← Old Gods of Appalachia
Old Gods of Appalachia
Episode 74: The Good Shepherd
00:36:27
The days grow darker in Baker’s Gap as allies from different generations meet face to face.
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- [00:01]
Steve Schell
Well hey there family. Steve Schell from Old Gods of Appalachia here. If you're listening to one of the earlier episodes of our show, those before the beginning of season five, you may hear us talk about supporting the show through our Patreon. I'm just popping in to let you know that Patreon is going away. We just launched our very own subscription service, the Holler. The Holler is powered by Supercast, a platform built from the ground up for podcasters and their listeners. We think you're going to like it a lot. So if you'd like to support the show and enjoy ad free episodes, exclusive storylines and more, visit oldgodsofappalachia.com the Holler and join the family today. You can find that link in the show Notes of Every episode Acast Powers the World's Best Podcasts Here's a show that we recommend.
- [01:02]
Jonathan Fields
It's the question that's on everyone's mind. How do you live a good life? How much do work, health, relationships matter? What about happiness meaning money and love? What if you're alone or anxious, ill or in pain? These are the questions we explore weekly on the top ranked Good Life Project podcast hosted by me, award winning author, four time industry founder and perpetual seeker Jonathan Fields. Every week I sit down with world renowned experts, iconic writers and researchers and while everyone from Olympic gold medalist to world shaking activists, a list celebs, musicians and more, all with a single goal to help understand what it truly takes to live a good life and to feel a little less alone along the way. Listen to the Good Life Project podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
- [01:48]
Steve Schell
ACAST helps creators launch, grow and monetize their podcasts everywhere. Acast.com Old gods of Appalachia is a horror anthology podcast and therefore may contain material not suitable for all audiences. So listener discretion is advised. Baker's Gap, Tennessee 1989 the woods that laid either side of Big Gap Road were just as dark and ominous as he feared. Bryce Adams sighed and shook his head as he and his girlfriend Crystal hiked up the the hill from the turn off the main road where they'd stashed her uncle's work van. Bryce had been here for three whole semesters and still wasn't used to what his parents in Nashville called the country life. He flunked out of Vanderbilt and after a boring year spent working in the mail room of his daddy's law office, found himself attending a small four year school in Tipton. It was the ass end of nowhere, but hell, the weed was good and he'd found a group of fellow weirdos who were obsessed with Lord of the Rings and Black Sabbath, as he was. Once he met Crystal, who was East Tennessee born and bred, the situation became downright tolerable. The woods, however, had never been a place that Bryce Adams felt truly comfortable. I mean, sure, he liked to get high and put on a cloak and go out in the trees and imagine he was a hobbit from time to time. And their D and D group had even gone on an overnight camping trip where they'd gotten dressed up and rolled dice around a fire that had been a blast. But this was different. This wasn't role playing, and they definitely weren't pretending to be Druids or Rangers. When Crystal introduced their small circle of friends to her Uncle Scotty, who she said practiced real magic like Aleister Crowley, shit, things had changed. His roommates, Franklin and Drew, dedicated stoners like himself, had read just about everything there was to read on Crowley and the golden dawn and all the freaky things they got up to. Being red blooded, mostly straight boys from the south, they were more than down for trading rolling dice to rolling around a campfire with witchy local girls in the name of a little sex magic. It was kind of weird to think that his girlfriend's uncle was the one organizing these parties, but he tried not to think about that too much. Scotty was pretty cool for an old dude, Bryce supposed. He kept them supplied with weed, and twice a week they gathered to his place out in Caney Holler to learn about occult masters like Crowley and Kenneth Grant, as well as some hillbilly shit their family had believed in for generations. According to Scotty, there was power to be had and all the trappings that came with it. Money, sex, a life of luxury and leisure. Brice would take any help he could get to obtain the latter. While his family came from old Nashville money, he'd always been sort of the black sheep of the family, at least in comparison to his brothers, one of whom had become a lawyer while the other was currently in med school at Bandy. Given Bryce's grades and a few unfortunate encounters with law enforcement, he imagined he might have maybe a couple years for his daddy cut him off entirely. Now, as the year wore on, the fireside, sexy times and shroom driven spirit quests had seen a significant decline. Crystal told him to be patient, that her uncle needed them to do other things now to open the path to