May 21, 2025

Ep.331 – Gator Boy of Dead Ore Swamp - Terrifying Southern Cryptid Horror

Ep.331 – Gator Boy of Dead Ore Swamp - Terrifying Southern Cryptid Horror
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In this wild Southern-fried horror tale by David O’Hanlon, a high school couple heads to a legendary swamp for one last unforgettable night—but instead of romance, they meet the horrifying truth behind a town’s oldest legend. What follows is a bloody, black-humored, creature-feature ride full of scares, screams, and swampy secrets.

From cursed brothels to mutated monsters and dark folklore, Gator Boy of Dead Ore Swamp blends slasher-style thrills with campfire horror in a gruesome coming-of-age nightmare.


Featuring:
• A terrifying cryptid born of swamp revenge
• Carnage, teens, and toothy justice
• A showdown deep in the muck with a reptilian legend

👻 Perfect for fans of: Creepshow, Goosebumps, Wes Craven’s Swamp Thing, and Southern Gothic creature horror.

Written by David O’Hanlon

Get your very own signed copy of Weekly Spooky's The April Fool !

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

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

📬 Contact Us / Submit Your Horror Story!


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

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

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

📬 Contact Us / Submit Your Horror Story!

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

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On the edge of Luxton County, the cursed waters of

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dead or swamp hide more than gaiters and ghost stories.

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When two teens sneak out for one last thrill before graduation,

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they stumble upon a nightmare older than the town itself,

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a creature born of black magic, murder and muck.

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What's that You want to be scared?

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H Come with me. You will experience tales over.

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Our bera, ghosts and death. It is not recommended, and

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the foot of week at our heart Listeners, in the dark,

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it's more fun at that way. Way. This is Weekly speaking.

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Hello, my spookies, It's Wednesday, and you know what that means.

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It's time for a little spooky in your weekly. I'm

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your host and narrator, Enrique Kuto, and we have quite

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the Southern fried piece of horror for you tonight to

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help you ring in the summer months. But before we

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get to that, I want to say thank you so

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much for tuning in and joining us, because in the summertime,

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when the sun is out and everyone goes to play,

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not everybody wants a taste of Halloween every single week.

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But you, my dear listener, you are one of us.

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A spooky through and through, and I'm so glad we

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found each other. And if you want to support us

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Over ninety other spookies have already signed up. Maybe it's

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time you do too. And don't forget, we still have

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signed copies of The April Fool by Rob Fields waiting

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to join your literary collection, not only signed by Rob

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himself but also by me. So if you want to

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grab yourself one, there's only one place you can go,

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and that's Weeklyspooky dot Com slash April Fool. But as

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for tonight, they say, there's a part of the swamp

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where time stopped and the ghosts of the past still

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whisper through the trees. But what if one of those

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ghosts never really died? In Luxton County, they tell stories

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about a place called Bracket's Thumb and the thing that

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slithered out of it on one stormy night. It wasn't

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born human, and it definitely didn't stay in the swamp.

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We'll go there after this Gator Boy of Dead or

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Swamp by David Ohanlan Garrett Jenkins hated the swamp. He

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looked around the moonlit banks with growing uneasiness. Even if

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the place weren't cursed, he'd still have hated it. When

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he was little, they'd lived in a dilapidated stilt house

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with his grandparents on the edge of Dead Or Swamp,

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and he remembered it all vividly, the terrifying bellows of

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the alligators and their glowing eyes sitting still on the

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black wall outside his bedroom window. That had been the worst.

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He'd never been happier than when his pops moved them

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to the duplex in town. Garrett never went to the swamp.

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When it was time to visit his grandparents. He suddenly

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got sick when his old man wanted to go fishing.

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He remembered a school project that was due immediately. He

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hated that damn swamp more than anything, but taking your

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date to Bracket's Thumb was a Champsville tradition. He'd never

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gotten the opportunity before, and he wouldn't again. He looked

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over at Tony rising. Her hair and makeup were done

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up perfectly. It was only their fourth date, but also

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their last. They both had great opportunities far from Luxton County,

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and neither was stupid enough to squander that. They both

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knew this was their only chance, so they snuck out

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of the graduation party and headed to the Thumb. They

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sat in the air conditioning of Garrett's oldsmobile, listening to

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the Cure and watching the haunted swamp. A new Jeep

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wagoner with big mud tires and a boat trailer was

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parked on the far side of the cracked asphalt. The

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night fishers were long gone by the time the couple arrived.

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It made Garrett more nervous. There was only one reason

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to visit the Thumb, after all, what if they came

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back and caught him in Tony He knew they needed

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to speed things up, but they both waited for the

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other to initiate. Moved nervously in false starts, and then

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giggled with embarrassment. Tony cupped his face in her hands

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and leaned in for a soft kiss, then sighed, I

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hate this town. She whispered, I thought coming out here

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would give me one thing to miss when I left

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in the fall. She leaned back against the passenger side door.

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Garrett twisted to her face. He was secretly glad she'd

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broken contact. It had been a simple, boring kiss, but

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it had been more than enough for the virgin. He

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squirmed uncomfortably, hoping the shadow of the dash would hide

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the bulge in his leviyes. That's why I'm here, too,

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he said. I don't think making it on the boat

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ramp is what I need. She said, we can go

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so somewhere else, Garrett suggested. Old man Otto always leaves

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his tractor unlocked. You do you know how many people

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have had sex in that tractor. I'm pretty sure I

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was conceived in that tractor. Garrett admitted. He was probably

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still called old Man Otto back then too. The guy

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probably knew Reverend Bracket in person. Who's that, Tony asked,

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with obvious embarrassment. You've lived here your whole life and

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you don't know the story of the thumb, Garrett laughed.

