Dec. 31, 2024

New Year's Evil - A Paranormal Thriller from the Case Files of Caroline Quinn

New Year's Evil - A Paranormal Thriller from the Case Files of Caroline Quinn
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Join Caroline Quinn, supernatural troubleshooter and vampire hunter, as she battles cultists, undead creatures, and a Death God in a high-stakes New Year’s Eve showdown. A gripping tale of action, horror, and dark humor.

New Year's Evil - A Paranormal Thriller from the Case Files of Caroline Quinn by Mike Ashkewe

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Music by Ray Mattis http://raymattispresents.bandcamp.com

Executive Producers
Rob Fields
Mark Shields
Bobbletopia.com

Produced by Daniel Wilder

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

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This New Year's join Caroline Quinn, supernatural troubleshooter and vampire

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Hunter as she battles coultists, undead creatures, and a death

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guy in a high stakes New Year's Eve showdown. Can

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she defeat a malevolent evil she's never experienced before? And

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what will be left of her?

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

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You will experience tales over opera, ghosts, and death gap.

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It is not recommended for the Week at Heart Heart

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listeners in the dark. It's more fun at that way way.

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This is Weekly Speaking, Hello, my spookies. It's New Year's

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Eve and time for one more terrifying tale to titillate

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you here at Weekly Spooky before we head into twenty

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and twenty five. I'm your host and narrator, Enrique Kuto,

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and for over three hundred episodes we've shared something scary

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and fun for you to enjoy, and twenty twenty five

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will be no different. So why not end this year

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a year with so many new spookies, so many new stories,

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end it on a high note. Right, But before we

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get to that, thank you so much for all your

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support this year, For all of your support over on

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Patreon for all your support, subscribing and leaving five star ratings.

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It really does mean the world to me. And I'm

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warning you on the other side of this episode, when

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I come back and talk to you, I might get

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a little sentimental. So you've been warned. But about tonight's story.

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New Year's Eve is a time for celebration, for resolutions,

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and for starting fresh. But what if instead of ringing

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in the New year, you found yourself fighting to survive

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the night. What if an ancient force decided this New

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Year's would be the last? Get comfortable as we find

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out if this is indeed the last New Year's Eve?

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Right after this New Year's Evil A paranormal thriller from

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the Case Files of Caroline Quinn by Mike Eskewer New

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Year's Eve, twenty twelve, End of the World Er So

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I hear, yeah right? It should be a time where

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you reflect on the year and how you've grown and

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what you should be grateful for. Blah blah blah, sentimental bullshit. I,

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on the other hand, loved going out for drinks with

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the girls, pick up a guy or girl whoever looks

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fun and frankly party on This year is not going

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to be like that, or at least this story won't

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end up with me losing my shoes in doing the

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Walk of shame into a seven to eleven for a

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slurpee on New Year's Morning. Instead, you get me your

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favorite Ghoul school graduate and recently instituted federal agent, Caroline Quinn.

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The government's own supernatural badass were called troubleshooters, and there

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aren't a lot of us in my graduating class. There

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were maybe five others like myself, a blend of the

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superpowered and supernatural aka the government sponsored freak shows, government

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goons who fight real life monsters, the kind of stuff

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that was once only found in books and fairy tales.

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Cool huh, However, that's not what's important. This part is

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actually pretty cool, and not many know about it. Gual school.

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What's that you ask? Well, back when the world changed

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and suddenly superpowers and the supernatural just randomly start to

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coexist in the mid nineteen fifties, So now we have

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assholes who can fly and assholes who suck blood who

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can also fly. But it's complicated. Long story short, Spandex

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fights Dracula and even the occasional Frankenstein like things. We

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call them frankies for short. Weirdly more common than you

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might think, and it's usually pharmaceutical companies. Anyway, So my

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mom was a vampire and my dad wasn't, but he

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was into the whole undead thing. Vamps are sexy, I guess, no,

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just gross, but I digress. My dad is what they

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call a ghoule, but not like an undead zombie thing,

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more like a bonded to vampiric host sort of thing.

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It sounds less fucked up if I use the science

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terms I learned at the academy nine months later, and

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I'm sure stuff that would re under years of therapy

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if I lingered on it. I was born. So one

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night back when I was twelve, a couple of bad

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looking motherfuckers who looked like the Men in Black showed

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up for a chat. They pointed an ultraviolet shotgun at

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my mom and pistol whipped my dad and said, we

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know your kid is special. We're taking her and if

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all goes nice and smooth, she'll see when she graduates

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from our little school. Do anything but say that your

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daughter is on scholarship to a private school, and you'll

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be dissected. Am I clear. That was my life for

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six years at Ghoul School. It never officially had a name,

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but all of us kids nicknamed it Ghoul School. And

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that's where I'm headed. And it happened to be in

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the dullest place you can imagine, Ohio. I know, right.

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I got a call from a friend, Sammy, who works

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at the school, and said that I needed to come home,

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but it absolutely had to be tonight. He sounded panicked,

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and that was not what I knew of Sammy. December

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thirty first, twenty twelve. This is not what I had

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planned for New Year's Eve this year. I had actually

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had a date tonight. She was a nice girl I

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met at the academy after I graduated. Her name was Rheanne.

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She was cute and I was totally into her. Instead,

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I drove through the backwoods of Ohio on New Year's

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and investigated something weird. It could be something, or it

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could be nothing. Entirely, I couldn't shake the feeling that

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something was wrong. Didn't need to be a super or

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something else to know something was going to go down

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at my old school. I was a few hours out

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from campus near Youngstown. Sammy had said that he noticed

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some of the newer kids were acting weirder than normal

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and something felt off. He'd mentioned that one day one

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of their cell phones was confiscated and it had very

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threatening messages, and not something as fun as a school

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shooting either. No, seriously, how the fuck is that still

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a thing in twenty twelve, especially since now the kids

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can literally pack as much firepower into their own fists

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as some militaries. I guess I should be thankful someone

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who can melt people with their eyes hasn't had a

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bad day in Pe yet. Way of the world I

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guess still sucks though. Anyway, Sammy had mentioned a name

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and that immediately set off alarm bells. Yasu. When things

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got weird in the world, things got weird, it wasn't

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just vampires and shit that became real. It was things

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that were like nuclear threat level worse, demons, specters, and

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rumor has it, even death gods. Things got understandably bizarre

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in the post changed world, but things that literally could

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rise from the grave and command armies of the undead

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I'm not a fan of, even if I share some

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of that supposed supernatural blood running in my veins part

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of my occult schooling involved learning about what new world

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I was a part of, but also the part that

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I would protect it and draw a paycheck at the

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same time, get some great education, learn rules, laws and regulations,

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and then privately enforce the law for Uncle Sam and

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protect the country and even the world at large. It's

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a lot less cool than it sounds, but no student

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loans to pay back. So bonus Yasu was some long

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forgotten god from somewhere in Asia, and probably for good reason,

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a death cult that was left out of most history

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books and written off as myth by many. Now there's

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not an unreasonable possibility that this thing was potentially returned

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learning for a comeback tour in twenty twelve. Great timing,

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if I do say so myself. As a favorite cartoon

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of mine once said, he makes Gozer look like Little

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Mary Sunshine. Clearly I'm in for a fun time if

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he's right. But I am so praying this is just

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a bunch of edge lords trying to look cool in

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a school full of weirdos. This is great, isn't it.

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A dipshit with a Twitter account thinks they can summon

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great value. Cuthulhu Sammy knew something was up, but didn't

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want to get the kids in harm's way. Call me

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up and hopefully come in quickly, quietly, and do it

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before Uncle Sam decides to use all necessary force. The

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school had security, some super powered individuals of their own.

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But something feels wrong. You should go back to your

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old school to say, Hey, what's up. Let's grab a drink.

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Not me, though, I get to spend my New Year's

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Eve potentially stopping the resurrection of a death god. Or

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I break up some dorky kids new Year's Eve party

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which was their ticket into someone's pants for a night

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save the world, or cock block someone. Fuck. Please, let

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this be a false alarm and just be someone overreacting

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to some kid trying to sound cool. I suppose, on

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the bonus side of all this, I can stop by

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the old cafeteria and see if they still make the

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best tuna sandwich in Ohio, if I can make it

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there in time. Not exactly how I envisioned ringing in

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the New Year. I should be getting drunk and getting laid.

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But here we are.

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Go me right, don't go away, weekly Spooky will be

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right back.

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It's about ten pm when I finally arrive at the school,

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big expensive and like Oprah and Martha Stewart designed the campus.

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It was pretty in a weird artificial sort of way,

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but definitely doesn't give off super secret government institution for

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superpowers vibes. You'd think someone built an Ivy League school

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in the middle of the woods, and on one hand,

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you're right, except it's fully razor wiring, closed and has

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armed patrols near its grounds. Definitely missed dinner though the

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cafe closed hours ago. I wasn't even checked by guards

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when crossing over the perimeter. Okay, that's not normal. Calling

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sammy cell and all I get is voicemail. I'm definitely

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not liking this. Parking in the visitors lot, I step

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out into the cold December air. I look around the

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empty school grounds and I can hear music come from

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somewhere close. I don't see anyone around though, no guards,

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no kids, and definitely no one in charge. The parties

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should be happening in the dorms with the older kids.

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Got to keep whatever damage happens to a minimum tonight.

