Tower 4 - S2E9: Questions and Answers

Episode Date: October 6, 2022

Mike is on the hunt for the mysterious man and cart. But while on his trek he chats with Amber and once again debates telling her everything he knows. When Mike finally does reach the cart, he finds the man injured and uncooperative. He also receives multiple warnings to leave... but should he?Music:"Hungarian Dance No.5" by Jahannes Brahms"Solitude" by Sid-Acharya @ Artlist.io Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey everyone. Robert here just with some quick updates before we get to Tower 4. I just want to say that we have been taking a long time to release stuff over the last few months because we have just partnered with Bloody Disgusting and now they are hosting some of our shows on their site. So you can go over to Bloody Disgusting and find six of our shows, six seven lamb shows under the Bloody Disgusting umbrella. We still have our other shows that we're working on as well, but they're just going to help us out with marketing and we have. have a lot of things planned. The problem was it just took a long time to get to this point as we transferred over. So hopefully within the next couple months, we will pick up pace and be able to release a lot more, a lot quicker. But, you know, that's just the nature of the beast. This thing is a never-ending cycle of production. So I just wanted to put that out there.

We're really excited to work with Bloody Disgusting and we're excited for things to come. that being said we're also still working with voyage media and there is a new episode of the fever dreams podcast it's been out for a little bit now it's called succubis and it's basically get out meets seven it's an audio version of a jordan peel movie basically it's two african-american female detectives who investigate a series of castration murders of black men only to discover the female culprit may be supernatural it's scary it's surprisingly funny it's one of the best episodes yet of the series so we think you'll enjoy it. And if you want to listen to a little bit of it, there's going to be a clip of it after this episode of Tower 4. So stick around after the credits to listen to that and then go to feverdreamspodcast.com to listen to the whole episode. I want to say thank you to everyone who listens and everyone who donates on Patreon, everyone who follows us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. It means a lot to us. Like I said, we know we've been releasing slowly over the last few months, just a lot of stuff going on on the business end along

with a lot of life stuff too. So we're hoping that we will be able to pick up soon and release even more content for you lovely people. Thank you for listening, and we hope you enjoy the next episode of Tower Four. Seven Land Productions presents Tower Four. Season two, episode nine. questions and answers

I looked over a ridge The vast field extended for what looked like another mile or two The trees were sparse but the boulders were in abundance I wondered if there were more secret doors I also wondered how the hell he got down there Or did he I peered straight down at nothing but jagged rocks But when I moved my flashlight beam to the left

I saw the descending grassy hill that led to the field below. The grass wasn't as matted down here, but this had to be the way he went. All of this was so dumb. How did I let it get this far? I wanted to leave, and yet I let Amber and Jerry convince me to stay. And for what? I went into that damn bunker and got stuck. I found nothing.

And still I felt bad about leaving Jerry behind, but I couldn't imagine what would have happened if I got stuck in between those two sets of steel doors. Not to mention what the fuck had happened down there. I swear I heard a scream and gunshots over the radio. Mikey, are you ready to talk? Or are you going to ignore me some more? Because this on-again, off-again thing we have a la Sam and Diane is really jarring. Jarring? Is that the right word?

Oh, also, before you respond all awkwardly about my TV reference, Sam and Diane was a bad comparison, so I take it back. We're like the friendship version of Sam and Diane. Maybe along the lines of, I don't know. Who are good friends that also have their ups and downs? Oh, Norman Cliff. Yeah, we're like Norman Cliff. The music had stopped a half hour ago,

and Amber did try making contact. few times, but I was still unsure how I wanted to broach the subject of a secret bunker. I still didn't trust Amber, but I also just didn't give a shit anymore. I wanted answers. I wanted to know what was going on, but

the real reason I was following this cart was to find a way out. I had no idea where I was right now. I heard some movement behind me. I spun around expecting some sort of animal. I knew it couldn't be Jerry now, but I saw nothing. Mikey Hello Amber

Mike What was that? I was treating you like Norm Norm? I figured you were the norm in this friendship and I'd be the cliff You know, since you mentioned

you had fat rolls And I pretend to know everything Wow, fat rolls You mentioned it When? The first shower time, remember? You said something about being chunky No, you did

Oh Yeah, maybe you're right Somehow I remembered that I guess my memory was back in full force Still, you know why I'm saying this right Did you hear my comparison to cheers? Yes, I did Really? I thought maybe you were asleep

Yet you still continued to reach out Ouch, sorry But you left me hanging before I was busy Not with writing How do you know? Because I can tell Oh yeah? Here it goes

Now is the time I bet you can What does that mean? It means I'm sure you know I'm not writing I'm sure you're aware of everything Haven't you talked to Jean? Um, yeah, I talked to him earlier And?

