WEBVTT - SYSK’s Scare Your Socks Off Halloween Spooktacular 2019 0:00:01.840 --> 0:00:05.880 Hey everyone, it's me Josh. Happy Halloween. Uh, we just 0:00:05.920 --> 0:00:08.119 wanted to give you guys the heads up that Jerry 0:00:08.119 --> 0:00:11.879 went all out with this Halloween episode and there is 0:00:11.920 --> 0:00:16.280 a moment of surprisingly graphic violence. Is brief and it's quick, 0:00:16.480 --> 0:00:18.479 but we just wanted to give a heads up to 0:00:18.520 --> 0:00:21.080 all the people who are sensitive to violence and all 0:00:21.120 --> 0:00:23.840 the parents. So at any rate, on with the show. 0:00:31.720 --> 0:00:34.080 Welcome to Stuff. You should know a production of I 0:00:34.200 --> 0:00:41.839 Heart Radios, How Stuff Works, And welcome to the podcast. 0:00:42.479 --> 0:00:50.319 I'm Josh Clark. There's Charles w Spooktacular Bryant. I think 0:00:50.360 --> 0:00:52.920 I would have had something better than that. And there's 0:00:53.000 --> 0:00:56.640 Jerry over there. She's spooky all year round. So nothing 0:00:56.720 --> 0:01:00.880 nothing different here, nothing different. How you do. I'm great. 0:01:00.920 --> 0:01:05.440 I'm ready to get our Halloween read on. It's exciting. 0:01:05.640 --> 0:01:08.120 This is how many years in a row? Oh? Man, 0:01:08.160 --> 0:01:09.919 I don't know. I think it goes back to something 0:01:10.000 --> 0:01:14.840 like two thousand and ten, maybe, I think. And uh, 0:01:14.880 --> 0:01:16.560 we don't want to pat ourselves in the back too much, 0:01:16.560 --> 0:01:19.280 but we have made great efforts everyone to keep the 0:01:19.319 --> 0:01:25.160 Halloween and Christmas episodes ad free at great peril. Oh yeah, 0:01:25.360 --> 0:01:28.360 it's kind of like a constant clashing of swords against 0:01:28.400 --> 0:01:32.399 our shields and saying back back Huskies, and we've we've 0:01:32.600 --> 0:01:34.759 done a good job with it so far. That's right. 0:01:34.800 --> 0:01:36.679 So we are you won't hear any ads on this 0:01:36.720 --> 0:01:40.160 episode because that really kills the buzz of the mood. 0:01:40.600 --> 0:01:42.920 You will hear those in our we're doing a shorty 0:01:42.959 --> 0:01:45.440 Halloween reading. In fact, I think that came out just 0:01:45.560 --> 0:01:49.200 prior to this one, and uh, we didn't fight that battle, 0:01:49.240 --> 0:01:52.920 so sorry about that. Hopefully that was a nice little 0:01:52.960 --> 0:01:55.080 warm up for this one though. Yeah, just get your primed. 0:01:55.400 --> 0:01:58.400 And this year, Chuck, we're doing one by an amazing 0:01:58.440 --> 0:02:01.280 author who hasn't been dead for a hundred and fifty years. 0:02:01.280 --> 0:02:05.280 Philip K. Dick, that's right, who wrote Do Androids Dream 0:02:05.320 --> 0:02:10.320 of Electric Sheep, which became Blade Runner, um A Scanner Darkly, 0:02:10.720 --> 0:02:15.200 all sorts of amazing stuff, right, Uh, Minority Report, I think, 0:02:15.360 --> 0:02:17.400 and this one. He also wrote a bunch of short 0:02:17.440 --> 0:02:20.280 stories and this one I found was like in the 0:02:20.320 --> 0:02:22.919 public domain, so I said, let's do Philip K. Dick. 0:02:23.200 --> 0:02:25.720 That's right, he said, heck, yes, let's do Philip K. Dick, 0:02:25.840 --> 0:02:28.840 because we don't want to get sued by the Dick foundation. No, 0:02:29.120 --> 0:02:31.400 so we wanted to make sure that everyone knows this 0:02:31.440 --> 0:02:34.680 is public domain. That's right. So, uh do you want 0:02:34.680 --> 0:02:38.280 to get started? Uh? Yeah, who's We haven't discussed order 0:02:38.280 --> 0:02:41.040 anything usually freewheel it. Do you have this thing segmented out? 0:02:41.160 --> 0:02:43.000 Or you just want to knock me over the head 0:02:43.040 --> 0:02:45.280 when I've gotten too far, I think we'll be able 0:02:45.280 --> 0:02:47.440 to tell. And if not, you know, we'll just edit 0:02:47.440 --> 0:02:53.440 out the roughness about that. Who's going to start? I'll start? Okay, 0:02:53.400 --> 0:02:55.240 you're ready. I like the story, by the way. I 0:02:55.360 --> 0:02:58.040 love it. It's good. By the way, This is The 0:02:58.120 --> 0:03:06.639 Hanging Stranger by Phil up k Dick. At five o'clock, 0:03:07.040 --> 0:03:09.760 ed Lewis washed up, tossed on his hat and coat, 0:03:10.080 --> 0:03:12.760 got his car out, and headed across town towards his 0:03:12.800 --> 0:03:16.680 TV sales store. He was tired. His back and shoulders 0:03:16.720 --> 0:03:19.440 ached from digging dirt out of the basement and wheeling 0:03:19.440 --> 0:03:22.399 it into the backyard, but for a forty year old man, 0:03:22.560 --> 0:03:25.280 he had done okay. Janet could get a new vase 0:03:25.360 --> 0:03:27.720 with the money he saved, and he liked the idea 0:03:27.760 --> 0:03:31.840 of repairing the foundations himself. It was getting dark. The 0:03:31.880 --> 0:03:35.800 setting sun cast long rays over the scurrying commuters, tired 0:03:35.840 --> 0:03:39.280 and grim faced women loaded down with bundles and packages, 0:03:39.680 --> 0:03:43.400 students swarming home from the university, mixing with clerks and 0:03:43.440 --> 0:03:47.240 businessmen and drab secretaries. He stopped his packard for a 0:03:47.280 --> 0:03:50.320 red light and then started it up again. The store 0:03:50.360 --> 0:03:53.080 had been open without him. He arrived just in time 0:03:53.120 --> 0:03:55.800 to spell the help for dinner, go over the records 0:03:55.840 --> 0:03:58.600 of the day, maybe even close a couple of sales himself. 0:03:59.280 --> 0:04:01.680 He drove slow. He passed the small square of green 0:04:01.760 --> 0:04:04.720 in the center of the street, the town park. There 0:04:04.720 --> 0:04:07.440 were no parking places in front of Lois TV Sales 0:04:07.480 --> 0:04:10.840 and Service. He cursed under his breath and swung the 0:04:10.880 --> 0:04:13.640 car in a U turn. Again, he passed the little 0:04:13.680 --> 0:04:16.840 square of green with its lonely drinking fountain and bench 0:04:16.920 --> 0:04:21.040 and single lamp post. From the lamp post, something was hanging, 0:04:21.520 --> 0:04:24.599 a shapeless, dark bundle, swinging a little with the wind, 0:04:25.040 --> 0:04:27.960 like a dummy of some sort. Lois rolled down his 0:04:28.000 --> 0:04:30.880 window and peered out. What the hell was it? A 0:04:31.000 --> 0:04:34.320 display of some kind. Sometimes the Chamber of Commerce put 0:04:34.360 --> 0:04:37.159 up displays in the square. Again, he made a U 0:04:37.240 --> 0:04:40.120 turn and brought his car around. He passed the park 0:04:40.160 --> 0:04:43.920 and concentrated on the dark bundle. It wasn't a dummy, 0:04:44.160 --> 0:04:46.479 and if it was a display, it was a strange kind. 0:04:47.200 --> 0:04:49.960 The hackles on his neck rose and he swallowed uneasily. 0:04:50.400 --> 0:04:53.320 Sweat slid out on his face and hands. It was 0:04:53.360 --> 0:05:02.200 a body, a human body. Han, that's you, buddy, all right, 0:05:02.360 --> 0:05:06.200 So TV salesman, I'm really glad his wife is gonna 0:05:06.200 --> 0:05:08.400 be able to buy that new vase. Sure. I thought 0:05:08.400 --> 0:05:11.280 that was a weird detail too, because he's digging out 0:05:11.320 --> 0:05:14.520 the foundation of his house, which I think is is 0:05:14.560 --> 0:05:17.920 that a red herring? We'll find out. We'll find out. 0:05:21.880 --> 0:05:24.880 Look at it, Lloyd snapped, Come on out here. Don 0:05:24.920 --> 0:05:28.159 Ferguson came slowly out of the store, buttoning his pin 0:05:28.240 --> 0:05:31.640 striped coat with dignity. This is a big deal, Ed. 0:05:32.120 --> 0:05:35.560 I can't just leave the guy standing there, see it, 0:05:35.920 --> 0:05:39.360 Ed pointed into the gathering gloom, the lamp post jutted 0:05:39.400 --> 0:05:42.200 up against the sky, the post and the bundle swinging 0:05:42.240 --> 0:05:45.360 from it. There it is. How the hell long has 0:05:45.400 --> 0:05:49.680 it been there? His voice rose excitedly. What's wrong with everybody? 0:05:49.880 --> 0:05:54.040 They just walk on past? Don Ferguson lit a cigarette. Slowly, 0:05:54.680 --> 0:05:57.440 take it easy, old man, there must be a good reason, 0:05:57.560 --> 0:06:00.920 or it wouldn't be there. A reason, kind of a reason. 