WEBVTT
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Two young women have decided to go to Africa to
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make a name for themselves in the world of nature documentaries.
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And while that may sound like a relatively mundane line
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of work, these two are about to make a discovery
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far beyond flora and fauna. They're about to discover something
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truly deadly.
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What's that You want to be scared to? Come with me.
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You will experience tales over opera, ghosts and death. It
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is not recommended for the week at art.
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Listeners in the dark.
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It's more fun that way way.
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This is Weekly Speaking. Hello, my spookies, It's Wednesday, and
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you know what that means. It's time for a little
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spooky in your weekly I'm your host and narrator, Enrique Kuto,
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and we have quite the terror tale for you this week.
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In fact, I picked something a little extra special as
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next week is the beginning of October and our thirty
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one shows in thirty one days, so tonight's story is
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a little extra just for you to enjoy from our
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good buddy Charles Campbell over at the Horror for twenty
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one podcast. Make sure to check him out wherever you
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get your podcasts. But before we get to the story,
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I just want to say thank you so much for
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joining us. I know many of you just discovered us
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as you're looking for something fun to listen to for
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your spooky season. But we do this all year long,
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and of course in October, as I mentioned, thirty one
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shows in thirty one days to make sure there's always
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something to enjoy about the spookier side of life. So
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if you're enjoying what we do here and you want
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to support us in a direct way, we have brand
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new merchandise at store dot Weeklyspooky dot com. We have
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hats and t shirts and a few other things you
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might enjoy. And if you want to support us in
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a very very direct way, you can head to join
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Dot Weeklyspooky dot com and become a patron for as
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little as one dollar a month. You get two bonus
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shows every single month, and of course my undying gratitude.
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So head to join Dot Weeklyspooky dot com and join
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over one hundred and five other spookies and support the show.
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But now, my friends, it's about time we start the story.
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But before we do, make sure you're subscribed. And if
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you want to help us out in a way that
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costs you absolutely nothing, leave us a five star rating
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on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. But now as fall is approaching,
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let's hop on an airplane and head to the wilds
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of Africa where something terrifying is going down. After this,
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the monsters not Reel by Charles Campbell. The teeth flashed
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white just before the canines sank deep into the flesh,
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releasing a spray of red from the jugular. There was
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little resistance as meat was ripped from the bone. The
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beautiful creature was too tired to fight. It was certainly violent,
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but somehow peaceful at the same time. The lifeblood flowed
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from the gazelle as the cheetah opened the gash wider
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for her cubs. The reluctant cubs stuck their snouts inside
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of the freshly opened gut. The mother circle the kill,
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guarding against any intruding carrion or hyenas, or ready to
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grab her cubs and haul ass at the sign of
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an approaching lioness pride As she watched them take small
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bites of flesh from the still breathing gazelle. There was
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one final twitch of the back legs as life mercifully
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escaped the majestic animal. The cubs peered over the belly
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of the fallen beast with bright red circles around their
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grinning mouths. Their mother guarded them until they had their
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fill and took her turn at the buffet. Gwen stopped
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recording and gave a thumbs up to Sarah. This was
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the first month of tracking this adult female and her
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two cubs. Gwen Faulkner and Sarah Mathis were in South
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Africa to study big cats and became attached to this
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family in their first week of filming. Clementine was the
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name they gave the mother cat. Itchy and Scratchy were
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the cubs. Sarah was a big fan of The Simpsons.
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The names were appropriate because those cubs scratched and clawed
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at each other constantly, as if they could never quite
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quell an itch. Time to go, Gwen said, as she
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placed the Canon Vixia digital recorder in a sturdy, pea
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green canvas knapsack. What time is it, Sarah asked, as
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she placed a hand flat over the front of her
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eyes to shield the sun. It's about three o'clock, Gwen started.
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Let's leave them to their meal. I need to clean up.
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I'm sweating bullets over here. Why don't you ever wear
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those sunglasses I bought you in Atlanta. I think I
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might miss something out here if I put them on,
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and you wouldn't be able to stare into my blue eyes,
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Sarah responded as she removed the white ponytail holder from
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her long black hair, winding it around and around tightly
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before resetting the holder in place, tripling it up to
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make it super tight on the verge of painful. And
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why do you insist on having that long ass hair
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out here in the jungle, Gwen grinned at her companion
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as she ran her fingers through her own short cropped
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brown mop. Well, this is more flat land than jungle,
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and I feel like an African queen with my hair
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flowing behind me as I run through the wild terrain,
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Sarah said, as she placed the Cardinal's baseball cap back
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on top of her head and guided the ponytail out
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the hole in the back. Oh really, just wait till
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one of them fucking cats gets their paws on those locks.
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My dear, you'll wish you would clip that shit down
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when he's eating your face off. Gwen was smiling when
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she said it, but she wasn't joking. She was so serious,
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in fact, that she contemplated pulling out the scissors while
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Sarah slept to make one clip at the bait of
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the ponytail holder. Ooh, I really wish she would try that, Gwendolen,
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Sarah said as she leaned in close, the brim of
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her cardinal's cap sliding up the front of her forehead,
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and planted a wet kiss on Gwen's chapped lips. Gwen
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pushed her back lightly with the palms of both hands.
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Let's get back to camp, you cheeky monkey. Oh behave,
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Sarah laughed as she started up the old jeep wrangler
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and put it in first hold on Gwen. It's gonna
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be a bumpy ride. Camp was a few miles back
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to the east of where the women set up to
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watch Clementine and her babies. It was a wooden shack
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that was equipped with electricity via a gasoline power generator.
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Inside the shack there was a hot plate and a
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couple of outlets that they could use to power their computers,
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as well as charge their phones and other equipment. On
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the outskirts of the flatland, just on the edge of civilization,
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they filled up the jeep with petrol and did the
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same with seven ten gallon gas cans they had brought
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along for the adventure. The wooden shack had been sheltered
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to a few documentarians before them, and the first thing
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Gwen saw when she opened the door for the very
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first time was a stuffed hyena with a wild grin
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sitting atop a note. The note said, move fassa, enjoy
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the show, to which Sarah said, say it again, and
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Gwen played along, Move fassa. A portable shower station was
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located directly behind the shack, and an old fashioned moon
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door outhouse was about thirty yards west of the shower station.
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The women had to procure and boil their own drinking water.
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Sarah had brought a couple of cases of aquafina with them,
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but they disappeared quickly in the African heat. There was
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only so much they could stuff into that old brown jeep.
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They did have chicken, beef and shrimp ramen out the
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yin yang. Anything else they ate they killed and cooked.
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Survival of the Fittest. Gwen was the first one out
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of the No Door's jeep when it came to a
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bumpy stop a few feet from the shack's front door
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divs on first shower. The hell you say, Sarah yelled back,
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as Gwen turned the corner around the back of the shack. Sarah,
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get back here, hurry the fuck up. Sarah rounded the
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corner of the wood shack and grabbed the edge of
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the weathered corner, catching a nasty splinter in the palm
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of her hand in the process. She barely noticed as
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her orange rebox skidded to a sudden stop. What the
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hell is that? Sarah's mouth was agape and trickles of
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sweat dripped from both sides of her face, rolling down
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her sun reddened cheeks. Gwen was kneeling down on both
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knees when she looked up. I have no fucking idea
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what this is. Sarah knelt beside her companion to inspect
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the dark red, syrupy puddle that filled a hole that
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was about three feet deep and the same across. It
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was located directly in front of the entrance to the
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portable shower. The women stood together and started following a
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trail of the dark syrup that led away from the
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hole towards the tall grass. Gwen, oh my god, this
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smells horrible. It smells like vomit and shit, got married
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and had a baby. Gwen scratched the top of her
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head as they walked and said, there were no dig marks,
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at least none that I could recognize, and there's no
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trail here besides this line of stinky shit. You sure
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about that, Gwendolen Sarah didn't take another step and pointed
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at a line on two sides of the grass with
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both hands. She looked for a moment like she was
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direct acting traffic. It took a few seconds, but Gwen
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registered what her lover girl was pointing at. Every four
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or five feet, the grass looked as if it were
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smashed to the left and right in an even symmetrical pattern,
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pushed to the side, and flattened like a Missus Butterworth flapjack. Sarah,
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what kind of animal does that? Gwen pulled on the
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front of her sweat soaked camouflage tea and rubbed at
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her forehead with the back of her hand. Nothing I've
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seen or want to see the trails fading anyway, Let's
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get back. We left the rifle in the jeep. They
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both turned to walk back to camp when a low
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growl emerged from the high grass. Is that, Gwen started, Yes,
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it is. Do not run, you run, you're dead, Sarah
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said calmly. She was thinking about that long hair of
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hers now and what Gwen told her when they were
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spying on Clementine and company. Sarah took careful step after
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careful step and just stared at her feet as she walked,
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just waiting for the cat to erupt from the tall
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grass and tear her to shreds. She had walked a
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few feet and the sounds of the male lion weren't
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getting any closer. The sound was actually emanating from further away.
