1
00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:07,480
Speaker 1: Hey, this is Anny and Samantha and what coome stuff?

2
00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:18,599
Speaker 1: When ever told you? Prediction of I heard you? And

3
00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:23,040
Speaker 1: welcome back to our fiction series. This is a once

4
00:00:23,079 --> 00:00:25,840
Speaker 1: a month thing we do where we read a fiction

5
00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:29,319
Speaker 1: that I wrote for National Novel Writing Months. So the

6
00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:33,400
Speaker 1: editing is minimal, but Christina makes them sound amazing and

7
00:00:33,440 --> 00:00:35,720
Speaker 1: I like bringing them back because they're kind of fun

8
00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:39,600
Speaker 1: for us to do, but also they're interesting to talk

9
00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:43,080
Speaker 1: about what I was thinking, especially since most of this

10
00:00:43,159 --> 00:00:48,800
Speaker 1: story revolves around motherhood and I'm not a mom. So

11
00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:52,840
Speaker 1: that being said, this is the third of the trilogy,

12
00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:56,320
Speaker 1: the Terminus Trilogy. I can't stop you from listening wherever

13
00:00:56,360 --> 00:00:59,040
Speaker 1: you want to start, but I will say you'd probably

14
00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:02,720
Speaker 1: be lost if you start right here. We've got quite

15
00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:05,479
Speaker 1: a decent amount of these now. Might have to put

16
00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:11,000
Speaker 1: a playlist together, obviously. Yes, this this is the shortest

17
00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:14,280
Speaker 1: of the three. I think we'll be done in two more,

18
00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:18,640
Speaker 1: maybe three, but probably two more. So it's coming to

19
00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:23,640
Speaker 1: an end. That being said, content warning, this is a

20
00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:29,440
Speaker 1: it's pretty dark uh material. I laugh because I'm someone who,

21
00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:32,959
Speaker 1: for some reason seems to find relief in that in

22
00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:35,680
Speaker 1: dark times, but I know that's not the case for everyone,

23
00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:39,600
Speaker 1: and I appreciate that, but yes, this deals with disease,

24
00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:47,160
Speaker 1: end of like humanity discussions, discussion of injuries and painkillers

25
00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:51,040
Speaker 1: very brief, but just put that in there. Infertility, weapons

26
00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:55,600
Speaker 1: and guns, child and daygermint. That doesn't really happen in

27
00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:58,240
Speaker 1: this chapter, but the threat is there the whole time.

28
00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:03,280
Speaker 1: And so two recap. We have our main character, Tilda,

29
00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:06,120
Speaker 1: who has grown up in this world where there is

30
00:02:06,160 --> 00:02:11,680
Speaker 1: a disease that has made pretty much everybody infertile and

31
00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:13,720
Speaker 1: it's very rare to have a child. She happened to

32
00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:17,440
Speaker 1: have a child. There's all of these government and religious

33
00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:22,800
Speaker 1: institutions in place if that happens, and she basically escaped

34
00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:26,119
Speaker 1: with her child and has been hunted ever since. Has

35
00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:32,519
Speaker 1: been roaming the abandoned United States trying to stay away

36
00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:36,080
Speaker 1: to escape from these enforcers as they're called. She runs

37
00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:40,680
Speaker 1: into a resistance who reveals that not only did this

38
00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:45,399
Speaker 1: religious organization create the virus, they also destroyed the vaccine

39
00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:50,560
Speaker 1: when it had been created. So Tilda goes with her

40
00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:54,880
Speaker 1: son Madison into the heart of danger in Washington, DC,

41
00:02:55,800 --> 00:03:00,480
Speaker 1: finds the one remaining vaccine and learns that the leaders

42
00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:07,239
Speaker 1: of this religious organization are her child's grandparents, and so

43
00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:12,040
Speaker 1: there's a scuffle and they are injured, but Tilda and

44
00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:14,880
Speaker 1: Madison managed to escape. After they broadcast out on the

45
00:03:14,919 --> 00:03:19,359
Speaker 1: National Broadcast System the truth of what's happened. They've been

46
00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:23,000
Speaker 1: on their run. Tilda and Madison are wrestling with what

47
00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:26,320
Speaker 1: to do because now the resistance and her mother are

48
00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:28,799
Speaker 1: coming onto this system and saying, hey, we've taken back

49
00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:31,760
Speaker 1: control of Washington, DC. We really need you to come

50
00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:34,160
Speaker 1: back because you kind of have this vaccine and this

51
00:03:34,280 --> 00:03:38,040
Speaker 1: kid and we need to study it. And she's saying like, no,

52
00:03:38,080 --> 00:03:40,040
Speaker 1: we can't do that. I don't trust them, and Madison

53
00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:44,400
Speaker 1: feels really torn about it. And then Madison is taken

54
00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:48,800
Speaker 1: by a rogue, very militaristic group and so she is

55
00:03:48,840 --> 00:03:51,360
Speaker 1: without him for the first time. She doesn't know who

56
00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:53,160
Speaker 1: she is or what to do with that. She doesn't

57
00:03:53,200 --> 00:03:56,280
Speaker 1: know where he went, she doesn't know what she's facing.

58
00:03:56,600 --> 00:03:59,560
Speaker 1: So she's trying to grapple with all of that while

59
00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:07,200
Speaker 1: being farly injured. No weapons, no medicine, nothing, So she's

60
00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:08,760
Speaker 1: still in a really low place. I feel like every

61
00:04:08,840 --> 00:04:12,000
Speaker 1: time I start with this one will be happier, but

62
00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:14,240
Speaker 1: it's still she's still in a really bad place, but

63
00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:17,200
Speaker 1: she's trying to come up with a plan, and that

64
00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:19,440
Speaker 1: is where we are, so let us get into it.

65
00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:38,960
Speaker 1: After a fitful rest, Tilda woke just before sunrise, feeling

66
00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:41,520
Speaker 1: like she'd gotten no sleep at all. She unzipped her

67
00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:45,359
Speaker 1: sleeping bag, goosebumps rippling across her flesh underneath her clothes

68
00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:48,359
Speaker 1: almost instantly, as the cold air nipped at her skin,

69
00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:53,919
Speaker 1: biting into her uncovered face and hands. Teeth chattering, she

70
00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:57,440
Speaker 1: emerged from her cocoon as the sun broke over the horizon,

71
00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:02,000
Speaker 1: rays of bright orange yellow lights towards her, a rosy

72
00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:06,440
Speaker 1: hue dappling the sky. Clumsily and having to start over

73
00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:09,719
Speaker 1: several times, she rolled up her bag and reattached it

74
00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:12,480
Speaker 1: to her backpack, her knee throbbing at the weight she

75
00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:16,440
Speaker 1: put on it. With a grimace, she leaned back towards

76
00:05:16,480 --> 00:05:19,240
Speaker 1: the tree trunk, opening a new bottle of water since

77
00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:22,360
Speaker 1: her other was empty, and swallowing another handful of painkillers.

78
00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:26,600
Speaker 1: The cold liquid frozen in some parts, stinging her throat.

79
00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:29,720
Speaker 1: Hungrier now than she had been in days, she ate

80
00:05:29,760 --> 00:05:32,880
Speaker 1: a tin of fruit, some almonds, and some crushed candy,

81
00:05:33,440 --> 00:05:39,680
Speaker 1: watching as the sun rose over the horizon, wiping crumbs

82
00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:42,799
Speaker 1: from her pants. She cleaned up after herself and repacked,

83
00:05:42,960 --> 00:05:46,560
Speaker 1: all the while looking and listening or any sign of

84
00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:49,320
Speaker 1: the cars or the people occupying them that she'd seen

85
00:05:49,440 --> 00:05:52,560
Speaker 1: last night. She found none, but that did not mean

86
00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:55,919
Speaker 1: that they were not near. She weighed the pros and

87
00:05:56,000 --> 00:05:59,359
Speaker 1: cons of returning to the flat and easily traversible asphalt

88
00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:01,760
Speaker 1: of the road, or if she should travel parallel to

89
00:06:01,800 --> 00:06:07,160
Speaker 1: it at good distance back if it was the Resistance. Well,

90
00:06:07,839 --> 00:06:10,080
Speaker 1: as much as she didn't like the idea, she could

91
00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:13,520
Speaker 1: not deny she could use the help, and they might

92
00:06:13,640 --> 00:06:15,839
Speaker 1: let her stay with Madison if they were able to

93
00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:19,400
Speaker 1: secure him, or she could use them to help her

94
00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:21,280
Speaker 1: with the rescue and then make a run for it.

