May 28, 2025

Ep.332 – A Plant Called Death - Terrifying Forest Horror with a Lovecraftian Twist

Ep.332 – A Plant Called Death - Terrifying Forest Horror with a Lovecraftian Twist
Apple Podcasts podcast player badge
Spotify podcast player badge
Spreaker podcast player badge
Audible podcast player badge
Castro podcast player badge
RSS Feed podcast player badge
Apple Podcasts podcast player icon Spotify podcast player icon Spreaker podcast player icon Audible podcast player icon Castro podcast player icon RSS Feed podcast player icon

When a married couple ventures deep into the Pacific Northwest wilderness in search of a mythical flower, what starts as a quirky botanical quest spirals into a hallucinatory nightmare of glowing blood, eerie silence, and body horror.

In Bruce Haney’s A Plant Called Death, ancient legends come alive as a group of hikers stumbles upon a plant that shouldn’t exist—one that changes those who touch it. What follows is a chilling descent into madness, mutation, and survival as nature itself turns against them.

🌲 Perfect for fans of: The Ruins, Annihilation, and Lovecraftian horror with modern character dynamics.
🌸 Featuring: Mythical plants, eerie wilderness, found-footage vibes, gruesome transformations, and a truly unforgettable climax.


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

1
00:00:00.640 --> 00:00:04.679
When a married couple ventures deep into the Pacific Northwest

2
00:00:04.719 --> 00:00:09.119
wilderness in search of a mythical flower. What starts as

3
00:00:09.160 --> 00:00:14.199
a quirky botanical quest spirals into a hallucinatory nightmare of

4
00:00:14.320 --> 00:00:19.280
glowing blood, eerie silence, and body horror. Join us for

5
00:00:19.359 --> 00:00:22.399
a descent into madness.

6
00:00:23.679 --> 00:00:27.039
What's that You want to be scared?

7
00:00:28.359 --> 00:00:39.119
Come with me. You will experience tales over our borah,

8
00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:41.159
ghosts and death.

9
00:00:42.280 --> 00:00:45.640
It is not recommended, but of weak at heart heart,

10
00:00:48.240 --> 00:00:51.799
listen us in the dark. It's more fun at that

11
00:00:51.960 --> 00:00:56.479
way way. This is Weekly Speaking.

12
00:01:03.960 --> 00:01:10.120
Hello, my spookies, It's Wednesday, and you know what that means.

13
00:01:10.799 --> 00:01:15.959
It's time for a little spooky in your weekly I'm

14
00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:19.200
your host and narrator, Enrique Kuto, and we have quite

15
00:01:19.239 --> 00:01:24.280
a terrifying story of hiking and nature and all that

16
00:01:24.400 --> 00:01:28.760
other terrible stuff. But before we get to that, I

17
00:01:28.799 --> 00:01:31.920
want to let you know that tomorrow, right here on

18
00:01:31.959 --> 00:01:35.959
the Weekly Spooky Feed, we have a little extra treat

19
00:01:36.159 --> 00:01:40.040
for your ears from a good friend, So make sure

20
00:01:40.079 --> 00:01:44.480
you tune in tomorrow and check it out. And on Friday,

21
00:01:44.959 --> 00:01:48.359
well we just might have a little bit of Edgar

22
00:01:48.400 --> 00:01:52.840
Allan Poe horror for you to enjoy, So make sure

23
00:01:52.879 --> 00:01:56.000
you're subscribed on your favorite podcasting app, and if you

24
00:01:56.040 --> 00:01:59.280
haven't already, leave us a five star rating at Apple

25
00:01:59.359 --> 00:02:03.519
podcast or Spotify. It really does help the show. And

26
00:02:03.560 --> 00:02:05.200
if you want to help us in a much more

27
00:02:05.200 --> 00:02:09.800
direct way, you can head to Weeklyspooky dot com slash Join.

28
00:02:10.080 --> 00:02:12.599
For as little as one dollar a month. You get

29
00:02:12.639 --> 00:02:15.960
bonus episodes twice a month, as well as over five

30
00:02:16.120 --> 00:02:20.560
years of creepy pasta readings, audiobooks, and so much more

31
00:02:20.840 --> 00:02:26.360
that's at Weeklyspooky dot Com slash Join. Your support means

32
00:02:26.520 --> 00:02:31.240
everything to me. I really mean that. But now, as

33
00:02:31.280 --> 00:02:37.479
for tonight, they say the woods can be quiet, too quiet,

34
00:02:38.199 --> 00:02:44.439
and sometimes it means something is watching. In the Pacific Northwest,

35
00:02:44.560 --> 00:02:48.360
there's a legend about a flower that only blooms once

36
00:02:48.879 --> 00:02:52.840
every seventeen years. No one knows what it looks like

37
00:02:53.439 --> 00:02:57.080
because no one who's seen it has ever come back.

38
00:02:58.039 --> 00:03:02.319
The same Night's tale is about a camping trip, a

39
00:03:02.360 --> 00:03:07.719
mysterious plant, and the horrible things that can grow inside you.

40
00:03:08.520 --> 00:03:18.680
So get yourself cozy and we'll start after this A

41
00:03:18.759 --> 00:03:26.240
plant called Death by Bruce Haney. My wife was much

42
00:03:26.280 --> 00:03:30.240
more intelligent than I, and the nicer of the two

43
00:03:30.280 --> 00:03:33.599
of us. Yet she was the one who got us

44
00:03:33.639 --> 00:03:37.360
into that mess, the one that I found myself hiding

45
00:03:37.400 --> 00:03:40.360
from in the woods on what was supposed to be

46
00:03:40.560 --> 00:03:46.199
our vacation, terrified that she would find me. The quote

47
00:03:46.319 --> 00:03:51.719
unquote vacation was her idea. My idea of a perfect

48
00:03:51.800 --> 00:03:55.280
vacation was returning to Cabo to hang out at the

49
00:03:55.319 --> 00:03:59.560
pool bar, have a few drinks and read my books.

50
00:04:00.120 --> 00:04:03.759
Hers involved hiking two to three days deep into the

51
00:04:03.800 --> 00:04:08.599
woods to search for some elusive flower that may or

52
00:04:09.080 --> 00:04:14.199
may not exist. You have heard of the corpse flower

53
00:04:14.960 --> 00:04:21.839
and Morphophallus titan aram, right, that elusive, rotten smelling flower

54
00:04:22.000 --> 00:04:27.319
that only blooms every seven to ten years. Well what

55
00:04:27.519 --> 00:04:31.279
if I told you there was another rare flower with

56
00:04:31.360 --> 00:04:35.879
a weird blooming cycle, one that most people haven't heard of,

57
00:04:36.639 --> 00:04:41.040
and those who have think it's just a myth. My

58
00:04:41.120 --> 00:04:43.839
wife told me about it and said that it was

59
00:04:43.920 --> 00:04:49.680
called death. When she told me this, I asked, really,

60
00:04:50.519 --> 00:04:56.959
that's the name. Yeah, it's called death, just death, no

61
00:04:57.759 --> 00:05:01.600
hard to pronounce name that derives from from several Latin words,

62
00:05:02.800 --> 00:05:07.920
just death. Why not? Why is its name so simple

63
00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:12.160
when every other flower seems to have some long, hard

64
00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:16.920
to pronounce scientific name. She explained to me that no

65
00:05:17.160 --> 00:05:22.360
actual scientist had ever seen the flower. Most argued that

66
00:05:22.439 --> 00:05:25.959
it didn't exist because of how rare it was. They

67
00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:30.360
didn't even know how often it bloomed. Was it ten years,

68
00:05:31.160 --> 00:05:36.560
fifteen years, One estimated thirty, but Sarah didn't think it

69
00:05:36.600 --> 00:05:40.160
was quite that long of a blooming cycle. There were

70
00:05:40.199 --> 00:05:44.000
only a handful of references to it in historical documents,

71
00:05:44.600 --> 00:05:48.560
and one of those is believed to be fiction. One

72
00:05:48.560 --> 00:05:51.839
of the earliest references she found was in the third

73
00:05:52.000 --> 00:05:57.800
issue of Oregon's first newspaper, The Oregon Spectator. That article

74
00:05:57.879 --> 00:06:02.800
went something like this man found dead in a precarious position,

75
00:06:03.240 --> 00:06:06.879
in a condition that baffled the person who found them.

