July 25, 2026

Summerween: 4 Halloween Horror Stories with Bigfoot, Vampires, Zombies & Demons

Summerween: 4 Halloween Horror Stories with Bigfoot, Vampires, Zombies & Demons
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Key Takeaways

  • Weekly Spooky's Summerween special delivers a feature-length audio horror anthology celebrating Halloween in July with four chilling narratives.
  • The episode's opening story, written by Michael Kelso, follows a night watchman hunted by a furious Sasquatch across a remote wind farm.
  • Listeners are treated to diverse horror subgenres, including vampire fiction set in a shopping mall, zombie apocalypse survival, and dark workplace horror.
  • Each tale explores ordinary environments transformed into terrifying traps after closing time, keeping fans of spooky season entertained year-round.

Celebrate Summerween and Halloween in July with four complete narrated Halloween horror stories featuring Bigfoot, vampires, zombies, demons, supernatural folklore, and terrifying encounters after dark.

In this special Weekly Spooky horror compilation, a night watchman is hunted across a remote wind farm by a violent Sasquatch, a centuries-old vampire couple spends its anniversary inside a shopping mall after closing, a bicycle courier risks his life delivering supplies during the zombie apocalypse, and a desperate manager discovers that his mysterious new employer may be recruiting workers for Hell itself.

These four scary stories combine Bigfoot horror, Sasquatch attacks, vampire horror, zombie apocalypse survival, demonic bargains, workplace horror, dark comedy, supernatural suspense, cryptid encounters, and Halloween campfire storytelling into one feature-length audio horror anthology.

Start spooky season early with this Summerween horror special, perfect for listeners searching for Halloween stories, scary stories, horror fiction, creepypasta, cryptid stories, vampire fiction, zombie horror, supernatural thrillers, narrated horror podcasts, and frightening stories told around the campfire.

“I Guard Windmills, and I’m Not Sure If I’ll Survive the Shift” Written by Michael Kelso
A survivor of two disastrous supernatural jobs accepts an overnight security position at a remote wind farm. But when he discovers a burned turbine and evidence of something enormous moving through the surrounding forest, his quiet night shift becomes a brutal chase involving a furious Bigfoot with a violent grudge.
“A Night at the Galleria” Written by Rob Fields
A seemingly young couple hides inside a shopping mall for an after-hours anniversary celebration. When three thieves break into the deserted galleria, they have no idea that the romantic strangers watching them have remained together since the Black Death—or what the ancient vampires intend to do next.
“Send Beer” Written by Michelle Antisocial
In a city devastated by the zombie apocalypse, bicycle courier Felix and a flock of homing pigeons keep isolated survivors supplied with groceries and medicine. But when a regular customer stops responding and one of the birds returns covered in blood, a routine welfare check reveals an infected family and an unexpectedly useful bottle of vodka.
“Torture and Other Job Skills” Written by Killian Crane
After losing the management position that defined his life, a cruel and desperate man answers a mysterious help-wanted advertisement. The address leads him to a black-glass office tower where revenge, torture, and complete moral surrender are not workplace violations—they are requirements for employment.

Turn down the lights, escape the summer heat, and celebrate Halloween in July with four tales of monsters, bloodsuckers, the undead, and infernal employment. Summerween begins now on Weekly Spooky.

🎧 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

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Weekly Spooky Summerween episode about?

This special episode features four complete narrated Halloween horror stories involving Bigfoot, vampires, zombies, and demonic employers to celebrate Halloween in July.

Where can I find more scary stories like these?

You can subscribe to Weekly Spooky on your favorite podcast app for brand-new horror stories every Wednesday and explore WeeklySpooky.com for additional content.

Who wrote the Bigfoot horror story in this episode?

The opening story titled 'I Guard Windmills, and I’m Not Sure If I’ll Survive the Shift' was written by Michael Kelso.

WEBVTT

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Welcome back, my spookies. Tonight, the night shift is open,

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the mall is closed, and the dead still need groceries.

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Oh and Hell is hiring. At a remote wind farm,

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a security guard learns why the previous night watchman was

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so eager to leave. Inside an empty shopping mall, two

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young sweethearts discover that the thieves stalking its corridors have

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interrupted the worst possible anniversary. Across a zombie ravaged city,

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every delivery is a gamble, and sometimes the only weapon

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within reach is exactly what the customer ordered. And inside

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a towering black office building, one desperate applicant is about

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to learn that certain employers really do expect you to

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give them your soul. These are stories about terrible jobs,

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hungry monsters, and ordinary places that become something very different

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after closing time. So punch in, lock the doors, and

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keep your headlights trained on the tree line. It's time

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to prepare yourself for four terrifying tales of bigfoot, vampires, zombies,

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and the job interview from Hell. And make sure you're

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subscribed right here at Weekly Spooky on your favorite podcast app,

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because every single Wednesday, there's a brand new scary story

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for you. To enjoy. But now let's get going. I

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hope you packed a lunch. I guard windmills, and I'm

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not sure if I'll survive The shift by Michael Kelso.

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I used to work as a park ranger and a

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fire tower. After that went horribly bad, I got a

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job working in a warehouse that also was a disaster.

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I just wish I could stop finding jobs that have

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strange rules. I don't go looking for terrifying supernatural happenings.

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They just seem to find me. The bad part is

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I need a job if I want to keep living

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in my opulent, non alley dweller, begging for food lifestyle.

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I was looking through the job pages for anything. I

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was about to apply to a fast food restaurant when

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my eyes fell on an ad for a night watchman.

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I was about to pass it up, thinking about the

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injuries that were still healing after my last night watchman job,

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when I noticed it was for a wind farm. I

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had to look up exactly what a wind farm was

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and found out it was where they had wind wind

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turbines that generated electricity. I saw there was a lot

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of controversy over environmentalists claiming that wind turbines were the

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worst thing to ever happen to wildlife. I always thought

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wind turbines were designed to replace dangerous nuclear power plants

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and polluting coal and oil ones. I guess there's just

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no pleasing some people. I called the number and was

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surprised to receive an answer from an actual person rather

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than a machine. The man asked if I could start today,

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not could I interview or fill out a bunch of paperwork?

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If I could start, he didn't even know me. My

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spidy sense was telling me to beware. He told me

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the hourly wage and there was an immediate five hundred

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dollars signing bonus. Greed and need pushed their way to

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the front of my thoughts, and I agreed to come

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to the job site. I told him I had some questions.

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He hesitated, but agreed. Twenty five minutes later, I turned

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down a gravel road past an open gate with a

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sign beside it that read Larsen Energy Limited. I pulled

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next to a building that reminded me of the warehouse

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where I worked for one day and was nearly killed.

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I shivered at the thought and hoped this job would

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turn out much better. I walked up to the door

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and was nearly run over by a short, round balding

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man who appeared to be in his late forties. His

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hand was outstretched and shaking mind before the door was

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completely open. Are you the one I talked to on

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the phone, he said, smiling. I believe so good, he said,

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Come with me, I'll show you around. I followed him

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to a pickup truck and got in the passenger side.

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He started it up and headed down a dirt road

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that was surrounded by trees that were in the general

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direction of the wind turbine. I stared at them in awe,

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having never been closer than a few miles away. Impressive,

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aren't they, he said, following my gaze. Very just wait

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until you get beside one. He drove slowly, not going

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over twenty miles per hour, but the road dictated the speed.

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In general, it had some potholes that were very large.

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I could imagine they would be many lakes during a

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heavy rainstorm. I'm not sure my car would make it

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through here during bad weather. I said, not to worry.

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He said, this is a company truck. This is what

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you'll be driving. And what exactly would my duties be?

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Exactly what we're doing now, he said, sweeping his arms

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toward the windshield, doing rounds, making sure no one is,

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you know, messing with the turbines. I waited for the rest,

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for the strange rules, for the catch. That's it. That's it,

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he said. You'll do four rounds a night. You make

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sure no one is stealing anything or messing around with

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the turbines. Other than that, you just chase off trespassers.

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Do you have a lot of trespassers? He seemed to

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hesitate for a moment. Once in a while, some environmentalists

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will lurk around trying to take pictures of birds being

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hurt by the turbines. They even like to dress up

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as woodland creatures to scare people. What do I do

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if I catch one? Take their picture and forward it

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to the police. That's it. You won't be carrying a

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gun or anything, if that's what you're asking. No, I meant,

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shouldn't I inform you or security? You are security? I

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stopped and thought about it for a moment. Don't worry,

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he said, It doesn't happen often. Is there anything that

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does happen often? What do you mean? Are there any

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strange rules or anything? Weird that happens that I should

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know about. His eyes grew wider, but he tried to

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answer calmly. No, he said, with a nervous chuckle, of

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course not. My eyes bored into his searching for any lies.

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He looked away, pretending to pay attention to the road.

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It's very simple, he said, do your rounds, make sure

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no one trespasses, and you'll be fine. You can even

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bring a portable DVD player if you want, or a

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book to read, even use the company Wi Fi to

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watch movies on your phone, as long as you do

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your rounds. No catch, no catch. We had just arrived

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back at the main building. He parked in front and

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led me inside to do paperwork and give me a

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check for the five hundred dollars bonus. Awesome, I said,

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When do I start? He looked at his watch. Right now, really.

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He handed me the keys to the truck. Go get

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whatever you need out of your car, and you can

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start your first round. I looked at my watch as

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I walked out the door. It was five till seven

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in the evening. I got my water bottle in lunch

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box from my car, then headed toward the truck. Another

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similar pickup pulled into the spot beside me, and a

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man got out. He was older than me, tall and thin,

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probably in his fifties. You the new guy, he said,

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walking over to me. I guess so, I said, shaking

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his hand. I do the daylight shift, he said. So

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did he tell you everything? I think so, I said,

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as the manager came flying out through the doors. No

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time for chit chat, he said, chuckling nervously. Time to

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make that first round. I looked from him to the

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other guard. I could tell there was a concern on

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both of their faces, but they seemed to be different.

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The guard turned back towards his truck. Nice to meet you,

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he said, getting into his truck and busying himself with something.

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The manager breathed a sigh of relief and turned away.

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Oh one last thing, he said. The office is locked

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after hours, so if you need any facilities, He turned

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and pointed to a porta potty sitting near the edge

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of the parking lot. Understood, I said, who do I

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contact in case of emergency? He reached into his pocket

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and pulled out a business card, then handed it to me.

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Emergencies only, he said. Then he smiled and walked to

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his car, started it and drove away. I got in

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the truck and started it up, nearly having a heart

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attack when the other guard knocked on the window. Here,

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he said, handing me a piece of paper. You can

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call or text if you have any trouble. Thanks, I said,

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taking the paper. He opened his mouth as if to

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say something else, then closed it and walked away. I

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watched as he drove to the gate, got out of

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his car, closed and locked it behind him. It didn't

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have the same feeling of finality as when I was

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locked in the horrible warehouse, but it was close. Nothing

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to be afraid of, I told myself, just security measures.

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I kept telling myself that. As I started down the

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dirt road toward the wind turbines, I drove slowly, wanting

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to make sure I kept an eye out for anyone.

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Even though the sun hadn't set yet, it was darker

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on the road as the trees blocked the sunlight. The

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road was barely a two lane, but I didn't think

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i'd have to worry about any traffic jams out here.

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I rolled my window down, and the scent of pine

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filled the truck. I leaned my arm out the window

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and took a deep breath. The last time I was

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in a forest like this was the warehouse job, but

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I didn't get to enjoy the trees. This was like

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gliding down a river that cut through the middle of

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a forest. I felt very relaxed. Two relaxed. I had

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to make sure I stayed awake and didn't drive into

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a ditch. The birds singing in the trees made me smile.

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This job turned out to be exactly what I needed.

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My shoulder twinged, reminding me of my injury, and I

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brought it back to my side. As I drove, the

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first turbine loomed ahead of me. It was massive. I

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leaned my head out of the window and craned my

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neck to see the top. The blades weren't moving for

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some reason. I would have to look that up on

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my phone. When I got back to the parking lot,

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I stopped to avoid a deer that had wandered out

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in front of me. It looked at me as though

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I was intruding on its evening routine. I'm sorry, your majesty,

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I said to it, but if you would kindly move,

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I'll be on my way. It looked at me as

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if considering my proposition, then flicked its tail and trotted

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off into the woods. I smiled and continued on down

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the road. The second turbine came up quickly. It lost

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a little of the amazement of the first, but it

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was still an awesome sight. By the time I passed

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the third and fourth, I didn't even look up. I

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just glanced over at the door at the base of

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the tower to see if anyone was messing with it.

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The next turbine was was missing. I saw a clearing

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just like all the others, but there was no tower

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and no turbine. I decided to take a closer look.

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I put the truck and park and shut it off

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out of habit I took the keys with me. There

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was still enough daylight to see without a flashlight, but

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just barely. I walked up to where the tower should

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have been, but all that was there was the base.

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It was black and there was debris around it. It

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was clear that much more debris had been taken away.

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I didn't see the amount of wreckage I would have

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expected for a four hundred foot tower with a wind

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turbine on top coming crashing down. As I examined it closer,

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it seemed like there were a lot of burn marks

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and melting. I looked around the general area and there

206
00:13:28.240 --> 00:13:30.960
were signs of scorching in the trees and on the ground.

207
00:13:31.960 --> 00:13:35.639
I wondered why the boss hadn't mentioned this. I've never

208
00:13:35.679 --> 00:13:39.200
heard of a wind turbine burning up before. I would

209
00:13:39.200 --> 00:13:41.639
have thought this would be something worth mentioning to a

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00:13:41.799 --> 00:13:46.080
new security guard. As I was looking around, I heard

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00:13:46.120 --> 00:13:50.519
something move in the trees. It startled me because it

212
00:13:50.559 --> 00:13:52.519
would have had to be loud for me to hear

213
00:13:52.559 --> 00:13:56.120
it over the normal noises of the forest. But then

214
00:13:56.159 --> 00:14:02.200
I noticed the normal sounds of the forest were gone.

215
00:14:03.440 --> 00:14:08.360
It was eerily quiet. No birds, squirrels, or even insect

216
00:14:08.519 --> 00:14:12.720
sounds were audible. I was standing alone in the near dark,

217
00:14:12.840 --> 00:14:17.399
surrounded by trees and animals who weren't making any sound.

218
00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:20.440
It was like the forest was holding its breath to

219
00:14:20.480 --> 00:14:24.200
see what would happen next. My mind was a flurry

220
00:14:24.240 --> 00:14:28.879
of thoughts. Are the animals afraid of me? Is this

221
00:14:28.919 --> 00:14:33.120
one of those crazy environmentalists? Should I really be standing

222
00:14:33.159 --> 00:14:37.240
here exposed waiting for something to happen? My legs got

223
00:14:37.240 --> 00:14:39.240
the message and high tailed it back to the truck

224
00:14:39.279 --> 00:14:42.120
as quickly as I could. I rolled up the window,

225
00:14:42.360 --> 00:14:45.080
locked the doors, and made a dust cloud from my

226
00:14:45.200 --> 00:14:48.000
tires as I left the area a little too quickly.

227
00:14:48.799 --> 00:14:51.519
When I got to the next turbine, my adrenaline had

228
00:14:51.519 --> 00:14:55.000
bled off and I was feeling silly for letting myself

229
00:14:55.000 --> 00:14:58.120
get scared like that. I slowed to my normal speed

230
00:14:58.200 --> 00:15:01.639
and finished my round. The parking lot was empty, so

231
00:15:01.720 --> 00:15:04.720
I had my pick of spots. I decided to park

232
00:15:04.720 --> 00:15:09.000
close to the porta potty just in case. I settled

233
00:15:09.039 --> 00:15:12.000
in and pulled out my phone. Normally i'd go to

234
00:15:12.159 --> 00:15:16.600
YouTube and watch creepy pastas, but darkness had finally settled

235
00:15:16.639 --> 00:15:18.559
in for the night, and I didn't feel like scaring

236
00:15:18.559 --> 00:15:22.279
myself any more than I already had. There were a

237
00:15:22.320 --> 00:15:25.039
few security lights in the parking lot near the building

238
00:15:25.440 --> 00:15:28.120
and at the far corners, but once I started around,

239
00:15:28.600 --> 00:15:30.879
the only light I had was what I took with me.

240
00:15:32.080 --> 00:15:34.240
Maybe I could convince the boss to mount one of

241
00:15:34.279 --> 00:15:36.519
those strips of LED lights on the front of the truck.

242
00:15:37.360 --> 00:15:39.799
This would be one of the few legit reasons to

243
00:15:39.879 --> 00:15:43.320
have those. Every time I pass a car or truck

244
00:15:43.320 --> 00:15:46.039
on the highway with those lights blinding me, I have

245
00:15:46.120 --> 00:15:49.159
the strong urge to get a million candle power spotlight

246
00:15:49.440 --> 00:15:52.440
and shine it in their eyes. At least that's what

247
00:15:52.480 --> 00:15:55.960
it feels like they're doing to me. I scrolled through

248
00:15:56.000 --> 00:16:01.559
Netflix looking for a show to watch. Creatures in the Dark, Nope,

249
00:16:01.799 --> 00:16:07.159
places you thought were safe, No way, Cryptids of Appalachia

250
00:16:07.960 --> 00:16:11.039
not even. What is Netflix trying to do to me?

251
00:16:11.919 --> 00:16:13.919
If I watch Black Mirror, will it go straight to

252
00:16:13.960 --> 00:16:16.799
an episode where a security guard gets horribly mangled in

253
00:16:16.879 --> 00:16:23.679
the forest? Comedies? I'll watch The Office. It's not on Netflix,

254
00:16:23.720 --> 00:16:26.399
of course. As soon as I want to watch something,

255
00:16:26.440 --> 00:16:30.080
it's gone. Sometimes I wish Blockbuster would have bought Netflix

256
00:16:30.080 --> 00:16:33.159
when they had the chance. I'll open up my kindle

257
00:16:33.159 --> 00:16:36.600
and I'll read a book. This one looks good. One

258
00:16:36.679 --> 00:16:40.720
on One by Michael Kelso, the crime fiction set in

259
00:16:40.759 --> 00:16:44.399
a prison. An how we're into my book? The alarm

260
00:16:44.440 --> 00:16:48.879
on my phone goes off. Time for another round? Wow,

261
00:16:49.639 --> 00:16:53.039
that went fast. I set the phone aside and checked

262
00:16:53.080 --> 00:16:57.639
the glove compartment for a flashlight. Fortunately one was there.

263
00:16:58.320 --> 00:17:00.879
It was one of those fancy ones that very bright

264
00:17:00.960 --> 00:17:04.079
and had a Strobe flash mode on it. I wondered

265
00:17:04.079 --> 00:17:06.279
if I could borrow it to show some of those

266
00:17:06.359 --> 00:17:09.160
idiots with the bright led lights mounted on the front

267
00:17:09.200 --> 00:17:13.119
of their trucks. I found myself more on guard this round.

268
00:17:14.240 --> 00:17:18.240
The noises of the forest had returned. Thankfully. I opened

269
00:17:18.240 --> 00:17:20.720
my window a few inches, just enough to let some

270
00:17:20.880 --> 00:17:25.559
fresh air, and the nightly noises in the darkness seemed

271
00:17:25.559 --> 00:17:29.240
depressive after the first round. Being nearly daylight, this time

272
00:17:29.799 --> 00:17:32.720
the world was confined to the two beams of light

273
00:17:32.880 --> 00:17:38.279
fighting the overwhelming shadows of the menacing forest. I found

274
00:17:38.279 --> 00:17:41.880
myself going a little faster than last time. It wasn't

275
00:17:41.920 --> 00:17:47.799
really a conscious choice, just my subconscious asserting itself once again.

276
00:17:48.240 --> 00:17:50.240
When I got to the burned out ruins of the

277
00:17:50.240 --> 00:17:57.640
wind turbine, the noises ceased. I went a little faster

278
00:17:57.880 --> 00:18:00.680
through that area, I thought I I saw a movement

279
00:18:00.720 --> 00:18:04.119
in the tree line heading toward me, but I refused

280
00:18:04.160 --> 00:18:07.440
to stop. I justified it by telling myself there was

281
00:18:07.480 --> 00:18:12.160
no working turbine here to vandalize. A little rattled, I

282
00:18:12.240 --> 00:18:15.799
finished my round quickly, nearly bumping my head on the

283
00:18:15.839 --> 00:18:19.160
ceiling of the truck a couple of times from bouncing

284
00:18:19.200 --> 00:18:23.000
down the dirt road much faster than I should have.

285
00:18:24.599 --> 00:18:26.920
When I came out of the forest, I welcomed the

286
00:18:26.960 --> 00:18:31.839
bright lights and relative safety of the parking lot. This time,

287
00:18:31.880 --> 00:18:34.440
I parked at the end, farthest away from the trees,

288
00:18:35.200 --> 00:18:39.839
under a security light, just for good measure. As I

289
00:18:39.880 --> 00:18:43.079
read my book, my eyes kept darting toward the trees,

290
00:18:43.480 --> 00:18:46.400
as if I expected something to jump out at me.

