0:02

Thirteen days of Halloween is from grim

0:04

and mild blum house and I heart

0:06

three D audio headphones recommended.

0:09

Listener discretion advised. M

0:21

M, how

0:23

do you feel? My head hurts,

0:27

I'd imagine. Is it bleeding?

0:30

M No, not very much.

0:32

It looks as though the sea water washed

0:35

it mostly cly. Is

0:38

it very far to the doctor? I

0:40

am sorry to say that it is a bit

0:42

of a hike, but perhaps

0:44

we'll be able to flag someone down on the

0:46

road. There are no strangers

0:49

in dire brook, sat

0:51

me. Yes, this

0:56

is the only road into town. Most

0:58

people come and go by boat. The

1:01

people here all came from across

1:03

the sea, religious outcasts,

1:07

and the sea is largely how we thrive.

1:09

Our forefathers never trusted society

1:12

at large and this road

1:15

was one of their very few concessions to the

1:17

government of the colony and later

1:20

the state. It was a

1:23

grudging concession as well. We

1:25

have never really trusted our neighbors

1:28

and the building of the original road was

1:31

grueling. Clearing these dense forests

1:34

was dangerous. The marshy

1:36

ground frequently swallowed up the supply

1:38

cards and occasionally one

1:40

of the workers with it. Progress

1:43

comes with sacrifice and

1:45

usually that sacrifice is laid

1:47

on the weakest of us. That's

1:49

terrible. M Hm. Yes,

1:54

you may notice that it's not particularly

1:56

well kept. Cracks, potholes,

2:00

crab grass growing through it is foreboding,

2:03

and that is quite

2:05

by design. But it's

2:07

still a trade route and, like it or

2:09

not, since the sea quit being

2:12

kind, it has become something

2:14

of a life long wait,

2:18

what is it? Speaking of trade,

2:21

here comes one of its advocates. I

2:24

want you to listen to me. He

2:26

is a good man. His heart, at least,

2:29

is kind. He is troubled,

2:31

yes, and dangerous

2:34

to the wrong people because

2:36

of his strange beliefs. He is

2:38

not welcome in town so much

2:40

as tolerated as a necessary

2:43

evil. He brings us

2:45

things that we cannot get

2:47

from the ocean. You will

2:49

try to convert you. Do not

2:52

be swayed. It would be polite.

2:55

Do you understand? Yes, of course

2:57

polite. He likes people.

3:01

I will be perhaps we can at

3:03

least get a ride into down AH,

3:11

smile. Why?

3:14

Mother, I didn't expect

3:17

to see you out here on the road. Well,

3:19

we were out for a stroll and ended up

3:21

going a little further than we'd meant to. Ah,

3:25

yeah, heavens all the time. One

3:27

day I went out for a drive and here

3:30

I am, decades later, still

3:32

following the boat. Well,

3:36

I don't suppose you ladies need to ride. I

3:39

thought you'd never asked. CLAMB

3:41

on up, she don't bite.

3:50

Here we go. Get yourself

3:52

situating. Hang

3:54

on tight, I

4:00

can give you a lift in the town, as long as you're not

4:02

looking for Chit Chat. Nothing personal,

4:04

friend, I've just had my field of

4:06

other people's opinions. Twenty

4:09

two years hauled and hauled me cross

4:11

country, with nothing but talk radio

4:13

and the CBE to keep me awake, just

4:17

buried in other people's boom.

4:19

I bought into all of it. I

4:21

think I drink about every flavor of Kool

4:23

aid. There was politics,

4:26

aliens, coats. I

4:28

became what you call insufferable.

4:32

My poor wife used to count the days until

4:34

I was back on the road so she

4:36

could get some peace and quiet. UN

4:39

that's her again. Do me a favor

4:42

you decline on that. This

4:45

hall has gone way longer than I expected,

4:47

so I'm in it. Deep love

4:49

that woman, but the last thing I

4:51

want to hear right now is the sound of her voice.

4:54

Hell, I'm sick of the sound of my own

4:57

voice. Spetter.

