Whitefall | CreepCast

31:46Jesus. Honor. What? I just I didn't like that comment I know dude The shiny gentleman The shiny gentleman rises again It's peeking over the horizon like that fucking Howl's moving castle Looks like a Ghibli machine just like bouncing a little I'm like Not again The giant silver meat grinder You know You know it would actually be like the greatest trick our audience pulled is if this is like uh an interim story of boraska when you know um um hey hey yo they got sandwiches what's her name kimber hey okay to remember her name i have to remember the me that you hey yo kimber they got sandwiches yeah um if this is just an interim story of Kimber on the run.

32:47And our audience kept that secret from us until we read it. I'd be impressed. I'd be impressed. I'd be kind of hyped on that, actually. Yeah. I'd be down. But, yeah, here we... I don't think it'll be that, but I do think that theme will be in it, as was just mentioned. Shouldn't have tried to tease her. This girl was not in a place for that. I cleared my throat. Here. She turned back toward me and frowned at my outstretched hand. No. Here, take him. shook the pack of cigarettes at her again. What do you want for them? Nothing. They're yours. She continued to eye the pack warily. I promise. Look, I just...

33:23I just found out I'm going to be a father in like, I don't know, eight months or something. I want to quit anyway. Her eyes jerked up to mine. The girl at the station? Yeah. That's my girlfriend. The girl's eyes drifted back down to the cigarettes. Beside. Her name is Mel. That seemed to be enough. She was giving this girl that much of me. She nodded. I still leery and cautiously took the cigarettes out of my hands. Thanks. She pocketed the smokes and a racket bag slung across her chest. We exchanged no more words. The driver eventually climbed back onto the bus and people began boarding. This was my last cigarette.

34:03Ever. If I was strong enough. Damn, I just wanted to enjoy it. Savor it. That meant I was the last person to board the bus. again rude traveler took exception so i dropped into my seat he shook his head at me of course you've got no respect for the people son grew off shot out of his seat what the fuck did you say to me said screw off grabbed me by the jacket and shook me twice for a small guy he was stronger than he looked my knees banged against the metal chair supports i grabbed his wrist and squeezed push him back get the hell off me you entitled little piece of shit you've made the entire bus wait for you three fucking times and you've only been in this goddamn thing for four hours hey heard the driver shout like oh you crazy shit i hissed at him shoving him back while trying to avoid the other passengers sitting in aisle seats if i miss my connection i will punch your fucking lights out i've got people waiting for me hey knock it off right now and sit down driver yelled again no one was intervening look i apologize for what happened to buchanan the last time i fell asleep and i'm damn sure i'm not going to apologize for that just now you held up the whole goddamn bus to smoke a cigarette i got on the bus right after that family sitting in the back you're the one holding the bus up right now son of a bitch sit down immediately you're both being kicked off the bus this time the driver stood where he traveler released me instantly and shoved me back fell into my seat crazy asshole gave me a disgusted look and sat back down in his seat in front of me.

35:32Driver glared at us both. If I see anything like that again, you will both be left on the side of the road. You're scared people. There's kids on this bus. Do you get that? I saluted him with two fingers and the guy in front of me just grunted something agreeable. Driver nodded. That's your only warning. Sat down and put the bus in gear, finally pulling out of the parking lot. What do you think is up with this guy? I'm like, I can't get a read on him. I don't think he's just, I don't think he's just a weird old man. And I feel like there's something happening. I don't know. I don't like it. The line, I have people waiting for me, felt suspicious.

36:07He just keeps saying it. You don't understand. I have people waiting for me. I have people waiting for me. It almost sounds like he, maybe, I don't know. I have no idea what the supernatural or like the threat is in the story or something like that, but he's got to be a part of it. And I have people waiting for me, felt odd. Might be too common, but it is interesting. that's like our main character is going to meet with his family and kind of maybe not as urgent but there's a parallel between both of them where they're both going to like a destination to meet up with family in some kind of way I don't know if that has I don't know if that will I don't know if that's going to have any correlation or whatever but just I don't know yeah it could be someone he's going to meet or something like that I don't know but we also have no idea what the threat is yet exactly man hard to yeah sometimes in these stories it's supernatural sometimes it's not you know with ck walker so we'll see i tried to fall back asleep but i was too hungry too agitated stared out the window at the passing cars some had babies and i studied those intently a little sedan went by father with his toddler in a car seat behind him he was smoking a cigarette while his baby slept in the back and even though the window was cracked i could see the clouds of smoke drifting back from the front to a sleeping kid hell no that would never be me i was done with cigarettes.

37:27I wouldn't be like that, Dad. More cars passed us. I started to make up stories about who they were and where they were going. The Lincoln, New York to oversee a company merger. Pick up with the trailer. Louisville to buy a horse. The minivan with the smiling parents. Disneyland on a family vacation. Yeah, I would do that too. Take my kid to Disneyland. Something neither Mel nor I had ever gotten to do. And yeah, I wanted to do that for her too. M &M's? I whipped my head around as someone dropped into the seat next to me. It was the runaway. I was confused. What about them? She frowned. Do you want some?

38:08He held out a yellow bag. Sorry, they're peanut. They're the only ones I could grab when I was... When I left. Trailed off and looked down at the bag. So, do you want some? Held my hand out. Hell yeah, I'm starving. Peanut M &M's are the shit. The peanut M &Ms are objectively the best M &M as well. I disagree, but go ahead. She smiled then. It was a small one, one that didn't reach her eyes, one that was more of relief than happiness, but there it was. And like my Mel's smile, it was beautiful. She dipped the bag into my waiting hand and didn't stop until the bag was empty. Aren't you sure? Because I got no issue eating all these, but they're your M &Ms.

38:47She nodded and then crumbled up the wrapper, shipping it into her big bag. I'm sure. I stood up and looked toward her seat at the back of the bus. Thanks, said as I shoved M &Ms into my mouth by the dozen. She looked back down at me. You're welcome. Then she leaned down a little and lowered her voice to a whisper. Maybe go easy on him though, okay? She nodded to the seat in front of me. Oh, come on, you're on his side? I whispered back, mouthful of chocolate. She shook her head. No, I just don't think he's trying to be mean. I'm pretty good at reading people's intentions. I think he's just anxious.

39:20anxious about what he said he's going to visit his family i don't know ask him then got up and moved back to her seat i rolled my eyes i wouldn't be asking him shit with any luck he'd be boarding a different bus in indianapolis i wasn't quite sure where post falls idaho was but i hoped to god it wasn't by way of chicago night came slowly the gray asphalt whizzing by outside fading to black and the cars alongside the bus darkening to unrecognizable colors i could see city lights ahead of us not warm and welcoming but bright and sharp columbus i could find something in the vending machine here fill up my water bottle from the fountain smoke a cigarette well damn scratched that last one i could already feel the itch under my skin but i ignored it food water bathroom, call mail.

40:12These were the things I was focused on. The bus took an exit and continued down several busy downtown streets before pulling up at the Columbus bus station. The doors opened and I stood a stretch, glaring at the clock on the front of the bus. I smiled. A few minutes early, screwed the weary traveler. All right, folks. Everyone will have to disembark here. Please do not leave any personal items of the bus. If you're continuing on bus 881 to Indianapolis, we will be boarding at 825. If you continue on the other destination, it has been a pleasure traveling with you and thank you for riding with us.

40:44My first stop was the bathroom, then the water fountain, then the vending machine. I bought a pack of strawberry pop tarts and a bag of nuts and sat down to eat. By 8, I was antsy to talk to Mel. I found a payphone in the corner and spent the 25 cents to call her. The line connected immediately. Hello? I was disappointed when I heard Mandy's voice through the line. Hey, Mandy, it's Chris. Can I talk to Mel? Hey, Chris. She's actually working right now. I like a double. She said if you call to tell her that she'll be home around two in the morning. Damn it. Mandy's voice grew soft. I know. I'm sorry.

41:22I tried to charge her nothing for rent so she could save money, but she said no. She'll pay. I have a feeling she'll be working as many doubles as she can. Is that okay? being on your feet so much when you're... I didn't know what Mel had told Mandy. Pregnant? She'll be okay. Our girl is strong. Right. Thanks, Mandy. Tell her I won't be able to call her until tomorrow morning. Tell her... Tell her I'm right here. Can you? Yeah. I'll tell her, Chris. Thanks. Bye, Mandy. I hung up, grateful I hadn't wasted more than a quarter on a call where I couldn't even talk to my girl. I noticed there was a line at door 9 for bus 881 I wanted another window seat So I got behind a tall, lanky guy around my age He had to have been on the bus from Buchanan But there was a lot of new faces A lot of old ones too, including Runaway And to my immense disappointment, the weary traveler This is a fun concept for just getting new people in and out of the story, I think Yep, yep, a bus trip Yeah, the amount of like random strangers that would come And how do they interact in the story?

42:33It's just a fun narrative device. Well, I was also thinking like, I had the thought when the story started, like, okay, if the story's about him on a farm in Spokane, why are we spending this time so much earlier at the beginning of the bus trip? But now I'm seeing the story is about the bus trip. Yeah, I think that it's like there's a - I think it's almost entirely about the bus trip is what I - I think the whole thing will be the bus trip, especially because he mentioned the last connection to Spokane was in Whitefall. So I think that being the title of the story and all, we have this interesting setup, almost like an Odyssey venture, where we have this kind of nebulous end goal we have to reach, not only for the sake of himself, for the sake of Mel, and for the sake of their child, but whatever threat appears along the way is going to stand in the way of that.

43:26It's a very interesting concept. It's a road trip horror story. The concept here, too, of like, I believe something is going to, like, what hops on the journey with him, you know? Yeah. And I'm waiting for that threat. And I'm, yeah. It's weird because I keep making assumptions in my mind, but I'm like, nope. Well, so far, other than the weary traveler being kind of suspicious with people waiting for me comment, there's been zero horror or supernatural or creepy tonations anywhere. just people running away from their problems or uh running away from yeah i mean just essentially it seems like people running away from problems i don't know it's a it's a cool concept i like the idea of a bus horror story it's neat i want to take a moment to thank today's sponsor ridge wallet i've had a ridge wallet for the past five years and i am never going back this thing is leagues above bifold or a trifold wallet that is uncomfortable and takes up a ton of space in your pocket.

44:23I've dropped this thing off I don't know how many hillsides and it's still holding up. That's because Ridge has some of the most durable and stylish wallets on the market. Plus recently, Ridge took their design and made it even better with Ridge 2.0. They're 10 % lighter and more modular with an improved money clip or cash straps. The wallet holds up to 12 cards plus cash and comes in over 50 designs, including your favorite college and pro teams. Plus Ridge has a built-for-life warranty, so even if your wallet is lost or stolen, they've got you covered. Plus, as someone who spent eight hours the other day, I'm not joking, looking for their wallet to the point they drove to the grocery store and asked if anyone had seen it, I can tell you that the Ridge tracker card that lets you always know where your wallet is at is also a huge plus.

45:09Ridge is my go-to gift for people, and you should give a gift to yourself and get in on their offer. That's because for a limited time, our listeners can get 10 % off your order at Ridge by using discount code creepcast at checkout. That's right, 10 % off. All you have to do is head to the link in the description at ridge.com and use discount code creepcast. And once you check out, if you could let them know we sent you, it would really mean a lot. Thank you to Ridge for sponsoring the show. Their link will be in the description and we are now back to the episode. I boarded after Lanky guy ended up across from him in a window seat so i flipped my gnr tape to the other side i noticed lanky guy took out a notebook and started sketching or maybe doodling it's hard to tell i watched his hand move quickly and deliberately over the page must be one hell of an artist there's no hesitation in his movements it's a landscape a mountain range huh been so focused watching his hands i didn't even realize he caught me staring as i shot up to mine briefly My girl likes mountains.

46:09I nodded. Cool, man. You going to see your girl? Yep. Cool. And that was it. Lanky kept sketching and I relaxed back into my seat. Only a few hours to Indianapolis and I'd be changing buses. Hopefully I could stay out of weary traveler's way. I smiled, noting I'd been on the bus before him this time. He was near the back with runaway about halfway between us. I drifted to sleep quickly Hoping I'd stay asleep until we stopped again at midnight Hey Jerked awake at Lanky's voice What? I said, my voice raspy You dropped your shit My bag was on the floor, shit spilling out of it God damn it Bent over and started shoving stuff back in You sleep heavy I know My girl sleeps heavy too He smiled a little then Looking down at his drawing, which appeared to be finished haven't seen her in a while i guess setting back up didn't always like to get into conversations on transcontinental bus rides but lanky seemed cool yeah almost a year what's her name i asked he hesitated i understood that i didn't give out personal details to strangers either sarah she's an accountant smart way smarter than me she likes me anyway though that's cool my girl's way smarter than me too how long you been together?

47:36about four years off and on I think this time it's for real though I really hope he's not this isn't about the 18 or 19 year old girl I didn't even think about I didn't even think about that I hope not too that'd be awful but he would have noticed her I'd imagine freak out or something also it's funny to me that as soon as you start reading someone who's an artist doodling and sketching you immediately do like a uh heavy lisp nerdy geeky voice i always paid whenever i uh whenever i'm like if i'm ever drawing or something in a sketchbook i always feel like a kind of a dork or something so i'm always just like yeah i draw my book i always like kind of just joke around like that but also also i have i have this character until your self-depreciation yes yes yes Yes, is that what you're about to say when you said I have to oh No, I just I have I have only so many voices.

48:35So I'm trying to differentiate them Yeah, yeah Yeah, good for you, man. Thanks He said close his notebook and shoving it in his bag Now there's Indianapolis turn to look out my window. We were definitely heading into a big city I could use a stretch and a cigarette I can't even think about anything else. I needed nicotine. Damn. But then I remembered the dad with the smoke clouding around his baby in the car. No. Bathroom, water, bus change. There was no point in calling Mel. It was only a little after midnight. We reached the station and I bought another pack of Pop-Tarts for the morning time.

49:18I checked my ticket and saw it was boarding bus 950 at door 1 in about 10 minutes. people were lining up already so of course i did too again hoping weary traveler was on literally any other bus but there he was in line near the front when he saw me he shook his head in disappointment well i don't like you either buddy runaway and lanky were also in my line i was happy about these two they were all right company the driver checked our tickets and let us aboard. This time, I was near the back. Runaway was a few rows behind. We were a traveler even farther back and Lanky was closer to the front.

49:59I ended up without a seat partner again and smiled at my good luck. After a few minutes, the driver climbed on. She was pulling the door shut when we heard a loud bang on the glass. The woman frowned down at whoever it was and then reopened the doors. She nodded politely at the guy who climbed the stairs. He smiled and shoved his ticket at her. You almost missed the bus. It's half a departure. A driver, a woman in her late 40s, told him before smiling back. Glad you made it. Yeah, I gotta make it to Chicago. I wouldn't miss my bus, baby. He said to her, and I automatically hated his voice. It slithered over your skin like a wave of grease, clanging and sour.

50:38Alright, well why don't you take your seat? She said, clearly put off at being called Baby by some nutsack in his late 20s, or maybe younger, with a hard life behind him. The closer he came, the better I could see him. He was scraggly, jerky, itchy, possibly high or something. And he stank. The guy moved toward the back of the bus, studying everyone in every seat as he did. I had a sick idea of what he was looking for. I spun around to look for Runaway. She was sitting alone with the nervous look on her face as he came closer. She was getting the same vibes we all were, and she was the only single woman on the bus.

51:15It was clear as day when Scraggle noticed her. His eyes lit up and he moved a bit faster. I started to stand up, hoping to move back to the seat next to her, but he was too close. I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye and glanced back. Weary Traveler has moved up to sit next to her. He saw my intention and nodded at me. He had her covered. I looked back towards Scraggle, who was now frowning. He, instead, took a seat directly behind her. Weary Traveler and I exchanged a look that may as well have been a conversation. He would stay right next to her, and I was there if he needed help. I fell back into my seat and saw Lanky eyeing the entire exchange.

