Borrasca Pt. 2 | Creep Cast
02:23:50 Share

Welcome back to... Oh, God. Welcome back to Creepcast. How y'all doing? Today is the part two of Baraska. If you have not seen part one yet and you're lost in this story, please go back to part one and see it because this story is broken up into four parts and we're just splitting it into two parts. I know that's kind of confusing whenever I say it like that, but part one and two are covered in our first episode on Baraska and this is covering part three and four. So if you have not...

If you're not caught up, this is a big, big story. You're going to be extremely lost, so I do recommend you go and hop over there. That being said, Wendy, can you give us a recap of where we left off? And I want to do a little recap of when you went off, and then I want to also hypothesize on where I think it's going to go from here. Because...

For people who don't know or who need to get caught up as well, I have never read this before. Wendigoon has. So...

It's kind of me playing the guessing game and kind of trying to piece this giant puzzle along as we read this. And Wendigo knows all the answers and he's just giggling like a schoolgirl. Yeah, yeah. Over my demise. I'm the only one who knows what's going to happen here. And it makes me so happy that you are hopelessly scared and have no idea what's going on.

What's funny is he came to me and he was like, hey, the audience is interested in hearing part two, so let's get that recorded this week. But I think what it actually is, is he just needs to know what happened.

That is, I cannot lie. That is, I don't want to wait. I do want to know. And also the general excitement of people also wanting to know what happens in part two because there's a lot of people who are like me that don't know what's going on with this story. I will say on social media, I have been resisting looking at stuff. People online who have been tweeting us and stuff like that have really been, they jumped the gun and they already read the other parts and they're just like, why? So I...

I've been resisting anything for any kind of spoiler indication. I haven't looked at anything. So I'm excited. But people are thirsty for it. Yeah, I'll go ahead and say to both you and the audience, I'm sorry that I knew where this is going from the get-go. You'll know what I mean later, but I apologize. Anyway, in part one, in Creepcast part one, in our coverage of it, we covered the first two parts of Baraska.

Basically, we have this boy named Sam. The story begins when he's very young, like nine years old. He meets a couple friends in town. Everything's going fine until one day his friends take him to a thing called the Triple Tree. That seems to imply there's some kind of mystique to the area they live in. And then sure enough, seemingly after visiting the Triple Tree, Sam's older sister, Whitney, disappears. It then cuts in part two.

to several years later still living in the same town. Sam has begun to obsess over Whitney. We start to see more details of the towns kind of falling apart. We hear about the history that there used to be an old mine up in the hills that was destroyed after people perished in it. We hear that there's these various families

who have political control over the town, we continue to see that there's more and more signs that something's amiss in the city. And where we ended at the end of part two is that Sam's friend, Kimber, who is now dating their mutual friend, Kyle, Kimber's mother jumped off the roof of a hospital. And that is where we ended at part two. So a very lovely stopping point for part three. Yeah.

Very emotional. I mean, both of the parts have ended in a very cliff... I wouldn't say... Well, cliffhanger in a way, but very dramatic, very tension-heavy endings that are pretty devastating. Pretty much two acts of loss so far. And I guess, before we get into it, and I know I don't want to delay it any longer, but I will say, I just wanted to put this at the top of my predictions or where I'm at with it so far, which, in the town...

There is the triple tree that is this mysterious place. It's very large. It's very elaborate. People go there. There's the marking on top of the door that says, Gates to Hell 1. And there's this grinding sound that comes from the mountains or from the trees or mines or wherever in this town that people kind of just accept. And they're like, well, it just is what it is. But it is creepy nonetheless, and people are scared of it. Yeah. There's too much emphasis on the local lore here.

And there's too much... I don't... I can tell you still from the top, upon reflection, the dad... I'm still not trusting the dad. The dad is moving along with things. I don't know if it's like that he doesn't care that his daughter is gone or something, but I feel like out of their family, which, you know, usually in these situations with loss, usually one parent kind of has to man the ship and keep things going because the mom is obviously...

She's mentally kind of checked out. She's very upset over Whitney's being gone. But I just don't trust the dad. I can't put a pinpoint on it, but it's just the way that he has reciprocated the information that his daughter's gone. Even the way knowing that for sure that she didn't run away with an ex-boyfriend, which was a conspiracy that was kind of perpetrated through law enforcement in the town.

it just doesn't add up to me i don't know if it's a cold lead i don't want to know if it's cold lead but to me there's something bigger this story feels like the guilt of our fathers is what it feels like to me with the press got being introduced the old man in the nursing home who kind of was very adamant that he had to do what he had to do for the town that it's his town he's very adamant um

You know, even the press god who owns the sandwich shop that no one wants to eat the sandwiches. It's very clear that no one wants to eat sandwiches. That's fine. But it's just feeling like the guilt of our fathers. And I'm wondering what these people are doing in a way that is so corruptible. I think that the minds are...

So heavily emphasized as well that I think that we are leading down a road where the minds are still active in some way or in some kind of malicious event is happening that the town itself are very aware of, that the children are naive of, that they might even be, you know, as you get older, you get accepted into this kind of guild or kind of circle that

we're finding. So that is, I'm curious to see where it goes. That's just where my mind is leading right now. And I'm very curious to see where it's going to be by the end of this. And we're going to find out today and I'm extremely excited. So without further ado, why don't we get into the beginning of Baraska part three? Let's get into it. You little devil. You're going to have a great time. Don't worry. I'm stoked. Do you want to start it off? Sure. I'll kick it off. Why not? Yeah, let's do it. So again, this is picking up right after the tragedy that befell Kimber's mother.

Do you think she blames herself? I don't know man, probably. I stretched out the reclined seat of my Chevy and pulled the bill of my hat lower over my eyes. But do you think she's okay? I didn't answer him. I certainly hadn't been okay when Whitney died and Kimber was even closer to her mom than I was to my sister. She was definitely not okay. Sam, seriously, I'm freaking out here. It's been two days. I pushed my hat up off my face and looked over at Kyle who was admittedly a wreck.

His eyes were bloodshot. His face... sall... sallow? Sha... is that shallow or something? I think it's supposed to be shallow. It feels like it'd be shallow, right? Like... Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Sallow. I'm like, what is a sallow? Okay, anyway, sorry. His eyes were bloodshot, his face shallow, and his red hair was greasy. Dude, her mom committed... unalive. Unalive. Yeah, yeah, there you go. Thank you. You know how close Kimber was to her mom. She just needs some time, but she'll be okay.

She hasn't answered any of my texts or calls. I've left her like nine voicemails, man. I think I'm going crazy. You just have to give her space. Yeah, but she's my... my... He still couldn't say it around me. I'm supposed to be looking after her.

I sat up and pulled the chair up right behind me. "Look, Kyle. I know you want to help Kimber and I want to help Kimber too, but she hasn't answered our calls, been to school, or come to the door when we've stopped by her house. She doesn't want to see us right now and we have to be okay with that. Right now, Kimber knows what's best for Kimber." What about the unalive... I hate that I have to say that, but yeah. What about the unalive note? "You think that has something to do with it?" I sighed.

We don't even know if there was a note. Kimber's dad was upset and messed up when he said that, and it's possible I misheard him anyway. I asked my dad, and he said there was no letter. Right, because your dad's such a beacon of truth. Man, even Kyle picks up on Sam's dad being a bit suspicious. Yeah, it's just we haven't had that much that his dad, you know, has been, I guess...

at fault or whatever, but if the other kids are trying to, or like see it as well, that's just extremely suspicious. I just, I don't trust him. I don't know why, but yeah. I agree. I agree. Off of the, of course, off of no information I'm given later in the story, just off of, you know, current context clues. Sure. One look at Kyle told me he'd immediately regretted his words. I shrugged. I don't know what to believe anymore. The truth was that I knew what I heard.

Mr. D'Estero had said something to the cops about a letter, but I couldn't tell Kyle that. Not right now. He was already worried that his relationship with Kimber was part of the reason her mom had been so depressed. I'd asked my dad about the letter when he'd come home after that long night, and he'd sighed, run both of his hands through his hair in a tired way, and said, Sam, I don't know what to tell you. Ann D'Estero didn't leave a note, and this is the first I've heard of it.

With our best friend in mourning and our investigation on hold, Kyle and I had been existing in a sort of suspended state. We went to school intermittently, skipping classes here and there, missing end-of-year tests, and smoking more weed than either of us could afford. Without Kimber there to set us straight and keep us in line, we were lethargic, brooding, and irresponsible. I never realized how much I relied on her.

Collin and I skipped the last two periods of the day and debated on whether we should even go to school tomorrow, which was the last day of our sophomore year. We finally decided to show up for second period, which I was glad we did because Kimber showed up in biology. I didn't even see her at first. I had my head down on my desk, resting on folded arms when I felt a meek hand pat my shoulder. I turned around to see her standing there, looking unsure and uncomfortable.

I gave her half a smile and pulled her into a hug. But it wasn't a super comforting, not at all awkward Kimber hug. It was a longer, weaker hug and I felt so protective in it that I was sad when it was over. "How are you doing, Kay?" I asked her when she finally released me. Kimber wiped a tear off her cheek. "I'm okay." And she gave me a wobbly smile and I knew it wasn't true. I wrapped her into a quick hug as Phoebe Dranger gave us a snotty look. "Have you seen Kyle yet?"

No, I have next period with him. He's been worried about you. I know, she said, sliding her eyes to the floor. Things have been really hard for me at home. It's okay, I said. We're here for whatever you need. Yeah, that's what I was hoping. Whatever you need. So we have here...

Kimber and Sam kind of having this reuniting. There's been that hint since the first couple chapters that Sam kind of has a thing for Kimber. But he's kind of like, well, that's my friend's girlfriend. I don't want to, you know, chase that trail, obviously. Yeah. On top of that, though, it seems like Kyle refuses to say that he's...

Kimber's girlfriend to him in front of Sam, which is a weird kind of thing. It feels like there's some kind of

jealousy or tension building there we're getting a lot of separation between our main characters now too yeah like these these conflicts are really like there's been a lot of pushback between sam and kyle it doesn't seem as friendly anymore i think they're saying a lot of like truths from their you know from with their chest that they would typically hold off you know um

It's just interesting. It feels like there's a division happening and the cracks are beginning to form. And I think if Kimber decides to get closer with Sam here, I do wonder what kind of pitfall that could be for Kyle later down. Like if that will send him spiraling into some kind of...

Yeah, it's a weird environment when you can't tell your friend that you're dating, right? It's just kind of uncomfy all around. Well, part of me, and this is just me wondering is,

If Kyle doesn't trust his dad either and stuff, how truthful has Kyle been to Sam this whole time? What is he not telling him or not wanting to divulge because he doesn't want Sam's dad to maybe know of things or anything like that? Which I don't know if it's necessarily the extent of, like, I don't want him to know that I'm dating Kimberly. Yeah, yeah. But I do wonder how much of stuff are you holding to your chest now?

because you might be suspicious of this person or you might not want to fully let somebody know about something. You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. That's a good point. Okay, so we can continue on. Let's skip a paragraph because the next paragraph is just describing like Kimber talking to Sam saying that they shouldn't have skipped class to get stoned. But then they reunite when it says, As soon as Kyle saw her from down the hall, he slammed his locker shut and walked towards us with such intensity that I began to wonder if maybe he was mad.

He pushed past a dozen people without so much as glancing at them and left a curious, if annoyed, crowd in his wake. When he finally reached us, Kyle threw his backpack against the wall and swooped Kimber up in the sort of way you'd see in old black and white movies. Everyone who watched all this unfold, including me, groaned in unison.

Yeah, that's nice. That's a very, that's a very like, Kyle Strexby is the kind of guy who's like, oh, I know. I'll make up for all this with a grand show of whatever, right? Yeah, a grand gesture showing how romantic this is. I really am going to be, this is so romantic. And then now it's, you know, there's no way to not feel like,

and, you know, have this kind of like compassion. You know what I mean? Yeah. It's like those grand gestures. That's what girls do. Yeah, it's true. It's true. That's all they want. That's what every rom-com has ever told us. Yeah, that's our advice. Like if there's a girl who you may be having problems with your lady or whatever, just ignore everything she says to fix it and just make a scene in public. Yeah.

Make an extremely public scene that puts as much attention on you both as possible. Yeah, they love that. Scream in her face, I love you, as many times until she reciprocates back. That's the best thing you could possibly do. Classic love story. I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you. Please, please, please, please, please. Please love me, please love me, please love me. Yeah. So yeah, anyway. So...

They go to class together, everything seems fine, but then they start to feel a little uneasy because there's a lot of unresolved tension in the air. And eventually, Kyle says, it says, well, Kyle begins, Kimber, he said quietly, did your mom leave a letter? What? Kimber asked in surprise. I heard your dad talking about a letter on the day that, on the day, on Tuesday, I said.

Liar! Liar!

These dads, what are they? I'm telling you, dude, it's a, it's a, it's a, I don't want to disrupt this, but it is the guilt of our fathers. What is happening in this town?

Lies! God damn you, lies! For those who don't know, by the way, when we record, I can't see Hunter. It's just an audio call. So in my head, he's been sitting there eating popcorn. And then as I said, he's like, no! Throwing it at the camera. Lies! I'm mostly sitting here, like, just forcing all the blood to my face. Just like reading this clenched fist article.

Just wanting to be like, you're a liar. Admit it. You know, Sins of the Father is actually a pretty good underline for this whole series. But we'll get to that. We'll get to that.

So yeah, what you said, liar, right? Dad turns around and says no. Yeah, sorry. No, you misheard me. There was no note. It's like you came right up to me and said, your mother left a note. No, you actually misheard that, though. What I actually said was there was lasagna in the fridge. Oh.

