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<v Speaker 1>Now one of your pudding. I got a string going

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<v Speaker 1>on here, something just because my dog. Something killed your dog,

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<v Speaker 1>My dog. We're flying through the air over the tree.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know how it did it, Okay, Damn, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>really confused. All I saw was my dog coming over

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<v Speaker 1>the fence and he was dead. And once you hit

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<v Speaker 1>the ground, like, I didn't see any cars. All I

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<v Speaker 1>saw was my dog coming over the fence. Sat, what

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<v Speaker 1>are you putting? We got some wonder or something crawling

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<v Speaker 1>around out here? Did you see what it was or

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<v Speaker 1>was it was? Standing enough? I'm out here looking through

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<v Speaker 1>the window now and I don't see anything. I don't

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<v Speaker 1>want to go outside. Jesus Quice, you better hello, hit

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<v Speaker 1>thebody out here when I'm out there. I thought of

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<v Speaker 1>a bitch about Tex forty nine. I don't know. Easy

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<v Speaker 1>him out there. Yeah, I'm walking right head uh.

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<v Speaker 2>Part three Into the Dark, Chapter twelve Lines in the Sand.

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<v Speaker 2>Zach arrived at the house just after sunrise. He looked

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<v Speaker 2>like he hadn't slept either, dark circles under his eyes,

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<v Speaker 2>coffee in a thermos that he kept refilling, that same

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<v Speaker 2>intensity burning in his gaze that I'd come to recognize

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<v Speaker 2>as obsession, the good kind, the kind that keeps you

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<v Speaker 2>going when everything else tells you to stop. Daniel made

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<v Speaker 2>breakfast while I filled Zack in on what had happened,

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<v Speaker 2>the men in black, the threats, the photographs proving they'd

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<v Speaker 2>been watching us for weeks. By the time I finished,

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<v Speaker 2>Daniel had stopped cooking and was just standing at the stove,

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<v Speaker 2>spatula in hand, staring at me. They threatened you, he said.

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<v Speaker 2>His voice was flat, controlled, but I could hear the

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<v Speaker 2>anger underneath. They came to our home and threatened you.

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<v Speaker 2>They threatened both of us, you specifically. What are we

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<v Speaker 2>going to do? I looked at Zach, He looked at me.

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<v Speaker 2>We'd already had this conversation in the driveway in low voices,

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<v Speaker 2>while Daniel was still getting dressed. We knew what we

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<v Speaker 2>had to do. The question was whether we could bring

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<v Speaker 2>Daniel along for the ride. We're not backing down, I said.

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<v Speaker 2>Daniel set down the spatula.

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<v Speaker 1>Brian.

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<v Speaker 2>I know it's dangerous, I know what's at stake. But

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<v Speaker 2>if we let them scare us into silence, nothing changes.

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<v Speaker 2>People keep disappearing, the cover up continues, and they win.

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<v Speaker 2>I reached across the counter and took his hand. I

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<v Speaker 2>didn't become a cop to look the other way when

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<v Speaker 2>bad things happen. I can't start now. Even if it

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<v Speaker 2>gets you killed, it won't come to that. You don't

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<v Speaker 2>know that, no, I admitted, I don't, But I know

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<v Speaker 2>that I can't live with myself if I walk away

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<v Speaker 2>from them us, can you? Daniel was quiet for a

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<v Speaker 2>long moment. Then he squeezed my hand and let out

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<v Speaker 2>a breath. What do you need me to do? The

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<v Speaker 2>first thing we did was make copies of everything, all

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<v Speaker 2>the evidence we'd collected, the trail camera footage, the footprint casts,

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<v Speaker 2>the hair samples, Austin's phone, Zach's files going back twenty years.

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<v Speaker 2>We duplicated it all multiple times, physical copies, digital copies,

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<v Speaker 2>copies stored in locations that only we knew about. If

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<v Speaker 2>they came for the originals, we'd still have backups. If

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<v Speaker 2>they came for the backups, we'd have backups of the backups.

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<v Speaker 2>Then we started reaching out. Zach had contacts in the

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<v Speaker 2>cryptozoology community, researchers, investigators, people who'd been studying these creatures

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<v Speaker 2>for decades. They operated on the fringes of mainstream science,

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<v Speaker 2>dismissed as crackpots and true believers. But they had resources

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<v Speaker 2>and connections that we didn't. More importantly, they had experience

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<v Speaker 2>dealing with government suppression. There's a network, Zach explained as

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<v Speaker 2>we sat around the kitchen table with laptops open and

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<v Speaker 2>phones charging. People who've been gathering evidence for years. Most

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<v Speaker 2>of them have had run ends with the same kind

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<v Speaker 2>of men you met last night. They know how to

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<v Speaker 2>operate under the radar, how to protect their sources, how

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<v Speaker 2>to get information out without getting caught. Can we trust

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<v Speaker 2>them as much as we can trust anyone. They want

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<v Speaker 2>the truth out as badly as we do. I thought

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<v Speaker 2>about it, thought about the risks, the potential for infiltration,

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<v Speaker 2>the possibility that reaching out would just paint a bigger

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<v Speaker 2>target on our backs. Do it, I said, make the calls.

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<v Speaker 2>While Zach worked his contacts, I focused on the official investigation.

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<v Speaker 2>The men in black had told me to close the

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<v Speaker 2>Mercer case. They told me to destroy the evidence and

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<v Speaker 2>move on, but they hadn't actually done anything yet. They'd

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<v Speaker 2>made threats, but threats weren't action, and the he took action.

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<v Speaker 2>I was still the Sheriff of Caldwell County. I still

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<v Speaker 2>had a job to do. Austin Mercer was still missing.

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<v Speaker 2>His family was still waiting for answers, and regardless of

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<v Speaker 2>what was really responsible for his disappearance, I owed it

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<v Speaker 2>to them to conduct a thorough investigation. So that's what

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<v Speaker 2>I did. I assembled a search team, deputies, volunteers, anyone

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<v Speaker 2>willing to hike into the back country and look for

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<v Speaker 2>signs of the missing student. We spent three days combing

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<v Speaker 2>the area around his campsite, expanding our search radius until

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<v Speaker 2>we'd covered nearly ten square miles of forest. We found

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<v Speaker 2>traces a torn piece of fabric caught on a branch,

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<v Speaker 2>a shoe just one the left, one lying in a

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<v Speaker 2>creek bed half a mile from the camp. More footprints

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<v Speaker 2>the same impossible size as the ones we'd found before,

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<v Speaker 2>leading deeper and deeper into the wilderness, but we didn't

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<v Speaker 2>find Austin. On the third day, I called off the

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<v Speaker 2>official search. We'd done everything we could with the recent

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<v Speaker 2>sources we had. The case would remain open, classified as

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<v Speaker 2>an active missing person investigation, but without a body or

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<v Speaker 2>more evidence, there wasn't much else to do, at least

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<v Speaker 2>not officially. Unofficially, the real investigation was just beginning. The

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<v Speaker 2>forty eight hour deadline the men had given me came

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<v Speaker 2>and went. I half expected them to show up again,

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<v Speaker 2>to follow through on their threats, to make good on

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<v Speaker 2>all the dark promises they'd implied. But nothing happened. No

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<v Speaker 2>midnight visitors, no mysterious phone calls, no sudden career ending scandals.

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<v Speaker 2>It made me nervous. They're watching, Zack said, when I

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<v Speaker 2>mentioned it to him, waiting to see what we do.

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<v Speaker 2>They won't move until they have to. And when will

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<v Speaker 2>that be when we become a real threat, when we

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<v Speaker 2>start making enough noise that they can't ignore us anymore.

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<v Speaker 2>So what do we do? Keep our heads down? Zack smiled.

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<v Speaker 2>It wasn't a nice smile. No, he said, we make noise.

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<v Speaker 2>The documentary was Zack's idea. He'd been contacted by a filmmaker,

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<v Speaker 2>a woman named Amanda, who'd made several well regarded documentaries

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<v Speaker 2>about unexplained phenomena. She'd seen the news coverage of the

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<v Speaker 2>Mercer disappearance, heard the rumors about strange circumstances, and wanted

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<v Speaker 2>to know more. She's legitimate, Zach assured me. I've seen

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<v Speaker 2>her work. She's not one of those sensationalist hacks who

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<v Speaker 2>makes everything about aliens and conspiracy theories. She takes this

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<v Speaker 2>stuff seriously, she does real investigative journalism, And you think

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<v Speaker 2>we should talk to her. I think we should do

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<v Speaker 2>more than talk. I think we should give her everything.

