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Listen away.

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Since the Rapscallion agency is taking a bit

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of a break for the holidays, we figured we'd

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introduce you to some new shows to listen to

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while you're waiting. And for those itching for

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a show that will get your heart pumping, I'm excited

1:00

to introduce adrenaline. Adrenalin

1:03

is a curated collection of realm's most

1:05

riveting thrillers. Its newest season,

1:07

Low Life, follows a Cupacobra exterminator

1:10

and a marine biology student who become

1:12

unlikely allies while solving a murder

1:15

when they suspect that the Cupacobras are

1:17

not the only monsters lurking in the Florida

1:19

swamp. Adrenalin is available wherever

1:21

you get your podcast, but there's no need to rush

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over there just yet. Because we have the

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first episode of the current season of Low

1:27

Life for you to listen to right here

1:29

right now. So get ready to embark

1:32

on a journey of adrenaline.

1:40

Hello, friend. Welcome back to adrenaline

1:43

realms thriller channel. I am your host

1:45

as always, Neil Heller's, so glad that

1:47

you're back. And this is the first episode

1:50

of our next show together. And before we

1:52

get right to it, just to recap.

1:54

So far together, we have been to

1:56

the Bermuda Triangle. We have been to

1:58

frigid north. We've been to the California coast,

2:01

and we even took a quick trip into

2:03

a parallel universe. And so

2:05

here at Realm and with Adrenalin, what we're really

2:07

trying to do is get at what makes

2:09

a what ties all these really different

2:11

places together. And in low life,

2:14

which is written by Steve Marcarelli and

2:16

Billy Lawler, we are going to

2:18

a truly harrowing destination. The

2:21

Florida swamps. I know. I know. It's

2:23

going to be okay. However, I should also

2:25

say that this is voiced by Nick Sullivan

2:27

and Eleanor Codell, and they are

2:29

playing respectively a Cupacomber

2:32

exterminator. Yes, you did hear me correctly,

2:34

and a marine biologist. And it just

2:36

gets weirder from there. So take

2:38

a listen to the episode. I'll be here when

2:40

you're done and I have a theory that ties

2:43

everything together. So Enjoy,

2:45

this is low life episode one.

2:53

No way, Embrae. Brad

2:55

Marlon stepped out of his rusty Subaru

2:57

Brat and into the driveway of a Spanish

3:00

style Hacienda. You'll never

3:02

pass it. His partner,

3:05

Eduardo ECCMendia, slammed the

3:07

passenger door shut and cracked his knuckles.

3:10

There's no lie detector test, he said.

3:13

Marlon reached under the driver's seat and

3:15

grabbed an old machete. He

3:17

slid it into the leather sheath hanging from

3:19

his belt. You bet your ass

3:21

there is, and that needle's

3:23

gonna shake like an earthquake when they get a load

3:25

of you. He walked to the

3:27

back of the vehicle. Across

3:29

the rear window of the camper shell,

3:31

sun bleached decals spelled

3:33

out critter county pest control.

3:36

Marlin popped the latch. The

3:39

truck bed was a knurled of hoses,

3:41

cases, and exotic

3:42

gear. I can

3:44

pass it. Eduardo said, you

3:47

passed

3:47

it. That was like twenty years

3:50

ago. They let anyone on the force

3:52

back then. These days,

3:54

they ask all sorts of

3:56

personal questions. About

3:58

what? Marlin

4:00

lifted his sunglasses to the

4:02

top of his head. He squinted

4:04

in the blazing Fort Lauderdale sun.

4:07

You remember my buddy deeked the freak,

4:09

ponytail, he runs those airboat

4:12

tours? Well, Nick

4:14

took the police exam a few years ago

4:16

before he grew his hair out, did

4:18

well enough on the written part, charmed

4:20

his way through the interview, ached the

4:22

field test, But then,

4:24

they take him into a room where they

4:26

strap him onto a polygraph machine.

4:29

First, they ask about the usual stuff

4:31

shoplifting, unpaid parking

4:33

tickets. But then,

4:36

they start grilling him about his

4:38

sex life. Edward

4:40

reached for a big black case. Leave

4:43

the traps Marlon told him. Clients

4:45

said they already have it cornered. Sounds

4:48

like it's a handful. Marlin

4:50

grab that carry all of spray bottles

4:52

full of neon colored liquids. So

4:56

they start asking all these questions.

4:58

Are you into role play?

5:00

Any kinky fantasies? Have

5:02

you ever seen a porno? Now,

5:05

Deak, knows the cops don't hire

5:07

pervs, so he just keeps answering.

5:10

Nope. To every question. He

5:12

can hear that little meter thingy scratching

5:14

right off the charts, but he just keeps

5:16

repeating. Nope. Nope.

5:19

Nope. Eduardo pulled

5:21

out a super softer topped with a mag

5:23

light. Marlin shook his head. Let's

5:25

stick with large march. She's

5:28

light, but I'll refill her tomorrow. Eduardo

5:31

put the court gun and yanked

5:33

at a large rolling tank with

5:35

hoses sticking out at every angle. It

5:37

looked like a shop vac fucked in

5:39

octopus. So

5:41

the cops see Deeks sweating. Did

5:43

I mention there's a lady cop there too?

5:46

She's staring at him like she's

5:48

judged Judy or some shit. And

5:50

Deke can't take it anymore. He

5:52

breaks down, starts crying.

5:55

Seriously? I shit you not,

5:57

literally crying. Then he

5:59

spills it, tells them about the small

6:01

fortune he spent paying Dominatrixes to

6:03

roll them up in blankets and step on him

6:05

in high heels. Jesus.

6:09

What a weirdo? Don't know I can

6:11

tell you try it. Anyway,

6:13

the cops broke him. Cracked him

6:15

wide open. This grown

6:17

man crying about stilettos and

6:19

shag carpeting on his police exam

6:22

Did they hire him? Of course,

6:24

they didn't hire him, not after that display.

6:27

Eduardo shook his head. I'll

6:30

be okay. I'm not a freak.

6:33

You can be a freak. I'm a

6:35

freak. We're all freaks, Marlon

6:37

said. Slamming the hat shut.

6:40

Just don't lie about it. Brown

6:44

presents low life. Episode

6:47

one. Mister

6:52

Garrity, A geyser in a faded

6:55

floral shirt and a terrible toothache

6:57

led Marlin and Wardo and

6:59

their rolling pump unit down the hallway

7:01

of a home decorated in QVC

7:04

Southwestern Motif. Baxter

7:07

was making an awful record this morning,

7:09

but it seems to have quieted down.

7:11

The old man said, If

7:13

it turns out he already croaked, I'm

7:16

not paying you. He's probably

7:18

just napping. Marlon told him,

7:21

Edward noticed a crooked picture

7:23

frame in the hallway, a faded

7:25

photo of a young man in an army

7:27

uniform standing next to a pretty girl.

7:30

He reached up to straighten it. Don't

7:32

you touch that? Yelled a blue haired

7:35

woman in an electric wheelchair. Sorry.

7:38

Eduardo said, Marlin

7:40

nodded to her. Afternoon, ma'am,

7:43

she pointed at Marlin's caddy of

7:45

cleaning supplies. Are

7:47

you gonna kill this thing or wash its hair?

7:50

Oh, these This work

7:52

can get pretty messy, so we've

7:54

started offering a full cleanup service.

7:56

You won't get that personal touch from the big

7:58

franchise guys. Garrity

8:00

pointed at a door off the kitchen. It's

8:03

inside the laundry room. Any

8:06

idea how the sucker got past your sensors?

8:09

Marlon asked, Garrity

8:11

jerked a thumb at his wife. Eric

8:13

goddamn chair knocked into that junction

8:15

box. The lights were up for about

8:17

an hour. The thing chewed its

8:19

way right through the screen door. Knew

8:22

you fixed doors, missus Garrity

8:24

asked, Marlon's side.