0:06:01.760 --> 0:06:05.600 Ferguson shrugged, like the time the traffic Safety Council put 0:06:05.640 --> 0:06:08.640 that wrecked buick there, some sort of civic thing. How 0:06:08.680 --> 0:06:13.640 would I know, Geez, Ferguson's uptight. Yeah, yeah, a little uptight. 0:06:13.680 --> 0:06:17.880 Shir Jack Potter from the shoe shop joined them. What's up, boys, 0:06:18.520 --> 0:06:21.120 there's a body hanging from the lamp post. Lloy said, 0:06:21.640 --> 0:06:23.960 I'm going to call the cops, and they must know 0:06:23.960 --> 0:06:26.599 about it, Potter said, or otherwise it wouldn't be there. 0:06:28.000 --> 0:06:30.600 I got to get back in. Ferguson headed back into 0:06:30.600 --> 0:06:36.840 the store. Business before Pleasure Lois began to get hysterical. 0:06:37.160 --> 0:06:40.120 You see it, You see it hanging there, A man's body, 0:06:40.400 --> 0:06:43.800 a dead man. Sure, Ed, I saw it this afternoon 0:06:43.839 --> 0:06:46.159 when I went out for coffee. You mean it's been 0:06:46.200 --> 0:06:49.840 there all afternoon? Sure, what's the matter? Potter glanced at 0:06:49.880 --> 0:06:53.159 his watch. Have to run see you later, ed. Potter 0:06:53.240 --> 0:06:55.960 hurried off, joining the flow of people moving along the sidewalk, 0:06:56.400 --> 0:06:59.400 men and women passing by the park. A few glanced up, 0:06:59.440 --> 0:07:03.279 curious at the dark bundle, and then went on. Nobody 0:07:03.360 --> 0:07:08.599 stopped nobody paid any attention. Very good check. That was 0:07:08.640 --> 0:07:11.960 really good. Yeah, apparently no one is concerned about this 0:07:12.480 --> 0:07:15.280 person hanging there, but ed Llois, which is a little 0:07:15.280 --> 0:07:22.720 weird if you think about it. I'm going nuts, Lowis whispered. 0:07:23.160 --> 0:07:25.040 He made his way to the curb and crossed out 0:07:25.040 --> 0:07:28.600 into traffic. Among the cars, horns honked angrily at him. 0:07:28.840 --> 0:07:30.880 He gained the curb and stepped up onto the little 0:07:30.920 --> 0:07:34.240 square of green. The man had been middle aged. His 0:07:34.320 --> 0:07:37.400 clothing was ripped and torn, a gray suit, splashed and 0:07:37.440 --> 0:07:41.040 caked with dried mud. A stranger. Lewis had never seen 0:07:41.120 --> 0:07:44.240 him before, not a local man. His face was partly 0:07:44.280 --> 0:07:47.040 turned away, and in the evening win he spun a little, 0:07:47.280 --> 0:07:52.480 turning gently silently. His skin was gouged and cut, red, gashes, 0:07:52.560 --> 0:07:56.040 deep scratches of congealed blood. A pair of steel rimmed 0:07:56.040 --> 0:08:00.560 glasses hung from one ear, dangling foolishly. His eyes bulged, 0:08:01.160 --> 0:08:05.320 his mouth was open, tongue thick and ugly blue. For 0:08:05.400 --> 0:08:09.239 heaven's sake, Llois muttered, sickened. He pushed down his nausea 0:08:09.360 --> 0:08:11.560 and made his way back to the sidewalk. He was 0:08:11.600 --> 0:08:17.400 shaking all over with revulsion and fear. Why, who was 0:08:17.440 --> 0:08:20.160 the man, why was he hanging there? What did it mean? 0:08:20.880 --> 0:08:25.200 And why didn't anybody notice? He bumped into a small 0:08:25.240 --> 0:08:28.360 man hurrying along the sidewalk. Watch it, the man grated, 0:08:28.600 --> 0:08:33.440 Oh it's you. Ed, Ed nodded dazedly, Hello, Jenkins, what's 0:08:33.480 --> 0:08:36.480 the matter. The stationary clerk caught Ed's arm. You look 0:08:36.559 --> 0:08:41.120 sick the body there in the park. Sure, Ed Jenkins 0:08:41.240 --> 0:08:43.880 led him into the alcove of Loys TV Sales and Service. 0:08:43.960 --> 0:08:47.600 Take it easy, Margaret Henderson, from the jewelry store joined them. 0:08:48.000 --> 0:08:52.240 Something wrong. Ed's not feeling well? Lois yanked himself free. 0:08:52.360 --> 0:08:55.040 How can you stand here? Don't you see it? For 0:08:55.160 --> 0:08:59.880 God's sake, what's he talking about? Margaret asked nervously. The body, 0:09:00.080 --> 0:09:03.960 Edge shouted the body hanging there? More people collected. Is 0:09:04.000 --> 0:09:07.360 he sick? Is Ed? Lloys? You okay? Yet? The body? 0:09:07.640 --> 0:09:11.360 Lloys screamed, Struggling to get past them, hands caught at him. 0:09:11.559 --> 0:09:14.720 He tore loose, Let me go the police, Get the police. 