291
00:18:47.680 --> 00:18:50.759
I continued to tell myself I was being foolish, but

292
00:18:50.880 --> 00:18:54.640
I also kept shooting glances at the trees. When my

293
00:18:54.720 --> 00:18:57.319
alarm went off for the next round, it took extra

294
00:18:57.400 --> 00:19:00.200
effort to make myself start the truck and aim the

295
00:19:00.240 --> 00:19:05.359
headlights toward the trees. The forest had gotten darker and

296
00:19:05.480 --> 00:19:11.880
more oppressive. It had also gotten quieter. There were still

297
00:19:11.920 --> 00:19:15.839
a few creatures making sounds, but not as many, I

298
00:19:15.920 --> 00:19:19.640
told myself, most of them had gone to sleep. I

299
00:19:19.680 --> 00:19:24.000
only wished i'd believed it. Even the scent of pine

300
00:19:24.119 --> 00:19:29.160
had diminished, it had another scent to it, now, the

301
00:19:29.240 --> 00:19:33.039
tinge of fear. My eyes darted from one side of

302
00:19:33.079 --> 00:19:35.279
the road to the other, taking in as much of

303
00:19:35.319 --> 00:19:39.319
my surroundings as possible, which wasn't much with the headlights

304
00:19:39.359 --> 00:19:43.440
barely able to cut a path through the suffocating darkness.

305
00:19:44.079 --> 00:19:46.200
I nearly jumped out of my skin when a deer

306
00:19:46.279 --> 00:19:48.960
walked in front of the truck. I slammed on my brakes,

307
00:19:49.039 --> 00:19:52.319
making a dust cloud hover in front of me. The

308
00:19:52.400 --> 00:19:55.920
deer glanced at me, then got spooked and ran off.

309
00:19:57.160 --> 00:19:59.799
I chuckled to myself at the little bit of revenge

310
00:20:00.119 --> 00:20:03.519
the deer being scared of me, but my chuckles soon

311
00:20:03.680 --> 00:20:08.319
turned to chills. As the dust cleared, I saw something

312
00:20:08.839 --> 00:20:14.279
coming out of the trees. It was big, dark and

313
00:20:14.400 --> 00:20:18.599
covered in fur. Sweat formed on my brow. As my

314
00:20:18.720 --> 00:20:22.200
mind kicked into gear and my foot mashed the gas pedal,

315
00:20:22.640 --> 00:20:25.319
a cloud of dust flew from my rear tires As

316
00:20:25.359 --> 00:20:28.960
the truck galloped away. I glanced in my rear view mirror,

317
00:20:29.839 --> 00:20:33.839
and to my horror, the creature was running behind me.

318
00:20:35.200 --> 00:20:40.119
Even worse, it was gaining. I stepped on the gas,

319
00:20:40.160 --> 00:20:43.480
making my speedometer jump and making me ride the seat

320
00:20:43.599 --> 00:20:47.200
like a bucking bronco. Thankfully I had my seatbelt on,

321
00:20:47.720 --> 00:20:50.000
or I would have been knocked unconscious by the bigger

322
00:20:50.039 --> 00:20:54.160
bumps and ruts, sending my head toward the ceiling. I

323
00:20:54.240 --> 00:20:58.880
refused to look back for a long time, and when

324
00:20:58.920 --> 00:21:06.759
I did, the creature was gone. I breathed a sigh

325
00:21:06.839 --> 00:21:10.359
of relief and slowed a little. I was never so

326
00:21:10.519 --> 00:21:14.440
happy to see the parking lot. I parked in the

327
00:21:14.480 --> 00:21:17.559
same spot at the far end under a light and

328
00:21:17.640 --> 00:21:20.759
thought back to my encounter, trying to make sense of it.

329
00:21:22.160 --> 00:21:25.519
The creature was huge. It was easily over seven feet

330
00:21:25.559 --> 00:21:29.880
tall and walked on two legs. No, it ran on

331
00:21:29.960 --> 00:21:33.279
two legs. It was going nearly thirty five miles an

332
00:21:33.319 --> 00:21:38.640
hour chasing me. That was the other thing. Why was

333
00:21:38.680 --> 00:21:41.880
it chasing me? What did I do to annoy it?

334
00:21:42.599 --> 00:21:47.759
Or was it just looking for a midnight snack? Time

335
00:21:47.799 --> 00:21:51.279
to get some answers, I got the piece of paper

336
00:21:51.319 --> 00:21:53.839
the other guard had given me and typed in the number.

337
00:21:54.759 --> 00:21:58.160
Then I sent him a text. I checked my watch.

338
00:21:58.839 --> 00:22:02.119
It was two thirty in the month. I didn't really

339
00:22:02.200 --> 00:22:06.680
expect an answer, but to my surprise, my phone dinged.

340
00:22:08.279 --> 00:22:13.599
I was expecting a message sooner. It said, why. Let's

341
00:22:13.680 --> 00:22:16.119
just say, I don't think the boss told you everything,

342
00:22:17.400 --> 00:22:23.599
such as you tell me why you messaged first? Okay?

343
00:22:24.160 --> 00:22:26.640
Have you ever been chased by anything during a round?

344
00:22:27.480 --> 00:22:33.480
Define anything? Oh? I don't know, like a deer, a bear,

345
00:22:33.839 --> 00:22:36.559
A big hairy creature over seven feet tall walking on

346
00:22:36.599 --> 00:22:39.920
its hind legs. Are you gonna quit if I tell

347
00:22:39.920 --> 00:22:44.720
you the truth. That depends on what the truth is. Nope,

348
00:22:45.400 --> 00:22:47.559
you have to promise me not to quit before I

349
00:22:47.599 --> 00:22:53.960
tell you why, because if you quit, I have to

350
00:22:53.960 --> 00:22:57.119
go back on night shift, and that's a bad thing.

351
00:22:58.119 --> 00:23:04.480
Promise you won't quit. I was having flashbacks to my

352
00:23:04.559 --> 00:23:08.759
last two jobs, being tricked into a horrible situation, and

353
00:23:08.799 --> 00:23:13.240
then being told what was really going on. I can't promise.

354
00:23:13.799 --> 00:23:17.799
I've been burned in my last two jobs by strange rules,

355
00:23:18.599 --> 00:23:23.400
strange rules. You don't want to know, sounds like I do.

356
00:23:24.920 --> 00:23:27.359
Then you tell me what's going on here, and I'll

357
00:23:27.359 --> 00:23:31.279
tell you what happened in my last two jobs. If

358
00:23:31.319 --> 00:23:36.039
you promise you won't quit, I'll make you a deal.

359
00:23:36.720 --> 00:23:39.480
I'll tell you about my last two jobs. Then after that,

360
00:23:40.839 --> 00:23:45.000
you tell me if what's happening here is worse. All right?

361
00:23:46.119 --> 00:23:48.400
I told them about my jobs as a park ranger

362
00:23:48.440 --> 00:23:52.200
and a fire tower and a warehouse guard, about the

363
00:23:52.279 --> 00:23:56.039
strange and supernatural things that happened, and how they damaged

364
00:23:56.119 --> 00:24:01.519
me mentally and physically. When I was done, he didn't

365
00:24:01.519 --> 00:24:06.359
answer right away. That was some story. Is it true?

366
00:24:07.720 --> 00:24:13.279
Those things happened to me? Wow? Okay, what's happening here

367
00:24:13.400 --> 00:24:18.640
is you're being chased by Bigfoot? All right? If you

368
00:24:18.640 --> 00:24:20.680
don't want to tell me, you don't have to lie.

369
00:24:21.559 --> 00:24:24.279
I'm not lying. Think about the way you described the

370
00:24:24.319 --> 00:24:28.680
creature to me, seven feet tall, covered in hair, walking

371
00:24:28.720 --> 00:24:32.640
on hind legs. I thought about it for a long moment.

372
00:24:34.599 --> 00:24:39.400
Then why is he after me? He's not exactly, He's

373
00:24:39.440 --> 00:24:45.839
after whoever patrols the roads. But why go to a

374
00:24:45.839 --> 00:24:48.559
site called reddit and read the story. I used to

375
00:24:48.559 --> 00:24:51.000
be a night watchman at a wind farm. What I

376
00:24:51.079 --> 00:24:54.720
saw there still haunts me. After you've read that, if

377
00:24:54.720 --> 00:25:00.720
you have more questions, text me. Okay. I went to

378
00:25:00.759 --> 00:25:03.960
the site and read the story. When I was done,

379
00:25:04.000 --> 00:25:09.319
I slowly lowered my phone, eyes wide. I texted. I'd

380
00:25:09.359 --> 00:25:12.039
read stories on Reddit before. I always thought they were

381
00:25:12.079 --> 00:25:16.400
just made up. That's what I thought, too. But if

382
00:25:16.440 --> 00:25:21.279
this thing burned up, how is it chasing me? It's not.

383
00:25:22.960 --> 00:25:28.759
I'm confused. I helped bury the thing. It's dead. What's

384
00:25:28.839 --> 00:25:33.880
chasing you is its mate brother cousin? Who knows? But

385
00:25:33.960 --> 00:25:37.640
some creature with ties to that one, and it's not happy.

386
00:25:38.960 --> 00:25:42.920
And let me guess it only comes out at night. Yep,

387
00:25:44.079 --> 00:25:49.119
I quit U soob you promised, so you'd rather have

388
00:25:49.240 --> 00:25:52.480
me die than quit. You won't die if you stay

389
00:25:52.480 --> 00:25:56.960
in the truck. How do you know, because I've been

390
00:25:57.000 --> 00:26:00.920
the one doing night shift. Thought about it for a

391
00:26:00.920 --> 00:26:05.519
long moment. Okay, I've got one round left to go.

392
00:26:06.200 --> 00:26:09.119
If I make it without dying, we'll talk about my

393
00:26:09.240 --> 00:26:13.480
continued employment and whatever we agree on. You have to

394
00:26:13.599 --> 00:26:19.640
back me with the boss deal. I started towards the forest.

395
00:26:20.519 --> 00:26:22.640
No time like the present if I'm going to die.

396
00:26:22.839 --> 00:26:26.279
Right as I pulled into the trees, it felt like

397
00:26:26.359 --> 00:26:30.160
I was passing through the gates of Jurassic Park. I

398
00:26:30.200 --> 00:26:34.519
hoped I would fare better than they did. The darkness

399
00:26:34.640 --> 00:26:38.559
was complete. Only the truck's headlights fought a losing battle,

400
00:26:38.680 --> 00:26:42.200
enabling me to see it all. When I came near

401
00:26:42.240 --> 00:26:45.599
a turbine, I used the flashlight to illuminate the base

402
00:26:45.640 --> 00:26:49.880
of the tower and see if anyone was there. Once

403
00:26:49.920 --> 00:26:52.480
I was past the turbine, I quickly shut off the light.

404
00:26:53.400 --> 00:26:58.119
I had no desire to see anything else. I rolled

405
00:26:58.119 --> 00:27:02.559
the window down just enough to hear the nightly noises.

406
00:27:04.440 --> 00:27:08.519
When I got to the second turbine, they went silent.

407
00:27:09.519 --> 00:27:12.599
I clutched the wheel with white knuckles, waiting to see

408
00:27:12.640 --> 00:27:16.000
what would happen. I was so busy looking around for

409
00:27:16.079 --> 00:27:19.119
something in the woods I almost ran into a huge

410
00:27:19.200 --> 00:27:23.400
boulder sitting in the middle of the road that wasn't

411
00:27:23.440 --> 00:27:29.319
there before. Was my first thought, followed quickly by it's

412
00:27:29.400 --> 00:27:35.720
barricading the road, so I can't speed away. The second

413
00:27:35.759 --> 00:27:39.039
thought jarred me into action. I turned the wheel hard

414
00:27:39.119 --> 00:27:42.880
and swerved around the rock. Fortunately, it hadn't rained in

415
00:27:42.920 --> 00:27:46.039
a few days and there wasn't any soft ground along

416
00:27:46.079 --> 00:27:48.839
the side of the road. I stepped on the gas

417
00:27:48.920 --> 00:27:51.279
as I rounded the boulder, just in time to see

418
00:27:51.319 --> 00:27:55.839
another boulder heading straight toward me. I swerved and floored it,

419
00:27:55.880 --> 00:27:57.920
feeling the impact of the rock as it hit the

420
00:27:57.920 --> 00:28:01.279
ground beside the truck, missing it by a mere foot.

421
00:28:02.079 --> 00:28:04.880
I fish tailed, spewing dirt as the tires fought to

422
00:28:04.920 --> 00:28:07.920
gain traction. Once I straightened out, I got as much

423
00:28:07.960 --> 00:28:10.920
speed as I could, bumping around so much. I worried

424
00:28:10.920 --> 00:28:15.319
about the suspension and the tires. Anything that stopped this

425
00:28:15.519 --> 00:28:19.279
truck would be the death of me. I felt pretty

426
00:28:19.279 --> 00:28:21.799
good about out running the creature when I saw something

427
00:28:22.799 --> 00:28:25.279
terrible in front of me. I slammed on the brakes

428
00:28:25.319 --> 00:28:27.839
and slid to a stop in front of two boulders

429
00:28:27.880 --> 00:28:31.200
sitting in the middle of the road. They were spaced

430
00:28:31.200 --> 00:28:35.799
far enough apart that I couldn't just swerve around. I

431
00:28:35.839 --> 00:28:38.200
had to pick a side with more room and go

432
00:28:38.359 --> 00:28:43.160
slowly around, nearly scraping trees as I went. I had

433
00:28:43.240 --> 00:28:45.759
just made it around when something crashed into the back

434
00:28:45.799 --> 00:28:48.839
of the truck, sending it flying forward. I looked back

435
00:28:49.160 --> 00:28:52.400
and the tailgate was crumpled. There was a boulder lying

436
00:28:52.440 --> 00:28:55.119
on the ground beside the other two that hadn't been

437
00:28:55.160 --> 00:28:58.160
there a minute ago. I jumped on the gas pedal

438
00:28:58.160 --> 00:29:00.359
as a boulder landed right in front of me. I

439
00:29:00.400 --> 00:29:03.400
wrenched the wheel to the right, feeling metal scrape against

440
00:29:03.440 --> 00:29:05.759
the side of the truck, but I refused to take

441
00:29:05.799 --> 00:29:09.920
my foot off the gas. The scraping got louder. I

442
00:29:10.000 --> 00:29:12.559
knew this was it. He would catch up to me

443
00:29:13.599 --> 00:29:17.559
and I would die a horrible death. And then the

444
00:29:17.599 --> 00:29:24.039
scraping stopped. The truck lurched forward. I was free. I

445
00:29:24.119 --> 00:29:27.119
built up a little speed and then started swerving back

446
00:29:27.160 --> 00:29:29.200
and forth in the road in case he tried to

447
00:29:29.200 --> 00:29:32.559
throw another boulder. I counted to twenty before letting off

448
00:29:32.640 --> 00:29:36.519
the gas sweat dripped from my forehead. I wiped my

449
00:29:36.599 --> 00:29:40.240
sweaty hands on my pants. My hands were stiff from

450
00:29:40.279 --> 00:29:43.680
holding the wheel so tight. I kept my speed up,

451
00:29:43.680 --> 00:29:45.920
not wanting to give him any chance to catch up

452
00:29:45.920 --> 00:29:49.720
to me. As I bounced down the road, I turned

453
00:29:49.720 --> 00:29:54.960
a corner and slammed on the brakes. It was impossible.

454
00:29:55.720 --> 00:29:57.839
He was standing in the middle of the road in

455
00:29:57.880 --> 00:30:01.039
front of me. How could he have I'd gotten here first.

456
00:30:02.079 --> 00:30:06.000
He stared at me and bared his teeth. For an instant,

457
00:30:06.200 --> 00:30:09.160
I thought about turning around, but I was almost to

458
00:30:09.200 --> 00:30:12.119
the end of my round, and going back meant guiding

459
00:30:12.160 --> 00:30:16.640
my truck back through a deadly obstacle course. With nothing

460
00:30:16.720 --> 00:30:20.079
left to do, I floored it and drove straight at him.

461
00:30:20.680 --> 00:30:23.519
If I was going to die, I was going to

462
00:30:23.559 --> 00:30:27.680
do my best to take him with me. He stood

463
00:30:27.720 --> 00:30:32.440
motionless as I gained speed. Just before I got there,

464
00:30:33.519 --> 00:30:36.920
he jumped. I watched as he landed behind the truck

465
00:30:36.960 --> 00:30:40.240
and turned on a dime to follow behind. I was

466
00:30:40.279 --> 00:30:43.680
gaining speed, but it wasn't enough. He grabbed my tailgate

467
00:30:43.720 --> 00:30:46.759
and pulled against it. For a moment, I felt the

468
00:30:46.799 --> 00:30:50.920
truck slow, but then the tailgate broke free. And left

469
00:30:50.960 --> 00:30:54.640
him holding the figurative bag. He ran behind, throwing the

470
00:30:54.680 --> 00:30:57.359
tailgate at me. I ducked just in time as it

471
00:30:57.400 --> 00:31:00.240
smashed through the rear window and kept going through the

472
00:31:00.240 --> 00:31:04.720
front windshield. I peeked back, only to see him chasing again.

473
00:31:05.599 --> 00:31:09.119
I tried to gain more speed. It was more difficult

474
00:31:09.359 --> 00:31:12.279
covered in glass, each bounce in the road now making

475
00:31:12.359 --> 00:31:15.960
pieces cut into me. It was also difficult seeing with

476
00:31:16.039 --> 00:31:19.039
no windshield to protect my eyes and pieces of glass

477
00:31:19.079 --> 00:31:22.519
flying toward me from the remains of the windshield. I

478
00:31:22.599 --> 00:31:24.839
held up my hand to try to shield my eyes.

479
00:31:25.480 --> 00:31:28.720
As I did, I noticed I was slowing down. I

480
00:31:28.799 --> 00:31:32.759
pressed the gas pedal harder, but seemed to slow even more.

481
00:31:34.359 --> 00:31:36.839
I turned to find the creature holding the bed of

482
00:31:36.839 --> 00:31:39.880
the truck and digging its feet into the road to

483
00:31:39.920 --> 00:31:43.799
slow me down. I got my phone and recorded him

484
00:31:43.799 --> 00:31:47.119
holding the truck back for a few moments. At least

485
00:31:47.160 --> 00:31:50.720
whoever found the destroyed truck would know what happened to me.

486
00:31:52.240 --> 00:31:55.680
I resigned myself to my fate. I let off the

487
00:31:55.720 --> 00:31:59.480
gas and allowed the truck to stop. He released the

488
00:31:59.559 --> 00:32:03.920
back and started climbing into the bed. I was moments

489
00:32:03.920 --> 00:32:07.880
from death. I looked down at my phone and pressed record,

490
00:32:08.720 --> 00:32:12.279
then grabbed the flashlight, switched to strobe, and showed it

491
00:32:12.319 --> 00:32:15.880
in his face. He put his arms up to shield

492
00:32:15.920 --> 00:32:18.920
his eyes. I slammed the truck and drive and jumped

493
00:32:18.920 --> 00:32:21.880
on the gas. The creature rolled head over heels out

494
00:32:21.880 --> 00:32:24.039
of the bed as I sped away. I hit the

495
00:32:24.119 --> 00:32:26.839
parking lot doing forty five and nearly crashed into the

496
00:32:26.880 --> 00:32:30.519
boss as he drove up to the building. I skidded

497
00:32:30.559 --> 00:32:33.720
to a stop and put the truck in park. Right

498
00:32:33.759 --> 00:32:36.920
behind the boss was the other guard. What the hell

499
00:32:36.960 --> 00:32:41.240
do you think you're doing, the boss said, glaring at me. Surviving,

500
00:32:41.680 --> 00:32:44.200
I said, as I turned the engine off and tossed

501
00:32:44.240 --> 00:32:48.359
him the keys through the missing windshield. For the first time,

502
00:32:48.440 --> 00:32:52.240
he noticed the condition of the ruined truck. What happened

503
00:32:52.279 --> 00:32:57.039
to my truck? He said? I don't know, I said, sarcastically.

504
00:32:57.960 --> 00:33:00.400
Maybe it was the giant creature chasing me that you

505
00:33:00.559 --> 00:33:05.200
neglected to mention. His eyes went wide and his jaw

506
00:33:05.279 --> 00:33:09.720
dropped open. I have no idea what you're talking about,

507
00:33:10.200 --> 00:33:15.039
he said, regaining his composure. I figured you wouldn't, I said,

508
00:33:15.039 --> 00:33:17.880
as the other guard walked up to us. Take a

509
00:33:17.880 --> 00:33:20.759
look at this, I opened my phone and played the

510
00:33:20.839 --> 00:33:23.359
video of the creature pulling the truck to a stop.

