Jan. 30, 2026

Best of 2025: 4 Scary Tales of Backwoods Survival, Killer Creatures, and a Summoned Hellhound

Best of 2025: 4 Scary Tales of Backwoods Survival, Killer Creatures, and a Summoned Hellhound

Buckle up for a wilderness horror compilation packed with scary stories of remote trails, isolated campsites, and nature that turns predatory. If you love horror podcast narration with survival terror, monster horror, and “we-shouldn’t-be-here” dread… this one’s for you.

Tonight’s collection features four tales where the map runs out, the sun goes down, and the woods start paying attention.

Fortune Falls — by David O’HanlonTwo college friends camp where they shouldn’t, chasing a perfect sunrise at a hidden waterfall—until an unwanted visitor turns their quiet night into a brutal fight to make it out alive.
A Plant Called Death — by Bruce HaneyA couple hikes deep into the Pacific Northwest hunting a legendary bloom with a strange cycle… and discovers why some myths survive by warning people away.
Stay Hungry — by David O’HanlonA documentary crew tracks Colombia’s infamous “cocaine hippos,” only to realize the river has new rules—and the biggest thing in the water isn’t the only thing hunting.
The Hellhowler — by Joe SolmoParanormal investigator James Becker takes a client’s “I’m being hunted” claim seriously—because something out there really is answering the call, and it’s closing in fast.

**My spookies—**which story hit you the hardest… the waterfall, the bloom, the river, or the hound?

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

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📬 Contact Us / Submit Your Horror Story!


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

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All right, my spookies, Tonight isn't just another stroll into

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the treeline. This is the best of twenty twenty five,

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a handpicked collection of the wilderness nightmares that hit the

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hardest last year, the stories that made you stare into

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the dark like it was staring back because out there

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where the signal dies and the road turns to gravel,

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fear doesn't need a mask. It just needs time. We've

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got a hidden waterfall with a sunrise worth risking everything

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for until someone else shows up. We've got a legendary

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plant that isn't rare, it's waiting. We've got a river

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nightmare that proves the biggest thing in the water isn't

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always the most dangerous. And we have a howl that

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doesn't echo it answers. So tighten your bootlaces, check your flashlight,

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and if you're listening with headphones, maybe keep one ear

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free because this is the best of twenty twenty five

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and the woods pick these stories for a reason. And

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make sure you're subscribed right here at Weekly Spooky, where

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we have a brand new horror story every single Wednesday.

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We also have true crime on Mondays and little surprises

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throughout the week. And we would love to have you

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join us. But now get cozy, pull out a blanket.

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It's time to begin. Fortune Falls by David O'Hanlon. Janine

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and Rose were on summer break from their third year

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at the University of Kansas. Being from a flat, landlocked wasteland,

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the Lady Jayhawks usually took their breaks on a beach

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in Galveston. Then something immensely terrifying it happened the previous year.

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They'd been on the beach for three days. Between surf

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lessons and volleyball games, all anyone could talk about was

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this new movie opening that weekend. They decided to take

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a chance and join some of their friends for the

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first evening showing of Jaws the next day. They all

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just sat on the sand the day after, and every

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day after that until it was time to return to

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school for the summer of seventy six. They decided they'd

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try something different and far away from the threat of

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shark attacks. Kansas didn't have beaches, but it didn't have

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mountains either. Oregon was Jeanine's idea, and Rose had fallen

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in love with it. She studied the maps and picked

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the route for their journey of self discovery five days

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of backpacking and camping from the isolated town of Sheldon

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to the Silver Creek Lodge, where they'd celebrate with a

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final day floating lazily down the Snake River. We should

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just camp here, Janine said. It's going to be dark soon,

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and we still kind of suck at setting up the tent.

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The signs say overnight camping is prohibited. Rose replied that

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couple said it was only eight miles to the next town.

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We'd be lucky to do that in three hours, Rosy. Besides,

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everyone we've talked to has said that we need to

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see this waterfall at sunrise. We all already missed it

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this morning because you didn't want to get a ride

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from that trucker, because hitchhiking is dangerous, she scoffed. And

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that guy was gross. He looked like an evil Jerry Garcia.

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Scary Garcia, Janine said, with a giggle. Come on, Rosie,

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everyone's leaving the park anyway. No one will know we're here.

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Worst case, some ranger Smith guy comes by and we

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make dough eyes at him until he just gives us

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a warning. Rose seemed to consider it. She looked over

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to the parking area, and Jeanine was correct. Almost everyone

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had already cleared out. The park rangers wouldn't lock the

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gate until sundown, but with less than an hour to go,

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there wasn't much to do except feed the mosquitoes. A

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family of six was packing everything into their station wagon.

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A couple of teens made out on a park bench.

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Local kids played the last downs of their football game,

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and a red pickup truck sat unoccupied in the far

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corner of the lot. No one would be around to

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notice them, and it would be nice to see the

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waterfall at first light. That had been their original plan

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after hearing about it from a couple at a diner

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two days earlier. The locals called it Fortune Falls because

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the water broke up and sparkled like a cascade of

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diamonds at sunrise. Roses better safe than sorry approach had

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set them back hours. However, when they arrived at noon,

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the site was anything but impressive. The waterfall wasn't particularly

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large and only descended some fifty feet to the punch

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bowl below. After the big show at dawn, most people

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moved along to the larger recreational areas. It did seem

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unlikely park services would spend much time locking down the

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tiny fortune Fall site. An engine turned over and Rose

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glanced around again. The station wagon was ready to go.

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The winning football team was high fiving while the losers

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collected their bikes from the lawn, and the makeout session

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was getting hot enough that it would soon need to

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move to a more private location. That red truck still

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sat there. However, an ominous feeling came over Rows, but

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she shrugged it off. She always had an ominous feeling.

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It seemed okay, we can stay, she conceded, but we'd

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better not get caught. Janine used the sawback of the

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survival knife to split a thick limb. She tossed one

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half into the fire and stuck the knife into the

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ground next to her. Janine's boyfriend, Howard, was in the

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rotc back home. He'd insisted she'd take the knife along,

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joking that she could use the compass on the pommel

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to find her way back home. Janine watched the needle

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settle and look to the southeast. She knew that somewhere

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beyond the expansive wilderness was Kansas. She'd never liked it there,

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over the last three days, she'd come to like it

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even less. It was boring in every possible way, right

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down to the men, she thought, as she pulled Howard's

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knife from the earth. Two more days and we'll be

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at the river, Rose said, folding her map. There's so

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much more stuff to see. We could come here every summer,

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and I don't think we'd ever find it all. I

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don't think I want to come here next summer, Janine

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whittled at the end of the stick. Jesus, Rosie, just

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look at it. How could anyone go back to Kansas

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once they've seen all this? Like you want to transfer here?

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Why not? The university is a few hundred miles that way,

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she pointed with the knife, then checked the compass and

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corrected her aim. That way. There's an entire ocean nearby,

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an ocean that's too cold for sharks too. Didn't Jaws

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take place in New England? Okay, so maybe they still

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have sharks. But there's a whole state of this, She

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gestured to the deep black wilderness around them. Have you

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met anyone boring in the last few days. I'm sure

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I have. Rose couldn't think of any. When did you

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decide this? I haven't decided anything, Janine sheathed the knife

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and inspected the point she'd put on the limb. Everywhere

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we've been this week has been so alive. Kansas is

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just an after birth. It's like God ran out of

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ideas and just left the canvas blank when he made it.

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What about Howard, the boys are cuter, Rose laughed. She

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didn't necessary sarahly agree with her friend, but there was

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a ruggedness about the Oregon Mountain men they'd encountered that

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was lacking in the Kansas stock. Howard is sweet, Janine continued,

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But all he can think about is the future. How

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can anyone give a rat's ass about the future when

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we have all this right now? Maybe you're right. We

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got an eight mile hike tomorrow to talk about it,

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Rose said, Let's get some rest. We don't want to

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miss the sunrise showing. We can make sure we have

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the best view before the gates even open. It's going

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to be magical. Yeah, Janine tossed the wooden spike into

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the fire. There's a lot to see tomorrow. The tent

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lit up suddenly from the outside. The bright light shone

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through the nylon, turning the structure into an oversized lantern,

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and roused the girls from their slumber. Jeanine rubbed her eyes,

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trying to clear away confusion with the sleepiness. Rose groaned

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and rolled over in her sleeping bag. It cannot be

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mourning already, she mumbled, it's not. Jeanine sat up sharply.

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She could hear the gentle rumble of a truck engine outside. Shit,

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I think we're busted, Rosy. Rose said something, but the

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words were lost in the sudden rumble of the motor.

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The light became more intense as the headlights rushed closer.

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The shower of earth and rocks thrown up by the

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truck tires rained noisily through the tree branches. Janine watched

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as the tense, thin skin glowed and brighter until the

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side collapsed and rushed towards her. Wrapped around a half

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ton of Detroit steel, Jeanine couldn't comprehend what was happening,

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or that the thing that struck her was the truck's bumper.

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Suddenly it was dark again. The ravaged tent lay draped

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over the women. Rose was silent. Janine felt a crushing

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weight on her right arm. She tried to move it,

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but the appendage wouldn't budge. She pulled harder a lightning

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bolt shot threw her fingertips to her elbow from the effort. Rosie,

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she cried out, A gentle sob answered her. The tent

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rustled wildly. I can't move, Rose, Janine said, what's happening?

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Rose sniffled. She fought with the nylon, clawing and punching

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at the tent as it collapsed on top of her.

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Her voice grew panicked and shrill. I can't I can't

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get this off me. Why is this happening? The truck

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pulled forward, releasing Janine's arm from beneath its tire. The

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ground moved beneath them. Rose screamed. The tent was caught

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on the truck. They were being dragged. The fabric tore,

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but not enough to get free. Janine pulled her injured

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arm close to her body and rolled over, looking for

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a way out. The engine growled as the driver hit

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the gas. Rocks and branches tore through the bottom. As

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the tent sped along behind the vehicle, deeper into the woods.

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It finally came free. The truck's tires slid loudly to

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a stop. Rose found a tear and worked at it

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with both hands, forcing it open. Until she could get

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through Janine. She searched the ruins of the tent for

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her friend, finding a body shaped lump beneath Janine. Get

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me out of here, Rosie, I'm hurt bad, I will

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Oh my god, we're in big trouble. Rose stared at

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the truck, unable to look away. She could only discern

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the outline of the vehicle in the moonlight, but was

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convinced that it was the red pickup truck from earlier.

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The truck reversed, turning around slowly. The back bumper crunched

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against a tree. The noise snapped Rose out of her paralysis.

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She wrestled the tent off of Jeanine and gasped. Her

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friend's face was a mask of blood. Her forehead was

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split open in a large gash, showing bone beneath. Rose

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moved the flap of flesh back over the exposed skull.

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The headlights shined fully upon them as the truck finished

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writing itself. Rose leaned close to Jeanine. Stay really still,

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she whispered, don't make a sound. The engine revved. The

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driver did it two more times, letting the women know

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he could run them down with the Then the door

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swung open. A man stepped out of the vehicle, but

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leaned back inside to get something. He stepped in front

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of the lights, casting a long shadow over the women.

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Rose couldn't see any of the man's features except the

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distinctive shape of a cowboy hat atop his head, and

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then the even more distinctive shape of the axe held

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at his side. Why are you doing this, she asked shakily.

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She clenched her teeth and drew a deep breath. She

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blew it out and asked again, with more force, why

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are you doing this? What do you want? The cowboy

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moved towards her without a word. He swung the axe

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onto his shoulder. His walk was cocky and nonchalant. He

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looked like he was out for a casual stroll. Janine

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groaned and Rose shushed her quietly, praying the cowboy didn't hear.

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If he did, he didn't let on. He just kept

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walking closer. Please stop this, Rose shouted. She pushed her

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hands out in front of her, Just leave us alone.

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The cowboy swung the axe one handed. The blade whooshed

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by harmlessly, and he placed it on the opposite shoulder,

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spitting tobacco juice playfully at Rose. He took a backhand swing.

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Rose felt the hit, but didn't realize the gravity of

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it until the three stumps on her right hand spurted.

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Before she could respond, the cowboy took a two handed chop.

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It struck with the sound of a gunshot, and flung

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her into the dirt. Rose wheezed air sputtered wetly out

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of her collapsing lung. She rolled over, hugged her chest,

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broken ribs gouged into her palm. Janine shifted carefully in

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the tent. Her legs were still inside the sleeping bag.

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She moved slowly to wipe her eyes with shredded tent fabric,

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being careful not to draw attention to herself. Everything was blurry,

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but simultaneously all too clear. She could see the cowboy

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and the axe, and her best friend laying on the ground.

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She closed her eyes again, but it didn't protect her

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from what came next. She listened to the crack of

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the axe striking Rose again. Why. Rose asked why. The

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cowboy answered her with another chop. Rose kept repeating the word,

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and their attacker continued to respond the same way. Sharp

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cracks became softer, wetter, Rose's voice got weaker and then

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went silent entirely. Two more chops followed. Janine dared to

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look once more. The cowboy was kneeling over Rose. He

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00:20:04.400 --> 00:20:09.599
sat on her hips and leaned on his axe. Janine

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carefully crawled free. The blood pouring down her face slipped

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past her lips. She knew she'd be tasting a lot

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more of it. If the cowboy spotted her, he probably

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thought she was dead already. She could have laid there

236
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until he left, But maybe he wouldn't have. Maybe he

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would have used the axe to make sure. She couldn't

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take the risk. She knew begging wouldn't work. It hadn't

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for Rose. Once her legs were free, she brought herself

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00:20:54.359 --> 00:20:59.720
into a crouch and glanced over her shoulder. The cowboy

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00:20:59.839 --> 00:21:06.319
was standing, but still seemed focused on Rose. Janine wiped

242
00:21:06.359 --> 00:21:11.279
her eyes again. She needed a few seconds of clear vision.

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She pushed off in a dead sprint for the running truck.

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She heard a frustrated curse from the cowboy. Janine stumbled,

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bouncing off the bumper. She pulled herself up and whipped

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inside the cab. Her injured hand struggled with the shifter,

247
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forcing her to use her left. The cowboy ran at

248
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her in the headlights. Janine stomped the gas pedal down.

249
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The tires spun and threw up dirt. They gained traction

250
00:21:46.799 --> 00:21:52.559
as the cowboy grabbed the open door. The truck jolted forward.

251
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The cowboy stumbled, tossing himself over the side of the

252
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truck bed. Janine swore around a tree. The rear window shattered,

253
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and the cowboy boots struck her in the back of

254
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the head. The truck veered hard, throwing her out of

255
00:22:11.799 --> 00:22:17.240
the open door. It plowed into a stump. The cowboy

256
00:22:17.440 --> 00:22:24.119
flew over the vehicle and disappeared into the darkness. Janine

257
00:22:24.240 --> 00:22:30.759
climbed woozily to her feet. She ran the trees blocked

258
00:22:30.799 --> 00:22:36.640
the pitiful moonlight. Branches tore at her skin to tritas

259
00:22:36.640 --> 00:22:41.920
stabbed into her feet. She bounced off the trees and

260
00:22:42.079 --> 00:22:49.079
kept on running. She was terrified, She was blind, she

261
00:22:49.319 --> 00:23:02.000
was hurt, she was heartbroken. She was flying. Jeanine laid

262
00:23:02.160 --> 00:23:07.119
against the rocks. The water gently sloshed over her face

263
00:23:07.759 --> 00:23:11.960
and down her throat, choking her back into the world

264
00:23:12.000 --> 00:23:17.200
of the living. The waterfall poured down across the pool

265
00:23:17.359 --> 00:23:22.200
from her. She blindly ran straight over the edge in

266
00:23:22.319 --> 00:23:27.200
her desperate escape. It was still dark out, but there

267
00:23:27.279 --> 00:23:30.799
was nothing blocking the moon at the waterfall, and she

268
00:23:30.880 --> 00:23:34.880
could inspect the damage to her arm for the first time.

269
00:23:35.960 --> 00:23:40.880
It was swollen, with the skin deeply miscolored. She could

270
00:23:40.920 --> 00:23:44.720
move her fingers, but the pain made her wish she couldn't.

271
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She knew it was definitely broken. She risked touching her forehead.

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It wasn't bleeding as badly as she feared, but she

273
00:23:54.920 --> 00:23:58.559
chalked that up to being almost out of blood. She

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00:23:58.720 --> 00:24:03.880
knew Rose was dead. She'd laid there and listened to

275
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her best friend die. No, you didn't, she reminded herself.

276
00:24:11.440 --> 00:24:15.720
You don't know she's dead. Janine looked around for any

277
00:24:15.880 --> 00:24:20.559
sign of the cowboy. Not finding any, she worked her

278
00:24:20.599 --> 00:24:25.079
way onto the rocks and began her hike back to

279
00:24:25.200 --> 00:24:30.319
the campsite. She checked her watch. It was a dainty,

280
00:24:30.519 --> 00:24:34.799
pretty thing that she'd picked out for esthetics and not

281
00:24:35.079 --> 00:24:39.319
its ability to survive a fifty foot fall into a pond.

282
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She put it close to her ear. It wasn't ticking.

283
00:24:46.119 --> 00:24:50.200
The time was stuck at three am, but she had

284
00:24:50.240 --> 00:24:54.319
no idea when it had stopped. What she did know

285
00:24:55.119 --> 00:24:58.759
was that meant there was less than three hours until

286
00:24:58.799 --> 00:25:02.480
the park opened. She needed to get back to the

287
00:25:02.519 --> 00:25:07.359
campsite and check on Rose. Then she could wait for

288
00:25:07.440 --> 00:25:12.400
the rangers to come and open the park. The cowboy

289
00:25:12.720 --> 00:25:16.720
had to be gone. He couldn't know where Jeanine had

290
00:25:16.799 --> 00:25:23.160
run to. And that red truck, she remembered it was

291
00:25:23.240 --> 00:25:25.759
still there when we left to set up the tent.

292
00:25:26.759 --> 00:25:30.200
He would have to leave his truck to escape. He

293
00:25:30.359 --> 00:25:35.759
has to make sure I'm dead. He's still here. More

294
00:25:35.920 --> 00:25:42.920
scarce to come weekly, Spooky, We'll be right back. She

295
00:25:43.079 --> 00:25:46.559
pulled herself from the punch bowl and started up the

296
00:25:46.640 --> 00:25:51.839
steep incline back to the campsite. Janine was sure the

297
00:25:51.880 --> 00:25:56.319
cowboy was looking for her. She wasn't going to make

298
00:25:56.359 --> 00:26:00.759
it easy for him. She had to survive. If she didn't,

299
00:26:01.319 --> 00:26:04.599
then there was nothing stopping that bastard from doing it

300
00:26:04.720 --> 00:26:11.559
again and again. Rose might not have even been his first,

301
00:26:11.920 --> 00:26:16.680
and she certainly wouldn't be his last. If Janine didn't

302
00:26:16.720 --> 00:26:22.039
get to the police, there'd be dead Roses all over Oregon.

303
00:26:27.599 --> 00:26:30.799
The hike back to the campsite came as close to

304
00:26:30.920 --> 00:26:37.000
killing Janine as the cowboy had her arm throbbed as

305
00:26:37.039 --> 00:26:42.880
she collapsed to her friend's side. Rose's face was gone,

306
00:26:43.680 --> 00:26:49.000
her arms ravaged where she tried to defend herself. There

307
00:26:49.000 --> 00:26:54.640
were no errant swings. The cowboy had practiced this, he'd

308
00:26:54.720 --> 00:27:00.839
killed before, Janine was sure of that, had wanted to

309
00:27:00.960 --> 00:27:06.200
camp there. If Jeanine had listened, none of it would

310
00:27:06.200 --> 00:27:13.119
be happening. I'm sorry, Rosie, she whimpered. This is all

311
00:27:13.200 --> 00:27:20.599
my fault and I'm so sorry. Janine scoured at her tears,

312
00:27:21.839 --> 00:27:27.759
aggravating the head wound in the process. She looked around quickly.

313
00:27:29.039 --> 00:27:34.200
The truck was gone. There were no headlights shining anywhere

314
00:27:34.240 --> 00:27:39.440
in the woods, no flashlight searching for her trail. Janine

315
00:27:39.480 --> 00:27:44.839
tried to convince herself the cowboy was gone, but she

316
00:27:45.039 --> 00:27:49.559
didn't buy it. Maybe he's waiting for the rangers himself.

317
00:27:50.160 --> 00:27:53.799
She thought he could say he got stuck inside and

318
00:27:53.880 --> 00:27:58.200
they just let him go. He'll be in Canada by

319
00:27:58.240 --> 00:28:03.759
the time they find Rosie. That can't happen. It won't happen.

320
00:28:05.039 --> 00:28:12.359
I promise Rosie, it won't fucking happen. Janine rummaged through

321
00:28:12.519 --> 00:28:17.720
the wrecked tent until she found Howard's survival knife. She

322
00:28:17.880 --> 00:28:21.519
cut a strip of nylon and tied it around her head,

323
00:28:22.359 --> 00:28:26.160
pulling it tight to hold the flap of skin in place.

324
00:28:27.519 --> 00:28:31.079
A bent up aluminum tent post made a quick splint

325
00:28:31.640 --> 00:28:35.319
for her arm. Once the wounds were taken care of,

326
00:28:36.039 --> 00:28:40.920
it was time for other concerns. She'd helped her father

327
00:28:41.079 --> 00:28:47.559
cut firewood back home. Swinging an axe was exhausting and slow.

328
00:28:48.640 --> 00:28:52.160
She thrusted the knife into the air a few times.

329
00:28:53.119 --> 00:28:58.160
That wasn't slow at all. She found her belt and

330
00:28:58.279 --> 00:29:02.079
attached the knife to it, but could only manage to

331
00:29:02.119 --> 00:29:07.119
scrounge up a mixed pair of their hiking boots. Rose's

332
00:29:07.240 --> 00:29:11.200
pack was mangled, but the metal flashlight on the side

333
00:29:11.599 --> 00:29:16.599
had survived. Janine inspected Rogue's stitches on the face of

334
00:29:16.640 --> 00:29:21.839
the pack. The Jayhawk patch Rose carefully centered on it

335
00:29:22.599 --> 00:29:27.319
was missing. The idea of the cowboy taking a trophy

336
00:29:28.200 --> 00:29:33.400
turned her stomach. She envisioned him mounting the patch over

337
00:29:33.519 --> 00:29:38.640
his mantle with souvenirs from other kills, like the antlers

338
00:29:38.680 --> 00:29:43.680
her father had mounted back home. Janine took the light

339
00:29:44.400 --> 00:29:49.079
and started towards the parking lot. The red pickup was

340
00:29:49.160 --> 00:29:53.759
sitting in the corner spot, exactly where it had been before.

341
00:29:54.960 --> 00:30:00.480
Janine dropped behind a bush and watched for movement. There

342
00:30:00.559 --> 00:30:03.720
was still no sign of the occupant or any other

343
00:30:04.119 --> 00:30:10.440
axe swinging psychos. Janine stayed low, crawling along the perimeter

344
00:30:10.839 --> 00:30:16.720
of the lot. With still no cowboy present, Janine made

345
00:30:16.720 --> 00:30:21.000
her move on the truck. She broke into a crouching

346
00:30:21.079 --> 00:30:25.200
run and rolled to the side of the vehicle. It

347
00:30:25.279 --> 00:30:28.240
hurt more than the TV shows led her to believe.

348
00:30:29.640 --> 00:30:35.599
Her heart skipped. A sudden dread washed over her. There

349
00:30:35.680 --> 00:30:43.240
was something wrong, or, more correctly, nothing was wrong. She

350
00:30:43.440 --> 00:30:47.039
peeked around the front of the truck to inspect the bumper.

351
00:30:48.039 --> 00:30:52.000
It was rusty and dinged up, but she'd seen the

352
00:30:52.079 --> 00:30:56.759
truck wreck into a tree. The crash she'd heard must

353
00:30:56.759 --> 00:31:00.759
have done more than a few dents. She moved down

354
00:31:00.759 --> 00:31:05.839
the side and checked the back glass. It was intact.

355
00:31:06.880 --> 00:31:12.160
It wasn't the cowboy's truck, So where the hell is he?

356
00:31:13.480 --> 00:31:18.160
She looked around frantically. There were no other trucks, no

357
00:31:18.359 --> 00:31:24.000
other anything. She was completely alone. As far as she

358
00:31:24.119 --> 00:31:28.359
could tell. She'd seen the tire tracks all the way

359
00:31:28.400 --> 00:31:33.599
from their campsite back to the parking lot. Rose's killer

360
00:31:33.720 --> 00:31:36.720
had definitely driven out the same way. He'd come in.

361
00:31:38.160 --> 00:31:41.920
She clicked on the flashlight and set out for clues.

362
00:31:43.279 --> 00:31:47.039
She shined high first, hoping to catch a glint off

363
00:31:47.079 --> 00:31:51.559
the truck or to spotlight the sun of a bitch himself.

364
00:31:52.920 --> 00:31:57.039
When that didn't work, she moved the light down to

365
00:31:57.160 --> 00:32:03.440
search for tracks. A metal door clanged behind her. Jeanine spun,

366
00:32:04.039 --> 00:32:09.720
waving the flashlight around for the source. She froze. The

367
00:32:09.799 --> 00:32:16.839
light hung on the blocky concrete building that housed the bathrooms.

368
00:32:16.880 --> 00:32:20.759
Each had a steel outer door that could be padlocked

369
00:32:20.839 --> 00:32:26.559
during the off season. Janine snuck to the restrooms and waited.

370
00:32:27.599 --> 00:32:31.640
She didn't hear anyone inside, but knew the door was

371
00:32:31.759 --> 00:32:36.559
too heavy to have blown in the barely present breeze.

372
00:32:36.599 --> 00:32:40.440
She sat the flashlight down on the archaic water fountain.

373
00:32:41.480 --> 00:32:46.279
Jeanine drew the knife. It was uncomfortable in her left hand,

374
00:32:46.720 --> 00:32:49.680
but it was going to be a lot more uncomfortable

375
00:32:50.319 --> 00:32:54.880
in the cowboy's belly. She pulled the outer door and

376
00:32:55.039 --> 00:32:59.359
pushed the other inward with her foot. No one chopped

377
00:32:59.400 --> 00:33:05.039
it off. Janine sprang inside, keeping the knife close to

378
00:33:05.119 --> 00:33:09.400
her body. A chunky, disheveled man threw his hands into

379
00:33:09.480 --> 00:33:14.440
the air, hiking his keep on truckin shirt over his belly.

380
00:33:15.440 --> 00:33:20.440
His eyes flicked to the knife. Fuck shit, he shook

381
00:33:20.440 --> 00:33:26.839
his head violently. Be cool, Be cool, you motherfucker. Janine hissed,

382
00:33:27.400 --> 00:33:32.880
where is it? Where's the truck right outside? The man

383
00:33:33.000 --> 00:33:39.839
pointed shakily, Not that truck. That's the only one I got.

384
00:33:40.640 --> 00:33:44.559
The man shrugged. I know the sign says no camping,

385
00:33:44.680 --> 00:33:49.160
but stabbing is a bit fucking extreme. Lady, aren't you

386
00:33:49.240 --> 00:33:54.240
supposed to write me a ticket or something camping? Who

387
00:33:54.279 --> 00:33:58.759
are you, Phil? Why did you try to kill me?

388
00:34:00.119 --> 00:34:03.720
Kill you, lady. I went to jail for being a

389
00:34:03.799 --> 00:34:10.880
conscientious objector. I don't even kill bugs. The park is closed,

390
00:34:11.400 --> 00:34:17.119
Janine snapped, Why are you here? Fleetwood Mac is playing

391
00:34:17.159 --> 00:34:22.039
in Boise this weekend. He let his hands fall, slapping

392
00:34:22.119 --> 00:34:26.400
against his thighs. I stopped here to score some weed

393
00:34:26.480 --> 00:34:30.079
from a buddy. Had got super baked and fell asleep

394
00:34:30.159 --> 00:34:33.280
by the falls. By the time I got back, the

395
00:34:33.320 --> 00:34:37.480
gate was locked. Janine hadn't gotten a good look at

396
00:34:37.559 --> 00:34:42.039
the cowboy, but she was sure he had been slimmer

397
00:34:42.760 --> 00:34:48.960
and taller and didn't reek of marijuana. She leaned against

398
00:34:49.000 --> 00:34:53.840
the wall and started to cry. If Phil wasn't the

399
00:34:53.920 --> 00:34:58.719
cowboy Then she'd failed and the axe murderer had escaped.

400
00:35:00.039 --> 00:35:04.280
Bill took tentative steps towards her, patting the air as

401
00:35:04.320 --> 00:35:11.199
he went. Please don't stab me, he said softly. You

402
00:35:11.320 --> 00:35:14.599
look really banged up. Let's go to my truck and

403
00:35:14.679 --> 00:35:18.719
get you some help. It's a dodge, it'll crash right

404
00:35:18.760 --> 00:35:24.239
through that gate. What time you got, Janine asked, sheathing

405
00:35:24.320 --> 00:35:30.360
the knife. Phil checked his watch quarter past five, About

406
00:35:30.400 --> 00:35:34.719
an hour until anyone comes to rescue you. Guess that

407
00:35:34.840 --> 00:35:41.000
makes you my shining night. You uh drew the short straw,

408
00:35:41.079 --> 00:35:45.920
then he chuckled. Janine let Phil help her off the

409
00:35:46.039 --> 00:35:51.719
wall when a bright light assaulted her eyes. What are

410
00:35:51.800 --> 00:35:57.519
you two doing here, a strong masculine voice demanded. The

411
00:35:57.599 --> 00:36:02.079
park is closed. The man moved the light back and

412
00:36:02.159 --> 00:36:07.639
forth between their faces, keeping them both blinking and blocking

413
00:36:07.679 --> 00:36:11.840
their eyes with their hands. Whoa dude, chill with the light,

414
00:36:12.639 --> 00:36:18.559
Phil wined, This lady needs help. She was attacked, I know,

415
00:36:19.599 --> 00:36:25.000
the man said. The flashlight clattered to the floor. Janine's

416
00:36:25.079 --> 00:36:28.679
vision was blurred, but she could make out the curves

417
00:36:29.320 --> 00:36:34.679
of the cowboy hat. The axe split Phil's face and

418
00:36:34.920 --> 00:36:39.480
stopped in the back of his throat. Phil stumbled backwards,

419
00:36:40.280 --> 00:36:45.920
bounced off a stall, and came forward. Woo oie. The

420
00:36:46.000 --> 00:36:51.559
cowboy exclaimed, we got ourselves a dancer. He grabbed Janine

421
00:36:51.599 --> 00:36:55.400
by the hair and pulled her close to him. You

422
00:36:55.480 --> 00:36:59.920
see that, he asked, means he's dead, but his body

423
00:37:00.079 --> 00:37:04.119
don't know it. I love when that happens. I wonder

424
00:37:04.159 --> 00:37:07.719
if you'll be a dancer. What do you think, dollface,

425
00:37:08.400 --> 00:37:12.280
you want to dance with me? Janine pulled the knife

426
00:37:12.760 --> 00:37:17.079
and brought it down into the cowboy's thigh. He howled

427
00:37:17.119 --> 00:37:21.280
and let the axe fall. Janine twisted the blade and

428
00:37:21.480 --> 00:37:27.159
jerked back, but the knife didn't budge. She could see

429
00:37:27.199 --> 00:37:32.239
the strands of meat caught in the sawback. Since it

430
00:37:32.320 --> 00:37:36.719
wouldn't come out, she went back in. She worked the

431
00:37:36.800 --> 00:37:40.800
saw through his thigh until the cowboy whipped her away.

432
00:37:41.840 --> 00:37:46.440
Her face smashed into the wall, breaking teeth against the

433
00:37:46.480 --> 00:37:53.239
cinder blocks. Janine slumped down. The axe sparked off the wall.

434
00:37:54.119 --> 00:37:58.239
Janine rolled away. Her boots slipped in Phil's brains, and

435
00:37:58.360 --> 00:38:02.960
she toppled against the sink. The axe shattered the porcelain.