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<v Speaker 2>I stared at him, everything, the footage, the files, the

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<v Speaker 2>whole twenty years a cover up, all of it on

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<v Speaker 2>the record on camera. He leaned forward. Think about it, Brian,

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<v Speaker 2>If we try to go public ourselves, we get dismissed

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<v Speaker 2>as crackpots, two guys in the woods chasing Bigfoot. But

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<v Speaker 2>if a respected documentary filmmaker tells the story, if she

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<v Speaker 2>brings in experts, corroborating witnesses, all the evidence we've collected,

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<v Speaker 2>suddenly it's not just us anymore. Suddenly it's a real

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<v Speaker 2>story that people have to take seriously. And suddenly we're

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<v Speaker 2>in the crosshairs of whoever those men work for. We're

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<v Speaker 2>already in the crosshairs. At least this way, we're not alone.

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<v Speaker 2>I thought about it for a long time, thought about Daniel,

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<v Speaker 2>about the life we'd built here, about everything we stood

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<v Speaker 2>to lose, thought about Austin Mercer's parents, about the families

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<v Speaker 2>of all those missing people, about the truth that had

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<v Speaker 2>been hidden for so long set up a meeting, I said, finally,

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<v Speaker 2>let's hear what she has to say. Amanda arrived in

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<v Speaker 2>Caldwell County two weeks later. She was younger than I expected,

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<v Speaker 2>mid thirties maybe, with sharp eyes and a no nonsense

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<v Speaker 2>demeanor that I recognized from my years in law enforcement,

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<v Speaker 2>the kind of person who asked hard questions and didn't

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<v Speaker 2>accept easy answers. We met at a coffee shop in

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<v Speaker 2>Lenore neutral ground where we could talk without being overheard.

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<v Speaker 2>She listened while Zack and I laid out the basics,

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<v Speaker 2>the disappearances, the evidence, the cover up, the visit from

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<v Speaker 2>the men in black. She didn't interrupt, didn't react, just

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<v Speaker 2>listened and took notes and occasionally asked a clarifying question.

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<v Speaker 2>When we finished, she sat back and looked at us

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<v Speaker 2>for a long moment. Do you have proof of any

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<v Speaker 2>of this? She asked? Some of it, I said, the

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<v Speaker 2>trail camera footage, the footprints, the video from Austin's phone,

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<v Speaker 2>the rest, the cover up, the government involvement. That's harder

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<v Speaker 2>to document, but you believe it's real. I know it's real.

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<v Speaker 2>I've experienced it firsthand. When I was twelve years old,

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<v Speaker 2>I had an encounter with one of these creatures. I

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<v Speaker 2>didn't see it, but I heard it, smelled it felt it.

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<v Speaker 2>It's been with me ever since Amanda studied me. I

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<v Speaker 2>could see her assessing, weighing, trying to decide if I

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<v Speaker 2>was credible or just another true believer with a story

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<v Speaker 2>to tell. And You're willing to go on camera with this,

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<v Speaker 2>knowing what it could do to your career, your reputation.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm the sheriff of this county. A young man is missing,

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<v Speaker 2>probably dead, and I know what happened to him. Even

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<v Speaker 2>if I can't prove it. I'm not going to stay

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<v Speaker 2>silent because it's easier, even if it puts you in danger,

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<v Speaker 2>especially if it puts me in danger. That's when it

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<v Speaker 2>matters most. Amanda nodded slowly. Then she reached into her

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<v Speaker 2>bag and pulled out a contract. Let's talk terms, she said.

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<v Speaker 2>Chapter thirteen, The Gathering Storm. The documentary crew arrived in

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<v Speaker 2>early November. There were five of them, Amanda, two camera operators,

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<v Speaker 2>a sound guy, and a researcher who spent most of

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<v Speaker 2>her time buried in documents and databases. They set up

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<v Speaker 2>shop in a rental house outside Lenore, and for the

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<v Speaker 2>next several weeks. They were a constant presence in our lives.

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<v Speaker 2>Amanda in interviewed everyone, me Zach Daniel, though he was

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<v Speaker 2>reluctant at first, Harold Whitmore, the old man who'd first

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<v Speaker 2>encouraged me to run for Sheriff, park rangers who'd had

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<v Speaker 2>their own experiences, families of the missing, researchers who'd been

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<v Speaker 2>studying the Pizgah for years. She was thorough. I'll give

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<v Speaker 2>her that. Every claim we made she verified. Every piece

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<v Speaker 2>of evidence we showed her. She had analyzed by independent experts.

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<v Speaker 2>Every witness we produced, she cross examined until she was

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<v Speaker 2>satisfied they weren't lying or crazy. And what she found

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<v Speaker 2>confirmed everything we'd suspected. The cover up goes back decades,

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<v Speaker 2>she told us one evening, Spreading documents across the kitchen table,

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<v Speaker 2>I found references to suppressed reports going back to the

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<v Speaker 2>nineteen forties. The Forest Service, the Park Service, the Army

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<v Speaker 2>Corps of Engineers. They all have files on these creatures,

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<v Speaker 2>and they've all been systematically buried. Who's behind it? That's

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<v Speaker 2>harder to pend down. It's not one agency, it's a

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<v Speaker 2>network people in different departments who coordinate to keep this quiet.

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<v Speaker 2>Some of them are true believers who think they're protecting

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<v Speaker 2>the public. Others are just following orders. And at the top,

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<v Speaker 2>she shook her head. I haven't been able to identify

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<v Speaker 2>who's running the show. Whoever they are, they're very good

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<v Speaker 2>at staying hidden, like the creatures themselves, Zach said, exactly,

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<v Speaker 2>like the creatures themselves. The filming took place over several weeks.

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<v Speaker 2>They followed me on patrol, documented the ongoing search for

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<v Speaker 2>Austin Mercer, interviewed witnesses and experts. Amanda pushed for access

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<v Speaker 2>to the original campsite, and after some hesitation, I agreed

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<v Speaker 2>to take her team out there. It was different in daylight,

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<v Speaker 2>with cameras rolling and people talking, less ominous, more like

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<v Speaker 2>any other crime scene I'd worked over the years. But

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<v Speaker 2>I could still feel it, that sense of being watched,

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<v Speaker 2>of something lurking just beyond the edge of perception. You

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<v Speaker 2>feel it, too, Amanda said, coming up beside me while

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<v Speaker 2>the camera crew filmed the clearing. Feel what that presence,

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<v Speaker 2>like something's out there, just out of sight. I didn't answer.

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<v Speaker 2>I didn't need to. I've been doing this work for

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<v Speaker 2>ten years. She continued, investigating, unexplained phenomena talking to witnesses,

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<v Speaker 2>trying to separate fact from fiction. And in all that time,

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<v Speaker 2>I've never felt anything like this. She turned to look

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<v Speaker 2>at me. They're real, aren't they? The creatures? They're actually real.

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<v Speaker 2>I've known they were real since I was twelve years old,

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<v Speaker 2>and the government knows too, They've known for decades, at

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<v Speaker 2>least that long, maybe longer. Amanda was quiet for a moment,

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<v Speaker 2>then she shook her head. This is going to change everything,

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<v Speaker 2>she said, when this documentary comes out, when people see

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<v Speaker 2>the evidence, everything's going to change. I wanted to believe her.

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<v Speaker 2>I wanted to believe that the truth would come out,

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<v Speaker 2>that the cover up would end, that all those families

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<v Speaker 2>would finally get answers about what happened to their loved ones.

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<v Speaker 2>But I'd been around long enough to know that the

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<v Speaker 2>truth doesn't always win. Sometimes the people in power are

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<v Speaker 2>too strong, too connected, too willing to do whatever it

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<v Speaker 2>takes to keep their secrets. Sometimes the darkness wins. I

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<v Speaker 2>just hoped this wasn't one of those times. The first

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<v Speaker 2>sign of trouble came two weeks into filming. Amanda's researcher,

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<v Speaker 2>a young woman named Jessica, was working late at the

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<v Speaker 2>rental house when someone broke in. They didn't take anything valuable,

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<v Speaker 2>didn't touch her laptop or her phone, or the cash

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<v Speaker 2>she had in her purse. All they took was a

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<v Speaker 2>box of documents, physical copies of some of the files

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<v Speaker 2>Zach had shared with US, records of disappearances, internal memos,

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<v Speaker 2>evidence of the cover up. They knew exactly what they

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<v Speaker 2>were looking for, Amanda said when she called to tell

239
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<v Speaker 2>me what had happened, and stay tuned for more sasquatch

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00:14:58.200 --> 00:15:00.759
<v Speaker 2>oat to see. We'll be right back. After the these messages,

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<v Speaker 2>they went straight for that box and left everything else untouched.