511
00:33:24.519 --> 00:33:27.880
They both watched and shock until the video ended. I

512
00:33:27.920 --> 00:33:29.920
put my phone in my pocket and looked at each

513
00:33:29.960 --> 00:33:34.079
of them. Both of you want me to keep working here, correct,

514
00:33:34.720 --> 00:33:41.160
I said? They nodded. Here's my terms. A double in pey, taser,

515
00:33:41.440 --> 00:33:46.480
pepper spray, heavy firearms, upgraded trucks. And is that it?

516
00:33:47.200 --> 00:33:51.680
The boss said sarcastically. No, I want you to hire

517
00:33:51.720 --> 00:33:55.240
a cryptid hunter to come in today and capture or

518
00:33:55.400 --> 00:33:59.279
kill that thing. I have no idea how to get

519
00:33:59.279 --> 00:34:02.920
a hold of the boss said, those are my terms.

520
00:34:03.759 --> 00:34:06.440
Give it to him or I'll quit. Two, the other

521
00:34:06.440 --> 00:34:10.239
guard said. The boss looked back and forth between us

522
00:34:10.280 --> 00:34:14.320
like he was watching a tennis match. Fine, I'll get

523
00:34:14.360 --> 00:34:17.000
you what you want, he said, throwing his hands in

524
00:34:17.000 --> 00:34:21.159
the air. I smiled and shook his hand, then walked

525
00:34:21.199 --> 00:34:26.400
to my car. Oh, one more thing, I said. You

526
00:34:26.519 --> 00:34:29.960
might want to have a bulldozer clear the road. The

527
00:34:30.000 --> 00:34:33.519
Boss looked toward the trees as I drove away. I

528
00:34:33.599 --> 00:34:36.480
prayed he would do all I asked. I couldn't go

529
00:34:36.559 --> 00:34:41.000
back there, knowing that that thing was waiting for me.

530
00:34:49.519 --> 00:34:59.159
A night at the Galleria by Rob Fields. As May

531
00:34:59.239 --> 00:35:02.719
Harker stood up outside the galleria, enjoying the many lights

532
00:35:02.760 --> 00:35:06.360
that illuminated it. She couldn't wait to go inside, but

533
00:35:06.880 --> 00:35:09.760
she was waiting for someone. As she sat on the

534
00:35:09.760 --> 00:35:12.320
bench just outside the main entrance, she looked through the

535
00:35:12.360 --> 00:35:15.599
doors and saw the outsides of some of the nearby shops.

536
00:35:16.159 --> 00:35:20.039
To her, there was always so much life inside the galleria.

537
00:35:20.280 --> 00:35:22.800
She had only been there on a few select occasions,

538
00:35:22.880 --> 00:35:25.119
but she remembered how it had lifted her heart and

539
00:35:25.239 --> 00:35:30.800
soul each time. Soon she saw Theodore Holloway walking towards her.

540
00:35:31.079 --> 00:35:33.960
When he finally reached her, he sat down beside her.

541
00:35:34.679 --> 00:35:37.840
I'm terribly sorry for us having to meet here, as May,

542
00:35:38.119 --> 00:35:40.480
he said, I wish I could have been able to

543
00:35:40.519 --> 00:35:43.440
bring you here in style, but none of the limo

544
00:35:43.559 --> 00:35:46.920
services would consider renting to a twelve year old. He

545
00:35:46.960 --> 00:35:50.000
took her hand. You deserve so much better than us

546
00:35:50.039 --> 00:35:55.920
meeting here like this, as May smiled. It's quite all right, Theodore.

547
00:35:56.480 --> 00:35:58.639
You know you don't always have to try so hard.

548
00:35:59.039 --> 00:36:01.440
All you really had to do you suggest we come here,

549
00:36:02.119 --> 00:36:05.159
She gestured to the mall itself. Shall we go in

550
00:36:06.079 --> 00:36:09.920
delighted Theodore stood up, then helped Esme to her feet.

551
00:36:10.639 --> 00:36:13.880
Esme's eyes brightened as Theodore led her closer and closer

552
00:36:13.920 --> 00:36:16.519
to the main doors. Soon he was opening one of

553
00:36:16.519 --> 00:36:20.760
them for her. After you, he said. Esme entered and

554
00:36:20.800 --> 00:36:23.440
felt her excitement rising as she gazed upon the bright

555
00:36:23.519 --> 00:36:26.719
lights of the many stores and entertainment venues that filled

556
00:36:26.719 --> 00:36:29.280
the galleria. She could see some of the food court

557
00:36:29.400 --> 00:36:32.559
stands on the second floor. I don't get it, es May.

558
00:36:32.880 --> 00:36:34.679
How come you don't come in here on your own,

559
00:36:35.000 --> 00:36:37.960
Theodore asked. There's nothing keeping you from doing that. You

560
00:36:38.039 --> 00:36:41.639
know you can come here anytime you wish. I know

561
00:36:41.719 --> 00:36:45.239
I can, Theodore. She glanced at him. It's just not

562
00:36:45.360 --> 00:36:48.960
the same without you here. This is our special place.

563
00:36:49.559 --> 00:36:52.880
We've had so much fun and excitement here, you and I.

564
00:36:52.880 --> 00:36:55.639
I wouldn't feel right coming in here without you. You

565
00:36:55.719 --> 00:37:00.440
introduced me to the galleria, you know, Theodore shrugged. Well,

566
00:37:00.519 --> 00:37:03.599
as may, we have to do something to enrich our lives.

567
00:37:03.599 --> 00:37:06.400
After all, there aren't too many places available for a

568
00:37:06.440 --> 00:37:08.719
twelve year old boy and a thirteen year old girl.

569
00:37:09.800 --> 00:37:13.159
That's not true, Esmey replied. We have a whole world

570
00:37:13.840 --> 00:37:17.320
right here. As long as You're happy. That's all that

571
00:37:17.360 --> 00:37:20.880
matters to me. Oh, I am Theodore. Believe me when

572
00:37:20.880 --> 00:37:24.400
I say that I am. The two of them continued

573
00:37:24.400 --> 00:37:27.639
walking around the galleria and taking in more of the sights.

574
00:37:28.039 --> 00:37:31.199
Theodore could see the sparkle in Esme's eyes. It pleased

575
00:37:31.239 --> 00:37:34.400
him to know that Esme was pleased. However, the time

576
00:37:34.480 --> 00:37:37.320
seemed to go by faster than they realized. They had

577
00:37:37.400 --> 00:37:40.639
entered the galleria at around seven pm. Now it was

578
00:37:40.679 --> 00:37:44.519
nearing nine pm, closing time. The two of them sat

579
00:37:44.559 --> 00:37:46.960
on a bench near one of the big anchored apartment stores.

580
00:37:47.320 --> 00:37:51.599
Theodore saw that Esme looked a little sad. You all right,

581
00:37:51.840 --> 00:37:55.039
he asked her. She sighed and turned to face him.

582
00:37:56.039 --> 00:37:59.119
It seems like we just arrived, Theodore. I know we

583
00:37:59.159 --> 00:38:01.840
can always come here or whenever we want to, but

584
00:38:01.920 --> 00:38:06.480
tonight was special and just so much fun. I really

585
00:38:06.519 --> 00:38:09.920
don't want to go. Theodore gave her a gentle smile.

586
00:38:11.280 --> 00:38:14.199
I know you appreciate this place so much that we

587
00:38:14.320 --> 00:38:17.719
mainly keep it for our special date nights. I never

588
00:38:17.760 --> 00:38:19.880
knew it held such a special place in your heart,

589
00:38:20.920 --> 00:38:24.039
she smiled a little. When you first brought me here,

590
00:38:24.480 --> 00:38:27.400
I was amazed by its beauty. It's a beautiful work

591
00:38:27.440 --> 00:38:32.079
of art. I just I want to stay a little longer.

592
00:38:33.480 --> 00:38:37.400
Then Theodore suddenly had an idea, Why don't we just

593
00:38:37.440 --> 00:38:41.679
spend the night here? Esme's eyes and mouth opened wide.

594
00:38:41.960 --> 00:38:45.519
What you heard me? Why don't we just spend the

595
00:38:45.599 --> 00:38:49.599
night here? Then Theodore explained, we can have the whole

596
00:38:49.639 --> 00:38:52.199
mall to ourselves. We can do whatever we want here,

597
00:38:52.199 --> 00:38:55.440
and without care, no one would even know that we

598
00:38:55.440 --> 00:38:58.559
were ever here. Date night doesn't have to end as may.

599
00:38:59.159 --> 00:39:02.639
As May didn't need any further convincing and nodded her head.

600
00:39:03.000 --> 00:39:05.679
Theodore took her hand and they both got up. They

601
00:39:05.719 --> 00:39:07.760
managed to get out of sight of the security guards

602
00:39:07.760 --> 00:39:10.599
that patrolled the mall. They hid in the big department

603
00:39:10.599 --> 00:39:13.760
store nearby and waited until the lights were turned off

604
00:39:13.880 --> 00:39:17.320
and the gate was down. Theodore and Esmey came out

605
00:39:17.360 --> 00:39:21.360
of their hiding places. Then es May asked, how will

606
00:39:21.400 --> 00:39:23.519
we ever get out into the mall itself if we're

607
00:39:23.519 --> 00:39:29.000
locked in this one store? Theodore grinned and produced keys

608
00:39:29.159 --> 00:39:33.280
to the Kingdom. Esme's eyes and mouth opened wide again.

609
00:39:34.079 --> 00:39:37.360
Where did you get those from the security guard's office

610
00:39:37.679 --> 00:39:42.079
when we were on our way here to hide. Theodore answered, Wow,

611
00:39:42.239 --> 00:39:47.280
you're you're pretty sneaky. Esmey complimented anything to keep you

612
00:39:47.360 --> 00:39:50.920
pleased as May, es May gave him a gentle hug.

613
00:39:51.360 --> 00:39:53.920
Then Theodore unlocked the gate. When they were on the

614
00:39:53.960 --> 00:39:56.880
other side, Theodore locked the gate back up. From there,

615
00:39:57.119 --> 00:40:01.079
they started walking around on the second floor. Sorry, as May,

616
00:40:01.280 --> 00:40:03.639
I know, the bright lights and the crowds of people

617
00:40:03.679 --> 00:40:08.440
aren't here now. But it's okay, Theodore. The galleria is

618
00:40:08.559 --> 00:40:12.800
still a beautiful place, even darkened as it is. We'll

619
00:40:12.880 --> 00:40:16.639
be just fine here. So, now that we've got the

620
00:40:16.639 --> 00:40:19.679
whole place to ourselves, what would you like to do first?

621
00:40:20.239 --> 00:40:23.800
Theodore asked. Esme turned to face him, stopping them in

622
00:40:23.840 --> 00:40:26.920
their tracks. You have the keys to all the stores,

623
00:40:27.000 --> 00:40:32.119
right right, Esme smiled from ear to ear. We've got

624
00:40:32.119 --> 00:40:35.480
the entire galleria to ourselves now. I think the real

625
00:40:35.559 --> 00:40:40.000
question is what wouldn't we want to do? Theodore smiled

626
00:40:40.000 --> 00:40:43.599
at knowing that esme was again pleased. The two of

627
00:40:43.639 --> 00:40:46.480
them ran together throughout the mall. Whenever they came by

628
00:40:46.480 --> 00:40:48.360
a store that either of them wanted to go into,

629
00:40:48.480 --> 00:40:51.960
Theodore would locate the key and unlock the gate. They

630
00:40:52.000 --> 00:40:55.519
went into anything from clothing stores, to entertainment stores, to

631
00:40:55.559 --> 00:40:58.960
even a Teddy Bear shop. As Esmey was relishing the

632
00:40:59.000 --> 00:41:01.840
plush new stuffed animal that Theodore had picked out for her,

633
00:41:01.920 --> 00:41:05.400
they came across a video game arcade. I can't believe

634
00:41:05.440 --> 00:41:08.599
these are even still around, with all those consoles people

635
00:41:08.639 --> 00:41:12.280
have in their homes, Theodore said, as May laughed a little.

636
00:41:12.719 --> 00:41:14.400
If you want to go in and play the games,

637
00:41:14.599 --> 00:41:18.840
open it up and let's play. Once Theodore found the key,

638
00:41:18.920 --> 00:41:21.880
he unlocked the gate and in they went. They turned

639
00:41:21.880 --> 00:41:24.239
on all of the games and started playing, one right

640
00:41:24.280 --> 00:41:27.440
after another. Every now and then Theodore would look over

641
00:41:27.480 --> 00:41:30.320
his shoulder to make sure that no security guards were approaching.

642
00:41:30.960 --> 00:41:33.639
None did. They got to play all of the games

643
00:41:33.639 --> 00:41:36.480
they wanted to play. When they finished, they turned off

644
00:41:36.519 --> 00:41:40.679
the games and Theodore locked the arcade back up. Before long,

645
00:41:40.760 --> 00:41:42.440
the two of them were in the food court and

646
00:41:42.559 --> 00:41:46.199
drinking frozen soft drinks at a cookie stand. Then Theodore

647
00:41:46.280 --> 00:41:49.519
looked to see if any security guards were around. When

648
00:41:49.559 --> 00:41:52.840
he still didn't see any, he noticed something else and

649
00:41:52.960 --> 00:41:56.400
tapped Esmey's shoulder. You want to take in a movie,

650
00:41:56.800 --> 00:42:01.000
he asked her. Her eyes sparkled, I would love to

651
00:42:01.920 --> 00:42:04.760
so they went to the mall's cinema. They sat through

652
00:42:04.800 --> 00:42:09.119
a romantic drama while eating buttery popcorn and drinking frozen sodas.

653
00:42:09.760 --> 00:42:13.079
They had no problem getting through the movie. Again, Theodore

654
00:42:13.119 --> 00:42:17.320
smiled and felt high spirits Whenever Esme was pleased, he

655
00:42:17.440 --> 00:42:20.480
was pleased. After the movie, the two of them went

656
00:42:20.519 --> 00:42:22.639
back into the big department store where they had waited

657
00:42:22.679 --> 00:42:26.079
until the galleria was well closed. This time, both of

658
00:42:26.119 --> 00:42:29.360
them tried on different clothes. When they were dressed, they

659
00:42:29.360 --> 00:42:33.519
would present themselves to each other. Theodore laughed whenever Esmy laughed.

660
00:42:33.880 --> 00:42:37.320
He loved to see her happy and laughing. They changed

661
00:42:37.320 --> 00:42:39.960
into different outfits and came out of their dressing rooms again.

662
00:42:40.719 --> 00:42:44.079
You should keep that dress, Theodore told her, It makes

663
00:42:44.119 --> 00:42:47.400
you look like a princess. Esme did a curtsey for him.

664
00:42:47.800 --> 00:42:50.800
Thank you, kind sir, And perhaps you should keep your suit.

665
00:42:51.159 --> 00:42:54.639
You would certainly compliment me in it. Theodore bowed to her,

666
00:42:55.079 --> 00:42:58.639
You're too kind, my lady. After a while, the two

667
00:42:58.639 --> 00:43:00.679
of them were in the bedding department and lying on

668
00:43:00.760 --> 00:43:03.280
beds across from each other as they both looked up

669
00:43:03.280 --> 00:43:06.639
at the ceiling. As May said to Theodore, thank you

670
00:43:06.719 --> 00:43:10.400
for tonight This was so much fun, I know it.

671
00:43:10.960 --> 00:43:14.840
Then Theodore sat up. Esmey noticed and also sat up.

672
00:43:15.719 --> 00:43:19.360
Is something wrong? Doesn't it strike you odd that we

673
00:43:19.440 --> 00:43:22.639
haven't seen a single security guard since the mall closed,

674
00:43:22.880 --> 00:43:27.920
He replied, you'd think they'd be making regular rounds. Es

675
00:43:28.000 --> 00:43:32.079
May looked serious. Why, yes, you're right, We can go

676
00:43:32.119 --> 00:43:35.679
and see where they are. He nodded once. Thank you

677
00:43:35.760 --> 00:43:40.320
for humoring me. She smiled, Well, you certainly humor me.

678
00:43:41.519 --> 00:43:43.840
They got off the beds and exited back into the

679
00:43:43.880 --> 00:43:47.280
main mall itself. Theodore knew where the security office was

680
00:43:47.320 --> 00:43:50.480
located and led esme there. When they were close enough,

681
00:43:50.519 --> 00:43:56.360
they slowed down cautiously. They walked until they heard a voice. Yeah,

682
00:43:56.400 --> 00:43:58.400
it took a while, but I finally got the other

683
00:43:58.440 --> 00:44:01.039
guards out of the way. They heard a man say.

684
00:44:01.639 --> 00:44:04.000
They peeked in and saw a tall man dressed in

685
00:44:04.039 --> 00:44:07.960
a security guard uniform talking on a smartphone. Just get

686
00:44:08.000 --> 00:44:10.519
over here, the man snapped. I'll let you both in

687
00:44:10.559 --> 00:44:12.440
through the loading docks. Then we can make our way

688
00:44:12.480 --> 00:44:14.159
to the main office on the third floor and get

689
00:44:14.199 --> 00:44:17.360
what we came for. Esmey and Theodore looked at each

690
00:44:17.400 --> 00:44:20.360
other briefly, then they returned their attention back to the

691
00:44:20.400 --> 00:44:25.119
guard ten minutes. The guard asked, don't be late. We

692
00:44:25.239 --> 00:44:27.960
planned this for far too long to let things go wrong.

693
00:44:28.920 --> 00:44:31.519
The kids quickly turned and scurried out of the corridor.

694
00:44:31.760 --> 00:44:35.480
They moved behind a kiosk and sat. You were right

695
00:44:35.519 --> 00:44:39.199
to wonder, Theodore, as May said, no, wonder. There weren't

696
00:44:39.199 --> 00:44:42.119
any guards around that other one must have done something

697
00:44:42.119 --> 00:44:44.960
to them. As big of a place as the galleria is,

698
00:44:45.360 --> 00:44:47.920
they're not just going to have one security guard here.

699
00:44:48.679 --> 00:44:51.320
What are we going to do? Theodore took her hand.

700
00:44:51.920 --> 00:44:54.239
It's going to be okay. He's not going to be

701
00:44:54.280 --> 00:44:58.559
after us, not unless he sees us, as May corrected him,

702
00:44:59.039 --> 00:45:02.079
and remember, he's got friends coming. We've got to find

703
00:45:02.119 --> 00:45:05.000
those other guards. We've got to save this beautiful mall.

704
00:45:05.960 --> 00:45:08.960
At first, Theodore wanted to tell her that this incident

705
00:45:09.119 --> 00:45:13.679
wasn't their problem. However, Esmy had spoken once more. He

706
00:45:13.760 --> 00:45:16.960
wanted to please her. All right, but we need to

707
00:45:17.000 --> 00:45:21.559
be careful. Es May nodded, you have an idea. Theodore

708
00:45:21.679 --> 00:45:24.239
thought for a moment. There could be a number of

709
00:45:24.280 --> 00:45:27.000
places where the other guards might be held at. Then

710
00:45:27.039 --> 00:45:30.199
he snapped his fingers and pointed to a nearby electronics store.

711
00:45:30.679 --> 00:45:34.280
We need to go in here first, let's go. They

712
00:45:34.280 --> 00:45:36.599
got up and went to the gate. Theodore unlocked it

713
00:45:36.599 --> 00:45:39.119
and they went in. It didn't take long for Theodore

714
00:45:39.119 --> 00:45:41.639
to find what he was looking for. Here we are.

715
00:45:42.519 --> 00:45:45.079
Esmey gasped with delight when he pulled a set of

716
00:45:45.119 --> 00:45:49.360
walky talkies off the shelf. I'll get some batteries. Once

717
00:45:49.400 --> 00:45:51.719
the radios were set up and tested, they left the

718
00:45:51.760 --> 00:45:54.480
store and split up. The plan was for Theodore to

719
00:45:54.559 --> 00:45:56.679
keep an eye on the loading docks while Esme looked

720
00:45:56.679 --> 00:45:59.519
for the guards. Theodora told her where she might look.

721
00:46:00.039 --> 00:46:03.440
They would keep in contact with their walkie talkies. Theodore

722
00:46:03.480 --> 00:46:06.079
crept into the loading docks and saw the bent security

723
00:46:06.119 --> 00:46:09.840
guard waiting impatiently. It wasn't long before he heard the

724
00:46:09.880 --> 00:46:14.159
squealing halt of a vehicle just outside. The guard raised

725
00:46:14.159 --> 00:46:16.280
one of the loading dock doors and allowed two other

726
00:46:16.360 --> 00:46:19.639
men to come in. It's about time you idiots got here,

727
00:46:20.079 --> 00:46:23.360
the guard snapped and started lowering the door back down. Hey,

728
00:46:23.800 --> 00:46:26.639
traffic's bad for a Friday night, the first guy replied.

729
00:46:26.920 --> 00:46:29.480
The second guy held up a large duffel bag. We

730
00:46:29.559 --> 00:46:33.199
got the stuff. Good. Let's check on the other guards.

