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angie.com. That's

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angi.com. Angie's

1:02

list is now Angie, and we've heard a

1:04

lot of theories about why. I thought it

1:06

was an eco move. For your words, less

1:08

paper. It was so you could say No, it was so you could

1:10

say it faster. No, it's

1:13

to be more iconic. Must be a

1:15

tech thing. But those aren't quite right.

1:17

It's because now you can compare upfront

1:19

prices, book a service instantly, and even

1:21

get your project handled from start to

1:23

finish. Sounds easy. It is, and it

1:25

makes us so much more than just

1:27

a list. Get started at angie.com. That's

1:30

A-N-G-I. Order or download the app today.

1:32

The Angie's List you know and trust

1:34

is now Angie, and we're so much

1:36

more than just a list. We still

1:38

connect you with top local pros and

1:40

show you ratings and reviews, but now,

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we also let you compare upfront prices

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on hundreds of projects and book a

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remember, Angie's List is now Angie, and

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we're here to get your job done

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right. Get started at

1:58

angie.com. That's a A-N-G-I. Or

2:00

download the app today. The following program

2:02

is a production of Chilling Entertainment and

2:05

the creative team at Chilling Tales for

2:07

Dark Nights and a proud

2:09

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2:11

Network. Visit simpliscarypodcast.com

2:13

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and our other weekly storytelling

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and get instant access to our

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2:27

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2:31

show. ["The Chilling

3:26

Tales for Dark

3:32

Nights"] Disclaimer.

3:36

Horror Hill is a horror anthology

3:38

podcast bringing you scary stories from

3:40

all corners of the internet and

3:43

beyond. As such,

3:45

certain stories include content that

3:47

some listeners might find offensive.

3:50

Listener discretion is advised. Good

3:55

evening, listeners, and welcome back

3:57

to Horror Hill. As

3:59

always. I'm your host and

4:01

narrator, Eric Peabody. Tonight,

4:04

we've got a story from

4:06

A.W. Mason titled, The Shack,

4:08

and in my opinion, it's

4:10

the perfect summer story. After

4:13

all, what screams on break from

4:15

college more than an interstate road

4:17

trip with some friends? Bruce,

4:21

Jane, and Mark are driving up

4:23

to New Hampshire to visit Bruce's

4:25

family. So far, the

4:27

weather has been mild, the scenery

4:29

gorgeous, and they've been handling the

4:31

long drive in Bruce's cramped Pontiac with

4:34

a plon. Of course,

4:36

any extended travel is fraught with

4:38

at least a few little frustrations,

4:40

and as night starts to fall,

4:42

Jane realizes that she has forgotten

4:44

to bring a camera. After

4:47

hunting around for a place that's

4:49

still open, they stumble across a

4:51

run-down little store in the middle

4:53

of nowhere. Now,

4:55

listeners, you know how these

4:57

stories tend to go, so I'll

5:00

ask you, do you think it's

5:02

a good idea if they stop? I

5:05

think we all know the answer to that one.

5:08

Also, please join me in welcoming

5:10

Danielle Hewitt back to the show,

5:13

performing several roles in tonight's story.

5:17

You're listening to the standard edition

5:20

of this program. If you'd like

5:22

to help support Horror Hill and

5:24

also remove these pesky ads, head

5:27

to chillingtalesfordarkknights.com and click

5:29

patrons in the upper menu to sign up

5:31

today. You'll get instant access

5:33

to hundreds of ad-free stories, and

5:36

we can scale back some of

5:38

our less savory

5:40

means of generating money for the

5:42

show. By the way,

5:45

you wouldn't happen to still have all

5:47

of your organs, would you? And

5:50

now, from author A.W. Mason. I

6:00

give you the shack. Before

6:08

The old car's back tires spun

6:10

like insane merry-go-rounds, spitting up soft

6:12

earth and gravel as the young

6:14

man punched the accelerator. The

6:17

pale woman in the seat beside him

6:19

groped at her neck with both hands,

6:21

trying to cover the deep, wet gash

6:23

across her trachea. Her attempts

6:25

to suck in air produced a gurgling

6:27

noise that showered streams of blood through

6:30

her weak fingers. Her

6:32

blouse slowly turned from yellow to

6:34

deep purple to black. Behind

6:38

them, the old man squinted and watched as

6:40

the car sped off, trying to see which

6:42

way they would go. The complete

6:44

blackness that night did nothing to

6:46

aid his deteriorating vision. He

6:49

let out a grunt and kickstarted the

6:51

ancient, heavy motorcycle, revving it to a

6:53

go, then chased after

6:55

the car. It's

6:57

going to be all right. We'll get you to a hospital.

7:00

Just hang in there, baby, the

7:02

young man said, wiping the wetness from under

7:05

the hollows of his eyes. In

7:07

front of him, the road glistened in the dim

7:09

headlights of the car. Sheets

7:12

of rain had left the ditches on either

7:14

side of him with standing water, the asphalt

7:16

slick and damp. Not

7:18

far off, the rumble of loud

7:20

exhaust echoed against the trees flanking

7:23

the moat-like ditches. The

7:25

car took to sliding around corners as

7:27

the young man looked up into the

7:29

rear view to see the motorcycle catching

7:31

up at a quick pace. Muscles

7:33

in his right leg groaned, but he

7:36

kept the go pedal down as far

7:38

as the unforgiving pavement afforded him. Beneath

7:42

his sweaty arm, the old man reached

7:44

for his shoulder holster and removed a

7:46

revolver. He chapped the cylinder.

7:49

Five rounds left. With

7:51

a swift snap of his wrist, the cylinder

7:54

locked back into place. Raising

7:56

the revolver to eye level, he aimed at

7:58

the car's left rear tire. fire, and

8:00

pulled the trigger. The bullets

8:02

skidded off the soaked pavement like a

8:05

firework gone awry, leaving a light trail

8:07

in the night air. The

8:09

car swerved at the sound of the shot. Four

8:12

tries left now. The

8:15

bike lurched forward, throttle full

8:17

bore. The car came back

8:19

into focus enough for the old man to take

8:21

another shot. He took aim

8:24

again and fired, squeezing his weathered

8:26

thighs to the bike's frame to

8:28

maintain balance from the shot's recoil.

8:31

This time, direct hit.

8:34

Rubber tread flapped wildly from the

8:36

punctured tire before flying off into

8:38

the side of the road, disappearing

8:40

into the water-filled ditch. The

8:43

car skidded around like a falling ice

8:45

skater. Sparks flew from the

8:47

bare metal wheel carving into the asphalt,

8:49

the young man's face becoming flush as

8:52

new beats of sweat formed on his

8:54

brow and upper lip. Three

8:57

shots left now. The

8:59

old man shifted the bike into another

9:02

gear, producing a guttural bang. The

9:04

chase had escalated to 70 miles

9:06

per hour. He lifted

9:08

the gun again and shot. The

9:10

bullet ripped through the cab, shattering the

9:13

back window and splitting the front. Shit!

9:17

The young man yelled out, trying to

9:19

correct the understeer caused by the tireless

9:21

rim. Two

9:23

bullets left now. These

9:26

had to count, the old man

9:28

mused. He pulled his bike

9:30

into the left lane to get a clearer shot

9:32

at the gas tank. However, once

9:34

parallel to the car, he looked

9:36

up, cut the throttle and braked,

9:39

screeching to a halt. The

9:41

old man on the motorcycle saw

9:43

something that the car's young passengers

9:45

had not. Looking out,

9:47

the young man met a pair

9:49

of yellowish eyes floating in the

9:51

darkness belonging to some nocturnal creature,

9:53

or perhaps a deer or an

9:55

elk. He didn't know which.

9:58

His mind didn't have time to register

10:00

whatever it was he was about to become

10:02

entangled with. He mashed

10:04

the brakes, sending the car sideways

10:06

on the slick pavement, filling up

10:08

both lanes. As the

10:10

car got closer, the young man understood

10:13

the yellowish eyes belonged to a large

10:15

deer frozen on the roadway. They

10:18

collided with a sickening thud as the

10:20

car careened off the road and into

10:22

a ditch. It shot up

10:24

through the wet earth before smashing into

10:26

a thick oak tree. The

10:28

front end of the vehicle wrapped around the

10:30

sturdy trunk like a hook. The

10:33

remaining part of the windshield covered the

10:35

crumpled hood like tiny diamonds. Both

10:38

occupants inside lay limp. The

10:41

old man cranked up his bike and edged

10:44

closer to the wreckage. He

10:46

stopped, thirty feet away, and raised

10:48

his left hand perpendicular to his

10:50

chest. He put his

10:52

shooting arm on top, steadying his aim.

10:56

The young man lifted his blood-smeared forehead

10:58

from the steering wheel, squinting over at

11:01

the girl. She was

11:03

no longer gripping her neck. Instead,

11:05

her body slumped over on

11:07

its side, her motionless face

11:09

plastered to the dashboard. The

11:12

radiator hissed like a boiling tea kettle,

11:14

but all the young man could think

11:16

about was his aching head. His

11:19

temples throbbed. He

11:22

reached for a seatbelt. Behind

11:24

him, he spied the old gunslinger sitting

11:26

on his bike. Two

11:29

bullets remaining. The

11:31

old man closed his left eye

11:33

again, looked down the revolver's barrel,

11:36

and shot. A blazing

11:38

yellow-orange firebolt escaped the gun's muzzle,

11:40

sending the searing slug through the

11:42

sheet metal of the car's gas

11:44

tank. A little trickle,

11:46

then a stream of pungent fuel

11:48

poured from the bullet hole. The

11:51

old man reached his gun back toward

11:54

the holster, and watched in sadistic pleasure

11:56

as a flame ignited at the rear

11:58

of the car. The

12:00

young man saw the fire and felt

12:02

the warmth of its glow, compounding the

12:04

ache in his head. The

12:06

pace of his breath grew faster. He

12:09

tried the door handle, but it seemed jammed.

12:12

The entire driver's side of the car was

12:14

crunched up from the wreck, and

12:16

he was pinned inside. The

12:19

old man smiled as he watched the

12:21

young man beat on the ashy door

12:23

window. In a shock of

12:26

pure irony, the glass had somehow stayed

12:28

intact during the wreck. Of

12:31

course, the old man couldn't hear it

12:33

through the growing roar of the fire,

12:35

but the last thing he saw from

12:38

the young man trapped inside was the

12:40

labored stretching of his mouth, a blood-curdling

12:42

scream for help, stifled by

12:44

the chaotic environment. The

12:47

car became engulfed by the flames and

12:49

drowned out the image of the young

12:52

couple inside. Moments later,

12:54

the wreckage exploded, sending pieces of

12:56

the hood high into the dark,

12:58

humid air. The

13:00

old man watched the afterburn for a while,

13:03

then started the bike again. Good,

13:07

he said, then turned around

13:09

and sped off. 1.

