Aug. 8, 2026

4 Scary Travel Horror Stories | Wendigo, Ghost Ship, Airplane Horror & Serial Killer

4 Scary Travel Horror Stories | Wendigo, Ghost Ship, Airplane Horror & Serial Killer
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Key Takeaways

  • Four chilling travel horror stories explore supernatural and terrifying phenomena across different modes of transportation.
  • The anthology features tales focusing on a haunted airplane flight, a Wendigo born from a broken cannibalistic pact, a ghost ship overrun by killer rats, and an escaped serial killer on a summer road trip.
  • Charles Campbell's 'The Last Flight Out' details a routine passenger journey spiraling into a horrifying, inescapable supernatural loop of turbulence and grief.
  • Rob Fields' 'Be Careful What You Eat' showcases the horrific consequences of breaking a supernatural pact during a sports team's descent into cannibalism.
  • David O'Hanlon's stories deliver nautical dread in 'The Ship of the Cannibal Rats' and roadside slasher terror in 'Love, Burgers, and the Open Road'.
  • The episode embraces the 'Summerween' spirit, combining survival horror, folklore, and dark comedy to keep listeners on edge during any season.

Four scary travel horror stories unleash a Wendigo, a rat-infested ghost ship, a doomed passenger flight, and an escaped serial killer stalking a summer highway. Celebrate Summerween and Halloween in summer with this complete horror fiction anthology packed with supernatural terror, survival horror, cannibalism, killer animals, and roadside nightmares.

A routine airplane journey becomes a terrifying supernatural loop when violent turbulence, a grieving old man, and the cries of a dead child lead toward an unavoidable crash. Then a championship basketball team’s cannibalistic pact goes horribly wrong after one member consumes something inhuman and transforms into a ravenous Wendigo. Two shipwreck survivors escape a shark-filled ocean only to board an abandoned ocean liner overrun by thousands of flesh-eating rats. Finally, a teenage boy joins his truck-driving uncle for a summer road trip and encounters an escaped serial killer inside a blood-soaked highway truck stop.

This Summerween horror compilation features:
“The Last Flight Out” by Charles Campbell
A haunted airplane story of grief, ghostly passengers, severe turbulence, and a deadly flight trapped in a horrifying cycle.
“Be Careful What You Eat” by Rob Fields
Cannibal athletes discover the terrible consequences of breaking a supernatural pact when uncontrollable hunger creates a deadly Wendigo.
“The Ship of the Cannibal Rats” by David O’Hanlon
Shipwreck survivors board a mysterious ghost ship and discover that its enormous population of killer rats has developed its own brutal society.
“Love, Burgers, and the Open Road” by David O’Hanlon
A summer trucking adventure becomes a roadside slasher nightmare when an escaped serial killer massacres everyone inside a remote truck stop.

These terrifying tales combine airplane horror, haunted flights, Wendigo folklore, cannibal horror, ghost ships, killer rats, shark attacks, nautical horror, serial killers, truck stop horror, road trip terror, supernatural curses, dark comedy, and survival stories.

Perfect for listeners searching for scary stories, horror audiobooks, horror fiction podcasts, supernatural stories, creature features, serial killer stories, haunted travel stories, scary road trip stories, ocean horror, Summerween entertainment, and Halloween podcasts. The highway is hot, the ocean is endless, and something hungry is waiting at every stop.

Halloween may still be months away, but the journey into darkness has already begun.

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

🎉 Unlock exclusive bonus episodes and support the show on Patreon!
👉 WeeklySpooky.com/Join

📬 Contact Us / Submit Your Horror Story!


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

Frequently Asked Questions

What stories are featured in this Weekly Spooky episode?

This episode features four horror tales: 'The Last Flight Out' by Charles Campbell, 'Be Careful What You Eat' by Rob Fields, 'The Ship of the Cannibal Rats' by David O'Hanlon, and 'Love, Burgers, and the Open Road' by David O'Hanlon.

What is 'The Last Flight Out' about?

It is a haunted airplane story about a passenger named Sheila who boards a flight to Seattle and meets an elderly man named Otis, only to find the journey trapped in a terrifying cycle of severe turbulence and ghostly encounters.

What subgenres of horror are covered in these travel stories?

The collection spans various horror subgenres including supernatural terror, Wendigo folklore, cannibalism, ghost ships, killer animals, and roadside serial killer slasher horror.

Where can I submit my own horror story to Weekly Spooky?

You can contact the show and submit your horror stories by emailing WeeklySpooky@gmail.com or reaching out via Twitter at @WeeklySpooky and Facebook.

WEBVTT

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Summer is supposed to be the season of escape. We

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bord airplanes, follow highways, cross open water, and chase the

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promise that somewhere beyond the horizon, life might feel just

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a little freer. But tonight every road leads somewhere hungry.

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High above the mountains, a doomed flight is preparing to

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make its final descent. Beneath a winter storm, borne from

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forbidden appetites, something with antlers is searching for its next meal.

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Far out at sea, an abandoned ship is alive with

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thousands of tiny claws. And along a rain soaked highway,

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a roadside burgher may be the last warm meal anyone

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ever tastes. So fasten your seat belt, lock the truck

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stop bathroom door, and keep your hands away from anything

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moving inside the walls. These are some of the creepiest

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road stories from the weekly Spooky Vault. Make sure you're

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subscribed on your favorite podcast app because every Wednesday there's

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a brand new scary story waiting to keep Halloween alive

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all year long. Now, let's celebrate a little summer ween

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together as we head for our Last flight out. The

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Last Flight Out by Charles Campbell. Zone one is boarding.

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Everyone with a boarding pass and zone one are cleared

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to board flight seven fifty two from Hartsfield Jackson International

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to Seattle. Please present your boarding pass and be prepared

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to have carrions checked if they will not fit in

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the overhead compartment or under your seat. The pretty petite

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blonde wearing the Delta name tag smiled as passengers lined

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up to board the two hundred and eighty four passenger

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ready bowing seven fifty seven three hundred. Sheila popped out

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her earbuds the sounds of Maria Maria by Santana emitted

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from the tiny dangling speakers, and took another glance at

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her boarding pass, hoping it would magically change zones from

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four to one. She had two carry ons, and if

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her luck was per usual, she would end up checking

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the overhead bag because a few inconsiderate passengers would overstuff

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their allotments, leaving most of zones three and four in

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the baggage lurch. The airport was crowded with your typical

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mix of people, business types with iPads and laptops in hand,

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stressed out parents herding up their children, and more than

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a couple of people that Sheila prayed would not be

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seated beside her because they would overlap over a quarter

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of the way into her Economy class seat. Another ten

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minutes passed before Sheila heard the sweet sound of now

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boarding Zone four. Sheila made her way past the smiling

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blonde that scanned her boarding pass and was pleasantly surprised

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that she wasn't asked to check her carry ons as

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she cleared the entrance ramp and stepped into the jetliner.

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Okay twenty two see, Sheila mumbled as she held her

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laptop bag out in front of her, with the Duffel

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bag dangling behind as she navigated down the middle aisle

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finding her window seat. This really is my lucky day,

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Sheila thought to herself as she was one of the

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last passengers to board. In the compartment right above her seat,

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there was a hole just big enough to stuff her

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Duffel bag, leaving her laptop to be shoved under the

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seat in front of her. Sheila took her seat, strapped

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her belt, and was asleep before the flight attendant gave

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instructions on emergency exits and safety belts. Uh, this is

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the captain speaking. We have now achieved an altitude of

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ten thousand feet. You may now use approved electronic devices.

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Please keep your seat belts fastened. Thank you for flying

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Delta flight seven fifty two to Seattle. Hi. Dear, I

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hope I didn't wake you. A spindly old man reached

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across the middle seat and gently tapped on Sheila's arm.

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She turned to look upon the smiling elderly man, whose

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hand was still gently placed on her shoulder. His were

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the hands of a man who'd seen their share of

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hard labor, the hands of a man that had been

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on top of many a roof on many a hot

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summer's day. No, sir, you didn't wake me. My name's

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Sheila Baker, she said, as she patted the man's fingers

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on her right shoulder with her left hand. I'm Otis Thornton.

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The skinny seventy somethingter smiled at Shila with teeth that,

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to her surprise, appeared to be all his one hundred

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percent and not a spot of yellow on them. Pleased

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to meet you, mister Otis, interrupted, No, mister, just Otis.

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Sheila smiled and said, ok Otis, looks like we have

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a little breathing room. Huh. Sheila patted the empty seat

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that separated them, not that it would have made that

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much of a difference if he was sitting in the

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seat right next to her. Otis was a little over

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five six and couldn't have been any more than one

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hundred and twenty five pounds. Soaking wet, he was immediately

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engaging with light green eyes that shouted kindness. Sheila had

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to stop herself from reaching out and touching the full

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head of neatly combed snow white hair. Oh, the pleasure

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is all mine, Otis started. I don't get to sit

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beside beautiful women that much any more, well, not since

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I lost my dearest Ella. The kind eyes told a

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story that Sheila desperately wanted to hear. Otis, I must

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say that I am pleased that you will be my

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company on this flight. Sheila shuffled in her seat so

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she was facing ODIs directly and pushed a strand of

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her hanging brown hair back behind her left ear. Well,

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thank you, Sheila. I'm an old man that likes to talk.

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Just let me know if I start to talk your

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ears off, and I'll be quiet. Well, thank you, Otis.

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I'm a thirty two year old woman that likes to listen,

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So talk all you want. You might regret that invitation. Sheila,

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Otis's eyes lit up with the prospect of sharing his

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story with her. Try me, okay, here it goes, and

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Otis began. It was the summer of nineteen fifty eight

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when I first laid eyes on Ella Stanton. She was

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working at the Snow Cap as a roller waitress, and

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she was very good at it. I remember hearing the

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wheels of the skates whisked by on the asphalt as

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she left behind a sweet trail of lightly applied perfume

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while she rolled to and fro and back and forth.

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Her auburn hair was like a campfire at sunset, and

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her skin was fair and as soft as a butterfly's kiss,

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at least as soft as how I like to imagine

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a butterfly's kiss. I was a young man of twenty

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three when she first smiled and batted her brown eyes

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at me. You see, I helped my father back in

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those days. He was a self made, hard working man.

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Otis Thornton Sor moved to Augusta, Georgia with my mother, Genie,

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when I was a toddler, way back in the early forties.

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I take after my father in the way that I'm

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built spindley and all, but I have my mother's face

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and my hair used to be sandy blonde in another lifetime. Anyway,

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back to my angel, I remember my hands ached like

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the dickens from laying shingles on that hot July day

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when Ella rolled into my life. I remember that I

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ordered a double cheeseburd all the way and a coke float.

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When Ella said, you sure are skinny, you think you

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can handle the double? Did I mention my father was

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there with me? Well he was, and he answered for

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me because my mouth couldn't speak the words outside of

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the order that I had just blurted out. Yeah, I've

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seen him eat four thick pork chops with just as

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many mashed taters at home and still be hungry, young lady.

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My father gave her an Eastwood squint with a turned

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up grin and continued, I'll have the same thing, but

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I'll take the coke without the float. From that day on,

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I visited Ella at least three times a week, mostly

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without my father, although he would still come along once

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in a while when he got the craving for the

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goodness of that double burger. This went along for about

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two or three months before I got up the courage

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to court Ella. My father told mother about Ella about

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two weeks into me, missing too many home cooked meals.

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Then they were both on to me. My mother wanted grandchildren,

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as I was an only child. There was something about

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her lady parts that didn't quite work right after I

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was born. I remember that she doated over me enough

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for four children so much as a boy, all the

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way up to and through manhood. Ella's mother, Lucille, is

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where she got that auburn hair and fair skin. Her father,

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Thomas Stanton, worked at the True Value hardware store, selling hammers, wrenches,

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nails and what not. All Ella got from him was

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the brown eyes. I remember them staring through me the

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first time I came calling on his youngest daughter. Ella

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had two older sisters that at the time were already

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married off, Genie to some business man named Earle, and

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if I recall correctly, Francine, who married a butcher named

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Steve or Sam something that started with an S. Anyway,

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Ella was the last chickadee left, and Daddy Hawk certainly

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favored her over the two that had flown the coop.

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Lucille took to me right away. But Thomas Stanton took

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a lot of coaxing. He had to meet my father

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to gauge my stock in upbringing. I could tell from

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our first handshake that he favored the callous that had

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developed on my hand. He knew from that first shake

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that I didn't have the hands of a paper pusher

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or god forbid, an insurance salesman. Mister Stanton knew I

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came by an honest wage from the sweat of my brow.

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That was a wind for me right up front. Even

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with that, it still took coaxing. Sheila, I hope I'm

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not boring you so far. Otis not at all. It's

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the opposite. I don't want you to stop until you

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tell me everything. It's a long flight, and your story

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has me hooked. Sheila could feel the stress of her

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life melting away as she listened to the tail of

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Otis and Ella Okay, then and Otis continued. So Ella

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and I married almost a year after I met her

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father for the first time. About a year after that,

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we welcomed our baby girl, Marilyn, into the world. Marilyn

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turned out to be a pediatrician. All of my work

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on all those roofs with my father did that. That's

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something I'm very proud of. Ella's father never saw our

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second child, Otis. He died of a heart attack in

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his backyard weeding when Ella was pregnant with little Otis.

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We went back and forth on the name for a bit,

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but my father wanted to keep the Otis name going.

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And the truth of it was, Thomas Stanton wasn't around

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to object, and my lovely mother in law, Lucille, well,

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she just fell to pieces and her baby girl, My wife,

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my sweet Ella, wasn't far behind on the falling to

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piece's train. On top of it, she was pregnant with

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little Otis, with a toddler at her feet, and the

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stress of it all was almost more than she could bear.

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To tell the truth, looking back on it now, it was,

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and I know this may sound selfish, almost more than

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I should have been able to bear. But my father

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raised a pillar of strength. And that's not just me

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boasting my dear I truly was like a block of

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granite in those days. Thomas's funeral was on September twenty

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second in nineteen sixty two, and little Otis was born

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just two days later, on the twenty fourth. In those days.

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Folks hadn't heard of anything like postpartum depression. We just

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called it the baby blues, and Ella's father passing combined

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with it didn't give little Otis much of a chance.

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I just didn't know it back then. Ella's sisters came

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down for the funeral, but they sure didn't hang around

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to comfort Lucille, let alone the birth of their new nephew.

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I guess they were grieving in their own way, but

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they sure as hell got out of Dodge before the

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soil in their father's grave had even settled. I think

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the guy whose first name began with an S was

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behind Francine's early departure. I just don't think Genie was

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strong enough to hang around a minute longer than she

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felt was required. It was a few months after little

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Otis was born that Lucille started to come out of it,

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and it was all due to little Otis. The baby

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blues and grief still had its lock on my darling Ella.

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I had to keep food on the table, so I

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stayed on rooftops with my father. My mother kept little

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Otis about a quarter of the time, and Lucille kept

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him the rest of the time. My mother could see

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that Lucille needed that baby more than she did, and

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although I could see it hurt her to give up

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her time with little Otis, she knew if Lucille couldn't

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hang on to that baby, then she wouldn't be far

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behind mister Stanton taking up residence in Bellevue Memorial Gardens.

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A big thing that helped was mother did spend a

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lot of time with sweet Maryland. Sheila. Next, is the

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hard part. You still want to listen? Otis? I don't

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know what to say. Sheila was transfixed on the old

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man with the green eyes and calloused hands. Just then,

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flight attendant susie Q from who knows where interrupted them.

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Peanuts are cookies? Excuse me, Sheila asked, because absolutely nothing,

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Flight Attendant susie Q said registered in her brain. Otis

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smiled with all his real teeth on display and said,

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I like the salty peanuts please, and a coke if

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you've got one in that cart. I do, replied susie C.

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Miss anything for you. Sheila answered, salty peanuts and a coke.

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Otis tipped the red and white can in Sheila's direction

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as susie Q rattled by, and he asked, shall I continue, Yes,

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Sheila was too far in now she had to hear

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the rest of it, and Otis continued. Little Otis had

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the colic pretty bad, and I was up many a

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night tending to him. Because of Ella's delicate state. My

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days with Father always started early and with Little Otis.

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If I could get four straight hours of good sleep

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on any given night, that was a blessing. Most nights

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it was closer to three hours, and sometimes two. It

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was November eighteenth, and it started with a cold rain.

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Ella was clearing up the supper dishes, Marylyn was playing

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with her dolls on the living room floor, and Little

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Otis was fast asleep on my belly. As I watched

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Cronkite fill us in on the state of the world.

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I can still recall the smell of a fresh rain

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cropping up, and then the steady pelting on the roof.

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Before Cronkite signed off, I was in the firm grip

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of the sandman. When I awoke. Little Otis was no

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longer taking breaths on my chest. At first I thought

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nothing of it. Ella had taken him to his crib

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and put him down for the night. A fresh faced

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carson was in the middle of cracking a joke when

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I turned the knob on the old Zenith. I walked

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up the stairs to our bedroom, and I was just

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as careful and quiet as I could be with every step.

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I had just gotten a gift in the few hours

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of sleep I had received in front of the television,

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and if I was quiet, that night was going to

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be a six or seven hour snoozethon for me. I

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stopped just outside of Little Otis's door and pushed it open,

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when a very real and sudden sense of dread filled

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my body. Sheila, this is where I could have made

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a difference if I had only known. Ella was sitting

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in the rocker facing the window in the far corner

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of Little Otis's room. The fire truck red painted walls

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made it very dark at night. I remember the sound

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of the rocker as it moved front and back while

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Ella gently rocked Little ODIs. The window was cracked just

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00:17:02.240 --> 00:17:05.759
a hair and a little chill filled the room, but

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Ella just kept rocking with Little Otis in her arms.

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I thought maybe she had finally gotten over the baby blues.

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I remember that I smiled, relieved that my sense of

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dread was a false alarm and closed the door as

279
00:17:23.359 --> 00:17:26.279
quietly as I had opened it, and did a bed

280
00:17:26.400 --> 00:17:30.400
check on Marilyn. She was curled up with her raggedy

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andl thumb firmly placed in her mouth. So I went

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to bed. Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking.

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00:17:41.559 --> 00:17:45.559
We are about to experience some severe turbulence. Please remain

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00:17:45.640 --> 00:17:49.440
seated with your belts fastened until further notice. It's going

285
00:17:49.480 --> 00:17:53.039
to get pretty choppy, so make sure your belongings are secured.

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Thank you for flying Delta flight seven fifty two to Seattle.

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00:17:58.119 --> 00:18:01.400
The flight attendants made a quick walk down the aisles,

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tugging on seat belts, flipping up tray tables, and checking

289
00:18:05.279 --> 00:18:08.039
in with the folk seated at the emergency exits to

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00:18:08.119 --> 00:18:11.000
make sure that they were still willing and able to

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perform their assigned duties if needed. All of a sudden,

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as if on cue, the seven fifty seven shuddered violently,

293
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It sounded like it was getting nailed with a million paintballs,

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and took a sudden drop in elevation. Flight Attendant susie

295
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Q shrieked as she momentarily left her feet and if

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the drop had been just a couple more feet, her

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head would have been caved in by the plain ceiling.

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Another stroke of luck for susie Q was that she

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brushed up against the aisle seat that sure handed Otis

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occupied as wade and momentum took her up. Otis grabbed

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00:18:49.400 --> 00:18:52.000
her by the waistband in her skirt with his steel

302
00:18:52.079 --> 00:18:56.000
grip and pulled her back down. Susie Q fell hard

303
00:18:56.039 --> 00:18:59.000
on both knees from the sudden descent, but it was

304
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preferable to smashing her skull. She crawled on hands and

305
00:19:03.960 --> 00:19:06.799
knees until she got to her seat. Her knees were

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00:19:06.839 --> 00:19:10.599
all skinned up and blood was oozing from the stocking hose,

307
00:19:11.119 --> 00:19:13.240
but she made it to her seat and secured her

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safety belt. The creaking and cracking noises inside the flying

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00:19:17.640 --> 00:19:22.319
capsule started to subside as the turbulence began to settle.

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This is the captain speaking. We aren't out of the

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00:19:26.759 --> 00:19:29.680
woods yet. I anticipate we'll hit more chop before we

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settle back in. Remain seated with your seat belts fastened. Please, Otis,

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Are you okay? What you did there? Catching that girl?

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That was amazing. Sheila was falling in love with her

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00:19:42.200 --> 00:19:47.200
elderly companion I'm fine, dear. I've been on many of

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00:19:47.240 --> 00:19:51.119
these flights in my lifetime, and I've seen worse. We'll

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00:19:51.200 --> 00:19:54.240
be fine. I was on a plane that almost crashed once,

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but that's another story. You you want me to keep going.