0:09:15.640 --> 0:09:20.080 Ed better, get a doctor. He must be sick or drunk. 0:09:20.880 --> 0:09:23.320 Loys fought his way through the people. He stumbled and 0:09:23.360 --> 0:09:26.280 half fell through a blur. He saw rows of faces, 0:09:26.280 --> 0:09:30.160 curious concerned, anxious men and women halting to see what 0:09:30.200 --> 0:09:33.360 the disturbance was. He fought past them towards his store. 0:09:33.840 --> 0:09:36.880 He could see Ferguson inside talking to a man showing 0:09:36.920 --> 0:09:40.000 him an Emerson TV set, Pete Foley in the back 0:09:40.040 --> 0:09:42.040 of the service counter setting up a new fil COO. 0:09:42.760 --> 0:09:46.160 Lloys shouted at them frantically. His voice was lost in 0:09:46.200 --> 0:09:50.280 the roar of traffic and the murmuring around him. Do something, 0:09:50.440 --> 0:09:54.840 he screamed, don't stand there, do something. Something's wrong, something's happened, 0:09:54.880 --> 0:09:58.760 things are going on. The crowd melted respectfully for the 0:09:58.800 --> 0:10:04.400 two heavy set cops moving efficiently towards Lois Man. No 0:10:04.400 --> 0:10:08.360 one's listening to Lois. He's also losing his bananas. Yeah, 0:10:08.760 --> 0:10:10.120 as they say, I think I would have handled a 0:10:10.160 --> 0:10:13.040 little differently. But what would you have done? I don't know. 0:10:13.080 --> 0:10:15.920 I'm not I'm not judging it. Llois. Alright, alright, So 0:10:15.960 --> 0:10:21.720 the cops are approaching. Here, here we come. Name the 0:10:21.760 --> 0:10:25.400 cop with the notebook, murmured Lois. He mopped his head wearily. 0:10:25.800 --> 0:10:31.040 Edward CLIs, listen to me back there, address, the cop demanded. 0:10:31.520 --> 0:10:34.360 The police car moved swiftly through traffic, shooting among the 0:10:34.360 --> 0:10:38.440 cars and busses. Lois sagged against the seat, exhausted and confused. 0:10:38.920 --> 0:10:44.160 He took a deep, shuddering breath. Eight Hurst Road, that's 0:10:44.160 --> 0:10:47.800 here in Pikeville. That's right. Lis pulled himself up with 0:10:47.800 --> 0:10:51.720 a violent effort. Listen to me back there in the square, 0:10:51.760 --> 0:10:54.080 hanging from the lamp post. Where where are you today? 0:10:54.240 --> 0:10:58.240 The cop behind the wheel demanded where. Leois echoed, You 0:10:58.280 --> 0:11:01.280 weren't in your shop. Where are you? No, he shook 0:11:01.280 --> 0:11:03.720 his head. No, I was at home, down in the basement, 0:11:04.080 --> 0:11:08.480 in the basement, digging a new foundation, getting out the 0:11:08.480 --> 0:11:11.760 dirt to poor submit frame. Why what has this got 0:11:11.760 --> 0:11:15.680 to do with Was anybody else down there with you? No? 0:11:16.000 --> 0:11:18.920 My wife was downtown, my kids were at school. Lois 0:11:19.040 --> 0:11:21.680 looked from one heavy set cop to the other. Hope 0:11:21.720 --> 0:11:25.800 flickered across his face. Wild, hope you mean because I 0:11:25.840 --> 0:11:29.640 was down there, I missed the explanation. I didn't get 0:11:29.679 --> 0:11:32.800 in on it like everybody else. After a pause, the 0:11:32.840 --> 0:11:37.000 cop with the notebook said, that's right, you missed the explanation. 0:11:38.000 --> 0:11:40.920 Then it's official. The body is is supposed to be 0:11:41.000 --> 0:11:44.280 hanging there. It's supposed to be hanging there for everybody 0:11:44.360 --> 0:11:48.680 to see. Ed, Lloys grinned weekly good lord. I guess 0:11:48.720 --> 0:11:51.120 I sort of went off the deep end. I thought 0:11:51.520 --> 0:11:54.280 maybe something had happened, you know, something like the Ku 0:11:54.360 --> 0:11:58.960 Klux Klan, some kind of violence, communist or fascist taking over. 0:11:59.640 --> 0:12:02.560 He why his face with his breast, pocket handkerchief, his 0:12:02.679 --> 0:12:05.520 hands shaking. I'm glad to know what's on the level. 