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How is that even possible? It sticks out from the

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swamp like a thumb. Tony shrugged. I never really cared

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about the gaudy old swamp who was bracket Wow. Okay,

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Garrett cleared his throat and changed his position. We should

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have a campfire for this. That's how most of us

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hear it. I'll settle for just hearing it before first semester.

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It was the summer of eighteen eighty eight he started.

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It had been raining for weeks. The men of Champsville

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were going stir crazy, being stuck indoors with their wives.

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Somewhere out there across the swamp was a two story

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whorehouse called the Sweet Marsh. In The Sweet Marsh was

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well known in Rooker in Brownsburg, but the Champsville men

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rarely took the eighteen mile journey around the gator infested

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swamp to visit Madam Maddie. With the water up, some

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of the guys decided to shortcut the distance in their boats.

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They came back with erotic tales of the Sweet Marsh.

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Enterprising locals started building rafts for the men to rent.

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Some of them were better built than others, and not

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all of them made it back. Drownings and gator attacks

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were commonplace, so no one really thought anything of it. Naturally,

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other guys thought they were smarter and kept making the

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trip until their luck ran out. It went like that

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through July and most of August. That's when Reverend Brackett

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came to town. Did he have a giant thumb tony

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interrupted or an extra thumb like the guy we saw

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at the fair. I'll get to the thumb in a minute,

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Garrett promised. Brackett had been a Confederate bushwhacker, where he

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earned the name Brutal Bracket. Some time after he found

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God but didn't quite lose the temperament. He became a preacher,

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traveling with a flock of deranged followers that called themselves

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the Church of Immaculate Wrath. They came to Champsville like

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a plague. They told the locals the truth about the

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sweet marsh Madam Mattie was a witch and was sacrificing

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the Champsville husbands to the devil. The widows were happy

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to hear it. They liked that version better than their

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husband's dying. In order to get some strange the mob

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stormed the lawn of the brothel, which was sixty feet

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of soggy grass and alligator turrets. Madam Mattie was no

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pushover when Brackett's devotees tried to torch the inn, she

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led her hookers in an armed counter attack. It was

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a hell of a fight, but the Church won. Bracket

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hung the girls from the inn's balconies and left them

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for the customers to see. No one knows if it

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had a name before, but from that day on the

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area was called dead Hoarse swamp. Thick accents and poor

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literacy led to maps listing it as dead or and

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eventually that stuck instead. That's terrible, Tony looked across the swamp.

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How morbid can you be? What happened to Mattie? Well,

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if you'd stop interrupting, I'd tell you.

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Don't go away weakly, spooky, We'll be right back.

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Garrett settled back into his story telling voice. When it

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was time for her judgment, Mattie remained defiant. She bit

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off Bracket's finger and ran, with her hands still tied

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up and the finger clenched between her teeth. She went

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straight into the swamp. The church tried to pursue the

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smell of death, or maybe Mattie's black magic, brought the

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gaiters out in full force, and they swarmed the men

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until Bracket was the only survivor. A week later, a finger.

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A thumb, they say, was found right here where we're sitting.

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That's why we call it Bracket's thumb. Mattie never came

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out of the swamp, and everyone assumed she had been

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eaten as well, until she began appearing in the brackish

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waters around Chanceville. People saw her in the distance, always

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half submerged and seemingly at home among the reptiles and muck.

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Almost a year after the Sweet Marsh massacre, Champsville got

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woke up by a woman's screams coming from the swamp.

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The sightings of Madam Maddie stopped that night. Legend says

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that she ran away that evening, but she was raped

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by the alligators. The scream heard in Chanceville nine months

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later were her giving birth to the inhuman offspring, the

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gator Boy of dead or Tony broke into laughter. It's true,

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Garrett promised. Gator Boy has been seen for generations, especially

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when it rains. Sure Tony scooted closer to him. It

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rained yesterday. I didn't see your croc boy, gator boy, No, sweetie,

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it's a crock. She caressed his face. Let's make our

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own story. They made out passionately for a long time

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before Garrett worked up the nerve to move his groping

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hands underneath her shirt. He circled her nipple with his

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thumb and gently pinched. She moaned and worked at the

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button of his jeans. Garrett sucked the side of Tony's neck.

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She screamed, and he felt like a total stud until

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he realized it hadn't been a scream of pleasure. He

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pushed himself away from her. What did I do something wrong?

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He asked. There was something outside. It's a swamp. There's

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lots of things outside, not like that, there aren't. Metal

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shrieked outside. A flicker caught Garrett's attention. A strange red

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glow emanated from behind the vehicle. Another scrape, then a

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third that lasted longer than the others. The ominous glow moved.

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Tony looked over the seats. Start the engine, Garrett, She whispered.

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The reptilian face popped up in her open window, with

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its eyes burning brightly. Tony scooted backwards across the seat

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until she was in Garrett's lap. The monster disappeared before

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she could get a good look. Garrett turned the key,

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but the car didn't start. He tried again, but the

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engine wouldn't turn over. No way, he growled, I just

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got it tuned up, why won't it start. A tire

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popped and the car lurched to one side. The reptilian

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monster peeked over the hood at the two teens. Their

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plan to spend the evening screaming in each other's arms

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had come to twisted fruition. The monster darted suddenly out

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of sight. Garrett watched its tail swinging wildly as it

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ran for the bushes. The two teens held on to

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each other, unable to move. The nightmare was gone. For

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Chris Davidson, it was only the beginning. He tightened the

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lug nuts on the spare tire. He'd had too many

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cups of the spiked punch at the graduation party and

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shouldn't have been driving. He'd swerve to avoid an animal

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on the poorly maintained two lane road. The tire blew,

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and he'd careened through the scrub, scratching the hell out

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of the silica and busting the headlight. It could have

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been worse. If he'd pulled the wheel in the other direction,

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he'd be drowning in the swamp. Instead of changing a tire.