95
00:06:22,440 --> 00:06:28,159
Speaker 1: They were the more known evil. But if it wasn't

96
00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:30,960
Speaker 1: the Resistance, if it was the group that had taken

97
00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:34,640
Speaker 1: Madison being captured, while it came with the same chance

98
00:06:34,680 --> 00:06:38,440
Speaker 1: of being reunited with her son, it greatly diminished their

99
00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:43,360
Speaker 1: chance of escape. In the end, Tilda decided to walk

100
00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:46,200
Speaker 1: alongside the road, though the lack of trees or anything

101
00:06:46,240 --> 00:06:48,320
Speaker 1: really would not provide her much in the way of cover.

102
00:06:50,560 --> 00:06:54,200
Speaker 1: The sun had still not completed its initials sense. Untilda

103
00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:57,360
Speaker 1: shouldered her pack, pulled up her hood, and started walking

104
00:06:57,440 --> 00:07:00,599
Speaker 1: toward the hazy skyline of the next city, hoping the

105
00:07:00,640 --> 00:07:04,960
Speaker 1: movement would warm her up. She started humming aimlessly, her

106
00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:08,440
Speaker 1: eyes darting shiftily to and from the road, expecting at

107
00:07:08,480 --> 00:07:11,480
Speaker 1: any moment the car to come roaring down it and

108
00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:17,240
Speaker 1: spot her. There were no signs of wildlife, no birds,

109
00:07:17,360 --> 00:07:22,320
Speaker 1: of squirrels, no mice, giving Tilda the unwelcome impression that

110
00:07:22,400 --> 00:07:27,160
Speaker 1: she was the only thing alive in this vicinity, that

111
00:07:27,400 --> 00:07:30,920
Speaker 1: every other living thing knew better than to embark on

112
00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:36,800
Speaker 1: the journey she'd undertaken. Her back and feet ached. As

113
00:07:36,840 --> 00:07:39,960
Speaker 1: the sun arked higher and higher into the sky, the

114
00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:43,640
Speaker 1: air around her losing some of its bitter coldness. The

115
00:07:43,680 --> 00:07:46,000
Speaker 1: outline of the city grew more and more in focus,

116
00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:49,320
Speaker 1: but it was still quite a ways off. As much

117
00:07:49,320 --> 00:07:51,240
Speaker 1: as she didn't want to admit it, she had to

118
00:07:51,280 --> 00:07:53,680
Speaker 1: concede she would probably not make it there today either,

119
00:07:53,880 --> 00:07:57,520
Speaker 1: unless it perhaps had a sprawl of suburbs, so she'd

120
00:07:57,520 --> 00:08:00,840
Speaker 1: probably be spending another night on the coal hard ground,

121
00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:05,040
Speaker 1: jumping at every snapping tree branch and grass rustling in

122
00:08:05,040 --> 00:08:10,760
Speaker 1: the breeze. She came upon another turbine when the sun

123
00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:14,200
Speaker 1: was directly overhead, and she stopped sitting and resting her

124
00:08:14,200 --> 00:08:17,320
Speaker 1: back against the cool metal, stretching out her sore and

125
00:08:17,400 --> 00:08:20,440
Speaker 1: aching legs as she slowly sipped at some water, completed

126
00:08:20,480 --> 00:08:23,520
Speaker 1: her new pill regiment, and munched on a granola bar

127
00:08:24,440 --> 00:08:30,360
Speaker 1: apple cinnamon. With careful hands, Tilda inspected her nose, still

128
00:08:30,440 --> 00:08:32,680
Speaker 1: sensitive to the touch, and the part of her ankle

129
00:08:32,760 --> 00:08:37,200
Speaker 1: accessible outside of her shoe. The swelling had gone down considerably,

130
00:08:37,640 --> 00:08:41,400
Speaker 1: but some still remained. Her wrist had returned to its

131
00:08:41,480 --> 00:08:44,760
Speaker 1: usual size, and apart from some pain from rotating it,

132
00:08:44,760 --> 00:08:49,360
Speaker 1: it was almost completely recovered. Her torso was still extremely

133
00:08:49,400 --> 00:08:52,000
Speaker 1: tender to the touch and flared at any prodding or movement.

134
00:08:53,080 --> 00:08:56,320
Speaker 1: As with most things, she'd just have to live with it.

135
00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:01,400
Speaker 1: While digging for her pills, she found the dry shampoo

136
00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:05,760
Speaker 1: she'd taken from the pharmacy. Despite the nastiness of her hair,

137
00:09:06,040 --> 00:09:09,360
Speaker 1: hard and stringy on her face and neck, she'd forgotten

138
00:09:09,360 --> 00:09:12,800
Speaker 1: about it. She read the directions and worked a small

139
00:09:12,840 --> 00:09:15,600
Speaker 1: amount of the fresh smelling gel into her hands and

140
00:09:15,600 --> 00:09:20,000
Speaker 1: massaged it suspiciously into her scalp, combing her fingers through

141
00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:25,240
Speaker 1: her tangled and unyielding shrands. Specks of dark blood fell away,

142
00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:28,440
Speaker 1: and some crimson streaked her hand as she worked the

143
00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:35,240
Speaker 1: substance into her hair. Wait, the directions instructed next, so

144
00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:38,400
Speaker 1: she did, wishing she had some type of reflective surface,

145
00:09:39,960 --> 00:09:44,920
Speaker 1: and that was it. She replaced the bottle, wondering if

146
00:09:44,960 --> 00:09:48,360
Speaker 1: it had worked it all. Her hair did feel lighter,

147
00:09:48,480 --> 00:09:51,040
Speaker 1: and it was definitely smelling better, but now it had

148
00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:53,760
Speaker 1: a greasy quality that she could only hope when away

149
00:09:53,880 --> 00:09:59,480
Speaker 1: as it dried. After her brief respite, she walked several

150
00:09:59,520 --> 00:10:02,320
Speaker 1: hours more or eventually coming upon to sign that red

151
00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:05,720
Speaker 1: white pine, and just ahead of that she could see

152
00:10:05,720 --> 00:10:11,199
Speaker 1: a smattering of buildings. Beyond that was the small city

153
00:10:11,240 --> 00:10:13,560
Speaker 1: Tilda had been seen for the past few days. Set

154
00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:17,480
Speaker 1: against the mountains, Tilda felt a quiet relief that she

155
00:10:17,520 --> 00:10:21,000
Speaker 1: wouldn't have to sleep outside again tonight. That was dampened

156
00:10:21,040 --> 00:10:23,960
Speaker 1: by the roads she could see smoking off in different directions.

157
00:10:24,880 --> 00:10:28,880
Speaker 1: Her path forward was no longer clear. Not only that,

158
00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:31,959
Speaker 1: but she would only guess that the people she'd seen

159
00:10:32,080 --> 00:10:34,600
Speaker 1: drive by the previous night were holed up somewhere in

160
00:10:34,640 --> 00:10:40,320
Speaker 1: this medium sized town. Tilda cut across the field diagonally

161
00:10:40,360 --> 00:10:43,400
Speaker 1: as she neared the outskirts, old signs for restaurants and

162
00:10:43,480 --> 00:10:47,400
Speaker 1: hotels peppering the horizon. She wondered if there was anywhere

163
00:10:47,400 --> 00:10:49,080
Speaker 1: that she could go that might not have been cleaned

164
00:10:49,080 --> 00:10:51,800
Speaker 1: out of weapons, if her next best move would be

165
00:10:51,840 --> 00:10:54,320
Speaker 1: to search this place for something to help her get

166
00:10:54,360 --> 00:10:57,640
Speaker 1: Madison back and safely away while she figured out what

167
00:10:57,800 --> 00:11:03,160
Speaker 1: direction they'd taken him. Every sense alert, Tilda entered the

168
00:11:03,160 --> 00:11:06,800
Speaker 1: boundaries of White Pine, walking past to spread out large

169
00:11:06,800 --> 00:11:10,520
Speaker 1: white houses with large fields at first, but then the

170
00:11:10,559 --> 00:11:13,760
Speaker 1: streets grew more populated, punctuated with a pop of color

171
00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:19,760
Speaker 1: in the form of bright red fire hydrants. She crept

172
00:11:19,800 --> 00:11:23,280
Speaker 1: along the side of these buildings, every window she imagined

173
00:11:23,320 --> 00:11:25,840
Speaker 1: to have someone peeking out of it, just waiting for

174
00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:30,800
Speaker 1: the opportunity to sneak up on her. Everyone who had

175
00:11:30,840 --> 00:11:33,840
Speaker 1: lived in these houses would have taken anything of use

176
00:11:33,920 --> 00:11:37,520
Speaker 1: till the reasoned she needed to go further in town,

177
00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:40,800
Speaker 1: closer she was sure to the danger posed by the

178
00:11:40,800 --> 00:11:45,600
Speaker 1: people she'd seen the night before. She cut through backyards,

179
00:11:45,640 --> 00:11:49,760
Speaker 1: staying low and pausing at the corners of houses, listening, assessing.