8:27

Not yet, but we're thinking

8:29

about it. A squeal

8:31

erupted from the laundry room followed

8:33

by a frantic scratchy scent.

8:36

Sounds like he's awake. Marlin

8:38

said? Eduardo

8:40

flicked the toggle switch on a large

8:42

lantern mounted to the spray gun.

8:44

It started to What's

8:47

that? Mister Garrity asked,

8:49

Mercury vapor. It's our

8:51

version of a stun gun. And

8:53

what's in that tank? Christ.

8:56

The old timers asked so

8:58

many questions. Marlin

9:00

grabbed the spray gun from Eduardo and

9:02

connected the hose. You don't wanna

9:04

know. Marlon

9:06

cracked the door open and peeked inside,

9:09

creased light shown through Venetian

9:11

blinds across an overturned laundry

9:13

basket. No sign of the

9:15

pest. He turned to

9:17

Eduardo. I'm going in.

9:19

Just keep the Jews coming. Marlin

9:21

stepped into the laundry room closing the

9:23

door behind him as much as the hose would

9:25

allow. He tipped toeed across

9:27

the room and shut the blinds and

9:29

then took a deep breath in the sudden

9:32

darkness. Alright,

9:35

pal. Where are you?

9:37

He whispered The room

9:39

was small, not a lot of hiding

9:41

places. Near the windows stood a

9:43

shelving unit with a six inch gap between

9:45

the bottom shelf and the floor. Perfect

9:47

for a sucker. Marlon

9:50

squatted down. He hated

9:53

squatting. In high school, he'd thought he

9:55

was going to be the next Gary Carter, but

9:57

his knees couldn't take the

9:58

beating. Marlon groaned

10:00

and realized this was the sort of thing he

10:02

should have Eduardo do.

10:05

He bent down further. Bingo.

10:09

Two glowing red eyes peered out

10:11

from under the unit. Marlin

10:14

rolled over so he was lying on his

10:16

side and quietly aimed the

10:18

spray gun. The

10:20

eyes blinked. Marlin

10:22

pressed the lantern's on button.

10:25

Nothing happened. Shit.

10:29

He gently smacked the flashlight with his

10:31

wrist. Still nothing. He

10:33

could have sworn he changed the batteries

10:36

The creature lunged out at Marlon,

10:38

slashing at his cheek and knocking

10:40

his sunglasses to the floor.

10:42

Marlon mashed the button on the lantern.

10:45

A blinding beam of white hot

10:47

light erupted from the top of his spray

10:49

gun. The beast jumped at him

10:51

again, but Marlon caught it in mid

10:53

air with the light beam. It's

10:55

squealed and fell to the floor. It

10:58

was a Cupacombra, about

11:00

the size of a bulldog. With mangy

11:03

white fur and bright red eyes.

11:05

It had sharp quills down its

11:07

spine and a massive horse

11:09

like snout overstocked with razor sharp

11:11

teeth. Marlin

11:13

blasted the animal with an acidic

11:15

mix. The creature thrashed

11:17

and burned dissolving

11:19

into a sizzling ooze of

11:21

hair and flesh. Marlon

11:24

climbed to his feet and opened the

11:26

door. The garodies craned their

11:28

necks at the steaming mess in their laundry

11:30

room. They shielded their

11:32

noses as the funk hit

11:34

them. Marlin grabbed a

11:36

pair of spray bottles and held them up.

11:39

Citrus or Pine scented.

11:42

It

11:47

all started seven years ago.

11:50

Not a damned soul believed

11:52

it at first. The

11:55

earliest recorded sighting came from a

11:57

group of plucky ten year olds down in

11:59

Carl Bay. it called

12:01

the cops about a monster

12:03

they'd seen chasing seagulls.

12:06

Sure. There's a monster. The dispatcher

12:09

told before launching into a lecture about staying

12:11

off the emergency lot. Similar

12:14

calls began to trickle in to animal

12:16

control centers across South Florida.

12:19

Reports of mangi rodents,

12:21

weird ass, tiny dogs,

12:23

angry porcupines, deformed

12:25

dingoes, and spiky

12:27

cats went largely ignored.

12:29

Occasionally, some poor rookie

12:31

would be assigned to actually investigate

12:33

a complaint but whatever they were

12:35

supposed to find was always long gone by

12:37

the time they arrived on the scene.

12:39

But then came an uptick

12:42

in pet maulings. Weird

12:45

scratches on palm trees. A

12:48

teenage boy uploaded a blurry

12:50

YouTube video of a bizarre animal

12:52

running around his backyard. It

12:54

went viral. Late night

12:56

hosts made jokes about the weekly

12:58

world news style monsters seemingly

13:00

stalking Florida.

13:02

Then one of them killed

13:05

a four year old girl in Daniel

13:07

Beach. The thing crawled

13:09

through a window and ripped open

13:11

her

13:11

neck. She was

13:12

an animal lover. Her father

13:15

told the TV crew. She

13:17

probably tried to pet

13:18

it. He said he heard

13:20

his daughter's screams and ran into

13:22

her room, shotgun in hand.

13:25

Blam. Blam. The father told

13:27

the reporter I blasted that

13:29

sucker's head clean off.

13:32

The scientists who examined the animal's

13:34

headless corpse were baffled,

13:37

There was no taxonomy to

13:39

describe these horrible beasts.

13:41

It was undeniable. Strange

13:44

things were a foot in South Florida.

13:46

More sightings, more

13:49

deaths. A few live

13:51

ones were trapped, more

13:53

scientists, more studies.

13:56

We believe that what

13:58

we have here said the

14:00

nervous zoologist at the press conference

14:02

are shoe paccabras.

14:04

Every single reporter's

14:06

hand shot up in unison. The

14:09

zoologist adjusted her glasses and cleared

14:11

her throat. Yes,

14:13

the legendary creatures from folklore,

14:16

they're real, they're here in

14:18

Florida, and they're a problem.

14:21

The Cupacabras multiplied

14:24

at an unprecedented rate. It

14:26

became an infestation. People

14:29

panicked. A lot of them moved

14:31

away, but this

14:33

was Florida. Folks were

14:35

stubborn. They loved the

14:37

weather, the food, the easy

14:39

access to prescription drugs,

14:41

the even easier access to

14:43

illegal drugs, they were

14:45

staying put. So

14:47

a bunch of people died.

14:50

Did owe a ton of cats,

14:52

dogs, goats, rats, snakes,

14:54

and birds. Shupacobras didn't

14:57

discriminate.

14:57

As long as it was

14:59

meat, they eat it. Before

15:02

long, the scientists started learning how to

15:04

deal with them. Shuba cabras

15:07

mostly came out at night.

15:09

They hated bright artificial

15:10

light. There were certain chemical

15:13

mixtures they couldn't stand. The

15:15

tide

15:15

began to turn. Fewer

15:18

deaths, people returned home.

15:20

Every house had security lights

15:22

and sensors installed, Business

15:25

boomed for exterminators. The

15:27

Cupacombra population was cut

15:29

way down. They learned

15:31

to fear humans. And

15:34

humans learn to get used to them.

15:36

The suckers never spread

15:38

much past Daytona Beach and Ocala.

15:40

For some reason, they struggled

15:42

to survive much farther north.

15:45

Within eighteen months, Florida

15:47

had it under control. Mostly.