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Dad is gonna kill my ass, he said, tossing the

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ruined tire into the back of the car. Chris listened

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to the night sounds. Crickets and cicadas carried on ceaselessly.

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Bullfrogs did their best to drown them out, while nighthawks

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added their sporadic calls to the mix. Thin clouds obscured

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the half moon, casting waves of shadow over everything below.

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He heard a guttural hiss. Recognition sent shivers racking through

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his body. He whirled, pointed to the flashlight at the swamp.

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He knew it was there somewhere, but the weak kmart

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special barely had the power to illuminate the brush. He

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scanned low for the eye shine, but saw nothing. His

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brother had run over a gaiter once on the same stretch,

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and it ripped the transmission clean out from under the

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small pickup. The gaiter survived, and ever since Chris imagined

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it was out there looking to take its revenge on

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any vehicle it could. An idea came to him. That

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was the story he'd tell his dad. The gaiter did it.

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He was driving along Stone sober, and that bastard sprang

225
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from nowhere and bit his tire off. That might work.

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Chris might have been eighteen, but that wouldn't save his

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hide if he admitted he'd been driving his graduation present

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shitfaced and wrecked it on the first night of ownership.

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He laughed at his own genius, and another hiss answered him.

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Chris moved the light in its direction. At the far

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reach of the beam, a bush seemed to be growling,

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rising straight up from the ground. Then eyes did shine

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back at him.

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You're not safe yet, weekly Spooky will be right back.

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Chris dropped the light. Its plastic housing shattered on the blacktop.

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The monster broke from its cover. Chris bolted from the

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car door. He'd just gotten his hands on it when

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an impossible force struck him from behind. The jaws snapped

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together with an audible crack that left Chris's ears ringing.

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He felt a pull at his scalp as the monster

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tore a chunk of his high top from his head.

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Thick reptilian fingers gripped his arm, keeping Chris face down

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on the road. The teeth came together once more. This time,

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the beast didn't miss. The bite cracked the teen's skull.

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His eyes bulged from their sockets. Chris could hear the

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00:20:44.599 --> 00:20:52.839
teeth grinding against bone, then he couldn't hear anything at all.

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00:21:00.200 --> 00:21:04.400
Billings laughed his ass off as he stripped away the

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Gaiter Boy costume he'd piece together from spare parts of

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00:21:08.720 --> 00:21:13.039
old Halloween costumes. He'd had a crush on Tony since

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00:21:13.079 --> 00:21:16.680
the seventh grade, and that basically made them a couple

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as far as he was concerned. He wasn't about to

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stand by while she ran off to the thumb with

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some other guy. He tossed the costume into the bed

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of the Scotsdale. Another round of laughter overtook him. They'd

255
00:21:33.279 --> 00:21:36.960
tell the story of their encounter with Gaiter Boy, and

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00:21:37.079 --> 00:21:41.359
the whole town would get a very good laugh. He

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00:21:41.519 --> 00:21:45.599
drove back to town, taking the dirt road that skirted

258
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the edge of Old Man Otto's rice fields. He thought

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00:21:49.759 --> 00:21:53.079
about riding up to the levee and seeing if anyone

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was bumping uglies in the tractor. Terry had a blast

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scaring the shit out of Tony and Garrett. It wouldn't

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00:22:01.079 --> 00:22:04.680
take too long to put the soup back on. Getting

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00:22:04.720 --> 00:22:09.880
another couple would be hilarious, but getting caught wasn't an option.

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He cut onto the blacktop and spotted a single headlight

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along the shoulder. Terry put on his mack truck ball

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cap and pulled the brim down to hide his face.

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Despite everyone in town knowing his daddy's truck, he just

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passed the car. When he felt a pang of unease,

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Terry pressed the brakes and slowed down. There was something

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beside the car, a dark puddle and a strange lump.

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He assumed the driver had struck an animal of some sort,

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only the lump didn't remind Terry of an animal. It

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00:22:53.240 --> 00:22:59.759
reminded him of an arm. The Chevy rocked gently. Terry

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00:22:59.759 --> 00:23:04.039
took his eyes off the unidentifiable mass and looked around

275
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the otherwise deserted road. There was no sign of another driver,

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00:23:10.200 --> 00:23:14.839
or anything else for that matter. The truck springs creaked.

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Terry turned to face the back window. A hot breath

278
00:23:20.920 --> 00:23:27.160
fogged the glass. Black eyes met Terry's gaze. He stomped

279
00:23:27.160 --> 00:23:30.319
the gas all the way down. The bed shook as

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the uninvited guest toppled out of it. Terry didn't dare

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00:23:35.119 --> 00:23:39.079
look at his mirrors to see what it was. He

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00:23:39.119 --> 00:23:44.799
didn't need to. The gator Boy was real, and he

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00:23:44.880 --> 00:23:55.279
did not appreciate Terry's impersonation. You sure this is your dog,

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Deputy Grant dabbed at his bald head with a handkerchief.

285
00:24:00.680 --> 00:24:04.440
Of course, I am your dumb some bitch, Merrill howled,

286
00:24:05.200 --> 00:24:09.680
pretty darn plain to see it's Rudolph. No offense, Merle.

287
00:24:10.240 --> 00:24:14.279
Grant fanned the flies away from the scalp and awful,

288
00:24:14.480 --> 00:24:16.799
but I can't even tell it's a dog at all,

289
00:24:17.720 --> 00:24:21.279
not a whole one anyhow. Well, no shitty ain't whole

290
00:24:22.039 --> 00:24:24.559
fucking gator boy been eating on my dog while you

291
00:24:24.680 --> 00:24:27.440
was stuffing your fat fucking face with grits and cock.

292
00:24:28.039 --> 00:24:30.640
About all you some bitch deputies do with my goddamn

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tax dollars taxes. Grant squinted at the cabin behind Merle,

294
00:24:37.680 --> 00:24:43.559
guessing you don't mean your property tax you some bitch. Merle.

