Tower 4 - S1E4: Bear Spray

Episode Date: December 7, 2020

After Mike's close call, he heads back to the tower, hoping that eventually the campers make their way passed. But they never do. Weeks go by and Mike focuses on his writing. Amber offers help and keeps him focused. But one night, after discovering a mysterious notebook, Amber informs Mike that he needs to go on another long hike. The campers are still missing.Music:"Ghost Story" and "Immersed" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/"trim" by Elderich T'Challa of Nemesis Black @ reverbnation.com/nemesisblack"Unspoken" by Myuu @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvIvXw6gSYA Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Are you a fan of podcasts? What about audio dramas? Do you like suspense, mystery, action, and comedy? Of course you fucking do. Let me introduce myself. My name's Edith Dietrich and I'm fucking great. I'm the secretary of one of the greatest P.I.s in the world, Mr. James Locke, Mr. J to me. He's the fucking greatest. He's the star of Atlas Avenue Beat, an audio drama created by Seven Lamb production. If that sounds interesting to you, visit 7LAM.com or search for Atlas Avenue Beat wherever you listen to podcasts. I mean, hell, it's everywhere. And don't forget to rate and review, damn it! Episode 4 Air Spray The huge bear was charging

I closed my eyes and brace for impact Ugh... ...g... ...again. Placical music. I slowly open my eyes to see the bear standing no more than five feet away. Oh shit. He turned around and ran back into the woods.

I'm not a fan of classical music either. My body relaxed and I was able to breathe again. The music continued to play. What the hell was going on? Mikey? Mike, do you copy? I'm here. Where the hell were you?

You are not going to believe what just happened. I quickly told the story about the bear encounter and the classical music. Jesus. Are you okay? It ran off. Not a fan of Beethoven? I don't think it was Beethoven. Head back, Mikey. Did you get a hold of Jean?

Yes, and he said to head back. Wait two days and see if they pass by the tower. If they're heading north, they have to. And if they don't? Gene says you'll have to hike back. Really? Is there a fire pit there? No.

Good. If you can, leave them a note telling them they can't camp there. I didn't bring paper on a pen. But you're a writer. So that means I should always be ready to jot something down? Isn't that part of the creative process? I used to use a recorder to do that. Then leave a recorded message.

I said used to. I don't have the recorder on me either. What good are you? I can't believe I have to return to the place I was almost mauled. Bet you won't forget the bear spray next time. Two days later and I headed back to Site 5. No hikers passed the tower, so I figured they may still be there. But when I reached the campsite, it was empty.

No tent, no sleeping bags, no backpacks, no trash. Amber, you copy? Please tell me music's not about to kick in. I'm here, I'm here. What's up? You about to head out? About to? I'm already here. What? Damn it, Mikey. You were supposed to let me know so I can remind you about the bear spray. Trust me, I didn't forget it. I'm not going to go through that again. I held it the entire time just in case I needed to use it quickly.

Still should have told me. Yeah, well, I read the instructions five times and I still don't. I don't understand how this stuff works. Don't worry. Seeing a bear in the same spot within a week is highly unlikely. Really? You have a better chance of getting attacked by a shark. Is that true?

No. I made that up. Figures. I bet it made you feel a little better. For a whopping five seconds. Better than nothing. Anyway, I'm calling to let you know the hikers are gone. Really? Gone?

Yeah, nothing here. Well, that's good then. You didn't see them pass by the tower? Nope. That's interesting. Is it? Mildly. So I walked here for nothing.

Hey, exercise is always good. I would have rather been writing. And I would rather be at a spa being fed grapes by a skincely clad pool boy with a six-pack. We don't always get what we want, Mikey. Really? A pool boy? It's always been a vanity of mine. How boring.

I used to dream bigger, but realism. has set in with age. I noticed the carving in the tree again. I walked over to it and rub my finger along the bark. What about you? Let me guess. A naughty school girl? Or maybe an upset librarian with a paddle is more your cup of tea.

Come on. Think outside the box. Hmm. An intellectual girl with glasses and short skirt who whisper story ideas into your ear when you get writers block? closer. Hey, Amber, does an eye with a line through it mean anything to you? Um, what? If I were to draw an eye with a vertical line through it, would that mean anything to you?

Is this a riddle? It's a question. In riddle form? Just a question. I don't know. Okay. Are you snorting that bear spray, Mikey? I'm going to head back now. Hikers are gone.