0:12:06.080 --> 0:12:09.400 It's on the level. The police car was getting near 0:12:09.480 --> 0:12:12.640 the Hall of Justice. The sun had set, the streets 0:12:12.679 --> 0:12:15.400 were gloomy and dark. The lights had not yet come on. 0:12:16.160 --> 0:12:19.199 I feel better, Lloys said. I was pretty excited there 0:12:19.200 --> 0:12:21.719 for a minute. I guess I got all stirred up. 0:12:22.120 --> 0:12:24.559 Now that I understand, there's no need to take me in, 0:12:24.640 --> 0:12:32.920 is there? The two cops said, nothing very nice. You're ready? Yeah, 0:12:33.080 --> 0:12:36.320 it's eating up. I know you're a tough act to follow, 0:12:36.440 --> 0:12:41.560 but here I go. I should be back at my store. 0:12:41.720 --> 0:12:44.360 The boys haven't had dinner. I'm all right now. No 0:12:44.400 --> 0:12:48.200 more trouble, is there any need of This won't take long. 0:12:48.240 --> 0:12:51.839 The cop behind the wheel interrupted a short process, only 0:12:51.880 --> 0:12:55.480 a few minutes. I hope it's short, Lloys muttered. The 0:12:55.559 --> 0:12:58.440 car slowed down for a stoplight. I guess I sort 0:12:58.480 --> 0:13:01.840 of disturbed the peace funny getting excited like that, and 0:13:02.280 --> 0:13:04.840 Loy's yanked the door open and he sprawled out into 0:13:04.840 --> 0:13:07.600 the street and rolled to his feet. Cars were moving 0:13:07.600 --> 0:13:10.640 all around him, gaining speed as the light change. Loyce 0:13:10.720 --> 0:13:13.600 leaped onto the curb and raced among the people, burrowing 0:13:13.640 --> 0:13:17.520 into the swarming crowds. Behind him, he heard sounds, shouts, 0:13:17.920 --> 0:13:22.080 people running. They weren't cops. He'd realize that right away. 0:13:22.640 --> 0:13:25.440 He knew every cop in Pike Bill. A man couldn't 0:13:25.480 --> 0:13:27.960 own a store, operate a business in a small town 0:13:28.000 --> 0:13:30.559 for twenty five years without getting to know all the cops. 0:13:31.120 --> 0:13:34.880 They weren't cops, and there hadn't been any explanation Potter 0:13:35.040 --> 0:13:38.160 Ferguson Jenkins. None of them knew why it was there. 0:13:38.520 --> 0:13:41.680 They didn't know, and they didn't care. That was the 0:13:41.760 --> 0:13:46.040 strange part. Lloyd stucked into a hardware store. He raced 0:13:46.040 --> 0:13:49.240 toward the back, past the startled clerks and customers, into 0:13:49.240 --> 0:13:52.280 the shipping room and through the back door. He tripped 0:13:52.280 --> 0:13:54.440 over a garbage camp and ran up a flight of 0:13:54.480 --> 0:13:58.120 concrete steps. He climbed over a fence and jumped down 0:13:58.120 --> 0:14:02.800 on the other side, gasping and panting. There was no 0:14:02.880 --> 0:14:08.959 sound behind him. He had gotten away. I think it's 0:14:09.000 --> 0:14:11.240 back to you, man, all right. So he made a 0:14:11.280 --> 0:14:13.760 run for it, he did, and now he's kind of 0:14:13.880 --> 0:14:18.760 safe for the moment. For the moment. He was at 0:14:18.760 --> 0:14:21.240 the entrance of an alley, dark and strewn with boards 0:14:21.240 --> 0:14:24.160 and ruined boxes and tires. He could see the street 0:14:24.200 --> 0:14:27.000 at the far end. A street light wavered and came 0:14:27.080 --> 0:14:32.520 on men and women stores, neon signs. Cars. Into his 0:14:32.640 --> 0:14:38.200 right the police station. He was close, terribly close, past 0:14:38.240 --> 0:14:41.000 the loading platform of a grocery store, rose the white 0:14:41.040 --> 0:14:45.280 concrete side of the Hall of Justice, barred windows, the 0:14:45.320 --> 0:14:49.479 police antenna, a great concrete wall rising up in the darkness, 0:14:49.520 --> 0:14:52.280 A bad place for him to be near. He was 0:14:52.360 --> 0:14:55.880 too close. He had to keep moving, get farther away 0:14:55.880 --> 0:15:00.920 from them. Them loys moved cautiously down the alley. Beyond 0:15:00.920 --> 0:15:03.520 the police station was the City Hall, the old fashioned 0:15:03.600 --> 0:15:07.080 yellow structure of wood and gilded brass and broad cement steps. 0:15:07.720 --> 0:15:10.760 He could see the endless rows of offices, dark windows, 0:15:11.080 --> 0:15:13.200 the cedars and beds of flowers on each side of 0:15:13.240 --> 0:15:18.720 the entrance, and something else. Above the City Hall was 0:15:18.760 --> 0:15:22.280 a patch of darkness, a cone of gloom, denser than 0:15:22.320 --> 0:15:25.720 the surrounding night, a prism of black that spread out 0:15:26.000 --> 0:15:30.000 and was lost into the sky. Weird, I know, very weird. 