Sept. 24, 2025

Ep.349 – The Old Man with the Red Bicycle - A Scary Campground Slasher Story

Ep.349 – The Old Man with the Red Bicycle - A Scary Campground Slasher Story
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Looking for a slasher story that cuts deep? This Weekly Spooky episode drags you straight into the woods, where an innocent boys’ camping trip becomes a fight for survival. At the abandoned North Fork campground, an old drifter on a battered red bicycle stalks the trails with booby traps, bear snares, and a machete sharp enough to end the night.

Bottle rockets and s’mores quickly give way to razor-wire, pitfall spikes, and the kind of forest terror that feels all too real. If you love slasher horror, survival stories, and campfire nightmares, this tale will have you checking every shadow. Perfect for fans of Friday the 13th, The Hills Have Eyes, and classic creepypasta.

Turn off the lights, put on your headphones, and remember: sometimes the most dangerous monster in the woods is just a man… with a red bicycle.

The Old Man with the Red Bicycle — by Bruce Haney.

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

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🎵 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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Four boys hike into an abandoned campground for a night

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of jokes and fireworks. But in the dark, the trails

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are wired, the pits are waiting, and an old man

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pushes a red bicycle between the trees. And if you

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hear him laugh, it's already too late.

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What's that you want to be scared? Come with me?

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He will experience tales over opera, Who, Ghosts and Death.

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It is not recommended for the week at Heart Heart listen,

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as in the dark it's more fun at that way way.

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This is Weekly.

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Speaking Hello my spookies. It's the last Wednesday before spooky

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season and you know what that means. It's time for

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a little spooky in your weekly. But remember next week,

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as we begin October, there'll be something spooky right here

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for you to listen to every single day, so make

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sure you're subscribed. You won't want to miss what we

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have in store. And speaking of this Friday, we have

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a brand new episode of Cutting Deep into Horror, where

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myself and Rachel Rodolfi talk about the ultimate experience in

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grueling terror, evil Dead, So make sure to check that

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out this Friday. And if you love what we're doing

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here at Weekly, spooky and want to support us. There

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are two ways. The first is head toweeklyspooky dot com

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slash join, and for as little as one dollar a month,

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over five years of creepy pasta readings and exclusive audiobooks.

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That's Weeklyspooky dot Com slash Join. Another way to make

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a big difference that doesn't cost a penny is go

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to your favorite podcasting app like Apple Podcasts or Spotify

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and leave us a five star rating. It helps other

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spookies like you find out about the shell. But now,

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as for tonight, imagine a campground closed for the season,

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no ranger, no rules, just the whisper of tires over

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pine needles and a smile full of summer teeth. One

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wrong step off the trail and the forest bites back. Tonight,

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my spookies will follow flickers of firelight to a shack

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of plastic and tarps, where the screams are real, the

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wire is sharp, and the only safe place might be

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the one you never leave your tent. We're heading into

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the woods to go camping right after this. The Old

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Man with the Red Bicycle by Bruce Haney come on mom,

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Kyle argued to his mother while she was in the

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kitchen trying to make dinner. Jeff and Tanner's parents are

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letting them go. Yeah, well, their parents are from the

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hands off school of parenting. Didn't Jeff recently get suspended

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for mooning his teacher. Kyle tried not to laugh, but

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his brother, who was listening in the other room, couldn't

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help but chuckle. Matthew felt their eyes on him, and

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he tried to pretend like it was something on TV

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that had made him laugh. He had been listening to

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their conversation intently, worried because the plan was for Kyle

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to get permission to go and then ask for permission

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to bring Matthew with him to camp at the old

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North Fork campground. The Parks Department built a nicer campground

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up the road with a boat ramp and a general store. Technically,

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the old site was no longer open for camping, but

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there was no ranger there to enforce it, therefore no fees,

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so it became the go to spot to camp for

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the thrifty. He was excited by the idea of camping

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with the big kids. He always looked up to his

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brother and always tried to impress the older kids with

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his knowledge of pop culture. While kids his age were

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still listening to Crisscross and watching Power Rangers, he was

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listening to Nirvana and watching Beavis and butt Head. The

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answer is no, their mother said, but dad said it

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was okay if you said it was okay, Kyle pleaded.

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She sighed, letting her frustration be known, but said nothing else,

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and neither did Kyle. He was the king of parental manipulation,

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and he knew when it was time to shut his mouth.

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Matthew didn't understand the subtleties of getting your way with parents,

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so he thought it was all over. I'll set the table,

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Kyle said, softly, being careful to show a bit of

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disappointment in his voice without revealing any anger. Matthew looked

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bummed when he entered the room, but Kyle gave him

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a sly smile, then spoke to their mother again. Hey Mom.

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She didn't sigh this time, but her tone let him

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know she was still ready to fight, Yes, Kyle. Kyle

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pretended not to notice her tone and responded in an

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upbeat way. I just remembered I never got around to

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showing you my report card. Matthew watched in wonder as

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his brother manipulated their mother, and by the time dinner

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was set, he had received permission to go camping, and

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before they were done with the meal, he had approval

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to bring Matthew. He sold them on the fact that

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watching his brother would help keep him out of trouble.

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Matthew was ecstatic. Kyle, Matthew, Jeff, and Tanner all piled

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into Jeff's dad's old Buick wagon for the drive out

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to the woods. The three fifteen year old sat in

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the back of the giant wagon. They made Matthew sit

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in front with Jeff's dad, Jerry, who told him story

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after story about all the big fish he caught out

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of the lake they were heading to. Matthew just listened,

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as he had no fishing stories to tell of his

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own and was still a bit nervous around adults. Plus

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Jerry wasn't leaving much room for him to be involved

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in the conversation. As the boys set up their tents,

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they showed each other all the neat stuff they brought along.

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Matthew had books, and Kyle had a semi crushed pack

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of cigarettes that had three left. Stole them from my father.

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There's one for each of us. He said, there are

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four of us. Matthew argued, like, I'm going to let

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my baby brother smoke. I'm only three years younger than you.

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It's not like I'm a toddler. I'll let you take

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a drag. Jeff said, no, you won't. Kyle replied, let

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the kid smoke. Tanner added, drop it. Tanner looked to Jeff,

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who shrugged his shoulders and changed the subject. Wait until

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you see what I brought, Jeff said. They all looked

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at his bag as he pulled out a thick handful

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of fireworks. Matthew noticed the dirty magazine that was underneath it.