76
00:06:07.279 --> 00:06:10.800
There are no signs of any other people, and multiple

77
00:06:10.920 --> 00:06:16.279
large animals were found nearby in various states of mutilation.

78
00:06:18.160 --> 00:06:21.560
It might not have been Cabo, but it was exciting

79
00:06:21.639 --> 00:06:25.120
to get away from the city, away from work, and

80
00:06:25.360 --> 00:06:29.839
away from my phone. As we drove, my worries drifted

81
00:06:29.879 --> 00:06:35.000
away as we stopped passing Starbucks and McDonald's and started

82
00:06:35.040 --> 00:06:41.319
passing by trees and nature, eventually even spotting wildflowers along

83
00:06:41.360 --> 00:06:44.720
the side of the road. Yes, it rains all the

84
00:06:44.800 --> 00:06:48.839
time here, but that suffering pays off. Once spring hits,

85
00:06:49.560 --> 00:06:55.279
everything in the Pacific Northwest starts to bloom. We parked

86
00:06:55.360 --> 00:06:59.439
near the trailhead of Blue Ruined Pass, so named after

87
00:06:59.480 --> 00:07:03.360
an incident on the Oregon Trail where six men died

88
00:07:03.439 --> 00:07:08.480
after consuming some ill distilled liquor that people refer to

89
00:07:08.639 --> 00:07:14.199
as blue ruin. With us came our long term friends

90
00:07:14.319 --> 00:07:17.680
Jane and Tom, who were a couple that met through

91
00:07:17.759 --> 00:07:21.639
us at one of our summer backyard parties. Tom was

92
00:07:21.680 --> 00:07:25.839
a colleague of Sarah's. Jane was my buddy. We met

93
00:07:25.879 --> 00:07:29.279
about ten years ago. She was a regular at the

94
00:07:29.319 --> 00:07:33.399
bar near my house. We quickly became friends because of

95
00:07:33.439 --> 00:07:37.879
our shared taste in music. On karaoke nights, we both

96
00:07:37.959 --> 00:07:42.800
sang nineties alternative rock. I would sing songs like Semi

97
00:07:42.920 --> 00:07:47.399
Charmed Life and Flagpole Sida, and she would mostly sing

98
00:07:47.519 --> 00:07:51.879
songs by Sublime. There was never any flirting, at least

99
00:07:52.120 --> 00:07:55.319
from my end. If she had, it wouldn't have been

100
00:07:55.360 --> 00:07:59.360
noticed by me. My happy marriage kept me from looking

101
00:07:59.399 --> 00:08:03.000
for that kind of thing. Tom seemed like a stand

102
00:08:03.079 --> 00:08:06.360
up guy, so there were never any worries for me

103
00:08:06.600 --> 00:08:09.319
about the two of them flirting or anything like that,

104
00:08:10.279 --> 00:08:14.160
especially after he became partners with Jane. He was a

105
00:08:14.199 --> 00:08:17.160
bit of a hard hang for me. We didn't have

106
00:08:17.279 --> 00:08:21.000
nearly any shared interests. As I know, fuck all about

107
00:08:21.040 --> 00:08:25.360
plants and outside of his work, sports was his favorite subject,

108
00:08:25.360 --> 00:08:29.680
which I also know fuck about. You can't beat the

109
00:08:29.680 --> 00:08:33.639
Pacific Northwest for its nature, Tom said, while pulling his

110
00:08:33.720 --> 00:08:37.679
supplies out of the vehicle. You look so happy, baby,

111
00:08:38.200 --> 00:08:43.480
Jane said, I am. Six days in nature is heaven?

112
00:08:44.159 --> 00:08:48.720
Tom said, I'm just happy to be off work, I added.

113
00:08:49.600 --> 00:08:53.720
Sarah was busy going through her bags, making sure she

114
00:08:53.840 --> 00:09:02.039
had everything she needed. pH Meter check, shears check, nope, book, camera, yep, yep,

115
00:09:02.480 --> 00:09:06.320
there that is yep. I think I got everything. She

116
00:09:06.440 --> 00:09:11.600
smiled at me. How about you. I have clothes, portable meals,

117
00:09:11.639 --> 00:09:17.720
and our shelter. What else would I need? Vodka? Jane said, gross,

118
00:09:18.480 --> 00:09:21.879
I have a bottle of whiskey in my bag. I said,

119
00:09:22.759 --> 00:09:27.600
Then I think we're set, Jane replied. The first day

120
00:09:27.879 --> 00:09:33.360
was uneventful. We walked, took breaks, and chatted. It was

121
00:09:33.399 --> 00:09:38.039
a fairly easy trail. The elevation gain was moderate. The

122
00:09:38.080 --> 00:09:42.679
only struggle was a large down tree that had landed

123
00:09:42.759 --> 00:09:45.480
on the trail and that we had to climb over.

124
00:09:46.559 --> 00:09:50.279
It took Jane and Tom a couple of attempts. We

125
00:09:50.360 --> 00:09:55.360
didn't stop walking until nearly nightfall. After setting up the tents,

126
00:09:55.399 --> 00:09:59.399
we had dehydrated soup for dinner. It was all right,

127
00:10:00.240 --> 00:10:03.080
excusing myself from the group. The rest of my night

128
00:10:03.320 --> 00:10:08.919
was spent reading the new Charles Campbell book and sipping whiskey.

129
00:10:13.440 --> 00:10:15.840
In the middle of the night, there was a rustling

130
00:10:15.960 --> 00:10:20.879
sound outside our tent that woke me. Sarah, being a

131
00:10:20.919 --> 00:10:25.759
sound sleeper, was oblivious. It didn't quite sound like a human,

132
00:10:25.919 --> 00:10:30.279
so I didn't think it was Jane or Tom. Then

133
00:10:30.399 --> 00:10:35.039
there was a hissing sound that startled me. What the fuck?

134
00:10:35.639 --> 00:10:40.320
I said, a little too loudly. This startled Sarah, who

135
00:10:40.360 --> 00:10:45.799
bolted upright, what's wrong? Sorry, nothing, I just heard an

136
00:10:45.840 --> 00:10:49.480
animal outside moving around the camp. And then I got

137
00:10:49.519 --> 00:10:54.840
startled when I heard it. Hiss hiss. Yeah, like a

138
00:10:54.879 --> 00:10:59.240
bobcat or a cougar, Sarah said, revealing a bit of

139
00:10:59.320 --> 00:11:05.240
panic in her voice. Smaller, more like a possum. Oh okay,

140
00:11:05.879 --> 00:11:10.559
then go back to bed, she said. You know, possums

141
00:11:10.559 --> 00:11:14.200
freak me the fuck out. Yeah, And I don't know

142
00:11:14.279 --> 00:11:20.759
why they're adorable. They're disgusting, regardless of what crazy people

143
00:11:20.840 --> 00:11:25.399
on those TikTok videos you send me say. Sarah laughed.

