2:00

Unlike Tom Cruise, I can handle it. I

2:04

cut the water, although the bag was almost

2:06

empty anyway. Honestly, here

2:09

I shower in my boxers. What?

2:14

Why? Self-righteous

2:16

moose. Oh,

2:18

come on. Listen, I know

2:20

you said this area of the force is closed, but

2:22

I figured with those campers and the music, I'm

2:25

not too fond of standing out there naked.

2:29

Yeah, well, I'm in an

2:31

area of the force that isn't closed,

2:33

and I'm still showering. Naked?

2:37

You must be more comfortable with your body, then. I

2:40

looked down, sucked in my

2:42

stomach, and lifted one boob, taking

2:45

a moment to remember my early 20s

2:47

body before letting it drop back down

2:49

to its rusting place. Sure,

2:52

as comfortable as can be. I

2:55

guess I don't really mind if someone sees me. Although,

2:58

I am holding out

3:00

for a beefy lumberjack after a hard

3:02

day's work. Lumberjack?

3:04

What happened to Poolboy? I

3:07

don't discriminate. I finished

3:09

drying off and got dressed. Some knee-length athletic shorts

3:11

and a tee. Kind

3:13

of felt lackluster, knowing no lumberjack would

3:16

be enticed now. So,

3:18

I did always think I looked better with

3:20

clothes on. Maybe one of

3:22

these days I'll be more adventurous and take it all

3:24

off. Stop, Mike!

3:27

I'm getting all flustered!

3:30

Yeah, okay. Hey, so what was

3:33

the original question you had for me anyway? Oh

3:36

yeah, that's right. How do you feel

3:38

about the name Olivia? The

3:40

character in your story? Yeah.

3:46

Fine, why? Now

3:48

I'm wondering if it fits. like

4:00

a stay inside and lounge about kind of

4:02

day. The sky was gloomy and

4:04

it looked like it might rain. So

4:06

tea, romance book and blankets

4:09

were definitely in store. And

4:11

maybe I'd even start that 5,000 piece puzzle that

4:14

I'd always meant to do. Maybe

4:19

some time would also be devoted to turning with

4:21

Mike and I was writing. At

4:23

first I thought I was annoying him with questions about

4:25

his book, but now

4:28

he was asking me. I

4:30

liked that. Kind of like a

4:32

joint project I wouldn't get any credit for. Why

4:36

don't you think that name fits? Seems

4:38

a little too nice, too

4:41

flowery, I don't know. I

4:43

was a little nervous at first because

4:45

I knew nothing about writing. And

4:48

while I did read, none of the books that interested

4:50

me would be considered

4:52

classics. And most would

4:54

probably be considered mom porn. You

4:57

don't think it's mean enough? Well,

4:59

Olivia Newton-John, Olivia Wilde, Olivia

5:01

Munn, Olivia Coleman, Olivia de

5:04

Havilland, I just, I don't picture

5:06

her being the person I'm describing. And

5:09

you don't wanna use her real name,

5:11

right? No need to get sued. What

5:16

about Gretchen? That

5:18

sounds like a female villain. I

5:21

don't need a villain, just a person

5:23

that fits the bill of troubled, abusive

5:25

alcoholic. And

5:27

that's not a villain? Not

5:30

in the traditional sense. Broken

5:32

doesn't necessarily mean evil. A

5:34

lot of people experience trauma and pass it down.

5:37

Ain't that the truth? But it

5:40

seems like broken has the capability

5:42

to lead to evil,

5:45

right? Not many serial killers

5:47

get brought up in a nice home

5:49

with a loving family. True,

5:51

but in this case, I don't want it to play that

5:53

way. You

5:57

don't still have feelings for this chick.

6:00

Do you? Hell... no.

6:03

Good. Since

6:07

we were chatting, I wouldn't be able to read right

6:09

now. So, I grabbed the

6:11

5,000 piece puzzle I left from last year,

6:14

but never put together. I

6:16

just want to make a realistic story about

6:19

growth and moving on, not a Disney story

6:21

with an evil witch. This

6:24

thing would take forever. But all

6:27

I had was time. I

6:29

stared at the box a moment, looking at

6:31

the colorful tropical beach with huts

6:34

and docks and birds and

6:36

sea life. A

6:38

long time ago, I used this setting

6:40

as my happy place, since I

6:43

often needed an escape. I'd

6:46

close my eyes and

6:48

drift away. Talk

6:52

about growth. Well,

6:54

I like the name Olivia because it's

6:56

different. Different, like it

6:58

doesn't really fit her persona. Yeah.

7:01

And the juxtaposition makes it so you're not

7:04

sure who this person really is and what

7:06

she's capable of. Uh,

7:08

sure. Awesome.

7:11

Thanks. So

7:15

you're gonna keep it? Yeah.

7:18

I think I will. Glad

7:20

I could help. And

7:44

I did help. At least, that's

7:46

what I said. Another week

7:48

passed and all we did was talk. Right

7:51

now, we were back on his book. Does

7:57

Jason change for the better because of Olivia? He

8:01

liked them because it made him see the

8:04

story from a different perspective, while helping him

8:06

tackle both realistic character arcs and continuity issues.

8:10

Wait, does her daughter remember Jason at all?

8:12

Like when they were dating? So,

8:14

I kept the questions going. I

8:18

even dedicated a section of my notebook to nothing

8:20

but a story. It was fun

8:22

and something different. And

8:26

as time went on, I found myself

8:28

less enthused with taking notes on my pieces.