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I guess I'm going non lethal tasers pepper spray. I

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also have my abilities super strength, speed, durability beyond the

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means of mere mortals at least, and I can see

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in the dark most of the time. I also heal

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super quickly should something be able to hurt me. I

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can shrug off most types of damage unless it comes

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from a supernatural or superpowered force. And it's pretty reasonable

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to assume that I'll run into some kind of trouble tonight.

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At the very least, I'm probably going to ruin my

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new winter coat, which I bought myself for Christmas. Wouldn't

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be a government operation without some cool toys, though, Director

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James Carlson, the new guy at the Department of Paranormal Researches,

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made sure we always had options in our field assignments.

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Now that's the kicker here. Though this isn't a sanctioned operation.

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This is so off the books that if I get

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caught or this makes the newspaper somehow, I am likely

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going to end up in some deep dark cell in

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a prison where not even God could save me unless

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he had proper security clearance. A lot is riding on

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this to keep it quiet, safe, and above all, make

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sure no one gets hurt who doesn't need to. Maybe,

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on second thought, I better sling the toys and just

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keep it to pure non lethals and stuff I can

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conceal in my purse or under my jacket. I'll take

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the taser and the spray nice and tight. Don't want

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to draw too much attention to myself, but a six

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foot blonde who doesn't exactly dress conservatively is bound to

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raise a few eyebrows if I get spot. I stop

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myself from breathing and focus all of my attention on

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listening to the environment around the school grounds, focusing all

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my supernatural senses and just listening for real signs of life, talking, movement,

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fucking anything that doesn't belong. A moment passes and I

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hear something in the dorms across the parking lot. I

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carefully isolate the sound from the music that's pounding and

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almost overwhelming my senses. This is deliberate. This music is

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covering something up or is a part of it. A

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low murmur in a language I don't recognize, but I

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know it's bad news. It sounds like a group of

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voices are chanting or singing something deeply weird. Guess it's

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time to go, I feel weird, leaving behind all the

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weapons in the car in case I run into something.

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ALON little harder to kill than some gifted weirdo with

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who knows what powers. I don't feel good leaving behind

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my actual handgun, but I'd rather not accidentally shoot through

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a wall and hurt someone. I briskly walk across the

225
00:15:17.080 --> 00:15:19.879
lot and head towards the courtyard in front of the

226
00:15:19.919 --> 00:15:23.799
school dorms. A lot of memories come flooding back as

227
00:15:23.840 --> 00:15:27.080
I crossed the yard. I smile briefly as I look

228
00:15:27.120 --> 00:15:32.159
at one particular tree. That tree is where I kissed

229
00:15:32.159 --> 00:15:37.120
my first boyfriend, Dan. He was all right, but it

230
00:15:37.240 --> 00:15:40.120
was his sister who was really into me, and she

231
00:15:40.240 --> 00:15:44.480
and I dated for a few semesters. Surprisingly, Dan was

232
00:15:44.559 --> 00:15:48.720
cool about it because he wanted his sister Laurie to

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00:15:48.799 --> 00:15:53.360
be happy. They were good kids. It's too bad they

234
00:15:53.360 --> 00:15:58.639
didn't make it to graduation day. I missed them. A

235
00:15:58.679 --> 00:16:01.799
schoolyard fight went wrong and one of the other freak

236
00:16:01.879 --> 00:16:06.240
shows decided to use their pyrokinetic abilities to burn them

237
00:16:06.240 --> 00:16:10.559
to cinders. School security didn't waste any time in putting

238
00:16:10.600 --> 00:16:16.679
down the offender. In spectacular fashion. Security officer Franklin Wick

239
00:16:17.000 --> 00:16:21.840
aka Boyle, used his superpowers to liquefy the water inside

240
00:16:21.879 --> 00:16:26.600
the attacker and turned them into a bloody puddle. Fights

241
00:16:26.639 --> 00:16:30.519
at Ghoul School could get cataclysmic real fast if security

242
00:16:30.519 --> 00:16:33.720
didn't step in. I saw one kid who was partially

243
00:16:33.759 --> 00:16:38.559
a gargoyle get torn apart by the school's enhanced guard dogs.

244
00:16:38.919 --> 00:16:42.399
It wasn't pretty, and it put us in line pretty quick.

245
00:16:43.600 --> 00:16:47.559
The blood spatter wasn't something you could easily forget. There

246
00:16:47.679 --> 00:16:51.440
wasn't enough of Dan and Laurie to bury. I don't

247
00:16:51.480 --> 00:16:55.360
even know if their parents know what really happened. A

248
00:16:55.399 --> 00:16:58.679
small tree is planted in the courtyard with a plaque

249
00:16:58.720 --> 00:17:03.200
that reads, may they never be forgotten as we fight forward.

250
00:17:04.039 --> 00:17:06.359
I don't know how many died over the course of

251
00:17:06.400 --> 00:17:10.880
the school's history, but it's more than a few, but

252
00:17:11.119 --> 00:17:14.880
less than a fuck ton. The government spends a lot

253
00:17:14.920 --> 00:17:19.359
of money to protect its investments. Not all kids who

254
00:17:19.359 --> 00:17:24.000
are either superpowered, gifted, or supernaturally inclined and up here,

255
00:17:24.640 --> 00:17:28.319
but it's enough to make sure it's protected. The United

256
00:17:28.359 --> 00:17:31.480
States stands on the front line of this weird occult

257
00:17:31.519 --> 00:17:35.680
war and tends to identify the most gifted individuals per

258
00:17:35.759 --> 00:17:40.400
its population. Most other nations try to keep those numbers quiet.

259
00:17:41.240 --> 00:17:45.200
The US likes to waive its supernatural superhero dick around

260
00:17:45.279 --> 00:17:50.160
like a grinning idiot kid who found his dad's gun. Still,

261
00:17:50.240 --> 00:17:54.640
there are too many, but that's why I'm here. Maybe

262
00:17:54.680 --> 00:17:58.119
I can stop something bad before it really gets going

263
00:17:58.759 --> 00:18:02.359
and somebody else gets her. I know it won't bring

264
00:18:02.480 --> 00:18:06.079
back Dan and Loriie, but yeah, if I could do

265
00:18:06.160 --> 00:18:11.160
the right thing, then I absolutely should save the world. Right.

266
00:18:12.440 --> 00:18:15.759
I'll call Sammy's phone one last time before I enter

267
00:18:15.839 --> 00:18:19.240
the dorms and hope he picks up it. Rings and

268
00:18:19.359 --> 00:18:25.240
rings and rings, and then straight to voicemail. I pocket

269
00:18:25.240 --> 00:18:28.039
my phone and walk up the stone steps to the dorms.

270
00:18:28.720 --> 00:18:32.759
If Sammy is anywhere, it's probably here, since he's one

271
00:18:32.799 --> 00:18:37.359
of the resident advisors and is probably in the Resident

272
00:18:37.400 --> 00:18:41.119
Advisor's office or in his own suite on the fourth floor.

273
00:18:41.920 --> 00:18:44.599
I creak open the double doors and enter the front

274
00:18:44.640 --> 00:18:49.480
area of the dorms. It's loud, but unnaturally still. At

275
00:18:49.480 --> 00:18:54.359
the same time, weird loud music echoes over the PA systems,

276
00:18:55.000 --> 00:18:57.880
and even some of the interior lights are flashing on

277
00:18:58.160 --> 00:19:02.359
and off, as if in t with the music. Well,

278
00:19:03.400 --> 00:19:06.440
this one just jumped up on the weird shadow meter.

279
00:19:08.240 --> 00:19:10.720
Did you hear that? Better check the locks on your

280
00:19:10.759 --> 00:19:14.200
doors weekly spooky, We'll be right back.

281
00:19:16.680 --> 00:19:19.960
The front desk is empty, as expected, but that may

282
00:19:20.000 --> 00:19:23.720
actually work to my advantage. I hop over the desk

283
00:19:23.799 --> 00:19:26.640
and thankfully don't tear the ass out of my jeens

284
00:19:26.680 --> 00:19:30.720
as I do. The security system is still open and active,

285
00:19:31.119 --> 00:19:33.519
and I have a whole suite of cameras across the

286
00:19:33.680 --> 00:19:38.359
entire building to look in on. Examining multiple cameras across

287
00:19:38.400 --> 00:19:41.799
the four floors, and almost immediately I come across the

288
00:19:41.839 --> 00:19:46.839
bad news I've been expecting. The fourth floor is filled

289
00:19:46.839 --> 00:19:51.440
with people, and some do not look very friendly. It

290
00:19:51.480 --> 00:19:54.400
looks like almost all the students and staff have been

291
00:19:54.400 --> 00:19:57.559
subdued and are tied up lining the hallways of the

292
00:19:57.599 --> 00:20:01.799
fourth floor gags and ropes, and some are covered in

293
00:20:01.839 --> 00:20:06.359
a weird green goo that I've never seen before. This

294
00:20:06.559 --> 00:20:10.759
night just keeps getting better, doesn't it. I see a

295
00:20:10.799 --> 00:20:14.000
group of about six of them in long dark robes

296
00:20:14.440 --> 00:20:17.880
being led by a guy in skinny black jeans and

297
00:20:17.960 --> 00:20:23.440
a Christmas sweater wonderful, a gaggle of goofy wanna be cultists,

298
00:20:23.799 --> 00:20:27.319
and a dorky Hans Gruber type. He even has the

299
00:20:27.400 --> 00:20:30.559
cutest little bit of facial hair trying to look like

300
00:20:30.640 --> 00:20:35.000
Alan Rickman. Just as I'm sitting here giggling to myself,

301
00:20:35.400 --> 00:20:38.680
an icicle comes flying out of the darkness and impacts

302
00:20:38.680 --> 00:20:43.559
the wall behind my head and explodes into painful icy shards.

