0:04

Wait...

0:13

What

0:15

did you just say? That's not

0:19

Jerry. What? Yeah,

0:21

of course it is. That's him.

0:24

It's not. It is. It's

0:26

not. How do you know? How do I know?

0:29

You've met him. You've met Jerry? Yes.

0:32

When? Mike, who is that?

0:36

Well fuck, I... I

0:41

don't know.

0:43

I uh... But

0:45

she stopped herself and shook her head. He

0:47

doesn't look familiar? He doesn't.

0:50

She bent down, looked the man over. What's

0:53

wrong with his hand and arm? I

0:55

don't know. I figured a birth defect

0:57

or it could be something else. Like

1:00

what? I had some thoughts on that, but

1:02

I didn't want to share them right now. Just

1:04

something else. She grabbed his good arm and checked

1:07

his pulse. A moment later she shook

1:09

her head and stood. Oh man.

1:12

I need to call Jean. No! What?

1:15

Don't do that. Mike,

1:17

this person is dead. We need to get the police

1:20

here. The police? Yeah. The

1:22

police. That would actually

1:24

be a good idea. Uh, okay,

1:28

but... What happened

1:30

to him? She was looking over his body.

1:33

He was shot. Shot?

1:36

Jesus, by who? But my mind

1:38

was focused on the police. I would love the

1:40

chance to explain it to them. Hey,

1:43

Amber. Yeah? If

1:45

you call Jean and ask for the police, can

1:48

you not mention me? Mike, you

1:51

don't think you should be the one to tell them. We

1:53

don't know who this guy is and you said he was shot?

1:56

How? By who? We need to let

1:59

them know. I get it, but

2:02

you don't understand what's going on. No,

2:05

I don't. Amber

2:07

looked really confused. Good.

2:10

I wasn't alone. Please. Mike,

2:13

I don't understand what's happening here, and

2:16

I don't know who this man is, but we

2:18

need to tell someone. This

2:20

is serious."

2:21

She pulled the radio from the waistband

2:23

and clicked the button, but didn't utter

2:25

a word. Her determination

2:28

seemed to soften. She now looked

2:30

unsure. She

2:33

slowly pulled her left thumb off the button, lowered

2:35

the radio, and took a couple steps towards me. What?

2:38

You're really pale.

2:40

Yeah, well, it's

2:43

been

2:45

a rough couple days, and

2:48

I don't feel so good. And suddenly,

2:50

without warning, possibly with everything

2:52

finally catching up to me,

2:54

I blacked out.

2:57

Mike!

3:17

My

3:28

eyelids fluttered.

3:35

Eventually,

3:42

I was able to force them open, but what

3:44

was I looking at? Blue ripples?

3:47

A polyester roof? What the… Oh,

3:50

good. You're awake. Yeah.

3:52

Where? But then I understood. We were

3:55

in a small pop-up

3:57

tent.

3:58

Amber

4:00

was sitting beside me with a book open. I

4:03

couldn't see the title of what I saw the author. Ikyulys

4:05

Sparks. Amber, with what

4:07

looked like embarrassment, quickly shut it and put it to

4:09

her side.

4:12

See, I read. But

4:13

I didn't care about her book. Bypassing

4:16

the time.

4:16

Well, I couldn't bring my puzzle here.

4:19

Not that it matters. I finished it yesterday.

4:22

Amber, where are we?

4:24

I was staring out the tent flaps that were slowly

4:26

blowing in the breeze. She

4:28

didn't have the door zipped up and I could see the trail

4:30

a few feet up.

4:32

We're just off Windbok. I

4:34

tried dragging you back to the tower, but

4:36

I didn't take more than five steps before I realized

4:38

that was a ridiculous plan. Because I'm

4:40

heavy? No, it's just way too far.

4:43

Our eyes met and she smirked a little.

4:45

Yeah, your ass ain't late. She

4:48

shoved her book into her backpack and scratched. So

4:52

instead I decided to go back to the tower and gather

4:54

some things, including this tent.

4:57

I wasn't sure how long you'd be out.

4:59

Oh,

4:59

what time is it? She spun her force

5:02

green cloth-banded watch so I could see.

5:04

Five?

5:05

How long was I out?

