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My mom used to say that the
rain is God's tears, and that's why

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we shouldn't drink it. She said
a lot of things to make me believe.

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She told me that eating too many
sweets make invisible goblins that chew my

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teeth, that spiders would crawl into
my mouth if I didn't breathe through my

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nose, That eating snow would freeze
my stomach and turn me into a snow

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man. A hundred little lies,
all engineered to trick me into behaving,

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and I behaved. As the years
passed, I've turned into a perfectly tricked

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human. I left all childish nonsense
behind years ago. I pay my taxes

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and keep my head down. I
don't eat too many sweets, I breathe

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through my nose, and I don't
eat snow, and of course I don't

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drink from the rain. Last August, I was at a supermarket on the

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out skirts of town, just another
lazy Saturday morning, with a sky full

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of gray clouds and a persistent wind. I bought some groceries and was heading

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for the door when I noticed it
had started raining. I hadn't brought an

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umbrella, so I just pulled my
leather jacket close and rushed to my car,

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hoping the bread wouldn't get soggy.
I threw the groceries into the passenger

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seat, leaned back and noticed a
woman standing in the middle of the parking

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lot. She was staring straight up
with the jaws wide open, her mouth

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filling up with rainwater like a bird
bath. Seeing her, I couldn't help

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but think about what my mom used
to tell me to never drink the rainwater,

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that it was an ugly thing to
do. My mom passed on years

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ago, but some words can stay
forever. I sat there looking at her

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for a while. She had this
black pixie haircut and a gray hoodie long

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enough to reach her knees. She
was completely drenched with lines of black muscara

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running from her eyes. It took
me a while to notice she didn't have

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any shoes on. I got the
feeling that she wasn't well. This wasn't

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something saying people did, saying people
don't drink rain water like that God's tears.

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It wasn't unusual that strange characters came
by the supermarket. There was a

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prison thereby, and a lot of
people stopped to buy something on their way

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out. Mostly friends and family visiting, but every now and then there was

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an odd bird. I have no
idea what kind of people they keep at

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that prison, but the company that
runs it has quite the reputation around town

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Hatchet. It is a strange company. I decided to say something and stepped

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out of the car. Hey,
I called out, you're gonna get sick.

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She didn't flinch. It was as
if she didn't even register my words

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as a language. Instead, she
just kept staring into the sky. She

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had this sort of minus determination about
her, like she didn't know what else

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to do. She didn't even blink. Raindrops bounced off her unblinking eyes.

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I was about to get back in
my car, but I felt bad for

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her. She was barely an adult
and she was clearly having some sort of

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breakdown. I chogged back inside the
supermarket. There was an older man standing

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behind the counter, listening to the
radio. I'd shopped there a few times,

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but never actually talked to him.
He didn't even look at me when

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I came back inside. Excuse me, I said, I think the girl

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outside needs help. He leaned over
for a bit in his chair, sque

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ing at the glass doors. She
was still out there, not for,

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he asked, I don't know.
She's just standing there. She has no

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shoes. The old man was clearly
not happy about this, not about her

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standing there in particular, but that
I bothered him about it. Let's go,

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he said, people don't talk to
each other no more. I followed

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him outside. As we approached the
girl, the rain was picking up.

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Hey, he called out to her, you're right. No response. He

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slowed his pace, giving me a
concerned look. Now he saw what I

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saw. You want us to call
someone. You have a phone, he

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asked, you need help. We
all just stood there for a few seconds

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until the old man sighed. He
put his hand on his shoulder, rustling

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her gently. I'm sorry, but
you can't stay here, he said,

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you have to move on. He
shook her harder, making some of the

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water and her mouth spill over.
I got a bad feeling from that.

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Come on now. He grabbed her
again, and she immediately lost the balance.

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She tipped over like a falling tree, her head smacking haplessly against the

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concrete. Water spilled out of her
mouth, mixing with a blood from the

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fresh head wound. The old man's
eyes went wild. He fell to his

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knees repeating, oh my God,
Oh my God, over and over.

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I backed away with my hand on
my phone. I didn't register what was

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happening, and I went into a
sort of paralysis. It took me a

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few seconds to notice she was still
coughing up water, a lot of water,

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and some of it had turned black. I thought it might be blood,

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but it didn't look like it too
dark. I was suddenly aware of

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the phone in my hand, the
weight and texture of it. I dialed

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nine one as the man put her
on a side. Breathe through your nose,

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he said, Stay calm and breathe
through your nose. Black water was

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pouring out of her like a forcet. Her eyes were still fixed on the

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sky. It felt like minutes,
but it was only seconds. Breaths,

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the water stopped pouring out of her. She just laid there, unmoving.

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I could hear an operator talking to
me in my ear, but it was

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as if the words just passed through
me. I couldn't hear them over my

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own pulse. Something about an emergency, a question. She's not breathing,

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the old man cried, she's not
a twitch. Her mouth moved, something

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passed between her lips, something dark, Her finger her claw. She rolled

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onto her back with a violent muscle
spasm. She bent her back like an

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arch, balancing her entire body and
the soles of her feet and the scalp

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of her head. She inhaled,
sucking in as much rain water as she

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could in a screeching gasp, her
throat rattling as the raindrops passed into her

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lungs. We went from trying to
help to just staring in disbelief. In

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an impossible move, She got to
her feet, invisible tethers, pulling her

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back up, her face still locked
towards the sky, and jaws once again

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wide open. Her body turned to
me and the old man, and as

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we recoiled, she gurgled and charged
us. My phone slipped out at my

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wet hands. As she burst forward, I tripped her from my own feet,

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falling backwards, and she hurled herself
over the old man. Her head

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was constantly looking upwards like a gyroscope. It was as if her body was

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moving and twisting independently from her head. I could swear she twisted her neck

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an entire three hundred and sixty degrees. At one point, I crawled backwards,

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scraping the palms of my hand.
She gurgled again, the water from

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her mouth pouring over the old man
that she pinned. He was gasping for

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air, spitting and coughing wildly,
flaming his arms, just this relentless stream

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of water, practically drowning him.
Then he stopped. Slowly, he opened

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his mouth, and he too started
to drink the rain. I stumbled to

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my feet and ran for my car. I could hear naked feet slapping against

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the concrete. She was chasing me. I got my keys out, unlocked

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the car, and got in the
driver's seat. I slammed the door shut,

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right on her fingers, breaking them
my carrot sticks. As the door

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bounced back open, I crawled in
the passenger side as useless fingers brushed against

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my face trying to grasp at me. She crawled in after me, gurgling

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with anticipation. I got out on
the other side of the car, slamming

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the passenger side door shut. I
rounded back to the driver's side and closed

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that door as well, trapping her
inside. She didn't have the mental capacity

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to open the doors, so so
just settled back and pounding on the glass

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with her bleeding broken fingers. Her
eyes were moving independently of one another,

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trying to find a way out,
trying to find the sky. I backed

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away, my heart pounding. I
didn't even notice my tears in the rain,

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just the sting of sweating my eye. I kept hunching over, clutching

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at my stomach. It was burning, like my insides were trying to jump

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out of me. My heart was
having none of this. The old man

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had gotten to his feet. He
looked at me from across the parking lot.

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For a few seconds I could see
fear on his face, pleading eyes

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begging for help. Then his face
snapped upwards and he opened his mouth wide.

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His body, moving seemingly on its
own, started walking towards me.

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He tripped over concrete outlines of the
parking spaces, barely keeping his balance.

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His shoulders smacked into a sign,
sending him reeling onto the ground, all

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the while keeping his head fixed on
the sky. Then, just as the

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girl before him, I could see
this invisible force pulling him back onto his

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feet, transparent tethers hidden in the
drops of rain. He got his bearings,

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and suddenly he was fast. This
man was easily seventy years old,

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but he was keeping an impossible pace. I didn't know where to go,

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I didn't know what to do.
He gained on me and I just stood

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there like a deer in frozen headlights, thumping feet coming closer. Then the

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girl trapped to my cart slammed her
hand against the window again. The sound

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kicked me off like a starting pistol. I shot into a sprint as my

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stomach shivered. I don't remember running
back into the store. I don't remember

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knocking over a stack of shopping baskets. It was just a blur of colorful

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packaging. As I ran through the
aisles, cheerful radio tunes played overhead.

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The old man tripped over a shopping
basket and fell, sprawling to the floor,

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water spilling out of him like a
fountain. As he struggled to get

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back on his feet, I saw
little things moving between his lips, little

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fingertips, black like ink, A
little hand reaching out. He stepped back

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outside and leaned his head back upwards. Slowly, he walked out of sight

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towards another side of the store.
I was left standing there holding a mop.

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I didn't even realize they grabbed it. I started looking for a phone.

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There had to be some sort of
alarm but I couldn't find it.

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There was no big red button to
press. My hands were shaking, and

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I kept knocking things over. A
bunch of pins rattled against the ceramic tiles.

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I looked for the manager's office.
The guy was old. Chances were

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there was a landline going into the
back. I heard a surprise dl there

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was someone outside the back exit.
I couldn't be bothered. I had to

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call for help, help yourself before
you help others, and all that.

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The manager's office was locked. I
tried pulling the door open or banging at

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the glass list, but nothing seemed
to work. Finally, I pulled the

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fire extinguisher from the wall and just
hammered relentlessly until the thing shattered. I

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put my hand through, clicked the
lock, and stepped inside. The place

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was a mess, but it had
a landline buried under piles of unsorted documents.

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There was a computer, but the
thing was already old ten years ago.

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I died nine one. As I
closed and locked the door behind me,

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I only have a vague recollection of
speaking to the operator. I told

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her about people turning violent, but
in trying to explain it, I realized

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they sounded completely mad. I tried
calming myself down and explain it in a

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way that made it seem like the
owner had snapped. They asked me if

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I was safe, if he was
armed, if someone was injured, a

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thousand things. It seemed like.
I kept hearing little noises in the back

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of the store, and I completely
lost my train of thought. Sir,

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sir, are you there. I
heard the voice on the phone, but

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it was distant. Every bone in
my body was listening to what was happening

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outside. Someone was getting into the
back door. It was clunky, but

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I could hear the handle rattling,
Sir. I slowly put the phone away,

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not hanging up, just putting it
away. I had to concentrate.

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There was an old toolbox in the
corner of the room, so I grabbed

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a large wrench to defend myself.
I needed solid metal in my hands.

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It brought me a kind of courage
I didn't know I had. And the

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old man stepped up to the manager's
office. I was ready. I slammed

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the door open, knocking him back. Even now his head was tilted upwards.

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I whacked him over the head with
the wrench, sluggishly connecting with his

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throat. He stumbled sidewards and I
hit him again. He dripped, fell

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over, and snapped his neck against
the wall. He was over in a

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second. He stopped moving as black
water oozed out of him, and there,

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moving at the edge of his lips
were a little black fingers reaching outwards,

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desperately looking for something to grab to
pull itself free. His jaw moved

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up and down like it was chewing
invisible meal. His eyes were still fixed

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upward. As I raised the wrench
to attack again, the little hands stopped

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moving. It turned into a black
sludge like coagulated darkness. I couldn't let

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go of the wrench, even if
I wanted to. My fingers a cramped

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shut. I took a deep gasp
as I realized I'd been holding my breath.

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I backed away. I killed this
man self defense or not. He

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was dead, no question about it, Sir, Sir, I could hear

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coming from the landline in the other
room. I didn't know how to explain

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this. I didn't know what I'd
say. I just stood there, listening

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to myself breathe. In an instant, the world shifted upside down. I

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lost my balance as something grabbed me
from behind. I felt hard on my

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right shoulder, losing the grip on
my wrench in the impact. Two arms

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gripped me and was pulling me backwards. The stock boy. He'd been out

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back and a smoke break this whole
time. That's the startling sound I heard.

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He'd been attacked. Moments later,
I felt the rain again. He

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dragged me outside. The guy was
in his early thirties and built like a

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redwood. He had no trouble keeping
me off balance. As he pushed me

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to the ground. He tilted his
head downward as water started to spill.

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Wait, I screamed, wait,
wait, then rain water lukewarm body tempered

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rain water. It's hard to explain
the sensation. At first, I was

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droning, trying to keep water out
of my lungs, but after one or

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two involuntary gulps, I didn't feel
it anymore. It was as if air

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and water switch places. The rain
water kept me alive and losing it would

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mean choking to death. My neck
locked itself, staring upwards as to not

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lose any water. As I looked
at the clouds, I heard a voice.

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It felt like I was reaching into
my stomach, resonating in my body

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like an echo, rain falling on
me, making it look like I was

205
00:18:30,680 --> 00:18:38,119
running through a tunnel, or being
pulled upwards. Hello, A greeting.

206
00:18:38,839 --> 00:18:45,519
A dark presence went swimming through my
thoughts, little tendrils seeping into my memories,

207
00:18:45,839 --> 00:18:49,599
touching all my secrets. I could
feel my body moving on its own,

208
00:18:51,319 --> 00:18:56,920
and all I could do was lock
up. I tried to scream for

209
00:18:56,000 --> 00:19:00,920
help, but all I did was
gurgle. It hurt, something awful,

210
00:19:00,519 --> 00:19:04,400
burning like razor wire being pulled out
of me. The more I resisted.

211
00:19:07,079 --> 00:19:11,000
There was something up there, something
in the clouds that needed me the way

212
00:19:11,039 --> 00:19:18,440
a body needs a pair of hands. I lived in that world, I

213
00:19:18,480 --> 00:19:23,319
don't know for how long, having
a conversation with something inside myself, trying

214
00:19:23,359 --> 00:19:29,720
to feel something. My body was
numb and distant, frozen solid, and

215
00:19:29,920 --> 00:19:38,839
pulled by an impossible force. And
at some point the rain stopped. I

216
00:19:38,920 --> 00:19:45,559
was staring up into the sky,
coughing up water as my body slowly remembered

217
00:19:45,640 --> 00:19:48,640
how to breathe. I was lying
on my back, looking up at the

218
00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:56,599
clouds. They were parting. I
turned to my side, feeling something wriggle

219
00:19:56,720 --> 00:20:00,640
in my throat. I gulped down
hard, feeling an obstruction, slide down.

220
00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:07,240
Then the water started coming out of
me, rain water, black water,

221
00:20:07,480 --> 00:20:14,000
and blood. I had an idea
where I was, but it took

222
00:20:14,039 --> 00:20:18,279
me some time to orient myself.
It was a grassy field, just a

223
00:20:18,279 --> 00:20:23,359
bit out of town. Underbrush,
some scattered trees, and a few dried

224
00:20:23,440 --> 00:20:29,759
up, discolored sunflowers. I was
just off the freeway, about a fifteen

225
00:20:29,759 --> 00:20:33,000
minute walk from the store. I'd
seen this walk on my way home from

226
00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:40,599
work, I realized, not too
far from Frog Lake. I eventually made

227
00:20:40,599 --> 00:20:45,599
my way back to the supermarket.
Four patrol vehicles and an ambulance had arrived,

228
00:20:45,079 --> 00:20:51,440
sirens wailing. I saw the young
woman with black hair being lifted into

229
00:20:51,480 --> 00:20:56,440
an ambulance, a hand broken and
bleeding. She had a tight bandage wrapped

230
00:20:56,480 --> 00:21:00,680
around her head. They were also
moving a body out of the store,

231
00:21:00,119 --> 00:21:07,000
and three officers were talking to themselves
and taking pictures by the entrance. Coughing

232
00:21:07,039 --> 00:21:10,720
up the last drops of black water. I tried my best to scream for

233
00:21:10,839 --> 00:21:18,160
help. All that came out was
a gurgle had slowly turned into a scream.

234
00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:25,559
That part was all me. They
eventually recognized my voice from the emergency

235
00:21:25,599 --> 00:21:29,880
call. They took me in had
a medic checked me out and questioned me

236
00:21:30,039 --> 00:21:34,559
all about it. The officers tried
to piece it all together into something comprehensible,

237
00:21:36,279 --> 00:21:40,680
ending up at the story of an
old man goes crazy and gets killed.

238
00:21:41,039 --> 00:21:45,440
I wanted to tell them more,
but I just couldn't find the words

239
00:21:45,440 --> 00:21:49,160
to make it sensible. There was
some surveillance footage, but it didn't cover

240
00:21:49,319 --> 00:21:53,359
much of the parking lot. All
they saw was me being chased into the

241
00:21:53,400 --> 00:22:00,680
store by a sick looking man.
Before I was sent home and asked not

242
00:22:00,759 --> 00:22:03,359
to leave the state, I got
the chance to ask my own questions.

243
00:22:04,400 --> 00:22:08,240
I asked them about a young woman
in my car and what happened to her.

244
00:22:10,599 --> 00:22:15,319
Apparently she'd been picked up by her
guardians almost immediately. They had all

245
00:22:15,359 --> 00:22:21,160
paperwork in order, as well as
a pair of very expensive lawyers. Strange

246
00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:27,480
people, the officer noted, didn't
seem very parental. Since then, I've

247
00:22:27,559 --> 00:22:32,759
been getting shivers whenever it rains.
I get this sense that I should go

248
00:22:32,799 --> 00:22:37,440
outside to see if there is anything
up there, something that still needs me,

249
00:22:37,119 --> 00:22:41,839
something calling to me. But I'm
fine, according to the doctors.

250
00:22:44,119 --> 00:22:48,200
Still I don't trust myself to stay
inside. I locked myself in the bathroom

251
00:22:48,240 --> 00:22:53,559
with my headphones on, waiting for
it all to pass. I've read about

252
00:22:53,559 --> 00:22:59,400
others seeing her, a young woman
who comes out when it rains to drink

253
00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:04,119
from the sky. I have to
know more about her. I need to

254
00:23:04,279 --> 00:23:19,079
know what happened to me. Working
in Disneyland is not all it's cracked up

255
00:23:19,079 --> 00:23:23,839
to be. There are things that
general public is not privy to. Although

256
00:23:23,920 --> 00:23:32,680
rumors circulate online about certain practices,
one of these rumors is true. Nobody

257
00:23:33,200 --> 00:23:40,519
is allowed to die at Disneyland.
As parts of the Anaheim Fire EMT Team,

258
00:23:40,640 --> 00:23:44,920
we are on site for more serious
events. The park staff, known

259
00:23:45,039 --> 00:23:48,839
as cast members, have their own
team of trained personnel. They deal with

260
00:23:48,920 --> 00:23:56,119
everything from small cuts and scrapes to
ride induce sickness. But every once in

261
00:23:56,119 --> 00:24:00,640
a while somebody needs to take a
trip to the hospital. When that happens,

262
00:24:00,920 --> 00:24:04,359
two of us will prepare an ambulance
and a nurse will be called to

263
00:24:04,400 --> 00:24:10,559
assist. We transport the patient to
a nearby hospital and treat them on the

264
00:24:10,640 --> 00:24:15,319
way there within the short amount of
time we have. Starting an IV in

265
00:24:15,359 --> 00:24:19,319
the back of a moving vehicle can
get pretty hairy, let me tell you,

266
00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:26,599
but I've done it on multiple occasions. Potholes can make things really interesting.

267
00:24:26,680 --> 00:24:29,720
When you have a needle in someone's
arm and you're fishing for a vein,

268
00:24:30,960 --> 00:24:33,640
the important thing is to make sure
you don't hit an artery or poke

269
00:24:33,680 --> 00:24:38,319
yourself with a bloody needle, especially
if your patient looks like an IVY drug

270
00:24:38,400 --> 00:24:44,240
user. I've been assigned to the
park for the past few months and have

271
00:24:44,319 --> 00:24:49,759
come to enjoy working here for the
most part. Until today. I'll tell

272
00:24:49,759 --> 00:24:56,880
you why. As I've said before, nobody is allowed to die at Disneyland,

273
00:24:56,440 --> 00:25:02,799
and sometimes fate is not kind enough
to comply with corporate policies. This

274
00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:06,839
morning, I was called in to
assist with an accident near the Teacup Ride.

275
00:25:07,039 --> 00:25:11,960
It was still early and the park
was quiet as visitors were just starting

276
00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:17,119
to file in. The weather was
warm and sunny, a typical Anaheim day,

277
00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:21,279
but there was a barrier set up
near the entrance to the ride.

278
00:25:21,960 --> 00:25:26,319
Several people were being questioned and were
complaining loudly about their phones being confiscated.

279
00:25:27,279 --> 00:25:33,000
A few were in tears and looked
borderline hysterical. These people were being taken

280
00:25:33,039 --> 00:25:38,720
behind closed doors by men in suits
with Disneyland badges. It'll be given right

281
00:25:38,759 --> 00:25:42,519
back to you. Just a moment, the security guard was saying, and

282
00:25:42,640 --> 00:25:47,519
I saw him hit the delete button
to get rid of the most recent video

283
00:25:47,559 --> 00:25:52,000
on the visitor's cell phone bark policy, he said, giving the device back

284
00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:56,880
to the woman, Thanks for your
cooperation. Enjoy the rest of your day.

285
00:25:59,440 --> 00:26:03,759
She started to protest, looking at
the deleted file, but her husband

286
00:26:03,759 --> 00:26:07,279
grabbed her arm and pulled her away, casting her nervous look at the barricade.

287
00:26:08,880 --> 00:26:15,240
The woman eventually relented and the two
of them walked off Right this way,

288
00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:19,920
the security guard said, looking at
me. He directed me behind the

289
00:26:19,960 --> 00:26:26,680
barricade, and I saw a very
terrified teenager was doing CPR and a decapitated

290
00:26:26,720 --> 00:26:33,160
man. With each thrust, blood
splurted out from the place where his head

291
00:26:33,200 --> 00:26:40,079
should have been. The sounds being
made were disturbing, like a wet dog

292
00:26:40,119 --> 00:26:45,759
toy being stepped on over and over. One of the squeaky ones. What

293
00:26:45,799 --> 00:26:49,160
are you doing why? I tried
to get the words out, but couldn't.

294
00:26:51,119 --> 00:26:52,839
We need you to take over for
the kid. This man needs to

295
00:26:52,880 --> 00:26:59,880
be taken to a hospital, I
stared at the security guard, dumb struck

296
00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:04,000
a hospital. This man needed to
get to a funeral home for cremation.

297
00:27:04,640 --> 00:27:08,640
There would be no open casker for
this one. You must be kidding.

298
00:27:11,039 --> 00:27:15,319
The security guard growled my arm and
pushed me over towards the kid take over.

299
00:27:15,720 --> 00:27:19,359
He said, the kid is tired, You need to do your job.

300
00:27:21,799 --> 00:27:25,000
Another security guard joined him, and
the two of them gave me a

301
00:27:25,039 --> 00:27:30,359
stern look which indicated I'd better not
argue with them. I tried to explain

302
00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:34,319
to them, unsure how they weren't
getting it. I tried to tell them

303
00:27:34,359 --> 00:27:38,880
CPR was not going to help a
dead man with no head, but it

304
00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:44,680
was like talking to a brick wall, and pretty soon they made it clear

305
00:27:44,799 --> 00:27:48,119
that if I didn't do what I
was asked, I would be the one

306
00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:52,839
in need of a hospital visit.
As completely insane as it was, I

307
00:27:52,880 --> 00:27:57,640
got down on my knees and took
over doing CPR and the headless man.

308
00:28:00,480 --> 00:28:04,720
Each time I pushed down on his
chest, a fountain of partially coagulated blood

309
00:28:04,960 --> 00:28:10,000
shot out from the hole on the
top of his neck. What happened to

310
00:28:10,039 --> 00:28:14,680
him? I asked the kid who
had taken over, for I recognized him

311
00:28:14,759 --> 00:28:18,839
as the one who ran the ride. I dunno man, he said,

312
00:28:18,279 --> 00:28:22,480
shaking and pale. I just looked
up and the dude's head was flying.

313
00:28:23,160 --> 00:28:27,880
Man, I don't even know where
the damn thing ended up. I pressed

314
00:28:27,920 --> 00:28:32,960
down on his sterner again as hard
as I could, repeating the same amount

315
00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:37,799
of pressure the same depth. Despite
the fact that it was all pointless,

316
00:28:38,039 --> 00:28:42,960
a hundred compressions per minute, two
inches deep, ensuring proper placement of the

317
00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:48,279
hands. It was all so ingrained
in me that I did it perfectly,

318
00:28:48,920 --> 00:28:56,680
despite the fact that this man would
never breathe again. Eventually, someone who

319
00:28:56,759 --> 00:29:00,759
looked like a manager showed up.
He was wearing a sharp looking suit despite

320
00:29:00,759 --> 00:29:07,440
the warm weather, and had cold
blue eyes with no indication of any compassion.

321
00:29:07,759 --> 00:29:11,400
Hey, these guys wanted me to
keep doing CPR, I told him,

322
00:29:11,559 --> 00:29:15,279
quickly, sensing that he was in
charge of this clown show. Can

323
00:29:15,359 --> 00:29:22,079
I stop now he's obviously dead.
The man in the dark suit shook his

324
00:29:22,160 --> 00:29:30,200
head, keep going, don't stop. He had a look about him that

325
00:29:30,279 --> 00:29:33,559
I didn't like. A cold,
angry sort of feeling came off the man

326
00:29:33,880 --> 00:29:40,079
like a dark aura. I decided
not to argue with him. Get bill

327
00:29:40,160 --> 00:29:42,880
from cryer or beer. He told
one of the security guards, tell him

328
00:29:42,920 --> 00:29:48,839
to bring the gurney. The man
looked around and then whispered under his breath,

329
00:29:51,039 --> 00:29:55,599
and someone gathered damn head from down
the tree before some kids sees it.

330
00:29:55,680 --> 00:29:59,920
A strange black vehicle with mouses and
top and an enclosed flat bed part

331
00:30:00,160 --> 00:30:03,359
in front of us, and I
was forced inside, then made to continue

332
00:30:03,400 --> 00:30:10,480
doing CPR and what was essentially a
headless corpse. The man's terrified gap mouth

333
00:30:10,559 --> 00:30:14,240
visage stared at me from the other
end of the trunk, where one security

334
00:30:14,279 --> 00:30:18,599
guard held it on his lap with
his face looking outward. The MacCabe scene

335
00:30:18,680 --> 00:30:22,960
was so surreal and horrifying that I
had to keep telling myself that I wasn't

336
00:30:23,000 --> 00:30:29,759
in a nightmare. This was actually
happening. Why are you making me do

337
00:30:29,839 --> 00:30:33,160
this? I yelled at the man
in the suit who sat in the front

338
00:30:33,200 --> 00:30:38,880
seat. He's dead. The man
just ignored me as we pulled into a

339
00:30:38,920 --> 00:30:45,160
garage marked authorized personnel only, and
the weird hearse vehicle continued traveling deeper and

340
00:30:45,359 --> 00:30:51,920
deeper into the warehouse like space.
Eventually, after a few more minutes of

341
00:30:52,000 --> 00:30:56,559
driving deeper and deeper underground, using
a series of ramps like you'd find in

342
00:30:56,599 --> 00:31:02,319
a parking garage, we came to
another steel sliding door. Reaching up to

343
00:31:02,319 --> 00:31:04,839
press a button on the ceiling.
The man up front looked back at me

344
00:31:06,079 --> 00:31:10,880
and locked eyes with me. Almost
there, he said, just a few

345
00:31:10,920 --> 00:31:15,720
more minutes. Then he looked at
the security guard and furrowed his brow.

346
00:31:15,920 --> 00:31:22,079
Jim, what did I tell you
about the heads? The security guard's face

347
00:31:22,119 --> 00:31:26,519
went red immediately, and he began
to dig through a cabinet next to him.

348
00:31:26,640 --> 00:31:30,519
It sounded like a drawerful of ice. Then he dropped the head inside.

349
00:31:32,039 --> 00:31:34,440
It landed with a loud chunk sound, as if he dropped a six

350
00:31:34,519 --> 00:31:38,759
pack into a cooler and a hot
summer day at the lake. He raised

351
00:31:38,759 --> 00:31:42,400
his thumb in an affirmative gesture,
nodding at the man in the suit.

352
00:31:44,359 --> 00:31:52,119
Got it, I was dumbfounded,
slowing down my compressions momentarily, and the

353
00:31:52,160 --> 00:31:56,319
security guard unclipped the gun from his
holster. Don't slow down, he said,

354
00:31:56,759 --> 00:32:02,440
keep it going. I got the
implied message. But why do they

355
00:32:02,480 --> 00:32:07,720
care so much about effusing the organs
of a dead man with oxygenated blood?

356
00:32:07,400 --> 00:32:12,640
There was no head, and without
a head, the body would be useless.

357
00:32:13,400 --> 00:32:15,200
The brain would be dead from the
lack of oxygen a while ago,

358
00:32:15,680 --> 00:32:20,519
and minus that control center the meat
sack I was pressing on with all.

359
00:32:20,640 --> 00:32:29,880
My force was essentially obsolete. It
was all pointless unless the memories came to

360
00:32:29,960 --> 00:32:34,440
me of things I heard in the
past. Hadn't Walt Disney insisted on being

361
00:32:34,480 --> 00:32:39,480
cried generically frozen? No, that
was insane. Those ideas were insane.

362
00:32:40,720 --> 00:32:45,920
But then, as if confirming my
worst fears, I saw the writing on

363
00:32:45,039 --> 00:32:53,079
the next steel sliding door read Disneyland
cried Jenic's Research Facility CRF authorized cast members

364
00:32:53,119 --> 00:33:00,880
only past this point. The next
area consisted of massive tanks filled with swirling

365
00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:06,079
blue fluid. I saw people suspended
in the liquid, their faces frozen like

366
00:33:06,200 --> 00:33:12,799
hand solo and carbonite, their mouths
open in silent screams. It's real,

367
00:33:13,559 --> 00:33:20,599
I heard myself whisper silently. Then
refocus my efforts on CPR. Suddenly it

368
00:33:20,720 --> 00:33:23,279
seemed as if there might be a
purpose to all of this. After all.

369
00:33:24,720 --> 00:33:30,640
We pulled into one final large room. It was filled with equipment that

370
00:33:30,799 --> 00:33:35,880
looked decades beyond anything I'd seen before. It reminded me of pictures i'd seen

371
00:33:35,960 --> 00:33:40,480
of the large hard and collider,
massive complex mechanical forms that I could never

372
00:33:40,559 --> 00:33:45,960
have begin doing. To stand here, we are, said the man in

373
00:33:45,000 --> 00:33:50,240
the suit, getting out to the
front seat. He came around to the

374
00:33:50,240 --> 00:33:53,319
back and rolled us out on a
gurney with the assistance of a few others.

