WEBVTT - 5 | The Mad Preacher 0:00:00.720 --> 0:00:02.120 iHeart three d are. 0:00:03.920 --> 0:00:06.480 For full exposure. Listen with headphones. 0:00:08.840 --> 0:00:11.960 Havoctown is a production of iHeart Podcasts and Grim and 0:00:12.000 --> 0:00:16.440 Mild from Aaron Mankey Headphones Recommended listener discretion advised. 0:00:20.520 --> 0:00:24.680 Visit. O Lord, we beseech thee dishabitation and creature of Thine, 0:00:25.520 --> 0:00:27.720 and remove far away from him all the snails and 0:00:27.760 --> 0:00:31.080 assaults of the devil. Let thy angels Michael, Raphael and 0:00:31.080 --> 0:00:34.639 Gabriel dwell therein to preserve it in peace and from 0:00:34.680 --> 0:00:38.559 all unclean spirits, And let thy blessing be always upon. 0:00:38.400 --> 0:00:43.600 Us, God, save your soul. 0:00:44.360 --> 0:00:50.640 Amen. 0:01:24.000 --> 0:01:25.200 Now where were we? 0:01:25.880 --> 0:01:26.000 Oh? 0:01:26.120 --> 0:01:29.000 I think my great grandfather was about to stab a corpse? 0:01:29.640 --> 0:01:33.680 I love story time? Uh are you okay? 0:01:34.440 --> 0:01:36.840 Why do you ask? Is it because I'm finally getting 0:01:36.840 --> 0:01:39.319 a bloody, first hand account of the depravity of. 0:01:39.240 --> 0:01:41.760 My forebears and something like that? 0:01:42.400 --> 0:01:47.440 No, this is It's not fun exactly, but I'm as fascinating. 0:01:48.120 --> 0:01:49.840 Okay, good, I keep reading? 0:01:51.160 --> 0:01:51.800 Where was I? 0:01:53.160 --> 0:01:53.480 Okay? 0:01:53.520 --> 0:01:57.360 Here? I watched as he bent low until he was 0:01:57.440 --> 0:02:01.680 right above Nathaniel's prone form. I watched as he whispered 0:02:01.720 --> 0:02:05.640 a quiet prayer over the boy as he slowly brought 0:02:05.640 --> 0:02:10.240 the knife up, clasped the handle between both hands, looked 0:02:10.360 --> 0:02:13.160 up at the blank, white autumn sky in search of 0:02:13.240 --> 0:02:18.040 God's grace, took a deep breath and plunged the knife 0:02:18.120 --> 0:02:20.280 deep into the sadder white boy's chest. 0:02:21.240 --> 0:02:25.160 Jeez, yeah, that is so messed up. 0:02:26.120 --> 0:02:32.560 Huh, keep going, Okay, I grew queasy, and I do 0:02:32.639 --> 0:02:36.120 not believe that I was alone. Noah had gone quite pale. 0:02:36.200 --> 0:02:38.639 And even Father Abbas seemed for a moment to doubt 0:02:38.680 --> 0:02:39.280 his decision. 0:02:42.120 --> 0:02:45.480 Our Father, go art in heaven hall. It would be 0:02:45.520 --> 0:02:50.440 thy name, my kingdom. Come, I will be done on 0:02:50.560 --> 0:02:53.560 earth as it is in heaven. And give us this 0:02:53.639 --> 0:02:56.920 day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses. 0:02:57.520 --> 0:03:02.680 He prayed feverishly, hissuffusing words to fortify his resolve, and 0:03:02.720 --> 0:03:10.119 then with a final word amen, he began to feverishly 0:03:10.240 --> 0:03:13.520 saw it the flesh until the bright red blood poured 0:03:13.600 --> 0:03:16.079 from it. He paused to look to. 0:03:16.080 --> 0:03:18.680 Noah ghost had a fire in the heart. 0:03:18.800 --> 0:03:20.959 Yes, Father, voice. 0:03:21.320 --> 0:03:27.520 With me, before redoubling his efforts. Finally, he finished his 0:03:27.720 --> 0:03:32.200 terrible swing, looked up once more into the blank white sky, 0:03:33.400 --> 0:03:38.320 and plunged his hand into the boy's chest, wincing and grimacing, 0:03:39.160 --> 0:03:43.080 she proceeded to pull Nathaniel Satterwhite's heart from his body. 0:03:44.840 --> 0:03:47.720 Demerius, give me a shawl, but. 0:03:47.840 --> 0:03:49.880 I was frozen in place by terror. 0:03:50.600 --> 0:03:54.560 Demerius, yes, sir, thank your daughter. 