144
00:11:26.039 --> 00:11:29.600
She knew my hatred of possums, so she sent me

145
00:11:29.799 --> 00:11:35.120
pro possum TikTok videos every day. Videos of people holding

146
00:11:35.200 --> 00:11:40.639
the disgusting things and saying stuff like, Oh, isn't he cute? Oh,

147
00:11:40.679 --> 00:11:45.919
he's just a little baby. Made my skin crawl. We

148
00:11:45.960 --> 00:11:49.360
heard a rustling against the tent again, which made me

149
00:11:49.480 --> 00:11:51.120
move closer to my wife.

150
00:11:53.279 --> 00:11:56.919
Don't go away, weekly, spooky. We'll be right back.

151
00:12:02.600 --> 00:12:06.360
Calm down, it's nothing. Come on, get to sleep. We

152
00:12:06.480 --> 00:12:11.840
have a long hike tomorrow. Okay. Another rustling was heard

153
00:12:12.240 --> 00:12:15.720
at the tent, and then I saw the impressions on

154
00:12:15.759 --> 00:12:21.039
the wall as it pushed its little hands against the material.

155
00:12:22.240 --> 00:12:26.120
Fuck this. Grabbing my shoe and hitting against the would

156
00:12:26.120 --> 00:12:30.399
be intruder seemed to scare it off. It hissed one

157
00:12:30.399 --> 00:12:34.919
more time. Then we could hear it run off. John,

158
00:12:35.279 --> 00:12:42.159
you heard it good? Why are you so afraid of possums? Experience?

159
00:12:43.039 --> 00:12:45.600
When I was little, I ran into the woods and

160
00:12:46.679 --> 00:12:52.000
one freaked me out. Why you imagine being alone in

161
00:12:52.039 --> 00:12:55.240
the woods as a young child and seeing what looks

162
00:12:55.360 --> 00:13:00.639
like a giant rat with mange hanging from a tree.

163
00:13:00.840 --> 00:13:04.759
I would have thought it was cute. That's because you're crazy,

164
00:13:05.159 --> 00:13:11.080
I joked, fuck you, she said, playfully. But the worst

165
00:13:11.240 --> 00:13:14.720
was when my mom spotted a wounded possum near our house.

166
00:13:15.799 --> 00:13:20.240
Because of its condition, she started feeding it. Everything was

167
00:13:20.360 --> 00:13:23.799
fine for a few days, and I even found myself

168
00:13:23.840 --> 00:13:27.399
warming up to the idea of them. But one night

169
00:13:27.519 --> 00:13:30.799
I was taking out the trash and it must have

170
00:13:30.879 --> 00:13:33.679
been around the time that my mom usually fed him,

171
00:13:33.759 --> 00:13:36.879
because I went outside and there was a dozen of

172
00:13:36.919 --> 00:13:41.720
them with their ugly pink skin and matted hair and

173
00:13:42.879 --> 00:13:46.759
beady eyes. I was already scared, and then they all

174
00:13:47.799 --> 00:13:53.720
started hissing, hiss, hiss, hiss, I said, squinting my face

175
00:13:54.000 --> 00:13:59.480
and holding my hands like claws. Sarah laughed, Hey, it

176
00:13:59.519 --> 00:14:04.440
was trauma to me. She continued to laugh. I'm sorry.

177
00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:09.960
I don't laugh at your trauma. My trauma isn't hilarious.

178
00:14:10.639 --> 00:14:14.039
The next morning, we woke up to discover the damage

179
00:14:14.039 --> 00:14:19.080
our nighttime visitors had done. There was no rhyme or

180
00:14:19.200 --> 00:14:23.039
reason for what they destroyed. It didn't appear that they

181
00:14:23.080 --> 00:14:28.080
were going after the food. After some powdered eggs on tortillas,

182
00:14:28.639 --> 00:14:31.960
we started our hike for the day. The end goal

183
00:14:32.159 --> 00:14:36.960
was to reach Root's Ridge by dark. From Sarah's calculations,

184
00:14:37.039 --> 00:14:39.960
she believed the death plant could be found around there.

185
00:14:41.159 --> 00:14:45.159
Remember keep your eyes peeled and your nose open. I

186
00:14:45.200 --> 00:14:47.840
don't expect to find it on the way, but you

187
00:14:47.919 --> 00:14:53.000
never know, she said, with excitement. So why do you

188
00:14:53.039 --> 00:14:56.879
think it'll be near the ridge? Jane asked, do you

189
00:14:57.000 --> 00:15:01.679
know the legend of Root's Ridge? Sarah asked, no, I

190
00:15:01.879 --> 00:15:04.120
just know it's supposed to have a great view of

191
00:15:04.519 --> 00:15:09.240
Cougar Lake was a semi popular route on the Oregon Trail.

192
00:15:10.080 --> 00:15:14.799
People supposedly stopped using it after the Barlow Trail was established,

193
00:15:15.519 --> 00:15:18.720
But I think it was the Roots family tragedy that

194
00:15:18.879 --> 00:15:23.399
led people trying to find another route. What happened to them,

195
00:15:23.879 --> 00:15:29.080
Jane asked, Well, it's hard to say what people wrote

196
00:15:29.200 --> 00:15:33.200
versus what happened isn't always the same thing, and people

197
00:15:33.279 --> 00:15:37.519
back then tended to shy away from the gory details.

198
00:15:38.200 --> 00:15:41.039
But one of the people who found them, for how

199
00:15:41.120 --> 00:15:43.960
messed up they were, said he would have rather come

200
00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:48.679
across the Donner party, and Sarah believes that the roots

201
00:15:48.720 --> 00:15:54.000
incident has something to do with the death plant. Tom said, Oh,

202
00:15:54.039 --> 00:15:57.360
so this plant has some kind of dark history to it,

203
00:15:57.480 --> 00:16:02.559
yet we are trying to find it. Jane said. They

204
00:16:02.559 --> 00:16:06.000
were also malnourished and in a state of starvation, which

205
00:16:06.080 --> 00:16:11.600
could explain some of what happened. Sarah exclaimed, plus, no

206
00:16:11.639 --> 00:16:13.559
one is going to force you to go near it.

207
00:16:14.840 --> 00:16:18.399
The rest of the hike that day felt off, but

208
00:16:18.559 --> 00:16:21.960
it was hard to place why. We were having fun.

209
00:16:22.120 --> 00:16:26.519
We had lots of amusing conversations. We found out that

210
00:16:26.639 --> 00:16:30.480
Tom fell in love with plants after seeing Little Shop

211
00:16:30.519 --> 00:16:34.039
of Horrors of all things. Jane told us the story

212
00:16:34.039 --> 00:16:38.000
of being busted as a teenager for shoplifting Green Day's

213
00:16:38.000 --> 00:16:41.960
American Idiot on CD. They wouldn't sell it to her

214
00:16:42.000 --> 00:16:45.879
because of the parental advisory sticker. Her mom was so

215
00:16:46.039 --> 00:16:48.600
mad that she took away all of her Green Day

216
00:16:48.639 --> 00:16:53.799
CDs since they were such a so called bad influence

217
00:16:53.840 --> 00:16:58.080
on her. Sarah also made me tell my possum stories

218
00:16:58.120 --> 00:17:01.320
so they could all join in on making fun of me.

219
00:17:02.559 --> 00:17:04.680
Tom was the one to figure out why the day

220
00:17:04.759 --> 00:17:08.839
felt so weird. Isn't it strange that we're in the

221
00:17:08.880 --> 00:17:13.720
middle of the woods, yet we hear almost no animal noises.

222
00:17:14.759 --> 00:17:19.440
I haven't even seen a gray squirrel today. That is strange,

223
00:17:19.960 --> 00:17:24.640
Sarah said. It's like that story I told her from

224
00:17:24.640 --> 00:17:29.039
that pulp writer, the really bad one, Henry B. Quinn.

