CreepCast - Borrasca V | CreepCast

Episode Date: May 18, 2025

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode features discussions and depictions surrounding sexual abuse, rape, and incest. Today it all ends. Take advantage of Ridge’s once-a-year Memorial Day Sale and get UP TO 40% Off right now by going to https://ridge.com/Creepcast #Ridgepod Read the Borrasca V by C.K. Walker here: https://ck-walker.com/borrasca-v/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is the cold habitual, and it is the froy of the mountains blue. The frowice at its summit. Coors Light, t'envee in a fraud. Celebrate in a fashion responsible, you have to have the age legal for consuming the alcohol.

Woo! Stop! Do you know how fast you were going? I'm going to have to write you a ticket. To my new movie, The Naked Gun. Liam Nissan. Buy your tickets now. I get a free Tilly Dog.

Chili Dog, not included. The Naked God. Tickets on sale now. August 1st. There is a meme on this channel about traumatizing events And usually it always circles back to one word. Baroscow. Barasca.

My friends, we here today are finally venturing down the final road of Barasca part five. Now, here's the thing. We've done all four before. But what people don't know is that part five itself contained has 20 chapters. This is a behemoth of a story. And it's written sometime later. It's written well after the first four parts. It's written well after, of course, by C.K. Walker.

Who we love dearly. She's the goat. She's the goat of the crepe cat. She might hate us, but we love her. The goat, right? But since the beginning of basically the show, I mean, we read Barasca part one and two. That was early. Early, early on into this show's history.

And ever since then, for over a year, we have been getting people asking when are they going to do Baraska 5, when are we going to do Brasca 5? And finally, since we are here in person, it felt weird. Like, I felt like it was like, it's become an occasion to where, It feels weird to just do it over call, like how we normally recorded. It's been too built up. Yeah. To where now you're here, it feels special in this time to just say, fuck it, let's, let's read it together.

Now, here's what's crazy. The channel's grown quite a bit since it, which thank you all for that. There's probably a decent amount of people who've read it by this point. Who have, I have read it, yes. But people have come to Creepcast who do, have not seen the first videos. Oh, sure. We have much more of a back catalog. Yes.

So if anything, so if that's the case, then, for people who don't know, spoilers from here, if you don't want to have the first part of this story, parts one through four, spoiled, please go check out those episodes. Not only from us, but there's also like, I forgot, put up some other sources of people who have done, like, fucking radio plays of it. Like, people have done, like, actual drama. Like, there's a lot of great stuff. There's all radio plays starring, uh, what's his face.

One of the Sprouse brothers, right? One of the Sprouse brothers, Cole Sprouts, I think. I hear it's amazing. But there's also, there's so many people. we there's so many fucking stupid jokes in ours if you want like an actual telling of the story it's a great story so many we'll put some references here to go check out some other great stories but for so spoilers spoils spoils now that the spoils are there as a recap for people who are just like getting into this or you know just need a refresher because it's been so long Isaiah break us down from what happened so the story of boroska the initial setup is it's about

a guy whose father becomes a sheriff of a small town um he moves there means a couple of his name's will he meets a couple of kids named colin kimber they start friendship and then will sister goes missing one day uh there's a legend in the town about something called the skinned man uh that takes kids in the night as the story goes um if they pass something called the triple tree which leads up to the old mine shafts in the mountains um the story skips between them when they were much younger when a sister went missing to them in high school and i want to say that that time jump though that first section building up Will's new in town, dad's the sheriff in town at this time.

But the way that they build this up in the first part, it's not like it's even, it's not short. I mean, it's, it takes its time and it hits all of the classic tropes that a creepy posse does of building up this kind of monster, the skin men, man, you know, when you have the triple tree, all this kind of, like just so, the world building is so concise and then it does a nice time jump after Will's sister gets abducted. Yeah. And that's kind of the crux of the first adolescence part is Will's sister is gone. It's kind of, you know, and it's something too where that is not a uncommon thing to happen in this town. A lot of people's sisters go missing. Yeah. You know, in that regard. Yeah. So it's like there's a conspiracy of foot. Yes. And at the beginning, the kids think it to be the skinned man. And because we're reading a creepy post. Yeah. As a parent. And we're reading a scary story. We're like, oh, maybe it is the skin. getting man in the mountains or whatever. I fully believed it was. Then as the story goes on, there's some suspicions. Kimber Mom seems like she's mentally deranged. At least that's what the people of the town say.

It turns out she's in the know and the conspiracy. Long story short, Kimber becomes kidnapped. Colin will go looking for eventually make their way up to the abandoned mine shaft up in the mountains. Pass the triple tree. They get to an old mine shaft up there, which the wording of the signs have been decayed to where it kind of spells out skinned men. So all the legends,

of the skin and men have come from this mind chef. Turns out that years back, there was an accident in the mine that poisoned the town's water supply, made several of the women within the town infertile. So people within the town in order to make back their money and to also preserve their families

or whatnot began human trafficking operations. Where they were kidnapping women and pregnant. This is so brutal. Impregnating them. I was going to say, in a very, trimming the fat and just getting straight to the point.

Just getting straight to it. Feels psychotic and it is. They referred to it as the breeding stables. The breeding stables and it's the mayors there. It's the buildup of the story is so crazy because there's people at like the woman in the at the cafe that will works. And she's all upset and she's like, oh, I get my child today. And it turns out that basically Kimber and Kyle and other kids in town are basically incest in Any kid who's name starts with a K, I think they said, it's like from the same father.

Yes. Yeah. So it's like just a sadistic, weird inbred town of people. And it's just, it kind of hit you with a fucking freight train. Because the whole story you're waiting for the monster to show up and then they do, but they're not the monster you thought they would be. Yeah. Exactly. And the emotional tie-ins between everything is so wonderful.

And I, you know, and it's weird to say it now because it's probably arguably the most. like the biggest meme on the channel like I mean this is like kind of meme yes I think it is only second view wise to the left right game but other than that it's like one of our biggest videos that we've put out yeah I think that the infamacy on this channel is the word boroska now in the creepcast subreddit or like even outside of it is synonymous with like unexpected trauma something happening I there was some I forget the YouTube videos watching some video the other day where it turns out that like a character was like taking advantage over there younger and one of the top comments was like oh so barasca or like a barasca moment which of course that isn't just from us that's not just from us it's a long

stingy thing but it was after we covered it i will take some credit it was after we covered it that like new age people younger audiences started to pick up the story and even if it isn't from that i just it's it's so crazy knowing the context of that now because it's just such a you know people are like i don't know what the fuck that is and you can keep scrolling but if you know but anyways very at least from i remember our initial readers and listeners and all that stuff very divisive ending.

Oh yeah, because it goes from a horror story to just like a super graphic like human trafficking story, which is a real world war that's terrifying, viewer discretion. And I wanted to say,

because I do not know where this one goes, I'm just to throw a fucking trigger warning up this time. Yeah, yeah. So that way, I don't, I've never read, I have no idea. We,

we go, We go blind with everyone. I have no idea. I have no idea what happens in part five. No. Here's what's crazy. I knew exactly where we were going the first time because I had read the rest of it. Yeah, remember? Because I was like, this was my favorite creepy pasta.

Oh, true. When I was in high school. So that's why we read it. And the whole time I knew where it was going. And you would say something like, well, I hope the kids are okay. I'm like, yeah, Hunter. They're going to be fun. They're going to be okay, Hunter.

So I knew where we were going there. I have no idea. I have never looked at this story. I've never had anything spoiled for it. No idea. You know, and there was a thing, there was a long period of time where we were, because Part 5 was written much later. The original one, all four were written in 2015, the first four.

This came a year later in 2016. Okay. So this was like removed from it, sequel written later. It was something that was, it was, there was some distance between it to where we were like, it's also, it's also just one of those things where it's so good that do you read the sequel? Like, do you read the add on it? Does it really add? It doesn't need one.

story's complete. You don't need to read this, but it's, it's been enough time now to where, just out of curiosity, it comes up so much to where, we're just like, fuck it. Like, really? You know how I see it? The, uh, the guy, the first dude who ever climbed Everest, the guy who died up there, I forget his name. Now, Edmund, or maybe the guy that was before Edmund. One of the guys who climbed Everest who died up there was asked right before he went up, they said, why do you, why do you need to climb this mountain? And he said, because it's there. Right. And me and you. And that's what, standing in front of Barrasca part. Barasca V and a giant neon sign.

Why do you need to read it? Because it's there. Because it's there. Because it's there. So, I mean, without further ado, where are 20 chapters, ladies and gentlemen. Buckl up. This is going to be a long one. Me and you till the end of the ride. And let's get into chapter one, shall we? Shall we? Be sure to support it. Thank you guys for the support. As you've already shown, thank you for getting the podcast at this point. Be sure to support C.K. Walker, her links will be in the description to her website. She always has some project in the work, some story. We've read a bunch of her stuff and we've enjoyed it.

her deep woods. We've read Mayhem Mountain. Mayhem Mountain during the live tour and that was a lot of fun. Just extremely imaginative, just anything you pick up from her. It's just going to be gold. She's stellar. So be sure to check her out. And for better or worse, thank you for making this story.

If it traumatizes us, hey, well, we saw what the effect the first one had. So we'll see this. Let's get it. Chapter 1. How long had I been asleep? And when had I realized that I wasn't anymore? I watched the ceiling fan circle slowly above me, doing nothing. to dissipate the clouds of cigarette smoke

that had drifted above my room for years. I started most mornings this way. But no, it wasn't morning, wasn't. I turned my head towards the bedroom window and confirmed the sky was dark outside of it. The last thing I recalled was being in the bathroom and then... Silence. Sweet darkness.

Seth. I set up and shugged an old bottle of water sitting on the floor next to the bed and then threw the empty bottle at my closet door. I lit a cigarette and took a long drag, releasing a cloud of smoke up into the apathetic fan It floated idly above me Pulling on an old hoodie

I walked out into the living room of the apartment I shared with my roommate Evening princess Seth was reclining on the end of the couch Fingers flying across the keyboard of a notebook sitting on his lap A confusing yet edgy indie movie played on the TV in front of him

This was pretty much Seth's life on any given day And it perfectly summed up all of my interactions with him since I'd moved in well all of my sober interactions with him anyway I pulled down on my sleeves to subconsciously hide my arms like it made any sort of difference but of course it didn't Seth already knew you noticed what I was doing and a smile fell into a sobering look found you passed out in the bathroom again sorry

I rasped I reached for a half can of Mountain Dew that had been sitting on the counter for God only knows how long you do realize how difficult it is for me to drag a six foot three dude out of the bathtub and down the hall to his room next time just leave me there man hardly you would have choked on your own vomit i shrugged i knew this was the death lurking in my future anyway but heroin afforded me one convenience that i refused to part with a dreamless sleep i die before i surrendered that besides if the nightmares came back i probably just kill myself anyway he is a visitor today while you were passed out dready stopped by oh yeah yeah he'll like he'll

You left you more drugs. Should you can pay him when you had the money. You know, he must be the sweetest, most generous drug dealer in all of Chicago. Where is it? You were sleeping like a baby in the tub, so I just left it next to you. Cool. In the toilet. Dude.

Look, man, if you die, I don't get half of the rent. And if I don't get your half of the rent, I have to get a real job? It's just business, not personal. Of course, that wasn't true. Seth and I had met at a darker time in both of our lives and shared the short of bond that is only forged in such circumstances. Who is the other? The other what? The other visitor.

A girl, actually. I told you we're out. I figured before I tell her that over the truth. Did she say what she wanted? No. I swore. That was never good. It was probably just some girl coming over to beg for free drugs, which I didn't

currently have because Seth had flushed them down the toilet, and I would never let her touch my private stash. That had to be yet. what else could she want great so some chick either wants a hookup or is coming over to tell me she's pregnant you wish this chick was way beyond anything you could ever get that's gonna be kimber isn't it it's a hundred it's gotta be kimber yeah i'm gonna get sad because now i'm remembering all the characters well kimber also she's gonna see him will now who's a heroin junkie which to clarify for those of the forgot at the end of the story kyle effectively dies he gets such he gets physical

beat to the point that he's brain dead and we got hints of this at the end of this where he's like, I'm not doing well. Yeah, Will and Kimber get away. Obviously, too. For, you know, that's not a shocker. Yeah, Will becomes destitute, but his like one hope of the end is like, it seems Kimber got on. Yes. He says he got a

letter in the mail with a picture of her and he's like she's doing well and that's all that matters. Yeah. Kimber made it out somehow. That's going to be Kimber come to find him again. It, you know what? This may be kind of cringe to say. But it actually feels kind of weird

to talk about some of these characters again because of how on this podcast in like in our mind how like Kyle from Barasca is an entire character type now like if we have a story

where guys kind of douche or whatever I feel like actually dead relatives kind of don't they? Yeah yeah a little bit it feels like talking about the dead in a weird way it's like oh we remember Kyle right

reminiscing on old real people in our lives but now they're here again. That's, I don't know. It's weird. It's strange. If we go, if in this story, we go to see Kyle and he's like in a wheelchair, I'm going to be sad. I'm going to be messed up. He's not like, well, I can't even remember what he actually says in the story. But all I can think of is like, your wife looks mad, funny in that box, dude. Which somewhat, I mean, not to keep you real, but someone got a tattoo of that. Did you see that? No. Some girl got a tat. They posted in the creepcast sub right. They got a tattoo of a coffin. It says your wife looks mad funny in that box. dude. Damn. That's how much like some of these characters and stuff in the story like meant to people. It's just... C.K. Walker. C.K. Walker.

Performs magic. She does, yeah. Really? Because she did come asking around for me, didn't she? Sure, but I'm not the one who got her number. No, you didn't. Left as I walked in the kitchen and took one of our three glasses out of the cupboard. Oh, I did. Seth held up a torn

shard of white paper. She gave it to me and asked me to call her when you came home. He used air quotes on the last two words. yeah well I don't I don't want anything to do with there's a knock at the door shot Seth a poisonous look what he threw up his hands and stood she's really hot and you can't stand the way of true love don't open it I warn as he walked over to the door sorry Sam but you know I have a thing for redheads

oh oh bruh I'm saying this I'm kidding ah okay redheads what do i know any redheads i couldn't place one for the life of me and seth opened the door to reveal kimber to start this is so i feel like i feel like like like you said talking about a dead relative and then seth opened the door to reveal kimber de sterro standing on the other side suddenly felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped on my soul i had a few seconds to study her before her eyes found me leaning against the counter in the kitchen she was still very short but her hair was longer halfway down her back it looked like

and she was of course almost ten years older than the last time I'd seen her looking at her after all these years was physically crippling I had to make a concentrated effort to stay on my feet while my knees tried to buckle underneath me just seeing her face brought back painful memories I thought long buried

she was like a mirage long dead returning to torture me Kimber's eyes finally found me as she nervously clutched her cell phone in her hands turning it over and over against her chest. Hi, Sam. Oh, sorry.

Not, did I make up the name Will this whole time? Is his name Sam? Is his name Sam? I thought it was Will. Unless we're just thinking Did I make up this whole thing? If that during the

edit, just have to just say Sam. He moves there, means a couple of, his name's Sam. He meets a couple of kids named Colin Kimber. They start friendship. And then Master goes missing one day. Also, Seth did say Sam too. Sorry, Sam.

Yeah, sorry Sam, but yeah I don't Where did I get Will from? Yeah, his name Sam Walker in the story All right, whatever I guess I'm just stupid All right, whatever That's me

To be completely honest I don't remember anything after like two weeks So I was just like, I was like Will, okay, yeah There must have been another store with Will Or that or I'm coping, my bad I'm just thinking of it. Isn't that the same Will and it?

Yeah, it is. Yeah, it's Will. Oh, no, no, that's what I was. stranger things is will will is the stranger things kid i don't know what there's a will somewhere in a story i don't fucking know i want to take a quick moment to thank today's sponsor rich wallet it's memorial day weekend and that means barbecues backyards and relaxation but no one wants to relax with an old bulky wallet in your pants that your grandmother got you at your 13th birthday and you're still not really sure if you should throw it away or not well i'm here to tell you do it throw away your

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show your support and say it came from us because it really helps out, and we're sure you'll be happy with what you get. Again, rich.com slash creepcast to get in on this incredible offer today. Thank you so much to Ridge Wallet for sponsoring the show. We are now back to the episode. Hi, Sam. She said with more confidence than she clearly felt. Since Kimber had actually spoken to me, I could probably confirm that this wasn't a nightmare. She was really here. And if she was real, that meant that it was all real too. I shot a wrecked through my body and I found my white-knuckled fingers

around the edge of the countertop. Why are you here? I meant to sound so angry. My word seemed to rattle Kimber and she took a step back. I will... I... Seth watched the exchange with interest but did not intervene. You shouldn't be here, Kimber,

I said. Just wanted her to leave. This needed to end before I lost it. After she was gone, I could pretend she was just a night. nightmare seeping through the veil. Kimber hesitated. I saw her calculated in her mind as she watched me. Her lips moving only slightly as she organized all the variables in her head. It was such a Kimber thing to do and made me realize how much I missed her. I saw the exact moment Kimber found in her mind what she was looking for. Did you get my letter? Yes. And? And I threw it away. Lies. She faltered for only a moment. Did you read it? I didn't say

anything, but I knew she could read the answer on my face. When neither of us spoke, an awkward tension began to bleed into the room. So, I'm Seth. My roommate said, still casually leaning against the door. Kimber held my stare for a moment longer

and then broke it to finally walk into the room. Seth let the door close behind her. Kimber. He said to him. And how do you know Sam? We grew up together. neat. Sam and I were cellmates in prison. Seth. I was in for a super sexy felony. Computer crimes. Sam was in for...

I swear to God, Seth. Harder stuff. Okay. Good night, all. I like the Kyle's there in spirit. Even if he's gone. Yeah, yeah. I was just saying it's interjecting that new kind of comedic relief into the kind of heavier subjects. The comedic relief and also the fact that, you know, like, he was in prison for a while, for heavy stuff. Well, I was going to say, that's just a fun way to interject some more backstory of, yeah. Yeah, he's a junkie, but also they fucking met in prison. It's almost like this is a halfway house.

Yeah. A little, I mean, it's not because they're renting it, but still, like. They're barely on their feet. Yes. I mean, he's getting heroin delivered while he's overdosing in the past of. Like, on their feet is a very strong way to describe that. Yeah. He said cheerfully and left the room.

I kept my eyes on him as he made his way down the hall to his room, cursing his every step. says door finally closed behind him i reluctantly let my gaze drift back into the room kimber was watching me with an expression i couldn't read but i didn't like it the letter yes i read it kimber continued to stare at me waiting for more she cracked me just that easily i don't what to say i bring my hands through my mess of dark unwashed hair i'm sorry that we couldn't that we didn't sam stop i'm not here for apologies i don't i don't need one you guys got me out kyle got you out his name seemed to impale her wondered how long it had been since she'd heard it well that's kind of why i'm here there are others sam women who never escaped this place oh god here we go we're going back i mean how could you not dude like i mean you got to have some operation there is a breeding factory of humans happening right there this the story i really just hope it doesn't go into like a CSI Miami where it's like the bombs are planted

yeah like and he's like running out like after the trauma after the trauma the first one gave I hope they kill him I've I hope no no or do you mean the women in there no I mean I hope they kill like the people oh sure I'm saying that I don't want them to I don't want them to go back with explosives and be like we have to destroy this place don't they could literally be explosives I think a gun I think they'll shoot people yeah I'm just saying that I It doesn't matter. I'm just saying, in my mind, I pictured the CSI Miami.

You know what I'm talking about where he doesn't? He's like, looks like this is. She'll need another pair of slippers after that one. Yeah. I know what you're saying. I don't think that's where it's going. I don't think that's where it's going. I do, you know what?

After Barasca, the first four parts, I'm okay with a little cathartic revenge story. That's fine. That's fine. If that's where it goes, that's cool with me. Yeah. How? I want Drisking to be exposed.

I want what they've done to be. be known to the whole world. Yeah, so do I. So do a lot of people. But the majority of us aren't in a position to do anything about it. I needed a drink.

Pulled a plastic bottle of cheap vodka from the freezer and poured it into the glass. You want some? I asked almost as an afterthought. God, yes. Kimber said, and I took another glass down

from the cupboard. Filled it and handed it to her. She drank half of it in one sip, which seemed to steadier. So what do you want for me? Kimber. I asked as she set the glass down. I want you to come back to Drisking with me.

I laughed and then tipped my glass back, allowing the hot sting of the alcohol to unfurl down my throat. I'm serious, Sam. Yeah, the answer's no. We never leave that place alive. We did once. We're not going back. I have a contact. You know, some, someone on the inside.

The inside of what? Trisking? Barasca, the sheriff's office? They know stuff, okay? And they're willing to help us. That's all we need to know. no we need a lot more information than that and you'll get it later after we get there did you really come all the way from california to ask me this after nine years actually i wasn't asking kimber looked at me coolly crossed her arms in front of her with ironclad conviction

this wasn't the kimber i remembered i didn't know this woman so somebody told you that they were going to help you take down a very highly connected and protected crime syndicate and you believe them. I didn't say that. So you don't trust them. I didn't say that either. Yeah, well, this isn't happening. We'd be dead the minute we crossed the county line. Are you saying you won't go? Uh, no, I won't go. I said pouring myself

more vodka. All right. Kimber said and set her glass on the table beside her. Well, thank you for other drink. But I have to go. Something lurched inside of me. I couldn't let her leave. And now when I just got on her back, so why was I being such a dick? I took a step toward her before I realized what I'd done.

Where are you going? I told you. She snapped as she started towards the door. I'm going to Trisking. I was on her before she'd finished her sentence and yanked her away from the door. The hell you are? I told you I was going, Sam, and I fucking meant it. I didn't know you intended to go alone.

That's damn suicide. I don't care. It needs to end. Why does it have to be you? I pled desperately. My heart began to sink as I realized I did know this, Kimber. Mine was made up and there was. there'd be no stopping her.

Who else, Sam? Who else but us? There's no one. I thought of my best friend, back at that place, seared through my brain like a hot iron. I had to make Kimber C. reason. Even if I had to hurt her, there's no other way.

So after what Killian Clary did to you there, after all that you suffered at Barasca, you want to go back. She snatched her arm back from my grasp. Yes. Because there are other people still suffer. as we stand here arguing about this. We shouldn't even wait

this long to try to help them. No, wait, okay. We can take this through. I'll try again with the FBI, the cops. Interpol. I don't know. Whoever will listen. Did that work before?

It hadn't. Sam, if I try to report the... What happened to me? I'll show up on the radar immediately and be dead by morning. No more pretensions, no more manipulations. I had to bear my soul to this girl

if I wanted to stop. her. Please, I said desperately, please, Kimber. I'm begging you not to make me do this. I'm sorry, but I'm going. I was panicking, unable to control my breathing or the pounding of my heart, which was racing to a finish line that lay somewhere in the immediate future. Shit! I screamed and swept Kimber's vodka glass off the table to where it shattered against the wall. This didn't seem to surprise her and Kimber kept her composure while I raged. Damn it! It was over. I was going back to Drisking. See, end of chapter one.

Oh, I'm hooked. I'm in. Because I like how it's like, she's like, I'll go by myself and he's like, don't make me do this. As in like, because he's not going to let her go alone. Well, yeah, he's like, really, the frustration there is that I'm afraid. I'm afraid for you, yeah. And I bet partly himself. Yeah, yeah.

You're risking your own life with that too. Obviously, he cares about Kimber here. And he's like, please don't, please don't put me in a situation where I know you're going to go back because I can't do that. And I don't want to have to experience that too. I mean, yeah, it's awesome In another story I may like argue and be like

Okay, well, you could contact this agency Or do this and stuff like that But the story, especially the first four parts Did such a job of setting up That like the police are in the know about it The law enforcement's in the know about it Stuff like that The local law enforcement yeah

Local law enforcement And now we're like Oh well the federal agencies didn't listen You I was thinking about that too I think that what are you gonna What do you call the FBI Hey there's a giant rape stable in a mine and my friends think all the police in this town

and what would they do? They would call the police and they're like that's the dumbest thing we've ever heard. That's not true. And that's probably as far as it might go. Realistically. Good luck. And with so many people in the town being in on it, that's also. That's also I think how this has longevity to not just be something that gets completely swamped out of the way. I'm willing to say like yeah, they have to do it themselves. Well, for the sake of the story, yes. Yeah, I'm willing to buy that. And also I don't

want anybody else to do it besides them. Yeah. At this point. Yeah, it wouldn't be satisfied. Because when they do it, it's going to have like an actual sense of authority, like justice. It would actually be done. Kimber was kept there for a while. Well, you know, yeah.

Don't need to open up that can of worms and know what happened to that. All right. So that's the end of chapter one. Now into chapter two. Chapter two. I watched the vodka drip down the wall where I'd hurled it. If I wasn't so terrified, I would have been embarrassed by my outburst, but I couldn't stop the shaking.

Deep breath. one problem at a time. I need to wipe it off the wall, pick up the glass, and then I could go die in Missouri. Flut out a pathetic saw. All right. Missouri's kind of cool.

Okay, God, if there was going to be... Actually, the middle of the country is actually kind of fucking sick. Yeah, it's a flyover state, but still. If there's going to be a giant human trafficking operation, it wouldn't be a Missouri. It wouldn't be here,

so you shouldn't even look for it. Sam, I won't... Sam, I won't... take your time it's okay sorry bud look chapter two we still got we're only we're 10% of the way in once we finish the chapter so you know easy going from here

Sam I won't let anything happen to you nailed it gave her a ludicrous look how could such a tiny person stop anything from happening to me Kimber had always been a little fireball but this was madness

she raised her chin defiantly when she saw me assessing her when are we leaving I asked trying to keep my voice voice as composed as possible. All I wanted to do is retreat into my room where I could let the fear overtake me. In the morning.

That's crazy, Kimber. We need time to plan. And I need the contact number for this source of yours. Can't just go waltzing into town after a decade. I've had a lot of time to prepare for this. Years, in fact. Look, tomorrow, let's just get in the car and go. And I'll have the entire eight-hour drive to convince you

that I have a good plan. What is the rush, Kimber? Trying to be dead by Christmas? Just trust me. I'll explain everything in the car tomorrow. You know it's already midnight. Yeah, I know. I've been driving all day.

I'm tired as hell. You just got in today. Yes. From L.A. Close enough. Damn woman. Do you have a hotel? Not yet.

