The Gentleman From Hell |S1| Ep. 18

Rusty Quill presents

Good evening, gentlemen and gentle ladies of hell.

First and foremost, thank you for tuning in.

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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 light or claim.

Hey, I'm Paige DeSorbo, and I'm always thinking about underwear.

I'm Hannah Berner, and I'm also thinking about underwear, but I prefer full coverage.

I like to call them my granny panties.

Actually, I never think about underwear.

That's the magic of Tommy John.

Same, they're so light and so comfy, and if it's not comfortable, I'm not wearing it.

And the bras, soft, supportive, and actually breathable.

Yes, Lord knows the girls need to breathe.

Also, I need my PJs to breathe and be buttery, soft, and stretchy enough for my dramatic tossing and turning at night.

That's why I live in my Tommy John pajamas.

Plus, they're so cute because they fit perfectly.

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Philly, Philly, do come here this very instant

coming, Mother.

Yes, mother, what is.

You wretched thing!

How dare you serve me cold tea?

Mother, I brought that to you hours ago.

You've just forgotten again.

Forgotten?

I haven't forgotten a thing.

You just wait until I tell your father how you've been treating me.

Why, he'll be positively furious with you.

Mother, do try to remember.

Father's passed away.

Do you recall anything we spoke about this morning?

Little witch!

I'll not be poisoned, nor will I be lied to.

Of course, mother.

Just let me clean up this mess and I'll be back with some fresh tea.

You're quite adept at cleaning up others' messes, aren't you, my dear?

Ugh, what are you on about now?

You lied for them, Mason and Leon.

Lied for those horrible child killers.

Let them walk free.

But you do so excel at lying, don't you, Philly?

Remember poor Molly Dixon?

How she begged you to save her daughter, sweet little Brittany.

Do you remember what you told her?

I do.

You promised her you would save her.

Promised.

Stop it.

I didn't lie to her.

I did all I could to stop those monsters.

Did you?

I thought you just stood by and allowed your friends to murder children.

Allowed little Brittany Dixon to burn.

Her tiny body twisting in the flames, her blackening eyes weeping smoke.

What's happening?

It was just daylight a moment ago.

The sun sets quickly upon the guilty, does it not, daughter?

Mother, where are you?

Oh, what's happening?

Oh, but you needn't worry, Billy.

Soon you'll burn too.

They're all down there right now, waiting for you, looking up through the fire.

Mother, no.

I don't know what you are, but it'll take more than bad dreams to get under my skin.

Ah, another living soul.

I was beginning to think I'd been abandoned.

Nope.

I brought all my tools and whatnot right in here, so I wasn't too far away.

Just in case.

You do know how to take care of a lady, Mr.

Rhodes.

Tell that to Marlene.

According to her, I'm just an ape who learned how to dress and drive a car.

She clearly underestimated you.

You can clearly do...

whatever it is you're doing.

I'm putting this drone together.

Apparently, Hughes wants us to use it to better canvas and record the city.

But right now, I got a much better use for it.

Hmm.

Might it have something to do with a certain secret underground tunnel network?

You guessed it.

And I did it without using a single drop of my vast psychic power.

I'm gonna plug this baby into the mobile setup in the van to let us see whatever we want without ever setting foot down there.

Given all that's happened, I'd say it's a capital idea.

So, where's your partner in crime?

He's upstairs in that reading room you two like so much.

So he's gonna keep at it with the VS tapes.

Uh, how is he?

How are any of us?

He's tough, though.

Tough as they come.

I

but this thing is starting to exact a toll on me.

There's only so much we can be expected to handle.

Look, Phil, I know you're sticking it out for me, but it's my problem.

You don't need the money, and you and Leon are like my family.

All we've gone through.

I don't know if I could be alone, not having someone around who was there, who

understands.

So, wherever you two go, I go.

There's nothing else to say about it.

Now, you enjoy your tinkering while I make some tea and see what I can do to be useful.

Found anything interesting?

Not yet.

But now that we know Edward was in on all of this, even if we don't know what all of this even is,

I remember seeing this tape.

It's marked Dad's Friend.

But so far, it's just him going on and on about his research.

Hey, is that coffee for me?

None of that.

Just more proof of your psychic talents.

I was just about to go get a cup.

Anyway, I'm almost to the end of the tape.

Hopefully, this last part has something interesting on it.

In nearly all theaters of the paranormal, orbs of light light have been reported, which would seem to...

Hello, can I help you?

Well, my goodness, aren't you the splitting image of your father?

Was that a knock at the door I just heard?

Um, yes.

I was just speaking with...

Veronica McKay.

I knew your father quite well, and you must be Ben, his son.

Right, you are.