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00:20:00.720 --> 00:20:03.799
There's more to tell about me and Ella. ODIs gazed

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00:20:03.839 --> 00:20:06.519
at Sheila with you have to let me finish the

321
00:20:06.599 --> 00:20:12.000
story eyes. I would like to hear the rest. What

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00:20:12.200 --> 00:20:16.839
happened to baby Otis? I rolled out of bed and

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remembered it felt like I stepped on a thousand sewing

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needles standing at attention on the hardwood floor. My hands

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00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:27.000
might have seventy plus years of callous but my feet

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are still tender to this day. Ella was lying there,

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still lost in her dreams, as I shuffled across the

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floor to grab my bath robe. I generally slept in

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my undershorts and nothing else. It was colder than usual

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that morning, and the reason was apparent when I pulled

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the robe over my shoulders. The window on the left

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side of our bedroom was fully opened, and there was

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a little puddle on the floor directly underneath. So I

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closed the source of the morning's frosty rise and turned

335
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back to find a towel. I remember moving into the

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hallway looking just a moment to check in on Marylyn,

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and she was still nestled under her blankets. So I

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continued down the hallway toward the towel closet. Just before

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I got there, I noticed that the door to Little

340
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Otis's room was completely closed. We never left the door

341
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to his room completely closed, so this got my attention

342
00:21:23.480 --> 00:21:27.000
right quick. My breath got shorter the closer that I

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moved to Little Otis's door. The white knob seemed to

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look at me, daring me to turn it, but almost

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warning me not to. I hesitated as I expected it

346
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to grow a mouth and say, Otis, I wouldn't turn

347
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me if I were you. But I did turn it,

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and then I stepped in. Every window in the room

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was wide open, all four of them. The room was

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a literal ice box. Water was everywhere, much more than

351
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any single towel could pick up. Water splashed under my

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00:22:03.319 --> 00:22:06.920
feet as I sprinted toward Little Otis's crib. I slipped

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in the water when I made a stubborn stop, and

354
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both my feet flung out from underneath me. I landed

355
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with my ass on the floor and my feet sticking

356
00:22:14.759 --> 00:22:17.680
out from under the crib. I grabbed the bottom of

357
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the crib rail and pulled myself up, shedding the soaked

358
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bathrobe as I did. His little green eyes were staring

359
00:22:25.799 --> 00:22:29.119
up at me, and his mouth was slightly open, as

360
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if he were still trying to suckle. I reached down

361
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to grab my son, and his blue body was cold

362
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and stiff. I'll never forget the sound it made when

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I pulled my blanket wrapped baby from the crib mattress.

364
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It was almost like the sound of pulling apart velcrow.

365
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I was looking into little Odis's hungry eyes when I

366
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heard Ella mumble I'm sorry in the doorway. Sheila, this

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00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:09.680
was all my fault, it really was. I knew better

368
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than to leave her alone with little Otis the night before.

369
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Lack of sleep overruled rational thinking. Not that I'm using

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that as an excuse, because I'd gotten a good chunk

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of sleep for me that night before I went to bed.

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I never turned to look at her. I recall saying

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that I would take care of it, and she needed

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to leave the room while she still could. She was

375
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wailing as she walked back down the hallway. Little Marilyn

376
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was still snuggled in her blankets. Oh my god, Otis,

377
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what did you do? Sheila's hands were trembling at this point,

378
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but she didn't notice. Otis had her all the way in. Well, Sheila,

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I loved my Ella more than anything. And this is

380
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awful to say out loud, but I loved Ella even

381
00:24:01.160 --> 00:24:04.319
more than little Otis or Marilyn, and I would give

382
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my life without question for any of them. The plane

383
00:24:09.519 --> 00:24:12.440
suddenly dropped again, and the lights in the flying pill

384
00:24:12.480 --> 00:24:17.039
box flickered. The sounds of nervous passengers rose, and there

385
00:24:17.079 --> 00:24:20.079
was the cry of a baby somewhere about ten rows up.

386
00:24:20.839 --> 00:24:24.680
The plane rattled like chattering teeth. The flight attendants were

387
00:24:24.720 --> 00:24:27.599
breezing through the aisles, holding the sides of the seats

388
00:24:27.599 --> 00:24:30.359
as they moved through, trying to make sure that all

389
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the passengers were secured. This is the captain speaking. The

390
00:24:35.200 --> 00:24:40.440
chop we're experiencing is severe. Everyone remain seated. Flight attendants

391
00:24:40.440 --> 00:24:43.960
included everyone in your seat and stay there. If you

392
00:24:44.039 --> 00:24:46.160
have to use the restroom, I would suggest you hold

393
00:24:46.160 --> 00:24:50.000
it if at all possible. This turbulence is unpredictable and

394
00:24:50.039 --> 00:24:52.759
we are not out of it yet. No, thank you

395
00:24:52.839 --> 00:24:56.759
for flying with Delta flight seven fifty two after this update.

396
00:24:57.359 --> 00:24:59.960
This update was to keep your ass in your seat

397
00:25:00.160 --> 00:25:06.000
and don't move, So says El Capitan Otis. Sheila reached

398
00:25:06.000 --> 00:25:08.119
out and grabbed him by the tips of his fingers

399
00:25:08.160 --> 00:25:14.319
with both of her hands. Please finish the story, are

400
00:25:14.359 --> 00:25:18.400
you sure, dear? I hear some fear in the captain's

401
00:25:18.440 --> 00:25:23.119
voice now, so he has my attention. ODIs pulled both

402
00:25:23.119 --> 00:25:26.960
of her hands into his, and Sheila nodded her head yes,

403
00:25:28.000 --> 00:25:33.640
and Otis continued. Lucille was at the funeral, and she

404
00:25:33.759 --> 00:25:37.240
said maybe two words to me. The entire time she

405
00:25:37.319 --> 00:25:41.839
was there. There was definitely blame in her eyes, and

406
00:25:41.920 --> 00:25:46.559
it was always directed at me. I suspect that she

407
00:25:46.640 --> 00:25:50.559
went to her grave thinking I killed that baby, and

408
00:25:50.680 --> 00:25:55.079
in a way she was kind of right. My father

409
00:25:55.160 --> 00:25:58.319
and mother were there. My father never left my side

410
00:25:58.359 --> 00:26:01.200
for a second. My mother was all over the place.

411
00:26:01.960 --> 00:26:04.960
She was babbling incoherently for most of the service and

412
00:26:05.359 --> 00:26:09.559
clung to my father's shoulders like a frightened kitten. My

413
00:26:09.680 --> 00:26:13.799
father stayed stoic and strong for me to show me

414
00:26:13.920 --> 00:26:17.200
how to be a man. I appreciated that more than

415
00:26:17.240 --> 00:26:21.039
he ever knew. Neither one of Ella's sisters showed up.

416
00:26:21.759 --> 00:26:24.880
I'm sure mister s had something to do with Francine's

417
00:26:24.920 --> 00:26:28.799
no show. Genie, I never knew why she didn't make it.

418
00:26:29.599 --> 00:26:33.039
Marilyn was still a toddler and she noticed her baby

419
00:26:33.079 --> 00:26:37.319
brother was gone, but she was still young enough to forget.

420
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There was a brief investigation, but the baby's death was

421
00:26:41.680 --> 00:26:46.519
determined to be accidental bordering on negligence, and charges were

422
00:26:46.559 --> 00:26:50.640
within an eyelash of being filed. There were questions on

423
00:26:50.720 --> 00:26:54.319
why the windows were cracked. They were all just cracked

424
00:26:54.359 --> 00:26:57.319
when the investigator showed up, and there wasn't a drop

425
00:26:57.359 --> 00:27:01.000
of water on the floor. The windows, even being cracked

426
00:27:01.039 --> 00:27:03.680
just a little in an enclosed space with no heat,

427
00:27:03.799 --> 00:27:06.519
was enough to kill an infant when temperatures dropped the

428
00:27:06.559 --> 00:27:10.039
way they had. The reason given for the cracked windows

429
00:27:10.240 --> 00:27:13.160
was the strong scent of pine, a scent that I

430
00:27:13.279 --> 00:27:17.839
made sure was there when they showed up. Remember, I

431
00:27:17.880 --> 00:27:21.039
loved Ella more than anything, and I was going to

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00:27:21.079 --> 00:27:24.559
protect her at all costs, even if that meant going

433
00:27:24.640 --> 00:27:30.559
to prison. After the funeral, Lucille showed up on Christmas, Thanksgiving,

434
00:27:30.599 --> 00:27:34.160
and a couple of Maryland's birthdays, but every time she

435
00:27:34.240 --> 00:27:37.440
laid her eyes on me. I could feel the flames

436
00:27:37.440 --> 00:27:43.799
of her hate. Then all at once we lost contact

437
00:27:43.880 --> 00:27:46.880
with her. She moved away in the night one day,

438
00:27:47.000 --> 00:27:50.680
and we never heard from her again. To this day,

439
00:27:50.759 --> 00:27:54.440
I don't know where she ended up or where she's buried.

440
00:27:55.279 --> 00:27:57.799
I suppose in this day and age, I could find out,

441
00:27:57.839 --> 00:28:03.599
But why raise old ghosts. I had a long talk

442
00:28:03.640 --> 00:28:08.319
with Ella, and after that we only spoke about little Otis.

443
00:28:08.359 --> 00:28:13.599
Every September twenty fourth, we'd get a cake, candles and

444
00:28:13.759 --> 00:28:17.279
say a prayer for our lost child. We shared the

445
00:28:17.319 --> 00:28:20.599
celebration with Marilyn every year, but as far as she

446
00:28:20.759 --> 00:28:25.160
was concerned, her brother's death was a tragic accident. I

447
00:28:25.200 --> 00:28:28.480
saw Genie and Francine a couple more times before I

448
00:28:28.559 --> 00:28:33.799
lost Ella, and both times weren't planned. Genie was passing

449
00:28:33.799 --> 00:28:38.000
through Augusta with her businessman husband and popped in both times.

450
00:28:39.039 --> 00:28:42.079
Francine came to get away from mister s the butcher

451
00:28:42.599 --> 00:28:45.640
once and she came looking to borrow money one other time.

452
00:28:47.000 --> 00:28:56.960
Then about this time last year, I lost Ella. Oxygen

453
00:28:57.079 --> 00:28:59.920
masks dropped and people were screaming and crying. On the

454
00:29:00.079 --> 00:29:03.119
seven fifty seven, the plane was in a sharp descent,

455
00:29:03.240 --> 00:29:06.759
and for Otis and Sheila, everything seemed to be moving

456
00:29:06.799 --> 00:29:12.559
in slow motion. Sheila, do you hear the baby, ODIs

457
00:29:12.599 --> 00:29:16.279
screamed over the commotion. The oxygen masks were floating in

458
00:29:16.279 --> 00:29:21.119
front of his face. Otis, put on your mask, Sheila screamed,

459
00:29:21.200 --> 00:29:23.920
leaning over, discarding the rule to put your own mask

460
00:29:24.039 --> 00:29:28.920
on before helping others. ODIs swatted her hands away. Sheila,

461
00:29:29.079 --> 00:29:32.119
I have to get the baby, ODIs screamed as he

462
00:29:32.200 --> 00:29:35.839
unbuckled his safety belt. It sounded like a freight train

463
00:29:36.079 --> 00:29:38.880
was barreling down the track, positioned to take them out.

464
00:29:39.480 --> 00:29:42.839
Heads were tucked between knees. Flight attendants were screaming at

465
00:29:42.839 --> 00:29:45.640
people to remain seated. The plane was almost in a

466
00:29:45.680 --> 00:29:49.079
full dive. ODIs pulled himself from the floor with his

467
00:29:49.160 --> 00:29:53.839
strong hands and moved from seat to seat. The sounds

468
00:29:53.880 --> 00:29:57.079
of babies cries got closer with each seat he passed.

469
00:29:57.599 --> 00:30:01.039
Most people were praying, some had their phones out, texting

470
00:30:01.119 --> 00:30:03.799
or trying to call their loved ones. He could hear

471
00:30:03.839 --> 00:30:07.960
Sheila screaming behind him, begging him to come back, but

472
00:30:08.079 --> 00:30:12.200
ODIs pressed on. He was there. ODIs gripped the side

473
00:30:12.200 --> 00:30:15.519
of seat A and looked into the green eyes staring

474
00:30:15.599 --> 00:30:20.720
back at him. Little ODIs smiled at his father, and

475
00:30:20.799 --> 00:30:24.400
his father smiled back. Otis kept his grip on the

476
00:30:24.400 --> 00:30:26.960
front of the seat with his right hand and unbuckled

477
00:30:26.960 --> 00:30:30.359
the child with his left. He lifted his son close

478
00:30:30.400 --> 00:30:35.680
to him. All of the screams went away. He could

479
00:30:35.720 --> 00:30:40.759
only hear Sheila. ODIs turned and, holding his son in

480
00:30:40.799 --> 00:30:45.160
one hand, made his way back to seat twenty two A.

481
00:30:46.480 --> 00:30:50.400
The pilots were both unconscious. The cabin pressure alarm went

482
00:30:50.480 --> 00:30:53.559
unnoticed as they tried to get the plane back on course,

483
00:30:54.160 --> 00:30:56.759
and it was too late when they fell into La

484
00:30:56.880 --> 00:31:07.279
La land. Sheila, meet my son, little ODIs? What how

485
00:31:07.880 --> 00:31:12.319
Sheila started? There was a bright flash of light and

486
00:31:12.440 --> 00:31:15.880
all of the shadows burned away into the white. The

487
00:31:15.880 --> 00:31:19.880
plane exploded into the side of the Cascade Mountains just

488
00:31:19.960 --> 00:31:29.799
outside of Seattle. Then Sheila awoke and it began again. Hi, dear,

489
00:31:30.599 --> 00:31:34.119
I hope I didn't wake you. A spindly old hand

490
00:31:34.160 --> 00:31:38.480
reached across the middle seat and gently tapped on Sheila's arm.

491
00:31:38.720 --> 00:31:41.559
As she turned to look upon the smiling, elderly man

492
00:31:42.119 --> 00:31:45.400
still touching her. His hands were the hands of a

493
00:31:45.440 --> 00:31:48.599
man who had seen their fair share of hard labor,

494
00:31:49.359 --> 00:31:51.880
the hands of a man that had been on top

495
00:31:51.920 --> 00:31:55.039
of many a roof on many a hot summer's day.

496
00:32:00.000 --> 00:32:06.519
We'll view memorial gardens. Augusta, Georgia. Ella and Marilyn were

497
00:32:06.559 --> 00:32:11.519
at Otis and Little Otis's graveside. Marilyn was standing behind

498
00:32:11.519 --> 00:32:15.079
her mother's wheelchair with a hand on her frail mother's shoulder.

499
00:32:16.119 --> 00:32:18.839
It had been a little over a year since they

500
00:32:18.920 --> 00:32:22.640
lost Otis in that horrible plane crash, and Otis had

501
00:32:22.680 --> 00:32:28.799
lost Ella and Marilyn. Marilyn, I have something to tell you,

502
00:32:29.400 --> 00:32:36.400
Ella started, What is it? Mother asked Marilyn. Let's go

503
00:32:36.480 --> 00:32:40.559
to the snow cap and I'll share it all. Ella

504
00:32:40.640 --> 00:32:47.200
wiped a tear from her eye. Okay, Mother, goodbye, Daddy

505
00:32:47.240 --> 00:32:52.519
and baby brother. I love you. Marilyn pushed the wheelchair

506
00:32:52.599 --> 00:32:57.119
up the incline as they passed. A middle aged couple

507
00:32:57.240 --> 00:33:02.160
smiled as they walked by, holding hand. The tall man

508
00:33:02.200 --> 00:33:05.559
and his wife stopped two plots away from Otis and

509
00:33:05.640 --> 00:33:12.640
Little Otis. The marker read Sheila Alice Baker, A bright

510
00:33:12.759 --> 00:33:17.640
light that will never burn out. February twenty eighth, nineteen

511
00:33:17.720 --> 00:33:32.960
eighty to November eighteenth, twenty twelve, be Careful what You

512
00:33:33.039 --> 00:33:39.359
Eat by Rob Fields. Gibson Pryor was getting close to

513
00:33:39.440 --> 00:33:42.480
Garnet Miron's house on the west end of the Pendleton

514
00:33:42.599 --> 00:33:46.160
Village limits. He was on cloud nine when he was

515
00:33:46.200 --> 00:33:50.200
given the extra large pepperoni and extra cheese pizza to

516
00:33:50.279 --> 00:33:53.599
deliver to her and her four friends who started for

517
00:33:53.680 --> 00:33:58.480
Pendleton High's girls basketball team. Even though he admired all

518
00:33:58.559 --> 00:34:02.759
the girls, he most had his heart set on Garnet herself.

519
00:34:03.599 --> 00:34:07.640
Gibson's heart pounded with anticipation as he pulled into Garnet's

520
00:34:07.640 --> 00:34:11.719
long driveway. There were two other vehicles parked with her truck.

521
00:34:12.599 --> 00:34:14.960
He cut the motor and got out with the pizza

522
00:34:15.039 --> 00:34:18.719
warming bag in hand. He reached the front door and

523
00:34:18.880 --> 00:34:22.760
rang the bell. Seconds later, the door opened to reveal

524
00:34:22.840 --> 00:34:27.639
a majorly dressed down Garnet Miron. Gibson saw she was

525
00:34:27.679 --> 00:34:31.159
wearing just a sexy robe, but could easily see her

526
00:34:31.239 --> 00:34:35.800
ginger hair and tan skin in kind. She was checking

527
00:34:35.880 --> 00:34:39.880
him out as she smiled and let him enter. Gibson

528
00:34:39.920 --> 00:34:43.519
couldn't believe when he saw the other four girls also

529
00:34:43.639 --> 00:34:47.400
wearing sexy robes. Before he could tell Garnet what was

530
00:34:47.440 --> 00:34:51.800
owed for the pizza, the team captain herself began rubbing

531
00:34:51.880 --> 00:34:58.239
up against him. Mm he just smells so dreamy, she

532
00:34:58.400 --> 00:35:02.480
told her friends. The other girls soon joined their captain.

533
00:35:03.159 --> 00:35:08.159
They too, complimented Gibson on how wonderful he smelled. Gibson

534
00:35:08.199 --> 00:35:12.800
couldn't believe the Pendleton guardswomen starters were dripping all over him.

535
00:35:13.519 --> 00:35:17.079
He composed himself and again tried to tell them what

536
00:35:17.280 --> 00:35:23.199
was owed for the pizza. Garnet gave him an approving smile. MM,

537
00:35:23.440 --> 00:35:28.679
you got any other deliveries, baby, Yeah, stay with us,

538
00:35:29.280 --> 00:35:32.639
Caprice dance and added, He'll give you a tip you'll

539
00:35:32.719 --> 00:35:38.039
never forget. Lakota Diamond. Further added, then he saw the

540
00:35:38.079 --> 00:35:43.079
pearly smiles of Skeeter, Victors and Hanley Paulson and wondered

541
00:35:43.119 --> 00:35:47.280
if he was asleep and dreaming. The girls took his

542
00:35:47.400 --> 00:35:50.599
hands and guided him to the indoor swimming pool area.

543
00:35:51.480 --> 00:35:56.280
Soon all five girls turned and faced him. Gibson gasped

544
00:35:56.280 --> 00:35:59.719
and nearly dropped the pizza bag as the entire basketball

545
00:35:59.760 --> 00:36:03.559
team undid their robes and let them drop to the

546
00:36:03.599 --> 00:36:10.480
ground to reveal five incredibly hot naked bodies. Skeeter took

547
00:36:10.519 --> 00:36:13.440
Gibson's pizza bag and set it on a deck chair.

548
00:36:14.119 --> 00:36:17.440
Then she helped Hanley undress him. As the other three

549
00:36:17.519 --> 00:36:22.239
girls jumped into the pool, Gibson knew his coworkers at

550
00:36:22.320 --> 00:36:27.079
Chet's Pizza would never believe him. Soon he was just

551
00:36:27.119 --> 00:36:32.440
as naked as the girls join us, Skeeter purred gently

552
00:36:32.519 --> 00:36:36.880
raking his chest with her long fingernails. Gibson let Skeeter

553
00:36:37.000 --> 00:36:40.360
and Hanley take his hands, and together they jumped into

554
00:36:40.400 --> 00:36:44.400
the pool. When they came up, Garnet appeared in front

555
00:36:44.400 --> 00:36:49.280
of him and started caressing his ripped chest. Gibson felt

556
00:36:49.280 --> 00:36:53.199
his heart racing even faster when Skeeter came into him

557
00:36:53.440 --> 00:36:57.840
and began melding her lips with his. As they shared

558
00:36:57.880 --> 00:37:01.519
their tongues, he could feel the other girl's touching and

559
00:37:01.599 --> 00:37:05.920
caressing him. If this truly was a dream, he did

560
00:37:05.960 --> 00:37:11.800
not want to wake up. However, Gibson's dream turned into

561
00:37:11.880 --> 00:37:15.679
a living nightmare when he felt the sudden sharp pain

562
00:37:16.199 --> 00:37:20.159
on his shoulder blade. When he screamed into Skeeter's mouth,

563
00:37:20.480 --> 00:37:25.000
her teeth clamped down hard on his tongue. Gibson continued

564
00:37:25.039 --> 00:37:29.360
screaming in Skeeter's mouth as he felt more bites. Gibson

565
00:37:29.440 --> 00:37:33.599
finally managed to shove Skeeter away, but now his tongue

566
00:37:33.679 --> 00:37:37.320
was hanging out of her mouth. Blood was already staining

567
00:37:37.360 --> 00:37:41.320
the water from Gibson's injuries. He also saw the girls

568
00:37:41.400 --> 00:37:44.280
chewing on the pieces of flesh they had bitten off

569
00:37:44.320 --> 00:37:50.519
of him, blood trailing down their chins and breasts. When

570
00:37:50.519 --> 00:37:54.920
Gibson tried to flee, Lakota suddenly sprang on him. Then

571
00:37:55.039 --> 00:37:58.760
her friends reached him again. Garnet and Handley pressed their

572
00:37:58.800 --> 00:38:04.119
fingers against his stomah until they easily penetrated it. Gibson

573
00:38:04.199 --> 00:38:07.400
gasped and barely got a final scream out when the

574
00:38:07.440 --> 00:38:12.679
two girls pulled his chest and stomach open. Blood really

575
00:38:12.760 --> 00:38:18.239
stained the water now. After Skeeter finished eating Gibson's tongue,

576
00:38:18.280 --> 00:38:21.280
she moved to the vacant left arm and began to

577
00:38:21.400 --> 00:38:25.719
dine on that. Between the five girls, they each claimed

578
00:38:25.719 --> 00:38:29.119
a section of Gibson's body. It had taken them nearly

579
00:38:29.159 --> 00:38:33.119
an hour to devour the hunky pizza guy, until only

580
00:38:33.199 --> 00:38:37.280
the skeleton itself remained. The girls looked at each other,

581
00:38:37.400 --> 00:38:42.840
now their bellies full and satisfied. Calling Chet's pizza and

582
00:38:42.880 --> 00:38:48.920
requesting this Adonis was a great call, Skeeter Lakota complimented, Hey,

583
00:38:49.559 --> 00:38:55.599
the meteor the tastier right. Skeeter returned, he was so yummy,

584
00:38:56.360 --> 00:39:00.599
Garnet smiled. You can still see after all this time,

585
00:39:01.119 --> 00:39:04.760
our hell Weaver promised us years ago when we made

586
00:39:04.800 --> 00:39:07.800
our pact with her, we just have to keep eating

587
00:39:07.840 --> 00:39:12.159
the flesh of only other mortals to get our heart's desires.