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Sarah didn't about face and saw Gwen waving her over.
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She was wise not to scream as to not draw
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unnecessary attention. What is it, Sarah yelled back to the
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waving Gwen. Gwen put her left index finger to her
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lips as if to say, why the fuck do you
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think I'm not yelling, dumbass. Gwen kept waving her over
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with her right hand. That's far enough, Gwen whispered, when
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Sarah was a couple of yards behind. Go around that way.
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Gwen pointed directly out in front of herself and motioned
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her hand in a semicircle. Sarah followed her direction and
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came around the other side. Now look there, Gwen pointed
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straight down. Sarah had two words. Oh fuck, oh fuck's right.
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Gwen returned. The old male lion lay in a flattened
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patch of grass with an equally flattened patch of grass
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a few feet out, directly to the right of the
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fallen cat. His golden brown mane was matted against the
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back of his head and neck. Both of his back
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legs were crushed beyond recognition, with meat hanging from a
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flattened mound of bone and fur. The ground directly in
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front of the cat was dug all to hell from
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where he tried to pull himself through the grass with
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his two serviceable limbs. Go get the right face. I'll
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stay here and wait for you. Gwen whispered, fuck that.
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Let's both go get the rifle. Something did that to
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buddy boy here, and I'd feel much better with that
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Remington wood master than you standing here with a pig sticker. Okay,
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I just didn't want to leave him like this, you know,
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look at him. The labored growl continued, and circling shadows
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started to appear on the ground in front of them.
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The women started back to the jeep and the carrion
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began their attack pattern. Hurry up, Sarah yelled as Gwen
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fell further behind. She had already grabbed the wood master
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and started her jog back when Gwen caught up to her.
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Look up there. Gwen pointed to the vulture filled sky,
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and they both heard the lion roaring in defiance. Sarah
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bolted rifle in hand, and this time Gwen kept pace.
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The nasty, bald headed death chaser found it its own
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demise in Sarah's rifle shot. The bird was digging into
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the lion's crushed lower legs, with flesh hanging from its beak,
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as the lion howled and pawed, trying to swipe at
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its tormentor, when Sarah caved in the side of its
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head with a clean shot right through the eye. This
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sent the others scattering a few yards back, but it
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wasn't enough to make them all take flight. Gwen ran
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out in front of the lion, making noise and screaming
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for the irreverent carrion to go away. King of the jungle,
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not from where they were sitting, No fucking way, just
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some more dead meat. For them to devour. The exhausted
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lion looked at Sarah with his light tan pools. They
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were filled with excruciating pain. She made eye contact and
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they disconnected. Sarah nodded her head in the affirmative and said,
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it's over now, buddy boy, the pain is done.
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Don't go away weekly Spooky. We'll be right.
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Back nine o'clock PM. Did you remember to cover the jeep,
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Gwen asked, as the sound of heavy rain pelted the
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roof of the shack. Yeah, I got the green tarp
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over it about an hour ago, Sarah replied. She was
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lying flat on her back in her service cot, wearing
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a pair of men's small gray boxers and a black
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T shirt with the words Kung Fu displayed across the
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front in bright red letters, twirling her long black hair
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in her right hand. I know you're still thinking about it.
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Gwen stood over the hot plate, stirring a newly made
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bowl of shrimp ramen shrimp that reminded Gwen of the
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sea monkey family she had seen in novelty stores as
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a kid. What could do that to that big ass lion?
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And where is it now? What was that in the
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hole out back? Sarah shook her head from side to
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side as she asked these two questions aloud. You think
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he pissed off the wrong elephant and got his ass
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literally stomped, Gwen asked, and then puckered her lips to
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cool her freshly boiled soup. I don't know. I mean,
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I guess that could be it, But the way his
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hind end was smashed, it looked like something heavy and
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solid just dropped on him. And we certainly didn't see
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any elephant tracks coming back from our red trail or
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whatever the hell that was. You want some, Gwen asked,
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as she held the bowl of ramen out in Sarah's direction. No,
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I don't want any soup right now. I'm not hungry.
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Gwen sat Indian style with legs crisscrossed in the middle
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of her cot, wearing fluffy, pink bedroom slippers and an
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oversized night shirt with Gumby's face on the front. Well, Sarah,
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what do you want to do? You want to put
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it on hiatus and call in some big guns tomorrow.
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I don't think so. We didn't see it, so we
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don't know what it was, and I didn't hear anything
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outside of the lion howling and those damn birds yapping.
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I think we need to hold off until we kind
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of know what we might be dealing with. We don't
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need folks thinking us two girls get spooked so easily.
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You agree, yep, I just wanted to hear you say it.
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Gwen bounced up off her cot and set the aluminum
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bowl on the makeshift counter. Now do you want some dessert?
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Gwen smiled at Sarah as she lifted the night shirt
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up over her head. Now I will have some of that,
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Sarah replied, kicking her boxers to the floor. Eight twenty am.
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Sarah and Gwen huddled under the blind. They set up
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in front of the jeep and watched a herd of
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gazelle just breezed through, and a couple of hungry hyenas
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followed behind until they were all out of the blind's
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line of sight. Getting worried, Gwen said, and then stepped
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out of the shield of the camouflaged blind. We usually
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00:19:16.400 --> 00:19:21.039
see them by now. I know I'm worried too, but
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we have to let them come to us. We can't
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go trapesing through the tall grass looking for them. Let's
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00:19:27.039 --> 00:19:29.480
just wait here for a little while. If we don't
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see them by let's say nine, then we'll move the
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jeep in the direction the herd went. Kay k. Gwen
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remained outside of the blind and paced to the front
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of the jeep, then back, over and over again. With
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her eyes trained on her surroundings. She was one with
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the force. Her ray bands kept the early glare out
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of her vision, and Sarah even brought the ray band
300
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fakes that Gwen picked up in the Atlanta airport. At
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the start of their journey to Africa the Cradle of
302
00:20:01.599 --> 00:20:08.799
Civilization nine o two a m. The women were breaking
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00:20:08.839 --> 00:20:11.839
down the blind when Gwen stood up and put her
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finger to her lips and gave a sh be quiet, Sarah,
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00:20:18.039 --> 00:20:23.799
shush it, Sarah, just listen. It was quiet, but Sarah
306
00:20:23.880 --> 00:20:29.440
could hear the faintest noise that sounded like Scratchy. His
307
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little whine was distinctly higher in pitch than his sister Itchy,
308
00:20:34.279 --> 00:20:37.160
and even though it was barely with an earshot, both
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00:20:37.240 --> 00:20:41.559
women recognized it as belonging to the male cub. It's
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00:20:41.640 --> 00:20:45.279
coming from that direction. Sarah pointed to her left, toward
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the watering hole. Two days after they arrived, the women
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00:20:49.640 --> 00:20:54.160
captured video of hyenas gazelle's cheetah and more than a
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few lions all together in what they thought were precarious harmony.
314
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Drinking at the watering hole, Gwen remembered it brought to
315
00:21:02.640 --> 00:21:05.759
mind the sheep dog and the coyote clocking out for
316
00:21:05.880 --> 00:21:09.720
lunch in the old bugs Bunny cartoons calling a ceasefire
317
00:21:09.839 --> 00:21:13.480
while they enjoyed their break. This was the same kind
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of thing, and it was the damnedest thing either one
319
00:21:16.519 --> 00:21:19.240
of them had ever seen until they saw a cast
320
00:21:19.279 --> 00:21:22.079
out alpha male lion with a crushed hind end as
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00:21:22.119 --> 00:21:26.440
stones throw away from their camp. Yep that trump the
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00:21:26.480 --> 00:21:30.240
watering hole and the red syrup vomit smelling shit trumped
323
00:21:30.240 --> 00:21:33.559
them both. They made their way through the tall grass
324
00:21:33.640 --> 00:21:38.119
until the watering hole was in sight. There he is,
325
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Sarah whispered as she pointed to the housecat sized cubs
326
00:21:42.880 --> 00:21:46.720
striding in wide circles, crying for his mother and sister.