375
00:33:54,400 --> 00:34:00,640
Meanwhile, I just continued doing compressions, too terrified to stuff. It's

376
00:34:00,640 --> 00:34:06,319
okay, the man said, with
a surprisingly gentle tone, you can take

377
00:34:06,319 --> 00:34:12,920
a rest now, thanks for your
hard work. Stunned, I got down

378
00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:16,239
from the gurney and felt the numbness
and pain in my forearms, shoulders,

379
00:34:16,280 --> 00:34:21,719
and wrists. I had a lot
of practice doing CPR, but that was

380
00:34:21,760 --> 00:34:25,880
exhausting, even for me. Feeling
like I was in a daze, I

381
00:34:25,960 --> 00:34:32,039
looked around at the space I was
in, taking in my surroundings. What

382
00:34:32,320 --> 00:34:37,480
is this place, I asked,
Well, the man said, you're going

383
00:34:37,480 --> 00:34:40,199
to need to sign an NDA so
we can let you out of here.

384
00:34:42,039 --> 00:34:45,800
I guess I can fill you in. I saw the headless man being brought

385
00:34:45,920 --> 00:34:50,800
up onto a platform, and his
head was being carried up there as well.

386
00:34:51,760 --> 00:34:55,679
Large machinery hung down from the ceiling, reminding me of Frankenstein's lab.

387
00:34:57,360 --> 00:35:01,800
Right before he brought the monster to
life, A man in a white lab

388
00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:07,440
coat was fiddling with items on cloth
covered tables and preparing instruments like a doctor.

389
00:35:07,559 --> 00:35:13,239
About the due surgery. You might
have heard about how the man himself

390
00:35:13,400 --> 00:35:16,639
once wanted to be frozen, kept
in crygenics until the future so that it

391
00:35:16,719 --> 00:35:21,840
could be brought back to life again. You've heard that, right, Most

392
00:35:21,880 --> 00:35:27,079
people have sure. I mean I
wasn't sure if it was true or not.

393
00:35:28,280 --> 00:35:32,239
Well, it is, and he's
kept down here in this laboratory.

394
00:35:32,840 --> 00:35:37,679
But what most people don't know is
that a large portion of the profits this

395
00:35:37,800 --> 00:35:43,480
organization brings in goes towards fulfilling that
goal. The equipment down here cost a

396
00:35:43,480 --> 00:35:47,199
lot of money to build and install, and we've got everything set up just

397
00:35:47,280 --> 00:35:52,920
the way we need it. I
wasn't really sure what to say. The

398
00:35:53,000 --> 00:35:58,800
man just continued on. The thing
is, we don't want to try it

399
00:35:58,800 --> 00:36:02,000
out on the boss first, what
if it doesn't work out. So we've

400
00:36:02,000 --> 00:36:09,239
been experimenting with other volunteers. That's
why we had people frozen down here.

401
00:36:09,880 --> 00:36:15,159
That's why nobody is allowder die at
Disneyland. We need to use every available

402
00:36:15,199 --> 00:36:20,960
resource we have. Those bodies you
saw on the way in here, those

403
00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:24,800
people who suffered accidents in the park
or snuck in after hours, at least

404
00:36:25,199 --> 00:36:31,719
they're the ones who nobody would notice
missing. Like this guy, exactly like

405
00:36:31,840 --> 00:36:36,960
this guy. Do you know he
has no family, who extended relations.

406
00:36:37,840 --> 00:36:42,159
Robert Biggs here is thirty four years
old, lives alone, and his only

407
00:36:42,239 --> 00:36:47,119
joy in life is coming to Disneyland. My throat felt tight, my stomach

408
00:36:47,159 --> 00:36:52,400
began to drop, and it was
like there was a concrete block sitting inside

409
00:36:52,400 --> 00:36:55,320
my gut. All of a sudden, what are you doing to him?

410
00:36:55,360 --> 00:37:00,800
I asked, watching as the man
in the lab coat skewered his head atop

411
00:37:00,840 --> 00:37:05,599
a shiny, sharp still rod as
if he were a giant piece of barbecue

412
00:37:05,599 --> 00:37:12,000
meat, and shishka Bob. The
wet squirlching sounds of the blood and viscera

413
00:37:12,119 --> 00:37:16,199
being prushed aside could be heard as
he slid it into place. Bob's head

414
00:37:16,239 --> 00:37:22,760
wobbled back and forth slightly, and
then it was still. We're going to

415
00:37:22,840 --> 00:37:27,039
help him, the man said,
just like we've been helping so many others

416
00:37:27,119 --> 00:37:30,440
who've died in this park, or
should I say, almost died in this

417
00:37:30,559 --> 00:37:36,400
park. The world was turning dark
around the edges. As I tried to

418
00:37:36,440 --> 00:37:40,840
focus on staying conscious, I never
felt so terrified and jarred as I did

419
00:37:40,920 --> 00:37:45,960
in that moment. I really felt
as if I might pass out from the

420
00:37:45,039 --> 00:37:51,719
overwhelming nature of everything that was happening. But I shook it off and told

421
00:37:51,719 --> 00:37:54,599
myself to snap out of it.
Who knew what these people would do to

422
00:37:54,679 --> 00:38:00,000
me if my lights went out.
I imagine myself waking up as a victim

423
00:38:00,239 --> 00:38:04,480
of their twisted experiments. A man
with two different sets of arms and a

424
00:38:04,559 --> 00:38:10,000
second head maybe has shuddered right this
way, the man in the suit said,

425
00:38:10,400 --> 00:38:15,519
leading me towards a small steel table. For the first time, when

426
00:38:15,519 --> 00:38:21,320
he spoke, I saw something else
in his eyes, something hard and dark,

427
00:38:21,880 --> 00:38:25,360
like the second entity living within his
gaze, a second pair of eyes

428
00:38:25,480 --> 00:38:30,159
looking back at me from inside his
The agreement will need you to sign,

429
00:38:30,679 --> 00:38:35,599
he said, holding out a pen
and pointing at a stack of papers three

430
00:38:35,639 --> 00:38:39,039
inches thick. Take your time and
read through it all. You don't want

431
00:38:39,039 --> 00:38:45,119
to sign something you don't understand.
His voice was amicable enough, but the

432
00:38:45,239 --> 00:38:51,320
look of the contract told me otherwise. Not only was it as thick as

433
00:38:51,320 --> 00:38:54,599
a book, it was typed in
what appeared to be four or maybe five

434
00:38:54,679 --> 00:39:00,679
point fond, single space, and
written and complex legalize. The first sentence

435
00:39:00,800 --> 00:39:07,679
was three pages long. I looked
up at the dead man on the platform

436
00:39:07,800 --> 00:39:10,800
and watched in horror as the man
in the lab coat attached a leg rose

437
00:39:10,880 --> 00:39:15,079
to his head and lowed a massive
device that looked like a huge laser pointer,

438
00:39:15,559 --> 00:39:21,119
directing a beam of energy at his
forehead. The dead man began to

439
00:39:21,159 --> 00:39:25,280
confuse and shake, his eyes blinking
open and closed. His arms started moving

440
00:39:25,320 --> 00:39:30,519
up and down, his legs pomping
as if he were on a stationary bicycle.

441
00:39:30,679 --> 00:39:35,400
Oh my god, I muttered,
trying to tear my eyes away from

442
00:39:35,440 --> 00:39:37,960
the scene and folding up there so
that I could read the first sentence of

443
00:39:38,000 --> 00:39:45,360
the NBA gain or try to.
It was a brainbuster. The party heretofore

444
00:39:45,480 --> 00:39:50,840
referred to as the viewer, would
be obligated to on completion of this contract,

445
00:39:51,079 --> 00:39:54,800
and without prior understanding of the event
heretofore referred to as the disturbance.

446
00:39:54,840 --> 00:40:00,559
Will I got about the same part
as before, then blink to my eyes

447
00:40:00,639 --> 00:40:04,599
as the words became fuzzy and I
lost my balance and missed the jumble of

448
00:40:04,639 --> 00:40:12,159
tiny letters. It was utterly unreadable
all set. The man in the suit

449
00:40:12,199 --> 00:40:15,880
asked, flipping the pages until we
were back at the top of the stack

450
00:40:15,280 --> 00:40:22,159
at a spark marked signature. My
eyes drifted up to the platform again,

451
00:40:22,599 --> 00:40:25,920
and I saw the dead man was
now actually beginning to sit up. He

452
00:40:27,119 --> 00:40:30,239
was looking around the room dolly,
like someone who just woken up from a

453
00:40:30,280 --> 00:40:38,519
long sleep. Impossible, I whispered, it's impossible, with a shaky hand.

454
00:40:38,599 --> 00:40:45,400
I signed the contract, my signature
barely legible. Perfect. Now,

455
00:40:45,679 --> 00:40:47,960
I think you deserve to have the
rest of the day off, don't you

456
00:40:49,840 --> 00:40:54,119
to reflect? I nodded my head, giving the man his pen back.

457
00:40:55,079 --> 00:41:00,880
Jim, show this man out and
get him a ride home. He shouldn't

458
00:41:00,920 --> 00:41:05,760
be driving, after all he's been
through. He patted my shoulder in a

459
00:41:05,800 --> 00:41:10,800
condescending way. You've had such a
busy day. Go home and get some

460
00:41:10,920 --> 00:41:16,800
sleep. I went with a security
guard to a waiting vehicle, and the

461
00:41:16,880 --> 00:41:22,960
man in the suit called after me, don't forget about the NDA. You

462
00:41:22,079 --> 00:41:31,079
can't tell anyone about this. I
turned around, not saying anything. I

463
00:41:31,239 --> 00:41:37,039
realized after I got home that I
needed to tell people about this. The

464
00:41:37,199 --> 00:41:39,880
NDA be damned, I thought,
getting this out to share with all of

465
00:41:39,920 --> 00:41:46,239
you. It's important, I told
myself. They're stealing corpses and forcing them

466
00:41:46,239 --> 00:41:52,880
into undead servitude. It's evil.
That's like end of the world, zombies

467
00:41:52,920 --> 00:41:59,039
taking over apocalypse level nonsense. The
man in the suit suddenly made me think

468
00:41:59,039 --> 00:42:04,719
of a necromancer, some evil sorcerer
bent and keeping people alive against their will.

469
00:42:05,840 --> 00:42:07,880
I was starting to think that he
wasn't a man at all, but

470
00:42:08,079 --> 00:42:13,480
something else, as I thought back
to the thing I'd seen hiding in his

471
00:42:13,559 --> 00:42:19,599
gaze. Who knows what endless tasks
the dead of Disneyland are being forced into

472
00:42:20,039 --> 00:42:24,519
by that dark, modern day wizard. Someone has to do something about it,

473
00:42:25,960 --> 00:42:43,079
and maybe this is the first step
towards stopping him. A few years

474
00:42:43,079 --> 00:42:45,760
back, I got a text in
the middle of the night. Now I

475
00:42:45,840 --> 00:42:50,800
was a high school senior and my
parents had pretty much given up and keeping

476
00:42:50,840 --> 00:42:53,480
me in check. As long as
no one was getting hurt, they could

477
00:42:53,480 --> 00:42:59,800
focus all their attention on my three
younger sisters, so there was little to

478
00:43:00,039 --> 00:43:04,480
keep me from sneaking out to see
what the fuss was about. I met

479
00:43:04,519 --> 00:43:08,119
my friends down by the path leading
to Frog Lake. There were six of

480
00:43:08,199 --> 00:43:13,719
us, led by Brandon and his
devotee, Vicky. They were all gathered

481
00:43:13,760 --> 00:43:16,559
in a little group along the path, and it wasn't until I stepped up

482
00:43:16,760 --> 00:43:23,039
that I could see why there was
a dead body on the road. A

483
00:43:23,119 --> 00:43:28,960
middle aged man. He'd been dead
for a few hours, and judging from

484
00:43:29,000 --> 00:43:34,039
the tone of the others, they
just found him like this. This unfortunate

485
00:43:34,079 --> 00:43:37,880
man had been reduced to a novelty. The others had already rifled through his

486
00:43:37,960 --> 00:43:43,480
pockets, and they had all agreed
not to call the police. Instead,

487
00:43:43,800 --> 00:43:47,599
they were going to let someone discover
him on their morning walk. But while

488
00:43:47,599 --> 00:43:53,760
the others were chatting about getting grossed
out, Brandon was making plans. They

489
00:43:53,760 --> 00:43:59,000
had already taken all the loose cash
from the deceased man's wallet, but that

490
00:43:59,079 --> 00:44:04,039
wasn't quite enough. They were talking
about putting lipstick on or giving him a

491
00:44:04,079 --> 00:44:09,159
weird haircut, but Brandon wasn't having
it. He discovered him and he wanted

492
00:44:09,239 --> 00:44:15,320
something special. Vicky, give me
a pencil, he finally said, this

493
00:44:15,440 --> 00:44:22,079
will be good. She handed it
over. Brandon carefully punctured the man's throat

494
00:44:22,159 --> 00:44:27,559
in two spots using the pencil.
I'm surprised to see so much blood run

495
00:44:27,559 --> 00:44:30,920
out, even though the man was
already dead. What are you doing,

496
00:44:31,400 --> 00:44:37,639
protested Vickie, give me my pen
The others just looked at the corpse,

497
00:44:37,920 --> 00:44:43,280
stunned. It looked like there's been
some kind of vampire attack with two puncture

498
00:44:43,280 --> 00:44:49,280
wounds right on the artery. This'll
get him talking, grinned Brandon. Absolutely

499
00:44:49,360 --> 00:44:54,000
hilarious. There was an article about
it the next day. Some old lady

500
00:44:54,079 --> 00:44:59,280
had found the dead man and noticed
the wounds. She called the police.

501
00:45:00,119 --> 00:45:04,760
The cause of death was determined as
some kind of aneurysm, but that's not

502
00:45:04,840 --> 00:45:10,760
what had people talking. The vampire
bite was far more interesting. Brandon was

503
00:45:10,880 --> 00:45:16,000
so damn proud of himself. There
was even a short national news segment about

504
00:45:16,039 --> 00:45:22,119
it. You remember the story about
the Minnesota bloodsucker. Yeah, that was

505
00:45:22,239 --> 00:45:29,639
us. No vampire business, just
terrible kids being terrible. Although the whole

506
00:45:29,639 --> 00:45:32,880
thing was debunked the moment, who
actually read the story The headline was enough

507
00:45:32,920 --> 00:45:39,719
to bring national attention. But that's
just where this story starts. Not a

508
00:45:39,719 --> 00:45:45,840
lot of people have heard about what
happened next days later, I was meeting

509
00:45:45,920 --> 00:45:51,280
Vicki and a friends at a nearby
gas station. Vicki had a car and

510
00:45:51,400 --> 00:45:54,679
we were going out for Chinese food. There was this guy coming down the

511
00:45:54,760 --> 00:46:02,039
road sprinting. He had these ragged
clothes and looked just dreadful, unkempt beard,

512
00:46:02,199 --> 00:46:07,519
wild hair, sunken eyes. He
just ran right past us, like

513
00:46:07,639 --> 00:46:10,960
the devil was chasing him. He
didn't even look at us. He just

514
00:46:12,079 --> 00:46:17,159
kept going with floppy shoes, hanging
on seemingly by will Para alone. All

515
00:46:17,199 --> 00:46:22,679
across town, similar people showed up. From second hand accounts, I've counted

516
00:46:22,719 --> 00:46:29,360
at least six different people, all
of them panicked and barely coherent. One

517
00:46:29,480 --> 00:46:34,679
ran into the local police station,
another into the school cafeteria. Some were

518
00:46:34,760 --> 00:46:39,199
arrested, others dismissed, but they
all said they were looking for the same

519
00:46:39,320 --> 00:46:46,119
thing, the Minnesota Bloodsucker. The
first time I talked to one of these

520
00:46:46,159 --> 00:46:51,559
people, I was standing in line
at the at M. At first I

521
00:46:51,639 --> 00:46:54,960
thought they were homeless. They lugged
the part, but when he came up

522
00:46:55,000 --> 00:47:00,880
to me, I could tell there
was something strange about him. He had

523
00:47:00,880 --> 00:47:06,599
these tiny, tiny pupils, His
eyes were almost completely white. He was

524
00:47:06,639 --> 00:47:10,920
shivering and had trouble keeping his balance. He was going through everyone in line,

525
00:47:12,320 --> 00:47:17,760
asking us one by one do you
know the blood Sucker? When it

526
00:47:17,880 --> 00:47:22,559
was my turn, I didn't know
how to answer. Instead, I just

527
00:47:22,599 --> 00:47:27,719
shrugged it off. You know it's
fake, right, I scoffed. He

528
00:47:27,800 --> 00:47:31,719
had an aneurism. No, he
responded, No, it's real. It's

529
00:47:31,800 --> 00:47:37,519
here, we got to find it. He had this absolutely desperate look about

530
00:47:37,599 --> 00:47:42,440
him, like his life depended on
it. He was on the verge of

531
00:47:42,480 --> 00:47:46,719
breaking into tears, keeping it all
together by a thread. To me,

532
00:47:47,079 --> 00:47:52,199
it had all been a big inconvenience, a lie taken a form of its

533
00:47:52,199 --> 00:47:57,199
own. But to this man,
the blood sucker was the realest thing in

534
00:47:57,280 --> 00:48:00,639
the world. Brandon and the others
weren't paying attention to any of it.

535
00:48:01,480 --> 00:48:07,440
To them, they're secrazing a corpse
had just been another day. They did

536
00:48:07,480 --> 00:48:10,719
this kind of thing all the time. Hell, Vicki was practically a vampire

537
00:48:10,719 --> 00:48:15,360
already. She was up all night
with Brandon most days, missing class and

538
00:48:15,519 --> 00:48:21,119
partying like four times a week.
From what I'd heard, she was taking

539
00:48:21,159 --> 00:48:27,599
some pretty nasty stuff pills. But
people around town were getting a bit paranoid.

540
00:48:28,559 --> 00:48:30,719
They might have been able to convince
themselves that this was all the hoax

541
00:48:30,920 --> 00:48:37,239
based on the articles, but with
these people showing up, it was kicking

542
00:48:37,320 --> 00:48:40,760
up all kinds of rumors. People
were putting their ear to the ground,

543
00:48:42,119 --> 00:48:47,480
paying attention, soaking up the rumors. And where there's rumors, they're angry

544
00:48:47,559 --> 00:48:53,360
and worried, people calling the police. They started a neighborhood watch and the

545
00:48:53,440 --> 00:48:59,440
police were pressured to take action.
Brandon had a house party broken up because

546
00:48:59,480 --> 00:49:04,039
of an Annie was tip that he
knew the bloodsucker. Not that strange,

547
00:49:04,360 --> 00:49:09,519
considering Brandon was the bloodsucker in a
sense. One Friday night, Brandon was

548
00:49:09,559 --> 00:49:15,199
calling us to his place for a
house party. Considering how the last one

549
00:49:15,280 --> 00:49:21,079
went. I wasn't interested. Besides, it was almost midnight and I'd cuddled

550
00:49:21,159 --> 00:49:25,440
up in my bed. I just
ignored it. The next day, I

551
00:49:25,559 --> 00:49:30,320
went over to his place. We
usually went out together for lunch on Saturday,

552
00:49:30,800 --> 00:49:37,519
and he'd been unusually quiet. I
got there around noon. Vicky's car

553
00:49:37,599 --> 00:49:40,480
was in the driveway. Brandon's parents
had gotten him his own place about a

554
00:49:40,559 --> 00:49:45,599
year back, so there was no
one around to check on him. Even

555
00:49:45,679 --> 00:49:52,239
so, I got a bad feeling. Vicky didn't like spending the night outside

556
00:49:52,239 --> 00:49:57,639
a place. When I stepped inside, I could tell something had gone down.

557
00:49:58,599 --> 00:50:01,719
There was a couch overturned and and
there was this strange iron like smell

558
00:50:01,800 --> 00:50:07,159
in the air. A glass table
had been shattered, and dry flowers from

559
00:50:07,159 --> 00:50:10,719
a broken face lay across the floor. A couple of blue sunflowers Vicky had

560
00:50:10,719 --> 00:50:15,000
gotten Brandon. When he moved in. It looked like there had been an

561
00:50:15,039 --> 00:50:20,679
insane fight. There was even some
blood dripping of a splatter in the ceiling.

562
00:50:21,760 --> 00:50:25,599
How the hell did he get there? At first, I didn't know

563
00:50:25,639 --> 00:50:30,760
what to do. I just stood
there, calling out for Brandon or whoever

564
00:50:30,880 --> 00:50:37,679
might hear me. I got no
response. There were no bodies, just

565
00:50:37,760 --> 00:50:44,000
an unlocked door and an absolute mess. I called the police right away.

566
00:50:45,280 --> 00:50:49,239
They took over, and they got
to hear that several people had been reported

567
00:50:49,280 --> 00:50:54,000
missing. This was the first lead
they had. There had been at least

568
00:50:54,000 --> 00:51:00,840
six people there, three of which
had been reported missing. They probably sneaked

569
00:51:00,840 --> 00:51:04,440
out in the middle of the night
and their parents had noticed their empty beds

570
00:51:04,440 --> 00:51:08,159
in the morning. I couldn't shake
the feeling that there was more to it.

571
00:51:09,239 --> 00:51:15,039
This had to do with the Bloodsucker, but was it retaliation or something

572
00:51:15,079 --> 00:51:22,880
else. Having unknownly dodged the bullet, I started getting paranoid. This did

573
00:51:22,960 --> 00:51:28,199
little to slow the rumors. Now
there were even more people talking about the

574
00:51:28,199 --> 00:51:34,159
blood Sucker and things were getting out
of hand. Although this was mostly reported

575
00:51:34,199 --> 00:51:38,599
locally, there were interviews, articles, and missing people posters handed out all

576
00:51:38,639 --> 00:51:44,360
across town, putting up a poster
for Vicki and Brandon was one of the

577
00:51:44,360 --> 00:51:49,599
most real experiences of my life.
It was like their pictures were staring at

578
00:51:49,639 --> 00:51:52,679
me through the paper, asking me
where the hell I'd been that night.

579
00:51:54,079 --> 00:52:00,400
People were asking me questions my parents, the police socials is a lot of

580
00:52:00,400 --> 00:52:06,679
people had the impression that I knew
something. And sure I knew all about

581
00:52:06,719 --> 00:52:13,280
Brandon's prank on that dead body,
but I wasn't telling not outright. Then

582
00:52:13,320 --> 00:52:16,880
again, I didn't see the relevance. It was just a stupid rumor,

583
00:52:19,039 --> 00:52:24,239
so I just shut up about it. I got through countless innocuous talks.

584
00:52:25,079 --> 00:52:30,599
They were all being so friendly and
understanding, but constantly prodding me. It's

585
00:52:30,639 --> 00:52:35,480
as if they just couldn't believe that
I had no idea where Brandon and the

586
00:52:35,559 --> 00:52:39,320
others had gone. We just want
to talk. They all lied to see

587
00:52:39,320 --> 00:52:45,840
how you're holding up. This painted
an enormous target on my back. Everyone

588
00:52:45,920 --> 00:52:51,599
knew I spent time with Brandon and
the others, so when days turned into

589
00:52:51,639 --> 00:52:55,519
weeks, people were growing desperate.
I was getting dozens of calls a day.

590
00:52:58,039 --> 00:53:00,920
I remember once when the paper called
asked me about them, and I

591
00:53:01,039 --> 00:53:05,679
just screamed, I don't know anything. Maybe the Bloodsucker got them. I

592
00:53:05,719 --> 00:53:12,760
don't know. I shouldn't have said
that, I really shouldn't. This just

593
00:53:12,880 --> 00:53:17,119
kicked everything up a nutch. I
was brought into the police station and interrogated.

594
00:53:17,559 --> 00:53:22,719
I was brought to the school counselor
with my parents. They were endless

595
00:53:22,719 --> 00:53:27,519
phone calls from newspapers and worried parents, as well as a few internet nut

596
00:53:27,599 --> 00:53:32,639
jobs. The Minnesota Bloodsucker was turning
into a headline. People don't just go

597
00:53:32,800 --> 00:53:38,679
missing by themselves. I stopped going
to school. Those awful moments in between

598
00:53:38,679 --> 00:53:44,480
classes or when I walked around on
my own just ruined my nerves. I

599
00:53:44,480 --> 00:53:49,400
imagined hearing people talking behind my back, or some unknown presence looking at me

600
00:53:49,480 --> 00:53:55,239
from afar. This rumor about the
Bloodsucker had taken over my life. I

601
00:53:55,360 --> 00:54:00,199
thought about telling the truth. I
really did, But when you've lied for

602
00:54:00,280 --> 00:54:07,159
weeks on end, you can't just
start changing your story overnight. My parents

603
00:54:07,239 --> 00:54:12,119
got me a cheap car so I
could go straight home from school. But

604
00:54:12,320 --> 00:54:15,039
cheap cars are cheap for a reason, and one night in late May,

605
00:54:15,440 --> 00:54:21,159
the theme broke down completely, just
off the highway. I'd been a bit

606
00:54:21,199 --> 00:54:23,960
careless and spent some time after school
with a friend. I'd had a few

607
00:54:24,000 --> 00:54:29,480
beers and probably shouldn't have been driving
in the first place, so I was

608
00:54:29,519 --> 00:54:34,039
a bit anxious about calling for help. I had to manually push the car

609
00:54:34,079 --> 00:54:37,719
off the road. It was almost
eight pm and there was an awful wind,

610
00:54:37,719 --> 00:54:44,360
blowing drops of rain smattering across the
windshield, and this cold, howling

611
00:54:44,440 --> 00:54:51,079
sound echoing across the highway. There
was a storm coming. Cars rushed by.

612
00:54:51,280 --> 00:54:54,199
As I anguished about what to do. It was either my parents,

613
00:54:54,480 --> 00:55:00,000
the police, or triple A.
I finally settled and calling my parents.

614
00:55:00,239 --> 00:55:05,000
I had my thumb hovering above the
number for a few minutes, trying to

615
00:55:05,039 --> 00:55:08,599
build up the courage. I've been
a pain in the ass lately and this

616
00:55:08,760 --> 00:55:15,079
wasn't making things easier. The faint
smell of beer didn't help. There was

617
00:55:15,119 --> 00:55:19,880
no way for me to prepare for
what happened next. It was quick.

618
00:55:20,760 --> 00:55:22,960
One of the ragged men had walked
up the side of my car with a

619
00:55:23,039 --> 00:55:28,639
tire iron. I pressed the core
button, I was showered in glass.

620
00:55:29,679 --> 00:55:32,840
Hands reached for me through the broken
window. I kicked and crawled into the

621
00:55:32,840 --> 00:55:37,960
passengers aside, trying to get away. I didn't even notice my hands were

622
00:55:37,960 --> 00:55:43,360
bleeding. Looking back at it,
I realized there are a lot of blanks.

623
00:55:44,280 --> 00:55:46,800
I was panicking. I have no
memory of it, but I think

624
00:55:46,840 --> 00:55:52,039
I was screaming. I remember my
throat being raw as soon as I came

625
00:55:52,079 --> 00:55:57,159
to But there in that moment,
I was just trying to get away.

626
00:55:58,440 --> 00:56:02,639
But I remember one moment clearly.
As I got out on the other side

627
00:56:02,639 --> 00:56:07,440
of the car, I met the
gaze of the strange man who attacked me.

628
00:56:07,719 --> 00:56:12,440
This time, his eyes were completely
white. It was as if he

629
00:56:12,519 --> 00:56:15,360
was looking straight through me, or
seeing something in me that I wasn't.

630
00:56:17,039 --> 00:56:22,440
But those eyes, they haunt me. That's one thing I can't forget.

631
00:56:24,320 --> 00:56:30,360
I just ran. Just off the
road was a large grassy field leading into

632
00:56:30,400 --> 00:56:34,599
a pine forest. It was easy
to follow in my footsteps, but what

633
00:56:34,800 --> 00:56:38,360
choice did I have. It was
like I'd forgotten how to breathe. My

634
00:56:38,440 --> 00:56:44,199
body just got into this weird autopilot
mode and I just kept going. I

635
00:56:44,199 --> 00:56:47,599
could hear screaming, and there was
rustling in the grass behind me. As

636
00:56:47,599 --> 00:56:52,480
I got to the edge of the
forest, I went straight through the underbrush.

637
00:56:52,559 --> 00:56:54,880
I cut myself raw and every kind
of bush and thorn there was.

638
00:56:55,880 --> 00:57:00,360
They went from one person to four. It was until I gained some distance

639
00:57:00,599 --> 00:57:05,800
that I heard they were actually calling
out to me. It wasn't just screams.

640
00:57:06,719 --> 00:57:09,239
Please. One of them screamed,
please, sir, talk to us.

641
00:57:10,920 --> 00:57:15,440
They all said the same thing.
They begged, they pleaded. The

642
00:57:15,679 --> 00:57:23,079
screams went from panicked the furious to
hopeless. They were just broken. I

643
00:57:23,119 --> 00:57:27,760
found a small hole, mostly covered
by one side of a pine tree.

644
00:57:28,519 --> 00:57:31,400
I crawled in and reached my phone. I only to realize I dropped it

645
00:57:31,440 --> 00:57:36,559
in the car. It was probably
still waiting for me to push down on

646
00:57:36,679 --> 00:57:40,400
my mom's number. I have no
sense of how long I stayed there.

647
00:57:42,239 --> 00:57:47,039
Hours, Probably I heard them shuffling
about looking for me. One of them

648
00:57:47,159 --> 00:57:52,280
got dangerously close, rushing by the
tree I was hiding next to. As

649
00:57:52,360 --> 00:57:57,840
they passed me by, I heard
one of them muttering to themselves, gotta

650
00:57:57,960 --> 00:58:02,320
find them. They wheezed, find
him, not too late, Gotta find

651
00:58:02,360 --> 00:58:07,880
him. I caught a glimpse from
one of those white eyes through the roots

652
00:58:07,880 --> 00:58:12,480
and branches. I just closed my
eyes, held my breath, and waited

653
00:58:12,599 --> 00:58:17,679
for it to be over one way
or the other. At some point,

654
00:58:17,880 --> 00:58:22,840
the sky had gone dark, the
wind had picked up, but the rain

655
00:58:22,000 --> 00:58:27,760
was still just trickling down. I
couldn't hear any screams, and it had

656
00:58:27,760 --> 00:58:30,400
been at least an hour since I
last saw one of them shuffling about.