15:58

The

15:58

Chicken Hut was the last place

16:00

Carrie Carlisle wanted to be at nine

16:03

PM on a Thursday. She

16:05

needed to be at home steadying, but

16:07

that was no longer an option. She

16:09

had a problem and after a series

16:11

of frustrating phone calls, here

16:13

she was. Unlet

16:15

tiki torches and neon beer signs

16:17

adorn the decrepit shanty of a

16:19

bar. Carrie looked down at

16:21

her clothes. Running shorts and an

16:23

old saved the manatee's t

16:25

shirt. Her hair was pulled back into a

16:27

ponytail. The place might be a

16:29

shit hole, but she wasn't exactly

16:31

dressed for a night on the town. The

16:34

door of the bar swung open,

16:36

unleashing the howls of southern rock on the

16:38

unsuspecting parking lot. A

16:40

shirtless man in his sixties decked

16:42

out, found the nearest palm tree

16:44

and hurled a category five

16:46

torrent of mojito vomit all

16:48

over it. A seventy year

16:50

old woman in a bikini top and

16:52

Daisy Dukes followed screaming

16:54

at him from missing their

16:55

song. Maybe Carrie

16:57

wasn't under dressed after all. The

17:00

inside of the chicken hut wasn't any better.

17:03

Fake parrots and real license plates

17:05

lined the shelves behind the

17:06

bar. was too much wicker.

17:08

Funny signs on the walls made light of

17:11

alcoholism and spousal abuse.

17:13

Kerry approached the bartender.

17:15

I'm looking for a Brad

17:18

Marlon. Is he here? Little

17:21

collector or angry

17:21

girlfriend. I need

17:24

an exterminator.

17:25

The bar keep

17:25

not adored a group of man at the far end of

17:27

the bar.

17:28

Guy in the green tank top over

17:31

there. You're just in time too. He

17:33

shouldn't be completely shit hammered

17:35

for another half hour. Carrie headed

17:37

for the group of men. Marlon

17:39

was listening intently to a stocky older

17:41

man with a bus cut and

17:43

a caterpillar

17:43

mustache. Next to him set a young

17:46

Latino, drunkenly swaying on his bar

17:48

stool. As she got

17:50

closer, Carrie heard the older man's

17:52

heavy list. Sweated

17:54

god. This was the biggest god

17:56

damn wahoo you've ever

17:59

seen. Nine feet at least

18:01

bullshit. Marlin said,

18:04

the stocky

18:05

man raised his hand. He had large

18:07

rings on his thick fingers, a

18:09

tattoo of the eagle globe and anchor

18:11

of the USMC climbed the inside of

18:13

his

18:13

forearm. Sogou's

18:16

own a honey, nine feet of glistening

18:19

muscle Long and

18:21

shiny. Just how I like

18:22

them. Tiny?

18:25

Slurred the

18:26

young man. Carrie stepped next

18:27

to Marlon as the man dove back into his

18:30

story. So I'm Will

18:32

and this mighty beast in.

18:34

And I need Phoebe and to get his house out

18:36

of the cabin and

18:37

help. I'm yelling wahoo.

18:40

Wahoo. Now, Phoebe and

18:42

doesn't know wahoo from his

18:44

wahoo. So he just starts yelling too. What makes

18:46

a gay man happier than yelling.

18:48

Whoa. You know? Kerry

18:52

seized on the pause to tap Marlon on the

18:53

shoulder. Are you Brad

18:57

Marlon?

18:57

Marlon to her. And was about

18:59

to respond when the stocky man took

19:01

a loud slur from his banana daquiri.

19:04

He excused me

19:06

missy. But I'm in the middle of a

19:09

story. Marlon

19:10

smiled at her. You don't

19:12

miss with sparky stories.

19:14

I've been for minutes. I'm

19:16

sorry. I shouldn't have. Sparkie

19:19

scoffed and wiped at his nose.

19:22

So this damn fish is a fighter.

19:24

But inch by inch, I am reeling

19:26

him in. All I'm thinking about is

19:28

how sweet this baby's gonna look mounted

19:30

over my son's a sofa.

19:33

He's almost at the surface now,

19:35

and he is huge, like

19:37

ten feet long.

19:39

Wait, what happened to nine?

19:41

Marlon asked,

19:42

I said at least nine. Of

19:45

course, continue. So

19:48

I'm cranking the real and then wham, I'm

19:51

flying backwards, I'm knocking to

19:53

Fabian and we both fall to the

19:55

deck with the hell. I

19:57

had this beauty and I lost

19:58

him. My rods gone

20:01

limp. Sparkie took a long,

20:03

slow sip from his deckerie.

20:05

Carrie looked at him. He looked at

20:07

her. She felt him daring her to

20:10

speak

20:10

again. So I'm looking

20:13

for an I'm not

20:15

finished. Sparky yelled,

20:18

Marlon

20:18

laughed, sparky soldered on.

20:21

So I reel the rest of my line in

20:23

and guess what stuck on the end?

20:27

What? Ask Marlon.

20:28

Sparkie slammed his hand down on the

20:31

bar. The severed head of a twelve

20:33

foot Wahoo.

20:34

Wait, what happened? What

20:37

do you think happened? Something came

20:39

along and chunked the body off before

20:41

I could get it in the

20:42

boat. And just

20:43

how how were you? As

20:46

a cut honey, doesn't mean

20:48

it didn't happen. Something's

20:51

out there. I

20:51

mean, you should hear the stuff I'm hearing over my hand

20:54

radio. This one guy was telling

20:56

me, okay, I'm gonna stop

20:58

you there. Marlin said,

21:00

what'd you do with the fish head?

21:02

The younger man

21:03

asked, I threw that shit

21:06

overboard. What am I gonna

21:08

do with a nasty ass

21:10

wall who hid? Sparkie turned

21:12

back to Carrie. Miss, you

21:14

may now have the floor.

21:16

Thank

21:17

you. She said, she looked at

21:20

Marlon. I need an

21:22

gun, damn it,

21:23

Marlon. The bartender interrupted,

21:25

you've still got a live one out by the

21:27

dock. It spit at this

21:28

kid. He pointed at a crying eight

21:31

year old in swim trunks. At

21:33

a bar, on a school night.

21:36

Marvin polished off his course light.

21:39

Whoops. He timed to carry. What

21:41

do you need? An exterminator tonight. Walk

21:44

me out back. He said,

21:46

hopping off a stool. Carrie

21:50

followed Marlon as he shuffled toward a Subaru

21:52

Brat parked at the edge of the

21:54

water. The bar shared a lot with a

21:56

sunshine marina, which consisted of a tired

21:58

boat house, a narrow ramp, and a

22:00

handful of drydocked boats in

22:02

various states of disrepair. So

22:05

what's going on? He asked over

22:07

his shoulder. I have a chicken coop.

22:09

Some of those things

22:11

got inside. Did your

22:14

scissors fail? I don't know.

22:16

I came home and my alarms were going

22:18

off. I guess that means they're

22:20

working.

22:20

Honestly, I just moved here from up north. I

22:23

don't know the ins and outs of this stuff yet.

22:25

Marlon

22:25

squatted down in front of a stack of blue

22:27

plastic cages, stacked by a

22:29

grimy outdoor slop

22:31

sink. Yankee, what brings

22:33

you to Lauderdale.

22:34

School, I'm just starting a graduate program

22:37

up it. Mom jumped

22:39

back. He pulled a bandana from

22:41

his pocket and wiped at his

22:42

brow. Yep. He's a

22:45

spear, could have sworn this guy

22:47

was dead. Marlin

22:48

popped open the hatch of his truck and pulled out

22:50

a pair of long rubber gloves.

22:53

So school, what are

22:55

you studying? Marine biology.

22:58

No, shit. No one could have bit the

23:00

head off sparky's wahoo. Doesn't

23:02

sound like anything I've ever read about,

23:04

and I knew it. Marlin walked

23:07

back to the spinner. He flipped the latch

23:09

and looked at the doors on the cage.

23:11

Carrie moved to get a better view of

23:13

a wounded

23:14

Cupacapa. Marlon reached in

23:16

for the critter. Got you. Dude,

23:18

shit.

23:18

Why? He pulled

23:19

up the sucker by the scrap of its neck.

23:23

Kerry

23:23

cringed. What are you going to do to it?

23:25

I haven't decided yet. Bravo bleed

23:27

off and blanket over it and give it a couple of wax

23:29

with a hammer. Jesus. I'm

23:33

kidding. A couple of squares that you should do it.