And he told me about the fire And the tremors Well, he didn't tell me about the tremors I felt the tremors He just asked me to talk to you about them Yeah, that makes sense What makes sense? I think it's safe to say

you and Jean are more like Norman Cliff. We're not that close. Sure. You guys seem to have a lot of secrets. A lot of stuff you like to keep from me. What the hell are you talking about, Mike? I know. You know? That's right. I know. I know about your little conversations. I've heard them.

What? Your little back and forths about me. Sure. Yeah, we chat about you, but most of the time it's about how you're doing. Jean is concerned and I let him know You also do his bidding Please explain He didn't want me to leave my tower You helped him with that

She didn't respond right away Seems like I caught her off guard Mike I didn't want you to leave I'm talking about when I said I was going to overarch Seriously I am so confused right now Amber for fuck's sake I know everything Well, shit, not everything.

I'm sure you and Gene have a lot of fun chats, many of which I haven't heard, but I heard enough to convince me not to trust you. You don't trust me? No. Mike, can I explain some things? Please, I have plenty of time right now. Oh, why do you say that?

Wouldn't you like to know? I don't know why you're being like this, but yes, Jean and I talk often. Not every day, but maybe every three days or so. He asks about fires, about food, about weather, but he also asks about you. Why? Because you're new, and let's face it, you don't have a lot of experience, and he knows that. I know that.

And hell, you know that. That's the exact same thing Dr. Browning asked of me. Then why did he hire me? You want the truth? Fuck, yes, Amber, I want the truth, if you're willing. I don't know. Oh, come on No, I'm serious, I don't know

I mean, we needed someone after Jerry But I'm not sure why they'd settled for you For some reason that hurt And I'm not sure why I'm glad they did though I told you I like chatting with you You know when you're not being a total ass I'd rather be an ass than a fake

Me? A fake? That and a liar Where the hell is this coming from, Mike? Have you not been listening? I know you and Gene wanted me to stay. So fucking what? Yes, Gene wanted you to stay.

So did I. But I'm not lying about that. I'm not lying about wanting you to stay. I'm not lying about trying to convince you to stay. And I'm not lying about Gene asking me to convince you to stay. So what exactly am I lying about Mike? I thought about it a moment. I tried to think about everything I heard over the radio when he's dropping.

Shit, did I have this all wrong? Mikey? He's still there? I'm here. Well? Well, what? Don't you believe me? I don't know what I believe anymore.

Well, except one thing. What's that? I'm not crazy. Are we all mad again? I stood there in the field under the bright moonlight. All the clouds are dispersed and I didn't need my flashlight anymore. Hey, if you want to leave, I totally understand. And if you think that I have some evil plan to make you stay, I don't.

I just want you to be happy. So if this job isn't working out for you, then go, Mike. Seriously, I won't be upset. And Gene, well, Jean can take over for Tower 4. Or hell, I can. And then Gene can take three. What I'm trying to say is that things would get worked out if you left. It's fine.

If things are really bad for you, then go. Again, I heard movement, this time in the tall grass to my left. But again, I saw nothing. When Jerry left, we figured things out. We can do the same with you. Don't do anything you don't want to do. My whole life has been doing things I don't want to do. Why do you do those things then?

Because of other people. What does that mean? I walked over to a low, flat rock. I sat on it, placing my backpack to the side. I've always had trouble letting go Always had trouble focusing on myself It's the airplane analogy What's that?

It's something my therapist would mention from time to time Therapist You never mentioned a therapist I have an old school idea of therapy So I see it as embarrassing Too embarrassing to share with me Can I continue? Sorry, go ahead

What's the analogy? Basically, Dr. Dr. Browning would tell me that I need to help myself first. Compared to when something goes wrong while flying, you know what happens when there's an emergency on a flight and the oxygen masks fall, and what are the attendants always tell you to do? I tell you to put yours on first, before helping anyone else because then you can't help someone else before you help yourself, before you solve your own problems.