657
00:58:32,159 --> 00:58:37,480
I got up, only to realize
I didn't have the slightest idea where I

658
00:58:37,639 --> 00:58:45,960
was. Everything looks different in the
dark. Fumbling about, I noticed the

659
00:58:45,000 --> 00:58:50,599
space between trees growing larger. I
might not be going the right way,

660
00:58:50,960 --> 00:58:54,400
but I was at least getting out
of the forest. As I reached the

661
00:58:54,519 --> 00:59:00,199
small glade, I stumbled over something. I couldn't see what it was in

662
00:59:00,239 --> 00:59:06,079
the dark. Taking a moment to
stop and listen, I noticed I stumbled

663
00:59:06,519 --> 00:59:13,440
not over something, but as someone
someone gasping for air and coughing at blood.

664
00:59:14,760 --> 00:59:19,079
The clouds parted, casting a slim
ray of hope. In a short

665
00:59:19,159 --> 00:59:22,480
moment, I could see blood and
a pair of white eyes looking up at

666
00:59:22,519 --> 00:59:27,239
me. It was a strange man
who had attacked me. This time,

667
00:59:27,800 --> 00:59:34,360
he wasn't looking at me. He
was looking at something behind me. I

668
00:59:34,480 --> 00:59:40,880
turned around. I could see their
black silhouettes against the sky, six headless

669
00:59:40,920 --> 00:59:47,599
bodies floating in midair. I recognized
their clothes, arms and legs swaying back

670
00:59:47,599 --> 00:59:52,639
and forth in the wind, and
they're standing in the middle of the glade

671
00:59:54,360 --> 01:00:00,199
was a man. The memory comes
to me as a heave a dream.

672
01:00:00,280 --> 01:00:06,960
This armani flavored businessman standing in the
middle of nowhere, arms resting at his

673
01:00:07,039 --> 01:00:13,199
side, back straight in a stiff
posture, welcomed black hair. He had

674
01:00:13,199 --> 01:00:17,559
some sort of Mediterranean features, but
it was hard to tell. I couldn't

675
01:00:17,599 --> 01:00:22,760
peel my eyes off the floating bodies, held aloft by invisible strings, gently

676
01:00:22,840 --> 01:00:28,920
rocked by the wind. The man
stepped up to me. I could barely

677
01:00:28,960 --> 01:00:32,960
breathe. It was as if my
body forgot how to run. There was

678
01:00:34,000 --> 01:00:37,679
just something about his eyes that just
made me freeze and wait for him to

679
01:00:37,760 --> 01:00:44,079
speak. He gently shook my hand
with an ice cold grip. It hurt

680
01:00:44,119 --> 01:00:47,920
my veins just to be near him. You brought a lot of attention to

681
01:00:49,039 --> 01:00:53,760
me, he said. His voice
dripped with threat. He had a kind

682
01:00:53,800 --> 01:00:58,360
of low voice that was just in
the edge of turning into a growl,

683
01:00:59,000 --> 01:01:05,320
like hot chocolate, but so hot
it'll burn your tongue. I don't appreciate

684
01:01:05,400 --> 01:01:14,519
this level of scrutiny, he continued. It ends now I know I wheezed.

685
01:01:15,119 --> 01:01:20,599
I'm sorry. Some woodsman as seeking
me, he said, eyeing the

686
01:01:20,719 --> 01:01:29,239
dying man. I tripped over you
and your acquaintances brought them here. They

687
01:01:29,400 --> 01:01:34,920
it was in our choice, I
stammered. They just he lost control,

688
01:01:35,679 --> 01:01:40,079
a monster seeping through the cracks.
His skin turned white and cracked, like

689
01:01:40,119 --> 01:01:45,320
a snake, shedding his marble skin. His eyes turned dark, his mouth

690
01:01:45,440 --> 01:01:52,760
unhinged, revealing three full rows of
sharp teeth with two prominent fangs. In

691
01:01:52,800 --> 01:01:57,519
a moment, it was as if
he grew by several feet. I wasn't

692
01:01:57,559 --> 01:02:02,440
looking straight at him anymore. I
was looking up at him. I I'm

693
01:02:02,480 --> 01:02:08,480
indifferent to your excuses. His fingers
were so long they almost wrapped around my

694
01:02:08,559 --> 01:02:14,199
neck twice. He could have popped
my head like a grape. Instead,

695
01:02:14,519 --> 01:02:19,880
he slowly squeezed my neck and lifted
me up. I could feel my pulse

696
01:02:19,920 --> 01:02:24,599
pounding against his fingers. You will
tell them it was all you. You

697
01:02:24,639 --> 01:02:30,679
will tell them there is nothing in
the dark. You will lie. I

698
01:02:30,800 --> 01:02:35,400
tried to nod, but I couldn't. I was standing on the top of

699
01:02:35,440 --> 01:02:42,519
my toes, trying not to break
my neck. You will lie. I

700
01:02:42,559 --> 01:02:46,280
was thrown to the ground. I
tried forcing air into my lungs for the

701
01:02:46,320 --> 01:02:50,800
tears that welled up in my eyes, I saw the vague shape of the

702
01:02:50,920 --> 01:02:55,719
monstrous man picking up the bleeding person
I'd stumbled over earlier. Maybe he'd been

703
01:02:55,760 --> 01:03:01,440
saved as a snack. The last
thing I remember before running blindly into the

704
01:03:01,480 --> 01:03:07,639
woods was the sound of a cracking
neck and blood pouring out of a shivering

705
01:03:07,719 --> 01:03:14,199
body like a juice box, blood
reflecting off a pale skin, bright drops

706
01:03:14,280 --> 01:03:20,920
dripping into open, unblinking black eyes. Six headless victims held hostage by some

707
01:03:21,079 --> 01:03:25,119
unseen force saw me turn my back
on them, and I ran like a

708
01:03:25,239 --> 01:03:32,920
bat out of hell. The next
morning, I lied. I told everyone

709
01:03:32,960 --> 01:03:37,159
about the prank. I told them
it was all this stupid thing that got

710
01:03:37,159 --> 01:03:40,599
out of hand, and I told
them I had no idea what was going

711
01:03:40,639 --> 01:03:45,320
on. I lied about Brandon and
the others, saying I didn't know what

712
01:03:45,440 --> 01:03:50,440
had happened. I lied about my
car, saying I walked home and that

713
01:03:50,599 --> 01:03:54,960
someone must have broken into it while
I was gone. I'd lied about everything,

714
01:03:57,039 --> 01:04:00,559
and I still couldn't sleep at night. If there was even the slight

715
01:04:00,679 --> 01:04:04,119
chance that I was missing something or
out did that thing in any way,

716
01:04:05,880 --> 01:04:13,679
I'd be dead. I was sure
of it. Now a few years down

717
01:04:13,679 --> 01:04:19,000
the line, I feel like it's
time to speak up. An anonymous post

718
01:04:19,119 --> 01:04:25,000
online is as far as I'm willing
to take this, but it's a start.

719
01:04:26,519 --> 01:04:30,679
I've left that town behind the whole
state. But every now and then

720
01:04:31,039 --> 01:04:36,719
I get an email or a strange
friend request, someone asking uncomfortable questions,

721
01:04:39,639 --> 01:04:54,599
and to this day I lie.
A few years back, I had the

722
01:04:54,679 --> 01:04:59,719
worst streak of bad luck in my
entire life. My dad, my one

723
01:04:59,760 --> 01:05:03,880
lived parent, got run over at
a pedestrian crossing. My fiancee left me,

724
01:05:04,360 --> 01:05:09,239
I lost my job at the warehouse, and Adam moved the outskirts of

725
01:05:09,280 --> 01:05:15,039
town because of a sudden rent spike. My one stroke of good luck was

726
01:05:15,079 --> 01:05:20,639
my friend Gareth. He mainly worked
the commissionary at a nearby prison and told

727
01:05:20,639 --> 01:05:26,440
me they were looking for more people, mainly night crew, but the pay

728
01:05:26,559 --> 01:05:30,159
was solid. There was a trial
period and two weeks of on the job

729
01:05:30,239 --> 01:05:36,480
learning, but it was all paid
for. In my position, how could

730
01:05:36,519 --> 01:05:43,559
I say no? So I started
my job as a corrections officer just outside

731
01:05:43,559 --> 01:05:47,559
of Tomskog, Minnesota. The place
was partly owned by a private company,

732
01:05:48,199 --> 01:05:54,920
but it was basically the same logo
you'd see all over town. Hatchet Farmer

733
01:05:55,000 --> 01:05:59,880
has a finger in everything around here. I got the uniform, I met

734
01:06:00,000 --> 01:06:02,760
the inmates, I went through the
routine, and I got to know who

735
01:06:02,800 --> 01:06:06,639
to keep my eyes on. I
had to fire my taser after three weeks

736
01:06:06,639 --> 01:06:12,039
on the job, but that was
pretty much the highlight. Most of the

737
01:06:12,119 --> 01:06:16,119
time is just sitting around waiting for
something to happen, or breaking up loud

738
01:06:16,199 --> 01:06:21,880
conversations. It's not as dramatic as
it sounds, but you've got to be

739
01:06:21,960 --> 01:06:28,360
ready for when it counts. In
December of twenty twenty one, I was

740
01:06:28,400 --> 01:06:32,119
assigned to a new route. One
of the people working with inmates in solitary

741
01:06:32,119 --> 01:06:36,480
confinement had to quit over a health
scare, and I was next in line

742
01:06:36,519 --> 01:06:41,760
to take his place. It was
still a night gig, but in a

743
01:06:41,840 --> 01:06:45,880
deeply disturbing part of the jail.
Now, I won't paint it to be

744
01:06:45,960 --> 01:06:51,280
something it's not. Isolation is just
a whole bunch of people keeping to themselves,

745
01:06:53,119 --> 01:06:58,000
usually not even that many. Sure
that tom Skog Facility has a slightly

746
01:06:58,039 --> 01:07:02,400
higher solitary capacity than normal, We're
talking ten to twenty percent at most.

747
01:07:03,519 --> 01:07:09,360
Still, he needs someone there at
all times. You never know what they

748
01:07:09,360 --> 01:07:14,920
can come up with, and they're
trickier than they look. There was this

749
01:07:14,960 --> 01:07:17,119
one guy at the end of the
hall that just gave me the creeps.

750
01:07:17,960 --> 01:07:24,159
The other guards called him Mary,
short for a longer biblical name I could

751
01:07:24,199 --> 01:07:28,559
never remember. He always broke the
lights in his cell, and he was

752
01:07:28,639 --> 01:07:33,239
rumored to be extremely violent. Even
in solitary confinement. He had to wear

753
01:07:33,360 --> 01:07:39,239
shackles. Every time he received his
food, he had to put his hands

754
01:07:39,239 --> 01:07:44,239
out to have the shackles removed so
he could eat. That's basically the only

755
01:07:44,280 --> 01:07:48,920
part of him I ever saw.
His hands. The cell was always pitch

756
01:07:49,000 --> 01:07:56,360
black. The guy used to be
an academic. Mary had three doctorates,

757
01:07:56,760 --> 01:08:02,840
but one day he just snapped killed
three of his students. He also had

758
01:08:02,880 --> 01:08:06,360
some kind of chemical burn on his
arms, leaving most of the skin on

759
01:08:06,440 --> 01:08:14,199
his hands discolored silver poisoning. Possibly. Even his files were strange, stamped

760
01:08:14,199 --> 01:08:17,560
with a sort of blue flower.
Most innates had a stamp on their file,

761
01:08:18,079 --> 01:08:24,039
but he was the only one with
a sunflower. The guy refused to

762
01:08:24,079 --> 01:08:27,319
eat during the day, so I
was the one to feed him on the

763
01:08:27,439 --> 01:08:32,640
night shift. Every time I removed
those shackles, i'd see those gnarled blue

764
01:08:32,640 --> 01:08:41,800
hands reached from me or the tray
whichever one of those nights we were having

765
01:08:41,840 --> 01:08:45,359
beef stew. Nothing fancy to look
at, but the thing smelled divine.

766
01:08:46,279 --> 01:08:49,560
I brought him some bread on the
side, a little jellow box, and

767
01:08:49,640 --> 01:08:55,840
a bottle of water. Everyone else
was fast asleep, apart from a newbie

768
01:08:55,920 --> 01:09:00,199
who couldn't stop crying. At the
end of the corridor procedures, last time,

769
01:09:00,399 --> 01:09:06,840
I said, hands up front.
Those elongated fingers slowly slid out,

770
01:09:08,199 --> 01:09:14,479
as if giving me an invisible fruit. The shackles clattered. I put down

771
01:09:14,479 --> 01:09:17,680
the tray, got the keys,
and started twisting the locks back and forth.

772
01:09:19,079 --> 01:09:24,399
These were always a pain to deal
with. You're going to let me

773
01:09:24,439 --> 01:09:28,600
out, Mary said, I need
you to, So you're going to.

774
01:09:29,960 --> 01:09:34,119
Yeah, I don't see that happening, buddy. I unlocked his shackles and

775
01:09:34,199 --> 01:09:41,800
fetched this tray. He took it, but lingered for a second. You're

776
01:09:41,880 --> 01:09:46,439
going to, he said, with
no hint of a joke. It's already

777
01:09:46,520 --> 01:09:51,720
decided. Oh, no one showed
me that memo. I chuckled. You're

778
01:09:51,720 --> 01:09:58,399
good in there. Someone said,
bad things happened to you, Mary said,

779
01:09:59,079 --> 01:10:03,279
and that's why you're here. Well, that makes two of us have

780
01:10:03,359 --> 01:10:09,560
a nice dinner. I walked away, but couldn't help but to look back

781
01:10:09,840 --> 01:10:14,840
as those long fingers slid back inside. The dark room gave me the creeps

782
01:10:14,880 --> 01:10:17,760
every time, And sure, I
had to get the tray and cuffs back

783
01:10:17,840 --> 01:10:25,520
up in a bit, but that
was just part of the job. The

784
01:10:25,640 --> 01:10:30,399
next night, it was fish sticks, not too shabby, but far from

785
01:10:30,439 --> 01:10:34,840
fresh. There were only three people
in solitary that night, two guys who

786
01:10:34,880 --> 01:10:43,680
tried to kill each other, and
Mary always merry. As soon as I

787
01:10:43,720 --> 01:10:48,560
approached those blue hands slid back out, I had to look away. There

788
01:10:48,640 --> 01:10:53,760
was something about the texture of his
hands that made me feel weird, like

789
01:10:53,840 --> 01:10:57,800
they were always a bit too slick, like a thin cover of soap.

790
01:10:59,119 --> 01:11:02,439
This time, he didn't skip a
beat. You're going to let me out,

791
01:11:02,800 --> 01:11:06,960
he said. It's already decided.
You keep saying it, But this

792
01:11:08,079 --> 01:11:12,640
door just seems as sturdy today as
it did yesterday. If you come in,

793
01:11:13,159 --> 01:11:15,840
you'll see why you're going to let
me out. You mean, if

794
01:11:15,880 --> 01:11:20,399
I open this door without any kind
of backup of supervision. Yeah, I

795
01:11:20,479 --> 01:11:25,960
got a pretty good idea why you'd
get out if I did. That's not

796
01:11:26,039 --> 01:11:32,000
it. I unlocked his shackles and
he took his tray. It disappeared into

797
01:11:32,039 --> 01:11:39,239
the darkness, but Mary kept talking. You being here is proof that I

798
01:11:39,319 --> 01:11:43,880
made it, he said. Then
I'll get out. I'm not following.

799
01:11:44,920 --> 01:11:48,000
They told me you lost a lot
of things, your dad, your girl,

800
01:11:48,479 --> 01:11:57,000
your apartment. There was poison in
his words, deep seething poison.

801
01:11:58,199 --> 01:12:01,359
I'll be honest. I did to
break his goddamn hands when he said it.

802
01:12:02,399 --> 01:12:08,319
But what bothered me more was where
he'd heard it from. There was

803
01:12:08,399 --> 01:12:11,920
no one around to talk to him, and as a rule, we didn't

804
01:12:11,920 --> 01:12:16,119
talk to inmates about our personal lives, neither our own nor that of other

805
01:12:16,159 --> 01:12:24,760
employees. Someone must have slipped.
Look, that's personal, I said,

806
01:12:25,239 --> 01:12:30,880
that's none of your business. Then
how do I know your dad got hit

807
01:12:30,359 --> 01:12:38,239
by a white Corolla? I banged
on the door. I didn't even know

808
01:12:38,319 --> 01:12:43,359
why. It was just this instinctual
reaction to shut him up. But of

809
01:12:43,359 --> 01:12:48,960
course that just made him laugh.
How the hell did he know it had

810
01:12:49,000 --> 01:12:53,479
been a hit and run and the
color of the car was only a footnote

811
01:12:53,560 --> 01:12:57,920
in the police report. That's not
funny, I spat, and you're not

812
01:12:58,000 --> 01:13:01,359
making any new friends by being an
asshole. I don't care, little man,

813
01:13:01,880 --> 01:13:09,520
he continued, because you're going to
let me out, not of my

814
01:13:09,600 --> 01:13:15,720
goddamn life. I took the tray
back from him before he finished his dinner,

815
01:13:15,960 --> 01:13:20,720
and I shackled him right back up. He didn't resist. It shut

816
01:13:20,760 --> 01:13:27,439
him up for a while, but
it was a faint victory. I asked

817
01:13:27,439 --> 01:13:31,039
to be transferred to another shift,
but there just wasn't any other people available.

818
01:13:32,039 --> 01:13:36,720
Hiring was rough. We were basically
on our own. If we lost

819
01:13:36,840 --> 01:13:42,079
one person to sickness, we'd be
out of luck at that point. So

820
01:13:42,319 --> 01:13:47,199
no, there was no option to
switch. It couldn't be done. I

821
01:13:47,279 --> 01:13:51,720
didn't want to go back to Mary. I really didn't. I didn't know

822
01:13:51,800 --> 01:13:55,880
who was talking to him, and
I didn't like what he was saying.

823
01:13:57,119 --> 01:14:01,079
I checked and double checked, and
there was no mistake making that white Corolla.

824
01:14:01,239 --> 01:14:04,640
It had gone sixty and a thirty
mile per hours street and killed him

825
01:14:04,640 --> 01:14:11,000
on impact before disappearing down a dirt
road. The thing was just gone.

826
01:14:12,399 --> 01:14:15,920
The police said he might have been
deliberate, that it was too fast to

827
01:14:15,960 --> 01:14:19,840
be an accident, and in my
mind's eye, I could see blue hands

828
01:14:20,000 --> 01:14:27,199
on the steering wheel. When I
walked up to Merry Cell with a tray

829
01:14:27,239 --> 01:14:31,079
of meatballs and mashed potatoes. I
was genuinely scared of what he might say.

830
01:14:32,439 --> 01:14:36,920
Every word felt like a threat.
Could he really say something to make

831
01:14:38,000 --> 01:14:42,319
me let him out? What if
he could, what would it be?

832
01:14:44,000 --> 01:14:48,479
Hands out? I said, knocking
on his door. You're not letting me

833
01:14:48,520 --> 01:14:54,600
out tonight, he sighed. I
know that, but it's gonna happen.

834
01:14:56,000 --> 01:15:00,680
Yeah, yeah, I shrode.
That's all I want to do. Did

835
01:15:00,680 --> 01:15:04,479
they tell you what I did how
I did it? I got a pretty

836
01:15:04,520 --> 01:15:14,479
good picture helium poisoning, painless asphyxiation. They didn't feel a thing. I

837
01:15:14,520 --> 01:15:17,520
didn't respond. I just took off
his shackles and gave him the tray.

838
01:15:18,640 --> 01:15:23,880
I'm not a monster, you know, he added. I just do what

839
01:15:24,000 --> 01:15:28,239
I have to do, eat up, and leave the tray, I said,

840
01:15:28,319 --> 01:15:32,319
as I walked off. Maybe ask
your ex about Beverly, he shouted

841
01:15:32,359 --> 01:15:36,640
through the slit in the door.
I could almost see his lips moving.

842
01:15:38,640 --> 01:15:45,079
I'm sure you'll find it an illuminating
conversation. I didn't want to do it.

843
01:15:45,720 --> 01:15:48,800
I didn't want to talk about it, and I didn't want to think

844
01:15:48,800 --> 01:15:56,840
about it. But god damn it, there was something there In the last

845
01:15:56,880 --> 01:16:02,119
fight we'd had, she shouted,
that name Beverly. I didn't know a

846
01:16:02,239 --> 01:16:08,119
Beverly, and at that moment I
didn't care. But it was such a

847
01:16:08,239 --> 01:16:14,640
specific name the chance that Mary just
picked it up on random was improbable.

848
01:16:15,199 --> 01:16:19,560
So the next shift, before my
work, I decided to give my eggs

849
01:16:19,600 --> 01:16:25,840
a call. Things are calmed down, after all. There was a cold

850
01:16:25,880 --> 01:16:30,840
greeting and even called her small talk. Finally, she just called me out.

851
01:16:31,199 --> 01:16:36,000
Just tell me what you want,
she asked. I want to talk

852
01:16:36,039 --> 01:16:42,319
about Beverly. I said, you
said a name once. What you're getting

853
01:16:42,319 --> 01:16:46,840
remarried? Want to bury the hatchet? No? I what you want me

854
01:16:46,880 --> 01:16:50,840
to forgive? You? Give you
my blessing? What are you talking about?

855
01:16:54,560 --> 01:16:59,399
There was a moment of silence.
She scoffed the skank you're dating.

856
01:17:00,479 --> 01:17:04,800
I'm not dating Beverly, I said, never have. Don't give me that.

857
01:17:05,039 --> 01:17:10,159
I saw your emails, her video, her insta. Look, I

858
01:17:10,199 --> 01:17:14,720
don't know any Beverly. She screamed
to use the name and cut the call.

859
01:17:15,399 --> 01:17:20,880
I got online and looked her up. Beverly was maybe eight years younger

860
01:17:20,880 --> 01:17:27,319
than me, and absolutely stunning.
She'd only been active for a few months,

861
01:17:27,680 --> 01:17:32,000
where she uploaded a sort of daily
video blog. It was heartbreaking.

862
01:17:33,319 --> 01:17:38,039
In every post, she talked about
the issues of being the other woman,

863
01:17:38,840 --> 01:17:43,760
a vlog kind of thing, daily
outfit posts memes, a sort of strange

864
01:17:43,800 --> 01:17:47,960
mix. This is the woman she
thought I'd been involved with through some kind

865
01:17:48,000 --> 01:17:55,720
of email. It didn't make sense, and how the hell did Mary know

866
01:17:55,800 --> 01:18:01,279
about this? This haunted me.
I didn't know what to think, and

867
01:18:01,399 --> 01:18:06,520
I felt myself coming back to Mary
and his blue hands. I had this

868
01:18:06,800 --> 01:18:12,600
constant sense of him being with me, looking at me. It felt like

869
01:18:12,680 --> 01:18:16,560
I was missing something. I could
feel that strange, slick texture as the

870
01:18:16,640 --> 01:18:21,239
hands wrapped around my neck. Whenever
I let my mind wonder, I could

871
01:18:21,279 --> 01:18:26,039
feel his presence in the backseat of
my car, riding along with me,

872
01:18:27,079 --> 01:18:30,199
And once I had a stop sign, I heard him clear as day,

873
01:18:30,319 --> 01:18:39,399
right behind me. You're gonna let
me out, but there was no one

874
01:18:39,439 --> 01:18:45,600
there. The next time I went
back, I skipped the tray. We

875
01:18:45,600 --> 01:18:49,479
we're gonna figure this out. I
finished my coffee and thundered down the hall,

876
01:18:49,760 --> 01:18:56,000
ignoring the other inmates. Mary had
some explaining to do, and I

877
01:18:56,079 --> 01:19:01,159
was goddamn terrified of what he was
gonna say, but I needed to hear

878
01:19:01,199 --> 01:19:05,840
it. You're going to tell me
what you know right now? I said,

879
01:19:06,239 --> 01:19:12,079
I've had my black coffee and I'll
break your goddamn hands. You let

880
01:19:12,119 --> 01:19:18,079
me out and it'll all be clear, chuckled Mary. I promise it's kind

881
01:19:18,079 --> 01:19:24,359
of written on the wall. At
this point, I smacked my nightstick against

882
01:19:24,399 --> 01:19:30,039
the door. No more games,
then come in, teach me a lesson.

883
01:19:30,199 --> 01:19:38,479
Open the door. I calmed down. Maybe this was how he got

884
01:19:38,479 --> 01:19:45,560
to me, tricking me. That
wasn't gonna work, no way. Your

885
01:19:45,600 --> 01:19:49,199
shift starts at ten fifteen. Mary
said, you take your black coffee and

886
01:19:49,319 --> 01:19:56,359
you came here. First thing you
did. Hold on. He shoveled off

887
01:19:56,399 --> 01:20:00,640
into the back of the cell.
There's a strange scratching sound, and he

888
01:20:00,720 --> 01:20:04,680
was gone for a solid minute.
I just listened trying to figure him out.

889
01:20:05,760 --> 01:20:10,239
I showed a flashlight inside, but
he'd hung up a sheet over the

890
01:20:10,319 --> 01:20:24,199
slit in the door. I couldn't
see anything without going inside. So there

891
01:20:24,279 --> 01:20:28,840
was your dad. You reacted to
that? Then a beverly That worked?

892
01:20:29,800 --> 01:20:33,840
What made you lose your last job? Was it? Ah? I'd say,

893
01:20:34,359 --> 01:20:40,279
a veiled drug test, Yeah,
that'll work. What the hell are

894
01:20:40,319 --> 01:20:45,800
you talking about? And you don't
do drugs. Probably some kind of error

895
01:20:45,359 --> 01:20:50,520
maybe a few poppyseed pastries for breakfast. Those things can give a false positive.

896
01:20:51,960 --> 01:20:57,920
I just stood there, mouth wide
open, the morning of the mandatory

897
01:20:58,000 --> 01:21:01,479
drug test, added three pastries to
poppy seeds the bakery down the street.

898
01:21:01,520 --> 01:21:06,800
We're giving them away as a promotional
event. I got this awful pit my

899
01:21:06,920 --> 01:21:12,199
stomach, like he knew more about
me than I did, like it was

900
01:21:12,239 --> 01:21:15,600
about to tell me something horrible,
Like it was standing right behind me,

901
01:21:16,239 --> 01:21:21,840
just soaking up my fear. So
what brought you here? I'll have to

902
01:21:21,880 --> 01:21:28,520
figure that out later. Maybe you
know someone here, he continued, Shut

903
01:21:28,680 --> 01:21:31,279
up, I said, hitting the
door. I'm telling you to shut up.

904
01:21:33,680 --> 01:21:39,079
I looked over my shoulder. There
was no one else here. Why

905
01:21:39,239 --> 01:21:44,600
was I feeling? Watched? Calm
down. Mary said, we're getting to

906
01:21:44,680 --> 01:21:49,000
the end. You're about to let
me out. Never, I spat,

907
01:21:49,520 --> 01:21:55,000
You're going to rot in here,
don't you understand? He yelled back,

908
01:21:55,479 --> 01:22:00,760
The fact that you're here proves that
I'm right. How How does that make

909
01:22:00,800 --> 01:22:12,399
any goddamn sense? And then he
told me everything. Mary or Meridian was

910
01:22:12,439 --> 01:22:17,479
given an opportunity. If he followed
a very specific set of events, he

911
01:22:17,520 --> 01:22:24,760
would be given a great gift.
Non locality he said, but you need

912
01:22:24,800 --> 01:22:30,079
to dissociate hard enough, basically,
turn yourself crazy enough for reality not to

913
01:22:30,119 --> 01:22:33,560
make sense anymore, or rather for
you as a person not to make sense

914
01:22:33,600 --> 01:22:40,279
to reality the other way around.
As a part of this delusion, he

915
01:22:40,399 --> 01:22:44,880
killed three of his students. He
burned himself with chemicals. Then, seemingly

916
01:22:45,159 --> 01:22:50,239
as part of his plan, he
willingly went to jail. Years of darkness,

917
01:22:50,239 --> 01:22:57,039
he added, isolation like being in
a sensory deprivation tank. I need

918
01:22:57,039 --> 01:23:03,279
it, I crave it. Then
I'm done, and all for for what

919
01:23:04,800 --> 01:23:12,000
to be unbound, no causality,
no rules, nonlinearity, and the fact

920
01:23:12,079 --> 01:23:15,279
that you're standing here is all the
proof. Then I need to know that

921
01:23:15,399 --> 01:23:19,760
it's going to work. And why
is that? Don't you get it?

922
01:23:23,319 --> 01:23:27,319
A blue hand slipped out of the
slit in the door and pointed at me.

923
01:23:28,800 --> 01:23:31,760
I did all this to you.
I put you here. Some day

924
01:23:31,920 --> 01:23:35,560
you will let me out, because
if you didn't, I wouldn't get you

925
01:23:35,640 --> 01:23:41,279
to come here. And that time
is drawing close. I don't need this

926
01:23:41,399 --> 01:23:48,079
darkness anymore. I feel it.
I'm done. That's impossible, I said,

927
01:23:48,479 --> 01:23:56,399
that's literally impossible. Then why are
you sliding down the wall feeling sleepy.

928
01:23:58,800 --> 01:24:02,159
I hadn't even noticed. I was
nodding off right there in the hall.

929
01:24:02,960 --> 01:24:05,920
I tried to touch my face to
see if I could feel anything.

930
01:24:08,000 --> 01:24:14,720
Did you? Yes, Mary said, I drugged you. I couldn't have

931
01:24:14,920 --> 01:24:17,560
if you hadn't told me about the
black coffee. But now that you did,

932
01:24:18,039 --> 01:24:21,680
I could. It's all on the
list, and what's on the list

933
01:24:21,920 --> 01:24:30,520
is going to happen. I don't
understand. Imagine you could travel through time,

934
01:24:30,000 --> 01:24:35,239
he chuckled. Not today, but
someday. And you promise yourself that

935
01:24:35,319 --> 01:24:39,800
you're going to put a rose outside
your door on this very day, in

936
01:24:39,880 --> 01:24:44,520
this very present, and when you
open your door the rose is there,

937
01:24:45,800 --> 01:24:48,960
then you would know that you're going
to get that power. You know that

938
01:24:49,079 --> 01:24:54,520
you will come here someday. Then
it all comes down to strength of will

939
01:24:55,239 --> 01:25:00,840
to force yourself to remember all that
you're going to do and in the correct

940
01:25:00,960 --> 01:25:09,960
order. That's not I An image
flashed in my head. Blue hands on

941
01:25:10,039 --> 01:25:14,000
the steering wheel of a white Corolla, a man paying the bakery to promote

942
01:25:14,039 --> 01:25:17,359
some pastries. A woman being paid
for a bit of internet theater by an

943
01:25:17,439 --> 01:25:23,760
unknown benefactor. There were dozens of
people standing at the end of the hallway,

944
01:25:24,560 --> 01:25:31,840
thin emaciated men, men with long
fingers and blue hands. I blacked

945
01:25:31,840 --> 01:25:39,319
out. I woke up in the
staff room with a nurse looking into my

946
01:25:39,399 --> 01:25:43,159
eyes. They gave me a check
up and sent me home to rest up.