303
00:20:44.440 --> 00:20:47.480
Before I can even register the shock of the first impact,

304
00:20:47.839 --> 00:20:50.839
a flurry of ice spears comes flying at the desk

305
00:20:51.000 --> 00:20:54.039
and at me. I throw myself to the floor under

306
00:20:54.039 --> 00:20:58.640
the desk and hear more impacts. Oh fuck me, I

307
00:20:58.759 --> 00:21:02.200
quietly whisper to myself as I can hear more hits.

308
00:21:02.799 --> 00:21:05.599
The desk is made of heavy wood, but it won't

309
00:21:05.680 --> 00:21:09.640
last forever and I'll have to move. Time to go

310
00:21:09.680 --> 00:21:12.799
to work. Then I peek around the corner and see

311
00:21:12.799 --> 00:21:15.519
if I can spot where the attacks are coming from.

312
00:21:15.839 --> 00:21:19.519
My eyesight adjusts to the lighting conditions, and I can

313
00:21:19.559 --> 00:21:22.240
see a small shape at the far end of the lobby,

314
00:21:22.640 --> 00:21:27.799
hiding behind one of those big comfy chairs. I can't

315
00:21:27.839 --> 00:21:32.079
make out any distinct features, though, but I know they

316
00:21:32.079 --> 00:21:36.799
are alone. I can hear just one heartbeat besides my own,

317
00:21:37.559 --> 00:21:42.799
and it's beating so fast it's like our wrappers backing track. Hey,

318
00:21:42.960 --> 00:21:45.559
could you please stop throwing shit at me? For like

319
00:21:46.160 --> 00:21:50.240
five seconds? I yell from behind the desk and prepare

320
00:21:50.279 --> 00:21:54.200
to sprint from my position. If I can distract them

321
00:21:54.319 --> 00:21:58.160
for just a moment, I can use that supernatural speed

322
00:21:58.640 --> 00:22:01.599
and close the gap and not catch an ice spear

323
00:22:01.599 --> 00:22:05.440
in the head. I mean, there is a reasonable chance

324
00:22:05.480 --> 00:22:08.359
I'd shrug it off due to my own gifts. But

325
00:22:08.799 --> 00:22:13.279
just because you're tough doesn't mean you're reckless. Another impact,

326
00:22:13.319 --> 00:22:16.160
and this time I can see the ice penetrate right

327
00:22:16.200 --> 00:22:21.319
beside my face. I know it's time to move. I

328
00:22:21.400 --> 00:22:24.319
thrust my body forward and move across the room in

329
00:22:24.359 --> 00:22:27.000
the blink of an eye, and at the last second,

330
00:22:27.039 --> 00:22:29.200
I use the chair as a place to jump off

331
00:22:29.559 --> 00:22:33.519
and land behind it. Training kicks in and I'm now

332
00:22:33.559 --> 00:22:37.200
in combat mode. And it all happens almost by instinct,

333
00:22:37.359 --> 00:22:40.920
and sheer will alone. I sweep my leg low and

334
00:22:41.000 --> 00:22:44.119
knock my opponent over with tremendous force against the wall.

335
00:22:44.839 --> 00:22:48.680
Moving into close range, arms fly forward, and I throw

336
00:22:48.759 --> 00:22:51.400
all my strength in depending their arms while pushing my

337
00:22:51.480 --> 00:22:55.240
weight onto them and holding them to the floor. Looking

338
00:22:55.279 --> 00:22:58.039
down at my opponent for a second, and I see

339
00:22:59.400 --> 00:23:03.599
it's a kid. She looks frightened and terrified beyond reason.

340
00:23:04.640 --> 00:23:07.519
She's an Asian girl who couldn't be more than fourteen,

341
00:23:08.119 --> 00:23:11.200
and that's maybe a stretch. She looks up at me

342
00:23:11.319 --> 00:23:15.319
in pure fear and closes her eyes, fully expecting me

343
00:23:15.400 --> 00:23:20.200
to end her right here and right now. I'm not

344
00:23:20.319 --> 00:23:23.599
a monster. I try to tell myself that before I

345
00:23:23.680 --> 00:23:26.680
go to sleep at night. I put my hand over

346
00:23:26.720 --> 00:23:30.839
her mouth firmly. Look, kid, I think we got off

347
00:23:30.839 --> 00:23:34.319
on the wrong foot. If I let you go, will

348
00:23:34.359 --> 00:23:37.200
you tell me what the fuck is happening around here?

349
00:23:37.960 --> 00:23:40.920
She nods, and I can feel some, but not all,

350
00:23:41.000 --> 00:23:44.160
of the tension leave her body. I release some of

351
00:23:44.200 --> 00:23:46.880
the grip I have honor and let go of my

352
00:23:47.039 --> 00:23:51.799
hold on her mouth. Who are you, she meekly asks.

353
00:23:52.680 --> 00:23:55.200
My name is Caroline, and I used to be a

354
00:23:55.240 --> 00:23:59.920
student here. I'm here to help. They killed mister reed

355
00:24:00.680 --> 00:24:04.640
They killed Miss Simmons. They even killed lunch lady Maria.

356
00:24:05.240 --> 00:24:08.920
They turned the rest of the staff into monsters. The

357
00:24:09.039 --> 00:24:13.640
kid stammered out, then started to cry. Mister Reeves was

358
00:24:13.680 --> 00:24:18.119
also known as Sammy Reeves. Sammy is dead, or at

359
00:24:18.200 --> 00:24:22.559
least according to her. I'll deal with this later, but

360
00:24:22.680 --> 00:24:27.440
right now we've got bigger problems. I know how to

361
00:24:27.480 --> 00:24:32.200
fight monsters, terrorists, and about seven different types of zombies,

362
00:24:32.799 --> 00:24:38.599
but I don't know how to deal with a kid crying. Okay, look,

363
00:24:39.200 --> 00:24:42.200
I'm also a federal agent and I'm like you, but

364
00:24:42.920 --> 00:24:47.880
I figured you guessed that already. What do you mean monsters?

365
00:24:48.359 --> 00:24:50.880
We sat down for a few minutes in the darkness

366
00:24:51.240 --> 00:24:55.799
and talked, and what I heard I didn't like. It.

367
00:24:55.920 --> 00:25:00.640
Seems about two days ago things started getting weird and

368
00:25:00.720 --> 00:25:05.319
then people started dying. She told me about strange creatures

369
00:25:05.359 --> 00:25:08.759
that tore the security teams apart, and they looked like

370
00:25:08.839 --> 00:25:13.200
something out of a horror movie green corpse like monsters

371
00:25:13.680 --> 00:25:17.279
covered in slime, and their touch that seemed to rot

372
00:25:17.759 --> 00:25:24.000
in an instant. Well, this definitely narrows it down. Rots,

373
00:25:24.839 --> 00:25:29.319
servants of death gods, corpses reanimated by the will of death,

374
00:25:29.359 --> 00:25:32.319
empowered by the souls of the damned near where they

375
00:25:32.319 --> 00:25:36.559
are animated, usually found in Europe, but more recently on

376
00:25:36.759 --> 00:25:42.519
modern battlefields, the unfortunate consequence of war. I'm afraid, tougher

377
00:25:42.559 --> 00:25:46.319
than typical zombies, and had a pleasant side effect of

378
00:25:46.400 --> 00:25:50.519
a death touch that basically putrefied you. It's quick, but

379
00:25:51.200 --> 00:25:53.759
about one of the most unpleasant ways to die. You

380
00:25:53.799 --> 00:26:00.440
can imagine what's your name, kid, Anna, Anna wu they

381
00:26:00.480 --> 00:26:04.759
call me slush. I'm not good with my powers. You're

382
00:26:04.759 --> 00:26:08.480
the first person I've ever successfully used them on. I

383
00:26:08.599 --> 00:26:13.200
chuckle at that. Well, to be fair, you didn't land

384
00:26:13.240 --> 00:26:16.519
to hit Anna. Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were

385
00:26:16.519 --> 00:26:21.160
one of Gary's goons and I panicked. I'm guessing Gary

386
00:26:21.279 --> 00:26:24.160
is the asshole in the Christmas sweater. The others in

387
00:26:24.200 --> 00:26:27.880
the robes must be the rots under his control. Anna

388
00:26:27.960 --> 00:26:32.880
stopped crying and nodded. He killed my roommate, Sarah. She

389
00:26:33.039 --> 00:26:37.440
tried to stop him, but Gary's monsters her voice trailed off.

390
00:26:38.359 --> 00:26:40.920
I can guess that the rots touched her and she

391
00:26:41.119 --> 00:26:46.000
likely died quickly but painfully, being rotted from the inside out.

392
00:26:47.039 --> 00:26:50.200
God damn, I can't save everyone, but that is no

393
00:26:50.319 --> 00:26:54.440
way to die, especially for a kid. Is that how

394
00:26:54.480 --> 00:26:57.839
you got away? I didn't want to ask, but I

395
00:26:57.920 --> 00:27:02.599
had to know me While I ran away, I couldn't

396
00:27:02.640 --> 00:27:06.160
help her, so she told me to run and hide.