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Bottle Rockets. Kyle said, rematch. Tanner asked, rematch. Matthew asked,

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but with concern. Bottle rocket War, Kyle said to Matthew,

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as if that explained everything. Their camping spot wasn't that

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far from the parking lot, so they saw people throughout

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the day walking past on the trail behind them. Every

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time they heard someone either stepping on a branch or talking,

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they would look to see who it was. If it

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happened to be a girl, the older boys would gawk

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at her. They might be skilled at understanding their parents

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enough to manipulate them, but with strangers, they never seemed

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to notice if the attention they were giving was wanted

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or not, so they stared blatantly. Matthew hoped that they

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weren't building up material for the old spank bank. He

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knew they all did what Beavis and butt Head called

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choking the chicken because he once overheard two older girls

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talking with disgust about how all guys jerk off. When

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he heard that, Matthew swore to himself that he would

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be the one guy who didn't pull his pud. He

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would wait until he found a girl who was nice

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enough to pull it for him. The older boys were

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only interested in the girls who walked by, so they

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only gave a slight glance to the old man with

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the beat up red bicycle, But Matthew was interested and

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found himself gawking. The man must have been in his

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late sixties. His clothes looked old and worn, and his

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gray hair was unkempt, as was his beard, which looked

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like it needed to be washed. There were bits of

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what Matthew imagined was dried food in it. The bicycle

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appeared to be old to Matthew as well, and it

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looked like it had been painted over many times. Whoever

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painted at last took no care as the frame wasn't

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the only thing read so was the crank, and even

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the wheels had spots of overspray. He wondered if it

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had been stolen. When the old man spotted Matthew looking

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at him, he gave a slight smile and squinted his

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eyes to get a better look. Matthew made an audible yelp,

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which made the old man laugh, revealing what he heard

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his dad call summer teeth. Summer there summer. His laughter

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attracted the attention of the other boys, but the old

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man sensed this and turned his head away from Matthew

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before their eyes fell on him, and continued walking his

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beat up old bicycle as he chuckled to himself.

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Don't go away, weekly, Spooky will be right back.

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After everything was set up, they went for a walk.

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Where they started on. The path was well beaten down

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with bark dust over it, and wide enough for three

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of the boys to walk next to each other, leaving

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Matthew to take up the rear, which was okay. Right now.

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They were talking about girls, a topic Matthew wasn't too

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knowledgeable about. Yeah, well, I think Beth has the largest

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fun bags in school. Jeff said that might be true,

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but she's still a goody two shoes. Tanner joked, she's nice.

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I sit next to her in science class. Kyle said, yeah,

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how nice? She lets you touch them sweater puppies. Jeff asked,

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only when mister Hall is looking the other way. Kyle joked, yeah.

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Tanner asked, of course, not you idiot. Kyle said, she's

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just nice to me and is wicked smart. Maybe you

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need to see if she could tutor you at home,

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Tanner said, while mock kissing the air and holding his

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hands out like he was kneading dough. They all laughed.

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Matthew gave a nervous chuckle. She doesn't stack up to

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that girl in the bikini who walked past our tent earlier, though,

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Tanner said, which girl girl? Jeff asked, you know which girl?

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The one who looked like she was smuggling oversized watermelons

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under her bikini top. Jeff asked, geez. Kyle said, h

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guys exaggerate. Don't get me wrong. They were big, but

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they were more like cantalopes. Which is a totally respectable

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fruit size wise to be compared to even Matthew laughed

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at that one. If we weren't busy setting up the tent,

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I would have made a move. No, you wouldn't have,

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Kyle replied, sure, I would have. That chick was like

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thirty years old. She doesn't want anything to do with

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your fifteen year old jailbait batman Undie's covered ass. They

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all laughed, but Matthew laughed the loudest. He loved his

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brother getting in a good one. She was the hottest

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girl to walk past. Jeff said, I keep thinking about

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that old man with the red bike that passed by.

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Matthew added, more your type, Jeff teased. The older boys

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all laughed, Sorry, bro, Kyle said that was a good one.

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It took Matthew a second for his confidence to recover

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to follow up. Do you think he lives out here?

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He could, Kyle said, Do you think he traps animals

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to eat like an old mountain man? Matthew asked, I

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think he traps little boys, Tanner said, for food and

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other purposes. As they continued down the trail, it became

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so thin and overgrown that they had to walk in

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a line. Kyle was in the lead. We might be

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heading to his place. Look at the ground. They all

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looked down at the path they were walking on. It

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could hardly be called a walking trail at this point.

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It was so thin and there were no footprints, just

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an indented bicycle trail that led through a clearing, which

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the boys decided was perfect for what they had planned.

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When they arrived at the clearing, Jeff pulled off his

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backpack and started handing out bottle rockets to everybody. You

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ready to get your butt whooped? Kyle asked, yeah, right,

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Remember whose butt got kicked last time? Jeff replied, what's

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with all the butt talk my guys? Tanner inquired. They

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all laughed. Jeff pulled out a hand and gave them

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to Matthew. He's not playing, Kyle said, fine, more for me,

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Jeff said, and snatched them back and took off to

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get into position. That's not fair, Kyle yelled after him

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as Jeff found the biggest tree to hide behind. Matthew

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was glad that his brother did what he did. He

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had no interest in getting hit with a bottle rocket

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or hitting anyone else for that matter. Instead, he found

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a large tree outside the field to sit behind. He

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pulled out the newest Goosebumps book, Welcome to Camp Nightmare.

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His mother had gotten him a subscription since he was

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her little reader. He tried to ignore the sound of

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bottle rockets whizzing around, the laughs, and the occasional yelp

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followed by laughter as one of them was hit. He

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00:18:00.960 --> 00:18:04.960
was pretty good at ignoring them, but he couldn't disregard

223
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the sound he heard further up the trail. He looked

224
00:18:10.079 --> 00:18:13.640
behind to see that the fifteen year olds were still busy,

225
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then headed forward a bit to see if he could

226
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figure out what the noise was. When he got to

227
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the top of the hill, he looked back one last

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00:18:25.759 --> 00:18:29.640
time at the older kids, who didn't notice that he

229
00:18:29.680 --> 00:18:33.599
had left. Down the hill, he could see by the

230
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red bicycle leaning against a structure that it looked like

231
00:18:37.359 --> 00:18:40.519
it was made from garbage bags and part of a

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frayed tarp. That is when he saw the old man again.

