Ep.344 – The Hellhowler - Demon Dogs, Dark Secrets, and a Deadly Summoning - Weekly Spooky: Scary Horror Stories — Ghosts, Monsters & Urban Legends

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
A howl cuts through the night, deep guttural, not of
this world. In the Dark Hills, blood is spilled, secrets faster,
and something summoned is hungry for more. Can you possibly escape?

Speaker 2 (00:23):
What's that? You want to be scared? Come with me?
He will experience tales over opera, ghosts and death. It
is not recommended for.

Speaker 1 (00:44):
The week At Heart Heart listen, as in the dark
it's more fun at that way way.

Speaker 2 (00:53):
This is Weekly Speaking.

Speaker 1 (01:03):
Hello, my spookies. It's Wednesday, and you know what that means.
It's time for a little spooky in your weekly. I'm
your host and narrator, Enrique Kuto, and we have a
very very special treat for you tonight, a story that's
extra meaty, a novella length piece of terror from Weekly

(01:28):
Spooky original Joe Solmo. But before we get to that,
I want to say a humongous thank you to you
for listening to the program. You spookies that tune in
every single week are like myself, desperate for Halloween every
single day of the year, and I am happy to provide.

(01:51):
And if you love what we're doing here at Weekly Spooky,
make sure you're subscribed on your favorite podcasting app then
head to Weekly spook key dot com slash join, where
you can support us directly for as little as one
dollar a month to guarantee we keep going and going
for another six years and beyond. You'll get two bonus

(02:13):
shows every month, tons of exclusive audiobooks and creepypasta readings,
and of course my undying gratitude just had to Weeklyspooky
dot com slash join. But as for tonight, what if
the howl you heard in the night wasn't from a
wolf or even a dog, but from something far worse,

(02:40):
a creature dragged up from the pit of hell, itself
bound to a summoner's will with only one purpose to kill.
Tonight's tale takes us to a house on the edge
of wealth and ruin, where love turns to betrayal and

(03:01):
the shadows hide teeth sharper than knives. So get cozy
because this story starts right after this The Hell Howler
by Joe Solmo from the files of James Becker Case

(03:27):
number six zero two three, The Hell Howler. It was
on April fifth that I was first contacted by the client,
one Marlene Kraus. She came to my office on Church
Street just after lunch. I had just eaten a pastrami sandwich,

(03:48):
hard roll mustard. I could tell by her gorgeous green
eyes darting around in fear that her lunch had been
of the liquid kind. A woman after my own heart. However,
it seemed to not have helped her nerves. I offered
her a drink from the small fridge by the side

(04:08):
of my desk for emergency purposes only. She said yes,
so I popped the top of the bottle and handed
it over to her before getting one for myself. Mister Becker,
I know this is going to sound weird, she started.
If I had a dime for every time I heard

(04:29):
that sentence, I could have retired years ago. I don't
know who I need to see to get paid, though,
Please call me James, I said. I found it makes
me seem less intimidating to be on a first name basis.
I got a mug only a mother could love on
a body that exercise has forgotten. My face might have

(04:52):
been handsome once, but when you tussle with the paranormal
like I do, you get the shit beat out of
you a lot. I'd have to take my shoes off
to count how many times I've had my nose broken
by some cryptid. I subconsciously tugged my shirt down to
make sure my beer belly was hidden from view. I

(05:15):
could tell from her looks that something has gotten her scared.
She stared at the bracelet on her wrist. It had
a Celtic shield, notot used for protection, but I doubt
she understood the significance. Not all of these cases end
up with an epic showdown with the undead or bigfoot.

(05:37):
Sometimes it's nothing, regular old bad guys doing bad guy shit.
I haven't gotten a read on her at this point,
so I sat back and let her tell her story
as I enjoyed my post pastrami beer James, she said,
and took a long pull from the bottle. Down at it,

(06:01):
I could tell she wasn't used to slumming around with beer.
She was a fine, brandy kind of gal. She took
a moment to collect herself and looked up at me.
I think I'm going to die. We are all going
to die, I said, with the infamous Becker charm. That's

(06:24):
how I get all the ladies. My compassion and the
power to speak the wrong thing at the wrong time.
Women love assholes and I am a fucking catch. I
mean soon. I think I'm being hunted, she explained, and

(06:44):
pushed a lock of her wavy brown hair back behind
the cutest ear I've ever seen. I bet her shampoo
smelled amazing. Hunted by what? I asked her? Taking a
drink myself from the bottle, I didn't notice anything off
with the flavor. People of refined taste have no taste.

(07:08):
You know what I mean? I don't know. I don't
know how to explain it. Last night at home, my
husband and I, she started, Husband, I should throw her
out of my office. I thought I couldn't be that cruel,
could I? I mean, don't you go looking into my

(07:31):
past for that answer? The answer I'm giving you now
is a reluctant no. I guess I won't find my
true love on this case either, maybe the next. What's
the address address, she asked? Where do you live? I
inquired with a raised eyebrow. Oh, we're over in Heaven's Hills,

(07:56):
the new development, she answered, Of course she was. That
was big money. I didn't think the places were open yet.
Only the developer lived up there. It was a town
over in Union. I haven't been that way in a while.
There really isn't much else out there. I'll come out tonight,

(08:19):
missus Kraus, just before dark. I'm guessing you are safe
until nightfalls, I asked, nine times out of ten. Whatever
paranormal issue, these cases have only operates under cover of night.
Some are stronger after dark, some die in the sunlight,

(08:39):
others just like the aesthetic. I won't know which I'm
dealing with until I get out there and can snoop
around a bit. How did you know my name? Don't
you want to hear the details? She asked, confusedly. Is
anyone else living over there yet? Or is it just
you and your husband? The develop I'll get all the

(09:01):
details tonight when I get there. I'll interview you and
your husband. Once I have both stories, I can figure
out what we're dealing with here. I am terribly sorry,
but I have a very important client. I have an
appointment with I kind of lied, kind of of course.
Forgive me for barging in like this. I should have

(09:24):
called and made an appointment, Marlene said as she stood up.
I tried not to get caught gawking at those legs
of hers as she made her way to my office
door seven o K, I called out after her. Perfect,
she replied, and when I looked up at her face,

(09:45):
she was watching me. Damn it too slow on the
eye withdrawal. It's been a while since I've been caught gawking.
She was sharp. I admired that in my women. Thank you,
mister Becker, I mean, James, I already feel better knowing
you are on the case. I gave her an award

(10:08):
winning smile until she closed the door. I finished off
my bier, sat down and put my feet on my desk.
Time for that appointment, I thought, and drifted off for
a few hours. I needed my beauty sleep. I know
what you're thinking, what an asshole, But let me explain.

(10:31):
Since I was a kid, I could kind of feel
the paranormal, catch glimpses of the things that lurk in
your bedroom at night. Most people go their whole lives
without seeing any of that shit. I've pretty much seen
it all, and let me tell you it's fucking frightening.
I don't get much sleep at night when those things

(10:54):
like to do their business. I catnapped during the day
just to get by. Oh and once those things know
you can see them, they don't leave you the fuck alone.
Even friendly ghosts get lonely and you are the only
thing that can see them other than cats. Yeah, not

(11:17):
a lot of downtime. Don't get me started on the
darker beings.

Speaker 2 (11:24):
Don't go away weekly, spooky will be right back.

Speaker 1 (11:31):
After my nap, I hunted around for more info on
the crouses. Sometimes good old detective work gets me all
the information I need for a case, but in this
instance they seemed squeaky clean. I don't like my rich
people to be good too. Makes the world not fair.

