0:04

Empty Set Entertainment presents

0:06

Slay, created by Scott

0:08

Sigler and Rob Otto,

0:10

performed by Scott Sigler.

0:13

This story is intended for mature

0:15

audiences only. Listener

0:17

discretion is advised. Hello

0:21

Junkie! It

0:23

is almost Slay Day. May 1st

0:26

is the day Slay Book 1

0:28

is out in ebook. Get that

0:30

Kindle link over at scottsigler.com/slay and

0:33

pre-order now. And if it's after May

0:35

1st, get your ass over there and order it and

0:37

enjoy it. The audible version will be out in mid-May

0:39

of 2024. We

0:41

re-recorded the entirety of Book 1,

0:43

so if you listen to the

0:45

podcast of Slay Season 1,

0:48

you are in for a treat. The

0:50

audio quality is much higher. Of course,

0:53

I narrate. So if you've been waiting

0:55

for a new FDO-narrated, full-length, unabridged, commercial-free

0:57

audiobook, you will want this. 17

1:01

unique character voices, all done by me. It's

1:03

probably even more than that, but hey,

1:05

I am so slammed with Warpath, The

1:07

Crypt Book 2, and soon GFL7's final

1:09

draft. My noggin is fried, kids. It's

1:11

fried. Do you want to know when a

1:13

Sigler book drops? Well, we have two great ways. Text

1:16

SIGTEXT one word to 855-955-5095. That's

1:21

S-I-G-T-X-T one word to 855-955-5095. We

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send text to your fancy phone, letting

1:28

you know about live streams, big news,

1:30

and when books drop, like Slay Day!

1:33

The other great way to know is

1:35

to sign up for my newsletter. Go

1:37

to scottsligler.com/newsletter, toss in your info, and that's all there

1:39

is to it. Okay, time to get back into

1:41

Slay Season 2. This is a

1:44

rough episode, folks. Bad things

1:46

happen to good people. I Hope you can

1:48

handle the Dream Gods. Let me get you

1:50

caught up on the story so far, and

1:52

then we're all going to go buy us

1:54

a really nice wicker basket. Kelly's

2:03

Dromon a Morgan Stone set off

2:05

the deal with Teddy Two Fingers

2:07

at an undisclosed location with Teddy

2:09

High Mana and Agnieszka. Attacked

2:11

Romans Baron hides Madison with magic

2:13

and with flame throwing aerial drones

2:16

but set Germans living guardian freeze

2:18

and much of the mansion a

2:20

blaze. Were. Getting billie

2:22

or guarding to lie would Roman

2:24

fought against Agnieszka and High Mana

2:26

his murderous giant flying centipedes. Lincoln.

2:30

Had down a bottle of whiskey. Would.

2:32

Slowed as a reaction time and let a drone

2:34

get the drop on him. Boudreau.

2:37

Fired a jet of flame. It

2:39

should have set Lincoln ablaze, but

2:41

Billie somehow best the flame toward

2:43

himself and absorbed it, bringing it

2:45

into his own body and making

2:47

him so hot his clothes burned

2:49

away. Billie. Was about to

2:51

use this new power against Agnieszka when a

2:54

shot rang out. A bullet hit

2:56

his shoulder, dropping him. Tagged.

2:58

Sized Killer Beatles rip the floor out

3:00

from under Delilah. Wicked. Dove

3:02

after her but lost her in the smoke.

3:05

She. Was taken by a nice a. Petty

3:07

and I mana who shot across Baron

3:10

Heights and vanished into the night. Lincoln.

3:13

On able to chase them, rushed to

3:16

help Billie. And now. Episode

3:18

Fifty Seven of Slay.

3:32

Megan. Sprang up through the whole. He.

3:35

Ran the next to Billie who I naked

3:37

on the scorched and melted carpet. A.

3:39

Cloud of orange aura rising up from the

3:41

bullet wound in his shoulder. Red

3:43

blood trickling down senate. Both.

3:46

Things were very bad. Really?

