ADVENT OF EVIL: Tuesday, December 09 – Scales of Disobedience

The rules were clear. The warnings were given. And when the clock struck midnight, Matthew Klein discovered that his defiance would not be answered with his own suffering — but with the screams of a loved one.

Get the print version of the novel: https://weirddarkness.com/AdventOfEvil

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
It arrived on December first, no postage, no return address,
just a rapt gift waiting on the porch of Officer
Matthew Klein's home in Marshport, Maine. Inside was an antique
wooden advent calendar, twenty four numbered doors, a bearded face
carved into its center, with empty, knowing eyes, and a

(00:23):
secret it would only open for Matthew. What emerged from
those doors has turned Marshport into a killing ground. A
miniature house that burst into flames in Matthew's hand. An
exact replica of his childhood home in Bayville, New York,
where his parents and seven year old brother Stephen burned
to death on Christmas Eve nineteen ninety five. A red

(00:47):
feather that preceded a cardinal smashing into Pastor Heart's windshield,
causing a violent crash. A crystal star that foretold the
death of city planner Bridget Carr, killed when the tree
topping star ornament fell and embedded itself in her skull.
A bloody cross that marked the murder of young Barrista
Gwen Martin stabbed through the chest. A miniature lion connected

(01:11):
to Zach Welch, the honor student turned puppet wearing a
lion mask while carrying out attacks he cannot explain, and
a photograph of Matthew's own children, Logan and Mason. Matthew
has been hiding for thirty years. He changed his name
from Norris Decline. He buried the truth about what happened

(01:31):
to that Christmas Eve, how he and Stephen sat at
the dining room table with a spirit board that once
belonged to their uncle. Their uncle David, the one the
newspapers called the demon of Bayville, the serial killer who
removed his victim's eyes. Uncle David, can you hear us?
Stephen had asked something answered, the house caught fire. Matthew ran,

(01:56):
his family screamed, and then they stopped screaming. Now Stephen
has returned, a charred phantom, reeking of smoke and ash,
embers glowing within his blackened form. He appears in shadows,
demanding Matthew follow the rules. One door per day, no escape,
no defiance. Matthew tried to end it. He threw the

(02:19):
calendar into the freezing Atlantic and watched the waves drag
it under the ocean. Refused to keep it. He woke
to his front door banging open in the night the
calendar sat waiting by the fireplace, dripping with sea water,
and Ren Nuen, Matthew's neighbor, was found dead at the
same beach where Matthew had attempted his rebellion. Security footage

(02:42):
showed Wren walking willingly into the darkness with a hooded
figure at three a m. For his defiance, Matthew received
a new mark, five burned shapes on his calf seared
into his flesh, a child's handprint outlined in blood. The
rules have been enforced. Detective Davenport is watching. The body

(03:04):
count is rising, and Matthew Klein, the man who ran
as a child while his family burned, must face whatever
waits behind door number nine, be it a hidden secret
he doesn't want revealed, or a terror his beloved Marshport
will have to endure. Welcome Weirdos. I'm Darren Marler, and

(04:01):
this is Weird Darkness's Advent of Evil, a holiday horror
novel written by Scott Donnelly based on a concept from
Darren Marler. Twenty four Doors, twenty four days, twenty four
secrets waiting in the darkness, just like an advent calendar
counting down to Christmas we'll unlock one chapter each day,

(04:22):
but what we find behind these doors may not be
the gift you're expecting. You can find all available chapters,
as well as the print version in paperback, hardback, or
kindle at Weird Darkness dot com slash Advent of Evil.
The calendar is waiting. Let's see what awaits us behind
today's door. Tuesday, December ninth, I walked back into the

(04:51):
bedroom after making the decision not to open door number eight.
Aniko is still sound asleep. I sat on the edge
of the bed and stared at it was exactly midnight.
Even though the Advent calendar had just shown back up,
it had still gone a full day without being opened,
and I knew that was against the rules. Stephen had

(05:13):
made that perfectly clear, so I was prepared for something
to happen. I placed my hand over my chest and
felt my heart racing in anticipation for anything. I couldn't
help but wonder who broke into my house to put
the calendar back? And most curious of all, how had
they retrieved it from the ocean? How did they even