0:15:30.320 --> 0:15:33.560 He listened. Good God, he could hear something, something that 0:15:33.560 --> 0:15:36.600 made him struggle frantically to close his ears, his mind 0:15:37.040 --> 0:15:42.000 to shut out the sound. A buzzing, a distant, muted hum, 0:15:42.040 --> 0:15:47.160 like a great swarm of bees. Oh boy, things are 0:15:47.160 --> 0:15:50.320 getting bad. It is. Whenever you see a cone of 0:15:50.400 --> 0:15:53.920 gloom denser than the surrounding night, that's not a good sign. 0:15:54.640 --> 0:16:00.000 All right, go ahead. Bloys gazed up, rigid with horror, 0:16:00.400 --> 0:16:04.080 the splotch of darkness hanging over City Hall, darkness so 0:16:04.200 --> 0:16:08.800 thick it seemed almost solid in the vortex. Something moved, 0:16:09.240 --> 0:16:15.080 flickering shapes, things descending from the sky, pausing momentarily above 0:16:15.120 --> 0:16:18.080 the City Hall, fluttering over it in a dense swarm, 0:16:18.440 --> 0:16:22.880 and then dropping silently on to the roof. Shapes, fluttering 0:16:22.920 --> 0:16:25.960 shapes from the sky from the crack of darkness that 0:16:26.040 --> 0:16:30.880 hung above him. He was seeing them for a long time. 0:16:30.960 --> 0:16:34.720 Lois watched, crouched behind a sagging fence in a pool 0:16:34.760 --> 0:16:38.640 of scummy water. They were landing, coming down in groups, 0:16:38.960 --> 0:16:42.320 landing on the roof of the City Hall and disappearing inside. 0:16:43.080 --> 0:16:47.120 They had wings, like giant insects of some kind. They 0:16:47.200 --> 0:16:50.160 flew and fluttered and came to rest, and then crawled 0:16:50.480 --> 0:16:54.480 crab fashioned sideways across the roof and into the building. 0:16:55.480 --> 0:17:00.760 He was sickened and fascinated. Cold night wind loo around him, 0:17:00.800 --> 0:17:04.600 and he shuddered. He was tired days with shock. On 0:17:04.680 --> 0:17:07.320 the front steps of the City Hall, where men standing here, 0:17:07.320 --> 0:17:09.840 and there groups of men coming out of the building 0:17:10.080 --> 0:17:13.240 and halting for a moment before going on. Were there 0:17:13.280 --> 0:17:17.000 more of them? It didn't seem possible. What he saw 0:17:17.080 --> 0:17:20.480 descending from the black chasm weren't men. They were alien 0:17:21.040 --> 0:17:24.720 from some other world, some other dimension, sliding through the slit, 0:17:25.400 --> 0:17:28.640 this break in the shell of the universe, entering through 0:17:28.680 --> 0:17:35.760 this gap, winged insects from another realm of being. That's 0:17:35.800 --> 0:17:40.159 me hitting the tennis ball back to you. This is 0:17:40.359 --> 0:17:43.240 uh is getting pretty scary. I think so too. I mean, 0:17:43.280 --> 0:17:46.840 now we've got winged insect aliens coming from a chasm 0:17:46.880 --> 0:17:49.720 in the sky onto city Hall, or do we just 0:17:49.760 --> 0:17:53.920 have a man losing his mind. That's a really good question, Chuck. 0:17:54.000 --> 0:17:59.760 Let's explore that further. On the steps of the city Hall, 0:18:00.000 --> 0:18:02.280 group of men broke up. A few moved toward a 0:18:02.280 --> 0:18:05.159 waiting car. One of the remaining shapes started to re 0:18:05.440 --> 0:18:08.800 enter the city hall. It changed its mind and turned 0:18:08.800 --> 0:18:12.440 to follow the others. Loy's closed his eyes in horror. 0:18:13.080 --> 0:18:15.840 Since is reeled. He hung on tight, clutching at the 0:18:15.880 --> 0:18:19.760 sagging fence. The shape, the man shape, had abruptly fluttered 0:18:19.840 --> 0:18:22.639 up and flapped after the others. It flew to the 0:18:22.680 --> 0:18:27.280 sidewalk and came to rest among them. Pseudo men imitation men, 0:18:28.160 --> 0:18:32.879 insects with ability to disguise themselves as men, like other 0:18:33.000 --> 0:18:39.520 insects familiar to earth protective coloration mimicry. Loys pulled himself away. 0:18:39.840 --> 0:18:42.679 He got slowly to his feet. It was night. The 0:18:42.760 --> 0:18:45.800 alley was totally dark, but maybe they could see in 0:18:45.840 --> 0:18:50.560 the dark. Maybe darkness made no difference to them. He 0:18:50.800 --> 0:18:53.800 left the alley cautiously and moved out onto the street. 