436
00:38:03.599 --> 00:38:08.519
It continued downward, hacking into Janine's foot. She fell on

437
00:38:08.599 --> 00:38:13.639
top of Phil. The cowboy straightened his hat and limped

438
00:38:13.679 --> 00:38:17.480
to her. He took the axe handle with both hands

439
00:38:17.800 --> 00:38:22.559
and rested the blade on Jeanine's forehead. He took each

440
00:38:22.679 --> 00:38:27.880
hand off in turn, rolling the wrists in preparation for

441
00:38:28.039 --> 00:38:33.679
the killing blow. Why are you doing this, Janine asked,

442
00:38:34.719 --> 00:38:38.639
Someday one of you will ask an original question. He said,

443
00:38:39.519 --> 00:38:46.960
it's always why. Well, Dolphace, why not how about that one?

444
00:38:47.039 --> 00:38:50.840
He raised the axe high to show his might. The

445
00:38:50.920 --> 00:38:56.239
asbestos tile overhead shattered, raining down dust around the cowboy.

446
00:38:57.280 --> 00:39:02.039
The distraction was just enough for Jeanne to move her head.

447
00:39:02.920 --> 00:39:08.239
The axe buried into Phil's body. The cowboy wrestled to

448
00:39:08.320 --> 00:39:13.440
free it from Phil's oversized belly. Janine kicked the protruding

449
00:39:13.519 --> 00:39:18.360
knife with her good leg. Her attacker fell, smacking his

450
00:39:18.480 --> 00:39:22.480
head on the wall. Tobacco juice rolled from his lips

451
00:39:22.880 --> 00:39:28.559
across his fancy Western shirt. Well, I'll be damned, doll face.

452
00:39:29.280 --> 00:39:32.679
He stretched for his hat and used the trash can

453
00:39:32.880 --> 00:39:37.280
to pull himself up. I reckon, that's a pretty fine

454
00:39:37.320 --> 00:39:40.920
answer to my question. He put his hat back on

455
00:39:41.840 --> 00:39:46.639
and unsnapped his shirt pocket. He held up something for Janine.

456
00:39:46.719 --> 00:39:51.400
To see. He squeezed it into a ball and tossed

457
00:39:51.400 --> 00:39:55.239
it to her. I think I've had enough sport for tonight.

458
00:39:56.039 --> 00:40:00.519
Sooner rather than later, I'm going to see you dance,

459
00:40:01.400 --> 00:40:08.199
he promised. Then he was gone. Janine lifted the crumbled

460
00:40:08.280 --> 00:40:13.840
Jayhawk patch. She crawled frantically for the exit. A truck

461
00:40:13.880 --> 00:40:18.639
engine rumbled to life outside. Janine used the door handle

462
00:40:18.760 --> 00:40:22.360
to come to her knees and forced her way outside.

463
00:40:23.440 --> 00:40:27.920
Her face hit the ground. She pushed herself out into

464
00:40:27.960 --> 00:40:31.360
the lawn in time to see the dark blue Ford

465
00:40:31.800 --> 00:40:36.599
pulling from behind the outbuilding. Janine was helpless to stop

466
00:40:36.719 --> 00:40:41.360
him as he plowed through the gate. She rolled onto

467
00:40:41.400 --> 00:40:46.119
her back and held the patch to her chest. She

468
00:40:46.320 --> 00:40:52.079
watched moths bounce off the dim yellow light overhead. The

469
00:40:52.119 --> 00:40:58.119
sound of the truck faded out, and she laid there alone.

470
00:40:58.440 --> 00:41:03.039
Janine wondered if the cowboy was a man of his word,

471
00:41:04.280 --> 00:41:10.960
and somehow knew that he was. If she lived, he

472
00:41:11.039 --> 00:41:16.000
would find her, and if she lived, she'd make damn

473
00:41:16.079 --> 00:41:27.000
sure she was ready for him. A plant called death

474
00:41:27.760 --> 00:41:34.199
by Bruce Haney. My wife was much more intelligent than I,

475
00:41:34.920 --> 00:41:38.599
and the nicer of the two of us. Yet she

476
00:41:38.880 --> 00:41:42.039
was the one who got us into that mess, the

477
00:41:42.079 --> 00:41:44.880
one that I found myself hiding from in the woods

478
00:41:44.920 --> 00:41:49.800
on what was supposed to be our vacation, terrified that

479
00:41:49.880 --> 00:41:55.599
she would find me. The quote unquote vacation was her idea.

480
00:41:56.760 --> 00:42:00.800
My idea of a perfect vacation was returning to Cabo

481
00:42:00.880 --> 00:42:03.800
to hang out at the pool bar, have a few

482
00:42:03.880 --> 00:42:08.760
drinks and read my books. Hers involved hiking two to

483
00:42:08.840 --> 00:42:12.159
three days deep into the woods to search for some

484
00:42:13.039 --> 00:42:18.880
elusive flower that may or may not exist. You have

485
00:42:19.199 --> 00:42:23.960
heard of the corpse flower and Morphophallus titan aram, right,

486
00:42:25.280 --> 00:42:30.719
that elusive, rotten smelling flower that only blooms every seven

487
00:42:30.800 --> 00:42:35.920
to ten years. Well what if I told you there

488
00:42:36.000 --> 00:42:40.599
was another rare flower with a weird blooming cycle, one

489
00:42:40.679 --> 00:42:44.039
that most people haven't heard of, and those who have

490
00:42:44.400 --> 00:42:48.760
think it's just a myth. My wife told me about

491
00:42:48.800 --> 00:42:53.280
it and said that it was called death. When she

492
00:42:53.440 --> 00:42:59.119
told me this, I asked, really, that's the name. Yeah,

493
00:42:59.599 --> 00:43:05.519
it's called death, just death, no hard to pronounce name

494
00:43:05.639 --> 00:43:11.719
that derives from several Latin words, just death. Why not?

495
00:43:12.679 --> 00:43:16.440
Why is its name so simple when every other flower

496
00:43:16.559 --> 00:43:20.440
seems to have some long, hard to pronounce scientific name.

497
00:43:21.960 --> 00:43:25.840
She explained to me that no actual scientist had ever

498
00:43:25.960 --> 00:43:31.159
seen the flower. Most argued that it didn't exist because

499
00:43:31.159 --> 00:43:33.679
of how rare it was. They didn't even know how

500
00:43:33.760 --> 00:43:39.760
often it bloomed. Was it ten years, fifteen years. One

501
00:43:39.920 --> 00:43:43.679
estimated thirty, but Sarah didn't think it was quite that

502
00:43:43.840 --> 00:43:47.760
long of a blooming cycle. There are only a handful

503
00:43:47.800 --> 00:43:51.599
of references to it in historical documents, and one of

504
00:43:51.639 --> 00:43:55.920
those is believed to be fiction. One of the earliest

505
00:43:56.039 --> 00:43:59.719
references she found was in the third issue of Oregon's

506
00:43:59.719 --> 00:44:05.400
first newspaper, the Oregon Spectator. That article went something like

507
00:44:05.519 --> 00:44:10.000
this man found dead in a precarious position, in a

508
00:44:10.039 --> 00:44:14.119
condition that baffled the person who found them. There are

509
00:44:14.159 --> 00:44:18.400
no signs of any other people, and multiple large animals

510
00:44:18.440 --> 00:44:25.079
were found nearby in various states of mutilation. It might

511
00:44:25.119 --> 00:44:28.400
not have been Cabo, but it was exciting to get

512
00:44:28.440 --> 00:44:32.480
away from the city, away from work, and away from

513
00:44:32.480 --> 00:44:37.480
my phone. As we drove, my worries drifted away as

514
00:44:37.519 --> 00:44:42.239
we stopped passing Starbucks and McDonald's and started passing by

515
00:44:42.360 --> 00:44:48.360
trees and nature, eventually even spotting wildflowers along the side

516
00:44:48.400 --> 00:44:51.960
of the road. Yes, it rains all the time here,

517
00:44:51.960 --> 00:44:56.840
but that suffering pays off. Once spring hits, everything in

518
00:44:56.880 --> 00:45:02.239
the Pacific Northwest starts to bloom. We parked near the

519
00:45:02.280 --> 00:45:06.719
trailhead of Blue Ruin Pass, so named after an incident

520
00:45:06.800 --> 00:45:10.920
on the Oregon Trail where six men died after consuming

521
00:45:11.000 --> 00:45:16.880
some ill distilled liquor that people refer to as blue ruin.

522
00:45:18.320 --> 00:45:21.800
With us came our long term friends Jane and Tom,

523
00:45:22.360 --> 00:45:24.800
who were a couple that met through us at one

524
00:45:24.840 --> 00:45:29.519
of our summer backyard parties. Tom was a colleague of Sarah's.

525
00:45:30.119 --> 00:45:33.880
Jane was my buddy. We met about ten years ago.

526
00:45:34.599 --> 00:45:37.000
She was a regular at the bar near my house.

527
00:45:37.800 --> 00:45:41.559
We quickly became friends because of our shared taste in music.

528
00:45:42.639 --> 00:45:47.199
On karaoke nights, we both sang nineties alternative rock. I

529
00:45:47.239 --> 00:45:51.880
would sing songs like Semi Charmed Life and Flagpole Sida,

530
00:45:52.519 --> 00:45:56.639
and she would mostly sing songs by Sublime. There was

531
00:45:56.719 --> 00:46:00.880
never any flirting, at least from my end. If she had,

532
00:46:01.000 --> 00:46:04.679
it wouldn't have been noticed by me. My happy marriage

533
00:46:04.760 --> 00:46:08.280
kept me from looking for that kind of thing. Tom

534
00:46:08.440 --> 00:46:11.559
seemed like a stand up guy, so there were never

535
00:46:11.599 --> 00:46:14.920
any worries for me about the two of them flirting

536
00:46:15.000 --> 00:46:20.239
or anything like that, especially after he became partners with Jane.

537
00:46:20.280 --> 00:46:22.239
He was a bit of a hard hang for me.

538
00:46:23.039 --> 00:46:25.960
We didn't have nearly any shared interests. As I know,

539
00:46:26.480 --> 00:46:30.639
fuck all about plants and outside of his work, sports

540
00:46:30.760 --> 00:46:34.559
was his favorite subject, which I also know fuck about.

541
00:46:35.400 --> 00:46:39.400
You can't beat the Pacific Northwest for its nature, Tom said,

542
00:46:39.440 --> 00:46:43.159
while pulling his supplies out of the vehicle. You look

543
00:46:43.199 --> 00:46:48.280
so happy, baby, Jane said, I am. Six days in

544
00:46:48.480 --> 00:46:53.239
nature is heaven? Tom said, I'm just happy to be

545
00:46:53.360 --> 00:46:58.880
off work, I added. Sarah was busy going through her bags,

546
00:46:59.400 --> 00:47:08.559
making sure she had everything she needed. pH meter check, shears, check, notebook, camera, yep, yep,

547
00:47:09.039 --> 00:47:12.840
there that is yep. I think I got everything. She

548
00:47:12.960 --> 00:47:18.119
smiled at me. How about you. I have clothes, portable meals,

549
00:47:18.159 --> 00:47:24.280
and our shelter. What else would I need? Vodka? Jane said, gross,

550
00:47:25.000 --> 00:47:28.440
I have a bottle of whiskey in my bag. I said,

551
00:47:29.280 --> 00:47:34.119
Then I think we're set, Jane replied. The first day

552
00:47:34.400 --> 00:47:39.880
was uneventful. We walked, took breaks, and chatted. It was

553
00:47:39.920 --> 00:47:44.599
a fairly easy trail. The elevation gain was moderate. The

554
00:47:44.599 --> 00:47:49.239
only struggle was a large down tree that had landed

555
00:47:49.280 --> 00:47:52.039
on the trail and that we had to climb over.

556
00:47:53.079 --> 00:47:56.840
It took Jane and Tom a couple of attempts. We

557
00:47:56.880 --> 00:48:01.880
didn't stop walking until nearly nightfall. After setting up the tents,

558
00:48:01.960 --> 00:48:05.920
we had dehydrated soup for dinner. It was all right,

559
00:48:06.760 --> 00:48:09.599
excusing myself from the group. The rest of my night

560
00:48:09.840 --> 00:48:15.440
was spent reading the new Charles Campbell book and sipping whiskey.

561
00:48:20.000 --> 00:48:22.360
In the middle of the night, there was a rustling

562
00:48:22.480 --> 00:48:27.400
sound outside our tent that woke me. Sarah, being a

563
00:48:27.480 --> 00:48:32.280
sound sleeper, was oblivious. It didn't quite sound like a human,

564
00:48:32.440 --> 00:48:36.719
so I didn't think it was Jane or Tom. Then

565
00:48:36.920 --> 00:48:41.599
there was a hissing sound that startled me. What the fuck?

566
00:48:42.159 --> 00:48:46.840
I said a little too loudly. This startled Sarah, who

567
00:48:46.920 --> 00:48:52.360
bolted upright, what's wrong? Sorry, nothing, I just heard an

568
00:48:52.360 --> 00:48:56.000
animal outside moving around the camp. And then I got

569
00:48:56.039 --> 00:49:01.039
startled when I heard it. Hiss hiss. Yeah, yeah, like

570
00:49:01.119 --> 00:49:05.639
a bobcat or a cougar, Sarah said, revealing a bit

571
00:49:05.679 --> 00:49:09.920
of panic in her voice. Smaller, more like a possum.

572
00:49:10.760 --> 00:49:16.320
Oh okay, then go back to bed, she said. You know,

573
00:49:16.519 --> 00:49:20.639
possums freak me the fuck out. Yeah, And I don't

574
00:49:20.639 --> 00:49:26.920
know why they're adorable. They're disgusting, regardless of what crazy

575
00:49:26.960 --> 00:49:31.920
people on those TikTok videos you send me say. Sarah laughed.

576
00:49:32.559 --> 00:49:36.159
She knew my hatred of possums, so she sent me

577
00:49:36.320 --> 00:49:41.679
pro possum TikTok videos every day. Videos of people holding

578
00:49:41.719 --> 00:49:47.159
the disgusting things and saying stuff like, Oh, isn't he cute? Oh,

579
00:49:47.239 --> 00:49:52.440
he's just a little baby made my skin crawl. We

580
00:49:52.480 --> 00:49:55.880
heard a rustling against the tent again, which made me

581
00:49:56.000 --> 00:50:01.000
move closer to my wife. Calm down, it's nothing, Come on,

582
00:50:01.199 --> 00:50:05.320
get to sleep. We have a long hike tomorrow. Okay.

583
00:50:06.440 --> 00:50:10.519
Another rustling was heard at the tent, and then I

584
00:50:10.559 --> 00:50:14.360
saw the impressions on the wall as it pushed its

585
00:50:14.639 --> 00:50:20.880
little hands against the material. Fuck this. Grabbing my shoe

586
00:50:20.920 --> 00:50:24.280
and hitting against the would be intruder seemed to scare

587
00:50:24.320 --> 00:50:28.800
it off. It hissed one more time. Then we could

588
00:50:28.800 --> 00:50:34.480
hear it run off. John, you heard it good? Why

589
00:50:34.519 --> 00:50:40.000
are you so afraid of possums? Experience When I was little,

590
00:50:40.039 --> 00:50:44.559
I ran into the woods and one freaked me out.

591
00:50:45.079 --> 00:50:49.039
Why you imagine being alone in the woods as a

592
00:50:49.039 --> 00:50:52.760
young child and seeing what looks like a giant rat

593
00:50:53.159 --> 00:50:57.559
with mange hanging from a tree. I would have thought

594
00:50:57.599 --> 00:51:03.119
it was cute. That's because you're crazy, I joked, fuck you,

595
00:51:04.039 --> 00:51:08.239
she said, playfully. But the worst was when my mom

596
00:51:08.440 --> 00:51:13.119
spotted a wounded possum near our house. Because of its condition,

597
00:51:13.440 --> 00:51:17.880
she started feeding it. Everything was fine for a few days,

598
00:51:18.519 --> 00:51:21.280
and I even found myself warming up to the idea

599
00:51:21.320 --> 00:51:24.679
of them. But one night I was taking out the

600
00:51:24.760 --> 00:51:28.199
trash and it must have been around the time that

601
00:51:28.239 --> 00:51:31.960
my mom usually fed him, because I went outside and

602
00:51:32.000 --> 00:51:35.079
there was a dozen of them with their ugly pink

603
00:51:35.280 --> 00:51:42.039
skin and matted hair and beady eyes. I was already scared,

604
00:51:42.079 --> 00:51:48.679
and then they all started hissing, hiss, hiss, hiss, I said,

605
00:51:48.800 --> 00:51:54.960
squinting my face and holding my hands like claws. Sarah laughed, Hey,

606
00:51:55.519 --> 00:52:00.599
it was traumatic to me, she continued to laugh. I'm sorry.

607
00:52:01.280 --> 00:52:06.119
I don't laugh at your trauma. My trauma isn't hilarious.

608
00:52:06.760 --> 00:52:10.159
The next morning, we woke up to discover the damage

609
00:52:10.199 --> 00:52:15.239
our nighttime visitors had done. There was no rhyme or

610
00:52:15.320 --> 00:52:19.199
reason for what they destroyed. It didn't appear that they

611
00:52:19.199 --> 00:52:24.239
were going after the food. After some powdered eggs on tortillas,

612
00:52:24.760 --> 00:52:28.119
we started our hike for the day. The end goal

613
00:52:28.320 --> 00:52:33.079
was to reach Root's Ridge by dark. From Sarah's calculations,

614
00:52:33.159 --> 00:52:36.079
she believed the death plant could be found around there.

615
00:52:37.280 --> 00:52:41.320
Remember keep your eyes peeled and your nose open. I

616
00:52:41.320 --> 00:52:43.960
don't expect to find it on the way, but you

617
00:52:44.039 --> 00:52:49.119
never know, she said with excitement. So why do you

618
00:52:49.199 --> 00:52:53.000
think it'll be near the ridge? Jane asked? Do you

619
00:52:53.159 --> 00:52:57.800
know the legend of Root's Ridge? Sarah asked, no, I

620
00:52:58.039 --> 00:53:00.320
just know it's supposed to have a great view of

621
00:53:00.639 --> 00:53:05.360
Cougar Lake was a semi popular route on the Oregon Trail.

622
00:53:06.239 --> 00:53:10.920
People supposedly stopped using it after the Barlow Trail was established,

623
00:53:11.679 --> 00:53:14.840
But I think it was the Roots family tragedy that

624
00:53:15.000 --> 00:53:19.519
led people trying to find another route. What happened to them?

625
00:53:20.000 --> 00:53:25.159
Jane asked, Well, it's hard to say. What people wrote

626
00:53:25.320 --> 00:53:29.360
versus what happened isn't always the same thing, and people

627
00:53:29.400 --> 00:53:33.679
back then tended to shy away from the gory details.

628
00:53:34.360 --> 00:53:37.159
But one of the people who found them, for how

629
00:53:37.239 --> 00:53:40.079
messed up they were, said he would have rather come

630
00:53:40.119 --> 00:53:44.800
across the Donner party. And Sarah believes that the Roots

631
00:53:44.840 --> 00:53:50.119
incident has something to do with the death plant. Tom said, Oh,

632
00:53:50.159 --> 00:53:53.519
so this plant has some kind of dark history to it,

633
00:53:53.599 --> 00:53:58.719
yet we are trying to find it. Jane said. They

634
00:53:58.719 --> 00:54:02.159
were also malnourished and in a state of starvation, which

635
00:54:02.199 --> 00:54:07.719
could explain some of what happened. Sarah exclaimed, Plus, no

636
00:54:07.800 --> 00:54:09.719
one is going to force you to go near it.

637
00:54:10.960 --> 00:54:14.559
The rest of the hike that day felt off, but

638
00:54:14.719 --> 00:54:18.079
it was hard to place why. We were having fun.

639
00:54:18.239 --> 00:54:22.639
We had lots of amusing conversations. We found out that

640
00:54:22.760 --> 00:54:26.639
Tom fell in love with plants after seeing Little Shop

641
00:54:26.639 --> 00:54:30.159
of Horrors of all things. Jane told us the story

642
00:54:30.199 --> 00:54:34.119
of being busted as a teenager for shoplifting Green Day's

643
00:54:34.159 --> 00:54:38.079
American Idiot on CD. They wouldn't sell it to her

644
00:54:38.159 --> 00:54:42.039
because of the parental advisory sticker. Her mom was so

645
00:54:42.199 --> 00:54:44.719
mad that she took away all of her Green Day

646
00:54:44.800 --> 00:54:49.920
CDs since they were such a so called bad influence

647
00:54:50.000 --> 00:54:54.199
on her. Sarah also made me tell my possum stories

648
00:54:54.239 --> 00:54:57.440
so they could all join in on making fun of me.

649
00:54:58.679 --> 00:55:00.800
Tom was the one to figure out why the day

650
00:55:00.880 --> 00:55:05.000
felt so weird. Isn't it strange that we're in the

651
00:55:05.000 --> 00:55:09.880
middle of the woods, yet we hear almost no animal noises.

652
00:55:10.880 --> 00:55:16.079
I haven't even seen a gray squirrel today. That is strange,

653
00:55:16.119 --> 00:55:20.760
Sarah said, it's like that story I told her from

654
00:55:20.800 --> 00:55:25.199
that pulp writer, the really bad one, Henry B. Quinn.

655
00:55:25.559 --> 00:55:29.239
Sarah said, how did that go again? I have a

656
00:55:29.280 --> 00:55:33.199
copy with me, Sarah said, pulling off her pack to

657
00:55:33.280 --> 00:55:36.800
dig for the Weird and Fantastic Monthly photo copy from

658
00:55:36.920 --> 00:55:41.440
nineteen thirty one. Here it is. I don't want to

659
00:55:41.440 --> 00:55:45.719
read it. Come on, read it for us. Tom said, why,

660
00:55:46.679 --> 00:55:50.920
because it's the only entertainment we have out here. Jane said,

661
00:55:52.000 --> 00:55:55.559
Just read from here to there, Sarah said, pointing to

662
00:55:55.639 --> 00:56:00.800
the middle section of the second page. Okay, okay, the

663
00:56:00.880 --> 00:56:05.960
story went like this. I never did know what evil

664
00:56:06.039 --> 00:56:11.960
scent hunch guided me into those preternaturally quiet woods. I

665
00:56:12.000 --> 00:56:15.239
had merely gone out to find a good stick for

666
00:56:15.320 --> 00:56:20.400
the purpose of whittling. But there I found myself, deep

667
00:56:20.440 --> 00:56:24.320
in the woods, at the witching hour of all hours,

668
00:56:25.000 --> 00:56:29.880
miles away from my humble cottage home. It was like

669
00:56:30.000 --> 00:56:33.400
I had walked there in a daze, guided by my

670
00:56:33.559 --> 00:56:39.280
nose chasing an indescribable scent. This daze that was broken

671
00:56:39.400 --> 00:56:43.400
only when my eyes finally fell upon what a plant

672
00:56:44.119 --> 00:56:48.960
that I would come to call death. It stood tall

673
00:56:49.079 --> 00:56:53.679
at three feet and was just as wide. Though the

674
00:56:53.719 --> 00:56:58.960
only light was the moon up above. It was fully illuminated.

675
00:57:00.079 --> 00:57:03.280
It was a color that couldn't be described, as it

676
00:57:03.320 --> 00:57:08.320
was unlike anything that human eyes had ever laid eyes upon.

677
00:57:09.920 --> 00:57:15.000
Tom laughed, sounds like a poor attempt at sounding like HP. Lovecraft.

678
00:57:15.719 --> 00:57:20.599
Didn't HP publish his stories in that same rag, maybe,

679
00:57:21.000 --> 00:57:24.039
I said, as I wasn't that much of a fan

680
00:57:24.119 --> 00:57:30.079
of old literature, the HP Lovecraft comparison is apt. Sarah said.

681
00:57:30.599 --> 00:57:33.880
Henry Quinn was obsessed with Lovecraft, but he was one

682
00:57:33.920 --> 00:57:36.159
of the few people who couldn't get a pen pal

683
00:57:36.280 --> 00:57:41.039
relationship going with old HP, and he wrote to everybody.

684
00:57:41.639 --> 00:57:44.920
It's estimated that he wrote one hundred thousand letters in

685
00:57:45.000 --> 00:57:49.760
his lifetime. What did Lovecraft call him? Again? I ask

686
00:57:50.880 --> 00:57:57.840
an unintelligible, incompetent, titchy muddle pate. What does that even mean?

687
00:57:58.400 --> 00:58:03.400
Tom said, I forget something like a small idiot. I

688
00:58:03.480 --> 00:58:08.440
had to google it. We arrived at Root's Ridge at nightfall,

689
00:58:08.880 --> 00:58:12.280
and Sarah swore there was a strange scent in the air.

690
00:58:13.239 --> 00:58:16.559
I just smelled the pine trees, but I never had

691
00:58:16.599 --> 00:58:20.079
that grade of a nose. She wanted to explore that

692
00:58:20.280 --> 00:58:23.679
night to look for it, but we all talked her

693
00:58:23.719 --> 00:58:26.480
out of it, afraid that she would break her ankle

694
00:58:26.519 --> 00:58:30.280
on the rough terrain. We even talked her into drinking

695
00:58:30.360 --> 00:58:33.519
with us in celebration of making it to the ridge

696
00:58:33.559 --> 00:58:40.360
and the indescribable scent. It is quiet up here, Jane said,

697
00:58:41.000 --> 00:58:45.039
as she sipped her vodka with a crystal light packet

698
00:58:45.440 --> 00:58:50.599
in it. Every ounce counts when hiking, so powdered drink

699
00:58:50.639 --> 00:58:56.000
mixes became our go to mixer, which is disgusting. That's

700
00:58:56.000 --> 00:59:00.320
why Tom and I were drinking whiskey straight. I don't

701
00:59:00.360 --> 00:59:04.000
hear any movement in the woods at all, I added,

702
00:59:04.960 --> 00:59:09.079
isn't it nice, Tom said, and held his collapsible cup

703
00:59:09.239 --> 00:59:15.480
up to clink against mine. It's eerie, I said, But whatever,

704
00:59:15.760 --> 00:59:20.119
After a few more drinks, I won't mind it. Just

705
00:59:20.320 --> 00:59:24.079
like the night before, I woke up to strange noises

706
00:59:24.119 --> 00:59:27.920
outside the tent. I was pretty sure I heard another

707
00:59:28.039 --> 00:59:32.280
possum hiss. I debated whether I should wake Sarah up,

708
00:59:32.360 --> 00:59:35.360
but when I looked over to where she should have been,

709
00:59:36.559 --> 00:59:41.599
she wasn't there. I heard animals scatter. When I opened

710
00:59:41.599 --> 00:59:46.039
the tent. The footsteps sounded like they were from various

711
00:59:46.079 --> 00:59:50.800
sized animals. Almost like all the different species in the

712
00:59:50.840 --> 00:59:55.880
woods came to meet at our campsite. Where were they

713
00:59:55.880 --> 01:00:01.639
all day? Sarah? I set out loud. It was not

714
01:00:01.840 --> 01:00:04.800
quite a whisper, but I didn't want to yell and

715
01:00:04.880 --> 01:00:08.239
wake Jenny and Tom up. But when I heard the

716
01:00:08.320 --> 01:00:12.960
zipper on their tent, I assumed I had Did you

717
01:00:13.039 --> 01:00:18.639
hear all that? Jenny asked, in a yell whisper, yeah, man,

718
01:00:18.840 --> 01:00:23.239
Did Sarah sleep through that? Tom asked, I don't know

719
01:00:23.280 --> 01:00:29.320
where she is? Oh. Tom said, she probably just went

720
01:00:29.360 --> 01:00:32.440
out to pitdle and then saw the animals and decided

721
01:00:32.480 --> 01:00:37.880
to wait to come back. That's possible, I guess, since

722
01:00:37.920 --> 01:00:41.440
they were both awake. Now. I took in a deep breath,

723
01:00:41.679 --> 01:00:47.679
funneled my hands around my mouth, and yelled Sarah. I

724
01:00:47.760 --> 01:00:52.280
did this in each direction, not getting a response. I

725
01:00:52.400 --> 01:00:57.920
waited two minutes and did it again. Damn, I said.

726
01:00:58.760 --> 01:01:02.239
Then I walked back to my tent and grabbed my flashlight.

727
01:01:03.239 --> 01:01:07.199
I noticed hers was gone, as was the small bag

728
01:01:07.280 --> 01:01:10.639
where she kept her plant tools. When I came out,

729
01:01:10.800 --> 01:01:15.400
Tom and Sarah had their flashlights out. What's the plan,

730
01:01:16.000 --> 01:01:20.400
Jane asked. We decided we would stay together, and for

731
01:01:20.519 --> 01:01:23.920
now we would only explore one hundred yards from the

732
01:01:24.000 --> 01:01:29.119
camp in each direction. We found nothing when we went south,

733
01:01:29.679 --> 01:01:34.719
nor when we went north. When we went west, though,

734
01:01:35.360 --> 01:01:39.039
we came across a patch of white flowers that were

735
01:01:39.119 --> 01:01:43.719
unlike anything I had ever seen. When we put our

736
01:01:43.760 --> 01:01:47.239
flashlights on them, I could see that the whole plant

737
01:01:47.440 --> 01:01:53.519
was translucent and white, from the stem to the flowers. God,

738
01:01:53.599 --> 01:01:59.840
those are strange. It's just Monotropa uniflora, aka the ghost plant.

739
01:02:00.360 --> 01:02:06.199
Tom said, there parasitic, so should we go around? I asked,

740
01:02:06.920 --> 01:02:10.679
It feeds on fungus instead of sunlight. Unless you're part

741
01:02:10.719 --> 01:02:15.960
fung guy, here safe, Tom said, and laughed. Jane moved

742
01:02:15.960 --> 01:02:18.960
her flashlight further into the group of the ghost plant

743
01:02:19.519 --> 01:02:24.400
and then gave a little scream. Tom and I looked

744
01:02:24.400 --> 01:02:30.000
over to wear her flashlight illuminated specks of blood. The

745
01:02:30.079 --> 01:02:33.239
red drops on the translucent white made them look like

746
01:02:33.320 --> 01:02:39.280
the blood was glowing. What the fuck, Jane said, There

747
01:02:39.280 --> 01:02:41.920
are a lot of animals in the woods. I'm sure

748
01:02:41.920 --> 01:02:45.719
it's just blood dripping from something carrying a rabbit through here,

749
01:02:45.960 --> 01:02:50.760
or a bleeding buck from a fight. Tom reassured us.

750
01:02:51.239 --> 01:02:54.920
Put out your flashlights quick, I said, then put my

751
01:02:55.039 --> 01:02:59.440
hand over the front of my light. Tom and Jane followed.

752
01:03:00.559 --> 01:03:05.239
Even without our flashlights, we could see the blood because

753
01:03:05.280 --> 01:03:10.320
it was, in fact glowing. Does the blood of a

754
01:03:10.400 --> 01:03:17.079
dead rabbit or buck glow? Jane asked, maybe a chemical

755
01:03:17.119 --> 01:03:21.960
reaction between the plant and the blood. I asked, I

756
01:03:22.079 --> 01:03:26.519
doubt it. Tom told us I began to walk in

757
01:03:26.599 --> 01:03:32.159
that direction. Where are you going? Jane asked, it's the

758
01:03:32.239 --> 01:03:37.559
only clue we have, I said, and continued forward. They

759
01:03:37.719 --> 01:03:41.159
argued that my wife's blood doesn't glow, so it can't

760
01:03:41.159 --> 01:03:45.679
be hers, but I didn't listen. We saw more blood

761
01:03:45.719 --> 01:03:49.000
along the way. It was an easy path to follow,

762
01:03:49.760 --> 01:03:52.119
but at the end of the trail we didn't find

763
01:03:52.159 --> 01:03:56.280
my wife. We found a dead deer that had its

764
01:03:56.360 --> 01:04:01.400
guts opened and splayed on the ground. The strangest part

765
01:04:01.599 --> 01:04:05.119
was that its legs appeared to be broken and pulled

766
01:04:05.119 --> 01:04:09.719
into angles that didn't make sense, like it had been

767
01:04:09.800 --> 01:04:13.039
dropped from a distance or attacked by something that could

768
01:04:13.119 --> 01:04:18.559
grab and pull back its legs. What the fuck? Tom said.

