320 --> 00:35:05.320
I thought, glancing around as much as I could. There
550
00:35:05.320 --> 00:35:08.599
were six of them now, the robed figures, each with
551
00:35:08.639 --> 00:35:11.840
their own unsettling grin peeking out from the darkness of
552
00:35:11.880 --> 00:35:16.679
their hoods. Once my extremities were sufficiently restricted, the one
553
00:35:16.679 --> 00:35:19.199
who carried me there backed away to join the others
554
00:35:19.199 --> 00:35:23.760
in line. They all just glared at me, heaving their
555
00:35:23.760 --> 00:35:29.079
heavy breath while maintaining their sinister smiles. What are you
556
00:35:29.199 --> 00:35:34.000
waiting for? I asked through gritted teeth. I was beaten
557
00:35:34.480 --> 00:35:37.880
I was done for. I did not doubt that. Why
558
00:35:37.920 --> 00:35:42.199
were they just glaring at me? What the hell are
559
00:35:42.239 --> 00:35:49.320
you waiting for? Still nothing? They just stood there like
560
00:35:49.480 --> 00:35:54.559
robed statues. They weren't even forcing out that exaggerated wheezing anymore.
561
00:35:55.719 --> 00:35:59.039
Just get it over with you, bastards. As one of
562
00:35:59.079 --> 00:36:02.480
them broke from for me, slowly coming closer to me,
563
00:36:03.239 --> 00:36:06.800
I wasn't afraid anymore. My heart ached for the loss
564
00:36:06.840 --> 00:36:09.400
of the person I cared most for in this world.
565
00:36:09.840 --> 00:36:12.480
If they took him away from me, they could have
566
00:36:12.599 --> 00:36:17.599
me too. For all I cared no more running, no
567
00:36:17.719 --> 00:36:24.079
more tears, no more. As it moved in closer, stopping
568
00:36:24.119 --> 00:36:27.320
only inches from me, it leaned over at the waist,
569
00:36:27.760 --> 00:36:31.199
almost pushing its face right next to my own. I
570
00:36:31.280 --> 00:36:34.119
closed my eyes, readying myself for the blood to spill
571
00:36:34.239 --> 00:36:40.480
freely to wading cornstalks pressed to the ground. When happy
572
00:36:40.519 --> 00:36:46.519
Halloween baby brother whispered into my ear. When my eyes
573
00:36:46.599 --> 00:36:50.119
blinked back open, they met not the malicious, grinning thing
574
00:36:50.199 --> 00:36:53.519
that sought to lay me to rest, but the smiling
575
00:36:53.599 --> 00:36:56.519
face of the person I had idolized since I was
576
00:36:56.559 --> 00:37:02.800
a child, Derek. What the I could barely form anything
577
00:37:02.880 --> 00:37:06.599
close to a legible sentence as Alicia and Sandra lowered
578
00:37:06.599 --> 00:37:11.280
their hoods, pulling away the grinning masks, followed by the
579
00:37:11.320 --> 00:37:14.400
two guys who forced us in here, and another blonde
580
00:37:14.440 --> 00:37:18.039
guy I'd never seen before. They weren't laughing at me,
581
00:37:18.599 --> 00:37:22.760
only smiling warmly, as though they thought this torment they
582
00:37:22.760 --> 00:37:26.079
had put me through to be a heartfelt gift of
583
00:37:26.119 --> 00:37:31.719
some kind. You're alive, You're all, I stuttered, while the
584
00:37:31.800 --> 00:37:34.519
truth of things struck me like a serrated blade to
585
00:37:34.559 --> 00:37:39.679
the mid section. Are you kidding me? I belted, wrestling
586
00:37:39.719 --> 00:37:43.199
against the bindings holding me in place. How could you?
587
00:37:44.000 --> 00:37:48.239
Why the hell would you? It's okay, kiddo, Derek said,
588
00:37:48.320 --> 00:37:51.760
still smiling, chuckling a little under his breath. It was
589
00:37:51.960 --> 00:37:54.400
just a joke. I just wanted to give you one
590
00:37:54.440 --> 00:37:59.800
good scare for Halloween, one good scare, I thought you.