180
00:11:50,760 --> 00:11:53,120
Speaker 1: At one point she reached for Madison, only to be

181
00:11:53,160 --> 00:11:59,600
Speaker 1: reminded unforgivingly that he was not there. Swallowing tightly, she

182
00:11:59,679 --> 00:12:02,439
Speaker 1: crossed the street as quickly as her injured ankle would allow,

183
00:12:02,640 --> 00:12:07,000
Speaker 1: closing in on the signs hovering overhead. Her heart pounded,

184
00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:10,360
Speaker 1: eyes bouncing from one abandoned car to the next, searching

185
00:12:10,400 --> 00:12:15,120
Speaker 1: for any side of movement of life. She turned onto

186
00:12:15,160 --> 00:12:18,160
Speaker 1: the main strip, finding many signs she'd come to recognize

187
00:12:18,200 --> 00:12:20,760
Speaker 1: in her years as a nomad wandering through the lands

188
00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:25,040
Speaker 1: abandoned cities, signs that dotted every mid size town to

189
00:12:25,040 --> 00:12:29,520
Speaker 1: a large city. If Madison were here, he'd make guesses

190
00:12:29,559 --> 00:12:34,800
Speaker 1: to their purpose what they used to be. Tilda also

191
00:12:34,920 --> 00:12:38,400
Speaker 1: knew from experience not to expect anything useful from most

192
00:12:38,440 --> 00:12:41,800
Speaker 1: of these places. What she was looking for now was

193
00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:45,120
Speaker 1: a store, or a police station, maybe a jail, all

194
00:12:45,160 --> 00:12:48,839
Speaker 1: of which was largely hit or miss as well. As

195
00:12:48,880 --> 00:12:51,319
Speaker 1: she walked down the street, her next sore from her

196
00:12:51,360 --> 00:12:55,319
Speaker 1: constant craning and twisting, she sought out road signs, hoping

197
00:12:55,360 --> 00:12:57,720
Speaker 1: to maybe look at her map and figure out possible

198
00:12:57,720 --> 00:13:01,480
Speaker 1: destinations of the people she was seeking. From what she

199
00:13:01,559 --> 00:13:05,720
Speaker 1: could gather. There were two main highways, one going north

200
00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:09,120
Speaker 1: and one southwest, as along with the one she was

201
00:13:09,160 --> 00:13:15,360
Speaker 1: currently on. A smaller interstate. Heading west, her mind went

202
00:13:15,480 --> 00:13:19,200
Speaker 1: back to that tank. She didn't know much about them,

203
00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:21,280
Speaker 1: but she figured that it took a lot to fuel

204
00:13:21,320 --> 00:13:24,280
Speaker 1: something of that size, and that it used a specialized fuel.

205
00:13:25,920 --> 00:13:28,400
Speaker 1: Tilda started to search for any signs of a nearby

206
00:13:28,559 --> 00:13:31,400
Speaker 1: army base, promising to peruse her map for one. When

207
00:13:31,400 --> 00:13:34,440
Speaker 1: she found a place to settle for the night, she

208
00:13:34,559 --> 00:13:37,800
Speaker 1: found a sign that read police station and county jail.

209
00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:42,560
Speaker 1: Pointing right, Tilda followed them to a dingy looking cement building.

210
00:13:43,720 --> 00:13:46,760
Speaker 1: There were still some police cars parked outside in surprisingly

211
00:13:46,840 --> 00:13:51,280
Speaker 1: good condition. Tilda peered into their windows, tested their doors,

212
00:13:51,320 --> 00:13:56,400
Speaker 1: but they were all walked and the insides looked bare. Next,

213
00:13:56,559 --> 00:13:59,520
Speaker 1: Tilda followed the sidewalk alongside the edge of the building

214
00:13:59,520 --> 00:14:04,720
Speaker 1: to the front door, but it was chained shut. Frustrated,

215
00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:07,319
Speaker 1: she shook the chain and wedged the doors apart as

216
00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:09,160
Speaker 1: far as she could to see if she could slip through,

217
00:14:09,160 --> 00:14:12,679
Speaker 1: but to no avail. Glancing over her shoulder, she circled

218
00:14:12,679 --> 00:14:15,120
Speaker 1: around to the back, but that door too was locked.

219
00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:19,360
Speaker 1: Unwilling to give up quite yet, she made sure there

220
00:14:19,360 --> 00:14:22,000
Speaker 1: were no windows along the wall before looping around to

221
00:14:22,040 --> 00:14:25,360
Speaker 1: the other side, where she found a sizeable vent high

222
00:14:25,360 --> 00:14:27,760
Speaker 1: off the ground, large enough for her to slip through

223
00:14:27,760 --> 00:14:31,120
Speaker 1: if she could reach it. Looking around for something she

224
00:14:31,160 --> 00:14:33,640
Speaker 1: could move and climb on top of, she saw some

225
00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:37,720
Speaker 1: toppled trash cans. She lifted one easily with only the

226
00:14:37,800 --> 00:14:40,880
Speaker 1: smallest twinge in her wrist, and carried it over, settling

227
00:14:40,920 --> 00:14:46,200
Speaker 1: it just underneath the opening of the vent. She tested

228
00:14:46,200 --> 00:14:47,560
Speaker 1: the top of the trash can to see if it

229
00:14:47,560 --> 00:14:51,120
Speaker 1: would hold her weight. It seemed sturdy enough. She was

230
00:14:51,120 --> 00:14:53,120
Speaker 1: more worried about the balancing act she'd have to pull

231
00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:56,160
Speaker 1: off to keep it from toppling over and injuring herself.

232
00:14:56,280 --> 00:15:01,720
Speaker 1: More carefully, using her her good wrist to brace against

233
00:15:01,760 --> 00:15:04,360
Speaker 1: the wall and her good ankle to hoist herself up,

234
00:15:04,760 --> 00:15:07,080
Speaker 1: she climbed onto the lid of the can, almost crying

235
00:15:07,080 --> 00:15:10,080
Speaker 1: aloud at the sudden pain in her knee, swiftly followed

236
00:15:10,080 --> 00:15:13,840
Speaker 1: by a constellation of pain in her side. Taking several

237
00:15:13,840 --> 00:15:16,960
Speaker 1: steading breasts, she ever so slowly stood one leg at

238
00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:20,080
Speaker 1: a time until she was upright her forehead. Even with

239
00:15:20,160 --> 00:15:24,000
Speaker 1: the bottom edge of the vent's opening. She'd have to

240
00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:27,760
Speaker 1: hoist herself up. On a good day with no injuries,

241
00:15:27,800 --> 00:15:30,680
Speaker 1: this would not have been an easy task, and what

242
00:15:30,720 --> 00:15:33,960
Speaker 1: if she got trapped inside? What if there were no weapons?

243
00:15:34,760 --> 00:15:39,000
Speaker 1: Tilda hovered indecisively, staring at the opening, maintaining a tenuous

244
00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:42,920
Speaker 1: hold on her balance. She curled her fingers around the

245
00:15:43,040 --> 00:15:45,720
Speaker 1: edge of the vent, now entertaining the possibility that there

246
00:15:45,760 --> 00:15:47,760
Speaker 1: was a grate that would prevent her passage if she

247
00:15:47,800 --> 00:15:52,280
Speaker 1: should somehow make it up there. You've got hope sometime

248
00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:58,240
Speaker 1: for something, her mom's words echoed in her ears. Taking

249
00:15:58,280 --> 00:16:01,240
Speaker 1: a deep breath, she pushed herself off the trash can

250
00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:04,560
Speaker 1: with her calves while simultaneously pulling upwards with her arms.

251
00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:07,880
Speaker 1: The trash can clattered to the ground with a loud

252
00:16:07,880 --> 00:16:10,640
Speaker 1: clang as Tilda's chest hit the metal edge of the vent.

