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This is an IHEART Podcast.
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Watching games with the Sonos home theater setup makes everything feel more immersive. The Arc Ultra soundbar delivers incredible surround sound that puts you right in the middle of the action, bringing that stadium experience right into my home. And now I've been trying out the Sonos Ace headphones and like all Sonos products, they perform as good as they look. Sleek design, crystal clear sound and a super comfortable fit. Check out the full lineup@sonos.com iheart3d audio for full exposure.
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Listen with headphones.
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Havoc Town is a production of Iheart Podcasts and Grim and Mild from Aaron Manke. Headphones recommended. Listener discretion advised.
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Our lead story today, Raymond Bachman, the man accused of driving his car into a crowd of people at the Havoc Township courthouse, has died today. Police are still investigating the cause of the incident. Bachman's family could not be reached for comment. Okay, we're okay. We're gonna be okay. Say you're just living your life, obsessed with your bills and shit at work, what's for dinner or that party you have to go to for your best friend because you owe them one. You are immersed in the constant deluge of the day to day. Swimming in it. It has always been and will always be life. Normal life, tedious and lovely. And then one morning as you're bringing the garbage down to the street before heading off to work. Boom. Wolfman in your yard. Poseidon pops up from the sewers. Angels descend, bringing new revelations from on high. A blood drenched madman goes on a violent killing spree with a fireman's axe. What happens the next morning? Do you wake up at the normal time? Go through your morning checklist? Do you brush your teeth? Do you floss? In this new reality? Do you cancel dinner plans? Dad. Your call has been forwarded to an automatic voice message system. Hey Sylvie. I think we keep the bar closed today out of respect for the dead. Day off okay, Bye. How do you just sit with your coffee? In my head? I ran through the previous day, the same walk I made every day. The. The car careening around the corner, the bloodshed that followed, and then later that night, meeting my savior a second time, which, you know, didn't go great. Hello. I am Sylvie. I work here, and I am friends with Corind. Oh, God, I'm sorry. This is Sylvie. Sylvie. This nicely dressed man pushed me out of the way of a moving car and saved my life, and I. I never got his name.
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All right. I'm Jury. Jury Havoc. Well, shit, I get that quite a lot, actually.
A
Which number are you?
D
The 14th.
A
Shit, there are a lot of you.
D
Well, were.
A
Right, right. Sorry. Jury Havoc in the flesh. The 14th scion to the Havoc empire, for whom our town is named.
D
Yeah, I suppose. Corinne.
A
Yes.
D
And do you have a last name, Corinne?
A
Oh, yeah. It's Abyss.
D
Oh, no shit.
A
Yeah.
D
Of the famed vampire hunters. Tell me, you still out there every night digging up the dead?
A
You still out there breaking labor laws in your factories? Sorry, that was. That was just. That was way out of line.
D
No, no, it was. It was fair, considering. I'm sorry. Let's start again, shall we? Hello, Corinne.
C
Abbess.
D
My name is Jury Havoc. I come in peace.
A
Hmm. You want a drink?
D
No, I have to take a rain check. Actually, I just stopped by to drop off the phone and, you know, introduce myself formally.
A
Hmm. Well, thank you, and I'll bid you.
D
Ladies a good night.
A
Good night. Don't be a stranger.
D
Oh. And so you know, I've been trying very hard to get my house in order to the men who oversaw those labor violations that they've been terminated. I'm trying to do better than we've done in the past.
A
Oh, I. I mean, I was just reacting, you know, in the moment. I didn't mean.
D
No, no, no, no, no. It's okay. It's okay. You weren't wrong. Exactly.
A
Well, just so you know, we gave up the vampire hunting business a couple years back.
D
Oh.
A
Good to know it was dead anyway.
D
That's terrible. Well, I'll see you ladies around.
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You are horrible at flirting. Yeah. I'm gonna need another drink. You got it, mama. And I wasn't flirting. Clear. Stupid. A terrible day had led to a very involved evening of drinking, a long stumble home in the cold, and a fitful night of bad dreams and trips to the bathroom. The morning began, as such mornings usually do, with an almost operatic hangover. It was going to get so much worse. Dad? Hey, dad. You awake? Dad, It's. It's almost 10. We need to start getting rolling if we're gonna make your appointment. Dad? Dad. Oh, please. Please. Oh, God. Oh, God. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. What happened? Did you fall getting out of bed? Your lips are blue. Can you hear me? Daddy? Okay, okay. I'll be right back. I'm gonna call the ambulance. Hello? Yes, I found my father on the floor. He's barely breathing. He's unresponsive. 817 Twin Oaks Drive. It looks like he tripped or collapsed or something. He's got cancer. This is his daughter, Corinne. Okay, ple. Please hurry. Is there anything I can do? I followed to the hospital. All I could think about was how long he'd been there. An hour. All night. Why hadn't I checked on him when I got home? Hi, yeah, my. Sorry, my father was brought in here by an ambulance. I. I lost track of them while I. Name Corinne Abbas. No, your father's. Oh, Jonathan Abis. He probably came in like five minutes ago. I. I got stuck at a light and I lost track of them. He's not in the system yet. I'll call you when he pops up. Okay? How long does it normally take? Depends on a lot of factors. Excuse me. Horn. So. Wait, wait, wait. There's nothing I can do. I'll call you. Please sit.
