Latest / INSPIRE STORY / Azalea_s Cookhouse

Transcript

Azalea_s Cookhouse · INSPIRE STORY

• 0:54
  Speaker 1: Welcome back to Creepcast. Today we are reading the story.
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: Is it as Eli's as Alias as I would say,
• 1:02
  Azelia's cook House is a family restaurant, but please don't
• 1:05
  bring your family. A ka, this is a CC's pizza,
• 1:09
  This is a Buffalo Wi Wings, this is a fifty
• 1:12
  four street grill, and I'm very excited old.
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: Pizza.
• 1:16
  Speaker 3: You don't bring your family.
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: No. The whole point of that was no, no, no, no, no, no,
• 1:20
  like a little pizza. I was a kid. There is
• 1:22
  a CCS in your house and I loved it. It's
• 1:24
  a family. It's a family restaurant.
• 1:28
  Speaker 3: There's a little arcade corner in the back.
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: Yeah, no, no, no, it's it's a family. It's a family restaurant.
• 1:33
  Please don't bring your family there. Why what's your problem
• 1:37
  with Because it's a it's an evil, evil place.
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: It's it's a it's a tempting, evil place, and I
• 1:44
  I just don't care for it.
• 1:46
  Speaker 3: Did something happened to you in the C season?
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: I don't want to go into my CC's debacle, not
• 1:51
  going to maybe another time.
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: But this is written by Aproyl, a Proilroil.
• 1:57
  Speaker 4: It's a p royal, It's like his initial ap Royal
• 2:01
  a proil. You just say app royl, a proil, sure,
• 2:04
  a proyl Croyal.
• 2:05
  Speaker 3: So a proyle has his own website.
• 2:08
  Speaker 4: He seems to be a very prolific author on boards
• 2:11
  like No Sleep and stuff like that as a bunch
• 2:13
  of stories and app Royal has also been picked up
• 2:18
  recently by Velex Books, which Velex has been pretty cool.
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: Yeah, we've we've worked we've read many Velex published books
• 2:26
  and we've you know, it's people that we've worked with
• 2:31
  to be able to read some of these stories. So
• 2:32
  really happy that he's with a cool publishing company like that.
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: Yeah, they seem like a cool company.
• 2:37
  Speaker 4: They seem like very in the know about like you know,
• 2:39
  across pronos between like YouTubers and like authors making stories
• 2:43
  and stuff.
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: So they're chill.
• 2:44
  Speaker 4: So it's cool that ap Royal has got with Felex Books,
• 2:48
  and it looks like he has a book called The
• 2:50
  Kaleidoscope coming out with them late this year early next year.
• 2:56
  Speaker 3: But you can.
• 2:56
  Speaker 4: Subscribe to his newsletter and get updates on that. You
• 2:59
  can so get like short stories delivered straight to your inbox.
• 3:03
  Has a bunch of stories across No Sleep. The story
• 3:05
  itself seems pretty highly rated, so I'm excited. And also
• 3:09
  the title is just enticing in itself.
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: Yeah, evil evil family restaurant.
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: You know, is this going to turn into something more
• 3:18
  like if you know the Glenmont retro thing or metro
• 3:21
  where it starts off with it, or I mean Dianaia's
• 3:23
  House whatever, where someone just walks into a restaurant gains
• 3:25
  they're head blown off. Or is it going to turn
• 3:27
  into like a you know, five Nights at Freddy kind
• 3:29
  of meme? You know it kind of it has like
• 3:30
  a weird Uh, it could go either way, and I'm
• 3:34
  excited to see.
• 3:35
  Speaker 4: But your brain just take all the stories we read
• 3:38
  and it like lays the title the titles out randomly
• 3:40
  and you just like grab one at moments and stuff.
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: Dynas's House not the one where it begins with the
• 3:46
  dude getting shot, Yeah it.
• 3:47
  Speaker 3: Is, it is, but you started with the Glenmont metro well.
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: Because yeah, I thought it was that one at first,
• 3:52
  but no, I quickly caught myself because that's the kind
• 3:55
  of bear trap my mind is.
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: It's how fucking ironclad it is, right.
• 3:59
  Speaker 4: It's it's a bear trap with an eight second delay timer.
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: No, no, no, it's a it's actually wild.
• 4:04
  Speaker 4: And then the bear were like twenty feet down the
• 4:06
  trail and then it's like because it like shut up
• 4:09
  on the.
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: Quarter of a millisecond before your heel even touches the
• 4:12
  metal activation lever on the bear trap, it fucking grabs you.
• 4:17
  That's how that's the steel bear trap that my mind is.
• 4:20
  Speaker 4: That caught uh the Dinia house, uh incorrectly because it
• 4:25
  originally caught uh the Glenmont Metro.
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: Actually say that's it saw the heel coming and it said,
• 4:31
  oh hey, I remember going on measure.
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: I just kidding, and then switch.
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: It up because it I think that it was it
• 4:36
  was like it was bringing something in like a like
• 4:39
  a prey, you know, like a predator to a prey,
• 4:42
  and then it sees the kill right there.
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: It doesn't matter, dude. I don't have to fucking justify
• 4:47
  my brain to you, all right. All I know is
• 4:49
  that as always, be sure to support the author and
• 4:54
  as well check us out on audio platforms Apple Podcast, Spotify,
• 5:00
  Go there right now, give us a five star rating.
• 5:03
  Fucking listen to our show there, dude. It helps, all right?
• 5:06
  Maybe ap Royal maybe listen to this on Spotify dude,
• 5:10
  if you're watching this right now, consider hopping in your
• 5:13
  topping your happy ass over to Spotify and listen to it.
• 5:16
  Speaker 3: There you're talking to the author right now.
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: Yeah, And that's the kind of and that's the that's
• 5:21
  a forward. See, that's that's that's the bear trap coming out.
• 5:24
  You gotta watch out.
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: You're already you're already mad at him. Well, I'm not
• 5:29
  the same. And it's a suggestion. It's a polite suggestion.
• 5:33
  Speaker 4: So now you're now you're claiming that you're so quick
• 5:36
  witted that you're near.
• 5:40
  Speaker 3: Psychic with your your knowing.
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: Well, I didn't want to have to go out and exp.
• 5:45
  Speaker 4: But that psychic ability can also be wrong at point.
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: Well, see, it's never wrong. So in other words, you're
• 5:53
  just her.
• 5:54
  Speaker 4: You're just guessing, guessing, redeemed. No, No, that that British
• 6:00
  pole was. The more I think about that, the more
• 6:02
  the British thing doesn't make sense, because the whole point
• 6:05
  was like, oh, this one person's British. But because you
• 6:08
  made everyone British, it ruined that part of the story.
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: Well, I found redemption with them. I see.
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: That's the fucking premonition, dude. I told you even I
• 6:17
  didn't see. That's the thing about the bear trap, dude. Okay,
• 6:20
  so you see, tell me finish the bear trap. Sometimes
• 6:24
  I can't even see through the fucking fog of my
• 6:26
  own power because I was like, I was.
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: Like, is this going bridge? Just something about this it
• 6:30
  makes it British and then sure enough we're on the
• 6:32
  fucking Queen Elizabeth Liner there, dude.
• 6:35
  Speaker 4: So so hold on so you don't You can't see
• 6:38
  specifically how it applies.
• 6:40
  Speaker 3: You can just see details.
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: Well not all.
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: Sometimes the power is so just so hidden in the
• 6:47
  fogs of my of the of my mind, of these
• 6:49
  bear traps that I myself. So what step into the
• 6:52
  bear trap as well? You step into the bear trips.
• 6:55
  You can tell what you're thinking, you can tell what
• 6:57
  you're gonna do.
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: Yeah, with this power, Isaiah, you don't understand the plexities
• 7:00
  of how this kind of okay here, here's my point.
• 7:03
  Speaker 4: If you can, if you can just pull random stuff
• 7:05
  and you don't necessarily know how to play, it's like
• 7:07
  you pulled British last time because you're super bear trap
• 7:10
  for this for today's story, Are you getting anything, feel anything?
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: So let me think I think that it's probably going
• 7:18
  to be I would say in American, but I'm going
• 7:22
  to say that we're probably going to spend the majority
• 7:23
  of our time talking about like a restaurant, probably some
• 7:27
  kind of you know, family.
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: These are inferences. These are inferences.
• 7:35
  Speaker 3: These are all things you're pulling from the time.
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: No, no, see, this is the premonition.
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: I think that even that we're gonna sit there and
• 7:40
  we're gonna have a point where I'm just gonna randomly
• 7:42
  think if there's gonna be somebody who's like, uh, sorry, man,
• 7:45
  that's not a problem, and for how many and then
• 7:47
  they're like, oh four please?
• 7:49
  Speaker 3: And then are you scrolling down?
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: No? No, no minute.
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: It was confirmed she was scheduled for tomorrow at seven pm.
• 7:55
  These are just things that are kind of coming to
• 7:57
  my mind. Her voice have reduced me to a teenager in.
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: Quick. Visions of her.
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: Watering your flowers or walking your dog occupant my mind
• 8:05
  for the rest of the evening.
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: Oh wow, that was powerful. That was actually powerful. How
• 8:09
  that came to be. But let's just dive in, all right,
• 8:13
  I don't have to prove myself.
• 8:14
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• 9:43
  to the episode.
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: As a Lee as cook ass. How can I helpy?
• 9:49
  Is that? How you think that?
• 9:49
  Speaker 4: The I know this is our narrator talking, So whatever
• 9:55
  voice you come up with is going to be the
• 9:57
  narrator for the rest.
• 9:58
  Speaker 3: Of the story. Well, is a girl or a guy?
• 10:02
  Speaker 4: I don't know, it's it's a waiter. Normally they don't
• 10:05
  specify in these stories.
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: Waiter is a man and a waitress is a woman.
• 10:10
  Speaker 2: Right, typically, Okay, I just want to make sure because
• 10:14
  I hate to go through and you know, give another
• 10:16
  captain price kind.
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: Of like Al's Cookouse. How can I help you? And
• 10:20
  it's like, I'm a sixteen year old girl from Minnesota.
• 10:23
  I think, I think if that happens's not catching that.
• 10:29
  So I don't know.
• 10:30
  Speaker 4: Yeah, Azelius cook House is a family restaurant, but please
• 10:33
  don't bring your family part one hunter, bring us.
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: In Zelia's cook House. How can I help you?
• 10:39
  Speaker 3: I despise the inflection in my voice.
• 10:41
  Speaker 4: The fakeness irged me to my core, but it was
• 10:43
  all part of the job, so I took my customer
• 10:46
  service seriously. I've been a waiter for longer than I'm
• 10:48
  comfortable to admit, and although the job isn't rocket science
• 10:52
  by any stretch, I believe there are skills one needs
• 10:54
  to develop to be successful. A wide smile, a cheery demeanor,
• 10:58
  an unhealthy tolerance for bold. If you make sure everyone's
• 11:02
  waters are filled and remember to ask about dessert before
• 11:05
  bringing back the bill, you will do well in this profession.
• 11:09
  The tricks of the trade were simple, but you'd be
• 11:11
  surprised how many college kids wandered into the industry. Was
• 11:14
  zero regard for service. It was an epidemic. As far
• 11:17
  as I was concerned. Pretty faces were always welcome, but
• 11:20
  seldom did they stay. It wasn't like this was my
• 11:22
  dream job either. I used to have real ambitions too,
• 11:26
  played in a rock band, I had a marriage. Those
• 11:29
  things well, I wish they were as simple and everything
• 11:32
  went up in flames when it all started to slip away.
• 11:35
  The restaurant industry was always there, and to them I
• 11:38
  was valuable. Plays like Azelio's was a great gig. They
• 11:41
  demanded a pristine level of service, or your ass was
• 11:44
  on the curb, but for what you got paid compared
• 11:47
  to other places, I felt the trade off was worth it.
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: Hello, I'd love to make a reservation for Friday evening.
• 11:53
  Speaker 4: I recognized the silky voice right away. It was a
• 11:56
  twist of warm friendship mixed with passionate lover.
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: No no no no no no no.
• 12:03
  Speaker 3: No no no no.
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: I think that needs to be the voice. I recognize
• 12:07
  the suk voice right away. Should be like, Hello, I'd
• 12:10
  like to make a reservation for Friday evening. Yes, there
• 12:13
  you go. Okay.
• 12:14
  Speaker 3: It was elegant and up beat. It was Paulina.
• 12:19
  Speaker 4: I didn't take my neighbor for the type to dine
• 12:22
  at this kind of establishment, and while it was only
• 12:24
  her voice, she could have been one hundred miles away.
• 12:28
  Speaker 3: It's enough to send me down into an anxious tail spin.
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: Isn't he married?
• 12:33
  Speaker 3: No?
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: No, he had a marriage. He had a marriage and
• 12:36
  a rock band.
• 12:36
  Speaker 4: Like it's he lost out on that stuff, but this
• 12:39
  restaurant gets the one thing that's been dependable for him.
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, hello, uh sorry, man, that's not a problem.
• 12:46
  And for how many please?
• 12:48
  Speaker 4: In less than a minute it was confirmed, Oh my god,
• 12:51
  she was scheduled for tomorrow at seven pm.
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: This is the stuff that I was saying, Okay, go ahead.
• 12:55
  Speaker 5: Sorry, yeah, for one of the audacity to do it
• 13:07
  in the first place, to just read the story ahead
• 13:09
  and say it's supervenition.
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: No, and then the further audacity to call it out.
• 13:14
  What what is it? What was the next line?
• 13:16
  Speaker 4: Though her voice had reduced me to a teenager again,
• 13:26
  visions of watering her flowers and walking her dog occupied
• 13:30
  my mind for the rest of the even.
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: Wow, holy shit, oh wow, that is power. Dude.
• 13:42
  Speaker 2: I I am scary at times.
• 13:48
  Speaker 4: I bet I could get psychic pebbles to do this
• 13:50
  podcast with me.
• 13:52
  Speaker 2: Dude, don't even plant that seat in people's minds because
• 13:55
  they will want me out immediately.
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: They will want me immediately.
• 14:00
  Speaker 4: Who's another YouTube and really any of the only guys
• 14:03
  would probably do it? Yes, yeah, who's another animator that
• 14:07
  I could like sell you for?
• 14:11
  Speaker 3: I could sell you cheap too.
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: My stock is very low. Isaiah. You have to you
• 14:16
  need to.
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: This meme is going to start a literal riot for change.
• 14:21
  You're gonna see another change petition.
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: You you you say that.
• 14:25
  Speaker 4: But every time someone like talks about me anywhere online,
• 14:28
  they're always like, where's Hunter? Why isn't this post about Hunter?
• 14:31
  I'd rather be talking about Hunter or whatever. One that's
• 14:34
  brutal the other look like I saw one that was
• 14:37
  brutal the other day. There was a guy that someone
• 14:43
  had posted I read it Instagram somewhere. It was like
• 14:46
  these two were some of the best personalities on YouTube.
• 14:49
  Speaker 1: Uh.
• 14:49
  Speaker 4: And then someone commented as like, well, one of them's
• 14:52
  a YouTube personality, the other one's a guy who got
• 14:54
  lucky with an Iceberg trend, And I was like, ow,
• 15:00
  that was rough.
• 15:01
  Speaker 1: Listen, man, I'm glad you know what.
• 15:04
  Speaker 2: I love that we sat here were two men aboard
• 15:06
  the Titanic taking out our tiny violins and playing because
• 15:10
  I see a lot of hurtful stuff too that makes
• 15:11
  me fucking borderline cry.
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: Really yeah all the time, all right, what kind of stuff.
• 15:20
  Speaker 2: I don't want to go into it because it's only
• 15:23
  gonna it's when we say these things, it only gives.
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: Him fuel, Isaiah, don't you understand, right?
• 15:30
  Speaker 4: So I just like that there's one guy. So there's
• 15:33
  one dude he has like I'm not gonna say his
• 15:35
  name because I don't need people to know, but he
• 15:38
  has like eight followers on Twitter, complete nobody, right. Every
• 15:42
  time I post a video announcement after a couple hours,
• 15:46
  he will quote tweet the tweet I made announcing it
• 15:51
  and say either good video or bad video, And he
• 15:55
  never gives any further explanation.
• 15:57
  Speaker 3: That's haunting, never never.
• 15:59
  Speaker 1: Says the lastly like that legitimately.
• 16:02
  Speaker 4: But my algorithm, I think, because I've looked at his page,
• 16:05
  it always shows me what his reaction is. And every
• 16:09
  time I post a video, he'll just be like bad video,
• 16:12
  and I'll be like, oh, why explain Yeah, It's.
• 16:17
  Speaker 1: Like it's it's a seventeen year old German kid. Your
• 16:21
  entire existence was wrapped up in this kid. He's like
• 16:25
  cool and I'm over You're like, damn you will, like
• 16:36
  shaking my fists. Nothing.
• 16:43
  Speaker 4: It's like the kid from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• 16:47
  just eating chocolate.
• 16:48
  Speaker 1: It's literally just gloop, just covered in chocolate, watching videos.
• 16:51
  What is he planning?
• 16:52
  Speaker 3: What is he put in?
• 16:55
  Speaker 4: I know he's scheming something over there. Yeah, yeah, it's
• 16:59
  just random. What what?
• 17:01
  Speaker 1: What sticks you with? What does it?
• 17:03
  Speaker 4: And I don't really like personify it that much, but it's, uh,
• 17:06
  it's funny that it means so much to me.
• 17:07
  Speaker 3: It's impossible not to anyway.
• 17:10
  Speaker 4: Yeah, this story, so you talking about being a psychic
• 17:13
  and whatnot?
• 17:14
  Speaker 1: Her voice? Should we reread that line too? That where
• 17:16
  I'm not, I'll reread that line.
• 17:18
  Speaker 4: Since you were visions from the heavens, I think I
• 17:23
  think you should. Normally I would be like, it's okay,
• 17:25
  but I think you should feel sorry for this one
• 17:26
  in particular. So her voice had reduced me to a
• 17:30
  teenage version.
• 17:32
  Speaker 1: What Jesus Christ.
