Six Monster Horror Stories by “Splatter” Joe Solmo: Werewolves, Forest Beasts & Demonic Deals

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Hello, my spookies, and welcome back for another compilation of

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terrifying fears to enjoy in your ears. I'm, of course

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your host and narrator Enrique Kuto, and this time around,

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I've brought you some of the finest stories written by

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Weekly Spooky original Joe Splatter Solmo, and I promise you

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he lives up to that name. So join me as

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we dive into tales of murderous madmen, killer creatures, and

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so much more from the perspective of one of Weekly

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Spooky's most twisted minds, Splatter Joe Solmo. For those new

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to the show, Joe was instrumental in the launching of

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Weekly Spooky as he started the blog Penned in Blood,

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which is where many of the original stories we've aired

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came from. So I salute you, Joe, and now let's

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enjoy six of your bestste Party in the Woods by

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Joe Salmo. Tristan and Becca made their way down the

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wooded path behind Tristan's neighbour's farm. Josh and Emily went

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to bed pretty early, so for years Tristan had brought

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friends down here behind the farm to explore the woods.

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As he got older, he explored less and came to

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the woods to drink and party with the girls from town.

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Becca was new to town, just moving here a month ago.

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Tristan was infatuated as soon as he saw her in

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the hall in school, her long brown hair flowing behind her.

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He followed her after school, trying to come up with

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something to say to her to spark a conversation. It

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paid off, though, he thought, as he sneaked a glance

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at her behind the moonlight through a break in the trees.

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She carried a bottle of Jack Daniels in her right hand.

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It was already missing a quarter of the brown liquid inside.

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She was more of a drinker than he was, he

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noted with a smile. He couldn't keep his eyes off

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of the way she walked the curve, swaying back and forth.

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It was mesmerizing. The swaying stopped in front of him. Tristan,

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did you hear that? She whispered to him. Hear what?

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He asked at a normal volume. Sh something in the woods?

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She replied. Do you guys have bears around here? She asked,

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with a little bit of fright in her voice. I

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didn't hear anything. Don't worry I've been coming here since

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I was a kid. There's nothing out here that can

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hurt us, he said, and smiled that famous smile that

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got him the girl on numerous occasions. Becca still stood

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there for a moment. When she didn't hear anything, she

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began to walk the path again, but cautiously Tristan snuck

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up behind her and grabbed the bottle from her hands.

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She let out a scared yelp as he laughed at her.

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He took a big gulp the bottle, letting the alcohol

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burn his throat. Are the others meeting us up here?

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Becca asked. She wouldn't agree to coming out to the

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woods with the guy she'd just met unless others were

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going to be there. He scrambled to find another couple

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to come along. Yeah, it's not much farther now. We

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got a little fireplace from an old house, Tristan said.

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It must have been from the seventeen hundreds. He said,

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sounds cool, Becha said, thinking of the fireplace. Tristan frowned.

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He should be able to see it from here. He

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knew Greg and Beth were already there. He saw Greg's

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car down by the side of the highway on the

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way over. Maybe he was just lazy. He thought the

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moon was hidden by the boughs of the trees above.

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Tristan made his way in the dark to where he

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knew the stone chimney was. He could barely see the

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lighter stone in the darkness. He felt around to the

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right where he stacked the kindling. It felt wet, but

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he didn't remember it raining recently. Greg, if you pissed

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on our wood, I will kill you, he called out

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to the night. He hoped Greg heard him as he

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banged Beth or whatever they were doing. He grabbed a

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book of matches from his pocket after stacking the wooden

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branches into a small t piece shape with pine needles

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and last falls leaves underneath. I can't see anything, Becca

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said from behind him. One second, he said, masking his disappointment.

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She was one hell of a looker, but she seemed

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kind of annoying to him. He struck the match, which

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blinded him for a second with its brightness in the

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almost complete dark. He instinctively moved the match to the

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pine needles under the wood before it burned out or

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the wind got it. He saw spots in his vision

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as he gently blew on the pine needles. Yes, he

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called out as the fire came to life. It wasn't

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piss on the sticks. It was a darker, thicker color.

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It reminded him of the bottle Becca carried. Hey, Babe,

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can I get a drink? He said, getting to a

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feet The sticks were catching now and the light from

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the chimney was spreading. Becca didn't answer him. Babe, he said,

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and turned around. Becca was standing in front of him,

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ten feet away, with the bottle still in her right hand,

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her widened eyes staring past him towards the chimney. What

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the hell's gotten into you? He said, and took a

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step closer, but she didn't move. He watched as the

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bottle slipped from her hand and struck the ground, spilling

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its contents. What's wrong with you? He said, grabbing the

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bottle off the ground to save its contents, which he

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tried to pour down his throat. He stopped with the

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bottle to his lips. Becca still hadn't moved. He started

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to get a creepy feeling and turned towards the fire.

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The light from the flames illuminated the immediate area. The

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stack of wood he had piled there yesterday was definitely wet,

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but it was also red. It looks like something bled

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all over it. His eyes fell to just in front

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of the stack of wood, and he saw the source

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of the blood. Gregg, naked to the waist, lay on

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the ground, twisted and away. Tristan could only describe as wrong.

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His face looked behind him, and several vertebrates stuck out

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from a gaping hole in his neck. His eyes were

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wide open in fear, similar to Becca's. He turned towards

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his would be girlfriend, but she was still looking in

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the same direction. Tears streaked her cheeks and a sob

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escaped her lips. He turned back to see what she

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was looking at, and that's when he noticed Beth. Blonde

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hair mixed with crimson blood covered her young face from

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the caved in skull before it sunk into the opening

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that her missing lower jaw left behind. She was completely

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naked behind the woodpile. Tristan approached her body carefully. He

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tried to speak, but nothing came out. She had large

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scratches or claw marks chris crossing across her naked breasts

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at an inch deep, filled with rivers of blood. One

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of her legs was missing, just missing. How does that

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even happen? He couldn't see it anywhere, but he did

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find her lower jaw. It looked like some sick bastard

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tried to rape her with it, but all it did

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was tear her pubic area. Teeth peeked out from between

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strings of her mangled genitalia that hung from her body

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like the streamers on a five year old girl's bicycle.

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Panics started to settle in to Tristan. He stepped backwards

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away from the mangled corpses of his high school friends Becca.

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He called out, run. He turned himself to run and

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saw a horrid sight. Behind Becca, who still hadn't moved

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from the same position, stood three humanoid shapes. Their eyes

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reflected the firelight from the chimney. Becha, Tristan managed to

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say before the creatures moved in an instant. Two grabbed

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his date and held her arms behind her back. He

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heard a sickening pop as one of her shoulders were

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dislocated violently. The pain seemed to break Becca out of

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her shock. She screamed. The third creature charged Tristan. He

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managed to land a punch on the monster, but it

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didn't seem to have any effect. He grabbed him and

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forced him to his knees, placing one of its large

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clawed feet on the back of his legs so he

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couldn't get up. Help me, Tristan, Becha called out, it

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was her last words. One of the creature's hands suddenly

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protruded from her lower abdomen, tearing out of her flesh

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with a violence Tristan had never witnessed before. No he

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called out in horror and began to sob. He swore.

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The creature holding him mocked his cry. Tristan saw the

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moment Beca died. He could see it in her eyes,

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the moment it ceased to be Beca and became only

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a sack of meat. It was worse than the mangled

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corpses of his friends. Watching her die like that, Becha's

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body fell down to the ground. The two monsters fought

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over her, tearing pieces of her flesh off in front

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of him, the same flesh he was admiring just a

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short time ago. Tristan couldn't take it anymore. He put

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his head down, letting his hair cover his eyes, but

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the creature holding him reached down with its gray hand

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and pulled his hair until once again he was facing Becha.

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Not only did they seem to enjoy killing, but it

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seemed they enjoyed making him watch. He cried out. When

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the two creatures finished dividing up Becha, they began to eat.

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Tristan struggled, but the creature's strength was too much for him.

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He clenched his eyes closed to block out the horror

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in front of him, but the creature seemed to know

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it dug a dull nail into the back of his

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neck every time he closed his eyes, only letting the

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pressure off when he opened them again. Closed or opened,

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he was being tortured. He kept them closed as long

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as he could take the nail digging him, never in

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the exact same space, then opened them until the pain

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from the nail was replaced with the evisceration of his date.

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It seemed to go on forever. He couldn't take any more.

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He tried to move again, but the third creature that

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held him did so diligently. Go on, get a bite,

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Tristan called out to his captor. It was the only

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thing he could do, mocking his torturers. He had no

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way to track time, but at least fifteen minutes past

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as he watched his date disappear peace by piece down

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the gullets of these hellish creatures. He couldn't take any

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more and closed his eyes to escape, but his ears

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picked up on the wet snapping of teeth through flesh

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and bone. It reminded him of tearing the wings off

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of a chicken for dinner, and it made him want

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a three up. The creature holding him down pushed him

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all the way to the ground. He opened his eyes

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and looked at what was left of Becca. At that

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point he did throw up, but it had nowhere to go.

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Being forced down to the ground, he breathed in his

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own vomit and thought he was going to drown. The

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creature yanked him back up to his knees. As the

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other two approached. He was pulled all the way to

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his feet, and with the last act of defiance, he

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kicked the groin of the creature right in front of him.

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It stepped back from the impact, then reached out with

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its gray skinned hand and grabbed his chest, tearing cloth

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and flesh away from his body. He screamed, the pain

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was intense. Just fucking kill me already, he yelled out,

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Just wanting it done, He couldn't take any more, do it,

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you cocksucker. The monsters didn't heed him. One of them

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grabbed his hand and held it out. The first creature

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that had been holding him the whole time SWaCH places

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with the one that tore a piece out of his chest.

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It looked him in the eye with an evil intelligence

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behind its gaze. As it slowly and deliberately raised his

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hand to its mouth and bit off his thumb, he

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screamed out into the night. He held on to a

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slim hope that Josh or Emily might hear him in

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the quiet country night. They had just had a newborn,

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so maybe they would be awake feeding it, he thought.

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The creature bit off his middle finger and smiled. Tristan's

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blood and flesh still sitting in its gaping maw. Its

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body shook with small convulsions with a grunting sound. A

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shiver shot up Tristan's back as he realized it was

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laughing at his misery.

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The Trouble with Cousins by Joe Salmo.

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What the fuck, Jimmy, get your dick out of there,

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I said, covering my eyes. My damn cousin would fuck anything.

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What's the problem? She don't give a care. She's dead,

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Jimmy said, back zipping up with a look so far

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from shame. I almost thought I was in the wrong.

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She can't give no consent when she's dead, either, I replied,

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shining the flashlight into his unshaven face. Can't we just

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finish what we came here for. This is what I'm

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here for. You're disgusting, you know that look. Just let

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me finish up with Jimmy looked at the toe. Tag

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Jane here, and I'll carry everything back myself. I even

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got a few Clorox wipes wadded up here in my pocket.

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I'll clean up after myself. You're a sick motherfucker, I said,

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shivering in the freezer with the cadavers. I couldn't believe

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his premeditated chicanery. Cousin, you're just jealous because I have

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a way with the frostitutes. They scrape off the street

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and store for me in this freezer, Jimmy said, unzipping again.

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They practically melt for me. You know, christ I see

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too much of my cousin's penis. I don't know what

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a normal amount is, but this has to be an

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abnormal amount. Where did I go wrong in life. A

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few mental health damaging minutes later, I had my cousin's

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rucksack filled with the krim of the crop, organs, limbs,

236
00:14:32.240 --> 00:14:35.960
nothing but the best for the dock. The pay was

237
00:14:36.080 --> 00:14:38.279
enough to keep us in blow and horrors of the

238
00:14:38.320 --> 00:14:42.120
living variety. I shone the flashlight at the exit door,

239
00:14:42.559 --> 00:14:47.559
silently motioning for Jimmy to exit the building. How much

240
00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:50.759
is it per boob, Jimmy asked, hefting the weight of

241
00:14:50.799 --> 00:14:53.600
the bag on his shoulder as we crossed the parking lot.

242
00:14:54.639 --> 00:14:57.879
He didn't specify, I answered. As I fumbled for the

243
00:14:57.919 --> 00:15:01.120
van's keys. Jimmy snapped them out of my hands and

244
00:15:01.200 --> 00:15:04.360
ran the back. I got this, he said, as he

245
00:15:04.399 --> 00:15:08.399
opened the back doors. Let me help, I replied, as

246
00:15:08.399 --> 00:15:12.240
I rounded the back of the van. Oh, what the fuck, Jimmy,

247
00:15:13.080 --> 00:15:16.320
I can explain. It's not what it looks like. It's

248
00:15:16.399 --> 00:15:18.720
not a live woman tied up in the back of

249
00:15:18.720 --> 00:15:23.799
our fucking van. I asked, Well, that part is what

250
00:15:23.840 --> 00:15:26.759
it looks like, he said, sliding the bag next to

251
00:15:26.759 --> 00:15:31.000
the woman, whose eyes were wider than dinner plates. What

252
00:15:31.240 --> 00:15:35.279
other fucking part is there? I yelled out, trying not

253
00:15:35.399 --> 00:15:38.840
to coldcock him. With my pistol. I almost couldn't hold

254
00:15:38.879 --> 00:15:41.519
it in. It must be once a week I come

255
00:15:41.600 --> 00:15:44.240
close to just smacking that son of a bitch cousin

256
00:15:44.279 --> 00:15:47.679
of mine. His mama must have done some seriously fucked

257
00:15:47.759 --> 00:15:51.080
drugs when she was pregnant, then dropped him right on

258
00:15:51.120 --> 00:15:55.360
his soft spot. Will you quiet down, Jimmy whispered to

259
00:15:55.399 --> 00:15:57.879
me as he slammed the doors shut and gave me

260
00:15:57.919 --> 00:16:01.519
back the keys. Look, it's not about sex with her.

261
00:16:01.559 --> 00:16:07.000
It's not pervy at all, he reasoned. Oh no, when

262
00:16:07.279 --> 00:16:10.559
isn't it sexual with you? I asked, as I fired

263
00:16:10.600 --> 00:16:13.440
up the engine on the rusty Ford. You'd fuck the

264
00:16:13.519 --> 00:16:16.679
exhaust pipe if it wouldn't burn your dick off. Hugh

265
00:16:16.759 --> 00:16:19.240
slam a pocket pussy in there, and you're good for

266
00:16:19.320 --> 00:16:21.480
a bit before it gets too hot. It's like an

267
00:16:21.480 --> 00:16:27.240
erotic race, Jimmy said, spurt before getting burnt. I had

268
00:16:27.279 --> 00:16:31.320
literally nothing to say. The fucker was proud of himself.

269
00:16:31.960 --> 00:16:35.240
What the actual fuck? I shrugged it off after a

270
00:16:35.279 --> 00:16:38.840
few seconds and hopped into the driver's seat. We pulled

271
00:16:38.879 --> 00:16:41.960
out onto the highway, heading back to home base, a

272
00:16:42.000 --> 00:16:44.679
shitty little blue warehouse down by the river where the

273
00:16:44.720 --> 00:16:49.039
dock performs his miracles. We never seen any of them.

274
00:16:49.279 --> 00:16:52.000
But with the shit he sends us to get, it's

275
00:16:52.039 --> 00:16:56.679
gotta be organ transplants and shit like that. Probably black market,

276
00:16:57.120 --> 00:17:01.399
probably still cheaper than good old American healthcare. Fuck the system.

277
00:17:02.039 --> 00:17:05.799
So you're gonna tell me what's with the bitch in

278
00:17:05.839 --> 00:17:10.920
the back, I asked, realizing Jimmy still hadn't answered me. Also,

279
00:17:11.000 --> 00:17:14.960
I second guessed whether I even wanted an answer. I

280
00:17:15.039 --> 00:17:18.519
know it had to be fucked. He took a long

281
00:17:18.640 --> 00:17:21.359
drag off his sig and tossed it out the window,

282
00:17:21.440 --> 00:17:24.640
letting the smoke fill his side of the cab. I

283
00:17:24.680 --> 00:17:29.200
don't want to tell you I'm embarrassed. Are you fucking

284
00:17:29.279 --> 00:17:32.799
kidding me? You are embarrassed about what you do with

285
00:17:32.920 --> 00:17:35.440
the woman in the back, But not a half a

286
00:17:35.480 --> 00:17:38.960
fucking hour ago, when I watched you fuck a dead hooker,

287
00:17:39.480 --> 00:17:44.039
you weren't embarrassed then. For God's sake, our family is screwed.

288
00:17:44.119 --> 00:17:44.480
You know that?

289
00:17:45.480 --> 00:17:45.680
Oh?

290
00:17:45.720 --> 00:17:49.599
All right, fine, since your family and all, Jimmy said

291
00:17:49.599 --> 00:17:53.720
and paused, lighting another smoke. He chains them when he's nervous.

292
00:17:54.480 --> 00:17:57.160
What did he have to be nervous about the job

293
00:17:57.279 --> 00:18:00.519
was all but done when we get paid and you

294
00:18:00.559 --> 00:18:04.400
go off on your bender. I get lonely. I sit

295
00:18:04.480 --> 00:18:07.920
in that shit apartment by myself, so I've been grabbing

296
00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:12.200
me some company. It ain't nothing sexual, just someone to

297
00:18:12.240 --> 00:18:16.400
cuddle with and watch TV. Jimmy explained, Oh, for the

298
00:18:16.480 --> 00:18:20.000
love of Christ. I yelled out and slammed on the brakes.

299
00:18:20.440 --> 00:18:22.759
The van screeched to a halt on the dark road.

300
00:18:23.359 --> 00:18:27.720
I heard a bang and a muffled cry from the back. Whoops, what?

301
00:18:28.680 --> 00:18:32.519
Jimmy asked, Are you kidding me? What's wrong with a

302
00:18:32.519 --> 00:18:37.759
little human companionship? He asked, shocked at my response. How many,

303
00:18:38.319 --> 00:18:43.119
I questioned, between clenched teeth movies. I slapped him hard

304
00:18:43.160 --> 00:18:46.039
across his filthy face. What do you mean?

305
00:18:46.119 --> 00:18:46.319
Then?

306
00:18:46.799 --> 00:18:51.079
He asked, clutching his cheek, confused, how many women? How

307
00:18:51.119 --> 00:18:53.200
many women have you forced to hang out with your

308
00:18:54.000 --> 00:18:59.000
fucked brain? I don't know, like one a month or

309
00:18:59.079 --> 00:19:02.680
so since we started doing this, Jimmy answered and pointed

310
00:19:02.720 --> 00:19:06.000
to the side mirror. There were headlights coming up behind us.

311
00:19:06.559 --> 00:19:11.119
I got the van going again, so quick, Math here

312
00:19:11.640 --> 00:19:14.599
about a dozen or so? What do you do with

313
00:19:14.680 --> 00:19:19.039
them after? Do I even want to know? Well? I

314
00:19:19.839 --> 00:19:23.680
can't let them go Jimmy responded, Oh, here we go.

315
00:19:24.759 --> 00:19:27.319
I swung at him again, almost losing control of the

316
00:19:27.400 --> 00:19:30.400
van as we took our exit towards the warehouse. We

317
00:19:30.599 --> 00:19:34.240
are not murderers, a muffled cry from the back of

318
00:19:34.279 --> 00:19:38.359
the van went all but unnoticed. We steal corpses. What's

319
00:19:38.400 --> 00:19:43.160
the difference, Jimmy asked, offended. We don't kill them, We

320
00:19:43.400 --> 00:19:46.319
just get the parts for doc. I yelled as I

321
00:19:46.359 --> 00:19:48.920
pulled past the chain link gate Jimmy had left open.

322
00:19:49.359 --> 00:19:51.680
I stopped the van at the large garage door and

323
00:19:51.759 --> 00:19:54.799
hit the button on the remote. I can't believe you're

324
00:19:54.799 --> 00:19:58.160
making a big deal about this, Jimmy spat. She ain't

325
00:19:58.200 --> 00:20:02.160
no saint either. I can't believe I'm related to you,

326
00:20:02.799 --> 00:20:05.640
I said, as I pulled the van inside. The doc

327
00:20:05.759 --> 00:20:09.640
was waiting by the office door. As usual. We climbed

328
00:20:09.680 --> 00:20:12.240
out of the van and grabbed the sack, spreading out

329
00:20:12.279 --> 00:20:16.240
the contents on the stainless steel table. Not a bad

330
00:20:16.319 --> 00:20:19.559
haul tonight, boys, the doc said, as his gaze fell

331
00:20:19.599 --> 00:20:22.960
on the parts. Nice clean cuts like I showed you

332
00:20:23.480 --> 00:20:27.839
eighteen twenty, I said, putting on my best dickering face.

