1 00:00:01,960 --> 00:00:05,080 The knock and the van window. Might a swell have come from out a 2 00:00:05,240 --> 00:00:10,800 space pitch black parked up on the side of a country road and in a 3 00:00:10,839 --> 00:00:15,720 metal box being pommeled by a storm that had left half the country under water. 4 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:20,160 My wife and I practically jumped out of our skins at the rat tat 5 00:00:20,239 --> 00:00:26,320 tat and the driver's side window. I could see nothing except rivulets of water 6 00:00:26,679 --> 00:00:31,199 pouring down the window, and the sudden idea of some one leering at us 7 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:38,479 on the other side made me deeply uncomfortable. I hesitated for a moment before 8 00:00:38,520 --> 00:00:43,799 I wound the window down. Couldn't help but think of hook handed men and 9 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:49,399 lonely couples stuck in the middle of nowhere. But when I heard the muffled 10 00:00:49,479 --> 00:00:53,280 sound of some one trying to talk to us, I swallowed the worst of 11 00:00:53,359 --> 00:00:58,880 my nerves and pressed the button to wind the window down. Wouldn't stay here. 12 00:01:00,119 --> 00:01:02,960 The old man shoved his whole head through the window so he could be 13 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:07,120 heard over the storm. I couldn't help but cringe backwards, and I was 14 00:01:07,159 --> 00:01:11,840 reminded of being in a safari with the window down the way the wild beast 15 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:19,280 come pushing in looking for food. Thankfully, my wife Leslie managed to stammer 16 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:26,480 out a reply before any awkward silence could fester. Ah, pardon, can't 17 00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:32,280 stay here, he repeated, This lane will be underwater by midnight. Oh, 18 00:01:32,519 --> 00:01:38,480 I replied, Damn. I was feeling fairly deflated by this point. 19 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:42,680 I hadn't pulled up in the middle of nowhere to sleep in a van because 20 00:01:42,719 --> 00:01:47,920 it was my first choice. We'd arrived here only after spending a good six 21 00:01:47,959 --> 00:01:53,560 hours trying hotel after hotel, only to find they were either under water or 22 00:01:53,599 --> 00:01:57,680 booked to the gills with people escaping the floods. Do you know anywhere we 23 00:01:57,719 --> 00:02:05,280 could go, they asked, We just need somewhere to park up. The 24 00:02:05,319 --> 00:02:08,960 old man grimaced and shook his head. Not around my land. Sorry, 25 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:15,159 ain't falling for that again. He looked in the back as he said this, 26 00:02:15,759 --> 00:02:19,960 as if the gauge who we were might have been the bong or my 27 00:02:20,039 --> 00:02:24,120 friends Ryan and Meg lying stoned in a sleeping bag with something back there, 28 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:30,680 amused him. He let out a nasty little snort laugh, No way, 29 00:02:30,199 --> 00:02:35,919 and Elvin squatters again. Best bet would be the weeping ram, he added. 30 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:42,879 So what hotel about half hour up the road? What was it called, 31 00:02:43,439 --> 00:02:49,719 Leslie asked the weeping ram. She immediately began typing on a phone with 32 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:53,199 the old man gestured with his hand for her to stop. Won't find it 33 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:58,919 online, love, he said, Look, you go straight and take the 34 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:06,479 third right. Leslie, diligent as ever, took meticulous notes as he spoke. 35 00:03:07,199 --> 00:03:10,680 But I had to fight not to roll my eyes. Something about the 36 00:03:10,719 --> 00:03:15,759 old man had rubbed me the wrong way, and once he left, I 37 00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:20,840 said as much. Half tempted to just stay here, I said, as 38 00:03:20,879 --> 00:03:23,800 I played with the keys in the ignition. He probably just wants us out 39 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:30,599 the area, unhappy with the undesirables lurking so close to his land. Yeah, 40 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:36,000 but if it floods, we're in real trouble. Ryan appeared out the 41 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:39,879 back, red eyed and tired, but clearly having paid more attention than I 42 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:46,120 thought. Please don't sink my van. It is literally my only possession in 43 00:03:46,159 --> 00:03:51,759 life. He's right, Leslie added, we can't risk getting caught in the 44 00:03:51,840 --> 00:03:55,680 flood. What's this place meant to be like? Then, I asked, 45 00:03:57,159 --> 00:04:02,039 don't know, Leslie shrugged. I can't fight anything about it online. Quaint 46 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:05,400 as hell, Ryan said, with an easy going nod of the head. 47 00:04:06,199 --> 00:04:12,240 Old world offline vibes like some ancient B and B or something. But he 48 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:17,839 creepy is what it is, I replied, nothing about it online. Leslie, 49 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:21,480 still scrolling, shook her head. But oh, we don't end up 50 00:04:21,519 --> 00:04:29,319 starring in the West Country chainsaw massacre, I grumbled. Nobody laughed, so 51 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:32,279 with a bit of a grimace, I turned the keys and began to pull 52 00:04:32,319 --> 