WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.339 Chapter 6 of the Jack Moore Chronicles At my 00:00:04.339 --> 00:00:06.879 apartment, I found another envelope on the door. 00:00:07.559 --> 00:00:10.500 Another rent notice. It found its way to the 00:00:10.500 --> 00:00:14.240 trash. The dirty bathroom mirror offered an ugly 00:00:14.240 --> 00:00:17.460 reflection. The blood was mostly dry, but the 00:00:17.460 --> 00:00:21.000 shimmer moved in a clockwise rotation that appeared 00:00:21.000 --> 00:00:24.300 to be increasing in speed. Dry blood came off 00:00:24.300 --> 00:00:28.059 easily. A painkiller called my name. It went 00:00:28.059 --> 00:00:30.550 down nicely with the Cold coffee on the table. 00:00:31.050 --> 00:00:34.149 I lay down on the couch, staring at the popcorn 00:00:34.149 --> 00:00:38.490 ceiling. How did Golding's hand get burnt? Was 00:00:38.490 --> 00:00:41.990 that creature real? My mind raced, but despite 00:00:41.990 --> 00:00:45.630 this, sleep grabbed a hold of me and strangled 00:00:45.630 --> 00:00:48.890 me into its embrace. It was 3 a .m. when my eyes 00:00:48.890 --> 00:00:52.670 opened. Somehow awaking, despite the concussion 00:00:52.670 --> 00:00:56.369 I had hoped might take me out, to find Stephen's 00:00:56.369 --> 00:01:00.509 killer. Independent work was necessary. The detective 00:01:00.509 --> 00:01:03.649 seemed like a good guy, but he was barking up 00:01:03.649 --> 00:01:07.290 the wrong tree. I couldn't shake what had happened. 00:01:07.790 --> 00:01:12.069 Was Golding on to something? Could I have done 00:01:12.069 --> 00:01:16.409 it? What about the vampire? How could I get away 00:01:16.409 --> 00:01:20.069 with just a knock on the head? Dwelling wouldn't 00:01:20.069 --> 00:01:23.189 help me. If I wanted to find Stephen's killer, 00:01:23.489 --> 00:01:28.439 focus was needed. Dead flowers were found at 00:01:28.439 --> 00:01:31.859 each victim's location. Golding had shown me 00:01:31.859 --> 00:01:34.379 the flower that was found at the latest victim's 00:01:34.379 --> 00:01:38.480 crime scene. It was a white rose. Why a white 00:01:38.480 --> 00:01:41.900 rose? They could have chosen any flower. For 00:01:41.900 --> 00:01:45.159 instance, a red rose might symbolize romance 00:01:45.159 --> 00:01:48.040 or love. A killer might have used that to show 00:01:48.040 --> 00:01:51.260 it was a killing of passion. A white rose, though? 00:01:51.920 --> 00:01:55.390 My fingers typed white rose and... symbolizing 00:01:55.390 --> 00:01:58.510 on Google. The blue light of the phone reflecting 00:01:58.510 --> 00:02:02.189 on my languid face. I got a bunch of results. 00:02:02.469 --> 00:02:06.310 It represents cleanliness and purity. Could the 00:02:06.310 --> 00:02:09.610 killer have a twisted sense of cleansing? The 00:02:09.610 --> 00:02:12.430 results got my mind racing in a way that hadn't 00:02:12.430 --> 00:02:15.569 happened in a while. The weed helped drown the 00:02:15.569 --> 00:02:18.550 thoughts as much as it numbed the pain. Back 00:02:18.550 --> 00:02:21.030 in Denver, thoughts got me into more trouble 00:02:21.030 --> 00:02:24.379 than it was worth. I rolled a joint that lay 00:02:24.379 --> 00:02:27.039 on the coffee table and held the devil's lettuce. 00:02:27.560 --> 00:02:31.300 It was too late or early to visit Doug's. I made 00:02:31.300 --> 00:02:34.659 myself a coffee and left my apartment. It was 00:02:34.659 --> 00:02:37.620 still cold as cow's tits, as the rancher called 00:02:37.620 --> 00:02:41.340 it. Christmas was only a few days away. It would 00:02:41.340 --> 00:02:43.400 be the kids' first Christmas without Stephen. 