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ad-free tales of terror. Thank

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you for listening and enjoy the

2:20

show. Disclaimer

3:24

horror hill is a horror anthology

3:26

podcast bringing you scary stories

3:28

from all corners of the internet

3:31

and beyond. As

3:33

such, certain stories include content

3:35

that some listeners might find

3:37

offensive. Listener

3:39

discretion is advised. Good

3:43

evening listeners and welcome back

3:46

to Horror Hill. I'm

3:48

your host, Eric Peabody, and we're

3:51

going to be featuring two stories

3:53

tonight by Shane H Sellers, a

3:55

new author to the show. We'll

3:58

begin with Shelter Games,

4:01

a heartwarming story about a group

4:03

of friends playing games together to

4:06

get through a tough situation. The

4:09

tough situation in question is

4:12

that they're stuck in a bomb shelter

4:14

while the outside world is falling to

4:16

pieces. Well, most

4:18

of them are stuck in a bomb shelter.

4:22

One friend, Steven, ventured outside

4:24

a while back, and

4:26

though it becomes apparent that he's changed a

4:28

bit since he left, he still

4:30

wants to play a game. After

4:34

that, we'll close out with Something

4:36

Ate My Work Crew at the

4:38

old Reed Place. In

4:41

this story, our protagonist, Zack, is

4:43

a Jack of All Trades construction

4:45

worker. His newest job

4:47

is with a team of guys clearing

4:49

out a 30-acre patch of woods for

4:51

a new apartment complex. It

4:54

turns out that Zack's crew isn't the first

4:56

to be assigned to this site, and,

4:59

if you haven't yet guessed from the

5:01

title, Zack's about to

5:03

learn why. You're

5:07

listening to the standard edition of this program.

5:10

If you'd like to help

5:12

support Horror Hill and also

5:14

remove these pesky ads, head

5:16

to chillingtalesfordarkknights.com and click

5:18

patrons in the upper menu to sign up

5:20

today. You'll get instant

5:23

access to hundreds of ad-free stories,

5:25

and we can scale back some

5:27

of our less

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savory means of generating money for

5:31

the show. By

5:33

the way, you wouldn't happen to

5:36

still have all of your organs, would

5:38

you? And

5:47

now, from author Shane H. Sellers,

5:49

I give you Shelter

5:51

Games. Double

6:00

landing on a pair of series. A

6:03

loud exhale of deceit followed his.

6:05

Jeremy reached down and removed the

6:07

miniature plastic models from the table.

6:10

Dammit. Timothy said

6:13

looking away in disgust. Jeremy

6:16

move to the center of the table on

6:18

the opposite end to grab his own set

6:20

of green dice. I. Get

6:22

to fire a volley and dear retreating

6:24

squad. Jeremy. Said proudly.

6:28

I shifted in my chair, looking

6:30

at the arrangement of the crafted

6:32

miniature terrain made from cardboard and

6:34

other materials. The. Small buildings

6:36

and roads resembled our town,

6:39

only in a post apocalyptic

6:41

setting. The. Detail was

6:43

quite extraordinary, down to individually

6:45

crafted shingles and shattered windows.

6:48

The. Burned Hall of A car sat in

6:50

the middle of a cracked road with

6:52

small bits of paper and other trash

6:55

glued down to up the desolation factor.

6:57

Jeremy and Stephen had spent months

7:00

crafting the board which ran the

7:02

total length of to eight foot

7:04

folding table stacked side by side.

7:07

Not. Only was the board intricately

7:09

detailed, but Stephen had three d

7:11

printed and crafted items to go

7:13

inside the various houses. One.

7:15

Could simply lift the roof off one

7:17

of the small houses to discover it

7:19

packed with appliances and furniture of all

7:22

types. Jeremy.

7:24

Rolled his said of green dice,

7:26

coming up with sizes and sixes.

7:29

That's. Game birds. He.

7:31

Said removing the last figures from

7:33

the board. Timothy.

7:35

Soaked for a moment before extending

7:37

his hand in a display of

7:40

sportsmanship. Jeremy smiled and

7:42

schuchat with energetic glee. So.

7:46

What now? I

7:48

said yawning and stretching my arms.

7:51

Let's. My desk bringer. Timothy.

7:53

Said with an excited fervor. jeremy

7:56

moaned at the suggestion taking a

7:58

moment to consider his reply. You

8:02

know, without O'Tark, the party will

8:04

just get slain, right? O'Tark

8:07

was Steven's character, a second-level fighter

8:10

that acted as the party's primary

8:12

melee output. Steven

8:14

had ventured out of the bomb shelter a

8:16

week ago and was now something

8:19

inhuman. We had

8:21

tried to warn him several times not to

8:23

leave the shelter, but he wouldn't give up

8:25

the idea that his family might still be

8:27

alive. One night, after

8:29

we had all crashed from playing Eight

8:32

Hours of Kingdom Death Monster, he

8:34

snuck out. Jeremy

8:37

was royally pissed. Not

8:39

so much about the bad things getting inside

8:41

the shelter, but more about the fact that

8:43

we now had a stalled game that we

8:46

couldn't finish. Jeremy

8:48

was almost fanatical about finishing games.

8:51

One time, we paused a game of

8:53

Axis and Allies the night before I

8:55

went to East Carolina University. After

8:58

two semesters, I returned home to

9:00

discover Jeremy still had the same

9:02

game set up, waiting to be

9:05

completed. Timothy

9:07

raked his hands through his long,

9:09

blond hair, sending flakes of dandruff

9:11

floating in the air. His

9:14

face, a sheen of oil

9:16

and acne, glistened under the

9:18

fluorescent light of the underground

9:20

shelter. We had been friends since middle

9:22

school, and Timothy often confided in me

9:25

when he felt nervous about things. He

9:27

was smart, but like me, he

9:30

didn't care for the demands of

9:32

the world, choosing instead to invest

9:34

in fantasy and role-playing games. What

9:37

if we tried to finish the campaign without him?

9:41

Timothy said. Jeremy

9:43

shot a look of contempt back

9:45

towards Timothy, answering without saying a

9:47

word. Time to eat?

9:50

I asked, looking toward the kitchen. Yeah,

9:53

I'm pretty hungry. Timothy said,

9:55

using his shirt to clean the lenses of

9:57

his glasses. Nothing?

10:00

Mountain house? Ramen or canned

10:02

soup?" Timothy said, walking

10:04

towards the kitchen. I

10:07

groaned at the menu options before

10:09

replying, I'll take ramen.

10:13

MRE, but see if there's any chili

10:15

mac left, Jeremy said. Timothy

10:19

scratched his face before opening

10:21

the overhead cabinet and rifling

10:23

through the contents. The bomb shelter

10:25

belonged to Jeremy's father, a man that

10:27

I had never met before. From

10:30

bits and pieces of conversation over the

10:32

last five years, I concluded that he

10:34

was very wealthy, lived abroad,

10:36

and basically threw money at any

10:39

issue. As for a

10:41

mother, I never heard Jeremy speak about one,

10:43

so I figured she was pretty much out

10:45

of the picture. The

10:47

bomb shelter was actually very large,

10:50

with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a

10:52

living room with a kitchen and

10:54

a large storage room. Jeremy

10:57

fantasized about post-apocalyptic

10:59

scenarios, stalking the

11:01

shelter with various survival tools,

11:03

emergency food rations, and state-of-the-art

11:06

surveillance equipment, using his

11:08

father's platinum credit card. After

11:10

several years, we turned the shelter into

11:13

our own private hangout, converting two of

11:15

the bedrooms into game rooms with enough

11:17

toys and action figures to rival any

11:20

game store. Being

11:22

around Jeremy was like being around

11:24

a rich uncle, only you

11:27

had to stay on his good side. One

11:30

time, we went to a local game

11:32

store and he bought the latest Warhammer

11:34

game set, complete with paints and army

11:36

codex. Without missing a beat,

11:38

he turned to me and asked where

11:40

my army was. When I

11:42

explained the cost was just too high and

11:45

I would continue to use my orcs, he

11:47

pointed to the shelves and said, Orcs

11:50

are lame, pick another army. Five

11:53

hundred dollars later, I

11:56

walked out with a new Imperial Guard

11:58

set. Like I

12:00

said, Jeremy was spoiled and treated

12:02

the rest of us as subordinates.

12:05

It was an unspoken rule that

12:07

Jeremy didn't lift a finger unless

12:10

Jeremy wanted to. That

12:12

meant carrying his book bag, cleaning

12:14

his room, driving his car, and

12:16

preparing his meals. You

12:19

also didn't win every game. It

12:22

was okay to win a few, here and

12:24

there, but you had to feed his

12:26

ego. One time,

12:28

Timothy was on a winning streak playing

12:30

Nemesis, and Jeremy had had enough, ordering

12:33

Steven and I to hold Timothy down while

12:35

he drew a dick on his forehead with

12:38

a permanent marker. To

12:40

add insult to injury, he made

12:42

Timothy continue to play the night

12:44

with a giant inked penis plastered

12:46

on his forehead. Things

12:49

continued like this for years, and

12:51

one game night, Jeremy, Steven, Timothy,

12:53

and I were playing games like

12:55

we always did in the bomb

12:57

shelter, when our phones

12:59

lit up with warning messages. Images

13:02

of dark vortexes in the sky popped

13:05

up. News alerts about

13:07

massive creatures surfacing from the ocean.

13:10

In one video, a massive tentacle the

13:12

size of a skyscraper whipped about off

13:15

the coast of Myrtle Beach. Then,

13:18

more reports about people committing

13:20

acts of depravity and violence.

