00:00:00Rick's Declining Cypress Knee Cottages
00:04:34Strange Night Noises Begin
00:07:38Rick's Growing Paranoia
00:11:31The Gaunt Guest in Cottage Six
00:15:35Daylight Confrontation Goes Wrong
00:19:38The Chilling Truth Revealed
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Rick's life unravels in the sticky heat of central Florida, where his eight shabby cottages at the edge of Lake Istokpoga barely keep him afloat. The oppressive combination of financial worry, isolation, and the mysterious woods behind his property proves to be the perfect breeding ground for paranoia - or so he believes.
When guests start behaving strangely and bloodless animal carcasses appear near the cottages, Rick's mind latches onto an improbable explanation: vampires. His research into local folklore and missing persons cases only deepens his conviction that something supernatural lurks in the dense woodland surrounding his property. Night after night, he watches the tree line, seeing shapes move between the shadows and hearing noises that might be more than just the natural sounds of the Florida wilderness.
The arrival of a particularly pale and gaunt guest in Cottage Six pushes Rick over the edge. Armed with a rusty machete and fueled by sleep deprivation and terror, he confronts the man in broad daylight, certain he's found the leader of a vampire nest. The humiliating aftermath leaves Rick questioning his sanity - until an evening apology reveals the horrifying truth. "Because I can't very well get your blood if you're locked up in jail now, can I?" The chilling revelation confirms Rick's worst fears weren't paranoia after all, but a deadly accurate perception of the danger hiding in plain sight. Listen now to discover how thin the line between madness and reality truly is when darkness falls at the Cypress Knee Cottages.
If you have questions, comments or suggestions you can email me at:
Exxa0001@gmail.com and I will get back to you.
English
United States
IN THIS EPISODE
SHOW NOTES 🔗
TRANSCRIPT 🔗
WEBVTT
00:01:22.367 --> 00:01:25.374
The heat in central Florida doesn't just press down.
00:01:25.374 --> 00:01:32.814
It clings like damp gauze thick, with the buzz of insects and the smell of simmering algae from the lake.
00:01:32.814 --> 00:01:34.705
Rick knew this heat.
00:01:34.705 --> 00:01:38.730
He'd owned the Cypress Knee Cottages for 15 years.
00:01:38.730 --> 00:01:47.027
Eight little wooden boxes perched uncertainly on the edge of Lake Istokpoga, baking in the relentless sun.
00:01:47.027 --> 00:01:57.588
Behind them, the woods began, a dense, tangled wall of cypress oak and strangler fig that seemed to swallow the light whole.
00:01:58.700 --> 00:02:01.009
Lately Rick had started hating the woods.
00:02:01.009 --> 00:02:05.329
It hadn't always been this way.
00:02:05.329 --> 00:02:07.484
The cottages were his escape.
00:02:07.484 --> 00:02:13.064
His small kingdom carved out of the humid wilderness, but business was slow.
00:02:13.064 --> 00:02:19.972
The paint was peeling and the quiet stretches between reluctant tourists were getting longer, deeper.
00:02:19.972 --> 00:02:25.093
But today all his cottages were all occupied, but for one.
00:02:25.093 --> 00:02:31.326
This was the first time in a long time and it happened in a short period of time.
00:02:32.669 --> 00:02:35.493
Lately Rick spent too much time alone.
00:02:35.493 --> 00:02:41.968
He had a couple of old friends from his time in the Air Force staying there for a while, but they moved on.
00:02:41.968 --> 00:02:53.665
Rick now spent his nights listening, listening to the cicadas drone, the plop of unseen things in the lake and the rustle and click from the tree line.
00:02:53.665 --> 00:02:56.544
After dusk it started subtly.
00:02:56.544 --> 00:03:08.264
A guest in Cottage 7, the one closest to the woods complained about strange noises at night, scratching, maybe Hard to tell, over the air conditioner's rattle.
