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Speaker 1: We walked across the darkened lobby, and once again I

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found myself standing in front of the statue of the hydra.

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It was illuminated by the dull shine of a recessed spotlight,

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glowing beacon of all things strange in our cane. VIC

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patted his tail and said, it is a real hydra

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underneath all that stone. No shit, this is a real deal,

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I said, for real, huh, and I gave the statue

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a closer look. The hydra was somewhere between twenty five

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and thirty feet long, serpentine body was at least three

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feet thick, ending in a blunt tail, was bristling with large,

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nasty looking spikes. They were all tipped with a pointed barb,

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almost like a fishhook. One of its heads looked like

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it belonged to a lizard, and another was reminiscent of

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a canine creature, possibly a wolf. The rest of them

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resembled a predatory bird, a lion, a shark, and a

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hooded serpent. The serpent head looked like a cross between

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a gargoyle and an angry cobra. It made me feel

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strangely uncomfortable. I didn't like it at all. I looked

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back at Vic and muttered, ohly crap, that's wild man.

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As Marulda told me the same thing. But I thought

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she was just fucking with me. Yay, it's the real deal,

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Vic repeated, and he grunted with obvious pride at his

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beloved trophy. He crossed his arms and said, now tell

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me I'm lying, Billy, I'm dead serious. I motioned to

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the sheer size of the hydrant and sputtered, how how'd

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you even manage to do this? Dick slapped its tail

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and exclaimed he wasn't easy to tell you that much.

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Usually it would be pretty much impossible to catch a hydra.

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They were really freaking big, super fast. There's scales like armor,

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not to mention the bite force in those jaws. Forget

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about it. The teeth could puncture through that kevlar, no problem.

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On top of all that, these things are venomous as fuck.

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And get this, their blood's like acid. No shit, it's

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like in that show with all those space monsters what

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do we call it? Uh? Are you talking about the

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movie Aliens? And Nick snapped his fingers. Yeah, that one.

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That was a fucking good show. She would they could

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have one in the zoo, you know. But anyway, Yeah,

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this is how I caught the hydra. Nick lowered his

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voice as if the wrong person might somehow overhear us

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in the enormous and empty lobby. He said, Now I

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lucked out with this one. It was living in a

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lake and an active volcano like it. He wasn't going

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to explode on us or nothing, but it was. It

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was oozing a flow of lava. Right. So I got

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a hold of some people, called in some favors. They

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created a special fish in net made with us material.

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They could they could resist these extreme temperatures. Then I

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pulled some more strings, got myself a decent sized fishing bow.

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We dragged this friggin lake every day and night, back

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and forth until we finally caught her. Vic laughed to

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the look on my face, and he gave me a

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light punch on the shoulder. Now, remember, Billy, nothing impossible,

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not of you have the means and the will to

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make it happen. Tried like a mad bastard to catch

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the old gal. I did, and I did it. Now

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she's mine. Even though I was still pretty angry with him,

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I couldn't stop myself from smiling back at him. Only

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Victor Bonechelli could dream up such a cartoonish and convoluted

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scheme and then somehow managed to pull it off. I

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asked him, So, what happened after you caught it? How

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did this thing wind up being trapped inside a layer

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of rock? Oh? I got it painted to look like that,

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Vic replied, smugly, exactly encased in volcanic glass. This is

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how I did it. He rubbed his hands together and

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gave me a devious grin. So before I even start

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trawling the lake with a boat, I had a crane

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shipping in and setting up on the shore right found

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a spot that was close to both the water and

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the lava flow. Got the crane from Mario Gibaldi's construction company,

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and anyway, we brought the hydra into the shore and

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we used a crane to dimp it in the lava,

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pulled out this huge globe of molten rock, and we

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plunged it back into the water. He laughed again and

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shook his head. It was pretty fucking dangerous, buddy, worked

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geologist I hired. He wasn't sure what kind of all

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kind of rock we were gonna pull out of the water.

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Came up as a as a block of a city

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in and I hired an artists who specialized in sculpting.

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He carved up a lot of marble statues or whatever,

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all that kind of stuff, and then up bringing a

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few of his bodies to help. And they carved it

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down or real nice, all the details real they really

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stand out, smoothed it down, polished it up real nice too.

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It was a great frigging job. He wrapped the statue

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with his knuckles and grunted it his overgrown snake. Cost

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me a fortune, and to sell off some of my

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assets to make it happen called in a lot of favors,

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but it was worth it. I just look at her,

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She's priceless. I pointed out that he kept talking like

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the hydro was somehow still alive beneath a thick layer

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of volcanic glass. Vic scoffed at me and retorted, kids

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these days, and I don't know nothing about the cryptids, sady,

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I hold it. Someday in the future there'll be a

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way to teach a new generation all about the cryptis,

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the spirits, the ghoul, that kind of stuff. You know.

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Maybe I look at it at some time, I can

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see that. Vic was about the branch off into some

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lengthy tangent about these damn kids and their lack of

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cryptid lore. So I interrupted him with a fair point.

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You're not wrong, but you know, back to the hydra.

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Vic grunted, Oh, right, hydra. The only way to kill

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it cut off the main head, the one controls everything.

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Even if he knew which had go for still ain't

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gonna be no easy task. But there's no way to

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tell for sure. It could be any one of them.

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And if you cut off any of the other heads

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just grow right back. I shook my head in wonder

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and murmured, this fucking thing is a menace. Vic slapped

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his knee and cackled, Oh, you don't know the half

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of it. Everyone's shitting bricks. When we pull it out

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of the water, sounds that was making Holy shit. Even

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that was enough to make you want to run for cover.

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I'm telling you, if you don't count the suckubus, that's

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the most dangerous creature in the whole building. I think

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you can take on the dragon, the sasquatch, and the

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thunderbird all at the same time. I'd bet the farm

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on it. I cautiously said, So, I mean, I gotta ask,

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what does any of this have to do with what

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happened here tonight? Vic gave me a confused look, what

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do you mean It's got nothing to do with nothing? Kidding,

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It's just a story. I'm having a conversation, eh, I

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got just trying to take your mind off things, that's all.