(11:54):
No Fauscian deal with the devil or stepping on the
backs of others to get there. Sometimes life just doesn't
make sense. I grabbed my keys and a fresh bottle
from the mini fridge, with a mental note to restock
that I know I won't remember until it was too late,
and headed out the door. It was still cold out,

(12:18):
not the frozen tundra of a Northeast winter, but a
transition towards spring. I regretted not grabbing my coat about
four seconds after getting in the car, but I refused
to go back on principle. I drove up the long,
steep dirt road leading to the development past the field

(12:40):
of stumps that used to be a forest, and up
and up I went until I was nearly at the
top of Heavens Hill's namesake hill. There stood the only
house that had actually been built up there. It was
large and white and had caught, so you knew it

(13:01):
was from money. It had a circular driveway, a two
car attached garage, and a fountain in front that wasn't
working yet. A well maintained frontage greeted me as I
exited my ship box nineteen seventy eight Dodge Omni. People
ask me how it still runs after all these years.

(13:24):
It's part Dodge engineering, part owner love, part incantations, and
the blood sacrifice of the mice that tried to winter
in it or steal the dropped fries from under the seat.
I tell them that usually makes them go away and
talk to someone else. To be honest, I have no
idea why it works, and I'm not questioning it. It's

(13:49):
been paid off for a long time and still starts
when it needs to. The door opened as the last
sputters of the mostly replaced Mopar engine died out. A
man stood at the entrance wearing a tux. I suddenly
felt underdressed in the same stained T shirt. I met

(14:10):
Missus Krausen earlier. Could you tell missus and mister Crouch
that James Becker has arrived, I asked the butler. He
gave me a particular look and motioned me inside. In
the foyer, Marlene Krause waited, wearing a cocktail dress and
holding a wineglass in her hand. Her brown, wavy hair

(14:35):
surrounded her beautiful face and hung halfway down her torso
It took me a moment to take my eyes off her.
I could see the curve of her lips as a
hint of a smile crossed it. She was amused by me. Dear,
mister Becker is here, the man in the tuck said.

(14:56):
I turned toward him. Oh you're mister Krause. I saw
the tucks and thought I started to explain that I
was the butler. He asked, a little annoyed. Well, yes,
I said, unabashedly. I am sorry. We have an engagement

(15:17):
we must attend tonight. We can give you about an hour,
mister Becker before we must leave, he said. I was
going to tell him to call me James, but fuck him.
I didn't like him from the start, Oh, James, come
sit with us and hear missus Krause said, and entered

(15:37):
a room off the hall. It held several comfy looking
sofas and a table with a bottle of booze. Make
yourself a drink, she finished. I walked over to the
table and eyed my choices. Some of these I had
never heard of, and the ones I had I had
never drunk. I chose one at random, something called knob Creek.

(16:03):
I poured half a glass and joined them on the sofas.
I had never sat on something so soft. I pulled
a notepad from my pants pocket. I like the old
school feel of writing down everything myself. I remember facts
better that way. Cell phones are spotty at best out

(16:24):
here anyway, I took a big gulp of the knob
Creek and gave them a smile as they watched me.
I'm pretty sure they didn't see my eye tear up.
Let's start with names and occupations, I said, Marlen Kraus, housewife,
John Kraus, land developer. They said, okay, John, Marlene, can

(16:50):
you tell me what happened last night? Let's start with John.
I asked, sure, John said, and straightened his tucks. We
were walking on the nature trail after dinner to see
the scenic beauty of Heaven's Hills. John began, you don't

(17:10):
have to sell it to me, I said, Did your
company make the trail? Not exactly. We found the trail
when we were surveying it and made it wider and
more accessible so the residence of Heaven's Hills would enjoy it. Anyway,
it was after dinner and not too far from sunset,

(17:33):
and we were near the top of the ridge to
the south when a cold wind blew and we both
felt like we were being watched. I stood up as
I listened to John's story and walked over to the mantel.
There was a small wolf figurine there, looking freshly carved.

(17:55):
Had picked it up to examine it. Did you hear
anything branches breaking or grunts? I asked, as I turned
the figure over in my hand. Tell him about the roars,
Marlene interrupted, not so much a roar as a howl,
like a dog or a John explained wolf. I interrupted,

(18:20):
showing them the figure. Yeah, it carried on the wind,
but it was faint. I had stepped off the trail
to take a quick leak, and I heard it it's
hard to say for sure which direction it came from.
John continued, There hasn't been a wolf around this area

(18:40):
for a hundred years. I explained, and set the figure
down on the mantle. I'm just telling you what I heard,
Marlene said, with a pout. Sorry, I didn't mean to
indicate I thought you were lying, I apologized. She still
sat there beaute poudy. John was a lucky man, continue,

(19:05):
I said to John. Soon after that, we decided to
head back, but we both kept looking over our shoulders.
We realized we were walking faster than normal. Both of
us felt like we were being followed. It was most unsettling.
John said, Still no grunts or rocks being thrown, trees

(19:30):
being hit by other trees in the distance. I asked,
thinking I had an idea of what it might have been.

Speaker 2 (19:39):
You're not safe yet, weekly spooky will be right back.

Speaker 1 (19:48):
What do you think it is becker? John asked, Well,
sometimes there are things in nature that don't like man's encroachment,
things that can be territorial. I've seen a dozen sasquatch
cases that start like yours, but they usually have rocks

(20:09):
being thrown or other aggressive behavior. So far, you haven't
actually seen anything, correct, I asked, no, nothing. James Marlene said, ah,
she remembered my name. I may have floated off the
floor just a little bit. I'll tell you what, Why

(20:32):
don't you two head out to your event that you're
so dressed up for, and I'll take a walk down
this trail and see what I can find. We can
reconvene in the morning. I told them be careful. James
Marlene said, oh, if you fancy that figure, go ahead
and take it. I don't want to think about wolves

(20:55):
right now. I picked up the figurine again and told
them thanks, and slipped it into my pocket. Where did
you get it, if I might ask, from a shop
in town. A woman carves them herself. When we were
driving around looking for a land to develop, we stopped

(21:16):
in and thought it was a charming little shop. We
picked it up as a souvenir of our faith in
our investment and future, John explained, and then excused himself.
Marlene walked up to me so close I could smell
her shampoo. This time it was apple scented. I was

(21:36):
glad I was wearing glasses to keep my eyes from
popping out of my head as I snuck a glance
at the cleavage in front of me. Thank you, James.
I feel better knowing you are on the case. Please,
if there is anything I can do, don't hesitate to ask.
It gained about one thousand degrees in that room. Swear

(22:01):
I'll get this whole thing figured out. You have nothing
to worry about. I'm a professional, I said, and down
the rest of the knob creek and placed my glass
on the table. I'll have the butler take care of it,
Marlene said, with a sultry smile. My face reddened, which

(22:23):
I didn't think was possible since all my blood was
differently located at the time. I found my way back
out to the car to get some supplies. I grabbed
my on the go pack, which included such occupational necessities

(22:44):
as holy water, silvered blades, dowsing rods not the kind
used for water, and various other stoppered bottles of various concoctions,
and more modern day toys like a drone and a kin.
Why an e reader, you may ask, well, when you

(23:04):
need that one ancient tome to save the world, and
you have mere minutes left to do so, you do
not want to have left it behind at home base,
do you Besides, all these old books were heavy and
not to mention a fire hazard. It sure is a
pain in the ass to digitize some of those tomes,

(23:26):
but it has saved my ass more than once when
dealing with ancient pseudo deities and prophecy. I didn't expect
to need it on the trail, but I tucked it
into the front pocket anyway. I slung one of the
straps over my shoulder, then the other, shifted the weight
around until it was as comfortable as possible, and groaned.

