Lunatics Library 43 - Vampire Horror Stories

Text Abby and Alan

Abby and Alan are thrilled to present three horrifying vampire themed stories.

Consider donating to BeLoved Asheville to help our friends impacted by Hurricane Helene.

Watch our horror short on Halloween Night, here.

Leftovers was written by Warren Benedetto and narrated by Michael Crosa. Follow @WarrenBenedetto and @Podnooga on social media. 

Therapy Notes was written by Hector Carlo and read by Lissa Sweeney and Mike Macera. Listen to the Re-Shoot podcast, Beach Therapy music and follow @LissaSweeney on IG.

An Improper Suitor was written by Kate Rotunda and read by Abby Brenker and Alan Kudan.

Get Lunatics Merch here. Join the discussion on Discord. Listen to the paranormal playlist I curate for Vurbl, updated weekly! Check out Abby's book Horror Stories. Available in eBook and paperback. Music by Michaela Papa, Alan Kudan & Jordan Moser. Poster Art by Pilar Keprta @pilar.kep.

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Join the conversation on Discord. Support us on Patreon. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:17):
Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode
of the Lunatics Radio Hourpodcast.
I'm Abbey Brenker sitting herewith Alan Kudan.
Hello.
And we are so excited for thisepisode, not only because it
rounds out our exploration ofthe New England vampire panic,
but also because it rounds outthis year's Halloween spooky
season.

Speaker 3 (00:37):
Which is disappointing.

Speaker 1 (00:39):
Witches are disappointing.

Speaker 3 (00:41):
No, no, it's a different witch.
I don't want October to end.
I feel like we barely didanything.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
That's not true.
We went to Transylvania.

Speaker 3 (00:50):
Yeah, but you know, yeah, I guess we went to Sleepy
Hollow.

Speaker 1 (00:53):
We did a lot of stuff .

Speaker 3 (00:55):
Yeah, I suppose we did.

Speaker 1 (00:56):
Yeah, I feel pretty good about this October, more so
than any other October.

Speaker 3 (01:01):
Yeah, you would would .

Speaker 1 (01:02):
We are so excited also because we have a, I would
argue, related thematic filmshort film that is going to
debut on halloween night uh,yeah, we do, which is pretty
exciting.

Speaker 3 (01:17):
This was supposed to kick off a big big restart to
the lunatics horror shortscategory.
Just really gonna, you know,get back into making movies.
You know which was exactly howthis project started, well
before the podcast.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
Well before even I met you.

Speaker 3 (01:36):
Yep, so I've heard, but this year was too busy, we
did too many things.

Speaker 1 (01:42):
Well, I also just say we, the reason why we haven't
made as many shorts, is becausewe were making a feature film
and that is cool and amazing anda new thing.
But we're really excited nowthat we're kind of nearing the
end of that journey yeah, but tomake short films.

Speaker 3 (01:56):
But the movie is too scary, no one's gonna watch it.

Speaker 1 (01:59):
It's not true but it is very spooky and I'm very
proud of it and I really, reallycan't wait for it to be
somewhere so that you guys canall watch it too.

Speaker 3 (02:07):
Okay, so we have a feature film coming out to a
theater near you soon.
Yeah, and a short film comingto a little screen on Halloween
night.
Yeah, and that's going to be onwhat channel?

Speaker 1 (02:22):
YouTubecom, youtube, so wwwyoutubecom slash the
lunatics project backslash yeah,the lunatics project, I think,
so I'll link it.

Speaker 3 (02:35):
Don't worry, it'll be linked ask your parents before
you go online yeah, exactly, gettheir password.

Speaker 1 (02:41):
The really cool thing is that the short film which,
which is called Midnight Snack,stars our friend Lisa Sweeney,
who's actually featured on thisepisode.

Speaker 3 (02:50):
And one of the other readers.
Mike Massera, was the assistantdirector on the film.

Speaker 1 (02:55):
That's right.
We couldn't have done itwithout either of them.
It was such a fun project.
We sort of forced them, againsttheir will, to stay awake with
us on the streets of Brooklynuntil 5 am, and it was two.

Speaker 3 (03:07):
No, it was two.
We were home by three.

Speaker 1 (03:10):
That's not true.

Speaker 3 (03:11):
That's how I remember it, yeah that's not entirely
accurate.

Speaker 1 (03:15):
However, it was very fun and I'm very grateful for
them.
Alan shot the film.
It's gorgeous and in additionto that, you've done some cool
stuff with the sound design.
We have some music in therefrom a friend.
It just really came togethervery well.
We're very, very proud of itand it is re-inspiring for us to
get back to the roots of thisproject, like you said, and also

(03:37):
to be able to release a film onHalloween, because that was a
tradition for us for a reallylong time and hopefully there'll
be much more to come soon.
It's only like three minutes,so please watch it.
We're really, really happy withit and it feels like the
perfect punctuation on thisOctober being very vampire
themed for us.

Speaker 3 (03:53):
Yeah, do you have three minutes to spare on
Halloween?
We do.

Speaker 1 (03:57):
We do.
That's right, and I'll, ofcourse, post about it on social
media, so you guys know all thedetails of the time it will go
live and all of that, and ifyou're listening to this after
halloween, it's already live andyou can go watch it whenever
you'd like but go back in timebecause we want people there for
our online live premiere yeah,we'll be there on the chat if
you want to talk to us oh, yeah,you can talk to us.

Speaker 3 (04:17):
Wow, that's cool, um, but if you want to talk to us
elsewhere, you can either findus on discord, that's right, or
find us in real life, but we'renot going to give you any hints
that's right.

Speaker 1 (04:29):
So good luck, whatever you prefer.
Okay, enough silliness and self.
Actually, I was going to sayenough self-promotion.
One more thing to self promoteno our amazing friend, our
talented friend, pilar Kapp, hasdesigned the coolest New
England vampire panic merch,which is available at
lunaticsprojectcom.
If you click on merch at thetop of the page, it will take

(04:51):
you to our really cool merchstore and it's my favorite
design that we have.
I'm just going to say it, andeven if you're listening to this
, after Halloween, new Englandvampire panic merch is in vogue
all year round.
Okay, and now we're going totake a second and pause and
break from all of the silly,spooky vampire Halloween fun
just for a few minutes, becausethere's something really

(05:11):
important that we want to talkto you guys about.
So our friend, michael Crosa,who is one of the narrators on
this episode and also a longtimefriend, sent us a little bit of
information that we'd want toshare with you guys just at the
top of the episode.
This is a personal note fromMichael, so I'm going to read it
, but Michael wrote it.
As a person who grew up inAsheville but moved away, it's

(05:33):
been crazy to watch the footageof the overwhelming flood damage
that happened from HurricaneHelene.
Lots of other small townsacross the region also were
devastated, but without as muchnews coverage, many of them
probably won't come back andalthough it's been sad to see
the damage, it's reallyencouraging to see the way that
the community instantly pitchedin to help their neighbors.

(05:53):
If you are thinking aboutdonating but don't know where to
start, I recommend anorganization called Beloved
Asheville.
They're a long-running mutualaid organization who pivoted
their efforts into disasterrelief and really stepped up to
the plate to meet the needs ofthe community.
Thank you for listening.
And while you're here, we sayAppalachia, as our friend John

(06:14):
Cook says.
If you say Appalachia, then I'mgoing to throw an apple at you.
But I also just want to saythank you to Michael for
reminding us all that despiteall the silly, spooky, fun
Halloween things, there's alsoreal life, real world things
going on.
Alan and I also made a donationto Beloved Asheville.
I will link it in thedescription at the very top

(06:35):
below so that you all can do thesame if you're so inclined.
But thank you guys forlistening.
And now on to some spookystories.
Without further ado, let's getinto the first story.
Just a quick content warning onthis one.
It's a bit gory.
I would say two of the threestories today are pretty gory,
and also there is somedescription of drug use.

(06:55):
Just so that everyone's aware.

Speaker 4 (07:01):
Here we go.
Leftovers, written by WarrenBenedetto, read by michael grosa
mom, maybe you shouldn't go out.