8:33

More interested with just chime

8:35

in with him. Taking notes

8:37

on his story and birking on my

8:39

pieces. Still

9:06

no smoke? No smoke. At

9:08

least that's what he says. Figure the

9:10

storm would help. You were right. How's

9:13

he doing now? Fine. But

9:17

I should call him soon. It's after five.

9:19

What's that mean? I always call him

9:22

after working out. I don't know.

9:24

He became a...pinchule. Wait. You

9:26

working out? Oh shut it. Since when?

9:29

I have weights here. When did you start to use them? Ha

9:32

ha. I always did. Just not as much as this year.

9:35

Why? Why not? I'm stuck here. I

9:38

really have no excuse. Uh huh. What?

9:41

One second. I'm stuck here. I really have no excuse.

9:44

Uh huh. What? One

9:46

second. I

9:48

stopped by my small five pound dumbbells in

9:51

the corner of the room. Okay. Maybe

10:00

I didn't work out every day,

10:02

but Jean didn't need to know

10:05

that, and neither did Mike. Mmm,

10:11

maybe I wasn't making big strides on my

10:13

body, but the puzzle was coming

10:15

along nicely. The edge was

10:17

completed, and part of the sea turtle

10:19

corner. Amber?

10:22

Yeah, what? Sorry,

10:24

Marie was hovering. I have

10:26

a question for you. Okay, go. Do

10:29

you like him? Who?

10:32

Mikey? Yeah, Mikey.

10:36

What? I don't even know him. Exactly,

10:39

you don't. But the way you talk, well...

10:42

It's my job. This is what they

10:44

want, isn't it? To an

10:46

extent. So wait, is it

10:48

you asking or them? No

10:50

one, never mind. Jean, seriously?

10:54

No, just forget it. Forget I asked.

10:57

Yeah, okay, that's easy to do.

11:00

I shouldn't have brought it up. Jean, you

11:02

want to save it for the Queen? No,

11:04

I told you, forget it. Okay,

11:09

well, you told me to check in

11:11

today, so what's the word? You're

11:13

not gonna like this. Hit

11:16

me. I

11:43

felt bad when Jean told me the news. All

11:47

this time, things had been going smoothly, and

11:49

yet now, they wanted to send

11:51

him out again? Mikey,

11:53

you there? I'm

11:56

here. How's it going, Amber? Hey, so I

11:58

am... I just... I finished talking to

12:00

Jean and, well, that tent you saw at

12:03

Site 5 might belong to a father and

12:05

son. Oh? Why'd

12:07

you say that? Because a father

12:09

and son have recently been classified as missing.

12:12

Missing? They never made it back

12:14

home. They were supposed to be back three days ago,

12:16

but haven't shown. Family was worried

12:19

and contacted the ranger station. But

12:21

it's been weeks. I

12:23

honestly couldn't tell what this was, because

12:25

I always had the impression that the isolation

12:27

was a necessity. Tower 4

12:30

was a good spot because it was literally

12:32

cut off. But to have

12:34

Mike go looking for these missing people? Although,

12:39

Jean said others would be looking too.

12:42

So this did seem to be a

12:44

serious issue and not some kind of

12:46

weird experiment. Well, it didn't

12:49

come this way. I told Jean

12:51

that. He wants me to have you check Enos

12:53

Lake. It used to be a popular fishing spot

12:55

for hikers before they closed that trail. It's

12:57

pretty late. Not now.

13:00

Tomorrow. More hiking. I'm

13:02

afraid so. Great. Sorry. Yeah,

13:05

yeah. Hey, Mikey.

13:08

Don't forget the bear spray. I

13:36

broke out the cards the next day. I

13:39

played solitaire on the floor, leaning against

13:41

my bed while trying to keep my

13:43

company. But I swear, if

13:46

he used Ambie one more time, please

13:48

stop doing that. Sorry. I

13:52

was giving the puzzle a break since

13:54

the amount of blue was overwhelming. The

13:57

sky, the ocean, nearly the

13:59

same. Read. There's frustrating

14:01

than relaxing. So.

14:04

I talked to Gene any check the weather. So

14:07

be nice. Until. Tonight in a storm

14:09

is supposed to hit. Nothing big though.

14:11

That was true Scene and I did

14:14

talk for a long time listening. Apparently

14:16

this was a real scare and they

14:19

needed to find his father and son.

14:21

Otherwise, Team said they would send Mike

14:23

out that way. He knows passes

14:26

old. Enough. Path as a

14:28

bit rugged and since that section of the woods

14:30

close down I can imagine what the trail of

14:32

signal. Probably. Overgrown. Also,

14:36

I should mention that Enos Lake is a

14:38

bit out of reach for Tower Three. A

14:41

typo got the cards because soon.

14:44

Be. Wouldn't be able to converse. But

14:46

if you had north from enough sleek you can

14:48

hit over arts which will give you signal if

14:50

you want to contact team. You know

14:52

to say hi and demand banana chips.

14:57

Just. A suggestion. It.

14:59

Was good information in case he did find the

15:01

father and son. Over to be a

15:03

faster way to report. In. Dang.

15:07

It. My. Stock. Ah,

15:11

I gave up on my current game. And decided to

15:13

get a little more acquainted with Nice although

15:16

I'm less sure if that was because I

15:18

knew we wouldn't be able to talk much

15:20

soon. Or. Is it

15:22

was because it seems? question? I

15:25

was it. Normally a spiteful person. But.

15:27

The waging asked. And.