13:15

Two days earlier Bruce

13:18

fidgeted with the knobs on the

13:20

old factory AMFM radio. He

13:22

hadn't found good reception since their last

13:25

stopover three hours ago. Just

13:27

static and the brief sporadic

13:29

sputtering of tired Bible Belt

13:31

sermons. He turned the

13:33

volume knob to the left until it clicked

13:36

off, silencing the radio. Hey,

13:38

man, turn it back on, Mark

13:40

said from the back seat. Sitting

13:42

in the cramped rear of a 68 Pontiac

13:45

was less than desirable, but at

13:47

least the music kept him entertained,

13:49

even though the back speakers worked

13:51

intermittently. Mark, all

13:54

we've gotten is static. Give it a

13:56

rest, Jane said, rolling her eyes

13:59

at their back. seat companion in

14:01

the rearview. She twirled a

14:03

finger through her long, dishwater blonde hair.

14:06

Bruce put his hand on her thigh and gave

14:08

it a gentle squeeze. She looked

14:10

over at him, offering a Mona Lisa

14:13

smile. Vibrant green foliage

14:15

blurred past them as they roared

14:17

through the countryside. Mark

14:19

pouted into the rearview mirror and crossed

14:22

his arms. Reaching for

14:24

the radio again, Bruce glanced at

14:26

the gas gauge, almost

14:28

empty. Jesus, it

14:30

does not pay to drive an eight

14:32

cylinder. He scrolled around

14:34

the dial for a clear station, one of

14:36

them finally coming in. Oh,

14:39

oh, keep it here! It's that new

14:41

song from Judas Coyne! Mark

14:43

said. He leaned between the two

14:45

front bucket seats to get a better listen. Yeah,

14:48

sure, buddy, Bruce said,

14:51

trailing off and scanning the freeway for

14:53

some place to stop. Could

14:55

both of you keep your eyes peeled for a gas

14:57

station or about to be running on fumes? The

15:01

trio passed a few lodging and food

15:03

signs, but nothing in the way of

15:05

refueling. Bruce knew there'd be

15:07

more gas stations along the way before

15:09

arriving in New Hampshire, but still

15:11

tightened his grip on the steering wheel,

15:13

looking forward through the windshield as if

15:15

in a daze. His knuckles

15:18

turned white. New Hampshire

15:20

made him nervous. They had

15:22

all made the trip before, usually to visit

15:24

Bruce's folks and get away from the city

15:26

for a break. This

15:28

time, however, felt different,

15:31

stomach-churning even. He

15:33

patted the ring in his left-side

15:35

pants pocket, hoping he didn't appear

15:37

anxious. Yet, he felt

15:39

the anxiety building inside him, or

15:42

perhaps it was just having Mark along for

15:44

the ride. Like a

15:46

road trip weary child from the

15:48

backseat, Mark cried. Okay,

15:50

now I'm getting hungry and I got a

15:53

piss so bad my back teeth are floating.

15:56

He made an imaginary grab to his groin like a

15:58

youngster might do when it's time to eat. for

16:00

a potty break. Another

16:02

blue information sign loomed on the

16:04

horizon. The sun-faded metal made

16:06

it difficult to read, but a little cartoon

16:09

gas pump started to take shape as luck

16:11

would have it. Food,

16:13

lodging, and gas. Exit

16:16

49 to the rescue.

16:18

Bruce pulled into a gas and

16:20

go and cut the Rumbling Beasts engine. Mark

16:23

jumped out and beelined to the

16:25

little convenience store, stirring up miscellaneous

16:27

food wrappers littering the back seat

16:29

like a miniature tornado. Bruce

16:32

grinned and shook his head. The

16:35

fuel hatch creaked as it opened,

16:37

and from it, the ghost-like vapors

16:39

of gasoline danced past in transparent

16:41

waves. Do you

16:43

want anything from inside, hon? Jane asked.

16:46

Bags had started to form under her eyes.

16:49

Bruce stared at her, admiring the

16:51

glow of her soft skin, eye

16:53

bags included. He held

16:55

the pump mechanism with one hand because the

16:58

hold latch was broken, while his

17:00

free hand continued to roam about his

17:02

left pants pocket. No,

17:04

I'm fine. Thanks. She

17:07

smiled and gave him a wink, hips

17:09

swaying as she meandered into the store.

17:12

Bruce watched the numbers next to the dollar

17:14

sign on the pump increase. After

17:17

it finished, the digital readout totaled $20.80. Man,

17:22

only 13 gallons, Bruce

17:24

whispered. 2003, what a time

17:26

to be alive. He

17:30

whistled as he went inside and paid. 2.

17:38

10 minutes back into the trip, Jane groaned

17:40

and slapped her forehead with her palm. She

17:43

slumped back in her seat. What?

17:46

Mark asked at the smacking sound. The

17:48

radio had again gone kaput, and he took

17:51

to counting the cows grazing in the fields

17:53

as they drove on. So far,

17:55

he was up to 12. the

18:00

gas station. I wanted to take pictures

18:02

of our trip and send some with the letters I had been

18:04

writing to my mom. About

18:06

the time Jane started seeing Bruce on

18:09

a steady basis, she also connected with

18:11

her birth mother after an exhausting search

18:13

almost turned up nothing. Her

18:15

mother's name was Grace and she lived

18:17

in California. It was a

18:20

slow start at first. Grace didn't own a

18:22

computer and mail from one side of the

18:24

coast to the other ran about as quick

18:27

as a one-legged man in quicksand. The

18:29

biggest challenge however was convincing Grace that

18:31

Jane was the child she bore all

18:34

those years ago and that Jane had

18:36

wanted to be in any kind of

18:38

relationship with her biological mother at all.

18:41

Shock and grief alone nearly

18:43

shut down their fledgling correspondence

18:45

but Jane had an enigmatic

18:47

way with people. He

18:50

glanced at his girlfriend –

18:52

fiancé if the trip went well – and

18:55

recognized the look. Big,

18:57

dough eyes, rosy cheeks, bottom

19:00

lip protruding out so much it looked like

19:02

a second tongue. As

19:04

the navigator, Bruce crunched some numbers in

19:06

his head. They were

19:09

ahead of schedule so far. Stopping

19:11

again so soon wouldn't hurt their

19:13

excellent time. A few

19:15

minutes off course seemed easier to handle

19:17

than an angry little lady. We'll

19:20

stop at the next exit. Jane

19:22

leaned over and planted a wet kiss on his

19:25

cheek. Mark didn't

19:27

care either way. He had to

19:29

piss again. Angie's

19:33

list is now Angie, and we've heard a

19:35

lot of theories about why. I thought it

19:37

was an eco move. For your words, less

19:39

paper. No, it was so you could

19:41

say it faster. No, it's

19:43

to be more iconic. Must be a

19:45

tech thing. But those aren't quite right.

19:47

It's because now you can compare upfront

19:49

prices, book a service instantly, and even

19:52

get your project handled from start to

19:54

finish. Sounds easy. It is, and it

19:56

makes us so much more than just

19:58

a list. Get started at angie.com. That's

20:00

A-N-G-I. Order or download the app today.

20:02

Angie has made it easier than ever

20:04

to connect with skilled professionals to get

20:06

all your jobs and projects done well.

20:08

If you own a home, you know

20:10

how much work it can take, whether

20:12

it's everyday maintenance and repairs, or making

20:14

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20:17

be hard just to know where to start,

20:19

but now, all you need to do is

20:21

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20:23

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20:25

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20:27

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20:29

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20:37

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20:40

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can do this when you Angie that.

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Follow the free Angie mobile app today,

20:57

or visit angie.com. That's

21:00

a-n-g-i.com. The

21:07

off ramp wound around scattered trees

21:09

and bushes, becoming more and more

21:11

rural as the Pontiac continued down

21:13

the road. Other than

21:15

the foliage, the scenery didn't offer much.

21:18

Some old jalopies and boarded up houses.

21:21

None of the yards were kept. Overrun

21:23

weeds turned them into suburban jungles.

21:27

Even with a facelift, Bruce thought.

21:30

This place would still look like a set piece

21:32

from Nightmare on Elm Street. Where

21:35

are we? Mark asked. He

21:37

held up the road atlas staring at the

21:40

Pennsylvania freeway system as if it were full

21:42

of hieroglyphics. Outside, the

21:44

dull orange sun sank into

21:46

the ground, painting the sky

21:48

violet, the purplish clouds dancing

21:50

around. We took exit

21:52

57, right? I don't even

21:54

see it on the map anywhere. Bruce

21:57

slowed to a stomp and rubbed his chin.

22:00

A gust of wind blew ancient

22:02

fallen leaves across the roadway. This

22:05

place is a dump. Oh,

22:07

wait. Look. Jane pointed in

22:09

the direction of an old 76 station. About

22:13

a mile down the road, even in the

22:15

waning light, the burnt orange ball with a

22:17

navy blue script was easy to spot. Bruce

22:20

drove the car up to the station, but

22:23

akin to everything else in the town, emptiness

22:25

loomed, boarded up and

22:28

abandoned, occupants long gone.

22:31

The gas pumps remained, sticking out

22:33

like monuments to yesteryear, but

22:36

Bruce doubted if they worked. He

22:38

also doubted that they would find any disposable

22:40

cameras for sale inside the station. He

22:43

looked over at Jane. Fatigue

22:45

and defeat crept into her posture like

22:47

a ghost as she seemed to melt

22:49

into her seat. Those translucent

22:52

little purple bags under her eyes had

22:54

grown since this morning, and he noticed

22:56

she had been blinking more often as

22:58

if trying to communicate in some other

23:01

language. The 13 straight hours

23:03

on the road began to wear on all

23:05

of them. I'm

23:07

sorry, Jane. Bruce placed his

23:09

hand on top of hers. Maybe

23:12

we can get one tomorrow. Plus, we

23:14

could probably use some rest anyway. You

23:16

want to go on a little farther and find a place,

23:19

stop for the night? Jane

23:21

didn't look up. She had

23:23

a feeling Bruce wanted to make the trip

23:25

straight through, so she said yes. The

23:28

camera could wait, and this place

23:30

started to give her the creeps. It

23:33

had already felt like hours had passed since

23:35

they departed the freeway. I

23:38

say we beat feet and get some more civilized.

23:41

Mark spoke up from the back seat. We

23:43

can probably find a cheap motel down the road. We

23:47

could all use the rest, Bruce

23:49

concurred. They backed out

23:51

of the deserted gas station and drove

23:53

off in the direction they first came,

23:55

intending to get back on the freeway

23:57

to locate another blue information sign. One

24:00

that was more up to date with its amenities.

24:03

However, the farther they traveled, the

24:05

more the road seemed to stretch

24:07

on and on, no freeway on-ramp

24:10

appearing. Guys, did

24:12

we miss… Woah, woah, woah! What's

24:14

that? Mark asked, pointing out

24:17

the window at a small roadside building.

24:20

Building, perhaps, was a bit

24:22

of a misnomer. The structure looked

24:24

more like a hut or a derelict

24:26

shack. It appeared dark,

24:29

except for some strewn-up lights that may

24:31

have been of the Christmas variety some

24:33

years ago. They almost

24:35

resembled tiny, red-hot glowing chilies.

24:39

The faux chilies wrapped around the

24:41

entire perimeter of the shack, drooping

24:43

around portions of the mossed-over roof.

24:46

The only other lighted item on

24:48

property was a blue and red

24:50

neon open sign in the front

24:52

window, partially covered by dirty blinds.