225
00:17:29.400 --> 00:17:33.079
Sarah said, how did that go again? I have a

226
00:17:33.160 --> 00:17:37.039
copy with me, Sarah said, pulling off her pack to

227
00:17:37.160 --> 00:17:40.680
dig for the Weird and Fantastic Monthly photo copy from

228
00:17:40.759 --> 00:17:45.279
nineteen thirty one. Here it is. I don't want to

229
00:17:45.319 --> 00:17:49.640
read it. Come on, read it for us. Tom said, why,

230
00:17:50.559 --> 00:17:54.799
because it's the only entertainment we have out here. Jane said,

231
00:17:55.880 --> 00:17:59.400
Just read from here to there, Sarah said, pointing to

232
00:17:59.480 --> 00:18:04.680
the middle section of the second page. Okay, okay, the

233
00:18:04.759 --> 00:18:09.799
story went like this. I never did know what evil

234
00:18:09.920 --> 00:18:15.839
scent hunch guided me into those preternaturally quiet woods. I

235
00:18:15.880 --> 00:18:19.119
had merely gone out to find a good stick for

236
00:18:19.160 --> 00:18:24.240
the purpose of whittling. But there I found myself, deep

237
00:18:24.319 --> 00:18:28.160
in the woods, at the witching hour of all hours,

238
00:18:28.880 --> 00:18:33.720
miles away from my humble cottage home. It was like

239
00:18:33.880 --> 00:18:37.279
I had walked there in a daze, guided by my

240
00:18:37.440 --> 00:18:43.160
nose chasing an indescribable scent. This daze that was broken

241
00:18:43.279 --> 00:18:47.759
only when my eyes finally fell upon what a plant

242
00:18:48.000 --> 00:18:52.799
that I would come to call death. It stood tall

243
00:18:52.960 --> 00:18:57.559
at three feet and was just as wide. Though the

244
00:18:57.599 --> 00:19:02.799
only light was the moon up above. It was fully illuminated.

245
00:19:03.880 --> 00:19:07.119
It was a color that couldn't be described, as it

246
00:19:07.160 --> 00:19:12.200
was unlike anything that human eyes had ever laid eyes upon.

247
00:19:14.400 --> 00:19:18.559
You're not safe yet, weekly Spooky will be right back.

248
00:19:22.680 --> 00:19:26.440
Tom laughed. Sounds like a poor attempt at sounding like

249
00:19:26.680 --> 00:19:33.359
HP Lovecraft. Didn't HP publish his stories in that same rag, maybe,

250
00:19:33.759 --> 00:19:36.799
I said, as I wasn't that much of a fan

251
00:19:36.880 --> 00:19:42.839
of old literature, the HP Lovecraft comparison is apt. Sarah said.

252
00:19:43.359 --> 00:19:46.640
Henry Quinn was obsessed with Lovecraft, but he was one

253
00:19:46.680 --> 00:19:48.920
of the few people who couldn't get a pen pal

254
00:19:49.079 --> 00:19:53.799
relationship going with old HP. And he wrote to everybody.

255
00:19:54.400 --> 00:19:57.680
It's estimated that he wrote one hundred thousand letters in

256
00:19:57.759 --> 00:20:02.519
his lifetime. What we did Lovecraft call him? Again? I ask,

257
00:20:03.640 --> 00:20:10.599
an unintelligible, incompetent, titchy muddle pate, What does that even mean?

258
00:20:11.160 --> 00:20:16.160
Tom said, I forget something like a small idiot. I

259
00:20:16.240 --> 00:20:21.160
had to google it. We arrived at Root's Ridge at nightfall,

260
00:20:21.640 --> 00:20:25.039
and Sarah swore there was a strange scent in the air.

261
00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:29.319
I just smelled the pine trees, but I never had

262
00:20:29.359 --> 00:20:32.839
that grade of a nose. She wanted to explore that

263
00:20:33.039 --> 00:20:36.440
night to look for it, but we all talked her

264
00:20:36.480 --> 00:20:39.240
out of it, afraid that she would break her ankle

265
00:20:39.279 --> 00:20:43.039
on the rough terrain. We even talked her into drinking

266
00:20:43.119 --> 00:20:46.279
with us in celebration of making it to the ridge

267
00:20:46.319 --> 00:20:53.119
and the indescribable scent. It is quiet up here, Jane said,

268
00:20:53.759 --> 00:20:57.799
as she sipped her vodka with a crystal light packet

269
00:20:58.200 --> 00:21:03.319
in it. Every ounce counts when hiking, so powdered drink

270
00:21:03.400 --> 00:21:08.759
mixes became our go to mixer, which is disgusting. That's

271
00:21:08.799 --> 00:21:13.079
why Tom and I were drinking whiskey straight. I don't

272
00:21:13.079 --> 00:21:16.759
hear any movement in the woods at all, I added,

273
00:21:17.720 --> 00:21:21.839
isn't it nice, Tom said, and held his collapsible cup

274
00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:28.240
up to clink against mine. It's eerie, I said, But whatever,

275
00:21:28.519 --> 00:21:32.880
After a few more drinks, I won't mind it. Just

276
00:21:33.079 --> 00:21:36.839
like the night before, I woke up to strange noises

277
00:21:36.880 --> 00:21:40.680
outside the tent. I was pretty sure I heard another

278
00:21:40.799 --> 00:21:45.039
possum hiss. I debated whether I should wake Sarah up,

279
00:21:45.119 --> 00:21:48.119
but when I looked over to where she should have been.

280
00:21:49.319 --> 00:21:54.359
She wasn't there. I heard animals scatter when I opened

281
00:21:54.359 --> 00:21:58.799
the tent. The footsteps sounded like they were from various

282
00:21:58.839 --> 00:22:03.559
sized animals, almost like all the different species in the

283
00:22:03.599 --> 00:22:08.640
woods came to meet at our campsite. Where were they

284
00:22:08.640 --> 00:22:14.400
all day? Sarah? I said out loud. It was not

285
00:22:14.599 --> 00:22:17.559
quite a whisper, but I didn't want to yell and

286
00:22:17.640 --> 00:22:21.000
wake Jenny and Tom up. But when I heard the

287
00:22:21.079 --> 00:22:25.720
zipper on their tent, I assumed I had. Did you

288
00:22:25.799 --> 00:22:31.400
hear all that? Jenny asked, in a yell whisper. Yeah, man,

289
00:22:31.599 --> 00:22:36.000
did Sarah sleep through that? Tom asked, I don't know

290
00:22:36.039 --> 00:22:42.079
where she is? Oh. Tom said, she probably just went

291
00:22:42.119 --> 00:22:45.200
out to pitdle and then saw the animals and decided

292
00:22:45.240 --> 00:22:50.640
to wait to come back. That's possible, I guess, since

293
00:22:50.680 --> 00:22:54.200
they were both awake. Now. I took in a deep breath,

294
00:22:54.440 --> 00:23:00.440
funneled my hands around my mouth, and yelled Sarah. I

295
00:23:00.519 --> 00:23:05.079
did this in each direction, not getting a response. I

296
00:23:05.160 --> 00:23:11.039
waited two minutes and did it again. Damn, I said.

297
00:23:11.519 --> 00:23:15.000
Then I walked back to my tent and grabbed my flashlight.

298
00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:19.960
I noticed hers was gone, as was the small bag

299
00:23:20.039 --> 00:23:23.480
where she kept her plant tools. When I came out,

300
00:23:23.559 --> 00:23:28.160
Tom and Sarah had their flashlights out. What's the plan,

301
00:23:28.759 --> 00:23:33.160
Jane asked. We decided we would stay together and for

302
00:23:33.279 --> 00:23:36.680
now we would only explore one hundred yards from the

303
00:23:36.759 --> 00:23:41.839
camp in each direction. We found nothing when we went south,

304
00:23:42.440 --> 00:23:47.440
nor when we went north. When we went west, though,

305
00:23:48.119 --> 00:23:51.799
we came across a patch of white flowers that were

306
00:23:51.880 --> 00:23:56.480
unlike anything I had ever seen. When we put our

307
00:23:56.519 --> 00:23:59.960
flashlights on them, I could see that the whole plant

308
00:24:00.200 --> 00:24:06.319
was translucent and white, from the stem to the flowers. God,

309
00:24:06.359 --> 00:24:12.599
those are strange. It's just Monotropa uniflora, aka the ghost plant.