5:07

Few hours. Oh. Get

5:09

good sleep?

5:10

No dreams, no nightmares. I

5:13

guess that's good. How do you feel? Same

5:15

as before, just a little less tired now. She

5:18

nodded and looked out at the trail. I

5:20

could tell she was uneasy, and

5:22

so was I.

5:24

Uh, Amber?

5:27

Did you- No.

5:28

I didn't call Jean. Oh. Happy?

5:32

I mean,

5:33

yeah, I guess. I don't care if you

5:35

contact him, I just- I

5:36

know. You don't want him to know you're here. Right.

5:40

Mike, you're really putting me in a bad

5:43

spot. For

5:43

the entire time you've been out, I've done nothing

5:46

but pace. I mean, I came in here to

5:48

take a break and try to calm my nerves, but I couldn't

5:50

get through one page of my book because of

5:52

you and everything you said. This

5:54

man was shot? If that's the case,

5:56

the police need to be here.

5:58

I know. And I- I mean,

6:01

shit! What if the person who shot him shows up?

6:04

I've been on guard this whole time, ready for anything,

6:06

but all I have is a damn hunting

6:08

knife.

6:09

She slid it from under her pack to

6:11

show me. He won't.

6:13

What? The man who shot him won't

6:15

show. He

6:16

was shot too.

6:18

What? By who? By

6:20

Jerry.

6:22

Who I thought was Jerry.

6:23

They shot each other. There's

6:27

so much to unpack.

6:29

Are we in danger?

6:31

I don't know.

6:33

We can't let that guy's body stay out there.

6:34

I know.

6:35

We have to tell Jean and we have to get the police

6:38

here.

6:38

I agree.

6:40

Yet she didn't reach for the radio. What

6:42

is it, Amber? I just

6:43

want to know what's going on.

6:45

I mean, look at

6:47

you! I held up my

6:49

arms inspecting all the bruises and cuts. I

6:52

couldn't imagine what my face and the rest of my body

6:54

looked like.

6:55

Amber,

6:56

everything I said was true.

6:58

Even the part about

7:00

hearing mine and Jean's conversations?

7:03

Yes.

7:04

She looked away a moment, but I couldn't tell if it was

7:06

a sign of guilt or hurt. She

7:12

suddenly climbed out of the tent and looked around. I

7:15

think at this point I could lean more towards hurt.

7:19

She took a moment to survey the woods and then put her

7:21

hands on her hips.

7:23

Well, like I said,

7:27

I didn't call Jean yet. I've

7:30

been keeping an eye out for anything or anyone,

7:33

but so far the body remains untouched.

7:36

I can see it. I'm so fucking

7:38

nervous and I want to know everything. I

7:41

mean, I don't know what

7:43

else to do. No

7:46

one trains you for this and it wasn't really in

7:48

the job description.

7:52

I took a moment to gather my thoughts. Eventually

7:54

our eyes met and I could tell she was looking for me to say

7:57

something. I think the

7:59

best thing to do is to... You right now would

8:01

be to report the body.

8:28

You seen your copy? Gene,

8:33

you there? Amber

8:36

paced in front of me as I stood staring

8:39

at the photo of the red-headed girl.

8:41

My eyes slowly moved back and forth between

8:43

the photo and the body of this man who apparently

8:46

wasn't Jerry this whole time. It

8:48

wasn't him.

8:49

Gene, pick up. Hey,

8:52

Amber. Gene's in the bathroom. Is it urgent? Oh,

8:55

hey Maria. Yeah, it is. Oh,

8:58

okay. I'll go bang on the door.

8:59

My heart was beating rapidly,

9:02

waiting for his response. Eventually,

9:04

Amber came over to me to also look at the photo.

9:07

That his wife? I

9:10

don't know.

9:11

She looked toward the dead body.

9:13

Oh, well, I don't see a ring.

9:16

Maybe a girlfriend?

9:17

Amber took a few steps toward the nearest tree and

9:20

leaned against it, staring into the woods.

9:23

You came from Site Four, right? Yeah.

9:26

Where's the other body? There?

9:28

Yeah. She turned to me, probably sensing

9:31

I wasn't really paying attention. You're

9:33

not worried. About what?

9:35

About everything?