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00:24:44.079 --> 00:24:48.519
You're a mean old bastard. Grant interrupted him. This is

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state land that you've been squatting on the last fifty years,

297
00:24:52.759 --> 00:24:55.279
but no one can tolerate you long enough to tell

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you to move the hell along. The only thing more

299
00:24:58.599 --> 00:25:01.920
rotten and putrid than those six wiggly ass teeth of

300
00:25:02.000 --> 00:25:05.720
yours is the bullshit you spew between them. If that

301
00:25:05.920 --> 00:25:09.279
chewed up poodle were you, even Pastor Fred would be

302
00:25:09.319 --> 00:25:13.759
thanking sweet baby Jesus for the blessing this Sunday, and

303
00:25:13.839 --> 00:25:19.200
I'd be content to call it natural causes. Unfortunately, it's

304
00:25:19.240 --> 00:25:21.920
a poor dog and that warrants my time and a

305
00:25:21.960 --> 00:25:25.720
proper investigation. So how about you just give me damn

306
00:25:25.799 --> 00:25:31.160
pertinent details. Merle gasped. He'd been a pain in the

307
00:25:31.200 --> 00:25:35.240
ass for almost eight decades and no one ever talked

308
00:25:35.279 --> 00:25:39.720
to him like that before. Then again, Grant came from

309
00:25:39.720 --> 00:25:43.599
the city. Merle knew better than to expect manners from

310
00:25:43.680 --> 00:25:48.079
city folk. He jabbed a nubby finger at Rudolph's remains,

311
00:25:48.759 --> 00:25:53.240
then cleared his throat, hurt him yowling out here, the

312
00:25:53.319 --> 00:25:57.160
coders said, in a more restrained tone. I grabbed my

313
00:25:57.279 --> 00:26:02.359
scatter gun expecting coyotes. Weren't. Oh goddamn animal though not

314
00:26:02.519 --> 00:26:08.519
no normal one. So you saw what did this? Grant asked, Sure,

315
00:26:08.640 --> 00:26:11.200
is your chunky ass jiggles on a Monday from a

316
00:26:11.240 --> 00:26:15.480
Sunday fart? Merle assured him it was gator boy. I

317
00:26:15.559 --> 00:26:20.039
done said it once. Seven note eight feet tall, nasty

318
00:26:20.079 --> 00:26:24.519
sum bitch would calls and big fucking teeth alrighty, guess

319
00:26:24.559 --> 00:26:28.039
that wraps this up. Grant headed back to his car.

320
00:26:28.880 --> 00:26:31.680
I'll get an apb out on Kermit the Frog and

321
00:26:31.759 --> 00:26:34.680
get back to you in a day or so. It's

322
00:26:34.799 --> 00:26:39.880
Maddie's birthday. Dipshit, Merle snarled, He's always angry on his

323
00:26:39.960 --> 00:26:45.599
mama's birthday. You'll see, boy, killing's just getting started. Do

324
00:26:45.759 --> 00:26:49.279
me a solid, Merle. Grant slid into his seat and

325
00:26:49.359 --> 00:26:53.000
leaned out. Have a heart attack before I come back

326
00:26:53.000 --> 00:26:55.920
out here. It had been a hell of a morning,

327
00:26:56.640 --> 00:26:59.920
as it always was after a night of graduation parties.

328
00:27:00.680 --> 00:27:03.440
He didn't even have time to refresh his coffee at

329
00:27:03.440 --> 00:27:08.079
the station before the first call came in. Most of

330
00:27:08.119 --> 00:27:12.759
it was normal nonsense. Merle's dog was a low priority

331
00:27:12.799 --> 00:27:15.960
to the deputy, but the makeshift cabin was on the

332
00:27:16.000 --> 00:27:19.960
way to the first of the missing person calls. He

333
00:27:20.039 --> 00:27:23.839
had three of those. Grant expected to find each of

334
00:27:23.880 --> 00:27:26.440
them nursing a hangover somewhere.

335
00:27:28.319 --> 00:27:30.799
Did you hear that? Better check the locks on your

336
00:27:30.880 --> 00:27:34.319
doors weekly, spooky, We'll be right back.

337
00:27:36.799 --> 00:27:40.799
Garrett woke up first and hurriedly scrubbed the sleep from

338
00:27:40.839 --> 00:27:44.440
his eyes so he could pretend that he had guarded

339
00:27:44.519 --> 00:27:48.400
Tony all night they'd come to the Thumb for an

340
00:27:48.519 --> 00:27:54.640
unforgettable memory. They certainly had that. He gently roused her.

341
00:27:55.359 --> 00:27:59.519
She screeched and palmed him in the nose. Jesus ow,

342
00:28:00.400 --> 00:28:06.119
why I'm sorry, Tony patted his chest. I thought you

343
00:28:06.200 --> 00:28:10.319
were the monster. Why would a monster wake you up gently?

344
00:28:11.480 --> 00:28:15.599
Maybe that's how they do it, Tony snapped back, this

345
00:28:15.759 --> 00:28:19.920
is my first time meeting one. I think it's broken,

346
00:28:20.559 --> 00:28:25.920
Garrett whined. Speaking of broken, Tony pointed at the sunrise.

347
00:28:26.759 --> 00:28:30.799
It's low light, so you can fix the car. Garrett

348
00:28:30.839 --> 00:28:34.240
pinched his bloody nose and scowled at her. He was

349
00:28:34.279 --> 00:28:37.039
the only guy in the history of Luxton County to

350
00:28:37.079 --> 00:28:41.279
strike out at the Thumb. He was attacked by Gator Boy.

