0:13

From our earliest days, we've

0:15

gathered around the fire for

0:17

warmth and comfort. But

0:20

beyond the light of the dying

0:22

embers, there is

0:25

the darkness. And

0:28

it's in the darkness of the

0:30

night where we find ourselves. Waiting,

0:35

yearning for the dawn to banish

0:37

our fears. But

0:40

our campfire holds more than

0:42

firelight. For with

0:44

us, you will hear the

0:46

tales that make the nightmares engulf

0:49

you. And

0:51

you dare not close your

0:53

eyes. Embrace

0:57

yourself for the

1:00

No Sleep Podcast. Welcome

1:09

to the No Sleep Podcast. I'm

1:12

your host, David Cummings. Where

1:15

does the time go? This is

1:17

the penultimate episode of our 20th season. We're

1:21

hoping you've enjoyed our time spent

1:23

telling scary stories around the campfire.

1:26

Next week is the season finale. We

1:28

hope you're braced for that. In

1:31

April, we'll be presenting some

1:33

hiatus episodes, along with some

1:36

sleepless decompositions episodes. Our

1:38

premium members will be getting bonus content

1:40

like Suddenly Shocking and The Old Time

1:43

Radio Shows. And Season

1:45

21 is on track to kick off the

1:47

weekend of May 4th. That's

1:50

right, May the 4th is

1:52

the start of Season 21. Take

1:55

a quick message to anyone who is

1:57

still accessing Season Pass content on the

1:59

old network. NanaCast system. It

2:02

seems NanaCast may be giving up the ghost,

2:04

as it were. So if your

2:06

content is offline, please be patient. We're

2:08

figuring out ways to get you access

2:11

to our new system so you can

2:13

download the Season Pass content you paid

2:15

for before we completely leave NanaCast. We're

2:17

on it, and we'll send out emails

2:19

soon. Now

2:21

let's talk about... the end

2:24

of the world as we know it. If

2:26

the song is correct, I guess we should

2:28

feel fine about that. Of course,

2:30

most of the time, save for

2:32

some sort of catastrophic asteroid strike

2:34

or the sun exploding, the concept

2:36

of the end of the world

2:38

really means the end of human

2:40

existence. Or at least the end

2:43

of our civilization, our society, our way of

2:45

life, that kind of thing. And

2:47

isn't it funny, and by funny

2:49

I mean hilarious, that so

2:52

many of the major reasons why our existence

2:54

might be going the way of the dodo

2:56

are basically staring us right in the face

2:59

these days? Nuclear war,

3:01

pandemics, climate change which will

3:03

make the Earth all but

3:05

uninhabitable? Hard to get

3:07

away from those threats, right? Well

3:10

then, it's a good thing we have

3:12

stories for you this week which will

3:14

get you to think of the other

3:16

ways we humans are doomed. Hey listen,

3:19

you come here to be scared, not

3:21

to be cheered up, right? So

3:24

whether it's disease, the environment,

3:26

or yeah, even demons, it

3:28

seems we humans have our

3:30

days numbered and the clock

3:32

is getting close to striking

3:34

midnight. Ah

3:36

well, if we're going out, it's

3:38

nice to share our final moments

3:40

together around the campfire. And

3:44

now, the sun has set, the

3:46

fire glows bright, brace

3:48

yourself for the darkness of

3:50

the night. him.

4:01

Ah, but don't worry, that's a good thing. You

4:03

see, he's no longer possessed by a

4:05

demon. That's good news,

4:07

right? Well, as we'll

4:09

hear in this tale, shared with

4:11

us by author Michael Pico, the

4:13

man tells us that he's now

4:15

at greater risk for another possession,

4:18

just like everyone else in his

4:20

position. Performing

4:22

this tale is David Alt. So

4:25

it can suck to lose your home

4:28

or your possessions, but when it comes

4:30

to demons, you'd think it would be

4:32

good to be dispossessed. You've

4:48

all heard the stories by now. The

4:51

sad and frightening tale of Lancaster

4:53

Marin, Regan MacNeil, and

4:55

the exploits of that oh-so-naughty demon

4:58

prince, Pazuzu. Yes, you've

5:00

all seen the movie, the parodies and

5:02

the remakes, and all the derivative dreck

5:04

that followed. I'm old

5:06

enough to remember the scandal when The

5:08

Exorcist was released. And

5:12

how the fundamentalists howled.

5:15

They frothed and gnashed their teeth,

5:17

condemning the movie en masse, especially

5:19

in the UK. Christian

5:22

task forces were mobilized to save

5:24

the souls of moviegoers. The

5:27

Festival of Light, I think one of the groups

5:29

was called. This footage

5:31

of them harassing and picketing the

5:33

theatres that dared to show such

5:36

a decadent and ungodly film, but

5:38

remarkably less footage of them offering

5:41

the viewers spiritual support after the

5:43

show. I

5:46

suppose they were only doing what they thought

5:48

was right, and at least they didn't sit

5:50

on their divands at home and offer their

5:52

thoughts and prayers like the so-called Christians do

5:54

today. What was it that

5:57

James the Apostle said? Something about

5:59

faith without faith? works. What

6:03

nobody ever mentions is what happens

6:05

to the possessed after the demons

6:08

are removed and are consigned back

6:10

to hell, back to their foul

6:12

and unclean niches in the netherworld.

6:16

Oh no. It's all

6:19

a happy ending in Hollywood once the

6:21

priest wipes the green vomitus from his

6:23

brow and limps off into the sunset.

6:25

All hail Max von Sydow, the conquering

6:27

hero. And

6:30

for the recently possessed, the dispossessed,

6:32

as I like to call us,

6:35

the ordeal is far from

6:37

over. After all,

6:40

by all appearances we seem to be the

6:42

same. And for

6:44

the most part we look and act like the

6:46

people we were before. There

6:48

is no other peering out into

6:51

the world from behind our eyes,

6:53

no squirming and writhing across the

6:55

ceiling, no more boils and screaming

6:58

obscenities and blasphemies, but the

7:00

truth is, deep down inside,

7:02

where it counts, you see, we

7:05

are not the same. After

7:08

the exorcism, you are no longer

7:10

you. At

7:13

least not the same you as before. You

7:18

may not be possessed any longer, but

7:20

you are far from rejoining God's lily

7:22

white flock. What

7:24

nobody ever tells you, what nobody

7:26

ever admits to, is that

7:29

there is still some residual darkness

7:31

left over inside you. It's

7:34

a darkness that taints you. It's

7:37

a stain on your soul that

7:39

will never quite be pristine again.

7:43

The priests or movie producers or the

7:45

sanctimonious festival of light protesters never tell

7:47

you about that. But

7:51

really, how would

7:53

they know? To Them

7:55

exorcism is not unlike putting out a house

7:57

fire. Once The flames are extinguished, the firemen

7:59

are. Damn right. It

8:02

seen as a happy ending accepts for a

8:04

child room or to that. It's

8:07

just a isn't it? It's the

8:09

damage to the house that remains. Smoke

8:12

and water damage ashes insult to scare

8:14

away. Sometimes. You can

8:16

save the home. And

8:18

sometimes you can't. Some.

8:20

Places just has to be

8:22

levels. The

8:24

same applies to the dispossessed.

8:28

Or it should for humanity sake.

8:31

And naturally, the dispossessed can be pretty

8:33

tight lipped. After all that we've been

8:35

through, it's not like we want to

8:37

draw any more attention to a spiritual

8:39

or otherwise. That. We

8:42

are rather small community and we

8:44

do talk amongst ourselves, especially now

8:46

with the internet as a is

8:48

the Devil's highway you know. Bay

8:51

in the privacy of our own homes

8:53

away from prying eyes. we can compare

8:55

notes, what the series and to. Is

8:58

the mood is right sir on

9:00

nightmares to. This is

9:03

what passes for a support group

9:05

among me spiritually compromised. Besides

9:07

is not like you can find a forum

9:10

like hours on just any social media site.

9:13

At least. Not a real on

9:15

him. never ceases to amaze any of us.

9:17

Why someone would want to sake of possession?

9:19

It's like pretending you had polio. Just said

9:22

you could spend the rest of your life

9:24

in an iron lung. That.

9:27

Voyeurs take many forms. Doesn't take

9:29

as long to flush the front

9:31

end as out there are things

9:34

you should not know. You see

9:36

things which we know intimately. The.

9:39

Pretenders don't even have the slightest

9:41

clue. For. Those

9:43

like me who were possessed for

9:45

about a week before or exorcism.

9:47

The physiological changes are subtle and

9:50

eventually bait. Direct.