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The hydro is my pride and joy. What were you

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expecting to be a metaphor by life or something? What

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are we a couple of philosophers over here? We're just

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shooting a shit like two normal guys. I just thought,

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never mind, maybe maybe I think too much? Yeah, and

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do we very good at it? Vick grumbled. But come on,

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let's go. We gotta get back into that zombie habitat

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and get that film in done. You know what they say,

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time is money, I interjected, and the bitterness in my

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voice made Vic blink at me in surprise. His face

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turned red. I could see that he was generally offended

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by my attitude. He threw up his hands and yelled, oh,

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so we had money, now, do we? It's the root

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all evil, right, horseshit and money. Money ain't evil. Money

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is fucking beautiful buys me beautiful things, houses and villas

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and luxury cars. Fine booze, fine broads. I have these

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things because I have money, Billy, I don't have them

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because I was acting like a gloomy little douchebag. He

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poked me in the chest demanded tell me something, kid,

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What the hell did money ever do to you? At

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that moment, the emergency alarm went off. Red lights began

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flashing on the walls, and the sirens started blaring over

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the intercom system. VIC bellowed, Nah the fuck, say what now?

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I was already running back to the entrance door as

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soon as the alarm went off. All thoughts and feelings

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regarding my present state of affairs were rudely shoved to

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the side. I rolled around and ran towards the danger

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without a second thought. It might have been a gloomy

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little douchebag, but I was also a caretaker's assistant. Running

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into danger was my job, and I took my job

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very seriously. Hey, I'll catch up to you. Go go.

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A came bursting into the service tunnel just in time

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to witness someone projectile vomiting against the wall. It was

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the key grip and he was in a very bad shape.

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The rest of the crew were standing at a healthy

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distance away, grimacing as their colleagues evacuated the contents of

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their guts with horrible force. I skidded to a halt

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and I croaked, fuck that this isn't good. The key

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Grip fell to his hands and knees, vomit dripping from

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his chin. He showed me a nasty wound on his arm,

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and he sobbed. He got me. I was too scared

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to say anything. I thought maybe I could, just like you,

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see a doctor after work. I didn't want to believe it.

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I didn't want to believe it that I oh god.

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He wretched again, ejecting a thin gruel of bile onto

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the floor between his hands. He dropped onto his side

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and groan, my head, it fucking hurts, It hurts so bad.

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Vic came thundering down the corridor. He was already holding

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his thirty eighth Special. He pointed it at the weeping,

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shivering man on the floor, and he bellowed, everyone, cover

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your ears. He comes to cure you, lying fuck. The

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key Grip held out his hands in a warding off gesture.

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He started to scream. The thirty eight went off twice,

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two shots in rapid succession, and the scream was abruptly silenced.

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Vic glared down at the spreading pool of blood on

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the floor. He hit the alarm button to stop the

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shrill wailing of the alarm, and he growled, Now look

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at his shit, blood everywhere, puke dripping down the friggin walls.

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It's all full of zombie germs, fucking zombie germs all

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over the place. He looked at the director and rumbled, Nikki,

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that's gonna be a rap for the night. As of

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right now, this whole wing is now officially closed for cleanup,

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and all these shifty bastards are officially on a quarantine

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for the next twenty four hours. Don't try to argue.

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If any of you uttered a single peat, I'll shoot

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you right in a fucking face. And I ain't no joke,

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this zombie thing. It's serious, hear me, It's really freaking serious.

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Vic hollered these last three words at the top of

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his lungs. Everyone flinched, and someone let out of a

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tiny screech of terror. Even Nick was startled by the

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raw fury in his voice. They don't made me do it,

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they panted, as he waved the gun at him. Because

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I will and I won't give a shit. The security

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guns finally came running into the service tunnel. Vic gave

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him a dangerous grin look who finally came breezing through

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the door. I should start calling you to the Tardy Boys,

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because it's a mystery why it takes you so long

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to get the fuck over here. They both gave him

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a blank stare. He exclaimed, what don't you get it?

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It's like the hardy boys, but it's a tardy boys

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consent because if the word tardi means you're you're fucking late.

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You two screwballs. God, you got the IQ freinging potato.

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The guards looked down on the floor and said nothing.

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They both knew something bad was coming. Vick sneered, none,

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the safe for yourself. Huh you think I can read

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your minds or something. I can't read your minds because

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you don't got one, but to try to read my

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mind instead? Huh? Okay, I'm thinking of a number between

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one and ten? What is it? Vic pointed to the

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goon to his right with his free hand. He promptly

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responded eight and clapped his hands together to keep them

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from shaking. The other one gave Vic a deer in

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the headlights stare and mumbled, uh, I'll take nine. I

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guess no, three, I mean three, I mean yeah, yeah,

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I think. The goon was shushed by a large, hairy

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finger pressed against his lips. Asked in a gentle tone,

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which one is it? Nine? Three? He pulled his finger away,

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and the security guard quickly replied three. He wiped the

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sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and repeated, yeah

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it is three. Is that okay? Vick gave him a

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cold smile and a slight nod. Sure, yeah, that's okay.

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But you should have stuck with nine, he said calmly.

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The barrel of the thirty eight started to rise into

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the air. Number I was thinking about it was nine, Eh,

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tough luck, kid. How the guy picked eight, so I

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guess he wins. A second shot echoed along the corridor.

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There was a fresh round of screaming from the ranks

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of the film crew. The guard stumbled away, his hands

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clamped over the stream of blood that was spurting from

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his neck. His eyes rolled back into his head, and

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he dropped to the floor in a heap. A pull

235
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of Crimson began spreading out across the floor. Vic hollered,

236
00:12:54,120 --> 00:12:58,360
shut up, all of you, shut the hell up. Lashing

237
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out with astonishing quickness, he grabbed the remaining security goon

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by the collar of his jacket. Vic gave him a

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tremendous smack on the forehead with the hand grip of

240
00:13:06,679 --> 00:13:09,639
the revolver. Blood poured down his face as he staggered back.