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00:21:48.279 --> 00:21:54.440
Where's Clementine and Itchy Dno, I don't see them, Sarah said,
328
00:21:54.440 --> 00:21:56.960
as she knelt lower with both of her knees popping.
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00:21:58.759 --> 00:22:02.759
I'm scared, Sarah, scratch. He's not gonna make it without Clementine,
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should we? Gwen began apps, so fucking lutely not, Gwendolen.
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We're here to film and document what happens, just happens,
332
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That was the deal. But look at him. That thing
333
00:22:18.359 --> 00:22:21.680
might have gotten his mother. Just what thing are you
334
00:22:21.799 --> 00:22:25.920
talking about, Gwen? There is no thing. It was getting
335
00:22:25.920 --> 00:22:28.039
to me too. I get it, I do. But the
336
00:22:28.079 --> 00:22:31.599
monster we made up is not real. There are plenty
337
00:22:31.599 --> 00:22:34.559
of other real monsters out here that can kill either
338
00:22:34.640 --> 00:22:38.960
one of us just like that. Sarah snapped her fingers.
339
00:22:39.440 --> 00:22:42.960
I still think that we should, Gwen started and shut up.
340
00:22:43.960 --> 00:22:46.640
There was the sound of something approaching them from the
341
00:22:46.720 --> 00:22:49.559
south at a high clip. It was the sound of
342
00:22:49.720 --> 00:22:55.319
pause tapping earth with uncanny speed. Oh shit, oh shit,
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00:22:56.000 --> 00:23:01.279
something's coming fucking fast. It's over there, Arrow whispered and
344
00:23:01.359 --> 00:23:05.160
motion toward the parting grass about twenty yards behind them.
345
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Scratchy continued to walk in circles and whine. The women
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00:23:10.039 --> 00:23:12.960
had to fight off every instinct in their bodies to
347
00:23:13.079 --> 00:23:16.079
keep from standing up and yelling at the cub to vamoose,
348
00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:21.599
scram get the fuck out. An orange, brown, spotted blur
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00:23:21.799 --> 00:23:24.920
flashed by the women no more than four or five
350
00:23:24.960 --> 00:23:28.720
feet away at its closest and cleared the tall grass.
351
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It was Clementine running for all she was worth. Scratchy
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peered up at his mother, and without missing a beat
353
00:23:36.319 --> 00:23:39.200
or slowing down, she grabbed her baby around the neck
354
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and kept trucking to the other side, back into the
355
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tall grass. A cheetah's sprint is something to behold, and
356
00:23:46.359 --> 00:23:50.960
it's normally brief. Not this one. Clementine gained an energizer
357
00:23:51.000 --> 00:23:55.079
bunny boost from somewhere because she never slowed down, not
358
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for a second. Did you fucking see that? What the
359
00:23:58.960 --> 00:24:03.160
fuck was that? Gwen's hands were both trembling violently, and
360
00:24:03.200 --> 00:24:05.160
she had to plant both of her knees into the
361
00:24:05.200 --> 00:24:08.920
soil to keep them from knocking together. I hope she
362
00:24:08.960 --> 00:24:11.160
didn't break the cub's neck when she picked him up
363
00:24:11.200 --> 00:24:14.240
that way. I hope he's not dangling lifeless from her
364
00:24:14.279 --> 00:24:18.680
mouth right now. I've never seen anything like that, not
365
00:24:18.799 --> 00:24:22.240
on Animal Planet, Mutual of Omaha, or any tape I've
366
00:24:22.279 --> 00:24:26.039
ever seen. The women stood in unison to walk back
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to the jeep. They had taken a few steps when
368
00:24:29.599 --> 00:24:37.160
Gwen stopped suddenly and pointed, Sarah, there's another one. Fuck.
369
00:24:37.799 --> 00:24:45.519
I left the rifle in the jeep. The dark red
370
00:24:45.559 --> 00:24:50.079
syrup sloshed ever so slightly. An orange and black beetle
371
00:24:50.119 --> 00:24:52.200
of some type was stuck in the middle of the
372
00:24:52.279 --> 00:24:56.559
thick liquid. It kicked violently with its front legs, which
373
00:24:56.599 --> 00:25:02.400
looked like it had many baby bottle brushes affixed as feet. Sarah,
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I'm scared shitless. Gwen was spinning in a three sixty
375
00:25:06.480 --> 00:25:10.759
as she spoke. Yeah, I don't feel so safe myself.
376
00:25:11.319 --> 00:25:13.920
The hole's about the same width, and if you look
377
00:25:14.000 --> 00:25:17.119
that way, Sarah pointed to her left with her eyes
378
00:25:17.559 --> 00:25:22.519
intently trained on something just ahead in the distance, you'll
379
00:25:22.519 --> 00:25:25.359
see where the grass isn't quite as tall, and then
380
00:25:25.440 --> 00:25:31.359
disappears on each side, same pattern, Gwen, it's been smashed
381
00:25:31.359 --> 00:25:35.559
into the ground, and the trail is here. This stinky
382
00:25:35.680 --> 00:25:39.440
goo heads that way. Let's go back to camp and
383
00:25:39.559 --> 00:25:41.799
use the satellite phone. I don't care if they think
384
00:25:41.799 --> 00:25:44.240
we're a couple of scared little girls that got spooked.
385
00:25:45.079 --> 00:25:49.000
Gwen reached for Sarah's hand to gain acknowledgment and understanding
386
00:25:49.039 --> 00:25:54.240
of the situation. Sarah understood and acknowledged, but she said,
387
00:25:54.799 --> 00:25:57.599
I'm not calling anybody until we see it. If we
388
00:25:57.759 --> 00:26:00.200
see it, I'll put a bullet in its head and
389
00:26:00.240 --> 00:26:02.359
then we can take a picture of the carcass and
390
00:26:02.440 --> 00:26:05.599
post it on the website. Now, let's get back to
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00:26:05.640 --> 00:26:09.440
the jeep, because my dumb ass left the rifle. Sarah
392
00:26:09.440 --> 00:26:11.920
and Gwen whispered their argument all the way back to
393
00:26:11.960 --> 00:26:15.480
the jeep and the spot Sarah pointed out. About ten
394
00:26:15.599 --> 00:26:18.880
yards away from the new goo puddle was an orange
395
00:26:18.880 --> 00:26:22.240
and black splat. Itchi was in the center of the
396
00:26:22.240 --> 00:26:25.200
flattened out grass, and all that was left of her
397
00:26:25.480 --> 00:26:29.839
was her coat and crushed skull. The guts had splayed
398
00:26:29.839 --> 00:26:33.799
out and had been pushed into the ground. Itchi's death
399
00:26:33.880 --> 00:26:38.039
was quick, and poor Clementine witnessed it. She knew there
400
00:26:38.119 --> 00:26:40.440
was nothing she could do for that baby, and she
401
00:26:40.599 --> 00:26:43.519
bee lined it to a remaining cub faster than any
402
00:26:43.519 --> 00:26:46.799
gazelle she had ever chased down. The clouds in the
403
00:26:46.799 --> 00:26:50.359
west started to bunch up, and darkness was coming to
404
00:26:50.400 --> 00:26:57.039
the flatland at the jeep, Storm's coming. You can smell it.