3:49

To die from blood loss, shock

3:51

from his innate filaments boiling away,

3:54

or both. He. Moved

3:56

slightly. his eyes open

3:58

and his pupils wide I'm

4:01

here, kid," Lincoln said. I got you. Lincoln

4:05

bunched up his leather cloak, his motion

4:07

slow and awkward. He was

4:09

still feeling the effects of the booze. He

4:12

pressed the cloak hard against the bullet wound. Billy

4:15

grunted in pain but didn't resist. The

4:19

room sank of gasoline, burning hair

4:21

from the wool carpet probably, and

4:24

still smoldering centipede meat. People

4:27

hung in the air, oozed out the hole

4:29

where the window had been. Outside,

4:33

arbovite and other trees continued

4:35

to burn. Lincoln

4:37

heard flames crackling on the roof as well. I

4:40

think I got shot, Billy said. Did

4:42

someone shoot me? Afraid

4:45

so. Let me work on it. It's not that bad. That

4:49

was a lie. The wound

4:51

was bad. The

4:53

filaments that made up the orange aura should

4:55

have been wiggling around inside the wound, working

4:58

to knit damaged flesh together. That

5:01

they just spilled out into the air

5:03

told Lincoln that Teddy had used no

5:05

heel coating on his bullets. With

5:09

his free hand, Lincoln reached into the

5:11

folds of his cloak and found his first aid

5:13

kit. He

5:15

had to stop the bleeding and the boiling. How

5:18

could Billy have so much aura in him?

5:22

He'd barely even begun training. A

5:25

gust of wind whipped through the hole in the wall, driving

5:28

the curtains inward like flags in a storm.

5:31

The wind whipped up ash and burned clothes,

5:33

but was gone almost as soon as it

5:35

had begun. The curtains

5:38

dropped down again. Lincoln

5:40

glanced out the hole. All

5:42

the tree fires were out. Delilah!

5:46

Droman, outside, bellowing with

5:48

fury and anguish. A

5:52

thick strand of tightly packed vines came

5:54

through the hole like the tendril of

5:57

a great green kraken. slid

6:00

along that vine and into the room. He

6:03

hopped off just as another mini

6:05

hurricane wind blast roared, this time

6:07

snapping the curtains outward. Droman

6:11

looked at Lincoln and Billy, then

6:13

around the scorched, smoldering room at

6:16

the dead giant centipedes. Delilah,

6:18

he yelled. Delilah, where are you?

6:22

Lincoln braced for impact. She's

6:25

gone. Teddy took her. Rain

6:29

fire flared from eyes narrowed to

6:32

hateful slits. Droman's

6:34

fist-sized emerald necklace pulsed like

6:36

green lightning trapped in clear

6:38

ice. You're lying,

6:40

he said. Where is my

6:42

daughter? The

6:45

either crown ringing Droman's head wriggled and

6:47

flowed and weaved. His forest green robes

6:50

rippled from some internal storm of energy,

6:52

stored up and ready to burst outward

6:54

like an exploding nuke. Lincoln

6:57

needed to stand up, to prepare to

7:00

fight for his life, for Billy's life, but

7:02

he had to see to his friend's wound. Teddy

7:06

took her, Billy said, pain

7:08

warbling his words. We

7:10

tried to stop him, Mr. Droman. We

7:13

gotta find her. Droman's

7:16

green fire winked out, revealing

7:18

eyes brimming with shock and disbelief.

7:22

The dagger of guilt drove deeper

7:24

into Lincoln's soul. You

7:27

let him take her, Droman said, in

7:29

a haunting whisper. You

7:32

let Teddy take my daughter.

7:36

Another gust of wind. Morgan's stone

7:39

floated through the hole, long-bladed

7:41

noginta on one hand. She

7:43

landed light as a feather. Was

7:46

she a wind wizard? At

7:49

a glance, Morgan took in the centipedes

7:51

Lincoln and Billy, then looked

7:53

to Droman. The

7:55

lilah's gone, he said. Morgan's

7:59

eyes widened. her shoulder sagged, but

8:01

only for a moment. The

8:04

fires are extinguished. Morgan

8:06

knelt next to Billy. I've

8:08

got him, Franks. Give me room to work. Lincoln

8:12

remembered Stone working on Delilah's arm,

8:15

an arm that Lincoln had accidentally broken.

8:19

The girl had been good as new in minutes.