241
00:13:09,919 --> 00:13:12,799
There was a dazed expression in his eyes. Vic shouted,

242
00:13:13,240 --> 00:13:15,799
get the cleanup crew on the phone. We did him

243
00:13:15,799 --> 00:13:18,240
here right away. Calling more security agents while you're at it,

244
00:13:18,440 --> 00:13:23,000
whoever's available, tell him to come in. The guards started

245
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to walk away, and Vic growled just a second. I

246
00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:28,240
ain't done. When you finish making these calls, I want

247
00:13:28,240 --> 00:13:29,720
you to get the fuck out of here, not just

248
00:13:29,799 --> 00:13:31,320
out of my zoo, even out of the city, get

249
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out of the freaking state. Don't ever come back. Don't

250
00:13:33,720 --> 00:13:35,799
give me none of us shit. Don't don't give me

251
00:13:35,840 --> 00:13:38,000
none of that my father sow and so both shit

252
00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:42,000
because he ain't nothing around here. Vic pointed at the

253
00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:45,240
goon and said, no one more thing. If anyone sees

254
00:13:45,279 --> 00:13:48,519
your face around here again, I'll bury you boom into

255
00:13:48,559 --> 00:13:51,200
the hole. You'll go. You got me into a fucking hole.

256
00:13:51,240 --> 00:13:53,039
You'll go, and that's what will be the end of you.

257
00:13:53,039 --> 00:13:54,840
Your father will accept that, or he could join you

258
00:13:54,879 --> 00:13:57,120
in the hall. I'm the fuck either way, you get

259
00:13:57,120 --> 00:14:02,159
your stupid ass out of my sight. The guard turned

260
00:14:02,200 --> 00:14:05,600
heel and fled down the corridor. His face had become

261
00:14:05,600 --> 00:14:07,919
a dripping mask of blood from the nasty split in

262
00:14:07,960 --> 00:14:11,519
his forehead. VIC started reloading his gun, and he looked

263
00:14:11,559 --> 00:14:15,320
over at the film crew. All right, listen up, you're

264
00:14:15,320 --> 00:14:18,519
all gonna get in a nice, orderly line. Not you, Nicky,

265
00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:22,120
You're good. The rest of these schmucks. I can't trust him.

266
00:14:22,519 --> 00:14:25,639
Go on, line up, just like you did back in kindergarten,

267
00:14:25,759 --> 00:14:29,159
everyone standing behind each other, just like that. Bally, go

268
00:14:29,279 --> 00:14:31,399
open the empty habitat at the end of the tunnel,

269
00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:35,279
the one down to the far side over there. I

270
00:14:35,320 --> 00:14:37,399
scrambled to do as I was told. My ears were

271
00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:39,559
ringing from the gunfire in the enclosed space of the

272
00:14:39,559 --> 00:14:42,279
service tunnel. I punched in the coat and hauled open

273
00:14:42,320 --> 00:14:45,320
the door. Vic was already marching the lineup down the corridor.

274
00:14:45,639 --> 00:14:47,840
Some of them are crying, others had a blank look

275
00:14:47,840 --> 00:14:50,480
of shock on their faces. The room had nothing but

276
00:14:50,480 --> 00:14:53,519
four walls and a concrete floor. It was brightly lit

277
00:14:53,559 --> 00:14:56,240
by three long banks of fluorescent bulbs on the ceiling.

278
00:14:56,840 --> 00:14:59,080
Not exactly a cheerful place to spend the next twenty

279
00:14:59,080 --> 00:15:02,919
four hours. Vic stood in the doorway after the last

280
00:15:02,960 --> 00:15:06,679
one had entered the habitat. He said, we'll bring in

281
00:15:06,679 --> 00:15:10,120
a bunch of cots and portable shitters, maybe two shitters. Actually,

282
00:15:10,720 --> 00:15:12,600
I'll get Billy here to grab a bunch of snacks

283
00:15:12,639 --> 00:15:15,159
and the visitors lounge bottles of water, soda pop, whatever

284
00:15:15,159 --> 00:15:17,480
we got on hand. I'll make sure you get it.

285
00:15:17,559 --> 00:15:19,679
I'm not an animal. I'm not gonna make you shit

286
00:15:19,759 --> 00:15:22,879
on the floor and go hungry. He clapped his hands

287
00:15:22,919 --> 00:15:26,039
together and exclaimed, speaking of which, I even feed you

288
00:15:26,080 --> 00:15:29,559
guys a bunch of pepperoni pizza. That sound good. So

289
00:15:29,720 --> 00:15:31,919
you don't like pizza'll go fuck yourself. I don't care

290
00:15:32,480 --> 00:15:37,039
anyone here a vegetarian. I'll go get just some plain cheese,

291
00:15:37,120 --> 00:15:40,639
no pepperoni. Wait, what's that hey, you in the back

292
00:15:40,799 --> 00:15:43,240
with the goofy hairdo what'd you say? Just now? You're

293
00:15:43,279 --> 00:15:47,919
what a vegan? What? Vic turned to me with a

294
00:15:47,919 --> 00:15:50,600
bewildered look. He whispered, what the fuck is that, I

295
00:15:50,600 --> 00:15:52,960
whispered back. It means they don't eat any animal products

296
00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:56,600
at all. No meat, no dairy, no eggs. Vic fell

297
00:15:56,679 --> 00:16:00,639
silent as he processes information. He shook his had murdered.

298
00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:02,440
I ain't never heard of that before. So what the

299
00:16:02,480 --> 00:16:05,240
fuck that brought? Eat just fruit and vegetables. Huh? I

300
00:16:05,279 --> 00:16:08,600
wasn't she dead yet? I stifled the urge to laugh.

301
00:16:08,759 --> 00:16:12,279
I quietly said, they eat beans and grains too. You

302
00:16:12,320 --> 00:16:14,120
can grind up a lot of that stuff and like

303
00:16:14,720 --> 00:16:17,120
turn into other stuff hamburger patties, hot dogs, that kind

304
00:16:17,120 --> 00:16:22,120
of stuff. Dick snickered. Not even eggs. I mean, sure, whatever,

305
00:16:22,639 --> 00:16:25,399
different strokes with different folks me I'd go fucking nuts.