51:55Scraggle wasn't very big, but he was likely volatile and unpredictable. The more people to help manage the situation, the better. Good man. Drive. I really, that's a fun little paragraph. All these individuals noticing the girl needs help and stuff like that. That's nice. Also weary traveler stepping up as a good dude, too. Yeah. well it's what the runaway said that also i like how none of them have names so it's scraggle runaway traveler but yeah it vibes it flows um very that's what runaway said where it's like he's just anxious about something for some reason the driver sandra she introduced herself as over the pa got the bus on the road and headed out towards chicago i was looking forward to getting there it would be early morning and i'd be able to call my girl and then again in minneapolis Things were quiet for most of the ride as other passengers slept.

52:46The only sounds on the bus were quiet talking, light snoring, and lanky scribbling. I still kept my headphones off in case of trouble, and trouble was what we eventually got. It was early, the sunrise, when I heard runaway shout. Don't touch me! I spun around just in time to see Scragle pull his hand back between the seats. He looks so peaceful sleeping there. Beautiful, like a princess. I heard a murmur. Worry traveler was already turned around in the guy's face. You don't touch women who don't give you permission to touch them! Calm down, old man. Linky smiled as he relaxed back in his seat.

53:21I just brushed your hair off her face. That's not all you touch. Oh, you liked it, baby. I saw. You were still asleep and you purred for me. Fuck you! Curse was loud enough to wake most of the back of the bus. I stood up and nodded at Scraggle. Maybe you should switch seats with me. Scraggle sneered at me. I'm good where I am. Wasn't a request. The seats in front of my row are empty, so you should be able to keep your hands to yourself. Yeah? What if she doesn't want me to keep my hands to myself? Believe me, I do. Runaway spat. Weary Traveler stood up, nodded in my direction. I think you should go.

53:59No. Scraggle laughed. Then she can move up, I said, and held up my hand to run away. She squeezed by Weary Traveler and dropped into the seat next to me. Now leave that girl alone.

54:15can you do that voice again now leave that girl alone kind of like kermit kind of suddenly i look to my left and kermit the frog of muppet's fame is sitting in the seat next to the lady you let her go start touching her yeah

54:39Kermit standing up for women's rights no means nobody Kermit would dude he's a G I'll break your fucking fingers hey look at me pipsqueak I'll fuck you up you see me motherfucker alright Kermit Jesus just calm down just calm down I'll skin your asshole bra bastard what he taught you skin my asshole you heard me bitch little sick little bitch it's been a completely normal story no supernatural no and then just Kermit the frog rotates around in his chair actually just actually just like to think it's Jim Henson and he's under the seat with his arm up puppeting it cut a hole in the chair so that he could pop it.

55:26Kermit. Yeah. A man from the back of the bus said into the silence. Perfect. Another woman said quietly, though we all heard it. Screckle turned around. Who said that? Who the fuck said that? Let it go, man. Almost to Chicago. Yeah, well, I ain't getting off in Chicago. Are you? How about that fine piece of woman you got there? Is she? Shut the fuck up, boy. Weary Traveler said, and Scraggle laughed. The PA suddenly boomed over us, waking the front of the bus to let us know we were in Chicago, and for those of us continuing on bus 950, the bus would re-board within the hour. Not much time. At this point, I needed a cigarette.

56:10Badly. I even thought of only one back off-runway, but I couldn't stop thinking about the dad in the car, this baby in the back. I could be strong. For Mel. As soon as I was off the bus, I was shoving a quarter into a payphone. Mel picking up on the second ring. Hey, baby. Hey. Where are you? Chicago. I know you just got to sleep a couple hours ago. There was silence. I'm sorry, I just needed to hear your voice. I needed to hear yours, too. I miss you. Hey, Mel, so I'm almost positive this isn't how your voice sounded in our first interaction at the beginning of the story. and I feel like there's some trickery afoot that has now reduced you to whatever this comical character is for a bit that some narrator's about to pull off a moment.

56:59I don't know how to feel about it. I'm pregnant. I'm going to hang up the phone now. Bye. I'm sleepy because the baby. Is that how it works? I need to hear yours too. I miss you. You want to hear mine too? What? Oh, now that, hey Mel, so now the guy narrating your voice is now trying to go back to the story and read the lines like this is normal. So I guess I have no recourse as the other narrator of this podcast, but who cares? I have to continue the narration like this. I miss you too. How are you feeling? Good. Tired and lonely. But I'm glad you went. We need to do this. I leaned against the payphone.

57:38I know, but I hate it. So do I. It's just a couple months. Weeks, baby. It's weeks. Please suppose it's 2560 to continue this call!

57:51it's all a gas I think it's just a guy screaming please the boss driver yeah it's like it's like a red solo cup with a string tied to it and there's another guy who has another string tied off underneath also the whole like him laying against the payphone like I miss you so much baby I can't he was abandoning her earlier that day I just want to say that it's also anytime I like I'm dreading the story now because every time we do these calls I have to fucking like we're talking to each other as if like I hate this interaction towards it I wasn't going to draw attention towards it 809 silly because at first it was like hearing you'd be like I know but I hate it I was like, Jesus.

58:46That first interaction at the bus stop where she stopped him. I know. I didn't want to say anything. It was rough. I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want to derail it. But me and you talking to each other and going like, oh, no, baby. I'll just. I did not like it. I did not like it. It was too much. It was too fucking much. All I'm saying is he better fucking stop calling her. There better be like he better get robbed or something so he can stop doing those goddamn conversations. I need Mel to be dead so that I don't have to keep like Mel was struck by a truck. What?

59:23Mel was struck by a giant cement truck. Oh my god! That's how it needs to end. That's what I need to happen now. I can't. I can only like give you bedroom eyes vocally for so long. That or during the conversation. we just hear the horn blasting and then you know what was that game guys would play it was like high school guys no not tummy sticks we're like you're both sitting down and it's like oh I I remember it okay they called it gay chicken you know I'm talking about now what is that it's so it's like it's something that guys would do okay there's no way I can describe this that it's not going to sound terrible Isaiah did you play gun chicken is that why everyone kept not gun chicken gay chicken gay chicken it would be like if there were a group of guys together and it was like one of you touches one of the other's knee and vice versa and then someone moves their hand up your leg or whatever and still someone's like, I can't, this is too much.

1:00:41I can't, I can't, I'm out, whatever. Yeah, when they played at your house, they always won, didn't they? Well, see, that's the problem. That's the problem with explaining this story because then people were like, well, what if no one backs out? Yeah, because that's exactly what happened. That's why they kept calling you Chicken Little all throughout high school, didn't they? You're like, uh-oh, I'm not going to. Yeah, this rooster's not crowing this morning. I say I don't want to play this anymore though the way I don't like don't phrase it that way with the yeah I was just like cut that last part that sounds awful my point is I got a like PTSD flashback to that doing those lines with you yeah I completely forgot about but the same feeling of like okay I'm tapping out I'm tapping out I'm tapping out I had this I it was mostly something where it's like I really am trying to act my best at the same time I'm like I don't want him getting any ideas that like I I don't know that these like getting it getting too involved was like Hunter you know you really were pretty pretty convincing Hunter as my friend I need you to know yeah Hunter as my friend I need you to know I don't like this I don't like doing this all I'm saying is I better not look back I better not look back at the footage and you're not on your tummy and you're like kicking your feet up in the air You're kicking your feet as if you're Finding this I've got like I've got the cord for the microphone like twirling it around my Yeah, I could never quit you yeah, exactly I Quickly dug in my pocket looking for another quarter Shit long distance on a payphone was quarter a minute damn Chris.

1:02:33Yeah, it's okay I'm gonna go back to sleep. Call me from Minnesota. I sighed. Of course she was tired. I couldn't keep her on the phone just to hear her voice. Yeah, baby. I'll call in a few hours. Okay. Love you, Chris. Love you too. Good night.

1:03:18I hate it so much. the ghost and the werewolves. I thought this was a story about vampires or something. Like, what's going on with all this? The true horror is just literally Isaiah confessing his insistent need to play the game gay chicken with his friends. This is the scariest story I've ever read because it's just me dirty talking to my friend for like an hour. This is the scariest story just because I have to be intimate. In fact, to be intimate in conversation with my friend Isaiah that makes this the most horrifying story of all well CK Walker also I'm so tired of hearing you say baby it's fucking driving me insane there's not a good way to say it dude there's not a good way to say it you've done it a couple different ways maybe like baby you said it like a couple different ways and each time I'm like yeah I feel like there's not a good way to be like oh babe You can't say, oh, baby, in a way that sounds like the character said it, but also isn't awful.

1:04:25It's just, it's a rough play. Oh, baby. That would make it worse. That would make it worse. Oh, baby. All right. Now you're getting a little too into it now. Fuck it. I'm going all in. Fuck it. I'm going 110%. I can't. I'm doing it. I hung up the headset and ran my hands through my hair. Shit. Walking over to the vending machine, I paid for a water and another pack of Pop-Tarts. If I had to eat nothing but Pop-Tarts all the way to Washington, I would. Nothing would stop me from calling Mel every day for as many minutes as she would talk to me. Passengers traveling on bus 950 to Minneapolis, please line up at Bay 16.

1:05:02I walked over to door 16 and was for once happy to see a weary traveler in line, but unfortunately, so was Runaway and Scraggle a few people behind her. Hey, Runaway, I called. She looked around for a minute until she found me. Why don't you come back here with me? Runaway saw where I was looking, and I'd scraggle as she passed him. He made a rude gesture with his tongue, and she looked away. That guy's disgusting. She said when she neared me. I know. I thought we'd let him pick his seat first. Runaway nodded, and then... Thank you. Stepped a little closer, but didn't touch her. You're welcome.

1:05:39I know he's saying he didn't touch her in the sense of, like, she needs space. She's obviously with two. It makes sense. but it's it's a little it just creeped me out okay okay okay i'm glad you felt the same because i was like what's the fuck i'm like i didn't never assumed you did i stood closer but i did not lay a finger on it not one hey buddy none of us were thinking that you were gonna do that thanks for clarifying i guess i like i go almost instinctively once like put my hands up like all right dude damn okay all right because it i and again i get it because it's like no yeah She's being touched by weird people.

1:06:15Has a history. So he's like, he's acknowledging your space. But the way it's worded is, I stepped a little closer. I didn't touch her. Didn't touch her. I said, you're welcome. Since we were at the back, there was only single seats left. Runaway, I was happy to see, sat next to Lanky. I ended up next to a woman who hadn't been on our bus before and looked like she'd been traveling for months. She gave me a weary nod and then looked out the window. Closed my eyes for the first time in hours. What is Lanky even drawing? He's drawing hills and like meadows. Mountains, right? Okay. Like landscapes, it sounds like.

1:06:49Yeah. All right. I didn't know if he was just drawing like mechs or something. He's like, I like Gundam. You like Gundam? That'd be awesome. This is a guy. Just got Kermit the Frog in one seat. And then the other guy over there is like, I love Evangelion. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Kermit's like, I really like Evangelion. He's like, shut the fuck up. The rebuilds are a total mess. You know it. Kermit is on this bus to me, by the way. Like when I think of an overview of it, he's like two rows back left side behind the driver. Which also to be fair, end of Evangelion is the official ending to me.

1:07:25So they just want to put that out there. So this is crazy, but I still have never watched Evangelion. I'm surprised because I feel like you'd be right up your alley. Shinji is literally you, by the way. I hate that. I hate that because I do that voice and you tell me that Shinji. Yeah, no, it's just like that. Okay. That's not a good thing to say about me. But I like Attack on Titan is like one of my favorite things ever. So. I never finished it. I never finished. I heard people really like it. I just remember hearing like. How far did you get? I can't remember. I couldn't tell you. All I know is the people kind of told me what happened towards the end.

1:08:03And I was like, this sounds kind of silly. It was a little silly. No, no, no, no, no. But I'm also a pessimistic man. So. I'll say it this way. Attack on Titan watching the full series is one of the best things I've ever seen. Wow. Like of a movie, of a TV show, of anything like that. I would easily put it in the top probably three shows I've ever seen. Were you happy when you found out like inside the castle walls, there's like the giant people? That's the end of season one, yeah. That's the end of season one. Okay. Yep, yep. There's four seasons, and then season four is the length of all three other seasons combined.

1:08:39and between season three and four, the show completely changes what it is so dramatically, but it had subtly set it up so well. It's one of the most impressive writing decisions I've ever seen done in a story. That the show was so much one thing and became something else in a way that was set up, but I never would have realized until I got to the end. And by the end, I was like, wow, that completely took me for a loop. If like, really, if you want to watch anything, I would recommend give an attack on Titan another shot. Okay. I'm watching Dr. Who right now, but I'll watch it here pretty soon.

1:09:15I watched, uh, I know we're just talking now and I've been reading the story, but I watched, uh, I was really into Dr. Who when I was younger and I watched all of nine, 10 and 11 and I quit a little bit into 12. I did. I'm not watching Dr. Who. It was a lie. Okay. All right. Well, so you got me with that one. I thought maybe it was for a video or something like that. So there's like a realm of, no no if i have to see that fucking clip of like the van go episode again i'm gonna actually put a gun in my mouth and pull the trigger oh where he goes to the artwork and there's the flowers that he painted for amy and he's like see people love your heart and he's like this is crazy he's like crying it's really i don't know i've seen that clip so many times now when people are like show name now and i'm like i feel like everyone should know this is just that doctor it doesn't matter we should just keep you on you want it you want to know maybe gosh i don't even know if i should share this online oh wow i'm gonna tell you this because it came up and this is funny careful but i need i need you hunter to not think less of me for this that's gonna be hard go ahead so when i was i want to say 11 maybe 12 uh no it was my freshman year of high school wasn't it dang that's right i had to be 13 Okay.

1:10:36I was so into Doctor Who. And that episode specifically, the Van Gogh one, I loved so much that I wrote a fan fiction

1:10:55about Vincent Van Gogh's suicide

1:11:02after with within the context of him meeting dr

1:11:13wow you know you you did a lot of interesting interesting things little boy are you saying this is a gay fan fiction about van gogh and dr who is all you're saying no no no no no no no no no there's no romance involved by fanfic i mean it was it was like it was it was a description of like van gogh's suicide but his inner monologue why did you do this i liked that episode so much so you wanted to write a fan fiction about a guy killing himself it was no because van gogh really did kill himself so it was like it was a historical suicide with the context of like him thinking about what the doctor showed him and all that it was it's it's insane it is absolutely horrific and i completely memory hold that until you brought that episode back up well that's uh i feel like there's other parts that still have not been revealed i still feel like there's some kind of some kind of uh there was no there was no romance or stuff like that.

1:12:20We cannot prove or deny that technically. So in the air, it's tentative is how I'm reading it. But you just, gosh, I needed to, that was, this was like a Catholic confession for me because I remember it all. It felt like I was in like the little prayer box or whatever the fuck that's called. The confession booth. In the confessional. I'm like on the other side of the screen just like looking at you. You're trying to make eye contact with me through the screen telling me about this and I'm like desperately side I'm just like trying not to make eye contact with you just side eyeing you

1:12:58so yeah that that's a thing that happened you've been revealing a lot about your childhood this is usually I'm the one who has to talk about my weird that's what I just said it's one of the worst things I've ever done it's one of the worst things it took a piece of my humanity that gives so many that just gives so much context to like so many underlying issues I had to have had and problems and being sheltered I just love the idea of you watching that episode of Doctor Who and like holding the TV remote turning off your TV and just being like wow that was incredible I know what I must do

1:13:47there's no I have nothing to say to make it better. That's just a thing that happened. You know what? I think it's a perfectly innocent thing you did. That's not bad. I think it's funny. As soon as we're done recording, I'm going to get a text from Hunter. It's like, I can't keep doing this show.

1:14:07All right. I have to, before this episode goes live, I have to try to track that down and make sure that's not posted anywhere. I wish you all the luck in the world. I hope not. Okay. Anyway, it was somewhere near Madison that the trouble started. Woke up to yelling and looked back to see Lanky taking a punch. Weary Traveler, trying to hold back Scraggle in the aisle, run away practically standing in her seat trying to get the bus driver's attention. Ready to trade the seats now, pussy? Scraggle punched Lanky in the stomach again. Weary Traveler, not able to do much to hold him back. Fuck off.

1:14:39Lanky hit back, but it didn't slow down Scraggle. Weary tried to wrestle him down in the aisle. Sit back in your goddamn seat. Scraggle knocked him off easily, then turned around and kicked Weary, a man clearly on the other side of 60. The entire bus erupted in outrage, but no one seemed to want to intervene. Lanky tried to push him away from Runaway again, but Scraggle took him down with one punch to the face. Yeah, anybody else want some? Scraggle sat down in Lanky's seat and stroked Runaway's leg as she tried to kick him off. Come on, baby, you can sit right in my lap. I was over my seat and down the aisle before he could yank her down on him.

