CreepCast - Azalea's Cookhouse Is A Family Restaurant

Episode Date: March 2, 2025

A lowly busboy works at a fancy restaurant where everyone is family. But, the family isn't allowed to dine there. Soon, we learn why. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

...you know. ...toe... Welcome back to Kripkast. Today we are reading the story. Is it Azaleez? Azaleas, I would say Azaleas. Cook House is a family restaurant, but please don't bring

your family. A.k.a. This is a C.C.'s pizza. This is a Buffalo Wild Wings. This is a 54th Street grill. And I'm very excited. Hold on. No, but C.C.'s pizza, you don't bring your family? No, no. I thought the whole point of that was why. It's like a little pizza buffet. And I was a kid. There's a CCs in your house and I loved it.

It's a family. It's a family restaurant. Please don't bring it. There's a little arcade corner in the back. no no it's a family it's a family restaurant please don't bring your family there why what's your problem with cc because i it's a it's a it's an evil evil place it's it's a it's a tempting evil place and i just don't care for it did something happen to you into cc's i don't want to go into my cc's debacle not going to so i thought maybe another time but this is written by april a proil proil it's api royal it's like his initial AP Royal. A. P. Royal. Or you just say Approyal. A proil. Sure. A proil. So

a proil has his own website. He seems to be a very prolific author on boards like No Sleep and stuff like that is a bunch of stories. And app royal has also been picked up recently by Vellix books, which Vellix has been pretty cool. Yeah, we've, we've worked. We've read many Vellix published books and we've, uh, you know, it's people that we've worked with, uh, to be able to read some of these stories. So really happy that he's with a cool publishing company like that. Yeah, it seemed like a cool company. They seem like very in the know about like, you know, cross promotion between like YouTubers and like authors making stories and stuff. So they're chill. So it's cool that, uh, AP Royal has got with Felix books. And it looks like he has a book called

the kaleidoscope coming out with them late this year, early next year. year. But you can subscribe to his newsletter and get updates on that. You can also get like short stories delivered straight to your inbox as a bunch of stories across No Sleep. The story itself seems pretty highly rated. So I'm excited. And also the title is just enticing in itself. Yeah. Evil. Evil family restaurant. You know, is this going to turn into something more like if, you know, the Glenmont retro thing where Metro where it starts off with, or I mean, Dionys House, whatever, where someone just walks into a restaurant against their head blown off or is it going to turn into like you know five nights at freddie kind of meme you know it kind of it has like a weird uh it could

go either way and i'm i'm excited to see but your brain just take all the stories we read and it like lays the title the titles out randomly and you just like grab one at moments and stuff is not the one where it begins with the dude getting shot yeah it is it is but you started with the glenmont metro well because yeah i i thought it was that one at first but no i i quickly caught myself because that's the kind of bear trap my mind is. It's how fucking iron clad it is, right? It's a bear trap with an eight second delay timer.

No, no, no. It's an instantaneous. It's actually wild. And then the bear's like 20 feet down the trail. And then it's like, did you hear that? Because it like shut up on a quarter of a millisecond before your heel even touches the metal activation lever on the bear trap. It fucking grabs you. That's how, that's the

steel bear trap that my mind is. That caught the Dionea house. incorrectly because it originally caught the Glenmont Metro. Well, actually, see, it saw the heel coming and it said, oh, hey, I remember Glenn Mont Metro, oh, just kidding!

And it switched it up. Because I think that it was, it was like it was bringing something in like a prey, you know, like a predator to a prey. And then it sees the kill right there. It doesn't matter, dude. I don't have to fucking justify my brain to you. All right.

All I know is that, as always, be sure to support the author. and as well check us out on audio platforms Apple podcast Spotify go there right now give us a five star rating

fucking listen to our show there dude it helps all right maybe AP Royal maybe listen this on Spotify dude if you're watching this right now consider hopping in your hopping your happy ass over to Spotify and listen to it there

you're talking to the author right now yeah and that's the it's kind of and let's see that that's well forward See, that's the, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's the bear trap coming out. You got to watch out. Oh, but I, you're already, you're already mad at him. Wait, well, I'm not, I'm just saying.

They know, it's a suggestion. It's a polite suggestion. So now you're, now you're claiming that you're so quick-witted that you're near, um, psychic with your, you're knowing. Well, I didn't want to have to go out and are exposed my, but that psychic ability can also be wrong at points. Well, see, it's never wrong. So, so in other words, you're just, you're just guessing.

Redeemed. No, no, that, that British pull was, the more I think about that, the more the British thing doesn't make sense because the whole point was like, oh, this one person's British. But because you made everyone British, it ruined that part of the story. Well, I found redemption with them. I see, that's the fucking premonition, dude. I told you. Even I didn't. See, that's the thing about the bear trap, dude.

So, okay. So you see stuff. Let me finish. The bear trap, sometimes I can't even see through the fucking fog of my own power. Because I was like, I was like, is this going to do something about this that makes it British? And then sure enough, we're on the fucking Queen Elizabeth liner there, dude. So, so hold on. So you don't, you can't see specifically how it applies.

You can just see details. Well, not all the time. Sometimes the power is so, just so hidden in the fogs of my, of my mind of these bear traps that I myself. So what? Step into the bear trap as well. You step into the bear traps. You can tell what you're thinking. You can tell what you're going to do.

Yeah. With this power, Isaiah, you don't understand the complexities of how this kind of. Okay. So here's my point. If you can, if you can just pull random stuff

and you don't necessarily know how to play, it's like you pulled British last time because you're super bear trap. For this, for today's story, are you getting anything? Do you feel anything? Let me think. I think that it's probably going to be,

I would say, an American, but I'm going to say that we're probably going to spend the majority of our time talking about like a restaurant, probably some kind of, you know, family. These are inferences. The ones are these are inferences. These are all things you're pulling from the title. No, no. See, this is the premonition.

I think that even that we're going to sit there and then we're going to have a point where I'm just going to randomly think if there's going to be somebody who's like, sorry, ma'am, that's not a problem. And for how many? And then they're like, oh, four, please. are you scrolling down no no no unless in a minute

it was confirmed she was scheduled for tomorrow at 7 p.m. These are just things that are kind of coming in my mind her voice have reduced me to a teenager again just kind of pulling

visions of her watering her flowers and walking her dog I could pay up my mind for the rest of the evening okay that was powerful that was actually powerful how that came to be let's just dive in

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It means the most. We are now back to the episode. as a leas cookass how can i help he is that how you think that the i don't this is our narrator talking so whatever voice you come up with is going to be the narrator for the rest of the story well is it a girl or a guy uh i don't know it's it's a waiter normally they don't specify in these stories whatever you want the waiter's a man and a waitress is a woman right typically okay just want to make sure because i had to go through and, you know, give another Captain Price, kind of like,

Azale's Cook House, how can I help you? And then it's like, I'm a 16 year old girl from Minnesota. And I'm like, I think if that happens, and see the bear traps not catching that. So I don't know. Yeah. Azaleas Cook House is a family restaurant, but please don't bring your family. Part one, Hunter, bring us in. Azaleas Cook House, how can I help you?

I despise the inflection in my voice. The fakeness erged me to my core, but it was all part of the job. job, so I took my customer service seriously. I've been a waiter for longer than I'm comfortable to admit, and although the job isn't rocket science by any stretch, I believe there are skills one needs to develop to be successful, a wide smile, a cheery demeanor, an unhealthy tolerance for bullshit. If you make sure everyone's waters are filled and remember to ask about dessert before bringing back the bill, you will do well in this profession. The tricks of the trade

were simple, but you'd be surprised how many college kids wandered into the industry with zero regard for service. It was an epidemic, as far as I was concerned. Pretty faces were always welcome, but seldom did they stay. It wasn't like this was my dream job either. I used to have real ambitions, too. Played in a rock band. I had a marriage. Those things, well, I wish they were as simple. But everything went up in flames, when it all started to slip away, the restaurant industry was always there. And to them, I was valuable. Plays like Azaleas was a great gig. They demanded a pristine level of service or your ass was on the curb. But for what you got paid compared to other places,

I felt the trade-off was worth it. Hello, I'd like to make a reservation for Friday evening. I recognized the silky voice right away. It was a twist of warm friendship mixed with passionate lover. Oh, fuck. Let me reread it. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Let me reread it.

No, no, no, no, no. I think that needs to be the voice. Well, but I recognize the silky voice right away. Should it be like, hello, I'd like to make a reservation for Friday evening. yes there you go okay it was elegant and upbeat it was paulina I didn't take my neighbor

for the type to dine at this kind of establishment and while it was only her voice she could have been a hundred miles away it was enough to send me down into an anxious tailspin isn't he married no no he had a marriage he had marriage okay and a rock band like it's

he lost out on that stuff but this restaurant is the one thing that's been dependable for him. Yeah, yeah. Hello. Uh, sorry, ma'am. That's not a problem. And for how many? Four, please. In less than a minute, it was confirmed. Oh, my God. She was scheduled for tomorrow at 7 p.m. This is the stuff that I was saying, okay, go ahead. Sorry. audacity to call it out. No, what is the next line, though? Her voice had reduced me to a teenager again.

Vision of her watering her flowers and walking her dog occupied my mind for the rest of the evening. Wow. Holy shit. Oh, wow. That is power. Dude, I, I am scary at times. I bet I could get psychic pebbles to do this podcast with me. Dude, don't even plant that seed in people's minds because they will want me out immediately.

They will want me off of this show immediately. Who's another YouTube and really any of the only guys would probably do it? Yes. Yeah. Who's another animator that I could like sell you for? I could tell you cheap too my stock is very low Isaiah you have to you need to

this meme is going to start a literal riot for change you're gonna see another change you you say that but every time someone like talks about me anywhere online they're always like where's Hunter why isn't this post about Hunter or whatever

I saw one that was brutal the other look like I saw one that was brutal the other day there was a guy that someone had posted. I said I read it Instagram somewhere. It was like these two are some of the best personalities on YouTube. Uh, and then someone commented as like, well, one of them's a YouTube personality. The other one's a guy who got lucky with an iceberg trend. And I was like, ow. People are too rude, dude. I, that was rough. Listen, man. I, I'm glad. You know what? I love

that we sat here. We're two men aboard the Titanic taking out our tiny violins and playing because I see a lot of hurtful stuff too that makes me fucking borderline cry really yeah all the time all right what kind of stuff I don't want to go into it

because it's only gonna it's when we say these things it only gives them fuel Isaiah don't you understand right so I just like to there's one guy so there's one dude he has like I'm not gonna say his name

because I don't need people to know but he has like eight followers on Twitter. Complete nobody, right? Yeah. Every time I post a video announcement, after a couple hours, he will quote tweet the tweet I made announcing it

and say either good video or bad video. And he never gives any further explanation. That's haunting. He never says why. That's legitimately. But my algorithm I think because I've looked at his page, it always shows me what his reaction is.

Every time I post a video, he'll just be like, bad video. And I'll be like, oh, why? Damn it. Explain. Like, yeah. Yeah, it's like, it's a 17-year-old German kid. You're just like, your entire existence was wrapped up in this kid. He's like, good.