333
00:20:28.559 --> 00:20:30.839
Eighteen and I'll show you what I do with them,

334
00:20:31.240 --> 00:20:35.599
Doc said, I don't think I want to know, I replied.

335
00:20:36.279 --> 00:20:39.319
Jimmy walked back to the van. He hated this part,

336
00:20:39.599 --> 00:20:42.559
but he loved the payday. We heard a thump and

337
00:20:42.599 --> 00:20:46.640
a scream from the van. God, damn it, Jimmy, I

338
00:20:46.759 --> 00:20:47.279
yelled out.

339
00:20:48.000 --> 00:20:48.519
What was that?

340
00:20:49.240 --> 00:20:53.680
Doc asked, concerned. Just then the woman came around from

341
00:20:53.720 --> 00:20:56.640
the side of the van, clutching her head. Blood flowed

342
00:20:56.680 --> 00:20:59.759
down over her face into a crimson mask. She stumbled

343
00:20:59.759 --> 00:21:02.079
a few steps and fell to her knees on the

344
00:21:02.079 --> 00:21:06.759
concrete floor with a wet slapping sound. What is the

345
00:21:06.839 --> 00:21:10.640
meaning of this, Doc asked, taking a step back. Jimmy

346
00:21:10.680 --> 00:21:12.480
came around the side of the van with a bloody

347
00:21:12.519 --> 00:21:17.039
tire iron. I'll take care of it. Wait, Doc called out.

348
00:21:17.480 --> 00:21:21.079
Everyone froze. The only noise were the sobs of the woman.

349
00:21:22.039 --> 00:21:27.039
Did you bring me a live one? Well, technically, Jimmy

350
00:21:27.079 --> 00:21:31.440
started twenty five, I asked the doc. He looked for me,

351
00:21:31.559 --> 00:21:33.319
to the woman on the ground and back to me.

352
00:21:34.200 --> 00:21:39.880
Twenty two. She is damaged, Doc replied, deal, we shook

353
00:21:39.920 --> 00:21:43.680
hands on it. Damn it, Jimmy, get her under control,

354
00:21:44.079 --> 00:21:47.359
I yelled. The doc walked over and gave the woman

355
00:21:47.400 --> 00:21:51.559
a shot of something. She passed out almost instantly. He

356
00:21:51.640 --> 00:21:56.079
wiped her face clean. More like this, he said, as

357
00:21:56.119 --> 00:21:58.480
he pulled out a wad bigger than my cousin ever

358
00:21:58.559 --> 00:22:02.440
blew on poker and blow. Hmm. That could be a

359
00:22:02.480 --> 00:22:13.519
euphemism gambling, drugs and women. That's the life. The next

360
00:22:13.519 --> 00:22:16.759
few weeks were a blur, as we brought the dock

361
00:22:17.359 --> 00:22:21.279
livelier merchandise, and we had so much cash we ran

362
00:22:21.319 --> 00:22:24.359
out of mattresses to stuff it in. I got myself

363
00:22:24.359 --> 00:22:27.359
a safe deposit box down at the bank and started

364
00:22:27.400 --> 00:22:31.119
stuffing some in there, just a backup in case Jimmy

365
00:22:31.160 --> 00:22:33.119
fucks up and I got a bolt on the idiot.

366
00:22:33.759 --> 00:22:38.599
Things were going great until it weren't anymore. It was

367
00:22:38.680 --> 00:22:42.079
raining hard and Jimmy picked me up from my new apartment.

368
00:22:42.839 --> 00:22:44.799
The van had a leak in the roof about a

369
00:22:44.839 --> 00:22:48.000
foot from the back door, and it pinged annoyingly as

370
00:22:48.039 --> 00:22:51.440
it struck the metal floor. The van was cleaned right out.

371
00:22:51.920 --> 00:22:54.440
Nothing back there except an old milk crate we kept

372
00:22:54.519 --> 00:22:59.319
ratchet straps in where we headed tonight, I asked, shaking

373
00:22:59.359 --> 00:23:02.359
the cold from my bones. I wondered how many more

374
00:23:02.480 --> 00:23:04.599
years of this I got in me. I should have

375
00:23:04.720 --> 00:23:06.839
enough money to head south and live on the beach,

376
00:23:07.480 --> 00:23:10.440
down to Mill Street. All the best horrors are down

377
00:23:10.480 --> 00:23:13.079
that way. We haven't hit it since the first week.

378
00:23:13.480 --> 00:23:18.279
No one should be suspicious, Jimmy said, It's amazing how

379
00:23:18.279 --> 00:23:22.359
the dynamic changed in our relationship. He knew his shit

380
00:23:22.440 --> 00:23:24.240
when it came to grabbing a woman, and no one

381
00:23:24.279 --> 00:23:28.839
would miss hell. I think he was born for this job,

382
00:23:29.559 --> 00:23:33.799
a regular people person, my cousin. We pulled the van

383
00:23:33.920 --> 00:23:36.720
around the corner from this greasy biker bar with a

384
00:23:36.720 --> 00:23:41.039
generic name like Mad Mike's or some dumb shit like that.

385
00:23:41.880 --> 00:23:44.880
The woman paraded up and down the block, either working

386
00:23:44.960 --> 00:23:47.960
for the bikers or trying to earn their gas money.

387
00:23:48.559 --> 00:23:51.319
We look in for a redhead tonight, he asked for

388
00:23:51.359 --> 00:23:55.640
one specifically. Jimmy explained, as he lit up a cigarette.

389
00:23:55.799 --> 00:23:59.599
How do we know if they're natural? I asked, Oh,

390
00:23:59.680 --> 00:24:05.599
I can tell, don't you worry, cousin. I rolled my eyes. Hey, hon,

391
00:24:05.720 --> 00:24:08.519
you got a dry place to fuck? Came the voice

392
00:24:08.519 --> 00:24:11.640
of a young woman, almost instantly. She had an umbrella,

393
00:24:11.960 --> 00:24:14.880
but it wasn't helping her much. It was broken on

394
00:24:14.880 --> 00:24:17.880
one side. I walked closer to talk to the girl

395
00:24:18.400 --> 00:24:20.319
to play the game to get her back to the

396
00:24:20.400 --> 00:24:24.839
van and eventually to the dock for a payday. Just

397
00:24:24.960 --> 00:24:28.039
then she dropped to the ground under the blow from

398
00:24:28.119 --> 00:24:34.799
the tire iron. Jimmy held, I glanced around. What the fuck, man, Relax,

399
00:24:35.319 --> 00:24:37.559
it's raining tits out here. No one saw or heard

400
00:24:37.960 --> 00:24:41.720
grab her feet, Jimmy ordered, Think about what you just said,

401
00:24:42.240 --> 00:24:45.799
raining tits. I think that would fucking hurt I said,

402
00:24:46.000 --> 00:24:49.680
and slapped him upside that damaged brain of his. Maybe

403
00:24:49.880 --> 00:24:53.000
it would fix it. Shut up and grab her, he said,

404
00:24:53.079 --> 00:24:56.400
rubbing his head. I complied. To expedite the time to

405
00:24:56.400 --> 00:24:59.160
get back to where it was dry. We threw her

406
00:24:59.200 --> 00:25:02.400
into the back. I climbed in and ratchet strapped her down.

407
00:25:02.680 --> 00:25:06.160
As Jimmy started up the van. I thought we weren't

408
00:25:06.160 --> 00:25:10.799
supposed to damage them anymore, I asked, yeah, well she

409
00:25:10.920 --> 00:25:14.799
looked like my ex was Jimmy's response from the front seat.

410
00:25:15.079 --> 00:25:18.400
I braced against the wall for my crazy cousins driving.

411
00:25:19.519 --> 00:25:22.119
We showed up at Docs a few minutes later. I

412
00:25:22.160 --> 00:25:26.200
only had a few new bruises. I unstrapped the ratchet. Ah,

413
00:25:26.640 --> 00:25:28.880
see what I did there. I pushed her out the

414
00:25:28.920 --> 00:25:32.599
door and into the waiting arms of Jimmy. I almost

415
00:25:32.680 --> 00:25:35.440
felt bad for her. At least I haven't seen his

416
00:25:35.519 --> 00:25:38.920
penis in a week. Oh come on, will you put

417
00:25:38.920 --> 00:25:42.160
that thing away? For fuck's sake, I said, averting my eyes.

418
00:25:42.240 --> 00:25:45.039
Even though it was too late. The doc is late.

419
00:25:45.599 --> 00:25:49.240
Why can't I have a little fun, Jimmy asked, Because

420
00:25:49.279 --> 00:25:53.960
we ain't goddamn rapists, you asshole, I said, And after

421
00:25:54.000 --> 00:25:57.599
having met my quota on cousin penis seeing I booted

422
00:25:57.640 --> 00:26:00.240
him in the tea bag. He doubled over and fell

423
00:26:00.279 --> 00:26:03.079
to the floor. The horror started to run, but I

424
00:26:03.160 --> 00:26:07.759
grabbed her hair. You ain't going anywhere, I said. Where

425
00:26:07.880 --> 00:26:10.720
was the dock anyway? It weren't like him to be late,

426
00:26:11.160 --> 00:26:13.839
Jimmy said, maybe we should go inside and take a

427
00:26:13.839 --> 00:26:16.119
look for him. I don't want to go in there.

428
00:26:16.599 --> 00:26:20.440
Who knows what the hell he's an experimenting on, I said,

429
00:26:20.519 --> 00:26:24.480
shaking my head. No sense of adventure, Jimmy quipped, and

430
00:26:24.559 --> 00:26:27.400
grabbed the girl from me. He pushed her towards the

431
00:26:27.440 --> 00:26:30.640
door of the dock usually comes out from. He grabbed

432
00:26:30.640 --> 00:26:34.799
the handle and yanked the door open. Instantly we knew

433
00:26:34.839 --> 00:26:38.319
something was wrong. The lights were flickering, in there, and

434
00:26:38.359 --> 00:26:44.440
it was quiet, too quiet, even quieter than that, so

435
00:26:44.640 --> 00:26:47.599
quiet a deaf man could hear you fart, a silent one.

436
00:26:48.240 --> 00:26:51.319
That's a saying, ain't it. The woman stopped a few

437
00:26:51.319 --> 00:26:53.759
steps in. We crowded up next to her to take

438
00:26:53.799 --> 00:26:58.039
in the scene. Tables were overturned, all kinds of medical

439
00:26:58.079 --> 00:27:00.240
stuff littered the floor. It was a it was a

440
00:27:00.279 --> 00:27:06.039
fucking mess. Oh and there was the doc. You okay, doc,

441
00:27:06.680 --> 00:27:09.440
I asked, taking a few steps forward and bending down.

442
00:27:10.400 --> 00:27:14.440
He wasn't moving. I think he's dead, Jimmy said, pointing

443
00:27:14.440 --> 00:27:17.640
to the holes in his chest and the exploded ears.

444
00:27:18.680 --> 00:27:21.279
I guess I should have started with that. He was uh,

445
00:27:21.880 --> 00:27:25.359
he was fucked up. The woman screamed behind her duct

446
00:27:25.359 --> 00:27:28.279
tape and tried to leave. Jimmy was quicker than me

447
00:27:28.359 --> 00:27:31.480
and grabbed her. As we heard movement further in, I

448
00:27:31.519 --> 00:27:34.559
whipped out my nine millimeter and aimed it towards the noise.

449
00:27:35.599 --> 00:27:38.960
We didn't see anything at first, but then I saw

450
00:27:39.000 --> 00:27:43.359
something small, something insignificant.

451
00:27:44.200 --> 00:27:44.519
Is that.

452
00:27:46.160 --> 00:27:50.039
Bees, I asked about a half dozen or so took

453
00:27:50.079 --> 00:27:53.039
flight across the room and came right for us. The

454
00:27:53.079 --> 00:27:56.160
woman wretched free and tried to run again. Jimmy should

455
00:27:56.200 --> 00:27:57.839
have hit her in the legs instead of the head,

456
00:27:57.839 --> 00:28:00.480
for Christ's sake. The bees streaked past, asked us, and

457
00:28:00.599 --> 00:28:03.559
entered the woman's head through her ears. A loud, screeching

458
00:28:03.599 --> 00:28:07.799
noise came from within and grew second by second. It

459
00:28:07.920 --> 00:28:10.640
was almost too much to bear. We clutched our ears

460
00:28:10.640 --> 00:28:12.599
and dropped to the ground as we watched the woman's

461
00:28:12.599 --> 00:28:16.319
ears begin to bleed. The shrieking stopped as her ear

462
00:28:16.359 --> 00:28:18.680
drums exploded in a spray of blood out of each

463
00:28:18.720 --> 00:28:21.119
side of her head. She fell to the ground, and

464
00:28:21.160 --> 00:28:24.480
the bees began to swarm around the corpse. Jimmy and

465
00:28:24.519 --> 00:28:27.200
I booked it towards the door to escape. Jimmy was

466
00:28:27.240 --> 00:28:29.640
first and tried to close me in with the the

467
00:28:30.920 --> 00:28:35.599
What the fuck do I call them? Banshee bees? Banh bees?

468
00:28:36.440 --> 00:28:39.640
What the hell was the doctor into? Jimmy locked me

469
00:28:39.720 --> 00:28:42.160
in the bastard. I had to run the other way,

470
00:28:42.599 --> 00:28:46.039
deeper into the warehouse. I slammed the door behind me.

471
00:28:46.599 --> 00:28:49.039
I didn't have any bees following me, so I was

472
00:28:49.079 --> 00:28:52.319
safe for the moment. I could hear Jimmy trying to

473
00:28:52.319 --> 00:28:55.440
get that piece of shit Old Ford started. We really

474
00:28:55.440 --> 00:28:59.799
should have gotten a better collection vehicle with our money. Jimmy, fuck,

475
00:28:59.799 --> 00:29:02.119
I wep, they sting the fuck out of you, I

476
00:29:02.200 --> 00:29:06.079
shouted in his direction. I passed table upon table of

477
00:29:06.119 --> 00:29:11.599
the dock's work, body pieces sewn together, jars of things,

478
00:29:12.279 --> 00:29:16.599
some of them moving. I tried to ignore those. There

479
00:29:16.680 --> 00:29:20.880
was some disturbing mad scientist shit happening. I mean, besides

480
00:29:20.960 --> 00:29:25.880
the screaming bees. That sounds like a band name. Another

481
00:29:25.960 --> 00:29:28.880
door blocked my path. Through the little glass pane, I

482
00:29:28.920 --> 00:29:31.599
could see an exit door. I was almost out of here.

483
00:29:32.240 --> 00:29:35.359
Then I tracked down that cousin of mine and beat

484
00:29:35.440 --> 00:29:38.920
the shit out of him. Everyone has to have goals, right,

485
00:29:39.680 --> 00:29:41.839
I reached for the door as I heard some buzzing

486
00:29:41.920 --> 00:29:46.039
behind me. I twisted quickly and saw a sight I

487
00:29:46.119 --> 00:29:50.359
never expected. Bees began to burst from the flesh of

488
00:29:50.400 --> 00:29:53.799
all the body parts. The doc must have used the

489
00:29:53.839 --> 00:29:57.599
bodies as some kind of a birthing hive or something.

490
00:29:58.200 --> 00:30:01.519
I don't know how bees work. Soon dozens of them

491
00:30:01.519 --> 00:30:05.279
were buzzing around the room, getting closer and closer to me.

492
00:30:06.079 --> 00:30:08.000
I grabbed the first thing I could find to fight

493
00:30:08.079 --> 00:30:11.200
them off, and swung the object. It kind of made

494
00:30:11.200 --> 00:30:14.200
me laugh. Using a severed arm as a fly swatter

495
00:30:14.960 --> 00:30:17.359
with a loud slap. The arm came down on one

496
00:30:17.400 --> 00:30:20.839
of those stainless steel tables, crushing two of the bastards.

497
00:30:21.480 --> 00:30:25.319
This was downright inefficient, I thought. I gave up, tossing

498
00:30:25.359 --> 00:30:27.519
the arm at the swarm and diving through the door.

499
00:30:28.119 --> 00:30:30.400
The small room on the other side was dimly lit

500
00:30:30.440 --> 00:30:35.400
from a grimy window. I stepped towards the exit stop

501
00:30:35.839 --> 00:30:38.920
buzzed a voice behind me. I turned as the hair

502
00:30:39.079 --> 00:30:41.880
raised on the back of my neck. In front of

503
00:30:41.920 --> 00:30:48.319
me was the dock. I thought you were dead, no reborn,

504
00:30:49.720 --> 00:30:53.279
he buzzed. I saw in the shadowy light hundreds of

505
00:30:53.319 --> 00:30:57.640
bees crawling over his flesh, burrowing in and out. He

506
00:30:57.720 --> 00:31:02.319
seemed oblivious to it. Doc I gotta run. Jimmy is

507
00:31:02.319 --> 00:31:04.799
waiting for me. We got some hot dates lined up,

508
00:31:05.119 --> 00:31:09.160
I explained. He didn't seem to care. He stepped an

509
00:31:09.200 --> 00:31:13.799
awkward step forward. That's when I noticed his eyes were gone,

510
00:31:14.079 --> 00:31:22.160
just dark holes full of bees join upes. The voice

511
00:31:22.240 --> 00:31:25.599
rumbled in his chest. When he opened his mouth, only

512
00:31:25.680 --> 00:31:29.079
bees fell out. This was, by and large creepier than

513
00:31:29.119 --> 00:31:33.359
anything Jimmy had ever subjected me to. Really, I gotta go,

514
00:31:33.799 --> 00:31:36.599
I said, and reached for the door. A few dozen

515
00:31:36.680 --> 00:31:39.200
bees got between me and the door, and I took

516
00:31:39.200 --> 00:31:43.839
a step back. Panic began to set in. Join the

517
00:31:44.920 --> 00:31:54.359
be one of us the glory. Ii've mine quit paulling

518
00:31:54.480 --> 00:31:58.240
my leg, I quipped, thinking myself clever, But it looked

519
00:31:58.279 --> 00:32:02.039
like I was the only one. Bees circled back around

520
00:32:02.160 --> 00:32:06.319
bee Dock and crawled over and into his flesh. Just

521
00:32:06.440 --> 00:32:08.559
then a crash made me drop to the ground and

522
00:32:08.599 --> 00:32:13.480
piss my pants. Or did I piss them first? Either way,

523
00:32:13.720 --> 00:32:16.039
there I was lying on the ground, covered in piss

524
00:32:16.119 --> 00:32:19.079
and debris as that piece of shit forward crashed through

525
00:32:19.119 --> 00:32:21.839
the wall and smashed into bee Dock and pinned his

526
00:32:21.960 --> 00:32:25.359
carcass against the wall. Jimmy climbed out of the cab

527
00:32:25.440 --> 00:32:28.519
with a bent lit cigarette in his mouth. The bees

528
00:32:28.559 --> 00:32:32.240
emerged and started to swarm around Doc's corpse. I got

529
00:32:32.319 --> 00:32:34.480
up and tried to wipe the debris from my damp

530
00:32:34.519 --> 00:32:38.920
pants with some dignity. About time you showed up. Couldn't

531
00:32:38.920 --> 00:32:41.799
get the old horror running. Think she needs a vacation

532
00:32:41.920 --> 00:32:44.839
to the scrapyard, Jimmy said, and reached into the van.

533
00:32:45.200 --> 00:32:47.799
He pulled out a torch and a gas can. Dump

534
00:32:47.839 --> 00:32:51.359
this I splashed the gases close to the corpse in

535
00:32:51.400 --> 00:32:54.000
the front of the van. As I could brave, the

536
00:32:54.119 --> 00:32:58.160
swarm was getting more and more agitated. I saw the

537
00:32:58.200 --> 00:33:02.599
crushed body and the high walls inside. There was nothing

538
00:33:02.680 --> 00:33:05.759
left of the man. That was the dock. The bees

539
00:33:05.839 --> 00:33:09.640
began to shriek and vibrate. They were hurting my ears.

540
00:33:10.079 --> 00:33:12.720
I had just enough time to see Jimmy's cigarette fly

541
00:33:12.920 --> 00:33:16.480
over my shoulder and hear the woosh behind me. What

542
00:33:16.559 --> 00:33:19.000
the fuck? I said, as I got out of the way,

543
00:33:19.279 --> 00:33:23.400
feeling the heat on my back. The bee's scream was unbearable,

544
00:33:23.720 --> 00:33:27.680
but dying down as they burned. More of the room

545
00:33:27.799 --> 00:33:30.480
began to catch fire and the smoke was getting thick.