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The old man took a break from slaughtering the raccoon

234
00:18:51.559 --> 00:18:54.200
that was on the felled tree that he was using

235
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as a makeshift table. He waved at Matthew and smiled,

236
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showing off his summer teeth again. It made him think

237
00:19:06.359 --> 00:19:12.200
of his dad's other phrase, summer green, summer yellow. The

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pain he suddenly felt in his leg was tremendous. It

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00:19:17.200 --> 00:19:21.880
felt like the whole thing was vibrating. I got him,

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00:19:22.440 --> 00:19:27.359
Jeff yelled, you asshole, Kyle said as he ran to

241
00:19:27.440 --> 00:19:30.839
his brother, furious that Jeff shot his brother in the

242
00:19:30.920 --> 00:19:35.880
leg with a bottle rocket. As Matthew began to cry,

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00:19:36.480 --> 00:19:39.960
he looked back down and watched as the old man

244
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grabbed the raccoon carcass and headed in to his tent.

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

246
00:19:55.039 --> 00:19:58.839
It wasn't until they were back at camp making dinner

247
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that they finally got Matthew to agree not to tell

248
00:20:03.480 --> 00:20:07.599
any of their parents. It did take a bit of

249
00:20:07.720 --> 00:20:12.440
convincing that included a candy bar and his choice of

250
00:20:12.519 --> 00:20:16.480
any image to rip out and take from the Hustler

251
00:20:16.599 --> 00:20:21.880
magazine that Jeff had brought. He didn't pick the most lurid,

252
00:20:22.519 --> 00:20:25.039
He just picked the one with the girl who had

253
00:20:25.079 --> 00:20:29.880
punk rock hair. After that, the night was filled with

254
00:20:30.079 --> 00:20:34.440
roasting hot dogs, s'mores, and telling jokes that none of

255
00:20:34.480 --> 00:20:39.359
their parents would have been okay with them hearing let alone,

256
00:20:39.519 --> 00:20:45.000
telling all was good until they went to sleep that night,

257
00:20:45.880 --> 00:20:51.079
The tent was barely illuminated by a cheap, battery operated lantern.

258
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Before Matthew put his head down, he looked at the

259
00:20:55.759 --> 00:21:01.200
magazine page one last time before folding it and putting

260
00:21:01.279 --> 00:21:05.079
it between the pages of the World's Record book he

261
00:21:05.160 --> 00:21:12.519
had brought along. Kyle, Yeah, I really wasn't going to

262
00:21:12.599 --> 00:21:16.720
tell mom and dad about the bottle rocket, Kyle smiled.

263
00:21:17.559 --> 00:21:22.000
I know. Are you sure you're all right? Kyle asked,

264
00:21:23.039 --> 00:21:29.279
It doesn't hurt anymore. Matthew said, Jeff's a prick, I know.

265
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Kyle responded. Listen to that language. Only hanging out with

266
00:21:35.599 --> 00:21:38.640
us for a day, and look how far you've fallen.

267
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Fuck you, Matthew said and laughed. Good night, Kyle said,

268
00:21:46.920 --> 00:21:55.119
and turned off their lantern. Matthew woke hours later to

269
00:21:55.240 --> 00:21:59.960
the sound of their tent being zipped closed. He rolled

270
00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:05.160
over to check if his brother was still there. He was.

271
00:22:06.640 --> 00:22:12.599
He then reached over for the lamp, but it was gone.

272
00:22:12.640 --> 00:22:18.440
He shook his brother awake. What what's happening, Kyle said,

273
00:22:19.759 --> 00:22:22.920
I just heard somebody messing with the zipper of the tent,

274
00:22:23.680 --> 00:22:27.119
and now I can't find the lamp. I'm sure it's

275
00:22:27.200 --> 00:22:34.720
right here. Kyle felt around. The fuck my bag is gone.

276
00:22:34.799 --> 00:22:39.839
It had my flashlight. Matthew felt around in the darkness,

277
00:22:39.880 --> 00:22:43.519
including the side pocket on the tent wall and the floor,

278
00:22:44.640 --> 00:22:48.599
discovering his light was missing, as well as all his

279
00:22:48.839 --> 00:22:54.200
other belongings. All my stuff is gone, my bag, my book,

280
00:22:54.799 --> 00:23:02.880
Matthew said. Kyle began to laugh. What those assholes, Kyle said,

281
00:23:03.839 --> 00:23:07.200
What are you talking about. Jeff must be mad that

282
00:23:07.279 --> 00:23:10.680
you got one over on him. Getting that magazine page.

283
00:23:11.079 --> 00:23:15.480
Must have really pissed him off. You think what else

284
00:23:15.519 --> 00:23:19.359
could it be? Come on, let's go fuck with him back,

285
00:23:20.279 --> 00:23:24.599
Kyle said, while grabbing Matthew's hand to get him up.

286
00:23:25.279 --> 00:23:29.880
When they left the tent, they realized just how incredibly

287
00:23:30.039 --> 00:23:37.599
dark it was. I can't see anything, Matthew said, no

288
00:23:37.799 --> 00:23:43.039
light pollution out this far. Matthew accepted and understood this

289
00:23:43.319 --> 00:23:48.319
new concept. Kyle held Matthew's hand to where the other

290
00:23:48.519 --> 00:23:55.759
tent should have been. Where are they, Matthew asked, man,

291
00:23:56.519 --> 00:24:02.400
they are cleverer than I thought. What, Kyle asked? They

292
00:24:02.440 --> 00:24:06.599
took all our stuff, including our lights, and then moved

293
00:24:06.640 --> 00:24:10.039
their tent, knowing we would have to stumble around in

294
00:24:10.079 --> 00:24:14.440
the dark to find them. What do we do now

295
00:24:15.640 --> 00:24:18.720
they want us to look for them. Let's not give

296
00:24:18.799 --> 00:24:23.160
them the satisfaction. Let's go back to bed like it

