Havoc Town: Episode 8 | “A Terrible Thirst”

Podcast: Havoc Town
Host: iHeartPodcasts / Aaron Manke, Grim & Mild
Air date: September 30, 2025

Episode Overview

“A Terrible Thirst” plunges listeners into the heart of Abbesstown, New Hampshire, as a modern-day plague mirroring a 200-year-old “vampire panic” returns. The episode focuses on Corinne Avis’ bewildering encounter with Jimbo Horn—recently deceased and newly reanimated—as she’s forced to confront the terrifying reality of the sickness ravaging her town. Old secrets and bloodlines intertwine as Corinne, carrying the legacy of the infamous Abbess family, finds herself at the center of a supernatural crisis.

Key Discussion Points & Story Beats

1. A Disturbing Resurrection ([02:27]–[07:12])

• Barbara Horne receives a call from the morgue: her deceased husband Jimbo’s body is missing, leaving her confused and upset.
• Corinne encounters Jimbo on her porch. He appears outwardly normal, but Corinne is deeply unsettled by something in his eyes and demeanor.
  • “His normal face with his normal smile...but it was the eyes. There was something in the eyes. Something off that I couldn't quite place. Something that set every nerve in my body on edge.” – Corinne ([04:33])
• Despite her horror and confusion, Corinne invites Jimbo inside, struggling between fear and ingrained politeness.

2. Jimbo’s Horrific Return & Confession ([07:12]–[16:34])

• Jimbo recounts his “death”:
  • Succumbs to the mysterious sickness, suffers violent impulses, dies, and then experiences an afterlife vision that’s abruptly cut off, replaced by overwhelming isolation and an insatiable thirst.
  • “There is a light. Like everyone says...It was warm. It was beautiful. Everything they tell you. All of it...And then it was extinguished. And all of the warmth and goodness went with it. And I was alone in this icy darkness.” – Jimbo ([08:39])
  • Awakens in the morgue, driven by thirst, attacks and kills a hospital worker to feed.
  • Describes the vampiric thirst: “The thirst, Corinne. When it takes you, it takes all of you. Replaces every impulse you have and makes you a starving animal. Makes you insane.” – Jimbo ([13:26])
• Jimbo escapes the hospital, marveling at newfound abilities—heightened senses, endurance, but always shadowed by the looming hunger.

3. The Homecoming and Near-Tragedy ([16:34]–[23:26])

• Jimbo returns home; Barbara is shocked but embraces him, attributing his coldness and changed manner to the ordeal.
• Jimbo is increasingly tempted to harm Barbara, the narrative showing his internal struggle:
  • “There was a moment there when old Jimbo came rushing back into my head. Get away, he said. You love her, Bob. Bob, I think.” – Jimbo ([21:32])
• Despite his efforts, Jimbo succumbs—feeding on Barbara before fleeing, barely able to restrain himself.

4. Corinne Is Forced to Act ([25:33]–[26:31])

• Back in the present, Corinne interrogates Jimbo about Barbara’s fate.
  • “Did you kill Barbara?” – Corinne ([25:33])
  • “No. But I came awful close.” – Jimbo ([25:38])
• The confrontation becomes violent; Jimbo attempts to attack Corinne, but she instinctively uses a sainted wooden stake—Josiah's relic—to kill him.
  • “Jim Horn lunged at me...then he backed away, clutching a sucking hole in the center of his chest. Dark blood gushing out...It was then that I felt it in my hand, warm and sure. Josiah's wooden St.” – Corinne ([26:31])

5. A Family Legacy and New Threats ([28:03]–[31:48])

• Marie (a friend/nurse) arrives to check on Corinne, finds the aftermath, and delivers a cryptic message.
  • The street preacher, Brother Ken McLean, another victim, has reanimated—chained and reciting Bible verses, specifically naming Corinne.
    • “He said you’d know what to do, that it was in your blood.” – Marie ([30:24])
    • “He said your family killed vampires.” – Marie ([30:33])
• Marie urges Corinne to leave Abbesstown, warning of worsening contagion and government intervention:
  • “There will be more death, Corinne. And the response to it by the government will be swift and will absolutely make it worse. This place, it's getting ready to burn.” – Marie ([31:48])
• Corinne flees—the obvious path is safety, but she chooses instead to confront the threat, “turning right” into the unknown.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jimbo’s Existential Horror:
  • “I was no longer James or Jim or Jimmy or Jimbo. I was no one's son, no one's husband. When I looked in the mirror, I couldn't see any trace of him. Just clothes...hanging on this new body, someone different, looking out the eyes and examining himself. And Corinne, I was so thirsty.” – Jimbo ([18:31])
• Corinne’s Realization:
  • “It's truly incredible how quickly the numbness sets in when your world is altered beyond belief. The loss of a loved one, being laid off from a lifelong job, finding out that vampires are real and then killing one in the same instant.” – Corinne ([26:31])
• Family Destiny:
  • “He said your family killed vampires. Okay, sorry. That is absolutely not funny, given the circumstances.” – Marie ([30:33])
• A Choice to Fight:
  • “When I came back, everything would be under control. At least that's what should have happened with a simple left turn, a quiet exit safety...Which is why I turned right.” – Corinne ([33:52])

Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:27 | Barbara receives news of Jimbo’s missing body | | 04:33 | Corinne’s eerie meeting with the resurrected Jimbo | | 07:12 | Jimbo’s account of dying, his experience “beyond,” and awakening in the morgue | | 13:26 | Chilling description of vampiric thirst | | 18:31 | Jimbo’s return home and existential crisis | | 21:32 | Jimbo’s struggle to resist harming Barbara | | 23:26 | Jimbo attacks Barbara, flees | | 25:33 | Corinne confronts Jimbo; Jimbo’s attack, and Corinne staking him | | 28:03 | Marie arrives, assesses Corinne, and relays Brother Ken’s message | | 30:33 | Reveal of Abbess family vampire-killing legacy | | 31:48 | Marie urges Corinne to flee town as threat escalates | | 33:52 | Corinne drives away, determined to face events rather than escape |

Tone & Atmosphere

The storytelling remains steeped in dread, uncertainty, and the weary resilience of characters who are forced to confront the unthinkable. The dialogue is personal, raw, and suffused with New England stoicism and gallows humor—anchoring the supernatural in a real, lived-in world.

Final Thoughts

“A Terrible Thirst” melds small-town drama, the supernatural, and family legacy in an episode packed with emotional confrontations and chilling horror. Corinne steps reluctantly but resolutely into her role as the inheritor of her town’s dark history, setting the stage for escalating conflict as the vampire threat spreads and old secrets resurface.