310
00:24:13.119 --> 00:24:18.960
Tom said, they're parasitic, so should we go around? I asked,

311
00:24:19.680 --> 00:24:23.440
It feeds on fungus instead of sunlight. Unless you're part

312
00:24:23.480 --> 00:24:28.839
fung guy, heresafe, Tom said, and laughed. Jane moved her

313
00:24:28.880 --> 00:24:32.440
flashlight further into the group of the ghost plant and

314
00:24:32.519 --> 00:24:37.400
then gave a little scream. Tom and I looked over

315
00:24:37.480 --> 00:24:43.079
to wear her flashlight illuminated specks of blood. The red

316
00:24:43.200 --> 00:24:46.160
drops on the translucent white made them look like the

317
00:24:46.240 --> 00:24:52.119
blood was glowing. What the fuck, Jane said, There are

318
00:24:52.160 --> 00:24:54.920
a lot of animals in the woods. I'm sure it's

319
00:24:55.039 --> 00:24:58.480
just blood dripping from something carrying a rabbit through here,

320
00:24:58.720 --> 00:25:03.599
or a bleeding buck from a fight. Tom reassured us

321
00:25:04.000 --> 00:25:07.680
put out your flashlights quick, I said, then put my

322
00:25:07.799 --> 00:25:12.200
hand over the front of my light. Tom and Jane followed.

323
00:25:13.319 --> 00:25:18.000
Even without our flashlights, we could see the blood because

324
00:25:18.039 --> 00:25:23.119
it was, in fact glowing. Does the blood of a

325
00:25:23.160 --> 00:25:29.839
dead rabbit or buck glow? Jane asked, maybe a chemical

326
00:25:29.880 --> 00:25:34.720
reaction between the plant and the blood. I asked, I

327
00:25:34.880 --> 00:25:39.279
doubt it. Tom told us. I began to walk in

328
00:25:39.359 --> 00:25:44.960
that direction. Where are you going? Jane asked, it's the

329
00:25:45.000 --> 00:25:50.319
only clue we have, I said, and continued forward. They

330
00:25:50.480 --> 00:25:53.920
argued that my wife's blood doesn't glow, so it can't

331
00:25:53.920 --> 00:25:58.440
be hers, but I didn't listen. We saw more blood

332
00:25:58.480 --> 00:26:01.759
along the way. It was an easy path to follow,

333
00:26:02.519 --> 00:26:04.880
but at the end of the trail we didn't find

334
00:26:04.920 --> 00:26:09.000
my wife. We found a dead deer that had its

335
00:26:09.119 --> 00:26:14.200
guts opened and splayed on the ground. The strangest part

336
00:26:14.359 --> 00:26:17.880
was that its legs appeared to be broken and pulled

337
00:26:17.880 --> 00:26:22.480
into angles that didn't make sense, like it had been

338
00:26:22.559 --> 00:26:25.799
dropped from a distance or attacked by something that could

339
00:26:25.880 --> 00:26:31.319
grab and pull back its legs. What the fuck? Tom said,

340
00:26:32.279 --> 00:26:36.079
in the distance, I heard movement in the woods. Be quiet.

341
00:26:37.079 --> 00:26:41.519
We stood there in silence as whatever was making that

342
00:26:41.720 --> 00:26:46.680
noise headed in our direction. Jane held on to her husband,

343
00:26:46.880 --> 00:26:50.920
but reached over to hold my hand as well. That

344
00:26:51.039 --> 00:26:55.440
glowing blood and the way that deer was killed spooked me.

345
00:26:56.559 --> 00:26:59.640
Why didn't I grab the bear mace before leaving my tent?

346
00:27:01.160 --> 00:27:04.559
It was getting closer. I could hear it struggle as

347
00:27:04.599 --> 00:27:08.039
it made its way up the ridge. Once it did,

348
00:27:08.680 --> 00:27:11.960
it would only be twenty five yards in front of us.

349
00:27:12.440 --> 00:27:15.920
That only gave us a slight advantage if we had

350
00:27:15.960 --> 00:27:19.640
to run, and if it was a cougar or a bear,

351
00:27:20.559 --> 00:27:23.200
it wasn't an advantage at all.

352
00:27:25.279 --> 00:27:30.640
Are you afraid? Good? Weekly spooky, We'll be right back.

353
00:27:33.279 --> 00:27:36.640
Put out your lights. When it was near the top

354
00:27:36.680 --> 00:27:41.480
of the ridge, we knew it was human. We could

355
00:27:41.480 --> 00:27:46.240
see light from a flashlight. I held my breath and

356
00:27:46.400 --> 00:27:51.160
hoped it was Sarah. As soon as the person got

357
00:27:51.200 --> 00:27:55.559
to the top, they pointed their light at us. How

358
00:27:55.599 --> 00:27:59.599
they knew exactly where we stood in the darkness, I

359
00:27:59.640 --> 00:28:03.880
had no idea. The light was too bright to know

360
00:28:04.039 --> 00:28:07.880
who it was. I looked away and thought about what

361
00:28:08.000 --> 00:28:14.039
I should do guys, you have to see this, Sarah said,

362
00:28:15.000 --> 00:28:18.480
feeling relieved that it was my wife. I let go

363
00:28:18.559 --> 00:28:22.440
of Jenny's hand and made my way to her. You

364
00:28:22.599 --> 00:28:27.279
had me so worried, but my fear returned when I

365
00:28:27.319 --> 00:28:30.839
saw the blood on my old white, oversized blink one

366
00:28:30.880 --> 00:28:35.759
eighty two shirt that she always slept in. What happened

367
00:28:35.799 --> 00:28:40.960
to you? She looked down. Oh this a deer attacked me.

368
00:28:42.519 --> 00:28:47.240
You killed that deer? I asked. It was either me

369
00:28:47.440 --> 00:28:51.039
or it. I think it might have been rabbid. Thank

370
00:28:51.119 --> 00:28:54.960
god it didn't bite me, she said, like it wasn't

371
00:28:55.000 --> 00:28:59.519
that big of a deal. Come with me. We watched

372
00:28:59.519 --> 00:29:03.359
as she turned around and headed down the ridge. We

373
00:29:03.359 --> 00:29:08.160
were all hesitant, but we followed. The terrain was rough

374
00:29:08.359 --> 00:29:13.079
but not impossible. Jane almost fell, but Tom was able

375
00:29:13.119 --> 00:29:16.960
to catch her. I think she was still buzzed. She

376
00:29:17.039 --> 00:29:20.839
could always drink me under the table. When we got

377
00:29:20.880 --> 00:29:23.440
to the bottom of the ridge, I could tell that

378
00:29:23.519 --> 00:29:28.200
our destination was through the trees. A hundred yards or so.