Bart. Good video. Bart, fidgette. And I'm over your like, damn you will, hell, like shaking my fist at nothing. Augustus! it's like the kid from uh charlie in the chocolate factory just eating chocolate it's literally just a gustus gloop just covered in chocolate watching the videos what is he planning what is he planning i know he's scheming something over there yeah yeah it's just

random what what um what sticks you what does it and i don't really like personify it that much but it's uh it's funny that it means so much to me it's impossible not to Anyway, yeah, this story. So you talking about being a psychic and whatnot. Her voice, should we reread that line too? That way I'm not talking about. I'll reread that line since you were seeing visions from the heavens. Yeah, I fucked up.

I think you should. Normally I would be like it's okay, but I think you should feel sorry for this one in particular. So her voice had reduced me to a teenage version. What? Jesus Christ. Oh, I don't know. Oh, my gosh. My eyesight was way off.

I read teenager again And visions Her voice introduced me to a teenage virgin again That's what I thought he said I saw visions and like my Okay Talk about premonitions You're seeing something good

You're like I just want to have sex so bad Shut up shut up Her voice had reduced me to a teenager again Visions of her watering her flowers And walking her dog occupied my mind For the rest of the evening there is that better that's good okay i'm going to get um our who's the other guys i can sell you for a flash gets i'll do it with me i'm sure

polina was in her front yard in the morning meticulously tending to a healthy bed of flowers she smiled from a crouched over position her golden hair adding to the splashes of flourishing color tulips sunflowers and geraniums were spread thick across the lawn like a rainbow nestled in a sky of green. We exchanged waves, her mouth open and ready for conversation, just as the back gate swung open.

All at once, they were upon her in an orchestrated attack, concentrated streams of water blasted out of the barrel of their, oh, oh, it's kids.

It's kids with water guns. Okay. I was, I saw that coming up. Like, did she get swatted? Like, I kind of like that,

though. He's like, he's like fucking turning this into a, like, boondock saint scene with water guns. Yeah.

Yeah. all at once they were upon her in an orchestrated attack concentrated streams of water blasted out the barrel of their guns she led out a whale covering her face from the attack her white tank top was now see-through drenched by the precision of trained killers the shooters her two sons and husband keith giggling at the scene of the crime as her pleas for mercy went unanswered i kept walking hey mark I waved to the group A couple of the waiting staff were huddled together in front of the stairs that led into the restaurant

It was their ceremonious drag of nicotine before the chaos Friday nights were always a gong show and this one was sure to be no exception One of the bus boys Duane was wearing a vexed look on his face More so than usual

After his puff he warned Silva's looking for you man Thanks for the heads up From the outside you can never tell Azaleas was a restaurant, looked more like a cellar with cracked cement stairs that led down into a basement. That was Silva's vision all along, to be a hidden gym in the rough. Walk in thinking the place was a dump, walk out pleasantly surprised. It was the psychology of the food industry, and this element of surprise seemed to be essential for fine dining. Azaleas was the height of exclusivity. Not just

anyone could stumble in. In order to keep up this allure, speaking about the restaurant in any capacity was strictly prohibited. Staff were never allowed to dine in. We were servants, not clientele. Not that any of us could afford it, the menu items never seemed to reference a price, which always signal trouble. From the bill's eyeed hand out at the end of every meal, the numbers were always staggering. It was clear Azelios was catering to a very specific crowd with refined taste in deep pockets. I like that nod. That's definitely a little, a little nod to maybe a clientele or something that the restaurant is serving that feels a bit more exclusive hidden.

The way that this is set up is nice so far. I just want to say it's where it's just like for one, I really like Royals writing style. Like the way he described Paulina getting attacked by her kids. Like you said, it's kind of described almost like a boondock saint hit. But he describes like the sexual undertones of her, like her sultry voice, her shirts now see through.

but the like objective thing we see is that she's got a husband and two sons right so is that like something about his neighbor like wanting him or does he want her in a physical way uh and she's not perceiving that or it's just like our author's intent of it like oh dude it sets up some interesting stuff about the psychology there the narrator is definitely wanting deep fucking for sure he's fantasizing about okay all right all right all right all right that was a probably inappropriate way of saying that by you that is such that is you had to say deep you had to like to it you had to make it more explicit my gosh that's good lord man okay so anyway good lord man just just dropping a brick on the gas pedal

We were at the red light You just threw it to Vibb like What the fuck are we doing He's just like I was just half stepping in it You're like no I was up in there I was rearranging them gutty works As much as I could do Okay there you go

There you go again with the description It was like a fork with some spaghetti Dude I was wrapping it all around And Slurping it up Don't say that What are you talking about like a fork with

spaghetti. I'm going to kill you. Mercy. Okay. Anyway, I'm going to Okay. What I was saying, I like Royals writing style

have so much is conveyed in just the way he describes the scene, right? That being said, with this description of the restaurant, we have like the initial, like the front face. premise of like it's just a really expensive restaurant that in order to keep you know it kind of exclusive you can't talk about it but then you think about it's like what kind of restaurant can you

not talk about and the menu items aren't priced you know um very high end there's yeah it's like there's a double meaning like what could be happening here uh that i agree with you is just set up very well a referral and a reservation got you through the door you needed both no exceptions This drew a certain type of crowd, snooty, high maintenance, but I didn't mind it, to be honest. That combination could be tiresome, but it usually meant great tips. I approached the splintered door and knocked three times. One of the greeters let me in. The interior was nothing like the exterior.

The foyer had a gothic medieval vibe with high ceilings and narrow hallways. Chandeliers sparkled overhead in the dim light. The halls were plastered with stone and exposed brick, a handful of doors on either side. the doors concealed the intimate dining experience that azalea's offered private rooms for every party to make you feel at home sylva's office was the last door on the left i'm just picturing nothing but like a blade movie like whenever blade like goes in it's like a russian nightclub that like looks like a castle or whatever that's what i'm seeing with this restaurant i went to this one restaurant in l.a that uh someone uh in like the you YouTube talent side invited me to that was kind of similar where you had to walk down a hallway and it's like you had to have a membership or know someone to get in

that it was this was it was like a very stereotypical L like L.A. white walls like big windows. Yeah. So it didn't look the same but I'm imagining the same kind of like entry set up. Like you have to take an elevator to get to the restaurant kind of deal. It was like a so it was like an olive garden.

That'd be really funny. That'd be so funny. Yeah. Password Dude Hunter Hunter You're not going to believe This

But the breadsticks Were literally endless Yeah They could get as many As you wanted But they would just There was no end of them Exactly

Yeah They were I guess Get this Bill came Bill came No charge Yeah

No charge Yeah I had six I had six months Of bread Worth of breadsticks Where is this On the bill

Oh sir They're free Oh my God Whoa Where are you taking me? I'll sign whatever paper you pass me right now. I feel like I'm in Sicily right now. Me standing outside of an olive guard

just like a country bumpkin from Tennessee. Like, you good sir, know how to make a deal. I've got like 10 minutes down the road, we're going to see the Coliseums. You fellers must be Christian. You know how to treat a man. God damn, every road does lead to Rome, doesn't it? May look, may look at it like a suspension bridge?

Is this them aqueducts? Yeah, so Gothic, medieval vibe, whatever, walking through. I knocked with caution, no response. Two more times, nothing. Confused, I headed back the way I came. Hey, Julia. Have you seen silver around? Dwayne said he was looking for me

The greed her glanced up from her tablet Hey No I haven't seen him Her eyes dive back into the seating chart on her screen Workers were starting to enter now Squeezing past us down the hall If you see him can you please let him know I was sent to his office

She nodded I followed the flow of people towards the change rooms My shift was about to start And I needed to set the tables before dinner service The night became a blur of well-dressed people And trips to the kitchen I was scuttling past streams of people into narrow pockets of space while balancing wobbly plates.

Just another day at the circus. There were glimpses of Silva here and there, darting around the halls with his scruffy beard and velvet blazer. He was bouncing from employee to customer to office like a bad game of Pong. I didn't bother seeking him out. I knew that he would come and find me when there was time for a breath of air. In the middle of me reaming out a... Whoa.

In the middle of me reaming out a bus boy, Paulina's road path. shit together right now, dude. You did that. You did that. That is what it says. Teenage, teenage virgins and then you're like reaming out a bus boy. That is, read it, read it. What is it saying? In the middle

of me reaming out a bus boy, Paulina strode past. Yeah, there you go. That's what it says, yes. Paulina strode passed. Her maxi dress sparkled with little rhinestones, flowing with the natural curves of her body. Leaving nothing to the imagination. It appeared to be a family affair

tonight. The boys looked dapper in their matching bow ties, and Keith was all smiles in his tailored suit. This was a special occasion, indeed. Mark? My heart sank as she disappeared into one of the rooms. One of the rooms I wasn't working. Are you deaf? Martin scolded. You can fuck off with your critiques. I don't answer to you. I glared back at the lethargic slug. The man looked like he hadn't caught a wink of sleep in years. His bags were a deep black, like a coat of mascara have been slathered under his eyes. Rettled the massive card he was leaning against,

the weight shifting in a dangerous teetering fashion. Some china clattered together in ominous clings. Fuck off! He yelped. You see the problem here, Martin? The quicker you do your job,

the quicker the stupid tank of a unit is out of my way. You're clogging up the freeway. His face soured as he pushed the cart away. The metal contraption was over six feet tall and wide, an ugly metal cabinet on wheels.

He muttered something under his breath as he passed. What did you say? He was near the kitchen before he hollered back. It ain't as easy as it looks, jump. I took a deep breath before entering the adjacent room. Welcome to Azaleas cookhouse. So he was in the hallway and then he saw her and lost his mind.

And then like he started following her mentally. And then the guy he was yelling at the bus boy says Mark. And then he goes back into the fight. Gotcha. On my way back from the kitchen, I was balancing two plates of. Haccarl? Is that how you pronounce it? Hackerel.

You're asking the wrong guy. Or hack, uh, hackerel. Hackerel. An Icelandic delicacy, a fermented shark. When Silva tapped me on my shoulder. Mark, I need you in my office. Shut those off and come see me. Uh, it's mid-dinner service, Silva.

Can just wait till my break? It can't. Lanna will cover for you. My bud boiled at the thought of Lanna, swooping into clay my tips. She wasn't even scheduled to work this evening. I sighed and dropped off the food before making my way to his office. This time the three knocks were answered, the door swung open.