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<v Speaker 2>Is Jessica okay? Shaken up but fine. She was in

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<v Speaker 2>the other room when it happened, didn't hear anything until

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<v Speaker 2>it was over. Did she see who did it? No,

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<v Speaker 2>whoever it was. They were professionals, in and out in

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00:15:22.240 --> 00:15:26.559
<v Speaker 2>less than five minutes, No witnesses, no evidence. I felt

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<v Speaker 2>a chill run down my spine. The men in black,

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<v Speaker 2>that's what I'm thinking. They're sending a message, letting us

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<v Speaker 2>know they can get to us whenever they want. What

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<v Speaker 2>do you want to do, Amanda's voice hardened. I want

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<v Speaker 2>to keep going. I didn't get into this business to

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<v Speaker 2>be scared off by thugs and suits, did you no, ma'am,

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<v Speaker 2>I did not. Then let's give them something to really

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<v Speaker 2>worry about. We doubled down on security after that, changed locations,

255
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<v Speaker 2>varied our routines, made sure someone was always with the crew,

256
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<v Speaker 2>always watching for signs of surveillance. It wasn't enough. A

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<v Speaker 2>week later, one of the camera operators, a guy named Marcus,

258
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<v Speaker 2>found a tracking device on his car, small, sophisticated, the

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<v Speaker 2>kind of thing law enforcement uses for surveillance. He found

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00:16:17.000 --> 00:16:19.480
<v Speaker 2>it by accident, only because he dropped his keys and

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00:16:19.519 --> 00:16:22.039
<v Speaker 2>had to get down on the ground to retrieve them.

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<v Speaker 2>They've been following us, he said, turning the device over

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<v Speaker 2>in his hands, probably since we got here, at least

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<v Speaker 2>since the break in. Amanda agreed. They want to know

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<v Speaker 2>who we're talking to, what we're finding, how much we know.

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<v Speaker 2>Should we get rid of it? Amanda thought for a moment,

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<v Speaker 2>then she smiled No. She said, let's use it. Let

268
00:16:44.360 --> 00:16:46.559
<v Speaker 2>them think they know where we are and what we're doing,

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00:16:47.000 --> 00:16:50.360
<v Speaker 2>and meanwhile we'll do our real work somewhere they're not watching.

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<v Speaker 2>It was risky. Everything about this was risky, but we

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<v Speaker 2>were past the point of playing it safe. We were

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00:16:57.879 --> 00:17:02.799
<v Speaker 2>committed now. The interview continued. Amanda sat down with Zach

273
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<v Speaker 2>for a full day, going through his files piece by piece,

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<v Speaker 2>documenting every disappearance, every suppressed report, every piece of evidence

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<v Speaker 2>that pointed to a systematic cover up. She interviewed former

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<v Speaker 2>park service employees who'd been forced out for asking too

277
00:17:17.799 --> 00:17:21.839
<v Speaker 2>many questions. She talked to scientists who'd analyzed hair samples

278
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<v Speaker 2>and footprint casts and couldn't explain what they'd found. And

279
00:17:25.400 --> 00:17:28.839
<v Speaker 2>she interviewed me. I told her everything. The move to

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<v Speaker 2>Lyarley when I was twelve, the feeling of wrongness in

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<v Speaker 2>that corner of the woods, the encounter, the huffing, the growling,

282
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<v Speaker 2>the bluff charge that stopped just twenty feet away, The

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00:17:40.839 --> 00:17:44.200
<v Speaker 2>creature I never saw but knew was there, knew was watching,

284
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<v Speaker 2>knew could have ended me if it had wanted to.

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<v Speaker 2>I told her about Mama's cancer, about Daddy's abandonment, about

286
00:17:51.960 --> 00:17:55.279
<v Speaker 2>the clan burning across in our front yard. I told

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00:17:55.279 --> 00:17:58.680
<v Speaker 2>her about growing up poor, about working my way through life,

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00:17:59.119 --> 00:18:02.200
<v Speaker 2>about becoming a because I wanted to help people, and

289
00:18:02.279 --> 00:18:04.920
<v Speaker 2>discovering that the people who were supposed to help were

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00:18:04.960 --> 00:18:08.759
<v Speaker 2>often the ones making things worse. I told her about Daniel,

291
00:18:09.160 --> 00:18:12.640
<v Speaker 2>about loving him, about building a life with him, about

292
00:18:12.640 --> 00:18:15.039
<v Speaker 2>the fear that all of this would destroy everything we'd

293
00:18:15.079 --> 00:18:18.319
<v Speaker 2>worked so hard for. Why are you doing this, Amanda

294
00:18:18.400 --> 00:18:21.880
<v Speaker 2>asked near the end of the interview. You could walk away,

295
00:18:22.440 --> 00:18:25.599
<v Speaker 2>close the case, forget what you've seen, go back to

296
00:18:25.680 --> 00:18:29.920
<v Speaker 2>your quiet life. Why risk everything? I thought about the

297
00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:33.279
<v Speaker 2>question for a long time before answering, because I spent

298
00:18:33.359 --> 00:18:36.960
<v Speaker 2>thirty years pretending it didn't happen, I said, finally, thirty

299
00:18:37.039 --> 00:18:39.359
<v Speaker 2>years telling myself that what I heard in those woods

300
00:18:39.440 --> 00:18:43.039
<v Speaker 2>was just a bear, just my imagination, just a trick

301
00:18:43.079 --> 00:18:46.200
<v Speaker 2>of the light. And in all those years, I never

302
00:18:46.240 --> 00:18:50.759
<v Speaker 2>stopped wondering, never stopped questioning, never stopped feeling like there

303
00:18:50.799 --> 00:18:54.720
<v Speaker 2>was something wrong with the world, something hidden, something that

304
00:18:54.759 --> 00:18:59.039
<v Speaker 2>I was supposed to understand but couldn't. I looked directly

305
00:18:59.079 --> 00:19:02.680
<v Speaker 2>into the camera. I'm not pretending anymore. I know what's

306
00:19:02.720 --> 00:19:05.839
<v Speaker 2>out there. I know what happened to Austin Mercer, I

307
00:19:05.880 --> 00:19:08.200
<v Speaker 2>know what happened to all those people who disappeared over

308
00:19:08.240 --> 00:19:10.880
<v Speaker 2>the years, and I'm not going to be quiet about it,

309
00:19:11.319 --> 00:19:15.519
<v Speaker 2>not anymore, not ever again. Amanda held my gaze for

310
00:19:15.559 --> 00:19:18.200
<v Speaker 2>a moment, then She nodded and signaled for the camera

311
00:19:18.240 --> 00:19:21.880
<v Speaker 2>operator to cut. That was good, she said, that was

312
00:19:21.960 --> 00:19:27.079
<v Speaker 2>really good. I didn't feel good. I felt exposed, vulnerable,

313
00:19:27.599 --> 00:19:30.039
<v Speaker 2>like I'd stripped away all my armor and left myself

314
00:19:30.079 --> 00:19:33.640
<v Speaker 2>open to attack. But I also felt free. For the

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00:19:33.640 --> 00:19:37.599
<v Speaker 2>first time in thirty years, I felt truly free. Whatever

316
00:19:37.640 --> 00:19:40.920
<v Speaker 2>came next, at least I'd told the truth. At least

317
00:19:40.920 --> 00:19:45.599
<v Speaker 2>I'd finally told the truth. Chapter fourteen, Things that Lurk.

318
00:19:46.640 --> 00:19:50.319
<v Speaker 2>Thanksgiving came and went without much celebration. Daniel and I

319
00:19:50.359 --> 00:19:53.039
<v Speaker 2>had a quiet dinner at home, just the two of us,

320
00:19:53.400 --> 00:19:56.119
<v Speaker 2>a turkey breast instead of a whole bird, all the

321
00:19:56.160 --> 00:19:58.480
<v Speaker 2>fixings Mama used to make when I was growing up.

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<v Speaker 2>We didn't talk about the investigation, or the documentary or

323
00:20:01.839 --> 00:20:04.720
<v Speaker 2>the men who were watching our every move. We just

324
00:20:04.960 --> 00:20:08.039
<v Speaker 2>ate and talked about nothing important and tried to remember

325
00:20:08.039 --> 00:20:12.559
<v Speaker 2>what normal felt like. It wasn't easy. Normal felt very

326
00:20:12.599 --> 00:20:15.759
<v Speaker 2>far away. After dinner, we sat on the back deck

327
00:20:15.799 --> 00:20:18.400
<v Speaker 2>with glasses of wine, watching the stars come out over

328
00:20:18.440 --> 00:20:21.680
<v Speaker 2>the mountains. The air was cold enough to see our breath,

329
00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:25.039
<v Speaker 2>and we huddled together under a blanket, drawing warmth from

330
00:20:25.079 --> 00:20:29.039
<v Speaker 2>each other. Do you ever regret it? Daniel asked, regret

331
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<v Speaker 2>what all of this running for sheriff, starting this investigation,

332
00:20:34.440 --> 00:20:37.680
<v Speaker 2>stirring up things that maybe should have stayed buried. I

333
00:20:37.759 --> 00:20:41.559
<v Speaker 2>thought about it, really thought about it. No, I said, finally,

334
00:20:42.160 --> 00:20:44.920
<v Speaker 2>I regret that it's put you in danger. I regret

335
00:20:44.960 --> 00:20:47.000
<v Speaker 2>that our lives aren't what we thought they'd be when

336
00:20:47.039 --> 00:20:49.559
<v Speaker 2>we moved up here. But do I regret trying to

337
00:20:49.599 --> 00:20:54.119
<v Speaker 2>find the truth. No, I can't regret that even if

338
00:20:54.119 --> 00:20:57.759
<v Speaker 2>the truth destroys everything, the truth is the only thing

339
00:20:57.839 --> 00:21:02.200
<v Speaker 2>worth destroying everything. For. Daniel was quiet for a long moment.