379
00:29:29.279 --> 00:29:32.920
I saw there was a light. I found it. I

380
00:29:32.960 --> 00:29:37.400
can't believe I really found it, Sarah said, as she

381
00:29:37.519 --> 00:29:40.400
guided us to what I imagined was the so called

382
00:29:40.920 --> 00:29:45.640
death plant. It stood about four feet tall in the

383
00:29:45.680 --> 00:29:49.640
middle of a clearing. Around it sat what appeared to

384
00:29:49.680 --> 00:29:54.160
be large boulders that were covered in so much moss

385
00:29:54.240 --> 00:29:57.960
and plant life that they must have been moved there

386
00:29:58.160 --> 00:30:03.559
a long time ago. The plant had a translucent quality

387
00:30:03.720 --> 00:30:07.039
to it that was not unlike the ghost plant, but

388
00:30:07.319 --> 00:30:11.960
just like that, amateur weird fiction writer wrote, it gave

389
00:30:12.039 --> 00:30:18.519
off an indescribable scent, not necessarily bad, but not a

390
00:30:18.519 --> 00:30:23.880
welcoming smell either. I found myself wanting to run, yet

391
00:30:23.880 --> 00:30:27.799
transfixed as I tried to comprehend what I was looking at.

392
00:30:28.839 --> 00:30:32.480
Right now, as I write this, I closed my eyes

393
00:30:32.640 --> 00:30:36.119
and try to recall what it looked like, and I

394
00:30:36.160 --> 00:30:39.599
can barely picture it. I want to say that it

395
00:30:39.720 --> 00:30:44.119
was a large flower with different shades of black and purple,

396
00:30:44.759 --> 00:30:48.279
but the colors were ever changing, and the longer I

397
00:30:48.400 --> 00:30:52.119
stared at it, the more the feeling of sickness came

398
00:30:52.200 --> 00:30:56.599
over me. Sarah walked right up to it and went

399
00:30:56.680 --> 00:31:01.960
to touch it. Don't I said. She just smiled at

400
00:31:01.960 --> 00:31:05.279
me as she first touched, and then she slid her

401
00:31:05.319 --> 00:31:11.680
hand right through its pulpy mass without any resistance, and

402
00:31:11.759 --> 00:31:15.359
when she pulled her hand back It showed no sign

403
00:31:15.880 --> 00:31:21.119
that it had ever been penetrated. But her hand was different.

404
00:31:22.240 --> 00:31:27.400
It glowed in shifting colors of black, purple, and blue.

405
00:31:28.440 --> 00:31:31.519
As she moved her hands around and opened and closed

406
00:31:31.519 --> 00:31:35.759
her fingers, we could all see these particles of glowing

407
00:31:35.880 --> 00:31:43.039
matter jumping from finger to finger. What the fuck? Jane

408
00:31:43.079 --> 00:31:47.160
and I said in unison. Sarah looked back at the

409
00:31:47.240 --> 00:31:52.400
plant and then nodded her head like it was telling

410
00:31:52.480 --> 00:31:57.759
her something. She smiled and put both hands into the plant,

411
00:31:58.519 --> 00:32:03.200
then back out and took the glowing substance and rubbed

412
00:32:03.200 --> 00:32:09.880
it through her hair. Stop she didn't. She continued wiping

413
00:32:09.920 --> 00:32:14.640
the goo onto her face and her arms, then put

414
00:32:14.640 --> 00:32:19.960
her hands back in for more. This time, she took

415
00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:24.279
her covered hand and wiped the glowing substance all over

416
00:32:24.839 --> 00:32:28.920
the inside of her mouth. The fuck are you doing?

417
00:32:29.920 --> 00:32:34.000
I think we need to go, Jane said. Tom took

418
00:32:34.079 --> 00:32:39.119
her hand and they began to walk away. When Sarah

419
00:32:39.240 --> 00:32:44.880
began to float a few inches off the ground, they

420
00:32:44.920 --> 00:32:49.960
took off running. Sarah grabbed Jane's other arm so hard

421
00:32:50.279 --> 00:32:52.839
that it not only pulled them both to the ground,

422
00:32:53.559 --> 00:32:59.079
but I heard her arm break in several places. Tom

423
00:32:59.200 --> 00:33:04.079
let go of her and ran. Sarah followed him, so

424
00:33:04.200 --> 00:33:08.400
I grabbed Jane, who was screaming in pure agony, and

425
00:33:08.519 --> 00:33:12.680
dragged her in the opposite direction. As we ran, I

426
00:33:12.839 --> 00:33:18.319
started shushing her, be quiet, be quiet please. I took

427
00:33:18.440 --> 00:33:22.079
us to the embankment to climb up in a different area,

428
00:33:22.599 --> 00:33:27.039
which I believed would take us close to our camping site.

429
00:33:27.119 --> 00:33:30.200
She was out of her mind in pain and panic,

430
00:33:30.920 --> 00:33:34.720
and it was a near impossible task, but we were

431
00:33:34.759 --> 00:33:38.039
able to get up there without my wife catching us.

432
00:33:38.759 --> 00:33:41.599
I didn't want to think about what she was doing

433
00:33:41.640 --> 00:33:45.440
to Tom. I wondered if he would look like that

434
00:33:45.599 --> 00:33:51.039
deer or worse back at the camp site. I grabbed

435
00:33:51.039 --> 00:33:55.000
a backpack and filled it with essentials, food and water.

436
00:33:55.839 --> 00:34:00.400
Jenny grabbed her bottle of vodka and chugged it something

437
00:34:00.440 --> 00:34:04.039
to numb the pain. She told me, we need to

438
00:34:04.119 --> 00:34:07.880
keep moving. Is there anything else you need? Jane grabbed

439
00:34:07.880 --> 00:34:10.920
a jacket and winced in pain as she slid it

440
00:34:10.960 --> 00:34:15.599
over her broken arm and then onto the other. I

441
00:34:15.639 --> 00:34:20.880
think I'm good, she said, and gave a fake smile. Okay,

442
00:34:21.280 --> 00:34:26.960
let's go. Before we could, we heard breaking branches and

443
00:34:27.119 --> 00:34:31.920
crunching brush, as if somebody was running through the rough terrain.

444
00:34:33.639 --> 00:34:37.960
We didn't wait around. We took off running. I was

445
00:34:38.000 --> 00:34:41.239
afraid that my wife would find us, because Jane was

446
00:34:41.280 --> 00:34:44.719
crying out in pain from the shaking of her broken

447
00:34:44.960 --> 00:34:50.679
arm as she ran. But to my surprise, we got away.

448
00:34:52.840 --> 00:34:57.719
U sh it was only the wind. Your safe, weekly spooky.

449
00:34:57.800 --> 00:34:58.840
We'll be right back.

450
00:35:01.280 --> 00:35:04.800
When the sun came out, we realized we were not

451
00:35:05.039 --> 00:35:09.800
on the trail back like we had thought. Feeling defeated

452
00:35:09.840 --> 00:35:14.000
and worn out, we decided to get some sleep since

453
00:35:14.039 --> 00:35:20.400
we hadn't heard her sounds in hours. Jane found us

454
00:35:20.440 --> 00:35:25.039
a nice spot to hide, semi hidden between two down trees.

455
00:35:26.239 --> 00:35:28.960
I found a few broken branches to put over the

456
00:35:29.039 --> 00:35:33.039
top to further aid our hiding spot. It might have

457
00:35:33.159 --> 00:35:37.519
helped us camouflage, but it didn't help when the spring

458
00:35:37.639 --> 00:35:43.159
rain came. We held each other for warmth before we

459
00:35:43.239 --> 00:35:48.079
fell asleep. Jane spoke, do you think Tom made it?

460
00:35:49.800 --> 00:35:53.440
I don't know. Do you think my wife can be saved?

461
00:35:54.320 --> 00:36:00.679
It has to be some kind of tocsin, right? Sure? Sure,

462
00:36:01.519 --> 00:36:07.440
Jane said, trying to comfort me in case we die.