591
00:38:00.000 --> 00:38:03.800
If we're dead, I shouted, still pulling against the ropes
592
00:38:03.840 --> 00:38:08.079
around my limbs, whoa danny, my brother said, reaching out
593
00:38:08.079 --> 00:38:11.679
to hold my arm still. You're gonna hurt yourself. Let me,
594
00:38:12.079 --> 00:38:14.360
don't touch me. Do you have any idea what you
595
00:38:14.400 --> 00:38:18.119
put me through? I could tell that my brother's accomplices
596
00:38:18.159 --> 00:38:22.360
were growing steadily more uncomfortable as they stared on with varying,
597
00:38:22.519 --> 00:38:27.320
though equally uncomfortable expressions. But I didn't care. I felt
598
00:38:27.320 --> 00:38:29.960
betrayed by the actions of the one person I thought
599
00:38:30.159 --> 00:38:33.360
I could truly trust in this world, not only for
600
00:38:33.480 --> 00:38:37.159
this ridiculous charade, but for leading me into this damned
601
00:38:37.199 --> 00:38:41.079
maze in the first place. You know how I feel
602
00:38:41.079 --> 00:38:45.360
about this place, I said, lowering my voice. You know
603
00:38:45.519 --> 00:38:50.199
it scares me exactly, he said, resting his hand on
604
00:38:50.280 --> 00:38:53.639
my shoulder. That's why I chose it, kid, I'm going
605
00:38:53.639 --> 00:38:56.000
off to college next year. I need to know you'll
606
00:38:56.000 --> 00:38:59.280
be all right without me. It's time to face your
607
00:38:59.320 --> 00:39:02.440
fears and grow up. Some believe me, Danny. I'd never
608
00:39:02.519 --> 00:39:04.719
do anything like this if I didn't have a good reason.
609
00:39:05.679 --> 00:39:08.920
Cut me down, I said, refusing to look him in
610
00:39:08.960 --> 00:39:12.559
the eye. He just stared back at me, or so
611
00:39:12.639 --> 00:39:16.119
it looked through my periphery. The smile faded from his
612
00:39:16.199 --> 00:39:18.440
face by the time I allowed my eyes to meet
613
00:39:18.440 --> 00:39:24.039
his again, but I was still angry, still betrayed. Cut
614
00:39:24.719 --> 00:39:29.840
me down with a heavy sigh. He reached into his robe,
615
00:39:29.880 --> 00:39:32.000
pulling out the pocket knife he had carried for the
616
00:39:32.039 --> 00:39:35.480
last few years. After the last rope was cut. I
617
00:39:35.599 --> 00:39:38.480
just stood there, looking up at him, rubbing the raw
618
00:39:38.599 --> 00:39:43.679
flesh on my wrists from my writhing against the coarse ropes. Danny,
619
00:39:43.920 --> 00:39:47.239
I just get me out of here. You know your
620
00:39:47.239 --> 00:39:50.039
way out right, you guys? Sure as hell got around
621
00:39:50.079 --> 00:39:55.719
well enough, yeah, he said, lowering his head and looking defeated.
622
00:39:56.840 --> 00:40:01.920
This way, come on, Danny, Sandra said, pulling off the
623
00:40:01.960 --> 00:40:05.039
heavy looking robe to reveal the wounds that appeared so
624
00:40:05.159 --> 00:40:09.000
much more fabricated than they had through my fear altered vision.
625
00:40:09.880 --> 00:40:13.719
We didn't mean leave me alone, I said, swatting away
626
00:40:13.719 --> 00:40:16.880
the hand she reached out. Think we went too hard
627
00:40:16.920 --> 00:40:20.119
on him, Frankenstein asked Derek as we passed by him.
628
00:40:21.239 --> 00:40:25.760
Maybe I didn't think. Wait, my brother said, cutting his
629
00:40:25.840 --> 00:40:29.880
head from side to side. Where's the It wasn't until
630
00:40:29.920 --> 00:40:33.440
then that I noticed the circular clearing no longer had
631
00:40:33.440 --> 00:40:37.440
any visible exits. Assuming this to be just another part
632
00:40:37.480 --> 00:40:40.760
of the night's festivities, I felt my face begin to
633
00:40:40.840 --> 00:40:46.320
flush once more. Seriously, guys, I said, turning to face
634
00:40:46.360 --> 00:40:51.039
the group of suddenly bewildered looking teens. Enough already, can
635
00:40:51.039 --> 00:40:55.639
we just this isn't us? Daniel, Alicia said, looking thoroughly
636
00:40:55.719 --> 00:41:00.280
perplexed as she glanced from her sister to her boyfriend. Nate.
637
00:41:01.199 --> 00:41:05.559
Is this you, guys, Derek asked. Nuh huh, I don't
638
00:41:05.599 --> 00:41:09.960
even It's all planted in the ground, the blonde guy said,
639
00:41:10.000 --> 00:41:15.079
tugging at the stalks two at a time. What what
640
00:41:15.159 --> 00:41:19.159
the hell is this, Derek, A very uneasy sounding Alicia asked,
641
00:41:19.760 --> 00:41:24.000
before screaming out again when something rolled across the ground
642
00:41:24.440 --> 00:41:25.079
towards us.
643
00:41:27.039 --> 00:41:31.519
If you're not afraid, then you're already dead. Weekly spooky,
644
00:41:31.599 --> 00:41:32.519
We'll be right back.
