Everhouse: Episode 2

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Everhouse: Episode 2
Source: collected/029-everhouse-episode-2.mp3
SHA-256: 2d05183e0e7ffa2db56b8669aa75bbc2344065486c21f094393bde5cac379311
Model: scribe_v2 | Transcribed: 2026-10-10T18:15:08.263915+00:00
Machine transcript — uncorrected. Speaker labels are local to this recording and do not identify people.

[00:00:00.080] Speaker 1: [gentle music]

[00:00:49.920] Speaker 1: Everhouse. Chapter Two: Predator. Freddy and Trent walked through the third dark room in a row. Half the doors here were marked out with black X's. Most of the other half had cheerful little signs like Keep Out or Private Allotment. That meant precious few doors for their patrol route. They moved quietly now, trapped between the northeastern exclusion zone and Elias' dwindling, but aggressively advertised, private rooms. Trent tested the

[00:01:24.920] Speaker 1: knob on one of Elias' doors. It was locked. Of course it was. If they were all locked, that didn't leave them a lot of escape options. It was either run back the way they came or take the scenic route. He looked at the closest marked out door. Bad company that way. Trent cracked open the next door on their route and pushed his lantern through before him, peeking into the room before opening it all the way. Another dark room. "Shouldn't there be lanterns out here?" [door creaks] "Should

[00:01:59.900] Speaker 1: be." "Isn't that weird?" "Yep." The next room was a hallway with two doors on the right, but it stretched into the darkness beyond his lantern light. They would have to step in to see farther. Trent took a deep breath and patted the two emergency flares sticking out of his back pocket. It was a poor weapon, but it was something. He took the lead into the hallway, not because he wanted to, but because he didn't trust Freddy's nerves. "Stay 10

[00:02:34.960] Speaker 1: steps behind me. Keep it quiet." Freddy nodded eagerly. The boards under his feet creaked and groaned as he walked. There were a lot of floors like that in the Maple rooms. He supposed even the maker got lazy now and again. Every few feet, he paused to listen, trying to ignore the sounds of Freddy following him. Walk, pause, walk, pause. It would take them a week to complete the patrol route at this rate,

[00:03:10.400] Speaker 1: but it would be an eternity if something leapt out of this darkness to make a meal of them. Finally, the door at the end of the hall came into his lantern light. The hallway was empty. He released a little bit of tension he'd been holding, but something felt wrong. It wasn't just the missing lanterns. Gloom banes were heavy. They didn't go missing by accident. Shallow grooves in the wooden floor showed a path where the lantern had been dragged from this room. Freddy was about to speak, but Trent's instincts started screaming. He quickly put a

[00:03:45.380] Speaker 1: finger in front of his lips and walked as quietly as he could to the door in front of them. He tilted his head and pressed an ear to the next door. Floorboards creaked in the next room, and he reflexively took in a sharp breath. [floorboards creak] "Wh- who's there?" Trent's eyes went wide, and he cooked Freddy with a wildfire stare. Silence meant silence. Footsteps came toward them from the other room. Trent backpedaled away from the door, holding the lantern out in front of him. The footsteps

[00:04:20.240] Speaker 1: stopped on the other side of the door. Trent sniffed at the air as his intuition screamed louder still, desperately trying to tell him something. "Do you smell that?" "What is it?" He took a step back. "Don't open that door." [door creaks] It was a musty, wet smell, and it grew stronger the closer he got to the door. "Did you bring the paint?" "Yeah, just a sec." Freddy pulled the pack off his back and started fumbling around in it with

[00:04:54.940] Speaker 1: shaking hands. He pulled out a can of small black paint. Trent simply stared at the door while he did it. Freddy dipped a small wide brush in the paint and handed it to Trent. "Great." He took the brush and stepped toward the door. There was something in that room, standing just on the other side of the door. He reached out a shaking hand and silently painted a large black X on the door. Then he took a step backward and the floor creaked loudly underneath him. Something slammed into the

