WEBVTT

1
00:00:02.450 --> 00:00:06.610
<v Speaker 1>Hello, this is Robbie, creator of Ghost Wax. If you're here,

2
00:00:07.049 --> 00:00:10.029
<v Speaker 1>you enjoy tales of mystery and the macabre, and we

3
00:00:10.070 --> 00:00:12.470
<v Speaker 1>wanted to introduce you to a story we think that

4
00:00:12.509 --> 00:00:17.589
<v Speaker 1>you'll enjoy. 24 years ago, the town of Cold Sparrow disappeared.

5
00:00:18.370 --> 00:00:24.160
<v Speaker 1>Not destroyed, not abandoned, its people simply vanished. No bodies,

6
00:00:24.780 --> 00:00:30.980
<v Speaker 1>no explanation. And after decades of investigations, rumors, and conspiracy theories...

7
00:00:31.170 --> 00:00:36.950
<v Speaker 1>the mystery remains unsolved, until three private investigators, Mace Rhodes,

8
00:00:37.210 --> 00:00:40.869
<v Speaker 1>Leon Oates, and Phyllis Chambers, are hired to find out

9
00:00:41.109 --> 00:00:45.020
<v Speaker 1>what really happened. What begins as an investigation into a

10
00:00:45.100 --> 00:00:49.539
<v Speaker 1>decades-old disappearance soon leads them through the town's buried history,

11
00:00:49.960 --> 00:00:54.920
<v Speaker 1>strange artifacts, forgotten cults, and the terrifying legacy of something hellish.

12
00:00:55.740 --> 00:00:59.600
<v Speaker 1>The Gentleman from Hell is a full-cast cinematic horror audio-drama

13
00:01:00.070 --> 00:01:05.090
<v Speaker 1>about three investigators descending into a mystery where history, the supernatural,

14
00:01:05.650 --> 00:01:11.049
<v Speaker 1>and something profoundly infernal begin to collide. Some mysteries should

15
00:01:11.090 --> 00:01:15.549
<v Speaker 1>stay buried. Cold Sparrow is one of them. And now

16
00:01:15.810 --> 00:01:19.659
<v Speaker 1>we present episode one of The Gentleman from Hell.

17
00:01:53.859 --> 00:01:55.120
<v Speaker 2>I'm sorry.

18
00:01:55.200 --> 00:01:55.640
<v Speaker 3>I'm sorry.

19
00:02:48.669 --> 00:02:50.250
<v Speaker 4>No, they're.

20
00:02:51.250 --> 00:02:51.370
<v Speaker 2>Not.

21
00:02:51.389 --> 00:02:54.389
<v Speaker 4>Jen, are you... Confirmed.

22
00:02:54.830 --> 00:02:55.229
<v Speaker 2>Decide.

23
00:02:55.250 --> 00:03:01.289
<v Speaker 3>Tonight, on Call of the Weird.

24
00:03:15.849 --> 00:03:20.590
<v Speaker 5>The enduring mystery of the Cold Sparrow mass disappearance of 1999.

25
00:03:20.590 --> 00:03:25.740
<v Speaker 5>In a bizarre and chilling case that has perplexed authorities

26
00:03:25.810 --> 00:03:29.319
<v Speaker 5>and experts for over two decades, the small country town

27
00:03:29.400 --> 00:03:33.020
<v Speaker 5>of Cold Sparrow experienced one of the largest mass disappearances

28
00:03:33.080 --> 00:03:37.020
<v Speaker 5>in modern history, leaving behind only unanswered questions and a

29
00:03:37.080 --> 00:03:42.219
<v Speaker 5>lingering sense of unease. Cold Sparrow, once a quiet and

30
00:03:42.360 --> 00:03:46.210
<v Speaker 5>unassuming town, found itself at the center of global attention

31
00:03:46.210 --> 00:03:49.689
<v Speaker 5>24 years ago, when every single one of its inhabitants

32
00:03:49.789 --> 00:03:54.590
<v Speaker 5>vanished without a trace. Among them was its most conspicuous resident,

33
00:03:54.990 --> 00:04:00.199
<v Speaker 5>billionaire Benjamin Veers, known for his eccentricities and reclusive lifestyle.

34
00:04:01.180 --> 00:04:05.400
<v Speaker 5>The disappearance of Veers, along with the entire population, turned

35
00:04:05.460 --> 00:04:08.080
<v Speaker 5>Cold Sparrow from a mere speck on the map to

36
00:04:08.120 --> 00:04:10.599
<v Speaker 5>the subject of one of the most baffling mysteries the

37
00:04:10.659 --> 00:04:16.379
<v Speaker 5>world has ever seen. Despite extensive investigations, the authorities remain

38
00:04:16.600 --> 00:04:19.170
<v Speaker 5>as baffled today as they were on the day the

39
00:04:19.199 --> 00:04:24.189
<v Speaker 5>town's population disappeared. Over the years, theories have ranged from

40
00:04:24.290 --> 00:04:28.629
<v Speaker 5>cult activity to mass kidnapping, but none have brought investigators

41
00:04:28.689 --> 00:04:31.589
<v Speaker 5>any closer to understanding what happened to.