546
00:33:31.119 --> 00:33:36.039
We made our way outside. Are you okay, I asked Jimmy,

547
00:33:36.079 --> 00:33:40.319
as he stopped to light another cigarette outside the building. Yeah,

548
00:33:41.039 --> 00:33:43.480
you think that woman? We grabbed a still in one piece,

549
00:33:44.000 --> 00:33:48.400
Jimmy asked. I fired a shot into the back of

550
00:33:48.480 --> 00:33:52.160
Jimmy's head. He fell forward onto the pavement with the

551
00:33:52.200 --> 00:33:56.839
still unlit cigarette in his mouth. You're a real asshole, Jimmy,

552
00:33:57.440 --> 00:34:00.720
I said, and headed down the road towards my safe

553
00:34:00.759 --> 00:34:19.960
deposit box. Dead ahead by Joe Sammo. Becca, don't come

554
00:34:19.960 --> 00:34:23.159
out here with your witchy bullshit, Tom yelled as he

555
00:34:23.199 --> 00:34:26.480
threw another shovelful of dirt behind him. If you want

556
00:34:26.480 --> 00:34:30.039
to help, get in here and help me dig. It's

557
00:34:30.079 --> 00:34:33.880
not witchy bullshit. I'm telling you this is bad. A

558
00:34:33.920 --> 00:34:37.239
person died. We did it. This is going to come

559
00:34:37.280 --> 00:34:41.119
back on us threefold. This is a lot of negative energy,

560
00:34:41.800 --> 00:34:45.119
Becca said, pushing her long brown hair behind her ear.

561
00:34:45.719 --> 00:34:48.400
Her boyfriend Tom was in a hole about three feet

562
00:34:48.440 --> 00:34:52.760
deep and getting deeper by the second. Come take your turn.

563
00:34:53.000 --> 00:34:55.320
I need a break. It's a lot harder than they

564
00:34:55.320 --> 00:34:58.679
make it look in the movies. Tom said, I told

565
00:34:58.719 --> 00:35:02.199
you I want no part in this, Becca replied, taking

566
00:35:02.199 --> 00:35:05.920
a step back into the chilly night. You already are

567
00:35:05.960 --> 00:35:08.639
a part of this. You're just as guilty as I am.

568
00:35:09.199 --> 00:35:13.519
This poor bastard died because of both of us. Tom retorted,

569
00:35:13.760 --> 00:35:16.760
clanging the shovel off the corpse laying on the damp ground.

570
00:35:17.480 --> 00:35:21.000
I wasn't the one driving, Becha said, wiping a tear

571
00:35:21.039 --> 00:35:24.599
from her eye. And I suppose your next excuse is

572
00:35:24.639 --> 00:35:26.920
going to be you had your mouth full and couldn't

573
00:35:26.920 --> 00:35:32.239
see over the wheel, right, Tom sneered, Look, neither of

574
00:35:32.320 --> 00:35:35.119
us wanted this, but we have to take care of it.

575
00:35:35.639 --> 00:35:37.320
Do you know what would happen if we went to

576
00:35:37.360 --> 00:35:43.000
the cops. Yeah, I know we're wanted. Look I don't

577
00:35:43.000 --> 00:35:47.239
want to go to jail for murder either, Beca argued, Murder.

578
00:35:48.320 --> 00:35:51.960
Who said anything about murder? It was an accident. We

579
00:35:52.039 --> 00:35:56.679
might get manslaughter, but surely not murder. Tom responded, pulling

580
00:35:56.719 --> 00:35:59.599
himself out of the hole and wiping his brow, his

581
00:35:59.679 --> 00:36:02.320
blonde hair dirty with the earth he had been tossing.

582
00:36:03.239 --> 00:36:06.679
This will have to be deep enough. What if somebody

583
00:36:06.719 --> 00:36:10.800
finds the body, Becca asked, No one would give a fuck.

584
00:36:11.199 --> 00:36:15.079
This is Jersey. I think you've watched too many mob movies,

585
00:36:15.639 --> 00:36:19.480
Becca said, and turned away from the grave. She looked

586
00:36:19.480 --> 00:36:22.440
at the car, sitting just off the road enough into

587
00:36:22.480 --> 00:36:25.400
the pines to be hidden from the traffic. Her blue

588
00:36:25.440 --> 00:36:28.519
eyes focused on the dent in the passenger side bumper

589
00:36:29.320 --> 00:36:32.280
and the blood that stood out starkly on the white paint.

590
00:36:32.960 --> 00:36:35.519
They were never going to get away with it, she thought,

591
00:36:36.320 --> 00:36:39.199
there was just too much evidence. They should have just

592
00:36:39.280 --> 00:36:42.280
called the cops when they hit that jogger. One thing

593
00:36:42.400 --> 00:36:45.079
was for sure. It was the last time Tom was

594
00:36:45.119 --> 00:36:48.559
going to talk her into RoadHead. Becca, are you even

595
00:36:48.599 --> 00:36:52.480
paying attention? Tom asked. She turned around and saw him

596
00:36:52.519 --> 00:36:55.960
standing there with the jogger's arms in his hands. Come on,

597
00:36:56.679 --> 00:36:59.840
help me swing him into the hole, he finished impatiently.

598
00:37:00.679 --> 00:37:04.239
I told you I don't want that negative energy, she said,

599
00:37:04.280 --> 00:37:08.599
crossing her arms in defiance. I told you that witchy

600
00:37:08.679 --> 00:37:11.360
bullshit has to go. We have been dating for almost

601
00:37:11.360 --> 00:37:13.119
a year now, and I haven't seen you do shit

602
00:37:13.239 --> 00:37:15.599
with it. So unless you're going to wiggle your nose

603
00:37:15.719 --> 00:37:18.199
and lift the corpse into the grave, get your ass

604
00:37:18.280 --> 00:37:21.519
over here and lift this bastard with me, Tom said,

605
00:37:21.559 --> 00:37:25.559
tossing the jogger's arms down under the damp earth. Becca

606
00:37:25.639 --> 00:37:28.480
rolled her eyes with a sigh. She gave in and

607
00:37:28.519 --> 00:37:31.920
walked around to the jogger's feet. She grabbed his ankles

608
00:37:31.920 --> 00:37:36.920
and looked at Tom, waiting, Well are we doing this?

609
00:37:37.599 --> 00:37:41.280
She asked. Tom grabbed the other end, and together they

610
00:37:41.280 --> 00:37:44.360
put the jogger into the open grave. She looked at

611
00:37:44.400 --> 00:37:48.199
the mangled person lying there, wondering what kind of life

612
00:37:48.199 --> 00:37:52.000
he had before they had taken it from him. Did

613
00:37:52.000 --> 00:37:56.039
he have a family? Was someone looking for him? Her

614
00:37:56.079 --> 00:37:59.360
thoughts were interrupted when the jogger's face got a shovel

615
00:37:59.360 --> 00:38:02.079
full of dirt. She looked up at Tom and saw

616
00:38:02.159 --> 00:38:06.280
him in a new light. This was too easy for him,

617
00:38:07.199 --> 00:38:10.119
She wondered if this was the first time he had

618
00:38:10.119 --> 00:38:13.480
to bury a body. She really didn't know much of

619
00:38:13.559 --> 00:38:17.079
his past. He never spoke about his life before they

620
00:38:17.119 --> 00:38:21.960
met last year. She knew he wasn't mister right, more

621
00:38:21.960 --> 00:38:25.960
of a mister right now, one that got her out

622
00:38:25.960 --> 00:38:30.639
of a bad situation. If she was being honest, he

623
00:38:30.760 --> 00:38:34.199
was a bit of an asshole. Don't worry, I got this,

624
00:38:34.760 --> 00:38:37.360
he said, as he continued to throw dirt into the grave.

625
00:38:38.599 --> 00:38:41.400
We only have one shovel. You want me to use

626
00:38:41.400 --> 00:38:44.639
my hands, She snipped at him. Why don't you go

627
00:38:44.679 --> 00:38:48.400
wait in the car? Then Tom responded, I was going

628
00:38:48.440 --> 00:38:51.760
to say a few words when we were done. Nothing much,

629
00:38:51.800 --> 00:38:58.000
but something should be said. Tom scoffed, I'll say something.

630
00:38:58.440 --> 00:39:02.079
Don't worry about it. Sometimes you can be a real jerk,

631
00:39:02.119 --> 00:39:05.360
you know that, She said, and stormed off sullenly to

632
00:39:05.440 --> 00:39:09.079
the car. She plopped in the passenger seat, slamming the door.

633
00:39:09.840 --> 00:39:12.199
You like him so much, maybe you should give him

634
00:39:12.239 --> 00:39:15.239
head too. I think it's going to get real stiff.

635
00:39:15.400 --> 00:39:18.920
Soon Tom yelled, smacking the corpse again with a shovel.

636
00:39:19.280 --> 00:39:21.599
Becca could hear it ring out even from the car.

637
00:39:22.440 --> 00:39:25.440
She reached under the seat and found her bag. She

638
00:39:25.559 --> 00:39:28.920
dug inside for a cigarette. Just to take the edge off.

639
00:39:29.880 --> 00:39:34.039
She pulled out a worn paperback payback rituals and spells

640
00:39:34.039 --> 00:39:37.400
of revenge. She remembered that her friend Amanda let her

641
00:39:37.400 --> 00:39:40.280
borrow it. They had found it in her mother's items

642
00:39:40.599 --> 00:39:44.000
after her suicide. That was just before she left town

643
00:39:44.039 --> 00:39:49.199
with Tom. She thumbed through it while waiting the Revenant

644
00:39:49.440 --> 00:39:53.800
the dead, with a mission bring a recently deceased person

645
00:39:53.920 --> 00:39:56.599
back to right the wrong of death. This is a

646
00:39:56.639 --> 00:39:59.960
gray area of balance with nature on the one hand,

647
00:40:00.039 --> 00:40:03.360
and it disrupts death, but it can help the soul

648
00:40:03.480 --> 00:40:07.079
reach peace through resolution. The weight of this ritual can

649
00:40:07.480 --> 00:40:11.599
be heavy on one's soul. Caution should be used while

650
00:40:11.639 --> 00:40:17.719
contemplating this ritual. Haste will be your enemy. HA would

651
00:40:17.719 --> 00:40:20.400
serve the asshole right if I brought that jogger back,

652
00:40:20.880 --> 00:40:23.960
teach him a lesson. I'm the only one stupid enough

653
00:40:24.000 --> 00:40:27.719
to miss him, and it would absolve my guilt. Becha

654
00:40:27.800 --> 00:40:32.800
said to the empty car, haven't done shit with it. Hey, babe,

655
00:40:33.159 --> 00:40:35.400
I'm all done, just going to say a few words.

656
00:40:35.920 --> 00:40:39.639
Tom yelled as he unzipped his zipper. A steaming stream

657
00:40:39.760 --> 00:40:45.199
landed on the newly packed earth. Ooh awe, those enough

658
00:40:45.199 --> 00:40:49.559
words for you, he called over his shoulder. That son

659
00:40:49.599 --> 00:40:52.320
of a bitch, becha said, and got out of the car.

660
00:40:52.519 --> 00:40:55.360
But instead of heading towards him, she went off into

661
00:40:55.360 --> 00:40:59.480
the woods alone with her bag. Where are you going?

662
00:40:59.679 --> 00:41:02.360
It was just a joke, he called out as he

663
00:41:02.400 --> 00:41:06.880
shook out the last drops. Come on, babe. Tom chased

664
00:41:06.920 --> 00:41:11.679
after her into the woods. Babe, He heard a few

665
00:41:11.719 --> 00:41:15.000
twigs snap off to his left. He turned in that direction,

666
00:41:15.159 --> 00:41:17.719
but it was too dark to make anything out. She

667
00:41:17.880 --> 00:41:21.760
was heading farther into the barrens, away from the highway. Okay,

668
00:41:22.719 --> 00:41:26.119
you made your point, Come back and do a real eulogy.

669
00:41:26.519 --> 00:41:30.079
I won't interrupt, I promise, Tom called out into the night.

670
00:41:31.639 --> 00:41:36.280
Was that a flashlight ahead? He sighed, and headed towards

671
00:41:36.320 --> 00:41:39.760
the light. He saw Becca was on her knees in

672
00:41:39.800 --> 00:41:43.559
a small clearing, illuminated not only by the moonlight above,

673
00:41:43.840 --> 00:41:46.800
but by her flashlight laying on the dew covered grass

674
00:41:46.840 --> 00:41:51.280
in front of her. She was saying something over and

675
00:41:51.360 --> 00:41:57.719
over again, in a whisper that Tom couldn't make out. Babe,

676
00:41:58.679 --> 00:42:01.719
he said, shining his light on her back, casting her

677
00:42:01.760 --> 00:42:06.480
shadow on the trees around them. It's done. We can

678
00:42:06.599 --> 00:42:12.599
leave now. Becca opened her eyes and turned her head quickly.

679
00:42:12.679 --> 00:42:15.599
She placed some objects into her bag before he could

680
00:42:15.599 --> 00:42:20.079
see what they were. Be right with you, she said,

681
00:42:20.519 --> 00:42:24.679
and stood up, wiping off her stockings. She reached down

682
00:42:24.760 --> 00:42:27.719
for her bag, but his hands on hers froze her

683
00:42:27.719 --> 00:42:31.360
in place. What were you doing out here with your bag,

684
00:42:31.880 --> 00:42:36.039
he asked, intensely, meeting her gaze.

685
00:42:36.760 --> 00:42:41.960
If you thought that was scary, just you wait, weekly spooky.

686
00:42:42.119 --> 00:42:43.239
We'll be right back.

687
00:42:45.719 --> 00:42:48.079
I had to use the bathroom and I didn't want

688
00:42:48.119 --> 00:42:51.400
to do it close to the highway, Becca replied, and

689
00:42:51.480 --> 00:42:54.719
pulled her hand away from his. She clutched her bag

690
00:42:54.800 --> 00:42:57.199
to her chest with one hand and gestured with the

691
00:42:57.239 --> 00:43:05.199
other lead the way. She finished sarcastically. You know sometimes

692
00:43:05.239 --> 00:43:08.159
you can be a real bitch. You'd better get that

693
00:43:08.280 --> 00:43:10.880
in check before I leave your ass for a younger model,

694
00:43:11.639 --> 00:43:14.679
he said, as he led the way back towards the car.

695
00:43:15.639 --> 00:43:17.559
I doubt you could find someone that would put up

696
00:43:17.559 --> 00:43:21.199
with your shit for very long. Tom turned and faced her.

697
00:43:22.239 --> 00:43:25.719
I'm serious. Your looks will only get you so far.

698
00:43:26.079 --> 00:43:29.840
You better drop that attitude before I drop you, he threatened.

699
00:43:31.119 --> 00:43:36.119
Are you kidding me? You're threatening me. It's not a threat,

700
00:43:36.800 --> 00:43:40.119
it's a promise, he said, and stared at her for

701
00:43:40.159 --> 00:43:43.599
a few seconds. When she didn't respond, he turned back

702
00:43:43.639 --> 00:43:47.280
into the woods and continued on, that is the most

703
00:43:47.320 --> 00:43:51.800
cliche saying. Becca mumbled under her breath, but followed Tom

704
00:43:51.840 --> 00:43:55.440
into the night. She heard the words Tom spoke again,

705
00:43:55.519 --> 00:44:01.119
but this time it wasn't his voice, it was her fathers.

706
00:44:01.920 --> 00:44:04.880
The threats and beatings that she had been suppressing came

707
00:44:04.960 --> 00:44:08.079
rushing back. She remembered the last time he spoke those

708
00:44:08.079 --> 00:44:11.719
words to her. It was just a little over one

709
00:44:11.800 --> 00:44:15.039
year ago. She had come home from Amanda's house, where

710
00:44:15.079 --> 00:44:18.559
they were studying for the history final. She came in

711
00:44:18.599 --> 00:44:21.760
through the back door into the kitchen. It was seven

712
00:44:21.840 --> 00:44:25.320
p m. And she had not eaten since lunch. She

713
00:44:25.440 --> 00:44:28.000
bumped into the dish rack, sending a steak knife onto

714
00:44:28.000 --> 00:44:31.760
the floor. She closed her eyes and froze, Hoping her

715
00:44:31.760 --> 00:44:36.199
father hadn't heard. Becca remembered opening her eyes and then

716
00:44:36.320 --> 00:44:40.000
rummaging through the cabinet for something to eat. Her eyes

717
00:44:40.039 --> 00:44:43.280
lit up when she found a box of cereal. In

718
00:44:43.320 --> 00:44:46.199
her haste to eat, she dropped the box, scattering the

719
00:44:46.239 --> 00:44:50.639
flakes across the linoleum floor. Her father entered the room

720
00:44:50.679 --> 00:44:52.679
a second later and saw the mess on the floor.

721
00:44:53.599 --> 00:44:56.960
What is this? Clean this up, he yelled, as he

722
00:44:57.000 --> 00:45:00.159
made his way to the fridge for another beer. At

723
00:45:00.159 --> 00:45:02.679
this time of night, he was probably on his fifth.

724
00:45:03.599 --> 00:45:05.440
She tried to walk past him to get to the

725
00:45:05.440 --> 00:45:09.639
broom closet, but her father's large hands stopped her. He

726
00:45:09.679 --> 00:45:12.719
threw her down to the floor. I said clean this up,

727
00:45:12.760 --> 00:45:16.760
you clumsy bitch. I was getting the broom, she said,

728
00:45:16.800 --> 00:45:20.280
looking up at him through tear blurred eyes. I didn't

729
00:45:20.320 --> 00:45:23.920
say get the broom, I said clean this shit up.

730
00:45:24.559 --> 00:45:26.800
Her father yelled and kicked her arm that she was

731
00:45:26.880 --> 00:45:29.719
leaning on. Her face dropped down onto the floor among

732
00:45:29.719 --> 00:45:33.119
the cereal. She blinked the tears away and saw in

733
00:45:33.159 --> 00:45:37.280
front of her the knife she had dropped earlier. Becca

734
00:45:37.360 --> 00:45:39.920
sat up on the floor, placing the steak knife under

735
00:45:40.000 --> 00:45:42.880
her so that he didn't see it. She looked up

736
00:45:42.920 --> 00:45:45.320
at her father as he cracked open his fresh can

737
00:45:45.320 --> 00:45:50.440
of beer. He turned towards her, you're so hungry. Eat

738
00:45:50.480 --> 00:45:53.960
it off the floor, he said, and pushed her back down.

739
00:45:54.639 --> 00:45:57.199
Eat it, you, pig or. I swear to God I'll

740
00:45:57.320 --> 00:46:03.320
end you. Are you threatening me? That's not a threat, slut,

741
00:46:04.320 --> 00:46:08.920
that's a promise, her father said. Becca gripped the knife

742
00:46:08.920 --> 00:46:12.800
hard and stabbed her father in the thigh. He cried

743
00:46:12.840 --> 00:46:15.199
out and dropped his beer with his other leg. He

744
00:46:15.320 --> 00:46:18.159
kicked her. She had the knife gripped so tight she

745
00:46:18.280 --> 00:46:20.920
pulled it out of him as she fell back. What

746
00:46:21.119 --> 00:46:26.079
did you do, bitch? I'll kill you, she remembered him saying,

747
00:46:26.159 --> 00:46:30.960
before she had lost control. The next thing she remembered

748
00:46:31.039 --> 00:46:34.760
was her father laying in a strange pool of blood, cereal,

749
00:46:34.880 --> 00:46:41.400
and beer on the floor. He was so still. Becca

750
00:46:41.480 --> 00:46:44.480
came out of it. As they neared the car, Tom

751
00:46:44.559 --> 00:46:47.039
threw the shovel and flashlight into the trunk and walked

752
00:46:47.039 --> 00:46:50.119
around to the driver's side as Becca stood there trying

753
00:46:50.119 --> 00:46:53.599
to make the image leave her mind. What's wrong with you?

754
00:46:54.400 --> 00:46:58.119
Tom asked. Becca looked towards the shallow grave with a

755
00:46:58.159 --> 00:47:03.639
look of disappointment before turning back to Tom. Was she

756
00:47:03.719 --> 00:47:06.280
going to actually get back into his car after what

757
00:47:06.360 --> 00:47:10.280
he said? She looked at Tom and saw her father's face.

758
00:47:10.920 --> 00:47:14.039
She tried to shake that image, but this time it

759
00:47:14.079 --> 00:47:18.079
was different. This time it wasn't self defense, just Tom

760
00:47:18.199 --> 00:47:21.480
being an asshole. She had her doubts that he would

761
00:47:21.519 --> 00:47:25.639
actually hit her. A twig snapped in the woods, and

762
00:47:25.679 --> 00:47:29.920
both of them turned towards the sound. In the darkness.