405
00:26:57.640 --> 00:27:01.200
Gwen looked to the quickly darkening sky. The clouds were
406
00:27:01.240 --> 00:27:04.480
pushing together from opposite directions as if they were the
407
00:27:04.519 --> 00:27:06.880
Bloods and the Crips back in the day, ready to
408
00:27:06.960 --> 00:27:11.400
rumble pre drive by shooting days I'd like to take
409
00:27:11.440 --> 00:27:14.559
this rifle and follow the trail. Maybe we can figure
410
00:27:14.599 --> 00:27:18.720
out what's causing those weird square puddles. You remember what
411
00:27:18.839 --> 00:27:23.119
I said about this monster not being real? Yeah, I remember,
412
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Gwen replied. Sarah removed her fake ray bands and trained
413
00:27:27.920 --> 00:27:31.119
her eyes on Gwen. I didn't believe it when I
414
00:27:31.160 --> 00:27:35.200
saw it, I know no. Sooner did Gwen get the
415
00:27:35.240 --> 00:27:38.720
words out than the heavy drops of rain came, and
416
00:27:38.839 --> 00:27:42.200
once they started, the faucet was turned wide open. The
417
00:27:42.279 --> 00:27:45.839
companions jumped into the jeep and Sarah pealed out back
418
00:27:45.880 --> 00:27:49.640
towards the camp. The rain was relentless, and Sarah was
419
00:27:49.720 --> 00:27:52.759
driving on instinct more than vision, going in the general
420
00:27:52.799 --> 00:27:56.839
direction of camp. Gwen was pushed up against the dashboard,
421
00:27:57.079 --> 00:28:00.839
trying to help guide her friend. Sit back. I got this,
422
00:28:01.480 --> 00:28:05.359
Sarah screamed. You can't see, Sarah, I can't see. Just
423
00:28:05.480 --> 00:28:09.359
stop the fucking jeep. I know where we are. Stop
424
00:28:09.440 --> 00:28:14.400
the jeep. We're almost back. Stop the mother fucking In
425
00:28:14.480 --> 00:28:17.359
the matter of a couple of seconds, down was up
426
00:28:17.640 --> 00:28:20.519
and up was down. The front right tire of the
427
00:28:20.599 --> 00:28:24.400
jeep dropped into a three x three hole of stinky vomit, shit,
428
00:28:24.480 --> 00:28:29.359
red syrup, the jeep flipped front first, sending Gwen flying
429
00:28:29.359 --> 00:28:31.960
out of the passenger side, through the top and out
430
00:28:32.000 --> 00:28:35.160
in front of the jeep. It was slow motion for her.
431
00:28:36.200 --> 00:28:38.920
Gwen felt like she could see each rain drop hit
432
00:28:39.319 --> 00:28:42.880
and slightly sting her face as she sailed into the darkness,
433
00:28:42.960 --> 00:28:46.319
before landing with a sickening thud on her left side.
434
00:28:46.920 --> 00:28:49.480
She heard, but didn't yet feel, the crunch of two
435
00:28:49.640 --> 00:28:54.240
ribs giving in. Gwen blinked furiously, trying to get her
436
00:28:54.279 --> 00:28:57.359
eyes to adjust. It was like someone caught her off
437
00:28:57.400 --> 00:29:02.839
guard with a sudden camera flash. Sarah then Gwen rolled
438
00:29:02.880 --> 00:29:05.200
onto her back and was out.
439
00:29:06.839 --> 00:29:11.599
Did you hear that? Better check the locks on your doors, weekly, spooky,
440
00:29:11.799 --> 00:29:12.880
We'll be right back.
441
00:29:16.279 --> 00:29:19.160
The Cardinal's cap was laying in the mud just in
442
00:29:19.160 --> 00:29:22.759
front of the jeeps, still blaring but upside down headlights.
443
00:29:23.480 --> 00:29:28.839
Sarah strapped in her seatbelt. Gwen had not. Sarah was
444
00:29:28.920 --> 00:29:31.960
still secured in her seat with the blood rushing to
445
00:29:32.079 --> 00:29:35.480
her head. She had sustained a nasty whack on the
446
00:29:35.519 --> 00:29:38.559
same dashboard that she had screamed at Gwen about nudging
447
00:29:38.680 --> 00:29:42.160
up too close. The engine was still running and the
448
00:29:42.200 --> 00:29:46.480
wrong side up tires spun furiously, because Sarah's foot was
449
00:29:46.519 --> 00:29:50.319
still pressed down hard on the gas pedal, like it
450
00:29:50.400 --> 00:29:58.160
was shocked into place. Uh, Gwen, Gwen. Sarah was coming
451
00:29:58.200 --> 00:30:01.680
around and lifted her foot from the gas pedal. Her
452
00:30:01.720 --> 00:30:04.160
head felt like it had taken a direct shot from
453
00:30:04.400 --> 00:30:07.519
iron Mike and pulsed worse than any headache she had
454
00:30:07.559 --> 00:30:11.279
ever experienced. There was a trickle of blood dripping onto
455
00:30:11.279 --> 00:30:14.720
the ground from her scalp up her forehead. The rain
456
00:30:14.880 --> 00:30:18.319
was still furious, and Sarah blinked feverishly, as Gwen had
457
00:30:18.359 --> 00:30:24.039
done after her fall, but Sarah stayed awake. What the fuck,
458
00:30:24.279 --> 00:30:31.160
ow ow Gwen? You there? The cobwebs began to clear,
459
00:30:31.400 --> 00:30:34.960
and Sarah realized that she was upside down, still strapped
460
00:30:35.000 --> 00:30:38.279
into the jeep. She remembered them getting into the jeep
461
00:30:38.559 --> 00:30:42.640
after seeing puddle number two, and didn't remember slamming into
462
00:30:42.640 --> 00:30:47.799
puddle number three. Now her focus was on Gwen. She
463
00:30:48.000 --> 00:30:50.920
leaned forward with her left arm to brace herself and
464
00:30:51.039 --> 00:30:54.440
unlatched the seat belt with her right hand. Gravity did
465
00:30:54.440 --> 00:30:57.279
the rest, and she rolled out onto the wet ground.
466
00:30:58.079 --> 00:31:01.799
Besides suffering a concussion, she had broken no bones, and
467
00:31:01.839 --> 00:31:04.799
outside of a growing goose egg on her forehead. She
468
00:31:04.880 --> 00:31:11.000
was fine physically, Gwen. Sarah staggered through the sheets, pausing
469
00:31:11.039 --> 00:31:14.119
only to retrieve her prized hat from the mud. To
470
00:31:14.240 --> 00:31:19.359
her fallen partner, Gwen, stay with me, don't you do this?
471
00:31:20.160 --> 00:31:23.400
Sarah grabbed her by the right wrist and quickly found
472
00:31:23.440 --> 00:31:28.839
a strong pulse. Oh thank god. A rumble of thunder
473
00:31:28.960 --> 00:31:32.079
filled the flat land, followed by a flash of blue
474
00:31:32.200 --> 00:31:36.400
lightning that cracked like a whip. The smell of ozone
475
00:31:36.519 --> 00:31:39.880
was thick. The lightning had splintered something in the earth
476
00:31:39.920 --> 00:31:43.160
about fifty yards from where Sarah was kneeling over Gwen.
477
00:31:44.079 --> 00:31:47.839
After the strike, Sarah stood up, pressed one palm to
478
00:31:47.920 --> 00:31:50.720
her left ear, and opened her mouth as wide as
479
00:31:50.759 --> 00:31:54.839
she could to loosen up her tightening jaw, another effect
480
00:31:54.960 --> 00:32:04.119
from the jeep flip. Ah fucking ow, Sarah, it fucking hurts.
481
00:32:04.839 --> 00:32:09.079
I'm here, Gwen, I'm right here. I told you to
482
00:32:09.240 --> 00:32:14.759
stop the fucking jeep, Gwen said, as she grimaced. I
483
00:32:14.839 --> 00:32:17.839
know you did, but there's nothing we can do about that. Now,
484
00:32:18.559 --> 00:32:22.440
can you stand? Sarah reached down with both arms straight away.
485
00:32:23.079 --> 00:32:26.119
Gwen held out her right hand. Her left arm was
486
00:32:26.160 --> 00:32:29.079
pressed against her left side with her hand firm on
487
00:32:29.119 --> 00:32:34.759
her abdomen. Sarah pulled Gwen's right arm with both of hers. Ah, God,
488
00:32:35.279 --> 00:32:38.400
that hurts, like a son of a bitch, Gwen screamed
489
00:32:38.400 --> 00:32:41.200
as she made it to her feet, hunched to her left,
490
00:32:41.480 --> 00:32:46.359
favoring her broken ribs. What hurts, Sarah asked, not knowing
491
00:32:46.400 --> 00:32:51.319
the extent of Gwen's injuries. My left side. I heard
492
00:32:51.359 --> 00:32:55.160
a couple of them give before I blacked out anything else,
493
00:32:55.640 --> 00:32:59.880
asked Sarah. No, your head has a huge fucking nod
494
00:32:59.880 --> 00:33:04.000
of it. He looked like a unicorn. Gwen started to chuckle,
495
00:33:04.039 --> 00:33:09.839
and the additional pain from the effort nixed that real quick. Ah.