397
00:27:06.200 --> 00:27:10.119
Any idea why Gary is doing this? You don't just

398
00:27:10.279 --> 00:27:12.920
try to resurrect a death god on New Year's Eve

399
00:27:13.000 --> 00:27:17.240
twenty twelve unless you have a really good reason or

400
00:27:17.279 --> 00:27:21.640
you're some nihilistic little fuck from Tumblr, No, but I

401
00:27:21.720 --> 00:27:24.599
know he talks to the dead. He transferred in a

402
00:27:24.640 --> 00:27:27.960
few weeks ago from out of the country, an exchange

403
00:27:28.000 --> 00:27:32.359
student from South America. I've got a few theories on why,

404
00:27:32.480 --> 00:27:36.559
and none of them good or even conclusive at this point.

405
00:27:36.759 --> 00:27:39.640
Could be anything from your typical I want to destroy

406
00:27:39.680 --> 00:27:44.279
the world, twirly mustache, to some kind of misguided religious belief,

407
00:27:44.440 --> 00:27:48.640
or my personal favorite, crazy as a shitthouse rat, as

408
00:27:48.640 --> 00:27:53.039
my dad used to say, all right, cool, so I

409
00:27:53.160 --> 00:27:56.599
got let me see a crazy kid who can talk

410
00:27:56.640 --> 00:27:59.039
to the dead with about six rots under his sway,

411
00:28:00.079 --> 00:28:03.759
direction of yasue likely at hand, and hostages of all

412
00:28:03.839 --> 00:28:07.359
shapes and sizes. You know, some girls want to go

413
00:28:07.400 --> 00:28:10.200
out and have drinks on New Year's Eve, but instead

414
00:28:10.279 --> 00:28:14.640
I get dragged into Caroline in the Apocalypse, not exactly

415
00:28:14.680 --> 00:28:17.240
Dick Clark's rock in New Year's Eve at Times Square.

416
00:28:17.759 --> 00:28:19.480
But I'm sure I'll find a way to bring a

417
00:28:19.480 --> 00:28:24.319
little life to this undead ghoulfest next year. I am

418
00:28:24.319 --> 00:28:29.480
definitely turning off text messages and going someplace sunny, maybe

419
00:28:29.480 --> 00:28:32.680
Disney World. I want my mouse ears.

420
00:28:33.839 --> 00:28:37.759
You're not safe yet, Weekly Spooky will be right back.

421
00:28:42.480 --> 00:28:46.279
I glance at my watch. It's eleven forty eight, and

422
00:28:46.359 --> 00:28:48.400
if I'm going to make a move, it has to

423
00:28:48.440 --> 00:28:52.319
be now. I'm wondering how useful my new friend Anna

424
00:28:52.440 --> 00:28:55.480
is going to be in a fight, especially if things

425
00:28:55.519 --> 00:29:00.400
get messy. Not like I have a choice. There's no

426
00:29:00.519 --> 00:29:03.240
time to call back up. If I don't solve this

427
00:29:03.359 --> 00:29:06.880
problem quickly, then the world won't be around for too

428
00:29:07.000 --> 00:29:10.480
much longer. So I need a plan and kick the

429
00:29:10.519 --> 00:29:14.000
door down, so to speak, maybe really fast, to kill

430
00:29:14.039 --> 00:29:17.279
myself and run the clock out on planet Earth. I

431
00:29:17.319 --> 00:29:20.160
can't just pull a die hard and expect to survive.

432
00:29:21.079 --> 00:29:23.680
I have to think tactically and less like a video

433
00:29:23.759 --> 00:29:28.759
game or a comic book. I need a plan. B Wait,

434
00:29:29.720 --> 00:29:32.480
light bulb moment here. I head over to the front

435
00:29:32.480 --> 00:29:35.960
desk area and start looking at those camera monitors. We

436
00:29:36.039 --> 00:29:39.960
can take out this asshole by going into his blind spots. Yeah,

437
00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:42.440
we're gonna get this guy, and we're gonna make goddamn

438
00:29:42.480 --> 00:29:46.359
sure he doesn't see us coming. There are two staircases

439
00:29:46.400 --> 00:29:49.240
with entrances up where Gary and his rots are, and

440
00:29:49.319 --> 00:29:52.480
only one of them is currently guarded. Looks like we

441
00:29:52.559 --> 00:29:55.400
have our blind spot, but how do we take advantage

442
00:29:55.440 --> 00:29:59.039
of it? And move them away from the hostages. Well,

443
00:30:00.079 --> 00:30:03.400
maybe I can pull a die hard here. Hey Anna,

444
00:30:03.960 --> 00:30:06.240
I have a crazy idea, but I'll need your help.

445
00:30:06.839 --> 00:30:09.559
Tell me, do you have fine enough control of your

446
00:30:09.559 --> 00:30:13.440
abilities that you can super cool the air? The girl

447
00:30:13.480 --> 00:30:16.640
looked at me confused for a moment and seemed to

448
00:30:16.640 --> 00:30:21.279
think pretty hard for a second, but nodded at me. Yeah.

449
00:30:21.400 --> 00:30:23.319
It was one of the first things I learned to do.

450
00:30:24.319 --> 00:30:27.680
My parents didn't have an AC unit, so they'd ask

451
00:30:27.759 --> 00:30:30.880
me to do it, But more often than not, I'd

452
00:30:30.880 --> 00:30:36.359
freeze the house. Cute a living air conditioning unit, save

453
00:30:36.400 --> 00:30:39.599
a few bucks anywhere you can. Right. If she doesn't

454
00:30:39.640 --> 00:30:42.559
become a superhero, then she'll be a blast at parties

455
00:30:42.640 --> 00:30:49.039
for cold drinks. Okay, maybe this will work after all.

456
00:30:49.240 --> 00:30:51.759
Looked at the monitors again and it seemed like the

457
00:30:51.799 --> 00:30:55.880
hostages were relatively safe for the moment. The rots seemed

458
00:30:55.880 --> 00:30:57.559
to be guarding a door at the end of the

459
00:30:57.599 --> 00:31:02.599
main hallway, so likely the rec groom on the fourth floor. Unfortunately,

460
00:31:02.680 --> 00:31:05.599
that is the one camera whose feed is currently dark,

461
00:31:06.119 --> 00:31:10.480
and I couldn't see anything beyond a sea of static. Fortunately,

462
00:31:10.519 --> 00:31:12.960
the front desk had the other component of my plan

463
00:31:13.119 --> 00:31:16.839
right there, smiling at me with a large yellow sticky

464
00:31:16.880 --> 00:31:23.599
note proclaiming, do not touch the thermostat. Anna. So here's

465
00:31:23.640 --> 00:31:26.480
the game plan, and I can't do it without your help.

466
00:31:27.039 --> 00:31:29.799
I'm gonna have you super cool the air in the elevator,

467
00:31:30.160 --> 00:31:37.599
and I'm gonna fuck with the thermostat. Okay, why science, motherfucker

468
00:31:38.039 --> 00:31:40.680
instant fog cloud that leaves cover for me to go

469
00:31:40.799 --> 00:31:43.880
in there and play little miss badass. We're gonna put

470
00:31:43.880 --> 00:31:45.759
you in the top of the elevator where it's nice

471
00:31:45.759 --> 00:31:48.720
and safe, and you'll basically keep up the pressure and

472
00:31:48.759 --> 00:31:52.599
the cold. I could see the gears turning in Anna's

473
00:31:52.680 --> 00:31:56.839
head and it clicked temperature difference, and with someone constantly

474
00:31:56.880 --> 00:31:59.400
running the fog machine, it was a perfect way to

475
00:31:59.400 --> 00:32:03.720
get an ambus going. Where will you be, Caroline? I'm

476
00:32:03.759 --> 00:32:05.799
going to be up the stairs so when the attention

477
00:32:05.960 --> 00:32:08.839
is focused on the elevator doors opening, I can rush

478
00:32:08.880 --> 00:32:11.720
in behind them and hopefully clear the rots out before

479
00:32:11.720 --> 00:32:15.039
anyone knows what the fuck is happening. Looking at my

480
00:32:15.119 --> 00:32:17.920
watch and realizing the clock is starting to wind down,

481
00:32:18.640 --> 00:32:23.319
it's likely time to go. All right, six potential rots

482
00:32:23.319 --> 00:32:25.960
and cloaks. A dork who could talk to the dead

483
00:32:26.000 --> 00:32:28.480
and a death god coming in hot for the New Year.

