The Gentleman From Hell |S1| Ep. 31

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-based monthly rate only.

Additional terms and conditions apply for all offers.

You check your feed and your account.

You check the score and the restaurant reviews.

You check your hair and reflective surfaces and the world around you for recession indicators.

So you check all that, but you don't check to see what your ride options are.

In this economy, Next time, check Lyft.

It's that time of year again, back to school season.

And Instacart knows that the only thing harder than getting back into the swing of things is getting all the back-to-school supplies, snacks, and essentials you need.

So here's your reminder to make your life a little easier this season.

Shop favorites from Staples, Best Buy, and Costco all delivered through Instacart so that you can get some time back and do whatever it is that you need to get your life back on track.

Instacart, we're here.

You sure no one saw you set up that camera in the van?

Who can be sure of anything around here?

Those little spy cameras don't need much setting up.

They've got an adhesive strip across the bottom.

You stick them to whatever you want and go.

Easy as you like.

At any rate, it's set to trip at the slightest movement, and it's pointed right at our room.

But whether it'll work the way it's supposed to is anyone's guess.

Well, if it doesn't, I've got that chime of Antioch's hand file playing on the loop.

I wish we could have talked to the doctor a bit longer.

But I have to admit, just knowing that someone else has dealt with these creatures and survived to tell the tale is somewhat of a relief.

Once we got in there again, we can pick up the conversation where it left off.

Until then, especially at night, it's best we lay low.

I don't know how safe we should feel.

They know exactly where we are.

If that sound effect works to keep the supernatural at bay, we've already got talismans that'll do the trick with cultists.

I've got one of them on me right now in my shoulder holster.

I got half a mind to head over to the office and beat the truth out of that manager.

He remembered the fucking coffee maker.

He was clearly in on this.

You saw how things shook shook out for me.

Yeah, you got us a solid lead.

I see.

Now, all of a sudden, you're on my side.

We all heard what the doctor said.

These creatures are at their most powerful the closer we get to 3 a.m.

Black noon.

It's already after one.

If you walk out of here, I got that sound file on my phone.

I'm willing to take my chances.

Now isn't the time to take chances.

Whatever we end up doing, we should do it when the sun's out.

Directly overhead.

And it shouldn't be too difficult for me to integrate the sound of the chime of Antioch into the sonic emission profile of a resonator.

Could be the sort of protection we've been looking for.

If we're gonna take advantage of the daylight, we should all be hidden in the hay.

Me and Leon will keep watching rotation.

The rest of you should try and grab some sleep.

I don't know if that's possible, but I'm sure as hell willing to give it a try.

Between a silent chime, the camera, and the two of you on watch, I should be able to sleep.

If only with one eye closed.

Well, fans all packed up and ready to go.

You sure we didn't miss anything?

I think that was the last of it.

So, what do we want to do with the key?

Bring it back to the office?

Just leave it on the desk.

The less we interact with them, the better.

I just wonder how much they know about what happened last night.

If that thing,

the bird, can communicate what happened?

It can.

They're the eyes and ears of the Sparrow Clan.

Are you sure?

She

spoke to me through it.

Last night.

Why didn't you tell us?

It wasn't anything I wanted to talk about in the middle of the night, right before bed.

What did it say to you?

Nothing that would help, just.

gloating.

But I really don't want to talk about it.

Can't we just get out of here?

Yeah, sure, Phil.

They left the key on the desk.

I assume they won't be coming back.

Not likely.

Go to the basement, the portion directly beneath their room, and remove what you find there.

How exactly will I know what I'm looking for?

Without difficulty, I imagine.

I'll see right to it.

Oh, by the gods.

That's the second time I've tried to call the doctor.

No luck.

I hope the poor man is all right.

You don't think.

Anything's possible.

But if he's dealt with this sort of thing before, I gotta think he knew what he was doing.

Spilling the beans like he did.

I certainly hope so.