• 17:34
  Speaker 3: Oh I don't know. Oh my gosh, my high sight
• 17:36
  was way off.
• 17:37
  Speaker 1: I read I read teenager again, A visions a teenage
• 17:44
  version again? That's what I thought. He said, I saw
• 17:47
  visions and like my okay, talk about you're saying something
• 17:52
  your head. You're like, I just want to have sex
• 17:55
  so bad. Shut up, Shut up. Her voice had reduced
• 17:59
  me to a teen again.
• 18:01
  Speaker 4: Visions of her watering her flowers and walking her dog
• 18:04
  occupied my mind for the rest of the evening. There
• 18:07
  is that better?
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: That's good.
• 18:08
  Speaker 4: Okay, I'm gonna get who's the other guys I can
• 18:13
  sell you for flash kits. I'll do it with me,
• 18:16
  I'm sure. Paulina was in her front yard in the morning,
• 18:21
  meticulously tending to a healthy bed of flowers. She smiled
• 18:25
  from a crouched over position, her golden hair adding to
• 18:28
  the splashes of flourishing color. Tulips, sunflowers, and geraniums were
• 18:33
  spread thick across the lawn like a rainbow nestled in
• 18:36
  a sky of green. We exchanged waves, her mouth open
• 18:39
  and ready for conversation, just as the back gate swung open.
• 18:43
  All at once, they were upon her in an orchestrated attack.
• 18:47
  Concentrated streams of water blasted out of the barrel of
• 18:50
  their Oh oh, it's kids, it's kids with guns.
• 18:53
  Speaker 3: Okay, I was how's that coming up?
• 18:56
  Speaker 1: Like? Does she get swatted? Like? I kind of liked
• 18:58
  that though, he's like, he's like fucking turning this into
• 19:01
  our like Boondocks Saints scene with water guns.
• 19:06
  Speaker 4: All at once, they were upon her in an orchestrated attack,
• 19:09
  Concentrated streams of water blasted out the barrel of their guns.
• 19:13
  She let out a well, covering her face from the attack.
• 19:15
  Her white tank top was now seen through drenched by
• 19:18
  the precision of trained killers. The shooters her two sons
• 19:22
  and husband Keith, giggling at the scene of the crime
• 19:25
  as her pleas for mercy went unanswered. I kept walking, Hey, Mark,
• 19:30
  I waved to the group. A couple of the waiting
• 19:32
  staff were huddled together in front of the stairs that
• 19:34
  led into the restaurant. It was their ceremonious drag of
• 19:37
  dicotine before the chaos. Friday nights were always a gong show,
• 19:41
  and this one was sure to be no exception. One
• 19:44
  of the bus boys, Dwayne, was wearing a vexed look
• 19:47
  on his face, more so than usual. After his puff,
• 19:51
  he warned, sil.
• 19:54
  Speaker 1: Was looking for you, man, text you the heads up.
• 19:57
  From the outside. You can never tell.
• 19:58
  Speaker 4: Azelia as was a restaurant, looked more like a cellar
• 20:01
  with crack cement stairs that led down into a basement.
• 20:05
  That was Silva's vision all along, to be a hidden
• 20:08
  gym in the rough. Walk in, thinking the place was
• 20:10
  a dump, walk out, pleasantly surprised.
• 20:12
  Speaker 1: It was the.
• 20:13
  Speaker 4: Psychology of the food industry, and this element of surprise
• 20:16
  seemed to be essential for fine dining. Azelias was the
• 20:20
  height of exclusivity, not just anyone could stumble in. In
• 20:23
  order to keep up this allure, speaking about the restaurant
• 20:26
  in any capacity was strictly prohibited. Stafford ever allowed to
• 20:30
  dine in. We were servants, not clientele, not that any
• 20:35
  of us could afford it. The menu items never seemed
• 20:38
  to reference a price, which always signaled trouble. From the
• 20:41
  bill's ey'd hand out at the end of every meal,
• 20:44
  the numbers were always staggering. It was clear Azelios was
• 20:47
  catering to a very specific crowd with refined taste and
• 20:50
  deep pockets.
• 20:51
  Speaker 1: I like that nod.
• 20:52
  Speaker 2: That's definitely a little a little nod to maybe a
• 20:56
  clientele or something that the restaurant is serving that feels
• 21:00
  a bit more exclusively hidden.
• 21:02
  Speaker 1: The way that this is set up is nice so far.
• 21:04
  Speaker 4: I just want to say it's where it's just like
• 21:07
  For one, I really like Royal's writing style, like the
• 21:12
  way he described Paulina getting attacked by her kids, Like
• 21:15
  you said, it's kind of described almost like a Boondock
• 21:17
  Saint hit, but he describes like the sexual undertones of her,
• 21:21
  like her sultry voice, her shirts now see through. But
• 21:25
  the like objective thing we see is that she's got
• 21:27
  a husband and two sons. Right, So is that like
• 21:30
  something about his neighbor like wanting him or does he
• 21:35
  want her in a physical way and she's not perceiving that,
• 21:39
  or it's just like our author's intent of it, Like,
• 21:41
  oh dude, is that's up some interesting stuff about the
• 21:43
  psychology there.
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: The narrator is definitely wanting deep fucking for sure, he's fantasizing.
• 21:48
  Speaker 3: About okay, sure, all right, all right, all right, all right.
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: That was a probably inappropriate way of saying that. But
• 21:52
  you that is such that is you had to say deep.
• 21:56
  You had to like you had to make it more explicive.
• 22:02
  My gosh, lord man. Okay, So anyway, just dropping the
• 22:21
  brick on the gas pedal we were at we were
• 22:24
  at the red light, What then are we doing? He's
• 22:29
  just like I was just half stepping in it, You're like, no,
• 22:32
  I was talking was I was up in there. I
• 22:34
  was re arranging the gutty works as much as I could. Okay,
• 22:38
  there you go, there, there you go again. With the description,
• 22:41
  it was like it was like a fork with some spaghetti. Dude,
• 22:44
  I was rapping it all around and don't say that.
• 22:49
  What the what are you talking about? Like a fork
• 22:53
  with some spaghetti. I'm gonna kill you, mercy, Okay, anyway,
• 23:00
  I'm gonna okay what I was saying. I like Royal's
• 23:10
  writing style, how so much is conveyed in just the
• 23:12
  way he describes a scene. Right.
• 23:15
  Speaker 4: That being said, with this description of the restaurant, we
• 23:18
  have like the initial like the front facing premise of
• 23:22
  like it's just a really expensive restaurant that in order
• 23:25
  to keep you know it kind of exclusive, you can't
• 23:28
  talk about it. But then you think about it's like
• 23:30
  what kind of restaurant can you not talk about? And
• 23:32
  the menu items are priced you know, so yeah, that's
• 23:36
  a there's yeah, it's like there's a double meaning, Like
• 23:39
  what could be happening here that I agree with you
• 23:42
  is just set up very well. A referral and a
• 23:45
  reservation got you through the door. You needed both, no exceptions.
• 23:48
  This drew a certain type of crowd, snooty, high maintenance,
• 23:52
  but I didn't mind it. To be honest, that combination
• 23:55
  could be tiresome, but it usually meant great tips. I
• 23:58
  approached this wonder door and knock three times. One of
• 24:01
  the greets let me in. The interior was nothing like
• 24:04
  the exterior. The four year had a gothic medieval vibe,
• 24:08
  with high ceilings and narrow hallways. Chandeliers sparkled overhead in
• 24:12
  the dim light. Halls were plastered with stone and exposed brick.
• 24:16
  A handful of doors on either side. The doors concealed
• 24:19
  the intimate dining experience that Azelia Is offered private rooms
• 24:23
  for every party to make you feel at home.
• 24:25
  Speaker 3: Silva's office was the last door on the left.
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: I'm just picturing nothing but like a Blade movie, like
• 24:31
  one of a Blade like goes in and it's like
• 24:32
  a Russian nightclub that like looks like a castle or whatever.
• 24:36
  That's what That's what I'm seeing with this restaurant.
• 24:39
  Speaker 4: I went to this one restaurant in La that, uh,
• 24:44
  someone in like the YouTube talent side invited me to
• 24:50
  that was kind of similar where you had to walk
• 24:52
  down a hallway and it's like you had to have
• 24:53
  a membership or know someone to get in that it was.
• 24:57
  Speaker 1: This was it was like a very stereotypical like la
• 24:59
  white walls, like big windows.
• 25:01
  Speaker 4: So it didn't look the same, but I'm imagining the
• 25:03
  same kind of like entry set up, like you have
• 25:06
  to take an elevator to get to the restaurant kind
• 25:08
  of deal.
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: It was like a so it was like an olive garden.
• 25:15
  Speaker 3: That'd be really funny.
• 25:17
  Speaker 4: Yeah, dude, hunter, you're not gonna believe this. But the
• 25:23
  breadsticks were literally endless.
• 25:26
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it was. You can get as as you wanted.
• 25:30
  There was no end of it exactly. Yeah, they were
• 25:33
  it gets get this bill came, bill came no charge.
• 25:39
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I hads of bread worth of bread sticks.
• 25:43
  Speaker 1: Where's this on the bill? Oh sir, they're free.
• 25:46
  Speaker 4: Oh my god, whoa where where are you taking me?
• 25:49
  I'll sign whatever paper you passed sicily right now.
• 25:54
  Speaker 1: Me me standing outside of an olive guards just like
• 25:58
  a country bomb getting from tennis. Like you good, sir,
• 26:01
  know how to make a deal. Can down the road,
• 26:05
  we're gonna see the coliseums. You fellas may be Christians.
• 26:13
  You know how to treat a man. Goddamn, every road
• 26:15
  does lead to Rome, doesn't it. You look? Are you
• 26:23
  looking at like a suspension bridge? Is this them aqueducts? Yeah?
• 26:35
  So gothic, medieval vibe whatever.
• 26:37
  Speaker 4: Walking through, I talked with caution, no response, two more
• 26:40
  times nothing. Confused, I headed back the way I came.
• 26:45
  Speaker 1: Hey, Juliet, have you seen silver? Round? Dwayne said he
• 26:49
  was looking for me the greeter glance stuff from the
• 26:51
  tablet Hey, no, I haven't seen him where?
• 26:55
  Speaker 4: Eyes dive back into the seating chart on her screen.
• 26:58
  Workers were starting to enter, no out, squeezing past us
• 27:00
  down the hall.
• 27:01
  Speaker 1: Did you see him? He? Please let him know. I
• 27:03
  was sent to his office. She nodded.
• 27:05
  Speaker 4: Follow the flow of people towards the change rooms. My
• 27:07
  shift was about to start and I needed to set
• 27:09
  the tables before dinner service. The night became a blur
• 27:12
  of well dressed people and trips to the kitchen. I
• 27:15
  was scuttling past streams of people into narrow pockets of
• 27:18
  space while balancing wobbly plates. Just another day at the circus.
• 27:22
  There were glimpses of silver here and there. Darting around
• 27:25
  the halls with his scruffy beard and velvet blazer. He
• 27:29
  was bouncing from employee to customer to office like a
• 27:32
  bad game of pong. I didn't bother seeking him out.
• 27:35
  I knew that he would come and find me when
• 27:37
  there was time for a breath of air. In the
• 27:40
  middle of me reaming out WHOA in the middle of
• 27:44
  me reaming out a bus boy.
• 27:47
  Speaker 1: Together right now? You did that. You did that. That
• 27:50
  is what it says, teen age teenage virgins. And then
• 27:54
  you're like reaming out a bust that read it, read it,
• 27:58
  in the middle of me reaming out of Paulina Strode.
• 28:01
  There you go, Yeah, that's what it says.
• 28:04
  Speaker 4: Yes, Paulina Strode past Her Maxi dress sparkled with little
• 28:08
  rhinestones floating with the natural curves of her body, leaving
• 28:12
  nothing to the imagination. It appeared to be a family
• 28:16
  affair tonight. The boys looked dapper in their matching bow ties,
• 28:20
  and Keith was all smiles in his tailored suit. This
• 28:23
  was a special occasion. Indeed, mark my heart sank as
• 28:27
  she disappeared into one of the rooms, one of the rooms.
• 28:29
  I wasn't working.
• 28:30
  Speaker 1: Are you deaf?
• 28:31
  Speaker 3: Martin Scolden?
• 28:32
  Speaker 1: You can fuck off with your critiques. I don't answer
• 28:35
  to you.
• 28:35
  Speaker 4: I glared back at the lethargic slug. The man looked
• 28:38
  like he hadn't caught a wink of sleep in years.
• 28:40
  His bags were a deep black, like a coat of
• 28:43
  mascara had been slathered under His eyes rattled the massive
• 28:46
  card he was leaning against, the weight, shifting in a
• 28:49
  dangerous teetering fashion. Some china clattered together in ominous clangs.
• 28:54
  Fuck off, he yelped.
• 28:57
  Speaker 2: You see the probably him muttin the quicker. You do
• 28:59
  your john the clear The stupid tank of a unit
• 29:02
  is out of my way. You're clogging up the freeway.
• 29:05
  Speaker 4: His face soured as he pushed the cart away. The
• 29:08
  metal contraption was over six feet tall and wide, an
• 29:11
  ugly metal cabinet on wheels. He muttered something under his
• 29:14
  breath as he passed.
• 29:16
  Speaker 1: What did you say? He was near the kitchen before
• 29:19
  he hollered back, It ain't as easy as it looks, jump.
• 29:22
  Speaker 3: I took a deep breath before entering the adjacent room.
• 29:25
  Speaker 1: We'll go to his alien's cookhouse.
• 29:26
  Speaker 4: So he was in the hallway and then he saw
• 29:30
  her and lost his mind, and then like he started
• 29:33
  following her mentally. And then the guy he was yelling
• 29:36
  at the bus voice as Mark, and then he goes
• 29:39
  back into the fight.
• 29:40
  Speaker 3: Gotcha.
• 29:41
  Speaker 4: On my way back from the kitchen, I was bouncing
• 29:43
  two plates of Carl. Is that how you pronounce it?
• 29:47
  Speaker 1: Hackerrel? You're asking the wrong guy? Or hack hackerel.
• 29:51
  Speaker 4: Hackerel an icelandic delicacy a fermented shark. When Silva tapped
• 29:56
  me on my shoulder.
• 29:57
  Speaker 1: Mark, I need you in my office, duck those off,
• 30:00
  come see me. Uh it's mid dinner service. Silvia can
• 30:03
  just wait till my break. It can't. Lena will cover
• 30:06
  for you.
• 30:07
  Speaker 4: My bud boiled at the thought of Atlanta swooping in
• 30:09
  to claim my tips. She wasn't even scheduled to work
• 30:12
  this evening. I saw it and dropped off the food
• 30:15
  before making my way to his office. This time, the
• 30:17
  three Knox were answered. The door swung open. Thanks Mark,
• 30:20
  have a seat. We were surrounded by a forest of
• 30:23
  cherrywood bookshelves and cabinets filled to space, carved in looping,
• 30:27
  intricate patterns. Everything was so polished and quaint. There were
• 30:31
  floating shelves that carried up the walls, each holding rows
• 30:34
  and rows of bucks. Behind a grandfather clock. In the
• 30:37
  corner were pots of leafy plants. I wondered how any
• 30:40
  of them survived in this dungeon.
• 30:42
  Speaker 2: You've been doing a great job here, Mark. I know
• 30:45
  I'm not the most you know, raw raw type of
• 30:47
  bone on it. Believe me when I say this, I've
• 30:50
  taken notice.
• 30:51
  Speaker 4: He continued, the sounds of muffled conversation trickling in through
• 30:54
  the halls.
• 30:55
  Speaker 1: I love it with you here. I'm in a pickle.
• 30:58
  We are short bus boys tonight. You should cover uh
• 31:02
  with all due respects of a Why would I do that?
• 31:06
  Because I need you to Mark, and to be honest,
• 31:09
  there's a chance at a promotion.
• 31:11
  Speaker 4: A promotion couldn't get Martin and his multiple smoke breaks
• 31:15
  out of my mind.
• 31:16
  Speaker 2: Look so that I like what I do, I feel
• 31:18
  like I do it well. I'm not saying I don't
• 31:20
  want to help you out, but please don't spit on
• 31:22
  my face and time it's raining. I'm a waiter, not
• 31:25
  a bus boy. The pay is nearly triple.
• 31:28
  Speaker 4: A smart grew on his face. Once he detected the
• 31:30
  astonishment on my face. He pointed his finger at me.
• 31:33
  Speaker 1: This doesn't leave the room.
• 31:35
  Speaker 4: The news went down the hatch like sour milk. I
• 31:38
  understood why the chefs would make more money. Menu was
• 31:40
  always revolving to keep the clientele happy. They likely had
• 31:44
  years of experience overseas to niculinary school. But the bus boys,
• 31:48
  these guys were glorified dishwashers. I knew the way Silver
• 31:51
  ran the restaurant was different, but this corporate structure was
• 31:54
  completely backwards. Servers were the face of the business, the
• 31:58
  point of contact between the restaurant and the customer.
• 32:01
  Speaker 3: Surely that had to be worth more.
• 32:03
  Speaker 1: And he dropt there mark like yesterday.
• 32:06
  Speaker 3: Got up and made his way to the door.
• 32:07
  Speaker 1: If you do well, the position is permanently yours. Do
• 32:11
  I really have a choice? Not really?
• 32:15
  Speaker 4: A glint of something conspicuous in his eyes. The door
• 32:18
  was now ajar, the bustle of the business now flooding
• 32:21
  into the room.
• 32:22
  Speaker 1: You'll do great. Now, go and find Dwayne. He'll be
• 32:25
  showing you the ropes.
• 32:26
  Speaker 4: Dwayne was outside with one of the chefs, another cigarette
• 32:29
  to his lips. The light emanating from the lamp post
• 32:32
  highlighted his bronze complexion.
• 32:34
  Speaker 1: Hey, Dwayne, Silva said, you're gonna chree me tonight. Guess
• 32:37
  I'm gonna be one of you guys now.
• 32:39
  Speaker 4: He raised an eyebrow and dropped a cigarette to the pavement.
