Redwood Bureau – “HIDER” (Phenomenon #0225)

Podcast: Redwood Bureau
Episode Title: “HIDER” - Redwood Bureau Phenomenon #0225
Date: December 2, 2021
Host/Narrator: Agent Conroy (voiced by Josh Tomar)
Format: Fictional horror, first-person survivor account, with “leaked” Bureau report analysis

Episode Overview

This chilling episode of Redwood Bureau, “HIDER,” delves into the nightmarish experience of Paul Murick, an unsuspecting suburbanite whose encounter with a monstrous creature—codenamed “Hider” (Phenomenon 0225)—results in a tragic and horrifying downfall for himself and his family. Agent Conroy, a rogue former Bureau operative, frames the episode as both an exposé of secretive, inhumane Redwood Bureau operations and a warning to listeners: unknown dangers are loosed upon the public in the name of supernatural research.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Introduction to Phenomenon 0225: The Hider (01:28 – 03:12)

• Agent Conroy summarizes the Bureau’s knowledge: Hider attacks begin with small, mysterious deaths in suburban America. These escalate rapidly, with the Bureau tracking 22 contained Hiders responsible for over 250 deaths nationwide, some linked to record local killing sprees.
• Attacks are indiscriminate, affecting both people and ecosystems. Their impact grows exponentially when they enter densely populated areas.
• Notable Quote (02:44, Agent Conroy):
  "When these entities find their way to larger populations, their lethality quickly becomes apparent. But these creatures were not just finding their way to communities."

The Survivor’s Story – Paul Murick’s Account

Suburban Discomfort and the Inciting Incident (03:12 – 06:06)

• Paul Murick, a “new money” suburban family man, senses discomfort and separation from his wealthy neighbors.
• The inciting event: Paul’s wife Kira, from an upper-crust background, suggests they try eating “roadkill” via a new delivery app. Against Paul’s expectations, the company, Roadside Deliveries, delivers a freshly-killed deer to their door.
• The delivery itself is odd and unsettling: the driver admits Paul is his “first” customer.

Notable Quote (05:40, Kira):
"That’d be cruel," speaking on not killing wildlife herself, “there’s an app.”

A Peculiar Delivery & Domestic Dread (06:06 – 10:29)

• Paul reels from the incongruity of his cosmopolitan lifestyle and the primal act of butchering a deer.
• The deer, strung up in their backyard, begins behaving impossibly—its head appears to turn to face him, eyes staring, despite wind and physics.
• As Paul steels himself with whiskey, domestic responsibility, and unease overwhelm him.

The First Attack: Woody the Cat (10:29 – 15:17)

• Neighborhood stray Woody the Maine Coon causes a commotion; Paul thinks Woody is hunting the deer.
• Suddenly, a grotesque sequence unfolds:
  • Woody becomes ensnared by something inside the deer carcass, gets dragged in by “intestine or bowels,” and is devoured before Paul’s eyes.
  • The event is so surreal Paul questions his own sanity.

Notable Quote (14:08, Paul, internal monologue):
"It sounds insane, ridiculous even, but as he disappeared behind the gore, Woody looked back at me."

The Creature Revealed (16:18 – 18:41)

• The deer carcass ruptures, revealing the Hider—an immense, impossible monster with rib-like teeth, scimitar claws, multi-jointed limbs, and a sickly, shifting anatomy.
• The depiction emphasizes biological terror; Paul’s body recognizes it as an “apex predator.”
• Paul attempts to escape, suffering a deep wound on his shoulder.

Notable Quote (17:26, Paul):
"This thing was an apex predator, and my body recognized that on the food chain, I was below this thing by a country mile."

Chaos and Tragedy (18:41 – 23:30)

• Paul, injured, barricades himself in their detached garage as the Hider prowls outside. He contemplates rescue options and the terrifying reality that his family is still inside.
• As Paul makes a desperate run for the front, Kira, confused, opens the back door and is instantly attacked and killed by the creature.