23:35

Figured you're an animal

23:35

lover. Right?

23:37

You could say that. He

23:39

dangled the sucker in front of her.

23:41

You mean one of these bad boys in the flesh

23:42

before? This is my

23:46

first.

23:46

Well, keep your inhumane, spiel

23:48

to yourself. Okay? I

23:50

don't take any joy in killing them, but

23:53

believe you me. The only good

23:55

sucker is a dead man. So

23:57

this might be the point where you turn

23:59

around. I can take it.

24:00

Marlon reached for a spray ball.

24:03

Carrie had a change of heart.

24:05

She spun to face the cheeky hat,

24:08

She heard the aerosol spray, a feeble

24:10

one bird, and the clang of the cage

24:13

door. Marlon peeled

24:14

off his gloves as he walked past

24:16

Carrie. Look, I'm

24:17

packing

24:17

it in for the day, for a second

24:20

time. How about I come by in the

24:22

morning?

24:22

She followed him as he made his way up the

24:25

delivery ramp. And back into

24:27

the bar. He grabbed his shrimp from a plate sitting on a

24:29

kitchen pickup window and popped it in his mouth.

24:31

Please, mister Marlon. I'm

24:34

really scared to stay there tonight. Everyone

24:36

else's booked. Who'd you call? He

24:39

asked, weaving through the crowd. The

24:42

ex terminators. I

24:44

called them and beast be gone and

24:46

those guys are all

24:47

clowns, then you even find me

24:49

here. I

24:50

called your office. The woman said

24:52

you'd

24:52

be here. Barlin hopped back on his stool and

24:55

picked up the fresh cores that the bartender

24:57

had just sat down. That

24:59

woman is my ex wife and she knows

25:01

she's not supposed to send people

25:02

here. Please, I

25:05

can pay you double your

25:06

rate. Marlon

25:07

put down his beer. Hell,

25:10

why didn't you open with

25:11

that? He turned to the young man. You good

25:14

to go back to work Eduardo? Eduardo

25:16

made a drunken okay

25:19

sign. Perfect. Silver bullet for the

25:21

road. Marlon asked him.

25:23

Yep. Marlon pointed at

25:25

Cary.

25:26

Sweetheart, it's Cary. And

25:29

no thanks.

25:30

Marlon called out

25:30

to the bartender. My

25:33

gay, three roadies. I said

25:35

I was all set. Said

25:37

Kerry? No. Two for me. One

25:39

for Eduardo. Marlon

25:40

held a hand up to hide his

25:43

mouth. He's a little

25:45

drunk. He threw down a twenty

25:47

and patted sparky on the

25:48

back. Keep my seat warm. Sparky

25:52

smiled. Do you know how long I've been

25:54

waiting for you to see that?

26:01

The

26:02

brat followed Carrie's Volkswagen Golf

26:04

through the streets of Plantation, Florida.

26:08

Marlon looked at the

26:08

clock ten o nine PM.

26:12

Pushing fifty and still

26:14

making house calls after business

26:16

hours. Why the hell was he

26:18

out here? Then he remembered that

26:20

the truck needed a new transmission.

26:23

Eduardo's head rested against the

26:25

window as he watched the endless rows

26:27

of houses and palm trees through

26:29

the late night

26:29

gloom. Hey,

26:32

thanks for coming along on this Eddie.

26:35

Alaska would have told me to

26:37

fuck

26:37

off. Edward peeled his head off the

26:39

window and smiled a drunken

26:42

smile. No problem,

26:43

boss. I like this job, you

26:46

Beats selling stereo. We'll

26:49

make this a

26:50

quick one.

26:51

Ahead of them, the golf's right

26:53

blinker blink and the car slowed.

26:55

I thought only old people lived out

26:57

here. Said Eduardo, you'd be

27:00

surprised demographics

27:03

shift. The community out here

27:05

is chain Jesus. Marlon

27:07

slammed on the brakes. A red

27:09

headed woman in a yellow sun dress

27:11

stood in the middle of the road. The

27:14

truck screeched to a stop just

27:16

in time to avoid hitting her.

27:18

The woman swatted at the Bratz hood,

27:20

Her ginger hair was a wild thicket.

27:22

Her eyes were sunken

27:24

and dark. Marlon leaned

27:26

out his window. Get

27:28

out of the road, you goddamn crack head, the

27:31

woman, hissed. She was missing

27:33

her front teeth. She

27:36

turned slowly and walked down the street.

27:38

She wasn't wearing any shoes.

27:42

Fucking barefoot lunatic Marlon

27:44

muttered as he parked in Carrie's driveway.

27:46

She was

27:47

already out of her car calling after

27:49

the red headed

27:50

woman. Hey, that's my

27:52

dress. Get back

27:55

here. The woman just kept walking.

27:57

If she heard

27:58

Carrie, She certainly wasn't acting

28:01

like it. I'm talking to

28:03

you, friend of yours,

28:05

Marlon asked through his window.

28:07

I've never seen her before. That's my

28:09

new dress she's

28:10

wearing. She must have pulled it off the clothes

28:13

line. You

28:13

want me to get

28:14

it back from her? Carrie

28:17

hesitated. No. It's

28:19

fine. She probably

28:21

needs it more than I

28:22

do. She

28:23

motioned to a small house surrounded by

28:25

saw grass and mangroves.

28:28

A bay of intruder lights shown on

28:30

the

28:30

driveway. I'm this one here.

28:33

She led Marlin through a side

28:36

gate. Edward lagged behind carrying

28:38

a spray tank. As they stepped

28:40

into the backyard, her motion sensor

28:42

lights nearly blinded them.

28:45

Marlon nodded

28:46

impressed. These HID lights

28:49

are

28:49

great. My

28:50

grandfather put them in. This

28:53

was his place until he went into a home

28:55

a few weeks ago.

28:56

I didn't

28:56

know if they were good ones or

28:59

not. They're the Cadillac

29:00

of the line. I wish more people had them, but

29:03

then I'd be out of business.

29:06

Every window had security bar.

29:08

The side door looked to have at least three

29:10

dead bolts installed. This

29:13

places a fortress. Was

29:15

he stockpiling gold bricks inside or

29:18

just particularly sucker phobic with

29:20

a setup like

29:21

this? I'm surprised you've had problems.

29:25

They moved through the yard. More

29:27

lights blasted down on a rickety

29:29

old chicken coop. The door

29:31

hung from broken hinges. So

29:34

I came home tonight and heard the alarm going

29:37

off. I didn't see anything inside,

29:39

but then I came out

29:41

back and noticed the door hanging off

29:43

like that and, well, see

29:45

for yourself. Marlon poked

29:47

his head inside. Every surface was

29:50

covered in blood and

29:51

feathers. It was a massacre.

29:55

Eduardo peeked over Marlon's

29:56

shoulder. Holy shit. I told you

29:59

it was bad, Carrie said.

30:01

Eduardo pointed to a patch of trampled

30:03

tall grass near the

30:04

coupe. Looks like it came through

30:07

their boss.

30:08

The trail

30:08

led to the edge of the lawn. Good

30:10

luck, kid. Marlon looked at

30:13

Carrie.

30:13

What's beyond

30:13

those shrubs, mostly swamp,

30:16

I think. Edward's

30:18

squatted to get a closer

30:19

look. There's

30:20

a lot of stomped down

30:22

grass. Maybe

30:23

there was more than one sucker, Marlin

30:26

shook his head, not

30:27

likely. They're too competitive. They

30:30

hunt alone. Wow.

30:33

Carrie said, You mean just

30:35

one of those things ate all of my

30:36

chickens? I'm not even

30:39

sure it was one of

30:40

those things. No way a

30:41

sucker would go anywhere near lights this

30:44

strong. Marlon

30:45

watched as Eduardo bent down and put his

30:48

hands on his knees. You

30:50

alright, buddy? Gonna throw

30:53

up? No. There's

30:55

some fresh treks here.