• 32:42
  With the plank expression, he said, well, hot, damn, let's go,
• 32:46
  stomped the butt out and we drifted inside. I followed
• 32:48
  him deep into the kitchen, passed the cooking staff carefully
• 32:51
  preparing the meals. The atmosphere wasn't much better back there.
• 32:55
  Plates were sliding around amidst fits of yelling and chopping.
• 32:58
  I passed one of the chefs giving a lecture to
• 32:59
  one of her apprentices, who.
• 33:01
  Speaker 1: Don't you how to work a knife? You leave the
• 33:03
  skin on his fugu again, and I'll rip your apron
• 33:05
  off myself.
• 33:07
  Speaker 4: He stopped at one of the metal monstrosities in the
• 33:09
  corner of the dishroom. Get Pushing the cart was frustrating
• 33:12
  to maneuver given the state of its back wheels. One
• 33:15
  wheel refused to roll in line with the others, opting
• 33:17
  to wiggle uselessly instead. It was a cumbersome task given
• 33:21
  the sheer size of the cart. It was heavy with
• 33:24
  its mini drawers, and it was a challenge to see
• 33:26
  over it. There would have certainly been a collision. Without
• 33:30
  Dwayne guiding me in the front. We finally stopped in
• 33:33
  front of one of the rooms, my arms and legs
• 33:36
  feeling like jelly. He held the door open as I
• 33:39
  inched the cart in slowly. Then the door was firmly
• 33:42
  close shut. The scene at the dinner table nearly knocked
• 33:45
  me off my feet. We were inside the private room
• 33:49
  that Paulina's family had dined in. There was Keith, his
• 33:53
  cheek resting in a thin layer of cream sauce. His
• 33:56
  mouth was full of foam, the tablecloth soaked in a
• 33:59
  puddle of vomit. His eyes were staring back at us
• 34:02
  in a dead stair. Their two sons were on their floor,
• 34:05
  their bodies lying limp. There was no ounce of requil
• 34:09
  from Dwayne. He just gripped Keith's head and pulled it
• 34:11
  out of the sauce.
• 34:12
  Speaker 1: Let's go, Mark, We don't got all day. The walls
• 34:15
  felt like they were closing in on me. Everything was spinning. Dwayne,
• 34:19
  what the fuck is this man?
• 34:21
  Speaker 4: He was dragging Keith by his shoulders, his limp legs
• 34:24
  bobbling against the ground as he was carried towards the cart.
• 34:27
  Most of his body was able to fit into one
• 34:29
  of the compartments. The rest of the parts that overhang
• 34:31
  were forced in with a metal pole. The squishing and
• 34:34
  cracking made my stomach churn.
• 34:36
  Speaker 1: No shit, what do you think this is? Mark a
• 34:39
  six figure dishwashing job?
• 34:42
  Speaker 4: He laughed, glint of madness in his eyes. He had
• 34:44
  one of the boys by the back of his blazer
• 34:46
  and was stragging him along.
• 34:47
  Speaker 1: I'm out. I want nothing to do with this, I said,
• 34:50
  turning towards the door.
• 34:51
  Speaker 4: Dwayne dropped the body and beat me there. His arm
• 34:53
  held the door shut.
• 34:54
  Speaker 1: Listen, this might not be good for you. I get it.
• 34:57
  It ain't for everybody, but listen to me. Good Silva
• 35:01
  doesn't just let you out. I didn't ask for any
• 35:03
  of this. I'm just a waiter. I'm surprised. I'm surprised
• 35:07
  Silva keeps the waist ass off. I'll be damned. Let
• 35:10
  me out. Listen. You're part of the Azalea family. You've
• 35:15
  just been given a seat at the big boy table,
• 35:17
  and families they have secrets.
• 35:20
  Speaker 3: He eased off the door.
• 35:21
  Speaker 1: Go ahead, get some fresh air or prep this room,
• 35:24
  and you can meet me at the front of the
• 35:25
  next one. Or you can meet me at front. Oh
• 35:27
  my fuck, and you can meet me at the front
• 35:29
  for the next one.
• 35:30
  Speaker 4: I took off in a steady march, past the graters
• 35:32
  and gas waiting to be seated, past the menaceene stay
• 35:35
  of Silva. I was focused on one thing escaping. The
• 35:39
  air outside was crisp. It helped SETI the spinning. I
• 35:43
  slowed down to catch my breath, but the rapid gas
• 35:45
  for air wouldn't stop. I'll get a new job, I thought,
• 35:48
  start fresh, flee the city. At the end of the
• 35:52
  parking lot, something shimmered that caught my eye. It was
• 35:55
  the flowing dress of Paulina.
• 35:57
  Speaker 1: Oh God, I gosh. She was just entering her mint.
• 36:02
  This is a very tumultuous moment. Hunter.
• 36:05
  Speaker 3: She was just entering her Mini van.
• 36:08
  Speaker 4: I stared at the vehicle as it backed out of
• 36:10
  the stall and slowly cruised in my direction instead of
• 36:13
  taking the left turn to exit the lot.
• 36:15
  Speaker 1: The van stopped.
• 36:16
  Speaker 4: The window buzzed as it rolled down Mark. My words
• 36:20
  were stuck in my throat. All I could offer was
• 36:22
  a slight nod.
• 36:23
  Speaker 1: Everything okay, I'm just heading home. Do you need a ride?
• 36:26
  Speaker 4: Her voice was nonchalant, no regard for what she'd done,
• 36:29
  because she hadn't done anything except enjoy a pleasant meal.
• 36:33
  Speaker 1: The Azelia family took.
• 36:34
  Speaker 4: Care of the rest mark mark A voice shelled from
• 36:37
  the bottom of the stairs.
• 36:39
  Speaker 1: I've got to go, no worries.
• 36:42
  Speaker 4: She smiled, her glenn glistening white perfection. Before she rolled
• 36:46
  up her window. She called back, Hey, let's grab up
• 36:49
  by to eat sometime. The offer hung in the crispar.
• 36:54
  She drove off in the empty minivan. Just a silver
• 36:57
  emerge from the bottom of the stairwell. His hand was
• 36:59
  clutching something in his pocket.
• 37:01
  Speaker 1: Break time is over. End of part one. Very good.
• 37:05
  You might like about.
• 37:05
  Speaker 4: This life, This is great, this, this is oh I love,
• 37:09
  It's so fun.
• 37:09
  Speaker 2: What I like about the story so far is it
• 37:11
  sets up a nice sets up the restaurant, well sets
• 37:14
  up the dynamics and the character as well. We're entering
• 37:17
  in this the unfamiliar territory, you know, the act too
• 37:21
  in the story where we still don't know really what
• 37:24
  they're doing. I like that the idea and you know,
• 37:26
  my mind immediately goes to their cooking people. But it
• 37:29
  could also just be a guy where Silva is a
• 37:31
  guy who is maybe he's like a person that you
• 37:34
  know works.
• 37:35
  Speaker 1: For some other person, sizer, you know, who knows.
• 37:39
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I think it sounds like you it's only members
• 37:42
  and members friends who come there, right, So I think
• 37:45
  it's like, if you want someone taken care of, you know,
• 37:48
  come to the restaurant, will lace the food, right, will
• 37:51
  kill them, take care of the body, do the rest.
• 37:54
  So it's like a hitman service almost, is what I
• 37:56
  get from it.
• 37:58
  Speaker 1: Uh. And that's real. It's interesting. You know.
• 38:00
  Speaker 4: It's like we have Mark who's like not evil by
• 38:06
  any means, but in the beginning he's kind of portrayed
• 38:08
  as a jerk, right, Like he's yelling at the bus boy,
• 38:11
  he's thinking about a married woman, like physically like looking
• 38:14
  through his shirt and stuff like that, Like.
• 38:16
  Speaker 1: He's a bit of a jerk. And now he's like
• 38:19
  in this super evil.
• 38:20
  Speaker 4: Position and he's like, oh, I should get away, I
• 38:22
  should flee the city. But then seeing Paulina, who's now single,
• 38:26
  mind you, kind of like is enough to make him
• 38:28
  be like, well maybe I'll you know, like she asked
• 38:33
  for dinner, Maybe I'll stick around a little bit, you know.
• 38:35
  Speaker 1: That's the Uh.
• 38:38
  Speaker 2: That's like the interesting things in these stories is whenever
• 38:40
  you have the catalyst, whenever a character is approached in
• 38:43
  a situation that like really thrust the story forward into
• 38:47
  the trajectory that we're going You need to have something
• 38:49
  that's compelling, and I think that there's nothing more compelling
• 38:52
  than sex, Like there's nothing more primal than people who
• 38:56
  are like motivated and moved by like sexual desire basically
• 39:02
  you know.
• 39:02
  Speaker 1: What I mean.
• 39:03
  Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, so of course.
• 39:04
  Speaker 1: He's going to do something stupid. I mean, like the
• 39:07
  way that the first part of the story does it
• 39:08
  so well is that it really really kind of almost
• 39:12
  makes makes you like idolize her as well.
• 39:14
  Speaker 2: He talks about her in a way that is so
• 39:17
  like fantastic, like it's it's just it's it's nothing but
• 39:20
  just like almost like poetry, Like it's just like her
• 39:23
  hair was this, and you know it's like the way
• 39:26
  that we even that we're bought into her is nothing.
• 39:29
  Speaker 3: We're a rainbow across the green sky.
• 39:32
  Speaker 4: Like yeah, very flowery language with how he describes everything
• 39:34
  about her, and it's like, oh, she just murdered her
• 39:36
  husband and two kids, but now she wants to go
• 39:39
  out for dinner.
• 39:39
  Speaker 2: So yeah, exactly a bite to eat. Which also, do
• 39:42
  you think that's a tongue in cheek thing where we're
• 39:44
  going to find out that like, yeah, that they're fucking
• 39:47
  cooking people or something is where I'm.
• 39:49
  Speaker 3: That they might They certainly might be.
• 39:51
  Speaker 1: I'm sure.
• 39:51
  Speaker 3: Look, I wouldn't put it.
• 39:52
  Speaker 4: Past this place morally to like serve people of like
• 39:55
  clientele as for it, for sure, but also like it's
• 40:00
  just funny that she just had her whole family murdered
• 40:04
  and she's like, what if we got a bite to eat?
• 40:06
  Speaker 1: Like it was it? So?
• 40:07
  Speaker 2: Was it the whole Was it the whole family or
• 40:10
  was it just the husband, husband, the kid's because he's
• 40:15
  just dragging yeah, because it says after I got done
• 40:17
  shoved the husband, he grabbed the kids, whose lifeless bodies were.
• 40:20
  Speaker 1: Like okay, so yeah, so awesome. So she rules, all right,
• 40:23
  just majure.
• 40:24
  Speaker 4: Yeah, it's just really cool. Wow, she's only annihilator. That's great.
• 40:29
  Love those all right?
• 40:31
  Speaker 1: Part two?
• 40:32
  Speaker 4: The family, The family. Something deep inside of me told
• 40:36
  me to run. It cried for me to take flight,
• 40:39
  to duck behind the nearest car, to weave in and
• 40:41
  out of the stalls to safety.
• 40:43
  Speaker 3: My brain convinced me otherwise.
• 40:45
  Speaker 4: However, I stared at my red Prius, parked at the
• 40:48
  back of the lot. It was in silver's direct line
• 40:51
  of fire. It would be an easy, point blank shot.
• 40:54
  Freedom was only steps away, but it might as well
• 40:56
  have been a thousand miles. Silva's hand crept out of
• 40:59
  his pow and laand it on my shoulder. Move it
• 41:02
  with smooth but not smooth enough polished chrome flashed for
• 41:05
  a moment, then disappeared amongst the folds of his stress shirt,
• 41:09
  back into the confines of his pocket.
• 41:11
  Speaker 3: Does he know I saw it? Does he care?
• 41:14
  Speaker 1: So? How's the shift going? Yeah? Squeezing my deltoid tightly.
• 41:18
  Speaker 4: My words were caught in my throat as we made
• 41:20
  our way down the concrete steps.
• 41:23
  Speaker 1: I don't think I can do the Silva, he paused,
• 41:26
  one of his eyebrows raised. I feel sick. First day
• 41:30
  of bus intends to do that to people.
• 41:32
  Speaker 3: We stopped before the entrance, the sound of classical musically.
• 41:34
  Speaker 1: He out of the building. Finally, let go on my shoulder.
• 41:37
  Dwayne is waiting for you at table one. I plead
• 41:40
  with him, further, please let me go back to serving.
• 41:43
  I won't say anything. I promise finish up your shift.
• 41:46
  It won't chat.
• 41:47
  Speaker 4: If there's one thing I knew about Silva, it was
• 41:49
  that he wasn't much of a chit chatter.
• 41:51
  Speaker 1: He stuck his palm out phone. There was a sinking
• 41:54
  feeling in my chest as I looked back at Silva.
• 41:57
  Speaker 3: Surely wasn't serious.
• 41:58
  Speaker 1: Hand it over before we go inside. We'll get it
• 42:02
  back after you shift. No way, it's my personal property.
• 42:06
  I need it.
• 42:09
  Speaker 3: I don't think this is the kind of guy.
• 42:11
  Speaker 1: No. I also, I would not say this is my
• 42:14
  personal property. That is, I don't think that's in the situation.
• 42:18
  I don't think he'll be like. You know what, You're
• 42:20
  right due to the Constitution. I respect that stand your ground.
• 42:26
  You know what.
• 42:26
  Speaker 3: I like you. A man can do attitude.
• 42:29
  Speaker 1: That's what I always liked about you. Mark. You're a
• 42:32
  migtawel man through and through.
• 42:36
  Speaker 4: That's right. That's that red peel right there, Mark. I
• 42:38
  like this guy. The soft melodies continued, masking the cold
• 42:42
  blood and murder taking place inside. His face turned blood red,
• 42:46
  the wraft of silver nearly upon me. It was a
• 42:48
  face I'd seldom seen a crack in his cold, calm demeanor.
• 42:52
  Speaker 1: Phone now laid my phone in his.
• 42:55
  Speaker 4: Palm, diffusing the situation, placed it into his other trouser pocket.
• 43:00
  Speaker 1: Store neighbors to the pistol thank you. Now let's go.
• 43:04
  Speaker 4: He knocked three times as a scowl morphed to a
• 43:06
  cheery grin, which just like that, we were back inside
• 43:09
  the restaurant. In a matter of seconds. One of the
• 43:12
  kitchen staff had with Sylvan her direction. Much of the
• 43:15
  dinner crowd had dispersed. Moderate number of people were now
• 43:18
  up and down the halls. I caught Dwayne's gaze leaning
• 43:21
  against the front desk, chatting with one of the other
• 43:23
  bus boys.
• 43:24
  Speaker 1: You couldn't slight.
• 43:25
  Speaker 4: A smile stretched across his face only for a moment
• 43:28
  until he caught Silver's gaze out the corner of his eye.
• 43:31
  His face instantly went blank as he motioned for me
• 43:34
  to come with him down the hall.
• 43:36
  Speaker 1: I didn't respond. I only followed. Table one looks like
• 43:40
  it's ready. We've got a quick turn around, so let's hurry.
• 43:43
  Speaker 4: My shot back at Dwayne. He casually held the door
• 43:45
  open after you. You could see the woman from the doorway.
• 43:49
  Her head was face down. Layers of shiny ebony locks
• 43:52
  were spread across the table. I detected a hint of
• 43:55
  fruit mixed with a strong hairspray aroma. Dwayne around the table,
• 44:00
  grabbing the wine glass across from the lady and swishing
• 44:02
  around the remnants of the cup drink crowding.
• 44:06
  Speaker 1: Oh, this one was a real lightweight. Well, what's in
• 44:08
  the drink? I asked out a morbid curiosity.
• 44:11
  Speaker 2: He took a whiff, some sort of fruity pinot noir,
• 44:15
  probably a mix of elderberry.
• 44:17
  Speaker 1: How do you know that you ever talked to James Oilza.
• 44:20
  Speaker 4: I shook my head. No, those were two of the
• 44:22
  head chefs at Azelia's. I never really mingled much with
• 44:25
  the kitchen staff.
• 44:26
  Speaker 1: Well, if you were so stuck up, you'd know.
• 44:30
  Speaker 3: He made his way around the table, collecting some of
• 44:31
  the cutlery.
• 44:32
  Speaker 1: The dimmer craft wants the experience the slow burned a
• 44:35
  level of poison that could take hours to set in,
• 44:37
  with some exceptions, of course.
• 44:39
  Speaker 4: He cleared the glasses off the table and chuck them
• 44:41
  into one of the plastic bins.
• 44:42
  Speaker 2: The drink crowd now they're looking for something different. They
• 44:45
  want the death to be quick and dirty, instant, with
• 44:48
  minimal suffering.
• 44:49
  Speaker 4: Lifted the lady's head up from the table and examined
• 44:51
  her face. Her thick layer of makeup and mascara had
• 44:54
  left a stain on the white tablecloth.
• 44:57
  Speaker 1: At least that's what I'm told.
• 44:59
  Speaker 2: I can tell you what she died from, but based
• 45:01
  on I turn around here, I mean it was quick.
• 45:03
  Speaker 3: I wondered how many bodies to wanne and seen over
• 45:05
  the years.
• 45:06
  Speaker 2: Help me grab her and don't even think about pussing
• 45:09
  out this time, or I'll let Silvan know. We need
• 45:12
  this room cleared. The next group is coming in asap.
• 45:16
  Speaker 4: So I grabbed one of her shoulders and helped hoist
• 45:18
  the body up. Her face was a disturbing shade of plumb,
• 45:21
  her eyes staring back in a cloudy, empty stair. She
• 45:24
  was pretty what was left of her. She was maybe
• 45:27
  in her early forties, way too young to suffer this.
• 45:30
  Speaker 1: Sort of fate. How can he do this? Man?
• 45:33
  Speaker 4: Her petite frame easily slid into the confines at the
• 45:35
  metal walls.
• 45:36
  Speaker 1: No, I don't know. At first, it just really needed
• 45:39
  the money. Closed the door and locked the panel shut.