Thanks, Mark. Have a seat. We were surrounded by a forest of cherry wood, bookshelves and cabinets filled the space, carved in looping, intricate patterns. Everything was so polished and quaint. There were floating shelves that carried up the walls, each holding rows and rows of books. Behind a grandfather clock in the corner were pots of leafy plants. I wondered how any of them survived in this dungeon. you've been doing a great job here mark i know i'm not the most you know rah rah type of owner but believe me when i say this i've taken notice you continued the sounds of muffled conversation trickling in through the halls i'll level with you here i'm in a pickle we are short busboys tonight i need you to cover uh with all due respect silver why would i do that because i need you to mark and to be honest it's a chance at a promotion a promotion a promotion motion. Couldn't get Martin

and his multiple smoke breaks out of my mind. Look, Sylva, I like what I do. I feel like I do it well. I'm not saying I don't want to help you out, but please don't spit on my face and tell me it's raining. I'm a waiter. Not a busboy. The pay is nearly triple. A smart grew on his face once he detected

the astonishment on my face. He pointed his finger at me. This doesn't leave the room. The news went down the hatch like sour milk. I understood why the chefs would make more money. The menu was always revolving to keep the clientele happy. They likely had years of experience overseas, attended culinary school. But the bus boys, these guys were glorified dishwashers. I knew the way Silver ran the restaurant

was different, but this corporate structure was completely backwards. Servers were the face of the business, the point of contact between the restaurant and the customer. Surely that had to be worth more. I need you out there, Mark. Like yesterday. He got up and made his way to the door. If you do well, the position is permanently yours. Do I really have to be? have a choice? Not really. A glint of something conspicuous in his eyes. The door was now ajar.

The bustle of the business now flooding into the room. You'll do great. Now go and find Dwayne. He'll be showing you the ropes. Dwayne was outside with one of the chefs, another cigarette to his lips. The light emanating from the lamp post highlighted his bronze complexion. Hey, Dwayne. Silver said you're going to train me tonight?

Guess I'm going to be one of you guys now. He raised an eyebrow and dropped a cigarette to the pavement. with a blank expression, he said. Well, hot damn, let's go. He stomped the butt out, and we drifted inside. I followed him deep into the kitchen. Passed the cooking staff, carefully preparing the meals. The atmosphere wasn't much better back there.

Plates were sliding around amidst fits of yelling and chopping. I passed one of the chefs giving a lecture to one of her apprentices. Who taught you how to work a knife? You leave the skin on this food go again, and I'll rip your apron off myself. He stopped at one of the metal monstrosities in the corner of the dishroom. Get pushing. The cart was. frustrating to maneuver given the state of its back wheels. One wheel refused to roll in line with the

others, opting to wiggle uselessly instead. It was a cumbersome task given the sheer size of the cart. It was heavy with its many drawers, and it was a challenge to see over it. There would have certainly been a collision without Dwayne guiding me in the front. We finally stopped in front of one of the rooms, my arms and legs feeling like jelly. He held the door open as I inched the cart in, slowly. Then the door was firmly closed shut. The scene of the dinner table nearly knocked me off my feet. We were inside the private room that Paulina's family had dined in. There was Keith, his cheek resting in a thin layer of cream sauce. His mouth was full of foam. The tablecloth soaked in a puddle of vomit. His eyes were staring back at us in a dead stare. Their two sons

were on their floor, their bodies lying limp. There was no ounce of recoil from Duane. He just gripped Keith's head and pulled it out of the sauce. Let's go, Mark. We don't got all day. The walls felt like they were closing in on me. Everything was spinning. Dwayne, what the fuck is this, man? He was dragging Keith by his shoulders, his limp legs bobbling against the ground as he was carried towards the cart. Most of his body was able to fit into one of the compartments. The rest of the parts that overhang were forced in with a metal pole.

The squishing and cracking made my stomach churn. Oh shit, what do you think this is, Mark? A six-figured dishwashing job? He laughed. Glenn of madness in his eyes. He had one of the boys by the back of his blazer and was tracking him along. I'm out. I want nothing to do with this.

I said turning towards the door. Dwayne dropped the body and beat me there. His arm held the door shut. Listen. This might not be good for you. I get it. It ain't for everybody. But listen to me and listen good.

Silva doesn't just let you out. I didn't ask for any of this. I'm just a waiter. I'm surprised. I'm surprised. silver keeps the waist ass off I'll be damned let me out

listen you're part of the Azalea family you've just been given a seat at the big boy table and families they have secrets eased off the door go ahead

get some fresh air or prep this room and you can meet me at the front of the next one or you can meet me at front oh my fuck and you can meet me at the front for the next one

I took off in a steady march past the graders and guests waiting to be seated past the menacing stare of Silva I was focused on one thing, escaping. The air outside was crisp. It helped steady the spinning. I slowed down to catch my breath,

but the rapid gas for air wouldn't stop. I'll get a new job, I thought. Start fresh, flee the city. At the end of the parking lot, something shimmered that caught my eye. It was the flowing dress of Paulina. Oh, God, thank you. She was just entering her minute.

This is a very tumultuous moment, Hunter. She was just in. rendering her many van. I stared at the vehicle as it backed out of the stall and slowly cruised in my direction. Instead of taking the left turn to exit the lot, the van stopped. The window buzzed as it rolled down. Mark? My words were stuck in my throat.

All I could offer was a slight nod. Everything okay? I'm just heading home. Do you need a ride? Her voice was nonchalant. No regard for what she'd done. Because she hadn't done anything except enjoy a pleasant meal. The Aeselia family took care of the rest.

Mark. mark a voice yelled from the bottom of the stairs i've got to go no worries she smiled her glen glistening white perfection before she rolled up her window she called back hey let's go about to eat some time the offer hung in the crisp bear she drove off in the empty minivan just as silver emerged from the bottom of the stairwell his hand was clutching something in his pocket break time is over end of part one very good you are I like about this story so far. This is great. This is, this is, oh, I love it. This is so fun. What I like about the story so far is it sets up a nice, sets up the restaurant well, sets up the dynamics of the characters well. We're entering in this, the unfamiliar territory, you know, the act two, uh, in the story where we still don't know really what they're doing. I like that the idea, and you know, my mind immediately goes to their cooking people, but it could also just be

a guy where Silva is a guy who is, maybe he's like a person that, you know, works for, some other person that disposes bodies or, you know, who knows? Yeah, I think it sounds like you, it's only members and members' friends who come there, right? So I think it's like if you want someone taking care of, you know, come to the restaurant, we'll lace the food, right? We'll kill them, take care of the body, do the rest. So it's like a hitman service almost, is what I get from it. And that's real, that's interesting how it's like, we have Mark who's like,

not evil by any means but in the beginning he's kind of portrayed as a jerk right like he's yelling at the bus boy he's thinking about a married woman like physically like looking through his shirt and stuff like that like he's a bit of a jerk and now he's like in this super evil position and he's like oh i should get away i should flee the city but then seeing paulina who's now single mind you kind of like is enough to make him be like well maybe i'll you know like she asked for dinner maybe stick around a little bit you know that's the uh that's like the interesting things in these stories is whenever you have the catalyst whenever a character is approached in a situation that like really thrust the the story forward into the trajectory that we're going you need to have something

that's compelling and i think that there's nothing more compelling than sex like there's nothing more primal than people who are like motivated and moved by like sexual desire basically you know I mean. Yeah. Yeah. So, of course, he's going to do something stupid. I mean, like, the way that the first part of the story does it so well is that it really, really kind of almost makes, makes you, like, idolize her as well.

He talks about her in a way that is so, like, fantastic. Like, it's, it's just, it's nothing but just like, almost like poetry. Like, he's just like her hair was this. And, you know, it's like the way that we, even that we're bought into her is nothing but like sheer beautiful. The flowers were a rainbow across a green sky. like yeah very flowery language with how he describes everything about her and now it's like oh she just murdered her husband and two kids uh but now she wants to go out for dinner so yeah yeah exactly a bite

to eat which also do think that's a tongue and cheek thing where we're gonna find out that like that they're fucking cooking people or something is is where i'm that they might they certainly might be i'm sure like i wouldn't put it past this place morally to like serve people of like clientele asked for it for sure um but also like it's just funny that she just had her whole family murdered and she's like what if we got a bite to eat like is it was it so was it the whole was it the whole family or was it just the the husband does been a kids because it was okay so dragging yeah because it says that after he got done shoved the husband he grabbed the kids who's lifeless bodies were lying okay so yeah so awesome so she rules all right just making sure

yeah she's really cool wow family annihilator that's great love those all right part Part 2, The Family. The family. Something deep inside of me told me to run. It cried for me to take flight, to duck behind the nearest car, to weave in and out of the stalls to safety. My brain convinced me otherwise, however. I stared at my red Prius parked at the back of the lot. It was in Silva's direct line of fire.

It would be an easy point-blank shot. Freedom was only steps away, but it might as well have been a thousand miles. Silva's hand crept out of his pocket and landed on my shoulder. The movement was smooth, but not smooth enough. Polished chrome flashed for a moment, then disappeared amongst the folds of his dress shirt, back into the confines of his pocket. Does he know I saw it? Does he care? So how's the shift gone?

Yeah, squeezing my deltoid tightly. My words were caught in my throat as we made our way down the concrete steps. I don't think I can do this, Silva. He paused, one of his eyebrows raised. I feel sick. First day of bust intends to do that to people. We stopped before the entrance, the sound of classical music leaking out of the building. Finally let go on my shoulder.

Duane is waiting for you at table one. I plead with him further. Please. Let me go back to serving. I won't say anything, I promise. Finish up your shift and we'll chat. If there was one thing I knew about Silva, it was that he wasn't much of a chit chatter. He stuck his palm out.

Phone. There was a sinking feeling in my chest as I looked back at Silva. Surely he wasn't serious. Hand it over before we go inside. he'll get it back after your shift. No way. It's my personal property. I need it.

I don't think this is the kind of guy. No. Also, I would not say this is my personal property. That is, I don't think that's going to swayed silver in the situation. I don't think he'll be like, you know what? You're right. Due to the Constitution.

Actually, you know what? I respect that. Stand your ground. You know what? I like you. A man can do attitude. That's what I was like. about you, Mark. You're a migtow man through and through.

That's right. That's that red peel right there. Mark, I like this guy. The soft melodies continued, masking the cold-blooded murder taking place inside. His face turned blood red, the wrath of Sylvan nearly upon me. It was a face I'd seldom seen, a crack in his cold, calm demeanor. Phone! Now! I laid my phone in his palm, diffusing the situation, placed it into his other trouser pocket next door neighbors to the pinnors. pistol. Thank you. Now let's go. He knocked three times as a scowl morphed to a cheery grin.

Just like that, we were back inside the restaurant. In a matter of seconds, one of the kitchen staff had with Silva in her direction. Much of the dinner crowd had dispersed. Moderate number of people were now up and down the halls. I caught Duane's gaze leaning against the front desk, chatting with one of the other busboys. You good? Slight a smile stretched across his face, only for a moment until he caught Silvis' gaze out the corner of his eye. His face instantly went blank as he motioned for me to come with him down the hall. I didn't respond. I only followed. Table one looks like it's ready.