340
00:21:02.640 --> 00:21:05.599
<v Speaker 2>Then he reached over and took my hand. I love you,

341
00:21:05.720 --> 00:21:10.480
<v Speaker 2>he said. Whatever happens, whatever comes next, I love you.

342
00:21:11.640 --> 00:21:14.920
<v Speaker 2>I love you too. We sat there in the darkness,

343
00:21:15.119 --> 00:21:19.480
<v Speaker 2>holding hands, watching the stars, and somewhere out there, in

344
00:21:19.559 --> 00:21:22.400
<v Speaker 2>the vast wilderness that surrounded our little patch of land,

345
00:21:22.920 --> 00:21:26.960
<v Speaker 2>something watched us back. I could feel it, that familiar

346
00:21:27.000 --> 00:21:31.079
<v Speaker 2>sensation of being observed, of something large and intelligent, taking

347
00:21:31.119 --> 00:21:35.880
<v Speaker 2>note of our presence. It wasn't threatening, not exactly, more

348
00:21:35.960 --> 00:21:39.359
<v Speaker 2>like a reminder, a reminder that we weren't alone out here,

349
00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:43.880
<v Speaker 2>a reminder that the forest had eyes. They're out there tonight,

350
00:21:43.960 --> 00:21:47.920
<v Speaker 2>I said, quietly. Daniel tensed beside me. How do you

351
00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:51.039
<v Speaker 2>know I can feel it the same way I could

352
00:21:51.079 --> 00:21:54.960
<v Speaker 2>feel it back and lirely all those years ago. Should

353
00:21:54.960 --> 00:21:58.279
<v Speaker 2>we go inside? I shook my head. They're not going

354
00:21:58.319 --> 00:22:00.960
<v Speaker 2>to hurt us. If they wanted to hurt us, they

355
00:22:00.960 --> 00:22:03.839
<v Speaker 2>would have done it already. Then what do they want?

356
00:22:04.759 --> 00:22:08.200
<v Speaker 2>I don't know. Maybe they're just curious. Maybe they're watching

357
00:22:08.240 --> 00:22:11.200
<v Speaker 2>to see what we do next. I squeezed his hand.

358
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<v Speaker 2>Maybe they know we're trying to help. That's a lot

359
00:22:14.440 --> 00:22:19.200
<v Speaker 2>of maybes. Yeah, I agreed it is. We stayed on

360
00:22:19.240 --> 00:22:23.119
<v Speaker 2>the deck for another hour, watching and waiting. Nothing happened,

361
00:22:23.559 --> 00:22:27.880
<v Speaker 2>no vocalizations, no movement in the trees, just that presence,

362
00:22:28.319 --> 00:22:31.319
<v Speaker 2>that weight, that feeling of being observed by something we

363
00:22:31.359 --> 00:22:35.000
<v Speaker 2>couldn't see. When we finally went inside, I locked the

364
00:22:35.039 --> 00:22:37.960
<v Speaker 2>door behind us and checked all the windows. Not because

365
00:22:38.000 --> 00:22:41.319
<v Speaker 2>I was afraid of the creatures. I wasn't, but because

366
00:22:41.319 --> 00:22:43.440
<v Speaker 2>there were other things out there to be afraid of.

367
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<v Speaker 2>Human things, things in black suits who made threats in

368
00:22:47.640 --> 00:22:50.359
<v Speaker 2>the middle of the night. Those things scared me a

369
00:22:50.359 --> 00:22:54.000
<v Speaker 2>lot more than anything in the forest. December brought snow,

370
00:22:54.720 --> 00:22:57.799
<v Speaker 2>not a lot, just a few inches, enough to turn

371
00:22:57.839 --> 00:23:01.599
<v Speaker 2>the mountains wide and make the roads treacherous. The documentary

372
00:23:01.599 --> 00:23:03.960
<v Speaker 2>crew had finished their initial filming and headed back to

373
00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:08.400
<v Speaker 2>California to start editing. Amanda called every few days with updates.

374
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<v Speaker 2>Said the footage was amazing. Said this was going to

375
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<v Speaker 2>be bigger than anything she'd ever done. We're looking at

376
00:23:14.799 --> 00:23:17.720
<v Speaker 2>a spring release, she told me, maybe earlier, if we

377
00:23:17.759 --> 00:23:21.440
<v Speaker 2>can get everything cut in time. The network's excited, they

378
00:23:21.480 --> 00:23:24.960
<v Speaker 2>think this could be huge. What about the people watching us?

379
00:23:25.279 --> 00:23:29.160
<v Speaker 2>Have they made any moves? Nothing overt A few attempts

380
00:23:29.200 --> 00:23:33.240
<v Speaker 2>to access our servers, some suspicious activity around the editing facility,

381
00:23:33.720 --> 00:23:36.200
<v Speaker 2>but we've got good security. They're not going to get

382
00:23:36.200 --> 00:23:39.640
<v Speaker 2>to the footage. I wanted to believe her. I wanted

383
00:23:39.640 --> 00:23:42.599
<v Speaker 2>to believe that we'd outmaneuvered them, that the truth was

384
00:23:42.640 --> 00:23:44.359
<v Speaker 2>going to come out, no matter what they did to

385
00:23:44.359 --> 00:23:47.279
<v Speaker 2>stop it. But I'd been in law enforcement long enough

386
00:23:47.279 --> 00:23:50.720
<v Speaker 2>to know that powerful people have ways of making problems disappear.

387
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<v Speaker 2>Be careful, I said. They're not going to give up

388
00:23:54.240 --> 00:23:56.759
<v Speaker 2>just because we've made it hard for them. I know

389
00:23:57.319 --> 00:24:02.559
<v Speaker 2>we're being careful. You be careful too. Always. The call

390
00:24:02.599 --> 00:24:06.160
<v Speaker 2>came on a Tuesday afternoon, two weeks before Christmas. I

391
00:24:06.240 --> 00:24:08.720
<v Speaker 2>was at the office working through a stack of paperwork

392
00:24:08.720 --> 00:24:12.000
<v Speaker 2>that had piled up during the investigation when my personal

393
00:24:12.039 --> 00:24:18.000
<v Speaker 2>cell phone rang unknown number. I almost didn't answer, Sheriff Patterson,

394
00:24:18.000 --> 00:24:24.079
<v Speaker 2>I said, Sheriff. The voice was familiar, smooth, controlled, with

395
00:24:24.160 --> 00:24:27.799
<v Speaker 2>an undertone of menace that I recognized immediately. It was

396
00:24:27.799 --> 00:24:30.079
<v Speaker 2>one of the men from that night, the one who'd

397
00:24:30.079 --> 00:24:33.559
<v Speaker 2>done most of the talking. What do you want to

398
00:24:33.599 --> 00:24:37.000
<v Speaker 2>give you? One final warning? The documentary you're helping produce

399
00:24:37.559 --> 00:24:40.640
<v Speaker 2>it needs to stop. The footage needs to be destroyed,

400
00:24:41.079 --> 00:24:45.279
<v Speaker 2>The investigation needs to end or what or there will

401
00:24:45.319 --> 00:24:49.720
<v Speaker 2>be consequences, consequences for you, for your partner, for everyone

402
00:24:49.799 --> 00:24:53.839
<v Speaker 2>involved in this project. You've already threatened me once it

403
00:24:53.839 --> 00:24:56.000
<v Speaker 2>didn't work, then it's not going to work.

404
00:24:56.039 --> 00:24:56.240
<v Speaker 1>Now.

405
00:24:57.160 --> 00:25:01.279
<v Speaker 2>This isn't a threat, Sheriff, it's a promise. The voice hardened.

