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Sept. 16, 2026

Intruder in the Night: A Babysitter’s Nightmare | Halloween Horror Story

Intruder in the Night: A Babysitter’s Nightmare | Halloween Horror Story
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Key Takeaways

  • In 1944, a 14-year-old babysitter named Candace Cardona experienced a night of terrifying home invasion during the height of wartime paranoia surrounding the infamous Mad Gasser of Couto Basin.
  • A seemingly innocent evening of babysitting two young boys quickly devolved into chaos after an accidental injury, an open window, and an unexplainable sickly-sweet smell drifting through the house.
  • Candace's terrifying encounter intertwined with local rumors of escaped Nazi POWs and chemical plant dangers, leaving a lasting psychological impact spanning eight decades.
  • The story highlights the chilling realization that everyday household noises can mask the presence of a dangerous intruder lurking just outside or even inside the home.
  • Listeners tuning in for a spine-tingling Halloween horror story are treated to David O'Hanlon's masterful blend of historical true-crime dread and classic home invasion suspense.

A masked intruder armed with poison gas stalks a teenage babysitter and two young boys in this 1944 home invasion horror story from David O’Hanlon—an eerie Halloween-season nightmare built on wartime paranoia, chemical terror, and the fear of someone already inside the house.

Fourteen-year-old Candice Cardona thinks the strange smell, the open window, and the muddy boot prints can all be explained away. Then one of the children is found unconscious, a chemical sprayer hisses in the dark, and a masked figure in a steel helmet steps out of the shadows. What happened that night will become part of the buried legend of the Mad Gasser of Couto Basin.

Blending historical horror, home invasion suspense, masked-intruder dread, and a poison-gas nightmare, Intruder in the Night is a tense scary story for listeners building their Halloween horror queue.

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

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📬 Contact Us / Submit Your Horror Story!

🌐 Explore more terrifying tales at: WeeklySpooky.com

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Mad Gasser of Couto Basin about?

It is a 1944 historical horror story about a teenage babysitter named Candace Cardona who is stalked by a masked intruder armed with poison gas during a wave of mysterious attacks.

Who wrote Intruder in the Night: A Babysitter's Nightmare?

The spooky horror story was written by David O'Hanlon and narrated by Enrique Couto on Weekly Spooky.

Where can I support Weekly Spooky and unlock bonus episodes?

You can support the podcast and gain access to two bonus shows every month by visiting WeeklySpooky.com/Join.

WEBVTT

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In 1944, a 14-year-old Candace is babysitting two boys when

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a window opens. Muddy boot prints appear inside the house

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and a sickly sweet smell drifts through the room. Then

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she finds one of the children unconscious and hears a

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soft but deadly hiss. What's that? You want to be scared?

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Come with me. You will experience tales of horror, ghosts,

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and death. It is not recommended for the weak at heart.

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Listen as in the dark. It's more fun that way.

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This is Weekly Spooky. Hello, my spookies. It's Wednesday, and

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you know what that means. It's time for a little

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spooky in your weekly. I'm, of course, your host and narrator,

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Enrique Couto, and tonight we have an absolute classic for

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you to listen to. I don't mean because it's old,

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I mean because you won't forget it anytime soon. But

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before we get to that, I want to say thank

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you all so much for joining me, and I want

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to say an extra special thanks to Joe and Debbie

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down in Cincinnati, who saw me at Horror Hound Weekend.

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I was there, no publicity, just helping out at the

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Terror Vision Records and video booth, but they spotted me

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and said hello, and I was so happy to chat

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with them, and probably they wished I would... Shut up

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sooner than I did. But thank you guys so much.

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And boy, it is almost spooky season. Of course, if

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you're tuning into this all year long, you know that

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spooky season is in our hearts and our minds. But

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tonight's is going to be extra to help us get

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ready for Halloween. So if you love what we're doing

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here and want to show us some love and support,

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you can head to your favorite podcasting app like Apple

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Podcasts or Spotify. and leave us a five-star rating to

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let the spookies out there in the world know they're

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in the right place. And if you want to support

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us in a very direct way that means a whole

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lot to me, head to weeklyspooky.com slash join, and for

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as little as $ 1 a month, get two bonus shows

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every single month and help the show keep going and growing.

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And thank you all again for all your very kind

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40th birthday wishes. But now, as for tonight, most of

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us know the little Sounds a house makes at night.

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A window rattles. A floorboard creaks. A child calls from

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the next room. And usually, we can explain them away.

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But in Kuto Basin in 1944, 14-year-old Candace Cardona is

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about to learn what happens when every harmless explanation runs

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out at once. A strange smell hangs in the air.

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A window refuses to stay closed. Muddy boot prints cross

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a floor she just cleaned. And somewhere inside the house,

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a man in a steel helmet is carrying a deadly

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weapon and waiting for the lights to go out. Intruder

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in the Night by David O'Hanlon My name is Candace Cardona,

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and as far as I know, I'm the last survivor

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of the terrible events that occurred in September of 1944.

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I've spent eight decades living in fear, but as I

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approach my centennial, death is no longer a threat. It's

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a certainty. The madman is long since dead, as are

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those that covered up the massacre. in the name of

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public safety. Everything was tidily swept away, blamed on a

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confluence of industrial incompetence and hysterical women. Bribes and threats

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and accidents ensured the secret was kept. These old hands

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ache with every keystroke, but the pain is gratifying. The

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world will finally learn the truth. of the Mad Gasser

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of Kuto Basin. I had just turned fourteen a week

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prior to my night of terror. We didn't know it

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at the time, but the gasser had already begun his

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grim work. The local newspaper, the Basin Journal Gazette, had

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been focused on a Nazi POW that escaped custody from

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Camp Perry. Sensationalist headlines warned that he may have been

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looking to commit acts of sabotage and mayhem. They speculated

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he may target the basin's Denoyer diesel chemical. In the meantime,

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the deaths of Urban Geist and his wife were somewhere

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on page three under a hyphenated headline that read, Gas

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leak claims two. I wonder if the paper was in

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on the cover-up at that point, or if the speculative

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Nazi saboteur was just too intriguing to bother doing their jobs.