We've got a quick turnaround, so let's hurry. Maas shot back at Duane. He casually held the door open. After you. You could see the woman from the doorway. Her head was face down. Layers of shiny ebony locks were spread across the table. I detected a hint of fruit mixed with a strong.

hairspray aroma. Dwayne hovered around the table, grabbing the wine glass across from the lady and swishing around the remnants of the cup. Drink crowd. Oh, this one was a real lightweight. What's in the drink? I asked out of morbid curiosity. He took a whiff. Some sort of fruity, peanut noir. Probably a mix of elderberry. How do you know that? You ever talked to James or Elsa? I shook my head, no. Those were two of the head chefs at Azelias. I never really mingled much with the kitchen staff well if you weren't so stuck up you'd know he made his way around the table collecting some of the cutlery the dinner crowd wants the experience the slow burn the level of poison that could take hours to set in with some exceptions of course he cleared the glasses off the table

and chucked them into one of the plastic bins the drink crowd now they're looking for something different they want the deaf to be quick and dirty instant with minimal suffering lifted the ladies head up from the table and examined her face her thick layer of makeup and mascara I had left a stain on the white table cloth. At least that's what I'm told. I can tell you what she died from, but based on the turnaround here, I mean, it was quick.

I wondered how many bodies Dwayne had seen over the years. Help me grab her. And don't even think about pussying out this time, or I'll let Silva know. We need this room cleared. The next group is coming in ASAP. So I grabbed one of her shoulders and helped hoist the body up.

Her face was a disturbing shade of plum, her eyes staring back in a cloudy, empty stare. She was pretty, what was left of her. She was maybe in her early 40s, way too young to suffer this sort of fate. How can you do this, man? Her petite frame easily slid into the confines of the metal walls. I don't know.

At first, it just really needed the money. Close the door and locked the panel shut. After a while, it just becomes another job. You'll get used to it. You'll see. Start pushing the metal cart towards the door. These people have families, Dwayne. What we're doing here is criminal.

oh dude shut the fuck up mark my personal property what we're doing here's a crime okay hold on if you if you had to start moving bodies you would be like this is this is wrong no no let me tell you the things that he is saying

they they are they're correct but him saying these sayings out loud you're like why don't you're like I almost want to stuff them into a fucking locker you know what you know what I think you know, I think Mark's doing here the reason that his wording's the way it is. I don't think because he's still going along with it. I don't know how much Mark really cares because like I said in the first part he's kind of established to be a bit of a jerk yelling at guys thinking about sleeping with a married woman. So here it's almost like he's trying to can talk himself out of it. Because he's going along with it. He's like, no, this is criminal. My phone's my proper. You should take it. It almost feels like he's trying to talk himself out of it. Because he's going to long with it. He's like, he's like, he's like he's trying to talk himself out of it. He's like. He's like. He's going to talk himself out of it. He's like. He's like. He's out of doing this. I think you're on to the right thing, but I don't think he's trying to talk himself out of it. I think he's trying to have other people talk him out of it. I think is what

he's doing. Sure. It's like a cry for help. Yes. But I think I think he's looking for someone to validate this feeling of being like, you know what, you're right. Let's get like, we should just stop. Instead, everyone's just basically like confirming this like a almost like confirmation bias or something. But what I mean by talk himself out of it is I don't know how much he himself like cares. and is willing to do a job like this if it means a lot of money. That's what I'm saying is I think he's trying to, it's like almost like a narcissistic thing where it's like, you're pretending to be human, you know.

Like, come on guys, this is wrong, right? We definitely shouldn't be doing this. Right. He's like, fucking young Sheldon, what we're doing here is criminal. It's like, fuck off, Mark. God damn. Sure, sure. You know what? You would 100, if this was me and you're in this scenario, I would 100% be Mark. Oh my God.

This is criminal. Give me back my phone. That's my personal property. And you would be the guy that's like, it's good money, shut up, put the body in the bag. Three times. God damn.

Three times money. All right. We're stuffing lobsters here. Good God, boys. Hell yeah. Hunter would hear triple pay. Yeah.

He would come out of that first room like, oh, that trash in there was a real load. wink. Yeah. Here we've got a family of shrimp in room number five. They got her body so petite and tiny. She just slides right in. On tour immediately.

Yeah, I'm like, great. So it's good. Wow, you're really taking to this faster than anyone has before. Yeah, I know I love my job.

I'm a workhorse. You're going to call me sea biscuit by the end of the day. All right. Yeah, I hear you need to toss out a couple of crabs down in room four. like, would you just stop doing the food euthanisms and just get back to work? Yeah, there's a couple baked potatoes in room four. Silva,

Silva has to come meet you in the hallway. It's like, you got to quit. Yeah. You're going to, you actually have to, you have to quit. You're making everyone uncomfortable.

You're making everyone uncomfortable. I know we're all like moving bodies and we're all on the know about this, but you're way too into this. And I'm over here, like, this is illegal, guys, please. Guys, this is illegal. This is a crime. And then, like, Hunter over my shoulder, like, looks like the steak start and settle, if you know what I mean? Got a full load in this one.

Dwayne shrugged. You're over thinking this, Mark. He motioned for me to get the door. These people had a target on their back. Focus on your job, and you'll be fine. We're just simply disposing of the mess that someone else has. made. With that bleak sentiment, we pushed the cart through the hall in silence. On our way to the kitchen, we passed by the next group of patrons. A couple of young professionals with vibrant

smiles and flamboyant suits. My mind played Russian roulette with their bodies. Which one's body would we fetch next? It is clear that Duane had been lost. Money, the trauma, maybe a combination of the two had severely warped his mind into having a morbid indifference for life. I knew my words would go nowhere with him. I had this business model all wrong. Everything I thought Azelia stood for. Quality dining, intimate gatherings, unbeatable service. It was all a lie.

With the dinner crowd dissipating, the halls were a lot quieter and easier to maneuver through. I knew this was my chance. I knew I had one shot. Duane was leading the way, pulling the metal cart from the front. I was at the caboose, pushing the heavy contraption ahead as best I could. The towering cart would provide. the shelter that I needed. Out of my front pocket, I pulled out a pin and note pad, the trusty tool of the trade. Keeping one hand on the card and pushing it along, I used the other to frantically

scribbled together a note. Cranning my neck from one side of the cart to the other, I caught a glimpse of Silva. It was on the right side of the hall chatting with one of the guests. The card squeaked as we approached the front of the house. If I had timed it right, his view would be blocked, but only for a moment. As we approached the front desk, I took a deep breath and crumbled up the note. I whispered. She was alone at the front desk. Her face planted in the tablet. You could feel the opportunity slipping away.

Just as we passed Silva on my right, I had no choice but to gamble. I took aim and lobbed the note into the air. The ball of paper seemed to hang there as I watched it in horror. It overshot the table and babbled off Julie's shoulder just as we passed the front desk, and Silva came into view. The impact broker gave from the screen. The paper bounced to the floor. Where it landed. I wasn't quite sure.

I glimpsed her annoyed stare in my direction before studying my attention to the front of the cart. As we exited the front of the house and entered the hallway to the kitchen, I could feel Sylva's gaze burning a hole in the back of my skull. The kitchen had also simmered down compared to earlier in the evening. Many of the cooks had gone home, only a handful of chefs remained, fussing around with various display of dessert arrangements. There were plates of chocolate lava cakes topped with caramel drizzle, cram brulee, and little cubs with apricot shavings,

and some sort of tower of fudge layered with sheets of sugar. The garnish was a colorful display of a key fruit and lichy. I admired the creativity from afar as we wheeled the cart into the dishroom. Duane discarded the dirty dishes and then we pushed the cart around the corner. I saw each chef bring their masterpiece over to Elsa. She inspected everything in the back, added the finishing tushes, and the plates were carried out by the servers. Dwayne led us down a dark hallway that bore no resemblance to the restaurant.

Had a smell of musk, it was left dusty with no attempt to make to clean or decorate the area. There were holes in the drywall, cracks in the concrete, questionable stains on the ceiling. We took the card as far as we could until we hit a dead end. The only thing at the end of the hall was service elevator. Dwayne swiped his access card and hit the button. We waited a couple of moments until we heard a high-pitched ding. I have expected a wave of blood to come out like the shining. Instead, Martin's ghoulish face popped out.

Why is this asshole back here? Silver's orders. He's a bus boy now. Martin's lips formed a wry smile. Oh, is he now? I looked away and helped to push the cart into the elevator. Stepped inside and waited for Martin to hit the button down. Nuh.

Dwayne said, waving me out. Only Martin is loud down. I stepped out. Martin muttered something under his breath just as the door closed. jump for just let me say this entire setting is so well established

like like Martin's the guy who takes the bodies down and then who knows what he does with them and then like the staff doesn't know but Silva knows and the bus boys know and it's like these private server rooms that's how they are able to kill people then dispose of the bodies quietly

like so many layers of this just play off each other very well yeah I love it The rest of the night carried on like a bad nightmare. I towed the line, collecting the bodies and transporting them to the back of the kitchen. The smell of excrement and death continued to make me gag. Dwayne seemed immune to the scent. He was finding humor in my reaction after every pickup.

Remember how hard I tried, it was impossible to get their faces out of my head. The bulge their eyes, the bluish purple tint on their skin, the bloated look in their cheeks. Their loved ones would never find them. The gravity of it all was sinking in. When midnight finally hit, I was itching to leave the restaurant. Silva was waiting for me at the exit. How to go? He asked, pulling me into his office.

I took a seat. Nothing's changed, Silver. The position's just not for me. Well, I'm disappointed to say the least. Went quiet, pacing around the room. It's going to be hard to find a replacement. Strolled over to one of his plants and was inspecting one of the leaves. I eventually worked up the nerve to cut off the awkward silence.

Can I go home now? My shift's over. He broke out of his trance and walked over to his desk. In the top drawer, he pulled out my phone and slid it across the table. Of course. I trust as always that this stays inside the Azalea family. The words were cold. His piercing stare warning in itself.

Of course. I got up from my seat and made my way to the door. When do you work next, Mark? Monday. Glanced up from his paperwork. Have a good weekend. I held my breath as I walked out of the restaurant traveling as fast as my feet would take me

only once I left the parking lot did my nerves return to normal I was free there was only one thing on my mind I needed to put as many miles as I could between myself and as Elias I could find another job that'd be easy

but the victim's families deserve closure and Silva needed to be exposed as a monster he truly was one problem was my phone I tried to swipe and click the power button with no success. As desperately as I wanted to call the cops, the call would have to wait until I got home.

The streets were quiet as I pulled into the cul-de-sac. The lights were off in every household on the block, the whole neighborhood of sleep. Polina's minivan was parked in her driveway, the side of the vehicle sending shivers up my spine. Pulling up to my driveway, the headlights revealed something stuck to my garage door. I parked the car and walked over to inspect the object.

It was a sealed envelope labeled Mark and bold black marker. A throat tightened as I tore it open. Inside the envelope were photographs printed in a glossy finish. Each frame was a crystal clear with no hazy pixel in sight. There was one of me jamming a body to the meal car, the bald forehead of the victim poking out of the cabinet. There was another candid shot of me pushing the cart through the hall.

There were more than just photos of me at the restaurant. There were shots of me walking around the neighborhood, pictures of my ex-wife and her daughter at the mall, photos of my mother and father watching television in their home, their bodies comfortably lounging on the sofa. My heart was beating at a dangerous pace as I flipped through the stack of photos. Something else was crammed to the bottom corner of the envelope.