For all our sakes.

I wish we could have seen what he wanted to show us.

He said it was some kind of machine found in the middle of West Virginia wilderness.

God only knows what these Mephitikans were doing with it.

I'd like to get my hands on that cradle wax cylinders.

Make some goddamn sense of what these freak jobs are up to.

So, where are we headed?

First and foremost, if you can turn the resonator into some kind of weapon against those fuckers, that takes priority.

So I think it's back to the mansion before we do anything else.

Well, after we get breakfast, I'm starving.

Are you sure going back to the mansion is really such a great idea?

If we actually think the doctor knows his shit, then we should be okay.

We can blast that chime effect all across the house using the speaker system.

And to make sure we don't lose power again, we can move the generator to a more secure location within the coverage of the chime.

We can also set all those cameras to face outside, so if any of these cultist pricks decide to pay us a visit, we can see them coming.

Seeing them coming and being able to do anything about it are two different things.

We can either keep moving from hotel to hotel, never knowing who to trust or when and how those fucking monsters will decide to attack us, or

we can do something that'll give us a fighting chance.

I can't promise I can turn that chime into some kind of weapon, but if the sound of it bothers them, I sure as hell can ramp it up using our parasonic technology.

I still don't know where that leaves us.

This cult is spread all over the damn place.

Those creatures could be all over the place.

There's

there's no coming back from this for any of us.

Look,

I don't know how or even if this ends, but once we find a way to defend ourselves, that's where it begins.

Do you see anything on the cameras?

A few unfamiliar cars parked up the street a bit.

Could very likely be them, but

who knows?

These people must be important to them.

Indeed.

They haven't bothered us like this in years.

I'm very glad we never let our guard down.

For a while there, I thought we'd seen the last of them.

Those people are quite popular.

Maybe that's why they're being so careful.

Popular and clever, it would seem.

They've already put some of it together, and they found me.

What do you intend to do?

Once Bill and Martin escort us out of here, I'm going to try and locate them.

Tell them what I can.

But won't that put us in even greater danger?

They've left us alone all this time, more or less.

If you start talking about them again.

I know, but

I can't sit by and do nothing, especially for people who've already put their lives on the line to save others.

I have an obligation, Lenore.

But

they'll come for us.

Dad,

I.

don't think I can go through all that again.

We should be safe.

They know I have the pages and that I've arranged for them to be destroyed if anything happens to us.

That should be enough.

And if it isn't,

you said yourself there may come a time when killing us outweighs the value of the pages.

If that were true, they wouldn't be just sitting out in their cars.

Lenore, please tell me you understand.

There is real evil out there.

We know this as few others do.

Perhaps.

Perhaps these people could even help us.

We wouldn't be alone with the knowledge anymore.

I must act.

But I can't do it alone.

I.

You're right, Dad.

This isn't just about us.

If there's something we can do to stop this,

then we don't have a choice.

All right.

Everybody ready?

Not in the least, but when has that ever stopped us?

Anything standing out to you, Phil?

Like something is staring at us through every window and every crack in the walls.

If there's anything in there, these should give it away pretty quick.

Margaret, make sure you turn the field strength down to about two.

We don't want a repeat of what happened when we switched the primary unit on.

Got it.

And let's make sure all our phones are playing the time.

Now, once we get in there, everyone stay behind us.

We're all gonna do a quick sweep of the place before we do anything else.

And remember, if for whatever reason we get separated, we regroup back at the van.

Okay, folks.

Here we go.

And it looks the way we left it

so far.

We still got juice.

I think it's withdrawing from us because of the chime?

I don't know.

The presence is so

faint.

Hold up, hold up.

Look.

The lights.

There's a little bit of mist coming off them.

They're...

Going back to normal?

I think think it is the chime the phenomena it feels like it's evaporating

Resonator isn't picking anything up we can't let a little good news stop us Let's keep pushing forward head to the resonator next

okay

Okay,

there she is.