Speaker 5 (07:12):
Yuri warned it's too dangerous.
Elena made a shushing sound andwaved her hand dismissively.
Forgetting that yuri couldn'tsee the gesture over the phone,
she switched the handset to herother ear as she opened the
refrigerator.
It was a vintage metal iceboxwith rounded corners and a
curved horizontal handle made ofdulled chrome.
Blooms of rust scarred the oncewhite finish.

(07:36):
The door swung open with ananguished squeal.
It was dark inside.
I'll be fine, she said.
I'm just going around thecorner.
The refrigerator's wire shelveswere stacked with cardboard
shoeboxes and dented metalcookie tins.
Elena took out one of theshoeboxes and carried it over to
the kitchen table.
The refrigerator door swungshut and latched with a solid

(08:00):
clunk.
It sounded more like theclosing of a car door than a
kitchen appliance clunk.
It sounded more like theclosing of a car door than a
kitchen appliance.
Yuri tried to reason with hismother.
Why don't you let me bring yousomething?
I can be there in a few hours.
Oh, you're coming to visit Now.
You have time.
Elena, chuckled, I feel honored.
Come on, ma, don't do that.

(08:20):
You know how it is with work.
Elena sat down at the table.
Wisps of her white hair caughtthe late afternoon sun framing
her profile in a halo of goldenlight.
She had high cheekbones and astrong chin, with eyes that were
a striking shade of paleMediterranean blue.
Her skin had the look andtexture of finely wrinkled

(08:40):
tissue paper.
It slid loosely over her bonyhands and arms like an old silk
garment.
She removed the lid of theshoebox.
Inside was a kaleidoscopicarray of embroidery threads in
spools and bundles of everyimaginable shade and color.
Have you made partner yet?
Elena asked as she dug throughthe box.

(09:01):
Her tone was casual, but thequestion was barbed like a fish
hook.
There was a long silence beforeYuri replied.
Not yet.
Hmm well, elena nodded.
Someday.
There was another long pause.
Here it comes, olenna thought.

(09:24):
Finally, yuri spoke Promise meyou'll be careful.
And there it is.
He wasn't coming to visit.
He never had any intention ofdoing so.
His offer was a charade, hisconcern merely performative.
It was a little one-act he puton for his own benefit, one
where he could play the role ofa dutiful son, while she played

(09:45):
her part as the disappointed butunderstanding mother.
It was a familiar show, one shehad seen thousands of times
before.
She'd had a front row seat foryears.
She couldn't blame him.
He had his life, his apartmenton Central Park West, his
girlfriend from that perfumecommercial on the television,
his job, moving money from oneplace to another.

(10:07):
It was a life full ofopportunity, full of gallery
openings and wine tastings andconversations about Michelin
stars and designer clothes.
There was no room for a lonelyold woman with cracked linoleum
floors and threadbare sweaterswith holes in the elbows.
No room for the oldneighborhood, no room for the

(10:28):
past.
Elena knew her son was ashamedof where he'd come from, of who
he was, of who he still is, shethought with a hint of
bitterness, no matter how muchhe tried to pretend that he
wasn't like it or not, he wasstill her son.
Her blood was his blood.

(10:48):
It was a fact, an undeniable,inescapable fact.
But she let him pretend that itwasn't.
It was easier than arguing,don't worry.
She reassured him.
I'll be careful, as always.
Good, okay, he sounded relievedand if I get off work on time,

(11:11):
of course, you're always welcome, so maybe I'll see you.
Maybe, she said, not believingfor a second time that he would
come.
I'll save you some leftovers,just in case a second time that
he would come.
I'll save you some leftovers,just in case, elena gripped the

(11:31):
railing as she made her way downthe crumbling stairs in front
of her apartment building,broken glass crunched under her
blocky thick-soled shoes.
Dumpster water trickled out ofthe alley and into the gutter,
leaving the air heavy with thestench of urine and rotting food
.
A vagrant slumped in thedoorway of an abandoned
storefront, a needle danglingfrom his arm, his soiled and
sodden belongings spilled out ofa torn plastic bag printed with

(11:53):
the words Thank you in garishred font.
The neighborhood was no longerthe place Elena had once known
it to be.
It used to be a vibrant meltingpot, brimming over with the
sights and sounds and smells ofimmigrants from around the world
, all striving for better livesfor themselves and their
families.
Elena and her son had fit inwell, drawing little attention

(12:15):
despite their thick accents andunfamiliar habits.
Over time, the two of them hadacclimated and assimilated,
adopting the language andcustoms of their new home and
losing most of the vestiges ofthe old country.
Uri had found work first at alocal bank, then eventually
making his way to the hallowedgrounds of Wall Street.

(12:36):
It was as if he had been bornfor the world of high finance.
He was self-absorbed andselfish, with little regard for
the well-being of others.
He wasn't encumbered byinconveniences like guilt or
empathy.
He had no conscience.
He fit right in.
Before long he was cavortingwith swimsuit models, half his

(12:56):
age, parading a different onepast his doorman seemingly every
night.
As he escorted them up to hispenthouse apartment, he ordered
call girls like takeout, withthe numbers of several local
traffickers on speed dial.
Discretion was paramount.
Money was no object.
His enablers were happy tooblige.
Elena, meanwhile, had stayedbehind, preferring the

(13:18):
familiarity of her crampedfifth-floor apartment to Yuri's
high-gloss, high-risk, high-riselifestyle.
Nothing much had changed withthe place since she first moved
in so many decades before.
She had the same creaking woodfloors, the same peeling,
piss-yellow wallpaper, the sameleak-stained ceilings.

(13:39):
She watched the same analog TV,which still sported the same
rabbit-ear antennas despitehaving been converted to cable
years ago.
While Elena and her apartmenthad remained constant, the
neighborhood had crumbled aroundher, becoming increasingly
infested with drugs, poverty andcrime.
It seemed like every day therewas another report of another

(13:59):
murder, another person gonemissing.
Sirens wailed at all hours ofthe day and night, spilling red
and blue light into the ceilingfrom the street.
Below, light posts and metalroll-top doors were wheat-pasted
with homemade flyers featuringwords like Missing and, if Found
, please Call.
Right next to faded ads for HotGirls and Free Pussy.

(14:22):
To be fair, it had never been aparadise.
There had always been danger,since the day Elena and Yuri
first arrived.
But the danger was of adifferent nature back then.
In those days, the dangerlurked in the shadows.
It would emerge soundlesslyfrom the darkness then would
vanish just as silently into thenight.
Now the danger operated inbroad daylight.

(14:44):
Just as silently into the night.
Now the danger operated inbroad daylight.
It was brazen, unafraid.
It dared people to notice it,to do something about it, to
stop it.
But would they?
Of course not.
They couldn't be bothered.
Everyone was too wrapped up intheir own lives.
Just look at Yuri.
He feigned concern, sure, butthat didn't bring him back home.
The truth was, nobody caredabout each other anymore.

(15:07):
They didn't even know eachother.
Everyone was a stranger.
The whole city was infected witha terrible anonymity, a plague
of indifference.
Violence had lost its power tooffend.
Another prostitute gone missing.
Another junkie drainedbloodless in the gutter.
Another homeless man founddisemboweled in a back alley
behind a Starbucks.
It didn't matter, it wasbackground noise, radio, static.

(15:30):
People had more importantthings to worry about.
They had selfies to take andphotos to post.
Followers to influence.
They couldn't be bothered withtrivial things like murder.
It was all fine with Elena,though.
She appreciated theinvisibility that came with
indifference.
It allowed her to moveunnoticed through the streets to

(15:51):
do what she needed to do andthen to make her way back home
undisturbed.
The more people ignored her,the safer she would be.
Elena navigated around asleeping junkie's
filth-encrusted feet, thenrounded the corner onto the main
avenue.
Down the street ahead of hershe noticed two young men in
their early twenties lounging ona stoop next to a boarded-up

(16:12):
pawn shop.
She had seen them before.
It was their regular spot,their place of business.
The tall one was named Afsal.
He was lanky and lean, withheavy eyebrows and an unruly
beard.
His hair was shaved on thesides and long on top, slicked
back and tied in a small, tightbun.
A black Brooklyn Nets jerseywith a white number 11 hung

(16:35):
loose on his frame.
He wore clean white sneakersthat looked fresh out of the box
.
The shorter man was Leo.
His broad shoulders filled outan oversized white t-shirt that
came down almost to his knees.
Tattoos covered every inch ofhis arms, from his knuckles up
the back of his hands, over hismuscled forearms and into his
sleeves.
A flat-brimmed Yankees hat waspulled low over his eyes with a

(16:59):
pair of wraparound blacksunglasses perched above the
brim.
As Elena approached, anemaciated twenty-something
dodged his way through trafficand crossed the street to meet
Leo and Afzal.
The kid spoke briefly to Afzal,then slipped him a wad of cash.
Afzal palmed something back tohim, a tiny plastic bag of brown
powder.
The addict fist-bumped Afzalthen hustled off down the street

(17:23):
.
Afzal unfolded the money he hadbeen handed and added it to a
thick roll of cash from hispocket.
Elena gave a short little sniffof dismay while she passed.
Afzal heard it.
He shot her a cold look.
Elena quickly averted her eyes.
She tightened her grip on herpurse and quickened her pace.