their glorious future. Lately, however, those other things seem to mainly consist of doing weird shit to scare the locals. Scotty had them roam around the Gap in a weird mix of Goth makeup and their Middle Earth inspired garb to freak the mundanes, as he put it. In Scotty's words, the purpose of these shenanigans was to create a sense of unease in those set in their ways and let them see the dark future that lurks around the corner, give them a glimpse of what shall be after their kind has passed on from this world. Privately, Bryce thought it was horseshit, but it wouldn't do to voice that opinion to Crystal, who clearly idolized the man. Local news reports were full of far fetched stories about animal sacrifice and devil worship, and their group was partly to blame for that. Scotty had a habit of sending them out on their excursions into the woods with buckets of Kentucky Fried Chicken for the evening meal, after which they'd have a great old time chucking those bones into the fire and getting up to the devil's business with their lady friends. A few imaginative park rangers who discovered fire pits full of blackened bones in the state forest had run to the local media with tales of Satanists stalking the woods of East Tennessee, and that's all it took to get the rumor mill churning. It wasn't like they were hurting anybody, Ross told himself. It was just a little harmless fun to stir up the energy for the rituals Scotty had promised to teach them. When the time was right. Scotty had started inviting them out to an old barn on Peter's Branch where there were older people in attendance, folks cut from a different cloth than Bryce and his college buddies. These were not the philosophy majors and trust fund babies that Crystal had recruited into the fold as spooky window dressing, but rather the teeth and claws of a cult, though no one would ever use that word. The men were hard. Most of them looked like they'd spent time in jail, with their craggy faces, haunted eyes, and weathered skin covered in the faded newsprint of old stick and poke tattoos. He saw how they sneered at him and the other boys in their makeup and costumes when they came by the barn after a night on the town, as Scotty liked to call their little escapades. The women were different. They ranged from timid little shadows who looked at Scotty like he was Jesus Christ himself, to the Marlboro throated biker queens who would just as soon spill your guts with a switchblade as look at you. Bryce's friends learned quickly that the younger women in the group were off limits to them, that they risked the wrath of those vicious mother hens by even starting a conversation with one of the girls near their age. Scotty seemed different at the barn gatherings, too. Less like Crystal's cool uncle and more like some sort of preacher or motivational speaker. He'd go on and on about how the world had wronged people like them and how there was a way to tear it down and those who had built empires on their backs. He'd ramble for hours about folks that were long dead and how close they'd come back. Then the world was ripe for the picking and the door was open. But the faithful had lost their nerve at the last minute. And those with the real power. Oh, the secret power they had to take back had swooped in and slammed the door shut in their faces. Scotty had asked for their solemn pledge to never let that happen again. And Bryce and everybody else in that old barn had been so fired up by the tall man's passionate diatribe, they'd sworn that oath without question. Question. After that, Bryce and his friends weren't invited back to the barn meetings. Instead, they met with Scotty at his trailer in Cany Holler, where he told them what happened out at the barn was no longer their concern. He had a special purpose in mind for them, and each of them had a role to play. They hadn't even questioned it. The atmosphere over at the barn ventured a little too close to church services for their tastes anyway. Franklin had also privately shared his suspicion with Bryce that Scotty was running heavier dope out there and didn't want Crystal getting into anything harder than weed. So they progressed from weirding people out in the parking lot of the Piggly Wiggly to knocking on door asking creepy questions. They didn't quite understand the point of those, but they followed the script and acted the part, per Scotty's direction. Next he had them sneaking around abandoned houses, digging up dirt from their yards. They almost got shot at a time or two. And while it had been scary as hell, it had also been a rush. Every time they completed one of Scotty's assignments, Bryce could could feel things changing, could feel himself changing. He wouldn't have dared to do half the things he'd done at the urging of Scotty Blankenship before he come to Johnson County. But now, oh, he felt bold and strong at times. He felt like he could do anything. And why not? No one was stopping him. People. People were scared of him. And there was power in that. Just like Scotty had promised. So here they were, about to take on the most dangerous and illegal mission. Crystal's uncle had ever tasked them with, and Bryce was close to shitting his pains. When Scotty had sent him to