24:55

Whatever it is, Mark said, it's

24:58

open. The exterior

25:00

looked as if made from ancient

25:03

wooden planks, like buildings and old

25:05

spaghetti westerns. The shingled

25:07

roof sagged, probably from years of

25:09

heavy snow and ice. A

25:12

weathered, galvanized smokestack bellowed out

25:14

white tendrils of smoke against

25:16

the darkening sky. Toward

25:19

the entrance hung what looked like

25:21

a dozen rows of strung onions

25:23

or garlic, stretching from gutter to

25:25

ground. At the front

25:27

of the hut, connected to the main byway,

25:29

sat a gravel lot. Two

25:31

cars rested there, one

25:33

a late-70s Ford pickup and the

25:36

other a mid-90s Ford Contour. Both

25:39

looked spray-painted, the Contour with yellow and

25:41

blue, like someone had attempted to give

25:43

them a cheapo paint job. Farther

25:46

down, a litany of old bowling balls

25:49

lined the perimeter of the parking lot.

25:52

Apparently the balls didn't have finger

25:54

holes, just plain balls.

26:00

Jane asked, peering out the car

26:02

window. Her mouth hung open

26:04

and she ogled the scenery. Bruce

26:07

heard the subtle quiver in her voice.

26:10

No clue, he said, parking and

26:12

getting out of the vehicle. The

26:15

front door of the establishment swung open,

26:17

slamming into the rickety facade. At

26:20

once, all three looked in the direction of

26:22

the noise. An old

26:24

man came hobbling out, limping,

26:26

bowlegged. The shirt he

26:29

wore barely covered his protruding belly. His

26:32

pants, the kind with

26:34

the all-forgiving elastic band, showed signs

26:36

of deep wear around the knees

26:38

and waist, staying up around his

26:41

bulbous midsection with the architectural support

26:43

of his suspenders. A

26:46

five-day white whisker beard covered

26:48

his pockmarked face, and

26:50

his hair, wild around the parts of his

26:52

head that were still winning the battle of

26:54

the bald, looked like it had

26:56

been combed with a firecracker. Maybe

26:59

we should leave, Jane said, watching

27:02

the old man limp towards the

27:04

car. Hold on

27:06

a minute, babe. The old man

27:08

made his way to the Pontiac, taking in

27:10

large mouthfuls of air as he strode up

27:12

the gravel. Hey

27:14

there, don't get too many visitors

27:16

this time of night, the old

27:18

man said. He grinned,

27:20

exposing a gap-toothed smile. That

27:23

little teeth he did have left looked

27:25

ready to uproot and go searching for

27:27

their missing friends. Hey,

27:30

that's a nice car, he said,

27:32

pointing at Bruce's ride. Thanks,

27:35

it's a 68 Pontiac GTO, bought it when

27:37

I was 16, been fixing her up

27:39

ever since. Bruce put

27:42

a hand on his baby, baby

27:44

number two, sliding his hand

27:46

down the front as if to claim his

27:48

territory. The old man squinted

27:50

his eyes and raised a hand to his

27:52

beard, scratching it as he eyed the group.

27:56

Oh, that's a nice car, boy. By

27:58

the way, name's Bill... Ruskin, but y'all

28:00

can call me Rusky," he

28:03

said, extending a liver-spotted hand.

28:06

Bruce shook it and introduced his friends and

28:08

told him about their camera ordeal from earlier

28:10

in the day. "'Need

28:12

a camera, eh?" "'Hah, believe

28:14

I got me some of them in the shop,'

28:17

he said, croaking a thumb back toward

28:19

his little hut. "'On the

28:22

back wall there inside. You can go take a look,

28:24

if you wanna.'" Bruce

28:26

motioned for Mark and Jane to get out of the

28:28

car so they could go look inside the building. "'So,

28:31

what you think about my pickup?

28:33

It's a classic, just like yours,"

28:36

Rusky said, smiling again. Bruce

28:40

looked toward the old, aging pile of

28:42

sheet metal and tires. The

28:44

truck was a two-tone, red

28:47

and rust. The bed

28:49

had a bungee cord spanned from one

28:51

side to the other, holding the pieces

28:53

together while stretching the limits of gravity.

28:56

"'Yeah, I'm not really into trucks or

28:58

newer cars for that matter,' he

29:01

said, eyeing the contour. He

29:03

looked at the price tags in the windows. $8900 for

29:06

the car and $6700 for the

29:09

truck." "'Wow,' Bruce

29:11

muttered. "'And I don't really have that kind

29:13

of cash, anyway.' "'But your

29:16

car must have cost you a pretty

29:18

penny or two. Look at them fancy

29:20

wheels, and it purred like a kitty.

29:22

I heard it coming in.'" "'I

29:24

did it all myself. Worked on it here and there.

29:27

It's taken me almost eight years by now, but

29:29

it was all done on a budget.'" Rusky's

29:33

lips pursed flat across his face. He

29:36

kicked some gravel and then grunted. Bruce

29:39

straightened up. "'I didn't say

29:41

anything to offend him, did I?'" "'Come

29:44

on,' Rusky said. "'Let's go see

29:46

what those other two are up to.'" A

29:50

pungent odor akin to urine and

29:52

rotting meat invaded the newcomer's whole

29:55

factory senses. The shop

29:57

was cluttered with lots of knickknacks

29:59

and souvenirs. hammers, halting the halacious

30:02

smell from escaping, trapping it into

30:04

the dank creases of plaster and

30:06

linoleum. Bruce wandered

30:09

the confined little space. He

30:11

inventoried coolers, roadmaps, and atlases.

30:13

A whole basket full of

30:16

batteries, some packaged, some not.

30:19

Lawn chairs, various books and

30:21

magazines. Typical road trip

30:23

or camping stuff. Tents,

30:26

lanterns, clothes. Perhaps

30:29

that's why this place existed. A little

30:31

pit stop for unfortunate travelers who forgot

30:33

a few necessities at home. Stock

30:35

paying gouged prices for their mental

30:38

lapses. And clearly, this was

30:40

the only place out this way to buy

30:42

anything. The only place,

30:44

period. Bruce kept

30:46

scanning. Jewelry, sunglasses,

30:50

cameras. These

30:52

aren't really what I'm looking for. Jane

30:54

said, staring at the back wall. The

30:57

cameras were all either digital or the kind

30:59

that required an actual roll of film. Nice

31:02

to have, sure, but expensive.

31:06

I just need a disposable camera, actually. Like

31:09

a 27 exposure style with a flash. Rusky

31:12

foraged under the sales counter, then

31:14

produced a wicker basket full of

31:16

disposables. None in packaging. Jane

31:19

took one from the top of the pile. It

31:22

had a little lightning bolt next to the shutter.

31:25

Perfect. Why aren't any

31:27

of these in boxes? She asked.

31:30

Just the way they ship to me. Rusky

31:32

explained. Two for $20. No

31:36

thanks. Just the one, please. She

31:38

said and retrieved her purse rummaging through

31:40

it for cash. The total

31:42

came to $13 even. The

31:45

price of late night shopping at a

31:47

dumpy little roadside shop. Shoot.

31:51

Bruce, hun, do you have another dollar? She

31:53

asked, still looking through her purse. Mark

31:57

reached into his pocket and produced four quarters.

32:00

Air Jane say Rusky, you

32:02

know where there's a motel around here cheap

32:05

Rusky looked up at him with the same

32:07

stone face. He had given Bruce earlier That

32:11

cheapest place you're gonna find around here is your car

32:14

Otherwise keep going down SR 54 road

32:17

right out front there and you'll see a

32:19

motel laid about 10 maybe 15 miles down

32:25

For They

32:27

left the shack a little after the

32:29

Sun had completely sat and headed toward

32:31

the motel according to Rusky's directions Bruce

32:35

didn't recall seeing a motel let

32:37

alone Rusky's roadside stand when they

32:39

cruised in from the freeway must

32:41

be a little off course The

32:44

road smoothed out they were dodging fewer

32:46

potholes on this stretch and things seemed

32:48

to get a little less desolate a

32:51

City feeling no, but at

32:53

least it didn't feel like they were in a

32:55

ghost town anymore It

32:57

was a quarter to ten when they pulled into the

32:59

motel parking lot Bruce saw

33:01

a gas station across the street probably

33:04

one that sold disposable cameras But

33:06

the sign on the door read closed

33:09

a 24-hour Denny's and a Walmart sat

33:11

kitty corner to the gas station Motel

33:14

8 a budget-minded college

33:17

students best friend Mark

33:19

said then patted Bruce on the back as

33:21

they walked into the lobby a One

33:24

room two bed space was available and

33:26

they took it gladly Jane

33:29

used her new camera taking pictures of

33:31

the room while blinding Bruce with a

33:34

bright flash Mark devoured

33:36

the little Andy's mint set out on

33:38

the pillows always

33:40

eating that kid Bruce

33:42

picked up the mint from one of the pillows on

33:44

his bed Fancy he

33:47

said chuckling throwing the chocolate to

33:49

mark Another flash

33:53

he could hear Jane winding the camera for

33:55

the next picture But the winding

33:57

sound didn't cease as if already out

33:59

of film them. What?

34:02

No more pictures? That old

34:04

guy ripped me off. I think someone already used

34:06

it," Jane said, frowning.

34:08

She looked at it once more, confirming

34:10

that all the film had been used,

34:13

shook it, then tossed it onto the bed.

34:17

After watching some of the advertised

34:19

free HBO, the trio decided to

34:21

go lights out. Bruce,

34:24

however, stared up at the dark

34:26

ceiling, stirring. Something

34:28

didn't feel right. That

34:31

old man, something

34:33

seemed off about him, about this

34:35

town, maybe even this trip. He

34:38

didn't think it was cold feet. Could

34:40

you even get cold feet just asking someone to

34:43

marry you? He closed

34:45

his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

34:52

5. Bruce opened his eyes close to

34:54

noon the next day, sleeping a little

34:56

longer than expected. He could

34:59

hear Jane in the shower singing

35:01

something unrecognizable but not unpleasant and

35:03

Mark downing what was left of

35:05

a plate of bacon, presumably from

35:07

some continental breakfast bar downstairs. He

35:10

let out a satisfying belch and smiled

35:12

at Bruce, who got out of bed,

35:14

stretched, and started to pack up his

35:16

things. Soon after, the

35:18

motel keys were turned in and the

35:20

trio hit the road again. Hey,

35:23

can we stop and get my film developed before

35:25

we get too far down the road? I'd like

35:27

to mail off my letter with some pictures. Jane

35:30

said. Bruce knew it

35:32

wouldn't be a quick retreat, it would set them

35:34

back at least an hour, but he

35:37

said yes. They went

35:39

to a one-hour photo express inside the

35:41

Walmart, dropped off the disposable camera, and

35:43

bummed around the store for a while,

35:46

looking at things they didn't need and

35:48

couldn't afford anyway. The

35:50

store was desolate, employees outnumbering the

35:52

customers, an unusual circumstance for the

35:54

global retailer even if the store

35:57

sat squat in the middle of

35:59

the stick. The

36:01

film, in turn, finished in about

36:03

40 minutes. Bruce

36:05

paid the woman at the counter and gave the

36:07

picture packet to Jane. She opened

36:09

them up, smiling like a kid on

36:12

Christmas morning. People always

36:14

seem so eager to see their pictures.