9:36

Yeah, I am. That's

9:39

why I want to get the cops here. Although... Although

9:42

you think they may have just as hard a time

9:44

believing you as me.

9:47

Possibly, but it's not lost on me. You

9:49

know, I get how all this sounds,

9:52

but now... Well, now I have proof.

9:55

I motion to the body. Sure. Yeah.

9:58

I think the bigger issue is what... What will happen

10:00

when Gene gets the news?

10:02

You don't trust him, but do you have

10:04

any reason not to?

10:06

He's lied before.

10:07

We don't lie sometimes, Mike.

10:09

You've never lied before?

10:11

It depends on what the lie is.

10:13

Like my physical description?

10:15

Sure, but I wouldn't put

10:17

that on par with Gene.

10:19

What proof do you have that he lied?

10:21

I looked down at the crease in my arm where I pulled the

10:23

tracker out. I was about to mention it

10:25

to Amber when-

10:26

Amber, you there? What's so urgent? Hey,

10:31

so I was walking

10:33

on the trail, not too far from my tower, and

10:36

I find a...

10:42

Well, I find a fucking dead body, Gene.

10:46

Uh,

10:48

you there? Oh,

10:50

Jesus.

10:52

Sorry, that just caught me off guard. A dead body.

10:55

That's right.

10:56

A man. He looks like he's been shot.

10:58

She stared at me as she talked. God,

11:02

um, you're sure he's dead? He's

11:05

dead. I checked his pulse. Is it

11:07

a hiker? I don't know, but

11:09

I don't see a backpack or anything. Where

11:12

are you exactly? About two

11:14

miles southeast of the tower. On Windwalk?

11:16

Yeah. What are

11:18

you doing on the trail?

11:21

Is that really important, Gene? I just

11:23

told you about a man who's been shot.

11:24

Uh, okay, you're

11:26

right, you're right. Alright,

11:29

listen up, Amber. I want you to go back

11:31

to your tower, okay? I don't want you to

11:33

stay there any longer. Maria's been listening and she's

11:35

already on the phone with the police. Get back

11:37

to your tower, lock your door, understand?

11:41

We'll call you in a bit to check up and ask any questions

11:43

the police might have. Let's not take any chances

11:46

on your safety.

11:47

Yeah, okay. Good.

11:50

And actually, Amber? Yeah?

11:53

Call me when you get back to the tower and let me know you're safe.

11:56

Copy.

11:57

She slid the radio on her waistband and walked back

11:59

to her house.

11:59

over to me. Did

12:04

that go the way you thought? But I shrugged,

12:07

because I wasn't sure what I expected. See

12:09

Mike, you can trust me. No,

12:12

come on, let's get out of here.

12:55

It felt wrong leaving his body

12:57

there, but now it's time to wait for the police. As

13:02

we got closer to the tower, I got nervous. What's

13:08

wrong, Mike? I can't go up there. What?

13:11

Why? It could

13:13

be bugged. You think my tower is

13:15

bugged? Possibly. I

13:17

rubbed my arms nervously, thinking about the tiny

13:20

tracker. Amber, can

13:22

I see something? But I didn't wait

13:24

for an answer. I grabbed her arms and pulled

13:26

her close. I ran my hand over her

13:28

bicep and forearm rubbing my thumb along the

13:31

crease. Feeling.

13:33

Hey, this is a little invasive, don't

13:35

you think?

13:35

I switched to the other arm. Mike?

13:39

Mikey? I felt nothing. I

13:45

let her go and took a step back. Jeez,

13:47

next time buy me a drink first.

13:49

I want to see your radio. Okay.

13:54

I flip a thing over, inspecting every inch. Fold

13:57

off some makeshift tape and popped out the charging

13:59

battery.

13:59

I inspected the pack and the grooves in

14:02

the back.

14:03

Nothing. You want to shine

14:05

a flashlight in my mouth and check my tonsils too?

14:07

I know I'm acting weird, but I

14:11

can't go up there.

14:12

So you're gonna stay out here. Don't

14:15

you want to see my puzzle? Five

14:17

thousand pieces.

14:18

Sorry, but I can't.

14:21

Seriously.

14:22

I'll be fine. But I want to talk.