• 45:42
  After a while, it just becomes another job. You'll get
• 45:45
  used to it. I mean, you'll see start pushing the
• 45:48
  metal cart towards the door. These people have families, Duane,
• 45:53
  what we're doing here is criminal. God, dude, shut the
• 45:56
  fuck up mark my personal property. What were you doing? Here, okay,
• 46:02
  hold on, yeah, if you had to start moving bodies,
• 46:07
  you would be like, this is this is wrong, this
• 46:10
  is no, no, no.
• 46:10
  Speaker 2: Let me tell you the things that he is saying
• 46:13
  they are they're correct.
• 46:16
  Speaker 1: But him saying these things.
• 46:17
  Speaker 2: Out loud, You're like, why don't you You're like, I
• 46:19
  almost want to stuff them into a fucking locker.
• 46:22
  Speaker 1: You know what, you know what? You know what?
• 46:23
  Speaker 3: I think you know. I think Mark's doing here.
• 46:25
  Speaker 4: The reason that his wording is the way it is,
• 46:28
  I don't think because he's still.
• 46:30
  Speaker 3: Going along with it.
• 46:31
  Speaker 4: I don't know how much Mark really cares, because, like
• 46:35
  I said in the first part, he's kind of established
• 46:37
  to be a bit of a jerk yelling at guys
• 46:39
  thinking about sleeping with a married woman. So here, it's
• 46:42
  almost like he's trying to can talk himself out of
• 46:45
  it because he's going along with it. He's like, no,
• 46:47
  this is criminal, My phone's my property, you should take it. It
• 46:51
  almost feels like he's trying to talk himself out of it.
• 46:54
  Speaker 2: Well, I think you're onto the right thing, But I
• 46:56
  don't think he's trying to talk himself out of it.
• 46:57
  Speaker 1: I think he's trying to have other people talk him
• 46:59
  out of it, I think is what he's doing.
• 47:01
  Speaker 3: Sure, it's like a cry for help kind of think.
• 47:05
  Speaker 2: This feeling of being like you know what, you're right,
• 47:07
  let's get like we should just stop. But instead everyone's
• 47:11
  just basically like confirming this, like uh, almost like confirmation
• 47:16
  bias or something, you know, like this.
• 47:17
  Speaker 4: But what what I mean by talking himself out of
• 47:19
  it is I don't know how much he himself like
• 47:23
  cares and is willing to.
• 47:24
  Speaker 1: Do a job like this.
• 47:26
  Speaker 3: It means a lot of.
• 47:26
  Speaker 2: That's what I'm saying is I think he's trying to.
• 47:28
  It's like almost like a narcissistic thing where it's like
• 47:31
  you're pretending to be human, you know, like, come.
• 47:34
  Speaker 3: On, guys, this is wrong, right, we definitely shouldn't be
• 47:36
  doing It's like like.
• 47:37
  Speaker 2: Fucking young Sheldon, what we're doing here is criminal. It's
• 47:40
  like fuck off, Mark, goddamn.
• 47:43
  Speaker 4: Sure, sure you know what you would one hundred if
• 47:48
  if this is made in this scenario, I would one hundred, Marked, Oh.
• 47:52
  Speaker 1: My god, this give me back my phone. That's my
• 47:57
  personal property. And you would be the guy that's like
• 48:02
  it's good money, shut up. Put the body three three times,
• 48:06
  God damn three times. Money. All right, we're stuffing lobsters here.
• 48:13
  Good god boys. Hell yeah, hunter one here in shrimple play. Yeah,
• 48:18
  he would come out of that first room like, oh
• 48:20
  that trash in there was a real load a wink wink. Yeah.
• 48:24
  Here we've got a family of shrimp and room number five,
• 48:29
  patat and tiny. She just slides right in turn immedia. Yeah,
• 48:35
  I'm like great, So it's good. They're like, wow, you're
• 48:37
  really taking to this faster than anyone asked before. Yeah,
• 48:40
  I know, I want my job. You're gonna call me
• 48:44
  Seabiscuit by the end of the day, all right, Yeah,
• 48:47
  you need you need to toss out a couple of
• 48:50
  crabs down in room. Could you just stop doing the
• 48:54
  food euthanisms and just get back to work. Yeah, there's
• 48:58
  a couple of baked potatoes in root for.
• 49:03
  Speaker 4: It's like Silva has to come meet you in the hallways,
• 49:07
  like you gotta quit.
• 49:08
  Speaker 1: Yah, you're gonna you actually have to, you have to quit.
• 49:11
  Speaker 4: You're making everyone uncomfortable. I know we're all like moving
• 49:18
  bodies and we're all to know about this, but you're way.
• 49:21
  Speaker 3: Too into this.
• 49:26
  Speaker 4: And I'm over here like this is illegal, guys, Guys
• 49:30
  is illegal, this is a crime. And then like hunter
• 49:33
  over my shoulder, like looks like the steaks start and settle,
• 49:36
  if you know what I mean, got a full load
• 49:41
  in this one.
• 49:42
  Speaker 3: Dwayne shrugged.
• 49:43
  Speaker 1: You were thinking this mark.
• 49:45
  Speaker 3: He motioned for me to get the door.
• 49:46
  Speaker 1: These people had a target on the back. Focus on
• 49:49
  your job and you'll be fine. We're just simply disposing
• 49:51
  of the mess that someone else has made.
• 49:53
  Speaker 4: With that bleak sentiment, we pushed the car through the
• 49:56
  haul in silence. On our way to the kitchen, we
• 49:58
  passed by the next group of patrons, a couple of
• 50:01
  young professionals with vibrant smiles and flamboyant suits. My mind
• 50:05
  played Russian roulette with their bodies. Which one's body would
• 50:08
  we fetch next? It is clear that Dwayne had been
• 50:11
  lost the money, the trauma, maybe a combination of the two,
• 50:15
  had severely warped his mind into having a morbid indifference
• 50:18
  for life. I knew my words would go nowhere with him.
• 50:22
  I had this business model all wrong. Everything I thought
• 50:25
  Azelia stood for quality dining, intimate gatherings, unbeatable service. It
• 50:30
  was all a lie, with the dinner crowd dissipating the
• 50:33
  halls were a lot quieter and easier to maneuver through.
• 50:37
  Speaker 1: I knew this was my chance. I knew I had
• 50:39
  one shot.
• 50:41
  Speaker 4: Dwayne was leading the way, pulling the metal cart from
• 50:43
  the front. I was at the kaboos, pushing the heavy
• 50:47
  contraption ahead as best I could. The towering cart would
• 50:50
  provide the shelter that I needed. Out of my front pocket,
• 50:53
  I pulled out a pin and notepad, the trusty tool
• 50:56
  of the trade. Keeping one hand on the cart and
• 50:58
  pushing it along, I used the other dinically scribbled together
• 51:01
  a note. Craning my neck from one side of the
• 51:03
  cart to the other, I caught a glimpse of Silva.
• 51:05
  It was on the right side of the hall, chatting
• 51:07
  with one of the guests. The cart squeaked. We approached
• 51:10
  the front of the house. If I had timed it right,
• 51:13
  his view would be blocked, but only for a moment.
• 51:16
  As we approached the front desk, I took a deep
• 51:18
  breath and crumbled up the note. Julie, I whispered, choose
• 51:22
  alone to the front desk, her face planted and the tablet.
• 51:25
  I feeled the opportunity slipping away just as we passed
• 51:29
  Silva on my right I had no choice but to gamble.
• 51:31
  I took aim and lobbed the note into the air.
• 51:34
  The ball of paper seemed to hang there as I
• 51:35
  watched it in horror. It overshot the table and bobbled
• 51:39
  off Julie's shoulder just as we passed the front desk
• 51:41
  and Silva came into view. The impact broke her gaze
• 51:44
  from the screen. The paper bounced to the floor, where
• 51:47
  it landed. I wasn't quite sure. I glimpsed her annoyed
• 51:51
  stare in my direction before studying my attention to the
• 51:53
  front of the cart. As we exited the front of
• 51:55
  the house and entered the hallway to the kitchen, I
• 51:58
  could feel Silva's gaze burning a hole in them the
• 52:00
  back of my skull. The kitchen had also simmered down
• 52:04
  compared to earlier in the evening. Many of the cooks
• 52:07
  had gone home. Only a handful of chefs remained fussing
• 52:10
  around with the various display of dessert arrangements. There were
• 52:14
  plates of chocolate lava cakes topped with caramel drizzle, cranbrew
• 52:17
  lay in little cups with apricot shavings, and some sort
• 52:20
  of tower of fudge layered with sheets of sugar. The
• 52:23
  garnish was a colorful display of a key fruit and liaichi.
• 52:28
  I admired the creativity from Afar As we wheeled the
• 52:31
  cart into the dishroom, Dwayne discarded the dirty dishes, and
• 52:34
  then we pushed the cart around the corner. I saw
• 52:37
  each chef bring their masterpiece over to Elsa. She inspected
• 52:40
  everything in the back, added the finishing toushes, and the
• 52:44
  plates were carried out by the servers. Dwayne let us
• 52:47
  down a dark hallway that bore no resemblance to the restaurant,
• 52:51
  had a smell of musk. It was left dusty with
• 52:54
  no attempt made to clean or decorate the area. There
• 52:57
  were holes in the drywall, cracks in the concrete, questionable
• 53:00
  stains on the ceiling.
• 53:01
  Speaker 3: We took the card as far as we could.
• 53:03
  Speaker 4: Until we hit a dead end. The only thing at
• 53:06
  the end of the hall was a service elevator. Dwayne
• 53:09
  swiped his access card and hit the button. Waited a
• 53:12
  couple of moments until we heard a high pitched dink.
• 53:15
  I have expected a wave of blood to come out
• 53:18
  like the shining, said Martin's foolish face popped out.
• 53:23
  Speaker 1: Why is this asshole back here? Silver's orders. He's a
• 53:26
  busboy now.
• 53:27
  Speaker 3: Martin's lips formed a wry smile.
• 53:30
  Speaker 1: Oh is he now?
• 53:31
  Speaker 4: I looked away and helped to push the cart into
• 53:33
  the elevator, stepped inside and waited for Martin to hit
• 53:36
  the button down. N huh, Dwayne said, wiping me out.
• 53:40
  Speaker 1: Only Martin is allowed down.
• 53:41
  Speaker 4: Stepped out. Martin muttered something under his breath just as
• 53:44
  the door closed.
• 53:46
  Speaker 1: Jump that for what?
• 53:48
  Speaker 4: Just let me say, this entire setting is so well established,
• 53:54
  Like Martin's the guy who takes the bodies down, and
• 53:58
  then who knows what he does with them? And then
• 54:00
  like the staff doesn't know, but Silver Nose and the
• 54:03
  bus boys know. And it's like these private server rooms.
• 54:05
  That's how they are able to kill people then dispose
• 54:08
  of the bodies quietly, like so many layers of this
• 54:11
  just play off each other very well. Yeah, I love it.
• 54:15
  The rest of the night carried on like a bad nightmare.
• 54:18
  I towed the line, collecting the bodies and transporting them
• 54:21
  to the back of the kitchen. The smell of excrement
• 54:23
  and death continued to make me gag. Dwayne seemed immune
• 54:27
  to the scent. He was finding humor in my reaction
• 54:29
  after every pickup. How hard I tried, it was impossible
• 54:33
  to get their faces out of my head, to bulge
• 54:35
  their eyes, the bluish purple tint on their skin, bloating
• 54:39
  look in their cheeks. Their loved ones would never find them.
• 54:43
  The gravity of it all was sinking in midnight. Finally hit.
• 54:47
  I was itching to leave the restaurant. Silva was waiting
• 54:49
  for me at the exit.
• 54:51
  Speaker 1: I ought to go.
• 54:53
  Speaker 3: Yeah, pulling me into his office, I took a seat.
• 54:56
  Speaker 1: Nothing's changed, Silver, The position's just not for me. Well,
• 55:01
  I'm disappointed, to say the least. He went quiet, pacing
• 55:05
  around the room. It's going to be hard for to
• 55:07
  find a replacement.
• 55:08
  Speaker 4: Strolled over to one of his plants and was inspecting
• 55:10
  one of the leaves. Eventually worked up the nerve to
• 55:13
  cut off the awkward silence.
• 55:16
  Speaker 1: Can I go home now? My shift's over?
• 55:19
  Speaker 4: He broke out of his trance and walked over to
• 55:20
  his desk. In the top drawer, he pulled out my
• 55:23
  phone and slid it across the table.
• 55:25
  Speaker 1: Of course, I trust, as always of this stays inside
• 55:28
  the Azalea family.
• 55:30
  Speaker 4: The words were cold, his piercing stare warning in itself.
• 55:35
  Of course, I got up from my seat and made
• 55:37
  my way to the door.
• 55:38
  Speaker 1: When do you work next, Monk Monday.
• 55:42
  Speaker 3: Glanced up from his paperwork.
• 55:43
  Speaker 1: Have a good weekend.
• 55:47
  Speaker 4: I held my breath as I walked out of the restaurant,
• 55:49
  traveling as fast as my feet would take me. Only
• 55:52
  once I left the parking lot did my nerves return
• 55:54
  to normal.
• 55:56
  Speaker 1: I was free.
• 55:57
  Speaker 4: There's only one thing on my mind, and he had
• 55:59
  to put as many miles as I could between myself
• 56:01
  and Azelia's. I could find another job, that'd be easy,
• 56:04
  but the victims' families deserved closure, and Silva needed to
• 56:07
  be exposed as a monster.
• 56:09
  Speaker 3: He truly was.
• 56:10
  Speaker 4: One problem was my phone. I tried to swipe and
• 56:13
  click the power button with no success. It's desperately as
• 56:16
  I wanted to call the cops. The call would have
• 56:18
  to wait till I got home. The streets were quiet.
• 56:21
  As I pulled into the cul de sac. The lights
• 56:24
  were off in every household on the block. The whole
• 56:26
  neighborhood asleep. Paulina as many van was parked in her
• 56:29
  driveway the side of the vehicles and he shivers up
• 56:31
  my spine. Pulling up to my driveway, the headlights revealed
• 56:35
  something stuck to my garage door. I parked the car
• 56:38
  and walked over to inspect the object. It was a
• 56:41
  sealed envelope labeled mark and bold black marker, a throat
• 56:45
  tightened as a tour and open. Inside the envelope were
• 56:48
  photographs printed in a glossy finish. Each frame was a
• 56:52
  crystal clear with no hazy pixel in sight. There was
• 56:56
  one of me jamming a body to the meal car,
• 56:59
  the bald four head of the victim poking out of
• 57:01
  the cabinet. There was another candid shot of me pushing
• 57:04
  the cart through the hall. There were more than just
• 57:07
  photos of me at the restaurant. There were shots of
• 57:09
  me walking around the neighborhood, Pictures of my ex wife
• 57:12
  and her daughter at the mall, photos of my mother
• 57:15
  and father watching television in their home, their bodies comfortably
• 57:18
  lounging on the sofa. My heart was beating at a
• 57:23
  dangerous pace. As I flicked through the stack of photos,
• 57:26
  something else was crammed to the bottom corner of the
• 57:29
  envelope and I pulled it out.
• 57:30
  Speaker 1: I gasped.
• 57:32
  Speaker 4: It was a paper note I had written to Julie
• 57:34
  am I messing handwriting. It read there are bodies in
• 57:37
  the dishcarts called nine to one one. In utter shock,
• 57:42
  I dropped the contents of the envelope. The photos scattered
• 57:45
  across the concrete, floating away in the wind. I dropped
• 57:49
  my knees, quickly stuffing the contents back inside. Some of
• 57:52
  the photos were traveling towards my neighbor's lawn in a
• 57:54
  carefree gust of wind. Screwed across the drivefath to collect them,
• 57:58
  glancing up at the sleepy suburban neighborhood. It's the place
• 58:01
  I'd called home for decades, suddenly didn't feel so homely.
• 58:06
  One of the photos that was carried across the lawn
• 58:08
  and flipped over, there's writing in permanent marker on the
• 58:11
  back that read welcome to the family, See you on Monday.
• 58:16
  Speaker 1: That's great. Into part two, Oh buddy, well, I really
• 58:23
  like the idea in Love. I really like the setup
• 58:27
  of a First off, we need Azalea's cook house merch.
• 58:30
  Immediately I want like a shitty like you know how
• 58:33
  like I don't know, like there's a hooter.
• 58:35
  Speaker 4: Shirt, yeah, but it's supposed to look it's it's like
• 58:37
  a kind of speakeasy, like you know, fancy underground stuff.
• 58:43
  But yeah, if he does any merch that's like Azilla's cookout,
• 58:45
  like make it look like a steakhouse, you know, like
• 58:47
  Azelia's or whatever, Like I would one hundred percent rep
• 58:52
  that anywhere anywhere you want it. Yeah, it's so fun.
• 58:56
  The premise is awesome, Like why hasn't this been done before?
• 58:59
  The closest thing I can think is the menu, But
• 59:02
  that was like a one off, like Everyone's dying tonight
• 59:06
  kind of story. This is like the whole business is
• 59:09
  killing and disposed into bodies form.
• 59:11
  Speaker 2: A Hitman's like basically a Hitman's like place where you
• 59:15
  can bring your family and you basically order that whatever,
• 59:19
  and they dispose of the body.
• 59:20
  Speaker 1: And also some other too, like private room, so they
• 59:22
  basically people die in the room, other people get up, leave, and.
• 59:25
  Speaker 2: It's all cleaned up. The only thing that my mind
• 59:28
  was thinking, though, is I feel like with all the
• 59:30
  people dying, I feel like the reoccurrence of being I
• 59:35
  guess unless people lied about their stories of where they
• 59:36
  were at would probably be the only way where That way,
• 59:40
  the cops would be like, wow, the last twenty fucking
• 59:43
  murders that have happened, have everyone's been to this restaurant
• 59:46
  that night. You know, so you probably just people. They
• 59:49
  would probably just be lying. But I mean, once again,
• 59:52
  it breaks the immersion of the fun of the story.
• 59:53
  I'm just that was where my mind went. But I
• 59:55
  do like the idea of the Bounty Hunter restaurant.
• 59:57
  Speaker 4: Though within the story, I am willing to say, like
• 1:00:05
  what if all of the people that were seeing like
• 1:00:09
  interact with it and stuff like that, Like.