8:22

He stood and he stepped aside. Stone

8:26

sagged, stumbled a half step, put a

8:28

hand against the wall. His

8:30

shimmer of power flickered, faded,

8:33

and went out. Lincoln

8:36

knew how the man felt. He knew

8:39

it all too well. Droman

8:41

despaired because Lincoln had

8:44

failed. Delilah was gone

8:47

because Lincoln had failed. You

8:51

were going after Teddy, Lincoln said. What

8:53

happened? Billy

8:55

hissed in pain. Be

8:57

still, William, Morgan said. This will only

8:59

take a moment. Droman

9:03

turned, put his back against the wall,

9:05

slid down it, and sat on the

9:07

pink carpet. It

9:09

was a ruse. He

9:11

sounded like a man who had just had his soul ripped from

9:13

his body. In the

9:15

patchwork, a small castle

9:18

in Hades, Hymana. She'd

9:20

crafted a glamour. Let me discover

9:22

it. Made me think I had tracked

9:24

him down at long last. The

9:26

best glamour I'd ever seen. Felt

9:29

so real. When

9:32

we went in and saw what it was, I knew we'd

9:34

taken the bait. We rushed back.

9:38

Billy hissed again, but not as bad as

9:40

the first time. Stole

9:42

pain flared in Lincoln's right thigh, pain

9:44

that had been there all along, but

9:47

he had blocked it out. The

9:50

huge beetle had pincered his armor

9:52

hard enough to bend meshwork steel.

9:56

Lincoln quickly pulled off his gauntlets, found

9:58

the hidden catches on his thigh armor, and

10:00

released them. He tossed the

10:02

dented steel onto the burned carpet.

10:06

With haunted eyes, Droman looked

10:08

at Lincoln. I

10:11

hired you to protect my daughter, he

10:13

said, to protect her. The

10:16

hopelessness in the mage's voice made Lincoln wish

10:18

for Droman's fury to return. Anger

10:21

could be fought with anger, and for Lincoln,

10:24

anger came easy. But

10:27

this? Droman deflated,

10:30

destroyed? It

10:32

was all Lincoln could do to remain

10:34

standing, to not drop

10:36

to the floor himself. Hymana's

10:39

better than I knew, Droman said. She

10:42

destroyed my vine golems. They

10:44

are downstairs, eaten by

10:46

locusts. I don't know

10:48

how she got them in. They

10:50

used machines to burn my trees. They

10:53

played me like a fiddle. He

10:56

again looked at Lincoln. You

10:59

told me to stay home and protect

11:01

Delilah myself. You told

11:03

me. I

11:06

didn't listen. Droman's

11:08

head drooped. You

11:11

will be fine, William, Morgan said. You

11:14

need to rest and heal. Let me help

11:16

you up. Morgan

11:18

gripped Billy's non-injured arm, pulled him to

11:21

his feet. Some

11:23

kind of seaweed or other plant was

11:25

wrapped around his shoulder wound. He

11:27

looked like he could barely stand on his own. Thank

11:31

you, Billy said. Ah, could

11:34

I get something aware? Billy

11:38

was naked, with the hand of

11:40

his good arm covering his crotch. Lincoln

11:43

willed his cloak to unfasten. He

11:45

removed it, draped it around Billy's shoulders.

11:49

I'll find you some clothes, Morgan said, and

11:52

hurried out of the room. The

11:54

cloak fit Billy well. You

11:57

saved my life, Lincoln said. This

12:00

or that fire. It will let

12:02

me up. How did you do

12:04

that? But.

12:06

Drones fighter jet would have sat Lincoln

12:08

blaze because Lincoln's reaction time hadn't been

12:11

what it should have been. I

12:14

had no idea really. said. I

12:16

I can barely remember what happened. I

12:18

just. I just did it. Linked.

12:21

We. Gotta find a little. Teddy

12:23

the kidnapper, right? He.

12:25

Last more ransom. Mississauga to

12:28

pay. He's rich. Site

12:30

is a drama. Drama

12:33

and said nothing. More

12:35

than. New. I. Bet

12:38

he doesn't always ask for ransom Lincoln said.

12:41

The actually pretty rare that he does.

12:45

Though. His face wrinkled. He

12:47

doesn't ask for money. Realization.

12:50

Hit him. Oh yeah, Nightmare.