484
00:32:29.119 --> 00:32:32.319
What's not to love? I mean, realistically, this could go

485
00:32:32.480 --> 00:32:35.720
totally sideways and the earth gets plunged into a new

486
00:32:35.799 --> 00:32:38.559
dark age under a menacing death deity who hates everything

487
00:32:38.559 --> 00:32:44.000
with a pulse. Or we go upstairs, kick some supernatural

488
00:32:44.039 --> 00:32:46.279
ass and get back in time to watch the lane

489
00:32:46.279 --> 00:32:49.519
New Year's Eve shows hosted by Carson Daley or whoever

490
00:32:49.559 --> 00:32:52.200
the fuck is doing it now. If I end up

491
00:32:52.200 --> 00:32:54.960
saving the world tonight, I am getting that sandwich from

492
00:32:55.000 --> 00:32:59.000
the cafe before I leave. No matter what, I mess

493
00:32:59.039 --> 00:33:01.319
with the thermostat and set it in such a way

494
00:33:01.400 --> 00:33:05.160
that things should be downright uncomfortable upstairs. In just a

495
00:33:05.160 --> 00:33:09.559
few minutes, it's go time. Anna and I walk up

496
00:33:09.559 --> 00:33:12.440
to the elevators and I pry off the top of

497
00:33:12.440 --> 00:33:14.920
the ceiling and lift this little girl onto the top

498
00:33:14.960 --> 00:33:18.000
of the box. She makes herself as comfortable as she

499
00:33:18.079 --> 00:33:22.200
possibly can, but she looks scared shitless, and I don't

500
00:33:22.200 --> 00:33:25.759
blame her. This kid has already gone through a lot,

501
00:33:26.519 --> 00:33:28.480
and this is the kind of shit that fucks you

502
00:33:28.599 --> 00:33:32.200
up for life. Ghouls school always had a way with

503
00:33:32.640 --> 00:33:36.839
lasting memories. My scary memory was the death of Dan

504
00:33:36.920 --> 00:33:40.079
and Laurie. Anna isn't even done with her first few

505
00:33:40.119 --> 00:33:43.240
semesters here, so I can only imagine what else is

506
00:33:43.279 --> 00:33:46.680
going to happen to her. I sincerely hope she'll have

507
00:33:46.720 --> 00:33:52.680
an easier time after tonight. This is heavy and frankly apocalyptic,

508
00:33:52.720 --> 00:33:56.759
but she's holding it together. Anna, hit this with as

509
00:33:56.839 --> 00:33:59.480
much cold as you can muster. Keep pumping out the

510
00:33:59.519 --> 00:34:02.839
cold and absolutely flood the place with fog or whatever

511
00:34:03.319 --> 00:34:06.079
as soon as the elevator doors open, and no matter

512
00:34:06.119 --> 00:34:09.280
what you hear, until I say all clear, keep it up.

513
00:34:10.000 --> 00:34:12.679
I know this is scary and probably isn't the best plan,

514
00:34:13.320 --> 00:34:17.960
but I think it's got a solid chance. Okay, Caroline,

515
00:34:18.079 --> 00:34:21.360
I got it. I won't let you down. We can

516
00:34:21.400 --> 00:34:26.039
stop Dary and help everyone, right, Yeah, I mean it's

517
00:34:26.119 --> 00:34:30.239
either that or we all die horribly. I don't think

518
00:34:30.280 --> 00:34:35.519
Anna appreciated my dark sense of humor. No, we'll be fine, kid.

519
00:34:35.960 --> 00:34:37.960
I trust you have my back, and it's not like

520
00:34:38.000 --> 00:34:41.840
I haven't faced my fair share of weird shit. I

521
00:34:41.920 --> 00:34:44.639
winked at her and hit the button for the fourth floor.

522
00:34:45.360 --> 00:34:48.760
The doors slid shut, and I sprinted towards the stairwell

523
00:34:48.840 --> 00:34:50.840
that led to the upper floors.

524
00:34:52.519 --> 00:34:56.800
More scarce to come weekly, spooky, We'll be right back.

525
00:35:00.159 --> 00:35:02.840
Trying to be as sneaky as I could moving up

526
00:35:02.840 --> 00:35:06.960
the stairs, I didn't exactly wear the most appropriate footwear

527
00:35:07.039 --> 00:35:11.840
for an operation, however, sensible shoes be damned. I wanted

528
00:35:11.840 --> 00:35:16.280
to look hot and cool. I also wanted to look cool.

529
00:35:17.400 --> 00:35:20.880
I knew this stairwell pretty well. I shared my first

530
00:35:20.960 --> 00:35:24.199
kiss with Louri in this place. She was so shy

531
00:35:24.400 --> 00:35:28.719
she trembled as I leaned in and kissed her. Okay,

532
00:35:29.239 --> 00:35:32.639
gotta get my head in the game. Slowly, I squeaked

533
00:35:32.679 --> 00:35:35.159
the door open an inch so that I could see

534
00:35:35.199 --> 00:35:38.880
into the hallway and assess the situation. I could see

535
00:35:38.920 --> 00:35:43.599
probably twelve kids, all aged from ten to probably close

536
00:35:43.639 --> 00:35:46.599
to eighteen or so, huddled around the doors, lining the

537
00:35:46.639 --> 00:35:52.679
hallway like an execution line. This Gary was going to

538
00:35:52.760 --> 00:35:57.519
execute them, and likely soon. I looked down at my wristwatch,

539
00:35:57.800 --> 00:36:01.039
and Minnie Mouse looked back at me and said, eleven

540
00:36:01.159 --> 00:36:05.719
fifty seven pm. The smell from the rots wafted into

541
00:36:05.719 --> 00:36:10.679
my nostrils and assaulted it hard. Death has an unmistakable scent,

542
00:36:11.119 --> 00:36:13.519
and I've been around it too many times since I

543
00:36:13.559 --> 00:36:18.480
became an agent. Putrefied bodies and liquefied organs and so

544
00:36:18.639 --> 00:36:22.159
much worse. The rots didn't have much in the way

545
00:36:22.199 --> 00:36:26.400
of their faces left. Unfortunately, it was just scraps of

546
00:36:26.480 --> 00:36:30.920
flesh clinging to their skeletal remnants. The eyes were no

547
00:36:31.000 --> 00:36:34.760
longer human, but burning balls of green light that hated

548
00:36:34.800 --> 00:36:39.480
everything it saw before them. It is almost time all

549
00:36:39.639 --> 00:36:43.880
shall be sacrificed for the glory of yasue. A yell

550
00:36:44.000 --> 00:36:46.639
came from behind a closed door at the end of

551
00:36:46.679 --> 00:36:50.559
the hallways common room. Don't need to think too hard

552
00:36:50.559 --> 00:36:56.280
on who that was. Gary screams and yells of resistance

553
00:36:56.320 --> 00:36:59.760
from girls and boys, the sound of primal fear that

554
00:37:00.000 --> 00:37:05.800
death was coming and nothing short of a miracle could intervene.

555
00:37:06.440 --> 00:37:12.000
The elevator doors opened, fourth floor. The air snapped cold

556
00:37:12.039 --> 00:37:15.079
in an instant, and ice started forming all over the

557
00:37:15.159 --> 00:37:20.039
surfaces like a blast of arctic air. Moisture froze and

558
00:37:20.159 --> 00:37:23.599
hung in the air. Even taking a breath hurt as

559
00:37:23.639 --> 00:37:28.000
my lungs started to freeze up. Anna was not fucking around.

560
00:37:28.519 --> 00:37:30.960
This girl had something to prove, and she wasn't going

561
00:37:31.000 --> 00:37:34.679
to let fear or doubt get in her way. She

562
00:37:34.840 --> 00:37:37.679
was here to save her friends. She was here to

563
00:37:37.719 --> 00:37:41.159
save me too. Throwing the door open like I was

564
00:37:41.199 --> 00:37:44.159
smashing through a brick wall. It was time to face

565
00:37:44.239 --> 00:37:48.639
down the legions of the undead. No real weapons, but

566
00:37:49.480 --> 00:37:54.440
that's perfectly fine. I am a weapon, reaching into that

567
00:37:54.559 --> 00:37:58.480
dark part of myself that comes from my mother's vampiric side,

568
00:37:58.840 --> 00:38:01.920
and letting the blood in my veins boil. Over All

569
00:38:02.000 --> 00:38:05.639
remnants of restraint are off. I am going to unleash

570
00:38:05.679 --> 00:38:08.400
all the hell and darkness that is embedded in my

571
00:38:08.679 --> 00:38:13.280
very essence. Vampire abilities aren't always the same from one

572
00:38:13.400 --> 00:38:17.800
to another. We get enhance strength, speed, and durability, but

573
00:38:18.320 --> 00:38:23.679
sometimes other special powers slip through. We can grow wings,

574
00:38:23.840 --> 00:38:26.840
claws that cut through a bank vault, and a bloodlust

575
00:38:26.840 --> 00:38:30.840
that rivals berserkers of ancient legend. I am moving so

576
00:38:31.079 --> 00:38:35.119
fast that time virtually stands still and I can fully

577
00:38:35.159 --> 00:38:39.920
assess the situation before me. The rots are absolutely caught

578
00:38:39.960 --> 00:38:43.960
off guard and slowly turn their deceased skulls towards me,

579
00:38:44.960 --> 00:38:48.960
too late, closing the distance between the stairwell door and

580
00:38:49.000 --> 00:38:53.079
the first rot, I strike. This abomination of flesh and

581
00:38:53.199 --> 00:38:58.639
bone was mine for the taking. I hit hard bone

582
00:38:58.719 --> 00:39:01.760
craters underneath my foot but as I collapsed its chest

583
00:39:01.800 --> 00:39:05.599
into paste, this meat puppet explodes in a shower of

584
00:39:05.639 --> 00:39:10.280
blood and tattered bits of skin and worse, it flies

585
00:39:10.400 --> 00:39:13.480
against the next closest rot, and it knocks it to

586
00:39:13.519 --> 00:39:15.960
the floor before it can touch one of the hostages

587
00:39:16.000 --> 00:39:19.159
lined up along the hallway. The sheer force of the

588
00:39:19.199 --> 00:39:23.559
impact shattered its skull and fragmented it into thousands of pieces.