9:52

Sunlight still makes me flinch a bit, but

9:54

now going on three years since my exorcism,

9:56

I'm getting more and more acclimated. as

10:00

One poor fellow in our group from Africa

10:02

who suffered his possession for several years and

10:04

he's a mess, even after being

10:07

demon free for nearly twenty years. He

10:10

has constant night terrors and suffers

10:12

from some rare and dreadful

10:14

form of arthritis now. He

10:17

can't stand going outside unless it's during

10:19

the day and then he just seizes

10:21

up staring into the shadows. That's

10:24

one symptom we all share. We

10:27

are, each and every one of us, wary

10:30

of the shadows. The

10:33

unpossessed never consider the true nature

10:35

of light. More

10:37

to the point, light's absence. All

10:41

that the dispossessed see are

10:43

shadows. Or rather, those

10:45

are what we noticed first and foremost.

10:48

Much like an oil painting, our perceptions

10:50

are laid down dark to light. Some

10:53

say that our fixation is on the

10:55

gloom but that's not entirely accurate. And

10:58

it's not some clever euphemism

11:00

either. The shadows define

11:02

our world. The deeper

11:05

the darkness, the more we see and

11:08

the less we want to see. All

11:12

of us take great pains

11:14

to avoid the darkness. I

11:17

have high wattage lights throughout my home which

11:19

burn 24-7. The electric bills

11:21

are insane but it's well worth the cost.

11:25

Those people who I let into my life

11:27

these days remark on how bright and cheery

11:29

my place feels, but quite honestly I don't

11:31

think living on the surface of the sun

11:33

would provide enough illumination for me. We

11:37

had a South American woman in a little group for

11:39

a while. She lived in Venezuela.

11:42

The rolling electrical blackouts eventually took their toll

11:44

on her and she threw herself from a

11:46

bridge one dark night. Like

11:49

other dispossessed from the first world

11:51

I have ample generator backup if

11:53

my power ever fails or falters.

11:56

But even then when the lights flicker my

11:58

heart flutters in my chest like a

12:00

trapped bird. Most of

12:02

the dispossessed will tell you that they

12:05

experienced a loss of their sense of

12:07

smell after their possession. That's

12:09

not entirely accurate, but it is a common

12:11

enough white lie that we all tell at

12:13

one point or another. It's

12:16

not that we can't smell

12:18

anything anymore. It's just

12:20

that nothing seems to overcome

12:22

the sense of sulphur and

12:24

excrement seared into our sinuses.

12:28

It's one of the first things that you

12:30

experience during the possession and one

12:32

of the after-effects that lingers the longest.

12:35

Remember the dispossessed man in South

12:37

Africa that I mentioned? He solved

12:40

this particular problem by cutting off

12:42

his nose entirely. He just

12:44

said that he was olfactory-neuted.

12:47

He was disfigured, of course, but he

12:49

told us he just couldn't take

12:52

the stench any longer. I

12:54

can't say that I blame him. The

12:56

smell absolutely ruins your sense of taste.

12:59

Even the most gluttonous of us prior

13:01

to our possession become real thin afterwards.

13:04

It's not like we're not absolutely ravenous,

13:06

mind you. It's just that everything we

13:08

eat tastes like ashes in our mouths.

13:10

Everything from the sweetest candy

13:13

to the strongest whiskey to the most

13:15

pungent of cheeses. All

13:17

ashes. Not that that's

13:20

an entirely bad thing. For a lot of us,

13:22

the boils in our throats never fully heal, and

13:24

it can be quite painful for us to swallow

13:26

just about anything. One

13:28

saving grace is a potent numbing

13:31

agent that dentists use. It's expensive

13:33

but medically necessary for some

13:35

of us. I find

13:37

that it kills most of the ashen taste, too.

13:42

possession can be one hell of a

13:44

diet plan. I

14:00

theorize that it's the residual darkness

14:03

inside of us that lowers our

14:05

spiritual resistance to possession by demonic

14:07

entities, but that theory is

14:10

widely debatable. Most

14:12

of us have a deeply religious

14:14

conversion after our possession, and given

14:16

our experiences, that's an understandable response.

14:19

I liken religion to taking

14:22

antibiotics during an illness. The

14:24

antibiotics keep the infections away,

14:26

just as religion does the

14:28

daimonium. But

14:31

like a virus, some of the legion

14:33

are becoming resilient. They are

14:36

evolving, adapting,

14:38

they are getting stronger,

14:40

more virulent, and aggressive.

14:43

A former priest turned atheist illustrates

14:46

this theory nicely. A priest should

14:48

be utterly immune to possession, right?

14:51

Is spiritually inoculated by the

14:53

nature of his profession? But

14:56

shortly after leaving the priesthood,

14:58

Father Zanshe fell prey to

15:00

one of Leviathan's many minions.

15:02

His exorcism, I'm told, was quite rigorous.

15:05

Nevertheless he was possessed again

15:07

shortly thereafter, and by the

15:10

same demonic entity too. The

15:12

demon was dispelled a second

15:15

time by employing the less

15:17

common but highly effective Benedictine

15:19

formulae, Varderetrosotana. The

15:21

former priest once again recovered, only to

15:23

be possessed a third time. Unfortunately

15:27

that time he succumbed to the privations

15:29

of the demon and immolated himself in

15:32

front of the archdiocese. The

15:35

possession, much less the suicide, of

15:37

a former priest was undoubtedly considered

15:39

quite the conquest by legion. I've

15:43

researched the priest's case myself. The

15:46

testimony of his possession is disturbing, but not

15:49

all that surprising. Following

15:52

each possession he was debriefed by

15:54

the archdiocese, his account

15:56

makes for interesting if not

15:59

disturbing reasons. leading. During

16:01

his interviews he described in gruesome

16:03

detail his spiritual displacement as the

16:06

demon laid claim to his corporeal

16:08

body. Zanshe claimed

16:10

that his soul was transported to the

16:12

sewers beneath the city of Dis. He

16:15

describes this place as a low

16:17

and broad cavern, dark

16:19

except for the dull red radiant glow from

16:22

the city above it. Boiling

16:24

sewage spilled from a thousand rank

16:26

holes bored into the ceiling there

16:29

and pooled in the vast black

16:31

lake of excrement and blood. A

16:34

species of dreadful flies flourished in

16:36

the sewers endlessly searching for someone

16:39

to feed upon and

16:41

to host their hellish brood.

16:44

These flies made their nests among the

16:46

eroded pylons and stalactites which arced down

16:48

from the ceiling, forming tiny

16:51

strands in foul waste waters there.

16:54

Beneath the waves, horrible serpents

16:56

stirred. He describes their

16:58

blackened snouts cresting the black waves

17:01

sniffing the air, eager to find

17:03

some lost soul to consume. Twice

17:06

his soul was sent to this dreadful

17:08

place while the servants of the Leviathan

17:10

ravaged his body. Twice he

17:13

navigated the fetid waters beyond the

17:15

sewers to gaze out at the

17:17

endless bog surrounding Dis, only

17:20

to have his soul drawn back into

17:22

his writhing and aching body. I

17:25

pray that he found some respite

17:27

from this torment, but the Diocese

17:30

claims that suicides are consigned to

17:32

the Bosco dei Suicidi, the

17:34

woods of the suicides. A

17:37

place far removed from the sewers of Dis,

17:39

admittedly but quite nightmarish, just the same.

17:43

The Bosco dei Suicidi lies

17:45

in the seventh bulger of

17:47

hell. It's a

17:49

vast forest of souls, the

17:51

damned, the suicides, transformed into

17:54

gnarled and twisted trees and

17:57

is populated by harpies and voracious

17:59

giants. At least,

18:02

that is, if Dante is to be

18:04

believed. And

18:07

take it from one of the

18:09

dispossessed, there are just too many

18:11

specifics in Dante's Inferno for it

18:13

not to be true. The

18:16

dispossessed's tendency toward repossession has led

18:18

myself and others in our group

18:20

to believe that there is a

18:23

greater stratagem at play than the

18:25

Church may suspect. The

18:27

priests may battle individual possessions but they

18:29

are losing sight of the larger picture.

18:32

Not only are the Daemonium

18:34

becoming more resilient to the

18:36

standardized exorcism protocols, but

18:39

they are also cultivating an ever-growing

18:41

segment of the population for repossession.

18:44

We believe that these incursions are

18:46

designed to weaken key members of

18:48

our society in preparation of a

18:50

larger assault. Once

18:52

a critical mass is achieved, the

18:54

spiritually compromised will become the first

18:57

wave of shock troops in Lucifer's

18:59

world domination. I

19:01

have only shared this information with a select number

19:03

of the dispossessed. All of them,

19:05

each and every one, have ended up dead. I

19:09

am writing this in hopes that my

19:11

theory, my warning, will prompt the necessary

19:13

action from the Church to prevent this

19:15

terrible occurrence. I do

19:17

not expect to deliver this warning while I

19:19

am alive. The Devil's minions are legion and

19:22

already I fear that my life may soon

19:24

be forfeit. Am I mad? Perhaps.