253
00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:14,560
Speaker 1: Her feet scrabbled against the slippery cement wall, and she

254
00:16:14,680 --> 00:16:17,560
Speaker 1: used her elbows to slowly lift her body until her

255
00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:21,480
Speaker 1: torso was inside, and she crawled forward, pulling her legs

256
00:16:21,520 --> 00:16:24,440
Speaker 1: in after her. With a tired breath that reverberated off

257
00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:28,920
Speaker 1: the metal walls. Sore and hardly believing she'd done it,

258
00:16:29,320 --> 00:16:32,200
Speaker 1: she went forward on her hands and knees, stale air

259
00:16:32,360 --> 00:16:37,000
Speaker 1: drying out her throat. She came to a grate. Looking

260
00:16:37,040 --> 00:16:41,280
Speaker 1: through it, she could make out several machines, papers, pins, pencils,

261
00:16:41,400 --> 00:16:45,160
Speaker 1: supplies like that. Her fingers felt along the edges, looking

262
00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:50,520
Speaker 1: for a weakness. Something snacked on her sleeve. Upon investigation,

263
00:16:50,760 --> 00:16:55,400
Speaker 1: it was a metal switch. Tentatively, she pulled it, startling

264
00:16:55,480 --> 00:16:58,160
Speaker 1: violently when the grate clanged open and fell with a

265
00:16:58,200 --> 00:17:02,360
Speaker 1: loud racket. Once again recovering her breath, she poked her

266
00:17:02,360 --> 00:17:05,360
Speaker 1: head out the opening, doing her usual scan for threats.

267
00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:09,760
Speaker 1: The room was dark, the hallway it opened into even

268
00:17:09,840 --> 00:17:13,520
Speaker 1: darker chess Below her was a bulky machine topped with

269
00:17:13,560 --> 00:17:17,400
Speaker 1: what appeared to be a plate of glass. Tilda righted

270
00:17:17,480 --> 00:17:20,159
Speaker 1: herself and dangled her legs out the opening, and with

271
00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:25,560
Speaker 1: as controlled emotion as possible, dropped onto the machine. It

272
00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:30,919
Speaker 1: wobbled disconcertedly, but held her weight. Blinking against the dark,

273
00:17:31,040 --> 00:17:33,880
Speaker 1: she lowered herself into a crouch and then slid off

274
00:17:33,880 --> 00:17:36,639
Speaker 1: the side of the machine, exhaling in relief. On her

275
00:17:36,680 --> 00:17:40,960
Speaker 1: feet came into contact with solid ground. When looking around

276
00:17:40,960 --> 00:17:43,840
Speaker 1: did little to clarify her surroundings, she reached into her

277
00:17:43,880 --> 00:17:47,000
Speaker 1: pack side pocket and pulled out the flashlight, cooking it

278
00:17:47,080 --> 00:17:52,640
Speaker 1: on and illuminating the gloom. She stepped into the main hallway,

279
00:17:52,920 --> 00:17:57,640
Speaker 1: shining her light down both ends, listening intently. To her

280
00:17:57,720 --> 00:18:01,359
Speaker 1: right was the back exit. Directly across from her was

281
00:18:01,400 --> 00:18:07,200
Speaker 1: a room marked evidence room and weapons check. Stealing herself,

282
00:18:07,280 --> 00:18:10,960
Speaker 1: Tilda tested the handle, only to find, of course, it

283
00:18:11,040 --> 00:18:14,720
Speaker 1: was locked. Why did it matter whether they locked up

284
00:18:14,840 --> 00:18:18,040
Speaker 1: when they left? Tilda thought and annoyance, staring at the

285
00:18:18,080 --> 00:18:22,119
Speaker 1: pain of metal and hoping it would disappear. Giving up

286
00:18:22,160 --> 00:18:25,080
Speaker 1: on the idea that she'd somehow managed to melt her obstacle,

287
00:18:25,520 --> 00:18:28,760
Speaker 1: Tilda proceeded towards the front entrance, testing the doors. Along

288
00:18:28,760 --> 00:18:33,040
Speaker 1: the way. She explored what looked like an interrogation room,

289
00:18:33,040 --> 00:18:36,320
Speaker 1: which was completely barren, and an office across from that,

290
00:18:36,359 --> 00:18:38,919
Speaker 1: where she found a small handgun taped beneath one of

291
00:18:38,960 --> 00:18:42,960
Speaker 1: the drawers. It didn't look like much, and peruising through

292
00:18:43,040 --> 00:18:45,800
Speaker 1: the other drawers and shelves produced no AMMO, but she

293
00:18:45,840 --> 00:18:49,399
Speaker 1: did feel better having it. The desk was decorated with

294
00:18:49,480 --> 00:18:53,800
Speaker 1: pictures of a happy looking family. She wondered if they

295
00:18:53,840 --> 00:18:59,040
Speaker 1: were still alive somewhere. The next two offices offered much

296
00:18:59,119 --> 00:19:02,159
Speaker 1: less in terms of usefulness. One of them did have

297
00:19:02,200 --> 00:19:05,359
Speaker 1: a pack of dry noodles, some hand sanitizer, and tissues.

298
00:19:06,119 --> 00:19:08,800
Speaker 1: The other had a number of childish drawings pinned up

299
00:19:08,840 --> 00:19:12,720
Speaker 1: to the back wall that made Tilda's heart peek. Though

300
00:19:12,840 --> 00:19:16,200
Speaker 1: she searched, she still found no keys for the evidence room.

301
00:19:18,040 --> 00:19:20,560
Speaker 1: The front office was outfitted with two desks in the

302
00:19:20,600 --> 00:19:24,160
Speaker 1: back corners, rows of chairs lying the walls just inside

303
00:19:24,200 --> 00:19:27,800
Speaker 1: the entrance. Tilda swept her light along the wall over

304
00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:32,280
Speaker 1: most wanted pictures, flyers for lost loved ones, mostly children

305
00:19:32,359 --> 00:19:36,560
Speaker 1: reading have you Seen Me? In blocky clinical text, and

306
00:19:36,760 --> 00:19:40,560
Speaker 1: safety posters. Tilda went through the desk to her right, first,

307
00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:43,080
Speaker 1: looking with some confusion at a line of dolls with

308
00:19:43,160 --> 00:19:47,600
Speaker 1: gently bobbing heads. Most of the characters looked to be animals.

309
00:19:48,840 --> 00:19:52,000
Speaker 1: The drawers were filled with papers, office supplies, candy wrappers,

310
00:19:52,560 --> 00:19:56,720
Speaker 1: nothing useful apart from a pack of batteries. A sound

311
00:19:56,720 --> 00:19:59,399
Speaker 1: outside caught Tilda's attention, and her head shot up just

312
00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:02,000
Speaker 1: as her body dropped behind the desk. Out of instinct.

313
00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:05,840
Speaker 1: She waited, holding her breath to better hear, but all

314
00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:10,520
Speaker 1: she detected was silence. After a while, she stood slowly,

315
00:20:10,840 --> 00:20:14,040
Speaker 1: feeling on edge, and made her way to the other desk.

316
00:20:14,720 --> 00:20:17,600
Speaker 1: As her fingers searched underneath the wood panel under the

317
00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:22,400
Speaker 1: computer she felt something. Her flashlight revealed a small red button.

318
00:20:24,880 --> 00:20:27,760
Speaker 1: Although she knew pressing it would almost certainly not result

319
00:20:27,760 --> 00:20:30,200
Speaker 1: in any action, since power here had long been out,

320
00:20:31,240 --> 00:20:33,359
Speaker 1: she did not risk it, thinking of how loud an

321
00:20:33,359 --> 00:20:35,920
Speaker 1: alarm would sound in this new silence that settled over

322
00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:39,600
Speaker 1: everything like a shroud, a thin layer of dust coating

323
00:20:39,640 --> 00:20:43,960
Speaker 1: their very existence. In the drawer she found a stack

324
00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:47,399
Speaker 1: of newspaper clippings. She was going to ignore them, but

325
00:20:47,480 --> 00:20:50,280
Speaker 1: one of the headlines caught her attention, and she spread

326
00:20:50,320 --> 00:20:55,520
Speaker 1: them out on the desk. New virus renders victim sterile

327
00:20:56,000 --> 00:21:00,440
Speaker 1: CDC stumped this must be from the first outbreak of

328
00:21:00,600 --> 00:21:03,360
Speaker 1: HSV five, before people knew that it couldn't be cured,

329
00:21:03,760 --> 00:21:06,320
Speaker 1: what it could do, that it was relentless and would

330
00:21:06,359 --> 00:21:10,639
Speaker 1: bring humanity to its knees. She skimmed the article, wanting

331
00:21:10,680 --> 00:21:15,520
Speaker 1: to scream into the past. There were quotes from doctors

332
00:21:15,600 --> 00:21:18,320
Speaker 1: confessing that they'd never seen anything quite like it before,