763
00:47:29.960 --> 00:47:36.760
Something stirred. Who's out there? Tom called? The only response

764
00:47:36.880 --> 00:47:42.000
was the sound of a heavy footfall. Becca's hair started

765
00:47:42.000 --> 00:47:43.960
to stand on the back of her neck and she

766
00:47:44.039 --> 00:47:47.320
got an uneasy feeling. She tried to get in the car,

767
00:47:48.199 --> 00:47:54.559
but it was locked, Tom, She said unevenly. Tom didn't answer,

768
00:47:54.639 --> 00:47:58.920
his eyes transfixed on the image before him. In the

769
00:47:58.960 --> 00:48:02.320
flashing lights from the passing cars on the highway, Becca

770
00:48:02.440 --> 00:48:07.360
caught a glimpse of the man approaching. Another loud footfall

771
00:48:07.400 --> 00:48:10.360
from the man as he dragged behind him the broken

772
00:48:10.440 --> 00:48:14.280
leg inside the bloodstained pair of sweatpants. Becca looked on

773
00:48:14.400 --> 00:48:17.880
in horror at the twisted neck and the head lolling

774
00:48:17.920 --> 00:48:23.079
to one side. Did it actually work? Tom, open the door.

775
00:48:23.440 --> 00:48:26.320
Let's get out of here, Becha said, second, guessing what

776
00:48:26.400 --> 00:48:29.719
she had done. It looked so wrong as it moved

777
00:48:29.760 --> 00:48:34.880
towards them. One sec Babe, Tom said, and pulled out

778
00:48:34.920 --> 00:48:37.440
the pistol he kept tucked in the back of his jeans.

779
00:48:38.519 --> 00:48:42.960
I think this asshole wants to play. Tom, unlock the

780
00:48:42.960 --> 00:48:47.159
fucking door, she begged as fear. Tears started to flow.

781
00:48:47.360 --> 00:48:51.239
Her heart was pounding in her ears. Tom took a

782
00:48:51.280 --> 00:48:55.599
step closer to the reanimated jogger. That's far enough, asshole.

783
00:48:56.559 --> 00:48:59.519
It was an accident. I'm sure you can appreciate that.

784
00:49:00.239 --> 00:49:03.960
Let's go get a beer and talk this over, Tom said,

785
00:49:04.000 --> 00:49:07.880
aiming the pistol at the jogger's head. He won't listen,

786
00:49:08.320 --> 00:49:11.039
Becky yelled in fear. She ran to the trunk of

787
00:49:11.079 --> 00:49:14.199
the car. Luckily Tom had not shut it, and she

788
00:49:14.280 --> 00:49:17.039
grabbed the shovel. Beside the shovel in the truck was

789
00:49:17.079 --> 00:49:20.079
a hunting knife. She tucked the blade into her belt

790
00:49:20.199 --> 00:49:22.960
and hefted the shovel. As she came around the car,

791
00:49:23.960 --> 00:49:26.000
Tom came into view just in time for her to

792
00:49:26.000 --> 00:49:29.280
see the jogger lunge at him. He fired a shot.

793
00:49:29.519 --> 00:49:32.000
They fell to the ground. The jogger on top his

794
00:49:32.119 --> 00:49:35.079
head flopped around as they struggled, but its hands were

795
00:49:35.119 --> 00:49:38.239
wrapped around Tom's neck. She cried out and ran over

796
00:49:38.280 --> 00:49:40.960
to help. She swung the shovel and hit the jogger

797
00:49:41.000 --> 00:49:44.199
in the back, to little effect. A few more swings

798
00:49:44.239 --> 00:49:47.320
made no difference. In her frustration, she threw down the

799
00:49:47.320 --> 00:49:49.920
shovel and kicked the jogger, who fell off the side

800
00:49:49.960 --> 00:49:53.519
of Tom, but didn't let go of his neck. Becca

801
00:49:53.559 --> 00:49:57.400
could hear Tom trying to gasp prayer. She grabbed the

802
00:49:57.480 --> 00:49:59.880
jogger's arms and tried to pull them off of Tom,

803
00:50:00.079 --> 00:50:04.679
but the grip was too strong. Tom was going to die.

804
00:50:04.800 --> 00:50:07.719
She did this, She called the revenant back from the grave.

805
00:50:08.280 --> 00:50:12.119
She should have known better. The witchy bullshit was going

806
00:50:12.159 --> 00:50:15.159
to kill Tom. He could no longer say she didn't

807
00:50:15.199 --> 00:50:19.039
do shit with it. Just then, Becca had an epiphany.

808
00:50:20.400 --> 00:50:24.880
Tom was going to die. The thing was busy with Tom.

809
00:50:25.159 --> 00:50:28.159
She scrambled into Tom's pants pockets and found the car keys.

810
00:50:28.320 --> 00:50:30.039
She jumped to her feet and ran to the car.

811
00:50:30.280 --> 00:50:32.440
She fired up the engine and threw it into reverse.

812
00:50:32.800 --> 00:50:35.480
With a final look at Tom, who was now still

813
00:50:35.960 --> 00:50:40.039
She punched the gas and backed towards the highway. Tom

814
00:50:40.159 --> 00:50:43.039
never let her drive, but she had seen it enough

815
00:50:43.079 --> 00:50:46.440
to figure it out. The car bounced over uneven ground

816
00:50:46.440 --> 00:50:48.880
as she sped and reversed towards the lights behind her.

817
00:50:49.119 --> 00:50:50.719
Once she was on the side of the road, she

818
00:50:50.760 --> 00:50:53.320
spun the car around and threw it into drive. She

819
00:50:53.440 --> 00:50:55.559
pulled out onto the highway, cutting off a truck who

820
00:50:55.559 --> 00:51:03.239
blared its hornet. She opened and energy drink Tom had

821
00:51:03.239 --> 00:51:06.119
bought earlier but left on the seat unopened, and took

822
00:51:06.119 --> 00:51:09.679
a swig. There was going to be a new Becca now,

823
00:51:10.679 --> 00:51:17.840
one who took no one's shit. Later that evening, Becca

824
00:51:17.960 --> 00:51:21.280
sat at the small motel table in her room. She

825
00:51:21.480 --> 00:51:23.800
was going through the loot they had accumulated over the

826
00:51:23.840 --> 00:51:27.400
past year. She found a bag of cash that she

827
00:51:27.519 --> 00:51:31.719
didn't know about and had just finished counting it. Twelve

828
00:51:31.800 --> 00:51:35.800
thousand dollars was a lot of money, more than she

829
00:51:35.840 --> 00:51:39.360
had ever seen. Why did Tom always tell her they

830
00:51:39.360 --> 00:51:43.199
were broke? There was a bang on the door. It

831
00:51:43.320 --> 00:51:46.079
must be the pizza I ordered, she thought, and rose

832
00:51:46.079 --> 00:51:49.239
from the chair. Another bang on the door before she

833
00:51:49.280 --> 00:51:53.039
could reach it. I'm coming, she called out, grabbing a

834
00:51:53.079 --> 00:51:55.880
twenty from the table. She was going to tip big.

835
00:51:56.599 --> 00:52:00.000
Why not share her good fortune. She opened the door

836
00:52:00.239 --> 00:52:05.280
and dropped the cash. Standing on the other side was

837
00:52:05.320 --> 00:52:14.039
her father and the jogger. No, her mouth formed to say,

838
00:52:14.199 --> 00:52:18.559
but no noise came out. She took a step back

839
00:52:18.599 --> 00:52:21.480
into the room in horror of what she was looking at.

840
00:52:22.039 --> 00:52:27.960
With arm extended, they entered, grasping for her. No, why

841
00:52:28.000 --> 00:52:31.960
are you here? Tom was driving, she said to the jogger,

842
00:52:32.599 --> 00:52:36.639
then looked into her father's dead eyes. You deserve what

843
00:52:36.760 --> 00:52:39.000
you got, you son of a bitch. There is no

844
00:52:39.119 --> 00:52:43.559
revenge for you, she said in defiance. Becca was a

845
00:52:43.599 --> 00:52:46.360
new woman and wasn't going to take shit from her father,

846
00:52:46.679 --> 00:52:49.559
alive or dead. She reached behind her and pulled the

847
00:52:49.639 --> 00:52:53.239
hunting knife out of her belt. The Revenants charged her,

848
00:52:53.360 --> 00:52:56.320
knocking her back onto the double bed with their masts.

849
00:52:56.559 --> 00:52:58.880
She could smell the grave on her father as he

850
00:52:58.920 --> 00:53:01.280
climbed on top of her. There wasn't enough room for

851
00:53:01.320 --> 00:53:04.000
her to swing the knife. In desperation, she moved the

852
00:53:04.000 --> 00:53:07.639
blade between them. She turned the tip downwards towards her

853
00:53:07.679 --> 00:53:11.320
own chest and plunged it in. She didn't want her

854
00:53:11.320 --> 00:53:16.519
father to get his revenge. He should suffer, she smiled.

855
00:53:16.559 --> 00:53:21.519
As the pain flooded her. She felt herself getting weak, and,

856
00:53:21.599 --> 00:53:25.440
with a last act of defiance, spit blood into her

857
00:53:25.480 --> 00:53:42.840
father's face before succumbing to her wound. Old bones by

858
00:53:43.000 --> 00:53:49.159
Joe Salma. Old Bones is what my grandpa used to

859
00:53:49.199 --> 00:53:52.320
call him, back in the days of black and white TVs.

860
00:53:53.400 --> 00:53:57.320
I've never seen him myself, but I was sure he existed.

861
00:53:58.039 --> 00:54:02.760
Nothing scared my grandfather. Nothing but old bones, that is.

862
00:54:03.559 --> 00:54:06.960
Most of the local folk will tell you they seen

863
00:54:07.039 --> 00:54:10.440
Old Bones here or there, but most of them are

864
00:54:10.519 --> 00:54:13.719
full of shit. For a while, one of them TV

865
00:54:13.920 --> 00:54:17.360
crews came in and filmed the town telling stories, but

866
00:54:17.440 --> 00:54:21.599
that's all they were shit. Even farmer Kendrick over on

867
00:54:21.760 --> 00:54:23.920
Route seventy had a story, and that son of a

868
00:54:23.960 --> 00:54:27.519
bitch never left his house. His fields were all overgrown

869
00:54:27.679 --> 00:54:31.639
like seventies bush. Our family and the neighbors next door

870
00:54:31.880 --> 00:54:35.519
we had a special deal. My grandfather said. Our lands

871
00:54:35.519 --> 00:54:38.119
butted up with the state forest, but Pappy called that

872
00:54:38.599 --> 00:54:42.159
his territory. He told us we could hunt in there,

873
00:54:42.559 --> 00:54:45.840
but we had to leave the first kill for old Bones,

874
00:54:46.760 --> 00:54:50.599
kind of a sacrifice of sorts, an offering, so we

875
00:54:50.599 --> 00:54:53.440
would leave us alone when we were out there, as

876
00:54:53.480 --> 00:54:56.280
long as we didn't cross the markings along the creek.

877
00:54:57.400 --> 00:54:59.599
We would shoot a nice buck and have to leave

878
00:54:59.639 --> 00:55:02.840
it in the clearing. It pissed me off, but not

879
00:55:03.079 --> 00:55:07.159
enough to cross old bones. Usually a day or so later,

880
00:55:07.239 --> 00:55:10.679
we'd find the carcass, most of the meat gone, strung

881
00:55:10.760 --> 00:55:14.039
up in the damned trees of all places. Could it

882
00:55:14.079 --> 00:55:18.679
be a mountain lion? They are around, but rare, and

883
00:55:18.719 --> 00:55:21.559
I've never seen one in these parts, But I have

884
00:55:21.800 --> 00:55:25.440
seen the tracks of old bones left under the tree.

885
00:55:25.920 --> 00:55:28.760
I would ask my grandfather all the time what old

886
00:55:28.760 --> 00:55:32.440
bones looks like? He'd always say, if I ever saw him,

887
00:55:33.000 --> 00:55:35.559
I was sure to shit my pants and run if

888
00:55:35.599 --> 00:55:40.480
I was lucky. Not very descriptive, I know. I pressed

889
00:55:40.559 --> 00:55:44.079
him once when he took me hunting on my sixteenth birthday.

890
00:55:44.880 --> 00:55:47.440
He had gotten me a nice thirty ot six and

891
00:55:47.480 --> 00:55:50.320
we had sighted it in the night before. He had

892
00:55:50.360 --> 00:55:53.039
gone hunting without me two days prior and gave up

893
00:55:53.039 --> 00:55:57.519
an offering to old bones, so my kill would be ours.

894
00:55:58.079 --> 00:56:00.679
We reached the tree where he had lain our buck,

895
00:56:01.079 --> 00:56:04.039
and we saw the tracks come into the clearing as

896
00:56:04.079 --> 00:56:08.639
fresh as this morning, big tracks, looking like a giant

897
00:56:08.719 --> 00:56:12.679
moose's print. We get moose now and again in northern

898
00:56:12.719 --> 00:56:15.800
New York, but I've never seen a bull that big.

899
00:56:16.719 --> 00:56:20.119
The tracks were over a foot long, twice as big

900
00:56:20.159 --> 00:56:23.519
as I've ever seen myself in these here woods. His

901
00:56:23.599 --> 00:56:27.119
old bones just a big moose. Is that what you're

902
00:56:27.159 --> 00:56:30.880
afraid of? I asked him. Don't be simple, boy, there

903
00:56:30.920 --> 00:56:32.800
ain't a moose i'd run from when I got a

904
00:56:32.800 --> 00:56:36.920
loaded rifle, was his reply. As I studied those tracks,

905
00:56:37.719 --> 00:56:40.239
the left track had a bit of a crack in it,

906
00:56:40.840 --> 00:56:43.760
like the foot had an old injury. The right one

907
00:56:43.880 --> 00:56:47.519
dragged just a bit in the dirt. Then it hit me,

908
00:56:48.880 --> 00:56:53.360
there were only two legs. He stands up like we do,

909
00:56:54.000 --> 00:56:56.639
I asked, looking at the circular hole in the ground.

910
00:56:56.840 --> 00:57:00.239
An inch're so deep. There seemed to be one every

911
00:57:00.280 --> 00:57:03.519
twenty feet or so. Sometimes there was a little bit

912
00:57:03.559 --> 00:57:07.320
of a drag there as well. What could it be?

913
00:57:08.559 --> 00:57:11.840
Never mind how he stands. Just give him no reason

914
00:57:11.880 --> 00:57:14.639
to come looking for you, and you'll be just fine,

915
00:57:15.239 --> 00:57:17.599
he told me, as he placed his hand on my shoulder.

916
00:57:18.480 --> 00:57:20.559
He had lost a foot a long time ago, and

917
00:57:20.599 --> 00:57:24.360
the artificial one never quite was comfortable for him, but

918
00:57:24.440 --> 00:57:27.400
it wasn't inconvenience enough for him to keep from taking

919
00:57:27.440 --> 00:57:30.599
care of the deal with old bones. I kept my

920
00:57:30.679 --> 00:57:33.440
eyes peeled that trip, but never got a peek at

921
00:57:33.480 --> 00:57:36.960
old Bones, even though I got the feeling something was

922
00:57:37.199 --> 00:57:41.079
peeping on me. But then again, I always got that

923
00:57:41.199 --> 00:57:44.519
feeling when I was in those woods. The deeper in,

924
00:57:44.840 --> 00:57:47.840
the darker the forest got. Some of those trees were

925
00:57:47.880 --> 00:57:51.400
one hundred feet tall or more. The old growth forest

926
00:57:51.480 --> 00:57:54.960
kept out all but the most persistent sunlight. It was

927
00:57:55.000 --> 00:57:57.920
the best hunting ground most of the time. But once

928
00:57:57.960 --> 00:58:00.960
in a while there wouldn't be a damn thing around.

929
00:58:01.920 --> 00:58:07.880
No birds, no game, nothing, just dead silence in the forest.

930
00:58:08.800 --> 00:58:11.519
On those trips, we learned to give up early and

931
00:58:11.599 --> 00:58:15.719
come home. We'd have better luck another time. My uncle

932
00:58:15.800 --> 00:58:18.039
Jim once said he caught a glimpse of what had

933
00:58:18.119 --> 00:58:21.079
to be Old Bones. It was a foggy morning, and

934
00:58:21.119 --> 00:58:24.920
he said the forest just got real quiet, like he

935
00:58:25.039 --> 00:58:27.559
stood still as the hair raised on the back of

936
00:58:27.559 --> 00:58:30.920
his neck. He said he knew Old Bones was near

937
00:58:31.079 --> 00:58:33.519
because the rest of the animals had the good sense

938
00:58:34.079 --> 00:58:38.519
to fuck off somewhere else. He stood there peering into

939
00:58:38.559 --> 00:58:42.039
the forest, and he said, standing next to a large

940
00:58:42.119 --> 00:58:47.679
pine tree was Old Bones, about fifty yards out, barely

941
00:58:47.760 --> 00:58:51.920
perceptible in the fog. He said, it slid through the forest,

942
00:58:52.400 --> 00:58:55.719
its great limbs, having no problem as it traversed the

943
00:58:55.800 --> 00:58:59.519
uneven forest floor. He was too scared to get a

944
00:58:59.519 --> 00:59:03.000
closer life look. He said. It stopped between the trees

945
00:59:03.039 --> 00:59:07.320
and sniffed the air for a moment, two large sniffs,

946
00:59:07.719 --> 00:59:12.000
before turning to face my uncle. He said its eyes

947
00:59:12.159 --> 00:59:16.559
smoldered even in the fog. Cutting through it stared a

948
00:59:16.639 --> 00:59:20.320
hole into him for about ten seconds or so, before

949
00:59:20.360 --> 00:59:24.679
nodding and moving on through the forest. Uncle Jim said

950
00:59:24.719 --> 00:59:27.079
he sat there waiting for Old Bones to go on

951
00:59:27.199 --> 00:59:30.559
about his business. Whether he was too scared or was

952
00:59:30.599 --> 00:59:34.280
playing it smart was anyone's guess. He listened as the

953
00:59:34.360 --> 00:59:38.960
thing moved through the forest, creaking branches and heavy footfalls

954
00:59:39.000 --> 00:59:43.239
fading into the distance. He told me Old Bones was tall,

955
00:59:44.159 --> 00:59:48.079
like really tall, and if he didn't move, he would

956
00:59:48.119 --> 00:59:51.239
have mistaken him for a tree at that distance. I

957
00:59:51.280 --> 00:59:53.480
asked him if he saw a bigfoot, and he told

958
00:59:53.480 --> 00:59:55.920
me it was nothing like that. He said it was

959
00:59:55.960 --> 01:00:01.559
something older, much older. Now I must tell you Uncle

960
01:00:01.639 --> 01:00:04.639
Jim was a drinker, but we'd like to give him

961
01:00:04.679 --> 01:00:07.679
the benefit of the doubt since he doesn't usually drink

962
01:00:07.719 --> 01:00:10.960
in the am. He died about a month after that,

963
01:00:11.519 --> 01:00:16.280
so we can't ask him now. The neighbor boy Neil

964
01:00:16.360 --> 01:00:18.960
saw him once. We didn't believe him at first, on

965
01:00:18.960 --> 01:00:21.199
account of the kid is slow in the head, but

966
01:00:21.320 --> 01:00:24.559
I guess his eyes worked just fine. His daddy came

967
01:00:24.679 --> 01:00:27.639
running over all excited to talk to my father about it.

968
01:00:28.000 --> 01:00:30.440
I watched him from the doorway to my room because

969
01:00:30.480 --> 01:00:33.719
it was past my bedtime. It was the second week

970
01:00:33.760 --> 01:00:36.960
of deer season, but neither family had managed to get

971
01:00:36.960 --> 01:00:39.840
out there yet. He said. Neil was out back of

972
01:00:39.880 --> 01:00:42.400
the house putting away his toys because a fog had

973
01:00:42.480 --> 01:00:44.880
rolled in and his mother was worried he would get

974
01:00:44.920 --> 01:00:48.760
lost out there. Said it was standing there next to

975
01:00:48.800 --> 01:00:54.119
the barn, looking at him, its eyes burning straight into

976
01:00:54.159 --> 01:00:59.360
his soul. Neil pissed himself and started to cry. I

977
01:00:59.440 --> 01:01:02.239
listened as he described old Bones to my dad. From

978
01:01:02.360 --> 01:01:05.719
Neil's account, it was almost as tall as the gable

979
01:01:05.800 --> 01:01:09.320
roof on the old two story barn. They had said,

980
01:01:09.320 --> 01:01:12.880
it just stared at him until his mom came out

981
01:01:12.920 --> 01:01:17.000
of the screen door looking for him. That thing hadn't

982
01:01:17.039 --> 01:01:21.119
been oiled in ages. The creek probably scared him off,

983
01:01:21.159 --> 01:01:25.159
if you ask me. Anyway, They said it took long

984
01:01:25.280 --> 01:01:28.159
strides and moved off into the woods past the field

985
01:01:28.199 --> 01:01:31.639
behind the barn, taking one of their sheep with it

986
01:01:31.800 --> 01:01:35.440
held it in one large hand. That was the last

987
01:01:35.440 --> 01:01:37.760
time one of our families didn't get Old Bones some

988
01:01:37.960 --> 01:01:41.639
meat on opening day. Let me tell you it didn't

989
01:01:41.679 --> 01:01:44.679
hurt to offer up some other times as well. It

990
01:01:44.760 --> 01:01:48.239
never went to waste. Old Bones always found what we

991
01:01:48.360 --> 01:01:51.639
left for him. Was it a creature or a man?