496
00:33:10.079 --> 00:33:14.319
I want to get out of here, me too, Sarah replied,
497
00:33:14.680 --> 00:33:19.359
and continued, I don't know what. We hit another hole
498
00:33:19.480 --> 00:33:24.440
made by our fake monster, Gwen replied. She stepped toward
499
00:33:24.519 --> 00:33:28.279
the overturned jeep, looking a lot like a pretty Quasi moto,
500
00:33:28.680 --> 00:33:31.920
all hunched over. The rain was down to a drizzle,
501
00:33:31.960 --> 00:33:35.759
but the sky remained dark, threatening to drop another bucket
502
00:33:35.960 --> 00:33:40.279
whenever it felt the need. Right there, See you can
503
00:33:40.319 --> 00:33:43.880
still see some of that red shit. Yeah, I see it.
504
00:33:44.880 --> 00:33:46.880
Let's get back to camp and call for help like
505
00:33:46.920 --> 00:33:51.759
I should have done yesterday, Like we should have done yesterday,
506
00:33:52.359 --> 00:33:56.119
Gwen corrected. Sarah put her arm around Gwen. With Gwen's
507
00:33:56.160 --> 00:33:59.240
right arm draped around her neck, they began a slow
508
00:33:59.319 --> 00:34:02.839
trek back to where Sarah believed their shack was, which
509
00:34:02.920 --> 00:34:05.759
was a couple of miles east. The just out of
510
00:34:05.839 --> 00:34:08.880
sight watering hole was the point of reference, and she
511
00:34:09.079 --> 00:34:12.599
was ninety percent confident in her direction, even with a
512
00:34:12.639 --> 00:34:16.719
concussion and a nice sized bump on her forehead. They
513
00:34:16.719 --> 00:34:20.079
were about half a mile into their return when they
514
00:34:20.199 --> 00:34:27.400
encountered it for the first time. There was a flicker
515
00:34:27.440 --> 00:34:30.400
of neon green in the sky against the darkness of
516
00:34:30.440 --> 00:34:34.119
the mid morning clouds, two sets of flashes that seemed
517
00:34:34.119 --> 00:34:37.599
to form a dazzling square pattern, set apart by a
518
00:34:37.639 --> 00:34:41.719
few yards. In between the two pulsating lights, there was
519
00:34:41.760 --> 00:34:49.320
a dark outline of something solid, something unforgiving, something deadly.
520
00:34:50.480 --> 00:34:53.360
Gwen seemed to forget about her cracked ribs as she
521
00:34:53.440 --> 00:34:56.559
was trying to reconcile in her brain what her eyes
522
00:34:56.599 --> 00:35:00.440
were witnessing. Sarah was right there with her. There was
523
00:35:00.480 --> 00:35:04.480
the lightest hum coming from the pulsing lights, and something
524
00:35:04.519 --> 00:35:07.599
that sounded a little like the pull and start from
525
00:35:07.639 --> 00:35:11.280
a crank mower. Coming from the solid structure in the center.
526
00:35:12.360 --> 00:35:16.840
Gwen was the first to break their stunned silence. Sarah,
527
00:35:18.000 --> 00:35:22.400
what the fuck is that? The hum became louder as
528
00:35:22.400 --> 00:35:25.199
the floating structure started to close in on the women.
529
00:35:26.320 --> 00:35:30.480
Let's go. Sarah squeezed Gwen's hand and pulled her behind
530
00:35:30.519 --> 00:35:33.000
as her orange nikes found their get up and go.
531
00:35:33.639 --> 00:35:37.639
Pain was replaced by adrenaline, and Gwen followed just behind
532
00:35:37.719 --> 00:35:42.079
in a full stride, Confident in her partner's gait. Sarah
533
00:35:42.119 --> 00:35:45.039
released her hand. The hum was getting closer, and it
534
00:35:45.119 --> 00:35:47.559
sounded like the mower was about to run them down.
535
00:35:48.360 --> 00:35:51.599
All of a sudden, the earth underneath them rattled and
536
00:35:51.639 --> 00:35:54.480
Gwen tripped, letting out a yelp as the impact of
537
00:35:54.519 --> 00:35:57.480
the ground sucked out the adrenaline and put the pain
538
00:35:57.679 --> 00:36:02.480
back in its proper place. Get up, Gwen, get up,
539
00:36:02.559 --> 00:36:06.079
or you're going to fucking die, Sarah screamed as she
540
00:36:06.159 --> 00:36:09.960
sprinted back towards her. Gwen clawed into the wet grass
541
00:36:10.199 --> 00:36:14.800
and gained purchase with her Safari boots as she bolted up. However,
542
00:36:15.239 --> 00:36:18.679
all of the pain was there front and center, stopping
543
00:36:18.719 --> 00:36:24.519
her cold. It hurts so so fucking bad. Sarah, just go, go,
544
00:36:24.559 --> 00:36:29.360
get the phone. I can't run, I can't. The lawnmower
545
00:36:29.480 --> 00:36:33.440
sound was closing in rapidly and it was magnified times ten.
546
00:36:34.119 --> 00:36:38.119
Sarah placed both hands against her ears. The noise was maddening,
547
00:36:38.519 --> 00:36:42.000
but nothing was coming to get them. The solid cube
548
00:36:42.000 --> 00:36:45.679
structure that had the sheen of smooth black marble had
549
00:36:45.719 --> 00:36:49.920
planted itself into the earth just behind Gwen. She could
550
00:36:49.920 --> 00:36:52.440
feel the vibration through the backs of her knees and
551
00:36:52.519 --> 00:36:56.559
upper thighs. The mower sound was in full throat, and
552
00:36:56.679 --> 00:37:00.280
Sarah pulled Gwen away. It let them get back to
553
00:37:00.400 --> 00:37:08.599
the shack. There was the turn of a knob, and
554
00:37:08.639 --> 00:37:11.800
then the shack door exploded open with a well placed
555
00:37:11.840 --> 00:37:16.360
toe kick by a size seven Nike. Okay, Gwen, let's
556
00:37:16.400 --> 00:37:19.159
get you down. Sarah led her to the cot with
557
00:37:19.239 --> 00:37:22.280
her left arm around Gwen's waist while her right hand
558
00:37:22.320 --> 00:37:26.159
held Gwen's around the back of her neck. Tears were
559
00:37:26.159 --> 00:37:31.239
streaming down Gwen's face, but she remained surprisingly composed. Just
560
00:37:31.320 --> 00:37:37.400
ease me down, easy. Oh fucking hurts, Gwen mumbled as
561
00:37:37.400 --> 00:37:43.039
Sarah gently rolled her down on top of the cot. Sarah, yes, Gwen,
562
00:37:43.800 --> 00:37:47.559
go get the fucking phone. Sarah removed the black phone
563
00:37:47.599 --> 00:37:51.159
from the charging station and held the power button. The
564
00:37:51.239 --> 00:37:54.639
green backlight came to life, and Sarah dialed the emergency
565
00:37:54.719 --> 00:37:58.440
number one zero one one one and pressed the call
566
00:37:58.440 --> 00:38:04.679
button click click, then static. Sarah pressed the end button
567
00:38:04.960 --> 00:38:11.199
and started again, click click static. With the static, Sarah
568
00:38:11.239 --> 00:38:13.760
thought about a quote from an old horror movie she
569
00:38:13.800 --> 00:38:20.360
had seen as a kid. There here, that they are,
570
00:38:20.559 --> 00:38:23.199
she said, as she set the phone back into the
571
00:38:23.280 --> 00:38:28.480
charging station. There what Sarah, Gwen asked, trying not to
572
00:38:28.519 --> 00:38:32.480
breathe too deeply. Good news is the phone is working.
573
00:38:33.239 --> 00:38:39.199
The bad news is there's no signal. Maybe it's the storm. No, Sarah, No,
574
00:38:39.360 --> 00:38:44.800
the phone has to work. Gwen started sobbing. The fucking
575
00:38:45.039 --> 00:38:49.360
phone has to work. The rain was back, just as
576
00:38:49.400 --> 00:38:52.679
heavy as before. I need to get that shirt off
577
00:38:52.679 --> 00:38:55.519
and clean you up. Sarah opened the door to the
578
00:38:55.559 --> 00:38:59.079
shack and retrieved a five gallon bucket from just outside
579
00:38:59.519 --> 00:39:03.199
used to elect rainwater. Come on, now, let me help you.