00:04:36,800 the vent out of the banking i'd parked on. Leslie smiled and gave my 53 00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:43,160 leg a reassurance squeeze before feeding me the first of many directions to come. 54 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:47,519 At least we know it as vacancies, I said, as I robbed the 55 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:53,279 van to a stop on an empty gravel lot. Is that a thatch roof, 56 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:58,800 Leslie cried, while ignoring me. Oh my god, it is made 57 00:04:58,800 --> 00:05:03,680 cood and round face, making a brief appearance by the front seats. Let's 58 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:09,360 get in there and take a lock. She quickly disappeared back into the rear 59 00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:14,680 of the van, where her and Ryan set about gathering their things. Oh, 60 00:05:14,680 --> 00:05:18,959 come on, Mark, it is quaint, Leslie said. I couldn't 61 00:05:18,959 --> 00:05:24,399 help, but grimace. This funny looking pub we'd been sent to by some 62 00:05:24,519 --> 00:05:29,600 stranger was in the middle of nowhere, situated in a small valley between two 63 00:05:29,680 --> 00:05:34,480 stony hills, with a view overlooking an overgrown field below. The land might 64 00:05:34,519 --> 00:05:40,319 once have been used for farming, if only for grazing animals, but now 65 00:05:40,560 --> 00:05:46,079 he looked desolate and dingy. Rain lashed thorns and thistles and spiky thickets of 66 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:48,759 grass were just about the only thing we'd seen in our head lights on the 67 00:05:48,839 --> 00:05:55,399 way up. And sure, the weeping ram was somewhat quaint, with its 68 00:05:55,399 --> 00:06:00,720 expansive fat roof and a hand painted sign of a pained looking sheep that swung 69 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:04,759 fitfully in the wind, its lump and white plaster facade adding to the medieval 70 00:06:04,839 --> 00:06:10,480 rustic vibe. But I got the feeling the place was going to be full 71 00:06:10,519 --> 00:06:15,759 of cobwebs and spiders and dust and miserable old locals with no sense of humor. 72 00:06:16,199 --> 00:06:20,439 And where the hell were we? The stormy night had eaten the road 73 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:26,240 behind us, erasing all sense of time and place as we drove down a 74 00:06:26,319 --> 00:06:30,839 muddy gravel lane, until out of nowhere, the turning the old man had 75 00:06:30,839 --> 00:06:34,519 warned us about appeared and led us to the pub, With the rest of 76 00:06:34,560 --> 00:06:40,160 the country running in circles because of the storm, I couldn't shake the feeling 77 00:06:40,439 --> 00:06:45,160 we'd crawled into a forgotten corner of the world, one best left alone. 78 00:06:46,519 --> 00:06:49,639 Did people really come here to get drunk or stay for the night? Did 79 00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:54,759 people drive here to come to work, or to eat or cook or serve 80 00:06:54,879 --> 00:07:00,399 drinks. It wasn't just out of place with the Internet age, deemed out 81 00:07:00,439 --> 00:07:08,560 of place with civilization itself. My suspicions were confirmed. Once inside. There 82 00:07:08,600 --> 00:07:11,839 was barely enough room for the four of us to cram into the small, 83 00:07:12,079 --> 00:07:16,639 poorly lit corridor, so Ryan peeked ahead and found the main drinking hall after 84 00:07:16,720 --> 00:07:23,600 the right passing through. Our feet scuffed an ancient stone floor, and I 85 00:07:23,720 --> 00:07:29,120 noted the horse hair plaster on the walls that likely predated the First World War. 86 00:07:30,160 --> 00:07:33,319 It reeked of mildew and damp, and yet the air seemed dry and 87 00:07:33,439 --> 00:07:39,519 musty at the same time. There were only four tables and two booths for 88 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:45,560 drinkers, and a dark hardwood bar that some potato faced man likely served booze 89 00:07:45,560 --> 00:07:50,720 from, But for now it was all deserted, no patrons, no bartender. 90 00:07:51,439 --> 00:07:56,319 The only sign of life was the faint flicker of light from the candlelight 91 00:07:56,399 --> 00:08:03,040 sconces oh my god, this is crazy, Megan cried, grabbing Lezi's arm 92 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:09,319 to draw attention to the light fittings. Look at that. Leslie agreed enthusiastically, 93 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:13,600 but I tuned it out as I walked up to the bar and ran 94 00:08:13,639 --> 00:08:20,519 a finger across its greasy grain. It was dusty as hell, like it 95 00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:26,199 had gone unused for years. Behind the counter were a few rats for spirits, 96 00:08:26,759 --> 00:08:30,959 a couple taps, and a single door that led into some unlit space. 