1:15:15I grabbed Scraggle by his shirt and hauled him up Weary was old Lanky wasn't accustomed to taking a punch But I did manual labor for a living And got into a lot of bar fights Even high as a kite And freakishly strong Scraggle had nothing on me I dragged him down to the aisle as he yipped and cursed A few passengers got in a kick or two As he was pulled between them Where the fuck are you taking me? You're getting off the bus The fuck I am, they attacked me first I was just trying to talk friendly to that girl Yeah, looked real friendly. Sandra, who must have caught some of the commotion, was already pulling the bus over.

1:15:51Get off me! Ma 'am! Ma 'am! This man is assaulting me and I would like the police called! Scraggled choked as I dragged him down the stairs of the bus. Sandra scoffed. Look more like you were harassing that poor girl and kicking an old man. I don't tolerate that sort of behavior on my bus. You're getting off here. She opened the doors and I pushed him out. Landed on his feet and spun around quickly. You can't fucking do this! I'm paid! I'm calling corporate! Bus 950! And you can't just leave me here! You have my bag! Backpack came flying out the door behind me and landed in a dirty puddle further down the embankment.

1:16:24There's your fucking bag! Runaway said, then turned and walked back to her seat. Safe travels! I smiled at him as the bus driver pulled the doors closed in front of me. I watched Scraggle try to chase the bus and we pulled away. Other passengers flipped him off or insulted him out the window. Some gave me high fives or nodded approvingly at me. I will say That moment felt a little too Everyone stood up and clapped, you know It's a little Marvel-esque, but I'm here for the ride Yeah, yeah Runaway was helping Weary back to his seat And Lanky was already next to him I pulled out some Kleenex that Mal had put in my backpack ages ago So I offered it to them Hey, you got you good, Lanky Lanky laughed My name's Dylan Dylan, I'm Chris Mac.

1:17:15Weary interjected from next to Lanky. I'm Mac. Nice to meet you, Chris. Thanks for stepping in. Yeah, I was getting my ass beat. Dylan laughed. No, you were not. The dude was just super methed out. Runaway chimed in. And thank you, all of you. I'm Gracie. Well, that was eventful. Hopefully some of you were getting off in many for good. Nope. I'm going through to Idaho. Weary, now Mac, said. Gaspel, Wyoming. Dylan. Crazy hesitated. Billings, Montana. I don't know anybody there, but I don't know. I heard it's a nice place. I nodded. Smoke ain't for me. Looks like we're all in for the long call. Here, sit.

1:17:59Mac nodded at me. Why? You need to clean that. Clean what? He bit you in the arm. I looked down at my arm. Damn, he had. Broke skin, too. I made my head back and closed my eyes. Shit. Don't worry about it. I'm sure you're fine. Yeah. He looked real clean. Dylan laughed and then poured hydrogen peroxide on my arm that he'd gotten from God knows where. I must have fallen asleep again because the next thing I knew, Mac was gently nudging me. Hey, you want some jerky? I blinked and sat up. What? Jerky. You look like you haven't eaten in days. He hasn't. I heard Gracie from across the aisle I sat up and rubbed my eyes and took the strip of dried meat from Mac where are we?

1:18:48the border which border? we're almost in North Dakota I shot up what happened to Minneapolis? you slept through it soundly said you were going through to Washington didn't seem any reason to wake you no reason? I was supposed to call my girl well you can call her from whitefall that's a terminal a lot of people are changing buses there mac and me are well how far is whitefall i asked exasperated dylan's arm came over the back of my seat and hugged the headrest a couple hours but you really didn't miss anything pay for bake was crazy in manapolis i supposed to call my girl sarah that wasn't time call him whitefall god I knocked my head back against the seat rest.

1:19:37Damn it. I didn't know what time Elle worked today. I was supposed to call her from Minnesota. What if she was worried about me? Couldn't get to White Falls soon enough. Max shared his entire bag of jerky with me, silently, and I was grateful. Maybe it wasn't so bad after all. Just had some place to be. Some place important, I guess. The snow started just after we hit the border. First gentle flakes, then a flurry, finally a full-on whiteout. I had no idea how the driver could even see through it. And even though Whitefall was only supposed to be about two hours or so from the border, it felt more like five.

1:20:14It even seemed like the sun was setting by the time the PA came on. It wasn't until then I realized we had switched bus drivers in many. Folks, this is Richard, your driver. We're pulling into Whitefall Station now. Looks like we've got a few other buses parked, which is great for you folks making transfers. Everything should move on schedule provided the weather cooperates, which, as you can see, is pretty nasty out there. This is going to be a 20-minute stop. Ordinarily, I'd give mention to some of the fast food restaurants in town if you want something hot to eat, but I don't recommend leaving the bus station in Whitefall.

1:20:46It's a real blizzard out there. He was right. It was hard to see anything at all, in fact. Slowly, the clean walls of the red brick bus station materialized out of the building white. It was a sizable terminal, though not quite as big as Indianapolis. The bus pulled to a stop and the doors opened. Please take everything with you off the bus. Everyone must get off even if you are continuing on with us to Rapid City. We are going to re-board at 540. The current time is 520. 520. This was supposed to be an unhurried three-hour stop for me, but it seems I would only have ten minutes to find and board bus 414.

1:21:22Was the weather that bad? Had we been going that slow? I stood up quickly, hoping to be the first people off. Nice meeting you all. Good luck. Mac, we only got ten minutes before our bus leaves. I saw. The bus station was madness. There had to be 70 people inside, including us, and it wasn't as big on the inside as it had looked from the outside. Everyone was shouting. People were snapping at each other. Baby screamed bloody murder on the other side of the room. It was absolute chaos. What the hell? Heard Mac beside me. Whatever, let's just figure out what door we need to be at. The ticket window was empty of a station employee, so I went to the board near the front of the room.

1:22:01I found bus 414, but across from it, where the door number should be, there was nothing. It was blank. In fact, they were all blank. What the hell is going on? The guy who answered my question was standing underneath the board, leaning up against the wall. He had on a Chief's t-shirt and looked like he just pulled up his daddy's Lexus. Buses are canceled, all of them. The board has been like this since the first one rolled up this morning from Kansas City. Fuck that, I have a connection to make. I gotta make it to Post Falls. Mac was red-faced and heaving. He was pissed. The stranger laughed, but there was no humor in it.

1:22:39Start walking then. You little shit. Mac yelled and tried to take a step toward the other guy. Put an arm across his chest. Relax, Mac. He's just some guy having a bad day, like the rest of us. Yeah, we've all got places to be, Mac, so play nice. The douchebag taunted. We walked away and Mac shook my arm off Play nice Fuck that guy Are all the buses really cancelled? I gotta get on the 414 to Post Falls Someone's meeting me at 9pm I told her 9pm I can't be late I promised Gracie appeared 312 to Billings is cancelled too Also just want to say Mac Like I said there's a correlation between him needing to get there Now we're finding out that it's also Like a woman that he's meeting so there's just that connection is kind of interesting but there's more information coming out yeah yeah back of the board inside doesn't look like any of us are going anywhere should we find someone to talk to crazy snorted I tried there's not a station employer driver to be found I even tried knocking on the employees only door and no one answered shit Dylan had suddenly appeared behind us as well I gotta call Sarah yeah I gotta use the phone too Mac No, no, I don't I don't have her phone number just an address and a letter won't make it in time shit Yeah Had a Mac on the shoulder to follow Dylan to the payphones There were two and only one was free you go ahead.

1:24:09Thanks, man phone rings so long I didn't think Mel was going to answer she did the connection was pretty bad damn it I could hear it. God damn it, bitch. Let that shit go to voicemail. Holy shit, please. Don't make us do this. Don't send us back. Well, he said the connection is bad, so they'll probably just be like, oh, you're breaking up or something, right? It's better. I could hear about 70 % of everything she said, but that was it. I apologize for Minneapolis, and she understood. I told her it looked like there'd be a delay getting to Spokane, and then I was stuck in a blizzard in North Dakota.

1:24:46That sounds terrible. How bad is it? Remember New York four years ago? Oh my god. But worse. I said something that I didn't catch. I asked her to repeat it. Doctor, an appointment maybe Monday? You have an appointment on Monday? Chris? Mel? Phone disconnected. I stared at it a few seconds before pulling another quarter out of my pocket. Don't bother. Look at the same shitty connection. Worn to tall, blonde woman next to me. Kept digging. Oh, I at least want to try. Save your money, son. An older man said from beside her. She's right. The storm is interfering. Might as well wait until it calms down some.

1:25:32Took a look outside, but all I could see was white. You think it'll calm down? It better. I have to get to Chicago. Right. Just came from there. Man next to her nodded. Minneapolis bus that's how you come in I stuck out his hand name's John Pollock this is my daughter Emily I shook it Chris Stikes held my hand out to Emily and she took it as well on a pretty crushing grip better settle in for the night Stikes nobody's getting out here until morning yeah who said that come over to the PA while you're on the phone I exchanged a look with Dylan not good especially not good for Mac nice meeting you I said currently before Dylan and I headed towards the last place we'd seen the weary old traveler.

1:26:17Found him sitting down in a chair near the door when he had come in from. Gracie was next to him, smoking a cigarette. God, I could use one of those right now. How you doing, Mac? You talked to your girl? Bad connection. Looked over at Dylan. And you? You get a hold of your girl? Dylan shook his head. Didn't seem much of a point. Mac nodded. So we're all fucked. I sat down across from him, noticing for the first time most of the people on our bus were seated in this area too. What do we do now? Just wait. Gracie nodded. Yep. We're stuck here until morning. Anybody want anything from the fast food place?

1:26:58Yes, thank you. Excellent. Perfect. A man I recognize from our bus asked. I'm going to chance the storm. See if I can find a McDonald's nearby or something. Awesome. This is perfect. Dude, I'll tell you what. You're a trooper right now. There's like nine characters. I keep fucking up the voices. I've tried so hard. Bro, this is rough. I'm glad I took the protagonist because of, oh my gosh. Man, I do not envy you right now. A few people raised their hands and handed them money. God knew it was tempting, but I needed to save as much as possible for the payphones. opted for a Snickers bar from the vending machine instead.

1:27:39I watched him walk to the front door. Flapping his arms. Ah! Runs outside. Kermit, like, there's puppet strings above him. He's swinging his legs back and forward. Jim Henson on a rolly chair. He's like, like, uh... He's like on one of those mechanic chairs in a, uh, like a garage. Yeah, uh, uh, floor dolly. Yeah.

1:28:06I watched him walk to the front door of the station. He struggled with the wind. Okay, I got a lot again. He struggled with the wind and the door, and in the end, all he left behind was a dusting of snow that escaped into the building when he left. I never knew his name. We never saw him again. Whoa. I wonder if this is becoming... I wonder if this is becoming... Almost seems like a purgatory kind of story or something. You know? everyone's got somewhere to be yeah yeah but then now they've gotten there now there's no connection it's like there's no basically you can't even make it to the real world or i don't know it just seems kind of odd very like ghostly almost you know that too i almost get missed vibes too of like oh yeah we're all stuck inside of the structure can't go out past the veil you know yeah we all did our best to get comfortable in our chairs the baby wherever it was stopped screaming around 9.

1:29:01Gracie, who was stretched out on the floor, dropped off first, settled between me and a chair on a ride and Dylan and Mac in chairs on her other side. The station quieted down and by 1am there were only whispers and wind to keep me company. I tried calling Mel again around 1.30 and I think I got Mandy but the distortion was so bad it was impossible to tell. I finally fell asleep around 3am and didn't wake again until 8. People were up and moving around by then. The sun might have been out, but there was no way to tell. An impossible amount of snow seemed to have fallen overnight, and the windows were almost completely covered by the drifts.

1:29:35There had to be seven feet of it out there. It was ludicrous. Hey, you. I rubbed my eyes and then looked over at a vaguely familiar man. Me? Yeah, you. What's your name? Dykes. Okay, Dykes. Well, that guy took my money last night for a burger and he never came back. Okay. Probably took all our cash and got a hotel for the night. Okay. Well, what are you going to do about it? What do you mean? I didn't give him any money. Yeah, but you're the guy who sorts problems. Like the meth head on the bus. I got a problem, so help me sort it. Look, man, I don't know where you got that idea, but I can't do anything about your money.

1:30:18If he went to a hotel, he'll be back this morning to board his bus, take it up with him then. I left the guy and headed to the bathroom. The line for the women's wrapped around the wall, and that morning I couldn't have been happier to be a dude. The bathroom was blessedly silent, and I reveled in that too. I could feel an undercurrent of anxiety and distress everywhere. I washed the terminal from wall to wall. Here, I was happy to be removed from it, and alone. Good morning, folks. Cracked the PA above me. This is the station master speaking on behalf of your drivers and the Grey Lure Company.

1:30:51I'm sure you're all very eager to board your buses and get on the road to your destinations. We sympathize wholeheartedly with our passengers, so we are disappointed to have to inform you that the storm is not predicted to let up until this evening. I could hear groans and curses and even yelling from the other side of the door. Our vending machines are fully stocked with food and drinks, so we ask that you do not attempt to step outside as winds are in 65 mile an hour range and visibility is zero. For your safety, please do not attempt to leave the station. Fuck you! I heard someone yell through the door.

1:31:24This was bad. Real bad. There were a couple of vending machines on each wall, but hardly enough to feed 70 people for an entire extra day. The one I had used last night was already almost empty. I tried my hands and walked out the door, heading back to our group section. As soon as I sat down, Gracie offered me a cigarette. I know you're stressed. I am. Are you sure you don't want one? I eyed the pack hungrily. Then I thought of the man in the car. Well, I'll have one. Matt grumbled. The rest of the day passed slowly. Talked about TV, movies, video games, places we visited, but nothing personal.

1:31:58I had Pop-Tarts and Goldfish from the vending machine. Tried to call Mel again and exchanged maybe eight words I could understand with her. By nightfall, things were dire. We had been waiting all day to hear about the storm in our buses, but no one showed up at the ticket windows and no one addressed us over the loudspeaker. Around six, I watched the stranger in the chief's t-shirt bang on the employee door with a couple other guys. They tried pounding on it. They tried shouting. Hell, they even tried kicking the door in. But nothing broke. It had now been over 24 hours that we had all been stranded here.

1:32:29The baby screamed from somewhere. The man fought with another over the last moon pie in the vending machine. Frustrated people tried the phones. What do you think, Grizz? Dylan fell down into a chair next to me. I think this place is a breaking point and we're going to hit it tomorrow night. You're getting that long? We don't hear something over the PA before then? Yeah. What do you think they're doing back there? I shrugged, drinking coffee, sleeping on the couches, laughing at us. Mac looked out the window. The storm doesn't look that bad. I had to disagree. Sleep came easier that night due to my sheer exhaustion.

1:33:03I slept from 10 at night to 8 in the morning and was only woken by shouting. A man was trying to leave the station and two people I recognized, a father and daughter I'd met two days before, were trying to stop him. I have to get out of here. I have money. I'll find the cops or the Red Cross or something. I'll send help. Andy, no. Emily Pollock yelled. You'll die out there. I can't stay in here anymore. I can't. Andy, stop. Emily yanked back on his arm as he tried for the door again. We need you. More importantly, son, it's not safe out there. Father chimed in. Let him go. Stranger with the chief's t-shirt laughed.

1:33:44He's an adult. He can decide what he wants. Stay out of this. This has nothing to do with your people. My people? We've been on a bus with him since Arizona. We're concerned for him. Focus on your Kansas City people. I've been on a bus with all these people. Cheese t-shirt gestured a large group in the corner. But if any of them wanted to leave of their own free will, I would let them. Emily Polak laughed. That's because you don't fucking care. Now piss off, you pretty mama's boy. My name is Acker, but thanks for the compliment, bitch.

