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Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to stores all the time. That's get started.

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The truck suspension grund. As I eased down the final

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stretch of gravel road, Arthur pressed his nose against the

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passenger window, leaving smudge as that caught the afternoon sunlight.

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We'd been driving since five that morning, stopping only for

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gas in a quick bathroom break for both of us.

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The trucks stopped near the state line. Almost there, Buddy,

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I said. The road curve left around the stand of pines,

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and there it was Grand Pomilla's place, two stores of

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worded cedar siding with green trim that had faded to

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the color of a lichen. The wrapp around porch shouts

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slightly in the western corner, just as it had when

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I was twelve. I parked beside an overgrown rhododendron and

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cut the engine. The absence of road noise left or

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ringing in my ears. Arthur whined softly, his tail thumping

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against the seat. I know, I said, scratching behind his ears.

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New place, news mouse. The key was exactly where the

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lawyer said it would be, under a fake rock near

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the porch steps. I collected it and stood for a

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moment taking in the property. Mapel On pine surrounded three

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sides of the clearing, with a glimpse of the lake

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through the trees behind the house. The nearest neighbor was

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a quarter mile down the road, invisible from here. Arthur

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bounded up the stairs ahead of me, sniffing enthusiastically at

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the weathered boards. The potch creaked under our weight. The

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lock stuck at first, then gave way with a metallic scrape.

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Inside The air hung still in cool, carrying the faint

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scent of wood smoke and something else furniture polish. Maybe

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Granpo had been gone six months, but it seemed like

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his presents lingered and quiet. The main room looked smaller

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than I remembered. A stone fireplace dominated the far wall,

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flanked by built in bookshelves. Granpa's rocking chair still faced

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the window with a view of the birch grove. I

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ran my hand across its arm, feeling the smooth depression

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worm by ears of his elbow wristing in the same spot.

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This is home now, I told Arthur, who was circling

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the perimeter of the room, nose to the floorboards. I

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hauled in my duffel bags from the truck. Two were clothes,

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one with kitchen essentials and another with tools. The bare minimum.

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Emily had kept most of our share belongings, which shooted

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me fine starting over men traveling light. The kitchen cabinet

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held Grandpasm's match plate to mugs, all coated with a

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thin film of dust. I wiped down what I needed

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and filled the ball with water for Arthur. He drank

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noisily while I continued my inspection. Upstairs, three bedrooms branched

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off a narrow hallway. The smallest had been mine during

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summer visits, still painted blue, with a twin bed pushed

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against the wall. Grandpa's room remained untouched, his flannel shirts

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hanging in the closet, reading glasses folded on the night stand.

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The third room held boxes of old photographs in fishing gear.

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I opened windows throughout the house, letting cross breezes chase

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out the stillness. Arthur found a sunny spot on the

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living room rug and settled with a contented sigh. The

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afternoon passed in small tasks. I swept floors, white counters,

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made up the bed and ground pass room with fresh

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sheets I'd brought. The work felt good and complicated and necessary.

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When hunger finally registered, I fired up the old gastow

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and made a simple dinner, can soup and saltines, even

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standing at the counter while watching dustmots dance in the

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slant in evening light. Later, I carried a mug of

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coffee out to the porch and lowered myself into one

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of the ada and at chairs. The woods had begun

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their nightly transition. Burton gave way to cricket shrups, an

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occasional plaint of colov Ol Whipperwell. Arthur lay at my feet,

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head on pause, ears pricking at each new sound. The city,

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with his constant noise in the cramped apartment had shared

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with Emily, felt impossibly distant. Three hundred miles of highway

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and back roads separated me from that life, from her

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teery accusations and my own defensive anger. From the final

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door slam and weaked of sleepless nights. Coffee called in

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my hands. Darkas settled fully among the trees, turning them

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into black silhouettes against a navy sky. No street lights here,

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no headlights sweeping across the walls at regular intervals, just

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darkness and stillness. I reached down to stroke Arthur's back different.

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He looked upwise, reflecting the faint light from the kitchen window.

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Something rustled in the underbrought beyond the clearing, probably a

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raccoon or a possum. Arthur's head turned sharply toward the

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st but he didn't bark, just watched his body tensing

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slightly under my hand. It's okay, I murmured, just the

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local saying hello. I finished my coffee and stood joined

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popping after the lawn drive inside, I locked the front

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door and checked the back. Have it from city living,

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though it seemed almost silly out here in the woods. Upstairs,

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I hesitated outside Grahampa's bedroom door. It felt strange to

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claim his bass, but the other beds were too small,

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still fitted with mattresses meant for children and guests. I

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set my phone on the nightstent and changed into sweatpants

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and a T shirt. Arthur circled three times on the

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braided rug beside the bed before settling with a heavy sigh.

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The springs creaked as I laid down, staring at the

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ceiling beams. It'd counted as a child during thunderstorms. The

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house made its own music. Soft ticks and cruins as

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wood contracted in the cooling nighthare, water moved somewhere in

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the pipes, windbrush tree branches against the eastern eaves. Good night, Arthur,

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I whispered. His tail thumped once against the floor. I

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closed my eyes and listened to the unfamiliar quiet, wandering

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what Grandpa would think of me hiding out here starting

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over at thirty two. The thought followed me down into sleep,

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that maybe he'd understand better than anyone why sometimes a

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man needs to disappear into the woods to find himself again.

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I woke, the sunlight filtering through the curtains and Arthur's

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tail thumping against the floor beside the bed. The alarm

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clock in the nights in shured eight hundred thirty seven,

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later than I'd normally sleep, But the previous days drive

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a tiken more out of me. Tonight, expected morning, Buddy,

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I said, reaching down to scratch behind his ears. After

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pulling on jeans in a flannel shirt, I made a

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quick breakfast of instant coffee and peanut butter toast. Arthur

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circled my feet, his nails clicking against the linoleum, until

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I filled his bowl with kipple from the byguide brought.

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With daylight streaming through the windows, I could better assess

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what needed attention around the place. Branpa had maintained the essentials,

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but left cosmetic issues for another day that never came.

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Water stains met the ceiling near the upstairs bathroom. The

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kitchen cabinet doors hung slightly askewe most of the windows

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stuck when opened past halfway. They found a notepad in

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a drawer and started ell thiss replace, warned the weather

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stripping relays, bathroom window check gutters, send in repaintrom The

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familiar routine of cataloging repairs steadied me. Every house had

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its problems. These were fixable, at least. In the front closet,

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I found grand pas toolbooks, a heavy metal case with

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a red enamel finished scrutch from decades of use. Inside

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his tools remained organized in neat rows, each of the

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place worn into the foam liner. The hammer handle still

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bore the groove from his thumb. Ryan's supposed to come

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up next weekend, I told authors. I examined a rust

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of claw hammer should make quick work of these repairs.

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Between the two of us, I worked through the morning,

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tightening loose door knobs and oiling squeaky hinges. Around noon,

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I made a sandwich and ate it in the porch,

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watching a pair of cardinals stop between the pine branches.

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After lunch, I tackled the living room. Most of Grandpa's

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furniture would stay, the worn leather arm chair, the oak bookcase,

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the small writing desk by the window. I sorted through

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stacks of old hunting magazines and fishing catalogs, tossing the

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yellowed ones into a cardboard box for recycling. Arthur had

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been trailing me room to room all morning, but when

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I started working in the living room, his behavior changed.

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He paced near the center of the room, his nails

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clicking a nervous rhythm against the hardwood. Then he stopped

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by the large braided rug and wined, pawing at its edge.

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What's wrong, boy, I asked, setting down the stack of magazines.

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He scratched more insistently at the corner of the rug,

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looking between me and the floor with unusual intensity. When

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I approached, he backed away, then returned to the same spot,

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whining louder you swell a mouse or something. I knelt

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beside him, running my hand over the worn fibers of

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the rug. Other continued pawing at the edge, almost frantic. Now,

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I gripped the corner and pulled the heavy rug back,

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expecting to find a mouse nest or maybe a fruit

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stask grandpide forgotten. Instead, I untovered a wooden trap or

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flush with the floorboard some barely visible except for the

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scene out lying at square shape a but three feet

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on each side. A recess metal handle sat in the center,

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tarnished to a dull copper color. I sat back on

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my heels, puzzled. I'd spent weeks here every summer as

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a kid. How had I never noticed this before? The

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rug must have always covered it, and Grandpa had never

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mentioned the basement. Good boy, I said, absently, still staring

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at the trap door. Arthur didn't wi like his tail

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at the praise. He backed away several steps, ears flattened

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against his head. I pressed my palm against the wood.

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It felt cooler than the surrounding floor, almost cold, spite

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the warm day. The handle was ice cold to the touch,

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with a thin coating of rust that left orange smears

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on my finger tips. I hesitated, then gripped the handle

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firmly and pulled the door, lifted with unexpected ease, as

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if the hinges had been recently oiled. Cool air rushed

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up from the opening, carrying a faint, metallic sent I

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couldn't identify wooden stairs descended steeply into darkness. I counted

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fifteen steps before they disappeared into the shadows below. No lights,

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which was visible in the wall beside the opening. Stay here, author,

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I reached from my phone to use its flashlight. Arthur

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made no move to follow. He retreated to the doorway,

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watching me with anxious eyes, his body tens. I swung

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my legs into the opening and tested the first step

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it held for him under my weight. The wood felt

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solid and dry, not rotted, as I might have expected

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in an old house. I descended slowly, sweeping my phones

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light back and forth across the darkness. The temperature dropped

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noticeably with each step. By the time I reached the bottom,

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I could see my breath form in small clouds and

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the beam of light. The walls and floor were pored concrete,

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smooth and free of cracks. The ceiling hung low, maybe

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seven feet, with exposed wooden joists. I stood in what

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appeared to be a main corridor. Why did the night

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expected My light revealed several doorways branching off in different directions.

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The concrete felt unnaturally cold through the soles of my boots. HULLO.

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I called immediately, feeling foolish. The house had been empty

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for months. Nobody would answer. My voice echoed slightly, suggesting

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that space was larger than it should be. The basement

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seemed to extend beyond the footprint of the house above,

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which made no architectural sense. I chose the nearer stow away.

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On the right, my light revealed shells lining all four walls,

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each filled with vinyl records and cardboard sleeves, hundreds of them,

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arranged alphabetically according to small handriton labels on the shelves.

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I pulled one out box brand and Burg Concerto's the

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sleeve dusty but intact. I'd never known Grandpa to be

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interested in classical music. Next to its ad albums by

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bands I'd never heard a mention Pink Floyd the Door's

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Tangerine Dream. I replaced the record and backed out, choosing

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the next doorway in the left. This room contained a

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small wooden table with two chairs. On the tables sat

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a plate with half a sandwich, a glass of water

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and an apple. The bread looked fresh, the apples cut

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south as barely browned. A folded newspaper lay beside the plate,

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dated three days ago. My throat tightened. Grandpa had been

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Dad for six months, who had been down here eating lunch.

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I checked the date on the newspaper again, then backed

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out of the room, my heartbeat quickening. The main corridor

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continued for about twenty before ending at another doorway. The

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cold intensified as I approached it, the air taking on

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a slight vibration I could feel against my skin. I

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stepped through into a larger room, with the concrete floor

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and walls. Like the others, it contained nothing but a

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single object in the far corner, the black metallic box

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sitting on the floor, roughly the size of a microwave oven.

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No seams or fastener as were visible on its surface.

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No manufacture is marked or serial number. From it came

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a low, continuous hum that made my molarsach and the

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hair on my arms stand up. The sound wasn't exactly

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a loud, but it filled the space completely, seeming to

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come from everywhere at once. I pushed, cautiously, sweeping my

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light across the box's surface. The beam reflected dolly, revealing

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no detail. Despite the basement's jail, the air around the

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box seemed even colder, as if it were drawing heat

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from its surroundings. I crouched three feet away, stirring it

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without touching. The humming intensified slightly. When my light shone

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directly on it. A barely perceptible vibration transferred through the

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concrete floor to the soles of my boots. What the

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hell are you, I whispered. My phone screen suddenly flickered,

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then went dark, the flashlight diet, plunging me into complete darkness.

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I pressed the power button repeatedly, but nothing happened. The

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battery had been eighty percent when I came downstairs. Only

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the humming remained, surrounding me in a pitch black. I

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00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:10,519
backed away, carefully, feeling behind me with one hand until

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I touched the door frame. The corridor outside retained enough

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ambent light from the trap door before me to make

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out vague ships. I stumbled back toward the stairs, my

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00:12:19,080 --> 00:12:22,639
eyes gradually adjusting to the dimness. From somewhere upstairs, Arthur

241
00:12:22,679 --> 00:12:25,559
began barking frantically. I took the steps to you at

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00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:27,879
a time. Emerging into the living room's brightness with my

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heart hammering against my ribs. Arthur rushed to me, pressing

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against my legs and whining. I knelt and buried my

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fingers in his fur, feeling his rapid heartbeat. It's okay, boy,

246
00:12:38,159 --> 00:12:41,120
it's ok I closed the trap door firmly and drigged

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the rug back over it. My phone remained dead, not

248
00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:47,200
responding to any attempt to restart it. The battery felt

249
00:12:47,240 --> 00:12:50,240
ice called through the case. Arthur wouldn't leave my side

250
00:12:50,279 --> 00:12:53,039
for the rest of the afternoon, following so close he

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00:12:53,039 --> 00:12:56,320
occasionally stepped on my heels. He kept glancing at the rug,

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growling softly whenever I walked near it. I tried to

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00:12:59,600 --> 00:13:02,559
focus on my repair list, measuring a window for replacement

254
00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:05,039
glass and checking the water pressure in the upstairs bathroom,

255
00:13:05,559 --> 00:13:07,519
but my thoughts kept returning to the basement, to the

256
00:13:07,519 --> 00:13:09,440
fresh food in the table and a black box with

257
00:13:09,480 --> 00:13:12,600
its penetrating hum. When evening came, I locked all the

258
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doors and windows, checking each twice. I pulled the curtains

259
00:13:15,759 --> 00:13:18,159
close throughout the house and turned on every light. The

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00:13:18,159 --> 00:13:20,480
electric bill would be uprages, but I couldn't bear the

261
00:13:20,480 --> 00:13:23,240
thought of shadows. To night, Arthur refused to sleep in

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00:13:23,240 --> 00:13:25,799
the bedroom. He stayed in the hall way outside the door,

263
00:13:25,919 --> 00:13:29,080
positioned as if standing guard. I lay awake for ires,

264
00:13:29,159 --> 00:13:31,320
listening to the familiar creeks of the house settling. Just

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before dawn, I thought I heard something else, a faint

266
00:13:34,159 --> 00:13:37,159
humming rising through the floorboards, vibrating the bed frame ever

267
00:13:37,200 --> 00:13:40,799
so slightly. It might have been my imagination. It might

268
00:13:40,799 --> 00:13:43,200
have been the furnest cycling on. I didn't get up

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00:13:43,240 --> 00:13:46,440
to check. Rand f minus one hundred fifty rattled up

270
00:13:46,440 --> 00:13:49,360
the gravel driver round eleven. The next morning. He parked

271
00:13:49,399 --> 00:13:51,600
next to the Rhodandron, leaving a good six feet between

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00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:54,440
his truck and mine. The radio cut off midsong when

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00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:56,919
he killed the engine. I watched through the kitchen window

274
00:13:56,919 --> 00:13:58,799
as he growled a tool box from the passenger seat

275
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and a six pack from behind and the driver's seat.

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Arthur tens beside me, ears forward. It's just Ryan, I

277
00:14:05,960 --> 00:14:09,559
told him. Though his behavior seemed odd, Arthur knew Ryan

278
00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:11,679
Wale had slept on his caruach for two weeks when

279
00:14:11,720 --> 00:14:14,639
I'd been in Chicago for work last year. Ryan's work

280
00:14:14,679 --> 00:14:17,600
boot crunched across the gravel. He wore a faded khat

281
00:14:17,679 --> 00:14:20,000
jacket with frayed cars and a brewer's cap puldler over

282
00:14:20,120 --> 00:14:23,440
his eyes. The spring morning had turned coal, hovering around

283
00:14:23,519 --> 00:14:26,000
forty five degrees with the damp wind rolling off the lake.

284
00:14:26,720 --> 00:14:29,960
Look at you, mountain man, Ryan cold as I stepped

285
00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:32,639
on to the porch, he said, his tool walks down

286
00:14:32,639 --> 00:14:35,279
with a metallic clank. Two days in the woods, and

287
00:14:35,320 --> 00:14:38,159
you've already got that unabomber vibe going. I ran a

288
00:14:38,159 --> 00:14:41,879
hand over my stubbull jaw. Didn't bring a razor. Didn't

289
00:14:41,879 --> 00:14:44,919
bring a razor, he minic, grinning, city boy's gun. Native,

290
00:14:45,559 --> 00:14:48,639
he extended to six pack. I brought you a housewarming

291
00:14:48,639 --> 00:14:52,639
gift at eleven in the morning, three o'clock somewhere, he shrugged,

292
00:14:53,240 --> 00:14:57,200
frigid valaa. Then how's the place looking, I gestured toward

293
00:14:57,240 --> 00:15:01,279
the door. Come see for yourself. Side. Ryan made a

294
00:15:01,279 --> 00:15:03,279
slow circuit of the main room, testing the give of

295
00:15:03,279 --> 00:15:06,360
floorboards with his bew running his thumb along the window frames,

296
00:15:06,480 --> 00:15:10,600
eyeing the ceiling corners. Not bad, he said, Finally, better

297
00:15:10,639 --> 00:15:13,039
shape than you made it sound on the phone. Author

298
00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:16,320
had retreated to the hallway, watching Ryan with unusual intensity.

299
00:15:16,919 --> 00:15:20,000
When Ryan approached to pat him, offer backed away. What's

300
00:15:20,039 --> 00:15:24,720
with him? Ryan asked, straightening. Not sure be enacting strange

301
00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:27,639
since yesterday. Ryan set his tool books on the kitchen

302
00:15:27,679 --> 00:15:30,519
counter and popped it open. Inside tools nested in pham,

303
00:15:30,559 --> 00:15:37,200
cut oats, screwdrivers, ranches, a voltage tester, three sizes of pliers.

304
00:15:37,919 --> 00:15:40,759
Everything arranged with the precision that belied his casual demeanor.

305
00:15:41,360 --> 00:15:44,679
So what's the plan, boss? You mentioned li floorboards and

306
00:15:44,759 --> 00:15:47,799
maybe checking the roof. I retrieved my notepad from beside

307
00:15:47,840 --> 00:15:51,600
the sink, made a list. Weather stripping needs replacing on

308
00:15:51,679 --> 00:15:55,559
most windows, back door sticks. There's water stains on the

309
00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:59,240
ceiling upstairs that need investigating. Ryan took the list, scanning

310
00:15:59,240 --> 00:16:02,919
it with a professional easy suff we'll knock this out

311
00:16:02,960 --> 00:16:06,799
by dinner. We worked steadily through the early afternoon. Wyane

312
00:16:06,799 --> 00:16:08,799
called under the kitchen sink to replace a leaking pea

313
00:16:08,840 --> 00:16:11,519
trap while I caught windows in the bedrooms. The work

314
00:16:11,559 --> 00:16:16,200
felt good, straightforward problems with clear solutions. We fell into

315
00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:18,799
an efficient rhythm, passing tills back and forth without needing

316
00:16:18,799 --> 00:16:22,840
to ask, measuring twice before cutting anything around to We

317
00:16:22,960 --> 00:16:26,679
broke for lunch, sandwhich is made with bread and cold cuts.

318
00:16:27,039 --> 00:16:29,519
Bryan had brought in a small cooler. We ate in

319
00:16:29,559 --> 00:16:31,679
the potch, watching a red tail hawk circle above the

320
00:16:31,720 --> 00:16:35,120
tree line. So Ryan said, brushing crumbs from his jeans.

321
00:16:35,759 --> 00:16:37,799
You're going to tell me why you really came out here.

322
00:16:38,440 --> 00:16:40,960
I took a long drink of water, told you on

323
00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:46,080
the phone. Needed a change after Emily boshit. He could

324
00:16:46,080 --> 00:16:48,600
have gotten a change with a new apartment downtown. He

325
00:16:48,679 --> 00:16:50,720
came out to your dad Grandpa's cabin in the middle

326
00:16:50,759 --> 00:16:55,240
of nowhere. He leaned forward, elbows on knees. Something happened.

327
00:16:55,960 --> 00:17:00,919
I shook my head. Nothing dramatic, just needed space. Wine

328
00:17:00,919 --> 00:17:04,000
studded me for a moment, then nodded slowly. All right,

329
00:17:04,759 --> 00:17:07,599
keep your secrets. He wanted up his sand witch wrapper

330
00:17:07,599 --> 00:17:10,720
and stood. Let jack that roof before it gets too late.

331
00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:13,839
We hold ground Po's aluminum extension ladder from the shed

332
00:17:13,880 --> 00:17:16,920
and set it against the eastern eve. Wine climbed while

333
00:17:16,920 --> 00:17:19,640
I steaded the base. The ladder creaked under his weight

334
00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:22,839
but held firm. Couple shingles missing on the north slope.

335
00:17:23,400 --> 00:17:28,240
He called down nothing major, flashing looks, and tacked around

336
00:17:28,240 --> 00:17:31,400
the chimney. He worked his way methodically across the roof line,

337
00:17:31,440 --> 00:17:35,119
testing shingles and inspecting the gutters. I watched from blow

338
00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:38,200
one hand, shading my eyes against the afternoon sun. Gutters

339
00:17:38,200 --> 00:17:41,160
clogged with pine needles on the side, he reported, should

340
00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:44,359
clear it before the next rain. Otherwise, structure looked solid.

341
00:17:44,400 --> 00:17:46,960
When he descended, his hands were dark with grit and

342
00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:50,160
bits of decomposed leaves. He wiped them on his jeans,

343
00:17:50,240 --> 00:17:53,640
leaving smears across the denim. Old houses always have secrets,

344
00:17:54,200 --> 00:17:57,519
he said. I'n the roof line, then anything interesting, exploring

345
00:17:57,559 --> 00:18:02,160
the place, hidden rooms, love letters in the attic. The

346
00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:06,240
basement trap door flashed in my mind. I hesitated. Ryan

347
00:18:06,279 --> 00:18:11,720
caught my expression. You define something, Come on, spill it.

348
00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:15,640
It's nothing. I began collapse in the ladder. Sections Just

349
00:18:15,680 --> 00:18:20,880
a basement. I didn't know about Ryan's eyebrous rose. A basement.

350
00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:24,319
You didn't know about a new grandfather's house. How's that possible?

351
00:18:24,880 --> 00:18:27,559
I struggled with how to explain it was hidden under

352
00:18:27,559 --> 00:18:31,240
a rug in the living room, hidden basement. Ryan laugh,

353
00:18:31,920 --> 00:18:34,480
that's some horror movie ship right there. He helped me

354
00:18:34,519 --> 00:18:36,960
carry the ladder back to the shed. You have to

355
00:18:36,960 --> 00:18:40,279
show me it's not that interesting, I said, trying to

356
00:18:40,319 --> 00:18:44,799
sound casual. Just storage, old records, some furniture. Then why

357
00:18:44,880 --> 00:18:47,640
is your dob deniying that living room rug like it

358
00:18:47,720 --> 00:18:50,920
might bite him. Ryan closed the shed door, latching it firmly.

359
00:18:51,640 --> 00:18:56,160
I've known you for fifteen years, Jamie, You're a terrible liar. Inside,

360
00:18:56,359 --> 00:18:58,920
Arthur stood in the wholy watching us enter. He went

361
00:18:59,039 --> 00:19:02,720
softly when Ryan had for the living room. See, Ryan

362
00:19:02,759 --> 00:19:06,640
pointed at Arthur. Your dog knows something's up, I sighed,

363
00:19:06,759 --> 00:19:09,720
knowing Ryan wouldn't let this go. Fine, I'll show you.

364
00:19:10,359 --> 00:19:14,319
But there's something strange down there. Strangehow I crossed the

365
00:19:14,319 --> 00:19:16,920
braided rock and pulled it back, revealing the trap door.

366
00:19:17,519 --> 00:19:19,880
There's this object, a black box makes a humming sound.

367
00:19:20,640 --> 00:19:23,200
Ryan crouched beside the trap door, running his fingers along

368
00:19:23,279 --> 00:19:29,480
the scene. What like a generator, old furnace? Maybe No,

369
00:19:29,720 --> 00:19:33,480
it's I struggle to find the right words. It's not

370
00:19:33,559 --> 00:19:36,559
like anything I've seen before. When I went down yesterday,

371
00:19:36,599 --> 00:19:39,640
it drained my phone battery. Instantly, Ryan looked up, his

372
00:19:39,680 --> 00:19:43,680
expression cap between amusement and concern. Drained your battery? You

373
00:19:43,759 --> 00:19:46,079
sure you didn't just forget to charge it? It was

374
00:19:46,119 --> 00:19:49,559
at eighty percent. I pulled the handle, lifting the trap door.

375
00:19:50,200 --> 00:19:53,200
Colie wafted up from below, carrying that same faint metallic scent.