406
00:25:02.000 --> 00:25:05.720
<v Speaker 2>We've been patient. We've given you multiple opportunities to walk away,

407
00:25:06.319 --> 00:25:10.000
<v Speaker 2>but our patience has limits, and you've reached them. Then

408
00:25:10.039 --> 00:25:12.559
<v Speaker 2>do what you have to do. I'm not backing down

409
00:25:13.640 --> 00:25:17.319
<v Speaker 2>A long pause. Then you have no idea what you're

410
00:25:17.359 --> 00:25:20.920
<v Speaker 2>dealing with. The creatures in that forest, they're not the

411
00:25:20.920 --> 00:25:24.000
<v Speaker 2>only things you should be afraid of. There are forces

412
00:25:24.000 --> 00:25:27.279
<v Speaker 2>at work here that you can't begin to understand, Forces

413
00:25:27.319 --> 00:25:29.759
<v Speaker 2>that have been managing this situation for longer than you've

414
00:25:29.799 --> 00:25:34.920
<v Speaker 2>been alive. Managing it how by covering up disappearances, by

415
00:25:34.960 --> 00:25:38.319
<v Speaker 2>threatening anyone who gets too close to the truth, by

416
00:25:38.400 --> 00:25:42.440
<v Speaker 2>keeping the public safe, by maintaining order, by ensuring that

417
00:25:42.559 --> 00:25:50.720
<v Speaker 2>certain complications don't destabilize society. Complications you mean bigfoot. I

418
00:25:50.759 --> 00:25:53.640
<v Speaker 2>mean things that are better left unknown, things that would

419
00:25:53.720 --> 00:25:56.759
<v Speaker 2>change the way people see the world, things that certain

420
00:25:56.799 --> 00:26:00.640
<v Speaker 2>interests have decided should remain hidden. And you're the ones

421
00:26:00.680 --> 00:26:03.279
<v Speaker 2>who decide what people get to know. You're the ones

422
00:26:03.279 --> 00:26:07.319
<v Speaker 2>who get to play god. Someone has to The alternative

423
00:26:07.359 --> 00:26:12.359
<v Speaker 2>is chaos, I laughed. I couldn't help it. Chaos. A

424
00:26:12.400 --> 00:26:14.839
<v Speaker 2>few big hairy creatures in the woods, and you think

425
00:26:14.839 --> 00:26:18.079
<v Speaker 2>that's going to cause chaos? People have been reporting these

426
00:26:18.119 --> 00:26:22.119
<v Speaker 2>things for centuries. The world hasn't ended. It's not just

427
00:26:22.200 --> 00:26:25.960
<v Speaker 2>about the creature's sheriff. It never has been. The creatures

428
00:26:26.000 --> 00:26:28.839
<v Speaker 2>are just one piece of a much larger puzzle, a

429
00:26:28.880 --> 00:26:32.480
<v Speaker 2>puzzle that you're not equipped to understand. Then explain it

430
00:26:32.480 --> 00:26:36.519
<v Speaker 2>to me. Another pause. When the voice came back, it

431
00:26:36.599 --> 00:26:41.599
<v Speaker 2>was softer, almost sad, I can't. Even if I wanted to,

432
00:26:42.240 --> 00:26:45.839
<v Speaker 2>I couldn't. You'd never believe me. And even if you did,

433
00:26:46.720 --> 00:26:51.200
<v Speaker 2>the voice stopped started again. Walk Away, Sheriff, for your

434
00:26:51.240 --> 00:26:54.720
<v Speaker 2>own sake, for your partner's sake, walk away while you

435
00:26:54.759 --> 00:26:58.559
<v Speaker 2>still can. I can't do that. Then I'm sorry for

436
00:26:58.599 --> 00:27:02.640
<v Speaker 2>what's going to happen. I truly am. The line went dead.

437
00:27:03.680 --> 00:27:06.200
<v Speaker 2>I sat there for a long time, staring at my phone,

438
00:27:06.880 --> 00:27:10.039
<v Speaker 2>trying to process what I'd just heard, trying to understand

439
00:27:10.039 --> 00:27:12.839
<v Speaker 2>what he meant about larger puzzles and things. I couldn't understand.

440
00:27:13.799 --> 00:27:17.720
<v Speaker 2>What wasn't he telling me? What was so big, so dangerous,

441
00:27:17.880 --> 00:27:20.599
<v Speaker 2>that the existence of sasquatch was just a small piece

442
00:27:20.640 --> 00:27:23.680
<v Speaker 2>of it? I didn't know, but I had a feeling

443
00:27:23.680 --> 00:27:26.720
<v Speaker 2>I was about to find out. That night, I told

444
00:27:26.799 --> 00:27:30.880
<v Speaker 2>Daniel about the call. He listened without interrupting, his face

445
00:27:30.920 --> 00:27:34.759
<v Speaker 2>growing more concerned with every word. When I finished, he

446
00:27:34.839 --> 00:27:38.119
<v Speaker 2>was quiet for a long moment. Maybe we should listen

447
00:27:38.160 --> 00:27:43.000
<v Speaker 2>to them, he said, finally, What I'm serious, Brian, Whatever

448
00:27:43.039 --> 00:27:47.359
<v Speaker 2>this is, whatever they're protecting, it's bigger than us, bigger

449
00:27:47.400 --> 00:27:51.480
<v Speaker 2>than this investigation. Maybe they're right, Maybe some secrets are

450
00:27:51.480 --> 00:27:55.119
<v Speaker 2>better left buried. You don't believe that. I don't know

451
00:27:55.160 --> 00:27:57.640
<v Speaker 2>what I believe anymore. All I know is that I

452
00:27:57.680 --> 00:27:59.759
<v Speaker 2>don't want to lose you. I don't want to wake

453
00:27:59.799 --> 00:28:02.160
<v Speaker 2>up one morning and find out that you've disappeared like

454
00:28:02.200 --> 00:28:05.759
<v Speaker 2>all those other people. That's not going to happen. You

455
00:28:05.799 --> 00:28:09.039
<v Speaker 2>don't know that. You can't know that. He reached from

456
00:28:09.079 --> 00:28:12.799
<v Speaker 2>my hand, Brian, I love you, I love our life together,

457
00:28:13.319 --> 00:28:16.119
<v Speaker 2>and I'm terrified that this investigation is going to destroy

458
00:28:16.240 --> 00:28:20.920
<v Speaker 2>everything we've built. I pulled him close, held him, felt

459
00:28:20.920 --> 00:28:24.720
<v Speaker 2>his heart beating against mine. I know, I said, I'm

460
00:28:24.759 --> 00:28:28.279
<v Speaker 2>scared too, but I can't walk away from this. I've

461
00:28:28.279 --> 00:28:31.359
<v Speaker 2>spent my whole life running from the truth, pretending things

462
00:28:31.359 --> 00:28:34.720
<v Speaker 2>didn't happen, burying my head in the sand. I can't

463
00:28:34.759 --> 00:28:38.440
<v Speaker 2>do it anymore. I won't even if it kills you,

464
00:28:39.200 --> 00:28:42.680
<v Speaker 2>even if it kills me. Daniel pulled back and looked

465
00:28:42.680 --> 00:28:46.039
<v Speaker 2>at me. His eyes were wet. Then, I guess we're

466
00:28:46.039 --> 00:28:50.799
<v Speaker 2>in this together, he said, Whatever happens, whatever comes next,

467
00:28:51.039 --> 00:28:56.359
<v Speaker 2>we're in it together. Always, I said always. We held

468
00:28:56.359 --> 00:28:59.440
<v Speaker 2>each other for a long time after that, and outside

469
00:28:59.759 --> 00:29:05.440
<v Speaker 2>in the darkness, something howled. Chapter fifteen, The Pieces Fall

470
00:29:06.440 --> 00:29:10.119
<v Speaker 2>Christmas was quiet. We spent it alone, just Daniel and me,

471
00:29:10.680 --> 00:29:13.359
<v Speaker 2>trying to pretend that everything was normal, even though nothing

472
00:29:13.400 --> 00:29:17.759
<v Speaker 2>was normal anymore. Mama called from Georgia. She was doing well,

473
00:29:18.039 --> 00:29:20.759
<v Speaker 2>still in remission, living her best life with the new

474
00:29:20.839 --> 00:29:24.359
<v Speaker 2>husband she'd met a few years back, a good man, finally,

475
00:29:24.920 --> 00:29:27.640
<v Speaker 2>someone who treated her the way she deserved to be treated.

476
00:29:28.599 --> 00:29:31.680
<v Speaker 2>You sound tired, she said, her voice crackling through the

477
00:29:31.680 --> 00:29:35.640
<v Speaker 2>phone line. You working too hard, just busy, I said,

478
00:29:36.240 --> 00:29:41.119
<v Speaker 2>share of stuff? Uh huh. She wasn't fooled, she never was.

479
00:29:42.000 --> 00:29:44.960
<v Speaker 2>You know, you can tell me anything right, whatever's going on.

480
00:29:45.519 --> 00:29:49.200
<v Speaker 2>I'm here. I wanted to tell her, wanted to unload

481
00:29:49.279 --> 00:29:53.039
<v Speaker 2>all of it, the investigation, the threats, the creatures in

482
00:29:53.079 --> 00:29:56.480
<v Speaker 2>the forest, the men who watched our every move. But

483
00:29:56.519 --> 00:29:59.559
<v Speaker 2>I couldn't bring myself to do it. She'd been through enough.