463
00:36:07.559 --> 00:36:11.239
I just want you to know I always loved you

464
00:36:12.000 --> 00:36:15.599
as a friend, of course, but if things were different,

465
00:36:15.679 --> 00:36:19.119
and if Sarah, wasn't so damn good for you. I mean,

466
00:36:20.159 --> 00:36:26.480
before the toxic plant induced psychosis and murderousness, I would

467
00:36:26.480 --> 00:36:30.119
have wanted to be with you. I held her tighter

468
00:36:31.039 --> 00:36:37.000
and fell asleep. We woke up hours later, freezing and

469
00:36:37.159 --> 00:36:42.840
drenched from rain. But that wasn't what woke us. It

470
00:36:42.920 --> 00:36:49.280
was the sound of something moving in the woods. Curiosity

471
00:36:49.440 --> 00:36:54.679
kept us hiding instead of running. Jane stared with intent

472
00:36:54.880 --> 00:36:58.360
in the direction of the noise. I think she was

473
00:36:58.440 --> 00:37:02.320
hoping it was her husband. The part that piqued my

474
00:37:02.480 --> 00:37:07.599
interest was the irregular pattern of its movement. The sound

475
00:37:07.800 --> 00:37:12.480
was unnerving your whole life. You're used to the rhythm

476
00:37:12.519 --> 00:37:18.159
of how things move, sometimes with slight differences. Some people

477
00:37:18.280 --> 00:37:22.519
drag their feet more than others. But this was different.

478
00:37:23.599 --> 00:37:35.440
Nothing moved like this. It was thud pause, thud, thud, pause, thud,

479
00:37:35.559 --> 00:37:41.679
thud thud. When it appeared, Jane gripped my hand harder.

480
00:37:42.000 --> 00:37:45.519
Her face froze in terror, with her mouth open, like

481
00:37:45.599 --> 00:37:48.760
she meant to scream, but was in too much shock

482
00:37:48.880 --> 00:37:54.239
to do so. Tears were filling her eyes. I looked

483
00:37:54.280 --> 00:37:59.599
back at Tom, who was heading our way. The changed Tom,

484
00:38:00.199 --> 00:38:04.239
with his broken limbs, he walked on his hands and legs,

485
00:38:04.280 --> 00:38:07.960
and each time he stepped you could see the bones

486
00:38:08.239 --> 00:38:11.800
shifting at the points where they were broken instead of

487
00:38:11.840 --> 00:38:16.000
at the joints. He also had the purple plant goo

488
00:38:16.519 --> 00:38:22.320
rubbed on him in various spots. Tom. Jane yelled, I

489
00:38:22.360 --> 00:38:25.800
put my hand over her mouth. If he can continue

490
00:38:25.840 --> 00:38:29.800
moving in that state, he is no longer your Tom.

491
00:38:30.400 --> 00:38:34.840
He is either something else or so insane that he

492
00:38:35.000 --> 00:38:38.639
can't be trusted. I took my hand off her mouth.

493
00:38:39.639 --> 00:38:44.159
We've got to go. Her gaze was transfixed on him now.

494
00:38:44.920 --> 00:38:48.480
She didn't respond, so I stood up and grabbed her

495
00:38:48.519 --> 00:38:52.559
by the shoulders to get her up and moving. This

496
00:38:53.079 --> 00:38:58.360
was a mistake. It saw us the thing that once was.

497
00:38:58.480 --> 00:39:05.480
Tom smiled, revealing his blood stained mouth and teeth. He

498
00:39:05.679 --> 00:39:08.039
was so broken that it could have been his own

499
00:39:08.079 --> 00:39:11.400
blood coming out of his mouth from the sheer trauma

500
00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:15.880
he had been through, or maybe he had killed and

501
00:39:16.119 --> 00:39:22.480
eaten something on the way up here. Hello, honey, Tom said.

502
00:39:23.320 --> 00:39:27.239
This snapped Jane out of it, and she turned to run.

503
00:39:28.559 --> 00:39:32.679
I did the same. But that was the moment we

504
00:39:32.800 --> 00:39:38.239
saw something glowing in the woods heading our way. It

505
00:39:38.280 --> 00:39:42.639
didn't take long to realize it was my wife now

506
00:39:42.760 --> 00:39:47.480
covered head to toe in the purple goo from that plant.

507
00:39:48.480 --> 00:39:52.239
She was illuminated, and just like that plant, she had

508
00:39:52.280 --> 00:39:57.679
become semi transparent. I could see her now purple blood

509
00:39:57.800 --> 00:40:01.800
rushing through her body, and I could see her heart

510
00:40:02.239 --> 00:40:06.719
pumping it. We heard a scream behind us, and we

511
00:40:06.840 --> 00:40:10.360
turned to see Tom leaping into the air towards us.

512
00:40:11.239 --> 00:40:13.320
He might have been able to get into the air

513
00:40:13.519 --> 00:40:18.199
using his broken limbs, but when he landed, his body

514
00:40:18.280 --> 00:40:22.360
couldn't support the weight and he dropped hard to the ground.

515
00:40:23.320 --> 00:40:27.800
With that his right femur broke through the skin. This

516
00:40:28.000 --> 00:40:31.920
didn't stop him. He now dragged that broken limb as

517
00:40:31.960 --> 00:40:36.840
he continued his pursuit. Jane grabbed my hand and pulled

518
00:40:36.880 --> 00:40:40.400
me to run. We headed back down the main path

519
00:40:40.480 --> 00:40:44.039
in the direction of the car. Of course, even at

520
00:40:44.119 --> 00:40:48.599
running speed, it would take hours to get back. We

521
00:40:48.880 --> 00:40:51.800
just had to lose them. I knew we could get

522
00:40:51.840 --> 00:40:56.039
away from Tom, but Sarah was always faster than I,

523
00:40:56.800 --> 00:41:01.239
and with her death plant energy or whatever, who knew

524
00:41:01.320 --> 00:41:05.360
what that did for her speed. We ran and hoped

525
00:41:05.400 --> 00:41:08.440
that they were not catching up. But when we got

526
00:41:08.480 --> 00:41:11.320
to that one area of the trail that we hit earlier,

527
00:41:11.840 --> 00:41:15.360
and had to climb over the down tree. I leaped

528
00:41:15.400 --> 00:41:19.559
over it and landed on the other side and kept going.

529
00:41:21.039 --> 00:41:25.559
Then a few seconds later I heard a large thud.

530
00:41:26.320 --> 00:41:29.360
Jane had tried to do the same and must not

531
00:41:29.480 --> 00:41:34.360
have jumped high enough and tripped, landing face down hard

532
00:41:35.039 --> 00:41:40.800
on the ground. Sarah, in her ghoulish condition, suddenly appeared

533
00:41:40.840 --> 00:41:44.920
on top of that down tree, stopping me from wanting

534
00:41:44.960 --> 00:41:50.840
to move forward to help Jane. Hia, john why don't

535
00:41:50.880 --> 00:41:54.800
you come here and give your wife a little kiss?

536
00:41:55.960 --> 00:42:01.480
She said, and pursed her lips. Her now purple saliva

537
00:42:02.400 --> 00:42:08.800
dripped out of her mouth a rain check. But I

538
00:42:09.159 --> 00:42:14.599
just need a little kiss. Come on, Johnny, just a

539
00:42:14.840 --> 00:42:20.239
little kiss. More of the thick slime dripped out of

540
00:42:20.239 --> 00:42:25.280
her mouth. It made me sick to my stomach. I'm

541
00:42:25.400 --> 00:42:30.400
just not in a sexy kind of mood. I continued

542
00:42:30.440 --> 00:42:34.199
the conversation in hopes that it would give Jane time

543
00:42:34.320 --> 00:42:37.320
to get up. She was starting to move a bit,

544
00:42:38.559 --> 00:42:42.440
but then an arm appeared on the down tree, and

545
00:42:42.559 --> 00:42:46.880
quickly I saw it was Tom pulling himself on top

546
00:42:46.920 --> 00:42:51.639
of it as well. His body was hideous, not just

547
00:42:51.719 --> 00:42:55.440
from the mutilations and limbs being bent, in weird directions,

548
00:42:56.440 --> 00:42:59.960
but he was now bloody and beaten up from using

549
00:43:00.239 --> 00:43:06.519
that broken body to pursue us. Jane, come on. She

550
00:43:06.599 --> 00:43:09.679
put her arms out and started to get up, but

551
00:43:09.840 --> 00:43:14.360
then Tom leaped onto her back and began biting huge

552
00:43:14.519 --> 00:43:18.400
chunks out of her. Jane looked up at me in terror.