00:02:44.259 --> 00:02:47.240 This thought motivated me to suck it up and face 00:02:47.240 --> 00:02:51.189 the cold. Miles passed as I drove. My thoughts 00:02:51.189 --> 00:02:54.930 focused on next steps. I decided to search the 00:02:54.930 --> 00:02:58.229 crime scenes. Upon approaching the first scene, 00:02:58.389 --> 00:03:01.810 the police tape was gone. The icy wind brushed 00:03:01.810 --> 00:03:05.689 against me, exiting the car. I grabbed a flashlight 00:03:05.689 --> 00:03:09.090 and my gun from the glove compartment. I wasn't 00:03:09.090 --> 00:03:12.530 going searching empty -handed again. This victim 00:03:12.530 --> 00:03:15.270 had been found just outside town. According to 00:03:15.270 --> 00:03:18.449 Janet's podcast, the body was found in a hole 00:03:18.449 --> 00:03:22.310 but not covered up. How Janet found this out, 00:03:22.310 --> 00:03:25.509 I couldn't tell you. Did the killer have to run 00:03:25.509 --> 00:03:30.129 off and not get to finish the job? Snow crunched 00:03:30.129 --> 00:03:32.990 beneath my feet. All the evidence would be gone 00:03:32.990 --> 00:03:36.069 by now, but something in my gut told me to come 00:03:36.069 --> 00:03:39.330 anyway. My flashlight danced around the night 00:03:39.330 --> 00:03:43.189 air. A waste of time, no doubt. As this thought 00:03:43.189 --> 00:03:47.210 flooded my mind, my eyes caught something on 00:03:47.210 --> 00:03:50.719 a tree. An illumination. flickering like a heartbeat. 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:54.759 My heartbeat and the flickering fell into sync 00:03:54.759 --> 00:03:59.139 as I drew near. Was it just some teenagers engraving 00:03:59.139 --> 00:04:02.479 their initials into the bark? I walked closer 00:04:02.479 --> 00:04:05.439 until my flashlight could make sense of the engraving. 00:04:06.099 --> 00:04:08.979 Etched into the bark was a flower with flames 00:04:08.979 --> 00:04:12.419 as petals. I ran back to my car and grabbed a 00:04:12.419 --> 00:04:14.659 napkin that was stuffed in the glove compartment. 00:04:15.460 --> 00:04:18.709 I drew the symbol that was on the tree. I didn't 00:04:18.709 --> 00:04:22.949 know why, but that symbol meant something. The 00:04:22.949 --> 00:04:25.129 next crime scene was further out of town, the 00:04:25.129 --> 00:04:29.329 same symbol etched into a nearby tree. The illumination 00:04:29.329 --> 00:04:32.649 in rhythm with my heartbeat. I drove to each 00:04:32.649 --> 00:04:36.689 scene until I got to Stephen's crime scene. My 00:04:36.689 --> 00:04:39.310 grief wouldn't allow me to get out of the car. 00:04:39.850 --> 00:04:44.790 My fists clenched. The pain on my forehead radiated. 00:04:45.069 --> 00:04:49.110 In the mirror, the shimmer spun. I didn't know 00:04:49.110 --> 00:04:52.670 what was real anymore. But I knew the grief I 00:04:52.670 --> 00:04:56.089 felt was. I gained the strength to leave the 00:04:56.089 --> 00:04:59.990 car. Police tape still surrounded the area. The 00:04:59.990 --> 00:05:03.910 wet snow beneath my boots. As I got closer, my 00:05:03.910 --> 00:05:08.029 forehead ached more. I walked closer. The wind 00:05:08.029 --> 00:05:12.470 picked up. My flashlight began to flicker. The 00:05:12.470 --> 00:05:16.290 light pulsating until it sputtered out. It was 00:05:16.290 --> 00:05:21.069 just me. and the dark. I squinted my eyes to 00:05:21.069 --> 00:05:24.470 try and see in the harsh wind. It was at this 00:05:24.470 --> 00:05:29.290 moment my feet stalled. I couldn't move. My eyes 00:05:29.290 --> 00:05:32.870 drifted down. There was only muddy soil under 00:05:32.870 --> 00:05:37.930 my boots. What the fuck? In the distance, a howl 00:05:37.930 --> 00:05:41.689 echoed. Its sound grew as if gaining momentum 00:05:41.689 --> 00:05:45.910 toward me. The wind continued, but the snow faded. 