Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Thirteen days of Halloween is from grim and mild blum
house and I heart three D audio headphones recommended. Listener
discretion advised. M M, how do you feel? My head hurts,
(00:27):
I'd imagine. Is it bleeding? M No, not very much.
It looks as though the sea water washed it mostly cly.
Is it very far to the doctor? I am sorry
to say that it is a bit of a hike,
but perhaps we'll be able to flag someone down on
the road. There are no strangers in dire brook, sat me. Yes,
(00:55):
this is the only road into town. Most people come
and go by boat. The people here all came from
across the sea, religious outcasts, and the sea is largely
how we thrive. Our forefathers never trusted society at large
and this road was one of their very few concessions
(01:17):
to the government of the colony and later the state.
It was a grudging concession as well. We have never
really trusted our neighbors and the building of the original
road was grueling. Clearing these dense forests was dangerous. The
marshy ground frequently swallowed up the supply cards and occasionally
(01:40):
one of the workers with it. Progress comes with sacrifice
and usually that sacrifice is laid on the weakest of us.
That's terrible. M Hm. Yes, you may notice that it's
not particularly well kept. Cracks, potholes, crab grass growing through
(02:01):
it is foreboding, and that is quite by design. But
it's still a trade route and, like it or not,
since the sea quit being kind, it has become something
of a life long wait, what is it? Speaking of trade,
here comes one of its advocates. I want you to
(02:24):
listen to me. He is a good man. His heart,
at least, is kind. He is troubled, yes, and dangerous
to the wrong people because of his strange beliefs. He
is not welcome in town so much as tolerated as
a necessary evil. He brings us things that we cannot
(02:47):
get from the ocean. You will try to convert you.
Do not be swayed. It would be polite. Do you understand? Yes,
of course polite. He likes people. I will be perhaps
we can at least get a ride into down AH, smile. Why? Mother,
(03:16):
I didn't expect to see you out here on the road. Well,
we were out for a stroll and ended up going
a little further than we'd meant to. Ah, yeah, heavens
all the time. One day I went out for a
drive and here I am, decades later, still following the boat. Well,
(03:36):
I don't suppose you ladies need to ride. I thought
you'd never asked. CLAMB on up, she don't bite. Here
we go. Get yourself situating. Hang on tight, I can
(04:00):
give you a lift in the town, as long as
you're not looking for Chit Chat. Nothing personal, friend, I've
just had my field of other people's opinions. Twenty two
years hauled and hauled me cross country, with nothing but
talk radio and the CBE to keep me awake, just
buried in other people's boom. I bought into all of it.
(04:21):
I think I drink about every flavor of Kool aid.
There was politics, aliens, coats. I became what you call insufferable.
My poor wife used to count the days until I
was back on the road so she could get some
peace and quiet. UN that's her again. Do me a
(04:41):
favor you decline on that. This hall has gone way
longer than I expected, so I'm in it. Deep love
that woman, but the last thing I want to hear
right now is the sound of her voice. Hell, I'm
sick of the sound of my own voice. Spetter. This
(05:02):
is about all I can staying and listen to anymore.
KT Y Z the sound of the truth. He can't
always catch it on the air, but when you do
it dropped some bombs. There's old Guy Jerry, works at
a way station out in Colorado. He put a bug
in my hear about it. Knowing him for years, but
(05:25):
we're not exactly on the first name basis. I just
called him Jerry because he's an old ex Hippie burnout type,
and he calls me J Edgar. The two of US
have gotten into it every time I passed through there,
had some bond burnus. It usually ending with him being
too stoned to remember his point in me telling him
(05:45):
to get a haircut, sort of like the WHO's on
first of political discourse. Last time I passed through there, though,
it was different. Before I could even start up a
good argument, the son of a bit suck up wants
me in the gun like I don't know where. So
I'm doubled over trying to catch my breath and he's
helping me back into the cab of my truck saying
(06:08):
you need to man up, J Edgar, you need to
face the truth of this world. Condescending Bastard. I went
to take a swing at it, but he somehow managed
to sidestep and catch me in a choke hold. Just listen,
he's spat in my ear. Stop talking and listen. If
you want to know the truth of this world, you
(06:30):
need to shut up and listen. And he tells me
about it. This Pirate Radio Station, K T Y Z says,
when I'm ready, really ready to face it, to turn
the dial all the way to the left and wait. Maybe,
(06:51):
just maybe, I'd hear some truth, the truth. And then,
Calmas Day he let me go and sign my paperwork.