36:17

Funny though, Bruce mused. In

36:19

essence, they've already seen the pictures. It was

36:22

from their eyes that they were created. Well,

36:26

almost true for the throwaway

36:28

bargain camera from Russky's. 12

36:31

of the photos she recognized as her own. 15

36:34

of the pictures weren't of them or

36:36

anyone she'd ever seen. I

36:39

knew the old fart gave me a used camera. Jane

36:42

said, thumbing through the pictures she

36:44

hadn't taken. They looked

36:46

like someone's wedding pictures. A

36:49

woman, not much older than Jane, posed with

36:51

her groom in most of the photos. Pictures

36:54

of them at the altar, cutting

36:56

cake, dancing. The photo that

36:58

stood out the most displayed the wedding

37:00

rings. Man, look

37:02

at that rock, Mark said.

37:06

The diamond, a little smaller than

37:08

a marble and shaped like an

37:10

angular heart, shone brightly. Next

37:12

to it lay his ring, a gold

37:15

band with a border of little doves

37:17

along the outside. Yeah,

37:19

that guy must be loaded, Bruce

37:22

suggested. Strange. How

37:25

did that old dude get their camera? Mark

37:27

asked. I don't know.

37:29

Maybe he found it. They

37:32

left the Walmart and drove the short distance

37:34

down to the city's post office. While

37:36

Jane tried to figure out the

37:38

correct postage for the weight of her

37:41

letter and photos, Mark and Bruce admired

37:43

the wide variety of celebrity stamps. The

37:46

post office had a deserted feeling to it,

37:49

like every other place in this town they

37:51

had visited. Above the stamp

37:53

machine hung a cork board half full

37:55

of postings. Cars for sale.

37:57

Garage sales. Missing pets.

38:00

and people. Bruce did

38:02

a double take when he happened across one

38:04

of the pictures. It was a

38:06

black and white facsimile of a missing woman. Although

38:09

a bit grainy, the image was

38:11

clear enough to set off an alarm in his head.

38:15

Hey Jane, you still have those other pictures?

38:17

The ones of the married couple? She

38:20

pulled the sleeve of photos out of her purse and handed

38:22

it to him. What he saw

38:24

didn't make sense and gave him a nauseous

38:27

feeling. He beckoned for Mark.

38:30

Look, Bruce said, handing the photo

38:32

over to Mark, then motioning to

38:34

the cork board. There's

38:37

no way. I'll be

38:39

a monkey's fucking uncle, said

38:41

Mark. The resemblance

38:44

was eerie. The woman

38:46

from the local missing persons poster had to

38:48

have been the same lady from the wedding

38:50

photos. Had to. Mark

38:53

and Bruce stood next to each other,

38:55

not moving. I

38:58

was the same woman posted on

39:00

the chalkboard labeled as missing on

39:02

a camera that came from some secondhand pit

39:05

stop out in the middle of nowhere. Jane

39:08

finished her postage situation and called for Bruce

39:10

to tell them that they could get going

39:13

again. She walked by and

39:15

he grabbed her shoulder. Look,

39:19

he stopped her. It took

39:21

her a little while longer to figure out

39:23

the similarities. That's the

39:25

same woman, dear God, the

39:28

same damn woman. Her

39:31

hand began to tremble, shaking the photograph as

39:33

if she had taken it with a Polaroid.

39:36

We should call the police right away. She

39:39

said no hesitation in her voice and

39:42

tell them what exactly. We

39:44

have pictures of a missing girl we developed

39:46

from a camera that we just so happened to

39:49

have purchased from some old geezer who looks

39:51

like he may be related to the monsters. Mark

39:54

asked. Bruce wanted to

39:56

laugh at his friend's comment, but

39:58

that deep burning One sick feeling

40:00

in his gut halted any humor.

40:04

Well, we have to do something. That

40:06

old man probably took her stuff and has to

40:08

have something to do with her disappearance, Jane

40:11

argued. Bruce leaned

40:13

on the stamp counter and put his hands on

40:15

his temples. Jane

40:17

was right, yet so was

40:19

Mark. It might look suspicious

40:22

if they went to the police about it, being

40:24

in possession of the camera. The

40:26

man would deny selling it to them. And

40:28

where was the husband from the wedding photos at and all

40:31

of this? Was he not missing

40:33

as well? Where was his missing

40:35

person's bullet in? But

40:37

what if she's alive? What

40:40

if she's locked up in that old man's

40:42

store room? Maybe her husband too? Are

40:44

you going to let them die? Where's

40:47

your conscience at today, bruisey old boy?

40:51

At home, where I should be, he

40:53

muttered. What? Jane

40:56

asked. He shook his head.

40:59

Well, what are we supposed to do

41:01

here, Jane? Mark's right. We

41:03

can't just go to the police and tell them we had nothing

41:05

to do with this. Bruce said,

41:07

immediately wishing he could take it back.

41:11

Jane's stare shot daggers into his

41:13

eyes. He grimaced. Jane

41:16

turned around back towards the mail counter

41:18

and walked up to the postmistress, who

41:21

sat sorting letters. The ruffling

41:23

sound of paper filled the small building.

41:26

Excuse me, ma'am? Jane said,

41:29

vying for the postmistress's attention again.

41:32

What can you tell us about that missing woman up there on

41:34

the corkboard? Do you know anything about her? The

41:38

postmistress looked up at Jane, pointing toward the

41:40

old black and white scan. She

41:42

straightened the letters she had been filing and

41:44

set them aside. Well,

41:47

from what I can gather, that young lady and

41:50

her husband came through here some years back. They

41:53

was on their honeymoon, heading up to Portland, to

41:55

visit some lighthouse isn't all that kind of business.

41:57

The postmistress said, she continued to look at

42:00

Jane's continued. "'Only they didn't

42:02

ever make it, you see.' The

42:04

family got all concerned after they were expected back

42:06

from their trip and never showed up back home.

42:09

The family even called the bed and breakfast in

42:12

Portland, where they were supposed to be staying, but

42:14

the proprietor said they never showed." Proprietor

42:17

came out Proprieta. The

42:20

postmistress licked her thumb, looked down

42:22

at her remaining letters, and started

42:24

sorting again. Wise

42:26

and her husband up there too, next to her,

42:28

is a missing person. Bruce asked.

42:31

He swallowed hard and part of him didn't

42:34

want to hear the response. "'Oh,

42:37

the story doesn't end there, young man,'

42:39

the postmistress said. The

42:41

family retraced all the couple steps. Saw

42:44

that they had purchased gasoline across the street from here,

42:46

you know. Said so on the man's credit

42:48

card statement and all. So here

42:50

was the family up here, canvassing around

42:52

all our little town, knocking on doors,

42:55

asking if anyone had seen him or her. And

42:58

truth be told, I did see him. Came

43:00

in here just like you all, looking to buy some stamps.

43:03

Only we don't take cods here, so I sent them

43:06

over to Walmart. They have an ATM inside, you see.

43:09

Anyway, they came back in, got their stamps,

43:11

and that's the last I seen of them.

43:14

And that's when her trail went cold." "'So

43:17

you were the last one to see both

43:19

of them?' Mark asked

43:21

from behind Bruce and Jane. "'Maybe

43:24

the last one to see her,' the

43:26

postmistress responded. "'Now you'll notice

43:28

I said that's where her trail went cold.

43:31

No one has seen her since. At least that's what

43:34

I reckon, from what I heard. The

43:36

family kept retracing their steps and never got any

43:38

farther. But, a

43:40

few weeks later, the man's credit card started

43:42

being used again. Way out

43:44

in Ohio, some furniture store. Police

43:47

said the description of the man in Ohio using the

43:49

card matched the man that came in here with his

43:51

new bride. They've been looking for

43:53

him ever since. I suppose there ought

43:55

to be a wanted poster up there next to her with his

43:57

face on it." So

44:00

what, they assumed the man killed her

44:02

on their honeymoon and took off to

44:04

Ohio? Jane asked. Sweetie,

44:08

it wouldn't be the first time a man had

44:10

done his wife like that. The postmistress said she

44:13

got up from her stool behind the counter. She

44:16

walked over to a deposit box and tossed in

44:18

the batch of letters she had been sorting. And

44:21

I bet it won't be the last time neither. Out

44:25

in the parking lot, Jane stood,

44:27

arms folded, next to the Pontiac's

44:29

open passenger door. Bruce

44:31

and Mark were already inside, ready to try

44:33

to make up some time on the interstate.

44:36

The sun turned Jane's hair into

44:39

an almost fiery gold as the

44:41

slight breeze whipped it around. Jane,

44:44

are you alright? We're ready to

44:46

hit the road, Bruce said as

44:48

he looked through the windshield at his girlfriend.

44:52

She didn't move. What's

44:54

wrong? A hawk

44:56

zipped by overhead. Jane

44:58

looked up at it, noticing it had something

45:00

in its talons as it flew by. She

45:03

dropped her arms to her side and looked into the

45:05

car. Something still

45:07

seems off about the missing girl. I

45:10

don't know. It's just... it

45:13

all seems wrong. Mark

45:15

leaned up from the back seat and said, Hell

45:18

yeah, something was wrong. The dude

45:21

offed his wife and skipped down, probably

45:23

with another woman to a different state.

45:25

You heard the lady in the post

45:27

office. Let's get going. No,

45:30

that's not what I mean. There's gotta

45:32

be more to it than that. Something

45:34

doesn't make sense. Jane said. From

45:38

the driver's seat, Bruce licked his

45:40

chapped lips and sighed. Something

45:43

was bugging him about the story as well,

45:45

whether he wanted to admit it or not.

45:48

He was hoping they would have all loaded into the

45:50

car and got back on course, but

45:52

now he felt relieved that Jane had

45:54

similar feelings. It's

45:57

the camera, right, Jane? Why would

45:59

that old man have the camera? What was

46:01

he doing with it? You both

46:03

saw how many cameras he had unboxed

46:05

sitting there for sale," Bruce

46:07

said. "'And now we

46:09

have the photos.'" "'Well,

46:12

maybe they donated it to him or something

46:14

like that,' Mark chimed in. "'Maybe

46:17

they visited him and needed something else and had

46:20

traded the camera for it.'" Sweat

46:23

started to show the first signs of

46:25

standing out on Bruce's brow. He

46:27

rolled down his window to let the air flow in.

46:30

"'Don't be stupid, Mark,' Jane said.

46:34

Perhaps the heat was getting to her as well." "'You

46:37

saw her ring. I don't think they had

46:39

money issues. And you know damn

46:41

well that camera wasn't worth anything but those photos

46:43

that were on it. He stole

46:45

the damn thing.'" She finally

46:47

got into the car, sitting hard in

46:49

the passenger seat. She

46:51

craned her neck around to look at Mark and

46:54

then back to Bruce. "'We

46:56

have to go back. What if they're

46:58

both alive and he's torturing them?' Jane

47:01

said. Silence.

47:04

"'Oh hell no. I ain't going back

47:07

there. Especially if that shit is

47:09

true. That place gave me the creeps.