(17:48):
Afzal stuffed the cash rollback in his pocket, then cupped
his hand over his mouth and saidsomething to Leo.
Leo nodded.
They waited until Elena was afew doors down from them, then
casually fell and stepped behindher.
From the moment they stepped offthe stoop, elena knew she was
being followed.
She could sense it.
She cast a quick glance overher shoulder.
Sure enough, leo and Afzal werebehind her.

(18:09):
They weren't too close, butthey were close enough and
getting closer as the thugsquickened their pace, elena
abruptly took a quick sidestepinto an alley on her left.
It was a deft move,surprisingly agile for a woman
of her age.
A few seconds later, leo andAfzal rounded the corner into
the same alley.

(18:30):
They stopped dead in theirtracks.
Elena was gone the hell.
Leo exclaimed Where'd she go?
The alley was a dead end.
It was empty, except for a fewdamp cardboard boxes piled
haphazardly next to the backdoor of a Chinese restaurant.
There was a fire escapeoverhead, but its ladder was

(18:51):
still retracted.
There was no place for her torun, no place to hide, and yet
she was nowhere to be seen.
The only evidence that she hadbeen there at all was her purse,
which lay abandoned in themiddle of the alley.
She probably went through here,leo said, ignoring the dig.
He tugged on the restaurant'sback door.
It was locked or not?

(19:12):
Afzal laughed at Leo.
Leo kicked over the pile ofcardboard boxes.
A large rat scurried out,squealing.
It ran straight up the alleywall, ascending vertically, then
paused on the windowsilloverlooking the fire escape.
It peered down at them with itstiny black eyes, whiskers,
twitching.
What are you looking at?

(19:33):
Leo growled at the rat.
It hissed back at him inresponse.
So Afzal asked Leo what now?
Leo noticed Elena's purse lyingon the ground nearby.
He looked at Afzal.
Afzal nodded Do it.
Leo squatted down, picked upElena's dropped purse and opened

(19:54):
it.
Meanwhile Afzal thrust hishands in his pockets and walked
to the end of the alley.
He meandered casually out tothe sidewalk and looked both
ways, checking to see if anycops or other witnesses were
around.
There were a few neighborhooddrunks smoking cigarettes in
front of the liquor store downthe street.
Other than that there wasnobody.
Afzal popped a piece of gum inhis mouth and leaned up against

(20:18):
the wall and started scrollingthrough his phone, his thumb
occasionally pausing to doubletap on an image of a duck-lipped
girl in a lurid pose.
In the alley.
Leo shuffled through Elena'spurse.
He pulled out a brown vial ofpills, examined the label, then
pocketed it.
He found a handful of crumpledbills and pocketed those too all
six dollars worth Anything.

(20:39):
Afzal called, keeping his eyeson his phone.
Not much.
Leo dug to the bottom of thepurse.
His eyes lit up.
What's this?
He mumbled.
He pulled out a delicatelyembroidered silk wallet.
It was closed with a loop ofstring around a small black bead
.
Leo snapped the string.

(20:59):
The bead popped off and fell tothe ground, bouncing off the
concrete and into a dark oilypuddle.
Leo opened the walletDisappointment registered on his
face.
It was full of photographs.
Seriously, who carries actualphotographs anymore?
Isn't that what phones are for?
Leo flipped through the photos.

(21:19):
They were old, like really old.
They looked like they had beentaken with one of those antique
cameras, the kind where thephotographer has his head under
a black sheet with a flashbulbthat pops and sizzles like a
burger on a grill.
The kind they have at ConeyIsland, where you dress up like
your grandparents and pretend tobe old, old-time photos.

(21:40):
The place was called.
It was stupid, but peopleseemed to love it.
Leo had no idea why the womanin the photos was called it was
stupid, but people seemed tolove it.
Leo had no idea why.
The woman in the photos was thesame one they had followed into
the alley.
She looked about the same agetoo, but the dress she was
wearing looked like somethingout of a history book.
She was with a guy who wasmaybe in his 40s.
He had close cropped hair andwore a well-tailored suit with a

(22:01):
pocket watch tucked into hisvest.
He was too young to be herhusband, unless she was some
kind of sugar mama.
Maybe she was Old lady's stillgetting the D, he thought, a
small grin curling his lips.
Leo pulled the photo out of itsplastic sleeve and turned it
over.
The words Elena and Yuri, 1871,were scrawled on the back in

(22:23):
thin cursive letters.
It reminded Leo of the kind ofwriting you'd see on the
Declaration of Independence orsomething Damn.
Leo thought this lady is old asdirt.
He laughed to himself, thendropped the photo in the puddle
at his feet.
Just then he heard a rustlingsound overhead, like a bed sheet

(22:44):
flapping in the wind.
He looked up.
His eyes went wide.
On the sidewalk a gust of warmair blew out of the alley and
rustled Afzal's hair.
Still looking at his phone, hecalled to Leo.
Leo, you almost done, or what?
There was no response.
Afzal shoved his phone back inhis pocket, then turned and

(23:05):
wandered back into the alley.
Let's go speed it up.
He stopped chewing his gummid-chew.
Leo's Yankee hat was on theground upside down.
It rocked gently as if it hadbeen dropped.
Only seconds before Elena'spurse was next to it, its

(23:25):
contents were half spilled outinto a puddle.
The photo wallet lay face downon the asphalt nearby.
Leo was nowhere to be seen.
Afzal turned around and lookedback towards the street,
checking to see if maybe he hadmissed Leo walking out of the
alley.
While he was scrolling hisphone, he hadn't.
For the first time, afzalnoticed how much darker it

(23:46):
seemed to have gotten.
All of a sudden, the sun hadset behind the buildings,
leaving the alley deep inshadows.
Leo, he called, where'd you go?
He tugged at the door to theChinese restaurant.
It was still locked.
He walked over to where Leo'shat had fallen and picked it up.

(24:08):
He turned it over, looked inside, then turned it over again.
This is some Bermuda Trianglebullshit.
He thought Yo, Leo, we gotta go.
Afzal shouted.
His voice echoed off the alleywalls Come on, I'm hungry.
He listened for a response.
Nothing.
All right, I'm out, Leavingyour hat though.

(24:31):
He dropped Leo's hat on theground.
Where he found it as he turnedto leave, something wet dripped
onto his face.
It hit him above the eye, ranover his eyebrow, then splashed
onto his clean white sneakers.
His first thought was bird shit.
Then he looked down at hisNikes they were splattered with
dark crimson.
It wasn't bird shit, it wasblood.

(24:56):
Oh what?
The?
Afzal scooped the blood fromhis eye and wiped it reflexively
on his Nets jersey, smearing itacross the white number one.
Then he looked up to see whereit had come from.
On the fire escape.
Above a dozen feet or moreoverhead, Leo was sprawled on
his back.
Wide blossoms of blood werespreading across the back of his
white t-shirt, merging togetherinto a single enormous stain.

(25:19):
One of his arms dangled looselyover the edge.
A stream of blood ran itslength and drizzled from the
tips of his fingers.
More blood poured through theblack iron grate of the fire
escape floor raining down inlong elastic drops.
It pattered softly onto thecardboard boxes below.