(05:34):
know I had thrown it away there. As soon as
the clock changed to twelve oh one am, I felt
a sudden, bursting spasm in my wounded calf. I cringed
and tried to hold back a vocal cry, but it
was impossible. The pain escalated rapidly, to the point where
I felt as if my entire leg was on fire.
I cried out and fell to my knees, waking Anika,

(05:57):
you just don't listen. The wrathful, maimed voice of Stephen
hissed from somewhere Matthew, Annaka exclaimed, oblivious to my spectral tormentor,
and sat up to see me on the floor. My God,
are you okay? God has nothing to do with this,
Stephen's disembodied voice snarled. I gnashed my teeth together, still

(06:18):
trying not to scream out any louder, but the pain
only continued to grow more unbearable. I warned you, Stephen, seethed.
I warned you to play by the rules. RN was
a warning. Your pain was a warning. Now you will
really understand. Over Anaka's concern shouts and the grinding of

(06:39):
my own teeth, I heard yelling, screaming from down the hall.
Annaka heard it too. It was one of the boys.
Oh my god, Annaka panicked, leaping off the bed and
running out of the room with the wicked mocking cackle
from Stephen in the air. I struggled to climb to
my feet, feeling as if my leg was about to
melt away from the rest of my body. I tried
to take a step, but I couldn't find a sense

(07:01):
of balance. My leg was even more disoriented than what
it would fall asleep Anika, I shouted, what's wrong? Who
is it? I couldn't tell by the screams whether it
was Logan or Mason, but they sounded like they were
being tortured. I heard Annika shriek and start to scream herself,
which only made me panic more. What is it, what's happening?

(07:22):
I couldn't take it anymore. I threw myself to the
floor and began to crawl, using my upper body to
claw at the carpet and drag myself out of the room.
I saw it was Mason's bedroom door that was opened.
His light was on, and I could see Anika's frantic
shadow dancing along the walls. In conjunction with the screams,
Logan's door opened beside me, and he bustled out into
the hallway. Afraid and confused. What's going on, he groggily asked,

(07:46):
seeing me on the floor, get in there, I ordered,
help them. I didn't know what I was sending him into,
but with all the horrible screams coming from the room,
I knew they needed all the help they could get,
and I'd been rendered useless. Logan raced into his brother's room,
and I heard him gasp in shock. He backed out.
Oh my god, he fearfully exhaled. I clenched my teeth

(08:08):
and prepared to fight through any pain that was about
to come my way. I lifted myself to my knees
and then to my feet, with some slight sensation coming
back to my leg I relied on pure adrenaline to
run into Mason's room. As soon as I crossed the threshold,
my eyes widened and my jaw dropped. I wasn't sure
what I expected to see, but it certainly wasn't a

(08:30):
scene like this. Mason was on his bed, wrapped tightly
in the grip of a large, thick, constricting snake. Anika
had her hands around the serpent, trying to pull and
tug on it. Both of them were screaming and crying.
I rushed to the bedside and grabbed a snake by
the end of its tail, which was down near Mason's legs.
I'm gonna start unwinding it when I get up to

(08:51):
his waist. Flip Mason over, I instructed Anika. She nodded frantically,
still in hysterics, and I began to calmly yet quickly
unwrap snake from his body. Once I unwound it from
around his legs, Annika flipped him to his side and
I continued around his waist. She turned him on to
the stomach and I just about had the entire thing off.
Annika rolled Mason one last time, and I was able

(09:13):
to completely remove the snake from him. I held it
away from my body as it squirmed and coiled in
my grip, unsure of what to do with it. Next.
Annika held Mason in her arms as they both cried together.
I looked to the hallway where Logan stood and Shock
the bathroom, I thought. I rapidly moved to the hallway
and then into the bathroom, where I placed the snake
in the tub and then retreated, closing the door and

(09:34):
securing the reptile inside. I took a moment to catch
my breath. It was only then, once the adrenaline began
to fade, that I realized that so did the fiery
uproar in my leg. I watched Logan walk into the
bedroom where Annika and Mason were sobbing softly. Then I
heard heavy thump from downstairs. Still in a primal protective mode,

(09:55):
I scampered down the stairs and scoured each room, looking
for any disturbance, small or large. It was in the
living room where I found it. The advent calendar was
face down on the floor. As I picked it up,
door number nine swung open, spilling a ball of small
snakes onto the floor. I recoiled in disgust, quickly setting
the calendar down on the table and grabbing the fireplace

(10:17):
shovel and ash bucket. I scooped up the ball of writhing,
twisting creatures and dumped them in the bucket and capped
it off with the lid. I stepped away, again, catching
my breath and fighting off a queasy feeling. None of
us could sleep. I found a wildlife removal service online
that was opened twenty four hours a day and called them.