13:23

It was like the world changed in a

13:25

matter of minutes. Our

13:27

neighborhood was soon engulfed in a green

13:29

mist. Trees uprooted

13:32

themselves and moved freely about,

13:34

grotesque abominations hid in the

13:37

shadows of backyard. I

13:40

remember watching as Esmeralda, Jeremy's

13:42

maid, scratched her own eyes

13:44

out in the front yard of his

13:46

house. Things

13:48

got dark really fast, and before we

13:51

knew it, we were running for our

13:53

lives back to the underground hideout. We

13:56

closed the hatch on the shelter and cowered

13:58

in the back storage room for two days.

14:01

Fortunately, the shelter seemed to protect

14:03

us from everything outside. Jeremy

14:06

assured us he had enough supplies to

14:08

last at least five years. That

14:11

number changing to eight when Stephen

14:13

ventured out of the shelter. Timothy

14:17

returned to the table where we sat,

14:19

handing me a cup of hot ramen

14:21

and an MRE bag to Jeremy. Jeremy

14:24

tore the bag open, retrieving the

14:26

main entree and the green heater

14:28

bag. He placed the

14:30

entree of chili mac inside the heater

14:32

and proceeded to pour water over it

14:34

until a chemical reaction occurred, causing the

14:37

green bag to inflate. Once

14:39

the heater was activated, he folded the edges

14:41

of the bag and propped it against the

14:43

leg of the table to continue cooking. So,

14:47

I had this idea for a

14:49

new game, Jeremy said, emptying

14:51

the rest of the MRE contents

14:54

onto the table. Timothy

14:56

and I both looked at

14:58

each other. New games were

15:00

always something to worry about and it

15:02

usually resulted in one of us being

15:05

humiliated. What did

15:07

you have in mind? Timothy said,

15:09

a hint of trepidation in his voice.

15:13

You know Stephen's still outside walking around,

15:15

right? Jeremy said, opening a

15:17

packet of peanut butter with his teeth.

15:20

But isn't he, you know, changed?

15:24

I said, taking a bite of the hot

15:26

noodles. Yep, he's

15:29

butt-fuckin' ugly as shit, which

15:31

is an improvement over what he used to

15:34

look like, Jeremy said with

15:36

a laugh. Timothy

15:38

pulled the wrapper off a chocolate moon

15:40

pie before responding. So

15:43

you've seen him? Oh yeah,

15:45

the dumb fucker's trapped in the backyard,

15:48

can't figure out how to open a

15:50

stupid gate. I can see him good

15:52

on one of the shelter cams, Jeremy

15:54

said, squirting a glob of peanut

15:56

butter into his open mouth. The

16:00

moment in which Jeremy spoke about Steven

16:02

made me uncomfortable. We

16:04

all had grown up with Steven, went

16:06

to movies with him, had birthday parties.

16:09

Now he was being portrayed as

16:11

some moronic nobody, all because

16:13

he cared about his family more than being

16:15

safe. I was

16:18

thinking we try talking to him on the gate intercom, see

16:20

if we can get a rise out of him or something,

16:22

Jeremy said, now shifting to his

16:25

heated entree. Timothy

16:27

took a small bite of the moon

16:29

pie, a look of apprehension written on

16:31

his face. I crossed

16:33

my arms, a sudden chill in the

16:35

air despite the hot steaming noodles in

16:38

front of me. Jeremy

16:40

sat down his entree, motioning us

16:42

to the media room where two

16:44

15-inch monitors were set up, displaying

16:46

the outside of the bunker. In

16:50

the past few weeks, I had learned

16:52

not to stare at the images on

16:54

the camera for too long, unless I

16:56

wanted nightmares. In the

16:59

first few days, we watched the

17:01

cameras non-stop with morbid fascination. There

17:04

was nothing more enthralling than live-action

17:06

footage of the apocalypse being broadcasted

17:08

directly to you in the safety

17:10

of your bunker. This

17:13

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18:47

Jeremy sat in the gaming chair

18:49

fumbling with the mouse and enlarging the

18:51

backyard camera feed. The

18:54

footage was black and white, an indication

18:56

it was dark outside and being recorded

18:58

in infrared. The backyard

19:00

was unchanged as I remembered it. A

19:03

good sized pool in the center where we used

19:05

to lounge during the hot summers manicured

19:07

holly bushes on the west side of

19:10

the property, a stone path leading to

19:12

the wrought iron backyard gate and

19:15

there was Steven hunched beside

19:17

it. Jeremy

19:20

zoomed the camera in on Steven.

19:22

The footage now more grainy, but

19:24

still able to pick out the

19:26

inhuman qualities he exhibited. What

19:29

the fuck is wrong with his face? Timothy

19:32

exclaimed. I told

19:34

you it's an improvement. Jeremy

19:36

said with a sneer. Steven's

19:39

body was now host to all manners

19:42

of repulsion. Viscous

19:44

fluid leaked from open boils,

19:46

worms the size of thick cables

19:49

squirmed underneath his stretched skin. Black

19:52

thorns resembling horns protruded from

19:54

his face. Jeremy

19:57

pulled an intercom microphone close to his

19:59

lips. and spoke. What's

20:01

up, dickhead? I

20:03

cringed at the comment, sticking my hands

20:06

into my pockets and looking to Timothy,

20:08

who stared intently at the display screen.

20:12

Hey, dumb fuck, I'm talking to you, Jeremy

20:15

said with a laugh. Stephen's

20:18

head twitched towards the gate intercom as

20:20

he inspected it with the wonderment of

20:23

a small child. Jeremy

20:25

leaned forward in his chair, this time

20:27

speaking in a sing-song rhythm. Stephen,

20:31

hello, can you

20:33

hear me? Stephen's

20:37

body stood straight as he reached for

20:40

the intercom, pushing the call button. A

20:43

ghostly voice echoed through. Hello,

20:46

Jeremy. Jeremy

20:49

sat back in his chair, trying to mask

20:51

a sense of fear that was evident in

20:53

his movements. I

20:55

had forgotten about you all,

20:58

but it's all coming back to me now,

21:01

Stephen said, his voice a

21:04

mixture of several other voices,

21:06

both human and inhuman. Cut

21:10

it off, Jeremy, please, Timothy

21:12

said, moving towards the intercom

21:14

module. Jeremy, snapping

21:16

out of his haze, jerked the

21:19

intercom away from Timothy. God

21:22

help you if you touch my intercom. Timothy

21:25

said, a voice steeped in anger. Unsettled

21:29

by Stephen's reply, I spoke

21:31

up. Jeremy, I don't

21:33

like this game, let's play something

21:35

else. Jeremy

21:37

looked at me, then back to Timothy,

21:40

and then spoke into the microphone. Stephen,

21:43

you don't scare me, you look more pathetic

21:45

now than you did before the end of

21:48

the world, how about doing me

21:50

a favor and fucking die? This

21:53

time, Stephen turned around until his

21:55

grotesque face stared directly into the

21:57

camera, with an outstretched arm

22:00

he mashed the intercom button. I

22:03

think it's time we play

22:05

my game, Jeremy. The

22:08

camera screen flickered bright and then went

22:11

to static, followed by a loud screeching

22:13

noise that caused me to step away

22:15

from the media station. I

22:18

could see Timothy also retreating, his fingers

22:20

stuffed in his ears, eyes

22:22

closed from the awful noise. Jeremy

22:25

dropped the floor, pulling at cables

22:27

until the intercom went silent. My

22:31

heart pounding, I stepped forward, wiping

22:33

the sweat from my face. What

22:37

the fuck, Jeremy? I

22:39

screamed. Jeremy,

22:41

clearly shaken, pulled himself up to the

22:44

game chair and swirled it around to

22:46

face Timothy and me. He

22:48

took a few deep breaths before

22:51

a smile formed across his face.

22:55

Wahoo! That was crazy,

22:57

man! Jeremy said,

22:59

his face turning a bright shade of

23:01

red. Timothy

23:03

exhaled loudly, bringing both hands to rest

23:05

on top of his head. Fuck

23:09

me, that was intense! Both

23:12

Jeremy and Timothy started to laugh

23:15

when suddenly a shelter alarm

23:17

went off. We

23:19

all glanced at each other with scared,

23:21

confused looks. That's

23:24

the decontamination alarm, Jeremy

23:26

said, bolting from his seat and

23:28

running towards the shelter entrance. Both

23:31

Timothy and I followed closely behind,

23:33

watching as he disengaged the large

23:35

steel hatch leading to the air

23:37

purification room. Once

23:40

inside, he made his way over to

23:42

the entrance door, pressing the power to

23:44

a six-inch monitor fastened to the wall.

23:47

The monitor glowed to life, revealing

23:50

Stephen, with a host of

23:52

other monstrous creatures, packed

23:54

tightly within the confines of the

23:57

small decontamination room. appeared

24:00

into the monitor with an

24:02

oversized reptilian eye that darted

24:04

back and forth. We

24:07

stood frozen in terror as

24:09

slimy tentacles pressed firmly against

24:11

the bulkhead, making the outer

24:14

hatch groan. "'He

24:16

can't get in here, can he?"

24:19

I said, a sense of panic echoing

24:21

in the words. Jeremy

24:24

looked to me, his body trembling. "'No.

24:28

I mean, I don't think so." "'Weapons,

24:31

man! We gotta get weapons!" Pemmicky

24:34

exclaimed. Jeremy

24:36

nodded, ushering us out of the room and

24:38

sealing the hatch behind him. We

24:41

rushed into the master bedroom where Jeremy

24:43

dropped to the floor, pulling a hard

24:45

rifle case from under the bed. With

24:48

shaky hands he opened the case, revealing

24:50

an AR-15 rifle with a few

24:53

boxes of ammo and two empty

24:55

magazines. "'What about us?"