1:34:17Hey, there's no need for that. Well, it looks like you're a daddy girl too, you stupid bitch. I do like to think that the Kansas City Chiefs guy is just like a super sassy gay man. I really love that. Yeah. Dude, if you close your eyes right now, it sounds like you're having a mental breakdown. I know. I feel kind of schizophrenic. Just yelling at me. Well, it looks lovely. Hey, there's no need for that. Well, it looks like your little daddy's girl, too. Go deal with your own group, Acker. She snapped the man she'd been holding hostage, took them over to jerk away from her, throw open the door and bolt through it.

1:34:58It was on my feet in seconds. What the hell? How did he get through the drifts? Dylan was behind me as we ran over there. It was impossible. The snow was higher than the windows. It should have ran into a wall of snow. I threw the door open and found myself looking at a long, narrow hallway of snow. so high on both sides i could hardly see the top the passage went on so long i thought i'd lost until i spotted the dark figure of a man hurrying away what don't like that huh like a maze like a giant like shoot like a giant hedge maze thing but yeah but made of snow yeah it's very weird very surreal sight.

1:35:41Whoa, what the heck? Okay. I was pulled back and the door slammed in my face. Emily Pollack was there glaring at me. You fucking idiot. It's bad enough he went out there. Who carved that path? Who cares? It goes nowhere. We sent a girl out last night to see if she could find help but she never came back. You sent someone out there? I asked horrified. I addressed this question more to John as he seemed the more rational of the two. I did not agree to that but the girl and my daughter did. She went out on her own volition. That's insane! You sent some poor girl out there? I collared from my left.

1:36:14She won't make it a hundred yards in this. She knew the risks. Edgar Pollack snapped. But it went nowhere. And now we've lost someone we actually needed. What do you mean needed? Himalaya clinched her jaw and stared at me. Father just shook his head. Neither volunteered an answer. He was a nurse. She needed him. Edgar shrugged from the periphery of the argument. Needed him for what? Someone sick? Emily laughed. Everyone is sick, or will be soon. This is our third day here without no contact with the outside world. The vending machines are practically empty. The women's bathroom is overflowed. People who are supposed to get us out of here refuse to open the door, or even speak to us.

1:36:56They don't care what happens out here. People haven't slept. The phones aren't working. And if we don't find a way to leave or get help, we'll all starve. I looked around the station. My bus had come in late evening, two days before. As I studied the room, I noticed that people seemed to have huddled into four groups, one of them being ours, the passengers from the Minneapolis bus. There has to be another nurse or doctor here. Yeah, well, why don't you ask around the Minneapolis group? Because we had no medical professionals on the Kansas City side. So if you have one, send them over. I'll ask around.

1:37:31You do that. Acker smiled and I had a feeling I was missing something Mac pulled me back to our row of seats and sat me down You ever read Lord of the Fly, son?

1:37:47No What's going on? Gracie asked, flinging some book she was reading onto the seat next to her Look around Do you see how the station is divided? Yeah Yeah, by random groups. Not random, by both. Mack nodded and seemed relieved, as if the burden of knowledge was off of him. Over there, the guy with the Chief's t-shirt. That group was on the bus that came from Kansas City. And over there, that dad and daughter we met the first night, that whole group is from Denver. And what about that group? Gracie asked, pointing to the largest group, all of whom sat against a wall far side of the terminal. It's all like city.

1:38:29I was talking to a woman from the group earlier. Went over to ask if anybody had a stamp. She was polite, but basically told me to fuck off. Right. Why does any of this matter? Max lit his eyes to me. It means that the situation is developing into every man for himself. More accurately, every camp for themselves. I think we can assume the loudest ones are the self-appointed leaders. Dylan rolled his eyes. Right. The guy in the chief's shirt, Acker, seems to speak for the Kansas City group. The loud woman and her dad seem to run Denver. I'm going to guess the woman who stood up when I approached the wall is speaking for Salt Lake City.

1:39:06That leaves us. Right. And that's obviously Chris. Me? Why? Dylan shrugged. After the meth heads incident, it just seems natural. Max seemed to agree and simply nodded to me. Great. Okay, that's the end of another little section. so I like that I love the just random mage showing up outside right yeah I can't tell if the story is going like surrealist prison like weird mist vibe or if it's like there's a white out blizzard and this is just going to go into straight Lord of the Flies like basically like absolute chaos which is still kind of like the mist too to be fair yeah but I don't I'm afraid it will do a Baraska where it's like they all kill each other and then at the end it's like this was an experiment conducted by you know the government to blah blah blah something like that right but I think it's way cooler if there's a supernatural storm they find themselves in not monsters or anything but it's just like there's this kind of weird liminal almost maze that develops outside they have to choose to try to transverse or not like a time gap, but I really don't like the segment where it's like, have you ever read Lord of the Flies?

1:40:24Well, we've elected, you know, we've democratically appointed leaders of our camps. It's like, what are, what? It's quick. Like if that happens naturally, that's one thing. But to explain it as, have you ever read Lord of the Flies is so, I don't like that. It's on the nose for sure. Yeah. It's similar to me as the whole like, hey buddy, back off from the bus with the scraggly guy. there's a little bit of you know campy is probably the wrong word but I mean it definitely has a few of those moments but I'm remaining optimistic I'm having a good time it's millennial millennial he says it's millennial are you Gen Z?

1:41:06What are you? I'm Gen Z Gen Z I'm 99 so it's like on the line later that night I woke several people up cursing at the phone I still called Mel or Mandy still answered, but I could never make out a word they said. But I still called. Because she had to know I was always here. And I was trying. I slammed the phone back onto the cradle after it disconnected for the third time and reached into my pocket for more quarters. Since all I had left were bills, I decided to break one in a vending machine. I should probably eat anyway. I'd been an entire day since I'd had anything. And one of my favorite.

1:41:43The ones with the strawberry Pop-Tarts. The vending machine was against Salt Lake City's wall. A woman sitting on the floor next to the machine narrowed her eyes at me as I approached. What? What are you getting? Pop-tarts? How many? Just a package. Why? The tone of my voice was no longer pleasant. Because I need to know. Lady, I'll be damned if I'm going to explain why I'm buying a Pop-Tart. She laughed then. It seemed to surprise her as well, and it was a pleasant sound. She stood up and stuck out her hand. I'm Amanda Heughan. You're Minneapolis, right? Chris Stikes, said warily. All right, Stikes.

1:42:26You in charge over there? No one's in charge. I'll just wait for our buses. She didn't say anything for a moment. She stied me instead. Let me give you a word of advice. No one here is your friend. What? I know. Did you stumble? What do you mean? I mean, okay. This kind of thing happens in airports. You know, it's, I don't know about bus stops. If we're already in tribe mentality like this, I just want to say it has happened so fast. So, so fast. If we're going, if we're, if I'm down to go the Lord of the flies route, but I will say that it's, it's obnoxiously fast to the point where someone's like, I need to know for resource.

1:43:13We're gathering resources and then just being like no one hears your friend especially not you During COVID weren't people like stuck in airports for like weeks that I mean I guess they had food brought to him But what what what do you mean? No one here? Okay. I got that Not even me No shit. I just met you She stared at me for a moment longer than shrugged and sat back down Enjoy your Pop-Tart, Stikes. All right, Ewan. I had my Pop-Tart in silence and watched the room settle down for the night. People were more restless. Baby cried louder for longer. I could hear crying. The whole situation was disintegrating.

1:43:57Maybe that's what Mac and Amanda, Ewan, and even Emily had all been trying to tell me. Things were dire. Circle your wagons. Uh, real quick. Seemed like an over... What? um is there just any obnoxious amount of like fucks in this story yes okay but it didn't have that boraska did it really um i feel like part five did yeah yeah well yeah oh oh gosh yes it did remember remember me we also called that out in part five in part five yeah but i guess i can't i i guess when i referred to a boraska i was just thinking like one through four the original yeah In part five, it happened so often that I started to say, like, make fun of it and jokes and stuff like that.

1:44:37Yeah, yeah, yeah. It seemed like an overreaction, and I went to sleep thinking so, until I was woken at four in the morning by glass breaking. I was out of my seat instantly. Mac 2. Some guy had just been bashed into a long glass shadow box on the wall, and Acker and some other dude were screaming at him. Did you think we wouldn't see you? That we wouldn't have someone awake? The other guy yelled in the dude's face. You're trying to steal from us? No, man, it's just a vending machine. The now-blooded guy stuttered as Acker held him in a chokehold. It's our vending machine. Use the one in your area.

1:45:12Ours only has soda in it. So drink a fucking soda.

1:45:23Acker laughed and punched the guy in the face again right before I got there. I yanked Acker back and the guy dropped to the floor All of Acker's group were suddenly Out of their seats and surrounding us The situation was getting out of hand I felt Mac behind me and then Gracie and Dylan Broke through the herd on my left I flung Acker against the wall What the hell's wrong with you? That guy was just trying to eat Yeah Acker straightened and pulled his cuffs down Like nothing at all had just occurred He can get food from Denver's area You heard him, there's no food there it's just a vending machine man really well then let him get food out of one one by your group he can no one would stop him what about two days from now or three or a week what about when there's a barely any food left then would you let him of course your group is totally fucked.

1:46:17Might as well let that five-year-old lead it. He laughed and pointed at a kid and his mom who'd gone on with us in Columbus.

1:46:28You're insane. It won't come to three days or a week. They can't leave us here that long. It's been four fucking days, Stikes. No one has come. No one over the PA. Take a look outside. The buses are gone. We're alone. we've been abandoned get that through your fucking head or don't hell makes things easier for Kansas City you hear that everyone when you're hungry make sure you go to Minneapolis's vending machine it's a free for all over there his group laughed and then seemed to melt back into their territory Matt grabbed my arm and led me away again I could hear Emily screaming at the bloody guy in the hallway she seemed pissed he'd gotten into it with Kansas City I also caught Amanda's eye walking back to a ward area.

1:47:17I could read what she was telling me in her eyes. Now you know the way things are. Be smart. Three days. They're like beating each other to death. Tribe mentality has happened after 72 hours. It's crazy. You see that? The buffets are gone.

1:47:47no what the heck is going on pop tarts are gone man I'll be outside yeah when the pop tarts and Doritos Cool Ranch flavor is gone it's going to be a fucking bloodbath in here and Kansas City is not going to be friends with anybody you hear me the next day seemed different my eyes were open to the actual dynamics of the situation all the things that had been going on in the background while i ate my pop tarts and pined away from melody again there's no pa announcement that day and again people try to break down or disassemble the employees only door the employees area we could get to had already been raided there was nothing useful that morning i asked dylan to take everything out of our vending machines and stockpile it in the corner when he said he didn't have enough money i told him to break the class which he did within an hour the other groups followed suit breaking into their vending machines as well so hold on hold on hold on they're gonna start beating each other to like unconsciousness but they didn't break the they were still paying with quarters yeah they were all they had the uh they had the right mind to at least still pay with the quarters yeah there's like a shaman at the front like sitting in front of where the PA desk is with like a book he wrote and he was like, the great text says we must abide by the rule of the quarter.

1:49:13I tried like hell to get to the quarters, but they were in a locked metal box. I just wanted them for the payphones, to hear the line connect, to listen to the static, tell Mel I was always right here. I couldn't get to them. We didn't have a doctor or nurse in our group, but we did have a nursing student named Miles. is able to calculate body weights and with max help rationed all our food individually and we could last 18 days at minimum levels for survival hope to god we didn't need that that's also not if you have water you can go way more than 18 days if you already have food but whatever whatever survivor man we what i said whatever survivor man i mean you'd be miserable but if you are eating food and ratcheting it you're going to live a lot longer than that i can only have one if you're just sitting there i can only have one ding dong and one mamba a day yes that's all you get i'd actually i'd live off that mambas and ding dongs are you kidding me that sounds like heaven honestly that sounds great i feel like if you're in this situation you just be like why are you all so weird why is everyone being so weird right now yeah uh i mean don't be wrong it would be uncomfortable but at the same time i'd be like why are we all acting like tribes can we it's like is are you role playing what is happening yeah wonder how long it takes till they kill somebody and they cook and they cook like a body or something like that it's gonna lead four days four days

1:50:47they're gonna cannibalize someone in the united states just in the middle of a blizzard I hope to God we didn't need that long I can only hope the other groups rationing their food as well And if not, we had a schedule of centuries Okay, alright They got centuries, Hunter What the fuck are centuries? We had a schedule of centuries? Yeah, centuries, yeah Centuries are guards Okay Oh, I see, okay, yeah That's why I was laughing, yeah It's not, didn't even say we had a schedule of guards Sentry is an old Roman word for guard. I was going to say, it lost me. Yeah, there's just like Spartan warriors standing there.

1:51:33Yeah, they have bronze shields and spears. Yeah. While everyone eats their eminence. They have the giant red brush helmets. So that two people from our group were always awake and watching for trouble. We melted snow for water, tried to wash clothes. everyone stunk whole station by the fifth day the situation was critical people cried all the time arguments fistfights yelling i watched a woman from different i watched a woman from denver shove a woman from kansas city into the wall it erupted into chaos on both sides kansas city came after denver and soon dozens of people on both groups were fighting kansas city having the clear advantage i was halfway across the room when acker finally intervened calling his group back with a laugh and telling them to play nice

1:52:29on the sixth day we finally got news crackle of the PA after so long probably scared everyone in the building but we hung on every word that came after good afternoon folks station master here just wanted to give you a quick update we still have quite a blizzard outside so we are not able to depart any buses at this time however we are hoping the weather will clear up in the next couple days so sit back grab a cup of coffee or tea if that's your thing and settle it please also remember that this is very important you do not leave the station for your own safety thanks folks will you know when we have something more the room which had been quietly gasping and cursing during the announcement became loud and chaotic when it ended i felt the same a few more days days delicate ecosystem of human suffering would not support days more of this damn it damn is right as all max said and then sat down to work on a document he had been writing for the last few days he was often writing or erasing and rewriting i knew better than to ask him about it but gracie seemed to think he needed to do it dude the thing i said about like writing a book like a religious text yeah it's becoming reality now it's becoming reality um also it's funny to imagine that before a group of guys are like even hey i'm gonna tie a rope to the door and try to look around the side of the building where like the back entrance is and stuff before they try any of that they're like we're gonna start bashing people you know it's i'm curious to see when it starts like when we start figuring out what exactly is outside also too i'm surprised that like also there hasn't been more of an attempt to break down the door to where the people are sitting at the station master you know actually i just i just had a thought when i was talking about like people trying to figure it out you know what kind of story this reminds me of what this reminds me of an m night shamalan story i can see that like a little twisty kind of thing yeah i could see that yeah like there's a twist at the end and people are like turning on each other and there's a group we got there's like a cast of characters who each have like a quirk about them or something like that and i'll try to figure it out you know yeah i don't suppose you got any more of those m &ms gracie i asked one day when i caught her counting out individual nuts for the rations.

1:54:38Fuck, I wish. Most of the last couple days for me had been getting to know the other people in the Minneapolis group and playing cards. Gracie was the best at poker and often ended up with all the peanut shells, which we'd been using as chips. Mac played too, but seemed less and less his usual jovial self as the days passed. Dylan drew a lot and talked about Sarah, how he met her, work why they'd broken up his fear of commitment when he realized he loved her ran into her years later at a new year's eve party and how it was going to be different this time which he didn't have all worked out but he had faith it almost seems like all of it's like it's it's it's it's almost like a lovesick tour bus you have mac who like who got broken up and he doesn't have the girl's number he's just meeting her there you have uh gracie with her like methed out boyfriend who's like obviously abusive and assaulting her.

1:55:30Dylan broke up with his girl, and now he's like trying to win her back. And then now even Stikes is like, he is desperately trying to be with her, but it's almost like the universe is splitting them apart. But he initially was going on the bus to flee her. I'm almost literally wondering if his love for Mel is what's causing the storm or something. I think that would be an interesting idea if there's some connection between the love stuff and the storm, you know. Maybe. I don't know. I hope it doesn't go nowhere. That'd be sad. The following day was the seventh day, a milestone, an entire week.

1:56:14We all had horrible headaches from the ever-alight bright fluorescent lights. We weren't eating as much as we should, and we were all bored to tears. This was the mood when Amanda and John Pollock approached us with two other Denverans in tow. The group had all kept strictly to themselves since the night of the fight between Denver and Kansas City, so I was immediately wary. I met them at the top of the aisle, with Mac and Dylan at my sides. Bollocks! What can we do for you? John cleared his throat. We're actually just taking stock of food. Our area had a cigarette machine and a soda machine, so we've run out of actual food fairly quickly.