• 1:00:15
  Speaker 3: What if there's enough people willing to cover up?
• 1:00:17
  Speaker 4: What if the family is so powerful that they're able
• 1:00:20
  to make up cover stories for these dead people could
• 1:00:23
  put a body somewhere else away from the restaurant. Stuff
• 1:00:26
  like that.
• 1:00:26
  Speaker 1: You could also probably assume too that they have the
• 1:00:28
  cops paid off or whatever. Yes, yeah, yeah, to some degree.
• 1:00:32
  So I think that.
• 1:00:35
  Speaker 3: The uh are okay.
• 1:00:38
  Speaker 4: So for one, I'll say maybe I was a bit
• 1:00:39
  too harsh on our main character because it seems like
• 1:00:41
  as soon as he got away, he was like, how
• 1:00:43
  do I call the police? How do I let these
• 1:00:45
  people's family? Never seems a bit more virtuous than I
• 1:00:48
  were through.
• 1:00:49
  Speaker 1: I mean, I don't know, you never know, there's a
• 1:00:50
  lot of well, what I'm saying is like, now if
• 1:00:52
  he like goes back to the restaurant and stuff.
• 1:00:54
  Speaker 4: It's different because they've threatened his ex and his kid,
• 1:00:57
  They've threatened his family and stuff like that.
• 1:00:59
  Speaker 3: So now it's a different ballgame than just virtue.
• 1:01:02
  Speaker 2: But does that also not give him another angle to
• 1:01:05
  you know, well, my hands are tied, I have to
• 1:01:07
  even though it's not.
• 1:01:09
  Speaker 1: I mean, listen, you're right, you're right. That could be
• 1:01:11
  another excuse. But I agree that I.
• 1:01:14
  Speaker 2: Think that based off of his response and stuff, at
• 1:01:16
  least from the text, it's more so he's legitimately afraid.
• 1:01:20
  Speaker 1: And you know, it's a weird, weird world.
• 1:01:23
  Speaker 2: But I'm wondering now as we dive into part three,
• 1:01:26
  which is called the Neighborhood, I'm wondering, does he start
• 1:01:29
  acclimenting to it or you know, how much of a
• 1:01:31
  resistance does he put up to what you know, to
• 1:01:34
  this new operation, this new lifestyle he's.
• 1:01:35
  Speaker 1: Gonna have to live. Yeah, yeah, I think he's going
• 1:01:38
  to justify it a bit. We'll see.
• 1:01:40
  Speaker 4: So with that Part three, Hold the neighbor the comfort
• 1:01:44
  of my home did little call my nerves. The doors
• 1:01:47
  were locked, but the damage had been done. Silva was watching.
• 1:01:51
  He'd been watching for God knows how long, tracking myself
• 1:01:53
  and my closest loved ones in order to ensure everything
• 1:01:56
  was kept in the family. The photos were lever insurance policy,
• 1:02:01
  a weapon to wheeled off things went south. Now I
• 1:02:04
  was stuck under his thumb, with my real family within
• 1:02:06
  his crosshairs. What a difference a day could make. Not
• 1:02:10
  even twenty four hours ago, I was just a lowly server.
• 1:02:14
  Now I was sitting in the dark, trawling through the
• 1:02:16
  shady corners of the Internet.
• 1:02:17
  Speaker 3: Hunched over my laptop and my pajamas.
• 1:02:20
  Speaker 4: I scrolled through my Internet tabs, each one more incriminating
• 1:02:23
  than the next. Where do I buy a burner phone?
• 1:02:26
  How do you know you're being stalked? How much jail
• 1:02:29
  time for the possession of a dead body? Maybe the
• 1:02:33
  police would believe my story, Maybe if I showed them
• 1:02:36
  where the bodies were. Maybe if I could get my
• 1:02:38
  hands on the security footage, this could all end. I
• 1:02:42
  could go back to living a normal life. But maybe
• 1:02:45
  they wouldn't. And who was I kidding? Life was never
• 1:02:48
  going back to normal. For the brief moments that I
• 1:02:51
  managed to doze off, all I saw were the cloudy
• 1:02:53
  eyes of the victims. They will never let me sleep.
• 1:02:57
  Every shadowy corner was a threat concealing one of Silva's henchmen.
• 1:03:01
  Every creek from the floorboards made me jolt. I thing
• 1:03:04
  felt safe. As night faded away, A hint of amber
• 1:03:08
  broke through gray arc of cloud. Before the harsh reality
• 1:03:11
  set in. I wasn't going to figure this out alone.
• 1:03:14
  I needed to talk to someone, someone I trusted to
• 1:03:17
  keep quiet, someone who had information that I didn't, someone
• 1:03:21
  hiding a secret as dark as my own, someone I
• 1:03:25
  think I loved. Screwed up as that was, it was
• 1:03:29
  an impossible thing to explain. The cold harfacts were there.
• 1:03:32
  I stared into her husband's lifeless eyes, I carried out
• 1:03:35
  her children's lient bodies, and yet here I was still
• 1:03:38
  in love. The Paulina I knew was warm, inviting, full
• 1:03:43
  of heart. I had known that woman for years. Despite
• 1:03:46
  my apprehension about that evening, I still held out hope
• 1:03:49
  that there was something I didn't understand. When the sun
• 1:03:52
  rose and the songbirds chirped their familiar course, I got
• 1:03:55
  up from my heaps of blankets, ran a hot shower, breakfast,
• 1:04:00
  made my way over to Polina's house. Usual characters were
• 1:04:03
  mosesing around outside, Moe from across the street was firing
• 1:04:07
  up his lawn mower, the purr from the engine overtaking
• 1:04:09
  the songbirds tunes. Debbie was putting around her front yard
• 1:04:13
  with her little cockpoo on leash. I only made it
• 1:04:17
  a few steps past my driveway before I noticed that
• 1:04:19
  she'd had company. Park Beside the red mini van was
• 1:04:24
  an empty squad car.
• 1:04:26
  Speaker 1: Shit.
• 1:04:27
  Speaker 4: I switched gears, darting towards Debbie, self proclaimed eclectic neighbor
• 1:04:32
  on our block. We stood on the sidewalk outside of
• 1:04:35
  her aquamarine painted home. The rainbow pinwheel lawn ornament stabbed
• 1:04:39
  into her lawn at seemingly random locations. I dove into
• 1:04:44
  some polite conversation, all the while keeping my attention on
• 1:04:47
  Paulina's home. Ten minutes of chit chat went by with
• 1:04:50
  no movement from her residence.
• 1:04:53
  Speaker 1: I casually asked, any idea, what's going on at Paulina's place?
• 1:04:57
  Speaker 4: No idea, the hint of a smirk emerging on her face.
• 1:05:00
  She could resists the delectable piece of gossip.
• 1:05:03
  Speaker 1: You know, I think there's some troubling paradise. What do
• 1:05:06
  you mean by that?
• 1:05:07
  Speaker 4: Debbie was basically our neighborhood watch at her age, there
• 1:05:11
  wasn't much else for her to do.
• 1:05:13
  Speaker 1: Oh, I always knew that Keith was trouble, coming home
• 1:05:16
  all hours of the night with that obnoxiously loud exhaust.
• 1:05:20
  Speaker 4: She tugged on Romeo's leash, his nose deep in a
• 1:05:22
  pole of his own droppings.
• 1:05:24
  Speaker 1: You know, I've seen him with another gal, a dark
• 1:05:27
  haired girl, a trashy thing with tattoos.
• 1:05:31
  Speaker 4: This is all news to me. I paused to take
• 1:05:33
  it in patting Romeo on the head. That is awful,
• 1:05:37
  really awful. But that's far from a crime.
• 1:05:40
  Speaker 1: Debbie. You know, I wouldn't be surprised if you hit her, Debby.
• 1:05:46
  I'm damn Debbie. Debbie's just me. She's probably probably smacking
• 1:05:52
  her around. Good god, Debbie. My grandmother was the exact
• 1:05:57
  same way.
• 1:05:57
  Speaker 4: She's just you know, old lady, talk about stuff, and
• 1:05:59
  she'd be like, oh, did you hear about Unice at church?
• 1:06:03
  I think she's hitting the bottle again, just like It's like, well, Grandma,
• 1:06:07
  why did you say that? It's like she came to
• 1:06:09
  church last week without makeup, and I thought that.
• 1:06:12
  Speaker 1: Was strange, Just.
• 1:06:15
  Speaker 3: Like, all right, that's a bit, that's a bit of
• 1:06:18
  high level.
• 1:06:19
  Speaker 4: The jump too, maybe dial it back a little bit,
• 1:06:22
  but that Debbie's so funny.
• 1:06:24
  Speaker 3: Debbie, come on now.
• 1:06:27
  Speaker 1: She doubled down. He's got a temper on him, that's all.
• 1:06:30
  I seen him toss rocks at poor Romeo when he
• 1:06:32
  was barking. He thought I wasn't looking, but I was.
• 1:06:34
  Speaker 4: My stomach sure, knowing we were speaking about someone who
• 1:06:37
  was murdered. While Debbie continued for rambling about other neighbors
• 1:06:40
  Deplora blax. At the corner of my eye, I saw
• 1:06:43
  two cops walk out of Paulina's house.
• 1:06:45
  Speaker 1: I've got to grab the mail. Deb nice chatting with you.
• 1:06:49
  Speaker 4: Wave goodbye is the vehicle rolled out of the cul
• 1:06:51
  de sac. I waited outside of Moody's back room, underneath
• 1:06:55
  the humming kneon sign, wondering if I was making a
• 1:06:57
  big mistake. A murderer and her accompanless enter a bar.
• 1:07:01
  It all feels like one bad joke. Something tells me
• 1:07:04
  I won't be around to hear the punchline. Moody's back
• 1:07:06
  room is not like Azelia's. It's a roof in four
• 1:07:09
  walls with a couple of kegs. It's got a flashing
• 1:07:11
  ee on sign that you could spot from outer space.
• 1:07:14
  There are signs promoting their daily food and drink specials
• 1:07:17
  on every street corner in the neighborhood. This is a
• 1:07:20
  place begging for service, anybody's service. How I got here
• 1:07:25
  is still a whirlwind. On Saturday, I retreated back to
• 1:07:28
  my house and opted to stay in. I figured Paulina
• 1:07:31
  had too much heat on her to risk any interaction.
• 1:07:34
  Speaker 3: I was out of luck and out of time.
• 1:07:36
  Speaker 4: But as fate would have it, Paulina spotted me on Sunday,
• 1:07:38
  on my way back from a morning jok. I was
• 1:07:41
  hoping the endorphins would help clear my head, but all
• 1:07:44
  it did was leave me exhausted. I couldn't resist her wave,
• 1:07:47
  and in a moment, I found myself standing on her porch.
• 1:07:49
  She had a strawberry lemonade in hand and a smile
• 1:07:52
  across her face. Her hair sparkled in the sunlight. She
• 1:07:55
  looked radiant given the circumstances.
• 1:07:58
  Speaker 1: We chatted for a bit.
• 1:07:59
  Speaker 4: As I toussed with my attraction to her and the
• 1:08:01
  reality of our situations, she extended another offer to grab
• 1:08:05
  a drink, and an helpless sudden reflex.
• 1:08:07
  Speaker 1: I said yes.
• 1:08:09
  Speaker 4: The brain was no match for the heart and dick
• 1:08:12
  once she yeah, yeah, I think I think that's what's
• 1:08:15
  implied by the heart hunter.
• 1:08:16
  Speaker 1: Thank you so sorry. What's she bro.
• 1:08:21
  Speaker 3: We're gonna get you in church. We're gonna fix.
• 1:08:26
  Speaker 4: Once she arrived, she gave me a hug and we
• 1:08:28
  grabbed a seat and plain view of the VLTs.
• 1:08:31
  Speaker 3: We watched people. What is a VLT.
• 1:08:34
  Speaker 1: It's like a slot machine?
• 1:08:36
  Speaker 4: Right, oh, okay, I see if that's I go to church.
• 1:08:39
  I wouldn't know that, unlike you deplorables.
• 1:08:42
  Speaker 1: Uh, like you said, like VLT it's like a video. Uh.
• 1:08:49
  She gave me a hug and grab me because they're
• 1:08:51
  at a bar, right, yeah, yeah, a VLTs is a shot.
• 1:08:56
  The only reason I know VLTs as well is because
• 1:08:58
  of a trailer park. You don't have to justify it.
• 1:09:01
  Speaker 2: It's okay, No, I'm gonna yeah, video lottery terminal, So
• 1:09:04
  it is a ok I was curious about.
• 1:09:07
  Speaker 3: We people watch chatting about the weather in the news.
• 1:09:10
  Speaker 4: We discussed her vacation plans to Mexico and her current
• 1:09:13
  projects at work. Our first round is casual, like this,
• 1:09:17
  like an awkward first date. Polina's hair is in a
• 1:09:21
  messy bun, but her appearance is far from dishevel. She's
• 1:09:24
  wearing a boat next sweater, silver hoop, ear rings, a
• 1:09:27
  pair of Levi's jeans. This is what I imagine tonight
• 1:09:31
  out with her to be like. This is the Paulina
• 1:09:34
  that I know. Two rounds in, the conversation starts to
• 1:09:38
  get more personal. Polina asked about my history, so I
• 1:09:42
  told her about my divorce and how my dating life
• 1:09:44
  has been. I have her full attention. I can see
• 1:09:47
  the interest in her eyes. I really don't know what
• 1:09:49
  else to ask her at this point, so I just
• 1:09:51
  keep going on about myself. Three drinks in and the
• 1:09:55
  alcohol has washed away all of the nervous energy floating
• 1:09:59
  through conversation with lighthearted, friendly banter. She's playfully patting my
• 1:10:03
  arm when I decide it's finally time to chip away
• 1:10:05
  at her fortress of secrets.
• 1:10:08
  Speaker 3: The liquid courage.
• 1:10:09
  Speaker 4: It's running foolishly through my system. So I start to
• 1:10:12
  ask the bold questions, questions I've been dying to ask
• 1:10:16
  all night.
• 1:10:17
  Speaker 1: How are you doing, Paulina?
• 1:10:19
  Speaker 3: She looks puzzled. She SIPs her my tie through a straw.
• 1:10:22
  Speaker 1: What's wrong with you? I'm doing good? And how about you?
• 1:10:26
  Speaker 3: I lean in, my voice, falling to a gentle whisper.
• 1:10:30
  Speaker 1: No, I mean, how are you really doing?
• 1:10:33
  Speaker 3: She puts her drink down and cocks her head to
• 1:10:35
  the side.
• 1:10:36
  Speaker 1: How's everything with the family, She pauses during her drink. Oh,
• 1:10:41
  they're doing well. That does remind me though, as you
• 1:10:45
  check in with Keith.
• 1:10:46
  Speaker 4: She pulls out her cellphone. As I place my hand
• 1:10:49
  on her arm, Polina, I know. Her eyebrows are raised.
• 1:10:54
  Leaning closer across the table.
• 1:10:56
  Speaker 1: Yesterday at the restaurant, the cop card this morning.
• 1:11:00
  Speaker 4: See the color slowly draining from her face. Her eyes
• 1:11:03
  are moist now, they glisten under the pendent line above us.
• 1:11:07
  For a moment, there's a pause. The truth hangs in
• 1:11:09
  the air. I don't know what you're talking about, she says,
• 1:11:12
  sinking in her seat. Shift of energy in the room.
• 1:11:15
  It's now palpable.
• 1:11:16
  Speaker 1: I'm sorry, it's too soon. I just need to know.
• 1:11:19
  Speaker 3: She glances at the exit and grabs her purse.
• 1:11:21
  Speaker 1: Wait, Paulina, hear me up for a second. Please, She
• 1:11:24
  stands up. I fall a suit, reaching for her shoulder. Paulina,
• 1:11:28
  I won't see anything, I swear.
• 1:11:29
  Speaker 3: Bell above the exit door. Janis is a swing shut
• 1:11:31
  behind her.
• 1:11:32
  Speaker 1: He dumb son of a bitch.
• 1:11:34
  Speaker 4: Yeah, she murdered her husband and children.
• 1:11:40
  Speaker 1: Hunter, it's Paulina though.
• 1:11:42
  Speaker 4: Dude, dude, this is this isn't just like a cute
• 1:11:45
  mom next door.
• 1:11:46
  Speaker 1: This is like she killed her kids. Please please, you're next.
• 1:11:54
  She is a black widow.
• 1:11:55
  Speaker 3: She's going to eat you next.
• 1:11:57
  Speaker 1: Oh here she comes. Watch you bo shut you you
• 1:12:01
  will you won't.
• 1:12:03
  Speaker 4: She's a man watching waity. I love that song, Watching waiting.
• 1:12:08
  Didn't mean you sing that at Karaoka?
• 1:12:10
  Speaker 1: I think so. We definitely we definitely say some Hall notes, for.
• 1:12:13
  Speaker 3: Sure, we did. I know there was that one. There was.
• 1:12:16
  There's definitely out of touch.
• 1:12:20
  Speaker 1: I know your around. I'm man out of around.
• 1:12:30
  Speaker 4: Yeah, anyway, you know what with the mention of Hall
• 1:12:33
  and notes on back.
• 1:12:34
  Speaker 1: In exactly, But then you brought up man. Maybe maybe
• 1:12:46
  there are fates worse in the night coming along with me,
• 1:12:55
  but waiting for the line. When I feel cold, you
• 1:13:04
  wom me and when I feed I can't go home,
• 1:13:09
  I come in poo you because it's you and me forever.
• 1:13:17
  Siah smile. That's why I love Sarah smile. That's a
• 1:13:22
  good one too.
• 1:13:23
  Speaker 4: Mm hm, that was a good one with the banks.
• 1:13:25
  You are such a good singer. It's frustrating. After painting
• 1:13:30
  the tab, I drove home, knowing that I shouldn't. I'm
• 1:13:33
  tiptoeing the line of sobriety with an empty stomach. The
• 1:13:36
  hard liquor and dark thoughts swirl around inside of being
• 1:13:38
  an anxious concoction. I scream as I pound the wheel.