333
00:21:18,359 --> 00:21:21,119
Speaker 1: but that they were confident they could contain it, that

334
00:21:21,119 --> 00:21:25,240
Speaker 1: a cure could be found. The next few clippings detailed

335
00:21:25,359 --> 00:21:28,040
Speaker 1: HSV five spread around the world as doctors tried to

336
00:21:28,040 --> 00:21:32,520
Speaker 1: stop it, thousands of cases all over the globe, and

337
00:21:32,600 --> 00:21:36,480
Speaker 1: those were only the ones reported. Some teenagers were stoned

338
00:21:36,520 --> 00:21:39,200
Speaker 1: to death at the proof written on their faces that

339
00:21:39,240 --> 00:21:43,080
Speaker 1: they'd had sex outside of wedlock, and then a piece

340
00:21:43,119 --> 00:21:45,840
Speaker 1: advising parents to talk to their children about the dangers

341
00:21:45,840 --> 00:21:48,880
Speaker 1: of having sex and for young adults to refrain until

342
00:21:48,920 --> 00:21:53,760
Speaker 1: the underlying cause of HSV five was covered. Some charts

343
00:21:53,960 --> 00:21:57,000
Speaker 1: showing the projected decline of the population at the current rate,

344
00:21:57,560 --> 00:22:01,840
Speaker 1: estimates of the number affected. An opinion piece about how

345
00:22:01,880 --> 00:22:04,560
Speaker 1: it was our punishment from God for having sex so

346
00:22:04,680 --> 00:22:08,840
Speaker 1: casually and lacking so much moral fiber and respect for

347
00:22:08,880 --> 00:22:12,400
Speaker 1: the life of a fetus. Some stories from a local

348
00:22:12,440 --> 00:22:16,800
Speaker 1: paper about cases shutting down the high school. Interviews with

349
00:22:16,920 --> 00:22:22,240
Speaker 1: frightened people on the streets. An emergency task force formed,

350
00:22:23,080 --> 00:22:26,680
Speaker 1: a new government brought in, granted more powers than ever

351
00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:30,639
Speaker 1: before in a democracy. As panic spread, the President asking

352
00:22:30,720 --> 00:22:35,080
Speaker 1: residents to refrain from looting from destruction, the government announcing

353
00:22:35,119 --> 00:22:40,119
Speaker 1: conception centers, the rise of arm the creation of the

354
00:22:40,160 --> 00:22:44,879
Speaker 1: Board of Better Parenting, the relocation of people into bigger

355
00:22:44,920 --> 00:22:50,720
Speaker 1: cities near five main hubs. Tilda froze staring at some

356
00:22:50,800 --> 00:22:53,600
Speaker 1: pixelated dots that came together to form the image of

357
00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:57,280
Speaker 1: Arin and Angela Delanne, standing seriously to the side of

358
00:22:57,320 --> 00:23:03,120
Speaker 1: the then president. Everyone had gone along with this. There

359
00:23:03,160 --> 00:23:07,720
Speaker 1: have been little resistance, But what could people have done?

360
00:23:07,960 --> 00:23:13,560
Speaker 1: What else was there to do? Tilda's fingers rifled through

361
00:23:13,560 --> 00:23:16,720
Speaker 1: the papers for the next headline, but there was none.

362
00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:19,480
Speaker 1: She supposed that the person who had been collecting these

363
00:23:19,480 --> 00:23:24,399
Speaker 1: had either relocated themselves, or paper had ceased being delivered

364
00:23:25,560 --> 00:23:31,520
Speaker 1: or stopped being printed. Altogether, the story fell incomplete. Even

365
00:23:31,520 --> 00:23:35,640
Speaker 1: though Tilda had experienced what happened after this, there were

366
00:23:35,800 --> 00:23:39,879
Speaker 1: no papers anymore to give her the context of what

367
00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:46,200
Speaker 1: was going on, no detailed analysis and interviews, another lost

368
00:23:46,200 --> 00:23:50,240
Speaker 1: to lament. After a moment, she decided to place the

369
00:23:50,280 --> 00:23:54,640
Speaker 1: clippings in the front pocket of her pack. She resumed

370
00:23:54,640 --> 00:23:57,520
Speaker 1: her search, rifling through the top drawer and then the bottom,

371
00:23:57,680 --> 00:24:00,240
Speaker 1: lifting the plastic organizer, more out of anee to be

372
00:24:00,320 --> 00:24:04,200
Speaker 1: thorough than any expectation of discovery, only to touch something

373
00:24:04,280 --> 00:24:09,160
Speaker 1: jagged and cold and metal keys, she thought, excitedly, retrieving

374
00:24:09,200 --> 00:24:12,119
Speaker 1: the jangling keychain, hitting her hip and cursing loudly in

375
00:24:12,160 --> 00:24:15,959
Speaker 1: her eagerness to get out from behind the desk. Recovering quickly,

376
00:24:16,080 --> 00:24:17,440
Speaker 1: she went to the end of the hall and began

377
00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:21,520
Speaker 1: testing each key in the lock both ways. The fourth

378
00:24:21,640 --> 00:24:23,960
Speaker 1: key slid home and she twisted it to the left

379
00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:26,879
Speaker 1: with a heavy thunk. Tilda pulled the key free and

380
00:24:26,920 --> 00:24:29,520
Speaker 1: pushed the door open, coughing against a puff of dust,

381
00:24:29,720 --> 00:24:32,960
Speaker 1: the particles of which danced in the light from her flashlights.

382
00:24:33,720 --> 00:24:36,280
Speaker 1: Hinges groaned as they were opened for the first time

383
00:24:36,320 --> 00:24:39,720
Speaker 1: in many years, and Tilda stepped inside, waving away the dust.

384
00:24:41,160 --> 00:24:44,720
Speaker 1: Inside were rows of metal shelving behind a glass pane

385
00:24:44,720 --> 00:24:48,920
Speaker 1: and a chain link door. Tilda tested the door. When

386
00:24:48,960 --> 00:24:51,359
Speaker 1: it didn't give, she went through key after key until

387
00:24:51,359 --> 00:24:53,639
Speaker 1: she heard the click of the right one, grimising at

388
00:24:53,640 --> 00:24:57,440
Speaker 1: the squealing sound it made when she swung it free

389
00:24:57,480 --> 00:25:00,200
Speaker 1: without wasting any time, Tilda started to sort through the

390
00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:04,920
Speaker 1: evidence boxes, finding mostly powders and pills, some needles knives.

391
00:25:05,280 --> 00:25:07,399
Speaker 1: She pocketed the ones that had a housing from the

392
00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:11,159
Speaker 1: blade inside the handle, a rather large handgun, and a

393
00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:14,480
Speaker 1: box of AMMO, which she took as well. The next

394
00:25:14,560 --> 00:25:18,960
Speaker 1: row produced much of the same, mostly drugs. What did

395
00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:24,040
Speaker 1: they need to cope with? Back then, Tilda wondered. The

396
00:25:24,160 --> 00:25:28,080
Speaker 1: row over was weapons checkout. Tilda looked down at it

397
00:25:28,080 --> 00:25:31,480
Speaker 1: for a moment, thinking about the god machine and the tank.

398
00:25:32,920 --> 00:25:35,560
Speaker 1: A lot of the weapons were missing, taken when the

399
00:25:35,600 --> 00:25:39,239
Speaker 1: town emptied. Tilda imagined whoever had locked the doors had

400
00:25:39,280 --> 00:25:42,560
Speaker 1: probably had the intention of staying here, of coming back.

401
00:25:44,240 --> 00:25:46,119
Speaker 1: She wondered what got in the way of their plan,

402
00:25:46,520 --> 00:25:49,000
Speaker 1: or if they had just up changed their mind one day.

403
00:25:49,840 --> 00:25:51,800
Speaker 1: A large part of her suspected it was the person

404
00:25:51,800 --> 00:25:53,840
Speaker 1: who had sat at that desk where she'd found the

405
00:25:53,840 --> 00:25:59,840
Speaker 1: newspaper clippings and the keys, but it didn't matter. She

406
00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:02,400
Speaker 1: she wandered into the room as one into a museum,

407
00:26:02,680 --> 00:26:05,640
Speaker 1: pulling down a shotgun from the rack, caging its weight

408
00:26:06,560 --> 00:26:10,120
Speaker 1: good for close encounters. She remembered a lot of firepower,

409
00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:14,480
Speaker 1: a lot of kick. She'd never shot one, though this

410
00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:17,800
Speaker 1: was information she picked up during her brief stay with Resistance.