1:56:51We're hoping... We need all the groups to donate food to Denver. Amanda interrupted. We're dying. You're dying? Yes! Or we will if we don't get any food. What do you have to trade? Are you kidding? This is a matter of life and death, you heartless fuck. Exactly. So what do you have to trade? We're not trading anything. Pity. Gracie said, standing up on her chair next to us. You can't get something for nothing, you know. Cigarettes! We can trade you cigarettes and soda. Dad, no, they don't need any of that. We'll take it. keeping up morale is important too cigarettes and soda will help you got any weed?

1:57:29Gracie asked as she leered over the exchange why don't you just give us some food and when you want cigarettes no we have 12 people to feed including a kid you have 15 you want food you trade I'm guessing you really want food fine we will make a trade one moment I walked back into the Minneapolis group and let them know what was happening most people were okay with the trade as long as we got enough back and as long as there is enough for us to survive for another week. The mother and her son were less enthusiastic about it, but as a parent, I wouldn't trade food my child could eat for soda and cigarettes either.

1:58:03But there were other people in the station who could starve if we didn't. I returned to the Polacks with my offer. We want 20 sodas, 20 pack of cigarettes. We'll give you 15 packs of nuts, 5 packs of trail mix, and 10 assorted candy bars in trade. That is a horrible trade. That's absurd! We need more. We have 15 people. Then I suggest you ration it. Emily sneered and stepped up in Mac's face. I tensed. Sure, she was going to try something, but all she did was stare and then tell him, You stink. To which Mac laughed. All we've been able to have were makeshift showers and the bathroom sinks. Everyone stunk.

1:58:43We exchanged what was promised, and then I watched as the Polacks made a similar deal with Salt Lake. They had more people, so offered less, but Emily kept her temper in check this time. Finally, I saw them make their way over to Kansas City. Where I could even wonder how'd that go? Acker's voice carried across the entire building. Keep walking, honey. You don't have anything we want. She said something back to him and Acker laughed. Hopefully, whatever she got from us in Salt Lake would be enough to get by for a couple more days. By the 10th day at Whitefall... 10 days? By the 10th day at Whitefall, no one was crying or screaming or fighting anymore.

1:59:18Most people slept a lot. conversations were quietly spoken I occasionally saw people quietly leave out of the station when it was my turn for watch it looked like they've had enough never came back I just want to say too after 10 days this is when I would believe that people are starting to get tribal and shit like very very guarded with the resources I think around 10 days if you combine the beginning of the tribal stuff with they keep sending more people to look who aren't coming back then I think the tribal thing begins. Like if you have someone who's like, I'm just going to hug the wall and look over this back wall.

1:59:53That guy doesn't come back. Someone's like, here, I'm just going to hold a few belts together. It'll be like five feet out. Never comes back. Combine that with 10 days and then I think the tribal stuff starts. You know? Yeah. Because that's when people get like hungry. You know? Salt Lake was the first to really struggle. They had the biggest group, but still had tried to share with Denver. They were down to half rations before any of the other groups. We offered them what we could spare. Still, 16th day, a rumor spread that someone had died. Watched them haul the girl out into the snow. She was very slight to begin with, not an ounce of fat on her.

2:00:30Her skin looked gray. Made her look shell-shocked. I knew she felt responsible. The girl was hers from Salt Lake City Group. I remember that look for the rest of my life. By the 18th day, 18th, just casually on. Just another fucking week passes, good Lord. almost reminds me the flow of this almost reminds me of like infinite ikea or something oh yeah it does it does kind of feel like that a bit doesn't it yeah you're right by the 18th day i realized the baby wasn't crying anymore oh that's a great oh that was a good like point of dread right there just that because it doesn't elaborate further that's all it says i forgot about the baby but That's menacing.

2:01:16I like that part. I mean, obviously not the dead baby, but you get what I mean. I like the dead baby. Horror podcast. We were dangerously low on food. Miles had dropped us to half rations. Still called Mel just to hear the static, but I talked to her all the same. Told her how much I loved her and our growing baby. Told her I was always right here. The boredom had really gotten to people. They laid around staring at walls, half catatonic. They begged Miles, keeper of our food, for something to eat. He'd just shake his head every time, not saying anything. He looked to be cracking too. Mack worked on his pages, Dylan drew, Gracie counted almonds over and over again.

2:01:56People played cards, we waited for rescue. On day 19, we were awakened from our stupor by the loud crack of the PA again. It had been weeks and most of us were too shocked to react to the noise. Morning folks, just wanted to give you another update. we've heard from the National Weather Service that the storm shouldn't let up for another 10 or 12 days not what you wanted to hear I'm sure but chin up help yourself for a coffee or tea please of course let us know if you need anything or have any concerns we can't wait to get you back on the road that's fun that would drive me insane well I mean it's obviously like the voice being like 10 to 12 days it's like whatever entity is controlling all this is just speaking in the voice of the PA person you know yeah I imagine whenever the PA person left the desk and they can't get into the doors into the back rooms that's when like the supernatural thing took over maybe the actual workers there died or something like that you know, it's almost like it's not as good quality.

2:02:54I wouldn't say, but it's a little left, right game to me where it's like you get on the road and you enter this other dimension, right? But the rules are different and there's something happening behind the veil and all that. It's still so, uh, it's still so vague though of what is besides like the idea that it's like, okay, well, they're stuck in some kind of like loop or maybe it is just chaotic weather, but right now it's still extremely vague. There's no way it's chaotic. I can't be chaotic. but still I'm just saying for no people are just yeah yeah people are disappearing out in the void and stuff like that I would like less about the lord of the fly stuff and I would like more um supernatural storm mist stuff myself or at least let the lord of the fly stuff show because like you said in the mist they do get to the lord of the flies point it just takes a really long time right yeah dead silence reigned after the pa shut off shock silence appalled silence so some guy from denver broke it i have some fucking concerns he screamed ran full force at the employee's only door using his head as a battering ram again and again i could see the blood spreading across the metal door from across the room people sprung up out of their seats not to help him no they flung him aside and began battering the door over and over piles of people running into the door shoving against it again and again.

2:04:19I could hear the metal buckling from the other side of the room. I was honestly surprised people had the strength after eating so little, but then I noticed most of those battering the door were Kansas City. They hadn't shared any of their rations with the other groups. A loud crack and the door broke in. People trampled each other to get inside, and Mac and I were hauling ass over there immediately as well. Grab what you can, I yelled to the rest of the group who followed us in. okay so now i'm annoyed because i thought it was just like a supernatural thing they couldn't open that door right um but are you telling me they could have broken that if they just tried hard enough this whole time and no one did that well maybe i mean we don't know yet i mean we still there's maybe there's something in there with the door you know what i mean beyond the door was anarchy people grabbing and tearing at everything from coffee grounds for the staff coffee pots rolls of paper towels to books i could only hope my group was hoarding shit as well the inside of the room was pretty disappointed in the end carpeted room with lockers a couch and a few nicer chairs and another smaller room with manifest route maps and the pa system where the fuck are they dylan yelled where indeed there were no drivers here i want to make the announcement there was nothing no one so where they gone where was the man who has been speaking to us five minutes ago i became aware of a commotion at the same moment that mac tried to clue me into it acker and a couple others of his group trying to push people out what the hell hacker this ain't your show i said coming into the main room turned to me and spat on the floor at my feet this is kansas city territory this room and everything in it is ours fuck you that's not happening crazy said and then picked up an empty coffee pot and hurled it at the wall now now play nice little girl hey i snapped my fingers in his face to get his attention back on me you think you own this room because the door is near your so-called territory yeah if you want to dispute that we'll gladly reconsider i didn't need to look around the room to know that would never happen akra's group was surprisingly healthy looking and had more men than women or children the other groups even mine were pale and tired if he wanted a carpet and a couch he could have them Books, I said.

2:06:35Let us take as many books as we want, and we won't dispute your claim to this room. Some brunette standing next to Acker laughed. Take the fucking books. You got anyone knows radios in your group? Mac asked him. Acker narrowed his eyes at Mac as if he's debating if he should answer, and then nodded tightly. Try to rig the PA system to call out, or maybe look around for the system that will. We don't want to be here any more than you do, old man. Fine. I turned to my group. Take the books, as many as you can handle. it'll help with the boredom yes everything take everything i wasn't about to leave them a single page manda hewan seemed to agree and her group bigger as it was to give him more than we did i saw someone with a copy of the shining and plucked it right out of her hands the shining huh gracie said noticing the book in my hand yep stephen king genius stuff something to pass the time since we only hear from the pa once a month yeah what i want to know is where's the Fucking coffee and tea.

2:07:31Group kept to themselves for the rest of the day. Kansas City locked behind the employees only door. I could only imagine what was going on in there. So far they hadn't screwed with anybody so I was happy to let them keep to themselves. It was a couple days later, maybe 9 o 'clock at night, that the first murder occurred. Most of us were reading, a few of us sleeping. Gracie and Dylan were playing cards. I was in conversation with Miles. The food, even at half rations, would only last a few more days. Things were dire. It was time to drop to quarter rations, like Salt Lake and Denver had days before.

2:08:04What about boiling clothes or leather or something? He shook his head. We'll do it, but it's not going to be enough. Damn. Maybe we can talk to Kansas City. Why Kansas City? They're dangerous. Likely to stab me for just asking. Because look at them. They're not weak. Not one person in that group is showing signs of malnutrition. They have food. Denver and SLC are as fucked as we are. I sighed and looked toward their door. Shit. The word was hardly out of my mouth before the door was flung open and a guy from Denver was pushed through it. He was young, 20s maybe, and he was small. Fuck! Acker followed the stumbling man out.

2:08:50Where the fuck are you, woman? She emerged from the hallway her group had been using, a bored look on her face. What is it? What are you doing with Jeremy? You mean you're a little spy? We caught him creeping through our vent, trying to get into our area. You know anything about this? Of course not. What, do you think I'm stupid? Jeremy, for his part, looked terrified. He said not a word, tried to catch himself as Acker and the brunette, I think her name was Natalie, shoved in between them violently. You're saying you didn't send this little prick to steal from us? No, we wouldn't do that. You have nothing we want.

2:09:27You forget. We've all been inside your little room. Acker studied her a moment longer and then picked up Jeremy and shoved him at her feet. The rest of the Kansas City group seemed to materialize behind her, looking healthy and strong, just as Miles had said. Then deal with him. In front of everyone here. He spread out his arms and gestured the entire station. Show us how you deal with thieving spies. We'll deal with you, since you seem to speak for Denver. I wasn't going to take anything. Jeremy protested but then Emily kicked him in the ribs and he gasped Yeah Anchor smiled and leaned back against the wall folding his arms That's a good start Emily didn't even hesitate She kicked him again and then again And because she was too weak to do any more damage she addressed her group Participate in Jeremy's punishment All of you A couple members of her group stepped forward Also looking hesitant The others stayed back Emily stepped away and gestured at Jeremy again, who was moaning on the floor and bleeding from his mouth.

2:10:31Participate, or you don't eat today, or tomorrow. God, and my golden Mac, who had appeared alongside me, agreed. It was brutal. The kicks, the punches, they were weak. Jeremy, like his attackers, was frail. Went on for an entire minute before I couldn't take it anymore. That's enough, Emily! You're going to kill him! I yelled as I left my group to approach the chaos. Yes, that's quite enough. I would say he's learned his lesson. Everyone stop. No, Emily said quietly, but it didn't matter that the words were soft. Her group wouldn't have heard them anyway. They were mad with bloodlust, punching, kicking, angry, angry at their situation, the hopelessness of it.

2:11:12They're likely impending deaths, but not as Jeremy, who by now had gone silent. And when the last of them finally ran out of steam and collapsed on the floor next to him, Jeremy breathed his last death rattle. Oh my god. I heard Gracie whisper from somewhere behind me. Emily ordered the body dragged outside. Kansas City went back into their room, Salt Lake City looked on as if nothing had happened, and I dropped into a seat next to Dylan, who continues to sketch mountains for his Sarah. Everything's going to be different now, he said without looking up from his book. And he was right. That was the night the power went out.

2:11:49It had been over three weeks and we had all gotten used to the blinding fluorescent lights, which never dimmed and always hummed. I didn't mind the darkness so much at first. We had lighters and someone had found a couple candles among the books in the employee break room. It was heat we missed most and that became an issue within the first hour. I had everyone pull out all the clothes in their bags and then assign them so that everyone in my group would stay as warm as possible. Next, we inventoried matches and lighters. When that was done, we dragged two metal garbage bins in our territory into our area, and piled all the wood we could find—chairs, small tables, wall paneling—into the corner of our section next to the food.

2:12:29I watched as the other groups did the same. Salt Lake City and Minneapolis each had piles and piles of books which would work for kindling. Denver, as far as we could tell, only had a few books, or none at all. No one had any idea what was happening behind the closed doors of Kansas City's new territory, but it wasn't long before we saw the orange glow of a fire underneath a crack in the door. That made sense. They had years of paper manifest and charts back there. Smoke, with nowhere to go, hovered over us. It had cracked the door for ventilation, which only seemed to make it colder. Time became confusing.

2:13:05Miles lost track of when to feed people. My watch kept running, but the time never seemed right. Day bled tonight and back today slower than I thought it should have. Life became a slow, boring, painful nightmare. We burned the book slowly, took turns in front of the fire. Denver struggled with the fire. They started eating snow, which Miles had already told me was one of the worst things you could do. It burns energy to warm snow up in your body. We tried to tell them, but Emily told me to screw off. And then one day Amanda came to speak to me. I just hung up the phone. My hundredth called a melody to listen to the static, tell it that I was always there.

2:13:45I hadn't heard Melody's voice in weeks. Stikes? I looked up to find the tall woman standing at the payphone next to me. She was pale and thin and her skin was purple in places. Imagine I looked much the same. I nodded at her. How have you been? Could be better, I guess. I don't have a feeling. Have you lost anyone? Not yet. But soon. Everything felt heavy in my chest. We would lose someone soon. An older woman named Valerie, or possibly even Mac, who was more absorbed in his letter writing every day. People were starting to get sick. We lost someone last night. I'm sorry, Amanda. We have a bigger group.

2:14:27It was bound to happen to you first. Dan, he got sick. Alex, he was in his thirties healthy, but he just got sick. I'm sorry. She took a deep breath. We went to bring him out of the snow, to bury him where we buried Andrea. She was gone. What do you mean? She wasn't dead? No, she was definitely dead. My brain was cloudy, slow to work, slow to process. Are you saying she got up and walked away? No, I'm saying someone took her. Someone took her body? Yes, Stikes, someone took her body. What for? we don't know but you know natalie from kansas city yeah i know that i'm gonna say yeah i know the yeah well yesterday when she came out these when she came out to use the restroom she was she was wearing andre's jacket the one we buried her in they're eating them by the way but yeah go ahead i don't i don't think that's what's happening you don't think so i fear this is going to become another weird sex thing.

2:15:38No, I don't think. You think so? I don't think so. Just the note earlier about Gracie with like, oh, she knows too much for age and the guy on the bus who was touching her. And then like the thing with him having a girl and she's pregnant and everyone being related to love and stuff. I think people are dying. And the mention over and over that Kansas City is primarily men. I think that they're primarily, the people are dying and they're digging them up and they're eating them and they're like stripping them with their clothes and shit. is what I think. That's also why they look so healthy. I'm just saying.

2:16:10And if that's right, there might be. I feel like Kansas City is going to want to trade for Gracie, you know? Right. Because this is a C.K. Walker story. We'll see. We'll see. I hope I'm wrong, but we'll see. Okay, so Kansas City stripped her corpse for clothes. I think there's more to this than that, Chris. You think they're abusing her corpse? I didn't know a politer way to say it No, Stikes, come on, think about it They're eating her I heard Gracie before I saw her She'd been standing next to me for God knows how long Eating her? We think so too Our wall is near the door We smell meat cooking sometimes Do you remember when they were first moving in that room?

2:16:57They were almost as starving as we were Right, and have you seen them lately? I groaned This was something, this was wrong eating dead bodies. So what I'm saying is, be careful of Kansas City, even more than you have been. Andrei's dead, Jeremy's dead, and now Alex. What's going to happen when they run out of supplies? I gotta talk to Mac. I ran a cold, numb hand through my greasy hair. Listen, maybe we can agree to some sort of alliance. We'll We'll watch your back. You watch ours. She nodded. I think that's necessary at this point. I nodded goodbye and then stalked over to Mac, who was viciously erasing a sentence from his letter.