588
00:39:12.800 --> 00:39:16.280
And we started with becoming the girls basketball team to

589
00:39:16.360 --> 00:39:22.000
beat in the eerie Shore Conference. No, the state, Caprice

590
00:39:22.079 --> 00:39:25.960
corrected her. Yes, we've been winning the state championship since

591
00:39:26.000 --> 00:39:31.360
sophomore year, Hanley gushed, and we're still undefeated. We already

592
00:39:31.360 --> 00:39:35.760
clinched a playoff spot. Then there's the full ride scholarships

593
00:39:35.760 --> 00:39:40.960
to Shore City State, Lakota added, Where we'll continue our dominance,

594
00:39:41.400 --> 00:39:46.440
Garnet assured them. Then she chuckled. My bloodline in Strickfield

595
00:39:46.480 --> 00:39:49.639
banished me from the gated community when they learned I

596
00:39:49.679 --> 00:39:53.519
had a hell Weaver Bible. My family doesn't believe in her,

597
00:39:54.000 --> 00:39:58.119
only the family magics. The fools just don't understand that

598
00:39:58.239 --> 00:40:03.400
our hell Weaver super all of that. But why bring

599
00:40:03.559 --> 00:40:08.159
us into this wonderful thing? Caprice asked, You could have

600
00:40:08.199 --> 00:40:12.880
easily kept this all to yourself. Garnet smiled, because it

601
00:40:12.920 --> 00:40:18.679
would be very, very lonely. Also, you lovelies came into

602
00:40:18.679 --> 00:40:22.360
this pact with me of your own free wills. The

603
00:40:22.440 --> 00:40:26.440
others couldn't argue with Garnet on that. Then Lakota pointed

604
00:40:26.480 --> 00:40:28.960
to the deck chair with the black bag on it.

605
00:40:29.840 --> 00:40:36.239
What about that disgusting thing? Garnet smiled, Oh that. She

606
00:40:36.400 --> 00:40:38.440
swam to the side and got out of the pool.

607
00:40:38.960 --> 00:40:42.719
She opened the bag and pulled out the pizza. Oh Boys.

608
00:40:43.800 --> 00:40:47.920
Just then, two large rottweilers came trotting into the pool area.

609
00:40:48.519 --> 00:40:51.079
Garnet opened the pizza box and placed it down in

610
00:40:51.119 --> 00:40:54.760
front of them. The girls laughed as the dogs enjoyed

611
00:40:54.800 --> 00:40:58.679
their delicious treat. We'd better get this mess cleaned up,

612
00:40:59.159 --> 00:41:03.480
Caprice suggested. Garnet walked to a control panel and flipped

613
00:41:03.519 --> 00:41:07.679
a few switches to activate the powerful filtration system. After

614
00:41:07.719 --> 00:41:10.719
the girls removed the skeleton and disposed of it, they

615
00:41:10.760 --> 00:41:17.199
all went to take showers. The girls had done very

616
00:41:17.239 --> 00:41:20.760
well at basketball practice and were playing the first of

617
00:41:20.800 --> 00:41:24.239
their two games for the weekend. They had no problem

618
00:41:24.400 --> 00:41:29.079
dominating the Strickfield High Villagers on Friday night. When they

619
00:41:29.119 --> 00:41:33.519
were playing their Saturday night game, against the Strickfield Academy Sacraments. However,

620
00:41:34.199 --> 00:41:39.360
that was when they met Danica McMichaels. The Pendleton guardswomen

621
00:41:39.400 --> 00:41:43.920
had no problem besting McMichael's teammates, but the captain herself

622
00:41:44.280 --> 00:41:48.800
was easily getting around the guardswomen's entire starting lineup. The

623
00:41:48.840 --> 00:41:52.519
guards women heard McMichael's was good, but they didn't know

624
00:41:52.639 --> 00:41:56.559
she was that good. However, the guards women held off

625
00:41:56.599 --> 00:42:01.840
the Sacraments to the win by only one point. Danica

626
00:42:01.920 --> 00:42:05.400
McMichael's had clearly taken the guardswomen to the limit, but

627
00:42:05.519 --> 00:42:09.199
Garnet Mirn only smiled as she called her girls over

628
00:42:09.760 --> 00:42:19.039
and explained her plan. Danica had finished her shower and

629
00:42:19.199 --> 00:42:21.440
was ready to leave the locker room to join her

630
00:42:21.480 --> 00:42:25.199
teammates on the bus back to Strickfield. Soon, she had

631
00:42:25.239 --> 00:42:30.880
that awful feeling she was being watched. Her feeling proved

632
00:42:30.960 --> 00:42:35.480
right when Lakota Diamond blocked her way. Normally, Danica wasn't

633
00:42:35.480 --> 00:42:39.360
afraid to get in another girl's face, but Lakota's predatory

634
00:42:39.440 --> 00:42:43.760
stare made her feel scared. When Danica turned to flee,

635
00:42:43.880 --> 00:42:48.119
she saw Caprice dancing like Lakota, she also had a

636
00:42:48.159 --> 00:42:51.519
predatory stare on her face. Now, the rest of the

637
00:42:51.559 --> 00:42:57.320
Pendleton guardswomen had surrounded her. Okay, look, you guys won,

638
00:42:57.920 --> 00:43:04.199
Danica stammered, what what do you want you? Skeeter Vickers

639
00:43:04.239 --> 00:43:08.480
replied simply, you made us really work for our win.

640
00:43:09.039 --> 00:43:12.719
Henley Paulson said, playing that game sure made us work

641
00:43:12.800 --> 00:43:19.039
up an appetite. Garnet smiled a predatory smile. Now, okay, girls,

642
00:43:19.880 --> 00:43:24.760
let's eat. Danica attempted to flee past Lakota and Handley,

643
00:43:25.239 --> 00:43:29.000
but she turned and fled into the showers. Caprice turned

644
00:43:29.000 --> 00:43:32.880
the water on as her teammates began undressing. Soon, the

645
00:43:33.000 --> 00:43:37.719
naked guardswomen converged on Danica and began ripping her clothes off.

646
00:43:38.159 --> 00:43:41.519
She tried screaming and calling for help, but it was

647
00:43:41.559 --> 00:43:45.719
all in vain. The last scream Danica McMichael's would ever

648
00:43:45.760 --> 00:43:49.599
belt out would be when the Pendleton guardswomen bit into her.

649
00:43:50.480 --> 00:43:54.960
Danica's blood flowed all over the shower floor and down

650
00:43:55.000 --> 00:44:00.639
the drain. Then the guardswomen grabbed Danica's limbs, pulled with

651
00:44:00.679 --> 00:44:06.360
their supernaturally enhanced strength until she came apart in their hands.

652
00:44:07.159 --> 00:44:10.280
Each of the guardswomen now had their own section of

653
00:44:10.400 --> 00:44:14.599
Danica McMichael's all to themselves. They sat in the shower

654
00:44:14.920 --> 00:44:19.000
and enjoyed their shares fondly. As they ate, they felt

655
00:44:19.039 --> 00:44:23.000
the power again as they absorbed Danica's strength and attributes.

656
00:44:23.960 --> 00:44:26.960
Now that Danica had been assimilated among the many others

657
00:44:27.000 --> 00:44:30.280
these girls had consumed, they knew they would have no

658
00:44:30.440 --> 00:44:38.519
further problems winning the rest of their season. The following week,

659
00:44:38.719 --> 00:44:42.400
Skeeter was working out at the Pendleton Community Center. She

660
00:44:42.440 --> 00:44:45.480
couldn't help showing off as she bench pressed much of

661
00:44:45.519 --> 00:44:48.639
the same weight as what the more muscular guys were lifting.

662
00:44:49.559 --> 00:44:53.039
She still couldn't believe this incredible gift that Garnet Miran

663
00:44:53.159 --> 00:44:58.480
shared with the others. Herself included, wow, the more people

664
00:44:58.519 --> 00:45:02.760
we eat, the strong we become. When the girls had

665
00:45:02.760 --> 00:45:07.199
first turned to their cannibalistic lifestyle back in the seventh grade,

666
00:45:07.320 --> 00:45:10.840
Skeeter had actually been a diehard vegan. In fact, it

667
00:45:10.880 --> 00:45:13.840
had taken quite a bit of convincing from her friends

668
00:45:13.840 --> 00:45:17.039
to get her to finally embrace the pact between them

669
00:45:17.440 --> 00:45:20.840
and hell Weaver. Once she had taken her first bites

670
00:45:20.880 --> 00:45:25.159
of human flesh, she couldn't believe how amazingly delicious their

671
00:45:25.199 --> 00:45:30.280
own people truly were. Skeeter's hunger and cravings grew to

672
00:45:30.320 --> 00:45:33.800
where she consumed her own family one at a time.

673
00:45:34.360 --> 00:45:38.199
In fact, for this same reason, the others came to

674
00:45:38.239 --> 00:45:42.000
live with Garnet as well. With the exception of their captain,

675
00:45:42.480 --> 00:45:46.360
the other girls had eaten their families and assimilated their strength.

676
00:45:47.199 --> 00:45:51.679
As Skeeter continued pumping iron effortlessly, she loved the attention

677
00:45:51.840 --> 00:45:55.679
the guys were giving her. Either they admired her sexy body,

678
00:45:56.199 --> 00:45:59.159
the fact she could lift that kind of weight, or

679
00:45:59.360 --> 00:46:03.000
maybe both. But soon one of the regulars who came

680
00:46:03.039 --> 00:46:06.400
to the gym during the evening hours, a biker girl,

681
00:46:06.800 --> 00:46:11.119
didn't appreciate the attention Skeeter was getting. The girl threw

682
00:46:11.159 --> 00:46:14.679
her helmet at Skeeter to break her concentration and nearly

683
00:46:14.719 --> 00:46:18.960
make her drop the very heavy barbell on herself. It

684
00:46:19.000 --> 00:46:22.880
took Skeeter much willpower and determination to push the weight

685
00:46:22.960 --> 00:46:26.840
back up and on to the prongs. Skeeter quickly sprang

686
00:46:26.960 --> 00:46:30.519
up and moved to confront the biker just what the

687
00:46:30.599 --> 00:46:34.719
fuck is your problem? When the biker pushed Skeeter, she

688
00:46:34.840 --> 00:46:38.159
flew over her workout bench and landed hard on the floor.

689
00:46:38.800 --> 00:46:42.400
She couldn't believe the strength from this biker girl. When

690
00:46:42.440 --> 00:46:45.920
the biker removed her jacket and flexed her muscles, Skeeter

691
00:46:46.039 --> 00:46:52.159
became very hungry in imagining how delicious her flesh would taste.

692
00:46:52.199 --> 00:46:55.840
Skeeter continued her rigorous workout, keeping an eye on the

693
00:46:55.920 --> 00:46:59.400
biker check. At first, she considered cornering her in the

694
00:46:59.440 --> 00:47:03.760
jym shot, but there were too many people around. No,

695
00:47:04.599 --> 00:47:06.800
she would have to enjoy the biker in a more

696
00:47:07.639 --> 00:47:12.280
private setting. Skeeter followed the biker back to her trailer,

697
00:47:12.360 --> 00:47:17.639
about four miles outside of Pendleton. Skeeter hid her car

698
00:47:17.760 --> 00:47:21.400
and made her way to the trailer. She figured the

699
00:47:21.400 --> 00:47:24.440
biker must have been going to bed, since she never

700
00:47:24.519 --> 00:47:28.239
turned her lights on. Skeeter reached the door and was

701
00:47:28.280 --> 00:47:31.639
ready to pick the lock. Much to her surprise, the

702
00:47:31.679 --> 00:47:37.000
door was already unlocked. She smiled eagerly as she slipped

703
00:47:37.000 --> 00:47:41.280
inside the trailer. Skeeter moved around the small living room

704
00:47:41.320 --> 00:47:45.159
and quickly confirmed the biker wasn't there. Seeing nobody in

705
00:47:45.199 --> 00:47:49.719
the kitchenette, she turned and walked to the back. Carefully,

706
00:47:49.800 --> 00:47:53.719
she peeked inside the bathroom. At first, she wondered why

707
00:47:53.760 --> 00:47:57.760
the biker wasn't taking a shower, Then she determined she

708
00:47:57.840 --> 00:48:00.320
must have taken one at the gym after her work out.

709
00:48:01.159 --> 00:48:05.039
Before Skeeter could ponder anything else, she was suddenly attacked

710
00:48:05.039 --> 00:48:08.360
from behind and found herself flying backwards into the one

711
00:48:08.440 --> 00:48:12.920
room she hadn't checked yet. So glad you dropped by, babe,

712
00:48:13.559 --> 00:48:17.239
the biker purred in a deadly tone. He'll make a

713
00:48:17.320 --> 00:48:23.519
great protein shake. Suddenly, Skeeter felt scared. Did this biker

714
00:48:23.639 --> 00:48:26.480
also have a copy of the hell Weaver Bible? Did

715
00:48:26.559 --> 00:48:29.119
she also have a pact to where she was eating

716
00:48:29.119 --> 00:48:31.960
other mortals and gaining strength and power from them the

717
00:48:32.000 --> 00:48:37.199
way Skeeter and her fellow guardswomen were No. Skeeter yelled,

718
00:48:37.400 --> 00:48:42.440
determined not to be eaten herself. What is this? The

719
00:48:42.480 --> 00:48:45.639
biker cried in surprise, as Skeeter lifted her up and

720
00:48:45.800 --> 00:48:48.719
ran her into a nearby wall. The two of them

721
00:48:48.800 --> 00:48:51.599
hit the wall together and toppled over a wooden table.

722
00:48:52.480 --> 00:48:55.159
Skeeter was quickly back on her feet and ready to

723
00:48:55.199 --> 00:48:58.599
attack the biker again, but the biker was already on

724
00:48:58.719 --> 00:49:03.360
her shoulder, tackled and taken down to the floor. I

725
00:49:03.519 --> 00:49:08.000
will have you, the biker declared, moving to pin Skeeter down.

726
00:49:08.800 --> 00:49:13.000
Fuck you, Skeeter roared, reaching up and grabbing the biker's throat.

727
00:49:13.760 --> 00:49:17.280
The two girls continued to fight, wrecking many things in

728
00:49:17.320 --> 00:49:21.440
the biker's bedroom. After Skeeter felt several sharp scratches on

729
00:49:21.480 --> 00:49:25.199
her abdomen that felt like razor blades, she became scared

730
00:49:25.239 --> 00:49:28.599
and suddenly grabbed the biker by her throat again. Then

731
00:49:28.719 --> 00:49:33.079
Skeeter slammed her down hard onto her broken table. The

732
00:49:33.159 --> 00:49:37.360
biker shrieked loudly and wasn't getting up. Skeeter saw the

733
00:49:37.400 --> 00:49:40.519
biker was impaled on one of the wooden table legs.

734
00:49:41.079 --> 00:49:44.320
Seeing her chance, Skeeter moved to the prone biker and

735
00:49:44.360 --> 00:49:47.719
took hold of her arm. What the the fuck do

736
00:49:47.760 --> 00:49:51.320
you think you're doing, the biker demanded. When Skeeter bit

737
00:49:51.360 --> 00:49:55.239
a huge chunk of flesh from her arm, Skeeter's taste

738
00:49:55.280 --> 00:49:57.840
buds came to life like they had never came to

739
00:49:57.960 --> 00:50:02.719
life before. As Skeeter tasted the flesh, blood, and muscle

740
00:50:02.840 --> 00:50:06.079
she had taken from the biker, she knew she needed

741
00:50:06.079 --> 00:50:10.159
to have more. After swallowing her first bite, she bit

742
00:50:10.239 --> 00:50:15.760
off another chunk. However, the biker wasn't finished yet. She

743
00:50:15.920 --> 00:50:19.400
was still strong enough to fight back against Skeeter and

744
00:50:19.519 --> 00:50:23.400
pushed her away. Skeeter was too determined to let the

745
00:50:23.400 --> 00:50:27.400
best meal she had ever tasted get away. Remembering how

746
00:50:27.440 --> 00:50:30.199
strong she was from all of the mortals she had eaten,

747
00:50:30.639 --> 00:50:34.480
she used her strength to overpower the biker. This time.

748
00:50:34.800 --> 00:50:38.159
Skeeter sank her teeth deep into the biker's throat, so

749
00:50:38.360 --> 00:50:42.559
deep that she yanked hard back, taking a huge chunk

750
00:50:42.639 --> 00:50:47.480
of meat with her. Skeeter moaned seemingly in ecstasy. She

751
00:50:47.519 --> 00:50:51.280
had never tasted meat like this before now, not even

752
00:50:51.360 --> 00:50:54.440
from any of her past victims. If she had to

753
00:50:54.440 --> 00:50:57.400
give a comparison, the meat she had eaten from other

754
00:50:57.480 --> 00:51:02.920
mortals tasted like seasoned beef, But this biker, her meat

755
00:51:03.039 --> 00:51:05.360
lasted as though it had been soaked in the most

756
00:51:05.840 --> 00:51:11.159
delicious marinade. The biker groaned in agony as Skeeter continued

757
00:51:11.199 --> 00:51:14.880
to eat from her. Skeeter just couldn't stop. Even her

758
00:51:14.920 --> 00:51:17.960
stomach didn't seem to protest this all you can eat

759
00:51:18.000 --> 00:51:23.159
buffet for one. Skeeter kept eating and eating. Eventually she

760
00:51:23.239 --> 00:51:26.400
reached the biker's heart and saw that the wooden table

761
00:51:26.480 --> 00:51:32.000
leg had gone completely through it. Skeeter kept eating and

762
00:51:32.119 --> 00:51:34.840
eating until there was nothing left of the biker girl,

763
00:51:35.480 --> 00:51:39.559
but her skeletal bones, she moaned as she stood up,

764
00:51:39.800 --> 00:51:43.199
feeling how satisfied her stomach was at the best meal

765
00:51:43.320 --> 00:51:47.119
she had ever eaten. I can't believe I actually wanted

766
00:51:47.119 --> 00:51:50.320
to be vegan, she thought, as she went into the

767
00:51:50.360 --> 00:51:53.800
bathroom and turned the light on. She got her bloody

768
00:51:53.840 --> 00:51:58.079
clothes off and stepped into the shower. After taking a

769
00:51:58.079 --> 00:52:01.599
long while to clean herself well, she helped herself to

770
00:52:01.639 --> 00:52:12.400
the biker's clothes before going back to Garnet's house. When

771
00:52:12.440 --> 00:52:15.039
Skeeter walked in, the other girls were in the living

772
00:52:15.119 --> 00:52:19.159
room watching TV. Garnet was sitting in a recliner and

773
00:52:19.199 --> 00:52:23.920
looked her way hungry. We just shared a DoorDash driver

774
00:52:24.519 --> 00:52:28.440
saved you your share. Skeeter shook her head a little. No,

775
00:52:28.639 --> 00:52:35.360
I'm fine, maybe maybe later. Are you serious, Skeeter, Lakota

776
00:52:35.440 --> 00:52:42.440
asked with surprise. You're always hungry. Maybe later, Skeeter repeated,

777
00:52:42.480 --> 00:52:47.199
as she held herself. You okay, Garnet asked, you look

778
00:52:47.719 --> 00:52:52.159
really pale. Just then, Skeeter was confronted by Garnet's two

779
00:52:52.239 --> 00:52:57.039
large rotweilers. The dogs growled and then barked loudly at her.

780
00:52:57.519 --> 00:53:00.880
Hendrix Marley, what the hell's wrong? With you too, Garnet

781
00:53:00.920 --> 00:53:04.280
demanded getting up and going to them. No matter how

782
00:53:04.320 --> 00:53:07.400
many times Garnet ordered the dogs to behave they would

783
00:53:07.440 --> 00:53:11.880
not obey her and continued barking at Skeeter. Garnet gave

784
00:53:11.880 --> 00:53:14.559
her a look that said she needed to make herself scarce.

785
00:53:15.480 --> 00:53:19.079
Skeeter inched away from the dogs and ducked into the bathroom.

786
00:53:19.760 --> 00:53:23.000
After closing the door, she began to wonder why the

787
00:53:23.119 --> 00:53:27.000
dogs turned against her. She remembered how much they loved

788
00:53:27.039 --> 00:53:30.880
eating from her hands. She turned to the shower and

789
00:53:30.960 --> 00:53:33.360
reached out to put the hot water on full blast.

790
00:53:34.079 --> 00:53:36.840
Then she stopped herself when she heard the dogs barking

791
00:53:36.920 --> 00:53:41.280
louder and coming close to the door. Skeeter shivered as

792
00:53:41.320 --> 00:53:44.239
she moved to the window and opened it. To her surprise,

793
00:53:44.400 --> 00:53:47.440
she was no longer feeling so cold as the chilly,

794
00:53:47.519 --> 00:53:51.519
wintry winds washed over her. She quickly climbed out and

795
00:53:51.559 --> 00:53:54.599
got as far away from the house as she could.

796
00:53:55.400 --> 00:53:58.800
Then she felt her t shirt ripping in the back.