When I pulled it out, I gasped. It was the paper note I had written to Julie. In my missing handwriting, it read, There are bodies in the dish carts, call 911. In utter shock, I dropped the contents of the... envelope. The photos scattered across the concrete, floating away in the wind. I dropped to my knees, quickly stuffing the contents back inside. Some of the photos were traveling towards my neighbor's lawn in a carefree gust of wind. Scrored across the drive pad to collect them, glancing

up at the sleepy suburban neighborhood, the place I had called home for decades. Suddenly didn't feel so homely. One of the photos that was carried across the lawn had flipped over. There was writing in permanent marker on the back that read, welcome to the family see you on Monday that's great into part two oh buddy

this is flowing really well I really like the idea I'm not being love I really like the setup of a first off we need Azaleas cookhouse merch immediately I want like a shitty

like you know how like I don't know like there's like hooter shirts and stuff it's supposed to look it's like a kind of speakeasy like you know fancy underground stuff stuff. But yeah, if he does any merch that's like Azale's cookout, like make it look like a steakhouse, you know, like Azaleas or whatever. Um, like I would 100% rep that anywhere,

anywhere you want it. Yeah. It's, it's so fun. The premise is awesome. Like, why has it this been done before? The closest thing I can think is the menu. But that was like a one off like everyone's dying tonight kind of story. This is like the whole business is killing and disposed into bodies for rich clientele. A hitman. A hitman. like a basically hitman's like place where you can bring your family and you basically order that whatever and they dispose of the body and also something to like private rooms so they basically people die in the room other people get up leave it's all cleaned up the only thing that my mind was thinking though is I feel like with all the people dying uh I feel like the reoccurrence of being I guess unless people lied about their stories of where they were at would probably be the only way where it that way the cops would be like wow the last. 20 fucking murders that have happened have everyone's been to this restaurant that night you know so you probably just yeah people would probably just be lying but i mean once again it breaks the immersion of the fun of the story i'm just that was where my mind went but i do i do like the

idea of the bounty hunter restaurant though within the story i am willing to say like um what if all of the people that were seeing like interact with it and stuff like that um Um, like, what if there's enough people willing to cover up? What if the family is so powerful that they're able to make up cover stories for these dead people? You could also, like, put the body somewhere else away from the restaurant, stuff like that. You could also probably assume, too, that they have the cops paid off or whatever. Yes. Yeah. Yeah, to some degree. So I think that, um, the, uh, are, okay, so for one, I'll say, maybe I was a bit too harsh on our main character. Because it seems like as soon as he

got away. He was like, how do I call the police? How do I let these people's families? He never know. Seems a bit more virtuous than I, we're halfway through. I mean, I don't know. You never know. There's a lot of story left. What I'm saying is like now if he like goes back to the restaurant and stuff, it's different because they've threatened his ex and his kid. They've threatened his family and stuff like that. So now it's a different ball game than just virtue. But does that also not give him another angle to, you know, well, my hands are tied. I have to, even though it's not. I mean, I, listen, I, you're right. You're right. That could be another excuse. But I agree that I think that based off of his response and stuff, at least from the text, it's more so he's legitimately afraid and, you know, it's a weird world.

But I'm wondering now, as we dive into part three, which is called the neighborhood, I'm wondering, does he start acclimiting to it? Or, you know, how much of a resistance does he put up to what, you know, to this new operation, this new lifestyle he's going to have to live? Yeah, yeah, I think he's going to justify it a bit. We'll see. so with that part three the neighbor the comfort of my home did little calm my nerves the doors were locked but the damage had been done sylva was watching he'd been watching for god knows how long tracking myself and my closest loved ones in order to ensure everything was kept in the family the photos were a clever insurance policy a weapon to wield if things went south now i was stuck under his son with my real family within his crosshairs what a difference the day could make. Not even 24 hours ago, I was just a lowly server. Now I was sitting in the dark, trawling through the shady corners of the internet, hunched over my laptop and my pajamas. I scrolled through my internet tabs, each one more incriminating than the next. Where do I buy a burner

phone? How do you know you're being stalked? How much jail time for the possession of a dead body? Maybe the police would believe my story. Maybe if I showed them where the bodies were, maybe if I could get my hands on the security footage, this could all end. I could go back to living a normal life, but maybe they wouldn't. And who was I kidding? Life was never going back to normal. For the brief moments that I managed to doze off, all I saw were the cloudy eyes of the victims. They will never let me sleep.

Every shadowy corner was a threat, concealing one of Silvas Hinchmen. Every creek from the floorboards made me jolt. Nothing felt safe as night faded away. A hint of amber broke through gray arc of cloud before the harsh reality set in. I wasn't going to figure this out alone. I needed to talk to someone. Someone I trusted to keep quiet. Someone who had information that I didn't.

Someone hiding a secret as dark as my own. Someone I think I loved, screwed up as that was. It was an impossible thing to explain. The cold harfax were there. I stared into her husband's lifeless eyes. I carried out her children's lent bodies. And yet here I was still in love. The polina I knew was warm, inviting, full of heart.

I had known that woman for years. Despite my apprehension about that evening, I still held out hope that there was something I didn't understand. When the sun rose and the songbirds chirped their familiar chorus, I got up from my heaps of blankets and ran a hot shower. After breakfast, made my way over to Palina's house. Usual characters were mosein around outside. mow from across the street was firing up his lawn mower,

the purr from the engine overtaking the songbird's tunes. Debbie was putzing around her front yard with her little cockapoo on leash. I only made it a few steps past my driveway before I noticed that she had company. Parked beside the red minivan was an empty squad car. Shit. I switched gears, darting towards Debbie, self-proclaimed eclectic neighbor on our block. We stood on the sidewalk outside of her. aquamarine painted home the rainbow pinwheel lawn ornaments stabbed into her lawn at seemingly

random locations i dove into some polite conversation all the while keeping my attention on polina's home 10 minutes of chit chat went by with no movement from her residence i casually asked any idea what's going on at paulin's place no idea a hint of a smirk emerging on her face she couldn't resist the delectable piece of gossip you know i think there's some trouble in parents What do you mean by that? Debbie was basically our neighborhood watch. At her age, there wasn't much else for her to do. Oh, I always knew that Keith was trouble.

Coming home all hours of the night with that obnoxiously loud exhaust. She tugged on Romeo's leash, his nose deep in a pile of his own droppings. You know, I've seen him with another gal, a dark-haired girl, a trashy thing with tattoos. This was all news to me. I paused to take it in, petting Romeo on the head. that is awful really awful but that's far from a crime

Debbie you know I wouldn't be surprised if he hit her Debbie Debbie oh damn Debbie Debbie's just me she's probably smacking her around

good God Debbie my my grandmother was the exact same way she's just you know old lady talk about stuff and she'd be like oh did you hear about Eunice at church

I think she's hitting the bottle again I'm just like, it's like, well, grandma, why'd you say that? It's like, she came to church last week without makeup. And I thought that was strange. Just like, yeah, just like, all right, that's a bit. It's a bit high level the jump to. Maybe, maybe dial it back a little bit, but that Debbie's so funny. Debbie, come on now.

She doubled down. He's got a temper on him. That's all. I've seen him toss rocks at poor Romeo when he was barking. He thought I wasn't looking, but I was. I stomach churn knowing we were speaking about someone who was murdered. While Debbie continued her rambling about other neighbors, deplorable acts, at the corner of my eye, I saw two cops walk out of Paulina's house.

I've got to grab the mail, Deb. Nice chatting with you. I wave goodbye as the vehicle rolled out of the cul-de-sac. I waited outside of Moody's back room. Underneath the humming neon sign, wondering if I was making a big mistake, a murderer and her accomplice enter a bar. It all feels like one bad joke. something tells me I won't be around to hear the punchline. Moody's backroom

is not like Azaleas. It's a roof and four walls with a couple of kegs. It's got a flashy neon sign that you could spot from outer space. There are signs promoting their daily food and drink specials on every street corner in the neighborhood. This is a place begging for service. Anybody's

service. How I got here is still a whirlwind. On Saturday, I retreated back to my house and opted to stay in. I figured Paulina had too much heat on her to risk any interaction. I was out of luck and out of time. But as fate would have it, Palina spotted me on Sunday on my way back from a morning jock. I was hoping the endorphins would help clear my head, but all it did was leave me exhausted. I couldn't resist her wave, and in a moment I found myself

standing on her porch. She had a strawberry lemonade in hand and a smile across her face. Her hair sparkled in the sunlight. She looked radiant, given the circumstances. We chatted for a bit as I tussled with my attraction to her and the reality of our situation. She extended another offer to grab a drink and in a helpless sudden reflex. I said yes. The brain was no match for the heart. And Dick.

Yeah, yeah. I think that's what's implied by the heart, Hunter. Thank you. Sorry. What she brought you? We're going to get you in church. We're going to fix you. Once she arrived, she gave me a hug.

And we grabbed a seat in plain view of the VLTs. We watched people. What is a VLT? It's like a slot machine, right? Oh, okay. See, I go to church. I wouldn't know that.

Unlike you deplorables. Like you said. It's like a video. I'm just me. She gave me a hug and grabbed me in your seat. Because they're at a bar, right? Yeah, yeah.

So the VLTs is a shot. The only reason I know VLTs as well is because of a trailer park voice. You don't have to justify it. It's okay. No, Yeah, video lottery terminal. So it is, it is a... Okay, okay, I was curious.

Like a slot machine, yeah. We people watch chatting about the weather and the news. We discussed her vacation plans to Mexico and her current projects at work. Our first round is casual like this, like an awkward first date. Plina's hair is in a messy bun, but her appearance is far from disheveled. She's wearing a boatneck sweater, silver hoop earrings, a pair of Levi's jeans. This is what I imagined tonight out with her to be like. this is the polina that I know

two rounds in the conversation starts to get more personal polina asks about my history so I told her about my divorce and how my dating life has been I have her full attention I can see the interest in her eyes I really don't know what else to ask her at this point so I just keep going on about myself three drinks in and the alcohol is washed away

all of the nervous energy floating through conversation with lighthearted friendly banter she's playful patting my arm when I decide it's finally time to chip away at her fortress of secrets. The liquid courage, it's running foolishly through my system. So I start to ask the bold questions. The questions I've been dying to ask all night. How are you doing, Paulina?

She looks puzzled. She sips her Mai Tai through her straw. What's wrong with you? We're doing good. How about you? I lean in, my voice falling to a gentle whisper. No, I mean, how are you really doing? she puts her drink down and cocks her head to the side

how's everything with the family she pauses during her drink oh they're doing well that does remind me though I should check in with Keith she pulls out her cell phone as I place my hand on her arm Paulina I know her eyebrows are raised

I leaned in closer across the table yesterday at the restaurant the cop car this morning I can see the color slowly draining from her face her eyes are moist now they glisten under the pendant light above us for a moment there's a pause the truth hangs in the air i don't know what you're talking about she says sinking in her seat shift of energy in the room is now palpable i'm sorry it's too soon i just need to know she glances at the exit and grabs her purse wait paulina hear me out for a second please she stands up i follow suit reaching for her shoulder paulina i won't see anything i swear the bell above the exit door jingles is a swing shut behind you dumb son of a bitch she murdered her husband and children hunter it's paulina though dude this isn't this isn't just

like a cute mom next door this is like she killed her kids oh paulina please please love you're next she is a black widow she's going to eat you next oh here she comes watch our boy she'll chew you out She's a manita.