645
00:41:35.960 --> 00:41:39.280
Alicia wrapped her arms around her sister, who had begun
646
00:41:39.360 --> 00:41:42.559
to whimper slightly, while the big guy in the Frankenstein
647
00:41:42.599 --> 00:41:46.559
costume muttered curses under his breath. When the pumpkin came
648
00:41:46.639 --> 00:41:49.559
to a halt, staring straight up with a fierce and
649
00:41:49.639 --> 00:41:54.119
mocking smile carved into its Jack o' lantern face, everyone
650
00:41:54.199 --> 00:41:58.320
grew silent and still. I just glared down at the
651
00:41:58.360 --> 00:42:01.519
thing with my jaw unhinged, still battling to wrap my
652
00:42:01.639 --> 00:42:04.920
mind around everything that had occurred up until this point.
653
00:42:05.519 --> 00:42:09.199
When the long cornstalks began to rustle violently, making it
654
00:42:09.239 --> 00:42:12.239
appear as though the whole labyrinth was quaking around us.
655
00:42:12.599 --> 00:42:16.480
It was hard to differentiate my own involuntary shivering from
656
00:42:16.480 --> 00:42:20.960
my surroundings. A low humming sound was barely audible above
657
00:42:20.960 --> 00:42:24.320
the trembling leaves, but it gave me the impression that
658
00:42:24.440 --> 00:42:30.719
something was drawing closer, as if gradually escalated push through.
659
00:42:31.239 --> 00:42:36.199
Frankenstein said, waving his hands between the stalks, It's just corn.
660
00:42:36.320 --> 00:42:39.960
We can shit. We all spun to see him wrestling
661
00:42:40.000 --> 00:42:43.519
against the vines that were wrapping around his arms and legs.
662
00:42:44.280 --> 00:42:47.599
Derek ran to his side, quickly slicing through the attacking
663
00:42:47.639 --> 00:42:52.079
greenery with his pocket knife. Help me, my brother shouted,
664
00:42:52.079 --> 00:42:55.639
while cutting and pulling the stems away. As Moore continued
665
00:42:55.679 --> 00:42:58.679
to wrap around the big guy. I ran up with
666
00:42:58.760 --> 00:43:01.679
the skinny werewolf and black guy, and we all attempted
667
00:43:01.719 --> 00:43:04.280
to yank at the weeds which were practically engulfing the
668
00:43:04.280 --> 00:43:08.480
writhing Nate. Sarah had dropped to the trembling ground, shaking
669
00:43:08.519 --> 00:43:12.639
her head and whimpering louder, while Alicia stood seemingly frozen
670
00:43:12.679 --> 00:43:17.599
in place with her hands cupped around her mouth. Within seconds,
671
00:43:17.840 --> 00:43:21.079
no matter how hard we fought against the cornstalks. As
672
00:43:21.199 --> 00:43:24.400
ridiculous as that sounds, we could no longer see even
673
00:43:24.440 --> 00:43:27.880
a hint of the boy in the Frankenstein costume. While
674
00:43:27.920 --> 00:43:31.320
we still frantically battled to free him, he was swiftly
675
00:43:31.360 --> 00:43:35.280
pulled away from us, with only his muffled scream in
676
00:43:35.360 --> 00:43:40.119
his wake. When his yelling fell silent, I still stood there,
677
00:43:40.280 --> 00:43:44.079
just staring at the opening he had left behind, mentally
678
00:43:44.239 --> 00:43:47.639
checked out, while Derek snatched me by the wrist, shouting
679
00:43:47.679 --> 00:43:50.880
for the others to follow. When the deep and guttural
680
00:43:51.000 --> 00:43:54.559
laughter echoed from seemingly all around us, it didn't take
681
00:43:54.639 --> 00:44:00.960
much convincing for everyone to start running. Yeah, the haunting
682
00:44:01.039 --> 00:44:06.239
voice spoke, run, run, run away away, My little darling.
683
00:44:07.400 --> 00:44:10.599
Sandra squealed out a high pitched shriek, while the blonde
684
00:44:10.599 --> 00:44:14.320
guy whined and moaned, What the hell is that? Derek,
685
00:44:15.039 --> 00:44:18.599
the visibly shivering boy in the werewolf costume, asked, while
686
00:44:18.639 --> 00:44:22.599
we continued sprinting across the slender pathway left in the
687
00:44:22.639 --> 00:44:26.719
wake of his friend's hasty withdrawal. How should I know,
688
00:44:27.320 --> 00:44:31.000
my brother barked, still not letting go of my wrist.