00:03:08.264 --> 00:03:13.542
Rick blamed raccoons, patched up a loose board, forgot about it.
00:03:13.542 --> 00:03:16.047
Then came the couple in cottage.
00:03:16.047 --> 00:03:19.074
Eight Pale folks kept to themselves.
00:03:19.074 --> 00:03:21.323
Mostly came out after sunset.
00:03:21.323 --> 00:03:32.072
Rick saw the man once near dawn retreating from the wood's edge back to the cottage, moving with a quick, furtive silence that snagged Rick's attention.
00:03:32.072 --> 00:03:37.028
Rick found a dead possum near their porch later, oddly bloodless.
00:03:37.028 --> 00:03:39.762
Probably coyotes, he told himself.
00:03:39.762 --> 00:03:41.747
But the thought felt thin.
00:03:41.747 --> 00:03:45.295
Pap, sleep became a luxury.
00:03:46.016 --> 00:03:54.560
Rick would sit on the porch of his own small house, set back from the rentals, nursing his bourbon eyes fixed on the black wall of the woods.
00:03:54.560 --> 00:03:58.966
He'd see things, or think he did.
00:03:58.966 --> 00:04:07.040
Pale shapes flitting between trees where the moonlight struggled to reach, eyes reflecting back light.
00:04:07.040 --> 00:04:12.170
That wasn't his flashlight beam, or were they just phosphorescent fungi?
00:04:12.170 --> 00:04:19.050
The constant drone of insects seemed to modulate, taking on whispering tones just below hearing.
00:04:20.252 --> 00:04:24.288
Paranoia took root, like the invasive vines choking the Cyprus knees.
00:04:24.288 --> 00:04:32.254
He started researching online late at night, the laptop screen casting a sickly glow on his now haggard face.
00:04:32.254 --> 00:04:46.574
Local folklore, missing persons reports from decades ago, always hikers near remote lakes, lakes fringe theories about blood-drinking cults, then inevitably vampires.
00:04:46.574 --> 00:04:49.841
It sounded crazy even to him at first.
00:04:49.841 --> 00:05:00.489
Vampires In Florida, not the suave counts of Europe, but something feral, adapted to the heat and shadow of the swampy woods.
00:05:00.489 --> 00:05:04.035
He began to watch his guests with suspicion.
00:05:04.035 --> 00:05:12.252
The family in Cottage 3 seemed normal, but didn't the father flinch when Rick mentioned going fishing at sunrise?
00:05:12.252 --> 00:05:20.843
The young woman in Cottage 5, always wearing long sleeves despite the oppressive heat, hiding bite marks?
00:05:20.843 --> 00:05:26.740
He started leaving the porch lights on all night, burning through electricity.
00:05:26.740 --> 00:05:37.466
He couldn't afford lining his own windowsills with pungent strings of garlic bought from the nearest town, feeling ridiculous and terrified all at once.
00:05:38.487 --> 00:05:47.689
One muggy afternoon, driven by a gnawing dread, rick ventured into the woods behind Cottage 8, armed with a rusty machete he barely used.
00:05:47.689 --> 00:05:53.829
The air grew heavy, still sunlight filtered down in sickly green shafts.
00:05:53.829 --> 00:06:09.264
He found a sort of clearing, trampled earth, more bones, small animals, birds picked clean, unnaturally clean, and in the soft mud near a cypress root, a footprint long, narrow.
00:06:09.264 --> 00:06:17.242
Definitely not animal, not quite human either, or so it seemed to his increasingly frantic mind.
00:06:17.242 --> 00:06:29.591
He scrambled back out, heart hammering, convinced he'd heard soft laughter echoing just behind him, he stopped interacting with guests unless absolutely necessary.
00:06:29.591 --> 00:06:37.168
He stayed inside his house after dark, peering through the blinds, jumping at every Creek of settling wood.
00:06:37.168 --> 00:06:39.192
Every night birds cry.
00:06:39.192 --> 00:06:42.546
He imagined them watching him waiting.