Watching and waiting. I love that song. Watching a wedding. Didn't me and you sing that at karaoke. I think so. We definitely, we definitely say some hall notes for sure. We did.

I know there was that one. There was definitely out of touch. I know. Yeah. You're around of touch. I'm out of time. My head when you're not around. Yeah.

you know what with the mention of hollow notes I'm back in I'm in yeah exactly I was like she murdered her family but then you brought up man eater

I'm like well you know what maybe maybe there are fate's worse I can see you watching in the night come along with me I

but waiting for the sunlight When I feel cold, you warm me. And when I feel I can't go on, I come and pull you. Because it's you and me forever. Sarah, smile. That's what I love Sarah's smile. That's a good one, too.

That was a good one. You are such a good singer. It's frustrating. after paying the tab I drove home knowing that I shouldn't I'm tiptoeing the line of sobriety with an empty stomach

the hard liquor and dark thoughts swirl around inside of me in an anxious concoction I scream as I pound the wheel screw up you idiot it's a short route home through residential streets the cookie cutter homes

are blurs of colors that drive past besides the park cars the roads are empty sidewalks bear in my rear view I notice a black SUV behind me

it turns left when I turned left down Tedden Road. I think I'm overreacting, so I test my theory and make another left into a nearby cul-de-sac. Vehicle follows me in a loop past the row of two-story homes. My chest begins to tighten. Only thought is that I can't go home. So I keep driving down Citadel Road, Citadel Crest, Citadel Circle, leaving the community. I head down McKinsey Boulevard with the SUV on my tail. Eventually, I will have to stop. I just don't know where to go. My heart is beating so strongly that I fill out of my skull.

I figured the safest place is somewhere public, so I decided to pull into the south side strip mall. Walmart parking lot isn't exactly packed. There's some scattered RVs and late-night shoppers, but it's the best option available. Park near a row of cars and wait. The SUV pulls up beside me. The tent on the passenger side window is too opaque to see through. Only hear the opening and slamming up the driver's side door.

get out of the car the glow from the lamp post reveals a curly-haired woman both arms are covered in elaborate sleeve of tattoos two colorful gardens of fully bloomed flowers in elaborate watermark style I roll down the window a fraction of an inch and yell back where you follow me you psycho

who the hell are you and what are you doing with Paulina oh hell yeah dude do not just tell me do not tell me that we're getting in on some girl on girl action y'all uh oh hold on no call the call. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Did the colonel come in? Quit, because that's finger-licking good. Oh, why are you such a quick? What? Oh, my gosh. You had that one banked. You just had that on deck. I'm sorry, dude.

I'm sorry that maybe a Paulina, our queen, our hero. And then all of a sudden, a fucking girl with a dragon. tattoo curly girl comes up she's just like you move you moving in you know what I mean is it now we got a love triangle dude now it's because you're sexualizing it like if it's fine like

two two like perfectly fine like two women want to be together you know that that's between them whatever I don't need to come in and make it into I don't need to fetish size it like I'm sorry that was wrong of me you know I was probably wrong was it wrong was it wrong

You had the colonel joke on Q that was in your tape deck like skip next song ready to play. I'm sorry. You know what? I'm sorry. You know what? I probably I probably I probably jumped the gun. Oh no. That's definitely what it is.

They were definitely having an affair. We don't know. We don't know that for a fact. No, no, no. That is that is absolute. What are you doing with Paul? That or she's like an investigator that was trying to take down the restaurant or something like that. Could have been.

That is 100% what it was. It is your, it is your, um, character. of it that but that that is an interesting twist the woman that was coming was not for him it was for her

or no you know what it is isn't that the that's the fucking woman that his that Keith was banging no yes that's the woman but the only no okay Hunter

the woman across the street said I've seen this girl with tattoos it's like horror whatever she said it was actually yes so yeah the little Chinese

Danny's finger trap deal. I get it. I'm, I see. Okay. I was saying that I was saying that is what was happening. No, no. Bear trap. It's not a bear trap. How do I do it? It's so odd. It's not a bear trap. Dude, I'm fucking scared. If it is already happened. You were calling out something that just happened in the story. I, you're not. I'm like, I'm fucking like so. Yeah. It's like you were right about. No, no. You said the thing and I said yes, that's the thing that happened. And then you got confused. And I said, the thing you originally thought's what happened. That's not a prediction. It's a fog. It's a thing you see so far ahead. Okay. Anyway,

yes, you are right that it wasn't a fair happening. It was the sexualization of the affair that I was jumping you for. Mm-hmm. Okay, whatever. I rolled down the window a little more, and now I notice the distinct characteristics of her face. Dark brown hair, eyes and blue eyes.

Oh. The prominent nose, a tall stature. Foof. Mm-hmm. She was sitting at the table next. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm.

Look, just, the only reason I'm attracted, look, tattoos, tall, dark hair, light eyes. The only reason, the only reason I'm attracted is because this is what my wife looks like. This is what my wife is. How could I resist you? That's what I'm thinking. I'm thinking of them. Well, here she comes.

Watch our boy. She'll cheer you out. She was sitting at the table next to ours. And up close, she looked incredibly familiar. The resemblance is uncanny. Calm down for a second. I said, stepping out of my vehicle. No reason to get all worked up.

We're just friends. Bullshit! You know something. I can feel it. By now, a small crowd of shoppers are enjoying the show. Their hands are gripping plastic bags full of groceries. Their carts abandoned in the middle of the road. With a sudden eruption, the dark-haired woman that could only be Keith's sister,

shouts back to the crowd. I'm calling the cops. Okay, never mind. I was wrong. I was wrong. we were both wrong. With a sudden eruption. No, dude, I'd not.

That's Keith. Bear trap. Bear trap into part three. So you're still saying that it was an affair between. I'm thinking so. I'm thinking. I'm thinking so. The supper.

This is the final. Part four of the final. I'm excited to see here. It's Keith's sister looking because she's trying to figure out what happened to her brother. Dude. Fucking maybe. I'm still, don't let can a man dream?

Can a man fucking dream? This is the first time that we've ever had a love triangle here with a girl the dragon tattoo beautiful oh beautiful paulina you just you just like it because you think they're both hot you just like it because you think they're both hot well they could you know what little bear claw action here dude two sweeties wrapped up dude and a beautiful it's not a bear trap if the story said a thing happened to bear see that's that's the that's my bear trap working again i said bear claw a little twisted donut two sweeties wrapped up man what is a bear claw i haven't heard that It's a donut before.

What? A bearclaw. It's a donut. A bear claw is a donut? Yeah. You look at a bearclaw, it's, it's like a, it's a donut that looks like a bear paw. Okay. It's like two.

What does that have to do? But they're all, they're tied up there. It's a little bear claw. Okay. I don't. I don't have to fight. I'm saying they're two sweeties wrapped up in love here. I'm just saying that it was bear claw and said the bear trap.

I'm calling it. I'm still keeping it there. I think my bear claw has not done me wrong yet called the British thing last episode calling this one here too I'm telling you man or watch out the one thing I would not do right now is bet against the bear trap that's all I'm saying part four okay part for the last supper the crowd feasted their eyes on the drama ensuing the woman who I believed to be Keith's sister had a fiery look in her eyes I felt horrible for her family but she was looking for answers to questions that

I just couldn't provide. Silva had me backed it to a corner with jail time or collateral damage as the only ways out. Can we relax for a second? I'm just a neighbor Mark. That, I mean, that's it. Well, you two should look like cozy neighbors. Her hands were shaking as she placed her phone to her ear.

Stop for a goddamn second. There's a gas from someone in the crowd. The woman resembling Keith nearly dropped her phone. Call the cops in. Go on. Is going to the bar a crime? You'll do nothing but look crazy. The woman glared back. eventually taking the phone from her ear.

She placed it in her palm, squeezing it violently as she screeched. Took a step back, as did some of the closer shoppers. She did something to him. She declared tears willing in her eyes. I know it. She pointed her finger at me, her body trembling. And if you're stupid enough to be with her, she will do the same to, so we'll do the same to you.

Okay, so how's that, how is that a bear trap looking now? That it is in fact just his sister. Reverse psychology. you know what at the end when Pauline is smiling and old in the tatted in the tatted woman here walks in a frame

don't be surprised when you hear the clasp of a bear trap that's all I gotta say okay there was silence for a moment as the woman paced around the lot she eventually began to sob as she found a seat on the curb

her face shielded by her tears the crowd slowly dispersed once she calmed down we were able to make a proper introduction her name was viola She confirmed that she was Keith's baby sister. Keith was her only sibling, and she became concerned that he didn't respond to her text messages Friday evening. When he no-showed for their brunch plans Saturday morning, that's when she really began to worry.

Paulina had recently decided the family was going to move out of the country with little warning or consultation provided to Keith. This was how Paulina was. The qualities that made her fun were also what made her dangerous. Keith had become fed up with her unpredictable nature. extended family was worried that with the move, they would never see their children again. All I could offer were some hollow words of encouragement, remain calm and hope for the best. I could tell they did little to soothe her soul. We eventually said goodbye, the lies tossed it around in the pit of my stomach, knowing that the man was never coming home.

With one bomb carefully disused, I went home to think about the major issue at hand. My plan to build a closer relationship with Paulina had gone up in flames. If there was no new information garnered, the opportunity had been wasted. I suffered one more sleepless night, and before I knew it, the weekend was over. In the morning, I peeked out my window, Paulina's driveway was empty. On my way to work, I saw Viola walking down the street with a small group of people. They were maybe three blocks from my house, and her hand was a stack of papers. At one of the nearby lightpost, I pulled over to look at what they were taping to the metal structures.

Help bring Keith Bargallo home. Keith Bargallo, a loving husband, devoted father, an upstanding member of our community has been missing since Friday, April 30th. There is a cash reward for anyone who can provide information on his whereabouts or the whereabouts of his wife, Paulina, and their two children, Riley and Colton.

Help us bring them home. Please call the number below. The photo on the flyer was a family portrait taken into a nearby park. Image haunted me all the way to the restaurant. There was the usual rush of workers when I arrived at Azaleas. they were scheduling through the halls

heading to the nearby change rooms and preparing the tables for the upcoming dinner service as I left the front of the house towards the change room I caught a glimpse of Silva he was walking at a brisk pace down the hall with a couple of other associates it was only a quick flash of his black and silver crew cut

it was the only it was only the back of his head but that's all it took for me to suddenly feel cold Duane was dwindling around by his locker with a couple of the other cooks when I entered. You have a good weekend, Mark?

Ready for some more training? This time I won't go easy. Sorry, Dwayne. I said while taking off my shoes. I told you that shift day for me. I'm back to server today. Well, that's news to me. Siva told me I was training you this evening.

Well, he must have forgotten. I discussed this with him on Friday. Dwayne's fruct. Either way, it doesn't matter to me. Just let me know what he says before. the rush starts. Playfully swatted one of the cooks in the belly before leaving. Let's go get that money.