797
00:54:04.280 --> 00:54:08.599
The next afternoon, when basketball practice was over, Caprice was

798
00:54:08.639 --> 00:54:12.360
out searching for Skeeter. The other girls couldn't believe she

799
00:54:12.480 --> 00:54:16.400
never returned home. She hadn't even gone to school. At

800
00:54:16.480 --> 00:54:19.119
least the dogs had stopped barking up a storm. When

801
00:54:19.119 --> 00:54:22.920
Skeeter had left, Caprice kept calling out for Skeeter and

802
00:54:22.960 --> 00:54:27.159
getting no replies. Then she remembered Skeeter sometimes hid in

803
00:54:27.199 --> 00:54:31.719
the cave underneath the waterfall at Crystal River. Thanks to

804
00:54:31.760 --> 00:54:34.719
her enhanced speed and stamina, she made it to the

805
00:54:34.800 --> 00:54:38.000
river in just a matter of minutes. She moved along

806
00:54:38.039 --> 00:54:40.920
the side until she came to the falls. Then she

807
00:54:41.039 --> 00:54:45.400
dropped down and dashed through the water to enter the cave. Skeeter,

808
00:54:46.280 --> 00:54:50.119
you in here, Caprice called out. A moment later, Caprice

809
00:54:50.119 --> 00:54:55.000
saw someone approaching Skeeter. She shivered a little at how

810
00:54:55.039 --> 00:54:59.360
cold the blowing winds were. Caprice gasped when she saw

811
00:54:59.440 --> 00:55:03.920
two glowing red eyes staring back at her. She gulped

812
00:55:03.920 --> 00:55:08.079
when the naked female form emerged. She had long, ebony

813
00:55:08.119 --> 00:55:12.159
hair and chalk white skin, with huge antlers and a

814
00:55:12.199 --> 00:55:19.039
furry tail. Caprice immediately recognized her Skeeter. Oh God, what

815
00:55:19.960 --> 00:55:24.480
happened to you? Caprice choked out. Skeeter raised her sharp

816
00:55:24.519 --> 00:55:28.480
claws and sprang at her. Caprice turned to run, but

817
00:55:28.559 --> 00:55:32.840
couldn't get back through the waterfall in time Wendy go

818
00:55:35.039 --> 00:55:41.480
Skeeter hissed in a deadly whisper. Skeeter No, Caprice screamed.

819
00:55:41.840 --> 00:55:46.519
When this creature that was formerly Skeeter Vickers bit down

820
00:55:46.679 --> 00:55:51.960
hard into her shoulder, Caprice staggered a little and then fell.

821
00:55:52.800 --> 00:55:56.920
She remained motionless as Skeeter ate the large chunk of

822
00:55:56.960 --> 00:56:03.119
her flesh, muscle, and bone. When she finished, Skeeter leapt

823
00:56:03.119 --> 00:56:06.280
at the rest of her meal and proceeded to devour it,

824
00:56:07.280 --> 00:56:12.480
and just outside the waterfall, it began to snow hard.

825
00:56:15.920 --> 00:56:19.880
Hours later, Garnet, Lakota, and Hanley made it back to

826
00:56:19.920 --> 00:56:23.000
the house after having no luck in searching for Skeeter.

827
00:56:23.800 --> 00:56:28.280
Only now they quickly determined Caprice wasn't among them. After

828
00:56:28.360 --> 00:56:32.840
several unanswered texts from both Caprice and Skeeter, the girls

829
00:56:32.880 --> 00:56:36.800
became very worried. It was night and it had already

830
00:56:36.840 --> 00:56:40.719
snowed a good five inches. Of course, wintry weathers such

831
00:56:40.760 --> 00:56:45.440
as that was common in Feldner County. Garnet noticed that

832
00:56:45.480 --> 00:56:50.039
her two rottweilers were whimpering in fear. She knelt down

833
00:56:50.199 --> 00:56:54.039
next to her babies. Seriously, what is up with you two?

834
00:56:54.679 --> 00:56:57.480
Yesterday I couldn't shut you guys up for shit, and

835
00:56:57.559 --> 00:57:01.320
now you're acting like I'm going to whip your asses. Suddenly,

836
00:57:01.400 --> 00:57:05.119
the back door flew open, hard and fast. A huge

837
00:57:05.199 --> 00:57:09.000
gust of wintry winds and snow followed. As the girls

838
00:57:09.079 --> 00:57:12.000
moved to shut the door, they heard something off in

839
00:57:12.079 --> 00:57:18.960
the distance. Wendy go. The girls looked at each other, Well,

840
00:57:19.519 --> 00:57:23.400
what the fuck was that? Lakota stammered, Let's get this

841
00:57:23.480 --> 00:57:27.760
door closed. Garnet stammered back, not sure she really wanted

842
00:57:27.760 --> 00:57:31.199
to know. The girls reached the door and managed to

843
00:57:31.199 --> 00:57:35.119
push it shut again. Garnet locked it up tight. That

844
00:57:35.239 --> 00:57:38.760
didn't keep the sounds of the wind out or what

845
00:57:38.960 --> 00:57:45.880
was calling out to them. Wendy go. The girls were

846
00:57:45.960 --> 00:57:49.480
really scared now. They moved back into the living room.

847
00:57:50.280 --> 00:57:55.079
Then Hanley smelled something shit Hendrix just peed all over

848
00:57:55.119 --> 00:57:59.400
the floor. The dogs were really cowering with fear. As

849
00:57:59.440 --> 00:58:02.440
Garnet moved to try and comfort them, the back door

850
00:58:02.519 --> 00:58:08.119
flew open again. Wendy go. The sound was almost to

851
00:58:08.199 --> 00:58:11.079
the house now. The girls ran to the door to

852
00:58:11.159 --> 00:58:14.199
try and secure it again. As they nearly pushed it

853
00:58:14.280 --> 00:58:17.679
back into place, she saw the frame was broken out

854
00:58:17.719 --> 00:58:20.599
where the dead bolt was installed and knew the door

855
00:58:20.639 --> 00:58:25.440
wouldn't close and lock properly. Again. Seriously, what the fuck

856
00:58:25.559 --> 00:58:29.239
is going on out there? Hanley muttered, We've never had

857
00:58:29.239 --> 00:58:33.000
a winter storm like this before. It's not the storm

858
00:58:33.039 --> 00:58:38.559
that's worrying me. Wendy go now. The sound was right

859
00:58:38.639 --> 00:58:41.440
at the door. The girls screamed when they saw the

860
00:58:41.519 --> 00:58:45.840
blood stained face looking in right at them. Suddenly it

861
00:58:45.920 --> 00:58:49.559
ripped the door away. Then it grabbed Hanley with amazing speed.

862
00:58:50.239 --> 00:58:55.880
No no, were the last words Hanley Paulsen would ever say.

863
00:58:56.519 --> 00:59:01.920
As the creature pulled her outside, Garnet and Lakota turned

864
00:59:01.920 --> 00:59:05.719
and ran. They stopped and looked outside to see Skeeter

865
00:59:06.079 --> 00:59:09.440
had bitten a huge chunk of flesh and muscle out

866
00:59:09.440 --> 00:59:13.559
of Hanley's neck and shoulders. As blood slowly ran down

867
00:59:13.639 --> 00:59:19.159
Skeeter's snowy white skin, she smiled with sinister delight right

868
00:59:19.239 --> 00:59:26.559
at them. Whendy go. Like before, it came out like

869
00:59:26.639 --> 00:59:29.480
a whisper that somehow seemed to cut through the noise

870
00:59:29.880 --> 00:59:33.239
of the harsh winds. Garnet went to grab the hell

871
00:59:33.320 --> 00:59:37.519
Weaver Bible. Knowing she couldn't secure the tome before Skeeter

872
00:59:37.559 --> 00:59:40.280
would reach her, she made a quick decision to grab

873
00:59:40.320 --> 00:59:43.840
the parchment paper with the hell Weaver's packed as she

874
00:59:44.000 --> 00:59:47.360
and Lakota both fled and escaped out the front door.

875
00:59:48.239 --> 00:59:52.559
When they reached Garnet's truck, she insisted Lakota drive, it's

876
00:59:52.639 --> 00:59:56.239
your truck. Lakota protested, I can't drive it the way

877
00:59:56.280 --> 01:00:00.559
you can. I need to read through our pact. Garnet returned,

878
01:00:00.880 --> 01:00:03.239
there has to be a reason why Skeeter turned into

879
01:00:03.280 --> 01:00:07.360
that thing. Don't worry, the four wheel drive is locked in.

880
01:00:08.320 --> 01:00:12.280
Lakota reluctantly got into the driver's seat and started the truck.

881
01:00:12.880 --> 01:00:17.239
She shifted and floored the accelerator. What the fuck happened

882
01:00:17.280 --> 01:00:20.920
to Skeeter? Garnet turned on the compartment light and read

883
01:00:20.960 --> 01:00:23.079
through the pack that each of them had signed in

884
01:00:23.119 --> 01:00:26.519
their own blood. From the time Garnet had found her

885
01:00:26.559 --> 01:00:29.960
copy of the hell Weaver Bible, she could immediately read

886
01:00:30.000 --> 01:00:33.920
the language. Now she was reading over all the paragraphs

887
01:00:34.119 --> 01:00:38.360
regarding the girl's packed with hell Weaver. Finally, Garnet found

888
01:00:38.360 --> 01:00:43.800
a rather interesting clause. We're only supposed to eat other mortals,

889
01:00:44.199 --> 01:00:49.719
Garnet told Lakota, eating anything that's not mortal. You think

890
01:00:49.800 --> 01:00:54.880
Skeeter ate someone who wasn't mortal, Lakota guessed, remember how

891
01:00:54.920 --> 01:00:57.159
she didn't want her share of our door dash driver.

892
01:00:57.760 --> 01:01:06.440
She gulped, Well, Skeeter's sure hungry. Now, Wendy go. They

893
01:01:06.519 --> 01:01:10.440
heard Skeeter whisper in the woods. That has to be

894
01:01:10.519 --> 01:01:15.599
the explanation. Garnet stressed. We've eaten so many people and

895
01:01:15.639 --> 01:01:19.440
we all turned out fine. We were always careful, We've

896
01:01:19.480 --> 01:01:23.719
all played by our hell Weaver's rules. Skeeter must have

897
01:01:23.800 --> 01:01:28.480
been really hungry, Lakota guessed. Even though she's a skinny thing,

898
01:01:28.840 --> 01:01:31.480
she always had a bigger appetite compared to the rest

899
01:01:31.480 --> 01:01:35.599
of us. What could she have eaten? The girls had

900
01:01:35.599 --> 01:01:39.000
little time to speculate when they saw Skeeter standing in

901
01:01:39.039 --> 01:01:41.800
the road directly in front of them. Her red eyes

902
01:01:41.920 --> 01:01:45.760
glowed brightly, her rows of sharp teeth gleamed in the

903
01:01:45.800 --> 01:01:52.280
headlights as she stared at them. Wendy go. Skeeter whispered again.

904
01:01:53.280 --> 01:01:56.480
Lakota floored the gas and drove right at Skeeter, who

905
01:01:56.519 --> 01:02:00.760
didn't seem to care in the least shit. Koda shrieked

906
01:02:00.760 --> 01:02:03.599
when Skeeter ascended into the air to let the truck

907
01:02:03.679 --> 01:02:06.800
pass underneath her. She looked over her shoulder when she

908
01:02:06.960 --> 01:02:11.800
heard and felt Skeeter land in the back. Suddenly, Skeeter's

909
01:02:11.840 --> 01:02:15.760
clawed hand crashed through the back window and grabbed Lakota's neck.

910
01:02:16.599 --> 01:02:22.280
Garnet help, Lakota, screamed. Garnet dropped the hell Weaver packed

911
01:02:22.480 --> 01:02:25.760
and grabbed Lakota to try and help her. Even with

912
01:02:25.920 --> 01:02:28.719
their enhanced strength from all the mortals they had eaten,

913
01:02:29.199 --> 01:02:34.840
Skeeter's new strength made theirs look simply just mortal. The

914
01:02:34.960 --> 01:02:39.000
driver's side door was ripped open, then Skeeter released Lakota

915
01:02:39.079 --> 01:02:41.639
long enough to grab her with her other hand and

916
01:02:41.760 --> 01:02:48.559
yank her out. Lakota, Garnet screamed. Lakota Diamond only screamed briefly,

917
01:02:49.119 --> 01:02:51.800
as if it was cut off when Skeeter began to

918
01:02:51.880 --> 01:02:56.800
devour her. Garnet moved to get behind the wheel, but

919
01:02:56.920 --> 01:03:00.440
she was too late. Even a four wheel drive viavehicle's

920
01:03:00.440 --> 01:03:04.800
worst enemy, his ice. The truck began to turn until

921
01:03:04.800 --> 01:03:07.880
it spun around a few times before it went into

922
01:03:07.880 --> 01:03:12.000
a curve and forced the vehicle to overturn a few times.

923
01:03:12.519 --> 01:03:15.760
The truck came to a final stop on its top.

924
01:03:16.960 --> 01:03:20.440
Garnet secured the hell Weaver, packed and escaped from the truck.

925
01:03:20.840 --> 01:03:23.639
She groaned when she felt the pain on various parts

926
01:03:23.679 --> 01:03:26.159
of her body. As far as she knew, none of

927
01:03:26.159 --> 01:03:29.679
her bones were broken, but she was sure she was bruised.

928
01:03:30.840 --> 01:03:33.920
Garnet knew it wouldn't be long before Skeeter would be

929
01:03:34.000 --> 01:03:38.360
finished with Lakota. But where could she hide. She was

930
01:03:38.400 --> 01:03:40.920
out in the open with no houses in the distance.

931
01:03:41.639 --> 01:03:45.760
She wasn't even near the Pendleton village limits. She focused

932
01:03:45.800 --> 01:03:49.119
and ran with everything she had. It was a struggle

933
01:03:49.159 --> 01:03:52.480
as the heavy winds and snow made their impact known,

934
01:03:53.239 --> 01:03:57.199
especially since she wasn't properly dressed for the weather or

935
01:03:57.280 --> 01:04:00.920
even wearing a jacket. Garnet knew she didn't have any

936
01:04:00.960 --> 01:04:03.880
more time to study hell Weaver's Pact to see if

937
01:04:03.920 --> 01:04:07.639
there was a way to stop or help Skeeter. Finally,

938
01:04:07.719 --> 01:04:12.360
she released it into the storm. Garnet remembered she was

939
01:04:12.400 --> 01:04:15.199
a mirror. Even though she had been banished for her

940
01:04:15.239 --> 01:04:19.159
belief in hell Weaver, she was still a mirror. She

941
01:04:19.360 --> 01:04:22.679
still knew the mirror ways, and she wasn't going to

942
01:04:22.800 --> 01:04:26.239
die a coward's death. If she was dying this night,

943
01:04:26.920 --> 01:04:30.800
she was going down fighting. She knew she didn't stand

944
01:04:30.840 --> 01:04:34.320
a chance in hell against Skeeter, but she was going

945
01:04:34.440 --> 01:04:39.000
down like a true miran. She turned around and screamed

946
01:04:39.000 --> 01:04:42.840
into the winds Okay, Skeeter, come and get me. I'm

947
01:04:42.920 --> 01:04:49.880
right here, you bitch, Wendy go. Skeeter's cries still sent

948
01:04:49.960 --> 01:04:53.599
shivers down her back, and before Garnet could think about it,

949
01:04:54.039 --> 01:04:58.760
Skeeter was directly in front of her. Garnet screamed. When

950
01:04:58.800 --> 01:05:01.840
she saw all the blood on her mouth, hands, and

951
01:05:01.880 --> 01:05:05.079
down the front of her naked body. All of it

952
01:05:05.159 --> 01:05:09.559
belonged to her former friends, her family through their bond

953
01:05:09.639 --> 01:05:14.159
with hell Weaver. Skeeter smiled and showed her sharp teeth.

954
01:05:15.280 --> 01:05:20.599
Wendy Go. Garnet screamed and dove right at Skeeter. She

955
01:05:20.679 --> 01:05:24.000
took this creature into the snowy ground and threw everything

956
01:05:24.079 --> 01:05:29.639
she had into punching her face again and again. Die God,

957
01:05:29.719 --> 01:05:34.840
damn you, Garnet screamed, you are our family, Skeeter. Even

958
01:05:34.880 --> 01:05:39.599
though Skeeter could easily hear Garnet, she couldn't have cared less.

959
01:05:40.119 --> 01:05:44.119
She suddenly raised her clawed hand and snatched Garnet by

960
01:05:44.119 --> 01:05:48.760
her neck. She quickly got back to her feet and

961
01:05:48.880 --> 01:05:53.360
threw Garnet several yards until she landed hard on the

962
01:05:53.599 --> 01:05:57.639
icy road. Garnet cried out as she felt her shoulder

963
01:05:57.920 --> 01:06:02.119
shatter on Impact'd heal up after a time, but she

964
01:06:02.119 --> 01:06:05.039
would become weaker and need to consume more of her

965
01:06:05.079 --> 01:06:09.559
fellow mortals to regain her full strength. She could also

966
01:06:09.719 --> 01:06:13.000
feel herself bleeding out through the breaks in her flesh.

967
01:06:13.960 --> 01:06:17.159
Garnet knew she would bleed to death if Skeeter didn't

968
01:06:17.239 --> 01:06:21.559
kill her first. It was then when Garnet felt her

969
01:06:21.559 --> 01:06:27.639
survival instincts come alive. She knew she didn't want to die.

970
01:06:27.840 --> 01:06:30.639
The only way she could survive would be to attack

971
01:06:30.760 --> 01:06:33.920
Skeeter and try and eat her flesh. She would have

972
01:06:34.000 --> 01:06:37.880
to break the pact with hell Weaver and become this thing.

973
01:06:38.880 --> 01:06:44.719
This Wendy Go was that what Skeeter was known as now.

974
01:06:45.880 --> 01:06:49.440
When Skeeter walked towards her, her long tongue came out

975
01:06:49.480 --> 01:06:52.639
and licked at her mouth. When it went back in,

976
01:06:52.840 --> 01:07:00.920
Skeeter smiled a predatory smile. Wendy Go screamed at the

977
01:07:00.920 --> 01:07:04.800
top of her lungs and rushed at Skeeter. She tackled

978
01:07:04.800 --> 01:07:08.320
her to the ground and quickly bit right into her flesh.

979
01:07:09.159 --> 01:07:12.440
Garnet's body came to life as she tasted the most

980
01:07:13.079 --> 01:07:17.639
incredible meat that she had ever had. From there, the

981
01:07:17.679 --> 01:07:20.480
two former friends would fight each other in a long

982
01:07:20.599 --> 01:07:26.519
battle to the death. Naturally, only one could survive this conflict.

983
01:07:27.480 --> 01:07:32.239
When the fight was over, Garnet Miron was victorious. She

984
01:07:32.400 --> 01:07:36.039
continued to eat her former friend until nothing was left

985
01:07:36.079 --> 01:07:41.480
but Skeeter's horrific wendygos skeleton. Garnet rose to her feet

986
01:07:41.840 --> 01:07:46.079
and felt her shoulder nearly restored. The winds and cold

987
01:07:46.239 --> 01:07:49.800
no longer bothered her. She could see how white her

988
01:07:49.840 --> 01:07:53.400
skin was becoming, and knew she was mutating into the

989
01:07:53.519 --> 01:07:58.880
very creature Skeeter once was. Soon she would completely renounce

990
01:07:59.199 --> 01:08:04.119
whatever humankennity she had remaining and suffer hell Weaver's unforgiving

991
01:08:04.159 --> 01:08:09.599
punishment for breaking the pact. Garrett Miron would soon be

992
01:08:09.760 --> 01:08:14.599
no more. In her place, would be another abomination that

993
01:08:14.760 --> 01:08:20.600
Skeeter Vickers once was. Her transformation finished when she felt

994
01:08:20.640 --> 01:08:25.000
how sharp her teeth had become, her long tongue emerging,

995
01:08:25.680 --> 01:08:34.079
and her antlers fully grown. Wandy Go was Garnet's first

996
01:08:34.159 --> 01:08:39.560
word in her new form. From there, she ascended into

997
01:08:39.560 --> 01:08:42.880
the winter's storm's winds and let them carry her to

998
01:08:42.920 --> 01:08:47.760
the village of Pendleton to seek whatever victims were unfortunate

999
01:08:47.840 --> 01:08:52.159
enough to be outside in the hostile weather. And it

1000
01:08:52.199 --> 01:08:56.079
would be on harsh wintry nights like that one that

1001
01:08:56.199 --> 01:08:58.840
this creature that would come to be known as the

1002
01:08:58.880 --> 01:09:03.199
Wendigo would come to prowl in search of living beings,

1003
01:09:03.880 --> 01:09:10.399
mortal or not, to satiate her never ending hunger and bloodlust.

1004
01:09:11.560 --> 01:09:14.880
At least, that was how the legend would come to

1005
01:09:14.920 --> 01:09:19.520
be recorded at Strickfield University's website under the Local Legends

1006
01:09:19.600 --> 01:09:30.880
tab The Ship of the Cannibal Rats by David O'Hanlon.

1007
01:09:33.279 --> 01:09:40.439
This fucking blows, Chance grumbled, could be worse, Lucas said, comfortingly.

1008
01:09:41.520 --> 01:09:46.640
How could this be any worse? The shipping container rocked

1009
01:09:47.119 --> 01:09:50.800
not so gently in the waves. A few others bobbed

1010
01:09:50.840 --> 01:09:55.560
around them. Amongst the assorted equipment and the corpses of

1011
01:09:55.600 --> 01:10:01.560
the ship's crew, Dorsal fins of migrating blueshirt darted between

1012
01:10:01.640 --> 01:10:07.199
the bodies. Occasionally they'd drag one down or just chomp

1013
01:10:07.319 --> 01:10:11.319
off a piece, sending the other sharks into a frenzy.

1014
01:10:12.239 --> 01:10:16.119
A thick fog had persisted since two days prior, and

1015
01:10:16.199 --> 01:10:21.239
the sharks fins looked like ghosts flitting around the floating buffet.