689
00:44:31.440 --> 00:44:37.119
Run Run, Run, run r run away away, bellowed out,
690
00:44:37.119 --> 00:44:40.679
with each word coming from a different direction, ending with
691
00:44:40.760 --> 00:44:43.760
a sinister laugh. That damn near knocked my feet out
692
00:44:43.760 --> 00:44:48.280
from beneath me. Keep going, Alicia said, now helping her
693
00:44:48.320 --> 00:44:52.199
little sister remain upright. Almost as soon as the words
694
00:44:52.280 --> 00:44:55.800
left her mouth, our path became blocked as another wall
695
00:44:55.880 --> 00:45:00.199
of thick corn stalks burst from the ground. The blonde guy,
696
00:45:00.199 --> 00:45:03.119
who had been running the fastest, lost his footing as
697
00:45:03.119 --> 00:45:06.480
he skidded to a halt, falling with his back flat
698
00:45:06.719 --> 00:45:11.599
against the ground, stopping just short of the newly formed blockade.
699
00:45:12.079 --> 00:45:14.639
As the werewolf reached to help him back to his feet,
700
00:45:15.119 --> 00:45:20.239
the flattened stalks sprang to life, wrapping around him like tendrils. No,
701
00:45:21.079 --> 00:45:25.840
he screamed, help me. His words were quickly muffled as
702
00:45:25.840 --> 00:45:29.440
the vines constricted, yanking him flattered to the floor of
703
00:45:29.480 --> 00:45:33.280
the labyrinth. Given the blood curdling squeal that erupted from
704
00:45:33.280 --> 00:45:36.079
his mouth, I was unsure if he was being pulled
705
00:45:36.119 --> 00:45:39.079
into the ground to be buried beneath it, or if
706
00:45:39.079 --> 00:45:43.000
the snapping sounds that accompanied his horrified wails or his
707
00:45:43.079 --> 00:45:47.119
bones fragmenting as the stalks returned to their previous state.
708
00:45:48.159 --> 00:45:50.599
When the blood began to bubble and seep through the
709
00:45:50.679 --> 00:45:54.920
thin gaps, spitting and spraying against the still trembling greenery
710
00:45:54.960 --> 00:45:59.239
around us. I needed no further clarification on his fate.
711
00:46:00.480 --> 00:46:04.760
Holy hell, the slender boy said, backing away while attempting
712
00:46:04.800 --> 00:46:07.760
to wipe the fresh blood stains from his furry shirt.
713
00:46:08.639 --> 00:46:12.559
This way, Derek said, heading back the way we had come,
714
00:46:13.000 --> 00:46:16.480
gesturing to a left turn a few feet back. Come on, Jordan,
715
00:46:16.639 --> 00:46:19.519
there's nothing we can do for him. The werewolf still
716
00:46:19.559 --> 00:46:23.280
glared down at the crimson pool where his friend once lay,
717
00:46:23.800 --> 00:46:26.880
shaking his head from side to side as he backed
718
00:46:26.920 --> 00:46:30.639
away from it. Move, Jordan, we have to. My brother
719
00:46:30.719 --> 00:46:33.320
had no chance to finish, urging his friend to run
720
00:46:33.760 --> 00:46:37.400
before more of those vines shot from each side, instantly
721
00:46:37.440 --> 00:46:41.440
swallowing him whole. I stared on again, with my lower
722
00:46:41.480 --> 00:46:44.599
lip quivering as I could only make out the lone
723
00:46:44.840 --> 00:46:48.199
horrific eye peering out from within the tendrils of green.
724
00:46:49.360 --> 00:46:52.760
For a moment, it was as though everything fell silent
725
00:46:52.840 --> 00:46:56.119
around us as we gazed upon where the maze had
726
00:46:56.159 --> 00:47:00.119
claimed another soul for its own. It wasn't until all
727
00:47:00.159 --> 00:47:03.559
the vines retracted on each side, carrying with them whatever
728
00:47:03.639 --> 00:47:06.360
section of the boy in the werewolf costume they held
729
00:47:07.000 --> 00:47:10.880
that each of our screams blended into one again. My
730
00:47:10.960 --> 00:47:13.800
brother snatched me by the arm, while his girlfriend did
731
00:47:13.800 --> 00:47:16.440
the same to her sister. By this point I was
732
00:47:16.480 --> 00:47:20.320
only vaguely aware of anything, with my mind still reeling
733
00:47:20.360 --> 00:47:24.199
from the shock of everything. I knew I was running.
734
00:47:24.639 --> 00:47:27.400
I knew I was speeding alongside the person I trusted
735
00:47:27.480 --> 00:47:31.679
most in this world, but beyond that, everything was a blur.