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Or perhaps it really was a faulty pilot light that

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ended the lives of the Geists. I never did find out,

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not for sure. The Marshall family was attacked the next night.

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but the incident was still under investigation at the time

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the Journal Gazette went to print. That was the last

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I heard on the subject before I went to school

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that day. It was still uncomfortably warm in Kuto Basin,

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and the smell of the Marshall House drifted well beyond

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the police cordon. The classrooms were stifling. but the teachers

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kept the windows closed in fear of letting the ghosts

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inside with the odor. Little did we know, the smell

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would get much worse in the coming weeks. After school,

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I walked to Ollie's Diamond Dine, a general store with

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a small counter for soups, sandwiches, and ice cream. I

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worked the counter there four afternoons a week. The pay

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was terrible, even for 1944, but the free malt every

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shift made up for it, and Mr. Ollie was a

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nice old man. It's funny typing that. Just north of 60,

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he was a nice old man back then. Now I'm

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decades beyond that number which seemed so decrepit to my

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teenage self. Time is cruel, but she's not without a

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sense of humor. There were fewer customers than normal that night,

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but the place was loud with boisterous discourse. I caught

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only bits as I cleared away the forgotten shakes left

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to melt in their glasses. Alice Marshall's death, along with

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that of her sister and children's, had officially been announced

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by Chief Bowles, and the entire basin had their theories

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as to what had happened. According to the Holland brothers,

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Alice's husband killed them to steal a sum of money,

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a claim given credibility by Drew Mills, who saw the

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sisters counting a considerable amount of cash in the living

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room while he walked his dog. Tammy Greenberg said it

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was another gas leak. That's what she'd heard at the salon, anyhow.

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The wife of Officer Daly confirmed it was murder. That

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didn't sit well with the sister of Officer Winfield, who

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said it was smoke inhalation. That Nazi, now identified as

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Johann Sprigg, was naturally a suspect. But... Sure as a

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bear shits in the woods, someone pointed a finger at

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poor Lou Farley. As far as I knew, he had

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never done anything to earn the title of pariah in

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our community. They all hated him, nonetheless. To the point

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that little kids even had spooktales and rhyming games about him.

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It never changed, either. He's still the basin's boogeyman. one

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of them, anyhow. The war had been pulling men away

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from the basin for three years, and that left a

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shortage of workers for Denoyer Diesel Chemical. A lot of

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the townswomen worked there in the evenings, which put babysitters

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in high demand. I took on the herd children to

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help out around the house. My father had done his

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service during the previous world war, and while he made

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it home, His left leg hadn't. It was presumably still intact. France, somewhere.

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The prized chew toy of some poodle that fished it

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from the marne, he often joked. The only work he

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could find was a low-paying desk clerk position at Denoyer.

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Mother made a nickel more working one of the production lines,

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and I'd slip my babysitting money into his wallet while

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he slept. I'm sure he knew it hadn't been there before,

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but he never questioned it. I arrived at the herd

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residence a bit past seven and knocked softly in case

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little Eric was already asleep. The toddler was more like

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a wind-up toy than a child. He'd go and go

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and go until he didn't. At that point, he slept

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where he landed and waited until his body's gears were

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wound tightly enough to resume playing. The door creaked open,

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and I shifted my gaze two foot lower than I

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had expected to find a welcoming face. Candace! Elwood screamed.

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The eldest herd boy was six and a tad small

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for his age. He made up for it with a

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big mouth. I don't know if Eric had been asleep

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before the greeting, but he certainly wasn't afterwards. He did

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the frantic, bow-legged run of all three-year-olds straight into his

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brother's backside. He made a show of hiding behind Elwood

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before poking his head out with a wide smile that

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seemed to have too many teeth in it. Can eyes,

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he screeched before holding out his hand with wriggling fingers

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play me i slipped off my shoes before i took

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his hand and pretended i was unable to resist his

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impressive strength as he dragged me through the living room

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i heard his mother laughing in the kitchen it was

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a braying hee-haw sound that shouldn't have come from such

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a fine and delicate lady in retrospect she wasn't so

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delicate nor a lady But that's not my story to tell.

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Good evening, Mrs. Hurd. I called over my shoulder as

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we rounded the hallway into the boys' bedroom. Play me,

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Eric repeated, flopping onto the floor amidst an assortment of

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wooden blocks. Build house, can't I's? I know he simply

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couldn't pronounce my name, but the attempt always made me

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a little self-conscious about my glasses. It seems so silly now,

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especially since I can barely see with these pesky things,

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but aren't we all a little silly when we're fourteen?

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I took the glasses off and set them on top

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of the toy box. I wouldn't need them just to

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stack blocks, especially not for the ten minutes it would

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take little Eric to tire of such a stationary game.

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Sorry to interrupt. Mrs. Hurd said from the door with

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Elwood hugged tightly to her waist. Seems there's some serious

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construction underway in here. I just wanted to let you

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know I could be home a little earlier than usual. Oh?

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Is it because of the thing at the Marshall House?

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I asked. Barney won't be in for... Well, maybe not ever,

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I suppose. He's the only one that can keep those

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damned machines running right. It's just... Terrible what happened to him.

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She stroked Elwood's hair. I mean, Alice is one thing,

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but to lose the children, too, there's no telling what

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that'll do to a man. Nothing good, I whispered, thinking

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about the theories batted around at the diner. Do they

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know what happened yet? It's the basin, dear. Everyone knows everything,

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especially when they don't. She pinched Elwood's cheek. Mommy's going

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to work. Be good boys for Candace. They're always the

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best boys, I reassured her. Usually, they were the easiest

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children to care for. Not that night. Apparently, my compliment

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sounded like challenge to them. Twenty minutes after their mother left,

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I went to run their bath, which gave Eric enough

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time to engineer a stepladder from a chair, the breadbox,

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and a mixing bowl. Elwood watched the doorway while he

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sent the expendable toddler up to their own Tower of

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Babel for the cookie jar atop the refrigerator. Like the

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Tower of Old, theirs also came toppling down. My socks

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slid perilously as I navigated the broken glass. Elwood had

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darted as soon as he heard the crash. leaving his

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little brother dangling from the icebox door. The base of

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the mixing bowl rested below him with a four-inch glass

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fang waiting to bite through his cotton diaper when he fell.