You can stay here then. If you're talking so much crazy, I don't trust your lunacy out the same. city. Kimber narrowed her eyes at me and then shrugged. Fine by me. Okay. You can take my room. Give me a minute. Shattered whiskey glass forgotten. I left Kimber standing where she was and went back to my room. Flip the light on and glanced around. My heart plummeted. The room was disgusting. I didn't really look at it in years. It was really just a place to watch TV or pass out. I couldn't remember the last time I had changed the sheets or done any laundry. The girls

who usually stayed over didn't care much what they were sleeping on. but this was no place for a girl like Kimber. Strip the bed as fast as I could, and herded bottles, discarded needles, and empty cigarette boxes into the closet. I realized too late that I didn't actually have anything to replace the dirty sheets. I was so overwhelmed by the last 40 minutes

that I felt tears starch well in my eyes. Get a hold of yourself. Jumped at a sudden knock at the door. Seth stuck his head in. Here! Handed me a stack of clean, folded sheets on top of a blue quilt. I wanted to hug him, but I was still attempting to get my emotions

under control. Thanks. Hey, so listen. Does this mean, I mean, is that stuff about Dresking true? I never told Seth

or anyone else besides the feds, anything about Drisking. What stuff? Oh, come on, man. I hear you talk about it in your sleep all the time. You say all sorts of

fucked up stuff. That's why I've heard your friend's name before. You talked about her sleep. What are you talking about? I don't even dream when I sleep. Yeah, you do. You may not remember it, but trust me, you do. I didn't say anything and Seth started to leave. Oh, one more thing. If you need anything while you're back home, just call me. Home. Yeah, Trisking was home. Since I lived in a shitty neighborhood, I walked Kimmer down to her car to get her bag out of the

backseat. She dropped her duffel on the thankfully dark carpet of my freshly cleaned room, which was still barely passable. At the very least, I'd known she was here and safe. I'd always wondered if Clary and Prescott were having me watched. If they were, Kimber was in danger by just being in Chicago. Probably was a good idea to leave in the morning. I settled down on the couch and pulled out my personal stash, which I pocketed while kicking garbage into my closet earlier.

I needed it tonight of all nights, and if it was going to be one of my last, then I would make it count. 30 minutes later, I floated down. down the familiar river of dark, dreamlessly. End of chapter two. Chapter 3. I like that mention where he's like, I hear you talk about it in your sleep.

You may not remember it, but you do. You know, it's just like how heavy it weighs on him. Yeah, I mean, completely tormented. Yeah. Which if it wasn't already prevalent, but I think that, you know, it's nice seeing a character like Seth being here where, yeah, he knows he's a heroin junkie,

but he hears the stuff that he's having night tears about and he's probably like well yeah i mean guys going through it yeah not that he condones it but i think he's more just like the guy's been through a lot yeah you know yeah what am i going to do right chapter three i didn't remember dreaming but i knew i had i woke up feeling like i'd run 30 miles drenched and sweat and fighting to draw in air with raw rag and breaths set up on the couch and rub my face what time was it why was i in the living room. What did I feel a malicious black cloud looming over me like some sort of comic strip character? And then it all came back, crashing like waves over my head. Holy shit, Kimber was here. She wanted something. Felt the fears shower me like ice cold rain as I recalled pieces of the night before. We were

going back. Kimber's bag was next to the door and she was sitting at the table reading one of Seth's look how smart I am philosophy books. As I set up, I slid the evidence of my addiction under the couch with my foot, praying she hadn't already seen it. Morning, Sam. Kimber smiled without looking up from the book. Why the hell are you so chipper? You remember where... I'll say what Sam is making it hard for you to read through these.

He's got, he just drop in and have bombs left and right. I'm going to power through. I'm going to make it. Why the hell are you so chipper? You remember where we're going, right? Yes. You should put the book down, looked over at me, beaming. I've just missed you so much. It was a genuine statement. statement and my mouth twitched into a little smaller words.

Damn it. I was happy to see her, too. Buried underneath all the fear, numbing pain was a glowing euphoria. I'd never been happier than when I was with Kimber and Kyle. One of them had actually come back from the void of the past. I stood up. Just let me shower and pack and then we can get on the road. That is, if you're still planning on going. Yes, I am. Are you?

Yeah, appears that I am. I'd run out of arguments Seth had already left for the day so I locked the apartment as we headed down to Kimber's car 10-year-old Mazda sedan stuck my bag and threw it into the back seat next to hers and then climbed in so eight hours huh

the ass dashed to start of the engine yep but I could probably do it in seven and don't rush my count Kimber pulled her sunglasses down and pulled out of the apartment complex looked back and wondered if I'd ever seen it crumbling graffiti covered walls again if I even wanted to

so then some time passes I assume Yeah Stop staring at me What You're not as sly as you think you are Sorry it's just I never thought I'd see you again

Neither did I You look good Pretty You know You know like healthy Stumbled all over my compliment Kimber raised an eyebrow Thanks

I think Don't you do that for this story any other story you can give that up with if you bring your Scooby-Doo mentality in here I'm going to be so mad I don't want to hear a single it's behind me I don't want to hear a single

you're going to want to say this I laughed nervously you know you know what I mean you look like you're doing well from yourself you know the last 10 years I'm a frown to remain quiet for a minute as if debating whether to tell me something

I never told me where I came from My mom said she had family in Anaheim, but I couldn't find them Everyone thought I was just a runaway Cops picked me up almost immediately and put me in a halfway house Sorry about your car by the way They impounded it I don't suppose you ever got it back I shrugged

No but who cares it was just an old Honda Remember threw me a sympathetic look I'm sorry Anyway the halfway house kept trying to identify me so I had to run away from there too and eventually I got a job Southern California is a great place to live if you don't have an ID, by the way. I'm sure.

After that, I went to community college, and yeah, I've just been sort of biding my time. Are you sure you want to just throw all of that away to expose your rapist? Kimber wins to my words, and I immediately were... That is kind of forward, isn't it? It's just, you know, God damn, like the last time, it's like we had...

It's just, yeah, just dropping, drop it all down there. I mean, like, cats out of the bag. I mean, it is, the first four parts are over. The looming haze is all around it already. But every once in a while, it just feels like he says it and he like looks right at the camera. It's like with like you said, Barasca has become a meme for like heavy like, you know, adult content and stories. And we are now reading once again Barasca. So it's like poking out.

I'll see it. Yeah. It's also, it's kind of demeaning for him to be like, oh, you're going to die to expose your rapist when it's like, you know, it's more than that. You know, there's hundreds of women, like constantly being. So it's community college and she's been biding her time. You want to, you want to throw all that away? Okay. She's like, she's probably like, yeah.

Yes. Yes. I believe that is the, that's the goal. That was the objective. Thank you. Thank you very much. All right. okay I'm Will

Kimber wins at my words and I immediately regretted them no him I went dead and throw all that and throw all of what away I've been planning this for an entire decade yeah exactly what you said yeah well you've still done better than me I'm uh I have

my life's a mess were you really in prison yeah you didn't say anything felony possession I volunteered and you're Still. I knew what she was asking.

Yes. So, what's your plan? Well, first we're going to rent a room just out outside of town. Remember that one motel off exit 113, Prince Ringe Inn or something? Outside of town. I like it. And then I'm going to meet my contact sometime tomorrow. Right.

And then we just go from there. Go from there? Yep. Kimber nodded, but wouldn't look at me. please don't tell me this is your plan our contact will give us more direction your contact yeah do i know this guy i didn't say it was a guy and it doesn't matter why wouldn't it matter because this person has told me stuff that can only mean that they are on on our side just give me a second dude i'm fucking i'm a fucking i'm a fucking i'm a fucking i'm a fucking i'm seriously so

dumb, it's unbelievable. Because this person has told us stuff, because this person has told me stuff that can only mean they are on our, on our side. Hold on, I don't know. Let's take a little. Let's take a second, second. You're doing really good. Look, we're in chapter three. That's, that's quick. That's a lot of,

that's long, I'm so fucking dyslexic. It's unbelievable, man. I, are you, are you diagnosed dyslexic? Hell no. Self-diagnosed. How else could it be? I mean, I'm like, why can't I say this? Because, this person has told me stuff that only okay well now it's a bit

now we've hyped it up this one because this person has told me stuff that can only mean they're on our side thank you good job hunter there's only 18 chapters to go

17 no no no we're on 3 yeah like what like the sheriff's schedule my dad yeah he's He's still sheriff and Drisking.

I hadn't doubted that. Okay, what else? Okay, well, they also told me that they don't know where all the records are. What records? You know, all the data for Brasca operation, the incriminating stuff? All right. And, well, they told me things about Kyle. Yeah, I can tell you things about Kyle, too.

Sam. Kyle's gone. No, he isn't. No? Actually, yeah, because I saw him with my own eyes before I left Texas. I'd talk to him too. He's empty, Kimber. There's no one there.

You're wrong. He's a total vegetable. You're wrong. That's wrong. My source told me he's just sedated. Sedated? Sedated for nine years, Kimber. Yes.

He said with false conviction. So your source is just telling you things that you want to hear. I believe it's true. Kimber. I saw what they did to Kyle. They straight up beat the dead. death into him. The only part of Kyle left on this earth is his mangled body. Stop, Sam. I'm sorry. I just, I can't go through this again. Not with Kyle. I've already mourned

him. You should too. We need to know for sure. Hold up. Wait. So this little trip isn't actually about getting the records or killing the asshole who hurt you or helping those people. This is some sort of ill-conceived rescue mission, isn't it? Partially. So that's your rush, you got some bad info that Kyle is alive and you're running off half cock to get him. No. Why don't we just go straight to his house and pick him up then, huh? I mean, we can be back on the road by dawn. I don't know where he is.

Delandie's moved him. What are we doing? If I'm going to die for this, Kimber, I deserve to know why. She jerked the wheel to the side of the highway and slammed on her brakes. Damn, Kimber! I yelled. My head cracked against the window and I was still seeing. starves when I realized that Kimber was out of the car. I rubbed to my head until the throbbing

stopped and then followed her to the back where she was standing over the open trunk. Inside were dozens of guns. Let's go. What are we doing here? I said I want them to bring. Surely she wasn't going to go here unarmed, right? Well, yes.

30, at least 30 guns. Is that an absurd number of guns? Yeah. There's two people. yeah so I think they should do it right

unless she's doing it because she thinks that the contact she has will get more people involved to do whatever to do stuff yeah yeah yeah I'm just saying like like when I was on the way to the stalker film right they were like bring whatever you got

and we're going to use it in the movie I was driving with I kid you not like 70 guns like rifles in the back of a truck and I did have the thought I'm like if I get pulled over this is going to become a problem I'm going to have a lot of explaining to do it would be a problem yeah I would even say for my film I'd be like that's excessive is what I would say

yeah well did you use all 70 about yeah because all the extras had it and stuff like that running around and stuff like that yeah or at least set dressing and armory scenes and stuff like that yeah inside were dozens of guns at least 30 of them there were rifles handguns a shotgun and boxes upon boxes of ammo

are you planning to storm the alamo does this look like Kyla's all I'm after I'm actually a little scared of you right now I want all of this to end I want Kyle back yes and it's true that I've why I showed up so suddenly but I want more than that Sam I want him dead

I understood her hatred for Clary but if we were going to murder people I wanted Jimmy Prescott dead as well and when the time came if I was certain he was culpable my father too yes kill your dad dude your dad was the one who sold your daughter

to them. His sister. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. His sister. His daughter. The dad's daughter and Sam's sister. And I fucking hate the excuse of like, well, if I didn't do that, they were going to kill us. I'd be like, then just let him kill us. Then let him kill us. Yeah. Oh, like, am I wrong? It goes back to the Tommy Taffey thing. Like, just die. Just die. I know. But here's the fucking difference between that. I know people say that because you're like, what was the dad supposed to do? Because I know Tommy Taffey's basically fucking Superman and you can't kill him or whatever. You know, if you don't have cryptonite. Hold on. Hold on. They burn. burned him and he went away so that proves he can die I'm still fully like me and you we're getting together everyone we know we're building a fort and it's like all right two weeks guns up facing to the east he always

comes from the east like in this in this case of there's just I don't know I I so that that horrible I just there's no way is that Tommy Taffy is that why he's here this that's Carly Beth from haunted mask goosebumps interesting that kind of looks like Tommy

Taffy a little bit yeah the car the carly beth bust does look like tommy's face but just just put a little a shirt there that just says hi hi yeah um which is getting a movie by the waitress well but anyway yes uh yeah his dad has to die this is look this is what i wanted kimber being like i'm bringing guns we're gonna shoot people i'm not doing any of this like we got we're gonna expose the truth no i want people shot in the head this is cathartic yes no blood will be drawn there there is no more like that will the cops the good guys. We can't rely on. Let's get it over with. How did you get all these?

Kimber shrugged. It's taken me a few years. Lots of traveling around the southwest of gun shows and stuff. Okay, well, close the trunk before somebody driving by seizure arsenal. This is Illinois for God's sakes. She slammed it shut. We got back into the car where I sat rubbing my head and lamenting at the bump that was already forming there. But I realized Kimber hadn't started the car. I looked up to find her gripping the steering. while tightly, staring straight out the windshield.

She was fighting back tears. Kimber, I'm sorry. She blinked a few times to clear her eyes. I'm being a total asshole. I don't know what's wrong with me. But I did know. My mind was cloudy from years of drug use. I had no filter, and I had problems controlling my emotions,

which swung back and forth like the pendulum on a clock. Changed just as often. No. I never should have asked you to come. come it was wrong she breathed the last word she dropped her hands from the steering wheel asked you're right i manipulated you you don't even know me anymore you shouldn't be here leaned over the center console and hugged her kimber recalled at my touch like i delivered her an electric shock shit i'm sorry no it's it's okay i just i just don't like to be touched

this was new Kimberd I pulled out my pack of Marlboros and lit a cigarette without asking if it was okay Umbs Kimber I'm a piece of shit I've always been a piece of shit I probably should be here honestly You've given the opportunity to do Something with my life

But I'm scared and it's making me a dick Kimberly leaned back and wiped her eyes You really don't have that much to worry about Sam You're still the son of the sheriff And he won't hurt you I considered this too and it made my skin crawl. It's out of the sheriff.

If what I was, if what I suspected was true, then that would make me air to Barasca. A stomach lurched in revulsion. Maybe, let's just get to the hotel and we'll decide what to do. We probably want to make as little noise as possible

while we figure out what Clary and Prescott are. We do not want anybody to know we're back in town. Kimber nodded. And the sheriff? And, And the sheriff. I didn't want to think about it. I'd buried the assumptions about my father's guilt years ago.

There enough black tar heroin to kill a horse. I guess it was time to remember. So, end of chapter three. So at the end of part four, he goes home to his dad and he's like, dad and his dad's like son. And like it's like,

the dad says something like, I know about your sister or whatever. He's like, dad, dad, son, son. basically like he's like dad this is happening he's like yeah i know i sold your sister he admitted basically yeah yeah i don't know if he ever said i mean like we you know we reasoned he sold a sister but maybe there's some part in sam's head that wants to be like maybe he there could be something but if you knew i don't if you knew about it and it's been this long i don't there isn't i don't know his dad's 100% culpable but there is a little piece he's trying to hold on to the biggest thing

so far that i feel like it's setting up that is making my stomach fucking turn is I have a feeling that Sam is going to have a hard time pulling through and fucking over his dad. I'm a little worried about that's going to start a domino reaction that's going to fuck over it. But we have a good. There's an upside here. What if Kimber's right about Kyle? I mean, I think that I believe, I believe that he could be sedated and that they are keeping him sedated because they don't want people, him to like tell anybody.

And they just perpetually of vegetable. But I do think that it would be a bit of a disservice to you. how fucked up he got at the end to just have him be okay you know like not that I wanted to do a vegetable but I just mean like he got he got caved in

yeah yeah yeah you got stomped I think he has to have some kind of right like Jimmy Prescott like he because he was the mayor whatever he's one who like pounded his head into the floor that are Clary or you know one of those two Clary was the one that was abusing Kimber when they got there yeah which is why she wants him dead and he wants Jimmy

Jimmy was the one who gave the whole space speech like we call this the stables that was just almost i wouldn't even be surprised if this turned into like just like we're going to kill the whole fucking town i you know how happy i would be i would be delighted if it's just like that would titillate me i would that'd be great i'd be titillated Kyle's like your grandpa on the mobility scooter they got a rifle set up here they like duct tip a gun to his hand yeah he's like fumbling over the bolt to re-rack it like he drives the wheelchairs

straight into a gas station 1738 does the J-Bel speaker attached it? I'm like hey what's up to the chair actually yeah it's like it's vibrated the back hub so it sounds like it's like you know like when this car is like

Burr Burr-Bah yeah it's like we need a distraction like tile in the mobility scooter I'm like what's up hello and I don't know how unreasonable it is, which it might be unreasonable, but I really feel like everyone in the town almost deserves to die. Yeah. I mean, like to an extent, obviously, I'm sure there's innocent bystanders. But like the, when Sam, what you said at first, they all deserve to die.

When Sam worked at the coffee shop and it's like, yeah, the woman who's like, oh, I want to have a kid. And it turns out, oh, no, you're like, you know about this whole thing too. She's like, I can't have a kid. I guess we have to adopt. And once I'm misremembering it. But no, no, no, you're right because she's like, I really wanted a natural kid. I guess we have to adopt one of the human trafficked babies that were bred by someone. Boom! Yeah, even just kill everyone. And the only people who have a guilty conscious were like Kimber's mom

who threw herself off the hospital building. Yeah. So, yeah, kill everyone. I fully think. If, look, if that story goes here, this will be probably the most cathartic creepcast episode we've ever had. After the meme of what Barasca is,

just kill it with fire, that'd be great. But we'll see. We'll see. Chapter 4. Chapter 4. We spent the rest of the drive avoiding the topic of Drisking. We talked about people we knew, movies we'd seen. Hell, we even made a few jokes that didn't fall totally flat. It reminded me of those days when we would sit in my car in the Drisking High parking lot, listening to music and getting stoned.

Makes me miss Kyle and weed. I'd given it up for the harder stuff years ago, or to put it more eloquently, if Pot was a gateway drug, I'd left it at the gate. Also, just to reiterate, too, they're probably like mid-20s. It would have been nine years since they had last seen each other, and all those events have in, like, senior year of high school-ish. So they're probably 25, 26. 25 to 30, let's just say, in that age, range.

Closer we got to Drisking, the quieter the car became, and by the time we hit the Missouri border, we were in complete silence. It had started to snow, and Kimber was completely focused on the drive. Stared out the window until the dread of familiar things passing by made me look away. We were almost there. Kimber pulled into the Prince Ridge within the hour and got out to check us in. I stayed in the car eyeing the other vehicles in the parking lot. Nothing I recognized, but seeing as how I had almost a decade since I've been home,

I wasn't sure that mattered. The first exit for Drisking, and there were only the two, it was only four miles down the highway. If Kimber considered this safe, there was no reason to worry, right? She'd always been the smart one. I jumped as Kimber jerked the car door open and got in. She noticed. know i'm traveling with you right i rolled my eyes part of me for being a little on edge two o nine she said pointed up at the second floor i'll drive around you look for it the room was at the front of the property

facing the highway i brought our bags upstairs and then stood shivering outside in the cold while i smoked a cigarette when i was finished i flicked the cigarette over the railing and watched it fall into the bed of a maroon dodge ram oops i followed kember inside and was relieved to see that there were two beds and three locks on the door. So far, not a complete disaster. Because it was around six, Kimber wanted to grab some dinner. Fratellis, Christine's.

They're both only a few miles away. Uh, no. Prescott Arteneson's sandwiches then? She winked at me. Remember when you worked there with that fucking monster? I would be like, don't. Also, I forgot, it was not a coffee shop.

I keep thinking it was a coffee shop. It was the sandwich place. Yeah, it was the sandwich place because that was our bed. And Jimmy Brescott fucking. his wife worked there. No, it was, he owned it. She was working there.

Yeah. And then her husband was the guy who came in and like had that, you remember when she was like, he was info dumping to Sam? He was like, fucking traumatized, it seems like. Well, he was standing there and he was like, my wife, she wants, she blames me for not being able to get pregnant. And we had that whole bit where it's like, yeah, I'm in high school. I smoke.

I'm 16. That's when I had my famous line, as I always do with these episodes where I said, mayonnaise is the sauce of the aristocrat. It's during that bit. Do you not remember any of these, like, bits or moments we had together? I remember all of it. Okay. What?

Trying to think of one about Barasca or something. No, I said again, ignoring her joke. Okay, whatever. No, I said again, ignoring her joke. I mean, we shouldn't leave. We should order delivery or something. Kimber's casual smile fell off. face.

You're worried for no reason. And you're homesick. Gimber's eyes slid to the floor and she sat down at the end of the bed. Probably. I just, I think we need to lay low as much as possible right now. No, you're right. Kimber said and tucked her feet up underneath her. She turned to watch the snow fall through the window.

I rub my temples as an ache began to ebbing them like a tide around my eyeballs. I needed a fix soon. It isn't snow in Rivers said where I live. I missed the snow. I moved to Chicago, said in between deep, measured breasts. Snow was five months out of the year. Kimber was silent, and I prayed she was studying the menu. As soon as she got on the phone for delivery,

the sooner I could excuse myself to the bathroom and take the edge off. I miss Kyle. I looked up to see Kimber still watching the snow. Her head leaning against the wall. Me too. Said after a minute. Her eyes snapped to mine as if she'd forgotten I was there. You look hungry.

Order pizza from Domino. I remember what you like on it He said before glancing at a menu Next to her on the nightstand She picked up the phone and began dialing the number I got up to use the bathroom And took my entire duffel bag with me Amber noticed she didn't say anything

Then sometime passes I do completely agree they do not need to go To a restaurant my gosh hell no It's Jimmy Prescott Yeah exactly I remember you Yeah great idea I love your red hair

There's nothing good that comes from Kyle's in the back look like Hector Salamanca Ding, ding, ding, ding He's staring that Ding, ding, ding, ding ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.

My boy's dingin Dinging. Oh, I miss him so much. Okay. I forced to slice a pizza down. I forced to slice a pizza down for Kimber's sake, though I wasn't hungry in the least. So tomorrow, I said, taking the bed nearest the door. What time are we meeting this person?

Um, well, it's just going to be me this time. Yeah, Kimber, there's no way I'm letting you meet with some random drisking by yourself. I have to go alone and they won't talk to me. Who is this? Guy, Kimber. I can't tell you yet. Is it a woman or a man? I asked.

He shook her head of me. And just, what is he giving you tomorrow? Biles on Barrasca? No. Then what? I don't actually know. Kimber, this is crazy. I have...

I can't let you go into town alone. Sam. Stop being such a hurry to die, snapped at her. Kimber's face paled and she moved further away from me on her bed. We'll talk about it in the morning. She whispered and then turned off the lamp Fine I laid in the dark for a while

And when I was sure she was asleep I went back into the bathroom for another hit At that time I woke up the next morning Kimber was gone End of Chapter 4 Who could possibly be a character That maybe we aren't thinking about That could

What I suspect is it's someone Who Kyle would not trust Do you think it's the fucking sheriff? I don't think it's a sheriff You don't think so? I don't think it's sheriff I think Because I'm wondering if she isn't telling him because she's like, I'm going to meet up with him, blah, blah,

and then he doesn't, she doesn't want him to give him all. I feel like that's a bit much. I mean, I'm just, I feel like he was too committed to, like, he gave up his daughter. And then he's going to what, like, oh, sorry, change a heart, you know. I'm trying to think. I can't think of who it would be at the moment. It's still a bit. I have a feeling as soon as we hear about it.

I don't think it'd be Jimmy Prescott. He was too evil either. Yeah. Well, he just fucking owns the town. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. He could just be like, hey, let's not. I'm just trying, I'm just trying to let's quit this, yeah. The person who was at the Prescott Sandwiches was the, was the husband of that?

I thought, from what I remember, her husband worked in the minds or like worked, he did some like blue collar job. But what I'm getting at, though, is I could have swore that he was like kind of fucking bummed on the adoption. Because he was, he was, no, no, he was like, I'm wanting to adopt, but she. She's opposed. Oh, so. And then she comes out crying and says, let's do it. And he's like,

yay, and they hug and stuff. Okay, so she was on who's kind of more like, I don't know if I want to get my baby from there. Well, she can't get pregnant. And then the husband's like,

let's just adopt one of the trafficking victims. There's babies up in the cave. They're printing these things out up there. It's like 3D printers up there. And then, oh, I forgot. Do you remember the shiny gentleman?

Yeah. That entire thing, how crazy that was. They just run people through a meat grinder when they're done with them. I forgot that they just like, they're like, well and they just fucking throw them in there

and yeah they would hear that and they would say that's the skinned man he's like yell up in the mouth. We forgot to mention that in the deal. Well for first time viewers of good luck with that I don't know let's just keep reading. Yeah yeah. Chapter 5. I called

Kimber 34 times in five minutes it was 10 in the morning and I hadn't heard her leave. I didn't even woken up when she did. I cursed her in my dope in the same breath. If she didn't answer soon, I be forced to walk to three and a half miles to downtown drisking and start asking around for her a course of action that would get me noticed really quick i paced the patio for half an hour and smoke cigarette

after cigarette thankfully i packed an entire garden just as i was pulling on my boots to leave my phone ring i was relieved to see kimber's number pop up a new addition to my phone book that would have unfurled a comforting warped to my stomach if i weren't so irate i answered what the hell kimber i'm sorry I'm sorry, Sam, I had to. He wasn't going to meet me otherwise. Where are you? I'm in the car. I'm almost back.

Or they haven't plowed yet in town. Really? In bucolic, perfect little drisking. They haven't plowed the roads by 10 on a Friday morning. I thought it was weird too. There's more. I'll tell you when I get there. Don't get off the phone with me until you pull into the parking lot.

Okay. Open the door and went to wait out in the cold for Kimber's car. My heart didn't slow to a normal. right until I finally saw it driving into the parking lot. The bullet in the space below our door and ran up the stairs. I'm sorry, I'm sorry I had to. Don't be mad. Are you kidding me with this, Kimber? I'm already on edge. I can barely breathe.

Okay, okay, just sit down. She pushed me into the room, set me down on the edge of the bed, pulling off her gloves. Then she crashed in front of me, took me by the shoulders, looking me in the eye. The sheriff and most of his deputies are engaged today, which I was told means that they are up at Barasca. Okay, and And that means that A, they don't know we're here And B, we can go into town

And start discreetly looking around Oh, as opposed to driving up to Barasca and killing them now? Himber stood up. I want them dead, Sam. More than anything. But you know what else I want? I want their crimes to be known by the whole world.

They don't get to die with their good names. They don't get to be martyrs. You want the records. Yes. What do you plan to do with them if you get them? Uplobe them onto the internet or something. Send them to the FBI. The FBI doesn't care.

We need the record, Sam. I want everyone to know what happened to us. Kimber's voice had risen an octave and she seemed on the verge of an anxiety attack. Okay, okay. Maybe Seth can help. Your roommate? How? He does some pretty illegal stuff online.

Maybe he can break into a mainframe or whatever and download the files. So he's a hacker? Uh, he yells at me when I call him that. Is he any good? Uh, he's well known in it, certain circles. Well, we need those files. I just need to find out where they keep them. Are we sure they even really keep records on Barrasca?

It seems like a huge liability. That is exactly what I was thinking. Yeah, why would you write that down? What fucking person is just like, okay, and... Five little girls captured today. We put this many people in the shiny gentlemen. and we had this many girls boop-b-b-beep

cross my teas and dot my eyes and that's the way we do it here in Drisking It'd be funny if there's like a code for it And it's like Oh today we had 500 children Reconciled Yeah

The shiny gentleman Had 300 guests for dinner We bagged bread And we sent flowers Two, we raped women today. This is stupid. And lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of women. This is signed the sheriff of town.

Hey, could you be a sweetheart and faxes to us tomorrow? I want this fax to myself. Facts us to me tomorrow morning. Just so I can stamp a document it in our computer. It's the same paper. They just keep re-stamping. Just want to remind myself that I did that yesterday. Okay, good.