589
00:39:24.360 --> 00:39:27.679
The kids shrieked in panic, but held their position on

590
00:39:27.719 --> 00:39:32.960
the floor. Two rots down, four to go. Adrenaline filled

591
00:39:33.000 --> 00:39:36.880
my veins, and something deeper from my supernatural side fueled

592
00:39:36.920 --> 00:39:41.239
my speed. Snapping my hands at my sides, my vampiric

593
00:39:41.320 --> 00:39:46.320
claws extended from my fingers almost six inches, supernaturally hardened

594
00:39:46.320 --> 00:39:48.840
and ready to take down whatever stood in my way.

595
00:39:49.960 --> 00:39:52.800
I've only used my claws a few times, but I

596
00:39:52.880 --> 00:39:56.159
know it can cut through military speck armor if necessary.

597
00:39:57.039 --> 00:39:59.280
One of the rots slapped me across the face with

598
00:39:59.360 --> 00:40:02.880
its skeleton hand. I felt parts of my skin burn

599
00:40:03.000 --> 00:40:07.159
and tingle with the infusion of necrotic energy. This rot

600
00:40:07.199 --> 00:40:10.079
had moved just as fast as me and was intent

601
00:40:10.199 --> 00:40:14.400
on killing me, so I couldn't interfere with its master's plans.

602
00:40:15.079 --> 00:40:17.679
I wasn't prepared for the hit, and it stunned me.

603
00:40:17.800 --> 00:40:21.239
For just a moment, the taste of death filled my mouth.

604
00:40:21.960 --> 00:40:24.679
This is what the grave must feel like, as time

605
00:40:24.760 --> 00:40:29.440
itself eats your flesh. I instinctively grabbed at my face

606
00:40:29.480 --> 00:40:33.000
and the wound. I did it without even thinking. My

607
00:40:33.119 --> 00:40:36.920
vampiric ability would heal the wound shortly, but I could

608
00:40:37.000 --> 00:40:40.559
still die if I didn't get some distance. This was

609
00:40:40.639 --> 00:40:43.639
going to cost me my life. The rot was in

610
00:40:43.719 --> 00:40:47.880
my face and outreached its claws toward my throat. The

611
00:40:47.960 --> 00:40:51.679
first touch was a glancing blow. It wasn't enough to kill.

612
00:40:52.400 --> 00:40:55.519
If the undead creature managed to fully grab a hold

613
00:40:55.559 --> 00:40:58.039
of my windpipe, then it would use all of its

614
00:40:58.119 --> 00:41:02.159
death fueled grasp to decay the very flesh from my body.

615
00:41:02.920 --> 00:41:05.360
I had no time to dodge or maneuver out of

616
00:41:05.360 --> 00:41:08.880
the way. It was way too close. I couldn't get

617
00:41:08.960 --> 00:41:12.719
enough room to swing my claws at it. Great, I'm

618
00:41:12.760 --> 00:41:15.000
going to die before I get a chance to even

619
00:41:15.039 --> 00:41:19.400
be assigned a proper field office. A high powered gust

620
00:41:19.440 --> 00:41:22.000
of polar air rushed past the side of my face

621
00:41:22.440 --> 00:41:25.159
and knocked me forward and almost flat on my ass.

622
00:41:25.880 --> 00:41:28.519
I rolled into it as best I could and tried

623
00:41:28.559 --> 00:41:32.360
to regain some semblance of control. It wasn't pretty, but

624
00:41:32.760 --> 00:41:36.679
I caught myself before I was completely prone. Anna was

625
00:41:36.760 --> 00:41:39.960
right beside me, and her face was as unreadable as

626
00:41:39.960 --> 00:41:44.159
an arctic glacier. Ice flowed from her outstretched hands in

627
00:41:44.199 --> 00:41:48.400
an ever increasing frequency and tempo. The zombie like creature

628
00:41:48.440 --> 00:41:51.039
that had wounded me was now coated in a thick,

629
00:41:51.440 --> 00:41:55.519
almost opaque sheet of ice. Unable to move from its

630
00:41:55.559 --> 00:41:59.679
frozen tomb, the creature fell to the floor and broke apart.

631
00:42:00.480 --> 00:42:04.559
This little powerhouse was done fucking around, and something deep

632
00:42:04.599 --> 00:42:08.000
within her had awakened. Anna was ready to throw down,

633
00:42:08.480 --> 00:42:10.920
and it seemed like she was going to fully embrace

634
00:42:10.960 --> 00:42:15.000
her gifts. I'd only really met her, and something had

635
00:42:15.039 --> 00:42:18.039
snapped in her. This was one of those moments that

636
00:42:18.119 --> 00:42:21.920
defines us here at Ghoul School. You need to go.

637
00:42:22.199 --> 00:42:25.880
I've got this, the kids said, with stern authority that

638
00:42:26.000 --> 00:42:29.400
I certainly didn't expect from her. The other rots had

639
00:42:29.440 --> 00:42:32.840
turned their attention towards Anna and seemed intent on her.

640
00:42:33.159 --> 00:42:36.239
A look of determination had set on the teenager's face.

641
00:42:36.920 --> 00:42:40.480
An aura of cold radiated off her so intense that

642
00:42:40.559 --> 00:42:42.960
my eyes felt like they were going to freeze shut.

643
00:42:43.760 --> 00:42:47.239
The hallway filled with a blinding cloud of ice and snow,

644
00:42:47.840 --> 00:42:49.960
and you couldn't see more than a foot in front

645
00:42:49.960 --> 00:42:53.400
of your face. The kids screamed and the rots roared

646
00:42:53.440 --> 00:42:58.039
back in retaliation. I glanced at Anna and she never

647
00:42:58.159 --> 00:43:03.199
stopped looking forward. Caroline, go stop, Gary, I'll handle this.

648
00:43:03.880 --> 00:43:07.159
Let me clear your path. This kid would be a

649
00:43:07.199 --> 00:43:11.039
great field agent when the time comes. Anna channeled whatever

650
00:43:11.119 --> 00:43:14.000
power she had and thrust her left hand forward in

651
00:43:14.039 --> 00:43:18.000
a dramatic gesture. The skeletal like rots glared back at

652
00:43:18.079 --> 00:43:20.960
her and began to advance on our position in the hallway.

653
00:43:21.599 --> 00:43:24.519
A glowing sphere of blue energy crackled out from her

654
00:43:24.519 --> 00:43:28.639
outstretched hand. She closed her eyes and a new look

655
00:43:28.719 --> 00:43:33.119
of concentration was on her face. The snow storm in

656
00:43:33.159 --> 00:43:37.119
the hallway intensified, and wind whipped around us in a wild,

657
00:43:37.199 --> 00:43:42.199
howling storm. Good luck, kid, I smiled at her and

658
00:43:42.320 --> 00:43:46.159
got myself ready to charge down the hallway. You could

659
00:43:46.159 --> 00:43:49.239
measure time in heart beats for a moment. The four

660
00:43:49.360 --> 00:43:52.360
rots broke through the snowstorm and were right on top

661
00:43:52.400 --> 00:43:58.239
of us. Within seconds. This was it. The air completely changed,

662
00:43:58.559 --> 00:44:01.440
and for a second it was as cold as the

663
00:44:01.480 --> 00:44:04.519
depths of outer space. It was like being hit in

664
00:44:04.559 --> 00:44:07.880
the face by liquid nitrogen. Cold doesn't even begin to

665
00:44:07.960 --> 00:44:12.239
describe it. I closed my eyes reflexively to protect myself.

666
00:44:13.119 --> 00:44:14.920
This really was it.

667
00:44:16.800 --> 00:44:22.119
Are you afraid? Good? Weakly spooky? We'll be right back.

668
00:44:25.280 --> 00:44:29.360
The hallway was dead quiet, No one and nothing moved.

669
00:44:30.360 --> 00:44:33.400
I was perceptive of my own heartbeat, and for a

670
00:44:33.519 --> 00:44:40.079
second that was it. I was alone. No wait, there

671
00:44:40.119 --> 00:44:44.559
were more heart beats. Frightened but definitely there. I opened

672
00:44:44.599 --> 00:44:47.760
my eyes and saw the once vibrant colored hallway looking

673
00:44:47.840 --> 00:44:51.800
like the aftermath of a blizzard. I don't know what

674
00:44:51.880 --> 00:44:54.440
I expected to see when I started looking around, but

675
00:44:54.960 --> 00:44:58.639
I was pleasantly surprised. The rots were frozen in place

676
00:44:58.679 --> 00:45:01.800
in front of us. The the undead creatures were completely

677
00:45:01.840 --> 00:45:07.400
turned into solid ice and utterly transmuted into something completely harmless.

678
00:45:08.239 --> 00:45:11.199
I reached out and pushed one of them. The touch

679
00:45:11.280 --> 00:45:15.039
burned my skin from the temperature difference, but they were,

680
00:45:15.079 --> 00:45:20.719
for all intents and purposes dead. Whatever force of malevolence

681
00:45:20.800 --> 00:45:25.679
powered their undead forms was completely annihilated. The rots were

682
00:45:25.719 --> 00:45:31.000
destroyed and turned into ice sculptures right before us. Anna,

683
00:45:31.760 --> 00:45:36.000
a boy's voice called out, and it seemed almost hopeful.

684
00:45:37.199 --> 00:45:40.239
Then a few more voices called out as the snowstorm

685
00:45:40.320 --> 00:45:45.280
dissipated into a light flurry. Good. The hostages, as far

686
00:45:45.320 --> 00:45:49.960
as I can tell, are unharmed, except for maybe some frostbite.