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Can eyes! Eric cried. Me sorry! I was almost to

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him when the pain shot through my foot. I hopped

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the rest of the way and managed to pry Eric's

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death grip From the appliance, I sat him on the

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counter and fought the urge to give him a smack.

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My sock made a sickly noise when I raised my

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foot from the cedar floor. The bottom had turned crimson

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already and dripped fat drops. I scooped Eric into my

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arms and edged my way around the kitchen before settling

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him in the hallway. Elwood Dwayne Heard! Get in here

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right this second, I commanded, even though the pain-induced crackling

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of my voice took all of the authority out of it.

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The boy came anyhow. He sniffled and started to apologize,

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but I cut him off with a snap of my fingers.

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Take your brother to the bath, and you two stay

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put until I come get you. Yes, Candace, he muttered.

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Are you hurt? His shaky hand pointed at the blood

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faucet that used to be my foot, as if it

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were another explanation aside from being hurt. I measured my

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response and pointed toward the bathroom. Go, now, and be

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sure to get the backs of your necks. I slid

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down the doorjamb and inspected the wound with a sigh.

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I want them clean when I ring them later. I

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hobbled back to the kitchen counter and climbed on top

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to put my foot in the sink. I could hear

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the gentle splashing of the boys in the tub. I

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prayed the misadventure would keep them from the usual chaotic splashing.

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I turned on the sink and let the water warm

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while I peeled the sock away. Biting my lip, I

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stuck my foot under the spigot. My glasses were still

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in the boys' room, but the bulge was easy to spot.

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There wasn't enough of the shard to grip. The thought

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of what was to come brought me to tears before

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00:17:55.240 --> 00:18:00.380
I even began. I pressed on my foot, pushing the

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intrusion out the way it came in until there was

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enough to pinch hold of. I took three deep breaths

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and jerked on the shard. It didn't come free. I

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00:18:13.609 --> 00:18:16.710
pulled again and it just kept sliding out like a

236
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magician's trick handkerchief. It finally came to an end and

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slipped from my trembling fingers with a clatter into the sink.

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The wound gushed worse than before. I stretched to pull

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a hand towel from the stove's handle. and gasped sharply

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as I sat up. Perhaps it was my absent glasses

241
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or the crying, but I could have sworn there was

242
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someone looking right through the window. I squinted at the

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inhuman figure with its strange, bulbous head. I bit my lip,

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stealing enough of my jangled nerves to move my face

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00:19:00.410 --> 00:19:05.480
closer to the window. The face didn't flee. It didn't

246
00:19:05.650 --> 00:19:09.970
even twitch. The screen door thumped, giving me a start

247
00:19:10.289 --> 00:19:15.329
and pulling my attention away. When I looked back, the

248
00:19:15.390 --> 00:19:23.140
face was gone. Nothing's gone, silly. It wasn't there, I

249
00:19:23.220 --> 00:19:27.960
told myself while I dried my eyes. It never was.

250
00:19:29.519 --> 00:19:34.609
The kitchen was a disaster area. Broken glass, slices of bread,

251
00:19:34.690 --> 00:19:39.529
and Bloody footprints occupied the floor in stark contrast to

252
00:19:39.569 --> 00:19:44.789
the floral wallpaper and yellow trim. The cleanup would have

253
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to wait. I used the hand towel to control the

254
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bleeding and got the boy. out of the tub. While

255
00:19:52.069 --> 00:19:54.809
they put on their pajamas, I went back to the

256
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bathroom and cleaned the cut with mercurochrome. Muttering darns and

257
00:20:00.910 --> 00:20:05.980
hacks the whole time. Tiny knuckles wrapped on the bathroom door.

258
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What is it? I asked harsher than I'd meant. Can eyes, UK?

259
00:20:14.380 --> 00:20:21.049
Eric muttered. Yes, Eric, I softened my tone. Can eyes

260
00:20:21.250 --> 00:20:24.650
is fine. Go put on your PJs, I'll be in

261
00:20:24.690 --> 00:20:28.549
to read you a story. I found a bent tin

262
00:20:28.630 --> 00:20:32.130
can of band-aids and put a couple side by side

263
00:20:32.650 --> 00:20:36.109
over the wound. I hobbled back to the kitchen and

264
00:20:36.500 --> 00:20:40.470
carefully worked my way to the fridge. I grabbed three

265
00:20:40.549 --> 00:20:43.750
cookies from the jar and slipped two of them into

266
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my dress pocket. When I got to the children's room,

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Eric and Elwood were sitting on their beds with their

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heads hanging. I leaned on the doorjamb, taking a slow,

269
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contemplative bite from my chocolate chip cookie. This is what

270
00:21:01.380 --> 00:21:05.180
all that trouble was over? I said before making a

271
00:21:05.259 --> 00:21:10.609
show of swallowing I guess they're pretty good cookies. Yep,

272
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Elwood pouted. The best. The kitchen is a mess, I

273
00:21:16.720 --> 00:21:19.720
walked to his bed. Seems like a real waste to

274
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go through all that and not get a single cookie

275
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out of it. It is, he agreed. I drew one

276
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of the cookies from my pocket and passed it before

277
00:21:31.990 --> 00:21:36.119
his downturned eyes. He looked up at me and started

278
00:21:36.160 --> 00:21:38.960
to say something, but I put the cookie in his

279
00:21:39.039 --> 00:21:43.079
mouth as soon as it opened. I answered his befuddled

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00:21:43.140 --> 00:21:47.480
gaze with a smile. Hush up and eat your cookie.