5:01

This is about all I can staying and listen

5:03

to anymore. KT Y

5:06

Z the sound of the

5:08

truth. He can't always

5:11

catch it on the air, but when you do

5:13

it dropped some bombs. There's

5:16

old Guy Jerry,

5:18

works at a way station out in Colorado.

5:21

He put a bug in my hear about it. Knowing

5:23

him for years, but we're not exactly

5:26

on the first name basis. I

5:28

just called him Jerry because he's an old ex

5:30

Hippie burnout type, and he calls

5:33

me J Edgar. The

5:35

two of US have gotten into it every

5:37

time I passed through there, had

5:39

some bond burnus. It usually

5:41

ending with him being too stoned to remember

5:43

his point in me telling him

5:45

to get a haircut, sort of like the WHO's

5:48

on first of political discourse. Last

5:51

time I passed through there, though, it

5:53

was different. Before

5:56

I could even start up a good argument,

5:58

the son of a bit suck up wants me in the gun

6:01

like I don't know where. So I'm

6:03

doubled over trying to catch my breath and he's

6:05

helping me back into the cab of my truck saying

6:08

you need to man up, J Edgar, you

6:11

need to face the truth of this

6:13

world. Condescending

6:15

Bastard. I went to take a swing

6:17

at it, but he somehow managed to sidestep and

6:19

catch me in a choke hold. Just

6:22

listen, he's spat in my ear. Stop

6:25

talking and listen. If

6:27

you want to know the truth of this world, you

6:30

need to shut up and listen.

6:33

And he tells me about it. This Pirate

6:36

Radio Station, K T

6:39

Y Z says,

6:41

when I'm ready, really ready

6:44

to face it, to turn the dial

6:47

all the way to the left and

6:49

wait. Maybe, just

6:52

maybe, I'd hear some truth,

6:55

the truth. And

6:58

then, Calmas Day he

7:00

let me go and sign my paperwork. Part

7:03

of me felt like taking another swing, but instead

7:06

of just made a weak joke about him

7:08

needing to switch dispensaries. It

7:10

was then that I noticed his eyes, not

7:13

the red eyes of a veteran weed

7:16

smoker, but dry

7:18

and white. And there was something

7:21

weird with the left one. No

7:23

Iris, no blue like

7:26

the right one, just all

7:28

pupil like. His eyes was

7:30

wide open. Clearly he'd

7:33

hit me harder than I thought. Katy

7:36

Y C give it a listen.

7:40

Terry shouted all friendly

7:42

like and slaps the side of my cab. It

7:44

sends me on my way. Katie

7:47

Wi zy the truth and

7:51

really stuck with me. It was

7:53

like a dad or something

7:55

from him. It wasn't but a

7:57

day or two later that I found myself fit

8:00

link with the dolls, hunting around

8:02

for it. My charger had

8:04

crept out right in the middle of a murder podcast,

8:07

and Patriot Dave's live call

8:09

in show might as well have been a rerun.

8:13

The white lines were getting to me, so I thought.

8:16

I thought it best to find something to keep me awake.

8:19

I decided, what the hell,

8:22

I'm ready for some of that dad truth.

8:25

Oh, Jerry was smoking. I

8:28

switched to a m flipped

8:30

it all the way to the left. It's

8:33

been maybe an hour, turning

8:36

the KNOB like a safe

8:38

cracker, but this, this

8:41

is all I got here

8:44

it nothing

8:46

was static right. Truth

8:48

was this static wasn't

8:51

any more less profound than Patriot

8:53

Dave, whether y'all who's on the C B or

8:55

any of the other crap I glued my ears

8:57

to over the years. And I

8:59

was and any better, such a

9:02

jackass telling everybody I knew

9:04

what's what when I didn't even know what

9:06

I was thinking my own damn self. So

9:09

I guess Katie Y Z did

9:12

show me the truth. After all. For

9:14

the first time in years, I

9:16

decided I ought to let some quiet

9:19

in and think. asthetic

9:22

faded to a white noise and

9:24

it was just me in the road,

9:28

in my head for miles

9:30

and miles. And you

9:32

know what, I realized I didn't

9:34

have a single damn thought going

9:36

on up there. Like

9:40

what the hell even was I

9:42

I built a decent enough life, bills were

9:44

paid. An amazing wife those

9:47

days, but suddenly I'm

9:49

wondering why she was even with me. I

9:52

mean, I've been on cruise control

9:54

most of my life. was there anything

9:57

in me for her to even care about? How?