351
00:28:41.839 --> 00:28:44.920
His date tried to punch his lights out. After all that,

352
00:28:45.599 --> 00:28:48.839
Tony expected him to go outside with the monster to

353
00:28:48.920 --> 00:28:54.799
fix the damn car. He huffed and stepped outside. The

354
00:28:54.880 --> 00:28:58.880
olds was scratched up bad, the chrome trim ripped off,

355
00:28:58.920 --> 00:29:03.960
and one tire was slashed. Dried cool shimmered on the asphalt.

356
00:29:04.640 --> 00:29:07.799
He popped the hood and found the battery cable torn off.

357
00:29:08.799 --> 00:29:12.640
Garrett looked over at the jeep with its big tires

358
00:29:12.680 --> 00:29:17.319
and wood trim. The Cajuns station wagon was easily recognizable

359
00:29:17.960 --> 00:29:24.359
as Carter Stigmuans. Carter had never returned, it seemed. Garrett

360
00:29:24.359 --> 00:29:28.240
went to the jeep to see if Carter was sleeping inside.

361
00:29:28.279 --> 00:29:32.240
Carter had five kids at home, all a year apart,

362
00:29:32.440 --> 00:29:34.880
so it wouldn't be surprising if he camped in the

363
00:29:34.960 --> 00:29:39.319
jeep instead of going back to that madhouse. Even if

364
00:29:39.359 --> 00:29:43.839
it were vacant. Perhaps there'd be some tools. The vehicle

365
00:29:43.960 --> 00:29:49.359
was unlocked, with the keys hanging from the ignition. Garrett

366
00:29:49.359 --> 00:29:53.480
set out rummaging through the jeep. Do you think it's

367
00:29:53.480 --> 00:29:59.240
out there? Tony said behind him. Garrett screamed, shrilly, sorry

368
00:29:59.799 --> 00:30:02.799
to Tony hung her head. I didn't want to be

369
00:30:02.839 --> 00:30:07.400
alone and I didn't want to piss my drawers. Garrett

370
00:30:07.480 --> 00:30:11.559
slumped into the back seat. Help me look for a toolbox.

371
00:30:11.720 --> 00:30:15.839
Since you're here, okay. Tony went to the back and

372
00:30:15.920 --> 00:30:20.160
lifted the gate. So do you think it's out there?

373
00:30:21.200 --> 00:30:23.440
No one ever saw a gator boy during the day,

374
00:30:24.039 --> 00:30:29.960
he said, I mean the sweet marsh. Tony clarified, I

375
00:30:30.039 --> 00:30:33.119
had a dream that it was the dead girls were

376
00:30:33.160 --> 00:30:38.279
still hanging there. I was scared enough. Tony you don't

377
00:30:38.319 --> 00:30:41.960
need to make it worse. Then you definitely shouldn't look

378
00:30:42.000 --> 00:30:48.240
behind you. Not funny, tony, not meant to be. Garrett

379
00:30:48.240 --> 00:30:52.440
took a deep breath and turned to see what was there.

380
00:31:00.240 --> 00:31:04.799
Grant fired his pistol into the brush, sending the buzzards

381
00:31:04.920 --> 00:31:11.440
scattering back into the sky. There was roadkill all over Arkansas.

382
00:31:11.960 --> 00:31:18.200
They'd find another meal. The deputy approached the Toyota celica cautiously.

383
00:31:19.359 --> 00:31:22.240
The birds had been pecking at something next to it.

384
00:31:23.480 --> 00:31:27.039
Even up close, it took Grant a moment to figure

385
00:31:27.079 --> 00:31:32.039
out it was an arm. The bit of skin left

386
00:31:32.079 --> 00:31:34.960
on the appendage and the make of the car led

387
00:31:35.039 --> 00:31:38.559
him to believe he'd found one of his missing persons.

388
00:31:39.839 --> 00:31:42.480
The size of the blood stain looked to be everything

389
00:31:42.559 --> 00:31:47.519
Chris Davidson would have had in his body. Grant went

390
00:31:47.599 --> 00:31:51.880
to call it in. A rumbling engine stole his attention.

391
00:31:53.000 --> 00:31:57.079
Carter Stigmann hadn't been home in two days. He told

392
00:31:57.119 --> 00:32:00.000
his wife he was going frog Gigin at Brackett's Eye.

393
00:32:01.240 --> 00:32:04.519
That was where Grant had been heading when he spotted

394
00:32:04.519 --> 00:32:09.079
the selica. Apparently, Carter had woken up from his drunken

395
00:32:09.160 --> 00:32:12.279
stupor and was trying to make it home before his

396
00:32:12.400 --> 00:32:17.200
wife got any angrier. Grant waved for Carter to slow down,

397
00:32:17.960 --> 00:32:21.160
but to his surprise, the jeep came to a screeching

398
00:32:21.240 --> 00:32:26.759
halt instead. The smell of burnt rubber made Grant's bulbous

399
00:32:26.839 --> 00:32:31.319
nose twitch. He fanned the stench away and stepped to

400
00:32:31.400 --> 00:32:35.079
the driver's side, shocked to see the pimple faced teen

401
00:32:35.680 --> 00:32:40.839
behind the wheel. Boy, the hell are you doing, Grant asked,

402
00:32:41.559 --> 00:32:45.119
Why are you in Carter's rig? Where's he at? A

403
00:32:45.200 --> 00:32:49.319
girl leaned across from the other seat. Someone's been killed.

404
00:32:50.440 --> 00:32:54.079
Seems to be a lot of that going around, Grant grumbled.

405
00:33:00.119 --> 00:33:03.880
The setting sun turned the sky into a deep bruise.