24:58

Pemmicky asked. Jeremy

25:00

pointed to his dresser where a cheap

25:02

katana sword sat on display. "'You

25:05

bought that for twenty bucks at

25:07

a flea market!" Pemmicky shouted. Jeremy

25:11

ignored his rebuttal, ripping one of

25:13

the cardboard ammunition boxes open, the

25:15

shiny brass shells falling on top

25:17

of the bed comforter. Pemmicky

25:20

picked one of the bullets up, looking at

25:22

it, and then back to the

25:25

rifle with a look of puzzlement. "'You

25:27

know how to use that, right?' I

25:30

questioned. An

25:32

ear-splitting roar of torn steel

25:35

reverberated through the shelter, causing

25:37

Jeremy to involuntarily plume. I

25:40

pushed past Timothy and grabbed one of the

25:43

steel magazines, loading the shell into it as

25:45

fast as I could. Jeremy,

25:47

visibly shaken, relented

25:49

and walked to the corner of the

25:52

room, staring at the entrance. I

25:54

finished loading the magazine with the last of

25:57

the bullets and slammed it into the rifle,

25:59

taking a stab at the knife. up towards the door,

26:01

I charged the bolt, then placed the

26:03

weapon on fire. Another

26:06

loud crash came from down the

26:08

hall, signaling the last hatch had

26:10

been breached. Stephen

26:12

and his... companions...

26:15

were now inside. The

26:18

shelter lights dimmed and went dark. For

26:21

a moment, we sat in pitch black

26:23

until the red glow of emergency lighting

26:25

flickered on. We backed

26:27

against the bedroom wall, dropping to our

26:29

knees and seeking cover behind the bed.

26:32

For a moment, the room was

26:34

silent, except for our

26:37

collective breathing. The

26:39

air was saturated with the smell of

26:41

body odor and dread that seemed to

26:43

linger in the cool confines of the

26:45

steel shelter. My eyes

26:47

stayed focused on the doorway, seeking

26:49

movement within the crimson hues of

26:52

the emergency lighting. I

26:54

got a piss, Timothy whimpered.

26:58

Shut up, stupid! Jeremy

27:00

hissed. Is there

27:02

an emergency exit? I whispered. Jeremy

27:06

seemed to be lost in thought for a

27:08

moment, but then turned to me in

27:10

revelation. In the storage

27:12

room, there's a small hatch that leads

27:14

outside, Jeremy whispered. I

27:18

nodded my head and stepped forward, raising

27:20

the rifle in the air. Quietly,

27:23

we moved out of the bedroom into the

27:25

main hall and began to backtrack through the

27:28

kitchen. Shadows danced on

27:30

the walls, accompanied by

27:32

wet, sloshing sounds. The

27:35

storage room was straight ahead, past the

27:37

game table where we had just sat

27:39

moments ago. My steps

27:41

quickened, both Timothy and Jeremy matching

27:44

my pace. We

27:46

were feet away when

27:49

Stephen's guttural voice stopped us

27:51

dead in our tracks. Where

27:55

are you going? We

28:00

turned slowly to see Stephen in

28:02

the kitchen, his features disproportionate to

28:04

his body but concealed in the

28:06

dim light. I could

28:09

make out what appeared to be a

28:11

series of giant, crab-like legs that protruded

28:13

from his body, propelling him across the

28:15

floor. The walls

28:18

of the shelter were adorned

28:20

with large, flesh-like tumors and

28:22

eyes that thirsted for blood.

28:25

My fear was interrupted by a

28:27

sound that I had heard many

28:29

times before, the sound of

28:31

plastic impacting against the surface,

28:35

the sound of dice being rolled.

28:38

In front of us, a single

28:40

twenty-sided die rolled, coming to a

28:42

stop at our feet. Keeping

28:45

my eyes on Stephen, I

28:47

knelt, taking the plastic

28:49

icosahedron die in hand. Let's

28:53

play your game,

28:57

Stephen said, his voice

28:59

now twisting in on itself. Timothy

29:02

pressed tightly against me as one

29:04

of the wall tumors transformed into

29:06

a set of needle-like teeth. Rules?

29:09

I shouted. Can we hire

29:12

you? Wack! I

29:19

looked to Timothy and then to

29:21

Jeremy, an unspoken collective fear shared

29:24

amongst the group. Turning

29:26

back to Stephen, I swallowed hard,

29:29

grasping the die firmly in my

29:31

right hand. My

29:33

stomach gurgled and my legs

29:35

shook with anxiety. Using

29:38

my eyes, I released

29:40

the die, allowing it to

29:42

fall freely to the floor. A

29:45

few seconds passed before I opened my

29:47

eyes and looked down. The

29:50

numbers were too small to make out

29:52

in the dim light, forcing me to

29:54

stoop down. I took

29:56

the die between my thumb and index

29:58

finger, careful not to fall. to disturb

30:01

the face-up number and brought

30:03

it close to my face. Twelve,

30:07

I said, a feeling of relief

30:09

washing over me. Yes,

30:11

we're free! Timothy

30:14

exclaimed. No,

30:18

he's free!

30:22

Stephen interrupted. Timothy's

30:25

excited face turned pale

30:28

as the realization hit him. I

30:31

placed the twenty-sided die into his

30:33

hands and nodded. Timothy

30:36

swallowed hard and rolled.

30:39

The clatter of plastic on the vinyl

30:41

floor seemed to be the only audible

30:43

sound in the shelter. The

30:45

die came to a stop two feet away

30:48

from our group. Timothy

30:50

stood still, prompting me to

30:52

nudge him on his shoulder. He

30:54

moved forward, picking it up as I had

30:57

done earlier. Breathing

30:59

deeply, he inspected the die

31:02

and then looked to Stephen. Fourteen.

31:07

Timothy then handed the die to Jeremy.

31:11

Jeremy looked down at the die as he

31:13

had done so many times before and

31:15

stepped forward. There was

31:18

a stagger in his step as if

31:20

he knew the odds. Timothy

31:22

looked to Stephen, holding the die up in front

31:25

of him. You could

31:27

never beat me then and you

31:29

won't now, he said before shaking

31:31

the die in his left hand and

31:33

letting it fly with confidence. The

31:36

die hit the shelter floor, tumbling a

31:38

good four feet away before coming to

31:41

a rest. Jeremy

31:43

pushed past us, retrieving it. Bringing

31:45

the die closer to his face, he adjusted

31:48

his glasses, trying to make out the number.

31:52

Timothy went rigid, dropping

31:54

the die to the ground and looking back

31:57

to us. No

31:59

way, ma'am. Can I

32:01

can reroll?" he said, walking

32:03

towards us. A

32:06

long tentacle covered in hairy spines

32:08

shot out from the darkness, wrapping

32:10

itself around Jeremy's waist. He

32:13

struggled to free himself, his face going

32:15

blank as he looked up to us.

32:18

Blood began to seep from his nose

32:21

and eyes. Jeremy

32:23

grimaced, bringing his hand up to his

32:25

face and pushing his glasses free as

32:27

the tentacle coiled more tightly around his

32:30

body. Jeremy stretched

32:32

his arms out towards us, silently pleading

32:34

for us to save him. I

32:37

grabbed Timothy by his shoulder and

32:40

pulled him to the storage room. There

32:43

I unlocked the escape hatch and

32:45

shoved him inside. We

32:47

both climbed to the top using a ladder,

32:50

then released the last hatch for

32:52

our escape. I

32:55

stumbled out, making my way to

32:57

Timothy, who stood motionless, looking toward

32:59

the sky. His blonde

33:02

hair was now white and

33:04

his eyes bulged in the moonlight.

33:07

In the sky, blue lightning

33:09

ripped through the air as

33:11

titanic creatures swirled in the

33:13

clouds. Behind

33:16

us, a deformed tree moved

33:18

across the neighbor's backyard. On

33:21

the street, a procession

33:23

of people chanted strange

33:25

and unnatural words to the

33:27

heavens. You've

33:35

been listening to Shelter Games by

33:37

Shane H. Sellers. And

33:41

now, also from Shane H.

33:43

Sellers, I present Something

33:46

Ate My Work Crew at the

33:48

Old Reed lights

34:01

and turn on the

34:03

dark. This

34:12

is Chilling Tales for Dark Nights.

34:15

Good evening, listener. I'm Steve

34:18

Taylor, your host to

34:20

a horror anthology podcast, where

34:23

we ask you to depart

34:25

from your safe perception of

34:27

reality to descend with us

34:29

into the frightening depth and

34:31

dark corners of twisted imaginations.

34:34

With carefully curated original tales

34:36

of terror each week, our

34:38

deepest rooted fears are brought

34:40

to the forefront by a

34:42

diverse cast of voice talent

34:44

and masterfully eerie sound design

34:47

that bring these stories to

34:49

life. We'll

34:51

give you tales of unnerving encounters

34:53

with the occult, harrowing

34:55

hauntings, and sinister

34:58

seances that show

35:00

just how darkness knows

35:02

no bounds. If

35:05

you're like us here at Chilling

35:07

Tales and enjoy feeling your stomach

35:09

filling with dread as dastardly demons

35:11

dance in your head, make

35:14

sure to check out Chilling Tales

35:16

for Dark Nights on Apple Podcasts,

35:18

Spotify, or wherever you get your

35:21

podcasts. To subscribe now to always

35:23

be the first to enjoy The

35:26

Horror Show. My

35:38

name is Zack and I'm a construction

35:41

worker, mainly an earth mover, but

35:43

I've done it all. Paving, logging,

35:46

building, digging, cleanup. Basically,

35:49

I'm the guy that you see in that bright

35:51

orange vest and hard hat sweating his ass off

35:53

on a hot summer day. The

35:56

work is hard, and at times grueling.