306
00:16:26,159 --> 00:16:27,840
He turned back to the door and called out, hey,

307
00:16:27,879 --> 00:16:31,039
haircut lady probably got some salads on the menu. I'll

308
00:16:31,039 --> 00:16:34,320
get you one of him. Okay, everyone just hang tight

309
00:16:34,360 --> 00:16:36,000
for a bit. I'll go get the cots and shitters

310
00:16:36,039 --> 00:16:39,360
over here as quick as I can. Vic paused as

311
00:16:39,440 --> 00:16:41,519
he was swinging the door shut, and he yelled through

312
00:16:41,519 --> 00:16:43,720
the crack. If anyone starts getting all fucked up in

313
00:16:43,759 --> 00:16:45,440
there and just pushed the red button on a wall,

314
00:16:46,120 --> 00:16:48,480
stay away from their puke. It's full of zombie virus.

315
00:16:49,759 --> 00:16:52,320
Nick was waiting for us by the exit door. We

316
00:16:52,360 --> 00:16:55,240
stared each other down as I approached. Vic stepped between

317
00:16:55,320 --> 00:16:57,120
us and said, now, I know you two's got some

318
00:16:57,200 --> 00:17:00,639
bad blood developing. Ye I'm gonna put stop to it

319
00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:03,360
right now. Okay, we're gonna get We're gonna bury the hatchet.

320
00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:06,160
We're gonna start fresh. Okay, you can't have that kind

321
00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:07,519
of thing going on for the rest of the week,

322
00:17:07,559 --> 00:17:10,920
so just let it go. Shake hands because it's over.

323
00:17:12,920 --> 00:17:16,279
Couldn't believe my ears. It sputtered. No, no fucking way

324
00:17:16,319 --> 00:17:18,839
that's happening. This guy sucks. He got two people killed

325
00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:21,039
to night. No three people, I mean it was actually

326
00:17:21,119 --> 00:17:25,319
four if you count them. Not sick, grunted. We ain't

327
00:17:25,359 --> 00:17:29,279
counting shit over here. These accusations are harmful and I

328
00:17:29,319 --> 00:17:33,319
don't want to hear about it again. It's done. Shake hands.

329
00:17:35,319 --> 00:17:37,839
We both squeezed too hard, glaring at each other with

330
00:17:38,359 --> 00:17:42,839
extreme hostility. Vick said, yeah, that's better. We're all gonna

331
00:17:42,839 --> 00:17:45,440
get along now. Billy go to the visitors lounge and

332
00:17:45,799 --> 00:17:48,200
fill up a couple of boxes with the freshman's take

333
00:17:48,279 --> 00:17:51,160
them back to the crew, use one of them hand carts.

334
00:17:51,160 --> 00:17:53,839
If you gotta make it easy on yourself, remember work smart,

335
00:17:53,960 --> 00:17:59,079
not hard. He looked over it, Nicky and shrugged his shoulders. Hey, well,

336
00:17:59,079 --> 00:18:02,319
I got I guess we're done for tonight, Nikki. Let's

337
00:18:02,319 --> 00:18:06,480
go to my office crunch some numbers. What a mess, huh.

338
00:18:06,880 --> 00:18:09,359
I blame myself. Really should have been paying more attention.

339
00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:13,279
Nick waved it off and said, don't worry, Victor. Nothing

340
00:18:13,359 --> 00:18:16,079
was lost that isn't replaceable. I think I got the

341
00:18:16,079 --> 00:18:19,519
footage I needed. That's the important part. He looked over

342
00:18:19,519 --> 00:18:21,799
at me as he was saying this, and he dropped

343
00:18:21,839 --> 00:18:25,160
me a sly wing. I stared holes into his back

344
00:18:25,640 --> 00:18:29,720
as they walked across the massive lobby to Vic's office.

345
00:18:29,960 --> 00:18:33,640
I did not like that man. I did not like

346
00:18:33,759 --> 00:18:40,279
him one bit. Near the end of the shift, I

347
00:18:40,319 --> 00:18:43,000
snunck over to Vic's office and peeked into the reception area.

348
00:18:43,599 --> 00:18:45,960
The security goons that were called in to take over

349
00:18:46,079 --> 00:18:48,319
the rest of the night were hanging around in front

350
00:18:48,319 --> 00:18:51,599
of the makeshift quarantine camp. They were taking turns peeking

351
00:18:51,640 --> 00:18:55,319
through the observation window, laughing amongst themselves and making tasteless

352
00:18:55,400 --> 00:18:58,519
jokes about rabies. The cleanup crew had already finished their

353
00:18:58,519 --> 00:19:02,960
grizzly task, and they were long gone. Otherwise, the zoo

354
00:19:03,039 --> 00:19:06,119
was silent as a tomb. The overhead lights in the

355
00:19:06,119 --> 00:19:08,400
reception area were dark, and I didn't see any lights

356
00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:10,839
shining through the crack around the door to Vic's office.

357
00:19:11,559 --> 00:19:13,400
He was gone for the night, and so was Nick.

358
00:19:14,039 --> 00:19:18,079
Vic and Nick two peas in a pod. I tipped

359
00:19:18,079 --> 00:19:20,240
over to Miss Dahlia's pool and I lightly tapped the

360
00:19:20,240 --> 00:19:24,440
water with my hand. I whispered, Missed Ahlia, Hey, I

361
00:19:24,519 --> 00:19:27,960
need to talk to you, Missed Ahlia. A human size

362
00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:31,440
column of water rose above the surface. It flowed over

363
00:19:31,440 --> 00:19:33,920
the edge like a slinky, and it transformed into Miss

364
00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:36,680
Dahlia as it hit the floor. She was wearing a

365
00:19:36,799 --> 00:19:39,279
nightgown and her hair was bunched up beneath a nightcap.