15:29

Then totally dismiss my answer. And

15:32

week me. Ask you a question

15:34

Mikey! Oh. How

15:36

old do you think I am? Oh

15:42

man, that's right, I said

15:44

thirty two. Had. You know that?

15:48

Oh that's right, The. Introductions.

15:51

I. always felt that mine was

15:53

wrong there was a weird fantasy

15:55

element to this lifestyle that made

15:58

teeny tiny said seem ok Although

16:02

most would probably still consider that a

16:04

form of catfishing. It was

16:06

nice to know you thought I sounded 28. To

16:11

be that young again, the things

16:13

I would have done differently. I

16:16

had a nice somber glance around the room. The

16:19

dumbbells by the shelf caught my eye. Hey,

16:25

if you ever want to talk about serious stuff, we

16:28

can. Didn't we do that already? I

16:30

believe that was us barely scratching the surface.

16:33

I know I wasn't necessarily supposed to

16:35

provoke, but I didn't

16:37

want to think I was all jokes and friendly banter.

16:39

Yeah, I think you're right about that.

16:41

I'm always here. I bent

16:44

down and grabbed one of the five pounders

16:46

and flexed. Unless I'm at Enos

16:48

Lake. Well, yes. When

16:50

you reach the beautiful, mostly isolated lake, you

16:54

won't be able to hear my youthful, sarcastic voice.

16:56

I stared at myself

16:58

in the full length mirror and smirked, wondering

17:00

what Gene would say to that. Then

17:03

dropped the dumbbell. Okay,

17:22

so odds are he won't make it back in time.

17:25

I don't think so. When did you

17:27

lose contact with him? I

17:29

don't know. 30, 40 minutes ago. Alright,

17:32

so he still has a few hours. Most

17:34

likely. I told him about Overage. What

17:37

did you say? Told

17:42

him he could reach you. I figured it was a good chance

17:45

to let you know if he finds anything, rather

17:47

than waiting till he was in my range. Okay,

17:50

good. Is there anything else?

17:53

Yeah, they have people searching all over, so if

17:55

you see anyone who doesn't necessarily look like a

17:57

hiker, let them be. What

18:00

does that mean? Suit and

18:02

tie? Ball gown? I

18:04

don't know, just don't bother them. What

18:07

do you expect me to do? Pop out of

18:10

some bushes for a scare? Cover their eyes and play

18:12

Guess Who? I'm serious, Amber.

18:14

They were adamant. Okay,

18:16

geez, I wasn't planning on leaving the

18:19

tower anyway. Good. Hey,

18:23

Gene. Who do they

18:25

send out here? Local law enforcement?

18:28

I don't know. Shouldn't

18:30

law enforcement be involved? Normally,

18:33

but I think it's different because of where they're

18:35

searching. In a closed off

18:37

section? Yeah. Why

18:40

does that matter? Because the company

18:42

owns that section of the woods. They

18:44

do? I've told you this. I

18:47

don't remember. Well, I did.

18:53

So, shouldn't local

18:55

law enforcement be involved in the search? I mean,

18:57

they have to know, right? Yes,

19:00

Amber. It was reported to the company and to

19:02

the police. Everything I know I've relayed to you.

19:04

But other than that, I know nothing of how

19:07

it's being handled. And do you know why? Because

19:10

you don't ask questions. Exactly.

19:14

Over and out. It

19:31

actually did feel weird not being able to talk tonight. Especially after my pretend workout. Damn

19:38

it. I should have worked out today.

19:40

I could have, but instead, I nervously

19:43

ate and spent most of the day

19:45

outside with binoculars. Pretending

19:47

to bird watch. But no hikers,

19:49

no law enforcement, and not just a lot of people.

20:00

Not even many birds pass by. It

21:01

was until that night when the storm was hitting. Oh,

21:05

come on. Dammit! When

21:08

I couldn't hold it in anymore and had to

21:10

go to the outhouse. But

21:13

I ended up seeing someone. I

21:40

was just about to enter the outhouse when a figure

21:43

moved down the trail. As

21:45

lean as a beam was my right now, the trail. No,

21:48

it was not. I

21:52

heard you use the red-torched side. I

21:55

was a little on edge. It

21:57

was late and the rain was coming down. living

22:03

out here provided many challenges and

22:05

many creepy moments. I

22:08

watched a lot of serial killer

22:10

shows and knew that many killers

22:13

buried their victims in national parks.

22:16

Hello? But I

22:18

didn't see anyone else. I

22:21

nervous to die down a bit, allowing

22:23

the feeling of things to be easy, something

22:25

to come rolling back in. Oh

22:27

man... Hi,

22:50

I'm Dr. Pee-Lum. I've been trying

22:52

to wait for the rain to die down some. But

22:55

it didn't look like that would be any time soon. After

23:00

a good five minutes, I said, screw it. He'd

23:02

run back to the tower. How

23:17

did my coat look like in much of my vision? I

23:20

was careful with my footing up the stairs. I didn't

23:22

want to put them to break my neck. Or

23:25

right when I got to the top. You

23:27

mean, you're such a bitch. I'm...

23:35

half-heated. I

23:38

felt very looking for the roof. We radiated

23:40

the roof straight from my lead fence. It

23:43

fell all the way down to the ground. I'm

23:46

sorry. The man held out his hand

23:48

with a preaching plea. Who are you? But

23:51

I waved the help away and put up right. Please,

23:54

I fell. He lightly touched the

23:56

large gas in his head. The

23:58

blood mixing with the battery... But

26:00

this'll do for now. Your

26:05

name is... Amber, right?