[00:05:30.020] Speaker 1: other side of the door. Trent dropped the brush and scrambled away, breathing in short, panicked gasps. They'd almost opened it. They'd almost opened that door. By the time Trent got up, Freddy was already running down the hall, the lantern light receding, leaving Trent in deep darkness. There was the sound of something wet slapping against the other side of the door. That got him moving. Trent got up and started chasing after the light, willing himself not to panic, forcing himself to walk slowly, deliberately. He caught up to where Freddy waited in the next room. "Where do we go,

[00:06:04.860] Speaker 1: Trent?" Home What about patrol? W- what do we tell the others? The truth. That it was over. They'd tried to contain the spread, and they'd failed. Help wasn't coming. Whatever was on the other side of that door, it wasn't small. Well, we'll call a meeting in central courtyard tomorrow morning. We might have a few months to pack up. A distant sound stopped him short. Freddy started to reply, but Trent motioned for

[00:06:39.612] Speaker 1: silence again, and then Freddy caught the sound, too. They both turned to listen. In the dark hallway they'd just left, a doorknob rattled. There was a soft click as the latch came free, followed by the light creak of hinges in darkness, the sound that changed everything. With a slow, almost dreamlike motion, Trent pulled one of the emergency flares from his back pocket and snapped the top off. A gout of bright red flame burst from it. Then

[00:07:14.532] Speaker 1: he rolled it into the darkened hallway. It rolled a dozen feet, and thankfully, the flame didn't catch on anything, burning harmlessly in the middle of the hallway. Something tall and black glided into the far edge of the torchlight, a twitching creature almost nine feet tall made of jet black tar. It reached toward the flare with a long, spindly hand like the branch of a courtyard tree. The semi-solid flesh bubbled and sizzled in the bright light. Then it snuffed out the light

[00:07:49.352] Speaker 1: between two foot-long fingers, and the hallway fell back into darkness. Run, Freddy. Trent heard his heart pounding in his head. He opened and closed doors, checking only occasionally to make sure that they were still following the gray path line back. He kept the presence of mind to close the doors again behind him. Whatever that thing was, it could open doors. It didn't seem especially good at it. They would be fine. They would be fine as

[00:08:24.332] Speaker 1: long as they kept running. But where else had this thing gotten to in the past few weeks, past day, the past few hours? Trent's terror redoubled. Was Marcy safe? Surely. But what if there were more? What the hell was that? Freddy panted heavily. Trent had to go slower not to lose the man. He wanted desperately to leave him here and run to Marcy to be certain she was safe. Cob. Scary one. They don't get that big,

[00:09:00.032] Speaker 1: do they? It wasn't the size that concerned him. It was that hand, that deliberate way it snuffed out the flare. It understood. That understanding scared him far more than anything else. It wasn't something he was ready to talk about. A bell started ringing in the distance, and Trent's blood ran cold. Is that... Yes, it's the breaching bell. Come on. They were under attack. His home was under attack.

[00:09:35.392] Speaker 1: Trent shoved the lantern into Freddy's arms and started sprinting. He broke his last emergency flare for light. He was running so fast he slammed into the next door, rebounded, then threw it open and was running again. Go to the courtyard. His mind narrowed to a single purpose. Marcy was alone. Not my goddamn family. He'd lost everything. Everything except that. As long as he still had her, as long as they lived, he had everything he needed. But if he lost them...

[00:10:11.332] Speaker 1: His eyes flicked to the burning flare in his hand. Nothing matched the raw, destructive power of a human being unhinged. If it came to it, he would show the sprawl what a monster truly looked like. I'm coming, baby. Hold on. Trent sprinted down the hallway, following the cerulean blue line. He glanced left where the iron basin's yellow line branched off. Part of him wanted to check on them, make sure they heard the alarm. The iron basins were old. But he kept following the cerulean line. He

[00:10:46.212] Speaker 1: had to. He skidded to a stop outside their front door. It was closed. The moment he put a hand on the doorknob, though, a woman spoke from the other side. Touch that doorknob and you're gonna eat a whole lot of lead. Keep walking. Marce? Marcy, it's me. The door flew open and Marcy crashed into him. Trent didn't say anything. He simply started crying, crying for everything he'd almost lost, for all the lives he almost didn't live. You almost shot me.