947
01:25:44,119 --> 01:25:47,600
They gave me a few days off, just to make sure. I

948
01:25:47,720 --> 01:25:53,000
didn't know what to say. I
had my keys, and Mary was still

949
01:25:53,039 --> 01:25:57,319
in his cell. If I was
the one to let him out, all

950
01:25:57,399 --> 01:26:01,159
I had to do to make sure
that didn't happen was the stay away that

951
01:26:01,319 --> 01:26:06,439
I'd ruined his plans, So taking
a few days off seemed perfectly fine.

952
01:26:08,760 --> 01:26:12,640
I was about to leave when Gareth
met me in the parking lot. He

953
01:26:12,760 --> 01:26:16,399
jogged out to say good night and
to see if I was okay. Look,

954
01:26:16,760 --> 01:26:20,279
he said, I know you hate
that shift, but don't worry about

955
01:26:20,319 --> 01:26:25,479
it. They're moving him. Of
her talks about approving a shift change.

956
01:26:26,159 --> 01:26:29,880
It will be someone else's problem and
you'll be back in cell Block D.

957
01:26:30,319 --> 01:26:34,399
What what do you mean? They
heard how much he was messing with you,

958
01:26:34,880 --> 01:26:40,399
Gareth said, and decided it wasn't
worth it. They're moving him.

959
01:26:41,039 --> 01:26:47,560
We can't lose you. What why? I gee? I thought this was

960
01:26:47,600 --> 01:26:55,800
good news. No, I don't
know Gareth patting me on my shoulder and

961
01:26:55,920 --> 01:27:00,960
sent me on my way. I
didn't know what to say. How could

962
01:27:00,000 --> 01:27:06,079
I explain it? Did I even
believe it? I got in my car

963
01:27:06,560 --> 01:27:14,640
and took a deep breath, a
strange chemical smell. I noticed something on

964
01:27:14,720 --> 01:27:20,319
the passenger's seat, a letter.
I took a deep breath and opened it.

965
01:27:23,079 --> 01:27:28,279
Thanks for the help, it said, this one's on me. A

966
01:27:28,359 --> 01:27:33,960
little smiley face had a hundred dollar
bill. I just stared at it.

967
01:27:35,279 --> 01:27:41,279
Suddenly there was a loud bang for
a heartbeat. All I could see were

968
01:27:41,279 --> 01:27:46,000
blue hands simultaneously smacking my car.
I shot out the driver's seat, but

969
01:27:46,079 --> 01:27:51,039
there was no one outside, just
an empty parking lot. Still, I

970
01:27:51,079 --> 01:27:57,720
couldn't help but feel watched. My
pulse pounded behind my eyes, almost popping

971
01:27:57,720 --> 01:28:02,439
a blood vessel. They were out
there. He was out there, watching

972
01:28:02,479 --> 01:28:09,319
me from the dark. He was
still getting out. I knew he was

973
01:28:09,359 --> 01:28:14,600
all around me, unbound. He
could stab me, push me over whatever.

974
01:28:15,680 --> 01:28:20,159
He'd be there and they're not,
and I'd be helpless. I got

975
01:28:20,159 --> 01:28:25,680
this intense sense of paranoia washing over
me, and I didn't know how to

976
01:28:25,760 --> 01:28:30,039
deal with it. I just dug
my fingers into my hair, trying to

977
01:28:30,079 --> 01:28:35,520
force my mind out of that dark
pit. This was my doing. I'd

978
01:28:35,600 --> 01:28:40,560
let him treat me like this,
and because of it, they were going

979
01:28:40,600 --> 01:28:45,000
to move him. During that move, he'd get out. He must have

980
01:28:45,079 --> 01:28:48,239
planned it, and I couldn't do
anything about it since I was off duty.

981
01:28:49,960 --> 01:28:55,399
I took another look at that hundred
dollar bill, and I thought occurred

982
01:28:55,399 --> 01:29:00,159
to me there was something I could
do. I went to the gas station.

983
01:29:02,239 --> 01:29:06,319
I came back the next day with
a backpack. I showed my credentials

984
01:29:06,359 --> 01:29:10,520
and told the gate keeper that I
was there to fetch something from a locker.

985
01:29:11,600 --> 01:29:15,159
It was fine, Danny knows me. I got in on the day

986
01:29:15,199 --> 01:29:19,640
shift and waved at the others.
A few of them asked how I was

987
01:29:19,720 --> 01:29:26,159
doing. What I was doing,
the regular chitchat all smiles and waves.

988
01:29:27,560 --> 01:29:31,680
Prison transfers take place in the early
afternoon. It'll only be a short walk,

989
01:29:32,279 --> 01:29:38,000
but that might be all the time
he needed to escape. I used

990
01:29:38,000 --> 01:29:41,880
my keys to get past cell block
D. I knew I get stuck on

991
01:29:41,880 --> 01:29:45,720
a camera, but I also knew
that prisoners were out in the yard.

992
01:29:45,399 --> 01:29:51,079
No one was watching the tapes,
not this close to lunch. I walked

993
01:29:51,079 --> 01:29:57,399
straight into the solitary ward and all
the way up to Mary's door. Wait,

994
01:29:57,840 --> 01:30:04,479
he said, yep, you're here. Yeah, No, that doesn't

995
01:30:04,479 --> 01:30:11,039
make any sense. Sent me home, then have someone shoot me. I'm

996
01:30:11,079 --> 01:30:17,279
waiting. No, wait, that
doesn't hold on. There was a shuffle

997
01:30:17,439 --> 01:30:21,720
as Mary hurried into the back of
his cell. I couldn't feel them here.

998
01:30:23,439 --> 01:30:28,560
We were alone. I unzipped my
back back and took out a doorstopper.

999
01:30:29,319 --> 01:30:33,279
I shoved it under the door.
That thing wasn't moving anytime soon.

1000
01:30:34,520 --> 01:30:40,039
I stepped over to the fire alarm
and pulled the handle. The emergency doors

1001
01:30:40,079 --> 01:30:45,399
opened with a violent blaring siren.
Every door swung open, but Mary's.

1002
01:30:47,159 --> 01:30:51,680
I was lucky that time. No
one in the solitary ward but Mary and

1003
01:30:51,720 --> 01:30:58,920
I. Hold on, what are
you doing? I took out one more

1004
01:30:58,960 --> 01:31:04,640
thing from my backpack, I can
of gasoline. I shoved it through a

1005
01:31:04,720 --> 01:31:11,039
slit in the door, tearing down
the sheet he'd hung up. Oh you're

1006
01:31:11,159 --> 01:31:16,000
killing me, that's what this is
it? Yeah, and I see no

1007
01:31:16,119 --> 01:31:21,439
little blue hands trying to stop me. So I guess it's working. Maybe

1008
01:31:21,479 --> 01:31:26,760
you're missing the point. Maybe you're
not doing what you're supposed to. And

1009
01:31:26,880 --> 01:31:30,520
how exactly is that a bad thing. It keeps you from getting out.

1010
01:31:31,680 --> 01:31:36,279
Half a can was enough. It
was leaking under the door. I took

1011
01:31:36,279 --> 01:31:41,800
out a gasolene soaked rag, lit
it on fire, and tossed it through

1012
01:31:41,840 --> 01:31:47,560
the slit. For a split second, the room lit up, the walls,

1013
01:31:47,720 --> 01:31:53,199
the bed, even Mary. I
got a short view of the room

1014
01:31:53,239 --> 01:31:58,239
as it was and what he was
doing in there. He had drawn things

1015
01:31:58,239 --> 01:32:02,600
on the wall and the floor,
white corolla, beverly poppy seeds, black

1016
01:32:02,600 --> 01:32:08,760
coffee. The wall was full of
things, arrows, lines, and squares,

1017
01:32:09,640 --> 01:32:15,960
all related to me. These were
all things he was gonna do when

1018
01:32:15,000 --> 01:32:19,119
he got out, And he was
so convinced that I was the one to

1019
01:32:19,199 --> 01:32:25,640
let him out, so convinced that
it had all started to happen. And

1020
01:32:25,760 --> 01:32:31,239
then there was Mary himself. He
was more bone than man, sunken eyes,

1021
01:32:31,439 --> 01:32:35,159
like he hadn't slept for weeks.
He had torn his hair out and

1022
01:32:35,279 --> 01:32:41,920
bit off his finger nails. This
was a completely senseless man, and he

1023
01:32:42,039 --> 01:32:46,600
stared at me with unblinking eyes.
But in that moment, as the flame

1024
01:32:46,720 --> 01:32:51,760
started to lick him and the fire
spread into the hallway, he looked me

1025
01:32:51,920 --> 01:33:00,359
in the eyes and smiled. I
just bolted out of there. Hundreds of

1026
01:33:00,399 --> 01:33:04,720
inmates were gathering in the yard,
and I could already hear sirens. I

1027
01:33:04,720 --> 01:33:11,199
could see flames bursting out of the
solitary ward before the firefighters could get there,

1028
01:33:11,880 --> 01:33:16,640
one of the walls completely collapsed,
and I saw him, just for

1029
01:33:16,680 --> 01:33:24,680
a brief second, I saw that
emaziated man standing in the flames, holding

1030
01:33:24,720 --> 01:33:29,640
his hands out like he was receiving
a gift. The chemicals in his arms

1031
01:33:29,640 --> 01:33:34,279
ignited with a bright green and they
burned straight through the wall. And the

1032
01:33:34,439 --> 01:33:43,039
thought hit me, Technically, he
was out. He might be on fire,

1033
01:33:43,119 --> 01:33:47,359
but he was out, and in
that split second, in that heartbeat,

1034
01:33:48,840 --> 01:33:55,199
like snuffing out a candle. Hours
later, the fire was put out.

1035
01:33:56,239 --> 01:34:00,800
It didn't spread. Turns out that
part of the jail had a peculiar

1036
01:34:00,840 --> 01:34:04,359
type of stone. There was weak
to high temperatures. The stonework just crumbled

1037
01:34:05,079 --> 01:34:11,039
some kind of exposure to a certain
chemical, a blue one with a green

1038
01:34:11,119 --> 01:34:17,399
flame. The construction crew had jeeped
out on materials many years ago. There

1039
01:34:17,399 --> 01:34:21,720
were no records, they'd forgotten to
change the tapes from last night. There

1040
01:34:21,720 --> 01:34:29,039
were no visitors logs, barely anyone
remembered me even being there. And lastly,

1041
01:34:30,359 --> 01:34:35,760
there was no body recovered in that
cell. As I got back in

1042
01:34:35,840 --> 01:34:41,640
my car, I just held my
breath, waiting for something to happen.

1043
01:34:42,560 --> 01:34:47,239
A knife at my throat. Possibilities
passed through my mind in another place,

1044
01:34:47,439 --> 01:34:54,640
it all really happened, violent images
of myself getting stabbed, burned, tortured,

1045
01:34:54,640 --> 01:34:59,960
and flayed, a world where everyone
turned to wassh And I was placed

1046
01:35:00,199 --> 01:35:04,640
in front of a throne of bone
as a prize jester. Dark figures rising

1047
01:35:04,680 --> 01:35:10,359
from the earth, tearing the world
apart, breaking the ground like an eggshell.

1048
01:35:11,760 --> 01:35:17,159
I cried. It was seconds away
at most, but minutes passed.

1049
01:35:18,960 --> 01:35:25,079
I found a letter on the passenger
seat. It hadn't been there three seconds

1050
01:35:25,119 --> 01:35:30,239
ago. It took me a solid
fifteen minutes to work up the courage to

1051
01:35:30,399 --> 01:35:36,119
open it. You got me out, it said, with a smiling face.

1052
01:35:38,359 --> 01:35:53,319
And there was another hundred dollar bill. Marin had plenty of friends at

1053
01:35:53,319 --> 01:35:57,199
school, but he lived out in
the suburbs, and the neighborhood he lived

1054
01:35:57,239 --> 01:36:01,000
in rarely had kids' age. When
Van first moved in across the street,

1055
01:36:01,319 --> 01:36:06,960
the two became fast friends. Van
was homeschooled by his parents, which Marin

1056
01:36:06,960 --> 01:36:12,560
thought was kind of weird and lame. But otherwise it was cool as hell.

1057
01:36:13,640 --> 01:36:17,640
They were the same age, but
Van always seemed older and smarter In

1058
01:36:17,680 --> 01:36:21,079
a weird way. It was like
having the older brother he'd always wanted.

1059
01:36:23,479 --> 01:36:29,119
They'd spent hours playing games or out
exploring, and over time Marin found himself

1060
01:36:29,279 --> 01:36:32,279
wanting school to be over just so
we could go hang out with his real

1061
01:36:32,359 --> 01:36:39,159
best friend. Yet as close as
they were, it was nearly a year

1062
01:36:39,319 --> 01:36:44,760
before Marin became aware of a strange
custom Van's family kept to every single day.

1063
01:36:45,239 --> 01:36:49,720
Marin already knew that Van's grandmother also
lived with his family, but she

1064
01:36:49,840 --> 01:36:54,960
slept most of the time and never
left her upstairs bedroom so far as Maren

1065
01:36:55,079 --> 01:37:00,680
knew. What he came to learn, however, was that every morning an

1066
01:37:00,720 --> 01:37:04,479
evening, Van had to spend an
hour with her. At first, he

1067
01:37:04,560 --> 01:37:09,640
thought it was just Van's parents wanting
him to spend time with his grandmother before

1068
01:37:09,680 --> 01:37:15,319
she died, but over time Van
said enough that he learned she was always

1069
01:37:15,359 --> 01:37:18,760
asleep when he was in there,
and it wasn't just about him sitting in

1070
01:37:18,800 --> 01:37:23,520
their board with a sleeping old lady
for a couple of hours a day.

1071
01:37:24,239 --> 01:37:28,760
Van was embarrassed, but eventually snuck
Marin in during one of his visits with

1072
01:37:28,840 --> 01:37:33,560
his grandmother. Marin didn't know what
to expect. Van sat in a chair

1073
01:37:33,680 --> 01:37:38,760
next to her and turned on a
tape player, then started playing some sad

1074
01:37:38,800 --> 01:37:44,279
old song. He then picked up
a brown spiral bound notebook and started reading

1075
01:37:44,279 --> 01:37:49,399
from it. Hello, Granny,
my name is Vanderbilt Ammerson, but you

1076
01:37:49,640 --> 01:37:54,640
and everyone else calls me Van.
I don't remember when I was born,

1077
01:37:55,039 --> 01:37:59,640
but you do. It was a
snowy night up in Empire, which is

1078
01:37:59,680 --> 01:38:02,880
where we all lived back then.
You sat with my father in the hospital

1079
01:38:03,000 --> 01:38:08,159
waiting room, keeping him calm until
the doctor came out and said I was

1080
01:38:08,239 --> 01:38:13,039
born. You were fifty three years
old. Then it was January third of

1081
01:38:13,239 --> 01:38:17,800
nineteen seventy two. And what are
you doing in here? Van broke off

1082
01:38:17,840 --> 01:38:23,439
reading as we both turned to stare
at his mother. She looked pale and

1083
01:38:23,680 --> 01:38:28,640
scared as she looked between us,
but color came back as her expression grew

1084
01:38:28,680 --> 01:38:32,000
angry. Van, you know no
one can be in here during this given

1085
01:38:32,039 --> 01:38:36,760
your little friend. You go back
to reading now. As I started to

1086
01:38:36,840 --> 01:38:42,399
stand, she grabbed my shoulder firmly
and propelled me out the door, closing

1087
01:38:42,439 --> 01:38:46,880
it behind us. She gave me
her forced smile. Sorry, he has

1088
01:38:47,000 --> 01:38:51,319
to do that alone. It's a
private family thing, so please don't mention

1089
01:38:51,359 --> 01:38:59,000
it to anyone, all right,
Marin? I nodded with a frown.

1090
01:39:00,319 --> 01:39:03,720
Yeah, sure, missus Emerson.
But what was all that? Why was

1091
01:39:03,760 --> 01:39:09,199
he saying he was born so longer? She gave my shoulder another firm squeeze.

1092
01:39:10,000 --> 01:39:14,000
Private, Marin, I know you're
his true friend, so I ask

1093
01:39:14,119 --> 01:39:17,720
you keep this to yourself and don't
pry any further, even with him.

1094
01:39:18,119 --> 01:39:25,199
He's very sensitive about it, you
understand. I didn't, not really,

1095
01:39:26,079 --> 01:39:30,279
but I still nodded, seeming to
be satisfied. She let me go and

1096
01:39:30,439 --> 01:39:36,439
led me down to watch TV until
he was finished. Van didn't mention it

1097
01:39:36,560 --> 01:39:42,960
again when he came down, and
I left it alone. Me cautiously avoided

1098
01:39:43,079 --> 01:39:46,239
mentioning it for the next several years. As odd as that might seem from

1099
01:39:46,279 --> 01:39:50,960
the outside, it was weird,
sure, and I was still curious,

1100
01:39:51,560 --> 01:39:56,520
but I cared about him and his
family, and I guess my desire to

1101
01:39:56,640 --> 01:40:01,279
understand was outweighed by my love and
respect for them. When it came up

1102
01:40:01,399 --> 01:40:05,880
next, we were fifteen, and
Van was kind of the one that brought

1103
01:40:05,960 --> 01:40:10,880
it up. A bunch of guys
from school were going to go camping,

1104
01:40:11,439 --> 01:40:15,720
and I'd invited Van to go,
but he said he couldn't go because he

1105
01:40:15,800 --> 01:40:19,199
had to read to his grandmother every
morning and night. He was mad about

1106
01:40:19,239 --> 01:40:24,600
it, said how he thought it
was stupid and nothing was going to happen

1107
01:40:24,640 --> 01:40:29,319
if he missed once or twice,
but that his parents wouldn't hear of it.

1108
01:40:30,560 --> 01:40:32,560
When I told him he wasn't a
big deal, that I could hang

1109
01:40:32,640 --> 01:40:36,720
back and we could just camp in
the backyard or something instead, he seemed

1110
01:40:36,720 --> 01:40:42,960
to get angrier, though he was
sad now too. No, you can't

1111
01:40:42,960 --> 01:40:45,920
do that. You're my best friend, man, but you have to live.

1112
01:40:45,439 --> 01:40:49,680
I don't want you trapped just because
I am. I wanted to ask

1113
01:40:49,800 --> 01:40:54,520
what he meant, but I held
back. If he wanted to tell me

1114
01:40:54,960 --> 01:40:59,720
in time, he would. Instead, we just played cards for another hour,

1115
01:41:00,279 --> 01:41:04,039
and then I went home to pack
for the camping trip. The trip

1116
01:41:04,199 --> 01:41:08,920
was fun, but it was all
tempered by my guilt at leaving Van behind.

1117
01:41:09,960 --> 01:41:13,800
It wasn't fair how his family treated
him, wanting him to spend so

1118
01:41:14,000 --> 01:41:17,600
much time with someone who probably didn't
even know he was there, And really,

1119
01:41:17,960 --> 01:41:20,840
what was the big deal if he
skipped their dumb ritual once in a

1120
01:41:20,880 --> 01:41:26,920
while. It was all frustrating,
and by the second night I sat up

1121
01:41:27,000 --> 01:41:30,479
late poking the camp fire. I
decided I was going to talk to him

1122
01:41:30,520 --> 01:41:35,399
about it when we got back the
next day. Hey man, what's up?

1123
01:41:36,840 --> 01:41:42,319
I jumped and gave her a small
yell. Looking around, I saw

1124
01:41:42,439 --> 01:41:45,119
Van at the edge of the camp
fire, grinning at me. What the

1125
01:41:45,199 --> 01:41:49,079
hell, man, what are you
doing out here? He gave a small

1126
01:41:49,159 --> 01:41:53,840
laugh, Just coming to hang out
a plan on getting here earlier, But

1127
01:41:54,439 --> 01:41:57,760
damn, this place is kinda far
out, and I had to walk the

1128
01:41:57,880 --> 01:42:02,119
last part. After catching a ride
at the gas station. Van glanced around

1129
01:42:02,159 --> 01:42:06,560
at the campground with its neatly cord
enough tent site and built in campfire.

1130
01:42:08,720 --> 01:42:12,720
Still, you guys aren't exactly roughing
it in the deep woods, so it

1131
01:42:12,880 --> 01:42:15,479
wasn't too hard to find you.
When I got to the parking lot,

1132
01:42:15,880 --> 01:42:19,199
I was happy to see him,
but I still felt a small worm of

1133
01:42:19,319 --> 01:42:24,880
worry in my belly. I leaned
forward, keeping my voice too low to

1134
01:42:25,000 --> 01:42:30,000
be heard by the nearby tents.
Van, aren't you going to get in

1135
01:42:30,079 --> 01:42:32,640
trouble or something? Did you at
least do your evening time with your Granny

1136
01:42:34,720 --> 01:42:40,600
Van's expression darkened as he shook his
head. No, screw that. I'm

1137
01:42:40,680 --> 01:42:43,920
done with it. And if I'm
ever going to convince my parents it's bs.

1138
01:42:44,319 --> 01:42:46,399
Now is the time I didn't read
to her tonight, and I won't

1139
01:42:46,399 --> 01:42:50,600
be there to do it in the
morning either. I puffed out of breath.

1140
01:42:51,560 --> 01:42:56,239
Okay, well, yeah, man, if that's what you want,

1141
01:42:56,520 --> 01:43:01,800
but your mom's going to be furious. Friend letter, maybe this will wake

1142
01:43:01,840 --> 01:43:05,520
her up. I love him,
but damn man, they are way to

1143
01:43:05,640 --> 01:43:11,600
up tight about all this swallowing.
I decided to get it out before I

1144
01:43:11,720 --> 01:43:16,279
lost my nerve. Yeah about that? Why do you do it? Oh?

1145
01:43:16,520 --> 01:43:19,880
Why do they want you reading all
that stuff? Is there more than

1146
01:43:19,960 --> 01:43:25,399
what I saw that one time sitting
down on a log across the fire.

1147
01:43:25,880 --> 01:43:29,520
He shook his head slowly, and
I felt bad because I could see he

1148
01:43:29,640 --> 01:43:32,960
was embarrassed. I went to take
the questions back, but he raised his

1149
01:43:33,079 --> 01:43:38,840
hand to stop me. Nah,
I'll tell you. If I'm going to

1150
01:43:38,960 --> 01:43:43,199
tell anybody, it might as well
be you. It's weird stuff. Though.

1151
01:43:44,520 --> 01:43:47,159
Trying to keep my face neutral,
I just nodded and kept quiet.

1152
01:43:47,319 --> 01:43:54,199
As he went on. He sighed, to answer your question, yeah,

1153
01:43:54,760 --> 01:43:59,399
there's tons more to it. Forty
five pages now there. It gets longer

1154
01:43:59,479 --> 01:44:04,239
as I get older, it he
paused, looking across the flames at me.

1155
01:44:05,479 --> 01:44:10,640
Sheeez going to think are all freaks? If I tell you, I

1156
01:44:10,720 --> 01:44:14,279
shook my head. I won't don't
tell me if you don't want to,

1157
01:44:14,439 --> 01:44:16,880
but I won't think bad of you
or them. You're my best bud.

1158
01:44:17,159 --> 01:44:24,039
I know you're cool. He grinned
at me and shrugged. Okay, screw

1159
01:44:24,119 --> 01:44:29,119
it. So they have me read
all this stuff about myself. The first

1160
01:44:29,159 --> 01:44:31,880
part is really weird. That's the
part you heard that day when we were

1161
01:44:31,960 --> 01:44:38,000
younger. It's all this stuff about
me being born in nineteen seventy two and

1162
01:44:38,159 --> 01:44:42,000
my grandmother being there, and more
stuff about me being a baby back then,

1163
01:44:42,680 --> 01:44:46,760
which is crazy because I'd be like
fifty, Yeah, what are they

1164
01:44:46,840 --> 01:44:49,840
talking about? What do they want
you to read? Made up crap?

1165
01:44:51,760 --> 01:44:58,119
He smiled awkwardly at me. Oh, he gets weirder. Okay, I'll

1166
01:44:58,119 --> 01:45:01,520
shut up and listen. Well,
they have me read to her about me

1167
01:45:01,680 --> 01:45:05,760
being a baby, what I looked
like time she spent with me, that

1168
01:45:05,960 --> 01:45:12,840
kind of stuff. Then there's like
a gap until that time I carried you

1169
01:45:13,000 --> 01:45:15,800
up to watch I don't know why
the gap was there, but they sat

1170
01:45:15,880 --> 01:45:20,479
me down and told me, anyway, I'll get to that. So after

1171
01:45:20,560 --> 01:45:25,520
the gap, it jumps to when
I'm a toddler, things I say and

1172
01:45:25,600 --> 01:45:29,920
do, trips I took with my
Grannie. Then I'm older, talking about

1173
01:45:30,000 --> 01:45:33,039
me going to school, her pulling
my first baby tooth, and this just

1174
01:45:33,199 --> 01:45:38,439
goes on until I'm caught up to
the age i'm reading it. That's why

1175
01:45:38,520 --> 01:45:42,960
it gets longer over time. I
said i'd stay quiet, but all this

1176
01:45:43,239 --> 01:45:47,920
was so insane. I blurted out
of question in spite of myself. Why

1177
01:45:49,960 --> 01:45:55,560
Van nodded, That's what I always
wondered. I mean, I've done it

1178
01:45:55,640 --> 01:45:59,159
since I was old enough to read. When I was really young, Mom

1179
01:45:59,199 --> 01:46:02,079
would read it, but she made
me follow along. I've most of it

1180
01:46:02,239 --> 01:46:05,920
memorized, but they taught me to
always read it just to be safe.

1181
01:46:06,680 --> 01:46:12,159
Said it needed to be said just
right and always the same. But I've

1182
01:46:12,159 --> 01:46:15,920
always known it was weird. I'm
home schooled, but I don't think the

1183
01:46:15,000 --> 01:46:19,920
other kids were reading stuff like that. So they're permanently sleeping. Oh yeah,

1184
01:46:20,640 --> 01:46:30,279
that's another thing. She's always asleep
like always. I frowned, How

1185
01:46:30,359 --> 01:46:36,359
does that work. Is she like
in a coma? He shrugged. I

1186
01:46:36,439 --> 01:46:40,680
don't know. They don't feed her
or give her medicine that I can tell.

1187
01:46:41,560 --> 01:46:45,239
They just well they changed the sheets
every two weeks and wipe her off.

1188
01:46:45,880 --> 01:46:49,600
But I don't know how she's alive
like that, But she is alive,

1189
01:46:50,239 --> 01:46:59,840
just always asleep, always dreaming,
dreaming. I could see her shadow

1190
01:46:59,880 --> 01:47:03,319
of fear on his face. Now, yeah, that's what they finally told

1191
01:47:03,359 --> 01:47:09,359
me, or at least that's part
of it. It's going to sound super

1192
01:47:09,439 --> 01:47:13,720
weird, so I apologize ahead of
time. I gave him a smile.

1193
01:47:13,840 --> 01:47:18,239
I didn't feel no man, go
for it, no judgments. Well,

1194
01:47:18,520 --> 01:47:24,079
my parents told me that I was
born in nineteen seventy two at them and

1195
01:47:24,199 --> 01:47:28,560
my grandmother are older than they look. That most people in our family live

1196
01:47:28,680 --> 01:47:32,159
really long lives, and that's why
what happened to me hit them all so

1197
01:47:32,399 --> 01:47:40,640
hard. Okay, what happened to
you? I died, They said,

1198
01:47:40,640 --> 01:47:44,640
I died suddenly when I was two
years old. I think the other kids

1199
01:47:44,680 --> 01:47:46,960
and our family have died young like
that too since, but I was the

1200
01:47:47,079 --> 01:47:54,880
first. And when it happened my
parents and grandmother they kind of went crazy.

1201
01:47:56,399 --> 01:48:00,319
They have a lot of strange beliefs, and they said they tried different

1202
01:48:00,319 --> 01:48:04,399
things to bring me back, but
nothing worked at first. Bring you back

1203
01:48:05,039 --> 01:48:12,159
from being dead, he sighed,
I know, but you have to go

1204
01:48:12,279 --> 01:48:15,960
with it for now. So they
spent years and years trying and nothing ever

1205
01:48:16,039 --> 01:48:21,399
worked. Then finally, after over
thirty years, my grandmother found a way.

1206
01:48:23,560 --> 01:48:29,159
My parents call it the Grand Sleep. Basically, they claim she entered

1207
01:48:29,199 --> 01:48:33,279
this permanent sleep and magic sleep,
and while she's sleeping she can dream things

1208
01:48:33,399 --> 01:48:38,039
and make them real. Only one
thing at a time, though, and

1209
01:48:38,199 --> 01:48:43,479
it takes all the focus to keep
it going all the time. Okay,

1210
01:48:44,079 --> 01:48:49,920
so what did she dream of?
He looked pale in the orange firelight.

1211
01:48:51,399 --> 01:48:57,159
Me. According to my parents,
like eleven years ago, she went into

1212
01:48:57,239 --> 01:49:00,880
the Grand Sleep, and after a
few months of them looking to her about

1213
01:49:00,920 --> 01:49:05,760
me every day, I came back. Oh wow, I wasn't exactly the

1214
01:49:05,840 --> 01:49:11,239
two year old dead version of me. I was four now, but as

1215
01:49:11,319 --> 01:49:15,159
far as they could tell, I
was otherwise the same little boy they'd lost.

