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Speaker 1: My great grandfather was the kind of man who always

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seemed unshakable. He had lived through a World war, raised

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four kids of his own after his wife passed, and

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ran a small town diner until arthritis stole his grip.

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He was a figure of quiet strength, with the eyes

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of someone who'd seen the world and survived. Growing up,

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I knew he'd served as a nurse during the war,

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but that was about all I knew. Most of his

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stories gathered dust in his memories, just like the medals

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that stood on the living room shelf. He'd sometimes joke

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about trading cigarettes for coffee or patching up cowdly soldiers

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who shot themselves in the foot, but there was a

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line he would never cross. He always kept their heavy

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memories locked out of sight. It was late past midnight

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and the house was quiet except for the harm of

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the old refrigerator in the kitchen. Accompanied by grandfather, clock,

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Great Grandpa and eyes sat at the table, the dim

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yellow light above us casting long shadows across his worn,

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withered face. He poured himself a whiskey, the one indulgence

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that remained, and handed me a coke, a gesture that

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made me feel much older than I was. He was

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quiet at first, staring into his glass like it held

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something he'd been trying to figure out. Then, without looking

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up at me, he spoke, you have a wonder why

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something stick with you? Boy? He asked with a low

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and steady voice. I blinked and adjusted my posture, caught

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off guard. What do you mean? He took a sip

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from his glass and set it back down carefully, his

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hand lingering on it. The war. I've seen a lot

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of things fixed, a lot of people up better rid

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more than my share too. He paused and glanced at

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me before setting his gaze back down to his glass.

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But there's one man I've never been able to forget.

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He leaned forward, careful not to break the moment. Great

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Grandpa rarely talked like this, and I respected him too

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much to even think about interrupting. Private Andrew Mallory, he said,

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his gray eyes sharp but distant, as if reliving the

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memory in front of me. I waited, letting him find

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his words. He came to us in the winter of

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forty four, Grandpa began. We were stationed at the hospital

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just behind the front lines. It was freezing, the kind

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of cold that would kill you if you stopped moving

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for too long. The air stank of smoke, blood, mud,

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and gunpowder. He paused his jaw, visibly tightening. The hospital

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wasn't even much of a hospital, he said, with a

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dry chuckle. A few canvas, tents and a whole lot

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of desperation. We worked with no brakes, patching up the

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ones we could, and making the others comfortable until they

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no longer needed the comfort. He picked up his glass

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again and took a slow sip. That's where I first

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met Mallory. They brought him in late one night, carried

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on a stretcher by two boys who didn't look much

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older than he was. Shrapped, no wound to the gut.

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It was bad, son, real bad. We tried to save him,

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but his voice trailed off and his hand tightened around

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the glass. He died on the table. I was holding

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his hand when it happened. I remember clear as day,

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the way his grip loosened, the look in his eyes

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when he realized he wasn't going to make it. He

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was just a kid, scared, alone, dying in the middle

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of a frozen hell. He fell silent for a moment,

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his gaze fixed on the table between us. What happened

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after that? I asked quietly. Great Grandpa exiled slowly, his

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shoulders slumping as he leaned back in his chair. The

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same thing as always. Rig cleaned him up as well

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as we could, tagged him, and sent him to the

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morgue tent. Then we moved on. There wasn't time to

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dwell on anything back then. Too many men coming in

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and not enough hands to save 'em all. We had

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no time to mourn. We just did what we could

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and hoped it was enough. I nodded, even though I

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couldn't imagine what sort of pressure he must have felt.

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The next morning, he continued, his voice softer, now almost ghostly.

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I walked into the tree arched tent, same as always,

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and there he was. I frowned. Who Mallory, my great

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grandfather said, his eyes meeting mine, standing there like nothing

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had ever happened. It was fine, better than fine, even,

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no wounds, no blood, not a scratch on him, just

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standing there, confused as hell, but in better condition than

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any one in that hospital. A slight chill ran down

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my spine. I never heard my great grandfather tell a

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story like that. I didn't even think he believed in

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anything supernatural, and what did you do? What could I?