47:11

Besides, what are we gonna do about it when we

47:14

get there? Ask Rusky if he has

47:16

a woman chained up somewhere? If

47:18

he has a man buried out back? I

47:21

say we just leave and forget we

47:23

ever saw those pictures,' Mark

47:25

said. Now he folded his arms

47:27

across his chest. Bruce

47:30

had no intention of playing the

47:32

hero. The shack also

47:34

gave him an unnerving sense of

47:36

eeriness. His mind, however,

47:38

had already been made up. Fear

47:41

be damned. Listen,

47:44

we go back there, snoop around, and

47:46

maybe find some more concrete evidence. Something

47:49

that wouldn't implicate us and any sort of

47:51

homicide, but really point the finger at Rusky

47:53

instead. If he has actually

47:56

done anything, Bruce said. they

48:00

were both right. He couldn't let

48:02

this one go either, as much as he'd

48:04

rather be counting cows again en route to

48:07

a comfortable bed. No,

48:09

Mark may have not agreed, but

48:12

he would submit. So,

48:14

let's get going I guess,

48:17

Mark said, hanging his head. The

48:22

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48:24

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48:27

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49:25

6. Daylight was dying when the trio

49:27

pulled into the gravel parking lot once

49:29

more. Bruce killed the

49:31

engine and told Mark to go around back.

49:34

The anxiety began to build in Bruce's

49:36

mind like a steam train, yet he

49:38

couldn't help but feel a tinge of

49:40

silliness in his instruction to Mark. Go

49:43

around back? Why? In case

49:46

the bad guy tried to make an escape

49:48

through a secret door? Bruce

49:50

chuckled to himself, not wanting the others

49:52

to hear, but Mark obeyed

49:54

and trotted around to the back as Bruce

49:56

and Jane walked in through the front of

49:59

the shack. "'Stinks,'

50:02

Mark said, and it did, as

50:04

a foul odor invaded his nostrils.

50:07

He heard the faint clanking of dull bells somewhere

50:10

off toward the front of the store as his

50:12

friends must have made their way in. He

50:15

held his nose and continued into the

50:17

thicket behind the building. To

50:19

him, the area smelled like burnt

50:21

hair and feces. Not

50:24

a great combination. He

50:26

made his way past waist-high brush, swatting

50:28

at a throng of flies as he

50:31

progressed. The humidity seemed

50:33

at bay for now, but the

50:35

insects persisted. Ten

50:37

feet in front of him, a clearing

50:39

appeared. It looked man-made, as

50:41

if someone came through with a machete

50:43

and hacked away at nature's growth. Not

50:47

far into the clearing, Mark could

50:49

make out eight long piles of

50:51

freshly turned dirt in the dwindling

50:53

light. He edged closer.

50:57

Big enough for a body, Mark

50:59

thought. The smell became

51:01

more intense. Mark's stomach

51:03

tightened, then went loose.

51:06

He had to perform a 180 and let go

51:08

of his lunch. "'Hello?

51:13

Rusky, you here?' Bruce called

51:15

out. No answer. He

51:18

and Jane strolled through the dusty

51:21

little shop, browsing like before, this

51:23

time looking for something of use but

51:25

not knowing particularly what that may be.

51:29

A loud barrage of thumping came from the

51:31

direction of the back room. Jane

51:33

shrieked. Rusky appeared

51:36

from the side counter, fat,

51:38

bald, and odorous, wiping his

51:40

hands together. "'Heh,'

51:43

he said. "'Yo, kids again, I

51:45

see. Come back to make another purchase.

51:48

I don't give refunds so you can forget that if

51:50

you didn't like your camera.' He

51:52

looked past Jane and Bruce and scanned the rest

51:54

of the store. There's the

51:57

other one. In the car still.

52:00

Fired from the trip and all, Bruce

52:02

said without breaking eye contact. Jane

52:05

nudged up beside him, grabbing hold of

52:07

his arm. We just

52:09

needed a few more things before we hit the

52:11

road again, Jane said a

52:13

slight waver in her voice. Rusky's

52:17

eyes squinted and darted between the

52:19

two, looking them up and down.

52:21

His right hand fidgeted as his upper

52:24

lip curled into a sneer. The

52:26

curious old man asked, Like

52:29

what? Well, you

52:31

know, perhaps another camera. I

52:34

just love taking pictures. Maybe

52:36

a keychain, some little knick-knack. Any

52:39

postcards? Jane asked, half

52:41

hoping the old man would notice her

52:44

sarcastic tone. Postcards?

52:47

Funny, Bruce thought. Hopefully,

52:50

the kind not already written on

52:52

by dead people. Look,

52:54

you really want to know why we're back?

52:58

I fucked up, Bruce said. Jane

53:01

looked up at him, her brow furrowed

53:03

into a network of thin lines. She

53:05

lightly kicked at his foot, burning rays

53:07

through him with her eyes. She

53:10

didn't know how to play off this new narrative,

53:12

and it almost sounded as if he was going

53:14

to come right out and say it. We

53:17

think you're a murderer. You

53:21

see, Bruce said, after he

53:23

let out a long breath, I

53:25

asked my girl here to marry me. And

53:28

of course, I received a sound answer.

53:31

But the thing is, I have no ring.

53:34

Now, we were already on the way up

53:36

to New Hampshire to visit my parents, share

53:38

the wonderful news. But how can

53:40

I really do that with no ring? Jane

53:44

relaxed. Her grasp on Bruce's arm loosened

53:46

as she saw what he was trying

53:48

to accomplish. So,

53:50

you have any jewelry, Rusky? Something

53:53

simple? Bruce asked. Rusky

53:56

looked at the couple, eyes

53:58

still narrowed. reached up

54:00

and scratched his stubble-filled chin,

54:03

producing a sandpaper-like noise. After

54:06

a long pause, he grabbed

54:08

a small white tray from beneath the show counter

54:10

in front of him and plopped it down on

54:12

the display surface. Twenty or

54:14

so different rings, men's and women's,

54:17

shone dully in the scant light. Better

54:20

have brought some cash back with you from when you

54:22

first stopped by, Rusky said. Oh,

54:26

look, Jane said, nudging

54:28

Bruce and the ribs. This

54:31

one is beautiful. She hoped

54:33

her faux enthusiasm didn't set off

54:35

any alarms. The ring she pointed

54:37

to had a plain white gold

54:40

band and a sizable, heart-shaped

54:42

diamond in the setting. That

54:45

one is nice, though I bet

54:47

it's expensive, Bruce said and

54:49

looked up at Rusky. He

54:51

studied the old man's face, looking for

54:53

any tells that the curmudgeon might be

54:56

on to their little stunned. But

54:58

Rusky remained still, arms

55:00

crossed against his chest, looking indifferently

55:02

at the couple. We

55:05

could even get yours at the same time, hun. What

55:07

do you think about that one? Jane said,

55:09

studying a finger at a man's ring in

55:11

the corner of the tray. Bruce

55:14

saw what this ring looked like in

55:16

his own mind before turning toward the

55:18

tray corner. Gold,

55:21

bordered by doves. The

55:24

two of them looked at each other. They

55:26

had seen enough. How

55:29

much for those two rings? I have my wallet

55:31

in the car and… Mark

55:33

burst through the front door, coated

55:35

in sweat, breathing in great heaves.

55:38

Guys, we need to go, now. Mark

55:42

said, trying to stay calm as his

55:44

voice hitched between his gasps for air.

55:47

Now, the trio looked at each

55:49

other, frozen in place, then

55:52

turned their heads to Rusky. He

55:55

let out something between a laugh and

55:57

a growl and slammed his hand on

55:59

something below. the sales counter. Steel

56:02

bars came protruding through the ceiling,

56:04

clamping into the ground at breakneck

56:06

speed and sealing off the entrance

56:08

to the shack. The

56:10

old man produced a revolver from the

56:12

back of his waistband, aiming it in

56:14

their direction. No

56:17

escape. No other way

56:19

out except maybe beyond the man with

56:21

a gun. I

56:24

don't think you're going anywhere, Rasky

56:26

said. He

56:28

directed the group into the back room,

56:30

which resembled a makeshift kitchen. A

56:33

dirt-stained porcelain sink, no larger than

56:35

a basketball, was mounted to one

56:37

wall, and beside it, a small

56:39

cupboard with a propane camp stove

56:42

atop sat cockeyed. A

56:44

small dormitory refrigerator sat against the

56:46

wall, perpendicular to the cupboard ten

56:48

feet away. The walls

56:51

were green, like gypsum, and

56:53

waterlogged from years of humidity

56:56

and condensation. In

56:58

the middle of the room, there was a

57:00

divider made from wrought iron mesh, the spacing

57:03

in the mesh about a half inch in

57:05

diameter. The smell of

57:07

rotting flesh mixed with the

57:10

sickly, cloying odor of blood,

57:12

fouling the stale air. The

57:14

room was poorly lit and messy with

57:17

used dinner plates stacking up on a

57:19

small table in the corner. Next

57:22

to the dishes sat an open bag

57:25

of zip ties. Tie

57:28

him up, Rasky said to

57:30

Mark, motioning toward Bruce with the pistol.

57:33

Screw you, man, Mark said.

57:36

What are you really going to do if I don't? Shoot

57:39

me? Are you really going to shoot me?

57:43

Rasky looked Mark up and down,

57:45

considering the question. He

57:47

shrugged his bony, deformed shoulders.

57:50

Yes, he replied, dropping his

57:52

aim to the meat of Mark's thigh

57:55

and squeezing the trigger. The

57:57

pistol's deafening blast filled the room with

58:00

acrid smoke. The bullet

58:02

tore through Mark's quadriceps, allowing

58:04

warm, dark blood to cover

58:06

his jeans. He fell

58:08

to the floor, clutching at the wound,

58:10

screaming in anguish like a tied up

58:12

dog stuck in a patch of fire

58:14

ants. "'Now, tie

58:17

them up or I'm gonna shoot you again, but

58:20

it won't be in the leg next time,' Rusky

58:22

said. Unaware, the bullet had

58:25

nicked Mark's femoral artery, and

58:27

if the bleeding didn't stop soon, another

58:29

gunshot wouldn't be necessary. He

58:32

grabbed Mark by the arm and hoisted him

58:35

to his feet, never letting the gun barrel

58:37

wander too far from the other two. Mark

58:40

took the zip ties from the bag

58:42

on the table, laced one through the

58:44

wrought iron mesh and around Bruce's wrist.

58:47

The tie made a high pitched swishing

58:49

noise as it tightened, and

58:51

Jane began to sob. Next,

58:54

he zip tied Jane. After

58:57

Mark had completed his arduous task,

59:00

Rusky grabbed another zip tie and secured

59:02

his remaining victim, knowing the blood soaked

59:05

boy wouldn't put up much of a

59:07

resistance. Instead, Mark

59:09

looked into the old man's lunatic

59:12

yellowing eyes and spat.

59:15

Rusky wiped off the Flemmy

59:17

saliva and chortled. "'Oh,

59:20

you must be stupid, boy. You

59:22

shouldn't have done that,' Rusky

59:25

said, jamming the barrel of the

59:27

revolver deep into Mark's ashen neck.

59:30

No, sir-y." He

59:33

sat down his sidearm and went towards the back

59:35

of the kitchen, returning with

59:37

a dull, rusty butcher's knife.