Yeah, oh, oh. You know it's pronounced lasagna. Yeah, the old classic, your mom left a note, slash, there's lasagna in the fridge mix-up. Gets them every time. It's a classic. Your mom thought she was a dove and jumped off the top of the roof and unalived herself, but there's definitely lasagna in the fridge. I definitely didn't say anything else. Yeah, that's what happened to Lincoln, you know. That's exactly what happened to Lincoln, yeah. Your father was shot in the back of the head. What? I said there's Romana cheese in the fridge. God!

What is wrong with your ears? Also, Dad's dead. But that's unrelated to what I just said. Also, Dad's dead. Also, Dad's dead. But there's Ramada. So, you know, this is really one of those, you know, upside-downside scenarios. Anyway, so I asked my dad for it when we got home, and he said I misheard him and there was no letter. He said not to mention it to anyone else or I'd just upset people.

Well, then we both misheard him, I said, which seems unlikely. I've known my dad all my life, and I know when he's lying. People started to filter in for next period, sliding sympathetic glances at Kimber. Since it was our lunch period... Go ahead. One second, sorry. I've known my dad all my life, and I know when he's lying. Is that to insinuate she's saying that he's telling the truth? No, I feel like that... Because then she'd say, my dad's not a liar or something. But when she's like, I've known him all my life...

And I know when he's lying. I think that's her way of saying like, yeah, I knew he was lying when he said it to me. Okay. Yeah. All right. Just making sure. Because initially, Kimber said yes when asked. So she's in the know that there is one. Okay. Because I was going to say, if she denied that he was lying there, it would raise suspicion for her as a character to me. I think she does. But no, okay. Yeah. Okay. Okay.

So it says filter and experience. It was our lunch period We gathered up our things and walked out to my car as we always did I sat in the backseat letting Colin Kimber take the front

Kimber took a deep breath and continued. I know my dad is lying and I know he has the letter. See, there you go. Okay, I really should have just waited once. It was the next line of dialogue. I should have waited one literal line of dialogue. Okay, I'm going to shut the fuck up for now on. I'm sorry. Well, I know that popcorn is fun to throw. So when you get the opportunity. Okay. Are you sure? Kyle asked.

Ooh! Ooh! Fascinating. Okay. Prescott, for those who don't remember from part one, is the main family runs the town. The grandfather of which is the old man they went to see in the nursing home.

So it's also, yeah. The family of the people that were Sam works at the sandwich shop. It's pretty much the, like the family of the town. Yeah. Like kind of own everything. Yeah. Uh, Prescott yet. Somehow I wasn't that surprised. He was the axis around which everything that was bad orbited. How do you know it says Prescott? Kyle asked. I heard my dad reading it once. I think he reads it a lot. Actually. He was sort of sobbing and whispering the words and throwing things in his office. My dad, he hasn't been well.

Do you think she was having an affair with Jimmy Prescott? I shook my head. No. I'm guessing you need to think bigger than that, Kyle. I like Kyle, though. I like Kyle. He's like, oh, yes, an affair. Classic.

It's the brilliant part of the story I like is it's real. This is what I imagine a 16-year-old would be thinking. Oh, fuck, your mom's fucking another guy. Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah, your dad's pretty poor, but Jimmy Prescott, he's ugly as fuck, but he's got a lot of money. It's like, no. The sandwich shop owner gets the ladies every time.

Yeah. You know, I like how you sell six rye sandwiches every year. It's my favorite thing about it. No, the... What's interesting here is I'm... And I don't want to keep hypothesizing. This is me. I want to just put it out there as that goes out. But I'm wondering if all the other men in town, specifically the fathers, are in... They're doing something with the Prescott family, some kind of ritual, something that is like...

A bond between these dads. And the moms know about it, but they're not able to infiltrate it either. And it's causing some kind of huge guilt. I would not be surprised if Sam's mom has the same fate. Is something coming up to me. That's where my mind is going. I feel like Sam's mom, something's going to happen to her too. Fascinating. Okay, so...

Let's continue. I can't say anything. I just have to be like, wow, that's cool anyway. I need to stop derailing it. I'm sorry. No, no, no, no. Derailing is perfect. That's what we're here for. If it was just us reading the story with no interruptions, then we might as well upload this as like an audio book, right? Yeah, exactly. Interruptions are good. Interruptions are good. So, anyway. So Sam says we need to think bigger than that. And then the story continues. I agree, Kimber said to her hands in her lap.

With everything we know about the Prescotts, I'm fairly sure this isn't about an affair. It's all connected somehow. Don't you think? My dad was the love of my mom's life, but she only left a letter for me. I think that somehow I'm the one she wronged, not him, you know? I think she did something to me, or maybe she did it because of me.

Kimber's voice broke over the last sentence and Kyle pulled her over kissed the top of her head and whispered words to her that I couldn't hear. "So we need to get the letter," I said after giving them a minute. "Yes, I really need to read it." Kimber's voice was still wobbly. "How do we get it?" I asked. "If it's in the office, we just need to wait until her dad's at home," Kyle said as he looked out the window. "You don't think I thought of that?" Kimber sighed. "He never leaves his office, not since we got home from the hospital. He sleeps in there."

So we need to get him out? No, we need to get me in. Tomorrow's my mom's funeral and half of Driskin will be there, including my dad of course. I need to leave him... I need to leave without him noticing and run home so I can get through the office.

Okay, that's easy, I said, without my dad noticing, and I need to be back by the end of the service. We both nodded but stayed silent because it looked like Kimber was weighing, was weighing, saying more. Oh, was weighing, like thinking about it. Yeah, I'm dumb. Okay. Yeah. That she was weighing, saying more. She got much fatter, saying more. I'm so stupid. Like weighing, that's not the word, but yeah, it is weighing. Yeah, what the hell? Yeah.

My dad, he's been very cold and I think he blames me, Kimber finally said. That's bullshit, Kyle Spat. Can you guys help me? Absolutely, of course. So I like too that this is like,

Like, sure, she's going behind her dad's back, but the reasons for it are justifiable. You know? There's a letter to her that he can't read, or that she can't read. And, like, sure, she needs to possibly manipulate her mother's funeral to get it done, but it's understandable. Yeah.

Yeah, but you would assume that if it's your mom's funeral and she made you a letter that is trying to tell you something, the last thing your mom's ever going to tell you and you haven't said it yet, that's a justifiable reason to where I feel like even your mom would be like, you need to go do that. Especially if the dad is holding this thing hostage. I mean, for God's sakes, he's sleeping in the office. It's like...

It's just crazy. I mean, the only thing that concerns me is I'm wondering if they're going to go there and be like, oh, he took it with him. You know what I mean? Like, if he's that obsessed with it, that's where my thing would be. But to not have... Which, you know, I think that this is a good plan, though, too. I think the dad is going to be devastated. I think he's going to be, you know, at this funeral probably completely void of...

just filled with emotion. I think that this is the time to implement this kind of strategy if it's going to happen, especially if you've heard the name Prescott. There's just too much on the line not to try this. Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

Um, so we'll skip a few paragraphs again. I, we highly recommend you read this story for yourself, but we're trying to stick to like the main plot points. Basically what happens in some of these paragraphs in between is they make a plan together that what they're going to do is during the funeral, uh,

Kimber is gonna go to the bathroom and then she's going to text Kyle that she's having a breakdown and then Kyle will go to comfort her. Kyle and Kimber will drive home, get the letter, while Sam stays at the funeral effectively to keep watch to make sure her dad doesn't get suspicious. So

Other than that, there's some stuff about that. He goes into work Monday and Mira seems to be in a better mood and lets him go early, probably feeling sympathetic, you know, for the kid whose friend just went through this. Um, right. And eventually it says, and to stare at his funeral was at an Episcopalian church on the other side of town.

I picked Kyle up at 9 and saw he was also wearing a suit of his dad's, though he didn't fit it nearly as well and he was constantly pulling at the sleeves and readjusting the waistline. Unfortunately for Kyle, he was much smaller than his dad. We parked as far away from the church as possible, where we hoped no one would notice a car leaving. When we went inside the church, we saw that Kimber wouldn't have to do much acting to convince people she was having a breakdown. We found her at the back of the room, tucked into a chair, in a puddle of curly orange hair and tears.

kyle sat next to her and pulled her into a hug kimber what's wrong i kicked his foot and shot him a look that said really yeah i didn't think of that your mom is just being put in the ground it's not a big what's wrong baby what's going on yeah what the hell did you see did you see that open casket you see that open casket dude your mom's bloated it's weird

Bro, why does her body look like that? She's all gross and mangled. Yo, her eyes look all buggy. It's weird, Kimber. What the hell's going on with you, though? Is it your time of the month or something, Kimber? For real? Is this how it's gonna be? You realize we have a play of the day, right? How are you gonna fake crying if you keep this up? Gosh! Get it together. Hey, baby, I know that it's, you know, I know that this is probably an act, but you need to get your game face on, okay? We need to find that letter. It's like, God, dude. Come on, Kyle.

So oblivious throughout all of his story. It's like so just fucking oblivious. I love it. He walks into a funeral that his girlfriend's mom died and he goes, what's wrong? Bro, Kyle. Jesus, Cameron, what's wrong? Kyle is one of the boys. He is the most dude bro ever. Oh, definitely.

Especially he's just like viciously pulling up his like big ass pants and his like, like oversized jacket. He looks like, he looks like that one talking head concert where they have like the giant suits on. He's like, Kimber, what the hell is your problem? Ladies, I want you to imagine that your mom dies and then at your funeral, your boyfriend walks in wearing a suit that doesn't fit him and goes, what's wrong with you? Especially I walked up. Oh my God, what happened? Yeah.

What? Did someone die around here or something? Oh my god, did someone else die? Oh, it's just your mom? Your psychopath mom? Okay, well what's wrong? Oh, her? You've had like three days to know about her. Why are you crying over it now? God, your mom jumped off the roof three days ago. Get over it. God.

I love the line, "I kicked his foot and shot him a look and said, 'Really?' And Kyle bit his lip and he's like, 'Ah, I mean, ah, fuck.' Just wait until it's, 'I mean, ah, fuck.' God. Kyle's like, "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Yeah, exactly. "Oh, God, Kyle!" That's what he's doing, he's hitting his head, "Why do you do this?" Oh, Kyle's my favorite, okay. Alright. Back to the funeral.

There's no one here, Kimber whispered against his chest. My mom grew up here. She had hundreds of friends in this town, and no one came. We looked around, and I had to admit, the turnout was sparse. A few groups of three or four people standing together, Kimber's dad, who sat in a chair opposite the room of his daughter with his head in his hands, and some family I recognized from barbecues at Kimber's house. Ex-Sheriff Clary and his wife Grace were there.

standing with a few of my dad's deputies and talking quietly in the corner. I could see why Kimber was upset.

That is suspicious. Yeah, yeah. The ex-sheriff and stuff. Well, not even that, but also just the extremely low turnout to coincidentally a woman who maybe knew too much. I see. Or other people's priorities are somewhere else in the small town. Like, it just doesn't add up. Yeah. A classic Kyle line here would be like, well, maybe your mom was a bitch. Yeah.

Maybe people just don't like her, Kimber. Could that be it? Hey, Kimber, your mom was kind of a bitch, so she's like not that crazy, so I don't know, babe. I'm gonna go get some cookies over there on the table. I'll be back. Yo, they got free drinks here? Let's go. Yo, Kimber! Yeah, he's like across the deal. Yo, Kimber, they got tea! They got iced tea and cookies! Do you want some? I know you said it makes you bloated if you have it too early, but can you have it now?

I know you're worried about stretch marks, but if you want some chips ahoy, let me know! I know you're like fat and all, but these are pretty good. I guess you can have one. He like takes out his iPhone and puts it in his pocket. He's just playing Black and Yellow by Wiz Khalifa as loud as it possibly can go. Yeah, uh-huh. He's like, you know what it is. Black and yellow, black and yellow. Getting snacks and cold cuts at the table. Everything I do, I do it big! He's listening to it.

Just a kid interviewer, like, ah, you know what it is. What would be more obnoxious?

A 16 year old listening to Wiz Khalifa, Black and Yellow, or if it was Fetty Wap's Trap Queen. As loud as you possibly can. And he has a Beats by Dre pill speaker in his back pocket. It's not even on his phone anymore. He like brought a legitimate Bluetooth speaker with him. I can hide with my baby. Your girlfriend's mom's funeral. Yo, Kimber's dad. The food here is kind of me, bro.

Yo, Kimber's dad, you shouldn't have got that shitty ass sandwich shop to cater. This shit sucks. Yo, your wife looks mad funny in that box, dude.

You didn't pay for that, did you? She looks awful. Yeah, she looks like a weird clown, dude. Tell me you did not pay for that. Okay, you didn't? Okay, cool. What happened to her face? Oh, yeah, the concrete. That's right. Well, you should have put a mask on her or something. My God. Yo, who else thinks we should bring death masks back?

Anyone? Meanwhile, just softly, I'm like, hey, what's up, hello? Yeah, I'm like, hey, what's up, hello? Coming to pretty as soon as you came in the door. You know how disrespectful it would be to go to an open casket and look inside and he's just like, I've been cooking pies with my baby. What? I'm bored. I want to listen to music. Yeah, there you go. Exactly. What? I'm bored. I'm bored. I'm bored.

Hey, baby, this is really lame. I'm going to get out of here. And you guys have like an aux cord or something.

He actually doesn't even have a button up on. He just has one of those graphic tees. Like Target or Walmart. It's like a fake, like I purposely faded it. It's like a Sega, like a Sonic shirt. It's like the shirts that Jesse Pinkman would wear in Breaking Bad. Like they've got like all the, the thrasher font that says like live and die. Yeah. Yeah. It goes down to his knees. Yo, I came here my Sunday's best.