00:05:46.600 --> 00:05:49.519 The smell of decaying leaves filled the air. 00:05:49.779 --> 00:05:52.759 In the near distance sat a truck as I looked 00:05:52.759 --> 00:05:57.220 back toward the gravesite. A figure stood, bent 00:05:57.220 --> 00:06:01.639 over, a shovel in hand, howling along with the 00:06:01.639 --> 00:06:07.240 distant sounds. My face grew red with rage. I 00:06:07.240 --> 00:06:09.199 ran to the figure with the intention to kill. 00:06:09.680 --> 00:06:13.220 As I approached the figure, its hood covered 00:06:13.220 --> 00:06:17.189 its face. I grabbed its shoulder. pushed it back. 00:06:17.470 --> 00:06:21.670 Its face revealed itself. Its facial expression 00:06:21.670 --> 00:06:25.829 one of shock. My facial expression the same. 00:06:26.310 --> 00:06:29.110 I don't just mean both our faces had a look of 00:06:29.110 --> 00:06:33.189 shock, which they did, but it was my face looking 00:06:33.189 --> 00:06:36.889 back at me. It was my weary eyes and brown thinning 00:06:36.889 --> 00:06:42.509 hair. It was me. I jumped back. The figure dissipated 00:06:42.509 --> 00:06:46.050 as I did. Just as the figure dissipated, So did 00:06:46.050 --> 00:06:50.970 my anger. An unfamiliar emotion grew from the 00:06:50.970 --> 00:06:55.149 depths of my soul. What was this hallucination? 00:06:55.930 --> 00:06:58.649 In the distance, a truck vanished into the night. 00:06:58.730 --> 00:07:02.310 I turned to see nothing but the darkness. A dead 00:07:02.310 --> 00:07:05.970 rose floated over to me and fell softly on the 00:07:05.970 --> 00:07:10.129 ground. I picked it up. Snow entered my sight. 00:07:10.730 --> 00:07:14.250 The flower incinerated into ashes in my hand. 00:07:14.720 --> 00:07:18.639 What the fuck was that? I muttered. My legs gave 00:07:18.639 --> 00:07:21.939 out, the snow catching my descent. Tears fell 00:07:21.939 --> 00:07:26.639 from my eyes. Chapter 7 of the Jack Moore Chronicles 00:07:26.639 --> 00:07:31.540 The crow set upon a nearby tree, its silky feathers 00:07:31.540 --> 00:07:35.279 hidden in the vast darkness of the night, its 00:07:35.279 --> 00:07:39.160 piercing eyes the only thing visible to an onlooker, 00:07:39.180 --> 00:07:44.009 the full moon acting as a source of light. its 00:07:44.009 --> 00:07:47.550 eyes focused on the man on his knees it could 00:07:47.550 --> 00:07:51.310 see the tears falling from his face his labored 00:07:51.310 --> 00:07:54.810 breath visible in the cold air upon the man's 00:07:54.810 --> 00:07:58.569 forehead something the crow knew all too well 00:07:58.569 --> 00:08:03.050 shimmered flickering and spinning the light source 00:08:03.050 --> 00:08:06.790 intensified as if the shimmer were struggling 00:08:06.790 --> 00:08:11.290 to keep something from being released its light 00:08:11.290 --> 00:08:15.110 created a glimmer in the snow the crow grew tense 00:08:15.110 --> 00:08:19.970 as a translucent veil swept horizontally across 00:08:19.970 --> 00:08:24.389 its eye the bird's third eyelid momentarily clouding 00:08:24.389 --> 00:08:29.149 its gaze before retracting silently was it about 00:08:29.149 --> 00:08:33.330 to happen the crow was strong but could the man 00:08:33.330 --> 00:08:37.710 be stronger the man's tears stopped and his fist 00:08:37.710 --> 00:08:41.330 clenched He looked up to the sky and screamed. 