411
00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:21,719
Speaker 1: Underneath the shotgun she found a box of AMMO with

412
00:26:21,760 --> 00:26:24,959
Speaker 1: only a few shells. Placing her light in her teeth,

413
00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:28,000
Speaker 1: she opened her front pocket and put the box inside

414
00:26:28,160 --> 00:26:30,639
Speaker 1: with her growing stock of weapons, and put the shotgun,

415
00:26:30,960 --> 00:26:34,119
Speaker 1: after awkwardly making sure it was not loaded upright in

416
00:26:34,200 --> 00:26:37,160
Speaker 1: the main pocket, just managing to tug the zipper closed.

417
00:26:39,160 --> 00:26:42,160
Speaker 1: There were a few handguns remaining, but no ammo. For them,

418
00:26:42,240 --> 00:26:46,280
Speaker 1: so she left them untouched. There was a rack of

419
00:26:46,359 --> 00:26:50,360
Speaker 1: bullet proof vest till the felt material between her fingers.

420
00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:53,080
Speaker 1: Wondering if they'd do her any good, She slid her

421
00:26:53,080 --> 00:26:55,440
Speaker 1: pack off and looked for the smallest one and slid

422
00:26:55,480 --> 00:26:58,000
Speaker 1: it over her shoulders, but it was still huge on

423
00:26:58,080 --> 00:27:01,520
Speaker 1: her It would definitely imp her ability to run her

424
00:27:01,560 --> 00:27:05,600
Speaker 1: general movements. She took it off and replaced it, putting

425
00:27:05,680 --> 00:27:09,520
Speaker 1: her now heavier pack back on with a grunt. Opposite

426
00:27:09,520 --> 00:27:12,200
Speaker 1: the vest was a wall labeled anti riot and crowd

427
00:27:12,280 --> 00:27:15,600
Speaker 1: control that was mostly empty, but Tilda did take the

428
00:27:15,640 --> 00:27:18,960
Speaker 1: two canisters of tear gas and three smoke bombs left behind.

429
00:27:22,720 --> 00:27:24,720
Speaker 1: She remembered, as if it was a lifetime ago, the

430
00:27:24,840 --> 00:27:28,119
Speaker 1: hunting knife, matches and lighter she snagged from the State

431
00:27:28,160 --> 00:27:30,639
Speaker 1: Park gift store before she and Madison chrecked through the

432
00:27:30,680 --> 00:27:34,280
Speaker 1: National Forest. She wondered if she could set something on

433
00:27:34,400 --> 00:27:37,119
Speaker 1: fire as a distraction, and then was promptly stunned that

434
00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:40,680
Speaker 1: she was so seriously considering a scenario that involved a tiny,

435
00:27:41,240 --> 00:27:45,399
Speaker 1: frail insignificant her storming what she pictured to be a

436
00:27:45,440 --> 00:27:49,480
Speaker 1: military fortress lined with soldiers, and somehow coming out on top.

437
00:27:51,920 --> 00:27:54,480
Speaker 1: Tilda left the weapons room, wondering if it might be

438
00:27:54,560 --> 00:27:58,320
Speaker 1: best for her to stay here and plan. It was

439
00:27:58,359 --> 00:28:01,040
Speaker 1: locked up, fortified, and there were no windows save for

440
00:28:01,080 --> 00:28:04,040
Speaker 1: the ones in the front entryway covered with heavy blinds.

441
00:28:04,640 --> 00:28:07,399
Speaker 1: The only danger she saw was from anyone else who

442
00:28:07,480 --> 00:28:10,800
Speaker 1: got the same idea that she did, and it was

443
00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:16,200
Speaker 1: so dark in here. She went to the back door,

444
00:28:16,440 --> 00:28:19,159
Speaker 1: celebrating silently when she slid the lock open without a

445
00:28:19,240 --> 00:28:23,360
Speaker 1: key and cracked it open, bright afternoon light assaulting her eyes,

446
00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:26,600
Speaker 1: the croak of old, rusty hinges loud in her ear drums.

447
00:28:28,280 --> 00:28:30,280
Speaker 1: Once the door was open, she took a moment for

448
00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:33,600
Speaker 1: her eyes to adjust, looking around behind the building, her

449
00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:36,440
Speaker 1: eyes lingering for a second on the fallen trashcan she'd

450
00:28:36,520 --> 00:28:40,640
Speaker 1: used to boost herself up. Hearing nothing, she stepped out

451
00:28:40,680 --> 00:28:42,640
Speaker 1: into the day and shut the door as quietly as

452
00:28:42,680 --> 00:28:45,479
Speaker 1: she could behind her, so as to hopefully erase as

453
00:28:45,560 --> 00:28:50,280
Speaker 1: much of her presence as possible. She hated this feeling

454
00:28:51,240 --> 00:28:54,560
Speaker 1: she was haunted. She wondered if she'd ever live free

455
00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:59,000
Speaker 1: of that feeling again. Tilda turned right down the town

456
00:28:59,120 --> 00:29:01,360
Speaker 1: center and in the jail in all direction she'd been heading,

457
00:29:01,720 --> 00:29:05,120
Speaker 1: darting from building to building, keeping her eye on the street.

458
00:29:06,440 --> 00:29:10,760
Speaker 1: Another town, another main square, this one decorated with banners

459
00:29:10,760 --> 00:29:14,400
Speaker 1: of blue and yellow for the local college. She circled around,

460
00:29:14,440 --> 00:29:17,200
Speaker 1: knowing the only buildings she'd find inside would u souvenir

461
00:29:17,280 --> 00:29:22,240
Speaker 1: shops and restaurants. Another row of restaurants lined the main square,

462
00:29:22,280 --> 00:29:24,360
Speaker 1: most of them the ones that she and Madison had

463
00:29:24,400 --> 00:29:28,240
Speaker 1: seen before in other towns. Those she passed quickly as well,

464
00:29:28,320 --> 00:29:30,840
Speaker 1: wanting to find shelter as quickly as possible, to get

465
00:29:30,880 --> 00:29:33,240
Speaker 1: out of sight and consult a map so she could

466
00:29:33,240 --> 00:29:37,000
Speaker 1: formulate a plan. A couple blocks down, she passed in

467
00:29:36,960 --> 00:29:40,479
Speaker 1: an elementary school, but dismissed at as well. Schools were

468
00:29:40,480 --> 00:29:43,680
Speaker 1: some of Madison's favorite places. She'd never be able to

469
00:29:43,760 --> 00:29:46,880
Speaker 1: concentrate surrounded by a constant reminder of him. In the

470
00:29:46,920 --> 00:29:52,720
Speaker 1: stakes that she faced almost immediately after was a graveyard,

471
00:29:52,760 --> 00:29:55,160
Speaker 1: which Tilda found odd to have a school for young

472
00:29:55,240 --> 00:29:58,200
Speaker 1: children so close to a church and a graveyard. It

473
00:29:58,320 --> 00:30:02,000
Speaker 1: practically shared a border with the plague. Across the way

474
00:30:02,240 --> 00:30:05,840
Speaker 1: was a church. While Tilda did not like sheltering in churches,

475
00:30:05,880 --> 00:30:09,440
Speaker 1: they did generally have a bed, doors, usually unlocked, and

476
00:30:09,520 --> 00:30:11,640
Speaker 1: were often the last place most people liked to hole

477
00:30:11,760 --> 00:30:14,720
Speaker 1: up in these days, so she made her way to

478
00:30:14,760 --> 00:30:18,400
Speaker 1: the small white wooden structure that spired jutting into the sky.