19:27

But the recent deaths of my friends

19:29

and colleagues among the dispossessed have strengthened

19:31

my resolve and galvanized my conviction that

19:33

my theory is true. I

19:36

ask that you publish this statement in whatever

19:38

manner or by whatever means you have available

19:40

to— Dammit. The

19:43

electricity has gone out. Again.

19:47

Strange. My backup

19:49

generators should have automatically kicked on

19:51

by now. We're

20:20

not being devilish. It's just a

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quick word from our sponsor. For ad-free,

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21:44

Now back to the campfire. You'll

21:46

have to be alerts for this next tale. Have

21:56

you ever been minding your own business when all of a

21:59

sudden you're full of money? The phone erupts

22:01

with a screeching noise and the

22:03

screen lights up with an emergency

22:05

alert warning. Daring, isn't it?

22:09

Fortunately, there are often things that aren't really

22:11

going to affect you that much. But

22:14

in this tale, shared with us by

22:16

author Elle Turpit, we meet a woman

22:18

who gets an alert, and

22:20

this one is serious. And

22:23

where the heck is her husband when she

22:25

needs him? In

22:27

this tale are Penny Scott

22:29

Andrews, Ash Millman, Andy Creswell,

22:32

Erika Sanderson, and David

22:34

Alt. So when

22:36

faced with calamity, do what it takes to

22:39

keep your loved ones alive, even

22:41

if you have to... Die for

22:43

her. Where

22:58

the fuck was Luke? The

23:01

trick in any relationship. Never

23:04

give or take too much. Strike

23:07

a balance. There were things

23:09

I didn't need anyone for, and

23:11

things where it was simply nice to have my

23:14

partner at my side. Equally,

23:16

Tim Stafer absolutely could

23:19

not, would not ever

23:21

do without my husband. This

23:24

definitely seemed like one of the latter.

23:27

He'd gone outside for a frag and couldn't have

23:29

picked a worse time. The

23:32

sound came from seemingly nowhere,

23:34

layering over the pop music blaring

23:37

from every speaker. Fluence

23:40

ringing in my ears. Chloe

23:42

stared at me, searching for someone who could

23:44

tell her what to do. I

23:47

understood. I wanted an adult too.

23:50

But as I stared at my stepdaughter, I realised

23:53

there was no one else to help me. Point-l

24:00

was relying on me to tell her what was going on.

24:03

Someone dropped the bowling ball they'd been about to roll,

24:05

a little kid about Chloe's

24:07

age, a lain over. The

24:09

balls then rolled into the next

24:11

section, knocking a man's foot. Sirens

24:14

over the sound of rolling balls

24:16

and wearing machinery and pins getting

24:18

knocked down. He was coming

24:21

from the fence. Chloe? I

24:24

know sweetie, I know.

24:26

Protect my mobile. What

24:29

the fuck was a UK emergency

24:31

alert? Nationwide,

24:33

remain indoors until

24:35

further instructions issued.

24:38

Chloe stood right against me and I put

24:40

my hand between her shoulder blades. It's

24:43

okay, your dad will be back

24:45

now in a minute. He hadn't

24:47

come back and when the

24:49

screaming started from somewhere out of sight

24:52

past the cafe and arcade, we

24:54

ran through an employee only

24:56

door and out the other side of the

24:59

entertainment center. The opposite side

25:01

to where Luke would have gone. People

25:03

streamed out following us. Some

25:06

stopped looking around like they had no

25:08

clue where to go. Some

25:10

were on their phones. The gray

25:13

sky threatened rain but not

25:15

quite. I stared up at it, not

25:18

sure what was happening. The

25:21

air felt strange, hazy.

25:24

Cars raced past and emergency

25:26

vehicle sirens blared. I

25:29

held Chloe looking at the people as

25:31

they came out. They gathered near us

25:33

asking each other what the fuck was

25:35

happening. Chloe kept staring at my face.

25:38

But the poor kid didn't say anything. I

25:41

pulled her close, put my hand

25:43

on the back of her head as a stream of

25:45

people turned into a trickle. The last

25:48

handful was cups and bruises. A few

25:50

looking days staring around like they didn't

25:52

know where they were. The

25:55

ground rumbled and I

25:57

held Chloe to her, playing Luke would

25:59

appear. silently begging him

26:01

to come round the corner or walk through

26:03

that door. We needed

26:06

him. The door swung shut,

26:09

and we all looked at each other, then around. My

26:12

heart sunk. I took Chloe's

26:14

hand. Stay close to

26:16

me, okay? She nodded. We

26:19

never even spent any time one on one. Not

26:22

because I didn't want to, it just never

26:24

happened. If the kid got

26:26

so little time with her dad, I wasn't about to

26:28

take away from that. Really,

26:31

what's going on? A

26:33

few people looked their way. I

26:35

don't know, Tiddo, but it's going

26:37

to be okay. We... The

26:39

ground shut. The door

26:42

banged open, snacking into the walls, and

26:44

with it came the screams from inside

26:46

the center. For a second,

26:48

I thought the man who appeared was Luke, and

26:51

dread made my blood run cold. The

26:54

man leaned on the door frame, one hand on

26:56

the side of his stomach, blood

26:58

seeping out between his fingers. His

27:01

face was pale. His hair

27:03

matted with blood. His

27:05

gaze roamed over the group as he's struggling

27:07

to focus. A woman moved

27:09

towards him, reaching out. He

27:12

shook his head and uttered

27:14

one word, run,

27:16

before his eyes rolled up

27:19

and he sank down. He

27:21

wasn't Luke, just a man

27:23

with the same build and insimular clothes.

27:25

Though what man around us wasn't wearing

27:27

some variation of jeans and shirt? The

27:31

others took his word as a command, grabbing

27:33

the children nearest him and legging it. Chloe

27:36

clung to me, whimpering. I

27:39

stared at the man in the doorway, my

27:41

heart thumping harder than I ever would have

27:43

thought possible. We couldn't

27:45

leave, could we? But

27:48

Luke, I didn't

27:50

know what to do. Luke

27:53

would be around the other side of the entertainment center,

27:56

but I had no way of knowing if he'd

27:58

come back in or been hurt or anything. ended

28:00

up somewhere else. The

28:02

ground rumbled again, and I

28:04

stared down at the tarmac. At the car

28:07

park to our right, there's

28:09

a tarmac, and a caterer. Water,

28:12

and where the scent has curved round, glass,

28:15

shutters, smoke billowing out.

28:18

The few stragglers screamed, and with a

28:20

strength I didn't know I possessed, I

28:22

scooped Chloe up, holding the seven-year-old close

28:24

to me. She buried her head in

28:26

my shoulder. The sky

28:29

darkened, a bit back

28:31

the swear words I wanted to utter, trying to

28:33

hold quick to the idea Luke was there, somewhere,

28:36

trying to get to us. What

28:38

if he'd gone into the centre? What

28:41

if he was making his way across the boarding

28:43

alley to get to us? We

28:45

were too far from home to head there. To

28:48

our left was the bay proper, restaurants

28:50

and a cinema, and a huge theatre we

28:52

scrimped and saved a go to on the

28:54

odd occasion. I could wait

28:57

here, but the air was spilling

28:59

with dust, the building not able

29:01

to hold out against whatever was happening.

29:04

How many times had me and Luke strolled round

29:06

here, killing time before going

29:08

to the theatre or enjoying a summer

29:10

evening? He proposed to me

29:13

down here, down on the

29:15

boardwalk, near the bridge, when

29:17

it was quiet, and you could hear the waves

29:19

lapping against the docks. He wouldn't

29:21

want us to wait here. I

29:24

knew, had known all along,

29:26

what he would have wanted. I

29:28

found it, and I found it,

29:30

and I found it

29:33

at you there. I

29:35

was just an urge to just tell you,

29:37

behind Luke, to join him, whatever

29:39

that meant. I couldn't. I

29:42

need you to take my hand,

29:45

and we're gonna run, okay? You

29:48

have to stick with me Chloe. We're

29:50

going to the water. Okay, Dad.

29:53

Your father will find us, I

29:55

promise. Hating myself for the fact I

29:58

didn't know if it was true or not. God,

30:00

I hoped it was true. But

30:02

this was Luke. And if he

30:04

was okay, he would have found us by

30:06

now. Maybe he'd turn up.