97 00:08:31,080 --> 00:08:35,759 Could have been a kitchen or a storeroom. Had no way of knowing, 98 00:08:35,799 --> 00:08:41,320 but I stared into the darkness and felt an uncomfortable sensation gather in my 99 00:08:41,399 --> 00:08:50,440 stomach. It looked like something was moving back there. But why would someone 100 00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:56,759 be lurking in the dark? Do you think the owner's back there. I 101 00:08:56,799 --> 00:09:00,720 didn't hear leslie approach, so I couldn't hide my fear when she spoke, 102 00:09:01,399 --> 00:09:07,480 jumping like some spooped child. She made no mention of my overreaction, not 103 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:11,320 even a chuckle, and for some reason, that bothered me more than if 104 00:09:11,320 --> 00:09:18,000 she teased me about it. Let's see, I said, and went behind 105 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:22,840 the bar and into the darkness. Using my torch as a light, I 106 00:09:22,919 --> 00:09:26,559 scanned the room, seeing a dusty old kitchen with pots and pans that hadn't 107 00:09:26,600 --> 00:09:33,679 been used for years. Left to right, and left again. I looked 108 00:09:33,679 --> 00:09:37,759 carefully for some sign of life. I was sure had seen some one moving 109 00:09:37,799 --> 00:09:45,000 around. I stepped deeper into the kitchen, and when my light caught the 110 00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:50,399 leering grin of an old woman, it took all my resolve not to cry 111 00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:54,639 out without meaning too. I dropped my phone and went to pick it up, 112 00:09:54,679 --> 00:10:01,039 while stammering out the best greeting I could given the circumstance. Excuse me, 113 00:10:01,799 --> 00:10:05,879 I cried, unable to shake the image of the strange looking face I 114 00:10:07,159 --> 00:10:11,399 just glimpsed in a dark room. Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude her 115 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:16,720 anything. It's just we were directed here by the words stopped dead in my 116 00:10:16,759 --> 00:10:20,799 mouth. When I stood up and brought the light up, there she was 117 00:10:20,840 --> 00:10:28,279 again, that old woman, eerie grin and wide eyes, pallid white skin, 118 00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:33,240 hands held together in front of her like an elderly headmistress supervising some exam. 119 00:10:35,399 --> 00:10:39,440 And she hadn't moved since I'd last laid the torch on her, not 120 00:10:39,519 --> 00:10:43,279 an inch, not a millimeter. Even there was no motion to her, 121 00:10:45,080 --> 00:10:48,919 no breath, no reaction, not even the constant, darting micro movements of 122 00:10:48,960 --> 00:10:58,600 the human eye that are barely perceptible but always always there somewhere. My mind 123 00:10:58,639 --> 00:11:03,679 told me this must be a manakin, not a person. Too uncanny, 124 00:11:03,240 --> 00:11:11,320 not right, And yet it couldn't be. She was so lifelike. I 125 00:11:11,360 --> 00:11:16,200 couldn't help but take a few steps towards her, noticing faint, downy hair 126 00:11:16,320 --> 00:11:20,399 along her cheeks, liver spots by a hairline, and a thousand other details 127 00:11:20,759 --> 00:11:26,639 that I refused to believe with the product of some crazy artists working with wax. 128 00:11:28,039 --> 00:11:31,759 But her eyes did not even dilate when the torch glinted directly off their 129 00:11:31,759 --> 00:11:39,080 glassy surface. No human could stand in darkness and have a torch beamed into 130 00:11:39,080 --> 00:11:45,960 their eyeballs and not even flinch. It just wasn't possible. Oh my god, 131 00:11:46,759 --> 00:11:50,200 I muttered, before realizing I had to show the others this incredible find. 132 00:11:52,879 --> 00:11:56,720 Slowly I backed out of the room, not yet willing to turn my 133 00:11:56,840 --> 00:12:01,639 back on that creepy thing, and found the others admiring the old wood burning 134 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:07,200 fireplace in the corner of the room. Any look back there, Leslie asked 135 00:12:07,240 --> 00:12:11,960 when she saw me. Geez, guys, I cried, breathlessly, You 136 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:16,600 won't believe. I was interrupted by the urgent cry of a brittle, feminine 137 00:12:16,679 --> 00:12:24,840 voice. Oh no, just look at you, poor things. The old 138 00:12:24,879 --> 00:12:28,639 woman appeared behind us, as if out of nowhere, and my stomach hit 139 00:12:28,679 --> 00:12:35,720 the floor. With a warm smile and gentle, grandmotherly tone, she swept 140 00:12:35,799 --> 00:12:39,440 past me and towards my friends, where she immediately began cooing over them. 141 00:12:41,480 --> 00:12:45,840 Oh, you're drenched, Look at you. How on earth did you make 142 00:12:45,879 --> 00:12:48,679 it up here in this weather? You must be freezing and hungry too. 143 00:12:52,480 --> 00:12:56,879 The others reacted normally as anyone might when greeted by a friendly old landlady, 144 00:12:58,879 --> 00:13:03,720 but I stood rooted to the spot, not sure if what I was seeing 145 00:13:03,799 --> 00:13:09,759 was even real. Her clothes were identical to the thing in that room, 146 00:13:09,120 --> 00:13:15,840 as was her hair and face. Everything was the same, except for that 147 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:22,159 deeply unsettling expression that, ever so slightly two white grin that had terrified me 148 00:13:22,519 --> 00:13:28,559 just seconds before in the dark was gone, replaced with a surprised but welcoming 149 00:13:28,600 --> 00:13:35,279 smile. While everyone was busy being fawned over, I quickly backtracked into the 150 00:13:35,360 --> 00:13:41,879 kitchen and shone my light at the corner. It was empty, Mark, 151 00:13:43,759 --> 00:13:48,279 Leslie called, and I went back into the lounge. Mark, come on, 152 00:13:48,879 --> 00:13:52,399 this is Bernadette. She's going to show us to our rooms. We're 153 00:13:52,440 --> 00:13:56,919 not strictly open for business, the woman said, with what seemed to me 154 00:13:58,360 --> 00:14:03,279 to be not quite sincere concerned, but I cannot possibly turn anyone away in 155 00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:11,840 weather like this. She smiled at Leslie and then at me, and for 156 00:14:11,919 --> 00:14:18,080 the briefest of moments, hidden in the fractions of a second where Leslie wasn't 157 00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:31,960 looking, the old woman winked at me. Leslie asked