I'm reminded. I mean, from a technicalist, I guess it's like bloodline. of keeping track of who's what? Well, they run the whole adoption agency out of it. So people go to the, people go to the town, they go to the sheriff and they like apply for a kid. Yeah. And then yeah. Yeah. And they have to keep recordedly somewhat all the kids are named based on like the first letter of their names who their dad is. All the keys were press gods. All the Kay's were. I can't remember who's the caves were player or something.

There was some mention at the end where, um, his dad's, started doing it. Or someone put that together, I think, because whatever his dad, Sam's dad's name was, oh, Walker, where his last name's Walker, there was a kid born in town whose name started with a W. So it's implied that now, Sam's dad's in on that. That's what I'm saying. Like, there's no redemption for the dad. No, no, no. You got to kill that guy. Yeah. You got to kill all these guys. An operation this size has to have records. And my source told me they exist. Oh, great. Your source. Okay, so you want to go into town and what? Ask around about them. Kimber narrowed her eyes at me. That's idiotic. I was thinking more

maybe we find out where the Clary house is and like get the information out of Grace Clary? Raise my eyebrows at her. You want to torture an old lady. Kimber exploded. An old lady that helped to rape, torture and murder hundreds of women over 50 years. Fuck yeah, I want to torture that old lady. All right, all right. Look, I may know someone who might be It'd be so satisfying to just, like, walk up to that old bitch and be like, she's like, hey, now! You just like, dust her out. What if she ate the, what if she fucking just ate it in the chin like a champ though? I just looked at you.

Oh, you want to play. Oh, you want a ball. You're like, or you like have a club. You're like, yeah. She's like, no. Not here, motherfucker. Welcome to the jungle, kiddo. Yeah, you're gonna die!

She just picks me up and, like, rips me at half. Guns smelling over her head. Brow, brough, bo, bo, brie-l-woo. We got up to the jacqu! We have funny games! Yeah, she just puts on a fucking top hat And Raybans, whatever And gets on a...

She's Axel Rose, yeah. Slash. Slash, slash, yeah. Anyways, yeah. But anyways, no, I would love to beat the shit on the old one. She was the one who, uh, earlier, remember they went to the nursing home and they asked and she was like, oh, the mines used to be the money for the town and stuff.

So she's known, she was there since the inception of it. She is a demonic old woman. Yeah, yeah. it's good for business How is it ethical to torture someone who has to mention no longer remembers the crimes of the committee? I think it's free game

Well they don't remember it It's true I suppose Why is my face hurt So in that case Would you then say that you are in favor Of execution methods or like capital punishment For the mentally unwell? I'm saying for this old woman

I would love if Kimber just had a fucking spear like Leonidas at the end of 300 when he throws it up at Xerxes and he just fucking like impaled her to her wall and she's like ah so you do

support the execution of mentally unwell people in you know society I think we got her answer to that and think we're okay there we go look at it

cool all right so someone write that down thank you appreciate it okay um all right all right look I may know someone who might be

sympathetic. And I'm reasonably sure that, unlike your contact, she's innocent of any knowledge of Barasca. In fact, she's the one who helped me and Kyle find you. At the very least, she'll know where the clarees live now. Drive into town took twice as long as it should have due to the snow. Why haven't these, why haven't they plowed these roads? I asked idly. It's not just the roads. It's everything. A lot of stores have closed in town. Buildings are in despair. Everything looks like shit. They don't even have Christmas lights up. It's bizarre.

That's weird. Are we even sure that Barasca is still running? Town looks pretty destitute. I am. Kimber said and pointed to a bulletin board on the corner, second in Osborne, which had six different and seemingly recent missing persons posters. What is going on?

Remembered as we turned on to Maine and into the downtown marketplace. Everything in town was, as Kimbrough described, run down, and ostensibly poor. what happened to this place I don't know but lucky for us the antique shop is still in business camera said pointing across the road

as he parked to zip my park up to my neck and lowered my hat down to my eyes Kimber to the same the most important thing right now was not being recognized Mr. Dranger was still behind the antiquities counter after all these years but gone was his air of haughtiness

and pretentious stare he regarded us coolly but professionally until it was clear we were only traveling through the shop to get to Catherine Scanlan office at the back. He mumbled something under his breath and thought, I didn't catch it. I was reasonably sure there had been

no sign of recognition in his face nor his words. This is the lady who remember was the old history teacher or like the lady that ran the library who they went and she gave them like, well, Barasca is a word for an abandoned mine. So she didn't seem dumb to it in the original stories. That makes sense.

We arrived at the office store of the historic preservation. Also, I just gotta say, it is so satisfying to hear this town's poor well here's the thing like they they can't even afford a road plow good I'm guessing I'm wondering if they're just if there just hasn't been enough like I'm wondering why the snows aren't plowed

and they're like oh yeah things are closed down they obviously don't have enough manpower to maybe clear the roads like I wonder what's going on there's just we haven't been we haven't gotten a reveal yet what's going on it'd be really funny if it's like it's like the press gods that everyone doing the human trafficking is like yeah

our job opportunities went overseas. Like, you know, these tariff restrictions and stuff really running this country dry. American production's losing out for foreign jobs and he's talking about like human trafficking. Really losing out to forward investors.

Feet. Someone's really got to put this country back on top. We arrived at the office door of the Historic Preservation Society of Driskin, I knocked softly and listened for Catherine's voice. Instead, the door was janked violently opened by a man I'd never seen before. May I

help you? He asked as he had to sub and down. Uh, yeah, uh, yes, you can. All right, then. Come on in. I'm Dodd Wheeler, and you are. Gibber and I exchanged a careful luck, and entered the room cautiously. Actually, we're looking for

Catherine Scanlan. I said, I didn't like the way he was staring at Kimber. Oh, Ms. Scanlan. He said, not taking his eyes from her. You haven't heard, then. My stomach wretched. We haven't. Kimber said pulling her jacking around her more tightly.

Sad business, truly. Disappeared. Nine years ago now, ten. Most people assumed she didn't take Wyatt's death well and just walked in the woods to... Dunweiler suddenly looked up and seemed to remember his audience. I'm sorry. were you all friends okay hold on pause

she was an old lady right uh relatively so she wasn't kidnapped as a part of barasco we assume no i think that they found out that she was one she told them about barasca

yeah she got snuffed out uh who was white I thought that was her husband no maybe I honestly can't remember who why we'll put in a little thing here there'd be a little thing explain why we're stupid yeah

I ignored his question Did she ever surface again Maybe in another state No I'm afraid she's dead Don Wheeler shook his head She was such a young thing too Oh oh no maybe then

She was young, maybe she was it, Roroska? Was she, was she young, though? I thought she was like an older woman, like a sweet older one. She was like a library head or something like that historic record. Well, if that's the fun case, then I wonder what happened. Yeah, that's, that's rough. At one point is your level of production, uh, inequivalent to your level of outsourcing? Because if they keep kidnapping people, but there's no one in the town.

Well, that's what I'm wondering is, is that literally a reason why it's run down? There's two women adopting children in town and there's 35 in the minds. Yeah, and also there's actually no healthy children or whatever. Like, it's like all weird inbred stuff. And it's like five men or whatever in town circulating doing this thing to where now the town has no viable resources. There's no one to actually, there's no families actually left to run anything. So it's like basically just a failing human trafficking town. Yeah, that's a failing human export.

Yes, literally. And all our jobs are going overseas. She was such a young thing too And her remains Nothing was ever found, I'm afraid I was starting to feel ill Well then we'd better Do you happen to know where Clary lives

Kimber interrupted Grace and Killian Of course old friends of mine But you must have heard Thank you for your time We really have to go Come on Allison I yanked Kimber out of the room

and shut the door behind us before I could get a harsh word out I'd fallen against the wall trying to quell the building panic and nausea he knew I'm sorry I shouldn't have asked I thought maybe I held up a finger

as I leaned against the wall with my head between my knees trying to compose myself Kimber rubbed to my back as I swallowed down the bile and waited for the dizziness to pass finally I stood up we have to go

I didn't even look at Dranger As we made our way out of the shop But I could feel him watching us My mind briefly wandered in the past And I wondered where his daughter was now I never liked Phoebe but I hope she'd escaped this town Prayed she had Streets were busier than they had been several minutes before

When we'd entered the Antiquity Shop There were several dozen people drudging through the snow down Maine I wasn't sure where they were headed Since half the stores were closed and the city hadn't bothered to put up their tree this year. Kimber walked around to the driver's side door of her car. I stared over her head at the people walking by across the street. I hoped my height, beard, and skeleton-like frame disguised me well enough

because people were starting to look back. I almost hope one of them was Clary, Prescott, or the sheriff. We had a trunk full of guns and I wanted this all over with. I needed to go back to the motel and bury myself in smack. This time I didn't even want to wake up again. And then suddenly, just as Kimber sat down to the driver's seat, I did recognize someone. It was Mirr Grady. She was holding a little boy's hand.

And as I stared, I realized who that little boy was. And then I saw nothing but red. Mirror Grady was the woman who ran the sandwich shop. So that is one of the boys. That's probably a nine-year-old boy. Yes. Or eight, eight, eight, a young boy, a young boy. Well, chapter six.

chapter six my body was moving but i wasn't in control of it i was suddenly walking across the street with the most intense rage i had ever felt okay he does not need to do this i had ever felt how dare she how dare she i was in front of mirror before i could get back in control what the hell do you think you're doing she jumped in her i snapped up to my face in fear excuse me she pushed the kid behind her let go of my nephew what who are you this is my son she yelled. People were stopping to watch. That is Whitney Walker's son, and you know it, you cold-blooded, callous, bitch.

Mears face, you know what? Kind of satisfying. Mere's face had gone white. Sam? Give me my nephew, Mira. Boys started quietly crying and whispering in distress. What are you doing? Stop it. Kimber was pulling up my arm, trying to turn me back towards the car, but I wasn't moving. Oh,

seething with a fury i had suppressed for nine years owen mirro started screaming owen please grady came sprinting out of the doorway of the stop next door he took one look at the situation pushed his wife and the boy behind him and raised his fist to hit me but there was fear in his eyes let's go sam i heard kimbreel give me my nephew i screamed at owen and spitting red rage and suddenly i felt a slap across my face strike served its purpose reality began to bleed back into the world and i realized exactly where I was and what I was doing. Kimber was standing in front of me in between Owen and I.

Her hood had fallen down in the commotion and her hair was spilling out of her beanie and down her back in a wild, bright waterfall of crimson. He looked scared. We were exposed. Owen Grady lowered his fist. It seemed to realize who I was. He began screaming at the talk of his lungs. Get the cops! Get the sheriff! Get him now!

I was already moving, climbing into the driver's seat of Kimber's car, leaving her no choice but to get in on the other side. chanted me the keys and I turned the car on and hit the gas, giving no regard to the slippery roads. Kimber screamed as I fished hell trying to get off Maine and then at every corner after, desperate to escape the scene I'd caused. The car slid into a snowdrift just outside of town. I rocked the car in and out of drive and reverse until the tires finally found purchase on the road and then we were speeding out of town again. There were no other options. I'd blown it. I knew exactly where I needed to go now.

Where to go, Sam. you like that he did that I mean it was cathartic oh you're saying way to go sarcasticly I see I got you because now Kimber's hair fly I mean like they're just Red it

You blew your stuff All of the cover is blown Yeah and even he's just like Oh get the sheriff his son's back I know exactly who that is Yeah yeah there's not many people it could be Which once again I understand where he's coming from But

Should have kept this cool If you would have kept your goal for like a week I could have killed that one Good guy everyone here killed Yeah you could have just walked in Beater to death with a fuck and bat beat him to death of the bat and they're like hey we're going out of here kid would that not be perfectly reasonable audience would that not be totally fine you see a woman who's like oh i wish i

i'd have a kid well i guess i'll partake in a human trafficking operation like yeah you get a you get a you get a pusher through a whatchipper right sledgehammer to the face yeah yeah yeah agree i mean i'm not agreeing a lot but we've i like this i like this fine finally we're on the same We're on the same page of hyperviolence against people. Stop! Stop and get out of the car, Sam. You're high. You'll kill us both. Don't do the work for them. That was Whitney's son.

That was my nephew. Why would you think that, Sam? Because I know. I put together years ago. You want me to trust you and your mysterious source. Well, trust me when I say that kid was my nephew. Okay, just slow down, please. Where are you taking us?

Where we should have gone to the first place. No Kimber was shaking her head wildly Sam no we can't go there not yet Yeah well I have to go They know we're here now The sheriff will be hunting us by nightfall It's now or never

But the car We'll never make it up that road Oh I'm willing to bet that road's plowed Going all the way up to Yes So they're going to the fucking mind right now He's like we've got guns I'm gonna go there

I'm gonna start shooting until I'm dead That is his game plan I was right Less than two miles away we found that road. It was one I had used only once, and by all logic I should only barely remember it. But I had seen that dirt road in my nightmares

for years. It was the road I had sped down trying to save my best friend. I fell then. I wouldn't know. We drove up the side of the mountain in Kimberd's Masta at an unmanageable speed. I needed to get to Barasca before the adrenaline wore off. I needed to kill them all.

Clary, Prescott, my father, all the deputies, the local cops, everyone involved, and I needed to die doing it. I wanted to. Then where did that leave Kimber? The higher we got up the mountain, the clear of the air, and the clear of my mind. The uncontrollable madness that had puppeted my every action for the last 30 minutes was straining away.

A chance to glance over at Kimber, her face was as pale as a moonbe, but her jaw was set and resolved. She was with me 100% even though we were on a suicide mission. My heart lurched. My death was inevitable, even acceptable, but Kimber had already suffered so much. Couldn't bring her back. back to Borosca, could I? Close the car to a stop when I realized that I couldn't remember why we were headed up to

Baroska in the first place. I knew we were here, right? No, did they? What did I done? I couldn't remember what had happened in town, but I didn't want to admit it. Will you drive us back to the hotel? I asked as my heart slowed and the strength began to drain from my body. No.

Never said softly, staring into the trees next to us. Turned to look at me. We're already here. The road kept winding up the mountain, but subconsciously or not, I had stopped right at the proverbial gates of the north-central mine, known as hell on earth to many, and Beroska to the rest. I felt paralyzed, unable to move or speak or even think. I listened intently for the sounds that had scored my nightmares, but all was as silent as death. They would know we were here. He would have heard us coming.

now or never stay in the car kimber i told her and she gave me a look i couldn't read as i opened the door i walked to the back of the car popped the trunk pulled out a nine millimeter barretta i had seen when she showed me the guns on the highway checking to make sure the clip was loaded i chambered around knocked gently on kimber's window and she rolled it down her eyes glued to the gun in my hand stay here and if you hear any gunfire bolt i mean kind of bold to be like one magazine 30 cops I'll make it work. I'm an action store. Yeah, I'm an action store.

I'll line them up. I'm Bruce Willis and Diamond. Time, yeah. She gave me an appraising look. I don't think you're in any space to do this right now. I knelt down in the snow so that I was eye level with her. I agree with you, but this is the only chance we have, right? Wasn't a rhetorical question, but she didn't know that.

Because of your fucking aunt is in town. Ever said, Ice Lee. She opened the car door. I'll go with you. No. I hissed into the cold mountain air but she was already walking to the back of the car and opening the trunk. I knew any

confrontation with her at this point would be loud so I had to weigh my options carefully. Kimber pulled out the pump action shotgun. Do you even know how to use that? I asked. Kember racked the shotgun with one hand as she walked past me towards mine. Don't mock me, Sam. You'd be very surprised what I know about guns.

For point taken, I ran to catch up. You know, if we do this now, we'll never get the records. They'll be dead. We'll be dead. Abrosco will just continue Maybe we should just wait It was your idea to come here now I'm I'm having second thoughts

But isn't it your life Sam A series of second thoughts and regrets Jesus Damn Damn Kimbert This is just recon Okay Don't get spotted and don't make a sound

The snow this junkie piece of shit Fatty I mean at this point he has blown their chance They can't go back to the motel. He's, he's, he fucked, yeah. Immediately, it's like, it's like, well, we have precisely two hours before we're dead. What do we do with those? Good luck.

Snow this far up the mountain was almost a foot deep. There would be no hiding that we had been here if we somehow got out alive. We made our way into the camps using the trees as cover. And as we moved, I noticed that the driveway Nebraska showed no signs of tire tracks in the new snowfall. Were they sleeping up here? Were there centuries on duty? Even now watching us. I turned around to find Kimber, but she was now more than 10 yards to my left and further away than I could hope to whisper.

Closer we got to camp, the more I began to feel it. Something was wrong, very wrong. I could see the dorms through the trees, still standing exactly as I'd remember them. However, the skinned men sign had lost a support and was buckling precariously in the middle. Large building that housed the shiny gentleman was also still standing, and the door had been left slightly adjar so that I could see the conveyor belt, feeding into the machine my blood like everything else around me gross to eyes it's so weird again with just like how much we talked about these elements before and built them up to now like be back

yeah weird is this how normal people feel like watching a marvel movie is this like what that sensation supposed to be like like i remember that character oh that thing yeah i remember that thing from the shiny gentleman yeah human trafficking kimber was suddenly beside me. Her hand clenched around the shotgun which hung at her side. It's gone. She said louder than I would have light. He was right. It's too quiet.

It looks that way. I croaked and bent over at the waist to quiet sudden dizziness. She turned to look at me. White eyed and panicked. Tears began to well at the corners of her eyes. I stood up to give her a hug, but she pushed me away. It's gone. It's all gone.

Took a few deep breaths. Let me look around. We should check the dorms. Khyber tried to swallow a sob and I glanced over at her. And I really just suggested she walked back into the dorms after what had happened to her there. Was I that cruel? I was a mess. Gently pushed the shotgun up and closer to her chest.

Stay here. Steped out into the clearing in no particular hurry. If I was going to get shot, I'm sure as hell wasn't going to die cramped and tired. But the air in camp was still. No bullets came out to meet me. I wanted to get in and out of the dorm as fast as possible. This was a terrible place, so much suffering, so much pain and death. There's no enemy to kill, then I wanted to step off the hollowed grounds as quickly as I could get out of there.

I opened the same door that Kyle and I first gone in was ten years before. The stench still lingered, drifting in, still air, and mingling with the fear and tension that had yet to dissipate after a decade. But the beds were gone. I went quickly from room to room and verified that the building was completely empty. Kimber saw me emerge from the other door and gave her a shake of my head. There's only a few steps away from the building when I began to feel dizzy again. My vision narrowed and I started to lose control. The last thing I heard was Kimber's voice so she screamed my name and then came to familiar welcoming darkness.

In a chapter 6. You cannot have a junkie for something this is an operation. I'm wondering how much more it's going to fuck them over. with him having those habits. I mean, he already blew their cover immediately. I think the beds and stuff being gone is, I bet you as soon as they left, they're like,

we're going to just relocate. They can't keep it in the same place. We're going to relocate. Because what if they tell someone? We've got to move it. Yeah. They're still doing it just somewhere else. 100%.

So, chapter seven. Chapter seven. I could feel I was moving before I even opened my eyes. It was a gentle swaying cadence of a car on the highway. Instead of coming awake slowly like I preferred, I vaulted upright and a panic. Kimber was driving and she didn't look away from the road. are you okay

no I was I was starting to remember what had happened on the mountain I'm sorry Kimber didn't respond did I walk to the car I'm sure I knew the answer

but hoped I was wrong no you were dragged to the car it was actually impressive that she could drag a full grown man through 200 yards of snow was constantly underestimating Kimber look

I rub my face and realized my hands were like ice I laid them over the heaters on the dashboard. I mean, the good news is that Barasca's gone, no one's suffering anymore. No one? She yelled. Me, Sam.

I'm suffering. The voice was scratchy. It was obvious she had been crying. Judging by the current time probably for hours. I'm sorry. That's not what I meant. You don't fucking get it. If Barasca's gone,

then that means my source lied. He lied. Not just about Barasca, but about. everything yeah okay but we knew that was always a possibility a possibility yes but i still had hope that he was right about everything hope that there was a chance that kyle would come back look we need to accept the facts okay rosska's gone dismantled it clearly hasn't been there for years so either your source doesn't know anything or he's trying to trick you for some reason but either way

kimber he's lying to you he slammed her hands on the steering wheel and openly slainly sobbed. I'm sorry, Kay. I should have realized Barrasca was gone. I mean, with the town gone of shit and everything, why didn't even want us here?

This guy. Who is he? It doesn't matter anymore. Yes, it does. It sure matters to me. Who was your source, Kimber? Sugarhead, but said nothing. Damn it, Kimber.

Why don't you trust me? I was fully prepared to die at your side today, but you still don't trust me. I trust you, Sam, I do. I know you would never intentionally hurt me. but you have completely given up on everything your life yourself in on me you're irrational and unpredictable if it was just my life at risk I would tell you everything he

told me but this is about Kyle too oh and what else did he tell you Kimber what other promises did he make she shrugged and wiped the tears away from her face he said he said he said he had seen some medical records and that he could get them for me medical information for some the barasca born babies in town and my mom and kyle kyle always back to kyle he was a friend sam yeah yeah he was my best friend and i watched him get beaten to death and i saw the aftermath you're being fooled kimber stop torturing yourself he's gone and i want to pick up my motivations for believing it so adamantly but i saw in the ather of my mind the raw truth of it I knew that the real reason I was so sure Kyle was brain dead

was because I couldn't bear the thought that I'd been wrong that I left my best friend alone in the stint of monsters I couldn't handle any more guilt in this life I know that now Kimber said the sobs rack in her body I know he's gone but I didn't stop I couldn't stop I was a monster now too driven by the unseen

and what would you have done if Kyle was just sedated Kay no no I really want to know what do you mean i'd get him out of here and then when you told him the truth about who he is about who you are you read the same letter i did things can never be the same between you i would never tell him any of that kepper spat her eyes were red from crying and her fair skin was already so pale she seemed so delicate but i knew she wasn't i knew she could take more i wanted to push her buttons i wanted her to hit me scream at me push me out of the car in the interstate i needed the pain i deserved all of it and more. Then I'd tell him

because it would be cruel to lie to him. No! It would be cruel to telling the truth. He could never know, Sam. Never. You have to tell him, Kimber. He's your brother. No. Kimber was beginning to shudder.

Stop. No, please. If this was really your plan all along, then Kyle's lucky he's dead. No. Kimber... Dude, just fucking, man. I mean, he's fucking... That's kind of going in a bit.

Kimber was now shaking so badly it looked like she was about to have a seizure. She was beginning to lose control of the car. What was I doing? Why? I pushed my fingers into my temples. I wanted to die, but I didn't want her to die. I had to get her to stop the car. Pull over. Said quietly, I had to get her to calm down.

Fuck you! Pull over, Kimber! I reached over to grab the wheel, but Kimber slammed on the brakes and we were suddenly skidding to the side of the road. This time I didn't hit my head. As it turned out, Kimber had buckled me into her car. The Masta bumped up against the metal gate The line the side of the highway

And Kimber threw the car and park She laid her hands and arms on the steering wheel And bawled like I hadn't seen since her mother died I sat next to her and watched her pain Stunned by my own callousness and cruelty I love this girl like a sister More than I had even loved my own Why was I trying to hurt her

So out of control wasn't me Didn't feel like me Monster inside me begged for a fix And if I didn't feed it soon it would continue to control me and I would get both of us killed What do you want from me, Sam? I held up my hand to touch her back

but remember that Kimber didn't like being touched least of all by me They took everything from me My mom, you, my body My ability to ever have babies I can't let them take Kyle to But there's even a chance She looked up at me then

Do I not deserve a sliver of happiness Even just a little before I die What did I do that was so wrong? Why does God hate me? Shook my head. I had no words. Why do you hate me? I don't... I don't...

Kimber, I'm so sorry. I'm a piece of shit. I felt like I'd apologize to her every hour or so since she come to Chicago. She deserved better than me. She deserved Kyle. But I knew she never get him. Why don't you let me drive back to the hotel? The hotel? Why, if we go back there, they know we're here.

here we're almost to the border let's just get out of missouri but what about our stuff my heroin kimber wiped her eyes buy new stuff it's not worth your life we were seven hours from chicago and i knew i was less than half an hour away from a meltdown if i didn't get back to the hotel look we'll just go back real quick and i'll run up and get our stuff poor kimber i need my stuff i could tell by the thinly veiled look of pain she gave me that she knew the real reason i wanted to backtrack to the prince Ridge. Then her eyes sort of doled over like her soul was melting away.

Sure. I don't fucking care anymore. The person I came here for is gone. I'm gonna sleep. Kimmer crawled into the backseat and curled up into a ball. I'll make it quick, I said. Moved over into the driver's seat.

I could hear Kimber crying all the way back to Drisking. Man, what a junkie dude. To have this guy here who's like, look, I know they're gonna kill us. I'm like, ah, heroin. Gotta get my heroin. just the idea too of a heroin adding to like scoping out a police operation well now too he thinks he's sneaky and he's like knocking stuff over when i was saying earlier too i was like i was wondering how the drug like him being a junkie like this is gonna fuck it up more them going back for this is this is their chance to get out and just leave yeah unscathed him going back for this is going to royally fuck them yes yeah chapter eight the hotel was quiet no police presence no note on our door no blinking light on the phone no Nothing to confirm that we had indeed been outed.

Kimber tiredly climbed the stairs to the room, lay down on the bed as I loaded everything into the car. Let her lie there for a while while I locked myself in the bathroom to get high. When I came out, she seemed to be asleep. Kimber, come on, we gotta go. Nothing. Kimber, walked over and shook her. No.

I'm not going anywhere. You can go. Take my car, just leave me here. I wanted to argue with her, but my eyes were already heavy as the H breathed sweet euphoria into my body I lay down on the other bed and enjoyed the high for a while we were going to be killed in our sleep that night I wanted it to be like this

I dreamt of nothing but blackness which is what the dope bought me but slowly I became awake in the darkness to the sound of piercing metal screams floating down from the mountains echoes of a beast already slain but still haunting me hunting me the nightmares were back

turned my head towards the window and watched the snowflakes that were falling through the fluorescent light over our door. No one had come into the night to kill us yet. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feeling of heaven still coursing through me. It was a feeling I loved, waking up high, enjoying it for a few moments and trusting that it'll cradle me back to sleep and make me hole in the night. It was a monster I never wanted to kill.

It encompassed me. The metal whirling started up again. I opened my eyes to the window as if I expected to see the shiny gentleman sitting outside of it, covered in snow. Is it real? So hard to tell. I began nodding off again. Then I heard it a third time.

The shiny gentleman was quieter than it had been nine years before, but it was still there, still alive, floating down through the Black Mountains to my door. I concentrated. My head tried to wander, but I focused on the noise again and again until I was sure. It was real. When I opened my eyes, sunlight was peeking through the curtains. Turned over to look at Kimber's bed. She had her back to me.

curl up into a ball above the covers. It didn't look like she had moved since the night before. Kimber. She didn't respond. Kimber. What do you want, Sam? I heard it last night. The shiny gentleman. Barasca's still there. She was silent a moment and slowly rolled over to look at me.