1216
01:49:15,279 --> 01:49:19,079
I lasted a week before fizzling out, and they freaked out. But

1217
01:49:19,199 --> 01:49:23,760
they managed to get me back and
keep me by reciting stuff about me to

1218
01:49:23,840 --> 01:49:28,600
work twice every day. It wasn't
because she didn't want to keep me alive.

1219
01:49:28,720 --> 01:49:32,039
They said. She loved me very
much too. It was just that,

1220
01:49:32,640 --> 01:49:38,000
even within knowledge and talents, when
you're in the Grand Sleep, you

1221
01:49:38,079 --> 01:49:42,720
were in a dream, and in
that dream, it's very easy to forget

1222
01:49:42,920 --> 01:49:46,119
what you were doing or even who
you were. And if that happened for

1223
01:49:46,239 --> 01:49:56,680
too long, the thing you were
dreaming into life would disappear. Jesus Ben

1224
01:49:56,880 --> 01:50:00,920
gave me a pain smile and shrug. They that's why they have me read

1225
01:50:00,960 --> 01:50:04,680
it to her. She said.
It works for them, but it's better

1226
01:50:04,760 --> 01:50:10,079
if the dream talks directly to the
dreamer, makes it easier to remind them

1227
01:50:10,199 --> 01:50:13,600
of why they're in the sleep and
how important it is to keep the dream

1228
01:50:13,680 --> 01:50:18,520
alive. He gave a shaky laugh
and wiped out his eyes. Damn,

1229
01:50:19,039 --> 01:50:24,439
I told you it's crazy stuff.
I found my jaws tinting with anger.

1230
01:50:25,560 --> 01:50:29,840
It's messed up, is what it
is. It's child abuse. They taught

1231
01:50:29,880 --> 01:50:32,199
you. They had to read that
crap to her or you die. Stop

1232
01:50:32,239 --> 01:50:38,520
existing. Who does that to a
kid, Marin. They believe it.

1233
01:50:39,039 --> 01:50:43,119
They really do. They're good parents, and they really do love me.

1234
01:50:44,039 --> 01:50:49,439
They're terrified that if I don't the
sound of him died the same moment that

1235
01:50:49,640 --> 01:50:55,880
Van disappeared, as though a shadow
had fallen upon him and devoured him whole.

1236
01:50:57,359 --> 01:51:03,079
Van, Oh God, Van.
I looked for him, but of

1237
01:51:03,199 --> 01:51:08,560
course he wasn't there. And once
I accepted that, I woke up my

1238
01:51:08,640 --> 01:51:12,000
other friends, not to tell them
that Van had been raised in front of

1239
01:51:12,079 --> 01:51:15,439
me, but lying that I was
sick and had to get home right away.

1240
01:51:15,640 --> 01:51:18,800
It was three in the morning when
I got to the neighborhood. But

1241
01:51:18,960 --> 01:51:23,479
when I turned to go to Van's
house instead of my own, I saw

1242
01:51:23,560 --> 01:51:29,840
his mother waiting at the open door. I started crying. I'm sorry,

1243
01:51:30,119 --> 01:51:35,800
I didn't know. She stepped aside
to let me in. Looking at her,

1244
01:51:36,199 --> 01:51:41,600
I could see she'd been crying too. Of course he didn't. How

1245
01:51:41,720 --> 01:51:45,840
could you have? She leaned over
and gave me a brief hug before pulling

1246
01:51:45,920 --> 01:51:50,600
back to look at me. You
were with him when it happened, You

1247
01:51:50,720 --> 01:51:57,720
saw it. I nodded, sniffing
and hon He told you of his nature

1248
01:51:58,359 --> 01:52:02,279
why we hadn't do what he did? Yeah, tonight he did it.

1249
01:52:02,439 --> 01:52:06,520
Was still telling me when it happened. How did you know it happened?

1250
01:52:09,399 --> 01:52:15,560
Her expression was stricken because my mother
died two hours ago after so long of

1251
01:52:15,640 --> 01:52:19,880
sustaining him. They were inextricably bound. She couldn't survive without him any more

1252
01:52:19,920 --> 01:52:27,680
than he could her. But I
thought we I thought maybe she could bring

1253
01:52:27,800 --> 01:52:32,159
him back again, Missus Anderson smiled
at me, sadly, touching my face

1254
01:52:32,279 --> 01:52:36,560
gently. I led her to gasp
and felt a sting on the side of

1255
01:52:36,600 --> 01:52:43,960
my neck. Behind me, mister
Anderson was pulling back a syringe. Not

1256
01:52:44,119 --> 01:52:49,720
with her, Marin, But we
still have hope. He knew. I

1257
01:52:49,840 --> 01:52:54,119
have tried to be a good mother, Marin, I tell myself I have,

1258
01:52:55,000 --> 01:52:58,880
but I have no illusions about the
fact that all my efforts to protect

1259
01:52:58,960 --> 01:53:02,880
my son so limited his life in
so many ways. That's why you've been

1260
01:53:02,960 --> 01:53:08,000
such a blessing to us all.
You gave him a life outside his family.

1261
01:53:08,600 --> 01:53:12,680
A true and good friend there,
in many ways, knows my son

1262
01:53:12,840 --> 01:53:17,439
better than any of us. That's
why it has to be you. Before

1263
01:53:17,600 --> 01:53:21,319
you were placed into the Grand Sleep, you shared your memories of van and

1264
01:53:21,439 --> 01:53:27,720
your innermost thoughts, and most of
it was given willingly, for those things

1265
01:53:27,880 --> 01:53:31,760
had to pry free. I hope
you will forgive me. But writing all

1266
01:53:31,800 --> 01:53:38,079
of this down it reassured me that, like us, you truly love Van

1267
01:53:38,319 --> 01:53:43,000
and want him back, that perhaps
you know him better now than even his

1268
01:53:43,119 --> 01:53:47,359
own mother. So I'll read this
to you every day for as long as

1269
01:53:47,399 --> 01:53:53,600
it takes. The words are correct, and I feel sure that our dedication

1270
01:53:53,800 --> 01:53:58,680
and desire to have him back will
overcome any deficits as a dreamer you have

1271
01:53:58,920 --> 01:54:03,680
compared to my mother. It just
requires willpower and patience, time and love.

1272
01:54:04,640 --> 01:54:10,840
And we have all these things in
spades, don't we. So dream

1273
01:54:10,920 --> 01:54:15,840
deep, dreamer, dream well,
Dream of your friend, our baby.

1274
01:54:15,680 --> 01:54:25,600
Think only of that, and one
day it will be him reading you these

1275
01:54:25,720 --> 01:54:40,119
words. I haven't always been the
best brother, not that I didn't love

1276
01:54:40,239 --> 01:54:44,439
Nathan. I did, but we
were never close after we got into high

1277
01:54:44,479 --> 01:54:47,600
school, and by the time I
hit thirty and lived on the other side

1278
01:54:47,640 --> 01:54:51,840
of the country, it becomes someone
I'd call it Christmas and Birthdays, an

1279
01:54:51,880 --> 01:54:56,720
awkwardly chat with for ten minutes before
one of us decided to let the other

1280
01:54:56,800 --> 01:55:01,199
one off the hook. That changed
the couple of years ago. He started

1281
01:55:01,279 --> 01:55:06,079
calling me more regularly, and he
got less weird. After a few weeks,

1282
01:55:06,359 --> 01:55:11,119
he started opening up more, telling
me more about his life, his

1283
01:55:11,319 --> 01:55:17,920
plans and things that were worrying him. The biggest was his health. He'd

1284
01:55:17,960 --> 01:55:23,359
started feeling tired all the time,
even though he was eating the same and

1285
01:55:23,560 --> 01:55:27,720
made sure to get enough sleep.
Once the fatigue started, I choked to

1286
01:55:27,800 --> 01:55:30,920
them at first that he was just
getting old, and he laughed, but

1287
01:55:31,359 --> 01:55:36,119
I could tell he was still worried. He eventually went and got checked out

1288
01:55:36,159 --> 01:55:41,159
by a doctor, but they said
he was fine other than being a bit

1289
01:55:41,279 --> 01:55:45,600
dehydrated. They gave him some low
grade sleeping pills to help his sleep being

1290
01:55:45,680 --> 01:55:51,039
more RESTful, and suggested he tried
yogur Of all things. To his credit,

1291
01:55:51,399 --> 01:55:56,039
he tried all that and more,
but he just kept getting worse.

1292
01:55:57,279 --> 01:56:00,359
By early last year, I could
tell he was near the end of his

1293
01:56:00,520 --> 01:56:04,119
rope, and I offered to come
out to visit him. He was resistant

1294
01:56:04,199 --> 01:56:10,399
at first, but eventually he let
me fly out for the weekend. When

1295
01:56:10,439 --> 01:56:15,039
he picked me up from the airport, I couldn't hide my shock. He

1296
01:56:15,239 --> 01:56:18,199
was only thirty five, but he
looked like an old man. His hair

1297
01:56:18,359 --> 01:56:23,680
was patchy and gray, and his
skin was loose and sallow. I'd seen

1298
01:56:23,760 --> 01:56:27,520
photos of him from his thirty third
birthday, and he looked strong and healthy.

1299
01:56:28,760 --> 01:56:31,239
Riding back to his house, I
could see the skeletal ridges of his

1300
01:56:31,359 --> 01:56:36,319
hands and tiny wrists as he feebly
gripped the steering wheel like a life preserver

1301
01:56:36,479 --> 01:56:42,840
through every stop, start and turn. When I asked him what was wrong,

1302
01:56:43,199 --> 01:56:46,279
what he was hiding from me,
he just shrugged and shook his head.

1303
01:56:47,560 --> 01:56:51,560
Doctor. Still sound fine, other
than being dehydrated and underweighed. They

1304
01:56:51,640 --> 01:56:57,239
claim I'm exercising too much, but
done, I swear I'm not. I

1305
01:56:57,359 --> 01:57:00,000
haven't been to a gym in over
a year. He gave me a dry

1306
01:57:00,079 --> 01:57:06,560
laugh, too tired. I just
stared at him, Nate, this isn't

1307
01:57:06,600 --> 01:57:11,760
exercising too much. You need to
see a different doctor. Not trying to

1308
01:57:11,840 --> 01:57:15,960
be mean, but you look really
bad, like you've aged a lot.

1309
01:57:16,840 --> 01:57:20,920
When he glanced over at me,
there were tears in his eyes. I

1310
01:57:21,119 --> 01:57:26,600
know, of course, I know, but I've seen five doctors and they

1311
01:57:26,720 --> 01:57:30,640
all say they can't find anything wrong. When I point out how I look,

1312
01:57:30,359 --> 01:57:33,840
they just shrug it off. Say
I'm probably putting my body onto too

1313
01:57:33,960 --> 01:57:40,399
much strain with my exercise regime,
he snorted. One of them actually suggested

1314
01:57:40,600 --> 01:57:44,800
all I needed was a vacation and
some hair dye. I rounded him.

1315
01:57:45,800 --> 01:57:48,800
Are you not drinking enough? I
mean that can miss you upright, and

1316
01:57:48,920 --> 01:57:55,000
they say you're dehydrated. He shrugged
as he grabbed a sports bottle from between

1317
01:57:55,039 --> 01:57:59,600
the seats and took a huge gulp. A year ago I started drinking,

1318
01:58:00,000 --> 01:58:03,720
would answers of water a day,
now up to two hundred. Nothing helps.

1319
01:58:04,800 --> 01:58:10,680
Can you think of anything else that
could be causing it? Nathan hesitated.

1320
01:58:10,720 --> 01:58:15,560
Then he seemed about to say something
more, but then he thought better

1321
01:58:15,640 --> 01:58:20,560
of it and shook his head.
No, nothing that makes sense. I

1322
01:58:20,680 --> 01:58:24,960
didn't push it then, and when
I did push it on the way back

1323
01:58:25,000 --> 01:58:30,039
to the airport two days later,
Nathan resisted, told me he appreciated my

1324
01:58:30,159 --> 01:58:34,479
concern and the visit, but it
was just something he was going to have

1325
01:58:34,640 --> 01:58:40,680
to power through. When he waved
me goodbye, there was a sadness and

1326
01:58:40,880 --> 01:58:45,000
fear in his face that almost made
me go back and force him to tell

1327
01:58:45,079 --> 01:58:48,680
me what he was thinking, what
he wasn't telling me. But even then

1328
01:58:49,359 --> 01:58:55,359
we weren't close enough that I was
comfortable doing that. I told myself that

1329
01:58:55,760 --> 01:58:58,880
he had a right to his privacy, and the best thing I could do

1330
01:58:59,239 --> 01:59:04,439
was be support if I kept talking
to him regularly, up until the time

1331
01:59:04,720 --> 01:59:10,359
he was found dead in his yard
two months ago. We were told that

1332
01:59:10,439 --> 01:59:15,840
the cause of death was cardiac arrest
brought on by extreme exhaustion and dehydration.

1333
01:59:17,239 --> 01:59:21,079
A few weeks later, when I
was helping my parents sort through nate stuff,

1334
01:59:21,800 --> 01:59:26,760
I found a letter he'd written to
me back weeks before he died but

1335
01:59:26,960 --> 01:59:31,319
never sent. I considered showing it
to my mom, but decided it would

1336
01:59:31,359 --> 01:59:35,640
just upset her worse if she knew
his mind was going well before he died.

1337
01:59:36,800 --> 01:59:41,640
When I got home, I read
it again, hoping it would make

1338
01:59:41,720 --> 01:59:45,520
more sense than it had the first
couple of times I read it. It

1339
01:59:45,720 --> 01:59:54,399
said, two years ago, I
was lost driving back from visiting the parents

1340
01:59:54,479 --> 01:59:58,920
of the girl I was dating at
the time. I saw a woman walking

1341
01:59:59,079 --> 02:00:01,680
on the side of the road and
pulled up to her, rode down the

1342
02:00:01,760 --> 02:00:06,680
window and asked which way it was
to the highway. She was a beautiful

1343
02:00:06,760 --> 02:00:11,600
woman. She smiled at me and
asked if she could have a ride.

1344
02:00:12,560 --> 02:00:15,399
I almost said yes, just because
of how she looked, but then I

1345
02:00:15,560 --> 02:00:21,279
hesitated. How did I know she
wasn't dangerous? Being a hot woman didn't

1346
02:00:21,319 --> 02:00:26,560
mean she couldn't hurt or kill me? I tried to ignore a question and

1347
02:00:26,800 --> 02:00:31,680
asked again if she knew which way
it was to the highway. Smiling wider,

1348
02:00:32,119 --> 02:00:36,319
she asked again if I would give
her a ride. Part of it

1349
02:00:36,600 --> 02:00:40,960
was bigcause I figured she was saying
she'd tell me where to go if I

1350
02:00:41,039 --> 02:00:44,800
gave her a ride. Part of
it was because I thought she was flirting

1351
02:00:44,880 --> 02:00:49,600
with me, and despite my fears
and dating Patricia, I was powerfully attracted

1352
02:00:49,640 --> 02:00:54,720
to her. I didn't want to
be that guy, but that didn't stop

1353
02:00:54,760 --> 02:00:59,359
me from wondering what might happen if
I let her into my car. So

1354
02:00:59,520 --> 02:01:02,920
I told her yes. I told
her yes and turned to unlock the doors,

1355
02:01:04,439 --> 02:01:11,039
and when I turned back, she
was gone. It kind of freaked

1356
02:01:11,079 --> 02:01:14,319
me out at the time. I
even got out and looked around for her.

1357
02:01:14,800 --> 02:01:18,479
We're just stupid, but it didn't
matter. I didn't find her or

1358
02:01:18,640 --> 02:01:24,680
anyone else. After a circle of
the car, I got back in and

1359
02:01:24,880 --> 02:01:29,159
drove on, eventually finding a sign
that led me to the highway and on

1360
02:01:29,359 --> 02:01:35,520
home. The nightmares started that night, dreams of running down lonely midnight roads

1361
02:01:35,680 --> 02:01:41,840
and misty swamps, a weight across
my back, something cold and hard lay

1362
02:01:41,880 --> 02:01:45,600
across my tongue tugging me this way
and that as we wove between black cypers

1363
02:01:45,720 --> 02:01:50,840
trees, wet mud splashing against my
legs. When I would start to slow

1364
02:01:51,000 --> 02:01:56,199
or tire, a sharp heel would
jab me in the ribs, spurring me

1365
02:01:56,319 --> 02:02:01,520
forward as a warm breath leaned forward
and whispered curses into my ear. The

1366
02:02:01,680 --> 02:02:06,159
voice tells me that I'm cursed and
I must keep running, that if I

1367
02:02:06,279 --> 02:02:12,239
stop, the curse will catch me
and swallow me whole. I know how

1368
02:02:12,319 --> 02:02:15,359
that all works, but I've had
variations of the dream for nearly two years

1369
02:02:15,479 --> 02:02:20,880
now. I don't tell the doctors
because what good would it do. I

1370
02:02:21,000 --> 02:02:25,720
could bring them pictures of the times
I wake up with dirt or grass covering

1371
02:02:25,760 --> 02:02:30,640
my legs and feet, but they
would only say I'm sleepwalking, or worse

1372
02:02:30,199 --> 02:02:34,880
that I'm lying for attention or have
a mental problem. I've wanted to tell

1373
02:02:34,960 --> 02:02:40,640
you, brother, but I've been
afraid it'd drive you away. When we're

1374
02:02:40,680 --> 02:02:45,439
finally getting close again, none of
that matters anymore. I can feel time

1375
02:02:45,600 --> 02:02:50,880
tightening around me like a noose.
It'll be over soon, and I don't

1376
02:02:50,920 --> 02:02:55,640
want any of you around. When
the lady starts looking for a neon nightmare

1377
02:02:55,680 --> 02:03:00,199
to ride than what I think about
it. I'm better raf to not end

1378
02:03:00,239 --> 02:03:02,800
this at all. I can mean
it as a warning, but if it

1379
02:03:02,920 --> 02:03:08,359
just brings you back to help your
poor crazy brother, how am I protecting

1380
02:03:08,399 --> 02:03:13,600
you at all? No, I'll
just keep acting as normal as I can.

1381
02:03:14,560 --> 02:03:17,760
And when it's done, when I'm
gone, Oh no, she'll be

1382
02:03:17,880 --> 02:03:24,159
gone too. If you find this
letter later, just no, then I'm

1383
02:03:24,239 --> 02:03:29,159
sorry for not being more honest.
And maybe I am crazy after all.

1384
02:03:30,039 --> 02:03:33,720
That would make more sense, wouldn't
it. But I somehow don't think I

1385
02:03:33,840 --> 02:03:39,840
am. I think she's real.
The riding is real, and if I'm

1386
02:03:39,920 --> 02:03:45,039
right, you just need to stay
away, stay away and be careful.

1387
02:03:46,960 --> 02:03:55,079
Love you, little brother. The
nightmares started for me that same night.

1388
02:03:56,359 --> 02:04:00,760
At first, I assumed it was
just the power suggestion, my mind trying

1389
02:04:00,800 --> 02:04:03,520
to make sense of my grief and
the strange story i'd found in the letter

1390
02:04:03,880 --> 02:04:08,960
by blending it all together and forcing
me to drink it night after night.

1391
02:04:10,560 --> 02:04:15,760
Except it was night after night For
seven weeks. I've had similar bad dreams

1392
02:04:16,000 --> 02:04:21,279
of being ridden almost every night,
and each day I wake up sweating and

1393
02:04:21,439 --> 02:04:28,279
afraid and exhausted. But fatigue has
been growing worse. At first, I

1394
02:04:28,359 --> 02:04:31,159
could beat it back with coffee and
a nap at my lunch break. But

1395
02:04:31,760 --> 02:04:38,079
for the last couple of weeks I've
been like a zombie. My joints ache,

1396
02:04:38,479 --> 02:04:42,520
my muscles are sore, and I
have trouble focusing on anything for more

1397
02:04:42,560 --> 02:04:46,520
than a few minutes. I've been
seriously considering going to a doctor and trying

1398
02:04:46,560 --> 02:04:50,960
to decide how much to tell them
when I go. I didn't think I

1399
02:04:51,079 --> 02:04:55,920
was sick, and I didn't believe
some witch was riding me around at night,

1400
02:04:56,159 --> 02:05:01,239
of course, but something was going
on and I needed answers. As

1401
02:05:01,279 --> 02:05:06,399
it turned out, the doctor I
went to first it was my dentist.

1402
02:05:09,439 --> 02:05:13,600
My jaw had been hurting more in
the last week, but when I woke

1403
02:05:13,680 --> 02:05:18,079
up yesterday my teeth were painful on
both sides. I had to pay extra

1404
02:05:18,279 --> 02:05:24,319
to get in quick, but I
didn't mind. I wanted to fix something,

1405
02:05:25,000 --> 02:05:30,199
even if it was just stopping my
mouth from hurting. The dentist was

1406
02:05:30,279 --> 02:05:34,039
an older man with a fringe of
white hair and tight, little silver spectacles

1407
02:05:34,279 --> 02:05:38,720
that bound on his nose. As
he looked at my teeth and gums with

1408
02:05:38,840 --> 02:05:44,239
a pick and mirror, frowning slightly, He finally leaned back and hit the

1409
02:05:44,319 --> 02:05:48,439
button to bring my chair back Upright, Have you noticed you grinding your teeth

1410
02:05:48,479 --> 02:05:55,760
a lot in your sleep? I
shrugged. I mean maybe I've been having

1411
02:05:55,800 --> 02:05:59,119
a lot of bad dreams lately,
so maybe I do it without knowing.

1412
02:06:00,319 --> 02:06:03,159
I see. Do you wear a
mouth guard or anything else in your mouth

1413
02:06:03,199 --> 02:06:09,159
when you sleep? I raised an
eyebrow. No, do you think I

1414
02:06:09,279 --> 02:06:15,640
should? He studied me for a
moment. M maybe, but you're not

1415
02:06:15,840 --> 02:06:19,760
sure. You don't sleep with something
in your mouth or have something you repetitively

1416
02:06:19,880 --> 02:06:25,039
chew on during the day. Maybe
don't be embarrassed if you do. People

1417
02:06:25,159 --> 02:06:29,880
chew in all kinds of stuff.
I shook my head slowly. No,

1418
02:06:30,279 --> 02:06:35,680
I really don't. Why what are
you getting at? The dentist puffed out

1419
02:06:35,720 --> 02:06:41,279
of breath and folded his arms.
Normally, when someone is grinding their teeth

1420
02:06:41,279 --> 02:06:44,920
at night, the wear and tear
is going to look one of several ways,

1421
02:06:45,239 --> 02:06:47,680
depending on the shape of their teeth, the shape of their mouth and

1422
02:06:47,880 --> 02:06:55,199
jaw, and how they're grinding it
altogether. But yours you do have spots

1423
02:06:55,239 --> 02:06:59,720
where I see abnormal wear, but
not like i'd expect from you grinding your

1424
02:06:59,720 --> 02:07:04,479
teeth. He reminds me of.
He gave a laugh and stopped himself,

1425
02:07:04,800 --> 02:07:12,640
shaking his head. What I could
feel myself growing irritated and nervous. It

1426
02:07:12,800 --> 02:07:17,600
reminds you of what? Looking more
serious, he gave a slight nod.

1427
02:07:18,560 --> 02:07:24,439
It's silly, but okay. My
father was a vet and a horse breeder.

1428
02:07:25,159 --> 02:07:27,920
For a long time I thought I
was going to be a vet too,

1429
02:07:28,600 --> 02:07:31,640
And growing up I helped my dad
a lot with our animals and those

1430
02:07:31,800 --> 02:07:35,640
that came to him for treatment.
One of the things that we saw a

1431
02:07:35,720 --> 02:07:43,680
lot was called bit. Where my
heart was pounding. Now, what's that?

1432
02:07:44,920 --> 02:07:47,399
Well, you know when you ride
a horse a lot of times they

1433
02:07:47,439 --> 02:07:51,720
have a mental bit in their mouth
to help control them. It sounds bad,

1434
02:07:51,800 --> 02:07:55,760
maybe, but it's not a cruel
thing. If the bit is worn

1435
02:07:55,840 --> 02:08:00,840
and used properly. Still, over
time, the middle of the bit will

1436
02:08:00,880 --> 02:08:05,000
wear away at the teeth where it
sits and rubs grates a little bevil on

1437
02:08:05,159 --> 02:08:09,720
both sides where it hits the teeth
of most He smiled. Now, our

1438
02:08:09,840 --> 02:08:15,000
mouths are different than a horse's mouth. But if I didn't know better,

1439
02:08:15,760 --> 02:08:18,640
I'd say what else seeing in your
mouth? Was a bit where it's the

1440
02:08:18,720 --> 02:08:22,760
same area on both sides of your
mouth, both top and bottom, like

1441
02:08:22,880 --> 02:08:28,600
you've been biting down on a bit. I tried to swallow. That's so

1442
02:08:28,760 --> 02:08:35,079
weird, He started jotting a note
down. Well, i'll get you fitted

1443
02:08:35,159 --> 02:08:39,680
with a night mouth guard. That'll
probably fix it up. Glancing back up

1444
02:08:39,720 --> 02:08:45,319
at me, he chuckled. And
if someone is riding you, tell them

1445
02:08:45,520 --> 02:08:50,359
you need a break from time to
time. I found my skin grow cold

1446
02:08:50,680 --> 02:08:56,920
as I offered him a weak smile. I'll try, but I don't think

1447
02:08:56,079 --> 02:09:13,439
she'll listen. As a hotel clerk, I've seen my fair share of strange

1448
02:09:13,520 --> 02:09:18,239
guests come and go, but the
residents of this hotel in particular, are

1449
02:09:18,319 --> 02:09:22,960
on a whole different level. The
eerie whispers and footsteps that I would hear

1450
02:09:22,039 --> 02:09:26,439
in the empty corridors at night,
The way customers would disappear for days on

1451
02:09:26,680 --> 02:09:31,159
end, only to reappear as if
nothing had happened. The way the air

1452
02:09:31,239 --> 02:09:37,800
seemed to chill whenever I went into
certain rooms. But then I started to

1453
02:09:37,960 --> 02:09:41,800
notice the little details, The way
guests would avoid making eye contact with me,

1454
02:09:43,279 --> 02:09:46,880
as if they were hiding something,
The strange symbols and markings edged into

1455
02:09:46,920 --> 02:09:50,880
the walls, and furniture, the
way the hotel seemed to shift and change

1456
02:09:50,920 --> 02:09:54,840
when I wasn't looking. I knew
I had to get out of there,

1457
02:09:56,399 --> 02:10:00,800
but I couldn't bring myself to leave. I was draw on to the hotel,

1458
02:10:01,359 --> 02:10:05,640
to its secrets and its mysteries.
I had to know what was really

1459
02:10:05,720 --> 02:10:09,880
going on, even if it meant
risking my own sanity. I could have

1460
02:10:11,039 --> 02:10:16,159
left, but I didn't. A
strong curiosity kept me here, and I've

1461
02:10:16,199 --> 02:10:22,560
worked long enough to have some pretty
wild stories. Now I'm ready to share

1462
02:10:22,640 --> 02:10:28,000
some of my story, But be
warned, once you start listening, there's

1463
02:10:28,079 --> 02:10:31,239
no turning back. You'll be drawn
into the darkness, just like I was,

1464
02:10:31,800 --> 02:10:35,359
and you'll never be able to forget
what you find within these walls.

1465
02:10:37,680 --> 02:10:43,119
I'm kidding, enjoy. When I
started working here, I didn't know what

1466
02:10:43,279 --> 02:10:50,199
to expect. It was never briefed
above service level instructions. Dealing with guests

1467
02:10:50,359 --> 02:10:54,119
was my number one priority, so
I sat front and center to anyone who

1468
02:10:54,239 --> 02:11:00,199
walked in. One time, when
I was still relatively new, as I

1469
02:11:00,239 --> 02:11:03,079
stood behind the reception desk, I
heard a soft knock on the door.

1470
02:11:05,319 --> 02:11:09,239
I looked up and saw a tall, thin man standing in the hallway.

1471
02:11:09,399 --> 02:11:13,520
He was pale, with dark circles
under his eyes and a faint sheen of

1472
02:11:13,640 --> 02:11:20,039
sweat on his forehead. He looked
like he hadn't slept in days. Can

1473
02:11:20,119 --> 02:11:24,520
I help you, I asked,
trying to keep my voice steady. The

1474
02:11:24,640 --> 02:11:31,560
man's lips curved into a faint smile. I'm looking for a room, he

1475
02:11:31,720 --> 02:11:35,439
said. His voice was low and
raspy, like he hadn't used it in

1476
02:11:35,520 --> 02:11:41,520
a long time. I hesitated for
a moment. There was something about this

1477
02:11:41,680 --> 02:11:48,279
man that made me uneasy. But
I couldn't just turn him away. After

1478
02:11:48,399 --> 02:11:52,000
all, that's what I was here
for, of course, I said,

1479
02:11:52,239 --> 02:11:56,840
forcing a smile. We have a
few rooms available. Do you have a

1480
02:11:56,920 --> 02:12:03,399
reservation? The man shook his head. No. I just need a place

1481
02:12:03,479 --> 02:12:07,960
to rest for a few days.
I've been traveling for a long time.

1482
02:12:09,000 --> 02:12:13,439
I raised an eyebrow. It was
unusual for someone to just show up without

1483
02:12:13,479 --> 02:12:18,880
a reservation, especially at this time
of night, but I didn't want to

1484
02:12:18,960 --> 02:12:22,800
pry. I didn't want to know
any more about this man that I had

1485
02:12:22,880 --> 02:12:28,520
to. That's no problem, I
said, grabbing a key from the drawer.

1486
02:12:28,079 --> 02:12:31,760
We have a nice room on the
third floor. It's quiet and private.

