WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.940 The Silent Directive is a horror podcast. There 00:00:03.940 --> 00:00:06.780 are many themes some users may find disturbing. 00:00:07.200 --> 00:00:10.119 Please check the description before listening. 00:00:10.839 --> 00:00:19.420 Thank you. The Silent Directive Episode 8 The 00:00:19.420 --> 00:00:31.750 Bloodiest Five Hours As you know, I still don't 00:00:31.750 --> 00:00:35.890 know how to move my gaze, as it were. After, 00:00:35.909 --> 00:00:40.469 um, the girl at the university, I've had some 00:00:40.469 --> 00:00:44.149 time to think. Contrary to what I've led you 00:00:44.149 --> 00:00:46.710 to believe, I don't jump straight from story 00:00:46.710 --> 00:00:52.490 to story. In between, I drift. I've seen a seed 00:00:52.490 --> 00:00:55.210 in the ground slowly opening to spread roots. 00:00:55.789 --> 00:00:59.820 I've seen a frozen lake crack and thaw. I've 00:00:59.820 --> 00:01:03.740 watched a cloud from birth to death. I've watched 00:01:03.740 --> 00:01:09.780 fire burn a log into ash. It's beautiful, all 00:01:09.780 --> 00:01:13.019 of it. I'd be content watching these things forever. 00:01:14.200 --> 00:01:19.319 Yet, I regularly find myself drawn to, well, 00:01:19.459 --> 00:01:24.260 you, humans, living people, thinking living things. 00:01:25.260 --> 00:01:27.659 While the intricacies of the world are a wonder, 00:01:27.780 --> 00:01:30.540 the events of a conscious life are the most unique 00:01:30.540 --> 00:01:35.280 things in the universe. If I could control my 00:01:35.280 --> 00:01:39.280 gaze, I'd like to watch a life. I mean, every 00:01:39.280 --> 00:01:42.780 first kiss is different. First nightmare. First 00:01:42.780 --> 00:01:46.000 day at college. Last day at work. Last goodbye 00:01:46.000 --> 00:01:49.819 to a partner. Last breath. Or the middle of life. 00:01:50.200 --> 00:01:53.659 A random day at a boring job. A lazy weekend 00:01:53.659 --> 00:01:57.769 evening. A morning commute. You define it as 00:01:57.769 --> 00:02:02.310 the mundane, but not a single one event is exactly 00:02:02.310 --> 00:02:06.010 the same as another. It's fascinating. So why 00:02:06.010 --> 00:02:08.069 do I always find myself watching the end of a 00:02:08.069 --> 00:02:11.050 life? Why do I find myself drawn to the extreme? 00:02:11.150 --> 00:02:13.830 The horrifying encounters, the gruesome ends? 00:02:14.270 --> 00:02:17.949 I don't know. But I regularly find myself present 00:02:17.949 --> 00:02:21.250 to watch the tale of the unliving. I think monthly. 00:02:21.889 --> 00:02:24.770 I haven't quite counted the days, but... I think 00:02:24.770 --> 00:02:27.110 I'm going to start, I don't know, going back 00:02:27.110 --> 00:02:29.270 to my roots of counting divots in the drywall, 00:02:29.349 --> 00:02:33.090 I guess. Anyway, sure enough, I do have another 00:02:33.090 --> 00:02:38.449 story for you. An interesting one. About 20 days 00:02:38.449 --> 00:02:42.710 ago, there was a lunar eclipse. Maybe you saw 00:02:42.710 --> 00:02:45.770 it on the news. Maybe you saw it in person. The 00:02:45.770 --> 00:02:48.849 moon passed behind Earth, and for five hours, 00:02:48.990 --> 00:02:52.620 it appeared red for a section of the Earth. For 00:02:52.620 --> 00:02:55.520 this reason, it was called a blood moon. It sounds 00:02:55.520 --> 00:02:57.699 spooky, but it's just named after the color the 00:02:57.699 --> 00:03:00.080 moon appears to be. There's no actual blood involved. 