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Corinne.
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Jimbo.
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Hey, kid. Everything okay?
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Well, no, no, actually, I. I found dad this morning.
E
Oh, no.
A
Yeah, he was. Oh, God, Jimbo, I don't know. I don't know what's happening. He was just. He was just lying there and.
E
Hey, come here. Look, your dad's a real fighter, you know that?
A
Yeah. Yeah.
E
Hey, I ever tell you about the time old Tom Stabenow got his blood up about the patsy and started trying to get into it with Paulie Shelton for wearing a Giants jersey? It was about to take a swing and your dad, all 5 foot 7 of him, took that Goliath down with a single swing.
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Dad? My dad?
E
Yeah. Yeah. He stood over old Tom, made sure he could hear him, and then just said, be polite.
A
Really?
E
Yeah, yeah, he was just.
A
James Horn.
E
Yeah, yeah, hold your horses. I'm coming. You let me and Barbara know if there's anything you or your dad need, huh?
A
Wait, I'm. I'm sorry. Jesus. What's going on? Why are you here? You all right?
E
Yeah, I just. The guy yesterday bit me and it's.
A
Jesus, Jimbo, that looks terrible.
E
Yeah, it's. It's a little angry for sure.
A
Your whole arm is swollen.
E
Yeah, well, I just hope that guy wasn't rabid. No, that was a joke, Mr. Horn. I said I was coming. You God damn happy.
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You can't scream.
E
Do not tell me what I can't do. I'm an officer of the God damn law.
A
Security.
E
Don't you dare call out God damn Rent a Cop on me, you stupid.
A
Jesus. Jimbo.
E
Oh, I. I'm. I can't.
A
Jimbo, your nose is bleeding.
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I'm sorry. I'm so. I'm so sorry. Just need to sit.
A
Sir, if you need to sit down. Jim, we need a team in lobby three. A man's fainted. He's burning up. And for the third time in 24 hours, I watched a man being carted away. The look in his eyes in that moment had been feral. Spittle had flown from his mouth. If I didn't know him, I'd think he was capable in that moment of anything. Jimbo Horne, the sweetest man I'd ever met, went fishing with my father. We barbecued at his house. He threw Dad's retirement party when he'd handed the keys over to me and still had coffee at the bar every morning, just like he had every day for the last 30 years. I needed to call his wife, Barbara. What would I tell her? Foreign.
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Do I have the family of Jonathan Abbas here? Jonathan Abbas? Hi. Yes, I'm his daughter.
C
Please follow me. Your father is stabilized, but he doesn't look good.
D
He's dehydrated and he seems to have.
C
Hit his head pretty, pretty hard.
A
Just here. Oh, dad.
D
The doctor will be back with you shortly.
A
Thank you. I'm sorry. I'm just. I'm so sorry about everything. The next few hours were a blur. You know the kind. Too much information, too fast. Too many changes. When you're jarred so far off course in a single day, when you've lost the steady path, it takes time to re. Acclimate. They did tests, took blood, scanned his head. All the while, I kept looking for signs of life. Fluttering eyelashes, a grunt of pain, a spare curse word. Part of me knew better. Part of me just knew. Hours passed as they do. When I got tired of sitting, I paced his room. I got tired of pacing there. I took to the hallways and then in the lobby. Look at you, eating like a child. The hell? Hey. Hey, jury. Hey.
D
Oh, Ms. Abbas.
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Hi. Yes. Corinne.
D
Corinne. Yes, right.
A
Hi. Sorry, I just. I saw you across the lobby and. What?
D
Oh, it's nothing. You got a little something on your teeth here.
A
Oh, Jesus. Little Debbie. Sorry, I haven't eaten. I think I went feral for a minute there. Ah, yeah.
D
So, everything all right?
A
Oh, yeah, I just. Oh, you mean, why am I in the hospital. Right. It's my father.
D
Your father? What happened?
A
He's. I don't know. I found him passed out this morning.
D
Oh, no.
A
Yeah.
D
I'm so sorry.
A
Yeah.
D
Do they know what it is? Were there other symptoms?
A
No, I'm. Well, the. The cancer.
D
Cancer? Jesus. Again, I'm so, so sorry.