42
00:04:31.490 --> 00:04:32.990
<v Speaker 2>The residents of Cold Sparrow.

43
00:04:33.939 --> 00:04:36.639
<v Speaker 6>The case, which has seen numerous leads and tips over

44
00:04:36.660 --> 00:04:39.579
<v Speaker 6>the years, none of which have panned out, continues to

45
00:04:39.620 --> 00:04:42.160
<v Speaker 6>be a source of speculation and intrigue.

46
00:04:43.230 --> 00:04:44.610
<v Speaker 5>Experts in various.

47
00:04:44.310 --> 00:04:47.329
<v Speaker 6>Fields have tried to piece together the puzzle, but the

48
00:04:47.379 --> 00:04:50.839
<v Speaker 6>lack of evidence and the sheer implausibility of the situation

49
00:04:51.259 --> 00:04:54.259
<v Speaker 6>have left even the most seasoned detectives and researchers at

50
00:04:54.300 --> 00:04:58.259
<v Speaker 6>a loss. As the years have passed, the story of

51
00:04:58.339 --> 00:04:59.540
<v Speaker 6>Cold Sparrow.

52
00:04:59.139 --> 00:05:02.910
<v Speaker 5>Has become something of a legend, a modern-day mystery that

53
00:05:03.050 --> 00:05:07.589
<v Speaker 5>challenges our understanding of what is possible. The disappearance of

54
00:05:07.649 --> 00:05:11.569
<v Speaker 5>an entire town, especially one with a figure as enigmatic

55
00:05:11.629 --> 00:05:15.230
<v Speaker 5>as Benjamin Veer's, remains a haunting reminder of the limits

56
00:05:15.490 --> 00:05:18.449
<v Speaker 5>of our knowledge and the enduring.

57
00:05:17.970 --> 00:06:18.949
<v Speaker 6>Power of the unknown. The false door was right where

58
00:06:18.990 --> 00:06:23.149
<v Speaker 6>Phyllis said it would be. The vault it revealed was massive,

59
00:06:23.550 --> 00:06:26.730
<v Speaker 6>filled with all sorts of books, cassettes, journals, even what

60
00:06:26.750 --> 00:06:31.240
<v Speaker 6>looked like some sketchbooks. This was exactly the motherlode we

61
00:06:31.269 --> 00:06:35.000
<v Speaker 6>were looking for. We traveled a long road to get here,

62
00:06:35.480 --> 00:06:39.410
<v Speaker 6>to V's mansion. Between this moment And the start of

63
00:06:39.430 --> 00:06:41.470
<v Speaker 6>the whole thing were a ton of false starts and

64
00:06:41.529 --> 00:06:45.000
<v Speaker 6>dead ends. A weak soldier through it all. Primarily because

65
00:06:45.040 --> 00:06:47.839
<v Speaker 6>the money was good and the story was compelling. Which,

66
00:06:47.899 --> 00:06:50.899
<v Speaker 6>for me, is a prerequisite for taking a job. It's

67
00:06:50.920 --> 00:06:53.439
<v Speaker 6>hard to pay attention to details when the story's a snoozer.

68
00:06:54.019 --> 00:06:56.379
<v Speaker 6>And I was getting up in age, so I needed

69
00:06:56.420 --> 00:06:59.959
<v Speaker 6>to keep things interesting. When I sorted through the spoils,

70
00:07:00.060 --> 00:07:03.300
<v Speaker 6>I couldn't help but side-eye the surroundings. The place had

71
00:07:03.319 --> 00:07:05.379
<v Speaker 6>been abandoned for a while, but not long enough to

72
00:07:05.420 --> 00:07:07.699
<v Speaker 6>take a look of a right and proper haunted mansion.

73
00:07:08.649 --> 00:07:09.889
<v Speaker 3>And mansion.

74
00:07:09.810 --> 00:07:12.040
<v Speaker 6>Was an understatement for the place, which is more on

75
00:07:12.060 --> 00:07:15.060
<v Speaker 6>the order of a castle than anything else. Yet even

76
00:07:15.100 --> 00:07:18.300
<v Speaker 6>though the aesthetic wasn't sufficiently morose to compel a belief

77
00:07:18.379 --> 00:07:22.139
<v Speaker 6>in ghosts, there was something to the sprawl of the interior.

78
00:07:22.839 --> 00:07:27.339
<v Speaker 6>Behind it, maybe. That despite its size, it was keeping

79
00:07:27.379 --> 00:07:42.079
<v Speaker 6>a secret even bigger than itself. For the first time

80
00:07:42.120 --> 00:07:45.259
<v Speaker 6>in a string of Blue Mondays, I was about to

81
00:07:45.300 --> 00:07:47.870
<v Speaker 6>know something of the mind of the guy I'd gone

82
00:07:47.889 --> 00:07:51.089
<v Speaker 6>through so much trouble to find. I sifted through stacks

83
00:07:51.129 --> 00:07:53.949
<v Speaker 6>of media looking for something suitable for a proper introduction.