0:03:56.080 --> 0:03:59.280 I handed it to him, the cold wind cutting through 0:03:59.280 --> 0:04:03.520 my clothes, and watched as he carefully wrapped the slick 0:04:04.120 --> 0:04:10.880 red heart. It was careful, loving, almost a tender moment 0:04:10.920 --> 0:04:13.840 from a man not usually prone to tenderness. 0:04:14.320 --> 0:04:18.680 Help me up, daughter, I apologize for the blood on 0:04:18.760 --> 0:04:22.160 my hands. We will buy you a new shawl. 0:04:23.120 --> 0:04:27.760 I left my modest strength to him, and somehow we 0:04:27.880 --> 0:04:32.680 managed to extract him from the grave. Come and then 0:04:33.320 --> 0:04:37.440 together we walked into the church building and into the 0:04:37.480 --> 0:04:41.880 back conclave, where Noah had lit the fire, staring into 0:04:41.960 --> 0:04:43.520 it his face. 0:04:43.800 --> 0:04:45.599 Won boys. 0:04:46.720 --> 0:04:50.240 Father Abbys then fell the bloody package into the fire. 0:04:51.920 --> 0:04:55.800 We watched silently as the flames licked at it, unsure 0:04:55.839 --> 0:05:02.080 at first, before greedily laughing at it, eventually consuming it entirely. 0:05:03.800 --> 0:05:08.960 We set that way for some time, mesomorised by the 0:05:09.040 --> 0:05:12.200 cleansing fire and the horrible work which had preceded it. 0:05:13.240 --> 0:05:16.039 We shall not speak a word of this to the congregation. 0:05:17.320 --> 0:05:22.720 Noah with me, we must fail the grave immediately de matters. 0:05:24.080 --> 0:05:27.440 It has been foul work to day, and I thank 0:05:27.480 --> 0:05:33.800 you for your assistance. Go home and pray the Lord 0:05:33.880 --> 0:05:38.320 will see fit to forgive us. We are doing his will. 0:05:50.680 --> 0:05:56.320 It was strange to go about my duties that afternoon, washing, cooking, 0:05:57.200 --> 0:06:00.679 knowing what I had witnessed. I felt like a spirit 0:06:01.480 --> 0:06:05.279 haunting my own house, And as evenings set in, I 0:06:05.320 --> 0:06:08.839 felt a growing sense of dread that I had not 0:06:09.080 --> 0:06:17.600 seen the last great horror boys to bed. Now. When 0:06:17.640 --> 0:06:22.200 the men returned home, the air was tense in silence. 0:06:22.279 --> 0:06:25.680 They washed their filthy hands in the basin and sat 0:06:25.720 --> 0:06:30.520 stoically down to be served their supper. They ate in 0:06:30.600 --> 0:06:35.040 the grim manner of men condemned to death. Father Josiah 0:06:35.080 --> 0:06:37.279 staring into the fire as if he wished it to 0:06:37.279 --> 0:06:41.480 burn the day's work away. Noah seeming to strain under 0:06:41.520 --> 0:06:44.920 a heavy burden. I began to believe that we would 0:06:44.920 --> 0:06:50.200 pass the entire meal in silence, when finally Noah spoke. 0:06:51.279 --> 0:06:58.839 Father, what is it? I feel a certain trepidation concerning 0:06:58.880 --> 0:07:04.200 our actions. Go on, then, how did you come to 0:07:04.279 --> 0:07:07.880 the conclusion that desecrating the saddle white boy's body was 0:07:07.880 --> 0:07:08.880 the correct course? 0:07:08.880 --> 0:07:12.160 Of action. I have been in contact with the childhood 0:07:12.200 --> 0:07:15.440 friend and Providence. He too is a man of the cloth, 0:07:16.040 --> 0:07:19.200 and has written extensively about vampirism. 0:07:19.000 --> 0:07:20.280 Vamparison to Marius. 0:07:21.040 --> 0:07:23.320 I did not wish to continue this conversation at De 0:07:23.400 --> 0:07:24.200 Marius's presence. 0:07:25.080 --> 0:07:28.640 She was witnessed to today's events. I believe it wise 0:07:28.680 --> 0:07:33.040 for her to understand today's actions. I very much wish 0:07:33.120 --> 0:07:34.120 to be enlightened as well. 0:07:34.680 --> 0:07:38.720 We will not have this discussion in front up demerits. 0:07:40.560 --> 0:07:41.560 I will answer. 0:07:43.960 --> 0:07:48.240 Missus Abbess, Missus Harper, I apologize for disturbing you so 0:07:48.360 --> 0:07:50.720 late in the evening. Is the Reverend here? 0:07:51.480 --> 0:07:52.880 What is it, Missus Harbor. 