Episode 36: The Crypts

 Narrator: Welcome to Ghost Wax, a Far and Tall Tales Production. The following story may contain graphic content. Listener discretion is advised. 

[Intro Music]

Episode 36, The Crypts

Recorder clicks on

May: Delia? 

Delia: May, hi. I wasn’t expecting you–everything all right?

May: Yeah, sorry, I know our session isn’t for another couple of days, I just…can I come in?

Delia: Of course. I meant it when I said my door was always open. I was disappointed you canceled last week.  

May: Yeah, I know, with The Cypher so… close to the door, people with my skill set are in high demand.  I’ve barely had time to rub two brain cells together not on the job, they keep calling me up and… yeah.

Delia: I can imagine…  So, what can I do for you?

May: It’s this case. Some sort of attack at a college not too far from here. There wasn’t enough…left…for a reclaiming, not even for Owen, just this. 

Delia: A phone?

May: Yeah. Well, the phone and…a lot of blood. I guess one of the victims realized something was wrong and started recording?  Happens.  People realize the world’s not right and try to capture it.  Winds up as a last testimony sort of thing. The phone was pretty beat up, but I was able to recover the file. I’m supposed to transfer it to the wax, but, I just…I can’t bring myself to listen to it all the way through. I know that that’s part of the job. Listening. I’m one of the only people around the Ardent with any serious knowledge about these kinds of technologies and… well I get that it’s important…  Letting people have their final say, one last chance to tell their story, to be avenged, but I can’t do it. I can’t make myself listen when I know what happens. Maybe not exactly, but I know how it ends… I always know how it ends because by the time we get there it’s always too late. I’m not part of the detail that ever saves anyone… I wish I could save someone… I just thought…maybe, if you had time…

Delia: You want me to listen to it with you.

May: Yeah. I’m sorry, it’s stupid, you have other things–

Delia: May. It’s not stupid. That’s what I’m here for and I do what I do because I think it’s important. That’s all anyone can do right?  Try to do what we think is important? Let’s get it set up. We’ll do it together.

Clicks

Jess: Ok, it’s recording, you can take my arm again.

Amber: You’re ridiculous.

Jess: I really, really hope so. Alright, I’ll just move the chair out of the way [chair scraping]  and we’re good to go. Turning to the right, the door is straight in front of us [door opens]. Straight ahead of a bit, I’ll let you know when we’re turning. 

For whoever is listening, this is Jess Stephens and Amber Bryce, getting the fuck out of the study rooms in the basement of Lewis Library, also known as the Crypts because who the hell thought “hey, you know what would really complete the sensation of suffocating under mountains of schoolwork and the crushing weight of parental expectations? Doing it in a windowless, cinder block closet below ground.”

Geez, I didn’t realize how late it was. This place has really cleared out.

Amber: It’s a Friday night. Most people are out having a life. 

Jess: Must be nice. 

Amber: playful I’ve heard good things.

Jess: We, on the other hand, have a biochem exam bright and early Monday morning, so we were back here slowly losing our will to live, when someone screamed. And so we are leaving. Turning to the left. 

Amber: annoyed It wasn’t a scream.

Jess: No, you’re right, someone TRIED to scream and got cut off, which is arguably worse. 

Amber: How is that worse?

Jess: Because if you’re screaming then you’re still alive.

Amber: You are actually not well. 

Jess: You’re just now figuring that out? We don’t have any cell service down here because, again, basement, but I watch A LOT of true crime, so I started recording on my phone. Best case scenario, everyone has video evidence of me overreacting and can mock me mercilessly for the rest of my life, worst case scenario the cops have a lead when they find our mangled, bloody corpses.

Amber: Jesus Christ, Jess.

Jess: I said worst case. We’re turning right here. 

Amber: It was probably just another loser regretting all the life choices that put them in a library at 11:00 on a Friday. God knows I’ve wanted to scream plenty of times. 

Jess: [seriously] Look, I really, really hope I’m wrong. I want nothing more than for this to be some ridiculous story to tell at parties about how I freaked myself out. But I’d rather risk looking stupid when it turns out to be nothing than to ignore my gut and not get out when I had a chance. Something’s wrong. I know it. 

Amber: Yeah. Ok.

Jess: Someone left a book-return cart up ahead on the right. I’m sliding my arm, back–step towards me a little and we’ll fit. 

[slight bump close by, bigger noise farther away]

Jess: What was that?

Amber: I hit the cart with my cane. 

Jess: No, not that. Listen. 

*We hear a fuzz, the Cypher’s FEEDER is interfering with her phone’s electronics.  We hear metallic scraping of its fingers across the ground, the sound of scissors slowly slicing together as the creature has interlocking blades like shears in its hands and mouth.