297
00:24:23.200 --> 00:24:27.279
doesn't even bother us. They got back in the tent

298
00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:32.240
and tried to sleep, But that's when they heard a

299
00:24:32.319 --> 00:24:39.720
loud noise in the distance outside. The old man stood

300
00:24:40.279 --> 00:24:46.160
on a large rock impatiently. He expected the other two

301
00:24:46.319 --> 00:24:50.599
to come and look for their friends. He had been

302
00:24:50.720 --> 00:24:55.000
looking forward to this game of hide and seek that

303
00:24:55.160 --> 00:25:01.319
he had orchestrated. Of course, they wouldn't be happy when

304
00:25:01.319 --> 00:25:06.680
they found their friends. He wondered which one they would

305
00:25:06.720 --> 00:25:11.039
find first. He expected it would be the one that

306
00:25:11.200 --> 00:25:15.279
was still alive, since he would be the one making

307
00:25:15.319 --> 00:25:19.720
the most noise. They were supposed to both be sliced

308
00:25:19.839 --> 00:25:25.480
up but alive and tied to trees. But when the

309
00:25:25.480 --> 00:25:29.240
one woke up prematurely to the dose of heroine he

310
00:25:29.279 --> 00:25:34.960
had given them, well, he had to stop the screaming. Somehow.

311
00:25:36.559 --> 00:25:41.319
The goal was to cut the windpipe, but instead he

312
00:25:41.440 --> 00:25:47.119
hit the jugular vein. But what did he know about biology? Anyhow?

313
00:25:47.880 --> 00:25:52.319
His knowledge of human anatomy didn't come from any book learning.

314
00:25:53.640 --> 00:25:57.720
He was surprised that the other one hadn't woken up yet.

315
00:25:58.720 --> 00:26:01.319
He had his fun with the other boys as well,

316
00:26:02.240 --> 00:26:04.920
using the Swiss army knife that he found in the

317
00:26:05.039 --> 00:26:09.920
kid's back pocket. The blade was dull as hell, but

318
00:26:10.680 --> 00:26:13.799
with enough pressure he was able to cut him up

319
00:26:14.039 --> 00:26:18.000
pretty good. He gave him a face only a mother

320
00:26:18.119 --> 00:26:23.839
could love. As the saying goes, of course, his mother

321
00:26:24.480 --> 00:26:29.240
had never loved the man or his face, but she

322
00:26:29.279 --> 00:26:32.960
had been dead for decades at this point, so who cared.

323
00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:37.839
The boy was tied up far from the campsite, but

324
00:26:38.680 --> 00:26:42.440
when he woke up, he screamed loud enough that the

325
00:26:42.480 --> 00:26:46.960
old man could hear it, which meant the boys could

326
00:26:47.039 --> 00:26:50.799
hear it as well. He had been up for hours

327
00:26:51.279 --> 00:26:54.519
and had been living in the woods for years, so

328
00:26:54.680 --> 00:27:00.839
his eyes were well adapted to the dark. Watched their

329
00:27:00.920 --> 00:27:05.200
tent because years ago he had made a rule that

330
00:27:05.279 --> 00:27:09.240
once the night's events started, if the second group stayed

331
00:27:09.240 --> 00:27:13.720
in the tent they would survive the night, he would

332
00:27:13.799 --> 00:27:19.440
let them be. But throughout his travels he had set

333
00:27:19.519 --> 00:27:24.599
this scenario up a half a dozen times, and nobody

334
00:27:25.119 --> 00:27:31.200
had stayed in the tent, and nobody had survived the night.

335
00:27:33.240 --> 00:27:37.640
A sh it was only the wind, your safe weekly

336
00:27:37.680 --> 00:27:39.240
Spooky will be right back.

337
00:27:41.559 --> 00:27:45.880
So when the boys left the tent to investigate the shrieks,

338
00:27:46.519 --> 00:27:53.160
there was just one question, how will they die from

339
00:27:53.279 --> 00:27:57.839
one of the booby traps or by his own hands.

340
00:27:59.400 --> 00:28:03.759
Before walking back to his shack, he watched to see

341
00:28:03.799 --> 00:28:07.640
if they were going to take the main path. If

342
00:28:07.680 --> 00:28:12.680
they did, they would be in for a lot of trouble.

343
00:28:14.240 --> 00:28:20.839
He smiled when they did. Now he thought he must

344
00:28:20.880 --> 00:28:24.839
get back to the shack and keep his living noise

345
00:28:24.920 --> 00:28:29.920
maker sounding off to make sure they came in a hurry.

346
00:28:31.519 --> 00:28:35.319
If there's one thing he learned, it's that people are

347
00:28:35.440 --> 00:28:42.400
less cautious when they're in a hurry. What's happening, Matthew asked,

348
00:28:43.559 --> 00:28:48.880
I don't know. They heard jeff yell again, so they

349
00:28:49.000 --> 00:28:54.599
sped up. Thankfully. Matthew was on the husky side, which

350
00:28:54.640 --> 00:28:58.319
made him a little slower, so it was only Kyle

351
00:28:58.400 --> 00:29:03.680
who ran ankle first into the razor wire, causing him

352
00:29:03.759 --> 00:29:09.200
to fall forward to the ground. His head just barely

353
00:29:09.319 --> 00:29:14.200
missed the sharp rocks that had been placed there. If

354
00:29:14.279 --> 00:29:18.480
he were a couple inches taller, his head would have

355
00:29:18.559 --> 00:29:23.920
some new holes in it. Matthew moved towards his brother. Stop,

356
00:29:24.759 --> 00:29:29.440
Kyle yelled as he got up. There's a trap. Kyle

357
00:29:29.640 --> 00:29:34.519
checked his legs. They were bleeding, but his sleep pants

358
00:29:34.519 --> 00:29:39.119
were absorbing most of the blood. Matthew squinted as he

359
00:29:39.200 --> 00:29:44.279
approached and inspected the razor wire, which appeared to be

360
00:29:44.400 --> 00:29:50.960
homemade using cut up soda cans. Kyle, what do we do,

361
00:29:51.920 --> 00:29:56.880
Matthew asked his big brother. Kyle thought about going back