376
00:19:53,960 --> 00:19:58,960
I'm serious, whine, something's not right down there. Ryan peered

377
00:19:58,960 --> 00:20:02,839
into the opening stairs. Look solid enough, he lanced back

378
00:20:02,839 --> 00:20:05,680
at me. You've been alone out here too long, already

379
00:20:06,240 --> 00:20:08,680
getting spook by old house noises. Before I could respond,

380
00:20:08,880 --> 00:20:11,160
he swung his legs into the opening and started down

381
00:20:11,160 --> 00:20:14,799
the stairs. I followed, reluctantly, flicking on the light switch

382
00:20:15,480 --> 00:20:18,759
I discovered early that morning. A single bulb illuminated the

383
00:20:18,759 --> 00:20:21,680
stairwell with weak yellow light. Arthur remained at the edge

384
00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:24,680
of the trap door, whining but refusing to follow. At

385
00:20:24,680 --> 00:20:27,519
the bottom of the stairs, Ryan whistled softly. This is

386
00:20:27,559 --> 00:20:31,079
bigger than I expected. He moved forward, ducking slightly under

387
00:20:31,119 --> 00:20:34,200
the low ceiling joists. Looks like it extends past the

388
00:20:34,200 --> 00:20:37,480
house foundation. I switch on the main corridor light. Another

389
00:20:37,480 --> 00:20:41,119
bearbel panging from the ceiling. That's what I thought, doesn't

390
00:20:41,119 --> 00:20:44,720
make architectural sense. Ryan ran his hand along the smooth

391
00:20:44,759 --> 00:20:48,440
concrete wall. Some one put Syria's work into this, not

392
00:20:48,519 --> 00:20:52,680
your stand at Michigan Basement. No dampness, no cracks. He

393
00:20:52,759 --> 00:20:56,720
peered into the first doorway records. You're a grandpa music buff,

394
00:20:57,200 --> 00:20:59,759
not that I knew of. I followed him into the

395
00:20:59,759 --> 00:21:03,000
wreck room, watching as he examined the shelves. I never

396
00:21:03,079 --> 00:21:05,799
heard him play most of these. Ryan pulled out an

397
00:21:05,799 --> 00:21:08,240
album at random, led Zeppelin for some good stuff here.

398
00:21:08,799 --> 00:21:11,799
He replaced it carefully and continued down the corridor. What

399
00:21:11,920 --> 00:21:14,279
else did you find? I showed him the room with

400
00:21:14,319 --> 00:21:17,319
the table and chairs. The sand which and apple were gone,

401
00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:19,839
but the newspaper remained still open to the crosswood puzzle.

402
00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:22,640
Someone had completed three quarters of it in blue ink.

403
00:21:23,319 --> 00:21:26,000
Ryan picked up the paper, checking the date. This is

404
00:21:26,039 --> 00:21:29,720
from four days ago. I know, he said it down carefully,

405
00:21:30,319 --> 00:21:34,480
And your grandpa's been dead six months. Yes. We stood

406
00:21:34,480 --> 00:21:37,920
in silence for a moment, the implications hanging between us.

407
00:21:38,759 --> 00:21:43,000
So what's this box you mentioned? Ryan finally asked, his

408
00:21:43,079 --> 00:21:45,759
voice pitched lower than before. I led him to the

409
00:21:45,799 --> 00:21:49,799
final room. The black box at exactly as I'd left it,

410
00:21:49,799 --> 00:21:53,039
its surface catching the light without reflection. The humming was

411
00:21:53,039 --> 00:21:55,920
immediately noticeable, a steady vibration that seemed to bipe past

412
00:21:55,960 --> 00:21:58,880
the ears and resonate directly in skull. Ryan stopped in

413
00:21:58,920 --> 00:22:02,400
the doorway, his posture stuff. WHOA, I told you it

414
00:22:02,440 --> 00:22:06,000
was strange. He stepped slowly into the room, had tilted

415
00:22:06,039 --> 00:22:07,799
as if trying to locate the source of the humming.

416
00:22:08,359 --> 00:22:11,359
What is that sound? Comes from the box? Brian approached

417
00:22:11,359 --> 00:22:15,319
it cautiously, stopping about four feet away. No, seems no controls.

418
00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:20,039
He crouched to examine it more closely. Doesn't look factory made.

419
00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:23,200
The humming intensified slightly, as if responding to his presence.

420
00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:26,640
Temperature in the room had dropped noticeably since we entered.

421
00:22:27,279 --> 00:22:31,720
I wouldn't get too close. I warrant seriously, Ryan, something's

422
00:22:31,759 --> 00:22:35,599
not right about it. He glanced back at me. Eyebruws raised.

423
00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:40,079
You think it's dangerous, It's just sitting here. It killed

424
00:22:40,079 --> 00:22:42,519
my phone instantly, and Arthur refuses to come near it.

425
00:22:43,039 --> 00:22:46,160
Brian's straight and shaking his head. Animals get weird about

426
00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:48,839
all kinds of harmless things, and phones died all the time.

427
00:22:49,400 --> 00:22:52,519
He took another step toward the box. It's probably some

428
00:22:52,680 --> 00:22:56,119
art piece your groundpa picked up, or maybe custom. My

429
00:22:56,200 --> 00:22:58,599
hands trembled so badly I had to dial three times

430
00:22:58,599 --> 00:23:01,799
before getting the numbers right. The operator's voice came through

431
00:23:01,799 --> 00:23:07,160
clear and professional. Nine hundred eleven. What's your emergency? My friend?

432
00:23:07,799 --> 00:23:12,440
I swallowed hard. Try it again. My friend collapsed. He's

433
00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:16,160
not breathing. I think he's dead. Is a person responsive

434
00:23:16,200 --> 00:23:19,960
at all? No? Nothing, He touched something and just fell.

435
00:23:20,640 --> 00:23:24,000
She asked for the address. I recited grandpa's rural route

436
00:23:24,039 --> 00:23:26,799
number and described the turner from County Road eight. The

437
00:23:26,839 --> 00:23:29,480
operator confirmed an ambulance was in the way, then asked

438
00:23:29,480 --> 00:23:33,960
if I knew CPR. I did, barely from a community

439
00:23:33,960 --> 00:23:36,799
college course. He is back. She walked me through the steps. Anyway,

440
00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:39,480
I need to go back down stairs to him, I said,

441
00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:42,319
wedging the phone between ear and shoulder. As I approached

442
00:23:42,319 --> 00:23:45,160
the trap door, he said, downstairs is his person in

443
00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:49,240
a basement? Yes, under the living room. I hesitated at

444
00:23:49,240 --> 00:23:52,000
the top of the stairs, the phone suddenly. I sculled

445
00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:54,880
against my cheek. I don't think CPR is going to help.

446
00:23:55,400 --> 00:23:58,759
He's he doesn't look right. Are the watch from the

447
00:23:58,759 --> 00:24:02,079
hallway refusing to come close. I descended the stairs with

448
00:24:02,160 --> 00:24:05,519
the operator still talking, her voice becoming tiny and distant.

449
00:24:05,519 --> 00:24:08,839
As I reached the bottom, static crackled through her instructions.

450
00:24:09,480 --> 00:24:12,839
Ryan lay exactly as he'd fallen. Limb splayed it naturally.

451
00:24:13,480 --> 00:24:15,640
His skin had already taken on a waxy pallor, and

452
00:24:15,720 --> 00:24:18,240
his open eyes stared at nothing. The humming from the

453
00:24:18,279 --> 00:24:21,319
black box continued at the same sturdy pitch. I knelt

454
00:24:21,359 --> 00:24:23,519
beside him and pressed two fingers against his nekele, like

455
00:24:23,559 --> 00:24:27,119
the operator instructed. His skin felt cold and oddly rigid,

456
00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:30,720
as if he'd been dead rars rather than minutes. No pulse,

457
00:24:31,440 --> 00:24:34,559
not even the residual warmth of recent life. Sir, are

458
00:24:34,599 --> 00:24:38,160
you still there? Have you started compressions? I can't. My

459
00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:43,519
voice caught. He's already cold, completely cold. The lung filled

460
00:24:43,559 --> 00:24:47,720
with static, then cleared. Please begin CPR until the paramedics arrive.

461
00:24:48,319 --> 00:24:51,200
There are about seventeen minutes out. I set the phone

462
00:24:51,200 --> 00:24:53,680
on the concrete floor and position my hands on mine sterm.

463
00:24:54,319 --> 00:24:57,559
The first compression felt rom His chest barely gave under

464
00:24:57,559 --> 00:25:00,440
the pressure, like pushing against pack clay rather than flat PSH.

465
00:25:00,880 --> 00:25:03,400
I kept going anyway, counting under my breath, trying not

466
00:25:03,480 --> 00:25:06,759
to look at his face. After thirty compressions, I tilted

467
00:25:06,799 --> 00:25:09,200
his head back to give resky breath, but something stopped me.

468
00:25:09,799 --> 00:25:11,880
His lips had turned black at the corners, and thin

469
00:25:12,119 --> 00:25:14,240
dark lines spread outward. From his mouth, like cracks in

470
00:25:14,319 --> 00:25:17,640
dry earth. I pulled back, wiping my hand across my mouth.

471
00:25:18,240 --> 00:25:20,319
I can't do the breathing part. I told the operator

472
00:25:20,880 --> 00:25:25,119
something's wrong with his face. She said something about continuing compressions,

473
00:25:25,240 --> 00:25:28,119
but the static overtook her voice again. I placed my

474
00:25:28,119 --> 00:25:31,039
hands back on Ryan's chest, counting through another set, feeling

475
00:25:31,079 --> 00:25:34,319
the strange resistance beneath my palms. The weight stretched into

476
00:25:34,359 --> 00:25:37,440
an eternity of mechanical motions, compress and counting, checking for

477
00:25:37,480 --> 00:25:41,480
any response. Nothing change. The humming from the box seemed

478
00:25:41,480 --> 00:25:44,920
to modulate, slightly, rising and falling in patterns that almost

479
00:25:44,920 --> 00:25:48,359
resembled language. I finally heard sirens in the distance, their

480
00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:51,240
whil echoing through the trees. Relief washed over me so

481
00:25:51,319 --> 00:25:53,960
strongly I had to sit back on my heels. I

482
00:25:54,039 --> 00:25:57,319
checked my watch. Twenty three minutes. Sins called. The operator

483
00:25:57,400 --> 00:26:00,559
had underestimated the response time to this remote location. I

484
00:26:00,640 --> 00:26:03,559
climbed the stairs to meet them, legs wabbling beneath me. Outside,

485
00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:06,160
red and blue light strobed across the clearing its Two

486
00:26:06,240 --> 00:26:09,319
vehicles pulled up, an ambulance and a Sheriff's department a

487
00:26:09,359 --> 00:26:11,920
s u V. The gravel crunched under their tires as

488
00:26:11,960 --> 00:26:15,119
they parked at angles to each other. Two paramedics emerged

489
00:26:15,119 --> 00:26:17,960
from the ambulance, a heavy sipman with a close crop

490
00:26:18,039 --> 00:26:19,920
beard and a younger woman with her hair pulled back

491
00:26:19,920 --> 00:26:21,960
in a tight poter tail. From the sheriff's vehicle step

492
00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:24,799
to female officer mid forties with dark hair tucked under

493
00:26:24,799 --> 00:26:28,359
her hat. She approached first, one hand resting on her

494
00:26:28,359 --> 00:26:31,160
built near her holster. You're the one who called nine

495
00:26:31,200 --> 00:26:34,160
hundred eleven, she asked, her eyes scanning the property as

496
00:26:34,200 --> 00:26:38,759
she spoke. Yes, he's in the basement. I gestured toward

497
00:26:38,799 --> 00:26:41,640
the house. I tried cebar like this head, but he

498
00:26:41,680 --> 00:26:45,480
was already cold when I started. She nodded. Once. I'm

499
00:26:45,519 --> 00:26:49,920
Officer Campbell. These are paramedics. Gugierres and Jensen show us

500
00:26:49,920 --> 00:26:52,440
where The paramedics gathered equipment from the back of their vehicle,

501
00:26:52,920 --> 00:26:55,440
a large orange case in what looked like a folded stretcher.

502
00:26:55,960 --> 00:26:57,880
I led them into the house, pointing at the open

503
00:26:57,920 --> 00:27:00,839
chaptoor in the living room floor down there, last room

504
00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:03,720
at the end of the corridor. Officer Campbell looked at

505
00:27:03,759 --> 00:27:06,599
the trapel with raised eyebrows. That's not a stand of

506
00:27:06,640 --> 00:27:11,000
basement entrance. No, I just discovered it yesterday. My voice

507
00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:14,400
sounded flat and distant to my own ears. My grandfather

508
00:27:14,519 --> 00:27:18,319
never mentioned it. The female paramedic Jensen, according to her name,

509
00:27:18,319 --> 00:27:22,400
take dissented first, followed by her partner. Officer Campbell gestured

510
00:27:22,440 --> 00:27:24,279
for me to go next, then came down behind me.

511
00:27:24,880 --> 00:27:27,319
The stair fell cramped with four people moving through it.

512
00:27:27,359 --> 00:27:30,359
At the bottom, Officer Campbell swept her flap flight across

513
00:27:30,359 --> 00:27:34,960
the concrete walls and ceiling. This looks professionally constructed, recent work.

514
00:27:35,720 --> 00:27:38,559
I shook my head. I've no idea when it was built.

515
00:27:39,039 --> 00:27:41,640
The house has been in my family for decades. We

516
00:27:41,759 --> 00:27:43,839
moved down the corridor to the room where Ryan lay.

517
00:27:44,400 --> 00:27:46,880
The paramedics immediately knelt beside him, one checking for a

518
00:27:46,880 --> 00:27:50,279
pulse while the other opened their case. Officer Campbell remained

519
00:27:50,279 --> 00:27:52,319
in the doorway, her flat white beam settling on the

520
00:27:52,319 --> 00:27:56,640
black box in the corner. What's that, she asked, nodding

521
00:27:56,640 --> 00:28:00,559
toward it. I don't know, some kind of machine. I

522
00:28:00,640 --> 00:28:03,960
struggled to find adequate words. Ryan touched it right before

523
00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:09,680
he collapsed. The male paramedic Pucheri's looked up from Ryane's body. No, pulse,

524
00:28:09,759 --> 00:28:12,960
no respiration. He placed the temperature probe in Ryan's ear,

525
00:28:13,119 --> 00:28:16,480
waited for the reading, then frowned. Core tempt shows eighty

526
00:28:16,480 --> 00:28:20,200
two point six. That can't be right. He checked the equipment,

527
00:28:20,240 --> 00:28:25,079
then tried again, still reading eighties. This man's been deceased

528
00:28:25,119 --> 00:28:28,440
longer than a few minutes. Jensen had cut open Ryan's

529
00:28:28,480 --> 00:28:31,440
shirt and was attaching monitor leeds to his chest. No

530
00:28:31,559 --> 00:28:36,359
electrical activities, she reported, He's in a systel Fuguiera's pointed

531
00:28:36,359 --> 00:28:39,119
to the dark line spreading from Rhyane's mouth. Look at

532
00:28:39,119 --> 00:28:43,400
this discoloration. I've never seen anything like it. Officer Campbell

533
00:28:43,440 --> 00:28:47,359
stepped closer, her flashlight illuminating Ryan's face. Cause of death

534
00:28:47,400 --> 00:28:50,039
can determine that heere, Jensen said, But appears to be

535
00:28:50,079 --> 00:28:54,599
sudden cardiac arrest, no obvious drama, no sign of prolonged illness.

536
00:28:55,079 --> 00:28:57,920
She glanced at me. Did he have any medical conditions,

537
00:28:58,599 --> 00:29:03,200
hot problems, drug use? I shook my head, Not that

538
00:29:03,319 --> 00:29:07,000
I know of. He was healthy, work's construction worked good,

539
00:29:07,039 --> 00:29:10,599
years corrected quietly. Officer Campbell turned her attention back to

540
00:29:10,640 --> 00:29:13,359
the black box. And you say he touched this object

541
00:29:13,359 --> 00:29:17,279
before collapsing, Yes, he walked right up to it, despite

542
00:29:17,279 --> 00:29:20,079
my warnings, put his hand on it and just fell.

543
00:29:20,720 --> 00:29:24,200
She approached the box cautiously, crouching to examine it without touching.

544
00:29:24,759 --> 00:29:28,839
No manufacture on mockings, What does it do? Nothing that

545
00:29:28,920 --> 00:29:32,640
I can tell. De sets their making. That humming sound palming.

546
00:29:33,319 --> 00:29:36,960
She tilted her head. I don't hear anything. The paramedics

547
00:29:36,960 --> 00:29:40,920
pause their work, listening. Jensen shook her head. No sound

548
00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:43,440
coming from it that I can detect. I stared at

549
00:29:43,480 --> 00:29:46,440
them in disbelief. The humming filled the room, a constant

550
00:29:46,519 --> 00:29:49,519
vibration that seemed to press against my eardrums. How could

551
00:29:49,559 --> 00:29:54,079
they not hear it? It constant, I insisted, like a

552
00:29:54,119 --> 00:29:56,559
machine running makes your teeth out if you get too close.

553
00:29:57,240 --> 00:30:02,079
Officer Campbell straightened her expression carefully neutral. When exactly did

554
00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:06,480
your friend arrive the day? Around eleven? This morning? We

555
00:30:06,480 --> 00:30:09,119
were working on repairs to the house, and you came

556
00:30:09,160 --> 00:30:11,920
down here maybe an hour ago. I didn't check the time.

557
00:30:12,559 --> 00:30:15,599
I pressed my fingers against my temples. He wanted to

558
00:30:15,599 --> 00:30:19,359
see the basement after I mentioned finding it yesterday. She

559
00:30:19,440 --> 00:30:21,920
pulled a small notebook from her pocket and wrote something down.

560
00:30:22,559 --> 00:30:25,000
I need to call this in. We'll need detect us

561
00:30:25,000 --> 00:30:30,480
out here de dectives why it was an accident. Officer

562
00:30:30,480 --> 00:30:33,519
Campbell didn't answer. She stepped into the corridor and spoke

563
00:30:33,599 --> 00:30:37,119
quietly into her radio, her back turned to us. The

564
00:30:37,160 --> 00:30:40,400
paramedics continued the assessment of Ryan's body, exchanging glances that

565
00:30:40,440 --> 00:30:43,880
I couldn't interpret. We'll need to transport him, Gajerry said,

566
00:30:43,960 --> 00:30:48,000
unfolding a black body bag. Jensen helped me lift the

567
00:30:48,079 --> 00:30:50,799
positioned the bag beside Ryan's body and prepared to move him.

568
00:30:51,119 --> 00:30:53,319
I turned away, unable to watch them sit my friend

569
00:30:53,319 --> 00:30:57,039
into plastic. Officer Campbell finished her radio call and returned

570
00:30:57,039 --> 00:30:59,759
to the doorway. Detectives will be here in about forty

571
00:30:59,799 --> 00:31:03,440
minut she said. Meanwhile, I need to ask you some questions,

572
00:31:03,599 --> 00:31:08,039
mister Miller, James Miller, mister Miller, Let's go upstairs while

573
00:31:08,079 --> 00:31:11,359
the paramedics finished their work. I followed her up the stairs,

574
00:31:11,440 --> 00:31:14,319
glancing back once to see the paramedics carefully lifting Ryan's

575
00:31:14,359 --> 00:31:17,200
rigid form. In the living room, Arthurs still kept his

576
00:31:17,279 --> 00:31:19,680
distance from the trap door, press against a far wall

577
00:31:19,720 --> 00:31:23,279
with his ears flattened. Officer Campbell gestured toward the kitchen.

578
00:31:23,759 --> 00:31:26,799
Let's sit down. We sat at grand pose old doak table,

579
00:31:27,400 --> 00:31:29,640
She placed her notebook between us and cleecked her pen.

580
00:31:30,279 --> 00:31:32,880
Start from the beginning, When did your friend arrive and

581
00:31:32,960 --> 00:31:36,039
what happened leading up to his collapse? I recounted the

582
00:31:36,079 --> 00:31:40,000
morning as clearly as I could, Bryan's arrival, our work

583
00:31:40,039 --> 00:31:43,319
on the house repairs, the lunch on the porch, his

584
00:31:43,440 --> 00:31:47,880
curiosity about the basement. Officer Campbell wrote rapidly, occasionally asking

585
00:31:47,920 --> 00:31:51,400
for clarification about times or exact woods exchanged. And you

586
00:31:51,480 --> 00:31:55,000
warned him not to touch the box. Yes, I told

587
00:31:55,039 --> 00:31:57,319
him it had killed my phone battery instantly when I

588
00:31:57,400 --> 00:32:01,160
was down there yesterday. She made another note. Did mister

589
00:32:01,200 --> 00:32:04,720
Thomas seem anxious or distress before entering the basement? Now

590
00:32:05,359 --> 00:32:08,559
he was joking around like always? Called me mountain man.

591
00:32:09,160 --> 00:32:11,920
My voice cracked on the last words. A thump from

592
00:32:11,960 --> 00:32:14,240
the basement. Maid us both turned toward the trap door.

593
00:32:14,839 --> 00:32:18,319
Officer Campbell stood hand, moving to her holster. Stay here.

594
00:32:18,960 --> 00:32:21,920
She crossed to the trap door and called down everything, okay,

595
00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:25,519
down there. No response came. She drew her weapon and

596
00:32:25,519 --> 00:32:29,000
descended the stairs, slowly disappearing from view. I remained at

597
00:32:29,039 --> 00:32:32,400
the table, heart hammering against my rips. The silence stretched

598
00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:34,480
for nearly a minute before she called up, mister Miller,

599
00:32:35,079 --> 00:32:37,839
you need to come down here. Something in her voice

600
00:32:37,839 --> 00:32:40,839
made my skin crawl. I approached the trap door, peering

601
00:32:40,880 --> 00:32:44,119
down into the dim light. What is it now, please?

602
00:32:44,880 --> 00:32:47,240
I descended the stairs to find off Sir Campbell standing

603
00:32:47,279 --> 00:32:50,200
in the corridor. Her weap is still drawn but pointed

604
00:32:50,200 --> 00:32:52,880
at the floor. The paramedic stood in the doorway of

605
00:32:52,880 --> 00:32:55,720
the room where Ryan had been. Their expressions a mixture

606
00:32:55,720 --> 00:32:59,920
of confusion and alarm. Where is he? Officer Campbell demanded,

607
00:33:00,559 --> 00:33:04,759
Where's who your friend? Ryan? Where is his body? I

608
00:33:04,799 --> 00:33:07,640
pushed past her into the room. The black body bag

609
00:33:07,720 --> 00:33:12,000
lay open on the floor, empty. The paramedics equipment remained

610
00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:16,559
scattered around it, monitor leads, the temperature probe, medical scissers.

611
00:33:17,240 --> 00:33:20,720
But Ryan was gone. I don't understand, I said, they

612
00:33:20,759 --> 00:33:23,519
were just moving him. We stepped out to get the stretcher,

613
00:33:24,079 --> 00:33:28,079
Jensen explained, her voice tight third is tops. When we

614
00:33:28,160 --> 00:33:30,960
came back, the bag was empty. Good Chairs pointed to

615
00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:34,599
the floor. Luck. A ductriil led from the body bag

616
00:33:34,640 --> 00:33:37,839
toward the door, not quite for Prince, but longs mere

617
00:33:37,920 --> 00:33:41,240
marks like something had been dragged. The substance looked like oil,

618
00:33:41,279 --> 00:33:44,759
but smelled metallic like blood. Officer Campbell followed the trail

619
00:33:44,799 --> 00:33:48,359
with her flashlight. It continued down the corridor, up the stairs,

620
00:33:48,599 --> 00:33:50,519
and across the living room floor to the back door,

621
00:33:50,559 --> 00:33:53,359
which now stood up in a few inches. Arthur growled

622
00:33:53,400 --> 00:33:55,920
from his corner, eyes fixed on the door. Did you

623
00:33:55,960 --> 00:33:59,599
move the body, mister Miller. Officer Campbell's voice had hardened.

624
00:34:00,279 --> 00:34:04,200
What no. I was with you the whole time. She

625
00:34:04,319 --> 00:34:07,640
holstered her weapon and pulled out her radio despatch. This

626
00:34:07,799 --> 00:34:11,079
is Officir Campbell. I need additional units at my location

627
00:34:11,199 --> 00:34:16,199
immediately possible. Could thirty seven suspect may still be on premises.

628
00:34:16,880 --> 00:34:20,320
She provided the address, then turned to the paramedics. Wait

629
00:34:20,360 --> 00:34:23,119
in your vehicle and lock the doors. They nodded and

630
00:34:23,159 --> 00:34:27,679
heard upstairs. Officer Campbell stepped closer to me, Her expression grim,

631
00:34:28,239 --> 00:34:30,800
I'm going to ask you one more time what happened

632
00:34:30,800 --> 00:34:34,079
to your friend's body. I don't know. I stared at

633
00:34:34,079 --> 00:34:38,559
the trail of dark fluid. This isn't possible. He was dead,

634
00:34:38,920 --> 00:34:43,400
completely cold. People don't just walk away after cardiacress, mister Miller.

635
00:34:44,039 --> 00:34:47,760
She gestured toward the stairs. Let's go up. You're going

636
00:34:47,800 --> 00:34:49,719
to sit in my vehicle while I secure the scene.

637
00:34:50,280 --> 00:34:53,079
You think outed something to him. The accusation hit like

638
00:34:53,079 --> 00:34:56,519
a physical blow. He was my friend. I'm not accusing

639
00:34:56,519 --> 00:34:59,199
any one of anything right now. Her hand returned to

640
00:34:59,199 --> 00:35:01,840
her holster. But a body is missing and I need

641
00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:05,760
to fall oprot call outside. The afternoon had turned overcast,

642
00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:09,559
dark clouds gathering above the tree dups. Officer Campbell directed

643
00:35:09,559 --> 00:35:11,320
me to the back seat of her SUV and closed

644
00:35:11,320 --> 00:35:14,000
the door firmly. Through the window, I watched her speaking

645
00:35:14,039 --> 00:35:16,159
to her radio again, then again, a careful inspection of

646
00:35:16,199 --> 00:35:18,360
the perimeter, following the dark trail that led from the

647
00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:21,159
back door into the woods. Arthur appeared at the living

648
00:35:21,239 --> 00:35:24,719
room window, his outline visible through the curtains. Even from

649
00:35:24,760 --> 00:35:27,559
this distance, I could see his agitation, pacing back and forth,

650
00:35:27,599 --> 00:35:30,880
stopping occasionally to stare out at the gathering darkness. Two

651
00:35:30,880 --> 00:35:34,119
more Sheriff's vehicles arrived within twenty minutes. There are lights flashing,

652
00:35:34,119 --> 00:35:38,119
but siren silent. Four deputies emerged, conferring briefly with Officer

653
00:35:38,119 --> 00:35:41,280
Campbell before splitting out to search the property. One approached

654
00:35:41,360 --> 00:35:44,239
her vehicle and opened the driver's door, retrieving a shotgun

655
00:35:44,280 --> 00:35:47,280
from a locked compartment. I pressed my forehead against the

656
00:35:47,280 --> 00:35:49,679
cool window glass, trying to make sense of what had happened.