12:53

Factory Say. We. Gotta

12:55

go getter like. We. Get.

12:59

Those words were a deep cut.

13:02

One among thousands. We.

13:05

Will kid when can said. Another

13:08

lie. He

13:10

never been able to find Teddy sweatshirt.

13:13

No one had. Not

13:15

even the mighty Kelly as Dromon.

13:20

Make squat down on his heels in front

13:22

of the defeated made. I'd

13:25

say something to try and come for you Dromon. Would.

13:28

You see right through that shit. Like.

13:30

And said. Trust me

13:32

when I say I have more experience

13:34

than you do is feeling the way you

13:37

feel right now. I

13:39

don't care. And I couldn't

13:41

find Teddy before. and I don't care

13:43

if you think Teddy can be found.

13:46

I'm. Gonna find him. When.

13:49

You're done with you pity party. Let

13:51

me know. Because. I need all the help

13:53

I can get. We're.

13:55

Gonna find the mother fucker. Who.

13:57

heard our children Drummond

14:01

lifted his head just enough to look up from

14:03

under his brows. You've

14:06

faced him twice since we met, he said. You

14:09

lost both times. You

14:12

failed your child, Franks. And

14:15

you failed mine. Get

14:17

out of my sight. His

14:20

head drooped again. Morgan

14:23

returned with a rich, green, terrycloth

14:26

robe. Morgan

14:28

held the cloak wide so Billy had a shred of privacy

14:30

to put the robe on. Thanks,

14:32

said Billy, tugging the belt tight.

14:36

Lincoln again donned his cloak, rilled it to

14:39

fasten around his neck. He

14:42

wore the armor and cloak of a

14:44

rixitore, someone dedicated to

14:46

protecting the innocent. In

14:49

all his life, he

14:51

had never felt like such a

14:53

fraud. I

14:56

put out the fires, Morgan said. I

14:58

will begin the repairs to the wards

15:00

and protections and improve them in case

15:02

Hymana strikes again. Lincoln

15:06

nodded, but he knew Hymana would not

15:08

return. That wasn't how

15:10

Teddy worked. Teddy had gotten

15:12

what he wanted and would not put himself

15:15

at risk of Drummond's wrath again just

15:17

as he had never put himself at

15:19

risk of Lincoln's wrath. Teddy

15:23

would hide away until the next time

15:25

he needed fresh meat for a sweatshop.

15:29

Morgan quietly picked up Lincoln's thigh armor,

15:32

handed it to him, then gestured to

15:34

the door. Lincoln,

15:36

William, I will see you

15:38

to the transit note and send you home. I'm

15:42

real sorry, Mr. Drummond, Billy said.

15:45

Mr. Drummond, we tried. We'll

15:48

get Delilah back. You'll see. Drummond

15:52

did not look up. He

15:54

was a broken man. Just

15:57

like Lincoln was. Megan

16:00

and Billie. Followed. Morgan out

16:02

of Delilah his room. Hey,

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this stop the author of the story. This

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episode is sponsored by Regal Unlimited which is

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slash realm. She

20:28

was in Cordis. Where

20:30

in Cordis she didn't know. All

20:33

she knew for sure was that they had

20:35

transited her and that she was scared. So

20:39

scared. You're

20:41

being quiet, Hymana said.

20:44

That's a good girl. You always

20:47

were a good girl. The

20:51

thin hood over Delilah's had blocked any sight,

20:53

but it didn't obstruct her hearing. Especially

20:55

when Hymana leaned in so close,

20:58

Delilah could feel the woman's breath

21:00

through the hood's thin fabric. Dad,

21:03

he's going to kill you, Delilah said. He

21:06

won't let you go this time. Delilah

21:10

felt a strong hand on the back of

21:12

her neck. Felt the sharp points

21:14

of coffin nails. She

21:17

remembered when Hymana had been her

21:19

father's student. Remembered how pretty Hymana's

21:21

nails always were. Back

21:24

then, at seven years old,

21:26

Delilah had wanted to look like

21:28

Hymana. Delilah had

21:31

wanted to be Hymana. He

21:34

didn't let me go, little one,

21:37

Hymana said. I left. You

21:40

were too young to remember. But

21:44

that wasn't true. Delilah

21:47

had been young, yes, but she remembered

21:49

all of it. Her

21:51

ability to remember things, even things from

21:53

an early age, often freaked her dad

21:56

out. Would

21:58

Daddy Rescue Her? Delilah

22:00

didn't know. He

22:02

was always busy doing something else,

22:04

always off somewhere else, leaving or

22:07

at home, Maybe.