406
00:33:04.720 --> 00:33:09.799
Airman Griz sutton yawned and turned up the radio. He

407
00:33:09.880 --> 00:33:13.359
hadn't been home in two years, a fact his mother

408
00:33:13.599 --> 00:33:17.480
was sure to bring up every time he called. He'd

409
00:33:17.480 --> 00:33:20.839
been in Germany on Christmas and promised he'd come to

410
00:33:20.920 --> 00:33:24.559
visit as soon as he got leave. He wasn't looking

411
00:33:24.640 --> 00:33:27.839
forward to the five hundred mile drive to baton Rouge

412
00:33:28.240 --> 00:33:33.359
from Blytheville after the prior knight's partying. To make matters worse,

413
00:33:33.839 --> 00:33:37.880
car tags had expired while he was overseas, and he'd

414
00:33:37.920 --> 00:33:40.559
have to navigate the back roads, which would add at

415
00:33:40.640 --> 00:33:45.359
least two hours. After an hour of the boring stretches

416
00:33:45.400 --> 00:33:49.680
of nothing that made up southeastern Arkansas, Griz was glad

417
00:33:49.759 --> 00:33:52.559
to have the swamp to look at, not that he

418
00:33:52.599 --> 00:33:56.559
could see much of it at dusk. Still, the thought

419
00:33:56.680 --> 00:34:00.599
of that murky water, combined with the big gold, pushed

420
00:34:00.640 --> 00:34:04.480
his bladder to its breaking point. He pulled the fierro

421
00:34:04.640 --> 00:34:10.599
to the shoulder. Everything was peaceful and still. Griz stepped

422
00:34:10.639 --> 00:34:14.679
out and went to the brush to relieve himself. A

423
00:34:14.760 --> 00:34:18.559
nighthawk called out from the low branches of a cypress.

424
00:34:19.159 --> 00:34:24.719
Heh enjoy the view, Buddy, Griz chuckled. Once he finished

425
00:34:24.800 --> 00:34:27.880
raising the water level of the swamp, he went back

426
00:34:27.920 --> 00:34:32.519
to the fierro. A misshapen silhouette prowled at the edge

427
00:34:32.519 --> 00:34:37.960
of the headlights. Griz paused to watch the interloper. It

428
00:34:38.000 --> 00:34:40.960
could have been a trick of the light. He certainly

429
00:34:41.039 --> 00:34:46.119
hoped it was. He detoured to the passenger door, opening

430
00:34:46.159 --> 00:34:52.039
it slowly. The ominous form moved suddenly, but didn't advance.

431
00:34:52.800 --> 00:34:56.719
It moved laterally, watching Griz with the same intensity. The

432
00:34:56.760 --> 00:35:02.159
airman watched it back, go go on now. Griz waved

433
00:35:02.199 --> 00:35:06.039
for it to go get out of here. It didn't.

434
00:35:07.559 --> 00:35:11.559
Griz went into his glove compartment for the burretta. Whatever

435
00:35:11.679 --> 00:35:16.400
was stalking him was smart and attentive. As soon as

436
00:35:16.400 --> 00:35:20.599
Griz thumbed down the safety lever, the shape rushed straight

437
00:35:20.639 --> 00:35:24.480
at him. The airman took his first two shots one handed,

438
00:35:24.960 --> 00:35:29.960
sending them wide. The animal changed course instead of retreating.

439
00:35:30.960 --> 00:35:35.400
The headlights illuminated the leathery skin for just a second.

440
00:35:36.400 --> 00:35:40.199
Griz secured his grip and took a more stable stance.

441
00:35:41.159 --> 00:35:46.119
He led the target and fired again. The creature bellowed.

442
00:35:46.400 --> 00:35:49.679
It launched itself into the air, landing on top of

443
00:35:49.719 --> 00:35:54.119
the sports car with a reptilian hiss. Griz saw it

444
00:35:54.239 --> 00:36:00.599
clearly drool trickled between triangular teeth set in a stubby jaw,

445
00:36:01.559 --> 00:36:07.000
flared nostrils sat beneath emotionless, black eyes ringed and yellow.

446
00:36:07.840 --> 00:36:11.400
Griz threw himself to the ground, thrusting the pistol up

447
00:36:11.559 --> 00:36:15.599
and firing until the monster went away. It jumped from

448
00:36:15.599 --> 00:36:19.559
the roof, hitting the swamp with a splash and not

449
00:36:19.719 --> 00:36:26.360
making another sound. From there, Griz scrambled for another magazine.

450
00:36:26.400 --> 00:36:30.800
He watched the black water as he reloaded, expecting the

451
00:36:30.800 --> 00:36:34.960
thing to come back and finish the job. His chest

452
00:36:35.079 --> 00:36:37.880
burned from the breath he didn't know he was holding.

453
00:36:39.000 --> 00:36:44.159
He let it out sharply. The lizard man was gone.

454
00:36:44.800 --> 00:36:49.320
A hot, wet drop landed on his buzzed head and

455
00:36:49.480 --> 00:36:54.199
rolled behind his ear. Griz reached back to inspect it

456
00:36:55.039 --> 00:36:59.039
and was relieved to see the blood on his fingertips.

457
00:36:59.519 --> 00:37:04.360
He stood up and growled angrily. Aside from the small

458
00:37:04.440 --> 00:37:08.519
pools of blood, there were a lot of bullet holes.

459
00:37:09.000 --> 00:37:12.559
Insurance ain't going to cover that. He shook his head

460
00:37:12.960 --> 00:37:16.039
and shouted at the swamp. I hope I shot your

461
00:37:16.079 --> 00:37:18.960
balls off, you scally son of a bitch.

462
00:37:21.079 --> 00:37:26.400
Are you afraid? Good weekly spooky, We'll be right back.

463
00:37:29.679 --> 00:37:33.960
Grant angled his desk fan directly into his face. The

464
00:37:34.039 --> 00:37:37.719
teen couple had seen the mauled remains of Carter Stigman

465
00:37:38.239 --> 00:37:42.719
and his pal John adamlay in their ravaged aluminum boat.