30:09

Nothing in this world could keep him away from us if

30:11

he had his way. On

30:13

our first day, he told me flat

30:16

out Chloe came first, always

30:18

and forever. Without him

30:20

here, I had to stick to that. I

30:23

don't know what's going on. But

30:25

we'll find a boat and we'll be safe. Another

30:29

rumble. And this time the curved

30:31

corner collapsed. I put

30:33

Chloe on the ground, down her head, and

30:35

we ran. Scatterings

30:37

of people ran this way and that.

30:39

No one knowing exactly where they would

30:42

or should go. Something drew my eyes

30:44

to the sky, skidding to a stop near

30:46

the theater. In a darkened

30:48

sky, nights flew, two

30:51

circling each other before they charged, passing

30:54

together. The wind was

30:57

asking more of more shadowing

30:59

buildings and stone and plaster

31:01

and piles flying off. I squinted,

31:04

seeing shapes in the lights, hazy

31:06

figures that came in and out of

31:08

focus. As if my mind didn't

31:11

want to quite see what they

31:13

were. In the shadow of

31:15

the huge theater, I looked around the

31:18

basin. We had to get

31:20

to the basin, to the wooden path that led

31:22

to the docks. There'd be boats there. Me?

31:25

What are we doing? I bit

31:27

my lip, staring at the huge

31:30

steel pillars in the basin itself. As

31:32

if they fell. More lights

31:35

in the sky, and a

31:37

deep dark shadow falling over

31:39

so much. My heart,

31:42

my brain blocking out what was happening and

31:44

focusing only on safety, on getting

31:46

Chloe to safety. We're

31:48

getting you to your mum.

31:51

But Dad would want you to

31:53

be safe. I

31:55

looked down at her, at the tears and

31:57

her red eyes, but I had to stop my heart. from

32:00

breaking. She looked so,

32:02

so scared. I wished I

32:05

could tell her it was all going to be okay. We

32:07

would be safe. But the

32:09

words wouldn't come out. Another

32:12

clash in the sky. And

32:14

while the groaning creep of fear

32:16

no longer holding, I asked

32:19

myself, and I danced closely to the

32:22

hand and crouch, holding her beneath me,

32:24

keeping her fist against me, clothing

32:27

my eyes as flakes out. Out,

32:29

Miss Embell at

32:40

this. I could feel Chloe's heart beating,

32:42

but here her stools and chills breath. But good

32:48

signs, signs of life, and I hoped

32:50

that it was keeping whatever

32:52

was hitting me off her.

32:54

We were just far enough from the theater. We hadn't

32:56

been hit with the worst of it. But others

32:59

weren't so fortunate. Not

33:03

far away, a woman was sprawled on

33:05

the ground, the sharp corner of a

33:07

broken pile sticking out her head. A

33:10

man slumped over a table outside a

33:13

nearby cafe, his eyes wide and mouth

33:15

open and blood crawling on the table.

33:18

Similar scenes around me. People

33:21

dotted here and there, covered

33:23

in gray and brown, dust and

33:25

brick, slate and steel

33:28

pipes. I swallowed my bile,

33:31

realized I was still holding Chloe's head against

33:33

me. She coughed again. I

33:36

forced my body to move. She needed

33:39

to be safe. I had to keep her safe.

33:42

However I could. It was like

33:44

teaching yourself to walk all over again. Flashes

33:47

of lights above us threatened to distract

33:49

me. Sirens sounded

33:52

distorted, and somewhere

33:54

someone wailed, piercing

33:56

and shrill. I focused

33:58

on me. I focused

34:00

on Chloe. They ignored

34:03

the bodies reaching out to me, begging

34:05

for my help. Ignored the screams of

34:07

those whose minds had snapped. Mine

34:10

was on the verge. I could

34:12

feel it threatening to break. A

34:15

compulsion to just stop, to

34:18

drop what I carried, sit and never

34:20

move again. The air

34:23

smelled of burning. Poor. I couldn't

34:26

stop. If I stopped moving,

34:28

we were both done for. Three.

34:31

Three and thirsty. We're

34:34

almost at the water. I

34:36

kept my gaze ahead, where the basin angled

34:38

down and narrowed at the end, going under

34:40

a footbridge. I couldn't

34:42

see the water, but I would. We

34:45

would. Stay

34:47

still, sweetie. Luke would

34:49

never have asked me to die for her. Chloe,

34:53

do you remember when me and your

34:55

father got married? She made it.

34:58

Still pressed against me. I

35:00

never understood those women who dated men

35:02

with children and did everything in their

35:04

power to push those kids in. I

35:07

never understood the men who allowed me. How

35:10

could you claim to love your partner and

35:13

not love their children? You

35:15

look so beautiful. It

35:18

came to the decking. It was split

35:20

in parts, woods sticking up in the air

35:22

and around the halls. So

35:25

did you. I smiled. Ashes

35:28

of blood mixed in with water. Remember

35:30

when you came and helped me pick out

35:33

my dress? I bypassed a

35:35

hole and focused on getting to the boats. There

35:37

had to be boats there. Please

35:39

God, let there be boats there. Yeah,

35:43

you look like a princess. Hello.

35:46

She'd said it then, too. In almost every dress I

35:48

showed her, my mother and my

35:50

maid of honor. Every time I stepped out, Chloe had asked, her eyes

35:52

white. But

35:56

do you know what my favorite part

35:59

of my life is? that day was. I

36:03

cringed, glancing to where the voice came

36:05

from. The large concrete blocks

36:07

that served partly a seating had

36:09

collapsed. Someone was trapped in there. Oh

36:12

God, please help

36:15

me. Chloe shattered in

36:17

my arms, pulling back and looking up

36:19

at me. When you got

36:21

to case study, Chloe

36:25

moved ahead. My hands snapped

36:27

into place, gently pushing her to look at

36:29

me. It was when

36:31

I officially became your

36:33

stepmother. She smiled,

36:36

but it was uncertain. My

36:39

stomach clenched at the dull look in her eyes,

36:42

the strange pallor of her skin under the

36:44

dust. Please, do you have

36:47

some water? I

36:49

just need... Someone there. I

36:52

need help. I can't see. I... I

36:56

was wreckage as it were, fallen

36:58

stones and broken wood, and people

37:00

trapped under the boardwalk along

37:03

the edges. More cries from

37:05

the docks just past the wall. Above

37:08

us, there were sounds of people

37:10

moving, crying, screaming. I

37:13

put my hand at the back of Chloe's neck. My

37:15

throat was dry, my eyes

37:17

swinging. I did

37:20

not. On a normal day,

37:22

the closer to the water you got, the colder

37:24

the air became. Now, I

37:27

grew hotter with every step. I

37:29

came out under the bridge, surveyed the town

37:31

across the water, the flames

37:34

dancing on the skyline. The

37:36

church still stood. Then when

37:38

there was another thundering rumble, this one accompanied

37:40

by a flash of light, the bell

37:43

tower trembled. We really hadn't

37:45

walked far, but I was

37:47

exhausted. And when I looked at the

37:49

water, the urge to cry

37:51

almost broke me. Almost.

37:54

I lowered Chloe, but kept her past

37:57

against my leg. Don't look,

37:59

darling. I said, even

38:02

as I found myself unable to look

38:04

away, the water babbled, steam

38:07

rising from it, fish

38:09

floated on the surface, glassy

38:11

eyes staring upwards, and

38:13

boats drifted, bodies hanging

38:15

over the sides, one

38:18

not too far from the docks, with

38:20

fingers trailing in the water, and

38:23

the water sizzled. The smell of

38:25

pork mingled with that of fish,

38:27

and I swallowed bile. But

38:29

boats had been tied up here were gone, along

38:32

with the moorings that had kept them docked.

38:35

Somewhere out there, I guess. There was no accessing

38:37

the open sea from here, not

38:39

without going through the barrage. And who was going

38:42

to operate it? I laughed,

38:45

causing Chloe to look up at me, frowning

38:47

as blood dripped over the sides of the

38:49

boats and into the water. The

38:52

skies thundered, the boom loud enough

38:54

to hold her. She went, holding on

38:56

to me. And thinking,

38:59

I stroked her hair. Where

39:03

could we go? With the

39:05

way things were shaking, the debris littering

39:07

the ground and the docks and drifting

39:09

on the air surrounding us. Chloe

39:12

coughed again. We were at the edge

39:14

of the water, surrounded by restaurants

39:17

and bars, yet their windows

39:19

were smashed, entryways crumbled, blocked.