657
00:35:50,400 --> 00:35:54,400
Ryan had been dead, unmistakably, irreversibly dead. The paramedics had

658
00:35:54,440 --> 00:35:57,239
confirmed it, yet somehow his body had moved, leaving the

659
00:35:57,320 --> 00:36:00,800
strange flue trail behind the black box. Something about touching

660
00:36:00,800 --> 00:36:03,119
it or killed him, and maybe something about it at

661
00:36:03,119 --> 00:36:05,480
what Riann made at him, the thought was too bizarre

662
00:36:05,559 --> 00:36:08,039
to hold on to. A tall woman and playing clothes

663
00:36:08,119 --> 00:36:12,000
arrived in in a Martsidan detective. Judging by how the

664
00:36:12,079 --> 00:36:15,599
uniformed officers deferred to her. She spoke with Officer Campbell

665
00:36:15,639 --> 00:36:17,960
for several minutes, both of them glancing toward the su

666
00:36:18,119 --> 00:36:22,000
v where I sat. Eventually they approached together. The detective

667
00:36:22,039 --> 00:36:26,039
opened the door, her expression carefully neutil mister Miller and

668
00:36:26,079 --> 00:36:28,800
Detective Martinez. I need you to come with me and

669
00:36:28,840 --> 00:36:32,159
answer some questions about your friend. I already told Officer

670
00:36:32,199 --> 00:36:36,400
Campbell everything I know. Nevertheless, she stepped back, clearly expecting

671
00:36:36,440 --> 00:36:39,280
me to exit the vehicle. I calmed out, looking toward

672
00:36:39,320 --> 00:36:43,639
the house. What about my dog, He's still inside. One

673
00:36:43,639 --> 00:36:46,639
of the deputies will check on him. Officer Campbell said,

674
00:36:46,800 --> 00:36:49,079
Right now, we need to focus on finding mister Thomas,

675
00:36:49,679 --> 00:36:53,400
you won't find him, I said quietly, Detective Martinez. His

676
00:36:53,440 --> 00:36:56,880
eyebrows rose lightly. And why is that, mister Miller A

677
00:36:57,000 --> 00:36:59,280
nehugie suddenly certain of what I was about to say,

678
00:37:00,039 --> 00:37:02,039
Because whatever that box did to him, he's not Ryan

679
00:37:02,119 --> 00:37:05,159
any more. The County Sheriff's Department occupied a low brick

680
00:37:05,199 --> 00:37:09,000
building fifteen miles from Grandpa's house. Two fluorescent strips boast

681
00:37:09,000 --> 00:37:11,400
overhead in the processing room, where a deputy with Nikotin's

682
00:37:11,400 --> 00:37:14,079
stained fingers pressed mine into an ink. Bad the finger

683
00:37:14,079 --> 00:37:16,639
printing process left smudges under my nails that wouldn't fully

684
00:37:16,719 --> 00:37:18,480
wash off in a small metal sink. They directed me

685
00:37:18,559 --> 00:37:22,119
to afterward, holding until morning. The booking officer said to

686
00:37:22,159 --> 00:37:24,719
no one in particular, checking boxes on a clipboard form,

687
00:37:25,280 --> 00:37:27,960
he had deep smile lines that didn't match his current expression.

688
00:37:28,440 --> 00:37:31,679
Detective Martinez On's first interview. When she gets in, they

689
00:37:31,679 --> 00:37:34,960
took my belt shoelaces, watching the three crumpled twenty dollars

690
00:37:34,960 --> 00:37:37,639
bills from my wallet. Each item made a hollow sound

691
00:37:37,639 --> 00:37:40,360
as it dropped into the plastic property bin. The deputies

692
00:37:40,400 --> 00:37:42,320
slid a form across the desk for me to sign,

693
00:37:42,760 --> 00:37:44,639
then handed me a thin blue blanket that smelled of

694
00:37:44,639 --> 00:37:48,119
industrial detergent. The holding cell measured eight feet by ten,

695
00:37:48,280 --> 00:37:50,280
with a metal toilet in the corner and a concrete

696
00:37:50,280 --> 00:37:53,920
bench along the back wall no window. The overhead lies

697
00:37:53,920 --> 00:37:57,400
stayed on, casting sharp shadows beneath the bench. Three other

698
00:37:57,480 --> 00:38:00,920
men occupied separate cells along the same corridor, one sleeping,

699
00:38:01,119 --> 00:38:03,960
one staring at the ceiling, and one muttering rivocally to himself.

700
00:38:04,440 --> 00:38:06,320
I sat on the bench with my back against cold

701
00:38:06,360 --> 00:38:10,119
cinder blocks. The blanket pulled round my shoulders. The cell

702
00:38:10,199 --> 00:38:13,719
smelled of bleach in something more organic underneath. The muttering

703
00:38:13,719 --> 00:38:16,800
man across the whole occasionally punctuated his monologue with sharp

704
00:38:16,880 --> 00:38:20,000
lasts that deckered off the concrete. Sleep came in disjoint

705
00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:23,840
of fragments. I dreamed of Ryan's face, the black lines

706
00:38:23,840 --> 00:38:26,320
spreading from his mouth like cracks and pottery. In the dream,

707
00:38:26,840 --> 00:38:29,440
his eyes followed me while his body remained perfectly still.

708
00:38:30,079 --> 00:38:32,320
I woke repeatedly to the sound of keys jingling as

709
00:38:32,320 --> 00:38:37,119
deputies made their rounds, checking cells at irregular intervals. Morning

710
00:38:37,119 --> 00:38:39,760
announced itself not with light, but with a shift change

711
00:38:40,400 --> 00:38:43,599
new voices, doors opening and closing. At the far end

712
00:38:43,599 --> 00:38:46,719
of the corridor, a deputy I hadn't seen before, soliitory

713
00:38:46,760 --> 00:38:49,679
through the slaughter my door, a styrofoam cup of coffee

714
00:38:49,679 --> 00:38:53,199
and a shrink wrap sandwich Miller interview in twenty minutes.

715
00:38:53,880 --> 00:38:56,360
The coffee tasted burnt, but provided enough fiend to push

716
00:38:56,400 --> 00:38:59,280
back the headache forming behind my eyes. I ate half

717
00:38:59,280 --> 00:39:01,719
the sandwich white bread in a slice of processed turkey

718
00:39:01,760 --> 00:39:04,880
before my stomach clenched in protest. When they came for me,

719
00:39:04,960 --> 00:39:07,360
two deputies escorted me down a series of beage always

720
00:39:07,360 --> 00:39:09,199
to a room with a metal table bolted to the floor.

721
00:39:09,840 --> 00:39:13,079
No windows here either, just a large mirror, a lawn

722
00:39:13,159 --> 00:39:16,559
one wall that obviously concealed an obtivation area. A video

723
00:39:16,599 --> 00:39:18,679
camera mounted in the corner tract my movements with a

724
00:39:18,719 --> 00:39:23,199
small red light. Wait here, one depye said, unnecessarily, where

725
00:39:23,320 --> 00:39:26,599
exactly what I go? The room held that particular silence

726
00:39:27,320 --> 00:39:30,159
unique to spaces designed for confession, a dead air that

727
00:39:30,239 --> 00:39:34,920
swalllet small sounds. I counted ceiling tiles twenty eight complete,

728
00:39:34,960 --> 00:39:37,559
six partial, and floor tiles forty two complete eight partial.

729
00:39:38,199 --> 00:39:41,199
While waiting. The chair had been positioned slightly lower than

730
00:39:41,199 --> 00:39:44,239
the one across the table. A subtle power deferential built

731
00:39:44,239 --> 00:39:48,360
into the furniture. Detective Martinez entered eighteen minutes later, carrying

732
00:39:48,360 --> 00:39:51,280
a Manilla folder and a paper cup similar to mine.

733
00:39:51,320 --> 00:39:53,599
She wore the same clothes as yesterday, black pants and

734
00:39:53,639 --> 00:39:56,360
a navy blazer over a white shirt, suggesting she hadn't

735
00:39:56,360 --> 00:39:59,880
gone home. Dark circle shadowed her eyes, but her movement

736
00:40:00,039 --> 00:40:02,000
remained precise that she placed the folder on the table

737
00:40:02,000 --> 00:40:04,880
and sat across from me, Mister Miller, she began opening

738
00:40:04,880 --> 00:40:07,639
the folder. You've been advised of your rice last night.

739
00:40:07,679 --> 00:40:11,000
Several times, she nodded, spreading photographs in front of her,

740
00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:14,920
face down. Walk me through yesterday again. Please start with

741
00:40:14,960 --> 00:40:18,320
when mister Thomas arrived. I recounted events for what felt

742
00:40:18,400 --> 00:40:21,400
like the tenth time. Ryan's arrival, our work on the house,

743
00:40:21,559 --> 00:40:24,760
the discovery of the basement, the black box. Each telling

744
00:40:24,800 --> 00:40:27,480
made the sequence feel more dream like, less connected to reality.

745
00:40:28,039 --> 00:40:31,480
Martinez took nuts and small, tight handwriting, And you maintain

746
00:40:31,559 --> 00:40:35,079
that mister Thomas touched this black box and immediately collapsed. Yes,

747
00:40:35,800 --> 00:40:38,440
he just fell like a puppet with cut strains. Then

748
00:40:38,440 --> 00:40:41,280
the paramedics arrived to confirmed death and the body disappeared.

749
00:40:41,280 --> 00:40:43,800
While they retrieved the equipment from their vehicle. I know

750
00:40:43,840 --> 00:40:47,679
how it sounds. Martinez looked up from her notes. How

751
00:40:47,719 --> 00:40:51,559
does it sound, mister Miller. Impossible, but it's what happened.

752
00:40:52,199 --> 00:40:54,960
She tapped her pen against the folder. We found blood

753
00:40:54,960 --> 00:40:59,320
on your living room floor. Typo positive? Was that Ryan's blood?

754
00:40:59,800 --> 00:41:01,519
I don't know his blood type, but there was that

755
00:41:01,639 --> 00:41:05,679
dark fluid the trail leading outside. Our technicians say it's blood,

756
00:41:05,679 --> 00:41:09,599
makes with something they can't immediately identify, an unusual compound.

757
00:41:10,440 --> 00:41:15,440
She studded my face. Did you harm Ryan Thomas? Mister Miller, No,

758
00:41:16,360 --> 00:41:19,079
the word came out horse. I cleared my throat and

759
00:41:19,119 --> 00:41:23,119
tried again. No, he was my friend, friend's harm friend

760
00:41:23,199 --> 00:41:27,280
every day, usually over money, women or pride. She leaned

761
00:41:27,280 --> 00:41:31,000
forward slightly. Did you and Ryan have a disagreement? The

762
00:41:31,079 --> 00:41:34,599
only disagreement we had was about touching that box. I

763
00:41:34,639 --> 00:41:38,440
warned him not to. Martinez flipped through her notes. You

764
00:41:38,559 --> 00:41:41,880
previously stated this box killed your phone. What exactly did

765
00:41:41,880 --> 00:41:44,880
you mean by that? My phone battery drained instantly when

766
00:41:44,880 --> 00:41:47,199
I got close to it the day before, from eighty

767
00:41:47,199 --> 00:41:49,960
percent to dead and seconds, Yet you didn't think to

768
00:41:50,000 --> 00:41:53,440
warn your friend. That's something potentially hazardous enough to affect electronics.

769
00:41:53,480 --> 00:41:56,880
Might be dangerous to touch. I did warn him, he

770
00:41:56,920 --> 00:42:00,599
didn't listen. I pressed my palms against my eyes. Ryan

771
00:42:00,639 --> 00:42:03,760
always thought he knew better. Martinez let silence fill the

772
00:42:03,800 --> 00:42:06,719
room for twenty three seconds by the wall clock. When

773
00:42:06,760 --> 00:42:09,559
she spoke again, her tone had softened marginally. We found

774
00:42:09,639 --> 00:42:13,079
Ryan Thomas early this morning. His body was approximately half

775
00:42:13,119 --> 00:42:15,400
a mile from your property, in the woods near Caldwell Creek.

776
00:42:16,039 --> 00:42:18,920
My hands dropped to the table. You found him. But

777
00:42:19,000 --> 00:42:22,239
how did he That's what I'm trying to determine. She

778
00:42:22,320 --> 00:42:25,239
turned over one of the photographs. This is the scene

779
00:42:25,239 --> 00:42:28,840
where we located mister Thomas. The image showed forest undergrowth,

780
00:42:28,880 --> 00:42:33,079
illuminated by house camerauflash fall, leaves, pine needles, exposed tree roots.

781
00:42:33,119 --> 00:42:36,000
In the center lay something I initially could in process,

782
00:42:36,639 --> 00:42:39,360
a mass of twisted limbs and torn clothing. A sleeve

783
00:42:39,440 --> 00:42:42,320
I recognized as Ryan's carhaut jacket protruded from the pile,

784
00:42:42,960 --> 00:42:45,719
stained almost black with what must have been blood. That

785
00:42:45,840 --> 00:42:50,440
can't be I started, but Martinez turned over another photograph.

786
00:42:51,000 --> 00:42:52,960
This one showed Ryan's face of what remained of it.

787
00:42:53,519 --> 00:42:55,400
His skin had taken on a grayish cast, like clay

788
00:42:55,480 --> 00:42:57,679
left in the sun. The black lines I had seen

789
00:42:57,719 --> 00:43:00,000
forming around his mouth had spread across his entire face,

790
00:43:00,239 --> 00:43:03,679
creating a web of dark fisures. His eyes were open, bulging,

791
00:43:04,199 --> 00:43:07,320
the whites turned yellow. His expression captured a moment of

792
00:43:07,320 --> 00:43:10,440
absolute terror, mouth stretched in a silent scream that had

793
00:43:10,440 --> 00:43:14,559
frozen into rigor. My stumach heaved. Martinez slid a metal

794
00:43:14,599 --> 00:43:16,719
trask and toward me, just as the coffee and half

795
00:43:16,760 --> 00:43:19,639
sand which came back up. I've vomited violently to a

796
00:43:19,679 --> 00:43:21,800
streaming down my face as my body tried to expel

797
00:43:21,840 --> 00:43:25,039
the horror along with my stomach contents. When I finished,

798
00:43:25,039 --> 00:43:27,679
as tissue appeared in my peripheral vision, I took it,

799
00:43:27,760 --> 00:43:31,800
wiping my mouth with shaking hands. Sorry, I mumbled, that's

800
00:43:31,800 --> 00:43:35,280
a common reaction. Martinez flipped the photo's face down again.

801
00:43:35,960 --> 00:43:38,639
Our medical examiner says he's never seen anything like it.

802
00:43:39,159 --> 00:43:41,719
The body shows signs of intense internal pressure, as if

803
00:43:41,719 --> 00:43:45,320
every blood vessel ruptured simultaneously. The cause of death as

804
00:43:45,320 --> 00:43:49,039
tentatively listed as catastrophic systemic failure, which is essentially medical

805
00:43:49,119 --> 00:43:52,400
language for we have no idea. I stared at the

806
00:43:52,400 --> 00:43:54,599
back of the photographs of Fraig. She might show me more.

807
00:43:55,239 --> 00:43:58,159
It was the box. Whatever is in that box killed him,

808
00:43:58,719 --> 00:44:02,599
mister Miller, Martinez said, carefully, We've searched your basement thoroughly.

809
00:44:03,039 --> 00:44:07,639
There is no black box. What That's not possible. It

810
00:44:07,760 --> 00:44:10,199
was there in the last room. We found the basement

811
00:44:10,239 --> 00:44:14,679
as you described it, concrete walls, multiple rooms, record collection,

812
00:44:15,400 --> 00:44:18,440
even the newspaper on the table, but no black box,

813
00:44:19,199 --> 00:44:22,440
no humming sound, and no evidence of any electronic or

814
00:44:22,440 --> 00:44:26,679
mechanical device. My mind struggled to process this information. It

815
00:44:26,760 --> 00:44:30,280
must still be there. Maybe you missed it somehow. Our

816
00:44:30,320 --> 00:44:33,400
crime scene technicians don't miss items described as potential evidence

817
00:44:33,400 --> 00:44:36,880
in a death investigation. Martinez closed the folder, which leads

818
00:44:36,960 --> 00:44:40,440
us with limited possibilities. Either this box never existed, or

819
00:44:40,480 --> 00:44:43,840
someone removed it between Ryan's death and our arrival, or

820
00:44:43,840 --> 00:44:48,760
it moved itself, I said, immediately, regretting the words. Martinez's

821
00:44:48,800 --> 00:44:52,440
expression did change, but something in her eyes hardened. Objects

822
00:44:52,480 --> 00:44:56,280
don't move themselves, mister Miller, Neither do your dead bodies.

823
00:44:56,960 --> 00:45:01,360
This earned me along a valuating stare. They don't, which

824
00:45:01,440 --> 00:45:04,559
is why we're having this conversation. She gathered the photographs

825
00:45:04,559 --> 00:45:07,480
and returned them to the folder, then stood wait here.

826
00:45:08,199 --> 00:45:10,920
The door closed behind her with a solid click. I

827
00:45:10,960 --> 00:45:13,159
sat alone for forty seven minutes by the wall clock,

828
00:45:13,280 --> 00:45:15,840
trying not to think about Ryan's face in that photograph.

829
00:45:16,320 --> 00:45:19,159
The metal trash and remained beside me, the smell of

830
00:45:19,199 --> 00:45:22,960
vomid adding to my narsa. When Martinez returned offerer, Campbell

831
00:45:22,960 --> 00:45:25,639
accompanied her, now dressed in civilian clothes jeans and a

832
00:45:25,639 --> 00:45:29,280
gray sweatshirt with the Sheriff's department logo. They both remained standing.

833
00:45:29,880 --> 00:45:33,320
Mister Miller, Martinez began, we're releasing you at this time,

834
00:45:33,840 --> 00:45:38,000
I blinked in surprise. You are currently we lack sufficient

835
00:45:38,039 --> 00:45:41,960
evidence to hold you. The investigation into Ryan Thomas's death continues,

836
00:45:42,039 --> 00:45:44,679
and you remain a person of interest. She placed a

837
00:45:44,719 --> 00:45:48,119
business card on the table. Do not leave town. We'll

838
00:45:48,159 --> 00:45:50,679
need to speak with you again. What about the box,

839
00:45:51,440 --> 00:45:55,119
I asked, Are you going to look for it? Martinez

840
00:45:55,159 --> 00:45:59,559
and Campbell exchanged a glance I couldn't interpret. We're pursuing

841
00:45:59,599 --> 00:46:03,599
all relat lead, Martinez said, neutrallly. Officer Campbell will drive

842
00:46:03,639 --> 00:46:06,599
you back to your residence. Patrol car will maintain a

843
00:46:06,639 --> 00:46:09,000
devation of your property for the next seventy two hours.

844
00:46:09,639 --> 00:46:13,000
You think I'm in danger, I asked, We think he

845
00:46:13,119 --> 00:46:19,079
bear watching, Campbell replied, not Unkindly. They returned my belongings, belt, shulacees, watch, money,

846
00:46:19,199 --> 00:46:20,719
and led me through a side door to the parking

847
00:46:20,760 --> 00:46:24,079
lot where Campbell's personal VIHCAL waited, a gray Forward Explorer

848
00:46:24,079 --> 00:46:26,400
with child sized soccer cleats visible in the back seat.

849
00:46:27,079 --> 00:46:29,559
They drive back to Grandpa's house took twenty eight minutes.

850
00:46:30,280 --> 00:46:33,199
Campbell made no attempt at conversation beyond confirming my address

851
00:46:33,199 --> 00:46:36,400
through the windshield. I watched the landscape transition from town

852
00:46:36,440 --> 00:46:39,360
to countryside, bear maple branches reaching like fingers against the

853
00:46:39,440 --> 00:46:42,880
overcasky field stretched on either side of the county road,

854
00:46:42,920 --> 00:46:45,960
brown and dormant, waiting for spring planting still months away.

855
00:46:46,519 --> 00:46:49,079
Your dog's been fed, Campbell said, as we turned on

856
00:46:49,119 --> 00:46:52,320
to the gravel drive. Deputy Williams checked on him last

857
00:46:52,400 --> 00:46:55,960
night and this morning. Thank you, I managed. She popped

858
00:46:55,960 --> 00:46:59,079
behind my truck and turn in her seat to face me. Listen, Miller,

859
00:46:59,119 --> 00:47:02,199
I've been a cup for six years, never seen anything

860
00:47:02,280 --> 00:47:05,239
like what happened to your friend. I waited, unsure where

861
00:47:05,280 --> 00:47:08,079
she was heading with this. The detective has her theories,

862
00:47:08,119 --> 00:47:12,239
have mine. Campbell's eyes held mine steadily. Whatever you're mixed

863
00:47:12,320 --> 00:47:15,480
up in. Be careful. Some things don't have explanations were

864
00:47:15,480 --> 00:47:19,559
equipped to handle. Before I could respond, she nodded toward

865
00:47:19,599 --> 00:47:22,960
the house. Go on, your dog's been crying for you.

866
00:47:23,679 --> 00:47:26,800
Arthur's barking greeted me before I reached the porch. When

867
00:47:26,800 --> 00:47:29,000
I opened the front door, he nearly knocked me over,

868
00:47:29,239 --> 00:47:32,360
pressing his body against my legs and whining desperately. His

869
00:47:32,519 --> 00:47:34,840
first melt of pine and damp earth, as if he'd

870
00:47:34,840 --> 00:47:38,079
spent time outside since I'd been gone. Campbell watched from

871
00:47:38,079 --> 00:47:40,239
her vehicle until I was inside with the door closed.

872
00:47:40,880 --> 00:47:42,920
Through the window, I saw her speaking into her phone

873
00:47:42,960 --> 00:47:46,079
before backing down the driveway. A minute later, a Mark

874
00:47:46,119 --> 00:47:48,639
Shehiff's cruiser pulled up and parked just beyond the property line,

875
00:47:48,679 --> 00:47:51,239
partially concealed by pines, but with clear sight lines to

876
00:47:51,360 --> 00:47:54,480
the house. Arthur wouldn't leave my sigh, not even when

877
00:47:54,519 --> 00:47:57,119
I went to the bathroom. He followed so closely as

878
00:47:57,199 --> 00:47:59,440
nails clicked against my heels on the hardwood floors. In

879
00:47:59,440 --> 00:48:03,360
the kitchen, I found evidence of Deputy Williams's visit, a

880
00:48:03,360 --> 00:48:06,400
clean bowl on the floor, the cable bag neatly closed

881
00:48:06,440 --> 00:48:09,079
with a chip clip from the drawer. The house felt different.

882
00:48:09,639 --> 00:48:13,880
Police had searched it thoroughly, drawers left slightly open, cabinet

883
00:48:13,920 --> 00:48:17,119
doors not quite closed, items on shells re arranged. In

884
00:48:17,119 --> 00:48:19,800
the living room, the braided rug had been moved aside,

885
00:48:20,320 --> 00:48:22,760
the trap door left open to reveal the basement stairs below.

886
00:48:23,320 --> 00:48:26,159
The light had been left on down there. Arthur stopped

887
00:48:26,159 --> 00:48:27,920
at the edge of the living room, refusing to go

888
00:48:28,000 --> 00:48:30,519
any closer to the open trap door. He sat on

889
00:48:30,639 --> 00:48:34,199
his haunches, watching me with anxious eyes. It's okay, boy,

890
00:48:34,280 --> 00:48:36,679
I told him, though we both knew it wasn't. I

891
00:48:36,719 --> 00:48:39,119
approached the trap door cautiously, half expecting to hear the

892
00:48:39,159 --> 00:48:42,239
humming rise up from below. Nothing but silence greeted me

893
00:48:42,280 --> 00:48:45,679
at the top of the stairs. I hesitated, remembering Ryan's

894
00:48:45,679 --> 00:48:48,239
face in a photograph, the terror frozen into his features,

895
00:48:48,239 --> 00:48:51,400
the black lines spreading across his skin. Martinez had said

896
00:48:51,440 --> 00:48:55,400
they found no box. How was that possible. I'd seen it,

897
00:48:56,079 --> 00:48:58,639
heard it, felt its effect on the air round it.