Okay, where are we at? Yeah, yeah, so her mom's dead. Kimber's mom's dead, I think. She's dead. That's all we need to know. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Roll credits.

As we waited for the service to start, I can't detach the image of Kyle in the corner just eating all the sandwiches. Way too many open chairs. Definitely there was not a turnout they expected, and there's just this fucking guy walking around the back. What do you mean I can't play my music? Who's going to care? All the people that aren't here.

Yeah, he's listening. Now he switches over. He's like, fine, I won't play rap. He puts on Rev Theory. Hell yeah. Give me a hell. Give me a yeah. Her mom would have loved this. That shit's funny as fuck. Oh my gosh. He's just listening to like Impractical Jokers way too loud. Yeah, Impractical Jokers clips. Yo, Murr. Don't pants that little kid.

Ah, geez guys, I don't want to. Okay, yeah, so anyway, her mom's dead. As we waited for the service to start, I realized I'd never been to a funeral before. I wish that we'd had one for my sister, but I knew we never could since Whitney was still legally alive. It made me sad to think that she would never be laid to rest. Only a few other funeral goers trickled in, and the pastor began getting people seated for the service.

i noticed the casket at the pulpit for the first time and was glad it was closed still i had to wonder at the simple unadorned almost ugly coffin that had been chosen for kember's mom i knew the de steros had money quite a lot of it actually it was an interesting almost insulting choice poor kember

That's an interesting... Oh, that's sad. Yeah, that's sad. That's an interesting observance. Like, they had money. Well, man, I mean, it goes into the fact again where it's like, no one showed up. Is this woman not respected in town? Did the dad even get to choose the coffin? It's like the dad would have been embarrassed to get her something nice, almost, you know? Yeah, I mean, man, I just...

The dad is too suspicious. I can't tell if the dad is a victim of something that's larger than himself or if he's maliciously doing this as well. He's a part of it, yeah. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Anyway, Kyle and I stood Kimber up and started over to the pews, but she stopped abruptly. I'm ready, she said, and brushed the hair away from her wet face. Ready for... Is that Kyle asking that? It's probably Kyle. Ready for what? The funeral's about to start.

Yeah. Yo, Kimber, baby, where are you going? The concert's getting ready to begin. Kyle, this isn't a concert. It's a funeral. Oh, shit. That's why people are so sad. Oh.

That makes sense. Should I not have found the Bluetooth? I got the Wi-Fi password from the guy out front, and I found the Bluetooth for the speaker, so I was going to play some slow jazz or something to kind of set the mood. Yeah, I found out what the AirPlay was, and I'm going to play Kevin Gates music videos for the rest of the funeral, if that's okay. I'm going to queue up. I'm just thinking with my dick if that's cool with you all. That's the worst boyfriend ever.

But at the same time, he's the best character in this show. Yeah, yeah, he's hilarious. He's like the worst person, but he's the best guy. Yeah, I'm so glad he's here. All right, so ready for to leave. I can't be in here anymore. It's a disgrace to my mother. Kimber raised her head a notch and set her jaw. I knew this look and it meant there would be no reasoning with her. Kyle and I looked at each other. This wasn't the plan. It'd be a lot more obvious if Kimber was missing from the service, especially with the low turnout.

You guys go over and say what we rehearsed to my dad. Kyle, I will text you in 30 seconds. Go." Kyle nodded and started over and I knew we weren't arguing. Mr. D'Estero was finally standing, looking over at the front pew reserved for him and his daughter with hesitation. "Mr. D'Estero," I said as we approached, "I'm very sorry to hear about your wife. She was..." Shit, I forgot my lines. "A great woman who raised a wonderful daughter." Kyle finished.

Yeah, he spat. Do great women commit unalive, leaving their wonderful daughters alone in the world? But for one, that's a crazy thing for the dad to say. Oh yeah, my wife was a great person? Really? And it's like, man, that's heavy. It is. I think that there's a couple ways to read this. I think that there's a couple ways that people process...

you know, people grieve in different ways. And I think that you could be mad at somebody who did that. Sure, sure, absolutely. People can say it's a very selfish thing. And, you know, I think that like it's, it is tragic and you feel horrible for the person. But I do think that people are that close, do have the right to be angry and be like, you know, you left your daughter alone without a mom. Yeah. As for a dad, I mean, I think that this is very, like in a way that can be a realistic response. Granted, saying it to a 16-year-old is a bit, you know.

This is the second time in the story that Sam has been pushed into a super adult conversation that he's not equipped to be around. Yeah, first his boss at the sandwich shop was just like,

Like, basically, my pussy doesn't work. I can't get pregnant. All this kind of stuff. And then the dad comes in. He's like, no, for real. Her pussy does not work. We cannot get pregnant. And he's just like, I'm just here making bologna sandwiches. I don't know what the hell you want from me. And now this guy's just like, yeah, my dead wife. What a selfish bitch. And he's just like, okay, okay.

Thank you so much. I just wanted to play GameCube with your daughter later. I didn't really want to get into this conversation. Still, it makes it even funnier thinking that Kyle's Beats by Dre pill Bluetooth speaker is playing some kind of inappropriate music in the back. It makes the situation even more uncomfortable. As he's yelling about his wife leaving his daughter, you can just faintly hear, I got two phones. One.

I was gonna say it's Bon Jovi this time. He's thinking now that he's he's like I'm gonna throw back all these old heads here He's like yeah, he's playing bad medicine by Bon Jovi Your love is like bad medicine Bad medicine is all I need He's like come on you guys know this one Sing along now On the chorus The father continues

And says, do great women jump off buildings and make spectacles of themselves and leave their families to deal with the publicity and the grief? Ooh, I don't know if I liked that line. Did you like the first one? Well, the first one makes sense for a grieving person, right? Leaving their daughter, sure, sure. Sure, it's a thing of like...

You know, I think you can be angry, but it's just the idea of leave families to deal with publicity and grief. To me, that's selfish. He's thinking selfishly and he's not thinking about the loss. Especially the word publicity, kind of like, oh no, you've embarrassed us. That's literally what makes the whole sentence. You know, if he just said leave families to deal with grief, that's a completely different sentence than...

to deal with publicity and grief. To me, it's just something where he's almost embarrassed that it happened versus he's sad about the outcome. Which further explains the cheap coffin, the low turnout, things like that. He doesn't see that. I agree. That's heavy. He doesn't see that his wife deserves a coffin.

Well, in a way, I'm wondering, you know, did he even put out that the funeral was going to happen? Is he just embarrassed? Is he just mad that he's like, oh, I look stupid now? Like, I don't know. Man, that is a lot of heavy things that I'm sure Sam cannot unpack. Yeah. Yeah, especially for a 16-year-old who works at a sandwich shop. Yeah, so they say mayo is the sauce of the aristocrat. Yeah.

Poor kid. He's like, the guy's just like, what? All right, well, he claps his hands. I'll talk to you later, Mr. Distant. And Cal's like, what was that? He's like, I just want to give him something to thank on. Yeah, don't worry. He's totally bought. That's what Sam would say. Everything's perfect. Gets him every time. Yeah.

Mayo's the sauce. Needs to be on a t-shirt immediately with like a... What the fuck is the mayo? With either... What is it? Hellman's? Is that the popular mayonnaise brand? Or Miracle Whip. Miracle Whip's a bit different, but yeah, sure. Kyle's phone chirped. Kyle's phone chirped. Thank God. Oh, that's Kimber. Kyle said a little too fast. Oh, that's Kimber.

Whose phone goes off in his pocket, he's like, "Ah, that's Kimber having a breakdown, I'm sure." Yeah. It'd be so funny if he answered and he's like, "What's wrong?" What? He's just doing that every time. What? I'm trying to eat the sandwiches. Sam said that the mayo was an aristocrat sauce or something, so I gotta finish that up. I just bought these minutes at Walmart, babe. You're wasting them. What's going on? What?

"Oh, that's Kimber," Kyle said a little too fast before he had time to actually look at his phone. "Aw man, she isn't well. Says she's crying and feeling sick. I'm gonna go help her." "No!" Mr. D'Estero yelled so suddenly that Kyle dropped his phone on the ground and where it made a loud clatter on the stone floors. "Not you! You don't help my daughter! You don't even talk to her! He can go!" And pointed at me. "Whoa, bro, okay."

"Uh, okay," I stuttered. The plan had changed too much. I needed to somehow get the car keys from Kyle without being seen. Kyle gave me a shaky, subtle nod and then he and Mr. Destaro went to sit down. It was obvious Kimber's dad was keeping an eye on Kyle. Getting the car keys from him was going to be nearly impossible.

I backed into the shadows at the back of the room while the pastor started the service. I texted Kyle four times asking for help, but he wouldn't dare touch his phone. He just stared straight ahead, flicking worried glances at Mrs. DeStero every few seconds. After several minutes, I went to find Kimber to see what she wanted to do, but she wasn't in our meeting spot by the back door. The plan was falling apart. I pulled up my phone and sent her a text. Where are you? Kyle is next to your dad, and I can't get the keys from him.

I waited in the hallway, tapping my phone against my hand nervously. After a minute or two, my phone vibrated. "Kimber, I'm sorry I left without you guys. I had to get out of there." "I'm so sorry. I'll be back before the end of the service, I promise." Can I... I just wanna... Is this suspicious at all? Is that suspicious at all to you? I don't know, Hunter. Is it suspicious? Would you consider this suspicious?

I don't know. See, you have no lifeline here because I know where this is going. Well, that's true, I guess. It's the thing of when I read something like that,

The face value of that is, of course, she has said it's very difficult, the turnout's low or whatever. But there's puzzling things where she's like, I have to go be with my mom, all these different things before where she kind of just abruptly left the story. I don't know. I don't want to harp too much on it. I'll give you this. I'll give you this, okay? It's not bad writing.

No, I'll tell you. It's not just like the author is like, okay, Kimber needs to exit scene. So she's exiting scene now. Sure. No, I don't think anything that's been written is without intent. I think everything has intent.

It's about how you construe. That's the brilliant thing with this story so far. And with all good stories is what can you be perceived at face value? How can you skew a narrative at face value? Yeah. How do you trust people? I think that's a great thing. I don't want to harp on it too much. To me, I just wanted to raise a huge alarm. I have a giant flag that says suspicious that I'm waving. Yeah. Okay. That's all I wanted to say. All right. That's fair. That's fair. Do you want to take this next part to this conversation? Sure, I will.

So, Sam says, "Shit." And he replies back to Kimber and he says, "Be safe." I think the service is ending soon. Where are you?

After another seven minutes of no response, I tried calling, but it went to voicemail. I tried again with the same result. I was getting nervous. I was about to try a third time when two people walked into the bathroom and my phone vibrated with a text. It was Kyle. The service was over. Kyle says, Kimber has the keys. Why aren't you guys back yet? Did you find anything? I left the bathroom without washing my hands and received dirty looks from two strangers at the urinals as the door closed behind me. I found Kyle staring out the window looking for my car.

Kyle said, gesturing across the room. What the fuck is going on?

Three men were talking to Kimber's dad in a corner across the room. Chief among them was Killian Clary. Ooh. Is that Chief Clary? That's Chief Clary, yep. Okay. Who was once just a sheriff before, correct? Yes. Well, he was the sheriff. He was the sheriff of the county, remember? He's the one who gave you weird vibes in the first part. Oh, yeah. Okay, so it's just Chief among them. Yeah, Chief among them was Clary. Okay. But he's retired now. Okay, so Clary. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

who was flanked by his two former deputies. Driskeen's retired sheriff had his hand on Mr. Destaro's arm and was speaking to him in an angry, hushed tone. Kimber's dad was shaking his head and desperately objecting to something. The two deputies walked out of the front door of the church and Mr. Destaro sagged against Killian Clary, who sat him in a nearby chair. Something was happening. That's a lot to take in. Yeah, I can continue. Actually, you know what? You are the one having the emotional collapse here.

So I can continue reading this part because... Let me... I'm having too much fun. Let me read just a little more. Go ahead. All that you want. All that you want. Whatever facilitates your mental breakdown the best. Okay. Call Kimber now, Kyle said. I tried again this time. The call rang twice and was sent to voicemail. That's suspicious. I did the call and threw up my hands looking desperate at Kyle.

Again, he said and took out his own phone. I got the same result, but felt a jolt of relief when someone answered Kyle's call, but it wasn't Kimber. Phil? What part of town are you in? I need a ride. It's an emergency. I waited. Yeah, man. I'm at North Ridge Church. As fast as you can. I'm with Sam. I'll owe you. Kyle hung up and then immediately tried Kimber's phone. She's sending me the voicemail too.

We both stood at the window anxiously to see Phil's silver Mazda pole up. Kyle chewed his lip and I tapped my phone. "Come on, Saunders." We threw occasional looks back at Kimber's dad until Clary stood him up and ushered the now inconsolable man out of the church. Suddenly Kyle's phone chirped. We both looked down to see Kimber's name flash up on the screen. Kyle's knees nearly buckled in relief and he sat against the wall. "Kimber." Kimber texted. "I found it." Kyle opened the text and fearlessly typed reply.

Oh, fuck.

Kyle and I drove back to the church, the funeral was over, and the few people that attended were already gone. We drove back to Kimber's house again, but it was just as we'd left it and no one was home. Kyle had lost it by this time and was an absolute wreck. He called her so many times. I was sure he killed her battery. His calls went straight to voicemail and his texts were unanswered. After half an hour of begging from Kyle, I finally called my dad. He answered immediately. "'Sammy, what's wrong?'

It's Kimber. She's gone, Dad. We've looked everywhere, but her and her dad are missing. She left the funeral early, and Killian Clary was talking to her dad, and then Samson and Grig left, and I think they went to her house, and they got her, Dad. I think they're still working for Clary on the side and something, and I think they're trying to do something bad. She... Whoa, whoa, slow down. Come by the station, and let's talk.