00:08:41.850 --> 00:08:46.629 The crow cawed, its wings spreading wide as it 00:08:46.629 --> 00:08:50.049 took flight. The man looked in the crow's direction, 00:08:50.210 --> 00:08:54.389 but the darkness hid the bird's flight. The man 00:08:54.389 --> 00:08:57.409 who screamed from the pain was me. My knees were 00:08:57.409 --> 00:09:01.309 numb from the cold. What was real? I gathered 00:09:01.309 --> 00:09:06.049 myself and stood up. Jeans soaked. My mind drenched 00:09:06.049 --> 00:09:09.950 in confusion. Hallucinations. Once just a shimmer, 00:09:10.129 --> 00:09:14.549 now shifting my reality. I walked back to my 00:09:14.549 --> 00:09:17.710 car and tried turning the ignition multiple times. 00:09:18.110 --> 00:09:21.809 It wouldn't start. Fuck. In the distance, two 00:09:21.809 --> 00:09:24.929 large white eyes of light shone through the night. 00:09:25.669 --> 00:09:28.669 As it grew close, the blacked out Ford became 00:09:28.669 --> 00:09:32.470 clear. You need a ride? Asked Golding. I looked 00:09:32.470 --> 00:09:36.029 back at my car. Yeah, I'll take a ride. I got 00:09:36.029 --> 00:09:38.580 in his car, the... back seat filled with Christmas 00:09:38.580 --> 00:09:42.620 presents. On your way to a Christmas party, I 00:09:42.620 --> 00:09:47.679 asked. Something like that, he replied. We drove 00:09:47.679 --> 00:09:50.720 back into town, the Christmas lights still on, 00:09:50.840 --> 00:09:54.759 the sun starting to rise. You missed the turn, 00:09:54.820 --> 00:09:57.580 Golding, my apartment's that way. We're making 00:09:57.580 --> 00:10:00.500 a quick stop. I wasn't sure what Golding was 00:10:00.500 --> 00:10:03.460 planning, but had a feeling it wasn't good for 00:10:03.460 --> 00:10:06.750 me. We passed through town in the middle of a 00:10:06.750 --> 00:10:10.169 traffic circle, sat a large tree. It was straight 00:10:10.169 --> 00:10:13.190 out of a Hallmark movie. As we curved around 00:10:13.190 --> 00:10:17.029 the circle, the tree's lights went out. We exited 00:10:17.029 --> 00:10:20.049 the circle to the police station. Golding, why 00:10:20.049 --> 00:10:24.070 are we here? Just come on, Jack. I have something 00:10:24.070 --> 00:10:27.710 you need to see. It's about the killings. We 00:10:27.710 --> 00:10:31.409 walked into an empty police station. As we ventured 00:10:31.409 --> 00:10:34.940 further in, Detective Morrow or... Moron sprung 00:10:34.940 --> 00:10:38.120 out of someone's asshole. Or most likely his 00:10:38.120 --> 00:10:41.620 office. But that's the same thing. What the hell 00:10:41.620 --> 00:10:45.019 is this? We just have a few questions, Jack. 00:10:45.779 --> 00:10:49.200 I promise it won't take long. I found myself 00:10:49.200 --> 00:10:52.220 in an interrogation room. They left me steaming 00:10:52.220 --> 00:10:55.080 along with the coffee cup they so generously 00:10:55.080 --> 00:10:58.519 provided. It had to have been over an hour before 00:10:58.519 --> 00:11:01.379 Golding came in. What the hell is this, Golding? 00:11:01.659 --> 00:11:03.850 You want me to work with you? And then you put 00:11:03.850 --> 00:11:07.649 me in here? Golding stood silent. He slowly took 00:11:07.649 --> 00:11:10.210 off the bandage that was wrapped around his hand. 00:11:10.590 --> 00:11:14.389 The hand, like the detective himself, was weathered, 00:11:14.389 --> 00:11:17.889 creased with wrinkles and marked by sunspots. 00:11:18.350 --> 00:11:21.470 The burn shimmered under a layer of antibiotic 00:11:21.470 --> 00:11:24.850 cream. It was circular, its layers telling a 00:11:24.850 --> 00:11:28.190 story like the rings of a tree. The inner ring 00:11:28.190 --> 00:11:32.820 was the worst, angry, red and raw. It still hurts, 00:11:32.919 --> 00:11:37.200 you know. I've seen some crazy shit. It got me 00:11:37.200 --> 00:11:40.500 thinking about how you did it. I've only ever 00:11:40.500 --> 00:11:45.559 heard of your kind. What kind is that? Viridians. 