watch the funeral home, he hadn't thought much of it. He figured it was just another way to fuck with the normies. And when Scotty told him to dress down jeans and T shirts only, he'd been surprised but not really concerned. When Crystal had produced a manila envelope containing photos of two men, a woman, and their license plates, well, he started to get nervous. The pictures of the folks they were sent to watch had been Xeroxed from old newspaper articles. In one, an older woman with short gray hair smiled out from a staff photo attached to a brief item announcing her retirement from the local school system. In the next clipping, the men, one middle aged and the other clearly in Papaw territory, held up two massive muskies. The text documented their record catches in a father son fishing tournament at Douglas Reservoir. There weren't any images of the younger man exiting the funeral home with them, who seemed unremarkable with perhaps the exception of his expensive looking black suit. Bryce and his girlfriend watched from the front seat of a brown work van Scotty had provided them. As the foursome prepared to leave the two men from the photo in a pickup truck and the retired teacher and young man in her car, Crystal began fiddling with the CB radio, which she told him they would use to let the folks back at the barn on Peter's Branch know that their targets were on the move. That's just how she put it, like they were in a James Bond movie or something, which had only increased Bryce's anxiety. Still, he put the van in gear and followed the two vehicles out to Big Gap Road at a careful distance. The instructions issued over the CB next came directly from Scotty himself. Breaker, breaker, this is Bo Peep. Good shepherd, you got your ears on? There was a moment's silence before Scotty Blankenship's voice slithered out of the speaker mounted by the kick panel. Well clear. Bo peep, what's your 20? Over. We're on our way to the church picnic, Good Shepherd. Y'all need anything? Over. We're all good on our end, Bo Peep. Got the rest of the flock and all the picnic soup lines in order now. I heard there might be a wreck out that way. Should you see anybody needing help, you do the Christian thing and offer them a ride, why don't you? Sun's going down. Nobody needs to get hurt finding their way home in the dark, now do they? Over. Heard that Good shepherd will do See y'all soon. Over and out. Bryce swallowed hard and took a steadying breath as he drove. He was thankful they were only expected to act as backup for this particular task. Their job was to slip onto the north end of the property, pitch a tent, and start a campfire so they looked like nothing more than a couple of college kids camping out. The spot Scotty had directed them to was far enough out in the woods surrounding the house that they could plead ignorance to trespassing if discovered and move on. The others would knock on the door of the tall house on the hill, but instead of asking questions, their assignment was to bring the man designated as their new hope back to Scotty's place to hear his particular brand of the good news. If anybody made a break for it through the woods behind the house, well, they'd run right into a nice, normal looking pair of campers, the kind of folks who'd be happy to give somebody running for their lives a ride back to town. They'd get in the van and then they'd be off to the barn on Peter's branch. All the same, Bryce had just finished laying in the wood for the campfire when he got the feeling they were being watched. Dark was coming on fast and the woods around him were rapidly disappearing behind a curtain of encroaching gloom as the setting sun withdrew its golden light. He shook his head as if to clear it and peered into the deepening shadows. Oh, he was just being paranoid. He knew he shouldn't have smoked before coming up here. He needed to get this fire going, for it was too dark to see what he was doing. There was a gas can back in the van. Wasn't the safest way to light a campfire, but he was in a hurry. He had turned to head back down the hill to fetch it when the unmistakable sound of a shotgun being racked stopped him in his tracks. You stop right there, young feller. You got about five seconds to tell me what you're doing on the walker's land, so talk fast.
- [17:01]
Cody Blevins
When the walls close in and the light gets swallowed and there ain't no place that feels like home the ones you love turn into strangers and you cast your eyes through the winding road Keep your foot on the gas, your eyes straightforward clear your heart and mind best leave them ghost behind. When the hearth grows cold and home is nowhere Then you might as well when darkness calls, run like.
- [18:14]
Steve Schell
Company. What do you mean? We're expecting company. Archie Stallard went to the front window and peered down into the driveway. I don't see nobody coming down the drive and there ain't nobody pulled up out there.
- [18:26]
Cowboy Absher
Ms. Bell, Ms. Marcy always said the wards around the Walker house are some of the strongest there are, that nobody meaning harm could even come onto the property without y'all being able to stop them. If trouble does come, they should keep us safe, right?