992
01:01:52.360 --> 01:01:55.199
I may never find out myself, and I think I'm

993
01:01:55.239 --> 01:01:59.000
okay with that. I was fascinated as a kid, but

994
01:01:59.119 --> 01:02:03.320
after everyone's stories, I think I'm good. You know, as

995
01:02:03.360 --> 01:02:05.920
an adult, I really don't want nothing to do with it.

996
01:02:06.519 --> 01:02:09.719
But that's not always my choice, now, is it. I

997
01:02:09.840 --> 01:02:12.360
wanted to let you know that about ten or so

998
01:02:12.559 --> 01:02:15.400
years ago, there was a couple of campers that went

999
01:02:15.440 --> 01:02:19.119
out there and went too far cross an Old Bones

1000
01:02:19.199 --> 01:02:23.079
Creek without any regard or offering. They really didn't know

1001
01:02:23.159 --> 01:02:27.800
any better, mind you. Like they say, ignorance is no excuse.

1002
01:02:28.920 --> 01:02:32.079
The search party never found them, but we sure did.

1003
01:02:32.760 --> 01:02:37.159
Can you guess where? No up in the goddamn trees.

1004
01:02:38.079 --> 01:02:40.559
I just wanted to let you know that you ain't

1005
01:02:40.559 --> 01:02:44.639
the first I looked over at the unlucky camper. He

1006
01:02:44.679 --> 01:02:47.400
came to my door an hour ago seeking help because

1007
01:02:47.760 --> 01:02:50.920
something got his friend out in the woods. I knew

1008
01:02:50.960 --> 01:02:55.119
what it was, Old Bones. I almost felt bad for

1009
01:02:55.159 --> 01:02:58.119
the guy until he told me his story. You cross

1010
01:02:58.199 --> 01:03:02.199
the creek your fair game. But even that wasn't enough

1011
01:03:02.239 --> 01:03:06.519
for this guy. You see, there are these totems out there.

1012
01:03:06.960 --> 01:03:10.880
They kind of mark Old Bones sacred grounds. This guy

1013
01:03:11.000 --> 01:03:14.199
comes to my door seeking help and says they burned

1014
01:03:14.239 --> 01:03:18.079
some weird carved wood for warmth last night. It had

1015
01:03:18.119 --> 01:03:22.360
to be one of the totems, for sure. These dumb pricks. Now,

1016
01:03:22.400 --> 01:03:24.880
I gotta march this asshole back into the woods at

1017
01:03:24.920 --> 01:03:28.760
gunpoint because there's no reasoning with him. Got to get

1018
01:03:28.840 --> 01:03:31.119
him to the clearing and let Old Bones take him.

1019
01:03:31.480 --> 01:03:35.079
You got a second gear there. You're awfully slow, I said,

1020
01:03:35.840 --> 01:03:38.320
I don't understand why you're doing this. If you didn't

1021
01:03:38.320 --> 01:03:40.480
want to help me, I could have gone somewhere else.

1022
01:03:41.000 --> 01:03:44.320
The camper said to me, you gotta learn that's not

1023
01:03:44.360 --> 01:03:47.800
an option. You know what got your buddy, It was

1024
01:03:47.840 --> 01:03:50.559
Old Bones, and Old Bones has a certain way of

1025
01:03:50.599 --> 01:03:53.239
doing things, and damned if I'm gonna be the one

1026
01:03:53.280 --> 01:03:57.920
to cross him. I've heard too many stories about what happens.

1027
01:03:58.639 --> 01:04:04.239
I explained, what's Old Bones? The camper asked, it's everything.

1028
01:04:04.880 --> 01:04:08.480
It's older than the forest. It is the forest. It's

1029
01:04:08.480 --> 01:04:13.679
an inescapable hunger that roams these here woods. I told him, yeah,

1030
01:04:13.719 --> 01:04:16.960
but what is it? The annoying fuck asked.

1031
01:04:18.320 --> 01:04:22.519
You're not safe yet. Weekly spooky will be right back.

1032
01:04:28.760 --> 01:04:32.559
Around here. We say it's a god, we revere it,

1033
01:04:33.119 --> 01:04:35.239
we take care of its needs, and it lets us

1034
01:04:35.320 --> 01:04:39.320
hunt his land to feed our families. It really ain't

1035
01:04:39.320 --> 01:04:42.559
nothing personal. I gotta make it right with Old Bones.

1036
01:04:42.679 --> 01:04:45.199
I don't hate you or nothing, I said to the guy.

1037
01:04:46.360 --> 01:04:48.960
Don't hate me. You're bringing me out into the woods

1038
01:04:48.960 --> 01:04:51.119
at gunpoint to feed me to something you call a

1039
01:04:51.239 --> 01:04:55.000
forest god. Don't hate me, but you're gonna just kill me.

1040
01:04:55.599 --> 01:04:59.440
The camper yelled. First of all, I don't like that tone,

1041
01:04:59.719 --> 01:05:01.920
and second of all, I don't have no choice in

1042
01:05:01.960 --> 01:05:04.960
the matter. Old Bones will want the trespassers who entered

1043
01:05:04.960 --> 01:05:08.440
his sacred groves and disturbed his totem. You sealed your

1044
01:05:08.440 --> 01:05:11.719
own fate when you crossed the creek. I said, just

1045
01:05:11.800 --> 01:05:14.280
let me go. I got eight hundred dollars in cash

1046
01:05:14.280 --> 01:05:16.280
in my wallet. It's yours if you just let me go,

1047
01:05:16.800 --> 01:05:20.280
the camper said. I shook my head at his stupidity.

1048
01:05:21.159 --> 01:05:24.480
That money is already mine, Old Bones has no use

1049
01:05:24.519 --> 01:05:28.000
for it. Hand it over, I said, pointing the barrel

1050
01:05:28.039 --> 01:05:30.159
of that thirty odd to six I got so long

1051
01:05:30.239 --> 01:05:35.320
ago at him. He sighed and handed over the cash.

1052
01:05:35.360 --> 01:05:38.920
What did we learn here today, I asked. He just

1053
01:05:39.000 --> 01:05:43.039
stared back at me with anger. We learned to keep

1054
01:05:43.119 --> 01:05:47.000
our mouths shut, I finished for him. We walked further

1055
01:05:47.079 --> 01:05:49.760
down the path my grandpa walked all those years ago.

1056
01:05:50.480 --> 01:05:53.679
I knew it pretty well, but he knew it inside out.

1057
01:05:53.880 --> 01:05:56.960
It's a shame he's gone. He would have gotten a

1058
01:05:57.039 --> 01:06:00.119
kick out of this camper's predicament. I could hear the

1059
01:06:00.159 --> 01:06:03.840
sound of the creek now we were close. Once we

1060
01:06:03.920 --> 01:06:06.519
reached it, the path followed it south for about a

1061
01:06:06.559 --> 01:06:12.559
mile or so. Then comes the clearing. What's gonna happen

1062
01:06:12.599 --> 01:06:16.480
to me? The camper asked, now that he had calmed down. Well,

1063
01:06:17.639 --> 01:06:20.280
old Bones will take you and open you up, gobble

1064
01:06:20.320 --> 01:06:22.920
up the bits he wants, and whatever's left he'll toss

1065
01:06:22.960 --> 01:06:25.960
into the trees. Why he does that, I don't know.

1066
01:06:26.719 --> 01:06:29.159
Maybe to feed the birds. They got to eat too,

1067
01:06:29.280 --> 01:06:32.559
you know, I explained, matter of factly to the camper,

1068
01:06:32.800 --> 01:06:37.719
whose eyes grew larger with every word. You're joking, right,

1069
01:06:38.239 --> 01:06:40.840
he asked me. I stopped on the trail and gave

1070
01:06:40.880 --> 01:06:44.280
him a look. What did Old Bones do to your friend?

1071
01:06:44.760 --> 01:06:49.199
I asked him. He it pulled him right out of

1072
01:06:49.239 --> 01:06:51.880
our tent. It was dark. I just heard the screaming.

1073
01:06:52.119 --> 01:06:55.199
By the time I found the flashlight, there was nothing

1074
01:06:55.239 --> 01:06:59.039
but a blood trail. I followed it for a bit,

1075
01:06:59.079 --> 01:07:03.239
but then it just it just ended. The camper said, forlorn,

1076
01:07:04.079 --> 01:07:06.440
Did you look up in the trees? I asked him.

1077
01:07:06.880 --> 01:07:10.079
Why the fuck would I do that? He queried, I

1078
01:07:10.159 --> 01:07:12.960
bet that's where Old Bones stuck him, had his fill

1079
01:07:12.960 --> 01:07:15.639
and tossed him to the clouds like the early season

1080
01:07:15.719 --> 01:07:18.679
stags we leave for him. Your friend is up in

1081
01:07:18.719 --> 01:07:22.079
the branches. I'd bet you well. I'll bet you eight

1082
01:07:22.199 --> 01:07:26.800
hundred dollars, I joked with the camper. You're demented, you

1083
01:07:26.880 --> 01:07:30.480
know that right, There's something off in your brain, the

1084
01:07:30.559 --> 01:07:33.440
camper said. I smacked him with the barrel of the

1085
01:07:33.519 --> 01:07:36.559
rifle and pointed it down the trail. For a second,

1086
01:07:36.880 --> 01:07:39.719
I thought he was going to try something, but he

1087
01:07:39.840 --> 01:07:43.559
gave up and started walking off. Why should I keep going,

1088
01:07:43.920 --> 01:07:47.039
he said, defiantly, and stopped in the path a moment later.

1089
01:07:47.679 --> 01:07:50.719
I'm gonna die either way. I'd rather get shot than

1090
01:07:50.800 --> 01:07:55.800
ripped apart. He reasoned, Well, it ain't your choice, son,

1091
01:07:56.360 --> 01:07:59.599
I explained and pointed yonder with the barrel of my gun.

1092
01:08:00.159 --> 01:08:03.119
The clearing was just ahead. He looked like he was

1093
01:08:03.199 --> 01:08:05.360
going to make a run for it, but I kept

1094
01:08:05.400 --> 01:08:08.800
the barrel pointing right between his eyes. I figured he

1095
01:08:08.880 --> 01:08:12.519
was bluffing anyway. I took him for a coward and

1096
01:08:12.719 --> 01:08:17.159
eight hundred bucks. Get on in there by that stump,

1097
01:08:17.479 --> 01:08:20.840
I commanded him. He waited a second or so before

1098
01:08:20.880 --> 01:08:24.039
following his orders. I took the rope from my pocket

1099
01:08:24.039 --> 01:08:27.119
and followed him over. I tied him up against the stump,

1100
01:08:27.199 --> 01:08:30.279
eyeing the carvings on it. Grandpa said it was the

1101
01:08:30.399 --> 01:08:33.439
natives that lived here a long time ago that carved

1102
01:08:33.439 --> 01:08:37.800
into the stump. It sure was weathered enough, Grandpa said.

1103
01:08:37.840 --> 01:08:40.840
The carvings tell how to leave offerings for old bones.

1104
01:08:41.439 --> 01:08:44.680
It's how our family figured it all out. Live food

1105
01:08:44.720 --> 01:08:48.000
gets tied up, but the dead won't run away. I've

1106
01:08:48.000 --> 01:08:51.720
never left live food before, but there's always a first time.

1107
01:08:52.399 --> 01:08:55.039
I remember my grandpa telling my father how to do

1108
01:08:55.119 --> 01:08:58.039
it when we came across a stag with a broken leg.

1109
01:08:59.000 --> 01:09:00.920
It was crazy to try try to grab the thing,

1110
01:09:01.520 --> 01:09:03.840
but it had to have been struggling for days and

1111
01:09:03.960 --> 01:09:07.000
was just tuckered out. We got it to the clearing.

1112
01:09:07.119 --> 01:09:09.880
Then they told me to leave, to go home and

1113
01:09:09.920 --> 01:09:13.640
tell mom they'd be back soon. I can still see

1114
01:09:13.640 --> 01:09:16.680
my grandpa pointing to this very stump and explaining to

1115
01:09:16.720 --> 01:09:20.359
my dad what to do. I first made the camper

1116
01:09:20.439 --> 01:09:23.399
tie up his own feet at gunpoint. I didn't want

1117
01:09:23.479 --> 01:09:26.439
him to kick me, after all, that's what my kin

1118
01:09:26.560 --> 01:09:29.520
did with the stag so many years ago. Then I

1119
01:09:29.600 --> 01:09:32.800
tied his arms around the stump, with his chin resting

1120
01:09:32.840 --> 01:09:37.119
on top and a little groove facing deeper into the forest.

1121
01:09:38.000 --> 01:09:40.239
I made sure he was good and tight before I

1122
01:09:40.279 --> 01:09:44.119
stepped back and gave the clearing a look over. Only

1123
01:09:44.159 --> 01:09:48.039
one more step left. I drew my knife and came

1124
01:09:48.159 --> 01:09:51.520
up behind the hiker. You're just going to leave me

1125
01:09:51.600 --> 01:09:56.720
here with that thing in the woods, the camper asked, Yeah,

1126
01:09:57.079 --> 01:10:01.239
that's the plan. Haven't you been paying attention? Look, man,

1127
01:10:01.600 --> 01:10:04.119
I told you it's nothing personal. If I don't get

1128
01:10:04.159 --> 01:10:07.399
the transgressor to Old Bones, then my family'll pay, and

1129
01:10:07.479 --> 01:10:10.399
I can't have that, I said, as I sliced into

1130
01:10:10.399 --> 01:10:14.239
his flesh. Not too deep, not in a vital spot,

1131
01:10:14.319 --> 01:10:18.119
mind you, just enough to make him bleed, to get

1132
01:10:18.119 --> 01:10:21.520
the scent out into the air, to let Old Bones

1133
01:10:21.600 --> 01:10:27.319
know we were ready. You're a murderer, the camper yelled out.

1134
01:10:27.880 --> 01:10:30.760
I ain't gonna murder you. That's for Old Bones to do,

1135
01:10:31.319 --> 01:10:35.880
I explained. Leaving me here is murdering me. I ain't

1136
01:10:35.960 --> 01:10:39.079
arguing semantics with a person that got himself tied up.

1137
01:10:39.399 --> 01:10:42.560
I told him, all you're saying is what you ain't

1138
01:10:42.600 --> 01:10:45.760
going to do. Well, what are you going to do? Then,

1139
01:10:46.199 --> 01:10:51.000
the camper asked me, followed by an exasperated sigh. Just

1140
01:10:51.119 --> 01:10:55.000
then Old Bones made himself known with a cry out

1141
01:10:55.000 --> 01:10:59.319
in the forest, followed by the boom of a large footfall.

1142
01:11:00.119 --> 01:11:03.399
I moved in front of the camper. I'm gonna take

1143
01:11:03.439 --> 01:11:07.319
my leave, give my regards to Old Bones, I said,

1144
01:11:07.640 --> 01:11:11.800
and turned towards the trail back home. Don't fucking leave me,

1145
01:11:12.439 --> 01:11:15.359
he yelled. As I left the clearing, I stopped and

1146
01:11:15.439 --> 01:11:19.920
turned around. The footfalls from Old Bones were getting closer

1147
01:11:20.319 --> 01:11:24.520
really quick. I got myself an idea and ducked down

1148
01:11:24.560 --> 01:11:28.079
in the small bushes that lined the clearing, peeking through

1149
01:11:28.119 --> 01:11:31.680
at my offering, this might be a good chance to

1150
01:11:31.800 --> 01:11:35.880
finally see what old bones looks like. I listened to

1151
01:11:35.920 --> 01:11:38.720
the sound of the trees creaking, as if they were

1152
01:11:38.720 --> 01:11:42.039
making way for old bones to walk among them. In

1153
01:11:42.119 --> 01:11:47.239
the distance, he could see the branches swaying. He could

1154
01:11:47.239 --> 01:11:51.199
be here any moment. The hair on the back of

1155
01:11:51.239 --> 01:11:54.239
my neck stood as a wave of chills ran through me.

1156
01:11:54.960 --> 01:11:58.640
The camper started to scream as the primordial aura of

1157
01:11:58.720 --> 01:12:03.159
old bones took over the clearing. All those years of wondering,

1158
01:12:03.840 --> 01:12:07.199
all the stories from the townsfolk, even the bits and

1159
01:12:07.279 --> 01:12:10.279
pieces of information I got from my own family, couldn't

1160
01:12:10.279 --> 01:12:12.960
prepare me for what I saw step into the clearing.

1161
01:12:13.800 --> 01:12:17.640
It stood almost twenty feet tall, standing like a person.

1162
01:12:17.680 --> 01:12:21.840
Wood thick muscles adorned its body. There were parts where

1163
01:12:21.920 --> 01:12:25.479
white bone was exposed in holes in the flesh. Its

1164
01:12:25.680 --> 01:12:28.920
huge feet were cloven, just like the prints I had

1165
01:12:28.960 --> 01:12:34.119
saw so long ago. The long arms were thin but strong.

1166
01:12:34.920 --> 01:12:37.439
The left pushed off the trunk of a pine tree.

1167
01:12:37.920 --> 01:12:41.760
The right clutched a gnarled walking staff made from some

1168
01:12:42.119 --> 01:12:45.720
ancient wood. Resting on top of its shoulders was a

1169
01:12:45.840 --> 01:12:50.880
huge head a moose's head scarred and scraped with countless

1170
01:12:50.960 --> 01:12:55.800
years of existence. The large antlers had stains and scrapes

1171
01:12:55.840 --> 01:12:59.439
as well. I tried to take it all in, but

1172
01:12:59.560 --> 01:13:04.199
my eye kept focusing on its gaze. The fires of

1173
01:13:04.239 --> 01:13:07.560
Prometheus burned in the orbs. As it looked down on

1174
01:13:07.600 --> 01:13:10.640
the offering before it. It was like looking at a

1175
01:13:10.680 --> 01:13:14.840
whacked out moose version of a minotaur. Old Bones had

1176
01:13:14.840 --> 01:13:18.720
a smell about him, like fresh turned dirt, just an

1177
01:13:18.840 --> 01:13:22.079
earthy smell about him. It was like he was part

1178
01:13:22.119 --> 01:13:26.520
of the forest. He blended in so well, except for

1179
01:13:26.600 --> 01:13:31.680
those eyes currently focused on the camper. It cocked its

1180
01:13:31.840 --> 01:13:34.840
large head like a dog and raised the staff in

1181
01:13:34.880 --> 01:13:39.119
the air. Old Bones poked the camper with the weathered end.

1182
01:13:39.920 --> 01:13:43.640
When the camper screamed out in terror, Old Bones raised

1183
01:13:43.640 --> 01:13:48.479
an eyebrow. He seemed pleased by the live offering. Even

1184
01:13:48.520 --> 01:13:51.560
from my position, I could smell the piss on the camper,

1185
01:13:52.439 --> 01:13:56.640
how disrespectful. With a large hand, Old Bones grabbed the

1186
01:13:56.680 --> 01:14:00.000
camper and raised him into the air, snapping my rope

1187
01:14:00.319 --> 01:14:03.640
like they were nothing. He opened his large moose jaw.

1188
01:14:04.239 --> 01:14:08.720
Inside weren't the teeth of a moose, but sharp fangs

1189
01:14:08.760 --> 01:14:11.800
of a carnivore. It bit off the camper's head in

1190
01:14:11.880 --> 01:14:15.439
a snap, and I nearly lost my lunch. I would

1191
01:14:15.479 --> 01:14:19.079
have been sad too. My wife makes a mean chicken salad.

1192
01:14:19.880 --> 01:14:22.680
I watched his blood poured out the side of his mouth.

1193
01:14:23.199 --> 01:14:26.359
He chewed on the head for a few seconds and swallowed.

1194
01:14:27.039 --> 01:14:30.560
He huffed twice into the air with a pointed finger.

1195
01:14:30.640 --> 01:14:33.760
He dug into the chest and ate the organs by

1196
01:14:33.840 --> 01:14:37.640
dumping the chest out all over his head into his mouth.