Sam! Sam! How do we know? How do we know we can trust the cops?

I'm not trusting the cops. I'm trusting my dad. I said, my words sounding hopeless, even to me. I turned into the sheriff's office and Kyle was out of the car as soon as I slowed down enough to park. By the time I got inside, my dad had Kyle by the shoulders and was nodding solemnly. And I was nodding solemnly at everything Kyle was telling him. My dad saw me. He motioned for an officer to take us to his office. After a few minutes, he came in and sat down across the desk from us. All right, boys, I'm going to have officer room.

Come in a few minutes and take a statement from you both. I want you to know that at this point in time, it looks like Descaro's left town voluntarily. No, no way, Mr. Walker. Kimber would never... My dad held up his hand for silence. Let me rephrase. Jacob Descaro left town voluntarily. Kimber's a minor and has no legal rights here. If her dad said they're leaving, then they're leaving. But she's not answering her phone. We went to the house, Dad. Nothing was packed.

Maybe they're just getting away for a while. Maybe going to relatives. I can't theorize as why she wouldn't answer a phone, other than maybe she wants to be left alone for a while. Kyle was exasperated. But, look, I know it's hard for you to understand, but losing a family member takes a toll on a person. Sam, you know that. We don't know how people are going to grieve, and we don't have a right to. I think it's very likely that Kimber will be back by fall for school.

The fall, Sheriff Walker? That's two months away. You need to investigate now, Kyle. I know you're upset and no one said we're not going to investigate thoroughly.

"Like you investigated Whitney's disappearance thoroughly?" Oh, shit. I spat and I didn't regret the words. Holy shit. "Sam!" He snapped, with more force than I'd ever heard him use. "I'm tired of listening to you insinuate that I didn't do everything I could to find Whitney. I love your sister more than you can imagine. She's my daughter, Sammy, and I will never give her up." "And what about the deputies that left her funeral to go after her?" Kyle interrupted. My dad raised an eyebrow at me.

Samson and Greg? I grounded out through the clenched teeth. He sighed. Boys, Samson and Greg left the funeral because I sent them out on a call. I stood up violently, knocking over my chair in the process. Oh, come on, Dad! All right, that's enough! The sheriff slammed his hands on the desk and stood up. I told you I would tell you what I know and have. I understand your friend is important to you, and goddammit, the Dastaras are friends of mine, too!

I promise that I will use the full extent of my resources to track them down and put your minds at ease, but until then, all I can offer is the assurance that there is no sign of foul play at this time. You boys need to get off this warpath and let us handle this. Now Ramirez is waiting in the hall to take your statements and that both of you are going home. Understood?

I said nothing and glared at my dad, seething with rage. Kyle stood up and walked out of the room with no emotion whatsoever. He walked past Ramirez and I followed him out to the car. We got in and I waited for Kyle to say something. I heard a loud sniffle and looked over at him, his face slick with tears. It was the first time I'd ever seen Kyle, but not the last. It was the first time I'd seen Kyle cry, but not the last. "'He's lying,' he whispered. I just shook my head. I didn't know what to believe."

Kyle turned his face away from me. "I know he's lying. Something bad has happened, and he's lying about it." "What... what... what happened?" I heard more sniffling as Kyle tried to collect himself. "Dude, fucking talk to me! What do you think happened?" "Kimber's gone like all the others." So she's at this place where bad things happen. I punched the steering wheel. "How the fuck could this happen?" "Not Kimber. Please not Kimber!" "Was all this because of me? Had her mother killed herself because of something I'd done?"

Something we find out? Was Kimber taken because of me? If I thought for one minute that this was true, then I knew I would crack into tiny pieces. No. Not Kimber, no. Yes, Sam. Fucking think about it, Kyle yelled at me. It's the treehouse! It's all the same! Baraska, the skin men, the triplet tree, your sister, the mountain, it's all the fucking same! It's the Prescott Empire, and now Kimber has been fucking consumed by it. Where do we go?

I could feel the warm tears of my own desperation and hopelessness sliding down my cheeks. What do we do? What do we fucking do? Kyle threw his hands up in frustration. We have to go to Ambrocot, right? Let's start at the Triple Tree, Sam. Surely you figured that out.

"'We've been in the treehouse a million times, Kyle. There's nothing there. I don't know where the fuck else to go, Sam. Rap, rap, rap.' I jumped as someone tapped on the window of the car and wiped the tears off my face. I rolled down the window as Officer Grigg leaned down and looked in the car. "'You boys move along home, all right?' "'Yep,' I said and turned the key into the ignition. Officer Grigg waved us as we pulled out of the parking lot, and we didn't wave back. "'The treehouse,' Kyle said. We drove in silence, both of us desperately trying to get a hold of ourselves.'

If we were going to be of any help to Kimber, we needed to calm down, calm enough to think logically.

I parked in the space next to the trailhead and saw several bikes tied to the post. As we made our way to the West Rim Prescott Ore Trail, we passed Parker and a couple of his friends coming in. I nodded to him, but Kyle said nothing. Just stared at the trail, reaching for the only place he knew to go. It was almost dark by the time we got to Amber Cod, and there was a little light left to search for whatever Kyle hoped to find. It took a half an hour in the darkness before I finally convinced Kyle that there was nothing there to help Kimber.

And though we didn't speak of it, I knew that he and I were both painfully aware of all the sounds of the night. We were scared, terrified down to our very bones, that we would hear piercing, scraping, grinding, and metal screams of the monster at Baraska that we'd become so accustomed to over the years. We both dreaded it, prayed it wouldn't come, and we did not speak of it.

Hold on, hold on. I want you to pause. Where's your mind at right now with the story?

It's hard. I'm like, I'm rolling through it. I'm getting through all of the things that I've read and said and acted and stuff. Obviously, the first thing I want to address is Clary. Ex-Sheriff Clary. Talking to the dad. Greg and them...

going off inconspicuously while Cleary was like yelling at him at his own wife's funeral. And then they went off and then the dad to be in, in, in on the, the lie, basically. I mean, there's no way that he called them to do something that just doesn't make any sense to me. I think that like, there's nothing to indicate as well that there was an emergency to me. I just think it, I think Greg officer Greg and the other officer went in and got Kimber and,

And they took them somewhere. Same with the dad. What the dad did is, I don't know. There's not enough information to really clarify what the dad did wrong or what was going on. But all of these things don't feel orchestrated by the dad or Kimber or any of the townsfolk. It feels like...

maybe the press gods or somebody else is orchestrating everything that goes on in this town. Everything. Yeah. They are the, they are the literal puppet masters of this town. And there is something that they are trying to secure and hold. And there's some kind of power they have that I think is greater than a financial gain that they have in the town. Um, and I'm not sure. I, I don't know. I, I, I feel horrible. I think, I don't think Kimber it's the last time we're going to hear from Kimber, but I do think, um,

the dad is in dire straits. I think that the Kimber is as well. And I don't know how they're going to get to this Baraska place, but in my mind right now, it feels like Sam knows in his heart. And so does Kyle that she's in Baraska and that some kind of like greater entity is at play here.

Um, I'm curious to see what the dad says, so I'm gonna keep reading. Okay, continue. Which he says, which he says,

I ignored him and continued making my sandwich. I was dying inside, wondering if I could even trust the man I called my dad for my entire life. She was suffering, Sam. And sometimes people who suffer that deeply don't know any other way out. She knew her depression was hurting her husband and her daughter. And maybe she mistakenly thought she was doing them a favor. Mom's depressed, I said without taking my eyes from the task. He sighed. Your mother is coping, okay? This is very different, Sam. Kimber's mom has been depressed since she was in her 20s.

Oh no! Oh my gosh! I'm sorry. I just... I forgot about that part of the story. I hate this stupid story so much. It's, I'm going to do something violent. Alright, continue.

Let me read that again. Early in her marriage, Anne suffered multiple miscarriages. Infertility can be hard on some couples and not even Kimber's mother's. Not even Kimber's birth could totally ease her pain. That doesn't mean anything to you yet. It will. Dad, with all due respect, I'm tired. I'm going to bed. Kyle and I are getting up early to look for Kimber. I threw the knife in the sink with a loud clang and turned to look at my dad for the first time.

"Please tell me you're still trying to find Kimber." The sheriff stood up from the kitchen table, looking as tired and disheveled as I felt. "I promise, Sammy." And I finally believed him. The next morning when I pulled up to Kyle's house, Parker came out to meet me. "Hey, Parker," I said when I rolled down the window and cool morning air wafted in. "Kyle's not here. He left around 5." Oh, fucking Kyle. "Stole my dad's truck. He's pissed, so you better go."

Thanks, man. I said, then rolled up the window and took down the street. I drove around all morning for Kyle and calling his cell, but he didn't pick up until around noon. Sorry, man. I couldn't sleep. Kyle sounded a bit more stable than yesterday. That's cool. Where are you at? I don't know exactly. A rare spot where I'm getting service. You in the woods? Yeah, she's out here, Sam. Somewhere in these mountains, I can feel it. I know it. All right, well, I'll meet you.

Okay, just come down to West Rim Trail and I'll meet you there. I was only five minutes away, so I arrived before Kyle had time to get down to the mountain. Mr. Landy's red Dodge Ram was parked haphazardly in a no-parking zone, and I figured it would probably be towed by the time we got back. I doubted Kyle cared at this point, though.

No, nothing, man.

Alright, well, let's keep searching. We hiked miles and miles on the mountain that day, but we didn't find any sign of human life. For the next few days, if the sun was out, so were we. Kyle was growing more and more desperate, crossing onto private property to look for logging equipment and mapping out counties many miles to search for abandoned buildings. But the mountain was big and the needle buried deep in the haystack.

and as the days slipped away so did Kyle's sanity. Every time I saw my dad, he would give me a sober look and promise me that they were still looking. It seemed to me that even if he was growing concerned, the Dastaro house remained as cold and empty as the space between the stars above it. On the eleventh night of our Kimberlistic existence, I was awoken out of a troubled sleep by the piercing, whirling, screeching sound of death at Baraska.

I cried myself back into sleep to the tortured sound of Kyle's own agony next door. We had failed her. Kimber was dead. End of part three. Man. My God. I'm actually... My God. As I'm remembering parts of the story, I'm actually getting kind of depressed a little bit. Like I'm...

I'm pretty, yeah. I don't know why I suggested we cover this one. I'm sorry. I hate everyone who commented this story. I hate me for mentioning this story. Do you, I mean, I don't believe she's, I don't believe she's dead. I mean, I don't know. The part three, I mean, I'm hoping she's not dead. I'm hoping that they can do something to, I guess, find some kind of solution. But man, that's just...

There's so much... It's like the gas pedal was really hit. It's not that even that nothing has happened so far in the story, but in terms of actual things that have happened, I mean, this was a heavy chapter. Like, a lot more mystery, a lot more tragedy happening in real time. Like, Kimber leaving. It's just all... It's all stacking up on me. I don't know. Like...

I still don't trust the dad. I feel like the dad is just treating his kid like a kid. And he's just like, yep, no, nothing. Don't have anything. Their dad being mysteriously gone. You can't trust anybody in town now. I think the kids are lost. It's reaffirming the fact that as you get older, you get led into this thing. But it does feel, once again, like the guilt or sins of our fathers is the primary... It's the primary...

focus or like North Star for the story. It feels like every adult has something that they are hiding and not telling anybody and the Prescott's at the top of it controlling it all. I'm very curious to see. And you know, I mean, we're on part four. It feels crazy. We're on part four. This is the last chapter. I know that there's a chapter five you were saying that was kind of a what if situation, but we're going to end on part four here. This is the last part.

I don't know. I mean, I know you know what happens, but is there anything, any thoughts you have? The tone of you has... It has. It has, because I don't... Gosh, I forgot why this story stuck with... I mean, I remember objectively what happened, but I forgot how devastating...

this story gets and why it's stuck with me for so many years. And like, it's, it's a horror story, right? And the purpose of horror is to horrify, to like trouble you, to make you think about it. And that's why I'd still say this is like the scariest creepy pasta I've ever read. Cause I remember, I remember being like 16 years old and reading this and just like thinking about it for weeks. I mean, right now the, the horror, the exasperated fantasy like horror that is, you know,

You know, like, when I say fantasy horror, I mean it's fantastical. It's out of this realm of belief. Like, you know, like Jason Voorhees coming back all these times and killing people is objectively scary, but no one comes back from the dead. You know what I mean? Like, that's just... It's like these things like that. This is all... Everything that the story has told us so far in terms of the horror, which is...

The sounds are coming from the mountain, the Baraska, the skin men that we have not seen. They're all urban legends. They're all things that are passed down by man. And more of the horror comes from the tragedy of deception. It comes from the tragedy of loss. These are all very real and it feels very impactful. It could be, I mean, so far it's reading as a drama and the horror is the realities of being lied to, you know, I think that that, that within itself is horror enough, but it's,

Yeah. I mean, do you want to take part four and start it, this last part here? Sure, sure. That sounds good to me.

I know the energy. I need to wake back up. Even if it is Saturday, you're right. You're right. I need to, I am a podcast coach by God. I need to pull together. It's just interesting. Yeah. I think that even the viewers are going to see this. I mean, as soon as that one line about Anne's pregnancy came up, I mean, it took you, I mean, it zapped all of,

I mean, it zapped you. Yeah, I forgot about it. If there's something palpable that's going to happen, I mean, it's just... I'm hooked. I mean, I'm wired. I need to know what the fuck happens. I'm happy to see... Here, I can wake up. I'm a podcast host. I can be better. It's just a story. It's just a story. It's just a story. It's a real job. We promise. Yeah, yeah. This is an emotionally draining, important career. Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right. This matters to me. Okay. Okay.