362
00:29:57.200 --> 00:29:59.880
and getting out of there. He had the life of

363
00:30:00.160 --> 00:30:05.039
his brother to think about, after all. Back at the shack,

364
00:30:05.559 --> 00:30:09.200
the old man used thick gloves and a large pair

365
00:30:09.240 --> 00:30:13.640
of pliers to hold some old, rusty logging cable he

366
00:30:13.680 --> 00:30:18.559
had found into the fire. Once it was glowing red hot,

367
00:30:19.160 --> 00:30:25.079
he touched it to Jeff's exposed torso. The sound they

368
00:30:25.119 --> 00:30:29.039
heard coming from their friend was enough to quell all

369
00:30:29.119 --> 00:30:35.000
of Kyle's thoughts about turning around. Matthew, go back to

370
00:30:35.039 --> 00:30:38.319
the main road and try to get a ride. I

371
00:30:38.359 --> 00:30:41.440
can't leave you two behind, even if he shot me

372
00:30:41.480 --> 00:30:45.440
with a bottle rocket. It is Jeff's screaming, isn't it,

373
00:30:46.119 --> 00:30:52.680
Kyle said rhetorically, while wondering what happened to Tanner. When

374
00:30:52.720 --> 00:30:56.000
they came to another line, of soda can razor wire.

375
00:30:56.720 --> 00:30:59.839
They decided to walk through the woods along the main

376
00:31:00.119 --> 00:31:06.000
path in hopes of avoiding any further booby traps. Doing

377
00:31:06.039 --> 00:31:09.559
so saved them from a few well placed bear traps

378
00:31:09.599 --> 00:31:13.920
as well. What it didn't save them from was the

379
00:31:13.960 --> 00:31:21.319
sight of Tanner's mutilated body tied to a tree just

380
00:31:21.480 --> 00:31:29.680
off the main path. Back at the shack, the old

381
00:31:29.799 --> 00:31:35.640
man smiled as he heard their screams of shock. They

382
00:31:35.720 --> 00:31:40.640
must have found your other friend's dead body, you asshole,

383
00:31:41.440 --> 00:31:46.319
Jeff yelled, Oh, did I neglect to tell you that? Yep,

384
00:31:46.839 --> 00:31:51.359
i'd done killed your buddy. Jeff slumped his head down.

385
00:31:52.480 --> 00:31:57.200
Should I heat the wire again? Jeff shook his head no,

386
00:31:58.720 --> 00:32:02.759
or should I just the old man began to say

387
00:32:03.440 --> 00:32:06.240
as he stuck his finger through one of the holes

388
00:32:06.799 --> 00:32:12.640
he cut in Tanner's face. The pain was intense and

389
00:32:12.759 --> 00:32:15.839
every nerve in his body was yelling for him to

390
00:32:15.920 --> 00:32:21.480
cry out, but instead he used that energy to bite

391
00:32:21.559 --> 00:32:25.400
down on his finger. A few punches to the skull

392
00:32:25.480 --> 00:32:29.440
from the old man's other bony hand were enough to

393
00:32:29.599 --> 00:32:34.480
stop that behavior. The old man then looked at his finger,

394
00:32:35.279 --> 00:32:39.880
moved it around, and watched as blood dripped heavily from it.

395
00:32:41.000 --> 00:32:45.559
You're lucky it ain't broke. Then he kicked the kid

396
00:32:45.559 --> 00:32:50.480
in the leg before heading to his garbage bag shack, mumbling,

397
00:32:51.440 --> 00:32:56.880
son of a bitch. Inside, he poured the kid's backpacks

398
00:32:56.880 --> 00:33:00.720
out and dug through the contents until he found a

399
00:33:00.880 --> 00:33:05.799
nice little first aid kit. Must be boy Scouts, he

400
00:33:05.920 --> 00:33:10.079
mumbled to himself as he used the kit to fix

401
00:33:10.160 --> 00:33:17.880
up his wound. The sight of Tanner's mutilated body was

402
00:33:17.960 --> 00:33:21.920
not enough to stop Kyle and Matthew as they continued

403
00:33:21.960 --> 00:33:27.039
towards where the screaming had come from. I can smell

404
00:33:27.039 --> 00:33:33.119
a fire, Kyle said, We're getting close. What's the plan

405
00:33:33.200 --> 00:33:38.680
when we get there? We have no weapons. Kyle looked around.

406
00:33:39.799 --> 00:33:42.400
I guess we both need to find a big stick.

407
00:33:43.319 --> 00:33:45.279
I wish you would go back to the main road.

408
00:33:46.000 --> 00:33:50.200
You saw what he did to Tanner. Kyle looked around

409
00:33:50.759 --> 00:33:55.839
until he found said big stick, then handed it to Matthew.

410
00:33:56.880 --> 00:33:59.799
He brandished it to show his brother he was ready

411
00:33:59.799 --> 00:34:04.839
for battle. A few yards later, Kyle found a stick

412
00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:08.519
for himself. I wish we had grabbed some of that

413
00:34:09.079 --> 00:34:13.199
razor wire to wrap around these. As they made their way,

414
00:34:13.920 --> 00:34:18.440
they began to feel comfortable walking in the woods. It

415
00:34:18.519 --> 00:34:22.000
wasn't like he could booby trap the whole forest. It

416
00:34:22.119 --> 00:34:26.320
made sense that it would just be on the main trail. Wait,

417
00:34:26.920 --> 00:34:31.519
Kyle yelled as Matthew stepped onto a spot that looked

418
00:34:31.639 --> 00:34:35.119
off to him. While much of the ground had a

419
00:34:35.159 --> 00:34:40.480
stray leaf here or there, or some moss, this spot

420
00:34:40.800 --> 00:34:46.280
was thick with both. But it was too late. Matthew's

421
00:34:46.280 --> 00:34:51.039
foot had made contact and the ground gave.

422
00:34:50.880 --> 00:34:57.559
Way more scarce to come weekly. Spooky will be right back.

423
00:35:00.480 --> 00:35:05.320
His body fell through. The cries his brother made brought

424
00:35:05.360 --> 00:35:09.840
him back to when they were younger. Matthew had only

425
00:35:09.920 --> 00:35:13.239
been four at the time, but already looked up to

426
00:35:13.320 --> 00:35:18.119
his older brother, so when he saw Kyle slide down

427
00:35:18.159 --> 00:35:22.719
the stairwell railing, he just had to do it too.