769
01:04:19.519 --> 01:04:23.320
In the distance, I heard movement in the woods. Be quiet.

770
01:04:24.280 --> 01:04:28.760
We stood there in silence as whatever was making that

771
01:04:28.960 --> 01:04:33.920
noise headed in our direction. Jane held on to her husband,

772
01:04:34.119 --> 01:04:38.159
but reached over to hold my hand as well. That

773
01:04:38.280 --> 01:04:42.679
glowing blood and the way that deer was killed spooked me.

774
01:04:43.800 --> 01:04:46.880
Why didn't I grab the bear mace before leaving my tent?

775
01:04:48.400 --> 01:04:51.800
It was getting closer. I could hear its struggle as

776
01:04:51.840 --> 01:04:55.239
it made its way up the ridge. Once it did,

777
01:04:55.920 --> 01:04:58.760
it would only be twenty five yards in front of us.

778
01:04:59.639 --> 01:05:03.159
That we gave us a slight advantage if we had

779
01:05:03.199 --> 01:05:06.880
to run, and if it was a cougar or a bear,

780
01:05:07.800 --> 01:05:13.280
it wasn't an advantage at all. Put out your lights.

781
01:05:13.800 --> 01:05:16.360
When it was near the top of the ridge, we

782
01:05:16.480 --> 01:05:21.559
knew it was human. We could see light from a flashlight.

783
01:05:22.760 --> 01:05:28.159
I held my breath and hoped it was Sarah. As

784
01:05:28.199 --> 01:05:31.639
soon as the person got to the top, they pointed

785
01:05:31.639 --> 01:05:35.760
their light at us. How they knew exactly where we

786
01:05:35.880 --> 01:05:40.440
stood in the darkness, I had no idea. The light

787
01:05:40.639 --> 01:05:44.639
was too bright to know who it was. I looked

788
01:05:44.639 --> 01:05:49.400
away and thought about what I should do. Guys, you

789
01:05:49.519 --> 01:05:54.719
have to see this, Sarah said. Feeling relieved that it

790
01:05:54.880 --> 01:05:58.440
was my wife. I let go of Jenny's hand and

791
01:05:58.559 --> 01:06:02.239
made my way to her. You had me so worried,

792
01:06:03.280 --> 01:06:06.760
but my fear returned when I saw the blood on

793
01:06:06.880 --> 01:06:10.880
my old white, oversized blink one eighty two shirt that

794
01:06:11.000 --> 01:06:16.239
she always slept in. What happened to you? She looked down.

795
01:06:16.960 --> 01:06:22.360
Oh this a deer attacked me. You killed that deer?

796
01:06:23.239 --> 01:06:27.559
I asked. It was either me or it. I think

797
01:06:27.599 --> 01:06:30.559
it might have been rabbid. Thank god it didn't bite me,

798
01:06:31.760 --> 01:06:34.400
she said, like it wasn't that big of a deal.

799
01:06:35.519 --> 01:06:39.400
Come with me. We watched as she turned around and

800
01:06:39.480 --> 01:06:44.280
headed down the ridge. We were all hesitant, but we followed.

801
01:06:45.280 --> 01:06:50.360
The terrain was rough but not impossible. Jane almost fell,

802
01:06:50.440 --> 01:06:53.440
but Tom was able to catch her. I think she

803
01:06:53.639 --> 01:06:57.480
was still buzzed. She could always drink me under the table.

804
01:06:58.679 --> 01:07:01.239
When we got to the bottom of the ridge, I

805
01:07:01.280 --> 01:07:05.480
could tell that our destination was through the trees. A

806
01:07:05.639 --> 01:07:08.960
hundred yards or so. I saw there was a light.

807
01:07:10.239 --> 01:07:13.559
I found it. I can't believe I really found it,

808
01:07:14.599 --> 01:07:17.960
Sarah said, as she guided us to what I imagined was

809
01:07:18.000 --> 01:07:23.079
the so called death plant. It stood about four feet

810
01:07:23.159 --> 01:07:27.199
tall in the middle of a clearing. Around it sat

811
01:07:27.280 --> 01:07:31.360
what appeared to be large boulders that were covered in

812
01:07:31.519 --> 01:07:35.280
so much moss and plant life that they must have

813
01:07:35.400 --> 01:07:40.239
been moved there a long time ago. The plant had

814
01:07:40.280 --> 01:07:43.960
a translucent quality to it that was not unlike the

815
01:07:44.000 --> 01:07:49.760
ghost plant, but just like that, amateur weird fiction writer wrote,

816
01:07:49.920 --> 01:07:55.719
it gave off an indescribable scent, not necessarily bad, but

817
01:07:56.559 --> 01:08:01.400
not a welcoming smell either. I found myself wanting to run,

818
01:08:02.039 --> 01:08:05.559
yet transfixed as I tried to comprehend what I was

819
01:08:05.599 --> 01:08:10.280
looking at. Right now, as I write this, I closed

820
01:08:10.320 --> 01:08:13.199
my eyes and try to recall what it looked like,

821
01:08:14.239 --> 01:08:17.640
and I can barely picture it. I want to say

822
01:08:17.720 --> 01:08:21.319
that it was a large flower with different shades of

823
01:08:21.399 --> 01:08:25.800
black and purple, but the colors were ever changing, and

824
01:08:25.880 --> 01:08:29.159
the longer I stared at it, the more the feeling

825
01:08:29.239 --> 01:08:33.840
of sickness came over me. Sarah walked right up to

826
01:08:33.960 --> 01:08:39.279
it and went to touch it. Don't, I said. She

827
01:08:39.520 --> 01:08:42.720
just smiled at me as she first touched, and then

828
01:08:42.920 --> 01:08:47.680
she slid her hand right through its pulpy mass without

829
01:08:47.720 --> 01:08:52.680
any resistance, and when she pulled her hand back, it

830
01:08:52.800 --> 01:08:57.319
showed no sign that it had ever been penetrated. But

831
01:08:57.399 --> 01:09:04.680
her hand was different. It glowed in shifting colors of black, purple,

832
01:09:05.159 --> 01:09:09.319
and blue. As she moved her hands around and opened

833
01:09:09.359 --> 01:09:13.520
and closed her fingers, we could all see these particles

834
01:09:13.560 --> 01:09:20.199
of glowing matter jumping from finger to finger. What the fuck?

835
01:09:21.199 --> 01:09:25.479
Jane and I said in unison. Sarah looked back at

836
01:09:25.479 --> 01:09:29.359
the plant and then nodded her head like it was

837
01:09:30.439 --> 01:09:35.640
telling her something. She smiled and put both hands into

838
01:09:35.640 --> 01:09:40.520
the plant, then back out and took the glowing substance

839
01:09:41.000 --> 01:09:46.960
and rubbed it through her hair. Stop she didn't. She

840
01:09:47.119 --> 01:09:51.359
continued wiping the goo onto her face and her arms,

841
01:09:52.439 --> 01:09:57.840
then put her hands back in for more. This time,

842
01:09:57.960 --> 01:10:01.880
she took her covered hand and wipe the glowing substance

843
01:10:02.079 --> 01:10:06.680
all over the inside of her mouth. The fuck are

844
01:10:06.720 --> 01:10:10.960
you doing? I think we need to go, Jane said.

845
01:10:11.800 --> 01:10:15.439
Tom took her hand and they began to walk away.

846
01:10:16.720 --> 01:10:21.920
When Sarah began to float a few inches off the ground,

847
01:10:23.079 --> 01:10:27.800
they took off running. Sarah grabbed Jane's other arm so

848
01:10:28.039 --> 01:10:31.279
hard that it not only pulled them both to the ground,

849
01:10:32.000 --> 01:10:37.479
but I heard her arm break in several places. Tom

850
01:10:37.640 --> 01:10:42.479
let go of her and ran. Sarah followed him. So

851
01:10:42.600 --> 01:10:46.800
I grabbed Jane, who was screaming in pure agony, and

852
01:10:46.920 --> 01:10:51.079
dragged her in the opposite direction. As we ran, I

853
01:10:51.279 --> 01:10:56.760
started shushing her, be quiet, be quiet, please. I took

854
01:10:56.880 --> 01:11:00.479
us to the embankment to climb up in a different area,

855
01:11:01.000 --> 01:11:05.439
which I believed would take us close to our camping site.

856
01:11:05.520 --> 01:11:08.600
She was out of her mind in pain and panic,

857
01:11:09.359 --> 01:11:13.119
and it was a near impossible task, but we were

858
01:11:13.159 --> 01:11:16.560
able to get up there without my wife catching us.

859
01:11:17.159 --> 01:11:20.039
I didn't want to think about what she was doing

860
01:11:20.079 --> 01:11:23.840
to Tom. I wondered if he would look like that

861
01:11:24.000 --> 01:11:29.439
deer or worse back at the camp site. I grabbed

862
01:11:29.439 --> 01:11:33.399
a backpack and filled it with essentials food and water.

863
01:11:34.239 --> 01:11:38.800
Jenny grabbed her bottle of vodka and chugged it something

864
01:11:38.800 --> 01:11:42.439
to numb the pain. She told me, we need to

865
01:11:42.520 --> 01:11:46.279
keep moving. Is there anything else you need? Jane grabbed

866
01:11:46.279 --> 01:11:49.319
a jacket and winced in pain as she slid it

867
01:11:49.359 --> 01:11:54.000
over her broken arm and then onto the other. I

868
01:11:54.039 --> 01:11:59.279
think I'm good, she said, and gave a fake smile. Okay,

869
01:11:59.640 --> 01:12:05.399
let's go. Before we could, we heard breaking branches and

870
01:12:05.520 --> 01:12:10.359
crunching brush as if somebody was running through the rough terrain.

871
01:12:12.039 --> 01:12:16.359
We didn't wait around. We took off running. I was

872
01:12:16.399 --> 01:12:19.600
afraid that my wife would find us because Jane was

873
01:12:19.680 --> 01:12:23.159
crying out in pain from the shaking of her broken

874
01:12:23.359 --> 01:12:29.079
arm as she ran. But to my surprise, we got away.

875
01:12:30.239 --> 01:12:33.800
When the sun came out, we realized we were not

876
01:12:34.000 --> 01:12:38.760
on the trail back like we had thought. Feeling defeated

877
01:12:38.800 --> 01:12:42.960
and worn out, we decided to get some sleep since

878
01:12:43.000 --> 01:12:49.399
we hadn't heard her sounds in hours. Jane found us

879
01:12:49.399 --> 01:12:54.079
a nice spot to hide, semi hidden between two down trees.

880
01:12:55.199 --> 01:12:58.000
I found a few broken branches to put over the

881
01:12:58.000 --> 01:13:02.039
top to further aid our hiding spot. It might have

882
01:13:02.119 --> 01:13:06.479
helped us camouflage, but it didn't help. When the spring

883
01:13:06.600 --> 01:13:12.159
rain came, we held each other for warmth before we

884
01:13:12.199 --> 01:13:17.079
fell asleep. Jane spoke, do you think Tom made it?

885
01:13:18.760 --> 01:13:22.399
I don't know. Do you think my wife can be saved?

886
01:13:23.279 --> 01:13:29.680
It has to be some kind of toxin, right? Sure? Sure,

887
01:13:30.479 --> 01:13:36.399
Jane said, trying to comfort me in case we die.

888
01:13:36.520 --> 01:13:40.199
I just want you to know I always loved you

889
01:13:41.000 --> 01:13:44.560
as a friend, of course, but if things were different,

890
01:13:44.640 --> 01:13:48.079
and if Sarah wasn't so damn good for you, I mean,

891
01:13:49.119 --> 01:13:55.439
before the toxic plant induced psychosis and murderousness, I would

892
01:13:55.439 --> 01:13:59.079
have wanted to be with you. I held her tighter

893
01:14:00.079 --> 01:14:06.000
and fell asleep. We woke up hours later, freezing and

894
01:14:06.119 --> 01:14:11.800
drenched from rain. But that wasn't what woke us. It

895
01:14:11.920 --> 01:14:18.239
was the sound of something moving in the woods. Curiosity

896
01:14:18.399 --> 01:14:23.640
kept us hiding instead of running. Jane stared with intent

897
01:14:23.840 --> 01:14:27.319
in the direction of the noise. I think she was

898
01:14:27.439 --> 01:14:31.279
hoping it was her husband. The part that piqued my

899
01:14:31.479 --> 01:14:36.560
interest was the irregular pattern of its movement. The sound

900
01:14:36.760 --> 01:14:41.439
was unnerving your whole life. You're used to the rhythm

901
01:14:41.520 --> 01:14:47.159
of how things move, sometimes with slight differences. Some people

902
01:14:47.239 --> 01:14:51.479
drag their feet more than others. But this was different.

903
01:14:52.560 --> 01:15:04.399
Nothing moved like this. It was thud pause, thud, thud pause, thud,

904
01:15:04.560 --> 01:15:10.680
thud thud. When it appeared, Jane gripped my hand harder.

905
01:15:10.960 --> 01:15:14.479
Her face froze in terror, with her mouth open, like

906
01:15:14.560 --> 01:15:17.720
she meant to scream, but was in too much shock

907
01:15:17.840 --> 01:15:23.199
to do so. Tears were filling her eyes. I looked

908
01:15:23.239 --> 01:15:28.079
back at Tom, who was heading our way. The changed

909
01:15:28.239 --> 01:15:32.560
Tom with his broken limbs. He walked on his hands

910
01:15:32.600 --> 01:15:36.119
and legs, and each time he stepped you could see

911
01:15:36.119 --> 01:15:39.560
the bones shifting at the points where they were broken

912
01:15:40.199 --> 01:15:44.199
instead of at the joints. He also had the purple

913
01:15:44.279 --> 01:15:50.680
plant goo rubbed on him in various spots. Tom Jane yelled,

914
01:15:51.199 --> 01:15:54.079
I put my hand over her mouth. If he can

915
01:15:54.159 --> 01:15:58.479
continue moving in that state. He is no longer your Tom.

916
01:15:59.359 --> 01:16:03.800
He is either something else or so insane that he

917
01:16:03.960 --> 01:16:07.600
can't be trusted. I took my hand off her mouth.

918
01:16:08.600 --> 01:16:13.119
We've got to go. Her gaze was transfixed on him now.

919
01:16:13.880 --> 01:16:17.439
She didn't respond, so I stood up and grabbed her

920
01:16:17.479 --> 01:16:21.560
by the shoulders to get her up and moving. This

921
01:16:22.039 --> 01:16:26.960
was a mistake. It saw us the thing that once

922
01:16:27.199 --> 01:16:33.520
was Tom smiled, revealing his blood stained mouth and teeth.

923
01:16:34.359 --> 01:16:36.680
He was so broken that it could have been his

924
01:16:36.760 --> 01:16:39.720
own blood coming out of his mouth from the sheer

925
01:16:39.880 --> 01:16:44.760
trauma he had been through, or maybe he had killed

926
01:16:44.800 --> 01:16:49.800
and eaten something on the way up here. Hello, honey,

927
01:16:50.720 --> 01:16:55.000
Tom said. This snapped Jane out of it, and she

928
01:16:55.199 --> 01:17:00.119
turned to run. I did the same. But that that

929
01:17:00.279 --> 01:17:04.439
was the moment we saw something glowing in the woods

930
01:17:04.880 --> 01:17:09.319
heading our way. It didn't take long to realize it

931
01:17:09.439 --> 01:17:14.000
was my wife, now covered head to toe in the

932
01:17:14.039 --> 01:17:19.439
purple goo from that plant. She was illuminated, and just

933
01:17:19.600 --> 01:17:24.680
like that plant, she had become semi transparent. I could

934
01:17:24.720 --> 01:17:29.439
see her now purple blood rushing through her body, and

935
01:17:29.520 --> 01:17:33.600
I could see her heart pumping it. We heard a

936
01:17:33.680 --> 01:17:37.760
scream behind us, and we turned to see Tom leaping

937
01:17:37.840 --> 01:17:41.239
into the air towards us. He might have been able

938
01:17:41.279 --> 01:17:44.640
to get into the air using his broken limbs, but

939
01:17:44.840 --> 01:17:49.439
when he landed, his body couldn't support the weight and

940
01:17:49.520 --> 01:17:53.640
he dropped hard to the ground. With that his right

941
01:17:53.720 --> 01:17:58.600
femur broke through the skin. This didn't stop him. He

942
01:17:58.720 --> 01:18:02.600
now dragged that broken limb as he continued his pursuit.

943
01:18:03.880 --> 01:18:07.319
Jane grabbed my hand and pulled me to run. We

944
01:18:07.439 --> 01:18:10.319
headed back down the main path in the direction of

945
01:18:10.359 --> 01:18:14.600
the car. Of course, even at running speed, it would

946
01:18:14.680 --> 01:18:18.960
take hours to get back. We just had to lose them.

947
01:18:19.760 --> 01:18:23.279
I knew we could get away from Tom, but Sarah

948
01:18:23.439 --> 01:18:27.199
was always faster than I, and with her death plant

949
01:18:27.359 --> 01:18:31.760
energy or whatever, who knew what that did for her speed.

950
01:18:33.039 --> 01:18:35.800
We ran and hoped that they were not catching up.

951
01:18:36.600 --> 01:18:38.800
But when we got to that one area of the

952
01:18:38.920 --> 01:18:41.960
trail that we hit earlier and had to climb over

953
01:18:42.039 --> 01:18:46.039
the down tree, I leaped over it and landed on

954
01:18:46.079 --> 01:18:51.079
the other side and kept going. Then a few seconds

955
01:18:51.159 --> 01:18:56.239
later I heard a large thud. Jane had tried to

956
01:18:56.279 --> 01:18:59.560
do the same and must not have jumped high enough

957
01:19:00.039 --> 01:19:06.800
and tripped, landing face down hard on the ground. Sarah

958
01:19:06.840 --> 01:19:10.640
in her ghoulish condition suddenly appeared on top of that

959
01:19:10.800 --> 01:19:15.239
down tree, stopping me from wanting to move forward to

960
01:19:15.359 --> 01:19:20.840
help Jane. Hia, John, why don't you come here and

961
01:19:20.920 --> 01:19:26.760
give your wife a little kiss? She said, and pursed

962
01:19:26.800 --> 01:19:32.920
her lips. Her now purple saliva dripped out of her

963
01:19:33.000 --> 01:19:40.439
mouth a rain check. But I just need a little kiss.

964
01:19:41.000 --> 01:19:47.399
Come on, Johnny, just a little kiss. More of the

965
01:19:47.479 --> 01:19:51.119
thick slime dripped out of her mouth. It made me

966
01:19:51.279 --> 01:19:56.640
sick to my stomach. I'm just not in a sexy

967
01:19:56.800 --> 01:20:01.680
kind of mood. I continued the conversation in hopes that

968
01:20:01.720 --> 01:20:05.000
it would give Jane time to get up. She was

969
01:20:05.039 --> 01:20:09.359
starting to move a bit, but then an arm appeared

970
01:20:09.399 --> 01:20:13.720
on the down tree, and quickly I saw it was

971
01:20:13.840 --> 01:20:18.119
Tom pulling himself on top of it as well. His

972
01:20:18.279 --> 01:20:22.479
body was hideous, not just from the mutilations and limbs

973
01:20:22.520 --> 01:20:26.760
being bent in weird directions, but he was now bloody

974
01:20:27.239 --> 01:20:33.479
and beaten up from using that broken body to pursue us. Jane,

975
01:20:33.680 --> 01:20:37.279
come on, She put her arms out and started to

976
01:20:37.279 --> 01:20:41.520
get up, but then Tom leaped onto her back and

977
01:20:41.640 --> 01:20:46.279
began biting huge chunks out of her. Jane looked up

978
01:20:46.319 --> 01:20:50.199
at me in terror I was full of fear, but

979
01:20:50.359 --> 01:20:52.960
I moved towards her to try and get him off,

980
01:20:53.840 --> 01:20:59.159
But then her wilderness friends appeared behind her, all covered

981
01:20:59.199 --> 01:21:04.239
in the slime. There was a deer, a beaver, and

982
01:21:04.279 --> 01:21:09.039
a few squirrels, but what terrified me most was the

983
01:21:09.119 --> 01:21:16.399
half dozen hissing possums. I froze, but when Sarah jumped

984
01:21:16.439 --> 01:21:22.239
down and all her critters followed, I ran, leaving my

985
01:21:22.359 --> 01:21:27.840
best friend behind. It seemed like I had run for hours,

986
01:21:28.640 --> 01:21:34.920
but who knows pure adrenaline is disorientating. Only once I

987
01:21:35.000 --> 01:21:40.279
ran out of all energy did I look behind me. Thankfully,

988
01:21:40.319 --> 01:21:45.640
there was nothing following. Stopping was a mistake. Once I did,

989
01:21:45.720 --> 01:21:50.199
my body tightened up and I could barely move. So

990
01:21:50.600 --> 01:21:54.640
with the little energy I had, I walked slowly off

991
01:21:54.680 --> 01:21:58.680
the trail and sat behind a down tree that barely

992
01:21:58.760 --> 01:22:02.760
hid me, but it was as far as I could go.

993
01:22:04.359 --> 01:22:08.760
Next to the tree was a rhododendron bush. I used

994
01:22:08.800 --> 01:22:13.319
to like these, but their purple color was now ugly

995
01:22:13.479 --> 01:22:17.960
to me. The warmth from the sun as night became

996
01:22:18.119 --> 01:22:25.960
day once again felt nice, and despite everything, I found

997
01:22:25.960 --> 01:22:37.279
myself falling asleep. When I woke up in the afternoon,

998
01:22:37.880 --> 01:22:42.359
I made my way to the car. Whatever happened to them,

999
01:22:42.840 --> 01:22:46.880
I don't know. I went to the police and reported

1000
01:22:46.920 --> 01:22:50.720
the incident. Some rangers went up there, and there were

1001
01:22:50.760 --> 01:22:55.439
search parties as well. Everyone in my life looked down

1002
01:22:55.479 --> 01:22:59.640
on me for not joining in the search, and it

1003
01:22:59.720 --> 01:23:04.960
made some think that I must have killed them. Hopefully

1004
01:23:05.039 --> 01:23:09.720
this will make everybody understand, but since I am writing

1005
01:23:09.760 --> 01:23:15.079
this from the Locust Grove Mental Hospital, I don't know

1006
01:23:15.119 --> 01:23:19.800
how much credence people will give it. All I can

1007
01:23:19.840 --> 01:23:23.199
say is to make sure that you stay away from

1008
01:23:23.359 --> 01:23:27.199
Roots Ridge, especially in the spring of two thousand and

1009
01:23:27.279 --> 01:23:31.079
thirty nine, which should be the next time it blooms.

1010
01:23:31.600 --> 01:23:44.359
If Sarah's calculations were right about its blooming every seventeen years.

1011
01:23:45.079 --> 01:23:52.000
Stay Hungry by David O. Hanny. Ella Scott watched in

1012
01:23:52.119 --> 01:23:56.560
disbelief as the man passed the folded bills to the

1013
01:23:56.600 --> 01:24:01.439
boat Captain Cain. Marlowe was one of the most infamous

1014
01:24:01.479 --> 01:24:06.159
poachers in the world, and last she'd heard was in

1015
01:24:06.239 --> 01:24:11.239
a Kenyan prison. She doubted he'd been released on good behavior.

1016
01:24:12.439 --> 01:24:16.399
Ella's face reddened as Marlowe went to stow his luggage.

1017
01:24:17.159 --> 01:24:24.319
Her fingernails dug into her palms and her entire body shook. Keith,

1018
01:24:24.600 --> 01:24:28.199
the cameraman for the documentary, stepped in front of her

1019
01:24:28.399 --> 01:24:34.359
with his hands raised defensively deep breaths. He said, it's

1020
01:24:34.640 --> 01:24:38.439
just a mix up. I'm sure. Ella shoved him out

1021
01:24:38.439 --> 01:24:42.479
of her way and stormed over to the captain, grabbing

1022
01:24:42.560 --> 01:24:46.840
for his collar but mostly getting chest hair. The short,

1023
01:24:46.960 --> 01:24:51.920
stocky man whined and slapped at her hands. What are

1024
01:24:51.960 --> 01:24:57.199
you thinking, she demanded that I didn't ask for a manscaping.

1025
01:24:57.720 --> 01:25:00.159
He rubbed his chest. You want to go up the

1026
01:25:00.239 --> 01:25:06.159
river or no? Yes, Ella barked back to film the

1027
01:25:06.279 --> 01:25:12.600
hippos migrating, not being butchered. God damn it, Louise, do

1028
01:25:12.680 --> 01:25:17.399
you know who that is? Of course, Louise said, he's

1029
01:25:17.479 --> 01:25:19.720
the guy that just paid me a lot more than

1030
01:25:19.760 --> 01:25:22.760
you did to go to the exact same place. I

1031
01:25:22.800 --> 01:25:25.600
can make a dozen trips to more popular locations in

1032
01:25:25.680 --> 01:25:30.000
the same time. This trip is not cost effective. I

1033
01:25:30.039 --> 01:25:33.119
got plenty of room. If someone else wants to come along,

1034
01:25:33.479 --> 01:25:38.920
I'll take them too. I think you misunderstood, Keith chimed in.

1035
01:25:39.680 --> 01:25:44.520
Ella is concerned because that man is a poacher. I

1036
01:25:44.520 --> 01:25:48.039
don't care how he eats his eggs. Louise shrugged and

1037
01:25:48.119 --> 01:25:53.119
started up to the ship's helm. He'll slaughter them, Ella said,

1038
01:25:53.640 --> 01:25:58.079
this is Columbia. Miss Scott Louise leaned on the rusted railing.

1039
01:25:58.840 --> 01:26:01.159
This village here has been and burned down at least

1040
01:26:01.199 --> 01:26:05.119
three times since I've been alive. Human life is cheap.

1041
01:26:05.640 --> 01:26:10.319
Hippos aren't many men pay to hunt these animals. You're

1042
01:26:10.399 --> 01:26:13.119
upset that he is here, but you use this boat,

1043
01:26:13.199 --> 01:26:17.640
so you'll tolerate him. I understand it's your boat, but

1044
01:26:18.520 --> 01:26:22.840
it's their boat. The captain cut her off. The hunters

1045
01:26:22.880 --> 01:26:26.079
are why this boat has a running motor. They are

1046
01:26:26.119 --> 01:26:28.600
the reason I was able to pay off my debts

1047
01:26:28.840 --> 01:26:31.600
when your hippos killed the fish I used to catch

1048
01:26:31.640 --> 01:26:35.439
for a living. You hate the hunters, but the hunters

1049
01:26:35.439 --> 01:26:38.720
are the only reason you're going upriver to go where

1050
01:26:38.760 --> 01:26:42.159
you wish. You either take this boat or you swim.

1051
01:26:43.680 --> 01:26:47.960
Guess we're riding with the poacher. Keith muttered, I'm not

1052
01:26:48.079 --> 01:26:58.359
letting him kill anything. Ella said, mark my words. After

1053
01:26:58.399 --> 01:27:03.119
the Colombian governments slaughtered the bull named Pepe, there had

1054
01:27:03.159 --> 01:27:09.680
been an international outcry to protect the so called cocaine hippos.

1055
01:27:10.319 --> 01:27:14.479
Pablo Escobar had imported four of the animals for his

1056
01:27:14.600 --> 01:27:18.760
private zoo back in the eighties, which had escaped into

1057
01:27:18.760 --> 01:27:23.800
the wild after his death. Without a dry season, they

1058
01:27:23.880 --> 01:27:28.840
begun reaching sexual maturity faster. Their number had swelled to

1059
01:27:28.920 --> 01:27:33.479
at least two hundred in the years since. If interventions

1060
01:27:33.520 --> 01:27:36.800
weren't found, there would be a thousand by the end

1061
01:27:36.840 --> 01:27:41.239
of the next decade. In recent months, reports had come

1062
01:27:41.279 --> 01:27:46.279
in of hippopotamus sightings far from median. However, a local

1063
01:27:46.279 --> 01:27:51.520
group of activists exploiting the rampant political corruption had supplied

1064
01:27:51.560 --> 01:27:55.119
Ella with satellite imagery of the area, as well as

1065
01:27:55.239 --> 01:28:00.159
aerial photographs of what appeared to be three juveniles over

1066
01:28:00.159 --> 01:28:05.159
one hundred miles to the north. Ella studied the photos

1067
01:28:05.199 --> 01:28:08.560
with the same intrigue she had when she first seen them.

1068
01:28:09.680 --> 01:28:13.880
In the alien jungles of South America, the animals often

1069
01:28:13.960 --> 01:28:19.840
behaved in ways unseen among their African relatives. Still it

1070
01:28:19.920 --> 01:28:24.880
seemed unreasonable. Still, it seemed unreasonable for a group to

1071
01:28:24.960 --> 01:28:28.039
break off from the herd when all their needs were

1072
01:28:28.039 --> 01:28:33.119
being met in the Magdalena River they called home. If

1073
01:28:33.159 --> 01:28:36.880
they had been forced out by a dominant bull, then

1074
01:28:36.920 --> 01:28:40.439
they should have stopped moving once they were outside his range,

1075
01:28:40.600 --> 01:28:44.439
which would have been no more than ten miles. The

1076
01:28:44.439 --> 01:28:49.159
exodus made no sense. Ella needed to film them in

1077
01:28:49.199 --> 01:28:52.720
the wild and to figure out exactly why they had

1078
01:28:52.760 --> 01:28:56.199
moved so far. She had to show the world that

1079
01:28:56.279 --> 01:29:01.159
the Colombian hippo had become its own species if she

1080
01:29:01.319 --> 01:29:05.159
wanted to save them. They'd been on the river all day.

1081
01:29:06.039 --> 01:29:10.039
Keith had occupied himself with filming establishing shots. For the

1082
01:29:10.079 --> 01:29:14.279
first few hours. Ella had shot thirty three takes of

1083
01:29:14.279 --> 01:29:18.760
her introduction, detailing the history of the hippos in Columbia,

1084
01:29:19.319 --> 01:29:23.199
the efforts to contain them, and how they had transformed

1085
01:29:23.840 --> 01:29:27.279
from an invasive species to a meaningful part of the

1086
01:29:27.319 --> 01:29:32.600
ecosystem that they now lived within. Keith wasn't sure he

1087
01:29:32.720 --> 01:29:36.079
bought into that last part, no matter how many times

1088
01:29:36.159 --> 01:29:40.199
she made him reshoot it. He was from Indiana and

1089
01:29:40.279 --> 01:29:44.159
had seen the negative effects of feral hog's first hand.

1090
01:29:45.000 --> 01:29:48.840
The hippos were a lot bigger and more ill tempered

1091
01:29:49.319 --> 01:29:53.359
than the pigs back home. They'd started their trip at

1092
01:29:53.399 --> 01:29:57.920
the tourist trap in Median. The hippopotamuses had created a

1093
01:29:58.000 --> 01:30:02.199
strange paradox for the local They killed the fish that

1094
01:30:02.279 --> 01:30:06.920
provided the basis for their economy and diet, while simultaneously

1095
01:30:07.000 --> 01:30:11.720
creating revenue through eco tourism. It was much cheaper to

1096
01:30:11.760 --> 01:30:15.399
come see the hippos in South America than venturing to

1097
01:30:15.520 --> 01:30:20.880
Africa for a pricey photo safari. Keith didn't see the appeal.