30:57

Looks like human feet. Bearfoot.

31:00

Like a

31:00

woman's. I wasn't barefoot

31:03

tonight, Carrie

31:04

said. But that crack head who stole your

31:07

dress was, my Arlin said, these are

31:09

her prints. Two different things.

31:11

Let's not get them confused. Eduardo

31:13

pumped his fists. You're

31:15

like CSI bro, the cops were stupid to

31:18

fire you. Marlon shot

31:20

Eduardo a dirty look. I quit

31:22

the cops. Embarrassed

31:24

by his outburst, Marlon

31:26

glanced at Cary. Wasn't

31:28

my thing. Too much

31:30

paperwork. I get it, she

31:33

said.

31:33

So have you had a lot of problems

31:36

with crack heads? This isn't

31:38

exactly their

31:39

neighborhood. No. I've

31:42

just seen the one.

31:43

Do we have

31:46

to call her a crack head? Sorry.

31:49

Crack lady. Merlin Grind. So you want

31:51

to show me the place? Inside?

31:55

Sure. Eddie, you okay to

31:57

do a perimeter search? Follow

31:59

the

31:59

trampled grass. Let me know what you find.

32:02

Eduardo gave him a drunken salute.

32:05

I I have hate. Cool

32:13

model. Marlon said, looking at a replica of the

32:15

USS Hazelwood that sat on

32:17

a sideboard in Carrie's front

32:19

hall. Yours? My

32:21

grandfather's He was

32:23

obsessed with that stuff.

32:25

Marlon continued down the hall, carrying

32:27

his mag light mounted supersoaker and

32:29

a ski

32:30

pole. Were you still with the

32:32

police when the chupacobra started showing up?

32:34

She asked. No. I

32:36

was done with the force way before

32:38

that. Took over this business from my

32:41

dad. I'd been killing roaches and

32:43

rats for ten years before that

32:45

boat crashed, He opened the

32:47

closet door and poked inside with

32:49

the ski pole. It's

32:51

just so scary to think they're

32:53

out there, she said. We

32:56

manage. Everyone thought

32:58

the world was coming to an end at first,

33:00

but then it turned out the suckers were

33:02

more like a nasty rodent.

33:05

The scientists all left to go look

33:07

into climate change or

33:08

whatever, left the chupacobras to guys

33:11

like

33:11

me. Marlin opened the door to

33:13

Carrie's grandfather's office.

33:16

Wow. Someone's a

33:18

hoarder. The desk was obscured

33:20

by a mountain of footlockers and cardboard

33:23

boxes. Steel bars covered

33:25

the windows. A desktop

33:27

magnifier sat on top of a large

33:29

shelf surrounded by Korean war

33:31

era paraphernalia, metals,

33:33

field manuals, models

33:35

of boats and airplanes, but

33:37

everything was dwarfed by the

33:39

endless boxes. Yeah,

33:42

I know. Once I'm in the swing

33:44

of things with school, I'm gonna go through all

33:46

of his stuff. Sure you

33:48

are. He said, walking over to

33:50

inspect a collection of bingo cards taped to

33:52

the wall. Wow.

33:54

He was awfully good at Bingo.

33:57

I guess. Carrie

33:59

hated having someone snooping around in

34:01

the

34:01

house. She watched him roll onto

34:03

the floor and check onto the

34:04

bed. To be honest,

34:07

I was nervous about coming down here.

34:10

Carrie said, but I had to move where the dolphins

34:12

were. And I'll admit,

34:12

I'm

34:13

curious about a whole new classification

34:16

of mammal. Marlin poked

34:18

behind some boxes. I

34:20

can tell you some

34:22

stories. The worst was back in two thousand

34:24

thirteen when they really started

34:26

to

34:26

spread. Yeah. I saw

34:27

it on TV. The chupacabras were

34:29

all boning like crazy back

34:32

then. Actually, so

34:34

was I? You know how they

34:36

say humans and chimps are the only

34:38

animals that populate for

34:40

fun? Add suckers to that

34:41

list. They have

34:44

wild sex. You don't

34:46

say.

34:46

I've seen them doing oral.

34:50

Yeah. So it doesn't look like they've been in

34:52

the house, all kinds

34:54

of oral. You'd think they'd be shy

34:56

about it because of the teeth, but

34:58

no. They just go right to

35:00

town on each other. And it's not just the

35:02

girls with the

35:02

guys. The guys will repay the favor if

35:05

you know what I mean.

35:06

Maybe they aren't that

35:08

bad after all. Right? He laughed. Carrie

35:10

looked down at her feet.

35:14

Goddamn it. I went

35:16

too far. I had a

35:18

woman write a pretty nasty Yelp

35:20

review all about how crude I

35:22

was. It's fine, really.

35:24

But anyways, you're all clear.

35:26

Doesn't look like they've been in the house. I'm still not convinced

35:28

it was a cheaper cut a

35:30

blood curdling scream interrupted him.

35:34

Eddie, Marlon

35:39

yelled. Marlin

35:42

burst into the backyard, Supersilker in hand. Carrie

35:45

ran out after him. Stay

35:47

inside, he shouted. She

35:50

didn't listen. He scammed

35:52

the yard. No sign of

35:53

Eduardo. A fierce snarl

35:56

cut through the

35:57

night. What

35:57

was that? She asked.

36:00

No idea. I'm coming with you. Marla

36:02

knew

36:02

he shouldn't take a client out here with him.

36:04

If he had insurance, it certainly

36:07

wouldn't cover this. But he didn't

36:09

have time to argue. He took a flashlight off his belt and handed it to

36:12

her. Stay behind me.

36:14

He said, she powered

36:16

on the

36:18

light. They waited through the bushes at the edge of the yard, beams

36:20

of light scanning the marsh land.

36:24

Eduardo, they stepped into

36:26

a clearing. The

36:28

swamps stretched out before them. They

36:30

heard a splash in the

36:32

distance. Marlon stepped to his

36:34

right, Carrie

36:36

turned left. Stay with me. Damn it. Marlon said, if

36:38

he's

36:38

hurt, we'll find him quicker if we split

36:40

up. She had a

36:42

point. He walked

36:44

the perimeter of the water. He

36:46

called out for Eduardo again. Silence.

36:50

He walked farther. He looked back and saw Carrie's

36:52

beams scanning the other side of

36:54

the swamp. Her light flickered out.

36:58

You okay? He called. My light's dead. Damn

37:02

it. Hold on. I'm coming

37:04

to you. He started

37:06

running when Carrie's scream pierce the

37:08

darkness. Marlon,

37:10

he started sprinting. I'm coming.

37:13

His flashlight found carry on

37:15

her knees covered in

37:18

blood. Eduardo's body lay

37:21

beside her torn to shreds. Big

37:24

chunks of flesh were missing from his

37:26

torso. Blood and organs

37:28

mingled with the swamp

37:30

water. His face was frozen in a rictus

37:34

of terror.

37:38

Carrie's backyard was

37:41

a

37:41

police scene. Yellow tape, big

37:43

Xenon lights up high

37:46

on stands, and

37:47

dozens of uniformed officers who kept asking her

37:49

if she wanted to go inside, if

37:51

she wanted a

37:52

coffee, if she wanted a blanket. Really,

37:54

she just wanted to know what the hell killed Eduardo.

37:58

She

37:58

and Marlon stood by the chicken coop.

38:01

A sheriff his sixties with a big walrus mustache

38:04

in a badge that said

38:06

Atkins asked them questions while a bright

38:08

eyed and bushy tailed cop named Piper

38:10

took notes. Are

38:12

you sure you don't wanna go inside, miss

38:14

Carlisle? Adkins asked,

38:16

again, with this question, I'd

38:19

like to know what's going on. It's

38:21

my house. Suit

38:23

yourself. Adkins said,

38:25

turning to Marlon.

38:26

in

38:26

you say he wasn't teasen or a or anything.

38:30

No.