I didn't hear anything. I did. I swear. It's quieter. Like it's farther away, but it was there. Kimber sighed and then set up. She looked at the clock, 7.53 a.m. I don't think you heard anything at all. furrowed my eyebrows I know what I heard Kay

she shrugged and got out of bed I'm not sure you believe it she said as she shrugged off her parka Kimber I said leaning up on one elbow you saw it yourself Sam they're gone it's over I haven't heard that

I haven't heard that sound once in three days we've been here but I did I think you probably dreamt it Sam what snapped my head up you fucking drifted off again. I'm sick of this shit from you.

Your fucking addiction has turned you into a different person. Pointed at my bag and I knew that she knew exactly how often I've been getting high. Of course I'm a different person, I said defensively. You haven't seen me in a decade. You know that's not what I meant. I'm talking about the heroin.

You're killing yourself, Sam. You look like a ghost already. Gumber through the parker on a chair and wound a scarf around her neck. She sat cross-legged on the tattered chair in the corner of the room. Is this an intervention? Because better friends have tried, liar. Fuck off, Sam.

This isn't even about drugs anymore. I can't rely on you. You make yourself a fucking liability. Notting off, passing out, not all in control of yourself. Always needing a fucking fix. And you're mean, vicious even. You forget things happened hours or even minutes before.

I needed you here, Sam. And you fucking let me down. I didn't ask to come on this little mission of yours. I told you no. in Chicago. No one put a gun to your head. Well, you may as well have. I was going to let you go alone and get yourself killed.

So you come with me and put my life in danger every chance you get? I... Just forget it. This is all for nothing anyway. They know we're here. They haven't even attempted to stop us because they know how price, how powerless we are. We can't do anything because there's nothing left to expose. We got outsmarted.

I heard the mill last night. It just moved it is all. You didn't hear any. anything. You're unconscious. I know what I heard. You don't know shit. You're too high to even realize where we are half the time. That's bullshit. You haven't been sober in days, maybe weeks, maybe even years.

She was right. I haven't been sober since prison. And even when I was, and even when I wasn't, I was usually high on something. It had been so long. What do you want for me, Kimber? For most of the conversation, Kimber had been staring out the window. But now she turned her head back and looked straight into my soul. as if this was a question she had been waiting for. I want you to give me Sam back.

My Sam. Her words cut deep. So I laughed at them. I want to be able to trust what you say and be able to tell you things too. I know you never lied to me, Sam. But when you're high, I can never tell what you're saying and hearing is real. I'm not even totally sure that was Mira you were screaming at yesterday.

It was. Wasn't it? I want to tell you who my contact wasn't. Drisking. I want you to talk to him. He wants to talk to you. And there are things I wanted to tell you. Things that might as well tell you since it's over anyway. Like what? Keeley and Clary's dead, Sam. Oh. What? When? Eight years ago. How? I don't know. My heart broke for Kimber. Clary was dead and she had known it. Kimber should have been able to confront her abuser. Cut his dick off, kill him if she felt the need to

and now she would never have that chance. She'd known it all along. Amber. Just fucking stop, Sam. There's more. You know Amber caught fort and the triple tree? They're gone. Someone burned that shit to the fucking ground years ago.

There's unrest and drisking. We could have used that. Damn it. That's not even remotely the worst thing. The worst truth of all this? I didn't come out here to expose that fucking baby farm. I should have, but I didn't. I didn't even come here to kill my She was tripping over her words

And she tried to breathe in between them The man who hurt me But I really, really wanted to The reason I came out here Was to find out the truth about Kyle Or die trying I couldn't even do either of those things I don't know where Kyle is

And I'm still alive to live with the pain So I knew I could never fight all of this I wanted to give her so badly But I knew she wouldn't want it But you could have That's the worst thing You could have I brought you out here to do what I can't

Expose them Kill them Help all those women We left here nine years ago I'm too weak to do it Too broken The only person I could have helped Was Kyle

I thought you could handle Everything else Kimber let out a spiteful laugh It sounds so fucking stupid now No it doesn't But you're stronger than you think Kimber So are you I didn't know if she was right

I had monsters I couldn't kill and she was stronger than I would ever be but she was hurting and I inflicting so much of that pain Kimber had been buried under all those burdens alone she was trying to carry all the way to Barasca and Kyle by herself

I just made her burdens heavier she couldn't afford my weakness on this campaign but still she bore it just like when we were kids Kimber was the glue that held everything together she was even holding me together but the glue was cracking Kimber was about to shatter

and I was the one making the final swings of the hammer I had to listen to her now she was telling me that she needed me she needed me not who I had become been so long since anyone and needed me for anything those women all those years ago what was it that I had promised them

I'll come back and help you all promise as soon as I find Kimber man that would I forgot about that that that scene where like, like, when Kyle's getting attacked. Yeah. He talks about how like they're pleaned faces and he's like, I'll be back.

That was nine years ago. Oh, man. Brutal. Also, too. I was like, I am harsh on him for being a junkie, but at the same time, like. Listen, he's a junkie. He's unreliable. Yeah.

I will say, too, having her just be like, I wanted you to come and take care of all this because I'm not strong enough to. That's like an impossible challenge as well. Yeah. To where they both, I think. had a little bit of grand, you know, delusions of what was actually going to happen to where she's like, no, it's not about this. I want to help people and trying to like kind of guide him into the, so you should, you should do it. You should. I got guns. I'm getting fucking high. Yeah. You know, which, you know, she probably was thinking, oh, well, I'll, I'll have Sam and he can help me,

but she probably didn't realize, you know, when she was dangerous about this, how much of a fucking junkie you's going to be. Also, you've got like, um, so Clary's dead. Right. The one that, abused her and it was eight years it was right after they left maybe natural causes but maybe some issue a fight that happened maybe or whatever um the town's suffering what is what do you think that is about like there was a fire and the triple tree burned down and stuff it's like so i think it's just legitimately them burning they're they're getting rid of all of the evidence because also the kids in the triple tree if i'm almost if i'm correct there was stuff in there talking about there's like oh yeah we come up here and the kids write your name and the triple tree and then the skin man takes you

if you don't, or if you go past the tree or something like that. But there is just... Which his sister did right before she was kidnapped, yeah. To me, it just reads as them completely covering their tracks. Yeah. You think, uh, Sam's sister still alive? No. Don't think so?

It's only been nine years and they said that they keep them for... I mean, nine, I mean, think about that, though, nine years. Yeah, but they said they keep them for like 20. They said they keep... This is so brutal. He said they keep them until they can quit having children. Oh, I mean, I don't know. I mean, I would assume...

Is that not so messed up, too? Like, gosh, brutal. Well, Kimber was... here. So was I. So were they. Despite it all, I was sure of what I'd heard. I needed to do better. I needed to be better for her, Kyle, and all of those I'd left behind. Barasca was still there. It meant that maybe, maybe. Kimber Source was telling the truth about Kyle. That meant there was hope. But not if I remained the sickly, unpredictable heroin addict that I had let myself become. Kimber

my bag the side pocket there rolled up in a pair of pants there's tinfoil dump everything inside of it

in the toilet and flush it Kimber's stark expression lied into fraction she stood up uncertainly went to my bag and found the heroin where I told her it would be

she wrapped the tinfoil and I watched the sadness cross her face when she saw the size of the brick it takes a lot for me Are you sure about this? Was I? No. I had almost everything about the idea and my body was already recalling at the thought. Yes.

I came back from the bathroom and sat down at the edge of her bed. What do I do now? I've actually only done this once and only for a few days. The next 72 hours are going to suck for us both. I can go sleep in the car for a few days. No, no, Sam. I'm going to be here. Okay. Well, here's what you can expect. I'm going to be a total asshole. check I'm going to feel cold all the time

looked over at the thermostat which was currently set at 84 check I'm going to be in pain a lot of it and I'm going to sleep like shit give me a sympathetic look check and I'm probably going to ask you to find me dope I wouldn't even know where

and I'll know that but I'll ask anyway this will probably start in a few hours and peak sometime tomorrow but I'm a heavy user, so it could be a few days. How long are we checked into this hotel? It's open-ended. Well, uh, that's good.

Timur crawled over the bed to where I was sitting, and for the first time since we were kids, she put her arm around me, lay her head on mine. You're going to be okay, Sam. You're stronger than you know. Believed her. The question for me wasn't whether I could do it. Kembered by my side, I knew I could. The real controversy was, who would appear on the other side?

I'd have been sober since I was a teenager. I had no idea who I was going to be in three days. I glanced over at the thermostat and pulled the quilt up higher on my body. I was already feeling to chill. All right, so Sam's at least kicking, kicking the white dragon. That's good. I'm happy for him there. It is so risky to do this again in the hotel outside of town.

I think this is probably the worst time for an intervention. I think maybe give the boy a little bit of heroin to be functional. Heroin would probably help you in a gunfight. Like me right now. I bet if you gave me heroin I would fight better Are you telling me you wouldn't Imagine like you got a dose of something

That like woke you up like super mess Does heroin wake you up I'm pretty sure you're like you slump You're like oh Well you gives you a euphoria You're thinking of meth I bet you meth could help in a fight Meth would help with the fight for sure

Maybe I'm just saying Maybe I'm thinking like it would take the pain off Like if you took some heroin It would take the pain on dunking heroin Yeah but I think you're just gonna sit there though And heroin you're just gonna be like You don't think a little bit would be like a super pain killer. No, I think you're going to be just fucked.

I think if you're just like a crack pipe, I've never, oh, I'm invincible! Do you think that, would you think your crack pipe would help? You just like pull the bullet out already? Whoa. That doesn't affect me. I'm superman. Chapter 9. I was true to my word.

Much to Kimber's distress. By that evening, I was inclined. of the walls and I didn't shut my eyes even once that night due to the pain of my back. Gember tried to soothe me, put on movies she thought I would like, curled up next to me at night. The real comfort was just her presence. Even in spite of her insistence that I drink

water every hour that I couldn't keep down. What a, what a I know that like Kimber is bringing Sam to like, you get this and stuff like that, but just like something so calming about her being like, oh, I thought you liked this movie, you know? The, uh, it's very

refreshing in one of these stories after some of the things we've read recently where it's legitimate friendship, you know? Yeah, she actually cares about it. Yeah, and I think that that's something that we don't see a lot in these stories. I refuse food through the next day, but she finally got me to swallow something in that evening.

That night I slept, and I lived in dreams so real they were almost lucid. More than once, Kimber woke me up because I was crying or shouting. The day after that, I laid in bed all day, didn't move other than to limp to the bathroom. My back was still in burning pain,

though the rest of my body was freezing. Kimber not knowing what else to do, turned the heater all the way up to 95 degrees. She was down to a tank top and underwear, but still I shivered. Following morning, I woke with no memory of the night before. Kimber told me she had only woken me up

once from my nightmares. It was the fourth day I had been clean, though I was still aching and going through heavy withdrawals, my mind felt more clear. Reality was painfully bright and raw, and my actions over the last week were agonizing to remember. I apologize to Kimber about what I had said, and done so often that it went from amusing her to downright annoying.

I'd smoked half a carton in the days I'd been detoxing, and my throat felt like the smoke stack on a coal train. With my new clarity came to some realizations. I started to notice Kimber on her phone throughout the day. Her expressions dubious and worried. I wanted to ask, but I couldn't focus on too much intricacy yet. We ate more pizza that day. I kept down an entire two slices.

Kimber made me drink liters of water, which also stayed down. As we neared the weak mark, Kimber started sleeping in her own bed again. I was remembering some of my dreams, and while most of them were nightmares from the years before, I also had some pleasant dreams of Whitney and my mother. I was feeling again,

and though it hurt more often than not, I realized that not all feelings are bad. It was something I had forgotten during my many years of numbness. The dreams of my family awakened me in an unrelenting ache that I couldn't ignore. I want to see them again, my sister and my mother. One was impossible, the other maybe not entirely.

The fact that I was less than 10 miles away from my mother at any given time wore me during the cold nights. And finally, I felt my physical strengths began to return. I was allowing myself to take ibuprofen for the pain, which was not unlike curling a dart at an elephant. I was getting out of bed, sleeping through the night, and my mind was as crystal clear as ice. The more I thought about our situation, the angry I became.

but it wasn't the festival of rage that had been my life up until that moment. It was a simmering, controlled ire that I was able to rein in and compartmentalize, ready to execute my leisure. With the mental clarity, I became even more convinced that what I had heard that night was real. They, whoever they were now, simply moved their operation. I told Kimber my belief, but as much as she wanted to believe her source was legit, I knew she was afraid of hoping again.

nine days after the incident on the mountain i came out of the shower to find kimber pacing and sliding worried glances my way what's the matter asked as i tell dried my hair hey do you think the front desk here sells razors i don't know i'll ask i could tell us you wanted to say morbid hesitated what is it my contact yeah what about him he's on his way here what how you told him where we were no he already knew it's no secret i guess well that's comforting why is he coming here because he wants to know what the holdup is what hold up what does he want from us from you actually i thought this guy was just giving us hospital records and pointing us towards whatever server the brosket database is sitting on he's um made a wild gesture with my hands begging her to continue we're never going to get those records from him sam what she glanced out the window and crossed her arms i'm sorry, we never were.

He's offering something different, and he's here. I don't like this, Kimber. He said as I stood up from the bed. I heard someone climbing the stairs outside. Heavy footfalls indicated a large man or possibly someone who just walked like a Neanderthal. Kimber opened the door before he could knock, and Jimmy Prescott walked in. Absolutely not. Bro.

Dude Dude Hold on I said that I said Jimmy Prescott I said Jimmy Prescott And you said no because You said no because he owns

The sub shop or whatever Or he said he's a monster No no no no no You said the sheriff And I said now it couldn't be And he's gone too far And I said I would think Jimmy Prescott

And then I made the joke But Jimmy Prescott runs the town He could just say no I don't think it'd be Jimmy Prescott He was too evil either I don't think it'd be Jimmy Prescott I don't think it'd be Jimmy Prescott I don't think it'd be Jim or Prescott.

I don't think it'd be Jim of Prescott. All I know is. Probably that back. That was me. That's my... You know what? You know what? Me.

Me. I play this. I play... Turn that camera. I play this. Turn that camera. That is wild, though. The, uh...

How the fuck did she get in contact with him? You know what I bet it might be? Uh, they said, once his face died eight years ago. There may have been a power struggle or something. Jimmy Prescott doesn't, care about the morality of it.

He just may be like, oh, they have my operation. Jimmy Prescott is the son or grandson of the crazy old son of a bitch who started this whole thing. Yeah. He was the one who gave the whole speech where he's like, we call these the stables. This is where we keep the women. That's him. I thought that was, uh, Clary.

Was it? I thought it was Prescott. We're me and you were awful at this about remembering the details of this stuff. Although I could find out real quick. sure okay all right right hold on yeah i mean he's the monster who's like was doing that you're right you're right because here's a quote you wouldn't believe how much money is in the industry i mean my dad was a smart man and he knew we didn't have anything of value to sell him back then so yeah he's the one who pretty much enterprises it yeah so this is the scene where they get into um

where they open up the stables and all the girls are tied up says oh boys jimmy's voice rang out from somewhere in the buildings yeah yeah that's that is this guy so classic yeah yeah Oh, boys, it's me. Isn't it also the guy then that beat the shit out of... Yeah, it's a guy that brain Kyle. Yeah. Pretty sure. Damn.

I'd been keeping the 9mm next to the bed, but had moved it during my withdrawals in case I wanted to shoot myself in the head. It was currently in the bathroom, completely out of reach. Holy shit. Look at you. Fucking Sam Walker. Did you know you look exactly like your dad?

Bro. Dude, you got to kill this guy. Oh, my God. This guy's like the devil. You're all hungry? You want to get a bite to eat? It's like that casual. Yeah, yeah, that casual.

It's gross. What is he doing here, Kimber? I seized. She was standing in the corner next to the door, arms crossed in a grim expression on her face. Oh, don't be mad at her, Walker. She was just conducting business. You want something?

I want something. It doesn't need to be personal, right, sweetheart? I'm getting upset. Is he? I'm actually. actually kind of like. What are we doing? What are we doing here? What is this? Is she fucking going to sell herself to get this deal? No, no, no, no. I want something. What does he mean that I want something you? He want, okay, what happened is they said once his face was dead. Cleary died

eight years ago. Sure. I bet Sam's dad was like, I'm going to run this operation. Kicks Prescott out. We don't know. We're speculating. I'm speculating. But I think that, you know what? I'm playing it right now. That's my bear trip. That, uh, I think Sam's dad Walker, Sheriff Walker is running everything. so I'm playing this right now You're gonna have to kill your daddy I think that Jimmy Prescott's like They took my business and I don't like that So I need them dead and you guys are gonna be the ones to do it

I'll give you the grub-gub Kyle Yeah If you all kill your daddy Yeah I need I need Jimmy to die Let's see Let's you see How do you do this again with it You play some sideways when you play them right

Is that a magic card? That's when you attack that was an attack I'll call that an attack so I'm taking my bear trap and I'm turning it sideways he turned and gave her an oily smile that made my still delicate stomach churn and revulsion just talk

all right well you want to give the men some privacy then princess Jimmy ass sitting down on the sofa by the door I'm not leaving you alone with him she told Jimmy he shrugged him before I even realized what he was holding he had shot Kimber with some sort of taser what

she fell on the floor immediately and convulsive few times before going limp. Women, right? My heart dropped to my feet and I lunged towards Prescott. He casually swung the taser around to point at me. Settle down, Prince Charmin. She's fine.

We've been trying out some non-lethal stuff at the stables. You rolled it around in his hand and smiled. I think I like this thing. Thanks, Sam. What do we do next? Get him to talk. About yourself some time. What? Kimber wanted to talk to you. What'd you tell her? Nothing really. Through her a bone on that

landy kid. We stomped to death way back when. Well, you remember, you were there. She'd almost forgot about that. Anyway, what was I saying? Oh yeah. I told her I could give her information on that kid's condition. You know, gave her some hope. Gave us information about the sheriff too. All the information you gave her is useless. Or total bullshit. shit. She played a part. I'm done with her now. But I'm willing to fulfill my end of the bargain with you. What bargain? We'll get to that. Jimmy said he pulled out a cigarette and lit it with a red zippo. Fine. You told Kimber that killing Clary is dead. Is that true? There's a doornail. Why'd you kill him?

You'd think I killed him? You's a useful and loyal business partner. Why would I kill him? Because you're a hothead. That's why. Jimmy reclined back in his chair and took long drawn a cigarette. You really don't know anything, do you? The mine is under new management. Yeah, okay. What does that mean? It means there's a new sheriff in town, kid. I swallowed the bile that rose in my throat.

Sheriff Walker? What reason would he have to murder Clary? Because Killing gave the orders to send Walker's daughter to meet the shiny gentleman. I shook my head. I can't believe she was working with you. Believe it, kid. You're not going to give us the files you keep on Barrasca, are you?

Fuck, no, son. That incriminate me and my entire family. And the medical records for Kyle and Ann De Stero? Trust me. There's nothing in there that would help you. So what are you offering us? Jimmy put his cigarette out directly on the glass coffee table next to him and lean forward. The chance to take down your father.

Okay. So, damage. I'm attacked. Oh, hit back at you. I called it. Mine. My bear trap. That's not how that works.

How do you, how do you, there's a way to throw car. I have like five of these, like, hold on. That one, that one's me. No, I called, I said, I said that beginning. I was like, oh, I was like, oh, no, is this going to be Jimmy Prescott here? Stop making the noise. It's mine. I did that.

Is that a shotgun? Yeah, mine's more of a bear trap. I thought you're doing a crap claw. I said, that's a trap. Oh. There's like, I don't know where those went. Anyway, I was so right about that, by the way. Okay, I scoffed.

Why would you want that? Look around, kid. This town's a piece of shit. White trash, poor, filthy shadow of what it once was. Walker took over. He changed the whole business model. We used to provide a service. He was fucked up the way we did it.

I'll admit that. But in the end, people got to live in Richtown, raised families like they did before the water got all fucked. Driskin was a nice little place. people could be proud of. Even you had to admit it. Trisky was a facade. None of that was real.

It was real to them. Do your teachers, your friends? Even Mira and Owen Grady. I heard you scared the shit out of them a couple weeks ago. Man, when I heard that store, I was laughing so hard. Didn't think you'd give up your anonymity so quick. Seeing that's the only thing that you had going for you. Other than me, of course.

Jimmy Prescott was off his rocker. I felt like my skull was going to cross. crack from the audacity of it all. Working with Jimmy Prescott was the definition suicidal insanity. Anyway, kids, so yeah. Your dad comes in, big dick on campus, and he flips the whole

system on his head. Suddenly we'll run the sex trade operation. The higher-ups are happy because now they get girls and more money than before. Walker really don't care about money as long as they keep supporting him so as long as they keep supporting him so every dollar we make from the stables

goes right into the pockets of the upper echelons, right? Eschalons. Dollar made from the stables go right to the pockets of the upper echelons. No more money for the town. No more babies for the families. The Prescott legacy is ruined. It's in ruins.

It's all straight sex trafficking now. It's just unseemly, if you ask me. He got this guy. I hate, I hate, I hate this guy. I hate this. Look, we were running, we would only rape and impregnate the women of our town. We would not outsource to, people who weren't local.

It was like some sadistic workaround that he's doing where he's like, well, yeah, what you did was kind of weird and messed up. But people had families. Our town was rich and it supported the town. Yeah. You know? But now like, oh, we're getting money.

Yeah, now we're paying other people's pockets. Now we're letting other people. It's insane to even, gosh. I need him dead right now. He does, look, he doesn't have any information. You've got what you want. Also, I don't trust a single thing he's saying. And most importantly, I was right about his dad.

dad being the sheriff, and that's why Prescott wants him dead. So he gave me my bear traps. Let's kill him now. I think he should die. The, I just don't trust anything he's saying either. Absolutely not. I'm not sure he's stealing some truth, but I feel like he's leading something. I think he is right. I think he's being honest about Sam's dad.

Because there's no other reason to keep these two alive, right? For some reason, Jimmy Prescott has let these two run around town do this stuff because he wants two people to kill Walker so that he can be boss. again. I believe that, because it's selfish. Otherwise, I don't believe anything he says, yeah. And you're sure the sheriff's involved in all this. In bald? He's fucking running it,

kid? Did she listen to anything I said? And you want me to kill him. Jimmy tipped his hat in my direction. He'd be much obliged. Why can't you do it? Said, watching Kimber out of the corner of my eye. Still had it moved. Because you're the only person on earth who has a prayer of

killing your daddy. I laughed. If you really believe that, dumber than I thought. You got the wrong kid, Prescott. My dad would kill me without thinking twice. It's Whitney. He loved. Shut or ran down my spine. Loved was not the right word. Nah, I don't believe that. He could have had you killed already spouting off in town like you did a like you did about stolen babies. He's left you alone out here, hasn't he? He knows you're here. The whole sheriff's office does, but they prohibited from moving on you on his orders. That doesn't make any sense. I mean, why?

No idea I think it's probably just a game You don't play until you cross the city limits Walk out a thing about playing sick games With his kids It's disgusting if you ask me Ew I guess they had all those kids from the money

Yeah Gosh you gotta burn these people dude There is no There is nothing they can do to them That will make me happy There has to be I need them to suffer in unimaginable ways We have very different ideas

About what's disgusting Well, I think you'd change your mind on that Before he leave town You actually think the sheriff would let me get close to him Knowing I had a gun and intended to kill him I don't think there's a chance He likes his games And anyway, I'm certain he'd hesitate to kill you

You know his only son and all that I think we both though that's bullshit Jimmy raised an eyebrow at me Holy shit Walker I'm impressed you knew about that kid I don't even think he knows about his bastard Let's say I do manage to kill him wouldn't his deputies just shoot me?

Nah. No, I've got a promising coup in the works. I've been planning this for years. A fair number of his people are loyal to me. Even if that's true, you just kill me once it's over. I wouldn't do that. Why not? You'd be in charge, so why keep me alive?

I want Barasca exposed. I want all you sick pricks in jail. Kid, I don't want to be in charge. I don't want to do the paperwork or give shit about the money as handled or whatever it goes. You could do that, though. I say we take down the sheriff and install you as the big dick on campus pussy for miles son

and you Oh my God And you can't be getting a lot of these days I have to walk around like you do Oh my God That felt gross I mean the whole story does But that one like put a tinge through me

I mean the whole story does Mr. Jimmy Prescott Could you stop it? No no I just mean like I mean like that sentence specifically like it becomes so mechanical that now he's trying to be like Hey so desensitizing

the ladies. He's so inhuman. He's so fucking he's a monster. It's like he still recognizes like, oh, these are ladies, you know, if you want to get laid and stuff. Oh, oh my gosh. It's Baraska things doing Barasca things. It's Barasca. It's very Barasca, yes. Screw you. I'd never be interested in this deal, and I don't understand why Kimber's thought I would be. Yeah, I never actually told her the part about putting you in charge. What part did you tell her? I promised I'd tell her where a boyfriend was,

and I told her she'd have a shot at killing her rapist. Her rapist is already dead. nah jimmy leaned back and put his arm behind his head he isn't my brain ran into a brick wall i couldn't understand what he was trying to tell me don't look at me kid she wasn't assigned to me and then it clicked i threw it before i could stop myself and the vomit ran down my pants to the floor sick kid you tell you tell the sheriff i'm coming for him oh wow so it was his dad he was his dad i like your fury son honest that shit, but you're gonna need a lot more than blinding rage. Here. Jimmy dropped a folded piece of white paper on at the coffee table next to his pile of cigarette ash. These are the coordinates of the new operations. Use your phone or something. Jimmy stood up and moved Kimber's leg out of his way with the toe of his boot. I can't wait to see what you cook up. Just remember, I need them dead. Not incapacitated. He opened the door and walked out, then stomped abruptly on the other side

of the threshold. Oh, and the sheriff always wears a bulletproof vest. Always. Probably when he's fucking his wife. He laughed at his own joke and then shut the door behind him. As soon as it clicked, I stumbled over to the door and locked it with both dead bolts. Then I collapsed against it and crawled over to Kimber.

I was worried he'd had it on too high of setting for a small frame. Roll Kimber onto her side. A lifesaving maneuver that an attic like me would need to know. And when I was satisfied that she was still breathing, I dragged a pillow down from the bed and shoved it under Kimber's head. I wanted to punch something or break something or beat someone to death.

Not just anyone, my father. The man Kimber had known since she was nine years old. Oh my gosh. The man who had watched her grow up with his own son. Why was I surprised after what she had done to Whitney? I'd killed my monsters. I'd kill him too. Perhaps worst of all, Kimber hadn't told me.

She kept it all to herself to protect me from the pain. I was a spitting image of my father. I'd known it and Prescott had confirmed it, but she never re-cooled for me and disgust or looked at me with fear. I knew the sheriff had to die. Jimmy Prescott, sick and twisted as he was, was about to get exactly what he wanted. But I knew I couldn't let him live either. Prescott couldn't keep me alive. I was a liability. He knew that. He knew that. I knew that. He was simply gifting me a lie that I could use to comfort myself while I prepared to go through with it all.

Because I knew. If Jimmy Prescott was coming to me for help, that meant that he had completely. completely lost control of the situation. And if Jimmy, with all of his money and influence, couldn't have the sheriff killed, no one could. Except maybe me. On the log shot bet that my father harbored any remaining paternal feelings for me. I only had the beginning tethers of a strategy, but soon I would have a full plan.