22:10

He would be too busy to come for her.

22:13

Daddy wasn't like Lincoln.

22:17

Lincoln. Would come for her.

22:20

Delilah. Didn't know how she knew that. She

22:22

just did. Lincoln.

22:25

Would com. And He would

22:27

kill them all. The.

22:31

Hood didn't blocker sense of smell either.

22:34

Daddy and Center to enough equestrian lessons

22:36

that you know horse when she smelled

22:38

one. She was

22:40

in a horse drawn carriage or

22:43

something along those lines, bumping over

22:45

cobblestone streets. Her. Thirty

22:47

two fingers. I mana. And

22:50

that awful woman with a centipede

22:52

for an arm. Delilah

22:55

I might have said. I'm

22:57

going to give you some advice. For.

22:59

Old Time's sake. What

23:02

Teddy tells. You to do

23:04

you do. It will

23:06

go better for you that way. Things.

23:09

Will go better when Daddy crucified

23:11

you want to Mulberry Bush. The.

23:14

Lawyer said. The

23:16

words rod of her mouth before she knew it. For.

23:20

Hand gripping the back of her neck

23:22

squeezed harder and this time. The

23:24

coffin nail points dog in. Don't

23:27

damage or that he said. I

23:30

might still raised from her. High

23:33

Mana last derisively butter hand

23:35

relaxed. You. Won't ransom

23:38

her she said. As I

23:40

told you, This girl is

23:42

worth more than all the

23:44

others combined. The

23:47

carriage stepped. That

23:50

remains to be seen. Teddy said. Agnieszka:

23:52

bring her. Now.

23:55

delilah fell breath honor other ear

23:57

heard the crinkle platter of many

23:59

thin legs scraping against metal. "'You

24:03

can walk and not give me any problems,

24:06

or I can carry you,' Agnetha

24:08

said. "'Which would

24:11

you prefer?'" The

24:14

crinkle-clatter sound increased. Delilah

24:17

knew what it was. Agnetha

24:19

liked to put her grotesque, centipede

24:21

arm against her breastplate so dozens

24:23

of thin legs drummed against the

24:25

steel the way someone might drum

24:27

their fingers on a desktop. The

24:31

woman did that to intimidate. And

24:34

it worked. "'I'll

24:36

walk,' Delilah said. "'I won't

24:38

give you any trouble. I promise.'" A

24:42

door opened. Delilah sensed

24:45

a change in the light. "'It

24:47

was nighttime in Cordis. Was

24:50

the light from the street lamp?'" "'Solid

24:52

choice,' Agnetha said. "'And

24:55

don't bother screaming. It's

24:57

after hours. By the time

24:59

anyone comes, your guts will be cooling

25:02

on the cobblestones. Got

25:04

it?'" Delilah nodded. Agnetha

25:08

gripped Delilah's shoulder, guided her path.

25:12

The footing changed from cobblestone to

25:14

tile. They were inside

25:16

a building. It was cold. Delilah's

25:20

sweatshirt had burned when Billy caught

25:22

fire. Was

25:25

Billy okay? Was Lincoln okay?

25:29

The footing changed from tile to wood, slightly

25:31

shaky, as if the floor beneath her moved

25:34

when someone took a step. Delilah

25:37

sensed the room was small. Teddy,

25:39

tied to one side, Agnetha

25:41

on the other, and Hymana close

25:43

as well. "'Down,'

25:45

Teddy said. Agnetha

25:48

jerked as the floor seemed to drop beneath her.

25:52

She was in an elevator. She

25:54

heard pulleys rolling. "'I'm

25:57

going to put you right to work,' Teddy said. We'll

26:00

see if I'm on as correct about you." Delilah

26:04

realized suddenly. She

26:07

was descending to Teddy Two-Fingers'

26:09

sweatshop. The factory

26:11

that harvested filaments from children's

26:13

nightmares. Lincoln had

26:15

told her about it. Sam

26:18

had been here. I

26:20

won't work for you, Delilah said. I

26:23

don't know what you want me to do, but I

26:25

won't do it. She

26:28

wished she could see. The bag

26:30

over her head smelled. I'll

26:33

wager you'll change her mind, Teddy said.