366
00:19:39,880 --> 00:19:42,640
She rubbed her eyes and croaked, what is it now, Billy?

367
00:19:43,400 --> 00:19:45,079
What rule are we going to break in the middle

368
00:19:45,079 --> 00:19:48,759
of the night. This time, I explained what happened with Esmerelda,

369
00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:52,319
and I told her what I planned to do. The

370
00:19:52,359 --> 00:19:55,240
sleepy water nymph coughed into her fist to clear her throat,

371
00:19:55,440 --> 00:20:00,240
and she said, well, I think that's very kind of you, Billy. Okay,

372
00:20:00,359 --> 00:20:01,759
come over to my desk. I'll get it for you.

373
00:20:06,920 --> 00:20:09,599
Miss Dahlia rummaged through her filing cabinet, and then she

374
00:20:09,680 --> 00:20:11,680
scribbled the information I needed on the back of an

375
00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:14,759
empty envelope. She said, don't get caught by Len. Is

376
00:20:14,799 --> 00:20:17,200
he still watching you? I nodded and said, yeah, I

377
00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:19,880
think so, But I think he's watching me from a

378
00:20:19,920 --> 00:20:24,599
bit farther away. Now. I did something something kind of

379
00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:26,839
bad when I had to talk to Kaz at home.

380
00:20:27,519 --> 00:20:28,920
It was the only way that I could get Lent

381
00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:30,680
off my back long enough for me to get away

382
00:20:30,680 --> 00:20:32,599
from him. I think he learned to give me some

383
00:20:32,640 --> 00:20:36,119
space after that. Miss Dallia snorted, No, he learned to

384
00:20:36,119 --> 00:20:39,200
stop trusting you. Lena is famous for holding a grudge.

385
00:20:39,640 --> 00:20:42,279
Whatever you did, No, don't tell me. I don't want

386
00:20:42,319 --> 00:20:45,480
to know. But whatever you did, he isn't going to forget.

387
00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:50,039
I pressed my lips together in a sour line and replied, yeah,

388
00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:53,640
I was afraid of that. Well, whatever happens, I can't

389
00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:57,319
stop it. Good luck, Billy, Miss Dahlia murmured, and she

390
00:20:57,599 --> 00:21:01,240
softly patted my cheeks with her slender hand. They tingled

391
00:21:01,240 --> 00:21:03,519
from her touch, and I felt myself blush A bright

392
00:21:03,559 --> 00:21:05,599
shade of red. I wanted to pull her close and

393
00:21:05,640 --> 00:21:09,000
hold her tight, but instead I gave her a clumsy

394
00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:14,000
salute and started backing away. I squeaked thanks again, and

395
00:21:14,079 --> 00:21:16,680
my voice cracked like an adolescent. I winced at this,

396
00:21:16,720 --> 00:21:18,359
and I had it sorry for being a pain in

397
00:21:18,400 --> 00:21:21,119
the ass. I'll make it up to you sometime. She

398
00:21:21,119 --> 00:21:24,480
gave me a slight smile and gently retorted, Oh, you better,

399
00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:29,000
or I'm not going to help you anymore, Kevin, take

400
00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:32,039
is a two way street, billy, It's time to start giving.

401
00:21:35,519 --> 00:21:38,000
I was too flustered to respond, so I gave her

402
00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:40,640
a double thumbs up and scampered for the door. Despite

403
00:21:40,640 --> 00:21:42,359
all the crazy shit that happened to me since I

404
00:21:42,400 --> 00:21:45,119
started working at the Zoo, I was still an awkward

405
00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:48,079
kid at heart. I longed for a romantic connection with

406
00:21:48,119 --> 00:21:52,440
miss Dahlia, desperately longed for it, but I didn't have

407
00:21:52,480 --> 00:21:55,200
the slightest clue how to make that happen. I needed

408
00:21:55,240 --> 00:21:59,759
to learn how to be smooth, charming, just like well,

409
00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:05,640
just like Victor Bonicelli. VIC was a lot of things,

410
00:22:05,839 --> 00:22:08,960
many of them bad, but awkward was not one of them.

411
00:22:09,279 --> 00:22:12,440
The guy exuded an aura of confidence and charm without

412
00:22:12,440 --> 00:22:16,880
even trying. Someday I cut the courage to throw a

413
00:22:16,880 --> 00:22:19,200
caution into the wind and take her into my arms.

414
00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:21,720
But until I learned how to stop acting like a

415
00:22:21,759 --> 00:22:25,519
giant nerd and be fucking normal in her presence, Until then,

416
00:22:25,720 --> 00:22:28,799
I would continue to perform extreme acts of dorkiness around her,

417
00:22:29,119 --> 00:22:33,599
such as giving a double thumbs up and running away. Seriously,

418
00:22:33,640 --> 00:22:35,839
what the fuck was that? I spent the rest of

419
00:22:35,839 --> 00:22:38,480
the shift hiding in my chaine room, making faces at

420
00:22:38,519 --> 00:22:41,440
myself in the mirror and savagely mocking my own stupidity.

421
00:22:41,880 --> 00:22:44,920
As soon as I walked out the front door, I

422
00:22:44,960 --> 00:22:47,680
smoked two cigarettes in a row, and I wailed myself

423
00:22:47,720 --> 00:22:50,960
to forget about it. Someday I'd look back on it

424
00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:59,039
and laugh, But that day it was not. Today. After work,

425
00:22:59,079 --> 00:23:01,039
I made a quick stop at home, then I headed

426
00:23:01,079 --> 00:23:03,400
off to the address Miss Dallia had written on the envelope.

427
00:23:03,839 --> 00:23:05,799
It was a school day, so I made an educated

428
00:23:05,839 --> 00:23:08,480
guess and I waited in my car down the street

429
00:23:08,519 --> 00:23:12,240
from the closest elementary school. Unlike Kaz, who lived in

430
00:23:12,279 --> 00:23:16,039
the very worst part of town Esmerelda lived in the suburbs.

