December 17, 2025 • 26 mins
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Simon Welch is dead. Twenty years of friendship ended in
blood on Matthew Kleine's living room floor, Shattered glass raining
down as Detective Davenport's bullets tore through a man who
had become something else entirely. The lion mask lies discarded nearby,
the same mask worn by Simon's son, Zach, the same
(00:25):
symbol that keeps appearing wherever Zervon's influence spreads. Matthew's arm throbs,
where the ice pick pierced clean through Anika trembles in shock,
nearly a victim herself, And somewhere in the chaos, the
Advent calendar watched it all unfold, its eyeless carved face
bearing witness to another prophecy fulfilled. The glass yards from
(00:48):
door fifteen found their meaning in the window that exploded
above declines as they lay on the floor, showered in
fragments and blood. Father Olsa named the Beast Zervon, the
ancient demon whose worship culminates on December twenty fourth, but
knowing its name, has not weakened it. If anything, the
demon grows bolder with each passing day, reaching further into
(01:11):
Marshport's population, turning friends into weapons, fathers into killers. First
Zach now Simon. The Welch family has been consumed entirely
by whatever darkness the calendar carries. Who will be next?
The hooded figure still lurks at the edges of tragedy,
glimpsed but never caught. Mason has seen the boy made
(01:35):
of embers whispering lies, and Detective Davenport, the man who
came to interrogate Matthew, has now witnessed something that defies
every rational explanation he's ever trusted. Eight doors remain eight
days until the anniversary of the fire that started everything.
The calendar was built from those ashes, constructed by hands
(01:58):
guided by demonic will, and now it counts down towards
something Matthew still doesn't understand. What does Servon want? The
demon is killed, tormented, corrupted, and destroyed, But to what end?
Every opened door brings Marshport closer to Christmas Eve, closer
(02:19):
to the culmination of a ritual thirty years in the making.
Matthew's blood pools on the floor of his own living room.
His best friend lies dead beside him, his wife narrowly
escaped with her life, and when the darkness finally lifts
from his eyes, he will have to face what comes
next the next date from the hollow eyes on the
(02:41):
advent calendar. Welcome Weirdos. I'm Darren Marler and this is
(03:20):
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, but what
(03:41):
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
Weirddarkness dot com slash Advent of Evil. The calendar is waiting.
Let's see what awaits us behind today stoor, Wednesday, December seventeenth.
(04:11):
I heard a series of soft, soothing beeps. I heard
someone shuffle next to me and tinker with something mechanical,
pressing buttons and flipping switches. I struggled to open my eyes,
but when I finally did, I realized I was no
longer home. I was in a dimly lit hospital room.
I lay in a bed with machines on either side
(04:32):
of me, beeping and hissing as if they were breathing
on their own. I turned my head to the right
and saw a young woman dressed in white scrubs and
wearing a set of blinking reindeer antlers on her head.
She turned to me and smiled, you're awake, She said,
discreetly that it's fantastic. Where am I, I groggily asked.
(04:53):
She put a finger up to her lips to hush me,
and then used that same finger to point to the
other side of the room, where I Annika curled up
and asleep on the guest chair. She hasn't left your side,
the nurse softly added. As I moved, I realized there
were tubes in my nose and pain in my arm.
A hospital, I queried. The nurse nodded, marsh Port General.
(05:16):
She confirmed, you suffered quite the injury, mister Klein. The
pain throbbed in my arm. I lifted it now, seeing
it was wrapped in bandages. Then I remembered the cold,
aching stab of the ice pick. You had a slot
bone fracture from the stab, and it just missed a
crucial vein. She said, we were able to quickly get
you into surgery, and well you're almost as good as new.
(05:40):
What about Simon, I asked, is he okay? The nurse
acted like she didn't know who I was talking about,
the guy who stabbed me. I clarified, he was my friend.
The nurse's eyes bulged, some friend if he stabbed you,
she mocked. Her next words came out hesitantly. I heard,
he didn't make it, but don't quote me. I felt deflated,
(06:02):
like a huge part of me had faded away. I'd
known Simon for nearly twenty years, but for our friendship
to last that long and end like this, it didn't
make sense. His final words replayed in my head, all
the lies, the deceit, you did this. He had succumbed
to the madness, the anger he was feeling towards me
(06:24):
after he accused me of keeping a secret, and that
secret was what drove his son to commit his crimes.
I wondered now if keeping what happened to me as
a child to myself for so long was the wrong choice.
Good news, though, the nurse said, you should be able
to leave this morning. At some point this morning, I asked,
(06:47):
looking around the sombrely lit room. What time is it?
Just about five a m. The nurse said, opening a
cabinet door to my right. As she opened the door,
a sinking feeling rolled in my gut. I never opened
the advent calendar door. The last thing I remembered was
slowly losing consciousness after the attack. I remembered the calendar
(07:08):
lurking in the room, watching it all happen, probably with glee.