Okay. I've spent a large portion of my life trying to help others even when I was just as broken or as lost as they were, sometimes worse. Coming out here and working on my book was supposed to be a new beginning. And when things got weird, I focused on that instead. And when things got... Too weird? Sure.

When things got too weird, I wanted to leave, but I didn't. And why's that? Because of Jean? Because of me? Partly, but also because of Jerry. Um, what? Is this like some weird connection you and Jerry share with the tower? It felt like the right time.

I was tired of keeping secrets and I didn't give a shit about whether Gene was listening. Amber, there's something going on with this place. Something strange. I was being tracked. I pulled out this device. I pulled it right out of my arm. And Jerry, he's here. He's been in the woods searching for some underground bunker and I helped him find it.

I was down there, Amber. I was just down there. Was she having trouble taking it all in? Amber? God damn it! Amber, are you there? Amber? Well, that's perfect timing.

Oh, I recognize this piece. Sounded familiar. I was sure I'd heard it in a movie or two. One other thing I was sure about. Amber couldn't hear me anymore. An hour it passed and the music on the music only stopped 15 minutes ago. I played the whole time over the radio. It helped me stay awake and focused. I was hoping I could find this guy soon

because I was getting tired and I was running low in water. Well, worst comes to worse, I could probably find something if I just picked a direction on the map and stuck with it. Actually, I was surprised I hadn't stumbled upon any trails or sights tonight. Sometimes I forgot just how vast this forest was. I thought about reaching out to Amber again, even though it was super late now, but I wanted to know if she heard me before. Whoa. I saw lights over a small hill.

They were faint, merely reaching a tall tree in the middle of the open area. No way. I was surprised I was running, but the adrenaline had kicked back in. When I reached the top of the hill, I saw the cart. Passed the tree in toward the woodline, more forest was only a hundred yards away. The cart was on its side against a group of rocks, smoke slowly rising from under the bent white hood. And while I wanted to find this guy, I needed to still be cautious. I readied my bow on approach.

Hello? Hello? Who's that? I made my way to the front to see the muscular man bent in an awkward way jammed between his seat and a couple of rocks. He had blood in his eye. It tripped down from his forehead. He was not in good shape. Who are you? I thought I'd ask you the same question. This man was in no way of threat.

Not right now. As it got closer, I saw his leg was bent in the way it shouldn't be. I put away my bow. You don't look so good. What happened? He looked around nervously. Who are you? I wasn't sure what I wanted to say to this man, so instead I asked again,

what happened? Here? Yeah, here. Where else? What the hell happened? Hit something. Spun out down the hill. Yeah, yeah, I see that. Wait. Are you that guy? The one I passed? In the bunker? Yeah, that was me. You're not one of... Them?

Them. Wasn't that the same term Jerry used? All that and others? I don't know who they are, but I can assure you I'm not one of them. He stared at me a long while as he struggled to breathe in his awkward position. I'm bleeding out. We need to get you out of there. I can't move. I examined the vehicle wondering if I could push it, tip it right side up. Are you a hiker?

What? Camping. Are you camping here? Geez, I came to find this guy to get some questions answered, but he seemed to have a ton of his own. No, I'm not a camper. Now listen, buddy, I may be able to push this thing over. No.

Too heavy. You won't be able to. That's the spirit. You should leave. That caught me by surprise. You want me to leave? But the man closed his eyes Like he wanted to get some rest

Although he was so messed up That if he felt asleep now He may never wake back up Hey His eyes shot open Even the blood-soaked one We need to get you out of there I'm trapped

Yeah so was I but I got out Here I bent down and examined his body position If I could move the rock behind his back Maybe I'd be able to slide him out I have an idea What I didn't answer I just moved around to the other side

and shimmied the rock. Sorry, let me just... It hurts. It hurts. Hold on. There we go. I have to pull you out a bit, and then we can straighten your leg, if it's not broken. I think it is.