0:07:53.080 --> 0:07:57.920 Well, sir, it's it's mister Harber. He's come down with 0:07:57.920 --> 0:08:01.040 the fever. I believe that's taken the others. 0:08:01.600 --> 0:08:03.840 So there, Missus Harper, please come in. 0:08:04.320 --> 0:08:05.240 I don't know what to do. 0:08:05.880 --> 0:08:08.360 He tore apart my kitchen, tried to burn down the 0:08:08.360 --> 0:08:10.880 house before my screams brought doctor Bright my aid. 0:08:12.480 --> 0:08:13.680 Is the doctor still with him? 0:08:13.960 --> 0:08:16.160 He gave mister Harper a sleeping draft, but said there 0:08:16.200 --> 0:08:17.800 was little else he could do tonight. 0:08:19.480 --> 0:08:24.040 Useless. Noah, grab your coat in my Bible and clean 0:08:24.120 --> 0:08:29.440 under your nails. I'll go ahead with Missus Harber. We 0:08:29.600 --> 0:08:33.080 more work to do tonight, come, Missus Harper. 0:08:36.240 --> 0:08:39.000 Noah, he's no more capable than a witch. 0:08:39.040 --> 0:08:39.400 Doctor. 0:08:39.559 --> 0:08:42.760 Noah, I have to clean the grave dirt from my nails. 0:08:43.720 --> 0:08:45.520 Yes, Love, your hands are clean. 0:08:46.200 --> 0:08:49.839 Nothing in this town is clean. I must fall a father. 0:08:50.280 --> 0:08:57.160 Husband. Please, what your father has left you may speak freely. 0:08:57.800 --> 0:08:59.120 I will not trouble you with this. 0:08:59.800 --> 0:09:04.520 Already troubled, Noah. You have sought my counsel before. 0:09:06.720 --> 0:09:12.360 Noah, I I'm sorry, decide sh my love. 0:09:14.920 --> 0:09:17.760 This is a terrible time, and terrible time sometimes call 0:09:17.840 --> 0:09:23.520 for terrible actions. Yes, it is all terrible. 0:09:25.480 --> 0:09:27.200 I apologize for losing my temper. 0:09:28.320 --> 0:09:29.280 It is nothing. 0:09:30.920 --> 0:09:31.880 I must follow father. 0:09:32.960 --> 0:09:35.280 I fear our country doctor is not proving up to 0:09:35.360 --> 0:09:40.920 the task. Bar the door after me. 0:09:46.040 --> 0:09:52.080 September twenty ninth, eighteen seventeen. This last week has proven 0:09:52.120 --> 0:09:56.560 to offer nothing but bloody work for the family. Each evening, 0:09:57.360 --> 0:09:59.920 after the day's work was done, but before the sunset, 0:10:01.440 --> 0:10:04.440 Father Josiah and Noah have slipped behind the church to 0:10:04.480 --> 0:10:08.559 dig up a fresh corpse, hoping to catch culprits before 0:10:08.559 --> 0:10:12.680 they are able to spread the infernal disease, only to 0:10:12.720 --> 0:10:15.400 find later that another neighbor has fallen ill with the 0:10:15.400 --> 0:10:21.000 blood sickness. Anyway, Doctor Bright attends now these rites, has 0:10:21.040 --> 0:10:25.240 taken the ashes of burned hearts to make tinctures, which 0:10:25.240 --> 0:10:27.120 he gives to new victims. But I don't know that 0:10:27.200 --> 0:10:33.120 even he believes in his cures. Rumors abound, people claiming 0:10:33.120 --> 0:10:35.520 to see the departed in the streets at night, hunting 0:10:35.559 --> 0:10:41.239 for a fresh victim, livestock behaving strangely, watching with infernal 0:10:41.280 --> 0:10:45.880 intensity as the farmers went about their daily work. Children 0:10:46.440 --> 0:10:50.680 make up rhymes, and father Abbess has had a box 0:10:50.800 --> 0:10:55.080 made in which he keeps his tools, tools that he 0:10:55.120 --> 0:10:58.320 has kept hidden from the townsfolk as he continues his 0:10:58.440 --> 0:11:01.880 secretive war against a devil he cannot seem to keep 0:11:01.920 --> 0:11:05.960 pace with. One could indeed believe that creatures stalk the night. 