687
00:45:50.119 --> 00:45:55.000
Anna can take care of them. We still yasu arise

688
00:45:55.119 --> 00:46:01.360
and come forth devour the unbelievers. Then blood curdling screaming,

689
00:46:01.760 --> 00:46:07.119
the snapping of bone and flesh, and something indescribable. Gary,

690
00:46:08.280 --> 00:46:10.599
I didn't even have time to register that I was

691
00:46:10.639 --> 00:46:14.679
flying down the hallway at breakneck speed. My body was

692
00:46:14.800 --> 00:46:19.239
rushing forward towards a brightly decorated common room door. I

693
00:46:19.360 --> 00:46:22.360
threw my full body weight at it and crashed through

694
00:46:22.440 --> 00:46:25.840
and splintered it into pieces as it exploded from the force.

695
00:46:26.679 --> 00:46:30.239
Assaulting my senses is the pungent odor of death once again,

696
00:46:31.079 --> 00:46:37.960
but also cinnamon. This kid, Gary is doubled over in

697
00:46:38.039 --> 00:46:41.559
a darkened corner of the room and clutching his midsection.

698
00:46:42.679 --> 00:46:45.559
He raises his head at me and looks at me

699
00:46:45.639 --> 00:46:49.280
with pure daggers and hatred in his beady eyes. The

700
00:46:49.400 --> 00:46:54.840
Christmas sweater is drenched in an unfamiliar substance. I couldn't

701
00:46:54.880 --> 00:46:57.679
make out much of his form beyond the garish sweater.

702
00:46:58.320 --> 00:47:02.599
But what little I could see I didn't like. This

703
00:47:02.960 --> 00:47:09.079
wasn't human anymore. You dare enter Yasue's domain. The voice

704
00:47:09.239 --> 00:47:12.079
wasn't the same one I had heard in the hallway.

705
00:47:13.079 --> 00:47:17.599
This was distorted, warped. This voice wasn't the pimple faced,

706
00:47:17.639 --> 00:47:25.199
dorky teenager named Gary ya Sue had arrived. This horrific

707
00:47:25.280 --> 00:47:28.840
blend of flesh and horror stood up to an impossible

708
00:47:28.920 --> 00:47:33.880
height as skins sloughed off of their form, limbs extended

709
00:47:33.920 --> 00:47:37.280
to an unnatural length, and what little of Gary's face

710
00:47:37.400 --> 00:47:41.320
was left distorted into a mess of tentacles and eyeballs

711
00:47:41.599 --> 00:47:46.599
from impossible places. This was a cosmic horror given form

712
00:47:46.760 --> 00:47:53.119
right before me. Twelve a m. No time for witty banter,

713
00:47:53.599 --> 00:47:57.840
no time for a strategy, just me and them, tooth

714
00:47:57.920 --> 00:48:03.199
and claw, me and them. No, I had one more

715
00:48:03.239 --> 00:48:06.800
weapon in my back pocket, One thing my mom had

716
00:48:06.800 --> 00:48:10.079
said to me before I left for Ghoul school. It

717
00:48:10.159 --> 00:48:14.360
was also the last time I ever saw my parents. Honey,

718
00:48:14.920 --> 00:48:18.239
you're a monster, but you don't have to act like one.

719
00:48:19.079 --> 00:48:25.119
You choose what that means today. I chose violence. I

720
00:48:25.199 --> 00:48:28.960
am a monster, and you will remember my name, I

721
00:48:29.239 --> 00:48:33.440
do fucking dare. I flew at this hybrid of Gary

722
00:48:33.559 --> 00:48:37.559
and this avatar of the death god Yasu. I extended

723
00:48:37.559 --> 00:48:42.400
my claws once again and bared my vampire fangs deep inside.

724
00:48:42.519 --> 00:48:44.480
I started to let go of all that I had

725
00:48:44.599 --> 00:48:48.960
kept in check for what seemed like forever gifted and

726
00:48:49.079 --> 00:48:53.320
supernatural abilities and whatever else I had was being unleashed

727
00:48:53.400 --> 00:48:57.320
with this flurry of blows. I didn't have time for

728
00:48:57.360 --> 00:49:01.400
this to end any other way than Yasu dying here

729
00:49:01.639 --> 00:49:05.519
and now we got entangled and grappled with each other.

730
00:49:06.280 --> 00:49:09.320
Ya Sue was still bound by some of the limitations

731
00:49:09.360 --> 00:49:12.480
of the physical body they were inhabiting. I could use

732
00:49:12.519 --> 00:49:16.719
that to my advantage. I'm stronger, faster, and whatever this

733
00:49:16.800 --> 00:49:21.199
thing is, it hasn't fully transitioned to its full godly form.

734
00:49:21.920 --> 00:49:26.679
It's still vulnerable, and I can stop it. I have

735
00:49:26.800 --> 00:49:30.599
to stop it. Claws sunk deep into the creature, and

736
00:49:30.639 --> 00:49:33.880
it let out a cry of unnatural pain. I kept

737
00:49:33.920 --> 00:49:36.360
slashing and clawing with all that I had in me.

738
00:49:37.039 --> 00:49:40.159
Fluid of some kind started oozing out of the wounds.

739
00:49:40.599 --> 00:49:43.800
Yasu had weapons of their own, and they dug into

740
00:49:43.840 --> 00:49:48.119
me and drew blood. The wounds were deep. The burning

741
00:49:48.239 --> 00:49:52.480
pain was unbearable, but I had little choice but to

742
00:49:52.559 --> 00:49:56.719
press on with my attack. You will not stop me.

743
00:49:57.480 --> 00:50:01.519
Yasu's grave voice rattled in my ears, but it wasn't

744
00:50:01.559 --> 00:50:06.159
as brave as it was even moments before, Yasue drove

745
00:50:06.239 --> 00:50:09.519
a clawed appendage into an open wound on my chest

746
00:50:09.920 --> 00:50:13.639
and twisted it like a knife. I yelped out, but

747
00:50:13.719 --> 00:50:17.599
still kept fighting back with all I could muster. The

748
00:50:17.679 --> 00:50:21.639
death God plunged another attack into me, but made one

749
00:50:21.880 --> 00:50:25.639
vital mistake. Ya Sue left an opening for me to

750
00:50:25.719 --> 00:50:30.800
exploit due to Gary's body. He may be taller, but

751
00:50:30.880 --> 00:50:34.159
he didn't have my body weight. I threw all my

752
00:50:34.239 --> 00:50:37.199
weight into my next follow up hit and knocked them

753
00:50:37.239 --> 00:50:41.960
to the ground and left them momentarily stunned. They didn't

754
00:50:42.000 --> 00:50:44.880
think I had much left in the tank, and on

755
00:50:44.960 --> 00:50:49.079
one hand, they weren't wrong. I'm about to do something

756
00:50:49.840 --> 00:50:51.599
I never wanted to do.

757
00:50:53.480 --> 00:50:58.840
Are you afraid? Good, weakly spooky, We'll be right back.

758
00:51:01.880 --> 00:51:05.599
I bared my fangs to their full length and bit

759
00:51:05.800 --> 00:51:10.239
down on the befouled neck of Yasu and started to bite.

760
00:51:11.000 --> 00:51:15.440
Draining the life from someone or something carries a heavy price.

761
00:51:15.519 --> 00:51:20.079
That no one talks about outside of vampire circles. You

762
00:51:20.199 --> 00:51:25.920
take not just their life essence, but pieces of them, memories, fears,

763
00:51:26.639 --> 00:51:30.000
in a short piece of their soul into your own.

764
00:51:31.159 --> 00:51:33.920
It's why a lot of vampires are crazy or are

765
00:51:34.039 --> 00:51:38.400
solitary loaners. It drives you mad. It takes a toll

766
00:51:38.480 --> 00:51:42.519
that no mortal is prepared to deal with. Vampires like

767
00:51:42.559 --> 00:51:46.199
my mom were rare. She retained what made her human.

768
00:51:47.400 --> 00:51:51.159
I kept sucking blood and life from this horrific creature

769
00:51:51.800 --> 00:51:55.719
till it stopped twitching under me. I felt memories of

770
00:51:55.760 --> 00:51:58.920
gary abuse, bullying, and a lonely kid who saw as

771
00:51:59.039 --> 00:52:02.639
powers as a curg. I also had memories and pulses

772
00:52:02.679 --> 00:52:07.559
from yasu worship, prowess from untold places that gave power,

773
00:52:07.880 --> 00:52:12.880
and a bloodlust unlike anything I had ever experienced. After

774
00:52:12.960 --> 00:52:17.400
an eternity, it was over. Life had left the body

775
00:52:17.920 --> 00:52:22.159
and it started to decompose before me. I shakily rose

776
00:52:22.199 --> 00:52:24.559
to my feet and watched the body melt into the

777
00:52:24.599 --> 00:52:28.519
carpeted floor of the common room. Within seconds, it was

778
00:52:28.559 --> 00:52:32.599
a puddle of fluids and bits of something I couldn't identify.

