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Speaker 1: I remember coming into the house on one cold winter's

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night the snow an icy wind blew through the front door.

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As I stepped into the house, kicking my boots clean,

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I noticed the strange odor in the place. It almost

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smelled like stink bugs, with notes of copper and bleach.

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I hated the smell of stink bugs. Hey, honey, I said,

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where are you. I'm starving, and by the way, it

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smells weird in it. Traffic nearly stopped for a half hour,

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and I eate E. I got down. Tractor trailer flipped

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over the middle of the blizzard and closed down all

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three lanes. We could only get around by driving in

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the breakdown lane until cops got there and started. My

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voice trailed away as I noticed the drops of blood

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on the floor leading from the front hallway into the kitchen.

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I stopped talking, immediately looking around for signs of an intruder.

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I saw nothing. No smashed windows, no busted doors, no

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rifle through drawers or cabinets. Oh my god, I whispered, immediately,

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going to the kitchen and grabbing the largest meat cleaver

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I could find from the knife block. Its edges gleamed,

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freshly sharpened and ready to slice into the hardest of flesh.

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I made sure not to step on the drops of blood.

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I didn't want to disturb a crime scene, if indeed

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it was a crime scene. I stopped thinking of calling

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nine one one, but some inner voice urged me on.

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It will take five or six minutes for the police

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to arrive, possibly longer, it said, And you need to

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check in your family now, right now. Sprinting forwards, I

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followed the blood trail down the hall and straight to

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the first floor bathroom. The door still closed. I tried

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the handle and found it locked. Hello, I said, pounding

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on the door. Who's in there? Open up, Isaac, Is

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that you, A faint voice asked, I recognized the voice

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of my wife. Immediately open the goddamn door, I screamed.

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Rising waves of anxiety and adrenaline coursed through my body,

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and I immediately knew something was very wrong. I could

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hear it in the dead tone of my wife's voice,

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see it glistening on the floor in crimson droplets, feel

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it in the air, like falling pressure before a thunderstorm.

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Jenna opened the door. I heard some slight shuffling in

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the small bathroom, like someone dragging themselves across the floor.

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Then I heard a click. I opened the door and

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found a chamber of nightmares lying beyond the threshold. My

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only son floated face down in the bathtub. My wife

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sat back down on the edge of the tub, rocking

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back and forth, her eyes flat and dead. Why, I whispered, horrified,

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Why would you do this? Don't you know, she murmured

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in a croaking tone. Do you really not know that

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our sun is the Antichrist? Maybe I did have suspicions

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that something wasn't quite right with Max. It was more

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than the dead animals I kept finding strewn around the

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yard and under the house. It was more than the

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way his eyes seemed to shine in the dark when

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I wished him good night. No, it was a feeling,

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a cold, empty feeling that seemed to follow him wherever

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he went. He had no friends at school, and animals

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avoided him like the plague. Dogs would start barking and

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howling when he walked down the street, and cats would

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hiss then disappear with the swish of their tail in

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a flash, behind bushes or up trees. These things, on

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their own wouldn't be too much evidence of anything, but

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they were far from the only evidence that Max was unusual.

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A month ago, a couple of boys had tried to

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bully Max at school. They ran out of the bathroom

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where it happened, crying and wetting their pants as blood

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streamed from their noses and ears. They wouldn't tell anyone

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what happened, and Max just kept smiling and staring at

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them with his large, dark eyes. The school called an

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ambulance and the doctors were baffled. They had to sit

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in the emergency room for three hours before the blood

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stopped pouring out of their bodies. They were white sheets

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by the time it finally clotted, and the doctors had

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no idea of the cause. The two boys went missing

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a few days later. The case ended up drawing media attention.

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The FBI came in, but they found absolutely nothing. It

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seemed like the boys just disappeared out of their windows,

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and then the trail immediately went cold. Tracking dogs couldn't

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find a hint of a trail. It was as if

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they had teleported from their bedrooms. Moreover, no neighbors had

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seen a thing. A couple months later, a few hikers

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found the boy's fingers growing out of a tree. On

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the Appalachian Trail over fifty miles away. The FBI swooped

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in and used DNA testing to determine that these fingers

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belonged to the missing boys from Max's school. No one

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ever explained how the rotting fingers had become quite literally

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fused into the tree. However, no one ever tried to

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bully Max again after that. In fact, the other kids

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gave him as much distance as possible. I tried to

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watch Max when he didn't know I was looking. He

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was only an eighty year old boy, but he could

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put on masks like a psychopath and charm nearly any

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one he met. As soon as they turned away, though,

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he would scowl and narrow his eyes as if he

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wanted to stab them in the back. But this was

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my son, after all. I loved him, and I think

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he loved me in his own strange way. Even my

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wife said she loved him, and she claims that's when

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she had to kill him. A strange kind of love,

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I admit, but I don't think she's lying. I think

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she did love him, and she feared what would happen

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when his ascension had finished and he sat on a

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throne of bones. Crushing out the lives of millions of

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people with an iron heart. She feared the consequences for him,

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she said, only for him, and she loved him, and

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so she had to kill him and stop it now

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before it grew into a grinding juggernaut that devoured his

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soul and sent him to hell. Are you my true father?

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Max had asked me that morning as I sat at

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the kitchen table. I put down my coffee cup slowly

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with shaking hands, then turned the look of my son. Yeah,

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of course, I said, with a trembling voice. Why would

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you ask such a crazy question? He stared at me

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for a long moment, his eyes so dark they looked black,

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they blazed with an inner light. His pale white skin

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looked as smooth as a statue's, and dark hair fell

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over his chiseled features. If it weren't for his aloofness

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and cruelty, it would have been a very beautiful boy. Instead,

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he radiated a coldness like the moon, an aura that

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gave light but no heat, a kind of reptilian psychopath

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detachment that extended to everything he did. He would laugh

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when he saw fatal car accidents on the highway or

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heard news reports about wars and murders. I don't think

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you are my true father, Max said, still staring at me,

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reading me like a book. I felt myself begin to sweat. Max,

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that's ridiculous, I said, Your mother and I have been married.

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Then where does my power come from? He asked? Why

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do I possess from what you will never? I know

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him related to mother? He spat out the word as

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if there were a filthy thing mother. But you, I

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know not where my divinity comes from. You seem weak

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and foolish to me. At least Mother has the courage

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to admit that she hates me. You grovel and pretend,

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and then when my back is turned, you sneer at me.

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In my ascension, I know you do. You are a

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last man, like many others. Your kind is irredictable, as

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fleas hopping all over the world without meaning or the

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will to power. You can never understand someone like me,

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not in a million years. I don't understand what all

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this business about ascension is, I said, I think you're

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living in a fantasy world. If it were a fantasy world,

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he said, then the fruit would not be revealed. But

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it will be soon. Everyone will see, including you I'll

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be with my truth father and become the absolute king

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of this world. Small men like you will grovel like worms.

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They'll be crushed under my feet as I rised the

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heights previously and dreamed of as part of my becoming,

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my greatness will shine like the second sun. People will

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remember my name with awe and terror for a thousand years.

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He spoke like a much older boy. I looked at

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him with an open mouth. He had a far away

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lock in his eyes, a fanatical gleam that sharpened his

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cold features. I remembered when Max was just a little boy.

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Did I know it? Back then? When I watched him

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play with his toys? Did I know what he was?

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I think I would have run screaming from the room

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if I had. Max turned and left the room, grabbing

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his backpack. As the school boss pulled up in front

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of the house. I watched them go with the confidence

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and straight back of a soldier, And yet I thought

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I saw an aura of swirling black shadows around him.

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I blinked, and like mist under the hot summer sun,

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he dissolved into the air. I looked away, sweating and

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shaking with trembling hands. I tried to pick up the coffee.

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It immediately fell to the floor in my nervous fingers

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and shattered. Fifteen minutes later, I was working from home

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in the first of the ambulances and police cars raced by,

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heading to Max's school. My neighbor, a teacher at the

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school who the kids called mister Hallen, told me the

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story from his viewpoint later that day. I don't know

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how much I believed at the time, maybe none of

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it now all of it. The day he started normally enough,

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mister Allen said, pushing his oversized classes up on his long,

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nerdy face. The kids started streaming in for home room.

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Then the bell rang. I started preparing my lecture notes

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for the first period. That was when the screaming started

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down the hallway. It sounded like a girl being murdered,

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just an endless pain shrieking that went on and on

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and on. Abruptly it cut off and everything went deathly silent.

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The students all looked at each other, nervous. A hissing

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voice came over the intercom, a reptilian voice that made

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my skin crawl. It started talking, and I immediately knew

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it wasn't human, and yet it sounded just like Max.

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I mean, he's been in my class for years. Isn't

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that weird? It was like someone had taken his voice

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and ran it through. You're a synthesizer to deepen it

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and slow it down. I heard weird hissing breaths as

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he spoke Hello friends. The voice whispered with the words

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boomed through every classroom and hallway. We have a very

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special day planned for you. The activities are already prepared,

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and the festivities will now begin. Don't try to escape now,

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that breaks the rules. The first of the sheep have

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already been slaughtered. Good luck. I figured some hudlum had

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snuck into the office and somehow used the intercom while

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the secretary was out getting a cup of coffee or

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using the bathroom. I put my hand up as a

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class began to chatter, trying to calm them down. Kids, kids,

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I said, it's clearly just the prank. Please calm down.

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Then the classroom door flew open and a girl came

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running inside. She was covered in blood from head to toe.

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She had deep slices across the back of her head,

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her forehead, her right cheek, and right arm, large fettid

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drops of blood fell behind her. As she ran, as

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if leaving breadcrumbs to find her way back. The wounds

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on her body changed colors in front of her eyes,

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turning purple, then black necrotic tissue began to spread and die.

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Within moments, black blood streamed from the wounds. Her mouth

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opened in a silent scream, but only her choked gasping

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came out. Something had infested the girl. I could see it.

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I quickly backed away, feeling like it was a dream. Please,

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oh God, please help, she whispered, whimpering, her legs buckling.

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She fell to her knees. The kids in the classroom

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began to scream, please someone help me. Her voice grew louder,

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her skin paler as the purplish, dying patches of tissue spread.

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She opened her mouth and began to vomit, some foul,

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oily sludge. It hurt, It hurts, she moaned, falling into

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the puddle of Vomit. Isn't someone going to help me?

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I ran to a side. I didn't know this girl.

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She wasn't in any of my classes, you see, but

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I knew she needed medical attention immediately. What happened? I asked?

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Who did this? She got close to my ear and whispered.

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There's things in the hallways that shouldn't exist, she said,

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still whimpering, she coughed up more blood and black fluid,

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rolling onto her back afterwards and breathing hard. Her eyelids

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fluttered and her skin went pale. I thought she was

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losing consciousness until her eyes rolled back in her head

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and she sat up grinning. Flaws began to rip out

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of her fingers. Black tears streamed down her face, and

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that dark sludge dripped from her mouth like a diseased

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drops of saliva. Her body lengthened, and her arms and

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legs broke and twisted like I hear the bones snapping

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like tree branches during a winter storm. I watched the

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transformation in horror. Backing away, the other kids were all

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screaming and streaming to the back of the classroom. The

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girl hissed as black veins appeared all around her face

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and neck. She rose and walked towards the scared kids

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in the back, her movements as smooth as the synchronized dancers,

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jerky and twisted night maryish in their own way. For

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what came next was far worse. Her body grew taller, thinner,

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00:16:46,440 --> 00:16:49,600
and more emaciated as it stretched up to the ceiling,

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00:16:50,279 --> 00:16:54,480
towering over every other kid in the classroom. She must

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00:16:54,480 --> 00:16:56,480
have grown to at least seven feet by that point.

241
00:16:57,639 --> 00:17:01,320
Her arms reached out the bone like sharpening as she

242
00:17:01,440 --> 00:17:04,240
struck out at the screaming row of children in front.

243
00:17:05,480 --> 00:17:08,160
I saw drops of blood splash against the back wall,

244
00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:12,640
and a couple boys stumbled forward, their throats slashed wide open.

245
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The panic stricken faces grew pale and bloodless as they

246
00:17:16,720 --> 00:17:20,720
choked and tried to scream, but only bubbling gasps came out.

247
00:17:22,160 --> 00:17:24,319
I saw the window was open and I was on

248
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the first floor. I decided to run to try to

249
00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:30,559
get help. I knew we needed policemen and medics of

250
00:17:30,640 --> 00:17:36,000
the scene, and I couldn't do anything to save the kids. Well,

251
00:17:36,240 --> 00:17:40,960
to be honest, I feel terrible about it, but I

252
00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:44,759
did run. As the screams followed me from the back

253
00:17:44,799 --> 00:17:47,680
of the classroom. I jumped right out the window and

254
00:17:47,799 --> 00:17:51,400
ran across the playground and scaled the fence. But as

255
00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:55,680
I went I heard a strange, shrill laughter coming from

256
00:17:55,720 --> 00:18:03,319
the intercom. And you know what, I'm positive the voice

257
00:18:03,359 --> 00:18:10,759
sounded just like Max. Max came up early from school

258
00:18:10,759 --> 00:18:15,119
that day, grinning and laughing. He was in a fine mood.

259
00:18:16,119 --> 00:18:18,720
I don't know what happened after the teacher left, or

260
00:18:18,759 --> 00:18:22,240
how many people died in that building of horrors, but

261
00:18:22,359 --> 00:18:26,359
I know that Max caused it all, the first prodding

262
00:18:26,400 --> 00:18:29,920
steps in the path of his ascension, the foundational layer

263
00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:33,759
to his throne of bones. Mister Allen had talked to

264
00:18:33,839 --> 00:18:37,359
Jenna early that morning, immediately after running home from that

265
00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:40,400
den of nightmares, and she had already put a plan

266
00:18:40,559 --> 00:18:45,359
into motion. When Max got home from school, she gave

267
00:18:45,440 --> 00:18:47,799
him a gatorade with a large amount of fentanyl she

268
00:18:47,839 --> 00:18:50,559
had purchased from a random drug dealer in the inner city.

269
00:18:50,960 --> 00:18:54,519
Dissolved inside. She added some more sugar to mask at

270
00:18:54,519 --> 00:18:57,519
any slight bitterness, and gave it to the grinning boy

271
00:18:57,680 --> 00:19:02,319
with large black pupils like small her in coals. He

272
00:19:02,400 --> 00:19:05,119
drank it quickly, looking out of the whole time with

273
00:19:05,200 --> 00:19:09,559
his dilated eyes. He smiled and got up, but soon

274
00:19:09,599 --> 00:19:14,759
afterwards collapsed. Jenna found him unconscious in his bedroom and

275
00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:18,200
dragged him to the bathroom. She filled the top and

276
00:19:18,240 --> 00:19:25,680
held Max underwater until the bulls stopped. As my wife

277
00:19:25,680 --> 00:19:28,359
explained it all to me, a sense of loss and

278
00:19:28,480 --> 00:19:32,079
horror came over me. I didn't know if I missed

279
00:19:32,119 --> 00:19:36,200
Max or not. His swollen blue face showed without a

280
00:19:36,279 --> 00:19:40,839
doubt that he was dead. I took my wife outside

281
00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:43,759
and sat her down at the table, debating whether I

282
00:19:43,759 --> 00:19:46,799
should call the police. No one had ever told me

283
00:19:46,799 --> 00:19:49,519
what to do in this situation, and I felt like

284
00:19:49,599 --> 00:19:54,839
I was flying blind. I got up, pacing, I went

285
00:19:54,880 --> 00:19:59,200
to the oven and started brewing some instant coffee. Soft

286
00:19:59,240 --> 00:20:04,519
footsteps ussoled behind me. I turned around to see Max

287
00:20:05,440 --> 00:20:10,160
seemingly alive and well, but also changed in some fundamentally

288
00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:15,119
disturbing way. His eyes had now turned fully black. He

289
00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:18,880
hovered inches above the ground behind my wife, smiling at me.

290
00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:23,799
His teeth seemed much sharper and longer than before. The

291
00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:27,960
feeling of electricity sizzled in the air. I could see

292
00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:31,599
some sort of expansive black aura rippling around his pale skin,

293
00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:37,200
dark and cold as empty space. Goose bumps rose on

294
00:20:37,240 --> 00:20:41,839
my body just from being near that sickly aura. The

295
00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:47,279
water park began to boil behind me. Behind Max, I

296
00:20:47,319 --> 00:20:50,759
saw the strange mutated children from the school creep out

297
00:20:50,799 --> 00:20:54,400
from the front hallway, Four or five of them skittered

298
00:20:54,440 --> 00:20:58,480
about with emaciated, twisted legs bending in ways no human

299
00:20:58,559 --> 00:21:03,119
legs should bend. Their heads nearly scraped the lower kitchen ceiling.

300
00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:07,720
The pale, broken arms reached down to their knees, jointed

301
00:21:07,759 --> 00:21:11,559
in myriad areas. I could hear the soft cracking of

302
00:21:11,640 --> 00:21:16,359
bones now as they slowly moved forwards, a light snapping sound,

303
00:21:16,799 --> 00:21:21,000
like small twigs broken under foot. Their blank white eyes

304
00:21:21,160 --> 00:21:25,799
constantly dribbled ebony tears that stained their bleached, bloodless skin.

305
00:21:28,240 --> 00:21:34,799
Mother Mother Max said condescendingly, sounding like a disappointed parent.

306
00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:38,319
You should have known that you cannot kill me, except

307
00:21:38,359 --> 00:21:42,519
by decapitation or by burning my body. Do you really

308
00:21:42,559 --> 00:21:45,119
think my true father would let a worthless louse like

309
00:21:45,160 --> 00:21:49,000
yourself kill me before my ascension to the throne? Ay?

310
00:21:49,119 --> 00:21:55,119
That foolish and blind Jenna began to cry, refusing to

311
00:21:55,160 --> 00:21:58,880
look at her son. But I respect your courage and

312
00:21:58,920 --> 00:22:03,799
action for that. I will give you a quick death,

313
00:22:05,880 --> 00:22:09,960
he looked straight at me, which is something you'll I'll receive.

314
00:22:10,400 --> 00:22:15,440
Fake father, you're a weak, worthless coward, and you deserve

315
00:22:15,559 --> 00:22:19,559
to die slowly, screaming yourself hoarse and pleading for release.

316
00:22:20,720 --> 00:22:22,880
But so do the screams of the week sound as

317
00:22:22,920 --> 00:22:26,000
a beautiful symphony to the ears of my true father

318
00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:29,480
and myself. The deaths of the week will pave the

319
00:22:29,559 --> 00:22:33,680
road to a new world. He motioned to the mutated

320
00:22:33,759 --> 00:22:37,480
children behind him. The bodies had become so twisted and

321
00:22:37,519 --> 00:22:41,200
contorted that I couldn't tell whether they'd been boys or girls.

322
00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:48,319
They looked only like monsters, now, like walking corpses. In

323
00:22:48,400 --> 00:22:50,839
a blur, one of them ran forward and grabbed my

324
00:22:50,880 --> 00:22:54,440
wife's head. The scream bowled in my throat as I watched,

325
00:22:55,359 --> 00:22:58,119
but it was over before I even knew what was happening.