731
00:46:33.199 --> 00:46:37.840
Before we get started, the bent guard suggested. Theodore followed

732
00:46:37.840 --> 00:46:40.280
them stealthily as they walked over to the far end

733
00:46:40.320 --> 00:46:43.639
of the loading docks. The bent guard opened what appeared

734
00:46:43.639 --> 00:46:47.599
to be a storage room door. Theodore gasped to himself

735
00:46:47.679 --> 00:46:52.880
when he saw the other guards inside, tied, gagged and unconscious.

736
00:46:53.519 --> 00:46:57.000
He went to a safe distance and radioed, esme, the

737
00:46:57.039 --> 00:47:00.199
guards are down here in the loading docks. He said quietly.

738
00:47:00.719 --> 00:47:04.159
That guard has two more men with him. Now I'm coming,

739
00:47:04.400 --> 00:47:07.440
as May replied. The crooks looked as though they were

740
00:47:07.440 --> 00:47:10.280
ready to leave. Theodore would soon have plenty of time

741
00:47:10.360 --> 00:47:15.119
to get the trapped security guards. Then an unexpected thing happened.

742
00:47:15.880 --> 00:47:18.480
One of the crooks pulled a flashlight out and turned

743
00:47:18.519 --> 00:47:21.039
it on. He ended up dropping it in the process.

744
00:47:21.199 --> 00:47:24.519
The light just happened to flash where Theodore was hiding.

745
00:47:25.239 --> 00:47:28.880
Boss look. The crook who dropped the flashlight cried, there's

746
00:47:28.920 --> 00:47:32.440
a kid in here. He pointed to Theodore. Get him.

747
00:47:32.639 --> 00:47:35.960
The guard yelled, oh no. Theodore shrieked as he shot

748
00:47:36.000 --> 00:47:38.159
out of his hiding place and took off running. Theodore

749
00:47:38.239 --> 00:47:40.599
ran out of the loading docks and eventually back out

750
00:47:40.599 --> 00:47:44.159
into the mall. He had all three crooks racing after him.

751
00:47:44.400 --> 00:47:46.559
Eventually he made his way back up to the second

752
00:47:46.559 --> 00:47:49.239
floor and to the food court. He quickly dived over

753
00:47:49.320 --> 00:47:51.280
the counter at the cookie stand and got out of sight.

754
00:47:52.599 --> 00:47:56.679
A few minutes later, Where did that kid go? He

755
00:47:56.679 --> 00:47:59.800
heard one of them mutter, he's around here somewhere that

756
00:48:00.159 --> 00:48:02.920
the bent guard. Well, he's got to be hiding in

757
00:48:02.960 --> 00:48:06.559
one of these stands, the third one stated. But Theodore's

758
00:48:06.599 --> 00:48:08.960
hiding place was short lived when he heard Esme on

759
00:48:09.000 --> 00:48:12.519
his walkie talkie, Theodore, are you all right? Where are you?

760
00:48:13.199 --> 00:48:15.559
Theodore didn't wait around. As soon as he popped up,

761
00:48:15.599 --> 00:48:17.559
the men were trying to grab for him. He quickly

762
00:48:17.559 --> 00:48:19.719
turned around and moved to the back. He was out

763
00:48:19.760 --> 00:48:21.920
the back entrance and into a corridor that led back

764
00:48:21.960 --> 00:48:24.079
to the main mall. He still had the men chasing

765
00:48:24.159 --> 00:48:27.519
after him. Theodore raised his walkie talkie and told Esme

766
00:48:27.639 --> 00:48:29.480
where he was and what was going on. He told

767
00:48:29.519 --> 00:48:32.000
her where the other guards were. Don't you worry about me,

768
00:48:32.239 --> 00:48:34.559
You just take care of those guards. I'm not going

769
00:48:34.599 --> 00:48:37.920
to leave you. Theodore, as May radioed back, Never mind me,

770
00:48:38.079 --> 00:48:41.320
I'll be all right, he insisted. Just get to those guards.

771
00:48:41.960 --> 00:48:44.119
He felt a hand grab him, causing him to lose

772
00:48:44.119 --> 00:48:46.559
his walkie talkie. It fell over a railing and down

773
00:48:46.599 --> 00:48:48.599
to the first floor, where Theodore could hear it shatter

774
00:48:48.679 --> 00:48:52.480
on impact. Gotcha, kid, The guard wrapped his arms around

775
00:48:52.519 --> 00:48:57.000
Theodore and lifted him up. No, Theodore cried, but when

776
00:48:57.039 --> 00:48:59.920
Theodore came back down, his foot landed on the guard's foot.

777
00:49:00.199 --> 00:49:03.639
The guard cried out, inadvertently releasing him. Theodore took off

778
00:49:03.679 --> 00:49:08.119
running again. Get him, get him, the guard yelled. Theodore

779
00:49:08.199 --> 00:49:09.719
had a bit more of a head start on them

780
00:49:09.719 --> 00:49:12.280
and ran back to the big department store. The gate

781
00:49:12.360 --> 00:49:14.480
was open enough to where he could slide underneath it.

782
00:49:14.800 --> 00:49:17.159
When he stopped sliding, he turned and moved the gate.

783
00:49:17.400 --> 00:49:19.639
He slammed it down and locked it with his keys.

784
00:49:20.079 --> 00:49:22.840
But his sense of safety would be very short lived,

785
00:49:23.000 --> 00:49:26.199
as the guard produced his own set of the Kingdom Keys.

786
00:49:26.760 --> 00:49:30.360
Yeah you better run, kid. Theodore turned and moved through

787
00:49:30.400 --> 00:49:32.840
the department store and soon came to the escalator. He

788
00:49:32.880 --> 00:49:34.840
hopped up onto the rail and slid down to the

789
00:49:34.880 --> 00:49:37.599
first floor. He turned and sprinted to the gate. When

790
00:49:37.599 --> 00:49:39.760
he reached it, he opened it and lifted it up.

791
00:49:40.079 --> 00:49:42.039
He ran to find esme and make sure she and

792
00:49:42.079 --> 00:49:45.360
the other guards were okay. Suddenly arms wrapped themselves around

793
00:49:45.400 --> 00:49:48.760
Theodore got you. The Bent guard had snatched him up

794
00:49:48.760 --> 00:49:50.760
and was taking him down to the floor. The other

795
00:49:50.800 --> 00:49:54.920
two crooks were quick to assist. The guard mocked Theodore. Yeah,

796
00:49:55.239 --> 00:49:57.880
you thought you were clever. Huh. Didn't think we caught

797
00:49:57.920 --> 00:50:02.159
on to your little plan? Huh? Let me go, Theodore shouted.

798
00:50:02.480 --> 00:50:04.639
The next thing he knew, he had his arms being

799
00:50:04.679 --> 00:50:08.119
handcuffed behind him. Now we're gonna take you back and

800
00:50:08.280 --> 00:50:11.599
leave you with the other guards. Not sure how you

801
00:50:11.679 --> 00:50:14.440
got in here, kid, another crook said, but you can

802
00:50:14.480 --> 00:50:17.119
be sure you ain't leaving any time soon. You and

803
00:50:17.199 --> 00:50:19.920
the guards all starved to death before anyone finds you.

804
00:50:20.599 --> 00:50:23.679
The Bent guard spoke up again. There's somebody else in

805
00:50:23.719 --> 00:50:26.199
here with him. He was on a walky talking to someone.

806
00:50:26.639 --> 00:50:30.199
He grabbed Theodore's hair. Who you with? Kid? Speak up?

807
00:50:31.000 --> 00:50:34.679
Theodore wouldn't answer him. The guard persisted, but to no avail.

808
00:50:35.159 --> 00:50:37.360
The guard lifted him to his feet and pushed him

809
00:50:37.400 --> 00:50:40.400
in the direction of the loading docks. Theodore kept dragging

810
00:50:40.400 --> 00:50:42.880
his feet before the guard's helpers lifted him up and

811
00:50:43.000 --> 00:50:46.000
carried him. We'll lock him up with the other guards.

812
00:50:46.239 --> 00:50:49.000
Then we do what we're here to do. The bent

813
00:50:49.079 --> 00:50:52.199
guard told the others, we'll rob this place and get

814
00:50:52.199 --> 00:50:56.519
what's comin to us. Why would you do this, Theodore asked,

815
00:50:57.320 --> 00:51:01.159
why not? The guard sneered, You work as a security

816
00:51:01.199 --> 00:51:03.039
guard in a mall. You think you're gonna get any

817
00:51:03.119 --> 00:51:06.400
kind of good money? No way. You get it by

818
00:51:06.480 --> 00:51:08.920
learning the mall and knowing what place is to hit.

819
00:51:09.320 --> 00:51:12.559
Plenty of stores here that sell expensive diamonds and jewelry.

820
00:51:13.079 --> 00:51:15.440
There's also the big safe in the owner's office on

821
00:51:15.480 --> 00:51:18.880
the third floor, where the payroll and probably other valuable

822
00:51:18.920 --> 00:51:21.960
things are kept. The security cameras are all off. All

823
00:51:22.000 --> 00:51:24.599
we gotta do is make our clean sweep, be out

824
00:51:24.599 --> 00:51:27.840
of here by morning, and nobody will be any wiser.

825
00:51:28.639 --> 00:51:31.559
Theodore continued to struggle, but the crooks had careful hold

826
00:51:31.599 --> 00:51:34.280
of him. Just then, the crooks stopped when they saw

827
00:51:34.320 --> 00:51:37.559
a lone girl standing several feet ahead of them. She

828
00:51:37.719 --> 00:51:43.639
looked very angry. Let go of him. As May yelled

829
00:51:43.639 --> 00:51:46.760
at them, drop the boy and get the girl. The

830
00:51:46.800 --> 00:51:50.079
guard ordered them, I'll keep the boy with me. The

831
00:51:50.159 --> 00:51:52.840
men obeyed their leader and moved to circle Esme. But

832
00:51:53.039 --> 00:51:56.360
Esme didn't seem the least bit intimidated. She looked from

833
00:51:56.360 --> 00:51:58.519
one man to the other. When the man on her

834
00:51:58.599 --> 00:52:00.719
left came at her, she leaped up and caught him

835
00:52:00.719 --> 00:52:02.280
in the chest with her foot to knock him on

836
00:52:02.320 --> 00:52:04.679
his back. When the second one tried to grab her,

837
00:52:04.760 --> 00:52:07.159
she turned around and pushed him. The guard couldn't believe

838
00:52:07.199 --> 00:52:09.159
his eyes when he saw the second man flew back

839
00:52:09.159 --> 00:52:11.880
into the nearby music store gate. He bounced off the

840
00:52:11.880 --> 00:52:15.559
gate and fell forward in a daze. Now, esme turned

841
00:52:15.599 --> 00:52:21.280
to the guard. It's okay, Theodore, do it. The guard

842
00:52:21.320 --> 00:52:24.880
heard the handcuff snap. Suddenly, Theodore snatched the guard and

843
00:52:24.920 --> 00:52:26.920
lifted him up. As he got back to his feet.

844
00:52:27.960 --> 00:52:31.159
What the the guard yelled when he realized that Theodore

845
00:52:31.280 --> 00:52:34.320
was lifting him over his head as May approached them.

846
00:52:34.840 --> 00:52:38.960
Are you all right? Theodore? I think so, yes, Esmey

847
00:52:39.039 --> 00:52:41.639
gave the guard an angry scowl. Then she hit him

848
00:52:41.679 --> 00:52:44.800
on the forehead and knocked him unconscious. Later the three

849
00:52:44.840 --> 00:52:47.840
men awoke and found themselves tied up in the loading docks.

850
00:52:48.119 --> 00:52:51.679
The first things they saw were Theodore and esme Only

851
00:52:51.760 --> 00:52:55.719
now they were wearing what seemed like formal evening whear.

852
00:52:56.400 --> 00:52:59.400
Theodore wore a tux and esme wore an evening gown.

853
00:53:00.199 --> 00:53:03.559
I'm so glad you're awake, as May told them, what

854
00:53:03.840 --> 00:53:07.519
is this. One of the robbers muttered, this is a

855
00:53:07.639 --> 00:53:10.639
very special occasion that you get to be a part of,

856
00:53:11.239 --> 00:53:15.840
Esmey said softly. Theodore turned to Esmey. I was planning

857
00:53:15.880 --> 00:53:18.000
to make you that steak dinner you've been wanting at

858
00:53:18.000 --> 00:53:21.119
that fancy restaurant. You know I can still do that

859
00:53:21.199 --> 00:53:25.800
for you, darling, Esmey smiled brightly. They're always so sweet

860
00:53:25.840 --> 00:53:30.920
to me, my soulmate, soulmate. The guard asked, you're both

861
00:53:31.079 --> 00:53:35.840
just kids. Es May turned back to the guards. That's right,

862
00:53:36.320 --> 00:53:39.360
Theodore is my soulmate. We've known each other since the

863
00:53:39.400 --> 00:53:43.440
Middle Ages. Es May saved my life, you know, Theodore said.

864
00:53:43.920 --> 00:53:46.119
As May explained how she and Theodore had known each

865
00:53:46.159 --> 00:53:48.719
other since they were children of six and seven. In Europe.

866
00:53:48.920 --> 00:53:52.159
Back in thirteen forty eight, when the Black Death came

867
00:53:52.360 --> 00:53:55.639
and was destroying half the population of Europe, Esmey had

868
00:53:55.639 --> 00:54:00.119
become infected and was on her deathbed. Our housekeeper was

869
00:54:00.199 --> 00:54:03.239
very kind to me as a child, esme said. She

870
00:54:03.440 --> 00:54:08.840
was wise and compassionate. She was also one of the undead.

871
00:54:09.840 --> 00:54:12.920
I didn't want to die, so she offered me am mortality.

872
00:54:13.639 --> 00:54:15.679
All I would have to do is let her sire me,

873
00:54:16.159 --> 00:54:19.760
and I would die for just a short time. Months later,

874
00:54:20.079 --> 00:54:22.320
Theodore was about to be taken by the plague as well.

875
00:54:22.840 --> 00:54:24.920
He was a very close and dear friend to me,

876
00:54:25.119 --> 00:54:27.920
and I couldn't bear to lose him. I sired him

877
00:54:27.920 --> 00:54:32.760
myself and saved his life. Esme and Theodore both smiled

878
00:54:32.760 --> 00:54:37.199
and showed their robbers their long glistening fangs. Their eyes

879
00:54:37.519 --> 00:54:43.360
were also red. Now that's right, we're both vampires, Theodore said,

880
00:54:43.920 --> 00:54:47.400
and you three ruined our anniversary date. Everything was supposed

881
00:54:47.440 --> 00:54:50.639
to be perfect for my beloved Esme. We came here

882
00:54:50.679 --> 00:54:53.440
to the Galleria to celebrate nearly six hundred and eighty

883
00:54:53.559 --> 00:54:56.599
years together. You see, Esme gave me my life back

884
00:54:56.599 --> 00:54:58.280
when I was about to die of the Black death,

885
00:54:58.320 --> 00:55:01.599
back in thirteen forty eight. I only want to give

886
00:55:01.639 --> 00:55:05.400
her her heart's desire. She doesn't ask for much except

887
00:55:05.400 --> 00:55:08.159
to travel, so we may see many different sights and places.

888
00:55:08.840 --> 00:55:11.800
And let me tell you, she really loves this mall.

889
00:55:12.480 --> 00:55:14.840
We don't get here much, but it really puts a

890
00:55:14.880 --> 00:55:18.960
smile in her face. And I love to see her smile.

891
00:55:20.280 --> 00:55:25.480
Esme blushed. Oh honey, Theodore took her hand. I know

892
00:55:25.599 --> 00:55:28.119
this isn't the wonderful steak dinner I promised you for

893
00:55:28.199 --> 00:55:33.280
our celebration. It's still not too late for it. Esme

894
00:55:33.480 --> 00:55:38.320
licked her lips and fangs. But I'm really thirsty, Theodore.

895
00:55:38.760 --> 00:55:40.920
You can make me that steak dinner when we return

896
00:55:41.000 --> 00:55:45.559
here for another special occasion. Right now, I want them

897
00:55:45.639 --> 00:55:50.119
for dinner, and I want you to join me. Theodore sighed,

898
00:55:50.880 --> 00:55:53.519
and who am I to say no to you? Esmey?

899
00:55:54.400 --> 00:55:58.239
They both turned to the robbers. Don't worry, we won't

900
00:55:58.320 --> 00:56:01.840
kill you, Esme promised. You'll all wake up with a

901
00:56:02.119 --> 00:56:06.440
bad headache and be a few pints low. Theodore raised

902
00:56:06.440 --> 00:56:11.039
his finger, and you'll likely be behind bars. The security

903
00:56:11.079 --> 00:56:13.880
cameras will have all the footage of you three admitting everything.

904
00:56:14.440 --> 00:56:16.719
Not to mention what the guards will say once we

905
00:56:16.800 --> 00:56:20.760
untie them and let them out after we've eaten. I

906
00:56:20.840 --> 00:56:24.079
turned off the cameras. The bent guard grumbled, there's nothing

907
00:56:24.079 --> 00:56:28.280
to see. When I got my keys, I turned them

908
00:56:28.280 --> 00:56:31.599
back on, Theodore corrected him. It's always fun to be

909
00:56:31.639 --> 00:56:34.639
able to run around knowing that the cameras can't pick

910
00:56:34.719 --> 00:56:37.840
us up. Since we don't reflect in mirrors, we don't

911
00:56:37.880 --> 00:56:41.679
show up on cameras neither, as May added, And now

912
00:56:42.639 --> 00:56:47.320
shall we dine Theodore, Yes, my love, let's enjoy our

913
00:56:47.360 --> 00:56:52.679
special anniversary dinner. The three robbers struggled and screamed as

914
00:56:52.760 --> 00:57:02.920
the two team vampires closed in on them.

915
00:57:03.239 --> 00:57:09.719
Send Beer by Michelle Antisocial. You know how sometimes a

916
00:57:09.800 --> 00:57:13.239
squirrel would just grab an unripened tomato right off the plant,

917
00:57:13.559 --> 00:57:15.599
take one bite, and then throw the rest right on

918
00:57:15.639 --> 00:57:18.519
the ground to rot. That's exactly the way I found

919
00:57:18.559 --> 00:57:22.760
Lucy on the sidewalk, surrounded by flies, A long line

920
00:57:22.760 --> 00:57:25.119
of ants marching into the missing chunk of flesh and

921
00:57:25.159 --> 00:57:27.920
feathers on the left side of her neck. I touched

922
00:57:27.920 --> 00:57:30.760
my own neck in empathy. The area is still slightly

923
00:57:30.800 --> 00:57:34.239
tender after all this time. Shaking the ants away, I

924
00:57:34.280 --> 00:57:37.320
picked up her rigid body. I removed the note that

925
00:57:37.480 --> 00:57:41.280
was still somehow tied to her leg. Send beer. Fuck,

926
00:57:41.719 --> 00:57:44.360
there was no beer. Those frat boys at seventeenth and

927
00:57:44.400 --> 00:57:46.599
Oak must have been well aware of that fact, And

928
00:57:46.719 --> 00:57:49.559
yet they sent Lucy to her death for what a joke?

929
00:57:50.320 --> 00:57:52.280
Or did they really think I could find them alcohol.

930
00:57:52.679 --> 00:57:55.440
Did they think I hadn't looked. I mean, maybe if

931
00:57:55.440 --> 00:57:57.440
I broke into every empty house in the area, I

932
00:57:57.440 --> 00:58:01.039
could find some. No. No, they wanted it so badly

933
00:58:01.320 --> 00:58:04.519
they could do that themselves. This, of course meant that

934
00:58:04.679 --> 00:58:07.400
even though I didn't have anything to deliver, I still

935
00:58:07.440 --> 00:58:09.760
had to stop over there and politely ask them to

936
00:58:09.880 --> 00:58:14.880
please please stop asking for alcoholic beverages. I wrapped Lucy

937
00:58:14.960 --> 00:58:17.039
in the remnants of a plastic bag that I'd been

938
00:58:17.079 --> 00:58:20.280
keeping for this kind of occasion and carefully placed her

939
00:58:20.320 --> 00:58:23.519
into the empty side pocket of my backpack. I was

940
00:58:23.559 --> 00:58:26.800
as excited at the prospect of barbecued pigeon for dinner

941
00:58:26.840 --> 00:58:29.239
as I was nauseous over the idea of chewing on

942
00:58:29.320 --> 00:58:33.840
her potentially bacteria ridden rotting flesh. And I still had

943
00:58:33.880 --> 00:58:37.280
a long evening of oppressive, early autumn heated humidity before

944
00:58:37.280 --> 00:58:40.599
I could get home to cook. I cursed the useless

945
00:58:40.639 --> 00:58:44.119
gas generator as I loaded my supplies and homing pigeons

946
00:58:44.119 --> 00:58:46.320
into the rickety cart attached to the back of my

947
00:58:46.400 --> 00:58:50.199
bicycle to get ready for the ride around town. Friday

948
00:58:50.280 --> 00:58:52.320
means that instead of just working a nine to five

949
00:58:52.400 --> 00:58:56.199
delivering floral arrangements to mostly funeral homes. I pull a

950
00:58:56.400 --> 00:59:00.920
grocery delivery shift afterwards, which is exactly what it sounds like.