00:11:45.980 --> 00:11:48.720 What the hell is that? What the fuck is this, 00:11:48.740 --> 00:11:51.120 Golding? You might be more stupid than Detective 00:11:51.120 --> 00:11:54.460 Moron out there. I know you've been snooping 00:11:54.460 --> 00:11:57.580 around the crime scenes. Yeah, doing your fucking 00:11:57.580 --> 00:12:02.230 job. Or reminiscing about the murders. You know 00:12:02.230 --> 00:12:04.850 I know why you got kicked off the force back 00:12:04.850 --> 00:12:09.450 in Denver. My head pain increased. I couldn't 00:12:09.450 --> 00:12:12.330 live that over again. The temperature in the 00:12:12.330 --> 00:12:16.230 room increased tenfold. My hands began to sweat. 00:12:17.009 --> 00:12:21.850 Golding, stop. The head pain and hallucinations 00:12:21.850 --> 00:12:25.230 were just one reason, weren't they? But you got 00:12:25.230 --> 00:12:28.929 someone killed, didn't you? You son of a bitch. 00:12:29.350 --> 00:12:31.700 That's got nothing to do with this. And you know 00:12:31.700 --> 00:12:36.100 it. Her name was... Jessica, wasn't it? You fucking 00:12:36.100 --> 00:12:41.659 bastard. Stop. Now. She was your partner. You 00:12:41.659 --> 00:12:45.480 had one job that day. To keep her safe. And you 00:12:45.480 --> 00:12:49.320 failed. You failed and she's dead because of 00:12:49.320 --> 00:12:53.600 it. Rage filled my lungs. Reddening my skin. 00:12:54.519 --> 00:12:57.980 Golding took a step back. His eyes widened in 00:12:57.980 --> 00:13:02.269 fear. You fucking... Asshole! My hands began 00:13:02.269 --> 00:13:06.210 to shake as I got up. My breath began to labor, 00:13:06.370 --> 00:13:10.529 and the pain in my forehead grew. The view of 00:13:10.529 --> 00:13:15.090 Golding became fuzzy. The room was silent. His 00:13:15.090 --> 00:13:18.470 lips were moving, yet Golding remained silent. 00:13:18.649 --> 00:13:23.070 I could only watch the room begin to spin. My 00:13:23.070 --> 00:13:26.509 vision blurred. The darkness I'd become accustomed 00:13:26.509 --> 00:13:33.019 to took me whole. Awaking, I found Golding once 00:13:33.019 --> 00:13:36.200 again standing over me, his hand now wrapped. 00:13:37.120 --> 00:13:40.539 I knew there was something about you, Jack. I 00:13:40.539 --> 00:13:43.399 don't know what it is, but you're the closest 00:13:43.399 --> 00:13:46.919 thing I've got to a lead. I'm sorry I had to 00:13:46.919 --> 00:13:52.480 do that, but I needed to see it. See what? What 00:13:52.480 --> 00:13:55.700 the hell are you talking about? I asked, pushing 00:13:55.700 --> 00:13:59.179 myself up against the wall. Golding stood, hovering 00:13:59.179 --> 00:14:03.759 over me. Like I said, I think you might be Viridian. 00:14:04.220 --> 00:14:07.399 I ain't never seen one, but you sure got something 00:14:07.399 --> 00:14:11.600 going on. My mind was still cloudy from passing 00:14:11.600 --> 00:14:15.980 out. Viridian? Yeah, someone who can use magic. 00:14:16.419 --> 00:14:19.860 Ha! I laughed. What are you going to tell me? 00:14:20.039 --> 00:14:23.100 You're a wizard, Harry? Golding's face grew a 00:14:23.100 --> 00:14:26.460 half -cocked smile. You're a wizard, jackass. 00:14:27.070 --> 00:14:30.370 Golding didn't say much after that. He helped 00:14:30.370 --> 00:14:33.269 me to my feet, handed me a bottle of water, and 00:14:33.269 --> 00:14:36.210 told me I was free to go. For now. That was the 00:14:36.210 --> 00:14:39.110 part that stuck with me. For now. Like I was 00:14:39.110 --> 00:14:41.950 some walking time bomb even he didn't understand. 