(23:50):
At the incline of the start of the trail, it
looked like it crested the hill behind the Krouse house. Ah,
it didn't take long for me to get to the
wooded part of the trail. Most of the development was
happening further down, with the Crouses building their mansion to
lord over all below. I did notice that the path

(24:13):
was wide and smooth, and saw skid steer tracks on
the pack dirt. The occasional uprooted tree lay next to
the path and gave me a great place to sit
and catch my breath. Even if it was just a
modest incline, I had vanquished it was quiet up here,

(24:33):
and I could feel a slight breeze, even though it
wasn't much above freezing. It was welcomed on my sweating skin.
Occasional bird chirps and small sticks breaking I could make
out through my own labored breathing typical woods noise. Nothing
to be frightened about. I have spent many a night

(24:55):
in the woods hunting the paranormal, and I don't spook easily.
Once I could concentrate, I closed my eyes and focused
in on my gift, looking for signs of anything out
here in the woods that might be from another realm
or a cryptozoologist's dream, but felt nothing. I decided I

(25:19):
would go down a bit further, at least to where
the Crouses had said they got the eerie feeling. Before
I headed back to the car, I took a sip
from the half empty water bottle I found on the
floor of the dodge. It was mostly refreshing and not
gross at all. I shouldered my pack and moved a

(25:41):
little further along the path it had mostly flattened out.
To my relief, I found the hike actually enjoyable, even
if my body was wondering why I was putting it
through the torture, I decided to ignore my lungs and
beating heart and just enjoy the view. That's when I

(26:04):
crossed it. What it exactly was, I didn't know a
boundary of sorts. I could feel the creepiness fixating on
me as I scanned the woods for any sign of
life or even unlife. There are many boundaries in the world.

(26:25):
Some are easily defined, like rivers or the Great Wall
of China. Others only certain people can perceive, like thresholds
and lay lines. I gave myself a moment to try
to identify the energy. Was it natural? Was it a
cult related? It was slippery, really hard to get a

(26:49):
bead on. Just then I heard feet crunching the sand
on the trail. I saw an older woman coming towards me.
He had one of those taco bell dogs on a leash.
Its bug eyes looked up at me and it started
to bark. d'Artagnan stop it, She called out to her pet,

(27:12):
giving a gentle tug on his leash. It gave a
little growl, making eye contact with me before sitting next
to her leg. Could this be the howl the crouses
had heard?

Speaker 2 (27:27):
Did you hear that. Better check the locks on your
doors weekly. Spooky. We'll be right back.

Speaker 1 (27:35):
Hello there, Thanks for calling him off, I said, with
a smile. My name is James Becker, I said, and
held out my hand. The woman looked down at one
hand holding the leash and the other an old, gnarled
walking stick, then back to me. My hand retreated into

(27:57):
my pocket in embarrassment. The woman responded, are you from
the development Heaven's Hills? Heavens No, I joked. She didn't
think I was funny. I wish I was back at
my office with another pastrami sandwich and beer. They took

(28:18):
the nature trail and widened it. I've been walking it
for years. It was always wide enough for me and
d'Artagnan before. Don't see why they had to improve it,
she said. I don't know either. You walk this trail often,
I asked, for years, she replied, coldly, so, you said.

(28:41):
I didn't feel anything coming off of either her or
her dog, at least nothing that stood out more than
the boundary, which was still making my senses go haywire.
The trail used to lead to that lake down there,
through the woods. I used to go and feed the dustucks,
She explained. I thought bread was bad for them, I said,

(29:06):
trying to engage her, I said, nothing about bread. If
you're not from the development, then why are you on
the trail? She asked? The crous has hired me to
investigate a possible dangerous animal on the trail. They said
they felt like they were being followed the other night.
Do you think d'Artagnan here might have gotten off his

(29:28):
leash and came after them with all the fury of
a crunch wrap supreme, I asked, He never leaves my side,
Terror responded, she was a real talker. Say how much
further does this trail go before turning back toward Heaven's Hills?
I asked about a mile. It dips down the other

(29:51):
side of the ridge for a bit, then climbs back
up behind where they built their house. She answered, more uphill. Great.
I think I'll just turn back, I said, and slipped
a crystal just off the trail. I didn't think she noticed.
I'll come back for it tomorrow and see what kind

(30:13):
of energy it absorbed. It might help me figure out
what kind of boundary this is and what exactly I
am dealing with. Have a good one, I said, and
gave the woman a wave. I turned to go back
to my car. I felt a hundred times better after
crossing that boundary again. Just as I turned a curve

(30:37):
in the path, I caught the woman in my peripheral.
She had not moved from that spot and was watching me.
What a weirdo, I thought. I gave her another wave
and a smile before starting the descent down to the
Krause house. She never waved back. She probably thought the

(30:59):
same of me. Could she be the culprit? Maybe it
wasn't a cryptid that chased them, Maybe it was some
witch that marked a piece of land to chase off developers.
She sure was crabby enough. Well, that's not fair. There
are plenty of witches I know that are pleasant to

(31:20):
be around. I got back to the car and through
the pack in the hatchback of the Omni. I had
some leads to start, like what is that boundary? Will
the town property records show me something there that might help?
Do my spiritual friends know this terra? Did the figurine

(31:41):
fit into the equation? Do I have any chance with
missus Kraus? Sadly, I already knew the answer to the
last one a resounding no. Maybe when I write my memoirs, though,
maybe then I can pencil it in. I slept in

(32:04):
the next morning, my head felt like it had been
kicked in. I searched around for my glasses, which happened
to be on the top of my head, not sure
how they didn't get crushed last night. I made my
way through the empty bottles and open ancient texts to
the bathroom and took a piss in the dark. My

(32:26):
eyes weren't ready for the daylight yet. I made my
way to the fridge and found a gatorade in there.
It looks like drunk me was thinking of the future.
I thanked myself and drank it down, hoping it would
curb the hangover a little bit. On my desk I
found the drunken scribblings of a half crazy paranormal investigator.

(32:51):
Good thing I could read my own handwriting. I picked
it up and commanded my eyes to focus. It took
a few more for them to listen find answers to case.
Sometimes I really am proud of myself. I popped on
the TV volume on mute as I waited for the

(33:13):
hangover to subside. I woke up again about two in
the afternoon and realized it had been a day or
two since I had showered. I went into the bathroom
and cleaned myself up, made myself human again, even took
the time to shave. It had been at least a
week since I'd done that. I read over my notes

(33:36):
taken at the Crouse's and headed out the door. I
had a few stops to hit this afternoon, and the
day was getting away from me. Once I had gotten
a fresh sandwich in beer from Herschel's Deli, I drove
over to Union to check out the shop that sold
the figurines. I didn't really get a sense of anything

(33:58):
from the wolf, but it was better to be safe
than sorry. I sat in the omni finishing my sandwich
and beer before heading over to the shop, Casey's Curios
it was called. I opened the door and a little
bell rang. Every step I took on The old wooden
floor creaked ominously, and I wondered how far a fall

(34:23):
into the basement actually was as I scanned the cluttered room.
In most of these kinds of places, you will find
some kind of artifact giving off energy. People who aren't
perceptive to that kind of thing might still feel uneasy
and decide to donate or sell an item without knowing

(34:45):
the why. A few hit me right away, but nothing
that seemed in any way related to the case. I
found the display of carved figurines and gave them more scrutiny.
As I heard the creaking coming from behind me. Find
something you like? Came the voice from behind me. I

(35:09):
turned and was surprised to see a familiar face.

Speaker 2 (35:15):
A sh it was only the wind, your safe, weekly spooky,
We'll be right back, Tara.

Speaker 1 (35:24):
Was it, I asked? It was? And still is, she said,
as she passed me and went behind the counter. Where
is d'Artagnan not a great watchdog, eh, I joked, Or
at least I thought I did. You couldn't tell from
her reaction At the vet found a tick on him.

(35:48):
Getting it checked out, Tara replied, with all the warmth
of the Arctic circle. Well, I am sorry to hear that. Anyway,
As I said yesterday, I was looking into some wild
animals up in Heaven's Hills for the crouses, and I
found this in their study, I said, producing the wolf figurine.