- [18:40]
Steve Schell
Belle shook her head. Wards have to be fed and charged regularly, and I just moved in here last year. This place sat unoccupied for almost five years. Ellie couldn't bear to come to the house for a long time, so she wasn't keeping up with them. And Will, to be honest, wards were always Marcy's specialty. And in any case, nobody has needed the kind of protection this place used to offer in a in a long time, so we just kind of let them go. Are y'all talking about some kind of security system? Like y'all got trip wires and alarms out there on the property or something?
- [19:20]
Cowboy Absher
Sort of arch? There's not a lot of time to.
- [19:23]
Steve Schell
Explain the wards I can keep up with. Just let me know if someone's arrived or if there's something big like a bear passing through. We've not had to deal with the sort of things we had to back then in a long time. So if any of Archie's weirdos come knocking, I guess we'll just have to meet them at the door and ask them what they want. Archie Stallard turned from the window with a slightly sour look on his face. Oh, y'all are talking about that kind of thing. Ms. Bell, you mean to tell me you're wrapped up in all this strange and dangerous stuff, too? This stuff, as you call it. Archie Stallard is in my blood. Marcy and Ellie Walker are my aunts. My whole life is spent wrapped up in things that are strange and dangerous in some way or another. Before Archie could respond, the distinct sound of a shotgun blast rang out from the woods behind the house. All three of them started and stared toward the backyard. Cowboy scowled and closed his eyes as if he were listening to something that neither Ms. Belle nor Archie could hear. Kid, are you okay? But Cowboy had risen to his feet and was pulling his coat on.
- [20:37]
Cowboy Absher
Y'all stay here and lock the doors. I'm gonna see what's going on.
- [20:42]
Steve Schell
You're gonna run toward gunfire? Kid, I know you think you can't die, and hell, maybe you can't, but that's just stupid. That might not have had anything to do with anything we've been talking about. Could just be hunters, or I guess poachers if they're on Ms. Bell's land. Best thing we can do is call the sheriff. As if to put the lie to Archie's suggestion, two smaller caliber rounds echoed in the distance, and the shotgun rolled again. Unless the deer had learned to shoot back, it was not hunters. The young man shook his head.
- [21:14]
Cowboy Absher
I'm just going to take a look around. I'll be right back.
- [21:18]
Steve Schell
With that, Cowboy Absher bolted through the kitchen door, heading toward the woods that bordered the north side of the Walker property. Although he had spent his time in Baker's Gap, on the other side of town or down by the reservoir, Cowboy felt a comforting sense of familiarity here. The crunch of leaves underfoot and the rustle of small critters in the underbrush had formed the chorus of his childhood. He could smell the creek that round its way down the east side of the property, and there was a purity and clarity to the scent that took him back to being a boy, following his big brother and his friends through the woods to whatever adventure awaited them. When the trail broke at the edge of a small clearing in the trees, Cowboy's feet came to such a sudden stop that he almost stumbled, his thoughts of adventure's past colliding with the present scene before him. For a moment he had the disconcerting sense he had stepped into a frame from one of his old buddy Shane's Adventure car comics. A man was stretched flat on his belly on the ground, groaning in pain. A young woman, pretty except for her bloodied nose, lay across from him, clearly unconscious and snoring softly. Oddly enough, however, it was the third figure in the clearing that had stopped him cold. The man who stood over the two sprawled bodies on the ground was enormous. Cowboys adopted Daddy Junebug Absher, who was not a small man himself, would have classified this feller somewhere between a hoss and one big son. Bitch. He was at least 6 foot 4 and thick as a tractor tire. He sported a bushy beard and wore a trucker cap emblazoned with the words Blevins Towing and service. In his hands he held a double barreled shotgun. Cowboy thought if this were a panel out of a comic book, there'd be wavy lines of smoke curling from the twin barrels. His face instinctively split into a grin as recognition dawned. But no, it couldn't be, could it?
- [23:32]
Cowboy Absher
Mr. Mr. Blevins?
- [23:34]
Steve Schell
The man turned casually, though he nevertheless kept the shotgun leveled in Cowboy's direction. That's my name. Don't wear it out. I wouldn't come any closer there, son. We've had enough excitement out here this evening. If you're with these two, I suggest you just have a seat before you end up in a similar situation. Cowboy raised his hands and ventured another step closer. He gazed up at the big man in confusion, realizing his mistake. No, of course it wasn't his. Mr. Blevins would be well over a hundred years old and this man didn't appear to be 35. His thick beard was a deep russet red, not yet bearing even a hint of silver. He was dressed in camo hunting pants and combat boots and an army surplus jacket stretched over his muscular shoulders.