And I knew for damn sure that it couldn't involve Kimber. I wasn't going to bring her to the mind with me. I put her in too much danger already. I had to figure out how to execute this perfectly, because perfectly was the only way it was going to work. For now, I would just lie on the floor is the throbbing body ache, ate at my coherence. A sharp pain began to push into my back

between my shoulder blades. Damn, I only had days left to live and I didn't want to die sober. I didn't want to feel everything that you feel when you die. I want to be high as the stars when my time came. I'd earn that at least, had an eye. Sheriff knew I was here.

Prescott was getting impatient. Time was running out. Pull my phone out of my vomit-soaked jeans and dialed a familiar number. Yo, man, I need a favor. He's gonna get high again after all that? I think he's contacting Seth. He was, I hope so.

I think he's contacting Seth to be like, I need you to get some info. Sounds to me like he's calling a plug. Oh, I hope not. I hope not to. Oh, all right, chapter 10. Kimber stirred next to me. Before I could stop her, she rolled onto her back

and started to sit up. Whoa, slow down, easy, easy. What happened? She looked down to her sweater and a panic. Did they get shot? Yes, with a taser. You can thank Jimmy Prescott for that one. Oh my God. Oh my God, Sam. Are you okay? Did he? What, what happened?

I'm fine. Ristow but looked around the room. He's gone? Yes. Okay, listen, Sam, I... I waved my hand dismissively. I know why you did what you did, Kimber. Prescott's a key player and it's smart to listen to someone that high, wants to flip informer. Yeah, but was it worth it? Did he give you any good information? He gave us the location

The new camp they're using So it's true Do you trust him? No, but I trust these coordinates are correct And I trust that he really does want the sheriff out Did he tell you anything else? I couldn't admit to her That after everything she had gone to protect me from it

I'd found out the truth anyway No, just a lot of bullshit and random tangents You know, Jimmy? So what's the plan? We go in there? Guns blazing? Yes. Liar.

she wouldn't be coming on this particular suicide mission. When? As soon as I get my package from Chicago, soon as I get you somewhere safe. As soon as we have a plan. Okay, and did he say anything about Kyle? I didn't have the heart to say it out loud. I simply shook my head.

Kimber nodded and was quiet for a few minutes. I watched her inner struggle. I remembered Kimber well enough to recognize that she was searching for something inside, something to fight for. Such a Kimber thing to do. Okay. Okay, what do we do now? We need your inventory, what's in the trunk, so I know what I'm working with. We?

Yeah, we. Okay, what else? Well, I don't think Prescott is the only one who knows what room we're in at this motel. Let's go down to the front desk and see if they'll swap us to a room at the back of the building. On the first floor, if possible, in case of quick escapes needed. We'll keep parking in the front, though. Yes, right. Very clever, Sam. I'm almost impressed. Yeah, I guess I'm smart.

than I look. That's not what I meant. You're different when you, you know, without the drugs, you're cunning, strategic. It's going to make all the differences in the end. I shrugged. I really didn't know who I was yet. I was cold a lot and very stiff.

My movements felt unnatural. The sunlight that covered the walls of the room from dawn until dusk every day was garish and off putting to me. Everything felt very raw and sharp and unfamiliar. For the first time and so long, I was able to remember every minute of my day. my motivations were also much clear, more coherent.

Keep the monsters dead. Kill my father. And above all, maintain Kimber's safety at all costs. We pulled the car around the back of the building and inventoried Kimber's arsenal that afternoon. There were two bulletproof fest and 27 guns in total. Seven rifles, two shotguns, and 18 handguns, including the Beretta I always kept on me. Kimber had 460 rounds of assorted cartridges.

I spent most of the following two days pretending to plan with her and waiting for my package to arrive from Chicago. I was beginning to feel so guilty for planning to leave her behind that I wondered if maybe it was even cruel. She won't a vengeance. She deserved it. Kimber had already suffered so much. She didn't have to die for revenge.

Not what I could do it for. The death I would receive a barasca was a death I didn't deserve, an honorable one. I could live with that. Then one day, Kimber got a call from the front desk while I was in the shower. Package had arrived,

and I was in there to intercept the front desk from letting her know. I hated hiding anything from Kimber, especially now, but I knew that if she found out about the mysterious package, she may realize that I was planning something without her. When I came out of the bathroom, the package was sitting on my bed, unopened. Kimber was straped casually over the armchair, watching something on TV as if nothing were wrong.

I could only be so lucky. I didn't calm and gently move the box with the area between the bed and wall where I kept my duffel bag. Took a deep breath. I had almost been dreading this day because now that the package was here, things were going to start moving very quickly. Two days? Two days?

Kimber asked without taking her eyes from the screen. We do this shit on Wednesday. I couldn't believe I actually knew it was Monday. It's a little thing that continued to impress me. Kimber kicked your feet off the bed and set up in her armchair. Are we really ready? We'll have to be. Her plan is solid and we're running out of money.

We need to make a move. Can't just wait for them to forget we're here. Do you think we should drive a few towns over and pick up more ammo? No, if we can't do it with 500 rounds, we can't do it at all. I need Prescott's numbers, so I can ask him when the sheriff will be on the mountain. I've mapped the coordinates that he gave us, and it'll take just under 40 minutes to get there. I'll find out. He said and pulled out her phone.

No, I don't want him having access to you anymore, once it's bad enough. Sam, I can handle this. I got this far, didn't I? Kimber, you know what that man's done. Yes, better than you do, Sam. Give me the number. You stared at each other for a few minutes. both refusing to back off.

Why are you trying to take me out of the equation? I'm not. Kimber-clared to me angrily and then threw her phone on my head. Get it yourself. She sat back down in her chair and watched me as I picked up her phone from the floor and imported the number into my own. I know you wouldn't leave me at this fucking hotel, Sam. Of course not. I wouldn't go without you.

Liar. Fine. Then I needed to tell you that before we killed Jimmy, I wanted to tell us where they're keeping Kyle. What? sent the text of Prescott and then pulled the nine-mill out from under my pillow where I kept it and checked the clip for the hundredth time counting the bullets.

What do you mean where they're keeping Kyle? I told you about this, but I'm not surprised you don't remember. Kyle isn't at Landis. He hasn't been for years. Otherwise, I would have just gone and got him when we first came to town. Did he mean, told you this?

Yeah, he said he's either in a home or care center or a hospital or something. maybe not even in Drisking at all Prescott wouldn't tell me but I know he knows and he promised to tell me if we could kill the sheriff I assume you plan to kill Jimmy too and I want to know where Kyle is before you do

I nodded I had to give her this I would give her this I'd make sure to beat it out of Prescott before I killed him how to get that information to Kimber before I was gunned down I didn't know and I had precious little time to figure it out

the phone chimed it was Jimmy who the fuck is this Sam Walker Where's the distarro girl You talk to me now Hey It really is you

When will the sheriff be a Barasca Nobody calls it that prick When will he be there Jimmy Your daddy's heading up to the stables tomorrow morning I assume he'll stay a while There's a couple girls he really likes up there right now You know how it is when you get a new piece I got a man

Every time they say so that I'm like Wow That is insane Just a literal bruh Yeah Every time Yeah Certified bra moment

Human trafficking Brough moment The sheriff is going up to the mind Tomorrow morning And it'll probably be there a few days Perfect She said But her tone betrayed her

I could hear Uncertainness And her voice And fear Wish I could tell her That she was safe And that nothing was going to happen To her

But she couldn't know that yet We'll make our move Wednesday morning Just before dawn It should be dark enough To see yet still maintained decent cover. Ken Bernard then stood up

and began to pace around. We need to do a lot of prep tomorrow. Figure out how many guns we can carry and how much ammunition we can fit in our pockets. Reloading takes time when you aren't trained. Maybe tomorrow we can go where the firearms you're carrying and I can familiarize you

with how quickly to reload clips. We want to prep those early. Maybe tomorrow night? Good idea. I said as impassively as I could. I knew that by tomorrow night, I would be gone. But I needed to do something first. Something I had been thinking about

ever since the dreams I had in the throes of withdrawal. I needed to see my mom. I wanted to let her know that I was still alive and I needed to know if she knew what her husband was doing to people. I just couldn't accept that she did. Even if that were true, I believe that my mom would never hand me over to the sheriff

if she thought he could hurt me. She loved her kids too much. I looked over at Kimber and realized that today was the last day I was ever going to have with her. I need to get her out of town, but not now. Not yet. It was our last day together. and I didn't want to spend it arguing

there'd be enough of that tomorrow the phone chimed again looked down to see another text from Jimmy you finally making a move kid that's the end of chapter 10 what do you think the packages he got well I mean he said he's going to get Kimber out of town

he may be getting he may have called his dealer to get something to knock her out so he can like put her in a car like physically get her out of town actually it might be fucking pills and he's like here let's toast to like one drink before we go or something. Yeah and like knocks her out so we can just get

I was thinking that and you could I mean I wouldn't rule set that I just feel like the whole computer thing is too set up to where it's like I feel like well that was when like oh we'll get the records well yeah but still is there something maybe there might be some technological thing that he like here yeah I'll hit you up I do like this story like it's fun enough and I care about the characters

enough I'm willing to overlook a lot of the nitpicky stuff you know like there was like them saying like the thing in the two of them could single-handedly go in and, like, gun everyone down. I'm like, sure, they can think that, whatever. It's unrealistic right now, but I'm curious, I don't think that's how it's going to play out. I don't think that's going to how it's going to play out either. They're very

ill-prepared for it. Also, it's just, it's too, I don't know, like, Schlocky's not the right way. It's like too campy for, I feel like it would, him going in and like actually shooting people, it just feels so. He may get one or two, but he's not going to. I don't think that he's going to fire a gun.

You don't think? I don't think so. But I think they're hyping up for this big thing, but. This, if you make like the sheriff has to die has to i mean or when i say that i think i do not think he is going to get into a firefight in it yeah and i see i got i imagine he will probably shoot and kill somebody but i don't think it's going to be a thing where it's like eat it yeah real like yeah no doing mag change or clip changes as they keep calling him in the story yeah i don't think they'll happen i do i did we looked over this because there was other stuff going on didn't but that argument they were having where um she was like i would

never tell him. So she was going to live with Kyle forever and never tell him that they were half siblings. Like just live out their life together. Kyle would probably figure that out. So I pose this question to you on her. Right now, you found out you're in Allison or half brother and sister. Let the good times roll. Did you tell her? Hell no. Hell no. And you just, you just would not. I feel like also, I mean, I mean, don't remember wrong. It's disgusting. But do you, I mean, I feel people would be like I'm going that I cannot live with myself for what I've done like that's so it's it's literally an edipus moment yeah not as intense as a mother I don't think she's going to gouge on her eyes and throw herself off a mountain or something like that oh no like the bummer we're siblings yeah that's uh

that'd be rough I don't it's messed up to say I don't think I'd tell Kayla I would just it's very it'd be a difficult subject it's weird it's weird I would rather I would rather have sex with my sister forever than have the uncomfortable conversation. We're taking our break now. Half. Half. Yeah, it's half. Come on. Chapter 11. Chapter 11. I'm ready to go. I've also reassembled my bear traps

for future reference. All right. Chapter 11. Are we ready, Hunter? Oh, yes. I slept very little that night, awakening well after 11 a.m., groggy and aching. Kimber didn't say a word to me as I brewed pot after pot of stale motel coffee. We spent most of the morning and early afternoon. in a stretched, uncomfortable silence.

I thought maybe she was nervous or scared, and today was just the silence before the storm. But as the afternoon wore on, I caught her sliding calculated, angry glances across the room. She pretended to read book after book. That's when I realized she knew. What? I said, finally ending the charade. I don't want it to say it.

I hoped to spend a few more hours with her before the end because I knew that from this point onward, Kimber's last memories of me would be betrayal and deceit. I braced myself for the coming fight He left the room last night You were gone for hours I didn't reply There's no point in denying it

And that package you got yesterday from Chicago More fucking heroin My heart cracked at the pain in her voice Kimber was starting to understand what I was doing to her Are you going to deny it? And though her voice was angry I heard the plea underneath Please deny it please

It was drugs wasn't it What the fuck is wrong with you Why are you doing this Sam? Kimber screamed, flinging her book across the room where it hit the wall behind my head. You couldn't fucking handle it, could you? You couldn't be there for me when it mattered more than anything in the world. You're weak, Sam. You're fucking weak.

I'm sorry. Where'd you go? Where'd you go last night, huh? Did you park down the street where I couldn't see, so I couldn't stop you? Kimber. You're a piece of shit. And I wish it had been you instead of Kyle. It should have been you.

I'd often thought that very same thing. than hearing it from her hurt so much worse. Me too. Like, why did missions... Come on, give him a bit more than just... Me too. He's defeated, right?

So he says, me too. Oh, did I say that? Okay, my man. Not bad, though. It should have been you instead of Kyle. Me too. I thought... All right. I didn't realize how I was that past with it.

Me too. Is that good? That will suffice. my quiet admission seemed to sober her Kimber squeezed her hands together to still the anger and fear that were spawned wild electrical currents throughout her body that manifested as violent shutters

she knew this was the end and for the first time since we'd crossed into Missouri both Kimber and I were well and truly alone didn't even have each other anymore we didn't have anything Prescott won't talk to me anymore she said more calming this time as she tried to compose herself

does that mean what I think it does yes so you're planning to leave him behind sam i took a deep breath and then answered her honestly yes well that's not gonna happen i need to be there when he dies i deserve to be there her voice was still dripping in acid but she seemed to be steady i knew kimber was right she did deserve to be there in a better world she would see him slain and watch the light leave his eyes but i refused to risk her safety i couldn't watch Kimber die she had suffered so much already i need to be there to choke the truth about kyle out of jimmy prescott and i fucking will be stood up and whipped her long hair out of her

face when are we leaving for the mine you'll die if you go i don't give a fuck sam he stared at each other there's no point in challenging kimber she never back down never three a m said finally fine perfect i'm gonna show and you're gonna sleep since you were gone all fucking night later you can shoot up the rest of your heroin so that you're useless up there but hey at least you'll die high camber gathered her clothes and threw a contemptuous look back at me she stomped down the little hallway to the bathroom i studied her hoping to remember all the details this was the last time i would ever see my best friend because even if i somehow lived kimber would ever forgive me for this but i would slay her demons for her just as i had slain mine in this

very room days before i prayed she would turn around just once before shutting the door. I just wanted to see her face one last time. But she never did. I had heard her again, this time mercilessly. Everything that was left of what would have been called my soul was scorched to senders. Thank God I didn't have much longer to live

because I'd be limping across the finish line as it was my heart and soul burned out. I stood up and placed the barretta onto the bedside table. Using the cheap motel stationery, I wrote Kimberra last letter, just like her mother had ten years before. I took the car, red pickup that's been parked next to us for a week.

Swipe the keys here in the drawer. I programmed test number into your phone. Call him when you hit the border. He'll tell you where to go. He knows the plan, and he'll take care of you. I placed the note under the gun, prayed Kimber would heat it. I could taste salt and ash,

and I let the motel door click shut behind me, and I realized that I knew the feeling well. Regret. I walked around the building and climbed into Kimber's old Mazda. I'd wanted to leave her own car, but it would have been too risky to transfer the guns from the moster to the red pickup, especially when the Dodges' meth-out owner could sober up any time. I pulled out of the parking lot, emerged onto the highway going west.

There was just one more errand to run before I made my final trip up the mountain. My heart sunk lower every passing mile. There were precious few between the Prince Ridge and my old house. And before I'd even decided if going home was a good idea, after all, I was pulling into the driveway of my old home. the house was very different than I remembered My parents had built an addition onto the dining room And widened the windows into bays on the bottom floor

Why they felt the needed extra room When their children were dead Or as good as good as was beyond me It was odd to climb the familiar patio stairs And ring the bell as if I were a stranger Chime was different too More lilting and melodic I waited a few minutes

Rocking foot to foot wondering what I would say to the woman who had raised me when she opened the door. If she opened the door, I was beginning to doubt that anyone was home. I had nothing left to lose anyway. I decided to try the front door. It was locked. I knocked hard on the window next to it. Mom, said through the door, it's Sam. Nothing. Was she home? asleep? Still locked in Whitney's room, wailing away her grief after all these years. I jumped over the patio railing and walked into the backyard. My parents had built a giant wooden

deck where the back porch had been complete with the hot tub and wet bar they're certainly living it up without us hey held iron indignation seething just below the surface but i held it in check superpower it only just recently acquired okay for one he is assuming that his parents even live here which is a stretch and uh on top of that he's also assuming his dad doesn't have like 14 children from the mine yeah well i think it's he's looking at through the lens of big man in charge spends big money. Yeah. You know that kind of thing.

Like, whoa, wow. So you need bay windows, dad. Yeah, wow. I mean. Yeah, I'm glad the children's blood paid for it. Walking up the deck, I tried the sliding glass door to the kitchen. Caught on something, but with the hard yank, I was able to free it.

Door slid open, allowing me access to the house. There were more upgrades inside, including mahogany floors and top-of-the-line kitchen appliances. And why not? What else was he going to do with the kid's college fun? I thought bitterly. Mom? Called again and stepped over the threshold. hold. As I waited for response, my eyes began to wander around the room.

Most of the walls hosted art of some kind, but now and again, I found beautifully framed photos hung reverently among them. I went room to room studying the frame pictures, all of which were hung on the most perpetuous part of the wall as if in worship. Of course, all the pictures were of Whitney. You will never leave her be, ever. I wanted to hit something. as I wandered through the house I began to realize that some of the pictures were duplicates as if my father hadn't had enough photos of Whitney to cover the entire house there were no photos of my parents or me I walked upstairs and it was more the same

my old room housed only a flat-screen TV and a tanning bed while Whitney's was exactly the way she'd left it couldn't bear to go into my parents' room everywhere I looked I saw Whitney no I will not let this happen I collected the photos from every room, foyer, and hallway, and then dumped the pictures, including glass and frame, into the deep marble sink in the kitchen. Then pulled a bottle of whiskey from the outside bar, poured it liberally over the sheriff's shrine. Took out a cigarette, lit it, brought the lighter down to the alcohol-soaked pyre where it erupted into a pyramid of hungry flame.

I would burn it all. Burn him too. While I smoked the marble and waited for the smoke alarm to trigger, I heard a familiar sound from down the hallway across the room. someone was opening the garage I didn't know what I would say to her but she needed to answer for all of this and I had to know what she knew about her daughter's death and her husband's crimes

heard the door open and she was walking down the hallway toward the kitchen I flicked my cigarette into the dying blaze and started toward her but it wasn't my mother who emerged from the darkness bum bomb that's kind of fucking creepy though huh no pictures of the family

only pictures of Whitney all over the house yeah that's his shrine yeah who his obsession was with super super creepy yeah how culpable do you think the mom is it's hard to say i mean you want i my gut reaction is you let this kind of stuff happen or you're just kind of like anyone who's idly sitting by for these things it always feels iffy but at the same time i don't i mean i i don't know who knows my gut i want to say i you know don't care for no no the only way that she's not evil in my eyes if she was like being physically like abused during this. physically abused or she's like at a catatonic state where he's

been drugging her for you know that kind of stuff some other snare where she's a victim too yeah chapter 12 emmeline it had taken only seconds to recognize her emma had an age very much since we were teenagers and she looked absolutely gorgeous but i can figure out what she was doing in my house emmeline immediately dropped the bag she was carrying in shock and slung back against the wall who are you what are you doing in my house she said quickly her eyes drawn to the fire quietly burning behind me. I was going to ask you the same thing. Why are you here?

Why are you burning? The voice had risen, high-pitched hysteria. What's in the sink? What are you doing in my house, Emma? Her eyes finally slid up to my face as a familiar use of her name. I watched hesitant recognition dawn there. Sam? Yeah, now answer my question.

Why are you in my house? Where's mom? Your mom? Yes, she lives here. You know, tall, brunette, always trying to feed everyone. married to the sheriff, Emma line finally seemed to regain her composure. She's straightened up against the wall, but refused to move away from it. Actually, I'm married to the sheriff.

He didn't mention you were in a town come to think of it. Emma was one of the three girls that he said were hot when he was younger, right? There's those three girls that he'd be like, oh, they were so cute in their bikinis or whatever. You know what, at this point? Yeah. Like, that's a perfectly expected reaction from this guy. This dude. You're married to my dad?

My stomach heaved. Yes, for about seven years now. She crossed her arms in front of her and smirked. What had he done to her? Imeline was never like this when I'd known her. She'd been sweet and friendly and shy. The reason I'd crushed on her so hard. With a sinking feeling, I remember that my dad had known all that

because we'd spoken about my feelings for Emmeline at length. Oh. You tell your dad about the girl you like. You're like, I feel like I like this girl. she's beautiful and then your dad ends up getting with her it's like it keeps finding new ways for him to be gross and only two years after they left she's been with him for seven years

probably even longer the moment she turned 18 yeah I mean yes but still like he's in his 40s 50s whatever yeah no I'm saying that like he was clearly like waiting for a public yeah or like yeah or maybe in this town they probably don't give a shit yeah but to like Like, she said she's been married seven years.

Yeah, I'm saying that he could have married her when he was 14. Yeah, I'm sure they were hooking up and stuff as soon as his son was gone. But I'm saying, like, to get legally married, like, the moment she turned 18. I mean, I guess, yeah. Maybe in this town, too, they're just like, whatever, you're married. I'm the sheriff. Jimmy's words came back to me, unbidden from days before. Walker has a thing about playing a sick game with his kids.

I turned and threw up in the sink. He goes he went little. He throws up a lot. It's like the third time. He is a heroin joke. That's true, yeah. I turned up and threw up in the sink. Dowsing what little fire now remained in the pile of ash and twisted glass.

That's revolting. What were you burning in my sink? Where is my mother? I asked spitting out the last of the Bible. She died years ago. Listen to year after you were run out of town. Emma said, she was beginning to sound annoyed and bored. My mother is dead?

Yes, dead. It's almost a relief. If my mom had been gone for so long, it meant that she hadn't been a part of any of this, but the pain was lurking there too. I could only hope that her death had been natural because if it hadn't been, all I had was the prayer that the sheriff had shown mercy to his wife of 22 years. I'm his wife now. Emma's shrill voice cut through the fog of grief that it's around to me. How did she die? I don't remember. It was so long ago, but it's not like you were here, so why do you care? You need to get out of here,

he's dangerous. My husband would never hurt me. I'm the mother of his child. He loves me. You have a kid with my dad? Yes. She's at daycare right now. And she's this whole world. No one else compares.

Not even you. He better round. He better fucking roundhouse kick this bitch in the face as soon as he can. He's like, oh, cool. He's like, that's awesome. And just like caves in her chest. Kicks her. She like flies across the room.

Well, you know what's saying there, right? because, like, his last daughter that was his whole world. Well, yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, gosh.

Every time I think it's like, well, it can't get grosser. The story. Do you think he renamed his new daughter at Whitney? He probably did that animal. What have you named like Kimber or something real? I mean, what?

He named it Adolf Hitler at this point. I can't see him. I just, yeah. Oh, really? No one else compares? What's her name, Emma? I asked. Ameline faltered, and the smile on her face turned snide.

I'm not telling you that. What's her name? What did you burn in my sink? I burned every picture of Whitney Walker that was in this house. Himalai Zines widen and her face paled almost immediately. You can't. You didn't. Yes.

Every picture of Whitney is gone. He doesn't have backups with those photos. He'll come after you. He'll kill you. Not if I kill him first. emmeline pulled the phone out of her back pocket and began scrolling through the numbers she laughed but it was disingenuous high-pitched and nervous he'll kill you he'll kill you when i tell him what you've done you tell the sheriff i'm coming for him an audit at her as she dialed imeline put the phone up to her ear i didn't try to stop her it was too late now anyway my eyes flicked back to the sink couldn't hide this sheriff knew i was in town he probably even knew what i was here for but jimmy prescott could be believed He didn't know that I knew where to find him.

And that was the only thing I had going for me. That and the prayer that the sheriff wouldn't come tearing down out of the mountain when he found out what I did. I needed him there. Where did it all be gone? Emma was moving slowly toward the back door. No doubt ready to bolts as soon as she reached it. The line suddenly connected and Emmeline began to speak very quickly. Send everyone to the houseies.

Before she could get another word out, Emma was suddenly on her back on the ground. her phone spinning across the floor toward my foot. Kimber had come through the sliding door so fast I didn't even realize what had happened until I saw the mess of red hair on top of a screaming Emma. The line was still connected so I smashed the phone under the heel of my boot. By the time I looked back toward Imeline,

Kimber already had the barretta jammed under Emma's jaw. Say another word, Adler, and I'll put a bolt through your fucking skull! I added the fucking... That's okay. Imeline whimpered. Where is Sam's mom? My throat tied in.

she's I wasn't talking to you Adler She's She's dead How I don't know It was a car accident I think

Or some of the car I'm sorry I don't remember I'm a victim like you Oh fuck you Yeah kill her Kill her Kill her

Kimber let go of Emma And she scrambled back Against the wall Her disposition changed As soon as she was freed Gone was a scared Wilting flower For moments before

and was once again mistress of the house. She smiled coolly. But of course, I'm a survivor. And it's Walker now. You both are so dead when my husband find you. I feel bad because she's definitely mentally insane. She is mentally brainwashed, in my opinion. Does that not read like a fucking...

You know what? You're right, and we should put her out of her misery. I agree. Well, you know. I have no sympathy for anyone in this town. Listen, I'm just saying... I am just saying... I am just saying, you think whatever you want.

I'm just saying that it's all clicking here. Listen, I'm fucking, I'm trying to catch the shit as it flies by now because of all, you know, what's been going on in the last couple episodes. Yeah. So I just want to say, she's sitting there. Even her just being like, oh, so it's Walker now and giving us like a Jim Hopper like, that to me, I'm like, oh, you're just insane. Yeah, she's, she's been, she's a victim of it as well, but she's different now. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Understood.

That being said, uh, this town needs to burn. Yes. Kimber turned and cracked him over the head with the butt of the gun she fell face first onto the rug she was kneeling on we gotta go I said taking Kimber's arm

get off me! screamed and jerked away from my grasp Kimber gave me a fiery look and then held out her hands Keys no you need to get out of town immediately Kimber she pointed the barrette at my chest

now I hesitantly handed them over to her and she whirled out the door I followed her to the Mazda where she tore open the driver's side door and got in The red pickup was parked haphazardly on the front yard, grass torn up

under its tires, a driver door hanging open. I walked up to the Mazda's Kimber scowled at me but didn't get in. Kimber, I'd rather be dead than take you with me up to that mine. I told her through the open window. Her hands flexed, white knuckled on the steering wheel. Can I just say, I think he's being too much of a little fucking

pussy white night right now. Yeah, it's a little bit like, I gotta save you. Like, God damn, just let her fucking go up there. Just let her go out like you two's better than one. Seriously, you're going to get hurt. She says committed to die for this. as you are like it's just what the fuck like you came up there you both are in you both are up shit's creek right now yeah stop being such a fucking pussy and just let her go the hey seriously babe no more the i can't i cannot rest with blood on my hands the suicide run made more sense to me

uh when like he i get leaving the note like i'm gonna go and stuff that's fine but now where they're standing outside he's like no you've got to go it's like i mean i've been i've been at I've been fucking holding that back for a while to where it's just like he's like you know what she doesn't know but I'm gonna go up because I deserve to die It is very white. It's like just shut the fuck up and like

If you guys go up there and get your brains blown out I guess I was giving him more credit for that Because like he's a heroin addict He feels like he has nothing to lose And him and Kyle died And now he feels determined to die for Kimber I hate I guess I just I want Kyle's sacrifice to mean something

I need her to get out of here Listen I understand that's coming from a place of her kimber surviving is the actual goal that's like that's like how do you know if you want she has to be safe if she's the one who lives that that's all that matters in his eyes right now but at the same time stop being such a fucking pussy and then also just be like I mean dude I don't know this whole white night thing just shut the fuck up and let her go with you just just get her with it because it's been like forever now it's like I seriously don't even know what I do I don't want to do it. You'd probably do heroin, dude.