0:18:54.080 --> 0:18:57.359 Men and women flowed past, but not so many. Now 0:18:58.080 --> 0:19:01.040 At the bus stops stood waiting groups. A huge bus 0:19:01.119 --> 0:19:04.960 lumbering along the street, its lights flashing in the evening gloom. 0:19:05.080 --> 0:19:08.440 Loys moved forward. He pushed his way among those waiting, 0:19:08.680 --> 0:19:11.160 and when the bus halted, he boarded it and took 0:19:11.160 --> 0:19:14.080 a seat in the rear by the door. A moment later, 0:19:14.119 --> 0:19:16.879 the bus moved into life and rumbled down the street. 0:19:18.040 --> 0:19:21.520 Loys relaxed a little. He studied the people around him, dull, 0:19:22.200 --> 0:19:26.840 tired faces, people going home from work, quite ordinary faces. 0:19:27.400 --> 0:19:30.760 None of them paid any attention to him. All sat quietly, 0:19:31.080 --> 0:19:33.879 sunk down in their seats, jiggling with the motion of 0:19:33.920 --> 0:19:37.679 the bus. The man sitting next to him unfolded a newspaper. 0:19:38.040 --> 0:19:40.719 He began to read the sports section, his lips moving. 0:19:40.920 --> 0:19:45.679 An ordinary man, blue suit tie, a businessman or a salesman, 0:19:45.760 --> 0:19:48.720 on his way home to his wife and family. Cross 0:19:48.720 --> 0:19:51.920 the aisle. A young woman perhaps twenty, dark eyes and hair, 0:19:52.040 --> 0:19:55.560 a package on her lap, nyelons and heels, red coat 0:19:55.600 --> 0:19:59.280 and white Angora sweater, gazing absently ahead of her. A 0:19:59.320 --> 0:20:02.120 high school boy why in jeans and black jacket. A great, 0:20:02.119 --> 0:20:05.159 triple chinned woman with an immense shopping bag loaded with 0:20:05.200 --> 0:20:10.159 packages and parcels, her face dim with weariness. Ordinary people, 0:20:10.600 --> 0:20:14.240 the kind that rode the bus every evening, going home 0:20:14.359 --> 0:20:20.840 to their families to dinner. Well, you can make riding 0:20:20.880 --> 0:20:27.240 the bus home to dinner sounds sinister check. Going home 0:20:27.760 --> 0:20:31.760 with their minds, dead controlled, filmed over with the mask 0:20:31.840 --> 0:20:35.280 of an alien being that had appeared and taken possession 0:20:35.320 --> 0:20:40.680 of them, their town, their lives. Himself too, except that 0:20:40.720 --> 0:20:43.240 he had happened to be deep in his cellar instead 0:20:43.280 --> 0:20:47.320 of in the store. Somehow he had been overlooked. They 0:20:47.320 --> 0:20:52.680 had missed him. Their control wasn't perfect, foolproof. Maybe there 0:20:52.680 --> 0:20:57.480 were others. Hope flickered in Loi's They weren't omnipotent. They 0:20:57.480 --> 0:21:01.440 had made a mistake, not gotten control of him. Their net, 0:21:01.760 --> 0:21:05.360 their field of control, had passed over him. He had 0:21:05.400 --> 0:21:09.160 emerged from his cellar as he had gone down. Apparently 0:21:09.240 --> 0:21:12.960 their power zone was limited. A few seats down the aisle, 0:21:13.000 --> 0:21:16.240 a man was watching him. Lois broke off his chain 0:21:16.280 --> 0:21:19.520 of thought. A slender man with dark hair and a 0:21:19.560 --> 0:21:24.440 small mustache, well dressed, brown suit, shiny shoes, a book 0:21:24.480 --> 0:21:29.160 between his small hands. He was watching Loyce, studying him intently. 0:21:29.640 --> 0:21:34.719 He quickly turned away. Lois tensed one of them or 0:21:34.760 --> 0:21:39.119 another they had missed. The man was watching him again, small, 0:21:39.240 --> 0:21:43.719 dark eyes, alive and clever, shrewd, A man too shrewd 0:21:43.800 --> 0:21:47.640 for them, or one of the things, an alien insect 0:21:47.680 --> 0:21:51.919 from beyond the bus halted. An elderly man got on 0:21:52.040 --> 0:21:55.280 slowly and dropped his token into the box. He moved 0:21:55.320 --> 0:21:58.280 down the aisle and took a seat opposite Lois. The 0:21:58.359 --> 0:22:01.679 elderly man caught the sharp eyed man's gaze for a 0:22:01.720 --> 0:22:06.480 split second. Something passed between them, a look rich with meaning. 