39:22

Nothing to eat, nothing to drink, nothing

39:25

to sustain us. And if

39:28

we walked into the city centre itself, I

39:30

tended to think what state it was all in. Everything

39:33

seemed so unfair. Not

39:36

for me. Life shouldn't be perfect. I'd

39:40

grown up, set out on my own,

39:42

graduated from university, let the love of

39:45

my life, had a career and got

39:47

to have a role in a wonderful,

39:49

brilliant kid's life. It

39:51

was unfair for her. I

39:53

took her hand, turned her away

39:55

from the water. My flash

39:57

of light and my skin started to... I

40:01

ignored it as Chloe waited for me

40:03

to speak. How honest to

40:05

be with her. Her skin

40:07

was turning red. I'm going

40:09

to try and get you home, but

40:12

it'll be a lot of walking. She

40:14

frowned, tilting her head. How

40:17

long? It was like

40:19

sunburn sped up, the way the

40:21

red on her neck darkened, blisters

40:23

appearing before my eyes. For

40:26

a while. I'll carry you much

40:28

as I can. If

40:30

you can walk, you've got to

40:32

walk, okay? I'll get you back

40:34

to your mum, and your dad will find

40:36

us. Her eyes filled with

40:39

tears. Okay. You're

40:42

hurting, kiddo. We

40:44

reached the steps, leading up to the

40:46

row of bars and rasping. Chloe

40:48

nodded. I'd left my bag.

40:51

My bag containing my purse and pinkiness and

40:53

keys to the house. And

40:55

any one of those things would have been useful right now. Her

40:59

regard told of me for decking candles and

41:01

wood creaks. Even now, up

41:03

here, it opens stables. Without

41:06

her, the rest of her would turn right in

41:08

our engagement. The start of our

41:10

new life, the cementing of our love. And

41:13

now he was gone. And probably

41:15

everyone else. And suddenly,

41:17

I couldn't breathe. Three

41:19

weeks after the engagement. But

41:22

his mind was all in it. It

41:26

was a long, weird night of waiting. Waiting

41:29

to see if she'd make it until morning to take

41:31

her to the vet. Knowing if she

41:33

did, we'd be saying, oh, goodbye's anyway. The

41:36

pains had been unimaginable. Like

41:39

nothing I'd ever experienced before. Until

41:42

now, Luke wasn't coming back.

41:45

And neither were we. A rumble.

41:48

And ahead of us, the decking collapsed. Chloe

41:50

screamed as it all fell into the water.

41:52

And I got to my knees, holding her

41:54

tight. From the corner of my

41:56

eye, I could still see those lights in the sky. Luring

41:59

round. and forth. Even

42:01

if we could get back to the road, where would

42:03

we go? Everywhere I looked,

42:06

buildings were collapsing. And if this

42:08

really was the end, well, I

42:11

wasn't a survivor. I wasn't

42:14

built for that. Luke

42:16

had all the plans and ideas

42:18

and knowledge for surviving the apocalypse.

42:21

I probably made things worse for the both of us

42:23

by dragging her to the water rather than following the

42:25

cars. Hold tight. I

42:28

wrapped my arms around her. We'll

42:30

see your dad's youth, okay? She

42:33

nodded against me. Okay.

42:35

I love you, Chloe. I love

42:37

you, Reeve. I felt

42:40

them squeezing her as tight as I

42:42

possibly could. Don't let

42:44

go. Wait. The

42:47

boards creak. Close your

42:49

eyes, kiddo. Okay. I

42:52

wanted to tell her it would all be

42:54

fine. But I could. Did

42:56

I warn her about the pay? Did

42:59

I tell her it would be over soon? Would

43:02

that scare her more? I

43:04

just want to scare her more. I

43:06

held onto her, looking out over

43:08

the bay, containing my dark. But I

43:10

saw the water swirling and rising out

43:13

past the barrage. The

43:15

dark gray sky was lit up with

43:17

the occasional light appearing from behind the

43:19

clouds. The strange ashy haze

43:21

fills the air. It

43:23

was really beautiful.

43:27

I took a deep breath. The

43:29

boardwalk collapsed beneath us, till

43:31

we fell with scratching skin. Chloe

43:34

screamed as we hit the water, the

43:36

sound cutting off. It was slowly

43:39

down, overtaken by

43:41

sizzling. The rush

43:43

of water from silence, the

43:46

hot haze. Then

43:48

Chloe let go of me. But

43:50

I held her tight every

43:53

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next story is kinda sweet. We

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all know how terrible the COVID pandemic

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46:11

many people still affected with the aftermath

46:13

of the virus. Now

46:15

imagine an even worse pandemic.

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We'll hear about it in this tale, shared

46:20

with us by author Anthony Neil

46:23

Smith. Not only has

46:25

the disease all but destroyed our

46:27

civilization, but the way the virus

46:29

kills. Well, let's just say

46:31

it gives new meaning to going out with

46:33

a bang. Performing

46:35

this tale are Aaron

46:38

Lillis, Sarah Thomas, Mike

46:40

DelGaudio, Kristen DiMecurio, and

46:42

Atticus Jackson. So

46:45

be thankful there's an effective method of

46:47

euthanasia out there, because when

46:49

you go, you want it to be

46:51

a sweet death. The

47:05

Preacher Dave's Last Trip to the ER, Harriet

47:08

met final, not most recent,

47:11

was Thursday morning, 3am. She

47:14

watched the blood-stained and bone-shattered sliding

47:16

glass doors open to the man

47:19

alone. His wife Lee had

47:21

been at his side the other times, her hair

47:23

less red and more white each visit. He'd

47:26

been extremely swollen before. His color

47:28

had improved, no longer bright red,

47:30

closer to putty. He

47:32

was smiling, actually smiling.

47:35

Was he like cured? It made

47:37

something flutter in Harriet, made her a

47:39

guest. You

47:42

again? My good nurse. I could

47:44

ask you the same thing, Dave. My

47:47

lucky night, or morning.

47:49

Good morning. Will Lee be joining

47:52

us? She's parking

47:54

the car. Harriet

47:56

usually sneered at all things suburban and

47:58

wholehearted. He used to

48:00

believe in the devil. She'd lost count of

48:03

her piercings and tattoos. She

48:05

didn't feel fully dressed unless she was half naked in

48:07

clothes with holes in them. Something

48:09

about this precious, dull couple coming to

48:11

her during the worst moments of their

48:14

lives. They were church-going

48:16

Pentecostals who didn't curse. They

48:18

were Super Normcore. Cackey

48:20

pants and flannel shirts for him,

48:23

modest-length dresses for her, pretty floral

48:25

patterns. Not a lick

48:27

of makeup honor as opposed to Harriet's

48:29

Halloween mask, one of her old boyfriends called it.

48:32

Why are we here tonight? He

48:35

glanced back at the spiderweb doors, then turned

48:37

to Harriet and put his hand to the side

48:39

of his mouth like telling her a secret. I

48:43

think, my dear, tonight will be

48:45

my last. Maybe

48:50

things would have turned out different had a doctor

48:53

bothered to show up that night. The

48:55

staff had gotten used to MD-less nights,

48:57

dockless days, never sure who would be

49:00

there or not. Not

49:02

even security guards. All the

49:04

nurses packed heat. At

49:06

least the chopper pilot still showed, shift after

49:08

shift. Chopper Kyle. Even

49:10

coked up, he was a lifesaver. When

49:13

not flying patients to the closest,

49:15

honest-of-fuck hospital, this one used to

49:17

be, Harriet was told, in Sioux Falls,

49:19

a hundred miles away, he sat

49:21

in the ER lobby with his hunting rifle and

49:23

a bag of cocaine. All

49:26

the security this place had left.

49:29

The chopper was for anything more serious

49:31

than a patchable wound or a

49:33

bacterial infection needing what few antibiotics

49:35

still work or a shot of

49:37

sweet death because, dude, you

49:39

had the virus and sending you home would only spread

49:42

the goddamn thing further. Harriet

49:44

would tell one patient, dude,

49:46

you're fucked. The dude would

49:48

nod, cry, make a few calls and

49:50

say, let's do it. Quick

49:53

injection, smile on his face, asleep

49:56

in a handful of minutes, dead

49:58

in another. tell

50:00

another patient the same thing, and before

50:02

it was out of her mouth, the motherfucker was coming for

50:04

her and she had to shoot him with her gun instead

50:06

of the needle. Still not

50:08

as nasty as with the virus, 26 Scattle

50:10

FIV, did to its victims.