Probably if I was a fucking gambling man. You probably do heroin. It's like, it's insulting. It's honestly what it is. Yeah. Yeah, she's certainly capable. Yeah, I agree. Yeah. Two's better than one. But I guess if he wants to die. Also a character. Dying's also an easier route for a character like this. I hate when characters male or female like have verbiage or they say shit where it's just like, trust me, you'll be better off. This like, like, I'm deciding how you feel. decision yeah yeah i think that's fucked yeah where she yeah and that it would be different to there's a couple different things it'd be different if she was like and she's like well yeah i'll go with you if

you need that closure and it wasn't her perpetuating the whole thing too right this was kimber's idea yeah he was gonna get high until he was dead back in chicago yeah let's say he's like well let's say it's just a distraction he's like i was gonna go buy heroin before they fucking blew my brains out yeah or something like that maybe he's like a junkie and going off but this whole like weird like white knuckle thing i'm gonna break into my old family's home and burn these photos. I'm like, God, dude, extra. It's a bit extra at the moment. Is it not? Because if there's anything, she should have come home, he's like, fire should stay lit. He should have just fucking scissor kick that bitch right in the face.

So when I say it, it's a problem. But when you say it, it's fine. I said, I said, I'm the monster of this show. You got to stay pure of heart. See, now I'm doing the Sam to you. It's good. Because I got offended by that. When you're like, what the fucking talk about? You know what? You actually got me. I'm gonna go with that one. With that one maneuver, I'm 100% on your side now. He needs to shut up and that.

That was good gas lighting. I like that. All right. Well, that's exactly what he's doing. That's exactly what he's doing right now. I'm the tortured gargoyle that hangs out these chapel halls. The moment you said that,

I'm like, don't, don't infidize me. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. I should have just had like six syringes in my arm. I'm the animal. I'm a, I'm the dark side.

I'm the devil, you're the angel. Uh-oh. Okay. All right, point, point made. Don't make me leave you here. She said as the far-off sirens of police cruisers began to creep into the neighborhood. Damn it, I yelled. Do Kimber always get her way?

Before my door was even shut, Kimber was screeching out of the driveway. She made her record time back to the highway, but the sirens continue to grow louder behind us. They're chasing us, Kimber. Where are you going? You know where Barasca is, and I don't. You're not going to tell me, are you? No, said in a low voice. Then there's only one place to go.

She said, and before I realized where she was going, we were already there. She pulled into the back lot of the Prince Ridge, parked, walked, walked straight into our hotel room, which she hadn't even bothered to lock on her way out. Ran after her, locking the hotel door behind me. They know we're here, we have to go now. Cooper fell into the armchair, began spinning the car keys on her finger. The spin is kind of rough. I didn't think about the visual of that.

That's kind of cringe. That's a bit cringe. Now, see, now I'm picturing her in the white night armor kind of thing. It's like I'm picturing two completely, like, knight in armor. Yeah. There's like, you're like, Kimber, you have to get out of here. Now she's like, I knew you'd go to your mothers. No, don't do that to Kimber.

I'm not. I'm not. I knew you would go to your mothers. Even when you're high, even when you're high, you're not stupid enough to make a run at Barasca in the daylight. I'm not high. You hide it well Hold on, hold on, Bob. But this is a

Kimber shrugged. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But I can't, I can't, not this, not Baroscow, not this one. I'm not doing that much of a voice. I am doing the actions of what she's doing, all right? And I, I reeled back the voice, so it's, I was, she shrugs. You hide it well. In anyways, how can I believe anything you say?

You've lied to me at every turn. I lied. You kept everything for me. Only what I didn't trust you with. And I agree that you were right. I was a liability, and I'm so sorry for that. Kills me to even think about the danger I put you in. But you need to admit the reason I can see you spinning faster out of my...

I see it going to look like it's making it's making a loud noise. But you need to admit the reason you're really here. Let me take it. Let me take care of the rest. I can do that now, and I want to. I know what my life is buying. I want to help, Sam. I want to help Sam.

I want to Barasca gone and those men dead. I know you do, but that's not why you're here. You're here because of Kyle. I'm not saying that's wrong, Kimber, but... I'm here for Kyle, okay? I never pretend I wasn't, but I want to see Baraska exposed to. Sirens were getting near. and we were no closer to getting out of this room.

Kimber sighed. It's clear that that's never going to happen. I thought we might be able to get records, but I don't know how to find them. These fuckers are going to die with their good names. But at least they'll die, right? Yes, they will die. You finally agreed on something. And you're not going up there alone for some suicidal showdown.

Got it? Clinched my teeth. Time for lives was over, but I couldn't agree to this. Siren suddenly cut off. They were here. Kimber Come on out son We know your girlfriend are hiding up in that hotel room

The megaphone was coming from the other side of the building They think that we're still in 209 Kimber whispered as if they could hear her It was the break we needed Get your shit and get in the car Kimber gave me a weary look We can argue later Let's just get out of here Kimber

If they catch us now No one makes a run of Berosca She nodded still looking distressful But slung her bag over her shoulder And quietly opened the door I prayed they had yet to surround the whole building I grabbed my duffel bag and followed Kimber out quietly closing the door behind me

Come on now Samuel Don't make us coming to this crack day after you Come out real nice and obedient So we can bring you to your daddy He's really looking forward to seeing you Want to spend some quality father and son time I like how even the deputies are comically evil Oh yeah it's just like

Hey he wants hey And he wants to spend some real quality time with his son I mean, to be fair, they are helping run a child sex trafficking ring, so I guess there's no level. I mean, I imagine them all with extremely long pencil-thin mustache, that curl. Don't make us come in that crack dead, Samuel. Yeah, that's excellent. You're going to fall right into a trap. And don't worry about the common.

large mouse trap outside your door. There's a big box and stick. I bet you're hungry for being in that cracked in so long. Why don't you grab that nice big piece of cheese? We're going to put them in... You're going to make him get the cheese, and then he'll be in Schrodinger's box with the cat and cheese. Well, everything is going according to plan.

Isn't that right, sir? And everyone's doing it, too? Yes. yeah it's excellent we threw our bags in the backseat and climbed into the car a way to hear the megaphone again before I risk turning the engine over this time a different voice spoke Samuel Walker you were one and suspected of the felony assault of Kyle Landy if you resist arrest we may have to hurt you

the sheriff really wouldn't like that so don't make our jobs more difficult where are we going just away from here we have to lose them knowing that they would spot the Mossade immediately I decided our only hope was to gun it and light up the highway the tires screeched as we shot out of the parking lot headed straight for the freeway on ramp. There are a few places tied, and I realized our best shot was one of the forest roads we knew so well. I risked a glance in the rearview mirrors we hit on the on ramp. The deputies had been caught off guard by our sudden appearance from the back of the building

and we're only just taking their cruiser out of the park as we emerged onto the highway. A pedal was on the floor, and I was taking all of my concentration to keep the car stable and the gently falling snow. I knew there was a strong possibility that they would catch us, since their cars were a lot faster than ours. Kimber, hand me the gun. No. She said without looking away from the side mirror.

I'm a better shot than you. She was probably right. I hadn't shot a gun since before I went to prison. The highway began to curve, and I knew this would be my only blind spot for miles, the one chance to make a move they couldn't see. Instead of pulling off to the right, headed up a gently inclining force inlet,

I cut the wheel and careened over the snow-covered highway divider, across incoming traffic, and up the steeper, more challenging access road to my left. I prayed our tire tracks wouldn't be visible to them with the moderate holiday traffic kicking up slush over them. The snow was falling softly through the trees as we climbed the mountain road and I knew that if we were going to make it somewhere less vulnerable,

we couldn't stop. Snowfall would only get heavier. It's interesting. They yelled, you're wanted for the assault of Kyle Landy. Yeah, they're just going to blame it on him. Chapter 14. Kimber remained focused on the road. road behind us throughout our ascent. It was slow going at times and we got stuck every mile or two.

I wondered if Kimber could even get the car back down in the morning. There seemed to be no fear in her, no anxiety in her voice, no agitation in her movements. Kimber knew as well as I did, this was the end. She didn't hesitate to meet it. Finally, I saw what I was looking for, a turn off to a more level road that would move us laterally around the mountain. I took the corner and drove a mile and a half down the road before finally putting the car in park. Kimber turned around in her seat and stared out the back window. They're not following us. How do you

know? Because I've been followed before. Kimmer turned back around her seat and chewed on her thumbnail. But because we're not being followed doesn't mean we can go back. You're not going to let us off this mountain. I choked on a deep breath of thin mountain air, hoping to call my racing heart. Kemper pat to my

back. Breathe Sam. She leaned forward and popped your glove compartment open, took out a large folded paper tar. bargain. Why do you keep that in your car? Kimber shrugged. Practice? She opened the door and stepped out in the snow. I followed her. You think they're following us and you want to shoot a gun out here? You said we weren't being followed. I trust you.

Why on God's hurt? What you should? Okay. Whatever. Whatever. Whatever. Okay. It's just like, this Baraska. It's Kyle and Kimber. Kyle, ha, Kyle Mom's funeral. Okay, I'm good. she gave me a small smile as if she hadn't said anything significant Kimber trusted me it was a bittersweet victory that wouldn't last long come on you need to learn how to shoot use the barretta says it's since you favorite so much

honestly I just thought it looked cool it does in sound school too have you ever shot a firearm before once but I didn't hit anything well that's not going to be acceptable up here we have a lot of ammunition but it's going to help us if but it's not going to help us if you can't hit anything couldn't argue with that Now the sheriff is probably going to be wearing a vest

So you have to aim for so you can't aim for the body mass You need to hit him in the head Save with Jimmy and anyone else that shoots at you Okay, I said as if we weren't discussing murdering cops Kimber walked 20 yards away and pin the target to a tree branch Now the bread is a semi-automatic gun So you won't need to chamber every cartridge Just point and shoot in secession

Right You don't need to rack the slide because there's already a bullet in the firing chamber Your left foot should be in front of your right about shoulder link apart hold the gun with both hands okay good now line the sights and fix it on the target squeeze the trigger when you're ready

the shot was louder than I'd expect it and echoed through the mounts for almost three seconds well if they didn't know we were here already they do now not bad Kimber said as she walked up to the target you get the very outer circle let me correct your stance a little

we worked through the afternoon in similar form taking a lot of time between each shot I would fire the gun Kimber would adjust me or give me advice and then I would try again With each progressive squeeze of the trigger, I got a little closer to the center of the target. She worked with me until the sun had sunk far into the horizon, and the shadows were too long to decipher from each other. So we began to shiver in the sunless cold. I know you're freezing, but this is the perfect amount of light to practice in.

You're still leaving at 3 a.m., right? Yes, but Kimber, can't have you out there. Oh my gosh. I can't have you out there. You know that, right? Why do you think I'm teaching you to shoot? You're going to let me go alone? Do I have a choice?

no Kimber shrugged maybe maybe like as they talked about the Kyle thing like she'll get Kyle and he'll go to

Barasca maybe I don't know yeah on his wheelchair oh come on Kyle I get home with my baby he does she

she get shot like 9 times immediately I was I'm I'm cooking my baby

I was running through the six with my worst yeah so Kyle he likes Drake now Sheesh

All my asses Like I'm George straight Like I'm George straight Okay Kimber shrugged Then I guess I have to It's too easy Exceptively easy

We both knew she didn't mean it But I didn't want to argue Okay, get low like I taught you. I try to hit the birch tree again. I'm going to get the sig so I can show you how to use a rifle. I eyed the white bark of the far-off birch through the sides. I was determined to hit the trunk this time. Even though I knew I wouldn't have the luxury of taking time to line up my shots at the mine,

I needed to learn how to use them properly if I was going to have any kind of chance of success. I exhaled slowly and brought my finger down to wrap around the trigger. Sam, stop! Turn around to see Kimmer. standing at the trunk of the car her face which had been flushed from the cold for the last hour had gone white as snow she was standing in what's wrong

it's gone what's gone all of it what walked over next to Kimber and stared in the trunk all there remained was one bulletproof vest and a scribbled piece of yellow legal paper what someone came on to be fair

they've been they've been off the highway shooting guns for hour. They didn't see my comically large net above the tree, did they? They didn't see my gun magnet.

They didn't see the large cartoonish cartoon magnet that sucked all the guns up into the magnet. Yes, it's all the part of my plan. On the yellow paper, it said, we know all you have on you is one semi-automatic handgun. We're leaving you this ballistic vest to show

that we play fair. Your daddy wants to you come to us before we come to you coordinates below the good guys p.S your vehicle has been low jacked courtesy of the Butler County Sheriff's Department they just won so the police see them and they

Scooby-Doo sneak up to the car it's still 23 rifles or like seven rifles two shotguns and like 20 hand there's four cops all right everybody got grab five guns a piece and we're going to sneak back into the woods like this

I was going to play Pink Pink Panther Music while I do it. Unless is it supposed to be that they took it while they're in the parking lot. Which is what I actually assume happened. I like to think that they did out in the forest, but They've been shooting all day and they didn't go to get ammo from the trunk once. I guess they have

but well, yes, because I think that she only has had them because he's been holding the the bretta. Yeah. So I imagine that when they were out there. Maybe she had a box of ammo in the front seat or something. Yeah. Sure. Okay. All right. They just won. well I didn't say your your vehicle's been low jacked

well I don't know they know I don't even know what the fuck that means I assumed it meant like putting a like a probably like a tracker on it or something cap on it or maybe whatever yeah Kimber said and defeated sort of bewilderment and she was right we were absolutely screwed no maybe we can still Kimber slapped my face she seemed to immediately regret it as if she had surprised herself but she cared on anyway don't be an idiot Sam. Kimber jerked the 9mm out of my hand and ejected the clip.

It was empty. You don't have anything on you. Nothing? I asked in cold fear. I could work with very little, but I couldn't work with nothing at all. Nothing. Said Kimber as you racked the slide. Except this.

Bullets sprung out of the chamber and fell into the thin layer of snow below where it sunk. Felt on my knees to retrieve it. One bullet? One bullet. Probably have failed with a thousand bullets, but with only one, I might as well just put it into my head. Sam. You're going to have to curve the bullet. That'd be great if it's a wanted thing.

He kills all the cops. It's like the Guardians of the Galaxy with that little arrow guy, Yondo. Yeah. I will say this is getting very cheesy. If he's like, all I need is one. And we go and he's like, Dad, fuck you. He does like a Grand Trino thing. Get off my lawn.

and he pulls it out and then they all start shooting them pooh-w-wh-wh-wh-w-wh-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w. Yeah. Doesn't that what happened in Grantorino? Why are you looking at me like that? He doesn't have a gun.

Oh, what's fake? Yeah. He's like, he's like, he lets them gun him down so that he can make a case to get them out of the neighborhood. Yeah, finally, they're all arrested. Yeah.

My grand scheme all along. Yeah, that's what the moral of that movie was about. Yeah. He was right. from the beginning. I had a pretty good hunch. I wanted this to happen and it happened in the end. When could they have done this?

I was beginning to panic. I don't know. After we did our inventory days ago. Damn it. Damn it. How did they know what we were carrying on us? They've probably been watching us or Jimmy told them. Shook my head wildly.

Enable or unwilling to comprehend our current situation. I'm going to get control of my fear. We needed to sit. We need to thin. Get in the car. We need to get in the car. We shut the door. I turned on the engine, blasting the hot air into the cab.

We ran it for 20 minutes, but nothing seemed to dissipate the cold. Maybe we should just leave. Kimber's voice wobbled when she finally spoke. Her shock was melting into hopelessness. Come back in another 10 years. Don't want to tell her that we couldn't leave. They were tracking the car. They knew exactly where we were.

He always had. All the roads down the mount were already blocked. All the roads now led to Barasca. End of chapter 14. Okay, so why don't you, uh, go to a Walmart, a dick, somewhere that sells a box of ammunition. Well, I'm wondering. That's why, that's why I was like, earlier when I was like, oh, well, he had to wait until

she was 18 to marry her. I was like, I feel like in this town, everybody's just in on it. So I feel like even if they went into like a place that's local, they're just going to be like. Maybe all the roads outside of local town or block. Sure. I went, look, if this wasn't Barasca, I'd be a lot more upset about it. Even where you're pointing out, like, this is getting kind of.

of cheesy the one well i'm just saying i'm not saying i'm not saying i'm not saying i'm willing to like i'm willing to put up with a lot same same only because it's borosca yeah if this was any other story i my hopes would be in the gutter right there has not been a cartoonish uh firefight so i no one no explosions yet nothing to that degree i'm willing to put with a lot because this is calling this is sam and kimber so and i'm also holding out hope calls out there that's fine i this point. Okay. Chapter 15. Pulled off my jacket and shoved it behind my lower back, which was beginning to throb in pain. Kimber was in and out of sleep, and I occasionally turned off the car to conserve gas, making sure to cover her with all the clothes I could find in our duffel bags.

It was midnight. The woods were quiet and there was no moonlight to reveal what surrounded the car. It was enveloped by empty, black, ice cold air. I was cold and tired and in pain. I needed to wait until a few hours before dawn to start my trek to the mine. Walk to Barasca would be around two and a half hours from where we were. I had to make sure I left Kimber enough gas to get down the mountain and out of town because as soon as the sheriff was dead, or I was, they'd be looking for.

I watched her sleep and wondered at the madness of the world. We should all have lived normal lives. Graduated together, went to college, been roommates, backpacked Europe, but none of that could ever happen now. What cruel irony it was that Kimber was more of a sister to me than she had ever been to Kyle. universe was just a big asshole

I rode to my eyes and debated braving cold outside for a cigarette I had 14 left and I planned to smoke them all before I reached the mine I didn't mean what I said jumped a little and Kimber laughed softly I didn't know you were awake who can sleep

good point Kimber set up and pushed 20 pounds of clothes off her I noted the time and started the car I didn't mean it what I said about about wishing it had been you instead of Kyle. I don't worry about it. Sad shifting uncomfortably in my seat.

I wish the same thing. No, Sam. Kimber grabbed me by the sides of my head and pulled me to her where she rested her forehead against mine. There's no one I would rather have by my side tomorrow. And I know you don't want me there, but I will be to the very end. With Kimber holding me the way she was, there was no way for me to hide my wet eyes. Pulled my head back and wipe my face with a ratty flannel sleeve.

Emotions were so much more overwhelming when you felt all. of them. Without responding to her, opened the door and stepped out into the Piercy Mountain Air. Close the door, leaned against it, dug into my pockets with a shaking hand. Left my park and the car, my haste to get out of it, but I wasn't going back

now. My new mantra echoed through my mind again. One bullet. I heard the passenger door open, turned in time to catch the park at Kimber had thrown at me. You idiot? Get back in the car. It's freezing. You think? It took a long drag off

my cigarette and felt the nicotine began to work its magic, and he had to stay calm. One bullet, Kimber, pulled my Parker around my shoulders. And a bulletproof vest? Yeah. More bullet-resilient depending on what you get shot with. Nothing is really bulletproof, am I right? He gave her an icy glare. Well, I didn't know that, but thanks.

Sorry. It's fine. It doesn't matter. I'll probably just shoot me in the head anyway. We're almost done, because it's fucking freezing out here. Don't you want to get some sleep? I'll sleep plenty soon enough, I thought morbidly. Not really.

Slick the cigarette away and followed its ember glow to where it settled in the fresh, still falling snow. Climb back in the car and I checked the time. Four more minutes and I'd have to shut the engine off again. I know you think I should stay, so tell me, what do I do after you leave? Kimber asked as she laid both of her hands over the air vents. Wait until you hear gunfire. As soon as you do, get the hell off this mountain. If you haven't heard anything by 6 a.m., leave anyway.

hitch the car about three miles down and walk out do not follow the road keep going downhill call set as soon as you get to signal him were nodded interesting and how will i know what happened to you i'll contact you or where i won't both knew it would likely be the latter chances that i could get a shot off especially one that my father was expecting wasn't expecting but i knew they wouldn't let us off the mountain until one of us was dead I just hoped it would be the sheriff. Check the time and turned off the car. How far is Barrasca from here? A couple hours. Ma. Kimber buried herself under half the errant clothing and threw the other half over me. You know I could just follow you, right?

I know. I could already see my breath in the car and have been turned off for ten seconds. Unless you tell me an acceptable plan, unless I truly believe you can live through this without me, I'm going to follow you. You can't. Kimber, I need to stop being a selfish little shit and sacrifice something for once in my life and you, you've lost too much already But I need to do this, Sam

I won't watch you die I won't let that happen Don't you think you're being a selfish freak right now My death isn't yours to decide I've gotten this this far and I've been preparing for this for so long You can't go without me Let me do this for you Kimber

My God That one was rough that one was rough. Jesus fucking Christ, man. Oh, that one hurt. She? Let me do this for you, Kimber. My armor is true

and my heart is pure. May my arrow fly true for you, my queen. Or Austin Butler and Dune. May my knife Chibby Shatter. May your knife Chibbichatter.

The fuck, that's just so fucking stupid. We have knives because we have shields on our bodies. You like Dune. I love Dune. Dune. too was pretty sick. I just I was just like I can't take it can't take out a fucking gun

and just shoot the guy in a chest. It's because they have the vibrational oh I know and you have to like stab him a certain way which is to me I'm like in the future there's not a single bullet that can get through that motherfucker. May thine knife I thought that was cool because it's like because it's like a battle for the throne so they

go back to like old ways of honor like ways of actual fight like that the whole time they'd be different if it was one time. It's like everybody when they're fighting out in the fucking wars all just have like little pocket knives. They're slashing each other. I like the movie. I'm just saying, really? Word. That's fair. They're taking cinnamon

off the ground. They're being like, yeah, I can see God. And then they're like, there's not one guy who's like, yeah, I made a laser that can just shoot through your fucking armor. May die die, chippy gender. Austin Butler's still doing the office. Well, I like. Austin Butler's still doing the Elvis Depression.

May model knife. Chip a shuttle baby. I remember there. Sorry to interrupt you again One of my favorite things Ever is an interview with being like Yeah, Austin Butler stuck in character Years after the other role

I was like, was you really sunk in that deep? Hey, oh, mama, what are you doing? There's a... I can't stop. What does my voice really sound like? There was a screenshot of him Like the first photos came out of him Undo like with the bald head and stuff

And I remember there's a comment What time? They took my hair, Mama. The hell, mama, they took my hair. The whole time I'm watching the movie. You don't come on my blue shirt, ma'am, mama. The, uh... I look just like the fat bald dude in Dune, though.

The guy that floats around. The Harkening? You do not look like Baron Harkening. I like one of every goes up. And see, even then, instead of doing somewhere, he's just like, also... Hey, bye bitch. Boom!

Blows off his bald head. Spots everywhere. He just, like, walks up into his neck, and he's like, just barely sticks in. He's like... Ah! I did like the symbol of the ants eating him. That was pretty cool.

I like the symbol of the ants eating him after they throw him out of the desert. I'm not talking about fucking Dune right now. All right. Even though I'm the one who brought it up. Yeah. Yeah, I start to engage in the conversation. He's like, okay. Yeah, I'm bored.

Ran its course. Yeah, no, actually I'm bored now. May thy knife. Jimmy Cheddar. I like a hootful when Timothy Shawl made a show up, though. He's just like, all right, Austin Butler. it's time for us to duel and Florence Putes if I win

you're going to be my wife forever isn't that right Chris from walking he's like I guess so Is that what happened Why does he bail on You haven't seen Dune 2 What the reason No the reason he has that scene

It's because he is establishing Himself as the king of like The United Forces The different planets or whatever And he was like I will marry because your daughter's royal blood so I'll marry her to be a part of like

keep the royal bloodline so I'm a legitimate like a king to the throne so by defeating he's supposed to fight Christopher Walken and Kambay says unless you put forward an opponent and that opponent is the Von Baron Harkin and Austin Butler's character

so he kills him so now he is the like emperor over the different tribes of space and now he's effectively going on a holy war against everyone who attack his home because the entire story is a metaphor for like

Muhammad and that's like Middle East yeah yeah the you know what's kind of crazy though is that not only are you right but also the sandworms are kind of like camels they write them

in the desert let me do this for you Kimber My monsters are dead I killed them I'm clean I can do this I'll find out the truth about Kyle and where he is

and then I'll call you Nobarovska has signal because Emma called the sheriff there Maybe he'll go easy on you Maybe his guard will be down Since you're his son You're the only son he has And I didn't correct her

I doubt it We did burn all of his daughter's photos And pistol whip his wife Worth it Ah but what do you mean about Whitney's photos trust me you're better off not knowing one gun one bullet one vest

we need a motherfucker of a plan yeah we do and I need to be a part of it no Kimber no Kimber I'm not backing down from this neither am I look if I can come up with

I'm losing my mind at him right now I'm fighting demons right now look if I can come up with something that gives me a reasonable chance of not dying will you agree to assist from a far I'm listening, but you should expect me to argue. Trust me, I do. Argue is what we did. Deep into the crisp morning hours.

Before I was ready, the clock showed 3 a.m. I turned off the car and threw everything I could spare for the walk to Barasca over Kimber's sleeping form. Cold would wake her soon enough. I equipped myself with everything I needed. Close the door quietly behind me. Start off alone toward Barasca. You know what? I will give the story crap for this.

They are not... Because back in, like, the original parts, he kind of had a crush on Kimber. and then like her and Kyle started dating and he's like that's fine they are not making this romantic that takes a lot of strength I agree and I will give a points there too because as soon as the forehead thing happened

I was like here it goes I was thinking that too when they were talking about like being in the car in the late hours I'm like they're gonna do it's kind of warm and this is our last night on this earth I was like they're gonna do it they're gonna do it and they didn't

and they didn't do it which is nice too and I was gonna say if they would have gone there I would be like that's very confusing because the entire time he's like it's like a sister to me me. I guess I am kind of like my pops.

And then there'd be a scene where he's there and he's like, you and I aren't so different. It'd be like that scene in heat, where the the bank robber and the cop, it's like, you're not so different. You and I you have your jobs, your people. You like incest, I like incest.

What do you put her there, kid? Chapter 16. There's a lot to think about when you're walking towards your end. But instead of the existential bullshit, I expected my mind, wandered in and out of the past. I revealed in memories I'd been unable to conjure for a decade. My family, as we were, and my childhood friends,

it's not something I wanted to forget again. Finding the mind wasn't hard. Simply followed the road we had turned on to the day before. I had to go off trail a few times, but I knew the map well. Calling details came so easily to me now. Still as much as I hated to admit it, I didn't want to die sober. I wondered how much it would hurt. If he shot me in the head, not a lot of.