14:25

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14:27

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15:35

I stood by the fire pit on the north side of tower

15:37

three while waiting for Amber to return. She

15:40

went to put the tent and backpack away and to make some

15:42

coffee. I

15:49

stared at the radio on the opposite wood bench.

15:52

After informing Jean, she was safe. She

15:54

left it here so I could trust she wouldn't make

15:56

any secret calls.

15:58

She really was going out of her way to gain the money. my

16:00

trust

16:01

and I appreciated it. Any

16:06

mugs from Jean?

16:07

No nothing yet. Amber

16:09

walked up with two mugs. She also

16:12

carried a black bag under her arm. Here

16:14

you are.

16:15

Seattle's best.

16:17

I took the mug but noticed an unusual aroma.

16:20

What flavor is this? It's a breakfast blend.

16:23

I didn't get any breakfast blends. Sorry.

16:26

I also didn't get a fire pit. You

16:28

also didn't get any

16:29

banana chips. She

16:32

held up the black bag with a sliced banana on

16:34

the front. I

16:35

know you said you aren't that hungry but you

16:37

really should eat something.

16:38

That's a big bag. Well, I

16:41

have a big appetite. She

16:44

opened the bag, took a handful out and then passed

16:47

the bag to me. She then made her way to

16:49

the opposite bench. Thanks.

16:53

She pushed the radio aside to sit and began snacking.

16:57

I too sat, placing the coffee on the bench beside

16:59

me.

17:04

By the way, I'm

17:06

a nervous eater so I may go

17:07

through this whole bag before we're done talking. I

17:10

forced a smile and shoved a chip

17:12

in my mouth. Good,

17:15

right? Mmm, good.

17:19

We sat there just eating and trying our best not

17:21

to awkwardly lock eyes. But eventually

17:24

I think the silence got the best of Amber. After

17:26

eating her second handful, she wiped her hands on her pants

17:28

and leaned up.

17:33

Okay Mikey, apparently

17:36

I have to take

17:37

the lead. Sorry, I was just

17:39

thinking about the last couple days.

17:41

After all that, here I

17:43

am, sitting with you, eating banana chips like

17:46

everything's normal.

17:47

I don't feel that way. No?

17:49

No. Being here

17:52

under the circumstances is quite

17:54

abnormal. But you have to start

17:56

filling me in or I'm going to devour

17:58

that whole bag. Okay,

18:00

but I'm gonna need something from you first.

18:02

You got coffee.

18:04

I need you to be open-minded, alright?

18:08

She took a moment to get her lip.

18:11

Okay. Where

18:14

do I start?

18:15

At the beginning. And

18:30

I did.

18:57

We went over everything

18:59

that I could remember. Even things I mentioned

19:01

to her previously. Now it was like

19:03

she was looking at it from a whole new perspective.

19:06

I was no longer this unknown entity living 50

19:09

miles away. I had a face.

19:12

I had a purpose for being here as she waited to hear

19:14

back from Jean.

19:15

And that was the first time you met this person

19:17

that you thought was

19:18

Jerry? Yeah, and

19:20

where I thought he was living. But

19:22

did he ever say his name? Thinking

19:25

back on it?

19:26

No. I guess I just assumed

19:29

because I saw his handwriting. It

19:31

looked like the same chicken scratch I found in that journal.

19:34

I told her about everything.

19:36

All the way up to the bunker.

19:39

She was so intrigued that she was actually leaning

19:41

so close to me I thought she might fall into the pit.

19:43

But you heard me.

19:45

At the top of the ramp I could. That's

19:47

when we talked about the tremors and the fire. Right,

19:50

the fire. What happened with

19:52

that?

19:53

I don't know. But I think the dead body

19:55

is taking precedence right now.

19:57

As it should.

19:59

Amber leaned back and stared

20:02

past the tower.

20:03

How is something like a bunker out here?

20:07

I mean, I've never seen anything like

20:09

that. Or heard anything. Granted,

20:12

I guess a secret bunker would most likely be... secret.

20:16

Jerry or whoever knew

20:18

of it.

20:19

How about this? Can we give him a different name?

20:22

Who?

20:23

The non-Jerry? Uh, um, okay,

20:24

what? I don't know.

20:27

How about N.J.? N.J.? Non-Jerry.

20:30

Oh. No good? No, it's fine.