326
00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:02,759
The thing you used this crooked, clawed fingers to twist ahead,

327
00:23:03,319 --> 00:23:06,920
snapping her neck. In a second, Jennet's face was now

328
00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:10,480
looking straight behind her, the skin on her neck spiraling

329
00:23:10,519 --> 00:23:15,000
around in sickly folds on a broken flesh. I saw

330
00:23:15,079 --> 00:23:19,960
burst blood vessels and rapidly spreading purple bruises. She gave

331
00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:24,519
a death grasp, releasing an endless, choking breath, her eye

332
00:23:24,559 --> 00:23:33,839
lids fluttering and fingers twitching. Then she was still. Max

333
00:23:33,960 --> 00:23:37,759
gave a slow, deep laugh, a grating sound that seemed

334
00:23:37,799 --> 00:23:40,160
to rise up from the depths of his withered soul.

335
00:23:41,200 --> 00:23:45,440
His black eyes flashed with amusement and pleasure. Max grinned

336
00:23:45,440 --> 00:23:49,240
his vampiric teeth, shining and white, reflecting the cold winter

337
00:23:49,319 --> 00:23:53,799
sunlight streaming in from the window. The water park began

338
00:23:53,880 --> 00:23:57,079
to whistle as increasing torrents of steam board out of it.

339
00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:02,319
Without hesitation. Bun and grabbed it, flicking open the spout

340
00:24:02,359 --> 00:24:05,039
by pressing the button on the handle, and I flung

341
00:24:05,079 --> 00:24:08,640
it at Max, the boiling hot water flying out in

342
00:24:08,680 --> 00:24:12,240
a spiraling stream as the metal water pots circled through

343
00:24:12,240 --> 00:24:15,599
the air. It always seemed to happen as if in

344
00:24:15,640 --> 00:24:19,799
slow motion. I saw Max's look of triumph and amusement

345
00:24:19,920 --> 00:24:23,279
morph into a scowl of hatred and anger. With the

346
00:24:23,359 --> 00:24:26,079
motion had been so quick and accurate that he couldn't

347
00:24:26,119 --> 00:24:29,839
have moved in time. The heavy metal pots smacked him

348
00:24:29,839 --> 00:24:33,160
in the face, spilling scolding hot water all over his

349
00:24:33,279 --> 00:24:37,880
face and neck. He screamed and fell back, knocking over

350
00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:40,559
the mutated bodies of the children he had turned into

351
00:24:40,599 --> 00:24:45,640
his mindless followers. I sprinted towards the door without looking back,

352
00:24:45,960 --> 00:24:51,079
heading outside. The constant stream of police and ambulance sirens

353
00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:55,519
heading to the school had stopped. Now dozens of black

354
00:24:55,720 --> 00:24:59,799
SUVs streamed into town. Men in dark suits and mirrored.

355
00:24:59,839 --> 00:25:03,400
Some glasses stepped out. I looked back to the house

356
00:25:03,759 --> 00:25:05,960
and saw a few of the new rivals running in

357
00:25:06,000 --> 00:25:10,720
with automatic rifles. Others headed to the neighbour's houses, breaking

358
00:25:10,759 --> 00:25:16,119
down doors and entering without knocking. I heard rifles firing

359
00:25:16,359 --> 00:25:20,440
and hoarse gurgled screams. The mutated children ran out of

360
00:25:20,440 --> 00:25:24,799
my house, the bodies riddled with bullets. We slowly lost

361
00:25:24,960 --> 00:25:28,559
energy as black blood streamed out of multiple giant exit

362
00:25:28,599 --> 00:25:33,039
wounds eaten into their bodies. They eventually fell down in

363
00:25:33,079 --> 00:25:39,880
the streets and died with a lasp grasping breath. But

364
00:25:41,319 --> 00:25:46,119
they never found Max. They quarantined the town and went

365
00:25:46,119 --> 00:25:49,200
from house to house and building to building, searching for

366
00:25:49,240 --> 00:25:52,480
the source of all this death and evil. But he

367
00:25:52,559 --> 00:25:57,519
had somehow escaped. We killed all the mutated Fanatics they

368
00:25:57,519 --> 00:26:00,640
could find. Were the bodies of many children from the

369
00:26:00,680 --> 00:26:05,400
school seemed unaccounted for. I knew where they had gone.

370
00:26:06,400 --> 00:26:10,400
They had followed Max, fanatical soldiers for his new army,

371
00:26:11,359 --> 00:26:14,759
fearless of death and committed to the leader and his

372
00:26:14,799 --> 00:26:20,839
new world order. I don't know where Max went or

373
00:26:20,839 --> 00:26:24,240
where he'll show up. Next. But I know he's moving

374
00:26:24,279 --> 00:26:28,039
towards his ascension, and the next time I see him,

375
00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:33,440
he will arrive in power and glory and crush out

376
00:26:33,480 --> 00:26:47,240
the lives of millions of people under his feet. I

377
00:26:47,319 --> 00:26:50,000
got a job right out of college and had to

378
00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:54,640
find a new place at short notice. Used my socials,

379
00:26:54,920 --> 00:26:57,839
I got in contact with the landlord through mutual contact.

380
00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:01,960
They had a spare apartment and that was just made available.

381
00:27:02,880 --> 00:27:05,440
The previous tenant had been evicted a couple of weeks

382
00:27:05,480 --> 00:27:09,599
prior because of unpaid rent, so the apartment hadn't even

383
00:27:09,640 --> 00:27:15,799
been advertised yet. The apartment was nice enough, but all

384
00:27:15,799 --> 00:27:19,519
my attention was on my new job. I pretty much

385
00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:23,119
just brought a bed and a desktop computer, leaving two

386
00:27:23,279 --> 00:27:26,720
of my three rooms empty for the time being. I

387
00:27:26,759 --> 00:27:28,839
wasn't certain if I was going to stay there long

388
00:27:28,920 --> 00:27:33,960
term or not, but I figured time would decide. I

389
00:27:34,039 --> 00:27:38,279
ended up staying there several years. I settled into my job,

390
00:27:38,680 --> 00:27:42,440
furnished the place up, and made it into a proper home.

391
00:27:43,839 --> 00:27:48,079
Those first few stressful weeks became nothing but a distant memory.

392
00:27:50,119 --> 00:27:53,200
About three years after moving in, I had to stash

393
00:27:53,240 --> 00:27:57,200
some furniture. I contacted my landlord to see if there

394
00:27:57,279 --> 00:28:00,799
was some storage space I could use. He reminded me

395
00:28:00,920 --> 00:28:03,000
that there was storage on the bottom floor that I

396
00:28:03,039 --> 00:28:07,519
hadn't used. I didn't even know it was there. Not

397
00:28:07,559 --> 00:28:10,799
that surprising, seeing as I was really stressed out when

398
00:28:10,799 --> 00:28:14,839
I first moved in. Apparently the space had been used

399
00:28:14,839 --> 00:28:18,079
by the previous tenant, who might have left some items there.

400
00:28:19,279 --> 00:28:21,680
I hadn't had any use for such a space before,

401
00:28:22,400 --> 00:28:28,279
so I hadn't thought about asking. So imagine my surprise

402
00:28:28,839 --> 00:28:32,839
when I get to the storage only to see a

403
00:28:32,960 --> 00:28:38,240
crash test dummy. Using a key I got from the landlord,

404
00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:42,519
I unlocked the padlock and got a close lock. It

405
00:28:42,640 --> 00:28:46,200
was a white, life sized crash test dummy with a

406
00:28:46,240 --> 00:28:50,039
hastily scribbled mister Mayhem written on the back of its

407
00:28:50,119 --> 00:28:54,920
head with a black sharpie. The dummy was scoffed and worn,

408
00:28:55,440 --> 00:28:59,240
but still had a plastic smile on its face its

409
00:28:59,279 --> 00:29:03,519
eyes for these little painted black dots. It looked like

410
00:29:03,559 --> 00:29:06,839
it had been through hell and a half. I asked

411
00:29:06,839 --> 00:29:10,720
the landlord about it. Turns out the previous tenant and

412
00:29:10,920 --> 00:29:14,519
used it as a sort of mascot. They brought it

413
00:29:14,559 --> 00:29:17,839
out for fun for parties, pranks, that kind of thing.

414
00:29:19,599 --> 00:29:22,319
The sort of music that Cheetah carpull Lane once. My

415
00:29:22,440 --> 00:29:26,839
landlord shared it was just this funny thing he'd gotten

416
00:29:26,880 --> 00:29:30,200
from his job when they upgraded to newer dummies. It

417
00:29:30,359 --> 00:29:34,359
was probably more than forty years old. I cleaned out

418
00:29:34,359 --> 00:29:38,319
the storage and stashed away my furniture. I thought about

419
00:29:38,359 --> 00:29:41,440
what to do with mister Mayhem, then figured it'd be

420
00:29:41,440 --> 00:29:45,559
a fun piece for my upcoming Halloween party. I'd address

421
00:29:45,599 --> 00:29:48,240
it up in something and keep it by the entrance.

422
00:29:49,200 --> 00:29:55,880
It'd be the talk of the town. Still, there was

423
00:29:55,960 --> 00:30:00,960
something unnerving about it, the way it's joints eaten cracked,

424
00:30:01,720 --> 00:30:07,079
had frozen painted on grin, the sloppy joints rattling haphazardly

425
00:30:07,599 --> 00:30:13,039
with every little movement. My early Halloween party, it is

426
00:30:13,119 --> 00:30:16,880
nothing extravagant. I get a couple of friends together and

427
00:30:16,920 --> 00:30:19,400
we dress up. Then we hit one of the local

428
00:30:19,440 --> 00:30:23,200
clubs for a costume party. It's like a pre party,

429
00:30:23,640 --> 00:30:28,000
only with about eighteen people or so. I dressed up

430
00:30:28,039 --> 00:30:30,920
mister Mayhem in a cheap pirate costume and had his

431
00:30:31,000 --> 00:30:34,400
stand by the door with a tray of snacks. I

432
00:30:34,440 --> 00:30:37,319
went as the Penguin, but everyone mistook me for the

433
00:30:37,359 --> 00:30:42,799
monopoly man. People came around at around seven. Mister Mayhem

434
00:30:43,119 --> 00:30:46,839
was a big hit. There's just something about dummies and

435
00:30:46,920 --> 00:30:50,559
dolls that rubbed people the wrong way. It's the uncanny

436
00:30:50,640 --> 00:30:54,359
Valley thing of it. I guess it was the centerpiece

437
00:30:54,440 --> 00:30:58,119
for a lot of selfies that night. As the punch

438
00:30:58,160 --> 00:31:02,079
bowl got emptier and the night got darker, we all

439
00:31:02,160 --> 00:31:05,640
left for the club, leaving mister Mayhem by the door.

440
00:31:07,559 --> 00:31:10,440
I had a lot of fun, a few drinks too many.

441
00:31:11,480 --> 00:31:13,279
There was a bit of drama with two friends of

442
00:31:13,319 --> 00:31:16,799
mine having an argument, but all in all it was

443
00:31:16,839 --> 00:31:20,319
a good night. An acquaintance of mine won the costume

444
00:31:20,359 --> 00:31:26,680
contest with a sort of ioluminescent fish thing. It was insane.

445
00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:28,880
If you've got a costume that you've got a charge

446
00:31:28,880 --> 00:31:35,119
batteries for, you've taken it to another level. In the moment,

447
00:31:35,720 --> 00:31:39,559
I couldn't tell anything was wrong, but if I'd listened

448
00:31:39,599 --> 00:31:43,200
a little closer, I would have heard a thing or two.

449
00:31:44,279 --> 00:31:48,519
Cracking and creaking heard from the alley out back as

450
00:31:48,559 --> 00:31:52,480
something moved a bound to mention, a guy dressed as

451
00:31:52,519 --> 00:31:57,160
a crash test on me. A dark silhouette just outside

452
00:31:57,200 --> 00:32:01,400
the frosted glass of the bathroom window by the end

453
00:32:01,440 --> 00:32:04,240
of the night, I made my way home and slid

454
00:32:04,240 --> 00:32:08,640
the keys into my door, only to notice that it

455
00:32:08,720 --> 00:32:12,880
was already unlocked. I could a sworn I locked it,

456
00:32:13,640 --> 00:32:16,319
but figured I must have missed it in all the commotion.

457
00:32:17,680 --> 00:32:20,519
I did a drunken half check around the apartment to

458
00:32:20,559 --> 00:32:25,839
see that nothing was stolen. There wasn't. I didn't even

459
00:32:25,880 --> 00:32:30,119
think about checking for mister Mayhem. If I had, I

460
00:32:30,119 --> 00:32:33,359
would have noticed there was nothing standing by the door

461
00:32:33,960 --> 00:32:37,720
waiting for me with snacks. I would have noticed the

462
00:32:37,720 --> 00:32:41,519
bowl having rolled off to the side, spilling wrapped toffees

463
00:32:41,559 --> 00:32:47,240
and buttter caramels across the carpet. But no. My face

464
00:32:47,279 --> 00:32:52,319
planted into my bed and waited for another day. It

465
00:32:52,440 --> 00:32:55,960
wasn't until the next morning that I noticed it was missing.

466
00:32:57,119 --> 00:32:59,240
I sent a couple of texts to the others of

467
00:32:59,319 --> 00:33:03,319
the party asking if they did something to it. All

468
00:33:03,359 --> 00:33:07,759
I got was a resounding no in response. If anything,

469
00:33:08,319 --> 00:33:12,039
they just thought it had been a fun prop. I

470
00:33:12,119 --> 00:33:15,480
checked all over the apartment and the storage. I even

471
00:33:15,519 --> 00:33:20,519
asked my next door neighbor if they'd seen anything. Nothing.

472
00:33:22,200 --> 00:33:27,920
Mister Mayhem was just gone. It wasn't a big loss

473
00:33:27,960 --> 00:33:30,640
or anything, but I didn't like the idea of someone

474
00:33:30,680 --> 00:33:34,640
being in my apartment for no good reason. Things just

475
00:33:34,680 --> 00:33:39,240
don't disappear for nothing. If someone wanted a crash test dummy,

476
00:33:39,680 --> 00:33:43,519
I could have sold it for a quick hundred or so. Instead,

477
00:33:43,880 --> 00:33:47,799
I found myself running back and forth, growing increasingly anxious

478
00:33:47,839 --> 00:33:51,400
about someone being in my space. I even called the

479
00:33:51,480 --> 00:33:58,839
landlord about having the locks changed. The following Monday, mister

480
00:33:58,920 --> 00:34:04,000
Mayhem missing while I was still on my mind. I

481
00:34:04,039 --> 00:34:07,680
had a hundred more pressing matters at hand. It had

482
00:34:07,720 --> 00:34:11,679
started raining, and absent mindedly wandered across the parking lot.

483
00:34:12,840 --> 00:34:15,519
I was almost at the front door, and something in

484
00:34:15,559 --> 00:34:18,960
the back of my mind asked me to stop, like

485
00:34:19,000 --> 00:34:24,360
a sudden feeling of unease. It's hard to explain the

486
00:34:24,519 --> 00:34:31,679
challenge to look a little closer, so I did. Turning

487
00:34:31,719 --> 00:34:36,760
around and looking up, I could see mister Mayhem, who

488
00:34:36,840 --> 00:34:39,199
was on the roof of my apartment building with his

489
00:34:39,320 --> 00:34:44,280
head aligned straight forward. Someone must have dragged it up

490
00:34:44,320 --> 00:34:47,440
there as a joke. It looked like someone about to

491
00:34:47,480 --> 00:34:50,199
jump off a building. I was going to have to

492
00:34:50,239 --> 00:34:54,599
bring it down. I didn't want anyone to be accidentally traumatized.

493
00:34:56,039 --> 00:34:58,960
I headed straight for the door to the stairwell, covering

494
00:34:58,960 --> 00:35:04,440
my head with a file folder. The rain was relentless.

495
00:35:05,400 --> 00:35:08,679
Something smashed into the pavement right in front of me.

496
00:35:10,039 --> 00:35:16,679
Loud plastic bang as mister Mayhem hit the ground. A

497
00:35:16,719 --> 00:35:21,400
couple of feet further and I'd have been crushed. I

498
00:35:21,519 --> 00:35:24,599
just stood there for a moment, hearing the rain tapping

499
00:35:24,639 --> 00:35:28,880
against my far folder on my head. Mister Mayhem was intact,

500
00:35:29,519 --> 00:35:35,800
but the body was just mangled. Every single extremity bent

501
00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:39,800
at an unnatural angle. But that didn't hamper that eerie

502
00:35:39,880 --> 00:35:44,159
painted on smile. I was a bit hesitant to touch it.

503
00:35:44,960 --> 00:35:48,920
My heart was raising. That thing was heavy, and it

504
00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:52,079
had fallen far enough to do some serious damage had

505
00:35:52,079 --> 00:35:57,039
it hit me, which it almost did. I dragged it

506
00:35:57,119 --> 00:36:00,760
back down into the basement storage. I had to shuffle

507
00:36:00,760 --> 00:36:03,679
around some furniture and ended up tossing it on top

508
00:36:03,719 --> 00:36:07,440
of an old sofa. I locked the story to the padlock,

509
00:36:07,880 --> 00:36:10,440
turned off the lights, and closed the door behind me.

510
00:36:12,239 --> 00:36:17,360
I'd get rid of that thing soon enough. I went

511
00:36:17,400 --> 00:36:21,480
to bed early that night. I kept getting shakes and twitches,

512
00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:24,800
as if my body were still recoiling from having mister

513
00:36:24,880 --> 00:36:27,599
Mayhem crashed into the pavement right in front of me.

514
00:36:28,760 --> 00:36:31,840
I felt twitchy, as if I hadn't slowed down yet.

515
00:36:33,119 --> 00:36:36,039
I was stuck in high gear, and it carried over

516
00:36:36,320 --> 00:36:40,599
into the next morning. I stress cleaned my kitchen and

517
00:36:40,639 --> 00:36:45,559
bedroom before I even got breakfast. As I was cleaning

518
00:36:45,719 --> 00:36:48,679
in and around the fridge, I scooped out what looked

519
00:36:48,719 --> 00:36:52,320
like an old, fainted note opposed it that must have

520
00:36:52,400 --> 00:36:56,960
been stuck to the fridge by the previous tenant. Don't

521
00:36:57,400 --> 00:37:02,519
let it out. I stood there staring at the note

522
00:37:02,559 --> 00:37:05,960
for a good few minutes, letting my paranoia run rampant.

523
00:37:07,000 --> 00:37:10,360
I tried to explain it away, but every thought came

524
00:37:10,480 --> 00:37:15,079
circling back around to one point. There must have been

525
00:37:15,079 --> 00:37:19,840
a reason for mister Mayhem being left behind and what

526
00:37:20,000 --> 00:37:27,039
happened to the previous tenant. Over the next few days,

527
00:37:27,599 --> 00:37:30,960
I considered how to get rid of it. I thought

528
00:37:30,960 --> 00:37:33,559
about just driving it to the garbage dump and dropping

529
00:37:33,559 --> 00:37:36,639
it off somewhere, but I didn't like the idea of

530
00:37:36,679 --> 00:37:41,800
it being let out. I could burn it, but I

531
00:37:41,840 --> 00:37:44,719
had to get a good space to do it. I

532
00:37:44,719 --> 00:37:48,960
could just sell it. Of course, that didn't feel responsible either.