(10:38):
Not long after, I canned the snakes in the living room.
They showed up within the hour and were completely shocked
by what I had caught in the house. The snakes,
nine of them in the ash bucket were baby garter snakes,
and a larger, thicker one up in the bathtub was
a Burmese python. Not only was the python not native
to Maine or even the United States in general, but

(10:58):
the man who came said that all snakes should have
been well into their hibernation period during this time of year.
When I asked why they would have been here, all
the man could do was shrug and say maybe someone
brought them into the house. Of course, I thought if
that was the case, then the snakes were brought in
by the same person who brought in the advent calendar.

(11:22):
At three am, I decided to call off work. There
was no way I was going to be able to
handle the day was zero sleep and a midnight snake infestation.
Mason insisted he was okay, but Anika decided to take
him to the er just to make sure. I stayed
home with Logan and we sat on the couch together
watching cartoons. My phone rang around four am, and I

(11:44):
answered it without even looking at the incoming caller, Hello,
I said, fatigued Matt. Lieutenant Seer's voice came through on
the other line. Are you okay? I heard through the
desk that you called off. Yeah, I'm okay. Bad night,
and Anika had to take Mason to the er. I'm
sorry to hear that. He said, Do you plan on

(12:05):
coming back tomorrow? Yeah? I said, all right, tomorrow, we'll
need to have a talk, just you and I. I
didn't respond right away and figured it was because Mike
Campbell had already filed a complaint with the department. Okay,
I said, I'll be there see you tomorrow. I hope
Mason's okay. Sears ended the call before I had a

(12:26):
chance to say anything else. I sat the phone down
on the arm of the couch and looked at Logan.
He'd fallen asleep next to me, curled up under a
blanket and resting his head on a festive throw pillow.
I decided to lean my head back and try to
doze off for a little while myself. But just when
I felt like I was starting to drift, I remembered
the snakes the Advent calendar, and the snake on the

(12:49):
Advent calendar. I jumped up from the couch, grabbed the
calendar and looked at the bottom of it. There it
was the strange engraving of a snake shaped like a
sharp edge z another coincidence or another cautionary sign. Mason
checked out fine at the er and was home before

(13:10):
the sun even came up. He was asleep in our bed,
and Logan was still out on the couch when I
decided that since I had the day off, I was
going to stop by a Bridget Carr's wake to pay
my respects. I dressed nicely and met Annika in the
kitchen before I left. She was sitting at the table,
staring off into space, with a cooling cup of coffee
in front of her. I checked my watch and saw

(13:32):
it was just after eight thirty am. The viewing would
begin in just thirty minutes. I won't be long, I said,
breaking Annika from her stare. She looked up at me.
Her eyes were red, her skin was pale, and she
looked defeated. I'm just going to pay my respects, say goodbye,
and then I'll be home. Annaka nodded. I called the

(13:52):
kids off school, she said flatly. We'll all need to
catch up on some rest today. I could hear the
lack of emotion and energy in her voice as she spoke.
She had already told me that over an hour ago,
but she was tired and still in shock by what
had transpired in the night we all were. I leaned
down and kissed her on the top of her head.

(14:14):
She barely reacted. Love you, I said, turning to walk away,
But just before I exited the kitchen, Annika's voice cracked. Why,
she asked sluggishly. I stopped. Why do I love you?
I asked, hoping to generate a smile on her face,
but that wasn't in the cards, not today at least. No,

(14:37):
why is all of this happening? Why was our sun
attacked by a snake? Annika approbed, a hint of aggression
coming through. Now, why is the advent calendar back? Mad?
I watched you take it away? Her last words were
a whisper. I didn't know what to say. I didn't
have answers for any of her questions. I did, however,

(14:59):
have a lot I needed to tell her. I checked
my watch again. I don't know, I said, but I'm
hoping I can figure out a way to stop it.
Annaka's bottom lip trembled. I'm scared, she whispered. I nodded sympathetically.
I know me too, I took a deep breath. I'll

