The Gentleman From Hell |S1| Ep. 40

Rusty Quill presents

Good evening, gentlemen and gentle ladies of hell.

First and foremost, thank you for tuning in.

Your support keeps the flames of the gentleman from hell burning bright.

If you're enjoying your descent into the infernal depths of our world and want to dive even deeper, consider supporting us on Patreon.

There, you'll unlock exclusive content, including original art from Mark Angelon, housed in the legendary Gallery of the Damned, deep lore and world-building treasures within the memorabilia of the House of Sparrows, and coming soon, the Testimonies of the Damned, a Patreon-exclusive audio series that expands the twisted mythology of the gentleman from hell.

Plus, fans of the wider Meltopia universe will uncover a trove of exclusive lore, audio dramas, artwork, behind-the-scenes videos, and much more.

Ready to explore the deeper circles of horror?

Join us at www.patreon.com forward slash Meltopia Meltopia and embrace the darkness.

Popsicles, sprinklers, a cool breeze.

Talk about refreshing.

You know what else is refreshing this summer?

A brand new phone with Verizon.

Yep, get a new phone on any plan with Select Phone Trade-In and MyPlan.

And lock down a low price for three years on any plan with MyPlan.

This is a deal for everyone, whether you're a new or existing customer.

Swing by Verizon today for our best phone deals.

Three-year price guarantee applies to then-current base monthly rate only.

Additional terms and conditions apply for all offers.

Coach, the energy out there felt different.

What changed for the team today?

It was the new game day scratchers from the California Lottery.

Play is everything.

Those games sent the team's energy through the roof.

Are you saying it was the off-field play that made the difference on the field?

Hey, a little play makes your day, and today, it made the game.

That's all for now.

Coach, one more question.

Play the new Los Angeles Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, and Los Angeles Rams Scratchers from the California Lottery.

A little play can make your day.

Please play responsibly.

Must be 18 years or older to purchase play or claim.

Thumbtack presents Project Paralysis.

I was cornered.

Sweat gathered above my furrowed brow, and my mind was racing.

I wondered who would be left standing when the droplets fell.

Me or the clawed sink.

Drain cleaner and pipe snake clenched in my weary fist.

I stepped toward the sink and then...

Wait, why am I stressing?

I have Thumbtack.

I can easily search for a top-rated plumber in the Bay Area, read reviews, and compare prices, all on the app.

Thumbtack knows homes.

Download the app today.

Bombus makes the most comfortable socks, underwear, and t-shirts.

Warning.

Bombus are so absurdly comfortable, you may throw out all your other clothes.

Sorry, do we legally have to say that?

No, this is just how I talk, and I really love my bombas.

They do feel that good, and they do good, too.

One item purchased equals one item donated.

To feel good and do good, go to bombas.com and use code audio for 20% off your first purchase.

That's B-O-M-B-A-S.com and use code audio at checkout.

Race the runners!

Raise the sales!

Raise the sales!

Captain, an unidentified ship is approaching.

Over.

Roger, wait, is that an enterprise sales solution?

Reach sales professionals, not professional sailors.

With LinkedIn ads, you can target the right people by industry, job title, and more.

Start converting your B2B audience today.

Spend $250 on your first campaign and get a free $250 credit for the next one.

Get started today at linkedin.com/slash campaign.

Terms and conditions apply.

Your nonprofit's mission is big, but your team is small.

That's where Bontera's Network for Good comes in.

It's fundraising software built for organizations like yours.

No IT team required, just intuitive tools that help you reach more donors, grow support, and stay organized.

With dedicated guidance and proven strategies, you can focus on changing lives instead of chasing spreadsheets.

Big impact, less stress.

That's Bontera Network for Good.

Come on in.

I figured our one and only Latin translator might be able to use a bit of coffee, especially since said translator is always bringing me tea.

Thanks, Phil.

I don't know about the coffee, but I sure could use the caffeine.

Been a while since I slept, and reading Latin doesn't exactly keep the old eyes open.

I think all of us might be up for a world record for staying awake longer than any human should.

The good news, if you want to call it that, is I'm pretty sure I figured out why the priest was such an asset to the sparrows, and why the cult was combing through genealogy charts.

Oh, I'm not sure I want to know, but go ahead.

Here, listen to this.

On the mysteries of the blood and the creation of familiars.