I never had a chance to open it. A flurry
of Stephen's haunting words cropped back into my mind.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Follow the rules, one day at a time. Once again,
you must suffer the consequences. People died because I chose
to not follow the rules. And now, due to a
situation that was out of my control, I failed to
open door number sixteen. The surge of nausea sparked in
(07:41):
the pit of my stomach. I don't feel well. I said,
I can get you something for that. The nurse politely said,
I'll be right back. She closed the cabinet and left
the room, leaving the door open. I looked at Anika,
who appeared extremely uncomfortable where she was sleeping. Annika, I
called her. She stirred for a moment, and then lifted
(08:02):
her head. When she saw I was awake, she hopped
off the chair and joined my side. Hey, she said, worriedly.
How are you feeling?
Speaker 1 (08:10):
I feel sick, I said, I never opened the advent
calendar door yesterday. Annika shook her head. It's okay. All
the matters is that you are okay. You lost a
lot of blood. Matt I struggled to sit up. She
wasn't grasping the direness of what I was saying. If
I failed to open the door, bad things will happen.
The last time Snake's infested our house and tried to
(08:32):
kill our son. Annaka was at a loss for words.
Where are the boys, I asked, now concerned for them. Well,
the house is a crime scene, so they're with Jasmine.
I asked her if they could spend the night at
her place. Have you checked in with her? I asked.
She checked in with me a couple of times, she said,
looking at her phone. But it's been a few hours.
(08:54):
They're probably all sleeping right now. As I watched Annika's
face in the glow of her phone, I recalled the
tense moments when the lion had attacked her. His arms
were wrapped around her body and neck, thoughtlessly, throwing her
around like she was nothing. Are you okay, I asked?
Annika responded without words. She nodded and bit her lip.
(09:18):
What even happened? I asked. Annika placed her phone face
down on her lap. After I came to to see
what those loud noises were and saw the detective with
his gun out, I went back to the living room
and paced around while you guys were upstairs. I heard
the front door open. He grabbed me from behind. I
didn't know who it was until after you took the
(09:38):
mask off. What Annaka must have felt in those moments
would have been stressful and terrifying to be suddenly attacked
by someone in a mask, I could unfortunately relate. It's
the worst feeling when you don't know who was after
you or why. In both cases, it was a welch zach. First,
(09:59):
then your past is finally caught up to you. More
of his words bounced around inside my head. He was
convinced I had something to hide, something that drove his
son to murder. Davenport was on me like glue, also
convinced that I was hiding something, and Mason my own
(10:20):
flesh and blood had accused me of lying several times.
The only lie wasn't even a lie, It just wasn't
a full truth. To the untrained eye. The hysteria in
Marshport was out of control, but the way I knew
it to be, it was in complete control. It had
been carefully, methodically crafted and orchestrated by Zervon. A couple
(10:48):
of hours later, between short naps and way too many
nurse and doctor interruptions, I was cleared to go home,
with my arm wrapped and pain still thrumbing throughout it
like an untamed electrical current. I walked with Anika through
the halls of Marshport General Hospital. We left the warm
confines of the building and entered the brisk, snowy domain
(11:09):
of Marshport. Just as we climbed into the car, my
phone rang. It was Davenport. Hello, I answered, while Anaka
started the engine and blasted the heat. Matt, good morning.
Just wanted to check on you, he said, thanks, I responded,
still salty, but beholden, I'm good. They just let me go,
(11:30):
so Anika and I are going to go get the kids.
I'm glad you're okay. Davenport said. There was a brief
pause before I expressed my gratitude. I can't thank you
enough for well you saved me, and more importantly, you
saved my wife. No matter our grievances, I am forever
grateful for what you did. My job, he said with civility.
(11:52):
I was doing my job, Simon. He didn't make it,
I asked, subconsciously, wanting to believe the nurse was wrong.
Despite his attack on us. It was hard to differentiate
the Simon in a lion mask from the Simon who'd
been my friend for twenty years. No, Davenport said he didn't.
I wish I knew more about why he came after you,
(12:13):
though the best I'd come up with is just a
confused father gone mad. However, Davenport began to say something else,
but stopped. I knew what it was going to be,
and I was glad he stopped. I wasn't in the
mood to be told that yet another person close to
me was dead. However, he continued in a different tone,
(12:34):
clearly altering the path he chose to take. Your house
will be released back to you no later, thannonish, it's
been cleaned up and looked over. I just left. Actually,
there's a contractor right there now boarding up the window.
I made sure your son's dresser was placed backwhere it belonged.
That was a weird thing. When he said my son's dresser.
(12:55):
I recalled the strange unseen events that knocked it over
and relocated it across the room. It was a weird thing.
When he said window, I remembered the bursting glass raining
down upon us, and the bloody shards from the calendar.