When I pulled up to his house the next morning, I could tell Kyle had cracked. His skin had taken a yellowed color and his voice was flat and void of emotion. "It's not over yet, Kyle," I said as he dropped into the seat next to me. "Yes, it is, Sam," he all but whispered. "No, I don't believe that. Kimber's dad is missing too, you know. Maybe it was him instead of... that was... that was..." I couldn't bring myself to say it. "We're living in hell. Driskin. It's hell in our own reality."

I couldn't disagree. That town I'd grow to love seemed so foreign to me now. Whitney hadn't been an outlier like I thought. Missing people were the norm here. And that would make Jimmy Prescott the king. He's Satan himself. As soon as the words were out of my mouth, Kyle punched the car door, waking from his dead state with a rageful vigor. I'll kill Jimmy Prescott! Where is he? You know he's involved in all this, Sam. You know. Maybe partially, I said, staring out the window.

His dad created the town that bred this ship, but I'm pretty sure the Prescott's are just running drugs. You know, the powder. Yeah, and so what? He's recruiting people to be drug mules or something. Maybe, I agreed for Kyle's sake, though I didn't really believe it. The sound, the great beast machine of Baraska gave off the distinct stench of death. And though I knew that physically, that was impossible, it didn't change my mind about it. The air smelled different after the metallic wailing ended.

We drove over to 4th Street Gourmet Coffee and Bakery and went in to buy our usual provisions of Rockstars and Monsters. As I paid for the four packs of cans, I saw Mira waiting on coffee at the end of the bar. I could tell immediately that she was in a good mood, something that I hadn't seen much of since I started working for her. It was probably a good time to tell her I was calling out of work for my fifth day in a row.

Hi, Mira, I muttered when I approached. Um, I can't come in again today. I've got some, uh, some really important... Sam! Oh my gosh, how are you? Oh, okay, I stuttered. Good, she said brightly. Don't worry about coming in. I'll hold down the fort and I'm sure I can call Emmeline in if I need help. But really, Sam, what have you been up to lately that's so important? My mind blanked.

Just as I started to stutter out some bullshit about helping my dad, Kyle appeared behind me. "We're trying to find Boroska," he said with all the gravitas of a eulogy. "Ah, yes. Owen told me you'd asked him about that." "You know, that's just a story, Sam. That legend has been around since I was a kid." "Yeah, well, we're looking for our missing friend Kimber. We think maybe she's... there." I trailed off lamely. "Oh, really? I thought I heard the Desteros were staying with relatives in Maine over the summer."

"Oh, well. Anyway, good luck, boys." "Thanks." Kyle's voice was sour and I knew his patience was thin. When we got back in the car, we each popped open a can of Rockstar and started chugging. I knew better than to ask Kyle if he wanted to smoke, since I was sure he hadn't lit a bowl since before Kimber disappeared. He finished the energy drink in under a minute and crumbled the can in his hand. "I don't like your boss," he said. "Mira? Why not?" "I don't know. She's... just... off." "Well, I mean, she's been going through some things." I wasn't going to elaborate any further.

Yeah, why were you asking her husband about Boroska anyway? I don't know. I was just making small talk and I thought he might know. He seemed to know about a lot of other things. And did he know? Nah. I took a gulp of the sour drink and then choked on it when I remembered something Owen had said. Well, actually, yeah. He said a Boroska instead of just Boroska. You know, like it's a thing instead of a place. Kyle lowered his rock star. And is it? Is it what? Is it a thing?

I don't know. I've never heard of it. I've Googled everything weird about this town, but nothing ever came up. Did you spell it right? I don't know. I shrugged. Do you know how to spell it? No. I pulled out my phone. No. Could you read that with the attitude it deserves? No. Fuck Google. Kyle said. Thank you. We need to talk to Catherine Scanlon.

That's what Kimber would say. If you'll remember, Catherine was the historical society person at the library. Right. So, he was right. Catherine Scanlon may be the most knowledgeable person in town and was probably the right person to ask. I pulled out a Fourth Street coffee and prayed she was at her office already. When we parked in front of Drisking Arts and Antiques, I was disappointed to see that the store was dark.

Kyle pointed to a small, cheap, open sign hanging in the corner of the door, and I crossed my fingers that it was for Catherine's office. I was relieved to find the door unlocked, and we hurried past all the antiques and blown glass to the back of the store where we found an open door and Catherine sitting at her desk. "'Boy,' she stood up when she saw us. "'You're up quite early for summer break.' "'How did the essay do?' "'Uh, great,' I said. "'Actually, we're here for more help.' "'Personal interest,' Kyle added. Catherine raised her eyebrows. "'Color me impressed.'

I needed to get right down to it. If by some small chance Kimber was still alive, then every second counted. We're here because we want to know if Boroska is a thing or a place. Catherine raised her eyebrow. I remembered that legend as a kid. I'd actually have to tell you I didn't know if it wasn't for Wyatt. He knew so little about so much, she laughed. A sort of jack of all trades. Anyway, he told me an interesting fact once about Boroska. It's both. What do you mean? I leaned on her desk. Hmm?

Well, the term "boroska" is just old, outdated lexicon. The word was used by miners to describe an underperforming mine. "A mine?" I whispered. Kyle shook his head. "We've been looking at mines." "So all the mines in Butler County are boroskas?" I asked. "Well, generally it's only the first mine in the system to run dry that is called a boroska." "Do you know which mine ran dry first in our mining system?" Kyle asked from where he stood near the door, repeatedly clenching and unclenching his fist.

"'Not off the top of my head, no,' she laughed. "'I can look, though. I think I have those records here somewhere.' Catherine walked behind her desk and opened a drawer of loose files. "'This is an odd thing to be interested in for boys your age, but I guess I should be glad you two are so eager to learn, especially over the summer.' "'Yes, ma'am. Very eager,' said Kyle. "'Is the Boroska the first mine that ran out of ore? Was that by chance the same one those kids disappeared in?' "'The McCaskies?'

Oh, no, I don't think so. That particular mine was the Southwest mine and was very close to town. I think it was one of the last to close, actually. Ah, here we go. This packet should have that information. Catherine spent far too long moving books around on the desk to make room for the stack of paper she had. Kyle and I paced around the room nervously, trying to appear casually interested, while the energy drink started coursing through our systems.

Here we go. The first mine to close was the North Central Mine, which was, yeah, actually one of the first to open. But where is it? Kyle walked over to the desk and braced his arms on it. Where is that mine? Catherine pulled over a different stack of papers and started to fumble through it. After the longest minute of my life, she made an aha sound and pulled out a large yellow piece of paper that had been folded into a standard A4 size.

She unfolded it on the desk and leaned over to read the markings. I could see from where I was standing near the doorway that it was a map and I knew we weren't leaving this office without it. "Let's see, the mine was up further on the mountain, a little hard to get to, see?" And she pointed at a small dot on the map that was at least four miles from where we'd been looking.

"'Can we take this?' Kyle asked. "'We'll bring it back.' "'Of course. I'm sure I have copies. Listen, if you boys are going exploring—' "'I'm bringing my dad.' I lied. "'Oh, excellent. Then you guys have fun.' She yelled at us as we rushed out of the building. We didn't stop to answer her. Fun was far from our minds. "'It's—it's so far from where we've been looking,' Kyle stuttered. "'We need to go there now, and we need to get a gun.' "'A gun? Where are we going to get a gun, Kyle?' "'From your dad.'

He's not going to give us a gun, man. Fine, then let's scout the place first and then we'll come back with a gun. That didn't seem like a good idea to me either, but what choice do we have? After studying the map for several minutes, we realized the easiest way to access the mine was still through the West Rim Prescott Ore Trail. We parked at the trailhead and made the familiar hike down the marked trail and then up the beaten path, realizing that we'd have to travel past Amber Cot Fort on the way, and I knew in my heart that we were going the right way.

We were walking the same path that so many people before us had on their way to Boraska. But what did they found there? We passed the treehouse, which was as silent as the morning. We walked on in the woods, further north than we had ever been before, and soon we were flying blind, hiking in the general direction of the dot on the map and hoping we were still on course. Within an hour I began regretting that we'd come without provisions, emotional and unprepared. By noon we had been hiking for four hours and it seemed to me that we were lost.

I tempered the welling panic with thoughts of Kimber and Whitney and the answers to the mystery that had absorbed my life for so many years. Kyle, for his part, said nothing and kept his eyes straight and his mission his priority. And then, just as the sun teetered on the apex of the day, we saw an emptiness through the trees and the hard lines of man-made buildings. Kyle quickened his step and I rushed to keep up.

When we finally broke through the tree line, I choked on my own deep breath and fell back against a tree as I looked over the quiet encampment. A large wooden signpost that was almost as long as the entire clearing was still standing near the entrance of the mine. It had to be a century old, and though most of the letters had rotted over the years, from those remaining I could guess that it had once said, Drisking Underground Mine.

What was left, however, was skinned men. Skinned men. Yeah. There you go. Yeah.

Yep. Wow. That's one of my favorite details of this story. That's fucking awesome. The local legend worked its way in that the skinned men are up on the mountain, but no, it's the skinned men location. The Drisking Underground Mine. I love that. Yeah. That's always been one of my favorite aspects of the story, how the skinned men is like a red herring, but it's still not. It works its way in.

Yeah, it does. It's such a fucking awesome... It's so satisfying. Isn't it, though? I remember reading that the first time. I was like, oh, that's good. That's that good good. It is. But the thing, too, that makes it so good is just the aspect of how...

no one really goes up there right no one really knows it's kind of an off the beaten path thing so you usually stop at the tree house so it would make sense that kids would be like oh yeah you gotta watch out for the skin men around here but it's just hearsay it's just urban legend that's been passed down time after time for over a century essentially you know i mean like that's extra oh man that's that's awesome that's good skin men that's good all right well keep going how are you feeling right now you're digging it

I'm anxious. Cool. You should be. I'm anxious. I think that the librarian is, if she feels like a saint, like I love her guidance so far in this. Like, I don't have a bad feeling about her, but there's one thing about Mira being so chipper after the fact that Kimber is gone makes me suspicious of possibly...

The pregnancy thing. I don't know if there's something that correlates there. It's making me very suspicious of some kind of ritualistic thing happening in town. I don't know. I'm relieved that it isn't actually skin men. Having it... That's a really nice...

That's a really nice subversion. Not that even having the skin men couldn't be something that could work, but in terms of something that is, once again, grounded in reality, it's keeping the tone of this entire story extremely consistent. And we're still... We don't even know what the core nut of this story is to be had. I mean, we're getting to something. I mean, this is the last part, so we'll see.

I'm just going to keep reading. Stop me if you need to. I'm also going to say we probably should have put this in the beginning of the series. I understand that we're adults and everything, so we can handle intense subject matter, but for anyone listening, this is your final warning. Viewer discretion. Anyway. Oh, shit. That way. That's not a good thing. I know. I know. All right. Here we go. That way, Kyle pointed to the north end of the camp.

We stepped out from the shadows and into the vulnerability of the clearing. There were several large buildings still standing, and the boarded-up entrance to the ore mine was set back in the mountain. We're not getting in there, I whispered.

"Let's try that building," he said, and pointed towards the one nearby, which was the largest and at least two stories tall. We counted to three and then ran across the camp to the large wooden doors of the old building. They were cracked open, and when we squeezed inside, I had no doubts that death was indeed President Borowska. We were standing in what I guessed was a refinery, and in the middle of the room was a large, silver, conically shaped machine.

A conveyor belt fed into it and the room had a sour smell. Even the dirt beneath our feet seemed to have taken on a crimson tint. "This is the machine. This is where they take them," I said. "This is the place where people die." "Kimber isn't here, come on." I was only too happy to squeeze back out the door of the building and tiptoe around the side. We rounded a quarter and almost ran into a recently waxed, shiny green truck parked there.

This is Jimmy Prescott's truck, I breathed. I know whose truck it is, Kyle growled. We were now on extraordinarily high alert. Kyle dropped to the ground and began to commando crawl around the building. I followed him waiting to hear a shout or a gunshot, but none came. As we crawled around to the back of the building, Kyle turned around to me and put his finger over his lips, then pointed at a one-story brown building that was only a dozen feet away from us.

He got into a crouched position and moved as fast as he could across the gap between the two buildings. I did the same. As soon as I reached the wall next to him, Kyle whirled around and put another finger to his lips and then pointed up to a window directly above us. There were noises coming from inside, and even to me, a 16-year-old virgin, the sounds of sex were unmistakable. We could hear an animalistic grunting and the tired... Oh, man. This is rough. I forgot about...

The tired, objecting groans of an old mattress. Unable to help myself, I whispered, "WTF?" to Kyle, but he was already gone, all cautioned abandoned, running around the side of the building. I followed him through the first store we came upon and was hit in the face by an invisible wall of filth and suffering. The smell knocked me back, but Kyle kept running. I followed him in past crates of ramen noodles, MREs, bottled water, and boxes I had no time to read.

I crossed another threshold and I was suddenly surrounded by people. So many people. I skidded to a halt and realized I was standing in a sort of dorm. Rows and rows of beds on either side of me with people strapped to them, some of them wearing dirty rags and some wearing nothing at all. Many seemed to be bloated and I waited for one to call out to me but they all remained silent. Some watching me through tired, dead eyes and others turning away.

Looking around, I realized they were all women, and the bloating I saw seemed to be pregnancies. Some were confined to their beds, and others were not. Okay, pause. Yeah. Pause. Yeah. So they are going into the—just to let that breathe for a second. Yeah, yeah. They found basically what is essentially people being insimulated. Is that the right word, insimulated? Is that the— Inseminated? Yeah.