Amber: What the hell? 

Jess: I don’t know. I don’t think I want to know. Shit is it still… yeah there again…

We hear more of the metallic slicing and a creak of metal almost like a door opening, radio/tv static of the FEEDER absorbing information in its strange way.

Amber: What is that, it’s so familiar… Oh my god, is it getting closer?

The sound is getting louder

Jess: Is it… it's coming this way. There’s another study room up on our left. Three more steps. Yeah, turn left here. Ok, we’re in. [door closes]. The door’s shut. There’s a little window in the door. 

Amber: they are whispering very quietly  Can you see anything?

Jess: Whispering but in a panic  No, not really… shit, duck down.

The noise moves closer  

Whispering tensely over the next lines

Jess: Holy fucking shit. 

Amber: What? Can you see them? Who is it?

Jess: trying not to hyperventilate shit shit… it’s oh fuck, It’s…it’s not a person.

Amber: That’s not funny. 

Jess: I’m not joking. 

Amber: Jess…

Jess: Listen to me. I’m serious. You know I can’t lie to you. Frankly, it’s incredibly annoying most of the time. But right now…am I lying?

Amber: No. [pause] you’re scared.

Jess: I’m really fucking scared.

Amber: I know. What is it? Describe it to me.

Jess: Wait… oh no.

we hear creaking, thunking of sharp knife fingers into concrete.

Amber: No no no, go away…

*The FEEDER raises its head and lets out a call.  Its radio signals and strange oscillating sound waves and scissors gnashing together.  Then afterwards it starts to move farther away.

Jess: It’s going… It… is like a hunched pile of metal and wires and… like, screens?  Like computer monitors or I don’t know little projection panels? If it wasn’t moving you might think it’s just a pile of junk, but it’s got these big… like shears on the front… Its face is a… its a fucking tv screen.  Did someone build it?  There’s no way… ok, I can’t see it anymore.

they are still trying not to be overly loud but chance a bit more volume here.

Amber: Ok, can we go then?

Jess: It’s between us and the exit. 

Amber: Shit.

Jess: It’s ok. We’ll go back the way we came. There's a set of stairs up to the emergency exit on the first floor in the back corner. It says it’s alarmed, but it’s been broken for ages and, you know, fuck it anyways. We can get out that way. 

Amber: How the hell do you know that?

Jess: Wouldn’t you like to know.

Amber: I’m starting to think you and Liam aren’t quite as studious as you pretend to be. 

Jess: Nothing wrong with taking a little study break every once in a while. Ok, I’m going to check outside. 

door opens

Jess: We’re clear. Grab my arm? 

Amber: Thanks.  This better be some kind of sick prank by the robotics team or something…

Jess: Through the door and to the right. Quick as we can. 

Clunk as the lights go out

Jess: Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck

Amber: What happened?

Jess: The lights went out.

Amber: Is it storming? I didn’t hear any thunder. 

Jess: No. I think…I think that thing cut them off. It was moving really slowly. I…I think it’s slowing us down, too. Making it easier to hunt us. Shit, I’ll umm, I’ll turn the flashlight on and…

Amber: No.  That’ll just make us easier to find.  We know the way out, I can get us there.

Jess: Amber, I can’t see!

Amber: Join the club. Shift your hand. Take my elbow. I’m leading now. 

Jess: Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God

Amber: Hey! We’re good. We just have to follow the shelves, right? Work our way around the floor and we’ll get to the door?

Jess: shakily yeah

Amber: And if we need to, we’ll flip the light on for a second. 

Jess: Yeah

We hear a sudden screeching call from the metallic FEEDER in the distance

Jess: No no no no.

Amber: calming her Hey, that was a ways off. We’ve got this. Come on. 

AMBER AND JESS please record some quiet, nervous, breathing.  They are trying desperately to stay calm with mixed results.

A few seconds of quiet–footsteps, breathing, tapping of Amber’s cane

Amber: You know, if we’re going to die here, I have a confession to make.

Jess: What’s that?

Amber: I made out with Scott Baker behind the bleachers in eighth grade even though I knew you had a crush on him.

Jess: [joking] Bitch.

Amber: I know. Can you forgive me?

Jess: Dark humor, playfully No. Leave me here. I’d rather die alone in the dark than be saved by a traitorous slut. [beat] Amber? I was kidding. 

Amber: I know. 

Jess: Why’d you stop?

Amber: There’s something in front of us.

Jess: Another book cart?