It had stayed true, never waving. That's why the knot
(13:15):
of dread in my gut over the mysterious locked door
flies and maggots was getting tighter. They had yet to
be unveiled, and because it had been days at this point,
I was getting nervous. Whatever they signaled, whatever they were
alluding to, had to be something big, maybe even something
game changing. We swung by Jasmine's house and picked up
(13:41):
the boys. They were concerned for me before, but after
seeing the bandages wrapped around my arm, their worries seemed
to be amplified. Are you gotta be a mummy? Mason said,
I couldn't help but laugh. Anika even let out a small,
much needed chuckle. No, he's not going to be a mummy,
you dummy low and snapped his old body would have
(14:01):
to be wrapped up like that. Annika laughed again. I
think there's more demonification than just wrapping someone up in bandages.
I put my arms out like a mummy and moaned, brings,
that's a zombie, dad. Logan laughed, same thing. I jokingly
brushed it off. It sparked a debate in the back
(14:23):
seat between Logan and Mason. Zombies or mummies, Which one
would win in a fight, Which one was cooler? Which
one would you rather be? The playful banter took us
all the way home. As soon as we parked, I
saw the large square wooden board in place of the window,
and the joy I felt with my family in the
car faded away. It was hard not to picture the
(14:44):
glass breaking, the gunshots, the lion. The front door was unlocked,
which I chalked up to an oversight on the contractor's part.
Once we walked in, however, we were caught off guard by
an overwhelming repugnant Odorgan and Mason immediately covered their noses
and blamed each other for it. Annika used her arm
(15:04):
to cover her nose and mouth, and I held my breath, Jesus,
I said, offended by the appalling stench. It was the
same one that had started as of late, the one
of rotting eggs or dead, decaying animals. I don't think
they cleaned up very well, Annika said. If it was
just the odor, I would have agreed with her. But
(15:25):
the bloodstains on the floor were cleaned, the glass was
picked up, and any sign of the scuffle that took
place was non existent. Well, let's open some windows, I said.
Within minutes, we had every window in the house open.
The air outside was cold, frigid even, but it seemed
to tame the foulness that had overrun our home. By
(15:46):
dinner time, the windows were closed again. The foulness was
gone and replaced by the much more attractive aroma of
pork chops, garlic, mashed potatoes, and green beans. We sat
at the table as a family eight. The boys had
a lot of questions about what happened to me and
to Anika, so we tried to answer them the best
we could without scaring them. I tried to tell them
(16:09):
that Simon was a good man, but was broken by
what Zach had done. He chose violence as his outlet,
which was never acceptable. But why, Logan asked. Everyone deals
with traumatic things in their own way. I said. Some
keep it in, try to bury it, or forget it
ever happened. Others can't control their emotions and let it
(16:31):
out in expressive ways, like killing. Mason asked, I only nodded.
Simon tried to kill you. He asked, We'd already told
him that's what happened, But it was unreasonable to think
a seven year old could comprehend something of that magnitude.
What if something bad happened to you, Logan asked, would
you try to forget it or do something like Simon did.
(16:55):
I would never do something like Simon did. I told
them never, So you'd keep it in, you would hide it,
you wouldn't tell, Logan inquired further. I squinted, What do
you mean? Logan looked down at his plate and pushed
his beans around with a spork. Mason's friend told me
that you keep a lot of things from us that
(17:16):
you lie to us. I staffed my head toward Mason.
What friend? Mason truly looked like a deer in the headlights.
I don't know, he stammered. Logan then turned to face
his brother, Stephen. He said, that little boy that came
to see us in at Jasmine's house. Mason looked at
me afraid. I looked back and forth between them. What
(17:37):
else did Stephen say? I asked them directly. Mason looked down, shamed.
I'm sorry, Dad, he said, I'm sorry. I didn't tell
you yet. Annaka placed her hand on my arm. What's
going on, Matt. I pushed myself away from the table
and went upstairs. I heard Annaka calling for me, but
I didn't answer her. I stopped in the hallway, looking
(17:58):
from our door at one end, clear down to Mason's
at the other. Where are you? I whispered, trying to
kindle my dead brother out of thin air, Stephen? Where
are you? A cold, unnatural breeze blew through the hallway,
stinging my skin. I fell surrounded by something that began
to aggravate my nerves. It felt as if the hallway
was getting smaller, zeroing in on me. I walked down
(18:21):
to Mason's room and opened the door. His dresser was
back against the wall, just like Davenport said. There was
a thump behind the closet door. I approached it and
turned the knob pulling it open. A gust of cold
air rolled out from inside and hit me, carrying a
small reminder of the rotting odor. Suddenly, from down the
hall another thud. I hurried into the hallway and watched
(18:44):
our bedroom door slowly open and then close on its own.
To my right, Logan's door opened and closed. Then behind me,
Mason's slam shut, startling a gasp from me. I placed
my palm on the door. It was cold to the touch.
Then something touched me. I whirled around, ready for anything,
but instead of an ugly, demonic entity, I only saw
(19:07):
my beautiful wife. I exhaled and put my hand on
my chest, and she cuffed both of hers over mine.
She studied my eyes rapidly, looking back and forth into them.