Hold tight. I moved the rock as much as I could. I then lifted the driver's seat just enough to slide his hand out. There we go. When his hand was free, the elbow straightened, and his arm floged. popped back. Sorry, but you're almost out. Okay, here we go. On the count of three. No. Wait. One? No. Two. Three. There you are. Free at last. But his leg looked horrible. There was a gash down the entire thigh, all the way down to his knee. A pool of blood soaked the gravel beneath him.

Jesus. What? Nothing, nothing. I didn't have much that could help, but he was bleeding a lot, so I grabbed an extra shirt and tore it. Oh, God. He noticed how bad his leg was now. Don't look at it. I tore the shirt and several strips and tied them around his leg.

Sorry, but we have to make it tight. No. No. No. One more time. That should do it. The man was way more beat up than I initially thought. But there was blood on his clothes when he left the bunker,

so how much if it was actually due to this crash? Thank you. But you should go. I appreciate the advice. And trust me, I want to leave. Been wanting to for a long time. But I can't just yet. Why?

I shifted the guy and leaned him. against the rocks by the card so he could sit up. You want to know why? Because I've spent too much time in this Twilight Zone episode, and I want answers to all the craziness that's happening around me. That includes you and this.

You're that guy. Sure, yeah. That guy. The guy. And, uh, in, uh, tower four. The name's Mike. Nice to meet you. You, you were helping.

That nut. Jerry? Sure, he's a little out there. But it turns out a lot of stuff he was saying was actually true. Trust me, I was just as shocked as you currently look. Apparently the guy didn't find my sense of humor all that funny. So, who are you? I told you.

You need to... Leave. I knelt beside him. Yeah, I'm going to. And this time I will be following through. But before I do, I'd like to know what the hell kind of underground bullshit I was just stuck in. You were...

Down there? How? Me and Jerry tricked you and your friend. I saw you the night you two were packing his things. You shouldn't... be here. And if I wasn't here, you'd still be lying

with your arm and leg bent back. What happened down there? Where's Jerry? They could come for me. They came for the rest of them. And they'll come for me too. You know, I love the riddles and mysteries, but I got enough of them from Jerry.

Who's coming for you? The test subjects. and iris Iris who's Iris and test subjects what does that mean either way

I'm fucked now that's what that means what's down there what's under the ground what's so funny I don't have your answers what? You signed some kind of

NDA? Tell me. Don't you get it. I don't know. I'm a grunt. I'm a runner. Things went and got fucked up. Because of that fucking bastard. Who? Jerry?

We thought we got him. But he was playing possum. Fucker was pretending. Pretending. When he came to, he stabbed Roy. Then he let... His sentence stopped and he tried to catch his breath. Go on.

Then he let the rats out. Rats? What rats? I'm telling you. For the last time, go. I'm doing you a favor. I appreciate it, but I'll be okay. No, you won't.

Because they're free now. Loads of them. And, and... And what? And what? It was having trouble breathing. Come on, man. You need water.

I'll get you water. Mike, you happen to still be awake? I was surprised that she was trying to contact me right now. I cautiously picked up the radio and sure what to expect. Uh, yeah, I'm awake, Amber. I took the conversation away from the injured man. Oh, good. I know you and I were having our third fight, or maybe it was our fourth one.

But I wanted to let you know that Jean said they're making a surprise drop tonight. Oh? Yeah. And even though you abruptly ended our conversation earlier, he was adamant about me telling you, so that's what I'm doing. A supply drop tonight? I looked over at my injured friend. His coughing fit had stopped, but he was just sitting there now with his head resting on his chest and his eyes closed.

For a moment, I didn't think he was breathing, but he was. They were just very slow, shallow breaths. Jean said there's some surprise stuff in the drop. I'm hoping it means more banana chips, but... But what? Well, I didn't know if I should tell Jean about your decision to leave again. I didn't tell him anything we talked about. I figured I'd talk to you first.

If you want me to tell him, I will, but if you want to tell him yourself, that's fine too. I'm not sure yet. Oh, okay. Well, I'll keep my memory. mouth shut. I don't want you to be mad at me anymore. I don't like it. I appreciate that. Okay. Well, sorry to wake you if I did. I'm telling myself you were asleep to make the shun silence easier to cope with. That's not what it was.