(36:10):
And you think that was following them? They could probably
outrun something so small. She asked me what a comedian well.
I found it curious that they had a wolf figurine
on their mantle and said they had heard howling on
the wind. I thought I would check out where the
figurine came from. I replied, let me know if any

(36:34):
of these make a sound, I'll charge another five bucks.
Tara said and opened a shipping box that had been
on the counter. She pulled a locket out and set
it down. I could feel the energy emitting from it.
That's a nice locket, I said, focusing more on it.

(36:56):
Sometimes it was hard when there were other things around,
like the boundary. Last night, I put the other items
out of mind using an exercise I learned when I
was little, and focused my attention in front of me.
I was surprised to find two distinct aurs. One was

(37:17):
from the locket, and it screamed of divination magic. It
was used recently to find someone. I caught glimpses of
a woman's face, but it flashed by too fast for
me to see. Wonder who sent that to Tara. Usually
when someone with the talent finds an item, they don't

(37:39):
let it go unless they were asking a huge favor
of someone, and they traded a magical item for said favor.
The other aura was coming from Tera herself. I tuned
into that she was a dabbler. She wasn't very powerful,
but she did indeed dabble in magic. There was some

(38:02):
residual magic coming from her, now faint, it had been
a few days since she had tried anything. It had
the smell of summoning magic. With dabblers sometimes they get
the idea but not the nuance of what they are doing.
She could have been trying to summon a demon or

(38:23):
a lost loved one in a seance, even though that
isn't the proper way to do it. Did they give
you that to return? Tara asked, No, they loaned it
to me. I replied, do you remember when they were
in here, mister? I get a lot of people coming
and going weirdos. I remember, like people asking me if

(38:46):
my figurines can howl. But a tourist couple a thousand
of those walked through my shop every summer. Tara explained, ouch, Well,
thank you for your time, I said, and headed for
the door, not going to buy anything. She called after me.

(39:06):
I knew she was just trying to guilt me into
buying something, and I am a sucker, so it worked.
I remembered her story about the ducks in the lake
and picked up a duck figurine. I slipped a crystal
under the display, covering the move with my back to Tara.
Fifteen bucks, she said, as I placed the figurine duck

(39:30):
on the counter and put her hand out open palm.
I reached into my wallet and slapped her at twenty.
Keep the change in case it quacks, I said, and
turned back towards the door. Nothing. The woman has no
sense of humor. The day had really gotten away from me.

(39:52):
The sun was going to go down soon, just enough
time to go get my crystal on the trail and
head over to Kraus's. I set the duck figurine on
the seat next to me and headed up to Heaven's Hills.
I got to the boundary just as the sun dipped
behind the hills. It hit me like a ton of

(40:13):
bricks again, and in the fading light, I had to
use my cell phone's flashlight to find the crystal. It
was clear when I dropped it in the leaves. It
was now striped red and black. That's not a good
sign red and black are the dominion of the abyss.

(40:33):
All the levels of hell from any religion you can
think of, belongs there. You add that to summoning magic
aura from earlier, and you usually get yourself a demon.
Why couldn't it have been a sasquatch? I had a
bottle of pheromones on me to get a wild, horny
teenage squatch to follow me farther from humanity and deeper

(40:56):
into the woods primordial. That would have been an easy
But nope, it has to be a goddamned demon. The
thing about demons is they are tricky. Was the summoning
magic around Tera because she was summoning a demon? Or
was it because she was summoned? Did the aura being

(41:19):
faint mean it was strong on an object in her
shop and rubbed off? Either way, the boundary had hellish energy,
and I needed to step out of it to think
without its negative energy bombarding me. I made my way
down the trail about seventy feet or so, far enough
to think straight, but still within sight of the boundary's position.

(41:44):
I twirled the crystal in my hands as if looking
it over for answers, when truly there was no more
information it could give me. I pocketed it and headed
down the trail toward the crouses. I could see the
porch light through the trees when I felt a twitch
of magical energy, then heard a scream. I ran as

(42:07):
fast as my out of shape bulk could move, and
it was only thirty seconds or so before my foot
hit the boards of the porch. Marlene was laying on
the floor clutching her arm. I could see the crimson
flow from between her fingers, just above her bracelet. John
was in an Adirondack chair. He too was clutching himself

(42:31):
as blood flowed. What happened, I asked, looking over the scene.
It attacked us, John called out. I pulled his hand
away from his left forearm. There were deep punctures there
and scratches defensive wounds from an animal attack. I could
feel the heat coming from the wound, and steam rose

(42:54):
from the crimson ribbons of flesh. It didn't feel that
cold out to cause steam from warm body. I grabbed
my handkerchief and flask from my bag and wrapped his arm,
then turned my attention to Marlene. What was it? I
asked them. It was too dark to see, but it

(43:16):
definitely was some kind of animal. We heard the howl
again just before Marlene came out with the drinks, John said,
pointing at the spilled tray and glasses on the porch floor. Interesting.
I didn't hear anything, and I was just up the
trail over there, I said, as sure as hell felt something,

(43:38):
though it was too quick to get a fix on.

Speaker 2 (43:42):
More scares to come weekly, Spooky, We'll be right back.

Speaker 1 (43:49):
Those cuts would scar up severe. I treated her wound
the same way and looked around for evidence. It hit
me from behind and landed right on John. I got
my arms up to protect my face, Marlene said. As
I surveyed the scene. On the railing, I found a
tuft of black hairs. I quickly grabbed a baggie from

(44:13):
my pack and collected it with tweezers. I dropped the
baggie on the porch and bent to pick it up.
When I did, I noticed the prince on the wood.
I took out my phone and snapped a few picks.
What is it, Marlene asked, Prince of our suspect, I said,

(44:35):
looking at the canine footprints burned into the wooden porch.
How many in the universe could leave Prince like these.
You ask, there is a very short list a hell hound. Well,
now we know what was summoned. The question now is
why what did TA have against John and Marlene Kraus?

(45:00):
The development would be my first guess. Usually that's all
the guests I need. I'm not being conceited here, I'm
just good at my job. Summoning a hell hound takes
a specialist, a long time practitioner, not just some curious
teens like you see in a horror movie. This person

(45:21):
would need years of training from knowledgeable people, a cult
or sect hidden away, and I didn't know of any
around here. That doesn't mean they don't exist, just that
I was unaware. So is Tara my hell howler, the
person that brought this beast here? Or is there another

(45:45):
player I haven't met yet? I would say intriguing, But
what I really would be thinking is, for fuck's sake,
why can't these cases ever be easy? The next day
I slept in sensing a pattern. This time, I wasn't

(46:07):
just up all night drinking. In fact, last night I
was up all night drinking and reading up on hell
hounds and how to stop them. There was surprisingly limited
documentation on them, even though myths of them have been
around since antiquity. Before starting my binge a hem reading,

(46:30):
I dropped in with an old friend to learn more
about the Hell Howler. Madam Stacy made most of her
money telling fortunes at Renaissance fairs, psychic fairs, and craft shows,
as well as other events. But she was the real deal,
unlike most of them on that circuit, since she had

(46:50):
been around and seen a lot of things, and much
like me, found steady work here with all the conduits
of the paranormal that seemed to intersect in our little
slice of America. I pulled out my phone and opened
the picture I took of one of Madam Stacy's books.
She wouldn't let me touch them, let alone borrow them, which,

(47:12):
to be honest, is probably a good thing. That is
the other reason for the kindle. I can't keep a
book's binding intact for more than a week, no matter
how careful I was with them, they just disintegrate under
my care. I pinched the screen and zoomed in on
the left column of the page. Hell Howler a specific

(47:36):
spellcaster with a knack for summoning from the abyss. This
person can imbue their emotions into their magic asking for
help from the lower planes. Powerful hell howlers can summon
up to class five demons. If they work in tandem,
a coven of hell howlers could summon even more powerful entities.