484
00:30:00.079 --> 00:30:03.160
<v Speaker 2>She'd spent her whole life worrying about me, taking care

485
00:30:03.200 --> 00:30:06.559
<v Speaker 2>of me, putting my needs ahead of her own. She

486
00:30:06.640 --> 00:30:10.200
<v Speaker 2>deserved peace now, she deserved to enjoy her retirement without

487
00:30:10.200 --> 00:30:14.240
<v Speaker 2>her son's problems weighing her down. And stay tuned for

488
00:30:14.319 --> 00:30:16.680
<v Speaker 2>mor sasquatch yat to see. We'll be right back. After

489
00:30:16.759 --> 00:30:24.759
<v Speaker 2>these messages, I know, Mama, I said, everything's fine, just

490
00:30:24.799 --> 00:30:28.960
<v Speaker 2>the usual craziness. If you say so, I love you, baby,

491
00:30:29.480 --> 00:30:32.559
<v Speaker 2>You know that, right, I know I love you too.

492
00:30:33.720 --> 00:30:35.880
<v Speaker 2>After we hung up, I sat by the window for

493
00:30:35.920 --> 00:30:39.359
<v Speaker 2>a long time, watching the snowfall and thinking about everything

494
00:30:39.400 --> 00:30:42.559
<v Speaker 2>that had led me to this moment. The move to Liary,

495
00:30:43.119 --> 00:30:48.319
<v Speaker 2>the encounter in the woods, Mama's cancer, daddy's abandonment, coming out,

496
00:30:48.799 --> 00:30:53.640
<v Speaker 2>becoming a cop, meeting Daniel, moving to North Carolina, running

497
00:30:53.680 --> 00:30:56.640
<v Speaker 2>for sheriff. Every step of the journey had brought me

498
00:30:56.720 --> 00:31:00.599
<v Speaker 2>here to this house on this mountain, in the middle

499
00:31:00.599 --> 00:31:04.119
<v Speaker 2>of an investigation that might get me killed. Was it fate?

500
00:31:04.759 --> 00:31:09.039
<v Speaker 2>Was it coincidence? Or was it something else, something larger,

501
00:31:09.519 --> 00:31:13.440
<v Speaker 2>something I couldn't understand. I didn't know, but I had

502
00:31:13.480 --> 00:31:16.759
<v Speaker 2>a feeling I was about to find out. New Year's

503
00:31:16.759 --> 00:31:20.799
<v Speaker 2>came and went. The documentary editing continued, and then in

504
00:31:20.880 --> 00:31:25.039
<v Speaker 2>the second week of January, everything changed. It started with

505
00:31:25.079 --> 00:31:27.960
<v Speaker 2>a phone call from Zack. You need to come see this,

506
00:31:28.119 --> 00:31:32.519
<v Speaker 2>he said, I found something, something big. What is it?

507
00:31:33.200 --> 00:31:35.519
<v Speaker 2>I can't explain over the phone. Just get here as

508
00:31:35.559 --> 00:31:38.559
<v Speaker 2>soon as you can. I grabbed my jacket and headed

509
00:31:38.559 --> 00:31:41.839
<v Speaker 2>for the door. Daniel was at work. He'd taken an

510
00:31:41.880 --> 00:31:44.079
<v Speaker 2>extra shift at the pizza place to cover for someone

511
00:31:44.119 --> 00:31:46.799
<v Speaker 2>who was out sick. I texted him to let him

512
00:31:46.839 --> 00:31:49.279
<v Speaker 2>know where I was going, then climbed into my truck

513
00:31:49.279 --> 00:31:52.400
<v Speaker 2>and headed for the ranger station. Zach was waiting for

514
00:31:52.480 --> 00:31:55.160
<v Speaker 2>me in his office, pacing back and forth like a

515
00:31:55.200 --> 00:31:58.759
<v Speaker 2>caged animal. When I walked in, he closed the door

516
00:31:58.799 --> 00:32:02.160
<v Speaker 2>behind me and locked it. This can't leave this room,

517
00:32:02.240 --> 00:32:05.480
<v Speaker 2>he said, not yet, not until we figure out what

518
00:32:05.519 --> 00:32:09.400
<v Speaker 2>it means. What did you find? He sat down at

519
00:32:09.440 --> 00:32:13.079
<v Speaker 2>his computer and pulled up a document, a PDF heavily

520
00:32:13.119 --> 00:32:17.480
<v Speaker 2>redacted but still partially readable. The header said Department of

521
00:32:17.480 --> 00:32:21.880
<v Speaker 2>Defense classified. How did you get this? One of my

522
00:32:21.960 --> 00:32:25.599
<v Speaker 2>contacts she's been digging through old archives looking for anything

523
00:32:25.640 --> 00:32:28.480
<v Speaker 2>related to the cover up. She found this buried in

524
00:32:28.480 --> 00:32:30.519
<v Speaker 2>a file that was supposed to have been destroyed in

525
00:32:30.559 --> 00:32:34.640
<v Speaker 2>the nineteen seventies. I leaned in to read. Most of

526
00:32:34.680 --> 00:32:38.119
<v Speaker 2>the text was blacked out, but a few passages remained visible.

527
00:32:39.039 --> 00:32:44.839
<v Speaker 2>Ongoing surveillance of subject populations in designated wilderness areas evidence

528
00:32:44.880 --> 00:32:50.559
<v Speaker 2>suggests intelligence levels significantly higher than previously estimated. Recommendation to

529
00:32:50.640 --> 00:32:54.640
<v Speaker 2>maintain current containment protocols until further study can be completed,

530
00:32:55.400 --> 00:32:59.839
<v Speaker 2>potential implications for national security cannot be overstated. I looked

531
00:32:59.880 --> 00:33:03.960
<v Speaker 2>up at Zach, what is this. It's from nineteen sixty two,

532
00:33:04.599 --> 00:33:08.319
<v Speaker 2>a report on a military operation called Project Threshold, and

533
00:33:08.359 --> 00:33:10.839
<v Speaker 2>from what I can piece together, it was all about them,

534
00:33:11.400 --> 00:33:16.039
<v Speaker 2>the creatures. The Department of Defense was studying Bigfoot, not

535
00:33:16.160 --> 00:33:21.960
<v Speaker 2>just studying managing controlling. Zach pulled up another document. I

536
00:33:22.000 --> 00:33:25.559
<v Speaker 2>found references to similar programs going back to the nineteen forties.

537
00:33:26.119 --> 00:33:29.160
<v Speaker 2>After World War II, when the government started getting serious

538
00:33:29.200 --> 00:33:33.200
<v Speaker 2>about national security, they became aware of these creatures, and

539
00:33:33.240 --> 00:33:37.359
<v Speaker 2>they decided to keep them secret. Why That's the part

540
00:33:37.359 --> 00:33:39.880
<v Speaker 2>I'm still trying to figure out. But based on what

541
00:33:39.920 --> 00:33:43.000
<v Speaker 2>I've read, it wasn't just about public safety. It was

542
00:33:43.039 --> 00:33:48.079
<v Speaker 2>about something else, something bigger. He scrolled to another passage,

543
00:33:48.200 --> 00:33:51.839
<v Speaker 2>this one even more heavily redacted than the first. Connection

544
00:33:51.960 --> 00:34:00.559
<v Speaker 2>two redacted confirmed through redacted analysis. Implications for understanding of

545
00:34:01.119 --> 00:34:07.400
<v Speaker 2>redacted and redacted remain under investigation. Recommend continuation of suppression

546
00:34:07.440 --> 00:34:13.199
<v Speaker 2>protocols until redacted can be contained. What is that, I asked,

547
00:34:13.719 --> 00:34:17.000
<v Speaker 2>What are they talking about? I don't know, but whatever

548
00:34:17.039 --> 00:34:19.800
<v Speaker 2>it is, it scared them enough to spend sixty years

549
00:34:19.840 --> 00:34:23.960
<v Speaker 2>covering it up. Zach leaned back in his chair. Brian,

550
00:34:24.360 --> 00:34:26.960
<v Speaker 2>I think we've stumbled into something much bigger than Bigfoot,

551
00:34:27.480 --> 00:34:29.960
<v Speaker 2>something that the government has been hiding since before we

552
00:34:29.960 --> 00:34:33.079
<v Speaker 2>were born, and whatever it is, they're willing to do

553
00:34:33.159 --> 00:34:36.480
<v Speaker 2>anything to keep it secret. I stared at the screen,

554
00:34:37.079 --> 00:34:39.639
<v Speaker 2>trying to make sense of what I was seeing. A

555
00:34:39.719 --> 00:34:45.639
<v Speaker 2>sixty year cover up, military involvement, national security implications. What

556
00:34:45.679 --> 00:34:49.000
<v Speaker 2>the hell had we gotten ourselves into? I took copies

557
00:34:49.000 --> 00:34:53.239
<v Speaker 2>of everything. Zach had already made backups. He wasn't stupid,

558
00:34:53.679 --> 00:34:56.960
<v Speaker 2>but I wanted my own set. If something happened to him,

559
00:34:57.320 --> 00:34:59.920
<v Speaker 2>if something happened to his files, I wanted to make

560
00:35:00.000 --> 00:35:03.280
<v Speaker 2>I'm sure the information survived. On the drive home, I

561
00:35:03.360 --> 00:35:06.559
<v Speaker 2>kept turning it over in my mind. The creatures were real.