[00:11:21.952] Speaker 1: I'm so proud of you. She pulled back and put her hands on the side of his face. What's happening? A bit of darkness bled back into Trent's sense of relief. They were safe now, but for how long? Come on. Let's get to the courtyard. I'll tell you on the way. He started down the hall at a pace he thought his heavily pregnant wife could manage. Wait. Then she ran back to her rooms and returned a moment later with a double-barrel shotgun over her shoulder. He gave her

[00:11:57.012] Speaker 1: a wide grin. That's not gonna stop a cob. That's fine. At least I'll give him a bad day first. [laughs]It felt good to laugh. Even when things fell apart, especially then, Marcy grinned back at him. Besides, it's not just for the Cobbs. We're about to make some hard choices with a lot of scared people, and I wanted two votes. Two? Yeah, one for myself and one on account I'm holding a gun. Trent's

[00:12:31.916] Speaker 1: spine stiffened just a little. She was going to make him look bad. Well, that was a given, but he could at least be a worthy husband. On the way, Trent told Marcy everything he'd seen on patrol. She asked very detailed questions about the sprawl creature they'd seen. He almost felt guilty. He could tell her so little. They were getting close to the central courtyard and the sound of the breaching bell. She gave his arm a little squeeze. He did the right thing, running. Didn't feel that way. He knew that was foolish, though, so he didn't voice

[00:13:06.996] Speaker 1: it. Instead, he gave voice to the other problem, the one they'd been kicking around for almost a year now. We can't stay, Marce. We can't stay anymore. We knew it would be hard out here. He didn't reply. Didn't have to. They both knew the script. They knew it like the back of their hands. But tonight had changed things. It was suicidal to stay now. How long are we gonna run? How long, Trent?

[00:13:42.716] Speaker 1: I can't lose you. And I can't live like that again. We were dying there, Trent. We can't go back. If we stay, we are going to die. Some things are worth dying for. He wanted to scream at this woman. He wanted to punch the wall until his hands bled. But he wanted to kiss her even more. Here was a burning spirit. Here was the woman he loved. But it was misplaced. This fight wasn't winnable. It was

[00:14:17.675] Speaker 1: a sacrifice without purpose. And our baby. Is it worth our baby? Marcy closed her eyes tight and turned away. A stream of fresh tears running down her face. You know it isn't. She stopped walking. We were so close, Trent. So close to getting away with it. With what? With a good life. We almost had it. Trent felt

[00:14:52.636] Speaker 1: tears on his face then. After years of cramped, frantic, constantly terrified living, they had escaped to the outskirts. Their own little corner of paradise away from the mistakes and the burdens of the past. And now it was being taken from them. A fire lit in Trent Murdock's stomach. And now it was being taken from them. Despite all rationality, he saw her point clearly then.

[00:15:28.036] Speaker 1: This was their home and monsters were trying to take it. And they were going to destroy them without being killed. Somehow. It was that simple. They stopped just outside the exterior door to Central Courtyard. Trent turned and looked into his wife's eyes and said the words she'd been waiting a year to hear. This is our home. Our home. And we're going to fight like hell to keep it. But we do it smart. If we can't do it

[00:16:03.016] Speaker 1: smart, we'll just have to find a new home. But we're never going back. She beamed up at him and steadied the shotgun on her shoulder. I knew you'd come around eventually. Trent gently pulled the shaking woman away from the breaching bell. Anyone who could hear it was already here.