Let me just get this off.

Now, let's see if the battery has enough juice.

What are you going to do?

I'm going to upload the chime sound file into the resonator's sonic emission profile.

Pat.

I thought you said it would take some time before you could combine the chime with the resonator's parasonic output.

Well, it'll definitely take some time to completely blend with a core profile, but for right now, I think a little dissonance is acceptable.

Okay,

she's all set.

Ready whenever you are.

Here goes nothing.

Isn't that the sound of the chime?

I thought we weren't supposed to be able to hear it.

The resonator is heightened in our senses to the paranormal.

This is listen.

find a fear.

Across the face of the earth,

darkening clean waters,

they spread

a plague until the end

of time

Until the end

of everything.

Mother of Christ.

I think it worked.

Phil, are you getting anything?

No.

No,

it worked.

The chime!

It it pushed it out!

Okay, we gotta act fast while she still has juice left.

Move the generator inside so it can't kill the power to the house.

Honey, let's go, Leon.

Right behind you.

Okay,

everything's set up.

The speakers and the cameras.

Roger that.

Switching them on now.

Okay,

everything's up and running.

You guys can head back.

On our way.

Here's your tea, Phil.

Ah, thank you, dear.

Still not sensing or anything.

It's been crickets since the resonator was turned on.

Well, the big test is yet to come.

We need to see if all the speakers we set up, blasting the chime effect, can hold the line as well as the resonator.

We're naughty effect can still keep the phenomenon at bay, though I doubt as well as she can.

That's why the portable units are set up to act as backups if the sound wall fails.

They pick up so much as a paranormal peep, and they'll immediately trip the resonator, switching it on.

Place is buttoned up as tight as it gets, and all the fuel and weapons are inside the perimeter.

I also rigged the entire second floor with motion detectors, so if you gotta head up there, let me know so I can shut the stuff off beforehand.

And under no circumstances does anyone go into the basement or near the elevator.

They're both likely inside the chime's range, but Loksham said these things are powerful underground.

We can't take any chances.

Those are the last places I intend to go.

We may have scored our first win, but there's a whole lot we still don't understand about this shit.

Maybe so, but uh, I'm gonna enjoy our little victory at least until the next shoe drops.

So, want a little something extra in the coffee tonight.

Oh, I'll take some of that.

All right, all right, now let's not get too carried away.

We need to stay as sharp as possible.

Oh, in that case, I'll only have about a dozen or so coffees.

Leon, you know better than to scoff at an old psychic's advice.

Breaking news.

Internationally acclaimed best-selling author Henry Robert Hughes has been reported missing by his representatives.

Known for his expertise in exploring and illuminating some of the world's most perplexing mysteries, Hughes himself is now at the center of an unfolding enigma.

Concerns arose when the author failed to appear for a scheduled lecture at Purdue University, which was to focus on the themes central to his renowned body of work.

Event organizers promptly reached out to Hughes' agent, who subsequently reported the author missing to authorities.

Officials have confirmed an active investigation, but have yet to release any additional details.

We will continue to follow this story closely and provide updates as more information becomes available.

The Gentleman from Hell is a Maltopia production.

Today's episode was written by Mark Anzalone and performed by Stephen Zivik, Sam Stark, Aubrey Akers, Jesse Van Hove, Callie Baer, and Matt Van Hove.

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 and my plan.

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

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-based monthly rate only.

Additional terms and conditions apply for all offers.

We get it.

It's more important than ever to get the most out of your money.

Options are key.

Options like Lyft, where you get great rewards, especially with partners like Dash Pass by DoorDash.

If you're a Dash Pass member, just link your DoorDash account and you'll get 5% off on-demand rides, 10% off scheduled rides to the airport, plus two free priority pickup upgrades every month.

New to Dash Pass?

To sign up for a three-month free trial, check Lyft.

Terms apply.