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He said, I thought I was losing my mind. I

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went over to him, my eyes wide as dinner plate.

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I clearly scared the kid with the way I walked

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up to him, but I half expected him to collapse

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or disappear into thin air the second I touched him.

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But he didn't. He was solid, as real as the

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kid i'd watched die the night before. He rubbed his

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hand over his face. The other nurses thought it had

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to be a mistake, that we'd misidentified the body or

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mixed up the tags. It wasn't too uncommon, but I

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knew I held his hand when he died. What did

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Malory say, I asked, curiosity, gripping me tightly. Not much.

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He admitted he was confused, disoriented, said he didn't remember

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anything after the explosion. The doctors checked him over and

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he was fine, with no wounds or signs of trauma.

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They got him ready and sent him back to the front.

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Just like that, I asked, my voice rising, Just like that, boy,

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great grandpa said with a bitter tone. Orders were orders,

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and he was a soldier. If he could stand, he

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could also fight, and that's all that mattered. He fell

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silent again, his gaze drifting toward the darkened window to

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our left. The kitchen felt colder than it had a

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moment ago, and I realized I was holding my breath.

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I couldn't let it go, he said, with a subdued tone.

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After I saw man there, alive and well, I couldn't

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just move on. I tried to talk about it. Hell

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I had to. Who did you talk to, I asked

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Mary Ellen, he said, a faint smiled tugging at the

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corners of his mouth. She was one of the senior nurses.

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She was hard as nails, but she had a good

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head on her shoulders. A damn fine woman she was.

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I figured if anyone would listen, she'd be the one.

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He let out a long sigh. I caught her between shifts.

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She was smoking behind the supply tent, trying to get

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some minutes to herself before the next truck pulled up.

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Great Grandpa's voice softened once more, and I could also

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see the scene in my head as he described it.

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She stood there, leaning against the tent pole, staring at

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me like I told her the world was ending in

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just a few minutes. What do you mean, he walked

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back in. She asked, I told her everything, just as

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I had told you, And what did she say? I asked,

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louder than I'd meant to. She laughed, he said, flatly,

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the kind you give someone when you're too tired to

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deal with nonsense. I told her I wasn't crazy, and

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I knew what I saw. I said, Mary, that kid

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was dead. He died in front of me, but she

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just shook her head and said, dead men don't walk, Harold,

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maybe you tag the wrong boy. We've all made mistakes.

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His hand trembled slightly as he reached for his glass,

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the liquid inside never seeming to end. I asked her

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if she'd at least take a look at him see

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for herself. She took one last drag of a cigarette,

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blew the smoke out, and said, we don't have time

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for this. There's a truck coming in with twenty more boys,

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and a doubt half of them will make it longer

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than a night. I frowned, trying to picture the situation

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in my head. That's it. She just shrugged it off

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like that. War doesn't leave room for questions, kid, he said,

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with a heavy voice. Not questions like that anyway, I

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knew that myself. We were barely keeping up as it was,

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soldiers pouring in faster than we could treat em. Supply

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is running out. When you're drowning, you don't stop to

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wonder where the water is rising. He set his glass

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down hard, the sounds sharp in the quiet kitchen. She

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told me to get back to work, and that was that.

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Mallory was just another name, another body. Nobody cared where

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he'd been or how he came back. They just cared

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that he could hold a rifle. The bitterness in his

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voice cut deep, and I didn't know what to say

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for a moment. Did he come back, I asked finally,

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already knowing the answer. He nodded slowly. Yeah, he came back.

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He stared at the ceiling for a moment before looking

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at me with kind eyes. But that's enough for to night.

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I'm tired. I opened my mouth to protest, to ask

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just one more question, but I realized Great Grandpa wasn't asking.

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He was telling me the conversation was over for now.