[00:16:38.396] Speaker 1: The shocked look didn't leave Wanda's face, though. He surveyed the 40-something people spread out in a semicircle around the bell. They removed hands from ears, but no one spoke. Barely contained panic was written across their faces. Freddie had made it back, fortunately. Trent didn't need that guilt piled on top of his already heaping mountain. There were about 20 residents still missing, though. He just had to hope that they were holed up in their allotments as Marcy had been, waiting for the all-clear. Waiting for someone else to make

[00:17:13.376] Speaker 1: their problem go away. Trouble was, that person didn't exist. The residents of the Maple Rooms were silent, holding each other, whispering to curious wide-eyed children. Looking at him, for some reason. Marcy leaned close to whisper in his ear. Say something. Why? You're better at this. Yes, but they like you. She nudged him in the ribs with an elbow, and he cleared his throat. In the few minutes they'd been in the courtyard, he'd gathered what happened. His

[00:17:48.176] Speaker 1: worst nightmares had come true. The sprawl had gotten out and had taken a life. It just hadn't been Marcy. Wanda had found her husband, Elias, dead. From what Trent heard, it wasn't pretty. She'd followed a trail of open doors thinking someone was trying to steal something, and instead found her semi-digested husband laying on the floor. She hadn't seen that big cob, though. "We lost a good man tonight. A neighbor.

[00:18:23.666] Speaker 1: A friend." That last one was a stretch. Elias couldn't claim many friends among the other residents, but hopefully no one would correct him now that he was dead. "And I'm pretty sure Freddy and I saw the cob that did it." His voice caught as he thought about the monster they'd seen less than an hour ago. It could walk right in here. There was nothing to stop it. He lifted his chin and tried to meet the eyes of each person as he spoke. "Frankly, we should run. We should all run." A

[00:18:58.726] Speaker 1: wave of murmuring went through the group. "But we should have run a long time ago, too. There's only one reason we all stayed when all the smarter folks left." He heard a few nervous laughs. He understood that reason now. "It's our home." He saw them nodding. That was all he needed to say. "It's our home." They didn't jump up and down cheering for him. Everyone was still scared as hell. That made sense, but it

[00:19:33.486] Speaker 1: didn't change what they had to do. "So let's figure out how to take it back before it's too late." He stepped into the semicircle of neighbors, and the group broke into a half-dozen quiet, nervous conversations. Trent wasn't their leader. They didn't have a leader. The mayor and anyone with any semblance of leadership had the good sense to leave a long time ago. It was just sixty-five people now. Trent seemed like he knew what he was doing, seemed like he had a plan. Hopefully that was good enough.

[00:20:08.946] Speaker 1: Freddy pulled Trent aside. "You serious about this?" "I have a plan." "Better be a hell of a plan. They can open doors." Trent nodded. At least one of them could. There was a predator in town, a big cob that broke the rules. It was still just a cob, though. Cobs weren't the apex predators of Everhouse. That sole position belonged to the lightslingers. Too bad there weren't many left. The world had given up on the Maple Rooms. Small towns like this

[00:20:43.826] Speaker 1: weren't even worth sweeping out anymore, not with what was happening in the South. No lightslingers were coming. He didn't blame them. "You still have that revolver?" Freddy's eyes got very large. "You said it didn't work." "It doesn't. Not yet." Freddy leaned in very close. "What's the plan?" "I need you to find something for me. Lenses. As many lenses as you can find. Big ones. And something to mount them on. Can you do that?"

[00:21:18.406] Speaker 1: "Yeah, I can— I can get some from Phil, too." Trent looked up at the pitch-black sky over the courtyard. It was a few hours until dawn. "And I need them by first light, by the replenishment." Freddy nodded eagerly and then ran off without further questions. He just seemed happy to have a job, a purpose to pour his restlessness into. They didn't have any lightslingers around here, but maybe... maybe they could figure out the next best thing. They'd have to. The night

[00:21:53.206] Speaker 1: after replenishment was feeding time. Anything lurking out there in the dark would be waiting for their food sources to come back. Once that happened, things would start moving fast. Their problems were going to get a lot bigger, figuratively and literally. No pressure. He watched Marcy walk over to a group of children playing in the grass, and she leaned down to speak to them. "Hey, kids. Who wants to learn how to make a barricade?"

[00:22:27.226] Speaker 1: [outro jingle]