35:59

Nothing like six months. 16 hour shifts seven days

36:01

a week to make you question the decisions you've

36:03

made in life. That's

36:05

blue collar work for you. Waking

36:08

up at the crack of dawn, hitting your

36:10

pillow at zero dark thirty and repeating the

36:12

whole process the next day. The

36:14

food is terrible, unless you've got a wife

36:17

or girlfriend making you something. Usually

36:19

the finest gas station cuisine or

36:21

the cheapest buffet in town suffices.

36:24

If you've got a good foreman, you might get a

36:27

cooler full of ice water or porta potty to take

36:29

a shit in. However, you might

36:31

be pinching his pennies trying to pay

36:33

rent or alimony so don't ever count

36:35

on it. Some

36:37

of us are in dire

36:39

straits, suffering from addictions, bad women,

36:42

bad men, stupidity, legal

36:44

woes, lack of citizenship, money problems,

36:47

you name it. Some of

36:49

us just enjoy an honest dollar and can't be

36:51

contained in the confines of an office. No

36:54

matter who we are, we're hard working

36:56

tough sons of bitches, at

36:58

least those that make it through a season or two. If

37:02

you're lucky, you get on a state

37:04

run crew with better pay, OSHA mandated

37:06

breaks and an emphasis on safety. But

37:09

for most of us, it's a private organization

37:11

that acts as a third party. This

37:13

means you could be cut in a road one

37:15

month and then find yourself shoveling snow for a

37:18

small neighborhood. You go where there's

37:20

work and save your pennies until the next

37:22

project. I've worked

37:24

two years with my crew doing every

37:26

backbreaking project you can think of. So

37:29

when I got an offer for pay and

37:31

a half on an apartment complex project, I

37:34

was instantly on board. In

37:36

addition to the pay, the contract promised

37:38

daily per diem and free hotel stay

37:40

until the job's completion. There

37:42

was also a bonus incentive if the work was

37:44

completed within a month. I'd

37:47

never seen such a lucrative contract, it

37:49

was suspicious at first. After

37:52

digging around on the internet, I discovered the project

37:54

had seen nothing but hardship since its purchase a

37:56

year ago. Apparently, workers

37:59

just left. or went missing after only

38:01

a few days on the job. Some

38:03

big time real estate broker and two others

38:05

died in an accident back in 2021. The

38:09

property had changed ownership several times and now

38:11

belonged to a bank. I

38:14

figured it was the same bullshit as always. I

38:17

call them the P's. Piss

38:19

poor planning, punk ass workers,

38:22

pussy project management. When

38:24

you get a case of the P's on a project. Pull

38:27

up because shit is gonna get costly.

38:31

I got in my truck and drove to

38:33

North Carolina from West Virginia on Sunday. Checked

38:36

in at the Motel 6 that evening and got to

38:38

the site the following Monday at 5.40 a.m.

38:42

David White was sitting on his tailgate smoking a

38:44

cigarette as I drove up. I'd

38:46

worked with David on a few projects and

38:48

found him somewhat pleasant to be around. The

38:51

guy was in his late 30s, lean

38:53

from years of hard labor and a

38:55

permanent tan from working outdoors, arms

38:57

covered in faded tattoos. I

39:00

think he was married three times. It was

39:02

quite rowdy in his younger days. I

39:05

parked my truck, got out and nodded to

39:07

David as he flicked the cigarette to the

39:09

ground. David tossed me his

39:11

lighter as I pulled a fresh pack of new ports

39:13

from my pocket. I took two

39:15

cigarettes from the pack, lighting one and putting

39:17

it to my lips. Using

39:19

the lit cigarette I then lit the other and

39:21

passed it to David. I put the

39:24

lighter back into my pants pocket. Hey,

39:26

fucker, that's my lighter, David

39:29

said. We both know

39:31

you ain't got no cigarettes left, I

39:33

said, smiling back. David

39:36

threw up his hands in acceptance. It

39:38

ain't too late to run. Foreman

39:40

ain't showed up yet. You could be home by

39:43

midday if you left now, David

39:45

said, smile cracking across his

39:47

unshaven face. And leave

39:49

you with all this fun? I replied,

39:52

making my way across to sit beside him

39:54

on the tailgate. The

39:56

sight wasn't much to write home about, but

39:58

I was surprised how wood it still was.

40:01

Usually, one of the first things to

40:03

get done is cutting down the trees,

40:06

but the entire thirty acres seemed almost

40:08

untouched, complete with a vacant two-story house.

40:11

This was going to require some long days

40:13

to complete if we wanted to collect that

40:15

bonus. "'Anybody else

40:17

we know on the project?' I asked.

40:20

"'Good news is you got Randy,

40:22

Jackson, Juan, and his brother Antonio.

40:26

"'Bad news is you got Larry Hodges,

40:28

as the foreman,' David replied.

40:31

"'That's sick fuck,' I

40:33

exclaimed. "'Larry was an

40:36

overweight shitbag that was known in

40:38

the industry as a modern-day slavemaster.

40:41

A shift with Larry was like working on

40:43

a prison chain gang. The

40:45

fat bastard was sadistic and

40:47

a sick pervert. Rumor

40:49

was you watched your ass around Larry,

40:52

or he would be up in it. He

40:55

tended to leave the old-timers alone. But God

40:57

help you if you are some young kid.' "'Yeah,

41:01

well, at least it's just a month,' David

41:04

said, sweat already starting to form

41:06

on his brow. In

41:08

a few more minutes, Jackson and Randy drove

41:11

up in a rusted Oldsmobile. Jackson

41:13

was a large black man with

41:15

a well-groomed beard who stood almost

41:18

six-foot-seven inches. Randy was

41:20

a small middle-aged white man with

41:22

a receding hairline that he kept

41:24

covered with a sweat-stained ballcat. The

41:27

two were known as the Odd Couple because

41:29

they just didn't match at all, but

41:31

you always saw them together. I think

41:33

they were both in Iraq. Always

41:36

joked they had traded one shit-job for

41:38

another one. The only difference was

41:40

they didn't have to worry about extremists trying to blow

41:42

them up. "'David,'

41:45

Zack, Jackson said, shutting the

41:47

door to the car. Randy

41:49

put on a pair of dirty work gloves

41:51

and grabbed a large cooler from the trunk

41:54

of the car, just as Juan and Antonio

41:56

parked their Honda Civic. "'Hola,

41:58

Signor Randy,' Juan said. David said

42:00

as he passed the Oldsmobile, touching the tip of

42:02

his hard hat, Antonio, the

42:04

younger brother, followed closely behind

42:07

one, saying nothing. A

42:09

few minutes passed by as our crew mingled

42:12

together. The yellow and orange

42:14

hues of dawn stretched across the sky.

42:17

David checked his watch and sat up from the

42:19

tailgate, taking a moment to stretch. Lastly,

42:22

a young teenage boy came walking

42:24

down the dirt road pushing a

42:26

bicycle. David was pale,

42:28

with a face full of freckles and

42:30

soft hands that hadn't seen work before.

42:33

He seemed to move with a shy awkwardness,

42:36

his tall and lanky body showing nervousness

42:38

as he propped his bicycle on its

42:41

kickstand. "'Hey, Junior,

42:43

school's that way,' David

42:45

said, pointing back down the road. "'I'm

42:49

here to work,' the kid responded. "'Fuck,

42:52

you gotta be kidding me,' David

42:54

retorted. "'Well, didn't

42:57

much matter when they sent us to Iraq,' Randy

42:59

said. "'Oh, shut the

43:02

fuck up about Iraq, Randy,' David

43:05

chided. The

43:07

moment was interrupted as Larry waddled up

43:09

behind us, handkerchief wiping the sweat from

43:11

his forehead. His face

43:13

was red from exertion as he leaned

43:15

against David's truck, taking out a notepad

43:17

from his shirt pocket. "'From

43:20

now on, you motherfuckers parked down

43:22

here,' Larry said, pointing

43:24

to the vacant two-story house. "'All

43:27

right, time to get to work. If

43:29

you're black or brown, you're bringing it down. Go

43:32

grab chainsaws for my work truck.' "'Racist

43:35

motherfucker,' Jackson said.

43:38

"'You got a problem, Tyrone?' Larry

43:41

shouted back. "'It's Jackson,

43:43

you hillbilly fuck.' "'I

43:46

don't care if it's Chicken George. You

43:48

wanna work? You shut them big lips or you

43:50

get the fuck off my sight,' Larry

43:53

said, spittle-forming at the corners of his

43:55

mouth. "'We're here to

43:57

work, Mr. Hodges,' Randy said." Pulling

44:00

Jackson to the side. Larry

44:02

stared at Jackson for a moment,

44:05

then spoke. That's good.

44:07

Real good. David and

44:09

Zack, you're my earth movers. I want you

44:11

two and the cats moving what gets cut

44:13

down. Randy, you're on wood

44:15

pile duty. I want them branches stacked

44:18

high for burning. What

44:20

about me, sir? The kid interrupted.

44:24

A look of confusion washed across Larry's

44:26

face as his eyes met the kid.

44:28

He looked down to the notepad in his hand and

44:30

then back to the kid. Ronald

44:33

Sheffer. Larry asked

44:35

a broad smile forming across his

44:37

face. Ronnie, sir.