466
00:37:43.800 --> 00:37:48.119
That's when they'd peeled away in Stigman's jeep. Grant was

467
00:37:48.199 --> 00:37:51.840
content to call it an animal attack, but the teens

468
00:37:52.000 --> 00:37:58.119
insisted it was gator boy Like any good Luxton County Deputy,

469
00:37:58.559 --> 00:38:01.599
Grant gave them a line of shit about black bears.

470
00:38:02.360 --> 00:38:06.719
That was the official version they always used. No one

471
00:38:06.760 --> 00:38:10.079
had ever seen a bear of any damn color in Luxton,

472
00:38:10.840 --> 00:38:15.519
but it beat admitting the truth about the swamp. Grant

473
00:38:15.559 --> 00:38:19.320
could see the future. If that ever happened, Champsville would

474
00:38:19.360 --> 00:38:23.480
be a tourist trap photos and souvenirs and a goddamn

475
00:38:23.519 --> 00:38:29.000
gator Boy breakfast cereal with tiny marshmallows shaped like body parts.

476
00:38:29.559 --> 00:38:33.159
The sheriff had taken his missus to the Riverboat casino,

477
00:38:34.079 --> 00:38:37.320
but was on his way back. Grant had about an

478
00:38:37.360 --> 00:38:39.480
hour to come up with a way to convince the

479
00:38:39.559 --> 00:38:43.920
kids they'd seen a damn bear. The bell rang over

480
00:38:43.960 --> 00:38:47.679
the door, and Grant grumbled. He pushed out of his

481
00:38:47.840 --> 00:38:51.199
chair and stepped out of his office. The man had

482
00:38:51.199 --> 00:38:55.480
a military haircut and the bild to match shown off

483
00:38:55.519 --> 00:38:59.239
by the cutoff Air Force T shirt. Grant waved, and

484
00:38:59.280 --> 00:39:03.199
the man practically ran to meet him. You're not going

485
00:39:03.239 --> 00:39:07.159
to believe this shit, he started. You'd be surprised what

486
00:39:07.280 --> 00:39:11.280
I believe right about now, Grant assured him. There's a

487
00:39:11.320 --> 00:39:16.599
monster in the swamp. You don't say, Grant grumbled. You

488
00:39:16.679 --> 00:39:20.719
get a good look at this monster damn skippy, Sheriff

489
00:39:21.119 --> 00:39:26.679
Griz nodded vigorously. I shot the bastard shot it. Grant

490
00:39:26.760 --> 00:39:31.400
raised an eyebrow and looked the man over carefully. Say

491
00:39:32.199 --> 00:39:35.800
I ain't seen you before. That don't happen very often

492
00:39:35.840 --> 00:39:40.960
in this county, Griz Sutton. He extended his hand. I'm

493
00:39:40.960 --> 00:39:44.400
on leave from Blytheville Airbase. I was heading home to

494
00:39:44.440 --> 00:39:48.599
Baton Rouge Grant put his hands on his wide hips.

495
00:39:49.119 --> 00:39:54.920
Now what exactly did you see, mister Sutton? Some kind

496
00:39:54.960 --> 00:39:57.719
of a lizard? I can draw pretty good if you

497
00:39:57.800 --> 00:40:02.199
got some paper, this thing was. It was crazy. Have

498
00:40:02.320 --> 00:40:07.000
never seen anything like it? Sure you have? Grant smiled.

499
00:40:07.719 --> 00:40:13.199
It was a black bear? What? No, it definitely wasn't

500
00:40:13.199 --> 00:40:16.360
a bear. This thing was covered in thick skin, like

501
00:40:16.519 --> 00:40:22.760
a like a dinosaur. Mange Grant explained, their hair falls

502
00:40:22.760 --> 00:40:26.719
out and leaves them with this wrinkled dark skin, could

503
00:40:26.760 --> 00:40:30.840
look just like a lizard, especially in the dark. No,

504
00:40:31.400 --> 00:40:34.360
you don't get it, Sheriff, I was as close to

505
00:40:34.400 --> 00:40:37.079
it as I am to you. Then you must not

506
00:40:37.159 --> 00:40:40.239
be a very good soldier son. If I shot something

507
00:40:40.280 --> 00:40:43.519
at this distance, it'd be dead, and I'd have brought

508
00:40:43.519 --> 00:40:46.559
it into this office instead. Of just a story about

509
00:40:46.559 --> 00:40:51.559
some dinosaur. Grant put a hand on his shoulder, speaking

510
00:40:51.599 --> 00:40:55.559
of shooting things. You do have a permit for that firearm,

511
00:40:55.960 --> 00:41:00.679
don't you. It's my service pistol, which means you can

512
00:41:00.719 --> 00:41:03.679
carry it in the line of duty, not freely. In

513
00:41:03.719 --> 00:41:08.119
the state of Arkansas. That takes a special permit. You

514
00:41:08.320 --> 00:41:13.559
got one of them? Griz looked at him incredulously. Inside, No,

515
00:41:14.599 --> 00:41:18.119
I don't got one of them. I thought Arkansas was

516
00:41:18.159 --> 00:41:23.239
a shall issue, permitless state. Grant interrupts. What I got

517
00:41:23.320 --> 00:41:26.599
is a man illegally carrying a firearm in my county,

518
00:41:27.000 --> 00:41:31.559
filing a bogus report about dinosaurs in my swamp. He shrugged.

519
00:41:32.320 --> 00:41:37.000
Or I have a respectable, reputable patriot with a distinguished

520
00:41:37.039 --> 00:41:41.800
military record who defended himself from a black bear with mange.

521
00:41:42.800 --> 00:41:48.400
So which one have I got? Griz sagged and staggered

522
00:41:48.440 --> 00:41:52.079
to the nearest chair. He sank into it with a curse.