A
Yeah, me too. I was so wrapped up in everything yesterday that I. I didn't check in on him until this morning, and.
D
Well, I. I think that's understandable, considering. I mean, you were attacked by a man with an axe after he tried to kill you with his car.
A
Yeah, I guess it's just. It's not gonna make the guilt go away, you know? What are you doing here?
D
Me? I was meeting with the CEO about a donation. Build a new wing. I don't know, something like that, yeah.
A
Oh, just a new wing, maybe. Fleet of ambulances.
D
Look, I've got to go. I'm sorry.
A
Oh, hey. Sorry. I. I was joking. I seem to keep pissing you off.
D
No, no, no, it's not that. I. I just have to go. Goodbye.
A
Goodbye.
D
Would you like to have dinner?
A
Yes.
D
Good. I'll be in touch, okay?
A
Sure. Just contact my assistant. It's silly to say that you hate hospitals. Everybody hates hospitals. Everyone's visited a dying relative or spent a week recovering from the accident or the surgery or the tumor. Had needles pressed into their skin, tubes flow in and out of them. Saw the terminal point where their hope ended and the science we built it on began. My mother died here. In this place. Of course I thought of her when I walked the halls. I had my appendix out here not two years later. I entered, inflamed and doubled over in pain. Not sure I'd ever make it out again. But here I am now. My father was dying. I knew, walking through the halls, that he would meet his end here. I hate hospitals. Oh, sorry. You. You surprised me. Oh, sorry to startle you. I'll just be a minute here. All right. Are you family? Yeah. Daughter. I see the resemblance. It's not subtle. I'm Corinne. Marie. How's he doing? He's holding on. He's been fighting a long time, hasn't he? He has. We thought we'd had a beat, but. I know it's hard. You live nearby? Yeah, just over in Havoc. How is it? Havoc? Oh, it's fine. Quiet, mostly. You new to the area? Yeah, just moved up from Boston. Living over in Barnstead. Well, if you're ever in Havoc, coming to Dottie's, I'll buy you a drink. Might just take you up on that invitation. What do you suppose that's about? Cops. About a dozen of them fanning out over the floor.
E
Just keep everyone in their rooms for right now. We'll keep a couple men on the floor here.
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I'm gonna go find out what's happening. Hang tight, okay? Yeah. Okay. Dad. Dad. No, no, no, no. Sit still. Sit still. Marie? Hello? No, no. Dad, the mask is giving you air. Sh, sh. It's okay. Shh. It's okay. I'm listening. I'm listening. Bed.
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Bedroom.
D
Closet. Top up.
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Black.
E
Black wood box.
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Dad, it's. It's okay. Calm down. A black wood box in. In your closet. Dad. Shh. It's okay. It's okay. Damaris. Damaris. Like. Like. Like my middle name? Yeah. Okay. What about it? Dad? Dad.
E
Hey, kiddo. Good time.
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Jimbo. Hey. How you doing, man?
E
Ah, they're sending me home. Gave me just a shitload of shots. Antibiotics. Tylenol for the fever.
A
Sounds fun.
E
Yeah. Listen, I'm. I'm real sorry about earlier. Losing my temper and all.
A
Oh, Jim, don't. Don't worry about it. You were sick.
E
Yeah, I. I don't know what happened. I. I just sort of blanked out there.
A
It happens.
E
How's the old man?
A
Not great, Jimbo. He's not great.
E
He'll pull through, don't you think?
A
I don't know this time.
E
Well, may I?
A
Yeah, of course.
E
Hey, you old bastard. Need you to hang in there a little longer for me. You still owe me $50 on that dodges game. Never bet against the sacks man, Only break your heart. Now, what can I say? I'm a romantic.
A
What the hell's going on out there? Jim saw the cavalry come rolling in.
E
Oh, you will not believe this. So that guy that attacked you. Bachman?
A
Yeah.
D
Yeah.
E
Well, he. Well, he didn't make it.
A
I heard on the news. How do you feel about that, Jimbo?
E
You know, it's.
A
It's.
E
You do things in the line of duty, you know? Don't worry about me, Corinne. They'll send me right to the shrink tomorrow anyway. Bachmann. At some point this afternoon, someone walked into the morgue, snapped the mortician's neck.
A
What?
E
I know it's insane, but that's not the weirdest part.
A
That's not the weirdest part?
E
Corrine. Someone pulled out Bachmann's body and, well, they cut the hot out of it.
A
What?
E
Yeah. Left it on the table with a scalpel sticking in it. In the mafia, that's a wanton.
A
You think this is mafia?
E
The hell do I know? My last big case was about who was stealing cheese from Hannaford's, and we never caught the son of a bitch. You ever feel like this? Something big coming, Clouds gathering, Like. You know, like when Bob's knee hurts before storm?