26:09

Yes. He knew my name.

26:12

It put me a little more at ease. It

26:15

meant he probably was from the company. He

26:18

probably knew Gene and Vic in Tower 2 and less

26:20

than Tower 1. And

26:22

possibly even Mike. You're

26:24

out here because of the missing father and son,

26:27

right? His

26:29

eyes shifted a bit, like he was unsure of

26:31

what he should hold. Uh...

26:34

yeah. They sent several of

26:36

us out. From where? Again,

26:39

it looks like he was unsure of what

26:41

to say. They,

26:45

uh, fly us out. From the

26:47

lab. Lab? I

26:50

remember Gene mentioning something about them operating

26:52

in multiple cities a while back. I

26:55

think he mentioned something about Casper being

26:58

the nearest one. Maybe

27:00

that's where this guy was from. Oh.

27:04

And you're supposed to stay with the same dress

27:07

code as you explore the woods? He

27:09

looked down and pulled at the collar of his jacket. Underneath

27:12

was once a nice dress shirt, now

27:14

covered in mud and blood. It

27:18

was, uh, a little spur of a

27:20

moment when we were told to go out. What

27:23

about law enforcement? He turned to

27:25

face me, nodding comfortingly. They

27:27

know. They do? He

27:30

turned back to the mirror, but kept eye

27:32

contact through the glass. To an

27:35

extent. They're conducting their own search. Can

27:37

I expect to see one of them at my doorstep soon?

27:40

He smirked as he finished with the bandaging. He

27:43

came back over and sat opposite me. Local

27:48

law enforcement is searching further south of here.

27:50

I don't think you'll see them. Oh. He

27:52

looked down and smirked, finally noticing the puzzle.

27:55

It gets boring out here, doesn't it?

28:01

Not tonight, his smile grew.

28:04

You know, what you do out here, what

28:06

you do for Tower Four, it's

28:09

helpful. Just wish I knew more

28:11

about it. They don't tell you much,

28:13

huh? No, and

28:15

something tells me you won't either. Sorry.

28:19

What's up then? A

28:21

power cut out, but without skipping a

28:24

beat, I responded. Don't

28:27

worry, I'm used to being in the dark. Does

28:30

that happen often? Usually during storms,

28:32

but usually I'm asleep and it comes back on

28:35

in the morning. We were

28:37

shrouded in darkness. I could just make

28:39

out a figure in the chair. It's

28:41

really coming down tonight. Yeah,

28:44

it is. I feel bad

28:46

for Mike. Mike? Is

28:48

that the guy in Tower Four? Sure.

28:52

It was weird that the guy knew my name,

28:54

but not Mike's. But

28:57

maybe I was more well known within the company since

28:59

I worked here the last three years. He

29:02

caught in it? He's camping

29:04

out, so yeah. Hopefully

29:06

he's a little more careful than I was.

29:09

He moved, but I couldn't tell exactly what he

29:11

was doing. But

29:14

the power flicked back on and I could see him rubbing

29:17

his head, a spot of

29:19

blood slowly forming on the white bandage. Do

29:22

you want a drink or any food? No.

29:25

No, I'm fine. You sure?

29:28

Yes. I appreciate it, but

29:30

I can't stay. Wait, are you going now?

29:33

It's still coming down. I think I should

29:35

leave. I checked your map. I

29:38

believe I know my way back. To the

29:40

highway? Or did they drop you off via

29:42

chopper? Although I didn't

29:45

hear any helicopters earlier. Different

29:48

ways for different groups? Well, do

29:50

you need anything else? No. He

29:55

made his way to the door, but I stayed sitting. Thank

29:58

you, Amber. Wait! Yeah?

30:02

You weren't even. She took

30:04

a moment to think, and

30:06

I could tell how uncomfortable

30:08

he was to that question.

30:11

You know what? Nevermind. Be

30:14

careful out there. He smiled, nodded,

30:17

and left. I

30:19

had so many other questions,

30:21

but knew I had to be careful.

30:26

I got up and made my way to the window, but

30:29

couldn't see him after he turned the first bend on

30:31

the staircase. I

30:33

grabbed the stair radio. Gene,

30:36

you copy? I

30:39

hoped I could get a signal in the storm. Gene,

30:44

where are you? Right here.

30:47

What's going on? Here for Mike? Known?

30:50

Are you alone? Yeah. Probably

30:52

going to rock out tomorrow. When?

30:55

Early. How early? When the sun comes

30:57

up. What about the storm? Hopefully

31:01

it'll pass by then. Okay.

31:03

Be careful. You're not going to

31:06

be able to see

31:09

him. You're

31:25

not going

31:31

to be able to see him. I

31:42

took a moment to catch my breath before calling

31:44

Gene. I

31:51

sat on the large boulder with my

31:53

feet dangling over the ledge. It

31:56

was only an eight-foot drop from where I sat to

31:58

a lower ledge. Past

32:00

that was a good 300 foot drop,

32:03

and then past that, who

32:05

knows how far. The

32:08

tops of the trees have scared a lot of my view

32:10

of the terrain below. I

32:17

stared out at the mountains and dark sky before

32:19

me, the storm

32:21

finally moving on. Rainrock

32:26

had a good view, but it wasn't surprising

32:28

why it didn't get much foot traffic. It

32:32

was a hell of a climb, but because of

32:34

its height and its proximity to the highway, it

32:37

made the perfect spot to call Gene. My

32:40

phone. It was a good time. About

32:46

time. What's

32:54

going on, Amber? Did something happen with Mike?