898
00:48:59,280 --> 00:49:02,400
Ryan had touched it and died instantly. Now it was gone,

899
00:49:02,559 --> 00:49:04,800
and Ryan's body had been found twisted and broken in

900
00:49:04,840 --> 00:49:09,000
the woods. The realization hit me with sickening clarity. Whatever

901
00:49:09,079 --> 00:49:13,000
had killed Ryan was still active, still dangerous, and if

902
00:49:13,000 --> 00:49:14,960
the box could somehow move or be moved, any one

903
00:49:15,039 --> 00:49:18,840
might find it, any one might touch it. A vehicle approached,

904
00:49:18,840 --> 00:49:20,840
and the gravel drive not a police car from the

905
00:49:20,840 --> 00:49:23,480
sound of the engine. Arthur's ears perked up, and he

906
00:49:23,519 --> 00:49:26,760
moved to the window of tail working uncertainly. I joined him,

907
00:49:26,800 --> 00:49:29,199
peering through the curtains of the silver cede, aann pulling

908
00:49:29,280 --> 00:49:32,000
up behind my truck. The driver's door opened, and my

909
00:49:32,039 --> 00:49:34,079
heart seemed to stutter in my chest as a familiar

910
00:49:34,079 --> 00:49:38,440
figure emerged, auburn hay, catching the afternoon light, slend her

911
00:49:38,440 --> 00:49:42,480
shoulders squared with determination. Emily she stood for a moment,

912
00:49:42,519 --> 00:49:45,320
looking up at the house, one hand shielding her eyes

913
00:49:45,360 --> 00:49:47,840
from the weak san Then she reached back into the

914
00:49:47,880 --> 00:49:50,159
car for her purse and began walking toward the porch.

915
00:49:50,960 --> 00:49:54,039
Arthur whined softly beside me, his tail still wigging but

916
00:49:54,119 --> 00:49:56,840
his body tense against my leg I needed to get

917
00:49:56,880 --> 00:50:00,559
her away from here, away from the house, away from

918
00:50:00,599 --> 00:50:04,320
whatever had happened to Ryan, away from the danger I

919
00:50:04,360 --> 00:50:07,880
still didn't understand. Before she could knock, I moved toward

920
00:50:07,920 --> 00:50:09,800
the door, rehearsing what I would say to make her leave.

921
00:50:09,800 --> 00:50:13,199
Immediately behind me, something creaked beneath the floor, a sound

922
00:50:13,280 --> 00:50:16,079
like weight shifting on wooden stairs. I sat on the

923
00:50:16,079 --> 00:50:18,280
porch steps with a legal pat and a pen, listing

924
00:50:18,320 --> 00:50:21,320
ways to destroy the black box. The yellow paper glowed

925
00:50:21,360 --> 00:50:27,400
in the evening light, half filled with increasingly desperate ideas. Sledge, hummer, acid, fire.

926
00:50:28,159 --> 00:50:30,320
Nothing seemed adequate for something that could kill with a

927
00:50:30,400 --> 00:50:34,280
touch and disappear. It will. Arthur lay at my feet,

928
00:50:34,400 --> 00:50:37,199
head on paws, watching the sheriff's cruise apart. One hundred

929
00:50:37,239 --> 00:50:40,119
yards down the road. The deputy inside hadn't moved in

930
00:50:40,159 --> 00:50:43,239
two IROs, except to answer his radio. The day had

931
00:50:43,239 --> 00:50:46,400
faded toward dusk, temperature dropping, a shadows lengthened across the yard.

932
00:50:47,079 --> 00:50:49,320
I crossed out explosion on my list and added protective

933
00:50:49,360 --> 00:50:52,360
equipment in the margin. Thick rubber gloves might help, or

934
00:50:52,400 --> 00:50:55,960
those heavy ellied deepens from dentist offices. Anything to create

935
00:50:56,000 --> 00:50:59,400
a barrier between skin and whatever that box contained. Bravel

936
00:50:59,440 --> 00:51:01,880
crunched his head lad swept across the clearing. A silver

937
00:51:01,920 --> 00:51:04,119
cold pulled into the drive and parked behind my truck.

938
00:51:04,840 --> 00:51:09,039
Not police, they would have parked alongside the colleague. Arthur's

939
00:51:09,039 --> 00:51:11,840
ears perked up, his tail, giving one tentative wake. The

940
00:51:11,920 --> 00:51:14,960
driver's side door opened and Emily stepped out. My chest

941
00:51:15,000 --> 00:51:16,719
tightened at the sight of her. Ourburn, hair pulled back

942
00:51:16,719 --> 00:51:19,400
in a loop, ponytail, familiar green jacket sipped against the

943
00:51:19,440 --> 00:51:22,280
evening chill. She stood beside her car for a moment.

944
00:51:22,920 --> 00:51:25,079
ANNs pushed deep in her pockets, surveying the house with

945
00:51:25,119 --> 00:51:28,400
an expression I couldn't quite read. Jamie, she called, using

946
00:51:28,400 --> 00:51:30,880
the nickname I hadn't heard in months. I set the

947
00:51:30,920 --> 00:51:33,800
legal pad face down beside me. What are you doing here?

948
00:51:34,480 --> 00:51:36,960
She climbed the steps, stopping four feet away, close enough

949
00:51:36,960 --> 00:51:40,000
to see her face clearly, far enough to maintain the distance.

950
00:51:40,039 --> 00:51:44,719
Our history demanded. Lee called me, she said, told me

951
00:51:44,760 --> 00:51:48,559
about Ryan Lee, Ryan's sister. Of course she would have

952
00:51:48,559 --> 00:51:51,760
my ex girl friend's number. They'd bonded over pottery classes

953
00:51:51,840 --> 00:51:54,639
last winter. You didn't need to come all this way

954
00:51:54,920 --> 00:51:57,800
two hours. Isn't all this way? Emily shifted her weight

955
00:51:57,800 --> 00:52:00,400
from one foot to the other. Can we talk side?

956
00:52:01,079 --> 00:52:04,239
It's getting cold. Arthur had moved to her side, pressing

957
00:52:04,280 --> 00:52:07,159
against her leg and greeting. She reached down absently to

958
00:52:07,159 --> 00:52:09,559
scratch behind his ears while maintaining eye contact with me.

959
00:52:10,199 --> 00:52:13,239
The familiarity of the gesture made my throat tightened. It's

960
00:52:13,280 --> 00:52:15,360
not a good time. Is there a good time to

961
00:52:15,400 --> 00:52:18,719
talk about your friend dying? Her voice softened. I know

962
00:52:18,760 --> 00:52:21,320
we left things badly, but when something like this happens.

963
00:52:21,360 --> 00:52:23,679
The deputy in the cruiser had noticed our interactions, sitting

964
00:52:23,719 --> 00:52:26,760
up straight behind a wheel, I stood, not wanting to

965
00:52:26,760 --> 00:52:31,880
have this conversation under surveillance. An come in inside the

966
00:52:31,920 --> 00:52:35,199
house thought colder than it had an hour ago. I

967
00:52:35,280 --> 00:52:38,000
flipped on lights against the gathering darkness, while Emmy followed

968
00:52:38,000 --> 00:52:40,280
her eyes, taking inventory of the changes since her last

969
00:52:40,320 --> 00:52:43,920
visit six months ago. Your grandfather's place looks exactly the same,

970
00:52:44,000 --> 00:52:46,480
she said, running her fingers along the back of the sofa,

971
00:52:47,239 --> 00:52:49,920
except for that hole in the floor. I'm moved between

972
00:52:49,960 --> 00:52:52,400
her and the open trap door. I'll make coffee in

973
00:52:52,440 --> 00:52:55,960
the kitchen. I measure grounds into the filter with mechanical pocision.

974
00:52:56,119 --> 00:52:58,960
Listening to Emily's footsteps as she explored the living room,

975
00:52:59,280 --> 00:53:02,320
Arthur's nails a law inside her, his usual weariness apparently

976
00:53:02,360 --> 00:53:05,599
suspended for his favorite human besides me. You sleeping in

977
00:53:05,639 --> 00:53:10,880
the big bedroom, She called, Yes, smart, that's when bed

978
00:53:10,880 --> 00:53:13,880
always killed your back. I poured water into the reservoir,

979
00:53:14,000 --> 00:53:17,199
noticing my hands had begun to shake. Emily's presence felt

980
00:53:17,199 --> 00:53:21,280
like a complication I couldn't afford, not with deputies watching

981
00:53:21,320 --> 00:53:24,679
the house, not with whatever remained in a basement. The

982
00:53:24,679 --> 00:53:27,679
coffee maker gurgle to life. I leaned against the counter,

983
00:53:28,079 --> 00:53:31,480
pressing my pon's flat against the columnate steady them. Emily

984
00:53:31,519 --> 00:53:34,880
appeared in the doorway, her face half in shadow. Jaimie,

985
00:53:34,960 --> 00:53:38,599
what's really going on? Lise said, Ryan died under strange circumstances,

986
00:53:38,599 --> 00:53:41,320
and the police questioned you for ires. They think I

987
00:53:41,360 --> 00:53:44,639
had something to do with it, did you. The directness

988
00:53:44,679 --> 00:53:48,440
was pure Emily, no softening the question, no circle in

989
00:53:48,440 --> 00:53:51,920
the subject. No. But I couldn't save him either. I

990
00:53:52,000 --> 00:53:55,280
gestured toward the cupboard. Muggs are word I've always been.

991
00:53:55,840 --> 00:53:58,679
She retrieved too, the blue ceramic one she'd always preferred,

992
00:53:58,719 --> 00:54:01,239
and a checked gray one for me. The familiarity of

993
00:54:01,280 --> 00:54:03,559
her movements in this space felt like watching footage from

994
00:54:03,559 --> 00:54:06,599
another life. Start from the beginning, she said, setting the

995
00:54:06,679 --> 00:54:09,519
mugs beside the coffee maker. I gave her the simplest

996
00:54:09,559 --> 00:54:12,559
version why I'm coming to help with repairs, finding something

997
00:54:12,599 --> 00:54:16,320
unusual in the basement, his collapse. I left out the

998
00:54:16,320 --> 00:54:19,440
black box, the humming, the strange circumstances of finding his body.

999
00:54:19,440 --> 00:54:24,039
Even stripped down, the story sounded implausible. Emily listened without interruption,

1000
00:54:24,159 --> 00:54:27,079
her eyes never leaving my face. When I finished, she

1001
00:54:27,119 --> 00:54:30,000
filled both mugs with coffee and handed me mine. There's

1002
00:54:30,000 --> 00:54:32,320
more you are not telling me. There's a lot I'm

1003
00:54:32,360 --> 00:54:35,119
not telling you. I took a sit scald in my tongue,

1004
00:54:35,639 --> 00:54:39,920
and for good reason, you shouldn't be here. It's not safe.

1005
00:54:40,119 --> 00:54:45,039
Her eyebrows rose slightly. Not safe. Ah, I think whoever

1006
00:54:45,119 --> 00:54:48,960
killed Ryan might come back something like that. She said,

1007
00:54:49,039 --> 00:54:51,960
her mug down and touched Jamie. I know we're not

1008
00:54:52,000 --> 00:54:53,920
together any more, but I still care about you. If

1009
00:54:53,920 --> 00:54:56,639
you're in trouble, I appreciate the concern, but the best

1010
00:54:56,639 --> 00:54:59,039
thing you can do is leave now before dark. Arthur

1011
00:54:59,119 --> 00:55:01,840
suddenly stiffened beside her, his ears flattening as he turned

1012
00:55:01,840 --> 00:55:04,800
toward the living room. A low girl rumbled in his chest.

1013
00:55:05,480 --> 00:55:09,039
What's with him, Emily asked. I set my mug down

1014
00:55:09,119 --> 00:55:12,599
hard enough. The coffee sloshed over the room. We need

1015
00:55:12,639 --> 00:55:15,039
to go right now, get in your car and drive

1016
00:55:15,119 --> 00:55:19,400
back to Madison. What I just got here? Please, em

1017
00:55:20,039 --> 00:55:22,880
trust me on this. I took her elbow, trying to

1018
00:55:22,920 --> 00:55:27,000
guide her toward the door. She pulled away. No, not

1019
00:55:27,159 --> 00:55:30,639
until you explain what's happening. Arthur's growl deepened, his body

1020
00:55:30,639 --> 00:55:33,960
trembling with tension. He backed slowly toward the kitchen doorway.

1021
00:55:34,559 --> 00:55:37,559
I fixed on something in the living room. What's on there,

1022
00:55:38,159 --> 00:55:41,119
Emily asked, nodding toward the open trap door. Is that

1023
00:55:41,159 --> 00:55:45,599
what Ryan found? Emily, don't She moved past me, crossing

1024
00:55:45,599 --> 00:55:47,199
to the edge of the trap door and peering down

1025
00:55:47,239 --> 00:55:50,719
the stairs. There's a light on. Stay away from there.

1026
00:55:51,360 --> 00:55:53,159
I reached for her shoulder, but missed as she took

1027
00:55:53,199 --> 00:55:56,119
the first step down. I want to understand what happened

1028
00:55:56,119 --> 00:55:59,639
to him, she said, already descending, He said he found

1029
00:55:59,639 --> 00:56:04,239
something down here. I followed, pulse hammering in my ears. Emily,

1030
00:56:04,280 --> 00:56:07,119
come back up stairs, please. Arthur remained at the top

1031
00:56:07,159 --> 00:56:10,440
of the stairs, barking frantically. Now his warnings echoed down

1032
00:56:10,480 --> 00:56:12,840
the stairwell as Emmy reached the bottom and looked around

1033
00:56:12,840 --> 00:56:16,239
with curiosity rather than fear. It's just a basement. She said,

1034
00:56:16,559 --> 00:56:19,880
running her hand along the concrete wall. A nice one. Actually,

1035
00:56:20,480 --> 00:56:23,039
try them most. I called up to her at the

1036
00:56:23,039 --> 00:56:25,960
bottom of the stairs, grabbing her arm. We need to

1037
00:56:26,000 --> 00:56:30,159
go back up now. She frowned, studying my face. You're terrified.

1038
00:56:30,840 --> 00:56:32,679
Why up and down here that you're not telling me?

1039
00:56:33,400 --> 00:56:36,679
Before I could answer, her head tilteds lightly, eyes narrowing

1040
00:56:36,719 --> 00:56:40,239
in concentration. Do you hear that? My blood turned to eyes.

1041
00:56:40,920 --> 00:56:44,880
Hear what? That humming sounded like an electrical transformer or something.

1042
00:56:45,480 --> 00:56:48,400
She could hear it, the same sound Martinez and Campbell

1043
00:56:48,400 --> 00:56:52,360
claimed didn't exist. It's coming from down there. Emily pointed

1044
00:56:52,360 --> 00:56:54,159
toward the corridor that led to the room with the

1045
00:56:54,159 --> 00:56:57,679
black box. Don't go near it. I've tightened my grip

1046
00:56:57,719 --> 00:57:00,239
on her arm. Whatever you do, don't touch any anything

1047
00:57:00,280 --> 00:57:03,519
down here. She pulled away again, moving toward the sound

1048
00:57:03,519 --> 00:57:06,280
with the determined curiosity I'd once found in daring. It's

1049
00:57:06,320 --> 00:57:09,719
getting louder, feels almost like its vibrating through the floor.

1050
00:57:10,360 --> 00:57:15,719
I followed close behind, fighting the urge to physically restrain her. Emily, please,

1051
00:57:16,440 --> 00:57:19,280
Brian died because of what's in that room. She paused

1052
00:57:19,320 --> 00:57:21,360
at the doorway, looking back at me with a mixture

1053
00:57:21,400 --> 00:57:24,960
of concern and confusion. What are you talking about? There's

1054
00:57:24,960 --> 00:57:29,320
something in there, a box black about this pig. I

1055
00:57:29,440 --> 00:57:33,440
indicated dimensions with my hands. Ryan touched it and died instantly.

1056
00:57:34,039 --> 00:57:37,519
Emily's expression shifted from confusion to alarm. And you left

1057
00:57:37,559 --> 00:57:40,280
it sitting down here? Shouldn't the police have taken it?

1058
00:57:40,320 --> 00:57:43,719
There's evidence they couldn't find it. It was gone when

1059
00:57:43,719 --> 00:57:47,239
they searched. I swallowed hard, But now it's back. She

1060
00:57:47,360 --> 00:57:50,559
turned toward the doorway again, peering into the room. I

1061
00:57:50,599 --> 00:57:52,760
don't see anything except that metal thing in the corner.

1062
00:57:53,360 --> 00:57:56,480
I looked past her shoulder. The black box sat exactly

1063
00:57:56,559 --> 00:57:59,239
where it had been when Rhine touched it, its featureless

1064
00:57:59,239 --> 00:58:01,440
surface seeming to so a blight rather than reflect it.

1065
00:58:02,079 --> 00:58:05,519
That's it, that's the box. I reached for her waist,

1066
00:58:05,559 --> 00:58:08,199
trying to pull her back toward the stairs. We need

1067
00:58:08,239 --> 00:58:11,199
to leave now. Emily shook free of my grasp, taking

1068
00:58:11,239 --> 00:58:14,480
another step into the room. It doesn't look dangerous, just weird.

1069
00:58:15,119 --> 00:58:19,039
Emily listened to me. Ryan touched it and died. The

1070
00:58:19,079 --> 00:58:21,280
police found his body with some kind of black veins

1071
00:58:21,280 --> 00:58:24,719
spreading across his skin. Please don't go near it. The

1072
00:58:24,800 --> 00:58:28,239
humming intensified. As Emily moved closer to the box. I

1073
00:58:28,280 --> 00:58:30,800
could see its effect on her, the slight tilt of

1074
00:58:30,840 --> 00:58:33,000
her head, the unfocussed look in her eyes, the same

1075
00:58:33,039 --> 00:58:36,039
expression Ryan had worn right before he reached out. It

1076
00:58:36,119 --> 00:58:39,159
feels like it's calling to me, she murmured, taking another

1077
00:58:39,199 --> 00:58:42,960
step forward, Like it knows my name. I lunged for her,

1078
00:58:43,079 --> 00:58:46,639
wrapping both arms around her waist and pulling her backward. No,

1079
00:58:46,840 --> 00:58:50,119
don't touch it. She struggled against me with surprising strength,

1080
00:58:50,239 --> 00:58:54,679
her eyes never leaving the box. Let go, Jamie, I

1081
00:58:54,800 --> 00:58:57,199
just want to see what it is. It killed Ryan,

1082
00:58:57,800 --> 00:59:00,679
I shouted, dragging her toward the doorway. It will kill

1083
00:59:00,719 --> 00:59:03,440
you too. For a moment, she stopped fighting, turning to

1084
00:59:03,440 --> 00:59:07,639
look at me with sudden clarity. You really believe that? Yes, please,

1085
00:59:08,320 --> 00:59:13,440
em come upstairs with me. She nodded, slowly. Bouguere. Let's

1086
00:59:13,480 --> 00:59:16,400
go up stairs and talk about this. Relief flooded through

1087
00:59:16,400 --> 00:59:18,800
me as I released my grip on her waist. She

1088
00:59:18,840 --> 00:59:21,199
took a step toward the doorway, then pivoted suddenly and

1089
00:59:21,199 --> 00:59:25,880
plunged toward the box. Am I, But I reached for her,

1090
00:59:26,000 --> 00:59:28,079
but caught only air as she crossed the three steps

1091
00:59:28,079 --> 00:59:31,000
to the box in a single movement. Her hand extended,

1092
00:59:31,159 --> 00:59:33,360
fingers brewd wide, and before I could stop her, as

1093
00:59:33,400 --> 00:59:36,159
she placed her pump flat against the black surface, the

1094
00:59:36,239 --> 00:59:39,519
humming stopped. Emily went rigid, her back arching at an

1095
00:59:39,519 --> 00:59:43,719
impossible angle asam escaped her throat, not a scream, but

1096
00:59:43,760 --> 00:59:46,199
a high, thin, wine like air escaping a puncture tire.

1097
00:59:46,880 --> 00:59:50,800
Her eyes widened, pupils style lating until almost no green remained.

1098
00:59:51,440 --> 00:59:53,599
I grabbed her shoulders, trying to pull her away from

1099
00:59:53,599 --> 00:59:55,960
the box, but her hand seemed fused to its surface.

1100
00:59:56,719 --> 00:59:59,159
Her skin had gone chalk white, vein standing out in

1101
00:59:59,199 --> 01:00:02,960
stark blue relief against her neck and temples. Emily let go.

1102
01:00:03,679 --> 01:00:07,039
She couldn't hear me. Her body began to convulse, limbs

1103
01:00:07,119 --> 01:00:10,119
jerking violently, as if currant foed through her. I wrapped

1104
01:00:10,119 --> 01:00:12,519
my arms around her waist, bracing my feet against the

1105
01:00:12,599 --> 01:00:15,280
concrete floor, and pulled with every ance of strength I possessed.

1106
01:00:15,960 --> 01:00:18,239
Her hand came free with a sound like tearing fabric.

1107
01:00:18,920 --> 01:00:21,159
We fell backward together, her weight driving me into the

1108
01:00:21,199 --> 01:00:24,760
concrete floor. Emily's body continued to convulse on top of mine,

1109
01:00:24,800 --> 01:00:27,559
her head snapping back to strike my chin. Blood filled

1110
01:00:27,599 --> 01:00:29,960
my mouth from a bitten tom. I rolled her on

1111
01:00:30,000 --> 01:00:32,320
to her side, trying to remember seizure protocols from a

1112
01:00:32,360 --> 01:00:36,599
first a course years ago. Keep airways clear, protect the head,

1113
01:00:37,159 --> 01:00:41,440
don't restrain movements. Emily, can you hear me? No response

1114
01:00:41,519 --> 01:00:45,119
except the continued convulsions, gradually weakening an intensity. After fifty

1115
01:00:45,119 --> 01:00:48,480
seven seconds, by my watch, her body went completely still.

1116
01:00:49,000 --> 01:00:51,639
Emm I pressed trembling fingers against her neck, searching for

1117
01:00:51,679 --> 01:00:57,239
a pulse. Nothing. Her skin already felt cool beneath my touch. Emily, Please,

1118
01:00:58,039 --> 01:01:00,920
I turned her face toward mine. Her eyes remained open.

1119
01:01:01,000 --> 01:01:02,960
The same terror had seen in Rhyan's for to graft

1120
01:01:02,960 --> 01:01:06,239
frozen into her features. Dark lines had begun forming at

1121
01:01:06,239 --> 01:01:10,320
the corners of her mouth, spreading outward in tiny fractures. No, no, no.

1122
01:01:11,199 --> 01:01:13,760
I pulled her into my arms, creedling her against my chest.

1123
01:01:14,440 --> 01:01:18,639
Please him, don't do this. Her body grew heavier colder

1124
01:01:18,679 --> 01:01:21,960
by the second. The dark lines continued their progress across

1125
01:01:21,960 --> 01:01:24,719
her skin, like ink bleeding through paper. The woman I

1126
01:01:24,760 --> 01:01:26,840
have once loved, once planned a future with, had become

1127
01:01:26,880 --> 01:01:30,280
something unrecognizable. The humming from the box started again, so

1128
01:01:30,360 --> 01:01:33,840
quietly at first I barely noticed it beneath Arthur's howls.

1129
01:01:34,400 --> 01:01:37,920
It grew steadily louder, the vibration traveling through the concrete

1130
01:01:37,920 --> 01:01:40,480
into my legs. I looked up to see the black

1131
01:01:40,480 --> 01:01:43,119
box trembling slightly on its corner, pulsing with something that

1132
01:01:43,119 --> 01:01:46,639
resembled life. In that moment, I understood with absolute clarity

1133
01:01:46,639 --> 01:01:49,320
that the box hadn't just killed Emily and Ryan. It

1134
01:01:49,320 --> 01:01:51,800
had consumed something vital from them, harvested it, and it

1135
01:01:51,840 --> 01:01:54,800
was still hungry. I gathered Emily's body in my arms,

1136
01:01:54,800 --> 01:01:56,880
her limbs already locked in the awkward position of her

1137
01:01:56,880 --> 01:02:00,440
final moments. She weighed less than she should have, as

1138
01:02:00,480 --> 01:02:03,000
if something essential had been removed, beyond just her life.

1139
01:02:03,599 --> 01:02:05,639
I carried her towards the stairs, keeping my back to

1140
01:02:05,639 --> 01:02:09,400
the humming box, feeling its vibration follow me across the room.

1141
01:02:10,000 --> 01:02:12,679
I'm sorry, I whispered against her hair, still smelling faintly

1142
01:02:12,679 --> 01:02:15,400
of the citrus shampoo she always used. I shall have

1143
01:02:15,400 --> 01:02:17,840
made you leave, one step at a time. I climbed

1144
01:02:17,840 --> 01:02:21,199
toward Arthur's howling. Emily's body balanced awkwardly in my arms,

1145
01:02:21,800 --> 01:02:24,880
her head lowed against my shoulder, I staring at nothing.

1146
01:02:25,480 --> 01:02:27,760
Half way up, I paused to catch my breath, the

1147
01:02:27,800 --> 01:02:30,679
strain in my back and shoulders already building toward pane.

1148
01:02:31,119 --> 01:02:35,239
Almost there, I murmured, knowing she couldn't hear me, but

1149
01:02:35,320 --> 01:02:37,880
needing to say something in the awful silence between Arthur's cries.

1150
01:02:37,880 --> 01:02:40,119
At the top of the stairs, Arthur backed away from us,

1151
01:02:40,800 --> 01:02:42,880
his howling cut off as if his throat had closed.

1152
01:02:43,440 --> 01:02:45,760
He pressed himself against the far wall, eyes fixed on

1153
01:02:45,800 --> 01:02:48,880
Emily's body with a mistakable terror. I carried her to

1154
01:02:48,880 --> 01:02:51,760
the couch, laying her gently on the worn cushions. Her

1155
01:02:51,800 --> 01:02:54,559
limbs remained frozen in their awkward positions, making her look

1156
01:02:54,639 --> 01:02:57,280
like a broken doll rather than a person. I closed

1157
01:02:57,280 --> 01:02:59,960
her eyes with trembling fingers, the lids already stiff and resisted.