50:17

Harriet had been a C nursing student

50:19

at the local college when a hospital

50:21

administrator who'd pulled out most of her

50:23

hair visited their classroom unannounced and offered

50:25

anyone willing to drop out right then

50:27

and there an official RN license anyway,

50:29

plus a huge bonus. The

50:32

professor didn't even protest. All

50:34

nine students took the offer. Harriet

50:37

was already paying tuition on a stolen credit

50:39

card, sleeping in a dorm room cramped with

50:41

five other people, some not even students. She'd

50:44

never learned to drive, so she stole a rent-a-scooter

50:46

to get herself around town. A

50:48

month later, Harriet was the only nurse of

50:50

her class left. Three returned

50:52

their bonuses the next day and left nursing

50:54

for good. Four lasted a

50:56

few weeks before disappearing. One

50:59

jumped off the roof of the hospital, dead. The

51:02

Scattle Carnage didn't freak out Harriet like it

51:04

did everyone else. She'd never

51:07

felt much for anybody anyway. She'd

51:09

tried to feel something, anything, one

51:12

single thing. She'd tried to

51:14

feel for years and years. She'd

51:17

taken every drug known for pleasure and a

51:19

few known for pain, tattooed

51:21

every inch of her body, sitting

51:24

through excruciating sessions. She'd once

51:26

drowned a cat. She'd cut

51:28

herself with rusty scissors, risky

51:30

sex, meth-fueled orgies, bondage,

51:33

choking. The only

51:35

reason she signed up for nursing was to

51:37

steal better drugs from whatever hospital or clinic

51:39

she found work in. Still

51:41

felt nothing. Then the

51:43

virus. 26 Scattle FIV.

51:46

A real-life apocalypse. Still

51:50

nothing. Until preacher Dave.

51:57

Dave wasn't really a preacher. lay

52:00

person with a nice middle management job at

52:02

the turkey factory in town in his

52:04

late forties but seemed older a goofy

52:07

uncle type he was clean

52:09

living never pushed his religion but wasn't

52:11

ashamed of it often said

52:13

praise the Lord for no reason at all

52:16

never ill at ease with Harriet's appearance cybergoth

52:19

slut most would say Harriet

52:21

was clueless about family Dave

52:24

was like a proper uncle she'd never had

52:27

literally swimming with the scat al

52:29

virus but she couldn't shoot

52:31

him should have couldn't

52:38

the rumors for the origins of 26

52:40

scat al fiv were laughable gmo

52:43

carried on coffee beans from Guatemala

52:45

the melting of the Greenland ice cap

52:48

now this fell thing had definitely come from

52:51

a lab was hard to

52:53

deny like with covid years before a highly

52:56

effective killing machine spraying fully formed from

52:58

bats in the Chinese wet market sure

53:02

RJ fortune Pharma headquartered in

53:04

Gary Indiana a researcher

53:06

spilled some on her shoes open

53:08

toad and went out dancing the

53:11

next part was just CDC speculation best

53:14

guess the researcher got totally wasted went

53:16

home with a co-worker she'd flirted with

53:18

for months stubbed her toe on

53:20

the curb and the virus

53:23

made people explode

53:26

not a metaphor flat out explode

53:29

turned your heart into a ticking time bomb most

53:32

victims showed the usual symptoms fever

53:35

trouble breathing swelling like a blueberry

53:37

and willy wonka except blood red

53:40

but some exploded in the middle of a

53:42

normal conversation or waiting for an ATM or

53:44

standing in line at Subway didn't

53:46

even know they had it every

53:49

hospital room in every town in every

53:51

midwestern state had at least one scattle

53:53

victim explode in it even

53:56

after bleaching the stains remained it

53:59

was spreading It was the

54:01

end of America. It was what

54:03

Dave had. He should have

54:05

been dead weeks ago. Harriet

54:12

put on her double-paned glass mask

54:14

and sprayed all exposed skin with

54:16

polyshield, designed near the end

54:18

of the COVID pandemic, which most people thought was

54:20

overkill. Millions of cans

54:23

ended up in dollar stores until the

54:25

first people began exploding all over Gary,

54:27

then Milwaukee, then Chicago, and so on.

54:31

She had cut her scrubs down to be fashionable. Tight,

54:34

short shorts, sleeveless mid-riff top,

54:36

but the polyshield kept her safe from

54:38

even the worst exposure. She

54:41

asked Dave to come through to the back,

54:43

passing all sorts of fancy equipment that had

54:45

bankrupted the hospital. All of it

54:47

broken, obsolete, dust-caked.

54:50

If Harriet gave her shit about proper procedure

54:52

anymore, she would have shackled Dave to the

54:54

bed in the exam room immediately, then lowered

54:56

the scaddle net over him. Those

54:59

nets helped save the lives of many maintenance

55:01

workers, no longer wallowing in guts while cleaning

55:03

the rooms, if only someone thought of it

55:05

sooner. Instead, Harriet pointed to

55:07

the rolling chair on the floor while she hopped

55:09

up on the bed. Dave

55:12

eased himself into the chair, grimacing

55:14

but still grinning. No

55:16

new color tonight. He nodded at

55:18

her hair. Not anymore. Press too much. Press

55:21

too much. She

55:23

used to change her hair color all

55:25

the time. Blue, pink, green, and once

55:27

a flaming ginger, trying to mimic Lee's

55:30

natural color. Dave's wife

55:32

had the prettiest red hair she'd ever seen. Last

55:35

time, though, the white was winning. Tonight

55:38

it was dirty-dish-water blonde, what she was

55:40

born with, with the stain of past

55:42

colors like shadows. The left side

55:44

was shaved. I kept

55:46

waiting for the rainbow. Your

55:48

wife's hair is gorgeous. Like

55:50

a sin set. Yes,

55:53

it was. Beautiful.

55:56

Sad now, though. It's so

55:58

pretty. White like snow. No, like

56:01

noose, no." Dave shook his head.

56:05

Lee is not coming. You

56:07

see, is she staying with

56:09

the car? A

56:12

stupid response. He was asking

56:14

for the sweet death shot, not a band-aid. She

56:17

looked at his hands folded in his lap, hadn't

56:20

noticed until now. His

56:22

fingertips, fingernails, all

56:24

red. I thought

56:27

she was immune after all this time she'd spent around

56:29

me. Never once sick.

56:34

I was in the living room, listening to the radio.

56:36

She was in the kitchen getting us some salmon up.

56:39

She asked if I wanted ice. Harriet

56:42

slipped off the crinkly bed paper and slid

56:44

to her knees before him. She

56:47

grasped his hands in both hers. No.

56:51

She didn't feel a thing. No.

56:56

Real tears. They'd

56:58

been so focused on Dave this whole time.

57:00

It should be him splattered all over the

57:03

kitchen, mixed with seven-up and floor wax and

57:05

dish soap. But Dave was a

57:07

miracle. He pulled a

57:09

hand away and placed it on top of her head,

57:11

the way a TV priest might do it. I

57:14

can't go on alone. It's not fair

57:16

to her. Harriet

57:18

stood, paced. You

57:21

can't. You just can't.

57:25

I probably could. But

57:27

you do it better. It's your job.

57:35

His first trip to the ER was nothing

57:37

to do with the virus, back when it

57:39

was only a few cases of spontaneous combustion

57:42

near Gary. Cue the jokes. Instead,

57:45

it was chest pain, left arm pain. It was

57:47

having a heart attack. They were

57:50

scared, obviously, but so calm on the

57:52

outside. They were so nice

57:54

to Harriet, inviting her to dinner when this is

57:56

all over. Bring your own salt, David

57:58

said in his... paper down

58:00

and crazy chili pepper socks before Chopper

58:02

Kyle rushed him away to Sioux Falls.

58:06

Of course she wasn't going to accept.

58:08

She returned their cheesiness with her own

58:10

sarcastic brand, wearing black lipstick then

58:12

she was sure, which they were

58:14

smart enough to pick up on. Didn't

58:16

matter one bit. You

58:18

remind me of my own daughter, Lee

58:20

told her. And so

58:23

is she a saving adrenaline junkie like me?

58:26

She's really smart too. Melted

58:29

Harriet's cold, jagged heart. When

58:32

she heard he'd survived, she went home

58:34

early and bawled her raccoon eyes out.

58:41

Dave's next trip to the ER, things got

58:43

weird. Lee had aged a

58:45

decade and only three weeks. So the

58:47

pure white ribbons sneaking through her sunset

58:49

bun told Harriet. Nothing

58:52

heart related. Pain all over.

58:54

He was swollen, unrecognizable. Sweaty,

58:58

red, wheezy. Lee

59:00

prayed aloud at his bedside, wouldn't leave him.

59:03

She spoke in tongues. She shouted. She blessed

59:05

the doctor and the nurses who kept telling

59:07

her to leave. Harriet

59:09

arrived late. Dave found her in

59:11

the room and smiled. It was

59:13

hideous. He waved her over. The

59:16

doctor tried to keep her away, but Lee nearly threw

59:18

the man across the room. Harriet

59:21

grasped Dave's hand still strong and

59:23

leaned into hear what he was saying.