20:33

So N.J. knew about the bunker but

20:35

couldn't find it. It wasn't until we followed

20:38

the cart tracks that we located the boulders that were acting

20:40

as a door. N.J. made

20:42

sure he was seen in the camera by his cave.

20:45

That's when they went

20:46

after him and I snuck in. I

20:48

told her all about the entrance and

20:51

the big steel doors, the alarms, the doorbells,

20:53

and the escape. Now she looked less intrigued and

20:55

was staring at the ground. Was

20:57

she having trouble taking all this in? Amber?

21:02

Sorry, I'm still listening. I just... feel

21:04

bad for

21:05

the way I talked to you last night. Don't

21:09

worry about it. Doesn't matter now.

21:12

She reluctantly nodded. I then told her about

21:14

how I tried to tell her all this stuff

21:16

after our back and forth therapist talk. I never

21:19

thought I'd be able to tell her all about it. I figured. That's

21:21

when the classical music kicked in. Again.

21:24

I never heard that either. And

21:26

at that point, you had to be closer to my

21:29

tower than yours. Sure,

21:31

I guess. Then

21:33

what? I downed the rest of my coffee. Then

21:36

I found the cart overturned. The

21:39

sky and lance was hurt bad. We

21:41

started

21:42

mentioning- Shit! Amber, you

21:44

caught me. I'm sorry. We

21:46

started mentioning- Shit!

21:48

Amber, you copy?

21:51

Well, that made me jump. But I remained

21:53

quiet while she grabbed the radio. Go ahead,

21:55

Gene. Sorry I took

21:56

so long to get back to you, but boy, it's been a whirlwind.

21:59

The police are here now, came in from Jackson, we're getting

22:02

the chopper ready. Nash is gonna fly us

22:04

out. We're gonna land by you and then head up the trail.

22:07

Okay, are you gonna need an escort?

22:09

No, no escort. I want you to stay

22:11

in your tower. Do you hear me?

22:13

Sure, Gene, but shouldn't I talk to the

22:15

cops at some point? I'm the one who

22:17

found the body.

22:18

Don't worry. Me and the deputy are gonna come

22:21

to you. He's got questions. The rest

22:23

of the team will deal with the body. They just

22:25

don't want any extra traffic to that area. It

22:27

is a crime scene.

22:28

Okay.

22:30

And I shouldn't mention this, but I wouldn't

22:32

be too worried.

22:33

Why? Because they have a pretty good

22:35

idea what happened. They do? Oh

22:38

yeah.

22:39

Now it was me leaning forward, about

22:41

to fall into the pit.

22:42

I don't know if you heard a bunch of gunshots last night

22:45

and earlier this morning, but I guess some crazy

22:47

hog hunters came traipsing through. Thought

22:49

they'd do a little illegal hunting. Well,

22:51

apparently one of them came forward. Cole

22:54

just came in for the sheriff. This guy showed

22:56

up at the station, not more than 20 minutes

22:58

ago, saying they think they saw a man in the woods.

23:01

Anyway, long story short, they think they

23:03

must have stuck him for a wild hog. They couldn't

23:05

find the guy to help, so that's why they ended

23:08

up reporting it.

23:09

Amber looked to me. I didn't see anything, but

23:11

I shook my head and mouthed the word

23:13

bullshit.

23:14

That's, uh... crazy,

23:18

Gene.

23:19

Tell me about it. I mean, these guys are probably

23:21

looking at manslaughter charges, but just to

23:23

be safe, we're going to have you stay in your tower. I'll

23:26

call you when we're close.

23:27

Okay.

23:28

And as of right now, that whole section of the

23:30

force will be closed to hikers and anyone else,

23:33

so if you see anyone, report it to me

23:35

ASAP.

23:36

Okay.

23:37

And when you can, tell Mike too. If

23:39

he sees anyone, he needs to report

23:42

it in.

23:42

Okay, yeah, I'll tell him.

23:44

Thanks, Amber. We'll be there in about 30 minutes.

23:47

Over and out. Bullshit,

23:49

huh?

23:50

That's right. Convenient the hog hunters

23:53

reported not long after you discovered the body. I

23:56

decided to jump right back into my story. Anyway,

23:59

the injured man... by the cart had his face bashed

24:01

in by these weird, scrawny,

24:04

disfigured...