84
00:07:54.670 --> 00:07:56.420
<v Speaker 6>It took me a bit, but at least some of

85
00:07:56.439 --> 00:08:00.360
<v Speaker 6>the stuff was dated. I eventually came to a journal mart,

86
00:08:00.660 --> 00:08:11.420
<v Speaker 6>a brand new chapter. According to the date, it should

87
00:08:11.439 --> 00:08:13.600
<v Speaker 6>have been written around the same time Ben inherited his

88
00:08:13.639 --> 00:08:16.339
<v Speaker 6>father's wealth, which was a blind spot I was looking

89
00:08:16.360 --> 00:08:23.009
<v Speaker 6>to clear up, so perfect place to start. Diary Entry 1.

90
00:08:23.009 --> 00:08:28.310
<v Speaker 6>The first of any consequence. Despite embracing risks and leveraging

91
00:08:28.350 --> 00:08:31.899
<v Speaker 6>what I believed to be my talents, my achievements were

92
00:08:31.939 --> 00:08:35.059
<v Speaker 6>no greater than those of someone who had spent 35

93
00:08:35.059 --> 00:08:36.659
<v Speaker 6>years idly lying down.

94
00:08:38.090 --> 00:08:41.509
<v Speaker 7>The only distinction between such a person and me was

95
00:08:41.549 --> 00:08:45.909
<v Speaker 7>my persistent illusion of hope. I was certain that with

96
00:08:45.970 --> 00:08:50.440
<v Speaker 7>enough grit, a fleeting opportunity, or perhaps a stroke of luck,

97
00:08:51.220 --> 00:08:57.600
<v Speaker 7>my moment would come. But it never did. I was

98
00:08:57.659 --> 00:09:01.330
<v Speaker 7>a writer without a single published work, a man whose

99
00:09:01.399 --> 00:09:06.090
<v Speaker 7>name faded from memory before it could ever matter. In

100
00:09:06.129 --> 00:09:10.039
<v Speaker 7>the end, I was nothing more than static, the white

101
00:09:10.179 --> 00:09:16.110
<v Speaker 7>noise of flesh, blood, and bone. Thirty years of life,

102
00:09:16.610 --> 00:09:19.990
<v Speaker 7>and my efforts barely caused a ripple, followed by the

103
00:09:20.070 --> 00:09:23.820
<v Speaker 7>still waters of a sea I never truly dared to cross.

104
00:09:40.149 --> 00:09:43.370
<v Speaker 7>The letter had lingered on my counter for some time,

105
00:09:43.970 --> 00:09:48.809
<v Speaker 7>forgotten in a haze of neglect. I usually tossed my

106
00:09:48.909 --> 00:09:52.750
<v Speaker 7>mail without a second glance. No news was good news,

107
00:09:53.460 --> 00:09:58.000
<v Speaker 7>even if it meant erasing the news altogether. This letter, though,

108
00:09:58.480 --> 00:10:04.440
<v Speaker 7>caught my eye. It came from Charlie Prist, Esquire, which

109
00:10:04.500 --> 00:10:08.740
<v Speaker 7>almost guaranteed it was a bill. But what finally pushed

110
00:10:08.799 --> 00:10:13.000
<v Speaker 7>me to open it was the handwritten address, a personal

111
00:10:13.070 --> 00:10:18.029
<v Speaker 7>touch that hinted at either a crafty or cash-strapped lawyer.

112
00:10:25.580 --> 00:10:30.700
<v Speaker 7>The letter read, Dear Benjamin, I hope this letter finds

113
00:10:30.740 --> 00:10:35.789
<v Speaker 7>you well. I'm writing to share some important and unexpected

114
00:10:35.870 --> 00:10:40.529
<v Speaker 7>news regarding your family, which I understand may be difficult

115
00:10:40.649 --> 00:10:47.490
<v Speaker 7>to receive. Regrettably, your father, Edward, has recently passed away.

116
00:10:48.690 --> 00:10:52.720
<v Speaker 7>Time often brings changes we cannot foresee, and in the

117
00:10:52.759 --> 00:10:56.110
<v Speaker 7>wake of his passing, I must inform you that he

118
00:10:56.149 --> 00:11:00.870
<v Speaker 7>has named you the sole beneficiary of his estate, which

119
00:11:00.929 --> 00:11:07.399
<v Speaker 7>includes a considerable fortune. Given the estrangement in your relationship,

120
00:11:08.100 --> 00:11:11.879
<v Speaker 7>I realize this news may stir a range of emotions.