2:17:41We gotta talk. Oh yeah? About what? Kansas City. What do they do now? Salt Lake thinks they're eating the dead. Mac nodded and kept writing. That makes sense. Mac, this is a big deal. They got the first girl that died, and that kid Jeremy. And Amanda lost someone last night, but he was sick. Not sure if they'll eat him. You're worried about what happens when they run out of the meat stock. Requel, that is phrase. Yeah, if that's what they're doing, they're stronger than we are. Yeah, well, we've got a bigger problem than that. What problem? I don't know if you've been watching, but Denver don't have no fires today.

2:18:22I threw up my hands. We've had enough to deal with trying to protect our own people. And now Salt Lake, I can't be concerned with Denver getting cold. Mac stopped riding and flipped the page over. He looked at me with hooded eyes. What do you mean now, Salt Lake? What did you promise them? Just that we'd watch their back and they would watch ours. Are you kidding me? We don't have the resources for that. Or the energy. Their big group in this territory has strategic disadvantage. Especially for defense. That human woman means well, but that group is fucked. They have huge numbers. We - Huge numbers don't mean nothing if they can't even stand up.

2:18:59What was I supposed to do, Mac? Huh? She didn't have to warn me about KC. Like I said, I've got bigger problems than some cannibalism. Bigger problems than some - Like what? Like the fact that Acker and the Polacks have been talking an awful lot lately. Dylan. Dylan was the most observant person I'd ever met. He was a good person to have this conversation. Come here. Dylan handed his notebook to Dan, a five-year-old in our group. Dan was pale and thin, definitely showing signs of malnutrition, but he was also eating the best out of all of us. He made sure of it. Dylan sat down next to Mac and nodded at the letter.

2:19:34Get it right yet? Getting there. Not like she'll read it. Just passes that time. I was curious what he meant, who it was for, but like Mac said, we had bigger problems. What do you think about the Polacks and the Acker? Dylan shook his head. I don't know. Looks kinda like they made a deal about something. Possibly food. More likely a power alliance though. That doesn't make any sense. Denver's the weakest group. Acker wouldn't have chosen the worst. Not necessarily. Denver's also the most ruthless of the three of us. Which means whatever deal they were trying to make, it was not good for us. Damn.

2:20:16Dylan shrugged. We'll just have to wait and see. no no we don't we need something to defend ourselves with the metal from the chairs or something we can break them and then bend them into big metal pipes if we have the energy we can try so we did it was exhausting and what we got out of it may not have been worth the effort the fruits of our labor were seven jagged sharp curved pieces of shiny metal it wasn't great but it was better than nothing could have been hours or it could have been days later that the raid happened by the time i was woken up it was already over dylan and jessica had been on watch and it seemed that was all they'd done what happened i asked looking over at the salt lake city group who looked scared and a little shell-shocked kansas city endeavor went over acker and polacks exchanged some words with amanda it didn't seem to go well emily grabbed some girl from salt lake and shoved her head into the bone broken glass in the vending machine she was bleeding everywhere Salt Lake is big.

2:21:14They try to fight it, but they're just so weak. With Casey backing them, the fight was quick. Lots of injuries in Salt Lake. Denver and Casey together. Chris, there was nothing we could have done, even if you were awake. I promised that... Damn it. What did they take? Their food? Their books. Unanswered. That was when I noticed that Salt Lake City didn't have a burn barrel for warmth. Denver did. Shit. I'll go talk to Amanda. She was curled on her side, laying against a wall. When I had met her weeks ago, Amanda had been a confident, strong, vibrant woman, but now she looked like a different person entirely.

2:21:53I kneel down next to her. I heard about what happened last night. I'm sorry. There's nothing you and your group could have done. Inver and Casey together, we were too weak to fight it. We've got a decent supply of books. Why don't you come join our group? We'll figure out food and then at least it'll be warm. I suggest that this morning, with what's left of Salt Lake City, they don't want anything to do with the other groups who are included. Amanda, they'll die. Do they realize that? Yes. They're tired. We're all tired. No rescue is coming. They've accepted it. Before long, we'll all be eating each other.

2:22:34No, we won't. She gave me a half smile that didn't reach her eyes, and she closed them and coughed. I hope you survive the stakes. I'm curious where the, it just doesn't seem like a normal, like I'm wondering where the paranormal or like the kind of like surreal moment is coming in because right now it really does just read like people stuck in a snowstorm. If it is a purgatory thing, then maybe it's like a test, you know? Yeah. Kind of got that vibe initially where they throw the guy off the bus. So it's kind of like they're being tempted or like there, it's like, how do you handle these situations?

2:23:06So maybe this is like a final trial by fire sort of thing before the afterlife maybe who knows but i did survive it but john pollock didn't days later kansas city came out of their room something they rarely did anymore they dragged a desk out behind them dylan and i were at the pay phones me listening to the static dylan talking softly down the line sarah or whom he imagined was sarah i assume there was very little to keep us saying after a month at whitefall acker natalie and a few larger members of kansas city approached denver's hallway john stepped out first followed by his daughter emily the rest of denver stayed back against the wall so acker started denver we provided us that wasn't the deal emily folded her arms tried to appear casual but it was obvious from the sweat on her brow that she felt anything but holding out on you how you got what was promised did i because it seems to me that while you got the books you begged for we did not receive the payment you promised so where is it Emily shifted on her feet.

2:24:12We delivered the boy. That was not the deal. You were very aware of the terms when we agreed to assist you in finding fuel for your fires. So, where is the woman? Emily dropped her arms. We're starving too. There are 14 people in my group. We need to eat. We only had cigarettes and soda in our territory. That's not my problem. Where's the woman? She's gone. She was gone days ago. You don't know what it's like in that hallway. That is not my problem either. I was promised an adult and I didn't receive one. You lied to me. Deceived us. That won't stand. Acker looked over at a large, red-haired man in his group.

2:24:55The man grabbed Emily by the back of her head and walked her to the burning barrel in Denver's hallway. He moved to intervene yet again because this could only be brutal. It could only end one way. Dylan shot his arm out and shook his head. We had our own problems. We had been down to quarter rations for days. We were boiling clothing, eating leather. We needed to pick our battles, and we weren't even a part of this war. The red-haired man shoved Emily at Acker, who caught her by the hair. Emily screamed as Acker pushed her head down toward the barrel. Stop! Just stop! We'll get you what we promised, I swear it!

2:25:30John Pollock yelled as a woman held him back And another KCN took a shot at his ribs Please don't hurt her I swear we'll get you twice what we promised for the books It's too late for that Denver betrayed our arrangement Emily Pollock speaks for Denver Therefore Emily Pollock will take the punishment Akra shoved Emily's head deeper into the barrel And we heard the hiss of flame meeting skin And the smell of burning hair Jesus Emily didn't scream She moaned Sort of moaned a dying animal makes as it's being consumed but still lives to feel the viscera being ripped from its body. Please! Please stop!

2:26:05John yelled again, tears running down his face. Dylan looked away, but I had to watch. I spoke for Minneapolis. I had to watch. For them. Pity. You were really quite pretty. Can't imagine what you look like now. Should we finish it? Burn you in this barrel? Your group will be warm for days, won't they? The leader should sacrifice for her people. Emily moaned again, but still she fought with her legs, kicking and jabbing. Acker laughed, pulled her head out of the barrel, and threw her back against the wall. Her hair was burned away from the front half of her head. Her skin was melted, curled, and grotesque.

2:26:42But she lived. So? Acker started and helped Natalie tie a long cord over the ceiling beam that ran above the desk. Who speaks for Denver? People in the hallway said nothing. John was docile, limp, as if all hope was lost. his daughter already dead well come on tell me hacker insisted climbing on top of the desk and securing the cord while natalie had somehow expertly tied into a noose who speaks for you is it emily pollock she'll be dead within days with those injuries and she knows it is it her silence and then we all heard it we all heard emily try to speak as her bulging eyes watched Natalie twirl the noose.

2:27:27Acker jumped down from the desk and squatted in front of her, hands on his knees. Seems you're the one willing to make a decision, cherry pie. So I'll ask you. Who speaks for Denver? My eyes. Again, sweetheart. Speak up. My father. Are you saying your father? Emily nodded weakly. John lifted his head, the expression on his face one I can't even describe. Pain. Total devastation. His daughter was selling him out when she had no hope to live for herself. Disgusting. Mack whispered beside me. Acker rose. Do you agree? He asked the rest of Denver, who still cowered against the wall in the hallway.

2:28:11Is it John Pollock that speaks for you? At first, no one moved. But then there were a few nods of weak agreements. Acker shrugged. So be it. He nodded to the woman holding John, and she dragged him toward the table. John didn't fight. Didn't seem to want to escape his fate. Natalie and the red-haired man hoisted John on top of the table and put the noose around his neck. Dylan was shaking next to me and I turned him away. Pushed him toward Gracie, who caught him in her arms, but she continued to watch the lynching. Acker addressed the rest of the room. Promises are very important in the survival situations.

2:28:48They are often the difference between life and death. Denver betrayed us and John Pollock will die for that. This is a lesson to everyone still alive. Do not fuck with Kansas City. Acker leaned in close to John and told him something not meant for the entire room to hear, but I heard it. Once you're dead, we're going to eat you. And then we're going to eat your daughter. John remained stoic, unmoving, and unspeaking as Acker hopped down from the desk. No ceremony at all, and Adeline, the red-haired man, pushed the desk out from under John. Rope dropped half a foot and grew taut. John kicked and wheezed pulled at the noose around his neck lasted four minutes, several until he stopped moving, I watched it all I mean like all this like weird, I mean the mist is just so clear, like it just I keep thinking of the mist, but I will say this brutal not only that, but the whole mention to Stephen King yeah, it's definitely a huge nod to the mist, but I do these moments are fun where it now starts to get into the real tribalism kind of stuff of, you know, almost like fucking Judge Holden or something is what it reminds me of.

2:29:57Just this brutal guy taking shit. You know what I mean? His name's Judge Holden, right? Yeah. Yeah. I wouldn't really... Yeah. I would say more so it fits like the religious leader. Judge Holden's whole thing is he demands to be the god of, effectively his own god of creation that wars man's ultimate. calling um this is more so i mean lord of the flies is a decent time i forget the name of the leader of the jocks in that but it's kind of reminiscent of that sort of thing but i mean a lot of stories about like i mean they're all kind of getting stranded and breaking up into groups it's it's it's the same theme of the woman like the religious woman who becomes like the kind of nut job leader of uh the group in the store yeah which depending on how you view that story her death is actually the sacrifice that makes the mist go away she don't know why the mist ends she dies and then the mist leaves the uh emily selling out her dad there was pretty crazy that was pretty wild too yeah yeah just absolute just all of them become monstrous selfish that that shot me pretty bad i mean usually in stories like that it's usually it's uh like obviously a parental relationship or like a father-daughter usually they're not gonna be really tight-knit but in this one like almost a meat i mean it's not immediate but it is surprising that it's just like oh yeah fuck it take my dad not me yep well we'll keep on chugging next part emily died the next day from what we heard she never spoken again last words the ones that ordered her own father's execution further penance for their crimes kansas city had taken all of denver's books and wood and half of their remaining food which left them with one pack of nuts for 12 people they began to die one by one over the next three days.

2:31:47Most were sick already, like Salt Lake, and as they died, the bodies were either tossed out into the snow or hauled away by Kansas City, depending on if they died of sickness or starvation. We're dying. Mac told me one night. Some of us won't last until the end of tomorrow. I know. I don't know what to do about it. I said, and the scratch of Dylan's pencil stopped when the words left my mouth. Yes, you do. I'm open to suggestions. What do we do then? What if we have to? Gracie told me, a surprisingly amount of fire in her words, for as weak and broken as we all were. I did not survive everything that happened in my life only to die in a fucking bus station.

2:32:32What do you guys want to do? Eat people? Is that it? Want to become cannibals like Kansas City? It's not just Kansas City. It's Salt Lake too. He nodded toward the wall that had once supported over twenty people, but now there were only thirteen. I was starving, I was unfocused, I hadn't noticed, but it was true. I watched in horror as a man from Salt Lake carved strips of flesh out of a dead woman's leg and handed it over to another woman, what looked like her daughter. They draped the pieces over a metal rod above the meager fire they could afford and watched them cook. I rose and went to talk to the man with the pocket knife.

2:33:09You're eating the dead? Yeah. He said without bothering to look up at me. Amanda's allowing this? The man wiped his face on his sleeve. His eyes were runny. They were also a blink of emotion. Amanda's dead. When? This morning. But how could you... Why would... She would never have wanted this. It goes against your humanity. It goes against... She's the one who insists upon it. He said in the gesture to the body he was carving. and it was her. There's a t-shirt draped over her face, but I would have recognized her long, auburn hair, now dull and brittle, anywhere. I stumbled back. Oh my god. Matt grabbed my arm and dragged me back to our camp.

2:33:56He shoved me into a chair. Son, listen to me. We can't afford humanity anymore. Those people want to survive, and so do ours. You're saying we should just... I'm saying that I'm dying here anyway, so I won't. But you should. They should. He said, gesturing back to our sick, dying group of busmates. We're not going to die here, Mac. Yes, I will. Maybe we all will. But you should at least try for it. You've got something to live for, don't you? I swallowed. My mouth was dry. My lips were cracked. Who is that you call every day? Mel. Melody, my girlfriend. She's pregnant with my kid. A family. That's enough.

2:34:51That's worth living for. What about you, Mac? Who's that letter for? Who's in Post Falls? Mac leaned back in his seat and smiled. First time in weeks. My daughter. Yeah? You got grandkids too? Smile fell a little. I don't know. She wouldn't say. He was quiet for a moment. I was a dumb kid. Knocked up a girl I knew. Nice girl. But I didn't want to be tied down. Left her some money in my car and I split. Never came back. I never saw her again. Thought about my kid a lot over the years. Finally did some digging about ten years ago and found out I had a little girl. Elaine. She's in her forties now.

2:35:42Took me a decade to gather up the courage to reach out to her. She was mad. He laughed. Brutal sound. She's still mad. Not that I blame her. After a couple years of me bothering her every few days, she agreed to meet me. In post falls. Just her. If she has kids, she don't want me around them. And I don't blame her for that either. I don't deserve to know my grandkids. I was silent for a few minutes. Thinking about Mac when I met him. Now desperately he'd want to make his connections and get to Post Falls on time. We're gonna meet her, Mac. What I'm gonna do is finish my letter before I die. When I go, you have permission to use my body to fuel yours.

2:36:29Damn it, Mac. I have faith in you, Romeo. He sat and patted me on the shoulder before laying down on the floor to sleep. Macs love a lot these days. I say good man Mac. Good man Mac. I agree. And all my qualms about the story, I really like that moment. That was a good moment. I like it. Feels earned. Feels like it was kind of alluded to. Like we talked about earlier. Like, why has he got to get a post fall so hard? And he's anxious because of that. He messed up. Doesn't deserve it. Can help someone else. I like that. Good character. Good moment. All that. it's a fun full circle moment for the relationship too yeah yeah between like Mac and his daughter versus Chris and getting Melody pregnant and now he's about to be a father doesn't want to make the same mistakes yeah yeah well it's literally also it's a younger version of I think Max sees Stikes is the man that yeah the version of himself he wishes he was you know yeah yeah not doing what uh because mac did what chris almost did at the beginning of the story ran off and left a woman he knocked up yeah but now he's changing that so yeah next part denver's gone what denver's gone the last four decided there did rather die making a run for it than expire here against a wall and be eaten i watched all of them leave an hour ago i nodded my head.

2:37:53That I can understand. Chris, we have a decision to make. When I was in the bathroom, I heard Kansas City go through the wall. I heard them say that people are dying of natural causes, had no muscle, and wasn't enough to eat. They were arguing. Arguing about what? About who in their group to sacrifice for food. Their own group? Yes, Chris, things are really bad. They're cannibalizing themselves because they aren't getting enough meat off the dead. You've been starving for a month, maybe more. I don't even know how long it's been. I know. But we're out of food, completely. The peanut shells, the leather, everything's gone.