44:40

Kid replied. Kid, you're

44:42

the bitch today. You make the

44:44

equipment runs. If you get tired,

44:47

you come down and sit in the shade with

44:49

me. You hear? Larry said,

44:51

unconsciously licking his lips. As

44:54

for the rest of you, I want five

44:57

acres cleared before the day's end. I see

44:59

you on a phone. Your ass is off

45:01

my site. Larry said,

45:03

clapping his hands together. The

45:06

crew made for the tools and heavy equipment

45:08

while Larry waddled back to the shaded front

45:10

porch of the vacant home. Then

45:12

he sat in a beach chair and started to play

45:14

with his phone. Jackson pulled

45:16

the kid aside as he lifted to chainsaw from

45:19

the bed of the work truck. You

45:21

better watch yourself around that man. He

45:24

ain't your friend. You get me? The

45:27

kid nodded as David rounded the side of

45:29

the truck, placing his hand on the kid's

45:31

shoulder. All right, boy. You

45:34

put gas cans down there by the wood line where

45:36

the cuttin's going on. It's the small

45:38

cans with oil mixed in, not

45:40

the big ones. Don't fuck that up.

45:43

Somebody tells you to do something, you do it.

45:46

I see you sitting on your ass, you'll get my

45:48

fist in your face. As

45:51

David finished his pep talk, I climbed into

45:53

the caterpillar and began navigating it across a

45:55

thick brush toward the woods. Lowering

45:58

the bucket, I dug into the thick thick

46:00

red soil and began cutting a path.

46:03

The sun was now bright in the sky,

46:05

illuminating the rows of hemlock and pine trees

46:07

that dotted the property. David

46:10

moved the second bulldozer to the east,

46:12

using chains to pull fallen hardwoods up

46:14

to Randy. Juan and Antonio

46:17

seemed to be in their element,

46:19

dropping tree after tree with almost

46:21

expert precision, while Jackson did

46:23

his best to tackle the smaller stuff,

46:25

often stopping to untangle himself from briars

46:27

and other foliage as he plunged deeper

46:29

into the woods. As

46:32

the day progressed, the temperature continued

46:34

its upward climb and sweat poured

46:37

from my body and torrents. The

46:39

sticky humidity of the air clung to

46:41

me, making the cab of the caterpillar

46:43

oppressive. Outside, the sun

46:46

radiated down on the crew as

46:48

they continued to clear brush. Despite

46:51

the North Carolina weather, we had found

46:53

our stride and were three acres in

46:55

by noon. Larry

46:57

held his hand up from the porch, giving

46:59

the sign for lunch as I parked the

47:01

cat in a clearing. I jumped

47:03

down from the heavy dozer and whistled to the

47:05

kid. Go tell the

47:07

others it's lunchtime, then go grab some shade.

47:10

We get thirty. The

47:12

kid gave me a thumbs up and quickly ran

47:14

into the wood line to inform Jackson, Juan, and

47:16

Antonio. David was already walking

47:18

towards the cars with Randy behind him. I

47:21

made my way about two hundred yards up the

47:23

hill and retrieved my lunchbox from the floorboard in

47:26

my truck. Together, we

47:28

huddled under the shade of a group of

47:30

pine trees. I opened my

47:32

cooler and removed the pastrami sandwich and cheer

47:34

wine that I packed during the drive down

47:36

from West Virginia. Juan

47:38

removed several flower tortillas from his metal

47:40

lunchbox, handing a few to his brother,

47:43

while Jackson pulled the tab on an

47:45

ice-cold course. We

47:47

ate in silence for a few minutes,

47:49

allowing the cicadas to serenade us in

47:51

the hot afternoon sun. The

47:54

kid watched from behind the group, his

47:56

eyes betraying his hunger. Hey,

47:59

kid! Randy barked. Yes, sir.

48:02

You forget to bring

48:04

lunch or something? Randy said,

48:06

scarfing down a sardine. I

48:08

didn't have a chance to grab anything. The

48:11

kid replied meekly. What's

48:13

your story, kid? I said,

48:15

taking a swig of cheer wine. The

48:18

kid squinted his eyes, looking up to

48:20

the sky, his freckled face bearing the

48:22

look of loss.

48:24

Not much of a story. Went to

48:27

high school last year. My father wants me

48:29

to do something. I guess he thinks I

48:31

got it too easy, you know. My

48:33

old man was the same way. It's like

48:35

a ball-breaking rite of passage, kid. I

48:38

went to Iraq and still didn't measure up

48:40

to his expectations. Randy

48:42

scoffed. Me padre fue

48:44

un bar y nunca recasso,

48:47

Juan said. Speak

48:49

English, will ya? David said,

48:51

annoyed. He says his old

48:54

man went to the bar and never came back. Jackson

48:56

replied, pulling the tab of another

48:59

course. David

49:01

shook his head and laughed. Welcome

49:03

to the club. The

49:05

banter was interrupted when Larry came up behind the

49:07

kid with a bottle of coke in one hand

49:10

and a moon pie in the other. His

49:13

body odor seemed to waft through

49:15

his stained shirt, making the pastrami

49:17

sandwich I was eating suddenly undesirable.

49:20

Larry ducked down to one knee beside

49:23

the kid, a shit-eating grin plastered across

49:25

his face. Saw

49:27

you didn't bring anything to eat and thought you

49:29

might want these, Larry said,

49:31

forcing the coke and moon pie into

49:33

the kid's hands. The

49:35

kid looked to us with a face

49:38

full of bewilderment as Larry moved behind

49:40

him, placing his hands on the kid's

49:42

shoulders and massaging them. I've

49:45

been watching you, kid. You got

49:47

supervisor material written all over you.

49:50

You get done today, you come and see me.

49:52

We'll talk about your future here. The

49:56

Act was repulsive, but the fact he was doing

49:58

it in front of us made me. Recoil

50:00

in disgust. The. Faces of

50:02

the others were the same sentiment. David.

50:05

Through his half eaten apple away while

50:07

Jackson seem to close his eyes and

50:09

down the remainder of his beer. At.

50:12

Sit for lunchtime I guess?

50:15

Randy. Said standing and interrupting

50:17

larry. The. Rest of

50:20

us took this queue to stand up as

50:22

well move back to the worksite. A

50:24

kid seizing on the opportunity

50:26

brushed off Larry's advances and

50:29

followed quickly behind. The.

50:31

Rest of the day went much like

50:34

the beginning, the days he'd still unrelenting

50:36

even as the sun dipped below the

50:38

horizon. We. Had managed to

50:40

clear almost seven acres and establish three

50:42

large burn piles before larry gather dust

50:44

to hand out the per diem cash.

50:47

After. That my drove back to the motel

50:50

to take a hot shower before grabbing a

50:52

meal from the local diner. That

50:56

nine, I slept heavily, the heat of

50:59

the day still radiating off my body.

51:02

Dreams. of the construction site came to

51:04

me. I. Saw the kids freckled

51:06

face looking towards the sky is

51:08

dark Storm clouds gathered. Trees

51:10

sway back and forth in the

51:12

fast approaching storm. Any moment

51:14

they would snap and down upon me.

51:17

Then. The rain came slow

51:19

and large droplets at first.

51:22

Then. Heavy, unrelenting torrance that mixed

51:24

with the Carolina red clay. Jackson.

51:28

Sat on the dose hers,

51:30

bucket, beer and hands toasting

51:32

Randy's severed head. Randy's.

51:35

Mouth opened and shot like assists

51:37

out of water, his eyes darted

51:39

back and forth until they succeeded

51:41

on me. He says

51:43

it's too cold to say in the ground. Jackson.

51:46

Said putting the beer to his lips.

51:49

Antonio came walking out of the woods,

51:51

his clothes stained orange from the mud.

51:54

The. Rain was coming down so hard it's

51:56

out like needle pricks. and

51:59

moved out yeah ìSarres acchiarce,î Antonio

52:02

said, leaning his head back towards

52:04

the woods. I

52:06

looked to the woods and saw the kid

52:08

belly crawling through the mud. He

52:10

was naked, his teeth shattered, eyes

52:13

gone. Larry sat under

52:15

the covered porch of the vacant house with

52:17

a moon pie in hand. He

52:20

shrugged his shoulders and smiled as if to

52:22

say ìHe got me!î Loud

52:25

moaning emitted from the forest, a

52:27

guttural sound that seemed to stretch

52:29

out and touch me, followed by

52:31

the cracking of tree limbs. Something

52:34

large was moving toward me in the woods. My

52:37

heart pounded. I turned to run,

52:39

but the mud was too thick. I

52:42

pumped my legs, attempting to free

52:44

myself, the moaning growing closer, my

52:47

mind screaming, ìRun! Run now!î I

52:51

pushed my hands down, reaching for something

52:53

solid but finding nothing except the wet

52:55

clay. ìMove!

52:57

Move, dammit!î The

53:00

moaning now growing closer, the

53:02

rain stinging my face. I

53:05

pushed harder, muscles straining, the

53:07

tension in my calves tightening,

53:09

the grasp of ice-cold hands

53:12

heavy on my shoulders. Then

53:15

I was awake, calves contracting

53:17

in pain, causing me to turn to

53:20

my side to relieve the cramp. I

53:22

smashed my face deep into the pillow

53:24

as the muscles tightened and

53:26

then loosened. A few

53:29

moments passed and the pain receded, leaving

53:31

me with the echo of my nightmare.

53:34

I looked over at the clock on the bedroom table

53:36

reading 4.45 AM.

53:39

Rolling to my back, I stared up

53:41

at the ceiling, trying to recall the nightmare.