0:11:06.760 --> 0:11:11.880 The air is so thick with suspicion. However, the animals 0:11:11.880 --> 0:11:17.320 have remained animals. The rhymes just rhymes. And as for 0:11:17.400 --> 0:11:21.440 the dead stalking our people in the night, well I 0:11:21.480 --> 0:11:25.400 have seen firsthand now that wasn't possible. A dozen bodies 0:11:25.440 --> 0:11:28.800 now lay in the churchyard without hearts. They will not 0:11:28.920 --> 0:11:33.920 trouble the living but the blood sickness is persistent and real, 0:11:34.520 --> 0:11:37.080 and the father Josiah may have prevented the dead from 0:11:37.120 --> 0:11:40.200 stalking the living, he cannot seem to stop with the 0:11:40.240 --> 0:11:47.400 steady trickle of disease that permeates our village. Last night, 0:11:48.480 --> 0:11:51.400 Noah came in late. I'm stumbling in the dark. 0:11:55.840 --> 0:12:00.120 Noah, sh no, No, wife, do not let the l 0:12:00.280 --> 0:12:05.200 whieh all is well, go back sleep de mars. 0:12:05.920 --> 0:12:11.120 Noah, have you been drinking? Sh No? What's the matter? 0:12:11.200 --> 0:12:17.320 What happened? Where's your father? Husband? To speak to me? 0:12:18.640 --> 0:12:19.400 What's going on? 0:12:20.240 --> 0:12:22.680 We were called back to the saddur White farm tonight. 0:12:23.960 --> 0:12:29.480 The boy we buried and then desecrated his father has fallen. 0:12:29.200 --> 0:12:32.960 Ill oh no, no, the poor family. 0:12:33.679 --> 0:12:37.960 Yes, we were busy with another family and so did 0:12:38.000 --> 0:12:43.440 not come right away, And when we did, the door 0:12:43.520 --> 0:12:45.360 to the house was a jar when we arrived. 0:12:47.320 --> 0:12:51.600 Hello, James is a sadd White. 0:12:53.200 --> 0:12:57.800 A fire still burned low in the hearth. Supper was 0:12:57.880 --> 0:13:01.839 laid on the table, untouched, despite the late as if 0:13:01.880 --> 0:13:07.000 everyone had disappeared before. Given the chance to eat, it 0:13:07.040 --> 0:13:09.720 would be understandable that James sadder White would not eat 0:13:09.880 --> 0:13:14.240 the fill. But besides the dead child the family had 0:13:14.320 --> 0:13:19.760 two more girls, and Missus sadder White beside. Something was 0:13:19.840 --> 0:13:20.880 terribly amiss. 0:13:22.600 --> 0:13:23.400 It was then. 0:13:24.800 --> 0:13:29.560 I saw it on the floor, blood all across the 0:13:29.640 --> 0:13:36.320 kitchen floor, and in the corner a human tooth. With 0:13:36.600 --> 0:13:40.080 me Now we followed a trail of blood into the 0:13:40.120 --> 0:13:47.080 bedroom to find a massacre. Oh, dear God in heaven. 0:13:48.440 --> 0:13:53.160 It was Missus sadder White. She lay peacefully across the 0:13:53.240 --> 0:13:56.199 narrow bed, as if she had laid down for a 0:13:56.320 --> 0:14:02.600 night's slumber. Put her entire person was covered in blood. 0:14:03.400 --> 0:14:07.400 When we approached the bed, we saw her face, her 0:14:07.480 --> 0:14:14.320 skull caved in, her jaw crookedly hanging open, the one 0:14:14.360 --> 0:14:18.920 eye left her staring horribly up into heaven. And then 0:14:20.280 --> 0:14:30.240 the corner. They were just tossed there so carelessly, like 0:14:30.400 --> 0:14:40.360 rag dolls. They James was nowhere to be found. We 0:14:40.440 --> 0:14:44.360 searched half heartedly to be sure, perhaps hoping that we 0:14:44.560 --> 0:14:48.840 wouldn't find him at all. But find him we did. 0:14:50.600 --> 0:14:56.760 In the barn. It was the sound first I thought 0:14:56.760 --> 0:14:59.160 of the grumblings of a dog busy at his supper 0:15:00.160 --> 0:15:00.600 her stall. 