951
00:59:01.360 --> 00:59:03.760
Everyone has a week to send their birds back with

952
00:59:03.760 --> 00:59:05.960
a list of everything they need, and then I go

953
00:59:06.000 --> 00:59:08.280
get those things and deliver it to them, as well

954
00:59:08.320 --> 00:59:11.960
as return the pigeon for next time. Given the situation,

955
00:59:12.480 --> 00:59:14.559
It's not a job I would choose if I actually

956
00:59:14.639 --> 00:59:17.440
had the choice, but for reasons I won't and frankly

957
00:59:17.480 --> 00:59:20.119
do not want to get into. I have qualities that

958
00:59:20.199 --> 00:59:24.480
make me significantly more capable of being around the no

959
00:59:24.519 --> 00:59:29.599
longer people people than your average weirdo does. So it's

960
00:59:29.639 --> 00:59:32.800
either me getting food to people or it just doesn't happen,

961
00:59:33.400 --> 00:59:37.079
at least not without terrible, terrible consequences for the delivery person.

962
00:59:37.400 --> 00:59:39.639
And it seems wrong to make others suffer like that,

963
00:59:39.880 --> 00:59:43.639
so I suffer instead, just markedly less so. Or at

964
00:59:43.719 --> 00:59:46.000
least that's what i'd tell my parents to make them

965
00:59:46.039 --> 00:59:48.840
feel better about my recklessness if I thought they actually

966
00:59:48.880 --> 00:59:52.599
cared about me. Not that they can care anymore. They're dead,

967
00:59:52.639 --> 00:59:56.599
after all, But enough about my dead family. I was

968
00:59:56.639 --> 01:00:00.599
headed to the supermarket. The supermarket used to be favorite

969
01:00:00.599 --> 01:00:04.320
part of the entire experience until recently it was still

970
01:00:04.320 --> 01:00:07.000
open to the public in more or less a functional business.

971
01:00:07.519 --> 01:00:10.039
Some guy, maybe the guy who owned it, was always

972
01:00:10.039 --> 01:00:12.679
there and would make small talk with me when I shopped,

973
01:00:13.159 --> 01:00:16.480
or at least he would attempt to. He was nice

974
01:00:16.559 --> 01:00:18.920
enough and remembered my name from the one time I

975
01:00:19.000 --> 01:00:21.639
told him, though I think I was his only customer

976
01:00:21.679 --> 01:00:24.559
most days. I even caught him making attempts to use

977
01:00:24.639 --> 01:00:27.880
gender neutral pronouns when referring to me. All of that

978
01:00:28.039 --> 01:00:31.039
was a problem because I couldn't, for the life of me,

979
01:00:31.159 --> 01:00:34.880
remember his name. I wanted so badly to respond to

980
01:00:34.920 --> 01:00:39.760
his cheery Hia Felix with something other than hey, but

981
01:00:40.039 --> 01:00:42.800
I couldn't, and it killed me more than any zombie ever,

982
01:00:42.840 --> 01:00:47.000
could you know, metaphorically speaking? At least I tried everything

983
01:00:47.000 --> 01:00:49.760
I could to figure it out. Could I have just

984
01:00:50.119 --> 01:00:51.079
asked him?

985
01:00:51.639 --> 01:00:52.000
Fuck no?

986
01:00:52.880 --> 01:00:55.679
So you can imagine the position I was in. Anyway,

987
01:00:55.840 --> 01:00:58.840
all problems are temporary, right at least this one was

988
01:00:58.880 --> 01:01:02.440
because one day the store was just closed. Maybe he

989
01:01:02.679 --> 01:01:05.039
just got tired of seeing me and only me, the

990
01:01:05.119 --> 01:01:07.559
kid who didn't remember his name, and decided it was

991
01:01:07.599 --> 01:01:11.079
finally time to end this charade. It would make me

992
01:01:11.119 --> 01:01:13.119
so happy to hear that that was the reason, and

993
01:01:13.159 --> 01:01:16.280
it's not that he died, but you know how that goes.

994
01:01:17.480 --> 01:01:20.039
The supermarket was only a few blocks from the flower shop.

995
01:01:20.440 --> 01:01:23.480
The building was partially boarded, and in the beginning stages

996
01:01:23.519 --> 01:01:27.800
of decay, tall weeds sprung up from once minuscule sidewalk cracks,

997
01:01:27.840 --> 01:01:30.239
and the dirty green striped awning that hung over the

998
01:01:30.360 --> 01:01:34.000
entrance had partially detached from its brackets. It swayed slightly

999
01:01:34.039 --> 01:01:38.079
in the sweltering breeze. I ducked through the shattered glass door,

1000
01:01:38.239 --> 01:01:41.840
ready to get to work. Despite its exterior, the market

1001
01:01:41.920 --> 01:01:46.039
was quite pleasant now. It's cool, musty decor and shelves

1002
01:01:46.039 --> 01:01:49.559
of decaying food were almost homey to me. At that point,

1003
01:01:49.599 --> 01:01:53.039
there wasn't much desirable product left, but I always did

1004
01:01:53.039 --> 01:01:56.000
my best to accommodate. I do like a good challenge.

1005
01:01:56.320 --> 01:01:59.199
No box spaghetti left. Replaced that sucker with a can

1006
01:01:59.199 --> 01:02:03.079
of spaghetti O's. You want ingredients to make chicken parmesan, Well,

1007
01:02:03.159 --> 01:02:05.400
we don't have chicken anymore, but let me introduce you

1008
01:02:05.480 --> 01:02:09.679
to these here spaghettios green beans. Spaghettio's got you covered.

1009
01:02:09.679 --> 01:02:13.480
Fam looking for those individually wrapped brownies to give your kids,

1010
01:02:13.519 --> 01:02:18.039
so they stopped crying about the zombies. Uh, canned ravioli.

1011
01:02:18.679 --> 01:02:21.400
They're sort of the same shape, and just put sprinkles

1012
01:02:21.440 --> 01:02:24.400
on them and you're all set. The whole shopping experience

1013
01:02:24.440 --> 01:02:26.360
took about an hour, and then I headed out on

1014
01:02:26.360 --> 01:02:30.639
my mission to deliver the goods. Unfortunately, Lucy's demise left

1015
01:02:30.639 --> 01:02:32.960
the Frat Bros Without a pigeon, which meant that I

1016
01:02:33.000 --> 01:02:36.079
had to do something I'd been putting off a welfare check.

1017
01:02:36.800 --> 01:02:38.920
It had been two weeks since I'd gotten in order

1018
01:02:38.920 --> 01:02:42.199
from one of my oldest customers, the Patel's, a family

1019
01:02:42.239 --> 01:02:44.960
of three on the East Side. They had never taken

1020
01:02:45.000 --> 01:02:47.559
even a week off from ordering before, and while I

1021
01:02:47.639 --> 01:02:49.880
was hoping that they just decided to switch to one

1022
01:02:49.880 --> 01:02:52.960
of my competitors and forgotten to return my bird, I

1023
01:02:53.079 --> 01:02:55.599
was also aware that I didn't have any I was

1024
01:02:55.639 --> 01:02:57.679
the only person on this side of the city stupid

1025
01:02:57.760 --> 01:03:00.039
enough to do this, which meant something happened to my

1026
01:03:00.119 --> 01:03:04.119
pigeon or worse. The Ptels lived at the very edge

1027
01:03:04.119 --> 01:03:06.440
of the suburbs. It was a little bit out of

1028
01:03:06.480 --> 01:03:09.199
the way where the roads were less predictable with cars

1029
01:03:09.199 --> 01:03:11.559
and dead things. So I waited until close to the

1030
01:03:11.639 --> 01:03:13.599
end of my room, when I was carrying less food

1031
01:03:13.599 --> 01:03:17.920
and pigeons to swing by. Also, I was really dreading it.

1032
01:03:18.760 --> 01:03:21.880
While there was still plenty of time before sunset, you'd

1033
01:03:21.960 --> 01:03:24.400
never have known. Due to the densely wooded streets that

1034
01:03:24.559 --> 01:03:28.440
encompassed the area, all was silent on my approach. Besides

1035
01:03:28.480 --> 01:03:32.800
the crickets, nothing lives here anymore, lives here anymore, lives

1036
01:03:32.800 --> 01:03:36.000
here anymore. The phrase welled up from somewhere deep within

1037
01:03:36.039 --> 01:03:39.880
my subconscious and gave me pause. I gulped, gripping my

1038
01:03:39.920 --> 01:03:42.599
handlebars a little harder than necessary, as I turned down

1039
01:03:42.639 --> 01:03:45.639
the Betel's driveway. Their house was one of those mid

1040
01:03:45.679 --> 01:03:50.159
century types, one story, flat roof, no basement, many many windows,

1041
01:03:50.559 --> 01:03:52.679
exactly the kind of place you'd pray you didn't have

1042
01:03:52.719 --> 01:03:55.480
to ride out the apocalypse in. They'd done their best

1043
01:03:55.519 --> 01:03:58.079
to board up most of the windows, but I always

1044
01:03:58.079 --> 01:04:01.039
wondered why, with the majority of this city available, they'd

1045
01:04:01.119 --> 01:04:04.440
chosen to stay in that particular place. It's the kind

1046
01:04:04.480 --> 01:04:07.960
of ridiculous sentimentality that'll get you killed. I scoffed and

1047
01:04:08.000 --> 01:04:10.000
hopped off my bike at the curve of the driveway

1048
01:04:10.000 --> 01:04:12.920
by the front door. The place looked secure, But as

1049
01:04:12.920 --> 01:04:16.400
my breathing calmed, I noticed an unusual sound intermixed with

1050
01:04:16.440 --> 01:04:22.199
the drone of crickets, tap tap tap, the unmistakable sound

1051
01:04:22.199 --> 01:04:25.559
of a fingernail hitting plexiglass radiated out from the building

1052
01:04:25.639 --> 01:04:29.639
in an unpredictable, somewhat frantic pattern. Were they trapped inside

1053
01:04:29.639 --> 01:04:32.480
and trying to get my attention? I wondered? Maybe someone

1054
01:04:32.559 --> 01:04:36.280
was just practicing their drumming technique against the window. I sighed,

1055
01:04:36.519 --> 01:04:40.199
If so, they had no sense of rhythm. Now, in context,

1056
01:04:40.280 --> 01:04:43.480
that makes next to zero sense. But since I'd conjured

1057
01:04:43.519 --> 01:04:46.320
the possibility into existence, I took a moment to wonder

1058
01:04:46.360 --> 01:04:48.639
what I'd do if mister Prattel answered the door and

1059
01:04:48.719 --> 01:04:52.480
asked what I thought, I'd say. It sounded delightful. They

1060
01:04:52.480 --> 01:04:55.159
were doing their best, after all, and a little encouragement

1061
01:04:55.199 --> 01:04:58.519
can go a long way. Sweating more over the possibility

1062
01:04:58.519 --> 01:05:01.599
of an awkward conversation than someone needing my help escaping,

1063
01:05:02.000 --> 01:05:03.599
I knocked timidly on the door.

1064
01:05:05.119 --> 01:05:05.480
Nothing.

1065
01:05:06.159 --> 01:05:11.320
I tried a bit harder, missus Battel, It's Felix, I fumbled.

1066
01:05:11.599 --> 01:05:16.239
You know the grocery person you uh sometimes get grocery

1067
01:05:16.280 --> 01:05:22.880
deliveries from no response, just consistent light tapping. Are are

1068
01:05:22.920 --> 01:05:26.159
you okay in there? I gingerly tested the doorknob.

1069
01:05:26.440 --> 01:05:27.119
It was locked.

1070
01:05:28.000 --> 01:05:32.639
Mister Bateel, Do you still have my pigeon? Maybe they

1071
01:05:32.679 --> 01:05:35.880
were just in the bathroom or something. Yeah, all three

1072
01:05:35.880 --> 01:05:39.000
of them in the bathroom, just hanging out. I'd hate

1073
01:05:39.000 --> 01:05:42.360
to think that I rushed their bathroom family time. So

1074
01:05:42.480 --> 01:05:45.519
I just silently stood there for a full five minutes,

1075
01:05:45.800 --> 01:05:48.440
trying to be polite and panicking about what to do next.

1076
01:05:49.079 --> 01:05:53.039
All the while the tapping persisted. I sighed it was

1077
01:05:53.079 --> 01:05:56.760
time to get serious and investigate the source. I carefully

1078
01:05:56.800 --> 01:06:00.480
and quietly began to walk the perimeter of the sprawling reds,

1079
01:06:00.800 --> 01:06:02.960
weirdly afraid that someone would see me and think I

1080
01:06:03.000 --> 01:06:06.239
was trying to break in, like there were people. As

1081
01:06:06.280 --> 01:06:08.360
I made my way around the left side of the home,

1082
01:06:08.760 --> 01:06:11.519
I was able to pinpoint its general location to a

1083
01:06:11.559 --> 01:06:16.039
window directly behind a row of overgrown barberry bushes, which,

1084
01:06:16.440 --> 01:06:19.920
as you probably don't know, are my number one least

1085
01:06:19.960 --> 01:06:23.119
favorite type of shrub, and yes I do have a list.

1086
01:06:23.960 --> 01:06:27.199
I pushed myself between the vegetation and siding, trying to

1087
01:06:27.239 --> 01:06:30.840
avoid the plant's thorns and failing miserably. The area behind

1088
01:06:30.880 --> 01:06:33.480
the bush wasn't completely boarded, but it was too dark

1089
01:06:33.480 --> 01:06:36.039
for me to see inside. I pressed my hand against

1090
01:06:36.079 --> 01:06:39.519
the glass. It reverberated in tandem with the taps. I

1091
01:06:39.599 --> 01:06:42.559
was in the right place. I fought with the thorns

1092
01:06:42.599 --> 01:06:46.360
and my pants pocket to retrieve my flashlight, and then, shaking,

1093
01:06:46.480 --> 01:06:49.199
lifted it towards the window and slid the switch to

1094
01:06:49.239 --> 01:06:55.480
the on position. A tiny face was staring back at me. Bisura.

1095
01:06:55.639 --> 01:06:59.400
I gasped. My pigeon cocked her head, possibly equally as

1096
01:06:59.360 --> 01:07:02.880
surprised to see my face. Her beak and feathers were

1097
01:07:03.000 --> 01:07:06.840
soaked in blood, smeared specks of blood clung to the

1098
01:07:06.880 --> 01:07:10.840
window where she'd been pecking. Adrenaline shot through my small frame,

1099
01:07:10.880 --> 01:07:12.840
and I tore out of the bushes and back to

1100
01:07:12.880 --> 01:07:15.360
the front door. And then I kicked that fucker until

1101
01:07:15.360 --> 01:07:17.960
the jam snapped and the door burst open and slammed

1102
01:07:17.960 --> 01:07:24.440
deafeningly against the wall. Sorry, I called out, sheepishly, but

1103
01:07:24.519 --> 01:07:28.360
it was silent. Streaks of daylight from the gaps between

1104
01:07:28.360 --> 01:07:32.239
the boarded windows criss crossed the lime green carpet, illuminating

1105
01:07:32.280 --> 01:07:34.880
the interior just enough for me to see without a flashlight.

1106
01:07:34.920 --> 01:07:38.199
Once my eyes adjusted from the four yer where I stood,

1107
01:07:38.639 --> 01:07:42.480
everything looked pristine. I was beginning to consider the possibility

1108
01:07:42.559 --> 01:07:44.840
that they'd simply packed up and moved to a safer,

1109
01:07:44.960 --> 01:07:48.480
less windowy house, or headed west in a desperate attempt

1110
01:07:48.559 --> 01:07:52.800
to cross state lines, just leaving my pigeon intentionally or unintentionally.

1111
01:07:53.800 --> 01:07:58.079
Convinced I was at least momentarily alone, I crossed the

1112
01:07:58.159 --> 01:08:00.599
living room and started down the hallway in the direction

1113
01:08:00.639 --> 01:08:02.880
of the window that had my bleeding bird in it.

1114
01:08:03.519 --> 01:08:06.880
Four doorways loomed ahead of me. The first two were

1115
01:08:06.880 --> 01:08:09.840
empty bedrooms, then the third was a bathroom with no

1116
01:08:09.960 --> 01:08:13.360
family time happening in it. However, the last door, unlike

1117
01:08:13.400 --> 01:08:16.560
the others, was shut and locked. I thought maybe I

1118
01:08:16.600 --> 01:08:20.079
could hear a faint rustling inside Bissurah, I called out.

1119
01:08:20.680 --> 01:08:22.920
I was so relieved to hear her coup from within

1120
01:08:22.960 --> 01:08:25.039
the room that I jimmied the door open and took

1121
01:08:25.079 --> 01:08:28.239
several steps into the space without much thought. My only

1122
01:08:28.279 --> 01:08:30.319
goal was to grab her and get the hell home.

1123
01:08:30.560 --> 01:08:32.279
There was no way I trusted the frat brose with

1124
01:08:32.319 --> 01:08:35.039
an injured pigeon, or really anything. At this point, they'd

1125
01:08:35.039 --> 01:08:37.600
have to wait Basurah flew right over to me and

1126
01:08:37.640 --> 01:08:41.319
perched on my hand. Good girl, I assured her quietly

1127
01:08:41.359 --> 01:08:44.159
as I examined her body, trying to locate a cut

1128
01:08:44.239 --> 01:08:46.399
or a wound of any kind. But while she was

1129
01:08:46.479 --> 01:08:50.479
caked in what was most certainly blood, she wasn't actually bleeding,

1130
01:08:50.880 --> 01:08:55.319
not anywhere. My heart sank. What have you been eating, sweetheart?

1131
01:08:56.119 --> 01:08:58.720
Bissurrah bobbed her head at me quizzically, as if to say,

1132
01:08:59.000 --> 01:09:02.680
no oblo English an espanol porfoifour You know I don't

1133
01:09:02.680 --> 01:09:05.920
speak Spanish, I said aloud, Let's just get out of here, okay.

1134
01:09:06.600 --> 01:09:09.000
As I turned around to leave the bedroom, I caught

1135
01:09:09.039 --> 01:09:12.359
something big and dark in my peripheral vision. I froze.

1136
01:09:12.560 --> 01:09:13.000
There.

1137
01:09:13.279 --> 01:09:16.600
Hanging from one of those decorative exposed ceiling beams was

1138
01:09:16.640 --> 01:09:21.000
a very dead missus Pattel, And to make matters more uncomfortable,

1139
01:09:21.479 --> 01:09:26.159
she was just covered in peck marks. I unconsciously dropped

1140
01:09:26.199 --> 01:09:28.960
my hand, prompting Mesura to fly off of it and

1141
01:09:29.119 --> 01:09:34.000
over to missus Pateel's shoulder and begin lunching on her face. Basurah,

1142
01:09:34.119 --> 01:09:36.720
get down from there for this instant, you're embarrassing me,

1143
01:09:37.319 --> 01:09:41.079
I said, in an unnecessarily hushed tone. My bird continued

1144
01:09:41.079 --> 01:09:43.760
to not understand English and attempted to rip some of

1145
01:09:43.800 --> 01:09:47.199
the skin off of missus Ptel's cheek, but Sir I,

1146
01:09:47.239 --> 01:09:52.039
something stirred further off in the darkness. Hello. I switched

1147
01:09:52.079 --> 01:09:54.199
on my flashlight and began to search the far side

1148
01:09:54.199 --> 01:09:56.920
of the bedroom, careful to aim around Missus Pateel to

1149
01:09:56.960 --> 01:10:00.760
spare my psyche any further gory details. Something was hunched

1150
01:10:00.800 --> 01:10:03.079
down behind one of the chairs in the small sitting

1151
01:10:03.119 --> 01:10:09.720
area near the ensweet bathroom. For my position, all I

1152
01:10:09.720 --> 01:10:13.479
could see was long, dark hair. Hey, are you a

1153
01:10:13.600 --> 01:10:17.680
zombie or The thing continued to sit quietly, So I

1154
01:10:17.720 --> 01:10:20.520
made the regrettable decision to find out for myself and

1155
01:10:20.640 --> 01:10:24.560
slowly close the distance between us. If you're not dead

1156
01:10:24.920 --> 01:10:27.239
and you could respond to me, it did help a lot,

1157
01:10:27.479 --> 01:10:31.359
I coaxed, realizing in my panic to save my injured pigeon,

1158
01:10:31.680 --> 01:10:33.119
i'd left my weapon outside.

1159
01:10:34.039 --> 01:10:34.680
This was bad.