121
00:11:12.710 --> 00:11:16.710
<v Speaker 7>You may need time to process not only his death,

122
00:11:17.269 --> 00:11:22.980
<v Speaker 7>but also this sudden change in your circumstances. It's my

123
00:11:23.080 --> 00:11:26.990
<v Speaker 7>hope that this inheritance might serve as an opportunity to

124
00:11:27.049 --> 00:11:31.129
<v Speaker 7>reconnect with a part of your father's legacy and offer

125
00:11:31.169 --> 00:11:36.629
<v Speaker 7>a chance for reflection or healing. As the executor of

126
00:11:36.710 --> 00:11:39.679
<v Speaker 7>his will, I'm here to guide you through the legal

127
00:11:39.740 --> 00:11:44.539
<v Speaker 7>process at a pace that feels right for you. If

128
00:11:44.580 --> 00:11:47.700
<v Speaker 7>you'd like to discuss the details, we can arrange a

129
00:11:47.740 --> 00:11:52.029
<v Speaker 7>meeting or a phone call, whichever suits you best. Take

130
00:11:52.110 --> 00:11:54.980
<v Speaker 7>all the time you need, and know that I'm here

131
00:11:55.029 --> 00:12:01.139
<v Speaker 7>to support you however I can. Sincerely, Charlie Prist.

132
00:12:32.750 --> 00:12:33.250
<v Speaker 3>Hello, sir.

133
00:12:33.759 --> 00:12:35.440
<v Speaker 6>Can I help you? Yes.

134
00:12:35.879 --> 00:12:38.820
<v Speaker 7>My name is Benjamin Viers. I called earlier.

135
00:12:39.679 --> 00:12:40.580
<v Speaker 2>Yes, of course.

136
00:12:41.240 --> 00:12:42.419
<v Speaker 6>Please head right through that door.

137
00:12:42.740 --> 00:12:43.000
<v Speaker 1>Mr.

138
00:12:43.039 --> 00:12:45.600
<v Speaker 7>Prist is waiting for you. Thank you very much.

139
00:12:53.750 --> 00:12:54.009
<v Speaker 6>Mr.

140
00:12:54.049 --> 00:12:54.350
<v Speaker 8>Prist?

141
00:12:55.309 --> 00:12:57.750
<v Speaker 7>I'm Benjamin Viers. We spoke on the phone.

142
00:12:58.509 --> 00:12:59.879
<v Speaker 6>Well, hello, Benjamin.

143
00:12:59.909 --> 00:13:00.379
<v Speaker 2>Benjamin?

144
00:13:00.840 --> 00:13:02.779
<v Speaker 7>Please, come right in and take a seat, won't you?

145
00:13:03.539 --> 00:13:11.000
<v Speaker 7>Thank you very much. Please, call me Charlie. You know,

146
00:13:11.019 --> 00:13:13.419
<v Speaker 7>I hope you don't mind me saying, but you look

147
00:13:13.490 --> 00:13:17.110
<v Speaker 7>just like your father, right down to the stubble and spectacles.

148
00:13:18.590 --> 00:13:20.889
<v Speaker 7>I don't mind at all, because I can't say if

149
00:13:20.929 --> 00:13:24.809
<v Speaker 7>that's a good or bad observation. You see, I didn't

150
00:13:24.850 --> 00:13:26.909
<v Speaker 7>really know the man, to be quite honest.

151
00:13:28.149 --> 00:13:28.330
<v Speaker 6>Well.

152
00:13:29.039 --> 00:13:32.200
<v Speaker 7>To be equally honest, I didn't even know the old

153
00:13:32.299 --> 00:13:38.179
<v Speaker 7>so-and-so had a son, so we're even. So, what are

154
00:13:38.200 --> 00:13:42.730
<v Speaker 7>the formalities in a situation like this? Just some signatures,

155
00:13:43.309 --> 00:13:47.850
<v Speaker 7>here and there. Well, that seems easy enough. There are

156
00:13:47.889 --> 00:13:51.509
<v Speaker 7>a few things, though. Just stipulations that are odd, but

157
00:13:51.710 --> 00:13:52.850
<v Speaker 7>by no means troublesome.

158
00:13:53.409 --> 00:13:53.970
<v Speaker 2>Considering.

159
00:13:54.730 --> 00:13:55.509
<v Speaker 7>Considering?

160
00:13:57.529 --> 00:13:58.149
<v Speaker 2>Considering.

161
00:13:58.720 --> 00:14:01.830
<v Speaker 7>After this, you're damn near the richest man in the county,

162
00:14:02.110 --> 00:14:06.309
<v Speaker 7>if not the state. Your father was a bit of a, uh, eccentric,

163
00:14:06.389 --> 00:14:08.830
<v Speaker 7>I guess. He wanted to make sure you stayed in

164
00:14:08.870 --> 00:14:12.649
<v Speaker 7>the house. You know, lived where he lived. He insisted

165
00:14:12.730 --> 00:14:16.789
<v Speaker 7>upon it in several places throughout the will. Well, there's

166
00:14:16.830 --> 00:14:20.299
<v Speaker 7>no problems there. I fully intend on moving into the house.

167
00:14:21.120 --> 00:14:22.559
<v Speaker 2>Oh, well, that's easy enough then.