(48:00):
There is a rumor of a shadow mass that can
be conducted with ninety nine hell howlers to draw a
Prince of Hell to the summoning circle to answer three questions.
As with any summoning ritual, if done incorrectly or without
the right amount of power, control of the summoned entity

(48:21):
will falter, and in most cases it will turn on
the summoner. Found in several cultures, many use their powers
for political assassinations or shows of power. Cultures with blood
rituals and human sacrifices are commonplaces to find hell howlers.

(48:42):
Known hell howlers have been found among the Aztecs, Canaanites, Celts,
and Germanic peoples. For example, below was a picture of
a woman in an open robe with her arms in
the air, in the center of a magic circle. In
front of her was a tornado of flames with sinister

(49:04):
eyes looking back at her. Well, that didn't really tell
me what to do to stop one I guess I'll
have to throw the kitchen sink at it. When I confronted,
the kitchen sink is what I call a concoction of
all the usual monster killers. Holy water, wolf's bane, iron supplements,

(49:26):
and minced garlic are the main ingredients. Smells like shit,
but it gets the job done most of the time.
I rifled through my books on ways to protect Marlene
from the summoned beast, made a quick list, and headed
back to Madame Stacy for the items I didn't have myself.

(49:47):
Having hair from the beast provided us with some material
to make a charm out of. In a perfect world,
that should be enough, but since we don't know who
summoned it, there really was no telling. Madam Stacy and
I worked on the charm for most of the afternoon
before I realized I had not eaten anything today. My

(50:09):
stomach groaned its displeasure. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
I asked Madam Stacy as she looked up from the charm.
My stomach had interrupted her spell. You go grab us
a couple of sandwiches so I can finish this in peace,
she said. I had only interrupted her a few times

(50:30):
with questions, what do you want, I asked the mystic,
as I watched a woman at the front window peeking in.
Madame Stacy put a closed sign up so we could
get this done before tonight. PASTRAMI hard roll mustard, she said,
and went back to work. I should propose right now,

(50:53):
if only she were a little younger. She was older
than the omni. I slipped out of the side door,
not only because that was where the aforementioned shitbox was parked,
but this way I didn't have to confront the customer
at the door. I'd much rather confront an angry ghoul
feasting on corpses in the local cemetery than deal with living,

(51:17):
breathing people. They're so much harder to get a handle on,
what with their schemes and lies.

Speaker 2 (51:26):
You're not safe yet, weekly Spooky will be right back.

Speaker 1 (51:33):
I pulled out onto the street and headed the few
blocks west to the deli. Yeah, I could have walked,
but this was more efficient. I walked into the deli
a hero. They thought something had happened to me because
they haven't seen me yet today. That says a lot
more about me than it does their friendliness. I think.

(51:56):
When I told them I needed too, they all made
mocking faces, which to me said, whoae, look at the
big boy getting two sandwiches. They didn't believe me when
I said one was for a friend, even when I
got two drinks. Maybe I'll see if Madame Stacy can

(52:16):
put a minor curse on them, maybe make all their
wives grow mustaches or something. I grabbed the bag and
was back at the shop. Within twenty minutes, Stacy had
finished the charm for Marlene to wear a necklace. It
also had the Celtic shield nott like Marlene's bracelet. We

(52:37):
finished our late lunch as we went over the defenses
I was going to put up in the Krause's home.
I was running out of time. I wanted to stop
over at Terra's shop again to get a better feel
on her and what talent she might have with the
magical arts. With a reluctant hug the only payment beyond

(52:59):
the sandwich Madame Stacy wanted. I was on my way
to Tara's shop. I should get there in time to
ask her some questions. I got to start setting an
alarm so I don't sleep the days away. I usually
fight the evil at night, but the day is crucial
prep time. Maybe I should just stock up on caffeine pills,

(53:22):
since I'm not one for coffee. I had a few
hours of daylight still when I parked in front of
Tara's store, Casey's Curios in Union. Her sign said they
were open to five, just enough time to get home
around dark this time of year, you know, maybe to
give directions to your pet hell hound who was somehow

(53:44):
disguised as a Chihuahua named d'Artagnan. Although that would be
a funny scenario, it was very unlikely. I didn't detect
any camouflage magic on the dog when we first met,
and if I I was dealing with a football sized Helmut,
the scratches would have been on the Krouse's legs, not arms.

(54:07):
How would it have reached trampoline or a puchapult. I
opened the squeaking door of the Omni and made my
way inside the building. Tara was behind the counter, polishing
what looked like an antique tea set. If she could
see the spirit attached to it, I couldn't tell. The

(54:28):
apparition turned towards me with the kind of hatred only
the eyes of the dead can show, and whispered curses
at me. I wasn't impressed. I've dealt with tougher ghosts.
I ignored her, and it made her angrier by the
string of cursewords coming out of her mouth. My father

(54:48):
was a trucker and my mom was a whore, and
I think they both would have blushed. No refunds if
it didn't quack, Tara said dryly before putting the teapot
back in an old leather case. As soon as she did,
the apparition disappeared. No, it quacks, just fine, a satisfied customer,

(55:11):
I said back at her. She raised an eyebrow, then
lowered it. You want a different animal, perhaps a whale song,
to put you to sleep, she said sarcastically, while putting
the case on a stack of other boxes behind her,
under some wooden shelves with various products on them. I

(55:33):
wanted to check up on d'Artagnan, I explained. She raised
the other eyebrow. She was eyebrow dexterous. She nodded. Towards
the back of the store. Sitting on an antique Bergerie
chair was the canine in question, sleeping away. He was
wearing a red and blue superhero costume complete with cape

(55:58):
glad he's doing okay, said, Hey, I have a question
for you. Oh yeah, she asked, opening another cardboard box
that had arrived with today's packages. Yeah. Have I come
to the right place for athame Her eyes narrowed as
she scrutinized the sincerity of my inquiry. What do you

(56:21):
need it for? She asked, for a blood ritual. I
lied over by the cauldron's last table on the back wall,
she explained, My wicked mom would kill me if I
ever used Athamee to draw blood. Tara doesn't know shit
about fuck when it comes to proper use. I think

(56:42):
my original assessment was correct. She was a dabbler at best.
Well shit, then, who is the hell howler? I glanced
through her product. She did have some decent stuff, and
wherever she's getting her shipments from they are top notch.
Too bad, she doesn't know what to do with them.

(57:05):
She could take over the county with the amount of
spiritual firepower in this room alone. I wonder what she
keeps in back the krouses. I started turning over a
blade in my hand. It was too polished, too finished
for me. I prefer the old world craftsmanship with my

(57:27):
ritual implements. What do you know of them? Nothing? Really.
They came in here boasting how they were going to
change our town for the better and all the local
shops were soon going to have lines out the door.
They bought that figurine and told me they were about
to make a deal to make my life better. Usual

(57:49):
out of town snobs, Tara replied, who is Casey? I asked,
as it just now occurred to me that this place
wasn't named after her. My husband been in the ground
ten years, she said. He used to handle antiques and
the like here. He liked to fix up older stuff

(58:11):
to make it shine again. He let me sell my
stuff here too. He knew you practiced, I asked. I
told him I did, and that was good enough for him.
He didn't want to know any more. Gave me my
space to do what I wanted. Tara replied. I found
an older looking bowline and grabbed some candles. Sometimes these

(58:36):
things come in handy. I made my way back through
the rows of items to the counter. I placed the
crescent bladed object down, then set the candles next to them.
Anything else, Tara asked, as she rang me out and
put my items in a paper bag. Do you have
anything for summoning spells, wands, stuff like that. Tara narrowed

(59:02):
her eyes at me again. I could tell she really
didn't like me poking into her business. Summoning magic is dangerous.
I would leave that to the professionals, she answered, true,
but if one was going to try, I hinted, I
would suggest they don't, was her reply point taken. Thank

(59:28):
you again, Tara, My condolence is for Casey, I said,
and paid for the bowline. I now had all I
needed for tonight. Some shop owners make it hard to
want to support local business. Though. Tara was a downright
miserable person. But I don't think she is the hell howler.