533
00:37:50,760 --> 00:37:54,239
I was running out of patience and ideas, so I

534
00:37:54,320 --> 00:37:57,920
finally decided on sawing it up and dropping it into

535
00:37:57,920 --> 00:38:02,599
the river. I prepped a backpack with a saw, duct tape,

536
00:38:02,719 --> 00:38:07,440
a hammer, and garbage bags. The following night I got

537
00:38:07,480 --> 00:38:12,039
to work, I dragged mister Mayhema out to my car

538
00:38:12,360 --> 00:38:15,679
and stuffed it into the trunk. I didn't want to

539
00:38:15,719 --> 00:38:18,800
do it in the daylight, as the thing still looked

540
00:38:18,840 --> 00:38:21,519
like a person, and I didn't want to have to

541
00:38:21,559 --> 00:38:25,280
explain myself. I was going to drive down to a

542
00:38:25,280 --> 00:38:29,320
clear spot near the river and get to work. It

543
00:38:29,360 --> 00:38:34,239
wasn't far, but I had to cross the highway. It

544
00:38:34,280 --> 00:38:39,159
was a short drive, but it was tense. It felt

545
00:38:39,159 --> 00:38:42,119
like I was doing something wrong, like mister Mayhem was

546
00:38:42,159 --> 00:38:46,280
a person rather than a dummy. As I closed the

547
00:38:46,320 --> 00:38:51,400
trunk and got behind the wheel, I stealed myself. The

548
00:38:51,480 --> 00:38:54,920
moment I put the keys in, I got this strange

549
00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:58,199
impulse that I should have duck tape its hands and feet.

550
00:38:59,519 --> 00:39:03,559
Then again, why should I It was just a dummy.

551
00:39:06,000 --> 00:39:10,480
I got stuck waiting at two separate left turns. Each

552
00:39:10,559 --> 00:39:13,519
time I just sat there, listening to the hum of

553
00:39:13,559 --> 00:39:18,000
the engine, expecting to hear a thumping or smacking something

554
00:39:18,159 --> 00:39:21,559
coming from the trunk. I was expecting the thing to

555
00:39:21,599 --> 00:39:25,239
do something. It wasn't a rational thing to listen for,

556
00:39:25,320 --> 00:39:32,519
but I couldn't help it, and yet nothing came. I

557
00:39:32,559 --> 00:39:35,840
crossed the highway, made my way down the river and

558
00:39:35,920 --> 00:39:39,360
found a spot by a clearing where I wouldn't bother anyone.

559
00:39:40,719 --> 00:39:44,719
I parked my car, got out and held my breath

560
00:39:45,239 --> 00:39:50,320
as I opened the trunk frist the second I could

561
00:39:50,320 --> 00:39:56,800
imagine someone lying there, a living person, screaming, pleading for help.

562
00:39:58,159 --> 00:40:01,239
I blinked it away as the trunk revealed mister Mayhem

563
00:40:01,719 --> 00:40:08,559
in awe his inanimate splendor. There was nothing here to fear. Still,

564
00:40:09,079 --> 00:40:11,440
just chopping up something with the shape of a person

565
00:40:11,559 --> 00:40:16,960
was going to be uncomfortable. I dragged it out to

566
00:40:17,000 --> 00:40:20,000
the bank of the river, laid out my tools, and

567
00:40:20,119 --> 00:40:23,360
took a good look at it. I reached for the

568
00:40:23,400 --> 00:40:26,840
hammer first, to break the joints that would make it

569
00:40:26,880 --> 00:40:31,639
easier to saw. The thing was made to withstand serious punishment.

570
00:40:32,679 --> 00:40:37,679
Breaking it wouldn't be easy. I started with the left hand.

571
00:40:38,239 --> 00:40:41,400
There's a sort of test run. I whacked out the

572
00:40:41,480 --> 00:40:45,159
joints and brought out the saw, but I got this

573
00:40:45,360 --> 00:40:49,599
sick feeling in my stomach with every crack I never

574
00:40:49,679 --> 00:40:54,519
heard bone breaking but I imagine that was it. I felt

575
00:40:54,599 --> 00:41:01,920
like a butcher, and those eyes looking painted on eyes,

576
00:41:02,920 --> 00:41:07,280
just little dots, but I felt them boring into my mind.

577
00:41:08,000 --> 00:41:15,159
The cheap human imitation, but human nonetheless. I skipped ahead

578
00:41:15,239 --> 00:41:18,199
a few steps and named the hammer directly at its face.

579
00:41:19,119 --> 00:41:23,320
I brought the hammer down, smack after smack after smack,

580
00:41:24,440 --> 00:41:29,119
until the dummy cracked. The nose buckled inwards, and the

581
00:41:29,199 --> 00:41:33,800
cheeks split into butterfly shaped shards. I picked out pieces

582
00:41:33,840 --> 00:41:39,039
with my nails. I shuddered. There was some sort of

583
00:41:39,159 --> 00:41:42,480
padding on the inside that just made my skin crawl.

584
00:41:43,559 --> 00:41:50,679
There was something about the texture. I paused. There was

585
00:41:50,719 --> 00:41:59,760
a small white growth the tooth. I stepped back, looking

586
00:41:59,800 --> 00:42:03,920
down under the broken dummy. Just beneath the crack surface.

587
00:42:04,280 --> 00:42:10,519
Embedded inside was a dead man, mummified and dried within

588
00:42:10,559 --> 00:42:16,239
the confines of the plastic shell. I couldn't breathe. It

589
00:42:16,280 --> 00:42:20,960
had been there all along, hidden in plain sight. There

590
00:42:20,960 --> 00:42:23,280
were so many things to do that I couldn't begin

591
00:42:23,360 --> 00:42:27,400
to form a coherent thought. Who do I call? What

592
00:42:27,440 --> 00:42:30,320
do I do? Could I possibly be liable for some

593
00:42:30,400 --> 00:42:34,559
kind of damage? Who was the person inside? Were they missing?

594
00:42:36,400 --> 00:42:40,239
I stepped back, dropping the hammer. I covered my mouth

595
00:42:40,480 --> 00:42:45,519
and took these little microbreaths, repeating Oh my God to myself,

596
00:42:45,760 --> 00:42:49,639
over and over, as if the rocking motion would somehow

597
00:42:49,719 --> 00:42:52,280
dislodge a good idea from the back of my mind.

598
00:42:53,719 --> 00:42:56,639
I decided I'd get back to my car and call

599
00:42:56,719 --> 00:43:01,920
the police. I hurried back, got into the driver's seat,

600
00:43:01,960 --> 00:43:04,920
and closed the door. I took at my cell phone,

601
00:43:05,079 --> 00:43:11,760
dulled the emergency services, and then heard a click. I

602
00:43:11,840 --> 00:43:17,519
looked to the left. Something fast moved my way, and

603
00:43:17,559 --> 00:43:21,400
then the world turned upside down. In a sudden shock

604
00:43:21,440 --> 00:43:28,719
of pain, I drifted in and out of consciousness. Our

605
00:43:28,800 --> 00:43:32,599
sun were dark and cramped. It must have taken me

606
00:43:32,679 --> 00:43:35,880
at least ten minutes just to realize I was in

607
00:43:35,960 --> 00:43:40,400
the trunk of my car and the car was moving.

608
00:43:42,159 --> 00:43:46,360
I could hear the radio, albeit turned down. I had

609
00:43:46,360 --> 00:43:49,639
a swelling over my nose and my left eye, and

610
00:43:49,719 --> 00:43:52,599
I could feel my sense of balance being shaky at best.

611
00:43:54,199 --> 00:43:57,039
I reached for my cell phone, but it was still

612
00:43:57,119 --> 00:44:00,480
in the passenger seat. I never managed to call the

613
00:44:00,519 --> 00:44:07,400
emergency surfaces. At some point the car came to a stop.

614
00:44:08,239 --> 00:44:10,800
I heard the door on the driver's side open and close,

615
00:44:11,639 --> 00:44:15,440
and the sound of someone walking away. There was a

616
00:44:15,480 --> 00:44:19,360
slight echo to it, suggesting we were parked somewhere inside,

617
00:44:20,159 --> 00:44:24,400
possibly a large space, and I didn't waste any time.

618
00:44:25,599 --> 00:44:28,519
Instead of trying to open the trunk, I wriggled and

619
00:44:28,519 --> 00:44:32,280
crawled my way into the back seat. From there, I

620
00:44:32,320 --> 00:44:36,039
contorted myself into the driver's seat, locked the doors, and

621
00:44:36,119 --> 00:44:41,440
fumbled around for my cell phone. Looking up intermittently, I

622
00:44:41,440 --> 00:44:44,159
could see that I was in some kind of storage facility.

623
00:44:45,519 --> 00:44:49,840
It was hard to tell the lights were off. As

624
00:44:49,880 --> 00:44:52,039
soon as I felt the cold metal of the phone,

625
00:44:52,519 --> 00:44:56,440
I picked it up, unlocked it, and dialed the emergency surfaces.

626
00:44:57,679 --> 00:44:59,599
It didn't take long for a voice to come in

627
00:44:59,679 --> 00:45:05,199
on the the end. I've I've been kidnapped, I stuttered.

628
00:45:05,760 --> 00:45:09,000
I don't know where I am. But if I hadn't

629
00:45:09,039 --> 00:45:12,920
talked so loud, I might have heard the footsteps coming back.

630
00:45:14,039 --> 00:45:16,800
If I'd been more attentive, I could have seen it

631
00:45:16,920 --> 00:45:20,199
in the rear view mirror. But I was both loud

632
00:45:20,360 --> 00:45:25,519
and inattentive, and it came at a great cost, because

633
00:45:25,920 --> 00:45:28,639
as the operator asked me about my name and location,

634
00:45:29,480 --> 00:45:33,480
the driver's side window was shattered into a thousand pieces.

635
00:45:34,320 --> 00:45:38,519
Something grabbed me by the neck and shoulder. The second later,

636
00:45:38,840 --> 00:45:41,480
I was flung through the window and out onto the

637
00:45:41,519 --> 00:45:45,760
cold pavement. About eight feet or so. The cell phone

638
00:45:45,840 --> 00:45:50,000
tumbled to the ground as a white plastic foot crushed it.

639
00:45:50,920 --> 00:45:56,559
Looking up, I saw it in full view mister Mayhem,

640
00:45:57,000 --> 00:46:04,840
now revealing a death's head grin. I ran, I got

641
00:46:04,840 --> 00:46:08,320
to my feet and just took off. I could hear

642
00:46:08,360 --> 00:46:12,800
thumping plastic noises behind me as mister Mayhem followed. I

643
00:46:12,880 --> 00:46:16,920
ran straight through an abandoned workshop and a lunch room. Finally,

644
00:46:17,000 --> 00:46:20,119
I slammed the door open to an unmarked space, hoping

645
00:46:20,159 --> 00:46:25,280
against hope it would be something useful. A small room

646
00:46:25,559 --> 00:46:29,480
packed to the brim with crash test dummies, at least

647
00:46:29,519 --> 00:46:35,519
fifty standing shoulder to shoulder, all those painted smiles and

648
00:46:35,639 --> 00:46:42,039
dart like eyes or walking my way. I didn't have

649
00:46:42,119 --> 00:46:44,320
time to see if they were like mister Mayhem or not,

650
00:46:45,280 --> 00:46:49,000
So instead of turning back, which would be a certain end,

651
00:46:49,440 --> 00:46:54,400
I pressed forward. I pushed my way past plastic arms, hands,

652
00:46:54,400 --> 00:46:59,519
and torsos. Most were just empty shells ready to be filled,

653
00:46:59,559 --> 00:47:04,360
and you others were fully functional. I could have sworn

654
00:47:04,400 --> 00:47:07,679
a couple of heads turned my way, but I didn't stop.

655
00:47:07,760 --> 00:47:11,840
To check. I could hear the footsteps that followed me slow,

656
00:47:12,920 --> 00:47:17,079
and as I turned around, I realized I had no

657
00:47:17,199 --> 00:47:21,719
idea where it had went, just the sea of white,

658
00:47:22,360 --> 00:47:28,119
featureless creatures, and one of them it was something else.

659
00:47:29,559 --> 00:47:32,599
I was afraid to move. I could be brushing up

660
00:47:32,639 --> 00:47:36,920
against that thing without even knowing. It was a sharp noise.

661
00:47:37,639 --> 00:47:40,719
There's what sounded like broken glass being shuffled around on

662
00:47:40,760 --> 00:47:44,960
the floor, one clear sound of a shard being lifted.

663
00:47:46,320 --> 00:47:47,920
I tried to make my way to the back of

664
00:47:47,960 --> 00:47:51,760
the room so I could circle back. Every now and

665
00:47:51,800 --> 00:47:55,119
then i'd look at the dummies, only to notice more

666
00:47:55,119 --> 00:47:57,000
of them with scribbles on the back of the head

667
00:47:58,400 --> 00:48:06,119
miss waters callown, all made with hasty scribbles. A stray

668
00:48:06,159 --> 00:48:12,719
thought crossed my mind. Maybe it wasn't mister Mayhem, but

669
00:48:12,880 --> 00:48:16,599
mister Mayhew. It had been kind of hard to tell.

670
00:48:18,559 --> 00:48:21,599
I had yet to run into it. As it began

671
00:48:21,719 --> 00:48:24,800
circling the dark corners of the room. Making my way

672
00:48:24,840 --> 00:48:28,000
back the way I came, I heard the sound of

673
00:48:28,079 --> 00:48:34,000
glass scraping against plastic as something was coming closer. I

674
00:48:34,039 --> 00:48:37,519
had to keep myself from panicking. There was no telling

675
00:48:37,519 --> 00:48:41,719
what would happen if I were to stumble in there instead.

676
00:48:42,000 --> 00:48:45,599
I kept a steady pace, trying to count my breaths

677
00:48:46,039 --> 00:48:55,079
one two. Rushing up against another dummy, I stopped. Something

678
00:48:55,199 --> 00:49:01,639
was strange. It didn't have a left hand. It slowly

679
00:49:01,800 --> 00:49:07,559
turned my way, revealing a dead man's face mister Mayhem,

680
00:49:09,719 --> 00:49:13,199
and impromptu glass shanks sliced at me, scraping the edge

681
00:49:13,199 --> 00:49:17,599
of my jacket and shattering against the wall. A handless

682
00:49:17,679 --> 00:49:20,760
left arm reached for me, but I pushed it aside.

683
00:49:21,440 --> 00:49:24,400
I bowled over the lifeless dummies and headed straight for

684
00:49:24,519 --> 00:49:28,280
the door, reaching it and leaving the dummies behind me,

685
00:49:28,639 --> 00:49:32,400
I slammed the door shut. I hastily looked to see

686
00:49:32,599 --> 00:49:37,079
if there was a lock, but there wasn't. Before I

687
00:49:37,079 --> 00:49:40,079
could make a plan, the door came off its hinges

688
00:49:40,400 --> 00:49:43,280
and tumbled to the ground like a cracked bowling pin.

689
00:49:45,000 --> 00:49:52,440
Mister Mayhem twitched forward, every movement sudden and painful. Making

690
00:49:52,480 --> 00:49:56,119
my way back to the workshop, I realized that there

691
00:49:56,199 --> 00:50:00,199
was no way I could outrun it. Mister Mayhem was

692
00:50:00,199 --> 00:50:05,920
both faster and more resilient. I was grasping at straws.

693
00:50:06,440 --> 00:50:12,239
There had to be something, anything. My daughter's chain coming

694
00:50:12,280 --> 00:50:14,960
down from the ceiling and kept going towards the back.

695
00:50:16,039 --> 00:50:22,880
Only the stop that chain I could use it. It was

696
00:50:22,920 --> 00:50:25,719
connected to a winch in the middle of the factory floor,

697
00:50:26,400 --> 00:50:30,519
probably used to hoist and move equipment. It would have

698
00:50:30,599 --> 00:50:35,679
to do. The timing had to be perfect. If I

699
00:50:35,719 --> 00:50:38,079
went too soon or too late, I'd be done for.

700
00:50:39,840 --> 00:50:46,239
I saw mister Mayhem approaching, step by step, unblinking painted

701
00:50:46,280 --> 00:50:52,840
eyes replaced with hollow sockets. Then I pulled at the

702
00:50:52,880 --> 00:50:59,599
winch as hard as I could, hoping against hope. The

703
00:50:59,639 --> 00:51:04,400
effect was immediate. I hadn't seen the hook at the end.

704
00:51:05,440 --> 00:51:08,960
It shot straight up and paling mister Mayhem's lower jaw.

705
00:51:10,119 --> 00:51:12,960
The chain was still slack, and it was getting closer,

706
00:51:13,920 --> 00:51:17,960
but it couldn't quite get to me anymore. Instead, I

707
00:51:18,039 --> 00:51:22,599
kept pulling and pulling and pulling every rattle on the chain,

708
00:51:22,920 --> 00:51:26,800
bringing it higher and higher into the air, like hoisting

709
00:51:26,800 --> 00:51:31,960
a flag. As the chain cliked into a lock, mister

710
00:51:32,039 --> 00:51:35,039
Mayhem was dangling fifteen feet or so in the air.

711
00:51:36,360 --> 00:51:41,079
It stopped moving, even though it couldn't move its face.

712
00:51:42,119 --> 00:51:48,159
I could feel it looking at me, plotting this wasn't

713
00:51:48,239 --> 00:51:51,320
going to be the end of it. I made my

714
00:51:51,360 --> 00:51:55,199
way back to the car, calling the emergency surfaces as

715
00:51:55,239 --> 00:51:59,079
I wiped the broken glass from the driver's seat. As

716
00:51:59,119 --> 00:52:02,599
I was asked for a location, I noticed something on

717
00:52:02,679 --> 00:52:07,440
the far walls, a series of overalls hanging at the

718
00:52:07,519 --> 00:52:12,320
edge of the door, three to be exact, one for

719
00:52:12,440 --> 00:52:17,679
Patty Waters and another for John Callown, and the finer

720
00:52:17,719 --> 00:52:27,360
one for Samson Mayhew. Eventually the police came. I'd gone

721
00:52:27,400 --> 00:52:31,000
outside and collapsed against the wall, crushing a handful of

722
00:52:31,039 --> 00:52:35,360
overgrown wildflowers on my way down. I just sat there,

723
00:52:35,800 --> 00:52:39,280
picking the petals of a blue sunflower. When the officers

724
00:52:39,360 --> 00:52:44,920
came around to ask me questions. I tried to explain

725
00:52:45,000 --> 00:52:48,199
that I'd been kidnapped and assaulted, but there was no

726
00:52:48,239 --> 00:52:50,639
way for me to tell them that the crash test

727
00:52:50,639 --> 00:52:55,320
Stormy had done it. Instead, I had a lie from

728
00:52:55,320 --> 00:52:58,920
my teeth. I had to say that my mystery attacker

729
00:52:59,360 --> 00:53:04,679
had hoisted that dommy up into the air. And it

730
00:53:04,719 --> 00:53:07,119
didn't take long for the police to find not one

731
00:53:07,800 --> 00:53:13,719
with three bodies, three workers at the abandoned factory, all

732
00:53:13,800 --> 00:53:17,880
presumed dead and missing, stuffed within the framing of the

733
00:53:17,920 --> 00:53:25,800
crash test dummies they themselves had made decades ago. This

734
00:53:26,639 --> 00:53:31,440
was about two years ago. Somewhere in that ballpark. I

735
00:53:31,440 --> 00:53:35,719
haven't seen or heard anything about those dummies since. I

736
00:53:35,760 --> 00:53:38,480
think they cleared out the storage, and I think they

737
00:53:38,519 --> 00:53:42,960
had some kind of forensic specialist on site, but there

738
00:53:43,000 --> 00:53:47,360
was no public announcement or accusation. I was only called

739
00:53:47,360 --> 00:53:51,360
in once to make a basic statement, but there was

740
00:53:51,440 --> 00:53:57,039
no follow up. I've been imagining those three dummies sitting

741
00:53:57,320 --> 00:54:01,639
locked up in some storage, just biding their time, that

742
00:54:01,800 --> 00:54:07,760
dead face waiting to look my way again. Now the

743
00:54:07,800 --> 00:54:11,400
reason why I write this is because of something I

744
00:54:11,519 --> 00:54:15,960
read the other month. There was an article about a

745
00:54:16,000 --> 00:54:19,719
break in at the County evidenced locker, resulting in one

746
00:54:19,760 --> 00:54:23,599
wounded officer and a handful of pieces of evidence going missing.