2:38:29We have to do what we have to do to survive. I know. Hey, Stikes? Dylan interrupted, sat down next to Gracie, and gave me a long look. We lost somebody last night. What? Who? Who did we lose? Miles. Bring my hands down my face. Damn it. He wasn't eating all of his rations back when we had food. He was trying to make sure there was enough for Dan and his mom. Damn it, Miles. We need to... Before he died, explain to me how to... Prepare meat for consumption. I heard him. I knew what he was saying. I looked around the eleven remaining members of my group. We wouldn't last much longer. miles was only the first okay do it I mean which is a completely reasonable decision yeah I mean come on yeah 100 % yeah I mean no reason also the real reasonable decision to make I feel like was what the rest of the Denver people did and just run I think you just gotta get out of there fuck it yeah you just gotta get out of there if you die in the snow or there's some giant like monster in the maze or whatever you just gotta go I think the easiest thing to do you can even make a system where you leapfrog it if it turns keep people at each corner to keep track of how far you can go and take turns and stuff like that but they're too weak to do that now but they should have done something like that earlier before they're eating each other but yeah in this situation you have to eat them of course it happened at what I can only assume was night the fire barrels were burning low more people were asleep than awake in fact we had long given up the idea of centuries No one could stay awake more than an hour anymore.

2:40:16Our bodies were shutting down. I woke up to screams. Half-hearted, weak ones from my own group. It didn't take long to figure out what was wrong. The entire Salt Lake City group had been slaughtered while everyone slept. Most of them had their throats cut, necks straining blood onto the floor. Kansas City's door was wide open. I could see the bodies being harvested inside. I stumbled to my feet and crossed the long room to the door. I could sense Dylan and Gracie at my back. I saw Ackrey immediately. He was standing over a grill, an entire Weber grill, flipping pieces of meat over with a fork.

2:40:53Everything smelled of dead flesh. Paper plates full of meat lined bookshelves. The scene was absurd. You murdered them? It was the only thing I managed to push through my teeth. Hey, Stikes, yeah. We found this thing in the closet. A whole Weber grill. Better than the garbage can Salt Lake was cooking over, right? You murdered them! Launched myself at Acker, ready to tear him apart, but the red-haired guy caught me in the chin with a fist. I went down against the wall. Dylan helped me back up. Easy! Play nice! Acker handed the fork over to someone else in his group and approached me casually, hands in his pocket.

2:41:31It's mostly a waste, you know. All of those people were sick. And those that weren't barely had any meat on them. They weren't going to survive, Stikes. Both of them had only hours left. What we did was humane. None of this is humane. How many people have you murdered in this station by now? We're starving, man. Look around. Look at our group. We're alive, not at death's door. Nobody's running a marathon, but we're more healthy than your people. And the other groups. We do what we do to survive. And at the end of the day, we're all animals. Would you blame an animal for killing to survive? Animals aren't people.

2:42:09No. But people are animals. And you're starting to figure that out. Last night, we saw you. You were people cutting up that kid in the Jets jacket. You're gonna heat him. It was always gonna come to that. You should have done it sooner. Now it's too late. Just like Salt Lake. Is that a threat? Maybe it would have been. But judging by what we're getting off of these fucking people, it wouldn't be worth it. Let me ask you something, Acker. What's the point of surviving if you lose your humanity? He leaned into me and I could smell the stench of the people on his breath. That's easy. Surviving. I stared at him as he reached back and pulled a strip of meat from a paper plate and held it out to me.

2:42:54I tied my jaw and he smiled, shoving it into his mouth and chewing, never breaking eye contact with me. Come on, Chris. Let's go. The smell of cooking meat was strong. It permeated the entire building by now. As much as I hated it, my mouth watered and my mind could think of little else. Miles had been stripped and prepared. Meat was cooking nearby. Dan watched it excitedly, as did the other members of my group. My only request had been that Dylan and the others harvest the body away from the side of our little camp. Dan was a smart kid and he probably knew. But he was beyond caring. Most of us were.

2:43:31The meat was passed around, but I declined. mind. I'd known Miles, talked to him, strategized with them. I knew he'd been on the way home from college for Thanksgiving break. He was excited about seeing his mom and his twin brother. So when the makeshift scrapped and metal serving as a plate got to me, I passed on. Yeah, I was starving, but this was a person. Me? I couldn't eat a person. Especially not someone I knew. Kansas City kept their door cracked most of the time to allow the smoke from the Weber to escape sometimes we would hear arguments sometimes out and out brawling before things would go quiet again mac didn't work on his litter much anymore he spent a lot of time listening to dylan talk about sarah that kind of fondness for young love i think gracie hung out with dan a lot as his mother was getting weaker and sicker by the day she had also passed on the meat though she encouraged dan to eat his fill and forbid anyone from admitting what it actually was or who dan had liked Miles.

2:44:31For my part, I still called Melody every day and told her I was always right here. I also told her I was sorry that I was never going home, that I'd never see her again. Now our child could watch how great of a mother she would become. Time was strange. It drifted by in unfamiliar increments. Hunger was constant. The cold, relentless. Even the fire seemed to lose much of their heat as the hours passed. we were out of meat for miles body on the first day then an older man harry died in his sleep his wife told us it was his wish to contribute so we cooked him and ate him too except for me couldn't bring myself to eat a man in front of his wife and then came the last day very last day we spent at whitefall who knew what day that was started with a lot of yelling it was acker of course and some of his people a kid who couldn't have been more than 18 ran out of the employee break room he seemed to be going for the front door but acker caught him threw him on the floor you know the rules clarkson you've been enjoying them long enough he turned to natalie get the hammer i rose to my feet shaky and weak i hadn't eaten anything but leather in days but whatever was about to happen would be bad if i was gonna die anyway maybe i could stop it stop this one bad thing from happening.

2:45:52What are you doing? I asked as I reached them. Acker did a table take and then started laughing. Holy shit, Sykes, is that you? You look fucking horrible. Acker chuckled as I pushed my way into the middle of the melee. What is all this? What are you doing to this kid? Nothing to do with you. I want to know anyway. Sure you wouldn't rather just toddle along, go finish dying in the corner? What are you going to do with him? Well, see, in the Kansas City group, we have a rule about the greater good. And whatever the greatest good is that you can offer the group, well, that's what you gotta do. And what's his greatest good?

2:46:29Akra took the hammer from Natalie and pointed at the kid. His meat. That's all he's got left to offer at this point. Gracie's voice rang out from behind me. You're gonna kill a perfectly healthy person for their meat? Natalie laughed. Oh, honey, it wouldn't be the first time. You've been cannibalizing your own group? We're surviving, aren't we? You've snapped, Acker. That kid can't be more than 19. Pick an older person. Our older person have other skills we can use. He doesn't. Anyway, this isn't a debate, Stikes. I've satisfied your curiosity. Now fuck off. Boomer, hold him down. The large, red-haired man flipped the kid over and sat on his back, holding his head between his meaty hands.

2:47:13the kid screamed bloody terrified murder i don't think i've ever heard more fear in a voice before or since it was all too much for me as akar turned toward the kid i rushed him from behind and sucker punched him in the back of the head he went down and the hammer skittered across the floor they were on me in an instant kicking punching even biting and i couldn't fight back i was big guy but i was thin now trained of energy didn't have the strength i heard mac there fighting trying to pull them off me mac wasn't a great fighter in the best of times but now days from his death i heard them beat him i felt them beat me at one point i was lying on the floor looking across it getting kicked from behind mac was in the fetal position covering his head gracie was trying to get him throwing punches of her own she really was a little scrapper but the The hits seemed louder when they made contact with her body.

2:48:10I tried to call them off, call them all off, but no sounds came out of me. That's where my memories end. I woke up to someone dumping water down my throat. It was Dylan. I was on my back on the floor in our camp. I would recognize those ceiling tiles anywhere. I've been staring at them for what felt like years. Take it easy. You got it pretty bad. Dylan said. I set up anyway with great effort. My vision was blurred and my mind was slow. everything hurt. Gracie. She's okay. A little banged up, but she's tough. I nodded. It sounded like her. Handed the bottle to me and I took another sip of water.

2:48:50And Mac? Dylan didn't respond. Looked over at him, but he was looking out the window. A pane of black snow. And Mac? Mac. Mac was hours. Mac was hours away from dying anyways, Chris. And did he? The fight was too much for him. God, no, Mac. Not you. He said to tell you that he finished his letter? I pushed my palms into my eyes. Where is it? I put it in your backpack. Seemed like you'd know what to do with it. Right. Did everyone else? They're scared, but they seem a little stronger. They're eating. Who? Dylan said nothing Harry Dylan took a deep breath Speaking of You need to eat Chris What about the kid from Kansas City Did he Dylan shook his head They were never going to let him leave You know that So he died anyway After all that Yeah And I got Mac killed too Mac was done for anyway.

2:50:04I said nothing and drank more water. Gracie was nearby. I could hear her singing to Dan. At least I hadn't gotten her killed. Only by the grace of God, though. I was fairly sure God had long ago abandoned Whitefall. Chris, you need to eat. You're weak. Your body needs to repair itself. I looked down at the plate in Dylan's lap. It was filled with chunks of gray meat that smelled like rot and death, but also made me salivate with need. I can't. I heard what you said to Mac about your girl and your baby. Have you ever told Melody that you would do anything for her? My eyes snapped to his face. Screw you.

2:50:46Would you do anything for your kid? DSE is going to need you. Melody is going to need you. Is that why you do it? For Sarah? Elmo's quiet for a minute. No. Not for Sarah. There is no Sarah. There never was. I'd do it for Sam. There's no Sarah? Everything I told you was true, but about Sam, not Sarah. I love him. Look down at the mate he was holding. He really must. Do this. Go against nature. Everything that made him human. He did it for Sam. I lifted my eyes to his face. Sam who loves mountains. Dylan nodded and his eyes fell back to the meat. He sounds great man. Dylan smiled a little at that and offered to play to me again.

2:51:48Do it for her. Do it for them. I let out a long, slow breath. You know Mac would smack you beside the head if you didn't. I wanted to laugh, but it wasn't in me. Mac had never eaten someone he'd known. He'd died before having to suffer that indignity. I knew what I was eating. A good idea of who I was eating. I couldn't do it. But it didn't matter if I couldn't. Because I had to. I was starving. I was dying. mac died for me mel needed me our baby needed me so i reached over and picked up a chunk of silvery meat it's well done and looked like it was cut for a stew the smell was sickening but saliva filled my mouth just the same i set the cube inside and began to chew it was tough tasteless but I still swallowed it practically whole.

2:52:50I took another piece and ate that and another and another and I was a rabid barrel starving. I'll say, so this story has dramatically won me back the more it gets near the end with like the chaos and stuff, specifically the stuff around Mac and all that. And that moment about Sam with, or the moment with Dylan with Sam who loves mountains, that was a touching moment. I liked that. Yeah. I saw him as I consumed more and more of the meat. Acker, standing in the doorway of his room, watching me. A smug smile on his face, but I didn't care. I had until only one piece of meat remained. As I reached down to take it, a cackle of the PA popped overhead.

2:53:36Some of us screamed in shock, others gasped, and all fell silent. Good evening, folks. I've got good news. The storm has led up. The snow has been dug away from the bay doors We're going to get you out of here within the next 30 minutes or so So please check the overhead board in the terminal And line up at the corresponding doorway to your bus I know many of you making the bus changes at Whitefall So please be sure to double check your ticket before lining up Our drivers on the bus is warming up for you as we speak And we'll be all on our way in a few minutes We'd like to thank you for your patience during this delay That's so uncanny in the midst of that I love that It was over It was over and we were leaving The power in the station suddenly clicked back on and we were washed in bright white light.

2:54:19And in it, we could see our crimes more fully. The half-eaten bodies, the pools of blood, the class, the broken things, our sunken cheeks and the ribs in our chest, the gray piece of meat in front of me. What's my friend? I could see the sinewy strings of muscle and I ate that last piece right then. Because we were leaving, but I was still hungry. We all rose, picked up what was left of our bags, and checked the board in a trance. I was at door four, Dylan was at two, Gracie one. We stood next to each other as we read the board, and we stared at each other as we got in our respective lines, but no one spoke.

2:54:57There was nothing to say, not even goodbye. All I had left in my bag was Mac's letter, some scraps of clothing, and six dollars in cash. In a daze, I watched the bay door open, dug in my pocket for my ticket, which was still there after all these weeks, now bloody and torn. Richard, our bus driver from before, took my ticket and punched it without a word. I boarded the bus and took a window seat facing the station. There were only a handful of people on the bus. Everyone else was dead or lost. We were all in shock, not quite believing it was real, that we were escaping, that we weren't going to die in Whitefall.

2:55:36As we pulled away from the terminal, I noticed that the blizzard was over and I could see for miles. There was no town beyond the bus station. There never had been. Those that had ventured out and never returned were lost in the white nothingness. I felt a body fall into the seat next to me. My eye snapped over to find Acker shoving his ticket into his backpack. Hey, Stikes. Didn't think you'd be on my bus. You headed to Seattle too? I stared at him. Spokane Nice I'm going to see my girlfriend My family lives there too The Thanksgiving's at my dad's And are always un-fucking-pleasant because of his wife I didn't even want to tell him I was coming I'm just gonna hide out at my girl's house I don't respond Are you gonna see your girl?

2:56:27My family Sucks to be you then He hands up the top of his bag and dug around a bit and pulled out a king-sized Milky Way. Want one? I have a couple. Stared at the candy bar. Q had candy. Acker shrugged. I was saving it. It's my favorite. I tore it out of his hands and stood and pushed against his legs to get out. Name's Luke, by the way. I didn't answer. Just moved to the back of the bus and sat in an empty row. I tore into the candy bar and it was gone in under a minute. The first stop we made was a fast food restaurant. I got off and bought the three biggest things on the dollar menu and then filled my water bottle for free.

2:57:14I couldn't think about the events of Whitefall. My body told me to eat, rest, eat, Mel. Whitefall would get its time later. The first thing I did when I got out of the receipt was glance at the date. It was Tuesday the 20th. Two days before Thanksgiving. Thank you. That would mean we were only at Whitefall for one night. One night. It was impossible. I ran straight to the payphone on the outside of the building, inserted the quarters I had made sure to get his change, and dialed Mandy's number. Hello? Mel? Hey baby, where are you? Mel, when was the last time you talked to me? What? She asked, confusion in her voice.

2:58:09When was the last time I called? Um, yesterday the connection was bad. I was trying to tell you about my doctor's appointment. Did you hear me? The line was really bad. I tried to breathe deeply. Yeah, baby, I heard you. Good. How's the trip? Mel, did you hear me on the line? Yeah. You told me you loved me and that you were always there. yeah and i am mel i know i'd do anything for you for you and our daughter oh it's a curl now yeah i really think it is i heard the driver whistle then told mel i loved her again and i would call her from billings tried to stagger the burgers so i wouldn't make myself sick I was still starving and weak.

2:59:06First burger almost made me throw up. I ate half a burger every few hours after that. I was nervous about Post Falls. We arrived in the evening, close to nine. It was cold, not as cold as the terminal at Whitefall had been. I clutched Mac's letter in my hand as I exited the bus. I saw her immediately. She had dark hair and was short like Mac. The thing that stopped me dead were the kids in her arms. a toddler on her hip and a little boy holding her hand and he looked a whole lot like his grandfather took a deep breath the woman looked nervous but excited she rocked from foot to foot and a man behind her rubbed her shoulder and whispered into her ear i was glad he was there he needed support after i gave her the letter i walked over to mac's daughter and waited for her to notice me but she didn't even see me.

2:59:59So intent was she on watching the stairs on the bus. Elaine? She started and her eyes shot to mine, her eyebrows pinched in confusion. Yes? I held the letter out to her. This is from your father. She took it slowly, then glanced back at the bus. Where is he? He, uh... He really wanted to come. It was all I could say. I could only hope that Mac had told her the rest. He's not coming? Tears filled her eyes. No, but he really... Really wanted to, Elaine. More than he wanted anything else. I... I don't understand. I nodded at the paper in her hands. Read the letter. I turned and headed toward the payphones.