(25:40):
Elena was perched on top ofLeo's body in a deep squat.
Her bony knees were flared outon either side of her shoulders.
Her head was lowered near Leo'schest, out of sight.
Leo's body twitched and jerkedas Elena tugged at his torso,
doing something Afzal couldn'tsee from his angle below.
He could hear it, though, A wet, squelching sound that reminded

(26:03):
him of his pit bull sloppilygobbling down a bowl of canned
dog food.
Jesus, Afzal stumbled back afew steps At the sound of
Afzal's voice.
Elena picked her head up andswiveled it to look down in his
direction.
She was nearly unrecognizable.
Her eyes had gone completelywhite, no pupils, no irises,

(26:25):
Like a blind man or one of thoselizards that spends its whole
life in a cave in the dark.
Man, or one of those lizardsthat spends its whole life in a
cave in the dark.
Her mouth was oddly distended,her jaw seemingly unhinged, her
gums protruding past her lips toreveal rows upon rows of long,
needle-sharp canine teeth thatleaned inwards at haphazard
angles.
The bottom half of her face wassmeared with blood, thick black

(26:48):
clots dangled from her chin.
As Elena glared at Afzal, herarms roughly tugged at Leo's
body, Something gave way.
She lifted her hands.
Her arms seemed to have doubledin length.
Her fingers were impossiblylong and thin, almost insectile,
with razor-sharp talons thatcurved from her fingertips.

(27:09):
They were wrapped aroundsomething irregularly shaped
about the size of a smallgrapefruit Leo's heart.
The organ spasmed weakly,seemingly oblivious to the fact
it was no longer attached toLeo's body.
Elena fed it into her maw andbit down.
She chewed it greedily, neverbreaking eye contact with Afzal.

(27:31):
Afzal remained frozen in abjectterror.
His mind grasped for a rationalexplanation.
What am I?
Even?
looking at he thought, Whateverit was, it wasn't real, it
couldn't be.
Old women didn't just turn intodemons and eat people.
Someone must have slipped himsomething.
Some PCP maybe, or angel dustSent him on a trip, a crazy bad

(27:55):
trip.
He was probably going to wakeup on a couch in his apartment
with Leo laughing his face off,probably end up on YouTube going
viral.
Afzal slowly started backingdown the alley, keeping his eyes
trained on Elena above.
If the old woman was busy doingwhatever she was doing to Leo,
maybe he could slip away, runhome, lock the door, never leave

(28:17):
the house again.
For a few seconds it seemedlike his idea might work.
Elena seemed to lose interestin him as he slowly retreated,
step by torturous step.
Instead she turned herattention back to disemboweling
Leo's body.
Then Afzal stepped on Leo'sfallen sunglasses.
They shattered with a sickeningcrunch.

(28:39):
Elena immediately responded tothe sound.
She hopped up onto the fireescape railing with cat-like
grace and perched on it like agargoyle.
A series of loud clickingsounds emanated deep from in her
throat.
The clicks bounced and echoedoff the sides of the buildings,
painting an aural picture of thealley's geometry.
She cocked her head andlistened.

(29:01):
Her ears were elongated andoversized the tapered tips drawn
backwards into long points.
Afzal turned and bolted downthe alley towards the street in
a full sprint.
He opened his mouth to shoutfor help, but no sound came out,
just a rush of air that soundedlike HURR.

(29:22):
Up above a pair of thickleathery wings unfolded from
Elena's back.
She launched herself down fromthe fire escape, arms
outstretched, wings extended,fangs bared, swooping down
towards Afzal, slicing silentlythrough the air like a raptor
diving for prey.
Elena rode her building'sclanking, shuddering elevator up

(29:47):
to the fifth floor, then walkeddown the hall towards her
apartment.
She looked normal again.
There was no trace of thehorrific transformation Afzal
had witnessed in the alley.
It was almost as if it hadnever happened.
As Elena turned the corner, shenoticed someone leaning against
the wall outside her apartmentdoor.
It was a man in his mid-fortieswith a close-cropped haircut

(30:09):
and a well-tailored suit.
A diamond-encrusted Rolexencircled his wrist.
He tapped expertly on thescreen of his iPhone with his
thumbs.
Elena gasped in surprise.
Yuri.
The man looked up from hisphone and smiled hey, Ma, you
came.
Elena's voice was a chokedwhisper.

(30:30):
She cleared her throat.
I thought you had work.
Ah well, he powered off hisphone and tucked it inside his
suit jacket and patted it.
It'll be there when I get back.
He smiled how are you?
Did you get yourself somethingto eat?
Elena nodded.
Then she opened her purse andwithdrew a small

(30:52):
grapefruit-sized bundle rolledin black fabric.
The material was torn andshredded with the remains of a
blood-streaked number 11 stillvisible on one side.
She handed it to Yuri.
Mmm smells delicious, he saidas he began to unwrap the
offering.
What is?
it.
Elena smiled at her sonLeftovers.

Speaker 1 (31:19):
So this story was written by Warren Benedetto and
it was originally published inNight Terrors, volume 6 by Scare
Street in 2020.
Warren as you all know verywell now because we've featured
him many times on the podcast,is a writer of dark fiction
about horrible people, placesand things.
He is an award-winning authorwith many stories under his belt

(31:39):
and he's appeared inpublications like Dark Matter
Magazine, fantasy Magazine andthe Dread Machine.
He's also featured on podcastssuch as the no Sleep Podcast,
and one favorite fun fact aboutWarren is that he works in the
video game industry, where heholds over 50 patents on various
types of gaming technology.
And, of course, our friendMichael Krosa, longtime friend

(32:01):
of the podcast, narrated thisstory beautifully and I thought
they were a really, really goodmatch.
I loved the twist in this story.
I loved that he plays with youa little bit and you're not
quite.
You kind of think they're justlike a mother son duo and then
you start to piece together thedifferent clues that oh, they're
really old and they kind of goback and you know, and I love

(32:22):
the mythology of that- Well,first off, I absolutely love a
New York vampire story.
You do.

Speaker 3 (32:29):
I read.
One of my favorite books fromlast year was the Lesser Dead,
and that was during my deep diveinto Christopher Buhlman.

Speaker 1 (32:38):
I was going to say, this story reminded me a lot of
that.

Speaker 3 (32:41):
Absolutely Like a seedy New York.
Yeah, a seedy New York horrorstory like that?
I don't know.
I want more of it.

Speaker 1 (32:49):
I don't.

Speaker 3 (32:49):
I feel like there's not enough out there.
The Lesser Dead takes place inthe 1970s, but I think this one
was supposed to be modern day.

Speaker 1 (32:57):
Yeah, and I want to caveat.
I say that I don't want more ofit only because I live here and
it freaks me out a little bit.
The story was very effective.
This one really seemed to playwith some like a mishmash of
different time periods because,like it talks about, like a
seedy alley yeah behindstarbucks like those are two

(33:18):
things in very different decadesbut I, like we all, can kind of
picture those things, you knowsure, honestly, because we're on
the, the vampire theme, I thinkit was which blade was.

Speaker 3 (33:28):
It is there two or three where they?
It was like the this, like aweird pan society.
It was futuristic but felt justlike modern.
Yeah, you know, they spoke.
What the hell is that languageit's supposed to be?
It took me a second but I hadto google.
The language that they speak isesperanto.

(33:48):
Just because it's a syntheticlanguage that is supposed to,
it's like a mishmash of everyother language.
Just because, you know, once welive in a society that just
becomes so mingled thatindividual languages just kind
of melt together, and so I kindof got that kind of vibe.
Just once they were puttingdifferent aspects of different

(34:11):
time periods all just kind ofinto New York, and I feel like
that also goes with a vampiretheme of like one being that
goes throughout the ages.

Speaker 1 (34:18):
Yeah, exactly, I think that's really cool.

Speaker 3 (34:20):
Also just check out Christopher Buhlman.
All his stuff rocks.

Speaker 1 (34:23):
Yeah, it's pretty good.
It's one of the.
He's one of those rare authorsthat you and I both like.

Speaker 3 (34:28):
Yeah, right up there with RL Stine.