10:00

Cause she possibly, you know, she had

10:02

to be lying about loving me. All

10:04

of us gotta be lying about caring

10:06

about each other, because none of us really

10:09

know what's in there, you know, every

10:11

one of us, alone and unknown, all

10:14

in our cabs, armed

10:16

with distractions and headed down

10:19

our own roads, driving

10:21

from Tucson in the mobile, just rolling

10:23

through all the empty spaces of this world

10:26

and and none of us feeling it, not with

10:28

anything good. There must be

10:30

something out there waiting to

10:32

take up all that space, something

10:35

better, older, confined

10:38

and hungry and rightful looking to seep

10:41

into the cracks of this world. And suddenly

10:44

the radio crackled in the life and

10:46

a warm buzz came across and said

10:50

you're ready, friendly, you

10:55

are hearing it ready.

11:00

It woke me up like a slap. I

11:02

barely had time to swerve to avoid the media, than

11:04

nearly Jack Knife trying to straighten

11:06

while scrambling from the damn radio. I

11:09

hit the power and the lights of MDAL fizzled off

11:12

and it was silent. I haven't

11:14

thinking way too much and I was just tired. I

11:17

cracked over an energy drink and tried to get a

11:19

grip and ended up just laughing

11:22

at myself. I

11:25

mean, what an idiot.

11:28

I put on my big boy bridges and turn the radio

11:30

back on. Sure, I was a little scared

11:32

of what I was going here, but but I

11:35

think deep down I was more

11:37

scared of the silence. Not

11:39

to worry, though. A quick switch to

11:41

satellite and there was Patriot

11:43

Dave ranting out an invite to his

11:46

love of country rally and foaming

11:48

at the mouth how we would need it in St Louis

11:50

this weekend. Sure, Dave.

11:53

It was a really a surprise when a buzz

11:56

drowned out Dave's signal and then voice

11:58

came back on and said ain't how

12:00

we would need it to buy

12:03

it make oil

12:06

under the buzz. Day returned, saying

12:08

how much he loved us all. But

12:10

now Katie wise was back, only

12:13

it wasn't on the radio, it was

12:15

in my ear, saying

12:18

got his head, David

12:21

would sail the whole day nation

12:23

out for profit. God

12:27

yeay. Hearing

12:31

that voice off the radio ship thrown me shore.

12:34

But it wasn't wrong about old day. In

12:37

fact, the whole Voice

12:39

of truth. It was kind of

12:41

funny. Kat Y

12:43

Z and I was still laughing about old

12:45

Dave a few minutes later, as I pulled

12:48

off the eggs to grab some coffee, clearing

12:50

my head seemed a polite thing to do. Now

12:53

that my head had company over and

12:56

a new thought nagged at me. What

12:58

should I be doing now? Thought of this truth

13:02

in my head. Careful,

13:10

I mean, while Baba Holding a

13:12

hundred and twenty slabs of hog meat across country

13:14

in a refrigerated truck, when the rest

13:16

of the hogs get to just walk

13:18

around out there on their own, you know, dressed

13:21

in people clothes, pretending to

13:23

speak human. Case

13:26

in point this one

13:28

tub the Lord Long Hauler. I knew

13:31

Carl was over at the

13:33

pumps next door, gassing up and chatting

13:36

with a few other fine specimens.

13:39

He waved me over. I could

13:41

feel the truth salivating

13:44

getting a good look at Carl. Took

13:47

a deep drag off my cigarette

13:50

to give myself a sec then

13:52

I went to join them. They were talking

13:54

some major crap, college football,

13:57

the politics of what exactly made something

13:59

a Chalue book, but all

14:01

that came through was fear,

14:04

fear and Kat y

14:06

Z. Kat Y

14:09

Z was broadcasting loud and

14:11

clear in my head. Those

14:13

Boys Gums flapped while it

14:15

sang out how truly terrified

14:18

they were. And I knew it.