38:30

Marlon said, he was just doing a

38:34

perimeter check. And did he

38:36

generally know what he was doing in that

38:38

sort of situation? He was

38:40

one of the best assistants I've ever

38:42

had. He wouldn't have done

38:44

anything stupid. Well, he must have done something to rub it the

38:46

wrong way. Piper, mark this

38:48

down as a particularly vicious

38:50

chupa

38:51

cover attack.

38:52

Piper scratched

38:53

into his steno pad. I'm telling

38:55

you sheriff.

38:55

Marlon said, this wasn't a

38:58

sucker. Oh,

39:00

Jesus. What else could it

39:02

have

39:02

been? Could have been a gator? It's

39:04

all swamp back here. It's

39:07

not a gator. The

39:09

Botmocks are too small. Well, what about

39:11

a baby gator? What? A baby

39:14

alligator? Smaller mouths? Piper

39:17

piped in. Baby alligators do have smaller mouths

39:19

and regular sized alligators.

39:22

Thanks for your input, Ranger

39:24

Rick. Adkins

39:26

said, So Marlin, if we could recap. You're telling

39:28

me this kid was damn good at

39:30

his job, but a baby gator

39:33

took him down. Okay. Maybe not. Could have been

39:35

a like an escape zoo

39:38

animal? That's good.

39:41

Maybe a tiger. Piper crossed

39:44

out Chupakumbra, put down

39:46

Tiger. Wait. Baby Tiger.

39:50

Harper updated

39:52

his notes. Don't actually write that. Adkins

39:54

snapped. Sorry, sir. Marlon

39:57

said, look, I'm trying to

39:59

start a dialogue

39:59

here, fellas. Those aren't sucker

40:02

bites, and you know

40:04

it.

40:04

Atkins chuckled and turned to piper.

40:06

Do they still tell stories about

40:08

my how marlon at the academy?

40:11

I don't think so, sir. Marlon's

40:14

cheeks turned

40:15

hot. Atkins continued. Marlon

40:18

here only lasted one day on the

40:20

police force.

40:21

I think

40:21

that's enough. Marlon said,

40:24

what happened? Piper asked Atkins,

40:26

there

40:26

wasn't anything we could do

40:29

for him. He shot himself in the foot.

40:31

Perhaps so? No. He

40:34

literally shot himself in

40:36

the foot. First day

40:38

on the job. The man's a walk in

40:40

metaphor. Oh,

40:42

shit. This is that guy.

40:46

Piper laughed. Marlin glanced at Cary. She offered him a

40:48

weak smile. Okay.

40:50

I get it. Marlin said,

40:53

I'm just trying to tell you what I thought

40:56

happened. I'm a material witness after

40:58

all. Why don't you sit

41:00

your little tuba

41:02

cover traps? And leave the

41:04

real police worked to

41:05

us. Alright? Marlon Skulked off toward

41:07

the house. Carrie caught Atkins

41:09

rolling his eyes to Piper. He's

41:13

just trying to help you know. She said, we don't need

41:15

his help, miss. Why don't

41:17

you go inside? Hi.

41:26

Yes. I was calling to see if you had any

41:28

rooms available tonight. Kerry said

41:30

into the phone, you

41:31

do? Oh my god. Thank you. I was

41:34

starting to think I wouldn't find anything

41:36

this late. How much is

41:37

it? It was more than she was hoping, but

41:38

she had no other options. She booked

41:40

the room as she looked out

41:42

the

41:43

window into her backyard. She

41:46

could see the police outside, instructing the stringers from the local

41:48

news to stay behind the yellow tape.

41:52

Fantastic. It

41:54

was only a matter of time before the network news vans

41:56

showed up. Carrie thanked the

41:58

hotel clerk and hung

42:00

up. She found Marlin sitting

42:02

at her kitchen island nibbling at a hang

42:04

mail. Eduardo wouldn't have

42:06

gotten himself killed by a sucker. He said,

42:08

alright, trained him too well for that. Carrie sat

42:11

down next to

42:11

him. Don't take

42:12

this the wrong way, but he

42:15

was pretty drunk. Wasn't he? Listen,

42:18

I've seen him empty and tired sucker dins

42:20

while he was shit pickled on my ties.

42:22

It wasn't the booze. That

42:25

kid was damn good at this job. I'm

42:27

so sorry. Are you alright? This

42:29

is just so

42:32

awful. I've lost partners

42:34

before. It comes with a territory.

42:36

Sheriff Atkins walked into the

42:38

kitchen holding up a plastic evidence

42:41

bag. One of our men just found

42:43

this. Does it look familiar?

42:46

Inside the bag were tattered remnants of

42:48

yellow fabric. That's

42:50

my dress. Kerry said,

42:52

the one that street woman

42:53

stole. The who? Adkins

42:56

asked, the street woman.

42:58

Oh, the crackhead you

42:59

told us about. Carry side.

43:02

Yes. We found

43:04

it out by the swamp.

43:07

It's in pretty bad shape.

43:09

Oh, no. Do you think it

43:11

got her too? That's what's

43:14

strange. There's no blood at all on

43:16

the dress. It's ripped apart at the seams, but you'd think

43:18

there'd be something on it if there was any

43:20

kind of attack. So

43:22

what are you saying? Carrie asked,

43:26

I'm saying that maybe some cheaper covers pulled

43:28

it off the clothesline and shredded it.

43:31

Marlon stood up, No

43:34

way. A sucker would never do anything like

43:36

that. And she just told you that we saw the

43:38

crack head wearing it. Could

43:40

be that the crack head had the

43:42

same dress. Adkins said, he turned to carry.

43:44

No fins. No.

43:47

None taken. Will. I'll

43:50

have the boys keep a lookout for a naked woman.

43:52

They'll love that. Miss

43:54

Carlisle, do you have a friend's

43:56

place you can stay at tonight?

44:00

I don't know anyone here, but I found

44:02

a room at the orange blossom in.

44:04

You don't wanna stay there.

44:06

Marlon said, it's bed

44:08

bug central. I can't tell you how many calls I had there back in the

44:10

day. The place is

44:12

truly filthy. You really don't want to

44:14

stay there.

44:16

I'll take my chances. They were the only hotel available

44:18

that I could afford. Well, you

44:20

can stay with me if you

44:21

want. I've got a

44:24

second

44:24

bedroom. Kerry looked to sheriff

44:27

Atkins. Marlon's an idiot. But

44:29

he's a decent man. Might take a

44:31

drunk and pass at you, but he knows

44:33

he doesn't have a shot. Marlin

44:35

turned

44:35

bright red. He's joking. Sheriff,

44:37

why'd you say? I just mean

44:39

it safer at my place. No need

44:41

for inappropriate jokes.

44:44

Plus, she's not even my type.

44:46

Carrie felt supremely uncomfortable, but

44:48

she did need a place to

44:52

stay. She also wasn't sure

44:53

Marlin, she's been the night alone. It's not

44:55

too much trouble. I really

44:57

don't want to impose. No

44:59

trouble at all. Stay with me tonight, and we'll

45:02

come back here in the morning to check the

45:04

traps.

45:04

After you find Chupa combos

45:07

in them, where you come by the station. Adkins

45:09

asked, I wanna say told you

45:11

so to your face.

45:14

Right. And I wanna tell you to your face when I find that it was actually

45:17

a ugh, some

45:19

kind of Atkins Grind

45:22

Go on. Maybe it's something we haven't

45:24

seen before. Marlon said, we

45:26

don't know everything that lives in these swamps.

45:30

You think we've got our own Loch Ness monster?

45:32

Something like

45:33

that? Baby or

45:38

regular size. Marlin's home

45:43

was a pigsty. Old

45:46

pizza boxes, beer cans everywhere, dishes

45:48

stacked in the

45:49

sink. Every

45:50

bone in Carrie's body wish she

45:52

was at the orange blossom inn. Bed

45:55

bugs she could deal with. This place looked like it

45:58

was going to give her a staff

45:59

infection. Sorry,

46:00

it's a bit of a mess.