The passage of infernal powers through blood is a matter of degrees.

Specific mortals who share with us a bloodline and contain an appropriate share of darkness may be utilized as our puppets.

One might feel this fact as truly as one detects one's extremities, and calling out such dupes a mere application of will.

However, take heed, the thinner the blood, the weaker the hold we might exercise.

So Gafni was telling the truth.

He really didn't have a choice.

That's why they were searching through genealogies.

They wanted to see who could be used as a familiar, a slave for the sparrows.

It could also explain all the influence influence these creatures seem to have, especially if some of them descend from royalty.

With so many powerful families linked to older ones, it makes a lot of sense.

I wonder what Edgar meant by an appropriate share of darkness.

I took that to mean a perspective familiar's intrinsic weakness.

Moral weakness, I mean.

He talks about it as if it were a function of biology, like a person is either born with some degree of darkness or they aren't.

So much for free will, I guess.

Leon, about what the priest said.

Uh, I'm alright, Phil.

Really?

Are you sure?

It's perfectly acceptable if you weren't.

I know I wasn't.

This might sound a little morbid, but I was kind of relieved by what she said.

I don't understand.

You were

relieved?

I left all that behind me a long time ago, and yes, it took a lot of counseling, but I'm on the other side of it now.

And the witch didn't know it.

That's what gave me a little bit of hope.

That she wasn't infallible, that she could fuck up.

Hmm, I could have sworn I said something to that effect a while ago.

You did.

But this was the first time I saw it for myself.

Felt it.

Some things just have to be appreciated directly, you know?

No offense taken.

But just for the record, I do occasionally know what I'm talking about.

Well, you're the only reason we've made it this far, and we all know it.

I'm not exactly sure just how far we've made it, but I'm glad you think so.

I'd say we've come a long way since we first got here.

For example, we finally know something about the sparrows, that their uncle was the one who taught them witchcraft, likely behind their mother's back.

We still don't know who the sparrow's father was, where the name originated.

I can't help but wonder where he fits into all of this.

I think I've got a pretty good idea about what happened to him, if not who he was.

Call it an agent's intuition.

I'm listening.

It's pretty simple.

Given all we know, I'd say old Uncle Edgar wanted the Sparrow kids from the jump to secretly raise with his fucked-up beliefs.

So, as I see it, there was only one way to do that.

Kill Mr.

Sparrow, whoever the poor man happened to be.

Exactly.

And I'd bet the horned guy the villagers saw with the Sparrows that night they were discovered doing all kinds of weird witch shit was none other than Edgar, all dressed up for a night out with the devil, or, you know, whatever Satanists get up to with their little shindigs.

Well, I can see why you rose so quickly through the ranks of the FBI, ex-Special Agent Oates.

It's progress, but not enough to keep us from having to hole up here once the sun goes down.

Unfortunately, down is a direction we're getting all too used to, especially now.

Well, we recovered the drone, so we can at least see where the elevator goes without checking it out ourselves.

Not that we don't already already have a good idea.

Before we do any of that, I want to read the crystal I retrieved from it.

If there's even so much as a scintilla of useful information in there, it'll be worth the migraine it'll cost me.

I suppose it's useless at this point to ask you to wait and not overdo the vision thing, huh?

It is.

Well, in that case, we should head downstairs to see where things are at.

It shouldn't take that long to attach a speaker to a drone.

Okay, that's done it.

She's equipped with the chime and ready to go exploring.

I can't even imagine what she might show us.

Well, if we're lucky, it'll show us something we can use to our advantage.

And if we're not lucky,

we cut the cable to the elevator and call it a day.

Simple as that.

You know, there's a certain amount of charm to your straightforwardness that I've come to appreciate.

My mother always said the simplest answers tend to be the right ones.

Your father didn't happen to be William of Ockham, did he?

Who?

Never mind.

Just a little philosophy joke.

The only philosophy I really connected with was:

don't trust nothing that smiles too wide, moves too fast, or smells too sweet.

And if you want peace, go to church.

You want the truth?

Look under the floorboards.

I'd say this qualifies as looking under the floorboards.

Way under.

How far below this place do you figure the resonator can reach?

Well, we know that at 75% output, the field went to about the elevator.

Given all the mist we saw rolling out of it.

At max power, and depending on the strength of whatever resistance it might encounter, a conservative guess would put the edge of the field at maybe another 30 to 50 feet down.