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I handed the second one to Eric. You boys should

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have known to just ask me, and I'd have gotten

283
00:21:55.170 --> 00:21:58.750
the jar down for you. Eric could have gotten badly hurt,

284
00:21:59.289 --> 00:22:02.589
but he didn't, so there's no reason to be upset.

285
00:22:04.470 --> 00:22:10.109
But you hurt, Eric said, chewing slowly. And tomorrow it'll

286
00:22:10.150 --> 00:22:13.250
hurt a little less, and not at all in a week,

287
00:22:13.849 --> 00:22:17.710
I answered. Mistakes happen. It's going to take a lot

288
00:22:17.759 --> 00:22:20.599
to clean up that one. So I need you boys

289
00:22:20.660 --> 00:22:22.960
to go to sleep so that I can get finished

290
00:22:23.039 --> 00:22:27.420
before your mother gets home. We'll go straight to sleep, Candace.

291
00:22:28.140 --> 00:22:34.450
Elwood took another bite. We're really sorry. Really? Really. Eric added.

292
00:22:35.589 --> 00:22:39.579
Not straight to sleep, I said. We're not skimping on

293
00:22:39.700 --> 00:22:44.619
story time, after all. And we didn't. After an hour

294
00:22:44.680 --> 00:22:48.059
of Tarzan, the boys felt sleepy enough to at least

295
00:22:48.240 --> 00:22:52.039
stay in bed, and I felt empowered to go forth

296
00:22:52.180 --> 00:22:57.450
and conquer the wild jungle of Mrs. Hurd's kitchen. I

297
00:22:57.549 --> 00:23:01.890
turned the radio on lowly whilst gathering cleaning supplies from

298
00:23:01.990 --> 00:23:05.559
under the sink and In the cupboard, I swept up

299
00:23:05.640 --> 00:23:09.380
the entire mess and never heard a note of music.

300
00:23:10.299 --> 00:23:14.380
Even late in the evening, the airwaves seemed reserved for

301
00:23:14.420 --> 00:23:19.799
the depressing state of affairs. When the broadcaster finished with

302
00:23:19.880 --> 00:23:24.619
news from the war, he spun straight away into local events.

303
00:23:25.440 --> 00:23:29.250
He spoke of Johan Sprigg, who was still at large,

304
00:23:30.009 --> 00:23:34.430
and he spoke passingly of the deaths of Alice Marshall,

305
00:23:34.829 --> 00:23:39.109
her sister, and the three children. I stormed over to

306
00:23:39.170 --> 00:23:45.720
turn it off when something moved in the window. I screamed,

307
00:23:46.619 --> 00:23:50.299
and so did Elwood. I didn't mean to spook you,

308
00:23:50.980 --> 00:23:55.359
he said quickly. I need a glass for water. I

309
00:23:55.440 --> 00:23:59.880
laughed at my ridiculousness. For a half second, I knew

310
00:23:59.980 --> 00:24:03.380
the Nazi had come to get me. I even convinced

311
00:24:03.440 --> 00:24:06.900
myself the movement had been outside the glass and not

312
00:24:07.539 --> 00:24:12.259
Elwood's reflection. A simple trick of the light played on

313
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the mind of a silly young girl. We got Elwood

314
00:24:16.960 --> 00:24:20.670
his glass and some water from the sink before walking

315
00:24:20.750 --> 00:24:26.410
back to his room. Were you getting hot? I asked. No,

316
00:24:27.049 --> 00:24:31.269
he said. Why? I thought that might be why you...

317
00:24:31.849 --> 00:24:36.069
opened the window. He looked at the curtain moving gently

318
00:24:36.329 --> 00:24:40.509
in the breeze, then to me, and shook his head.

319
00:24:42.190 --> 00:24:48.259
I didn't open the window, he whispered. Oh, I walked

320
00:24:48.380 --> 00:24:52.980
to it. It wasn't open much, just about four inches.

321
00:24:53.759 --> 00:24:57.059
Eric's bed was closest to it, but I doubted the

322
00:24:57.119 --> 00:25:01.289
toddler had the strength to lift it himself. I brushed

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00:25:01.329 --> 00:25:05.200
his hair away from his eyes and found him sound asleep.

324
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I wasn't about to wake him up to ask. Perhaps

325
00:25:09.980 --> 00:25:13.700
it had been open all day and I simply hadn't

326
00:25:13.839 --> 00:25:18.029
noticed earlier. It's nice to get some fresh air, but

327
00:25:18.690 --> 00:25:23.289
let's keep it closed tonight. I shut the window and

328
00:25:23.329 --> 00:25:27.279
tucked the boy back in before returning to the kitchen.

329
00:25:32.680 --> 00:25:37.619
Something seemed peculiar in the kitchen, too. I dumped the

330
00:25:37.660 --> 00:25:41.509
broken glass and spilled bread into the trash to take outside,

331
00:25:41.609 --> 00:25:45.490
but I didn't recall setting the can next to the

332
00:25:46.230 --> 00:25:50.869
back door. I shrugged it off. I made another pass

333
00:25:50.930 --> 00:25:53.730
around the kitchen with the broom and then tied up

334
00:25:53.789 --> 00:25:58.759
the trash bag and took it outside. A strange, faint

335
00:25:58.980 --> 00:26:04.410
smell lingered in the backyard. It was sweet but unpleasant,

336
00:26:05.029 --> 00:26:10.930
somewhere between cough syrup and bad fruit. Its origins nagged

337
00:26:10.990 --> 00:26:14.670
at me. I deposited the bag into the outside can

338
00:26:14.759 --> 00:26:20.200
and sniffed at the receptacle cautiously. The smell definitely wasn't

339
00:26:20.299 --> 00:26:24.559
coming from there. The stench of old garbage made me

340
00:26:24.640 --> 00:26:29.089
gag and twirl away from the putrid can. A cold

341
00:26:29.210 --> 00:26:34.150
sweat formed on the back of my neck. Paranoia spurred

342
00:26:34.210 --> 00:26:37.170
me into a jog around the back of the house

343
00:26:37.890 --> 00:26:44.490
to the children's bedroom window. It was still closed. Of

344
00:26:44.630 --> 00:26:50.910
course it's closed, Candace, I groaned frustratedly. You closed it.