00:03:00.680 --> 00:03:04.620 Or at least not usually. Par for the course for 00:03:04.620 --> 00:03:11.039 me. In many cultures and mythologies, the moon 00:03:11.039 --> 00:03:14.240 is linked to the paranormal. I'm not sure if 00:03:14.240 --> 00:03:16.800 there's any truth in that, which is odd. I'm 00:03:16.800 --> 00:03:20.500 usually sure. I'll have to find out. But I'd 00:03:20.500 --> 00:03:22.400 say there's good evidence based on what I saw. 00:03:22.599 --> 00:03:24.919 When the sun set and the moon rose, something 00:03:24.919 --> 00:03:28.259 happened. Now, the eclipse was only visible in 00:03:28.259 --> 00:03:30.379 some parts of the world, as they usually are. 00:03:30.580 --> 00:03:33.080 This time, it was the Americas. All of North 00:03:33.080 --> 00:03:35.800 America and most of South America. Many events 00:03:35.800 --> 00:03:40.139 happened under the eclipse. I'll share one. The 00:03:40.139 --> 00:03:43.000 one that I saw. A group of teenagers got it in 00:03:43.000 --> 00:03:44.979 their minds that it would be a good idea to watch 00:03:44.979 --> 00:03:47.599 the lunar eclipse in a nearby field in their 00:03:47.599 --> 00:03:50.020 hometown of Franklin, Tennessee. It was a good 00:03:50.020 --> 00:03:53.520 idea. It was dark, quiet, and empty. This wasn't 00:03:53.520 --> 00:03:56.039 a spur -of -the -moment idea, either. The four 00:03:56.039 --> 00:03:58.199 had been planning that night for a while. They 00:03:58.199 --> 00:03:59.780 had everything ready for their little makeshift 00:03:59.780 --> 00:04:02.599 picnic to watch the moon rise. The sky was clear, 00:04:02.680 --> 00:04:05.680 the air was calm. It was perfect. Usually, when 00:04:05.680 --> 00:04:08.979 I observe an encounter, it is an individual one. 00:04:09.530 --> 00:04:11.349 That's part of the fear, isn't it? You're alone. 00:04:11.569 --> 00:04:14.250 No one to help you through it. Oh, but not this 00:04:14.250 --> 00:04:16.889 time. No, these four experienced this one together. 00:04:18.029 --> 00:04:19.930 Each of them were juniors in high school, and 00:04:19.930 --> 00:04:21.509 they had known each other for quite a long time. 00:04:22.449 --> 00:04:24.329 There was no leader of the group, but if there 00:04:24.329 --> 00:04:27.310 were, it would be Erin. She was the one who planned 00:04:27.310 --> 00:04:29.230 everything, made sure everyone's schedules worked. 00:04:29.509 --> 00:04:32.430 It was by her coordination that the moonlit picnic 00:04:32.430 --> 00:04:34.889 was possible, and she was the first to arrive 00:04:34.889 --> 00:04:37.930 to the empty field. Nico had arrived alongside 00:04:37.930 --> 00:04:41.000 her. sitting passenger in Eren's car. From what 00:04:41.000 --> 00:04:43.120 I could tell, he had a crush on her. Not that 00:04:43.120 --> 00:04:46.040 he'd ever act on it for fear of change. He was 00:04:46.040 --> 00:04:48.500 the primary hand by which Eren's plans were enacted. 