If the rumors prove true, and what we think is down there,

then there's no telling what might happen.

But could be channeled through the drone, and what effects it might have on us.

We're going to watch from right next to the resonator, with both the portable units maxed out.

I mean,

we're going to be as safe as we can be.

Perfect timing.

The drone's ready to go.

We're just ironing out the last details.

Before we launch it, I want to get a read on that crystal I sent with it last time.

We need to know as much as we can before we start poking around beneath the mansion.

But didn't the drone only explore the tunnels beneath the cemetery?

It did, but someone, or something, clearly wanted to mislead us about what was going on down there.

Sure, that incident happened in a different spot, but these tunnels all seem connected.

Whatever's beneath the cemetery could just as easily be right into the mansion, too.

A little foresight before we start poking unknown horrors with a stick is probably a good idea.

Well, I guess we're ready whenever you are.

But if something starts to seem off, drop that crystal like a hot potato.

Agreed?

Agreed.

Now let's get on with things.

Would someone kindly bring me the small box over on that shelf and empty it here, right in front of me?

Just be careful not to touch the crystal as it slides out.

You got it.

Here you go.

It's best left untouched by one in all till I read it, lest it gets imprinted with information that it didn't acquire from the tunnels.

Anyway, I believe it's time to see what ended up on the cutting room floor.

Okay,

I'm seeing what the drone saw.

It's moving through the tunnels.

I...

I can hear it screaming below me, as if it's reaching up from a great depth.

Just like before,

when the drone initially began exploring.

It's entered the temple where all the paintings and statuary are.

And now it's passing the room where we found the box's files, but

what is it though?

Something.

Yes, something has taken hold of the drone.

Something invisible.

It's

it's dragging it through the tunnels farther and faster.

Are you okay?

I'm fine.

It's getting pulled straight down.

The screams, they're getting louder.

It's being dragged deeper.

There are things,

presences, hundreds of them, all around the drone.

I can barely see through all the screams.

They're so loud.

They're blinding.

The imagery's changed.

I'm not sure what's happening.

I think the drone is laying on the ground in the tunnel somewhere.

Phil, can you hear me?

I'm okay.

I...

I was just momentarily overwhelmed.

I'm far more thick-skinned than when all this began.

Did you see the same thing you saw the last time we were all down there?

Uh, yes and no.

It's hard to explain.

Uh, the best way I can describe it is that it felt like a storm.

An incoherent nightmare of pain and suffering.

Similar to last time, only less defined.

And the presences I felt desperate and hopeless.

There was something else, too.

I could feel it.

Pacing back and forth, impatient, waiting.

Waiting for us.

Hello?

Yes, and thank you so much for returning my call, Mr.

Keene.

I see.

Yes.

Thank you again.

Goodbye.

That was the Ingersol's lawyer.

He hasn't spoken to him for some time, and he has no idea where they might be.

Well, not to give up hope and change gears.

The sheer volume of data that this Dr.

Raglan sent you may more than make up for your missing hopefuls, provided any of it can be validated.

I've been combing over it most of the night, and she's laid out a very compelling case for a sizable conspiracy, if not the existence of people returned from hell.

That said,

Nicole Petrie was, like Ed Veers,

reported dead years ago.

And Martin Yarrows went missing only about six months before Raglan snapped his picture at that doomed celebration.

I also discovered something.

While it was hard to make out, let alone translate, the audio of the ritual beneath the abbey you cleaned up, I was able to discern a few words.

From the look on your face, I'm guessing they weren't particularly good words.

Not hardly.

The first word, or rather, name, I was able to make out was Zezor, another spawn of the damned.

That name was coupled with the phrase, undone by rising waters.

Undone by rising waters?

Could it be a reference to the Great Flood?

That's exactly what I'm thinking, Lenore.

What if we're seeing two kinds of horrors?

The damned themselves and their...

children.

Creatures that harken back to before the flood.

It might explain why there's two distinct and oddly reoccurring themes to these beings.

The deep holes, or rather the black ladders, and the odd chambers they seem to drag out of the earth.

What we dragged out of the mouth of that dormant volcano back on the island.

I can't stop thinking about it.

I wonder if it was one of them.

One of the spawn.

When we found it, that massive casket, its rough stone surface had been worn down, removing any symbols or writing we might have found.