24:05

people. Think NJ's arms

24:07

looked weird? You should have seen these guys. After

24:10

they killed him, they chased me.

24:12

I took a moment to glance around the woods, realizing

24:14

just how exposed we were, and had

24:17

been this whole time. And?

24:20

It wasn't until the helicopter flew overhead that they

24:22

ran off. Scared, I guess.

24:25

Oh.

24:26

What?

24:27

I knew I heard a helicopter. It

24:29

wasn't until me I must have been dreaming that it was probably

24:31

just a storm.

24:33

It was a helicopter. The

24:35

assholes ran off and so did I. Then

24:38

early this morning I saw one of those people get

24:40

shot. Some guy decked out in tactical

24:42

gear did it. Shot him dead and then

24:44

came after me. NJ saved

24:47

my life. Shot and killed the man but in turn

24:49

was shot himself.

24:51

That's what brought us here. Everything

24:53

Jean just said was a lie.

24:55

She nodded. Was she finally

24:57

believing me?

24:58

Okay, Mike.

25:00

She grabbed the banana chips bag and started chowing

25:03

down. What

25:08

do we do now? We? Yeah,

25:11

I'm a part of this. That may be

25:13

true but I always wondered to what extent.

25:17

Come on, Mike.

25:19

Well since Jean's coming here with the deputy, I

25:21

guess keep them busy. It seems like he

25:23

wants to keep you distracted while the others inspect the

25:25

body anyway. So then what are

25:27

you going to do?

25:28

I'm going to go wait by the body. If I can,

25:30

I want to talk to the cops alone. No Jean.

25:33

And no me. Just

25:36

alone. She seemed hurt.

25:39

What did she expect?

25:40

What if they think you're in on all this?

25:43

It doesn't matter. I need to tell them my

25:45

story without anyone else interfering.

25:48

You really don't trust Jean, do you? You

25:51

haven't told me why. Can

25:53

I ask you what you heard over the radio when

25:56

Jean and I were conversing? Not

25:58

now. How much time? But

26:01

I want to... I mean...

26:03

I need

26:06

to clear some things up, Mike.

26:07

Can you do it in two minutes? No.

26:11

Then later, I need to get back to the body. I

26:50

was so tired of walking. My

26:53

whole body ached, but I had no other choice. I

26:55

had to talk to the police. Alone, if possible.

27:02

I made my way back to NJ's body. And there

27:05

he was.

27:07

For some reason, I was still a little bit shocked to see his

27:09

body still there. All

27:12

I kept thinking about on my way back was that missing

27:14

barracarcus I saw heading back from Enos

27:16

Lake. But nope, NJ's

27:18

body was still there. The

27:20

only difference being a couple of flies buzzing around

27:22

his wound now. Amber gave me

27:24

a sleeping bag pack, which I filled with a couple

27:27

of granola bars, a bottle of water, and her hunting knife. I

27:30

needed something else since my backpack was torn

27:32

up and empty. My bow without arrows

27:34

was essentially useless. But

27:37

before I unpacked anything, I went to his body

27:39

and sat next to it.

27:45

I don't know who you are or were.

27:49

I guess it was my fault for not asking more questions.

27:52

Although, would you have really answered them? Could

27:55

you have?

27:59

The police are on the...

27:59

I'm going to

28:02

tell them everything. Maybe

28:04

they can help find your loved

28:06

one. I reached in my pocket

28:09

and pulled out two objects, one

28:11

being the photo and the other being the little yellow

28:13

key card. I left this

28:15

device out when recapping events with Amber.

28:18

It felt kind of bad about it, but hey, it

28:21

was stuff she still wanted to tell me. I

28:23

think she said she wanted to clear up, so

28:26

both of us still had some secrets. After

28:32

sitting with NJ for a good 10 minutes, I realized

28:34

it was way too antsy. I

28:36

pocketed the photo and key card and ended up

28:38

pacing, biting my nails the whole time.

28:46

My hands were dirty, under my nails

28:48

completely black. I could

28:50

taste the grit, but I couldn't stop biting.