A
I do.
E
Well, I got that feeling deep in my bones. Something's coming. Anyway, you. You should go home. Get some rest.
A
Yeah. All I've had today to eat is a Swiss cake roll, man.
E
Can't survive on Swiss cake alone, right?
A
Take care, Jimbo.
E
We'll pray for you both.
A
Thanks. Love to Barbara.
E
Bye now. Watch the skies.
A
You too. Dad. Dad. Oh, my God. Help. Help. I'm sorry. Sorry.
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Havoc Town was created by me, Aaron Manke. The show was written and directed by Nicholas Takosky. This episode was edited and sound designed by Jesse Funk. Starring Jules State as Corrine Abbas, James Callis as Jerry Havoc, Felicia Day as Sylvie Harris. Crystal Lee as Damaris, Robin Bloodworth as Jimbo Horn, David Calhoun as Jonathan Abbas. With additional voice acting from Kenesha Johnson, Sasha Hatfield, David De Vries and Erin Manke. This season is directed by Nicholas Takosky with assistant directors Sarah Klein and Jake Diamond. Casting by Sunday Bowling, CSA and Meg Moorman, CSA production coordinator Wayna Calderon. Our theme song was created by Chris Childs executive producers Aaron Manke, Trevor Young and Matt Frederick, with supervising producer Rima El Kiali and producers Nomes Griffin and Jesse Funk. Havoc Town is set in the Bridgewater audio universe, which includes the hit fiction podcasts Bridgewater and Consumed. Learn more about both shows as well as havoc town@grimandmild.com and find more podcasts from iHeartRadio by visiting the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
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This is an iHeart podcast.
Podcast: Havoc Town (iHeartPodcasts)
Date: August 19, 2025
This gripping episode plunges Abbesstown (now Havoc Township) into chaos as a mysterious plague resurfaces, echoing a legendary vampire panic from two centuries ago. As townsfolk succumb to terrifying symptoms, including fever, blood vomiting, and violent mania, the story focuses on Corinne Abbess—descendant of the town’s famed vampire-hunting family—struggling to care for her ailing father and neighbors. Into this unrest strides Jury Havoc, the 14th scion of the powerful Havoc family, whose attempts at leadership and progress are met with suspicion. The episode deftly blends horror, dark humor, and human vulnerability as Corinne navigates fear, grief, and a deepening mystery.
Sylvie (Corinne’s friend/colleague) is saved by Jury Havoc during the previous chaos.
Jury formally introduces himself as the “14th scion to the Havoc empire, for whom our town is named” (05:05).
Quick-witted banter establishes their lineage and personalities:
"Tell me, you still out there every night digging up the dead?" — Jury Havoc (05:29)
"You still out there breaking labor laws in your factories?" — Corinne (05:34)
Jury acknowledges past mistakes:
"I've been trying very hard to get my house in order. The men who oversaw those labor violations ... they've been terminated. I'm trying to do better than we've done in the past." (06:17)
Corinne confirms her family “gave up the vampire hunting business a couple years back ... It was dead anyway.” (06:44)
Corinne meets Jimbo, a kindly law officer and family friend. He has been bitten during the Bachman incident, his arm is swollen and infected, and he becomes aggressive and physically sick.
He collapses and is rushed for treatment, with noticeable symptoms of the mysterious illness (violent temper, fever, nosebleeds):
"I'm an officer of the God damn law." — Jimbo (11:33)
"Jimbo, your nose is bleeding." — Corinne (11:50)
Corinne reflects that Jimbo, “the sweetest man I’d ever met,” now seems possessed by something feral—hinting at a supernatural element.
Corinne on Life’s Sudden Upheaval:
"Normal life, tedious and lovely. And then one morning ... boom. Wolfman in your yard." (03:21)
Humorous but Dark Banter—Corinne & Jury:
"You still out there breaking labor laws in your factories?" — Corinne (05:34)
"Well, were." — Jury (05:02)
Legend and Decline: "We gave up the vampire hunting business a couple years back ... It was dead anyway." — Corinne (06:44)
Jimbo’s Foreboding Message:
"You ever feel like ... something big coming? Clouds gathering?" — Jimbo (25:47)
The episode mixes suspenseful horror with sardonic dark humor, channeling both existential dread and small-town resilience. Characters remain grounded and human even as circumstances spiral toward the supernatural, highlighting the psychological strain of besiegement—from both disease and forgotten legacies.
“Critical Conditions” escalates the supernatural-tinged crisis in Havoc Township, deepens the mystery surrounding the historic vampire panic, and grounds its horror in the daily heartbreak and gallows humor of its affected townsfolk. Old secrets, present calamity, and human connection intertwine—setting the stage for a reckoning with both the past and whatever darkness now stalks the town.