Are the boys seeing your dead brother too? She asked me. Yes,
I admitted. I mean I knew Mason was, but Logan
(19:28):
that one's new. I wonder if Jasmine saw anything, she
would have said something, Annika said, Why didn't you tell me?
My ability to respond fell flat. Annika continued, You and
I are dealing with all of this in our own way.
We're taking care of things, but these are our children. Matt,
I had the right to know. I'm sorry, I said,
(19:51):
I Just what else are you keeping from me? She asked.
She didn't look curious, she looked angry. My mind was
swim and I drew a blank. I confessed so much
to her to pass her heart to Mason Davenport, Father Olsen.
I wasn't sure what I told anyone at this point.
Annaka then expressed a noticeable shiver and looked up and
(20:12):
down the hallway with interest. Did we close all the windows? Yeah?
I said, Then why is it so cold in here?
I think I lowered my voice to a whisper. I
think he's here. Annaka became visibly afraid. Who. She whispered
(20:33):
back the demon? I said. When Father Olsen was here,
Stephen was warning me to get him out of the house,
threatening me. I didn't listen, and I let Father Olson
bless the house. I think it's upset Stephen or Zervon
or whoever whatever. Now things are escalating, things are moving
around without explanation. Simon came after me. I don't know
what's next. Then we need to call past her heart
(20:56):
or Father Olsen again. Annaka said, we need more help.
What if we just leave Matt the advent calendar can
stay here, but we can all leave. We can go
stay somewhere else. Anaka might have had a point. If
I couldn't get rid of the calendar, then maybe we
could just stay away from it. Once the kids were
(21:19):
in bed, Anaka and I sat in the living room together.
I called Father Olsen and put him on speaker so
we could both hear what he had to say. Leaving
won't help you. Father Olsen's voice cracked over the call.
It's not just the calendar's physical presence you have to
worry about. The demon has attached itself to you, Matthew,
to your house, your life. That's why things are happening
(21:40):
even outside of your home. No matter where you go,
it's cancerous energy will be felt. I explained about the
cold air in the house, the door is opening and closing,
and Mason's dresser toppling over and moving around on its own.
Father Olsen's side on the other line, it's escalating, he said,
(22:01):
like we discussed the celebration of Zervon ends on the
twenty fourth of December. He is building to something, the
crescendo of his intent. Annika chimed in with hope in
her voice, so if we can wait it out until
the twenty fourth, it might just end. Dealing with the
demonic presence can be pressing. Father Olsen said, it'll never
(22:23):
be that easy. Sure, there's a chance Zervon might leave
after the twenty fourth day. But in the meantime, what
leads to his endgame? Well, that's anyone's guess. And so far,
based on everything you've told me and that I've seen
in the news, he's getting bolder and more violent. So
what do we do? I asked? I was at my
(22:46):
wits end. I was tired of it. All the cold air,
the rotting odor, the doors opening and closing on their own,
the movement of physical objects. These are all indicators of
a poltergeist. In many religions, it's believed that a poltergeist
can be brought on by a demonic incursion. Annika grabbed
(23:06):
my arm. I'lcome back to your home later this week.
Father Olsen said, I'll cleanse it again, thank you, I said.
In the meantime, though, what do we do. You've been
warned instructed to follow the rules, Please do so. Listen
to the spirit within moral reason. Of course, anything that's
(23:26):
done to upset it may cause it to act out
more aggressively. Okay, thank you, father, I said, just let
me know when you plan to come. I will be
safe and know a good night. As soon as I
entered the call, something across the room scraped the wall.
Anaka and I both looked toward the calendar. The cross
(23:48):
behind it slipped from a hook and fell to the floor.
That's strange timing, Annika said, you end the call with
the priest and then the cross falls. I looked around
the room. Aside from us, it was empty, or at
least I assumed it was. Whatever lurked beyond the ability
(24:08):
of sight was a mystery. I returned my attention to
the calendar. I have to open it, I said, worried
that if two days went by without following the rules,
the consequences would be devastating. I crossed the room and
opened door number seventeen. I took a deep breath before
(24:29):
reaching in and pulling out the small, thin item. I
wasn't sure what it was exactly. It looked like a small, thin,
curved piece of wood, like a half circle. It was
detailed and designed with something in mind, but I couldn't
tell what that something was. The wood was painted red
(24:49):
and orange and crafted to look like flames, all moving
in the same direction. The details were reminiscent of the
fiery main that Zervon wore so hauntingly around his head.
I showed it to Anika, hoping she would have some
insight or some thoughts, but she was just as clueless.
A half circle of flames, she pondered out loud. I
(25:11):
placed the item atop the fireplace mantle and stepped away.
Another cryptic clue meant another sleepless night for me, wondering
what it meant or what it was for Anika grabbed
hold of me, and together we just stood there, staring
at the advent calendar. I didn't know why exactly. Maybe
(25:32):
it was the enigmatic nature of the half circle of flames,
but for some reason, this one made me incredibly nervous.
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 like to read the full
novel for yourself in print, it's available in paperback, hardback,
(25:55):
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 Advent with me in the
weird darkness.