0:22:07.160 --> 0:22:09.720 Lois got to his feet. The bus was moving. He 0:22:09.840 --> 0:22:12.280 ran to the door one stepped down into the well. 0:22:12.480 --> 0:22:17.160 He yanked the emergency door release. The rubber door swung open. Hey, 0:22:17.240 --> 0:22:19.880 the driver shouted, jamming on his brakes. What the hell? 0:22:21.960 --> 0:22:23.960 I just wanted to keep reading until I got to say, Hell, 0:22:25.119 --> 0:22:29.359 you don't need you to take over? Okay? Lloys squirmed through. 0:22:29.600 --> 0:22:32.879 The bus was slowing down. Houses on all sides, a 0:22:32.960 --> 0:22:37.320 residential district, lawns and tall apartment buildings behind him, the 0:22:37.400 --> 0:22:40.600 bright eyed man had leapt up. The elderly man was 0:22:40.680 --> 0:22:44.159 also on his feet. They were coming after him. Leis leaped. 0:22:44.480 --> 0:22:46.800 He hit the pavement with terrific force and rolled against 0:22:46.800 --> 0:22:50.080 the curb. Pain lapped over him, pain and a vast 0:22:50.119 --> 0:22:53.760 tide of blackness. Desperately, he fought it off. He struggled 0:22:53.760 --> 0:22:56.080 to his knees and then slid down again. The bus 0:22:56.119 --> 0:23:00.320 had stopped. People were getting off. Lois groped around, his 0:23:00.400 --> 0:23:03.840 fingers closed over something, a rock lying in the gutter. 0:23:04.240 --> 0:23:07.159 He crawled to his feet, grunting with pain. A shape 0:23:07.200 --> 0:23:10.639 loomed before him, a man, the bright eyed man with 0:23:10.680 --> 0:23:14.840 a book. Lois kicked. The man gasped and fell. Lois 0:23:14.920 --> 0:23:17.280 brought the rock down. The man screamed and tried to 0:23:17.359 --> 0:23:22.760 roll away. Stop, for God's sakes, listen. He struck again, 0:23:23.359 --> 0:23:27.280 hideous crunching sound. The man's voice cut off and dissolved 0:23:27.280 --> 0:23:30.600 in a bubbling wail. Leois scrambled up and back. The 0:23:30.640 --> 0:23:34.359 others were there now, all around him. He ran awkwardly 0:23:34.359 --> 0:23:38.200 down the sidewalk up a driveway. None of them followed him. 0:23:38.240 --> 0:23:40.879 They had stopped and were bending over the inert body 0:23:40.920 --> 0:23:43.240 of the man with the book, the bright eyed man 0:23:43.280 --> 0:23:45.800 who had come after him. Had he made a mistake, 0:23:46.520 --> 0:23:48.480 But it was too late to worry about that. He 0:23:48.520 --> 0:23:51.159 had to get out away from them, out of Pikeville, 0:23:51.560 --> 0:23:55.040 beyond the crack of darkness, the rent between their world 0:23:55.080 --> 0:24:00.800 and his. He really shakes off a possible murder pretty easy. 0:24:00.960 --> 0:24:03.040 Do you like to worry about that? That's in my past? 0:24:03.680 --> 0:24:09.520 Happened ten seconds ago. I got to move forward, and 0:24:10.359 --> 0:24:14.040 Janet Looys backed away nervously. What is it? What ed? 0:24:14.119 --> 0:24:16.199 Lloys slammed the door behind him and came into the 0:24:16.240 --> 0:24:19.360 living room, pulled down the shades quick. Janet moved toward 0:24:19.400 --> 0:24:22.320 the window. But do as I say. Who else is 0:24:22.359 --> 0:24:26.080 here beside you? Nobody? Just the twins. They're upstairs in 0:24:26.119 --> 0:24:29.120 their room. What happened? You look so strange? Why are 0:24:29.160 --> 0:24:32.879 you home? Do you like the new vase? I pointed, 0:24:32.960 --> 0:24:36.280 with the money we saved, find the foundation work you did, 0:24:36.920 --> 0:24:39.600 and locked the front door. He prowled around the house 0:24:39.640 --> 0:24:42.119 into the kitchen. From the drawer under the sink, he 0:24:42.200 --> 0:24:44.760 slit out the big butcher knife and ran his finger 0:24:44.800 --> 0:24:50.120 along it. Sharp, plenty sharp. He returned to the living room. 0:24:50.320 --> 0:24:52.240 Listen to me, he said, I don't have much time. 0:24:52.640 --> 0:24:55.720 They know I escaped, and they'll be looking for me. Escaped. 0:24:56.000 --> 0:25:00.280