1016
01:10:22.039 --> 01:10:25.800
The ship's captain, McHenry bobbed in the water with his

1017
01:10:25.920 --> 01:10:30.640
eyes still open. For whatever reason, the sharks wouldn't eat him,

1018
01:10:30.880 --> 01:10:35.000
and every so often he floated just right to cast

1019
01:10:35.079 --> 01:10:39.319
his undead gaze on the stranded men, as if to

1020
01:10:39.439 --> 01:10:44.920
ask when they'd be joining him. It could be raining again,

1021
01:10:45.600 --> 01:10:50.399
Luca offered, you know you're right, chance, let his head

1022
01:10:50.439 --> 01:10:54.680
fall back on the container with a thud. It would

1023
01:10:54.760 --> 01:10:57.760
suck if drinkable water started to fall from the sky.

1024
01:10:58.640 --> 01:11:01.640
It's only been thirty hours since we had a drink,

1025
01:11:01.680 --> 01:11:07.279
after all, thirty two, and I'm working on that. Luca

1026
01:11:07.439 --> 01:11:11.079
walked to the edge of the container. It wasn't uncommon

1027
01:11:11.119 --> 01:11:15.239
for McHenry to lease space to smugglers. He'd seen the

1028
01:11:15.319 --> 01:11:18.960
crates hastily loaded in the middle of the night. It

1029
01:11:19.039 --> 01:11:22.920
didn't look like the drugs they normally picked up weapons.

1030
01:11:22.960 --> 01:11:28.399
Maybe it didn't really matter. Whatever they'd been hauling had

1031
01:11:28.439 --> 01:11:34.039
brought the ship down fast, too fast for anyone to react. Accordingly,

1032
01:11:35.079 --> 01:11:38.279
two of the three lifeboats had gone down with the wreckage.

1033
01:11:38.800 --> 01:11:43.479
The last one was currently adrift and unmanned. Water food

1034
01:11:43.920 --> 01:11:49.159
and an emergency beacon bobbed tauntingly. Just one hundred meters away.

1035
01:11:50.399 --> 01:11:55.600
Seven dead men floated like lily pads between Luca and salvation.

1036
01:11:56.760 --> 01:12:01.680
A long fin sliced the surface and then dive down sharply.

1037
01:12:02.880 --> 01:12:07.880
Make that six dead men get away from the edge,

1038
01:12:07.880 --> 01:12:11.840
you dumb ass, Chance grumped. One of the sharks is

1039
01:12:11.880 --> 01:12:14.960
going to jump up and bite your ass. That only

1040
01:12:15.039 --> 01:12:20.880
happens in the movies. Sharks can't jump. Luca instinctively reached

1041
01:12:20.880 --> 01:12:25.199
for a pack of cigarettes that wasn't there. Whales jump

1042
01:12:25.239 --> 01:12:27.399
out of the water all the time to eat penguins.

1043
01:12:27.960 --> 01:12:31.199
Chance told him, you can use the internet for more

1044
01:12:31.239 --> 01:12:35.840
than porn. You know, whales are mammals. What the hell

1045
01:12:35.880 --> 01:12:39.880
does that have to do with anything? Mammals can jump?

1046
01:12:40.359 --> 01:12:46.520
Luca shrugged, fish swim fuck, I need a smoke. A

1047
01:12:46.600 --> 01:12:50.640
shark breached the surface, throwing its body onto the container.

1048
01:12:51.319 --> 01:12:55.000
It swept its open mouth across the edge, sending Luca

1049
01:12:55.119 --> 01:12:58.920
into a backward stumble before sliding off into the water.

1050
01:13:00.079 --> 01:13:03.159
Luca landed hard on his ass and slid on the

1051
01:13:03.159 --> 01:13:09.279
wet metal. He laughed it off shakily. So maybe they

1052
01:13:09.359 --> 01:13:14.880
can jump, he admitted, told you so. The waves slapped

1053
01:13:14.920 --> 01:13:17.920
the back of Luca's head, and he sat up quickly

1054
01:13:17.960 --> 01:13:21.640
as a dorsal streaked by. He ran his hand through

1055
01:13:21.680 --> 01:13:27.439
the mop of hair, looking around suspiciously. Another shark swam by,

1056
01:13:28.000 --> 01:13:32.439
and Luca felt his stomach not he could clearly see

1057
01:13:32.479 --> 01:13:37.439
the bright blue coloration that gave them their name. Luca

1058
01:13:37.560 --> 01:13:41.479
leaned over the edge a bit more hesitantly. He eyed

1059
01:13:41.520 --> 01:13:45.600
the serial number printed vertically on the corner of the container.

1060
01:13:46.960 --> 01:13:49.720
The sharks were getting more frantic for their share of

1061
01:13:49.760 --> 01:13:54.319
the dwindling supply of dead bodies. If he was right,

1062
01:13:55.039 --> 01:13:59.880
there'd be some fresh meat on the menu soon. Hey, chance,

1063
01:14:00.680 --> 01:14:03.560
what do you think is in this container? He asked,

1064
01:14:04.520 --> 01:14:08.560
knowing our luck, a speed boat in a case of beer? Why?

1065
01:14:10.079 --> 01:14:15.960
Because I'm pretty sure we're sinking. Of course we fucking are.

1066
01:14:16.960 --> 01:14:22.000
Don't worry, Luca said, I got a plan, of course,

1067
01:14:22.079 --> 01:14:30.319
you fucking do. After a frustrating two hours, Luca's plan

1068
01:14:30.439 --> 01:14:34.880
had come to morbid fruition. Using a makeshift rope of

1069
01:14:34.960 --> 01:14:39.279
their belts and clothes, he lassoed McHenry and four and

1070
01:14:39.319 --> 01:14:43.359
a half other dead crew members. He laid the bodies

1071
01:14:43.399 --> 01:14:48.640
out on the container and began lashing them together. Chance

1072
01:14:48.760 --> 01:14:53.720
be grudgingly helped tie it together. Luca instructed, we don't

1073
01:14:53.760 --> 01:14:57.039
want one of those sharks poking its nose through. Chance

1074
01:14:57.119 --> 01:15:01.600
lifted the stump. That's going to be an issue. Improvise.

1075
01:15:02.960 --> 01:15:06.760
I can't believe we're doing this, Chance said, It's like

1076
01:15:06.800 --> 01:15:09.840
a big ass meat aureo, only the glass of milk

1077
01:15:10.279 --> 01:15:12.960
is full of sharks. What makes you think this will

1078
01:15:13.000 --> 01:15:16.439
even work. A ship's only as good as its crew.

1079
01:15:17.239 --> 01:15:21.439
Luca pulled the cordage tight, eliciting a spurt of congealed

1080
01:15:21.479 --> 01:15:25.720
blood across his face. This was a really good crew.

1081
01:15:27.119 --> 01:15:30.239
Why hasn't anyone come for us? Chance stood up and

1082
01:15:30.319 --> 01:15:34.359
shielded his eyes from the sun. The emergency beacon should

1083
01:15:34.359 --> 01:15:37.680
have signaled as soon as it was submerged. You heard

1084
01:15:37.680 --> 01:15:42.479
that explosion, Luca checked the lashings. Whatever was on board

1085
01:15:42.760 --> 01:15:46.119
was the kind of shit that gets you renditioned. I

1086
01:15:46.159 --> 01:15:49.079
saw enough in the legion, and trust me, we're better

1087
01:15:49.199 --> 01:15:53.239
off with the sharks. The captain knew that too. We've

1088
01:15:53.239 --> 01:15:57.359
been running in ghost mode since Liberia. They slid the

1089
01:15:57.439 --> 01:16:00.720
bodies off the container and back in to the ocean.

1090
01:16:01.439 --> 01:16:04.640
It was a much shorter drop than either man expected.

1091
01:16:05.399 --> 01:16:09.399
They were sinking faster, there wouldn't be time for a

1092
01:16:09.439 --> 01:16:15.039
plan B. The raft stayed afloat, but only barely. Luca

1093
01:16:15.199 --> 01:16:20.079
eased himself on board, and it dipped down. McHenry's head

1094
01:16:20.119 --> 01:16:26.039
went under. Shit, Luca whispered, new plan. I'm going to

1095
01:16:26.119 --> 01:16:30.159
have to go alone, and what about me? Would it

1096
01:16:30.359 --> 01:16:35.399
kill you to trust me? It fucking might Here goes nothing.

1097
01:16:36.159 --> 01:16:39.399
Luca pushed off the side of the shipping container and

1098
01:16:39.479 --> 01:16:46.039
drifted toward the lifeboat. See it's working cool, Now hurry

1099
01:16:46.119 --> 01:16:50.920
up before they eat your boat. They'd already started. One

1100
01:16:50.960 --> 01:16:54.039
of the blues grabbed McHenry's arm and tore it off,

1101
01:16:54.520 --> 01:16:59.880
sending the raft spinning. The vessel dipped and bobbed back up.

1102
01:17:00.720 --> 01:17:04.600
A shark bumped it from below, bucking Luca into the air.

1103
01:17:05.560 --> 01:17:09.399
His grip held firm, but the landing jostled the bodies

1104
01:17:09.399 --> 01:17:14.279
beneath him. Another bump from below nearly capsized him. Luca

1105
01:17:14.439 --> 01:17:19.439
realized he'd made a terrible mistake. The man made raft

1106
01:17:19.840 --> 01:17:23.680
floated well enough, but now it looked like a big

1107
01:17:23.840 --> 01:17:29.960
wounded fish to the simple minded predators stalking it. Luca

1108
01:17:30.119 --> 01:17:32.720
hiked his leg up and waited for a fin to

1109
01:17:32.840 --> 01:17:37.119
pass by. One got close enough, and he kicked into

1110
01:17:37.119 --> 01:17:40.199
the water to push off the fish. It gave him

1111
01:17:40.199 --> 01:17:43.640
a brief surge, but the lifeboat was still too far

1112
01:17:43.760 --> 01:17:47.600
away to swim for it. Another speeding shark gave the

1113
01:17:47.680 --> 01:17:51.960
raft a hard nudge that thankfully was in the right direction.

1114
01:17:53.600 --> 01:17:58.600
Sixty meters to go, Luca stretched for a piece of debris,

1115
01:17:59.239 --> 01:18:03.760
almost topping overboard in the process. A fin battered his

1116
01:18:03.920 --> 01:18:08.039
arm as it cut between him and the flotsam. Luca

1117
01:18:08.239 --> 01:18:11.319
tried again and jerked the scrap metal from the water,

1118
01:18:11.960 --> 01:18:16.640
hugging to his chest. With a triumphant whoop, Luca frantically

1119
01:18:16.720 --> 01:18:24.119
paddled the water fifty meters left, forty deep. Red suddenly

1120
01:18:24.199 --> 01:18:29.680
spread around him, and the raft listed to starboard. He

1121
01:18:29.880 --> 01:18:35.800
rode faster, glancing back over his shoulder at chance. Unspooling

1122
01:18:36.000 --> 01:18:40.039
entrails floated in his wake. A shark broke the surface,

1123
01:18:40.479 --> 01:18:44.000
scooping intestines into its wide open mouth like it were

1124
01:18:44.079 --> 01:18:49.800
taking a fishing line. The raft lurched. The hollowed body

1125
01:18:49.920 --> 01:18:53.439
was filling with sea water, and for the second time

1126
01:18:53.560 --> 01:18:58.399
in two days, Luca was on a sinking ship. A

1127
01:18:58.439 --> 01:19:03.399
pair of sharks attached theft from opposite sides the lashings

1128
01:19:03.479 --> 01:19:07.680
began to stretch, and Luca's legs slipped through. A shark

1129
01:19:07.800 --> 01:19:12.159
bumped against it, but didn't bite. He knew he wouldn't

1130
01:19:12.199 --> 01:19:16.359
get lucky twice. He let himself slide between the bodies

1131
01:19:16.479 --> 01:19:21.840
and sink above him. The sharks converged blood and unchewed

1132
01:19:21.880 --> 01:19:27.319
bits clouded Luca's view. A finger floated past him, carried

1133
01:19:27.359 --> 01:19:30.920
downward by the weight of the wedding band still encircling it.

1134
01:19:31.840 --> 01:19:35.760
Chance crawled out onto the edge of the container, looking

1135
01:19:35.920 --> 01:19:41.479
for any sign of his partner. Nothing. Sharks swam away,

1136
01:19:41.560 --> 01:19:45.479
with parts of the raft still refusing to take McHenry.

1137
01:19:46.439 --> 01:19:49.560
The captain swirled around until he was the only person

1138
01:19:49.680 --> 01:19:55.319
left between Chance and the lifeboat. Water rolled onto the

1139
01:19:55.399 --> 01:20:00.159
roof of the container, submerging Chance's forearms. A thud threw

1140
01:20:00.239 --> 01:20:04.159
his attention to the other end. The shark chomped at

1141
01:20:04.199 --> 01:20:09.159
the air before sliding back into the ocean. Chance sniffled,

1142
01:20:09.840 --> 01:20:14.840
then let himself cry. No one was left to see

1143
01:20:14.880 --> 01:20:19.079
him anyhow. If he was lucky, he'd drowned before the

1144
01:20:19.119 --> 01:20:24.000
sharks started to eat him. Get away from the edge,

1145
01:20:24.319 --> 01:20:33.640
Luca shouted, sharks can jump, you know the lifeboat's motor

1146
01:20:33.720 --> 01:20:36.840
didn't have enough fuel to get them to land, but

1147
01:20:36.920 --> 01:20:39.279
it was enough to get them away from the feeding

1148
01:20:39.319 --> 01:20:43.520
frenzy and moving in the general direction of Europe. The

1149
01:20:43.640 --> 01:20:47.840
strobe on the roof flashed constantly through the night, reminding

1150
01:20:47.880 --> 01:20:51.119
the men of the vast nothing around them as they

1151
01:20:51.119 --> 01:20:55.560
took turns on lookout. The night wind was frigid, and

1152
01:20:55.640 --> 01:21:00.399
despite the supplies stowed aboard, a blanket was not inted.

1153
01:21:01.479 --> 01:21:04.960
Not a real one anyhow, just a handful of foil

1154
01:21:05.039 --> 01:21:09.199
ones that folded up into little squares. They didn't do

1155
01:21:09.359 --> 01:21:14.479
much for the wet, mostly naked sailors. The emergency position

1156
01:21:14.680 --> 01:21:18.720
indicator was lit, they assumed that meant it was working.

1157
01:21:19.600 --> 01:21:23.720
Rescue shouldn't have taken too long. Satellites would pick up

1158
01:21:23.720 --> 01:21:27.000
the signal and relay it to the nearest local user terminal.

1159
01:21:27.600 --> 01:21:31.520
Then they'd notify the nearest agency capable of getting to

1160
01:21:31.560 --> 01:21:35.239
the men. Neither of them knew how far they were

1161
01:21:35.319 --> 01:21:39.199
from land. However, they sipped at the bottles of water

1162
01:21:40.119 --> 01:21:44.520
just to be safe. They should pack extra clothes in lifeboats,

1163
01:21:44.960 --> 01:21:48.840
Lucas said, at least some underwear. There's no way you

1164
01:21:48.920 --> 01:21:52.560
don't need a fresh pair after your ship sinks. I

1165
01:21:52.560 --> 01:21:54.520
don't know about you, but I don't ever plan on

1166
01:21:54.640 --> 01:22:00.119
leaving land again, Chance said, rolling the bottle between his palms.

1167
01:22:00.880 --> 01:22:06.600
He snickered. This fucking shit is crazy, man. Hey, you

1168
01:22:06.680 --> 01:22:12.840
see that the light? It was wrong, Chance pointed stern.

1169
01:22:13.560 --> 01:22:16.920
The strobe flashed again, and Lucas saw what his friend

1170
01:22:17.000 --> 01:22:23.439
was talking about. Brighter like it had reflected off. Oh shit,

1171
01:22:24.119 --> 01:22:27.359
Luca scrambled to his feet and out the cockpit, grab

1172
01:22:27.399 --> 01:22:31.399
the torch. Chance let the flashlight lead as he joined

1173
01:22:31.399 --> 01:22:36.520
his partner. What is it, Luca pointed up. The strobe

1174
01:22:36.560 --> 01:22:40.079
bounced off the hull of the small cruise ship. Chance

1175
01:22:40.199 --> 01:22:44.600
laughed and waved his hands in the air. Hey we're

1176
01:22:44.640 --> 01:22:49.640
down here, he shouted. Don't bother, she's not running under power.

1177
01:22:50.479 --> 01:22:54.039
Luca took the flashlight from him and scanned the side

1178
01:22:54.039 --> 01:22:58.439
of the ship for markings. We are setting the world

1179
01:22:58.520 --> 01:23:02.399
record for bad luck. We almost got ran over by

1180
01:23:02.439 --> 01:23:08.399
a ghost ship derelict way out here. No one knows

1181
01:23:08.439 --> 01:23:11.720
for sure, but best guess is there are thousands of

1182
01:23:11.720 --> 01:23:15.880
them floating around. Luca told him. One got loose in

1183
01:23:15.960 --> 01:23:19.520
Japan a couple years ago, Almost a year to the day,

1184
01:23:19.560 --> 01:23:24.239
it drifted into Canada. There we go. He shined the

1185
01:23:24.319 --> 01:23:28.479
light on the vessel's name, moving the beams slowly to

1186
01:23:28.560 --> 01:23:32.520
make out the letters. A broken toe line clanked against

1187
01:23:32.520 --> 01:23:39.319
the reinforced hull. Luke turned off the light. Yadmila Gerchenko,

1188
01:23:40.119 --> 01:23:45.359
Chance said, must be Russian. Looks like a discount cruise ship.

1189
01:23:46.199 --> 01:23:50.880
An ocean liner, Luca corrected him. They were made for transport,

1190
01:23:50.960 --> 01:23:55.760
not comfort. That's why she's so small. Been retrofitted for

1191
01:23:55.800 --> 01:24:01.079
the Arctic too. That hul's up armored for icebergs. Why

1192
01:24:01.079 --> 01:24:05.000
do you sound so happy about that? Pack your shit, wheezy,

1193
01:24:05.680 --> 01:24:17.520
Luca smiled, We're moving on up. I'm not really digging

1194
01:24:17.600 --> 01:24:21.000
the idea of being on a creepy ass ghost ship.

1195
01:24:21.479 --> 01:24:26.720
Chance said, got anywhere else to be? Luca scanned the

1196
01:24:26.800 --> 01:24:31.279
deck for signs of life asleep in the lifeboat until daylight,

1197
01:24:31.760 --> 01:24:35.880
when this won't suck as bad. They made their way

1198
01:24:35.920 --> 01:24:39.359
to the bridge, shining their lights and windows as they went.

1199
01:24:40.319 --> 01:24:44.720
No one moved inside. Luca led the way up the steps.

1200
01:24:45.439 --> 01:24:49.479
The door moved noisily on its hinges. The salty air

1201
01:24:49.600 --> 01:24:54.000
had rusted them badly, so it didn't swing back and forth,

1202
01:24:54.079 --> 01:24:58.239
but just inched one way, and then the other in

1203
01:24:58.319 --> 01:25:03.720
plaintive moans. Luca pushed through and swept the flashlight across

1204
01:25:03.760 --> 01:25:09.279
the bridge. He screamed and stumbled backwards into Chance. Fuck

1205
01:25:09.399 --> 01:25:14.399
me what Chance braced himself to run. What is it?

1206
01:25:15.399 --> 01:25:19.479
Luca leaned back into the room, letting the light find

1207
01:25:19.520 --> 01:25:23.800
the floating apparition. The gray black shape of a man

1208
01:25:24.239 --> 01:25:29.079
at the helm was nothing more than a forgotten jacket.

1209
01:25:29.840 --> 01:25:35.279
Luca breathed deeply to steady himself. He wriggled his toes,

1210
01:25:35.399 --> 01:25:38.359
wondering if the puddle he stood in had been there

1211
01:25:38.399 --> 01:25:43.319
before he opened the door. He hesitated to enter, letting

1212
01:25:43.319 --> 01:25:47.560
his heart rate settle back down first. Once it had,

1213
01:25:48.079 --> 01:25:51.439
he went straight to the jacket to look for clues,

1214
01:25:52.279 --> 01:25:55.920
Check for any kind of records, he said over his shoulder.

1215
01:25:56.840 --> 01:26:01.439
Sure thing, Boss, Chance chuckled. You screamed like a woman,

1216
01:26:01.479 --> 01:26:04.680
by the way, and you were crying like one. On

1217
01:26:04.720 --> 01:26:10.159
top of the shipping container. Luca picked up the jacket. JK.

1218
01:26:10.479 --> 01:26:16.159
Deener salvage. Looks like old girl was being decommissioned. Thinks

1219
01:26:16.159 --> 01:26:19.800
she broke away from port while being towed. Chance's light

1220
01:26:19.960 --> 01:26:23.640
played across the instruments. Most of the cables had been

1221
01:26:23.680 --> 01:26:28.319
stripped already if she was already docked, that means there's

1222
01:26:28.319 --> 01:26:32.319
not going to be anything useful on board. Might still

1223
01:26:32.359 --> 01:26:36.439
be beds. Luca slipped the jacket on. It was a

1224
01:26:36.479 --> 01:26:41.199
lot warmer than the lifeboat's foil blanket. Maybe some clothes

1225
01:26:41.239 --> 01:26:44.720
and can goods. Even if we don't find anything, it'll

1226
01:26:44.760 --> 01:26:48.880
be a lot more comfortable and safer waiting for rescue.

1227
01:26:48.920 --> 01:26:55.279
Here a familiar bulge rubbed Luca's bare chest. He reached

1228
01:26:55.279 --> 01:26:59.279
into the inner pocket, finding a pack of cigarettes and

1229
01:26:59.319 --> 01:27:03.840
a lighter. He said a silent prayer before opening the box.