(15:21):
be back soon, I promise. I blew her a kiss,
and she half heartedly reciprocated before I left for Bridget's wake.
Side's End funeral home was just as crowded as I
imagined it would be. After spending so many years making
an impact on Marshport, Bridget had acquired so many friends, acquaintances,
and admirers. She really did do a lot of good

(15:44):
for the town, making every season exciting, memorable, and something
to look forward to. When I walked in through the
front entrance, I was immediately met by a large floral
display surrounding a framed photo of her. Bridget looked amazing
in the photo they chose to use, and saying her
smile filled my heart with sadness. That was a smile
I'd never see again in real life. I walked down

(16:07):
a brightly lit hallway with a red and orange patterned carpet,
which led to the visitation room. It was spacious, with
more than a dozen rows of chairs and filled with
her friends and loved ones. Some people lined the walls,
exchanging soft, gentle conversations with one another, while a few
lingered in the back of the room, possibly feeling uncomfortable

(16:28):
or nervous by their surroundings. Funerals were never something I
felt comfortable at either. The last one I attended was
when I was ten years old. At the front of
the room, a closed casket sat hemmed with flowers. I
slowly made my way up to the room's centerpiece and
rested a hand on its slick black surface. I closed

(16:49):
my eyes and thought of Bridget. I thought of her smile,
her friendship, her generosity, and the love she had for Marshport.
I remembered our drunken nights back in the police academy,
and me spilling maybe too much of my past to her,
things that she ended up taking to her grave. She
was a true listening ear, a shoulder to cry on.

(17:12):
A tear escaped my eye before I opened them and
took a step back away from the casket. Goodbye, I
whispered to Bridget, thank you for letting me know you.
My somberly turned around and began to make my way
back to the visitation room, passing by others who were
on their way to Bridget's side when something caught the

(17:33):
corner of my eye. It was some one standing at
the room's entrance neared the hallway. I immediately noticed that
they looked out a place in Tide's End where everyone
was either in suits and ties or dresses. This person
wore a black, hooded sweatshirt and kept their head down.
I stopped where I was momentarily near the last drow

(17:54):
of seats, and stared at the man. Could it be,
I wondered, Could it be the same man who lured
ren Nuhen out into the night, the same man seen
around town Center not long before the star fell. I
felt as if the man sensed me staring at him.
He seemed to adjust his stance and move his head
just enough where I caught the glimpse of a beard,

(18:16):
a dark gray one. Then, in one swift motion, the
man spun around and disappeared into the hallway. I dashed
from where I stood and hurried into the hall looking
back and forth for the man. But in a crowd
of Bridget's well dressed friends and family, the hooded man
had vanished. I wasn't going to let that stop me, though,
I pushed through the crowd checking each in every face,

(18:38):
looking for the beard first. Then as I broke through
to a clearing near the bathrooms, I stopped and looked around.
I'd lost him. Why are you, the voice said behind me.
I turned around and saw Pastor Russell Hart coming out
of the bathroom. I was sure the look on my
face was one of distress and concern, and he noticed it.
Are you okay? He asked, Yeah, I said, glancing around

(19:02):
the crowd of people again, but feeling to locate the
bearded hooded man. I thought I saw I was trying to.
He put his hand on my shoulder and I immediately
felt a calmness flow down through my body. It allowed
me to breathe, to focus. I locked eyes with him. Russell,
can we talk? I asked, with a generous, welcoming smile.

(19:24):
He nodded. Thanks to Russell's friendship with the Tide's End
funeral director, we were able to secure one of the
offices in the back as a quiet, empty space to
talk privately was on your mind, Russell asked, sitting in
a chair with his legs crossed. I sat next to him,
my legs spaced apart and my fingers tapping anxiously on
my thighs. It's the Advent Calendar, I said, it's there's

(19:49):
a lot more to it. There's more that I didn't
tell you. Russell adjusted in his seat, trying to anticipate
anything I was about to say. I knew, though, that
he wasn't going to be ready for anything I was
about to reveal to him. Please, he said, curious and accepting,
tell me, let me help. You swallowed hard and then

(20:10):
let the words spill out like vomit. I've been seeing
a shadowy figure ever since the Advent calendar showed up,
a young boy who I believe to be some type
of unnatural manifestation of my brother. He died when I
was ten, burned alive in a house fire. He's been
warning me up to play by the rules regarding the

(20:31):
Advent Calendar. Opened one door every day, or else there'd
be consequences. I decided to throw it in the ocean
the other day after you and I talked. The last night,
it showed up again, and in the same place I
dumped it, a man's body washed up. Russell's curiosity and
attention was fading and being replaced by a troubled look.