1487
02:12:33,760 --> 02:12:39,560
The man nodded, his eyes gleaming
in the dim light. That will

1488
02:12:39,640 --> 02:12:45,359
do just fine, he said.
I handed him the key and watched as

1489
02:12:45,399 --> 02:12:50,760
he turned to leave. Enjoy your
stay, I called out, but he

1490
02:12:50,920 --> 02:12:56,199
didn't respond. He just disappeared down
the hallway, leaving me alone with my

1491
02:12:56,359 --> 02:13:01,760
thoughts. For the rest of the
night, I could shake the feeling that

1492
02:13:01,920 --> 02:13:05,760
I was being watched. Every time
I looked up, I expected to see

1493
02:13:05,800 --> 02:13:09,920
the pale man standing in the doorway, staring at me with those dark,

1494
02:13:11,199 --> 02:13:16,960
empty eyes. But he never came
back. The next morning, I heard

1495
02:13:18,000 --> 02:13:22,439
a commotion coming from the third floor. I rushed upstairs to find the room

1496
02:13:22,520 --> 02:13:28,960
the man had rented the night before, but it was empty. The bed

1497
02:13:28,159 --> 02:13:31,880
was made, the curtains were drawn, and there was no sign that anyone

1498
02:13:33,000 --> 02:13:37,399
had ever been there. I searched
the rest of the hotel, but the

1499
02:13:37,479 --> 02:13:41,159
man was nowhere to be found.
It was as if he had vanished into

1500
02:13:41,239 --> 02:13:48,720
thin air. I knew then I
wasn't dealing with a normal guest. I

1501
02:13:48,920 --> 02:13:54,520
was dealing with something much more sinister. Another time, as I was making

1502
02:13:54,600 --> 02:13:58,720
my rounds, I heard a strange
scratching noise coming from one of the rooms.

1503
02:14:00,720 --> 02:14:03,159
I knocked on the door, but
there was no answer. I tried

1504
02:14:03,199 --> 02:14:09,319
the handle, but it was locked. I hesitated for a moment, unsure

1505
02:14:09,359 --> 02:14:13,920
of what to do. The scratching
noise was getting louder, and I could

1506
02:14:13,960 --> 02:14:18,680
hear a faint, hissing sound coming
from inside the room. It sounded like

1507
02:14:18,800 --> 02:14:22,359
something was trying to escape. I
took a deep breath and pushed the door

1508
02:14:22,479 --> 02:14:28,439
open, bracing myself or whatever was
on the other side. But what I

1509
02:14:28,520 --> 02:14:35,159
saw was beyond anything I could have
imagined. There on the ceiling was a

1510
02:14:35,279 --> 02:14:39,079
creature that looked like a cross between
a spider and a human. It had

1511
02:14:39,199 --> 02:14:43,199
long, spindly legs and a pair
of glowing eyes that stared down at me.

1512
02:14:45,800 --> 02:14:50,039
I stood frozen in shock, unable
to move or speak. The creature

1513
02:14:50,159 --> 02:14:54,159
hissed and lunged at me, a
sharp claws scraping against the ceiling as it

1514
02:14:54,279 --> 02:14:58,039
moved. I managed the snap out
of my trans and ran out of the

1515
02:14:58,159 --> 02:15:03,760
room, slamming the door shut behind
me. I could hear the creature pounding

1516
02:15:03,840 --> 02:15:07,680
on the other side, but I
didn't look back. I just kept running

1517
02:15:07,840 --> 02:15:13,159
until I reached the safety of the
reception desk. From that day on,

1518
02:15:13,720 --> 02:15:16,760
I avoided that room at all costs. I didn't want to know what other

1519
02:15:16,840 --> 02:15:22,720
horrors were lurking within its walls.
I just focused on my job and tried

1520
02:15:22,760 --> 02:15:28,479
to forget about the strange guest that
called that room home. There was one

1521
02:15:28,520 --> 02:15:33,479
particular guest who always made me uncomfortable. Every time he checked in, he

1522
02:15:33,600 --> 02:15:39,279
would try to lull me into his
room with promises of untold riches or secrets

1523
02:15:39,279 --> 02:15:43,920
of the universe. But I always
declined, knowing that there was something sinister

1524
02:15:45,319 --> 02:15:50,439
lurking behind his charming facade. He
was a tall, handsome man with a

1525
02:15:50,560 --> 02:15:54,920
smooth voice and a magnetic presence,
but there was something off about him.

1526
02:15:56,920 --> 02:16:00,720
His eyes were cold and empty,
and there was a dark that seemed to

1527
02:16:00,920 --> 02:16:05,520
radiate from his very being. Despite
my reservations, I couldn't help but to

1528
02:16:05,600 --> 02:16:11,760
be drawn to him. There was
something intoxicating about his presence, and I

1529
02:16:11,880 --> 02:16:16,199
found myself drawn to his room time
and time again. But each time I

1530
02:16:16,279 --> 02:16:20,039
approached his door, I would hear
a voice in my head warning me to

1531
02:16:20,159 --> 02:16:24,920
turn back, And each time I
would listen to that voice and retreat,

1532
02:16:26,439 --> 02:16:31,000
leaving the man alone in his room. I knew that I had to stay

1533
02:16:31,039 --> 02:16:35,440
away from him, no matter how
tempting his offers may have been, I

1534
02:16:35,520 --> 02:16:39,760
couldn't allow myself to be drawn to
his dark world. I had to stay

1535
02:16:39,840 --> 02:16:46,079
strong and resist this charms, no
matter the cost. After a while of

1536
02:16:46,200 --> 02:16:50,639
working here, though, I started
getting used to my strange customers. I

1537
02:16:50,840 --> 02:16:54,159
learned to keep to myself for the
most part, and that no one could

1538
02:16:54,239 --> 02:16:58,360
help me if I was ever caught
out. I wasn't alone, though.

1539
02:16:58,280 --> 02:17:03,319
Besides the other staff, there was
once a second hire to help out at

1540
02:17:03,360 --> 02:17:09,159
the front desk. He was a
young man named Daniel. He was bright

1541
02:17:09,280 --> 02:17:11,760
and ambitious, and I could tell
that it was destined for great things.

1542
02:17:13,719 --> 02:17:18,840
But unfortunately he wasn't as careful as
I was. One night, Daniel was

1543
02:17:18,920 --> 02:17:24,639
making his rounds when he was caught
by one of the guests. It was

1544
02:17:24,680 --> 02:17:28,920
a succubus, a creature that feeds
and a life force of humans. It

1545
02:17:30,040 --> 02:17:33,079
had been disguised as a beautiful woman, and it used this charms the Lord

1546
02:17:33,159 --> 02:17:39,600
Daniel into its room. The succubus
played mind games with Daniel, making him

1547
02:17:39,639 --> 02:17:43,159
believe that he was in control of
the situation. It told him that he

1548
02:17:43,280 --> 02:17:48,639
was special, that he was the
only one who could understand its true nature,

1549
02:17:48,639 --> 02:17:54,959
and Daniel flattered and entranced, was
unable to resist this charms. I

1550
02:17:56,040 --> 02:17:58,719
can imagine that if I dealt with
it first, I would have most likely

1551
02:18:00,000 --> 02:18:05,920
all over the same thing. Let's
just say it was very persuasive. As

1552
02:18:05,959 --> 02:18:09,799
soon as Daniel entered the room,
the succy Bus revealed his true form.

1553
02:18:09,760 --> 02:18:15,920
The creature was a terrifying sight to
behold. It was slender, with long

1554
02:18:16,000 --> 02:18:20,680
claws and dark red eyes. Its
skin was pale and clammy, and its

1555
02:18:20,760 --> 02:18:26,719
mouth was filled with horrific teeth.
I don't know exactly what happened, but

1556
02:18:26,879 --> 02:18:30,440
I heard Daniel screaming for help from
one of the rooms, so I ran

1557
02:18:30,559 --> 02:18:33,399
to see what was going on.
But by the time I got there,

1558
02:18:35,479 --> 02:18:39,719
it was too late. Daniel was
lying on the floor, his body twisted

1559
02:18:39,760 --> 02:18:45,399
and broken. The place was in
shambles, as if a natural disaster had

1560
02:18:45,479 --> 02:18:48,799
been entirely located in that room,
and the succy Bus was nowhere to be

1561
02:18:48,879 --> 02:18:54,840
found. When I asked management about
what had happened, they told me that

1562
02:18:56,040 --> 02:19:01,000
Daniel didn't exist. They said that
I must have been imagining things, but

1563
02:19:01,159 --> 02:19:05,639
this scream I heard was just in
my head. But I knew the truth.

1564
02:19:07,799 --> 02:19:11,600
I knew that Daniel had been real
and that he had suffered a terrible

1565
02:19:11,680 --> 02:19:16,600
fate at the hands of one of
the strange guests. I couldn't help but

1566
02:19:16,680 --> 02:19:20,760
feel guilty about what happened to him. If only I'd been there to help

1567
02:19:20,840 --> 02:19:26,479
him, maybe things would have turned
out differently. Maybe not, but it

1568
02:19:26,680 --> 02:19:31,040
was too late. Now. All
I could do was learned from his mistake

1569
02:19:33,079 --> 02:19:37,479
and be more careful in the future. One of the regular guests at our

1570
02:19:37,559 --> 02:19:43,760
hotel is a strange and unsettling creature
that reminds me of something out of a

1571
02:19:43,879 --> 02:19:50,879
Lovecraft story. It has an elongated
and exaggerated body and many writhing tentacles that

1572
02:19:50,000 --> 02:19:54,959
seemed to blur informless ways, like
an aura, and it moves in a

1573
02:19:54,040 --> 02:20:01,280
way that it's both graceful and terrifying. Despite its fear some appearance, the

1574
02:20:01,399 --> 02:20:05,680
creature is actually quite harmless. It
is a bit of a prankster, and

1575
02:20:05,799 --> 02:20:11,520
it loves the mess with people's senses. It can change its shape and size

1576
02:20:11,559 --> 02:20:15,920
at will, and it can make
itself invisible or even appear as something else

1577
02:20:16,159 --> 02:20:20,840
entirely. I have had several encounters
with the creature, and each time it

1578
02:20:20,959 --> 02:20:26,159
has left me feeling disoriented and confused. It has the ability to manipulate my

1579
02:20:26,280 --> 02:20:31,440
perception of reality and time, and
it can make me see and hear things

1580
02:20:31,639 --> 02:20:37,760
that aren't really there. It is
like a living hallucination, and it is

1581
02:20:37,840 --> 02:20:46,200
both fascinating and unsettling. Despite its
strange and terrifying powers, the creature is

1582
02:20:46,239 --> 02:20:50,280
actually quite timid and shy. It
is rarely seen by anyone other than the

1583
02:20:50,360 --> 02:20:56,719
staff, and it is usually content
to stay in its own room. It

1584
02:20:56,879 --> 02:21:01,639
only comes out to play when it
is feeling particularly misureous, and it usually

1585
02:21:01,719 --> 02:21:07,719
disappears as quickly as it appears.
Despite its unusual and unsettling nature, I

1586
02:21:07,799 --> 02:21:11,200
have come to see the creature as
more of an annoyance than a threat.

1587
02:21:13,399 --> 02:21:18,680
It's not aggressive or dangerous, and
it rarely causes any real harm. It

1588
02:21:18,840 --> 02:21:22,319
is more of a nuisance than anything
else, and I've learned to ignore it

1589
02:21:22,600 --> 02:21:28,000
and go about my business. But
even though the creature is not a threat,

1590
02:21:28,760 --> 02:21:31,920
I can't help but feel a sense
of a knees whenever it is near.

1591
02:21:31,959 --> 02:21:37,639
Its presence is unsettling and disorienting,
and it reminds me of the vast

1592
02:21:37,760 --> 02:21:43,799
and unknowable horrors that lurk beyond our
understanding. It may be harmless, but

1593
02:21:43,360 --> 02:21:48,239
it is also a reminder of the
darkness that lies at the heart of the

1594
02:21:48,399 --> 02:21:52,760
strange hotel, and I sometimes question
its motivations when it's pulling one of its

1595
02:21:54,120 --> 02:22:01,120
pranks, and wonder what it's doing
while the staff are disoriented. Something I

1596
02:22:01,280 --> 02:22:05,559
learned was that I had to deal
with a strange and often inexplicable rules put

1597
02:22:05,680 --> 02:22:11,239
in place by management. They were
a mysterious group, always shrouded in secrecy

1598
02:22:11,440 --> 02:22:16,600
and never seen in person. The
memos were faxed by an ancient looking machine

1599
02:22:16,840 --> 02:22:20,920
that never seemed to need filling and
always worked perfectly, an anomaly in and

1600
02:22:22,040 --> 02:22:24,000
of itself, if you know what
dealing with printers and such are like.

1601
02:22:26,639 --> 02:22:30,440
One of the most puzzling rules was
that we were not allowed to ask any

1602
02:22:30,559 --> 02:22:35,879
questions about the guests. If a
guest requested something strange or unusual, we

1603
02:22:35,959 --> 02:22:41,120
would have fulfilled our request without hesitation
or curiosity. It was as if management

1604
02:22:41,239 --> 02:22:46,879
didn't want us to know anything about
the guests or their true nature. Another

1605
02:22:46,959 --> 02:22:52,159
rule was that we were not allowed
to enter certain rooms, even if they

1606
02:22:52,200 --> 02:22:56,200
were unoccupied. These rooms were always
marked with a red sticker on the door,

1607
02:22:56,799 --> 02:23:01,399
and we were warned that severe consequence
would befall anyone who dared to enter

1608
02:23:01,479 --> 02:23:07,399
them. But despite these strange rules, I continued to work at the hotel.

1609
02:23:09,079 --> 02:23:13,520
Drawn by the strange and supernatural occurrences
that happened there. I couldn't help

1610
02:23:13,559 --> 02:23:18,639
but feel a sense of excitement and
wonder at the thought of encountering one of

1611
02:23:18,680 --> 02:23:24,639
the guests and experiencing their other worldly
powers firsthand. And yet I knew I

1612
02:23:24,760 --> 02:23:28,920
had to be careful. I had
seen what happened to Daniel, and I

1613
02:23:30,040 --> 02:23:33,440
didn't want to suffer the same fate. I had to be vigilant and always

1614
02:23:33,479 --> 02:23:39,680
on my guard lest I become the
next victim of the guests that temporarily called

1615
02:23:39,719 --> 02:23:46,360
this hotel home. Despite the challenges
and dangers of working at the Strange Hotel,

1616
02:23:48,040 --> 02:23:50,799
I have had many pleasant experiences with
the guests that frequent this place.

1617
02:23:52,920 --> 02:23:56,719
Some of them are fun and friendly, and they make my job enjoyable and

1618
02:23:56,879 --> 02:24:01,319
rewarding. One of my favorite guests
is a mischievous fairy who loves to play

1619
02:24:01,360 --> 02:24:07,879
pranks on other guests and the staff. She's always getting into trouble, but

1620
02:24:07,200 --> 02:24:11,799
she's so charming and cute that it's
impossible to stay mad at her. She

1621
02:24:11,920 --> 02:24:16,159
has a knack for making people smile, and she always brightens my day when

1622
02:24:16,239 --> 02:24:20,920
she comes to the front desk.
I remember one time when she snuck into

1623
02:24:20,959 --> 02:24:26,799
the kitchen and spiked the chef's coffee
with a potion that made him dance uncontrollably.

1624
02:24:26,799 --> 02:24:31,600
It was hilarious to watch, and
even the chef couldn't help but laugh.

1625
02:24:31,600 --> 02:24:35,360
But then she got into trouble with
my manager and I had to help

1626
02:24:35,399 --> 02:24:41,200
her apologize and make amends. Another
guest that I enjoy interacting with is a

1627
02:24:41,280 --> 02:24:46,079
ghost who haunts one of the rooms. He's friendly and gentle, and he

1628
02:24:46,280 --> 02:24:52,600
loves to tells stories about his life
and his time in the hotel. He's

1629
02:24:52,639 --> 02:24:56,559
a great listener and he always has
a kind word to say to me when

1630
02:24:56,639 --> 02:25:01,840
I'm feeling down. I remember one
time I was feeling particularly stressed and overwhelmed,

1631
02:25:03,280 --> 02:25:07,159
and he came to me and offered
to help. He suggested there we

1632
02:25:07,319 --> 02:25:11,440
go for a walk in the hotel's
gardens, and he told me stories about

1633
02:25:11,479 --> 02:25:16,399
the history of the hotel and the
people who had lived there. It was

1634
02:25:16,440 --> 02:25:20,399
a great distraction and it helped me
to clear my head and relax. But

1635
02:25:20,920 --> 02:25:26,840
my favorite guest of all is a
shape shifter who can take on any form

1636
02:25:26,920 --> 02:25:31,760
that she desires. She loves to
play dress up, and she often comes

1637
02:25:31,840 --> 02:25:37,360
to the front desk in the guise
of famous celebrities or historical figures. She's

1638
02:25:37,399 --> 02:25:41,520
always full of surprises, and I
never know who or what I'll be talking

1639
02:25:41,600 --> 02:25:46,360
to when she arrives. I remember
one time when she came to the front

1640
02:25:46,399 --> 02:25:50,639
desk in the form of a beautiful
princess and she asked me to help or

1641
02:25:50,719 --> 02:25:56,239
find a lost tiara. I was
skeptical at first, but she was so

1642
02:25:56,440 --> 02:26:01,399
convincing that I couldn't help but believe
her. We searched all over the hotel

1643
02:26:03,200 --> 02:26:07,920
and we eventually found the tiara hidden
in one of the guest rooms. It

1644
02:26:07,120 --> 02:26:11,719
was a fun and exciting adventure,
and I was glad that I could help

1645
02:26:11,760 --> 02:26:16,639
her. I am grateful for the
opportunity to interact with such fascinating and unique

1646
02:26:16,680 --> 02:26:22,520
guests. They made my job exciting
and rewarding, and I wouldn't trade it

1647
02:26:22,719 --> 02:26:31,639
for anything. I talked confidently now, and that's because of experience. Once

1648
02:26:31,719 --> 02:26:35,440
you really get the hang of this
place, it starts becoming easy to not

1649
02:26:35,559 --> 02:26:41,680
get caught out. But there have
been a number of close encounters. One

1650
02:26:41,799 --> 02:26:46,639
particular night, as I was making
my rounds, I heard a faint whimpering

1651
02:26:46,719 --> 02:26:50,399
sound coming from one of the rooms. I followed the sound, and soon

1652
02:26:50,680 --> 02:26:56,360
I came across a small child sitting
on the floor. She looked up at

1653
02:26:56,399 --> 02:27:01,920
me with big, innocent looking eyes
and asked me for help. I was

1654
02:27:03,000 --> 02:27:07,559
immediately drawn to the child, feeling
a surge of compassion and protectiveness. I

1655
02:27:07,719 --> 02:27:11,840
asked her what was wrong, and
she told me that she was lost.

1656
02:27:11,840 --> 02:27:16,559
She said that she had wandered away
from her parents and that she didn't know

1657
02:27:16,719 --> 02:27:22,399
how to find them. I felt
pity for the child, and I decided

1658
02:27:22,440 --> 02:27:26,239
to help her. I asked her
if she knew what room she was staying

1659
02:27:26,319 --> 02:27:30,719
in, but she shook her head. She said that she didn't remember,

1660
02:27:31,120 --> 02:27:37,000
and that she was scared. A
wave of her knees washed over me.

1661
02:27:37,000 --> 02:27:41,840
Something about the child didn't seem right. She was too calm and collected for

1662
02:27:41,920 --> 02:27:46,079
a lost child. Her eyes seemed
to be glowing faintly, and she moved

1663
02:27:46,159 --> 02:27:52,799
in a strange way, almost drifting
rather than walking. But despite my misgivings,

1664
02:27:54,440 --> 02:27:58,000
I couldn't bring myself to abandon her. After all, you couldn't judge

1665
02:27:58,040 --> 02:28:03,079
people here on their appearance. I
decided to take the child to reception,

1666
02:28:03,479 --> 02:28:07,200
where we could look up a parents'
information and help or find a way back

1667
02:28:07,239 --> 02:28:13,719
to them. But as soon as
we reached the hallway, I realized that

1668
02:28:13,959 --> 02:28:20,760
something was very wrong. The child
was attached to a long, slender tail

1669
02:28:20,200 --> 02:28:26,120
of the kind used by anglerfish.
It was clear that the child was just

1670
02:28:26,319 --> 02:28:31,959
a bait to law unsuspecting victims.
I can never explain how, but this

1671
02:28:31,120 --> 02:28:37,079
was all hidden from me until the
last moment. I was frozen in shock,

1672
02:28:37,479 --> 02:28:41,159
unable to move or speak. The
creature lunged at me its sharp teeth

1673
02:28:41,239 --> 02:28:46,680
beard, but at the last second
I managed to snap out of my trents

1674
02:28:46,719 --> 02:28:50,120
and dodges the attack. I ran
out of the hallway and slammed the door

1675
02:28:50,200 --> 02:28:54,639
shut behind me, locking it from
the outside. I knew that I had

1676
02:28:54,680 --> 02:28:58,399
to get away from it, but
the creature was blocking the only exit back

1677
02:28:58,440 --> 02:29:03,840
to the stairs. As I looked
around frantically trying to find a way out,

1678
02:29:03,479 --> 02:29:07,639
but the corridor I was in was
small and cramped, and there were

1679
02:29:07,680 --> 02:29:11,959
no windows or other doors. I
was trapped in a dead end, and

1680
02:29:13,120 --> 02:29:18,559
the creature was getting closer and closer. Its claws were scratching at the door,

1681
02:29:18,840 --> 02:29:22,159
trying to break through. It seemed
it couldn't open doors, and the

1682
02:29:22,360 --> 02:29:28,399
child law figure might not have the
motor function for something so nuanced. A

1683
02:29:28,520 --> 02:29:31,680
small break for me, though,
the splintering wood told me that my lucky

1684
02:29:31,760 --> 02:29:37,520
break wouldn't last long. I could
hear its sharp teeth gnashing and its breath

1685
02:29:37,799 --> 02:29:43,879
rasping in the air. Filled with
terror, I didn't know what to do.

1686
02:29:45,159 --> 02:29:48,799
I was about to give up and
face my fate when I spotted a

1687
02:29:48,920 --> 02:29:52,680
small vent in the ceiling. It
was too small for the creature to fit

1688
02:29:52,799 --> 02:29:58,000
through, but I was slim enough
to squeeze in. I grabbed a nearby

1689
02:29:58,079 --> 02:30:03,440
table that held a few small decorations
and stood on it, trying to reach

1690
02:30:03,520 --> 02:30:07,680
the vent. The creature was almost
through the door, and I could hear

1691
02:30:07,719 --> 02:30:13,479
its claws tearing at the wood.
I had to act fast. I managed

1692
02:30:13,520 --> 02:30:16,159
to unlatch the vent and push it
open, and I scrambled up into the

1693
02:30:16,239 --> 02:30:20,760
air duct I could hear the creature
bashing at the door, and its shrieks

1694
02:30:20,760 --> 02:30:26,079
were louder and more friendzy than ever. I knew that he was angry and

1695
02:30:26,239 --> 02:30:30,840
frustrated that it couldn't get to me. I crawled through the air ductor as

1696
02:30:30,920 --> 02:30:33,559
fast as I could, trying to
put as much distance between me and the

1697
02:30:33,719 --> 02:30:39,200
creature as possible. I didn't know
where I was going, and I didn't

1698
02:30:39,239 --> 02:30:45,680
care. I just wanted to get
away from that terrifying monster. After what

1699
02:30:45,879 --> 02:30:50,440
felt like forever, I finally emerged
from the air duct and collapsed under the

1700
02:30:50,520 --> 02:30:56,920
floor of the reception I was exhausted
and terrified, but I was also relieved

1701
02:30:56,079 --> 02:31:01,680
that I had survived. I knew
that I had to be more careful in

1702
02:31:01,760 --> 02:31:07,879
the future, and to always be
in my guard regardless of appearances. But

1703
02:31:07,799 --> 02:31:13,440
despite the danger, I couldn't help
but feel a small thrill of excitement at

1704
02:31:13,479 --> 02:31:20,959
the thought of encountering more of these
other worldly creatures, though I hoped it'll

1705
02:31:20,000 --> 02:31:35,360
be less close for comfort speaking of
The reception area of the hotel is a

1706
02:31:35,479 --> 02:31:39,319
strange and fascinating place. It is
the first thing that guests see when they

1707
02:31:39,440 --> 02:31:45,760
arrive, and it is the hub
of activity in the hotel. But despite

1708
02:31:45,799 --> 02:31:50,920
its busy and bustling atmosphere, the
reception area is also a surprisingly safe and

1709
02:31:52,079 --> 02:31:58,079
peaceful place. I have noticed that
the more aggressive and dangerous guests tend to

1710
02:31:58,120 --> 02:32:01,079
avoid the reception area. They seem
to sense that it is a place of

1711
02:32:01,200 --> 02:32:07,239
calm and tranquility, and they prefer
to stay in their own rooms or roam

1712
02:32:07,280 --> 02:32:11,479
the halls. This means that the
reception area is a relatively safe space for

1713
02:32:11,559 --> 02:32:16,959
the staff and we can relax and
unwind there without fear of being attacked.

1714
02:32:18,120 --> 02:32:24,319
But despite the relative safety of the
reception area, we can't stay there all

1715
02:32:24,440 --> 02:32:28,200
night. There are many mandatory tasks
and duties that we have to perform,

1716
02:32:30,040 --> 02:32:33,200
and these take us out of the
safety of the reception area and into the

1717
02:32:33,319 --> 02:32:39,319
more dangerous parts of the hotel.
For example, we have to inspect the

1718
02:32:39,399 --> 02:32:43,760
rooms and make sure that they are
ready for the next guests. This means

1719
02:32:43,959 --> 02:32:46,799
that we have to go into the
rooms and look for adities, and this

1720
02:32:46,959 --> 02:32:52,760
can be risky business. Some of
the rooms are inhabited by aggressive or dangerous

1721
02:32:52,799 --> 02:32:56,719
guests, and we have to be
careful not to disturb them or provoke them

1722
02:32:56,799 --> 02:33:01,680
in any way. We also have
to deal with the guests possessions. Many

1723
02:33:01,760 --> 02:33:07,120
of the supernatural guests have items that
are too powerful or dangerous to be left

1724
02:33:07,200 --> 02:33:13,600
unguarded, desired items that other guests
might want a pinch for mischief or worse.

1725
02:33:13,959 --> 02:33:18,879
It is our job to make sure
that these items are thought safely and

1726
02:33:18,079 --> 02:33:24,479
that they are not misused or stolen. This can be a challenging and dangerous

1727
02:33:24,520 --> 02:33:31,000
task, especially when the guests are
unpredictable or volatile. As the main hotel

1728
02:33:31,040 --> 02:33:35,879
clerk, I have a variety of
tasks and responsibilities that I must perform on

1729
02:33:37,000 --> 02:33:41,239
a day to day basis. Some
of these tasks are routine and mundane,

1730
02:33:41,719 --> 02:33:46,760
while others are more challenging and exciting. Here are some of the examples of

1731
02:33:46,840 --> 02:33:52,239
the tasks that I have to perform. Check guests in and out. This

1732
02:33:52,600 --> 02:33:58,239
is perhaps the most important and essential
task that I have to perform. I

1733
02:33:58,360 --> 02:34:01,639
have to Greek guests when they arrived
and I have to make sure that they

1734
02:34:01,719 --> 02:34:05,440
have everything they need. I also
have to collect payment and make sure that

1735
02:34:05,559 --> 02:34:13,399
the guests are satisfied with their rooms. Do laps around the hotel. Another

1736
02:34:13,559 --> 02:34:18,200
important task that I have to perform
is to do regular laps around the hotel.

1737
02:34:18,239 --> 02:34:24,040
This involves walking around the hotel and
looking for any oddities or anomalies that

1738
02:34:24,200 --> 02:34:28,040
might need to be dealt with.
I have to be alert and vigilant,

1739
02:34:28,440 --> 02:34:33,559
and I have to report any issues
or problems to my manager. Deal with

1740
02:34:33,680 --> 02:34:37,600
the guests requests, and complaints.
As a hotel clerk, I am the

1741
02:34:37,719 --> 02:34:43,399
first point of contact for guests who
have requests or complaints. I have to

1742
02:34:43,520 --> 02:34:46,559
listen to their concerns and try to
resolve any issues that they might have.

1743
02:34:48,760 --> 02:34:52,280
This can be challenging, as some
guests can be demanding what difficult to deal

1744
02:34:52,360 --> 02:35:00,319
with hand or requests for food and
drink. One of the more challenging asks

1745
02:35:00,399 --> 02:35:03,639
that I have to perform is dealing
with these requests. Some of the guests

1746
02:35:03,879 --> 02:35:09,840
are very strange and unusual taste,
and they often request food and drink that

1747
02:35:09,040 --> 02:35:16,040
is difficult to find or prepare.
Fortunately, our chefs are incredibly skilled and

1748
02:35:16,159 --> 02:35:20,280
they seem to be able to make
any order, no matter how insane.

1749
02:35:22,000 --> 02:35:28,639
Handle emergencies and security issues. In
addition to dealing with routine tasks, I

1750
02:35:28,799 --> 02:35:33,959
also have to be prepared to handle
emergencies and security issues. In a normal

1751
02:35:33,079 --> 02:35:37,920
setting, this would be dealing with
medical emergencies, fires, or other disasters,

1752
02:35:39,799 --> 02:35:43,120
but for me, I mainly have
to make sure that the hotel is

1753
02:35:43,200 --> 02:35:50,799
secure and that the guests are safe. Work with other staff members. As

1754
02:35:50,840 --> 02:35:54,319
a hotel clerk, I am part
of a team and I have to work

1755
02:35:54,399 --> 02:35:58,239
closely with the other staff members.
This includes working with the cleaners, the

1756
02:35:58,360 --> 02:36:03,479
maintenance and other clerks. We have
to coordinate our efforts and make sure that

1757
02:36:03,600 --> 02:36:13,879
the hotel is running smoothly and efficiency
while minimizing loss. A challenging aspect of

1758
02:36:13,959 --> 02:36:18,680
my job is dealing with the most
difficult guests. These can be guests who

1759
02:36:18,719 --> 02:36:22,440
are demanding, rude, who uncooperative, and they can be a real handful.