- [24:29]
Cowboy Absher
I'm sorry, sir. I mistook you for somebody else. I'm not with them. I'm a friend of Ms. Bell.
- [24:37]
Steve Schell
The big man spat tobacco juice out of the corner of his mouth and narrowed his eyes at Cowboy. Ms. Bell, is she okay? I know she was going to osprins tonight for Mr. Absher's visitation.
- [24:50]
Cowboy Absher
She's fine.
- [24:51]
Steve Schell
I.
- [24:52]
Cowboy Absher
Well, you probably won't believe this, but Floyd Absher was my brother. My name's Caleb, but they call me Cowboy. Cowboy Absher.
- [25:02]
Steve Schell
For a moment the man who said his name was Blevins scowled. A cowboy son. I don't know what kind of fool you take me for, but ain't no way Mr. Absher could have a brother that much younger than Wait. Blevins expression cleared as understanding dawned in his eyes. You. Wait just a minute. You're him, ain't you? Huh? Well I'll be God damned. I thought you'd still be a kid if you ever come back.
- [25:32]
Cowboy Absher
What do you mean I'm him? No, never mind that.
- [25:38]
Steve Schell
Cowboy gestured at the man's hat.
- [25:41]
Cowboy Absher
You said your name was Blevins. I'm guessing you're a kin to Melvin Blevins. He was a big feller too.
- [25:48]
Steve Schell
The bearded man's face cracked into a grin. Huh. I'm Cody Blevins. Melvin was my great papaw. Never got to meet him though. Died before I was born.
- [25:59]
Cowboy Absher
When I was little he took care of me and a bunch of other folks. When I saw you standing there with your shotgun, for a minute I thought I'd seen a ghost. I swear just looking at you. You're Melvin. Made over.
- [26:15]
Steve Schell
Yep. So I've heard. My papaw and daddy raised me on Papa obvious stories about haints and ghosts and slick talking men from the company who ain't actually men at all. Mama Oblovin's collected a bunch of stories over the years and passed them down. When I was little I thought they was just meant to scare me enough to stay out of the weeds and mind my mommy and daddy. I know better now. It ain't quite like it was back in them days, but I've seen enough out of here to know a lot of those stories were likely true. Cody Blevins looked Cowboy up and down, nodding a little as if confirming his previous statement regarding who Cowboy was, even the one about the boy who couldn't grow up or die. Looks like you grew up a little, though.
- [26:59]
Cowboy Absher
Yes, sir, I have. Your great granddaddy had a part in that. He drove me out to see the lady who helped me with with some of what was wrong.
- [27:10]
Steve Schell
Cody Blevins, whose nearest and dearest just called him Bear, grinned even wider. Wait, my daddy told her you almost brought down half the mountain when something tried to hurt you and Papa Blevins?
- [27:22]
Cowboy Absher
Something like that. Cody, would you mind putting that thing somewhere else?
- [27:27]
Steve Schell
Cody glanced down at the shotgun as if he'd almost forgotten it. With an abashed grin, he lifted the weapon in his hands, propping the barrel over one shoulder. Oh, sorry about that.
- [27:37]
Cowboy Absher
What's going on out here? We heard shots and Ms. Bell said the wards told her somebody was out this way. I'm assuming you know what those are.
- [27:47]
Steve Schell
Cody Blevins nodded and fished around under his shirt, pulling out a charm bag that he had pinned to an old pair of dog tags. He smiled and let the protective trinket fall over his shirt. Yeah, I know a little bit. I live a little ways over by the south end of the creek. Our families looked after the house and the walkers for a long time. Ms. Marcy was like family to us. Ms. Ellie, too, of course. But Ms. Marcy was like my third mama. The place ain't the same without her, and more ways than one. Those wards ain't much more than a doorbell these days. As for what's going on, I spotted these two sneaking onto the property a little while ago and decided to see what they were up to. Been all kinds of strangers out here playing dress up lately. Some of them are harmless. Just college kids, you know. Others we've been watching for a while on account of who their people are.
- [28:37]
Cowboy Absher
Who their people are?