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I'll tell you the rest to morrow, kid, he said,

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rising from his chair, followed by the faint creak of

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the old wood. That night, sleep didn't come easy. I

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lay in bed and stared at the ceiling, replaying great

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Grandpa's words over and over. The gravity in his voice

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sent shivers down my spine. I wanted to know more.

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Images of a war torn hospital filled my mind. The

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smell of antiseptic and blood, the groans of the dead

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and dying, the frantic shuffle of nurses trying to save lives,

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and then malory. The thought continued to gnaw at me

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the next day at work, I tried my best to focus,

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but my mind kept drifting. I ran through everything great

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Grandpa had said, wondering how it could be possible. I

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was still lost in thought when my phone rang. The

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vibration in my pocket snapped me back to reality. The

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voice on the other end was rushed and panicked. Your

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great grandfather has been hospitalized. The woman and the other

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end said heart attack. My stomach dropped. I barely remembered

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grabbing my keys, talking to my boss, and driving to

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the hospital. When I got there, he was lying in bed, pale,

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and hooked up to more machines than I could count.

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His eyes opened when he heard me enter, and he

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gave me a weak smile. Great Grandpa's hand trembled as

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he reached out, beckoning me closer. The hospital room was quiet,

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save for the rhythmic beeping of the monitors and the

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faint hum of the fluorescent lights overhead. His voice was

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hoarse and strained, but its urgency left no room for argument.

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Didn't think you could get rid of me that easily,

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did you, he rasped, I laughed softly. Scared the hell

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out of me. Grandpa, sit, he said, his eyes locking

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unto mine. I need to finish the story, Grandpa, it's fine,

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you need to rest. No, he interrupted, his tone firm unexpectedly.

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So I don't know how much time I have. Just listen,

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I nodded, pulling the chair closer to his bedside. His

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hand gripped mine, the warmth contrasting with the cold sterility

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of the hospital. I listened without saying a word, leaning

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forward to catch every syllable. Something in his tone demanded

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my full attention. After Mallory came back the first time,

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Grandpa began once more, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

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I just couldn't stop thinking about it. It made no sense.

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I tried to keep going, hoping the world would explain

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itself later. His fingers tightened around the edge of the blanket.

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I tried thinking back on what Mary had said, that

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he was just a mix up, a mistake, but deep

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down I knew better. He paused, his chest, rising and

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falling in shallow breaths. Time went by, weeks past and

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I didn't see him again. I figured that was the

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end of it. But then they brought him back. He

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shifted slightly, wincing as he adjusted his position. I remember

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the look on the Meddick's face when they carried him in.

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They said he stepped on a mine. His leg was

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gone blown clean off, shrapnel had ripped through his chest,

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and his skin was burnt so badly he didn't even

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look human. What happened? Then? I asked, my voice barely

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above a whisper. Great Grandpa shook his head. We tried

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to stop the bleeding, pulled the shrapnel, did everything we

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could to keep him alive. But it was a losing

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battle from the start. We all knew it. His heart

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gave out half way through and he died again. His

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voice trembled, and he turned his head to look at me.

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Do you know what it feels like to fail someone twice? Boy?

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To watch a kid, die in your hands, knowing there's

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nothing you can do. I was unable to find the words.

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We cleaned him up, tagged him again, and sent him

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to the morgue tent. It had to be over, and

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I hoped it was for his sake. The next morning,

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Grandpa said, his voice growing quieter. I walked into the

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triarche tent to start my shift, and there he was again,

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his expression darkened. The first time I saw him come back,

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I thought I was losing my mind. This time, I

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didn't quite know what to think. He was sitting in

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one of the carts, staring at the floor like he

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didn't know where he was, and he looked fine, just

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like before. Did you talk to him, I asked. Grandpa exailed,

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his hands, clenching the blanket tighter. I froze for a moment.

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I just stared at him. Part of me wanted to

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run up to him and ask what the hell was

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going on? But I didn't. Why not because the tent

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was a madhouse, said bitterly. More men had been brought

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in overnight, and there were too many fires to put out.