1158
01:03:00,039 --> 01:03:04,199
And I'm so sorry, I said, again, voice breaking. You

1159
01:03:04,199 --> 01:03:07,519
shouldn't have been here. The reality of the situation crushed

1160
01:03:07,519 --> 01:03:11,480
over me in waves. Emily was dead, like Ryan. She

1161
01:03:11,559 --> 01:03:14,840
had touched the box and died instantly. Unlike Ryan, her

1162
01:03:14,840 --> 01:03:16,960
body remained here in my house while a deputy watched

1163
01:03:17,000 --> 01:03:20,719
from the road outside. I couldn't call the police, not again,

1164
01:03:21,440 --> 01:03:24,079
not with Ryan's death still insolved in me. The prime

1165
01:03:24,159 --> 01:03:26,960
suspect find in Emily's body here would guarantee my rest

1166
01:03:27,000 --> 01:03:30,320
for double murder. Arthur wind from his position against the wall,

1167
01:03:30,440 --> 01:03:33,960
ears flat against a skull. His eyes darted between Emily's

1168
01:03:33,960 --> 01:03:36,000
body and the open trap door, trying to warn me

1169
01:03:36,079 --> 01:03:39,199
of dangers I already understood too well. I moved to

1170
01:03:39,199 --> 01:03:41,559
close the trap door, lifting the heavy wood panel and

1171
01:03:41,639 --> 01:03:44,840
lowering it into place. The solid thunk as it settled

1172
01:03:44,880 --> 01:03:47,559
felt like a coffin lid closing. I dragged the rug

1173
01:03:47,599 --> 01:03:50,159
back over it, hiding the evidence of what lay beneath.

1174
01:03:50,639 --> 01:03:52,400
But I couldn't hide what lay on my couch or

1175
01:03:52,400 --> 01:03:54,280
in the woods where they'd found Ryan, or it would

1176
01:03:54,280 --> 01:03:56,840
ever remained of my future. I carried Emily from the

1177
01:03:56,880 --> 01:04:00,000
basement in stages. Her body had grown rigid in my life,

1178
01:04:00,159 --> 01:04:02,280
arms joints locked at a natural angles. At the top

1179
01:04:02,320 --> 01:04:04,719
of the stairs, I set her down to close the

1180
01:04:04,719 --> 01:04:08,960
trap door. The sound of wood settling against wooden naturally final.

1181
01:04:09,719 --> 01:04:12,519
Arthur watched from the hallway, his body pressed flat against

1182
01:04:12,559 --> 01:04:15,840
a wall, as never leaving Emily's face. The living room

1183
01:04:15,840 --> 01:04:18,199
clock showed eleven twenty three. When I laid down the couch,

1184
01:04:18,360 --> 01:04:21,840
her head tilted back at an impossible angle next stiff

1185
01:04:21,840 --> 01:04:24,599
as cured wood. The black lines had spread from her

1186
01:04:24,599 --> 01:04:26,880
mouth to her cheek bones, and delicate fraffle patterns, like

1187
01:04:26,960 --> 01:04:30,119
frost foremen on a window. I tried straightening her limbs,

1188
01:04:30,159 --> 01:04:33,000
but they resisted. Already sat in the position of her

1189
01:04:33,039 --> 01:04:36,440
final moments. I told you not to touch it, I

1190
01:04:36,480 --> 01:04:39,280
said to her, and seeing eyes, my voice sounded wrong

1191
01:04:39,320 --> 01:04:42,599
in the quiet house, too high, too brittle. Why didn't

1192
01:04:42,639 --> 01:04:45,719
ye listen? Outside? The deputous cruiser remained part of the

1193
01:04:45,800 --> 01:04:49,000
edge of the property, headlights off, just the occasional flash

1194
01:04:49,039 --> 01:04:51,920
of his radio console visible through the trees. He couldn't

1195
01:04:51,920 --> 01:04:54,519
see the front door from his position. Pudent see what

1196
01:04:54,559 --> 01:04:57,320
I had carried upstairs? I found a blanket in the

1197
01:04:57,320 --> 01:04:59,840
whole closet wall, gray with red stripes long the edges.

1198
01:05:00,519 --> 01:05:03,679
It smelled of cedar and mothballs. I draped it over Emily,

1199
01:05:03,719 --> 01:05:06,920
covering everything but her face. The fabric settled around her

1200
01:05:06,920 --> 01:05:09,920
contortive form, creating a landscape of strange peaks and ballas.

1201
01:05:10,480 --> 01:05:13,039
You shouldn't have come here, I told her, you should

1202
01:05:13,079 --> 01:05:15,760
have stayed in Madison. I sat in Grandpa's arm chair,

1203
01:05:15,800 --> 01:05:18,199
the leather creaking beneath my weight from this angle. With

1204
01:05:18,480 --> 01:05:21,920
just her face visible above the blanket, Emily almost looked asleep.

1205
01:05:22,559 --> 01:05:24,679
The black lions mortering her skin could have been shadows

1206
01:05:24,719 --> 01:05:27,519
if I'm focussed my eyes enough. Arthur ed retreated to

1207
01:05:27,559 --> 01:05:29,880
the kitchen, his nails clicking against the linoleum as he

1208
01:05:29,880 --> 01:05:32,840
paced in tight circles. Every few minutes, he would pause

1209
01:05:32,880 --> 01:05:35,800
at the doorway, pierre at Emily's covered form, then resume

1210
01:05:35,840 --> 01:05:39,519
his anxious movement. The wall clock took steadily marking minutes

1211
01:05:39,559 --> 01:05:42,840
that stretched into eyres. I couldn't look away from Emily's face.

1212
01:05:43,480 --> 01:05:45,920
The woman I'd live for three years, argued with for months,

1213
01:05:46,239 --> 01:05:49,760
lost entirely just hours ago. Her hair still curled slightly

1214
01:05:49,760 --> 01:05:51,480
at her temples, the way it always had won the

1215
01:05:51,480 --> 01:05:54,400
air grew damp. I'm sorry, I whispered, though there was

1216
01:05:54,400 --> 01:05:58,199
no one to hear the apology. I'm so sorry. Ah.

1217
01:05:58,639 --> 01:06:01,360
At one fifteen in the morning, finally stood, like stiff

1218
01:06:01,360 --> 01:06:05,199
from sitting motionless. The house had grown cold, the furness

1219
01:06:05,239 --> 01:06:07,559
cycling on with a mechanical crone that seemed obscene in

1220
01:06:07,559 --> 01:06:10,280
the silence. I needed to do something with her body.

1221
01:06:10,760 --> 01:06:13,760
I couldn't leave her on the couch indefinitely, couldn't call

1222
01:06:13,800 --> 01:06:17,840
the police, couldn't explain what had happened without sounding completely insane.

1223
01:06:18,400 --> 01:06:20,880
I moved through the house, checking lops and windows, closing

1224
01:06:20,880 --> 01:06:23,840
curtains against the night in the deputy's watchful eyes. In

1225
01:06:23,880 --> 01:06:25,960
the kitchen, I found a half empty bottle of whisky

1226
01:06:26,000 --> 01:06:29,400
in the cabinet ab of the refrigerator, Grandpa's emergency supply.

1227
01:06:30,039 --> 01:06:32,199
The seil broke with a satisfying crack, and the first

1228
01:06:32,199 --> 01:06:34,719
swallow burned all the way down, bringing tears to my eyes.

1229
01:06:34,719 --> 01:06:36,880
That had nothing to do with Emily. What am I

1230
01:06:36,880 --> 01:06:40,199
supposed to do now? I asked the anti kitchen Arthur

1231
01:06:40,199 --> 01:06:43,119
had positioned himself in the doorway between kitchen and living room,

1232
01:06:43,159 --> 01:06:46,519
dividing his attention between me and Emily's body. His ears

1233
01:06:46,559 --> 01:06:48,880
flattened when I approached with the whiskey bottle, as if

1234
01:06:48,920 --> 01:06:52,440
disappointed by this predictable human weakness. Don't judge me, I

1235
01:06:52,519 --> 01:06:55,679
told him, taking another swallow. You didn't stop for either.

1236
01:06:56,320 --> 01:06:59,639
The unfairness of this accusation hit me immediately. Arthur had

1237
01:06:59,639 --> 01:07:03,000
been up stairs barking frantically while Emily descended into the basement.

1238
01:07:03,760 --> 01:07:06,920
He tried to warn us both sorry, buddy, I said,

1239
01:07:07,039 --> 01:07:10,719
reaching to pat his head. He backed away, ayes worry.

1240
01:07:11,400 --> 01:07:13,840
Not afraid exactly, but watchful in a way he'd never

1241
01:07:13,840 --> 01:07:16,559
been with me before, as if he no longer recognized

1242
01:07:16,599 --> 01:07:19,480
the person standing before him. The kitchen clock read two

1243
01:07:19,559 --> 01:07:23,800
hundred forty eight when I remembered the gun, Brampus hunting rifle,

1244
01:07:23,840 --> 01:07:26,039
a remint and model seven hundred with the walnut stock,

1245
01:07:26,079 --> 01:07:27,519
kept in the soft case at the back of his

1246
01:07:27,559 --> 01:07:30,679
bedroom closet. I'd seen it during my initial inspection of

1247
01:07:30,679 --> 01:07:33,559
the house, but hadn't given it much thought. The whisky

1248
01:07:33,559 --> 01:07:35,880
bottle was a third empty by then, the alcohol having

1249
01:07:35,920 --> 01:07:39,239
done nothing to clarify my thoughts. If anything, it had

1250
01:07:39,239 --> 01:07:42,039
only intensified the crushing weight on my chest, the certainty

1251
01:07:42,079 --> 01:07:45,480
that everything had gone irrevocably wrong. I climbed the stairs slowly,

1252
01:07:45,519 --> 01:07:48,880
each tread creaking beneath my weight. After followed at distance,

1253
01:07:48,960 --> 01:07:51,360
his nails clicking a steady counter point to my footsteps.

1254
01:07:51,960 --> 01:07:54,800
Branpas's bedroom remained exactly that I had left it that morning,

1255
01:07:55,360 --> 01:07:58,920
bed maid with hospital corners, reading glasses folded in the

1256
01:07:59,000 --> 01:08:02,599
night's tent, flannel shirts hanging in the open closet, The

1257
01:08:02,679 --> 01:08:05,119
rifle case leaned against the back wall, partially hidden behind

1258
01:08:05,159 --> 01:08:08,320
a row boots. The case unzipped with a metallic grasp

1259
01:08:09,000 --> 01:08:11,719
inside the roumington gleamed dully in the overhead light, smelling

1260
01:08:11,719 --> 01:08:14,719
faintly of gun oil and storage. Grandpa had always been

1261
01:08:14,760 --> 01:08:18,159
meticulous about maintenance. The bolt action moved smoothly when I

1262
01:08:18,199 --> 01:08:21,239
tested it, clicking into place with precision. A new way

1263
01:08:21,359 --> 01:08:23,319
kept the ammunition in a locked metal box on the

1264
01:08:23,319 --> 01:08:25,920
top shelf of the closet. The keyhung on a nail

1265
01:08:26,000 --> 01:08:27,960
just inside the door of frame, exactly where it had

1266
01:08:27,960 --> 01:08:29,760
been when I was twelve and he had first shown

1267
01:08:29,800 --> 01:08:33,039
me how to safely handle firearms. The box contained three

1268
01:08:33,079 --> 01:08:36,000
boxes of cattridges, each holding twenty rounds of thirty or

1269
01:08:36,079 --> 01:08:40,119
six caliber ammunition. I selected a single cartridge, rolling it

1270
01:08:40,119 --> 01:08:42,439
between my fingers, feeling the weight of the brass case

1271
01:08:42,479 --> 01:08:45,359
and a leady tip. Beside the ammunition sat a folded

1272
01:08:45,359 --> 01:08:49,279
sheet of paper hunting license from last season expired, now

1273
01:08:49,319 --> 01:08:52,359
with Grandpa's signature at the bottom. I carried the rifle

1274
01:08:52,399 --> 01:08:55,479
and single cartridge downstairs, moving carefully on legs that didn't

1275
01:08:55,479 --> 01:08:59,159
seem entirely stable. In the living room, Emily remained motionless

1276
01:08:59,159 --> 01:09:01,439
beneath the blanket, face is peaceful, despite the black lines

1277
01:09:01,439 --> 01:09:04,439
spreading across her skin. This is all wrong, I told her.

1278
01:09:04,439 --> 01:09:06,960
As I loaded the single round into the chamber. The

1279
01:09:07,000 --> 01:09:09,479
mechanical sound of the bolt's sliding home seemed too loud

1280
01:09:09,479 --> 01:09:12,359
in the quiet house. I sat in Grampa's rocking chair,

1281
01:09:12,439 --> 01:09:14,760
positioning the rifle but against the floor between my feet,

1282
01:09:14,840 --> 01:09:18,279
bow pointing towards the ceiling. The wooden floorboards felt solid

1283
01:09:18,279 --> 01:09:21,640
beneath my boots, worn smooth by decades of footsteps. I

1284
01:09:21,760 --> 01:09:24,199
leaned forward, resting my forehead against the cold metal of

1285
01:09:24,239 --> 01:09:27,159
the barrel. One pole of the trigger would end this nightmare.

1286
01:09:27,760 --> 01:09:30,000
One poll, and I wouldn't have to explain Emily's body

1287
01:09:30,039 --> 01:09:32,520
or Rhyane's death. Well, the thing in the basement that

1288
01:09:32,560 --> 01:09:35,800
hummed with hungry anticipation. My finger found the trigger guard,

1289
01:09:35,800 --> 01:09:39,359
tracing its outline. Grandpa had taught me proper trigger discipline

1290
01:09:39,359 --> 01:09:41,960
when I was ten. Never touch the trigger until you

1291
01:09:42,000 --> 01:09:44,640
are ready to fire. Keep your finger along the side

1292
01:09:44,720 --> 01:09:46,960
until the target is acquired and the decision to shoot

1293
01:09:46,960 --> 01:09:50,279
has been made. I can't fix this, I whispered to

1294
01:09:50,319 --> 01:09:52,880
Emily's still form. I don't know how to make this

1295
01:09:53,000 --> 01:09:55,199
right Arthur Wine from the doorway. His body tens as

1296
01:09:55,199 --> 01:09:58,359
if preparing to run. He could sense my intention, understand

1297
01:09:58,359 --> 01:10:01,279
the wrongness of what I contemplated. I gripped the barrel,

1298
01:10:01,319 --> 01:10:03,720
turning it slowly until the muzzle pressed against my temple.

1299
01:10:04,279 --> 01:10:07,600
The metal felt impossibly cold against my skin, the diameter

1300
01:10:07,680 --> 01:10:10,039
of the opening precisely large enough to deliver an end

1301
01:10:10,039 --> 01:10:13,680
to consciousness. My hand shook violently, fingers slippery with sweat.

1302
01:10:13,760 --> 01:10:16,119
Despite the chill in the room. The wall clock take

1303
01:10:16,159 --> 01:10:19,039
past three hundred fifteen in the morning. Outside, an al

1304
01:10:19,079 --> 01:10:21,119
called once, the sound floating through the night air like

1305
01:10:21,159 --> 01:10:23,600
a question. I closed my eyes, trying to find the

1306
01:10:23,600 --> 01:10:26,680
courage to pull the trigger. Emily's face appeared in my mind,

1307
01:10:26,720 --> 01:10:29,079
not as she looked now, transformed by whatever the box

1308
01:10:29,079 --> 01:10:31,079
had done, but as she had been last summer, laughing

1309
01:10:31,079 --> 01:10:33,920
as we cacked across the lake, hairweight from swimming, shoulders

1310
01:10:33,920 --> 01:10:36,439
pink from sun. The memory was so vivid I could

1311
01:10:36,439 --> 01:10:39,159
almost feel the July heat on my skin. My finger

1312
01:10:39,159 --> 01:10:42,399
found the trigger, applying the slightest pressure, not enough to fire,

1313
01:10:42,520 --> 01:10:46,119
just enough to feel the resistance. Arthur barked suddenly, a sharp,

1314
01:10:46,159 --> 01:10:48,560
commanding sound that startled me enough that the rifle barrel

1315
01:10:48,600 --> 01:10:51,039
slipped from my temple. He stood in the center of

1316
01:10:51,079 --> 01:10:54,000
the room now, body rigid, eyes fixed on mine with

1317
01:10:54,079 --> 01:10:57,800
an intensity that communicated more clearly than words. What am

1318
01:10:57,800 --> 01:11:00,800
I doing? I whispered, lowering the right to my lap.

1319
01:11:01,359 --> 01:11:05,920
The answer came with surprising clarity. I was surrendering, heaving up,

1320
01:11:06,600 --> 01:11:08,560
leaving the black Box in abasement to wait for its

1321
01:11:08,560 --> 01:11:11,479
next victim. I engaged the safety and set the rifle

1322
01:11:11,520 --> 01:11:14,399
against a wall beside me. My hands left damp prince

1323
01:11:14,439 --> 01:11:17,000
on the walnut stock, evidence of fear that would evaporate

1324
01:11:17,039 --> 01:11:19,880
by morney. I scrobed my palms against my genes, trying

1325
01:11:19,880 --> 01:11:22,640
to wipe away the decision I nearly made. You're right,

1326
01:11:22,720 --> 01:11:25,119
I told Arthur, who had relaxed marginally since I put

1327
01:11:25,159 --> 01:11:28,680
down the gun. This doesn't solve anything. The whisky bottle

1328
01:11:28,720 --> 01:11:31,560
sat in the coffee table beside Emily's covered form. I

1329
01:11:31,600 --> 01:11:34,359
picked it up, considering another drink, then set it down

1330
01:11:34,359 --> 01:11:37,680
and touched. I needed clarity now, not the false comfort

1331
01:11:37,680 --> 01:11:40,520
of numbers. The clock showed four hundred twenty three when

1332
01:11:40,520 --> 01:11:43,079
I finally understood what I had to do. The Black

1333
01:11:43,119 --> 01:11:45,560
Box had killed Rhine and Emily with a single touch.

1334
01:11:46,239 --> 01:11:48,840
It had disappeared when a police search, then returned when

1335
01:11:48,880 --> 01:11:51,600
they left it hum with purpose, waiting in the basement

1336
01:11:51,640 --> 01:11:55,079
for its next victim. It needed to be destroyed mark

1337
01:11:55,079 --> 01:11:57,760
to morrow, not after I called someone for help or

1338
01:11:57,800 --> 01:12:00,680
tried to explain what had happened. Now out before could

1339
01:12:00,720 --> 01:12:03,319
hurt anyone else. I moved to the kitchen, opening drawers

1340
01:12:03,319 --> 01:12:06,600
and cabinets with methodical precision. Brandpa had been a practical

1341
01:12:06,640 --> 01:12:09,800
man who kept everything in its place. The utility drawer

1342
01:12:09,800 --> 01:12:12,039
beside the sink contained what I needed, heavy rubber dish

1343
01:12:12,079 --> 01:12:15,680
rushing gloves, yellow and lined with cotton. Not ideal protection,

1344
01:12:15,800 --> 01:12:18,479
but better than bare hands against whatever the box contained.

1345
01:12:19,039 --> 01:12:21,920
I have to try, I told Arthur, who watched from

1346
01:12:21,920 --> 01:12:24,159
the doorway, his expression unreadable in the din light. From

1347
01:12:24,159 --> 01:12:27,560
the hole closet, I retrieved Grandpa's toolbooks, the red enamel

1348
01:12:27,600 --> 01:12:30,840
one with his initials stamped into the metal. Inside lay hammers,

1349
01:12:30,880 --> 01:12:34,960
screw drubers, wrenches, all arranged in perfect order. I selected

1350
01:12:34,960 --> 01:12:37,359
the heaviest hammer, testing its weight in my palm. The

1351
01:12:37,399 --> 01:12:39,680
wooden handle felt smooth, worn to a pattern of by

1352
01:12:39,760 --> 01:12:45,159
years of use. Arthur followed as I collected my supplies, hammer, gloves, flashlight.

1353
01:12:45,199 --> 01:12:47,600
When I approached the living room recovering the trap door,

1354
01:12:48,119 --> 01:12:51,279
he stopped abruptly, hackles rising along his spine. I know,

1355
01:12:51,439 --> 01:12:53,920
I said, quietly, but I have to try. The room

1356
01:12:53,960 --> 01:12:56,680
felt ten degrees colder than it had moments ago. My

1357
01:12:56,720 --> 01:12:58,840
breath didn't quite fog in the air, but it seemed

1358
01:12:58,840 --> 01:13:01,520
to hang visible for just an instant before dissipating. The

1359
01:13:01,600 --> 01:13:04,279
rug shifted beneath my boots, as if something moved beneath it,

1360
01:13:04,880 --> 01:13:07,840
though I knew this had to be imagination. The floorboards

1361
01:13:07,840 --> 01:13:10,479
remained solid when I tested them with my weight. I

1362
01:13:10,520 --> 01:13:12,720
pulled back the rug, exposing the trap tool with its

1363
01:13:12,720 --> 01:13:16,239
copper handle that gleamed in the low light despite the tarnish.

1364
01:13:16,760 --> 01:13:19,359
Arthur backed against the far wall, a continuous low growl

1365
01:13:19,439 --> 01:13:22,680
rumbling from his chest. The handle felt us coal, even

1366
01:13:22,680 --> 01:13:26,079
through the rubber gloves. I pulled upward, lifting the heavy

1367
01:13:26,079 --> 01:13:29,359
wooden door to reveal the stairs, descending into darkness. The

1368
01:13:29,399 --> 01:13:31,800
basement light remained on where I had left it, illuminating

1369
01:13:31,840 --> 01:13:34,439
only the first few steps before shadows consumed the rest.

1370
01:13:35,119 --> 01:13:39,439
I'll be back, I promised Arthur, though I wasn't entirely certain.

1371
01:13:39,479 --> 01:13:42,039
This was true. I placed one foot on the first step,

1372
01:13:42,199 --> 01:13:44,960
testing my way against the wood it held for him,

1373
01:13:45,000 --> 01:13:46,880
showing no sign of the rot that might be expected

1374
01:13:46,920 --> 01:13:50,680
in a structure this old. The second step creaked slightly

1375
01:13:50,720 --> 01:13:54,119
but remained solid. Arthur's growl suddenly shifted to a bark,

1376
01:13:54,159 --> 01:13:58,119
shop urgent warning. I turned to reassure him, but the

1377
01:13:58,159 --> 01:14:00,960
expression on his face stopped me cold. This was an

1378
01:14:00,960 --> 01:14:04,479
anxiety or fear. This is terror, pure and primal, directed

1379
01:14:04,479 --> 01:14:06,840
not at the basement but at me. Before I could

1380
01:14:06,840 --> 01:14:11,039
process this change, Arthur lunged forward with startling speed, teeth bare,

1381
01:14:11,159 --> 01:14:14,199
eyes wild. I raised my arm instinctively to protect my

1382
01:14:14,199 --> 01:14:16,199
face as eighty pounds of muscle and first land into

1383
01:14:16,239 --> 01:14:18,359
my chest, driving me back from the open trap door.

1384
01:14:19,000 --> 01:14:21,319
His teeth found my forearm, clamping dumb with enough force

1385
01:14:21,359 --> 01:14:23,000
that I felt the crunch of breaking skin through the

1386
01:14:23,039 --> 01:14:25,800
fabric of my shirt. Thin flashed white hot up my

1387
01:14:25,880 --> 01:14:27,920
arm as I staggered backward, trying to break his grip

1388
01:14:27,920 --> 01:14:31,920
without hurting him. Altho stop. He released my arm, only

1389
01:14:31,920 --> 01:14:33,800
to circle and attack again, this time going for my

1390
01:14:33,840 --> 01:14:37,199
angle with single minded determination. His teeth tore fer Deniman

1391
01:14:37,279 --> 01:14:39,760
into flesh, bright points of agony that buckled my knee

1392
01:14:39,800 --> 01:14:43,079
and sent me crashing to the floor. Arthur, it's me.

1393
01:14:43,279 --> 01:14:45,720
I rolled away from him, clutching my bleeding arm against

1394
01:14:45,760 --> 01:14:49,479
my chest. What are you doing? My dog, my companion,

1395
01:14:49,720 --> 01:14:52,000
my friend, stood between me in the basement stairs, body

1396
01:14:52,039 --> 01:14:55,279
lowered into an attack position i'd never seen him use before.

1397
01:14:55,880 --> 01:14:57,960
The load matted the fur around his muzzle my blood,

1398
01:14:58,000 --> 01:15:01,760
while his eyes reflected something unrecognizable, something that wasn't Arthur

1399
01:15:01,800 --> 01:15:06,479
any more. Body, please, I said, voice breaking, it's me,

1400
01:15:06,760 --> 01:15:10,479
It's Jamie. He gulled again, deeper, this time the sound

1401
01:15:10,560 --> 01:15:13,880
vibrating through the floorboards beneath us. When I shifted my

1402
01:15:13,880 --> 01:15:17,439
weight slightly, testing if I could stand, he tensed, immediately,

1403
01:15:17,640 --> 01:15:21,000
ready to spring. The realization hit me with sickening clarity.

1404
01:15:21,600 --> 01:15:23,439
Arthur was trying to keep me away from the basement,

1405
01:15:23,479 --> 01:15:25,600
away from the black box, even if it meant attacking

1406
01:15:25,600 --> 01:15:28,119
me to do it. Blood seeped through my shirt, sleeve,

1407
01:15:28,279 --> 01:15:31,079
warm against my skin. The hammer eye broughtly on the

1408
01:15:31,119 --> 01:15:33,680
foe where I dropped it during Arthur's attack, just beyond

1409
01:15:33,680 --> 01:15:36,680
my reach. The flashlight had rolled against the wall, its

1410
01:15:36,680 --> 01:15:39,119
beam creating long shadows that stretched across the room. Like

1411
01:15:39,199 --> 01:15:43,479
crasping fingers. Okay, I said, keeping my voice steady. I

1412
01:15:43,520 --> 01:15:47,960
won't go down there, not now. Arthur's growls subsided slightly,

1413
01:15:48,000 --> 01:15:50,840
but his body remained tense, ready to attack again if

1414
01:15:50,880 --> 01:15:53,880
I moved toward the stairs. I slowly pushed myself to

1415
01:15:53,880 --> 01:15:56,319
a sitting position whencing his pain flared through my injured

1416
01:15:56,399 --> 01:15:59,159
arm and uncle. The bite wounds frobbed in time with

1417
01:15:59,279 --> 01:16:01,760
my pulse, each beat sending fresh blood seeping through fabric.