59:41

"'You know what I do to people who disrespect

59:43

me? People who spit in

59:45

my face? I got

59:47

them. After all, I

59:49

am getting a little hungry,' Rusky

59:52

said, a maniacal smile spreading

59:54

across his whiskered face. Mark

59:57

began to squirm against the metal

1:00:00

mesh. thrashing his wrists, the zip

1:00:02

ties digging deeper. Rusky

1:00:04

lifted the blade to just below

1:00:07

his prisoner's xiphoid process, and

1:00:10

slowly inserted it, ripping

1:00:12

through the flesh and cartilage. Bruce

1:00:15

and Jane dropped their heads and

1:00:17

squeezed their eyes shut. The

1:00:20

blade continued into Mark, making a

1:00:22

sick cracking noise, scraping the end

1:00:24

of his ribcage. After

1:00:27

burying three quarters of the knife

1:00:29

into his victim, Rusky started ripping

1:00:32

down the belly in rough jagged

1:00:34

hues, blood oozing out like used

1:00:36

motor oil. Perhaps

1:00:38

in a fit of shock, Mark

1:00:41

remained stoic, not

1:00:43

screaming, not crying, not

1:00:45

moaning. The only thing

1:00:47

moving was his mouth, opening

1:00:49

and closing like a half-dead fish out

1:00:52

of water. A

1:00:54

wet laugh gurgled from Rusky's gullet as

1:00:56

he continued the incision down to the

1:00:59

belt line. The tatters of

1:01:01

Mark's shirt were no longer striped and

1:01:03

green, but a dark wet

1:01:05

collar, with pink and yellow

1:01:07

glistening carrion where the cut stood.

1:01:11

Rusky removed the knife and licked blood

1:01:13

from the blade. After

1:01:15

smacking his lips with his

1:01:17

sandpapery tongue, he tossed aside

1:01:19

the knife and reached both

1:01:21

hands into Mark's gaping chest

1:01:24

cavity. He tore away

1:01:26

at the loose flesh of the belly

1:01:28

and plunged farther into the open wound,

1:01:30

grabbing for the intestines. He

1:01:33

removed a mass of entrails, brought

1:01:35

them to his crooked nose, and

1:01:38

sniffed. Frowning, he ripped

1:01:40

the rest of the handful of guts out

1:01:42

and slammed them to the floor. Bruce

1:01:46

bit his lower lip and kept

1:01:48

quiet, feeling helpless and fearing he

1:01:50

was next. He

1:01:53

heard the wet slosh of Mark's

1:01:55

inside smacking the dirty floor. Jane

1:01:58

glanced at the noise, saw what

1:02:00

was happening, gagged, then

1:02:03

vomited a watery yellow stream.

1:02:07

Rusky laughed again. "'Just

1:02:09

add to the stinkin' pile, my dear,' he

1:02:12

said." "'You're a damn

1:02:14

psychopath!' Jane bawled. Her

1:02:16

face was red and wet. She

1:02:19

looked at Bruce, and his

1:02:21

glassy gaze remained on the floor. Taking

1:02:25

eye contact with Jane, Rusky

1:02:27

reached back into Mark's now

1:02:30

lifeless body, seized on

1:02:32

an organ, and ripped it free. The

1:02:35

stringy gore that hung from the heart

1:02:37

in Rusky's hand reminded Jane of the

1:02:39

pulpy sinew from pulling the top off

1:02:41

a carving pumpkin. He

1:02:43

held the bloody mass in front of

1:02:45

Jane's face, but she turned her

1:02:47

head away. Grabbing her

1:02:49

by the chin, he snapped her head back

1:02:52

and made her watch as he took a

1:02:54

mouthful out of the dead organ. Blood

1:02:57

gushed out of the corners of his

1:02:59

mouth, trickling down like little streaks of

1:03:01

watery ketchup. He ground

1:03:04

the meat up with his rotting

1:03:06

teeth, mouth open. Jane

1:03:09

screamed. Rusky

1:03:11

swallowed and said, "'Now, if I leave you

1:03:13

two lovebirds alone, I trust you all won't

1:03:16

get up to any funny business on God.

1:03:19

I'm suddenly hungry for some brain food.

1:03:21

It's gonna take something mightier than a

1:03:23

butcher knife to pop your friend's top

1:03:25

off.'" The old man

1:03:27

grabbed his pistol and left back through the

1:03:30

curtain and into the storefront. When

1:03:32

he was out of sight, Bruce worked at

1:03:34

sawing the plastic ties against the mesh. "'Bruce,'

1:03:39

Jane said, voice barely above a

1:03:41

whisper. He killed Mark." Her

1:03:44

sobs were calming, but the catch in

1:03:46

her voice started to spike. "'Mark's

1:03:49

dead. He's going to

1:03:51

kill us too, isn't he?'" Bruce's

1:03:54

wrists started to turn red from the

1:03:56

friction of the zip ties, but he

1:03:58

felt the metal shred the the weakening

1:04:00

plastic little by little, the

1:04:02

only thing working in him now, the

1:04:05

instinct to survive. He

1:04:07

didn't think about the police and the

1:04:09

questions about witnessing his best friend's murder.

1:04:12

He wasn't reflecting upon the fact that he would

1:04:14

be lucky if he ever got more than a

1:04:16

few hours of sleep now for the rest of

1:04:18

his life. Tiny streams

1:04:20

of blood formed where the zip ties

1:04:22

dug into his wrist. They continued to

1:04:25

fray as he worked his hands back

1:04:27

and forth in frantic swipes. His

1:04:30

mind was only set on one

1:04:32

thing, survival.

1:04:36

It seemed Rusky had been gone for a while

1:04:38

now. Bruce let out a

1:04:41

loud groan strained against his restraint

1:04:43

and busted the compromised zip tie.

1:04:46

He rubbed at his aching wrists. Get

1:04:49

me down, Jane said, hearing

1:04:52

the snap. She tried to

1:04:54

keep her eyes open and her head

1:04:56

clear, but the shock started to take

1:04:58

hold and the color drained from her

1:05:00

face. Bruce grabbed the

1:05:02

same knife that had moments before

1:05:04

disemboweled his best friend, looked

1:05:07

at it, hesitated, then

1:05:09

cut the zip ties away from Jane's wrists.

1:05:12

She fell into Bruce's body and he caught

1:05:14

her. They embraced, knowing

1:05:16

their time had to be limited,

1:05:19

but lived in that small

1:05:21

moment of warmth, support, and

1:05:23

comfort. A moment

1:05:25

of familiarity. Let's

1:05:27

get the hell away from here, Bruce. Please.

1:05:31

Bruce put an arm around Jane,

1:05:33

diverting his eyes from Mark's hanging

1:05:35

corpse, trying to avoid the bodily

1:05:38

things littered on the ground before

1:05:40

them. His eyes darted to

1:05:42

the front their only

1:05:44

way out. As they

1:05:46

hobbled forward, a cool steel barrel

1:05:48

of a shotgun poked through the

1:05:51

curtain. Bruce didn't have to see

1:05:53

the rest to know who was on the other

1:05:55

end. Rusky drew the

1:05:57

curtain back with his free hand.

1:06:00

Thought I heard something. Where

1:06:02

y'all think you're going? Am I not

1:06:04

a good host?" he said.

1:06:07

Look, we just don't want to die. My

1:06:11

car, you can have it. Just don't

1:06:13

kill us, Bruce said, removing

1:06:16

his arm from Jane. He

1:06:18

reached into his pocket, produced the

1:06:20

keys to his Pontiac, and raised

1:06:23

both hands into the air, inching

1:06:25

toward Reski. The old

1:06:27

man smiled and nodded. Here,

1:06:30

just take them, Bruce said, and

1:06:32

threw the keys into Rusty's face.

1:06:35

He came down on one knee, ducked

1:06:38

his head from the gun's barrel and

1:06:40

grabbed it at the same time, performed

1:06:42

a sweeping kick, and knocked

1:06:44

Reski to the ground. Bruce's

1:06:47

goal had been to avoid a face

1:06:49

full of birdshot, or whatever the shotgun

1:06:51

was loaded with, but instead,

1:06:53

the weapon clattered to the floor near

1:06:55

his feet. He grabbed it. A

1:06:58

new sense of power fell over him as

1:07:00

he stood up, hovered over the old man,

1:07:03

and pointed the barrel into his

1:07:05

face. Oh,

1:07:08

now what are you gonna do, boy? Shoot

1:07:10

me? Fucking coward you are,

1:07:13

Reski said. Bruce

1:07:16

swallowed hard, a dry click in his

1:07:18

throat bounced through his head. He

1:07:20

had never killed anyone before. Hell, he

1:07:23

had never even fired a gun, but

1:07:25

was fairly confident he grasped the concept.

1:07:28

And anyway, it didn't matter.

1:07:31

This ended now. Goodnight,

1:07:35

Reski, Bruce said, and

1:07:38

squeezed the trigger. Click.

1:07:42

That was it. Click. No

1:07:44

boom, no smoke filling the

1:07:47

air around them, no smell

1:07:49

of gunpowder, just click.

1:07:53

At first, Bruce figured the safety was on,

1:07:55

like in those cheesy action movies when the

1:07:57

bad guy steals the good guy's gun. and

1:07:59

tries to kill him with it. His

1:08:02

thumb felt for the safety toggle, like

1:08:04

a blind man feeling for a doorknob.

1:08:07

He found it. Hope and strength

1:08:09

washed over him in waves, but

1:08:12

he looked down at the toggle and saw

1:08:14

that it was already set to fire, the

1:08:16

red dots staring up at him. That

1:08:19

thing hasn't worked since the day I took it

1:08:21

off the man I killed for it. Hell of

1:08:23

a distraction though. Always told myself

1:08:25

I'd get her smith'd one day, Rusky

1:08:28

said. Go on, try it

1:08:30

again. Bruce pulled

1:08:32

the trigger once more to another

1:08:34

empty click. Rusky bellowed a

1:08:36

guttural gaffaw and started to get back

1:08:38

to his feet. Jane

1:08:40

snatched the gun from the bewildered Bruce.

1:08:43

She gripped it by the barrel and

1:08:45

brought the stock down on Rusky's face

1:08:47

in a fast swoop. He

1:08:50

let out a grunt, then staggered, surprised

1:08:52

by the magnitude of the blow. Let's

1:08:54

go. Jane said, taking hold

1:08:57

of Bruce's hand. He swiped his

1:08:59

car keys off the floor with the other, ready

1:09:01

to get the fuck out. They

1:09:03

went through the curtain and pushed past

1:09:05

the ramshackle racks of clothing and knickknacks

1:09:07

toward the front door, hoping they could

1:09:10

get the bars blocking the exit free

1:09:12

from their holds. Bruce

1:09:14

glanced behind him, knocking over a

1:09:16

table full of old screwdrivers and

1:09:18

wrenches, and saw Rusky

1:09:20

again rising to his feet.

1:09:23

A blow like that should have incapacitated

1:09:26

a man of his age, he thought.

1:09:29

Rusky swayed, stumbled

1:09:31

after the couple. You stupid

1:09:33

kids! There's no way out!