1197
01:14:38.319 --> 01:14:42.119
A lung missed and splattered on the ground. It exploded

1198
01:14:42.159 --> 01:14:45.600
like a water balloon. I wretched and tried to keep

1199
01:14:45.680 --> 01:14:50.199
it down. Old Bones must have heard me. Our eyes

1200
01:14:50.279 --> 01:14:54.119
met for a second. The eons of burning earth before

1201
01:14:54.159 --> 01:14:58.520
it had cooled branded my brain. I felt the ebb

1202
01:14:58.600 --> 01:15:02.239
and flow of the mag below the crust. I thought

1203
01:15:02.279 --> 01:15:05.159
I was going to die. That Old Bones was going

1204
01:15:05.199 --> 01:15:08.359
to kill me. My own stupid need to see him

1205
01:15:08.479 --> 01:15:11.840
was going to do me in. He tossed the camper's

1206
01:15:11.920 --> 01:15:15.079
corpse into the air. It landed in the branches of

1207
01:15:15.119 --> 01:15:18.279
the large pine trees. He picked up his staff and

1208
01:15:18.319 --> 01:15:21.199
took a step towards me. I didn't have it in

1209
01:15:21.239 --> 01:15:24.119
me to move. I was just trying not to break down.

1210
01:15:24.960 --> 01:15:28.039
He took a massive step and was now in front

1211
01:15:28.079 --> 01:15:32.960
of me. Mortal, Old Bones muttered. He commanded my attention.

1212
01:15:33.600 --> 01:15:37.000
His voice came from nowhere, but from everywhere. At the

1213
01:15:37.039 --> 01:15:40.840
same time, the ember stare burned into my head.

1214
01:15:41.439 --> 01:15:45.520
I thank you for the offering. It has been some

1215
01:15:45.840 --> 01:15:51.000
time since I have had flesh of a man. I

1216
01:15:51.039 --> 01:15:55.319
think I would like some more. I forgot the taste

1217
01:15:55.359 --> 01:15:59.159
of the arrogance of the young race. We need to

1218
01:15:59.279 --> 01:16:00.920
amend the deal.

1219
01:16:01.079 --> 01:16:05.279
It spoke into my brain. No, humans are hard to

1220
01:16:05.279 --> 01:16:08.680
get a hold of, and it's wrong, I replied. I

1221
01:16:08.680 --> 01:16:14.840
can't do it. Shame mortal. If I do not receive

1222
01:16:15.039 --> 01:16:19.039
a live offering of manflesh by the longest day of

1223
01:16:19.079 --> 01:16:24.920
the year, then I shall take my payment from the farms.

1224
01:16:25.399 --> 01:16:29.800
Anything else. Please don't ask this of me, I begged.

1225
01:16:30.279 --> 01:16:36.000
I have spoken, Old Bones said, and turned from me.

1226
01:16:36.680 --> 01:16:40.159
He walked into the woods without another word. I looked

1227
01:16:40.159 --> 01:16:44.319
at the camper in the trees, almost envying him if

1228
01:16:44.319 --> 01:16:47.720
I was being honest. Now I had to go home

1229
01:16:48.079 --> 01:16:52.560
and explain to our families the new terms. We dare

1230
01:16:52.640 --> 01:16:55.880
not go against Old Bones, not if we want to

1231
01:16:55.920 --> 01:16:59.479
protect our loved ones. At least now I know it.

1232
01:16:59.560 --> 01:17:03.439
Old Bones looks like if only I had left the clearing,

1233
01:17:04.239 --> 01:17:08.079
I never would have seen Old Bones or interacted with him.

1234
01:17:09.399 --> 01:17:12.880
Everyone that has seen Old Bones has had to pay

1235
01:17:12.880 --> 01:17:28.119
a price, and mine will be paid in manflesh. Whoso

1236
01:17:29.239 --> 01:17:37.520
by Joe's song, Daria looked up into the night. Was

1237
01:17:37.560 --> 01:17:41.239
that a scream? She turned to her boyfriend of three years.

1238
01:17:41.720 --> 01:17:45.239
His face was illuminated by the dancing flames of their campfire.

1239
01:17:46.079 --> 01:17:48.439
The look in his eyes told her that he had

1240
01:17:48.479 --> 01:17:52.399
heard it too. His hand subconsciously went to his belt,

1241
01:17:52.760 --> 01:17:56.760
where he had a knife attached in a sheath. It

1242
01:17:56.800 --> 01:18:01.359
was probably coyotes, Brandon said, reassuring her. Sometimes they can

1243
01:18:01.600 --> 01:18:06.760
sound like babies yelling. That was no coyote. Wasn't there

1244
01:18:06.760 --> 01:18:10.560
a car we passed up a little ways ago. Maybe

1245
01:18:10.560 --> 01:18:13.079
something happened to them. We should check to see if

1246
01:18:13.079 --> 01:18:16.560
they're okay, Daria said, I'm sure it's just a bunch

1247
01:18:16.640 --> 01:18:20.079
of drunks having a good time. I haven't heard anything since,

1248
01:18:20.960 --> 01:18:24.000
Brandon said, looking back towards the old logging road that

1249
01:18:24.079 --> 01:18:27.600
traveled its way around the small lake where they were camping.

1250
01:18:29.359 --> 01:18:32.239
We're in the woods, we're gonna hear things we aren't

1251
01:18:32.359 --> 01:18:34.960
used to. That's half the reason we come out here

1252
01:18:35.359 --> 01:18:39.199
to experience new things, he said, and smiled at her.

1253
01:18:40.079 --> 01:18:44.399
Do you need another beer, he asked, No, she said

1254
01:18:44.840 --> 01:18:48.760
sullenly and stared into the darkness towards the sound she heard.

1255
01:18:49.479 --> 01:18:52.079
She looked back at the flimsy tent and wondered what

1256
01:18:52.159 --> 01:18:55.960
kind of protection it could actually offer if something did

1257
01:18:56.000 --> 01:19:00.000
come into the camp tonight. It was her first time camping,

1258
01:19:01.399 --> 01:19:05.000
she was having a hard time relaxing. Brandon, on the

1259
01:19:05.039 --> 01:19:07.239
other hand, grew up in the woods and had no

1260
01:19:07.319 --> 01:19:10.600
problem enjoying the outdoors. It was fine during the day,

1261
01:19:10.640 --> 01:19:14.199
but once the darkness started to settle in, her anxiety

1262
01:19:15.119 --> 01:19:18.840
started to eyse. She knew somewhere inside that she was

1263
01:19:18.880 --> 01:19:23.279
just being foolish, but he wouldn't listen to her. The

1264
01:19:23.319 --> 01:19:26.359
full moon's light played off the trees and cast shadows

1265
01:19:26.439 --> 01:19:30.520
just out of the firelight. She constantly found herself looking around,

1266
01:19:30.680 --> 01:19:34.279
thinking she saw movement. Brandon said she was just nervous

1267
01:19:34.319 --> 01:19:36.880
because it was her first time in the woods. He

1268
01:19:36.920 --> 01:19:39.239
had told her that he'd camped here before and knew

1269
01:19:39.239 --> 01:19:42.760
the area well. The fresh air was great, she had

1270
01:19:42.760 --> 01:19:47.960
to admit, and the quiet was unbelievable. No hustle of

1271
01:19:48.000 --> 01:19:51.640
the city and no loud cars cranking bass driving by,

1272
01:19:52.439 --> 01:19:58.560
no fireworks or gunshots. You never really could tell. It

1273
01:19:58.640 --> 01:20:00.439
felt like they were the only peace people in the

1274
01:20:00.479 --> 01:20:04.680
world until that other car drove up the road. Brandon

1275
01:20:04.720 --> 01:20:06.800
said there were other spots to camp around the lake,

1276
01:20:07.239 --> 01:20:10.239
but it wasn't a well known area. She had tried

1277
01:20:10.279 --> 01:20:13.399
to fish earlier, but grew bored after about an hour

1278
01:20:13.479 --> 01:20:17.319
of trying. Brandon laughed at her for being impatient. She

1279
01:20:17.399 --> 01:20:19.520
looked over at the folding table where they had some

1280
01:20:19.600 --> 01:20:23.640
of their supplies sitting, everything from pans and paper plates

1281
01:20:23.680 --> 01:20:26.800
to utensils and even a tube of pringles. The rest

1282
01:20:26.840 --> 01:20:28.880
of the food had been packed away into a sealed

1283
01:20:28.880 --> 01:20:31.840
container and put in the back of their suv to

1284
01:20:31.920 --> 01:20:34.920
keep the bears away. She looked up as she thought

1285
01:20:34.920 --> 01:20:38.399
she had heard another scream. She turned back towards Brandon,

1286
01:20:38.800 --> 01:20:42.079
but he'd fallen asleep in his camp chair. She stood

1287
01:20:42.560 --> 01:20:46.840
and approached her boyfriend, who was lightly snoring. If tonight

1288
01:20:46.960 --> 01:20:49.880
was any other drinking night, then he would sleep soundly

1289
01:20:50.239 --> 01:20:54.359
through the entire night. She undid his belt and pulled

1290
01:20:54.399 --> 01:20:56.920
the knife and its hold her off and slid it

1291
01:20:56.920 --> 01:21:00.479
into the front of her shorts. She grabbed a flashlight

1292
01:21:00.520 --> 01:21:02.680
from the table and walked the little path up the

1293
01:21:02.720 --> 01:21:07.000
logging road. She looked both ways on the road, the

1294
01:21:07.079 --> 01:21:09.960
dirt illuminated by the full moon through the gap in

1295
01:21:10.000 --> 01:21:14.600
the trees above. There was no movement or sound coming

1296
01:21:14.600 --> 01:21:17.840
from either direction. She debated if she should check out

1297
01:21:17.880 --> 01:21:20.760
the other camp. She wanted to make sure they were okay.

1298
01:21:21.439 --> 01:21:23.840
It would give her a peace of mind as well

1299
01:21:23.840 --> 01:21:27.920
as making sure they were all right. She couldn't bring

1300
01:21:27.920 --> 01:21:31.720
herself to start walking down the road. She was afraid.

1301
01:21:32.800 --> 01:21:36.800
She hated to admit it though, even to herself. I'm

1302
01:21:36.800 --> 01:21:39.560
being silly, she said out loud, and turned back towards

1303
01:21:39.600 --> 01:21:43.119
her camp. The fire looked inviting from this far out

1304
01:21:43.479 --> 01:21:46.800
in the cool night. She stumbled on a route as

1305
01:21:46.840 --> 01:21:49.920
she entered the campsite, and it awoke Brandon. He rose

1306
01:21:49.960 --> 01:21:55.520
from his chair. Are you ready for bed, babe, he asked, Yeah,

1307
01:21:55.640 --> 01:21:58.039
she replied, and poured the rest of her beer onto

1308
01:21:58.119 --> 01:22:01.800
the fire to put it out. That's a waste of beer,

1309
01:22:02.119 --> 01:22:05.880
Brandon said, and unzipped his pants. He started to piss

1310
01:22:05.880 --> 01:22:11.479
on the fire. Daria headed to the tent, disgusted, hey, uh, hey, babe,

1311
01:22:11.960 --> 01:22:15.640
we should do it. It'd be fucking intense. Get it,

1312
01:22:16.079 --> 01:22:20.800
fucking intense, Brandon said, and burst out laughing. He turned

1313
01:22:20.840 --> 01:22:25.039
around and saw her slip inside the tent. No sense

1314
01:22:25.039 --> 01:22:28.960
of humor, he said, zipping up. A few minutes later,

1315
01:22:29.000 --> 01:22:31.840
Brandon was snoring next to Daria, wrapped up in his

1316
01:22:31.880 --> 01:22:35.720
sleeping bag. If only she was that lucky, she thought,

1317
01:22:35.800 --> 01:22:38.399
as she watched the faint light from the moon dance

1318
01:22:38.439 --> 01:22:41.920
in the shadows cast by the leaves. Every time the

1319
01:22:41.960 --> 01:22:44.840
breeze kicked up, she thought it was something approaching her camp.

1320
01:22:46.199 --> 01:22:48.479
There was no way she was going to sleep that night.

1321
01:22:49.479 --> 01:22:51.640
She played with the idea of sleeping in the car.

1322
01:22:52.079 --> 01:22:54.760
She might feel safer that way. As she looked at

1323
01:22:54.760 --> 01:22:58.640
the knife she still carried, she slid her fingers across

1324
01:22:58.680 --> 01:23:00.600
the edge of the blade to see how she it was.

1325
01:23:01.840 --> 01:23:04.439
A thick trail of blood ran down her finger. As

1326
01:23:04.439 --> 01:23:07.880
she misjudged how hard to press, she stuck her finger

1327
01:23:07.880 --> 01:23:10.840
in her mouth. A howl erupted out in the night.

1328
01:23:11.560 --> 01:23:15.159
She didn't know wolves lived in these woods. She turned

1329
01:23:15.159 --> 01:23:17.760
towards Brandon to see if he had heard it, but

1330
01:23:17.840 --> 01:23:21.119
he was still snoring. She tried to place where the

1331
01:23:21.119 --> 01:23:24.319
howl had come from. In her mind, she thought it

1332
01:23:24.359 --> 01:23:26.840
came from the same area as the screams they thought

1333
01:23:26.880 --> 01:23:32.359
they had heard earlier. It's just my imagination, she whispered

1334
01:23:32.439 --> 01:23:35.600
and tried to close her eyes, but she was filled

1335
01:23:35.600 --> 01:23:39.239
with nervous energy. She thought about how if Brandon was awake,

1336
01:23:39.600 --> 01:23:42.319
she would take him up on his offer, just to

1337
01:23:42.319 --> 01:23:46.000
have the companionship. At that moment, she thought about waking

1338
01:23:46.039 --> 01:23:49.760
him up. She knew if she did, he would be pissed.

1339
01:23:51.319 --> 01:23:53.760
Was that a twig snap? She sat up in the tent.

1340
01:23:54.319 --> 01:23:57.399
It sounded really close to the tent. The hairs on

1341
01:23:57.439 --> 01:24:00.239
her arms rose up and gave her goose bumps. Looked

1342
01:24:00.279 --> 01:24:02.079
down at the knife and realized she was holding it

1343
01:24:02.119 --> 01:24:04.720
as hard as she could. The handle was sticky from

1344
01:24:04.720 --> 01:24:08.840
where she bled from the cut. Okay, that time, it

1345
01:24:08.880 --> 01:24:12.439
was definitely close to camp. She tapped Brandon on the shoulder.

1346
01:24:12.960 --> 01:24:14.680
He could be as pissed as he wanted to be.

1347
01:24:14.920 --> 01:24:18.960
She needed him right now, but he didn't stir. It

1348
01:24:19.039 --> 01:24:22.239
was then that she saw the shadow pass over the tent.

1349
01:24:23.319 --> 01:24:27.600
What the fuck was that, she wondered, and poked Brandon harder.

1350
01:24:28.520 --> 01:24:31.119
The large shadow stopped near the flaps of the tent,

1351
01:24:31.159 --> 01:24:35.359
and she could hear a sniffing sound. Fuck, fuck, fuck,

1352
01:24:35.439 --> 01:24:38.840
it's a bear, she whispered and started to shake in fear.

1353
01:24:39.800 --> 01:24:44.319
A low growl came from outside. A shadowy appendage rose

1354
01:24:44.359 --> 01:24:48.439
in the darkness, and she could see claws of the beast.

1355
01:24:48.760 --> 01:24:51.039
She punched Brandon in the face and he woke up.

1356
01:24:52.159 --> 01:24:55.079
What the he started to say, but she put her

1357
01:24:55.079 --> 01:24:57.600
hand over his mouth and pointed to the tent entrance.

1358
01:24:58.600 --> 01:25:01.319
His eyes grew huge as he saw the shape in

1359
01:25:01.359 --> 01:25:05.800
the moonlight. The sniffing continued. He reached down to his

1360
01:25:05.840 --> 01:25:09.479
waist for the knife, but it wasn't there. The shadow

1361
01:25:09.520 --> 01:25:12.279
moved toward Daria's side of the tent, and she practically

1362
01:25:12.359 --> 01:25:15.319
leaped on top of Brandon. She saw the thin fabric

1363
01:25:15.399 --> 01:25:18.520
stretch as the animal pushed against it with its face

1364
01:25:19.319 --> 01:25:24.199
still sniffing. She looked down at her hand. Oh shit,

1365
01:25:24.560 --> 01:25:28.159
she whispered, and showed Brandon her bloody finger. He took

1366
01:25:28.199 --> 01:25:30.359
the knife from her and rolled his eyes. He pulled

1367
01:25:30.399 --> 01:25:33.079
his pants on as a growl came from behind them.

1368
01:25:33.359 --> 01:25:37.479
The tent shook from the animal probing it. He grabbed

1369
01:25:37.479 --> 01:25:39.840
her and pointed towards the flap on the tent as

1370
01:25:39.840 --> 01:25:43.000
he handed her the car keys. She tried to protest,

1371
01:25:43.439 --> 01:25:47.000
but he shook his head. Her heart pounded in her chest,

1372
01:25:47.239 --> 01:25:51.199
but her limbs felt heavy, almost frozen. She wasn't sure

1373
01:25:51.239 --> 01:25:54.439
she could make a run for it. The growling stopped

1374
01:25:55.640 --> 01:26:00.439
and all was silent for a moment. The shadow moved

1375
01:26:00.439 --> 01:26:04.520
off the tent into the woods. They could hear footfalls

1376
01:26:05.279 --> 01:26:08.880
of whatever it was. Brandon made his way to the

1377
01:26:08.960 --> 01:26:13.840
zipper on the tent and undid it. Slowly now, he said,

1378
01:26:13.880 --> 01:26:16.600
and opened the flap. She hesitated for just a moment,

1379
01:26:16.720 --> 01:26:18.920
and he pushed her out of the tent, following right

1380
01:26:18.960 --> 01:26:21.560
behind her. She scanned the campsite for whatever it was,

1381
01:26:22.239 --> 01:26:25.760
but didn't see anything. A great howl came from behind

1382
01:26:25.760 --> 01:26:28.960
the tent that made her move. She took off to

1383
01:26:29.000 --> 01:26:31.840
the short trail towards the car. In the darkness, she

1384
01:26:31.920 --> 01:26:35.319
heard Brandon behind her. Oh shit, oh shit, he said,

1385
01:26:35.399 --> 01:26:37.520
and she turned around to see what he was talking about.

1386
01:26:38.359 --> 01:26:41.840
A great black shape in the darkness charged after them,

1387
01:26:42.000 --> 01:26:44.119
and she ran to the car and yanked the door open.

1388
01:26:44.359 --> 01:26:46.520
She turned her head towards Brandon and saw him fifteen

1389
01:26:46.560 --> 01:26:49.359
feet from the car. The large black shape bounced with

1390
01:26:49.439 --> 01:26:52.479
lightning speed and landed on his back, driving him to

1391
01:26:52.520 --> 01:26:56.239
the ground. No, she screamed, and the beast looked up

1392
01:26:56.279 --> 01:27:00.840
in her direction. Its yellow eyes glowed reflected the moonlight.

1393
01:27:01.520 --> 01:27:04.319
She'd never seen a bear up close before, but she

1394
01:27:04.399 --> 01:27:11.560
knew instantly that it wasn't a bear. Close the door.

1395
01:27:11.840 --> 01:27:14.239
Brandon called out to her from under the beast, which

1396
01:27:14.279 --> 01:27:16.239
had put a clawed hand down on the back of

1397
01:27:16.319 --> 01:27:19.479
his head, driving his face into the ground. She yanked

1398
01:27:19.479 --> 01:27:21.720
the door closed and plunged the key into the ignition.

1399
01:27:22.000 --> 01:27:23.800
The engine roared to life, and she turned on the

1400
01:27:23.840 --> 01:27:26.760
headlights and threw the car into reverse. She lined the

1401
01:27:26.760 --> 01:27:28.279
front of the car up with the camp so that

1402
01:27:28.319 --> 01:27:31.319
she could see what was happening. The beast, she didn't

1403
01:27:31.319 --> 01:27:33.640
know what else to call. It, stood on its hind

1404
01:27:33.720 --> 01:27:35.479
legs like a human.

1405
01:27:37.560 --> 01:27:41.960
There's more scares where that came from. Weakly, spooky, will

1406
01:27:42.000 --> 01:27:42.800
be right back.

1407
01:27:45.920 --> 01:27:48.720
Its face had a snout like a dog's, and its

1408
01:27:48.760 --> 01:27:52.159
body was covered in cordid muscle and silvery black hair

1409
01:27:52.640 --> 01:27:56.279
shining in the moonlight. She beat the horn several times.

1410
01:27:56.880 --> 01:28:01.560
Get the fuck off him, she yelled at the the werewolf.