I thought, at least that was something to hope for. I was wearing six layers of clothing but frozen to the core by the time the sun turned the sky of murky gray. Cigarettes were gone, and I had been jonesing for another for the past hour and a half. I needed more time, but I knew I was almost there. I left the trail I had been on to make one more shortcut along the river, and within 20 minutes,

I could see the edge of the mining camp. The sheriff must have been tracking me because he was already standing and the large clearing facing my direction. Surrounded by nine of his men and smirking Jimmy Prescott. Jimmy was standing a few feet behind my father, smoking a cigarette and watching me as I approached.

He winked. Before I knew they were behind me. Two deputies still in uniform grabbed my arms, pinned them to my sides, dragged me the last few yards in a camp. It dumped me at the sheriff's feet, and he looked down at me and disgust. 13. 13 men and one bullet.

I couldn't believe it. all came down to the lies and whims, Jimmy Prescott. I stood up, and in all the guns suddenly drawn on me in response. I looked at the sheriff eye to eye. I was sickened to realize that we were almost identical in every way. His hair was the same dark brown color as mine, untouched by age. The skin on his face boasted only a few light creases in my terrible lifestyle and weathered features somehow matched his older rage.

I wondered how had Kimber's stomached my face every day out turning away and disgust. Hello, Graham. I sat and spat into the snow between us. You're a damn disgrace. Shut the fuck up. Greg, teach myself some respect. I didn't bother to defend myself

and I wouldn't have had the time anyway. Greg knocked me back into the snow before I could even blink. His fist split my cheek open under my left eye and I didn't rush to get up from the cold, numbing snow that was now pressed against my face. it was in that moment that I felt Barasca all around me again it was as deafening as the last time

I could sense it in the air the fear the suffering and the pain I could almost hear them whispering through the walls like they had ten years before help me please help me or kill me don't leave me here the building to the sheriff's back was most surely the dorm it was larger than the other one but radiated the same oar of agony death

now listen to fuck up Samuel this little charade of yours ends today it appears you actually believe a woman and a drug addict could single-handedly dismantle a business this size so you must be fucking stupid and that makes me feel sorry for you so why don't you just hand over the gun

and go back to the ghetto you crawled out of I pushed myself to my knees no I told him well I like how you read it too no no and you know what that pissed me off if I was the dead

Dad, do I'm like, what? No. And you know what? Given some of the story's decisions lately, I'm not changing it. That's the reading we're going with. No? Are you dog shit insane, son? You broke into my house.

Destroy pictures of my daughter. And beat up my wife. You're lucky you're still alive. I've killed children for less. We're so close. I got to keep it together. Just got to keep it together. I feel like I just like open.

a baby diaper. Like the grossness? There's been like a faint smell brewing and then you're just like all of a sudden you're like And looking at him now I didn't doubt it. You need to die.

Then by all means, take your shot. The sheriff swept out his arms mockingly. You know, we know you only have one round or two left because yesterday we heard you have 15 shots into some fucking trees. It's deputies laugh

but the sheriff remains sober. Just remember, boy. You ain't better be true. because when you come with the king, you better not miss. God. Okay. We're going to get through this.

We're going to make it through this. Me and you. I'm holding back. We're close. We're very close. We're very close. I fell onto my arms as my lungs erupted into a sudden coughing fit. Even if I could escape after the sheriff was dead, my lungs wouldn't hold up.

I was screwed. I knew it. The sheriff knew it, and his men knew it. While the sheriff's gun hadn't left his holster, all but Jimmy Prescott had weapons trained on my chest and head. If I even reached into my jacket, I'd be shot. Or? You could use the scent you were born with and go home. Hell, I even have dreddy drop off more heroin before you go there.

You've run up quite a tab with the boy over the years. My dad's my supplier? How stupid was I? I couldn't even remember the last time I'd pay for my drugs. He'd been keeping me harmless and docile for years, and I let him do it. Who was this person that I'd once loved most of my life? A heroin addict who's just like, I actually did not think about it? I've never, I don't think I've ever actually had to pay for the heroin.

Everyone in my life has given me heroin for free. I thought it was really cool. I thought they all liked me a lot. No, I have questions you have to answer. I told him through the burning in my throat. No, that's what you are. wrong sammy i don't have to do nothing ever why did you hurt whitney sheriff janked just got out of his holster and then crossed his arms in front of him pointed it at the ground the only thing i did to

whitney was avenge of death no you raped her sheriff stepped forward and cracked me across the face so hard with this pistol that i felt bones snapping my nose fell back into the snow and before my vision it even cleared he snapped one of my ribs with the toe of his boot i lay curled on my side for a few seconds while the pain radiated from my chest to my spine scattered to every nerve in my body i really wished i had some age fire high enough death would feel like a glorious footnote when the pain was virgin on manageable i rolled over and got up on my hands and knees spitting blood into the snow i raised my head to look up at my father he was still standing above me fist clenching the butt of his gun and a red rage spread across his face a bit of a sore spot don't you ever say anything so filthy about your

sister ever again. I will shove my gun under your ballistic vest and shoot you in the fucking gut. I needed him angry, but not angry enough to kill me. Not yet. What happened to my mother? I grimace speaking hurt. Sheriff's step

back and smiled. This composure regained. What a woman she was. I'm afraid she died in a freak accident some years ago. I don't believe you. I said and sat back on my knees, struggling to breathe. Slow breaths. Get in the air in. Don't pass out. I don't give a shit if you

believe me. The conversation's getting boring. This isn't a fucking Q&A. You had your chance to leave and instead you decided to say discussing things about your sister. Was I wrong? You were talking about things you know nothing about. I love Whitney. You're a monster.

Is that any way to talk to your father? You know, I think Greg needs to teach you some more fucking respect. Screw you. I know what you did to Kimber. Oh yeah? Would you rather have someone else she didn't know? Someone that disgusted her like that geriatric fuck Cleary or Prescott over here?

jabbed the thumb back of Jimmy. I'd rather have it be no one, screamed at him. Bloody spit flying across the space between and landing on his jacket. He backhanded me, but this time I didn't fall. You watch your tone with me, boy. It's been bad enough that my men are here to see what a fucking joke my own son has become. It's fucking embarrassing.

And send them inside. Let's talk, just you and me. You think I'm scared? of you, Sammy? I don't think you have two bullets. I think you've got one. And I think you want to use it on me. Well, go ahead, son. Put that gun on me so I can kill you nice and legal. Not until I know why you did this. You were my dad. I loved you. You don't look like any son of mine. But more importantly, you were a cop. You're supposed to protect people. No, Sammy. I'm a businessman.

always have been even back then why the fuck do you think we came to dress king in the first place i remembered i had understood it at a young age but i knew now what the whispers had meant because of those girls things they said you did exactly i was making money they were getting laid they were 14 14's older than you think sam

and it's not like i touched them so this is what I wore a suit just listen here just listen is this not

comical no listen to this line so this is what you want it all along a great big rape what? have I become? So this sweet one all along, a great big rape empire. My sweetest friend.

Yeah. And you could have it all. Literally, I feel like I want to look up at my empire of rape. The book of Barasca's sitting there. It's like just burning exactly. My empire of rape. I will let you down. I will make you.

rape. What hell is this? This organization. So this is what you wanted all along. A great big rape empire. Hold on. I can't. I can't be expected to read that correctly. There's no way.

All right. The sheriff. The sheriff shrugged. If that's what it takes, I'm only here for the power in the world. Women. I'm an alpha, Sam. Whoa. I'm done.

I'm done. What the fuck? I'm an alpha. What? At one point was that what this was about? Boom! What are we doing? I'm an alpha.

I rate myself today to see if I could rain to see if I'd still come. God, good God. Oh, I can't. I got to sit down. It still work. That's why I can't figure. what the fuck happened to you? You got the blood of kings

running through your veins and you fill them with tar. That shit is for fucking women. But I have to send it out to be handling... But I have to send out to your handler every month. My only son is white trash drug addict. How do you think that makes me feel?

This should be your birthright and you're too weak to take it. I'm an alpha. I'm an alpha, boy. It's a, it is... I'll say this right now. This might be one of the most disappointing things to come. This turn of events.

Well, we said in the beginning it doesn't need to exist. No. Listen. And it doesn't. Well, we're almost done. Let's just power through. Give me more credit. I'm stronger than you think.

Strong enough to take a bolt to the head and lift through it. Should we just like ham it up from here on in? I don't know how I could possibly take this seriously anymore. I say ham. Go full hand I literally think after the alpha line I just don't see how you can ever So we're cartoon mode

Alright got it Give me more credit I'm stronger than you think Do you sound like Shinji Yeah That's impressive That's pretty good That's fucked up

That was a really great Shinji impression Who's Shinji? The main kid from Avangelian Oh It sounds like that Strong enough to take a bolt To the head and lift through it Are you?

Sheriff expression darkened Sam, you Oi boss Look what I caught looking around I mean It says oi boss I mean it is It is written like

A boss I caught something Looking around the forest Over here Are we getting punked? Is this like Did we click like a joke link or something? I just want to put the preface up again.

Can I preface really quick? Yeah. Behind them in the snow is hundreds of women. Of women and children being raped in a factory man. And a meat grinder. And a meat grinder killing people. Yeah. And then they are outside smoking stogies acting like their vaudeville,

like cartoon, like cartoon villains. Okay. All right. 15, 15 men. Two men I hadn't seen previously came around the side of the door and pushing a woman in front of them. Kimber. I breathed, but the sheriff knew who she was. I'm sorry, Sam.

They, they... Well, sheriff drew out the word. I heard you turn into a looker, but I'd yet to confirm it for myself. Hello again, sweetheart. Sheriff walked over to Kimber, ran his fingers along. the side of her face she requaled at his touch don't you touch her

I screamed and screamed that's fucked that actually made me so uncomfortable don't you touch her you would fucking kill working for crunchy roll

dude if you weren't for fun ofation crunchy roll you would fucking kill if there's somebody out there making an anime

you gotta get this motherfucker in I screamed and scrambled to my Craig shoved the barrel of his gun into the back of my head. Sit the fuck down. Watch a tempest, Sammy. You're fucking this wild filly?

That's my boy. I can't. Every other sentence that gets worse. You fucking this wild filly? That's my boy. At least I don't know you didn't turn into a homo in prison. There's no way. Stay away from her, you pervert.

Blood was rushing in my ears, and the rage in me was deafening. Sam, stop! Just stop. He'll kill you. Sheriff looked back to nodded, Greg, who cracks stars in the back of my head with his fist. Manor Sam That's not how you talk in front of a lady I've had enough God damn respect for you

This is your last fucking warning Sheriff turned to Kimber And yanked her hair towards him So that their faces were almost touching She writhed against the man behind her holding her arms Soon princess We'll catch up soon Sheriff let go of Kimber's hair

Walked back to stand in front of me Where were we? Let Kimber go Let her go and I'll do anything you want. Oh, really? Anything? Yes, just let her go.

Would you leave here and never come back? Yes. Would you stay and help me run my business? I wheezed through a deep breath. Yes. Well, no, he's saying that so that he doesn't

kill him. He's like, yeah, but how do I know he's not just like, and you know what? I did. I don't know, man. I mean, I mean, I don't know. I guess. Sure. Oh, my God. Would you go inside right now and fuck one of our girls? This is so gross.

It is so gross. It is like such an insanely, in the original, it was such an intense and seriously handled topic. And now it is like a punchline. I don't know when I'm supposed to break down that like I was so drawn in by the characters. And I was like, I don't really know where we're going here. But this, like, we're almost done with a story or like there's four chapters left. I just, what do you get out of this? Like, out of Brasca 5, what do you actually get?

It is like making a joke out of it, out of the, out of like the twist from the first one, you know? I mean, like legitimately, yes. Yeah. Because by this point, when this stuff was happening in the last story, it was so wretched and like, you had Jimmy Prescott, who was also being kind of a sleaze ball, but it was never, I don't, I don't know. You know, the, uh, the, the, the trope with comic books, the woman in the fridge? that old thing there's an old

I forget which comic book it was but there's some old comic book where a superhero's love interest was found dismembered and shoved into a fridge and like there's never a second in the comic about her suffering it was just used to like

oh look at our poor hero whose wife has to die never given a moment to the woman who was dismembered and shoved in a fridge so a trope became woman in a fridge when a like a woman character is used just to give a male character like story

development or plot development. So now the Barasca dorms have become a giant fridge with hundreds of women shoved in there. Yeah. Just a really big refrigerator. Yes. Please don't call that bluff. No, Sam.

Richards, would you shut her the fuck up? I heard a sickening thud but couldn't see through the blood running into my eyes from the split on my forehead. Kimber gas. Now then. How about Phoebe Dranger? If I recall, she was raging to you in high school. Yeah, that word is 100% YouTube banned.

Why don't you go in there and take some vengeance for yourself? I'm sure she'd love it. I don't. She's not really my type. That's the follow-up. Well, I think he's like coming up with a way. But it's just, ah, dad, come on. Pick a good one for me.

Is that not how it reads, you know? Oh, I guess Kimber de Star is moya type then, isn't she? No, no, somebody else. Anybody else? What a fucking pussy. Jimmy Prescott laughed. Look, this family reunion has been real sweet and all, but we've gotten vests coming to town today

and a lot of fucking shit to do before they get here. Plus, it's early as balls. And I need more fucking coffee. Can we just kill this little prick and get on with all day? The sheriff shot Jimmy in annoyed luck. Do I look like I need to be fucking entertained right now? Did I tell my monkey to do?

dance? No. I fucking didn't. So shut the fuck up, monkey. Jimmy shrugged and took a sip of coffee. Actually, Jimmy, on second thought, take the girl inside and find her a new home. Make yourself fucking useful. No, no, no, no, no. You can't take her in there. Please, I'll do anything. Dad, please, just don't make her go in there. Sheriff turned around to give me a disgusted look and shook his head in disappointment. Then without even turning to look at her, the sheriff shot Kimber in the chest where she stood and she fell over in the snow without making a sound.

Ender chapter 16. Kimber's dead. There's no way, right? I absolutely believe that she's dead. You think they just shot her out there? 100%. I think that's legitimately and period. And she's done.

All right. Chapter 17. Oh, quit you yelling. I tried to warn you, Sammy. Sheriff said through the echoes of the shot, still. resonating through the camp, dropped to my knees and screamed into the snow until I had burst every capillary in my face.

Jesus Christ, son. Enough theatrics. I didn't even act like this when your mother died. You killed her. You murdered her. I've killed a lot of people. Although I must say, I do regret that I'm not going to get a turn with her again. Usually I don't like redheads,

but there's something about her. Like father, like son, I guess. He, ha, he. I told her not. to come. I told her not to come. I mumbled, barely coherent. Shut, shut up, shut up. I screamed at him. Greg took a step toward me, but my father stopped with him, stopped him with a hand. Let him throw his tantrum. He did the same thing when I took away his toys as a kid. This ain't no different. Richard stepped over Kimber's lifeless body and exchanged a few

quiet words with the sheriff. I couldn't hear them over the dry heaving of my stomach, which didn't stop until my abdominal muscles ate from the force of them. Richard, Richard just had an interesting idea. You're for a real treat, Sam. Get them up. The sheriff said to the men behind me, they all led me to my feet and shoved me in the direction of my father. I stumbled but didn't fall.

We don't use too much anymore on account of the noise, but how about we throw your girlfriend's body into the shiny gentleman and scatter her bone fragments all over the mountain? He slapped me on the back. That way she can be here at all times for all eternity. I bet she'd like that. shaking so violently I could barely wipe the blood out of my eyes. No, I said

and fell back down on my knees in the snow. No, no, are you sure? No. I'm not giving any effort to this character. No. No? Are you sure? He asked, I could hear the smile in his voice. No, please.

My voice broke over my words. The sheriff's smile fell into the look of distaste. Don't beg. Makes you look weak. Get off your fucking knees. Please, don't touch her. You know what your problem is saying? You're not mad enough to take what you want.

You're not strong enough to say, fuck what's polite. Fuck the consequences. Fuck the law. You're a cop. See? You're a cop. See?

Now there is a bit of spirit. That's his rebuttal to that. You're a cop. See? Now there's some spirit. Sometimes in life you just have to claim what's yours. That's what society is built on. Now our operation may not work within the laws of the land,

but we sure as hell work within the government. But Whitney, look what it did to her, this place. I ain't going to warn you again. Keep my daughter's name out your mouth. Which daughter? What can I say? Whitney's a beautiful name. It's sick

You're sick You need help I have help Look around you Sammy You gesture to the 14 men Standing in a half circle around me I am a sultan There he's are my governors

And this is my harem Kill yourself I'm starting to think you're not going to come around Sam Oh my god This is also going on so long. Oh my gosh. This is going on so long.

It's got, dude, there's three whole chapters after we get that with this one. Yeah. That's insane. I'll never be a part of this. I will never stop trying to kill you. Well, I'm really sorry to hear that. That's a pity. Looks like you're going to have to be broken in like a horse. Kind of wish you'd left Destaro girl alive now. Kill yourself.

He said that. He gets a fuck. You say, kill yourself. You say another fucking word like that to me, and I'm going to execute. you right here on your fucking knees. The sheriff's men seemed to lean in smelling blood in the water. I knew this was that.

If you want to be dead, you would have already shot me. Are you sure about that? The sheriff asked and leveled his gun at my forehead. Why don't you pull that gun on me and find out? Oh, I'm sure about that. You need me. Through the sea of your bullshit,

I see the truth. It's a pride thing. You want your son taking over your business. You want another walker in charge. he's on Connor from below on the spectrum he doesn't yeah doesn't it

I've got to make this a little bit enjoyable somehow I've got to figure it out the sheriff's mouth spread into a wide smile but he didn't lower his gun I can make another son you could

but you want me you want to break me you want You want to mold me into you because that way you win. Oh, I've already won, Sam. No, I have. You're a slave to your own hubris. You're a slave to your own hubris.

You're a slave to your own hubris. God, I just wish you would have. just kept reading the sun fan I can say and do whatever I want and your pride won't allow you to kill me maybe not the sheriff shrugged and dropped the barrel of his gun to my chest

back or break your ribs with fucking bowl it I heard the shop it didn't fill it in my body I instinctively put my hands over the entry wound on my chest I didn't have to feel it to know it was there sound was pulsated in and out of my ears in time to my deceptively calm heartbeat but through the waves of sound and silence I could hear

them all laughing. Hurts like a fucking bitch, doesn't it? A shock to a ballistic vest hurts a hell lot more than a kick with a steel-toed boot. But of course, your ribs were already broken, so that must really sting. I knew I was going into shock. I pulled my hands away from my jacket

and saw that they were covered in thick, warm blood. The laughing died immediately, and the sheriff took a step in my direction. What in the hell? Kill yourself. it works it works just to think you're on the floor

I really hope they edit you with like a white button up and jeans or whatever just bleeding it out yeah there's blood for it no kill yourself

just shing you on the ground I hate you dad I hate you dad kill yourself for real by the time he put it all together and looked over at her Kimber was already standing

where they left her discarded in the snow and she was staring at the sheriff down the sides of the brettah and before anyone could react kimber squeeze the trigger and killed her monster so kimber shot is dad in the head and i don't even care whoa that's so cool oh yeah that's awesome imagine if that would have happened three chapters ago and not during this whole escapade imagine if i didn't have to read that stupid diatripe for that long it's your hubris dad it's you're a victim of your hubris i'm a human being talking to my dad

you're a victim of your hubris dad i live in 1574 Kill yourself. Kill yourself. That's Shakespeare. You're a victim of your own hubris. Kill yourself. That's a plot. William Shakespeare.

That's the plot of Hamlet, right? I'm pretty sure. The bullet went through the sheriff's eye and out the back of his head where it buried itself in the wood of the building behind him. Before his body even hit the ground, guns were pulled from every side and the men loyal to money

taking control of the men loyal to fear. Jimmy Prescott had somehow come through. Holy. fucking shit kid you did it prescott said taking a sip of coffee and stepping over my father's body i mean i think the wound is probably fatal but you know don't let that take away from your accomplishment hell i'll even name a wing after you gesture to the dorm behind him take the gun off of kimber i demanded i know i didn't have much time to play my trump card ortees what the fuck quit pointing that shit at the hero of the day man closest to kimber lowered his gun

She doubled over, then, clearly in enough pain of her own, broken bones, Jimmy nodded, reading the thoughts on my face. Your daddy shot her with a 357, which, well, you know, he shot you too. It's pretty fucking big bullet. She might actually fucking be bleeding, but she'll probably fucking be fine. You on the other hand? A strand against the darkness. I needed to tell Jimmy something.

What was it? Oh, yes, my insurance policy to make sure Kimber left his place alive. So he talked to all that shit and you weren't even armed? you had nothing on you? You sure you don't want to come work for me? I did. I did have something on me. Oh yeah? What's that?

This. I pulled out a small remote control and dropped it in the snow in front of me. Jimmy laughed. What the fuck is that? It's a remote for video cameras. What the fuck are you talking about, kid? What video cameras? For the first time since I met him, Jimmy looked rattled.

Those video cameras. I pointed up into the trees where it doesn't small cameras blend into the dark branches. They're blinking red lights all but visible, all but invisible. I need to stop the bleeding. Are you fucking kidding me, you shit-eating donkey? What is this left? Are you fucking joking? You better be joking because I'll put the bullet in your head and that your daddy couldn't.

He raised a gun to my face, but seemed conflicted. If he believed me about the cameras, I knew he couldn't shoot me. It all came down to my ability to bullshit. it. I'll just take those cameras down and break them like they won't even there. He said and cocked the gun he was holding into my face. You're on a live feed, asshole. Jimmy's face twitched a few times before he lost it and hurled his coffee cup of the building behind him. Fuck!

Fuck you! The video is streaming back to a laptop in Chicago. It's over. Jimmy's man looked uneasily at one another. Fuck this. Grigg said finally and dropped the gun he was using to hold one of Dad's men's I don't imagine their cops. I imagine they're wearing

bandit masks and they have like the white and black striped sweater. They scattered like roaches to all sides of the camp, starting their trucks and speeding down off the mountain. Jimmy, literally just the concept of a video camera

is all it takes for them to stop a 60 year human trafficking operation. Vidja cameras. What you mean, Vigia cameras? Jimmy was already on the phone with someone as he dug into his pocket for his keys.

Delete it all. All of it. Get it off the DHS. internet and make sure it's gone for fucking ever i don't give a shit where you are we need a database gone now like it never fucking existed no fuck the fucking backups delete it all jimmy threw his phone on the ground and shot at four times with his gun he ran to a nearby truck and ripped the door open press scott i shouted hoarsely jimmy paused before he saw him the door and glared at me. Kyle.

Kyle Landy. Was all of that bullshit? Jimmy's glare controlled into a bitter contorted into a bitter smile. Where is he? Where's Kyle?

You fuckers will believe anything. He sneered before he slammed his car door and sped off down the mountain. Last of my energy expended, I fell forward in the snow with my back

to the sheriff's body. I could see a mess of Kimber's red curls over the top of my arm, but she was so far away. Kimber! I gasped through the blood in my mouth, but she didn't stir.

With my strength running out, like sand in an hourglass, I pulled my phone from my jacket and dialed S that's number. He answered on the first ring. Tell me. It worked. She's alive. I'm alive.

The high school. Those sick pricks host all the records on the school server. Drisking High. Trisking High. Got it. Can you get in? I'm working on it. The database is going to be locked down secure as fuck, but I don't think that...

But like I said the other day, I'm pretty good at what I do. I don't know what the file will be called. I muttered and dropped the file. phone down next to me where it sunk into the snow. I faded in and out for a few minutes trying to hold on. I got it. I just looked for the most buried shit on the server. They're scrubbing a fast man, but I got it. They definitely know I'm here. Felt myself pulling away from my body. Fuck me. There's some serious heavy hitters in here. I can't believe they kept this on a school

server. We're fucking assholes. I can barely hear Seth anymore. Hey, you okay, bro? Sam. Then I was alone. Passes out. Chapter 17. Chapter 18. The clock read 132 a.m. I turned the car on again. Kimber muttered her approval and laid her face next to the heater. She gently banged her forehead against the dashboard. We're getting fucking nowhere. She said and she was right. We had been arguing for hours and still agreed on nothing. The mission was suicide no matter how we went about it. So are we getting a flashback? So we really just arguing how many of us should die in in what order. They're going to kill you if they see you. Period. Those guys have no reason to let you live. Yeah, I'm not arguing that But how are you going to shoot anybody When you have one bullet and they kept And they know you're coming anyway

And they know about the bulletproof vest And they know about the bulletproof vest Making it absolutely worthless Yeah I lean my head back against the headrest And close my eyes I just wanted to sleep Yep

We need more time At least another day If we don't come to them in the morning They'll come to us And kill us either way Right We're dead in every scenario Unless

I turn my head to look at her through one eye Unless what Unless we do something stupid Oh Kimber That ship has sailed No listen I'm serious You wear the vest and you give me the gun Split up the vest and the gun

Yeah they won't expect that Yeah because it's stupid As one of us pulls out the gun They're gonna get shot So if that's... So if that's the plan, my brother, you wear the vest. But I need the gun. Didn't wear both.

No, that's... She was selling a moment. Well, actually, that's pretty brilliant. I gave her a dubious look. What are you thinking? Hear me out. I'm going to get shot either way, and that actually puts us an advantage. Let him shoot me, and then, once they forgot about me,

and they're not paying attention to me anymore, I'll shoot him. This is the most unnecessary flashback of all time. I get it. I understand this is what happened. Well, you know what? So much has gone wrong in the last five chapters, why not? Well, you're banking on the fact that they don't search us when we get to Barrasca.

Yeah. Then they won't just shoot you in the head. Granted. And also that they'll shoot you at all. I mean, they could just, you know, keep you there. Okay. And finally, that Jimmy will, or even can, take control of the situation like he promised. Okay, all accepted risks.

You're high, Kimber. I'm fucking not. But are you? Because for this to work, I'm going to need you to step the shit. I'm going to need you to streep the shit out of this. I wish, man. Kimber raised an eyebrow. That package didn't have drugs in it, you know.

What? Sorry. But I couldn't tell you at the time You have realized that I was going without you You're a dick, St. Walker So what did it have in it? It was a care package from Seth

He sent me video cameras Why? For what? Remember the night I disappeared with the car for several Why would he not just tell her that? This is so stupid Remember the night I disappeared with the car for so? I don't know Okay, it doesn't matter, yeah Remember the night I disappeared with the car for several hours?

Yes I used the direction Jimmy Prescott gave me to find Barrowska, too. They called Baroscow too. Oh, gosh. Please don't call it that. Also, please tell me you're fucking joking. Sorry.

No, I'm not. I couldn't see much or hear anything, but I was there. I know the way. It's the reason we're parked on this road right now. I can't believe you went to Barasca. I can't believe you, Sam. That's madness. Yeah, and I realized that too late.