(59:50):
Who else could the crouses have pissed off? I wondered,
as I fired up the omni.

Speaker 2 (59:57):
Don't go away, weakly spooky, We'll be right back.

Speaker 1 (01:00:04):
I got to the client's house about two hours before sunset,
just enough time to prepare for the impending attack. When
I pulled in the driveway, John was out front, so
I had him help me unload several of my musty
Duffel bags from the hatchback. What do you have in here,

(01:00:25):
Becker decade old Jim clothes, he said, as he got
a whiff of the contents you got me. I was
hoping to get some laundry done while we wait, I joked,
but it went right over mister Soerpuss's face. I guess
I would be serious too if there was an infernal
beast hunting my wife in a few hours, I gave

(01:00:49):
him a pass this time. Where's Marlene? I asked, missus
Kraus will be home shortly. I advised her to get
a hotel tonight, but she insisted on being here. I
don't know why I would prefer she was out of danger.
John said, don't worry, John, we won't let anything happen

(01:01:11):
to her. I reassured I could tell by his face though,
that I failed. I began rummaging through the stinky bags
to get set up. I grabbed a baggie of red
brick dust and began to scatter it in the doorway.
Are you going to clean that up? Afterward? John asked, honestly,

(01:01:36):
probably not, but I am sure you have a maid
come in at least once a week, I said, and
grabbed the baggie with a mix of garlic, sage and lavender.
Why have the smells spread out through the house when
I can combine them all together right here. Once I
profoundly stunk up the joint, I started to use the

(01:01:57):
bowline to carve some cymbals into the candles. I had
just picked up standard protection stuff, nothing too crazy. I
wanted a bastion of protection in case I needed to
bide my time with the creature once I face it.
Sometimes I'm not the fastest thinker on my feet, but

(01:02:19):
give me a month to prepare, and I'm fucking batman.
I placed a hamsa hand above the kitchen sink and
sprinkled a little more of the brick dust. I didn't
have enough dust to give the house a good redding,
but I got most of the first door. John mostly
followed me around, sighing at everything I was doing, until

(01:02:42):
he heard Marlene come in through the garage. That reminded me.
I ran over to the door to the garage and
sprinkled my protection magic cocktail. Marlene watched me with both
interest and amusement. It seemed or she was smiling at
me for another reason. Nah, she wasn't interested in me.

(01:03:06):
That was only in my dreams, no one else's. She
was the client and I had to be professional. I
told myself that was why we could never be together. Focus, Becker, Focus.
I snapped out of it and continued to work around
the house. An hour later, I was just about done

(01:03:27):
when Marlene came to me in the kitchen by the
garage door. How are things progressing, she asked, in that
sultry voice. Almost done here? We got the house on lockdown.
No way that creature is going to find its way
in here, I said, not past all the protection I
put up. I was rather proud of myself. Hungry, she asked,

(01:03:53):
and went to the fridge. She pulled out a pound
of pastrami and set it on the counter next to
some hearts. She knew me I could eat, I understated, Here,
have a seat. I'll make you a sandwich, she said,
and pulled a knife out of the block to cut
the rolls. I took a load off and realized I

(01:04:16):
had been working right along pretty good. I mentally checked
off items on my list and realized I was done.
I looked at my watch. I had twenty two minutes
until sunset and the chance of attack. With everything I
read on these hounds, they are usually spotted over three days.

(01:04:37):
The summoning only lasts that long. If they fail, they
don't go back to Hell. They simply cease to exist.
So there is the motivation for escalation of attacks. The
final one should be tonight. I just had to make
sure it wasn't a fatal one. I looked over at

(01:04:58):
the other smelly duffel back in the hall, the one
I haven't opened yet. It held the best line of defense,
basically a holy rolled up newspaper to hit it on
the snout with and say bad dog or bad hell hound.
Well that sounds more appealing than what it actually was.

(01:05:22):
Supernatural beings aren't always pretty, and neither are the tools
and weapons used to fight or subdue those beings. I
know what I had in the bag wasn't going to
win any craftsmanship awards. It looked like total shit, but
none of that matters as long as it gets the
job done. Here you go. Marlene smiled warmly and sat

(01:05:46):
down next to me at the table. I could smell
her perfume. Thank you, I said, and looked down at
the sandwich. She must have given me half of the
meat I saw her take out of the fridge. Wow,
now that is a sandwich, I said, and held it
out at arm's length admirably. Don't drop it, she said.

(01:06:10):
As it started to slip from my hands, she grabbed
for it and ended up putting her hands around mine.
Her skin was soft and warm, very warm. You feeling okay,
I asked, under the circumstances, Yes, she replied, and gave

(01:06:31):
me an award winning smile. I melted in my chair
and puddled on the floor to bask in her glory.
I snapped out of it when I realized I had
spicy brown mustard on my shirt, humbling, Oh dear, she said,
and grabbed a paper towel. She wet it in the

(01:06:51):
sink and returned to me, rubbing the damp paper product
on my shirt. She was so close I could smell
her hair. What's that? I asked, and backed up. As
her husband entered the room. He carried the rest of
the candles I had carved protection rounes in and a

(01:07:12):
box of matches. I could smell the sulfur of the
matches wafted by my nose. If he cared I was
that close to his wife, he didn't let on, Man,
I would be furious.

Speaker 2 (01:07:27):
More scares to come weekly. Spooky will be right back.

Speaker 1 (01:07:34):
I finished, placing them on the second floor. I had
these left over. Where do you want them, John asked.
I pointed to the next room. Most likely the creature
will come to one of the doors. I'd place them
near the front entrance. The door is made of glass
and vulnerable, I told him. He nodded and headed out

(01:07:57):
to the foyer. If you will excuse me, Marlene said,
I have to go powder my nose. Consider yourself excused,
I said, and gave her a bow. As I stood up.
I think I heard something crack in my back. I
am getting too old to fight monsters. I realized I

(01:08:19):
had forgotten to give her the charm we both worked
so hard on earlier. I guess it can wait until
she's out of the bathroom. I used to imagine rich
clients like these would be so grateful that they would
throw handfuls of cash on me, and if I just
stuck with it, I could retire in a few years.