1098
01:30:21.640 --> 01:30:24.960
The hippos did nothing but soak in a river and

1099
01:30:25.159 --> 01:30:30.079
immodestly shit for the flashing cameras. It hardly seemed worth

1100
01:30:30.119 --> 01:30:35.239
the airfare. While Ella reviewed the maps and photographs again,

1101
01:30:35.920 --> 01:30:39.359
he optioned to take some still photos of the vast

1102
01:30:39.520 --> 01:30:44.560
array of wildlife occupying the riverbanks. He zoomed in on

1103
01:30:44.640 --> 01:30:48.840
the stone faced Colombian sitting at the rear of the boat.

1104
01:30:49.479 --> 01:30:52.880
Hector filled every role on the boat as he was needed.

1105
01:30:53.800 --> 01:30:58.199
He was a former FARC soldier and his bear Torso

1106
01:30:58.520 --> 01:31:03.000
was pock marked with shrapnel, scars and burns from his

1107
01:31:03.119 --> 01:31:07.640
past life. Once they made land, Hector would make sure

1108
01:31:07.720 --> 01:31:11.960
they were safe while filming. Ella had of course protested

1109
01:31:12.199 --> 01:31:15.680
an armed guard, but Luis had only been paid half

1110
01:31:15.800 --> 01:31:20.800
up front and insisted Hector go with them. Keith wasn't

1111
01:31:20.840 --> 01:31:24.640
sure if the man never spoke because he didn't know English,

1112
01:31:25.359 --> 01:31:30.600
or if it was some sense of warrior stoicism. Either way,

1113
01:31:31.199 --> 01:31:35.600
the cameraman found Hector as intriguing as he was frightening.

1114
01:31:36.680 --> 01:31:40.439
Keith pried his lens away from his subject and moved

1115
01:31:40.479 --> 01:31:45.600
to the opposite end of the rickety boat. Cain Marlowe

1116
01:31:45.680 --> 01:31:48.920
stood at the bow with one boot on the edge

1117
01:31:49.319 --> 01:31:52.640
and his rigby rifle propped on his hip, like he

1118
01:31:52.800 --> 01:31:56.119
was gracing the cover of a Harley Quinn romance novel.

1119
01:31:57.319 --> 01:32:00.279
He looked the part with his Safari shirt, sleep eaves

1120
01:32:00.359 --> 01:32:04.520
rolled up over muscular forearms, and the top two buttons

1121
01:32:04.600 --> 01:32:10.199
down to show the valley between thick pectorals. Exotic oils

1122
01:32:10.279 --> 01:32:15.439
made his golden beard glisten in the setting sun. He

1123
01:32:15.600 --> 01:32:19.840
was a bondy beach allen quartermain. The only thing out

1124
01:32:19.840 --> 01:32:23.800
of place about him was the ragged scar on the

1125
01:32:23.880 --> 01:32:29.279
right side of his face. The claws had left distinctive

1126
01:32:29.880 --> 01:32:35.600
raised lines from his temple to his jaw. His eye

1127
01:32:35.720 --> 01:32:38.840
was stuck in a permanent squint on account of the

1128
01:32:38.880 --> 01:32:44.479
nerve damage. Keith wondered if some unfortunate jungle cat had

1129
01:32:44.520 --> 01:32:48.119
turned the tables on the poacher, or if it had

1130
01:32:48.159 --> 01:32:52.640
been his origin story. Perhaps the beast had mauled a

1131
01:32:52.720 --> 01:32:57.760
young Marlowe, beginning his desperate need to kill them in retaliation.

1132
01:32:59.199 --> 01:33:03.560
Like Hector, Keith found Marlowe to be more interesting than

1133
01:33:03.600 --> 01:33:09.000
the hippos. This is insane, Ella said, snapping him back

1134
01:33:09.039 --> 01:33:13.159
to reality. The photos clearly show the hippos have moved on.

1135
01:33:14.199 --> 01:33:19.640
This is completely uncharted behavior for them. We're onto something

1136
01:33:19.760 --> 01:33:23.479
huge here and crocodile dun dumbass wants to murder them.

1137
01:33:24.720 --> 01:33:28.479
Maybe they're trying to go home. Keith said, they are

1138
01:33:28.640 --> 01:33:33.680
moving in the general direction of Africa. Ancient Egyptians thought

1139
01:33:33.720 --> 01:33:39.199
they were supernatural beings. Ella seemed to consider it. Perhaps

1140
01:33:39.239 --> 01:33:45.720
the truth is somewhere in between, perhaps, Keith snorted. Or

1141
01:33:45.840 --> 01:33:49.000
perhaps you're reading too much into them going for a walk.

1142
01:33:50.199 --> 01:33:55.479
They've traveled over two hundred miles. Ella scoffed. That's hardly

1143
01:33:55.520 --> 01:34:01.319
an evening stroll. It's an invasion. Marlowe said, that's what

1144
01:34:01.399 --> 01:34:05.359
the Venezuelans are calling it. They've got enough problems without

1145
01:34:05.399 --> 01:34:09.600
a bunch of hungry, hungry hippos coming to dinner. So

1146
01:34:09.960 --> 01:34:12.399
you're going to kill them and be the big hero.

1147
01:34:12.960 --> 01:34:16.560
Ella asked, wouldn't be much fun or profit in that?

1148
01:34:17.359 --> 01:34:21.600
Marlow corrected her. If the herd crosses the border, they'll

1149
01:34:21.640 --> 01:34:25.560
be slaughtered. That's exactly what you don't want. If I recall,

1150
01:34:26.600 --> 01:34:30.560
you're killing them for their own good Ella laughed, that's

1151
01:34:30.600 --> 01:34:35.159
a new spin. I'll kill one or two. Marlow admitted.

1152
01:34:35.840 --> 01:34:39.760
These animals are simply exploring their boundaries. It takes a

1153
01:34:39.840 --> 01:34:45.239
predator to set some Luckily you have me. They don't

1154
01:34:45.279 --> 01:34:48.239
go to Venezuela to be massacred, and I get a

1155
01:34:48.279 --> 01:34:53.880
grand hunt. We both win. Miss Scott Keith looked around

1156
01:34:53.920 --> 01:34:56.800
the boat and raised his hand like he was back

1157
01:34:56.840 --> 01:35:02.680
in film school. Yes, marlow asked, there doesn't seem to

1158
01:35:02.720 --> 01:35:06.199
be room for a dead hippo, let alone two of them.

1159
01:35:06.840 --> 01:35:13.079
The cameraman said, he's only bringing back the teeth. Ella said, pointedly,

1160
01:35:13.960 --> 01:35:19.800
trading in hippo ivory is illegal internationally. Marlowe said, with

1161
01:35:19.880 --> 01:35:24.560
a grim smile. They're not an indigenous species, so the

1162
01:35:24.600 --> 01:35:27.359
Colombian government doesn't have a law on the books about

1163
01:35:27.439 --> 01:35:31.439
domestic sales. You think you Americans have the patent on

1164
01:35:31.560 --> 01:35:34.800
rich assholes. I can sell those tusks in Bogata for

1165
01:35:34.880 --> 01:35:39.680
a mint. I won't let that happen. Ella ensured him.

1166
01:35:40.640 --> 01:35:44.119
The sightings indicate an entire pod up there that's big

1167
01:35:44.239 --> 01:35:46.279
enough that we can both get the kind of shots

1168
01:35:46.279 --> 01:35:50.279
we're looking for without being in each other's way. Marlow

1169
01:35:50.359 --> 01:35:54.399
stepped closer to Ella. You're on the backside of Burke now.

1170
01:35:55.079 --> 01:36:00.840
No police ya, no human rights, no fucking Starbucks. Is

1171
01:36:00.920 --> 01:36:04.800
that supposed to be a threat? A reminder you're not

1172
01:36:05.039 --> 01:36:09.680
live streaming a protest outside of Maybelene. Everything out here

1173
01:36:10.119 --> 01:36:15.520
is lethal. Piranha, crocs and acandas and jaguars, even the

1174
01:36:15.640 --> 01:36:20.279
fucking ants. Anyone can come into the jungle, but it

1175
01:36:20.359 --> 01:36:23.800
takes a special breed to come back out. And I

1176
01:36:23.840 --> 01:36:27.279
don't think you're of that stock. He nodded to Keith.

1177
01:36:28.239 --> 01:36:32.840
That bloke certainly isn't. Marlowe climbed the ladder to join

1178
01:36:32.920 --> 01:36:37.279
Louise at the helm. Ella looked back at Hector, wondering

1179
01:36:37.319 --> 01:36:40.479
if his role as their protector extended to keeping them

1180
01:36:40.520 --> 01:36:45.840
safe from Marlowe as well. The former soldier locked eyes

1181
01:36:45.880 --> 01:36:49.600
with her and replaced the strap on his holster, letting

1182
01:36:49.640 --> 01:36:53.920
her know he'd been prepared to move if things had escalated.

1183
01:36:55.039 --> 01:36:59.359
On Whose behalf he'd have acted was still a mystery.

1184
01:37:04.960 --> 01:37:09.000
It had been a long night, so far from civilization.

1185
01:37:10.079 --> 01:37:15.439
The wildlife went about their routines uninterrupted all night long.

1186
01:37:16.000 --> 01:37:20.560
Animals carried on in an endless cacophony of mating calls

1187
01:37:20.800 --> 01:37:25.680
and ferocious hunts. Every time an animal cried out from

1188
01:37:25.720 --> 01:37:30.760
the jaws of some predator, Ella would snap awake, expecting

1189
01:37:30.800 --> 01:37:35.000
to see Marlowe carrying a gruesome trophy back on board

1190
01:37:35.039 --> 01:37:40.199
the boat. It never happened. Each time she was roused

1191
01:37:40.239 --> 01:37:45.359
from sleep, she found the hunter peacefully resting in his hammock.

1192
01:37:46.600 --> 01:37:50.479
The sounds of death must have been his favorite lullaby.

1193
01:37:51.279 --> 01:37:54.920
He didn't stir in the slightest while she snuck away

1194
01:37:55.600 --> 01:38:00.279
with his rifle. They made good time. The next morning,

1195
01:38:00.840 --> 01:38:04.760
Keith sat beside Louise at the helm. Ella watched him

1196
01:38:04.800 --> 01:38:08.479
shakily pouring a fresh cup of coffee into a cracked

1197
01:38:08.560 --> 01:38:14.039
mug with faded letters. Despite having gotten even less sleep

1198
01:38:14.079 --> 01:38:19.239
than her, Keith seemed wide awake now. Ella went to

1199
01:38:19.279 --> 01:38:24.359
the top of the ladder. Keith, She called, yeah, He

1200
01:38:24.479 --> 01:38:29.880
yipped excitedly, His feet tapped rapidly, and he was grinding

1201
01:38:29.920 --> 01:38:33.079
his teeth. Oh, you want me to get some more

1202
01:38:33.119 --> 01:38:37.199
bee roll? That would be great. She gestured to the cup.

1203
01:38:38.119 --> 01:38:41.880
How much coffee have you had? This is my second cup.

1204
01:38:42.359 --> 01:38:47.840
Keith nodded vigorously, Louise held up three fingers. You seem

1205
01:38:47.880 --> 01:38:53.239
a little jittery, Ella said, it's really good. Keith slapped

1206
01:38:53.279 --> 01:38:57.399
Louise on the back. Folgers doesn't know shit about Colombian blend.

1207
01:38:58.600 --> 01:39:04.760
Colombian blend, Ella asked. Colombian blend, Louise said, tapping his

1208
01:39:04.920 --> 01:39:11.640
nostril for clarity. Take him before he shakes us off course, Jesus, okay,

1209
01:39:12.119 --> 01:39:16.279
no more coffee, Keith Ella snapped her fingers, pointing to

1210
01:39:16.319 --> 01:39:19.680
the bow. We have work to do. Pour it over

1211
01:39:19.720 --> 01:39:23.560
the side. I don't think so. Louise took the mug

1212
01:39:23.560 --> 01:39:27.159
from Keith and down to gulp. Last thing we need

1213
01:39:27.239 --> 01:39:30.680
is piranhas swimming in this. Go make movies with your

1214
01:39:30.680 --> 01:39:34.319
girlfriend and leave the coffee to the men. Keith laughed.

1215
01:39:34.720 --> 01:39:38.720
He thinks you're my girlfriend. Move your ass. Keith Ella

1216
01:39:38.840 --> 01:39:41.479
dropped to the deck and went to stern for the

1217
01:39:41.479 --> 01:39:47.000
camera equipment. She looked around suspiciously. Hector had stayed at

1218
01:39:47.000 --> 01:39:51.039
the rear of the ship the entire day, but had

1219
01:39:51.119 --> 01:39:56.039
seemingly given up his post. A sharp whistle drew her

1220
01:39:56.079 --> 01:40:01.960
attention and apparently the captain's, as the boat slowed, I

1221
01:40:02.000 --> 01:40:05.159
think you should come and see this, Miss Scott Marlowe

1222
01:40:05.239 --> 01:40:09.279
shouted from the bow. Ella pulled the camera from the

1223
01:40:09.359 --> 01:40:13.000
bag and shoved it into Keith's arms. On the way past.

1224
01:40:13.840 --> 01:40:17.520
Hector was there cradling an assault rifle in his arms

1225
01:40:17.920 --> 01:40:22.239
and sipping at his own coffee. Marlowe pointed to the

1226
01:40:22.319 --> 01:40:27.119
river bank. You see that, miss Scott, he asked, Make

1227
01:40:27.159 --> 01:40:31.640
sure your cameraman gets a good look. Flies swarmed over

1228
01:40:31.680 --> 01:40:36.760
the corpse of the American crocodile. It laid on its back,

1229
01:40:37.279 --> 01:40:42.439
with its intestines bulging out of its split belly. One

1230
01:40:42.520 --> 01:40:47.159
leg was completely torn from its body. A yellow headed

1231
01:40:47.239 --> 01:40:51.359
vulture tugged at a strand of muscle hanging from the stump.

1232
01:40:52.600 --> 01:40:57.520
The birds stretched the tissue until it snapped loose. The

1233
01:40:57.600 --> 01:41:01.600
grass was trampled around the scene, with deep hoof prints

1234
01:41:02.000 --> 01:41:06.880
clearly visible in the mud. There are five thousand American

1235
01:41:06.960 --> 01:41:13.159
crocodiles in the entire world, marlow said, minus one, thanks

1236
01:41:13.199 --> 01:41:16.920
to your hippos. Maybe you two would like to get

1237
01:41:16.920 --> 01:41:21.520
off the boat and film that. Fuck you, marlow Ella

1238
01:41:21.600 --> 01:41:28.000
spat Territorial disputes happen across species in every ecosystem. Don't

1239
01:41:28.000 --> 01:41:32.640
try to justify what you do. That croc was at

1240
01:41:32.760 --> 01:41:37.159
least fifty years old, Marlow said, pointing at the carcass.

1241
01:41:37.640 --> 01:41:43.840
There was no dispute, dearie, this was his territory. Your

1242
01:41:43.920 --> 01:41:47.479
hippos kill him for the sport of it. Funny how

1243
01:41:47.520 --> 01:41:50.600
you seem to have such a problem when I do that.

1244
01:41:51.840 --> 01:41:55.880
The crocodile has not been dead long, maybe since last night.

1245
01:41:56.640 --> 01:42:01.640
Hector said, in an even mechanical tone. We should not

1246
01:42:01.800 --> 01:42:06.640
be this close. What do you mean? Keith looked around,

1247
01:42:07.039 --> 01:42:10.600
swinging the camera as he turned his head close to

1248
01:42:10.680 --> 01:42:16.279
what blimey? Marlow scanned the water for air bubbles. A

1249
01:42:16.399 --> 01:42:24.079
territorial dispute, you say, Ella gasped, Oh shit, what? Keith shouted.

1250
01:42:24.640 --> 01:42:28.199
Why does everyone know what's going on except me? We

1251
01:42:28.359 --> 01:42:34.159
moving on? Or what? Louise asked? We were wrong, Ella shouted,

1252
01:42:34.560 --> 01:42:38.159
get down here and bring your map. Ella laid her

1253
01:42:38.199 --> 01:42:42.279
photos in topographic map on a small table and waited

1254
01:42:42.319 --> 01:42:46.479
for Luis to add his own. The others gathered around

1255
01:42:46.960 --> 01:42:50.920
to hear what she said, but Hector and Marlowe kept

1256
01:42:50.960 --> 01:42:55.279
their eyes on the river. Hippos stay in the water

1257
01:42:55.479 --> 01:42:59.119
most of the time, but we'll travel around ten miles

1258
01:42:59.119 --> 01:43:02.600
to graze. Ella pointed at a circle on the map.

1259
01:43:03.560 --> 01:43:07.079
Our photos were taken here, so we assumed they had

1260
01:43:07.159 --> 01:43:10.960
migrated up the Magdalena to this inlet. It was the

1261
01:43:11.039 --> 01:43:14.319
only logical place they could be. But we know a

1262
01:43:14.399 --> 01:43:19.000
hippo was here recently. The inlet is too far away

1263
01:43:19.319 --> 01:43:22.279
for a bull to have wandered. We were going to

1264
01:43:22.319 --> 01:43:26.880
go right past them. I'm thrilled for you, lady, Louise said,

1265
01:43:27.359 --> 01:43:30.119
But like my mother in law always says, you pay

1266
01:43:30.159 --> 01:43:32.039
full price even if you don't go all the way.

1267
01:43:33.640 --> 01:43:37.760
Was your mother in law a prostitute? Keith asked, second

1268
01:43:37.760 --> 01:43:41.640
finest in all of Columbia. Louise told him if she'd

1269
01:43:41.640 --> 01:43:45.479
have been the first, I'd have married her instead. It

1270
01:43:45.560 --> 01:43:50.760
might have worked out better. Hector added. The answer seemed

1271
01:43:50.800 --> 01:43:54.680
so obvious that no one looked for another. Ella sketched

1272
01:43:54.720 --> 01:43:58.439
a rough circle that joined their current location to the

1273
01:43:58.520 --> 01:44:03.239
confirmed sighting. The calves were photographed at one end of

1274
01:44:03.279 --> 01:44:07.000
the grays Lands, and we're sitting on the other. You

1275
01:44:07.039 --> 01:44:10.159
can't see it on my map because of the canopy,

1276
01:44:10.479 --> 01:44:14.279
but yours is hand drawn. There's a large pond right

1277
01:44:14.319 --> 01:44:17.800
in the center. What isn't on your map is the

1278
01:44:17.880 --> 01:44:22.439
tributary that feeds it. That's because we already have enough

1279
01:44:22.439 --> 01:44:25.439
ways to get killed in this country without going down.

1280
01:44:25.520 --> 01:44:32.399
Rio dedl mortal seriously, Ella stiffened. It's actually called the

1281
01:44:32.520 --> 01:44:37.359
river of deadly evil. You have a river of deadly evil?

1282
01:44:37.960 --> 01:44:42.920
Keith screeched, Of course not, Luis laughed. It's hard enough

1283
01:44:42.920 --> 01:44:46.199
to get taurusts this far into the jungle without scary rivers.

1284
01:44:46.760 --> 01:44:50.800
It looks narrow and shallow. Probably someone just figured there

1285
01:44:50.880 --> 01:44:54.079
was no point drawing it on. Can the boat make

1286
01:44:54.119 --> 01:44:59.119
it through? Marlow asked, If not, I don't give refunds.

1287
01:44:59.640 --> 01:45:03.359
Louise sipped his coffee. He'll both see your hippos soon.

1288
01:45:09.760 --> 01:45:13.359
Luis ducked under a branch, careful to keep his hand

1289
01:45:13.439 --> 01:45:18.079
on the wheel. The hull scraped noisily against the rocky

1290
01:45:18.199 --> 01:45:22.800
banks of the narrow channel. He stood and eased back

1291
01:45:22.880 --> 01:45:27.439
on the throttle. Navigating the unmarked river had proven more

1292
01:45:27.560 --> 01:45:32.680
challenging than the map suggested. The jungle reached out for

1293
01:45:32.760 --> 01:45:37.079
the boat on both sides, swatting at the passengers like

1294
01:45:37.159 --> 01:45:40.840
it was shooting gnats. A monkey jumped from one of

1295
01:45:40.880 --> 01:45:44.319
the trees, using the boat as a stepping stone to

1296
01:45:44.359 --> 01:45:48.880
the other side. Louise watched the foliage to make sure

1297
01:45:48.920 --> 01:45:54.520
it wasn't being pursued Alto Alto. Hector called out from

1298
01:45:54.520 --> 01:45:59.680
the bow. Something in the bushes ahead, check it out quickly,

1299
01:45:59.720 --> 01:46:04.800
pen Dale Louise shouted back. Hector stepped onto the rail,

1300
01:46:05.479 --> 01:46:09.039
using a branch for stability. As he hopped over a

1301
01:46:09.159 --> 01:46:13.600
round boulder and on to the bank. The former rebel

1302
01:46:13.720 --> 01:46:18.159
moved gracefully through the brush. He stopped in his tracks

1303
01:46:18.920 --> 01:46:23.920
as something rustled behind him. He turned to find Ella

1304
01:46:24.239 --> 01:46:28.479
picking herself up from the ground. He should have stayed

1305
01:46:28.479 --> 01:46:32.760
on the boat, Hector told her, many dangerous things here.

1306
01:46:33.720 --> 01:46:38.000
Marlowe swung from a vine to land between them. He

1307
01:46:38.119 --> 01:46:43.000
unslung the rifle from across his back. Hector groaned and

1308
01:46:43.119 --> 01:46:46.760
signaled for both of them to stay quiet before moving on.

1309
01:46:48.359 --> 01:46:52.800
Ella shoved past marlow to catch up. The hunter chuckled.

1310
01:46:53.960 --> 01:46:59.119
The smell of death lingered, but without the usual accompaniment

1311
01:46:59.600 --> 01:47:06.159
of scars. Hector pushed through waste high grass, stepping into mud.

1312
01:47:07.359 --> 01:47:13.199
Blood squished up around his boot soles. A hippopotamus carcass

1313
01:47:13.920 --> 01:47:18.720
laid on its side. The bones were still wet where

1314
01:47:18.720 --> 01:47:22.479
the meat had been removed, and its organs were strewn

1315
01:47:22.640 --> 01:47:26.640
from its split belly all the way to the water's edge.

1316
01:47:27.640 --> 01:47:33.359
Ornaments hung from the trees like archaic wind chimes. Ella

1317
01:47:33.560 --> 01:47:38.239
investigated one of them. Vertebrae were spaced out along hand

1318
01:47:38.279 --> 01:47:44.039
braided ropes with conical spikes at the end. These teeth

1319
01:47:44.119 --> 01:47:51.479
are crocodilian, she said. The bones aren't, though they're human.

1320
01:47:52.279 --> 01:47:59.920
Marlowe informed them some poor bastard spine. This animal was butchered,

1321
01:48:00.600 --> 01:48:05.880
Hector said, kneeling to examine the bear femur. There are

1322
01:48:05.960 --> 01:48:11.920
knife marks another poacher, Ella asked, with a baleful glare

1323
01:48:12.000 --> 01:48:17.520
at Marlowe. Jesus, the monsters cut out its teeth, all

1324
01:48:17.600 --> 01:48:21.720
of them. Marlowe said, a hunter would have only taken

1325
01:48:21.800 --> 01:48:26.000
the tusks. These cuts are ragged and much too rough

1326
01:48:26.079 --> 01:48:32.439
for steel. This was indios revenge. Hector rattled one of

1327
01:48:32.479 --> 01:48:36.680
the wind chimes. The crocodile has been revered across the

1328
01:48:36.760 --> 01:48:42.479
globe since time began. Marlowe nodded. The hippo killed one

1329
01:48:42.479 --> 01:48:46.680
of their gods. They got their payback. They probably took

1330
01:48:46.720 --> 01:48:49.960
the meat to appease the other crocs and keeping there

1331
01:48:49.960 --> 01:48:55.720
good graces. Holy shit, Keith called from the boat. He

1332
01:48:55.880 --> 01:49:01.079
zoomed in on the carnage. That's insane, Ella you're not

1333
01:49:01.159 --> 01:49:05.800
going to believe the shot. He should probably keep quiet,

1334
01:49:06.399 --> 01:49:11.560
Marlow suggested, while bringing his rifle to bear. This was

1335
01:49:11.600 --> 01:49:17.800
a pup. The hippos will be more aggressive now there's

1336
01:49:17.800 --> 01:49:21.840
too many rocks here. Louise bellowed, I can't slow down anymore.

1337
01:49:22.319 --> 01:49:26.239
You need to get back on the boat. Hector, what

1338
01:49:26.560 --> 01:49:30.359
color is the bottom of the boat? Ella watched the

1339
01:49:30.479 --> 01:49:36.119
crock teeth swaying on the ceremonial decor white, I guess.

1340
01:49:36.800 --> 01:49:43.640
Hector shrugged like a croc belly. Marlow whispered back on

1341
01:49:43.680 --> 01:49:49.640
the boat, Louis ordered. Marlow turned slowly, scanning the jungle

1342
01:49:49.680 --> 01:49:55.039
for movement. Ella gasped when he pointed the rifle straight

1343
01:49:55.039 --> 01:49:59.800
at her. She watched as his finger moved to the

1344
01:49:59.800 --> 01:50:04.359
t trigger and took up the slack. The muzzle flash

1345
01:50:04.439 --> 01:50:09.279
stretched at her like dragon's breath, accompanying the terrifying roar

1346
01:50:09.960 --> 01:50:14.239
of the big game rifle. The ground rumbled around her.

1347
01:50:14.800 --> 01:50:21.119
She whirled around to see the hippo dead at her feet.

1348
01:50:21.479 --> 01:50:25.520
A wisp of smoke drifted from the fist sized hole

1349
01:50:26.159 --> 01:50:31.600
in its skull. Crikey, that was a close one. Marlow

1350
01:50:31.720 --> 01:50:37.359
chambered another round. Good thing, I reloaded since someone took

1351
01:50:37.399 --> 01:50:41.399
the bullets from my rifle, no worries I brought more.

1352
01:50:43.039 --> 01:50:48.119
Keith screamed as the boat listed violently. Great boulders bobbed

1353
01:50:48.119 --> 01:50:52.319
to the surface around the vessel. A muffled whoomp came

1354
01:50:52.399 --> 01:50:56.840
from the water, jostling the boat again. The group stood

1355
01:50:57.159 --> 01:51:02.079
petrified as the boulders stretched open their wide jaws and

1356
01:51:02.199 --> 01:51:08.359
cried out. Unseen members of the pod responded throughout the jungle.

1357
01:51:09.039 --> 01:51:13.520
An immense hippo exploded out of the water, crashing bodily

1358
01:51:13.600 --> 01:51:18.439
onto the boat's stern. The bow rose up, throwing Louis

1359
01:51:18.640 --> 01:51:22.239
from the helm. The captain hit the deck with a splash.

1360
01:51:23.159 --> 01:51:28.159
Four thousand pounds of hippopotamus pressed it deeper into the water.

1361
01:51:29.520 --> 01:51:34.560
Louis clawed at the floorboards. The beast's fetid breath washed

1362
01:51:34.600 --> 01:51:39.039
over him as he slid closer to the gaping maw

1363
01:51:40.479 --> 01:51:45.000
on the shore. The others watched as Louis was dragged,

1364
01:51:45.520 --> 01:51:52.000
screaming beneath the surface. Keith Ella cried out, you have

1365
01:51:52.079 --> 01:51:57.239
to jump. Water rose around the cameraman's legs. The ship

1366
01:51:57.359 --> 01:52:01.199
was going down fast. Hippo jaws snapped at him over

1367
01:52:01.239 --> 01:52:06.159
the guardrails. He shook his head. I can't jump, Are

1368
01:52:06.199 --> 01:52:12.399
you insane? He whined, They'll eat me. You're sinking, dopey.

1369
01:52:13.079 --> 01:52:18.000
Marlow shouted, now get off the bloody boat. Automatic rifle

1370
01:52:18.079 --> 01:52:22.760
fire masked any reply Keith might have given. Hector sprayed

1371
01:52:22.800 --> 01:52:26.520
from his hip at the charging bull. The barrage did

1372
01:52:26.600 --> 01:52:30.840
nothing to slow the beast. Hector fumbled a fresh magazine.

1373
01:52:31.600 --> 01:52:36.640
The hippo swiped its head, once, impaling the soldier with

1374
01:52:36.760 --> 01:52:42.159
its tusks. It raised Hector's screaming body into the air,

1375
01:52:42.760 --> 01:52:48.199
crushing his torso like an aluminum can. Marlowe knelt and

1376
01:52:48.319 --> 01:52:53.600
fired a shot through the hippo's eye. The hippopotamus collapsed,

1377
01:52:54.039 --> 01:52:59.680
with Hector wheezing his last breaths still trapped between its teeth.

1378
01:53:00.920 --> 01:53:06.079
Everybody run, Marlowe barked. Keith put a foot on the

1379
01:53:06.199 --> 01:53:10.520
railing and leapt for the shore. Ella reached out for him,

1380
01:53:11.279 --> 01:53:16.920
and so did a hippo. The jaws closed around his legs,

1381
01:53:17.239 --> 01:53:21.560
swinging him to the shore. Ella grabbed him by the wrists.

1382
01:53:22.079 --> 01:53:26.319
The hippo tugged on him. Ella dug her heels into

1383
01:53:26.359 --> 01:53:30.920
the muck and tried desperately to pull him free. The

1384
01:53:31.000 --> 01:53:36.239
hippo gave a slight jerk, ripping Keith's legs off with ease.

1385
01:53:37.520 --> 01:53:41.840
Ella cried as she dragged him up the embankment to her.

1386
01:53:42.920 --> 01:53:46.600
She was torn away from him. Suddenly. She landed on

1387
01:53:46.720 --> 01:53:52.960
her back, expecting to see tusks closing around her face. Instead,

1388
01:53:54.000 --> 01:54:00.279
she saw Marlowe dragging her away by the collar. No,

1389
01:54:01.119 --> 01:54:05.439
she shouted, She clawed at the hunter's hands. We have

1390
01:54:05.520 --> 01:54:09.800
to help him. There's no help for him. Marlowe struggled

1391
01:54:09.800 --> 01:54:13.840
to get her up. Get on your feet, Keith cried out.

1392
01:54:14.760 --> 01:54:19.640
Ella wrestled free and scrambled to the edge. The big

1393
01:54:19.760 --> 01:54:23.840
female that capsized the boat rushed out to meet her.

1394
01:54:24.800 --> 01:54:29.640
A hoof came down on Keith. His rib cage collapsed

1395
01:54:30.279 --> 01:54:35.640
in one wet crunch. Jaws snapped shut in front of

1396
01:54:35.720 --> 01:54:39.800
Ella's face with enough force to blow her auburn hair back.

1397
01:54:41.039 --> 01:54:45.119
Marlowe blasted a chunk from the beast's snout and worked

1398
01:54:45.199 --> 01:54:50.560
the rifle bolt. Now can we bloody leave? Ella used

1399
01:54:50.600 --> 01:54:54.920
Marlowe's belt to pull herself up. The hunter swung her

1400
01:54:54.960 --> 01:54:59.560
by the arm. Despite the uneven start, she gained her

1401
01:54:59.600 --> 01:55:04.039
footing quickly and broke into a full sprint with marlow

1402
01:55:04.359 --> 01:55:09.000
on her heels. The giant female charged out of the jungle,

1403
01:55:09.359 --> 01:55:14.600
uprooting trees in furious pursuit of the humans. Shoot it.

1404
01:55:15.159 --> 01:55:19.880
Ella plaied, I only have one more shot. Marlow answered,

1405
01:55:20.560 --> 01:55:25.479
you said you had more on the boat. Marlow snarled,

1406
01:55:26.439 --> 01:55:31.359
what is that? Look up ahead? The jungle broke open,

1407
01:55:31.800 --> 01:55:36.680
giving way to a sun drenched clearing full of tall grass.