59:26

If you come over tomorrow night, I'll

59:28

set you up with my nephew. He's

59:31

in real estate. She told

59:33

him, sure, yes. She would love to

59:35

come have dinner with them and meet

59:38

this probably imaginary nephew. Was part of

59:40

her training. Give the patient hope. Everyone

59:43

knew by then the Scattle virus had

59:45

no cure. A death sentence. She

59:48

gave Dave some hope. Pushed out

59:50

of the way by a blur of scrubs and

59:52

masks carried into the hall where Lee had

59:54

already been exiled. Come

59:56

here. Lee held her

59:58

arms wide. They hugged and

1:00:01

cried and snuffled. Harriet

1:00:03

felt embarrassed later when the dock with the shaved

1:00:05

head and scrubbed top cut down the middle to

1:00:08

show off his pecs, passed by

1:00:10

and made wah-wah fists to his

1:00:12

eyes. Cry

1:00:14

much, baby. That

1:00:17

asshole exploded six nights later. And

1:00:20

Dave? He didn't test positive. Neither

1:00:23

did Lee. Everyone was convinced he

1:00:25

would be receiving the sweet death shot before

1:00:27

the end of the night, but whatever it

1:00:29

was inside him wasn't the virus. So

1:00:32

the foolproof 26-scuttle FIV test

1:00:34

said, one of their last

1:00:36

foolproof ones. Another

1:00:38

nurse said, fuck, there's no mercy in

1:00:40

that. Ibuprofen, plenty

1:00:43

of fluids, ice packs. They

1:00:45

sent him home. Dave's

1:00:52

next visit to the ER in the afternoon

1:00:54

this time, Lee's hair now like

1:00:56

a photo negative, one ribbon of sunset orange

1:00:58

and a bun of pure snow. He

1:01:01

was still a bloated red flag warning, wheeled in

1:01:03

on a chair his wife found abandoned in the

1:01:05

parking lot. The glass doors

1:01:08

dripped thick blood and guts from two

1:01:10

exploders locked outside earlier because they'd waited

1:01:12

far too late to come for the

1:01:14

sweet death shot. Blocked

1:01:16

the view. Chopper Kyle

1:01:18

still kept watching the lobby with his deer rifle

1:01:20

and a bag of cocaine, a bendy straw sticking

1:01:22

out of it. He would have shot

1:01:25

Dave and Lee if Harriet hadn't caught them in time.

1:01:28

Harriet's hair was now black, but

1:01:30

her lipstick and eyeshadow were silver glitter.

1:01:33

Lee bags under her eyes tried to

1:01:35

smile. You look like the future.

1:01:38

In exam room four, only installed with the

1:01:40

nets a couple of days before, Harriet

1:01:43

covered Dave on the bed and gave him the

1:01:45

quick test. None of their lab

1:01:47

techs were left alive to do real blood work and

1:01:49

then run out of foolproof tests weeks ago.

1:01:52

These weak press on tattoo tests were

1:01:55

the next best option. They

1:01:57

were awful. The

1:01:59

first quick test said Dave had the virus. The

1:02:02

second quick test said Dave did not

1:02:04

have the virus. The third, fourth,

1:02:07

seventh, eleventh, and fourteenth

1:02:09

tests all said Dave

1:02:11

had the virus. Lee

1:02:13

pulled a small bottle of olive oil from her

1:02:15

purse. Let me

1:02:17

pray for him. You keep olive oil

1:02:20

in your purse? Always. To

1:02:23

pray with? You rub a little dab

1:02:25

of it on his head like they did in the Bible.

1:02:28

Harriet didn't know enough about the Bible to doubt

1:02:30

her. She knew Jesus was a

1:02:33

thing and Noah was a boat thing

1:02:35

and Pisseth was in the Old Testament.

1:02:38

Would you like to pray with us? Lee

1:02:40

held out her hand, oil on her

1:02:42

fingertips. These weird

1:02:45

people, the closest thing to family

1:02:47

Harriet had, if they had been

1:02:49

her real aunt and uncle, she would

1:02:51

have done everything possible to shock and

1:02:53

horrify them. Instead, she

1:02:56

yearned to make Dave and Lee

1:02:58

happy. She tapped her fingers against the

1:03:00

oil on Lee's and the older

1:03:02

woman beckoned her to raise the net from

1:03:05

Dave and stand on the other side of

1:03:07

his bed. Place your oil on his forehead right

1:03:09

next to mine. Hold your fingers there

1:03:12

and pray he will be healed. Harriet

1:03:15

touched Dave's white hot fevered skin.

1:03:18

He turned his eyes towards her.

1:03:20

Forget about my nephew. You could

1:03:22

do better. Lee

1:03:25

began shouting and wailing like some

1:03:27

crazy person, shaking her fingers

1:03:29

on Dave's forehead. He moaned the whole

1:03:31

time. Harriet wanted to

1:03:33

say, nope, and run far, far

1:03:35

away, but shit, this was intense. She

1:03:38

thought about her orgies, her oxi

1:03:40

and fentanyl hides, her goddamn rusty

1:03:42

scissors infections, her daredeviling, and thought

1:03:45

at least this sort of crazy gave her hope.

1:03:47

Not that she believed Jesus or God or spirits

1:03:50

or ghosts were going to heal Dave because

1:03:52

two women were acting like loons, but

1:03:55

acting like loons to save someone made

1:03:57

some awful goddamn sense right about then.

1:04:01

Later, as they heard and

1:04:03

felt several explosions from farther away

1:04:05

in the hospital, Lee said,

1:04:08

Test him again. His color

1:04:10

had settled to a less angry pink. His

1:04:13

fevers subsided. He was breathing

1:04:15

normally. Test him again.

1:04:18

The first, fifth, and sixth test

1:04:20

said he had the virus, but

1:04:23

the second, third, fourth, seventh, and

1:04:25

eighth said he did not. Harriet

1:04:28

glanced at the table, where another nurse

1:04:30

had placed a small plastic tray with

1:04:32

a loaded syringe of the sweet death

1:04:34

shot while she and Lee were praying.

1:04:37

Lee saw her looking. Please,

1:04:40

very intrigued. I

1:04:43

don't know. These tests, I

1:04:45

mean, fuck. I don't

1:04:47

know. You know what will

1:04:49

happen. One more test. Please, Lee.

1:04:53

Almost called her mom. One

1:04:55

more. The ninth test

1:04:57

said positive for 26 scatal FIV.

1:05:02

Harriet let out the breasts she'd been holding,

1:05:04

then smudged the tattoo away to nothing so

1:05:06

Lee couldn't see the result. You

1:05:09

guys should go home. I'm a

1:05:12

messy child. Dave

1:05:15

rose from the bed as if he had no worries in

1:05:17

the world. How long

1:05:19

had they been there? Nine

1:05:22

hours. Lee

1:05:24

slept the rest of her shift in the same exam room. No

1:05:27

one complained. Dave

1:05:36

rustled Harriet's hair. It's

1:05:39

the most peaceful way to go, I hear. It's

1:05:41

a very sweet death. Harriet

1:05:44

sniffled and nodded. It

1:05:46

is. I've seen it. It's

1:05:49

very sweet. Sweet

1:05:52

is what I'd like. At

1:05:54

least let me test you first. Will

1:05:57

it matter? Harriet rose

1:05:59

to her feet and rifled through the drawers trying

1:06:01

to find some remaining tests. She

1:06:04

found nickels, yellowed band-aids, Taco

1:06:06

Bell fire sauce packets, and

1:06:08

three scatatou tests. She

1:06:10

turned to Dave. Hold your

1:06:12

arm out. Harriet. That's an

1:06:15

order, buster. He held

1:06:17

out his arm, not like a hot sausage this

1:06:19

time. Harriet placed the test

1:06:21

on his skin and rubbed her thumbnail across

1:06:24

until the picture of the smiley-faced virus

1:06:26

wearing a cowboy hat appeared in white.

1:06:29

She pulled off the backing and counted to ten.

1:06:32

Staying white was good. Turning green

1:06:34

was not. You know,

1:06:36

my pastor was amazed you sent me home,

1:06:39

said the Lord must have touched your heart

1:06:41

and known I'd be okay. The

1:06:43

tattoo stayed white, barely visible against

1:06:45

Dave's dry skin. A

1:06:48

feeling, that's all. All

1:06:50

good? Looks like it. Try

1:06:53

again. He tightened

1:06:56

his fist, let go, tightened, let

1:06:58

go. She rubbed the

1:07:00

second test on Dave's skin next to the first one.

1:07:04

Dave, listen. Have

1:07:06

you thought maybe you've got

1:07:08

immunity? You

1:07:10

mean I was healed. I mean, something

1:07:13

in your blood. What if you

1:07:15

can stop this whole thing before it goes nationwide?

1:07:18

Oh, my dear, don't you know?

1:07:20

It already is. What?