46:02

The maid comes on Thursdays. It

46:05

is Thursday. And I gotta fire that to him

46:07

made. Carrie was unsure whether

46:08

or not she was supposed to laugh. I'm

46:11

joking. Marlon said,

46:14

There's no maid. I've just been busy. You want a

46:16

beer? No. Thanks. I'm pretty exhausted.

46:20

Okay. The second bedroom is

46:22

right here. He

46:24

let her down a hallway. She looked into the spare room.

46:26

There was a bare

46:28

filthy mattress on the

46:30

floor. Kerry

46:32

tried to hide her disgust. Do

46:34

you maybe have any extra sheets?

46:38

Shit. I pulled them off a couple of weeks

46:40

ago. I had to change the

46:42

ones on my bed out. This girl was over and she was real.

46:44

It's fine. I really appreciate

46:46

you letting me stay here. Okay.

46:50

Well, maybe I can find you some clean towels to sleep on.

46:52

That would be great. You

46:55

mean anything

46:55

else? I think I'll be okay,

46:58

but thanks.

47:00

And you're sure you don't wanna beer. You wanna watch some TV

47:02

or a movie or something?

47:04

This was getting

47:06

excruciating. Carrie Young

47:08

for a

47:09

fact. I'm really tired.

47:11

I'm sorry. I should really

47:13

hit the hay. Gotcha. Loud and clear. Good

47:16

night. I'll see you in the

47:18

morning. Good night, Brad.

47:20

She said, God

47:27

damn it Marlon. Why

47:29

do you have to be such an

47:32

idiot?

47:32

Poor girl just wanted to get

47:34

to sleep. A good man

47:36

got murdered at her place tonight.

47:38

A man you were supposed to be looking out for.

47:40

She didn't want to stay up all night hanging out

47:43

with a washed up loser. Marlin

47:48

grabbed a beer and a bartle and

47:50

James from the mini fridge next to his

47:52

recliner. He downed the can

47:54

of brew and took a pop at the

47:56

wine cooler.

47:57

He stared into space for a few

47:59

minutes, then he cracked

48:03

another beer. Carrie jolted

48:08

awake. It

48:09

took her a minute to remember where

48:12

she was, She felt

48:14

the coarse beach towel that was her

48:16

blanket. Through the paper thin

48:18

wall, she heard a

48:20

whimpering sound. A high pitched wheeze, like an animal

48:22

gasping for air. Was

48:24

there something in the house? Could it

48:26

be a

48:28

Cupacobra? The whimpering continued.

48:31

Carrie walked out into

48:33

the

48:33

hallway. The television flickered from

48:35

the

48:35

living room. She tipped out around the

48:38

corner to see what the source of the sound was. It wasn't a

48:40

Cupacombra. It was Marlin. Snot

48:45

dripped from his nose, tears streamed down his

48:47

face. He sat

48:48

in his recliner ugly crying. Carrie

48:53

and Marlon locked eyes.

48:56

It's I'm not

48:58

Marlon scampered.

49:00

It's okay. Carrie whispered. She spun around

49:02

and shuffled back to the

49:04

spare room. Around

49:10

nine AM, Carrie

49:11

woke up to the smell of

49:14

breakfast. She walked on the hall

49:15

and found a

49:15

shirtless marlin standing over

49:18

the stove

49:19

frying up some bacon and scrambling eggs.

49:21

He took a swig from a court

49:23

of OJ. Good

49:25

morning. Carrie said, praying that

49:28

Marlon wouldn't bring up their late night

49:29

encounter. Sorry you had to

49:32

see that last night. It's

49:34

totally fine. You just lost

49:36

a

49:36

friend. That was just I

49:38

think I had too much to drink.

49:41

Completely

49:41

understandable. Don't tell anyone.

49:44

Okay? Please. Of

49:46

course, Carrie said, not sure

49:48

who she would even

49:49

tell. She wanted to put that whole night

49:51

behind her as

49:53

soon as possible. So

49:54

what do you think tagging me today? I'm down

49:57

a partner. I I

49:58

think I'd better get home. I

50:01

have a lot of schoolwork. Okay.

50:04

Okay. I'll take you back. I just have

50:06

a stop I need to make. It's on

50:08

the way, I swear. But first, egg

50:12

Zella Marlin. What are

50:14

those? Scrambled eggs. She

50:19

checked her watch. Three hours later after

50:22

she'd waited for Marlon to shower, listened

50:24

to him attempt a couple foreigner songs on

50:26

an out of

50:28

tune guitar and stopped at a McDonald's for a second breakfast.

50:30

Where Marlon got into a shouting match with a guy

50:32

named Hambone, they finally

50:34

pulled up at the stop Marlon had needed

50:36

to make.

50:38

They walked past a

50:39

sea of plastic flamingos and onto the porch

50:41

of a pastel blue home.

50:44

Berlin knocked at the door.

50:46

No answer. He turned the

50:48

knob and walked in.

50:50

A statue of the virgin Mary

50:52

dominated the apple green living room,

50:54

A zebra striped couch sat across from the humongous TV. The

50:57

sounds of a Spanish language morning

50:59

news show filled the house. Vicky,

51:02

Mullen

51:03

asked the empty living room. Hold

51:05

on. A

51:06

woman's voice called

51:07

out from down

51:07

the hall. I would be

51:10

right there. She'll be right

51:11

here. Marlon relayed to

51:14

Carrie. I heard.

51:16

Vicky of Alaska's entered the room

51:18

with a flourish, Mid forties, her

51:20

gargantuan curves were barely masked

51:22

by an oversized pro wrestling

51:24

t shirt. She eyed Kerry. Vicky,

51:28

Carrie, Carrie, Vicky. Marlon

51:30

said, Carrie had that chicken coop

51:32

problem. Vicky, I'd

51:33

Carrie, like she had no idea what

51:36

Marlon was talking about We

51:38

spoke on the phone last night. Carrie

51:40

said, you told me to go to the Chicken

51:42

Hut. The key shot daggers

51:44

with her eyes at

51:46

Carrie.

51:46

Did you sleep with my husband? Marlon

51:49

stepped forward. Baby, she's just a

51:51

how dare you

51:53

bring her here?

51:54

Kerry turned to Marlon panicked. What? No. I

51:57

didn't sleep with him. You

51:59

whole, Vicky screamed. You

52:01

dirty, filthy, whole. Fiki

52:05

grabbed the vase and wound up to throw it. You don't understand. I

52:07

just stayed there because Fiki

52:09

broke into a

52:12

brilliant smile. Honey,

52:14

I'm fucking with you. I don't give a crap

52:16

who this idiot sleeps with.

52:18

And if I cared who Vicki slept with,

52:20

Marlon said, I'd have to kill half a

52:22

Broward County. Oh,

52:24

please. Marlon and Vicky

52:26

doubled over

52:27

laughing. I still didn't sleep with him.

52:30

Carrie said, don't care if

52:32

you did. Well, I

52:33

didn't. Vicky

52:35

shrugged. Go easy on her Vick.

52:38

Marlon said, we've both had a

52:40

rough night. Shits bubbles.

52:43

Vicky said, I'm so

52:45

sorry about Eduardo. She pulled him in

52:47

for a big squishy

52:50

hug. It's okay. It's not okay.

52:52

I know how much you liked him.

52:54

It's fine,

52:55

really. He was drunk and should have

52:57

been more careful. He trailed

53:00

off. Vicky broke

53:02

from the hug and looked at

53:03

Carrie. He's not

53:05

just an exterminator. He's

53:07

also the terminator. Has no emotions.

53:09

Yeah. Yeah.

53:10

Marlon said, what's on

53:12

the docket for today?

53:15

Nothing? Nothing? The

53:18

attack was all over the news.