(01:08:40):
But those few years have doubled and doubled again, and
I'm still living one Pistrami sandwich at a time. If
I can stop this hell howler from completing its goal
and killing Marlene, then I know they would pay. That
wasn't the question I just know from previous experience it's

(01:09:03):
never enough. While Marlene was out of the room and
no longer distracting me, I went over my list again
to make sure I had all the bases covered. As
I was mentally checking off the last of the list,
I heard a commotion from the foyer and ran out there.
John had dropped a candle and it had broken. What happened,

(01:09:28):
I asked, I burnt myself. I should have waited to
light it until I placed the damn thing. He showed
me his finger. I tried to remember what compassion was
like and did my best to show him. The sound
came from everywhere at once. The howl rang through my head,

(01:09:50):
sending flashing images of my own gruesome death At the
claws of the beast being summoned. I caught glimpses of
the animal's p of view as it closed in from
the forest path. I heard the snort of its nostrils,
trails of smoke rising from the nasal orifices. It covered

(01:10:11):
ground fast and would be here in seconds. Where's Marlene,
John asked, with a scared expression, powdering her nose. I responded,
I'm right here, she said, entering the foyer with us.
While looking over her shoulder, I glanced at the door

(01:10:32):
to make sure we had enough protection coverage even with
the broken candle. We were good. We should move to
an interior room, if possible, barricade ourselves in until I
can assess the situation. I explained this way through the kitchen.
Marlene suggested, and we followed. I grabbed my bag on

(01:10:55):
the way through. As we passed through the kitchen, another
flatsh of the beast's point of view entered my mind.
I could see Marlene's car sticking out of the garage.
She had left the door open. It was a good thing.
I reddened the kitchen door that led to the attached garage,

(01:11:16):
I thought, as I double checked my work. Ah fuck,
I said elegantly. There was a break in the dust,
as if someone was dragged through it enough to break
the protection. Just then, a bang struck the door. I
watched it move from the impact get behind me. I

(01:11:38):
called out and reached into my bag of tricks. I
pulled out a shillelah infused with protection magic and faced
the door as it began to splinter. I ran over
my movements in my head and couldn't figure out how
I scuffed the red brick dust rookie mistake, screwing up
your own circles and lines. If I survived this, I

(01:12:02):
told myself I wouldn't put that part in my report.
A moment later, a large black and red furred paw
pierced the wooden door. Its claws had to be four
inches long. I whacked it with the Shalalah and heard
a sizzle and a howl from the other side. It
wasn't the same howl as earlier, which means the hell

(01:12:25):
Howler had to be close. After all, I had heard
its call. No time for window peeking to see who
might be outside right now, though, I turned my eye
from the door for just a second to see John
and Marlene still standing there. Get in the room, I

(01:12:45):
yelled out. That was all the distraction the unholy beast needed,
as it launched its mass through the door and barreled
into me. I landed on my ass on the hard
tile floor, the beast's jaws inches from my throat. The
only thing that stopped it was the Shalelah held in

(01:13:07):
my hands across its slobbery jaws. Definitely not the damned Chihuahua,
I thought, did I see any stray Saint Bernards around.
In reality, it didn't resemble any dog breed or even wolf.
It was larger, smelled like brimstone and death, and had

(01:13:29):
tiger stripes of black on a body of short red fur.
It was at least the size of a mastiff, if
not bigger. It had three black eyes staring at me.
As I pushed up with all my might, trying to
keep that maw away from my face, I could hear
the protection magic sizzle its flesh, but the beast was

(01:13:53):
in such a state of rage it didn't seem to notice.
I spoke a word I learned a law long time ago,
a word of power. I was told not to use
it lightly. To use words of power like this strained
sum of your life. But I didn't see much more
life in me. If I didn't use what I had

(01:14:15):
for the safety of anyone reading this file, I won't
include the word here. Trust me, it's for your own good.
I spoke the word, and the magical force created within
rushed through my hand and lifted the hell hound into
the air, throwing him into the island in the middle
of the room. It bought me enough time to get

(01:14:37):
to my feet and see Marlene pull shut the sliding
door to the den. Good keep some distance while I
figure this out. The beast growled behind me and I
turned to face it, tapping the Shalelah in my left
palm as I made eye contact with it. The old

(01:14:57):
blood was pumping. Now, come on, Susie, let's dance, I
said bravely to an animal that couldn't possibly understand my words.
It launched at the wall. Its great muscles flexed as
it pushed off the sheet rock and passed overhead. I
gave a wild swing, but missed it completely as it

(01:15:19):
crashed into the den door, breaking through and passing into
the darkened room beyond. I heard a scream and raced
into the den behind it. Inside it was dark. I
could hear the beast snarling from the right, but my
out of shape ass was blocking most of the light

(01:15:39):
from the door. I patted the walls next to the
door until I found a light switch and flicked it on.

Speaker 2 (01:15:49):
If you thought that was scary, just you wait, weekly spooky,
We'll be right back.

Speaker 1 (01:15:57):
Marlene was backed into a corner by an old looking
record player. The beast was sizing her up for an attack.
John laid on the floor. Bloody ribbons of flesh hung
from his arms and torso he wasn't moving. He must
have gotten in the way of the beast's prey. I

(01:16:18):
hoped I would fare better. I charged the beast with
a primordial roar of my own shalela overhead. I launched
off the ottoman and saw myself in slow motion, like
they do in the movies when two warriors leap and
meet in mid air. I brought the hardened blackthorn down

(01:16:38):
on the beast's snout, using the word again as I
placed my other hand on its skull. The combination of
the protection spells in the shalela and the magic force
pushed the beast's head down to the luxurious carpet. I
hoped people that can afford that kind of carpet can
afford to get bloodstains out of it. I brought the

(01:17:01):
shaleala down again and again on the head of the beast,
each strike leaving marks on his body from the light
energy of the protections from evil. I tried not to
give it time to recover, and hoped I could just
beat it to death or submission. After the fifth blow,
I told Marlene to get out of the corner, and

(01:17:24):
she ran towards the kitchen. That proved to be a
bad move. As the beast's eyes tracked its prey, it
pushed past me and knocked her literally out of her
shoes to the carpet below. I stepped over the motionless
body of John, the sting of losing a client hitting

(01:17:45):
me harder than the beast had so far. I couldn't
lose another. I struck the beast on the back, but
other than the sizzle and welt it left. The beast
paid it no mind. Its own serve bible depended on
the kill. I had to take it up a notch
to get its attention away from Marlene. She screamed as

(01:18:09):
it gripped her forearm with its jaws. I didn't have
much time to make an impact on the beast. If
I blasted it with magic, it just might rip her
arm off as it gets flung against the wall. I
needed a new strategy, something it wouldn't expect, and then

(01:18:30):
the idea hit me. My mind dismissed it almost as
fast as I thought it up. I heard a bone
break in Marlene's arm, followed by another scream. There was
no more time to debate. There are certain places, whether
you are a beast, a man, a cryptied demon or angel,

(01:18:50):
that are very sensitive to pain, one being the eyes.
But I wasn't on that side of the beast own.
I was on the other end. I looked down at
my Shalela with a tear in my eye. It was
like saying goodbye to an old friend. Because if this

(01:19:14):
worked and I survived, I knew I wouldn't want it back.
I spit on the end and gave it a shove
where the beast was least expecting an attack. When there
was resistance, I pushed harder and harder. Half the Shalela
disappeared before the beast even reacted. I don't know how

(01:19:37):
to describe the noise it made. It didn't belong to
beast or man. It was almost a surprised muling with
a hint of betrayal and a bit of how dare you?
Instantly it let go of Marlene, who scrambled on those
beautiful legs back against the wall. As I got the

(01:19:58):
whole beast's attention, it began to turn on me, and
I knew if it did, I was dead. I held
up the end of the magical Shalela suppository in my
hand and uttered the word one more time, letting the
magic flow through the wood and inside the digestive tract

(01:20:20):
of the unholy beast. As the magic reached the tip,
it reacted to the protection magic infused there, and the
force was pushed away from the shalala in all directions.
The wood was wrenched from my hand as the beast
twisted and made eye contact just a second before the

(01:20:40):
force was released. Starting with the intestines expanding, the beast
began to bloat with the magical force pushing through its body.
Its sides expanded out until it was shaped more like
a hell hippo than a hell hound. I saw the
anguish in its face a moment before the hell pinata burst,

(01:21:04):
raining hellhound flesh down on a shocked Marlene. It hit
me too, but I wasn't as shocked. This was the
outcome I had hoped for. I looked down at the
blood and unmentionable material covering my schalela and sighed, well,

(01:21:25):
I guess if I wanted to go out in a
blaze of glory, there wasn't too many ways more rewarding
than an exploding holy suppository in a hell beast. It
should be proud for its contribution. I popped down on
my knees and took a few breaths. I was still
in fighter flight mode and had to let myself calm down.