1160
01:10:35.159 --> 01:10:38.840
The thing that I could by that point more accurately

1161
01:10:38.840 --> 01:10:42.439
categorize as a little girl, probably the Patel's daughter, was

1162
01:10:42.760 --> 01:10:46.800
still not moving. Her head was down, body slumped, and

1163
01:10:46.840 --> 01:10:50.720
I could make out several partially scabbed, partially infected human

1164
01:10:50.760 --> 01:10:54.960
bitemarks around her ankles. So yeah, this was probably a zombie,

1165
01:10:55.399 --> 01:10:57.720
but I needed to confirm before I made any decisions

1166
01:10:57.760 --> 01:11:00.680
about how to dispose of it, prepare to pull away

1167
01:11:00.720 --> 01:11:03.199
in case of an attack. I carefully pushed back her

1168
01:11:03.199 --> 01:11:06.640
hair as I did, her body tense. Fuck. Sorry, I mean,

1169
01:11:07.880 --> 01:11:10.000
but I couldn't think of another word to replace it with.

1170
01:11:10.479 --> 01:11:14.079
Not that she was listening, not really. After a moment

1171
01:11:14.119 --> 01:11:17.479
of awareness, her eyes had fixed on something very far away.

1172
01:11:18.680 --> 01:11:21.479
If this was literally any other place or time in

1173
01:11:21.560 --> 01:11:25.319
modern history, i'd have called nine one one the ambulance,

1174
01:11:25.399 --> 01:11:27.920
and the police would have been dispatched, and I would

1175
01:11:27.920 --> 01:11:30.720
have sat outside with her until they came. They'd wrap

1176
01:11:30.840 --> 01:11:33.760
us in blankets and i'd give a statement to the cops.

1177
01:11:34.079 --> 01:11:36.560
Then they'd take her to the hospital and treat her injuries,

1178
01:11:36.600 --> 01:11:40.279
and CPS would handle things from there. But none of

1179
01:11:40.319 --> 01:11:43.720
those things existed anymore. So I was going to have

1180
01:11:43.760 --> 01:11:46.279
to handle it, and I don't mean handle it in

1181
01:11:46.319 --> 01:11:49.119
a good way. A sudden wave of anger course through

1182
01:11:49.159 --> 01:11:51.640
my body. You don't go about this the same way

1183
01:11:51.640 --> 01:11:54.199
as when the oxygen mask drops on a plane. You

1184
01:11:54.279 --> 01:11:57.760
do not take care of yourself before your child missus Bettel.

1185
01:11:58.119 --> 01:12:02.319
Child first, always, child first. Murder suicides don't make me

1186
01:12:02.439 --> 01:12:06.800
do it. Based on her limited reaction to stimuli, it

1187
01:12:06.880 --> 01:12:09.520
wasn't too difficult to estimate that the girl whose name

1188
01:12:09.560 --> 01:12:12.439
I'd forgotten was on day five or six of a

1189
01:12:12.479 --> 01:12:16.439
grueling seven day slock between exposure and full infection, which

1190
01:12:16.479 --> 01:12:21.720
consisted of increasing confusion, loss of awareness, antisocial behavior, and well,

1191
01:12:21.840 --> 01:12:24.800
who really knows what else until at the end you're

1192
01:12:24.840 --> 01:12:28.520
just some violent human husk. There was, of course, a

1193
01:12:28.680 --> 01:12:32.119
point five percent chance that she'd just die instead, but

1194
01:12:32.239 --> 01:12:35.199
that death always looked incredibly painful, so I can't say

1195
01:12:35.239 --> 01:12:37.800
it would be much of an upgrade. I sat there

1196
01:12:37.840 --> 01:12:40.239
for a long time, trying to convince myself of the

1197
01:12:40.279 --> 01:12:42.760
importance of committing the act. That her mother would rather

1198
01:12:42.960 --> 01:12:46.279
end her life than see come to pass. You have to,

1199
01:12:46.399 --> 01:12:50.359
you know, I told myself. Straightening my back, I reached

1200
01:12:50.359 --> 01:12:53.399
out towards her and wrapped my hands around her throat

1201
01:12:54.279 --> 01:12:57.279
without a gun. No bullets left, bet dubs. It was

1202
01:12:57.319 --> 01:12:59.640
the nicest way I could think of. Once her body

1203
01:12:59.680 --> 01:13:01.840
was dead, I'd have to use more violence to make

1204
01:13:01.840 --> 01:13:05.359
sure she didn't come back. I'd made the decision. All

1205
01:13:05.399 --> 01:13:08.760
I had to do was squeeze. As my grip increased,

1206
01:13:08.880 --> 01:13:11.800
her eyes suddenly locked with mine. They were filled with fear,

1207
01:13:12.600 --> 01:13:15.199
A lot of fear, like way too much fear I'd

1208
01:13:15.199 --> 01:13:18.680
been wrong about the timeline. Her fingernails sunk into my forearms,

1209
01:13:18.760 --> 01:13:21.039
desperately trying to pull me off as I choked her.

1210
01:13:21.359 --> 01:13:24.079
The awareness of her reaction completely caught me off guard.

1211
01:13:24.359 --> 01:13:26.520
Had she even been bitten? I mean, I was almost

1212
01:13:26.560 --> 01:13:29.079
positive that those were human bitemarks on her ankles. But

1213
01:13:29.279 --> 01:13:31.960
the very real and increasing possibility that what I was

1214
01:13:32.039 --> 01:13:35.199
really dealing with was just a very traumatized seven year old,

1215
01:13:35.399 --> 01:13:38.560
not a monster, made my extremities go cold, and before

1216
01:13:38.600 --> 01:13:41.359
I realized what I was doing, I'd grabbed Bassurah and

1217
01:13:41.439 --> 01:13:44.479
bolted out of the room. I could hear her coughing

1218
01:13:44.560 --> 01:13:47.079
and gasping for air as I rushed down the hallway.

1219
01:13:47.560 --> 01:13:51.760
Fuck this, Fuck all of this. In the kitchen, the

1220
01:13:51.800 --> 01:13:55.359
Patels had a large stock pile of bottled water. I

1221
01:13:55.399 --> 01:13:58.119
sat my pigeon in the sink, and as carefully as

1222
01:13:58.199 --> 01:14:01.560
was possible with my trembling hand, washed the blood from

1223
01:14:01.600 --> 01:14:05.359
her feathers. There was absolutely no reason I needed to

1224
01:14:05.399 --> 01:14:08.319
add this one to the long list of things plaguing

1225
01:14:08.359 --> 01:14:11.199
my conscience. I wasn't even sure I agreed with the

1226
01:14:11.199 --> 01:14:15.079
premise of mercy killings anyway sparkly clean, or at least

1227
01:14:15.119 --> 01:14:18.479
clean enough. I toweled Basura off in my shirt and

1228
01:14:18.680 --> 01:14:21.479
headed for the front door. I was gonna drop Bassura

1229
01:14:21.560 --> 01:14:24.319
off at the frat and go home, and suddenly a

1230
01:14:24.359 --> 01:14:27.279
desperate scream crashed through the building and sent me running

1231
01:14:27.359 --> 01:14:32.000
right back down that Saint damn hallway. Oh it was

1232
01:14:32.039 --> 01:14:34.800
mister Brettel. I've been wondering about him, but there he

1233
01:14:34.960 --> 01:14:38.079
was now in the bedroom, pinning his already almost strangled

1234
01:14:38.119 --> 01:14:40.880
daughter to the ground and like eating her small intestines,

1235
01:14:41.079 --> 01:14:43.920
large intestines. I don't know. I'm really not that good

1236
01:14:43.880 --> 01:14:47.279
an anatomy. Well, at least that's what he was doing

1237
01:14:47.359 --> 01:14:50.560
until my rapid approach distracted him and he lunged at me.

1238
01:14:51.000 --> 01:14:53.760
I wasn't able to dodge quite as nimbly as I'd liked,

1239
01:14:53.960 --> 01:14:56.359
and he flat out tackled me, knocking me into the

1240
01:14:56.399 --> 01:14:59.119
bedside table before I hit the ground. I was trying

1241
01:14:59.119 --> 01:15:03.000
to keep his teeth away for everything and simultaneously punch

1242
01:15:03.039 --> 01:15:04.960
him hard enough to get him off of me. But

1243
01:15:05.359 --> 01:15:08.119
I'm not that great at close combat. Granted he was

1244
01:15:08.159 --> 01:15:10.079
like twice my size, but I feel like I should

1245
01:15:10.079 --> 01:15:12.800
have been able to manage better all things considered. So

1246
01:15:13.039 --> 01:15:15.439
I was laying there, using every answ of my strength

1247
01:15:15.479 --> 01:15:17.920
to keep from being chewed on, excepting that everything I'd

1248
01:15:17.920 --> 01:15:20.560
done that day was very stupid. When a dark blur

1249
01:15:20.680 --> 01:15:23.680
streaked across the room, landed on mister Rattel's face and

1250
01:15:23.760 --> 01:15:29.159
started pecking his eyes. It was Bisurah, my attacker. Momentarily distracted,

1251
01:15:29.359 --> 01:15:31.319
I was able to reach behind me, hoping that there'd

1252
01:15:31.319 --> 01:15:33.079
be something in the knocked over table that I could

1253
01:15:33.159 --> 01:15:35.560
use to end this. I fumbled around until I felt

1254
01:15:35.600 --> 01:15:38.760
something cold, hard and substantial, and then I brought it

1255
01:15:38.840 --> 01:15:41.880
down over his skull. And then I hit him over

1256
01:15:42.079 --> 01:15:46.000
and over and over again. And then I continued to

1257
01:15:46.079 --> 01:15:47.960
hit him until I was sure that no part of

1258
01:15:48.039 --> 01:15:52.680
him would ever be able to move again. I then

1259
01:15:52.920 --> 01:15:55.760
took a moment to catch my breath and waited patiently

1260
01:15:55.800 --> 01:15:59.319
for his daughter to stop breathing, and you know, proceeded

1261
01:15:59.359 --> 01:16:03.239
to do the same thing to her too. Afterwards, I

1262
01:16:03.439 --> 01:16:08.239
washed my hands really really well. It was only then

1263
01:16:08.279 --> 01:16:11.039
that I realized what the object I'd been using to

1264
01:16:11.079 --> 01:16:16.039
crush my attackers. Was he somehow still intact three quarters

1265
01:16:16.079 --> 01:16:20.920
full bottle of vodka? The frat was only about a

1266
01:16:20.920 --> 01:16:23.720
fifteen minute bike ride away, so I made it there

1267
01:16:23.720 --> 01:16:26.640
before eight thirty. I don't know why I keep calling

1268
01:16:26.680 --> 01:16:30.199
it that. By the way, the university had been made inaccessible,

1269
01:16:30.640 --> 01:16:32.159
as it was on the other side of the now

1270
01:16:32.199 --> 01:16:35.239
blown up bridge, and also it hadn't held classes in

1271
01:16:35.279 --> 01:16:37.720
over a year, so it was a little less like

1272
01:16:37.760 --> 01:16:40.279
a frat and more like a gang, like a really

1273
01:16:40.319 --> 01:16:44.880
boring gang. The house was one of those opulent nineteen

1274
01:16:44.920 --> 01:16:48.199
twenties Johns that had been falling apart for at least

1275
01:16:48.239 --> 01:16:51.600
a decade before the bad stuff happened, surrounded by a

1276
01:16:51.640 --> 01:16:54.760
fifteen foot tall fence made of an amalgamation of just

1277
01:16:54.800 --> 01:16:58.680
about every building material that you can think of. A

1278
01:16:58.760 --> 01:17:02.279
guy dressed in two for the Apocalypse gear pointing his

1279
01:17:02.319 --> 01:17:05.239
gun in my direction from a makeshift watch tower as

1280
01:17:05.279 --> 01:17:08.399
I approached, only to lower it again. I tried and

1281
01:17:08.479 --> 01:17:11.199
failed to speak so that I could explain myself, but

1282
01:17:11.279 --> 01:17:14.319
it didn't seem to matter. I know, just going already,

1283
01:17:14.600 --> 01:17:17.560
He motioned to the gate with his rifle. Earlier on

1284
01:17:17.600 --> 01:17:20.000
my route, I'd come up with the most perfect soap

1285
01:17:20.000 --> 01:17:23.079
boxy speech to shame these guys. I was going to

1286
01:17:23.079 --> 01:17:25.479
tell them about Lucy and how they were putting me

1287
01:17:25.640 --> 01:17:28.239
and my birds in a necessary danger, but I'd give

1288
01:17:28.239 --> 01:17:30.279
them one more chance, because I didn't think they were

1289
01:17:30.319 --> 01:17:33.680
being malicious. But by the time I stood on that

1290
01:17:33.800 --> 01:17:37.399
dry rotted porch staring at Stefan, the only guy whose

1291
01:17:37.479 --> 01:17:40.439
name I'd actually remembered, I was having trouble keeping any

1292
01:17:40.479 --> 01:17:44.279
sort of mental narrative running. I was really just trying

1293
01:17:44.279 --> 01:17:46.720
not to throw up. I don't know how I looked

1294
01:17:46.760 --> 01:17:48.520
at that point, but I can only assume it was

1295
01:17:48.600 --> 01:17:52.479
kind of off putting because instead of saying hello, Stefan

1296
01:17:52.680 --> 01:17:56.199
just stared at me. I parted my lips to speak first,

1297
01:17:56.279 --> 01:18:00.000
but I could only manage a nonsensical squeak, so instead,

1298
01:17:59.680 --> 01:18:02.239
I did the bottle of vodka out of my backpack

1299
01:18:02.560 --> 01:18:05.279
and shoved it into his chest, then turned to leave.

1300
01:18:06.720 --> 01:18:09.560
Oh oh, the beer thing. That was really just supposed

1301
01:18:09.600 --> 01:18:11.960
to be a joke, he said, staring at the bottle.

1302
01:18:12.560 --> 01:18:15.479
I stopped, turned back, and made a spur of the

1303
01:18:15.520 --> 01:18:20.159
moment decision. Instead of Besserah, I retrieved the plastic bag

1304
01:18:20.159 --> 01:18:23.039
wrapped dead Lucy from the pouch i'd stored her in

1305
01:18:23.399 --> 01:18:26.479
and shoved her into his hands. He fumbled to hold

1306
01:18:26.520 --> 01:18:30.920
onto both her and the vodka. Thanks. I shrugged and

1307
01:18:31.159 --> 01:18:34.720
again turned to leave. I could hear the plastic crinkle

1308
01:18:34.760 --> 01:18:37.800
behind me as he opened the Lucy package. Hey, it

1309
01:18:37.880 --> 01:18:40.600
was really supposed to be a joke, Stefan called out.

1310
01:18:41.239 --> 01:18:47.640
I stopped good one. I managed to eke out good one.

1311
01:18:47.960 --> 01:18:51.119
Fucking good one, I berated myself as I rode through

1312
01:18:51.119 --> 01:18:55.199
the mostly empty streets, zigzagging to avoid the occasional zombie.

1313
01:18:55.399 --> 01:18:58.199
How on earth was that a good one? Felix? And

1314
01:18:58.399 --> 01:19:00.800
to make matters worse, I'd hand it that my food.

1315
01:19:02.000 --> 01:19:03.680
I was clearly never going to be able to face

1316
01:19:03.720 --> 01:19:07.079
that gang again. Luckily for me, I was no longer

1317
01:19:07.159 --> 01:19:09.960
even a little bit hungry, So instead of having barbecued

1318
01:19:10.000 --> 01:19:13.560
pigeon as planned, I went to sleep for dinner, feeling

1319
01:19:13.600 --> 01:19:17.800
like I'd played the ultimate prank on myself. Gotta make

1320
01:19:17.800 --> 01:19:25.760
the joke funny somehow, I guess.

1321
01:19:26.520 --> 01:19:32.600
Torture and other job skills by Killian Crane. Have you

1322
01:19:32.680 --> 01:19:37.119
ever been laid off? I had my dream job in management,

1323
01:19:37.680 --> 01:19:42.399
good benefits, great pay, small company, room to grow every

1324
01:19:42.479 --> 01:19:45.439
day at work was a genuine pleasure. Most people say

1325
01:19:45.479 --> 01:19:48.279
that to kiss their boss's ass, but not me. I

1326
01:19:48.319 --> 01:19:52.079
loved my job. When Deborah left me, the job was

1327
01:19:52.119 --> 01:19:55.680
all I had. I poured my soul into it. Those

1328
01:19:55.760 --> 01:20:00.560
under me, they didn't understand. They whispered behind me my back,

1329
01:20:00.680 --> 01:20:06.199
called me pushy and tight ass, nut job. Some of

1330
01:20:06.239 --> 01:20:10.680
them even called hr on me. They couldn't understand. I

1331
01:20:10.760 --> 01:20:13.840
demand nothing but the best from my team. Do your

1332
01:20:13.920 --> 01:20:16.520
job to the best of your ability and we'll have

1333
01:20:16.560 --> 01:20:20.279
no problem. Do sloppy work and I'll make sure you

1334
01:20:20.399 --> 01:20:24.119
face the consequences. And as for all the whispers behind

1335
01:20:24.159 --> 01:20:26.760
my back, what they failed to realize was that my

1336
01:20:26.880 --> 01:20:30.319
methods worked. I was by far the best manager at

1337
01:20:30.319 --> 01:20:37.359
my job, punctual, organized, efficient. Those under me knew my expectations.

1338
01:20:37.840 --> 01:20:41.680
You see, people are like coal. If you put enough

1339
01:20:41.680 --> 01:20:45.720
heat and pressure on coal, it becomes a diamond. Diamonds

1340
01:20:45.720 --> 01:20:49.079
are the standard we should all strive to achieve. One

1341
01:20:49.159 --> 01:20:53.439
thing I cannot stand is failure. I punished those that

1342
01:20:53.479 --> 01:20:57.479
failed me. There are far too many weaklings in the workforce.

1343
01:20:58.079 --> 01:21:00.960
The answer, of course, isn't to fire them on the spot.

1344
01:21:01.640 --> 01:21:06.520
That is a waste of coal, but punishment. That's the answer.

1345
01:21:07.279 --> 01:21:12.439
More heat, more pressure. There's a diamond in there somewhere.

1346
01:21:13.439 --> 01:21:17.479
I was the best at making diamonds until this fucking

1347
01:21:17.640 --> 01:21:21.760
COVID nineteen virus. I'll never forget the day my boss

1348
01:21:21.840 --> 01:21:24.960
Ryan called me into his office. The first words out

1349
01:21:25.000 --> 01:21:28.000
of his mouth were I'm sorry, I have to do this.

1350
01:21:29.000 --> 01:21:34.239
He was flat, formal and precise. I sank into my chair.

1351
01:21:34.800 --> 01:21:38.720
He said some more things about the virus and uncertain times,

1352
01:21:39.239 --> 01:21:43.760
cutbacks in every department across the board. He said. I

1353
01:21:43.800 --> 01:21:46.520
didn't listen to all that. I was too busy. Looking

1354
01:21:46.560 --> 01:21:50.039
into his eyes, they said everything I needed to hear.

1355
01:21:51.520 --> 01:21:57.039
He wasn't sorry, not at all. He wanted me gone.

1356
01:21:57.840 --> 01:22:01.720
I couldn't help but cry. It was unsightly and unprofessional.

1357
01:22:01.720 --> 01:22:06.760
But the job was my everything, my only thing, and

1358
01:22:06.800 --> 01:22:09.159
he took it from me. He leaned back in his

1359
01:22:09.279 --> 01:22:13.600
chair and sighed, it came from corporate. Nothing I can do.

1360
01:22:14.840 --> 01:22:19.159
Years of service up in smoke. As COVID made a killing,

1361
01:22:19.279 --> 01:22:24.039
so did delivery services. I had everything delivered to my apartment, food,

1362
01:22:24.600 --> 01:22:27.920
basic supplies, alcohol, Not that I was afraid of the virus.

1363
01:22:27.960 --> 01:22:32.840
I just didn't have the strength to go outside. I

1364
01:22:32.920 --> 01:22:36.680
was a failure. Me, the best employee in my division,

1365
01:22:36.800 --> 01:22:41.680
possibly in the entire company, had been laid off. Let go.

1366
01:22:42.880 --> 01:22:44.680
I knew it had nothing to do with the virus.

1367
01:22:44.760 --> 01:22:46.600
That was just an excuse from the higher ups to

1368
01:22:46.640 --> 01:22:51.079
trim the fat. I never thought of myself as fat

1369
01:22:51.159 --> 01:22:57.039
before then. Fat was something gross to be discarded. I

1370
01:22:57.079 --> 01:23:02.760
hated myself, but more I hated everything else. I started

1371
01:23:02.800 --> 01:23:05.880
the search for a new job immediately. I updated my

1372
01:23:06.039 --> 01:23:11.520
already outstanding resume, surfed the appropriate websites. Someone would have me.

1373
01:23:12.079 --> 01:23:15.079
My bed became my new office. As I searched, my

1374
01:23:15.199 --> 01:23:18.239
laptop laid on my right next to the television remote.