1408
01:55:37.199 --> 01:55:41.000
On the far end stood something as out of place

1409
01:55:41.439 --> 01:55:47.560
as the cocaine hippos themselves. Is that a mansion? We're

1410
01:55:47.600 --> 01:55:50.720
not going to live long enough to find out, Marlow

1411
01:55:50.840 --> 01:55:55.520
growled that Sheila's right on our ass. The hippo let

1412
01:55:55.560 --> 01:56:00.760
its jaw hang open, ready to chomp through them. Marlowe

1413
01:56:00.840 --> 01:56:04.079
knew he wouldn't have time to line up a kill shot.

1414
01:56:05.159 --> 01:56:08.800
He threw himself into Ella, sending her careening into the

1415
01:56:08.880 --> 01:56:14.880
lush flora. Marlow leaped the other direction. The hippo slid

1416
01:56:15.000 --> 01:56:19.640
and stumbled as it tried to correct course. It wheeled around,

1417
01:56:20.000 --> 01:56:24.840
turning its head between the two possible victims. Its black

1418
01:56:24.880 --> 01:56:28.439
eye focused on the rifle that had mauled its face.

1419
01:56:29.279 --> 01:56:32.479
It snorted and scratched at the earth with its hoof.

1420
01:56:33.560 --> 01:56:37.800
There was no time to aim Marlowe's bullet went wide,

1421
01:56:38.359 --> 01:56:42.960
striking the hippo in the neck. Blood spurted from the crater.

1422
01:56:44.119 --> 01:56:48.960
The monster fell on a bent knee. Ella walked towards it,

1423
01:56:49.720 --> 01:56:56.279
cupping her hands over her mouth. The hippo dragged itself along.

1424
01:56:56.800 --> 01:57:00.880
Its jaws snapped weakly as it tried to get close

1425
01:57:00.960 --> 01:57:08.039
to marlow for one final go finish it, Ella sniffled.

1426
01:57:09.359 --> 01:57:13.760
Put it out of its misery. I told you I'm

1427
01:57:13.800 --> 01:57:19.920
out of ammunition now, Marlowe laughed. As the hippo collapsed.

1428
01:57:20.680 --> 01:57:25.359
He watched its struggle for breath. Even after all of this,

1429
01:57:26.079 --> 01:57:30.960
he're still on their side. You still have my bullets.

1430
01:57:31.720 --> 01:57:35.680
Ella reached to the pocket on her vest. The brass

1431
01:57:35.880 --> 01:57:41.439
rattled as she shakily fished out a single bullet. That's

1432
01:57:41.439 --> 01:57:45.520
a good lass. Marlowe walked to her and shoved the

1433
01:57:45.640 --> 01:57:50.079
rifle into her chest. You got the ammo. Now you

1434
01:57:50.119 --> 01:57:54.439
have the rifle too. Marlowe leaned against a tree trunk

1435
01:57:55.000 --> 01:58:00.319
and gestured for her to finish the wounded animal. Go on,

1436
01:58:00.960 --> 01:58:06.840
he said, do it. End it's suffering. Ella loaded a

1437
01:58:06.840 --> 01:58:12.399
bullet into the chamber and closed the bolt. You heard

1438
01:58:12.399 --> 01:58:17.920
the calls, Ella, We're surrounded by them. Marlowe continued, I

1439
01:58:18.000 --> 01:58:21.399
can keep you alive until help comes. I'm the only

1440
01:58:21.560 --> 01:58:24.640
chance you have, and you haven't even got that until

1441
01:58:24.640 --> 01:58:28.199
you show me you're worth saving. Kill the fucking thing.

1442
01:58:29.319 --> 01:58:33.640
Ella raised the rifle to her shoulder. She tried to

1443
01:58:33.760 --> 01:58:39.479
sight through the scope, but tears obscured her view. A long,

1444
01:58:39.920 --> 01:58:46.399
plaintive wine came from the hippopotamus before it fell still.

1445
01:58:48.119 --> 01:58:53.239
Ella watched for signs of life, but none came. It

1446
01:58:53.319 --> 01:58:57.800
had bled out. She let the rifle hang limply in

1447
01:58:57.920 --> 01:59:04.720
her hands. How's that for principles? Marlow snorted and walked away.

1448
01:59:05.960 --> 01:59:09.159
Such an animal lover, But you let one die like that,

1449
01:59:10.399 --> 01:59:13.119
I reckon, that makes you a damn sight worse than me.

1450
01:59:14.199 --> 01:59:18.680
Fuck you keep shouting, Ella, it'll distract the others while

1451
01:59:18.680 --> 01:59:22.279
I make a run for the hacienda. Ella kept her

1452
01:59:22.319 --> 01:59:26.560
finger on the trigger as they crossed the clearing. If

1453
01:59:26.600 --> 01:59:32.000
there was another attack, she'd be ready, ready to put

1454
01:59:32.000 --> 01:59:39.640
her one shot right between Marlowe's shoulder blades before she died. Nearby,

1455
01:59:40.279 --> 01:59:45.000
a hippo bellowed. Ella listened to the number of responses

1456
01:59:45.640 --> 01:59:49.600
and shook her head. The calls were coming from across

1457
01:59:49.640 --> 01:59:54.159
the POD's entire range. She tried to guess at how

1458
01:59:54.199 --> 01:59:57.600
many animals were out there. The number she came up

1459
01:59:57.680 --> 02:00:03.239
with was entirely to too large. She'd assumed the hippo

1460
02:00:03.359 --> 02:00:07.560
sidings were a secondary herd that had migrated away from

1461
02:00:07.560 --> 02:00:12.800
the original. She'd anticipated a colony of a dozen at most.

1462
02:00:13.520 --> 02:00:18.239
The female that attacked them was fully matured and larger

1463
02:00:18.239 --> 02:00:25.039
than average. A pungent stench disrupted her thoughts. Ella paid

1464
02:00:25.079 --> 02:00:30.000
attention to the grass for the first time. Hippo shit

1465
02:00:30.319 --> 02:00:35.640
clung to the long, swaying blades. It had smeared across

1466
02:00:35.640 --> 02:00:39.840
her shorts and bare legs. Ella stared at the small

1467
02:00:39.920 --> 02:00:44.680
mansion beyond. It looked like a private getaway and had

1468
02:00:44.720 --> 02:00:50.159
clearly been abandoned for quite a while. Pablo Escobar had

1469
02:00:50.239 --> 02:00:56.479
many homes across the country. This one looked special, a

1470
02:00:56.560 --> 02:00:59.840
place where he was a father and not a drug lord.

1471
02:01:01.199 --> 02:01:07.000
She froze in her tracks. Hippos were her daughter's favorite animal.

1472
02:01:08.880 --> 02:01:13.560
Looks like Pablo was a regular. P T. Barnum Marlow said,

1473
02:01:13.800 --> 02:01:17.840
coming to the same conclusion. He waved a hand at

1474
02:01:17.880 --> 02:01:22.920
the expansive retaining pond. A rusty fence lay in ruins

1475
02:01:22.960 --> 02:01:28.239
around it. Red algae formed a thick layer, concealing its

1476
02:01:28.359 --> 02:01:33.560
murky depths. Guess they're more effective than guard dogs. The

1477
02:01:33.680 --> 02:01:38.359
authorities definitely never found this place. I bet there's a

1478
02:01:38.399 --> 02:01:44.119
ton of cocaine inside. You won't find out, Ella said, Oh,

1479
02:01:44.760 --> 02:01:48.159
why is that? Marlow put his hands on his hips.

1480
02:01:49.119 --> 02:01:51.880
I'm perfectly safe as long as you have the gun.

1481
02:01:53.119 --> 02:01:57.439
Ella aimed the rifle. Marlow followed the barrel to the

1482
02:01:57.479 --> 02:02:02.840
pond and the bubbles popping on its surface. She fired.

1483
02:02:03.960 --> 02:02:08.000
The stagnant water erupted in a geyser that showered the hunter.

1484
02:02:09.039 --> 02:02:14.000
The bull sprang up. Marlowe watched the small fortune of

1485
02:02:14.119 --> 02:02:19.199
ivory stretch open wide. The pink gullet rushed towards him.

1486
02:02:20.000 --> 02:02:26.439
Darkness enshrouded the poacher. His feet kicked helplessly as he

1487
02:02:26.560 --> 02:02:32.239
descended whole down the hippo's throat. The four ton bull

1488
02:02:32.359 --> 02:02:36.720
let itself slide off the side and sunk back to

1489
02:02:36.840 --> 02:02:42.479
the bottom of the lake to digest its meal. Ella

1490
02:02:42.640 --> 02:02:47.119
walked to the mansion steps. A baby hippo ran from

1491
02:02:47.199 --> 02:02:51.079
the porch when it saw her coming. The door was

1492
02:02:51.199 --> 02:02:56.960
long gone. Inside, she found all the furnishing still in place.

1493
02:02:58.319 --> 02:03:01.720
It seemed as though Marlowe had been correct about no

1494
02:03:01.800 --> 02:03:07.159
one finding the property. The local wildlife certainly had, though.

1495
02:03:08.239 --> 02:03:13.800
Ella flopped onto a couch, freeing thirty years of dust.

1496
02:03:14.119 --> 02:03:17.880
If she was never found, at least she'd die in style.

1497
02:03:19.439 --> 02:03:23.840
Ella ejected the empty casing from the rifle and rummaged

1498
02:03:23.880 --> 02:03:28.239
for another bullet. She wondered if any canned goods would

1499
02:03:28.279 --> 02:03:32.520
still be edible, or if she'd find some way to

1500
02:03:32.640 --> 02:03:36.760
call for help. Ella pressed a bullet into the chamber

1501
02:03:37.399 --> 02:03:41.359
and closed the bolt. There may have been things she

1502
02:03:41.439 --> 02:03:45.239
could use, but she needed to search while there was

1503
02:03:45.279 --> 02:03:50.880
still daylight coming through the dingy windows. She begrudgingly gave

1504
02:03:51.000 --> 02:03:56.800
up the comfort of the sofa. The door frame crashed inward,

1505
02:03:57.199 --> 02:04:02.920
showering the imported marble with debris. The bull looked around slowly.

1506
02:04:04.039 --> 02:04:08.039
Ella ducked behind the couch and risked a peak at

1507
02:04:08.079 --> 02:04:14.359
the animal. Years of battle scars ornamented its flesh. The

1508
02:04:14.439 --> 02:04:19.760
bull stared back at her and snorted, its jaw hung open.

1509
02:04:21.039 --> 02:04:27.399
Ella swore she could hear Marlowe crying deep inside its belly.

1510
02:04:29.000 --> 02:04:34.159
She'd been so adamant about preserving the Colombian hippos, but

1511
02:04:34.399 --> 02:04:39.359
she didn't want to die either. She raised the rifle,

1512
02:04:40.000 --> 02:04:45.359
steadying it on the back of the couch. Tears welled up.

1513
02:04:46.199 --> 02:04:50.680
She thought about killing it to save herself, only to

1514
02:04:50.760 --> 02:04:55.600
be killed by another one later. It would all be worthless.

1515
02:04:55.640 --> 02:05:01.119
Then she broke down, sobbing and choke for a breath.

1516
02:05:02.119 --> 02:05:06.960
She heard the marble cracking under his hoofs. The room shook.

1517
02:05:08.000 --> 02:05:12.800
All she could see was the blurry mammoth form charging

1518
02:05:12.840 --> 02:05:18.640
at her. Someone was crying out for help. Maybe it

1519
02:05:18.720 --> 02:05:25.800
was Marlowe slowly digesting inside, or maybe it was her

1520
02:05:25.840 --> 02:05:35.399
own voice begging for another solution. Heaving, stinking breaths assaulted her.

1521
02:05:35.920 --> 02:05:48.720
As it drew closer, Ella squeezed the trigger. The Hell

1522
02:05:48.840 --> 02:05:56.279
Howler by Joe Solmo from the files of James Becker,

1523
02:05:57.000 --> 02:06:03.479
Case number six zero two three, The Hell Howler. It

1524
02:06:03.560 --> 02:06:06.840
was on April fifth that I was first contacted by

1525
02:06:06.880 --> 02:06:11.520
the client, one Marlene Kraus. She came to my office

1526
02:06:11.560 --> 02:06:15.560
on Church Street just after lunch. I had just eaten

1527
02:06:15.560 --> 02:06:20.239
a pastrami sandwich hard roll mustard. I could tell by

1528
02:06:20.239 --> 02:06:24.520
her gorgeous green eyes darting around in fear that her

1529
02:06:24.600 --> 02:06:29.079
lunch had been of the liquid kind. A woman after

1530
02:06:29.159 --> 02:06:33.039
my own heart. However, it seemed to not have helped

1531
02:06:33.039 --> 02:06:36.760
her nerves. I offered her a drink from the small

1532
02:06:36.840 --> 02:06:41.199
fridge by the side of my desk for emergency purposes only.

1533
02:06:42.039 --> 02:06:44.760
She said yes, so I popped the top of the

1534
02:06:44.840 --> 02:06:48.439
bottle and handed it over to her before getting one

1535
02:06:48.560 --> 02:06:53.159
for myself. Mister Becker, I know this is going to

1536
02:06:53.239 --> 02:06:57.680
sound weird, she started. If I had a dime for

1537
02:06:57.760 --> 02:07:02.199
every time I heard that sentence, I could retired years ago.

1538
02:07:02.520 --> 02:07:05.079
I don't know who I need to see to get paid, though,

1539
02:07:06.119 --> 02:07:10.359
Please call me James, I said, I found it makes

1540
02:07:10.399 --> 02:07:14.359
me seem less intimidating to be on a first name basis.

1541
02:07:15.079 --> 02:07:17.239
I got a mug only a mother could love on

1542
02:07:17.319 --> 02:07:21.520
a body that exercise has forgotten. My face might have

1543
02:07:21.640 --> 02:07:25.520
been handsome once, but when you tussle with the paranormal

1544
02:07:25.680 --> 02:07:29.079
like I do, you get the shit beat out of

1545
02:07:29.079 --> 02:07:32.680
you a lot. I'd have to take my shoes off

1546
02:07:32.720 --> 02:07:36.039
to count how many times I've had my nose broken

1547
02:07:36.159 --> 02:07:41.039
by some cryptid. I subconsciously tugged my shirt down to

1548
02:07:41.079 --> 02:07:45.119
make sure my beer belly was hidden from view. I

1549
02:07:45.199 --> 02:07:48.640
could tell from her looks that something has gotten her scared.

1550
02:07:49.680 --> 02:07:52.920
She stared at the bracelet on her wrist. It had

1551
02:07:52.960 --> 02:07:57.600
a Celtic shield not used for protection, but I doubt

1552
02:07:57.640 --> 02:08:02.439
she understood the significance. Not all of these cases end

1553
02:08:02.520 --> 02:08:05.680
up with an epic showdown with the undead or bigfoot.

1554
02:08:06.600 --> 02:08:12.760
Sometimes it's nothing, regular old bad guys doing bad guy shit.

1555
02:08:13.680 --> 02:08:16.159
I haven't gotten a read on her at this point,

1556
02:08:16.239 --> 02:08:19.359
so I sat back and let her tell her story

1557
02:08:19.760 --> 02:08:26.000
as I enjoyed my post pastrami beer James, she said,

1558
02:08:26.039 --> 02:08:29.600
and took a long pull from the bottle. She looked

1559
02:08:29.640 --> 02:08:32.760
down at it. I could tell she wasn't used to

1560
02:08:32.840 --> 02:08:37.000
slumming around with beer. She was a fine, brandy kind

1561
02:08:37.039 --> 02:08:41.199
of gal. She took a moment to collect herself and

1562
02:08:41.279 --> 02:08:47.920
looked up at me. I think I'm going to die.

1563
02:08:47.960 --> 02:08:50.960
We are all going to die, I said, with the

1564
02:08:51.000 --> 02:08:55.000
infamous Becker charm. That's how I get all the ladies.

1565
02:08:55.960 --> 02:08:58.960
My compassion and the power to speak the wrong thing

1566
02:08:59.319 --> 02:09:04.680
at the wrong time. Women love assholes, and I am

1567
02:09:04.720 --> 02:09:11.560
a fucking catch. I mean soon, I think I'm being hunted,

1568
02:09:12.640 --> 02:09:16.239
she explained, and pushed a lock of her wavy brown

1569
02:09:16.319 --> 02:09:21.039
hair back behind the cutest ear I've ever seen. I

1570
02:09:21.119 --> 02:09:27.800
bet her shampoo smelled amazing. Hunted by what, I asked her,

1571
02:09:27.920 --> 02:09:32.000
taking a drink myself from the bottle. I didn't notice

1572
02:09:32.039 --> 02:09:36.119
anything off with the flavor. People of her fine taste

1573
02:09:36.600 --> 02:09:40.800
have no taste. You know what I mean? I don't know.

1574
02:09:41.159 --> 02:09:45.880
I don't know how to explain it. Last night at home,

1575
02:09:46.119 --> 02:09:51.720
my husband and I, she started, Husband, I should throw

1576
02:09:51.760 --> 02:09:55.000
her out of my office. I thought, I couldn't be

1577
02:09:55.119 --> 02:09:59.840
that cruel, could I? I mean, don't you go looking

1578
02:10:00.079 --> 02:10:03.560
into my past for that answer. The answer I'm giving

1579
02:10:03.600 --> 02:10:08.079
you now is a reluctant no. I guess I won't

1580
02:10:08.159 --> 02:10:12.279
find my true love on this case either, maybe the next.

1581
02:10:13.399 --> 02:10:18.560
What's the address address? She asked? Where do you live?

1582
02:10:19.279 --> 02:10:24.079
I inquired with a raised eyebrow. Oh, we're over in

1583
02:10:24.239 --> 02:10:30.199
Heaven's Hills, the new development, she answered, Of course she was.

1584
02:10:30.960 --> 02:10:34.399
That was big money. I didn't think the places were

1585
02:10:34.399 --> 02:10:38.479
open yet. Only the developer lived up there. It was

1586
02:10:38.520 --> 02:10:42.239
a town over in Union. I haven't been that way

1587
02:10:42.600 --> 02:10:46.159
in a while. There really isn't much else out there.

1588
02:10:47.600 --> 02:10:51.840
I'll come out tonight, missus Kraus, just before dark. I'm

1589
02:10:51.880 --> 02:10:56.760
guessing you are safe until nightfalls, I asked. Nine times

1590
02:10:56.800 --> 02:11:01.399
out of ten, whatever paranormal issue, the cases have only

1591
02:11:01.479 --> 02:11:06.319
operates under cover of night. Some are stronger after dark,

1592
02:11:06.680 --> 02:11:11.119
some die in the sunlight, others just like the esthetic.

1593
02:11:12.119 --> 02:11:14.600
I won't know which I'm dealing with until I get

1594
02:11:14.600 --> 02:11:18.479
out there and can snoop around a bit. How did

1595
02:11:18.520 --> 02:11:21.840
you know my name? Don't you want to hear the details?

1596
02:11:22.399 --> 02:11:26.479
She asked, confusedly. Is anyone else living over there yet?

1597
02:11:27.159 --> 02:11:29.800
Or is it just you and your husband the developer.

1598
02:11:30.479 --> 02:11:32.960
I'll get all the details tonight when I get there.

1599
02:11:33.680 --> 02:11:37.880
I'll interview you and your husband. Once I have both stories,

1600
02:11:37.920 --> 02:11:41.000
I can figure out what we're dealing with here. I

1601
02:11:41.079 --> 02:11:44.560
am terribly sorry, but I have a very important client.

1602
02:11:44.600 --> 02:11:48.199
I have an appointment with I kind of lied, kind

1603
02:11:48.239 --> 02:11:52.920
of of course. Forgive me for barging in like this.

1604
02:11:53.560 --> 02:11:56.960
I should have called and made an appointment, Marlene said,

1605
02:11:57.279 --> 02:12:00.640
as she stood up. I tried not to get caught

1606
02:12:00.680 --> 02:12:03.680
gawking at those legs of hers as she made her

1607
02:12:03.720 --> 02:12:08.199
way to my office door. Seven O K. I called

1608
02:12:08.199 --> 02:12:13.079
out after her, perfect, she replied, and when I looked

1609
02:12:13.119 --> 02:12:17.000
up at her face, she was watching me. Damn it

1610
02:12:17.760 --> 02:12:21.279
too slow on the eye withdrawal. It's been a while

1611
02:12:21.399 --> 02:12:25.960
since I've been caught gawking. She was sharp, I admired

1612
02:12:26.000 --> 02:12:31.399
that in my women. Thank you, mister Becker, I mean, James,

1613
02:12:32.199 --> 02:12:35.439
I already feel better knowing you are on the case.

1614
02:12:36.359 --> 02:12:39.960
I gave her an award winning smile until she closed

1615
02:12:39.960 --> 02:12:43.800
the door. I finished off my bier, sat down and

1616
02:12:43.880 --> 02:12:47.319
put my feet on my desk. Time for that appointment,

1617
02:12:47.560 --> 02:12:52.199
I thought, and drifted off for a few hours. I

1618
02:12:52.319 --> 02:12:56.880
needed my beauty sleep. I know what you're thinking, what

1619
02:12:57.000 --> 02:13:01.800
an asshole, But let me explain. Since I was a kid,

1620
02:13:02.319 --> 02:13:06.239
I could kind of feel the paranormal catch glimpses of

1621
02:13:06.279 --> 02:13:10.359
the things that lurk in your bedroom at night. Most

1622
02:13:10.399 --> 02:13:13.560
people go their whole lives without seeing any of that shit.

1623
02:13:14.520 --> 02:13:17.119
I've pretty much seen it all, and let me tell

1624
02:13:17.159 --> 02:13:21.359
you it's fucking frightening. I don't get much sleep at

1625
02:13:21.439 --> 02:13:25.439
night when those things like to do their business. I

1626
02:13:25.640 --> 02:13:30.119
catnapped during the day just to get by. Oh and

1627
02:13:30.680 --> 02:13:35.239
once those things know you can see them, they don't

1628
02:13:35.319 --> 02:13:40.319
leave you the fuck alone. Even friendly ghosts get lonely

1629
02:13:40.920 --> 02:13:43.560
and you are the only thing that can see them

1630
02:13:43.840 --> 02:13:48.399
other than cats. Yeah, not a lot of down time.

1631
02:13:49.359 --> 02:13:54.479
Don't get me started on the darker beings. After my nap,

1632
02:13:54.560 --> 02:13:59.199
I hunted around for more info on the crouses. Sometimes

1633
02:13:59.239 --> 02:14:02.680
good old detective work gets me all the information I

1634
02:14:02.800 --> 02:14:07.600
need for a case, but in this instance they seemed

1635
02:14:08.279 --> 02:14:12.199
squeaky clean. I don't like my rich people to be

1636
02:14:12.319 --> 02:14:17.359
good too. Makes the world not fair. No Fauscian deal

1637
02:14:17.399 --> 02:14:20.239
with the devil or stepping on the backs of others

1638
02:14:20.279 --> 02:14:25.159
to get there. Sometimes life just doesn't make sense. I

1639
02:14:25.239 --> 02:14:29.079
grabbed my keys and a fresh bottle from the mini fridge,

1640
02:14:29.079 --> 02:14:33.000
with a mental note to restock that I know I

1641
02:14:33.159 --> 02:14:36.720
won't remember until it was too late, and headed out

1642
02:14:36.760 --> 02:14:40.720
the door. It was still cold out, not the frozen

1643
02:14:40.840 --> 02:14:45.319
tundra of a Northeast winter, but a transition towards spring.

1644
02:14:46.279 --> 02:14:50.399
I regretted not grabbing my coat about four seconds after

1645
02:14:50.439 --> 02:14:53.640
getting in the car, but I refused to go back

1646
02:14:54.039 --> 02:14:58.760
on principle. I drove up the long, steep dirt road

1647
02:14:59.159 --> 02:15:02.960
leading to the de development, past the field of stumps

1648
02:15:02.960 --> 02:15:06.560
that used to be a forest, and up and up

1649
02:15:06.720 --> 02:15:10.079
I went until I was nearly at the top of

1650
02:15:10.239 --> 02:15:15.520
Heaven's Hill's namesake Hill. There stood the only house that

1651
02:15:15.640 --> 02:15:19.800
had actually been built up there. It was large and

1652
02:15:19.960 --> 02:15:23.800
white and had columns, so you knew it was from money.

1653
02:15:24.680 --> 02:15:29.039
It had a circular driveway, a two car attached garage,

1654
02:15:29.359 --> 02:15:33.239
and a fountain in front that wasn't working yet. A

1655
02:15:33.279 --> 02:15:37.520
well maintained frontage greeted me as I exited my ship

1656
02:15:37.560 --> 02:15:42.840
box nineteen seventy eight Dodge Omni. People ask me how

1657
02:15:42.880 --> 02:15:48.239
it still runs after all these years. It's part dodge engineering,

1658
02:15:48.680 --> 02:15:53.319
part owner love, part incantations, and the blood sacrifice of

1659
02:15:53.359 --> 02:15:56.319
the mice that tried to winter in it or steal

1660
02:15:56.359 --> 02:16:00.000
the dropped fries from under the seat. I tell them

1661
02:16:00.119 --> 02:16:03.640
that usually makes them go away and talk to someone else.

1662
02:16:04.640 --> 02:16:07.760
To be honest, I have no idea why it works,

1663
02:16:08.600 --> 02:16:12.199
and I'm not questioning it. It's been paid off for

1664
02:16:12.239 --> 02:16:15.319
a long time and still starts when it needs to.

1665
02:16:16.680 --> 02:16:20.199
The door opened as the last sputters of the mostly

1666
02:16:20.279 --> 02:16:25.159
replaced Mopar engine died out. A man stood at the

1667
02:16:25.359 --> 02:16:29.760
entrance wearing a tux. I suddenly felt underdressed in the

1668
02:16:29.800 --> 02:16:35.399
same stained t shirt I met Missus Krausen earlier. Could

1669
02:16:35.479 --> 02:16:39.680
you tell missus and mister Crouch that James Becker has arrived,

1670
02:16:40.239 --> 02:16:44.239
I asked the butler. He gave me a particular look

1671
02:16:44.879 --> 02:16:50.040
and motioned me inside. In the foyer, Marlene Krause waited,

1672
02:16:50.520 --> 02:16:54.239
wearing a cocktail dress and holding a wineglass in her hand.

1673
02:16:55.040 --> 02:16:59.559
Her brown, wavy hair surrounded her beautiful face and hung

1674
02:16:59.639 --> 02:17:02.879
half way way down her torso it took me a

1675
02:17:02.959 --> 02:17:06.000
moment to take my eyes off her. I could see

1676
02:17:06.040 --> 02:17:08.680
the curve of her lips as a hint of a

1677
02:17:08.760 --> 02:17:14.760
smile crossed it. She was amused by me. Dear, mister Becker,

1678
02:17:14.920 --> 02:17:18.920
is here, the man in the tuck said. I turned

1679
02:17:18.959 --> 02:17:23.600
toward him. Oh you're mister Krause. I saw the tucks

1680
02:17:23.639 --> 02:17:28.479
and thought I started to explain that I was the butler.

1681
02:17:29.120 --> 02:17:34.920
He asked, a little annoyed. Well, yes, I said, unabashedly.

1682
02:17:36.159 --> 02:17:40.200
I am sorry. We have an engagement we must attend tonight.

1683
02:17:40.840 --> 02:17:43.959
We can give you about an hour, mister Becker before

1684
02:17:44.159 --> 02:17:47.600
we must leave, he said. I was going to tell

1685
02:17:47.680 --> 02:17:51.239
him to call me James, but fuck him. I didn't

1686
02:17:51.360 --> 02:17:55.520
like him from the start. Oh, James, come sit with

1687
02:17:55.600 --> 02:17:59.399
us and hear missus, Krause said, and entered a room

1688
02:17:59.440 --> 02:18:04.079
off the hall. It held several comfy looking sofas and

1689
02:18:04.440 --> 02:18:08.280
a table with a bottle of booze. Make yourself a drink,

1690
02:18:08.840 --> 02:18:12.360
she finished. I walked over to the table and eyed

1691
02:18:12.440 --> 02:18:15.840
my choices. Some of these I had never heard of,

1692
02:18:16.399 --> 02:18:20.159
and the ones I had I had never drunk. I

1693
02:18:20.319 --> 02:18:26.040
chose one at random, something called knob Creek. I poured

1694
02:18:26.120 --> 02:18:29.479
half a glass and joined them on the sofas. I

1695
02:18:29.520 --> 02:18:34.120
had never sat on something so soft. I pulled a

1696
02:18:34.120 --> 02:18:37.799
notepad from my pants pocket. I like the old school

1697
02:18:37.879 --> 02:18:42.639
feel of writing down everything myself. I remember facts better

1698
02:18:42.680 --> 02:18:46.680
that way. Cell phones are spotty at best out here anyway.

1699
02:18:47.840 --> 02:18:50.479
I took a big gulp of the knob Creek and

1700
02:18:50.559 --> 02:18:54.120
gave them a smile as they watched me. I'm pretty

1701
02:18:54.159 --> 02:18:58.600
sure they didn't see my eye tear up. Let's start

1702
02:18:58.639 --> 02:19:05.959
with names and occupation, I said, Marlen Kraus, housewife, John Krause,

1703
02:19:06.360 --> 02:19:12.399
land developer. They said, okay, John, Marlene, can you tell

1704
02:19:12.440 --> 02:19:18.360
me what happened last night. Let's start with John. I asked, sure,

1705
02:19:19.159 --> 02:19:23.920
John said, and straightened his tucks. We were walking on

1706
02:19:24.040 --> 02:19:28.200
the nature trail after dinner to see the scenic beauty

1707
02:19:28.239 --> 02:19:32.520
of Heaven's Hills. John began, you don't have to sell

1708
02:19:32.559 --> 02:19:36.360
it to me, I said, did your company make the trail?

1709
02:19:37.440 --> 02:19:42.639
Not exactly. We found the trail when we were surveying

1710
02:19:42.680 --> 02:19:46.319
it and made it wider and more accessible, so the

1711
02:19:46.360 --> 02:19:51.600
residents of Heaven's Hills would enjoy it. Anyway. It was

1712
02:19:51.639 --> 02:19:55.280
after dinner and not too far from sunset, and we

1713
02:19:55.280 --> 02:19:57.760
were near the top of the ridge to the south

1714
02:19:58.319 --> 02:20:02.159
when a cold wind blew and we both felt like

1715
02:20:02.719 --> 02:20:07.799
we were being watched. I stood up as I listened

1716
02:20:07.799 --> 02:20:12.239
to John's story and walked over to the mantle. There

1717
02:20:12.360 --> 02:20:17.399
was a small wolf figurine there, looking freshly carved. I

1718
02:20:17.559 --> 02:20:21.399
picked it up to examine it. Did you hear anything

1719
02:20:22.000 --> 02:20:26.200
branches breaking or grunts? I asked, as I turned the

1720
02:20:26.239 --> 02:20:30.280
figure over in my hand. Tell him about the roars,

1721
02:20:30.799 --> 02:20:35.639
Marlene interrupted, not so much a roar as a howl,

1722
02:20:36.479 --> 02:20:41.440
like a dog or a John explained, wolf, I interrupted,

1723
02:20:41.959 --> 02:20:46.680
showing them the figure. Yeah, it carried on the wind,

1724
02:20:46.799 --> 02:20:50.399
but it was faint. I had stepped off the trail

1725
02:20:50.520 --> 02:20:54.200
to take a quick leak and I heard it. It's

1726
02:20:54.280 --> 02:20:57.600
hard to say for sure which direction it came from.

1727
02:20:58.079 --> 02:21:02.159
John continued. There hasn't been a wolf around this area

1728
02:21:02.280 --> 02:21:06.440
for one hundred years. I explained, and set the figure

1729
02:21:06.639 --> 02:21:10.840
down on the mantle. I'm just telling you what I heard,

1730
02:21:11.479 --> 02:21:15.840
Marlene said with a pout. Sorry, I didn't mean to

1731
02:21:15.920 --> 02:21:20.600
indicate I thought you were lying. I apologized. She still

1732
02:21:20.680 --> 02:21:26.760
sat there beautifully poudy. John was a lucky man, continue,

1733
02:21:27.200 --> 02:21:31.639
I said to John. Soon after that, we decided to

1734
02:21:31.680 --> 02:21:35.719
head back, but we both kept looking over our shoulders.