3:00:58Wait. She called. I turned back to her. Do you know my father? I'd like to think so. Maybe. He never told me his real name. She was quiet a moment. Arthur Warren McKenzie. That's his name. I nodded. Thank you for the letter. She said and turned back to her husband. I walked toward the phone bank ready to call my girl you were wrong Mac your whole family was here waiting for you man you know what that got me that that Al your whole family was here not us choking back tears right now CK Walker man no character, no dialogue I think that's the strongest part of her yes for all my qualms there will be these like grand slam moments like that your whole family's here waiting for you just well done i got off the bus in spokane i didn't turn around agger was still on it but he spent most of his time listening to his headphones and playing pocket poker my walkman was gone out of the fire weeks ago then i changed my mind climbed back onto the bus walked right to his seat I didn't wait for him to see me and punched him in the face.

3:02:18Kneed him in the nuts. I used his hair to jerk his face upright. His nose was already bleeding. How's that for plain nice, Acker? I threw him onto the floor while Richard, the bus driver, yelled at me to get off, promising I'd never ride a Grey Lord bus again. My family was there to meet me at the Spokane Terminal. Took me home. I ate, rested, and eventually got my strength back. My uncles gave me a job. I worked at three weeks and then used the money to buy a ticket for my girl. A plane ticket. Mel gave birth to our daughter in May. We named her Amanda Gracie Stikes. Ouch. The bus company thought I was crazy when I called to complain.

3:02:59They told me there was no station in Whitefall. In fact, there are no stops between Fargo and Great Falls, Montana. Furthermore, they said there was no city called Whitefall anywhere in the continental United States. Since my ticket was long gone, there was no way to prove it had been real, other than the deaths. I often wondered about those missing persons investigations and where it led the detectives. If there was no Whitefall, there was nowhere to look. I must have decided all those people had simply vanished into thin air, and maybe they had. I try not to think about Whitefall anymore, thirty years later, but it's there at night.

3:03:40In my dreams, the ones that turn to nightmares, I never really escaped because I always go back. And in my dreams, I always will. End. So I just want to say this. This is my immediate reaction to that ending. Is this not Max? Like, it feels like there's a huge connection between everything, between all these different characters and stuff. it almost feels like the story is being told as if it's the letter that mac wrote that's the letter that he gave to elaine and like elaine is that like it's that relationship that could have happened it feels like there's like not i'm not saying that that's like literal but it almost seems like that's the case it's like this uh this is the kind of thing he would told her that's where this record of it comes from almost it's almost like uh it's almost like the white fall is it is a which this might sound really stupid which you know me i say a lot of stupid things on the show it almost feels like it's different like dimensions or times that are crossing over at the same point like it almost feels like to me like mac was like a representation of him from the future where he did abandon his kid uh it almost it almost even seems like gracie and like other characters could have been like his uh mel it could have been his daughter uh all through these different time periods where they have intersected because of like this one act of like a person at the very beginning which is the catalyst of this conflict which is like mel showing up being like i'm pregnant and how did this version of these people respond it almost seems because right now the there's a lot of things that like i don't know if i'm if it's just going completely over my head right but it seems like one this the setup in this like almost like the first half of the story almost felt like almost like a little bit like a nothing burger once again though if i went back and reread it maybe i would catch new things but it felt like it was just like it took a while to get there it took it took a while to get there in the sense that the first half of the story is legitimately who are these characters and why are they on the road in the way that like we didn't even and like who are these characters and why are they on the road it's more so like who are these like who is uh stikes and who are the accompanying characters in this bus or whatever like even Gracie and her boyfriend, there's points where I was like, man, you know, it would have been really nice if that guy would have stayed and he would have been the one to initiate this like weird cannibalism thing.

3:06:07Cause we've seen how crazy is. And like, there would have been more motive in with Gracie's boyfriend. But one thing that's kind of interesting is that nobody's everybody's who either running away from something or trying to get somewhere is not on this bus or they're like not a part of this white fall terminal. It's like, they're all outside sources that are, that are not like crossing at this point, which is also why I think once again, it's like this weird mashup of like, I don't know. It's just this weird crossover between all these parallel universes and stuff. It's very interesting. I don't know.

3:06:45like I said it just feels like really the beginning of the story is cheesy kind of cornballish in a lot of ways and then it kind of picks up in this weird where it almost just feels like it's a love letter to the mist and it's kind of like doing this thing where people are isolated and then you get like at the end it just feels like towards the end you get all these things where yeah it's cannibalism but you get all these great character moments and these great character pieces where people are kind of like they're either fighting for something or they're able to let go of something like um even mac being like i don't think i'm going to survive this i think is really him as a character saying not that he doesn't deserve it but he's like my life with my daughter is is gone whatever and like this i just wanted to tell her this like this i would never have the relationship that i wanted with my daughter and like you know I fucked up and I did this thing.

3:07:39So it feels like there's like all of these nice resolutions that are happening. And it feels like the same way that like when the guy shoots all those people in the car or whatever, and then he's at the end of the mist. Yeah. And then the thing clears at the end of the mist. It almost feels like these resolutions or almost even, it seems like as soon as Stikes was able to almost eat somebody or consume Mac or whoever it was on the ground, that's whenever the speaker's like, hey, by the way, we're cleared up. The moment everyone in, because he was the last holdout. So it was the moment everyone was either dead or a cannibal.

3:08:19Everyone has been eaten or had eaten. And that doesn't feel random. I feel like there's just something I'm not seeing yet. And I'm curious what some of the commenters say. Well, I think to me, what it is, is everyone who was on here had at least the ones we get from our group uh everyone who was on here had a determination to change or do something or survival or something like that right so our main character is obvious mel going to be a father stuff like that you have mac who was determined to see his daughter you had gracie who was determined to be a survivor and get away from what they had done And then you had Dylan who had the determination to go see Sam and like the relationship hadn't worked before, but this time he was going to make it work.

3:09:08So you had all these people who were going to change things. They had done a lot wrong in their life or had a lot done wrong to them. And now they were getting away from it. So it is almost in that sense that the White Falls station acts as purgatory. not in the way a lot of us think of like, oh, it's a place we wait until we get to pass on to the other side, but purgatory in a traditional Catholic sense of a place of penance, right? Where you have to be put into and you have to either be lost forever or you have to rise to the occasion. You have to meet the challenge. It seems a challenge here.

3:09:47If we want to take cannibalism as a stand-in for determination, it was a dedication to survive, even if it means throwing away what you know of your humanity, your purpose. Cause the whole time our main character was Chris was fighting back against the idea of cannibalism. Cause it's losing your humanity. It's throwing it away, but it is through sacrificing his humanity that he manages to live. So it's almost like a message of these people have to lose everything they know in order to find something new. And those that aren't able to do that not only drag themselves down, but everyone else down who dies in the meantime.

3:10:28There's also a lot of selfishness seen from the people that do die. Acker's a survivor, but other than him, you have the Polacks, the daughter who sacrifices her father, and then she herself dies, and you have the people making deals with Kansas City to kill the others, and all kinds of stuff like that. You have... Go ahead. Go ahead. What were you saying? No, go ahead. So you have people who are determined to be selfish from the get-go, but it's almost like in a thematic sense, they don't make it because they were sacrificing for the sake of self, right? There was no greater determination. Where you have salvation through our characters sacrificing for the sake of something greater.

3:11:19if that be to get to Sam if that be to get back to be a father, to be with Mel and things like that you have sacrifice with purpose versus a throwing away of a humanity you don't care for for selfishness like yeah sure Emily gave up her dad but then she died the next day, it meant nothing so to me it feels like which I have to brew on it a bit more but it feels like the Whitefall Station is a stand in for a payment of a bus ticket almost, of something you have to pay for, something to go through that's only one night, but feels like months for the people that are in it. Which it corresponds really well with Feed the Pig there.

3:11:58When we were reading it, I didn't want to say that. It had that same theme of like a Feed the Pig kind of mean. Yeah, you got to crawl through it to get through it. Yeah. That being said, there was still a couple things because I agree. I think that like all of it feels like payment. It also feels like fighting people who have maybe, which maybe not so much for Gracie, but I guess it's people that are standing up for themselves or for the things that they want the most, like Gracie being like, I'm not going to be abused anymore and I'm going to leave this like a toxic environment. But I feel like for, um, Stikes, it's like a matter of doing basically like changing his life for the things that he wants in terms of like his like family and shit.

3:12:39The only thing that, the only thing that I thought was interesting is that Acner is the opposite of everybody there so far a little bit. but Ackner was mostly the guy who was taking his family for granted. And one thing I really wish happened was that whenever the buses came to pick him up, like maybe he lost his ticket or he wasn't able to leave or something. Him kind of getting this, I mean, like, yeah, he gets punched in the face at the end, but it's like he still gets out of it. It's like, I'm still, once again. I really like he lost his ticket. That sounds awesome. You know what I mean? like something everyone else is dead or leaves and then like the bus leaves without him gosh that would have been oh that would have been so well but once again it doesn't feel random i'm wondering like i would love to hear i'm sure some people that were reading this were more maybe more receptive to it but i would love to to know people's basically like description or decipher of his character because i will say i really liked him as a villain like i know we did the I did the flaunty, uh, kind of like bombastic voice or whatever, but it like, honestly, I was kind of getting into it just because of like how overly evil and like selfish and disgusting, like his like character traits were.

3:13:54It was almost like comical, like using that voice and it like fit, you know? Um, but I'm just, I'm still lost on that. It seems like so many people, maybe, maybe if you view it like objectively, like not in a sense of morality, but in an objection of like, if you want to get through, you've got to be willing to, you know, put away your humanity. Maybe that's just easy for someone like Acker who wasn't held on to it because he did have something he was trying to get for in that final line where he's like, oh, I'm going to see my girlfriend. So there was something he wanted to get on the other side of.

3:14:24But when he was presented, it was like, you have to abandon your humanity to get out. He said, no problem, and just dove into it. So maybe then it's kind of a harsh lesson, but similar to Lord of the Flies, Maybe it's just the idea of those who are willing to throw off societal ties for the sake of their own survival tend to be, you know, tend to be the ones who survive without a system of governance. Might does make right when it comes to living. This had a kind of maybe not as poignant, but like Lord of the Flies has this great ending where the people show up and all the kids basically return to being children.

3:15:02And they're just a crime, you know, that's a great. That's the best moment of the book to me. That makes the whole book. Exactly. and the uh in this part with actner pulling out the candy bars which is not like that would have saved him but it's just this idea that's like you had this thing but yet you still i i love him pulling out the candy i thought that was a great moment i thought that was the strongest moment i just thought that was really fun there's a lot to chew on man i don't know like i mean there is it's weird because a story that i underestimated at the midway point and was getting upset with kind of i mean because i thought we were falling into some of the tropes yeah full transparency i I mean, like we went to use like a restroom break, whatever.

3:15:39And we were just kind of sitting there being like, I don't know. Like, I'm just not really sure. And luckily, I don't know. Like this is the. And this is the second time recently where we've read something in like it's one of those images to me, which is going to be stupid. And I really I kind of hate these like meme template engagement based engagement based engagement bait post. But it's like that thing where it's like a stick figure horse at the beginning and then turns into like a fully rendered drawing or whatever. and people are like, what's, what movies started is like this. You know what I mean?

3:16:08Where it's like beginning like that, the fully rendered parts, awesome. And then the stick figures, like it went to shit to me. It's literally that moment though, where it's just like this first half was just like, it's just so cheesy. So cornbally, like them rooting for me, like he beats up the guy and they're all like, yeah, and they throw them off. And it's like this kind of weird moment. But once again, CK Walker just does this great thing where she's able to, uh, I don't know. She just makes you give a fuck about characters really strong with dialogue. That's the weird thing too, is it's either sometimes it's like so comically Marvel or cringe, you know?

3:16:42And then other moments it's like, she has you in the palm of her hand. It's very, I, I, that, that dynamic is so polarizing, but I think that's also what makes it so fun. Makes you want to stay around. But yeah, any final thoughts or, or is that it? Okay. I don't know what happened, but while I was in the discord call, it showed that I joined it twice and then it wasn't letting me when I'd leave it wouldn't let me come back in so I'm now talking to you on the phone oh well the ending of Whitefall was so good it's almost like maybe she has these ideas for moments like the ending of Whitefall and the bus station and all that and then she draws out the moment she wants and they're excellent and then she's like alright and I'm going to have fun in between and I feel like you know funny enough this is the thing I was going to say earlier that I said it's safe to the end her writing reminds me so much of Stephen King because personally I don't like Stephen King's writing that much I think he's a great writer and I love a lot of his concepts but I don't like reading Stephen King books because in my opinion they so often have excellent ideas and these really cool premises and obviously he's a horror juggernaut right but the reading of it like the in-between will have so much fluff or it will meander or it'll have these goofy moments that throw you off from the main point, that it feels like a lot of his, to me, a lot, which again, who am I to talk about Stephen King?

3:18:08A lot of his stuff, I almost feel like would be better as a novella sometimes. And I think his best writings are his novellas. Things like The Shawshank Redemption and I think The Green Mile was also one, wasn't it? Yep. Or maybe Rocky. Yep, no, it is. Because when it's more concise, it sticks with it. And I was thinking about how C.K. Walker's writing reminds me of Stephen King. and then there's that scene where it's like, oh, Stephen King, he's a mastermind. So, you know, there's probably a bunch of people, including our audience, who do not mind the goofiness at all, who don't mind, you know, Akra being like playing nice, and they can still, but it doesn't take away from the seriousness of it.

3:18:47For me, I have such a problem with it pulling down the weight of everything else around it. And don't get me wrong, the story to me, in my opinion, certainly pulled itself back up by the end that I was hooked and I was in it. but for me the quips bring it down so much but there's a lot of people who probably like that and it doesn't bother them and i more power to you yeah no i mean you're right and it's just a subjective thing i mean that's just all personal taste and that's just for our you know that this is just our opinion so it definitely if you i wouldn't say that that's just all subjective i guess i would like if someone's like oh i like it i wouldn't be like how you know it's just of course yeah i get i get it yeah this story was more than worth reading for uh the ending i think so i mean absolutely i enjoyed it it makes so much sense to me and this will be my last thing is it just makes so much sense that she's had success with screenplay writing that ending shot with him walking up and the people waiting up the the bus station so much of what she writes i'm just i just picture it i'm like i'm it's just so clear in my head and i'm like that yeah let's translate so naturally to like i mean screenplays for something for for you to watch and you know just sit back the bus appearing from the whiteness and then man when he pulled out that candy bar i could see it in my head yeah like the focus arriving on it as it comes out did you picture did you picture the rappers being like super super clean i did i was like oh my god polished super polished and i imagined chris next to it just staring at it open mouth look it hasn't seen a candy bar in weeks gone pale and he just had one the whole time just excellent stuff like that i do so i do see how it makes sense for akar to live from the sake of like hey maybe might makes right but gosh i love the idea you said if he forgot his ticket i just it to me that's when i was like waiting for it too i was like oh my god i was like waiting for a moment for me to like stand up and be like yeah because fuck that guy yeah but yeah just i don't know i once again i feel like someone's gonna have a comment or something that's just perceives in some way where i'm gonna be like oh yeah exactly exactly well i uh yeah i i'm really glad we read it uh CK Walker needs no introduction, obviously.

3:20:52We will be linking the book, though. We will be linking the book, the Boroska, of course, which, you know, the OG, and we'll have her website linked in the description as well. And yeah, I agree with you. It makes so much sense that she's so successful as a screenwriter because similar to King, who I like more as a screenwriter typically than the actual books, a lot of the visuals are so beautiful, translate so well, so I get it. So yeah, I enjoyed it. We'll have her stuff linked in the description. one of the juggernauts of the creepypasta or online horror space. So we certainly enjoyed and hopefully you all do too.

3:21:24Guys, if you're listening on Spotify or Apple podcast, take a second to maybe give us a nice rating. It does help us out. And then also thank you to our patrons who do support the channel and help us just kind of keep this thing going and have some fun stuff, some extra goodies on the side. So thank you so much. But until next time, guys, stay creeped and we'll see you in the next one. Stay creeped. And, you know, moral of the story, maybe sometimes you got to eat an old man. I don't know when you'd find yourself in that situation, but you should try it sometime. Bye.

3:22:21Thank you.

3:22:45Thank you.

3:23:15Thank you.

3:23:45Thank you.

3:24:15Thank you.

3:24:45Thank you.