Simon Welch is dead. Twenty years of friendship ended in
blood on Matthew Kleine's living room floor, Shattered glass raining
down as Detective Davenport's bullets tore through a man who
had become something else entirely. The lion mask lies discarded nearby,
the same mask worn by Simon's son, Zach, the same
(00:25):
symbol that keeps appearing wherever Zervon's influence spreads. Matthew's arm throbs,
where the ice pick pierced clean through Anika trembles in shock,
nearly a victim herself, And somewhere in the chaos, the
Advent calendar watched it all unfold, its eyeless carved face
bearing witness to another prophecy fulfilled. The glass yards from
(00:48):
door fifteen found their meaning in the window that exploded
above declines as they lay on the floor, showered in
fragments and blood. Father Olsa named the Beast Zervon, the
ancient demon whose worship culminates on December twenty fourth, but
knowing its name, has not weakened it. If anything, the
demon grows bolder with each passing day, reaching further into
(01:11):
Marshport's population, turning friends into weapons, fathers into killers. First
Zach now Simon. The Welch family has been consumed entirely
by whatever darkness the calendar carries. Who will be next?
The hooded figure still lurks at the edges of tragedy,
glimpsed but never caught. Mason has seen the boy made
(01:35):
of embers whispering lies, and Detective Davenport, the man who
came to interrogate Matthew, has now witnessed something that defies
every rational explanation he's ever trusted. Eight doors remain eight
days until the anniversary of the fire that started everything.
The calendar was built from those ashes, constructed by hands
(01:58):
guided by demonic will, and now it counts down towards
something Matthew still doesn't understand. What does Servon want? The
demon is killed, tormented, corrupted, and destroyed, But to what end?
Every opened door brings Marshport closer to Christmas Eve, closer
(02:19):
to the culmination of a ritual thirty years in the making.
Matthew's blood pools on the floor of his own living room.
His best friend lies dead beside him, his wife narrowly
escaped with her life, and when the darkness finally lifts
from his eyes, he will have to face what comes
next the next date from the hollow eyes on the
(02:41):
advent calendar. Welcome Weirdos. I'm Darren Marler and this is
(03:20):
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, but what
(03:41):
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
Weirddarkness dot com slash Advent of Evil. The calendar is waiting.
Let's see what awaits us behind today stoor, Wednesday, December seventeenth.
(04:11):
I heard a series of soft, soothing beeps. I heard
someone shuffle next to me and tinker with something mechanical,
pressing buttons and flipping switches. I struggled to open my eyes,
but when I finally did, I realized I was no
longer home. I was in a dimly lit hospital room.
I lay in a bed with machines on either side
(04:32):
of me, beeping and hissing as if they were breathing
on their own. I turned my head to the right
and saw a young woman dressed in white scrubs and
wearing a set of blinking reindeer antlers on her head.
She turned to me and smiled, you're awake, She said,
discreetly that it's fantastic. Where am I, I groggily asked.
(04:53):
She put a finger up to her lips to hush me,
and then used that same finger to point to the
other side of the room, where I Annika curled up
and asleep on the guest chair. She hasn't left your side,
the nurse softly added. As I moved, I realized there
were tubes in my nose and pain in my arm.
A hospital, I queried. The nurse nodded, marsh Port General.
(05:16):
She confirmed, you suffered quite the injury, mister Klein. The
pain throbbed in my arm. I lifted it now, seeing
it was wrapped in bandages. Then I remembered the cold,
aching stab of the ice pick. You had a slot
bone fracture from the stab, and it just missed a
crucial vein. She said, we were able to quickly get
you into surgery, and well you're almost as good as new.
(05:40):
What about Simon, I asked, is he okay? The nurse
acted like she didn't know who I was talking about,
the guy who stabbed me. I clarified, he was my friend.
The nurse's eyes bulged, some friend if he stabbed you,
she mocked. Her next words came out hesitantly. I heard,
he didn't make it, but don't quote me. I felt deflated,
(06:02):
like a huge part of me had faded away. I'd
known Simon for nearly twenty years, but for our friendship
to last that long and end like this, it didn't
make sense. His final words replayed in my head, all
the lies, the deceit, you did this. He had succumbed
to the madness, the anger he was feeling towards me
(06:24):
after he accused me of keeping a secret, and that
secret was what drove his son to commit his crimes.
I wondered now if keeping what happened to me as
a child to myself for so long was the wrong choice.
Good news, though, the nurse said, you should be able
to leave this morning. At some point this morning, I asked,
(06:47):
looking around the sombrely lit room. What time is it?
Just about five a m. The nurse said, opening a
cabinet door to my right. As she opened the door,
a sinking feeling rolled in my gut. I never opened
the advent calendar door. The last thing I remembered was
slowly losing consciousness after the attack. I remembered the calendar
(07:08):
lurking in the room, watching it all happen, probably with glee.