1735
02:21:36.360 --> 02:21:40.760
We realized we were walking faster than normal. Both of

1736
02:21:40.840 --> 02:21:45.959
us felt like we were being followed. It was most unsettling.

1737
02:21:46.520 --> 02:21:51.719
John said, Still no grunts or rocks being thrown, trees

1738
02:21:51.799 --> 02:21:55.520
being hit by other trees in the distance. I asked,

1739
02:21:56.079 --> 02:21:59.840
thinking I had an idea of what it might have been.

1740
02:22:00.479 --> 02:22:04.920
What do you think it is becker? John asked, Well,

1741
02:22:05.879 --> 02:22:10.399
sometimes there are things in nature that don't like man's encroachment,

1742
02:22:11.120 --> 02:22:16.639
things that can be territorial. I've seen a dozen Sasquatch

1743
02:22:16.760 --> 02:22:21.799
cases that start like yours, but they usually have rocks

1744
02:22:21.879 --> 02:22:27.440
being thrown or other aggressive behavior. So far, you haven't

1745
02:22:27.559 --> 02:22:36.159
actually seen anything, correct, I asked, No, nothing, James, Marlene said, ah,

1746
02:22:36.200 --> 02:22:39.799
she remembered my name. I may have floated off the

1747
02:22:39.879 --> 02:22:44.120
floor just a little bit. I'll tell you what, Why

1748
02:22:44.159 --> 02:22:46.600
don't you two head out to your event that you're

1749
02:22:46.639 --> 02:22:49.920
so dressed up for, and I'll take a walk down

1750
02:22:50.000 --> 02:22:53.520
this trail and see what I can find. We can

1751
02:22:53.559 --> 02:22:58.360
reconvene in the morning. I told them be careful, James.

1752
02:22:58.920 --> 02:23:03.840
Marlene said, oh, if you fancy that figure, go ahead

1753
02:23:03.920 --> 02:23:07.520
and take it. I don't want to think about wolves

1754
02:23:07.600 --> 02:23:12.000
right now. I picked up the figurine again and told

1755
02:23:12.000 --> 02:23:16.319
them thanks, and slipped it into my pocket. Where did

1756
02:23:16.360 --> 02:23:20.040
you get it? If I might ask, from a shop

1757
02:23:20.120 --> 02:23:24.399
in town, A woman carves them herself. When we were

1758
02:23:24.479 --> 02:23:28.200
driving around looking for a land to develop, we stopped

1759
02:23:28.200 --> 02:23:31.440
in and thought it was a charming little shop. We

1760
02:23:31.559 --> 02:23:34.000
picked it up as a souvenir of our faith in

1761
02:23:34.079 --> 02:23:39.959
our investment and future, John explained, and then excused himself.

1762
02:23:41.000 --> 02:23:44.639
Marlene walked up to me so close I could smell

1763
02:23:44.680 --> 02:23:49.360
her shampoo. This time it was apple scented. I was glad.

1764
02:23:49.399 --> 02:23:52.399
I was wearing glasses to keep my eyes from popping

1765
02:23:52.440 --> 02:23:55.200
out of my head as I snuck a glance at

1766
02:23:55.239 --> 02:23:59.200
the cleavage in front of me. Thank you, James. I

1767
02:23:59.280 --> 02:24:03.360
feel better knowing you are on the case. Please, if

1768
02:24:03.399 --> 02:24:07.600
there is anything I can do, don't hesitate to ask.

1769
02:24:08.639 --> 02:24:12.040
It gained about one thousand degrees in that room. I

1770
02:24:12.200 --> 02:24:16.680
swear I'll get this whole thing figured out. You have

1771
02:24:16.799 --> 02:24:21.040
nothing to worry about. I'm a professional, I said, and

1772
02:24:21.120 --> 02:24:24.200
down the rest of the knob creek and placed my

1773
02:24:24.319 --> 02:24:28.520
glass on the table. I'll have the butler take care

1774
02:24:28.559 --> 02:24:34.719
of it, Marlene said with a sultry smile. My face reddened,

1775
02:24:34.760 --> 02:24:38.399
which I didn't think was possible since all my blood

1776
02:24:38.520 --> 02:24:43.440
was differently located at the time. I found my way

1777
02:24:43.600 --> 02:24:50.559
back out to the car to get some supplies. I

1778
02:24:50.680 --> 02:24:55.399
grabbed my on the go pack, which included such occupational

1779
02:24:55.479 --> 02:25:01.680
necessities as holy water, silvered blades, rods not the kind

1780
02:25:01.760 --> 02:25:07.639
used for water, and various other stoppered bottles of various concoctions,

1781
02:25:08.239 --> 02:25:12.280
and more modern day toys like a drone and a kindle.

1782
02:25:13.000 --> 02:25:16.799
Why an e reader, you may ask, Well, when you

1783
02:25:16.920 --> 02:25:20.600
need that one ancient tome to save the world and

1784
02:25:20.639 --> 02:25:23.920
you have mere minutes left to do so, you do

1785
02:25:24.079 --> 02:25:26.639
not want to have left it behind at home base,

1786
02:25:27.120 --> 02:25:31.239
do you? Besides, all these old books were heavy and

1787
02:25:31.319 --> 02:25:35.000
not to mention a fire hazard. It sure is a

1788
02:25:35.040 --> 02:25:38.000
pain in the ass to digitize some of those tones,

1789
02:25:38.760 --> 02:25:41.600
but it has saved my ass more than once when

1790
02:25:41.639 --> 02:25:47.680
dealing with ancient pseudo deities and prophecy. I didn't expect

1791
02:25:47.760 --> 02:25:50.559
to need it on the trail, but I tucked it

1792
02:25:50.600 --> 02:25:53.959
into the front pocket anyway, I slung one of the

1793
02:25:54.000 --> 02:25:58.479
straps over my shoulder, then the other, shifted the weight

1794
02:25:58.559 --> 02:26:02.440
around until it was as comfortable as possible, and groaned.

1795
02:26:02.479 --> 02:26:05.600
At the incline of the start of the trail, it

1796
02:26:05.639 --> 02:26:10.360
looked like it crested the hill behind the crousehouse. Ah.

1797
02:26:10.840 --> 02:26:12.840
It didn't take long for me to get to the

1798
02:26:12.879 --> 02:26:16.360
wooded part of the trail. Most of the development was

1799
02:26:16.479 --> 02:26:20.760
happening further down, with the Crouses building their mansion to

1800
02:26:20.959 --> 02:26:25.200
lord over all below. I did notice that the path

1801
02:26:25.440 --> 02:26:29.360
was wide and smooth, and saw skid steer tracks on

1802
02:26:29.399 --> 02:26:33.680
the pack dirt. The occasional uprooted tree lay next to

1803
02:26:33.719 --> 02:26:36.799
the path and gave me a great place to sit

1804
02:26:36.959 --> 02:26:40.200
and catch my breath, even if it was just a

1805
02:26:40.239 --> 02:26:45.159
modest incline I had vanquished. It was quiet up here,

1806
02:26:45.520 --> 02:26:48.920
and I could feel a slight breeze, even though it

1807
02:26:49.000 --> 02:26:53.360
wasn't much above freezing. It was welcomed on my sweating skin.

1808
02:26:54.440 --> 02:26:58.319
Occasional bird chirps and small sticks breaking I could make

1809
02:26:58.360 --> 02:27:03.159
out through my own laby bird breathing, typical woods noise.

1810
02:27:03.760 --> 02:27:07.200
Nothing to be frightened about. I have spent many a

1811
02:27:07.319 --> 02:27:11.000
night in the woods hunting the paranormal, and I don't

1812
02:27:11.040 --> 02:27:16.239
spook easily. Once I could concentrate, I closed my eyes

1813
02:27:16.600 --> 02:27:21.239
and focused in on my gift, looking for signs of

1814
02:27:21.319 --> 02:27:23.879
anything out here in the woods that might be from

1815
02:27:24.239 --> 02:27:30.799
another realm or a cryptozoologist's dream. But felt nothing. I

1816
02:27:30.920 --> 02:27:34.399
decided I would go down a bit further, at least

1817
02:27:34.440 --> 02:27:37.840
to where the Crouses had said they got the eerie feeling.

1818
02:27:38.520 --> 02:27:41.760
Before I headed back to the car, I took a

1819
02:27:41.840 --> 02:27:44.879
sip from the half empty water bottle I found on

1820
02:27:44.920 --> 02:27:48.799
the floor of the dodge. It was mostly refreshing and

1821
02:27:49.079 --> 02:27:53.280
not gross at all. I shouldered my pack and moved

1822
02:27:53.280 --> 02:27:57.639
a little further along the path. It had mostly flattened out.

1823
02:27:58.079 --> 02:28:03.360
To my relief, I found the hike actually enjoyable, even

1824
02:28:03.399 --> 02:28:06.399
if my body was wondering why I was putting it

1825
02:28:06.440 --> 02:28:11.000
through the torture. I decided to ignore my lungs and

1826
02:28:11.079 --> 02:28:16.239
beating heart and just enjoy the view. That's when I

1827
02:28:16.319 --> 02:28:22.760
crossed it. What it exactly was, I didn't know a

1828
02:28:22.840 --> 02:28:27.280
boundary of sorts. I could feel the creepiness fixating on

1829
02:28:27.440 --> 02:28:30.600
me as I scanned the woods for any sign of

1830
02:28:30.680 --> 02:28:36.799
life or even unlife. There are many boundaries in the world.

1831
02:28:37.520 --> 02:28:41.719
Some are easily defined, like rivers or the Great Wall

1832
02:28:41.760 --> 02:28:47.719
of China. Others only certain people can perceive, like thresholds

1833
02:28:47.879 --> 02:28:52.079
and lay lines. I gave myself a moment to try

1834
02:28:52.120 --> 02:28:56.760
to identify the energy. Was it natural? Was it a

1835
02:28:56.879 --> 02:29:01.239
cult related? It was slippery, really hard to get a

1836
02:29:01.239 --> 02:29:06.079
bead on. Just then I heard feet crunching the sand

1837
02:29:06.159 --> 02:29:10.920
on the trail. I saw an older woman coming towards me.

1838
02:29:12.040 --> 02:29:15.239
She had one of those taco bell dogs on a leash.

1839
02:29:15.879 --> 02:29:19.280
Its bug eyes looked up at me and it started

1840
02:29:19.319 --> 02:29:24.120
to bark. d'Artagnan. Stop it, She called out to her pet,

1841
02:29:24.360 --> 02:29:27.760
giving a gentle tug on his leash. It gave a

1842
02:29:27.799 --> 02:29:32.639
little growl, making eye contact with me, before sitting next

1843
02:29:32.680 --> 02:29:37.120
to her leg. Could this be the howl the crouses

1844
02:29:37.159 --> 02:29:42.360
had heard? Hello there, Thanks for calling him off, I said,

1845
02:29:42.440 --> 02:29:46.600
with a smile. My name is James Becker, I said,

1846
02:29:47.079 --> 02:29:51.000
and held out my hand. The woman looked down at

1847
02:29:51.040 --> 02:29:54.399
one hand holding the leash and the other an old,

1848
02:29:54.600 --> 02:29:59.520
gnarled walking stick, then back to me. My hand retreated

1849
02:29:59.559 --> 02:30:06.120
into my pocket in embarrassment. Tera The woman responded, are

1850
02:30:06.159 --> 02:30:11.879
you from the development Heaven's Hills? Heavens, no, I joked.

1851
02:30:12.719 --> 02:30:15.840
She didn't think I was funny. I wish I was

1852
02:30:15.920 --> 02:30:19.040
back at my office with another pistrami, sandwich and beer.

1853
02:30:20.520 --> 02:30:23.920
They took the nature trail and widened it. I've been

1854
02:30:23.959 --> 02:30:27.280
walking it for years. It was always wide enough for

1855
02:30:27.440 --> 02:30:31.120
me and d'Artagnan before. Don't see why they had to

1856
02:30:31.239 --> 02:30:36.319
improve it, she said, I don't know either. You walk

1857
02:30:36.399 --> 02:30:43.120
this trail often, I asked, for years, she replied coldly, So,

1858
02:30:43.280 --> 02:30:46.799
you said. I didn't feel anything coming off of either

1859
02:30:46.879 --> 02:30:50.920
her or her dog, at least nothing that stood out

1860
02:30:50.959 --> 02:30:54.120
more than the boundary, which was still making my senses

1861
02:30:54.680 --> 02:30:58.719
go haywire. The trail used to lead to that lake

1862
02:30:58.840 --> 02:31:02.120
down there, through the woods. I used to go and

1863
02:31:02.280 --> 02:31:07.440
feed the ducks, she explained. I thought bread was bad

1864
02:31:07.479 --> 02:31:11.840
for them, I said, trying to engage her, I said,

1865
02:31:11.879 --> 02:31:15.319
nothing about bread. If you're not from the development, then

1866
02:31:15.399 --> 02:31:19.559
why are you on the trail? She asked. The crous

1867
02:31:19.559 --> 02:31:23.520
has hired me to investigate a possible dangerous animal on

1868
02:31:23.600 --> 02:31:26.559
the trail. They said they felt like they were being

1869
02:31:26.680 --> 02:31:30.239
followed the other night. Do you think d'Artagnan here might

1870
02:31:30.280 --> 02:31:32.840
have gotten off his leash and came after them with

1871
02:31:32.920 --> 02:31:36.399
all the fury of a crunch wrap supreme, I asked,

1872
02:31:37.399 --> 02:31:42.159
he never leaves my side, Terror responded, she was a

1873
02:31:42.200 --> 02:31:47.360
real talker. Say how much further does this trail go

1874
02:31:47.559 --> 02:31:52.600
before turning back toward Heaven's Hills. I asked about a mile.

1875
02:31:53.200 --> 02:31:55.479
It dips down the other side of the ridge for

1876
02:31:55.559 --> 02:31:58.719
a bit, then climbs back up behind where they built

1877
02:31:58.760 --> 02:32:05.239
their house. She answered, more uphill. Great. I think I'll

1878
02:32:05.280 --> 02:32:09.120
just turn back, I said, and slipped a crystal just

1879
02:32:09.239 --> 02:32:14.000
off the trail. I didn't think she noticed. I'll come

1880
02:32:14.040 --> 02:32:16.719
back for it tomorrow and see what kind of energy

1881
02:32:16.760 --> 02:32:20.000
it absorbed. It might help me figure out what kind

1882
02:32:20.040 --> 02:32:24.399
of boundary this is and what exactly I am dealing with.

1883
02:32:25.200 --> 02:32:28.360
Have a good one, I said, and gave the woman

1884
02:32:28.399 --> 02:32:32.000
a wave. I turned to go back to my car.

1885
02:32:32.959 --> 02:32:37.280
I felt a hundred times better after crossing that boundary again.

1886
02:32:39.040 --> 02:32:41.959
Just as I turned a curve in the path, I

1887
02:32:42.040 --> 02:32:46.000
caught the woman in my peripheral. She had not moved

1888
02:32:46.079 --> 02:32:50.639
from that spot and was watching me. What a weirdo,

1889
02:32:51.000 --> 02:32:54.600
I thought. I gave her another wave and a smile

1890
02:32:55.200 --> 02:32:59.600
before starting the descent down to the krausehouse. She never

1891
02:32:59.639 --> 02:33:04.920
waved back. She probably thought the same of me. Could

1892
02:33:04.920 --> 02:33:08.559
she be the culprit? Maybe it wasn't a cryptid that

1893
02:33:08.639 --> 02:33:12.120
chased them, Maybe it was some witch that marked a

1894
02:33:12.159 --> 02:33:16.760
piece of land to chase off developers. She sure was

1895
02:33:16.920 --> 02:33:21.000
crabby enough. Well that's not fair. There are plenty of

1896
02:33:21.040 --> 02:33:24.879
witches I know that are pleasant to be around. I

1897
02:33:24.920 --> 02:33:27.120
got back to the car and through the pack in

1898
02:33:27.200 --> 02:33:31.120
the hatchback of the Omni. I had some leads to start,

1899
02:33:32.200 --> 02:33:36.680
like what is that boundary? Will the town property records

1900
02:33:36.680 --> 02:33:40.360
show me something there that might help? Do my spiritual

1901
02:33:40.440 --> 02:33:45.040
friends know this, Terra? Did the figurine fit into the equation?

1902
02:33:45.799 --> 02:33:49.799
Do I have any chance with missus Kraus? Sadly, I

1903
02:33:49.840 --> 02:33:53.959
already knew the answer to the last one, a resounding no.

1904
02:33:55.079 --> 02:33:59.200
Maybe when I write my memoirs, though, maybe then I

1905
02:33:59.280 --> 02:34:08.200
can pencil it in. I slept in the next morning,

1906
02:34:09.000 --> 02:34:12.319
my head felt like it had been kicked in. I

1907
02:34:12.399 --> 02:34:15.840
searched around for my glasses, which happened to be on

1908
02:34:15.920 --> 02:34:19.200
the top of my head, not sure how they didn't

1909
02:34:19.239 --> 02:34:23.040
get crushed last night. I made my way through the

1910
02:34:23.079 --> 02:34:27.440
empty bottles and open ancient texts to the bathroom and

1911
02:34:27.520 --> 02:34:30.840
took a piss in the dark. My eyes weren't ready

1912
02:34:30.879 --> 02:34:34.440
for the daylight yet. I made my way to the

1913
02:34:34.520 --> 02:34:37.959
fridge and found a gatorade in there. It looks like

1914
02:34:38.079 --> 02:34:42.440
drunk me was thinking of the future. I thanked myself

1915
02:34:42.600 --> 02:34:46.079
and drank it down, hoping it would curb the hangover

1916
02:34:46.399 --> 02:34:49.959
a little bit. On my desk I found the drunken

1917
02:34:50.040 --> 02:34:55.200
scribblings of a half crazy paranormal investigator. Good thing I

1918
02:34:55.200 --> 02:34:58.879
could read my own handwriting. I picked it up and

1919
02:34:59.000 --> 02:35:03.319
commanded my eye to focus. It took a few minutes

1920
02:35:03.479 --> 02:35:10.040
for them to listen find answers to case. Sometimes I

1921
02:35:10.120 --> 02:35:13.639
really am proud of myself. I popped on the TV

1922
02:35:14.440 --> 02:35:19.000
volume on mute as I waited for the hangover to subside.

1923
02:35:19.079 --> 02:35:22.280
I woke up again about two in the afternoon and

1924
02:35:22.399 --> 02:35:25.040
realized it had been a day or two since I

1925
02:35:25.079 --> 02:35:29.399
had showered. I went into the bathroom and cleaned myself up,

1926
02:35:29.680 --> 02:35:34.040
made myself human again, even took the time to shave.

1927
02:35:34.959 --> 02:35:37.440
It had been at least a week since I'd done that.

1928
02:35:38.280 --> 02:35:41.719
I read over my notes taken at the Crouse's and

1929
02:35:41.840 --> 02:35:45.040
headed out the door. I had a few stops to

1930
02:35:45.120 --> 02:35:48.639
hit this afternoon, and the day was getting away from me.

1931
02:35:49.440 --> 02:35:52.280
Once I had gotten a fresh sandwich in beer from

1932
02:35:52.319 --> 02:35:56.079
Herschel's Deli, I drove over to Union to check out

1933
02:35:56.159 --> 02:36:00.360
the shop that sold the figurines. I didn't realize get

1934
02:36:00.360 --> 02:36:03.280
a sense of anything from the wolf, but it was

1935
02:36:03.399 --> 02:36:07.600
better to be safe than sorry. I sat in the Omni,

1936
02:36:07.760 --> 02:36:11.840
finishing my sandwich and beer before heading over to the shop,

1937
02:36:12.760 --> 02:36:17.200
Casey's Curios it was called. I opened the door and

1938
02:36:17.280 --> 02:36:20.520
a little bell rang. Every step I took on the

1939
02:36:20.639 --> 02:36:25.760
old wooden floor creaked ominously, and I wondered how far

1940
02:36:25.879 --> 02:36:30.120
a fall into the basement actually was as I scanned

1941
02:36:30.239 --> 02:36:34.479
the cluttered room. In most of these kinds of places,

1942
02:36:35.079 --> 02:36:39.000
you will find some kind of artifact giving off energy.

1943
02:36:39.799 --> 02:36:43.200
People who aren't perceptive to that kind of thing might

1944
02:36:43.319 --> 02:36:47.280
still feel uneasy and decide to donate or sell an

1945
02:36:47.319 --> 02:36:52.079
item without knowing the why. A few hit me right away,

1946
02:36:53.000 --> 02:36:56.920
but nothing that seemed in any way related to the case.

1947
02:36:58.000 --> 02:37:01.719
I found the display of carved figureenes and gave them

1948
02:37:01.760 --> 02:37:05.760
more scrutiny. As I heard the creaking coming from behind me,

1949
02:37:06.520 --> 02:37:10.559
Find something you like, came the voice from behind me.

1950
02:37:11.639 --> 02:37:18.959
I turned and was surprised to see a familiar face. Tara.

1951
02:37:19.000 --> 02:37:24.559
Was it I asked, it was, and still is, she said,

1952
02:37:24.600 --> 02:37:29.120
as she passed me and went behind the counter. Where

1953
02:37:29.159 --> 02:37:33.760
is d'Artagnan not a great watchdog? Eh, I joked, or

1954
02:37:34.399 --> 02:37:38.159
at least I thought I did. You couldn't tell from

1955
02:37:38.200 --> 02:37:42.479
her reaction. At the vet found a tick on him.

1956
02:37:42.600 --> 02:37:46.639
Getting it checked out, Tara replied, with all the warmth

1957
02:37:46.719 --> 02:37:51.799
of the Arctic circle. Well, I am sorry to hear that. Anyway,

1958
02:37:52.280 --> 02:37:55.719
as I said yesterday, I was looking into some wild

1959
02:37:55.840 --> 02:37:59.399
animals up in Heaven's Hills for the crouses, and I

1960
02:37:59.479 --> 02:38:04.879
found this in their study, I said, producing the wolf figurine.

1961
02:38:05.040 --> 02:38:09.120
And you think that was following them? They could probably

1962
02:38:09.200 --> 02:38:15.479
outrun something so small. She asked me, what a comedian? Well,

1963
02:38:15.520 --> 02:38:18.719
I found it curious that they had a wolf figurine

1964
02:38:18.760 --> 02:38:21.920
on their mantle, and said they had heard howling on

1965
02:38:22.000 --> 02:38:24.799
the wind. I thought I would check out where the

1966
02:38:24.799 --> 02:38:28.959
figurine came from. I replied, let me know if any

1967
02:38:29.000 --> 02:38:32.559
of these make a sound, I'll charge another five bucks.

1968
02:38:33.440 --> 02:38:36.760
Tara said, and opened a shipping box that had been

1969
02:38:36.799 --> 02:38:40.520
on the counter. She pulled a locket out and set

1970
02:38:40.600 --> 02:38:45.000
it down. I could feel the energy emitting from it.

1971
02:38:45.799 --> 02:38:49.920
That's a nice locket, I said, focusing more on it.

1972
02:38:50.680 --> 02:38:53.879
Sometimes it was hard when there were other things around,

1973
02:38:54.520 --> 02:38:58.040
like the boundary. Last night, I put the other items

1974
02:38:58.079 --> 02:39:01.159
out of mind, using an exercise I learned when I

1975
02:39:01.239 --> 02:39:04.959
was little, and focused my attention in front of me.

1976
02:39:06.200 --> 02:39:11.440
I was surprised to find two distinct aurs. One was

1977
02:39:11.479 --> 02:39:16.159
from the locket and it screamed of divination magic. It

1978
02:39:16.280 --> 02:39:20.319
was used recently to find someone. I caught glimpses of

1979
02:39:20.360 --> 02:39:24.000
a woman's face, but it flashed by too fast for

1980
02:39:24.040 --> 02:39:28.959
me to see. Wonder who sent that to Tara. Usually

1981
02:39:29.239 --> 02:39:33.200
when someone with the talent finds an item, they don't

1982
02:39:33.319 --> 02:39:37.440
let it go, unless they were asking a huge favor

1983
02:39:37.520 --> 02:39:41.680
of someone and they traded a magical item for said favor.

1984
02:39:42.959 --> 02:39:47.680
The other aura was coming from Tera herself. I tuned

1985
02:39:47.719 --> 02:39:52.360
into that she was a dabbler. She wasn't very powerful,

1986
02:39:52.399 --> 02:39:56.280
but she did indeed dabble in magic. There was some

1987
02:39:56.479 --> 02:40:01.040
residual magic coming from her, now faint, it had been

1988
02:40:01.079 --> 02:40:04.760
a few days since she had tried anything. It had

1989
02:40:04.799 --> 02:40:09.719
the smell of summoning magic. With dabblers sometimes they get

1990
02:40:09.719 --> 02:40:13.719
the idea, but not the nuance of what they are doing.

1991
02:40:14.799 --> 02:40:17.440
She could have been trying to summon a demon or

1992
02:40:17.760 --> 02:40:20.959
a lost loved one in a seance, even though that

1993
02:40:21.200 --> 02:40:24.440
isn't the proper way to do it. Did they give

1994
02:40:24.440 --> 02:40:28.719
you that to return? Tara asked, No, they loaned it

1995
02:40:28.760 --> 02:40:32.239
to me. I replied, do you remember when they were

1996
02:40:32.239 --> 02:40:36.000
in here, mister? I get a lot of people coming

1997
02:40:36.079 --> 02:40:40.319
and going weirdos. I remember, like people asking me if

1998
02:40:40.360 --> 02:40:44.920
my figurines can howl, but a tourist couple A thousand

1999
02:40:44.959 --> 02:40:51.479
of those walked through my shop every summer. Tara explained. Ouch. Well,

2000
02:40:52.040 --> 02:40:55.319
thank you for your time, I said, and headed for

2001
02:40:55.399 --> 02:40:59.959
the door, not going to buy anything. She called after.

2002
02:41:01.000 --> 02:41:03.399
I knew she was just trying to guilt me into

2003
02:41:03.440 --> 02:41:07.600
buying something, and I am a sucker, so it worked.

2004
02:41:08.440 --> 02:41:11.280
I remembered her story about the ducks in the lake

2005
02:41:11.879 --> 02:41:15.520
and picked up a duck figurine. I slipped a crystal

2006
02:41:15.600 --> 02:41:19.799
under the display, covering the move with my back to Tara.

2007
02:41:20.440 --> 02:41:24.319
Fifteen bucks, she said, as I placed the figurine duck

2008
02:41:24.360 --> 02:41:28.760
on the counter and put her hand out open palm.

2009
02:41:29.120 --> 02:41:32.120
I reached into my wallet and slapped her at twenty.

2010
02:41:33.040 --> 02:41:36.959
Keep the change in case it quacks, I said, and

2011
02:41:37.040 --> 02:41:41.719
turned back towards the door nothing. The woman has no

2012
02:41:42.000 --> 02:41:45.959
sense of humor. The day had really gotten away from me.

2013
02:41:46.520 --> 02:41:49.840
The sun was going to go down soon, just enough

2014
02:41:49.879 --> 02:41:52.680
time to go get my crystal on the trail and

2015
02:41:52.799 --> 02:41:56.520
head over to Kraus's. I set the duck figurine on

2016
02:41:56.559 --> 02:41:59.920
the seat next to me and headed up to Heaven's Hills.

2017
02:42:01.360 --> 02:42:04.239
I got to the boundary just as the sun dipped

2018
02:42:04.280 --> 02:42:07.559
behind the hills. It hit me like a ton of

2019
02:42:07.600 --> 02:42:11.200
bricks again, and in the fading light, I had to

2020
02:42:11.319 --> 02:42:15.319
use my cell phone's flashlight to find the crystal. It

2021
02:42:15.440 --> 02:42:18.600
was clear when I dropped it in the leaves. It

2022
02:42:18.680 --> 02:42:23.719
was now striped red and black. That's not a good sign.

2023
02:42:24.559 --> 02:42:28.120
Red and black are the dominion of the abyss. All

2024
02:42:28.200 --> 02:42:31.239
the levels of hell from any religion you can think of,

2025
02:42:31.799 --> 02:42:36.000
belongs there. You add that to summoning magic aura from

2026
02:42:36.000 --> 02:42:41.079
earlier and you usually get yourself a demon. Why couldn't

2027
02:42:41.079 --> 02:42:43.920
it have been a sasquatch. I had a bottle of

2028
02:42:43.959 --> 02:42:47.239
pheromones on me to get a wild, horny teenage squatch

2029
02:42:47.479 --> 02:42:50.799
to follow me farther from humanity and deeper into the

2030
02:42:50.799 --> 02:42:55.879
woods primordial. That would have been an easy job. But nope,

2031
02:42:56.360 --> 02:43:00.600
it has to be a goddamned demon. The thing about

2032
02:43:00.600 --> 02:43:05.719
demons is they are tricky. Was the summoning magic around

2033
02:43:05.840 --> 02:43:10.280
Tera because she was summoning a demon? Or was it

2034
02:43:10.360 --> 02:43:14.799
because she was summoned? Did the aura being faint mean

2035
02:43:14.840 --> 02:43:17.280
it was strong on an object in her shop and

2036
02:43:17.840 --> 02:43:23.399
rubbed off? Either way, the boundary had hellish energy, and

2037
02:43:23.479 --> 02:43:25.719
I needed to step out of it to think without

2038
02:43:25.760 --> 02:43:30.079
its negative energy bombarding me. I made my way down

2039
02:43:30.120 --> 02:43:33.639
the trail about seventy feet or so, far enough to

2040
02:43:33.719 --> 02:43:37.600
think straight, but still within sight of the boundary's position.

2041
02:43:38.680 --> 02:43:42.000
I twirled the crystal in my hands as if looking

2042
02:43:42.040 --> 02:43:45.440
it over for answers, when truly there was no more

2043
02:43:45.479 --> 02:43:49.959
information it could give me. I pocketed it and headed

2044
02:43:50.000 --> 02:43:53.600
down the trail toward the crouses. I could see the

2045
02:43:53.600 --> 02:43:56.280
porch light through the trees. When I felt a twitch

2046
02:43:56.319 --> 02:44:02.520
of magical energy, then heard a I ran as fast

2047
02:44:02.559 --> 02:44:05.239
as my out of shape bulk could move, and it

2048
02:44:05.280 --> 02:44:08.159
was only thirty seconds or so before my foot hit

2049
02:44:08.239 --> 02:44:12.239
the boards of the porch. Marlene was laying on the floor,

2050
02:44:12.799 --> 02:44:16.840
clutching her arm. I could see the crimson flow from

2051
02:44:16.840 --> 02:44:21.399
between her fingers just above her bracelet. John was in

2052
02:44:21.440 --> 02:44:27.000
an Adirondack chair. He too was clutching himself as blood flowed.

2053
02:44:27.879 --> 02:44:32.719
What happened, I asked, looking over the scene. It attacked us,

2054
02:44:33.319 --> 02:44:36.360
John called out. I pulled his hand away from his

2055
02:44:36.479 --> 02:44:42.360
left forearm. There were deep punctures there and scratches, defensive

2056
02:44:42.399 --> 02:44:45.840
wounds from an animal attack. I could feel the heat

2057
02:44:45.959 --> 02:44:49.399
coming from the wound, and steam rose from the crimson

2058
02:44:49.520 --> 02:44:53.319
ribbons of flesh. It didn't feel that cold out to

2059
02:44:53.360 --> 02:44:57.360
cause steam from the warm body. I grabbed my handkerchief

2060
02:44:57.639 --> 02:45:01.840
and flask from my bag and wrapped his arm, then

2061
02:45:02.000 --> 02:45:06.760
turned my attention to Marlene. What was it? I asked them.