747
00:54:24,920 --> 00:54:27,800
The assailants were described as two men and a woman.

748
00:54:28,840 --> 00:54:32,440
They were described as bald and wearing plain white clothes.

749
00:54:34,239 --> 00:54:37,800
If I was a betting man, I'd say there isn't

750
00:54:37,840 --> 00:54:41,360
much time before we start seeing more than three of

751
00:54:41,440 --> 00:54:46,159
these misters and misses. If I hadn't gotten out of there,

752
00:54:47,400 --> 00:54:50,199
I'm pretty sure there was an empty casing there would

753
00:54:51,239 --> 00:54:59,039
in time have my name on it, and maybe there

754
00:54:59,079 --> 00:55:11,679
still is. The gentle sway of the train car had

755
00:55:11,719 --> 00:55:15,639
always been soothing to me as a regional sales manager

756
00:55:15,760 --> 00:55:19,159
for a large pharmaceutical company. I spent more time on

757
00:55:19,280 --> 00:55:22,639
railways than I did in my own bed. The rhythmic

758
00:55:22,679 --> 00:55:24,960
clack of the wheels on the tracks was my lullaby.

759
00:55:26,000 --> 00:55:29,800
The ever changing landscape outside my window a constant companion.

760
00:55:31,559 --> 00:55:35,360
This particular Tuesday evening found me on yet another overnight train,

761
00:55:35,880 --> 00:55:38,880
heading from Chicago to New York for a critical meeting.

762
00:55:40,199 --> 00:55:44,800
I settled into my usual routine, laptop out, spreadsheets, open,

763
00:55:45,360 --> 00:55:48,320
a cup of mediocre coffee cooling on the fall down tray.

764
00:55:50,000 --> 00:55:53,320
The first sign that something was amiss came about three

765
00:55:53,360 --> 00:55:57,960
hours into a journey. I glanced at my watch, frowning slightly.

766
00:55:58,920 --> 00:56:01,400
We should have reached Cleveland them by now, but the

767
00:56:01,440 --> 00:56:06,760
cityscape outside remained stubbornly rural. Fields and forests rolled by,

768
00:56:07,519 --> 00:56:11,880
bathed in the eerie glow of a full moon. I

769
00:56:11,960 --> 00:56:15,440
flagged down a passing attendant, a middle aged woman with

770
00:56:15,519 --> 00:56:20,679
graying hair and a pinched expression. Excuse me, I said,

771
00:56:21,280 --> 00:56:26,400
but shouldn't we have reached Cleveland by now? She gave

772
00:56:26,480 --> 00:56:33,119
me a strange look, her eyes slightly unfocused. Cleveland. I'm sorry, sir,

773
00:56:33,199 --> 00:56:36,960
but I'm not familiar with that stop perhaps you're thinking

774
00:56:36,960 --> 00:56:41,320
of a different route. Before I could respond, she hurried away,

775
00:56:41,679 --> 00:56:47,679
disappearing into the next car. I sat back, puzzled. How

776
00:56:47,719 --> 00:56:51,239
could she not know Cleveland? It was a major stop

777
00:56:51,239 --> 00:56:55,559
on this line. I shook my head, choking it up

778
00:56:55,599 --> 00:56:59,000
to a new employe's confusion, and returned to my work.

779
00:57:00,840 --> 00:57:06,079
As the hours ticked by my knees grew, the landscape

780
00:57:06,079 --> 00:57:10,559
outside never changed, an endless loop of moonlit fields and

781
00:57:10,639 --> 00:57:15,519
shadowy forests. My phone had lost signal long ago, and

782
00:57:15,599 --> 00:57:19,519
my watch seemed to be malfunctioning, its hands spinning wildly

783
00:57:19,599 --> 00:57:26,280
before stopping altogether. I decided to stretch my legs, hoping

784
00:57:26,280 --> 00:57:30,480
a walk through the train might clear my head. As

785
00:57:30,480 --> 00:57:33,800
I made my way through the cars, I noticed how

786
00:57:33,880 --> 00:57:38,280
eerily quiet it was. The few passengers I saw sat

787
00:57:38,360 --> 00:57:44,079
motionless in their seats, staring blankly ahead round the windows.

788
00:57:44,880 --> 00:57:48,280
In the dining car, I found an elderly man hunched

789
00:57:48,320 --> 00:57:52,199
over a cup of coffee. His wrinkled hands trembled slightly

790
00:57:52,519 --> 00:57:56,400
as he lifted the mug to his lips. Excuse me,

791
00:57:57,039 --> 00:58:00,960
I said, sliding into the seat across from him. I

792
00:58:00,960 --> 00:58:04,199
don't mean to bother you, but have you noticed anything

793
00:58:04,880 --> 00:58:09,880
strange about this journey. The old man's roomy eyes focused

794
00:58:09,920 --> 00:58:13,400
on me, a flicker of recognition passing across his face.

795
00:58:14,639 --> 00:58:20,440
You're no, aren't you, he said, his voice a dry whisper.

796
00:58:21,519 --> 00:58:26,119
First time on this line. I nodded, a chill running

797
00:58:26,159 --> 00:58:30,400
down my spine. What do you mean this line? This

798
00:58:30,519 --> 00:58:33,079
is just a regular Chicago to New York roote, isn't it.

799
00:58:35,039 --> 00:58:37,840
He let out a wheezing laugh that turned into a cough.

800
00:58:38,760 --> 00:58:43,119
Oh my boy, he said, shaking his head. This ain't

801
00:58:43,159 --> 00:58:47,320
no regular route. This here's the last line. Ain't no

802
00:58:47,480 --> 00:58:52,559
New York where we're headed. I don't understand, I said,

803
00:58:52,960 --> 00:58:56,280
my heart beginning to race. Where are we going? Then

804
00:58:57,679 --> 00:59:00,599
the old man, leaning close, the smell i'll of stale

805
00:59:00,599 --> 00:59:08,800
coffee on his breath. Nowhere, he whispered. Everywhere. This train

806
00:59:08,880 --> 00:59:13,119
don't stop, son, It just keeps going round and round

807
00:59:13,639 --> 00:59:19,039
world without end. I joked back, Convinced I was dealing

808
00:59:19,039 --> 00:59:23,800
with the madman. That's impossible, I said, Every train has

809
00:59:23,800 --> 00:59:29,800
to stop eventually. He just smiled a sad, knowing expression.

810
00:59:31,239 --> 00:59:33,840
You go on, believing that if it makes you feel better,

811
00:59:34,880 --> 00:59:39,519
But mark my words, you'll see we all figure it

812
00:59:39,559 --> 00:59:45,800
out sooner or later. I stood off abruptly, nearly knocking

813
00:59:45,840 --> 00:59:50,960
over my chair. You're crazy, I muttered, backing away. This

814
00:59:51,119 --> 00:59:53,480
is just a normal train. We'll be in New York

815
00:59:53,519 --> 00:59:58,559
by morning. As I turned to leave, the old man

816
00:59:58,559 --> 01:00:04,199
called out, what's your name's son? I hesitated for a

817
01:00:04,239 --> 01:00:12,639
moment before answering Jack, Jack Thurston. He nodded slowly, Well,

818
01:00:12,760 --> 01:00:18,480
Jack Thurston, I'm Howard. I'll be seeing you around. We've

819
01:00:18,519 --> 01:00:23,000
got all the time in the world, after all. I

820
01:00:23,119 --> 01:00:27,639
hurried back to my seat, Howard's words echoing in my mind.

821
01:00:28,280 --> 01:00:31,840
It was nonsense. Of course, trains didn't just go on forever.

822
01:00:32,800 --> 01:00:35,599
There had to be a rational explanation for the delays

823
01:00:35,760 --> 01:00:40,599
and strange behavior of the staff. As I sank into

824
01:00:40,599 --> 01:00:44,320
my seat, I noticed a young woman across the aisle

825
01:00:44,800 --> 01:00:48,800
furiously scribbling in a notebook. A long, dark hair fell

826
01:00:48,840 --> 01:00:51,880
in a curtain around her face, and a leg bounced

827
01:00:51,920 --> 01:00:57,360
with nervous energy. Excuse me, I said, leaning towards her.

828
01:00:58,119 --> 01:00:59,880
I don't suppose you know when we're due to arrive

829
01:01:00,119 --> 01:01:05,920
New York, do you? She looked up, her eyes wide

830
01:01:05,960 --> 01:01:10,599
and slightly manic. New York, she repeated, letting out a

831
01:01:10,679 --> 01:01:15,760
hysterical giggle. Oh, honey, there is no New York, not anymore.

832
01:01:16,480 --> 01:01:22,119
There's only the train. I felt my blood run cold.

833
01:01:22,960 --> 01:01:27,519
What are you talking about? She leaned in close, her

834
01:01:27,599 --> 01:01:31,480
voice dropping to a whisper. I've been on this train

835
01:01:31,599 --> 01:01:36,639
for I don't know how long, days, weeks. It all

836
01:01:36,639 --> 01:01:41,760
blurs together, but I figured it out. We're not going anywhere.

837
01:01:42,559 --> 01:01:45,719
We're stuck in a loop, a never ending journey to nowhere.

838
01:01:46,960 --> 01:01:51,159
And shook my head, refusing to believe it. That's impossible.

839
01:01:51,599 --> 01:01:55,000
You've just confused. Maybe you fell asleep and missed your stop.

840
01:01:57,079 --> 01:02:01,239
She laughed again, the sound devoid of humor. Oh I

841
01:02:01,320 --> 01:02:05,119
wish you were that simple. Look around you. Have you

842
01:02:05,199 --> 01:02:09,320
seen anyone get off? Have we stopped at any stations?

843
01:02:09,920 --> 01:02:14,000
This isn't a normal train, Jack, this is something else entirely.

844
01:02:15,760 --> 01:02:19,039
I started at the sound of my name. How did

845
01:02:19,079 --> 01:02:23,639
you know my name? She smiled, a sad, knowing expression.

846
01:02:24,800 --> 01:02:27,559
I heard you talking to old Howard in the dining car.

847
01:02:28,280 --> 01:02:33,079
I'm Lisa, by the way, I'll come aboard the Eternal Express.

848
01:02:34,119 --> 01:02:38,719
I start off abruptly, my head spinning. This is insane.

849
01:02:38,960 --> 01:02:41,280
All of you are insane. I'm going to find the

850
01:02:41,280 --> 01:02:46,079
conductor and get some answers. As I stormed off towards

851
01:02:46,119 --> 01:02:49,159
the front of the train, I heard Lisa call out

852
01:02:49,159 --> 01:02:52,960
behind me, good luck with that, But don't say I

853
01:02:52,960 --> 01:02:56,880
didn't warn you. I made my way through car off

854
01:02:56,920 --> 01:03:01,599
the car, each one identical to the last, the same

855
01:03:01,719 --> 01:03:06,079
faded blue seats, the same flickering overhead lights, the same

856
01:03:06,159 --> 01:03:11,280
blank faced passengers staring into nothingness. How long had I

857
01:03:11,400 --> 01:03:16,280
been walking? It felt like hours, but that was impossible

858
01:03:16,440 --> 01:03:21,480
in a train of normal length. Finally I reached what

859
01:03:21,599 --> 01:03:25,840
should have been the engine car, but instead of a locomotive,

860
01:03:26,760 --> 01:03:31,039
I found myself in another passenger car, exactly like all

861
01:03:31,079 --> 01:03:37,159
the others. I spun around, disoriented. How could this be?

862
01:03:39,199 --> 01:03:42,760
A hand on my shoulder made me jump. I turned

863
01:03:42,800 --> 01:03:45,880
to find the attendant from earlier, her pinched face now

864
01:03:45,960 --> 01:03:51,079
twisted into an unnaturally wild smile. Can I help you, sir,

865
01:03:52,000 --> 01:03:56,519
she asked, her voice sickly sweet. I need to speak

866
01:03:56,559 --> 01:03:59,519
to the conductor, I said, trying to keep the panic

867
01:03:59,559 --> 01:04:02,880
out of my There's been some kind of mistake. This

868
01:04:03,000 --> 01:04:06,840
train should have reached New York by now. A smile

869
01:04:07,039 --> 01:04:11,639
never wavered. I'm sorry, sir, but there is no conductor

870
01:04:12,360 --> 01:04:16,599
and there is no mistake. You're exactly where you're supposed

871
01:04:16,599 --> 01:04:21,320
to be. I backed away from her, my heart pounding.

872
01:04:22,199 --> 01:04:28,119
What is this place? What's happening? She tilted her head,

873
01:04:28,360 --> 01:04:31,880
her eyes suddenly black and empty. And this is the

874
01:04:32,000 --> 01:04:36,920
last line, mister Thurston, the train that never stops, never ends.

875
01:04:37,719 --> 01:04:40,599
You bought a ticket, and now you're on the ride

876
01:04:40,639 --> 01:04:46,679
of eternity. I turned and ran, crushing past confused passengers,

877
01:04:47,119 --> 01:04:51,199
my breath coming in ragged gasps. This couldn't be happening.

878
01:04:51,599 --> 01:04:55,440
It had to be a dream, a hallucination, anything but reality.

879
01:04:57,679 --> 01:05:00,960
I burst into the space between cars, the cold night

880
01:05:01,039 --> 01:05:04,400
air hitting me like a slap. The door next to

881
01:05:04,440 --> 01:05:07,199
the car was just a few feet away. If I

882
01:05:07,239 --> 01:05:09,880
could just reach it, maybe I could find a way

883
01:05:09,920 --> 01:05:15,239
off this nightmare train. But as I stepped forward, the

884
01:05:15,280 --> 01:05:18,760
gap between the car seemed to stretch. The next door

885
01:05:18,840 --> 01:05:22,679
moved further and further away. No matter how fast I ran,

886
01:05:24,159 --> 01:05:27,440
the wind howled around me, drowning out my screams of

887
01:05:27,480 --> 01:05:33,880
frustration and fear. Suddenly a hand grabbed my arm, yanking

888
01:05:33,920 --> 01:05:37,199
me back into the car. I fell to the floor,

889
01:05:37,519 --> 01:05:41,960
gasping for breath. Lisa stood over me, her face pale

890
01:05:42,119 --> 01:05:46,719
in the flickering light. Are you crazy, she hissed. You

891
01:05:46,760 --> 01:05:50,719
can't come out there between the cars. That's that's where

892
01:05:50,719 --> 01:05:55,440
it gets you. Where what gets you? I asked, my

893
01:05:55,519 --> 01:06:00,880
voice shaking. She helped me to my feet, panting nervously

894
01:06:01,079 --> 01:06:04,920
at the door. The thing that runs this train, the

895
01:06:04,960 --> 01:06:09,039
thing that brought us all here. Trust me, you don't

896
01:06:09,079 --> 01:06:13,760
want to meet it. As if on cue, a low

897
01:06:14,039 --> 01:06:18,000
rumbling sound echoed through the car. It was like nothing

898
01:06:18,000 --> 01:06:23,119
I'd ever heard before, part machine, part animal, all wrong.

899
01:06:24,760 --> 01:06:29,360
The lights flickered more intensely, and for a moment I

900
01:06:29,400 --> 01:06:32,639
could have sworn I saw something massive moving in the

901
01:06:32,679 --> 01:06:37,840
shadows between the cars. Lisa pulled me back to our seats,

902
01:06:38,239 --> 01:06:41,840
her grip in my arm almost painful. Listen to me,

903
01:06:42,440 --> 01:06:45,480
she said urgently. I know this is hard to accept.

904
01:06:45,920 --> 01:06:48,760
God knows. I fought against it for I don't even

905
01:06:48,760 --> 01:06:53,039
know how long. For fighting only makes it worse. You

906
01:06:53,159 --> 01:06:58,119
have to accept where you are or you'll go mad.

907
01:06:59,000 --> 01:07:03,199
We slumped in my seat, my mind reeling. But why,

908
01:07:03,679 --> 01:07:08,599
why is this happening? What is this place? She shook

909
01:07:08,599 --> 01:07:13,039
her head. I don't know, none of us do. All

910
01:07:13,079 --> 01:07:16,280
we know is that we're here on this never ending journey.

911
01:07:17,199 --> 01:07:21,679
Some think it's hell, others purgatory. Old Howard thinks it's

912
01:07:21,719 --> 01:07:26,519
some kind of cosmic mistake. Me, I think it's just

913
01:07:26,559 --> 01:07:31,800
the universe's way of saying tough luck, kiddo. I looked

914
01:07:31,840 --> 01:07:35,400
out the window, watching the same moonlit landscape roll by.

915
01:07:36,920 --> 01:07:39,840
How many times had I seen those same fields, those

916
01:07:39,880 --> 01:07:43,519
same trees? How long would I continue to see them?

917
01:07:45,360 --> 01:07:49,880
So what do we do? I asked, my voice barely

918
01:07:49,880 --> 01:07:55,840
a whisper. Lisa gave me a sad smile. We ride,

919
01:07:56,440 --> 01:08:01,119
We talk, We tried to stay sane and that maybe,

920
01:08:01,400 --> 01:08:07,079
just maybe, one day, we'll reach the last stop. As

921
01:08:07,119 --> 01:08:11,119
the train rolled into the endless night, I realized with

922
01:08:11,199 --> 01:08:15,320
a sinking heart that my journey had only just begun,

923
01:08:17,119 --> 01:08:25,920
and their destination that remained a terrifying mystery. Days blended

924
01:08:25,920 --> 01:08:30,680
into nights, and nights into days. The monotonous rhythm of

925
01:08:30,720 --> 01:08:35,239
the train became the backdrop to my existence. I lost

926
01:08:35,279 --> 01:08:37,920
count of how many times I'd watched the same scenery

927
01:08:38,079 --> 01:08:41,159
roll by, how many times I walk the length of

928
01:08:41,159 --> 01:08:48,039
the train, hoping to find something anything different. Lisa became

929
01:08:48,079 --> 01:08:52,840
my anchor in the sea of madness. We spent hours talking,

930
01:08:53,520 --> 01:08:57,920
sharing stories of our lives before the train. She's been

931
01:08:57,960 --> 01:09:02,880
a journalist, always chasing the next big story. Yes, I

932
01:09:02,920 --> 01:09:06,680
found it, she would say with a bitter laugh, gesturing

933
01:09:06,800 --> 01:09:13,159
at our surroundings. Old Howard joined us, often, his weathered

934
01:09:13,159 --> 01:09:15,520
face a map of the time he'd spent on this

935
01:09:15,640 --> 01:09:19,840
hellis journey. Been riding this rail for longer than I

936
01:09:19,840 --> 01:09:25,000
can remember, he'd say, his roomy eyes distant, seeing folks

937
01:09:25,039 --> 01:09:31,439
come and go, Some just disappear, others, he trailed off,

938
01:09:31,640 --> 01:09:37,159
shaking his head. I learned to fear the spaces between

939
01:09:37,199 --> 01:09:41,960
the cars. Sometimes late at night, when the train's rhythms

940
01:09:41,960 --> 01:09:51,039
seemed to falter, we'd hear things, scraping, slithering sounds. Once

941
01:09:51,199 --> 01:09:54,520
I caught a glimpse of something massive and dark undulating

942
01:09:54,560 --> 01:09:58,399
past the windows. Lisa pulled me away before I could

943
01:09:58,399 --> 01:10:03,399
get a better luck. Trust me, she said, her face pale.