Memorable Moment:
Paul hears the security chime; Kira’s scream cuts through the night, ending with “a moist thumping behind the building.” (23:22–23:30)

Aftermath and Unanswered Questions (23:42 – 27:13)

• Police and EMTs arrive; Paul is found holding Kira’s body, raving about monsters. Authorities note her wounds are unlike any domestic violence, with “ragged tears, deep furrows.”
• Roadside Deliveries cannot be traced—no records exist.
• Later, Paul is notified by the investigating detective that Kira’s body never made it to the morgue; the vehicle and medical staff transporting her disappeared, later found abandoned, her body grotesquely mutilated as if from within.

Notable Quote (26:57, Detective):
"I don't know how to tell you this... but your wife's body never arrived at the morgue."

Phenomenon Analysis & Bureau Malfeasance (28:20 – 31:19)

• Agent Conroy explains Hider biology and Bureau experiments:
  • Hiders possess extremely durable, intestine-like skin, can squeeze into small corpses, and shift their mass accordingly.
  • Their only bones are teeth (masquerading as ribs) and talons.
  • Nearly impossible to kill; impervious to gunfire and explosives, they are effectively immortal.
  • Hiders can kill and hide in everything from deer to domestic animals.
• The most chilling reveal:
  • The Roadside Deliveries company is a Redwood Bureau front, used to seed Hiders into society for research purposes.
  • The app appears only briefly, pushes to select devices, then self-deletes—leaving no trace.
  • Agent Conroy suspects the Bureau wants to test if Hiders deserve a "disastrous" threat level, regardless of civilian casualties.

Notable Quote (30:50, Agent Conroy):
"My best guess? They want to see if 0225 can earn the threat level of disastrous. It's simply a piece of their research which happens to place entire towns in jeopardy."

Final Warnings & Takeaways

• Agent Conroy: If you ever encounter an advertisement for Roadside Deliveries, do not engage. Leave the area if possible.
• The Bureau’s reckless approach puts entire communities at deadly risk, with Hiders representing one of the most lethal threats encountered.

Closing Quote (31:16, Agent Conroy):
"You must heed my warning. If you see an ad for Roadside Deliveries... ignore. In fact, consider leaving town."

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:44 | Agent Conroy | "When these entities find their way to larger populations, their lethality quickly becomes apparent." | | 05:40 | Kira Murick | "That’d be cruel," (re: not killing raccoons herself)—"There’s an app." | | 14:08 | Paul Murick (internal monologue) | "It sounds insane, ridiculous even, but as he disappeared behind the gore, Woody looked back at me." | | 17:26 | Paul Murick | "This thing was an apex predator, and my body recognized that on the food chain, I was below this thing by a country mile." | | 23:22–23:30 | Kira Murick / Paul Murick | [Kira calling outside, followed by her scream, cut short by a “moist thumping”] | | 26:57 | Detective (to Paul) | "I don't know how to tell you this... but your wife's body never arrived at the morgue." | | 30:50 | Agent Conroy | "My best guess? They want to see if 0225 can earn the threat level of disastrous..." | | 31:16 | Agent Conroy | "You must heed my warning. If you see an ad for Roadside Deliveries... ignore. In fact, consider leaving town." |

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Agent Conroy’s Opening & Report Context: 00:58 – 03:12
• Paul Murick’s Narrative (start): 03:12
• Roadkill Delivery Incident: 05:40 – 08:04
• First Supernatural Occurrence (deer’s behavior): 10:25 – 10:59
• Woody the Cat Disappearance: 13:44 – 15:17
• Hider Emerges: 16:18 – 18:41
• Kira’s Death: 23:22 – 23:30
• Police Arrive, Aftermath: 23:42 – 27:13
• Agent Conroy’s Hider Analysis & Bureau Motive: 28:20 – 31:19

Conclusion

This episode masterfully blends cosmic horror, suburban satire, harrowing loss, and government conspiracy into a taut, first-person narrative, capped by Agent Conroy’s damning exposé of Redwood Bureau. It warns that some monsters are not only real, but intentionally unleashed, and the true horror lies in the bureaucratic indifference to collateral damage. The “Hider” is a unique and terrifying entity—a haunting allegory for the unforeseen consequences of unchecked power and curiosity.

For listeners who haven’t tuned in: this episode serves as both an engrossing horror story and a sharp, cautionary tale about the horrors that lie beneath the mundane—and the organizations willing to risk everything to study them.