2062
02:45:07.920 --> 02:45:11.440
It was too dark to see, but it definitely was

2063
02:45:11.559 --> 02:45:15.079
some kind of animal. We heard the howl again just

2064
02:45:15.159 --> 02:45:19.559
before Marlene came out with the drinks, John said, pointing

2065
02:45:19.600 --> 02:45:24.920
at the spilled tray and glasses on the porch floor. Interesting.

2066
02:45:25.760 --> 02:45:28.120
I didn't hear anything, and I was just up the

2067
02:45:28.159 --> 02:45:31.520
trail over there, I said, I as sure as hell

2068
02:45:31.639 --> 02:45:34.760
felt something, though it was too quick to get a

2069
02:45:34.799 --> 02:45:40.280
fix on. More scares to come weekly, Spooky, We'll be

2070
02:45:40.399 --> 02:45:47.559
right back. Those cuts would scar up severe. I treated

2071
02:45:47.559 --> 02:45:51.120
her wound the same way and looked around for evidence

2072
02:45:52.399 --> 02:45:55.159
it hit me from behind and landed right on John.

2073
02:45:55.799 --> 02:45:59.479
I got my arms up to protect my face, Marlene said.

2074
02:45:59.680 --> 02:46:03.760
As I surveyed the scene. On the railing, I found

2075
02:46:03.760 --> 02:46:07.559
a tuft of black hairs. I quickly grabbed a baggie

2076
02:46:07.600 --> 02:46:11.680
from my pack and collected it with tweezers. I dropped

2077
02:46:11.680 --> 02:46:14.680
the baggie on the porch and bent to pick it up.

2078
02:46:15.719 --> 02:46:19.719
When I did, I noticed the prince on the wood.

2079
02:46:20.280 --> 02:46:23.479
I took out my phone and snapped a few picks.

2080
02:46:23.959 --> 02:46:29.040
What is it, Marlene asked, Prince of our suspect, I said,

2081
02:46:29.479 --> 02:46:33.239
looking at the canine footprints burned into the wooden porch.

2082
02:46:34.319 --> 02:46:37.799
How many in the universe could leave prints like these?

2083
02:46:37.879 --> 02:46:44.120
You ask, there is a very short list. A hell hound. Well,

2084
02:46:44.200 --> 02:46:48.079
now we know what was summoned. The question now is

2085
02:46:48.959 --> 02:46:53.959
why what did Tara have against John and Marlene Krause

2086
02:46:54.799 --> 02:46:58.920
The development would be my first guess. Usually that's all

2087
02:46:58.959 --> 02:47:02.520
the guests I need. I'm not being conceited here, I'm

2088
02:47:02.959 --> 02:47:06.799
just good at my job. Summoning a hell hound takes

2089
02:47:06.840 --> 02:47:12.159
a specialist, a long time practitioner, not just some curious

2090
02:47:12.280 --> 02:47:15.840
teens like you see in a horror movie. This person

2091
02:47:15.879 --> 02:47:20.079
would need years of training from knowledgeable people, a cult

2092
02:47:20.239 --> 02:47:23.680
or sect hidden away, and I didn't know of any

2093
02:47:23.760 --> 02:47:28.239
around here. That doesn't mean they don't exist, just that

2094
02:47:28.360 --> 02:47:34.680
I was unaware. So is Tara my hell Howler the

2095
02:47:34.760 --> 02:47:39.159
person that brought this beast here? Or is there another

2096
02:47:39.239 --> 02:47:43.680
player I haven't met yet? I would say intriguing, But

2097
02:47:44.280 --> 02:47:48.000
what I really would be thinking is, for fuck's sake,

2098
02:47:48.319 --> 02:47:57.280
why can't these cases ever be easy? The next day

2099
02:47:57.399 --> 02:48:01.959
I slept in sensing a pattern. This time I wasn't

2100
02:48:02.040 --> 02:48:06.040
just up all night drinking. In fact, last night I

2101
02:48:06.120 --> 02:48:09.040
was up all night drinking and reading up on hell

2102
02:48:09.120 --> 02:48:14.000
hounds and how to stop them. There was surprisingly limited

2103
02:48:14.079 --> 02:48:17.760
documentation on them, even though myths of them have been

2104
02:48:17.799 --> 02:48:24.079
around since antiquity. Before starting my binge a hem reading,

2105
02:48:24.840 --> 02:48:27.680
I dropped in with an old friend to learn more

2106
02:48:27.799 --> 02:48:31.680
about the hell Howler. Madam Stacy made most of her

2107
02:48:31.760 --> 02:48:36.840
money telling fortunes at renaissance fairs, psychic fares, and craft shows,

2108
02:48:37.280 --> 02:48:40.879
as well as other events. But she was the real deal,

2109
02:48:41.559 --> 02:48:45.159
unlike most of them on that circuit, since she had

2110
02:48:45.200 --> 02:48:48.040
been around and seen a lot of things, and much

2111
02:48:48.159 --> 02:48:51.639
like me, found steady work here with all the conduits

2112
02:48:51.680 --> 02:48:55.440
of the paranormal that seemed to intersect in our little

2113
02:48:55.479 --> 02:48:59.040
slice of America. I pulled out my phone and opened

2114
02:48:59.079 --> 02:49:02.000
the picture I took of one of Madame Stacy's books.

2115
02:49:02.799 --> 02:49:06.959
She wouldn't let me touch them, let alone borrow them, which,

2116
02:49:07.239 --> 02:49:10.920
to be honest, is probably a good thing. That is

2117
02:49:11.079 --> 02:49:14.120
the other reason for the kindle. I can't keep a

2118
02:49:14.159 --> 02:49:17.479
book's binding intact for more than a week, no matter

2119
02:49:17.479 --> 02:49:22.000
how careful I was with them, they just disintegrate under

2120
02:49:22.000 --> 02:49:25.840
my care. I pinched the screen and zoomed in on

2121
02:49:25.920 --> 02:49:30.799
the left column of the page. Hell howler a specific

2122
02:49:30.879 --> 02:49:35.479
spellcaster with a knack for summoning from the abyss. This

2123
02:49:35.600 --> 02:49:40.239
person can imbue their emotions into their magic, asking for

2124
02:49:40.319 --> 02:49:45.319
help from the lower planes. Powerful hell howlers can summon

2125
02:49:45.399 --> 02:49:49.360
up to Class five demons. If they work in tandem,

2126
02:49:49.559 --> 02:49:53.840
a coven of hell howlers could summon even more powerful entities.

2127
02:49:54.959 --> 02:49:57.319
There is a rumor of a shadow mass that can

2128
02:49:57.360 --> 02:50:01.000
be conducted with ninety nine hell howlers to draw a

2129
02:50:01.040 --> 02:50:05.600
Prince of Hell to the summoning circle to answer three questions.

2130
02:50:06.600 --> 02:50:11.680
As with any summoning ritual, if done incorrectly or without

2131
02:50:11.719 --> 02:50:15.440
the right amount of power, control of the summoned entity

2132
02:50:16.000 --> 02:50:20.159
will falter, and in most cases, it will turn on

2133
02:50:20.239 --> 02:50:25.319
the summoner. Found in several cultures, many use their powers

2134
02:50:25.360 --> 02:50:30.920
for political assassinations or shows of power. Cultures with blood

2135
02:50:31.000 --> 02:50:36.000
rituals and human sacrifices are commonplaces to find hell howlers.

2136
02:50:36.840 --> 02:50:42.479
Known hell howlers have been found among the Aztecs, Canaanites, Celts,

2137
02:50:42.520 --> 02:50:47.440
and Germanic peoples. For example, below was a picture of

2138
02:50:47.479 --> 02:50:50.879
a woman in an open robe with her arms in

2139
02:50:50.920 --> 02:50:54.040
the air, in the center of a magic circle. In

2140
02:50:54.079 --> 02:50:58.079
front of her was a tornado of flames with sinister

2141
02:50:58.319 --> 02:51:03.000
eyes looking back at her. Her. Well, that didn't really

2142
02:51:03.079 --> 02:51:06.319
tell me what to do to stop one. I guess

2143
02:51:06.319 --> 02:51:08.879
I'll have to throw the kitchen sink at it. When

2144
02:51:08.920 --> 02:51:12.520
I confronted. The kitchen sink is what I call a

2145
02:51:12.600 --> 02:51:18.680
concoction of all the usual monster killers. Holy water, wolf's bane,

2146
02:51:19.159 --> 02:51:23.959
iron supplements, and minced garlic are the main ingredients. Smells

2147
02:51:24.079 --> 02:51:28.040
like shit, but it gets the job done most of

2148
02:51:28.079 --> 02:51:31.440
the time. I rifled through my books on ways to

2149
02:51:31.520 --> 02:51:35.559
protect Marlene from the summoned beast, made a quick list,

2150
02:51:35.959 --> 02:51:39.159
and headed back to Madam Stacy for the items I

2151
02:51:39.200 --> 02:51:44.600
didn't have myself. Having hair from the beast provided us

2152
02:51:44.639 --> 02:51:47.760
with some material to make a charm out of. In

2153
02:51:47.799 --> 02:51:51.520
a perfect world, that should be enough, but since we

2154
02:51:51.639 --> 02:51:55.040
don't know who summoned it, there really was no telling.

2155
02:51:55.799 --> 02:51:58.719
Madam Stacy and I worked on the charm for most

2156
02:51:58.760 --> 02:52:02.319
of the afternoon before I realized I had not eaten

2157
02:52:02.360 --> 02:52:07.799
anything today. My stomach groaned its displeasure. Are you thinking

2158
02:52:07.840 --> 02:52:11.719
what I'm thinking? I asked Madam Stacy as she looked

2159
02:52:11.799 --> 02:52:16.719
up from the charm. My stomach had interrupted her spell.

2160
02:52:16.920 --> 02:52:19.239
You go grab us a couple of sandwiches so I

2161
02:52:19.280 --> 02:52:23.079
can finish this in peace, she said. I had only

2162
02:52:23.120 --> 02:52:27.639
interrupted her a few times with questions. What do you want?

2163
02:52:28.159 --> 02:52:30.879
I asked the mystic as I watched a woman at

2164
02:52:30.920 --> 02:52:35.040
the front window peeking in. Madame Stacy put a closed

2165
02:52:35.079 --> 02:52:38.319
sign up so we could get this done before tonight.

2166
02:52:39.360 --> 02:52:44.120
PASTRAMI hard roll mustard, she said, and went back to work.

2167
02:52:45.120 --> 02:52:48.680
I should propose right now, if only she were a

2168
02:52:48.760 --> 02:52:53.159
little younger. She was older than the omni. I slipped

2169
02:52:53.200 --> 02:52:56.000
out of the side door, not only because that was

2170
02:52:56.040 --> 02:53:00.280
where the aforementioned shit box was parked, but this way

2171
02:53:00.319 --> 02:53:03.159
I didn't have to confront the customer at the door.

2172
02:53:04.000 --> 02:53:07.879
I'd much rather confront an angry ghoul feasting on corpses

2173
02:53:08.079 --> 02:53:12.479
in the local cemetery than deal with living, breathing people.

2174
02:53:13.440 --> 02:53:16.399
They're so much harder to get a handle on, what

2175
02:53:16.520 --> 02:53:20.879
with their schemes and lies. I pulled out onto the

2176
02:53:20.920 --> 02:53:25.479
street and headed the few blocks west to the deli. Yeah,

2177
02:53:25.520 --> 02:53:29.399
I could have walked, but this was more efficient. I

2178
02:53:29.520 --> 02:53:33.000
walked into the deli a hero. They thought something had

2179
02:53:33.000 --> 02:53:35.559
happened to me because they haven't seen me yet today.

2180
02:53:36.559 --> 02:53:38.920
That says a lot more about me than it does

2181
02:53:39.000 --> 02:53:43.799
their friendliness, I think. When I told them I needed

2182
02:53:43.840 --> 02:53:49.399
two they all made mocking faces, which to me said, whoe,

2183
02:53:49.959 --> 02:53:54.280
look at the big boy getting two sandwiches. They didn't

2184
02:53:54.280 --> 02:53:57.159
believe me when I said one was for a friend,

2185
02:53:57.840 --> 02:54:01.479
even when I got two drinks. Maybe I'll see if

2186
02:54:01.479 --> 02:54:05.319
Madame Stacy can put a minor curse on them, maybe

2187
02:54:05.319 --> 02:54:09.680
make all their wives grow mustaches or something. I grabbed

2188
02:54:09.680 --> 02:54:12.879
the bag and was back at the shop. Within twenty minutes.

2189
02:54:13.520 --> 02:54:17.879
Stacy had finished the charm for Marlene to wear a necklace.

2190
02:54:18.719 --> 02:54:22.639
It also had the Celtic shield, not like Marlene's bracelet.

2191
02:54:23.360 --> 02:54:26.159
We finished our late lunch as we went over the

2192
02:54:26.200 --> 02:54:29.600
defenses I was going to put up in the Krause's home.

2193
02:54:30.479 --> 02:54:33.639
I was running out of time. I wanted to stop

2194
02:54:33.639 --> 02:54:36.840
over at TERA's shop again to get a better feel

2195
02:54:36.920 --> 02:54:40.120
on her and what talent she might have with the

2196
02:54:40.200 --> 02:54:45.200
magical arts. With a reluctant hug the only payment beyond

2197
02:54:45.200 --> 02:54:48.719
the sandwich Madam Stacy wanted. I was on my way

2198
02:54:48.799 --> 02:54:52.159
to Tara's shop. I should get there in time to

2199
02:54:52.239 --> 02:54:56.399
ask her some questions. I got to start setting an alarm,

2200
02:54:56.559 --> 02:55:00.600
so I don't sleep the days away. I usual fight

2201
02:55:00.680 --> 02:55:04.319
the evil at night, but the day's crucial prep time.

2202
02:55:05.120 --> 02:55:08.760
Maybe I should just stock up on caffeine pills, since

2203
02:55:08.799 --> 02:55:12.200
I'm not one for coffee. I had a few hours

2204
02:55:12.200 --> 02:55:14.959
of daylight still when I parked in front of Terra's

2205
02:55:15.000 --> 02:55:19.760
store Casey's Curios in Union. Her sign said they were

2206
02:55:19.840 --> 02:55:23.520
open to five, just enough time to get home around

2207
02:55:23.639 --> 02:55:27.600
dark this time of year, you know, maybe to give

2208
02:55:27.639 --> 02:55:31.840
directions to your pet hellhound, who was somehow disguised as

2209
02:55:31.879 --> 02:55:37.399
a Chihuahua named d'Artagnan. Although that would be a funny scenario,

2210
02:55:37.600 --> 02:55:42.959
it was very unlikely. I didn't detect any camouflage magic

2211
02:55:43.000 --> 02:55:46.120
on the dog when we first met, and if I

2212
02:55:46.319 --> 02:55:50.239
was dealing with a football sized Helmut, the scratches would

2213
02:55:50.239 --> 02:55:54.239
have been on the krouse's legs, not arms. How would

2214
02:55:54.280 --> 02:55:58.600
it have reached trampoline or a poucha pult? I opened

2215
02:55:58.639 --> 02:56:01.760
the squeaking door of the Eye and made my way

2216
02:56:01.920 --> 02:56:06.479
inside the building. Tara was behind the counter polishing what

2217
02:56:06.639 --> 02:56:10.360
looked like an antique tea set. If she could see

2218
02:56:10.360 --> 02:56:14.680
the spirit attached to it, I couldn't tell. The apparition

2219
02:56:14.879 --> 02:56:17.799
turned towards me with the kind of hatred only the

2220
02:56:17.840 --> 02:56:22.399
eyes of the dead can show, and whispered curses at me.

2221
02:56:23.479 --> 02:56:28.639
I wasn't impressed. I've dealt with tougher ghosts. I ignored her,

2222
02:56:28.680 --> 02:56:31.120
and it made her angrier by the string of curse

2223
02:56:31.200 --> 02:56:34.680
words coming out of her mouth. My father was a

2224
02:56:34.719 --> 02:56:38.239
trucker and my mom was a whore, and I think

2225
02:56:38.280 --> 02:56:43.040
they both would have blushed. No refunds if it didn't quack,

2226
02:56:43.639 --> 02:56:47.440
Tara said dryly, before putting the teapot back in an

2227
02:56:47.520 --> 02:56:54.239
old leather case. As soon as she did, the apparition disappeared. No,

2228
02:56:54.479 --> 02:56:58.840
it quacks, just fine, a satisfied customer, I said back

2229
02:56:58.879 --> 02:57:03.920
at her. She raised an eyebrow, then lowered it. You

2230
02:57:03.959 --> 02:57:07.799
want a different animal, perhaps a whale song to put

2231
02:57:07.920 --> 02:57:12.159
you to sleep, she said sarcastically, while putting the case

2232
02:57:12.200 --> 02:57:15.319
on a stack of other boxes behind her, under some

2233
02:57:15.440 --> 02:57:20.159
wooden shelves with various products on them. I wanted to

2234
02:57:20.239 --> 02:57:25.000
check up on d'Artagnan, I explained. She raised the other eyebrow.

2235
02:57:25.520 --> 02:57:29.440
She was eyebrow dexterous. She nodded. Towards the back of

2236
02:57:29.479 --> 02:57:34.200
the store. Sitting on an antique Bergerie chair was the

2237
02:57:34.280 --> 02:57:39.559
canine in question, sleeping away. He was wearing a red

2238
02:57:39.600 --> 02:57:45.520
and blue superhero costume complete with cape glad. He's doing okay,

2239
02:57:45.879 --> 02:57:50.559
I said, Hey, I have a question for you. Oh yeah,

2240
02:57:51.040 --> 02:57:55.440
she asked, opening another cardboard box that had arrived with

2241
02:57:55.600 --> 02:57:59.559
today's packages. Yeah. Have I come to the right place

2242
02:57:59.600 --> 02:58:04.840
for athame? Her eyes narrowed as she scrutinized the sincerity

2243
02:58:05.280 --> 02:58:09.879
of my inquiry. What do you need it for? She asked,

2244
02:58:10.399 --> 02:58:14.639
for a blood ritual? I lied over by the cauldron's

2245
02:58:14.760 --> 02:58:19.040
last table on the back wall. She explained, My wicked

2246
02:58:19.079 --> 02:58:22.239
mom would kill me if I ever used Atham to

2247
02:58:22.360 --> 02:58:25.879
draw blood. Tara doesn't know shit about fuck when it

2248
02:58:25.959 --> 02:58:30.799
comes to proper use. I think my original assessment was correct.

2249
02:58:31.120 --> 02:58:35.799
She was a dabbler at best. Well shit, then, who

2250
02:58:35.879 --> 02:58:40.159
is the hell howler? I glanced through her product. She

2251
02:58:40.319 --> 02:58:44.799
did have some decent stuff, and wherever she's getting her

2252
02:58:44.840 --> 02:58:49.440
shipments from they are top notch. Too bad she doesn't

2253
02:58:49.520 --> 02:58:52.680
know what to do with them. She could take over

2254
02:58:52.760 --> 02:58:56.000
the county with the amount of spiritual firepower in this

2255
02:58:56.159 --> 02:59:02.520
room alone. I wonder what she keeps in the krouses.

2256
02:59:03.079 --> 02:59:07.000
I started turning over a blade in my hand. It

2257
02:59:07.079 --> 02:59:11.440
was too polished, too finished for me. I prefer the

2258
02:59:11.479 --> 02:59:16.000
old world craftsmanship with my ritual implements. What do you

2259
02:59:16.079 --> 02:59:20.840
know of them? Nothing? Really. They came in here boasting

2260
02:59:20.959 --> 02:59:23.440
how they were going to change our town for the

2261
02:59:23.479 --> 02:59:26.680
better and all the local shops were soon going to

2262
02:59:26.719 --> 02:59:30.239
have lines out the door. They bought that figurine and

2263
02:59:30.280 --> 02:59:32.879
told me they were about to make a deal to

2264
02:59:32.959 --> 02:59:38.319
make my life better. Usual out of town snobs, Tara replied,

2265
02:59:39.280 --> 02:59:42.959
who is Casey? I asked, as it just now occurred

2266
02:59:42.959 --> 02:59:46.840
to me that this place wasn't named after her. My

2267
02:59:47.000 --> 02:59:52.000
husband been in the ground ten years. She said. He

2268
02:59:52.159 --> 02:59:55.760
used to handle antiques and the like here. He liked

2269
02:59:55.799 --> 02:59:58.559
to fix up older stuff to make it shine again.

2270
02:59:59.399 --> 03:00:03.239
He let me tell my stuff here too. He knew

2271
03:00:03.280 --> 03:00:07.319
you practiced, I asked. I told him I did, and

2272
03:00:07.440 --> 03:00:10.799
that was good enough for him. He didn't want to

2273
03:00:10.879 --> 03:00:13.840
know any more. Gave me my space to do what

2274
03:00:13.920 --> 03:00:18.760
I wanted. Tara replied. I found an older looking bowline

2275
03:00:18.879 --> 03:00:23.319
and grabbed some candles. Sometimes these things come in handy.

2276
03:00:24.000 --> 03:00:26.879
I made my way back through the rows of items

2277
03:00:26.920 --> 03:00:31.040
to the counter. I placed the crescent bladed object down,

2278
03:00:31.680 --> 03:00:37.120
then set the candles next to them. Anything else, Tara asked,

2279
03:00:37.159 --> 03:00:39.440
as she rang me out and put my items in

2280
03:00:39.520 --> 03:00:45.440
a paper bag. Do you have anything for summoning spells, wands,

2281
03:00:45.680 --> 03:00:50.120
stuff like that? Tara narrowed her eyes at me again.

2282
03:00:51.120 --> 03:00:54.319
I could tell she really didn't like me poking into

2283
03:00:54.319 --> 03:00:59.719
her business. Summoning magic is dangerous. I would leave that

2284
03:01:00.120 --> 03:01:05.200
the professionals, she answered, true, but if one was going

2285
03:01:05.280 --> 03:01:10.760
to try, I hinted, I would suggest they don't, was

2286
03:01:10.799 --> 03:01:16.799
her reply point taken. Thank you again, Tara, my condolences

2287
03:01:16.879 --> 03:01:21.200
for Casey, I said, and paid for the bowline. I

2288
03:01:21.280 --> 03:01:25.200
now had all I needed for tonight. Some shop owners

2289
03:01:25.239 --> 03:01:27.959
make it hard to want to support local business, though

2290
03:01:28.600 --> 03:01:33.559
Tara was a downright miserable person. But I don't think

2291
03:01:33.840 --> 03:01:37.760
she is the hell howler. Who else could the crouses

2292
03:01:37.799 --> 03:01:42.000
have pissed off? I wondered as I fired up the omni.

2293
03:01:42.760 --> 03:01:47.719
I got to the client's house about two hours before sunset,

2294
03:01:47.799 --> 03:01:52.520
just enough time to prepare for the impending attack. When

2295
03:01:52.520 --> 03:01:55.680
I pulled in the driveway, John was out front, so

2296
03:01:55.760 --> 03:01:59.000
I had him help me unload several of my musty

2297
03:01:59.120 --> 03:02:03.639
Duffel bags from the hatchback. What do you have in here,

2298
03:02:03.719 --> 03:02:08.120
becker decade old Jim clothes, he said, as he got

2299
03:02:08.120 --> 03:02:11.680
a whiff of the contents you got me. I was

2300
03:02:11.719 --> 03:02:15.200
hoping to get some laundry done while we wait, I joked,

2301
03:02:15.680 --> 03:02:20.120
but it went right over mister Soerpuss's face. I guess

2302
03:02:20.200 --> 03:02:22.879
I would be serious too if there was an infernal

2303
03:02:23.000 --> 03:02:27.000
beast hunting my wife in a few hours, I gave

2304
03:02:27.079 --> 03:02:33.520
him a pass this time. Where's Marlene? I asked, missus

2305
03:02:33.600 --> 03:02:36.799
Kraus will be home shortly. I advised her to get

2306
03:02:36.799 --> 03:02:41.440
a hotel tonight, but she insisted on being here. I

2307
03:02:41.479 --> 03:02:44.879
don't know why I would prefer she was out of danger.

2308
03:02:45.479 --> 03:02:49.920
John said, don't worry, John, we won't let anything happen

2309
03:02:50.000 --> 03:02:54.159
to her. I reassured I could tell by his face though,

2310
03:02:54.840 --> 03:02:59.760
that I failed. I began rummaging through the stinky bags

2311
03:02:59.799 --> 03:03:02.840
to get set up. I grabbed a baggie of red

2312
03:03:02.840 --> 03:03:05.840
brick dust and began to scatter it in the doorway.

2313
03:03:07.040 --> 03:03:13.479
Are you going to clean that up afterward? John asked, honestly,

2314
03:03:14.159 --> 03:03:17.280
probably not, but I am sure you have a maid

2315
03:03:17.399 --> 03:03:20.399
come in at least once a week, I said, and

2316
03:03:20.520 --> 03:03:24.399
grabbed the baggie with a mix of garlic, sage, and lavender.

2317
03:03:25.280 --> 03:03:27.760
Why have the smells spread out through the house when

2318
03:03:27.799 --> 03:03:31.639
I can combine them all together right here. Once I

2319
03:03:31.760 --> 03:03:35.360
profoundly stunk up the joint, I started to use the

2320
03:03:35.440 --> 03:03:39.440
bowline to carve some cymbals into the candles. I had

2321
03:03:39.520 --> 03:03:45.639
just picked up standard protection stuff, nothing too crazy. I

2322
03:03:45.760 --> 03:03:48.920
wanted a bastion of protection in case I needed to

2323
03:03:49.040 --> 03:03:51.959
bide my time with the creature once I face it.

2324
03:03:52.920 --> 03:03:56.440
Sometimes I'm not the fastest thinker on my feet. But

2325
03:03:57.079 --> 03:03:59.879
give me a month to prepare, and I'm fucking ba.

2326
03:04:01.559 --> 03:04:04.920
I placed a hamsa hand above the kitchen sink and

2327
03:04:05.040 --> 03:04:08.559
sprinkled a little more of the brick dust. I didn't

2328
03:04:08.600 --> 03:04:11.159
have enough dust to give the house a good redding,

2329
03:04:11.799 --> 03:04:15.600
but I got most of the first door. John mostly

2330
03:04:15.680 --> 03:04:20.159
followed me around, sighing at everything I was doing, until

2331
03:04:20.159 --> 03:04:24.479
he heard Marlene come in through the garage. That reminded me.

2332
03:04:25.280 --> 03:04:27.840
I ran over to the door to the garage and

2333
03:04:27.959 --> 03:04:33.159
sprinkled my protection magic cocktail. Marlene watched me with both

2334
03:04:33.399 --> 03:04:38.120
interest and amusement. It seemed or she was smiling at

2335
03:04:38.159 --> 03:04:43.479
me for another reason. Nah, she wasn't interested in me.

2336
03:04:44.280 --> 03:04:48.200
That was only in my dreams, no one else's. She

2337
03:04:48.479 --> 03:04:51.319
was the client and I had to be professional. I

2338
03:04:51.399 --> 03:04:58.399
told myself that was why we could never be together. Focus, Becker, Focus.

2339
03:04:59.000 --> 03:05:01.840
I snapped out of it and continued to work around

2340
03:05:01.840 --> 03:05:05.280
the house. An hour later, I was just about done

2341
03:05:05.719 --> 03:05:08.520
when Marlene came to me in the kitchen by the

2342
03:05:08.559 --> 03:05:13.479
garage door. How are things progressing, she asked in that

2343
03:05:14.000 --> 03:05:19.000
sultry voice. Almost done here? We got the house on lockdown.

2344
03:05:19.559 --> 03:05:21.879
No way that creature is going to find its way

2345
03:05:21.920 --> 03:05:25.559
in here, I said, not past all the protection I

2346
03:05:25.639 --> 03:05:31.200
put up. I was rather proud of myself. Hungry, she asked,

2347
03:05:31.239 --> 03:05:34.319
and went to the fridge. She pulled out a pound

2348
03:05:34.360 --> 03:05:37.479
of pastrami and set it on the counter. Next to

2349
03:05:37.559 --> 03:05:44.360
some hard rolls. She knew me I could eat. I understated, here,

2350
03:05:44.479 --> 03:05:47.799
have a seat. I'll make you a sandwich, she said,

2351
03:05:48.200 --> 03:05:50.360
and pulled a knife out of the block to cut

2352
03:05:50.360 --> 03:05:54.000
the rolls. I took a load off and realized I

2353
03:05:54.040 --> 03:05:58.000
had been working right along pretty good. I mentally checked

2354
03:05:58.000 --> 03:06:02.840
off items on my list and realized I was done.

2355
03:06:03.000 --> 03:06:06.440
I looked at my watch. I had twenty two minutes

2356
03:06:06.520 --> 03:06:10.959
until sunset and the chance of attack. With everything I

2357
03:06:11.040 --> 03:06:15.200
read on these hounds, they are usually spotted over three days.

2358
03:06:15.799 --> 03:06:20.239
The summoning only lasts that long. If they fail, they

2359
03:06:20.239 --> 03:06:24.479
don't go back to Hell, they simply cease to exist.

2360
03:06:24.600 --> 03:06:29.360
So there is the motivation for escalation of attacks. The

2361
03:06:29.399 --> 03:06:33.079
final one should be tonight. I just had to make

2362
03:06:33.120 --> 03:06:36.479
sure it wasn't a fatal one. I looked over at

2363
03:06:36.520 --> 03:06:40.079
the other smelly duffel bag in the hall, the one

2364
03:06:40.159 --> 03:06:44.399
I haven't opened yet. It held the best line of defense,

2365
03:06:45.399 --> 03:06:48.959
basically a holy rolled up newspaper to hit it on

2366
03:06:49.040 --> 03:06:55.040
the snout with and say bad dog or bad hell hound. Well,

2367
03:06:55.799 --> 03:07:01.200
that sounds more appealing than what it actually was. Supernatural

2368
03:07:01.239 --> 03:07:04.520
beings aren't always pretty, and neither are the tools and

2369
03:07:04.639 --> 03:07:09.239
weapons used to fight or subdue those beings. I know

2370
03:07:09.399 --> 03:07:11.440
what I had in the bag wasn't going to win

2371
03:07:11.479 --> 03:07:16.520
any craftsmanship awards. It looked like total shit, But none

2372
03:07:16.559 --> 03:07:20.399
of that matters as long as it gets the job done.

2373
03:07:20.600 --> 03:07:25.159
Here you go, Marlene smiled warmly and sat down next

2374
03:07:25.159 --> 03:07:28.360
to me at the table. I could smell her perfume.

2375
03:07:29.440 --> 03:07:32.879
Thank you, I said, and looked down at the sandwich.

2376
03:07:33.760 --> 03:07:36.200
She must have given me half of the meat I

2377
03:07:36.239 --> 03:07:40.200
saw her take out of the fridge. Wow, now that

2378
03:07:40.600 --> 03:07:43.719
is a sandwich, I said, and held it out at

2379
03:07:43.799 --> 03:07:48.879
arm's length. Admirably. Don't drop it, she said, as it

2380
03:07:49.000 --> 03:07:52.600
started to slip from my hands. She grabbed for it

2381
03:07:52.959 --> 03:07:56.559
and ended up putting her hands around mine. Her skin

2382
03:07:56.799 --> 03:08:04.280
was soft and warm. Very warm. You feeling okay, I asked,

2383
03:08:04.920 --> 03:08:09.639
under the circumstances, Yes, she replied, and gave me an

2384
03:08:09.680 --> 03:08:14.399
award winning smile. I melted in my chair and puddled

2385
03:08:14.399 --> 03:08:18.040
on the floor to bask in her glory. I snapped

2386
03:08:18.079 --> 03:08:20.520
out of it when I realized I had spicy brown

2387
03:08:20.600 --> 03:08:27.040
mustard on my shirt, humbling, Oh dear, she said, and

2388
03:08:27.120 --> 03:08:30.319
grabbed a paper towel. She wet it in the sink

2389
03:08:30.559 --> 03:08:34.319
and returned to me. Rubbing the damp paper product on

2390
03:08:34.399 --> 03:08:38.719
my shirt. She was so close I could smell her hair.