And these women, I'm guessing, are almost like army barrack style, just in beds next to each other, all pregnant in this deal. So we're basically led to believe that women are taken here to be impregnated. Yeah. Okay. That is disgusting. Yeah. Especially the responses to it, too, were...

It's almost like they have no energy, like almost like they're sedated. They're not really saying anything. They're just kind of like looking or some of them just like look away. There's really no emotional reaction to it, which makes it even more haunting. Some of them aren't even tied down. It says some of them, they're just laying there. They're just laying there. They're, they're broken. Okay. Yeah. I'm again, I'm sorry to you and the audience. Um,

I looked around the room for Kyle and saw him standing a little further in the long room looking back at me with the same confused, wild expression I was sure was on my face. I saw the realization cross his and called out to him but he was already running again. I lost him before I had taken five steps to follow. I figured it was probably best to just keep running, spread out and look for Kimber. I didn't see her in this room and I was sure she would have called out to us if she was.

Oh my God. Hold on. Hold on. Pause. Kimber's mom was held here through all their different pregnancies and stuff like that. Probably forced to have a child. And she probably did that and left the fucking letter for Kimber because she knew this was the same fate that she was going to have. Well, I will say that you are going to see the letter by the story's end. Okay. All right. Okay. I'll go ahead and keep going then. Yeah, yeah.

I looked around for another door and saw one cracked open on the left behind a row of beds. I stared straight at it as I made my way there, desperate to avoid the wretched, void eyes of the women around me. First we help Kimber, then we help the others. I will come back and help you all, I promise, as soon as I find Kimber. Without a thought, I pushed the door wide open as soon as I'd reached it and found the source of the noise we'd heard outside. It was Jimmy. Something I'd been expecting to see, but the scene before me was not.

He was hunched over the bed of an almost unrecognizable, unresponsive Christy, treating her like an animal. She watched me through the slits of her dead eyes, but she didn't- gosh this is- through the slits of her dead eyes, but she didn't call to me for help. I thought I saw a tear run down her cheek before she turned her face away from me to face the wall on the other side. Oh my gosh. Ugh.

WTF, I didn't even realize the words were audible. I had never seen this depth of human suffering. Jimmy's head snapped around to look at me in briefly registered surprise before he smiled at me in a way that turned my insides to ice. He didn't stop what he was doing and oh my gosh, ah, I feel sick. And I wanted nothing more than to run over and push him off of Christy, but to my utter shame, I couldn't force myself to come any further into the room.

"Sam! Sam!" Kyle's voice echoed through the building and immediately cured me of my paralysis. I found myself running back into the miners' dorm and away from Jimmy, Prescott, and Christy. "Kyle! Back here! Hurry, please! I found Kimber!" I followed his voice through the mesa beds and room as a cacophony of voices began to follow me. "Help us, please." There were maybe only a handful of girls yelling at me, but it sounded thunderously loud as it filtered through my guilt.

The weight of all their misery dropped down upon me and it almost pushed me into the ground. I will, I'll get help, I'll help you, I promised him as I followed Kyle's voice. Still screaming desperately from an adjacent room, I sprinted across another threshold and saw him, hunched down near a corner bed, helplessly yanking on a leather strap attached to it.

I slammed into the bed and fell to my knees, trying to work out what he was doing and how I could help him. I tried not to look at the bed because I knew I couldn't see her like that. I could, gosh, man, I couldn't bear it. If Kimber looked at me through the same accusing empty eyes as Christy and the others had, I might lay down on the ground beneath her and curl up into a ball.

Go around the other side, unbuckle the other two straps. Kyle had the high-pitched voice and wild, desperate eyes of madness. I ran around the other side and did as he'd said with shaking awkward hands. Oh, boys! Jimmy's voice rang out from somewhere in the building. I had just freed Kimber's ankle and was working on her wrist. She whimpered when she heard him and buried her face on my shoulder. Do you think you're hiding? I know where to find you. I know right where I put that girl.

"'I'll kill you, Prescott, you sick—' "'Oh, I'm not saying that, but you sick. "'I'll stomp all your bows and bleed you out.' "'Kyle had lost all reason and strategy. "'He was filled with rage instead of fear, and it scared me even more. "'I pulled Kimber's wrist from the final strap and yelled, "'Go! Now!' "'We pulled Kimber up off the bed and quickly realized "'that her legs could barely support her. "'She was heavily sedated and breathing weakly. "'We braced her on either side and moved as quickly as we could "'through the nearest doorway, away from Jimmy.'

We were in another dorm, though this one was filled with mostly empty beds. I could see sunlight shining through the door at the end of the long room, and we raced toward it as Kimber made little cries of pain. I didn't think my heart could break anymore, but I was wrong because in the next moment, it did. I almost dropped Kimber when I saw her staring eyes. Her eyes were hollow and uninvested, and when I turned toward her, she looked away immediately as if she couldn't stand the sight of me. "'Whitney,' I said weakly."

"Sam, let's go!" Kyle screamed. "I can't." I turned toward him as tears ran down my hot cheeks and Kyle saw her too. "I can't stay," Kyle said, still moving towards the door. "I have to get Kimber away from here, please!" But he knew I wasn't going anywhere now. "Good luck, bro," I said, and then we were both running in different directions. Whitney's hair was long, but it was thin, as was her face.

Everything on her looked brittle except for her stomach, which bubbled out from her like an overblown balloon. She refused to look at me and flinched at my touch as I tried desperately to unbuckle her from the bed. I hadn't even finished the first belt when I heard Jimmy walk up behind me. I didn't bother to look at him or stop trying to free my sister. I didn't know what else to do. Pause, pause, pause, pause, pause, pause, pause, pause. Imagine...

Oh my god, I'm sick to my stomach. I am too, I am too. As soon as like the details started, I was like, oh boy, we're about to get there. That's why I had that change in tone. It's so zero to a hundred. It's so bad. And imagine finding your sister after how many years? You know what I mean? She's just been here the entire time. A decade. A decade of being trapped here. Unbelievable.

And then Jimmy so far, I mean, has become a literal fucking boogeyman with how he is. Yeah. As he's like walking through here. I mean, disgusted. Just absolutely disgusted. Yeah. Go ahead. Yeah. I admire your grit, kid, Jimmy said, and then sat down on the bed behind me and continued to watch me, giving no objection to what I was doing. You probably think your friends got away, but there's no sense in false hope, is there?

There's no sense in any of this. My voice sounded frail and it cracked over the last word. You're wrong about that, Jimmy sighed. Just so you know, I've got Clary out there looking for them already. People making a lot of noise coming down off this mountain. Trust me on that. Sheriff Clary? I was desperate to keep him talking. Anything to keep him from trying to stop me. Oh yeah, you know he was supposed to retire from the business, but unlike the previous sheriff, he kept a few horses in the race. Horses? Nothing made sense.

Yep. Jimmy slapped the bed next to him. We call these buildings the stables. Oh my gosh. Oh my god. I'm going to throw up. Honestly, that made my stomach turn. That is... We can pause for a second. That is... I am a bit ill.

I apologize to everyone listening. You know what's wild? When I was 16 and reading this, I remember being freaked out by it, but I wasn't as sick about it. You know? It's such a traumatic... Yeah. Real thing. Yeah, yeah. Like...

I grew up, I mean, you, you, you grew up with this as well. I mean, you're a religious guy. I grew up in the Bible belt as well. Sexual subjects are uncomfortable. They're extremely personal. Sex in general is extremely personal. And to do something that is this essay kind of, um, content and stuff. And to think about that, it is the utmost deprave. And it is the utmost, um,

It is the single worst way to exploit someone. And it is... It's so tragically sad. It's like... There's really no other way that you can defile and humiliate someone. You know? It's horrible. I mean, like, I'm...

And how casually, I mean, it's just so demonic how he's talking about this, how casually he's talking about it. And to give it a name like that is, especially after he laughs after saying it, it's disgusting. I mean, it's beyond depravity. It's inhuman. It's, oh, man, this is brutal. I mean, I feel for the viewers right now. I mean, this is, man, I'm, yeah, I'm...

Yeah, I'm sorry to everyone for bringing you into this. Those of you that didn't ask for it. It's, you know, it's like...

I also now hate the commenters who now suggested this story, too. I want to go back in time and be like, nah, I'm okay. I'm good. I'm good. You should cover Borowska. Let's talk about Jeff the Killer again. That's better. Yeah, let's just talk about Jeff the Killer and some weird 13-year-old edgy shit. That's fine with me. Let's just keep going. There's almost a level of terrible that is...

Like, I think that's why this story didn't hit. Like, I liked it, but for how disturbing it was, but didn't bother me as much at 16 as it does now. Because like, there's a level of intensity it gets to where you kind of quit registering it, you know? And it's just like, oh, this is... When you're young, there's things that you can't process. There's things that you cannot understand the weight of something.

when you're young when you're young you cannot process you just you cannot you understand people think that they know everything and that they have these well-established thoughts and ideas and stuff but until you're older until you've experienced some stuff until you've lived a bit and you're you're able to truly have empathy for these things it is extremely hard i mean

And I just want to preface this as well because a lot of... a lot of the, you know, "videos" that I do, do circulate around some of these ideas and stuff. And it is because it is so extremely tragic. There's really no other... there's no other subject matter that is so personal and so humiliating to put yourself in that situation. There's really no more uncomfortable way than having to deal with these things.

And I just, I guess I wanted to say that. Yeah. So. Yeah. I can continue. All right. I dropped the last buckle on the floor and looked down at Whitney. I expected her to spring up and run toward the door while I went at Prescott, but all she did was rub her wrist and itch her collarbone. Then she put her arms back where they'd been, turned her head, gosh, man, turned her head away from me and shut her eyes.

I slumped down onto the bed next to her and picked up her cold hand. If she wasn't leaving here, neither was I. It was over. I sent a silent prayer up to a god I didn't know and wished my friend safety. Wow. Damn. I mean, what else do you expect from somebody who's been there a decade? You know? It would be almost irrational for her to be in the mental state to just be like, yeah, let's flee. I mean, she's broken. Completely broken.

"Do you know what this is, Sam?" I shrugged. It didn't seem to matter now. "It's all about the babies." I stared down at Whitney and her swollen belly gave no indication I was listening. But gave no indication I was listening. You wouldn't believe how much money is in the industry. I mean, my dad was a smart man. And he knew we didn't have anything of value to sell and back then the Prescotts were dirt poor, out of work miners just like everyone else in town. He first got the idea when he sold my older brother off to pay for the legal fees to fight the city.

I mean, some people will pay five figures for a newborn, you know? Even back then. And the organizations that buy them, well, they buy in bulk. But we still make a killing off them. And our overhead is very low. Oh my god. Wendigan, please tell me that the dad did not fucking sell that daughter. Don't tell me, I'm just saying, please tell me Sam's dad did not know about that. Like, keep going, please. Jimmy stood up...

Jimmy stood up and pulled the gun out of his waistband, then threw it on a bed across the aisle. You know, try to understand, Sammy. It's not just about the money. We use the stables for community services, too. Oh my god. Lots of people in town come to us, you know, ever since the 50s. I couldn't take it anymore. I didn't want to be here listening to this. I didn't want to see Whitney so broken, and I didn't want to wait for inevitable death. It was torture in its purest form.

What are you waiting for? Why don't you just kill me? This isn't a James Bond movie. I don't care about any of this shit. Jimmy laughed loudly as if it was the funnest thing he ever heard. Kill you? Kid, if I could, then I already would have, but I'm not allowed to kill you. I've been trying to decide if I want to... Okay, I'm not reading that. Ah! Ah, gosh! What the heck? I forgot. This story's almost too... Like, yeah, sure, it's disturbing...

And I understand this is disgusting to praise. I mean, they're really selling the, they're really selling Jimmy as, um, I mean a monster. I mean, there's,

And the thing too, when you're dealing with this subject matter, if I can say anything about the story is that a person like this would not be holding back. I mean, this is all still once again, very thorough through it. They're not trying to, that's the thing. When you approach a subject like this, you cannot just be like, I'm just going to hint at it and that's it. I think it's kind of either all or nothing. So in the realms of believability where the writer has been so far, it makes sense to me. Yeah, I think it does make sense. I just want to throw up is all.

Uh, she's not one of mine, but it might be worth it to see her face. Just kill me and let her go. I'll kill myself if you let her go. I stood up from the bed and Jimmy took two steps toward me and punched me so hard in the face that I fell back down on it. I moaned as I fought the tears and stars behind my eyes. I can't let her go. She's got one of our community service babies in her. Oh my gosh. Grace says she's got another week to go. Two tops.

Jimmy, look down at Whitney. Wendy, you want me to read this? I know this is all kind of pretty... Yeah, yeah, yeah. You go for it, baby girl. I'm just going to throw up and rub my knees over here. Yeah, I don't want you to have to skirt around this stuff. Go ahead. I can't let her go...

"I can't let her go, you little fuck." "She's got one of our community services baby in her." "Grace says she's got another week to go. Two tops." "Jimmy looked down at Whitney and frowned." "She's been putting out shit babies though." "And as soon as this one's out of her, she's got a date with the shiny gentleman." Oh my god. Yeah. So now we're... Oh my god. "What the fuck does that mean?" I yelled at him with a loud ring suddenly filled the room. Jimmy held up his finger and pulled out a phone out of his pocket.

i gotta take a business call two minutes and we get back to our conversation jimmy walked over to a corner of the room and desperately started to pull out to and i desperately started to pull on whitney we gotta go we gotta go wit we can't stay here she got her eyes shut and her body lacks whitney they're going to kill you my head whipped toward the door and i heard a truck skid in the dirt just outside of it jimmy ended his phone call and killian clary walked in pushing a limping bloody kyle in front of him oh no lose something prescott oh

"Where's the girl? Couldn't find her." Oh, thank God. I'm adding these things-- sorry, I'm adding these things. These are my reactions. It's fine. It's fine. These are my reactions to me writing. "Couldn't find her. Couldn't find Kimber. Thank God." "God damn it, Clary! You fucked us!" "Go back out there and find that girl!" Jimmy snatched his gun off the bed and shoved it into the back of his waistband. "Now listen here, you little shit."