Speaker 1 (34:30):
Yeah, but this story I thought was great.
I feel like Warren has thisI've said it before like this
very epic way of writing and hecan create a very visual world
and tell a really robust story.
You know like it could becontained, but it feels like
it's very artistically painted.
You know I can visualizeeverything he's talking about.
Again, michael also did such agreat job and our friend Michael

(34:53):
has been so generous with usover the years and has such a
great voice.
If you are not familiar withMichael's work, he's based out
of Chattanooga, tennessee, andyou could follow the PodNuga
podcast network to learn moreabout what he's up to and some
of the other podcasts that he'sworking on.

Speaker 3 (35:08):
A big fan of the story.
It's a lot of fun.
My one gripe oh here we go.
This is a New England vampirepanic, I have news for you.
And New York is not part of NewEngland, which is something
that you like to remind me on asurprisingly regular basis.

Speaker 1 (35:23):
Well, you seem to keep forgetting.

Speaker 3 (35:25):
Because you like to make me feel excluded from your
little club.

Speaker 1 (35:28):
That's right.
Well, it is not part of NewEngland, and that's OK, because
I made this call vampire storiesgenerally, but we will end
today's episode with one NewEngland based story.

Speaker 3 (35:41):
Wait.
So the next one isn't NewEngland either.

Speaker 1 (35:43):
The next one could sort of happen everywhere, so we
could say that it takes placein Rhode Island, if it makes you
feel better.

Speaker 3 (35:47):
Is Rhode Island in New England.

Speaker 1 (35:49):
Yeah, do you know the states of New England?

Speaker 3 (35:51):
Do you?

Speaker 1 (35:52):
Yes.

Speaker 3 (35:52):
Let's see All right roll the tape.

Speaker 1 (35:54):
Go ahead, go ahead.
Name all the states of NewEngland.

Speaker 3 (35:57):
Roll the tape.

Speaker 1 (35:58):
You're not even going to try, okay.

Speaker 3 (36:00):
Maine, yeah.
New Hampshire, yeah.
Vermont, mm-hmm.
Rhode island, delaware, nope,did I hit them all?
You're missing one, the centerone, massachusetts.
There you go.
He did it nice, not delaware,huh, no is it close.

Speaker 1 (36:16):
No south of pennsylvania, where's?
And new jersey where's rhodeisland?
Rhode island is next toconnecticut.
What?
Okay?
Well, we'll get you a map later.
All right, let's roll the tapeon the next story.

Speaker 4 (36:32):
Therapy Notes.
Read by Hector Carlo.
Read by Lisa Sweeney and MikeMasura.

Speaker 6 (36:42):
Friday, march 8th, 9 pm.
Klein appeared exhausted forour second session.
His clothes were a businesscasual suit, jacket and slacks
light colors.
As he just came fresh from work, he talked about how his
relationship with his girlfriendhad deteriorated due to him
spending so much time at work.
He then profusely apologizedfor having me work late an
avoidance coping strategy and Itold him it was fine and I did

(37:05):
it for the love of the game.
What I didn't tell him is thatI need the hours so I can make
my licensing test.
He seemed to feel better andcontinued his strategy of
avoiding the problem by askingme more about what I do as a
therapist.
I indulged him for a shortwhile and when my short answers
were not interesting to him, Ijumped back into the topic at
hand.
Client described himself as nothaving enough energy when he

(37:27):
returns home to his girlfriend.
She complains that I do nothingwhen I'm the one working six
days a week so we can enjoy ourlives.
He mentioned snapping at herand she ran off crying into the
bedroom for an hour.
He talks about the stress hefeels due to him being the only
one currently employed.
I mostly let him speak, as thisis still an informative period.
In the sessions I noted that hehad his shoulders hunched down

(37:49):
and his eyes downcast for mostof the session.
He had a wide-eyed stare when Itold him that I see the burden
of responsibility he feels tohis work and his girlfriend and
how he tries to make it work.
The session ends with himhaving a little light in his eye
and he asks about coming bynext week.
At the same time, my earlydiagnosis is burnout from work,
along with stress on trying tomanage his different roles,

(38:11):
maybe feeling like he isn'tcontent with his life.
Friday, march 15th, 9pm.
Client walks in angry.
His tie was removed forcefullybefore coming in due to his
collar being uneven.
I try to focus today but I'mfeeling weak after what happened
this weekend.
The bite mark still burns andit's been nearly a week.
Police still won't take meseriously.
The burning and pulsing makesit so that I only ever hear

(38:33):
every other word the client sayshe starts the session angry
about his work and how they donot appreciate him.
He tells me about the newproject he has to work on for
his job.
I embarrassedly didn't look atmy notes before the session and
can't remember his job SomethingI need to remember for next
time.
His intake form would be goodto look at also.
I didn't ask about his family oforigin, as he did not write

(38:54):
much about them in his intakeand he was nervous when I
brought the topic up in thefirst session.
He hesitates before telling mehe was raised by his
grandparents, as his mother diedin childbirth and his dad ran
away to Puerto Rico to start anew family.
He was close to his grandmotherbut his grandfather never gave

(39:15):
him any attention as he was tooexhausted after having to
un-retire and go back to work.
I didn't have my grandfather'sattention, and love half the
days Leads me to believe it'sambivalent attachment.
He mentioned his grandfatherwas an English professor at the
local university and the clientfeels like he failed his father
figure by dropping out of theEnglish department.
He was getting a full ride to.
He switched to majoring inmarketing instead.
I was going to mention that Itook a few English classes there
for my minor as some funself-disclosure, but thought

(39:37):
better of it.
Personally, I never understoodwhat was so difficult about the
English department, outside ofthe amount of reading I had to
do.
Where was I?
Oh right, I noticed a patternand asked him if he was nervous
around his girlfriend.
He said he was nervous as shedidn't know what person she
would get if he showed up tooexhausted to talk to her after
work.
And I asked him if this wassimilar to not knowing what

(39:57):
version of his grandfather hewould get every night and he
nodded.
I empathized with him and thefear of not knowing how your
loved ones will react to youtrying your best every day.
He started to get emotional butblinked the tears away.
I asked him about the tears andhe got quiet.
I apologized and moved ontalking about his work week.
As he got up to leave at theend he fixed his collar and
rolled up his sleeves.

(40:18):
I never noticed how muscular heis.
Friday, march 22nd 9pm.
Client was in a sad mood today.
His demeanor literally cooledthe room as he entered and I
could just feel the bitternessin the air.
He started off about how hetried to take his girlfriend out
on a date to talk about how hewas feeling, as him opening up
here was giving him the courageto talk to his girlfriend.

(40:39):
He tried to talk to her but hecouldn't get the right words out
.
He told me it led to amisunderstanding and it was his
fault.
But I don't think so.
He's been articulate to me andI'm sure she isn't emotionally
at a stage to empathize with himwith all her preconceived
notions of why he's treating herthe way he is.
He said the dinner was fine butawkward.

(40:59):
He was so preoccupied with hisfeelings for her and fixing the
situation on the date that hemissed an important deadline at
work and got chewed out by hisboss.
I wish people were more gentleto each other over deadlines,
especially towards torturedsouls like my clients.
We talked about hisdisappointment with letting his
girlfriend and his boss down,used refraining to see the
narrative of he slipped up butcan still pick himself up.

(41:23):
Friday, march 29th, 11pm.
Mark, I mean the client isdoing better.
He was in a good mood and sayshe's up for a promotion.
Even with his screw up, he wasso happy he even went to open
the window.
A little bit of thatpost-daylight savings sun hit
and my eyes were too sensitive.
I asked him to close it as Ifelt a migraine coming on, and
he did.
I didn't say anything to worryhim, but my skin started to hurt

(41:46):
too.
Anyways, he talked to me abouthow his work was going well and
even his girlfriend, lisa, hasbeen excited for him.
It may be countertransference,but I don't think she's right
for him.
She scolds him for not givinghim enough time, but as soon as
he can give her more of hishard-earned wages, she's fine
with everything.
It makes me laugh Crap, screwit.

(42:07):
Mark should know better.
I worry that he won't need mesoon, now that everything seems
to be going well for him and Ineed those hours.
I cannot keep anything downanymore and I'm starving.
I should go to a hospital andsee if this is a virus and run
before they ask me for insurance.
Saturday April 5th 1am.
I am not sleeping well anymoreand it's affecting my ability to

(42:29):
help clients.
The doctors could find nothingwrong.
All I've been doing to cure myailments is to eat medium rare
steaks like some voraciouscarnivore.
I'm getting angry at all myclients, but especially Mark.
The man cut our session shortdue to my talking and what he
thinks is a mocking tone at him,something about my words being
too perplexing or making fun ofmy dropping out.