53:20

Crater County pest control employee

53:22

killed by Chupacabra. It's bad

53:24

for

53:24

business. Today's customers called

53:26

and canceled.

53:27

All of them, all

53:29

of both of. It's

53:31

the same thing. Shit.

53:34

Marlon said, well, I guess

53:36

I'm gonna go get

53:37

drunk. Anyone care to

53:39

join me? Bubbles. She's a day off. Mhmm. Process the

53:42

Eduardo feelings.

53:44

Like I said, anyone wanna

53:47

go get drunk,

53:48

Carrie glanced up at the TV and saw a familiar face.

53:51

That's her. Who?

53:55

Vicky asked, on the TV, the

53:58

screen was filled with a photograph of a

54:00

pretty young red

54:00

head. The word Desi Paracita was

54:03

spelled out below her image.

54:05

That's the girl we saw last night.

54:08

The crack head? Marlon

54:10

asked. Oh, she's no

54:12

crack head. Vicky said,

54:15

she's not. Don't you

54:17

know anything

54:17

bubbles? Do you ever watch

54:20

the news? He shook his

54:22

head. You know that asshole, Henry Malthusen? Yeah.

54:24

The shipping guy. Marlon said

54:26

he turned to Kerry. He's

54:29

been Robin Port Everglades blind for

54:32

years, massive fucking asshole.

54:34

That's his daughter, Olivia Mafferson,

54:37

sweet girl. She's been missing for two

54:39

weeks. Everyone's looking for

54:41

her. Marlon walked closer to the

54:44

TV

54:46

Could be her. But that girl we saw last night looked

54:48

like she'd been on the street for months.

54:50

What are they saying

54:51

now? Vicky

54:52

listened to the news anchor and translated.

54:56

about how good she was. Our

54:58

student runs a drug rehabilitation

55:00

center. She's the opposite of those other

55:02

celebrity brats.

55:04

It's very sad.

55:05

Carrie, you're sure it was her. She was

55:07

missing a couple teeth, but I'm

55:09

certain it was

55:11

her. Well, this is a new wrinkle. Marlon

55:14

said, what does it

55:16

mean? Carrie asked. I'm

55:18

not sure it means anything.

55:20

But it's really weird. here adding up.

55:22

Eduardo got killed by something that

55:25

I'm fucking positive wasn't a

55:28

Cupacopra. This crack head's dress

55:30

turns up in your yard after we saw

55:32

her wearing it out front five minutes earlier.

55:34

Now it turns out that the crack

55:36

head isn't a crack head but she's some missing goodie

55:39

two shoes? This is

55:41

all fucked. Some's out there,

55:43

man. The Cupacombers were just the beginning.

55:45

I've been saying that. For

55:48

years. The other shoe was bound to

55:50

drop, and this is

55:51

it. What are you going

55:54

to do? Marlin shrugged.

55:56

Nothing probably.

56:03

A grubby back alley

56:05

in Dillard Park. The husk of

56:07

a water damaged recliner sat

56:10

alongside a long abandoned

56:12

pickup

56:12

truck. Empty dine littered ground.

56:14

Something rustled

56:15

from beneath

56:16

the truck. A Cupacabra

56:18

limped out into the

56:22

alley It was a nasty little bastard with greasy

56:24

matted fur. It looked like

56:26

it hadn't eaten in weeks.

56:29

A trash can toppled onto its sides spilling

56:32

garbage across the pavement as the lids spun

56:33

away. The sucker

56:37

spotted the

56:38

culprit. A white Persian cat with an ID tag

56:40

reading precious, strutted out of the

56:42

overturned receptacle. She paused a

56:44

fast food container away from the

56:47

rest rubbish. The sucker crept

56:50

out from under the truck and snaked

56:52

its way toward its

56:53

prey, staying tight to

56:56

the shadow. Precious nibbled

56:57

on a hamburger bun, oblivious to

56:59

the glowing red eyes

57:01

lurking behind her. A

57:04

truck chugged by on the main road. The

57:06

cat turned toward the noise. The

57:09

chupacabra flattened itself to the ground

57:11

and shut its eyes. Precious

57:14

returned to her meal.

57:16

The sucker inched up

57:20

behind her. Nearly in striking range, it licked its

57:22

lips and bared hideous

57:24

teeth. The barbs on its

57:26

spine stood

57:28

up as it coiled back on its hind legs ready

57:30

to attack. A massive

57:32

lizard table smashed into

57:36

the Cupacombra. Sending it flying into the side of the neglected

57:38

pickup truck. The sucker

57:40

let out an ear splitting freak.

57:44

An enormous lizard hand. Green

57:47

and scaly and oddly

57:49

humanoid, smashed the Cupacabra up

57:51

off the ground. Fingers

57:54

like talons squeezed the sucker's

57:57

skull. Its body

57:59

convulsed. Bone crunched against bone as

58:01

the tiny beast

58:03

went limp.

58:03

Precious tore

58:04

down the alley as fast as

58:07

her little legs would carry

58:10

her. Okay.

58:15

So we

58:20

are off. I love that line

58:22

in there about strange scratches

58:24

on palm trees to me that just

58:26

captures the universe of low life so

58:28

cleanly. And that actually

58:30

takes me to the theory that I was talking

58:32

about before. You may have heard the

58:35

term speculative fiction. Right? It's where

58:37

the story takes place in a world

58:39

that is simply not our own. Right?

58:41

And in no life, where Cupocubers are just they're

58:43

just real. You know, I I feel like there's a lot going

58:45

on in Florida, of course, but I feel like we would have

58:47

heard about this, one of

58:50

this plus a a real thing. So my theory is all the different

58:52

shows that we've been with together so far, the

58:54

triangle, outliers, memory lane,

58:56

and certainly Overleeper, where we're literally going

59:00

between parallel universes are all different forms of speculative fiction,

59:02

but we are on the ride. And that's what

59:04

makes it a thriller. Right? It's not just, oh,

59:06

isn't this

59:08

interesting? We are we are engaged viscerally with what's happening

59:10

through the eyes of these wonderful characters

59:12

and particularly with adrenaline

59:14

on Realm through the voices

59:17

of the actor's performances, not to mention

59:19

the excellent full production. And

59:21

we are there and we are just

59:23

waiting to see What crazy thing will happen next? Like, what the heck killed

59:25

Eduardo? We're gonna have to find out. So I will see you

59:27

next time for episode two of Low Life. My name

59:30

is Neil

59:31

Heller's. This is Adrenaline. And

59:33

I will see you then. Look out behind you.

59:35

You are listening to adrenaline lowlife,

59:38

created and produced

59:40

by Rome. Your portal to

59:42

another world. Listen away.

59:46

Low

59:48

light is created and written by Steve

59:51

Marcarelli and Billy Lawler, produced

59:53

by Marco Palmieri, executive

59:56

produced by Molly Barton and

59:58

Julian Yang. Audio produced by Amanda Rose

1:00:00

Smith, performed by Nick Sullivan and

1:00:02

Eleanor Caudle, Sound Design

1:00:04

and editing by Calin West,

1:00:07

theme music by Amanda Rose

1:00:09

Smith with guitar by Caitlyn West,

1:00:11

cover art by Marco Cousins,

1:00:14

executive in charge for Realm,

1:00:16

Mary Osudolehi, Adrenaline

1:00:18

is produced by Mary Asadola He

1:00:20

and Hailey Wagreich, Associate produced

1:00:22

by Nicole Croda, and Alexis Latshop.

1:00:25

Executive produced by Molly Barton,

1:00:27

Julian Yang, and Marci Wiseman,

1:00:29

hosted by Neil Heller's,

1:00:31

audio editing by Angela Yi,

1:00:33

Original theme by Marcus Biegala.

1:00:36

Cover art by Kendall

1:00:38

Thomas. Find more shows like Adrenaline

1:00:40

by following Realm on

1:00:42

Apple Podcasts, spotify. We're

1:00:44

at realm dot

1:00:46

f n.