553
00:43:19.320 --> 00:43:22.639
I was full of fear, but I moved towards her

554
00:43:22.679 --> 00:43:26.599
to try and get him off, But then her wilderness

555
00:43:26.599 --> 00:43:32.960
friends appeared behind her, all covered in the slime. There

556
00:43:33.039 --> 00:43:37.119
was a deer, a beaver, and a few squirrels, but

557
00:43:37.239 --> 00:43:43.920
what terrified me most was the half dozen hissing possums.

558
00:43:44.559 --> 00:43:48.599
I froze, but when Sarah jumped down and all her

559
00:43:48.679 --> 00:43:56.599
critters followed, I ran, leaving my best friend behind. It

560
00:43:56.719 --> 00:44:00.599
seemed like I had run for hours, but who knows

561
00:44:01.239 --> 00:44:06.559
pure adrenaline is disorientating. Only once I ran out of

562
00:44:06.599 --> 00:44:11.679
all energy did I look behind me. Thankfully, there was

563
00:44:11.719 --> 00:44:16.840
nothing following. Stopping was a mistake. Once I did, my

564
00:44:16.960 --> 00:44:21.760
body tightened up and I could barely move. So with

565
00:44:21.880 --> 00:44:25.800
the little energy I had, I walked slowly off the

566
00:44:25.880 --> 00:44:30.159
trail and sat behind a down tree that barely hid me.

567
00:44:31.519 --> 00:44:35.679
But it was as far as I could go. Next

568
00:44:35.719 --> 00:44:39.920
to the tree was a rhododendron bush. I used to

569
00:44:40.039 --> 00:44:44.800
like these, but their purple color was now ugly to me.

570
00:44:46.039 --> 00:44:49.880
The warmth from the sun as night became day once

571
00:44:49.920 --> 00:45:00.199
again felt nice, and despite everything, I found myself falling asleep.

572
00:45:06.280 --> 00:45:09.519
When I woke up in the afternoon, I made my

573
00:45:09.639 --> 00:45:14.480
way to the car. Whatever happened to them, I don't know.

574
00:45:15.960 --> 00:45:19.400
I went to the police and reported the incident. Some

575
00:45:19.639 --> 00:45:23.079
rangers went up there, and there were search parties as well.

576
00:45:24.320 --> 00:45:27.960
Everyone in my life looked down on me for not

577
00:45:28.079 --> 00:45:31.960
joining in the search, and it made some think that

578
00:45:32.079 --> 00:45:38.039
I must have killed them. Hopefully this will make everybody understand,

579
00:45:38.119 --> 00:45:43.360
but since I am writing this from the Locust Grove

580
00:45:43.519 --> 00:45:48.320
Mental Hospital, I don't know how much credence people will

581
00:45:48.360 --> 00:45:52.159
give it. All I can say is to make sure

582
00:45:52.239 --> 00:45:56.920
that you stay away from Roots Ridge, especially in the

583
00:45:56.960 --> 00:46:00.480
spring of two thousand and thirty nine, which should be

584
00:46:00.599 --> 00:46:04.599
the next time it blooms. If Sarah's calculations were right

585
00:46:05.440 --> 00:46:16.559
about its blooming every seventeen years, well, my spookyes, I

586
00:46:16.599 --> 00:46:19.159
hope that helps put you into the right mood and

587
00:46:19.239 --> 00:46:22.559
spirit as you decide to head out on that springtime

588
00:46:22.679 --> 00:46:26.360
hike as the weather continues to get warm and cheery,

589
00:46:27.599 --> 00:46:31.719
or does it well regardless, just make sure you wear

590
00:46:31.760 --> 00:46:34.480
a good pair of hiking boots. Thank you so much

591
00:46:34.559 --> 00:46:37.360
for joining me this week on Weekly Spooky. I very

592
00:46:37.440 --> 00:46:40.639
much appreciate it, and I hope you're subscribed because we

593
00:46:40.719 --> 00:46:43.800
have so many more stories to bring you. Today was

594
00:46:43.880 --> 00:46:48.320
three hundred and thirty two stories shared on the program

595
00:46:48.679 --> 00:46:52.599
and we have no plan to slow down. So subscribe

596
00:46:52.599 --> 00:46:55.039
on your favorite podcasting app and be ready for a

597
00:46:55.079 --> 00:46:59.519
little taste of Halloween every single week, because that's how

598
00:46:59.559 --> 00:47:03.159
we live in the Spooky lifestyle. And if you want

599
00:47:03.159 --> 00:47:06.480
to support us and help us go another three hundred

600
00:47:06.480 --> 00:47:10.320
and thirty two episodes, head to weeeklyspooky dot com slash

601
00:47:10.400 --> 00:47:13.280
join For as little as one dollar a month, you

602
00:47:13.360 --> 00:47:16.280
get two bonus shows every month, as well as over

603
00:47:16.440 --> 00:47:21.039
five years of creepy pasta readings, audiobooks, and so very

604
00:47:21.119 --> 00:47:25.440
much more. That's Weeklyspooky dot Com slash Join. And speaking

605
00:47:25.480 --> 00:47:27.760
of I want to say an extra special thank you

606
00:47:27.800 --> 00:47:31.239
to our Patreon podcast boosters. These are folks who pay

607
00:47:31.360 --> 00:47:33.480
just a little bit more to hear their name at

608
00:47:33.519 --> 00:47:36.119
the end of the show, and they are Kate and Lulu,

609
00:47:36.280 --> 00:47:41.119
Jessica Fuller, Jenny Green, Amber Hansford, Brent mccaullaugh, Karen Wee,

610
00:47:41.159 --> 00:47:44.480
met Jack Kerr, and Craig Cohen. If you want to

611
00:47:44.480 --> 00:47:46.039
hear your name at the end of the show out

612
00:47:46.079 --> 00:47:50.199
of my silky spooky voice, just head to Weeklyspooky dot

613
00:47:50.239 --> 00:47:53.679
Com slash join and choose a tear at fifteen dollars

614
00:47:53.760 --> 00:47:57.360
a month or higher. It really does make a huge difference,

615
00:47:57.360 --> 00:47:59.760
And we're getting ready to launch a brand new strict

616
00:47:59.800 --> 00:48:03.440
Feld novel which we'll be releasing two chapters per month

617
00:48:03.840 --> 00:48:07.119
over at Weeklyspooky dot Com slash Join, so make sure

618
00:48:07.159 --> 00:48:10.159
you sign up and join over ninety other spookies in

619
00:48:10.239 --> 00:48:13.559
supporting Halloween all year long. But now it's time for

620
00:48:13.599 --> 00:48:15.599
me to get back to it. I'll have more for

621
00:48:15.679 --> 00:48:18.760
you very soon, so for myself, for my producer Dan Wilder,

622
00:48:18.760 --> 00:48:22.559
my executive producers Rob Fields, Markshieldanpapoltopia dot com, and my

623
00:48:22.639 --> 00:48:26.960
composer Raymatis. I'll talk at you next time. Thank you

624
00:48:27.000 --> 00:48:27.920
for listening me.

625
00:48:28.679 --> 00:48:31.760
Make sure to find your way back next week Weekly,

626
00:48:32.320 --> 00:48:37.559
But for now you are safe, trust me.