1418
01:16:02,319 --> 01:16:05,119
I understand, I told him, though I wasn't sure I

1419
01:16:05,159 --> 01:16:08,399
truly did. You are trying to protect me. The first

1420
01:16:08,439 --> 01:16:11,039
light of dawn had begun filtering through the cuttons, turning

1421
01:16:11,079 --> 01:16:13,720
the room from black to deep blue. Emily's form on

1422
01:16:13,760 --> 01:16:16,399
the couch remained motionless, covered by the gray and red blanket.

1423
01:16:17,039 --> 01:16:19,199
The clock on the wall showed five hundred thirty seven.

1424
01:16:19,800 --> 01:16:22,439
Arthur maintained his position between me and the basement stairs,

1425
01:16:22,600 --> 01:16:26,359
watching every movement with unervingly focused attention. The dog I knew,

1426
01:16:26,439 --> 01:16:27,920
the one who slept at the foot of my bed

1427
01:16:27,920 --> 01:16:30,760
and chased scores through the yard, seemed gone, replaced by

1428
01:16:30,800 --> 01:16:33,840
something driven purely by instinct. I need to destroy it,

1429
01:16:34,319 --> 01:16:36,279
I said, more to myself than to Arthur before it

1430
01:16:36,359 --> 01:16:39,640
hurts anyone else. Authour's ears flecked forward at the sound

1431
01:16:39,680 --> 01:16:42,920
of my voice, but his sance didn't relax. Blood had

1432
01:16:42,960 --> 01:16:45,000
begun to dry in his fur, turning from bright writ

1433
01:16:45,039 --> 01:16:48,000
to rosp brown around his muzzle. I needed tools, protection,

1434
01:16:48,239 --> 01:16:51,680
a plan. The robber gloves clearly wouldn't be enough. I

1435
01:16:51,720 --> 01:16:56,479
needed something more substantial, leatherwork gloves. Maybe are multiple airs,

1436
01:16:56,920 --> 01:16:59,319
something to create a barrier between my skin and would

1437
01:16:59,319 --> 01:17:02,760
have her energy. The box contained my grandfather's workshop behind

1438
01:17:02,760 --> 01:17:04,199
the house might have what I needed. If I could

1439
01:17:04,199 --> 01:17:07,199
make it outside without Arthur attacking again, I might find

1440
01:17:07,199 --> 01:17:10,039
better equipment, heavier tools, protective gear, something to destroy the

1441
01:17:10,039 --> 01:17:13,079
box without touching it directly. I shifted my weight again,

1442
01:17:13,159 --> 01:17:16,199
testing my injured ankle. Jane shot up my leg, but

1443
01:17:16,239 --> 01:17:18,319
the jaw and held when I carefully stood, keeping my

1444
01:17:18,359 --> 01:17:21,000
back against the wall and my movement slow. I'm just

1445
01:17:21,000 --> 01:17:23,760
going to sit in the kitchen for a while, I said, calmly,

1446
01:17:23,800 --> 01:17:26,319
as if talking to a nervous child. I won't go

1447
01:17:26,359 --> 01:17:29,680
near the basement. Arthur watched with suspicious intensity as I

1448
01:17:29,720 --> 01:17:32,199
limped toward the kitchen, leaving a trail of blood droplets

1449
01:17:32,199 --> 01:17:35,000
in the harbor floor. Each step sent fresh pain through

1450
01:17:35,000 --> 01:17:37,079
my ankle, but I kept moving, not daring to look

1451
01:17:37,079 --> 01:17:39,840
back until I reached the doorway. Arthur remained by the

1452
01:17:39,880 --> 01:17:42,399
trap door, body still tense, but no longer in a

1453
01:17:42,399 --> 01:17:44,600
tap position. He hadn't followed, which meant I might have

1454
01:17:44,600 --> 01:17:46,159
a chance to reach the back door if I moved

1455
01:17:46,199 --> 01:17:49,199
carefully enough. In the kitchen, I grabbed a clean dish

1456
01:17:49,279 --> 01:17:51,560
towel from the drawer and wrapped it tightly around my forearm,

1457
01:17:51,720 --> 01:17:55,359
creating a makeshift bandage. Blood immediately soaked through the white fabric,

1458
01:17:55,399 --> 01:17:58,279
creating a spread in crimson stain. The pain had settled

1459
01:17:58,279 --> 01:18:00,560
into a steady throp that matched the pulse in my temples.

1460
01:18:01,199 --> 01:18:03,159
Through the window over the sink, I could see the

1461
01:18:03,199 --> 01:18:05,319
deputy's crews were still parked at the edge of the property.

1462
01:18:05,880 --> 01:18:08,680
Soon he would be replaced by the day shift, another

1463
01:18:08,720 --> 01:18:11,640
set of watchful as monitoring the house. If I was

1464
01:18:11,640 --> 01:18:14,000
going to reach the workshop unobserved, I needed to move

1465
01:18:14,039 --> 01:18:17,000
before full daylight. I found a second towel and bound

1466
01:18:17,000 --> 01:18:19,000
my ankle over my jeans, tight enough to provide some

1467
01:18:19,039 --> 01:18:22,880
stability without cutting off circulation. The bleeding seemed less severe

1468
01:18:22,920 --> 01:18:26,479
there The Danan having provided some protection against Otho's teeth.

1469
01:18:26,479 --> 01:18:29,199
The back door stood fifteenth to away, its dead bolts

1470
01:18:29,199 --> 01:18:31,680
secure from the inside. If I could reach it without

1471
01:18:31,720 --> 01:18:33,960
alerting Arthur, I might make it to the workshop before

1472
01:18:33,960 --> 01:18:36,279
he could stop me. I need a tools protection. I'll

1473
01:18:36,279 --> 01:18:38,399
wait to destroy the box without falling victim to whatever

1474
01:18:38,439 --> 01:18:40,960
had taken Ryan and Emily. I took a deep breath,

1475
01:18:41,000 --> 01:18:43,880
testing my injured ankle once more. It held my weight,

1476
01:18:43,920 --> 01:18:45,640
barely enough to get me where I needed to go.

1477
01:18:46,239 --> 01:18:48,279
The hammer remained in the living room where I dropped it,

1478
01:18:48,319 --> 01:18:51,000
but Grandpa's workshop would have better tools, heavier once the

1479
01:18:51,079 --> 01:18:53,600
kind that might crack open whatever material the black Box

1480
01:18:53,640 --> 01:18:56,119
was made from. Through the kitchen window, I watched the

1481
01:18:56,119 --> 01:18:59,079
sky lighten from deep blue to pale gray. Morning approached

1482
01:18:59,079 --> 01:19:01,600
with different steadiness, bring him with the decisions that couldn't

1483
01:19:01,600 --> 01:19:04,560
be postponed any longer. I had failed to protect Ryan,

1484
01:19:04,600 --> 01:19:06,960
failed to save Emily, failed even to control my own dog,

1485
01:19:07,039 --> 01:19:08,800
who now stood guard over the very thing that had

1486
01:19:08,800 --> 01:19:11,880
destroyed everything I cared about. The only path forward lay

1487
01:19:11,880 --> 01:19:14,119
through that basement for confrontation with the black Box that

1488
01:19:14,159 --> 01:19:16,119
waited in the concrete room below. The box that hammed

1489
01:19:16,159 --> 01:19:19,439
with anticipation that seemed to know my name, just as

1490
01:19:19,479 --> 01:19:22,119
Emily had said it near hers. I turned the dead

1491
01:19:22,159 --> 01:19:24,720
bolts wholely, whincing at the metallic click that seemed too loud,

1492
01:19:24,720 --> 01:19:27,319
and the quiet has. The back door swung open on

1493
01:19:27,439 --> 01:19:30,399
well old hinges, revealing the workshop twenty yards away across

1494
01:19:30,399 --> 01:19:33,279
two damp grass. Whatever waited in the basement would still

1495
01:19:33,279 --> 01:19:37,119
be there when I returned. It had patience, after all,

1496
01:19:37,760 --> 01:19:40,000
it had waited for gramp Off, a Ryan, for Emily.

1497
01:19:40,600 --> 01:19:42,520
Now it waited for me. I waited until the sky

1498
01:19:42,600 --> 01:19:44,680
turned gray at the edges before heading to the workshop.

1499
01:19:45,399 --> 01:19:47,560
Arthur remained in the living room, stationed between me and

1500
01:19:47,600 --> 01:19:50,119
the trap door like a sentry. Blood had dried in

1501
01:19:50,119 --> 01:19:52,439
his fur, turning from bright red to russ brown around

1502
01:19:52,479 --> 01:19:56,399
his muzzle. My arm frog beneath the makeshift bandage, each

1503
01:19:56,439 --> 01:19:59,720
pulse a reminder of teeth breaking skin. The workshops stood

1504
01:19:59,720 --> 01:20:02,239
twenty yards from the back door, a wedded structure with

1505
01:20:02,279 --> 01:20:05,239
cedar shingles that matched the main house. De soap through

1506
01:20:05,239 --> 01:20:07,399
my socks as I limped across the grass, leaving dark

1507
01:20:07,479 --> 01:20:11,439
foot prints behind me. The temperature had dropped overnight, my

1508
01:20:11,479 --> 01:20:15,560
breath forming small clouds that dissipated in seconds. Grandpa's padlock

1509
01:20:15,600 --> 01:20:18,159
kon open on the workshop door. I hadn't checked it

1510
01:20:18,199 --> 01:20:21,039
during my initial property inspection, but the key remained in

1511
01:20:21,039 --> 01:20:23,479
the lock, as if he just stepped away. The hinges

1512
01:20:23,520 --> 01:20:26,119
protested when I pus the door open, releasing the complex

1513
01:20:26,159 --> 01:20:29,640
scent of sawdus, motor oil and mouse droppings. Morning light

1514
01:20:29,680 --> 01:20:34,159
filtered through grimy windows, illuminating workfinches along both walls. Peg

1515
01:20:34,159 --> 01:20:37,079
board panels displayed tools and neat rows, their outlines traced

1516
01:20:37,119 --> 01:20:41,079
in black marker. Some spaces stood empty. The messing hammer

1517
01:20:41,119 --> 01:20:43,279
or wrench carried off to fix something and never returned.

1518
01:20:43,880 --> 01:20:46,960
Cob would stretched between ceiling rafters, delicate and un disturbed.

1519
01:20:47,560 --> 01:20:49,520
I found what I needed Hanging on the back wall

1520
01:20:49,600 --> 01:20:51,520
a sledge him with a sixteen inch chandle and an

1521
01:20:51,560 --> 01:20:54,600
eight pound head. The wooden grip felt smooth against my palm,

1522
01:20:54,760 --> 01:20:57,920
worn from years of use. I tested its weight, the effort,

1523
01:20:58,000 --> 01:21:00,760
sending fresh pain through my injured arm. Beside the work

1524
01:21:00,760 --> 01:21:03,159
bench sat a metal cabinet, store secured with a gasp

1525
01:21:03,199 --> 01:21:06,079
but no lock. Inside. I found what I was looking for.

1526
01:21:06,760 --> 01:21:09,359
A kin of charcoal lighter fluid, half empty at a

1527
01:21:09,359 --> 01:21:12,399
box of wooden matches. If breaking the box didn't work,

1528
01:21:12,640 --> 01:21:14,800
burning might on the low shelf. I discovered heavy leather

1529
01:21:14,880 --> 01:21:17,239
work gloves with gatlet cuffs that would cover my fore arms.

1530
01:21:17,920 --> 01:21:20,760
They smelled of mink oil and old sweat. The leather

1531
01:21:20,800 --> 01:21:23,520
cracked but still supple. I slipped them on over my

1532
01:21:23,600 --> 01:21:26,920
bandaged arm whencing as the pressure triggered fresh pane. The

1533
01:21:26,960 --> 01:21:30,000
deputy's cruiser remained visible through the workshop window, parked where

1534
01:21:30,000 --> 01:21:32,800
it had been all night. He sat motionless behind the wheel,

1535
01:21:32,840 --> 01:21:36,079
perhaps dozing or waiting for his replacement. Either way, he

1536
01:21:36,079 --> 01:21:38,960
couldn't see the workshop from his position. I gathered my

1537
01:21:38,960 --> 01:21:42,359
supplied sledge hammer, lighter fluid matches, cloves, and added a

1538
01:21:42,359 --> 01:21:45,279
heavy camis stock folded on a nearby shelf. The fabric

1539
01:21:45,279 --> 01:21:48,159
felt stiff with age and embedded it sawdust. I tucked

1540
01:21:48,159 --> 01:21:50,359
a flashlight from the workbench into my back pocket and

1541
01:21:50,439 --> 01:21:53,119
checked the battery with a quick click. The beam shone

1542
01:21:53,199 --> 01:21:55,880
yellow rather than white, but it would serve. The walk

1543
01:21:55,960 --> 01:21:58,319
back to the house took longer, each step on my

1544
01:21:58,319 --> 01:22:00,479
injured ankle, producing a doll throb that tra traveled up

1545
01:22:00,520 --> 01:22:04,159
my leg. The deputy's car hadn't moved, no other vehicles

1546
01:22:04,199 --> 01:22:07,800
approached along the gravel road. Emily's over cord remained pucked

1547
01:22:07,840 --> 01:22:10,920
behind my truck, its presence a reminder of decisions that

1548
01:22:10,960 --> 01:22:13,920
couldn't be undone. Arthur waited inside the back door, is

1549
01:22:14,000 --> 01:22:17,079
posture tense, but no longer aggressive. His eyes tracked my

1550
01:22:17,119 --> 01:22:19,479
movement as I set the sledgehammer against the kitchen counter

1551
01:22:19,600 --> 01:22:22,000
with a dolphad the lead the glow's creak when I

1552
01:22:22,039 --> 01:22:25,520
flexed my fingers, testing enough flexibility. I have to do this,

1553
01:22:25,720 --> 01:22:29,520
I told him, though his expression suggested no understanding. I

1554
01:22:29,560 --> 01:22:32,279
have to destroy it before it hurts anyone else. He

1555
01:22:32,359 --> 01:22:35,039
followed me to the living room, maintaining distance between us.

1556
01:22:35,760 --> 01:22:38,319
Emily's body remained on the couch beneath the gray blanket,

1557
01:22:38,920 --> 01:22:42,399
her face exposed. The black lines had spread further across

1558
01:22:42,399 --> 01:22:44,840
her skin, reaching her temples and jol line in delicate

1559
01:22:44,880 --> 01:22:48,359
fractal patterns. The rug covering the trap door appeared and disturbed.

1560
01:22:48,880 --> 01:22:52,640
I approached cautiously, hammered in one hand, flashlight in the other.

1561
01:22:53,399 --> 01:22:56,079
Arthur stopped five feet away, his body lowering into a crouch.

1562
01:22:56,760 --> 01:22:58,439
I know you don't want me to go down there,

1563
01:22:59,119 --> 01:23:01,760
I said, quietly, but I have to end this. A

1564
01:23:01,800 --> 01:23:04,479
low growl rumbled from his chest, building in volume. As

1565
01:23:04,520 --> 01:23:06,840
I reached for the edge of the rock. His nails

1566
01:23:06,880 --> 01:23:09,079
clicked against hardwood as he paced in a tight circle,

1567
01:23:09,640 --> 01:23:12,600
eyes never leaving my hands. I pulled the rug back

1568
01:23:12,640 --> 01:23:16,319
in a single motion, revealing the trapel beneath. Oards growled deepened,

1569
01:23:16,359 --> 01:23:18,960
his lips, pulling back to exposed teeth still sained with

1570
01:23:19,000 --> 01:23:21,880
my blood. The hair along his spine stood straight up,

1571
01:23:21,960 --> 01:23:24,520
transforming him from the gentle companion I knew into something

1572
01:23:24,560 --> 01:23:28,359
feral and dangerous. Stay back, I warn, lifting the sledge

1573
01:23:28,359 --> 01:23:31,520
hammer slightly. I don't want to hurt you. The trap

1574
01:23:31,560 --> 01:23:35,319
door handle felt cold, even through leather gloves. I pulled upward,

1575
01:23:35,560 --> 01:23:38,079
lift in a heavy wood to reveal stairs descending into shadow.

1576
01:23:38,680 --> 01:23:40,640
The basement light remained on where I had left it,

1577
01:23:40,720 --> 01:23:44,119
a yellow glow that barely penetrated the darkness. Others were

1578
01:23:44,119 --> 01:23:47,399
all cut off abruptly. The silence lasted three seconds before

1579
01:23:47,439 --> 01:23:50,479
he launched himself at me, eighty pounds of muscle and teeth,

1580
01:23:50,479 --> 01:23:54,439
Gliding with my chest. I stumbled backward, losing my grip

1581
01:23:54,439 --> 01:23:56,439
on the hammer. As we crashed into the coffee table.

1582
01:23:56,920 --> 01:23:59,960
Vas shatted beneath us, digging into my shoulder through my shirt.

1583
01:24:00,520 --> 01:24:02,920
His teeth found my thigh, clamping down with crushing force.

1584
01:24:03,600 --> 01:24:06,880
Denin' tore then skin, blood blossoming across blue vabricant and

1585
01:24:06,920 --> 01:24:09,960
expanding stain. Deane flared white hard up my leg. As

1586
01:24:09,960 --> 01:24:12,159
I thought to push him away without causing serious injury,

1587
01:24:12,800 --> 01:24:15,800
Arthur stop. I grabbed his collar, trying to pull his

1588
01:24:15,840 --> 01:24:19,279
head back. It's me. He released my leg, only to

1589
01:24:19,359 --> 01:24:21,920
lunge from my throat, forcing me to block with my forearm.

1590
01:24:22,239 --> 01:24:24,279
His teeth caught the thick lead the glove, puncturing through

1591
01:24:24,279 --> 01:24:27,880
to Gray's skin beneath. I twisted sideways, using my weight

1592
01:24:27,920 --> 01:24:30,439
to roll him off me. We separated long enough for

1593
01:24:30,520 --> 01:24:33,319
me to grab the fallen hammer. I scrambled to my feet,

1594
01:24:33,359 --> 01:24:36,319
ignoring the burning pain in my thigh and ankle. Blood

1595
01:24:36,319 --> 01:24:38,840
soaked my genes from mid thigh to knee, each heart

1596
01:24:38,880 --> 01:24:42,640
be pumping more through torn flesh. Arthur Circle's body lowered,

1597
01:24:42,680 --> 01:24:45,720
eyes fixed on mine with predatory focus. Nothing of my

1598
01:24:45,760 --> 01:24:50,119
companion remained in that gaze, just cold animal calculation. He

1599
01:24:50,199 --> 01:24:53,399
tends to spray again, muscles spounching beneath his fur. I

1600
01:24:53,479 --> 01:24:55,920
swung the hammer in a low arc, not aiming to connect,

1601
01:24:56,000 --> 01:24:58,800
but to create a space between us. Back off, I said,

1602
01:24:58,920 --> 01:25:03,159
voice breaking please. He charged again, faster than I could react.

1603
01:25:03,920 --> 01:25:06,159
His teeth found my calf, tearying through fabric and skin

1604
01:25:06,199 --> 01:25:09,800
in a single savage motion. I brought the hammer down reflexively,

1605
01:25:09,840 --> 01:25:13,399
catching him across the shoulders with a sickening thud. Arthur yelped,

1606
01:25:13,479 --> 01:25:16,920
releasing my leg and stumbling sideways. He shook his head once,

1607
01:25:17,000 --> 01:25:19,840
then settled into his attack stance again, seemingly unfazed by

1608
01:25:19,880 --> 01:25:23,159
the blow. Loud pulled around my boots, soaking into the hardwood.

1609
01:25:23,800 --> 01:25:26,880
I couldn't fight him and destroy the box. Not like this,

1610
01:25:27,800 --> 01:25:30,920
not with injuries multiplying and strength fading with each passing minute.

1611
01:25:31,560 --> 01:25:35,279
I'm sorry, I whispered, raising the hammer higher. I'm so sorry.

1612
01:25:35,920 --> 01:25:38,520
When he charged the third time, I was ready. The

1613
01:25:38,560 --> 01:25:41,479
hammer connected with the side of his head, not full force,

1614
01:25:41,560 --> 01:25:44,720
but enough. The impact produced a sound like a melon splitting,

1615
01:25:44,800 --> 01:25:48,840
followed by absolute silence. Arthur collapsed midleap, his body skating

1616
01:25:48,840 --> 01:25:50,880
across blood slick hard were to stop at my feet.

1617
01:25:51,560 --> 01:25:53,960
His legs twitched once, then went still. A small pool

1618
01:25:53,960 --> 01:25:56,720
of dark fluid spread beneath his head, sucking into gray fur.

1619
01:25:57,479 --> 01:26:01,239
Now the word escape is barely a breath. No, no, no.

1620
01:26:02,039 --> 01:26:04,399
I dropped to my knees beside him, pressing my hand

1621
01:26:04,439 --> 01:26:07,359
against his chest. His heart beat weakly beneath my palm,

1622
01:26:07,399 --> 01:26:10,720
each bull separated by too many seconds. Blood leaped from

1623
01:26:10,720 --> 01:26:12,680
his ear in the corner of his mouth, bright against

1624
01:26:12,760 --> 01:26:17,119
golden furrer. Stay with me, I said, voice cracking, Please, buddy,

1625
01:26:17,199 --> 01:26:20,039
stay with me. His eyes remained open, but in focus,

1626
01:26:20,039 --> 01:26:23,439
pupils dilated to near perfect circles. When I stroked his head.

1627
01:26:23,760 --> 01:26:27,079
He didn't respond, no tail wag, no ear, to which

1628
01:26:28,000 --> 01:26:29,960
just the shallow rise and fall of his chest, growing

1629
01:26:29,960 --> 01:26:33,560
more irregular by the second. I couldn't save him. That

1630
01:26:33,640 --> 01:26:36,000
knowledge settle likely in my stomach as I watch each

1631
01:26:36,000 --> 01:26:39,199
breath grow shallower than the last. My dog, my friend,

1632
01:26:39,800 --> 01:26:42,119
my last connection to the world before everything went wrong,

1633
01:26:42,760 --> 01:26:47,079
dying because I had chosen the hammer over retreat. I'm sorry,

1634
01:26:47,159 --> 01:26:50,159
I said, again, knowing he couldn't hear me. It wasn't you,

1635
01:26:50,880 --> 01:26:53,680
It was never you. His final breath escaped in a

1636
01:26:53,720 --> 01:26:56,760
small sigh, barely disturbing a fur round his muzzle. The

1637
01:26:56,800 --> 01:26:59,560
stillness that followed seemed absolute, as if the entire house

1638
01:26:59,560 --> 01:27:02,279
held it breath and witness. I sat beside him for

1639
01:27:02,319 --> 01:27:05,640
seventeen minutes, according to the wall clock, my hand resting

1640
01:27:05,680 --> 01:27:09,119
on colling fur, blood continued seeping from my various wounds,

1641
01:27:09,239 --> 01:27:12,159
creating a mingle pool beneath us. Both The pain had

1642
01:27:12,199 --> 01:27:14,800
receded to a dull background, throb overshadowed by the hollow

1643
01:27:14,800 --> 01:27:17,640
ache spreading through my chest. The humming from the basement

1644
01:27:17,640 --> 01:27:20,279
grew louder in the silence, a pulsing vibration that traveled

1645
01:27:20,279 --> 01:27:22,960
for floorboards and into the soles of my boots. It

1646
01:27:23,000 --> 01:27:26,479
seemed almost triumphant, now a mechanical pur of satisfaction. I

1647
01:27:26,479 --> 01:27:29,720
stood slowly, testing my weight on injured legs. Blood had

1648
01:27:29,720 --> 01:27:31,840
sook my genes from thigh to ankle on the right side,

1649
01:27:31,880 --> 01:27:34,640
a fabric sticking to skin with each movement. The sledge

1650
01:27:34,680 --> 01:27:37,439
umer felt heavier, now requiring both hands to lift, despite

1651
01:27:37,479 --> 01:27:41,199
the pain in my bitten arm. The trapper remained open stairs,

1652
01:27:41,199 --> 01:27:44,359
descending into partial darkness. I picked up the flash shight

1653
01:27:44,399 --> 01:27:46,880
from where it had fallen during the fight, tested it

1654
01:27:46,920 --> 01:27:49,640
with a click, and started down the stairs. Each step

1655
01:27:49,720 --> 01:27:52,840
sent fresh pain through my injured leg. The wound, reopening

1656
01:27:52,920 --> 01:27:55,720
with movement to the bottom. I paused to catch my breath.