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I didn't have time to sit and ask questions, As

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much as I wanted to his eyes cladded over, his

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voice turning softer. I did manage to catch his eye, though,

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for just a second, and you know what I saw? Fear.

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He was scared out of his mind, but confused. They

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sent him back to the front line. Later that day,

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Grandpa said, I could feel the frustration radiating off him

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as he spoke. I wanted to stop him, he admitted,

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to pull him aside and make him tell me everything.

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But I didn't get the chance. I didn't even see

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him for a long time after that. The war moved on, unrelenting.

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He looked at me then, his eyes heavy. But I

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couldn't stop thinking about him. Every time I closed my eyes,

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i'd see his face, a fear, a confusion. And I

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00:19:14,559 --> 00:19:23,160
kept wondering, wondering what Grandpa hesitated, his lips pressed into

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a thin line. I kept wondering where he went when

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he died, what he saw, what it was that scared

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him so much. The door opened suddenly, and a nurse

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stepped in, her voice soft, I'm sorry, visiting hours are over, wait,

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I said, turning back to Grandpa. You said there was more.

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What happened next? Did he come back? Grandpa lifted her hand,

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his fingers weakly waving me off. Later, he murmured, his

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voice barely audible. I'll tell you the rest later, Grandpa,

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go home, he said, his eyes fluttering shut. We'll finish tomorrow.

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The nurse gave me a sympathetic smile as she ushered

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me out, But something about Grandpa's final words left a

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pit in my stomach. As I walked out of the hospital,

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I couldn't shake great Grandpa's words, and a small part

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of me began to question it all. His story about

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Private Mallory was by all means impossible. People do not

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just die and come back, let alone multiple times. Maybe

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I thought it was his way of coping with his

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own mortality, a metaphor for something he couldn't quite explain

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to me. Or maybe he was trying to teach me

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something about resilience and sacrifice. Still, the way he spoke

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and the emotions in his voice all felt real. There

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was a sincerity to it. The morning after, I thought

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about calling the hospital to check on him. He was

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old and tired and needed rest, but I planned on

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seeing him after work. Given the seriousness of the story,

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he would prefer to tell it in person. I had

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just gotten home from work, when my phone rang. The

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number was from the hospital. Your great grandfather has just

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passed away. It was sudden, but peaceful. The voice on

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the other end said, I'm so sorry for your loss.

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She sounded comforting, but with so much unanswered. I was distraught.

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I asked him to repet hoping I misunderstood, but I hadn't.

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My great Grandpa was gone. I went to the hospital

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to sign off documents and pick up his remaining things.

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Deep down, I hoped to find some clues to the

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00:22:21,559 --> 00:22:25,400
ending of his story, or maybe even a manifesto explaining

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the rest. But all he had with him was the

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clothes on his back. I left the hospital feeling lost,

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both emotionally and physically. One way or another, I hinted

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up at the diner where great Grandpa and I used

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to go when I was a kid, the one I

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used to own back in the day. It was a

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place that felt safe and familiar as setting to remember

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him by. I slid into the booth where Grandpa and

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I always sat. Then I stared at the melia chipped

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lamon at table as the hum of the diner's lights

302
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buzzed faintly in the background. I did not even notice

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the waitress asking if I wanted coffee, and I just

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nodded along. When two mugs hit the table, I looked

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up and froze. Sitting across from me in front of

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the other mug of steaming coffee was my great grandfather.

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He looked tired, his face exhausted and withdrawn. For there

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was no mistaking it. He raised the mug slightly like

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a toast. Don't panic, son, he said, in a calming tone.

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I internalized my reaction to scream and got up, slowly,

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keeping my eyes on him as I slid into the

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sea to cross from him. You're a light, I know,

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he interrupt as he sipped his coffee. You wanted to

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know what happened the third time Mallory came back, he added,

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I kept staring at him, my mind the swirling pit

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of confusion and disbelief. How I got the call you?