26:36

You will be my foreman and manage the output.

26:39

My current foreman can't handle the gig,

26:41

so I'm demoting her down to the line. I

26:45

want you to see what that means.

26:49

The elevator kept going down. And

26:51

down. And down.

26:55

I'm in the mood for pizza, Teddy said. Hymana,

26:58

you up for a pie? And

27:01

down. You

27:03

know I am lactose intolerant,

27:05

Hymana said. Why

27:08

must you get pizza? And

27:11

down. Your

27:13

imaginary condition doesn't dictate the menu,

27:15

Teddy said. Agneetha,

27:17

pizza? And

27:19

down. I

27:22

could eat, Agneetha said. You don't

27:24

want burgers? And

27:26

down. Teddy

27:28

huff. I'm sick of burgers.

27:32

And down. And down. And

27:34

down. Delilah

27:37

heard a new sound, a muffled

27:40

sound. She

27:42

couldn't place it, but it disturbed her.

27:46

The elevator stopped. She

27:49

heard one of those old accordion gates slide

27:51

open. Agneetha grabbed

27:53

her arm, pushed her forward. The

27:57

footing changed from wood to stone.

28:01

Delilah walked. As

28:03

she did, she finally placed the

28:05

disturbing noise. It was

28:08

muffled, in tinny, but

28:10

there was so much of it coming

28:13

from both sides. Children,

28:16

shrieking in terror. The

28:20

tinnyness. The

28:22

children were behind closed doors, metal

28:25

doors. And

28:29

another noise, too. Also

28:31

tinny. Also obstructed. It

28:35

sounded like... Owls?

28:39

Here we are, Teddy said. Delilah

28:42

heard the jangle of metal keys, then

28:45

one sliding into a lock, then the

28:47

metal screech of old hinges. Agnetha

28:51

turned her 90 degrees, gently

28:53

but firmly, pushed her forward, stopped her

28:55

after only a few steps. The

28:59

hinges screeched again. Delilah

29:02

heard the gong of a metal door closing.

29:06

This is your predecessor, Teddy

29:08

said. The

29:11

hood was yanked from Delilah's head. In

29:14

front of her, a little black-haired girl

29:16

lie on a table. Not a

29:19

rectangular table, but more like a flat

29:21

cutout in the shape of a person

29:23

with arms, legs, and a spot for

29:25

the head. The

29:27

shape was child-sized. Thick,

29:32

two-foot-long stickbugs were upside down

29:34

under the cutout, their spindly

29:36

legs reaching up and over,

29:39

locking down on the little girl's

29:41

limbs, holding her fast. The

29:44

stickbugs were motionless, save for their

29:46

antennae, which moved slowly, angling this

29:48

way and that. Delilah

29:52

couldn't breathe. Was

29:54

she already in a nightmare? The

29:58

girls had turned. snot

30:00

coated her lip hung from her nose.

30:03

Tears glazed the red skin of her eyes.

30:07

She squinted. De

30:09

Lila? De

30:13

Lila's stomach did flip-flops, her heart

30:15

pinched. She recognized the

30:17

girl. Gabriela

30:19

Radu. They had

30:21

been at summer camp together in the south of

30:24

France. De Lila had been

30:26

a counselor in training. Gabriela

30:28

had been one of the younger girls in

30:30

her cabin. The

30:33

girl started crying again, but also

30:35

smiling, also laughing. You're

30:39

here to save me, she said. Have

30:41

you come to save me? Give my

30:43

daddy, Lila. Give my dad. This

30:47

wasn't happening. This wasn't

30:50

happening. As

30:52

you can see, she's not the sharpest knife

30:54

in the drawer. I should

30:56

have known a dolt couldn't manage my production line.

31:00

A hoot. Like an

31:03

owl, but not. More

31:05

of a hoot gurgle. A

31:07

hungry sound. Another

31:10

hoot. More urgent than the first. At

31:14

the base of the table, down on

31:16

the stone floor, lay a wicker basket.