580
00:39:03.960 --> 00:39:06.760
Gwen lay flat on her back and raised her arm
581
00:39:06.840 --> 00:39:11.159
above her head. Her left arm wouldn't cooperate. Sarah pulled
582
00:39:11.239 --> 00:39:13.840
up the right side of the camo te first and
583
00:39:13.960 --> 00:39:17.599
Gwen pulled her right arm through and out. Sarah carefully
584
00:39:17.679 --> 00:39:20.440
moved the shirt down her left side and pulled it
585
00:39:20.519 --> 00:39:23.559
free from her left arm that Gwen still had pretty
586
00:39:23.599 --> 00:39:28.360
much pressed against her side. Oh, Gwen, Sarah said, as
587
00:39:28.360 --> 00:39:31.760
she was taken aback by the approximately five inch by
588
00:39:31.840 --> 00:39:36.159
three inch dark blue bruise on Gwen's left side. Sarah
589
00:39:36.159 --> 00:39:39.880
dipped the white washcloth deep into the black bucket. At
590
00:39:39.960 --> 00:39:42.280
first glance, it looked as though she was dipping it
591
00:39:42.320 --> 00:39:45.960
into a pool of crude oil. Sarah pulled the washcloth
592
00:39:46.000 --> 00:39:49.039
out quickly because of the mine trick and found clear
593
00:39:49.079 --> 00:39:52.960
water running down her forearm from the soaked cloth. She
594
00:39:53.039 --> 00:39:58.039
began to gently clense Gwen, starting with her injured side.
595
00:39:58.079 --> 00:40:01.199
Gwen winced a little and said, what if it comes
596
00:40:01.239 --> 00:40:05.119
here again? What if it smashes the fucking roof in? Sarah,
597
00:40:05.760 --> 00:40:08.719
what are we going to do. We're just going to
598
00:40:08.719 --> 00:40:11.400
stay in here until the storm clears and I'm going
599
00:40:11.440 --> 00:40:14.800
to try the phone again. Then we're going to get
600
00:40:14.840 --> 00:40:18.880
the fuck out of here. What was it, Sarah, I've
601
00:40:18.920 --> 00:40:23.079
never seen anything like it in my life. Me neither.
602
00:40:23.960 --> 00:40:26.400
I don't know what it was, and I hope we
603
00:40:26.519 --> 00:40:30.719
don't have to find out. Unfortunately for both of them,
604
00:40:31.360 --> 00:40:35.800
they would find out before the dawn of the next day.
605
00:40:37.519 --> 00:40:41.440
You're not safe yet, weekly Spooky will be right back.
606
00:40:46.840 --> 00:40:51.920
Eleven forty five pm. Sarah lay with her eyes closed,
607
00:40:52.320 --> 00:40:56.639
but her mind was on the highest alert, code fucking red.
608
00:40:57.599 --> 00:41:00.960
There would be no sleep that night. Gwen moaned in
609
00:41:01.000 --> 00:41:04.559
the darkness with each breath she took. Sarah had cleaned
610
00:41:04.559 --> 00:41:08.559
and bandaged Gwen's wounded left side. The generator had run
611
00:41:08.599 --> 00:41:11.639
out of fuel an hour earlier, and the storm outside
612
00:41:11.719 --> 00:41:15.400
kept Sarah in her cot listening to Gwen's struggle with
613
00:41:15.519 --> 00:41:18.880
the pain of sucking in air. She had tried the
614
00:41:18.920 --> 00:41:23.800
phone more than ten times since she first got the click, click,
615
00:41:24.280 --> 00:41:32.360
static there here, Remember that, Sarah, she thought to herself. Midnight,
616
00:41:33.960 --> 00:41:38.639
the thunder continued to growl like another big, hungry African cat.
617
00:41:39.239 --> 00:41:42.559
The noises of popping and clicking from something not so
618
00:41:42.800 --> 00:41:47.280
far away followed. The strike that came after shook the
619
00:41:47.360 --> 00:41:51.239
shack to its foundation, sending a few dishes collapsing from
620
00:41:51.239 --> 00:41:54.320
the counter. It was strong enough to knock the satellite
621
00:41:54.360 --> 00:41:57.679
phone from its cradle. It crashed down on the wood floor,
622
00:41:57.920 --> 00:42:01.519
and the green backlet display suffered crack right down the center.
623
00:42:02.360 --> 00:42:06.480
Gwen grimaced as she sat up in the darkness. Sarah,
624
00:42:07.320 --> 00:42:12.119
that was close, Gwen started, What time is it? Not
625
00:42:12.239 --> 00:42:16.880
quite sure? I think it's a little past midnight. You okay, sweetie,
626
00:42:16.920 --> 00:42:21.000
Sarah asked, not really. I just want to pack up
627
00:42:21.000 --> 00:42:23.559
our shit and get the fuck out of here. My
628
00:42:23.719 --> 00:42:27.719
side is killing me. I can't breathe right. As soon
629
00:42:27.760 --> 00:42:30.199
as the storm passes, we'll get somebody on the phone
630
00:42:30.519 --> 00:42:33.679
and get out of here, Sarah replied as she switched
631
00:42:33.719 --> 00:42:40.920
on the Coleman lamp. Sarah, yes, did you get the camera? No,
632
00:42:41.119 --> 00:42:44.119
it's still in the jeep. If it's still in one piece,
633
00:42:44.199 --> 00:42:50.880
that is rifle, Gwen asked. Jeep replied Sarah. Can we
634
00:42:50.960 --> 00:42:54.360
go get them when the rain stops, I'll go get it. Gwen.
635
00:42:54.920 --> 00:42:59.480
You'll stay right here until we get some help. Sarah, yes,
636
00:43:01.079 --> 00:43:06.159
I love you. I love you too. Now try to rest.
637
00:43:08.119 --> 00:43:14.119
One twenty two a m. Gwen, wake up. That's outside
638
00:43:14.159 --> 00:43:17.519
the door. Sarah bolted off the cot and knelt down
639
00:43:17.559 --> 00:43:21.800
in front of the old shack door. Sarah, we know
640
00:43:21.960 --> 00:43:26.559
that sound. The women could hear the unmistakable whine of scratchy,
641
00:43:27.159 --> 00:43:30.679
followed by the sound of sharpened claws scraping against the door.
642
00:43:31.559 --> 00:43:34.599
The thunder still rumbled and the rain still pounded, but
643
00:43:34.760 --> 00:43:39.559
something inside of Sarah made her open the door. Scratchy
644
00:43:39.679 --> 00:43:43.199
slowly limped through the door, with his body trembling terribly.
645
00:43:44.039 --> 00:43:47.159
He continued to talk in his kiddy language as he
646
00:43:47.199 --> 00:43:52.079
stepped gingerly. His orange and black coat was covered with red, sticky,
647
00:43:52.159 --> 00:43:56.320
syrupy shit, and his back left paw was smashed flat.
648
00:43:56.880 --> 00:44:01.480
Just a flap of crushed bone and fur remained. He
649
00:44:01.599 --> 00:44:04.480
collapsed in the center of the floor and turned his
650
00:44:04.559 --> 00:44:09.880
head up towards Sarah. I think Clementine's dead. I think
651
00:44:09.920 --> 00:44:13.920
she died protecting her baby, Sarah said, as tears flowed
652
00:44:13.960 --> 00:44:16.719
down the sides of her face while she gazed upon
653
00:44:16.800 --> 00:44:20.559
the wounded cub. He looked back at her with frightened eyes,
654
00:44:21.400 --> 00:44:26.760
eyes that asked, where's my mommy. We gotta get out
655
00:44:26.760 --> 00:44:30.000
of here, and we have to leave right now. The
656
00:44:30.079 --> 00:44:33.239
humming noise was back, along with what sounded like a
657
00:44:33.360 --> 00:44:38.280
brig's in Stratton lawnmower falling rapidly from the sky. Sarah
658
00:44:38.280 --> 00:44:41.079
backed up against the front door, and the adrenaline kicked
659
00:44:41.079 --> 00:44:43.320
back into Gwen as she stepped into her pull up
660
00:44:43.320 --> 00:44:47.440
shorts and moved close to Sarah. Scratchy looked at them both,
661
00:44:47.760 --> 00:44:51.559
and he looked too human. In that moment, they could
662
00:44:51.599 --> 00:44:54.920
both read the pain and fear in his face. Gwen
663
00:44:55.079 --> 00:44:57.400
had to put her right hand on the floor, and
664
00:44:57.480 --> 00:45:01.719
Sarah steadied herself as if she caught massive wave while surfing.