0:15:00.680 --> 0:15:01.160 In the barn. 0:15:03.280 --> 0:15:11.600 There, naked and huddled over a carcass, was James sad White, 0:15:12.080 --> 0:15:18.720 a carcass. Doctor bright sadder White was pulling out and 0:15:18.800 --> 0:15:24.560 eating his entrails, his skin shone, he was so completely 0:15:24.600 --> 0:15:31.440 covered in blood, and on the ground beside him the 0:15:31.480 --> 0:15:35.080 fireplace poker he had used in the murders of the 0:15:35.160 --> 0:15:40.280 last of his family, and the poor doctor. He had 0:15:40.320 --> 0:15:45.080 not yet noticed me. So busy was he with his meal, 0:15:46.640 --> 0:15:49.680 and so I picked up a hammer on a nearby workbench. 0:15:51.000 --> 0:15:55.160 I crept up behind him, and I brought it down 0:15:55.280 --> 0:15:59.840 on the back of his skull. I'd have done it 0:16:00.000 --> 0:16:05.240 again and again and again and again if Father hadn't 0:16:05.360 --> 0:16:08.280 entered the barn at that moment and seen me standing there. 0:16:08.320 --> 0:16:16.440 Poker raised, Nah, is he still breathing? I studied his 0:16:16.520 --> 0:16:22.240 face as he stood thinking, gazing down at the murderer 0:16:22.240 --> 0:16:28.080 who had once been James Saturway. And I stood there dumbly, 0:16:28.800 --> 0:16:33.120 poker raised above my head, awaiting the word to finish 0:16:33.120 --> 0:16:37.520 the bloody deed. But the word did not come. 0:16:39.160 --> 0:16:48.080 Son, lower arms. Father, we are not murderers. Noah, find 0:16:48.080 --> 0:16:51.600 me a length of rope, Father, a length of rope. 0:16:52.800 --> 0:16:56.280 And so I did as I was bidden. We sat 0:16:56.360 --> 0:16:59.480 him up, bound his hands and feet, and together we 0:16:59.560 --> 0:17:01.120 threw him over Father's horse. 0:17:02.600 --> 0:17:08.440 Sh sh, good boy, We'll be free of this load 0:17:08.560 --> 0:17:12.960 soon enough. I'm going to take him to the jail 0:17:13.080 --> 0:17:16.000 and place him in the cell, and there I'll try 0:17:16.040 --> 0:17:19.160 to do the work of saving his soul and sit 0:17:19.200 --> 0:17:22.160 with him until dawn and we can pull in men 0:17:22.280 --> 0:17:23.520 to watch him. 0:17:23.800 --> 0:17:25.440 And what am I to do in the meantime? 0:17:26.119 --> 0:17:30.560 I want you to say final rights over the sadder, 0:17:30.640 --> 0:17:35.919 white women and doctor Bright and then burn everything to 0:17:35.960 --> 0:17:36.439 the ground. 0:17:37.680 --> 0:17:40.800 Father, what is it we need assistance? 0:17:42.040 --> 0:17:43.520 Are you not able to start a fire? 0:17:44.200 --> 0:17:46.639 We need assistance with the spread of the blood fever. 0:17:47.640 --> 0:17:51.280 We need doctors, we need soldiers. We had a doctor, 0:17:51.880 --> 0:17:55.760 a country doctor who was old and set in his waist. 0:17:56.040 --> 0:17:59.080 Doctors could do nothing to prevent what happened here tonight. 0:18:00.760 --> 0:18:03.080 And we have the Lord's soldiers on our side. 0:18:03.600 --> 0:18:06.120 None of the angels in heaven intervened on this night. 0:18:07.080 --> 0:18:09.760 The Lord himself turned a blind eye. 0:18:10.240 --> 0:18:14.840 You had best tread lightly, My son bur in the house. 0:18:15.680 --> 0:18:17.840 Should we not give them a Christian burial? Father? 0:18:18.600 --> 0:18:22.119 The Lord will find them wherever they are. 0:18:22.680 --> 0:18:33.320 Yon I returned to the house, walked towards the bedroom. 0:18:33.920 --> 0:18:37.680 I could not I could not look at them. Demeris. 0:18:39.359 --> 0:18:42.920 I stood in the doorway, eyes closed, and I prayed 0:18:43.240 --> 0:18:47.080 as I have never prayed before. Give those frantic and 0:18:47.160 --> 0:18:49.719 we does not do temptation, but deliver us for meful, 0:18:50.680 --> 0:18:55.600 deliver us from evil, for Thine is the Kingdom, the power, 0:18:55.720 --> 0:19:02.080 and the glory. Forever, Father, plant eternity on my eyelids. 