1657
01:27:56,239 --> 01:27:59,039
The air felt colder than before, carrying the same metallic

1658
01:27:59,039 --> 01:28:02,520
s end had noticed stirring previous visits. The corridor stretched,

1659
01:28:02,520 --> 01:28:04,800
the head door was branching left and right, ending at

1660
01:28:04,800 --> 01:28:08,119
the room containing the black box. The humming intensified as

1661
01:28:08,159 --> 01:28:10,399
I limped forward, by averting through the concrete floor and

1662
01:28:10,479 --> 01:28:13,239
up into my bones. My teeth aped from the resonance,

1663
01:28:13,920 --> 01:28:16,159
a high pitched wine joining the lower frequencies. As I

1664
01:28:16,159 --> 01:28:19,600
approached the final doorway, the light box sat exactly where

1665
01:28:19,640 --> 01:28:22,199
it had been when Emmely touched it, a seamless cube,

1666
01:28:22,199 --> 01:28:25,479
approximately eating in on each side, its surface so dark

1667
01:28:25,479 --> 01:28:28,760
it seemed to absorb light rather than reflected. The flashlight

1668
01:28:28,800 --> 01:28:31,800
beam dimmed when directed at its surface, powut raining visibly

1669
01:28:31,800 --> 01:28:34,239
as I watched. I set the light on the floor,

1670
01:28:34,319 --> 01:28:37,960
pointing away from the box. The sledgehammer felt impossibly heavy now,

1671
01:28:38,079 --> 01:28:40,279
my arms trembling with the effort of holding it upright.

1672
01:28:40,880 --> 01:28:43,600
Blood continued trickling down my leg, forming a small puddle

1673
01:28:43,600 --> 01:28:46,760
around my boot. You took them all, I said to

1674
01:28:46,800 --> 01:28:51,880
the box, voice echoing in the concrete room. Whyan Emily Arbra,

1675
01:28:52,560 --> 01:28:56,279
you don't get anyone else. The humming shifted slightly, modulating

1676
01:28:56,319 --> 01:28:59,960
in patterns that almost resembled language. The temperature drop noticed

1677
01:29:00,880 --> 01:29:03,359
my breath, forming visible clouds that hung suspended in the

1678
01:29:03,399 --> 01:29:06,199
still air. I planted my feet shoulder with the part,

1679
01:29:06,279 --> 01:29:09,720
ignoring the protus from injured muscles. The leather gloves creaked

1680
01:29:09,760 --> 01:29:11,960
as I adjusted my grip on the hammer handle, positioning

1681
01:29:11,960 --> 01:29:15,159
my hands for maximum leverage. I drew a deep breath,

1682
01:29:15,359 --> 01:29:17,640
lifted the hammer above my shoulder, and swung with every

1683
01:29:17,720 --> 01:29:20,560
remaining ounce of straight The hammer connected with the box's

1684
01:29:20,560 --> 01:29:22,800
surface with a sound like struck crystal. High pitched and

1685
01:29:22,840 --> 01:29:25,600
resonant vibrations traveled back through the handle into my arms,

1686
01:29:25,720 --> 01:29:29,560
numbing my hands instantly. The box remained and marked not

1687
01:29:29,680 --> 01:29:32,840
even a scratch where the metal headd struck. I swung again,

1688
01:29:32,960 --> 01:29:35,960
aiming for the same spot. This time, the impact produced

1689
01:29:35,960 --> 01:29:38,760
a deeper tone, like a massive bell run underwater. The

1690
01:29:38,840 --> 01:29:42,920
vibrations intensified, rapping my teeth and blurring my vision. Still,

1691
01:29:42,920 --> 01:29:45,800
the box showed no damage. The third swing landed with

1692
01:29:45,840 --> 01:29:49,399
all my weight behind it. Something changed. A hair line

1693
01:29:49,439 --> 01:29:52,039
fracture appeared along one edge of the box, no wider

1694
01:29:52,039 --> 01:29:55,000
than a human hair, but definitely there. The humming shifted

1695
01:29:55,039 --> 01:29:57,439
to a high register, taking on an urgent quality that

1696
01:29:57,520 --> 01:30:01,079
hadn't been present before. You can break, I said, through grita'teeth,

1697
01:30:01,720 --> 01:30:04,640
You are not invincible. I targeted the fracture with my

1698
01:30:04,720 --> 01:30:07,600
next wing, connecting precisely where the line met the corner

1699
01:30:07,600 --> 01:30:11,039
of the box. The crack widened slightly, spreading perhaps an

1700
01:30:11,039 --> 01:30:14,279
inch long the surface. The humming became a shriek, painful

1701
01:30:14,359 --> 01:30:16,720
enough that I nearly dropped the hammer to cover my ears.

1702
01:30:17,399 --> 01:30:20,199
Each subsequent blow expanded the network of cracks, spreading like

1703
01:30:20,279 --> 01:30:24,119
ice forming on the pond. The box began to vibrate fisibly,

1704
01:30:24,199 --> 01:30:27,359
lifting slightly off the concrete floor before settling again. The

1705
01:30:27,399 --> 01:30:29,840
air around it shimmered as if feuded through heat waves

1706
01:30:30,479 --> 01:30:33,800
despite the freezing temperature. My arms burned with fatigue, shoulder

1707
01:30:33,840 --> 01:30:36,960
screaming from the repeated impacts. Blood loss made my head

1708
01:30:37,000 --> 01:30:39,359
light vision narrowing to a tunnel. Focused entirely on the

1709
01:30:39,359 --> 01:30:43,760
fracturing box. I lost count of the blows, fifteen twenty more,

1710
01:30:43,760 --> 01:30:46,439
each one producing new cracks in the once perfect surface.

1711
01:30:47,039 --> 01:30:49,760
The hammer connected one final time, striking the weakest point,

1712
01:30:49,800 --> 01:30:53,319
where multiple fractures intersected. The box split open with a

1713
01:30:53,359 --> 01:30:55,880
sound like the world tearing apart, a deafening crack, followed

1714
01:30:55,880 --> 01:30:59,800
by absolute silence. Light poured from the opening, not illumination,

1715
01:31:00,079 --> 01:31:02,760
but its opposite, a darkness so complete a glowed. The

1716
01:31:02,800 --> 01:31:06,000
sensation defied logic, yet I could find no other way

1717
01:31:06,039 --> 01:31:09,079
to describe the energy emanating from the broken shell. Cold

1718
01:31:09,079 --> 01:31:11,119
air rushed outward in a physical wave that knockt me

1719
01:31:11,199 --> 01:31:15,079
backward against the concrete wall. Something moved within the fractured box,

1720
01:31:15,840 --> 01:31:18,119
something that wasn't solid or liquid or gas, but some

1721
01:31:18,239 --> 01:31:21,000
state of matter I had no language for. It flowed

1722
01:31:21,039 --> 01:31:23,720
upward like smoke, but maintained cohesion like a liquid cowling

1723
01:31:23,760 --> 01:31:27,399
into complex patterns that twisted in impossible ways. The substance

1724
01:31:27,479 --> 01:31:29,800
recognized me. I can't explain how I knew this, but

1725
01:31:29,920 --> 01:31:32,760
certainty filled me as it oriented toward my position. It

1726
01:31:32,800 --> 01:31:36,319
assessed me with senses I couldn't comprehend, reaching tendrils of

1727
01:31:36,359 --> 01:31:39,279
not quite matter in my direction. My vision blurred darkness

1728
01:31:39,279 --> 01:31:42,239
creeping in from the edges. The last thing I registered

1729
01:31:42,239 --> 01:31:44,840
before consciencens failed was the substance flowing past me toward

1730
01:31:44,880 --> 01:31:47,880
the stairs, moving with purpose to warred the house above.

1731
01:31:48,520 --> 01:31:52,279
I woke to silence. The basement. Light flickered overhead, casting

1732
01:31:52,319 --> 01:31:55,720
uneven shadows across concrete walls. I lay sprawled where I

1733
01:31:55,720 --> 01:31:58,960
had fallen, one arm bent awkwardly beneath me, legs played

1734
01:31:58,960 --> 01:32:02,279
across the cold floor. The sledgehammer rested beside my head,

1735
01:32:02,399 --> 01:32:05,439
its head gleaming dully in the unsteady light. Blood had

1736
01:32:05,439 --> 01:32:08,479
pulled and partially dried beneath my thigh, creating a tacky sensation.

1737
01:32:08,520 --> 01:32:11,600
When I tried to move, my watch showed eleven forty seven,

1738
01:32:12,199 --> 01:32:15,479
nearly two iurs. Since I descended the stairs, Each muscle

1739
01:32:15,520 --> 01:32:18,279
protested as I pushed myself to a sitting position, using

1740
01:32:18,279 --> 01:32:21,079
the wall for support. The black box lay in pieces

1741
01:32:21,119 --> 01:32:24,720
across the floor, shouds of material that resembled obsidian but

1742
01:32:24,760 --> 01:32:27,359
felt more like ceramic. When I coartsely touched one with

1743
01:32:27,399 --> 01:32:31,239
a glove finger, the largest fragment measured perhaps six inches across,

1744
01:32:31,279 --> 01:32:34,319
the smallest no bigger than a thumb nail. Together they

1745
01:32:34,319 --> 01:32:37,399
formed an incomplete puzzle, with pieces missing. The humming had

1746
01:32:37,439 --> 01:32:41,199
stopped completely. The basement felt ordinary, now cool, slightly damp,

1747
01:32:41,239 --> 01:32:44,359
smelling of concrete and dust rather than metal. Whatever had

1748
01:32:44,359 --> 01:32:47,840
emerged from the box was gone, leaving only broken remnants behind.

1749
01:32:48,560 --> 01:32:50,920
I gathered the fragments, collecting them in the canvas top

1750
01:32:50,920 --> 01:32:54,279
I'd brought from the workshop. Each piece felt unnaturally cold,

1751
01:32:54,399 --> 01:32:57,840
even through leather gloves. When I collected all visible shouts,

1752
01:32:57,960 --> 01:33:00,039
I tied the corners of the top together, created in

1753
01:33:00,119 --> 01:33:03,600
a makeshift sack. Standing required three attempts, my injured leg

1754
01:33:03,640 --> 01:33:06,920
buckling twice before supporting my weight. The stairs loomed ahead,

1755
01:33:06,960 --> 01:33:10,319
an impossible vertical challenge given my current state. I topped

1756
01:33:10,319 --> 01:33:12,520
the bundle of box fragments under one arm and began

1757
01:33:12,560 --> 01:33:15,680
the climb, using the hammer as an impromptu cane. Half

1758
01:33:15,720 --> 01:33:17,920
way up, unnoticed something at the top of the stairs,

1759
01:33:17,960 --> 01:33:19,920
a dark shape blocking the rectangle of light from the

1760
01:33:19,920 --> 01:33:23,079
living room above. My vision, still blurry from blood loss

1761
01:33:23,079 --> 01:33:27,800
and unconsciousness, couldn't immediately identify the form. Three steps higher,

1762
01:33:27,840 --> 01:33:31,720
recognition hit like a physical blow. Author lay sprawled across

1763
01:33:31,760 --> 01:33:35,159
the top step, one pole hanging over the edge, eyes

1764
01:33:35,199 --> 01:33:38,000
open and glazed with death. His fer Pierre dull in

1765
01:33:38,039 --> 01:33:40,840
the overhead light. Blood dried to black cross around his

1766
01:33:40,920 --> 01:33:44,920
ears in mouth. Now the word emerged as barely a whisper.

1767
01:33:45,479 --> 01:33:50,960
You were upstairs, you were, memory returned in fragments, author

1768
01:33:51,000 --> 01:33:54,039
attacking the hammer, connecting his body on the living room floor.

1769
01:33:54,640 --> 01:33:56,920
I'd left him there, dead or dying, before descending to

1770
01:33:56,920 --> 01:33:59,880
destroy the box. Yet here he was positioned as if

1771
01:33:59,880 --> 01:34:01,920
he had been dragging himself toward the basement when death

1772
01:34:01,960 --> 01:34:05,399
finally claimed him. His legs stretched behind him, creating furrows

1773
01:34:05,439 --> 01:34:07,119
in the dust and the wooden steps, as if he'd

1774
01:34:07,199 --> 01:34:09,840
used his front poles to pull himself forward. The spy

1775
01:34:09,960 --> 01:34:13,479
catastrophic injury. I climbed the remaining steps, careful not to

1776
01:34:13,479 --> 01:34:16,359
disturb his body. Up close, I could see what I'd

1777
01:34:16,399 --> 01:34:18,439
missed from below, the dark lines spreading from his mouth,

1778
01:34:18,479 --> 01:34:20,640
and as identical to the patterns that had marked Ryan

1779
01:34:20,680 --> 01:34:23,720
and Emily effort. They touched the box. It got you two,

1780
01:34:24,439 --> 01:34:28,239
I said, voice breaking even without touching it. Whatever it

1781
01:34:28,319 --> 01:34:30,680
emerged when I broke the box, mast had encountered Arthur

1782
01:34:30,720 --> 01:34:34,079
on its way upstairs. The substance had recognized him as

1783
01:34:34,079 --> 01:34:36,680
a threat, the creature that had tried to prevent me

1784
01:34:36,720 --> 01:34:38,840
from reaching the basement, and eliminated him as it did

1785
01:34:38,840 --> 01:34:41,880
the others. I sat on the step beside him, balancing

1786
01:34:41,880 --> 01:34:44,640
the bundle of fragments on my knees. His fur felt

1787
01:34:44,680 --> 01:34:47,760
call beneath my finger's body already stiffening with rigor, I

1788
01:34:47,800 --> 01:34:50,119
stroked his head, gently, avoiding the wound where the hammer

1789
01:34:50,159 --> 01:34:52,960
had struck and the strange dark lines that marked his transformation.

1790
01:34:53,640 --> 01:34:56,399
I tried to protect you, I told him, knowing the

1791
01:34:56,479 --> 01:34:59,520
lie even as I spoke it. I hadn't protected anyone,

1792
01:34:59,640 --> 01:35:02,960
not right, not Emily, not Arthur. I'd failed them all

1793
01:35:02,960 --> 01:35:07,239
through ignorance, hesitation, and ultimately violence. The living room beyond

1794
01:35:07,279 --> 01:35:10,800
the trap door appeared unchanged, Emily's body still on the couch,

1795
01:35:10,920 --> 01:35:14,039
covered by the gray blanket. The blood stained hardwood where

1796
01:35:14,079 --> 01:35:17,119
Arthur and I had fought smeared an ox and footprints

1797
01:35:17,159 --> 01:35:19,920
that told the story of us struggle. I needed to move,

1798
01:35:19,960 --> 01:35:22,479
to continue collecting the pieces of the broken box, to endure.

1799
01:35:22,520 --> 01:35:26,000
Nothing remained that could harm anyone else, But exhaustion pressed

1800
01:35:26,039 --> 01:35:28,079
down like a physical weight, making even the thought of

1801
01:35:28,119 --> 01:35:31,920
standing against seem impossible. The deputy's cruiser would still be outside.

1802
01:35:32,600 --> 01:35:36,319
Soon his replacement would arrive, perhaps wondering why Emily's car

1803
01:35:36,359 --> 01:35:40,600
remained parked in my driveway. Overnight questions would follow then investigations,

1804
01:35:40,640 --> 01:35:43,680
then discover as I couldn't explain. Arthur's body grew heavier

1805
01:35:43,720 --> 01:35:45,880
as I lifted him, cradling him against my chest despite

1806
01:35:45,920 --> 01:35:48,319
the pain in my bitten arm. I carried him into

1807
01:35:48,319 --> 01:35:50,560
the living room, leaving the bundle of box fragments and

1808
01:35:50,600 --> 01:35:53,680
the stairs temporarily. His weight seemed wrong to light, as

1809
01:35:53,680 --> 01:35:56,239
if whatever had killed him had taken something essential beyond

1810
01:35:56,279 --> 01:35:58,840
just his life. I laid him beside the couch where

1811
01:35:58,840 --> 01:36:01,319
Emily lay, arranging his legs to look natural, as if

1812
01:36:01,359 --> 01:36:04,079
he'd simply fallen asleep in the rug. The dark lines

1813
01:36:04,119 --> 01:36:06,680
cross his face seemed less prominent in the living room light,

1814
01:36:06,720 --> 01:36:10,600
almost invisible unless you knew to look for them. I'm sorry,

1815
01:36:10,640 --> 01:36:13,079
I whispered to them both. I should have left this

1816
01:36:13,119 --> 01:36:16,199
place when I had the chance. Blood loss and exhaustation

1817
01:36:16,319 --> 01:36:18,479
made the room till slightly as I turned back toward

1818
01:36:18,520 --> 01:36:21,239
the trap door. I needed to finish what had started,

1819
01:36:21,840 --> 01:36:24,279
gather every fragment of the black box and dispose of

1820
01:36:24,279 --> 01:36:27,159
them where they could never be reassembled. But first I

1821
01:36:27,239 --> 01:36:30,840
needed to rest, just for a moment, tis long enough

1822
01:36:30,880 --> 01:36:33,760
to gather strength for what came next. I sunk into

1823
01:36:33,760 --> 01:36:36,199
grand pass arm chair, the leather creaking beneath my weight.

1824
01:36:36,479 --> 01:36:39,119
My injured legs stretched before me, the blood soaking the

1825
01:36:39,159 --> 01:36:42,039
denim from thigh to ankle. I sat on the concrete

1826
01:36:42,039 --> 01:36:44,079
floor of the basement, my back against the colt wall,

1827
01:36:44,279 --> 01:36:47,640
surrounded by obsidian like fragments of the box. Blood had

1828
01:36:47,640 --> 01:36:50,039
pulled and dried beneath my thigh, forming a tacky's heel

1829
01:36:50,079 --> 01:36:53,680
between denim and skin my watch shirt. Twelve eleven, the

1830
01:36:53,720 --> 01:36:57,199
sirens started as distant whales, barely audible through the basement walls.

1831
01:36:57,960 --> 01:37:00,880
Some one had called the police. Perhaps a neighbor had

1832
01:37:00,880 --> 01:37:04,520
spotted Emily's silver accord in my drivery overnight. Perhaps the

1833
01:37:04,560 --> 01:37:07,560
deputy had reported suspicious activity after watching me stumble to

1834
01:37:07,600 --> 01:37:10,720
the workshop before dawn, returning with tools and a pronounced limp.

1835
01:37:11,359 --> 01:37:13,439
Or maybe someone had heard the sledge hummer connection with

1836
01:37:13,560 --> 01:37:16,560
Arthur's skull, the sound carrying through the morning stillness. The

1837
01:37:16,680 --> 01:37:19,479
sirens grew louder, moving up the country road toward the house.

1838
01:37:20,119 --> 01:37:23,800
Four minutes maybe five before they arrived, not enough time

1839
01:37:23,840 --> 01:37:26,920
to explain three bodies in a basement that shouldn't exist.

1840
01:37:27,560 --> 01:37:30,520
I gathered the scattered fragments with trembing hands, collecting each

1841
01:37:30,560 --> 01:37:33,880
shard into the canvas tap. Some pieces crumbled at my touch,

1842
01:37:34,039 --> 01:37:35,800
turned into fine powder that clung to the leather of

1843
01:37:35,800 --> 01:37:38,880
my gloves. Others remained solid ad just sharp enough to

1844
01:37:38,920 --> 01:37:41,840
slice through canvas where they pressed against the fabric. The

1845
01:37:41,920 --> 01:37:44,520
largest piece, roughy the size of my palm, still hum

1846
01:37:44,520 --> 01:37:47,000
faintly at a barely perceptible vibration that travel through the

1847
01:37:47,000 --> 01:37:49,920
gloven into my bones. I wrapped it separately in a

1848
01:37:49,960 --> 01:37:52,000
sharp rag before adding it to the bundle, then tied

1849
01:37:52,039 --> 01:37:54,079
the corners of the top together, creating a mate of

1850
01:37:54,119 --> 01:37:57,800
sack that weighed perhaps twelve pounds. Standing required two attempts,

1851
01:37:58,520 --> 01:38:01,600
my injured leg buckling under my wait before grudgingly supporting me.

1852
01:38:02,239 --> 01:38:05,039
The stairs looked impossibly steep. Each wooden tread smeared with

1853
01:38:05,119 --> 01:38:07,520
Arthur's blood, where he dragged himself down toward the basement,

1854
01:38:07,560 --> 01:38:10,960
toward me, a client using the wall for support, Wondle

1855
01:38:11,000 --> 01:38:13,359
clutched against my chest with one arm, the hammer dangling

1856
01:38:13,359 --> 01:38:16,079
from my other hand. At the top, I paused to listen.

1857
01:38:16,600 --> 01:38:19,119
The sirens had stopped, replaced by the sound of tires

1858
01:38:19,119 --> 01:38:22,319
on gravel and carrid doors opening. Arthur's body remained where

1859
01:38:22,319 --> 01:38:24,239
I had last seen it sprawled across the top step

1860
01:38:24,239 --> 01:38:26,439
with his front poles extended, as if reaching for something.

1861
01:38:26,439 --> 01:38:29,279
In death, he looked more er somehow, his ferdile under

1862
01:38:29,279 --> 01:38:32,199
the overhead light. The black lions spreading from his mouth

1863
01:38:32,199 --> 01:38:34,520
had darkened further, turning from great to true black in

1864
01:38:34,560 --> 01:38:38,279
the iris since had found him. I'm sorry, buddy, I whispered,

1865
01:38:38,399 --> 01:38:41,399
stepping carefully over his cooling body. I can't fix this.

1866
01:38:41,439 --> 01:38:44,119
In the living room, Emily lay beneath the gray blanket,

1867
01:38:44,159 --> 01:38:46,439
their face exposed to the afternoon light, filtering through half

1868
01:38:46,439 --> 01:38:49,960
closed curtains. The black lions had spread across her entire face,

1869
01:38:50,279 --> 01:38:53,159
now creating an intricate with that disappeared beneath her hair line.

1870
01:38:53,520 --> 01:38:56,520
Her skin had taken on a waxy quality. I sunken

1871
01:38:56,560 --> 01:39:01,199
into darkened sockets. Voices cared from outside, a woman giving directions,

1872
01:39:01,960 --> 01:39:06,399
several men responding with clipped acknowledgments. Car doors slammed in sequence,

1873
01:39:07,239 --> 01:39:10,680
radios crackled with despatcher coats. I moved to the window,

1874
01:39:10,800 --> 01:39:13,760
peering through a gap in the curtains. Three patrol cars

1875
01:39:13,760 --> 01:39:16,000
had parked in a loose semicircle around the front yard.

1876
01:39:16,600 --> 01:39:18,920
Emily's accord and my truck remained where we left them.

1877
01:39:19,439 --> 01:39:22,840
Six officers moved across the clearing with practiced efficiency, establishing

1878
01:39:22,880 --> 01:39:26,520
a perimeter around the property. At the center stood Detective Martinez,

1879
01:39:26,560 --> 01:39:29,199
pointing toward the workshop while speaking into hand held radio.

1880
01:39:29,760 --> 01:39:32,119
There was no way out the front. The back door

1881
01:39:32,159 --> 01:39:35,439
remained my only option. I leaned through the kitchen, the

1882
01:39:35,439 --> 01:39:38,239
bundle of fragments clutched against my chest, leaving blood smeared

1883
01:39:38,279 --> 01:39:42,479
footprints across linoleum. Kane flared with each step, fresh blood

1884
01:39:42,520 --> 01:39:45,279
sweeping through the fabric wrapped around my thigh. The hammer

1885
01:39:45,279 --> 01:39:47,920
felt impossibly heavy in my hand, its metal head scraping

1886
01:39:47,920 --> 01:39:51,199
against the floor. When my grip weakened. Through the kitchen window,

1887
01:39:51,319 --> 01:39:54,800
I could see two offices approaching the workshop, weapons drawn

1888
01:39:54,840 --> 01:39:57,960
but pointed downward and ready positioned. A third moved along

1889
01:39:58,000 --> 01:40:01,800
the tree line at the property's edge, scanning the underbrushed methodically.

1890
01:40:01,920 --> 01:40:05,039
James Miller. Martinez's voice carried clearly through the morning ere

1891
01:40:05,680 --> 01:40:09,159
This is Detective Sarah Martinez. We need to speak with you.

1892
01:40:09,520 --> 01:40:11,560
Please come to the front door with your hands visible.

1893
01:40:12,159 --> 01:40:14,439
I east the back door open, checking the immediate area

1894
01:40:14,479 --> 01:40:18,239
for officers. The gap between house and fort measured approximately

1895
01:40:18,239 --> 01:40:22,600
forty yards of open ground mongrass, offering no concealment. The

1896
01:40:22,640 --> 01:40:24,560
closest cover was a stand of white pines at the

1897
01:40:24,560 --> 01:40:28,039
property's eastern edge, the lower branches starting six feet above

1898
01:40:28,079 --> 01:40:31,279
ground level. Mister Miller, we have reports of a disturbance

1899
01:40:31,279 --> 01:40:36,520
at this address, Please respond Martinez. His voice had moved

1900
01:40:36,520 --> 01:40:39,039
closer to the house. I slipped through the door and

1901
01:40:39,079 --> 01:40:41,479
pressed my back against the seed of siding, keeping the

1902
01:40:41,479 --> 01:40:44,680
structure between myself and the officers at the workshop. The

1903
01:40:44,680 --> 01:40:48,520
bundle of fragments shifted against my chest, individual pieces grinding

1904
01:40:48,560 --> 01:40:52,680
together with a sound like crushed glass. Three options presented themselves.

1905
01:40:53,439 --> 01:40:57,840
Surrender an attempt explanation, hide somewhere on the property, or

1906
01:40:57,880 --> 01:41:00,479
run for the tree line and disappear into the forest beyond.

1907
01:41:01,039 --> 01:41:03,560
The first would inevitably lead to arrest when they discovered

1908
01:41:03,600 --> 01:41:07,720
the bodies inside. The second merely postponed the inevitable. I

1909
01:41:07,880 --> 01:41:11,319
chose the third. Twenty eight seconds later, I pushed away

1910
01:41:11,359 --> 01:41:13,119
from the wall and moved toward the trees and a

1911
01:41:13,159 --> 01:41:15,760
limping run, each foot full sending lightning bolts of pain

1912
01:41:15,840 --> 01:41:18,600
up my injured leg. The hammer swung in my right hand,

1913
01:41:18,640 --> 01:41:22,000
its weight throwing off my balance. Bundle pressed against my chest.