345
00:26:52.279 --> 00:26:55.559
We lived in a boring town in a boring state,

346
00:26:56.180 --> 00:27:00.460
and I was outside investigating a window for signs of...

347
00:27:01.279 --> 00:27:06.200
Nazi spies. The previous Christmas, my mother gifted me the

348
00:27:06.539 --> 00:27:11.200
first five Nancy Drew mystery books. I devoured them before

349
00:27:11.309 --> 00:27:15.490
New Year's. I'd read all of them since. Maybe that's

350
00:27:15.569 --> 00:27:21.349
why I kept seeing clues. Being a teenaged sleuth sure

351
00:27:21.430 --> 00:27:26.980
beat being... me. Only I wasn't any good at it, apparently,

352
00:27:27.579 --> 00:27:32.480
and I felt completely idiotic in the moment. My bare

353
00:27:32.579 --> 00:27:36.799
toes bumped against something that clanked against the home's foundation.

354
00:27:37.619 --> 00:27:40.900
I slapped a hand over my mouth in surprise. In

355
00:27:40.940 --> 00:27:46.150
the midst of heavy footprints was a metal canister. I

356
00:27:46.230 --> 00:27:50.430
knelt to inspect it and immediately toppled onto my backside

357
00:27:50.470 --> 00:27:55.900
from the waft of its remaining contents. My vision blurred

358
00:27:56.400 --> 00:28:00.710
and the soil seemed to pull me in. I laid

359
00:28:00.789 --> 00:28:06.549
back for a moment, staring up at the sky. Stars

360
00:28:06.690 --> 00:28:12.319
danced and shadowy figures moved around my peripheral vision. The

361
00:28:12.380 --> 00:28:19.099
next thirty seconds passed, agonizingly slow. My eyesight returned to

362
00:28:19.160 --> 00:28:24.349
its normal, poor state, and the ground became solid again.

363
00:28:24.369 --> 00:28:29.269
I sat up carefully. The canister had rolled next to

364
00:28:29.309 --> 00:28:35.369
the trunk of a shade tree, right when I had fallen. Oh, Candace,

365
00:28:35.869 --> 00:28:41.910
I groaned. You stupid little girl. My teenaged foolishness had

366
00:28:41.970 --> 00:28:46.809
prevailed once again. The moonlight revealed the still webs of

367
00:28:47.190 --> 00:28:52.460
tent caterpillars in the lower branches. I'd just sniffed a

368
00:28:52.819 --> 00:28:57.920
carelessly discarded canister of pesticide. I crawled to my feet,

369
00:28:58.000 --> 00:29:03.089
which proved the effects hadn't entirely worn off. I used

370
00:29:03.150 --> 00:29:06.470
the house to steady myself to the back porch and

371
00:29:06.569 --> 00:29:10.450
stepped into the kitchen. The single bulb in the overhead

372
00:29:10.519 --> 00:29:17.200
light hit my chemically compromised eyes like fireworks. I could

373
00:29:17.279 --> 00:29:21.740
just make out the human shape through the brightness before

374
00:29:21.849 --> 00:29:27.339
I closed my eyelids tightly. Elwood, you've had enough water,

375
00:29:28.059 --> 00:29:32.069
I said. Please go back to bed. You don't want

376
00:29:32.109 --> 00:29:35.430
to still be awake when your mother returns. When I

377
00:29:35.529 --> 00:29:39.950
opened my eyes, he was gone. I sat at the

378
00:29:40.059 --> 00:29:44.660
kitchen table, tapping my fingers on the hardwood top. I

379
00:29:44.759 --> 00:29:47.640
still had homework to do when I finished cleaning up

380
00:29:47.740 --> 00:29:52.470
my blood. I looked down at my filthy feet and

381
00:29:52.549 --> 00:29:56.950
crossed my wounded one over my knee. The track outside

382
00:29:57.009 --> 00:30:00.569
had peeled off one of the band-aids. I slung my

383
00:30:00.630 --> 00:30:04.829
head back with a dramatic whine. Yet another thing to

384
00:30:04.890 --> 00:30:08.769
deal with. I went to the bathroom, leaving mud and

385
00:30:08.869 --> 00:30:12.299
grass in my wake. I'd have to mop most of

386
00:30:12.359 --> 00:30:15.740
the house at the rate I was going. I washed

387
00:30:15.819 --> 00:30:19.099
my feet in the tub and redressed the wound as

388
00:30:19.460 --> 00:30:23.819
quickly as I could. My clothes were damp and dirty,

389
00:30:23.900 --> 00:30:28.140
but I hadn't brought any extras, so that was just

390
00:30:28.579 --> 00:30:33.599
tough cookies. Determined to get things done, I limped back

391
00:30:33.700 --> 00:30:36.680
into the kitchen and mixed a bucket of water and

392
00:30:36.740 --> 00:30:41.200
ammonia to clean up with. The sponge which I swore

393
00:30:41.279 --> 00:30:44.849
had been in the bucket was nowhere to be found.

394
00:30:46.250 --> 00:30:50.089
I checked the sink and then under it. Not only

395
00:30:50.170 --> 00:30:53.670
was it not there, but there wasn't a second one either.

396
00:30:54.650 --> 00:30:59.019
I retraced my footsteps, literally following the muddy path to

397
00:30:59.039 --> 00:31:03.690
the bathtub. wondering if I'd somehow managed to carry it

398
00:31:03.869 --> 00:31:08.670
off in the chaos. I stopped at the bathroom door,

399
00:31:09.289 --> 00:31:15.329
turning slowly to the hallway. Dainty, barefooted dirt tracks showed

400
00:31:15.410 --> 00:31:20.299
my path from the kitchen to the bathroom, but they

401
00:31:20.359 --> 00:31:26.880
weren't alone. Large, vaguely shaped boot prints that had left

402
00:31:27.039 --> 00:31:31.609
scratches in the hardwood led to to the children's room.