Whatever warnings that might have been there were long erased.

Maybe we would have been less bold, less foolish, if we'd known what we were about to release into the world.

Maybe more of us would have survived.

I don't think scary imagery or cryptic writing would have dissuaded a team of scientists from pursuing the find of the decade.

Dad, there was no way you could have known what was going to happen.

It's just that simple.

I know.

What about the videos she included in the jump drive?

The one labeled interview.

I couldn't get the damn thing to play, so I downloaded another player that might do the trick.

Let's see if it works.

Seems like that tip the trick.

Okay, what you're about to see is an interview I conducted with someone who claims to have first-hand knowledge of the cult of the damned.

For their safety, I've gone to great lengths to conceal their identity.

I want to assure you that I've thoroughly investigated their account and have found no reason to doubt its credibility.

And if you followed me this far down the rabbit hole,

I suspect you won't either.

Now, as we're keeping all elements of your identity a secret, why don't you just tell me what you know about the apartment building?

I lived in that apartment building for years.

Got to know a lot of folks there.

It was like this little community, you know?

Cozy, friendly.

But But all that changed the day that woman moved into apartment 26.

Right from the start, something felt off about her.

Gave me the creeps.

The way she'd just sort of glide through the halls at night, barely making a sound, always watching, never just glancing.

It was like she was studying people.

And her voice, God, it sounded sweet.

But not in a good way, like sugar-coating something sour.

And things started happening.

I knew it was her.

A lot of us did.

But first came this god-awful smell, like rot, maybe sulfur.

It was everywhere.

Then came the bugs.

And this building?

It wasn't the kind of place you'd find bugs.

It was clean, decent.

But suddenly they were crawling out of the damn walls.

Worst of all, were these patches.

These weird spots of decay.

The walls, floors, even the ceiling.

Bits would just start rotting, like meat left out too long.

The wood or plaster or whatever would get all dark and wet and a smell.

It was like the actual building was decomposing.

Hmm.

Did anyone ever have these spots checked out?

A carpenter or some kind of repairman?

Quite a few people complained about it.

Especially the folks living near the lady in apartment 26.

That's where most of the weird stuff seemed to be happening.

As far as the maintenance men could tell, it was some kind of mold spreading through the building.

They brought in a cleaning crew, but no matter how much they cleaned or sprayed, it didn't help.

It just kept getting worse.

That's when things really started to get strange.

See, there was this wing of the building that was off-limits.

There was a fire a while back, and they were still in the middle of renovating it.

Most of it was still scorched and water-damaged.

Anyway, people started seeing the lady from 26 slipping past the barriers, disappearing into the blackened corridors.

And she wasn't always alone.

She'd be with other people, these weirdos, all dressed in black, always at night, real quiet like they didn't want to be seen.

That went on for a while, but it hit another level when we all started hearing weird noises coming from the basement and from the parts of the building that were off-limits.

Didn't anyone alert the landlord or even the police?

I don't think anyone ever called the cops, and the landlord only showed up once, supposedly talked to to the woman, but nothing ever came of it.

From what I heard later, he refused to come back to the building after that, just handled everything online.

Then out of nowhere, the woman in 26 was gone.

No moving truck, no boxes, nothing.

She just vanished.

Left the door unlocked, too.

A few of us got curious and decided to go take a look inside.

The whole apartment was covered in that rot, floor to ceiling.

It was like stepping into the decaying guts of something huge and dead.

There was no way that whatever that woman was up to was normal.

But what was strangest of all was what we found in the part of the basement that had been damaged by the fire, and apparently where the woman and her friends were gathering.

The concrete floor had been torn up, and underneath were these stone stairs that went almost straight down into the darkness.

I still have nightmares of the sounds we heard coming up from it.

How we all ran for our lives.

I moved out the very next day, and I'm glad I did, because I heard strange things about the people who still live there.

Strange in what way?

I guess a bunch of people started sneaking down to that hole.

Folks I'd known pretty well the whole time I lived there.

A friend of mine who left not long after I did told me the whole building changed after that thing with the lady from 26.

People started acting weird, creeping around at night, holding these strange little gatherings.

Supposedly, even the landlord got into it.

She said he stopped all the repairs on the damaged wing and started filling it with weird statues and other creepy, occult-looking stuff.