1914
01:41:22,000 --> 01:41:26,039
With each labor breath, individual fragment shifting and settling. I'd

1915
01:41:26,039 --> 01:41:28,640
covered perhaps fifteen yards when a shout came from behind me.

1916
01:41:29,319 --> 01:41:32,439
Move many side, suspect fleeing toward the tree line. I

1917
01:41:32,479 --> 01:41:36,119
didn't look back. The pines grew closer with each louching step.

1918
01:41:36,640 --> 01:41:39,439
Their trunks offer in potential cover if I could reach

1919
01:41:39,520 --> 01:41:43,399
them before police stop right there. This voice came from

1920
01:41:43,439 --> 01:41:46,159
my left one of the officers who had been checking

1921
01:41:46,159 --> 01:41:50,279
the workshop. He stood thirtieth away, weapon raised, shoulder level,

1922
01:41:50,399 --> 01:41:55,520
stance wide and balance. I kept moving. Last warning, stop

1923
01:41:55,640 --> 01:41:58,279
or I will fire. The trees stood just ten yards

1924
01:41:58,279 --> 01:42:00,960
to add. If I could reach them, the underbrush beyond

1925
01:42:01,039 --> 01:42:04,159
might provide enough cover to disappear. The officer wouldn't have

1926
01:42:04,159 --> 01:42:07,319
a clear shot. Once I entered the forest proper, something

1927
01:42:07,319 --> 01:42:10,000
whistled past my ear, close enough that I felt the

1928
01:42:10,039 --> 01:42:12,800
displacement of air against my skin. The crack of the

1929
01:42:12,840 --> 01:42:15,720
gunshot followed a milli second later, echoing across the clearing.

1930
01:42:16,239 --> 01:42:19,199
Birds erupted from near by branches, their wings beating frantically

1931
01:42:19,239 --> 01:42:22,239
against morning air. The trees enveloped me in shadow and

1932
01:42:22,279 --> 01:42:25,399
the scent of pine resin. I ducked beneath low hanging branches,

1933
01:42:25,439 --> 01:42:28,840
putting solid trunks between myself and the pursuing officers. The

1934
01:42:28,880 --> 01:42:31,079
forest four dropped away in a gentle slope, carrying me

1935
01:42:31,119 --> 01:42:34,680
downhill toward denser cover. More shouting behind me, the voices

1936
01:42:34,720 --> 01:42:39,159
overlapping with urgency. Suspect entered the woods east perimeter cut

1937
01:42:39,239 --> 01:42:41,680
him off at the axis road K and I knew

1938
01:42:41,720 --> 01:42:44,279
n it. En route to fourteen minutes, I moved deeper

1939
01:42:44,279 --> 01:42:46,479
into the forest, my pace slowing is under Brush thickened

1940
01:42:46,520 --> 01:42:49,560
around my legs. The bundle of fragments knocked against my

1941
01:42:49,640 --> 01:42:52,399
chest with each step, some pieces grinding to powder inside

1942
01:42:52,399 --> 01:42:55,319
the canvas. Blood from my various wounds left the clear

1943
01:42:55,399 --> 01:42:58,560
trail behind me, drops on leaves, smears on tree trunks.

1944
01:42:58,560 --> 01:43:01,319
Were I steadied myself, A trained dog would have no

1945
01:43:01,399 --> 01:43:05,279
trouble following the slope. Steep in his eye descended loose

1946
01:43:05,359 --> 01:43:08,359
oil giving way beneath my boots. Pine trees gave way

1947
01:43:08,399 --> 01:43:11,239
to mixed hard woods, maple, oak, and birch, creating a

1948
01:43:11,279 --> 01:43:14,920
dappled canopy overhead. The hammer caught on hanging vines, nearly

1949
01:43:14,920 --> 01:43:17,000
pulling from my grip before I tucked it into my belt.

1950
01:43:17,680 --> 01:43:20,000
A stream appeared ahead, perhaps six feet across an eight

1951
01:43:20,079 --> 01:43:23,640
inches steep water moving swiftly over smooth stones. I waded through,

1952
01:43:23,720 --> 01:43:26,039
gasping as cold water reached my knees and serked into

1953
01:43:26,039 --> 01:43:29,119
my blood crusted jeans. The current hugged at my injured leg,

1954
01:43:29,359 --> 01:43:32,600
nearly toppling me before I reached the opposite bank. Water

1955
01:43:32,680 --> 01:43:35,239
might temporarily mass my scent from tracking dogs, but it

1956
01:43:35,239 --> 01:43:38,159
wouldn't hide the blood trail. I needed to move faster,

1957
01:43:38,399 --> 01:43:41,800
put more distance between myself and the pursuing officers. I

1958
01:43:41,920 --> 01:43:44,279
checked my watch twelve thirty eight, seventeen minutes since I'd

1959
01:43:44,279 --> 01:43:47,159
fled the house. The officers would have found the bodies

1960
01:43:47,199 --> 01:43:52,079
by Neir Emily on the couch, Ryan's absence, Arthur's cooling

1961
01:43:52,119 --> 01:43:55,319
form by the basement stairs. Enough blood smeared across hard

1962
01:43:55,319 --> 01:43:59,000
would suggests serious injury. Their investigation would shift from malness

1963
01:43:59,000 --> 01:44:02,359
teck to homicide. The pre cimeter expanding accordingly the terrain

1964
01:44:02,439 --> 01:44:05,399
level briefly before rising again toward a ridge visible through

1965
01:44:05,399 --> 01:44:08,279
thinning trees. If I could reach higher ground, I might

1966
01:44:08,359 --> 01:44:11,439
orient myself, perhaps find a road of trail leading away

1967
01:44:11,439 --> 01:44:14,159
from the search area. My leg had begun to stiffen.

1968
01:44:14,680 --> 01:44:17,680
The makeshift binded sook through with fresh blood. Each dep

1969
01:44:17,720 --> 01:44:22,039
required conscious effort, the pain constant and sharp. The bundle

1970
01:44:22,039 --> 01:44:25,279
of fragments seen heavier, now pulling out muscles already taxed

1971
01:44:25,279 --> 01:44:28,640
beyond endurance. I reached the ridge forty three minutes later,

1972
01:44:28,880 --> 01:44:32,039
merging onto a rocky outcrop overlooking the valley below. From

1973
01:44:32,039 --> 01:44:34,439
this vantage point, I could see ground post property, the

1974
01:44:34,479 --> 01:44:37,840
cedar shingle tas surrounded by patrol cars, the light bar

1975
01:44:37,920 --> 01:44:40,680
spinning blue and red in the early afternoon sun. The

1976
01:44:40,720 --> 01:44:44,840
workshops stood open, Officers moving between buildings with purposeful strides.

1977
01:44:45,560 --> 01:44:48,680
A quarter mile beyond the house, officers and civilians formed

1978
01:44:48,680 --> 01:44:51,039
a line at the forest edge, preparing for a systematic

1979
01:44:51,079 --> 01:44:53,960
search of the area. I had fled through three canine units,

1980
01:44:54,000 --> 01:44:56,479
moved among them, handlers holding leases taut. As the dogs

1981
01:44:56,479 --> 01:44:59,800
caught my scent, I needed to keep moving. The ridge

1982
01:44:59,800 --> 01:45:02,000
can ttinued west for perhaps half a mile before curving

1983
01:45:02,039 --> 01:45:04,800
salve toward a second valley. If I followed it, I

1984
01:45:04,880 --> 01:45:07,560
might avoid the search part as forming below the rocky

1985
01:45:07,560 --> 01:45:10,359
ground would leave fuur traces than for soil, potentially confusing

1986
01:45:10,359 --> 01:45:13,640
the dogs. If wind direction corporated. The bundle shifted against

1987
01:45:13,680 --> 01:45:18,399
my chest, individual fragments settling into new configurations. The largest piece,

1988
01:45:18,439 --> 01:45:20,800
the one that still hummed faintly, pressed against my sternum.

1989
01:45:21,319 --> 01:45:23,840
Its vibration penetrating led a gloves and shook fabric to

1990
01:45:23,880 --> 01:45:27,319
resonate with my heartbeat. It couldn't stay with me, None

1991
01:45:27,359 --> 01:45:30,119
of it could. The box had killed Ryan and Emly

1992
01:45:30,159 --> 01:45:33,159
with a touch, had infected Arthur with the same black

1993
01:45:33,199 --> 01:45:37,239
lines even after being broken. Carrying the fragments meant risking

1994
01:45:37,279 --> 01:45:40,640
further contamination. I had to bury them, scatter them across

1995
01:45:40,680 --> 01:45:43,680
miles of wilderness where they could never be resembled. The ridge,

1996
01:45:43,680 --> 01:45:46,359
off of limited options for disposal, explored rock with minimal

1997
01:45:46,399 --> 01:45:50,279
soil accumulation. I needed to reach the valley beyond find

1998
01:45:50,359 --> 01:45:53,239
softer ground that would accept what I carried. I moved

1999
01:45:53,279 --> 01:45:56,199
west along the ridge, keeping my profile against the sky line.

2000
01:45:56,560 --> 01:45:59,960
The bundle knocked against my chest with each step, individu

2001
01:46:00,079 --> 01:46:03,560
your fragments grinding together inside the canvas. The lard continued

2002
01:46:03,560 --> 01:46:06,399
seeping through the bandage around my thigh, leaving sporadic drops

2003
01:46:06,399 --> 01:46:09,640
on stone that dried almost immediately in the afternoon sun.

2004
01:46:10,199 --> 01:46:13,079
Three hours later, I reached the curve wither ridge turned south.

2005
01:46:13,720 --> 01:46:16,720
My watch showed three hundred fifty two. The search partis

2006
01:46:16,760 --> 01:46:18,960
had spread through the forest below. There for recent vests

2007
01:46:19,159 --> 01:46:21,880
visible through gaps in the canopy. As they moved in

2008
01:46:22,039 --> 01:46:25,800
a great pattern out board from the house, dogs barked occasionally,

2009
01:46:25,800 --> 01:46:28,399
the handlers call in confirmation when they detected traces of

2010
01:46:28,439 --> 01:46:31,880
my passage. I descended into the second valley, moving from

2011
01:46:31,920 --> 01:46:35,359
exposed rock to mixed forests in gradual stages. Ou come

2012
01:46:35,359 --> 01:46:38,359
Maple dominated here, their leaves forming a thick carpet underfoot

2013
01:46:38,359 --> 01:46:40,560
that most of my foot deepths but retained clear impressions

2014
01:46:40,600 --> 01:46:43,279
of my passing. Dogwood and red but grew in the

2015
01:46:43,359 --> 01:46:47,359
under story, their spring flowers long since fallen. A game

2016
01:46:47,399 --> 01:46:50,119
trail appeared, winding between trees in a roughly southern direction.

2017
01:46:50,760 --> 01:46:53,159
I followed it for twenty minutes before veering east toward

2018
01:46:53,239 --> 01:46:56,520
higher ground. The bundle seemed determined to return to the valley.

2019
01:46:56,560 --> 01:46:59,079
It fled, its weight, pulling against my grip as if

2020
01:46:59,079 --> 01:47:02,920
possessing its unwell nearest den of young beech trees. I

2021
01:47:03,000 --> 01:47:05,840
found what I needed, a section of groundsoft enough to

2022
01:47:05,840 --> 01:47:08,800
dig with minimal tools. I set the bundle aside and

2023
01:47:08,880 --> 01:47:11,199
used the hammer's claw end to break through surface roots,

2024
01:47:11,239 --> 01:47:14,520
exposing dark soil beneath my injured leg. Protested as I

2025
01:47:14,600 --> 01:47:17,920
knelt fresh blood soaking through denim where scabs had crept.

2026
01:47:17,960 --> 01:47:21,439
With movement, the hole grew slowly each strike of the

2027
01:47:21,439 --> 01:47:25,279
hammer against earth, producing small advances six inches deep eight

2028
01:47:25,399 --> 01:47:27,840
hundred twelve. The sides collapsed partially as I worked, soil

2029
01:47:28,039 --> 01:47:31,600
falling back into the excavation with quiet rustling sounds. When

2030
01:47:31,600 --> 01:47:33,640
the hole reached it ing in, I untied the canvas

2031
01:47:33,640 --> 01:47:36,640
bundle and removed the largest fragment, the one wrapped separately

2032
01:47:36,720 --> 01:47:39,880
in the shop rack. It hummed against my gloved palm,

2033
01:47:40,119 --> 01:47:42,520
vibration traveling up my arm to set teeth on edge.

2034
01:47:42,960 --> 01:47:46,119
This piece couldn't stay with the others. Whatever power remained

2035
01:47:46,119 --> 01:47:49,000
in the box seemed concentrated here. I recealed the main

2036
01:47:49,039 --> 01:47:50,880
bundle and placed it in the hole, covering it with

2037
01:47:50,920 --> 01:47:53,760
soil tamped down using the hammer's flat side. When the

2038
01:47:53,800 --> 01:47:56,239
earth looked and disturbed, I scattered leaves and twigs across

2039
01:47:56,279 --> 01:47:59,680
the surface, obscuring any sign of recent digging. The largest

2040
01:47:59,680 --> 01:48:02,319
fragment remained, humming in my hand with a mistakable hunger.

2041
01:48:02,920 --> 01:48:05,680
I tucked it inside my sure pocket, its vibrition continuing

2042
01:48:05,720 --> 01:48:08,680
through multiple layers of fabric. This piece would need its

2043
01:48:08,680 --> 01:48:12,239
own burial sight far from the others, night approached. As

2044
01:48:12,239 --> 01:48:15,439
I moved south through thinning woods. My watch showed seven

2045
01:48:15,520 --> 01:48:18,399
hundred twenty six. When I reached another stream, this one

2046
01:48:18,479 --> 01:48:21,039
wider and deeper than the first, Hunger had begun to

2047
01:48:21,079 --> 01:48:23,439
gnaw my stomach, reminding me that I had eaten nothing

2048
01:48:23,479 --> 01:48:26,800
since the previous evening. The stream offered clear water, at least.

2049
01:48:27,439 --> 01:48:29,720
I knelt on smooth stones and drank from cupped hands,

2050
01:48:30,359 --> 01:48:32,920
the cold liquid momentarily easing the dryness in my throat.

2051
01:48:33,560 --> 01:48:37,800
Fish darted between underwater shadows, brick trap measuring perhaps six inches,

2052
01:48:37,840 --> 01:48:40,720
the spotted backs almost invisible against a rocky stream bed.

2053
01:48:41,279 --> 01:48:43,600
I had no means to catch them, no fire to

2054
01:48:43,640 --> 01:48:47,159
cook with. Even if I succeeded. Thought of row flesh

2055
01:48:47,199 --> 01:48:50,359
turned my stomach. Despite growing hunger, I followed the stream

2056
01:48:50,399 --> 01:48:52,880
east for half a mile before finding a suitable campsite,

2057
01:48:53,319 --> 01:48:55,600
a small clearing beneath over hanging pine boughs that would

2058
01:48:55,600 --> 01:48:59,239
provide minimal shelter from overnight dew fallen branches. Yielded enough

2059
01:48:59,239 --> 01:49:01,680
material to contry routed lane to the structure bailly large

2060
01:49:01,760 --> 01:49:03,359
enough to cover my up a body if I cult

2061
01:49:03,399 --> 01:49:05,800
into a tight ball. The hammer served at both ten

2062
01:49:05,840 --> 01:49:08,720
steak and defensive weapon, driven into soft earth arm's reach

2063
01:49:09,479 --> 01:49:12,880
from my intended sleeping position. The box fragment hunt in

2064
01:49:12,920 --> 01:49:15,319
my pocket as I worked as vibration, a constant reminder

2065
01:49:15,359 --> 01:49:18,279
of what I carried. Full darkness arrived at eight hundred

2066
01:49:18,359 --> 01:49:22,279
forty five. Aircraft sounds passed overhead at a regular intervals,

2067
01:49:22,880 --> 01:49:26,600
helicopters moving in search patterns across the forest, their spotlight

2068
01:49:26,640 --> 01:49:29,279
sweeping between trees approximately a mile north of my position.

2069
01:49:29,760 --> 01:49:32,279
They would continue searching through the night, expanding their perimeter

2070
01:49:32,359 --> 01:49:34,439
until they found me or determined and had left the

2071
01:49:34,479 --> 01:49:37,399
immediate area. I removed the fragment from my pocket and

2072
01:49:37,439 --> 01:49:39,640
placed it on a flat stone beside my mature shelter.

2073
01:49:40,239 --> 01:49:43,079
Its humming seemed louder in the darkness, almost conversational in

2074
01:49:43,119 --> 01:49:46,600
its modulation. The surface no longer appeared purely black, but

2075
01:49:46,640 --> 01:49:49,960
contained subtle variations, patches of deeper darkness that shifted and

2076
01:49:49,960 --> 01:49:53,319
flood like oil arm water. Sleep came in fragments each

2077
01:49:53,359 --> 01:49:56,239
period of unconsciousness broken by sounds both real and imagined.

2078
01:49:56,720 --> 01:49:59,079
Twice I woke to find myself reaching for the box fragment,

2079
01:49:59,159 --> 01:50:01,920
my hand hovering each above its vibrating surface. Before conscious

2080
01:50:01,960 --> 01:50:05,319
control reasserted itself. Dawn arrived at fog, clinging to the

2081
01:50:05,319 --> 01:50:08,840
stream and drifting between trees and ethereal wisps. My watch

2082
01:50:08,840 --> 01:50:12,479
showed five hundred seventeen. Every muscle protested as I pushed

2083
01:50:12,520 --> 01:50:15,800
myself to sitting position injurers from the previous day, having

2084
01:50:15,800 --> 01:50:19,279
stiffened over night into near immobility. The box fragment had

2085
01:50:19,319 --> 01:50:21,520
moved approximately four inches from where I had placed it,

2086
01:50:21,640 --> 01:50:23,600
now resting against a small rock at the edge of

2087
01:50:23,640 --> 01:50:26,119
my sleeping area. I had no memory of touching it

2088
01:50:26,239 --> 01:50:29,439
during the night. Hunger had become a constant presence, my

2089
01:50:29,479 --> 01:50:33,159
stomach cramping with emptiness. The nearest potential for rootsource lay

2090
01:50:33,159 --> 01:50:37,680
miles away graham PA's panetry. Now certainly under police surveillance,

2091
01:50:38,399 --> 01:50:41,000
I would need to find sustenance elsewhere, or risk weakness

2092
01:50:41,000 --> 01:50:44,199
that would make continued evasion impossible. I tucked the fragment

2093
01:50:44,279 --> 01:50:47,119
back into my share pocket, as umming immediately resuming against

2094
01:50:47,159 --> 01:50:49,640
my chest. The hammer came free from the earth with

2095
01:50:49,640 --> 01:50:51,800
a whit sucking sand, soil clinging to its metal head

2096
01:50:51,840 --> 01:50:56,039
and clumps. Aircraft's arms returned with daylight. Helicopters moving in

2097
01:50:56,039 --> 01:50:59,600
systematic patterns across the forest canopy there remained focussed on

2098
01:50:59,640 --> 01:51:01,960
their inn off of my position, suggesting a search had

2099
01:51:01,960 --> 01:51:05,039
not yet expanded to include this valley. Dogs would present

2100
01:51:05,079 --> 01:51:09,640
a greater threat, their tracking abilities extending beyond visual range.

2101
01:51:09,720 --> 01:51:12,279
I broke camp at six hundred five, racing signs of

2102
01:51:12,279 --> 01:51:15,159
my presence as thoroughly as possible, before continuing southeast toil

2103
01:51:15,159 --> 01:51:19,039
Ang the stream. My injured like function marginally better after rest,

2104
01:51:19,800 --> 01:51:23,199
though each step still produced charpagne where Arthur's teeth had

2105
01:51:23,199 --> 01:51:26,039
torn flesh. The day passed in careful movement, punctuated by

2106
01:51:26,039 --> 01:51:30,720
extended rest periods whenever aircraft sounds approached. I located a

2107
01:51:30,720 --> 01:51:33,239
BlackBerry thicket of round mid day, the fruit not yet

2108
01:51:33,279 --> 01:51:36,800
fully ripe, but edible enough to temporarily ease hunger bupple

2109
01:51:36,840 --> 01:51:39,199
due stain my fingers and less smears across my already

2110
01:51:39,199 --> 01:51:42,600
filthy shirt. By a late afternoon, I had covered approximately

2111
01:51:42,600 --> 01:51:45,399
four miles According to Landmark's tract against the sun's position.

2112
01:51:45,920 --> 01:51:48,880
The fragment hung constantly in my pocket, its vibration occasionally

2113
01:51:48,880 --> 01:51:52,000
shifting in intensity. When I changed direction, it seemed to

2114
01:51:52,000 --> 01:51:54,159
pull westward, back toward the valley where I had buried

2115
01:51:54,199 --> 01:51:56,840
the other pieces. I found the second burial site as

2116
01:51:56,840 --> 01:51:59,720
a light began to fade, a rotting stump surrounded by

2117
01:51:59,720 --> 01:52:02,520
loose all that yielded easily to the hammer's claw. The

2118
01:52:02,520 --> 01:52:04,680
whole reached twenty four in deeper than necessary for the

2119
01:52:04,720 --> 01:52:08,439
single fragment, but somehow appropriate given its continued humming. When

2120
01:52:08,479 --> 01:52:11,800
I removed the piece from my pocket, its vibration intensified immediately,

2121
01:52:12,399 --> 01:52:15,199
the surface ripping with those oil like patterns of deeper blackness.

2122
01:52:15,800 --> 01:52:17,600
I placed it at the bottom of the hole, covering

2123
01:52:17,640 --> 01:52:20,520
it with soil and six inch layers, each tamp down

2124
01:52:20,560 --> 01:52:23,800
before adding the next. The humming continued through eighteen in

2125
01:52:23,800 --> 01:52:26,560
of earth. I added more soil, packing it tightly with

2126
01:52:26,600 --> 01:52:30,680
the hammer's flat side. The vibration diminished slightly, but remained perceptible.

2127
01:52:30,680 --> 01:52:33,000
Only when the hole was completely filled in the surface

2128
01:52:33,000 --> 01:52:35,560
disguised with scattered leaves, did the sound finally fade near

2129
01:52:35,560 --> 01:52:39,000
an audibility. As I turned to leave, something shifted beneath

2130
01:52:39,000 --> 01:52:41,920
the freshly disturbed earth, a subtle movement, like a creature

2131
01:52:41,960 --> 01:52:45,399
burrowing upward. I stood motionless, watching as a small dum

2132
01:52:45,479 --> 01:52:47,760
formed in the soil, rising perhaps half an inch before

2133
01:52:47,800 --> 01:52:51,439
settling again. The fragment wanted out. I placed the hammer

2134
01:52:51,479 --> 01:52:53,600
head directly over the disturbance and pressed down with my

2135
01:52:53,600 --> 01:52:57,119
full weight, compacting the soil until resistance suggested bedrock beneath.

2136
01:52:57,520 --> 01:53:01,039
The movement ceased, the earth becoming still once more. Night fell.

2137
01:53:01,079 --> 01:53:03,479
As I moved away from the burial site, each step

2138
01:53:03,560 --> 01:53:05,520
carrying me further from the harming that had become my

2139
01:53:05,600 --> 01:53:08,720
constant companion. The absence felt wrong somehow, as if I

2140
01:53:08,720 --> 01:53:11,800
had left behind something vital rather than dangerous. I made

2141
01:53:11,800 --> 01:53:14,720
camp four hundred yards from the buried fragment, constructing another

2142
01:53:14,800 --> 01:53:16,960
rudimentary lean to beneath the stand of seed of trees.

2143
01:53:17,640 --> 01:53:20,880
Their aromatic branches provided better shutter than the previous night's pines,

2144
01:53:21,359 --> 01:53:24,119
though the ground beneath contained more exposed roots that pressed

2145
01:53:24,119 --> 01:53:26,720
to comfortably against my back. Sleep came easier without the

2146
01:53:26,720 --> 01:53:30,039
fragment's presence, Though dreams filled the darkness with images, I

2147
01:53:30,039 --> 01:53:33,920
couldn't escape Emily's face, with black lines spreading across pale skin.

2148
01:53:34,600 --> 01:53:38,359
Ryan's contorted body in the police photograph afterose final moments,

2149
01:53:38,520 --> 01:53:41,000
teeth bared in protective fury before the hammer connected with

2150
01:53:41,039 --> 01:53:43,439
his skull. I woke at four hundred thirty eight to

2151
01:53:43,520 --> 01:53:46,920
the sound of voices carrying through pre dawn stillness, flashlight

2152
01:53:46,960 --> 01:53:49,600
being sweat between trees approximately two hundred yards north of

2153
01:53:49,640 --> 01:53:52,800
my position, search parties working through the night, the patterns

2154
01:53:52,800 --> 01:53:55,840
more thorough than I had anticipated. I broke camp quickly,

2155
01:53:55,960 --> 01:53:58,760
erasing signs of my presence, before moving southeast through darkness

2156
01:53:58,760 --> 01:54:02,079
punctuated by occasional moon light. The voices faded behind me

2157
01:54:02,119 --> 01:54:05,920
as distance increased. The aircraft sound suggested the search perimeter

2158
01:54:06,000 --> 01:54:09,760
continued expanding in all directions. By mid morning, hunger had

2159
01:54:09,760 --> 01:54:13,600
become debilitating, my thoughts increasingly focused on finding fruit rather

2160
01:54:13,600 --> 01:54:17,960
than evading capture. I hadn't eaten, and that is the

2161
01:54:18,039 --> 01:54:20,600
end of this story. Thank you for listening, and I

2162
01:54:20,640 --> 01:54:29,840
will see you in the next one.