Crisis averted. Next two weeks The next two weeks dragged. And when I say dragged, I mean dragged. What makes Jason go out with Olivia? I was writing more of my story, and Amber was trying to help. Every time I got stuck or needed a little push to continue, Amber was there to offer advice or pose questions to help further the story.

At first it was annoying, but now I encouraged it. Does Jason change for the better because of Olivia? Amber helped me stay focused. If she didn't constantly ask questions, I'd probably be taking more day naps and pacing around the cabin daydreaming about other projects. Wait, does her daughter remember Jason at all?

Like, when they were dating? I had outlined several chapters now and had three chapters completely fleshed out. Although I felt the third chapter lacked something. But I couldn't put my finger on it. Maybe you should present. And then Olivia's family so that Jason gets some idea of why she is the way she is. In Chapter 3?

Yeah. Did you ever meet the family? Yeah, and it was awkward. Just awkward? Let's just say I spent a couple holidays with them, and each time I did, there was some fighting, and something glass broke. Include that. At first, Emperor was reluctant to give her two cents, but that lasted all of one day. Now she would call me in the middle of the night with a new idea or question based on my story.

I guess that was better than the classical music retractors. In fact, nights had remained peaceful. So peaceful I hadn't needed to take a sleeping pill. I was getting used to this fire lookout thing. Every morning I woke up and made some coffee, took an hour or two to fire watch, which was really bird watching time. And I worked on my novel for a couple hours, ate lunch, watch for fires, and then wrote another few hours. before bed. And at the end of the week, I took stock on my food and supplies and let Amber know so she could inform Jean. And every day, Amber and I talked on and off. It was weird being so

friendly with someone I'd never met in person. In the age of the internet, I guess that sort of thing was common, but for me, it was odd. How are you on coffee? Plenty. I've only gone through two bags. Okay, so really we're looking at canned soups, beef jerky, dried fruit, and water. I mean, I'm hardly low, but if they're going to deliver. Gene says they'll do a food drop in a few weeks, so you might as well take advantage. I do. Then put in an order.

Wait, food drop? Yep. So I'm going to get a care package via parachute? You sure are. I have to do it this way. Works for me. Amber told me they replenished food supplies three times. It was probably overkill, but ever since they had an issue with someone being cut off due to a fire,

they decided to do drops more often. That happened four years ago, and ever since they made sure supplies were plentiful and regularly restocked. The trick is to tell them you're out of certain supplies just to get more. Even if it isn't true. That's lying, Amber. It's survival, Mikey. How do you think I got so many banana chips? I thought you brought those.

No, I tell them amount all the time, so they keep me well stocked. But I didn't get any banana chips. Sorry. It was a special request by me. Well, put in a good word. The things I do for you. Thanks, Ambie. Don't do that. It doesn't work for my name.

While Amber called Jean to give him an update on supplies in the surrounding environment, I decided to try to do more writing. But before I even turned on my laptop, I could see it. Smoke billowing from the treetops. Oh, shit. I quickly grab the radio. Amber, you copy? No answer. Amber, Amber, you there?

Amber, pick up. Amber! Amber! She still must be talking to Jean. Amber! Amber! Amber! What the hell do you want, Mikey? Damn! There's a fire! What? Where? Um, northwest side. No. Wait. Yes.

No, North-East side. My east. Take a breather, Mikey. Where is it? I'm not seeing smoke. I went to the window, then to my large wall map. It's north, passed over arch. Towards the lake? Enos Lake? Yeah. Uh, south of that, I, I think.

Okay. What do I do? Well, first off, you calm down. And secondly, you wait until I call Gene back. Oh. Give me a sec. I went out onto the walkway with my binoculars and watched the thin trail of smoke rise into the sky. It was miles away.

Mikey? Go ahead. I let Jean know. He wants you to keep an eye on it. That's, that's it? Yeah. I can't spot it from over here. Maybe if it heads north, but with the wind patterns, I'm thinking it'll go south. Shouldn't they come and put it out? If it continues, they will, but Gene says there's a storm coming. That should help put it out.

How did it start? Who knows? It couldn't have been a lightning strike. There hasn't been a thunderstorm in over a week. Thank you, Detective. I'm really supposed to just watch it? Welcome to being a fire lookout. A day later and a storm did it for you. work of the fire. When it passed, the smoke was gone.