1411
01:28:02.199 --> 01:28:04.399
There was no other way to describe it. It was

1412
01:28:04.439 --> 01:28:07.840
a goddamn werewolf. The beast roared and leapt onto the

1413
01:28:07.880 --> 01:28:10.359
hood of the car with a metallic clang on impact,

1414
01:28:10.520 --> 01:28:13.479
its snarling face a mere inch from the windshield. She

1415
01:28:13.600 --> 01:28:17.159
watched as saliva dripped from its canines as long as

1416
01:28:17.159 --> 01:28:20.479
a thumb. Tears streaked across her face, and she wiped

1417
01:28:20.479 --> 01:28:23.359
her hand across her brow. Behind the werewolf, she could

1418
01:28:23.359 --> 01:28:26.319
see Brandon getting to his knees in the headlights. She

1419
01:28:26.399 --> 01:28:28.760
waved her hands around, trying to keep the creature's attention,

1420
01:28:29.199 --> 01:28:32.760
its yellow eyes darting back and forth watching her movements.

1421
01:28:33.119 --> 01:28:37.560
Snarls escaped its mouth as it watched her. A clawed

1422
01:28:37.600 --> 01:28:40.920
hand so much like a human's, pounded on the glass,

1423
01:28:41.239 --> 01:28:45.000
making tiny cracks in the windshield. Brandon darted around towards

1424
01:28:45.000 --> 01:28:47.439
the passenger side of the suv. The movement caught the

1425
01:28:47.439 --> 01:28:50.239
werewolf's eye, and within human speed, it dove on top

1426
01:28:50.239 --> 01:28:53.640
of Brandon. Daria watched as its clawed hand sunk into

1427
01:28:53.680 --> 01:28:57.039
Brandon's back like a hot knife through butter. Blood began

1428
01:28:57.079 --> 01:28:59.760
to seep from the wounds as Brandon screamed out in pain,

1429
01:29:00.560 --> 01:29:04.760
so much like the screams she had heard earlier. Frantic,

1430
01:29:04.840 --> 01:29:07.359
she looked around the front seat looking for anything to help,

1431
01:29:07.520 --> 01:29:11.600
but she came up empty. Go, Brandon managed to say

1432
01:29:11.600 --> 01:29:14.359
between screams. She didn't want to leave him here. She

1433
01:29:14.439 --> 01:29:16.520
put the car in gear and backed it up a little.

1434
01:29:16.720 --> 01:29:19.159
The headlights illuminated a grizzly scene in front of her.

1435
01:29:19.439 --> 01:29:22.560
Brandon was lying face down. His back was covered in blood.

1436
01:29:22.680 --> 01:29:25.720
The werewolf still had its claws embedded in her boyfriend's back.

1437
01:29:26.039 --> 01:29:28.840
She beaped the horn to get its attention. Fuck you,

1438
01:29:29.079 --> 01:29:32.119
teen wolf, she said, and floored it. The car struck

1439
01:29:32.159 --> 01:29:34.199
the beast on the left hip, spinning it around. As

1440
01:29:34.199 --> 01:29:36.640
the car drove across the narrow, dirt logging road and

1441
01:29:36.680 --> 01:29:40.119
struck a tree, Smoke rose from the dented hood in

1442
01:29:40.199 --> 01:29:44.039
the headlights. Shit, she said, and looked in the rearview mirror.

1443
01:29:44.279 --> 01:29:47.279
She saw Brandon lying there in the road, but she

1444
01:29:47.359 --> 01:29:51.800
didn't see the beast. Maybe she'd taken it out. She

1445
01:29:51.920 --> 01:29:55.000
tried to back the car up, but it was stuck.

1446
01:29:55.760 --> 01:29:57.960
The tires spun in the ditch the front end had

1447
01:29:58.000 --> 01:30:02.520
fallen into and moved an arm. He was still alive.

1448
01:30:03.359 --> 01:30:06.000
She had to help him. She craned her neck around

1449
01:30:06.000 --> 01:30:08.479
and saw no sign of the monster. She opened the

1450
01:30:08.479 --> 01:30:12.760
car door and raced to her boyfriend. Why didn't you go,

1451
01:30:13.239 --> 01:30:17.159
he asked between gurgles as blood escaped his mouth. She

1452
01:30:17.279 --> 01:30:19.720
lifted the blue flannel shirt he was wearing and saw

1453
01:30:19.760 --> 01:30:22.319
the hole in his back. She had expected a few

1454
01:30:22.319 --> 01:30:26.920
puncture wounds, but this was a gaping hole. I'm not

1455
01:30:27.039 --> 01:30:31.520
leaving you behind, she said, Can you get up? No,

1456
01:30:33.079 --> 01:30:37.840
just go, he said, I can't feel my legs. She

1457
01:30:37.880 --> 01:30:41.399
looked at his injury again and it suddenly became clear.

1458
01:30:43.079 --> 01:30:46.159
The hole in his back was where his spine should

1459
01:30:46.199 --> 01:30:50.119
have been. A good nine inches of it was missing.

1460
01:30:50.880 --> 01:30:54.279
She heard a snarl behind her, and she turned. The

1461
01:30:54.279 --> 01:30:57.399
beast was backlit from the crashed car. She looked at

1462
01:30:57.399 --> 01:31:02.960
its clawed hand it held Brandon's spine. It approached her

1463
01:31:02.960 --> 01:31:05.159
and swung it at her, striking her in the face

1464
01:31:05.640 --> 01:31:08.720
with her boyfriend's backbone. She fell over backwards on the

1465
01:31:08.720 --> 01:31:12.880
far side of Brandon, who screamed again. The beast stood

1466
01:31:12.960 --> 01:31:15.880
on top of him and sniffed toward her. It was

1467
01:31:16.000 --> 01:31:18.760
her blood that had brought the beast to their campsite,

1468
01:31:18.800 --> 01:31:22.600
she thought. It snarled at her and put one hairy,

1469
01:31:22.760 --> 01:31:27.359
clawed finger on the back of her boyfriend's neck, as

1470
01:31:27.399 --> 01:31:32.039
if teasing her. The werewolf's intelligence was apparent in its

1471
01:31:32.159 --> 01:31:38.520
cruel eyes. From this close, Please, she begged between sobs,

1472
01:31:39.359 --> 01:31:42.840
Please leave us alone. The werewolf looked down at Brandon,

1473
01:31:43.279 --> 01:31:47.199
then back at her, as if deciding who it wanted more.

1474
01:31:47.800 --> 01:31:51.279
Leave him alone, you son of a bitch, she yelled out,

1475
01:31:51.479 --> 01:31:54.479
and the werewolf sent her tumbling with a backhand slap.

1476
01:31:55.560 --> 01:31:57.680
She rolled into a pine tree and it knocked the

1477
01:31:57.720 --> 01:32:00.000
wind out of her. She tried to get to her feet,

1478
01:32:00.239 --> 01:32:04.199
but her body wouldn't yet respond. She heard a wet,

1479
01:32:04.439 --> 01:32:08.239
snapping sound coming from the road, and she winced, knowing

1480
01:32:08.319 --> 01:32:11.439
it came from her boyfriend. A moment later, she could

1481
01:32:11.479 --> 01:32:15.119
finally move. She stood unsteadily, using the tree to help

1482
01:32:15.159 --> 01:32:17.680
her up. The werewolf had its back to her as

1483
01:32:17.720 --> 01:32:22.119
it snacked on Brandon, gnawing into his upper arm. Brandon

1484
01:32:22.199 --> 01:32:26.960
wasn't screaming anymore. He had to be dead, she thought.

1485
01:32:27.840 --> 01:32:29.520
She wiped her hair out of her face and took

1486
01:32:29.560 --> 01:32:32.800
a step towards the monster. It didn't seem to notice

1487
01:32:32.800 --> 01:32:36.199
her yet. Two more steps and she watched in horror

1488
01:32:36.800 --> 01:32:41.279
as the monster devoured the love of her life. Her

1489
01:32:41.319 --> 01:32:47.760
fright started to fade miraculously, and a calm it took

1490
01:32:47.800 --> 01:32:52.039
over her. Cold and calculating, her mind thought of all

1491
01:32:52.079 --> 01:32:56.279
the stories she'd heard about werewolves and how to kill them.

1492
01:32:56.600 --> 01:33:00.479
There were no silver bullets or silver anything around for

1493
01:33:00.520 --> 01:33:05.560
that matter. She wondered if fire would kill it, but

1494
01:33:05.640 --> 01:33:08.319
the campfire had gone out, and she doubted the werewolf

1495
01:33:08.319 --> 01:33:13.199
would wait for her to start another another step. She

1496
01:33:13.279 --> 01:33:17.119
could smell the animal. She could smell Brandon's blood on

1497
01:33:17.159 --> 01:33:21.199
the beast. As it huffed and growled, Its blood lusted ecstasy.

1498
01:33:22.560 --> 01:33:25.359
A glint in the moonlight caught her eye and she

1499
01:33:25.359 --> 01:33:30.560
couldn't believe her luck. Just behind the beast, by Brandon's

1500
01:33:30.560 --> 01:33:35.399
feet was the knife. She crouched carefully and grabbed it

1501
01:33:35.399 --> 01:33:39.000
in her hand. With a surge of courage, she jumped

1502
01:33:39.000 --> 01:33:41.760
on the creature's back, swinging the knife around and plunging

1503
01:33:41.800 --> 01:33:45.199
it into its neck. A scream rutted from the beast.

1504
01:33:45.439 --> 01:33:48.680
She felt it reverberate through the werewolf's body. It tried

1505
01:33:48.720 --> 01:33:51.800
to stand, and she held on with everything she had.

1506
01:33:52.279 --> 01:33:54.960
As the beast thrashed around, she heard ripping as the

1507
01:33:55.039 --> 01:33:58.079
knife cut deeper into it. It swung its arms around

1508
01:33:58.079 --> 01:34:01.600
trying to grab her, but failed. It did manage to

1509
01:34:01.600 --> 01:34:04.159
cut her legs and hips up with its wild swings,

1510
01:34:04.159 --> 01:34:07.279
though it stood at its full height and started to

1511
01:34:07.319 --> 01:34:09.319
back up while trying to swing its head around to

1512
01:34:09.359 --> 01:34:12.279
bite her. She put her free hand around the thing's

1513
01:34:12.359 --> 01:34:15.680
neck under the jaw, but not before it nipped her.

1514
01:34:16.119 --> 01:34:18.640
She screamed in pain and could see the blood poured

1515
01:34:18.680 --> 01:34:21.359
from her forearm. With a better grip, she pulled the

1516
01:34:21.439 --> 01:34:24.920
knife towards her, ripping into the werewolf's flesh. Carving her

1517
01:34:25.000 --> 01:34:28.039
way around it. She could see a gap in its flesh.

1518
01:34:28.199 --> 01:34:31.840
She pulled harder. The beast backed its way into a tree,

1519
01:34:31.880 --> 01:34:34.880
trying to crush her beneath its weight and the hard surface.

1520
01:34:35.520 --> 01:34:37.600
She nearly lost her grip on the knife as it

1521
01:34:37.640 --> 01:34:40.800
grew so slippery from all the blood. It howled in

1522
01:34:40.920 --> 01:34:45.119
pain and fell down to all fours. Daria sat on

1523
01:34:45.159 --> 01:34:48.199
its back, pulling on its dog like ears to expose

1524
01:34:48.239 --> 01:34:51.199
the throat better. She pictured what it looked like from

1525
01:34:51.199 --> 01:34:54.439
down the road and smiled, thinking about someone finding her

1526
01:34:54.479 --> 01:34:58.119
writing on the back of a werewolf. It's funny how

1527
01:34:58.119 --> 01:35:01.960
the mind wanders at the weirdest time, she thought. She

1528
01:35:02.000 --> 01:35:04.720
reached around as far as she could and replanted the

1529
01:35:04.800 --> 01:35:08.000
knife into the werewolf's throat. Its frantic movements had begun

1530
01:35:08.039 --> 01:35:11.800
to slow, and she finally had some hope she might

1531
01:35:11.840 --> 01:35:15.199
come out of this alive. The werewolf fell over on

1532
01:35:15.319 --> 01:35:18.239
its side and she lost her grip. The knife was

1533
01:35:18.319 --> 01:35:22.279
under the body. Disgusted with even the thought of doing so,

1534
01:35:22.439 --> 01:35:24.880
she wrapped her undamaged arm under the jaw of the

1535
01:35:24.920 --> 01:35:29.000
beast and yanked upwards as hard as she could. Tissue

1536
01:35:29.079 --> 01:35:32.760
ripped and gave way, and the beast wasn't fighting any more.

1537
01:35:33.239 --> 01:35:35.960
She adjusted and got a grip with both hands and yanked.

1538
01:35:36.399 --> 01:35:39.439
She heard a loud pop and the head came loose.

1539
01:35:40.039 --> 01:35:43.279
She fell over backwards, still clutching the severed head in

1540
01:35:43.359 --> 01:35:46.640
her hands. She dropped it and got back to her feet.

1541
01:35:46.880 --> 01:35:50.319
She stumbled around the body back to Brandon, but it

1542
01:35:50.359 --> 01:35:55.239
was too late. He was dead. She wiped blood from

1543
01:35:55.279 --> 01:35:58.359
her arm on his flannel shirt and removed his belt

1544
01:35:58.520 --> 01:36:01.840
for a tourniquet. She looked at the monster that had

1545
01:36:01.920 --> 01:36:04.479
ruined her life in the light from the full moon,

1546
01:36:05.119 --> 01:36:08.800
and spit on it. A few moments later, she'd started

1547
01:36:08.800 --> 01:36:11.199
the fire up again and walked back to the road

1548
01:36:11.239 --> 01:36:15.319
to grab the body of the monster to burn. When

1549
01:36:15.359 --> 01:36:21.079
she arrived, there was no creature. A naked, middle aged

1550
01:36:21.119 --> 01:36:24.720
man's severed head stared back at her as she dragged

1551
01:36:24.720 --> 01:36:28.560
its body to the fire. She wasn't taking any chances.

1552
01:36:29.119 --> 01:36:32.199
The smell of the burning body was too much to bear,

1553
01:36:32.239 --> 01:36:34.079
and she headed back to the road to see if

1554
01:36:34.079 --> 01:36:38.359
she could get her car unstuck. She tried to rock

1555
01:36:38.399 --> 01:36:41.359
it back and forth, but it wasn't going to budge.

1556
01:36:41.960 --> 01:36:45.239
She gave up and looked down the logging road. It

1557
01:36:45.319 --> 01:36:48.439
was about two miles to the highway. She could walk

1558
01:36:48.479 --> 01:36:51.159
that and hope to hitch for a ride back to

1559
01:36:51.199 --> 01:36:54.119
the city. She put one foot in front of the

1560
01:36:54.159 --> 01:36:57.920
other and started out down the road. The winding path

1561
01:36:58.039 --> 01:37:00.640
was illuminated from the full moon through the break in

1562
01:37:00.680 --> 01:37:05.479
the trees above. After about three minutes, she saw a

1563
01:37:05.520 --> 01:37:09.920
fire and hope swelled up inside her. There was another camp.

1564
01:37:10.720 --> 01:37:12.680
She could hitch a ride with them and get out

1565
01:37:12.680 --> 01:37:15.680
of here. As she approached the site, she could smell

1566
01:37:15.720 --> 01:37:22.079
a sweet smell. It was nearly intoxicating. What was that,

1567
01:37:22.600 --> 01:37:27.000
she thought? Was it some moorse It was more enticing

1568
01:37:27.039 --> 01:37:30.920
than anything she'd smelled before. She approached the campsite, slowly

1569
01:37:31.399 --> 01:37:35.840
peering through the trees at the campers within. How Thomas,

1570
01:37:36.079 --> 01:37:39.600
that really hurt? Look, look, I'm bleeding, came a female

1571
01:37:39.680 --> 01:37:43.319
voice from within. I'm sorry, babe, I was only joking.

1572
01:37:44.159 --> 01:37:47.039
She heard a male voice call out. She licked her

1573
01:37:47.039 --> 01:37:49.960
lips at the smell and was startled to find her

1574
01:37:50.000 --> 01:37:55.199
canine teeth felt so much bigger. She felt something moving

1575
01:37:55.279 --> 01:37:59.319
under her skin and watched in surprise horror as her

1576
01:37:59.359 --> 01:38:04.720
nose grew into a snout. What was that noise? Daria

1577
01:38:04.800 --> 01:38:07.520
heard the woman say It was hard to make it

1578
01:38:07.560 --> 01:38:10.880
out now that all the other for sounds were suddenly louder.

1579
01:38:11.880 --> 01:38:15.319
She stepped into a clearing, trying to calm the campers,

1580
01:38:15.760 --> 01:38:21.199
but the woman's scream surprised her. Where wolf. The woman

1581
01:38:21.279 --> 01:38:25.520
screamed and pointed at her, but she didn't notice because

1582
01:38:25.560 --> 01:38:37.439
she was focused on the woman's bleeding. Ooo. The deal

1583
01:38:37.640 --> 01:38:42.039
was great, but the payments are hell. By Joe Salmo

1584
01:38:43.439 --> 01:38:48.920
Knock Knock Knock. Jeremiah walked to the front door with

1585
01:38:48.960 --> 01:38:52.239
his daddy's trusty Colt in his hand. He wouldn't let

1586
01:38:52.279 --> 01:38:55.319
them take him. He didn't know how they found him.

1587
01:38:55.760 --> 01:38:58.920
He was really careful this time. He followed the rules

1588
01:38:58.920 --> 01:39:02.479
as father laid out so long ago. He checked the

1589
01:39:02.520 --> 01:39:05.520
locks on the cheap motel door before placing an eye

1590
01:39:05.560 --> 01:39:11.479
at the peep hole. Pizza delivery guy, Really, they thought

1591
01:39:11.479 --> 01:39:15.000
he would fall for that one. Didn't order any You

1592
01:39:15.079 --> 01:39:19.199
got the wrong room, Jeremiah said in a lowered pitch voice.

1593
01:39:19.840 --> 01:39:25.520
He gripped his pistol hard. This room twenty five, mister Gridle,

1594
01:39:26.399 --> 01:39:27.119
It's reedle.

1595
01:39:27.720 --> 01:39:28.720
I changed my mind.

1596
01:39:28.760 --> 01:39:32.079
I don't want the pizza, Jeremiah said, placing the end

1597
01:39:32.159 --> 01:39:34.359
of the barrel against the cheap wood of the door.

1598
01:39:35.239 --> 01:39:37.359
I can't return it. They're gonna take it out of

1599
01:39:37.359 --> 01:39:41.680
my pay. Come on, man, have a heart, the pizza

1600
01:39:41.720 --> 01:39:46.359
delivery guy said. Jeremiah watched the man's shoulders sag as

1601
01:39:46.359 --> 01:39:50.680
he grew dejected. Man, this guy was good. Wonder where

1602
01:39:50.680 --> 01:39:56.279
they found him. Sorry, I refuse delivery, Jeremiah said, running

1603
01:39:56.319 --> 01:40:00.159
his left hand through his shoulder length, greasy hair. You

1604
01:40:00.199 --> 01:40:03.600
can't do that. Come on, you owe me eighteen bucks,

1605
01:40:04.239 --> 01:40:08.560
the delivery guy said. Let me ask you something. What's

1606
01:40:08.600 --> 01:40:14.359
your name, Jeremiah asked, Kevin. Let me ask you something, Kevin,

1607
01:40:15.319 --> 01:40:18.920
where did you get that uniform? Jeremiah said, looking at

1608
01:40:18.960 --> 01:40:21.960
the red and black polo shirt Kevin was wearing through

1609
01:40:22.000 --> 01:40:25.920
the people. What they gave it to me when I

1610
01:40:25.920 --> 01:40:30.720
got hired. Kevin responded, we both know that is a costume.

1611
01:40:31.359 --> 01:40:35.520
Where's your real uniform? Jeremiah asked, as a bead of

1612
01:40:35.600 --> 01:40:39.399
sweat ran down his unshaven cheek. It was getting hot

1613
01:40:39.439 --> 01:40:43.039
in here. Look, dude, I don't know what the fuck

1614
01:40:43.119 --> 01:40:45.800
you're talking about. Are you going to open the fucking

1615
01:40:45.880 --> 01:40:48.640
door or not? I got other deliveries to make and

1616
01:40:48.680 --> 01:40:52.800
I ain't got time for no damn weirdos. Slowly, with

1617
01:40:52.920 --> 01:40:56.319
his gun still in his hand, Jeremiah reached up and

1618
01:40:56.439 --> 01:41:00.520
slid the chain out of the lock with practice ease.

1619
01:41:00.680 --> 01:41:04.760
He unlocked it without making a sound. He reached down

1620
01:41:04.800 --> 01:41:08.800
to the handle and paused, you'd love it if I

1621
01:41:09.000 --> 01:41:11.800
just opened the door, wouldn't you? It would make your

1622
01:41:11.880 --> 01:41:17.439
job so easy. Jeremiah said, Yeah, actually that would be

1623
01:41:17.520 --> 01:41:20.760
fucking great. Open the door, pay for the goddamn pizza,

1624
01:41:20.760 --> 01:41:24.239
and let me get on with my life, Kevin said. Exasperated,

1625
01:41:25.000 --> 01:41:28.279
Jeremiah yanked the door open and grabbed the pizza from Kevin.