(01:21:48):
Marlene sat on the floor, crying, holding her arms. She
didn't look that bad off once you clean the hell
hound's insides off of her. I try to get to
my feet and placed my hand on something. It was
Marlene's shoe. I rose and walked to her. She was

(01:22:09):
getting up as well. I handed her the shoe. Thanks,
they are really expensive, she said, pushing her hair from
her face. Funny, I thought you had green eyes, I said,
looking at her face. She looked back at me with
eyes the darkest brown, almost like black pools. You must

(01:22:34):
have been mistaken, she said. I looked down at my
hand and saw red dust on my fingers. How did
that get there? I checked on John, but like I feared,
he was dead. There was nothing I could do for him.
I called an ambulance and tried to figure out how
I was going to explain what happened. Marlene sat quietly

(01:22:59):
in the kitchen while I did so. I grabbed all
my mystical objects and threw them in my car before
the authorities arrived. They tend to ask a lot of
questions from the kook on the scene, and I just
didn't want to put Marlene through a media frenzy and
shit show. She had just lost her husband, for Christ's sake.

(01:23:22):
I made it down the driveway just as the sirens
reached my ears. I drove the other way. I had
left her with what to say. Tell them it was
an animal attack. Tell them a bear came in the
house and killed your husband. Tell them the chunks are
from blasting it with the shotgun. While distressed about John,

(01:23:43):
they owned a shotgun seemed feasible. If she gave them
no reason to doubt her story, then she should be fine.

Speaker 2 (01:23:55):
I like it Spooky weekly. Spooky will be right back.

Speaker 1 (01:24:02):
A few days later, I came to the wake. I
was surprised to see Tara there. She stood outside the
church as people came and went to pay their respects
to John. I hesitated to go in and walked up
to the woman. Have you been inside, I asked, not yet,

(01:24:23):
she replied. Watching a couple exit the funeral home, you
know them, I asked, nope, But I'm guessing they were
some of John's investors. They drove up in that BMW,
she replied, pointing down the street. In fact, I haven't
recognized a single person coming or going since I got here.

(01:24:46):
I don't think he had any friends in town. He didn't,
came Marlene's voice. She had come out the side door
to sneak a cigarette. She wore a skin tight black dress,
barely containing all the lovely curves. Her brown hair spilled
over her bare shoulders under a black hat. She was

(01:25:08):
wearing the same black shoes she had been wearing that night.
How are you, Marlene, I asked. Did the cops give
you any trouble at first? But I'll manage, she replied.
I saw a construction crew headed up your way, Tara
said to the widow, going to finish your husband's work. No,

(01:25:33):
I couldn't stand the sight of that house after what happened,
I'm having it torn down. Besides, with the news of
my husband's gruesome death, the investors are all pulling out.
There won't be a development at Heaven Hills after all,
Marlene explained. I'm sure it's for the best, Tara said,

(01:25:56):
and turned away. She began to walk down the street
back towards her shop. I'm sorry about John, I said
to her, Thank you. It means a lot. I was
hoping you would be here, she said, and handed me
an envelope. Inside was a ton of bills. I rifled

(01:26:18):
through it quickly, all hundreds. I never gave you my fee,
I said, I did my research before hiring you. Mister Becker,
she explained, you will see there is three times your
normal fee in cash. Why the tip your husband died,

(01:26:38):
I asked, nodding at the church. For the next part,
she said, a chill ran down my spine. Hush money,
I asked, how did you figure it out? Well, most
novice summoners get in over their heads. I wasn't sure

(01:26:59):
until it attacked us, but I know you are the
hell Hower. You summoned it to kill your husband, and
you lost control of it and feared for your own life.
I'm guessing you had no desire to live here in
our podunk town and be away from high society. A
girl has grown accustomed to such things, even if her

(01:27:22):
husband yearned for a simpler life, she explained, And instead
of taking half his money in a divorce, you could
summon a demon dog and have it all did Tara
know what was happening. No, she gave me a name
of someone I could talk to about summoning magic, and

(01:27:44):
that man gave me your name, she said. I still
wasn't sure it was you until I heard the howl
while you were powdering your nose. But I didn't want
to believe it. But when I found the red brick
dust on your shoe so you could let your pet
demon in, I knew. And your eyes they were green

(01:28:08):
when we met, my favorite color. What are you going
to do now, mister Becker? Tell the police that I
summoned a demon to kill my husband or take my money.
I've learned from my mistakes, but not in a repentance way.
I would do it a bit more carefully if I

(01:28:29):
had to do it again. Don't worry, my lips are sealed.
It's a shame about old John. He seemed all right
to me. Towards the end. I doubt our paths will
cross again. Just know if they do, I won't be
able to look away again, I said. I felt like

(01:28:51):
an asshole letting her go, but there was no way
the police would believe my story anyway. I get enough
strange looks around town I had to trust that karma,
in one form or another, was coming for her and
let it do its work. I've seen worse people get
away with more. She only murdered once, as far as

(01:29:15):
I know. Oh uh, I got you something too, I said,
and handed her the charm I had made for her.
It's a little late now, though. She took it in
her hand and looked it over before looking at me
with the same green eyes. I remembered. Good day, mister Becker,

(01:29:38):
Marlene said, finishing her cigarette. She turned back towards the
funeral home. Call me, James, I replied. She didn't hear me.
The air grew warmer, the sun a little brighter. After
she left, I decided it was time for a person.

(01:30:00):
Draw me sandwich, hard roll mustard. Well, my Spookyes, I
hope you enjoyed that bigger bite of a story this week.
Something to tempt your appetite as we head into October,
when we'll be having a lot more novella length episodes

(01:30:22):
for you all to enjoy. So make sure you're subscribed
if you're not already, because October is going to be
a wild time with thirty one shows in thirty one days.
We'll have lots of short stories, novellas, movie reviews, and
so much more, something spooky for every single day of
the spookiest month of the entire year. And I hope

(01:30:46):
you'll join us. And speaking of, if you love what
we're doing here and you want to support us and
help us keep it going day in and day out,
well I guess night in and night out, you can
head to Weeklyspooky dot Com slash Join for as little
as this one dollar a month. You get two bonus
shows every single month, as well as exclusive audio books

(01:31:06):
and five years of creepy pasta readings, among others spooky perks.
And that's at Weeklyspooky dot Com slash Join. And speaking of,
I want to say an extra special thank you to
our Patreon podcast boosters, folks who go to Weeklyspooky dot
Com slash Join and contribute a little bit more to
hear their names on the show. And they are Johnny Nix,

(01:31:29):
Kate and Lulu, Jessica Fuller, Mike h Shcuey, Jenny Green,
Amber Hansford, Karen we Met, Jack Kerr and Craig Cohen.
Thank you all so much, And if you want to
hear your name at the end of every episode of
Weekly Spooky. All you have to do is head to
Weeklyspooky dot com slash join and select the fifteen dollar
a month or higher tier. We really do appreciate it,

(01:31:50):
and I love saying your names in my silky spooky voice.
But now it's time for me to get back to
work because there's going to be something very special dropping
this Friday to help keep you in the spooky seasoned
spirit as we head out of summer and into the
fall month. So for myself, for my executive producers Rob
Fields and babbletopia dot Com, my producer Dan Wilder, and

(01:32:14):
my composer Ray Mattis, I'll talk at you next time.
Thank you for listening.

Speaker 2 (01:32:18):
To make sure to find your way back next week week.
But for now you are safe, trust me,

All Episodes

Ep.344 – The Hellhowler - Demon Dogs, Dark Secrets, and a Deadly Summoning

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know

My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

The Joe Rogan Experience

.css-15opob5{left:0;position:absolute;top:0.8rem;} All Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Ep.344 – The Hellhowler - Demon Dogs, Dark Secrets, and a Deadly Summoning