736
00:47:32.519 --> 00:47:35.280
We sped right, straight for a bit, then left and
737
00:47:35.360 --> 00:47:39.119
right again, every move almost guided by what the labyrinth
738
00:47:39.199 --> 00:47:43.880
would allow. Pathways opened and closed around us, leading this
739
00:47:43.960 --> 00:47:48.039
way and that, while that guttural voice continued to mock
740
00:47:48.480 --> 00:47:53.800
our desperation. Ah, yes, yeah, this way, no, no that,
741
00:47:54.039 --> 00:47:57.280
Which will it be? What will you see? Shall you
742
00:47:57.400 --> 00:48:01.800
set yourselves free? Free? How long will it take do
743
00:48:01.840 --> 00:48:08.360
you think to find me? It laughed again, a loud
744
00:48:08.440 --> 00:48:12.400
and haunting belly laugh at our expense. I felt my
745
00:48:12.480 --> 00:48:16.000
senses begin to return, only to find us still charging
746
00:48:16.079 --> 00:48:19.920
onwards in search of an exit. I noticed that Derek
747
00:48:20.039 --> 00:48:23.719
was now carrying a hysterical Sandra, while Alicia held on
748
00:48:23.800 --> 00:48:26.679
to my wrist. I almost wanted to ask her to
749
00:48:26.760 --> 00:48:28.920
let go, as I found it difficult to move as
750
00:48:28.960 --> 00:48:32.360
freely with her clutching onto me. But it did make
751
00:48:32.440 --> 00:48:36.280
me feel ever so slightly safer like this, Even if
752
00:48:36.280 --> 00:48:40.519
I did believe our escape attempt to be futile, we
753
00:48:40.519 --> 00:48:43.920
were in its domain. Whatever the hell it was it
754
00:48:43.960 --> 00:48:46.719
was toying with us. We ran the path it chose,
755
00:48:47.039 --> 00:48:50.480
not one of our own selection. Still, regardless of those
756
00:48:50.760 --> 00:48:55.400
undeniable facts, I knew we couldn't let up. Unfortunately, this
757
00:48:55.599 --> 00:48:59.400
inter rationalization came to a quick halt when we came
758
00:48:59.480 --> 00:49:03.880
face to face with our inevitable end, when the opening
759
00:49:03.920 --> 00:49:07.960
before us closed shut, forcing our hasty retreat short. I
760
00:49:08.000 --> 00:49:11.159
felt my stomach lurch at the sight of only more
761
00:49:11.199 --> 00:49:16.599
tall cornstalks to our sides and backs. There we stood,
762
00:49:16.719 --> 00:49:19.599
each gasping for breath, while the young girl in the
763
00:49:19.599 --> 00:49:22.840
tattered red and green striped mini dress sobbed in my
764
00:49:22.920 --> 00:49:26.519
brother's arms in a space maybe five by five feet,
765
00:49:27.039 --> 00:49:31.000
with nowhere left to go. Just let us go, Derek
766
00:49:31.119 --> 00:49:35.199
shouted into the night. Not just yet, my good lad,
767
00:49:35.519 --> 00:49:39.599
there's far too much fun fun to be had. What
768
00:49:39.679 --> 00:49:42.880
do you want from us? It was you who came
769
00:49:42.960 --> 00:49:46.599
to me, dear boy, Would you so abruptly put an
770
00:49:46.760 --> 00:49:52.039
end to my joy? Please? Alicia begged, tears forming in
771
00:49:52.079 --> 00:49:57.679
her eyes, just let my sister go take me, Derek said,
772
00:49:57.719 --> 00:50:00.559
glancing back at me. Let the others and you can
773
00:50:00.599 --> 00:50:04.760
do whatever you want with me. No, I barked, don't
774
00:50:04.840 --> 00:50:08.800
just give up an interesting offer you have presented to me.
775
00:50:09.719 --> 00:50:13.039
But should that be enough to set your friends free?
776
00:50:13.280 --> 00:50:16.400
I have each of you now to do with as
777
00:50:16.440 --> 00:50:22.559
I please, but you still beg for unwarranted release. They're innocent,
778
00:50:23.159 --> 00:50:26.840
my brother said in a cracking voice. This is all
779
00:50:26.960 --> 00:50:32.599
my fault. Please. Just when the stalks parted to our left,
780
00:50:33.079 --> 00:50:36.400
I once more felt my jaw drop. It looked as
781
00:50:36.480 --> 00:50:40.320
though it could very well be that same circular clearing
782
00:50:40.400 --> 00:50:43.880
we began running from, but it was not how we
783
00:50:44.000 --> 00:50:46.920
left it. The wooden prop I had been tied to
784
00:50:47.119 --> 00:50:50.960
was now replaced by a large throne, pieced together by
785
00:50:50.960 --> 00:50:56.119
a combination of vines and bones, some of which appeared
786
00:50:56.159 --> 00:51:01.519
as though they had been freshly pulled from some unsuspecting corpse.