2391
03:08:40.120 --> 03:08:43.559
What's that, I asked, and backed up. As her husband

2392
03:08:43.680 --> 03:08:47.280
entered the room, he carried the rest of the candles

2393
03:08:47.280 --> 03:08:51.200
I had carved protection runs in and a box of matches.

2394
03:08:52.159 --> 03:08:55.040
I could smell the sulfur of the matches wafted by

2395
03:08:55.040 --> 03:08:58.159
my nose. If he cared I was that close to

2396
03:08:58.239 --> 03:09:03.319
his wife, he didn't let on, man, I would be furious.

2397
03:09:04.479 --> 03:09:07.680
I finished placing them on the second floor. I had

2398
03:09:07.719 --> 03:09:11.799
these left over. Where do you want them, John asked.

2399
03:09:12.399 --> 03:09:16.520
I pointed to the next room. Most likely the creature

2400
03:09:16.559 --> 03:09:19.399
will come to one of the doors. I'd placed them

2401
03:09:19.440 --> 03:09:22.520
near the front entrance. The door is made of glass

2402
03:09:22.559 --> 03:09:27.399
and vulnerable, I told him. He nodded and headed out

2403
03:09:27.440 --> 03:09:31.799
to the foyer. If you will excuse me, Marlene said,

2404
03:09:32.440 --> 03:09:37.200
I have to go powder my nose. Consider yourself excused,

2405
03:09:37.680 --> 03:09:40.879
I said, and gave her a bow. As I stood up,

2406
03:09:41.840 --> 03:09:45.440
I think I heard something crack in my back. I

2407
03:09:45.479 --> 03:09:49.120
am getting too old to fight monsters. I realized I

2408
03:09:49.120 --> 03:09:51.719
had forgotten to give her the charm we both worked

2409
03:09:51.719 --> 03:09:55.360
so hard on earlier. I guess it can wait until

2410
03:09:55.399 --> 03:09:58.920
she's out of the bathroom. I used to imagine rich

2411
03:09:59.040 --> 03:10:02.559
clients like these would be so grateful that they would

2412
03:10:02.600 --> 03:10:05.760
throw handfuls of cash on me, And if I just

2413
03:10:05.879 --> 03:10:09.479
stuck with it, I could retire in a few years.

2414
03:10:09.959 --> 03:10:15.000
But those few years have doubled and doubled again, and

2415
03:10:15.120 --> 03:10:19.399
I'm still living one Pastrami sandwich at a time. If

2416
03:10:19.440 --> 03:10:22.639
I can stop this hell howler from completing its goal

2417
03:10:23.200 --> 03:10:27.440
and killing Marlene, then I know they would pay. That

2418
03:10:27.719 --> 03:10:32.280
wasn't the question. I just know from previous experience it's

2419
03:10:33.079 --> 03:10:36.840
never enough. While Marlene was out of the room and

2420
03:10:36.959 --> 03:10:40.639
no longer distracting me, I went over my list again

2421
03:10:41.159 --> 03:10:44.639
to make sure I had all the bases covered. As

2422
03:10:44.680 --> 03:10:47.440
I was mentally checking off the last of the list,

2423
03:10:48.239 --> 03:10:51.719
I heard a commotion from the foyer and ran out there.

2424
03:10:52.719 --> 03:10:57.319
John had dropped a candle and it had broken. What happened,

2425
03:10:57.680 --> 03:11:01.719
I asked, I burnt my I should have waited to

2426
03:11:01.799 --> 03:11:05.159
light it until I placed the damn thing. He showed

2427
03:11:05.200 --> 03:11:08.760
me his finger. I tried to remember what compassion was

2428
03:11:08.959 --> 03:11:15.559
like and did my best to show him. The sound

2429
03:11:15.719 --> 03:11:20.120
came from everywhere at once. The howl rang through my head,

2430
03:11:20.479 --> 03:11:24.399
sending flashing images of my own gruesome death at the

2431
03:11:24.399 --> 03:11:28.719
claws of the beast being summoned. I caught glimpses of

2432
03:11:28.760 --> 03:11:32.120
the animal's point of view as it closed in from

2433
03:11:32.120 --> 03:11:35.879
the forest path. I heard the snort of its nostrils,

2434
03:11:36.280 --> 03:11:41.360
trails of smoke rising from the nasal orifices. It covered

2435
03:11:41.399 --> 03:11:47.120
ground fast and would be here in seconds. Where's Marlene,

2436
03:11:47.639 --> 03:11:52.959
John asked, with a scared expression, powdering her nose, I responded,

2437
03:11:53.959 --> 03:11:57.559
I'm right here, she said, entering the foyer with us,

2438
03:11:58.120 --> 03:12:01.920
while looking over her shoulder. I glanced at the door

2439
03:12:02.120 --> 03:12:05.399
to make sure we had enough protection coverage even with

2440
03:12:05.639 --> 03:12:10.000
the broken candle. We were good. We should move to

2441
03:12:10.120 --> 03:12:14.879
an interior room, if possible, barricade ourselves in until I

2442
03:12:14.920 --> 03:12:20.319
can assess the situation. I explained this way through the kitchen,

2443
03:12:20.879 --> 03:12:25.319
Marlene suggested, and we followed. I grabbed my bag on

2444
03:12:25.360 --> 03:12:29.159
the way through. As we passed through the kitchen, another

2445
03:12:29.319 --> 03:12:32.959
flash of the beast's point of view entered my mind.

2446
03:12:33.799 --> 03:12:38.079
I could see Marlene's car sticking out of the garage.

2447
03:12:38.120 --> 03:12:41.760
She had left the door open. It was a good thing.

2448
03:12:41.879 --> 03:12:45.479
I reddened the kitchen door that led to the attached garage,

2449
03:12:45.959 --> 03:12:50.360
I thought, as I double checked my work. Ah fuck,

2450
03:12:50.959 --> 03:12:54.479
I said elegantly. There was a break in the dust,

2451
03:12:54.520 --> 03:12:59.600
as if someone was dragged through it enough to break

2452
03:12:59.639 --> 03:13:04.440
the pt Just then, a bang struck the door. I

2453
03:13:04.559 --> 03:13:08.399
watched it move from the impact get behind me. I

2454
03:13:08.520 --> 03:13:11.920
called out and reached into my bag of tricks. I

2455
03:13:12.000 --> 03:13:16.319
pulled out a shaleala infused with protection magic and faced

2456
03:13:16.360 --> 03:13:19.840
the door as it began to splinter. I ran over

2457
03:13:19.959 --> 03:13:23.079
my movements in my head and couldn't figure out how

2458
03:13:23.159 --> 03:13:27.600
I scuffed the red brick dust rookie mistake, screwing up

2459
03:13:27.600 --> 03:13:31.600
your own circles and lines. If I survived this, I

2460
03:13:31.680 --> 03:13:35.280
told myself I wouldn't put that part in my report.

2461
03:13:36.639 --> 03:13:39.959
A moment later, a large black and red furred paw

2462
03:13:40.239 --> 03:13:44.000
pierced the wooden door. Its claws had to be four

2463
03:13:44.040 --> 03:13:47.920
inches long. I whacked it with the shalala and heard

2464
03:13:47.920 --> 03:13:51.159
a sizzle and a howl from the other side. It

2465
03:13:51.319 --> 03:13:55.040
wasn't the same howl as earlier, which means the hell

2466
03:13:55.120 --> 03:13:59.479
howler had to be close, after all, I had heard

2467
03:13:59.520 --> 03:14:03.840
its call. No time for window peeking to see who

2468
03:14:03.920 --> 03:14:07.680
might be outside right now, though I turned my eye

2469
03:14:07.680 --> 03:14:10.920
from the door for just a second to see John

2470
03:14:10.959 --> 03:14:15.319
and Marlene still standing there. Get in the room, I

2471
03:14:15.399 --> 03:14:20.520
yelled out. That was all the distraction the unholy beast needed,

2472
03:14:21.040 --> 03:14:24.639
as it launched its mass through the door and barreled

2473
03:14:24.680 --> 03:14:28.159
into me. I landed on my ass on the hard

2474
03:14:28.280 --> 03:14:33.479
tile floor, the beast's jaws inches from my throat. The

2475
03:14:33.479 --> 03:14:36.760
only thing that stopped it was the Shaleala held in

2476
03:14:36.840 --> 03:14:43.680
my hands across its slobbery jaws. Definitely not the damned Chihuahua,

2477
03:14:43.799 --> 03:14:48.479
I thought, Did I see any stray saint Bernards around?

2478
03:14:49.319 --> 03:14:53.799
In reality, it didn't resemble any dog breed or even wolf.

2479
03:14:54.600 --> 03:14:59.360
It was larger, smelled like brimstone and death, and had

2480
03:14:59.440 --> 03:15:03.600
tigers stripes of black on a body of short red fur.

2481
03:15:04.600 --> 03:15:07.479
It was at least the size of a mastiff, if

2482
03:15:07.520 --> 03:15:11.600
not bigger. It had three black eyes staring at me.

2483
03:15:11.719 --> 03:15:14.600
As I pushed up with all my might, trying to

2484
03:15:14.719 --> 03:15:18.719
keep that maw away from my face, I could hear

2485
03:15:18.760 --> 03:15:22.520
the protection magic sizzle its flesh, but the beast was

2486
03:15:22.600 --> 03:15:27.280
in such a state of rage it didn't seem to notice.

2487
03:15:27.479 --> 03:15:30.319
I spoke a word I learned a long time ago,

2488
03:15:31.120 --> 03:15:34.159
a word of power. I was told not to use

2489
03:15:34.200 --> 03:15:37.280
it lightly, to use words of power like this drain

2490
03:15:37.479 --> 03:15:40.719
sum of your life. But I didn't see much more

2491
03:15:40.760 --> 03:15:43.479
life in me if I didn't use what I had.

2492
03:15:44.559 --> 03:15:48.200
For the safety of anyone reading this file, I won't

2493
03:15:48.200 --> 03:15:52.600
include the word here. Trust me, it's for your own good.

2494
03:15:53.239 --> 03:15:56.760
I spoke the word, and the magical force created within

2495
03:15:57.000 --> 03:16:01.280
rushed through my hand and lifted the hell into the air,

2496
03:16:02.239 --> 03:16:04.680
throwing him into the island in the middle of the room.

2497
03:16:05.719 --> 03:16:08.079
It bought me enough time to get to my feet

2498
03:16:08.479 --> 03:16:12.000
and see Marlene pull shut the sliding door to the den.

2499
03:16:12.959 --> 03:16:17.600
Good keep some distance while I figure this out. The

2500
03:16:17.639 --> 03:16:21.159
beast growled behind me, and I turned to face it,

2501
03:16:21.600 --> 03:16:24.920
tapping the saleila in my left palm as I made

2502
03:16:24.959 --> 03:16:29.000
eye contact with it. The old blood was pumping. Now,

2503
03:16:29.760 --> 03:16:33.879
come on, Susy, let's dance, I said, bravely to an

2504
03:16:33.920 --> 03:16:39.040
animal that couldn't possibly understand my words. It launched at

2505
03:16:39.079 --> 03:16:42.639
the wall. Its great muscles flexed as it pushed off

2506
03:16:42.639 --> 03:16:47.040
the sheet rock and passed overhead. I gave a wild swing,

2507
03:16:47.280 --> 03:16:51.000
but missed it completely as it crashed into the den door,

2508
03:16:51.559 --> 03:16:56.200
breaking through and passing into the darkened room beyond. I

2509
03:16:56.280 --> 03:16:59.520
heard a scream and raced into the den behind it.

2510
03:17:00.440 --> 03:17:04.159
Inside it was dark. I could hear the beast snarling

2511
03:17:04.239 --> 03:17:07.440
from the right, but my out of shape ass was

2512
03:17:07.479 --> 03:17:11.600
blocking most of the light from the door. I patted

2513
03:17:11.680 --> 03:17:14.319
the walls next to the door until I found a

2514
03:17:14.399 --> 03:17:19.959
light switch and flicked it on. Marlene was backed into

2515
03:17:20.000 --> 03:17:23.879
a corner by an old looking record player. The beast

2516
03:17:24.040 --> 03:17:27.639
was sizing her up for an attack. John laid on

2517
03:17:27.680 --> 03:17:31.440
the floor. Bloody ribbons of flesh hung from his arms

2518
03:17:31.719 --> 03:17:35.840
and torso he wasn't moving. He must have gotten in

2519
03:17:35.879 --> 03:17:39.479
the way of the beast's prey. I hoped I would

2520
03:17:39.520 --> 03:17:43.840
fare better. I charged the beast with a primordial roar

2521
03:17:43.920 --> 03:17:48.360
of my own Shalela overhead. I launched off the automan

2522
03:17:48.600 --> 03:17:51.399
and saw myself in slow motion, like they do in

2523
03:17:51.440 --> 03:17:55.600
the movies when two warriors leap and meet in mid air.

2524
03:17:56.639 --> 03:17:59.959
I brought the hardened blackthorn down on the beast's snout,

2525
03:18:00.639 --> 03:18:04.040
using the word again as I placed my other hand

2526
03:18:04.200 --> 03:18:08.399
on its skull. The combination of the protection spells in

2527
03:18:08.440 --> 03:18:12.079
the Shaleala and the magic force pushed the beast's head

2528
03:18:12.200 --> 03:18:16.760
down to the luxurious carpet. I hoped people that can

2529
03:18:16.760 --> 03:18:19.840
afford that kind of carpet can afford to get blood

2530
03:18:19.840 --> 03:18:23.600
stains out of it. I brought the Shalala down again

2531
03:18:24.239 --> 03:18:27.760
and again on the head of the beast, each strike

2532
03:18:27.879 --> 03:18:31.040
leaving marks on his body from the light energy of

2533
03:18:31.079 --> 03:18:34.920
the protections from evil. I tried not to give it

2534
03:18:35.000 --> 03:18:37.760
time to recover and hoped I could just beat it

2535
03:18:37.799 --> 03:18:42.600
to death or submission. After the fifth blow, I told

2536
03:18:42.639 --> 03:18:45.719
Marlen to get out of the corner, and she ran

2537
03:18:45.840 --> 03:18:49.719
towards the kitchen. That proved to be a bad move

2538
03:18:50.239 --> 03:18:54.280
as the beast's eyes tracked its prey. It pushed past

2539
03:18:54.360 --> 03:18:57.959
me and knocked her literally out of her shoes to

2540
03:18:58.079 --> 03:19:02.879
the carpet below. I stepped over the motionless body of John,

2541
03:19:03.559 --> 03:19:06.879
the sting of losing a client hitting me harder than

2542
03:19:06.920 --> 03:19:11.760
the beast had so far. I couldn't lose another. I

2543
03:19:11.879 --> 03:19:14.799
struck the beast on the back, but other than the

2544
03:19:14.840 --> 03:19:19.000
sizzle and welt it left. The beast paid it no mind.

2545
03:19:19.719 --> 03:19:24.159
Its own survival depended on the kill. I had to

2546
03:19:24.200 --> 03:19:27.159
take it up a notch to get its attention away

2547
03:19:27.280 --> 03:19:31.479
from Marlene. She screamed as it gripped her forearm with

2548
03:19:31.559 --> 03:19:34.920
its jaws. I didn't have much time to make an

2549
03:19:34.959 --> 03:19:38.840
impact on the beast. If I blasted it with magic.

2550
03:19:39.600 --> 03:19:42.040
It just might rip her arm off as it gets

2551
03:19:42.120 --> 03:19:47.360
flung against the wall. I needed a new strategy, something

2552
03:19:47.639 --> 03:19:52.479
it wouldn't expect, and then the idea hit me. My

2553
03:19:52.639 --> 03:19:55.760
mind dismissed it almost as fast as I thought it up.

2554
03:19:56.319 --> 03:20:00.079
I heard a bone break in Marlene's arm, followed by

2555
03:20:00.120 --> 03:20:05.079
another scream. There was no more time to debate. There

2556
03:20:05.120 --> 03:20:08.360
are certain places, whether you are a beast, a man,

2557
03:20:08.399 --> 03:20:13.200
a cryptid demon or angel, that are very sensitive to pain,

2558
03:20:14.120 --> 03:20:18.600
one being the eyes. But I wasn't on that side

2559
03:20:18.639 --> 03:20:24.559
of the beast. Oh no, I was on the other end.

2560
03:20:25.200 --> 03:20:27.959
I looked down at my Shalela with a tear in

2561
03:20:28.040 --> 03:20:32.159
my eye. It was like saying goodbye to an old friend.

2562
03:20:33.200 --> 03:20:38.559
Because if this worked and I survived, I knew I

2563
03:20:38.600 --> 03:20:42.520
wouldn't want it back. I spit on the end and

2564
03:20:42.600 --> 03:20:45.840
gave it a shove where the beast was least expecting

2565
03:20:46.000 --> 03:20:51.360
an attack. When there was resistance, I pushed harder and harder.

2566
03:20:51.959 --> 03:20:56.680
Half the Shalela disappeared before the beast even reacted. I

2567
03:20:57.159 --> 03:21:00.879
don't know how to describe the noise it made. It

2568
03:21:00.959 --> 03:21:05.000
didn't belong to beast or man. It was almost a

2569
03:21:05.120 --> 03:21:09.120
surprised muling with a hint of betrayal and a bit

2570
03:21:09.159 --> 03:21:14.000
of how dare you? Instantly, it let go of Marlene,

2571
03:21:14.399 --> 03:21:18.000
who scrambled on those beautiful legs back against the wall.

2572
03:21:18.479 --> 03:21:22.159
As I got the whole beast's attention, it began to

2573
03:21:22.239 --> 03:21:25.479
turn on me, and I knew if it did, I

2574
03:21:25.600 --> 03:21:28.879
was dead. I held up the end of the magical

2575
03:21:28.920 --> 03:21:33.760
Shalela suppository in my hand and uttered the word one

2576
03:21:33.799 --> 03:21:38.079
more time, letting the magic flow through the wood and

2577
03:21:38.239 --> 03:21:43.559
inside the digestive tract of the unholy beast. As the

2578
03:21:43.600 --> 03:21:47.559
magic reached the tip, it reacted to the protection magic

2579
03:21:47.639 --> 03:21:50.959
infused there, and the force was pushed away from the

2580
03:21:51.000 --> 03:21:55.879
Shalala in all directions. The wood was wrenched from my

2581
03:21:56.079 --> 03:22:00.120
hand as the beast twisted and made eye contact just

2582
03:22:00.159 --> 03:22:04.879
to second before the force was released. Starting with the

2583
03:22:04.879 --> 03:22:09.239
intestines expanding, the beast began to bloat with the magical

2584
03:22:09.360 --> 03:22:15.079
force pushing through its body. Its sides expanded out until

2585
03:22:15.079 --> 03:22:18.000
it was shaped more like a hell hippo than a

2586
03:22:18.079 --> 03:22:21.920
hell hound. I saw the anguish in its face a

2587
03:22:22.000 --> 03:22:26.920
moment before the hell pinata burst, raining hell hound flesh

2588
03:22:27.079 --> 03:22:31.239
down on a shocked Marlene. It hit me too, but

2589
03:22:31.959 --> 03:22:35.559
I wasn't as shocked. This was the outcome I had

2590
03:22:35.600 --> 03:22:39.680
hoped for. I looked down at the blood and unmentionable

2591
03:22:39.760 --> 03:22:46.440
material covering my shalela and sighed, well, I guess if

2592
03:22:46.520 --> 03:22:49.000
I wanted to go out in a blaze of glory.

2593
03:22:49.879 --> 03:22:53.959
There wasn't too many ways more rewarding than an exploding

2594
03:22:54.040 --> 03:22:58.479
Holy suppository in a hell beast. It should be proud

2595
03:22:58.600 --> 03:23:02.440
for its contribution. I popped down on my knees and

2596
03:23:02.520 --> 03:23:05.840
took a few breaths. I was still in fighter flight

2597
03:23:05.920 --> 03:23:10.399
mode and had to let myself calm down. Marlene sat

2598
03:23:10.479 --> 03:23:15.280
on the floor, crying, holding her arms. She didn't look

2599
03:23:15.319 --> 03:23:18.680
that bad off once you cleaned the hell hounds insides

2600
03:23:18.719 --> 03:23:21.680
off of her. I tried to get to my feet

2601
03:23:21.760 --> 03:23:26.319
and placed my hand on something. It was Marlene's shoe.

2602
03:23:26.520 --> 03:23:30.200
I rose and walked to her. She was getting up

2603
03:23:30.239 --> 03:23:35.079
as well. I handed her the shoe. Thanks, they are

2604
03:23:35.760 --> 03:23:41.719
really expensive, she said, pushing her hair from her face. Funny,

2605
03:23:42.840 --> 03:23:46.239
I thought you had green eyes, I said, looking at

2606
03:23:46.280 --> 03:23:49.559
her face. She looked back at me with eyes the

2607
03:23:49.680 --> 03:23:56.200
darkest brown, almost like black pools. You must have been mistaken,

2608
03:23:56.639 --> 03:23:59.680
she said. I looked down at my hand and saw

2609
03:23:59.719 --> 03:24:03.840
red dust on my fingers. How did that get there?

2610
03:24:04.479 --> 03:24:08.760
I checked on John, but like I feared, he was dead.

2611
03:24:09.559 --> 03:24:12.760
There was nothing I could do for him. I called

2612
03:24:12.799 --> 03:24:15.399
an ambulance and tried to figure out how I was

2613
03:24:15.479 --> 03:24:19.840
going to explain what happened. Marlene sat quietly in the

2614
03:24:19.959 --> 03:24:23.799
kitchen while I did so. I grabbed all my mystical

2615
03:24:23.840 --> 03:24:28.000
objects and threw them in my car before the authorities arrived.

2616
03:24:29.280 --> 03:24:31.959
They tend to ask a lot of questions from the

2617
03:24:32.360 --> 03:24:35.319
kook on the scene, and I just didn't want to

2618
03:24:35.360 --> 03:24:39.920
put Marlene through a media frenzy and shit show. She

2619
03:24:40.040 --> 03:24:43.440
had just lost her husband, for Christ's sake. I made

2620
03:24:43.479 --> 03:24:47.840
it down the driveway just as the sirens reached my ears.

2621
03:24:48.319 --> 03:24:51.799
I drove the other way. I had left her with

2622
03:24:51.840 --> 03:24:55.000
what to say. Tell them it was an animal attack.

2623
03:24:55.479 --> 03:24:57.639
Tell them a bear came in the house and killed

2624
03:24:57.680 --> 03:25:00.840
your husband. Tell them the chunks are from blasting it

2625
03:25:00.920 --> 03:25:05.600
with the shotgun. While distressed about John, they owned a shotgun.

2626
03:25:06.079 --> 03:25:10.159
Seemed feasible. If she gave them no reason to doubt

2627
03:25:10.200 --> 03:25:16.000
her story, then she should be fine. A few days later,

2628
03:25:16.120 --> 03:25:19.319
I came to the wake. I was surprised to see

2629
03:25:19.360 --> 03:25:23.600
Tara there. She stood outside the church as people came

2630
03:25:23.719 --> 03:25:28.319
and went to pay their respects to John. I hesitated

2631
03:25:28.360 --> 03:25:31.920
to go in and walked up to the woman. Have

2632
03:25:32.040 --> 03:25:37.559
you been inside, I asked, not yet, she replied, Watching

2633
03:25:37.600 --> 03:25:43.000
a couple exit the funeral home. You know them, I asked, Nope,

2634
03:25:43.600 --> 03:25:47.079
But I'm guessing they were some of John's investors. They

2635
03:25:47.200 --> 03:25:51.760
drove up in that BMW, she replied, pointing down the street.

2636
03:25:52.559 --> 03:25:56.200
In fact, I haven't recognized a single person coming or

2637
03:25:56.319 --> 03:25:59.680
going since I got here. I don't think he had

2638
03:25:59.719 --> 03:26:05.360
any friends in town. He didn't, came Marlene's voice. She

2639
03:26:05.479 --> 03:26:08.239
had come out the side door to sneak a cigarette.

2640
03:26:09.040 --> 03:26:13.079
She wore a skin tight black dress, barely containing all

2641
03:26:13.159 --> 03:26:17.159
the lovely curves. Her brown hair spilled over her bare

2642
03:26:17.239 --> 03:26:21.520
shoulders under a black hat. She was wearing the same

2643
03:26:21.600 --> 03:26:26.920
black shoes she had been wearing that night. How are you, Marlene,

2644
03:26:27.239 --> 03:26:32.040
I asked. Did the cops give you any trouble at first?

2645
03:26:32.079 --> 03:26:37.760
But I'll manage, she replied. I saw a construction crew

2646
03:26:37.840 --> 03:26:41.639
headed up your way, Tara said to the widow, going

2647
03:26:41.680 --> 03:26:46.159
to finish your husband's work. No, I couldn't stand the

2648
03:26:46.239 --> 03:26:50.440
sight of that house after what happened I'm having it

2649
03:26:50.520 --> 03:26:55.840
torn down. Besides, with the news of my husband's gruesome death,

2650
03:26:56.399 --> 03:27:00.280
the investors are all pulling out. There won't be a

2651
03:27:00.360 --> 03:27:06.079
development at Heaven Hills after all, Marlene explained. I'm sure

2652
03:27:06.120 --> 03:27:10.440
it's for the best. Tara said, and turned away. She

2653
03:27:10.559 --> 03:27:13.559
began to walk down the street back towards her shop.

2654
03:27:14.840 --> 03:27:18.799
I'm sorry about John, I said to her. Thank you,

2655
03:27:19.159 --> 03:27:22.239
it means a lot. I was hoping you would be here,

2656
03:27:23.040 --> 03:27:28.040
she said, and handed me an envelope. Inside was a

2657
03:27:28.079 --> 03:27:33.120
ton of bills. I rifled through it quickly, all hundreds.

2658
03:27:33.680 --> 03:27:37.559
I never gave you my fee, I said, I did

2659
03:27:37.600 --> 03:27:42.319
my research before hiring you, mister Becker, she explained, you

2660
03:27:42.360 --> 03:27:47.200
will see there's three times your normal fee in cash.

2661
03:27:47.559 --> 03:27:52.200
Why the tip your husband died, I asked, nodding at

2662
03:27:52.239 --> 03:27:57.920
the church. For the next part, she said, a chill

2663
03:27:58.479 --> 03:28:04.280
ran down my spine. Hush money, I asked, how did

2664
03:28:04.319 --> 03:28:08.840
you figure it out? Well, most novice summoners get in

2665
03:28:09.000 --> 03:28:12.879
over their heads. I wasn't sure until it attacked us,

2666
03:28:13.399 --> 03:28:16.760
but I know you are the hell hower. You summoned

2667
03:28:16.799 --> 03:28:19.680
it to kill your husband, and you lost control of

2668
03:28:19.719 --> 03:28:23.319
it and feared for your own life. I'm guessing you

2669
03:28:23.440 --> 03:28:26.920
had no desire to live here in our podunk town

2670
03:28:27.760 --> 03:28:32.200
and be away from high society. A girl has grown

2671
03:28:32.239 --> 03:28:36.000
accustomed to such things, even if her husband yearned for

2672
03:28:36.159 --> 03:28:41.760
a simpler life, she explained, and instead of taking half

2673
03:28:41.799 --> 03:28:45.000
his money in a divorce, you could summon a demon

2674
03:28:45.120 --> 03:28:50.680
dog and have it all. Did Tara know what was happening? No,

2675
03:28:51.639 --> 03:28:53.520
She gave me a name of some one I could

2676
03:28:53.520 --> 03:28:57.559
talk to about summoning magic, and that man gave me

2677
03:28:57.639 --> 03:29:01.840
your name, she said. I still wasn't sure it was

2678
03:29:01.920 --> 03:29:05.280
you until I heard the howl while you were powdering

2679
03:29:05.319 --> 03:29:10.200
your nose. But I didn't want to believe it. But

2680
03:29:10.239 --> 03:29:12.559
when I found the red brick dust on your shoe

2681
03:29:13.280 --> 03:29:16.680
so you could let your pet demon in, I knew.

2682
03:29:17.639 --> 03:29:22.000
And your eyes they were green when we met my

2683
03:29:22.120 --> 03:29:26.399
favorite color. What are you going to do now, mister Becker,

2684
03:29:27.040 --> 03:29:30.360
tell the police that I summoned a demon to kill

2685
03:29:30.399 --> 03:29:35.920
my husband or take my money. I've learned from my mistakes,

2686
03:29:36.000 --> 03:29:39.479
but not in a repentance way. I would do it

2687
03:29:39.520 --> 03:29:42.680
a bit more carefully if I had to do it again.

2688
03:29:43.760 --> 03:29:47.520
Don't worry, my lips are sealed. It's a shame about

2689
03:29:47.520 --> 03:29:51.360
old John. He seemed all right to me. Towards the end,

2690
03:29:52.479 --> 03:29:56.319
I doubt our paths will cross again. Just know if

2691
03:29:56.319 --> 03:30:00.479
they do, I won't be able to look away again,

2692
03:30:01.319 --> 03:30:04.799
I said. I felt like an asshole letting her go,

2693
03:30:05.440 --> 03:30:07.920
but there was no way the police would believe my

2694
03:30:08.120 --> 03:30:13.399
story anyway. I get enough strange looks around town. I

2695
03:30:13.479 --> 03:30:16.760
had to trust that karma, in one form or another,

2696
03:30:17.440 --> 03:30:20.200
was coming for her and let it do its work.

2697
03:30:21.120 --> 03:30:25.120
I've seen worse people get away with more. She only

2698
03:30:25.200 --> 03:30:29.719
murdered once, as far as I know. Oh uh, I

2699
03:30:29.799 --> 03:30:33.879
got you something too, I said, and handed her the

2700
03:30:34.000 --> 03:30:38.040
charm I had made for her. It's a little late now, though.

2701
03:30:39.079 --> 03:30:41.799
She took it in her hand and looked it over

2702
03:30:42.120 --> 03:30:47.000
before looking at me with the same green eyes. I remembered.

2703
03:30:48.280 --> 03:30:54.120
Good day, mister Becker, Marlene said, finishing her cigarette. She

2704
03:30:54.319 --> 03:31:00.280
turned back towards the funeral home. Call me, James, I replied.

2705
03:31:01.120 --> 03:31:05.840
She didn't hear me. The air grew warmer, the sun

2706
03:31:05.959 --> 03:31:10.639
a little brighter. After she left, I decided it was

2707
03:31:10.760 --> 03:31:23.079
time for a pastrami sandwich, hard roll mustard. Well, my spookies,

2708
03:31:23.760 --> 03:31:28.079
if this episode did its job, you are now personally

2709
03:31:28.159 --> 03:31:35.600
rethinking hiking camping and ever trusting a hidden gem location

2710
03:31:36.319 --> 03:31:40.920
shared online. We started at the falls with pretty views

2711
03:31:41.520 --> 03:31:45.520
and bad vibes. Then we chased a mythical flower that

2712
03:31:45.600 --> 03:31:49.600
should have stayed a rumor. Then we went into the

2713
03:31:49.639 --> 03:31:54.000
water where the hunger is older than fear. And we

2714
03:31:54.120 --> 03:31:57.399
finished with a howl that sounds like it was made

2715
03:31:57.559 --> 03:32:03.079
to be the last thing you here. So tell me

2716
03:32:03.799 --> 03:32:08.840
what got you the worst, the waterfall, the plant, the river,

2717
03:32:09.200 --> 03:32:12.959
or the hell hound. And if you're about to go

2718
03:32:13.120 --> 03:32:18.360
to sleep after this, just remember when you hear something outside,

2719
03:32:19.200 --> 03:32:23.680
don't check. If you hear it again, don't check harder.

2720
03:32:24.280 --> 03:32:27.280
And if you hear it breathing right up against the window,

2721
03:32:28.200 --> 03:32:34.280
well you already know. Sleep tight, my spookies. And if

2722
03:32:34.280 --> 03:32:38.639
you're heading into the wilderness anytime soon, maybe stay on

2723
03:32:38.719 --> 03:32:42.479
the trail, or don't