944
01:10:04,119 --> 01:10:09,520
You don't want to know. The other passengers were a

945
01:10:09,600 --> 01:10:13,199
mix of the resigned and the mad. Some, like us,

946
01:10:13,399 --> 01:10:17,840
tried to maintain some semblance of normalcy. Others had given

947
01:10:17,880 --> 01:10:22,199
in to despair, sitting in the same spots day after day,

948
01:10:22,880 --> 01:10:27,279
staring blankly at nothing. And then there were those who'd

949
01:10:27,359 --> 01:10:31,560
lost their minds entirely browling the cars with wild eyes

950
01:10:31,600 --> 01:10:36,199
and incoherent ramblings. One such soul was a man we

951
01:10:36,319 --> 01:10:41,439
called the Preacher. Tall and menacing, with a tangled beard

952
01:10:41,640 --> 01:10:45,720
and eyes that burned with fanatical fervor. He would roam

953
01:10:45,760 --> 01:10:50,760
the train, shouting about sin and redemption. We're all here

954
01:10:50,840 --> 01:10:54,760
for a reason, ped bellow, spittle flying from his lips.

955
01:10:55,319 --> 01:10:59,840
This is our punishment, are penance, repent, and maybe, just

956
01:11:00,159 --> 01:11:07,079
maybe you'll find your way off this damned train. Most

957
01:11:07,319 --> 01:11:12,800
ignored him, but some listened. I watched as he gathered

958
01:11:12,840 --> 01:11:18,359
a small following passengers desperate for any explanation, any hope

959
01:11:18,359 --> 01:11:22,199
of escape. It was on when I guessed there be

960
01:11:22,199 --> 01:11:25,600
my hundredth day on the train that things took a

961
01:11:25,680 --> 01:11:30,479
darker turn. I was jolted awake by screams coming from

962
01:11:30,479 --> 01:11:34,199
the front of the car. Lisa was already on her feet,

963
01:11:34,880 --> 01:11:39,880
her face and mask of terror. They've done it, she whispered,

964
01:11:40,520 --> 01:11:45,880
They've actually done it. I followed her gaze to see

965
01:11:45,880 --> 01:11:49,960
a group of the Preacher's followers dragging a struggling passenger

966
01:11:50,000 --> 01:11:54,560
towards the door between cars. The Preacher stood by his

967
01:11:54,760 --> 01:11:58,199
arms raised, chanting something I couldn't make out over the

968
01:11:58,279 --> 01:12:04,800
victim's screams. What are they doing, I asked, though part

969
01:12:04,840 --> 01:12:10,800
of me already knew the answer. A sacrifice, Old Howard

970
01:12:10,840 --> 01:12:15,039
said his voice, grim fools think they can appease whatever's

971
01:12:15,079 --> 01:12:20,760
rolling the strain by their way off with blood. I

972
01:12:20,800 --> 01:12:25,640
started to move towards them, but Lisa held me back. Don't,

973
01:12:25,960 --> 01:12:30,159
she hissed, There's nothing we can do, Just don't watch.

974
01:12:32,479 --> 01:12:36,640
But I couldn't look away. The group reached the door,

975
01:12:37,079 --> 01:12:40,840
and with a final triumphant cry from the preacher, they

976
01:12:40,880 --> 01:12:45,840
shoved their victim out into the space between cars. For

977
01:12:45,880 --> 01:12:53,439
a moment, nothing happened. Then came a sound, a wet,

978
01:12:53,800 --> 01:12:57,239
tearing noise that would haunt my nightmares for days to come.

979
01:12:58,840 --> 01:13:04,279
The door slam shut, cutting off the screams. The preacher

980
01:13:04,399 --> 01:13:07,159
turned to face the rest of us, his eyes wild

981
01:13:07,279 --> 01:13:13,159
with excitement. It is done, he shouted. The unworthy has

982
01:13:13,239 --> 01:13:17,560
been cast out. Soon we shall reach our final destination.

983
01:13:19,760 --> 01:13:26,319
But the train rolled on, unchanged. Hours passed than days,

984
01:13:26,319 --> 01:13:31,479
no final stop, no salvation, just the endless journey and

985
01:13:31,560 --> 01:13:35,840
the growing madness of the preacher and his flock. More

986
01:13:36,079 --> 01:13:42,159
sacrifices followed. The train's population dwindled as passenger after passenger

987
01:13:42,640 --> 01:13:46,439
was thrown to whatever lugged between the cars. Those of

988
01:13:46,520 --> 01:13:49,359
us who refused to join the preachers culled banded together,

989
01:13:49,920 --> 01:13:56,079
watching each other's backs, sleeping in shifts. He was during

990
01:13:56,159 --> 01:13:59,600
one of my watch shifts when I first saw her,

991
01:14:01,119 --> 01:14:04,640
a little girl no more than seven or eight, wandering

992
01:14:04,680 --> 01:14:09,039
alone through the car. Her pink dress was pristine, her

993
01:14:09,039 --> 01:14:13,680
blonde hair neatly braided. She looked so out of place

994
01:14:13,720 --> 01:14:17,239
in this nightmare that for a moment I thought I

995
01:14:17,319 --> 01:14:23,880
was hallucinating. Hullo, I said, softly, not wanting to scare her.

996
01:14:24,760 --> 01:14:29,640
Are you lost? She turned to me, and I had

997
01:14:29,640 --> 01:14:35,319
to stifle a gasp. Her eyes were completely black, like

998
01:14:35,399 --> 01:14:40,039
empty void in a small face. When she spoke, her

999
01:14:40,079 --> 01:14:48,520
voice was old, ancient, even lost, she repeated, tilting her head. No,

1000
01:14:49,079 --> 01:14:52,560
I don't think so. I know exactly where I am,

1001
01:14:53,640 --> 01:14:59,600
do you? I felt a chill run down my spine.

1002
01:15:00,399 --> 01:15:07,039
What are you? I whispered, she smiled, revealing teeth they

1003
01:15:07,039 --> 01:15:11,880
were just a bit too sharp. I'm a passenger, just

1004
01:15:12,039 --> 01:15:16,439
like you. We're all passengers here, Jack, all of us,

1005
01:15:17,119 --> 01:15:22,039
riding the rails to eternity. How do you know my name?

1006
01:15:22,920 --> 01:15:28,319
I asked, though I dreaded the answer. I know everyone's name,

1007
01:15:29,039 --> 01:15:33,159
she said, her black eyes boring into mine. I know

1008
01:15:33,319 --> 01:15:37,520
why they're here. I know their sins, their fears, the deepest,

1009
01:15:37,840 --> 01:15:43,199
darkest secrets. She took a step closer. Would you like

1010
01:15:43,279 --> 01:15:47,960
to know yours? Jack? I backed away, my heart pounding.

1011
01:15:48,840 --> 01:15:53,479
Stay away from me, I said, my voice shaking. She

1012
01:15:53,640 --> 01:15:59,359
laughed a sound like breaking glass. Oh Jack, you can't

1013
01:15:59,399 --> 01:16:03,680
run from any of this. You bought your ticket. Now

1014
01:16:04,600 --> 01:16:10,680
you have to ride. I blinked, and she was gone,

1015
01:16:12,079 --> 01:16:14,960
just vanished, as if she'd never been there at all.

1016
01:16:16,279 --> 01:16:20,279
I slumped in my seat, my mind reeling. Was I

1017
01:16:20,439 --> 01:16:24,359
losing it? Had I finally snapped Like so many others

1018
01:16:24,399 --> 01:16:33,720
on this god forsaken train. I must have dozed off,

1019
01:16:34,479 --> 01:16:38,159
because the next thing I knew, Lisa was shaking me awake.

1020
01:16:39,399 --> 01:16:43,560
Her face was pale, her eyes wide with fear. Jack.

1021
01:16:44,199 --> 01:16:51,479
She said urgently, something's happening the train. It's slowing down.

1022
01:16:52,399 --> 01:16:57,560
I sat off, suddenly alert. She was right. For the

1023
01:16:57,600 --> 01:17:01,079
first time since this nightmare began, I could feel the

1024
01:17:01,119 --> 01:17:05,920
train decelerating. The familiar clack of wheels and tracks was slowing,

1025
01:17:06,439 --> 01:17:12,439
becoming more distinct. Passengers were stirring, looking around in confusion

1026
01:17:12,600 --> 01:17:16,399
and hope. Even the preacher and his followers had stopped

1027
01:17:16,399 --> 01:17:19,399
the mad ranting, staring out the windows with a mix

1028
01:17:19,439 --> 01:17:25,800
of fear and anticipation. Are we stopping, i asked, hardly,

1029
01:17:25,880 --> 01:17:30,680
daring to believe it. Old Howard shook his head, his

1030
01:17:30,800 --> 01:17:35,880
expression grim, don't get your hopes up, son. In all

1031
01:17:35,880 --> 01:17:39,039
my time here, I've never known this. Trying to stop.

1032
01:17:39,840 --> 01:17:45,159
Whatever's happening, it ain't gonna be good. As if to

1033
01:17:45,159 --> 01:17:48,039
punctuate his words, the lights in the car began to

1034
01:17:48,039 --> 01:17:52,520
flicker more intensely than ever before, the temperature dropped rapidly,

1035
01:17:53,119 --> 01:17:58,119
my breath fogging in the suddenly frigid air, and then

1036
01:17:58,880 --> 01:18:02,680
with a great screek of metal and metal, the train

1037
01:18:02,880 --> 01:18:11,439
ground to a halt. For a moment, there was absolute silence.

1038
01:18:12,720 --> 01:18:20,760
We all held our breath, waiting, hoping, fearing. Then, with

1039
01:18:20,840 --> 01:18:26,560
a hiss of hydraulics, the door slid open. Finally, the

1040
01:18:26,600 --> 01:18:30,399
breacher cried, pushing his way towards the exit. Our salvation

1041
01:18:30,600 --> 01:18:35,479
is at hand. Come, brothers and sisters, let us. His

1042
01:18:35,600 --> 01:18:38,600
words were cut off by a scream of pure terror.

1043
01:18:39,680 --> 01:18:44,159
As he stepped off the train, something grabbed him, something

1044
01:18:44,279 --> 01:18:49,600
huge and dark and impossible. In the blink of an eye,

1045
01:18:49,760 --> 01:18:53,439
he was gone, leaving nothing behind but a spreading pool

1046
01:18:53,439 --> 01:19:01,800
of blood on the platform. Chaos in erupted. Passengers brushed

1047
01:19:01,840 --> 01:19:04,960
and shoved, some trying to get off, the train whithers

1048
01:19:05,079 --> 01:19:08,880
desperately attempting to close the doors. I lost sight of

1049
01:19:08,920 --> 01:19:14,439
Lisa in the pandemonium, and through it all I heard laughter,

1050
01:19:15,800 --> 01:19:19,840
the same glass like sound from before. I turned to

1051
01:19:19,840 --> 01:19:23,000
see the little girl with the black eyes standing calmly

1052
01:19:23,159 --> 01:19:27,960
in the middle of the mayhem. Welcome to the last stop, Jack,

1053
01:19:28,720 --> 01:19:32,239
she said, her voice cutting through the screams and cries.

1054
01:19:33,319 --> 01:19:39,319
Are you ready to get off? As I stared into

1055
01:19:39,359 --> 01:19:44,079
those bottomless black eyes, I realized with dawning horror that

1056
01:19:44,159 --> 01:19:47,920
our endless journey had only been the beginning. The real

1057
01:19:48,039 --> 01:19:53,840
nightmare was just starting. And somewhere in the distance, I

1058
01:19:53,920 --> 01:19:57,239
heard the sound of a train whistle, signaling the departure

1059
01:19:57,279 --> 01:20:03,920
to our next unknown destination. The curse around me faded

1060
01:20:04,039 --> 01:20:07,159
into a dull roar. As I stared into the little

1061
01:20:07,199 --> 01:20:11,880
girl's black eyes, time seemed to slow, and in that

1062
01:20:12,000 --> 01:20:20,039
moment I had a sudden, crystal clear realization. This was

1063
01:20:20,079 --> 01:20:25,039
a test the endless train ride, the maddening repetition, the

1064
01:20:25,119 --> 01:20:28,600
horrors would witnessed. It had all been leading to this

1065
01:20:28,720 --> 01:20:35,239
moment of choice. No, I said, my voice surprisingly steady.

1066
01:20:36,079 --> 01:20:41,319
I'm not getting off, not here, not like this. The

1067
01:20:41,399 --> 01:20:44,640
girl's smile faltered for a split second, a crack in

1068
01:20:44,680 --> 01:20:50,079
an otherworldly composure. You don't have a choice, Jack, everyone

1069
01:20:50,159 --> 01:20:55,199
has to get off. Eventually, I stood my ground, even

1070
01:20:55,239 --> 01:20:58,720
as I heard more screams from the platform, more passengers

1071
01:20:58,760 --> 01:21:03,680
being dragged into the darkness. There's always a choice, he

1072
01:21:03,800 --> 01:21:06,800
told me. I bought a ticket for this ride. Well,

1073
01:21:08,079 --> 01:21:12,840
I'm not ready for it to end. Her eyes narrowed.

1074
01:21:14,000 --> 01:21:17,279
You can't stay on the train forever, Jack, It doesn't

1075
01:21:17,319 --> 01:21:22,640
work like that, watch me, I growled, turning away from

1076
01:21:22,640 --> 01:21:26,439
her and pushing through the panicked crowd. I had to

1077
01:21:26,439 --> 01:21:30,880
find Lisa and Howard. We'd survived this long together. I

1078
01:21:30,960 --> 01:21:34,960
wasn't about to leave them behind now. I spotted Howard first,

1079
01:21:35,199 --> 01:21:39,720
huddled in a corner, his eyes wide with terror. Come on,

1080
01:21:40,319 --> 01:21:44,000
I said, grabbing his arm. We need to move where

1081
01:21:44,760 --> 01:21:48,600
he asked, his voice trembling. There's nowhere to go. It's

1082
01:21:48,600 --> 01:21:55,079
got us, It's finally got us. I shock him, perhaps

1083
01:21:55,119 --> 01:21:59,319
more roughly than I intended. Listen to me, this isn't

1084
01:21:59,359 --> 01:22:02,479
the end, It's just another part of the journey. We

1085
01:22:02,640 --> 01:22:10,640
have to stick together. Now, help me find Lisa. Something

1086
01:22:10,680 --> 01:22:13,359
in my voice must have reached him, because he nodded.

1087
01:22:13,640 --> 01:22:18,119
Stumbling to his feet, he pushed through the crowd, searching

1088
01:22:18,159 --> 01:22:22,680
desperately for Lisa's familiar face. We found her near the

1089
01:22:22,720 --> 01:22:25,640
front of the car, trying to pull other passengers back

1090
01:22:25,680 --> 01:22:29,479
from the door. Lisa, I called out, we have to go.

1091
01:22:31,840 --> 01:22:34,920
She turned, relief floating her face when she saw us.

1092
01:22:36,079 --> 01:22:40,119
Go where she asked as she reached us. In case

1093
01:22:40,159 --> 01:22:44,800
you haven't noticed, there are little shortened options here, he

1094
01:22:44,880 --> 01:22:48,359
pointed toward the back of the train, and keep going.

1095
01:22:48,880 --> 01:22:51,680
This thing has to end somewhere, and I don't think

1096
01:22:51,680 --> 01:22:55,800
it's here. As if in response to my words, I

1097
01:22:55,840 --> 01:23:00,600
heard the train whistle again, louder this time. The engine

1098
01:23:00,800 --> 01:23:05,399
was starting up. It's leaving, Howard said, his eyes wide.

1099
01:23:05,960 --> 01:23:08,039
We have to get off now, or or we'll be

1100
01:23:08,079 --> 01:23:12,560
trapped forever. I finished for him. I've got news for you, Howard.

1101
01:23:12,800 --> 01:23:16,159
We're already trapped. I've been since we first stepped on board.

1102
01:23:16,840 --> 01:23:18,600
But now we have a chance to find the real

1103
01:23:18,640 --> 01:23:24,880
way out. Lisa looked at me, understanding dawning in her eyes.

1104
01:23:26,079 --> 01:23:28,119
You think this is all part of it, don't you

1105
01:23:28,760 --> 01:23:34,119
the final test? I nodded. It has to be, and

1106
01:23:34,159 --> 01:23:40,199
I'm not failing it by giving in. Now the train lurched,

1107
01:23:40,439 --> 01:23:44,159
beginning to move. The last of the passengers were either

1108
01:23:44,199 --> 01:23:48,720
fleeing onto the platform or collapsing in despair. It's now

1109
01:23:48,800 --> 01:23:54,439
and ever, and said, are you with me? Lisa grabbed

1110
01:23:54,479 --> 01:23:59,119
my hand without hesitation. Howard hesitated for a moment, looking

1111
01:23:59,199 --> 01:24:02,439
longly at the door, who then took Leasa's other hand.

1112
01:24:03,640 --> 01:24:07,319
All right, he said, Let's see where this crazy train

1113
01:24:07,439 --> 01:24:12,920
takes us. As the train picked up speed, we made

1114
01:24:12,960 --> 01:24:16,119
our way towards the back, brushing against the tide of

1115
01:24:16,199 --> 01:24:21,279
terrified passengers. The little girl appeared again, her face contorted

1116
01:24:21,359 --> 01:24:25,760
with rage. You can't do this, she shrieked. You have

1117
01:24:25,840 --> 01:24:30,760
to get off. Everyone gets off, Not today, I told her,

1118
01:24:30,880 --> 01:24:35,479
Pushing past. We reached the final car just as the

1119
01:24:35,520 --> 01:24:40,119
platform disappeared from view. Through the windows, we could see

1120
01:24:40,279 --> 01:24:44,720
only darkness, not the familiar darkness of night, but an

1121
01:24:44,760 --> 01:24:50,199
absolute void, empty of all light and substance. The train

1122
01:24:50,279 --> 01:24:54,439
picked up speed, rattling and shaking more violently than ever before.

1123
01:24:55,640 --> 01:24:59,319
We huddled together, bracing ourselves against the walls of the car.

1124
01:25:00,720 --> 01:25:05,640
What now, Lisa yelled over the noise. We wait, I said,

1125
01:25:06,079 --> 01:25:10,079
and we don't let go. The darkness outside seemed to

1126
01:25:10,079 --> 01:25:13,039
press in on us, seeping through the windows like a

1127
01:25:13,079 --> 01:25:16,439
living thing. The light in the car flickered and died,

1128
01:25:16,920 --> 01:25:21,359
plunging us into blackness. I could feel Lisa's hand in mine,

1129
01:25:22,000 --> 01:25:28,199
how it's presence at my side, but I couldn't see them. Then,

1130
01:25:28,800 --> 01:25:32,520
just as suddenly as it had begun, the shaking stopped.