Part of me felt like taking another swing, but instead
of just made a weak joke about him needing to
switch dispensaries. It was then that I noticed his eyes,
(07:13):
not the red eyes of a veteran weed smoker, but
dry and white. And there was something weird with the
left one. No Iris, no blue like the right one,
just all pupil like. His eyes was wide open. Clearly
he'd hit me harder than I thought. Katy Y C
(07:38):
give it a listen. Terry shouted all friendly like and
slaps the side of my cab. It sends me on
my way. Katie Wi zy the truth and really stuck
with me. It was like a dad or something from him.
It wasn't but a day or two later that I
(07:58):
found myself fit link with the dolls, hunting around for it.
My charger had crept out right in the middle of
a murder podcast, and Patriot Dave's live call in show
might as well have been a rerun. The white lines
were getting to me, so I thought. I thought it
best to find something to keep me awake. I decided,
(08:20):
what the hell, I'm ready for some of that dad truth. Oh,
Jerry was smoking. I switched to a m flipped it
all the way to the left. It's been maybe an hour,
turning the KNOB like a safe cracker, but this, this
(08:41):
is all I got here it nothing was static right.
Truth was this static wasn't any more less profound than
Patriot Dave, whether y'all who's on the C B or
any of the other crap I glued my ears to
over the years. And I was and any better, such
(09:01):
a jackass telling everybody I knew what's what when I
didn't even know what I was thinking my own damn self.
So I guess Katie Y Z did show me the truth.
After all. For the first time in years, I decided
I ought to let some quiet in and think. asthetic
(09:22):
faded to a white noise and it was just me
in the road, in my head for miles and miles.
And you know what, I realized I didn't have a
single damn thought going on up there. Like what the
hell even was I I built a decent enough life,
(09:44):
bills were paid. An amazing wife those days, but suddenly
I'm wondering why she was even with me. I mean,
I've been on cruise control most of my life. was
there anything in me for her to even care about? How?
Cause she possibly, you know, she had to be lying
about loving me. All of us gotta be lying about
(10:06):
caring about each other, because none of us really know
what's in there, you know, every one of us, alone
and unknown, all in our cabs, armed with distractions and
headed down our own roads, driving from Tucson in the mobile,
just rolling through all the empty spaces of this world
and and none of us feeling it, not with anything good.
(10:30):
There must be something out there waiting to take up
all that space, something better, older, confined and hungry and
rightful looking to seep into the cracks of this world.
And suddenly the radio crackled in the life and a
warm buzz came across and said you're ready, friendly, you
(10:55):
are hearing it ready. It woke me up like a slap.
I barely had time to swerve to avoid the media,
than nearly Jack Knife trying to straighten while scrambling from
the damn radio. I hit the power and the lights
of MDAL fizzled off and it was silent. I haven't
thinking way too much and I was just tired. I
(11:17):
cracked over an energy drink and tried to get a
grip and ended up just laughing at myself. I mean,
what an idiot. I put on my big boy bridges
and turn the radio back on. Sure, I was a
little scared of what I was going here, but but
I think deep down I was more scared of the silence.
(11:39):
Not to worry, though. A quick switch to satellite and
there was Patriot Dave ranting out an invite to his
love of country rally and foaming at the mouth how
we would need it in St Louis this weekend. Sure, Dave.
It was a really a surprise when a buzz drowned
out Dave's signal and then voice came back on and
(11:59):
said ain't how we would need it to buy it
make oil under the buzz. Day returned, saying how much
he loved us all. But now Katie wise was back,
only it wasn't on the radio, it was in my ear,
saying got his head, David would sail the whole day
(12:22):
nation out for profit. God yeay. Hearing that voice off
the radio ship thrown me shore. But it wasn't wrong
about old day. In fact, the whole Voice of truth.