Clary growled. I ain't your fucking employee and I don't have all fucking day to play and hide and seek in the woods. I'm telling you she wasn't with him, so I guess if you want to know where she is, you should get out of him. You should get it out of him. Clary threw Kyle down on the floor and spit near his feet.

I gotta do your fucking job now? Jimmy walked over and without hesitation kicked Kyle so hard in the ribs. I heard some of them snap inside his chest. I tried to stand up and was still dizzy and fighting off the darkness. Where's your girlfriend, Landy? Prescott raised his boot and then stomped down hard on Kyle's ankle. He screamed in pain. I can do this all day, kid. Clary sat down on the bed across the aisle and lit a cigarette, watching impassively.

Jimmy pulled Kyle to his feet and then punched him in the face. A few of Kyle's teeth scattered across the floor. Tell me! Jimmy punched him again in the face and Kyle went limp. You're killing him! I screamed and jumped off the bed, running blindly towards Jimmy in a red rage. Clary stood up and caught me with no effort at all, holding my arms down my sides. He laughed, cigarette still tucked in the corner of his mouth, and I struggled helplessly against his chest.

Jimmy had straddled Kyle by now and was rapidly punching him in the face and chest. Kyle was barely conscious and I prayed he'd pass out from the pain. After a full minute of this, Jimmy stood up and rubbed his bloody fist. Last chance, Landy. Fuck you, Kyle said through a wheezing, rattled breath of air. Jimmy spit on him and raised his foot up as high as he could and brought it down on Kyle's face with so much force that I heard his skull break.

I sagged in killing Clary's arms and he dropped me in a puddle of his feet. Oh my God. So Kyle just got murdered right in front of Sam. Yeah. Oh my God. Jimmy bummed a cigarette off Clary and they stood next to Whitney's bed watching me cry. Jesus, what a mess. After a few minutes, Clary flicked his cigarette out and pulled out his phone. All right, Sam, take your friend. I couldn't have heard him right. Fuck that. That little landy shit ain't leaving here. You want to clean up this mess up, Prescott?

I stood up and my knees didn't buckle beneath me. I'm not leaving without my sister, I told them. Jimmy laughed. Yes, you are, Clary said. If you want to save your friend's life, he ain't dead yet. He ain't dead yet, Sam, but he will be soon. He tossed his keys at me. The road off this mountain is backed by the refinery.

i let the keys bounce off me and fall to the floor clary swore at me i knew he was right i was a coward and i would leave my sister and all the others just to hear just so i could get away and save kyle's life i picked up the keys and then without looking at the two other men i picked up kyle by his shoulders

and his head rolled back as if no longer attached to his spine. His face was a collage of pulp and blood, and I struggled to stay calm and breathe as I dragged him out of the building. Clary and Prescott watched me, taking drags off their cigarettes and saying nothing. I knew they were probably lying to me. Kyle would be dead by the time I got down to the mountain if he wasn't already.

i opened the door to clary's old ford and placed kyle in front in the front seat wincing as his head rolled around like a ball on a string it took me almost an hour to get down the mountain even though i took the overgrown road and ridiculous speeds and did everything i could to destroy the shocks on the truck i sped into the hospital emergency zone and found a medical team waiting in the inside door it was clear they had gotten a call to expect me because they already had a crash cart with them and an ivy ready to put in kyle's wrist

I left Clary's truck where it was and spent the next two hours in the waiting room, calling my dad over and over again, crying over an Architectural Digest magazine. No one came to take a statement from me or ask any questions. Kyle's mom arrived before my dad did and started screaming as soon as she saw me. My dad walked in behind her and had a deputy restrain her. He drove me home in silence, but I couldn't take it for much longer. Is anyone going to file a police report? Does anyone...

Does anyone even fucking care what happened? Sam. He didn't turn to look at me. I'm doing my best to do damage control on the situation, but if Kyle dies or his parents sue, there's nothing I can do to keep you out of court. You think I did this? I screamed at him. We're not going to tell your mother, alright? She has enough to worry about. Dad, it's Kimber. It was fucking Prescott and Sheriff Clary. Yes, you arrived at the hospital in Killian's truck. We already talked to them both.

Are you fucking kidding me, Dad? Kyle might die!

I saw Kimber. Enough! If you want this to go away, you will keep your mouth shut about it. Make no statements to anyone, and I'll hire the best lawyer I can afford to clean up your mess. I don't know why you beat your best friend almost to death, and I frankly don't want to. You... Fuck you, I screamed.

Sorry, I'm all jumbled up.

That's the Dailies is his boss, remember? Mira, right? Mira, yeah. So they had a birth announcement. So what does that mean?

Remember how Mira can't have kids, and then she told her husband, okay, let's do it. So they took a baby from the skin man. Yeah, from the skin man. My God. I saw the Daily's birth announcement ten days later. They had just had a son that they named William. The whirling, twirling, shiny gentleman lit up the valley with its stretch and song of death that night. It was the last time I ever heard of it. I stayed in the Driskings long after the money had run out.

I stayed in Drisking long after the money had run out, and I was sleeping on the concrete behind the motel. I stayed until Kyle was released from the hospital, a mute, empty-eyed, soulless vegetable. I went to see him once, while only Parker was home, and threatened him until he let me inside the house. When I assured myself that the Kyle I knew was dead, and only his empty husk remained, I left his house and hitchhiked out of town.

and after i spent four drunken drug-fueled years in chicago i came home one day to find a letter waiting for me it didn't have a return address it was postmarked california i knew it was from her before i even picked it up she'd written so many of my assignments for me that i knew kimber's handwriting better than my own oh my god oh my god inside it was a letter the letter i read

The letter I read only once, many years ago, until I sat down and transcribed it today. And I'll, if you want, I can, uh, I can close this. Yeah, go ahead. Yeah, go ahead. This is the letter that, uh, her mom left for her. Yep. My Kimber, I know you aren't going to understand why we did the things we did. It was all born out of love, at least it started that way.

You're everything to me and you'll always be my daughter. Do you understand? And I'm leaving this world because of what I've done to you, not because of what you are. I don't want you to be upset about what you are because who you are is beautiful. My dearest, this town has done horrible things and all of us who live here are guilty. Read this letter and leave this place. I need to tell you all of this. I need to start at the beginning.

Somewhere along the way, decades ago, the major population of Driskin became unable to bear children. Most people blamed the town for letting the iron ore leak into our water table during the collapse of our mines. This is the same water table that still provides the town's water today. They were never quite able to fix it, and ore is toxic and exposure causes infertility. The town did, and still does, suffer greatly from its effects. And the Prescotts? They solved the problem that no one could solve.

It was an ugly, crass solution, but most people were happy to look away when they were able to raise families again. You see, they took girls, mostly women from other places, and they impregnated them and gave us their babies. And the town came under the care of Thomas Prescott when he started to sell some of the babies on the side for a profit to rich couples. And the sheriff, he helped him do this.

But then an ugly rumor started that they were selling to human traffickers. I'm... An ugly rumor. We wouldn't want one of those. We wouldn't want a rumor to be ugly. No, it's been fine so far, but yeah, I don't want that ugly rumor. Don't want it that we don't trust the clientele. I'm like mad now. I'm not sad anymore. I'm like upset at these fictional characters. Okay.

And the Prescotts had to offer triple the price for girls. And in town, we began to murmur. But once again, turn the other tree when the city was suddenly flooded with money because of how well the traffickers paid. People had well-paying jobs again and were proud to call Driskin home. So we said nothing and those that did were taken to the mountain. Because that is where they do it.

There's a place on the mountain where the women are taken, Kimber. Drifters, runaways, and if their parents choose it, sometimes the girls in town are even sold back. They arrange to sell the girls and they meet them at a tree halfway between our town and their baby mill. Sometimes kids play there now. I think you played there. The Prescotts and the Sheriff are the ones who impregnate the girls and the children are named after them. P. Children for the Prescotts and K. Children for the Sheriff.

Oh my God. I'll let you go ahead and do the math. Yeah. Colin. Oh my God. Yeah. And then when the women become too sick or too old to deliver profitable babies, they are sent through a giant machine that was used to refine or, and their bodies are crushed and the blood and skin stripped away. And what remains of them are their stolen children and the dust of their bones. And all that's left of their bodies is the powder that they spread over the mountain to hide our crimes.

If you'll remember, of course, that's the powder, the powder, the powder that built the town, as he said. I'm telling you this, Kimber, because you are one of those children. Most of your friends are one of those children.

Please get out of Drisking before your father finds this letter. Run away and never come back and never speak of it to anyone. Their industry has deep roots now and the traffickers have lofty connections. Don't tell anyone. Don't keep this letter. Don't look back. I love you. I'm sorry I have to leave you. We all have to answer for our sins and I'm ready to burn in hell for mine. Love always and forever, Mom. Oh, God.

What a fun episode of Creepcast, right? Holy shit. And of course, the shiny gentleman, the meat grinder that they threw people in, that was the metal noise that they heard growing up. Yeah, that's the loud grinding thing of people, of women dying in the mountain, in the mines. Yeah. Oh my god. Wow. I need to go hug my wife. It's this idea...

First off, I just, well, here's the thing. I guess I just want to talk about the story as a whole. Go ahead. The story does such a great job about setting up this town, this idea, so many subversions, so many amazing things that you want to believe and lead, even through like your own creepypastas, right? It's a very well done story, yeah. You hear these things, in the context of a creepypasta, you hear skin men, and you, I mean, you legitimately like, okay, well, there's going to be a creature or something.

The hellish reality of this all being something that could literally take place is so horrifying. It's so hard to believe. I think that they handled the subject matter very well. I think that a lot of people...

that are not as experienced of writers would have written this in a way that is more vulgar and depraved. And I think it could have, like, I, it is hard. Like there's, I'm not trying to sell this fact. The first part that for me is so hard is the final stuff with Prescott. Sure. Like that's like unbearable. The, the thing is. Yeah. Oh gosh.

It's such a cold, bleak reality of him and the sheer fact of the matter that when we read this, there is simply nothing that can be done. I mean, we're coming through the lens of a 16-year-old kid who, at the end of the day, is helpless, hopeless, right? With this thing, too, I guess there's a couple things. So there's the dad. The dad obviously knows.

Or does he not? So to me, the dad's the most evil character in the whole story. Like, sure, Prescott's evil. Like, he's the devil. But you can... I mean, I give him... I say at least. You can imagine some level of detachment he's made between them and the people he's killing. Prescott... I mean, the dad. Sam's dad gave his daughter...

He sold her. He sold her. 100%. To become sheriff? That guy's the devil. I want to see his face get caved in. I hate that guy. Also, I'm looking at the replies right now for part four on Reddit. Someone named Mrs. Spriggs made an interesting connection. Do you remember how they said the P names were for Prescott and the K names were for Killian?

Like the names of the kids come after who their fathers are. At the end, it says that his boss had a son named William. William for Walker, Sam's last name. So now his father, which is a good analysis, but if that's to be believed, now his dad's up there fathering kids too. I mean, why would you not believe that? I mean, yeah, yeah. Like if you're going to be the devil and give your daughter, I guess it's just the next step. I hate this story. It makes me so mad.

you have to keep you have to keep in consideration too is that for a subject on r slash no sleep this is something that will keep you up this is something that will stay with you this is something that makes you think about the intentions of strangers you know or even the strangers of people that you that you don't know i mean like it is so vilely evil so realistic and so disgusting

It's one of the really, like truly one of the best stories that I've read.

in terms of impactful emotional depth and stuff. I mean, it makes sense too. Why you, why this author goes on to write like haunting of Hill house, you know, has such a beautiful setup, such a beautiful setup, but especially, you know what they did to, sorry to keep rambling, but to have this, to have this story start with children, because you are starting in an optimistic, fantastical place. Kids are going to believe urban legends. They're going to be, it's going to be larger than life.

and everything. And to have something happen when you're a child of your sister disappearing, Whitney disappearing when you're a kid, you assume that it is something fantastical that took her and that relays into part three or into part two with that time jump.

So the narrative starts off almost as if when you're reading this, you are a child when you first read this and you are growing with the characters as well. And you're still under that optimistic young hope that this is something that is otherworldly, that can't be, you know, that can't be explained, but it is so grounded in vile human fucking depravity that snaps you back into reality very, very quick. It is so...

disgustingly good at doing that. Ugh. I think one of the parts that bothers me about it so much is because, like, you know, we've read our fair share of, like, supernatural stories and stuff like that, but sometimes, like, the brevity of news makes it not set with us, but when we hear phrases like

human trafficking or like, you know, kidnaps or like women abducted, we kind of let it like roll off our backs because we don't think about it. But hearing the intensity of those moments described, it hurts so bad because unlike, unlike Jeff, the killer Russian sleep experiment or whatever, it's like, this is a, this is something that's happened. Not like, sure. Not to the scale of every single person in a town's in on it, but there's, there's rings where this kind of evil happens, right?

And they get away with it. It is exaggerating a very real thing. Yeah. It's exaggerating. Like the exaggeration is just like, what if a whole town was in on it? It's like the size of it. Yeah. What if instead of like hundreds of gang members, so to speak, who are part of it, what if it was one town that's in on it? What if it was consolidated almost? And it makes it, gosh, man. There's a lot of speculation and argument with this, even in film.

you know, should this be the subject matter of a film? Usually when people see these things and they're like, I don't want to see this, this is disgusting. And I think it is all about what the, what the artist's intention is of writing these stories and stuff. But I think that these kinds of stories are, I'm not going to say important as like they need to be made or anything. I'm not going to go as far to say that, you know, but I think that to ignore base level human atrocities, uh,

because they're hard to swallow is wrong. I think that, like, this story preps up these things so real, and I think it brings to light something so tragically human and so tragically real that that's what makes it so impactful and so horrifying. And it's the idea, too, that you can do nothing to stop it is truly impactful. Truly, truly impactful. And, man, I mean...