- [28:40]
Steve Schell
Mm. So there are people like my family and yours who know something about what's going on out there in the dark. And most folks don't, right? Cowboy nodded in understanding. Then there's people out there in the dark doing the things they don't want nobody noticing. Just like our practices have been passed down through the years, so have theirs. We watch them, make sure they don't get up to anything. Might hurt anybody. That girl over there is from a family that's been dabbling with the dark since. Well, since your day, old timer. I found their van down by the road and had a look inside. Rope, duct tape, pillowcases, zip ties. All inside a van with no back windows.
- [29:24]
Cowboy Absher
Cause that's not suspicious at all, right?
- [29:28]
Steve Schell
So I watched. When I'd seen enough, I decided to ask some questions. I got the drop on pretty boy over there. The man on the ground groaned again and his girlfriend snuck up on me with the.22 and got off a couple shots before it jammed. Turns out she can't hit the broadside of a barn, which is lucky for me because that's. That's about my size. He tried to grab my shotgun. She tried to jump on my back so I threw an elbow back. Knocked her silly. The brave man here tried to run so I dusted the ground at his feet. A little shot just grazed the back of his legs. Just bird shot. Hurts like hell I imagine, but he'll be alright. I was about to start questioning the kid, but you showing up here answers more than a few of those.
- [30:12]
Cowboy Absher
It may answer some for you, but not nearly enough for me.
- [30:16]
Steve Schell
Cody Blevins nodded, smiling grimly as he strode over to the young man laying prone on the ground. He lowered the shotgun from his shoulder, aiming down at the kid as he nudged him with one booted foot. Wakey wakey kiddo. It's time we had a little chat. The kid groaned, blinking with apparent confusion as he opened his eyes. One look down the barrel of Cody's weapon swept the cobwebs from his mind as efficiently as any dust mob, injured leg notwithstanding. He started to scrabble away, doing a half assed crab walk backwards on his hands and one foot, and Cody tightened his finger on the trigger in response. You stay right there, son. Jesus fucking Christ, man. You. You shot me. Oh, don't be a baby. I just grazed you. Stings like a son, bitch, I bet. But you'll be fine. What are you gonna do? Kill me? You can't just.
- [31:17]
Cowboy Absher
No, of course not.
- [31:19]
Steve Schell
Cowboy sunk down on his haunches by Cody's side, bringing himself closer to the boy's level, and the kid seemed to register his presence for the first time.
- [31:29]
Cowboy Absher
At least not as long as you answer our questions anyway.
- [31:34]
Steve Schell
The boy's gaze, wide with panic, bounced back and forth between the two men like a ping pong ball. He licked his lips. Okay, what do you want to know? Well, let's just Start with who the hell you are. What's your name, son? Bryce. Bryce Adams. Cody nodded toward the unconscious girl laying nearby. What about her? Crystal. Crystal Blankenship. Okay, brats, you mind telling me what you two chuckle are doing on Ms. Bell's land? I we. We was just camping. I we didn't know it was private land. We thought this was National Forest. We. We we.
- [32:19]
Cowboy Absher
That's a lie.
- [32:20]
Steve Schell
Cowboy's head had dropped to one side as he contemplated the boy, absorbing the words, tasting their flavor on the palate of his mind. When Cody glanced down at him, he saw that the young man, the black suit's eyes had gone a bit unfocused, but his voice was steady and certain.
- [32:42]
Cowboy Absher
Oh yeah, he told the truth about their names, but not their purpose here.
- [32:47]
Steve Schell
Cody turned back to Bryce. Alright, son, You've got to the count of three to cut the bullshit and start telling the truth. 1. 2.
- [32:55]
Jonathan Fields
3.
- [32:55]
Steve Schell
Alright, alright. We knew. We knew whose land it was. We were shit. We were sent here to bring the old lady and and. Bryce glanced nervously at Cowboy, seeming almost more afraid of him than the shotgun and him back to Scotty. Who the hell's Scotty? Crystal's uncle. Scotty Blankenship. He just wants to talk to him, that's all. Nobody means any harm, I swear. Nobody's gonna get hurt. Cody Blevins laid the shotgun across his shoulder and knelt down by Cowboy, peering into the young man's eyes, his expression grim. He reached into the back of his waistband and produced a pistol, which he held up for Bryce's inspection. Tell me this, son, if nobody's supposed to get hurt, what was your little girlfriend here doing with this? Brice licked his lips nervously and swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. I didn't know anything about that. She did not tell me. Cody glanced over at Cowboy, who nodded inside.