I never had a chance to open it. A flurry
of Stephen's haunting words cropped back into my mind.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Follow the rules, one day at a time. Once again,
you must suffer the consequences. People died because I chose
to not follow the rules. And now, due to a
situation that was out of my control, I failed to
open door number sixteen. The surge of nausea sparked in
(07:41):
the pit of my stomach. I don't feel well. I said,
I can get you something for that. The nurse politely said,
I'll be right back. She closed the cabinet and left
the room, leaving the door open. I looked at Anika,
who appeared extremely uncomfortable where she was sleeping. Annika, I
called her. She stirred for a moment, and then lifted
(08:02):
her head. When she saw I was awake, she hopped
off the chair and joined my side. Hey, she said, worriedly.
How are you feeling?
Speaker 1 (08:10):
I feel sick, I said, I never opened the advent
calendar door yesterday. Annika shook her head. It's okay. All
the matters is that you are okay. You lost a
lot of blood. Matt I struggled to sit up. She
wasn't grasping the direness of what I was saying. If
I failed to open the door, bad things will happen.
The last time Snake's infested our house and tried to
(08:32):
kill our son. Annaka was at a loss for words.
Where are the boys, I asked, now concerned for them. Well,
the house is a crime scene, so they're with Jasmine.
I asked her if they could spend the night at
her place. Have you checked in with her? I asked.
She checked in with me a couple of times, she said,
looking at her phone. But it's been a few hours.
(08:54):
They're probably all sleeping right now. As I watched Annika's
face in the glow of her phone, I recalled the
tense moments when the lion had attacked her. His arms
were wrapped around her body and neck, thoughtlessly, throwing her
around like she was nothing. Are you okay, I asked?
Annika responded without words. She nodded and bit her lip.
(09:18):
What even happened? I asked. Annika placed her phone face
down on her lap. After I came to to see
what those loud noises were and saw the detective with
his gun out, I went back to the living room
and paced around while you guys were upstairs. I heard
the front door open. He grabbed me from behind. I
didn't know who it was until after you took the
(09:38):
mask off. What Annaka must have felt in those moments
would have been stressful and terrifying to be suddenly attacked
by someone in a mask, I could unfortunately relate. It's
the worst feeling when you don't know who was after
you or why. In both cases, it was a welch zach. First,
(09:59):
then your past is finally caught up to you. More
of his words bounced around inside my head. He was
convinced I had something to hide, something that drove his
son to murder. Davenport was on me like glue, also
convinced that I was hiding something, and Mason my own
(10:20):
flesh and blood had accused me of lying several times.
The only lie wasn't even a lie, It just wasn't
a full truth. To the untrained eye. The hysteria in
Marshport was out of control, but the way I knew
it to be, it was in complete control. It had
been carefully, methodically crafted and orchestrated by Zervon. A couple
(10:48):
of hours later, between short naps and way too many
nurse and doctor interruptions, I was cleared to go home,
with my arm wrapped and pain still thrumbing throughout it
like an untamed electrical current. I walked with Anika through
the halls of Marshport General Hospital. We left the warm
confines of the building and entered the brisk, snowy domain
(11:09):
of Marshport. Just as we climbed into the car, my
phone rang. It was Davenport. Hello, I answered, while Anaka
started the engine and blasted the heat. Matt, good morning.
Just wanted to check on you, he said, thanks, I responded,
still salty, but beholden, I'm good. They just let me go,
(11:30):
so Anika and I are going to go get the kids.
I'm glad you're okay. Davenport said. There was a brief
pause before I expressed my gratitude. I can't thank you
enough for well you saved me, and more importantly, you
saved my wife. No matter our grievances, I am forever
grateful for what you did. My job, he said with civility.
(11:52):
I was doing my job, Simon. He didn't make it,
I asked, subconsciously, wanting to believe the nurse was wrong.
Despite his attack on us. It was hard to differentiate
the Simon in a lion mask from the Simon who'd
been my friend for twenty years. No, Davenport said he didn't.
I wish I knew more about why he came after you,
(12:13):
though the best I'd come up with is just a
confused father gone mad. However, Davenport began to say something else,
but stopped. I knew what it was going to be,
and I was glad he stopped. I wasn't in the
mood to be told that yet another person close to
me was dead. However, he continued in a different tone,
(12:34):
clearly altering the path he chose to take. Your house
will be released back to you no later, thannonish, it's
been cleaned up and looked over. I just left. Actually,
there's a contractor right there now boarding up the window.
I made sure your son's dresser was placed backwhere it belonged.
That was a weird thing. When he said my son's dresser.
(12:55):
I recalled the strange unseen events that knocked it over
and relocated it across the room. It was a weird thing.
When he said window, I remembered the bursting glass raining
down upon us, and the bloody shards from the calendar.