00:14:42.750 --> 00:14:45.809 I didn't ask for a ride home. I needed the cold. 00:14:46.370 --> 00:14:49.169 The walk back to my apartment felt longer than 00:14:49.169 --> 00:14:53.169 usual. Every step crunching against ice and questions. 00:14:54.070 --> 00:14:57.320 Maybe Golding was right. Maybe I was something 00:14:57.320 --> 00:15:01.419 different. But that didn't explain why the symbol 00:15:01.419 --> 00:15:05.419 was still burned into my mind. Why it felt like 00:15:05.419 --> 00:15:08.360 I'd seen it long before any of this started. 00:15:08.480 --> 00:15:12.000 I couldn't sleep that night. Sleep was a cruel 00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:14.820 joke, dangled like a carrot I'd never catch. 00:15:15.120 --> 00:15:18.679 The symbol etched into my mind. Why did it look 00:15:18.679 --> 00:15:22.679 so familiar? I tried to think, looking around 00:15:22.679 --> 00:15:25.899 my apartment, as if the answer were... hanging 00:15:25.899 --> 00:15:29.580 on the wall. My father's photographs kept my 00:15:29.580 --> 00:15:34.220 eyes busy. That's it. I walked toward one photograph. 00:15:34.399 --> 00:15:37.960 It was of a snowy mountain taken in the Rocky 00:15:37.960 --> 00:15:41.019 Mountain National Park. I pulled the frame off 00:15:41.019 --> 00:15:46.200 the wall. And on the back, there it was. On the 00:15:46.200 --> 00:15:50.039 bottom right, faded in black ink. The flower 00:15:50.039 --> 00:15:54.139 with flames as petals. Why would my father have 00:15:54.139 --> 00:15:57.409 this symbol? printed on his work. I pulled all 00:15:57.409 --> 00:16:00.570 of the photographs off the walls. They lay across 00:16:00.570 --> 00:16:03.549 the outdated carpet, the symbol on each one. 00:16:03.970 --> 00:16:07.370 What did my father have to do with this? Is this 00:16:07.370 --> 00:16:11.370 symbol subconsciously in my mind? Am I really 00:16:11.370 --> 00:16:15.070 the killer? Could I be so fucked up? I don't 00:16:15.070 --> 00:16:18.590 even remember killing my best friend. How could 00:16:18.590 --> 00:16:21.470 I have burned Golding's hand? Doesn't make sense. 00:16:21.610 --> 00:16:24.759 None of it. I stayed up until sunlight searching 00:16:24.759 --> 00:16:28.059 for the symbol online. There were no results. 00:16:28.620 --> 00:16:32.000 Nothing. How could this symbol be on the photographs? 00:16:32.559 --> 00:16:36.519 My father was famous for his work. If this was 00:16:36.519 --> 00:16:40.440 a signature of his, the symbol would be all over 00:16:40.440 --> 00:16:43.759 the internet. My eyes were glued to the screen, 00:16:43.940 --> 00:16:48.360 trying to get a glimmer of reasoning. How could 00:16:48.360 --> 00:16:52.370 my father be involved? How could... any of this 00:16:52.370 --> 00:16:56.049 be happening i needed to visit my father's place 00:16:56.049 --> 00:17:00.769 the only issue was i didn't have a car i walked 00:17:00.769 --> 00:17:03.389 to the nearest bus stop the trip would take a 00:17:03.389 --> 00:17:08.190 few hours hours i didn't have what if the killer 00:17:08.190 --> 00:17:11.869 struck again if my father was connected to this 00:17:11.869 --> 00:17:15.289 then it was my responsibility one of the hardest 00:17:15.289 --> 00:17:18.450 parts of life is being stalled and trying to 00:17:18.450 --> 00:17:21.059 find out the truth sitting in a hospital waiting 00:17:21.059 --> 00:17:24.680 to find out if your loved one survived or waiting 00:17:24.680 --> 00:17:27.279 at a bus stop and able to move forward with your 00:17:27.279 --> 00:17:31.880 quest the pain of waiting the anticipation i 00:17:31.880 --> 00:17:35.380 sat on the bench my mind racing an old man sat 00:17:35.380 --> 00:17:39.839 next to me where are you off to