• 1:13:42
  Screw up, you idiot. It's a short route home through
• 1:13:44
  residential streets. The cookie cutter homes or blurs of color
• 1:13:48
  as I drive past. Besides the park cars, the roads
• 1:13:51
  are empty, sidewalks bare. In my rear view, I noticed
• 1:13:55
  the black suv behind me. It turns left when I
• 1:13:57
  turned left, down, ted and rowed. I think I'm overreacting,
• 1:14:01
  so I test my theory and make another left to
• 1:14:04
  a nearby cul de sac. The vehicle follows me and
• 1:14:06
  a loop past the row of two story homes. My
• 1:14:09
  chest begins to titan. Only thought is that I can't
• 1:14:11
  go home, so I keep driving down Citadel Road, Citadel Cress,
• 1:14:15
  Citadel Circle. Leaving the community, I head down McKenzie Boulevard
• 1:14:19
  with suv on my tail. Eventually I will have to stop.
• 1:14:22
  I just don't know where to go. My heart is
• 1:14:26
  beating so strongly that I fill out of my skull figure.
• 1:14:30
  The safest place is somewhere public, so I decided to
• 1:14:32
  pull into the south side Strip mall. Walmart parking lot
• 1:14:36
  isn't exactly packed. There's some scattered RVs and late night shoppers,
• 1:14:39
  but it's the best option available.
• 1:14:42
  Speaker 3: Park near a row of cars and wait. Suv pulls
• 1:14:45
  up beside me.
• 1:14:46
  Speaker 4: The tent on the passenger side windows too opaque to
• 1:14:48
  see through, only hear the opening and slamming up the
• 1:14:51
  driver's side door.
• 1:14:52
  Speaker 1: Get out of the car.
• 1:14:54
  Speaker 4: The glow from the lamp post reveals a curly haired woman.
• 1:14:57
  Both arms are covered in an elaborate sleeve of tattoos.
• 1:15:00
  Two colorful gardens of fully bloomed flowers in elaborate watermark style.
• 1:15:05
  Roll down the window a fraction of an inch and
• 1:15:07
  yell back.
• 1:15:08
  Speaker 1: Where are you following me? You psycho? Who the hell
• 1:15:10
  are you and what are you doing with Paulina? Oh?
• 1:15:13
  Hell yeah, dude, do not just tell me girl girl action,
• 1:15:20
  y'all hold on in the Colonel Chemic because that's fair
• 1:15:27
  looking good. What are you such a squid? My gosh,
• 1:15:39
  you had that one banked. You just said that on deck.
• 1:15:44
  Speaker 2: I'm sorry that maybe Paulina our queen, our hero. And
• 1:15:49
  then all of a sudden, a fucking girl with a
• 1:15:51
  dragon tattoo, curly girl comes up.
• 1:15:53
  Speaker 1: She's just like you move, you moving in? You know
• 1:15:56
  what I mean?
• 1:15:57
  Speaker 3: Is that now we gotta love triangle?
• 1:15:59
  Speaker 1: Dude.
• 1:16:00
  Speaker 4: Now, look, it's because you're sexualizing it, like if it's
• 1:16:03
  it's fine, like two two was like perfectly fine, Like
• 1:16:08
  two women want to be together. You know that that
• 1:16:11
  that's between them.
• 1:16:13
  Speaker 1: Whatever.
• 1:16:14
  Speaker 4: I don't need to come in and make it into
• 1:16:16
  I don't need to fetish size it.
• 1:16:17
  Speaker 1: Like, I'm sorry that was that was wrong with me?
• 1:16:19
  You know I was probably wrong? Was it? Was it wrong?
• 1:16:21
  Speaker 4: You have had the colonel joke on cue that was
• 1:16:25
  in your tape deck like skip next song, ready to play.
• 1:16:28
  Speaker 1: I'm sorry, you know what, I'm sorry?
• 1:16:30
  Speaker 2: You know what I I probably I probably I probably
• 1:16:34
  jumped the gun.
• 1:16:36
  Speaker 3: Oh no, that's definitely what it is. They were definitely
• 1:16:38
  having it an affair.
• 1:16:38
  Speaker 1: We don't know, we don't know that for a fact.
• 1:16:40
  Speaker 4: No, no, no, that that is that is absolutely what
• 1:16:42
  are you doing with paul that or she's like an
• 1:16:44
  investigator that was trying to be on the restaurant something
• 1:16:47
  that that is one hundred percent what it was.
• 1:16:48
  Speaker 1: It is your it is your characterization of it. That
• 1:16:55
  but that that is an interesting twist. The woman that
• 1:16:57
  was coming was not for him, it was for her
• 1:17:01
  or no, you know what it is, isn't that the
• 1:17:03
  that's the fucking woman that has the keith was banging.
• 1:17:08
  Speaker 4: No, yes, that's the woman, but the only No, okay hunter.
• 1:17:12
  The woman across the street said, I've seen this girl
• 1:17:14
  with tattoos.
• 1:17:14
  Speaker 1: It's like horrible. It was actually, yes, it was so yeah,
• 1:17:20
  the little Chinese finger trapped deal. I get it. Okay,
• 1:17:25
  I was saying that, saying that is what was happening.
• 1:17:28
  Speaker 3: No, no, it's so.
• 1:17:35
  Speaker 1: Trapped already happened. You were calling out something that just
• 1:17:39
  happened in the sword. You're not. I'm like, I'm fucking like,
• 1:17:43
  so yeah, it's like you were right about No. No,
• 1:17:46
  you said the thing and I said, yes, that's the
• 1:17:48
  thing that happened, and then you got confused and I said, no.
• 1:17:51
  Speaker 4: The thing you originally thought what happened. That's not a
• 1:17:53
  prediction about a fog so far okay. Anyway, Yes, you
• 1:17:58
  are right that it wasn't a fair happening. It was
• 1:18:00
  the sexualization of the affair, that I was jumping you for, Okay, whatever.
• 1:18:05
  I rolled down the window a little more, and now
• 1:18:07
  I noticed the distinct characteristics of her face. Dark brown hair,
• 1:18:11
  eyes and blue eyes, a prominent nose, tall stature.
• 1:18:18
  Speaker 1: She was sitting at the table next m look just uh.
• 1:18:28
  Speaker 4: The only reason I'm a look tattoos, tall, dark hair,
• 1:18:31
  light eyes, the only reason.
• 1:18:33
  Speaker 3: The reason I'm attracted because this is what my wife
• 1:18:35
  looks like.
• 1:18:36
  Speaker 1: This is how can I resist you? That's what I'm thinking.
• 1:18:40
  I'm thinking that here she comes watch a bush.
• 1:18:43
  Speaker 4: She was sitting at the table next to ours, and
• 1:18:49
  up close she looked incredibly familiar. The resemblance is uncanny.
• 1:18:52
  Come down for a second, I said, stepping out of
• 1:18:55
  my vehicle. No reason to get all worked up. We're
• 1:18:58
  just friends.
• 1:18:59
  Speaker 1: Bullshit. You know something? I can feel it.
• 1:19:02
  Speaker 3: By now, A small crowd of shoppers are enjoying the show.
• 1:19:05
  Speaker 4: Their hands are gripping plastic bags full of groceries, their
• 1:19:08
  carts abandoned in the middle of the road. With a
• 1:19:10
  sudden eruption, the dark haired woman that could only be
• 1:19:13
  Keith's sister shouts.
• 1:19:14
  Speaker 3: Back to the crowd.
• 1:19:15
  Speaker 1: I'm calling the cops.
• 1:19:17
  Speaker 3: Okay, never mind, I was wrong. I was wrong.
• 1:19:20
  Speaker 1: We were both wrong. No, dude, I'm not that list.
• 1:19:24
  Bear trap. Bear trap into part three, so you're still
• 1:19:27
  saying that it was an affair. But I'm thinking so,
• 1:19:30
  I'm thinking. I'm thinking.
• 1:19:31
  Speaker 2: So the supper this is the final, part four, the
• 1:19:34
  final I'm excited.
• 1:19:36
  Speaker 4: Okay, it's Keith's sisters looking because she's trying to figure
• 1:19:39
  out what happened to her brother.
• 1:19:40
  Speaker 1: Dude, fucking maybe, I'm still don't let can a man dream?
• 1:19:45
  Can a man fucking dream?
• 1:19:46
  Speaker 2: This is the first time that we've ever had a
• 1:19:48
  love triangle here with a girl.
• 1:19:50
  Speaker 1: The dragon tattoo. Beautiful, Oh, beautiful, Pauline.
• 1:19:53
  Speaker 4: You just like it because you think they're both hot.
• 1:19:57
  You just like it because you think they're both hot.
• 1:19:59
  Speaker 2: Well, the because you know what little bear claw action here, dude,
• 1:20:02
  too sweeties wrapped up, dude, A beautiful not.
• 1:20:05
  Speaker 1: A bear trap.
• 1:20:06
  Speaker 4: If the story set a thing that happened two bears,
• 1:20:10
  that's the that's my bear trap working again.
• 1:20:12
  Speaker 1: I said bear claw A little twisted donut too, sweeties,
• 1:20:14
  wrapped up? Man? What is a bear claw? I haven't
• 1:20:17
  heard that depression before. What a bear claw? It's a donut.
• 1:20:23
  Speaker 3: A bear claw is a donut.
• 1:20:25
  Speaker 2: Yeah, you look at a bear claw. It's it's it's
• 1:20:28
  like a it's a donut. It looks like a bear paw. Okay,
• 1:20:32
  it's like too. But they're all they're tied up. There's
• 1:20:36
  little bear claw.
• 1:20:39
  Speaker 1: Okay, I don't I don't have to fight.
• 1:20:41
  Speaker 2: I'm saying they're too sweetie wrapped up in here. I'm
• 1:20:44
  just saying that it was bear claw. It's at the
• 1:20:45
  bear trap. I'm calling it. I'm still keeping it there.
• 1:20:47
  I think my bear claw has not done me wrong yet,
• 1:20:50
  called the British thing last episode, calling this one here too.
• 1:20:53
  I'm telling you, man or watch out. The one thing
• 1:20:56
  I would not do right now is beat against the
• 1:20:58
  bear trap. That's all I'm saying.
• 1:21:00
  Speaker 4: Part four, okay, Part four the last supper. The crowd
• 1:21:07
  feasted their eyes on the drama ensuing. The woman who
• 1:21:10
  I believed to be Keith's sister, had a fiery look
• 1:21:13
  in her eyes. I felt horrible for her family, but
• 1:21:16
  she was looking for answers to questions that I just
• 1:21:18
  couldn't provide. Sylva had me back to a corner with
• 1:21:21
  jail time or collateral damage as the only ways out.
• 1:21:24
  Speaker 1: Can we relax for a second. I'm just a neighbor, Mark,
• 1:21:27
  I mean, that's it. Well you too, s looked like
• 1:21:30
  cozy neighbors.
• 1:21:31
  Speaker 3: Her hands were shaking as she placed her phone.
• 1:21:33
  Speaker 1: To her ear. Stop for goddamn second.
• 1:21:36
  Speaker 4: There's a gas from someone in the crowd. The woman
• 1:21:38
  resembling Keith nearly dropped her phone.
• 1:21:40
  Speaker 1: Call the copson, go on is going to the bar? Crime?
• 1:21:44
  You'll do nothing but look crazy.
• 1:21:46
  Speaker 4: The woman glared back, eventually taking the phone from her ear,
• 1:21:49
  she placed it in her palm, squeezing it violently as
• 1:21:52
  she screeched took a step back, as did some of
• 1:21:54
  the closer shoppers. She did something him, she declared, tears
• 1:21:58
  willing in her eyes. I would, She pointed her finger
• 1:22:02
  at me, her body trembling.
• 1:22:03
  Speaker 2: And if you're stupid enough to be with her, she
• 1:22:05
  will do the same to do the same to you.
• 1:22:09
  Speaker 3: Okay, so how's that? How is that bear trap? Looking? Now?
• 1:22:12
  Speaker 1: That is fact, just her psychology. You know what?
• 1:22:17
  Speaker 2: At the end, when Pauline is smiling and old in
• 1:22:20
  the tatted in the tatted woman here walks in a frame,
• 1:22:23
  don't be surprised when you hear the clasp of a
• 1:22:26
  bear trap.
• 1:22:26
  Speaker 1: That's all I gotta say.
• 1:22:31
  Speaker 4: There was silence for a moment as the woman paced
• 1:22:33
  around the lot. She eventually began to sob as she
• 1:22:36
  found a seat on the curb, her face shielded by
• 1:22:38
  her tears.
• 1:22:39
  Speaker 3: The crowd slowly dispersed.
• 1:22:41
  Speaker 4: Once she calmed down, we were able to make a
• 1:22:43
  proper introduction. Her name was Viola. She confirmed that she
• 1:22:47
  was Keith's baby sister. Keith was her only sibling, and
• 1:22:51
  she became concerned that he didn't respond to her text
• 1:22:53
  messages Friday evening when he knows showed for their brunch
• 1:22:57
  plans Saturday morning. That's when she began to worry. Paulina
• 1:23:01
  had recently decided the family was going to move out
• 1:23:04
  of the country, with little warning or consultation provided to Keith.
• 1:23:08
  This was how Paulina was. The qualities that made her
• 1:23:11
  fun were also what made her dangerous. Keith had become
• 1:23:13
  fed up with her unpredictable nature. The extended family was
• 1:23:16
  worried that with the move they would never see their
• 1:23:18
  children again. I could offer were some hollow words of encouragement,
• 1:23:24
  remained calm and hope. For the best I could tell,
• 1:23:26
  they did little to soothe her.
• 1:23:28
  Speaker 1: Soul.
• 1:23:29
  Speaker 4: We eventually said goodbye, the lies tossing around in the
• 1:23:31
  pit of my stomach, knowing that the man was never
• 1:23:33
  coming home. With one bomb carefully difused, I went home
• 1:23:37
  to think about the major issue at hand. My plan
• 1:23:40
  to build a closer relationship with Paulina had gone up
• 1:23:42
  in flames. There was no new information garnered. The opportunity
• 1:23:46
  had been wasted. I suffered one more sleepless night, and
• 1:23:48
  before I knew it, the weekend was over. In the morning,
• 1:23:52
  I picked out my window. Paulina's driveway was empty. On
• 1:23:56
  my way to work, I saw Viola walking down the
• 1:23:58
  street with a small group of people. There were maybe
• 1:24:00
  three blocks from my house, and her hand was a
• 1:24:03
  stack of papers. At one of the nearby light posts,
• 1:24:05
  I pulled over to look at what they were taping
• 1:24:07
  to the metal structures.
• 1:24:10
  Speaker 3: Help bring Keith Bargallo home.
• 1:24:13
  Speaker 4: Keith Bargallo, a loving husband, voted father, an upstanding member
• 1:24:16
  of our community, has been missing since.
• 1:24:18
  Speaker 1: Friday, April thirtieth.
• 1:24:20
  Speaker 4: There's a cash reward for anyone who can provide information
• 1:24:23
  on his whereabouts or the whereabouts of his wife, Paulina,
• 1:24:25
  and their two children, Riley and Colton. Help us bring
• 1:24:29
  them home. Please call the number below. The photo on
• 1:24:33
  the flyer was a family portrait taken at a nearby park.
• 1:24:36
  Im Whage haunted me all the way to the restaurant.
• 1:24:39
  There was the usual rush of workers when I arrived
• 1:24:41
  at Azelia's. They were scuttling through the halls, heading to
• 1:24:44
  the nearby change rooms and preparing the tables for the
• 1:24:46
  upcoming dinner service. As I left the front of the
• 1:24:49
  house towards the change room, I caught a glimpse of Silva.
• 1:24:52
  He was walking at a brisk pace down the hall
• 1:24:54
  with a couple of other associates. It was only a
• 1:24:57
  quick flash of his black and silver crew cut. It
• 1:25:00
  was the only It was only the back of his head,
• 1:25:03
  But that's all it took for me to suddenly feel cold.
• 1:25:08
  Dwayne was dwaddling around by his locker with a couple
• 1:25:10
  of the other cooks when I entered.
• 1:25:12
  Speaker 2: You have a good weekend, Mark, ready for some more
• 1:25:15
  training this time. I won't go easy, sorry, Duane.
• 1:25:20
  Speaker 1: I said, while taking off my shoes. I told you
• 1:25:23
  that shift eight for me. I'm back to serving today.
• 1:25:27
  That's news to me. Sid told me I was training
• 1:25:29
  you this evening. Well, he must have forgotten. I discussed
• 1:25:33
  this with him on Friday. Dwayne shrugged. Either way, it
• 1:25:39
  doesn't matter to me. Just let me know what he
• 1:25:40
  says before the rush starts.
• 1:25:43
  Speaker 3: Playfully swatowed one of the cooks in the belly before leaving.
• 1:25:46
  Speaker 1: Let's go get that money.
• 1:25:49
  Speaker 4: That This would be you if you had to dispose
• 1:25:52
  of bodies for the mob, you'd be like making that bread,
• 1:25:56
  working ahead of bakery.
• 1:25:57
  Speaker 1: Yeah, making that bread. Very see Paulina and uh Ariola
• 1:26:02
  show up.
• 1:26:03
  Speaker 3: I love that.
• 1:26:08
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I think her name is Viola Viola? What her
• 1:26:14
  her name is? Ariola? It's the spot of skin around
• 1:26:18
  the nep I know that's the joke. But he's and
• 1:26:22
  that's what la Ariola. I don't give what it is.
• 1:26:29
  I'm looking at no Viola. I'm looking for that Ariola.
• 1:26:34
  That's I'll tell you what it is. Cold down in
• 1:26:36
  this basement, like like it's a football game every day.
• 1:26:43
  All right, We're gonna get out there, make some good pladies,
• 1:26:45
  get some good ones. Let's get that money, make some
• 1:26:48
  people happy. Made that bread to Hunter whistling carrying bodies
• 1:26:54
  elevator and hey Hunter shoving a family afford to a
• 1:27:04
  metal coffin started myself. I'm beating people up with a hammer.