00:04:48.839 --> 00:04:50.800 If she needed a table moved at a school event, 00:04:50.939 --> 00:04:52.740 Nico would move it. If she needed chairs and 00:04:52.740 --> 00:04:54.839 food carried from her car to the field, Nico 00:04:54.839 --> 00:04:57.399 would carry them. Maybe that was him acting on 00:04:57.399 --> 00:05:00.019 his feelings. The two that arrived next were 00:05:00.019 --> 00:05:04.019 Anya and Ren. Anya wasn't as social as her peers, 00:05:04.100 --> 00:05:06.189 but she was dragged along every time. While she 00:05:06.189 --> 00:05:07.790 was the quietest one in the group, she was the 00:05:07.790 --> 00:05:10.529 most thoughtful. Maybe those traits are one and 00:05:10.529 --> 00:05:13.290 the same. Ren was the youngest of the group, 00:05:13.350 --> 00:05:16.209 only by a year, but to teenagers, that's substantial. 00:05:16.850 --> 00:05:18.930 However, they were the smartest of the group. 00:05:19.170 --> 00:05:21.449 Ren was fascinated by all things astronomical, 00:05:21.750 --> 00:05:23.370 and they were planning to enter that field of 00:05:23.370 --> 00:05:25.870 study. Ren was the one who found out about the 00:05:25.870 --> 00:05:27.870 eclipse, and found the best location for it. 00:05:27.949 --> 00:05:30.350 The group arrived and set up in less than 15 00:05:30.350 --> 00:05:32.730 minutes, thanks to Eren's planning and Nico's 00:05:32.730 --> 00:05:35.980 execution. The moon rose into the sky. The sun 00:05:35.980 --> 00:05:38.240 was completely blocked by the earth, creating 00:05:38.240 --> 00:05:41.139 a deep red glow rather than the usual moonlight. 00:05:41.399 --> 00:05:44.519 The picnic was well underway. The group was enjoying 00:05:44.519 --> 00:05:46.379 themselves. The music floating from their speaker 00:05:46.379 --> 00:05:49.139 filled the field as the sun went down. It wasn't 00:05:49.139 --> 00:05:51.379 too cold out either. For the next hour, they 00:05:51.379 --> 00:05:53.160 played card games and laughed among themselves. 00:05:54.180 --> 00:05:59.160 Then they heard the first gunshot. They sat up, 00:05:59.240 --> 00:06:03.040 not quite panicked, just curious, cautious. The 00:06:03.040 --> 00:06:05.180 field was still empty, and the shot sounded like 00:06:05.180 --> 00:06:07.600 it was far away, if it had been a gunshot at 00:06:07.600 --> 00:06:10.180 all. They joked among themselves, quickly settling 00:06:10.180 --> 00:06:12.819 back into the mood. At this point, the moon was 00:06:12.819 --> 00:06:15.600 settled into the sky, shining a dark, dim red. 00:06:16.579 --> 00:06:19.199 One of them, nervous at the noises, suggested 00:06:19.199 --> 00:06:23.279 they leave. This was Anya. I remember that moment. 00:06:23.519 --> 00:06:25.699 I thought the others might listen, and the four 00:06:25.699 --> 00:06:28.379 might survive the night after all. But they didn't. 00:06:29.300 --> 00:06:32.129 I wish I could have warned them. because at that 00:06:32.129 --> 00:06:33.889 point, I could see something they could not. 00:06:34.610 --> 00:06:36.649 Buried deep in this field were the scattered 00:06:36.649 --> 00:06:39.649 remains of nearly 1 ,000 Confederate soldiers. 00:06:40.509 --> 00:06:43.310 Franklin, Tennessee was home to a decisive Civil 00:06:43.310 --> 00:06:45.910 War battle. The Confederate slave owners had 00:06:45.910 --> 00:06:48.410 lost major ground and took a huge blow to their 00:06:48.410 --> 00:06:51.970 military force. As the moon rose, for whatever 00:06:51.970 --> 00:06:55.649 reason, so did the souls of the soldiers. They 00:06:55.649 --> 00:06:57.490 rose from the ground, clawing their way out of 00:06:57.490 --> 00:07:00.170 the dirt. Some rose early, but a majority of 00:07:00.170 --> 00:07:05.310 them rose at the same time. And yes, these were 00:07:05.310 --> 00:07:08.569 not incorporeal ghosts. They were solid, physical 