- [34:01]
Cowboy Absher
I'm willing to bet there's a whole lot of things she didn't tell you, Bryce.
- [34:05]
Steve Schell
Turning away from the kid, Cowboy turned back to Cody and rose to his feet.
- [34:11]
Cowboy Absher
We've got to get back to the house and check on Ms. Bell.
- [34:13]
Steve Schell
You go on ahead. I'll deal with these two. Bring him up to the house. We can figure out what the hell's going on here. Cowboy nodded and took off down the trail behind him, his feet pounding the brush as he retraced his steps through the woods, all thoughts of his friends and the halcyon days of you spent in the woods behind him. Now there was only the present and the urgent need to get back to Archie and Ms. Belle to ensure that they were safe. He had no idea what all this was about just yet. He felt like he was trying to put together a puzzle that was missing half the pieces. But there would be plenty of time to question Bryce Adams and his girlfriend later. As he broke the edge of the tree line and jogged into Bell's backyard, Cowboy heard the distant sound of tires crunching gravel. It sounded like a car at the end of the walker's long driveway. He picked up his pace, racing through the back door and into the kitchen, and from the parlor he heard the sound of a low groan.
- [35:06]
Cowboy Absher
Ms. Bell?
- [35:07]
Steve Schell
Archie. Cowboy's dress shoes skidded on the polished floors as he sprinted into the front room, and he had to catch himself on the door frame. The front door hung open, the night breeze stirring the curtains that hung from the windows to either side. Through it he could see the distant red glow of tail lights disappearing down the road. Archie Stallard lay crumbled on the hardwood nearby, the silver hair at his temple stained crimson with blood. The room was otherwise empty. Cowboy rushed to his friend's side.
- [35:46]
Cowboy Absher
Archie. Archie.
- [35:48]
Steve Schell
He pressed his hand to the side of Archie's neck and felt the pulse there, pounding strong. Archie groaned, his eyes fluttering. They took her kid. They. They took Ms. Bell. There is a curse upon my every waking breath and I cannot escape the darkness. Well, hey there, family. Looks like we've gone and done it again. Left y'all hanging by your fingernails on the edge of that cliff. Can't stop, won't stop. Y'all are just gonna have to come back and see what happens when Old Cowboy seeks to settle the score with Scotty Blankenship and Mother folks up on Peter's branch. And we want to thank y'all for all the kind words we've been seeing all over the place regarding Season five. We appreciate that so many of you have completed your social media ritual, following us on all the appropriate platforms as listed over at old gods of appalachia.com where you can also find a link to the Discord server and our brand new subscription service, the Holler. There are hours and hours of exclusive content and other goodies for those of you who cast your lot with us over in the Holler. Head over to oldgodsofappalachia.com theholler for more details. And this is your yes, Melvin2 we thought about it, but he was older than Marcy Reminder that Old Gods of Appalachia is a production of Deep Nerd Media distributed by Rusty Quill. Our theme song is by Brother Land and Blood and our outro music is by those poor bastards. Today's story was written by Steve Shell and Cam Collins and the voice of Cowboy Absher is Brandon Bentley. Talk to you soon family. Talk to you Real God Escape. It's time my GR to go and find another I love my whole Majesty ACAST powers the World's Best Podcasts Here's a show that we recommend.
- [38:36]
Jonathan Fields
It's the question that's on everyone's mind. How do you live a good life? How much do work, health, relationships matter? What about happiness meaning money and love? What if you're alone or anxious, ill or in pain? These are the questions we explore weekly on the top ranked Good Life Project podcast hosted by me, award winning author, four time industry founder and perpetual seeker Jonathan Fields. Every week I sit down with world renowned experts, iconic writers and researchers and while everyone from Olympic gold medalists to world shaking activists, a list celebs, musicians and more. All with a single goal to help understand what it truly takes to live a good life and to feel a little less alone along the way. Listen to the Good Life Project podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
- [39:21]
Steve Schell
ACAST helps creators launch, grow and monetize their podcasts everywhere. Acast. Com.