• 1:27:09
  Watch Apple, shut you you up comes. She's a man eater,
• 1:27:18
  just irredeemable. I'm an act, not even a hint of
• 1:27:25
  like thought about what you're doing.
• 1:27:27
  Speaker 4: You know, I got to shoved my mother in here
• 1:27:29
  if you tell me to. At this page, I stared
• 1:27:33
  blankly at the lockers as flashbacks of Friday entered my
• 1:27:35
  brain the contorted body stuffed in the dish cart, the
• 1:27:38
  squishing of bloated flesh, the cracking of bones. There's no
• 1:27:42
  way in hell I was ever going back to buzzing
• 1:27:45
  Sylvia and I would need to have another word. After
• 1:27:49
  change into my uniform, I went to help set the
• 1:27:50
  tables and fold some last minute cutlery.
• 1:27:53
  Speaker 1: I hope to cross paths with Silva.
• 1:27:55
  Speaker 4: He was usually running up and down the halls leading
• 1:27:57
  up to the service, but today I wasn't so lucky.
• 1:28:00
  This officer was locked and my knocking went unanswered. Lana
• 1:28:03
  gave me a wave down the halls. I had already
• 1:28:05
  seen Greg at the lockers and passed by Stephen Kelly
• 1:28:08
  wrapping cutlery. By my account, we were fully staffed for servers,
• 1:28:11
  and that number excluded me twenty minutes to go before service.
• 1:28:15
  I began to panic. I asked me at the hostess
• 1:28:17
  she had seen Silva.
• 1:28:19
  Speaker 1: She shrugged, Sorry, I haven't seen him. Does he have
• 1:28:23
  any appointments?
• 1:28:24
  Speaker 4: I asked, scratching my head. She scrolled through the tablet
• 1:28:27
  and shook her head. So I approached the hostess podium.
• 1:28:30
  I noticed something resting on the shelves behind it. It
• 1:28:33
  was a cell phone with a glittery phone case and
• 1:28:35
  a distinct Hello Kitty tassel attached to it.
• 1:28:38
  Speaker 1: Julie Worgan tonight, No, just me worked all weekend two
• 1:28:44
  so freaking stick of this place. I pointed to the
• 1:28:47
  phone behind the podium. She replied, oh my god. Wow,
• 1:28:51
  didn't notice that. She must have been going nuts all weekend.
• 1:28:55
  Speaker 4: Before me it could continue. Lana approached and asked a
• 1:28:58
  question about the menu. Whisked her away towards one of
• 1:29:01
  the dining rooms in order to investigate the air.
• 1:29:03
  Speaker 1: Before she left me, I said, I'll stop by your
• 1:29:05
  place to night and drop it off. Thanks.
• 1:29:07
  Speaker 3: Mark gave a warry smile.
• 1:29:10
  Speaker 1: She's dead. She's dead. Yeah, she's hundred percent down.
• 1:29:14
  Speaker 3: Her phone's there.
• 1:29:15
  Speaker 1: That's so weird. Wow, catch, I've been there the whole day.
• 1:29:18
  What are you talking about?
• 1:29:22
  Speaker 4: She must have missed that, Thanks Mark, What will we
• 1:29:24
  do without you? Once I left, I began to snoop
• 1:29:27
  around the podium. On the bottom shelf, there was a
• 1:29:29
  black purse that had a match in tassel. Stupid cat
• 1:29:32
  seemed to be waving at me from the ground. I
• 1:29:35
  froze her wallet, her keys, everything was in the back.
• 1:29:40
  I remember the note, and suddenly my limbs felt weak.
• 1:29:43
  I jumped to the only logical conclusion. Julie never left.
• 1:29:47
  So congratulations, Mark, you killed Julie.
• 1:29:50
  Speaker 1: Bear trap?
• 1:29:53
  Speaker 3: Wait, what do you mean bear trap? When did you
• 1:29:54
  call that out?
• 1:29:55
  Speaker 1: Called it? Called it right before? I said, well she's dead,
• 1:29:57
  remember boom, it's the three hit the three.
• 1:30:01
  Speaker 4: Okay, I'm not you know what the fader wan fader
• 1:30:04
  freak out? You want you want me to have an
• 1:30:05
  emotional reaction.
• 1:30:06
  Speaker 1: As soon as Ariola comes in at the end, stands
• 1:30:09
  next to Paulina, that's when you have to admit the
• 1:30:11
  bear traps reel. If that happens, the bear Trap's reel. Okay.
• 1:30:15
  But until then no, because it.
• 1:30:17
  Speaker 4: Said, oh her phone's there, thanks Mark, Like that's such
• 1:30:19
  a clear like she's dead, right, you don't get it
• 1:30:22
  when two later.
• 1:30:24
  Speaker 1: Confirms for us that she's okay whatever.
• 1:30:27
  Speaker 4: I wandered down the halls, rummaging through the storage rooms,
• 1:30:29
  in the kitchen, and the dishroom. I opened any door
• 1:30:32
  I walked past, searching for signs of jewelie. My heart
• 1:30:35
  beat aggressively in my chest with every failed attempt. There's
• 1:30:38
  no doubt that Dwayne was looking for me too. My
• 1:30:41
  watch told me that the dinner crowd would be arriving
• 1:30:43
  in any minute. I felt a cold hand grabbed my
• 1:30:46
  shoulder from behind. I flinched.
• 1:30:48
  Speaker 1: Jeez Mark relaxed.
• 1:30:52
  Speaker 3: Lena laughed.
• 1:30:53
  Speaker 1: They're gathering everyone together in room one folder.
• 1:30:56
  Speaker 3: Down the empty hallway.
• 1:30:58
  Speaker 4: Monday nights were always our slowest, but the deplete absence
• 1:31:00
  of foot traffic was very concerning.
• 1:31:04
  Speaker 1: What's going on? I don't know. He just told me
• 1:31:07
  to sweep the halls and find any stragglers. I think
• 1:31:10
  you're the last one.
• 1:31:12
  Speaker 4: When we arrived, bald burly Man held the door open.
• 1:31:15
  He was a familiar face, so when I seldom saw
• 1:31:17
  this deep inside the restaurant.
• 1:31:19
  Speaker 3: He wasn't an employee as far.
• 1:31:20
  Speaker 4: As I knew, just some sort of supplier of ingredients
• 1:31:23
  and various cooking supplies to the restaurant. You could feel
• 1:31:27
  the heat coming from the crowd before you even entered
• 1:31:29
  the room. There were too many people for the cramp space.
• 1:31:33
  The air was musky as employee seated across the long
• 1:31:36
  table looked aimlessly across the room. Those that weren't early
• 1:31:40
  enough to nab seats were standing in a line along
• 1:31:43
  the walls. On top of the table were beautiful arrays
• 1:31:46
  of mouth watering appetizers, bacon wrapped prunes, bleining with caviaar,
• 1:31:51
  beef tartar, and cheeze fondu. Strange man with squinty eyes
• 1:31:56
  was pouring shots of alcohol out of many liquor bottles,
• 1:31:59
  while the bald man and from the doorway followed him
• 1:32:01
  towards the table holding a bottle of wine. They passed
• 1:32:05
  around the classes to everyone. Why not lecoeur, the squendy
• 1:32:11
  man asked, through purse slips.
• 1:32:13
  Speaker 1: I replied, I'm okay, why leur? Come on, we're celebrating.
• 1:32:23
  What voice are you doing? I don't know. I was
• 1:32:25
  trying to like a French thing, but it's not really working.
• 1:32:28
  Speaker 4: It sounds like you're doing an Asian voice, because it
• 1:32:32
  said squinty.
• 1:32:32
  Speaker 3: Eyes god, no, there you go.
• 1:32:43
  Speaker 1: Okay, that's better. Yeah, yeah, yeah, throw that on there.
• 1:32:45
  Speaker 3: You have to be like, come on, via celebrating.
• 1:32:48
  Speaker 1: That's German.
• 1:32:50
  Speaker 4: Okay, that's better than the direction you were heading. I'm sorry,
• 1:32:54
  straight up, straight off the cliff.
• 1:33:00
  Speaker 1: I had a sorry, dude, damns.
• 1:33:10
  Speaker 4: I hesitated for a moment, then pointed towards the bottle
• 1:33:13
  of red that the bald man was holding four a
• 1:33:15
  generous amount, and handed me a glass.
• 1:33:18
  Speaker 1: Is this everyone, yes, the room.
• 1:33:21
  Speaker 3: A couple of people nodded their heads in assurance.
• 1:33:24
  Speaker 1: Okay, well, first off, I'd like to introduce myself. My
• 1:33:27
  name is Sergio, one of the main investors in Azaleas.
• 1:33:31
  Speaker 4: Landa and myself shared puzzled looks. I've never seen this
• 1:33:33
  man before.
• 1:33:34
  Speaker 2: The success of this restaurant has not been lost to
• 1:33:37
  myself or any of the other investors. We're incredibly proud
• 1:33:40
  of what this restaurant has accomplished. And this starts, and
• 1:33:43
  that starts with each and every one of you.
• 1:33:46
  Speaker 1: Raise your glass.
• 1:33:47
  Speaker 2: I propose a toast the staff that makes this place special,
• 1:33:51
  from the cooking staff to the servers, the hostesses, to
• 1:33:54
  the bus boys.
• 1:33:55
  Speaker 1: You were all an intro. You are all an integral
• 1:33:57
  part of this family, and we need to do better,
• 1:34:00
  and we need to do a better part of showing
• 1:34:02
  our gratitude.
• 1:34:03
  Speaker 3: Well, Sergio spoke. I began to scan the room.
• 1:34:07
  Speaker 4: There's still no sign of Jeelie better yet, no sign
• 1:34:10
  of silver cleaned to my glass against Lanas and a
• 1:34:12
  few other employees of my OVIACETI holding the brim of
• 1:34:15
  the glass to my lips. Some of the white staff
• 1:34:17
  and hostesses down their drinks and were nibbling at the
• 1:34:19
  finger food do Some of the lion cooks and junior
• 1:34:22
  chefs were pouring themselves another round with alighted smiles across
• 1:34:25
  their faces. This was the first team building event in
• 1:34:28
  all my years at the restaurant. So many of the
• 1:34:30
  workers seemed to be making the most out of the occasion,
• 1:34:33
  but those that knew better held their ground. Dwayne held
• 1:34:37
  his full glass to his hip with a stern expression.
• 1:34:40
  Elsa was sitting at the table, her chef hat flopping
• 1:34:42
  out of her pocket, her glass untouched. I'd seen too
• 1:34:46
  much death to enjoy the offerings. Not an ounce of
• 1:34:48
  alcohol was going to hit my throat. You should try
• 1:34:51
  the tartar plana, whispered, It's delcable. I smiled, wine glass
• 1:34:55
  still to my mouth as I eyed the exit. I
• 1:34:58
  slowly shoveled towards the door as the speech continued.
• 1:35:01
  Speaker 2: Tonight we celebrate our employees. Dinner service has been canceled,
• 1:35:05
  and don't worry. Taxi services will be provided to those.
• 1:35:09
  Speaker 1: Who will need it.
• 1:35:10
  Speaker 3: The roar from the room was deafening.
• 1:35:12
  Speaker 1: And before we start these festivities, there's one more exciting announcement.
• 1:35:15
  The door slowly creaked open, sound lost amongst the celebration.
• 1:35:19
  We'll be reopening at a new location, a much bigger venue.
• 1:35:23
  Speaker 4: The excitement slowly shifted into a nervous apprehension. Do not worry,
• 1:35:28
  Sergio assured the crowd.
• 1:35:30
  Speaker 1: You will all be welcomed back with open arms. Azalea's
• 1:35:33
  needs each and every one of you.
• 1:35:35
  Speaker 4: The dead light sparkled off the chandeliers in an iriy
• 1:35:38
  dance as I strolled through the halls, walked past the
• 1:35:41
  four year into the kitchen, and then down the grungy,
• 1:35:43
  abandoned hallway. With everyone preoccupied with the party, it gave
• 1:35:47
  me an opportunity to go digging for some answers. Has
• 1:35:51
  made it closer to the elevator. I detected movement. My
• 1:35:54
  walk turned into a run as I saw martin slinky figure.
• 1:35:57
  The door to the elevator was slowly closing. I pounded
• 1:36:01
  my feet into the concrete and sprinted as fast as
• 1:36:03
  I could. With an outstretched hand, I managed to activate
• 1:36:05
  the sensor just as the door was closing. What the
• 1:36:07
  fuck are you doing, he barked. I grabbed him by
• 1:36:11
  his thrawny neck and pinned him to the back of
• 1:36:12
  the elevator. Take me down now, He flailed and sent
• 1:36:16
  a powerful kick to my stomach. I noticed his hands
• 1:36:18
  were coated in a thick layer of blood. Wheezing and
• 1:36:21
  clutching my midriff, I yelled.
• 1:36:23
  Speaker 1: Take me to the bodies, you scum.
• 1:36:26
  Speaker 3: Grappled with each other in the hallway.
• 1:36:27
  Speaker 4: He managed to clip me on the side of the
• 1:36:29
  head with a shot that made me wobble with gritted teeth.
• 1:36:31
  We both struggled for control. I wrestled with him, holding
• 1:36:34
  his body close to mine as I tried to gather
• 1:36:36
  my composure. The dim light from the elevator was sparking
• 1:36:40
  like little flashes of lightning. The room was spinning, but somehow,
• 1:36:43
  with a sudden burst of energy, I managed to connect
• 1:36:46
  with a short jab stunmart long enough for me to
• 1:36:48
  push him into the wall. He went flying, his head
• 1:36:50
  hitting the corner of the the wall's exposed brick. There's
• 1:36:54
  a deep thud, and then his body collapsed to the floor.
• 1:36:56
  A small trail of blood trickled out the sides of
• 1:36:58
  his head, forming a puddle on the floor. Scrambled to
• 1:37:02
  his body, rummaging for his access key. There were sounds
• 1:37:05
  coming out of me that I'd never heard before, uncontrollable sobs,
• 1:37:09
  moans of sorrow. I found the cart in his back
• 1:37:11
  pocket and booked it for the elevator. As the doors
• 1:37:14
  began to close, I noticed the flashy red light coming
• 1:37:16
  from the ceiling. The camera was pointed in my direction.
• 1:37:20
  The odor was crippling. It crept up the shaft and
• 1:37:23
  sink through the cracks of the elevator doors. The elevator
• 1:37:26
  carriage rumbled as I slowly descended into the unknown. The
• 1:37:30
  doors eventually slid open to reveal what looked like an
• 1:37:32
  ongoing construction project. The framing and some of the dry
• 1:37:36
  wall had been completed, but the floor was packed dirt.
• 1:37:40
  Speaker 1: Darkness seemed to cover large sections of the room.
• 1:37:43
  Speaker 4: There were lights strung up on the ceiling, but there
• 1:37:45
  was little done to mass the smell. There wasn't a
• 1:37:48
  pile of gas masks laid out by the entrance. I
• 1:37:51
  surely would have vomited. I followed the hanging glowing orbs
• 1:37:55
  down the old tunnel. It only took a couple of
• 1:37:58
  paces before I saw the industrial sized fridge. It was
• 1:38:01
  a massive, stainless steel house with a large sliding door.
• 1:38:05
  Shivered as I entered the unit. Inside were shelves and
• 1:38:08
  shelves of plastic bags, hearts, livers, lungs, intestines, files of blood.
• 1:38:17
  Names of either the victims or the new recipients were
• 1:38:19
  written in permanent marker. Everything was sealed, labeled, and organized.
• 1:38:24
  Tiptoe deeper into the cold room, only making it a
• 1:38:26
  few more steps before I finally screened. Silva was rigid
• 1:38:31
  in face, up lying on top of a pile of bodies.
• 1:38:35
  Thousand dollars suits and flowing gowns were all lined with
• 1:38:38
  speckles of frost. Silver's eyebrows were covered in an icy white,
• 1:38:42
  his expression frozen in a look of terror. The bullet
• 1:38:45
  wound was right through the center of his skull. That
• 1:38:49
  moment I understood that this was so much more than
• 1:38:52
  a murder for higher operation. It was so much more
• 1:38:55
  than a restaurant. Everything seemed to turn a profit. I
• 1:38:59
  ran out of the cool room and started pacing outside
• 1:39:02
  of the unit. I wanted so badly to go back
• 1:39:05
  up the elevator to make my way to safety, but
• 1:39:07
  I knew I was on the.
• 1:39:08
  Speaker 1: Cusp of the secrets.
• 1:39:09
  Speaker 4: There was still so much I didn't know potentially down
• 1:39:12
  the hall, so I foolishly pressed forward. You dump it,
• 1:39:15
  so I went further into the for what I got
• 1:39:17
  to say? That is so cool that Silva was just
• 1:39:19
  a piece in the operation. You know, like he's made
• 1:39:23
  to be the big guy. But it's like, no, he
• 1:39:25
  messed up by letting you get too far, so he
• 1:39:27
  had to be taken care of. As I went further
• 1:39:30
  into the basement, the smell intensified. The piles of bodies
• 1:39:33
  were in plain sight, if you could even call them
• 1:39:35
  bodies anymore. I removed my mask just in time to
• 1:39:39
  unleash a violent wave of chicken casserole. Their stomachs were fleshy,
• 1:39:44
  gaping holes, hacked away, with little left of their insides
• 1:39:48
  except for the ribbed cages and bone that held the
• 1:39:50
  remaining pits of skin together. Their faces had no eyes,
• 1:39:54
  just black holes carved out of the now rotting flesh.
• 1:39:57
  The maggots were little white dots in the sea of
• 1:40:00
  decomposed skin, festering all through the crevices of what was left.
• 1:40:04
  The dirt floor had clearly been disturbed in numerous places.
• 1:40:09
  Something drew me towards one of the hands dangling from
• 1:40:12
  the middle of the pile. It was dainty, the fingernails
• 1:40:16
  painted in a pastel pumpkin. The flamboyant color palette looked familiar,
• 1:40:20
  like something Julie would wear. As I pulled, heaps of
• 1:40:24
  limbs and serrated bones toppled from the top of the.
• 1:40:27
  Speaker 1: Tower of bodies.