779
00:52:33.599 --> 00:52:37.039
The taste of blood lingered in my mouth. I don't

780
00:52:37.039 --> 00:52:39.880
know what happened next, as the adrenaline left me and

781
00:52:40.000 --> 00:52:43.320
my claws disengaged and the energy in me dropped like

782
00:52:43.360 --> 00:52:47.119
a stone. I felt tears run down my face and

783
00:52:47.239 --> 00:52:50.159
all my emotions were all over the place. It was

784
00:52:50.199 --> 00:52:53.360
the resonance of the souls I had touched mixed with

785
00:52:53.480 --> 00:52:58.280
my own. I had absorbed something alien. I had absorbed

786
00:52:58.320 --> 00:53:03.000
something beyond myself. I had taken lives before, but not

787
00:53:03.280 --> 00:53:07.480
like this. There was no bravado in this. There was

788
00:53:07.519 --> 00:53:12.679
something in this that felt different. I am different now,

789
00:53:13.400 --> 00:53:17.119
and I don't know what that means. I have to leave,

790
00:53:17.280 --> 00:53:20.039
but I've got to check on the kids and Anna

791
00:53:20.119 --> 00:53:24.000
to make sure things are okay. Am I going to

792
00:53:24.039 --> 00:53:27.679
be okay? After all this, I could feel the edge

793
00:53:27.679 --> 00:53:31.199
of corruption from Gary and Yasu, but I pushed it

794
00:53:31.280 --> 00:53:34.519
down to the depths of my psyche to deal with

795
00:53:34.599 --> 00:53:38.039
at a later date. Still a few things to wrap

796
00:53:38.119 --> 00:53:41.320
up before I can leave, and also phone calls to

797
00:53:41.400 --> 00:53:47.159
make happy New Year. Hey. The Department of Paranormal Resources

798
00:53:47.239 --> 00:53:49.440
came in and cleaned up the mess at the school.

799
00:53:50.039 --> 00:53:53.519
The FED sent the kids home until a more secure

800
00:53:53.679 --> 00:53:57.719
permanent residence could be assured. It won't take too long.

801
00:53:57.840 --> 00:54:00.559
After all, Uncle Sam wants to keep keep a tight

802
00:54:00.679 --> 00:54:05.679
leash on his investments. I got chewed out by Director Carlson,

803
00:54:06.199 --> 00:54:10.480
but also congratulations on a job well done. I had

804
00:54:10.519 --> 00:54:14.239
managed to take down a significant paranormal threat without backup.

805
00:54:14.760 --> 00:54:17.360
I had lived up to the expectations of my training.

806
00:54:18.199 --> 00:54:23.239
I'm not sleeping particularly well after everything, but that's residual

807
00:54:23.280 --> 00:54:27.639
psychic resonance from Gary and Yasu. It should pass in

808
00:54:27.679 --> 00:54:31.719
a few more weeks. I hope Carlson's team gave me

809
00:54:31.760 --> 00:54:34.800
a pass from the psychics, so I guess I'm good

810
00:54:34.800 --> 00:54:38.679
to go. My wounds have mostly healed, but i'll have

811
00:54:38.719 --> 00:54:42.360
a scar across my face from where the rot touched me.

812
00:54:43.400 --> 00:54:46.360
I think it makes me sexy in a weird way.

813
00:54:47.440 --> 00:54:50.000
The department has promoted me to a full agent, and

814
00:54:50.039 --> 00:54:52.360
I was to begin my new assignment in New York

815
00:54:52.400 --> 00:54:56.320
State before the end of February. I kept in touch

816
00:54:56.360 --> 00:54:59.760
with Anna via text. She was in good spirits after

817
00:54:59.840 --> 00:55:03.039
the incident. The kids she rescued looked at her in

818
00:55:03.079 --> 00:55:06.039
a whole new light. Now they won't be calling her

819
00:55:06.159 --> 00:55:10.159
slush anymore. She'll need a cool nickname or title when

820
00:55:10.199 --> 00:55:13.320
she graduates out of the program. I hope she has

821
00:55:13.360 --> 00:55:15.360
a better time than I did when I went through

822
00:55:15.400 --> 00:55:20.039
it all. I attended Sammy's funeral, but I didn't approach

823
00:55:20.079 --> 00:55:23.679
his parents or his partner, Franklin. It was a good service,

824
00:55:23.719 --> 00:55:26.440
but I kept to myself in the back. I put

825
00:55:26.440 --> 00:55:29.440
my hand on his casket and said my goodbyes, and

826
00:55:29.559 --> 00:55:33.960
then left as quietly as I came. I'm sorry I

827
00:55:33.960 --> 00:55:37.400
couldn't save you, but the kids you helped teach will

828
00:55:37.440 --> 00:55:40.679
be the next strong batch of heroes and agents that

829
00:55:40.719 --> 00:55:45.199
I'll work alongside. I think that's a pretty powerful legacy.

830
00:55:45.599 --> 00:55:48.920
If Anna is any indication of things to come from

831
00:55:48.960 --> 00:55:53.079
that graduating class, I hope they give him a memorial

832
00:55:53.239 --> 00:55:55.920
like they did for Dan and Laurie on school grounds.

833
00:55:56.599 --> 00:56:01.119
Everyone who died deserves to be remembered for something. It'll

834
00:56:01.119 --> 00:56:03.920
be time to pack up my apartment soon and make

835
00:56:03.960 --> 00:56:06.719
my way to New York and see what happens next.

836
00:56:07.440 --> 00:56:09.119
I know that girl I was supposed to have a

837
00:56:09.199 --> 00:56:12.840
date with Rheanne lives in New York City, so I'll

838
00:56:12.840 --> 00:56:14.719
call her and see if we can take a swing

839
00:56:14.800 --> 00:56:19.480
at this. The life of a supernaturally empowered troubleshooter isn't boring,

840
00:56:19.920 --> 00:56:23.639
that's for sure. And you know, after all of this,

841
00:56:23.920 --> 00:56:28.320
after facing life and death and consuming the blood of

842
00:56:28.360 --> 00:56:33.559
some creature beyond all human comprehension of evil, I never

843
00:56:33.599 --> 00:56:42.679
did get that damn tuna sandwich either. Well, my Spookies,

844
00:56:43.280 --> 00:56:46.119
I hope you enjoyed one last terror tale to wrap

845
00:56:46.159 --> 00:56:53.199
out a truly wild and never boring twenty twenty four.

846
00:56:54.320 --> 00:56:57.559
For myself, there was a lot to overcome and a

847
00:56:57.599 --> 00:57:01.199
lot to face. I got to spend a lot of

848
00:57:01.199 --> 00:57:03.800
my time, a lot of my time this year with

849
00:57:03.880 --> 00:57:10.039
all of you, sharing stories and celebrating holidays. Sometimes, if

850
00:57:10.079 --> 00:57:13.920
I'm being completely honest, there have been moments where I

851
00:57:13.920 --> 00:57:17.760
felt like there was no reason to celebrate a holiday

852
00:57:17.880 --> 00:57:22.440
or a birthday or what have you. But then I

853
00:57:22.440 --> 00:57:24.880
would remember that I needed to celebrate it with all

854
00:57:24.920 --> 00:57:28.800
of you, to make something fun for us all to enjoy.

855
00:57:28.880 --> 00:57:36.719
And in that way, I wasn't alone. I didn't feel alone,

856
00:57:36.880 --> 00:57:39.039
and that's a big win. So thank you from the

857
00:57:39.039 --> 00:57:43.159
bottom of my heart for five years and some change

858
00:57:43.960 --> 00:57:47.519
of weekly Spooky. We'll be back tomorrow with a brand

859
00:57:47.559 --> 00:57:51.760
new Strickfield mini series, which I know you'll enjoy, and

860
00:57:51.840 --> 00:57:54.559
of course we'll have a new show every Wednesday going

861
00:57:54.559 --> 00:57:56.840
into the new year, and a lot of new surprises.

862
00:57:57.800 --> 00:57:59.719
I learned a lot about myself and a lot about

863
00:57:59.719 --> 00:58:03.360
this podcast, and a lot about you spookies while doing it,

864
00:58:03.719 --> 00:58:07.159
so I can't wait for the future. I guess you

865
00:58:07.199 --> 00:58:10.760
could say I'm feeling pretty hopeful. I'm feeling pretty positive overall,

866
00:58:11.360 --> 00:58:13.440
and I hope you are too, Even if your year

867
00:58:13.519 --> 00:58:16.599
was really challenging, even if you had a lot to

868
00:58:16.679 --> 00:58:21.639
be unhappy about, I hope this show has giving you something,

869
00:58:21.719 --> 00:58:25.119
even just for a short bit of your time. And

870
00:58:25.159 --> 00:58:26.679
I do want to say a special thank you to

871
00:58:26.679 --> 00:58:30.159
our Patreon podcast boosters. I don't want to plug Patreon

872
00:58:30.320 --> 00:58:33.519
because I'm feeling too sentimental, but I do want to

873
00:58:33.559 --> 00:58:36.400
say thank you to them. They support the show directly

874
00:58:36.440 --> 00:58:39.280
every month. They are Jessica Fuller, Johnny Nicks, Jenny Green,

875
00:58:39.320 --> 00:58:42.800
Amber Hansford, Brent McCullough, Karen we Met, Jack Kerr, and

876
00:58:42.920 --> 00:58:45.559
Craig Cohen. Thank you all so much. And for my

877
00:58:45.639 --> 00:58:49.599
executive producers Rob Fields, Markshields and babbletopia dot Com, my

878
00:58:49.719 --> 00:58:54.480
producer Dan Wilder, and my composer Ray Mattis. Happy New Year.

879
00:58:55.599 --> 00:58:59.719
Let's make it a great one together. Thank you.

880
00:59:01.440 --> 00:59:04.360
Make sure to find your way back next week week,

881
00:59:05.079 --> 00:59:10.400
but for now you are safe. Trust me.