That, this would be you. If you had to dispose of bodies for the mob, you'd be like, making that bread, working out of bakery. Yeah, making that bread. Bigger claws. You'll see Paulina and Ariola show up. Love that cover.

Aeriala. I think her name's Viola Viola What a fuck her name is Ariola It's the spot of skin Around the nipple

No I know That's the joke But he's calling Ariel And that's what they're like I think her name's Viola Is that Viola

Areola? I don't get a fuck What it is I'm gonna make that bread I ain't looking at no viola I'm looking for that Areola Catch my breath

I'll tell you what it is cold down in this basement Oh my gosh like it's a football game every day all right we're going to get out there make some good plays and get some good let's get that money makes some people happy

made that bread to Hunter whistling carrying bodies to the elevator honey hey hunter shoving a family of Ford to a metal coffin oh yeah after a while

I just start I just start killing myself beating people with the hammer watch out of the hammer boy, she'll chew you up. Oh, Ariola comes. She's a man eater. Just irredeemable. Yeah, the worst. I'm an actual monster.

Not even a hint of like thought about what you're doing. You're like, I'd shove my mother in here if you tell me to you at this pain. I stared blankly at the lockers as flashbacks of Friday entered my brain. The coutored body stuffed in the dish cart, the squishing of bloated flogging of bloated flesh, the cracking of bones. There was no way in hell I was ever going back to buzzing. Silva and I would need to have another word.

After I changed into my uniform, I went to help set the tables and fold some last-minute cutlery. I hoped to cross-pass with Silva. He was usually running up and down the halls leading up to the service, but today I wasn't so lucky. His office door was locked and my knocking went unanswered. Lana gave me a wave down the halls. I had already seen Greg at the lockers and passed by

Stephen Kelly wrapping cutlery. by my count we were fully staffed for servers and that number excluded me 20 minutes to go before service i began to panic i asked mea the hostess she had seen sylva she shrugged sorry haven't seen him does he have any appointments i asked scratching my head she scrolled through the tablet and shook her head so i approached the hostess podium i noticed something resting on the shelves behind it it was a cell phone with a glittery phone case and a distinct hello kitty tassel attached to it Julie working tonight? No, just me. Worked all weekend too. So freaking sick of this place. I pointed to the phone behind the podium. She replied.

Oh my god, wow. Didn't even notice that. She must have been going nuts all weekend. Before Mia could continue, Lana approached and asked a question about the menu. Server whisked her away towards one of the dining rooms in order to investigate the air. Before she left, Mia said, I'll stop by her place tonight and drop it off. Thanks, Mark.

Gave a warry smile. Oh, she's dead. 100%. She's dead. Yeah, she's 100% dead. Oh, her phone's there? That's so weird. Wow, good catch.

It's like it's been there the whole day. What are you talking about? She must have missed that. Thanks, Mark. What will we do without you? Once I left, I began to snoop around the podium. On the bottom shelf, there was a black purse. It had a matching tassel.

Stupid cat seemed to be waving at me from the ground. I froze. Her wallet, her keys. Everything was in the back. I remember the note and suddenly my limbs felt weak. I jumped to the only logical conclusion. Julie never left. So,

congratulations, Mark. You killed Julie. Bear trap. Wait, what do you mean bear trap? When did you call that out? Called it. Called her right before I said,

well, she's dead. Remember? Boom. Hit the three. Hit the three. Okay, whatever. I'm not,

you know what? The fader. You want me to have an emotional reaction to your insanity. As soon as, as soon as aerial. comes in at the end, stands next to Paulina. That's when you have to admit the bear trap's real. If that happens, the bear trap's real.

Okay, but until then, no. Because it said, oh, her phone's there. Thanks, Mark. Like, that's such a clear like she's dead, right? You don't get it when two sentences later confirms for us that she's dead. Okay, whatever. I wandered down the halls,

rummaging through the storage rooms in the kitchen and the dishroom. I opened any door I walked past searching for signs of Julie. My heartbeat aggressively in my chest with every failed attempt. There's no doubt that Dwayne was looking for me, too. My watch told me that the dinner crowd would be arriving any minute.

I felt a cold hand grab my shoulder from behind. I flinched. Jeez, Mark, relax. Elena laughed. They're gathering everyone together in room one. I followed her down the empty hallway. Monday nights were always our slowest, but the complete absence of foot traffic was very concerning.

What's going on? I don't know. He just told me to sweep the hall. and find any stragglers. I think you're the last one. When we arrived, a bald, burly man held the door open. He was a familiar face. So when I seldom saw this deep inside the restaurant,

he wasn't an employee as far as I knew, just some sort of supplier of ingredients, various cooking supplies to the restaurant. You could feel the heat coming from the crowd before you even entered the room. There were too many people for the cramped space. The air was musky as employees seated across the long table looked aimlessly across the room.

Those that weren't early enough to nab seats were standing in a line along the walls. On top of the table were beautiful arrays of mouth-watering appetizers, bacon-wrap prunes, bellini with caviar, beef tartar, and cheese fondue. Strange man with squinty eyes

was pouring shots of alcohol out of many liquor bottles while the bald man from the doorway followed him towards the table holding a bottle of wine. It passed around the glasses to everyone. wine or liqueur the squinty man asked

through purse lips I replied I'm okay wine no lecoor come on we're celebrating what voice are you doing I don't know I was trying to like a French thing

but it's not really working it sounds like you're you're doing an Asian voice because it said squinty eyes God no That's what I'm trying to do. That's what I was like,

Hunter, what are we doing, man? There you go. Okay, that's better. Yeah, yeah, yeah, throwing that on there. You have to be like, come on, we are celebrating.

That's German. Okay, that's better than the direction you were heading. Sorry, dude. Straight off. Straight off a cliff.

I has. Sorry, dude. Sorry if it wasn't good enough for you. Damn. I hesitated for a moment, then pointed towards the bottle of red that the bald man was holding.

Port a generous amount and handed me a glass. Is this everyone? Yes, the room. A couple of people nodded their heads in assurance. Okay, well, first off, I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Sergio. I'm one of the main investors in his alias.

Lanna and myself shared puzzle looks. I've never seen this man before. The success of this restaurant has not I've been lost to myself or any of the other investors. We're incredibly proud of what this restaurant has accomplished. And this starts and that starts with each and every one of you.

Raise your glass. I propose a toast. The staff that makes this place special from the cooking staff to the servers, the hostesses to the busboys. You are all an integral part of this family and we need to do better and we need to do a better part of showing our gratitude.

Well, Sergio spoke up. He came to scan the room. there's still no sign of Julie, better yet, no sign of Silva. I cleaned to my glass against Lana's and a few other employees in my vicinity, holding the brim of the glass to my lips. Some of the waitstaff and hostesses down their drinks and were nibbling at the finger food. Some of the line cooks and junior chefs were pouring themselves another round with delighted smiles across their faces. This was the first team-building event in all my years at the restaurant,

so many of the workers seemed to be making the most out of the occasion. But those that knew better held their ground. Dwayne held his full glass to his hip with a stern expression Elsa was sitting at the table her chef hat flopping out of her pocket her glass untouched I'd seen too much death to enjoy the offerings

not an ounce of alcohol was going to hit my throat You should try the tar tar Lana whispered It's delectable I smiled wine glass still to my mouth As I eyed the exit I slowly shoveled towards the door As the speech continued

Tonight we celebrate our employees Dinner service has been canceled and don't worry, taxi services will be provided to those who will need it. The roar from the room was deafening. Before we start the festivities, there's one more exciting announcement. The door slowly creaked open, sound lost amongst the celebration. We'll be reopening at a new location, a much bigger venue. Excitement slowly shifted into nervous apprehension.

Do not worry, Sergio assured the crowd. You will all be welcomed back with open arms. Azalea's needs each and every one of you. The dim light sparkled off the chandeliers in an iry dance as I strolled through the halls. I walked past the foyer, into the kitchen, and then down the grungy, abandoned hallway. With everyone preoccupied with the party, it gave me an opportunity to go digging for some answers. This made it closer to the elevator, I detected movement. My walk turned into a run as I saw Martin's slinky figure.

The door to the elevator was slowly closing. I pounded my feet into the concrete and sprinted as fast as I could. With an outstretched hand, I managed to activate. the sensor just as the door was closing. What the fuck are you doing? He barked. I grabbed him by his scrawny neck and pinned him to the back of the elevator. Take me down.

Now! He flailed and sent a powerful kick to my stomach. I noticed his hands were coated in a thick layer of blood. Weezing and clutching my midriff, I yelled. Take me to the bodies, you scum! We grappled with each other in the hallway. He managed to clip me on the side of the head with a shot that made me wobble. With the gritted teeth, we both struggled for control.

I wrestled with him, holding his body close to him. to mind as I tried to gather my composure. The dim light from the elevator was sparking like little flashes of lightning. The room was spinning, but somehow, with a sudden burst of energy, I managed to connect with a short jab. Stunmarked long enough for me to push him into the wall, went flying, his head hitting the corner of the wall's exposed brick. There was a deep thud, and then his body collapsed to the floor. Small trail of blood trickled out the sides of his head, forming tiny puddle on the floor. He scrambled to his body, rummaging for his access key. There were sounds coming out of me that I'd never heard before.

Uncontrollable sobs, moans of sorrow. I found the card in his back pocket and booked it for the elevator. As the door was began to close, I noticed the flashing red light coming from the ceiling. The camera was pointed in my direction. The odor was crippling. It crept up the shaft and seamed through the cracks of the elevator doors. The elevator carriage rumbled as I slowly descended into the unknown. The doors eventually slid open to reveal what looked like an ongoing construction project.

The framing and some of the drywall had been completed, but the floor was packed dirt. Darkness seemed to cover large sections of the room. There were light strung up on the ceiling, but there was little done to mask to smell. If there wasn't a pile of gas mess laid out by the entrance, I surely would have vomited. I followed the hanging, glowing orbs down the old tunnel. It only took a couple of paces before I saw the industrial-sized fridge. It was a massive stainless steel house with a large sliding. door. Shivered as I entered the unit. Inside were shelves and shelves of plastic bags. Hearts,

livers, lungs, intestines, files of blood. Names of either the victims or the new recipients were written in permanent marker. Everything was sealed, labeled, and organized, tiptoe deeper into the cold room, only making it a few more steps before I finally screamed. Silver was rigid and face up, lying on top of a pile of bodies. $1,000 suits and flowing gowns were all lined with speckles of frost. Silver's eyebrows were covered in an icy white. His expression frozen in a look of terror, the bullet wound was right through the center of his skull.

That moment I understood that this was so much more than a murder for hire operation. It was so much more than a restaurant. Everything seemed to turn a profit. I ran out of the cool room and started pacing. outside of the unit. I wanted so badly to go back up the elevator to make my way to safety, but I knew I was on the cusp of the secrets. There was

still so much I didn't know potentially down the hall, so I foolishly pressed forward. You dumb, as I went further into the... For what I got to say, that is so cool that Silva was just a piece in the operation. You know? Like he's made to be the big guy, but it's like, no, he messed up by

letting you get too far, so he had to be taken care of. As I went further into the basement, the smell intensive. The piles of bodies were in plain sight, if you could even call them bodies anymore. I removed my mask just in time to unleash a violent wave of chicken casserole. Their stomachs were fleshy, gaping holes hacked away with little left of their insides except for the rib cages and bone that held the remaining bits of skin together. Their faces had no eyes, just black holes carved out of the now rotting flesh.