1230
01:27:04.600 --> 01:27:08.840
He thumbed the top back and sighed happily there were

1231
01:27:08.880 --> 01:27:14.119
still three smokes left. Chance shook his head. He knelt

1232
01:27:14.159 --> 01:27:16.960
for a bottle of pepsi on the floor and checked

1233
01:27:16.960 --> 01:27:22.319
for an expiration date February twenty ten. He tossed the

1234
01:27:22.319 --> 01:27:26.199
bottle to Luca. This shit heap's been floating for at

1235
01:27:26.279 --> 01:27:30.319
least three years, or just been out of service that long,

1236
01:27:30.880 --> 01:27:35.399
Lucas said, taking a pull off the cigarette. Things are

1237
01:27:35.439 --> 01:27:38.800
definitely looking up. Let's see if we can find some

1238
01:27:38.960 --> 01:27:47.640
damn clothes. They managed to scrounge up some coveralls in

1239
01:27:47.720 --> 01:27:51.039
the abandoned crew lockers, as well as a few more

1240
01:27:51.079 --> 01:27:55.560
stale smokes for Luca's pack. Growling stomachs told them to

1241
01:27:55.600 --> 01:27:59.920
forego any further pillaging until they checked out the food store.

1242
01:28:00.960 --> 01:28:05.000
They proceeded carefully through the corridors to find the galley

1243
01:28:05.399 --> 01:28:09.960
falling apart, pots and pans lay strewn about, and the

1244
01:28:10.079 --> 01:28:14.000
entire place had an odd stench to it. Chance shined

1245
01:28:14.039 --> 01:28:19.479
the flashlight around the perimeter jackpot, he said, signaling to

1246
01:28:19.520 --> 01:28:24.000
the series of shelves lined with canned goods. Luca nodded,

1247
01:28:24.039 --> 01:28:28.079
but was more interested in the smell. He examined the

1248
01:28:28.119 --> 01:28:32.680
prep surfaces, finding spots of what appeared to be dried

1249
01:28:32.760 --> 01:28:38.039
blood from the crew's final meal and rodent droppings. He

1250
01:28:38.079 --> 01:28:41.439
moved the light to the floor and grimaced. The entire

1251
01:28:41.520 --> 01:28:45.279
surface was speckled with rat shit. He opened a drawer

1252
01:28:45.319 --> 01:28:49.319
below the table, finding an assortment of butcher knives, dotted

1253
01:28:49.359 --> 01:28:54.319
with rust and stored carelessly. Some primitive fear gnawing at

1254
01:28:54.359 --> 01:28:58.199
his brain told him to take one. He ignored it

1255
01:28:58.560 --> 01:29:02.079
and slammed the drawer shut before joining Chase at the

1256
01:29:02.119 --> 01:29:07.960
shelves we got Chef boy r D. Chance said, never

1257
01:29:08.000 --> 01:29:10.840
thought I'd be so happy to see that fat fock's face.

1258
01:29:12.199 --> 01:29:16.600
He lifted the can and scrunched his nose curiously. He

1259
01:29:16.680 --> 01:29:21.159
shook the can. What the fuck is this? He dropped

1260
01:29:21.199 --> 01:29:25.239
it and grabbed another, shaking it and then tossing it

1261
01:29:25.279 --> 01:29:30.840
over his shoulder, and then a third. They're empty. Luca

1262
01:29:30.920 --> 01:29:34.039
knelt for the can of ravioli and rolled it over.

1263
01:29:34.880 --> 01:29:39.039
A massive hole had been torn through the backside. Check it,

1264
01:29:39.600 --> 01:29:44.399
he said. Chance glanced down, then turned one around on

1265
01:29:44.439 --> 01:29:48.800
the shelf. One big hole in some smaller puncture marks

1266
01:29:49.199 --> 01:29:53.640
locked the tin. Luca slowly panned his light up the shelves.

1267
01:29:54.560 --> 01:29:58.600
Dried sauces and soups stained them, along with the occasional

1268
01:29:59.000 --> 01:30:04.079
shriveled morsel of food. Cardboard boxes were little more than scraps.

1269
01:30:04.760 --> 01:30:08.479
They both looked around hurriedly. Bags of salt, sugar, and

1270
01:30:08.560 --> 01:30:12.399
flour had all been torn open, with their contents spilled

1271
01:30:12.760 --> 01:30:18.640
and tracked away by tiny feet. Well, at least we

1272
01:30:18.720 --> 01:30:23.560
still have the MREs from the lifeboat, Luca offered, I've

1273
01:30:23.600 --> 01:30:29.279
never been so disappointed in my life, Chance sighed, even

1274
01:30:29.319 --> 01:30:32.680
when our ship exploded and we almost got eaten by sharks.

1275
01:30:33.479 --> 01:30:39.119
Luca shrugged. Weird priorities, bro, think they're dead The rats.

1276
01:30:39.159 --> 01:30:43.159
I mean maybe from heart disease. After eating all that,

1277
01:30:44.119 --> 01:30:48.079
Chance illuminated the shelves again. We need to get our

1278
01:30:48.119 --> 01:30:52.680
strength back. We should find a place to sleep. Metal

1279
01:30:52.800 --> 01:30:58.119
clanked somewhere down the narrow corridors. Luca and Chance turned

1280
01:30:58.159 --> 01:31:03.000
in unison and shine their lights, then laughed at each

1281
01:31:03.039 --> 01:31:08.560
other's paranoia. They wandered back to the cabins. Luca paid

1282
01:31:08.560 --> 01:31:13.640
more attention to where they stepped, noting more droppings. They

1283
01:31:13.680 --> 01:31:18.000
opened the first passenger cabin they came to. That same

1284
01:31:18.159 --> 01:31:23.479
stench from the kitchen was much worse. Something clamored in

1285
01:31:23.520 --> 01:31:29.079
the darkness. Chance stepped in first. The mattress looked like

1286
01:31:29.159 --> 01:31:33.800
it had been used for target practice. Stuffing exploded out

1287
01:31:33.840 --> 01:31:37.119
of dozens of holes and was dragged around the floor.

1288
01:31:38.439 --> 01:31:40.960
A built in dresser had been chewed to the point

1289
01:31:41.000 --> 01:31:45.520
it had collapsed on itself. A spider's web was intricately

1290
01:31:45.560 --> 01:31:49.680
spun across the wrecked frame. Luca had his light on it.

1291
01:31:50.479 --> 01:31:55.319
A big orb weaver occupied the middle. Something shimmered inside

1292
01:31:55.359 --> 01:32:00.079
the ruined drawer, beneath the erachnid. This place needs a

1293
01:32:00.079 --> 01:32:04.920
better housekeeper. Chance aimed his light to the bed. Did

1294
01:32:04.960 --> 01:32:10.760
that just move? Luca asked, like waterbed moved or like

1295
01:32:11.560 --> 01:32:17.880
exorcist moved. They watched the mattress suspiciously, but nothing happened.

1296
01:32:19.119 --> 01:32:25.239
Chance shook his head bad lighting and waves. He chuckled, Fuck,

1297
01:32:25.960 --> 01:32:28.520
we need to see if we can get the electricity on. Man,

1298
01:32:29.199 --> 01:32:33.960
I can't stand this haunted house. Shit, that would mean

1299
01:32:34.119 --> 01:32:40.000
going below deck. Luca reminded him, Actually, I'm really good

1300
01:32:40.000 --> 01:32:45.000
with not having electricity. Luca looked for the spider once more,

1301
01:32:45.800 --> 01:32:50.560
but found it was gone and the web just dangling strands.

1302
01:32:51.239 --> 01:32:54.119
He didn't mention it as they left to inspect the

1303
01:32:54.199 --> 01:32:58.640
next room. It was in the same condition as were

1304
01:32:58.680 --> 01:33:02.800
the next two. Chance stopped at the fifth cabin and

1305
01:33:02.920 --> 01:33:06.640
rested his hand on the latch. I don't give a

1306
01:33:06.680 --> 01:33:11.640
fuck anymore, he said, trashed or not, this is my

1307
01:33:11.800 --> 01:33:15.399
room for the night. I am beat. He opened the

1308
01:33:15.479 --> 01:33:20.399
door slowly, with ignorantly high hopes, considering the state of

1309
01:33:20.439 --> 01:33:25.880
the ship and their running luck. Everything was ransacked, as

1310
01:33:25.920 --> 01:33:29.520
in the others. Chance threw his hands up in defeat

1311
01:33:29.960 --> 01:33:33.359
and went to the bed, flopping back on to it.

1312
01:33:34.119 --> 01:33:38.880
Lucas sat in a nearby chair. Chance was right, there

1313
01:33:39.000 --> 01:33:42.800
wasn't any reason to check the other rooms. They needed

1314
01:33:42.840 --> 01:33:46.800
to rest. It could be days before rescue came, and

1315
01:33:46.880 --> 01:33:51.079
the flashlight batteries wouldn't last forever. They'd have to work

1316
01:33:51.159 --> 01:33:54.039
during the day, paint a message on the deck for

1317
01:33:54.119 --> 01:33:57.439
helicopters to see, try to clean up the bridge so

1318
01:33:57.520 --> 01:34:00.479
they could keep watch and look for anything else that

1319
01:34:00.600 --> 01:34:04.720
might be useful. He laid his head back and closed

1320
01:34:04.760 --> 01:34:08.840
his eyes. There still wasn't any way in hell. He'd

1321
01:34:08.880 --> 01:34:12.600
sleep on one of the beds. The chair would be

1322
01:34:12.800 --> 01:34:19.920
just fine. Then it collapsed. Chance bolted upright in a panic,

1323
01:34:20.399 --> 01:34:23.560
but then broke into laughter when he saw his friend

1324
01:34:23.720 --> 01:34:27.560
sprawled out on the floor. Luca sat up against the wall.

1325
01:34:28.319 --> 01:34:33.840
He smiled, wanting to laugh too, but couldn't. Something was

1326
01:34:33.920 --> 01:34:37.840
squishing under his palm, and his smile started to melt

1327
01:34:38.319 --> 01:34:42.000
as he moved to see what it was. The rat

1328
01:34:42.079 --> 01:34:45.960
leg was still bloody and connected to its tail by

1329
01:34:46.119 --> 01:34:50.880
minuscule strings of meat. Luca held it up by the

1330
01:34:50.920 --> 01:34:54.520
tail for Chance to see, but the morsel fell to

1331
01:34:54.640 --> 01:34:59.960
pieces in an instant guess the rats aren't dead, Luca

1332
01:35:00.199 --> 01:35:06.000
said that one is. Chance chuckled. He's still wet. It

1333
01:35:06.119 --> 01:35:09.439
was a fresh kill. Luca searched the room with the

1334
01:35:09.520 --> 01:35:13.800
light think there might be a cat on board too. No,

1335
01:35:14.920 --> 01:35:20.279
Chance's voice sounded off. Worried, he lowered his voice to

1336
01:35:20.359 --> 01:35:27.960
a whisper, Dude, this bed is definitely moving. Chance pulled

1337
01:35:27.960 --> 01:35:33.399
at a tattered blanket and shrieked. Dozens of tiny, hairless,

1338
01:35:33.439 --> 01:35:37.399
red bodies wriggled over one another in the folds. He

1339
01:35:37.520 --> 01:35:40.119
scrambled to the end of the bed and toppled into

1340
01:35:40.119 --> 01:35:43.800
the floor. His flashlight rolled away in a wide arc,

1341
01:35:44.359 --> 01:35:48.880
casting its glow wildly around the room. Luca watched the

1342
01:35:48.960 --> 01:35:51.920
point he nose pushed through a hole in the mattress

1343
01:35:52.279 --> 01:35:56.760
before the light changed direction. When it rolled back around,

1344
01:35:56.840 --> 01:36:02.279
the rat was halfway out. It hissed and screeched. Pipes

1345
01:36:02.399 --> 01:36:07.279
rattled overhead. Scratches came from inside the walls. Luca pressed

1346
01:36:07.319 --> 01:36:11.800
himself to the wall and stood slowly. I think we

1347
01:36:11.880 --> 01:36:16.359
need to go back to the lifeboat, he whispered. Something

1348
01:36:16.479 --> 01:36:21.199
clattered in the lavatory. He peeked inside, but saw nothing

1349
01:36:21.520 --> 01:36:25.840
in the darkness. He shined the light back to his friend,

1350
01:36:26.640 --> 01:36:30.479
then to the rat in the bed. The mattress pulsed

1351
01:36:30.479 --> 01:36:34.359
as others came out of the holes, sometimes wrestling over

1352
01:36:34.399 --> 01:36:38.079
each other to get through the same exit. Luca shined

1353
01:36:38.119 --> 01:36:40.479
the light in the bathroom in time to see a

1354
01:36:40.560 --> 01:36:44.079
dozen of them spilling out of the toilet. One ran

1355
01:36:44.199 --> 01:36:47.720
up his leg before he even saw it. He swatted

1356
01:36:47.720 --> 01:36:51.800
it with the light. It hit the floor, stunned but

1357
01:36:52.039 --> 01:36:56.640
still alive. Its brethren swarmed it. They tore off limbs

1358
01:36:56.800 --> 01:37:00.960
and attacked one another over the piece. Luca bare toes

1359
01:37:01.119 --> 01:37:05.359
blazed with sudden pain. He kicked and stomped at the rodents,

1360
01:37:05.399 --> 01:37:09.600
gnawing them. God, damn it, We've got to go. Luca

1361
01:37:09.680 --> 01:37:13.720
twisted around and gagged. The tail twitched wildly as the

1362
01:37:13.800 --> 01:37:18.079
rat forced itself into Chance's mouth. Others had converged on

1363
01:37:18.159 --> 01:37:21.520
him from the bed. His legs were invisible beneath the

1364
01:37:21.560 --> 01:37:26.600
writhing mass of furry bodies. An opportunistic adult pounced on

1365
01:37:26.680 --> 01:37:31.439
the unguarded babies, devouring them greedily. Luca ran for the

1366
01:37:31.479 --> 01:37:34.760
door without looking. He hit the hallway, sliding on a

1367
01:37:34.760 --> 01:37:39.359
squished carcass. The army of rodents pursued him. The corridor

1368
01:37:39.479 --> 01:37:44.000
filled with the squeaks, hisses, and chirps, their numbers so

1369
01:37:44.159 --> 01:37:47.359
great that he could hear the tiny claws scraping the

1370
01:37:47.399 --> 01:37:50.920
flooring in their efforts to catch up. A pipe broke

1371
01:37:51.159 --> 01:37:54.399
and swung down from the ceiling, spilling out more in

1372
01:37:54.439 --> 01:37:58.920
front of him. There inaudible ultrasonic calls carried through the

1373
01:37:58.920 --> 01:38:03.680
ghost ship like a dinner. Luca changed directions, pushing into

1374
01:38:03.720 --> 01:38:06.720
a wreck room. Rats poked their heads out of the

1375
01:38:06.760 --> 01:38:10.479
pockets of a fallen billiard's table. A fat one stopped

1376
01:38:10.520 --> 01:38:13.920
chewing a forgotten paperback and stared at Luca with its

1377
01:38:14.119 --> 01:38:19.039
beady eyes. Luca searched for an exit. A half dozen

1378
01:38:19.119 --> 01:38:22.640
rats fell from a cupboard with their tails fused together

1379
01:38:22.720 --> 01:38:26.439
from hiding in the tight space for too long. Luca

1380
01:38:26.560 --> 01:38:29.399
screamed at the sight of the rat king scurrying toward

1381
01:38:29.479 --> 01:38:32.760
him as one unit. He slammed the door behind him,

1382
01:38:32.920 --> 01:38:36.760
bi secting one of the pursuers. Luca jumped into the

1383
01:38:36.800 --> 01:38:40.079
air and came down on the rat king, crushing three

1384
01:38:40.119 --> 01:38:45.239
components instantly. The other bit down on his feet. He

1385
01:38:45.279 --> 01:38:47.920
shook them off, kicking them from the other side of

1386
01:38:47.960 --> 01:38:52.079
the room, but they dragged their dead comrades along as

1387
01:38:52.119 --> 01:38:55.920
they re entered the fray. Luca pulled a fire extinguisher

1388
01:38:55.960 --> 01:38:58.960
from the wall and sprayed at the nearest rats first,

1389
01:38:59.479 --> 01:39:03.000
then to the others. It drove them back, but they

1390
01:39:03.039 --> 01:39:06.319
didn't flee. They hissed at him from a safe distance.

1391
01:39:06.960 --> 01:39:09.640
The ones in the hall were grating their claws and

1392
01:39:09.720 --> 01:39:14.199
teeth at the door frantically. They'd be through it in minutes.

1393
01:39:15.319 --> 01:39:18.199
Luca used the fire extinguisher to clear a path to

1394
01:39:18.279 --> 01:39:22.359
the window and smashed it with the canister. He climbed

1395
01:39:22.399 --> 01:39:24.560
out of the frame, but was too fixated on the

1396
01:39:24.680 --> 01:39:28.560
rats to pay attention to his exit. The glass sliced

1397
01:39:28.600 --> 01:39:31.399
the back of his leg, causing him to fall through

1398
01:39:32.600 --> 01:39:37.439
Out on the deck. There were no rats yet. He

1399
01:39:37.520 --> 01:39:40.760
crawled until he could stand and limped quickly to the lifeboat.

1400
01:39:41.199 --> 01:39:44.279
Rats were descending the rope. Some fell off in the

1401
01:39:44.319 --> 01:39:49.079
strong breeze, but the others continued undaunted. He leaned over

1402
01:39:49.119 --> 01:39:52.239
the guard rail. There was enough moonlight to see several

1403
01:39:52.279 --> 01:39:54.920
of the critters fighting over one of the ration packs.

1404
01:39:55.960 --> 01:39:59.880
More were chewing on the boat itself. Luca backed away

1405
01:40:00.039 --> 01:40:03.560
from his last chance at salvation. He looked up at

1406
01:40:03.560 --> 01:40:08.720
the ship's funnels. A hundred huge, dark bodies clamored out

1407
01:40:08.760 --> 01:40:12.680
of the smokestacks. A wave of rats climbed through the

1408
01:40:12.680 --> 01:40:16.840
wreck room window. Some sliced themselves on the shards of glass,

1409
01:40:17.079 --> 01:40:21.319
but kept coming, so hungry for Luca that they ignored

1410
01:40:21.359 --> 01:40:25.600
the gashed flesh and spilling organs. A massive two foot

1411
01:40:25.720 --> 01:40:29.319
rat leapt down between Luca and the horde. More of

1412
01:40:29.359 --> 01:40:33.000
the monsters lined the roof. They didn't make as much

1413
01:40:33.039 --> 01:40:36.760
noise as the normal ones. Four of the big ones

1414
01:40:36.840 --> 01:40:41.520
crawled down calmly. Luca looked up at the squadron of

1415
01:40:41.560 --> 01:40:45.920
giants waiting like gargoyles. The monsters had come up from

1416
01:40:45.920 --> 01:40:49.760
the engine room. It would have been warmest there and

1417
01:40:49.880 --> 01:40:53.760
provided access to the entire ship. It was the perfect

1418
01:40:53.800 --> 01:40:58.439
place to nest. The most dominant ones would have taken

1419
01:40:58.479 --> 01:41:01.840
it for their own. There they grew into a thriving

1420
01:41:01.880 --> 01:41:05.880
community of seafaring rodents, eating their way through the smaller

1421
01:41:05.920 --> 01:41:09.039
ones upstairs and laying claim to the whole of the

1422
01:41:09.119 --> 01:41:14.680
Valudmila Gurchenko. The small ones squeaked between themselves. Another wave

1423
01:41:14.800 --> 01:41:18.439
gathered on the deck behind Luca. More giants came down,

1424
01:41:18.560 --> 01:41:23.520
intimidating them with their presence. Little ones jumped onto the guardrails.

1425
01:41:23.560 --> 01:41:27.159
Some dived into the ocean to escape. Others ran for

1426
01:41:27.239 --> 01:41:31.960
the rope, climbing to the safety of the lifeboat. Luca snarled.

1427
01:41:32.920 --> 01:41:36.279
First they tried to eat him. Now they were stealing

1428
01:41:36.279 --> 01:41:40.760
his boat. Luca screamed with primal rage and ran at

1429
01:41:40.800 --> 01:41:43.920
the nearest giant. He kicked it hard enough to collapse

1430
01:41:43.960 --> 01:41:47.960
its torso it slid into the horde. They sniffed at

1431
01:41:47.960 --> 01:41:52.720
it for seconds and chirped amongst themselves. The rooftop rats

1432
01:41:52.920 --> 01:41:57.239
hissed a warning. The little ones didn't care. It was

1433
01:41:57.359 --> 01:42:03.039
time for revenge, time for a meal. They tore the

1434
01:42:03.079 --> 01:42:08.279
fallen monster apart, ending the stand off. Luca watched in

1435
01:42:08.359 --> 01:42:12.119
amazement as the two factions went to war. They swarmed

1436
01:42:12.119 --> 01:42:14.680
over the larger ones, trying to use their numbers to

1437
01:42:14.720 --> 01:42:18.640
overpower them. The big ones fought back, taking quick bites

1438
01:42:18.680 --> 01:42:23.520
that severed heads clean from twitching bodies. Luca charged forward,

1439
01:42:23.800 --> 01:42:27.840
running into the fray. Rodent guts squished between his toes

1440
01:42:27.880 --> 01:42:31.960
as he trampled over them. Opportunistic bites took chunks and

1441
01:42:32.079 --> 01:42:36.960
strips from his legs. Some pounced, others climbed. He pulled

1442
01:42:37.000 --> 01:42:40.000
and slapped at them, trying desperately to keep them away

1443
01:42:40.000 --> 01:42:43.640
from arteries. One of the big ones sprang onto his back,

1444
01:42:44.000 --> 01:42:47.920
knocking him face first to the deck. He rolled repeatedly

1445
01:42:48.039 --> 01:42:51.680
trying to smash it, but it leapt clear. It lunged

1446
01:42:51.720 --> 01:42:54.279
at him as he tried to stand, and they tumbled

1447
01:42:54.279 --> 01:42:57.560
over the guard rail. Luca clung to the wet steel.