If you say so, and remember to get that supply drop early tomorrow if you can. Don't let the raccoons take all your goodies again. Copy that. Oh, and don't worry about that fire There's a storm moving through Should put it out in no time Oh, okay Okay, well Good night

Mikey Wait Amber Yeah You didn't hear what I said earlier Right before I shunned you You mean after the airplane analogy And after you creepily mentioned Jerry Yeah

No, you cut off I tried reaching out for like 20 minutes, but you didn't respond. I figured, no, I was hoping you fell asleep. Oh. But you weren't asleep, were you? No. Then why weren't you answering? Were you upset?

No, radio wasn't working. I was still trying to talk to you. Oh. Sorry. It's fine. But, uh, what did you say? It wasn't the time now. Uh, nothing.

Nothing of importance. Thanks for all the info tonight, Amber. I appreciate it. I'll talk to you later. Um, okay. Good night, Mikey. Good night. I went back over to the injured guy and bent down in front of him.

Hey, you still with me? His eyes parted ever so slightly. Why? Are you still here? Because I didn't get all the answers I wanted. You're running out of time. Then answer quickly. I told you. I don't know anything. You know what's underground. You were down there. You took Jerry down there.

I do. As they say, it's a job. What did they do? They don't. Tell us. How'd you get into the bunker? None of the buttons were working. The lights were out. Everything was off.

Calm. What? That thing. There. He lifted an arm pointing with a finger. He was pointing a little yellow key card-looking object on the ground by his feet. I grabbed it. Calm?

Calm. Key. device. That's right. I examine the thing. It was a thin metal rectangle with two black dots at the top corner. It looked like a slightly thicker master card.

There was a bloody finger on the back. You call down. They let you in. They open the doors. But why was the power off? It doesn't work everywhere. They run on auxiliary. Power. Now, in sector four.

Sector four, he nodded weakly. What's sector four? This. He looked around. What did you want with Jerry? What do you care? I was helping him find you. Find the bunker, find someone down there.

He escaped. We were... tasked with finding him he grimaced and reached down to his leg the cloth was now completely soaked with blood you're bleeding out i know that hell of an accident i motioned to the cart it wasn't the accident it was the rats the rats what rats they'll be here soon them or iris God damn it, what are you talking about? But he looked around nervously as he expected danger to be upon us any moment now, which apparently he did.

I'd rather bleed out. Why? But he closed his eyes, concentrating on his breathing. What's your name? His eyelids fluttered open. Lance. Okay, Lance. Please, for the love of God, tell me what's going on.

I'm doing you. favor by not telling you it's not a favor it is it is he took a solid breath and leaned forward intensely staring into my eyes the the supply drop that she mentioned is not a supply drop it's the way to cover the noise what noise the noise of the helicopter Something happened down there. Your friend? Helped. Jerry? He said some of them.

Free. I heard something in the grass. I stood to look. See? They're here now. They're here. It's probably just an animal. It's not.

I could feel goosebumps rise along my arms and neck. Shit. You. should go. I grabbed my pack and pocket of his little key card. I redded my bow, knocked an arrow, and headed towards the noise. The grass over here was tall, reaching up to my chest. A slight breeze came through, swaying the grass, making it hard to see any suspicious movement.

I was pretty far from the cart now, but I saw nothing. The noise came from over here. I could swear. The hell was that? Hello? Someone was here. The whisper's not coming from the radio, but... Floating with the wind.

There was movement behind me. Not on my left. Hello? I was actually shaking right now, but tried to keep my composure. Hello? Hello? Who's there? There were several noises now.

Some of it seemed to come from the wood line to my right. That's what I noticed the scrawny figure, standing in the woods. As I moved toward it, the figure ducked into the darkness disappearing. Hello? Fuck this. I turned to make my way back to the cart, but noticed that everything behind me was drowned in darkness. I looked up at the moon, which was half obscured by dark clouds.

The field around me was being encompassed. Oh no. Come on, come on! I searched for my flashlight. I needed it. I saw movement to my right again. Something dove into the tall ground. grass. Where the fuck is it?

There! I turned it on just as the moon was completely blocked by dark clouds. I moved the beam of light over the grass, but there was nothing now. No whispers. No movement. No figures. Shit! I ran back towards the car.