431
00:23:16,480 --> 00:23:18,799
Sure Enough, I saw her walking up to the school

432
00:23:18,880 --> 00:23:22,480
with a dark haired little girl skipping joyfully beside her.

433
00:23:22,960 --> 00:23:25,480
She looked like she was maybe seven years old. Her

434
00:23:25,519 --> 00:23:29,200
daughter had inherited her mother's height, but unlike Esmerelda, she

435
00:23:29,240 --> 00:23:32,640
appeared to be all smiles and sunshine. She hopped and

436
00:23:32,680 --> 00:23:36,799
bopped along beside her mother, grinning away and talking NonStop.

437
00:23:36,839 --> 00:23:40,759
As I walked up to the front entrance. As soon

438
00:23:40,799 --> 00:23:43,880
as her daughter disappeared through the swinging doors, the artificial

439
00:23:43,960 --> 00:23:48,880
joy drained from Esmerelda's features. She looked tired and deeply worried.

440
00:23:50,359 --> 00:23:52,960
It made me feel really bad to see her like that,

441
00:23:54,079 --> 00:23:57,599
and hell with whatever Vic had said about it, she

442
00:23:57,720 --> 00:24:00,559
was a human being in distress. That was all that mattered.

443
00:24:01,680 --> 00:24:03,640
And she came walking past my car. I rolled down

444
00:24:03,680 --> 00:24:06,359
my window and called out, hey, Esmerela over here. She

445
00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:08,480
stiffened up at the sound of my voice, and her

446
00:24:08,480 --> 00:24:11,279
smoldering gaze locked onto my face like a cruise missile.

447
00:24:11,559 --> 00:24:13,440
She stomped over to my car and leaned down to

448
00:24:13,440 --> 00:24:16,240
glare at me through the window. What the fuck are

449
00:24:16,279 --> 00:24:19,119
you doing here, she demanded? Are you fucking stupid? Do

450
00:24:19,160 --> 00:24:21,000
you have a death wish or something? Get the fuck

451
00:24:21,039 --> 00:24:23,960
away from me. I blurted out, don't punch me out.

452
00:24:24,480 --> 00:24:27,480
It wasn't me. I didn't say anything. I'm almost positive

453
00:24:27,480 --> 00:24:29,920
it was Nick who complained about you. She's snorted, Oh,

454
00:24:29,960 --> 00:24:33,279
it was Nick McKnight who ratted me out. Wasn't it bullshit?

455
00:24:33,599 --> 00:24:36,359
Why would he care? I gave her a somber look

456
00:24:36,359 --> 00:24:38,920
and replied, like he wanted you out of the waves

457
00:24:38,920 --> 00:24:40,680
so that he could do something really fucked up, something

458
00:24:41,599 --> 00:24:43,599
he couldn't have gotten away with if you were there

459
00:24:43,599 --> 00:24:46,240
to stop it. Get in, I'll tell you what happened.

460
00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:51,240
She reluctantly climbed into the passenger side and slammed the

461
00:24:51,279 --> 00:24:54,640
door shut. In an incredulous tone, she asked, this is

462
00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:59,160
your car? Why? It's an ancient piece of shit? What

463
00:24:59,200 --> 00:25:01,839
are you eighty years old? I wrinkled my nose at

464
00:25:01,839 --> 00:25:04,119
her and said he belonged to my grandpa. He's dead. Now,

465
00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:06,000
thanks for making fun of my dead grandpa. That's really

466
00:25:06,079 --> 00:25:09,880
sweet of you, as Merelda growled, put a suck in it. Honestly,

467
00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:11,680
I'm surprised. Do you even have a driver's license? I

468
00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:14,759
assumed you took the bus to work. Okay, so what

469
00:25:14,960 --> 00:25:18,039
happened last night? I told her the story from beginning

470
00:25:18,039 --> 00:25:21,960
to end. She nodded thoughtfully and said, yeah, I would

471
00:25:21,960 --> 00:25:23,640
have called him a bullshit liar, and then I would

472
00:25:23,640 --> 00:25:28,599
have broken his fucking neck. It's fucked up. Yeah, I agreed,

473
00:25:29,640 --> 00:25:32,039
it really is, and now I have to pretend that

474
00:25:32,079 --> 00:25:35,079
everything's okay with his dickhead. The worst thing is, I

475
00:25:35,079 --> 00:25:37,799
think Vic was in on it, you know, the very

476
00:25:37,839 --> 00:25:40,640
least he knew what was gonna happen, and he didn't

477
00:25:40,680 --> 00:25:44,319
try to stop it. As Marelda faintly murmured, Vic's a

478
00:25:44,359 --> 00:25:46,119
piece of shit and he doesn't care about anything but

479
00:25:46,240 --> 00:25:50,039
himself and his bottom line. Well, it sucks all around,

480
00:25:50,039 --> 00:25:53,759
doesn't it. Hang in there, I guess what else you're

481
00:25:53,799 --> 00:25:57,039
gonna do. I stared at the steering wheel for a

482
00:25:57,039 --> 00:25:59,480
few seconds, mulling over what I was going to say next.

483
00:26:01,119 --> 00:26:06,279
Finally I cleared my throat and said, well, I kind

484
00:26:06,319 --> 00:26:08,920
of have a plan I've been working on. Could really

485
00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:13,839
use your help. She immediately popped open the door and snapped, no, hell, no,

486
00:26:14,200 --> 00:26:16,039
you out of your fucking mind. Do you somehow not

487
00:26:16,119 --> 00:26:18,599
understand who you're dealing with and what he can do

488
00:26:18,640 --> 00:26:21,079
to you, to all of us? Fuck out of here

489
00:26:21,079 --> 00:26:22,599
with that shit, don't you know? What happened to the

490
00:26:22,599 --> 00:26:26,160
guy you replaced? I grabbed her bulging bicep as she

491
00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:28,319
started to slide out of the car. She looked down

492
00:26:28,319 --> 00:26:30,039
in my hand with a dangerous look in her eye,

493
00:26:30,079 --> 00:26:32,920
and I immediately pulled it back. I said, wait a second. Look.