479
00:30:20,560 --> 00:30:22,880
Speaker 1: She skirted her way along the outside of the graveyard,

480
00:30:22,880 --> 00:30:25,800
Speaker 1: though it took longer, Tilda told herself it was because

481
00:30:25,840 --> 00:30:29,720
Speaker 1: it was wide open and exposed, it was atop a

482
00:30:29,720 --> 00:30:32,560
Speaker 1: small hill, and with her recent injuries, Tilda was uaving

483
00:30:32,600 --> 00:30:34,520
Speaker 1: a little by the time she reached the devil doors,

484
00:30:34,640 --> 00:30:40,000
Speaker 1: wishing she could see inside the red stained glass windows. Anxiously,

485
00:30:40,120 --> 00:30:43,080
Speaker 1: she shouldered open the door, unsurprised when it opened at

486
00:30:43,080 --> 00:30:46,720
Speaker 1: her touch. The wide open space inside was well lit,

487
00:30:47,040 --> 00:30:51,080
Speaker 1: light streaming from the rafters, the stained glass painted diamonds

488
00:30:51,080 --> 00:30:54,240
Speaker 1: of blues, purples, greens, and reds on white walls and

489
00:30:54,280 --> 00:30:57,800
Speaker 1: wooden pews, a red carpet down the middle, leading up

490
00:30:57,840 --> 00:31:00,920
Speaker 1: to a raised level with a podium, and the familiarly

491
00:31:01,160 --> 00:31:04,240
Speaker 1: unsettling statue of a man hanging by nails from his

492
00:31:04,280 --> 00:31:07,640
Speaker 1: hands from across a stone, tear on his cheek a

493
00:31:07,680 --> 00:31:10,840
Speaker 1: crown of thorns on his head. Tilda looked around as

494
00:31:10,920 --> 00:31:14,120
Speaker 1: she entered. A spiral metal staircase was on her left,

495
00:31:14,400 --> 00:31:16,800
Speaker 1: and another pair of double doors were down the hallway

496
00:31:16,800 --> 00:31:20,160
Speaker 1: to her right, tearing her gaze away from the statue

497
00:31:20,160 --> 00:31:23,040
Speaker 1: that sent a chill up her spine every time she

498
00:31:23,120 --> 00:31:26,400
Speaker 1: took the doors, unable to see through the dirty, dusty windows,

499
00:31:27,240 --> 00:31:30,360
Speaker 1: she found a small meeting and dining space, an office,

500
00:31:30,560 --> 00:31:33,160
Speaker 1: a room filled with kids toys and games, and, as

501
00:31:33,200 --> 00:31:37,920
Speaker 1: she had hoped, a small room with a cot. Tilda

502
00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:40,600
Speaker 1: slid off her packet shut the door behind her, taking

503
00:31:40,600 --> 00:31:43,840
Speaker 1: a seat on the bed. There was a small rectangular

504
00:31:43,880 --> 00:31:46,360
Speaker 1: window above her head for light to stream through, but

505
00:31:46,400 --> 00:31:51,560
Speaker 1: other than that square white room was enclosed. Tilda opened

506
00:31:51,560 --> 00:31:54,680
Speaker 1: her pack and pulled out her recently collected weapons, laying

507
00:31:54,760 --> 00:31:57,320
Speaker 1: them in their respective ammos in front of her, as

508
00:31:57,320 --> 00:32:01,440
Speaker 1: well as smoke bombs and tear gas canisters. She produced

509
00:32:01,440 --> 00:32:04,040
Speaker 1: her map and unfurled it, her eyes, tracing the road

510
00:32:04,120 --> 00:32:07,200
Speaker 1: she'd been on until she found White Pine, Virginia, just

511
00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:12,600
Speaker 1: outside Christianburg. It occurred to her then that a military

512
00:32:12,600 --> 00:32:14,960
Speaker 1: base would most likely not be labeled on her map,

513
00:32:15,080 --> 00:32:18,200
Speaker 1: but she searched the outlying area anyway, looking for anything

514
00:32:18,240 --> 00:32:22,600
Speaker 1: out of the ordinary, anything that could help her, but

515
00:32:22,680 --> 00:32:26,760
Speaker 1: she found nothing, so instead she traced the roads leaving

516
00:32:26,760 --> 00:32:29,280
Speaker 1: from the city center, thinking of where she'd go if

517
00:32:29,280 --> 00:32:32,200
Speaker 1: she had a base. To hide tilt it. Did her

518
00:32:32,280 --> 00:32:37,120
Speaker 1: best not to dwell on the unlikelihood of this. Gingerly,

519
00:32:37,240 --> 00:32:39,680
Speaker 1: she stretched out her legs, eyeing the weapons laid out

520
00:32:39,680 --> 00:32:43,080
Speaker 1: before her. She picked up the shotgun, getting a feel

521
00:32:43,160 --> 00:32:46,680
Speaker 1: for its weight, running her hands along it, looking down

522
00:32:46,680 --> 00:32:49,960
Speaker 1: the barrel of it, hesitantly, sliding the hefty bullets to

523
00:32:50,040 --> 00:32:54,320
Speaker 1: each chamber. Unsure if she was loading it properly, she

524
00:32:54,360 --> 00:32:56,880
Speaker 1: snapped it shut with a loud click that sounded very

525
00:32:56,880 --> 00:33:00,840
Speaker 1: final in the silence. Tailor blinked carefully, placing the weapon

526
00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:02,760
Speaker 1: back on the floor like an animal that could strike

527
00:33:02,800 --> 00:33:08,440
Speaker 1: at any moment, afraid it would go off and kill her. Methodically, slowly,

528
00:33:08,960 --> 00:33:11,960
Speaker 1: she opened all the weapons, turning them over in her hand,

529
00:33:12,240 --> 00:33:15,400
Speaker 1: imagining pointing to them at someone squeezing the trigger and

530
00:33:15,480 --> 00:33:21,960
Speaker 1: quickly aim kill her peak. All of them felt dangerous

531
00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:25,000
Speaker 1: and heavy in the grip of her small hands. She

532
00:33:25,080 --> 00:33:30,920
Speaker 1: felt diminished holding them. She could never do this. Who

533
00:33:31,040 --> 00:33:34,480
Speaker 1: was she kidding? Tilda thought of medicine, of everything she

534
00:33:34,600 --> 00:33:36,520
Speaker 1: did to protect him, and knew it wasn't a question

535
00:33:36,600 --> 00:33:39,440
Speaker 1: of her being able to summon the anger, find the

536
00:33:39,560 --> 00:33:41,920
Speaker 1: rage to punish those who would treat her child with

537
00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:47,200
Speaker 1: such disregard. She had to be realistic. Tilda had never

538
00:33:47,240 --> 00:33:50,040
Speaker 1: fired any of these weapons, much less at a person,

539
00:33:50,600 --> 00:33:52,760
Speaker 1: and a trained one that was trying to kill her.

540
00:33:54,920 --> 00:33:57,360
Speaker 1: With all the weapons she'd been dead set on collecting

541
00:33:57,360 --> 00:33:59,760
Speaker 1: in front of her that she'd been convinced would be this,

542
00:34:00,240 --> 00:34:03,120
Speaker 1: and she so desperately needed to solve all of her problems,

543
00:34:03,960 --> 00:34:08,960
Speaker 1: they now appeared in her hands, completely useless. She felt

544
00:34:09,000 --> 00:34:17,279
Speaker 1: so incredibly, fatally stupid. She drew her knees up to

545
00:34:17,320 --> 00:34:19,400
Speaker 1: her chest and buried her head in them. The first

546
00:34:19,400 --> 00:34:22,279
Speaker 1: saw bracking of her throat, followed in quick succession by

547
00:34:22,320 --> 00:34:26,160
Speaker 1: another and another, as she finally gave into her grief,

548
00:34:26,640 --> 00:34:31,239
Speaker 1: each one accompanied by sharp, fiery pain. Hot tears cascaded

549
00:34:31,239 --> 00:34:34,720
Speaker 1: down her cheeks and stained her jeans absorbed into denim

550
00:34:34,920 --> 00:34:38,440
Speaker 1: hardened with blood. The bulky bandage around her knee pressed

551
00:34:38,440 --> 00:34:43,239
Speaker 1: into her forehead. The room closed in on her as

552
00:34:43,320 --> 00:34:47,000
Speaker 1: she wept, smaller and smaller, and her shrinking with it.

553
00:34:47,680 --> 00:34:51,040
Speaker 1: Grief smothered all rational thought, until all she was left

554
00:34:51,080 --> 00:34:54,800
Speaker 1: with was the raw, gnawing guilt that haunted every decision

555
00:34:55,040 --> 00:35:01,719
Speaker 1: her very existence, and the unyielding hopelessness the truth that

556
00:35:01,760 --> 00:35:05,279
Speaker 1: she'd probably never see Madison again that she'd so far

557
00:35:05,360 --> 00:35:09,240
Speaker 1: avoided because her very existence depended on it. Must be faced.