31:19

Wicker lid closed. That's

31:22

where the hoot had come from. See,

31:25

Lila, Gabriela said through chokes

31:27

abs. Get my parents, please.

31:29

Get my mom. Don't let him do this

31:32

to me. Don't let him do this to

31:34

me. De

31:37

Lila felt numb inside, as cold as

31:39

a rock on the shore of a frozen river. Time

31:42

is money, Teddy said. Let's

31:44

get started. Watch and learn,

31:46

little drowman. Someday soon, you

31:49

will be called upon to perform this right. into

32:00

the lotus position. I

32:03

hate this, Hymana said. I

32:06

will wait outside. Was

32:10

that disgust Delilah heard in the bug witch's

32:12

voice? Fear? Both?

32:15

Teddy waved a hand dismissively. Ah,

32:18

go get yourself some fake cheese. Agnetha

32:22

held the door open. Hymana

32:24

walked out, a red kimono flowing.

32:28

Agnetha shut the door behind her. Teddy

32:31

spread his arms. He

32:34

dipped his head, flipped it up fast,

32:36

flinging his long silver hair behind him.

32:39

Bujanyasa, sumuya,

32:43

he said. The

32:45

wicker basket's lid shot upwards so

32:47

hard it bounced off the ceiling.

32:50

It fell, hit the stone floor,

32:53

and bounced away. Something

32:56

inside the basket, something

32:59

made of dry, flaky flesh,

33:02

colored a sickly gray. Whatever

33:05

it was, it made Delilah want

33:07

to turn and run. Teddy

33:11

began to moan, to

33:13

sway slightly from side to side.

33:17

From the basket, a... a finger?

33:23

Elephant gray cracked skin. A

33:25

finger with too many knuckles. Fingernail

33:29

black and chipped, spotted with ochre

33:31

mold. It

33:33

was no insect. Nothing of Hymana's

33:35

doing. This was

33:37

older. Far

33:40

older. Delilah's

33:43

body decided for her, made her

33:45

turn and run, but she'd barely

33:47

moved before a thick centipede arm

33:49

coiled around her, body squeezing and

33:51

legs wiggling, holding her tight. The

33:54

centipede's nauseating, eyeless head swung in

33:57

front of her face, its fat,

33:59

black, pointy Pinsir spread wide, ready

34:01

to snap. Watch,

34:04

girl, Agnetha said. You

34:07

will watch. The

34:10

centipede arm turned to Lila roughly,

34:12

made her face toward Teddy and

34:14

the basket before him. Aggutuyatut,

34:20

Teddy said. Yajnum

34:23

svekurut. The

34:26

finger extended from the basket. Too

34:28

many knuckles. Too many knuckles. Stretched toward

34:30

Gabriela's feet, almost as if it was

34:33

sniffing her. The

34:35

Lila's heart filled with revulsion, with a

34:37

desperate need to not see what was

34:40

about to happen. Let

34:42

me go. She shut her eyes

34:44

tight. Let me go. Let me go. Let

34:47

me go.

34:49

She felt the shifting of the centipede

34:51

arm that held her motionless, felt the

34:53

long body slide around her. And

34:56

then something sharp and

34:58

pointy touched her eyelids.

35:01

Oh no, no, no, no, no. The

35:04

pointy somethings pulled, her

35:06

eyes opened, stayed open, held that

35:09

way by the centipede's hooked pincers.

35:13

More legs, thin and cold, wrapped

35:15

around her forehead and cheeks, held

35:17

her head iron still. She

35:20

stared straight ahead, unable to

35:22

do anything else. Teddy

35:26

kept swinging, kept moaning. More

35:30

fingers extended from the wicker

35:32

basket, six in total, moving

35:34

like jointed tentacles, clustered

35:36

close together and pointing forward like the

35:38

tentacles of a squid. They

35:41

grabbed Gabrielle's feet and pulled. The

35:45

thing hauled itself out of the basket,

35:47

the six gray fingers and a reddish

35:50

body the size of a fist, and

35:53

a tail soft and

35:55

vile, dotted with yellow

35:57

mold and oozing open

35:59

sore. A

36:02

Dream Gaunt. The

36:05

beast pulled itself up onto Gabriela's shins.