403
00:31:34.589 --> 00:31:40.730
Fear overpowered common sense. I burst into the bedroom. Eric

404
00:31:40.799 --> 00:31:45.660
was still fast asleep. Moonlight dazzled in a strand of

405
00:31:45.779 --> 00:31:50.940
drool from his lip to the mattress. Moonlight was shining

406
00:31:51.880 --> 00:31:56.519
through an open window. I slammed it shut, not giving

407
00:31:56.559 --> 00:32:00.710
a damn if I woke the children. Someone had been

408
00:32:00.730 --> 00:32:07.289
in the house. Maybe someone still was. I'd take them

409
00:32:07.369 --> 00:32:11.920
across the street to get help, only the window hadn't

410
00:32:12.000 --> 00:32:17.019
woken them. I shook little Eric, but he didn't budge.

411
00:32:18.400 --> 00:32:24.140
I turned to Elwood. Oh, God, no! I ran to

412
00:32:24.180 --> 00:32:30.190
his bedside. I'd found the sponge. The intruder had stuffed

413
00:32:30.250 --> 00:32:35.650
it into his mouth. That same sickly odor hung heavily

414
00:32:35.670 --> 00:32:39.170
around Elwood. I pulled the sponge out of his mouth

415
00:32:39.490 --> 00:32:42.940
and tossed it to the side. I patted the boy's

416
00:32:43.039 --> 00:32:47.180
cheek and said his name, repeating the actions over and

417
00:32:47.420 --> 00:32:51.359
over with greater intensity until I was slapping him and

418
00:32:51.500 --> 00:32:57.269
screaming for him to wake up. He jerked upright. then

419
00:32:57.450 --> 00:33:02.890
bent to the side, vomiting violently over my dress before

420
00:33:02.970 --> 00:33:08.019
collapsing off the bed and onto me. I got him

421
00:33:08.119 --> 00:33:12.420
onto his side. He coughed, choked, and threw up some more.

422
00:33:13.920 --> 00:33:17.799
I'm going to get help, I promised him. I took

423
00:33:17.859 --> 00:33:23.369
another glance at Eric's still body and began sobbing uncontrollably

424
00:33:23.450 --> 00:33:27.829
as I fought to my feet. I couldn't bring myself

425
00:33:27.890 --> 00:33:32.349
to check if he was breathing. I stumbled from the bedroom.

426
00:33:33.490 --> 00:33:37.670
Elwood's wheezing and coughing worsened, and I dashed madly to

427
00:33:37.710 --> 00:33:42.650
the front door. Terror assaulted my senses. It tore away

428
00:33:42.710 --> 00:33:47.680
at my logic, my knowledge, my awareness. All I had

429
00:33:47.759 --> 00:33:51.460
was that door. I couldn't think of anything else, couldn't

430
00:33:51.640 --> 00:33:55.380
see anything else. It was the thing that was keeping

431
00:33:55.420 --> 00:34:00.859
me from getting help. I charged at it with laser-like focus. Then,

432
00:34:02.000 --> 00:34:07.019
the wet mist hit my face. My glasses kept it

433
00:34:07.099 --> 00:34:11.219
out of my eyes, but my panicked hyperventilation drew it

434
00:34:11.320 --> 00:34:16.590
deeper into my lungs. I fell forward and slid on

435
00:34:16.650 --> 00:34:23.210
my knees, head first, into that damn door. My scalp split,

436
00:34:23.849 --> 00:34:28.199
leaving a splatter on the panels. I heard the whistle

437
00:34:28.280 --> 00:34:32.880
hiss of the flit gun pumping more chemicals into the air.

438
00:34:35.039 --> 00:34:40.039
The air thickened inside my throat, hardening like cement in

439
00:34:40.099 --> 00:34:45.710
my lungs. A man spoke from somewhere in the room.

440
00:34:52.550 --> 00:34:57.130
Every night for eighty years I've wondered, What he might

441
00:34:57.170 --> 00:35:02.789
have said. My brain swelled inside my head. Every syllable

442
00:35:02.849 --> 00:35:07.050
he spoke was a thunderclap rumbling over the horizon, so

443
00:35:07.130 --> 00:35:12.989
loud but so distant. He spoke like any other person

444
00:35:13.050 --> 00:35:16.090
I'd ever heard, but the words were not words in

445
00:35:16.150 --> 00:35:21.110
my befuddled mind. The man's boots were all I could

446
00:35:21.239 --> 00:35:25.789
see as he approached me. The floorboards seemed to shudder

447
00:35:25.869 --> 00:35:29.469
as he drew closer. I could see the hobnails gouging

448
00:35:29.510 --> 00:35:33.210
the boards with each step. I shriveled into a ball,

449
00:35:33.289 --> 00:35:36.690
determined not to look at him. If I saw him,

450
00:35:37.659 --> 00:35:41.780
he would have been real. He knelt, letting the chemical

451
00:35:41.880 --> 00:35:46.679
sprayer bang down beside my head. I struggled for a

452
00:35:46.800 --> 00:35:51.639
single breath of air, gloved fingers twisted in my hair,

453
00:35:52.320 --> 00:35:58.739
turning my face up. No face looked back. Beneath the

454
00:35:58.820 --> 00:36:02.219
rim of a steel helmet was a mask of leather

455
00:36:02.659 --> 00:36:09.110
and chainmail, the eyes covered with metal slats. The intruder

456
00:36:09.210 --> 00:36:12.889
dragged me to a seated position, and I watched his

457
00:36:12.969 --> 00:36:18.480
other hand move to his bayonet on his hip. He

458
00:36:18.539 --> 00:36:23.119
took his time drawing the weapon, letting the razor-sharp edge

459
00:36:23.239 --> 00:36:27.699
drag on the brass locket of the sheath. He pressed

460
00:36:27.780 --> 00:36:33.579
the point into my chest. Past the bayonet, I saw

461
00:36:33.639 --> 00:36:37.239
the sprayer with its handle primed to give another puff

462
00:36:37.340 --> 00:36:42.079
of its vile contents. He was going to kill me,

463
00:36:42.920 --> 00:36:45.519
and then he was going to finish the boys off

464
00:36:45.980 --> 00:36:51.849
with the poison gas. That's when it all clicked into place.