787
00:51:02.559 --> 00:51:05.679
When I noticed the bloodied and matted fur poking out
788
00:51:05.719 --> 00:51:08.719
in places, I had to assume that theory to be
789
00:51:09.239 --> 00:51:12.599
quite accurate. After taking in the sight of the torn
790
00:51:12.679 --> 00:51:16.000
slivers of the werewolf costume, it didn't take long to
791
00:51:16.039 --> 00:51:19.239
see the strips of green latex that once belonged to
792
00:51:19.320 --> 00:51:23.480
a cheaply made Frankenstein outfit. Come in, come in, Come in,
793
00:51:23.760 --> 00:51:27.159
come in to my home. Do not leave me here
794
00:51:27.320 --> 00:51:32.480
to linger alone. It wasn't until I spoke again that
795
00:51:32.559 --> 00:51:35.440
I took note of what was sitting upon the gore
796
00:51:35.559 --> 00:51:39.800
lined throne. That same pumpkin, which had rolled into this
797
00:51:40.000 --> 00:51:44.159
very area, now gazed down at me from a skeletal
798
00:51:44.239 --> 00:51:48.320
frame composed of just as much greenery as the chair
799
00:51:48.800 --> 00:51:52.440
upon which it sat. The robit war looked to be
800
00:51:52.519 --> 00:51:56.760
one of those my would be kidnappers left behind, though
801
00:51:56.800 --> 00:52:01.159
the elongated emerald bones of the arms and legs protruded
802
00:52:01.320 --> 00:52:06.960
considerably more than its previous owners. Welcome, Welcome, my travelers.
803
00:52:07.079 --> 00:52:12.280
For now, what exactly possessed you to come through my door?
804
00:52:12.639 --> 00:52:15.400
We all stood in a row, glaring up at this
805
00:52:15.920 --> 00:52:20.159
abomination before us. With every word it spoke, the carved
806
00:52:20.199 --> 00:52:25.039
expression on its face adjusted to fit It was my fault,
807
00:52:25.760 --> 00:52:29.119
my decision to come into your maze, my brother said,
808
00:52:29.119 --> 00:52:33.480
with confidence in his words. Is that true? True? The
809
00:52:33.519 --> 00:52:39.880
pumpkin asked, Was it all because of you? Yes? So
810
00:52:40.320 --> 00:52:45.159
please don't punish them. Just take no more words, the
811
00:52:45.239 --> 00:52:49.280
creature said, holding a leafy finger to its mouth. The
812
00:52:49.400 --> 00:52:52.559
fact that not only had its voice deepened even more,
813
00:52:53.239 --> 00:52:56.519
but a rhyme did not follow his lone sentence made
814
00:52:56.559 --> 00:53:00.559
me fear our time was at an end. You do
815
00:53:00.679 --> 00:53:04.639
not belong here, it screamed, spitting pumpkin guts and seeds
816
00:53:04.679 --> 00:53:07.920
to the ground. How would you feel if someone just
817
00:53:08.039 --> 00:53:12.480
let themselves into your home? Would you let them leave unscathed?
818
00:53:12.719 --> 00:53:18.960
I'm so sorry, I know more words. It lifted itself
819
00:53:19.039 --> 00:53:22.480
from its throne, standing twice the height of Derek as
820
00:53:22.519 --> 00:53:27.239
it glared down from its hollow triangular eye holes. As
821
00:53:27.280 --> 00:53:30.960
what felt like minutes dragged by, we held this silent,
822
00:53:31.119 --> 00:53:35.039
staring contest. Given all I had witnessed, I knew it
823
00:53:35.039 --> 00:53:38.679
wouldn't let us leave this place with our lives. When
824
00:53:38.679 --> 00:53:42.360
the apparent lord of this maddening place finally broke the
825
00:53:42.360 --> 00:53:47.400
suffocating silence, I would find my assumptions proven wrong once more.
826
00:53:48.159 --> 00:53:52.519
Three lost, three may yet be free? Which one of
827
00:53:52.599 --> 00:53:56.840
you will stay here with me? Before I had the
828
00:53:56.880 --> 00:54:01.480
slightest chance to intervene, Derek stepped forward as the creature
829
00:54:01.519 --> 00:54:05.920
slipped off the robe, revealing more of its hauntingly thin frame.
830
00:54:06.559 --> 00:54:10.360
My brother looked back at me with a smile, tears
831
00:54:10.440 --> 00:54:16.320
dripping down his face. I love you, kiddo, were his
832
00:54:16.480 --> 00:54:20.599
last words before the filthy black fabric was thrown over
833
00:54:20.639 --> 00:54:25.440
my head, hiding whatever happened next from my eyes. When
834
00:54:25.440 --> 00:54:28.840
I pulled the robe away to see only the outside
835
00:54:28.840 --> 00:54:31.760
of the old corn Maze before me, I fell to
836
00:54:31.840 --> 00:54:35.679
the ground, unable to prevent the scream from breaching my lips.
837
00:54:36.480 --> 00:54:39.440
Even when the arms wrapped around my back. While the
838
00:54:39.440 --> 00:54:42.480
girls attempted to lift me back to my feet, my
839
00:54:42.599 --> 00:54:46.679
agonized wail would not let up. In the weeks following
840
00:54:46.719 --> 00:54:50.320
the disappearance of my brother and his friends, the authorities
841
00:54:50.360 --> 00:54:53.840
searched every square inch of that labyrinth, as well as
842
00:54:53.880 --> 00:54:57.599
the woods surrounding it, but nothing was ever turned up.