Amber: No, it’s…it’s on the ground. I think [pause as she kneels] I think it’s a body

Jess: Fuck me. Are you sure?

Amber: I mean, it’s either a body or a super realistic mannequin, but ... Oh my God, it’s wet. Jess, something’s wet. 

Jess: Shit. Ok. I’m going to turn on the light.

Amber: Jess…

Jess: Just super quick… Softly Jesus Christ.

Amber: Jess? You have to tell me what you see. 

Jess: trying not to vomit Ok, light’s off again, fuck I wish I hadn’t seen that… You’re right. It’s a body. A student, I think, he’s wearing a college shirt. He… Oh God, he was like… shredded… everything except his eyes… they had like little wires sticking out of them.  

Amber: Was he breathing? Can we do anything?

Jess: No. Definitely not. 

Amber: I have a jacket, we can use that to stop the bleeding? That’s what you do, right? Apply pressure to stop the bleeding? 

Jess: Amber. We can’t

Amber: We have to [overlapping]

Jess: Jesus, Amber, he’s... There’s nothing left. He’s dead.

Amber: breathing heavily trying not to hyperventilate oh… 

Jess: Ok, ok taking a breath He’s a big dude and the way he fell he’s totally blocking the aisle. There’s not space for us to go around and I don’t think I can move him. You’re going to have to walk over him. 

Amber: What? No.

Jess: It’s ok, I’ve got you. I’m going to drop your arm, just for a second, and take your hand instead. I’m stepping over now. Ok. I’m over. I’m facing you. My other hand is right in front of your’s. Grab it and I’ll help you over. Lift your right leg, high, foot level with your knee. Good.

Amber: I don’t want to step on him.

Jess: He’s not going to care.

Amber: I’m going to fall. 

Jess: You’re not, I’ve got you. Hey? What’s wrong? This is nothing.

Amber: It’s not nothing! It’s a fucking person! There’s a dead person in the library like a sick fucking game of Clue and you want me to just STEP OVER IT. It’s not nothing! I can’t!

Jess: I know. I know. But you can’t think about it like that, ok? You’re getting in your head and psyching yourself out. Here, put your foot down for a second. I’m going to shift my hands and grab your elbows, give you more to lean on. There. Foot up. You’ve got this. Just like fifth grade. Remember? When they were stupid and let us be partners for that blindfolded obstacle course thing and we kicked everyone’s ass? And they couldn’t figure out if they should make you wear a blindfold or not because they didn’t want to get sued?

Amber: I should have insisted on being the leader. 

Jess: One hundred percent. Big step towards me. Remember how mad Stacy Peters was that she lost? Nice. Left foot now. She kept going on about how it wasn’t fair, you had an advantage because you were USED to not being able to see? And Mrs. Johnson just trying to figure out what she’d done in a past life to deserve field day turning into that shit show? There. You’re over. We’re clear until we get to the back wall. You ok taking the lead again if I turn off the light? My battery is super low. 

Amber: Yeah. Yeah, I got it. 

Jess: Good, because only one of us is allowed to freak out and I called it first. 

Amber: pause, then quietly Thank you.

Jess: Of course. We should be almost there. Left when we get to the wall. The stairs should be right there. 

Amber: Onwards. 

We hear the FEEDER catch someone not too far off.  There’s a scratch as it pries a cabinet door open where someone was hiding inside.

Student:  No no no, Scream

Jess: Oh my God. I didn’t think anyone else was here. It was so empty, I didn’t see anyone. God, we should have said something. Or yelled?  Or, I don’t know, something.   

Amber: We couldn’t have. You know we couldn’t have. We just would have drawn attention to ourselves.

Jess: Oh god.

Amber: Rising hysteria I think…I think they were hiding. They must have heard it too, they were hiding, but it found them. Shit. We have to go. Right? Just get out and get help? 

Jess  : Yeah. Yeah. Ok. You’re right. 

Amber: Ready?

Jess: Yeah. 

Amber: We’re at the wall. Left?

Jess: Yeah. Left. Then, I don’t know, thirty feet to the stairs.

Amber: Got it. [door opens]

Jess: Oh thank God. The emergency lights are working here. It’s still really dark, but I can see just a bit. Standard flight of stairs–maybe 10 steps, 180-degree turn to the right at the landing, 10 more steps up to the first floor. Three steps forward and the first stair will be with your right foot. Yeah. 

[a few seconds of quiet, footfalls

Jess: Last few. Three, two, one, we’re at the landing. Turn to the right, yep, step up with your left foot. 

Amber: Jess?

Jess: Yeah?

Amber: What the fuck?

Jess: Not a single idea. Last step, we’re at the first floor. Let me grab the door. 