Don't worry. There will be plenty more. Good job watching that last one, though. I never did see the smoke. Perfect tower placement, if you ask me. And yet I somehow feel unfulfilled. Time to go back to writing. Being a lookout wasn't hard at all. How did I not discover this job sooner? My fault for not using job sites to their full potential. It was five o'clock and I was having trouble focusing on my writing. I made a cup of coffee and walked around the walkway of the tower waiting for Amber to call me. She always called after her workouts, but today the radio remained silent. I'd gotten so used to our talks, I decided to give her a call. Amber? Amber, you copy? That was weird.

I went inside and sat at the desk. I didn't begin writing. Instead, I sat there with my legs propped up, staring at the blank screen. I didn't feel like writing. I closed my eyes, leaned back, and stretched. When I opened my eyes, I noticed one of the wood ceiling panels had a weird triangular chip in the corner. It was the only one. I didn't know what compelled me, but I moved my chair and climbed up. I pushed the wood panel and it lifted slightly.

Hmm. I pushed the panel straight up and slid it to the side. wanted to put my hands in there in case there were any spiders, scorpions, or rats. I grabbed my flashlight and a wooden spoon. I used the spoon to fill around, but I found nothing. The hell was I even looking for? I tried pushing up another panel, but it didn't budge. None of the other panels moved. Why this one? I moved the panel to the opposite side and once again used the spoon to feel around. That's when it struck something. I could move it, whatever it was. I slid the object until it was visible. It was a small journal. I pulled it down and wiped the cover. I opened it and quickly flipped through. My mouth fell agape when I noticed

the pages and pages of eyes, open eyes with vertical lines. Every other page was filled with crazy ramblings. I picked a random page and read the first sentence. it is there even though they deny it what do they know and what do they not want me to know I flipped to another page written several times in a list format trust no one

I flipped to another page another large drawing of the eye they're watching I continue to flip through what the hell was this Jesus I nearly fell out of my chair Mikey you there

I'm here How's it going, Amber? Hey, so I am... I just finished talking to Gene, and, well, that 10 you saw at Site 5 might belong to a father and son. Oh? Why do you say that? Because a father and son have recently been classified as missing. Missing?

They never made it back home. They were supposed to be back three days ago, but haven't shown. Family was worried in contact at the Ranger's station. But it's been weeks. Gene knows. So does the family. They went camping for me. two weeks?

I guess so, Mikey. How do you know it's their tent? I don't. That's why I said it might belong to them. Well, they didn't come this way. I told Gene that. He wants me to have you check Eno's Lake. It used to be a popular fishing spot for hikers before they close that trail.

It's pretty late. Not now. Tomorrow. More hiking. I'm afraid so. Great. Sorry. Yeah, yeah.

Hey, Mikey. Don't forget the bear spray. Since I knew I'd be going out on another long hike, I decided to head to bed early. The problem was I couldn't sleep. Instead, I laid in bed and flipped through the journal. My flashlight was propped up against the walls I read each haunting entry. The writings in the journal went from full sentences to exasperated thoughts, to random, incoherent mumblings by the end.

I ended up staying awake until one. This had to be written by the form of lookout. What was his name again? Gene mentioned going stir-crazy. Is that what this was? The rants in the journal focused on strange noises in the woods and people watching him. When I reached a page to total haunting music

coming through the radio, goosebumps ran along my arms. One page had two large words. why classical Oh shit It had been a week since the music played But this guy He heard it too So it couldn't have been the hikers

Decided to stop reading I took a sleeping pill for the first time in weeks It didn't work right away But as I read I could feel my eyelids getting heavy Eventually I drifted off I once again found myself floating About my childhood home watching my father drive away.

I tried calling out to him, but he didn't hear me. He never heard me. Tower 4 Written and edited by Robert M. Lamb. Story by Robert M. Lamb and Dylan Whitehead. Starring Jack Austin as Mike. Gina Coyle as Amber. Brian Messick as Gene.

Music provided by Kevin McLeod of Incompetect.com and Brett Wilkins at Facebook.com slash Wilkins MusicFL. If you enjoy Tower 4, visit 7LAM.com for more audio dramas such as this. Also, don't forget to follow 7LAM on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, at 7LAMP podcasts. This has been a 7Lam production. Ha-a-a-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.