53:44

Bits and pieces were still there,

53:47

the kid, Randyís head,

53:50

but the details were quickly fading. I

53:53

laid there for a few minutes longer before

53:55

finally tossing the covers off and stepping out

53:57

of bed. The

54:01

next day we gathered up and started

54:03

work. Nothing seemed

54:05

out of the normal, except the kid was a

54:08

no-show. I couldn't say I was

54:10

surprised. It's not uncommon for a

54:12

person to go AWOL after they realize the

54:14

job is hard. Hell, I

54:16

can remember my first day and how

54:18

my body aches so bad the next

54:21

morning I thought, fuck this. It

54:23

goes back to what I said before about being a

54:25

tough son of a bitch in this line of work.

54:28

I kept my mind focused on the task at

54:31

hand and continued to move the caterpillar through the

54:33

forest. By lunchtime we had removed

54:35

most of the brush from the west perimeter and

54:37

were starting on the east side when

54:39

Jackson came running up to me waving his

54:42

arms. I put the cat

54:44

in park, lowering the bucket and cutting the

54:46

engine. Jackson climbed

54:48

up the track, opening the door to the

54:50

cab. His face, drenched

54:52

in sweat, held a look

54:54

of excitement and wonder. You

54:57

gotta see this, man. I think

54:59

we done found some type of ancient shit." What

55:02

the fuck, Jackson? I replied.

55:06

I'm serious, man. Juan and

55:08

Antonio done found a burial ground or some shit at

55:10

the back of the property. The

55:12

CB radio on the cat buzzed to

55:15

life, David's voice crackling through the static.

55:18

What's the holdup over there? I

55:20

grabbed the mic and pressed the button to talk.

55:24

Juan and Antonio found something needs looking at. Meet

55:26

me at the back of the property. With

55:29

that, I dismounted the dozer and followed

55:31

Jackson through the woods and across an

55:33

embankment before we came upon a small

55:35

clearing where Juan and Antonio stood. In

55:38

the center, a large stone

55:40

mausoleum stuck out of the ground.

55:43

At some point the ground had settled, swallowing

55:45

the back half of the structure until it

55:47

resembled a sinking ship. Now

55:50

the entrance faced the sky at an

55:52

angle, an aged and cracked

55:54

cross at the top. I

55:57

walked forward, standing on my toes to look down

55:59

into the entrance. entrance, which was

56:01

concealed by thick strands of kudzu. Randy

56:04

and David came up behind me, a look

56:06

of amazement on their faces. "'How

56:09

old do you think it is?" Randy

56:11

said. "'Aqui díse el

56:14

año mío se sientos días,'

56:16

Antonio said, pointing at the side of the

56:19

mausoleum. Jackson

56:21

moved to where Antonio pointed. "'There's

56:23

a plaque here. It says 1610.' Randy

56:27

whistled. "'Shit! That's

56:29

before America was even a country.' I

56:33

couldn't explain it, but the air

56:35

around the mausoleum felt heavy.

56:39

Shade of the forest canopy was cool, and if

56:41

I was anywhere else it would be welcoming, but

56:44

something inside me felt repulsed,

56:46

an unclean feeling I couldn't

56:48

explain. I stopped trying

56:51

to peer inside the entrance, deciding instead

56:53

to back a few feet away. "'So,

56:56

we gonna call Channel 9 News? Let people know

56:58

we just found a big piece of history?' Randy

57:01

said. "'We ain't calling

57:03

fucking no one!' Larry

57:06

shouted as he pushed past David. Randy,

57:09

startled by Larry's sudden arrival,

57:12

turned and responded. "'But

57:14

Larry, it's from the—" Larry

57:17

raised his hand, stopping Randy in

57:19

mid-sentence. "'Gentlemen, need I

57:21

remind you that we have a generous payday

57:23

and bonus on the line? You

57:26

go call on the news they'll have this place locked down

57:28

tighter than a nun's cooch.' "'Pay

57:30

or no pay. Still the person's

57:32

final rest in place,' David

57:34

chimed in. Larry,

57:36

clearly irritated by David's

57:39

response, moved closer until he

57:41

was eye to eye with David. "'If

57:44

one word about this gets out, you'll never

57:46

work on a project again with this company.

57:49

You can kiss any references goodbye. That

57:51

means no moving on to another crew. Hell,

57:54

you might be lucky if they let you clean

57:56

the port-a-shitters.' "'You can't

57:58

do that,' David said. The

58:01

fuck I can't! You think

58:03

I'm playing with you? One call to

58:06

corporate and I'll have you all blackballed!"

58:09

Randy stepped in the middle of the two, holding

58:11

his hands up in a motion to calm the

58:13

situation. Hang on, guys, let's

58:15

not get ahead of ourselves. We don't even

58:17

know if it's occupied. Occupied?

58:21

My question. You know, if there's

58:24

a dearly departed in there. How

58:26

the whole thing could be empty and we're arguing

58:29

over old stones! Randy

58:31

said, moving towards the entrance of the

58:33

mausoleum. How do you

58:35

intend on finding out if it's occupied? David

58:38

asked. Randy removed his

58:40

phone from his pocket and turned flashlight

58:42

on. Easy, now have

58:44

a look! If it's empty, we

58:46

take the plaque and turn it in after the project's

58:49

done. We say we found it on the last day

58:51

or something. And if it's

58:53

not? I spoke. We

58:56

bury him with the plaque somewhere else on the

58:58

property. Somewhere they'll be found by the

59:00

next crew. Won't be a problem after that! Randy

59:03

said with a smile. Larry

59:06

seemed to relent at this proposal, stepping

59:08

back from David and nodding to Randy.

59:11

Jackson moved over to the entrance, cupping his hands

59:13

together to give Randy a boost up. With

59:16

one last look at us, Randy stuck

59:18

his foot into Jackson's cupped hands and

59:20

was hoisted up to the entrance. There

59:24

he dangled, half in and half out

59:26

of the mausoleum, using his

59:28

left arm to anchor against the outside stones.

59:31

We stood in silence, watching Randy adjust

59:34

back and forth to get a better

59:36

look at the interior. His

59:38

legs straightened and bent back as he balanced

59:40

his waist on the edge of the entrance.

59:43

Oh, guys, looks like there's at

59:45

least one coffin in here, Randy

59:48

said in a muffled voice. Fuck!

59:51

Larry exhaled. Wait

59:54

a sec. What the fuck?

59:57

Randy said, his voice almost panicked.

1:00:00

Randy shifted his weight, pulling a few

1:00:02

inches out of the entrance, his shirt

1:00:04

snagging against the stone, revealing his bare

1:00:06

back. He swung his right

1:00:08

leg wildly into the air while his left

1:00:11

hand dug deep between the stone crevices. Get

1:00:14

me the fuck out of here! Randy

1:00:16

shouted. Jackson

1:00:18

immediately grabbed Randy's leg and began to pull

1:00:21

as Juan ran to help. Randy

1:00:23

screamed as his body jerked back inside

1:00:25

the mausoleum, lifting Jackson off the ground.

1:00:29

Jackson grabbed Randy's left foot, pulling until

1:00:31

the work boot ripped free and he

1:00:33

fell to the ground. Then

1:00:36

Randy's body seized violently as a

1:00:38

torrent of blood spewed forth from

1:00:40

the entrance of the mausoleum. Jackson

1:00:43

came crashing to the ground with Randy falling

1:00:45

on top. For a

1:00:47

second there was dreadful silence as we

1:00:49

all looked down, each of our minds

1:00:51

taking a moment to comprehend the scene

1:00:54

in front of him. Randy

1:00:56

retreated, bumping into a tree as

1:00:59

his wide eyes stared back in

1:01:01

horror. Randy

1:01:03

laid atop Jackson, a

1:01:05

dark red stump where his head once

1:01:07

was. Blood

1:01:09

oozed from the torn neck into

1:01:11

Jackson's open mouth and face. From

1:01:15

the tomb an angry guttural growl emitted

1:01:17

and then Randy's head came flying out

1:01:20

of the entrance. The

1:01:22

head soared through the air, hitting a

1:01:24

tree with a heavy clunk and then

1:01:26

coming to a stop with Randy's horrified

1:01:28

face looking up to the sky. Get

1:01:31

the fuck out of here. David

1:01:33

yelled, turning to run. Jackson

1:01:36

scrambled to his feet, wiping the blood from

1:01:38

his face. Wait, I

1:01:40

can't see. He cried. Juan

1:01:43

helped Antonio onto his feet and

1:01:46

the two then darted behind David and Larry.

1:01:49

I went to help Jackson, but

1:01:51

stopped as two massive

1:01:54

white hands plunged out of the

1:01:56

tomb followed by a hairless leathery

1:01:58

head with a gorse. stained mouth.

1:02:01

I couldn't believe what my eyes were seeing. It

1:02:04

looked to be a man, but the

1:02:07

skin was aged and skeletal.

1:02:09

It wore a suit like you would see in the 1950s, but it

1:02:13

was rotted and stained. The

1:02:16

dead man jumped from the tomb, landing

1:02:18

with a loud thud behind Jackson.

1:02:21

My God, was it tall!