And the whole thing took me longer than it should have. that because I had to be stealthy, which I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not a graceful person, and I had to climb trees to Velcro that shit down. Oh, and I had to find the place. This is the most autistic-coded thing. For you people who don't know, I'm not the most graceful bird. I mean, this entire chapter is literally flashback to something we've already seen the events of. So, holy shit, we're going to have actual footage from the mine. It's brilliant. not exactly they're dummy cameras

what does that mean they're not real yeah they're solid as like deterrence but then why why would you risk that why even bother putting up deterrent did you know

we're not just have him seen regular cameras I just thought that it was kind of cool why don't just say regular cameras it reminds me of that finale in Breaking Bad when Walter hires people to just point lasers

at the rich family at the gray family yeah but they're not really snipers but it worked Tina know, to turn anyone from murdering me. Oh, God damn it. I really wish you were real.

Yeah, me too. But there's no way I could have installed something like that. Fuck, if we had film, we wouldn't even need Barrasca records. Seth thinks that if we figure out where the files are, he might be able to get in and download them. So many ifs. So you really want to get shot, huh? I think it's the best plan we got.

Maybe I'll just stumble into a camp later than you. You know, get caught. That way, they'll assume that you have a gun and I was just being careless, Sam. Sam? She was shaking me. I drifted off. Oh, I'm sorry. This is an air. She was shaking me. I drifted off. Sam, wake up. Wake up.

Chapter 19. Good afternoon, Mr. Walker. I'm sorry to wake you, but the detectives have been asking an interview since yesterday. I'm afraid the very insistent. I try to focus on the woman standing next to me. Everything was very white. Where am I? Dr. Grisking Regional. I'm Dr. Clava. And I've seen you're going to be speaking to two of the roots.

men I've ever met, and I'm going to and I'm going to morphine, and I'm going to up your morphine a smidge. Okay. I blinked a few times against the bright light that stung my eyes. No, no, no morphine, please. Take me off it. No, you sure? You'll be in a bit of pain if I do that. Says she walked over to the IV trip?

Yeah, turn it off. Where's Kimber? How is she doing? Also, how am I not dead? I'm not Kimber's doctor. So I'm not sure who you're talking about. I don't know who that is. That's a name, and there's a lot of human beings on the planet. As for your survival, you're that to a rather skilled surgeon on staff here.

I could already feel the pain radiating from my chest below my heart. Is there any way you could make it any darker in here? Absolutely. She replied as she walked to the door and turned down the lights. Good luck. A nurse will be later by to check on you. I didn't recognize the two men who pushed past Dr. Clave and the doorway. They were seriously going to be in the dry air.

of immediacy about them. Sam Walker. My name is Agent Grant. This is special Agent Trippine. We're with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. How are you feeling? I'm fine.

My voice sounded strained and I tried to sit... My voice sounded strained. I tried to sit up. When it was clear, I wasn't going to make it. Agent Grant grabbed my arm to steady me and pointed to a remote control at the edge of the bed. I held the raise button and it until the bed set me up to level with these two men.

We are here because you were found unconscious and near death at a crime scene, along with a 27-year-old woman and the corpse of a county sheriff. Sounds about right. I said and rub my face. I winces I brush my nose. They had set the bones, but it was all still very tender. I didn't even want to see my chest. Can you comment on how the events that led to that location? Agent Grant asked.

Trapine remained silent. Sure, I'd love to, but first I really need to know where Kimber is. She's in federal custody giving her own statement. And what happened to all the women at the... Uh, uh, at the mine. The people who were in prison there. The victims have all been removed from the scene. And why are you only talking to me now? I tried to contact the feds for years about Barasca. Is that the local name for the trafficking group?

Sort of. Uh, I went instead a stab of pain, ricochet from my spine to my ribs. We don't have any record of you contacting the FBI at any time. Yeah, well, I did. And this will be addressed. An eternal investigation has been open due to the, shall we say, sensitive information leaked by the press. on Wednesday evening. Oh, yeah? Did they receive some sort of press packet?

Do you know something about that? Trippian finally spoke. I know nothing about that, but I do know a lot about everything else. I wanted to laugh. This was ludicrous. I was alive. The sheriff was dead.

Brasca was gone, and everybody associated with it was going down. It was almost everything Kimber had wished for. It could really be happening. The detective pulled two chairs that were set back along the wall up to the bed.

Do you mind if we record you? Absolutely not. I want all of this on record. All right. Grant started setting the recorder on the bed next to my leg. Tell us about your father. End of chapter 19, chapter 20. I stood outside one of the massive tents the feds had erected

on the tarmac of Drisking's small airport. It was old, crumbling, and abandoned, but they were sure as hell landing shit here now. Grant had promised Kimber to me within the hour, and I nervously smoked a cigarette in the cold while waiting outside the giant tent. They told me they needed to hold her longer than me because Kimber had admitted to killing a law enforcement officer.

Grant said the prosecutor would almost certainly decline to press charges due to the circumstances rapidly coming to light. But still, it was early days and the waters were murky. We no longer be in custody, but we weren't allowed to leave town either. I pulled my jacket tighter as the wind cut down the thoroughfares and alleyways of the sprawling tent city, or as Grant referred to it, Central Ops. Special Agent Tripping had given me the thick brown duster I was currently wearing since my own jacket had been taken in as evidence, which didn't bother me because this coat was warmer anyway. I am.

I turned around just as Kimber jumped on me, wrapping her arms around my back and squeezing tightly. I buckled, grunting in pain, and trying not to drop her. Kimber released me immediately. Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot you got shot. Well, you sure reminded me. I went, tripping walked up from behind Kimber and nodded at me. You can go.

There's a Ford Explorer you can use park off a draper across from the mobile command unit. Here are the keys. Don't leave town and don't talk to the media or the locals. In fact, don't talk to anybody. We found the car right where he said and climbed in, slamming the doors with the biting wind. You're going to have to drive. I don't think I can manage it. Don't they have you on painkillers? Prescription to Tylenol.

Oh my God. I want to cry for you, but still good for you, Sam. She smiled at me and pulled out onto the road. Honestly, I can't believe they discharged you from the hospital after only a few days. You got shot in the chest. I'm well aware, but they had to. The hospitals are full. Every hospital within 50 miles and a mobile one, for at least several cases is what I was told. Holy shit.

How many women were there at Brasca? You don't know? No, they wouldn't tell me anything. They even took the TV out of the hotel room they'd held me in. 132. That'd have been my reaction too. But there were never that many when I was there. Maybe 60 at most.

I guess he wasn't lying. The sheriff really was a businessman. Turn here. Emphasis on was. Kimber smiled. I couldn't fault her for being happy he was dead. Even though he was my father, I was too. So they didn't tell you anything, huh?

The only thing that would tell me is that you were alive and that, and that's only because I started throwing cutlery at them. I laughed. Well, like, Jesus Christ. That's the scariest thing from today. Holy shit. God damn. Shinji after he fucking destroys all of mankind.

I think I'm still. depressed, but it's okay. I don't know where that came from. I'm so mad. The bowels of hell. I'm actually so mad. It's funny. Just with this whole story.

Well, I guess I'll give you the news then. Every major news outlet got a copy of the Barasca records on Friday. And the files were apparently very detailed. Open investigations were triggered across the map. Fucking A. And they caught everybody that was on payroll, including James Prescott.

What? They caught him already? Grant said he didn't even last a day. What an asshole. And I've been really wanting to tell you that was a beautiful shot you made. Oh, I've made that shot a thousand times. This is the first time that my target was actually in the flesh, though. And hey, congrats on taking a bullet, living through it, and taking it like a fucking champ. Turn right. Yeah, who knew I could excel at getting shot?

I wonder what sort of career I could make out of that. Bullet tester? She was different now. Gone was the anxious despondent version of her that I had come to know in the past weeks. This was Kimber as I remembered her before her mother died. Happy. I'm burdened, hopeful. I couldn't believe that I was about to strip it all away from her,

but she deserved to know. Take another ride up here. Where are we going? You'll see. Kimber smile, wavered. I'm not sure if I liked that at all. At the end of the street, we're looking for house number 445. There?

She said, and pulled into a spot at the front of a large gothic-style house. This place is off-putting. What is it? It's a group home. A group home? What for? I didn't say anything, but watched her carefully.

Kimber's sobered. I don't... You mean? Her hands were tucked back into her sleeves, suddenly covered her mouth as she realized why we were the fear. Kimber began to shake her head. But Jimmy said, I heard him say...

Well, contrast to Jimmy Prescott's last words to me, I don't believe everything, he says. I took a deep breath. The land he's left town with just about everybody else two days ago. It's funny to imagine he's yelling at her like while they're standing there. The land he's left town with just about everybody else two days ago. According to Grant, they didn't take their oldest son with them. Just Parker.

Can we continue to stare at the house with her hands over her mouth? She looked like she was about to cry. And Grant ordered Kyle's caretaker to stop giving him his daily mads until they could get a hold of his doctor who skipped town with the rest of Drisking. So, Kyle is in. inside and he's been off his medication for for for days which means if he has been sedated for all this time like jimmy said he might not be anymore camera coughed to her hands but it sounded more like a suppressed sob i put my arm around her are you okay she God.

You know, this is our job. Like me and here right now, this is our career path. Oh, fuck. What did I do? Oh, God. Me setting in your floor. She pulled her hands away from her mouth and shook them loose of her sleeves, then reached for the key and turned out.

the car off. I'm fine. I'm ready. Good! Let's go get our boy! Oh, God, man. We rang the bell on the palatial home, and a young woman answered, looking frazzled and annoyed. Hi, we're here to see Kyle Landy! Landy? Are you family? She asked brushing Unkitt Brown hair from her face. Yes, we're family.

How do you mean that, Kimmer? Because you're her sister or her girlfriend. The woman crossed her arms and leaned against the door jam. Cald's family hasn't visited once in all the years he's been here. Are you on his authorized visitation list? I doubt it. But we're coming in anyway. Kimbrata mimicking the woman's defiant posture. She sighed and dropped her arms.

Fine. I don't care. I'm the only one here. Everybody lost his left town because of the scandal. She moved her side and walked into the foyer. The woman closed the door behind us and gestured up the grand staircase. He's in his room. Second door on the left. We turned to go.

Oh, and please remember that he's nonverbal. so don't expect him to talk to you or move or anything. If you want to bring him downstairs, let me know and I'll get the key to the elevator. Fine, thanks. Kimber said to the air behind her, she climbed the stairs. I followed behind more slowly, taking deep measured breaths. Please, Kyle, please, please be real.

By the time I got the top of the stairs, Kimber was standing in the open doorway of Kyle's room as if she couldn't bear to go any further. She was crying softly into her hands. When she turned and saw me, she began shaking her head. I can't. I just can't sing. I walked over and gave Kimber a hug. It's okay

It's gonna be fine She's gonna be fine She's walking around With Sonic the Hedgehog Like overly happy Yeah two two dimensional anime character I said into her hair I took a few moments to mentally prepare

Before I finally turned around and glanced into the room Kyle was in his wheelchair Which was facing the bed And he was staring straight ahead At the swirling oka of the wall in front of him he didn't react to our voices or moving the slightest. I couldn't be sure

he was even blinking. I released Kimber and walked slowly into the room. I sat down on the edge of the bed in front of Kyle to study him. His injuries had all healed, other than his nose, which remained out of place and broken.

He was wearing flannel pants and a nondescript white t-shirt and socks. His hair was long and red beard covered the bottom half of his face. His eyes were fixed over my shoulder, lazily settled on the wall behind me. Kyle! I said as I moved to his line of vision.

It's Sam! he blinked Kyle's eyes seemed to try and focus on me but when I moved they didn't follow I could see there's no one behind them but I couldn't accept it not after all we've been through Kyle please tell me you're in there I begged but there was nothing to show that he'd understood his eyes glazed over and I knew that what remained of Kyle was only the bears to brain functions shit I swore Kimber is now openly sobbing

stop I worked to get a hold of myself over the last days I had convinced myself that there was more to Kyle than I had been led to believe the last time I had seen him. I needed him to be more than the soulless vegetable I'd left behind, but being confronted with the human shell in front of me made the truth hurt even more. I stood up from behind the bed and walked over to the window to watch the snowfall outside. A new powder to cover this place, we had come so far, not far enough. We'd won in almost every conceivable way on the barest of odds, but it still wasn't enough. I want to Kyle back too. I wanted to be whole. I heard Kimber leave the doorway and turned to watch her sit in front of Kyle. She took his limp hands into hers and held them while she softly told him that she had missed him and that she loved him. Then she laid her head on his lap and continued to whisper to Kyle through her tears. I turned back to watch the snowfall. And then I heard a voice that hadn't spoken since the day I had told Jimmy Prescott to kill himself ten years before on the now silent mountains.

Kimber The end So look at that Kyle's alive Kyle Or like Kyle I guess We'll be undrugged

At some point And could get better Even though he still Is in a romantic relationship With his sister But whatever And that's the end

Of Barasca part five So a while back So a while back You said Um that while we were reading my best friend tried to ruin my life you said that that is what you're betting

as the worst thing you've ever read so I am putting this as the worst thing I've ever read on this podcast because like if it's bad bad's fun bad's like you know it was a bad time I had fun with it but this like went off of like for one some very sensitive

insanely serious topics and a story that I enjoy and have enjoyed for like over a decade and it immediately crapped the bed on all of it. So this is the worst thing I've ever read on the show. I won't go as far to say it's the worst thing we've ever read, but I do think it's just, it's like the

fucking reason why we didn't read it for so long too because it's like, the original Barasca run is so good. Did not need a sequel. What is this, like, what does this honestly give us? What is it trying to do? It's trying to give characters closure. And it's also, I bet you fucking anything. People bitched and complain.

It's like, well, wow. So I want a happy So the people just get to quit doing that voice. They're just like, oh, they get to just get away with it and whatever. And it's still out there. And it's just this evil lurking. I'm upset by that because that's, you know, whatever. And I bet you anything, she's like, well, I could just have them like go and stop the whole thing. And then, you know, and I bet you that's what it was.

But man. There's, there's like, is that what if you make a story about like, you know, a sex trafficking ring and out there, it's like, is that what you're more. that the story is you should stop all of it you should stop bad things from happening like it kills the ethos the original story had well the i don't know the original barasquez to me when we read it it's a very very hard ending like it's very it's bittersweet but to me it was reminiscent of like the evils that lurk in the world that are just like so out of your control and that you're just kind of like a part sometimes you feel like you're in a bigger you're a bigger part of a situation and then when it when it comes to reality you're just as insignificant as every other person on earth and like some things are just like born to be evil and there's just evils in the world and that doesn't mean that it makes them right or like whatever you know that you should just turn a blind eye but it was kind of harrowing in that way to where it's like you know what the fuck am I supposed to do about every other major conflict in the world you know you want to you want to feel like you can support things but sometimes you just have nothing you can do the majority of time you have nothing you can do so

Seeing this, it was very, like, the thing, too, is, like, C.S. Walker, C.K. Walker. C.K. Walker. C.K. Walker is an amazing writer. And, you know, we're, like, the reason there was such a visceral reaction is because you have, look at the juxtaposition between the first Barrasca, which takes these characters. And, you know, there's, like, some funny situations, whatever. But then whenever the ending happens, it's very, it's like a gunshot to the chest. and then you're kind of just left with like, and that's just like the horrors of what this place is. It doesn't revel in it. But to have such a long-winded thing and like I really didn't get anything out of,

or out of the sheriff being like the businessman head honcho. Like, there's so much things where it just dips into this level of cheese and it completely takes the wind out of the serious nature and the actual horror of the first, like, Barrasca, in my opinion. Mm-hmm. yeah it uh honestly i got more mad than anything because it goes from like taking these characters we like and like the setting we like and stuff and then immediately just like it funny joke out of it

when you shoot or the king don't miss like there was some things but during the while we were reading where it was like i don't know we're like you know it's barasca so we're going to let it slide just because we i we love the characters i'll give it the benefit of the doubt yeah yeah but then it gets to a certain point to where it's just like it's just distracting with And I think it's just more, you know, there could be people who read this and they're like, I think that they're over exaggerating, whatever. But to me, I'm like, I feel like I was just so satisfied with the first story that reading this now, I just never needed a sequel. Never needed a sequel. No. And there's probably a world where a sequel could have worked, but I don't honestly like. I mean, even making the ending of the first one with its goal was so impactful and leaving it as an unanswered evil in the world. Ending it with because the last lines of part four is the letter from Kimber's mother. Strong, powerful. Let it lie. it does not need to be a hero fantasy and we were going to read it if it was one which is what I expected it to be to be like

you know fun for the audience people at home suggested it but it was like yeah but also what if I make the first one what if we make the first one a joke a little bit and then like you know it's like whatever yeah I don't know I mean even just the beginning I remember I was I didn't say anything because once again

I know that I have a bad habit I have a bad habit with being just negative in general when it comes to a lot of these stories and I try to go in having fun with the audience and stuff. But as soon as he was like, I'm a heroin addict and my prison partner, my prison roommate, who was also a convict, is a, is a hacker. And I'm like, okay, that's going to come up in some, whatever weird way. And once again, it's one of those things where it's like the whole story lies on, well, thank God I have that super hacker roommate that was able to hack

the school and get the files. And then at the FBI arrest everyone, all the bad people and all the good people get away. And it just... which, you know, once again... Which again, I never read the first one, and I was like, well, the story wasn't really impactful because they didn't save the day. It's like, that wasn't the point of the first Boroska series. I also think that people...

I think that people get very upset online when... I don't know. I feel like people think that maybe they feel cheated in a way or that because there's a subject matter that doesn't have a resolution that's positive, that it's glorifying or it's trying to be like, you know, that it's trying to get one over on the reader. but I think sometimes

letting things lie in this way of this hopeless nature. One is just extremely emotionally impactful. But I just I think sometimes stories can just be brutally blunt at the end and just end, you know? That's fine.

One of the most powerful film endings I can remember is The Mist watching that when I was younger. Pretty funny. It is rough, just like they all die and they get out of the car and stuff like that. It's zero resolution,

character development loss and it sticks. I love that movie. And it sticks. I love that movie and it's legitimately one of the funniest endings of all time. The comedic beat to that. It's horrible. Yeah. It's horrible. But he's like, ah! And then immediately that guy's just like, hey, pussy stop crying. It's over. And he's like, huh, huh? And you're like, oh, God damn. It's like that. What's that music? Do do, do do do do. So I don't know. I mean, you know, I do think that there's probably an audience who they feel nice that this has like it's over right on to be completely honest of it you don't a hunter doesn't feel this way i feel this way i think that's juvenile i think if you read a story that is about like real world again not the barasca's real world but themes of like human

trafficking and stuff like that something that that's that heavy and you read that story and you're like but i want to feel good in the end it's like well then you don't why are you reading a story about these things because that's not how it works. The point is like people that come out of it about you have these stories of humanity or you have these individual characters that are able to rise above the evil of the world. It's not that every story that has this mass evil and it is and then the good guys win. The idea is that people are able to come out of that awful. I mean, you have authors like McCarthy that do things with that all the time or a lot of the Cohen Brothers films. You have these awful people, but there's heroes that rise up out of that, right? It's not because they

eliminate badness from the world, it's because they eliminate it from themselves. They purify themselves through the awful they go through. I think if you read something that heavy and you're like, I need a happy ending, then I don't think you are engaging with the story in a way that that topic is meant to be engaged with. Yeah. And I think you're discrediting that like the story itself can be something where the beauty and like the humanity of your main characters that you love along the way. Exactly. That's the adventure. Yeah. And so. times that adventure is cut short, you know. And even in a way, you know, even Kimber getting away to me was in the first run, one through four, was that like

light. Yes, exactly. Yes. Sacrifice and everything. Which I think is one of the reasons that I'm so heated about this. And I want to clarify, you know, enjoy, I don't mean to say then like, you're not allowed to watch them. Enjoy stories as you see them. But if I felt that way about a story, I would felt myself to be juvenile, so to speak. And it's not even that that applies to every story. Just specifically like, I think the reason I tied that to Barasquez, because that's what I got out of the first one. Because the first one was such a good example

in my mind of like, you have this awful, terrible world, but Kimber got out. Like she was a character who we treasured, who managed to get away from it. And it's like, what if we bring her back in, take her through this? And then, uh, and then it's happy ending. She is the sunshine and rainbows. She is the exception that is also the constant reminder

of everyone else struggling. Yeah. she is the person who was lucky enough to live but then every time that you think about her now you have to realize that not everyone was that lucky and I think that's like a harrowing kind of like like Greek tragedy-esque ending of a story you know and I mean I could be completely wrong

I'm just I'm just riffing I mean I what the fuck do I know I'm just talking about my feelings but I just mean I feel like this was I'm a YouTuber like you can I can be wrong I feel like this was completely written out of people being upset set. I think it was written out of people being like, wow, I think people really didn't like that ending, and I feel like I need to do this. It feels like, oh, you want a happy ending?

You'll see creatives do that a lot. But luckily, this is, this is the good, this is the good takeaway from this, is that there was still a lot of great moments in it with the characters that I enjoyed. It was nice just being back with, Sam and Kimber again. That was nice.

Kimber especially. But also, I think C.K. Walker having the fucking balls to even end this thing in the way that she did the first and second time regardless of what you think the person made the executive decision took time, wrote this

I think that's fucking cool and also if you don't like this or maybe you love it and if you didn't vibe with it you do not have to have this extension which I think is a powerful tool as an artist or as like a writer to just be like well then just stop here

because there's a lot of work like that even like we were joking about you sound like Shinji that there's fucking 80 endings to Evan alien. You can just pick which one you like and fuck with it. But at the same time it's like the, it is legitimately the artist, it's

the artist right to just be like, I'm going to do whatever the fuck I want with it. And you get to explore that and more people are going to experience it in different ways. The laughter and the frustration that came out of this was just the comical levels that it went to, to the point where I feel like I was, I feel like, yeah, there was

things. I was like, eh, well, it is what it is. All the way up till 15, chapter 15. 15 killed it, dude. And then from there, when he said, I'm an Alpha Sam I was gone. Yeah, I mean, the alpha line was really the thing where I was like, this is like the fucking what they'll. Okay, it's a joke. Sorry for caring that. That's why I think why I got so mad and like sarcastic with it. Because the whole time I'm like, well, maybe they'll find Kyle in some way. Maybe, you know, they'll get those girls out of there. And then he's like, I'm an alpha Sam. It's like, oh, I see. I'm sorry. Jokes on me. My bad. Sorry I cared for 14

chapters, which I guess is why I'm still kind of, if you couldn't tell a little emotional right now. I think, too, it was weird. I get a lot of... I really like stories, so I get heated about them. My apologies for being friends. I get feedback sometimes where... And I agree is that I don't think my cartoonish voices help whenever it's like, well, I think

it's unfair because you read it in a way. But the script in which I was reading, it was in like a southern, weird kind of like... Yeah, I'm an alpha sam and with a straight face. Good luck. Yeah. It's what it was. I mean, like, oy. Or like, look what I found...

They literally said, oi, or whatever. Yeah, I'm an alpha. the same and it's at what point it's just like it's just a bit cheesy you know and it is what it is but at the same time I'll say this I'm happy we read it so many I cannot tell you the amount of people who are like you have to read Barasca 5 but do they mean it as in it's a good way like it's a good story I don't know I'm not even going to speculate I just know it is a extremely requested thing it's an integral part look if I watched this show uh I would want I would also want us to read Barrasca 5 because

it'd be like, well, that was, you know, there's a sequel to the thing that they love so much. Yeah, it's like you like the original Star Wars trilogy, but then you don't watch the prequels or something. Yes, exactly. Something like that. Yeah, it's like, well, watch them if you love it so much. Yeah, exactly. If that's it, because we said several times, Rask is one of our top three of all time.

It'd be like, you know, oh, Jurassic Park's my favorite movie. No, I never watched Lost World. It's like, well, it doesn't have to be as good, but it's there, you know, like. I think they're just blatantly ignore it. As, as my final note, I'll say this is, see k walker still one of the undisputed goats of this of this of this i won't hold it i will not hold this against i think that there's i think a lot of the kind of cheesy fun narratives blend so well

with some of the child stories like mayhem mountain well original barasca she writes children in such a conceivably fun like you know it's it's a big bubbly world and and it all these like different traumatic horrid experiences because the only issues that i don't want to say i've had with her but the only times i've like dislike the writing has been when it's a sequel that is written later on like Deepwoods. Like Deepwoods, the first Deepwoods is about them going to the church seeing it and it's kind of like, oh, we're going to

make fun with it. So, and this Barasca Five is probably a similar deal. And there's nothing wrong with a writer who's posting stories to her own website and no sleep to be like, I've made this old story. Let's have a little sequel. Let's have fun with it. You know, someone, I forget which story, but someone commented

on an episode of ours and said, well, yeah, she entered the sequel to one of these stories for a hour writing challenge. So she's just having fun. She's doing challenges and stuff. So I don't hold, I don't hold bad work against her. I just look at what she's capable of. And she's capable of Barasca the first Deepwood section

Mayhem out. She's a great author. But for how much I cared about the characters in the original Barasca, how much the story met to me. And to be completely honest, to kind of like examine myself, I think one of the reasons I got so heated is because I read Barasca, like the first

four parts when I was, let's 2015. I would have been 15, 16 years old. It would have been in high school. I read those and was like, I really want to start writing horror stories. Like, Barasca was hugely impactful to me. And it made me want to continue today, which now, like, like, not just Barasca, but stories like that led me to want to talk about scary stories online, which put me on YouTube, which put me on a podcast with you, you know? It's like one of the many stepping stones that got me here. So I do, admittedly, probably have too many emotions tied to that first story.

So seeing a sequel, I get, I get like defensive about it, but it's not my story. You cannot be limited. You cannot be limited creatively by how people are going to react to your work. You have to simply create things. And the way people react is how they react. And it doesn't diminish

any of the other works. It doesn't do anything. It is just a piece of expression that you're putting out there. So use this as a fucking piece of motivation for anybody out there. You're probably going to write stuff that people are just like not vibing with. That's fucking okay. Yeah. Just make shit. Do things. You know what I mean? So much of my life, I'm too fucking handicapped to actually creatively do things. And I feel like I make subpar shit because of it. And I feel like sometimes if I could find a more earnest approach of things like people like this who, I don't know. I've just, I am always admirable of these things. If I was C.K. Walker and I'm sure she's a nice person and wouldn't do this. But if I was her, yeah, if I was her, I would tell me to get over it. Like I wanted to write a story. I wrote a story. Interpret it as you want. want don't take it to me and that's right i need to like need to not be so emotional about the story but

like like i don't want to think of this is like part of her work because she wrote a work that like inspired me to create inspired me to tell stories like cormic mccarthy i haven't read all of his books but i had an english teacher who taught me the road in high school and i got super in a literature because of that like it doesn't you don't not everyone has to love everything you do but you might do something that like people love and i don't i don't want this to i just feel bad because i was a little heat is there for a second. I don't want this to take down my opinion any because she wrote a story that inspired me a lot and that

still stands. And I'm going to say my last this I think I've said out of my last piece three times but I will say this is this will still hold a special place my heart because it's a time when I got to be here on the set recording it with you live in person with of course the lovely Nick here as well and I think that that within itself

is enough to hold a nice little memory so I got the C.K. Walker put me down a path where I started a YouTube channel and now I am setting in the floor at my friend's place reading stories with him for a living. So that's enough for me. What else you need? Guys, that's Creep Cash for this week. We appreciate

you and we'll see you in the next one. We love you all. Bye-bye. We do love you all. Thank you for the opportunity to do this. I'm sorry that I crashed out, but it will happen again. Bye.