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They they said you died, Grandpa said, finishing the sentence

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for me. I did, son. That's the problem. It's my

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00:24:29,880 --> 00:24:35,680
second time now, so this is when things change. Before

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I could press further, he leaned in. The Last time

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Malory came back, he was different. They carried him into

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the tent, half dead, with burns, shattered bones, and parts

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of him barely held together. But he didn't die. He

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should have, God knows he should have, but something did

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not let him. Grandpa slumped back in his chair, his

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expression turning dark, but he hung on barely. The damage

327
00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:17,000
to his body was Grandpa traveled off, shaking his head.

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Everyone said it and knew it. The other medics looked

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00:25:21,160 --> 00:25:23,440
at him like they were waiting for his heart to stop,

330
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but he just never did. He laid there, breathing shallow,

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his eyes wide open. I stayed quiet. They got him stable.

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Eventually he continued, stable enough to move him to a

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00:25:41,480 --> 00:25:46,559
recovery tent. I had to know more, son. I couldn't

334
00:25:46,599 --> 00:25:49,319
get it out of my head, the look on his

335
00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:53,000
face when we were working on him. It wasn't just pain.

336
00:25:55,200 --> 00:26:00,000
He scratched at his forearm, wincing slightly. I couldn't sleep

337
00:26:00,119 --> 00:26:04,160
that night. I kept thinking about him, wondering if he

338
00:26:04,240 --> 00:26:10,200
was still alive, still hanging on. So I broke protocol,

339
00:26:11,200 --> 00:26:14,079
slipped out of my bunk, and went to see him.

340
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Grandpa's voice dropped lower and his hands tightened around the mug.

341
00:26:20,960 --> 00:26:27,400
When I got there, I saw it. His wounds. They

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00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:31,799
weren't healing. They were getting worse. But it wasn't just

343
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blood and burns anymore. There was something else, this black

344
00:26:37,839 --> 00:26:41,839
goo seeping out of his injuries, spreading over his skin

345
00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:45,480
like it was alive. I felt a chill creep up

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my spine. He saw me standing there, Grandpa continued, and

347
00:26:52,319 --> 00:26:56,079
his eyes locked onto mine. He looked at me like

348
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I was his last chance. He reached out, barely able

349
00:27:00,799 --> 00:27:05,240
to lift his hand, and said, you have to end it. Please.

350
00:27:05,880 --> 00:27:09,160
I can't go back again. I can't let it take me.

351
00:27:10,920 --> 00:27:16,720
Grandpa swallowed hard, his voice trembling. Now. I told him

352
00:27:16,759 --> 00:27:20,960
I couldn't, that I wouldn't. I was there to save people,

353
00:27:21,240 --> 00:27:26,119
not kill them. But he kept begging, tears streaming down

354
00:27:26,160 --> 00:27:31,279
his face, his voice breaking. It's in me, he said.

355
00:27:31,799 --> 00:27:35,319
It's going to take everything. Please don't let me turn

356
00:27:35,359 --> 00:27:42,039
into it. My chest tightened. What did you do, Grandpa?

357
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I didn't want to do it, Grandpa admitted, but I

358
00:27:47,559 --> 00:27:51,839
knew he was right. Whatever was happening to him, it

359
00:27:51,960 --> 00:27:56,680
wasn't natural. He wasn't going to stop it was spreading.

360
00:27:58,160 --> 00:28:01,200
I didn't have a choice. I had failed to save

361
00:28:01,240 --> 00:28:07,519
the kid twice. I wouldn't fail again. Grandpa looked up

362
00:28:07,519 --> 00:28:11,519
at me, then, his eyes filled with quiet, terrible guilt.