(42:52):
I know Mark can understand meas he responds to my questions.
Sure, I do not always talk inthe same vernacular as everyone
else, but this is not my fault.
He's just showing sometransference.
I'm not the problem, it is hisgrandfather not giving him
enough attention.
I'll send him an apology callon Monday and offer to talk it

(43:14):
out with him in the next session.
Although his anger did get mehot under the collar and, I'm
sure, different heat for him, asit raised the temperature of
the room by several degrees.
I could see his forehead startto get a vein.
It looked ravishing.
Oh, maybe I should talk to mymentor about supervision with
Mark.
Saturday April 12th 2am.
My friends have also started togripe about my vocabulary

(43:37):
changing out of nowhere.
They do not realize how manywords and topics I have to hold
in my brain.
Hearing that is making me wantto restrain myself from Mark.
He needs me to not hold himback.
The meat is not satiating meanymore.
I need to focus.
Mark is in a much better placeand for a brief moment I
wondered if he would leave me.

(43:58):
He started talking about howmuch his relationship with Lisa
has been improving.
He even hinted at proposing toher soon now that he has money
for that raise.
Oh, how he radiated such warmthwhen speaking of his feelings
for her.
She is not good for him.
I will tell him next sessionand convince him to abandon this
foolish endeavor of building atarnished life with her.

(44:19):
It was sickening to hear hername escape his perfect lips.
I can almost taste-.
What am I saying?
Saturday, april 19th, 4am.
I think what my professor saidabout rapport is working.
He was not happy about what Irecommended.
The temperature in the room hada scornful heat to it.
He got furious and tried tomatch my verbal lexicon to prove

(44:43):
some asinine point that made nosense.
Mark was about to walk away andlooked me in the eyes as he was
closing the door.
I summoned all my courage andtold him to wait.
My bravery seemed to work as hejust stood there.
I asked him to come inside andhe did.
He had a haze in his eyes.
That, I am convinced, was all.
I sat him down and explainedall the reasons.

(45:06):
Lisa was not right for him.
By the end I explicitly coachedhim into breaking up with her
and he said he would.
Thursday, april 26th, 3am.
I sleep all day and my nightsare filled with thoughts of Mark
, his warm lips on mine, myteeth scraping his flesh, his
eye corcursing into me.
I know what I must do nextsession and I know he is ready

(45:29):
to take me to that step.
I should probably get thereearlier and find a good position
to have this recorder ready toshow.
I can convince any clientanything.
Friday, april 27th 7pm.

Speaker 2 (45:41):
Since breaking up with Lisa, I've been happier
than I've ever been.
I have to thank you for allthat you've done for me.

Speaker 6 (45:47):
No need to thank me.
It is my duty and pleasure tohelp you become the best version
of yourself you can be.
Is it not nice you can have allthis money now and not have to
waste it on her?
Yeah, I guess so.
You look a little thinner thannormal.
Is everything going well foryou?

Speaker 2 (46:05):
She was kind enough to make dinner for me.
Most nights I've been too busyto cook for myself, so I've been
living off of leftovers.

Speaker 6 (46:13):
That makes sense, but why have you not considered
other options like takeout?

Speaker 2 (46:19):
In this economy.
I can't afford takeout and rent.
That's why she offered to cookwhile she was out of a job.

Speaker 6 (46:25):
She was a witless trollop.
That is why she has no vocation.
While you've been toiling awayat your office.

Speaker 2 (46:31):
I told you to knock it off with this thesaurus shit.
You're just like my grandfather.
Wait, what am I doing?
I threw away a great personlike trash because of you.
I'm going to tell yoursupervisor about this.

Speaker 6 (46:44):
Mark, look at me while I'm talking to you and
come back here.
Why should I come back to you?
Piece of sh Sit down Good.
You know I care for you.
You know what.
I know what will help you withall of your problems.
Come closer, you will live thelife I know you dream about with
this Ah.

Speaker 1 (47:10):
Very honored that our friend Hctor carlo of the
reshoot podcast wrote such acool story.
It was such a treat to be ableto feature his work and if you
have not heard of or listened tothe reshoot podcast, please
check it out and of course wewill link it below.
But, alan, tell us what did youthink of therapy notes?

Speaker 3 (47:26):
as someone that has listened to a lot of
perspectives from therapists,this was a very fun twist on
that, because never before haveI heard a therapist's own stream
of consciousness or debriefingor whatever.
I've never heard a therapist'sthought process while they're

(47:49):
simultaneously turning into avampire.

Speaker 1 (47:52):
Yeah, I thought that was a cool twist.
I liked that it was.
The format of it too was sortof the therapist's logs.
I just love alternate formatsand people who play with that.
So I thought that was a coolway to give her a reason to like
talk directly to us.
And then at the end I thoughtit was fun that we got to hear
the voice of her patient for thefirst time.

Speaker 3 (48:09):
It was fun.
I I thought it was fun that wegot to hear the voice of her
patient for the first time.
It was fun.
I did not expect to actuallyhear the patient's voice himself
.
A little bit of a jump scare,yeah, from Mike Massera, if I'm
not mistaken.
You're not mistaken.
He did a great job and hisdeath was horrific.

Speaker 1 (48:25):
It gave me chills.
Lisa and Mike both did such agreat job and it was such a fun
story.
I really am such a great joband it was such a fun story.

Speaker 3 (48:30):
I really am such a fan and if you want more of lisa
and mike's work that's rightcheck out midnight snack live
this halloween night atwwwyoutubecom backslash the
lunatics project the lunaticsproject.

Speaker 1 (48:49):
Yeah, you asked me this 10 minutes, did we?

Speaker 3 (48:50):
look it up.
Yeah, no, you're looking it upnow.
You don't know I do know whatif we send to the wrong place?
It's the lunatics project okay,cool, because otherwise we send
them to the wrong place, thenthey're gonna be watching the
wrong content.

Speaker 1 (49:02):
It's gonna be terrible and they're gonna be
like this isn't as good followour friend lisa on instagram at
lisa sweeney, check out mike'sband beach therapy and, of
course, listen to the reshootpodcast anywhere you listen to
podcasts and you can followreshoot underscore podcast on
instagram to stay up to datewith what they have going on.
And finally, we have our newengland vampire panic finale

(49:26):
story.
You ready for this't know?
I'm going to give it a overallwarning, a self-harm warning, a
gore warning.
I will just say that when Ifirst read this I was pretty
woozy, and now I'm going to readit for you all live.
So wish me luck.

Speaker 3 (49:41):
Okay, it's a big old Kate warning.

Speaker 1 (49:42):
Exactly, buckle up.
An improper suitor.
Red-eyed cake, rotunda Red-eyedbus.
Daphne wasn't sure of much, butshe was positive that she should
have been dead at this point.
She was soaked with dark redblood and she knew it was hers

(50:05):
as it was still warm anddripping from her arms.
She stared curiously at herwrists, wondering if she had
been dreaming.
On each wrist there werematching vertical slits from her
palm to the crook of her arm.
Daphne couldn't help but admirethe symmetry, especially
considering she couldn'tremember doing it.
She was struck with manyquestions.
How was she alive?
Why did she feel so amazing?

(50:26):
And, the most important one ofall, why had she done this to
herself?
She tried to recount the eventsof the evening.
She remembered returning homefrom the village.
She had picked up the meat forsupper and enjoyed the pleasant
stroll in the chilly air.
She remembered coming home tofix dinner and finding an
unfamiliar man waiting with herfather Right away.

(50:47):
She knew her father was tryingto find her a husband again.
The truth was, daphne had nointerest in marrying anyone now
and maybe ever, and certainlynot anyone from the odd
assortment of men her fatherthought were suitable.
She knew he meant well tryingto set her up for a more
comfortable life, but eachsuitor was either older, drunker
or crueler than the last.