523
00:41:53.119 --> 00:41:56.519
Grant sat on the edge of the desk, waiting for

524
00:41:56.599 --> 00:42:01.920
an answer. Griz stayed silent, telling his mother he wasn't

525
00:42:02.000 --> 00:42:05.639
visiting because he was in jail. Might be worse than

526
00:42:05.719 --> 00:42:09.280
whatever that monster had planned on doing to him. I

527
00:42:09.360 --> 00:42:16.960
guess I need to report a bear attack sheriff. Somewhere

528
00:42:17.039 --> 00:42:22.159
deep amongst the cypress trees, the creature broke the surface

529
00:42:22.280 --> 00:42:26.440
of the murky swamp water. He scratched at the bullet

530
00:42:26.440 --> 00:42:31.440
wound with a cracked claw. The human had hurt him,

531
00:42:32.280 --> 00:42:36.480
but it would heal. The beast crawled up the embankment

532
00:42:37.079 --> 00:42:42.920
to the soggy yard. Alligators hissed at his arrival. He

533
00:42:43.039 --> 00:42:47.119
returned the greeting on his way to the dam. Bones

534
00:42:47.199 --> 00:42:51.360
lay in piles around the porch, with rotten ropes dangling

535
00:42:51.440 --> 00:42:56.920
above them. One skeleton, almost intact, still hung from the

536
00:42:57.000 --> 00:43:03.039
frayed noose caught under its jaw. The creature went inside

537
00:43:03.119 --> 00:43:06.960
the ruins of the Sweet Marsh Inn and settled into

538
00:43:06.960 --> 00:43:12.880
one of the parlor's ragged, mildewed chairs. The Gator Boy

539
00:43:13.239 --> 00:43:25.719
of Dead or Swamp had come home. Well, my spookies,

540
00:43:26.159 --> 00:43:28.840
I hope you enjoyed yet another terror tale from our

541
00:43:28.840 --> 00:43:33.000
good buddy David O'Hanlon. This story had a little bit

542
00:43:33.039 --> 00:43:36.400
of everything to enjoy, and who knows, we just might

543
00:43:36.519 --> 00:43:39.239
end up back at the swamp to check in with

544
00:43:39.360 --> 00:43:43.840
old Gator Boy. You just never can tell. Can you?

545
00:43:44.760 --> 00:43:47.000
Thank you so much for joining me tonight for another

546
00:43:47.079 --> 00:43:50.079
episode of Weekly Spooky. We've been doing the show for

547
00:43:50.199 --> 00:43:52.880
quite a while and we have no intention of stopping.

548
00:43:53.239 --> 00:43:55.400
If you want to join us in keeping the spooky

549
00:43:55.480 --> 00:43:59.679
coming every single week and beyond, well, all you have

550
00:43:59.719 --> 00:44:03.280
to do head to Weeklyspooky dot com slash join for

551
00:44:03.320 --> 00:44:05.360
as little as one dollar a month. You get two

552
00:44:05.400 --> 00:44:09.880
bonus shows and my undead gratitude, but of course money

553
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can be tight. Another way you can help us is

554
00:44:12.039 --> 00:44:15.639
leave us a five star rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify,

555
00:44:16.119 --> 00:44:19.320
or maybe tell a spooky friend. We always love a

556
00:44:19.320 --> 00:44:22.800
little extra company, especially when we're heading to the swamp

557
00:44:23.159 --> 00:44:25.719
for a cookout. And make sure to stay tuned to

558
00:44:25.800 --> 00:44:28.920
the Weekly Spooky feed because myself and my buddy David

559
00:44:28.960 --> 00:44:31.719
will be talking all about the nineteen seventy six horror

560
00:44:31.719 --> 00:44:35.400
film Carrie this Friday. And I want to say an

561
00:44:35.440 --> 00:44:38.880
extra special big thank you to our Patreon podcast boosters,

562
00:44:39.039 --> 00:44:41.360
folks who pay just a little bit more to hear

563
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their names at the end of the show. And they

564
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are Kate and Lulu, Jessica Fuller, Johnny Nix, Jenny Green,

565
00:44:47.760 --> 00:44:51.519
Amber Hansford, Brent McCullough, Karen Wee, met Jack Kerr and

566
00:44:51.679 --> 00:44:53.559
Craig Cohen. And if you want to hear your name

567
00:44:53.599 --> 00:44:56.320
at the end of every episode of Weekly Spooky, just

568
00:44:56.400 --> 00:44:59.920
head to Weeklyspooky dot com slash join and choose the

569
00:45:00.079 --> 00:45:03.119
fifteen dollars a month tier. You'll get all kinds of

570
00:45:03.119 --> 00:45:05.960
extra goodies and get to hear your name come out

571
00:45:05.960 --> 00:45:10.639
of my silky spooky voice. But now, my spookies, it's

572
00:45:10.679 --> 00:45:12.440
time for me to get back to work. There's so

573
00:45:12.599 --> 00:45:15.840
much content to come, so make sure you're subscribed. I

574
00:45:15.920 --> 00:45:18.480
cannot wait to show you what's coming up in the

575
00:45:18.599 --> 00:45:21.639
very near future. And of course Halloween is right around

576
00:45:21.639 --> 00:45:24.719
the corner. So for myself, for my executive producers Rob Fields,

577
00:45:24.760 --> 00:45:27.840
Markshields and babbletopia dot com, my producer Dan Wilder, and

578
00:45:27.880 --> 00:45:31.000
my composer Ray Mattis, I will talk at you next time.

579
00:45:31.719 --> 00:45:35.400
Thank you for listenings. Make sure to find your way

580
00:45:35.480 --> 00:45:40.360
back next week week. But for now you are safe,

581
00:45:41.760 --> 00:45:42.679
trust me,