What the hell was that? I slid to a stop as I reached the other side of the cart where Lance lay. But now it wasn't just him. A figure stood hunching over him. I pointed the light at the figure. A grotesque man with jagged teeth and sunken eyes wearing nothing but torn black pants and a dirty white shirt, dropped the bloody rock in his hand. What the fuck?

The man hissed and dove into the tall grass, crawling out of sight. Jesus Christ! I moved the flashlight to Lance whose head was bashed in. He was still alive, but not for long, as the front of his face was nothing but a pile of mush. His lower jaw jutting out from the mess, moving up and down in an attempt to possibly scream again. I was about to vomit, but...

You don't have time to throw up right now, Mike. There was movement all. around me. I saw a figure run by the headlights of the cart, casting a large shadow over me. Oh God, I think it's time to do what Lance was trying to convince me of the whole time. I needed to run. I needed to leave. I didn't have any real idea where to go, but it didn't matter right now. I just turned and ran. Tower 4. Written and edited by Robert M. Lamb.

Starring Jack Austin as Mike. Gina Coyle as Amber. Brian Messick as Gene. Co-starring, Ariel Hack. Ryan Glover, Douglas Sawway, and Shoji Bixby. Music provided by Kevin McLeod of Incompetec.com and Brett Wilkins at Facebook.com slash Wilkins MusicFL. If you enjoy Tower 4, visit 7Lam.com for more podcasts such as this one.

Also, don't forget to follow 7Lam on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, at 7Land Podcasts. This has been a seven-lalm production. And now for a clip from the fever dreams episode, succubus. See that? Mm-hmm. Shit. Talking about, I love my black sisters. Ugh.

One white woman walks in, they circle like dogs waiting to be fed. Look, one's going up to her. You think that's her father with her? I hope so. Hmm. He doesn't seem to mind the attention she's getting. Doesn't take much. She is pretty.

Pretty white. You're just mad about Nate. I'm over that. Oh? You delete his number from your phone yet? Of course. Show me. Mind your business.

Nate was my ex. He also had a preference for white women, at least over me, considering he left me for his neighbor. She does hot yoga. We came to this bar to unwind Sugar and I, and she was wrecking it by bringing him up. We're detectives in the LAPD's cold case unit, which means we spend our days chasing cases

that are dead ends without any leads. on the cases that are losers and no one else wants. It's dispiriting on a good day. What's your position then, huh? Every good black man must be with a black woman no matter what. Should we potential to add it as a law? What about black women and white men then? Since when do you care so much about this?

I'm just saying, it's outdated. Wait, you're dating a white guy, aren't you? Oh, shit. you're dating white jerry you could just call him jerry white jerry damn how did he swing that he asked you out on a hot date while he was

fixing your computer you make him sound like a repairman he's the IT supervisor for the entire department wow white jerry I didn't think he had it in him seriously

how did that happen Uh, well, I got a virus in my inbox. I bet you did. Mm-hmm. Girl stop. He came and fixed it. Okay, he makes me laugh. We went to the grove and had dinner. He's nice.

Be happy for me. I am. And stop calling him White Jerry. Listen, I'm only human. While we were off duty, we were still cops. We went outside and discovered the same thing the woman leaving the bar who had screamed had. A black man from inside the bar, one of the men who was eyeing the white woman in heels who had approached her. He was sprawled out in the adjacent alley.

His pants were around his ankles. He had been castrated. Blood was everywhere. It was such a horrific sight that it was hard for my brain to process it. And I had seen hundreds of pictures of dead bodies in my work, not to mention a dozen or so in person. That white woman, the old man. I'll check. She checked.

They were gone. Poof. We called for officer backup, of course. And once they came and secured the scene, we started canvassing the neighborhood. No one had really seen anything. I was watching TV. I heard a scream and that was it. Until we knocked on the right door.

Yes? Sorry to bother you, ma'am. I'm sure you heard some commotion just now in the neighborhood. Yes. Did you happen to see anyone outside of the bar across the street? I see people there all the time. Did you see anyone leave with a black man about 30 minutes ago before the commotion? No.

Are you certain of that? Please leave me alone. I'm going to leave you my card. If you remember, you know how to find me then. Okay, goodbye. She saw something. Yep. Make sure to go to Fever Dreams Podcast.

com to listen to the rest of the episode.