00:07:08.569 --> 00:07:10.889 beings. They could have passed for living humans, 00:07:11.129 --> 00:07:13.870 if not for the blood. The spirits seemed to be 00:07:13.870 --> 00:07:16.470 reimagined at the moment of their death. Some 00:07:16.470 --> 00:07:18.889 had holes through their body, perhaps from cannon 00:07:18.889 --> 00:07:21.949 fire. Others had large, open gashes across their 00:07:21.949 --> 00:07:25.160 bodies, faces, and limbs. They did not know they 00:07:25.160 --> 00:07:28.199 weren't living. These spirits, unrestful in their 00:07:28.199 --> 00:07:31.180 life and death, rose again, filled with the same 00:07:31.180 --> 00:07:34.120 rage and fervor that they died carrying. And 00:07:34.120 --> 00:07:36.459 those poor teenagers were sitting in the middle 00:07:36.459 --> 00:07:40.279 of the old battlefield. The majority of the soldiers 00:07:40.279 --> 00:07:43.019 rose in the same instant. The field, in a very 00:07:43.019 --> 00:07:46.579 literal sense, exploded. Grass and dirt churned 00:07:46.579 --> 00:07:48.680 and flew in all directions as these things rose 00:07:48.680 --> 00:07:50.980 to their feet. The four scrambled to their feet 00:07:50.980 --> 00:07:52.850 as they watched the events unfold. They weren't 00:07:52.850 --> 00:07:55.350 frozen. They had the thought to run, but to where? 00:07:55.509 --> 00:07:57.649 These soldiers were rising in every direction. 00:07:57.910 --> 00:07:59.970 A bayonet ripped through their picnic blanket 00:07:59.970 --> 00:08:02.769 as a soldier rose from under their feet. The 00:08:02.769 --> 00:08:04.629 four scrambled away from it, only to bump into 00:08:04.629 --> 00:08:07.290 more soldiers. The group made their mind up to 00:08:07.290 --> 00:08:09.230 run for the parking lot, pushing through the 00:08:09.230 --> 00:08:11.410 soldiers in their way. Nico took a swing at a 00:08:11.410 --> 00:08:13.389 soldier whose neck was slashed. Only these were 00:08:13.389 --> 00:08:15.649 not zombies as the teens thought they were. These 00:08:15.649 --> 00:08:18.649 were spirits. These were replicas of once -living 00:08:18.649 --> 00:08:21.870 people. So when Nico's fist connected, it connected. 00:08:22.519 --> 00:08:25.759 with a Confederate soldier's solid face. And 00:08:25.759 --> 00:08:28.040 he only stumbled back slightly. In a second, 00:08:28.100 --> 00:08:30.019 a different soldier stepped forward, saber -drawn. 00:08:30.199 --> 00:08:32.879 He slashed at Niko, but missed. The group rushed 00:08:32.879 --> 00:08:35.840 around the soldiers any way they could. The field 00:08:35.840 --> 00:08:38.360 was filled with thousands of the soldiers, rushing 00:08:38.360 --> 00:08:40.600 about, shooting their guns, waving their swords, 00:08:40.740 --> 00:08:42.460 as if they were still in the battle that left 00:08:42.460 --> 00:08:45.279 them dead. Erin reached the top of a small mound, 00:08:45.539 --> 00:08:47.080 allowing her to see the parking lot over the 00:08:47.080 --> 00:08:49.399 heads of the many soldiers. She turned back to 00:08:49.399 --> 00:08:51.659 her friends, just as a volley of gunfire rang 00:08:51.659 --> 00:08:54.620 out. Aaron collapsed to the ground immediately. 