1:09:36

he said. Between

1:09:38

them, the sales counter acted as a

1:09:40

barrier keeping each party at bay. Bruce

1:09:43

and Jane had their backs up against

1:09:45

the bars barricading the door, pinned

1:09:48

like animals. Rusky

1:09:50

circled the counter, retrieving his six

1:09:53

shooter, now secured in a shoulder

1:09:55

holster, from a shelf beneath. He

1:09:57

laced his arms through the leather hoops and

1:09:59

unlit. latched the holster strap. The

1:10:02

droning buzz from the neon signs

1:10:04

hanging in the dirty window behind

1:10:06

them seemed to give call

1:10:08

to Bruce and he lunged toward the

1:10:11

old man, aiming to leap the counter

1:10:13

and grab for the gun. His feet,

1:10:15

however, never gave purchase

1:10:17

and he slipped on the wax-worn

1:10:20

linoleum and sprawled onto the floor.

1:10:23

Jane rushed forward and grabbed the back of

1:10:25

Bruce's shirt, trying to pull him back to

1:10:27

his feet. Neither of

1:10:29

them noticed Rusky round the counter

1:10:32

until he had a fistful of Jane's

1:10:34

damp hair. He pulled up

1:10:36

and yanked her into his body, her

1:10:39

face contorting as she screamed in pain.

1:10:42

He pulled out his pistol, held it to

1:10:44

her temple, and wrapped an arm

1:10:46

around her neck, ending her

1:10:48

bid for escape. Let

1:10:50

her go, Bruce said, voice

1:10:53

cracking. His breathing became

1:10:55

heavy, beads of sweat rolled down

1:10:57

his face as he crabwalked into

1:10:59

the sales counter. Don't

1:11:02

worry, boy. I ain't gonna shoot her.

1:11:04

Ain't really my style. So, impersonal,

1:11:07

don't you think? Only reason

1:11:09

I shot your body is because you wouldn't play

1:11:12

by the rules, Rusky said,

1:11:14

holstering his gun. Jane's

1:11:17

eyes met Bruce's. They

1:11:19

were wide and bloodshot, but

1:11:22

it was the screwdriver in her left

1:11:24

hand that Bruce focused on. No,

1:11:27

not my style at all. Think

1:11:30

I'll cut her instead. Sound

1:11:32

good to you, boy? Rusky

1:11:34

asked. He reached into his

1:11:36

pants' pocket with his free hand and

1:11:39

retrieved a switchblade. He

1:11:42

pressed the button on the handle and the

1:11:44

knife swung out and locked into place. The

1:11:46

silver blade felt cool on Jane's

1:11:49

neck as he pressed it into

1:11:51

the soft flesh of her throat. Sure

1:11:54

you wanna watch? Rusky asked

1:11:56

Bruce. Bruce

1:11:59

felt helpless. He could do

1:12:01

nothing. If he tried to make a move,

1:12:03

Rusky would plunge the knife into his

1:12:05

girlfriend. If he did nothing,

1:12:08

Rusky would cut her still the same. He

1:12:11

hoped she could get enough leverage to land the

1:12:13

screwdriver in her fist into the old man and

1:12:16

get free of his grasp. It

1:12:18

was then their eyes met again, and he

1:12:21

saw her raise the screwdriver up and

1:12:23

blindly land it into the leg of

1:12:25

her captor. She drove it

1:12:27

in farther still and twisted it, but

1:12:30

he did not let her go. Rusky

1:12:33

bellowed and grasped for the handle

1:12:35

protruding from his thigh, falling back,

1:12:37

stunned. Jane thrashed about

1:12:39

in his weakening grip and bit into

1:12:41

the forearm wrapped around her neck. Rusky

1:12:44

screamed again, dropped his hold on

1:12:46

Jane, but in the

1:12:49

same motion brought the switchblade up

1:12:51

and slashed deep into her neck,

1:12:54

tearing it open. The

1:12:56

flesh hung slack like raw

1:12:59

bacon. Blood flowed

1:13:01

down past her collarbone and soaked into

1:13:03

her blouse. She dropped

1:13:05

to her knees and grasped at her

1:13:07

neck with both hands. As

1:13:10

she began to drop, Bruce regained his

1:13:12

footing and dove at Rusky, but was

1:13:14

a step too late to halt the

1:13:16

attack on Jane. He crashed

1:13:18

into the old man, rattling the bars

1:13:20

securing the front door. Bruce

1:13:23

popped up and crawled on his knees

1:13:25

toward Jane, who remained posted up in

1:13:27

a sitting position against the wall, spitting

1:13:29

up globs of red. Jane,

1:13:32

we have to get out of here, Bruce

1:13:35

said as he grabbed his girlfriend under her

1:13:37

arms. Rusky squirmed

1:13:39

and grunted mere feet away from

1:13:41

them, working on prying the screwdriver

1:13:43

from his leg. One

1:13:46

of the steel bars worked free of its hold

1:13:48

after the collision it sustained with the two men.

1:13:51

Bruce hobbled toward Rusky and the

1:13:53

front door, still holding up Jane,

1:13:55

whose face looked like a waxen

1:13:57

doll. Bruce brought his

1:13:59

foot down. on the handle of the screwdriver

1:14:02

and forced it deeper into Rusky's leg. By

1:14:04

now, the leg looked like a

1:14:06

strawberry jam ping cushion. He

1:14:09

began again to wail, but was

1:14:11

cut short as Bruce used his foot to

1:14:13

knock the old man out of the way

1:14:15

of the door, connecting his heel with the

1:14:17

old man's nose. He let

1:14:20

out a muffled cry and fell limp to

1:14:22

the floor. Blood pooled on

1:14:24

the linoleum. Bruce

1:14:26

rattled the other steel bars protecting the

1:14:28

door, but they didn't move. He

1:14:31

glanced around the small shop, looking for something

1:14:33

heavy enough to break the glass on the

1:14:35

window next to the door. His

1:14:38

eyes landed on the sales counter. For

1:14:40

the most part, the counter was empty, nothing

1:14:43

heavy enough to aid in their escape. But

1:14:45

for a moment, clarity returned to

1:14:48

the foggy haze that filled his

1:14:50

brain. The button. Of

1:14:53

course, the button! Under

1:14:55

the sales counter, he remembered the old

1:14:57

man slamming a button that made the

1:14:59

steel bars fall from the ceiling. He

1:15:02

gently laid Jane down on the floor

1:15:04

and rounded the counter. The

1:15:06

button stood out, attached to the side

1:15:08

of the shelving underneath the cash register.

1:15:11

He pushed it and looked up at the bars. They

1:15:14

didn't move. He pushed it

1:15:16

again. Nothing. He

1:15:19

tapped the button as hard as he could,

1:15:21

cursing to himself as the bars remained in

1:15:24

their hold. Bruce

1:15:26

heard a groaning noise and looked

1:15:28

up to see Rusky moving. Why

1:15:31

isn't this working? He

1:15:34

dropped down to eye level with the button

1:15:36

and saw a little nub set down in

1:15:38

a recessed area of the pad. He

1:15:40

pushed it up like a light switch and heard

1:15:42

a click. A salty,

1:15:45

copper taste filled his mouth. Must

1:15:48

have bit the inside of my lip, he thought.

1:15:51

He sometimes chewed the insides of his cheeks

1:15:53

until they bled, a nervous habit

1:15:55

he hadn't practiced since he was a child.

1:15:58

This time when Bruce Bruce pushed the

1:16:01

button, the steel bars disappeared into the

1:16:03

ceiling. Rusky groaned

1:16:05

again, knowing what the noise was.

1:16:08

He grabbed a table near him, trying to hoist

1:16:10

himself to his feet. Bruce

1:16:12

ran back to Jane, picked her up, and

1:16:15

opened the front door with his back as

1:16:17

he dragged his girlfriend out into the gravel

1:16:19

parking lot. Rusky unsuccessfully swiped

1:16:21

an arm at them as they made

1:16:24

their way outside. The

1:16:26

couple reached the Pontiac. Bruce

1:16:28

pulled open the passenger door, slid Jane

1:16:30

into the seat, and sped around to

1:16:33

the driver's side, sliding in the loose

1:16:35

gravel. He started the

1:16:37

old car, and as it roared to

1:16:39

life, he punched the accelerator, back tires

1:16:41

spitting up dirt and gravel. He

1:16:44

looked into the rearview mirror and

1:16:46

saw the front door swing open

1:16:48

again. It's going

1:16:50

to be alright. We'll get you to

1:16:53

a hospital, and you'll be alright. Please

1:16:57

stay with me, Jane, Bruce

1:17:00

said, as tears started to well up

1:17:02

in his eyes. The

1:17:04

car thundered away down the county road

1:17:06

that originally led them to the damned

1:17:09

shack. It was slick and

1:17:11

shiny in the moonlight. Had

1:17:13

it rained while we were in there? Bruce

1:17:16

supposed it was a possibility. There

1:17:18

were other pressing matters keeping them occupied.

1:17:22

He looked up into the rearview again

1:17:24

and saw shape appearing in the scant

1:17:26

light. It grew larger until

1:17:28

Bruce could see it was a motorcycle. An

1:17:31

old man on a motorcycle. At

1:17:35

that moment, things began to run

1:17:37

together. Noises, sights,

1:17:40

direction. Bruce

1:17:42

remembered hearing four, maybe

1:17:44

five gunshots. Why

1:17:46

didn't I grab his gun when he was out on

1:17:48

the floor? He saw

1:17:50

the sparks like little tracers from the

1:17:53

stray rounds. Wait, did

1:17:55

I hear something hit the car? A

1:17:58

thud and pop. The

1:18:00

tire blew out. The car skidded out

1:18:02

of control. Bruce saw

1:18:04

a deer and mashed the brake

1:18:06

pedal. The car

1:18:08

slid sideways, wiping out the deer

1:18:10

before slamming into a giant oak.

1:18:12

The front end of the car

1:18:14

danced with flames. Bruce

1:18:17

felt his legs, back and

1:18:19

neck start to throb in

1:18:21

aching spasms. He looked out

1:18:24

and saw Rusky ten yards away

1:18:26

on the motorcycle. Another

1:18:29

gunshot. Bruce smelled the

1:18:31

familiar odor of gasoline and

1:18:33

screamed. Bright orange and

1:18:36

yellow light blinded him as a

1:18:38

deafening sound ruptured his eardrums. He

1:18:41

felt heat. Rusky

1:18:44

sped away, back towards the

1:18:46

shack. Dark had fallen completely

1:18:48

and the old man could see a

1:18:50

faint orange glow off in the distance

1:18:53

when he turned into his gravel parking

1:18:55

lot. Rusky stared at the

1:18:57

fire as if in a trance. It

1:18:59

held his attention. He couldn't look

1:19:01

away. Not even the throbbing

1:19:04

pulse of pain from the hole in

1:19:06

his leg, caused by that little bitch,

1:19:08

could distract him. He

1:19:10

looked on for ten minutes, which

1:19:13

became twenty and soon thirty

1:19:16

until finally deciding to go back inside

1:19:18

and begin cleaning up. Before

1:19:21

he made it through the door, Rusky heard

1:19:23

the crunch of gravel behind him. Cops

1:19:26

already? No, that

1:19:29

couldn't be right. He didn't

1:19:32

hear a car pull in, much less a

1:19:34

piercing siren, reflecting its cool

1:19:36

blue and red off the foliage around

1:19:38

the shack. He turned

1:19:40

around, expecting perhaps another deer,

1:19:43

but saw a man instead, staggering

1:19:46

toward him, a blanket of

1:19:49

blood covering most of his face.