1:02:24

It towered a good three feet

1:02:26

over Jackson, its eyes cold and

1:02:28

black obsidian. Jackson

1:02:30

stumbled forward, hands outstretched, reaching

1:02:33

for me. I went

1:02:35

to grab him, but the dead

1:02:37

thing moved unbelievably fast, seizing

1:02:39

him by the shoulders. The

1:02:42

dead man squeezed hard, its

1:02:45

massive hands digging into flesh and

1:02:47

muscle. Jackson's face contorted

1:02:49

from the pressure as he struggled to

1:02:52

free himself. I

1:02:54

turned and ran, just

1:02:56

as the dead man ripped both

1:02:58

arms free from Jackson's body. I

1:03:01

had no idea where I was running. My mind

1:03:04

was on autopilot as I traversed

1:03:06

the embankment, flapping against tree branches

1:03:08

and stumbling forward. I

1:03:10

could feel the pull of thorns and briars

1:03:12

around my feet as I became entangled in

1:03:15

a large outcrop of smile-axed bushes. My

1:03:17

heartbeat was fast and my breathing erratic

1:03:20

as I jerked my leg to free

1:03:22

myself from the bush. Fuck,

1:03:24

fuck, fuck! I said

1:03:26

as I dropped to one knee and began to

1:03:29

pull the vines free. Then

1:03:31

a loud shhhhh came

1:03:33

from my side. I looked

1:03:36

to my left to see Juan and Antonio

1:03:38

partially concealed by a rotted log. Juan

1:03:41

looked nervously about and sprung from his

1:03:43

hiding place, running next to me. Reaching

1:03:46

into his pocket, he retrieved a pocket knife

1:03:48

and cut the vines around my feet. Once

1:03:51

free, we both hopped back behind the

1:03:53

log where Antonio sat. Looking

1:03:56

down, I could see Antonio

1:03:58

was visibly in pain. A

1:04:00

large branch stuck through his belly, broken

1:04:02

off at the base. "'Se

1:04:05

toppo con la rama de un arbo," Juan

1:04:08

whispered. Somehow, during

1:04:10

their escape, Antonio must have run into

1:04:12

a tree branch. Juan,

1:04:14

being his brother, wouldn't leave him,

1:04:17

so the two had hid here until I came.

1:04:20

Juan reached down to Antonio, gently rubbing

1:04:23

his back. "'Stabia,

1:04:25

naminito. Yo contigo." Tears

1:04:28

ran down Antonio's cheeks as he

1:04:30

shook from fear and pain. I

1:04:33

reached into my back pocket for my phone, finding

1:04:36

the pocket empty. A sudden

1:04:38

realization that I'd left it in the cab of

1:04:40

the bulldozer. I instantly turned

1:04:42

to Juan and Antonio, making the hand gesture

1:04:44

of a phone. "'Phone?

1:04:47

El phono? Fuck!" Juan

1:04:51

shook his head no. "'Nathotros

1:04:53

no yevamos telefonos en el trabajo." "'Shit!"

1:04:57

I exclaimed. Sweat

1:05:00

dripped down my chin as I looked at the

1:05:02

forest for movement. David or

1:05:04

Larry must have called to cops by now, I

1:05:06

thought. I propped myself up

1:05:08

to get a better vantage point on the

1:05:11

path I had run down, my eyes sweeping

1:05:13

back and forth, then settling

1:05:15

on a large oak tree about thirty

1:05:17

yards away. From

1:05:19

behind the tree, the dead

1:05:21

man's head peered out, locking

1:05:23

eyes with me. My

1:05:26

blood instantly went cold as I

1:05:28

fell back. "'It knows we're

1:05:30

here!" I said, looking to

1:05:32

Juan. Juan looked

1:05:34

to his brother and then back at me.

1:05:37

"'Amo, ami hermana!" he

1:05:40

then reached into his pocket, withdrawing the

1:05:42

pocket knife and opening the blade. "'You

1:05:45

go? You call Policia?' Juan

1:05:48

said, a determined look on his face

1:05:50

as he stood. I

1:05:53

looked to Antonio, whose eyes were now

1:05:55

closed, as Juan motioned with his hands

1:05:57

for me to go. With

1:05:59

one One last glance I stood and

1:06:01

ran from the hiding spot towards the

1:06:04

wood line. A sense of

1:06:06

guilt followed, making me question if

1:06:08

I should return to assist one. Two

1:06:11

men might be able to fend it off, but

1:06:13

my legs kept pushing me further

1:06:15

away. Up

1:06:17

ahead I could see the back of the vacant house

1:06:19

only a few yards away. I thought

1:06:22

about changing direction towards the dozer, but

1:06:24

the path would keep me within the woods, a

1:06:27

place I was desperate to be out of. I

1:06:30

continued running toward the house, my

1:06:32

lungs burning from exertion. The

1:06:35

back door was now open, Larry motioning

1:06:37

me forward. I ran through

1:06:39

the last of the trees and into the backyard,

1:06:41

bounding up the steps of the back porch and

1:06:43

into the vacant house. Larry

1:06:46

slammed the door shut, locking the

1:06:48

deadbolt. I

1:06:50

fell to the floor, breathing deeply, trying

1:06:52

to catch my breath. I

1:06:54

pointed towards the door with an unsteady arm.

1:06:58

One. And...Antonio.

1:07:03

Larry moved to a window and peered out, and

1:07:06

then looked back down to me. Were

1:07:08

they behind you? I

1:07:10

shook my head no, still trying to catch

1:07:12

my breath. I've already

1:07:14

called the cops. Just need to sit

1:07:16

tight until then. I

1:07:19

pushed myself up the wall, my

1:07:21

head swirling with exhaustion, and

1:07:23

walked down a narrow hallway that opened into

1:07:25

a kitchen. I leaned

1:07:27

against the warm counters, allowing the coolness

1:07:29

of the interior to wash over me.

1:07:32

My rest was soon interrupted as Larry

1:07:35

came inside the kitchen. Looks

1:07:37

to be all clear out there, he

1:07:40

said, taking a few steps towards the sink.

1:07:43

My knees grew weak, and I

1:07:45

swayed back and forth. I

1:07:47

felt nauseous and needed to puke. The

1:07:50

bathroom, I exclaimed. Oh,

1:07:53

it's back down the hall. First door on your

1:07:55

right. Be sure you don't go

1:07:58

into the door at the end of the hall. looks

1:08:00

like a raccoon or something, was in there shitting

1:08:02

all over everything. I

1:08:04

nodded thank you and made my way back down

1:08:06

the hall, passing the back door and turning to

1:08:08

the first door on the right. The

1:08:10

bathroom was small with white and black

1:08:13

stained tile. A small pedestal

1:08:15

sink sat in the center with the medicine

1:08:17

cabinet over. I went

1:08:19

to the sink, turning the handle, but

1:08:21

no water emerged. I

1:08:23

cursed myself, looking into the medicine

1:08:25

cabinet mirror. My

1:08:28

face was covered in dirt and grime,

1:08:30

something I was used to, but my

1:08:33

eyes held a look of uncertainty

1:08:35

and fear. The safety

1:08:37

of the house felt foreign to me. A

1:08:40

smell of mildew mixed with dust

1:08:42

permeated the dwelling. Using

1:08:44

my T-shirt, I wiped the grime and

1:08:46

sweat from my face and exited the

1:08:48

bathroom into the hallway. "'You

1:08:51

okay in there?" Larry's voice echoed

1:08:53

from the kitchen. "'Yeah,

1:08:55

I'm just finishing up. Did

1:08:57

the police say when they're getting here?'" A

1:09:00

silent pause followed by Larry moving

1:09:03

across the kitchen linoleum floor. "'Should

1:09:06

be any moment. We just gotta sit tight

1:09:08

till then," Larry said. I

1:09:12

started to walk back towards the kitchen, but

1:09:14

paused, looking at the door at the end

1:09:17

of the hallway. Curious, I

1:09:19

made my way to the door and

1:09:21

gently turned the knob, allowing the door

1:09:23

to slowly swing open. Large

1:09:25

black flies erupted from the room, causing

1:09:28

me to step back and cover my

1:09:30

mouth. To my

1:09:32

horror, David lay on the

1:09:34

floor with a small hole in his forehead.

1:09:38

I looked up to see the nude, battered

1:09:40

body of the kid tied face down on

1:09:42

an old bed. Sitting on

1:09:44

top of the dresser was a collection

1:09:47

of empty Coke bottles and half-eaten Moon

1:09:49

pies. I jerked

1:09:51

the door closed, turning back to look down

1:09:53

the hallway. Larry was still

1:09:55

in the kitchen. I

1:09:57

made my way to the back door, peering out

1:10:00

the back window. The

1:10:02

dead man stood tall in the

1:10:04

backyard, gnawing on a bloody femur

1:10:06

bone. It looked at me, smiling

1:10:09

through gore-laden lips. I

1:10:13

reached down and unlocked the

1:10:15

deadbolt, opening the back door

1:10:17

slightly. The dead man

1:10:20

watched intently, dropping the half-devoured bone

1:10:22

and slowly walking toward the door.

1:10:26

That's right, you son of a bitch. Come

1:10:28

to papa," I whispered, before

1:10:30

turning down the hallway and making my way

1:10:32

to the kitchen. As I

1:10:34

rounded the corner, I saw Larry,

1:10:37

sitting on an old kitchen chair with

1:10:39

a thirty-eight in his hand. "'What

1:10:42

you see back there, zackey boy?" Larry

1:10:45

said in a playful voice. "'Nothing,

1:10:48

Larry. I just went to the bathroom, that's

1:10:50

all." "'Oh no, you

1:10:52

got that hand in the cookie jar look

1:10:55

about you,' Larry replied, a

1:10:57

smile forming across his lips. A

1:11:01

low creaking sound came from my left

1:11:03

down the hall, but Larry didn't

1:11:05

seem to hear it. The dead

1:11:07

man was surely making his way down the

1:11:09

hallway, and I was at the end of

1:11:11

it facing the barrel of a gun. "'Well,

1:11:15

what did you see back there, zac?" Larry

1:11:18

said, slamming his open palm on the

1:11:20

kitchen counter. "'I

1:11:23

saw what you did to the kid, and David,'

1:11:25

I replied. "'Did

1:11:28

I?' "'Oh, yes,

1:11:30

I sure did. That boy was

1:11:32

just asking for it. You

1:11:34

know they all ask for it, right?