• 1:40:28
  Speaker 4: Rows of beetles and blowflies buzzed from all the commotion.
• 1:40:32
  I recoiled, losing my footing on some loose sediment. In
• 1:40:37
  the corner of my eye, I spotted the meat grinder
• 1:40:39
  at the end of the room. The piece of machinery
• 1:40:42
  was hiding in the shadows, kept from plain sight. As
• 1:40:45
  I got closer, I could see that the thing looked
• 1:40:48
  polished to perfection. Sinister thoughts flooded my brain regarding its purpose.
• 1:40:54
  Some off menu items for an extra cost, A special
• 1:40:57
  order of beef tartar heaved, nearly losing my lunch.
• 1:41:02
  Speaker 1: Once again.
• 1:41:03
  Speaker 4: I couldn't experience the gruesome scene any longer. These were
• 1:41:07
  all of Azelia's deepest, darkest secrets, secrets that some of
• 1:41:10
  the family members took to the grave.
• 1:41:12
  Speaker 3: I needed to get out.
• 1:41:13
  Speaker 4: Of here before I suffered the same fate. There was
• 1:41:16
  a thundering sound of footsteps scraping coming from the roof.
• 1:41:19
  I made a mad dash for the elevator. I strode
• 1:41:21
  past Martin's body, down the hall and made it through
• 1:41:24
  the empty kitchen. I managed around the corner of the
• 1:41:26
  foyer before I heard shouting.
• 1:41:29
  Speaker 1: Hey, stop.
• 1:41:31
  Speaker 4: The bald man was willing one of the dish carts
• 1:41:33
  out of room one. Dwayne was willing another behind him.
• 1:41:37
  I took flight up the stairs, hearing the pounding of
• 1:41:39
  ominous footsteps behind me. I managed to exit the parking
• 1:41:42
  lot before they were able to get close. Okay, so
• 1:41:47
  they killed all the servers right because I had to
• 1:41:50
  move locations or whatever. So it's like, hey, we're shutting
• 1:41:52
  down in case any of you know anything, except for
• 1:41:55
  people like Dwayne who are already like into deep. We're
• 1:41:59
  gonna kill everyone. And then we put the bodies and
• 1:42:01
  we're going to dispose of them. So it seems like
• 1:42:03
  they were killing people as a hitman service. But then,
• 1:42:06
  as he said, everything turns a profit. So they were
• 1:42:09
  also in the organ trade, and they were also in
• 1:42:11
  the business of if someone wanted to eat human flesh,
• 1:42:14
  they had like that option with the meat grinder, but
• 1:42:17
  most of the body pieces they couldn't use were just
• 1:42:19
  left to rot in the basement.
• 1:42:21
  Speaker 1: Yeah. I think it's one of those things where they've
• 1:42:22
  turned their profit at this place. Now they're just going
• 1:42:24
  to start up a new operation somewhere else.
• 1:42:27
  Speaker 4: Yeah, they've made the money here. Like you said, everything
• 1:42:30
  at a cost, everything turns a profit. I told you
• 1:42:33
  at the start of this that I was a nobody.
• 1:42:35
  I was just a lowly server. I was no mastermind,
• 1:42:38
  I was no criminal. Despite what the security tapes may show,
• 1:42:41
  there was no plan. There was nothing, just a series
• 1:42:43
  of events that unfolded after that evening. There was no gun,
• 1:42:47
  although I did think about this often during my fits
• 1:42:49
  of insomnia. I would have been too much of a
• 1:42:52
  coward to even pull the trigger. But if anyone deserved
• 1:42:55
  a bullet in their brain, it was Silfa. It would
• 1:42:58
  have been satisfying to do the honor, but the end
• 1:43:00
  result was the same. There was no fake passport. I
• 1:43:03
  just didn't know where to get one. There was no
• 1:43:05
  burner phone. I just never had the gumption to follow through.
• 1:43:09
  In the end, there was just me and the open road.
• 1:43:12
  My first stop was a small town bank in the
• 1:43:14
  early morning. I drew all the cash that I could
• 1:43:16
  and loaded it into a suitcase. Kept driving, only stopping
• 1:43:20
  to load up on fuel or to reload on convenience
• 1:43:22
  stores food and energy drinks. I kept going for a
• 1:43:26
  few days until I reached the Mexican border. I prayed
• 1:43:28
  they'd let me through, and for some reason, my prayers
• 1:43:31
  were answered. Zelia family always proved to be a tight
• 1:43:34
  lipped bunch. There's a beach along the coast, just outside
• 1:43:38
  of a small town I remember the recommendation from a
• 1:43:41
  dear friend. Is off the beaten path and far away
• 1:43:44
  from tourist. I think the name was Aldcembo, or maybe Decemboke.
• 1:43:49
  My Spanish was never the greatest. It just seemed like
• 1:43:51
  a good place to stop. The water was crystal clear
• 1:43:55
  and the beach was quiet. I said in the sand,
• 1:43:57
  just in time to watch the sunset. There were a
• 1:44:01
  few other Mexican teenagers splashing around in the water, and
• 1:44:04
  a handful of fishermen dragging around empty nets across the beach.
• 1:44:08
  There's one other person, the only other gringo that I've seen.
• 1:44:12
  Your hair is an unusual midnight black for her face complexion,
• 1:44:16
  and her smile seems to glimmer in a familiar way.
• 1:44:20
  Speaker 3: She's all alone and out of place.
• 1:44:22
  Speaker 4: Most of all, she looks happy gazing at her sprawled
• 1:44:25
  out on the beach towel. For some reason, I felt
• 1:44:27
  the need to make a call. I dial the number,
• 1:44:30
  the same one from the poster.
• 1:44:33
  Speaker 1: Hello, Viola, Yes, and who is this? Who's her? You're
• 1:44:41
  right all along?
• 1:44:43
  Speaker 4: And I tell her everything I know about everything. The
• 1:44:47
  sun dips below the horizon, the sky suddenly a murky marmalade.
• 1:44:52
  It's harder and harder to see. With every passing second.
• 1:44:55
  My mind wanders into the dark recesses of my brain,
• 1:44:58
  towards the memories I've tried to forget. I think about
• 1:45:01
  my time at Azelia's and how great the job was
• 1:45:03
  before it wasn't. I think about my coworkers. I think
• 1:45:06
  about Julie, think about how close I came to death,
• 1:45:10
  think about the others who weren't so lucky.
• 1:45:12
  Speaker 1: I think about the life I took and the one
• 1:45:14
  that got away.
• 1:45:16
  Speaker 4: The beach is empty now, the fishing boats are all
• 1:45:18
  secured and hitched to the dock for the evening. My
• 1:45:21
  vision's hazy and the shadows of the night, but I
• 1:45:24
  still hear the playful frolicking in the water and the
• 1:45:26
  soothing splash of the waves against the rocks. At this moment,
• 1:45:30
  I am sure this is the most beautiful place in
• 1:45:32
  the world. It's a matter of time before they find me,
• 1:45:35
  whether they track my cell signal from the nearby towers
• 1:45:38
  or they find the footage from the restaurant. Tomorrow, I'll
• 1:45:41
  be in another town and another after that for as
• 1:45:44
  long and as far as my money will take me.
• 1:45:47
  For now, I sit take in the crashing of the waves,
• 1:45:50
  avoiding the dead, restless eyes that will come for me
• 1:45:53
  in my sleep.
• 1:45:55
  Speaker 1: And that is the end of Azalea's to say.
• 1:46:01
  Speaker 3: I love that.
• 1:46:03
  Speaker 1: Azalea's cook House is a family restaurant. The family always,
• 1:46:06
  the family always comes first. Uh. Great story, really enjoyed. Great?
• 1:46:12
  Speaker 3: No sleep fine, very great? No sleep fine?
• 1:46:15
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I will say very excited. First off, the book
• 1:46:17
  that comes out this year. You said it's called Kaleidoscope
• 1:46:19
  right from I.
• 1:46:21
  Speaker 4: Think the Kaleidoscope, the Kaleidoscope books, that would be one.
• 1:46:25
  Speaker 2: I'm definitely we're definitely going to whenever it gets released.
• 1:46:28
  We should definitely let you all know, but that'll be
• 1:46:29
  one I'm picking up.
• 1:46:30
  Speaker 4: I think the only thing we should also, it's a
• 1:46:33
  it's also an anthology horror series, so if we can
• 1:46:36
  get in contact with him when it comes out, we
• 1:46:38
  should definitely do one of the stories from it.
• 1:46:40
  Speaker 1: I think, yeah, we should just make sure that'd be
• 1:46:42
  cool and you can sign.
• 1:46:43
  Speaker 4: Up for his newsletter to get updated and new new
• 1:46:46
  short stories from him as they come out.
• 1:46:47
  Speaker 3: Because this story banged, I liked.
• 1:46:49
  Speaker 1: It a lot. Yeah, it was a lot of fun.
• 1:46:51
  Speaker 2: I think that the only criticisms I had were one, uh,
• 1:46:55
  the tattooed woman and Paulina not being together. I think
• 1:46:59
  was kind of a miss upper tunity that that's kind
• 1:47:01
  of a bummer for everybody. I think, no, I'm going
• 1:47:02
  to see you speak everybody. I think everyone was kind
• 1:47:04
  of like let out a kind of I don't know,
• 1:47:06
  disappointed sigh. But I will say I think the ending
• 1:47:10
  it kind of felt like it was one of those
• 1:47:11
  it felt like it was a conclusion to a story
• 1:47:13
  where it was just kind of like a.
• 1:47:14
  Speaker 1: I'm done, Like I'm just kind of I'm done with
• 1:47:16
  the story.
• 1:47:17
  Speaker 4: Yeah, But it's also at the same time, it's like
• 1:47:19
  you either end with our main character, Dine, or you
• 1:47:23
  end with because he saw everything, Like he goes to
• 1:47:26
  the basement and he sees what they're doing with the bodies.
• 1:47:28
  Speaker 1: He sees that Silver has been killed.
• 1:47:29
  Speaker 4: This is a part of a much bigger operation that
• 1:47:32
  he can't hope to deal with, so he just escapes.
• 1:47:35
  And then I did at the end of part three
• 1:47:37
  whenever Keith's sister comes up or whatever his name was,
• 1:47:41
  when his sister comes up but Viola and it's like,
• 1:47:45
  I know something happened to my brother, and she's like
• 1:47:46
  emotional and everything. I was like, I don't really know
• 1:47:50
  if that was a good touch. But then at the end,
• 1:47:52
  after he's done everything, that's like his last piece of redemption, Like,
• 1:47:56
  even if I can never go home, even though if
• 1:47:59
  my life is I know it is over, I'm gonna
• 1:48:01
  call her and say she was right to.
• 1:48:04
  Speaker 3: It's like a lifeline at the.
• 1:48:05
  Speaker 2: End of the Yeah, I mean it's a confessional, but
• 1:48:07
  I don't know. I mean, like once again, it's it
• 1:48:10
  is what it is. I mean, this is a story
• 1:48:11
  we have. I'd be curious to see a version of
• 1:48:13
  this where it's like, you know, if you had this
• 1:48:15
  Paulina thing, it'd be kind of interesting if if a
• 1:48:18
  guy found out that the restaurant that he's working at.
• 1:48:22
  Speaker 1: Is a place where people come to kill people.
• 1:48:24
  Speaker 2: He finds that out right, he's still obseests with his
• 1:48:26
  neighbor who has a family whatever, and if the waiter
• 1:48:30
  would have put in the order to have the family
• 1:48:32
  killed or whatever, and then she I don't know, rejects him,
• 1:48:35
  and then it's this way where he's like bought more
• 1:48:37
  into the system or something like that, or like you know,
• 1:48:39
  he becomes more adapted to it. Like just a weird
• 1:48:41
  kind of character arc, I guess would have been just
• 1:48:43
  something interesting food for thought. You know, it is what
• 1:48:46
  it is, But I mean that's not the reality we're
• 1:48:48
  living in, so it doesn't matter. But just a little
• 1:48:50
  thought I had. But all in all, I had a
• 1:48:52
  lot of fun with this. I'm glad to it wasn't
• 1:48:54
  like a I don't know, this is a it kind
• 1:48:57
  of reminded me of The mid Night Meat Train a
• 1:49:00
  little bit of just kind of like, it's just a
• 1:49:02
  very fun, weird premise. Obviously Midnight Meat Train takes this
• 1:49:05
  fucking crazy route at the end, but this is still Uh.
• 1:49:09
  Speaker 4: I just kind of like how ground it was. Yeah,
• 1:49:12
  I had this thought near the end. I'm like, I
• 1:49:13
  hope this doesn't become like when he goes to the basement.
• 1:49:16
  I hope it's not like like Silva's the devil. Yeah,
• 1:49:19
  there's like a demonic sacrifice. Yeah, it's like and there's
• 1:49:22
  these creatures they're praying. I was afraid to go that route.
• 1:49:24
  But no, it's just like a body like body part
• 1:49:27
  trading circuit and broadened bodies. So I like how, like
• 1:49:31
  you said, how it stayed grounded. I really like all
• 1:49:34
  the story beats I took. I thought it was interesting
• 1:49:36
  how like Paulina's kind of like, oh, she's cute, and
• 1:49:38
  then she's a part of this whole world and he
• 1:49:40
  tries to like justify it to himself, but it doesn't
• 1:49:42
  work out and he has to escape. Like, I'm really
• 1:49:44
  happy with the decisions it took. I thought it was
• 1:49:47
  great played out. I really loved the riding style. The
• 1:49:49
  riding style was awesome.
• 1:49:50
  Speaker 2: I think the Paulina thing, I think that could have
• 1:49:53
  been seen through a little bit more Like I think
• 1:49:55
  it would have been interesting if they get together whatever,
• 1:49:58
  he knows what's going on, and he still pursues this
• 1:50:01
  woman whatever, and then that ends up getting her killed.
• 1:50:03
  And that's also what sets things up, you know what
• 1:50:05
  I mean, her being able to just kind of get
• 1:50:07
  away or do whatever.
• 1:50:08
  Speaker 1: I don't know.
• 1:50:09
  Speaker 2: I wish that there was more clarity or just more
• 1:50:11
  of like making her such an integral part because he's
• 1:50:14
  just so obsessed with her, so extremely obsessed with her
• 1:50:17
  the whole time, to where you know, maybe he's like
• 1:50:19
  I'll take it to the grave, or like he finds
• 1:50:21
  this out and he's like, well, you know, she's complaining
• 1:50:23
  to him about her husband. I don't know, just different
• 1:50:25
  ways you could have played with it. Once again, not
• 1:50:26
  the reality we're living. It doesn't matter. But had a
• 1:50:29
  lot of fun with this story.
• 1:50:29
  Speaker 4: I mean, I think it's just because it is an
• 1:50:32
  interesting story, Like the concept is so unique and cool
• 1:50:37
  that it's like, oh, well you could do this is
• 1:50:38
  this with it? And I think that's just a symptom
• 1:50:41
  of like having such a creative concept for a short strum,
• 1:50:45
  then naturally you're going to be like, oh, well, think
• 1:50:47
  of all these other things you could do with this concept.
• 1:50:49
  Speaker 3: Yeah, because it's a unique concept.
• 1:50:51
  Speaker 4: So I think it's more so a statement if he
• 1:50:53
  had a really good idea that I want to see
• 1:50:56
  more stuff done with it.
• 1:50:57
  Speaker 1: I want to see I think there's gonna be a
• 1:50:58
  lot of people.
• 1:50:59
  Speaker 2: There's gonna be a lot of people saying that they
• 1:51:01
  wish this was like a movie or something, you know, Oh, yeah,
• 1:51:04
  it was incredible.
• 1:51:05
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean it's just one.
• 1:51:06
  Speaker 4: Where you could do You could do an entire anthology
• 1:51:09
  series out of different stories from Azalea's right.
• 1:51:12
  Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, you can always like.
• 1:51:14
  Speaker 1: A White Lotus or something like a season of a
• 1:51:16
  show one restaurant in the next season is like a
• 1:51:18
  different restaurant they open up. That kind of thing would
• 1:51:21
  be kind of sick, But no. The Kaleidoscope coming out
• 1:51:23
  later this year. Guys, we'll let you know, be sure
• 1:51:25
  to see you know, just uh, be sure to check
• 1:51:28
  out ap Royal. Great writing. We appreciate you guys so much,
• 1:51:31
  And also to all the audio listeners listening right now
• 1:51:34
  on Spotify, we appreciate you and if you were watched
• 1:51:36
  on YouTube, please do consider going there on Apple Podcasts
• 1:51:40
  or Spotify listening and giving us a nice rating. It
• 1:51:42
  really does help us out.
• 1:51:43
  Speaker 2: So until next time, everyone, don't be eating at azaleas.
• 1:51:47
  Or if you find Paulina hit me up let.
• 1:51:49
  Speaker 1: Me know do that.
• 1:51:50
  Speaker 3: And most importantly, Hunter was wrong about his prediction.
• 1:51:53
  Speaker 1: There will be a redemption moment again. The bear trap
• 1:51:55
  always gets it, always gets its victim. Goodbye.
• 1:51:58
  Speaker 4: Sure, yeah, have you quit recording? Okay, a Hunter was
• 1:52:04
  wrong and I was right. And he's also he does
• 1:52:07
  this a lot. He'll say things are going to happen,
• 1:52:09
  and they don't happen, and he has him cut from
• 1:52:10
  the recording in the end.
• 1:52:12
  Speaker 1: But he's lying.
• 1:52:12
  Speaker 4: If Hunter ever tells you anything is right, he has
• 1:52:14
  gone back and post and edited it.
• 1:52:17
  Speaker 3: And he lies.
• 1:52:17
  Speaker 4: He lies all the time. He's full of lies. But yeah,
• 1:52:19
  great story. Check out the author pie.
• 1:52:24
  Speaker 6: Baby with a Woman's Eyes. Hut, I can see you
• 1:52:31
  wuchin in the night, come along with me, ah.
• 1:52:38
  Speaker 1: But waiting for the line when I feel cold, you
• 1:52:47
  wom me and when I feel I can't go on,
• 1:52:52
  I come o poo you because it's you and me
• 1:52:57
  forever seem small,