32:56

How would I know? I don't know,

32:59

maybe he headed back last night. No,

33:01

this is about something else. What?

33:04

I talked to someone from the company.

33:07

You did? When? Late last

33:09

night. God damn it, I told you not to approach anyone.

33:12

I didn't! He showed up at my door. Is

33:14

that right? What for? He

33:16

was injured. He fell. Had

33:19

a large gash in his head. He

33:22

needed help. I didn't get any word.

33:24

And I doubt you will. He told

33:26

me not to tell anyone. Well, shouldn't I

33:29

say- No. This is

33:31

confidential, Gene. That's why

33:33

I hiked my ass out here to talk to you over

33:35

the phone. Fine, but what if

33:37

he says something? So what if he

33:39

does? I didn't do anything wrong. I

33:42

told you, he showed up at my door. But

33:45

I don't think he'll say anything. He

33:47

seems really nervous to be at the tower.

33:51

I think they have strict rules. They

33:53

do. So if I can't say

33:55

anything, why are you telling me this? Just

33:57

to get it off your chest? No, my

33:59

brain's been going all night. I haven't

34:01

slept. Why? Because

34:03

I keep thinking back on Jerry and

34:05

even Sam. I never

34:08

talked to those guys much, but when I did, well,

34:11

you know how it was. What

34:13

are you getting at, Amber? What if... What

34:16

if some of the things they said were

34:19

real? Some things probably

34:21

are. Okay, well then, how

34:24

can we dismiss things they told us? Jerry

34:27

mentioned people following him, and

34:29

Mike mentions classical music. Amber,

34:32

it doesn't matter. So I'm

34:34

just to pretend that I don't know anything.

34:37

For their sake and for ours, yes.

34:39

How does that help anyone? It's

34:42

not your job to figure that out. You're not a

34:44

therapist. Then why am I out here

34:46

talking these guys down? Down? Yes!

34:50

Amber. This isn't a question for them. It's for

34:53

you. I don't

34:55

know. I stared off towards

34:57

the highway as if I could see Jean. She

35:00

mentioned a transmitter. What

35:02

kind of transmitter? I don't know,

35:04

I didn't ask. But isn't that

35:06

fishy? Maybe they

35:08

are sending my classical music over the radio.

35:10

How do we know they're not out here

35:12

more often? Because we would know.

35:15

That's what you think. Amber,

35:17

they had people out looking for the father

35:19

and son. Including Mike? Mike's able to check

35:21

an area that is pretty far from everyone

35:23

else, so yes, he helped. Have you

35:25

heard anything? No, but it's early.

35:28

I expect to hear something sometime today.

35:30

It's just... it's here.

35:33

It feels

35:35

different. It's almost like

35:37

it's been getting progressively worse year after year.

35:40

I think you're reading too much into things.

35:42

Like Mike? Listen, whoever

35:45

that guy was, he shouldn't have been at your

35:47

tower. That's for damn sure. This isn't about you,

35:49

it's about the person in Tower 4. You know

35:51

that. I just... What?

35:55

This job isn't what I

35:58

thought it would be. Oh, come on. Come

36:00

on, things were tough with the others too. These

36:02

guys need to get away. They have issues. But

36:05

does living in a tower surrounded by

36:07

wilderness really help them? It's not

36:09

for me to decide. Now, please, Amber,

36:12

this is important. Of

36:14

course you would say that. You got

36:16

through the last two years. Maybe this

36:18

one's a bit tougher, but everyone's experiences

36:20

are different. It's not, Mike. Of

36:22

course it isn't. Don't start, Gene.

36:25

I just find it odd, is all. And

36:27

I find your dismissiveness odd. You're

36:30

telling me everything, right? No

36:32

lies, no secrets? You made me

36:34

a promise before I moved. You

36:37

know what I know. I

36:39

wish I was talking to him face to face, just

36:42

to see if that right eye was twitching. So

36:45

what now? What do you mean? Nothing's

36:47

changed, same as before. But if you have another

36:49

late night visitor, I think you should call me

36:51

over the radio to report it. If

36:53

they're listening, they can handle it in whatever way they see fit.

36:57

If? We were never

36:59

sure if they were listening, but Gene had

37:01

his suspicions. Your name?

37:04

Just keep pushing, Amber, okay? Remember how

37:06

things were before this. I'm gonna

37:08

go. Okay. Call me when

37:10

you hear from Mike. Yeah. Yes.

37:29

A matter of minutes. One

37:31

crawled into the room and gave up. They

37:48

were not im Motorsport. I took a nap when I

37:50

got back from Brighton Rock. One

37:53

because I was physically tired, but

37:55

also because I was a little depressed. Now

37:57

I was up though and now I'm in the room.

38:00

trying to fix my stupid radio. Test,

38:03

test, Gene, you copy?

38:07

Everything was still connected, but it was a

38:09

true puzzle putting all the pieces back together.

38:12

I took a moment to glance at the actual

38:14

puzzle on my table behind me. You'd

38:17

think with all the practice. I

38:21

had to tape the bottom part of the radio so

38:23

the circuit wouldn't fall out, but the

38:25

LED light wasn't coming on, so maybe

38:27

it needed to be charged? Oh,

38:31

here we go. A connector cable

38:34

that does not appear to be connected. The

38:37

green light came on. Ha! Test,

38:40

test, Gene, do you copy? Hmm,

38:46

it seemed like it was working. Gene,

38:49

you there? Oh,

38:52

whatever. I

38:56

screwed the pieces back together. Maybe

38:58

it still wasn't working, or

39:02

maybe Gene was busy. I grabbed

39:04

the spare radio. Gene,

39:07

you copy? Gene.