843
00:54:59.079 --> 00:55:02.039
They even plowed the whole thing down before digging in
844
00:55:02.079 --> 00:55:06.679
search of anything that remained of its victims. Ultimately, they
845
00:55:06.719 --> 00:55:09.760
couldn't find so much as a trace of anyone it
846
00:55:09.800 --> 00:55:13.119
claimed for its own, but there was nothing left of
847
00:55:13.119 --> 00:55:17.280
the old corn Maze by the time the work was done.
848
00:55:17.320 --> 00:55:19.679
I can't say that it surprised me when it turned
849
00:55:19.719 --> 00:55:23.559
back up the next Halloween, though I couldn't help but
850
00:55:23.639 --> 00:55:27.280
wonder whether it grew back the natural way or just
851
00:55:27.440 --> 00:55:31.320
sprouted out of the ground overnight. Given that I didn't
852
00:55:31.360 --> 00:55:35.639
return to that awful place until the following October thirty first,
853
00:55:36.119 --> 00:55:39.239
I have no idea how it returned, but I knew
854
00:55:39.719 --> 00:55:42.960
it would be there, didn't doubt it for a second.
855
00:55:43.960 --> 00:55:47.000
I didn't go trick or treating that year or any
856
00:55:47.079 --> 00:55:50.719
other after that last time. Sure, I let my folks
857
00:55:50.800 --> 00:55:53.559
think I did, but I had made arrangements for the
858
00:55:53.639 --> 00:55:58.000
ride back out there long before that night. I just
859
00:55:58.079 --> 00:56:01.039
had to see it for myself, you know, just face
860
00:56:01.119 --> 00:56:04.000
off against that damned thing and beg for it to
861
00:56:04.000 --> 00:56:07.800
give back what it took from me. Before I could enter, though,
862
00:56:08.280 --> 00:56:11.760
the pathway was blocked to me, not by the stalks
863
00:56:11.840 --> 00:56:14.800
forming another wall, but by the one who chose to
864
00:56:14.840 --> 00:56:19.039
stay behind to grant us freedom. In many ways, I
865
00:56:19.119 --> 00:56:22.199
wasn't surprised to see him either, even if the hope
866
00:56:22.239 --> 00:56:25.559
of pulling him free from that place were short lived.
867
00:56:26.280 --> 00:56:29.920
We talked for a while that night and every Halloween
868
00:56:30.000 --> 00:56:33.559
that came after it. Even all these years later, he
869
00:56:33.719 --> 00:56:36.719
still looks as young as he did that last time
870
00:56:36.800 --> 00:56:39.719
we went door to door in search of bagloads of candy.
871
00:56:40.840 --> 00:56:43.039
It may be the only time I can see him,
872
00:56:43.360 --> 00:56:46.480
and he refuses to tell me what his existence consists
873
00:56:46.519 --> 00:56:49.360
of the other three hundred and sixty four days of
874
00:56:49.400 --> 00:56:53.280
the year. But I will carry on this tradition for
875
00:56:53.320 --> 00:56:56.519
as long as I am able. Sandra and I are
876
00:56:56.559 --> 00:57:00.000
going to be parentsing. Yes, we've both been through our
877
00:57:00.039 --> 00:57:02.960
our fair share of therapy over the years, as has
878
00:57:03.000 --> 00:57:06.960
her sister, But that awful night brought us all closer
879
00:57:07.000 --> 00:57:10.159
than I could ever have imagined. Maybe it's simply the
880
00:57:10.199 --> 00:57:12.880
fact that we could only confide in each other after
881
00:57:12.920 --> 00:57:16.239
that night, as nobody would believe our account of things.
882
00:57:16.960 --> 00:57:21.400
While the psychiatrists help, we haven't exactly been forthcoming about
883
00:57:21.639 --> 00:57:26.280
everything with them. Given my wife's condition, I'd say there's
884
00:57:26.280 --> 00:57:29.119
a good chance our son could be born any day now.
885
00:57:29.960 --> 00:57:32.599
I just hope that he doesn't decide to wait until
886
00:57:32.639 --> 00:57:37.519
Halloween to make his grand entrance. I have an appointment
887
00:57:37.599 --> 00:57:40.280
to keep, after all, one that I hope to have
888
00:57:40.360 --> 00:57:44.280
him accompany me on when he's old enough. It's only
889
00:57:44.360 --> 00:57:48.519
right that he meets the man he's named after. I
890
00:57:48.559 --> 00:57:51.400
don't know why that thing allowed us to leave that night,
891
00:57:52.119 --> 00:57:55.000
something that Derek claims he doesn't have an answer for either,
892
00:57:55.800 --> 00:57:59.519
though I suspect he understands far more than he's letting on.