363
00:28:13,200 --> 00:28:16,079
I pressed my hand over his nose and mouth and

364
00:28:16,200 --> 00:28:22,519
held it there until he stopped breathing. Grandpa leaned back

365
00:28:22,519 --> 00:28:26,079
in the booth, his hands trembling slightly as he rested

366
00:28:26,119 --> 00:28:30,240
them on the table. I thought it was over. After that,

367
00:28:31,160 --> 00:28:35,279
I thought I'd done what needed to be done. Whatever

368
00:28:35,480 --> 00:28:39,640
was in him was tenacious, It didn't want to go

369
00:28:39,759 --> 00:28:43,079
with him. What seeped out of him like a noose,

370
00:28:43,319 --> 00:28:47,759
fizzled as Malory's heart stopped, and before I could get away,

371
00:28:49,359 --> 00:28:53,319
it burst into a mist. I managed to back away

372
00:28:53,359 --> 00:28:55,960
from it, but I breathed a bit of it. In

373
00:28:57,279 --> 00:29:04,440
only a bit, but it was enough. A look of

374
00:29:04,440 --> 00:29:08,279
defeat crossed my Grandpa's face, a rare look to see.

375
00:29:10,359 --> 00:29:15,279
I was found still, declared dead on the spot when

376
00:29:15,319 --> 00:29:18,279
I walked in the next day. There was too much

377
00:29:18,400 --> 00:29:22,759
chaos to investigate, so it was just reported as a

378
00:29:22,759 --> 00:29:27,200
clerical error. No marks were found on me, so my

379
00:29:27,279 --> 00:29:33,839
medical records just show an undetected heart murmur. That was

380
00:29:33,880 --> 00:29:43,880
my first Grandpa's side. Since then, I've lived carefully. I

381
00:29:43,880 --> 00:29:47,039
don't know how many chances I have, but this heart

382
00:29:47,079 --> 00:29:51,799
attack was the second. I can't risk you or anyone

383
00:29:51,799 --> 00:29:56,920
around me. Before I was desperate to know what Malory knew,

384
00:29:58,440 --> 00:30:03,640
but seeing it myself, I now know where he craved death.

385
00:30:04,799 --> 00:30:08,160
He lifted his arms slightly, pulling back the sleeve of

386
00:30:08,200 --> 00:30:13,319
his shirt. Just above his wrist. A small patch of

387
00:30:13,440 --> 00:30:19,000
black oily substance clung to his skin. It got to me,

388
00:30:19,880 --> 00:30:24,559
he said, simply. Whatever was inside Mallory passed to me,

389
00:30:26,400 --> 00:30:33,039
and now it's waiting. I can feel it spreading little

390
00:30:33,079 --> 00:30:37,039
by little. But I don't know what I'll turn into,

391
00:30:37,559 --> 00:30:43,960
but I know it won't be me. I was stunned

392
00:30:45,039 --> 00:30:48,839
hearing this story was just words, but seeing the strange

393
00:30:48,839 --> 00:30:55,000
substance in person made it all too real. I'm sorry, kid,

394
00:30:55,440 --> 00:31:00,640
Grandpa said, his voice breaking. I didn't want you to know, oh,

395
00:31:00,920 --> 00:31:04,799
but I couldn't leave without telling you the truth. You

396
00:31:04,960 --> 00:31:09,839
deserve that much. I stared at him, my pulse brounding

397
00:31:09,920 --> 00:31:13,119
in my ears. That there has to be a way

398
00:31:13,160 --> 00:31:18,480
to stop it, Grandpa, I pleaded. Grandpa gave me a sad,

399
00:31:18,880 --> 00:31:23,799
tired smile. Maybe, son, but it's not a risk I'm

400
00:31:23,839 --> 00:31:29,440
willing to take around you or anyone else. He pushed

401
00:31:29,480 --> 00:31:34,039
back from the table. His movement slow. Take care of

402
00:31:34,079 --> 00:31:38,119
your siblings and your mother for me was the last

403
00:31:38,119 --> 00:31:43,680
thing he said. I wanted to stop him, to say something,

404
00:31:44,599 --> 00:31:48,359
but the words caught in my throat. I could only

405
00:31:48,400 --> 00:31:52,559
watch as he walked out of the diner, and the

406
00:31:52,559 --> 00:31:57,200
weight of everything that had transpired came crashing down on

407
00:31:57,319 --> 00:31:57,400
me