1448
01:42:58.079 --> 01:43:01.560
The monster rat climbed up him, digging its claws into

1449
01:43:01.560 --> 01:43:05.840
his face. Luca wasn't going to die alone. He bit

1450
01:43:05.960 --> 01:43:09.680
into the giant's belly. It attacked his face in retaliation.

1451
01:43:10.439 --> 01:43:13.960
Luca bit again, using his head to press the creature

1452
01:43:14.000 --> 01:43:17.720
against a rail and chewed his way deep into its guts.

1453
01:43:18.319 --> 01:43:21.960
The rat fell away, taking Luca's eye with it to

1454
01:43:22.079 --> 01:43:26.640
the ocean below. Luca dangled from the railing one handed.

1455
01:43:27.159 --> 01:43:30.119
He swung the other up and adjusted his grip. While

1456
01:43:30.119 --> 01:43:34.279
he weighed his options, A rat crawled along the steel,

1457
01:43:34.920 --> 01:43:39.560
sniffing at his fingers. Don't you fucking dare you little shit?

1458
01:43:40.199 --> 01:43:45.199
He growled, It dared. The bucked teeth raked the skin

1459
01:43:45.319 --> 01:43:48.560
from his knuckle. He reached over and grabbed it, squeezing

1460
01:43:48.560 --> 01:43:51.840
it until it popped in his fist. He climbed over

1461
01:43:51.880 --> 01:43:54.880
the railing and fell back onto the deck. He dragged

1462
01:43:54.960 --> 01:43:58.039
himself to the bridge, chancing a glance over his shoulder.

1463
01:43:58.800 --> 01:44:03.039
The battle seemed to be over. Victorious rodents stayed top

1464
01:44:03.159 --> 01:44:06.560
side and stripped the dead to their bones, while the

1465
01:44:06.600 --> 01:44:10.000
losers limped away to be eaten by their own kind.

1466
01:44:10.479 --> 01:44:14.239
Back in the mattresses and the walls of the passenger cabins,

1467
01:44:14.800 --> 01:44:18.600
Luca wondered if this was a regular occurrence. Did they

1468
01:44:18.640 --> 01:44:21.760
have to cull their own numbers every so often, or

1469
01:44:21.880 --> 01:44:26.600
did they just enjoy it. Luca watched the flashing beacon

1470
01:44:26.640 --> 01:44:31.079
atop the lifeboat drift away from the liud Milla. The

1471
01:44:31.199 --> 01:44:34.920
rats had chewed through the rope. Crazy as it sounded,

1472
01:44:35.399 --> 01:44:38.600
he knew they did it on purpose. He limped up

1473
01:44:38.600 --> 01:44:42.159
the stairs and left the door open. There were too

1474
01:44:42.159 --> 01:44:45.439
many ways they could get inside to bother shutting it. Anyhow,

1475
01:44:46.600 --> 01:44:49.920
He pulled a cigarette from the pack, slipped into the

1476
01:44:49.960 --> 01:44:55.000
captain's seat, and watched the sun breaking the horizon. At

1477
01:44:55.079 --> 01:44:57.640
least he was headed in the right direction, he thought.

1478
01:44:58.000 --> 01:45:02.079
As he lit the bent cigarette, he took a long drag.

1479
01:45:02.840 --> 01:45:06.720
A tiny rat scurried out of the instrument panel and

1480
01:45:06.840 --> 01:45:11.159
cleaned its paws. Luca blew a smoke ring at him.

1481
01:45:11.960 --> 01:45:15.319
The runt jumped into his lap, but didn't make a

1482
01:45:15.439 --> 01:45:20.880
move to attack him. All right, then, Willie Lucas said softly,

1483
01:45:21.960 --> 01:45:26.159
you can be my quartermaster. The rat settled into his lap.

1484
01:45:26.960 --> 01:45:32.880
Luca watched it expectantly, but it still didn't bite. Blood

1485
01:45:32.960 --> 01:45:36.880
dripped onto it from his still torn face. It twitched

1486
01:45:37.199 --> 01:45:41.399
and tried to clean itself off. Luca sheltered the animal

1487
01:45:41.439 --> 01:45:46.680
with his hand. Crimson drops rolled down his knuckles. He

1488
01:45:46.760 --> 01:45:52.039
looked back up to the horizon and smiled. There was

1489
01:45:52.079 --> 01:46:01.479
a new crew captain on the ship of the Cannibal Rats.

1490
01:46:02.399 --> 01:46:09.359
Love Burgers and the open Road by David O'Hanlon. I'm

1491
01:46:09.399 --> 01:46:12.760
taking you to your father's was all Uncle Curtis said.

1492
01:46:13.680 --> 01:46:17.479
He never looked at me. His cold, sterling glare stayed

1493
01:46:17.520 --> 01:46:21.279
locked to the jaundiced, bloodshot eyes of my mother. I

1494
01:46:21.439 --> 01:46:25.520
packed quickly. I loved my mom, but I hadn't seen

1495
01:46:25.560 --> 01:46:29.560
her in a long time. Morphine and cheap vodka took

1496
01:46:29.560 --> 01:46:33.039
her away from me. Whatever Slee's ball she brought home

1497
01:46:33.239 --> 01:46:36.079
normally left enough money on the dresser after she passed

1498
01:46:36.119 --> 01:46:38.760
out that I could go get bread and some balgonney

1499
01:46:38.840 --> 01:46:42.920
to survive on until the school provided lunch. A week

1500
01:46:42.960 --> 01:46:45.600
into summer vacation and I was starting to miss those

1501
01:46:46.239 --> 01:46:50.720
guaranteed meals. Dad split when I was five. Maybe the

1502
01:46:50.800 --> 01:46:52.960
last eight years had taught him how to be a father.

1503
01:46:53.800 --> 01:46:56.560
Maybe a summer without me would help Mom get her

1504
01:46:56.600 --> 01:47:01.600
priorities in order, or maybe she'd party harder and od

1505
01:47:02.119 --> 01:47:05.600
life is full of maybies. The zombieyond the couch picked

1506
01:47:05.600 --> 01:47:09.000
at the bruised, scabbed needle marks on her arm and

1507
01:47:09.079 --> 01:47:11.640
didn't bother telling me goodbye. As I went with her

1508
01:47:11.640 --> 01:47:14.800
big brother, Uncle Curtis left the door open for her

1509
01:47:14.840 --> 01:47:19.119
to have one more chance to say anything. He opened

1510
01:47:19.119 --> 01:47:21.479
the cab of the truck and helped me into the

1511
01:47:21.520 --> 01:47:26.159
passenger seat. I heard the front door slam. Probably for

1512
01:47:26.199 --> 01:47:34.000
the best, Uncle Curtis said, without looking back. The Kenworth

1513
01:47:34.199 --> 01:47:37.039
W nine hundred was the only thing my uncle owned.

1514
01:47:37.640 --> 01:47:41.640
Pictures hung where they fit with double sided tape. Everything

1515
01:47:41.680 --> 01:47:45.079
else was split up between his three ex wives. He

1516
01:47:45.119 --> 01:47:49.079
made some small talk, asked how school was going, if

1517
01:47:49.119 --> 01:47:53.000
I'd gotten my first whiskers yet, any girls caught my eye?

1518
01:47:53.479 --> 01:47:58.039
The usual stuff. He didn't once mention Mom. I was

1519
01:47:58.119 --> 01:48:01.199
okay with that. We picked up a trailer full of

1520
01:48:01.319 --> 01:48:04.680
used tires on our way out of Houston. Curtis told

1521
01:48:04.680 --> 01:48:07.159
me he took the small gigs to pay for the diesel.

1522
01:48:07.239 --> 01:48:09.600
He needed to get the big jobs, like the one

1523
01:48:09.640 --> 01:48:12.960
we were heading to next. I haven't heard from him,

1524
01:48:13.560 --> 01:48:18.760
I said, softly. Who's that. He glanced over and sighed, Oh,

1525
01:48:19.439 --> 01:48:23.920
he's living in Nashville. Does he know I'm coming? Uncle?

1526
01:48:24.000 --> 01:48:28.640
Curtis nodded. We all make mistakes, Brad, leaving your family

1527
01:48:28.760 --> 01:48:35.159
is only a mistake. It's complicated. Curtis sighed, the place

1528
01:48:35.239 --> 01:48:38.279
me and your mama grew up, well, it was a

1529
01:48:38.319 --> 01:48:42.039
bad place. I went to Vietnam to get away from it.

1530
01:48:42.680 --> 01:48:47.439
War seemed easier, cleaner. She didn't have a war to

1531
01:48:47.520 --> 01:48:50.720
run away to. All she could find was another young

1532
01:48:50.880 --> 01:48:57.479
dipshit to distract her dad. Yeah, they were just having

1533
01:48:57.560 --> 01:49:00.479
fun until they were too far down the rackbit hole.

1534
01:49:01.439 --> 01:49:04.439
Your old man thought if he left, she'd get away

1535
01:49:04.439 --> 01:49:08.720
from the things they were into and focus on you Instead,

1536
01:49:09.800 --> 01:49:15.760
he got clean and she well, shit, maybe I should

1537
01:49:15.760 --> 01:49:19.479
have never left her in that god forsaken place. It's

1538
01:49:19.520 --> 01:49:23.560
not your fault. I looked out my window thoughtfully. At

1539
01:49:23.600 --> 01:49:27.000
least you came to get me. It's a long drive

1540
01:49:27.039 --> 01:49:31.119
to Nashville. He reached over to pat my shoulder. Guess

1541
01:49:31.159 --> 01:49:33.359
I better make up lost time and teach you about

1542
01:49:33.399 --> 01:49:41.319
the good things in life. The first lesson came at

1543
01:49:41.319 --> 01:49:44.920
the heart of Dixie truck stop. Outside of Lufkin. The

1544
01:49:45.000 --> 01:49:48.399
microwave dinged and Uncle Curtis opened the door with a wide,

1545
01:49:49.000 --> 01:49:53.760
snaggletoothed smile beneath his toilet brush mustache. He slipped the

1546
01:49:53.840 --> 01:49:58.920
nuke cheeseburger onto a styrofoam plate, bone apple teeth. He declared,

1547
01:49:59.479 --> 01:50:01.760
go on and grab us a booth. You'll want to

1548
01:50:01.840 --> 01:50:04.119
let it sit for a minute so the flavor really

1549
01:50:04.159 --> 01:50:07.760
gets into the bun. I took the plate and found

1550
01:50:07.760 --> 01:50:11.439
a seat. The bright yellow cheese melted neatly over the

1551
01:50:11.560 --> 01:50:16.000
edges of the two all meat patties. The packaging hadn't

1552
01:50:16.039 --> 01:50:21.319
specified what meats, and my rumbling stomach didn't particularly care.

1553
01:50:22.159 --> 01:50:25.520
The bottom bun discolored as it soaked up seasoned grease.

1554
01:50:26.239 --> 01:50:30.800
A sudden slap interrupted my investigation. A brown paper bag

1555
01:50:30.920 --> 01:50:34.199
sat on the corner of the chip table. Uncle Curtis

1556
01:50:34.239 --> 01:50:37.439
gave me a wink and slipped into the booth opposite me.

1557
01:50:38.319 --> 01:50:42.560
Reading materials for the road. He gestured toward my plate,

1558
01:50:43.039 --> 01:50:47.279
also very important. I picked up the burger. It was

1559
01:50:47.319 --> 01:50:51.560
still hot, and I appreciated the burn. After subsiding primarily

1560
01:50:51.640 --> 01:50:56.079
on cold sandwiches. It smelled far better than anything coming

1561
01:50:56.079 --> 01:50:59.159
out of a microwave had any right to. I bit

1562
01:50:59.279 --> 01:51:04.279
in and groaned with pleasure. The charbroiled paddies burst with

1563
01:51:04.399 --> 01:51:07.720
complex flavors that shamed the big mac Mom got me

1564
01:51:07.800 --> 01:51:12.079
every birthday. I greedily stuffed my mouth with two more bites.

1565
01:51:13.000 --> 01:51:16.720
Uncle Curtis's laughter made me blush with sudden self awareness.

1566
01:51:17.479 --> 01:51:20.960
He waved for me to continue. Never pass on the

1567
01:51:21.000 --> 01:51:24.239
fine cuisine of your friendly Eat em up, he said.

1568
01:51:24.520 --> 01:51:27.640
The distance between meals will make you appreciate them even more.

1569
01:51:28.800 --> 01:51:33.920
It has, I told him in between bites. Thunder rumbled

1570
01:51:33.960 --> 01:51:38.920
outside despite a still blue sky. Curtis checked his watch

1571
01:51:38.960 --> 01:51:42.119
and leaned close to the window to look out. Damn

1572
01:51:42.119 --> 01:51:45.399
the luck, he said, thirty miles to go before we

1573
01:51:45.479 --> 01:51:48.479
drop this load. We'll hit the town same time as

1574
01:51:48.479 --> 01:51:51.960
that storm. Sure as shit. Can we wait it out?

1575
01:51:52.479 --> 01:51:55.640
I asked. Curtis shook his head without looking at me.

1576
01:51:56.479 --> 01:52:05.640
Suppose to be a some bit of a storm. It

1577
01:52:05.840 --> 01:52:10.039
was lesson two In Uncle Curtis's book of life was

1578
01:52:10.439 --> 01:52:14.760
age appropriate literature. I read the latest issue of Soldier

1579
01:52:14.800 --> 01:52:17.720
of Fortune magazine with the aid of a bungee cord

1580
01:52:17.800 --> 01:52:21.319
mounted lantern in the sleeper cab. The rain came down

1581
01:52:21.399 --> 01:52:25.760
in sheets, almost loud enough to muffle the thunder. Almost.

1582
01:52:26.079 --> 01:52:29.319
I leaned around the driver's seat. There's an ad in

1583
01:52:29.399 --> 01:52:32.760
here for a book on how to fight, I said, Oh,

1584
01:52:33.039 --> 01:52:36.000
you'll see lots of those in sof He said, with

1585
01:52:36.039 --> 01:52:39.520
his trademark chipper grumble. This one says I can learn

1586
01:52:39.560 --> 01:52:42.760
how to kill a man with my thumb, I clarified.

1587
01:52:43.479 --> 01:52:48.680
Sounds like malarkey, Oh ye of little faith. Curtis pointed

1588
01:52:48.680 --> 01:52:52.079
to the glovebox. I actually have a copy of that one.

1589
01:52:52.479 --> 01:52:55.840
It's a pretty good read. Check it out. I slipped

1590
01:52:55.920 --> 01:52:58.760
back into my seat and found the hand to hand

1591
01:52:58.880 --> 01:53:02.960
combat manual. I turned to the dog eared pages. First,

1592
01:53:03.560 --> 01:53:08.800
a kneeling groin strike with complimentary castration, Various ways to

1593
01:53:08.960 --> 01:53:12.720
punch the throat, the proper way to gouge out an eye.

1594
01:53:13.319 --> 01:53:18.159
My uncle smiled at my naive shock. That's yours. Now,

1595
01:53:18.640 --> 01:53:23.319
a boy has to know how to defend himself. Don't

1596
01:53:23.359 --> 01:53:28.880
you need it? No, he said, softer than normal. I

1597
01:53:28.960 --> 01:53:33.880
had those lessons already. It was a much roudier classroom.

1598
01:53:35.039 --> 01:53:38.479
I watched him drive in silence before turning my attention

1599
01:53:38.680 --> 01:53:42.439
back to the manual, I paid close attention to the

1600
01:53:42.479 --> 01:53:46.119
pages he'd marked and mined the movements in the air,

1601
01:53:46.640 --> 01:53:52.359
trying to visualize how they worked in real life. Curtis

1602
01:53:52.359 --> 01:53:55.039
gave me pointers as he watched my practice from the

1603
01:53:55.079 --> 01:53:59.000
corner of his eye. I made the adjustments as he suggested.

1604
01:53:59.760 --> 01:54:04.520
The positive feedback was something new to me, and it

1605
01:54:04.600 --> 01:54:08.000
made me want to try harder to impress him. He

1606
01:54:08.079 --> 01:54:10.800
reached over and corrected my grip that the book said

1607
01:54:10.920 --> 01:54:14.600
would tear a man's throat out. I attempted it again.

1608
01:54:15.560 --> 01:54:21.119
My uncle beamed with pride. I'd never been happier or

1609
01:54:21.159 --> 01:54:25.479
felt more loved than I did. Right then, I wasn't

1610
01:54:25.520 --> 01:54:29.479
sure it mattered. After all, I'd probably never need to

1611
01:54:29.600 --> 01:54:34.560
kill a man with my bare hands. Then again, it

1612
01:54:34.680 --> 01:54:47.560
really was a long road to Nashville. I woke up

1613
01:54:47.560 --> 01:54:51.920
to the squawking of the CB radio ten nine, my

1614
01:54:52.039 --> 01:54:56.039
uncle said. I crawled into my seat and stretched away

1615
01:54:56.079 --> 01:55:02.479
the few hours of sleep bears. Another voice said, looking

1616
01:55:02.520 --> 01:55:06.840
for a runner from Pasqualito, some bitch, Ain't that just

1617
01:55:06.880 --> 01:55:11.159
a kick in the pants. Curtis pressed the button ten four.

1618
01:55:12.319 --> 01:55:17.000
What does all that mean? I asked, means we're riding

1619
01:55:17.039 --> 01:55:20.960
double nickels until they finish their business. He pointed at

1620
01:55:20.960 --> 01:55:25.640
swirling red and blue lights on the horizon. Sam, Pasqualito

1621
01:55:25.800 --> 01:55:29.720
is a looney bin full of murderers, the bad kind

1622
01:55:31.039 --> 01:55:34.600
as opposed to the good kind. I'm just saying, I

1623
01:55:34.680 --> 01:55:39.239
understand a man shooting folks. Pasqual is for those less

1624
01:55:39.239 --> 01:55:45.680
civilized sorts. Cannibals, satanists, serial killers, fellas that like to

1625
01:55:45.720 --> 01:55:49.439
poke their peckers into dead things. Whoever they're looking for,

1626
01:55:49.880 --> 01:55:52.640
it ain't someone we want to find. We're going to

1627
01:55:52.680 --> 01:55:55.319
get up the road aways. There's a nice place called

1628
01:55:55.399 --> 01:55:59.039
Moonlight Drive. We'll get some more burgers there. In a shower.

1629
01:56:00.000 --> 01:56:04.279
I hadn't considered how Curtis handled basic things like showering.

1630
01:56:05.000 --> 01:56:08.800
I started to ask, and he held up a knowing finger. Brad,

1631
01:56:09.600 --> 01:56:13.159
let me tell you something, he smiled with fond reminiscence.

1632
01:56:14.039 --> 01:56:17.600
Nothing feels better than washing all the kinks of the

1633
01:56:17.680 --> 01:56:21.640
road out of your body with a nice hot shower.

1634
01:56:22.439 --> 01:56:25.319
Just make sure you wear some flip flops. Don't want

1635
01:56:25.319 --> 01:56:29.800
to get the clap between your toes. What's the clap,

1636
01:56:30.119 --> 01:56:34.000
I asked, Which brings us to another important life lesson

1637
01:56:35.079 --> 01:56:38.720
the girls at Moonlight Drive do not really think you're handsome,

1638
01:56:38.880 --> 01:56:41.840
and that bargain rate comes with a different kind of price.

1639
01:56:42.640 --> 01:56:46.520
My uncle laughed hard and shook his head. Just trust me.

1640
01:56:47.600 --> 01:56:50.319
I had no idea what he was talking about, but

1641
01:56:51.279 --> 01:56:54.119
I did trust him. He'd taught me more in a

1642
01:56:54.159 --> 01:56:58.439
few hours than either of my parents. We passed a

1643
01:56:58.479 --> 01:57:01.159
pair of park cop cars and I waved at the

1644
01:57:01.159 --> 01:57:04.439
silhouette of the state trooper on my side. I was

1645
01:57:04.479 --> 01:57:07.319
sure he couldn't see me through the storm, but it

1646
01:57:07.399 --> 01:57:13.239
seemed like the right thing to do. My uncle gave

1647
01:57:13.319 --> 01:57:16.880
me a towel that smelled strongly of bleach, a pair

1648
01:57:16.920 --> 01:57:20.359
of brand new flip flops, and a thumbs up. I

1649
01:57:20.399 --> 01:57:23.600
went to the shower and nervously undressed before stepping into

1650
01:57:23.640 --> 01:57:28.359
the stall. By god, Uncle Curtis was right. I'd been

1651
01:57:28.399 --> 01:57:31.319
a trucker for all of six hours, and the scolding

1652
01:57:31.399 --> 01:57:35.159
hot water was the best damned feeling in my admittedly

1653
01:57:35.239 --> 01:57:38.399
short life. I could only imagine how it must have

1654
01:57:38.439 --> 01:57:41.239
felt to someone that lived in their truck all the time.

1655
01:57:42.000 --> 01:57:45.439
I cleaned myself quickly and then leaned my forehead against

1656
01:57:45.520 --> 01:57:49.399
the tile wall. I thought about what Mom was probably doing,

1657
01:57:50.560 --> 01:57:53.720
what it would be like meeting Dad for basically the

1658
01:57:53.760 --> 01:57:56.640
first time, and how Curtis had been more of a

1659
01:57:56.760 --> 01:57:59.439
parent in a quarter of a day than they had

1660
01:57:59.479 --> 01:58:03.720
been in thirteen years. Crying all of that out felt

1661
01:58:03.760 --> 01:58:07.960
almost as good as the shower. When I finally stepped out,

1662
01:58:08.359 --> 01:58:11.399
I had lost all sense of time. The other four

1663
01:58:11.479 --> 01:58:15.039
stalls were seemingly occupied, and I set about drying myself

1664
01:58:15.079 --> 01:58:18.439
as fast as I could. I'd never been naked around

1665
01:58:18.439 --> 01:58:22.880
other people, or around naked people. I wasn't sure what

1666
01:58:22.920 --> 01:58:25.960
the protocols were for that sort of thing. I pulled

1667
01:58:25.960 --> 01:58:28.159
my jeans on and slipped my feet back into my

1668
01:58:28.159 --> 01:58:33.239
flip flops. No longer focused on potential embarrassment or awkward

1669
01:58:33.359 --> 01:58:37.399
nude conversations, I began to take in my surroundings and

1670
01:58:37.560 --> 01:58:43.880
notice the stall doors were open. Is anyone there? I called?