0:19:04.280 --> 0:19:08.520 I cannot see beyond the evil of this world. Oh, 0:19:12.080 --> 0:19:16.159 and then I closed the door on the horrible scene 0:19:17.000 --> 0:19:20.800 once and for all. There's no secret that James Saturate 0:19:20.840 --> 0:19:24.639 White was a fan of brandy. In the cupboard I 0:19:24.640 --> 0:19:28.960 found a bottle with which to help spread the fire, 0:19:30.640 --> 0:19:33.400 and a second to doll the edges of the images 0:19:33.560 --> 0:19:34.639 carved in my mind. 0:19:37.800 --> 0:19:44.199 Noah, but he would speak no more. That night I 0:19:44.240 --> 0:19:47.840 could not follow him into sleep, so vivid were the 0:19:47.880 --> 0:19:51.919 images in my head. The satur White girls had been 0:19:51.960 --> 0:19:56.520 my own children's ages. Catherine Satterwhite had been in the 0:19:56.560 --> 0:20:00.320 pews for each Sunday service that I could remember, next 0:20:00.320 --> 0:20:06.480 to James, a doting father. I could not comprehend the evil, 0:20:07.520 --> 0:20:09.320 nor could I see a way to fight against it. 0:20:11.160 --> 0:20:15.240 I wondered what Father Josiah was thinking that night, watching 0:20:15.359 --> 0:20:19.399 over the beast that James had become. I did not 0:20:19.520 --> 0:20:23.720 have to wait long to find out. Just before dawn, 0:20:24.720 --> 0:20:29.800 I gave upon sleep entirely and quietly pulled myself up 0:20:30.200 --> 0:20:33.960 and out of bed. I dressed in the dim blue light, 0:20:49.920 --> 0:20:53.199 without quite knowing why, I was drawn out of the 0:20:53.280 --> 0:20:58.440 dark house and into the morning. The wind was chill, 0:20:59.680 --> 0:21:06.200 and the gray sky's pretended rain or snow. My feet 0:21:06.280 --> 0:21:10.960 carried me into town through the bleak morning, and there 0:21:12.320 --> 0:21:17.600 I found horror almost unspeakable. A large crowd stood in 0:21:17.600 --> 0:21:20.719 front of the jail. The people in it all carried 0:21:20.760 --> 0:21:25.680 signs of mourning activity. A boy carrying sacks of flowers 0:21:25.680 --> 0:21:28.960 stood dumbly next to the butcher, who still wore his 0:21:29.000 --> 0:21:33.800 dirty apron. All stared at the front of the building, 0:21:34.760 --> 0:21:39.960 where Father Abbess stood still as stone. And beside him, 0:21:41.000 --> 0:21:44.840 hanging from the poor rafters of the town jail, was 0:21:44.840 --> 0:21:50.520 the body of James satterwhite, shirtless and covered in blood, 0:21:52.200 --> 0:21:55.040 a sucking hole in his chest where once his heart 0:21:55.080 --> 0:21:59.639 had been. It seems that I had arrived just in 0:21:59.720 --> 0:22:04.600 time for Father Abbess raised his hands, hushing the crowd. 0:22:05.800 --> 0:22:08.720 It is time, my friends, to bring to light the 0:22:08.760 --> 0:22:13.760 truth of our situation, which, despite my best effort, is dire. 0:22:15.320 --> 0:22:19.640 The whispers are true. The devil walks among us here 0:22:19.640 --> 0:22:27.920 in Abbystown. Friends, Friends, let us remain levelheaded. 0:22:28.640 --> 0:22:29.640 What is this? 0:22:30.520 --> 0:22:34.359 What has become of James? The family house has burned down, 0:22:34.600 --> 0:22:36.680 with no sign of Martha or the girls. 0:22:37.800 --> 0:22:41.680 James turned down a dark path, I am afraid to say, 0:22:42.440 --> 0:22:47.159 and like many, he succumbed to the blood fever. But 0:22:47.280 --> 0:22:48.920 he did not go peacefully. 0:22:49.680 --> 0:22:53.240 He took the lives of his wife and daughters knowa, 0:22:53.240 --> 0:22:56.480 and I had to subdue him and bring him to justice. 