It had stayed true, never waving. That's why the knot
(13:15):
of dread in my gut over the mysterious locked door
flies and maggots was getting tighter. They had yet to
be unveiled, and because it had been days at this point,
I was getting nervous. Whatever they signaled, whatever they were
alluding to, had to be something big, maybe even something
game changing. We swung by Jasmine's house and picked up
(13:41):
the boys. They were concerned for me before, but after
seeing the bandages wrapped around my arm, their worries seemed
to be amplified. Are you gotta be a mummy? Mason said,
I couldn't help but laugh. Anika even let out a small,
much needed chuckle. No, he's not going to be a mummy,
you dummy low and snapped his old body would have
(14:01):
to be wrapped up like that. Annika laughed again. I
think there's more demonification than just wrapping someone up in bandages.
I put my arms out like a mummy and moaned, brings,
that's a zombie, dad. Logan laughed, same thing. I jokingly
brushed it off. It sparked a debate in the back
(14:23):
seat between Logan and Mason. Zombies or mummies, Which one
would win in a fight, Which one was cooler? Which
one would you rather be? The playful banter took us
all the way home. As soon as we parked, I
saw the large square wooden board in place of the window,
and the joy I felt with my family in the
car faded away. It was hard not to picture the
(14:44):
glass breaking, the gunshots, the lion. The front door was unlocked,
which I chalked up to an oversight on the contractor's part.
Once we walked in, however, we were caught off guard by
an overwhelming repugnant Odorgan and Mason immediately covered their noses
and blamed each other for it. Annika used her arm
(15:04):
to cover her nose and mouth, and I held my breath, Jesus,
I said, offended by the appalling stench. It was the
same one that had started as of late, the one
of rotting eggs or dead, decaying animals. I don't think
they cleaned up very well, Annika said. If it was
just the odor, I would have agreed with her. But
(15:25):
the bloodstains on the floor were cleaned, the glass was
picked up, and any sign of the scuffle that took
place was non existent. Well, let's open some windows, I said.
Within minutes, we had every window in the house open.
The air outside was cold, frigid even, but it seemed
to tame the foulness that had overrun our home. By
(15:46):
dinner time, the windows were closed again. The foulness was
gone and replaced by the much more attractive aroma of
pork chops, garlic, mashed potatoes, and green beans. We sat
at the table as a family eight. The boys had
a lot of questions about what happened to me and
to Anika, so we tried to answer them the best
we could without scaring them. I tried to tell them
(16:09):
that Simon was a good man, but was broken by
what Zach had done. He chose violence as his outlet,
which was never acceptable. But why, Logan asked. Everyone deals
with traumatic things in their own way. I said. Some
keep it in, try to bury it, or forget it
ever happened. Others can't control their emotions and let it
(16:31):
out in expressive ways, like killing. Mason asked, I only nodded.
Simon tried to kill you. He asked, We'd already told
him that's what happened, But it was unreasonable to think
a seven year old could comprehend something of that magnitude.
What if something bad happened to you, Logan asked, would
you try to forget it or do something like Simon did.
(16:55):
I would never do something like Simon did. I told
them never, So you'd keep it in, you would hide it,
you wouldn't tell, Logan inquired further. I squinted, What do
you mean? Logan looked down at his plate and pushed
his beans around with a spork. Mason's friend told me
that you keep a lot of things from us that
(17:16):
you lie to us. I staffed my head toward Mason.
What friend? Mason truly looked like a deer in the headlights.
I don't know, he stammered. Logan then turned to face
his brother, Stephen. He said, that little boy that came
to see us in at Jasmine's house. Mason looked at
me afraid. I looked back and forth between them. What
(17:37):
else did Stephen say? I asked them directly. Mason looked down, shamed.
I'm sorry, Dad, he said, I'm sorry. I didn't tell
you yet. Annaka placed her hand on my arm. What's
going on, Matt. I pushed myself away from the table
and went upstairs. I heard Annaka calling for me, but
I didn't answer her. I stopped in the hallway, looking
(17:58):
from our door at one end, clear down to Mason's
at the other. Where are you? I whispered, trying to
kindle my dead brother out of thin air, Stephen? Where
are you? A cold, unnatural breeze blew through the hallway,
stinging my skin. I fell surrounded by something that began
to aggravate my nerves. It felt as if the hallway
was getting smaller, zeroing in on me. I walked down
(18:21):
to Mason's room and opened the door. His dresser was
back against the wall, just like Davenport said. There was
a thump behind the closet door. I approached it and
turned the knob pulling it open. A gust of cold
air rolled out from inside and hit me, carrying a
small reminder of the rotting odor. Suddenly, from down the
hall another thud. I hurried into the hallway and watched
(18:44):
our bedroom door slowly open and then close on its own.
To my right, Logan's door opened and closed. Then behind me,
Mason's slam shut, startling a gasp from me. I placed
my palm on the door. It was cold to the touch.
Then something touched me. I whirled around, ready for anything,
but instead of an ugly, demonic entity, I only saw
(19:07):
my beautiful wife. I exhaled and put my hand on
my chest, and she cuffed both of hers over mine.
She studied my eyes rapidly, looking back and forth into them.
Are the boys seeing your dead brother too? She asked me. Yes,
I admitted. I mean I knew Mason was, but Logan
(19:28):
that one's new. I wonder if Jasmine saw anything, she
would have said something, Annika said, Why didn't you tell me?