It was kind of funny. Kat Y Z and I
(12:44):
was still laughing about old Dave a few minutes later,
as I pulled off the eggs to grab some coffee,
clearing my head seemed a polite thing to do. Now
that my head had company over and a new thought
nagged at me. What should I be doing now? Thought
of this truth in my head. Careful, I mean, while
(13:11):
Baba Holding a hundred and twenty slabs of hog meat
across country in a refrigerated truck, when the rest of
the hogs get to just walk around out there on
their own, you know, dressed in people clothes, pretending to
speak human. Case in point this one tub the Lord
Long Hauler. I knew Carl was over at the pumps
(13:34):
next door, gassing up and chatting with a few other
fine specimens. He waved me over. I could feel the
truth salivating getting a good look at Carl. Took a
deep drag off my cigarette to give myself a sec
then I went to join them. They were talking some
(13:54):
major crap, college football, the politics of what exactly made
something a Chalue book, but all that came through was fear,
fear and Kat y Z. Kat Y Z was broadcasting
loud and clear in my head. Those Boys Gums flapped
(14:15):
while it sang out how truly terrified they were. And
I knew it. Hell, I've always known it. Afraid of
a world that left them behind, that didn't get the jokes,
didn't ask for their input, didn't want or need them,
they didn't even notice if they were there at all,
and about how they wanted to do something to that world,
(14:38):
something to make it notice them. The buzzing, the noise
had become unbearable. I couldn't bear it. Their truth couldn't
be born, not one minute longer. You need, I sput
it to him, you need to just shut the hell up,
(14:59):
shut like idiot children trying for Mommy's attention, like you're
deserving of something just for being spat out on the ground.
At last one was good. I didn't even know I
was gonna say that. They stood there dumb in every
sense of the word here, if they've been talking for
(15:20):
twenty minutes and hadn't even noticed I hadn't said a
word until that moment. Sure, I have been nothing along
the whole time, but not to them, to the buzz,
to the voice nodding, to the deafening sound of the
truth and what had to be done. Get Out of
this truck. Ye, hell, I was still nodding when that
(15:45):
snarl came to Carl's lips and I laid him out
with two quick shots to the gut. Still nodding when
I pulled the gas pump out of his tank and
spread regular unlet it all over the lot of them.
Nodding as I relit my Cigarett it and tossed my
light up at their feet. The heat sends the back
(16:06):
of my head on my sprint back to the truck.
They were probably screaming, but I couldn't hear him. All
I could hear was the truth buzzing in my skull.
I swung up into the cab with a little hop
and drove off and blissful silence. That was three days ago. Jump,
(16:29):
Oh God, Oh Katie, wise he giving his min sights then.
No worries, you're safe. You're a good listener and it
seems like we're developing the same taste in music. Still,
it's probably best that we part ways before a good
(16:50):
thing goes wrong. Well, here we are, edge of town.
We'll walk from here. Thank you. Suit Yourself. Thank you
for the ride. You remember what you heard here? All right,
I will. It's pretty good news. I will. Okay, come
(17:12):
on now, and you you be careful out there. Don't
need you to got the truth. Oh my side. So
how is your head? It hurts less, but it feels
(17:38):
busier somehow. Well, you'll want to avoid radios and televisions
for a little while until it wears off. Yeah, here
we are. It isn't much, but it is home, my dear.
Over the coming hours you'll meet many of the locals.
Always listen. Listen, because in their stories you will understand
(18:02):
the truth of this place, and that may lead to
back to your own truths. Yes, mother, allow me to
be the first to welcome you to die a brook
ye tomorrow. On thirteen days of Halloween the town square.
(18:31):
I'd be careful if I were you walking around by yourself.
That's when the how should I say it, when the
more wayward souls tend to go missing. One day, a
face that is all too familiar is simply gone, like
they were never here at all. Day is of Halloween
(19:01):
the road, starring Kathy and Jimmy, Bethany Anne Lynde and
Jay Jones. Written by Mike Katinsky with additional material by
Nicholas Takowski. Sound Design and mixing by Trevor Young, engineering
by violent FERTZON, DUBWAY STUDIOS NEW YORK. Casting by Jessica Losa.
Created by Matt Frederick and Alex Williams, with executive producer
(19:23):
Aaron Manky. A production of I heart radio, grim and
mild and BLUMHOUSE television.