00:06:42.546 --> 00:06:48.201
Why Were the cottages just convenient feeding grounds?
00:06:48.201 --> 00:06:50.106
Or did they know he knew?
00:06:50.106 --> 00:06:52.652
Did they know he was watching?
00:06:54.240 --> 00:06:57.266
One evening a new guest checked into Cottage 6.
00:06:57.266 --> 00:07:02.904
A tall, gaunt man with dark, deep-set eyes and skin like bleached parchment.
00:07:02.904 --> 00:07:09.930
He arrived just as the sun bled into the horizon, paid cash and retreated inside without a word.
00:07:09.930 --> 00:07:14.464
Rick watched him from his window, breath held tight in his chest.
00:07:14.464 --> 00:07:16.329
This was one of them.
00:07:16.329 --> 00:07:17.610
He knew it.
00:07:17.610 --> 00:07:23.528
The way he moved, the way he didn't seem to sweat the utter silence from the cottage.
00:07:23.528 --> 00:07:28.985
He was the leader, he's the leader, of the vampire nest.
00:07:28.985 --> 00:07:30.748
That's how they do it.
00:07:30.748 --> 00:07:41.846
The followers come in first, scope out the place and make sure it's safe for their father, the one that birthed them into their evil and vile existence.
00:07:41.846 --> 00:07:44.692
That night was worse than ever.
00:07:44.692 --> 00:07:48.629
Every rustle outside was them testing his defenses.
00:07:48.629 --> 00:07:51.468
Every shadow held a waiting predator.
00:07:52.459 --> 00:07:58.127
Rick sat in his armchair, shotgun across his lap, usually unloaded, but not tonight.
00:07:58.127 --> 00:08:03.027
He didn't care much for guns, but it felt necessary.
00:08:03.027 --> 00:08:05.353
The air conditioner wheezed.
00:08:05.353 --> 00:08:07.437
He didn't care much for guns, but it felt necessary.
00:08:07.437 --> 00:08:08.939
The air conditioner wheezed.
00:08:08.939 --> 00:08:10.759
No-transcript.
00:08:11.005 --> 00:08:14.675
Around 3 am, a tapping started at his back door.
00:08:14.675 --> 00:08:22.391
Soft, rhythmic and insistent Tap, tap, tap.
00:08:22.391 --> 00:08:24.137
Rick froze.
00:08:24.137 --> 00:08:26.228
His blood turned to ice water.
00:08:26.228 --> 00:08:30.490
It wasn't the wind, it wasn't a branch, it was deliberate.
00:08:30.490 --> 00:08:33.571
They were here, they knew he was alone.
00:08:34.144 --> 00:08:38.667
The paranoia had blossomed into full-blown terror, a suffocating certainty.
00:08:38.667 --> 00:08:42.432
He couldn't breathe, couldn't think past the sound.
00:08:42.432 --> 00:08:46.279
Tap, tap, tap.
00:08:46.279 --> 00:08:51.850
He squeezed his eyes shut, picturing sharp teeth, red eyes, the bloodless faces from his nightmares.
00:08:51.850 --> 00:08:54.614
Teeth, red eyes, the bloodless faces from his nightmares.
00:08:54.614 --> 00:09:00.500
He saw the woods creeping closer, swallowing the cottages, swallowing him.
00:09:00.500 --> 00:09:07.569
The tapping was inside his head now, echoing the frantic pulse in his ears.
00:09:07.569 --> 00:09:09.113
Rick started to question his sanity.
00:09:09.113 --> 00:09:11.238
Was any of this real?
00:09:11.238 --> 00:09:14.387
He never checked the door.
00:09:14.387 --> 00:09:20.730
He stayed frozen in the chair until dawn, painted the sky in hues of bruised purple and feverish orange.
00:09:20.730 --> 00:09:23.316
The tapping had stopped hours ago.
00:09:24.258 --> 00:09:28.695
Exhausted, trembling, rick finally forced himself to look outside.