My ability to respond fell flat. Annika continued, You and
I are dealing with all of this in our own way.
We're taking care of things, but these are our children. Matt,
I had the right to know. I'm sorry, I said,
(19:51):
I Just what else are you keeping from me? She asked.
She didn't look curious, she looked angry. My mind was
swim and I drew a blank. I confessed so much
to her to pass her heart to Mason Davenport, Father Olsen.
I wasn't sure what I told anyone at this point.
Annaka then expressed a noticeable shiver and looked up and
(20:12):
down the hallway with interest. Did we close all the windows? Yeah?
I said, Then why is it so cold in here?
I think I lowered my voice to a whisper. I
think he's here. Annaka became visibly afraid. Who. She whispered
(20:33):
back the demon? I said. When Father Olsen was here,
Stephen was warning me to get him out of the house,
threatening me. I didn't listen, and I let Father Olson
bless the house. I think it's upset Stephen or Zervon
or whoever whatever. Now things are escalating, things are moving
around without explanation. Simon came after me. I don't know
what's next. Then we need to call past her heart
(20:56):
or Father Olsen again. Annaka said, we need more help.
What if we just leave Matt the advent calendar can
stay here, but we can all leave. We can go
stay somewhere else. Anaka might have had a point. If
I couldn't get rid of the calendar, then maybe we
could just stay away from it. Once the kids were
(21:19):
in bed, Anaka and I sat in the living room together.
I called Father Olsen and put him on speaker so
we could both hear what he had to say. Leaving
won't help you. Father Olsen's voice cracked over the call.
It's not just the calendar's physical presence you have to
worry about. The demon has attached itself to you, Matthew,
to your house, your life. That's why things are happening
(21:40):
even outside of your home. No matter where you go,
it's cancerous energy will be felt. I explained about the
cold air in the house, the door is opening and closing,
and Mason's dresser toppling over and moving around on its own.
Father Olsen's side on the other line, it's escalating, he said,
(22:01):
like we discussed the celebration of Zervon ends on the
twenty fourth of December. He is building to something, the
crescendo of his intent. Annika chimed in with hope in
her voice, so if we can wait it out until
the twenty fourth, it might just end. Dealing with the
demonic presence can be pressing. Father Olsen said, it'll never
(22:23):
be that easy. Sure, there's a chance Zervon might leave
after the twenty fourth day. But in the meantime, what
leads to his endgame? Well, that's anyone's guess. And so far,
based on everything you've told me and that I've seen
in the news, he's getting bolder and more violent. So
what do we do? I asked? I was at my
(22:46):
wits end. I was tired of it. All the cold air,
the rotting odor, the doors opening and closing on their own,
the movement of physical objects. These are all indicators of
a poltergeist. In many religions, it's believed that a poltergeist
can be brought on by a demonic incursion. Annika grabbed
(23:06):
my arm. I'lcome back to your home later this week.
Father Olsen said, I'll cleanse it again, thank you, I said.
In the meantime, though, what do we do. You've been
warned instructed to follow the rules, Please do so. Listen
to the spirit within moral reason. Of course, anything that's
(23:26):
done to upset it may cause it to act out
more aggressively. Okay, thank you, father, I said, just let
me know when you plan to come. I will be
safe and know a good night. As soon as I
entered the call, something across the room scraped the wall.
Anaka and I both looked toward the calendar. The cross
(23:48):
behind it slipped from a hook and fell to the floor.
That's strange timing, Annika said, you end the call with
the priest and then the cross falls. I looked around
the room. Aside from us, it was empty, or at
least I assumed it was. Whatever lurked beyond the ability
(24:08):
of sight was a mystery. I returned my attention to
the calendar. I have to open it, I said, worried
that if two days went by without following the rules,
the consequences would be devastating. I crossed the room and
opened door number seventeen. I took a deep breath before
(24:29):
reaching in and pulling out the small, thin item. I
wasn't sure what it was exactly. It looked like a small, thin,
curved piece of wood, like a half circle. It was
detailed and designed with something in mind, but I couldn't
tell what that something was. The wood was painted red
(24:49):
and orange and crafted to look like flames, all moving
in the same direction. The details were reminiscent of the
fiery main that Zervon wore so hauntingly around his head.
I showed it to Anika, hoping she would have some
insight or some thoughts, but she was just as clueless.
A half circle of flames, she pondered out loud. I
(25:11):
placed the item atop the fireplace mantle and stepped away.
Another cryptic clue meant another sleepless night for me, wondering
what it meant or what it was for Anika grabbed
hold of me, and together we just stood there, staring
at the advent calendar. I didn't know why exactly. Maybe
(25:32):
it was the enigmatic nature of the half circle of flames,
but for some reason, this one made me incredibly nervous.
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 like to read the full
novel for yourself in print, it's available in paperback, hardback,
(25:55):
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 Advent with me in the
weird darkness.
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