1:07:24

Nationwide. Worldwide.

1:07:27

Airplanes and fornication. It's in

1:07:30

every country on Earth. You

1:07:33

don't keep up with the news? Harriet

1:07:35

wondered if Dave's daughter was still alive, or

1:07:38

the nephew he wanted to set her up with, if he was

1:07:40

a real person. She didn't know him

1:07:42

at all, did she? Toronto.

1:07:46

Dave counted fingers. Paris,

1:07:49

Johannesburg, Melbourne, Mexico City,

1:07:51

Hong Kong. I

1:07:53

didn't know. It's okay. She

1:07:57

lifted her shoulders. Oh,

1:07:59

God. Dave looked down at

1:08:01

the second tattoo. Is

1:08:03

that a tiny bit green? The

1:08:06

white virus, this time with an Indiana

1:08:08

Jones hat, was spotting a bit green

1:08:10

along the outline. But then it

1:08:12

faded, all white again. Dave,

1:08:16

listen to me. I think

1:08:18

you're the cure. A

1:08:21

laugh at a time like this. Praise

1:08:25

the Lord, but no. Please,

1:08:29

I'd like to go with Lee. You can't

1:08:31

do that. It's so, so

1:08:34

selfish. Selfish? Young

1:08:36

lady. You survived, Miss Mirus. Thrived!

1:08:40

Why would God make you the only one to

1:08:42

live through this shit? Why would it

1:08:44

be a gift for you alone? Not even

1:08:46

Lee? He shook his head.

1:08:50

Not even Chandra. Your

1:08:52

daughter. He chewed his

1:08:54

bottom lip. What about

1:08:56

me, Dave? What if you could help me

1:08:59

keep me from catching it? Let

1:09:01

me kiss some of your blood, okay? I'd like to get

1:09:03

Kyle to fly his tissue falls. They can

1:09:05

run real tests. But we all

1:09:07

have been in vain, right? If

1:09:10

it's nothing, then you're a miracle. I'll

1:09:12

let you convert me, or baptize me,

1:09:14

or whatever. Thought

1:09:16

she might hyperventilate, heart-pounding, like

1:09:18

really fucking pounding. She

1:09:21

held up the last test. Slip

1:09:23

a coin for it. Dave lifted

1:09:25

his chin. Sorry? Green

1:09:28

means I give you the shot. White

1:09:30

means we do the tests before it's too late.

1:09:33

My dear. My dear, nothing! I'm

1:09:36

the nurse here. Bigger than you. It's

1:09:39

the whole motherfucking world. Jesus

1:09:41

loves the little children, right? Yes.

1:09:45

Jesus loves me, right? Dave

1:09:50

sighed, but he held out his arm again. Harriet

1:09:53

rubbed the third test on his skin next to the other

1:09:55

two. A happy virus with

1:09:57

a mohawk this time. Right

1:10:00

outside the door, a man screamed,

1:10:02

then an explosion shook the walls.

1:10:05

Harriet stumbled. She steadied

1:10:07

herself and threw open the door, the hallway

1:10:09

dripping blood and guts. In

1:10:12

the muck and bones, a broken hunting

1:10:14

rifle, a cloud of white

1:10:16

powder. Chopper Kyle,

1:10:19

no one to fly the helicopter now. The

1:10:22

lights in Harriet's room and the hallway

1:10:24

flickered and buzzed loudly. Harriet?

1:10:29

She whipped her head around. What?

1:10:32

He held up his arm, grinning goofily again.

1:10:35

The third tattoo, white. She

1:10:38

fell to her knees before Dave. Oh

1:10:41

my God. Oh my

1:10:43

fucking God. Yeah. Dave

1:10:45

laughed. It was infectious. Oh

1:10:49

my fucking God indeed. He

1:10:52

leaned towards her, wrapped his arms around her.

1:10:55

An awkward embrace, but Harriet didn't care.

1:10:58

Relief. Each inhalation a

1:11:00

huge relief. She

1:11:02

pushed herself in. I

1:11:04

need to get some tubes and needles. We

1:11:07

need a lot of blood just in case. You

1:11:09

said you drove here, right? We're going to

1:11:11

need a car. He rifled

1:11:14

in his pants pockets and brought out his

1:11:16

fob. It's Ikea,

1:11:18

Red. I'll be right back. The

1:11:20

needles and tubes are all in room one. We need to

1:11:22

hurry. It's going to be okay. No

1:11:25

rush. He tossed her the keys.

1:11:28

Harriet got them. No,

1:11:30

I can't drive. You need to. Praise

1:11:33

the Lord. Okay, I'll do that.

1:11:36

Hope you've got plenty of gas because... Harriet

1:11:46

blinked herself awake, not knowing what happened

1:11:49

or how much time had passed. All

1:11:52

she saw was blood. It

1:11:54

coated her glass face mask, now cracked

1:11:56

into shards. Harriet

1:11:58

wiped away as much blood as she could. she could. Her

1:12:01

ears were ringing, stuffed. She

1:12:04

shook her head and chunks of liver, kidneys,

1:12:06

and lungs flew off her like mud off

1:12:08

a dirty dog. Same

1:12:11

exam room. Dave was...

1:12:14

exploded. The furniture

1:12:16

was snatched at pieces or thrown upside

1:12:18

down. Harriet was under

1:12:20

the exam bed, her leg busted up,

1:12:22

twisted into a weird angle. The

1:12:25

pain hadn't hit her yet. She

1:12:27

sat up as best she could. The remaining

1:12:29

blood on her skin slid right off thanks

1:12:32

to the poly shield. What

1:12:34

was left of Dave? Shreds

1:12:37

of khaki, atibia, half

1:12:39

of fibula, foot bones. How

1:12:42

many bodies had she watched explode?

1:12:45

How many shots of sweet death had she

1:12:47

given? How many people had she shot with

1:12:49

her pistols? But this one...

1:12:52

this one made her feel like she

1:12:55

dropped off a cliff into sheer fucking

1:12:57

nothingness. She deflated.

1:13:00

The hope so long gone it was

1:13:02

like years ago. But she thought for

1:13:04

a moment. I can see

1:13:06

each other. I can scoop up

1:13:08

some of Dave's blood. You can catch

1:13:10

it in a tube or a bag or something. I

1:13:13

can do this. I can cure the

1:13:15

world. As if Dave

1:13:17

was still sitting across from her with

1:13:19

his goofy smile and corny jokes, still

1:13:21

saying, praise the Lord for no good

1:13:23

reason. As if everything

1:13:25

Harriet had begun to believe was still

1:13:28

possible. Harriet scooted

1:13:30

along the floor towards Dave's chair.

1:13:32

Her leg began to throb, most

1:13:34

likely broken in several places. She

1:13:37

kept scooting, wincing from electric

1:13:39

pain worse than anything she'd chased

1:13:41

after before, until she was beside

1:13:44

Dave's leg bones. A good,

1:13:46

thick patch of bodily fluids cooled in

1:13:48

the middle of the seat. Harriet

1:13:50

swirled her finger around in it, gathering

1:13:52

it like brownie batter in a bowl,

1:13:54

until there was enough for her to

1:13:56

slide her finger into her mouth. Flows

1:13:58

her lips around. He cleaned it

1:14:01

and sucked Abe's blood off, swallowed

1:14:04

it down. She

1:14:06

gagged, then

1:14:09

choked out. Huh! Praise

1:14:12

the Lord! Our

1:14:57

campfire is growing dim, and

1:14:59

the light of dawn approaches. Our

1:15:02

tales must come to an end

1:15:04

until the next time we gather.

1:15:07

We'll keep the fire burning until

1:15:10

you return. That is,

1:15:13

if you dare to

1:15:15

remain sleepless. An

1:15:19

No Sleep Podcast is presented

1:15:21

by Creative Reason Media. A

1:15:24

musical score was composed by

1:15:26

Brandon Boone. Our

1:15:29

production team is Phil

1:15:31

Michalski, Jeff Clement, and

1:15:33

Jesse Cornett. Our

1:15:35

editor-in-chief is Jessica McAvoy.

1:15:39

To discover how you

1:15:41

can get even more

1:15:44

sleepless horror stories from

1:15:46

us, just visit sleepless.thenosleeppodcast.com

1:15:48

to learn about the

1:15:51

sleepless sanctuary. Add

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On behalf of everyone at

1:16:06

the No Sleep Podcast, we

1:16:08

thank you for joining us

1:16:10

around the campfire for our

1:16:12

20th season. This

1:16:15

audio program is copyright 2023 and 2024 by Creative

1:16:17

Reason Media Inc. All rights reserved.

1:16:24

The copyrights for each story are

1:16:26

held by the respective authors. No

1:16:29

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