665
00:45:02.039 --> 00:45:07.519
When the shack wobbled back and forth violently, the sound
666
00:45:07.519 --> 00:45:10.159
of the mower was right on top of them. Sarah
667
00:45:10.199 --> 00:45:13.880
and the adrenaline infused Gwen scrambled to their feet. As
668
00:45:13.920 --> 00:45:16.760
Sarah turned the knob on the door, the solid black
669
00:45:16.800 --> 00:45:20.840
structure caved in and splintered the roof. Scratchy didn't even
670
00:45:20.880 --> 00:45:23.880
see it coming. His gaze was still fixed on Sarah
671
00:45:23.920 --> 00:45:27.639
and Gwen when the solid black marble sque cube crushed
672
00:45:27.639 --> 00:45:31.440
his entire body, pushing him through the wood floor back
673
00:45:31.760 --> 00:45:35.480
into the earth below. The women ran back into the
674
00:45:35.599 --> 00:45:38.960
rain in the darkness. Sarah held the Coleman lantern in
675
00:45:39.000 --> 00:45:43.400
her right hand and Gwen's hand in the other. Ah
676
00:45:44.119 --> 00:45:48.199
Sarah screamed in agony as something jerked her from Gwen's grip,
677
00:45:48.920 --> 00:45:51.880
tossing her to the ground with devastating force by the
678
00:45:51.920 --> 00:45:55.119
back of her long hair sending her sprawling flat on
679
00:45:55.159 --> 00:45:59.119
her back into the wet grass and dirt. It was
680
00:45:59.199 --> 00:46:02.760
dragging Sarah over the terrain as she clutched and clawed
681
00:46:02.800 --> 00:46:07.039
at the moving ground, trying in vain to stop. Let
682
00:46:07.079 --> 00:46:11.639
her go. What the fuck are you? Gwen was temporarily
683
00:46:11.679 --> 00:46:14.599
frozen in place as her mind tried to tell her
684
00:46:15.239 --> 00:46:18.880
the monster's not real. Nope, you're not seeing it right
685
00:46:18.880 --> 00:46:21.239
there in front of you, pulling your lover girl's hair
686
00:46:21.280 --> 00:46:25.480
from its roots. It's not really happening because the monster's
687
00:46:25.719 --> 00:46:35.639
not real. Gwen, run, just go, Sarah yelled into the night.
688
00:46:35.920 --> 00:46:39.960
As she was being pulled toward the smooth black center cube.
689
00:46:40.000 --> 00:46:43.079
Gwen couldn't move except for the trembling of both hands
690
00:46:43.119 --> 00:46:46.440
and the knocking of her knees. The broken ribs weren't
691
00:46:46.440 --> 00:46:49.639
even an afterthought. She could have taken a direct shot
692
00:46:49.679 --> 00:46:52.480
to them with a baseball bat, and in this moment,
693
00:46:52.559 --> 00:46:56.119
she wouldn't have felt a thing. Sticking out symmetrically from
694
00:46:56.119 --> 00:46:58.840
the right and left side of the smooth black cube
695
00:46:59.239 --> 00:47:03.280
was an equally smooth black cable. Attached to each end
696
00:47:03.320 --> 00:47:06.519
of the cable was a flat metallic panel that was
697
00:47:06.559 --> 00:47:10.719
approximately three by three, and they were stuck firmly into
698
00:47:10.760 --> 00:47:15.880
the earth, flattening out anything underneath. There were flashing green
699
00:47:15.960 --> 00:47:18.519
lights that lined the outer edges of both sides of
700
00:47:18.559 --> 00:47:22.440
these panels. The coiled mechanical claws wrapped around the base
701
00:47:22.480 --> 00:47:28.039
of Sarah's ponytail and gave another vicious tug. Gwen watched
702
00:47:28.039 --> 00:47:30.960
in horror as she heard the sounds of skin and
703
00:47:31.119 --> 00:47:35.639
hair being forcibly ripped from underneath the cardinal's cap. The
704
00:47:35.679 --> 00:47:39.360
ponytail attached to a jagged and bloody piece of Sarah's
705
00:47:39.440 --> 00:47:43.239
scalp pulled through the back hole of the hat. A
706
00:47:44.639 --> 00:47:48.280
Sarah unleashed a scream that wasn't human. It wasn't the
707
00:47:48.320 --> 00:47:51.039
scream of a late night bee horror flick or the
708
00:47:51.039 --> 00:47:54.679
scream of a woman being assaulted. Sarah's scream was unlike
709
00:47:54.760 --> 00:47:57.480
any other that Gwen could ever recall, even in her
710
00:47:57.559 --> 00:48:01.719
darkest dreams. For just a moment, it looked as if
711
00:48:01.760 --> 00:48:09.960
Sarah might get away, and Gwen found her voice again. Here, hurry, hurry, Sarah, please, baby.
712
00:48:10.719 --> 00:48:13.719
Gwen stretched out her hand to her partner. She held
713
00:48:13.760 --> 00:48:16.199
it out like she was awaiting a baton, and she
714
00:48:16.440 --> 00:48:21.239
was the last relay runner. Gwen. Gwen Thank God, Sarah's
715
00:48:21.320 --> 00:48:25.519
fingers barely grazed Gwen's fingertips when she was suddenly yanked
716
00:48:25.599 --> 00:48:32.280
back into the darkness. No. Gwen scrambled towards Sarah when
717
00:48:32.280 --> 00:48:35.800
a solid but flexible black coil lashed out and hit
718
00:48:35.840 --> 00:48:40.159
her across her midsection, sending her airborne. She landed in
719
00:48:40.159 --> 00:48:43.880
a heap very hard on her injured side, and there
720
00:48:43.920 --> 00:48:48.400
was another gut wrenching crack. The wind left her body immediately,
721
00:48:48.880 --> 00:48:52.039
and she blinked her eyes rapidly, as she had when
722
00:48:52.039 --> 00:48:56.519
the jeep overturned. This time she saw a pair of large,
723
00:48:56.960 --> 00:49:01.159
oval neon green eyes blinking back at her from a distance.
724
00:49:02.079 --> 00:49:05.239
As she was losing her grip on consciousness, she saw
725
00:49:05.320 --> 00:49:09.039
the dark, hulking figure toss Sarah into an opening on
726
00:49:09.079 --> 00:49:12.519
the back side of the black cube. The last thing
727
00:49:12.639 --> 00:49:16.599
she heard before the lights went out was Sarah screaming
728
00:49:16.719 --> 00:49:21.840
for just an instant and the sound of a lawnmower engine. No,
729
00:49:23.159 --> 00:49:26.960
it was more like the sound of an oversized blender
730
00:49:27.760 --> 00:49:31.440
chopping into flesh and bone. It was sure to leave
731
00:49:31.480 --> 00:49:35.559
behind a concoction of red syrupe shit in a three
732
00:49:35.760 --> 00:49:41.920
x three puddle. Gwen was out and Sarah was dead
733
00:49:46.920 --> 00:49:52.719
one month later. Jason, it's over here, Roger that Brian.
734
00:49:53.639 --> 00:49:58.280
Jason was approximately ten yards behind Gwen's brother. Gwen's gonna
735
00:49:58.280 --> 00:50:00.920
get it when I get my hands on her, Brian
736
00:50:01.079 --> 00:50:04.679
continued as he parted the tall grass with both hands,
737
00:50:04.719 --> 00:50:07.559
sort of like performing a breaststroke in a swimming pool.
738
00:50:08.639 --> 00:50:11.679
I see it now, Jason said, as he jogged ahead.
739
00:50:12.199 --> 00:50:15.639
The wood shack was there, all in one piece, nary
740
00:50:15.679 --> 00:50:21.360
a scratch, Gwen Sarah, Jason shouted toward the front door.
741
00:50:22.119 --> 00:50:25.519
Jason gave two quick knocks before he turned the knob.
742
00:50:26.199 --> 00:50:30.159
He stepped in, with Brian just behind. Sitting right atop
743
00:50:30.199 --> 00:50:34.760
the makeshift counter was a stuffed hyena with a wild grin.
744
00:50:36.000 --> 00:50:39.280
Tucked neatly in between its front paws was a note.
745
00:50:40.320 --> 00:50:47.639
The note said, move fassa, enjoy the show. Brian, Sarah
746
00:50:47.639 --> 00:50:50.480
and I packed up on September eighth. There's gas in
747
00:50:50.559 --> 00:50:54.280
the generator out back. The phone's broken. That's why no call.
748
00:50:54.719 --> 00:50:59.239
Love you, Gwen. Ps. I left something for you about
749
00:50:59.280 --> 00:51:01.199
thirty yards in front of the door, in the tall
750
00:51:01.239 --> 00:51:06.239
grass to the left. That fucking Gwen. Brian grinned as
751
00:51:06.239 --> 00:51:09.519
he passed the note to Jason. Jason returned the smile
752
00:51:09.599 --> 00:51:12.639
and said, let's go see what she left for us.