562
00:35:07.079 --> 00:35:10.440
<v Speaker 2>We knew that the government was covering them up. We

563
00:35:10.519 --> 00:35:14.320
<v Speaker 2>knew that too, But there was something else, something they

564
00:35:14.320 --> 00:35:17.840
<v Speaker 2>were even more afraid of than the creatures themselves. What

565
00:35:17.920 --> 00:35:21.280
<v Speaker 2>could be scarier than Bigfoot? The answer came to me

566
00:35:21.320 --> 00:35:23.920
<v Speaker 2>as I was pulling into my driveway, and it stopped

567
00:35:23.960 --> 00:35:27.679
<v Speaker 2>me cold. What if Bigfoot wasn't the only thing out there?

568
00:35:28.320 --> 00:35:30.400
<v Speaker 2>What if the creatures we knew about were just the

569
00:35:30.440 --> 00:35:33.840
<v Speaker 2>tip of the iceberg. I thought about all the strange

570
00:35:33.880 --> 00:35:36.440
<v Speaker 2>things that had happened since we'd moved to North Carolina,

571
00:35:37.119 --> 00:35:41.119
<v Speaker 2>the vocalizations, the lights in the night, the sense of

572
00:35:41.159 --> 00:35:44.519
<v Speaker 2>being watched by something we couldn't see. What if it

573
00:35:44.599 --> 00:35:48.159
<v Speaker 2>wasn't just sasquatch watching us? What if there was something else.

574
00:35:49.119 --> 00:35:51.920
<v Speaker 2>I didn't tell Daniel about the documents that night. He

575
00:35:51.960 --> 00:35:54.559
<v Speaker 2>came home exhausted from his shift, and I didn't want

576
00:35:54.559 --> 00:35:57.960
<v Speaker 2>to pile more worry on top of his fatigue. Instead,

577
00:35:58.280 --> 00:36:00.880
<v Speaker 2>I made dinner and we watched TV, and I tried

578
00:36:00.880 --> 00:36:03.719
<v Speaker 2>to act like everything was fine. But I couldn't sleep.

579
00:36:04.440 --> 00:36:07.400
<v Speaker 2>I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, listening to

580
00:36:07.480 --> 00:36:11.760
<v Speaker 2>Daniel's steady breathing beside me. My mind was racing, jumping

581
00:36:11.800 --> 00:36:14.840
<v Speaker 2>from thought to thought, trying to connect dots that didn't

582
00:36:14.840 --> 00:36:18.760
<v Speaker 2>want to be connected. The creatures, the cover up, the

583
00:36:18.800 --> 00:36:23.159
<v Speaker 2>men in black, the redacted documents, the references to things

584
00:36:23.199 --> 00:36:27.840
<v Speaker 2>that the government considered national security threats. What wasn't I seeing?

585
00:36:28.400 --> 00:36:31.639
<v Speaker 2>What piece of the puzzle was I missing? Around two

586
00:36:31.639 --> 00:36:34.280
<v Speaker 2>in the morning, I gave up on sleep. I got

587
00:36:34.320 --> 00:36:37.320
<v Speaker 2>out of bed, quietly, trying not to wake Daniel and

588
00:36:37.360 --> 00:36:41.119
<v Speaker 2>went to the living room, pulled up my laptop started searching.

589
00:36:41.840 --> 00:36:45.599
<v Speaker 2>I searched for Project Threshold, for government programs related to

590
00:36:45.679 --> 00:36:50.800
<v Speaker 2>unexplained phenomena, for military involvement, ENCRYPTID research, for anything that

591
00:36:50.880 --> 00:36:54.000
<v Speaker 2>might explain what I'd seen in those documents. What I

592
00:36:54.079 --> 00:36:57.440
<v Speaker 2>found shook me to my core. There were others, not

593
00:36:57.599 --> 00:37:00.960
<v Speaker 2>just Zach and me, not just Amanda and her documentary crew.

594
00:37:01.719 --> 00:37:04.280
<v Speaker 2>There were researchers all over the country who'd been piecing

595
00:37:04.280 --> 00:37:07.119
<v Speaker 2>together the same puzzle. Some of them had been doing

596
00:37:07.199 --> 00:37:10.480
<v Speaker 2>it for decades, and they'd all come to the same conclusion.

597
00:37:11.199 --> 00:37:14.039
<v Speaker 2>The cover up wasn't just about Bigfoot. It was about

598
00:37:14.079 --> 00:37:21.679
<v Speaker 2>everything UFOs, cryptids, paranormal phenomena, everything that mainstream science said

599
00:37:21.760 --> 00:37:26.119
<v Speaker 2>was impossible, everything that the government officially denied. It was

600
00:37:26.159 --> 00:37:29.440
<v Speaker 2>all connected, all part of the same vast system of

601
00:37:29.480 --> 00:37:32.320
<v Speaker 2>suppression that had been operating for more than half a century.

602
00:37:32.960 --> 00:37:34.840
<v Speaker 2>And at the center of it all was something that

603
00:37:34.880 --> 00:37:39.039
<v Speaker 2>nobody understood, something that the people in charge were desperately

604
00:37:39.079 --> 00:37:43.159
<v Speaker 2>trying to keep hidden, something they were afraid of. I

605
00:37:43.199 --> 00:37:46.599
<v Speaker 2>sat in the dark, staring at my laptop screen, feeling

606
00:37:46.679 --> 00:37:49.320
<v Speaker 2>the weight of it all pressing down on me. This

607
00:37:49.440 --> 00:37:52.679
<v Speaker 2>was bigger than I'd ever imagined, Bigger than Austin Mercer,

608
00:37:53.280 --> 00:37:56.559
<v Speaker 2>bigger than the missing people, bigger than everything I thought

609
00:37:56.599 --> 00:37:58.960
<v Speaker 2>I knew, and I had no idea what to do

610
00:37:59.039 --> 00:38:02.519
<v Speaker 2>about it. The knock on the door came just before dawn.

611
00:38:03.079 --> 00:38:05.360
<v Speaker 2>I was still in the living room, still staring at

612
00:38:05.400 --> 00:38:10.039
<v Speaker 2>my laptop when I heard it, three sharp raps, deliberate

613
00:38:10.079 --> 00:38:14.119
<v Speaker 2>and precise, the same knock i'd heard before. I closed

614
00:38:14.119 --> 00:38:16.920
<v Speaker 2>the laptop and stood up, grabbed my rifle from where

615
00:38:16.920 --> 00:38:20.719
<v Speaker 2>it rested against the wall, moved to the door. Who's there?

616
00:38:21.760 --> 00:38:25.480
<v Speaker 2>No answer. I opened the door, the rifle raised and ready.

617
00:38:26.119 --> 00:38:30.320
<v Speaker 2>Nobody was there. The porch was empty, the driveway was empty.

618
00:38:31.119 --> 00:38:34.360
<v Speaker 2>The morning was gray and cold, the mountain still shrouded

619
00:38:34.360 --> 00:38:37.320
<v Speaker 2>in pre dawned darkness. But there was something on the

620
00:38:37.360 --> 00:38:42.119
<v Speaker 2>door mat, A thick Manila envelope, no markings, no indication

621
00:38:42.199 --> 00:38:45.039
<v Speaker 2>of where it had come from, just a single word

622
00:38:45.079 --> 00:38:49.400
<v Speaker 2>written on the front in block letters, truth. I scanned

623
00:38:49.400 --> 00:38:52.760
<v Speaker 2>the tree line, looking for movement, looking for whoever had

624
00:38:52.840 --> 00:38:56.840
<v Speaker 2>left this package. Nothing, no sound except the wind in

625
00:38:56.880 --> 00:39:00.400
<v Speaker 2>the pines, no motion except the gentle swaying of branches.

626
00:39:01.239 --> 00:39:04.119
<v Speaker 2>I picked up the envelope and carried it inside, set

627
00:39:04.159 --> 00:39:06.679
<v Speaker 2>it on the kitchen table. Stared at it for a

628
00:39:06.719 --> 00:39:09.480
<v Speaker 2>long moment, wondering if this was some kind of trap,

629
00:39:10.000 --> 00:39:14.079
<v Speaker 2>a bomb maybe, or anthrax or some other threat designed

630
00:39:14.119 --> 00:39:17.119
<v Speaker 2>to take me out before the documentary could air. But

631
00:39:17.239 --> 00:39:20.800
<v Speaker 2>my instincts said otherwise. Whoever had left this wanted me

632
00:39:20.840 --> 00:39:23.920
<v Speaker 2>to see what was inside, wanted me to know something

633
00:39:23.960 --> 00:39:26.719
<v Speaker 2>that someone had gone to great lengths to keep hidden.