[clunk–the door is locked][tugging at the door with each word]. We hear the feeder approaching, but it’s subtle.

Jess: Are. you. Fucking. Kidding. me. Who the fuck locks an emergency exit? Hey! 

[banging on the door] We hear the FEEDER getting louder 

Amber: Hey! Can anyone hear us? Open the door! Please! 

The FEEDER screams behind them.

Jess: Fuuuuck! [hitting the door again] Hello! Please! Oh my God, please open the door!

Amber: Jess! No one’s there. Is there anywhere else we can go? 

Jess: hits the door one last time Damn it! Um. Yeah. We can keep going up and find another exit from the second floor. 

[door opens] 

Ok, same set up as before. 10 steps, landing, 10 steps, second floor. Start with your left foot. 

Noises from below them

Amber: You’d be faster without me. 

Jess: Shut up. We’ll both be faster if we stop talking. Last step. Turn. Up with your right foot. Besides, we both know you’d haunt the shit out of me if I let you die here. Last step. [another clunk]

Amber: Locked?

Jess: Yeah. 

Amber: Up? 

Jess: Yeah. I guess. 

Amber: Do you think…it…whatever it is, do you think it locked the doors?

Jess: I don’t know. It was so slow, I don’t know how it could have without anyone seeing it, but… something isn’t right… something… I can’t see well enough, but… the doors look funny.

Amber: They what?

Jess: [quietly] Nevermind, nevermind… sudden horrific realization It’s… locked.  The last one… it’s locked. We don’t have anywhere to go.

The FEEDER is on top of them.  It comes around the stairwell and approaches throughout the following.

Jess: Oh my God. Oh my God. 

Amber: Hey, come here. I’ve got you. 

Jess: Amber, we’re going to die.

Amber: Yeah. I think so. Close your eyes. 

Jess: I love you.

Amber: I love you, too.

FEEDER: in a strange muffled, low rez parody of both of their voices I… love you… I love you, too…

Long pause

May: almost to herself They…they had each other. Even at the end. They were scared, but…they weren’t alone… they really loved each other.

Delia: I can’t be sure, but from their description it may have been an extension of the Cypher, one of its FEEDERs… each glorious manifests different varieties of creature, each drawn to their preferred flavor of humanity. Speculation is some part of what the FEEDER eats makes it back to the… beast itself, slowly helping it force its way in…

May: I wonder what it was after specifically.

Delia: Well, if it's an extension of the Cypher… The information in the basement? the eager minds of students? 

May: distant, May is far away Maybe it was after their connection to one another…

Delia: May?

May: I…yeah, sorry. takes a deep breath, turns on her “official” voice IDs found at the scene confirm the identities of Jess Stephens and Amber Bryce as the two voices on the recording. Another backpack found in the stacks belonged to Joseph Briggs, presumed to be the body the girls discovered. As of now, there’s no sign of the fourth victim… May trails off, then clears her throat and continues This recording has been recovered and prepared by Mayberry Jules, of Order recovery and surveillance, and will be added to the open case file titled Case number 7472-23 pauses again, continues in a quieter voice Subtitle: The Crypts. 

Click

May: A bit uncomfortable now Well, I should probably go file this. clears her throat Um, thanks.

Delia: You’re welcome to stay, if you want. I have some paperwork to finish, but I can walk over with you once I’m done. 

May: I considering no. No, that’s ok. I’ve taken enough of your time. 

Delia: It's no trouble.

May: I’m fine, thank you.

Delia: May… I know you have a hard time feeling open to people… I know that since the manifestation of your power you’ve felt distant and isolated, more alive when online or behind a screen.

May: that all in my files?

Delia: And all over your face. I didn’t make it this far without being pretty good at reading people. Making connections isn’t always easy, but it's incredibly important to us, as humans.

May: didn’t do those girls any good… just more for the monsters and sickos and freaks out there to chew on.

Delia: May…

May: Trying to be convincing. it’s ok, it’s fine… I’m fine. This was just… I’m just a little rattled.  I’ll be there for our appointment, I know talking through things can help.  I’m just busy and… I’ll be there, I will.

Delia: Ok.  I hope that’s true May, I’d really like to talk to you.

May: yeah, thank you for your time.

There’s a bit of silence

Delia: To the recording she started just before May came in  Mayberry Jules has missed her last two scheduled appointments and seems to be becoming increasingly unstable.  This is an official request for time off. The value of her abilities notwithstanding, I worry May is nearing her limits.

there is a strange warbling response as as the Ardent Mind replies to her

unhappy with the reply  Understood.  

Audio cuts