The maggots were little white dots in a sea of decomposed skin, festering all through the crevices of what was left. The dirt floor had clearly been disturbed in numerous places. Something drew me towards one of the hands dangling from the middle of the pile. It was dainty. The fingernails painted in a pastel pumpkin. The flamboyant color palette looked familiar like something Julie would wear. As I pulled heaps of limbs and serrated bones toppled from the top of the tower of bodies,

roves of beetles and blowflies buzzed from all the commotion. I recoiled losing my footing on some loose sediment. In the corner of my eye, I spotted the meat grinder at the end of the room. The piece of machinery was hiding in the shadows kept from plain sight. As I got closer, I could see that the thing looked polished to perfection. Sinister thoughts flooded my brain regarding its purpose. Some off-menu items for an extra cost, a special order of beef, tartar. I dry heaved, nearly losing my lunch once again. I couldn't experience the gruesome

scene any longer. These were all of Azalea's deepest, darkest secrets, secrets that some of the family members took to the grave. I needed to get out of here before I suffered the same fate. There was a thundering sound of footsteps at scraping coming from the roof. I made a mad dash for the elevator. I strode past Martin's body down the hall and made it through the empty kitchen. I managed around the corner of the foyer before I heard shouting Hey stop The bald man was willing

One of the dish carts out of room one Dwayne was willing another behind him I took flight up the stairs Hearing the pounding abominious footsteps behind me I managed to exit the parking lot Before they were able to get close Okay so They killed all the servers

Right Because they had to move locations or whatever So it's like hey we're shutting down In case any of you know anything except for people like Duane who are already in too deep we're going to kill everyone and then we put the bodies

and we're going to dispose of them. So it seems like they were killing people as a hitman service but then as he said everything turns of profit so they were also in the organ trade and they were also in the business of if someone wanted to eat human flesh

they had like that option with the meat grinder but most of the body pieces they couldn't use were just left to rot in the basement. Yeah I think it's one of those things where they've turned their profit at this place now they're just going to start up a new operation somewhere else. Yeah. Yeah, they've made the money here. Like you said, everything, everything at a cost.

Everything turns a profit. I told you at the start of this that I was a nobody. I was just a lowly server. I was no mastermind. I was no criminal, despite what the security tapes may show. There was no plan. There was nothing. Just a series of events that unfolded after that evening.

There was no gun. Although I did think about this often during my fits of insomnia. I would have been too much of a coward to even pull the train. trigger. But if anyone deserved a bullet in their brain, it was Silva. It would have been satisfying to do the honor, but the end result was the same. There was no fake passport. I just didn't know where to get one. There was no burner phone. I just never had the gumption to follow through. In the end, there was just me in the open road. My first stop was a small town bank in the early morning. I withdrew all the cash that I could and loaded it into a suitcase. Kept driving,

only stopping to load up on fuel or to reload on convenience stores, food, and energy drinks. I kept going for a few days until I reached the Mexican border. I prayed they would let me through, and for some reason, my prayers were answered. Azealia family always proved to be a tight-lipped bunch. There's a beach along the coast just outside of a small town. I remember the recommendation from a dear friend. He's off the beaten path and far away from tourists. I think the name was El Decembo, or maybe Decembo.

my Spanish was never the greatest it just seemed like a good place to stop the water was crystal clear and the beach was quiet I sat in the sand just in time to watch the sunset there were a few other Mexican teenagers splashing around in the water

and a handful of fishermen dragging around empty nets across the beach there's one other person the only other gringo that I've seen your hair is an unusual midnight black for her face complexion and her smile seems to glimmer in a familiar way

she's all alone and out of place most of all she looks happy gazing at her sprawled out on the beach towel for some reason I felt the need to make a call I dialed the number the same one from the poster Hello Viola

Yes who is this It was her You were right all along And I tell her everything I know about everything The sun dips below the horizon The sky is suddenly a murky marmalade It's harder and harder to see with every passing second

My mind wanders into the dark recesses of my brain Towards the memories I've tried to forget I think about my time at Azaleas And how great the job was before it wasn't I think about my co-workers I think about Julie Think about how close I came to death Think about the others who weren't so lucky

I think about the life I took And the one that got away The beach is empty now The fishing boats are all secured And hitched to the dock for the evening My vision's hazy in the shadows of the night But I still hear the playful frolicing in water And the soothing splash of the waves against the rocks

At this moment I am sure It's the most beautiful place in the world It's a matter of time before they find me Whether they track my cell signal from the nearby towers Or they find the footage from the restaurant Tomorrow I'll be in another town and another after that for as long and as far as my money will take me. For now, I sit, take in the crashing of the waves,

avoiding the dead, restless eyes that will come from me in my sleep. And that is the end of Azaleas. I got to say, I love that. Azaleas Cook House is a family restaurant. The family always comes first. Great story. Really enjoyed it. no sleep fine very great no sleep fine yeah i will say very excited first off his the book that comes

out this year you said it's called kaleidoscope right from i think the kaleidoscope the kaleidoscope yes that would be one i'm definitely we're definitely going to whenever it gets released we should definitely let you all know but that'll be one i'm picking up i think the only we should also it's uh it's also a anthology horror series so uh if we can get in contact with him when it comes out we should definitely do one of the stories from it i think yeah we should just make sure that'd be cool um and you can sign up for his newsletter to get updated and new new short stories from him as they come out because this story banged i liked it a lot yeah it was a lot of fun i think that the uh only criticisms i had were one uh the tattooed woman and paulina not being

together i think was kind of a missed opportunity that that's kind of a bummer for everybody i think no no i'm going to speak for everybody i think everyone was kind of like let out a kind of i don't know, disappointed sigh. But I will say, uh, I think the ending, it kind of felt like it was one of those, it felt like it was a conclusion to a story where it was just kind of like, I'm done. Like I'm just kind of, I'm done with the story. Yeah, but it's also at the same time, it's like you either end with our main character dying or you end with because he, he saw everything. Like he goes to the basement and he sees what they're doing with the bodies. He sees that Silva's been killed. This is a part of a much bigger operation that he can't hope to deal with. So he just escapes. And then

I did, at the end of part three, whenever Keith's sister comes up, or whatever his name was, when his sister comes up, uh, Viola and is like, I know something happened to my brother and she's like emotional and everything. Um, I was like, I don't really know if that was a good touch. But then at the end, after he's done everything, that's like his last piece of redemption. Like even if I can never go home, even though my life as I know it is over, I'm going to call her and say she was right to hopefully get the word out. So that's like a lifeline at the end of Yeah, I mean, it's a confessional, but I don't know. I mean, like, once again, it's, it is what it is.

I mean, this is a store we have. I'd be curious to see a version of this where it's like, you know, if you had this Paulina thing, it'd be kind of interesting if a guy found out that the restaurant that he's working at, uh, is a place where people come to kill people. He finds that out, right? He's still obsessed with his neighbor who has a family, whatever. And if the, if the waiter would have put in the order to have the family killed or whatever. And then she, I don't know, rejects him.

it's this way where he's like bought more into the system or something like that or like you know he becomes more adapted to it like just a weird kind of character arc I guess would have been just something interesting food for thought you know it is what it is what I mean this that's not the reality we're living in so it doesn't matter but just a little thought I had but all and all had a lot of fun with this I'm glad to it wasn't like a I don't know it this is a it kind of reminded me of the midnight meat train a little bit of just kind of like it's just a very fun weird premise obviously midnight meat train takes this fucking crazy route at the end, but this is still, uh, I just kind of like how grounded it was.

Yeah, I had this thought near the end where I'm like, I hope this doesn't become like when he goes to the basement. I hope it's not like like Silva's the devil. Yeah, there's like a demonic sacrifice. Yeah. It's like and there's these creatures they're praying. I was afraid to go that route. But no, it's just like a body like body part trading circuit and broadened bodies. Um, so I like how, like you said, how it stayed grounded. I really like all the story beats I took. I thought it was interesting how like Paulina's kind of like oh she's cute and then she's a part of this whole world and he tries to like justify it to himself but it doesn't work out and he has to escape like I'm really happy with the decisions it took I thought it was great played out I really loved

the riding style the writing style was awesome I think uh I think the paulina thing I think that could have been seen through a little bit more like I think it would have been interesting if they get together whatever he knows what's going on and he still pursues this woman whatever and that ends up getting her killed and that's also what sets things up up You know what I mean? Her being able just kind of get away or do whatever. I don't know. I wish that there was more clarity or just more of like making her such an integral part

because he's just so obsessed with her. So extremely obsessed with her the whole time to where, you know, maybe he's like, I'll take it to the grave. Or like he finds this out and he's like, well, you know, she's complaining to him about her husband. I don't know. Just different ways you could have played with it. Once again, not the reality we're living in.

It doesn't matter. But I had a lot of fun with this story. I mean, I think it's just because it is an interesting story. Mm-hmm. like the concept is so unique and cool that it's like oh well you could do this this this with it and I think that's just a symptom of like having such a creative concept for a short story the naturally you're going to be like oh well think of all these other things you could do with this concept yeah because it's a unique concept so I think it's more so a statement if he had a really

good idea uh that I want to see more stuff done with it I want to see more direction I think there's going to be a lot of people there's going to be a lot of people saying that they wish this was like a movie or something. It was incredible concept. Yeah. It's, I mean, it's just one of those. You could do an entire anthology series out of different stories from Azaleas, right?

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Almost like White Lotus or something, like a season of a show. Yeah. One restaurant. And then the next season is like a different restaurant. They open up that kind of thing would be kind of sick.

But no, the kaleidoscope coming out later this year, guys. We'll let you know. Be sure to see, you know, just, uh, be sure to check out AP Royal. Great writing. We appreciate you guys. And also to all the audio listeners listening right now on Spotify, we appreciate you. And if you were watched on YouTube, please do consider going there on Apple Podcasts or Spotify listening and giving us a nice rating. It really does help us out.

So until next time, everyone, don't be eating at his alias. Or if you find Paulina, hit me up. Let me know. Do that. And most importantly, Hunter was wrong about his prediction. There will be a redemption moment again. The bear trap always gets, always gets its victim. Goodbye.

Sure. Yeah. Have you quit recording? Okay. Hunter was wrong and I was right. And he's also, he does this a lot. He'll say things are going to happen and they don't happen. And he has him cut from the recording in the end. But he's lying. If Hunter ever tells you anything is right, he has gone back and posted and edited it. And he lied. He lies all the time. He's full of lies. But yeah, great story. Check out the author. Bye. Baby hair With a woman's eyes I can see you watching in the night Come along with me

I But waiting for the sunlight When I feel cold You warm me And when I feel I can't Go on, I come and pull you, because it's you and me forever, Sarah, smile. Thank you. Thank you.