Um, but I'm afraid, well, my father is.

Oh, I know, dear.

That's why I came.

I wasn't able to attend the funeral, so I wanted to stop by and pay my respects in person.

I would have called first, but your number isn't listed.

I hope I haven't come at a bad time.

Uh,

no, um, no, not at all.

Uh, please do come in.

Could I get you something to drink?

That would be wonderful.

I was hoping to share a few memories with you.

Your father was incredibly special to me, and I'd like to pass on those moments to his son.

That's very kind of you, Miss McKay.

I'd um I'd like that very much.

Shall we continue this conversation out on the veranda?

And would you mind staying for lunch?

Only if I'm not inconveniencing anyone?

Not at all.

Why don't you go get dressed for lunch while I take Miss McKay out onto the porch?

Then I'll start getting lunch ready.

How does that sound?

That sounds splendid, Rupert.

Thank you.

I'll be right back down.

Right this way, Miss McKay.

Well, speak of the devil.

Thank you again for making lunch, Rupert.

You've spared Miss McKay the misfortune of my cooking.

I still can't get over the resemblance.

So I've been told, a few times now.

But apart from the one portrait that hangs in the gallery, I'll have to take everyone's word for it.

Well then, before we go any further, allow me to clear up any confusion.

I brought it along with me so I could better recall him.

Now you no longer need take your resemblance upon faith.

You see, you're practically twins.

Hmm.

Yes.

Yes, I can certainly see the resemblance now.

The photograph was taken at the very event where I met Edward.

He was once a member of our order, the Circle of Triphasia.

Yes, I have heard of them.

They publish a journal, I believe.

Its principal focus is unraveling the secrets of the universe by way of mysticism and meditation.

A very specific form of meditation, if memory serves.

You remember correctly?

It's called triphasic meditation, the three bridges technique.

I wonder if your opinion of our approach to enlightenment is equally aligned with your father's?

I don't recall the precise issue, but I did read a fairly recent article within it.

Cryptozoological evidence of the biblical giants, the Nifelhim.

It surmised that certain cryptids, creatures such as Bigfoot, dogmen, etc., are possible proof of surviving offshoots of the aforementioned biblical giants.

And what do you think of that?

The idea of monstrous creatures surviving, evolving to modern-day conditions?

Well, if you don't mind me saying, I believe it's a bit like putting the cart before the horse, using one conjectured creature to prove the existence of another, even less probable creature.

I see.

I've been reading some of your work as well, Bren, including an interview you did for the Paranormal Register.

You discussed your perspective on various phenomena and mentioned a paper you were hoping to publish, The Harmony of the Damned, a unified theory of the paranormal.

In that interview, you appeared to accept the existence of cryptids and even quoted several so-called Bigfoot hunters.

Why acknowledge them on one hand, only to dismiss them on the other?

I only accept them provisionally, and not necessarily as they are more classically defined.

You see, I...

I seek out the commonalities between paranormal entities, features that may unite them.

If all paranormal creatures, ghosts, aliens, cryptids, and so many more, share the same underlying patterns, then it would seem to suggest they are not individual entities at all, or even distinct paranormal categories, but expressions of the same underlying force.

Perhaps the hidden force of nature itself.

Then the answer's yes.

Answer to what?

If you believed as your father did, he too wondered at the connections between all things,

trying to tie them together into the same stretch knot.

And he also lost himself in the explaining of his heretical research.

I do tend to lose myself from time to time.

So, do tell me about your friendship with my father.

Well, I suppose you could call us fast friends.

We both oh, good lord, I've made a terrible mess.

Don't worry about a thing, Miss McKay.

I'll fetch a towel from the kitchen and have it cleaned up in the gym.

Here, let me pick that glass up for you.

There's no need to.

Never mind that.

Take this letter.

It'll explain everything.

I believe you are in grave danger.

You must leave here as soon as you can.

Get away from anyone who knew your father.

After you've read it, destroy the letter.

And don't try to contact me after I've left.

Do you understand me?

I...

I don't.

I don't understand.

What

are you talking about?

It's all in the letter.

Quickly, tuck it away.

He's coming back.

Here we are.

I'll get everything cleaned up before you know it.

I'm terribly sorry, but I started feeling unwell.

It happened so quickly, and I think I ought to leave before it gets any worse.

I'm truly sorry for arriving unannounced and then leaving so abruptly.

I hope you can understand.

Of course, I understand completely.

Let me at least walk you out.

Oh, please don't trouble yourself.

I remember the way.

Thank you so much for your hospitality, and again, my sincerest apologies for leaving in such a rush.

Did something happen while I was gone?

Not at all.

She just seemed

ill all of a sudden.