But the part that really got to her and made her finally leave was the animal sounds she started hearing at night.

She said it sounded like something big was prowling the halls.

Now, I don't know if I believe her or not, but she swore it sounded like

a lion.

And get this: she said one night it came right up to her door and started sniffing around.

The part I just can't wrap my head around, she told me it started whispering to her through the door, telling her to let it in.

Let me

in.

Okay, the drone is inside the elevator, and there's been no interruption of the video feed.

Let's see what's down there.

All the resonators are at full blast.

I don't know if I can watch.

Just be ready for anything.

We haven't been ready yet.

What the?

It only went down one level.

What's down there?

Taking her out of the elevator now.

Just some big broom carved from stone and some really weird-looking machine.

What the hell is that thing?

Hold on, let me turn on the headlight and zoom in.

See that pile of cassette tapes next to the machine?

This must be what they've been using to make those recordings.

The device that doesn't use wax cylinders.

Yeah, I can see the speakers and the slot for the tapes and whatnot.

Gonna tape and photograph the hell out of this room.

I want every inch of it mapped out if we have any notions of going down there.

Ugh, that's the last thing I want to do.

But I am curious about that machine.

Could tell us a lot about why the hell, and maybe more importantly, how the hell they do what they do.

I can't say I wouldn't be interested to know how and where the supernatural intersects with the Newtonian laws governing solid machinery.

And I suppose it would be a huge missed opportunity for me not to do a reading on the machine, but we should all reflect upon the wise words of Alexander Pope.

And what did he say?

No place so sacred from such fops is barred.

Nay, fly to altars, there they'll talk you dead.

For fools rush in where angels fear to tread.

The Gentleman from Hell is a Maltopia production.

Today's episode was written by Mark Ansloan and voiced by Stephen Zivik, Sam Stark, Aubrey Akers, Jesse Van Hove, and Kelly Baer.

Sound editing was completed by Stephen Anselone, and script editing was conducted by Walker Kornfeld.

Be sure to rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform.

And follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at Meltopia.

If you want unique art and animations of Meltopia's stories, visit our YouTube page or click on the link in the show notes.

And for more exclusive content such as additional lore, stories, and art, be sure to check out our Patreon at www.patreon.com forward slash Meltopia.

Popsicles, sprinklers, a cool breeze.

Talk about refreshing.

You know what else is refreshing this summer?

A brand new phone with Verizon.

Yep, get a new phone on any plan with Select Phone Trade In MyPlan.

And lock down a low price for three years on any plan with MyPlan.

This is a deal for everyone, whether you're a new or existing customer.

Swing by Verizon today for our best phone deals.

Three-year price guarantee applies to then-current base monthly rate only.

Additional terms and conditions apply for all offers.

It's easy to be a superhero.

You don't need a cape or x-ray vision.

You just need to sign up for PowerSaver Rewards.

That That way, when you save energy during a flex alert, you get a credit back on your energy bill.

Visit powersaverrewards.org and become a super power saver!

Coach, the energy out there felt different.

What changed for the team today?

It was the new game day scratchers from the California Lottery.

Play is everything.

Those games sent the team's energy through the roof.

Are you saying it was the off-field play that made the difference on the field?

Hey, a little play makes your day, and today, it made the game.

That's all for now.

Coach, one more question!

Play the new Los Angeles Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, and Los Angeles Rams Scratchers from the California Lottery.

A little play can make your day.

Please play responsibly.

Must be 18 years or older to purchase play or claim.

Thumbtack presents Project Paralysis.

I was cornered.

Sweat gathered above my furrowed brow, and my mind was racing.

I wondered who would be left standing when the droplets fell.

Me or the clawed sink.

Drain cleaner and pipe snake clenched in my weary fist, I stepped toward the sink and then...

Wait, why am I stressing?

I have thumbtack.

I can easily search for a top-rated plumber in the Bay Area, read reviews, and compare prices, all on the app.

Thumbtack knows homes.

Download the app today.

Your nonprofit's mission is big, but your team is small.

That's where Bontera's Network for Good comes in.

It's fundraising software built for organizations like yours.

No I.T.

team required, just intuitive tools that help you reach more donors, grow support, and stay organized.

With dedicated guidance and proven strategies, you can focus on changing lives instead of chasing spreadsheets.

Big impact, less stress.

That's Bontera Network for Good.