00:08:55.039 --> 00:08:57.120 The others rushed forward, but a squadron of 00:08:57.120 --> 00:08:59.700 soldiers appeared from over the hill. The three 00:08:59.700 --> 00:09:02.179 were separated. Ren and Anya were pushed to the 00:09:02.179 --> 00:09:04.639 right and Niko to the left. He struggled against 00:09:04.639 --> 00:09:06.539 the line of soldiers trying to get to Aaron and 00:09:06.539 --> 00:09:09.340 the others. They shoved him back. One soldier 00:09:09.340 --> 00:09:11.919 unsheathed his saber, slashing Niko across the 00:09:11.919 --> 00:09:14.940 chest. He fell to the ground, clutching his chest 00:09:14.940 --> 00:09:16.960 and curling into a ball as the squadron marched 00:09:16.960 --> 00:09:19.330 over him. He raised an arm to protect his head 00:09:19.330 --> 00:09:22.389 as the boots crushed him into the dirt. A soldier 00:09:22.389 --> 00:09:25.210 moving past noticed him on the ground and plunged 00:09:25.210 --> 00:09:30.350 his bayonet into Niko's side. Ren and Anya kept 00:09:30.350 --> 00:09:32.470 moving, completely overwhelmed by the events 00:09:32.470 --> 00:09:34.470 and unable to see the fates of their friend. 00:09:34.629 --> 00:09:36.669 By this time, the field was filled with smoke 00:09:36.669 --> 00:09:38.909 and dust, kicked up by the soldiers' boots and 00:09:38.909 --> 00:09:42.029 guns. The two ran as fast as they could, avoiding 00:09:42.029 --> 00:09:44.809 soldiers in their path. But there were just too 00:09:44.809 --> 00:09:47.620 many. A soldier sprinted between Anya and Ren, 00:09:47.740 --> 00:09:51.240 waving his saber wildly. He cut Ren across the 00:09:51.240 --> 00:09:53.360 face and shoved them to the ground. Ren fell 00:09:53.360 --> 00:09:55.299 onto their arm with a snap and rolled down the 00:09:55.299 --> 00:09:57.840 hill into a bush. Thorns ripped at their skin. 00:09:58.200 --> 00:10:00.179 Anya turned back to help, but a soldier grabbed 00:10:00.179 --> 00:10:02.419 her arm. She kicked and yanked herself away. 00:10:02.720 --> 00:10:05.200 Three more soldiers ran up to her, sabers and 00:10:05.200 --> 00:10:08.820 bayonets drawn. They slashed and stabbed until 00:10:08.820 --> 00:10:12.179 Anya was no longer moving. It took an hour for 00:10:12.179 --> 00:10:16.789 the eclipse to exit totality. and the spirits 00:10:16.789 --> 00:10:20.009 were pulled back to the afterlife, leaving only 00:10:20.009 --> 00:10:21.970 the chaos in the field to show they were there. 00:10:22.649 --> 00:10:25.110 Local police responded to the noise of the event, 00:10:25.250 --> 00:10:28.389 finding the bodies of the teenagers and Ren unconscious 00:10:28.389 --> 00:10:31.230 in the bush. They were rushed to the hospital. 00:10:31.909 --> 00:10:35.029 I watched all of this. I watched it happen 20 00:10:35.029 --> 00:10:37.629 days ago. I would have delivered my story sooner, 00:10:37.730 --> 00:10:40.090 but I was hoping to see the survivor recover. 00:10:40.370 --> 00:10:42.710 I told you I don't know how to control my gaze, 00:10:42.830 --> 00:10:45.669 but I was... Able to stay with Ren as they recovered. 00:10:45.950 --> 00:10:48.169 Maybe that's progress. Maybe it was just luck. 00:10:48.809 --> 00:10:52.009 I felt I had to. Not a single living soul had 00:10:52.009 --> 00:10:54.450 seen what this child had seen. Except for me. 00:10:55.570 --> 00:11:00.149 They did recover. Physically. Mentally, how can 00:11:00.149 --> 00:11:04.090 anyone? I need to... I need to change. I cannot 00:11:04.090 --> 00:11:06.929 keep living like this. Violent end after violent 00:11:06.929 --> 00:11:09.330 end. I have to stop. I have to find a way to 00:11:09.330 --> 00:11:11.570 control where I end up.