39:14

Yep, he wasn't answering

39:16

on the other radio either. I

39:20

turned off the spare radio and put it away, and

39:23

then grabbed the other one and changed to Mike's

39:25

channel. Mike, you copy? Mike? Mikey?

39:31

Aww, looks

39:34

like I'm not able to talk to anyone

39:36

right now. I

39:41

grabbed my mug and went to get more coffee. I

39:47

guess I could try calling Vic, but

39:49

just then... Amber? Hey,

39:52

there he is! Amber?

39:55

Amber? Go

39:58

ahead, Mike. Mike,

40:01

go ahead. Oh, come on! I

40:06

smacked the bottom of the radio,

40:08

in an attempt to make it work. Huh, the way my

40:10

father used to fix things. Nate?

40:16

I smacked it again

40:18

on the back, careful

40:20

not to dislodge all

40:23

the taped pieces. Mikey? Amber?

40:26

Amber, did you hear that?

40:29

Hear what? Of course not. It

40:32

felt bad, but once

40:34

again, it was time to

40:36

put on the act. I'm sorry, Mikey. I

40:39

dropped my radio from

40:41

the tower earlier today, and the damn thing bounced all the way to

40:43

the bottom of the trail. The thing was smashed. But

40:46

luckily, with my expertise and hands-on capabilities, I was able to fix

40:48

said radio. And

40:53

voila, working. I'm actually

40:55

pretty shocked, because I'm not usually good

40:57

with my hands, ask my exes. But

41:00

it's fixed, and I'm glad you're okay. Did

41:03

you find the hikers? Uh, what? Did

41:07

you find the father and son? No,

41:09

I didn't. Are you

41:12

okay, Mikey? Yeah,

41:14

yeah, I'm fine. That didn't sound convincing

41:17

at all. And when he told me he

41:19

already talked to me, I was like, And

41:21

when he told me he already talked to Gene, I

41:24

started wondering if I was really needed for this. Regardless,

41:27

I went into my notebook. I

41:30

was really getting tired of the acting. What else could

41:32

I do? I

41:36

sat at the table and flipped open the notebook. When

41:39

Mike asked me about Jerry, I flipped to

41:41

those pages and answered to the best of my

41:43

ability. But Gene was right.

41:46

I wasn't a therapist, and these

41:48

notes weren't for anyone but myself.

41:51

So what the hell was I doing? I

41:54

threw the notebook across the

41:56

room, frustrated with the job,

41:58

frustrated with myself. What

42:16

did you tell him? As much as I could.

42:19

So, the truth? I figured

42:21

it wouldn't hurt in this case. Jerry

42:24

and I never talked much and I just blamed

42:26

the weird stuff on loneliness. But

42:28

of course now he thinks he's going stir

42:30

crazy. Each one of them dead. Yeah,

42:33

but you should have heard what he was saying. How

42:35

can we blame that on the loneliness of the tower?

42:38

The music, the eye carvings, some guy

42:40

dressed up searching the forest? All

42:43

those things are most likely real. But

42:45

it doesn't mean they're really happening here. You

42:48

haven't heard music. You haven't seen eye carvings. No, but I- I'm

42:52

not sure. I'm not sure. Sure,

42:55

but that doesn't mean he sees it out here. Okay, there was something else.

42:57

Something he mentioned to you. I did.

43:00

Not right after. He caught me off guard with that. I didn't feel it was

43:02

that important. Uh huh. Okay,

43:05

then. You're not going to tell me what to do. I'm

43:07

just going to tell you what to do. I'm going to tell you what to do. Okay. So,

43:10

here's the thing. I don't want to tell

43:12

you what to do. I don't want to tell you what to do. I'm not going to tell you

43:14

what to do. I don't want to tell you what to do. I don't want to tell you

43:16

what to do. Okay, so, you didn't tell me you talked to him? I

43:19

did. Not right after. He caught me off guard with

43:21

that. I didn't feel it was that important. Uhh

43:23

huh. Well, he called

43:26

you about a creature. A

43:28

big one shaking trees? You

43:31

blamed it on a grizzly? That's

43:33

reasonable. He didn't believe you. Even

43:36

when I followed it up with that attack story, North of

43:38

Tower One. It's true. There

43:41

really was an attack. Not sure if

43:43

it was a grizzly, but it could have been. That or

43:45

a black bear. Either way, it happened.

43:48

So you don't believe his creature story?

43:50

Come on, Amber. Have you seen or heard such

43:52

a creature? No. They

43:55

obviously expect this, Amber. The line

43:57

between the past and the present is being blurred, so maybe

43:59

it's a- He's not always hallucinations, but his mind

44:01

is definitely playing tricks. But a

44:03

creature? I mean, what the hell is that?

44:06

I don't know. I

44:09

had questioned the company multiple times

44:11

before. To gene? And

44:13

private? But

44:15

now? I'm

44:19

worried about him. I'm sure

44:21

you are. I let that sly

44:23

remark slide. So what, we just let

44:25

it go on? What if he

44:27

panics like Jerry? Then we'll

44:29

deal with it, but until then they don't seem that

44:31

worried, so you shouldn't be either. That's

44:34

easy for you to say. You don't

44:36

talk to him as much as I do. You don't

44:39

talk to any of them as much as I do. You're

44:41

right about that, but I don't know what else to tell you.