1671
01:58:45.119 --> 01:58:48.680
No one answered. It wasn't a lesson Curtis taught, but

1672
01:58:49.119 --> 01:58:53.279
it should have been. Never ask if anyone's there. It's

1673
01:58:53.319 --> 01:58:56.760
not like some fucking psycho was going to say, yeah, pal,

1674
01:58:57.079 --> 01:59:00.000
I'm over here behind the curtain. Just keep your guy

1675
01:59:00.439 --> 01:59:05.239
mouth shut like I didn't. Instead, I walked through the steam,

1676
01:59:05.399 --> 01:59:09.039
trying to wave it away. The light shifted through the

1677
01:59:09.039 --> 01:59:13.720
more relaxing environment of the shower room to the garish bathroom.

1678
01:59:13.960 --> 01:59:18.000
It was in that weird merger of contrasting illumination that

1679
01:59:18.079 --> 01:59:22.239
I saw the figure run by my hasty attempt at

1680
01:59:22.279 --> 01:59:25.640
drying off lift my underwear wet. At least that's the

1681
01:59:25.720 --> 01:59:29.920
lie I was telling myself in that moment. A crash

1682
01:59:29.960 --> 01:59:34.479
came from the bathroom, followed by another. The lights inside

1683
01:59:34.520 --> 01:59:38.640
flickered violently in their battered fixtures. I took a deep

1684
01:59:38.760 --> 01:59:43.199
breath and tried to sound much older as I shouted

1685
01:59:43.399 --> 01:59:47.159
for someone to answer me. They kept their mouth shut

1686
01:59:47.239 --> 01:59:51.079
because they were smarter than I was. In the bathroom,

1687
01:59:51.640 --> 01:59:55.439
all seemed calm. No one jumped out to kill me,

1688
01:59:56.640 --> 01:59:59.880
no one was there at all. Keeping my back to

1689
02:00:00.079 --> 02:00:02.640
the row of sinks and my eyes on the stalls,

1690
02:00:02.880 --> 02:00:06.439
I inched through the space quickly. Most of the toilet

1691
02:00:06.479 --> 02:00:10.560
doors were open, giving me some peace of mind. Under

1692
02:00:10.600 --> 02:00:13.680
the last door, I saw a pair of cowboy boots

1693
02:00:13.720 --> 02:00:18.520
with the required wranglers around their embroidered ankles. A strange

1694
02:00:18.520 --> 02:00:22.159
puddle drew my eyes to the urinals. I tried to

1695
02:00:22.199 --> 02:00:24.920
ignore it. I wanted to run through the moonlight drive

1696
02:00:24.960 --> 02:00:29.119
and out to Uncle Curtis's truck. I didn't. The scent

1697
02:00:29.159 --> 02:00:33.039
of ammonia and old pennies grew stronger with each step

1698
02:00:33.119 --> 02:00:36.720
closer to the dark pool. Next to the half dissolved

1699
02:00:36.840 --> 02:00:42.880
urinal puck was a severed dick. My flip flops thwack, thwack,

1700
02:00:43.039 --> 02:00:47.520
thwacked frantically as I back pedaled. I'd caught mine with

1701
02:00:47.600 --> 02:00:51.479
the zipper before. Maybe this was just an extreme case.

1702
02:00:52.000 --> 02:00:55.119
Maybe the cowboy and the shitter was the owner. Maybe

1703
02:00:55.159 --> 02:00:59.239
he was the penis pruner and mine would be next.

1704
02:01:00.640 --> 02:01:04.479
Life is full of maybes, you know. I gave the

1705
02:01:04.520 --> 02:01:07.279
door a quick shove and it came open with ease,

1706
02:01:07.880 --> 02:01:12.319
banged off the partition, and shut again. The half second

1707
02:01:12.359 --> 02:01:14.920
it was open was long enough to prove he was

1708
02:01:14.960 --> 02:01:18.880
the owner of the disembodied dangle rod. I sprinted through

1709
02:01:18.880 --> 02:01:22.279
the bathroom and into the narrow hall beyond, running full

1710
02:01:22.359 --> 02:01:26.159
bore into the hideous orange wall. My footwear sounded more

1711
02:01:26.199 --> 02:01:29.560
ridiculous than my pubescent screeching as I bolted to the

1712
02:01:29.600 --> 02:01:33.720
main part of the truck stop. Then my thwacking became splatting,

1713
02:01:34.640 --> 02:01:39.359
and next thing I knew, I was on my back.

1714
02:01:40.479 --> 02:01:42.720
It took a moment to get my breath back into

1715
02:01:42.720 --> 02:01:46.680
my lungs. My skin peeled from the gory linoleum with

1716
02:01:46.720 --> 02:01:49.880
the same noise your legs make on vinyl car seats

1717
02:01:49.880 --> 02:01:53.239
in the summer. It was a toss up which was wider,

1718
02:01:53.680 --> 02:01:56.279
the shocked eyes on the trucker or the gash in

1719
02:01:56.319 --> 02:01:59.000
his throat as he stared at me from his spot

1720
02:01:59.039 --> 02:02:02.680
on the floor, bubbles popped and the pulled blood in

1721
02:02:02.720 --> 02:02:08.720
his mouth. I managed to stay quiet to this fucking day.

1722
02:02:08.760 --> 02:02:12.439
I don't know how I pressed myself up from the floor.

1723
02:02:13.319 --> 02:02:16.359
Another body was slumped over a table, with his brains

1724
02:02:16.439 --> 02:02:20.039
spilling from the back of his skull across the laminated tabletop.

1725
02:02:20.840 --> 02:02:23.680
The woman across from him was blinking at me on

1726
02:02:23.720 --> 02:02:27.560
either side of the hatchet by secting her face. Her

1727
02:02:27.640 --> 02:02:30.920
sneakers squeaked softly in the puddle beneath her as her

1728
02:02:30.920 --> 02:02:35.119
foot twitched in a post mortem attempt to flee. Better

1729
02:02:35.199 --> 02:02:39.159
late than never. A fourth victim was mostly hidden by

1730
02:02:39.159 --> 02:02:43.159
bags of Cheetos, where he crashed through a display. Two

1731
02:02:43.239 --> 02:02:46.359
more laid on the path to the door. I stepped

1732
02:02:46.399 --> 02:02:49.039
over another and went to the counter with the microwaves

1733
02:02:50.079 --> 02:02:55.159
out of the corners of my eyes. I saw others, truckers,

1734
02:02:55.720 --> 02:03:04.000
lot lizards, store employees, and so much fucking blood. Thirty

1735
02:03:04.279 --> 02:03:09.720
nine years, a voice said wearily. The speaker gave an

1736
02:03:09.760 --> 02:03:15.319
amused grunt. In eight months lots of lost time to

1737
02:03:15.359 --> 02:03:19.359
make up for. I reached for the little refrigerator full

1738
02:03:19.399 --> 02:03:24.399
of assordid microwaveable food choices and opened it, collecting two

1739
02:03:24.479 --> 02:03:27.000
double cheeseburgers of the brand we'd had at the heart

1740
02:03:27.039 --> 02:03:30.560
of Dixie. Never pass up the fine cuisine of your

1741
02:03:30.720 --> 02:03:34.920
friendly eat em up, I said, before turning to face

1742
02:03:34.960 --> 02:03:39.600
the killer. I am rather famished. The man wore a

1743
02:03:39.680 --> 02:03:44.000
denim shirt and brown trousers, with a simple mask made

1744
02:03:44.039 --> 02:03:48.199
of a stained pillowcase. His blue eyes stared at me

1745
02:03:48.239 --> 02:03:52.439
through the mismatched holes he'd cut out to sea this work.

1746
02:03:53.399 --> 02:03:55.800
It takes a lot out of you. I put a

1747
02:03:55.800 --> 02:04:00.000
burger in the microwave and set the timer ninety seconds.

1748
02:04:01.600 --> 02:04:05.279
You never really consider the possibility that the last moments

1749
02:04:05.319 --> 02:04:09.279
of your life will be so precise. I watched the

1750
02:04:09.479 --> 02:04:12.439
entree turn on the glass plate. The green digits on

1751
02:04:12.479 --> 02:04:15.279
the tim are counted down my remaining time on earth.

1752
02:04:15.960 --> 02:04:18.720
The killer came beside me and put his hands on

1753
02:04:18.760 --> 02:04:22.960
the counter. That's a hell of a thing. He pointed

1754
02:04:23.000 --> 02:04:26.439
his bloody finger at the appliance. I wonder what all

1755
02:04:26.520 --> 02:04:30.920
changed while I was gone. I'm guessing it was probably

1756
02:04:30.960 --> 02:04:35.520
a lot. I'm brad. Did your father name you that?

1757
02:04:36.199 --> 02:04:39.960
He asked. I don't know. I'd never thought on how

1758
02:04:40.000 --> 02:04:45.000
i'd gotten my name. Maybe I guess my father didn't

1759
02:04:45.079 --> 02:04:49.359
name me, nor my mother. His voice was as devoid

1760
02:04:49.439 --> 02:04:54.720
of emotion as his hooded face. The newspapers they gave

1761
02:04:54.800 --> 02:04:57.520
me a name for the first time in my life.

1762
02:04:57.600 --> 02:05:02.239
They called me the phantom Killer. Doesn't really roll off

1763
02:05:02.279 --> 02:05:05.239
the tongue. I laughed a little and bit my lip,

1764
02:05:05.560 --> 02:05:08.600
hoping he wouldn't cut my head off for the faux pas.

1765
02:05:09.079 --> 02:05:13.239
Can I call you p K? Suppose that would be fine?

1766
02:05:14.479 --> 02:05:17.640
Why did you do all this? P K? Why not?

1767
02:05:19.199 --> 02:05:22.720
You shouldn't answer a question with a question. I told him.

1768
02:05:23.319 --> 02:05:27.680
Why did they deserve to die? Why did they deserve

1769
02:05:27.720 --> 02:05:31.119
to live? P K leaned on the counter and crossed

1770
02:05:31.119 --> 02:05:34.880
his arms over his narrow chest. A man will love

1771
02:05:34.920 --> 02:05:38.319
his wife and then beat her. A woman will love

1772
02:05:38.319 --> 02:05:41.720
her husband and fuck his brother. People will go to

1773
02:05:41.760 --> 02:05:45.439
a man's funeral, but not his birthday party. We throw

1774
02:05:45.520 --> 02:05:49.159
the word love around, but it's only a superficial thing.

1775
02:05:50.000 --> 02:05:54.000
Our value was realized by our demise. Until you're gone,

1776
02:05:54.600 --> 02:05:58.479
it's only a word. It's through death that love becomes

1777
02:05:58.479 --> 02:06:03.800
an actual, quantify emotion. Because of me, they will all

1778
02:06:03.840 --> 02:06:09.520
be loved endlessly. The microwave dinged, derailing my train of thought,

1779
02:06:09.560 --> 02:06:14.079
which was chugging uncomfortably towards understanding. I eased the burger

1780
02:06:14.119 --> 02:06:17.680
onto a styrofoam plate and slid it to Piquet. He

1781
02:06:17.840 --> 02:06:20.520
rolled the mask up over his nose and leaned down

1782
02:06:20.600 --> 02:06:23.840
to smell it. He made a pleased sound and licked

1783
02:06:23.880 --> 02:06:29.840
his lips. Silver scruff covered his gaunt, wrinkled face. He

1784
02:06:29.880 --> 02:06:32.439
would kill me and take off the mask, and then

1785
02:06:32.520 --> 02:06:36.000
he'd disappear. He was just some old man waiting for

1786
02:06:36.079 --> 02:06:39.319
a crowd to get lost in. You should let the

1787
02:06:39.319 --> 02:06:42.720
burger sit for a minute, I said it. Lets the

1788
02:06:42.800 --> 02:06:46.479
flavor really get into the bun. Suppose that means we

1789
02:06:46.520 --> 02:06:50.119
have time to finish this. He rolled the mask back

1790
02:06:50.239 --> 02:06:53.439
down and shrugged. I'm sure there'll be a lot of

1791
02:06:53.479 --> 02:06:56.520
folks at your funeral, Brad. I'll do it so it

1792
02:06:56.560 --> 02:07:00.800
won't hurt much. I can't make the same promise, I said.

1793
02:07:01.760 --> 02:07:04.800
He reached behind him and I dropped to a knee.

1794
02:07:04.960 --> 02:07:08.000
I lashed out like Uncle Curtis's manual showed me. My

1795
02:07:08.119 --> 02:07:11.600
palms struck his groin and p K buckled. His face

1796
02:07:11.680 --> 02:07:14.119
came down, and my hands shot up to meet it.

1797
02:07:14.520 --> 02:07:18.199
My thumbs slipped past the moist orbs and disappeared inside

1798
02:07:18.279 --> 02:07:22.119
his eye sockets. I felt something cold bang against my ribs.

1799
02:07:22.880 --> 02:07:25.800
The sudden warmth of blood cascading down my side made

1800
02:07:25.840 --> 02:07:29.920
me jump away. P K screamed and spun around, slashing

1801
02:07:30.000 --> 02:07:32.880
wildly at the air. I was too distracted by the

1802
02:07:32.920 --> 02:07:36.079
gash across my side to notice the eyeball clutched in

1803
02:07:36.159 --> 02:07:39.640
my fist. When I did, I flung it away with

1804
02:07:39.720 --> 02:07:44.439
a less than intimidating squeal. The phantom killer sprang forward

1805
02:07:44.520 --> 02:07:48.439
with a fruitless lunge. His follow up shot got much closer.

1806
02:07:49.319 --> 02:07:52.079
More blood trickled from the tidy cut he left in

1807
02:07:52.159 --> 02:07:56.600
my lip. The taste focussed my attention. The knife was

1808
02:07:56.680 --> 02:08:01.479
drawing back. P K's weight sank. He'd spring one more

1809
02:08:01.560 --> 02:08:04.880
time and put all seven inches of steel straight through

1810
02:08:04.920 --> 02:08:09.960
my heart. I thought about Uncle Curtis, probably one of

1811
02:08:09.960 --> 02:08:13.960
the bodies lining the aisles, and how happy he'd been

1812
02:08:14.680 --> 02:08:16.960
when he showed me how to execute the movements in

1813
02:08:17.000 --> 02:08:20.920
the martial arts booklet. I plunged in and did it

1814
02:08:21.119 --> 02:08:24.840
just like he showed me. The knife clattered to the floor.

1815
02:08:25.880 --> 02:08:28.880
P Kue stood up straight and stumbled away from me.

1816
02:08:29.600 --> 02:08:33.439
The neck of the hood fluttered with a strange gurgling hiss.

1817
02:08:34.079 --> 02:08:37.119
The viscera slipped between my fingers and I let it

1818
02:08:37.239 --> 02:08:41.960
splat to the checkerboard linoleum. The killer collapsed to his knees,

1819
02:08:42.279 --> 02:08:46.319
still watching me with his one eye. I picked up

1820
02:08:46.359 --> 02:08:50.800
the burger. The burn felt good on my fingertips. I

1821
02:08:50.840 --> 02:08:56.319
took a big, greedy bite. Will anyone love you? Pi

1822
02:08:56.479 --> 02:08:59.680
k I asked through the flavor burst of the all

1823
02:08:59.760 --> 02:09:03.880
meat patties. The phantom Killer raised his shirt enough to

1824
02:09:03.920 --> 02:09:08.079
reveal a composition book in his waistband. He wrestled it

1825
02:09:08.079 --> 02:09:13.039
out and fell on his face. Before he faded, he

1826
02:09:13.159 --> 02:09:16.720
slid it to me. I picked it up and hopped

1827
02:09:16.760 --> 02:09:20.399
onto the counter. Uncle Curtis taught me the importance of

1828
02:09:20.439 --> 02:09:24.279
good reading materials. So I sat there and ate my

1829
02:09:24.359 --> 02:09:29.399
burger and read the scribbled Manifesto of a Madman. A

1830
02:09:29.439 --> 02:09:34.079
bell tinkled over the door. What the sam hell happened here?

1831
02:09:34.720 --> 02:09:38.079
Curtis asked. I looked up at him with both relief

1832
02:09:38.600 --> 02:09:41.880
and confusion. His hand was down the back of some

1833
02:09:42.000 --> 02:09:45.359
woman's cut off shorts. The aquan at holding her perman

1834
02:09:45.439 --> 02:09:48.239
place had been given the challenge of its life, and

1835
02:09:48.319 --> 02:09:52.079
her Motley Crew T shirt was both backwards and inside out.

1836
02:09:52.880 --> 02:09:56.119
While I'd been fighting for my life, my uncle had

1837
02:09:56.159 --> 02:10:00.239
been banging a hooker. I swallowed the bite I was

1838
02:10:00.319 --> 02:10:04.920
chewing and laughed. Still a long drive to Nashville, I said,

1839
02:10:04.960 --> 02:10:08.800
sliding down the counter, Is she coming with us? No?

1840
02:10:09.520 --> 02:10:14.640
Curtis looked around. I ain't fucking staying here, she wailed, Well, shit,

1841
02:10:15.239 --> 02:10:19.039
all her clients are dead, so yes, she might as well.

1842
02:10:19.920 --> 02:10:23.960
What happened Psycho from the looney Bend? I slipped the

1843
02:10:24.000 --> 02:10:27.000
notebook into the back of my jeans. I'll go grab

1844
02:10:27.039 --> 02:10:32.560
my stuff. Hell, I guess, so, me and Marla will

1845
02:10:33.239 --> 02:10:39.640
go get the truck in order. Uncle Curtis married Marla

1846
02:10:39.760 --> 02:10:43.640
six weeks later and divorced her four months after that.

1847
02:10:44.880 --> 02:10:48.600
Go figure Mom got into rehab while I was gone

1848
02:10:48.680 --> 02:10:52.199
and died of an overdose three days after she got out.

1849
02:10:53.159 --> 02:10:57.359
Relatives I never met came to her funeral. It seems

1850
02:10:57.439 --> 02:11:00.680
p K was right. I went to with my dad

1851
02:11:00.720 --> 02:11:03.720
full time and spent my summers with Uncle Curtis on

1852
02:11:03.760 --> 02:11:07.399
the rig. Now I have my own and all the

1853
02:11:07.479 --> 02:11:10.680
lessons he gave me, one of them being that life

1854
02:11:10.760 --> 02:11:13.720
can't be about what you have. It has to be

1855
02:11:13.840 --> 02:11:17.159
about what you do. And that's where another set of

1856
02:11:17.239 --> 02:11:22.600
lessons comes in. The composition book is battered in falling apart.

1857
02:11:22.680 --> 02:11:25.960
Now pages have been lost or damaged to the point

1858
02:11:25.960 --> 02:11:29.319
where they can't be read any longer. It's more for

1859
02:11:29.479 --> 02:11:34.800
sentimental value. Nowadays, I've started writing my own, expanding on

1860
02:11:34.880 --> 02:11:39.000
PK's teachings and philosophy. There's a lot of road out

1861
02:11:39.039 --> 02:11:42.520
there and a lot of people that need to be loved.

1862
02:11:43.159 --> 02:11:47.560
That's what I do. So when you're out there on

1863
02:11:47.680 --> 02:11:52.520
the highway and you feel like no one cares, just

1864
02:11:52.640 --> 02:11:57.319
flash your lights at the first semi you see. Maybe

1865
02:11:57.560 --> 02:12:02.880
it'll be me, maybe, oh them, all of you. After all,

1866
02:12:03.920 --> 02:12:13.760
life is full of maybes, And there it is my

1867
02:12:14.000 --> 02:12:19.840
spookies for terrifying reminders that sometimes the safest part of

1868
02:12:19.880 --> 02:12:24.279
a summer vacation is when you stay at home and

1869
02:12:24.359 --> 02:12:28.640
miss your flight. Tonight, we learned that airline snacks are

1870
02:12:28.800 --> 02:12:36.159
rarely worth dying for. Supernatural contracts should always include dietary restrictions.

1871
02:12:36.640 --> 02:12:40.039
Abandoned ships are never as empty as they may appear,

1872
02:12:40.439 --> 02:12:45.439
and no roadside Hamburger is good enough to justify ignoring

1873
02:12:45.560 --> 02:12:50.800
the blood on the floor. That is what Summer ween

1874
02:12:51.000 --> 02:12:54.399
is all about. The days may still be long, the

1875
02:12:54.479 --> 02:12:59.119
pavement may still be hot, and Halloween decorations may not

1876
02:12:59.279 --> 02:13:05.039
have reached every restore yet, but darkness never checks the calendar,

1877
02:13:05.840 --> 02:13:09.800
So thank you for traveling with us tonight. Make sure

1878
02:13:09.840 --> 02:13:13.159
you follow or subscribe to Weekly Spooky on your favorite

1879
02:13:13.159 --> 02:13:16.760
podcast app, and join us every Wednesday for a brand

1880
02:13:16.840 --> 02:13:21.439
new scary story and lots of special frights in October.

1881
02:13:21.479 --> 02:13:25.680
And don't forget we publish something spooky, creepy and fun

1882
02:13:26.199 --> 02:13:29.800
every single day of the week, So hit that subscribe

1883
02:13:29.800 --> 02:13:34.680
button right about now and stay safe, spookies, See us soon.