168
00:14:23.299 --> 00:14:27.120
<v Speaker 7>I just thought, well, with the accent and all, I

169
00:14:27.159 --> 00:14:30.480
<v Speaker 7>left England some time ago. I, um, came here for

170
00:14:30.500 --> 00:14:34.320
<v Speaker 7>my schooling. Well, there you have it, then. The only

171
00:14:34.379 --> 00:14:37.419
<v Speaker 7>other thing was that you listened to, um, in private,

172
00:14:37.919 --> 00:14:41.139
<v Speaker 7>an audio tape that your father left for you. I

173
00:14:41.240 --> 00:14:45.509
<v Speaker 7>take it that's not customary to the traditional process. Not really,

174
00:14:45.690 --> 00:14:49.950
<v Speaker 7>but I've heard stranger requests. Anyway, I readied a room

175
00:14:49.990 --> 00:14:52.809
<v Speaker 7>for you shortly after you phoned, so once we're all

176
00:14:52.870 --> 00:14:55.990
<v Speaker 7>done with crossing T's and dotting I's, I'll get you

177
00:14:56.029 --> 00:15:00.379
<v Speaker 7>right in there. That sounds fine. Well then, let's get

178
00:15:00.419 --> 00:15:23.720
<v Speaker 7>down to business. After you turn the player on, you

179
00:15:24.059 --> 00:15:26.019
<v Speaker 7>can have a seat right over there on the couch.

180
00:15:26.669 --> 00:15:29.289
<v Speaker 7>I'll be in my office when you finish. Would you

181
00:15:29.330 --> 00:15:32.710
<v Speaker 7>like a drink or anything while you listen? No, no,

182
00:15:32.769 --> 00:15:36.029
<v Speaker 7>that's very kind of you, but would you mind terribly

183
00:15:36.090 --> 00:15:37.529
<v Speaker 7>if I smoked while I listened?

184
00:15:38.320 --> 00:15:39.100
<v Speaker 3>Not at all, sir.

185
00:15:39.639 --> 00:15:44.559
<v Speaker 7>Smoking myself. That's why all the fire detectives have expired batteries.

186
00:15:46.460 --> 00:15:46.659
<v Speaker 6>Hmm.

187
00:15:47.220 --> 00:16:09.610
<v Speaker 7>Well, I'll see you shortly then. Yes, sir. It didn't

188
00:16:09.649 --> 00:16:12.690
<v Speaker 7>take long for the lawyer to start cozying up to me,

189
00:16:13.210 --> 00:16:16.879
<v Speaker 7>no doubt hoping I'd secure his services as my father had.

190
00:16:17.759 --> 00:16:20.820
<v Speaker 7>But to be quite honest, I was as ignorant of

191
00:16:20.879 --> 00:16:25.440
<v Speaker 7>legal formalities as I was of opulence. But I suppose

192
00:16:25.600 --> 00:16:29.840
<v Speaker 7>I'd learn my way about both in time. There was

193
00:16:29.879 --> 00:16:33.639
<v Speaker 7>an ominous quality to the moment, waiting to hear my

194
00:16:33.980 --> 00:16:37.539
<v Speaker 7>father's voice for the first time. I didn't want to

195
00:16:37.600 --> 00:16:40.000
<v Speaker 7>make a moment out of it, so I simply pushed

196
00:16:40.039 --> 00:16:43.289
<v Speaker 7>play on the machine and took my seat upon the sofa,

197
00:16:43.769 --> 00:16:44.929
<v Speaker 7>cigarette in hand.

198
00:17:04.779 --> 00:17:10.150
<v Speaker 2>My son. You have every right to your apathy and

199
00:17:10.690 --> 00:17:16.049
<v Speaker 2>or dislike of me. And the fortune I am bequeathing

200
00:17:16.109 --> 00:17:22.759
<v Speaker 2>to you. All, no doubt, have been well earned. You

201
00:17:22.839 --> 00:17:26.319
<v Speaker 2>should be aware that, while you know nothing of me,

202
00:17:26.980 --> 00:17:31.519
<v Speaker 2>I have been watching you. I am aware of your trials.

203
00:17:32.559 --> 00:17:36.349
<v Speaker 2>It has pained me to leave you to them. Unfortified

204
00:17:36.430 --> 00:17:40.660
<v Speaker 2>by the good fortune I have known my entire life.

205
00:17:41.880 --> 00:17:45.539
<v Speaker 2>But I believe wealth is no healthy means by which

206
00:17:45.579 --> 00:17:49.900
<v Speaker 2>to come into the world. I speak from experience, certainly.

207
00:17:51.059 --> 00:17:56.029
<v Speaker 2>No good has come from my fortune. Only the cloistered

208
00:17:56.109 --> 00:18:01.769
<v Speaker 2>obsessions of the idle rich. The doldrums of a will unchallenged.

209
00:18:02.789 --> 00:18:08.319
<v Speaker 2>But you, my boy... You have vision, and the will

210
00:18:08.440 --> 00:18:12.410
<v Speaker 2>to see it done. And now you have the means.

211
00:18:13.450 --> 00:18:19.609
<v Speaker 2>There are no more limitations, Benjamin, save this. You must

212
00:18:19.769 --> 00:18:23.829
<v Speaker 2>stay in the house for at least one year. There

213
00:18:23.910 --> 00:18:29.930
<v Speaker 2>are secrets you must learn, so that, in time, you

214
00:18:29.970 --> 00:18:30.789
<v Speaker 2>will understand.