465
00:36:52.949 --> 00:36:56.809
The marshal house, the people in the diner, arguing over

466
00:36:57.130 --> 00:37:01.000
murder or gas leak. I knew then what had really

467
00:37:01.079 --> 00:37:03.900
happened and that it was about to happen again to

468
00:37:03.940 --> 00:37:07.800
the herd children. The intruder dragged the tip of the

469
00:37:07.860 --> 00:37:12.440
bayonet to my throat and raised my chin with the edge.

470
00:37:13.480 --> 00:37:17.079
I felt it resting on my jugular notch, ready to

471
00:37:17.159 --> 00:37:21.519
plunge downward into my heart, My fingers tapped along the floor.

472
00:37:22.199 --> 00:37:26.969
The intruder leaned forward, steadying himself for the killing blow.

473
00:37:28.250 --> 00:37:31.250
Got it. I raised the flit gun onto its handle

474
00:37:31.469 --> 00:37:34.469
and pushed down, firing a puff of the poison under

475
00:37:34.510 --> 00:37:38.260
the chainmail. The intruder whirled away, taking a slice out

476
00:37:38.280 --> 00:37:41.860
of my chin in the process. He choked on his

477
00:37:41.960 --> 00:37:45.920
own noxious mixture, giving me the time to scramble to

478
00:37:45.960 --> 00:37:48.949
the kitchen on all fours. I used the counter to

479
00:37:48.989 --> 00:37:52.349
pull myself upright. I leaned over the sink, hacking from

480
00:37:52.369 --> 00:37:55.889
the exertion when the powerful arm wrapped around my waist.

481
00:37:56.429 --> 00:37:59.320
I grabbed onto the faucet for dear life with both hands.

482
00:37:59.579 --> 00:38:02.920
He pulled at me hard. My hands slipped closer to

483
00:38:02.960 --> 00:38:06.960
the spigot. The still, bloody shard I'd wrenched from my

484
00:38:07.059 --> 00:38:11.780
foot sat in the basin. I risked letting go with

485
00:38:11.920 --> 00:38:15.199
one hand and grabbed for it. The next jerk broke

486
00:38:15.260 --> 00:38:18.500
my grip. The intruder slung me down onto my face.

487
00:38:19.019 --> 00:38:21.659
He grabbed my hair once more as he straddled me

488
00:38:21.719 --> 00:38:27.219
from behind. Only this time, I had an advantage. I

489
00:38:27.340 --> 00:38:30.659
clawed at his hand, feeling for the perfect target, then

490
00:38:30.800 --> 00:38:34.849
pushed the glass in between his knuckles. He roared and

491
00:38:34.989 --> 00:38:38.710
stumbled away. I pressed myself up. I didn't know how

492
00:38:38.750 --> 00:38:42.030
to fight, but there wasn't any other way I would survive.

493
00:38:42.849 --> 00:38:45.849
I made the best fists I could, but the intruder

494
00:38:45.889 --> 00:38:51.300
did something completely different. He pulled a glass jar from

495
00:38:51.360 --> 00:38:56.820
a pouch on his belt. Another, smaller jar rested inside,

496
00:38:57.559 --> 00:39:02.440
nestled in a bed of crystalline powder. Before I could

497
00:39:02.500 --> 00:39:05.940
give it much more thought, he threw them at my feet.

498
00:39:06.840 --> 00:39:10.179
The contents bubbled violently on the floor when they shattered,

499
00:39:10.440 --> 00:39:13.119
filling the room with white fumes and the stench of

500
00:39:13.449 --> 00:39:19.250
moldy hay. Whatever diabolical mixture he'd unleashed was much more

501
00:39:19.369 --> 00:39:24.469
potent than the chemical he'd sprayed before. My lungs spasmed,

502
00:39:24.690 --> 00:39:28.630
my knees buckled, the intruder sheathed his dagger, and with

503
00:39:28.690 --> 00:39:32.179
a final glance in the direction of the children, turned

504
00:39:32.239 --> 00:39:37.679
and stormed out through the front door. I'd won, but

505
00:39:37.739 --> 00:39:43.940
the victory would be short-lived. And so would I. I

506
00:39:44.059 --> 00:39:48.199
staggered forward, slicing my feet on broken glass for the

507
00:39:48.239 --> 00:39:52.090
second time, I fell and crashed into the cleaning bucket

508
00:39:52.170 --> 00:39:57.409
I'd prepared earlier. The ammonia mixture washed across the floor.

509
00:39:58.630 --> 00:40:02.550
Air coming in from the intruder's escape swirled the fumes

510
00:40:02.650 --> 00:40:07.420
around me like a poisonous sea of clouds. The ammonia

511
00:40:07.519 --> 00:40:11.260
burned in my cuts, keeping me awake despite the choking

512
00:40:11.320 --> 00:40:15.860
effects of the gas. Then the smell began to dissipate.

513
00:40:17.139 --> 00:40:20.409
The fumes thinned out as the breeze pushed them around

514
00:40:20.469 --> 00:40:24.929
the kitchen. A sticky sheen sparkled on the floor where

515
00:40:24.969 --> 00:40:29.820
the heavy gas can had settled. I rolled to my side.

516
00:40:30.900 --> 00:40:34.739
The cleaning solution had washed over the intruder's gas bomb.

517
00:40:35.440 --> 00:40:40.300
It fizzed placidly from the new reaction. I crawled toward

518
00:40:40.340 --> 00:40:44.369
the living room and passed out, a few feet shy.