1131
01:25:33,560 --> 01:25:37,359
The oppressive darkness lifted, and for the first time in

1132
01:25:37,439 --> 01:25:45,800
what felt like an eternity, the train began to slow. Sunlight, real, warm,

1133
01:25:46,079 --> 01:25:52,039
beautiful sunlight streamed through the windows. I blinked my eyes,

1134
01:25:52,159 --> 01:25:54,920
not used to the brightness after so long in the

1135
01:25:54,960 --> 01:26:02,399
train's artificial light. As my vision cleared, I saw that

1136
01:26:02,479 --> 01:26:06,479
we were pulling into a station, a real station, with

1137
01:26:06,680 --> 01:26:10,479
people waiting on the platform, going about their daily lives

1138
01:26:10,760 --> 01:26:14,840
as if nothing was amiss. The train came to a

1139
01:26:14,920 --> 01:26:19,319
gentle stop, and the doors opened with a familiar hiss.

1140
01:26:20,800 --> 01:26:25,000
For a long moment, none of us moved, afraid that

1141
01:26:25,119 --> 01:26:32,359
this was just another trick, another test. Then Howard let

1142
01:26:32,399 --> 01:26:34,920
out a whoop of joy and rushed for the door.

1143
01:26:35,840 --> 01:26:39,079
Lisa and I followed, stepping out onto the platform on

1144
01:26:39,199 --> 01:26:46,439
shaky legs. The station sign read Grand Central Terminal. We

1145
01:26:46,439 --> 01:26:52,079
were in New York. We had made it. As we

1146
01:26:52,119 --> 01:26:56,239
stood there, breathless and disbelieving, I felt a tug on

1147
01:26:56,319 --> 01:26:59,640
my sleeve. I turned to see the little girl with

1148
01:26:59,680 --> 01:27:03,680
the blacklack eyes, but now in the sunlight, she looked

1149
01:27:04,920 --> 01:27:10,319
different normal, just a regular kid with brown eyes and

1150
01:27:10,359 --> 01:27:16,720
a confused expression. Excuse me, she said, her voice high

1151
01:27:16,760 --> 01:27:23,399
and childish. Is this the train to Chicago? I knelt

1152
01:27:23,399 --> 01:27:28,359
down to a level, smiling gently. No, sweetheart, this train

1153
01:27:28,479 --> 01:27:32,800
just came from Chicago. But trust me, you don't want

1154
01:27:32,800 --> 01:27:38,000
to get on it. She nodded, thanked me, and ran

1155
01:27:38,039 --> 01:27:41,640
off to find her parents. I watched the go a

1156
01:27:41,720 --> 01:27:46,920
weight lifting from my chest. Lisa squeezed my hand. Is

1157
01:27:46,960 --> 01:27:51,039
it really over? She asked, her voice barely a whisper.

1158
01:27:52,960 --> 01:27:56,479
I looked at her, then at Howard, then at the

1159
01:27:56,479 --> 01:28:02,960
bustling station around us. Yeah, I said, finally, allowing myself

1160
01:28:03,000 --> 01:28:08,720
to believe it. I think it is. As we made

1161
01:28:08,760 --> 01:28:11,399
our way out of the station and into the bright

1162
01:28:11,520 --> 01:28:14,880
New York morning. I knew the memories of our endless

1163
01:28:14,960 --> 01:28:20,159
journey would stay with us forever. But but weird faced

1164
01:28:20,239 --> 01:28:24,239
the darkness, made our choice and found our way back

1165
01:28:24,279 --> 01:28:28,760
to the light. And if I ever saw a train again,

1166
01:28:30,880 --> 01:28:44,079
it would be too soon. When tragedy strikes, it unfolds

1167
01:28:44,319 --> 01:28:48,920
in the most unexpected ways. There were no ominous narrations

1168
01:28:49,079 --> 01:28:53,199
or suspenseful melodies, no hints that the ordinary will suddenly

1169
01:28:53,239 --> 01:28:59,119
transform into an extraordinary event In an instant. A cataclysm

1170
01:28:59,199 --> 01:29:03,800
can reveal it's devastating more, leaving chaos and despair for

1171
01:29:03,920 --> 01:29:09,479
those left to witness. The air was chilly in November,

1172
01:29:10,119 --> 01:29:14,079
and amidst the anticipation of a four day Thanksgiving weekend,

1173
01:29:14,479 --> 01:29:18,720
the impending doom of the finals loomed, clouding our excitement.

1174
01:29:20,640 --> 01:29:24,000
That morning, I was in science class do my best

1175
01:29:24,039 --> 01:29:28,439
on the final exam. Too quickly, in the blink of

1176
01:29:28,479 --> 01:29:34,920
an eye, everything changed. The events that followed were both

1177
01:29:35,000 --> 01:29:41,000
awe inspiring and terror inducing. As I recall, we were

1178
01:29:41,039 --> 01:29:44,880
finalizing the evidence for our report, and my ears popped

1179
01:29:45,319 --> 01:29:47,239
as if I had rolled down the window of a

1180
01:29:47,279 --> 01:29:52,920
speeding car. The jarring rumble shook the classroom, accompanied by

1181
01:29:52,960 --> 01:29:57,399
a deafening blast that robbed me of breath. The fire

1182
01:29:57,439 --> 01:30:03,479
alarm wailed as water rained down, drenching us. I sprang

1183
01:30:03,560 --> 01:30:07,119
up from my desk with an odd adrenal focus. We

1184
01:30:07,239 --> 01:30:12,680
hastily made our way toward the aisle, abandoning our finals. Surprisingly,

1185
01:30:12,960 --> 01:30:17,079
we maintained a semblance of order. The fire alarm blared

1186
01:30:17,319 --> 01:30:20,640
as our teacher guided us out, and we obeyed in

1187
01:30:20,680 --> 01:30:25,720
a mix of fear and trust. Like frightened animals, we

1188
01:30:25,800 --> 01:30:30,239
followed the teacher's lead, navigating the corridors to the nearest exit.

1189
01:30:32,960 --> 01:30:35,880
We had to walk past my mom's classroom, and I

1190
01:30:35,960 --> 01:30:40,279
wondered if i'd see her getting her kids out. As

1191
01:30:40,279 --> 01:30:43,600
I turned the corner, her classroom came into full view,

1192
01:30:44,720 --> 01:30:49,600
and what I beheld was a nightmare made manifest. My

1193
01:30:49,680 --> 01:30:53,079
heart seemed to stop, yet its frantic pounding was louder

1194
01:30:53,079 --> 01:30:59,039
than ever. My mother's classroom door torn off its hinges,

1195
01:30:59,600 --> 01:31:03,720
lay in a shattered heap against the opposite wall. The

1196
01:31:03,760 --> 01:31:10,680
threshold was consumed by a furious inferno, raging uncontrollably. I

1197
01:31:10,840 --> 01:31:13,439
was now the one to stand widness to this wake.

1198
01:31:16,880 --> 01:31:19,039
I don't know what compelled me to charge into that

1199
01:31:19,159 --> 01:31:24,199
blazing moor. Was it delusion of invincibility, a desperate belief

1200
01:31:24,239 --> 01:31:27,119
that I could savor like a superhero? Or was it

1201
01:31:27,159 --> 01:31:30,960
a simple act of need driven by an unexplainable force?

1202
01:31:32,520 --> 01:31:38,680
And I cannot say even now. I pushed through the

1203
01:31:38,720 --> 01:31:42,079
flames and smoke, and as soon as I crossed the threshold,

1204
01:31:42,720 --> 01:31:46,960
the fire seized its anger. Descending the staircase with the

1205
01:31:47,000 --> 01:31:50,600
grace of a stumbling infant, I hardly registered the loss

1206
01:31:50,640 --> 01:31:55,880
of footing halfway down. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, dulling

1207
01:31:55,920 --> 01:31:58,800
the pain as I tumbled, and I regained my balance

1208
01:31:58,840 --> 01:32:03,800
on the final steps. And there at the bottom step,

1209
01:32:04,840 --> 01:32:10,479
an impossible coldness enveloped me. The chill of the air

1210
01:32:10,680 --> 01:32:15,720
permeated my senses. As I departed the bottom step, inside

1211
01:32:15,720 --> 01:32:20,279
the room, obscured by dense smoke, the cries of anguish echoed.

1212
01:32:22,159 --> 01:32:24,560
An nervous sweat broke out on my brow. As I

1213
01:32:24,680 --> 01:32:29,079
ventured forward, guided by the sound, the acred stench of

1214
01:32:29,159 --> 01:32:33,399
burning and flesh and hair assaulted my senses, threatening to

1215
01:32:33,479 --> 01:32:39,319
overpower me. Gradually, my eyes adjusted to the darkness, granting

1216
01:32:39,359 --> 01:32:45,079
me the unwelcome gift of sight. I wish they had

1217
01:32:45,079 --> 01:32:50,880
failed me. The horrifying images etched deeply into my psyche.

1218
01:32:51,640 --> 01:32:56,000
Charred bodies strewn across the floor. The limbs twisted and contorted,

1219
01:32:56,880 --> 01:33:00,840
Some still smoldered, becoming consumed by thin light lines of crimson.

1220
01:33:01,239 --> 01:33:07,199
I crawled greedily along their blackening skin, reducing it to ash.

1221
01:33:07,399 --> 01:33:14,039
The scene was catastrophic, It was repulsive. A nauseating sensation

1222
01:33:14,279 --> 01:33:19,359
crept up from within the familiar prelude of vomiting. I

1223
01:33:19,439 --> 01:33:22,800
thought to suppress it, driven by an instinct to reach

1224
01:33:22,840 --> 01:33:26,439
the crying emanating from an overturned desk in the far

1225
01:33:26,600 --> 01:33:30,319
corner of the room. That must be my mum. She's

1226
01:33:30,359 --> 01:33:36,640
still alive, I thought naively. My path was obstructed by

1227
01:33:36,680 --> 01:33:41,159
the lifeless forms of classmates. Deep down, my gut warned

1228
01:33:41,159 --> 01:33:46,880
me to leave, but I ignored it. Almost reaching the desk,

1229
01:33:47,439 --> 01:33:50,199
my attension was drawn to yet another body lying in

1230
01:33:50,279 --> 01:33:54,039
my path. This one was slightly larger than the others.

1231
01:33:55,680 --> 01:34:00,199
It took only a moment to realize the unthinkable. This

1232
01:34:02,399 --> 01:34:07,800
was my mother. Her right side was gruesomely absent, her

1233
01:34:07,840 --> 01:34:11,560
eyes clouded with milky white, and her jaw hung slack.

1234
01:34:12,920 --> 01:34:20,560
She had lost an arm and a leg. Dead. My

1235
01:34:20,720 --> 01:34:26,359
mother lay lifeless at my feet. The sound of sobbing

1236
01:34:26,439 --> 01:34:32,119
irrupted again, originating from behind the desk. No discernible words,

1237
01:34:32,880 --> 01:34:37,840
just heartbroken sobs. Setting aside my grief for the moment.

1238
01:34:38,239 --> 01:34:41,279
Aided by shock, I left my mother's side to reach

1239
01:34:41,359 --> 01:34:46,039
this person. The true magnitude of the disaster had not

1240
01:34:46,159 --> 01:34:50,239
yet fully sunk in the realization that no one could

1241
01:34:50,279 --> 01:34:55,880
have survived. The crying grew louder as I approached, echoing

1242
01:34:56,039 --> 01:35:00,039
not only in my ears but in my thoughts. He

1243
01:35:00,079 --> 01:35:03,199
had the clamor of the alarms. It was as if

1244
01:35:03,319 --> 01:35:06,359
I was ensnared in a waking dream, with the cries

1245
01:35:06,479 --> 01:35:13,279
became my sole focus, blotting out every other sense. Reaching

1246
01:35:13,279 --> 01:35:17,319
the desk, I cautiously peered behind it, my eyes drawn

1247
01:35:17,399 --> 01:35:20,399
to a hoddled figure in the corner. His black and

1248
01:35:20,439 --> 01:35:23,960
skin mirrored the others, and he possessed little remaining hair.

1249
01:35:25,239 --> 01:35:28,279
Tremors coursed through his body as he faced the wall,

1250
01:35:28,920 --> 01:35:34,800
his arms extended limply, wrists hanging from his forearms. Hey,

1251
01:35:35,319 --> 01:35:39,039
I yelled, Are you okay? Can you move? I said?

1252
01:35:39,119 --> 01:35:43,039
As I maneuvered around the desk. Looking back on it now,

1253
01:35:43,840 --> 01:35:51,359
it was incredibly obvious that he wasn't. No response, perhaps

1254
01:35:51,439 --> 01:35:56,640
the explosion had damaged this hearing. Instinctively, I reached out

1255
01:35:56,680 --> 01:36:00,800
and grasped his hand. The moment our skin made contact,

1256
01:36:01,359 --> 01:36:07,039
the crying ceased and the tremor subsided. Slowly, he began

1257
01:36:07,119 --> 01:36:11,359
to turn his head towards me, his neck moving with jerky,

1258
01:36:11,680 --> 01:36:20,960
disjointed snaps, and then I beheld his face. Leathery skin

1259
01:36:21,239 --> 01:36:26,000
clung to his emaciated skull, while his eyes, wide milky

1260
01:36:26,039 --> 01:36:30,439
gray and white, mirrored my mother's through a slackened jaw.

1261
01:36:31,079 --> 01:36:35,760
Brown teeth peeped out, devoid of lips. His broken nose

1262
01:36:35,800 --> 01:36:41,159
sat withered upon his face, completely nude. His leathery skin

1263
01:36:41,319 --> 01:36:46,319
continued down his skeletal frame, with patches peeling off, revealing

1264
01:36:46,560 --> 01:36:51,920
a putrid yellow fluid oozing from the infected wounds. I

1265
01:36:51,960 --> 01:36:56,079
stood there in shock, taking in his convulsions and heaves.

1266
01:36:57,199 --> 01:37:00,039
Suddenly his head rocked like that of a newborn, and

1267
01:37:00,880 --> 01:37:05,880
he took a ragged, strained breath. Then he let out

1268
01:37:05,880 --> 01:37:12,520
a sound unlike anything I had ever heard, but that's

1269
01:37:13,000 --> 01:37:16,600
not the right way to describe it. The sound triggered

1270
01:37:16,600 --> 01:37:21,640
a sensation within me, a feeling that wasn't entirely my own.

1271
01:37:22,079 --> 01:37:26,159
I was engulfed by an overwhelming grief, an intense pain

1272
01:37:26,199 --> 01:37:31,560
that consumed me entirely. Guilt as I'd never known, washed

1273
01:37:31,600 --> 01:37:37,039
over me, threatening to drown me in its depths. I

1274
01:37:37,079 --> 01:37:41,000
recoiled from the desk, stumbling backward until I fell into

1275
01:37:41,000 --> 01:37:45,039
my mother's charred remains. A cloud of ash billowed forth,

1276
01:37:45,439 --> 01:37:49,319
caressing my face. As I gasped for air, I indvertently

1277
01:37:49,359 --> 01:37:53,840
inhaled the plumes of my mother's ash. I threw upon myself,

1278
01:37:54,399 --> 01:38:00,199
tears streaming uncontrollably. Crawling on my hands and knees, I

1279
01:38:00,239 --> 01:38:04,479
distanced myself from the nightmare, my existence teetering on the brink,

1280
01:38:05,840 --> 01:38:08,720
I crawled and then ran. Once I regained my footing,

1281
01:38:09,800 --> 01:38:12,359
I ran out of that room, up the stairs, through

1282
01:38:12,359 --> 01:38:16,560
the engulfing flames, through the school, past my bewildered classmates.

1283
01:38:17,479 --> 01:38:20,359
I kept running. I ran until my legs could no

1284
01:38:20,439 --> 01:38:23,920
longer bear the way to my body and my shattering reality.

1285
01:38:25,560 --> 01:38:33,199
I just kept running. Eventually I collapsed in a local park,

1286
01:38:33,680 --> 01:38:38,239
where the police discovered me. The cold, crisp grass crayd

1287
01:38:38,279 --> 01:38:42,439
over my face, leaving damp imprints in unison with my tears.

1288
01:38:43,760 --> 01:38:46,399
The officer who found me sat silently beside me in

1289
01:38:46,399 --> 01:38:51,560
the field, offering no words of advice nor encouragement. We

1290
01:38:51,640 --> 01:38:55,520
both began to shiver as the cold crept into our bones.

1291
01:38:58,159 --> 01:39:01,239
I laid in that field until I succumbed to exhaustion

1292
01:39:01,800 --> 01:39:07,880
and fell into a fitful sleep. I was so utterly exhausted.

1293
01:39:11,039 --> 01:39:14,079
When the officer drove me home, I awoke to a

1294
01:39:14,159 --> 01:39:19,600
reality and felt both distant and surreal. The following years

1295
01:39:19,640 --> 01:39:23,520
slipped away in a haze, an amalgamation of twisting memories

1296
01:39:23,560 --> 01:39:28,039
and blurred moments. I found myself residing in my mother's

1297
01:39:28,039 --> 01:39:31,479
home under the temporary custody of my aunt and uncle.

1298
01:39:32,560 --> 01:39:35,600
The settlement from the life insurance payout, locked away in

1299
01:39:35,640 --> 01:39:41,760
a conservatorship, offered a glimmer of financial security. Grateful for

1300
01:39:41,840 --> 01:39:45,319
their decision, I thanked my lucky stars, and my aunt

1301
01:39:45,319 --> 01:39:47,960
did not seize the opportunity to claim the money as

1302
01:39:47,960 --> 01:39:53,800
her own. Instead, she handed me a substantial sum of cash.

1303
01:39:54,079 --> 01:39:56,960
It was an overwhelming amount for a seventeen year old

1304
01:39:57,000 --> 01:40:01,279
to possess while grappling with the weight of new found responsibility.