1626
01:41:28.840 --> 01:41:31.000
Before he knew it, the pizza delivery guy was staring

1627
01:41:31.000 --> 01:41:34.960
down the barrel of a revolver. It's your lucky day.

1628
01:41:35.840 --> 01:41:40.840
I opened the door. Now get inside, in Fernie, Jeremiah said,

1629
01:41:41.159 --> 01:41:44.079
backing a step from the door to allow Kevin to enter.

1630
01:41:44.640 --> 01:41:48.479
I won't ask twice. Kevin shuffled past the gunman and

1631
01:41:48.560 --> 01:41:51.439
into the motel room. It looked like someone was living

1632
01:41:51.439 --> 01:41:54.760
here for a while. Piles of clothes littered the floor

1633
01:41:54.800 --> 01:42:00.600
among the other squalor, sit down, Cambian, Jeremiah spat, motioning

1634
01:42:00.720 --> 01:42:02.680
the tip of the barrel at a table and chair

1635
01:42:02.720 --> 01:42:07.039
combo in the corner of the room. Yo, what did

1636
01:42:07.079 --> 01:42:11.279
you call me? Kevin asked. I know your true nature, fiend,

1637
01:42:11.680 --> 01:42:14.600
drop the act. You're going to answer a few questions

1638
01:42:14.640 --> 01:42:17.399
for me, Jeremiah said, as he sat down on the

1639
01:42:17.479 --> 01:42:20.840
edge of the bed. How did you find me? The

1640
01:42:20.960 --> 01:42:23.800
delivery app has the address. You must have given it

1641
01:42:23.840 --> 01:42:26.960
when you called in for the pizza, Kevin said, eyeing

1642
01:42:27.000 --> 01:42:29.760
the box sitting on the bed next to the deranged

1643
01:42:29.800 --> 01:42:33.119
man with a gun. I didn't tell him which room

1644
01:42:33.159 --> 01:42:35.479
it was. You were supposed to drop it at the

1645
01:42:35.520 --> 01:42:39.319
front desk, So tell me, how are you tracking me?

1646
01:42:40.039 --> 01:42:44.880
Some kind of dark juju? A blood hex blood ah,

1647
01:42:45.119 --> 01:42:47.119
that must be it. You smell the blood of your

1648
01:42:47.159 --> 01:42:51.359
own kind. I've killed before, you know, a dozen or so.

1649
01:42:51.920 --> 01:42:55.600
My father showed me the kinks in your armor, Jeremiah

1650
01:42:55.640 --> 01:42:59.119
said as he stood and took two steps towards Kevin.

1651
01:43:00.159 --> 01:43:03.760
My kind. What kind of racist shit is that? Kevin

1652
01:43:03.800 --> 01:43:08.239
replied angrily. Up until now, Jeremiah hadn't noticed that the

1653
01:43:08.319 --> 01:43:09.239
man was black.

1654
01:43:10.119 --> 01:43:10.960
You know what I mean.

1655
01:43:11.079 --> 01:43:13.800
Just admit who you really are, and I will toy

1656
01:43:14.079 --> 01:43:16.680
with the idea of letting you go. I know, I

1657
01:43:16.680 --> 01:43:20.239
said I killed a bunch before. But if you cooperate,

1658
01:43:20.680 --> 01:43:24.199
Jeremiah said, and lowered the gun to his side. I

1659
01:43:24.359 --> 01:43:28.199
just want this to end. Look, I just deliver pizzas.

1660
01:43:28.960 --> 01:43:30.680
Just tell me what you want me to say, and

1661
01:43:30.720 --> 01:43:32.840
I'll say it and we can both go on with

1662
01:43:32.920 --> 01:43:36.640
our lives, Kevin said, wide eyed. A shiver ran up

1663
01:43:36.680 --> 01:43:39.319
his spine as he looked at the twisted features of

1664
01:43:39.359 --> 01:43:42.920
the man with the gun. Just tell me how they

1665
01:43:43.000 --> 01:43:45.439
track me? How do they always pop up no matter

1666
01:43:45.479 --> 01:43:48.279
how far I go? Just tell me this one thing,

1667
01:43:49.359 --> 01:43:54.520
Jeremiah sighed. He sounded tired. He was tired. Being on

1668
01:43:54.560 --> 01:43:57.600
the run was wearing him down. His father warned him

1669
01:43:57.640 --> 01:44:02.000
about getting enough rest that and not eating white castles.

1670
01:44:02.479 --> 01:44:05.279
Can't get the shits when you're on the run. Who

1671
01:44:05.319 --> 01:44:10.119
are they? Maybe it's your cell phone, your kind and

1672
01:44:10.199 --> 01:44:15.199
I don't got one, your car, stolen credit cards? I

1673
01:44:15.279 --> 01:44:18.760
pay cash for everything. Then fuck man, I don't know,

1674
01:44:19.439 --> 01:44:24.600
Kevin said and shivered. What's the matter cold, Jeremiah inquired,

1675
01:44:24.600 --> 01:44:26.640
as he took off his own jacket and tossed it

1676
01:44:26.680 --> 01:44:32.159
on the bed. It's a little cold for me, Kevin responded, Aha,

1677
01:44:32.479 --> 01:44:36.680
I knew it a little warmer back home, isn't it. Yeah, man,

1678
01:44:37.079 --> 01:44:39.880
I'm from Atlanta. I'm not used to this New England

1679
01:44:39.920 --> 01:44:42.800
fall weather, damn tuitions so high. I had to get

1680
01:44:42.800 --> 01:44:47.079
a damn job delivering pizzas to crazy white folk. Kevin mumbled.

1681
01:44:47.800 --> 01:44:51.720
Atlanta a, Jeremiah said, and crouched down in front of

1682
01:44:51.720 --> 01:44:56.640
his captive. You sure that's where you're from. Spent my

1683
01:44:56.720 --> 01:44:59.039
whole life there until I met my girl and followed

1684
01:44:59.039 --> 01:45:01.439
her to college. Why don't you just come out and

1685
01:45:01.479 --> 01:45:04.520
say what you mean? Think I'm being all elusive and shit?

1686
01:45:05.079 --> 01:45:07.960
Where do you think I'm from? Kevin asked, and reached

1687
01:45:07.960 --> 01:45:11.399
for the pizza box on the nearby bed. Jeremiah slapped

1688
01:45:11.399 --> 01:45:14.720
his hand away. No pizza. It's probably got some kind

1689
01:45:14.760 --> 01:45:19.439
of edible tracer in it. Wow, just wow. You're gonna

1690
01:45:19.439 --> 01:45:22.000
hold me hostage and not even feed me the pizza.

1691
01:45:22.079 --> 01:45:24.399
They are gonna charge my ass for when it's all over.

1692
01:45:25.239 --> 01:45:29.760
That's cold, man. To answer your question, I know where

1693
01:45:29.800 --> 01:45:34.279
you're from. It's a lot hotter than Atlanta, though, Cambian,

1694
01:45:35.439 --> 01:45:38.119
what did you call me? I ain't never heard that

1695
01:45:38.159 --> 01:45:42.520
one before, Kevin said, getting more agitated and less afraid

1696
01:45:42.560 --> 01:45:46.760
as the conversation went on. Cambian, that's what you are,

1697
01:45:47.479 --> 01:45:51.279
the spawn of an incubus and a succubus demon spawn

1698
01:45:51.640 --> 01:45:54.840
sent to get me. My father warned me of your kind.

1699
01:45:55.079 --> 01:45:57.560
He told me how you follow my family around and

1700
01:45:57.640 --> 01:46:00.880
cause ruin, how it was up to me to stop it,

1701
01:46:01.600 --> 01:46:05.239
to kill the demons plaguing us. I've done a few

1702
01:46:05.279 --> 01:46:08.319
in but it looks like my work ain't done. I

1703
01:46:08.399 --> 01:46:11.479
know what I have to do. This ain't my first rodeo,

1704
01:46:12.159 --> 01:46:15.720
Jeremiah said, lifting the pizza box top with the barrel

1705
01:46:15.760 --> 01:46:18.920
of his gun and sneaking a peek inside. It did

1706
01:46:18.960 --> 01:46:22.319
smell good. I don't care how many rodeos you've been to,

1707
01:46:22.920 --> 01:46:25.039
except it seems like a bull kicked you in the

1708
01:46:25.119 --> 01:46:28.439
damn head too many times. I ain't no demon. I'm

1709
01:46:28.520 --> 01:46:32.479
just Kevin from Atlanta, chasing college tail here in Boston.

1710
01:46:33.079 --> 01:46:38.840
That's all there is, man, Kevin said. Liar Jeremiah said,

1711
01:46:39.119 --> 01:46:41.520
and pistol whipped Kevin, who raised his hands over his

1712
01:46:41.600 --> 01:46:45.239
face just in time to block the blow. Look, man,

1713
01:46:45.399 --> 01:46:48.279
I'm just a human, not even a good one. Really,

1714
01:46:48.640 --> 01:46:51.399
I'm definitely not whatever the hell you called it. I

1715
01:46:51.680 --> 01:46:56.119
just deliver pizzas and you're crazy. Maybe I am, but

1716
01:46:56.239 --> 01:46:58.880
either way, I have to stop you from tracking me.

1717
01:46:59.680 --> 01:47:03.159
Look and consider it stopped. Ain't no track in happening

1718
01:47:03.159 --> 01:47:07.640
over here, So you admit you were before, Jeremiah said,

1719
01:47:07.680 --> 01:47:14.560
before he was interrupted. Knock, knock, knock, This was getting ridiculous.

1720
01:47:15.199 --> 01:47:18.319
With a smug look at his captive, Jeremiah headed to

1721
01:47:18.359 --> 01:47:22.359
the peep hole once again and peered through it. Standing

1722
01:47:22.399 --> 01:47:26.279
on the other side was a young woman, scantily clad.

1723
01:47:27.079 --> 01:47:32.359
She knocked again. Mister you in there, came a high

1724
01:47:32.399 --> 01:47:35.560
pitched voice from the other side. The desk said, you

1725
01:47:35.640 --> 01:47:39.880
might be interested, since you were here alone. Not interested,

1726
01:47:40.479 --> 01:47:43.600
Jeremiah responded and spared a glance at Kevin, who was

1727
01:47:43.640 --> 01:47:49.119
sitting still Jeremiah made a shushing gesture. How can you

1728
01:47:49.159 --> 01:47:53.800
not be interested in this? It's barely legal, the woman said,

1729
01:47:54.000 --> 01:47:57.520
and flipped her hair. Get the fuck out of here.

1730
01:47:58.199 --> 01:48:03.000
Jeremiah yelled and cocked his A second later, Kevin barreled

1731
01:48:03.039 --> 01:48:05.159
into him, and they both crashed into the door with

1732
01:48:05.239 --> 01:48:08.000
a crack. It wouldn't be able to handle much more

1733
01:48:08.039 --> 01:48:11.600
of that. The gun fell from Jeremiah's hand onto the worn,

1734
01:48:11.680 --> 01:48:15.039
dirty carpet. Both Kevin and Jeremiah went for it, but

1735
01:48:15.159 --> 01:48:20.479
instead their frantic grasping made its skitter further and further away. Mister,

1736
01:48:21.520 --> 01:48:25.640
you okay in there, the woman asked from the other side. Help.

1737
01:48:26.279 --> 01:48:29.119
Kevin yelled out and tried to punch Jeremiah in the face.

1738
01:48:29.399 --> 01:48:32.159
They wrestled on the floor, no one getting the upper hand.

1739
01:48:33.399 --> 01:48:38.520
Mister someone in there with you? Is that Dale? Oh?

1740
01:48:38.920 --> 01:48:42.920
You're into guys, the woman said, with understanding. Help me.

1741
01:48:43.680 --> 01:48:49.159
Kevin yelled out, fuck off. Jeremiah screamed, mister, I'm coming in.

1742
01:48:49.319 --> 01:48:52.279
I got a key, the woman said from the other side.

1743
01:48:52.760 --> 01:48:55.520
Jeremiah reached up towards the lock he forgot to set

1744
01:48:55.560 --> 01:48:58.880
after bringing Kevin in. The door opened and the woman's

1745
01:48:58.880 --> 01:49:03.560
slender bear lay entered the room. Jeremiah need Kevin in

1746
01:49:03.600 --> 01:49:06.439
the balls to distract him, and grabbed the woman's leg

1747
01:49:06.520 --> 01:49:09.560
with a yank, sending her to the floor. In the chaos,

1748
01:49:09.800 --> 01:49:13.439
he looked for the gun aha right by his bag.

1749
01:49:14.119 --> 01:49:17.039
He dove towards the Colt revolver. The feel of the

1750
01:49:17.079 --> 01:49:20.279
handle in his hands gave him all the reassurance he needed.

1751
01:49:20.880 --> 01:49:24.520
It was his father's weapon. It served him well until

1752
01:49:24.560 --> 01:49:28.279
he was killed by these infernal fucks. He pulled the

1753
01:49:28.319 --> 01:49:31.399
woman into the room and closed the door, finally getting

1754
01:49:31.399 --> 01:49:34.920
control of the situation again. He pointed the gun at her.

1755
01:49:35.399 --> 01:49:38.520
You picked the wrong room, bitch. He fired a shot

1756
01:49:38.560 --> 01:49:41.039
into her torso and turned the gun on Kevin, who

1757
01:49:41.079 --> 01:49:43.520
had backed up to the wall, pulling his legs up

1758
01:49:43.560 --> 01:49:47.399
into a fetal position. Now are you going to answer

1759
01:49:47.399 --> 01:49:51.199
my question? I need them to stop following me. I

1760
01:49:51.279 --> 01:49:53.399
need to be free from whatever it is that your

1761
01:49:53.479 --> 01:49:58.359
kind wants, Jeremiah said, I got nothing, man, This is crazy.

1762
01:49:58.640 --> 01:50:01.920
You shot that hoe, Kevin said and looked over at

1763
01:50:01.960 --> 01:50:04.880
the woman. His eyes grew wide as she first sat

1764
01:50:05.000 --> 01:50:08.840
up and then stood, checking her stomach for a wound,

1765
01:50:09.359 --> 01:50:14.359
but there was nothing there. You made the mistake she said,

1766
01:50:14.640 --> 01:50:17.600
her eyes flashed with the fires of hell. She reached

1767
01:50:17.600 --> 01:50:19.840
out and grabbed the gun in his hand and squeezed

1768
01:50:20.039 --> 01:50:24.000
until the pain made him let go. She turned towards Kevin.

1769
01:50:24.960 --> 01:50:27.199
This mortal has nothing to do with this.

1770
01:50:28.119 --> 01:50:32.399
Go, she said, and nodded towards the door. Kevin ran

1771
01:50:32.439 --> 01:50:33.239
out of the room.

1772
01:50:33.760 --> 01:50:38.199
Now we have you, Jeremiah, the blood debt will be paid.

1773
01:50:38.800 --> 01:50:43.159
That much was promised three generations past. The third pays

1774
01:50:43.199 --> 01:50:47.119
the price for the first, a grandfather's debt. I can

1775
01:50:47.239 --> 01:50:50.600
smell the damnation on you from five miles.

1776
01:50:50.239 --> 01:50:56.960
Away, the woman said, and took a deep breath. Ah, sweetness,

1777
01:50:57.399 --> 01:51:00.600
I never knew my grandfather. He won the law and

1778
01:51:00.680 --> 01:51:03.039
left my father at the store when he was a kid.

1779
01:51:03.640 --> 01:51:05.800
Dad said, he tracked him down when he was a teen.

1780
01:51:06.520 --> 01:51:12.800
That's when we learned about the rules. Jeremiah explained the rules,

1781
01:51:13.000 --> 01:51:15.800
the woman said, with a hint of demon in her voice.

1782
01:51:16.399 --> 01:51:19.359
How to survive the curse? How to stay one step

1783
01:51:19.399 --> 01:51:23.239
ahead of you? Jeremiah said, and tried to run. He

1784
01:51:23.319 --> 01:51:26.119
was grabbed in an iron grip by the woman. Her

1785
01:51:26.159 --> 01:51:30.319
strong fingers dug into his shoulder. After a second Jeremiah

1786
01:51:30.359 --> 01:51:34.520
stopped struggling a tear came to his eye. Just gonna

1787
01:51:34.520 --> 01:51:37.920
grab that pizza, Kevin said, ducking back into the room

1788
01:51:37.920 --> 01:51:41.000
and grabbing the box. On the way out, he stopped

1789
01:51:41.000 --> 01:51:44.800
and pulled a piece out. No pizza for you, he

1790
01:51:44.880 --> 01:51:48.199
said to Jeremiah, and took a big bite. The woman

1791
01:51:48.319 --> 01:51:52.439
turned her fiery eyes toward him. Sorry, I'm out of here,

1792
01:51:53.079 --> 01:51:57.319
Kevin said, taking the hint, and left. Halfway down the hall.

1793
01:51:57.359 --> 01:52:03.079
He yelled, so much much pepperoni. The woman turned her

1794
01:52:03.119 --> 01:52:07.079
attention back to Jeremiah. The fires of hell blazed in

1795
01:52:07.119 --> 01:52:10.640
her stairs. Her skin began to peel as if burnt,

1796
01:52:11.000 --> 01:52:15.199
and pieces fell to the floor around her. If she noticed,

1797
01:52:15.720 --> 01:52:16.640
she didn't lead on.

1798
01:52:17.520 --> 01:52:21.279
I am your guide to pain, to the fate bestowed

1799
01:52:21.319 --> 01:52:24.279
by your blood. I am all that you will know,

1800
01:52:24.840 --> 01:52:30.520
all you will crave for, cringe away from love, hate, lust,

1801
01:52:30.800 --> 01:52:36.079
and disgust. The pain I provide being the only existence

1802
01:52:36.199 --> 01:52:40.680
you will know. I will only relent when you wish

1803
01:52:41.000 --> 01:52:45.840
for non existence, just long enough to give you hope

1804
01:52:46.479 --> 01:52:50.119
to steal it away again. That is what will sustain

1805
01:52:50.279 --> 01:52:55.560
me for eons. I think we will start with disonembowelment

1806
01:52:55.880 --> 01:52:58.840
and move on to the hard stuff from there.

1807
01:52:59.560 --> 01:53:02.479
The woman and said, and waved her arm in the air.

1808
01:53:03.079 --> 01:53:05.880
A fiery opening ripped in the cheap carpet of the

1809
01:53:05.920 --> 01:53:09.600
hotel room. The woman pushed Jeremiah down and jumped in

1810
01:53:09.680 --> 01:53:13.199
herself after him. The portal closed up with a whiff

1811
01:53:13.279 --> 01:53:19.359
of burnt carpet. A moment passed, the planet spun, the

1812
01:53:19.399 --> 01:53:25.720
world went on then movement. Kevin entered the room once

1813
01:53:25.800 --> 01:53:29.279
again and went to the jacket on the bed. He

1814
01:53:29.359 --> 01:53:34.439
found Jeremiah's wallet inside and took a wrinkled twenty. He

1815
01:53:34.520 --> 01:53:38.840
took a whiff and looked around. It's for the pizza,

1816
01:53:39.359 --> 01:53:44.239
he said, and left the room, closing the door quietly

1817
01:53:45.119 --> 01:53:54.079
behind him. Well, my spookies, you've survived six tales of

1818
01:53:54.159 --> 01:53:59.520
horror from Splattered Joe Solmo. But don't worry, there's a

1819
01:53:59.520 --> 01:54:02.520
lot more where that came from. And of course you'll

1820
01:54:02.520 --> 01:54:06.720
hear a news story every single Wednesday. But we are

1821
01:54:06.760 --> 01:54:11.800
preparing for the spooky season in October. We will be

1822
01:54:11.840 --> 01:54:17.000
releasing thirty one shows in thirty one days, new stories,

1823
01:54:17.239 --> 01:54:20.760
full length novellas, and free audio books, as well as

1824
01:54:20.800 --> 01:54:25.279
weekly spooky short stories, and of course a little bit

1825
01:54:25.319 --> 01:54:28.800
of content about your favorite horror films and books, and

1826
01:54:28.880 --> 01:54:32.960
so much more. So make sure you're subscribed on your

1827
01:54:33.000 --> 01:54:38.439
favorite podcasting app like Apple Podcasts or Spotify. But now

1828
01:54:38.479 --> 01:54:40.640
it's time for me to get back to work. Thirty

1829
01:54:40.680 --> 01:54:46.000
one shows is a lot, so stay safe and I'll

1830
01:54:46.039 --> 01:54:49.680
be bringing you more fear very soon