519
00:40:46.030 --> 00:40:49.030
When I awoke in the hospital the next day, I

520
00:40:49.110 --> 00:40:54.349
told Chief Bowles what had happened. I explained everything. The

521
00:40:54.409 --> 00:40:58.369
man in the military uniform, the chemical sprayer he'd used

522
00:40:58.429 --> 00:41:02.369
on the boys, the sponge he'd jammed in poor Elwood's mouth,

523
00:41:02.690 --> 00:41:05.730
and how he'd used some sort of poison gas to

524
00:41:05.809 --> 00:41:10.949
overcome me so that he could escape. The chief never

525
00:41:11.050 --> 00:41:14.510
made a mark in his notebook. When I was done

526
00:41:14.610 --> 00:41:19.150
recounting my story, I was told what had really happened.

527
00:41:20.289 --> 00:41:23.809
I'd cut my foot on some broken glass and while

528
00:41:24.170 --> 00:41:29.760
cleaning it up I carelessly mixed dangerous chemicals together. The

529
00:41:29.820 --> 00:41:33.739
vomit on my dress was my own. Any blood in

530
00:41:33.780 --> 00:41:37.380
the kitchen was mine as well. I fell and hit

531
00:41:37.420 --> 00:41:40.599
my head on the counter and anything I thought I

532
00:41:40.739 --> 00:41:45.679
saw was a combination of the chemical reaction and a concussion.

533
00:41:46.900 --> 00:41:50.400
That was the story I would tell because it was

534
00:41:50.460 --> 00:41:54.820
in the best interest of the public good. When I protested,

535
00:41:55.400 --> 00:41:59.070
I was told the other story of what happened that night.

536
00:41:59.989 --> 00:42:05.250
The one where a disturbed teenage girl racked by psychotic

537
00:42:05.269 --> 00:42:09.969
hallucinations decided to punish the kids she'd been babysitting by

538
00:42:10.030 --> 00:42:13.969
holding a sponge full of chloroform over their mouths until

539
00:42:14.010 --> 00:42:18.900
they were unconscious. You can guess which version I told.

540
00:42:18.920 --> 00:42:25.269
In the coming weeks, it wouldn't matter. The Mad Gasser

541
00:42:25.329 --> 00:42:36.880
of Kuto Basin was just getting started. Well, my spookies,

542
00:42:37.260 --> 00:42:40.099
here's a little advice before I let you all go

543
00:42:40.320 --> 00:42:44.239
home tonight. If you wake up to an open window

544
00:42:44.320 --> 00:42:48.420
you swear you closed... strange footprints in the house, or

545
00:42:48.500 --> 00:42:52.869
a sickly sweet smell drifting through the night, maybe don't

546
00:42:52.949 --> 00:42:58.869
convince yourself it's nothing. Maybe don't sniff the mysterious canister.

547
00:42:58.949 --> 00:43:02.469
Just lock your windows, check the shadows, and sleep tight.

548
00:43:03.090 --> 00:43:05.960
And thank you all for joining me for this scary

549
00:43:06.059 --> 00:43:10.519
story that I know will scratch that Halloween itch just right.

550
00:43:11.099 --> 00:43:13.619
I really do appreciate you spending your time with me,

551
00:43:13.639 --> 00:43:16.010
and of course, I'll be back here tomorrow for a

552
00:43:16.070 --> 00:43:19.670
brand new Thursday Thrills, where you'll learn all about the

553
00:43:19.789 --> 00:43:23.820
newest things in the world worth being afraid of and

554
00:43:23.880 --> 00:43:26.360
talking about. And I want to say thank you all

555
00:43:26.460 --> 00:43:30.340
so much for heading to weeklyspooky.com slash join and supporting

556
00:43:30.389 --> 00:43:32.769
us for as little as $ 1 a month. It really

557
00:43:32.829 --> 00:43:35.070
does make a huge difference for the show. There are

558
00:43:35.150 --> 00:43:38.590
over 90 Spookys supporting us. And now's a great time

559
00:43:38.630 --> 00:43:41.070
for you to join up as well. And speaking of,

560
00:43:41.369 --> 00:43:43.329
I want to say an extra special thank you to

561
00:43:43.389 --> 00:43:46.630
our Patreon podcast boosters. Those are folks who pay just

562
00:43:46.670 --> 00:43:48.690
a little bit more to hear their names at the

563
00:43:48.730 --> 00:43:51.590
end of the show. And they are Johnny Nix, Kate

564
00:43:51.670 --> 00:43:55.730
and Lulu, Jessica Fuller, Mike Eschewy, Jenny Green, Karen Weemet,

565
00:43:55.869 --> 00:43:58.530
Jack Kerr, and Craig Cohen. Thank you all so much.

566
00:43:58.550 --> 00:43:59.909
And if you want to hear your name at the

567
00:43:59.949 --> 00:44:03.719
end of every episode of Weekly Spooky, just head to weeklyspooky.com

568
00:44:03.739 --> 00:44:06.219
slash join and sign up at the $ 15 a month

569
00:44:06.300 --> 00:44:09.420
or higher tier. It really makes a difference and means

570
00:44:09.480 --> 00:44:12.119
a whole hell of a lot to me. But now

571
00:44:12.179 --> 00:44:13.900
it's time for me to get back to work because

572
00:44:13.980 --> 00:44:17.739
as October approaches, we'll be publishing more than just once

573
00:44:17.820 --> 00:44:21.980
a day. We'll have special novellas, extra stories, all kinds

574
00:44:22.039 --> 00:44:24.539
of goodies for you to enjoy right here, so make

575
00:44:24.599 --> 00:44:28.380
sure you're subscribed. You've been warned. So for myself, for

576
00:44:28.420 --> 00:44:32.559
my executive producers, Bobletopia.com, and Rob Fields, my producer, Dan Wilder,

577
00:44:32.599 --> 00:44:35.960
and my composer, Ray Mattis, I'll talk at you tomorrow.

578
00:44:35.980 --> 00:44:41.119
Heh heh. Thank you for listening. Make sure to find

579
00:44:41.170 --> 00:44:46.429
your way back next week. But for now, you are safe.

580
00:44:47.929 --> 00:44:48.559
Trust me.