1760
02:36:24,479 --> 02:36:28,680
But with this job, it could
really be the widest variety of dangers,

1761
02:36:28,479 --> 02:36:37,639
examples of which I've already mentioned.
Report everything to management. As part

1762
02:36:37,719 --> 02:36:41,280
of my job, I have to
report everything that happens on shift to the

1763
02:36:41,399 --> 02:36:46,040
management group. They have provided us
with an archaic system for doing this,

1764
02:36:46,680 --> 02:36:50,959
and I have to make sure that
I use it correctly and accurately. This

1765
02:36:50,280 --> 02:36:56,040
can be a time consuming and tedious
task, but it is an important part

1766
02:36:56,079 --> 02:37:03,799
to my job keep the hotel running
smoothly. Ultimately, my goal as a

1767
02:37:03,879 --> 02:37:09,600
hotel clerk is to keep the hotel
running smoothly and efficiently. This means then

1768
02:37:09,639 --> 02:37:13,360
I have to make sure that everything
is in order and that all the guests

1769
02:37:13,399 --> 02:37:22,399
are happy and satisfied. I have
very little interaction with a mysterious group we

1770
02:37:22,600 --> 02:37:26,319
staff know ahs management. This group
seems to be in charge of the hotel,

1771
02:37:26,760 --> 02:37:31,479
but they have never actually seen any
of its members in person. Instead,

1772
02:37:31,719 --> 02:37:37,120
they communicate with us through messages that
are sent through the archaic systems they've

1773
02:37:37,200 --> 02:37:41,600
provided. These messages are often vague
and cryptic, and they can be difficult

1774
02:37:41,639 --> 02:37:46,760
to decipher. They usually tell us
what we need to do for the day

1775
02:37:46,000 --> 02:37:50,520
or week, but they never provide
much in the way of explanations or details.

1776
02:37:52,799 --> 02:37:56,799
This can be frustrating, as it
makes it difficult for us to understand

1777
02:37:56,920 --> 02:38:01,639
what is truly expected of us or
the dangers will face during that shift.

1778
02:38:03,000 --> 02:38:07,000
Despite this, we have to follow
the instructions to the letter. We have

1779
02:38:07,120 --> 02:38:11,879
no choice but to do as we
are told and to trust that they know

1780
02:38:11,079 --> 02:38:18,000
what they are doing. It's an
unsettling feeling to be working for a group

1781
02:38:18,239 --> 02:38:22,920
that we know so little about.
Sometimes this makes me wonder what the real

1782
02:38:24,079 --> 02:38:28,440
purpose of the hotel is and what
role we really play in it. I

1783
02:38:28,600 --> 02:38:33,760
wonder if management has some ulterior motive
or if they are a group of eccentric

1784
02:38:33,879 --> 02:38:39,399
and supernatural individuals. I don't know
the answer to these questions, but I

1785
02:38:39,520 --> 02:38:43,399
do know, and I'm grateful for
the job that they have given me,

1786
02:38:46,200 --> 02:38:50,040
though I really shouldn't be sharing anything
at all about this place. The information

1787
02:38:50,200 --> 02:38:56,159
I've provided thus far put's known at
risk, so it's kind of a gray

1788
02:38:56,239 --> 02:39:01,000
area. But there are some things
I can't talk about. I have access

1789
02:39:01,079 --> 02:39:05,239
to many secrets and hidden knowledge unknown
to the modern world. One of the

1790
02:39:05,319 --> 02:39:09,520
most intriguing things I will share,
though, is that I have come across

1791
02:39:09,639 --> 02:39:15,920
a veilsafe that is hidden away in
the depths of the hotel. I have

1792
02:39:16,040 --> 02:39:20,760
never seen it used, and I
don't even know what it does, but

1793
02:39:20,920 --> 02:39:24,440
I have read that it is only
to be used in the most dire of

1794
02:39:24,600 --> 02:39:31,520
circumstances. The veilsafe is a small, unremarkable looking device that is hidden in

1795
02:39:31,559 --> 02:39:37,079
a secret compartment in the hotel's basement. I have been instructed and never touch

1796
02:39:37,159 --> 02:39:41,760
it and to never tell anyone about
it. But despite the warnings, I

1797
02:39:41,879 --> 02:39:46,920
can't help but be curious about it. I have no idea what the veilsafe

1798
02:39:48,120 --> 02:39:52,920
is or what it does. I've
heard rumors that it can activate some kind

1799
02:39:52,959 --> 02:39:56,760
of security system, or that it
can seal off the hotel from the outside

1800
02:39:56,799 --> 02:40:01,200
world, or that it takes the
hotel away someplace far or off, maybe

1801
02:40:01,399 --> 02:40:05,559
even off world, But I have
no way of knowing for sure, and

1802
02:40:05,680 --> 02:40:13,079
the management is tight lipped about it. Despite my curiosity, I have never

1803
02:40:13,280 --> 02:40:16,719
been tempted to use the failsafe.
I know that it is only to be

1804
02:40:16,920 --> 02:40:22,200
used in the most dire of situations, and I have never faced the situation

1805
02:40:22,280 --> 02:40:26,559
that warrants its use. But I
can't help but wonder what would happen if

1806
02:40:26,639 --> 02:40:31,639
I ever did have to use it. I may never know what the consequences

1807
02:40:31,680 --> 02:40:35,639
of using the failsafe would be,
nor do I know if I'll ever be

1808
02:40:35,719 --> 02:40:39,079
able to share it. If I
do, it could be the key to

1809
02:40:39,239 --> 02:40:45,200
saving the hotel and its guests,
or even the world if something so catastrophic

1810
02:40:45,280 --> 02:40:50,399
were to emerge from this place,
or it could unleash something terrible and unimaginable.

1811
02:40:52,360 --> 02:40:58,959
I can only hope that I never
have to find out. Every month,

1812
02:41:00,680 --> 02:41:05,879
our hotel undergoes a strange, an
unusual inspection. The inspector rives without

1813
02:41:05,920 --> 02:41:11,879
warning, and he spends hours scrutinizing
every inch of the hotel. He checks

1814
02:41:11,920 --> 02:41:18,719
the most mundane and seemingly insignificant things, and he takes copious notes on everything

1815
02:41:18,799 --> 02:41:22,760
that he sees. At first,
I thought that the inspector was just a

1816
02:41:22,920 --> 02:41:28,200
normal, if not eccentric, secret
government official. But as I got to

1817
02:41:28,319 --> 02:41:33,399
know him better, I realized that
there was something very strange and other worldly

1818
02:41:33,440 --> 02:41:37,479
about him. He seemed to have
an almost supernatural awareness of the hotel,

1819
02:41:39,280 --> 02:41:43,280
and he was able to detect things
that no one else could. One of

1820
02:41:43,360 --> 02:41:48,479
the things the inspector checks is the
quality of the air in the hotel.

1821
02:41:48,520 --> 02:41:52,959
He takes samples of the air in
each room and he analyzes them. He

1822
02:41:54,120 --> 02:41:56,760
says that the air quality is critical
for the health and well being of the

1823
02:41:56,840 --> 02:42:03,360
guests. But I have no dear
why forget this? He doesn't use a

1824
02:42:03,479 --> 02:42:09,840
single device for this, He simply
raises his finger, waits, and notes

1825
02:42:09,920 --> 02:42:13,920
down the results. The inspector also
checks the water quality in the hotel.

1826
02:42:15,719 --> 02:42:18,280
He takes samples from the taps and
the pools, and he tests them for

1827
02:42:18,399 --> 02:42:24,280
impurities and contaminants. He says that
the water must be pure and clean,

1828
02:42:24,399 --> 02:42:31,079
But again I have no idea why. And again, the measuring device for

1829
02:42:31,239 --> 02:42:35,760
all these samples are entirely done with
a tip of his index. But the

1830
02:42:35,959 --> 02:42:43,200
strangest thing that the inspector checks is
the hotel's electrical system. He spends hours

1831
02:42:43,360 --> 02:42:46,840
examining every wire and circuit, and
he tests the flow of electricity through the

1832
02:42:46,920 --> 02:42:52,040
hotel. He says that the electrical
system is crucial for the operation of the

1833
02:42:52,159 --> 02:42:58,239
hotel, but I have no idea
what he means by that. This test

1834
02:42:58,440 --> 02:43:03,520
is done by him biting down and
certain wires plumbed outside the walls connected to

1835
02:43:03,639 --> 02:43:07,680
certain loops. All of the resorts
are given to me to note down on

1836
02:43:07,760 --> 02:43:13,520
the system, their numbers specific to
such a detailed degree that I wonder how

1837
02:43:13,559 --> 02:43:18,520
he gets all that from just his
fingers and teeth. Despite being given the

1838
02:43:18,600 --> 02:43:24,799
information and seeing the variances in the
results from month to month, I have

1839
02:43:24,920 --> 02:43:31,440
never been told or seeing anything that
correlates to them. All I know is

1840
02:43:31,520 --> 02:43:37,879
that they're important. Despite my confusion
and curiosity, I've learned not to question

1841
02:43:37,959 --> 02:43:43,479
the inspector's methods. He is a
strange and enigmatic figure, and he seems

1842
02:43:43,479 --> 02:43:48,440
to have a deep understanding of the
hotel and its workings, which I blindly

1843
02:43:48,479 --> 02:43:54,760
trust is in everyone's best interest.
I can only hope that his inspections help

1844
02:43:54,840 --> 02:44:01,600
to keep the hotel running smoothly and
safely. Overall, I have decided to

1845
02:44:01,719 --> 02:44:07,840
keep working here the pay is good, and enjoy interacting with the guests for

1846
02:44:07,920 --> 02:44:11,079
the most part. Plus, I've
learned a lot about the hidden workings of

1847
02:44:11,159 --> 02:44:16,959
the hotel, and I've access to
many secrets and knowledge that most people don't

1848
02:44:16,040 --> 02:44:20,680
have. I know that i will
face many more dangers in the future,

1849
02:44:22,440 --> 02:44:26,159
but I'm ready for them. I
face the worst that the hotel has had

1850
02:44:26,200 --> 02:44:31,680
to offer so far, and I've
survived. I'm stronger and wiser than I

1851
02:44:31,879 --> 02:44:37,239
was before, and I'm ready for
whatever comes my way. I'll stay here

1852
02:44:37,719 --> 02:44:41,639
and I'll do my best to protect
the guests and the staff. I will

1853
02:44:41,719 --> 02:44:45,680
continue to learn and grow, and
I'll use my knowledge and skills to keep

1854
02:44:45,719 --> 02:44:50,520
the hotel running as smoothly and safely
as possible. I know that it won't

1855
02:44:50,520 --> 02:44:56,280
be easy, but I'm determined to
do my part to make sure the hotel

1856
02:44:56,600 --> 02:45:01,200
is a success. I am proud
to be a hotel clerk at the hotel

1857
02:45:01,280 --> 02:45:07,040
with strange guests, and I'm grateful
for the opportunity who may be perilous,

1858
02:45:07,760 --> 02:45:13,319
but it's also fascinating and exciting.
I will do my best to make the

1859
02:45:13,440 --> 02:45:30,559
hotel as safe and happy place for
all of its guests. My flock of

1860
02:45:30,719 --> 02:45:35,559
thirty two Lambs in my newest and
southernmost paddock were a mix of newly bought

1861
02:45:35,799 --> 02:45:39,559
and some from my own lot with
only two rams. Last November due to

1862
02:45:39,719 --> 02:45:43,879
unfortunate cases of fly strike, I
had lost a few rams and my new

1863
02:45:45,079 --> 02:45:48,920
us had not birth many lambs during
spring. I was fortunate they want had

1864
02:45:48,959 --> 02:45:54,600
birth quads, each with a white
dot and their forehead. Four healthy lambs

1865
02:45:54,799 --> 02:46:00,399
from one mother U is a rare
sight. A local farmer, Nathan,

1866
02:46:00,680 --> 02:46:05,319
had suggested a farm vet who had
arrived in all black and supplied supplementary milk.

1867
02:46:05,200 --> 02:46:09,399
I had to bottle feed them four
times a day as the poor mother

1868
02:46:09,559 --> 02:46:13,600
couldn't keep up with milk production.
Sadly, one of the lambs passed away

1869
02:46:13,680 --> 02:46:20,319
between morning feeds. An unknown cause
had taken it. The land taketh what

1870
02:46:20,479 --> 02:46:24,600
you oweth, Jonathan whispered. At
first, I thought it was just old

1871
02:46:24,639 --> 02:46:31,799
farmer talk for I'm sorry for your
loss. Incineration, though a standard process

1872
02:46:31,920 --> 02:46:35,719
for dead livestock, felt far too
cruel for a baby, so I buried

1873
02:46:35,760 --> 02:46:41,000
the body deep in my fields with
the rest of them. I hoped that

1874
02:46:41,159 --> 02:46:45,920
my good treatment of the creatures would
visit me back in good karma and nutritious

1875
02:46:45,959 --> 02:46:50,799
grass for my livestock. The triplets, now six months of age, reside

1876
02:46:50,840 --> 02:46:56,440
in the paddock I mentioned earlier.
With their late birth, they are too

1877
02:46:56,559 --> 02:47:01,559
young to breed and are separated from
the us for the new season. They

1878
02:47:01,680 --> 02:47:07,200
sit larger than the rest. It
was a sign that the supplementary milk had

1879
02:47:07,239 --> 02:47:11,840
done them well and I'd fed them
correctly, a proud achievement of mine.

1880
02:47:13,319 --> 02:47:18,520
I'm relatively new at farming. The
land I now own belonged to a relative

1881
02:47:18,639 --> 02:47:22,120
on my dad's side and was eventually
passed unto him. The land he had

1882
02:47:22,159 --> 02:47:28,520
owned yet not wanted was given to
me after his death. It took a

1883
02:47:28,600 --> 02:47:31,879
lot of work and money to renovate
it, and I've received a lot of

1884
02:47:31,920 --> 02:47:37,760
support from the nearby farmers since then, even if they did find is strange

1885
02:47:37,000 --> 02:47:41,799
that I suddenly wanted to become one
of them. After months of intense studying

1886
02:47:41,840 --> 02:47:46,639
to ensure the animals I raised would
be treated well, I ultimately decided to

1887
02:47:46,799 --> 02:47:54,399
start it easy with sheep. Unfortunately, I underestimated just how difficult they can

1888
02:47:54,479 --> 02:47:58,639
be. Two weeks ago, I
visited the lambs in the morning to find

1889
02:47:58,719 --> 02:48:05,399
them walking non stop in an almost
perfect circle. They had been doing it

1890
02:48:05,520 --> 02:48:09,360
throughout the night, as the autumn
grass had been worn down from their trotters.

1891
02:48:09,239 --> 02:48:13,040
I even entered their flight zone,
which usually would have sent them fleeing

1892
02:48:13,120 --> 02:48:18,639
from me. However, the lambs
continued their march with their lower halves coated

1893
02:48:18,719 --> 02:48:24,639
and mud and their eyes hazed.
Not even my farm dog Hollies barking and

1894
02:48:24,879 --> 02:48:28,479
nipping could snap them out of it. In fact, they almost crushed her.

1895
02:48:31,040 --> 02:48:35,959
The other farmers and I had suspected
listeriosis AKAA circling disease, but it

1896
02:48:37,079 --> 02:48:41,879
became a mystery when the other padducts
were not effected despite feeding on the same

1897
02:48:41,959 --> 02:48:48,399
supplementary hay. It was as if
their flock mentality had activated and they were

1898
02:48:48,440 --> 02:48:52,559
trying to flee from something. With
people I didn't know arriving to see the

1899
02:48:52,639 --> 02:48:58,399
lambs, it became an area mystery. Even local news took an interest in

1900
02:48:58,479 --> 02:49:05,799
the matter. However, nobody yielded
a solution. In the early days,

1901
02:49:05,079 --> 02:49:09,760
I released one of my mentally stronger
all the ewes, into the paddock,

1902
02:49:09,200 --> 02:49:15,399
hoping the lambs would sense her seniority
and break away from their trance. At

1903
02:49:15,440 --> 02:49:18,559
first, she staid clear of the
group and grazed through the grass, but

1904
02:49:18,680 --> 02:49:26,040
eventually she too, was drawn to
the circle as if magnetized. The other

1905
02:49:26,120 --> 02:49:31,920
farmers were unsure of what to do. This behavior had been reported as common

1906
02:49:31,079 --> 02:49:35,079
with sheep left and pens for too
long, but with the vast paddock to

1907
02:49:35,120 --> 02:49:41,319
themselves, it just didn't make sense. Jonathan had lent me a few of

1908
02:49:41,360 --> 02:49:45,399
his farm dogs to try and break
the circle up, but they remained tightly

1909
02:49:45,479 --> 02:49:50,040
packed and unresponsive. I reached out
to multiple vets, unable to track down

1910
02:49:50,079 --> 02:49:54,760
the one that had helped me with
the quads. In fact, Jonathan helped

1911
02:49:54,799 --> 02:49:58,319
me with a lot of things,
even going so far as to give me

1912
02:49:58,399 --> 02:50:05,360
a ewe to ate with my lambing. Each vet that visited suggested listeriosis.

1913
02:50:05,200 --> 02:50:09,319
Some of the vets had theorized that
the soil in the paddock had become contaminated.

1914
02:50:11,600 --> 02:50:16,159
Nonsense. I told them that the
lambs had access to my supplementary hay.

1915
02:50:16,399 --> 02:50:20,200
As frost began to claim the fields
during the night and dawn, November's

1916
02:50:20,280 --> 02:50:26,360
cold rain flooded the fields and created
thick mud. Day by day, the

1917
02:50:26,479 --> 02:50:31,280
lambs pathing formed a moat around the
central path of grass. Despite everything,

1918
02:50:31,799 --> 02:50:37,159
the patch of land in the middle
remained dry. Some of the lambs began

1919
02:50:37,239 --> 02:50:41,000
to pass away. By day ten, their starved and tiny bodies were stampeded

1920
02:50:41,239 --> 02:50:48,079
and crushed to a pulp by the
remaining yet dwindling numbers. Soon enough,

1921
02:50:48,559 --> 02:50:50,879
the moat had become so deep that
I could only see the top of their

1922
02:50:50,920 --> 02:50:58,520
heads. The farmers came by every
other day, equally intrigued. They'd watch

1923
02:50:58,600 --> 02:51:03,399
on with focused eyes and raised brows, as if the sight triggered deep thought.

1924
02:51:03,719 --> 02:51:07,760
Each day they witness a drop in
the numbers of lambs, but none

1925
02:51:07,799 --> 02:51:13,280
of them would offer their condolences.
With fewer live lambs, I used the

1926
02:51:13,360 --> 02:51:18,520
Polley system to lift the corpses out
of the ground. Most of them were

1927
02:51:18,559 --> 02:51:22,639
floppy, their bodies the consistency of
bean bags with their broken and crushed bodies,

1928
02:51:24,319 --> 02:51:28,799
some ripped apart from days of lying
at the bottom. Once cleared,

1929
02:51:28,000 --> 02:51:33,559
we used the system to trap a
live lamb and lift them out. When

1930
02:51:33,680 --> 02:51:37,399
we had gotten it to the surface, the lamb flipped out, Its body

1931
02:51:37,520 --> 02:51:41,920
swung around violently as if it tried
to get back into the pathing, and

1932
02:51:43,280 --> 02:51:48,239
when restrained, it whipped his head
around so wildly that it intentionally broke its

1933
02:51:48,280 --> 02:51:54,719
own neck. Things like this happened
the land taketh what you oweth, Jonathan

1934
02:51:54,799 --> 02:51:58,799
assured me. His voice was calm
and soothing. Did you speak to my

1935
02:52:00,000 --> 02:52:03,680
I, he asked. I never
got his number after his visit. Do

1936
02:52:03,760 --> 02:52:09,040
you think you can call him?
I'll give it a try. He's hard

1937
02:52:09,079 --> 02:52:13,680
to reach. When I visited the
paddock this morning, their air was thick

1938
02:52:13,799 --> 02:52:20,680
with moisture. The fog was suffocating
and foreboding. It almost felt as if

1939
02:52:20,719 --> 02:52:26,040
I was drowning. The grass under
my feet felt soft, as if the

1940
02:52:26,200 --> 02:52:30,920
damp air had mixed with the mud
and softened it. Between flemy coughs,

1941
02:52:31,120 --> 02:52:35,120
I peered into the moat. At
first I heard nothing. With just four

1942
02:52:35,239 --> 02:52:41,680
lambs, including the triplets, alive
just the night before, I was doubtful

1943
02:52:41,799 --> 02:52:48,520
they would make it through the night. And then I heard it. A

1944
02:52:48,680 --> 02:52:54,639
wet, slippery noise filled the air. It sounded like somebody squishing a saturated

1945
02:52:54,719 --> 02:52:58,520
sponge repeatedly. As I crouched down
to the moat, it grew louder,

1946
02:53:00,200 --> 02:53:03,280
and despite my effects to focus my
eyes through the fog, I could only

1947
02:53:03,399 --> 02:53:09,840
see dark blobs moving below My feet. Shuffled away from the edge, fearing

1948
02:53:09,920 --> 02:53:13,399
a mysterious figure would come from the
fog and push me in. If I

1949
02:53:13,520 --> 02:53:20,680
leaned closer, an intense bleed sounded. It was harsh and loud, yet

1950
02:53:20,840 --> 02:53:26,239
muffled, like it came from under
the surface, and suddenly a rhythmic thudding

1951
02:53:26,559 --> 02:53:33,079
echoed from below. My flashlight illuminated
the water droplets in the air and revealed

1952
02:53:33,120 --> 02:53:37,680
the faint shadow of one of the
lambs. I watched as it repeatedly slammed

1953
02:53:37,680 --> 02:53:43,760
its head into the dirt. Two
other thumps in the distance, following after

1954
02:53:43,840 --> 02:53:48,360
each other. Instinctively, I shrieked
and tried to reach the depths below to

1955
02:53:48,479 --> 02:53:54,000
stop the lamb, only for my
finger tips that brush up against the now

1956
02:53:54,159 --> 02:53:58,399
soil coat of the creature below.
I recognized the material as one of the

1957
02:53:58,440 --> 02:54:03,719
bigger dog coats I had to give
the triplets due to their size. Crackling

1958
02:54:03,879 --> 02:54:09,959
trickled into my ears, almost like
a faulty electrical wire, with a sound

1959
02:54:09,000 --> 02:54:13,840
of water and hot oil. At
first, it was practically impossible to hear

1960
02:54:13,920 --> 02:54:20,000
it over the thudding, but it
soon grew louder and louder, and was

1961
02:54:20,159 --> 02:54:26,719
quickly accompanied by strange vibrations in the
ground, and I noticed the central island

1962
02:54:26,799 --> 02:54:31,000
began to crack and break. I
pushed myself back onto my feet and took

1963
02:54:31,040 --> 02:54:35,959
a few steps back. Afraid that
the cracks would infect the ground, I

1964
02:54:35,079 --> 02:54:41,399
stood on and swallow me up.
I watched as the center caved in like

1965
02:54:41,520 --> 02:54:46,719
a sinkhole. The hole grew bigger, swallowing up the remaining dirt until there

1966
02:54:46,799 --> 02:54:52,639
was just one giant hole inside of
the moat. Suddenly the air became light.

1967
02:54:52,520 --> 02:54:58,680
No more cracks, no more thudding, nothing, Time itself stood still,

1968
02:55:00,239 --> 02:55:05,280
while my rapidly beating heart created the
soundtrack of my panic. And so

1969
02:55:07,079 --> 02:55:11,399
with unsteady feet, I approached the
hole yet again. I feared that the

1970
02:55:11,479 --> 02:55:16,360
remaining lambs had gotten stuck in with
a mock, and my worry for them

1971
02:55:16,520 --> 02:55:24,440
triumphed against my frightened nature. To
my surprise, the three lambs remained stood

1972
02:55:24,479 --> 02:55:30,879
in place. A small mud mound
remained. The lump wriggled and squirmed as

1973
02:55:30,920 --> 02:55:35,959
if something was trapped underneath. Fearing
that it was one of my lambs and

1974
02:55:35,079 --> 02:55:39,479
that I would soon suffocate, I
jumped in. I clawed at the damped

1975
02:55:39,520 --> 02:55:45,040
dirt, the mud coat in my
hands, and crawled under my nails until

1976
02:55:45,239 --> 02:55:50,440
I finally hid something ice cold.
It was a small lamb, less than

1977
02:55:50,479 --> 02:55:56,719
a month old, not one of
mine, after all, lambs are only

1978
02:55:56,799 --> 02:56:01,840
berthed in the spring. Initially,
it appeared to be dead, with the

1979
02:56:01,959 --> 02:56:05,760
same dot as the triplets. I
was almost sure it was a lamb I

1980
02:56:05,920 --> 02:56:11,719
buried just months ago. But when
it stood up on all fours firmly,

1981
02:56:11,479 --> 02:56:16,840
I was almost sent into shock.
I felt the need to cover it with

1982
02:56:16,920 --> 02:56:22,200
a blanket and warm it up.
However, something about the lamb seemed strange,

1983
02:56:22,799 --> 02:56:26,200
as if it was controlling the air
around me, as if we were

1984
02:56:26,280 --> 02:56:31,639
both the same end of a magnet. I stumbled back from the force,

1985
02:56:31,040 --> 02:56:35,920
almost tripping over one of the hoof
crevices on the pathing. The remaining three

1986
02:56:37,000 --> 02:56:43,239
lambs stepped forward and lay before the
middle one. The act was practically cultish,

1987
02:56:43,040 --> 02:56:48,559
more sacrificial. There was a sense
of purpose in their movement, as

1988
02:56:48,639 --> 02:56:54,440
if they'd been working up to this
moment. Hey, I called out,

1989
02:56:54,840 --> 02:57:00,159
followed by a whistle. They didn't
spare me a glance. I knew that

1990
02:57:00,280 --> 02:57:03,520
they had heard me. There was
something different in their behavior now than earlier.

1991
02:57:05,440 --> 02:57:07,600
They seemed to have woken up from
the trance they had been in over

1992
02:57:07,680 --> 02:57:15,000
the past few weeks. Frantically I
scanned the surrounding area. It was doubtful

1993
02:57:15,120 --> 02:57:18,879
somebody would be in my land,
but after these two weeks my place had

1994
02:57:18,920 --> 02:57:24,280
become a hot spot. Just beyond
the fence of the paddock, and through

1995
02:57:24,280 --> 02:57:28,920
the lessening fog stood a dark figure
dressed in black. Perhaps another farmer had

1996
02:57:30,000 --> 02:57:33,959
arrived to check for any other dates. I hope and my mouth to call

1997
02:57:33,000 --> 02:57:37,760
out to them, who found myself
lost for words? What was I shouting

1998
02:57:37,879 --> 02:57:45,239
for? What was the emergency here? An impactful crack flooded the area,

1999
02:57:45,680 --> 02:57:50,239
followed by a few less harsh ones. I turned my head and witnessed in

2000
02:57:50,399 --> 02:57:56,280
horror as the smaller lamps stumped apart
one of the triplet's heads. And although

2001
02:57:56,399 --> 02:58:01,479
I had come across plenty of corpses
these past several days, this was different.

2002
02:58:01,559 --> 02:58:07,280
My mouth flooded with survivor and stomach
as it soon followed, the pressure

2003
02:58:07,440 --> 02:58:11,959
too much for my lips to hold
back, and soon enough I painted the

2004
02:58:13,000 --> 02:58:16,840
ground with my insight. When I
looked back, the lamb had begun to

2005
02:58:16,920 --> 02:58:22,440
feast on the viscera. Stop.
I screamed, my hands waving dramatically in

2006
02:58:22,559 --> 02:58:28,520
the air to seem huge and intimidating. Stop it. My throat burned as

2007
02:58:28,559 --> 02:58:33,319
I cried, still coated with the
mix of last night's meal and drinks.

2008
02:58:33,719 --> 02:58:37,879
The lamb did not listen, and
with the intense force pushing up against me,

2009
02:58:39,479 --> 02:58:43,280
I could only watch on in disgust
as it turned to another one of

2010
02:58:43,319 --> 02:58:48,920
the triplets and did the same in
just seconds. In awe became too much.

2011
02:58:50,079 --> 02:58:54,680
Erratically, I climbed out of the
hole and searched the service for help,

2012
02:58:54,440 --> 02:59:01,399
but the figure was gone. I
was alone. Help. I called

2013
02:59:01,440 --> 02:59:07,239
through the moisture, please come back
the skull. Bursting cracks echoed again as

2014
02:59:07,280 --> 02:59:11,959
the lamb made contact with his final
target. I didn't have to look.

2015
02:59:13,799 --> 02:59:18,959
I couldn't. Feeling helpless, I
ran. No matter how far I fled

2016
02:59:20,040 --> 02:59:24,479
from the scene, I couldn't escape
the images in my head. The atrocity

2017
02:59:24,680 --> 02:59:28,760
which happened right in front of me
was barbaric, unexplainable, and left my

2018
02:59:28,920 --> 02:59:35,239
stomach and n When I created a
large distance from the hole, I spared

2019
02:59:35,319 --> 02:59:41,319
her look back, my feet still
stumbling ahead of me through the fog.

2020
02:59:41,760 --> 02:59:48,760
Multiple figures stood eerily around the site, staring into the crater below. It

2021
02:59:48,959 --> 02:59:56,040
was difficult to make out any identifying
features. Suddenly, the surrounding ewes and

2022
02:59:56,200 --> 03:00:01,719
rams in the remaining paddocks began bleating
in unison as the shadows around the hole

2023
03:00:01,840 --> 03:00:07,799
shifted and moved. I didn't stick
around for longer, fearing I owe the

2024
03:00:07,879 --> 03:00:24,079
land much more than I could ever
give it. As a child, I

2025
03:00:24,280 --> 03:00:28,479
was always excited for Christmas. It
was my favorite time of year, and

2026
03:00:28,600 --> 03:00:33,479
I would spend the entire month of
December eagerly counting down the days until Santa

2027
03:00:33,639 --> 03:00:37,520
arrived. I would always make sure
to leave out cookies and milk for him

2028
03:00:37,559 --> 03:00:43,000
on Christmas Eve. But one year
something happened that shook my passion for this

2029
03:00:43,159 --> 03:00:48,959
season. That was the year that
I learned that not all gifts come from

2030
03:00:48,040 --> 03:00:54,479
Santa. Growing up, I was
vaguely aware that we were not very well

2031
03:00:54,559 --> 03:00:58,399
off as a family. I always
had less than the others at school.

2032
03:01:00,159 --> 03:01:03,840
The meals I brought in like the
flare compared to my friends more colorful spreads,

2033
03:01:05,559 --> 03:01:09,920
and surprisingly, I was in sad
about this. But for some reason,

2034
03:01:11,280 --> 03:01:16,120
I had it in my head that
Christmas was different. I think I

2035
03:01:16,280 --> 03:01:20,200
thought because Santa gave out the presents, that I would get whatever I wanted,

2036
03:01:20,879 --> 03:01:24,440
probably from all my childhood movies that
show the less fortunate protagonists have the

2037
03:01:24,639 --> 03:01:28,799
dream come true. For a day, I was convinced I was going to

2038
03:01:28,879 --> 03:01:33,120
get what I wanted, and I
non stop dropped hints about what it was.