215
00:18:32.630 --> 00:18:35.450
<v Speaker 7>As I listened to the voice of my dead father,

216
00:18:36.190 --> 00:18:41.009
<v Speaker 7>I began to feel strange, mildly dizzy. And there was

217
00:18:41.089 --> 00:18:46.029
<v Speaker 7>something else, too, in the background of the recording. A murmuring,

218
00:18:46.710 --> 00:18:51.589
<v Speaker 7>even a chanting, barely perceptible. I assumed it to be

219
00:18:51.630 --> 00:18:54.089
<v Speaker 7>an artifact of vintage technology.

220
00:18:55.930 --> 00:19:02.289
<v Speaker 2>But, on this point, we share an experience... A clinical

221
00:19:02.390 --> 00:19:07.230
<v Speaker 2>desire to understand it all, if only to dispel the

222
00:19:07.309 --> 00:19:14.500
<v Speaker 2>dread of not knowing. Your most recent manuscript, beneath it all,

223
00:19:15.099 --> 00:19:19.859
<v Speaker 2>a search for answers, reads as if a page torn

224
00:19:19.980 --> 00:19:24.759
<v Speaker 2>from my very mind. Though, after inspecting it, I can

225
00:19:24.880 --> 00:19:30.059
<v Speaker 2>see that your mind is by far the keener between us. Still,

226
00:19:31.019 --> 00:19:36.359
<v Speaker 2>I can see that my obsessions have become you as well.

227
00:19:37.460 --> 00:19:43.680
<v Speaker 2>But perhaps, unlike myself, you will acquire some peace with

228
00:19:43.740 --> 00:19:50.430
<v Speaker 2>them by satisfying them once and for all. This... my

229
00:19:50.529 --> 00:19:55.839
<v Speaker 2>lost son, is my gift to you, the possibility of

230
00:19:55.960 --> 00:20:00.019
<v Speaker 2>final clarity. I wish you well on the rest of

231
00:20:00.079 --> 00:20:05.019
<v Speaker 2>your journey, for if you are listening to this, mine

232
00:20:05.059 --> 00:20:11.940
<v Speaker 2>has at last come to an end. Farewell, Benjamin. Perhaps

233
00:20:12.039 --> 00:20:16.660
<v Speaker 2>we will meet again in a world more welcoming than

234
00:20:16.720 --> 00:20:17.259
<v Speaker 2>this one.

235
00:20:35.259 --> 00:20:39.099
<v Speaker 7>The first time I'd ever heard my father's voice... And

236
00:20:39.160 --> 00:20:42.940
<v Speaker 7>all he really had to say to me was, goodbye.

237
00:20:55.619 --> 00:20:57.769
<v Speaker 4>You gonna keep me in suspense, or you gonna tell

238
00:20:57.789 --> 00:20:58.509
<v Speaker 4>me what you found?

239
00:21:00.049 --> 00:21:03.750
<v Speaker 6>About a metric ton of Ben's personal journals, all sorts

240
00:21:03.789 --> 00:21:06.849
<v Speaker 6>of cassettes and whatnot. Just what Phyllis said they'd be.

241
00:21:07.599 --> 00:21:10.619
<v Speaker 6>Going through all this stuff's gonna take forever. How's the

242
00:21:10.680 --> 00:21:11.059
<v Speaker 6>city look?

243
00:21:12.480 --> 00:21:15.960
<v Speaker 4>You know, you've seen one ghost town, you've seen them all. Though,

244
00:21:16.099 --> 00:21:18.119
<v Speaker 4>the place does look pretty good for being abandoned as

245
00:21:18.160 --> 00:21:20.859
<v Speaker 4>long as it has. By the way, I found the

246
00:21:20.880 --> 00:21:23.359
<v Speaker 4>spot where the FBI set up shop while they collected evidence.

247
00:21:23.920 --> 00:21:26.819
<v Speaker 4>Probably been gone through by every thrill-seeker and legend-tripper within

248
00:21:26.839 --> 00:21:29.880
<v Speaker 4>a hundred miles of here. I doubt there's anything left

249
00:21:29.900 --> 00:21:30.299
<v Speaker 4>to find.

250
00:21:32.000 --> 00:21:34.740
<v Speaker 6>Yeah, but it does need to check. You never know.

251
00:21:35.259 --> 00:21:37.960
<v Speaker 6>Not like someone couldn't drop evidence on their way out

252
00:21:38.000 --> 00:21:38.880
<v Speaker 6>of a crime scene.

253
00:21:40.720 --> 00:21:42.880
<v Speaker 2>Jesus, Mace. Am I ever going to hear the end

254
00:21:42.940 --> 00:21:43.259
<v Speaker 2>of that?

255
00:21:44.019 --> 00:21:46.059
<v Speaker 4>And I wonder who it was that caught Laszlo.

256
00:21:46.299 --> 00:21:46.759
<v Speaker 2>You or me?