28:54

Damn, I hadn't bit my nails out of nervousness in

28:56

a long time. Years of

28:58

anticipation was killing me. Would

29:02

the police believe me? I didn't want to come off as a

29:04

nut. Take it easy,

29:06

speak calmly, slowly, and try not

29:08

to sound completely insane. If

29:11

Amber could believe you, so could they. But

29:16

did Amber believe me, or was she

29:18

just putting on one hell of a show? And

29:21

could I trust her? It didn't matter

29:23

at this point. I put pretty much everything

29:25

on the table. It was all in. Let's

29:28

see if it'd pay off.

31:59

Some local department or did they send somebody

32:02

from a bigger city? Detectives?

32:04

He mentioned Jackson. Then

32:11

I heard something. Someone was approaching.

32:15

But wait a second, it was coming from behind me.

32:19

I could see them. Two men just around

32:21

the bend coming from the east. Was

32:23

there a different path I wasn't aware of? Regardless,

32:27

I took a deep breath and approached. Hello!

32:32

The frozen place obviously startled. They

32:34

were all black cargo pants, vests, sunglasses,

32:37

and one of them carried a duffel bag.

32:39

Who are you?

32:40

The taller man on the right who had a slight scar

32:42

on his forehead, hovered his hand over his gun. No,

32:45

wait, please! You a hiker? No,

32:47

I, uh, I've been waiting for you.

32:50

You're police, right? The shorter pale

32:52

man on the left dropped the duffel bag and grabbed

32:54

the taller man's arm, giving him

32:56

a slight nod, as if to ease the tension.

32:59

The man with the scar took his hand away from his gun

33:01

and nodded, understandably. Yeah,

33:04

we're cops.

33:06

Who are you?

33:08

My name is Mike Archer. I

33:10

work out here, a fire lookout.

33:12

In a tower? Yeah.

33:15

Which one?

33:16

Tower...

33:17

four. What are you doing here?

33:21

I need to talk to the police. I know

33:23

what happened to this man.

33:24

I motioned to the body.

33:26

You do?

33:27

Yes.

33:28

I saw who attacked him. It wasn't any hog hunters.

33:31

Hog hunters? As Gene

33:33

said, my heart was beating rapidly. This

33:36

wasn't going any way I expected. Things

33:38

felt off. Uh,

33:40

oh,

33:41

right.

33:42

Yes, well, that's

33:44

what Mr. Marlow told us. But we're

33:47

still here to investigate. You're

33:49

not supposed to be here. This

33:51

is a crime scene. But Gene

33:54

didn't tell you. What?

33:58

Gene was told. A

34:00

call came in for the sheriff. Ah,

34:03

right.

34:04

I couldn't believe it.

34:05

I fell for it. Sir, do

34:08

you have any weapons on you? The

34:10

Pell Man took a step forward causing me to take

34:12

a step back. Sir, easy

34:15

there. We just need you to

34:17

relax. What was that?

34:20

A radio.

34:22

Hey, you guys there yet? We're

34:24

walking

34:24

up. Who was that? The rest of the team.

34:27

The... Forensics team. But

34:29

I didn't believe that for one second. Let me

34:32

see a badge. Identification. Sir,

34:35

just relax. The man with the scar now

34:37

approached, but I continued to back up. Sir,

34:40

uh, Mike. Hey,

34:42

what's going on here? I spun around to see two more

34:44

men approaching. But they were coming from

34:46

the small trail engine and I came up. I'm so poor.

34:50

What the fuck? Mike? Just

34:53

relax. The two men now stopped by

34:55

the body. Mike? What the hell?

34:58

Did this guy know me? No fucking

35:00

way. As soon as one of the men by the body stepped

35:02

out of the shadows and into the last light of

35:05

the setting sun,

35:06

I realized who it was. Fucking

35:09

Kyle. The guy with the beeping watch

35:11

I attacked on my first attempt out here. Kyle? Uh,

35:14

guys? I

35:16

was in trouble. I looked back and forth

35:18

between the two sets of men. What do we do? We

35:21

get Mike here to relax. But

35:23

I wasn't relaxed. I pulled the hunting knife from

35:25

the chief. Whoa, whoa, whoa. What do we

35:27

do? Back the fuck off. That's what

35:29

you do. But they didn't. They

35:32

all crept forward. Uh, guys? Just

35:35

then the man next to Kyle pulled his gun.