44:44

Yeah, okay. What about

44:46

the fire I reported today? We're

44:48

gonna let it burn a little more. The way it's moving, they

44:50

think it'll hit the canyon and fizzle out. Might

44:52

be a couple days though, and might have to send some people

44:55

in, but I'll keep you updated. Okay.

44:58

Anything else? What do I do now?

45:01

About what? About Mike and

45:03

his problems. Keep him

45:05

company and talk to him. That's

45:07

all. But

45:18

the next few days, every attempt I made to chat

45:20

with him was shot down. Earth

45:23

to Mike? It

45:26

seems like he was ignoring me. Was

45:29

he mad at me? Mike?

45:32

What? He was. So

45:37

what, Amber? So... I

45:40

feel bad. Who cares if he's mad

45:42

at you? Is he still in his tower? Is he still a

45:44

fire lookout? Yeah. Then

45:47

everything's golden. Did someone go

45:49

in his tower when he was at Eno's Lake? What?

45:52

No, of course not. How would they? I

45:54

don't know. Although again, I

45:56

wanted to bring up my late night visitor, but he-

48:00

I got excited for a moment, thinking he would

48:03

answer. But, nope.

48:06

Mikey? Days

48:08

had passed and nothing from him.

48:12

It really did suck. But

48:14

why, Amber? You didn't

48:16

even know the guy that well. Could

48:19

you really like a guy you never

48:21

saw? A guy

48:23

you never met in person? I

48:29

sat at the table and stared at my jigsaw puzzle.

48:33

Over the last few days, I was able to finally

48:35

complete the docks that ran from the sand, jutting

48:38

out into the shallow shimmering water. What

48:41

I would give to be in a place like this. Closed

48:45

my eyes, trying to

48:47

transport myself. But

49:13

I couldn't make it last. Five

49:15

minutes later, I opened my eyes and stared down

49:17

at the puzzle. For some reason,

49:19

I was just filled with too

49:21

much guilt and sadness to focus on

49:24

anything. At least with

49:26

Jerry and Sam, talks were always brief.

49:29

But to know Mike was actually mad?

49:33

Or should I say, disappointed

49:35

with me? It

49:38

hurt. I

49:55

was so bored. One

49:57

morning, I even tried talking to

49:59

Vic. Vic,

50:02

you copy? Vic?

50:06

Go ahead. Hey, how's

50:08

it going? No fires.

50:11

Right, but I mean with you. What? How's

50:15

it going with you? Everything's

50:17

fine. No fires. Okay.

50:20

Over and out. Good

50:22

talk, Vic. The

50:52

next day, I decided, fuck Mike.

50:55

He didn't want to talk to me? Fine. I

50:58

was being friendly with him, and

51:00

it's not my fault that I don't believe

51:03

everything. I

51:06

have rules, I have to follow. And

51:09

I was just trying to help to know

51:11

more thinking about him. But

51:14

then, I thought about G,

51:17

and the rules, and the

51:19

manipulation. How

51:23

could I blame Mike for this? Whether

51:26

what he was talking about was real or

51:28

not didn't matter. The guy

51:30

was going through something, since

51:32

he at least talked to me, and

51:35

really talked and shared

51:37

things with me. Great.

51:41

Now I'm depressed again. I

51:45

needed to make dinner, but I couldn't

51:47

decide on what to eat. Was

51:50

I even hungry? Then

51:52

I opened the last cupboard to find my baka.

51:55

Only one ceremonial sip taken out.

51:59

Holy shit. Shit, I

52:01

forgot about it. Don't

52:03

mind if I do Mike?

52:39

Are you there? I'm

52:48

sure you have the radio off and I

52:50

don't blame you. I

52:57

was a bit

52:59

of a cunt. I shouldn't

53:02

have been so condescending. I did believe

53:07

you. I mean I do. I still do.

53:16

I don't know. I

53:18

was sitting by the fire at

53:21

the tipsy. In

53:23

fact, I even burnt the bomb

53:25

with my hand when messing with a log. I

53:32

hope you decide to talk to me again because

53:35

I really do enjoy

53:37

talking to you. But

53:40

these were just flying by. I know

53:45

everything fucking stalled.

53:51

And I'm bored. I'm sad.

53:58

And I don't care if this comes across... cross as

54:00

pathetic. I'm

54:05

not ashamed. Who am

54:08

I kidding? He probably

54:10

couldn't hear me. And

54:13

if your radio is off, then

54:16

I'll just have to call tomorrow.

54:18

And the next day, and the

54:20

next, until

54:22

you accept my apology. Maybe...

54:27

that's it. Maybe

54:31

I can annoy you into talking

54:33

to me. I'm sure he'll

54:35

love that. But

54:46

if not, I hope you're

54:48

at least working on your story. Because

54:52

I will be the first

54:54

in line to get a copy. And

54:57

you will sign it for me.

55:01

I'll

55:04

make you. I

55:08

dropped my cup and laid down on the

55:11

bench. I watched

55:13

the last of my vodka drip

55:15

between the gravel rocks. I

55:20

was officially out. The

55:24

other half still in the bottle,

55:27

far away from here. That's

55:32

what I did today. Hiked

55:35

my ass out to the

55:37

cash on Windwalk. I

55:40

was exhausted. I

55:42

soaked the fire by kicking it and

55:45

watched the flames burst, sending ashes

55:47

fluttering about. I was

55:51

definitely feeling it. You

55:54

know, I have another

55:56

way. Another way that

55:58

you might talk to me. to me. I

56:01

told him about the bottle I left

56:03

on Windwalk in a cash. The

56:05

other half of the vodka. I drank

56:08

a bunch last night after dinner. And

56:10

I finished off the rest of my

56:13

half tonight. Skipping

56:15

dinner ends hiderly. I

56:18

was hoping it would make me feel

56:20

better, but... oh,

56:23

all I felt was more sadness.