257
00:21:48.880 --> 00:21:53.470
<v Speaker 6>Yeah, yeah. I never doubted your business acumen for a second. Anyway,

258
00:21:53.869 --> 00:21:55.569
<v Speaker 6>I'm going to head out and set up the generator.

259
00:21:56.269 --> 00:21:57.950
<v Speaker 6>Keep an eye out for Phyllis. I told her to

260
00:21:57.970 --> 00:21:59.930
<v Speaker 6>meet us at the mansion, but the city's set up

261
00:21:59.950 --> 00:22:02.309
<v Speaker 6>like a maze. I might have even had to consult

262
00:22:02.349 --> 00:22:04.490
<v Speaker 6>the map a few times myself to find the place.

263
00:22:06.829 --> 00:22:10.019
<v Speaker 2>Well, she is a psychic, so I'm thinking she'll manage.

264
00:22:10.039 --> 00:22:37.509
<v Speaker 9>Come on, pick up. Pick up.

265
00:22:43.170 --> 00:22:47.049
<v Speaker 8>Hello, you've reached Leon Oates of Apex Intelligence Solutions. I'm

266
00:22:47.109 --> 00:22:49.859
<v Speaker 8>currently unavailable, but please leave a callback number and a

267
00:22:49.880 --> 00:22:52.059
<v Speaker 8>brief message and I'll be sure to return your call.

268
00:22:52.319 --> 00:22:52.740
<v Speaker 8>Thank you.

269
00:22:55.160 --> 00:22:56.160
<v Speaker 7>It's me, Phyllis.

270
00:22:56.779 --> 00:22:59.220
<v Speaker 9>I must have turned down the wrong road. I can't

271
00:22:59.279 --> 00:23:00.940
<v Speaker 9>be more than a few minutes away from you two.

272
00:23:01.119 --> 00:23:04.119
<v Speaker 9>I'm just outside of Cold Sparrow, somewhere in the Pitch

273
00:23:04.160 --> 00:23:06.400
<v Speaker 9>Pot Woods. Call me back as soon as you get this.

274
00:23:15.319 --> 00:23:17.559
<v Speaker 9>I don't care if I quit. If I'm going to

275
00:23:17.579 --> 00:23:19.259
<v Speaker 9>be lost in the woods, I'm at least going to

276
00:23:19.279 --> 00:23:39.980
<v Speaker 9>have a cigarette. Hurry up, boys. Call me back, won't you?

277
00:23:52.759 --> 00:23:53.440
<v Speaker 9>What the.

278
00:23:55.339 --> 00:23:55.460
<v Speaker 6>Is.

279
00:23:57.200 --> 00:23:58.160
<v Speaker 2>someone.

280
00:23:58.259 --> 00:23:59.180
<v Speaker 7>out there?

281
00:23:59.420 --> 00:24:28.539
<v Speaker 2>Jesus! Jesus! Hey, Phyllis.

282
00:24:28.960 --> 00:24:31.259
<v Speaker 8>Called you as soon as I got the message. Reception

283
00:24:31.279 --> 00:24:32.400
<v Speaker 8>is garbage out here.

284
00:24:33.180 --> 00:24:36.960
<v Speaker 9>So I'm realizing that, and once you turn on to

285
00:24:37.019 --> 00:24:40.420
<v Speaker 9>Pitchpoint Drive, there's no online maps of these other roads. Thus,

286
00:24:43.099 --> 00:24:45.829
<v Speaker 9>I'm afraid I have no idea where I am.

287
00:24:45.849 --> 00:24:49.630
<v Speaker 8>Don't sweat it, Phil. I'll find you soon enough. And

288
00:24:49.710 --> 00:24:52.710
<v Speaker 8>is that a cig I hear you puffing on? I

289
00:24:52.750 --> 00:24:53.470
<v Speaker 8>thought you'd quit.

290
00:24:54.119 --> 00:24:59.089
<v Speaker 9>I'm very particular about how I choose to quit things. Now, please,

291
00:24:59.230 --> 00:25:01.890
<v Speaker 9>just hurry up and come get me, won't you?

292
00:25:01.910 --> 00:25:03.049
<v Speaker 2>Sure thing.

293
00:25:03.509 --> 00:25:05.220
<v Speaker 1>I'll be there in a.

294
00:25:05.210 --> 00:25:06.630
<v Speaker 8>Leon?

295
00:25:08.009 --> 00:25:09.630
<v Speaker 9>Damn lousy service.

296
00:25:11.970 --> 00:25:13.019
<v Speaker 2>Phyllis, my dear.

297
00:25:13.039 --> 00:25:16.799
<v Speaker 9>I have a feeling you're not going to enjoy this one.

298
00:25:25.440 --> 00:25:25.960
<v Speaker 6>Come on, you.

299
00:25:25.980 --> 00:25:52.029
<v Speaker 3>That should do it. Hello, water and power.

300
00:25:52.069 --> 00:25:55.069
<v Speaker 4>Phyllis got herself lost in the woods. Apparently he zigged

301
00:25:55.130 --> 00:25:56.170
<v Speaker 4>when she should have zagged.