36:09

Gabriela looked down her body, saw the

36:11

six fingers pulling the flesh fist over

36:13

her knees up her thighs. The

36:16

little girl screamed. She screamed so

36:19

loud Delilah heard vocal cords snap

36:21

and fray. The

36:24

Dream Gaunt's diseased fingers pulled

36:26

its body up Gabriela's thighs

36:29

to her stomach, to her chest. She

36:32

thrashed, tried to break free. The

36:35

spit bugs tightened their hold, locking

36:37

her arms and legs down even

36:40

stronger. The

36:42

Dream Gaunt reached Gabriela's chest. Probing

36:46

fingers felt at her mouth and her

36:48

nose. She thrashed

36:50

her head side to side,

36:52

screamed, cried. Gabriela begged, calling

36:54

to her father who could

36:56

not help her. The

36:59

Dream Gaunt pulled itself up until its fist

37:01

sized body rested on her throat.

37:05

Four of the two long fingers gripped her face, held

37:08

her head perfectly still. The

37:11

remaining two fingers rose up

37:13

like multi-jointed snakes, then

37:16

plunged straight into her eyes.

37:20

Gabriela screamed louder, maybe,

37:23

but Delilah wasn't sure because her

37:25

own screams drowned out all else.

37:29

Two fingers angled toward Gabriela's ears,

37:32

then drove in to the base knuckle.

37:36

The last two fingers slid deep

37:38

into her nostrils. Gabriela

37:42

shrieked and tear in unimaginable

37:44

agony and kept shrieking until

37:46

the long tail with its

37:48

oozing open sores drove into

37:50

her screaming mouth and down

37:53

her throat. Gabriela

37:56

fell still. Only

37:58

her chest moved. slowly rising and

38:01

falling. Teddy

38:03

stood. He brushed his hands

38:05

together, then brushed off the seat of his

38:08

leather pants. The

38:10

Dream Gaunt will make her worst fears a

38:12

constant reality, he said. She

38:14

will produce filament for us at a high rate. You,

38:17

little Droman, will oversee that

38:19

production and make sure we hit the quotas I

38:21

set for you. I will teach you

38:23

how to do it. If you don't

38:25

meet the quota, he

38:28

gestured to the Dream Gaunt with

38:30

its horrid fingers deep in Gabriel's

38:32

eyes, ears, and mouth, then

38:34

you will be put on the line. Do

38:37

you understand? The

38:41

centipede released Delilah's head. She

38:44

nodded. She nodded as

38:46

hard as she could. I

38:49

understand, I understand, I understand, she said.

38:51

Help you, and just please don't put

38:53

that thing on me, please. Teddy

38:58

Two Fingers smiled wide. Fantastic,

39:01

he said. Your

39:03

training begins immediately. Soon

39:05

we'll have this factory humming right

39:07

along. Agnetha, order that

39:10

pizza. Double cheese, pepperoni, and mushrooms.

39:13

Activating a gaunt makes me

39:15

famished. You

39:23

have been listening to Sway, created

39:26

by Scott Sigler and Rob

39:28

Otto, performed by Scott

39:31

Sigler. Copyright 2024, empty

39:33

set, entertainment. For

39:37

more info on Scott

39:39

Sigler, his novels, short

39:42

stories, and podcasts, visit

39:44

scottsigler.com. Theme

39:46

music is the song they're watching

39:48

me by the band Super Weapon.

39:58

Hello, dear stranger. I'd

40:01

like to introduce you to something new, or

40:03

perhaps something very, very

40:05

old. The Heresies of

40:08

Radolf Berndt I is a horror

40:10

fantasy medical mystery, following

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the titular monk turned traveling

40:14

medical investigator. Follow

40:17

Radolf as he navigates a nightmare world in

40:20

which viruses are gods and the

40:22

human race are not their favorite

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children. Beeped

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in history and an aesthetic that can

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only be described as a combination of

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occult academia and laboratory judaica, the

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Heresies of Radolf Berndt wine have been

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described as Umberto Echo meets

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HP Lovecraft. For

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more information, check out the

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Patreon at thorb.info. But

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take care, dear stranger, for

40:48

some traits are best

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left unknown.