1:11:36

They come asking for things like a job

1:11:39

or to borrow money. That kid

1:11:41

came and saw me after work the other

1:11:43

day, wanted an advance on his paycheck, said

1:11:46

he wanted to buy some flowers for his

1:11:48

mama. Sweet, right?' Another

1:11:51

floorboard groaned down the hallway. "'Larry,

1:11:55

I ain't gonna say anything. We

1:11:57

got bigger fish to fry now with that thing

1:11:59

out there," I said, inching

1:12:02

myself closer towards Larry. Larry

1:12:05

leveled the barrel of the gun at me. "'Don't

1:12:08

come any closer to me, Zach, or I'll put one in

1:12:10

your head like I did poor David back there. You

1:12:13

know I was in my car about to burn

1:12:15

out of here when that dumb fucker ran inside

1:12:17

the back door of the house. When

1:12:20

I got inside, he'd already discovered my love

1:12:22

shack. Put a bullet in him right

1:12:24

there.'" Larry's

1:12:26

foot stepped, but this time it

1:12:28

was heavy and close. "'You

1:12:31

know, I figure that thing out there might

1:12:33

just help get rid of all of you. Then

1:12:36

it'll just be another work crew that went AWOL

1:12:38

on the project. At least,

1:12:40

that's what I'll say if corporate comes

1:12:42

knocking.'" Larry smiled.

1:12:46

I swallowed hard and looked to

1:12:48

my left, the tall dead man

1:12:50

towering over me, its black eyes

1:12:52

unwavering in the shadows. I

1:12:55

recoiled back, falling against the kitchen

1:12:57

wall as it lurched forward, almost

1:12:59

grabbing me. Larry, startled

1:13:01

by the sudden motion, fired the pistol,

1:13:04

the round exploding into the shoulder of

1:13:06

the thing. The dead

1:13:08

man paused, looking down at

1:13:10

me, and then shifting its

1:13:13

focus to Larry. Larry

1:13:15

went to stand from the chair, but toppled

1:13:17

over to the kitchen floor. Panicked,

1:13:20

he struggled to get to his feet,

1:13:22

the linoleum floor squeaking as he reached

1:13:24

for purchase. The dead

1:13:26

man took three steps toward him,

1:13:28

reaching down and grabbing Larry by

1:13:30

his hair. Larry cried

1:13:33

in pain and dropped the pistol as he was

1:13:35

jerked to his feet. The

1:13:37

dead man opened his mouth wide, causing

1:13:40

Larry to lose control of his bleeder.

1:13:43

Urine flowed down his leg, collecting into

1:13:45

a yellowish puddle on the kitchen floor.

1:13:48

His eyes stared back at me, pleading

1:13:50

for help. I sat

1:13:52

up, looking down the hallway where David

1:13:54

and the kid's body lay, and then

1:13:57

back to Larry. Fuck

1:14:00

you, Larry," I said,

1:14:03

raising my right hand to flip him the

1:14:05

bird. I

1:14:07

ran down the hallway to the sounds

1:14:09

of limbs being torn apart. I

1:14:12

jogged past Larry's work truck, stopping to

1:14:14

grab one of the five-gallon fuel canisters.

1:14:17

Lifting the canister above my head, I darted

1:14:19

to the caterpillar, climbing onto the track and

1:14:22

into the cab. I balanced

1:14:24

the fuel canister on my knees as I

1:14:26

grabbed my phone and cranked the dozer. The

1:14:29

Caterpillar engine roared to life as I reversed

1:14:31

the tracks and lined it up towards the

1:14:33

house. I raised the bucket

1:14:35

to eye level, released the clutch, and

1:14:37

the tracks bolted forward as I increased

1:14:40

the throttle. The bulldozer was

1:14:42

now barreling toward the house at full

1:14:44

speed. Thinking fast,

1:14:46

I unscrewed the gas canister lid and

1:14:48

went to take off my t-shirt, but

1:14:50

stopped as it was soaked in sweat.

1:14:53

The house was now growing larger in view.

1:14:56

I lifted my pants leg, tearing at the

1:14:58

seam until the fabric ripped free. I

1:15:01

stuffed the cloth into the open container and pulled

1:15:03

out the lighter David had thrown to me the

1:15:05

previous day. I struck

1:15:07

the lighter, igniting the cloth of

1:15:09

flame. I raised back

1:15:12

up to see the front of the house only a

1:15:14

few yards away. The dead man

1:15:16

was looking at me through the

1:15:18

kitchen window, covered in Larry's entrails.

1:15:21

Throughout another moment of spare, I leapt from

1:15:24

the bulldozer and crashed hard to the ground.

1:15:27

The impact was painful and I could hear

1:15:29

the crack of bones as I tumbled through

1:15:31

the red mud. The

1:15:33

bulldozer smacked into the house with a loud

1:15:35

crash, pushing forward into the kitchen until the

1:15:37

weight of the floor buckled and the cat

1:15:40

fell into the basement. Yellow

1:15:42

and orange flames erupted from the open

1:15:44

cavity of the home as the canister

1:15:47

exploded. The roof of

1:15:49

the house leaned forward, collapsing where the

1:15:51

bulldozer had plowed through. Flames

1:15:54

licked at the dried wood, igniting other

1:15:56

fluids inside the bulldozer until the home

1:15:58

was turned into a giant inflow. There are

1:16:00

now. I lay

1:16:02

there and pain and exhaustion for

1:16:04

several minutes until the sound of

1:16:07

sirens to be heard in the

1:16:09

distance. The evening sun

1:16:11

lake that my exposed skin is.

1:16:13

I closed my eyes breathing a

1:16:15

sigh of relief. The.

1:16:17

Alarm on my watch my off. As

1:16:20

a big smile broke across my

1:16:22

face. My work

1:16:25

day was officially over.

1:16:37

You've just heard something eight

1:16:39

my work Korea with the

1:16:42

old replace Fi Shane H.

1:16:44

Sewers. Shame Sellers

1:16:46

is not just an added

1:16:48

writer, he is a maestro.

1:16:50

was the macabre, specializing in

1:16:52

tales of the wicked and

1:16:54

sinister stock. And Shadows and My.

1:16:57

As the imaginative force behind

1:16:59

the carry and creature feature

1:17:02

you Tube channel Shane Breed

1:17:04

slice into his dark tests

1:17:06

leaving audiences stand with every

1:17:09

blood soaked word. And

1:17:12

with that my friends, we're done

1:17:15

for tonight. I hope that you

1:17:17

enjoyed scenes debut on the show

1:17:19

and if you did you can

1:17:22

find more of his work over

1:17:24

in some extra F U W

1:17:26

W Not V D L O

1:17:28

X V Oh okay, as.com We

1:17:31

might even feature more his work

1:17:33

on the show in the future.

1:17:35

After all, who knows what dastardly

1:17:38

horrors the future holds for us.

1:17:41

Well, I happen to know that

1:17:43

none of those horrors will be

1:17:45

nice. Returning for more Horror Hill

1:17:47

next week at the same day

1:17:49

and time. I'd love for you

1:17:51

to join me and you can

1:17:53

even bring a friend. after

1:17:57

all there's nothing quite like

1:17:59

amid episodes The knack now is

1:18:01

there. Until next

1:18:03

time, friends. Stay

1:18:05

spooky. You've

1:18:09

been listening to the Horror Hill Podcast,

1:18:11

a production of Chilling Entertainment and the

1:18:13

creative team at Chilling Tales for Dark

1:18:15

Nights. Tonight's episode

1:18:17

was hosted and narrated by yours

1:18:20

truly, Eric Peabody. Original

1:18:22

music provided by Eric Peabody and

1:18:25

Nicky McSorley. Originalization

1:18:27

by Eric Peabody and Craig

1:18:29

Groshak. Got a

1:18:31

terrifying tale of your own that you'd like

1:18:33

performed? Email it to

1:18:36

us at natalie at chillingtalesfordarknights.com

1:18:38

to have your work considered

1:18:40

for future production. Seeing

1:18:43

as how we're all living in

1:18:45

a technological nightmare of our own devising,

1:18:48

I'll ask you to follow Chilling Tales

1:18:50

for Dark Nights on social media

1:18:52

and upvote, subscribe, and hit the bell

1:18:54

notification icon if you're listening to

1:18:56

this on YouTube. Not

1:18:58

only will you have appeased the

1:19:01

dark gods of cyberspace, but you'll

1:19:03

be kept in the loop as

1:19:05

we prepare more terrifying content. If

1:19:08

you'd like access to uninterrupted horror,

1:19:10

free of ads and these annoying

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1:19:23

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1:19:26

means all of Otis Chiry's scary

1:19:29

stories told in the dark, Drew

1:19:31

Blood's dark tales, Paul

1:19:33

J. McSorley's Fear from the Heartland,

1:19:36

and more. It's a

1:19:38

veritable smorgasbord of horrific delights.

1:19:41

As for me personally, I'm on

1:19:44

most social media as Viking

1:19:46

Guitar or Viking Guitar Productions.

1:19:49

I'm always on the lookout for new

1:19:51

stories to narrate and new music projects

1:19:53

to mix or master. If

1:19:55

that's of interest to you, feel free to

1:19:58

reach out and we can talk turkey. Also,

1:20:00

I will be back next

1:20:03

week with more terrifying tales to

1:20:05

keep you up all night. If

1:20:08

darkness is what you're after, your search

1:20:10

is over. Yet

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let it be known, you

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haven't found the darkness. The

1:20:19

darkness has found you. This

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