what was wrong, 158 00:14:31,639 --> 00:14:37,440 and I wasn't sure how to answer right there, and then sat on her 159 00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:41,000 bed, where it was warm and safe, just the two of us. 160 00:14:41,960 --> 00:14:46,559 There wasn't much, if anything wrong at all, and felt all too easy 161 00:14:46,639 --> 00:14:52,120 to ignore the strangeness I just experienced. So that's what I did. I 162 00:14:52,200 --> 00:14:56,600 shrugged it off, told Leslie everything was okay, and settled into bed beside 163 00:14:56,639 --> 00:15:03,919 her, but not before lock our door. After that, I crawled under 164 00:15:03,960 --> 00:15:09,080 the covers, pulled my wife close, and shut my eyes. Sleep came 165 00:15:09,159 --> 00:15:15,159 surprisingly quickly, although there were a few flashing images of that deathly white face 166 00:15:15,480 --> 00:15:22,480 haunting me in my dreams. I couldn't say what woke me. I came 167 00:15:22,559 --> 00:15:26,759 to with the faint impression of a loud noise just outside the room, suddenly 168 00:15:26,799 --> 00:15:31,679 aware of a cold breeze on my right side, where Leslie should have been. 169 00:15:33,039 --> 00:15:37,279 Now she was gone, the covers thrown back in the bed beside me. 170 00:15:37,519 --> 00:15:45,039 Empty this oriented, I pulled myself upright and immediately went stumbling to the 171 00:15:45,120 --> 00:15:48,879 door, looking for her. Arms wrapped around my bare chest to stay warm. 172 00:15:50,440 --> 00:15:56,559 I poked my head out into the corridor and saw nothing except darkness. 173 00:15:56,600 --> 00:16:04,279 Again, that's subtle, almost subconscious idea of movement in the inky black Leslie. 174 00:16:04,720 --> 00:16:11,360 I called out and waited, straining to hear something, anything over the 175 00:16:11,440 --> 00:16:17,279 roaring of the rain against the pub's ancient walls. Something might have moved around 176 00:16:17,279 --> 00:16:22,080 in response, but I wasn't sure. It was like listening for voices and 177 00:16:22,159 --> 00:16:27,360 white noise. The brain can play tricks on you. Nervous and wishing that 178 00:16:27,440 --> 00:16:32,919 I could just crawl into bed and pretend that nothing was wrong, I went 179 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:37,840 back into the room and got dressed and turned the lights on. When I 180 00:16:37,879 --> 00:16:41,080 returned to the corridor, with the help of my room light, I could 181 00:16:41,080 --> 00:16:47,039 now see the doors of the other guest rooms stretching down the hallway before fading 182 00:16:47,200 --> 00:16:53,720 into darkness, and there at the very threshold of the light was someone's phone, 183 00:16:55,720 --> 00:17:00,279 the screen broken and the edges dented. I picked it up and could 184 00:17:00,279 --> 00:17:06,519 tell from the astrological stickers on the back it belonged to Meg. The door 185 00:17:06,559 --> 00:17:11,559 to her and Ryan's room was empty, and looking inside I saw that the 186 00:17:11,559 --> 00:17:15,599 bed was ruffled and unmade, and Ryan's phone was still plugged into a power 187 00:17:15,599 --> 00:17:23,759 bank near the mattress. But where were they and why was there only one 188 00:17:23,799 --> 00:17:30,640 of his trainers lying upside down halfway between the bed and the door. It 189 00:17:30,759 --> 00:17:33,559 was like he'd been trying to pull his shoes on when something interrupted him. 190 00:17:36,359 --> 00:17:41,799 What the hell? I muttered quietly as I pouned my torch across the room. 191 00:17:41,240 --> 00:17:45,720 God, I wanted this little nightmare to be over with. Ever since 192 00:17:45,880 --> 00:17:51,319 I'd seen that terrifying old woman standing in the corner of the kitchen, frozen 193 00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:55,839 in place like some lifelike wax dummy, I felt as if I walked right 194 00:17:55,960 --> 00:18:00,880 into the twilight zone. But I didn't know how to go about it. 195 00:18:00,960 --> 00:18:06,319 All I could think of was to go back out into the corridor and try 196 00:18:06,440 --> 00:18:15,279 crying out for Leslie. Let's let's come on, where are you? This 197 00:18:15,519 --> 00:18:22,759 time, there was a definite sound and muffled but clearly audible thump that came 198 00:18:22,799 --> 00:18:27,759 from one of the doors off further down the hallway. It sounded like it 199 00:18:27,839 --> 00:18:33,759 had come near the stairs, and that made sense. If the others were 200 00:18:33,759 --> 00:18:37,000 off moving around, they weren't going to stick around in the empty guest portion 201 00:18:37,119 --> 00:18:44,480 of the house, just empty doors and creaking floorboards. No, they probably 202 00:18:44,519 --> 00:18:48,799 go downstairs to find the old woman. I paused at the top of the 203 00:18:48,839 --> 00:18:53,279 stairwell and waited, listening for some confirmation that the others were safe and sound. 204 00:18:55,319 --> 00:18:59,400 I hoped I might hear them laughing and chatting, maybe sharing a drink. 205 00:19:00,960 --> 00:19:10,559 Guys. Another thump, this time it definitely came from below. Quietly 206 00:19:10,680 --> 00:19:15,079 tiptoeing like some scared child, I slunk down the hardwood stairs, pressing my 207 00:19:15,160 --> 00:19:18,759 feet to the edges of each step, where I knew the wood would be 208 00:19:18,799 --> 00:19:25,720 strongest and least likely to make noise. Down one floor and down another. 