1305
01:40:02,760 --> 01:40:07,000
In due course, I was granted emancipation, propelled forward by

1306
01:40:07,039 --> 01:40:11,880
financial freedom. Little did I know that this freedom would

1307
01:40:11,880 --> 01:40:16,159
become a catalyst for a destructive spiral, deepening the void

1308
01:40:16,239 --> 01:40:22,000
within my soul with every regretful choice. The passing months

1309
01:40:22,079 --> 01:40:25,199
merged as if time itself was nothing more than a

1310
01:40:25,199 --> 01:40:30,239
fleeting illusion. I was constantly oscillating between moments of heroin

1311
01:40:30,279 --> 01:40:35,760
induced intoxication and near unconsciousness. My days were spent in

1312
01:40:35,760 --> 01:40:40,239
a perpetual state of chasing a fragile equilibrium, and so

1313
01:40:41,000 --> 01:40:44,840
as predictable and anti climactic as it may sound, I

1314
01:40:44,880 --> 01:40:51,319
succumbed to the overwhelming grip of a heroin overdose. I

1315
01:40:51,399 --> 01:40:55,119
vaguely recall the Nature documentary playing in the background as

1316
01:40:55,119 --> 01:40:59,279
I craved another hit. Preparing the syringe, I found a

1317
01:40:59,319 --> 01:41:03,479
suitable vein, and the liquid bliss coursed through my veins,

1318
01:41:03,720 --> 01:41:09,800
flooding my senses. Was it my fifth sixth, more than

1319
01:41:09,800 --> 01:41:13,800
I had ever done before? The rush surged through my

1320
01:41:13,800 --> 01:41:18,000
body with an intensity I couldn't bear. My balance faltered,

1321
01:41:18,319 --> 01:41:21,560
and I collapsed onto the couch, my head spinning in

1322
01:41:21,600 --> 01:41:27,439
a disorienting haze. I slipped into unconsciousness, unaware of the

1323
01:41:27,520 --> 01:41:31,319
vomit that spilled forth from my mouth. At that moment,

1324
01:41:31,960 --> 01:41:35,680
I believed I was on the brink of death. In

1325
01:41:35,800 --> 01:41:39,560
my haziness. I faintly recalled a piercing scream of some

1326
01:41:39,600 --> 01:41:43,359
one who had entered the front door. I must have

1327
01:41:43,439 --> 01:41:46,039
appeared as the visual embodiment of the death I had

1328
01:41:46,079 --> 01:41:50,920
longed for. It was my aunt who discovered me in

1329
01:41:51,000 --> 01:41:55,640
that state, a sight she never deserved to see. She

1330
01:41:55,800 --> 01:41:58,479
was far too good to be exposed to the wretchedness

1331
01:41:58,600 --> 01:42:04,199
that had become me. Rehabilitation became an inevitable path I

1332
01:42:04,239 --> 01:42:08,359
had to tread. My therapist posited that the horrors I

1333
01:42:08,439 --> 01:42:11,760
witnessed in my mother's classroom were projections of my mind

1334
01:42:12,520 --> 01:42:17,760
for sionifications of the hellish experiences I endured. In the

1335
01:42:17,880 --> 01:42:21,760
ensuing months, I grappled with a profound sense of worthlessness.

1336
01:42:22,439 --> 01:42:28,600
Despite the earnest efforts of those around me, weeks continued

1337
01:42:28,600 --> 01:42:32,479
to bleed into months, and progress toward emotional and mental

1338
01:42:32,520 --> 01:42:37,600
recovery became a slow, agonizing burn. No matter the tools

1339
01:42:37,640 --> 01:42:41,640
and coping mechanisms I acquired, no matter the mental acrobatics

1340
01:42:41,680 --> 01:42:46,039
I performed, I found myself sinking deeper into the abyss.

1341
01:42:46,800 --> 01:42:50,319
The insidious cravings for substances clung to my heart with

1342
01:42:50,479 --> 01:42:56,039
sickening tenacity. By the end of that year, I retreated

1343
01:42:56,199 --> 01:43:01,560
into seclusion, abandoning my education and embracing a life of isolation.

1344
01:43:02,840 --> 01:43:07,119
Depression became my constant companion, blurring the days into an

1345
01:43:07,159 --> 01:43:13,039
indistinguishable haze. I traded one vice for countless others, escaping

1346
01:43:13,079 --> 01:43:17,319
reality through endless hours of content and video games, despising

1347
01:43:17,479 --> 01:43:21,279
every fiber of my existence. Late into the solitary nights,

1348
01:43:22,399 --> 01:43:26,039
even in sleep, I found no respite. My nights were

1349
01:43:26,079 --> 01:43:31,119
tormented by relentless nightmares, unyielding in the pursuit of stealing

1350
01:43:31,119 --> 01:43:36,560
away what little rest I had left, and my emotional

1351
01:43:36,640 --> 01:43:40,439
nuddhir I ceased to care for even the most basic needs.

1352
01:43:41,319 --> 01:43:45,439
My body, an instrument of survival, was now perpetually hunched,

1353
01:43:46,000 --> 01:43:50,039
bent by the weight of my deteriorating state. I had

1354
01:43:50,079 --> 01:43:54,840
become a repungent wreck, a physical manifestation of the turmoil

1355
01:43:54,880 --> 01:43:59,399
within my mind. I was a mirror reflecting the distorted

1356
01:43:59,439 --> 01:44:04,239
image of my shattered mentality. The battle against my demons

1357
01:44:04,319 --> 01:44:07,800
was slipping through my fingers, and I was losing myself

1358
01:44:07,920 --> 01:44:12,920
in the process. In time, my life embarked on a

1359
01:44:13,000 --> 01:44:17,560
transformative journey, emerging from the shattered remnants of an existence

1360
01:44:17,840 --> 01:44:22,359
that had unwettily become my solace. It began with a

1361
01:44:22,399 --> 01:44:30,840
simple spark, an irruption of laughter. It was not a

1362
01:44:30,880 --> 01:44:34,720
mere chuckle or a fleeting smark. It was a barely

1363
01:44:34,760 --> 01:44:39,840
deep laugh that reverberated within me. The sound itself was

1364
01:44:39,880 --> 01:44:45,920
foreign to my ears, stirring confusion and exhilaration. At that moment,

1365
01:44:46,479 --> 01:44:51,479
I felt immense pride swell within me. Soon after I

1366
01:44:51,560 --> 01:44:56,079
shed my former self, transitioning from a reanimated corpse to

1367
01:44:56,159 --> 01:45:01,800
an animated being, My new addiction came growth, and I

1368
01:45:01,840 --> 01:45:07,239
pursued it with fervor. I constructed a fortress, a barricade

1369
01:45:07,279 --> 01:45:11,079
to withstand the relentless onslaught of my mind. It tamed

1370
01:45:11,199 --> 01:45:15,560
the internal chaos that had consumed me, gradually reclaiming control

1371
01:45:15,760 --> 01:45:20,279
over my destiny. With every strained step, I crawled a

1372
01:45:20,319 --> 01:45:26,479
feeble yet indomitable way up a treacherous mountain. Knowing I

1373
01:45:26,479 --> 01:45:29,279
had to venture beyond my childhood home to nurture my

1374
01:45:29,399 --> 01:45:35,760
emotional development, I decided without hesitation. I relinquished my home

1375
01:45:35,800 --> 01:45:39,960
to my aunt, packed my belongings, and embarked on a

1376
01:45:40,039 --> 01:45:47,319
journey to Florida. Florida became my homestead. I found refuge

1377
01:45:47,319 --> 01:45:50,920
in a vacation cabin amidst the serenity of the everglades.

1378
01:45:52,039 --> 01:45:55,239
There were no neighbors for miles around, and the land

1379
01:45:55,319 --> 01:46:00,800
belonged to a kind couple who were seldom present. Nestled

1380
01:46:00,840 --> 01:46:05,600
within a dense, humid forest provided ample opportunity to confront

1381
01:46:05,800 --> 01:46:12,399
my inmost thoughts, aiding my recovery. Though reclusive, I reveled

1382
01:46:12,600 --> 01:46:17,840
in the new found freedom. The forest around me was

1383
01:46:17,880 --> 01:46:23,199
a testament to nature's magnificence. It thrived with beauty, teeming

1384
01:46:23,279 --> 01:46:28,600
with life and vibrant hues. Birds sang, insects hummed, and

1385
01:46:28,680 --> 01:46:32,720
the sun set gracefully. He was a stark contrast to

1386
01:46:32,800 --> 01:46:38,119
the desolate nights I had once known. Occasionally I would

1387
01:46:38,199 --> 01:46:42,399
venture to an ocean fed creek as stones throwaway, indulging

1388
01:46:42,520 --> 01:46:48,479
in peaceful fishing. With each passing day, I slowly fortified

1389
01:46:48,520 --> 01:46:53,520
my resolve, gathering the shattered pieces of my courage. The

1390
01:46:53,600 --> 01:46:58,640
journey ahead remained daunting, but still a glimmer of hope

1391
01:46:58,840 --> 01:47:03,199
illuminated the past the head. I clung to the belief

1392
01:47:03,279 --> 01:47:08,119
that someday, somehow I would break free from the clutches

1393
01:47:08,520 --> 01:47:13,000
of the sphere. It was precisely what I'd yearned for.

1394
01:47:16,840 --> 01:47:21,359
My life had become my own again. Though the memories

1395
01:47:21,399 --> 01:47:25,800
still carried pain, they had become more bearable. I was

1396
01:47:25,840 --> 01:47:32,520
on the verge of uttering those elusive words I am happy,

1397
01:47:35,479 --> 01:47:40,720
until the nightly lamentations found me. The anguish cries piercing

1398
01:47:40,800 --> 01:47:44,880
the silence, a relentless reminder of the entity that haunted

1399
01:47:44,920 --> 01:47:51,199
my sleep. Sleep became an elusive luxury, for as darkness descended,

1400
01:47:51,680 --> 01:47:56,600
the whales shattered any chance of rest. Daylight offered a

1401
01:47:56,600 --> 01:48:02,279
brief respite. The cries became a force that unleashed forgotten pain,

1402
01:48:02,960 --> 01:48:07,039
shattering the barricade I had erected. The dormant rancor within

1403
01:48:07,079 --> 01:48:13,199
me stirred, awakening with a vengeance. My inner turmoil returned,

1404
01:48:13,640 --> 01:48:17,520
engulfing me in a tempest that left me gasping for breath.

1405
01:48:18,960 --> 01:48:23,720
My resilience crumbled like sand, slipping through trembling fingers. The

1406
01:48:23,840 --> 01:48:26,840
laughter that once danced upon my lips died in my throat.

1407
01:48:28,640 --> 01:48:35,479
I broke quickly, so quietly. Then one night I stirred

1408
01:48:35,520 --> 01:48:39,800
from a nap that it inadvertently consumed me. The strange

1409
01:48:39,840 --> 01:48:43,720
sensation tugged at my consciousness, rousing me from my slumber.

1410
01:48:45,239 --> 01:48:49,199
The room was shrouded in stale silence, the clock displaying

1411
01:48:49,199 --> 01:48:52,640
at one twenty six a m. It was the dead

1412
01:48:52,680 --> 01:48:58,840
of night, yet mercifully devoid of the haunting cries. With

1413
01:48:58,960 --> 01:49:03,359
cautious curios I rose from my seat and made my

1414
01:49:03,399 --> 01:49:07,960
way toward the front door. Spurred by new found audacity,

1415
01:49:08,960 --> 01:49:12,960
I recall thinking I should step outside, prove to myself

1416
01:49:13,000 --> 01:49:16,880
that nothing is there, prove the crying is simply in

1417
01:49:16,960 --> 01:49:22,560
my head. As I approached the door, I envisioned walking

1418
01:49:22,600 --> 01:49:28,920
outside and wondering where I should go that night. The

1419
01:49:28,960 --> 01:49:33,039
air was eerily calm, devoid of the usual bug song.

1420
01:49:34,399 --> 01:49:37,039
I pressed my face against the small window on the door,

1421
01:49:37,840 --> 01:49:42,239
peering into the darkness beyond, fully expecting to find only

1422
01:49:42,279 --> 01:49:49,439
an indistinct shadow. But to my horror, there it stood,

1423
01:49:49,880 --> 01:49:53,039
staring back at me with an intensity the sent shivers

1424
01:49:53,119 --> 01:49:57,560
down my spine. Our faces were separated by a mere

1425
01:49:57,640 --> 01:50:01,119
fraction of an inch of glass. Locked in a macab

1426
01:50:01,399 --> 01:50:08,840
face to face encounter, a cacophony of screams erupted, shattering

1427
01:50:08,880 --> 01:50:12,199
the once trangquil air and sending tremors through my home.

1428
01:50:13,399 --> 01:50:17,159
The glow from the kitchen illuminated his face, etching its

1429
01:50:17,239 --> 01:50:22,479
haunting contours deep within my mind. His quivering jaw moved erratically,

1430
01:50:23,159 --> 01:50:27,239
a grotesque dance of opening and closing. With each labored breath,

1431
01:50:28,359 --> 01:50:32,199
each exhale berthed a clinging mist, smearing the glass with

1432
01:50:32,319 --> 01:50:37,880
intricate patterns, forming its surface into eerie artistry. His vacant

1433
01:50:37,880 --> 01:50:42,439
eyes remained fixed ahead, devoid of recognition, as if ensnared

1434
01:50:42,479 --> 01:50:47,680
within the clutches of unyielding madness. With unsteady steps, he

1435
01:50:47,760 --> 01:50:52,720
gradually retreated his form, shrinking into a crowd's position mere

1436
01:50:52,800 --> 01:50:56,520
feet away from my door. There was no denying the

1437
01:50:56,560 --> 01:51:04,680
presence before me. Roseen in shock, I stood there, grappling

1438
01:51:04,760 --> 01:51:11,720
with a maelstrom of emotions. Fear, curiosity, and twisted fascination intertwined,

1439
01:51:12,159 --> 01:51:17,560
forming a turbulent whirlwind of conflicting impulses. Though an unsettling

1440
01:51:17,640 --> 01:51:21,439
truth settled within me, there was no denying the raw

1441
01:51:21,479 --> 01:51:27,119
reality of his existence. This was no figment of my imagination.

1442
01:51:28,279 --> 01:51:31,960
It was a chilling encounter with a realm beyond my comprehension.

1443
01:51:34,680 --> 01:51:40,239
My scream tore through the air, an instinctual response fueled

1444
01:51:40,279 --> 01:51:45,680
by primal emotions. No coherent thoughts could encapsulate the overwhelming

1445
01:51:45,720 --> 01:51:51,319
turmoil within me. Anger, fear, and frustration, merged into a

1446
01:51:51,359 --> 01:51:55,319
sickening sensation that gnawed at my core. I had grown

1447
01:51:55,399 --> 01:51:58,439
tired of sleepless nights and a life that no longer

1448
01:51:58,479 --> 01:52:01,840
felt like mine. I had escaped across the country to

1449
01:52:01,880 --> 01:52:07,199
flee from this, Yet here it was huddled just feet away,

1450
01:52:07,960 --> 01:52:12,319
mocking my desperate attempt at sarlas it felt like a

1451
01:52:12,319 --> 01:52:16,520
cruel joke my own mind was playing on me. Leave

1452
01:52:16,560 --> 01:52:20,359
me alone, I shouted, my voice cracking. His tears streamed

1453
01:52:20,359 --> 01:52:25,880
down my face. Please just leave me alone. My cries

1454
01:52:25,960 --> 01:52:29,399
resembled the agonized wails of a wounded and trapped animal,

1455
01:52:30,039 --> 01:52:36,199
roar and untamed outside, the creature continued its relentless screams,

1456
01:52:36,840 --> 01:52:41,039
rising to its feet again with a disjointed movement, and

1457
01:52:41,159 --> 01:52:45,800
approached my door, its contorted posture resembling the grotesque position

1458
01:52:46,159 --> 01:52:50,479
of a late stage Tetanu's patient, skin tearing as it leaned.

1459
01:52:51,680 --> 01:52:55,920
Leave me alone, I yelled again, unleashing a surge of

1460
01:52:56,000 --> 01:52:59,159
pent up emotion that had been dormant for far too long.

1461
01:53:00,520 --> 01:53:03,920
My please fell upon rotting ears. I could not comprehend

1462
01:53:04,039 --> 01:53:12,479
or sympathize. It reached my door. I had rehearsed this

1463
01:53:12,560 --> 01:53:16,880
moment in my mind over and over. I imagined, how

1464
01:53:16,920 --> 01:53:21,319
would confront and eradicate this embodiment of my deteriorating sanity.

1465
01:53:22,239 --> 01:53:24,880
I had chosen this entity as the symbol of my

1466
01:53:24,920 --> 01:53:29,319
mental decline. The effigy upon which my deserved future lay

1467
01:53:29,399 --> 01:53:32,920
flayed in a bloody goodlike fashion, offered to the altar

1468
01:53:33,079 --> 01:53:38,119
of my current reality. Driven by panic and rage, I

1469
01:53:38,199 --> 01:53:41,640
grabbed the fire axe above my table, my body moving

1470
01:53:41,680 --> 01:53:45,039
mechanically as I propelled myself back toward the barrier that

1471
01:53:45,119 --> 01:53:50,640
separated us. A wordless scream of terror, revulsion, and hatred

1472
01:53:51,000 --> 01:53:54,560
irrupted from deep within me. As I crashed through the door,

1473
01:53:55,119 --> 01:53:58,840
my clenched teeth unable to contain the overwhelming intensity of

1474
01:53:58,920 --> 01:54:03,439
my emotions. The creature was struck by the door, its

1475
01:54:03,479 --> 01:54:07,960
body forcibly pushed backward, eliciting a feral gasp from its throat.

1476
01:54:09,319 --> 01:54:15,359
Now I was determined to end it, kill it, kill me,

1477
01:54:15,760 --> 01:54:21,600
candle kill. The words reverberated in an unsettling loop within

1478
01:54:21,640 --> 01:54:25,680
my mind, out of sync with each other, fueling my purpose.

1479
01:54:26,000 --> 01:54:31,439
As I prepared to face the culmination of my anguish,

1480
01:54:31,760 --> 01:54:36,279
in a whirlwind of uncontrolled movement, I tumbled down the steps,

1481
01:54:37,000 --> 01:54:41,319
my body flailing as I crashed onto the ground. Before

1482
01:54:41,319 --> 01:54:44,319
I could fully process the fall, I found myself at

1483
01:54:44,319 --> 01:54:51,039
my feet, instinctively rising without conscious thought, and there it was,

1484
01:54:52,079 --> 01:54:56,239
face the face with me, its breath uncomfortably warm and

1485
01:54:56,279 --> 01:55:00,720
sticky against my skin. The beutred stench of decay invaded

1486
01:55:00,760 --> 01:55:06,319
my nostrils, causing me to recoil in demoralized repulsion. I

1487
01:55:06,359 --> 01:55:11,319
felt my courage waver and my resolve crumble. I realized

1488
01:55:11,960 --> 01:55:15,279
I was not strong enough, not capable of facing this.

1489
01:55:17,359 --> 01:55:20,039
I back pedaled until I was pressed against the wall

1490
01:55:20,079 --> 01:55:28,000
of my house. Then it screamed, convulsed, and trembled before me,

1491
01:55:28,800 --> 01:55:32,880
its milky eyes fixed on an unseen horizon, its hands

1492
01:55:32,920 --> 01:55:38,520
stretched out, reaching for something beyond my comprehension. With that scream,

1493
01:55:39,000 --> 01:55:42,920
a surge of courage and rage flooded my being. It

1494
01:55:43,039 --> 01:55:45,359
was the same as it had been all those years

1495
01:55:45,359 --> 01:55:49,359
ago in the school, an overwhelming flood of emotions. They

1496
01:55:49,399 --> 01:55:54,600
were not truly mine to feel. It's difficult to articulate,

1497
01:55:55,199 --> 01:55:58,800
but I embodied those emotions and allowed them to engulf me.

1498
01:55:59,479 --> 01:56:07,600
Tons you me kill. The word reverberated relentlessly in my mind.

1499
01:56:09,079 --> 01:56:12,199
Springing forward with a wild scream, I swung the axe

1500
01:56:12,239 --> 01:56:15,359
with all my might, the blade sinking deep into its side,

1501
01:56:16,319 --> 01:56:19,319
the sensation of bone deflecting the force, and my strikers

1502
01:56:19,439 --> 01:56:24,079
edged into my memory, never to be forgotten. Blood another

1503
01:56:24,119 --> 01:56:26,880
fluid sprayed from the wound as it took a few

1504
01:56:26,920 --> 01:56:30,279
faltering steps to the side. Pushed by the momentum of

1505
01:56:30,279 --> 01:56:38,119
my assault, the creature seized, its cries, its tremors, its breath.

1506
01:56:39,600 --> 01:56:43,439
Time stood still, and it finally turned to look at me.