558
00:35:10,600 --> 00:35:12,719
Speaker 1: She'd been lucky to have him in her life for

559
00:35:12,760 --> 00:35:15,640
Speaker 1: so long, especially when she was never supposed to have

560
00:35:15,719 --> 00:35:18,800
Speaker 1: him in the first place. All of their time together

561
00:35:18,880 --> 00:35:22,319
Speaker 1: was stolen, and now she felt ungrateful and foolish for

562
00:35:22,400 --> 00:35:28,719
Speaker 1: not cherishing every moment they got to share together. She

563
00:35:28,840 --> 00:35:31,319
Speaker 1: stopped crying, not because the demands of her grief had

564
00:35:31,400 --> 00:35:33,840
Speaker 1: in any way been satisfied, but because she had no

565
00:35:34,040 --> 00:35:38,400
Speaker 1: energy left to continue. The grief was seeped into her bones,

566
00:35:38,760 --> 00:35:42,919
Speaker 1: into her very being. Her face felt puffy, her nose

567
00:35:42,960 --> 00:35:48,760
Speaker 1: stuffed with mucus. Tilda lifted her wary head. The first

568
00:35:48,760 --> 00:35:51,480
Speaker 1: thing she saw was the guns and knives carefully spread

569
00:35:51,480 --> 00:35:55,000
Speaker 1: out in front of her. She drew in a shuddering breath,

570
00:35:55,200 --> 00:35:58,480
Speaker 1: unfolding her legs. She didn't feel like a real person,

571
00:35:58,560 --> 00:36:01,120
Speaker 1: but something made of straw, held together only by the

572
00:36:01,160 --> 00:36:05,439
Speaker 1: tattered fabric of her clothes and her damaged skin. More

573
00:36:05,480 --> 00:36:08,160
Speaker 1: to distract herself than out of any semblance of a plan,

574
00:36:08,320 --> 00:36:10,759
Speaker 1: she re examined the map, wiping at her nose and

575
00:36:10,800 --> 00:36:15,000
Speaker 1: apathetically deciding to go to Christianburgh. She folded the map

576
00:36:15,160 --> 00:36:17,839
Speaker 1: and put it in her backpack, and carefully stashed her

577
00:36:17,880 --> 00:36:20,160
Speaker 1: weapons in the bag, making sure to turn the safety

578
00:36:20,239 --> 00:36:23,240
Speaker 1: on each of them. The smaller handgun that she slid

579
00:36:23,280 --> 00:36:26,400
Speaker 1: into the waistband of her jeans. The tear gas and

580
00:36:26,440 --> 00:36:29,279
Speaker 1: smoke bombs she put in the side pockets for easier access,

581
00:36:29,640 --> 00:36:33,680
Speaker 1: failing to picture an instance where she deplore them successfully.

582
00:36:34,480 --> 00:36:38,360
Speaker 1: The low rumble of a vehicle caught her attention. Tilda

583
00:36:38,360 --> 00:36:40,439
Speaker 1: crouched outside the window in time to see a black

584
00:36:40,560 --> 00:36:44,800
Speaker 1: seb drive slowly by. And it wasn't fear, she felt,

585
00:36:44,960 --> 00:36:48,799
Speaker 1: or at least not entirely, but trepidacious hope. Keeping her

586
00:36:48,800 --> 00:36:51,120
Speaker 1: eyes on the vehicle's path, she hoisted her pack on

587
00:36:51,160 --> 00:36:53,839
Speaker 1: her shoulders and went out of her little sanctuary, back

588
00:36:53,920 --> 00:36:57,680
Speaker 1: down the hall and into the main entrance. She paused

589
00:36:57,680 --> 00:37:00,480
Speaker 1: at the door, listening, when a voice from inside the

590
00:37:00,520 --> 00:37:24,279
Speaker 1: church said, I thought I'd find you here. And that

591
00:37:24,320 --> 00:37:27,800
Speaker 1: brings us to the end of this edition of Sminty Fiction,

592
00:37:28,040 --> 00:37:31,600
Speaker 1: And it's a cliffhanger. Do you like cliffhanger? Samantha? You

593
00:37:31,640 --> 00:37:35,520
Speaker 1: know I don't. I'm a binger. You're a bet. We've

594
00:37:35,560 --> 00:37:37,600
Speaker 1: had some people write in and have asked me like,

595
00:37:37,680 --> 00:37:40,719
Speaker 1: when will it be done? Then I will bene it. Yep,

596
00:37:40,800 --> 00:37:43,560
Speaker 1: I appreciate that. I appreciate that this is a cliffhanger,

597
00:37:44,480 --> 00:37:48,759
Speaker 1: but it will be resolved. All will be revealed. I

598
00:37:48,800 --> 00:37:55,799
Speaker 1: would love to I'll believe you. Oh why not? I

599
00:37:55,800 --> 00:37:57,799
Speaker 1: know I talk about this all the time, but you

600
00:37:57,840 --> 00:38:01,719
Speaker 1: can clearly see how how much map research I did

601
00:38:01,760 --> 00:38:05,439
Speaker 1: for this. I don't know why, but I really went

602
00:38:05,480 --> 00:38:09,160
Speaker 1: in on like the road names and the town names. Also,

603
00:38:09,400 --> 00:38:12,759
Speaker 1: there's a lot of religious undertones in this chapter that

604
00:38:12,800 --> 00:38:15,520
Speaker 1: I'd kind of forgotten about. But the church that's being

605
00:38:15,560 --> 00:38:18,239
Speaker 1: described in here is definitely my church. That was what

606
00:38:18,280 --> 00:38:25,480
Speaker 1: my church looked like. Yeah, yes, very small, kind of

607
00:38:25,520 --> 00:38:28,680
Speaker 1: like it's. It was beautiful, but it just had this

608
00:38:28,880 --> 00:38:31,240
Speaker 1: creepy vibe. But I say that as someone who watches

609
00:38:31,280 --> 00:38:34,520
Speaker 1: a lot of horror movies, so who's to say everything

610
00:38:34,520 --> 00:38:36,880
Speaker 1: has a creepy vibe. My house is haunted. I forget

611
00:38:36,960 --> 00:38:42,280
Speaker 1: my fee. This is also such a video game chapter,

612
00:38:42,600 --> 00:38:45,719
Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, Like the Finding of the documents. You know,

613
00:38:45,760 --> 00:38:48,480
Speaker 1: when the world has ended and you find all the

614
00:38:48,520 --> 00:38:52,040
Speaker 1: newspaper clippings before it happened, and you're reading those and

615
00:38:52,480 --> 00:38:56,799
Speaker 1: opening up the map and marketing locations, the weapon discovery,

616
00:38:56,960 --> 00:39:01,920
Speaker 1: the flashlight like it's a very video gamey chapter. Again,

617
00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:03,839
Speaker 1: I wrote this before the Last of Us came out,

618
00:39:03,880 --> 00:39:07,279
Speaker 1: I swear I did, but I had still played like

619
00:39:07,320 --> 00:39:11,879
Speaker 1: a lot of Resident Evil or Silent Hill, similar kind

620
00:39:11,920 --> 00:39:16,799
Speaker 1: of mechanic games. But I'm excited. I'm excited to get

621
00:39:16,840 --> 00:39:19,520
Speaker 1: to the end and share the ending of this, this

622
00:39:19,600 --> 00:39:23,600
Speaker 1: whole saga, so I hope you're excited to Thanks again,

623
00:39:23,719 --> 00:39:28,560
Speaker 1: double thanks to Christina who makes these fantastic, who deals

624
00:39:28,560 --> 00:39:31,359
Speaker 1: with my outline that just has vague sound cues like

625
00:39:32,440 --> 00:39:38,239
Speaker 1: creepy door opening, and makes it work. And thanks to

626
00:39:38,280 --> 00:39:41,200
Speaker 1: you for listening. Yes, if you would like to email

627
00:39:41,200 --> 00:39:44,680
Speaker 1: as you can, we are at Hello at stuff I

628
00:39:44,800 --> 00:39:47,319
Speaker 1: Never Told You dot com. You can also find us

629
00:39:47,360 --> 00:39:50,040
Speaker 1: on Blue Sky at Mamstaff podcast, or on Instagram and

630
00:39:50,120 --> 00:39:52,800
Speaker 1: TikTok at stuff I've Never Told You. We're also on YouTube.

631
00:39:52,800 --> 00:39:54,279
Speaker 1: We have a tea public store, and we have a

632
00:39:54,280 --> 00:39:57,000
Speaker 1: book we can get wherever you get your books. Thanks

633
00:39:57,040 --> 00:39:59,560
Speaker 1: as always too, our super producer, Christina. I're excited to

634
00:39:59,600 --> 00:40:03,879
Speaker 1: produce my and our contributor Joey. Thank you, and thanks

635
00:40:03,920 --> 00:40:06,120
Speaker 1: to you for listening Stefan Never Told You inspection of

636
00:40:06,120 --> 00:40:07,880
Speaker 1: iHeart Radio. For more podcasts from my Heart Radio, you

637
00:40:07,880 --> 00:40:09,719
Speaker 1: can check out the art radio app, Apple podcast or

638
00:40:09,719 --> 00:40:11,280
Speaker 1: where you listen to your favorite shows,