209 00:19:26,640 --> 00:19:30,599 The sound of something moving deep within the building drew me on further into what 210 00:19:30,759 --> 00:19:37,200 felt like a nightmare. But I couldn't just turn back. A part of 211 00:19:37,279 --> 00:19:42,759 me remained convinced that any second reality in common sense would reassert themselves, that 212 00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:48,960 everything would snap back into place where it was meant to be. I'd find 213 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:52,039 the others laughing and enjoying a drink. Maybe the girls had gone off for 214 00:19:52,079 --> 00:19:57,480 a chat and Ryan followed, and now I would do the same. Maybe 215 00:19:57,559 --> 00:20:03,359 there'd been a medical emergency. Meg might have fallen and the others were attending 216 00:20:03,400 --> 00:20:07,440 to her. Anything might explain why I had woken up on that floor alone, 217 00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:14,799 crying out, only for no one to reply. A lifetime of experience 218 00:20:14,799 --> 00:20:18,920 had taught me that childish fears went away when you shone a light at them. 219 00:20:19,279 --> 00:20:25,720 But then again, I had never experienced anything like that woman standing in 220 00:20:25,720 --> 00:20:33,079 the darkness on the ground floor. Just as the tight spiral staircase opened out 221 00:20:33,160 --> 00:20:38,359 into another hallway, I'd spotted a gentle amber glow. It came from an 222 00:20:38,400 --> 00:20:44,400 open doorway some way down the corridor. I was drawn to the first sign 223 00:20:44,440 --> 00:20:48,400 of life I had seen since waking up. Then prushed the door open, 224 00:20:48,960 --> 00:20:56,240 hoping to find my friends gathered around a fire. Instead, I found something 225 00:20:56,559 --> 00:21:06,599 out of a surreal nightmare. Dogs, cats, foxes, rabbits. Forty 226 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:12,319 maybe fifty animals lined the walls and shelves, stiff cotton stuffed faces and glassy 227 00:21:12,319 --> 00:21:18,039 eyes glaring at me from every knok and cranny of a cramped, humid room. 228 00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:22,319 Of course, in the country, it isn't uncommon to come across something 229 00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:26,759 like this. We'd stayed in a hotel in Scotland just a few weeks before, 230 00:21:27,319 --> 00:21:33,079 with an enormous deerhead mounted over the bed. But this room wasn't some 231 00:21:33,119 --> 00:21:38,160 big, showy affectation. It felt private, like someone actually came to that 232 00:21:38,240 --> 00:21:45,279 place and sat on a single empty chair looking for comfort. And no one 233 00:21:45,400 --> 00:21:49,640 would have ever been proud of bagging these animals. No majestic deer or threatening 234 00:21:49,640 --> 00:21:55,920 bears. Instead, these animals were all of the sad and small variety. 235 00:21:56,359 --> 00:22:02,359 There was a dalmatian in one corner, its head slightly misshapen, a weasel 236 00:22:02,440 --> 00:22:06,720 missing two legs on a cabinet, a badger with no head, and enough 237 00:22:06,799 --> 00:22:11,920 rabbits to make a warren, all of them riddled with mixedmatosis that left them 238 00:22:11,039 --> 00:22:18,759 ugly and deformed. This was not some grand display of nature's majesty. It 239 00:22:18,920 --> 00:22:25,440 was, at best the showcase of an amateur taxidermist who scavenged Britain's motorways for 240 00:22:25,480 --> 00:22:32,720 his subjects. So where was the amateur taxidermist? And where were my friends? 241 00:22:33,839 --> 00:22:40,720 Hello? I had to force the lone word out of my mouth again. 242 00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:45,920 I was looking for that sense of reality and normality. I wanted to 243 00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:52,400 dispel the childish fear that was gripping me tighter and tighter with each passing second. 244 00:22:52,960 --> 00:22:59,839 Sure things were weird, but so something moved. My heart seized as 245 00:22:59,880 --> 00:23:03,160 my eyes darted left and right, desperately trying to make sense of what my 246 00:23:03,279 --> 00:23:08,759 mind insisted could not have actually happened. The room was well lit, but 247 00:23:08,960 --> 00:23:15,319 so full of dusty fur and old furniture it was impossible to say. Too 248 00:23:15,319 --> 00:23:19,119 many shadow lined shelves, too much space to keep track of. Was I 249 00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:25,279 sure anything had moved at all? I took a step further into the room 250 00:23:25,720 --> 00:23:29,960 and tried to make sense of it all. If I had seen something move 251 00:23:30,240 --> 00:23:38,200 where my gut told me the movement had come from the corner with the Dalmatian. 252 00:23:40,279 --> 00:23:45,200 I took a closer look at it and grimaced. I love dogs, 253 00:23:45,720 --> 00:23:52,079 love them dearly, but I didn't love that one for a start. It 254 00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:56,160 was dead. Whoever had set out to remake it might have had good intentions, 255 00:23:57,039 --> 00:24:02,319 but come on, you can't stuffed fido full of sawdust, and call 256 00:24:02,359 --> 00:24:07,759 it anything other than a pile of dog shaped sawdust draping the poor animal's skin 257 00:24:07,839 --> 00:24:11,640 over. It does nothing for me except make my skin crawl. And that 258 00:24:11,680 --> 00:24:17,559 goes for good taxidermy, the kind you might find on display in some eccentric's 259 00:24:17,599 --> 00:24:22,759 house. But this dalmatian was all out of shape. Its abdomen bulged I 260 00:24:22,839 --> 00:24:29,000 regularly, its eyes pointed in different directions, and its glossy open mouth didn't 261 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:33,279 bear the welcoming smile of a friendly canine, but instead the slack, open, 262 00:24:33,319 --> 00:24:44,200 shawed expression of some malicious idiot. Thump, the sound that I'd been 263 00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:49,839 following returned, this time closer than ever before. It sounded like it had 264 00:24:51,000 --> 