young man my 00:17:39.839 --> 00:17:45.380 dad's place you wherever the wind takes me the 00:17:45.380 --> 00:17:48.619 old man got up and walked away as he did he turned 00:17:48.619 --> 00:17:53.900 and said He's proud of you. Wait, who is... The 00:17:53.900 --> 00:17:57.599 old man kept walking. The troubles of age muffled 00:17:57.599 --> 00:18:00.779 his hearing. The bus finally arrived. It was 00:18:00.779 --> 00:18:04.099 empty. It was just me and the driver. Staring 00:18:04.099 --> 00:18:06.940 out the window, I wished for a better life than 00:18:06.940 --> 00:18:10.839 the one outside that window. The bus's engine 00:18:10.839 --> 00:18:14.720 started. The tires slowly rotated as we picked 00:18:14.720 --> 00:18:18.400 up speed. As we passed the bus stop, there it 00:18:18.400 --> 00:18:23.329 was. A crow sat upon the sign. Was this crow 00:18:23.329 --> 00:18:27.289 a hallucination? Just a dream or another nightmare 00:18:27.289 --> 00:18:30.930 turned reality. I looked toward the front of 00:18:30.930 --> 00:18:34.089 the bus and back out the window. The crow was 00:18:34.089 --> 00:18:38.069 gone. The bus picked up speed. As we passed the 00:18:38.069 --> 00:18:41.109 edges of town, the bus driver braked suddenly, 00:18:41.329 --> 00:18:45.769 slamming me forward. Whiplash mixed with my headache. 00:18:46.009 --> 00:18:49.460 What the hell was that? The bus driver was silent. 00:18:49.940 --> 00:18:53.380 His hands were stiff at ten and two on the wheel. 00:18:53.619 --> 00:18:56.480 Come on, man, I got places to be. What's the 00:18:56.480 --> 00:19:01.420 holdup? The bus driver remained still. As I got 00:19:01.420 --> 00:19:05.500 up, I saw it out the windshield. About twenty 00:19:05.500 --> 00:19:09.859 feet from the road, a figure stood tall. He wore 00:19:09.859 --> 00:19:13.299 a gray hoodie, the hood resting on his head. 00:19:14.220 --> 00:19:18.519 A long beard hung from his face. his right arm 00:19:18.519 --> 00:19:23.539 stiff, palm out. I walked forward down the aisle. 00:19:24.460 --> 00:19:29.220 Come on, man, just go around the asshole, I told 00:19:29.220 --> 00:19:33.359 the driver. As I turned to face him, the driver's 00:19:33.359 --> 00:19:37.519 hands remained at ten and two. It was then I 00:19:37.519 --> 00:19:42.500 saw it. The driver's eyes had gone grey. The 00:19:42.500 --> 00:19:46.869 shade was one of lacking. As if his soul had 00:19:46.869 --> 00:19:52.410 left his body. Hey, man. You alright? Come on. 00:19:52.490 --> 00:19:56.190 I shook the man's shoulder. As I did, his arms 00:19:56.190 --> 00:19:59.349 fell limp. His foot remained fully pressed on 00:19:59.349 --> 00:20:03.150 the brake. I was jolted back to reality. By the 00:20:03.150 --> 00:20:06.450 old bus's rattling engine and acrid smell of 00:20:06.450 --> 00:20:11.569 burning oil. What the fuck? I thought. I wish 00:20:11.569 --> 00:20:16.289 I had a stronger word than fuck. After what happened 00:20:16.289 --> 00:20:21.109 next. Hey you. Yeah you. Thanks for listening 00:20:21.109 --> 00:20:23.630 to this episode of the Jack Moore Chronicles. 00:20:23.950 --> 00:20:26.589 Curious to see how the story unfolds? Make sure 00:20:26.589 --> 00:20:29.150 to follow the show so you don't miss what's next. 00:20:29.329 --> 00:20:31.829 If you enjoyed this episode, please consider 00:20:31.829 --> 00:20:35.049 leaving a review. It really helps us out. Want 00:20:35.049 --> 00:20:37.509 more podcasts from Wolfshield Media? Check out 00:20:37.509 --> 00:20:40.630 our website at wolfshield .media. Until next 00:20:40.630 --> 00:20:42.960 time, thanks for listening. to this Wolf Shield 00:20:42.960 --> 00:20:43.640 Media Production.