(20:52):
I could see his face transforming. As I continued to explain,
I decided to take your advice last night when the
calendar showed back up and I refused to open the
eighth door. A minute later, Mason was attacked by a
snake in his room, and then snakes poured out of
the calendar. Russell closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. I

(21:13):
assumed he was trying to comprehend everything I was telling him,
or even recalibrate how he wanted to proceed talking to me.
I know it all sounds crazy, but I Russell opened
his eyes and locked his gaze upon me. No, he said,
it doesn't sound crazy. This he paused to realign his
choice of words. Based upon what you told me someday,

(21:37):
I felt as if there was a negative energy surrounding
this calendar. Now I'm certain of it. Why though, remember
what I told you, Sometimes even evil can't be explained
just is. I thought back to something else Russell had
told me as well. You said whoever left the calendar
might be someone who knows a lot about me, about

(21:59):
my past. Do you think that's still true? Russell pondered
my question. Perhaps, he said, you seem to be a
target of some kind. A target. But why me? Russell
shook his head. Evil works and mysterious ways, Matthew, Sometimes
it just exists. Sometimes it has an agenda, and sometimes

(22:22):
it exploits and manipulates for its own sick pleasure. This
is all my fault. I confessed the fire my brother
died in, my parents also died in. I ran like
a gutless coward to save myself. Russell nodded consolingly. A
decision like that, I'll stick with someone for a long time,

(22:43):
especially if there's such heavy guilt associated with it, he said,
it becomes part of you, a part of who you are.
Russell then smiled. You became a police officer, Matthew, you
turned to the tables on that darkness you've been harboring,
whether you realize it or not. You chose not to
let your past define your future. I never thought of

(23:07):
it that way. I failed to protect my family when
I was younger, running away like a coward, and now
I'm in a profession that forces me to run toward
the danger and protect people on a daily basis. Did
this tragedy happen here in Marshport, Russell asked, Now, Bayville,
New York, thirty years ago. Have you been back there since,

(23:30):
Russell asked, with a tilt of his head. I shook
my head. It never crossed my mind to go back.
Maybe you should, he said, Visit the scene again. You
might be surprised with a sense of peace you'll feel
coming face to face with your past and showing it
what you've become and what you've left there. Yeah, I said,

(23:52):
maybe start by making peace with your past, clear your
mind to the burden with yourself and those closest to you.
At that point the rest might become clearer and easier
to deal with. Russell was right. I needed to come clean.
I needed to tell Anika about everything. She and I

(24:13):
were a team, an unbreakable partnership, and I needed her
now more than ever. I believe the large part of
your burden is in your past, Matthew, Guilt and secrets
could really do a number on one's mind, body, and soul.
He said, However, that doesn't explain the advent calendar and
the horrible things you claim have come out of it.

(24:36):
And I feel as if you have more that you
want to say. Is that true? I nodded. There was more,
a lot more like what led to Stephen and my
parents' fiery death to begin with my uncle being the
infamous demon of Bayville and a hooded man that seemed
to be popping up all over Marshport, including right here
at the tides End Funeral Home. May I stop by

(24:59):
your Housemorrow, Russell asked, I'd really like to see this
advent calendar for myself. Of course, I said, I should
be home in the one o'clock hour. Russell stood up
from his seat. I'll be there and we'll get to
the bottom of all of this. I stood up as
well and shook his hand. Thank you, Pastor Hart Russell,

(25:21):
he reminded me with a wink as he went for
the office door. Oh and one more thing, Matthew, he said, stopping.
Don't open Tomorrow's little door until I get there. Thanks
for listening. If you like what you're hearing, please share
it with someone you know who loves scary stories at
Christmas time. If you'd like to read the full novel

(25:44):
for yourself in print, it's available in paperback, hardback and
kindle versions at Weird Darkness dot com slash Advent of Evil.
That's also where you can go to hear each of
the twenty four chapters as they're posted. I'm Darren Marler.
Thanks for celebrating reading Advent with me in the weird darkness.