00:24:55,880 just been outside the hallway. I went and checked, staying close to the 265 00:24:55,960 --> 00:25:00,960 doorway, but there was at least sufficient light. Seemed to be nothing, 266 00:25:02,119 --> 00:25:06,000 But when I turned back to the room full of animals, I felt a 267 00:25:06,119 --> 00:25:17,920 terrible, overwhelming sensation of wrongness. The dalmatian was gone. In the dark. 268 00:25:18,200 --> 00:25:22,160 Something brushed against my leg and I heard the telltale click clack of a 269 00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:27,160 dog's claws on hardwood floor, Spinning on the spot. I tried to follow 270 00:25:27,200 --> 00:25:33,359 it, but caught only the faintest hint of a white and black animal fading 271 00:25:33,279 --> 00:25:41,680 into the darkness of the corridor. My torch illuminated only three steps of the 272 00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:48,920 basement stairs. Looking up from the very bottom was the dalmatian, with its 273 00:25:48,960 --> 00:25:53,920 strange lump and head. The rest of it remained in shadow. He waited 274 00:25:55,160 --> 00:26:00,480 patiently. It did not bark or pant like any normal dog. It stared 275 00:26:00,599 --> 00:26:07,480 expectantly, and so far I had followed it only out of some naive hope 276 00:26:07,720 --> 00:26:11,759 that it might lead me to my friends. But as time has gone on, 277 00:26:11,440 --> 00:26:15,759 as the evening has taken on, more and more of that surreal, 278 00:26:15,240 --> 00:26:21,640 almost dreamlike quality that made me feel helpless and trapped. I could not escape 279 00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:26,880 the feeling the dog was leading me deeper into the nightmare and not out of 280 00:26:26,960 --> 00:26:32,319 it. This was not helped by the fact that as I'd followed it onwards 281 00:26:32,400 --> 00:26:37,599 into the strange hotel, passing old rooms full of rotting knick knacks and cobweb 282 00:26:37,640 --> 00:26:41,839 covered doors, the strange thumping noise had grown louder and louder, like the 283 00:26:41,880 --> 00:26:47,880 pealing of a bell. There were times that it occurred to me to turn 284 00:26:47,920 --> 00:26:52,119 and leave, to get into the van and just go. Maybe I would 285 00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:56,359 have if I'd been in a more normal state of mind, but I like 286 00:26:56,480 --> 00:27:00,599 to think I would never abandon my wife or my friends. I may have 287 00:27:00,680 --> 00:27:08,000 been afraid, but I wasn't a coward. Leslie. Again, I hoped 288 00:27:08,079 --> 00:27:12,200 that you would suddenly appear, the lights would come on, the ever present 289 00:27:12,279 --> 00:27:18,240 dread would be pushed back, But there was nothing. I stood at the 290 00:27:18,319 --> 00:27:25,200 threshold of the basement stairs and knew sooner or later I'd have to follow the 291 00:27:25,279 --> 00:27:30,359 dog down in the darkness. Some one groaned, and it made me realize 292 00:27:30,480 --> 00:27:34,920 I could wait no more. A woman was down there, and I was 293 00:27:34,960 --> 00:27:41,000 certain it was Leslie who'd made it. As if on cue, the dog 294 00:27:41,119 --> 00:27:47,839 disappeared like it knew I was going to follow now no matter what. Heart 295 00:27:47,960 --> 00:27:52,319 racing, I descended and found myself in a crowded, dusty basement full of 296 00:27:52,359 --> 00:27:57,559 old rubbish and soggy boxes. The roof leaked in a half dozen places, 297 00:27:59,319 --> 00:28:03,319 and with a storm in full effect, the ground had flooded by about six 298 00:28:03,359 --> 00:28:10,039 inches, so that my feet were completely submerged in filthy looking water. Somewhere 299 00:28:10,079 --> 00:28:14,599 in the basement, I could still hear the dog's paws cut through the water 300 00:28:14,759 --> 00:28:19,400 in a lazy sloshing canter. I was looking around the basement with my phone 301 00:28:19,440 --> 00:28:25,160 as a torch, trying to see where it was leading me, when something 302 00:28:25,279 --> 00:28:33,319 caught my eye, A stony, cylindrical structure in one far corner. It 303 00:28:33,440 --> 00:28:37,400 was an old well, common enough in a house of the era, but 304 00:28:37,880 --> 00:28:42,319 in an unusual touch, it had been sealed shot with a heavy wooden lid. 305 00:28:44,680 --> 00:28:48,599 Something about that enormous slab of black and timber seemed odd to me. 306 00:28:48,680 --> 00:28:52,680 It wasn't merely a safety feature. It looked like the sort of thing you'd 307 00:28:52,720 --> 00:29:00,480 seal a tomb with. Behind me came another splash. This was different to 308 00:29:00,519 --> 00:29:06,559 the quiet patter of the dog. It was like something or someone dropping into 309 00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:14,839 the water. I turned towards the sound and saw Bernadette. Her face twisted 310 00:29:15,119 --> 00:29:21,400 into another hideous grin, eyes wide and excited. I let out a cry 311 00:29:21,440 --> 00:29:23,839 and stumbled backwards, but by the time I managed to get back unto my 312 00:29:23,920 --> 00:29:30,319 feet, the old woman was gone. Close to panic, I swept my 313 00:29:30,400 --> 00:29:36,200 light around me and found her. She had moved and was close to my 314 00:29:36,279 --> 00:29:42,119 back, but she was frozen again, unreactive, like another piece of taxidermy. 315 00:29:44,559 --> 00:29:47,559 I wanted to run away. At the sight of her standing so close. 316 00:29:48,640 --> 00:29:52,720 But somehow I just knew if I took my torch away again, she'd 317 00:29:52,720 --> 00:29:57,319 disappear, and I might not have time to find her before her bony fingers 318 00:29:57,400 --> 00:30:03,559 found me in the dark. Instead, I stayed in one place, then 319 00:30:03,599 --> 00:30:12,839 slowly backed away mark The sound of Leslie's voice hit me like a freight train. 