(51:07):
She remembered making a smalldinner and placing it down in
front of their guest, and thennothing.
That can't be right.
Daphne looked back at herwrists, hoping the shocking
sight would stir her memory.
That's odd.
She thought they just look likesmall cuts now, as if a cat had
scratched her.
For a moment she wondered ifshe had dreamed it all or was

(51:28):
still dreaming.
However, that thought left asquickly as it came when she felt
the now cold Daphne darling.

Speaker 3 (51:49):
Okay, you left dinner rather quickly.
You didn't even clear theplates.

Speaker 1 (51:54):
Of course that was all he cared about.
Here she was standing in a poolof her own blood and all he
wanted to know was when shewould tidy up.
I'm quite fine, just.
She tried to think of what tosay to explain her current
situation.
Looking down at the blood onher nightgown, she giggled to
herself Just some woman issues.

Speaker 3 (52:12):
Oh, oh, oh, yes, of course.

Speaker 1 (52:14):
Daphne placed her bloody hand over her mouth to
hold back her laughter as herfather tripped over his words.

Speaker 3 (52:20):
Well, good night.

Speaker 1 (52:21):
Daphne listened to his heavy footprints walk away
from the door, pulling her handaway from her face.
She thought to herself what now?
Daphne only had one leg outwhen she realized escaping
through the window would beharder than she thought.
As her hand caught on the sharpwood of the house and the cool
Massachusetts wind tore throughher blood-soaked nightdress, she
began to seriously regret thedecision.

(52:42):
However, it was her only choice.
So she shimmied her way downand felt her feet touch the
frozen ground.
She took a moment to breathe,hit with another wave of
complete serenity.
She had slit her wrists, liedto her father and snuck out of
her house, and yet she felt asif she had just awoken from a
long nap.
She took a few steps back,eyeing her house up and down.

(53:04):
It felt so insignificant.
The house was small.
Father couldn't afford muchwith what the factory paid him,
but it had always been enoughfor Daphne.
It was her only home.
Now there was no longer a senseof familiarity.
Daphne took another step backto get a better look at her
childhood home when suddenly ahand grabbed her shoulder.
She gasped and whipped around,surprised to be inches away from

(53:26):
a tall figure.
Before she had time to think.
Her fist swung forward inreaction to the shock.
She felt her knuckles connectwith a hard jaw, a deep voice
protruded from the man.
Daphne pulled her fist back toher body, eyeing the man up and
down, deciding whether sheshould strike again.

Speaker 3 (53:44):
Ha, it's been a while since someone struck me like
that.

Speaker 1 (53:48):
The man's words were slightly slurred.
As it appeared Daphne hadbroken his jaw.
The man smirked at her andwrapped his hands around the
lower part of his jaw that wasno longer aligned with the rest
of his face.
In one quick motion, the mansnapped his jaw back into place.
Daphne cringed at the sound ofthe cracking bone, but kept her
fist raised when the man lookedup at her.

Speaker 3 (54:08):
Settle.
There's no need for that.

Speaker 1 (54:10):
He glanced sideways at her raised fist.
Daphne slowly lowered it butkept her hand balled up just in
case.
The man stepped forward closerto Daphne.
She could now see his facebetter.
He seemed vaguely familiar toher, but she couldn't quite
place him.

Speaker 3 (54:24):
Ah, I see my plan was a success, although.

Speaker 1 (54:27):
He eyed Daphne up and down, pouting at the dried
blood covering her nightdressand smeared across her face.

Speaker 3 (54:33):
I was hoping you'd clean up some before coming to
see me.

Speaker 1 (54:36):
Daphne tilted her head in confusion trying clean
up some before coming to see me.
Daphne tilted her head inconfusion trying to get a better
read on the man in front of her.
His accent seemed vaguelyEuropean and he was dressed in
the fanciest clothes she'd everseen, with a gold pocket watch
hanging from his vest.
Daphne had to stop herself fromreaching out to touch it.
She had never held real goldbefore.

Speaker 3 (54:55):
Nevertheless, I shall give you a pass this time,
since it's your first night.
However, in the future, I willexpect my wife to be more
presentable.

Speaker 1 (55:05):
This caused Daphne to break out of her trance.
I am sorry.
What did you just say?

Speaker 3 (55:10):
Ah, I see you're still in a bit of a fog.

Speaker 1 (55:13):
The man reached out to place a gentle hand on
Daphne's shoulder, but shedipped out of his way.
I am going to need you toexplain who you are and what is
happening right now.
Daphne raised her fist again ina half-hearted attempt to
threaten the man, though afterthe jaw trick she did not know
if that was possible.

Speaker 3 (55:29):
All right, darling, enough playing around now.

Speaker 1 (55:32):
The man grabbed Daphne's arm with a grip so hard
she thought it would snap.
Come with me.
I will explain everything.
Before Daphne could sayanything, she felt a rush of
wind as her feet left the ground.
She was being lifted into thesky, the man still gripping
tightly to her arm.
Daphne's sense of calmcompletely vanished as she

(55:52):
watched the ground get furtherand further away.
She shut her eyes in fear.
The man chuckled as she grabbedon tighter to his arm.
Please, sir, I don't want todie.
Daphne cried out her wordsraspy as the cold night air
filled her lungs.

Speaker 3 (56:06):
Well, I'll say to you a bit too late for that now,
isn't it?

Speaker 1 (56:10):
The man slowed down so that Daphne could hear him.

Speaker 3 (56:13):
Although I do owe you an explanation.
Tell me what you remember.

Speaker 1 (56:18):
Daphne opened her eyes to get a better look at the
man in the moonlight.
Suddenly she remembered youwere there.
You were at my house.
The man looked at her andsmiled.

Speaker 3 (56:27):
Yes, I was.
Your memories will come back toyou piece by piece as your
transition continues, but I willexplain it to you so that we
can move past this rathertedious adjustment.
Yes, I was at your placetonight.
I am Ambrose.
I saw you in the town thisafternoon and was struck by the
way you carried yourself.
I took it upon myself to visityour father in your home.

(56:49):
I was planning on manipulatinghim into letting me in, but it
seems all he needed to know wasthat I was quite wealthy and
interested in his daughter.

Speaker 1 (56:58):
Daphne thought his story was checking out.
So far it didn't take much forher father to introduce her to a
man.

Speaker 3 (57:04):
Then of course, you came home.

Speaker 1 (57:07):
Wait.
Daphne stopped the man.
The memories were starting tocome back to her.
After placing Ambrose's dinnerin front of him, he snapped his
fingers and Daphne's fatherslumped down in his seat.
She had turned towards herfather to ask what was wrong,
but Ambrose was suddenly infront of her.
He placed a hand on hershoulder and she felt as if she
were in a dream.
His voice was soft and low ashe said.

Speaker 3 (57:28):
Tonight, my darling, right after dinner, you will go
upstairs to your room.
You will find a straight razoron your bed.
Use this on your wrists to maketwo deep and long cuts.
You will feel no fear, no pain,and I will come for you tonight
, my love.

Speaker 1 (57:46):
And then he was gone.
Neither Daphne nor her fathermentioned him during dinner.
They finished and Daphne wentupstairs and did exactly as he
said.
You killed me.
Daphne shouted at the man.
He came up to a full stop inthe sky.
His smile had changed into ascowl and he ever so slightly
loosened his grip on Daphne'sarm.
She yelped as she slid a littlefarther down into the night sky

(58:08):
, pawing at his arm to remainafloat.
Killed you.
You killed yourself.
I saved you.
Ambrose screamed at Daphne asshe dangled below him in the sky
.

Speaker 3 (58:17):
You were nothing.
When we met, a poor girl withno future, no suitors, I could
have drained every drop of yourblood, but instead I gave you
the greatest gift ever.

Speaker 1 (58:29):
My blood.
Daphne's fear subsided for amoment as her mind clicked into
place.
She looked down at her wristsand noticed her wounds were now
completely healed.
She moved her tongue around,feeling two sharp canines
protruding out of her gums.
What have you done?
Ambrose laughed, no longer amild chuckle, but a deep,
guttural sound that rippedthrough Daphne's ears.

Speaker 3 (58:52):
I have granted you eternal life, my dear.

Speaker 1 (58:55):
Ambrose looked down at Daphne, again displeased with
the look on her face life.