1375
01:23:18.439 --> 01:23:22.159
The pretzels, the two leaders, the whiskey, the boxed wine.

1376
01:23:22.600 --> 01:23:25.840
I used the same cup for everything. Saved time during

1377
01:23:25.880 --> 01:23:29.199
the search. Every time I went to the door for

1378
01:23:29.279 --> 01:23:32.119
a delivery, I had to kick the daily paper out

1379
01:23:32.159 --> 01:23:36.800
of the way. Despite the pandemic, the paper never stopped coming.

1380
01:23:37.399 --> 01:23:39.960
Over time. They began to pile next to the door.

1381
01:23:40.760 --> 01:23:44.079
They had their own ozone, their smell of ink and

1382
01:23:44.119 --> 01:23:46.439
paper so much more pleasant than the rest of the place.

1383
01:23:47.079 --> 01:23:51.159
It was funny the world shut down, but not the mail.

1384
01:23:52.119 --> 01:23:55.880
Should have been a mailman, I thought, definite job security.

1385
01:23:56.479 --> 01:24:00.239
Of course, there were no mail jobs available. There were

1386
01:24:00.279 --> 01:24:05.399
almost no jobs available, and the ones that were disappeared fast.

1387
01:24:05.880 --> 01:24:08.840
The market was more dog eat dog than ever. I'd

1388
01:24:08.840 --> 01:24:10.920
send in my resume and check back the next day

1389
01:24:10.920 --> 01:24:13.880
to find the position no longer available, and I hadn't

1390
01:24:13.920 --> 01:24:19.119
gotten a call their loss, I thought, But then more

1391
01:24:19.199 --> 01:24:23.560
and more listings disappeared, blinking out like stars in the

1392
01:24:23.640 --> 01:24:27.520
night sky. When the check from the government came in,

1393
01:24:28.000 --> 01:24:30.640
that was the worst. I'm sure it thrilled some people

1394
01:24:30.680 --> 01:24:34.880
to receive one, but not me. I felt like a

1395
01:24:34.960 --> 01:24:38.680
leech more than anything. I wanted to work to earn

1396
01:24:38.720 --> 01:24:42.159
my way, but the night sky had grown dark, and

1397
01:24:42.199 --> 01:24:48.199
so at my apartment in the darkness, I fantasized about

1398
01:24:48.279 --> 01:24:52.560
hurting Ryan a lot. I wished it was just me

1399
01:24:52.640 --> 01:24:56.359
and him in a fucking pipe wrench. Those weeks were

1400
01:24:56.359 --> 01:25:00.239
hard on my ex, Debra. She called me often. I

1401
01:25:00.319 --> 01:25:03.119
remember standing in my bathroom at the window talking to her.

1402
01:25:03.479 --> 01:25:06.960
The view was nothing spectacular, but it was nice to

1403
01:25:07.000 --> 01:25:11.199
stand in the sun and listened to her voice. Too

1404
01:25:11.199 --> 01:25:14.319
bad I couldn't see her in person. She'd caught the

1405
01:25:14.399 --> 01:25:20.359
damn virus. I'm worried about you. She said weakly between wheezes.

1406
01:25:21.279 --> 01:25:23.239
I held my phone in the crook of my neck,

1407
01:25:23.399 --> 01:25:26.840
checking my robe for smells. I'd flipped it inside out

1408
01:25:26.880 --> 01:25:29.359
a few times in the past week. It itched, but

1409
01:25:30.079 --> 01:25:32.560
I had a fix for that, a sort of numb

1410
01:25:32.600 --> 01:25:37.760
all recipe i'd perfected me, I asked. On my way

1411
01:25:37.760 --> 01:25:41.239
to concoct the recipe, I accidentally stepped in a puddle.

1412
01:25:41.760 --> 01:25:44.600
Liquid seeped through my sock and in between my toes.

1413
01:25:45.439 --> 01:25:48.960
Don't worry about me. Hey, this might cheer you up.

1414
01:25:49.159 --> 01:25:51.640
I found out to day they shut down my entire department.

1415
01:25:51.720 --> 01:25:54.800
Even Ryan, the ass had that fired me, lost his job,

1416
01:25:55.239 --> 01:25:59.720
and I think he has COVID. You shouldn't laugh at that,

1417
01:26:00.239 --> 01:26:05.760
she said. COVID's no joke. I'm not liking it so far. Well,

1418
01:26:06.239 --> 01:26:08.640
I hope it fucking kills him. Hang on, let me

1419
01:26:08.640 --> 01:26:11.159
put you on speaker. I put the phone down on

1420
01:26:11.199 --> 01:26:13.920
the table. It was tough to find free space, so

1421
01:26:14.000 --> 01:26:16.840
I knocked a takeout container to the floor. Globs of

1422
01:26:16.880 --> 01:26:20.760
congealed rice spilled onto the hardwood. I know you loved

1423
01:26:20.760 --> 01:26:24.520
your job, but you shouldn't say things like that. My

1424
01:26:24.680 --> 01:26:28.000
old job. It was why she left me to begin with.

1425
01:26:28.560 --> 01:26:32.640
Late work hours, dates canceled, time missed, and all that.

1426
01:26:33.439 --> 01:26:36.479
As she droned on about what the fuck ever? I

1427
01:26:36.560 --> 01:26:40.439
poured myself the perfect numb all. Three fingers of red wine,

1428
01:26:41.079 --> 01:26:44.600
two fingers of bottom shelf whiskey, pour over ice, and

1429
01:26:44.720 --> 01:26:49.359
slosh until mixed. Only one more ingredient. No, I'm not,

1430
01:26:50.000 --> 01:26:53.159
I said, holding a little orange bottle. I wasn't sure

1431
01:26:53.199 --> 01:26:55.720
if that was the right response or not. Based on

1432
01:26:55.800 --> 01:26:59.479
her silence, it wasn't. Deborah had left the bottle here

1433
01:26:59.520 --> 01:27:02.359
at our apart after a surgery on her knee. My

1434
01:27:02.479 --> 01:27:06.079
supply of the last ingredient was low. The pills rattled

1435
01:27:06.079 --> 01:27:09.920
as I popped the top and fished one out. Deborah snorted,

1436
01:27:10.640 --> 01:27:14.920
you're being strange today, eh. Is there any way I

1437
01:27:14.920 --> 01:27:17.840
could maybe see you, you know, after I get better.

1438
01:27:18.640 --> 01:27:21.600
I'm just tired of being cooped up. I put the

1439
01:27:21.640 --> 01:27:23.760
pill on my tongue and washed it down with a

1440
01:27:23.800 --> 01:27:28.239
sip of my drink. Numb all coming right up. We'll

1441
01:27:28.239 --> 01:27:34.199
have to see. I'm just so busy these days. Busy. Yeah, sorry,

1442
01:27:34.479 --> 01:27:38.159
can't talk right now, I'm at work. She went silent

1443
01:27:38.239 --> 01:27:43.039
for a while before finally saying something terrible. Take care

1444
01:27:43.079 --> 01:27:47.199
of yourself. Okay, hey, I said, ice clinking as I

1445
01:27:47.279 --> 01:27:50.439
downed the rest of my drink. Who's my pretty Girl?

1446
01:27:51.079 --> 01:27:54.439
I licked my lips and tasted the world slowing down.

1447
01:27:55.159 --> 01:27:57.479
Deborah had a tattoo on the small of her back,

1448
01:27:58.479 --> 01:28:02.720
a purple butterfly. Thinking about it made me the numb

1449
01:28:02.720 --> 01:28:07.159
all version of hard stop. She said, you know it's

1450
01:28:07.199 --> 01:28:12.119
not like that any more. Come on, I slurred, touching myself.

1451
01:28:12.560 --> 01:28:14.880
I tried to hide the slur, but that hadn't been

1452
01:28:14.920 --> 01:28:18.079
my first drink of the day or my first pill.

1453
01:28:19.159 --> 01:28:24.000
Who's my pretty girl? Smile for me? Call me some time,

1454
01:28:24.039 --> 01:28:29.920
will you fucking bitch? I thought, before hanging up. Oh

1455
01:28:29.960 --> 01:28:33.000
how I wanted to fuck her brains out, and maybe

1456
01:28:33.039 --> 01:28:39.239
more if only, Oh well, I thought, eyes bobbing listlessly

1457
01:28:39.359 --> 01:28:43.279
upon the fucking wreck that was my apartment. Before I

1458
01:28:43.399 --> 01:28:47.239
kept things spotless and sanitary. I did my laundry the

1459
01:28:47.279 --> 01:28:51.800
second the hamper filled up, wash, dry, fold, iron, put away.

1460
01:28:52.600 --> 01:28:56.039
Now there were dirty clothes on every piece of furniture,

1461
01:28:56.439 --> 01:29:00.640
empty bottles and containers on every flat surface. The floor

1462
01:29:00.760 --> 01:29:04.279
was a minefield of trash and puddles. The smell of

1463
01:29:04.279 --> 01:29:09.960
household cleaners and soap was gone, replaced by something sad.

1464
01:29:11.119 --> 01:29:14.079
The only agreeable smell came from the pile of papers

1465
01:29:14.119 --> 01:29:17.680
near the front door. Its ozone of pressed ink smelled

1466
01:29:17.760 --> 01:29:23.600
so nice. I blacked out, then, not sure for how long,

1467
01:29:24.079 --> 01:29:26.199
I woke up lying on the ground in a half

1468
01:29:26.319 --> 01:29:29.399
dried puddle of piss. My head nestled against the help

1469
01:29:29.439 --> 01:29:35.640
wanted section. And then it came to me, the help

1470
01:29:35.720 --> 01:29:39.359
wanted section. Why hadn't I thought of it before? How

1471
01:29:39.399 --> 01:29:42.279
stupid had I been? Of course, all the job positions

1472
01:29:42.279 --> 01:29:45.199
would be online. But what if I tore into the

1473
01:29:45.199 --> 01:29:48.319
pile That ozone of ink and paper stained my fingers

1474
01:29:48.359 --> 01:29:51.319
as I flipped and tore and read loose sheets crumpled

1475
01:29:51.319 --> 01:29:54.000
and flew away. I didn't care about the news. Everyone

1476
01:29:54.079 --> 01:29:56.680
knew the world was going to hell already. I devoured

1477
01:29:56.680 --> 01:29:59.119
the job ads, holding them in the light pouring through

1478
01:29:59.159 --> 01:30:03.800
the window, and I was right. Every single paper had

1479
01:30:03.840 --> 01:30:07.880
the same offer, every single one of them. Management position.

1480
01:30:08.319 --> 01:30:11.119
Job is challenging in a test of dedication and skill,

1481
01:30:11.520 --> 01:30:15.600
nothing but excellence will be accepted. I danced with joy,

1482
01:30:15.840 --> 01:30:18.960
kicking trash and splashing in puddles. As I spun around

1483
01:30:19.000 --> 01:30:21.760
and around. I tripped over my couch and busted my

1484
01:30:21.840 --> 01:30:24.399
lip on the arm rest, but stood with not a

1485
01:30:24.520 --> 01:30:27.079
care in the world. The answer had been in front

1486
01:30:27.119 --> 01:30:30.439
of me all along. Everyone had missed it because no

1487
01:30:30.479 --> 01:30:33.920
one reads the paper anymore. There wasn't a phone number

1488
01:30:33.920 --> 01:30:37.600
to call, only an address. I had no time to shower.

1489
01:30:37.840 --> 01:30:40.920
Some other desperate fuck might find the ad too. I

1490
01:30:41.039 --> 01:30:45.039
laughed at his misfortune. Sorry, pal, I screamed at the

1491
01:30:45.079 --> 01:30:47.720
top of my lungs. I'm gonna beat you to it.

1492
01:30:48.680 --> 01:30:52.640
I tried calling Deborah. She didn't answer. I found that

1493
01:30:52.680 --> 01:30:55.760
she'd called me in my blacked out state. But I'd

1494
01:30:55.760 --> 01:30:58.319
call her later after I gave her the good news,

1495
01:30:58.640 --> 01:31:02.159
because things were about to change. I would get that job.

1496
01:31:02.760 --> 01:31:06.079
I would. I peeled my wet underwear off, splashed water

1497
01:31:06.159 --> 01:31:08.920
on my pits and junk, put on deodorant, and scrounged

1498
01:31:08.960 --> 01:31:12.319
around and put on my cleanest work clothes. Slapped a

1499
01:31:12.359 --> 01:31:15.079
mask over my face. I felt the blood of my

1500
01:31:15.159 --> 01:31:18.319
busted lip leaking onto it. I grabbed another mask off

1501
01:31:18.359 --> 01:31:20.039
the floor so I could change them when I got

1502
01:31:20.079 --> 01:31:22.920
to the interview. And then I filled my flask four

1503
01:31:22.960 --> 01:31:26.319
fingers of whiskey, topped to the brim with red wine.

1504
01:31:26.920 --> 01:31:29.359
I mixed them together and took one good pool of

1505
01:31:29.399 --> 01:31:33.640
liquid courage to calm my thudding heart. I pocketed the flask,

1506
01:31:33.760 --> 01:31:37.319
my phone, wallet and keys. One good slap to the face,

1507
01:31:37.600 --> 01:31:40.600
and I was on my way. I barely remember the

1508
01:31:40.600 --> 01:31:43.399
bus ride there. I worked through what I needed to

1509
01:31:43.439 --> 01:31:46.600
say at the interview, but I was nervous, like my

1510
01:31:46.680 --> 01:31:50.680
first date with Deborah, only worse. This was my chance

1511
01:31:50.680 --> 01:31:54.439
out of the hole, my only chance. I lowered my

1512
01:31:54.560 --> 01:31:57.760
mask and took another pull. The bus came to a

1513
01:31:57.800 --> 01:32:00.479
halt at my stop. I paid as I got off,

1514
01:32:00.479 --> 01:32:05.279
and was stunned by what I saw. The building was beautiful,

1515
01:32:05.840 --> 01:32:09.000
a perfect square of black glass, like an onyx finger

1516
01:32:09.159 --> 01:32:12.920
pointing accusingly at the sky above. I smelled the thread

1517
01:32:12.960 --> 01:32:16.000
of rain through my mask. A good rain was just

1518
01:32:16.039 --> 01:32:19.279
what the world needed. The filth could drown in it,

1519
01:32:19.319 --> 01:32:22.359
but not before I got inside. I hurried across the

1520
01:32:22.359 --> 01:32:25.680
street as the thunder echoed in the distance. I stopped,

1521
01:32:25.680 --> 01:32:29.560
shy of the door, checking my dark reflection. I fixed

1522
01:32:29.560 --> 01:32:33.920
my tie, checked my mask. Yep, there was blood. I

1523
01:32:34.000 --> 01:32:36.520
threw it out, licked until there was no more red,

1524
01:32:37.000 --> 01:32:39.920
and put on a new mask, but not before another

1525
01:32:39.960 --> 01:32:43.920
pool of liquid courage. The whisky wine burned my busted

1526
01:32:43.960 --> 01:32:46.600
lip as well as a fresh pain I hadn't noticed before.

1527
01:32:47.399 --> 01:32:49.520
In my fall, I had apparently knocked one of my

1528
01:32:49.560 --> 01:32:53.520
teeth loose. I wished i'd brought a pill or two,

1529
01:32:53.560 --> 01:32:55.680
and then I remembered something else I should have brought

1530
01:32:56.760 --> 01:33:01.880
my resume. I'd come empty handed. Lightning arched in the sky.

1531
01:33:02.720 --> 01:33:06.439
Too late, I couldn't go back. The flask loosened my nerves.

1532
01:33:06.840 --> 01:33:09.079
The pain in my tooth made me sharp. It was

1533
01:33:09.119 --> 01:33:11.800
time to prove I wasn't fat to be discarded. I

1534
01:33:11.920 --> 01:33:16.439
was excellence. I was perfection. I walked to the door

1535
01:33:16.520 --> 01:33:18.920
like I owned the place and hit the buzzer. The

1536
01:33:18.960 --> 01:33:21.840
sun was low in the sky. I thought maybe I

1537
01:33:21.960 --> 01:33:26.199
was too late, but someone buzzed me in. The place

1538
01:33:26.319 --> 01:33:30.680
was dark, no receptionist, no activity. An open elevator cab

1539
01:33:30.760 --> 01:33:33.199
was the only source of light in the place. I

1540
01:33:33.279 --> 01:33:37.079
stepped in and knew that something was wrong. This building

1541
01:33:37.159 --> 01:33:40.960
was immense, but there were only two buttons, no floor numbers,

1542
01:33:41.079 --> 01:33:44.359
just an up and a down. The boss had to

1543
01:33:44.359 --> 01:33:48.319
be upstairs. Downstairs was probably a parking garage or something.

1544
01:33:48.840 --> 01:33:51.520
I pressed up. I worked my loose tooth with my

1545
01:33:51.600 --> 01:33:55.399
tongue as I ascended. The weight was zagonizing when I

1546
01:33:55.439 --> 01:33:59.359
thought it would never end. The doors opened to either

1547
01:33:59.399 --> 01:34:02.960
side where the offices, but straight ahead I saw a

1548
01:34:03.000 --> 01:34:06.279
man in a massive office, standing behind a desk. He

1549
01:34:06.399 --> 01:34:09.720
stared down at the world through a great window. Someone

1550
01:34:09.840 --> 01:34:11.880
must have buzzed me in, and I hadn't seen another

1551
01:34:11.920 --> 01:34:15.319
soul in the entire damned place. I tread towards his office,

1552
01:34:15.560 --> 01:34:19.119
scared for reasons I didn't understand at the time. Even

1553
01:34:19.159 --> 01:34:23.520
from behind, this man exuded power. He spoke without turning

1554
01:34:24.239 --> 01:34:28.159
come in. His voice was velvet ice. I couldn't help

1555
01:34:28.199 --> 01:34:31.279
but follow his command. I stepped into his office like

1556
01:34:31.319 --> 01:34:34.600
I'd stepped on a puppy dog. He turned with a smile.

1557
01:34:35.359 --> 01:34:38.439
His hair was neat blonde, slicked back on his head.

1558
01:34:38.880 --> 01:34:43.000
His face was clean shaven. I realized with broiling anxiety,

1559
01:34:43.039 --> 01:34:46.119
I hadn't shaved before I left. I reached to shake

1560
01:34:46.159 --> 01:34:50.960
his hand. Hello, I'm I know who you are, he said,

1561
01:34:51.039 --> 01:34:56.680
gesturing to a chair. Sit my stomach turned, you know

1562
01:34:56.760 --> 01:35:00.000
who I am. I did as he commanded and sat down.

1563
01:35:00.880 --> 01:35:03.520
Though I was scared, I couldn't help but admire him.

1564
01:35:04.000 --> 01:35:08.359
He was beautiful and terrible. All my preparations flew out

1565
01:35:08.399 --> 01:35:11.800
the window if I'd had any to begin with. I

1566
01:35:11.880 --> 01:35:15.520
sat crossing my legs and then uncrossing them. I didn't

1567
01:35:15.560 --> 01:35:19.319
want to seem disrespectful. He walked to a small cabinet

1568
01:35:20.239 --> 01:35:24.760
drink a test. He wanted to see how professional I was.

1569
01:35:25.399 --> 01:35:28.039
He poured himself two fingers of scotch. It was my

1570
01:35:28.199 --> 01:35:31.680
chance to impress him. I pulled my flask from my pocket.

1571
01:35:32.079 --> 01:35:35.840
Thank you, but I brought my own. He laughed, a practiced,

1572
01:35:36.000 --> 01:35:41.439
unreadable laugh. Maybe I'd passed his test. Maybe I'd failed spectacularly.

1573
01:35:42.239 --> 01:35:44.600
I noticed there was no name placard on his desk.

1574
01:35:45.279 --> 01:35:48.359
I didn't know what to call him. What do I

1575
01:35:48.439 --> 01:35:51.960
call you, sir? His coal eyes went to my mask.

1576
01:35:53.079 --> 01:35:55.760
You don't have to wear that around me. I took

1577
01:35:55.800 --> 01:35:58.880
it off, noticing this mask was also soaked in blood.

1578
01:35:59.439 --> 01:36:02.840
It was odd he'd said nothing about it. I began

1579
01:36:02.920 --> 01:36:06.159
to spiral whatever this was. It was feeling less and

1580
01:36:06.319 --> 01:36:09.920
less like an interview. I recognized the look in his eyes.

1581
01:36:10.479 --> 01:36:12.319
It was the one I gave my employees when I

1582
01:36:12.359 --> 01:36:15.520
had them right where I wanted them. At my old job.

1583
01:36:15.560 --> 01:36:19.319
I constantly tested those under me, prodded them like a shepherd.

1584
01:36:19.560 --> 01:36:21.560
Herded them in the direction I wanted them to go.

1585
01:36:22.680 --> 01:36:27.520
Now I was being herded, but towards what So, sir,

1586
01:36:28.479 --> 01:36:31.920
what are your expectations? He took a sip of his bourbon.