320 00:30:14,720 --> 00:30:18,119 I gasped, turning distinctively towards her and then back again to find that 321 00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:25,079 Bernadette had already disappeared. Aware that she might be anywhere, I focused on 322 00:30:25,119 --> 00:30:30,200 my wife, finding myself overcome with emotion, both good and bad. As 323 00:30:30,240 --> 00:30:34,880 my eyes took in the strange state of her. She looked pale, disoriented, 324 00:30:36,119 --> 00:30:41,000 and afraid. She stood there in a T shirt and underwear, freezing 325 00:30:41,119 --> 00:30:45,799 cold, looking almost sick. But at least she was there. At least 326 00:30:45,839 --> 00:30:51,200 she was right in front of me. At last, some elements of this 327 00:30:51,359 --> 00:30:56,640 nightmare was giving way. Jeez, babes, what happened, I said, 328 00:30:56,720 --> 00:31:00,240 as I wrapped my arms around her. I don't know. She mewed like 329 00:31:00,279 --> 00:31:04,359 a sick child. I had these nightmares, and I woke up here. 330 00:31:06,079 --> 00:31:10,000 I think I was sleep walking. I dreamt I was a little boy speaking 331 00:31:10,039 --> 00:31:12,519 to something in a well. I had a sister, I had a dog. 332 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:18,160 The voice in the well wanted me to God. It made me do 333 00:31:18,240 --> 00:31:25,000 such strange things. I couldn't help but look at the well in the corner. 334 00:31:26,119 --> 00:31:30,680 Her eyes followed mine and she grimaced. I don't like this place? 335 00:31:30,200 --> 00:31:34,440 Can we go? God? It feels so weird? Here am I still 336 00:31:34,519 --> 00:31:41,880 dreaming? She walked forward and practically fell into my arms. With one arm 337 00:31:41,880 --> 00:31:47,279 wrapped around her, I held her upright and led her towards the stairs. 338 00:31:47,920 --> 00:31:51,920 Part of me wanted to ask about Meg and Ryan, but I knew it 339 00:31:52,039 --> 00:31:56,039 was more important to get her somewhere safe. We'd climbed just a few stairs 340 00:31:56,880 --> 00:32:01,400 when I heard the sudden sound of someone garling towards us at a sprint, 341 00:32:01,759 --> 00:32:07,200 their feet splashing in the water with stomach churning speed. I turned just in 342 00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:12,119 time to see the old woman, face still twisted, coming out of the 343 00:32:12,200 --> 00:32:17,480 dark. Instinctively, I pushed Leslie ahead of me, but Bernadette was more 344 00:32:17,519 --> 00:32:22,359 interested in me. With an icy, hard grip, she grabbed my ankle 345 00:32:22,400 --> 00:32:27,440 and yanked me down. My head hit one of the steps, and for 346 00:32:27,519 --> 00:32:31,119 a brief moment, everything went a little warbly. The next thing I was 347 00:32:31,160 --> 00:32:36,720 aware of was water rising to my ears in the sight of the basement steps 348 00:32:36,759 --> 00:32:43,480 receding away. Something was pulling me deeper into the dark. I tried to 349 00:32:43,480 --> 00:32:46,359 struggle, but a hard, rubbery hand refused the let go of my ankle. 350 00:32:47,079 --> 00:32:51,559 I kicked hard with the other leg, hitting Bernadette in the small of 351 00:32:51,559 --> 00:32:55,559 her back. To my disgust, my foot hit something like densely packed hay, 352 00:32:57,119 --> 00:33:02,799 or maybe even wood. It certainly was a flesh. Slowly, Bernadette 353 00:33:02,880 --> 00:33:07,519 turned to face me, her head pivoting like an owl's while her body kept 354 00:33:07,519 --> 00:33:14,319 facing the other way. My brother will look after you, she said. 355 00:33:15,079 --> 00:33:21,000 He has a gift for putting people back together after they've fallen apart, always 356 00:33:21,039 --> 00:33:25,119 had, even as a little boy. You don't realize just how hurt you 357 00:33:25,200 --> 00:33:30,880 are. None of you do. That's okay, My brother is good at 358 00:33:30,920 --> 00:33:39,440 putting things back together. Still facing me, eyes wide and manic, she 359 00:33:39,519 --> 00:33:45,400 pulled me towards what I slowly realized was the well in the far corner of 360 00:33:45,440 --> 00:33:51,440 the basement. He scrapes away the scars and wounds, and replaces the broken 361 00:33:51,519 --> 00:33:57,920 bones and within muzzles with fresh, clean, perfumed sawdust. Puts you back 362 00:33:57,960 --> 00:34:01,279 together. One bit at a time. Did you know how hurt you were? 363 00:34:02,039 --> 00:34:07,200 Did you see the cuts and scars across your faces and hands? I 364 00:34:07,359 --> 00:34:13,719 did. She stopped at the well. With one arm and Freak's strength, 365 00:34:14,199 --> 00:34:20,079 she effortlessly lifted the wooden slab, and so did he. Even in the 366 00:34:20,199 --> 00:34:24,360 dark, he could see the bleeding inside and out, full of it, 367 00:34:24,840 --> 00:34:30,159 full of blood. You're all so full of blood. You needed help, 368 00:34:30,920 --> 00:34:37,880 just like me. The smell that came out of that pit was nauseating, 369 00:34:38,880 --> 00:34:43,840 and realizing what was about to happen, I started to kick and punch, 370 00:34:44,239 --> 00:34:47,079 grabbing at any part of the old woman I could, while trying my best 371 00:34:47,119 --> 00:34:52,760 to hurt her. But all that came away beneath my nails was papery skin 372 00:34:53,159 --> 00:35:00,320 and moldy sawdust that smelled of rotten meat. Bernadette climbed up to the lip 373 00:35:00,320 --> 00:35:05,079 of the well and swung me over the darkness. I couldn't help but look 374 00:35:05,199 --> 00:35:08,639 down into the inky abyss, where I caught sight of what looked like an 375 00:35:08,639 --> 00:35:15,360 oil leak on asphalt, a dark, murky collection of metallic colors, some 376 00:35:15,400 --> 00:35:21,679 of which I couldn't possibly describe in