14:20

Hell, I've always known it. Afraid

14:23

of a world that left them behind, that

14:25

didn't get the jokes, didn't

14:28

ask for their input, didn't want or

14:30

need them, they didn't even

14:32

notice if they were there at all, and

14:35

about how they wanted to do something to

14:37

that world, something to

14:39

make it notice them.

14:41

The buzzing, the noise

14:44

had become unbearable. I

14:47

couldn't bear it. Their truth couldn't

14:49

be born, not one minute

14:52

longer. You need,

14:54

I sput it to him, you need to just

14:57

shut the hell up, shut

15:03

like idiot children trying

15:05

for Mommy's attention, like you're deserving

15:07

of something just for being spat

15:09

out on the ground. At last

15:12

one was good. I didn't even know I was gonna

15:14

say that. They stood there dumb

15:17

in every sense of the word here,

15:19

if they've been talking for twenty minutes and

15:21

hadn't even noticed I hadn't said a word until

15:23

that moment. Sure, I

15:25

have been nothing along the whole time, but

15:28

not to them, to the buzz,

15:31

to the voice nodding,

15:34

to the deafening sound of the truth

15:36

and what had to be done. Get Out

15:38

of this truck. Ye, hell,

15:43

I was still nodding when that snarl

15:46

came to Carl's lips and I laid him

15:48

out with two quick shots to the gut. Still

15:50

nodding when I pulled the gas pump

15:53

out of his tank and spread regular

15:55

unlet it all over the lot of them.

15:57

Nodding as I relit my Cigarett

16:00

it and tossed my light

16:02

up at their feet. The

16:04

heat sends the back of my head on

16:07

my sprint back to the truck. They

16:09

were probably screaming, but I couldn't

16:12

hear him. All I could hear was

16:14

the truth buzzing in my skull.

16:17

I swung up into the cab with a little hop

16:20

and drove off and blissful

16:22

silence. That

16:26

was three days ago. Jump, Oh

16:30

God, Oh

16:32

Katie, wise he giving his min sights then.

16:35

No worries, you're safe. You're

16:39

a good listener and

16:41

it seems like we're developing the same

16:43

taste in music. Still,

16:46

it's probably best that we part ways

16:49

before a good thing goes

16:51

wrong. Well, here we are,

16:54

edge of town. We'll walk from here.

16:56

Thank you. Suit Yourself. Thank

17:00

you for the ride. You remember what you

17:02

heard here? All right, I

17:04

will. It's pretty good news.

17:07

I will. Okay,

17:12

come on now, and you you

17:14

be careful out there. Don't need

17:16

you to got the

17:19

truth. Oh my side.

17:30

So how is your

17:32

head? It hurts

17:34

less, but it feels

17:38

busier somehow. Well,

17:41

you'll want to avoid radios and televisions

17:43

for a little while until it wears off. Yeah,

17:48

here we are. It isn't much,

17:50

but it is home, my

17:54

dear. Over the coming hours you'll meet

17:56

many of the locals. Always

17:58

listen. Listen, because in their

18:00

stories you will understand the truth

18:02

of this place, and that may

18:05

lead to back to your own truths.

18:08

Yes, mother, allow me

18:10

to be the first to welcome you to

18:13

die a brook ye

18:25

tomorrow. On thirteen days of Halloween

18:28

the town square. I'd

18:32

be careful if I were you walking

18:34

around by yourself. That's

18:37

when the how should

18:39

I say it, when the more wayward

18:42

souls tend to go missing. One

18:45

day, a face that is all too familiar

18:47

is simply gone, like

18:50

they were never here at

18:52

all. Day

19:00

is of Halloween the road, starring

19:02

Kathy and Jimmy, Bethany Anne Lynde

19:04

and Jay Jones. Written by

19:06

Mike Katinsky with additional material

19:08

by Nicholas Takowski. Sound

19:10

Design and mixing by Trevor Young,

19:13

engineering by violent FERTZON, DUBWAY

19:16

STUDIOS NEW YORK. Casting by

19:18

Jessica Losa. Created by Matt

19:20

Frederick and Alex Williams, with executive

19:22

producer Aaron Manky. A production

19:25

of I heart radio, grim and mild and

19:27

BLUMHOUSE television.