893
00:58:00.679 --> 00:58:03.960
Perhaps someday, though, when my life has passed me by
894
00:58:04.360 --> 00:58:07.599
and I'm nearing the end of my journey, maybe then
895
00:58:08.360 --> 00:58:12.920
I'll have the answers I seek when my final Halloween comes,
896
00:58:13.320 --> 00:58:17.039
when I visit that labyrinth for the last time, maybe
897
00:58:17.559 --> 00:58:21.519
it'll allow me to enter again. If I can't free
898
00:58:21.559 --> 00:58:26.239
my beloved brother, perhaps I can join him and whatever
899
00:58:26.400 --> 00:58:31.440
truly lies beneath the old Corn Maze just outside the
900
00:58:31.480 --> 00:58:38.639
city limits. I hope you all enjoyed the story as
901
00:58:38.679 --> 00:58:41.079
much as I did. That one had all the fall
902
00:58:41.199 --> 00:58:43.960
feelings that I absolutely love. And I want to say
903
00:58:43.960 --> 00:58:47.159
a very special thank you to William Rayne for allowing
904
00:58:47.239 --> 00:58:51.119
us to feature his story on our show, and definitely
905
00:58:51.199 --> 00:58:54.719
check out his YouTube channel, The Last Lodge for lots
906
00:58:54.760 --> 00:58:59.480
of other scary, creepy pasta style stories. I assure you
907
00:58:59.480 --> 00:59:03.519
you'll enjoy them. And even though it's Friday, the Spooky
908
00:59:03.559 --> 00:59:06.519
Week is only just beginning because we are doing thirty
909
00:59:06.519 --> 00:59:09.239
one shows in thirty one days, So we'll be back
910
00:59:09.280 --> 00:59:12.519
here tomorrow with another scary story, this time from our
911
00:59:12.559 --> 00:59:16.079
good buddy Michael Kelso, a story all about going on
912
00:59:16.119 --> 00:59:20.280
a Halloween hike that may not go the way you hope,
913
00:59:20.639 --> 00:59:23.360
And in the following week we'll be debuting some brand
914
00:59:23.400 --> 00:59:29.119
new Halloween novellas exclusively here at Weekly Spooky. Make sure
915
00:59:29.159 --> 00:59:32.400
you're subscribed on your favorite podcasting apps and leave us
916
00:59:32.400 --> 00:59:34.599
a five star rating, And if you want to support
917
00:59:34.679 --> 00:59:37.239
us in a direct way, head over to Patreon by
918
00:59:37.280 --> 00:59:41.320
going to Weeklyspooky dot com slash joined. For as little
919
00:59:41.360 --> 00:59:43.679
as one dollar a month, you get all kinds of
920
00:59:43.719 --> 00:59:47.400
bonus content every single month and a big fat thank
921
00:59:47.440 --> 00:59:51.199
you to our Patreon podcast boosters folks who pay just
922
00:59:51.239 --> 00:59:53.639
a little bit more to hear their names at the
923
00:59:53.719 --> 00:59:56.719
end of the show, and they are Johnny Nick's, Jenny Green,
924
00:59:56.880 --> 01:00:00.840
Amber Hansford, Brent McCullough, Karen we Met, Ja Kerr, and
925
01:00:00.960 --> 01:00:03.119
Craig Cohen. Thank you all so much, And if you
926
01:00:03.119 --> 01:00:06.079
want to hear your name htt by my silky smooth
927
01:00:06.159 --> 01:00:09.639
voice on this very show, just go to Weeklyspooky dot
928
01:00:09.679 --> 01:00:13.559
com slash join and subscribe at the fifteen dollars tier
929
01:00:13.960 --> 01:00:16.400
or higher. Not only will you get that perk of
930
01:00:16.440 --> 01:00:18.559
hearing me say your name at the end of the show,
931
01:00:18.920 --> 01:00:23.000
but over five years of bonus content all at your
932
01:00:23.039 --> 01:00:26.679
Fingertips Weeklyspooky dot Com, slash Join. But now it's time
933
01:00:26.679 --> 01:00:27.840
for me to get out of here. I have so
934
01:00:27.960 --> 01:00:30.320
much more work to do, so for myself, for my
935
01:00:30.400 --> 01:00:34.480
executive producers Rob Fields, Mark Shields and Bobotopia dot Com,
936
01:00:34.519 --> 01:00:37.239
my producer Dan Wilder, and my composer Ray Mattis. I
937
01:00:37.280 --> 01:00:39.079
will talk at you next time.
938
01:00:39.559 --> 01:00:43.280
Thank you for listening. Make sure to find your way
939
01:00:43.360 --> 01:00:50.280
back next week, but for now you are safe. Trust me,
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