At the end, too, with Sam's time jump. So he's basically homeless now, living in Chicago, you know? Where does he end up? He ends up by saying... It says he goes to Chicago for a while, then eventually to California. He just becomes a drifter. Yeah. When I assured myself that Kyle I knew was dead. So basically he left after he knew that Kyle was basically gone. He's a vegetable. There's no remnant of his friend. He's alone in this town. He realizes that his dad's a fucking monster.

So he's saying that Kimber sent him the letter.

Is that what that's supposed to say? Yeah. Kimber, Kimber found him and sent him the letter to kind of give him closure because remember Kimber gets away because of what Kyle did. Kyle died. I mean, he became like a vegetable, but Kyle died to get Kimber off the mountain, which you'd have to assume that Kim. Well, yeah, but we're not sure where she ended up, but she did leave and she is, she lived, she lived. Yeah. I think that even her return address is she doesn't want anybody to find her. She probably has her own new life started and,

I think that she probably doesn't even want to see him just due to the fact too, that it would remind her of that time. You know, really what's funny too, is that all that we made fun of him and he dies. He really is. He is the most oblivious, most like,

almost like most dope, kind of like stoner-esque character of them all. And he does the most selfless thing and pays the ultimate price for every other character to survive. Kyle truly is the hero of the story. Sam is as well. I mean, Sam, credit needs to be where credit is given to Sam. Though, you know, you do want him to fight for his sister at the end, but it is a hopeless thing. I think that he realizes that he would, that if this person is... He's a child in front of, yeah, let me...

Well, not only that, but if his sister is already gone, I think that he needs to like he's putting priority in this thing and hoping that justice will come, which is naive. But for a 16-year-old kid, I mean, what else can you expect?

I think that I just I guess I want to reiterate that I think that story did a very good job not harking on the difficult subject matter. I think they played into it in a way where they didn't shy away from it. They weren't shying away. They were very much telling you this is the reality of the matter. I mean, like the story unveils the subject matter as much as the kids who stumble upon it. That's the best way I can describe it. How the characters react to it is how you react to it in the real time. It doesn't glorify it. We're not

you know, reveling in the idea of what it is. It is the simple and blunt truth that is revealed to these characters. And it is just fantastical enough to be

I mean, it's just fantastic. I mean, like the idea of rows and rows of like an army barracks style thing and no one knows and no one cares is so sad. It's so unbelievably sad and painful. And it's so like, you're like, how does this happen? You know what I mean? But it's still based in a level of reality that is

It's so scary to think that this happens. It does happen. Maybe like you said, maybe not to the scale, but it does happen. And it is, it's, it's horrifying. I mean, honestly, man, unbelievable story, unbelievably impactful story. No wonder it stays with people. Nobody wants, no, no wonder people want you to read this and kind of come across this ending and this realization, because it truly is something that is monumental. It is like a,

God, God, it's like crashing into a wall. It's like you're soaring through and you're having fun theorizing on all these things that you know creepypastas to be about monsters or weird interdimensional travel bullshit, whatever. And then you just literally crash into a wall at 100 miles an hour. It is devastating. I guess I can talk about it now because I've spent the whole time being like, I don't know where it goes, you know. But while we were reading it through...

There were so many like things I'd forgotten about lead up, like the mention of his boss at the sandwich shop being like, okay, I want to do it. I called them, let's have a kid. And I, at the time I told you it's adoption because you know, I didn't want to give it away, but I knew where it was going, but I'd forgotten that element was earlier in the story. Or there's the part where, uh,

They're over at Kimber's place where she's babysitting, and the kids are playing in the yard, and they're like, uh-oh, the Skindeman got you. Now you have to go meet the shiny gentleman. Oh, God. It's like there was...

there was so much trickle down or the mention that Mina was happier after she after he saw her after she had made the phone call because she was getting a kid now the fact that Mina was so depressed crying in her office was because she didn't want to utilize the trafficking ring the city had uh but she eventually goes along with it it's gosh dude it's it's but like you said I think it's an incredibly well-written story it's incredibly heavy but

As far as what I initially said getting into this at part one, that this is my favorite, this has always been to me the best creepypasta. I think I still stand by that, at least as far as I can remember right now. I'm definitely not going to say I'm an expert and that I know all. I have like a Rolodex of creepypasta in front of me. But in terms of impactful storytelling and impactful creepypastas, I really don't know how...

this is going to be topped in terms of like an absolute train wreck and i don't think that it uses this is another thing too because i'm curious if people have criticisms of this for being shock value of like oh they're just doing this because that's disgusting blah blah blah when really i i don't know if i agree with a sentiment like that i think that this is something that like

It's just such a real heavy subject matter, and it's such... Honestly, in a way, and I don't want to... I'm not saying I'm glorifying it or anything, but it is a creative way of using...

What is a pre-known, like, what is a creepypasta, you know? What is the fantastical element of what a creepypasta is? It's taking that and then being like, fuck you. We're not going to a fantastical place. We're going to a very real place. This is real world, yeah. This is real world, and this is something that you're going to have to, like, face. And, you know, when you read it and the characters realize it, too, that's when you're realizing it. And I think one thing that's brilliant about this, too, that I think,

is like kind of hitting me in waves is the use of using what you assume people's losses, the loss of people in the town and how people are reacting to it and the sympathy you give these things.

at face value when really there is something so much more depraved underneath the surface of that that it feels like by the end of this you simply cannot trust anybody. I don't know how Sam or Kimber would ever trust a single soul again. I honestly don't. I don't think that they would ever have a

stable relationship again. I don't think that they would ever have even like a remote, like a, like even friendships. I don't know how you would ever have that again with how traumatic and disgusting this is. And I, the only thing that I would want from, cause I'm hesitant to read part five because I don't know if I want to have that. What if situation? The only thing that I would want is just a very cartoonish,

childish reaction of Sam goes back with a flamethrower and burns every person to the ground. I need bad things to happen to Sam's dad. That's what we think we need. And I do wonder if it did happen, it would feel good in the moment. But I think that the reason this is so impactful and that it stays with you is that because you have to embrace that grief yourself as a reader.

Well, I've had eight years to embrace that grief, so I'll read it. Yeah. I mean, I kind of... I mean, like, you know, and this is what we'll do, too. I'll say this. I mean, I don't know if you agree, but...

If people say that they want us to read part five, we can read part five and do that. At the same time, I can tell you right now as a new reader, I don't want to read it. I want to sit with this for a bit. It needs to simmer for a bit. I agree. Granted, though, you know, Wendy, you've sat here for eight years. So I'm curious to, if anything, I would be curious to have you read it and just text me and be like,

With no spoiler kind of thing, just be like, is it worth it or not? And just kind of be like, I think it's worth it or, eh, you know, whatever. And then in time, I can make my own kind of decision on it. But as of right now, I need time to process what the fuck I just got exposed to. Yeah. Yeah.

I think I will. I think I'll read part five and then report back if I think it's worth a, what is the, what is the time delineation between part four is published and part five. That's what I was going to mention. So all, all four parts that we've covered now were published in 2015 within like, like at the same time. Right. So they all got published 2015 that year. Boroska won no sleeps, best series and scariest story award. Um,

So it won a bunch of awards, was highly thanked. So the next year in 2016, Rebecca released part five. So it's only one year separated. Okay. I should also mention, oh, this is also, this isn't just for me and you, but this is especially for audience listening.

So there was a very high production audio version of the story that came out in 2020. As a matter of fact, Cole Sprouse... So it's like a radio show. It's almost like a stage acted thing, audio. Cole Sprouse plays Sam and a bunch of other actors and actresses who you know from television appears different roles. It adds a lot more. It's longer than the normal four parts. It's kind of like her remastered version of the story. It even has...

I was a big fan of House growing up. So if you remember the girl that played Cuddy, the hospital chief, Lisa Edelson, she's in it. So there's a ton of new characters added and stuff. And a bunch of people who are very familiar with Baraska say that the podcast webisode is the way to go for first-time listeners.

So they did a whole audio show in 2020 that got a lot of acclaim. And as we mentioned earlier, Rebecca got, or Rebecca Klingle's her name, got so much praise over this story that Mike Flanagan invited her on to work on The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, and The Fall of the House of Usher.

So, and I see why, like we talked about, this is a very, a great, a great, a great professional relationship blossomed out of that. And all of those shows rule. I mean, anything Mike Flanagan does, I just adore. I mean, like,

He's fucking amazing. And to have this is just awesome. I mean, the thing too, you know, Rebecca, all of the praise goes to how amazing this is. And I really look forward to anything that she does moving forward as well. I'm hoping that there's some, you know,

Like, not that I don't appreciate the collaborative stuff, but I am curious to see what she does on her own again after the fact. I'll say this. I'm kind of depressed right now remembering all the details, but through that depression, I can say, Rebecca, incredible story.

Absolutely blew it up. There's a reason I've remembered this for the last eight years. It's one of the scariest stories I've ever read. It earns the praise. I'm hurt over it, but it so well does. So like you read so many creepypasta that can barely keep their English together, much less deliver like, you know, foreshadowing tension, conclusion, stuff like that. And it's, it's like reading like a true author at work all the way back then. So well-earned success off of it. You did a great job. Yeah.

It just makes me sad, but I know that was your point. For the thing here is, you know, art is meant to challenge. It's meant to make you question things. It's meant to provoke emotion. And I think art that is centered in horror. I mean, the definition of horror is an intense feeling of fear, shock, or disgust. And I think...

that this story is the true definition of what horror is. I think it's horror that is unfiltered. It is completely true. And the reason that it's so horrific is that you... I mean, like, it just instills that fear in your own life. And I think that... Truly, truly impactful. I mean, honestly, what a great recommend. I mean, like... Yeah. Yeah.

It's the feeling of whenever we got done with this, the feeling was I want to throw up. I want to almost like imagine my life without this story. But then again, I do think that this is something that's going to stick with me. And I think that this is this is just amazing storytelling. It's so, so tragic. I mean, once again, hats off, hats off. Yeah.

And you know what, Wendigo, we made it through. We made it through. I think that what's funny is that you came into this, your big balls were swinging, and you were like, you know what, I've already read this. But I think that like a partway through part four, you're like, oh, fuck, wait, I forgot too. You kind of had a realization moment as well. Is that what you want to hear? You win, I lost.

I'm broken, everything hurts, and I'm dying. Is that what you wanted? All I'm saying is we made it through together, and I think we made it through with our viewers as well. And like I said, hopefully we will put a viewer discretion thing at the beginning of this episode as well. And we'll leave that discretion in before that moment as well. So people should be warranted. So if you did follow along with us and you're mad at us, just know we put the signs up. We put it there.

The sign was there, just like the skinned man sign was in front of the thing that viewer discretion was there. So you should have known better. Our signs were a lot more literal and a lot more nothing hiding. We were like, run away.

The last thing I want to mention about Rebecca Klingle is she published these stories under the name C.K. Walker. So if you find the author C.K. Walker online, you can find a lot of her other works. She does a series that I believe are about real life disappearances, like missing 411 type stuff.

which my audience is probably very into. And also, if you're interested in listening to the audio, which we can leave a link to that in the description, if you're interested in listening to the podcast version of Baroska, it was published under a company called Q-Code here on YouTube, so you can just head over and check that out for yourself.

Is that the one with Cole Sprouse and stuff? That's the one with Cole Sprouse and everyone. Okay. I've heard ever since that we talked about this one, that was like one of the big comments is that people said that it's a very, very good reenactment. It's like the definitive way to take it in. Yeah. I mean, I hear it's very well performed. I imagine it's probably a lot more emotionally impactful than us tripping over our words and stuff and me.

stopping the story every three minutes. So please be sure to go give that a check out as well. But man, what an impactful. I mean, you know, I'm curious. I'm now nervous because people usually suggest all kinds of stories. Now, I'm very nervous to take people's suggestions. This is this is your fault. In a way, it is, you know, it is.

This was by far the most requested one. I'm curious to see what people are going to gravitate towards next. Why are you people like this? People are depraved. They're monsters. They're little goblins is what they are. They're little goblins that want to hurt us. And that's the beautiful thing, I think, about the storytelling and horror in general that I think is maybe a good way to end on is that

Horror can be fun. Horror can be very real. I think the way that people can navigate this space is so interesting and so amazing. And I love this community. I love the fact that people can make horror that is scary, but it's fun. It's fun to be scared. And then you can have a story like this that...

Makes you question your own sanity and makes you question humanity as a large I think that it's like it's such a large spectrum and people should be so stoked to be a part of To be a part of this community and to be fans of this community. It's it's awesome. Really really cool. So I would say - I don't know if I don't know if fun was if there's a cheeky little grin behind that behind that screen of yours, but I think it is it is fun

Well, that was Boroska. Boroska. You got what you asked for, everyone.

A nice little round of applause. We made it through. We made it through to the other side. It's a great story, and I hate you so much. That's how I feel about it. That's how I feel as well. And until next time, I don't know what we're going to cover next. It'll be a surprise. I know we've been trying to kind of tell people what we're covering next at the end of these episodes, but I think it's going to be a little surprise for next time. I think we're still trying to figure out what we want to sink our teeth into. But until next time, this has been Creepcast, and we will catch you on the next one.

Thank you all so much for watching. It means the world. Bye for now. See you in the next one.