0:22:56.760 --> 0:23:00.199 He died a mere hour ago, cursing his God and 0:23:00.280 --> 0:23:04.920 his family. He was no longer James Sadder White. He 0:23:04.960 --> 0:23:10.399 was an agent of Satan. The curfew has not been enough, 0:23:11.760 --> 0:23:14.199 and prayer is a useful tool, but it is not 0:23:14.280 --> 0:23:18.399 the only tool we have at our disposal. Henceforth, we 0:23:18.440 --> 0:23:22.240 shall take all of the afflicted into the church, where 0:23:22.240 --> 0:23:26.800 we will bind them and work exocisms as needed. It 0:23:26.840 --> 0:23:28.960 has become clear that it is the bite of the 0:23:29.000 --> 0:23:33.479 infectant that causes the blood fever. Therefore, should you be bitten, 0:23:33.560 --> 0:23:38.199 it is your moral responsibility to turn yourself in. And 0:23:38.240 --> 0:23:41.600 if you see someone who has infected, turn them in. 0:23:44.920 --> 0:23:48.440 The Church will do its best to reclaim those who 0:23:48.440 --> 0:23:53.919 fall ill, and should we fail, the bodies will be 0:23:53.960 --> 0:23:58.040 disposed of in the manner of James sadur Whites. The 0:23:58.240 --> 0:24:03.760 heart shall be removed and burned. And doctor Bright has 0:24:03.800 --> 0:24:06.720 mentioned that a tincture may be made of the ashes 0:24:06.800 --> 0:24:10.639 that will stave off the illness. We shall attempt to 0:24:10.760 --> 0:24:12.679 use this remedy when available. 0:24:14.080 --> 0:24:17.840 What is the meaning of this, Reverend Abbess, What have 0:24:17.920 --> 0:24:18.920 you done to this man? 0:24:19.720 --> 0:24:23.040 It was Jerry Havoc who dismounted and marched into the crowd, 0:24:23.720 --> 0:24:26.719 who parted way for him as the Red Sea parted 0:24:26.720 --> 0:24:31.399 for Moses. I watched Father Abbess for a response. In 0:24:31.480 --> 0:24:36.879 his eyes I saw something frightful, an intensity that I 0:24:36.880 --> 0:24:39.920 could only describe as hatred. 0:24:41.119 --> 0:24:45.160 Mister Havoc, this is butchery. What crime does this man 0:24:45.200 --> 0:24:48.000 commit to ue him? Such a savage fate? And at 0:24:48.040 --> 0:24:50.320 the hands of a man of the cloth, no less. 0:24:50.760 --> 0:24:56.000 This man murdered his family. He was found eating the 0:24:56.119 --> 0:25:02.520 raw entrails of doctor Bright. Dr Bright's journey murdered attending 0:25:02.560 --> 0:25:08.119 to James. James murdered as a result of this blood fever, 0:25:08.720 --> 0:25:11.080 this possession which we must now fight. 0:25:11.880 --> 0:25:14.359 And so you defiled his corpse and hung it up 0:25:14.359 --> 0:25:17.919 in the town square. What to teach the illness a lesson? 0:25:18.480 --> 0:25:21.679 I have done this to illustrate that all here have 0:25:21.760 --> 0:25:24.800 a common enemy that must be dealt with severely. 0:25:25.440 --> 0:25:27.120 Is that common enemy? Madness? 0:25:27.160 --> 0:25:28.440 Reverend ow dare you? 0:25:28.840 --> 0:25:32.360 What of medicine, of sound science? This is the sickness 0:25:32.400 --> 0:25:35.720 of the flesh? Is it not with corporeal roots? 0:25:36.080 --> 0:25:36.240 Why? 0:25:36.359 --> 0:25:39.320 I am personal friends with Nathan Smith, who founded the 0:25:39.320 --> 0:25:42.120 medical academy at Dartmouth. I'd wager he could help find 0:25:42.119 --> 0:25:43.880 the real root of this. 0:25:43.880 --> 0:25:47.320 This is a church matter, now, mister Havoc. 0:25:48.040 --> 0:25:50.160 I do not doubt the ability of the church, sir, 0:25:51.200 --> 0:25:53.760 but evidence suggests that its leader has lost its way. 0:25:54.400 --> 0:25:59.360 The evidence suggests that this blood curse began when. 0:25:59.200 --> 0:26:03.280 You first arrived, mister Abbock, how dare you, sir? And 0:26:03.400 --> 0:26:06.919 I will make sure that if any further investigation on 0:26:07.000 --> 0:26:09.880 the loss of life and corruption of spirit leads back 0:26:09.920 --> 0:26:12.520 to your house, If you do, in fact, walk with 0:26:12.600 --> 0:26:15.560 the devil, sir, I will see you hung. 0:26:17.400 --> 0:26:22.800 These two men, Abbess and Havoc, stood face to face, 0:26:23.760 --> 0:26:27.679 eyes full of malice, and the world ground to a 0:26:27.760 --> 0:26:33.440 halt around them. I saw in that moment that both 0:26:33.600 --> 0:26:35.320 were capable of killing. 