Speaker 3 (59:01):
my dear Ambrose looked down at Daphne again,
displeased with the look on herface.

Speaker 1 (59:06):
I see you have not fully grasped the extent of your
powers.
Ambrose sighed.
Daphne looked up at him, unsurehow to read his emotions, or
even her own, for that matter.
Before she could open her mouthto speak, ambrose let go of her
arm completely.
She felt herself plummeting tothe ground, but she could not
release a scream.
She closed her eyes and feltthe air rush past her.
Suddenly, her eyes burst openin reaction to the most intense
sensation of pain she had everfelt in her entire life.

(59:29):
She had hit the frozen ground,yet somehow remained conscious.
She couldn't see her legs, butshe knew they were broken, as
she couldn't move or feel themat all.
Daphne could only move her eyesand she glanced down at her now
mangled body.
The impact had caused her ribsto snap and they were now
protruding through her chest.
However, there was absolutelyno blood pouring from her wounds

(59:51):
as it had before.
With her wrists, she tried toscream for help, but no sound
came out.
You see, Ambrose descendedslowly and landed at her feet,
making sure she could see him.

Speaker 3 (01:00:03):
No mortal could have survived that.
And yet here you are.
I am sure you are in immensepain, my love, but that will get
easier to deal with and go awayas soon as you heal.

Speaker 1 (01:00:14):
He bent down looking at her legs, which protruded in
opposite directions.

Speaker 3 (01:00:18):
Although you don't want them to heal like this.

Speaker 1 (01:00:21):
Ambrose grabbed her left leg, maintaining eye
contact with Daphne as heswiftly snapped it back into its
rightful place, pushing thebone back through the skin.
Daphne thought she would passout from the pain, but she
remained conscious.
Ambrose shook his head as hemoved on to her right leg.
Daphne tried to shake her head,no, but she was still unable to
move.

Speaker 3 (01:00:41):
I am truly sorry to have to prove it to you this way
, my love, but you are becominghysterical and you cannot fully
understand until you haveexperienced something so
profound.

Speaker 1 (01:00:50):
He snapped the right leg back into place, this time
more slowly, as if he wantedDaphne to really feel it.

Speaker 3 (01:00:57):
As I was saying, I saved you from that sad little
life you had.
I have not had a bride in over300 years, so you should be
flattered that I chose you acommoner.

Speaker 1 (01:01:08):
Ambrose's gaze moved up to Daphne's chest, smiling at
her exposed ribs.

Speaker 3 (01:01:13):
I have given you eternal life, eternal youth,
more power and strength than youcould imagine.
All I ask in return is that youperform your wifely duties.

Speaker 1 (01:01:25):
He raised his hands above Daphne's chest.
She had gained back thesensation in her neck and she
shook her head as Ambrosequickly brought his hands down,
shoving Daphne's ribs back intoher chest.
The pain and force causedDaphne to sit straight up,
gasping for air.
She looked down at the hole inher chest.
She could see her skinregrowing, rapidly, mending her

(01:01:46):
wounds.
Ambrose roughly grabbed herface and looked deep into her
eyes.

Speaker 3 (01:01:51):
Do you understand darling all the power in the
world?

Speaker 1 (01:01:55):
Daphne nodded and gently pushed his hand down.
She softened her gaze andreached up as if to caress his
face.
Ambrose smiled and nudged hischeek against her hand.
Daphne smiled in return beforegrabbing a fist full of his hair
and throwing him back to theground.
Ambrose was stunned, lying facefirst in the hard dirt, and
before he knew it he was lyingon his back, dazed.

(01:02:19):
He looked up to see Daphnestanding above him with a tree
branch.
She cocked her head with asmirk and brought the branch
straight down into Ambrose'schest.
He bellowed out in pain as hisarms swung wildly at Daphne, who
dodged every swipe, chucklingat the man unable to move an
inch on the ground.
So I guess the wooden stakereally does work.
I will admit I was hoping for abit more spectacle, but this

(01:02:41):
will work just fine.

Speaker 3 (01:02:42):
You do not know what you're dealing with.

Speaker 1 (01:02:46):
You cannot kill me.
Ambrose choked out once again,attempting to grab his assailant
, but his arms could no longermove.
Is that so?
Daphne kneeled next toAmbrose's head, making sure he
was looking at her.
She grabbed his left arm andbrought it up in front of his
face.
His hands had turned gray andthe color was slowly creeping
its way up the rest of his arm.

(01:03:07):
I may not have seen one of yoursort die, but this does not
look good to me.
Daphne carelessly droppedAmbrose's arm and fished in his
pocket for the gold watch thathad caught her eye earlier.
Ambrose made a raspy, coughingnoise that Daphne assumed was
meant to be words.
You think I can't handle myselfaround a man who gets too
forward with me.
She stood up and wrapped thechain of the pocket watch around

(01:03:30):
her wrist, gently cupping it inher hand.
She leaned over Ambrose,casting a shadow over his
withering gray face.
Doesn't matter what you are,you're all the same.
Daphne watches.
Ambrose's life drainedcompletely out of his eyes and
his skin was left a brittle graymess.
She stepped over his decayingbody and looked up at the night

(01:03:50):
sky.
All the power in the world.

Speaker 3 (01:03:56):
Yeah, that's pretty good.

Speaker 1 (01:03:57):
Okay, that story was written by our friend Kate.
We're such a fan of Kate.
We thought it was such a greatstory and perfectly thematic for
this series.

Speaker 3 (01:04:05):
Yeah, I mean, I think that checked a lot of boxes.
First off, we had a surpriseguest narrator.
That was me.
I didn't expect all thepractice I've done with my silly
Dracula voice to come in handy?
Why don't you give us somefeedback on yourself?
As the narrator?
I did a pretty good.
I didn't expect all thepractice I've done with my silly
Dracula voice to come in handy.

Speaker 1 (01:04:19):
Why don't you give us some feedback on yourself as
the narrator?

Speaker 3 (01:04:22):
I did a pretty good job, but, most importantly, you
got to finally murder me, whichis all you ever want.

Speaker 1 (01:04:28):
All I've ever wanted.

Speaker 3 (01:04:29):
So again this checked a lot of boxes.

Speaker 1 (01:04:31):
Yeah, thank you Kate for that.
No, I love it.
I think Kate did such a greatjob.
Again, I get a bit squeamish,especially about some of that
stuff, but I think she wove itinto the story in a really cool
way.
Obviously, the story is superempowering and fun and plays a
lot of vampire tropes, which youknow we'd love to see it that
was a very visceral descriptionof the slits and wrists.

(01:04:52):
No, it's making me woozy and Ireally appreciated it.

Speaker 3 (01:04:56):
it wasn't a long part of the story at all, but but,
holy cow, I saw it yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:05:01):
Kate's a very brave writer.
She doesn't shy away fromviolence or horror, especially
as they relate to the storyshe's telling, and I really
appreciate that.

Speaker 3 (01:05:11):
I think she does a great job.
Good story, Good job Kate.

Speaker 1 (01:05:13):
Good job Kate, and good job Alan for your Dracula
voice, and good job Alan foryour.

Speaker 3 (01:05:16):
Dracula voice and good job, Abby, as your Daphne
voice.

Speaker 1 (01:05:19):
Thank you very much.
Well, alan.
That's a wrap on the 2024October Halloween season All
right, see you.
Don't forget to tune in towatch Midnight Snack on YouTube
on Halloween night.

Speaker 3 (01:05:33):
Where can they find that?

Speaker 1 (01:05:41):
YouTubecom backslash the Lunatics Project with the,
and we will, course, linkeverything, not only in this
description but on social media.
So definitely follow us at thelunatics project anywhere that
you are on social media.
Okay, check out our merch headto lunatics projectcom.
Check out our very cool newengland vampire panic merch.
Thank you all so much for beinghere.
I hope everybody watches thefilm Halloween on Halloween,
because that is my favoritetradition in my whole life and I

(01:06:03):
think we had a 10 out of 10October.
We did almost everything spookythat we could do and I'm
thankful to you for that.

Speaker 3 (01:06:09):
You're welcome.

Speaker 1 (01:06:10):
Stay safe, everyone, please go vote and we'll talk to
you very soon.
Bye, thank you.