428
00:35:23.039 --> 00:35:27.119
But while Kyle made it down without a scratch, Matthew

429
00:35:27.239 --> 00:35:32.480
fell off half way down. His crying sounds were beyond

430
00:35:32.679 --> 00:35:37.000
anything he had ever heard. A broken arm and a

431
00:35:37.000 --> 00:35:40.880
cracked skull will do that. It was so loud that

432
00:35:40.960 --> 00:35:46.119
he ran out of the room, then out of the house. Thankfully,

433
00:35:46.239 --> 00:35:50.320
his mother was home and she called the ambulance. While

434
00:35:50.440 --> 00:35:57.760
Kyle hid, embarrassed and scared that his brother might die,

435
00:35:58.079 --> 00:36:04.920
but he did not run this time. Matthew Kyle yelled

436
00:36:05.280 --> 00:36:08.239
as he got on his belly to reach down to

437
00:36:08.280 --> 00:36:12.880
pull his brother out of the hole, wishing again that

438
00:36:13.000 --> 00:36:17.280
he had a flashlight. The trap was about five feet

439
00:36:17.320 --> 00:36:21.239
deep and was full of various bits of sharp materials

440
00:36:21.639 --> 00:36:25.320
that the old man pilfered from an old garbage dump.

441
00:36:25.880 --> 00:36:30.519
There were old, rusty cans, broken bottles, and a pitchfork

442
00:36:30.679 --> 00:36:34.440
without a handle. If it had been a few more

443
00:36:34.559 --> 00:36:38.400
feet deep, or the items a bit more well placed,

444
00:36:38.960 --> 00:36:44.360
he very easily could have been killed. Kyle desperately tried

445
00:36:44.440 --> 00:36:48.639
to pull him out. Matthew's state of panic made it

446
00:36:48.760 --> 00:36:53.119
much harder of a task, but he finally got him out.

447
00:36:54.800 --> 00:36:59.639
Are you okay, Kyle asked, but his brother was still

448
00:36:59.679 --> 00:37:05.639
crying out, so he used his hand to search for damage.

449
00:37:05.679 --> 00:37:11.320
He found places that were bleeding, but nothing serious. My foot,

450
00:37:11.920 --> 00:37:17.519
Matthew yelled. Kyle's hands darted to the appendage to find

451
00:37:17.639 --> 00:37:21.239
that something sharp was sticking out of the top of it,

452
00:37:22.280 --> 00:37:26.000
so he felt the other side. It was a nail

453
00:37:26.880 --> 00:37:32.360
through a piece of wood. Okay, okay, okay, Kyle said,

454
00:37:32.559 --> 00:37:36.679
freaking out. This is going to hurt. It will but

455
00:37:37.519 --> 00:37:41.360
I am going to pull the board and nail out, don't,

456
00:37:42.159 --> 00:37:46.880
Matthew pleaded. I have to. Why did I have to

457
00:37:46.920 --> 00:37:52.679
go camping? Matthew yelled. Kyle didn't wait for another response.

458
00:37:53.400 --> 00:37:57.159
He grabbed hold of the board and yanked in one

459
00:37:57.400 --> 00:38:01.719
swift motion, but the rock, a piece of old wood,

460
00:38:02.280 --> 00:38:08.400
broke into pieces, leaving the nail still firmly secured in

461
00:38:08.519 --> 00:38:13.519
his foot. Matthew writhed on the ground as Kyle tried

462
00:38:13.599 --> 00:38:17.079
to get hold of his foot. After fighting it for

463
00:38:17.119 --> 00:38:20.599
what felt like forever, he was able to grab his

464
00:38:20.760 --> 00:38:24.800
leg and shove it between his arm and his body.

465
00:38:25.519 --> 00:38:29.000
He held it tight against himself while he worked to

466
00:38:29.079 --> 00:38:32.800
pull the nail out. He never thought of blood as

467
00:38:32.840 --> 00:38:36.079
a lubricant, but because of all of it on his

468
00:38:36.239 --> 00:38:39.960
hands and the nail, he couldn't get a grip and

469
00:38:40.119 --> 00:38:44.559
kept slipping. But each time he pulled, he was able

470
00:38:44.599 --> 00:38:48.039
to get it a little further out. It was on

471
00:38:48.159 --> 00:38:51.840
the second pull that the sharp point protruding from the

472
00:38:51.880 --> 00:38:57.840
top slid back into the foot, Then on the fourth

473
00:38:57.920 --> 00:39:02.400
yank it came back out of the bottom. The old

474
00:39:02.559 --> 00:39:07.039
man never expected anybody to make it this far, so

475
00:39:07.880 --> 00:39:13.079
there was only one trap left. As they crept forward

476
00:39:13.440 --> 00:39:17.480
at a snail's pace in fear of setting off another

477
00:39:17.679 --> 00:39:24.239
life threatening trick. Matthew's outstretched hand made contact with a

478
00:39:24.280 --> 00:39:30.519
braided wire stop. Matthew said, as he slowly pulled his

479
00:39:30.679 --> 00:39:39.199
hand back. What Kyle asked, trip wire, Matthew said. Kyle

480
00:39:39.320 --> 00:39:43.480
took his stick and hit the ground underneath it. It

481
00:39:43.599 --> 00:39:48.199
felt solid, so they got on their bellies and climbed

482
00:39:48.639 --> 00:39:53.719
underneath the wire. It should have taken only a minute

483
00:39:53.800 --> 00:39:58.599
more to get to the shack, but with their cautious pace,

484
00:39:59.239 --> 00:40:02.480
it took another four before they were at the top

485
00:40:02.559 --> 00:40:06.920
of the hill, looking down on the old man's shack,

486
00:40:07.880 --> 00:40:12.920
where they could see the old man holding something in

487
00:40:13.000 --> 00:40:18.679
the fire, then pulling it out and pressing it to

488
00:40:18.800 --> 00:40:25.480
Jeff's chest. Motherfucker, Matthew yelled, loud enough to be heard

489
00:40:25.559 --> 00:40:29.239
over all the noise Jeff was making as the hot

490
00:40:29.280 --> 00:40:34.760
metal burned his skin. The old man was shocked to

491
00:40:34.880 --> 00:40:37.480
see that they made it as far as they did,

492
00:40:38.519 --> 00:40:42.559
so much that he dropped the pliers and hot steel

493
00:40:42.960 --> 00:40:47.840
on Jeff's foot. His screams were ignored as the old

494
00:40:47.880 --> 00:40:51.639
man watched as Kyle and Matthew held their clubs up

495
00:40:52.119 --> 00:40:58.280
and ran downhill towards him. His self preservation outweighed his shock.