753
00:51:13.239 --> 00:51:16.679
Jason led the way. As they walked outside, it was
754
00:51:16.760 --> 00:51:21.440
mid morning and the dark clouds were quickly tumbling together. Okay,
755
00:51:21.519 --> 00:51:25.760
we're about thirty yards out. Look around. Brian ran his
756
00:51:25.880 --> 00:51:29.000
hand through his short, cropped brown hair, just like his
757
00:51:29.039 --> 00:51:33.840
sister had done not all that long ago. Hey, over there,
758
00:51:34.960 --> 00:51:37.440
Jason pointed his left hand toward the top of the
759
00:51:37.480 --> 00:51:43.199
grass line. You see it. See what over there? Jason
760
00:51:43.239 --> 00:51:46.320
shook his finger to his left with more urgency. The
761
00:51:46.400 --> 00:51:50.320
grass goes flat over there, got it? Brian followed his
762
00:51:50.400 --> 00:51:57.039
buddy through the grass. What the fuck, Brian stopped cold. Brian,
763
00:51:57.320 --> 00:52:01.039
you gotta see this over here, yelled from a few
764
00:52:01.119 --> 00:52:05.079
yards to the right of where Brian was transfixed. No, Jason,
765
00:52:05.320 --> 00:52:09.920
you need to get the fuck over here first, right now, Brian,
766
00:52:10.039 --> 00:52:13.320
there's some red, stinky shit over here in a square hole.
767
00:52:14.239 --> 00:52:18.559
Fuck that. Get the fuck over here, Brian screamed in panic.
768
00:52:19.280 --> 00:52:23.079
The clouds converged and the first heavy drops began to fall.
769
00:52:23.800 --> 00:52:27.480
There was a blood stained cardinal's cap turned upside down
770
00:52:27.519 --> 00:52:31.679
on the ground, a long black trail of hair, still
771
00:52:31.719 --> 00:52:35.679
held together by a white ponytail holder lay beside the hat.
772
00:52:36.519 --> 00:52:40.440
The faucet was then turned completely on. Brian grabbed the
773
00:52:40.480 --> 00:52:44.639
hat and hair, and the men ran back towards the shack. Jason,
774
00:52:44.719 --> 00:52:47.559
who is that? Brian yelled into the rain as the
775
00:52:47.559 --> 00:52:54.119
door of the shack came into view. Is that Gwen? Gwen?
776
00:52:54.239 --> 00:52:58.480
Is that you? Jason yelled behind the figure moved backwards
777
00:52:58.480 --> 00:53:02.039
into the shack. Brian was the first to come, bursting
778
00:53:02.079 --> 00:53:07.679
through the door. Gwen, Oh my god, Gwen, what happened here?
779
00:53:08.400 --> 00:53:10.920
Gwen was lying, naked as the day she was born,
780
00:53:11.480 --> 00:53:14.360
flat on the cot, staring up at the shack ceiling,
781
00:53:14.960 --> 00:53:20.239
mumbling quietly to herself. What's wrong with her? Jason asked. No.
782
00:53:20.400 --> 00:53:23.400
Sooner did Jason speak than Gwen sat straight up in
783
00:53:23.480 --> 00:53:29.159
the cot, chanting, the monster's not real. The monster's not real,
784
00:53:30.079 --> 00:53:35.920
The monster's not real. The sound of thunder boom, and
785
00:53:36.000 --> 00:53:39.400
there was a hissing and popping in the distance. What
786
00:53:39.480 --> 00:53:46.440
the hell, Brian started? Is that a fucking lawnmower? I
787
00:53:46.559 --> 00:53:51.880
told you they'd come, said Gwen. Who'd come? Brian asked?
788
00:53:51.920 --> 00:53:55.320
While Jason tried to make sense of it all, I
789
00:53:55.440 --> 00:53:59.760
wasn't talking to you Gwen's lips parted in a wide grin.
790
00:54:00.159 --> 00:54:04.719
When the shack began to rattle violently, the trap was sprung.
791
00:54:05.320 --> 00:54:09.400
They were the Beatles trying to swim in red, syrupy shit.
792
00:54:10.320 --> 00:54:15.519
Gwen's last thought was a monster's lie. I can't wait
793
00:54:15.559 --> 00:54:28.079
to see Sarah again. The boys never knew what hit them. Well,
794
00:54:28.119 --> 00:54:32.679
my spookies, I suppose nothing beats a love story as
795
00:54:32.840 --> 00:54:35.760
bent and twisted as it may end up. I hope
796
00:54:35.760 --> 00:54:38.440
you enjoyed this week's story as much as I did
797
00:54:38.480 --> 00:54:42.119
reading it, and I want to remind you again October
798
00:54:42.440 --> 00:54:45.280
is thirty one shows in thirty one days, So make
799
00:54:45.320 --> 00:54:49.360
sure you're subscribed on your favorite podcasting app, because we
800
00:54:49.480 --> 00:54:52.199
have so much more to share with you, not only
801
00:54:52.280 --> 00:54:56.840
scary stories and exclusive novellas, but also some content about
802
00:54:56.880 --> 00:55:01.119
horror films, scary literature, and so much much more. So
803
00:55:01.679 --> 00:55:04.639
make sure you're subscribed. I also want to mention this
804
00:55:04.840 --> 00:55:08.639
Friday as a special treat to ring in October, I'll
805
00:55:08.639 --> 00:55:11.760
be releasing a recording of the Edgar Allan Poe classic
806
00:55:12.400 --> 00:55:15.920
The Pit and the Pendulum, one of my all time favorites,
807
00:55:15.920 --> 00:55:18.480
and it was a lot of fun to perform, so
808
00:55:18.599 --> 00:55:21.039
make sure to check that out this Friday, and don't
809
00:55:21.079 --> 00:55:25.039
forget Monday, the last day of September is Monthly Spooky,
810
00:55:25.239 --> 00:55:27.440
a fun way to wrap up the month talking about
811
00:55:27.519 --> 00:55:31.400
spooky news and all kinds of strange and eerie topics
812
00:55:31.400 --> 00:55:34.639
with my good buddy Michelle. And speaking of good buddies,
813
00:55:34.679 --> 00:55:36.800
I want to say an extra special thank you to
814
00:55:36.880 --> 00:55:40.440
our Patreon podcast boosters, folks who pay just a little
815
00:55:40.440 --> 00:55:42.679
bit more to hear their names at the end of
816
00:55:42.679 --> 00:55:46.519
the show, and they are Johnny Nick's, Jenny Green, Amber Hansford,
817
00:55:46.559 --> 00:55:50.239
Brent McCullough, Karen Wee, met Jack Kerr, and Craig Cohen.
818
00:55:50.280 --> 00:55:52.559
Thank you all so much for your support. And if
819
00:55:52.599 --> 00:55:54.440
you want to hear your name at the end of
820
00:55:54.480 --> 00:55:58.360
every episode of Weekly Spooky, just go to join dot
821
00:55:58.400 --> 00:56:02.119
Weeklyspooky dot com and choose a tear at fifteen dollars
822
00:56:02.159 --> 00:56:04.280
a month or higher. Not only will you hear your
823
00:56:04.360 --> 00:56:07.400
name through my silky smooth voice, but you'll have my
824
00:56:07.639 --> 00:56:12.639
undying gratitude and all the other bonuses that Patreon provides.
825
00:56:13.079 --> 00:56:14.800
But now, my friends, it's time for me to get
826
00:56:14.800 --> 00:56:17.679
back to work. I wasn't kidding. We have five novella's
827
00:56:17.840 --> 00:56:20.360
just for you this October, and so much more so
828
00:56:20.719 --> 00:56:24.320
for myself, for my executive producers Mark Shields, Robfields and
829
00:56:24.440 --> 00:56:28.519
Bobbletopia dot Com, my producer Dan Wilder, and our composer A. Mattis.
830
00:56:28.880 --> 00:56:32.719
I will talk at you very very soon. Thank you
831
00:56:32.800 --> 00:56:33.760
for listening.
832
00:56:34.480 --> 00:56:38.199
Make sure to find your way back next week, but
833
00:56:38.360 --> 00:56:40.960
for now you are safe.
834
00:56:42.360 --> 00:56:43.119
Trust me,
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