1:19:52

Where the hell you come from? I fucking

1:19:55

killed you! I know I did!

1:19:58

Rusky said, rubbing it old,

1:20:00

yellow eyes. Bruce

1:20:02

limped closer to the old man. His

1:20:05

shirt was seared down the right side, and

1:20:07

a portion of his hair had melted to

1:20:09

his scalp. One eye,

1:20:11

puffy and bruised, looked like it

1:20:14

might never open again. The

1:20:16

blast had thrown him through the windshield, which

1:20:19

had mostly broken out from the impact of

1:20:21

the tree. He had time

1:20:23

to unlatch his seatbelt before the

1:20:25

explosion, which propelled him into the

1:20:27

water-filled ditch soothing the scorched portions

1:20:30

of his body. If

1:20:32

the blast had knocked him unconscious, he

1:20:34

would have drowned, Rusky being none

1:20:37

the wiser. Instead,

1:20:40

Bruce now stood face to face

1:20:42

with the man who had gutted

1:20:44

his best friend, killed

1:20:46

his girlfriend, and came

1:20:48

near to taking his own life. Blood

1:20:51

trickled from his mouth as he

1:20:54

began to talk. You

1:20:56

have no clue what

1:20:59

you took from me, Bruce said,

1:21:01

edging closer. He spat

1:21:04

part of a tooth into the gravel. I

1:21:07

want you to beg for

1:21:09

your life before I take it. You

1:21:13

ain't taking shit from me, boy, Rusky

1:21:16

said. He reached down for

1:21:18

his pistol. He knew he had another

1:21:20

round left, I was pretty sure of

1:21:22

it anyway, and started to grin,

1:21:25

but his hand grazed an empty

1:21:27

holster. The smile faded

1:21:29

from his face as he looked down. Looking

1:21:33

for this, old man? Bruce

1:21:35

asked, holding the revolver up to

1:21:37

Rusky's face. I suppose

1:21:39

your holster works much better when the

1:21:41

safety straps fastened. Oh, I

1:21:44

still would have come found

1:21:46

the gun. I would have bashed your

1:21:48

head in with one of your ornamental balls out here

1:21:51

if I had to. But finding

1:21:53

this on the road after I crawled

1:21:55

out of the ditch? Instant

1:21:58

karma, wouldn't you say? say." Rusky

1:22:02

realized his mistake and cursed himself.

1:22:05

He looked at the boy, aiming the pistol

1:22:07

at his face, and asked yet again, What

1:22:10

are you going to do now, eh? Shoot

1:22:14

me? The old man launched into a fit

1:22:16

of laughter as if he had heard the

1:22:18

funniest thing ever spoken between two people. He

1:22:21

closed his eyes and his laughs wove

1:22:24

in and out of several hectic coughing

1:22:26

spats. Bruce gripped

1:22:28

the pistol with both hands and wrapped

1:22:30

the pad of his pointer finger around

1:22:33

the pistol's trigger. As

1:22:35

he squeezed, Bruce began to

1:22:37

scream. His throat

1:22:39

became raw, his own blood

1:22:41

coating his vocal cords as

1:22:44

the blast from the revolver tore through

1:22:46

the silent night. Rusky's

1:22:49

body flew backward, landing in a

1:22:51

lifeless heap on the gravel. Bruce's

1:22:54

finger continued dry firing the

1:22:56

pistol, but the empty clicking

1:22:59

noise was masked by his screams. Finally,

1:23:03

Bruce stopped. He

1:23:05

dropped to his knees beside the dead man

1:23:08

and the gun tumbled from his grip. He

1:23:11

put his hands to his face and

1:23:13

wept. After.

1:23:19

Bruce sat the bouquet of white roses

1:23:21

on a patch of earth next to

1:23:23

Jane's headstone. His mind

1:23:25

tried and failed to wrap itself around

1:23:28

everything that happened in the past two

1:23:30

weeks. He glided along

1:23:32

as if in autopilot as

1:23:34

he attempted to rebuild the shattered pieces

1:23:36

of his young life. Tomorrow

1:23:39

he would fly back home and

1:23:41

perform the same morbid ritual for

1:23:43

Mark, helping carry his best friend

1:23:45

to an open hole in the

1:23:47

ground, where eventually he'd turned to

1:23:50

dust. Why couldn't

1:23:52

it have just been me? It

1:23:55

seemed like every newspaper on the east coast

1:23:57

had been hounding him, calling and leaving

1:23:59

messages at all hours of the day and

1:24:01

night. Right now, though, he

1:24:04

wasn't talking to anyone. Not

1:24:06

his family, not any friends,

1:24:09

and certainly not reporters. He'd

1:24:11

find his voice again some day, but

1:24:14

for now, he lived with the guilt

1:24:16

of being alive and took solace in

1:24:18

the silence. He

1:24:21

ran his hand over the top of the gravestone.

1:24:24

The granite, a red and black

1:24:26

cottage blend, but smooth

1:24:28

and cool to the touch. He

1:24:31

closed his eyes and pictured Jane,

1:24:33

smiling at him with the bright

1:24:35

sun kissing her bare shoulders. After

1:24:39

the investigation was settled, state troopers

1:24:41

and the FBI found that William

1:24:44

Brookfield Ruskin had murdered over 26

1:24:47

people, including the young bride

1:24:49

and groom from the photos on the

1:24:52

disposable camera, based on remains found on

1:24:54

his property. Other missing

1:24:56

persons that fit the geographical profile

1:24:58

and timeline had had their possessions

1:25:01

recovered from his roadside shop, but

1:25:04

their bodies were never found. The

1:25:06

investigators were able to pinpoint ownership of

1:25:09

the higher valued items. Ruskin

1:25:11

never bothered to scratch VIN numbers off

1:25:13

the vehicles he took from his victims

1:25:16

and narrowed down his methodology. It

1:25:19

was simple enough, lure unsuspecting

1:25:21

campers and passerby with the promise

1:25:23

of last minute needful things, still

1:25:26

the weakest of his customers,

1:25:29

then steal their valuables to use

1:25:31

as products in his store. The

1:25:34

cycle repeated itself for years. Most

1:25:38

of the folks gathered at the gravesite meandered

1:25:41

back to their cars, ready to travel the

1:25:43

short distance to the dining hall to have

1:25:45

a celebration of life for Jane. Bruce

1:25:48

glanced around and figured he ought to

1:25:50

be leaving as well. He had

1:25:52

to catch a red eye to Jacksonville. He

1:25:55

looked down at the grave a final

1:25:57

time, kissed his hand, and and

1:26:00

put it down on the granite. A

1:26:03

thick gray storm cloud rolled in and

1:26:05

blocked out the sun. He

1:26:07

hoped the weather would be better in

1:26:09

Florida. You've

1:26:21

Been Listening to The Shack by

1:26:24

A.W. Mason A.W.

1:26:26

Mason lives in Florida with his

1:26:28

cats Wallace and Belle, retired

1:26:31

extreme parkour artists who look

1:26:33

so dapper in their little helmets

1:26:35

and knee pads. He

1:26:38

enjoys all the nachos, getting lost

1:26:40

in the woods and naps. Mason

1:26:44

has published several books including A

1:26:46

Haunt of Travels, The

1:26:48

Cleanup Crew, The Scampering, co-authored

1:26:51

with Alana K. Drex, and

1:26:54

Judy Martin's Final Curtain Call.

1:26:57

His short stories have appeared in

1:26:59

various anthologies. You can find

1:27:02

more of his work through Vellux Books, www.veloxbox.com

1:27:12

Ah, nothing like cruising through

1:27:14

the countryside with some friends on a

1:27:17

nice summer day. That

1:27:19

being said, as someone who has

1:27:21

spent a decent amount of time

1:27:23

driving through rural Pennsylvania, I

1:27:26

can tell you listeners that this

1:27:28

one isn't too far-fetched. In

1:27:30

fact, the only thing that really put a dent

1:27:32

in my suspension of disbelief is

1:27:35

that they didn't stop at a Sheets or

1:27:37

a Wawa somewhere. Oh

1:27:39

well, I suppose there's always next

1:27:41

time. Well, for

1:27:44

Bruce at least. Thank

1:27:46

you all for joining me this fine evening,

1:27:50

and thanks also go to A.W. Mason

1:27:52

and Vellux Books for tonight's story. I

1:27:55

also can't forget to thank Danielle Hewitt

1:27:58

again for providing her voice talent. I'll

1:28:01

be back next week with a fun

1:28:03

little double feature, so be sure to

1:28:05

come back. Until then,

1:28:07

friends, stay spooky.

1:28:13

You've been listening to the Horror Hill

1:28:15

Podcast, a production of Chilling Entertainment and

1:28:17

the creative team Chilling Tales for Dark

1:28:19

Nights. Tonight's episode

1:28:22

was hosted and narrated by

1:28:24

yours truly, Eric Peabody. Social

1:28:27

music provided by Eric Peabody and

1:28:29

Nicky McSorley. Finalization

1:28:31

by Eric Peabody and Craig

1:28:33

Groeschak. Got a

1:28:35

terrifying tale of your own that you'd like

1:28:38

performed? Email it to

1:28:40

us at natalie at chillingtalesfordarknights.com

1:28:42

to have your work considered

1:28:45

for future production. Seeing

1:28:47

as how we're all living in

1:28:49

a technological nightmare of our own

1:28:51

devising, I'll ask you to follow

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hit the bell notification icon if

1:28:59

you're listening to this on YouTube.

1:29:02

Not only will you have appeased the dark

1:29:05

gods of cyberspace, but

1:29:07

you'll be kept in the loop as

1:29:09

we prepare more terrifying content. If

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you'd like access to uninterrupted horror,

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free of ads and these annoying

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recommend becoming a patron? You'll

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get access to hundreds of episodes of

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this show, as well as everything from

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the other programs in the Chilling Tales

1:29:28

for Dark Nights cabal. That

1:29:31

means all of Otis Chiry's scary

1:29:33

stories told in the dark, Drew

1:29:35

Blood's Dark Tales, Paul

1:29:38

J. McSorley's Fear from the Heartland,

1:29:40

and more. It's a veritable

1:29:42

smorgasbord of horrific delights.

1:29:46

As for me personally, I'm on

1:29:48

most social media as Viking

1:29:50

Guitar, or Viking Guitar Productions.

1:29:53

I'm always on the lookout for new

1:29:55

stories to narrate and new music projects

1:29:58

to mix or master. If

1:30:00

that's of interest to you, feel free to

1:30:02

reach out and we can talk turkey. Also,

1:30:05

I will be back next week

1:30:07

with more terrifying tales to keep

1:30:09

you up all night. If

1:30:12

darkness is what you are after,

1:30:15

listener, your search is over. Yet

1:30:18

let it be known, you

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haven't found the darkness. The

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darkness has found you. You

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