634
00:39:27.599 --> 00:39:29.719
<v Speaker 2>I got a knife from the drawer and carefully slit

635
00:39:29.719 --> 00:39:33.000
<v Speaker 2>the envelope open, taking care not to touch the contents

636
00:39:33.039 --> 00:39:36.960
<v Speaker 2>directly in case there were fingerprints worth preserving. What I

637
00:39:37.000 --> 00:39:41.079
<v Speaker 2>found inside would haunt me for years. The envelope contained

638
00:39:41.079 --> 00:39:46.239
<v Speaker 2>a stack of documents, maybe fifty pages, some original, some photocopies,

639
00:39:46.719 --> 00:39:49.599
<v Speaker 2>all of them bearing the stamps and classification markings of

640
00:39:49.599 --> 00:39:53.440
<v Speaker 2>official government records. The first page was a cover sheet.

641
00:39:53.960 --> 00:39:58.880
<v Speaker 2>The header read Project Vulcan Classified Eyes Only. Below that

642
00:39:59.280 --> 00:40:03.480
<v Speaker 2>a date May eighteenth, nineteen eighty. I felt the hair

643
00:40:03.519 --> 00:40:08.559
<v Speaker 2>on my arms stand up. May eighteenth, nineteen eighty, The

644
00:40:08.639 --> 00:40:11.679
<v Speaker 2>day Mount Saint Helens erupted, The day that fifty seven

645
00:40:11.719 --> 00:40:15.320
<v Speaker 2>people died in the largest volcanic event in United States history,

646
00:40:16.119 --> 00:40:19.400
<v Speaker 2>The day that changed the landscape of the Pacific Northwest forever.

647
00:40:20.039 --> 00:40:23.400
<v Speaker 2>But according to these documents, something else had happened that day,

648
00:40:24.079 --> 00:40:26.719
<v Speaker 2>something that had been hidden from the world for over

649
00:40:26.800 --> 00:40:31.159
<v Speaker 2>forty years. Daniel came into the kitchen, rubbing sleep from

650
00:40:31.199 --> 00:40:35.360
<v Speaker 2>his eyes. What's going on? I heard you up. Someone

651
00:40:35.440 --> 00:40:38.760
<v Speaker 2>left this on the porch. I held up the envelope.

652
00:40:38.840 --> 00:40:41.840
<v Speaker 2>You need to see this. He sat down beside me,

653
00:40:42.119 --> 00:40:45.199
<v Speaker 2>and together we began to read. The document was a

654
00:40:45.239 --> 00:40:49.480
<v Speaker 2>field report from something called the Biological Containment Unit, a

655
00:40:49.519 --> 00:40:52.519
<v Speaker 2>team I'd never heard of, operating under the authority of

656
00:40:52.559 --> 00:40:56.840
<v Speaker 2>agencies I didn't recognize. The report described a deployment to

657
00:40:56.880 --> 00:40:59.960
<v Speaker 2>the Mount Saint Helen's disaster zone in the immediate appa

658
00:41:00.000 --> 00:41:02.840
<v Speaker 2>after math of the eruption, but they weren't there for

659
00:41:02.880 --> 00:41:07.599
<v Speaker 2>the human casualties. Following confirmation of multiple Type B biological

660
00:41:07.679 --> 00:41:11.519
<v Speaker 2>entities within the primary blast zone, the report read BCU

661
00:41:11.599 --> 00:41:15.960
<v Speaker 2>teams were deployed via helicopter to conduct recovery and containment operations.

662
00:41:16.599 --> 00:41:21.440
<v Speaker 2>Initial surveys identified seventeen deceased specimens and three specimens exhibiting

663
00:41:21.480 --> 00:41:25.280
<v Speaker 2>signs of life but severe trauma consistent with exposure to

664
00:41:25.360 --> 00:41:30.599
<v Speaker 2>pyroclastic flows and associated volcanic phenomena. I read the sentence

665
00:41:30.599 --> 00:41:37.159
<v Speaker 2>again and again and again. Seventeen deceased specimens, three severely injured.

666
00:41:37.960 --> 00:41:42.519
<v Speaker 2>The report continued with clinical precision. Living specimens were extracted

667
00:41:42.519 --> 00:41:46.880
<v Speaker 2>to Field Hospital Delta for emergency medical treatment. Standard containment

668
00:41:46.920 --> 00:41:51.199
<v Speaker 2>protocols were implemented. Two specimens expired during transport due to

669
00:41:51.199 --> 00:41:55.920
<v Speaker 2>severity of thermal injuries and respiratory damage. One specimen survived

670
00:41:55.920 --> 00:41:59.679
<v Speaker 2>initial triage and remains under observation at the field facility.

671
00:42:00.400 --> 00:42:05.840
<v Speaker 2>All deceased specimens were transported to redacted for analysis and

672
00:42:05.960 --> 00:42:11.199
<v Speaker 2>long term storage. Jesus Christ Daniel whispered. I kept reading

673
00:42:11.599 --> 00:42:15.639
<v Speaker 2>the document described in clinical detail the physical characteristics of

674
00:42:15.679 --> 00:42:21.239
<v Speaker 2>the specimens. Height seven to nine feet, weight estimated six

675
00:42:21.320 --> 00:42:25.440
<v Speaker 2>hundred to nine hundred pounds, covered in dense hair like follicles,

676
00:42:25.760 --> 00:42:30.519
<v Speaker 2>coloration ranging from dark brown to reddish auburn. Bipedal locomotion,

677
00:42:31.000 --> 00:42:37.920
<v Speaker 2>opposable thumbs, cranial capacity significantly exceeding Homo sapiens parameters. There

678
00:42:37.920 --> 00:42:41.599
<v Speaker 2>were photographs, grainy, washed out images that looked like they'd

679
00:42:41.639 --> 00:42:45.679
<v Speaker 2>been taken in field conditions. Helicopters in the background, men

680
00:42:45.719 --> 00:42:49.880
<v Speaker 2>in military uniforms standing beside shapes, covered in tarps. The

681
00:42:49.960 --> 00:42:53.719
<v Speaker 2>quality was poor, but the scale was unmistakable. Whatever was

682
00:42:53.800 --> 00:42:59.800
<v Speaker 2>under those tarps was massive. But one photograph was different, clear, unmistakable.

683
00:43:00.519 --> 00:43:03.440
<v Speaker 2>A creature on a stretcher being carried by four men

684
00:43:03.480 --> 00:43:08.039
<v Speaker 2>in hasmat suits. Its eyes were closed, its massive chest

685
00:43:08.159 --> 00:43:11.960
<v Speaker 2>was wrapped in bandages, soaked through with something dark. One

686
00:43:12.039 --> 00:43:14.760
<v Speaker 2>arm hung limply over the side of the stretcher. The

687
00:43:14.840 --> 00:43:19.639
<v Speaker 2>hand five fingered, with thick black nails, nearly touching the ground.

688
00:43:20.440 --> 00:43:24.480
<v Speaker 2>The face was visible in profile, heavy brow, ridge, flat nose,

689
00:43:24.920 --> 00:43:28.760
<v Speaker 2>lips pulled back to reveal large teeth. Hair covered most

690
00:43:28.760 --> 00:43:31.679
<v Speaker 2>of the visible skin matted and singed in places from

691
00:43:31.760 --> 00:43:36.280
<v Speaker 2>the volcanic heat. It was real, it was documented, it

692
00:43:36.320 --> 00:43:39.679
<v Speaker 2>was undeniable, and the United States government had covered it

693
00:43:39.760 --> 00:43:43.800
<v Speaker 2>up for over forty years. This changes everything, Daniel said,

694
00:43:44.480 --> 00:43:48.280
<v Speaker 2>This changes everything. I agreed. I turned to the next page,

695
00:43:48.599 --> 00:43:52.280
<v Speaker 2>and the next, and the next. Each one added another

696
00:43:52.320 --> 00:43:55.119
<v Speaker 2>piece to the puzzle, another layer to the cover up.

697
00:43:55.519 --> 00:43:57.599
<v Speaker 2>Another reason why the men in black had been so

698
00:43:57.760 --> 00:44:01.440
<v Speaker 2>determined to keep us silent. Weren't just hiding the existence

699
00:44:01.480 --> 00:44:05.760
<v Speaker 2>of these creatures. They'd been studying them for decades, and

700
00:44:05.800 --> 00:44:08.840
<v Speaker 2>according to these documents, they'd learned things that would shake

701
00:44:08.880 --> 00:44:11.840
<v Speaker 2>the foundations of everything we thought we knew about the

702
00:44:11.920 --> 00:44:12.679
<v Speaker 2>natural world.

703
00:45:11.519 --> 00:47:22.599
<v Speaker 1>The play