56:27

Why was I shocked though? I

56:29

mean, alcohol was never the

56:31

answer. All it did was make

56:33

things worse. I

56:36

knew that. That's why for the most part,

56:38

I stay away from

56:40

this stuff. Nothing.

56:46

You're really not going to drink

56:48

that? No, I told

56:50

you. Not right now. I didn't take it. But

56:54

we're celebrating! I

56:56

know, but I'm not really in the mood for a

56:58

strawberry margarita at 11 in the morning at

57:01

the dog park. We're at

57:03

a fundraiser, Amber. And

57:06

we've already got half of our

57:08

dogs with families. Every

57:10

one of them will be adopted by

57:13

like two. That's great!

57:16

It is. If it happens...

57:19

Uh, what is that supposed to mean? We're

57:22

rolling right now. Come

57:25

on. Is that really

57:27

why you don't want to partake?

57:29

Just... Not right now. Well,

57:34

I'm not gonna drink too. Then

57:36

why did you buy too? I told

57:39

you I didn't want anything. Oh, I

57:41

didn't pay for this. Who did?

57:44

That guy you were talking to. Who?

57:47

And a hairy one who kept telling all

57:50

the Beagle stories. Really?

57:52

Yeah, he was in line right behind

57:55

me, offered to pay for our drinks. I

57:58

felt bad, cause I do. not

58:00

remember his name. Uh,

58:02

Gene. I think it was Gene. That's

58:06

right. You

58:09

think he was cute? Oh,

58:11

I don't. I mean, I wasn't really... Why?

58:16

Because he's walking over here

58:18

right now. I

58:20

spun around to see the furlie man walking over,

58:23

holding what looked to be a lime

58:25

margarita and nailing. You

58:28

might want to wipe your mouth. I

58:30

turned back to Addie, who held up a napkin. I

58:32

quickly snatched it and wiped my mouth. I

58:34

was a messy eater. An embarrassing fact I

58:37

didn't want him to see. Addie

58:39

smiled and waved to him. Hello

58:43

there. How are the drinks? Addie

58:45

whipped her straw, took a sip,

58:47

and smirked. Mmm.

58:51

Good, good. This is kind

58:53

of embarrassing, but it was Addie, right? That's

58:56

right. And Amber?

58:59

Yeah. May I sit? That

59:05

was the first time I met Gene.

59:09

He was so warm and friendly.

59:13

He didn't just like dogs. He liked

59:16

all animals. I

59:19

remember drinking that stupid

59:21

strawberry margarita, walking

59:24

around the park with him, chatting

59:27

about all sorts of things. That

59:31

was before he moved and

59:33

became a ranger. Man.

59:38

I fell for him hard and

59:41

fast. But

59:44

I always did that. I

59:48

grabbed my cup from the ground, and filtered

59:50

it up to get the last few drops

59:53

that didn't pour onto the gravel. Man.

59:59

I'll be fine. Feeling this later. Ugh...

1:00:34

The next morning, I awoke

1:00:36

at the crack of

1:00:38

noon with a throbbing

1:00:41

headache. I

1:00:43

saw the empty plastic jug that I

1:00:45

had poured my half of the vodka

1:00:47

into. Oh! Just

1:00:50

the slight of it almost made me vomit. I

1:00:55

needed some Tylenol. But

1:00:57

before going for it, I grabbed

1:01:00

the radio. Out

1:01:03

of curiosity. Mike?

1:01:07

You got me. You?

1:01:11

You're fine. Anything

1:01:44

new? No. He's

1:01:47

still mad at you. Guess

1:01:49

so. He hasn't said a word since you and I last

1:01:52

talked. Dang. Going the Jerry

1:01:54

route. Yeah. Except

1:01:57

I didn't piss off Jerry. Amber,

1:01:59

don't reach out. I'm trying not to.

1:02:01

Good. Let me

1:02:04

know if anything changes. What should I

1:02:06

do in the meantime? What can you

1:02:08

do? It

1:02:11

was late. My

1:02:13

headache was finally gone. I

1:02:16

stared up at the ceiling. My

1:02:19

mind wandered. What

1:02:23

could I do? Gene

1:02:26

was right. I'd have to wait

1:02:28

for Mike to reach out to me. But

1:02:31

hopefully I wouldn't have to wait too

1:02:34

long. I

1:02:36

turned onto my side and stared at the

1:02:38

radio. And

1:02:41

that's when I realized Gene

1:02:43

may be right about something else. His

1:02:46

suspicions. I

1:02:49

think a

1:02:51

part of me was actually

1:02:57

falling for Mike. And

1:03:00

as ridiculous as that sounded, I couldn't

1:03:04

lie to myself. Ugh.

1:03:09

God damn it, Amber. Don't

1:04:01

forget to rate and review and follow us

1:04:03

on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at 7LamPodcast.

1:04:07

And we want to give a special thank you

1:04:09

to everyone who has donated via our website or

1:04:11

on Patreon. We wouldn't be able to do this

1:04:13

without you. So from everyone

1:04:16

here at 7Lam, thank you. This

1:04:28

has been a 7Lam production.