494
00:26:33,680 --> 00:26:35,880
I don't know how I'm gonna pull this off, but

495
00:26:35,960 --> 00:26:38,720
I do know right from wrong. You've done a lot

496
00:26:38,720 --> 00:26:40,599
of bad things in your life. Don't try to deny it.

497
00:26:41,119 --> 00:26:43,000
We're all gonna die someday. Wouldn't you like to do

498
00:26:43,039 --> 00:26:45,680
some good while you're still alive. I'll die a lot

499
00:26:45,799 --> 00:26:48,319
faster if I mess with a bone and jelly crime family.

500
00:26:48,839 --> 00:26:53,079
She answered curtly, I have a kid, you delirious, fucking dipshit.

501
00:26:53,559 --> 00:26:55,920
I'm not gonna put her in harm's way for any cause,

502
00:26:56,000 --> 00:26:59,240
good or bad. The answer isn't just no, The answer

503
00:26:59,359 --> 00:27:03,039
is fuck no, you idealistic idiot. Now put this piece

504
00:27:03,079 --> 00:27:05,759
of shit and drive and get out of here. I'm

505
00:27:05,759 --> 00:27:09,960
going home. She slammed the car door, and I tossed

506
00:27:09,960 --> 00:27:12,240
an envelope at her through the open window, so she

507
00:27:12,279 --> 00:27:13,920
snatched it out of the air and demanded, what the

508
00:27:13,920 --> 00:27:17,759
fuck is this? I applied quietly four thousand dollars. I

509
00:27:17,759 --> 00:27:21,960
don't need it, she might soon enough. It's tough out there. Sorry,

510
00:27:22,000 --> 00:27:23,920
you got fired. I argued for you to come back,

511
00:27:23,960 --> 00:27:29,200
but Vic wasn't having it. I well, I I feel bad,

512
00:27:29,240 --> 00:27:31,319
you know, I never wanted that to happen, so just

513
00:27:31,359 --> 00:27:36,680
take it, okay. As Marlda stared down with the fat

514
00:27:36,759 --> 00:27:39,519
envelope in her hands, with a mixture of anger, disdain,

515
00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:46,079
and pure misery, she said, you don't have to do this, billy. No,

516
00:27:46,599 --> 00:27:50,440
I agreed, I'm doing it anyway. I fired up the

517
00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:53,000
buick and then added, feels good to help when others

518
00:27:53,039 --> 00:27:56,799
are in need. You should try it sometime. As Merlda

519
00:27:56,839 --> 00:27:59,480
glared at me and started telling me off, but I

520
00:27:59,519 --> 00:28:02,240
was already driving away. There was nothing else I could

521
00:28:02,279 --> 00:28:04,839
do for her, and truthfully, I'm not sure if she

522
00:28:04,880 --> 00:28:08,000
even deserved it. Vic was right, it was ridiculous to

523
00:28:08,000 --> 00:28:10,319
be a night and shining armor for someone who beat

524
00:28:10,400 --> 00:28:14,440
you up. Regardless, it made me feel a little better

525
00:28:14,440 --> 00:28:19,240
about the whole situation, and that made it worthwhile. Half

526
00:28:19,279 --> 00:28:22,240
an hour later, I was lying in bed. A horrible

527
00:28:22,319 --> 00:28:25,160
realization made me sit up straight and throw the covers aside.

528
00:28:25,559 --> 00:28:27,720
I just witnessed the murder of two people that night,

529
00:28:28,200 --> 00:28:31,279
and I knew about the murder of two others here.

530
00:28:31,359 --> 00:28:35,720
I was drifting off to sleep like nothing happened. I

531
00:28:35,759 --> 00:28:37,839
got up and poured myself a stiff rum and coke

532
00:28:37,880 --> 00:28:40,960
in the kitchen. I rarely drank, and never in the morning,

533
00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:43,720
but I needed it. I was suddenly trembling all over.

534
00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:46,400
Four people had died, and I hardly even gave it

535
00:28:46,440 --> 00:28:49,799
a second thought. I came home and plopped onto the bed.

536
00:28:50,279 --> 00:28:52,680
The fuck was happening to me. I was changing, and

537
00:28:52,680 --> 00:28:57,279
not for the better. This isn't normal, I said out loud.

538
00:28:57,599 --> 00:29:00,000
I took a big gulp of my drink. It's actually

539
00:29:00,279 --> 00:29:05,599
really fucked up. Don't let it become normal. I remembered

540
00:29:05,599 --> 00:29:08,759
thinking of myself as a heretic amongst zelots, and I

541
00:29:08,759 --> 00:29:11,079
wanted to punch myself in the face and self loathing.

542
00:29:11,880 --> 00:29:14,920
I wasn't fucking Gandhi over here. And likewise, the other

543
00:29:15,000 --> 00:29:18,000
employees of the zoo weren't a bunch of amoral, degenerate

544
00:29:18,039 --> 00:29:23,039
freaks with no compassion. Just wore you down after a while.

545
00:29:23,599 --> 00:29:27,960
That's all. The constant threat of violence, chaotic atmosphere, the

546
00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:31,960
sheer force of Vic's personality, it all wore you down.

547
00:29:33,319 --> 00:29:35,759
The only way that you kept functioning in this environment

548
00:29:35,799 --> 00:29:39,960
was to numb yourself to constant madness. Otherwise you lose

549
00:29:39,960 --> 00:29:45,720
your mind. Little by little, I was sinking into the quicksand,

550
00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:49,119
and I didn't even know it was happening. I looked

551
00:29:49,160 --> 00:29:50,640
at myself in the mirror, and I went to the

552
00:29:50,680 --> 00:29:54,359
image staring back at me. I looked like at age

553
00:29:54,440 --> 00:29:57,839
ten years since I started at the zoo. The worst

554
00:29:57,839 --> 00:29:59,839
thing was the blank and hollow look in my eyes.