And that was that.

Strange woman.

you think she'll be back somehow I I doubt it well I suppose I should finish cleaning this up and fetch us that lunch I hope you're hungry there's gonna be extra

I haven't the slightest idea what just happened out on the veranda all the same I've decided to keep the finer points of Miss McKay's statements to myself.

While she may not even be who she claimed, there was something sincere in her eyes, and after she dropped the pretense, no small amount of fear.

But there's no reason for conjecture when all it needs doing is to read the letter.

Dear Benjamin,

you have no reason to trust me.

But I hope that at least a small

part of what I say will resonate with to put you on your guard, if not compel you to run from that house.

I first met your father at the Triphasic Order's spring retreat in the 1960s.

He was bright, charismatic, brimming with new ideas.

We became lovers almost instantly.

Though he tried the Order's patience with his endless questions and doubts, we stayed together long after he left to seek his own truths.

His family's worth allowed us to travel the world and I was happier than words can express

until the day he received news of his father's passing, leaving him the sole heir to a vast ancestral empire.

Once we arrived at his new estate, a great castle in the outer barrens of England,

it was clear that things were about to change for the absolute worst.

His family, a crowd of ghouls if there ever was one, embroiled him in the matters of his ancient lineage, bogging him down, drowning him in wealth, high society and obligation.

But there was more than merely the functioning of the family enterprise at the heart of their efforts.

There was something sinister.

They did everything to separate us, to isolate him.

When I'd been all but expelled from Ed's company, I received a letter from my order.

I'd written them for guidance in the matter before me.

I was instructed in a meditative technique for divination called the Watcher upon the second bridge.

In the quietude of a small, filthy room I'd rented far from the Outer barrens, I began my spiritual quest for answers.

I dwelt on Sata, the queen of final sight, and pleaded to her for clarity and perspective.

Upon the third day, my request was granted.

She showed me a vast pit, its sides striped in countless claw marks, all of them outlining the efforts of those who sought and failed to find purchase as they they fell, howling into the abyss.

I heard the ruminations of wicked things as they gnashed their teeth and spat curses at the heavens.

More than anything, I heard them wailing your father's name, voices echoing like wolves on the scent of prey.

They wanted.

Needed him.

It was then that I knew without doubt, those who pretended to care for him, all the while deceiving and manipulating at every step, were preparing something unspeakable.

Naturally, I went to Edward immediately, slipping uninvited into the castle where his horrible family held near total sway over him.

But I was...

I was too late.

Upon stealing into a large vaulted room, I heard movement from below.

Strange chanting that echoed from the very bowels of the castle.

Suddenly...

Slowly, all the sound parted like curtains, allowing for the focus of all things to fall upon a single sound.

Edward,

screaming and screaming.

I ran sobbing from the castle and never looked back.

realizing that my vision had passed into some kind of horrible truth.

And so that's where the matter laid for years.

Until I read of Edward's death, which,

even so many years after that horrible moment at the castle, moved me to more tears than I can tell.

But what caused me to act was learning that you had been named his inheritor.

I looked into you, learned something of your past, wondered if they might do to you whatever they did to your father.

Once again, I knelt and scraped at the hems of Satta, seeking the wisdom only she could impart.

Once again, upon the third day, she granted me vision.

I beheld the three bridges, save the moonlit waters that run beneath them had been replaced by a great, yawning trench.

But instead of howls from the damned, this time I watched as dead birds, sparrows

fled its depths, filling the sky till it was black and starless.

And I heard a dreadful chorus of young

young voices, all of them saying,

The promise of hell is hard broken, but we dead things, our vows unspoken, slip silently into temples where olden doors

are now open.

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, and Mark Anzalone.

Sound editing was completed by Stephen Anzalone 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.

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 them current base 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.

Coach, the energy out there felt different.

What changed for the team today?

It was the new game day scratches 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 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.

Hey, I'm Paige DeSorbo, and I'm always thinking about underwear.

I'm Hannah Berner, and I'm also thinking about underwear, but I prefer full coverage.

I like to call them my granny panties.

Actually, I never think about underwear.

That's the magic of Tommy John.

Same, they're so light and so comfy, and if it's not comfortable, I'm not wearing it.

And the bras, soft, supportive, and actually breathable.

Yes, Lord knows the girls need to breathe.

Also, I need my PJs to breathe and be buttery soft and stretchy enough for my dramatic tossing and turning at night.

That's why I live in my Tommy John pajamas.

Plus, they're so cute because they fit perfectly.

Put yourself on to Tommy John.

Upgrade your drawer with Tommy John.

Save 25% for a limited time at tommyjohn.com/slash comfort.

See site for details.

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