words. Slowly, something strange bobbed up 377 00:35:21,679 --> 00:35:27,039 from the foul fluid, A hand gnarled and fowl began to break the surface 378 00:35:27,079 --> 00:35:30,480 and reached towards me. Just as I felt like my sanity was going to 379 00:35:30,559 --> 00:35:37,599 shatter into a thousand pieces, I was thrown sideways into the water. There 380 00:35:37,639 --> 00:35:40,320 was a grunt and a struggle, and I looked up to see Leslie, 381 00:35:40,760 --> 00:35:45,079 her eyes clear for the first time since I found her repeatedly hitting the old 382 00:35:45,119 --> 00:35:51,719 woman with a bit of wood. She was furious and unrelenting as she whacked 383 00:35:51,760 --> 00:35:57,679 Bernadette over and over. She had saved me, and for a moment I 384 00:35:57,760 --> 00:36:01,639 fell in love with her all over again. But the romance didn't last long 385 00:36:02,079 --> 00:36:07,559 before my senses returned and I realized I couldn't just lie there. Desperate to 386 00:36:07,639 --> 00:36:13,079 help, I pulled myself to my feet and rushed over just in time as 387 00:36:13,119 --> 00:36:16,840 well. Leslie went for one final swing, and Bernadette caught the plank of 388 00:36:16,840 --> 00:36:22,519 wood with an unflinching hand. Slowly she tightened a grip and the wood began 389 00:36:22,599 --> 00:36:28,239 to splinter. But with all the attention of my wife, she failed to 390 00:36:28,360 --> 00:36:32,199 notice me charging towards her. With a good shove, I pushed her over 391 00:36:32,280 --> 00:36:37,920 the edge of the well and into the darkness below, we heard the thick 392 00:36:38,119 --> 00:36:44,800 sibi PLoP, and when we looked over we saw her struggling in the filth 393 00:36:44,880 --> 00:36:49,360 below. Two eyes fixed us in the dark from a soot covered face, 394 00:36:50,360 --> 00:36:55,679 and I knew we couldn't waste another second. I grabbed Leslie's elbow and ran, 395 00:36:58,119 --> 00:37:00,440 Let's get the hell out of here, I cried, as we scampered 396 00:37:00,519 --> 00:37:07,480 up the steps behind us. Burn a deck led out a blood curdling howl. 397 00:37:09,719 --> 00:37:14,840 A few hours later, and the sun was beginning to rise. We 398 00:37:14,880 --> 00:37:17,000 had pulled up the van on the side of the road to take a moment 399 00:37:17,039 --> 00:37:22,519 to ourselves and go over the strange events of the night before. The storm 400 00:37:22,639 --> 00:37:27,840 starting to fade by now had made a terrible mess of the roads, and 401 00:37:27,920 --> 00:37:31,840 it had taken us an infuriating few hours just to find another main road, 402 00:37:32,199 --> 00:37:37,159 as so many other country lanes were blocked by fallen trees and branches. But 403 00:37:37,320 --> 00:37:42,800 now, with traffic passing us by and electric lights visible in the distance, 404 00:37:43,559 --> 00:37:49,760 we had finally found ourselves on the trail of civilization. Jeez, I said, 405 00:37:49,920 --> 00:37:53,719 as the engine died in silence settled over us. Both did that really 406 00:37:53,760 --> 00:38:00,639 happen? Leslie simply shook her head. It was a dream, right, 407 00:38:00,239 --> 00:38:06,960 the whole thing. I remember, God, I remember sleeping and someone coming 408 00:38:07,000 --> 00:38:09,920 to me, and I was definitely awake from my part of it, I 409 00:38:10,000 --> 00:38:14,679 replied, I woke up in the middle of the night and you were missing, 410 00:38:15,079 --> 00:38:17,639 and I went locking. None of that was in my head. It 411 00:38:17,719 --> 00:38:22,679 felt so real and all kinds of wrong, but it wasn't proud up to 412 00:38:22,760 --> 00:38:28,119 my mind. It's hard for me to separate things when I look back. 413 00:38:28,639 --> 00:38:31,039 One moment, I'm a little boy scraping squirrels off the side of the road. 414 00:38:31,519 --> 00:38:36,599 The next, I'm me in the basement. That terrible old woman stroke 415 00:38:36,639 --> 00:38:40,599 in my cheeks. I put my arm around her and pulled her close. 416 00:38:43,280 --> 00:38:47,079 Where are the others, she asked, after a few moments. I don't 417 00:38:47,079 --> 00:38:52,519 know, I replied, or shaking my head. God Mark, we need 418 00:38:52,559 --> 00:38:55,840 to find them, even if we just call the police and tell them where. 419 00:38:57,239 --> 00:39:00,320 We need to do something. Do you have your phone, i asked, 420 00:39:00,599 --> 00:39:06,519 I'll call them. No, do you I lost it in the basement. 421 00:39:07,840 --> 00:39:10,920 I turned in my seat to look in the back or I hoped I 422 00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:15,039 might find a spare phone or a laptop, something I could use to get 423 00:39:15,039 --> 00:39:22,440 help. Would a frozen place when I saw Meg and Ryan's sleeping bag, 424 00:39:23,480 --> 00:39:31,039 it wasn't empty. Meg and Ryan, frozen with waxy skin and glassy eyes, 425 00:39:31,559 --> 00:39:37,599 lay side by side in the back of the van, holding hands posed 426 00:39:37,760 --> 00:39:43,840 like a Daver's on mannequins in some strange display. Dead, I figured, 427 00:39:44,679 --> 00:39:51,119 surely dead. They had to be taken first by Bernadette, hollowed out by 428 00:39:51,119 --> 00:39:55,719 whatever lay in the well, and added to the collection. But that was 429 00:39:55,760 --> 00:40:00,840 before I saw the gentle murmuring of Meg's bluish li lips, and the way 430 00:40:01,000 --> 00:40:06,039 her eyes looked at me as I leaned over my seat to try and hear 431 00:40:06,760 --> 00:40:12,880 what strange words she was whispering. It wasn't until I was so close I 432 00:40:12,920 --> 00:40:17,880 could feel her icy breath and smell the strange chemicals that soaked her, that 433 00:40:19,000 --> 00:40:28,719 I realized what she was muttering in feverish terror. It hurts, it hurts, 434 00:40:29,800 --> 00:40:43,239 it hurts, it hurts, it hurts.