0:26:36.480 --> 0:26:37.400 This is madness. 0:26:39.000 --> 0:26:41.160 The reverend abbess will see this town burn. 0:26:43.080 --> 0:26:46.719 And then he was gone, and with him all the 0:26:46.760 --> 0:26:52.000 sound and fury of the morning. The crowd dispersed quickly, then, 0:26:53.040 --> 0:26:57.320 afraid to remain in the presence of Satellite's corpse and 0:26:57.400 --> 0:27:01.320 the mad preacher who had hung him up. When Father 0:27:01.440 --> 0:27:05.119 Josiah turned his eyes to me, they had also drained 0:27:05.160 --> 0:27:11.600 of their wrath. I saw instead a man defeated, exhausted. 0:27:13.440 --> 0:27:14.000 De Marius. 0:27:14.840 --> 0:27:18.040 Father Josiah, I did not mean to intrude No, no. 0:27:17.840 --> 0:27:21.960 No, no, dear, of course not. I am sorry that 0:27:22.000 --> 0:27:25.639 you have had to bear witness to all of this. Noah. 0:27:26.000 --> 0:27:30.800 Did he return home, yes, sir? And did he rest, Yes, sir, 0:27:31.040 --> 0:27:33.879 he was asleep when I left. Return to the house 0:27:34.160 --> 0:27:36.119 and rouse him, plice, and tell him to meet me 0:27:36.160 --> 0:27:40.000 at the church. An ild wind blows, my dear. 0:27:40.800 --> 0:27:46.760 Yes, sir, And with that he departed. I wish to 0:27:46.800 --> 0:27:50.000 believe that these events are at a turning point, that 0:27:50.080 --> 0:27:53.639 the Sign of the Angels will regain its advantage. I 0:27:53.680 --> 0:27:58.760 wish to believe that this will end the third of 0:27:58.800 --> 0:28:12.119 October eighteen seventeen. My worst fear has been realized. The 0:28:12.280 --> 0:28:15.360 church has become a sort of hospital for the condemned. 0:28:15.359 --> 0:28:19.879 Over the previous days, all able bodied men not working 0:28:19.880 --> 0:28:23.919 the harvest have been enlisted. A dozen poor souls have 0:28:24.040 --> 0:28:28.800 been brought in bound and raving. They are tied down 0:28:28.840 --> 0:28:32.679 to whatever furniture is available and taken care of to 0:28:32.720 --> 0:28:37.119 the best of any one's ability. Father Abbess ceased to 0:28:37.200 --> 0:28:42.360 their salvation, while Noah has been relegated to disposing of 0:28:42.400 --> 0:28:46.720 their emaciated corpses, driving a stake through their hearts before 0:28:46.760 --> 0:28:50.840 burying them in a common grave that grows larger and larger, 0:28:51.680 --> 0:28:55.480 as if it is hungry, as if it will devour us. 0:28:55.560 --> 0:29:01.040 All I have witnessed the horror inside the sanctuary, the 0:29:01.120 --> 0:29:05.320 curses from madmen, the stench of their bodies and excrement, 0:29:06.600 --> 0:29:09.960 the dead eyes of the men who nurse and feed them, 0:29:11.240 --> 0:29:17.960 their neighbors and friends. I cannot imagine that damnation falls 0:29:18.000 --> 0:29:23.200 far from this scene. It was in this mire that 0:29:23.320 --> 0:29:30.400 our family's fate was sealed. I had come to bring 0:29:30.440 --> 0:29:34.400 dinner to Noah and Father Abbess. I was crossing through 0:29:34.440 --> 0:29:37.600 the churchyard, where men were busy at work digging a 0:29:37.680 --> 0:29:41.200 large hole in the ground that was consuming more and 0:29:41.320 --> 0:29:44.880 more of our people. I had paused to say a 0:29:44.880 --> 0:29:50.719 brief prayer. When Noah exited into the yard, a small 0:29:50.800 --> 0:29:57.000 body slung over his shoulder, a child's. He stopped in 0:29:57.000 --> 0:30:01.760 his tracks when he saw me, deep shame on his 0:30:01.880 --> 0:30:06.200 gaunt face, as if it were his fault that this 0:30:06.360 --> 0:30:10.320 child had passed, as if he bore the guilt of 0:30:10.440 --> 0:30:15.080 all the death and misery that had befallen us, as 0:30:15.120 --> 0:30:24.959