00:09:28.695 --> 00:09:33.668
There was nothing there, no footprints in the dew-kissed grass.
00:09:33.668 --> 00:09:41.970
On his doorstep sat a small dead frog, probably dropped by an owl, or maybe not.
00:09:41.970 --> 00:09:44.537
Rick stared at it.
00:09:44.537 --> 00:09:46.873
Then, at the dark line of the woods.
00:09:46.873 --> 00:09:50.134
Were they testing him, playing with him?
00:09:50.134 --> 00:09:58.895
Or was it all just the heat, the isolation, the slow creep of his own mind unraveling in the humid Florida silence.
00:09:58.895 --> 00:10:00.237
He didn't know.
00:10:00.237 --> 00:10:11.913
And that he realized as the sun climbed higher, promising another day of suffocating heat and gnawing uncertainty, was the most terrifying thing of all.
00:10:11.913 --> 00:10:17.802
The woods remained silent, watching, holding secrets.
00:10:17.802 --> 00:10:24.597
He could only guess at, secrets that might only exist in the crumbling cottages of his own mind.
00:10:24.597 --> 00:10:29.251
The dead frog on the doorstep wasn't a tipping point.
00:10:29.251 --> 00:10:32.038
It was the final push over the edge.
00:10:32.138 --> 00:10:33.987
Rick had been teetering on for weeks.
00:10:33.987 --> 00:10:39.379
The ambiguity, owl or omen, was worse than certainty.
00:10:39.379 --> 00:10:43.434
Certainty, even of horror, was something solid.
00:10:43.434 --> 00:10:48.896
This miasma of doubt, heat and creeping dread was intolerable.
00:10:48.896 --> 00:10:58.047
His sleep-starved mind, marinating in fear, latched onto a single warped piece of vampire lore Sunlight.
00:10:58.047 --> 00:11:01.701
They were weaker in the sun, weren't they Vulnerable?
00:11:01.701 --> 00:11:09.176
He read on one of those websites that if you take out the main vampire, the rest will die.
00:11:10.785 --> 00:11:16.769
The Florida sun, currently blazing with the intensity of a furnace eye, felt like his only ally.
00:11:16.769 --> 00:11:26.395
He had to act Now, before dusk fell again, before the shadows in the woods deepened and his courage dissolved completely.
00:11:26.395 --> 00:11:28.972
He didn't grab the shotgun.
00:11:28.972 --> 00:11:31.809
The weight felt wrong, too final.
00:11:31.809 --> 00:11:38.109
Instead, his trembling hand closed around the cold pitted handle of the rusty machete.
00:11:38.109 --> 00:11:41.995
It felt clumsy, absurd, but it was heavy.
00:11:41.995 --> 00:11:43.438
It was something.
00:11:44.284 --> 00:11:49.136
Sweat dripped into his eyes as he stumbled out into the blinding noon light.
00:11:49.136 --> 00:11:52.874
The air was thick enough to swim through.
00:11:52.874 --> 00:12:02.356
Each of the eight cottages seemed to waver in the heat haze, deserted islands in a sea of shimmering asphalt and parched grass.
00:12:02.356 --> 00:12:05.813
His focus narrowed on Cottage Six.
00:12:05.813 --> 00:12:13.087
He lurched across the patchy lawn, the machete held awkwardly at his side, reaching the door.
00:12:13.087 --> 00:12:14.253
He didn't knock.
00:12:14.253 --> 00:12:18.696
He pounded his fist, hitting the cheap wood with frantic force.
00:12:18.696 --> 00:12:22.956
Get out, he yelled, his voice cracking.
00:12:22.956 --> 00:12:24.849
I know what you are.
00:12:24.849 --> 00:12:26.816
Get the hell out of here.
00:12:26.816 --> 00:12:28.221
Silence.
00:12:28.221 --> 00:12:29.105
Then the out of here Silence.
00:12:29.105 --> 00:12:32.213
Then the sound of a lock clicking.