1507
01:56:44,800 --> 01:56:48,600
Fear held me captive under its gaze. We stared at

1508
01:56:48,600 --> 01:56:52,119
each other, locked in a moment, and felt like an eternity.

1509
01:56:53,399 --> 01:56:57,439
Foul breath washed over me, once more, seeping into my senses.

1510
01:56:59,159 --> 01:57:05,920
Beyond that, nothing happened. We simply stood there, locked in

1511
01:57:06,000 --> 01:57:10,319
a silent exchange. I willed my frozen bones to thaw.

1512
01:57:10,960 --> 01:57:15,600
My mind transitioning from terror and friends, had raged to

1513
01:57:15,720 --> 01:57:22,199
something else. It was in pride, rather a different, indescribable emotion.

1514
01:57:23,399 --> 01:57:28,159
Yet it carried a sense of triumph, I believe. Unbeknownst

1515
01:57:28,159 --> 01:57:32,560
to me, it had reached out and gently grasped my arm,

1516
01:57:32,800 --> 01:57:39,079
its touch going unnoticed until it began to speak. I

1517
01:57:39,199 --> 01:57:45,279
never meant to scare you, he rasped, his voice torn

1518
01:57:45,319 --> 01:57:50,760
and ragged, struggling to emerge between shallow breaths. I'm sorry

1519
01:57:51,560 --> 01:57:57,760
this had happened to you, It uttered, its words, filled

1520
01:57:57,760 --> 01:58:02,720
with agony and desperation. Tears welled up in its eyes,

1521
01:58:03,439 --> 01:58:06,439
a flicker of pain crossing its face, as its ragged

1522
01:58:06,479 --> 01:58:09,760
hand clutched at the axe lodged in its new laceration.

1523
01:58:11,600 --> 01:58:19,000
Please kill me, he wheezed, his pleased reverberating in my

1524
01:58:19,079 --> 01:58:24,159
mind and reaching my ear. Simultaneously, with its other hand,

1525
01:58:24,720 --> 01:58:27,439
he gripped the axe and brought the blade to its neck.

1526
01:58:29,000 --> 01:58:38,039
Kill me, candle kill now. Final word echoed like an

1527
01:58:38,079 --> 01:58:41,800
explosion within my head, and his hand pressed against my face.

1528
01:58:43,760 --> 01:58:48,720
Everything plunged into total darkness for a fragmented moment. As

1529
01:58:48,760 --> 01:59:01,520
I swung the axe. Suddenly I felt myself hurtling through space,

1530
01:59:02,279 --> 01:59:06,720
avoid engulfing me. The air grew cold, and the wind

1531
01:59:06,760 --> 01:59:12,199
whipped past, intensifying the disorienting descent. I screamed in a

1532
01:59:12,239 --> 01:59:15,640
frenzy of confusion and terror, my voice lost in the

1533
01:59:15,680 --> 01:59:22,560
abyss Downward, I plummeted faster and faster, the nauseating sensation

1534
01:59:22,800 --> 01:59:31,840
overwhelming me. Did I die? Is this death? Undead thoughts

1535
01:59:31,880 --> 01:59:36,279
of my eminent demise gripped my courage, but I resisted,

1536
01:59:37,039 --> 01:59:41,720
unwilling to accept my fate just yet. In the distance,

1537
01:59:42,039 --> 01:59:46,960
far below, a growing light pierced through the darkness. Fresh

1538
01:59:47,000 --> 01:59:50,600
tears streamed down my face, blurring my vision and making

1539
01:59:50,600 --> 01:59:53,720
it difficult to gauge the proximity of the light and

1540
01:59:53,760 --> 01:59:56,520
how much time remained before I would be halted by

1541
01:59:56,560 --> 02:00:04,439
the unforgiving ground. But it was rapidly approaching. I squeezed

1542
02:00:04,439 --> 02:00:08,279
my eyes shut, unleashing a scream that echoed through the void.

1543
02:00:09,039 --> 02:00:12,520
In the face of imminent death, I summoned every ounce

1544
02:00:12,560 --> 02:00:20,800
of defiance within me. I want to live, The words

1545
02:00:21,000 --> 02:00:25,039
echoed in my mind, a fervent plea, repeating like a mantra.

1546
02:00:26,399 --> 02:00:29,600
I curled into a protective ball, bracing myself for the

1547
02:00:29,640 --> 02:00:34,920
impending impact that would mark my brutal end. Seconds stretched

1548
02:00:34,920 --> 02:00:41,119
into eternity as I awaited the inevitable. Then, with a

1549
02:00:41,239 --> 02:00:46,079
soft and gentle thud, I collided with the ground, the

1550
02:00:46,119 --> 02:00:50,600
impact akin of falling off the couch. A feeble whimper

1551
02:00:50,720 --> 02:00:56,439
escaped me, carrying away the remnants of my shattered pride.

1552
02:00:57,359 --> 02:01:02,640
Slowly I uncored my limbs and remained still a mix

1553
02:01:02,680 --> 02:01:08,239
of confusion and exhaustion, paralyzing me. As this death, why

1554
02:01:08,279 --> 02:01:12,119
had I somehow managed to survive? At the very least

1555
02:01:12,520 --> 02:01:16,920
I was conscious? I reached out with my hands, feeling

1556
02:01:16,960 --> 02:01:20,880
the texture of the hardwood floor beneath me. I tempted

1557
02:01:20,880 --> 02:01:25,880
to open my eyes, with darkness engulfed everything, rendering me

1558
02:01:25,960 --> 02:01:31,199
blind to my surroundings. Rolling onto my back, I extended

1559
02:01:31,199 --> 02:01:34,159
my arms as far as there would go, searching for

1560
02:01:34,239 --> 02:01:39,960
walls that eluded my touch, instead only finding a formless nothingness.

1561
02:01:41,039 --> 02:01:46,039
A new fear emerged as a creeping suspicion arose. Did

1562
02:01:46,079 --> 02:01:50,960
I even have a face? With trepidation, I brought my

1563
02:01:51,079 --> 02:01:55,039
unseen hands towards my face, and a sharp sting shocked me.

1564
02:01:55,560 --> 02:02:01,439
As my dirty, sweaty fingers met my open eyes, it burned,

1565
02:02:02,199 --> 02:02:06,319
and a faint chuckle escaped my lips, mingling with tears

1566
02:02:06,560 --> 02:02:11,279
that continued to cascade down my face. I released a weak,

1567
02:02:11,520 --> 02:02:15,840
triumphant sigh, throwing my arm in the air, and darkness

1568
02:02:15,840 --> 02:02:23,119
claimed me once more, my consciousness slipping away. When I awoke,

1569
02:02:23,720 --> 02:02:29,159
I found myself in an unfamiliar hallway, illuminated by ethereal torchlight.

1570
02:02:30,439 --> 02:02:33,520
Glancing around from my position on the floor, I took

1571
02:02:33,520 --> 02:02:38,520
in the details of my surroundings. The hallway stretched endlessly

1572
02:02:38,560 --> 02:02:42,560
in both directions, its warped and aged, the dark wood

1573
02:02:42,640 --> 02:02:46,800
floors covered in a thick layer of dust. On each

1574
02:02:46,840 --> 02:02:51,079
side of me, two doors stood, adorned with handles clad

1575
02:02:51,199 --> 02:02:55,720
in aged bronze. The pealing, curling white paint of doors

1576
02:02:56,159 --> 02:02:59,159
cast the small shadow that danced in the flickering flames.

1577
02:03:00,199 --> 02:03:04,119
Ornate red and gold walls framed the hall, extending into

1578
02:03:04,159 --> 02:03:10,760
the distance without interruption. The air hung, still thin and cold.

1579
02:03:13,720 --> 02:03:17,640
I pushed myself upright, drawing a reflective breath, just to

1580
02:03:17,680 --> 02:03:21,960
find that my lungs refused to cooperate. I couldn't draw

1581
02:03:22,000 --> 02:03:25,760
in the air, an unsettling revelation that further shock my

1582
02:03:25,840 --> 02:03:33,000
fragile state. Yet, amidst the disquietude, an unexpected acceptance settled

1583
02:03:33,079 --> 02:03:38,920
upon me. Maybe I truly am dead, I mused, while

1584
02:03:38,920 --> 02:03:42,720
massaging the space between my eyes. And perhaps this is

1585
02:03:42,800 --> 02:03:46,079
limbo or some other place beyond the realm of the living.

1586
02:03:48,199 --> 02:03:52,479
Standing before the doors, I brushed off the accumulated dust.

1587
02:03:52,800 --> 02:03:56,960
As my fingers traced the bronzed knobs. I tempted to

1588
02:03:57,000 --> 02:04:00,159
turn the knob of the door on my right. It

1589
02:04:00,199 --> 02:04:05,319
remained resolute, refusing to budge with my attempt. I turned

1590
02:04:05,319 --> 02:04:07,880
my attention to the door on my left, hoping for

1591
02:04:07,920 --> 02:04:13,600
a different outcome. Yet once again my efforts proved fruitless.

1592
02:04:14,600 --> 02:04:20,680
The doors remained firmly shut, denying me entry. A sense

1593
02:04:20,720 --> 02:04:25,159
of resignation settled over me as I contemplated the possibility

1594
02:04:25,920 --> 02:04:29,319
that I had indeed entered a land of limbo or purgatory,

1595
02:04:30,000 --> 02:04:35,479
where the deceased wandered aimlessly seeking answers and respite. If

1596
02:04:35,520 --> 02:04:38,439
there were lessons to be learned or tasks to be fulfilled,

1597
02:04:39,279 --> 02:04:43,600
I had yet to discover them. But the absence of purpose,

1598
02:04:44,079 --> 02:04:47,920
the prospect of eternal nothingness weighed heavily on my soul.

1599
02:04:49,319 --> 02:04:52,760
With the deep breath, I made the conscious decision to

1600
02:04:52,840 --> 02:04:57,479
venture further into the darkness, forsaking the dwindling light behind me.

1601
02:04:59,039 --> 02:05:03,000
Hours turn into an indeterminate passage of time. As I

1602
02:05:03,039 --> 02:05:07,039
traversed the corridor, my hand trailing beside me against the

1603
02:05:07,079 --> 02:05:13,640
cold surface of the wall. Surprisingly, fatigue and hunger eluded me, further,

1604
02:05:13,760 --> 02:05:20,279
reinforcing the notion that I probably died. If this was

1605
02:05:20,319 --> 02:05:24,720
the extent of my existence, an eternal cycle of aimless wondering,

1606
02:05:25,520 --> 02:05:30,000
I yearned for something more. The prospect of mere nothingness,

1607
02:05:30,520 --> 02:05:34,359
devoid of purpose or meaning, felt like a reality abandoned

1608
02:05:34,399 --> 02:05:40,359
by the gods long ago. Determination and desperation mingled within me,

1609
02:05:41,159 --> 02:05:44,680
urging me to maintain my pace and keep moving forward

1610
02:05:45,159 --> 02:05:50,760
despite the uncertainty. And then a sudden burst of light

1611
02:05:50,960 --> 02:05:55,479
ruptured the darkness behind me, catching me off guard. The

1612
02:05:55,680 --> 02:05:59,039
icy tendrils of fear gripped my chest, causing me to

1613
02:05:59,159 --> 02:06:04,920
fail and stomp my yelp. Swallowed by the darkness. With

1614
02:06:04,960 --> 02:06:09,000
a surprising display of grace, I flocked heavily on my stomach.

1615
02:06:10,359 --> 02:06:14,159
I clambered to my feet and swiftly turned round. Repelled

1616
02:06:14,159 --> 02:06:17,840
by a sense of desperate longing, I hurtled toward the

1617
02:06:17,880 --> 02:06:21,720
new found light, driven by an unspoken fear that it

1618
02:06:21,720 --> 02:06:25,960
would fade if I didn't reach it in time. Desperation

1619
02:06:26,159 --> 02:06:28,880
fueled my actions as I lunged for the handle of

1620
02:06:28,920 --> 02:06:32,279
the nearest door, seeking the anchor to halt my momentum.

1621
02:06:33,720 --> 02:06:39,079
The handle remained steadfast, unyielding as it abruptly halted my

1622
02:06:39,159 --> 02:06:44,600
chaotic trajectory. I clutched the doorknob with both hands, pouring

1623
02:06:44,640 --> 02:06:47,399
every hunt of strength into my attempt to pry it open.

1624
02:06:48,720 --> 02:06:52,880
I threw my weight against the door, pulled, hit, kicked,

1625
02:06:53,159 --> 02:07:02,039
and pleaded in desperation. With the door remained unafflicted, Exhausted

1626
02:07:02,159 --> 02:07:06,600
and defeated, I crumpled against the door, collapsing to my knees.

1627
02:07:07,840 --> 02:07:11,319
I buried my face in my folded arms, tears flowing

1628
02:07:11,359 --> 02:07:14,920
freely once again, as a sense of hopelessness enveloped me.

1629
02:07:16,560 --> 02:07:20,600
What was the point? There was nowhere to go, no

1630
02:07:20,800 --> 02:07:25,079
escape from this damn place. I was trapped, imprisoned within

1631
02:07:25,119 --> 02:07:35,960
my own personal purgatory. This was my punishment. Reality began

1632
02:07:36,039 --> 02:07:41,520
to fracture my veil of ignorance, slowly lifting. Could I

1633
02:07:41,640 --> 02:07:46,800
truly be dead? The realization dawned upon me, shattering the

1634
02:07:46,840 --> 02:07:53,199
feeble illusion of safety and acceptance. I wasn't okay. I

1635
02:07:53,359 --> 02:07:57,640
wasn't safe. The weight of my knees bore down upon me,

1636
02:07:58,319 --> 02:08:04,479
threatening to consume what little resolved remained. In the face

1637
02:08:04,520 --> 02:08:09,119
of uncertainty, I whispered the truth that echoed within my being,

1638
02:08:11,720 --> 02:08:17,760
I'm not okay. I rolled on to my side, curling

1639
02:08:17,880 --> 02:08:21,279
into a tight ball, clutching my legs close to my chest.

1640
02:08:22,479 --> 02:08:26,800
I surrendered to the oceans that consumed me. I seized

1641
02:08:26,880 --> 02:08:31,800
all efforts. Resigned to my fate, time lost all meaning

1642
02:08:31,880 --> 02:08:36,439
As I lay there, motionless, accumulating layers of dust upon

1643
02:08:36,479 --> 02:08:42,359
my immobile body. Months or perhaps years passed in this

1644
02:08:42,439 --> 02:08:48,279
frozen state. I remained frozen, a monument to despair and defeat.

1645
02:08:49,239 --> 02:08:52,279
The way to my surrender bore down upon me, and

1646
02:08:52,359 --> 02:08:57,840
I grew stagnant in body and spirit. As time passed,

1647
02:08:58,800 --> 02:09:01,800
a small voice in my from the depths of my being,

1648
02:09:02,720 --> 02:09:07,640
offering tiny shots of defiance. It urged me to continue

1649
02:09:08,199 --> 02:09:12,039
questioning why I should give up. The relentless nagging of

1650
02:09:12,079 --> 02:09:17,159
that voice eroded the staleness of my resolve, and so

1651
02:09:17,880 --> 02:09:21,840
with great effort I gave in to the persistent beckoning within.

1652
02:09:23,279 --> 02:09:27,159
I began to stir my brittle bones, creaking and cracking

1653
02:09:27,239 --> 02:09:31,600
in response to the tentative movements. Every inch of my

1654
02:09:31,680 --> 02:09:36,359
being protested, muscles screaming. As I defy the platitudes that

1655
02:09:36,439 --> 02:09:41,319
had held me captive, the desire of something different, something

1656
02:09:41,439 --> 02:09:46,520
more ignited within me. It took time, but I managed

1657
02:09:46,560 --> 02:09:50,600
to rise to a sitting position. My body clung stubbornly

1658
02:09:50,640 --> 02:09:54,560
to the remnants of my self imposed diagnation, resisting my will,

1659
02:09:56,119 --> 02:10:03,760
but I knew I had to move, dust Move, I

1660
02:10:03,800 --> 02:10:07,520
whispered those two simple words to myself, a mantra in

1661
02:10:07,600 --> 02:10:12,119
the stillness. With each painful twitch and each tear in

1662
02:10:12,159 --> 02:10:18,000
my flesh, I pressed forward. The blinding light pierced through

1663
02:10:18,000 --> 02:10:22,640
the darkness, and I quickly shielded my eyes. The hallway

1664
02:10:22,960 --> 02:10:26,119
one shrouded in darkness, it was now ablaze with a

1665
02:10:26,199 --> 02:10:31,359
furious glow of burning candles, illuminating every inch of the

1666
02:10:31,439 --> 02:10:36,319
endless walls adorned with their white doors. Shielding my eyes

1667
02:10:36,359 --> 02:10:40,199
from the searing exposure, I recoiled from the scorching heat

1668
02:10:40,600 --> 02:10:45,079
that began to radiate from the flames. I peered through

1669
02:10:45,119 --> 02:10:48,399
the gaps of my fingers, and a sight greeted me

1670
02:10:48,640 --> 02:10:53,359
that filled my heart with renewed hope. There at the

1671
02:10:53,439 --> 02:10:59,520
end of the hallway lay an exit, a definite continuation

1672
02:10:59,680 --> 02:11:05,039
beyond these confines. A rush of motivation course through my veins,

1673
02:11:05,520 --> 02:11:09,960
igniting a fire within my soul. Leaning against the wall

1674
02:11:10,000 --> 02:11:13,119
for support, I whirled my legs to carry me forward,

1675
02:11:13,600 --> 02:11:17,760
pushing past the pane. With each step, the longing to

1676
02:11:17,840 --> 02:11:22,159
reach the final door consumed me, Drowning out the agony,

1677
02:11:24,159 --> 02:11:27,800
I moved with a shaky shuffle that evolved into a stiff,

1678
02:11:28,079 --> 02:11:33,039
determined speed walk. In retrospect, I can only imagine the

1679
02:11:33,199 --> 02:11:38,119
nightmarish image I presented. But at that moment, all I

1680
02:11:38,199 --> 02:11:41,239
wanted was to have reached the end, to embrace the

1681
02:11:41,319 --> 02:11:47,560
promise it held. With each passing door, I caught glimpses

1682
02:11:47,640 --> 02:11:52,600
of their numbered plaques thirty seven, thirty nine, forty one,

1683
02:11:52,800 --> 02:11:58,920
forty three. The numbers ascended, I found myself running soon.

1684
02:12:00,319 --> 02:12:04,399
Light soon seared through my closed eyelids, the symphony of pain.

1685
02:12:05,840 --> 02:12:08,359
Perhaps I should have gaged the distance to the end,

1686
02:12:09,159 --> 02:12:12,439
but in my blind pursuit, I collided with the ending

1687
02:12:12,520 --> 02:12:16,640
wall with a resounding thud. The impact broke my nose

1688
02:12:16,960 --> 02:12:23,199
and I tumbled to the floor, disoriented and wounded. As

1689
02:12:23,199 --> 02:12:27,199
my body sprawled upon the ground, the once illuminated candles

1690
02:12:27,239 --> 02:12:31,159
in the hallway extinguished one by one, enveloping the space

1691
02:12:31,199 --> 02:12:36,560
behind me in an impenetrable darkness. Yet amidst the obscurity,

1692
02:12:37,520 --> 02:12:41,880
one candle remained definely aflame. The candle beside the t