555
00:30:01,799 --> 00:30:03,559
It reminded me of the pictures I had seen of

556
00:30:03,559 --> 00:30:08,759
war veterans who were suffering from shell shock. After I

557
00:30:08,839 --> 00:30:11,160
knocked back the rest of my drink, I flopped onto

558
00:30:11,200 --> 00:30:14,240
the couch and stared at the ceiling. I kind of

559
00:30:14,279 --> 00:30:16,359
wanted to have myself a good old fashioned cry fit,

560
00:30:16,440 --> 00:30:22,359
but I couldn't make that happen. Even my tear ducks

561
00:30:22,400 --> 00:30:25,160
wanted nothing to do with the situation. I was completely

562
00:30:25,200 --> 00:30:28,119
on my own. I grabbed the couch pillow and curled

563
00:30:28,160 --> 00:30:30,480
up on my side. I hugged the pillow to my

564
00:30:30,559 --> 00:30:34,640
chest and started rocking back and forth. It was something

565
00:30:34,640 --> 00:30:36,319
I used to do when I needed comfort as a

566
00:30:36,319 --> 00:30:39,680
little kid. After a few minutes of this I started

567
00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:43,759
getting sleepy again. That roam was working as magic. My

568
00:30:43,799 --> 00:30:46,200
eyelids got heavy, and I dropped into a deep slumber

569
00:30:46,200 --> 00:30:49,519
with a pillow still clutched tight to my chest. My

570
00:30:49,599 --> 00:30:51,640
last go here and thought before I fell asleep, was

571
00:30:53,200 --> 00:30:57,160
I won't let this become normal. I won't let them win.

572
00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:03,519
When my eyelids fluttered open later that evening, I bolted

573
00:31:03,519 --> 00:31:06,839
straight to the bathroom and violently threw up. I suppose

574
00:31:06,839 --> 00:31:08,799
it was a delayed reaction to all the horrid shit

575
00:31:08,839 --> 00:31:12,319
that happened the night before. Who knows, maybe the ram

576
00:31:12,400 --> 00:31:15,720
on an empty stomach was a bad idea. I considered

577
00:31:15,759 --> 00:31:19,160
calling him sick, but in the end, I held myself

578
00:31:19,160 --> 00:31:23,319
out to the car and drove to work. In a way,

579
00:31:23,359 --> 00:31:26,319
I wasn't much different than the cryptos at work. The

580
00:31:26,400 --> 00:31:30,160
zoo was my prison, but it was also the only

581
00:31:30,240 --> 00:31:34,839
thing that was tethering me to reality. If I wasn't

582
00:31:34,880 --> 00:31:47,279
a caretaker's assistant, I would be nothing at all. Hey,

583
00:31:47,319 --> 00:31:49,880
there're kids, it's me, mister Creepypasta. And before we say

584
00:31:49,880 --> 00:31:51,720
good night, I just wanted to say thank you so

585
00:31:51,839 --> 00:31:55,559
much for watching tonight's video, or for listening to tonight's episode,

586
00:31:55,640 --> 00:31:57,440
or the podcast. I also want to say, if you

587
00:31:57,440 --> 00:31:59,519
guys like the stories you're hearing now, please check out

588
00:31:59,559 --> 00:32:02,319
The Creepy Hosta Collection, Volume one and Volume two. They're

589
00:32:02,319 --> 00:32:04,440
available now on Amazon, They're available at Barnes and Noble.

590
00:32:04,440 --> 00:32:07,359
They're available wherever you like to get books. They're some

591
00:32:07,440 --> 00:32:09,400
of the best authors I've worked with over the years,

592
00:32:09,400 --> 00:32:11,759
of my absolute favorite authors and some of my friends,

593
00:32:11,839 --> 00:32:14,000
so I'd appreciate it if you guys check those things out.

594
00:32:14,079 --> 00:32:17,039
There's also an audiobook that I wasn't involved with. I

595
00:32:17,079 --> 00:32:19,319
don't know why Simon and Schuster did that, but they did,

596
00:32:19,680 --> 00:32:22,440
so you can check that out too if you'd like

597
00:32:22,519 --> 00:32:24,519
listing the books but you just don't want to hear me.

598
00:32:25,079 --> 00:32:26,839
As always, I want to give a very big thank

599
00:32:26,880 --> 00:32:29,599
you to everybody who supports me on Patreon, Patreon dot com,

600
00:32:29,599 --> 00:32:33,240
slash mister Creeposta, people such as Diana Krauss, Asset System,

601
00:32:33,279 --> 00:32:36,319
Benjamin two thousand and three, Late Bratler, Bottle cooland Brandon Mendoza, Caltuna,

602
00:32:36,359 --> 00:32:38,240
Cory x Kensrion, The Code of Best, Daniel Polson, Don

603
00:32:38,279 --> 00:32:40,440
Taking Kid and Chanted Buns. Eric Anthony Carusso s to

604
00:32:40,480 --> 00:32:42,960
being fifteen squirrels in a trench Coat, Dalaxy Gremlin, his Nephew, Himo,

605
00:32:43,039 --> 00:32:45,839
Jerry Hour Minute, Second Time, Jay Kearns, Jedis, pet Lu Cipher,

606
00:32:45,920 --> 00:32:48,119
Nick mc flant, piss Red, Shadow Cat, Remember the Sun,

607
00:32:48,200 --> 00:32:50,559
Salty Surprize, So Marilyn, Scary Stories, Fuel Me thirty two

608
00:32:50,599 --> 00:32:53,559
Seclude Simps, Buddy Mojo, Sky, Harper Smiley, The Psychotic Sully Man,

609
00:32:53,599 --> 00:32:55,559
Polly Sue, Team Leo seventy six, The Chab, His Brothers,

610
00:32:55,599 --> 00:32:57,960
The Ginger Brus, Tommy Walters, Vice, Roy Scorn, William Wellington,

611
00:32:58,079 --> 00:33:00,519
x Reepert sixty nine x X, Lucky Cat, ex Zibol,

612
00:33:00,559 --> 00:33:02,799
Shadow Gardens and Peaceful Buddha. Thank you all so much

613
00:33:02,799 --> 00:33:06,039
for being here, and as always, sweet dreams