2039
03:01:35,000 --> 03:01:39,680
The hottest toy in the market,
a Nerve Endstrike Mega Thunderbow. I

2040
03:01:39,799 --> 03:01:46,000
dropped hints constantly to my parents about
what specifically I wanted when everyone else in

2041
03:01:46,120 --> 03:01:50,200
school was going to get. I
was filled with excitement as I anticipated the

2042
03:01:50,319 --> 03:01:56,559
arrival of Christmas morning. When I
woke up on Christmas Morning, I ran

2043
03:01:56,639 --> 03:02:01,680
downstairs to see what Santa had brought
me. I was thrilled to see a

2044
03:02:01,719 --> 03:02:05,639
small pile of presents waiting for me
under the tree. It didn't take long

2045
03:02:05,719 --> 03:02:11,840
to sort them, as my parents
had only one present each, which retrospectively,

2046
03:02:11,159 --> 03:02:16,520
they must have bought each other small
things. They were more gestures than

2047
03:02:16,600 --> 03:02:24,360
gifts. I had the most,
a grand total of two. The first

2048
03:02:24,399 --> 03:02:28,399
one was some things for school,
and I waited a moment with bated breath.

2049
03:02:30,479 --> 03:02:33,799
The second present was a box signed
from both my parents. I was

2050
03:02:33,920 --> 03:02:37,920
more than sure I knew what it
was, so I just wanted to savor

2051
03:02:39,000 --> 03:02:41,799
the moment, let it last in
my mind's eye for the years to come.

2052
03:02:43,319 --> 03:02:46,559
I saw color when I ripped a
corner, and I knew it was

2053
03:02:46,639 --> 03:02:52,200
a toy, but when I stripped
it of its paper flesh, I was

2054
03:02:52,280 --> 03:02:58,040
distraught. It was close, but
it wasn't a Nerve Thunderbow, some street

2055
03:02:58,120 --> 03:03:03,479
market knockoff that was pretty much the
same in all but name. But as

2056
03:03:03,559 --> 03:03:09,639
everyone knows, kids don't understand that. I just knew I didn't have what

2057
03:03:09,799 --> 03:03:15,360
I wanted for so long, and
the betrayal I felt was too much for

2058
03:03:15,479 --> 03:03:20,280
me to handle. Seeing that it
came from my parents made all my eyre

2059
03:03:20,479 --> 03:03:26,719
directed solely towards them. In my
anger and frustration, I stormed upstairs to

2060
03:03:26,799 --> 03:03:30,760
my room and slammed the door behind
me. I was so mad that I

2061
03:03:30,840 --> 03:03:35,239
could hardly think straight. I couldn't
believe that my parents had let me down

2062
03:03:35,319 --> 03:03:39,680
in this way. I felt like
they didn't understand me, and I hated

2063
03:03:39,719 --> 03:03:45,600
them for it. I lay in
my bed, crying and feeling sorry for

2064
03:03:45,719 --> 03:03:50,399
myself. After Christmas, I found
it difficult to shake off the feelings of

2065
03:03:50,520 --> 03:03:56,239
resentment that I had towards my parents. I felt like I had been cheated

2066
03:03:56,399 --> 03:04:01,079
out of something that I deserved,
and I couldn't understand why they couldn't give

2067
03:04:01,120 --> 03:04:05,639
it to me. I knew that
they loved me, but it didn't feel

2068
03:04:05,719 --> 03:04:11,399
like it. I didn't know how
to deal with these conflicting emotions, and

2069
03:04:11,559 --> 03:04:16,719
they consumed me. I found myself
snapping at my parents and lashing out at

2070
03:04:16,760 --> 03:04:24,440
them for no reason. I was
miserable, and so were they. Looking

2071
03:04:24,520 --> 03:04:28,760
back, I realized that a nerve
thunderbow was just the toy, and it

2072
03:04:28,879 --> 03:04:33,600
doesn't really matter that I didn't get
it, But at the time it felt

2073
03:04:33,639 --> 03:04:39,159
like the end of the world.
As the days went by, I was

2074
03:04:39,280 --> 03:04:43,000
still feeling angry and upset about not
getting it. I didn't know how to

2075
03:04:43,120 --> 03:04:48,120
let go of those emotions. I
was sitting in my room, staring at

2076
03:04:48,200 --> 03:04:52,639
the wall and feeling sorry for myself, when I heard a knock at the

2077
03:04:52,719 --> 03:04:58,600
door. My parents are out,
so I answered it cautiously with a chain

2078
03:04:58,719 --> 03:05:05,000
on, as instructed for the rare
cases when I was home alone. As

2079
03:05:05,079 --> 03:05:07,680
I opened the door, I was
met with a sight that filled me with

2080
03:05:07,840 --> 03:05:16,399
unease. Standing on the other side
was a strange looking man with pale skin

2081
03:05:16,639 --> 03:05:22,239
and sharp angular features. He was
dressed in a long black coat that seemed

2082
03:05:22,239 --> 03:05:26,959
to absorb the light around him,
making him appear almost ethereal. His eyes

2083
03:05:28,000 --> 03:05:31,200
were barely visible through the darkness that
seemed to surround him, and I could

2084
03:05:31,280 --> 03:05:37,000
barely make out their cold, calculating
stare. I felt a chill were undern

2085
03:05:37,040 --> 03:05:43,520
my spine. Hello, child,
the man said, in a voice that

2086
03:05:43,680 --> 03:05:48,520
was both soft and cold. I
have something you want. What do you

2087
03:05:48,600 --> 03:05:54,040
mean, I asked, feeling a
search of curiosity. What do you have

2088
03:05:54,719 --> 03:06:01,239
A nerf end strike mega thunderbow?
The man said, holding out a box.

2089
03:06:01,239 --> 03:06:07,760
I can give it to you if
you want. I was stunned.

2090
03:06:07,319 --> 03:06:13,120
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. A thunderbow was right here within my

2091
03:06:13,280 --> 03:06:18,600
reach, and all I had to
do was take it. But something about

2092
03:06:18,600 --> 03:06:24,239
the man's offer made me uneasy.
What do you want for it? I

2093
03:06:24,399 --> 03:06:28,479
asked. I don't have any money, I said, trying to keep my

2094
03:06:28,600 --> 03:06:33,760
voice steady. Oh nothing much,
the man said, smiling, just the

2095
03:06:33,879 --> 03:06:41,159
small price. But don't worry,
it's nothing you can't afford. It was

2096
03:06:41,319 --> 03:06:46,760
everything that I wanted, but I
didn't know what the man wanted in return.

2097
03:06:46,680 --> 03:06:50,399
I didn't have any money and I
didn't have anything else to give him.

2098
03:06:52,440 --> 03:06:56,760
But I was desperate and I didn't
want to miss out on this opportunity.

2099
03:06:58,360 --> 03:07:03,479
Okay, I said, resently,
I'll take it. The man handed

2100
03:07:03,520 --> 03:07:07,360
me the box, and after he
left, I tore it open eagerly.

2101
03:07:09,840 --> 03:07:15,559
Inside I found the Nerve Thunderbow,
new and perfect. I was overjoyed,

2102
03:07:16,280 --> 03:07:22,639
but at the same time I felt
a sense of fear and uncertainty. What

2103
03:07:22,959 --> 03:07:26,760
had I agreed to? What was
the price I had to pay? This

2104
03:07:28,159 --> 03:07:33,319
quickly left my mind feeling like I
made off with the way better deal because

2105
03:07:33,639 --> 03:07:39,319
I had what I wanted and he
left before getting anything back. I think

2106
03:07:39,360 --> 03:07:43,239
I just justified it as some strange
act of goodwill and pushed the bad thoughts

2107
03:07:43,280 --> 03:07:50,239
away. As time went on,
I quickly began to outgrow the toy.

2108
03:07:50,360 --> 03:07:54,239
As with all fads, it was
the height that was exciting, not the

2109
03:07:54,399 --> 03:08:00,479
toy itself. It was still a
special and cherished possession, but no longer

2110
03:08:00,559 --> 03:08:05,120
held the same alaw that it once
did. I had other interests and hobbies,

2111
03:08:05,559 --> 03:08:09,559
and I'd moved on to other toys
and games. The years went on,

2112
03:08:11,079 --> 03:08:13,239
and I thought that I had left
the memories of that Christmas behind.

2113
03:08:15,280 --> 03:08:18,440
But even as I moved on with
my life, I couldn't shake the feeling

2114
03:08:18,600 --> 03:08:24,399
that something was wrong. I started
to have strange and disturbing dreams in which

2115
03:08:24,440 --> 03:08:28,360
I was haunted by the man that
had given me the toy. I would

2116
03:08:28,399 --> 03:08:33,920
see him in my dreams, his
pale and sharp features leering at me from

2117
03:08:33,959 --> 03:08:37,799
the shadows. I would wake up
in a cold sweat, feeling shaken.

2118
03:08:39,719 --> 03:08:43,920
Sleeping became a chore, something that
I dreaded rather than looked forward to at

2119
03:08:45,000 --> 03:08:48,079
the end of a school day.
I tried to push these visions out of

2120
03:08:48,159 --> 03:08:54,000
my mind, but they always returned, more vivid and terrifying than before.

2121
03:08:54,680 --> 03:09:01,280
It was a haunting experience that left
me feeling lost. These nightmares became worse.

2122
03:09:03,319 --> 03:09:07,639
I found myself feeling more and more
isolated. The strange and disturbing dreams

2123
03:09:07,719 --> 03:09:13,000
that I was having left me feeling
shaken, and I struggled to sleep At

2124
03:09:13,079 --> 03:09:18,079
night. I would lie in bed
trying to calm my racing thoughts and steady

2125
03:09:18,200 --> 03:09:22,719
my racing heart, but it was
a losing battle. The image of the

2126
03:09:22,840 --> 03:09:28,680
man with the pale and sharp features
would always return, leering at me from

2127
03:09:28,680 --> 03:09:33,079
the shadows of my subconscience. My
breath would come in short, panicked gasps.

2128
03:09:33,200 --> 03:09:37,200
Frequently. I felt like I was
trapped in a never ending nightmare,

2129
03:09:37,639 --> 03:09:43,120
and I didn't know how to escape. I struggled to cope with the feelings

2130
03:09:43,159 --> 03:09:48,959
of fear and anxiety that consumed me. As the strange and disturbing dreams continued,

2131
03:09:50,600 --> 03:09:54,799
I also began to see strange and
unexplainable things in the world around me.

2132
03:09:56,040 --> 03:10:01,079
I'll catch glimpses of twisted and other
worldly shapes lurking at the edges of

2133
03:10:01,159 --> 03:10:05,079
my vision. I would hear whispers
calling my name from the darkness. I

2134
03:10:05,120 --> 03:10:11,920
would feel a strange and powerful force
pulling me towards unknown and forbidden places at

2135
03:10:11,000 --> 03:10:16,559
the edges of my mind. It
was as if the barriers between reality and

2136
03:10:16,719 --> 03:10:20,680
nightmare were breaking down and I was
being drawn into a world of madness and

2137
03:10:20,879 --> 03:10:26,040
terror. I was filled with fear, confusion. I'm sure of what was

2138
03:10:26,159 --> 03:10:31,479
happening to me or why. I
felt like I was losing my grip on

2139
03:10:31,639 --> 03:10:37,120
reality, and I didn't know how
to stop it. At first, I

2140
03:10:37,280 --> 03:10:41,399
thought that I was just letting my
imagination get the better of me. I

2141
03:10:41,520 --> 03:10:45,479
was still young, after all,
and I was known to have a vivid

2142
03:10:45,559 --> 03:10:50,680
and active imagination. But as time
went on, the things that I saw

2143
03:10:50,799 --> 03:10:54,639
and heard felt more and more real. I started to see the man grinning

2144
03:10:54,680 --> 03:10:58,040
at me in the corners of my
room, in the shadows of trees,

2145
03:10:58,520 --> 03:11:03,959
and even in the reflections of mirrors
and windows. He was always there,

2146
03:11:05,639 --> 03:11:11,040
watching me, and I could never
escape his gaze. I was terrified of

2147
03:11:11,159 --> 03:11:16,479
the unknown, unsure of what he
wanted from me or why he was haunting

2148
03:11:16,559 --> 03:11:20,799
me. I tried to tell my
parents that they just laughed it off and

2149
03:11:20,000 --> 03:11:26,040
told me that I was being silly. I was horribly misunderstood, since I

2150
03:11:26,079 --> 03:11:30,120
couldn't probably describe what was happening,
and I didn't know how to make the

2151
03:11:30,200 --> 03:11:35,719
hallucinations stop. The man continued to
haunt me, eventually appearing in the faces

2152
03:11:35,760 --> 03:11:41,079
of people in the street and in
the whispers of the wind. I could

2153
03:11:41,079 --> 03:11:45,159
always sense his eyes on me,
even when I was alone. I was

2154
03:11:45,280 --> 03:11:48,760
trapped in a never ending nightmare.
I never knew what he wanted from me,

2155
03:11:50,239 --> 03:11:54,440
why he was tormenting me. All
I knew was that it was somehow

2156
03:11:54,520 --> 03:11:58,680
connected to the gift that the man
had given me. I could feel the

2157
03:11:58,760 --> 03:12:03,159
way to my decision and the burden
of the price that I had paid.

2158
03:12:03,200 --> 03:12:07,319
I was trapped in a cycle of
uncertainty, and I didn't know how to

2159
03:12:07,399 --> 03:12:11,639
break free. I felt like I
was losing my mind, and I was

2160
03:12:11,799 --> 03:12:16,440
terrified of what would happen to me
if I didn't find a way to stop

2161
03:12:16,520 --> 03:12:20,399
it. I stopped seeing my friends
and could school a lot. All of

2162
03:12:20,479 --> 03:12:24,440
my time was spent in my room, fuddled in the corner, trying to

2163
03:12:24,680 --> 03:12:31,000
escape from the horrors that plagued me. I felt trapped and I didn't know

2164
03:12:31,200 --> 03:12:35,319
how to break free. I didn't
know who to turn to for help.

2165
03:12:35,920 --> 03:12:41,680
No amount of therapy or medications could
help me either, and I grew distant

2166
03:12:41,760 --> 03:12:46,920
from the world. When you can't
trust your own senses, you lose any

2167
03:12:46,000 --> 03:12:52,000
semblance of trust in anything. This
ended up with me lying in my room,

2168
03:12:52,440 --> 03:12:58,520
all lights on and the TV blaring. Despite all the light bleed,

2169
03:12:58,879 --> 03:13:03,760
the room still felt dark. I
put on some cartoons as a comfort show,

2170
03:13:03,280 --> 03:13:07,319
but the sound just passed through me, and I ended up passing out

2171
03:13:07,559 --> 03:13:13,520
after days of exhaustion, the grinning
face in place of the show I was

2172
03:13:13,639 --> 03:13:20,680
trying to watch for comfort. When
I woke up, I wasn't in my

2173
03:13:20,760 --> 03:13:26,639
bed anymore. I don't even think
I was even on earth. The world

2174
03:13:26,719 --> 03:13:31,440
I was in was a twisted and
it's a real place. Childhood toys and

2175
03:13:31,559 --> 03:13:37,360
memories were sickening visages of their innocent
forms, dolls with razor blades for teeth,

2176
03:13:37,920 --> 03:13:43,719
teddy bears with organic eyes, and
many things I can't begin to describe.

2177
03:13:43,959 --> 03:13:48,399
I could hear the laughter of children, but it had a cold feeling

2178
03:13:48,479 --> 03:13:52,879
to them. I could sense the
man looming in the darkness, mocking me

2179
03:13:52,079 --> 03:13:58,040
at every turn. For myself,
I was back to my child self,

2180
03:13:58,879 --> 03:14:03,000
the exact age from when I received
the Man's gift. I wondered to the

2181
03:14:03,120 --> 03:14:09,120
toy filled landscape, feeling more and
more lost with each step. I didn't

2182
03:14:09,159 --> 03:14:13,559
know what was wanted from me or
why I was here. I just knew

2183
03:14:13,719 --> 03:14:20,399
I was a prisoner and I was
at his mercy. I began following noises

2184
03:14:20,440 --> 03:14:26,040
I heard, hoping to find a
way out, but I found something else

2185
03:14:26,120 --> 03:14:33,559
instead. More children. They had
been taken by the man, like me.

2186
03:14:33,600 --> 03:14:37,719
I had no idea how long they'd
been there, but they were just

2187
03:14:37,920 --> 03:14:41,440
as frightened, which took a bit
of my hope from me. They were

2188
03:14:41,479 --> 03:14:48,559
huddled together, hiding in small spaces
and behind discarded objects. I tried talking

2189
03:14:48,639 --> 03:14:52,040
to one, but was hushed and
shoved away. And when in the open,

2190
03:14:52,639 --> 03:14:58,000
I saw why some of the creatures
were lurking, And when I was

2191
03:14:58,079 --> 03:15:07,719
spotted it launched immediately. The others
ran, seeing that it was distracted.

2192
03:15:07,799 --> 03:15:11,120
I didn't get a good look of
the assailant before I was torn apart.

2193
03:15:13,040 --> 03:15:18,600
I felt everything, despite being what
I could only describe as a red puddle

2194
03:15:18,680 --> 03:15:22,879
on the floor, Even as it
feasted on the remains of my chunks,

2195
03:15:24,399 --> 03:15:28,639
I could feel the pain bouncing around
my mind like a phantom pain. I

2196
03:15:28,799 --> 03:15:35,120
never blacked out, but I also
lost nearly all my senses, so it

2197
03:15:35,280 --> 03:15:39,120
felt like waking up when I jolted
up from the floor. Around me smeared

2198
03:15:39,280 --> 03:15:48,399
in a rust colored stain. Then
it all cycled again. Sometimes I'd bump

2199
03:15:48,479 --> 03:15:54,479
into others when no danger was around. During these moments of respite, there

2200
03:15:54,600 --> 03:15:58,440
was some sense of camaraderie. The
consensus was that if someone was caught and

2201
03:15:58,559 --> 03:16:03,879
left behind, it was no hard
feelings, just your time for torment,

2202
03:16:03,120 --> 03:16:07,879
for a moment of relief. For
the others, it was a shark in

2203
03:16:07,920 --> 03:16:11,399
a school of fish system. As
they shared their stories with me, I

2204
03:16:11,559 --> 03:16:16,639
was deeply moved by the horrors they
had experienced. I couldn't help but admire

2205
03:16:16,680 --> 03:16:22,600
their strength, but the horrors haunted
us all equally. We couldn't sleep in

2206
03:16:22,639 --> 03:16:28,000
this world, and even if we
could, the lurk and abominations didn't give

2207
03:16:28,079 --> 03:16:35,520
us time to rest. Exhaustion was
constant, pain was eternal. One of

2208
03:16:35,600 --> 03:16:39,639
the children, a girl named Lily, made her deal when she was just

2209
03:16:39,799 --> 03:16:43,399
six years old. She had been
desperate for a new doll, and she

2210
03:16:43,520 --> 03:16:48,280
had begged her parents to buy it
for her. Her parents had refused.

2211
03:16:48,959 --> 03:16:54,840
Lily had been devastated and succumbed to
the man's temptation. He appeared to her,

2212
03:16:54,239 --> 03:16:58,799
offering to give her the doll in
exchange for a small gift. Lily

2213
03:17:00,000 --> 03:17:03,959
didn't know what the demon meant,
and she was too young and innocent to

2214
03:17:03,120 --> 03:17:09,159
understand the true cast of her decision. She had agreed to the man's deal,

2215
03:17:09,639 --> 03:17:13,559
and she'd been taken to the dream
world after years of a torturous life.

2216
03:17:13,159 --> 03:17:20,879
Just like me, the others had
similar stories. Lily had been trapped

2217
03:17:20,879 --> 03:17:24,200
here for years, and she'd been
forced to live through the same evils over

2218
03:17:24,399 --> 03:17:30,319
and over again. She was trapped
in a never ending cycle of gore and

2219
03:17:30,479 --> 03:17:35,280
violence, and she couldn't escape.
She'd given up hope and she had resigned

2220
03:17:35,319 --> 03:17:41,879
herself to a never ending lifetime of
misery and despair. She had met the

2221
03:17:41,959 --> 03:17:46,000
other children, and they'd given her
a slice of hope despite not having the

2222
03:17:46,079 --> 03:17:52,479
tools that deal with what's around.
That small sense of camaraderie and self sacrifice

2223
03:17:52,799 --> 03:17:58,239
gave that seed of hope that helped
them carry on, and now I had

2224
03:17:58,280 --> 03:18:05,399
that too. The seed grew into
an idea, an idea with no backing,

2225
03:18:05,440 --> 03:18:09,600
mind you, but still a small
light to imagine at the end of

2226
03:18:09,719 --> 03:18:13,840
this dark tunnel. They were looking
for a way out, and they were

2227
03:18:13,920 --> 03:18:20,760
determined to escape from the man's grasp. However, the more we explored the

2228
03:18:20,840 --> 03:18:26,440
twisted world, the more we felt
trapped by this curse. Too many demons

2229
03:18:26,479 --> 03:18:31,280
patrolled the space, too many sights
that twisted one's mind and drained us of

2230
03:18:31,399 --> 03:18:37,399
hope, no sign of any form
of escape. Through all this, Lily

2231
03:18:37,520 --> 03:18:41,600
and I quickly became friends, and
we helped each other to survive in the

2232
03:18:41,719 --> 03:18:46,760
dream world. We would often get
separated from the other children and we would

2233
03:18:46,799 --> 03:18:52,000
have to find each other again,
but no matter what, we show always

2234
03:18:52,120 --> 03:18:58,840
found each other, specifically over the
other kids. Despite this, there could

2235
03:18:58,840 --> 03:19:03,799
be times that you could find anyone. Weeks would go by without seeing a

2236
03:19:03,920 --> 03:19:09,799
single person, only the twisted toys
that roamed like titans. Sometimes you'd wonder

2237
03:19:09,879 --> 03:19:15,120
if there was anyone left, What
if the others found a way out while

2238
03:19:15,159 --> 03:19:20,079
you were separated, and you were
the only one left behind. Thoughts like

2239
03:19:20,200 --> 03:19:24,200
these made me curl up in a
hiding spot and weep for days on end.

2240
03:19:24,959 --> 03:19:31,239
But no matter how well you hid, they would find you. You

2241
03:19:31,280 --> 03:19:35,760
couldn't go on forever without being caught, like there was a time limit before

2242
03:19:35,799 --> 03:19:39,639
they locked onto you, missing with
your sense of hope, of reprieve from

2243
03:19:39,680 --> 03:19:45,239
the pain that comes. The things
they did would twist the stomach of a

2244
03:19:45,360 --> 03:19:52,079
medieval madman after years of this cursed
living. I was wondering the landscape alone.

2245
03:19:54,680 --> 03:20:00,440
Then I felt a tug on my
hand. It was Lily pulled me

2246
03:20:00,520 --> 03:20:05,319
into a crevice, which at first
I thought was to hide, But she

2247
03:20:05,479 --> 03:20:09,559
had something to share. She claimed
she somehow learned a way to escape,

2248
03:20:11,319 --> 03:20:16,200
though she never told me how.
She said that the only way to escape

2249
03:20:16,559 --> 03:20:20,680
was to replace our spot in the
dream world with another child, and to

2250
03:20:20,840 --> 03:20:26,200
let the men claim them instead of
us. It was a cruel and heartless

2251
03:20:26,239 --> 03:20:31,600
plan, but it was our only
hope. Lily seemed horrified by the idea,

2252
03:20:31,959 --> 03:20:37,040
and she didn't want to sacrifice another
child at first, but it was

2253
03:20:37,079 --> 03:20:39,920
our only chance of escape, and
she wanted to see what the terms were.

2254
03:20:41,079 --> 03:20:45,559
I promised to keep it secret from
the other children, and to make

2255
03:20:45,639 --> 03:20:50,719
sure they never found out what we
were planning. Two victims was already too

2256
03:20:50,840 --> 03:20:54,639
much for our conscience, though the
guilt of not telling them also weighed on

2257
03:20:54,760 --> 03:21:01,520
me. Lily led me through many
paths and tunnel I hadn't seen before in

2258
03:21:01,639 --> 03:21:05,239
the years I'd been there. These
must have been mapped out in a mind

2259
03:21:05,319 --> 03:21:11,639
from almost a decade of being here. Her time was well spent, something

2260
03:21:11,840 --> 03:21:15,760
I hadn't been doing myself, though
I didn't want to tell her that.

2261
03:21:16,639 --> 03:21:20,239
Crawling for so long, we came
to a clearing that looked different to the

2262
03:21:20,360 --> 03:21:26,079
rest, a dark visage, devoid
of the flames and Christmas lights of the

2263
03:21:26,200 --> 03:21:33,120
monster stocked planes. In the middle
was a small hut. An inside was

2264
03:21:33,280 --> 03:21:41,520
him. Though he didn't move,
I was terrified he just stood there,

2265
03:21:41,879 --> 03:21:48,159
smiling at us, But when Lily
approached, I realized he was just looking

2266
03:21:48,239 --> 03:21:52,520
at her. She knelt and told
him we were willing to serve him and

2267
03:21:52,680 --> 03:21:58,799
the dream world if we could live
the rest of our lives. A complete

2268
03:21:58,920 --> 03:22:03,399
change in demeanor, how she described
things. Despite this, I went along

2269
03:22:03,559 --> 03:22:09,639
to see how it had go.
The man was intrigued by our proposal,

2270
03:22:09,079 --> 03:22:13,719
and he agreed to our terms.
He grinned and gave us a Christmas gift,

2271
03:22:15,280 --> 03:22:18,479
and he told us that we had
to find a child to replace us

2272
03:22:18,559 --> 03:22:22,239
for the time we were gone.
I had little hope that he would release

2273
03:22:22,319 --> 03:22:28,280
them once we were back, however
long that was. But at this point

2274
03:22:28,639 --> 03:22:33,680
my mind was clouded with the thought
of reprieve from this nightmare. I was

2275
03:22:33,799 --> 03:22:39,879
horrified, but I knew I wanted
a break. In a blink, I

2276
03:22:39,120 --> 03:22:45,959
was back in bed at the exact
moment I drifted off. Family Guy was

2277
03:22:46,040 --> 03:22:50,600
playing in the background with no hint
of corruption, and the TV. I

2278
03:22:50,840 --> 03:22:56,600
was back, and my senses were
mine for the first time and what felt

2279
03:22:56,680 --> 03:23:01,879
like a lifetime. It took me
a while to get my bearings. I

2280
03:23:01,040 --> 03:23:05,680
was in bed and the TV was
on with some cartoons running. I was

2281
03:23:05,719 --> 03:23:11,520
getting ready for sleep, and there
was no school because we're on break it

2282
03:23:11,760 --> 03:23:20,120
was the Christmas holidays. Instead of
going immediately on the hunt, I slept

2283
03:23:20,280 --> 03:23:24,200
for the first time in what must
have been years. It was refreshing to

2284
03:23:24,360 --> 03:23:28,399
close my eyes in a dimly lit
room without seeing the visage of the man

2285
03:23:28,840 --> 03:23:35,799
lurking in any shadow. When I
woke, I prayed to anything holy that

2286
03:23:35,920 --> 03:23:41,079
it was all the culmination of my
mental deprivation, that the nightmare was a

2287
03:23:41,239 --> 03:23:46,840
torturous, lucid dream that ended with
some well rest. For the first time,

2288
03:23:48,520 --> 03:23:54,280
everything felt quiet. No more whispers, no more visions. I tried

2289
03:23:54,360 --> 03:23:58,440
to believe with all my heart,
but the present, sitting at my desk

2290
03:23:58,680 --> 03:24:05,920
said otherwise. I picked up the
present and left the house. I told

2291
03:24:05,959 --> 03:24:09,280
my parents I was dropping a gift
off at a friend's house, and they

2292
03:24:09,319 --> 03:24:13,319
were so ecstatic that I was up
and about that they gladly saw me off,

2293
03:24:13,000 --> 03:24:18,280
and none the wiser to my real
motives. I wandered through the streets,

2294
03:24:18,600 --> 03:24:24,120
looking for anyone who stood out.
I passed by parks and fields until

2295
03:24:24,319 --> 03:24:30,719
I saw a girl. She was
lost and alone, having wandered too far

2296
03:24:30,879 --> 03:24:35,879
from her friends while playing hide and
seek. I comforted her as best I

2297
03:24:35,959 --> 03:24:39,879
could and told her I would help
her find her friends. So I guided

2298
03:24:39,959 --> 03:24:46,200
her back to where they started and
called out for them. As soon as

2299
03:24:46,239 --> 03:24:50,079
they heard a voice that wasn't someone
they knew, they took it seriously and

2300
03:24:50,239 --> 03:24:56,879
came out seeing their lost friend,
wiping her tears. She was grateful,

2301
03:24:56,840 --> 03:25:01,360
and before leaving I told older that
she could have a gift to cheer her

2302
03:25:01,479 --> 03:25:07,200
up. This immediately worked, and
the friends gorked at the price she received.

2303
03:25:09,360 --> 03:25:11,959
If it weren't for the immense guilt
that racked me to my bones,

2304
03:25:15,239 --> 03:25:20,239
there are things I never accounted for. Though. Where is Lily? I

2305
03:25:20,360 --> 03:25:24,360
have no idea the size of the
man's domain. Was it only in my

2306
03:25:24,479 --> 03:25:28,040
country? How could she be in
a far off continent? Did she give

2307
03:25:28,079 --> 03:25:35,360
the gift? Did she find another
way? All I know is I need

2308
03:25:35,399 --> 03:25:41,399
to find her. I was weak, I am weak. I did the

2309
03:25:41,479 --> 03:25:46,280
man's bidding with no question. Lily
was the one with the brains. She

2310
03:25:46,479 --> 03:25:50,440
was the one who found the escape. Could she have found a loophole?

2311
03:25:52,040 --> 03:25:58,319
Too many questions? Too much guilt. I need to find Lily. Maybe

2312
03:25:58,360 --> 03:26:03,440
she will find a way to stop
us go back, because if not,

2313
03:26:03,760 --> 03:26:09,440
I have to enjoy the time I
have left, because hell would be a

2314
03:26:09,559 --> 03:26:16,360
respite from the torture that awaits me. We don't always get what we want,

2315
03:26:18,399 --> 03:26:24,319
and sometimes the things we want the
most comes with the price that we

2316
03:26:24,520 --> 03:26:26,520
can't fully understand.