1587
01:36:32.399 --> 01:36:35.279
I took a sip from my flask. It helped even

1588
01:36:35.319 --> 01:36:38.920
me out Nervously. I pressed on my loose tooth, grimacing

1589
01:36:39.000 --> 01:36:42.159
at the pain. The man studied me with that look.

1590
01:36:43.520 --> 01:36:48.239
I expect excellence, nothing more, nothing less, And I think

1591
01:36:48.279 --> 01:36:54.159
you have what it takes you do. Yes, I think

1592
01:36:54.199 --> 01:36:59.239
you have all of the qualifications. At this point, I

1593
01:36:59.319 --> 01:37:02.359
was at a cross. I wanted this job, even though

1594
01:37:02.399 --> 01:37:05.079
I didn't really know what it was. But everything in

1595
01:37:05.119 --> 01:37:08.680
me told me to run, so I tried to take

1596
01:37:08.720 --> 01:37:12.399
it out. I pretended to pat myself down, looking for something.

1597
01:37:13.039 --> 01:37:16.239
I'm sorry, I said, but I forgot my resume at

1598
01:37:16.239 --> 01:37:20.199
home on my desk. The man smiled. He saw what

1599
01:37:20.279 --> 01:37:25.079
I was trying to do. You don't need it, you see,

1600
01:37:25.239 --> 01:37:28.520
I've been waiting for you. The urge to down the

1601
01:37:28.560 --> 01:37:31.880
rest of my flask was strong. I tried to hide

1602
01:37:31.880 --> 01:37:35.119
the tremble in my hand, but couldn't. Taking his interview

1603
01:37:35.119 --> 01:37:39.560
had been a mistake, but I was compelled and desperate.

1604
01:37:40.399 --> 01:37:46.359
He knew that waiting for me. Yes, you finally saw

1605
01:37:46.359 --> 01:37:50.840
my ad in the paper. The room spun. I thought

1606
01:37:50.840 --> 01:37:53.880
for sure I had lost my mind. It's a shame,

1607
01:37:54.439 --> 01:37:59.239
he said, no one reads the paper anymore. I stopped

1608
01:37:59.279 --> 01:38:02.640
fighting the urge to down my flask and just did it.

1609
01:38:02.640 --> 01:38:06.079
It poured over my loose tooth, and the world stopped spinning.

1610
01:38:06.760 --> 01:38:10.199
The man finished his drink as well, Are you ready

1611
01:38:10.439 --> 01:38:15.600
to begin the interview? I could barely control my breathing. This, Uh,

1612
01:38:16.159 --> 01:38:22.640
isn't it? No, the interview is downstairs. Come. He stood

1613
01:38:22.640 --> 01:38:24.880
and walked out of the office. I hurried to my

1614
01:38:24.920 --> 01:38:27.720
feet and followed. We got in the elevator cabin. He

1615
01:38:27.760 --> 01:38:33.000
pressed the down button. We went down and down, and

1616
01:38:33.199 --> 01:38:37.359
down and down, far longer than it took me to

1617
01:38:37.399 --> 01:38:42.399
go up. It got hot, maybe actual heat or maybe

1618
01:38:42.439 --> 01:38:46.840
my nerves. Questions buzzed in my head. I realized I

1619
01:38:46.920 --> 01:38:49.760
never even asked what the position was for. Yet here

1620
01:38:49.840 --> 01:38:55.319
I was in a box, descending the depths with this stranger. So, uh,

1621
01:38:55.640 --> 01:38:59.039
what do you do here? The ad was vague. It's

1622
01:38:59.119 --> 01:39:03.079
best if you see for yourself. The elevator didn't open

1623
01:39:03.119 --> 01:39:05.920
to a parking garage like I thought it would. It

1624
01:39:06.000 --> 01:39:09.800
opened on a pristine hallway lit by fluorescent lights. At

1625
01:39:09.880 --> 01:39:13.560
the end was a large metal door. The man walked ahead.

1626
01:39:13.880 --> 01:39:17.119
He looked over his shoulder and called to me. Here boy.

1627
01:39:18.319 --> 01:39:20.920
He clicked his tongue, and I was out of the elevator.

1628
01:39:21.640 --> 01:39:23.680
As we walked, he pulled a key card from his

1629
01:39:23.720 --> 01:39:26.560
inner suit pocket. He waved it in front of a reader,

1630
01:39:26.760 --> 01:39:30.319
and the door popped open with a hiss. Beyond was

1631
01:39:31.840 --> 01:39:38.880
pure darkness. Someone was in there crying. The man smiled

1632
01:39:38.920 --> 01:39:42.960
at me, Are you ready to begin the interview? He

1633
01:39:43.039 --> 01:39:47.600
stepped inside, and the fluorescent lights illuminated the room. Ryan,

1634
01:39:48.319 --> 01:39:52.239
my old boss, rested on his knees, sobbing. His arms

1635
01:39:52.239 --> 01:39:55.960
were clasped in chains that hung from the ceiling. Every

1636
01:39:56.039 --> 01:40:00.479
part of me screamed to run, but I stepped inside anyway.

1637
01:40:01.399 --> 01:40:04.800
Ryan looked up at me. There was recognition in his face.

1638
01:40:05.680 --> 01:40:09.199
Thank God, it's you. You have to help me. On

1639
01:40:09.279 --> 01:40:11.960
a rolling table. Next to him lay a red pipe wrench.

1640
01:40:12.920 --> 01:40:17.960
I couldn't believe what I saw. What is this? The

1641
01:40:18.039 --> 01:40:21.960
man held his chin in one hand, studying me. This

1642
01:40:22.039 --> 01:40:26.119
is what you wanted, isn't it? How did you know?

1643
01:40:27.039 --> 01:40:31.119
He gestured at the wrench. This is the job. This

1644
01:40:31.199 --> 01:40:33.920
is what you'll be doing. He gave me a wink,

1645
01:40:34.880 --> 01:40:39.399
show me your excellence. My heart thundered in my chest.

1646
01:40:39.399 --> 01:40:42.439
As I approached, Ryan forced a smile on his face.

1647
01:40:43.399 --> 01:40:47.279
Hey man, it's good to see you. Jesus Christ help me.

1648
01:40:47.399 --> 01:40:50.920
I've been here for days now. I lifted the wrench

1649
01:40:50.960 --> 01:40:56.039
in my hand. The weight felt good, really good. Ryan

1650
01:40:56.119 --> 01:41:00.840
shook his head. What are you doing? Rest so hard

1651
01:41:00.880 --> 01:41:03.039
on my loose tooth it popped out of its socket.

1652
01:41:03.960 --> 01:41:06.960
I grinned at Ryan, blood seeping out of my mouth.

1653
01:41:06.960 --> 01:41:09.800
As I spit my tooth out, it jangled on the

1654
01:41:09.840 --> 01:41:13.760
floor like an ivory marble. I'm sorry, I have to

1655
01:41:13.800 --> 01:41:21.279
do this. I was flat, formal, precise. No, he cried,

1656
01:41:21.520 --> 01:41:25.680
eyes bulging like a pig at the slaughterhouse. Please No.

1657
01:41:26.800 --> 01:41:30.800
I swung hard. The wrench sank into his temple. His

1658
01:41:30.920 --> 01:41:33.720
eye popped from its socket. He sputtered a bit, then

1659
01:41:33.800 --> 01:41:37.399
went limp in his chains. I grabbed him by the hair,

1660
01:41:37.800 --> 01:41:42.640
hauling him up. No, I said, he can't die. He

1661
01:41:42.760 --> 01:41:46.479
can't fucking die. The man grabbed my shoulder, surprising me.

1662
01:41:47.399 --> 01:41:52.560
Why can't he die? Because I want more? The man's

1663
01:41:52.600 --> 01:41:56.560
eyes went from twin black coals to shimmering diamonds. He

1664
01:41:56.600 --> 01:42:00.680
touched Ryan on the ear and he came back to life, screaming,

1665
01:42:02.239 --> 01:42:06.800
it hurts. The little piggy squealed, Oh, cut, it hurts.

1666
01:42:07.560 --> 01:42:11.399
I hauled his face to mine. No, God, not here,

1667
01:42:12.399 --> 01:42:16.119
I'm your God. Now. I pulled the dangling eye from

1668
01:42:16.159 --> 01:42:19.079
his head and popped it into my mouth. I tasted

1669
01:42:19.119 --> 01:42:22.479
his sorrow as I chewed. It came from corporate. I

1670
01:42:22.600 --> 01:42:26.880
shouted over his screams, nothing I can do. We played

1671
01:42:26.880 --> 01:42:30.000
with Ryan for a very long time. I struck him,

1672
01:42:30.199 --> 01:42:33.159
and the man brought him back. All that anger and

1673
01:42:33.239 --> 01:42:38.319
fantasy released with unholy zeal. God, damn it, I was

1674
01:42:38.359 --> 01:42:42.560
in heaven. I fell to my ass, heaving. Ryan hung

1675
01:42:42.640 --> 01:42:46.680
from his chains in an unrecognizable slump. His ozone was

1676
01:42:46.760 --> 01:42:53.560
salty but sweet. Tears stung my face. Thank you, I

1677
01:42:53.640 --> 01:42:59.920
told the beautiful man. Did did I do good? He nodded.

1678
01:43:00.479 --> 01:43:03.920
I smiled and wiped the tears away. Does that mean

1679
01:43:03.960 --> 01:43:09.479
I get the job? Not quite. There's one more test.

1680
01:43:10.479 --> 01:43:14.600
He snapped. The lights went out, and Ryan's ozone disappeared

1681
01:43:14.600 --> 01:43:18.359
with him. The man snapped again, and the lights came

1682
01:43:18.399 --> 01:43:21.840
back on. When my eyes adjusted to the sudden illumination.

1683
01:43:22.640 --> 01:43:26.680
My heart stopped where Ryan once was shackled sat Deborah,

1684
01:43:27.159 --> 01:43:31.319
bound by chains dangling from the ceiling. She screeched, trying

1685
01:43:31.359 --> 01:43:35.399
to stand, but was unable. W W W wh what?

1686
01:43:36.079 --> 01:43:39.600
She stammered, too shocked to speak. The man put his

1687
01:43:39.640 --> 01:43:42.560
hand on her shoulder. His eyes were black coals that

1688
01:43:42.720 --> 01:43:48.319
sucked her in. Relax, my dear, he cooed, stroking her cheek.

1689
01:43:49.079 --> 01:43:53.800
Take a deep breath, She calmed at his touch. Where

1690
01:43:53.840 --> 01:44:00.000
am I your home? Where you belong? No, I'm not,

1691
01:44:00.000 --> 01:44:03.560
But I was in my apartment, on my couch. How

1692
01:44:03.600 --> 01:44:07.279
did I get here? You'd be surprised. What lends you here?

1693
01:44:08.159 --> 01:44:11.039
Where the hell is here? The man pointed at me.

1694
01:44:12.119 --> 01:44:15.439
Isn't it obvious? She fell silent as she looked me

1695
01:44:15.560 --> 01:44:19.359
up and down. I looked down at myself. Ryan's blood

1696
01:44:19.399 --> 01:44:23.560
still soaked my everything. The man ran his fingers through

1697
01:44:23.600 --> 01:44:27.560
her hair. She shrank from his touch. I want to

1698
01:44:27.600 --> 01:44:32.640
go home now, the man laughed. I told you you

1699
01:44:32.760 --> 01:44:37.680
are home. This is where people like you go, people

1700
01:44:37.760 --> 01:44:42.920
like me, people that deserve to be punished. She winced

1701
01:44:42.960 --> 01:44:45.800
at me. As I stood, wrench in hand, I found

1702
01:44:45.840 --> 01:44:49.319
the man staring at me. His gaze was piercing, but

1703
01:44:49.399 --> 01:44:54.920
I found the words, Do I do I have to?

1704
01:44:55.960 --> 01:45:00.520
The man's eyes glowed like diamonds. Do you want this job?

1705
01:45:01.640 --> 01:45:06.720
I remembered being in my apartment, dirty and all alone.

1706
01:45:06.920 --> 01:45:09.840
All Deborah had left me was a broken heart and

1707
01:45:09.920 --> 01:45:13.960
a little orange bottle of pain pills. I'd never admit it,

1708
01:45:14.000 --> 01:45:17.079
but sometimes I would fantasize about fucking her, hurting her,

1709
01:45:17.079 --> 01:45:20.439
and sometimes both. But I never dreamed I would have

1710
01:45:20.479 --> 01:45:26.079
the chance. Now I wasn't so sure. It didn't feel right.

1711
01:45:26.920 --> 01:45:30.560
The man backed away as I approached her, eyes pleaded

1712
01:45:30.600 --> 01:45:34.479
for help. I remembered all the good things, cuddling with her,

1713
01:45:34.479 --> 01:45:37.840
as we watched television walks to the park on late nights,

1714
01:45:38.359 --> 01:45:44.039
drunken cab ride's home. Thinking about those things, I almost

1715
01:45:44.079 --> 01:45:48.560
wanted to set her free. I tried calling you, she said,

1716
01:45:49.680 --> 01:45:52.800
I know. I was going to call you back. I

1717
01:45:52.920 --> 01:45:55.079
was in so much pain, and then I blacked out.

1718
01:45:56.399 --> 01:45:59.399
I cradled her face in my hand. She flinched from

1719
01:45:59.439 --> 01:46:04.159
me as ryan blood stained her jawline. Good news, I said,

1720
01:46:04.760 --> 01:46:09.000
I'm having an interview. I think I'm doing really well too.

1721
01:46:09.159 --> 01:46:13.359
Her lip trembled. Get me out of here, please, our

1722
01:46:13.439 --> 01:46:16.800
time together had been sweet, and I was mostly to

1723
01:46:16.800 --> 01:46:21.960
blame for why things fell apart. But I needed this job.

1724
01:46:23.079 --> 01:46:28.319
She looked, confused, what are you waiting for? Let me go?

1725
01:46:29.359 --> 01:46:32.520
I felt something in my heart rot as I fondled

1726
01:46:32.520 --> 01:46:37.760
the edge of her chin. Who's my pretty girl? Tears

1727
01:46:37.840 --> 01:46:43.000
ran down her face and over my hand. Please, she begged,

1728
01:46:43.640 --> 01:46:47.520
let me go. I gripped her face tight, scrunching her

1729
01:46:47.520 --> 01:46:52.039
lips together. Who's my pretty girl? Her mouth worked like

1730
01:46:52.079 --> 01:46:57.000
a fish out of water. I am just please. I

1731
01:46:57.039 --> 01:47:01.319
thought things weren't like that anymore. I swear to God,

1732
01:47:01.760 --> 01:47:05.840
No God, not here, only me. I'm your God. Now,

1733
01:47:06.560 --> 01:47:09.840
she burst into sobs. I almost felt bad, but I

1734
01:47:09.960 --> 01:47:13.119
just had to rub it in. Still feeling sorry for me,

1735
01:47:13.640 --> 01:47:16.359
she whined as she looked away. I choked her, forcing

1736
01:47:16.359 --> 01:47:18.600
her to look at me. Heat and pressure. I would

1737
01:47:18.600 --> 01:47:22.199
have my diamond. As her face changed colors, I let go.

1738
01:47:22.720 --> 01:47:29.279
She collapsed, coughing. What do you want? She screamed, I

1739
01:47:29.319 --> 01:47:35.119
want you to smile? What smile for me? Please? Don't

1740
01:47:35.119 --> 01:47:40.399
do this. Smile for me, pretty girl. She looked me

1741
01:47:40.439 --> 01:47:44.840
in the eye, still crying. A forced, agonized smile split

1742
01:47:44.880 --> 01:47:49.239
across her face. I gripped my wrench tight. I remembered

1743
01:47:49.239 --> 01:47:52.840
how pretty her smile was, those candid moments at a

1744
01:47:52.880 --> 01:47:57.439
restaurant in bed after a date in the morning over breakfast.

1745
01:47:58.560 --> 01:48:01.399
Those thoughts drowned as I remembered all the things she

1746
01:48:01.439 --> 01:48:04.359
said to me. When she left. She mewed, like a

1747
01:48:04.399 --> 01:48:08.640
bad little kittens. Things can go back to how they were.

1748
01:48:09.840 --> 01:48:14.399
Would you like that? I grinned back at her, Sorry,

1749
01:48:15.159 --> 01:48:19.920
can't talk right now, I'm at work. Her smile evaporated

1750
01:48:20.000 --> 01:48:23.520
into a shriek, and my wrench found her teeth. We

1751
01:48:23.600 --> 01:48:27.600
played for a very, very long time. When I finished

1752
01:48:27.600 --> 01:48:30.520
punishing her, I collapsed in a heap and passed out.

1753
01:48:31.600 --> 01:48:35.319
I woke up in my apartment, head resting against the

1754
01:48:35.680 --> 01:48:39.920
mostly shredded pile of newspapers. Lying next to me was

1755
01:48:39.960 --> 01:48:44.479
a sheet of paper. Only it wasn't a sheet of paper.

1756
01:48:45.279 --> 01:48:48.680
It felt wrong under my fingers, too soft to be

1757
01:48:48.800 --> 01:48:52.800
paper and too thick. I instantly dropped it to the ground.

1758
01:48:52.840 --> 01:48:57.439
When I realized it was human skin, it suctioned to

1759
01:48:57.520 --> 01:49:01.560
the floor. The flowery scripts aired up at me. I

1760
01:49:01.640 --> 01:49:07.479
peered down and saw it was a contract, a job offer.

1761
01:49:08.159 --> 01:49:12.000
I'd done it. I was a contributing member of society again.

1762
01:49:12.520 --> 01:49:15.520
I found a knife and pricked my thumb. It burned

1763
01:49:15.560 --> 01:49:17.760
as I pressed on the dotted line, right next to

1764
01:49:17.800 --> 01:49:22.880
a very familiar purple butterfly. Have you ever been laid off?

1765
01:49:24.159 --> 01:49:28.560
I thought I had my dream job, good benefits, great pay.

1766
01:49:29.359 --> 01:49:34.359
The company was small, family oriented. I genuinely enjoyed coming

1767
01:49:34.359 --> 01:49:39.279
to work every single day. Most people just say that

1768
01:49:39.640 --> 01:49:46.159
to appease the boss. Now I'm the boss. Now I

1769
01:49:46.279 --> 01:49:51.920
have my dream job, my nightmare job. Every day i'm

1770
01:49:51.960 --> 01:49:56.199
at work, I feel myself changing. When I look in

1771
01:49:56.239 --> 01:49:59.159
the mirror, I see my eyes are now as black

1772
01:49:59.239 --> 01:50:03.600
as coal. Maybe one day you'll get let go from

1773
01:50:03.640 --> 01:50:09.600
your dream job. You'll find yourself numb, alone and lost.

1774
01:50:10.239 --> 01:50:14.560
Maybe you'll see a special ad only found in the paper.

1775
01:50:15.479 --> 01:50:20.159
After all, no one reads the paper anymore. That ad

1776
01:50:20.520 --> 01:50:23.960
will lead you to a tall building made of black glass.

1777
01:50:25.359 --> 01:50:36.399
Come on in. We're always hiring well, my spookies. We

1778
01:50:36.560 --> 01:50:41.319
survived the wind farm, escaped from the mall, completed the

1779
01:50:41.359 --> 01:50:48.239
delivery route, and wisely declined the management position. Tonight proved

1780
01:50:48.319 --> 01:50:55.560
that enormous signing bonuses usually conceal something dark. Every empty

1781
01:50:55.720 --> 01:50:59.600
mall has a night life of its own homing pigeons

1782
01:50:59.640 --> 01:51:04.319
may be better apocalypse partners than most people, and the

1783
01:51:04.359 --> 01:51:09.199
words we're always hiring should never come from a man

1784
01:51:09.399 --> 01:51:15.239
with coal black eyes. For more terrifying fiction, make sure

1785
01:51:15.279 --> 01:51:19.199
you subscribe to Weekly Spooky right here on your favorite

1786
01:51:19.239 --> 01:51:24.159
podcasting app, with a brand new scary story every single Wednesday,

1787
01:51:24.680 --> 01:51:28.199
over four hundred in counting, and leaving us a rating,

1788
01:51:28.239 --> 01:51:32.039
a review, or sharing this with a friend really helps

1789
01:51:32.119 --> 01:51:36.159
us out and helps other spookies discover our dark little

1790
01:51:36.239 --> 01:51:41.680
corner of the world we've cultivated till next time. Stay

1791
01:51:41.680 --> 01:51:46.279
inside the truck when Bigfoot starts chasing you. Never disturb

1792
01:51:46.319 --> 01:51:51.279
a vampire couple's anniversary, keep one sturdy bottle of vodka

1793
01:51:51.359 --> 01:51:56.399
nearby during the zombie apocalypse, and never sign a contract

1794
01:51:56.840 --> 01:52:02.279
printed on anything that feels suspense viciously like human skin.

1795
01:52:03.479 --> 01:52:08.319
I've been Enrique Cuto. Stay creepy, your spookies.