302
00:25:56.630 --> 00:25:57.779
<v Speaker 2>Headed out to bring her in now.

303
00:26:00.019 --> 00:26:03.119
<v Speaker 6>So much for being psychic. I got the journey up

304
00:26:03.200 --> 00:26:05.160
<v Speaker 6>and running, so I'll be inside when you get back.

305
00:26:07.180 --> 00:26:07.619
<v Speaker 2>Sure thing.

306
00:26:08.059 --> 00:26:08.960
<v Speaker 4>Be back in just a few.

307
00:26:17.670 --> 00:26:18.009
<v Speaker 2>Okay.

308
00:26:26.750 --> 00:26:28.789
<v Speaker 6>The three of us have worked a lot of cases together,

309
00:26:28.849 --> 00:26:31.960
<v Speaker 6>but nothing like this one. You generally don't see an

310
00:26:32.000 --> 00:26:34.720
<v Speaker 6>entire ton of people go missing. Not since the lost

311
00:26:34.740 --> 00:26:38.119
<v Speaker 6>colony of Roanoke, at any rate. Anyway, we were only

312
00:26:38.160 --> 00:26:40.940
<v Speaker 6>being paid to hunt for the one guy. The rich one.

313
00:26:40.960 --> 00:26:45.269
<v Speaker 6>Ben Viers. And after the snippet I'd read from one

314
00:26:45.309 --> 00:26:48.049
<v Speaker 6>of his hidden journals, it was about time I heard

315
00:26:48.069 --> 00:26:52.329
<v Speaker 6>the guy's actual voice. The mini-cassettes were no particular order,

316
00:26:52.650 --> 00:26:54.589
<v Speaker 6>so I just swiped the first one that caught my eye.

317
00:26:55.190 --> 00:26:58.130
<v Speaker 6>It was titled... Existential obsessive.

318
00:27:02.009 --> 00:27:07.589
<v Speaker 7>Loneliness is the inordinate sum of absences one experiences as

319
00:27:07.630 --> 00:27:14.190
<v Speaker 7>an outlier. The loss of faith, trust, camaraderie, or even truth.

320
00:27:15.509 --> 00:27:18.630
<v Speaker 7>I am alone because I cannot make peace with my

321
00:27:18.829 --> 00:27:22.759
<v Speaker 7>own ignorance. The ignorance that all of us must reckon

322
00:27:23.019 --> 00:27:29.200
<v Speaker 7>and eventually yield to. I have not, because I cannot.

323
00:27:30.279 --> 00:27:34.940
<v Speaker 7>My stubbornness is inscribed upon my very genes, or so

324
00:27:35.059 --> 00:27:40.059
<v Speaker 7>current science would have us all believe. Disorder, they say.

325
00:27:40.799 --> 00:27:44.660
<v Speaker 7>My need to know more than anyone could, or probably should,

326
00:27:44.759 --> 00:27:49.460
<v Speaker 7>for that matter. One medicine after the next, and still

327
00:27:49.529 --> 00:27:53.150
<v Speaker 7>that yawning vacancy. I must know.

328
00:27:53.970 --> 00:27:59.460
<v Speaker 2>Why? Where do we come from? Why are we even here?

329
00:28:00.440 --> 00:28:03.319
<v Speaker 2>Where will we go when the sun ceases to rise?

330
00:28:04.480 --> 00:28:09.279
<v Speaker 2>Is there a heaven? Or, God forbid, a hell?

331
00:28:24.089 --> 00:28:28.519
<v Speaker 7>The Gentleman from Hell is a Maltopia production. Today's episode

332
00:28:28.579 --> 00:28:32.200
<v Speaker 7>was written by Mark Anzalone and performed by Stephen Zivick,

333
00:28:32.579 --> 00:28:37.599
<v Speaker 7>Sam Stark, Aubrey Akers, and Mark Anzalone. Sound editing was

334
00:28:37.640 --> 00:28:41.190
<v Speaker 7>completed by Stephen Anzalone and script editing was conducted by

335
00:28:41.250 --> 00:28:45.289
<v Speaker 7>Walker Kornfeld. Be sure to rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify,

336
00:28:45.490 --> 00:28:49.750
<v Speaker 7>or your favorite podcast platform. And follow us on Facebook, Instagram,

337
00:28:49.869 --> 00:28:53.049
<v Speaker 7>and Twitter at Meltopia. If you want unique art and

338
00:28:53.130 --> 00:28:57.160
<v Speaker 7>animations of Meltopia's stories, visit our YouTube page at or

339
00:28:57.180 --> 00:28:59.490
<v Speaker 7>click on the link in the show notes. And for

340
00:28:59.529 --> 00:29:03.079
<v Speaker 7>more exclusive content such as additional lore, stories, and

341
00:29:03.190 --> 00:29:08.400
<v Speaker 1>Art, be sure to check out our Patreon at www.patreon.com

342
00:29:08.640 --> 00:29:09.890
<v Speaker 1>forward slash Maltopia.