496
00:40:59.159 --> 00:41:04.639
He grabbed the machete he had tucked away. They saw it,

497
00:41:05.400 --> 00:41:09.800
but it didn't matter. What he had done to Tanner

498
00:41:10.360 --> 00:41:14.840
was fresh in their minds, and now Jeff, and after

499
00:41:14.920 --> 00:41:20.440
what they had gone through, all they thought about was revenge.

500
00:41:20.679 --> 00:41:24.760
Matthew was the first to attack when he swung his

501
00:41:24.880 --> 00:41:29.119
wooden club at the old man, hitting him in the stomach.

502
00:41:30.239 --> 00:41:35.800
He responded by aiming his blade at Matthew's head. Before

503
00:41:35.840 --> 00:41:40.000
it could make contact, Kyle slammed his club against the

504
00:41:40.119 --> 00:41:44.199
hand that held the blade with enough force that they

505
00:41:44.239 --> 00:41:49.440
all heard the crunching sound of multiple bones breaking in

506
00:41:49.519 --> 00:41:55.400
his aged hand. The blade dropped as his hand no

507
00:41:55.519 --> 00:42:00.440
longer had the structure left to hold it. Matthew followed

508
00:42:00.480 --> 00:42:04.480
this up with a hard swing into the ribs. The

509
00:42:04.559 --> 00:42:08.079
old man heaved as he tried to take a breath,

510
00:42:08.960 --> 00:42:14.360
but couldn't. Kyle hit him again, this time in the

511
00:42:14.440 --> 00:42:19.800
right arm. The old man thought about his situation and

512
00:42:19.920 --> 00:42:26.159
decided to run, despite the lack of air in his lungs.

513
00:42:27.719 --> 00:42:32.920
If you thought that was scary, just you wait, weekly spooky,

514
00:42:33.079 --> 00:42:34.199
We'll be right back.

515
00:42:36.000 --> 00:42:40.719
Kyle grabbed Matthew and whispered a plan of action in

516
00:42:40.800 --> 00:42:45.920
his ear, and then they took off. Matthew was on

517
00:42:46.039 --> 00:42:49.639
his left side and Kyle took the right. The old

518
00:42:49.679 --> 00:42:52.840
man had been easy to keep up with, but neither

519
00:42:52.960 --> 00:42:57.400
attempted to overtake him. Aren't you too gonna untime me?

520
00:42:58.519 --> 00:43:02.760
Jeff yelled after them. Kyle began to approach the old

521
00:43:02.800 --> 00:43:07.159
man and pushed him towards the woods. Matthew moved in

522
00:43:07.320 --> 00:43:11.559
further to accommodate, leading the old man right where they

523
00:43:11.599 --> 00:43:15.800
wanted him to the booby trap. They were able to

524
00:43:15.920 --> 00:43:20.840
pass without setting off. The old man realized this and

525
00:43:21.039 --> 00:43:26.159
stopped just short of the trip wire, so Matthew pushed

526
00:43:26.239 --> 00:43:30.159
him forward and watched as a wooden block with nails

527
00:43:30.199 --> 00:43:35.079
fell down from the trees, heading right for the old man,

528
00:43:36.039 --> 00:43:39.679
who ducked, you can't get me with my own trick.

529
00:43:40.000 --> 00:43:44.119
You can't. The old man's speech was cut short when

530
00:43:44.159 --> 00:43:48.880
the block hit him as it swung back. The momentum

531
00:43:49.000 --> 00:43:51.960
wasn't quite as much as the first swing, but at

532
00:43:52.039 --> 00:43:56.760
least three nails punctured through his skin, two of which

533
00:43:56.840 --> 00:44:02.960
stopped at the skull, but one punk through. This didn't

534
00:44:03.000 --> 00:44:08.079
stop him. No, the old man found a second wind

535
00:44:08.239 --> 00:44:14.360
from panic and self preservation. He ran, but the block

536
00:44:15.119 --> 00:44:19.199
stuck to his head, and for one moment he was

537
00:44:19.360 --> 00:44:24.360
like a dog on a leash, thrashing about until finally

538
00:44:24.400 --> 00:44:28.960
it popped out of his skull and he took off.

539
00:44:29.159 --> 00:44:32.679
Kyle and Matthew followed and continued to push him toward

540
00:44:32.760 --> 00:44:37.639
the next trap. The pit not the most lethal, but

541
00:44:38.400 --> 00:44:43.320
it was worth a shot. Unfortunately, the old man was

542
00:44:43.400 --> 00:44:48.320
hipped to it and leaped over. That's when Matthew decided

543
00:44:48.320 --> 00:44:53.159
to push him into the unknown, back on the unexplored

544
00:44:53.280 --> 00:44:57.719
part of the main trail, the part they went around

545
00:44:58.920 --> 00:45:03.639
for a few hundred yards they ran without coming across anything.

546
00:45:04.519 --> 00:45:07.559
At first, they had just been keeping pace, but the

547
00:45:07.639 --> 00:45:10.800
old man was picking up speed and they had to

548
00:45:10.880 --> 00:45:14.719
increase theirs to catch up with him. Because of that,

549
00:45:15.679 --> 00:45:19.639
they were less cautious, and Kyle tripped over a few

550
00:45:19.679 --> 00:45:23.119
of the ill placed big rocks the old man had

551
00:45:23.159 --> 00:45:29.239
set earlier. Kyle tumbled head over feet, smacking his skull

552
00:45:29.400 --> 00:45:34.000
several times on the ground. The old man turned around

553
00:45:34.480 --> 00:45:40.800
while keeping his pace, to look and laugh, which was

554
00:45:41.000 --> 00:45:45.960
to be his downfall because his laughter was the last

555
00:45:46.000 --> 00:45:52.559
thing they heard before a large snapping sound, followed by

556
00:45:52.599 --> 00:45:57.000
the old man screaming he had stepped in his own

557
00:45:57.079 --> 00:46:02.199
bear trap. Matthew smiled at this, and without even taking

558
00:46:02.239 --> 00:46:05.360
a moment to help his brother up, he walked to

559
00:46:05.400 --> 00:46:09.519
the old man and beat him within an inch of

560
00:46:09.559 --> 00:46:14.920
his life by smashing the wooden stick across his skull repeatedly.