35:36

No! The man with the scar raised

35:38

his hand which caught the attention of the man with the gun.

35:41

And that's when the kitchen turned and

35:43

ran into the woods. Shit! What do we do?

35:46

Get him!

36:23

But you said you didn't hear any gunshots?

36:25

No, I didn't.

36:27

Just the helicopter. Amber,

36:29

that had to be a dream. There

36:31

were no supply drops, no fires, and

36:33

we wouldn't send a helicopter out there in a storm.

36:35

Okay, well, maybe it was

36:37

a dream, but that's what I remember.

36:40

I don't remember hearing any gunshots, at

36:42

night

36:43

or in the morning. Okay.

36:49

And you haven't heard anything since you got back

36:51

to the tower? No, I came back here,

36:53

made some coffee, and waited for you to arrive.

36:56

I mean, the hunters wouldn't be around here at this

36:58

time anyway.

36:59

They reported earlier, didn't they? Yes,

37:01

about a half hour before we left.

37:03

Gene, I really don't know much else. It's

37:06

fine. I think we have enough. Since

37:08

I haven't heard anything from the sheriff, I'm thinking maybe

37:11

we should check on

37:13

the body. You think? How

37:16

many came with you? What? How many

37:18

cops are here?

37:18

I didn't see anyone else.

37:20

They were still gathering supplies from the helicopter,

37:23

and Nash was told to stay back. The

37:25

sheriff radioed when I was outside. They're

37:28

at the body already. We'll most likely have

37:30

to get a few more people out here, either later tonight

37:32

or early morning, but we'll see

37:34

how things are coming along once the sheriff reports

37:36

in again. You hear that, Amber? There's going to be

37:38

a lot of traffic in the area. Yeah,

37:40

yeah, I got that.

37:42

Are you staying around, Gene? Is

37:45

there any need?

37:46

No, no. We can take things from here.

37:49

If we need anything, we'll let you know.

37:51

And if we have any more questions for you, Miss Reed,

37:54

we'll reach out.

37:56

Amber, you need anything? Any supplies?

37:59

Food?

38:00

We can send some more out, especially if there is

38:02

going to be consistent traffic in the area.

38:04

No, I think I'm okay.

38:05

No banana chips? Looks

38:08

like you powered through the last bag. Nervous cedar. You're

38:10

nervous? Shouldn't

38:12

I be? I

38:13

found the dead body and you told me to come back to

38:15

the tower for my safety.

38:16

I know. Well, there's nothing

38:18

really to worry about now, right? No,

38:20

I don't believe so. Like

38:22

you said, we had a report filed about the shooting. And,

38:25

one of the guys at least, is being held in question at

38:27

this time. Also, we'll have plenty

38:30

of people in the area and I... Jesus! Sorry,

38:33

uh... Deputy? What

38:36

are you doing here, Emil? We have... a problem. It

38:41

couldn't wait? He's here.

38:43

He was by the body. We

38:45

tried talking to him, but he ran. We

38:48

lost him in the woods after he stabbed Bennett. What?

38:51

And Aaron's missing.

38:54

Amber? Was Mike Archer here?

38:56

What? I don't know.

38:58

I don't know what's going on.

39:00

Amber, I need to

39:03

know the truth. Don't play games. Did

39:05

you see him? Did you talk to him? Was

39:08

he here?

39:12

Amber.

39:13

Yes. He was

39:15

here. It

39:26

was the first time.

39:41

Tower Four. Written and edited

39:44

by Robert M. Lamb. Starring

39:46

Jack Austin as Mike, Gina

39:49

Coyle as Amber, and

39:51

Brian Messick as Gene. Co-starring

39:54

Corey Pettit, Nick Keeney, Austin

39:58

Medlin, PACTA. Bonesy

40:00

Rather and Stephen Rhodes music

40:03

provided by taco at SoundCloud

40:06

comm slash made by taco additional

40:09

tracks from pond5.com and

40:11

art list.io and Brett

40:13

Wilkins at facebook.com slash

40:16

Wilkins music FL If

40:18

you enjoy tower for visit 7lam.com

40:20

for more podcasts such as this one Don't

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wouldn't be able to do this without you. So

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