561
00:46:16.400 --> 00:46:20.000
Then he thought about all the torture they went through,

562
00:46:20.920 --> 00:46:26.400
and beat him an inch more. After killing the old man,

563
00:46:27.119 --> 00:46:31.199
Matthew tried to help his brother up, but he couldn't walk.

564
00:46:31.920 --> 00:46:36.519
His leg was broken, so he went and untied Jeff.

565
00:46:37.639 --> 00:46:40.599
He was worse for wear, but among the two of

566
00:46:40.639 --> 00:46:44.880
them they were able to drag Matthew back to the campsites.

567
00:46:45.880 --> 00:46:49.239
The first sight they came to happened to be one

568
00:46:49.280 --> 00:46:53.079
of the young ladies whom the other boys had been oggling.

569
00:46:54.079 --> 00:46:58.679
After being told what happened and seeing what condition the

570
00:46:58.760 --> 00:47:02.880
boys were in, she and her friends helped them get

571
00:47:02.920 --> 00:47:07.119
to her little red ninety one Honda Civic hatchback and

572
00:47:07.280 --> 00:47:13.000
raced them to town. The boys were young, and because

573
00:47:13.039 --> 00:47:17.679
of that, their bodies healed to nearly one hundred percent,

574
00:47:18.719 --> 00:47:22.159
except for the scars, which Jeff had the worst of

575
00:47:23.480 --> 00:47:27.519
all three of the survivors attended the funeral for their

576
00:47:27.599 --> 00:47:34.000
fallen friend Tanner. There they vowed to each other that

577
00:47:34.039 --> 00:47:44.519
they would never go camping again, and that, my Spookies,

578
00:47:44.880 --> 00:47:48.159
is why you should always stay on the main trail

579
00:47:48.559 --> 00:47:52.000
and maybe think twice before trusting an old man on

580
00:47:52.079 --> 00:47:57.199
a red bicycle. So sleep tight, don't trip any snares,

581
00:47:57.239 --> 00:48:02.840
and remember sometimes the scariest monsters don't need fangs or claws,

582
00:48:03.719 --> 00:48:06.039
just a set of summer teeth and a laugh that

583
00:48:06.760 --> 00:48:10.199
follows you in the dark. I hope you enjoyed that

584
00:48:10.360 --> 00:48:12.320
story as much as I did, and I do want

585
00:48:12.320 --> 00:48:15.719
to remind you mister Bruce Haney himself, the author of

586
00:48:15.719 --> 00:48:19.159
Tonight's story, has a novella that will be premiering in

587
00:48:19.239 --> 00:48:23.760
October for your listening pleasure, completely free to the Weekly

588
00:48:23.840 --> 00:48:27.960
Spooky listeners, So make sure you're subscribed on your favorite

589
00:48:28.000 --> 00:48:31.239
podcasting app and while you're at it, if you haven't already,

590
00:48:31.360 --> 00:48:34.639
leave us a five star rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

591
00:48:35.119 --> 00:48:38.320
It really does make a difference in bringing new listeners

592
00:48:38.639 --> 00:48:41.719
to enjoy the Spooky. And if you want to support

593
00:48:41.760 --> 00:48:45.519
the Spooky in a very direct way and get bonus episodes,

594
00:48:45.760 --> 00:48:50.639
exclusive audiobooks and so much more. Head Toweeklyspooky dot com

595
00:48:50.679 --> 00:48:53.119
slash join for as little as one dollar a month.

596
00:48:53.360 --> 00:48:55.639
And speaking of I want to say an extra special

597
00:48:55.679 --> 00:48:59.199
thank you to our Patreon podcast boosters, folks who pay

598
00:48:59.280 --> 00:49:01.400
just a little bit more to hear their names at

599
00:49:01.400 --> 00:49:03.760
the end of the show, and they are Johnny Nix,

600
00:49:03.880 --> 00:49:08.760
Kate and Lulu, Jessica Fuller, Mike Shuey, Jenny Green, Amber Hansford,

601
00:49:08.840 --> 00:49:11.880
Karen we Met, Jack Kerr, and Craig Cohen. Thank you

602
00:49:11.880 --> 00:49:13.800
guys so much, and if you want to hear your

603
00:49:13.880 --> 00:49:15.639
name at the end of the show as well, just

604
00:49:15.679 --> 00:49:19.119
head to Weeklyspooky dot Com slash join and select a

605
00:49:19.199 --> 00:49:22.239
tier at the fifteen dollars a month or higher. It

606
00:49:22.320 --> 00:49:24.280
really helps the show a lot and now is the

607
00:49:24.320 --> 00:49:28.559
best time ever to sign up and join over ninety

608
00:49:28.639 --> 00:49:32.239
other spookies in getting those bonus shows and a whole

609
00:49:32.280 --> 00:49:34.119
lot more. But now it's time for me to get

610
00:49:34.119 --> 00:49:36.119
back to work. There is so much to do to

611
00:49:36.159 --> 00:49:38.400
get ready for October. I'll see you guys Friday on

612
00:49:38.480 --> 00:49:41.880
Cutting Deep for myself, for my executive producers Rob Fields

613
00:49:41.880 --> 00:49:45.159
and Babbletopia dot Com, my producer Dan Wilder, and my

614
00:49:45.239 --> 00:49:49.719
composer Ray Mattis. I'll see you out camping later.

615
00:49:49.880 --> 00:49:53.559
Thank you for listenings. Make sure to find your way

616
00:49:53.599 --> 00:49:58.440
back next week week, but for now you are safe.

617
00:50:00.039 --> 00:50:08.639
Rest me mm hmm