00:12:32.904 --> 00:12:37.797
The door opened a few inches, revealing the pale gaunt man from the night before.
00:12:37.797 --> 00:12:42.355
He squinted against the sudden brightness, his dark eyes adjusting.
00:12:42.355 --> 00:12:47.057
He looked tired, annoyed, slightly confused.
00:12:47.057 --> 00:12:50.033
He was wearing a simple t-shirt and shorts.
00:12:50.033 --> 00:13:00.694
To Rick, however, fueled by adrenaline and terror, the man's pallor was unnatural his calm demeanor, the icy control of a predator.
00:13:00.694 --> 00:13:04.554
The confusion in his eyes looked like cunning calculation.
00:13:04.554 --> 00:13:10.438
What the hell do you want, the man asked his voice raspy.
00:13:10.438 --> 00:13:15.711
I know about you, rick hissed, gripping the machete tighter.
00:13:15.711 --> 00:13:21.148
I know what you do in the woods at night the animals I know.
00:13:21.148 --> 00:13:24.992
The man sighed, rubbing his temples.
00:13:24.992 --> 00:13:28.859
Look, I don't know what you're talking about.
00:13:28.859 --> 00:13:30.846
It's too damn hot for this.
00:13:30.846 --> 00:13:32.288
Go sleep it off.
00:13:32.288 --> 00:13:34.773
He started to close the door.
00:13:35.774 --> 00:13:40.008
That dismissal, the casual wave off, snapped something in Rick.
00:13:40.008 --> 00:13:45.628
He shoved the door open, stumbling into the cool, dim interior of the cottage.
00:13:45.628 --> 00:13:51.129
Blackout curtains covered the windows, plunging the room into near darkness.
00:13:51.129 --> 00:13:54.837
The air smelled stale, conditioned.
00:13:54.837 --> 00:13:58.370
I know you're the leader of the others.
00:13:58.370 --> 00:14:08.059
Rick demanded, swinging the machete vaguely Now I'm ending this he lunged towards the window, tearing at the heavy curtain.
00:14:08.059 --> 00:14:10.365
Sunlight flooded the room.
00:14:10.365 --> 00:14:19.467
The pale man recoiled, shielding his eyes, letting out a startled cry hey, what are you doing?
00:14:19.467 --> 00:14:21.029
Get out of my room.
00:14:22.231 --> 00:14:26.220
In that instant Rick saw it or believed he saw it.
00:14:26.220 --> 00:14:32.852
Instant Rick saw it, or believed he saw it, the man's skin seemed almost translucent in the direct light.
00:14:32.852 --> 00:14:33.936
His eyes flared with something red.
00:14:33.936 --> 00:14:37.145
Or was it just blood vessels reacting to the sudden brightness?
00:14:37.145 --> 00:14:45.326
And Rick could swear he saw for a split second his teeth look unnaturally sharp, vampire.
00:14:46.367 --> 00:14:48.753
Rick screamed, raising the machete.
00:14:48.753 --> 00:14:53.567
The man yelped, scrambling backward, tripping over a suitcase.
00:14:53.567 --> 00:14:58.297
He threw his hands up defensively Are you fucking crazy?
00:14:58.297 --> 00:15:00.306
Get the fuck away from me.
00:15:00.306 --> 00:15:02.230
Rick lunged.
00:15:02.230 --> 00:15:15.134
The pale man yelped, scrambling backward and kicking out defensively, his foot connected with Rick's knee, sending him sprawling the machete skittering away across the floor.
00:15:15.134 --> 00:15:23.635
Rick landed hard, knocking the wind out of himself, the cheap particle-board nightstand digging into his ribs.
00:15:23.635 --> 00:15:33.990
He lay there gasping, the red haze of panic slowly receding, replaced by a throbbing ache and the cold, sharp stab of humiliation.
00:15:33.990 --> 00:15:40.326
The pale man, arthur Penzler, scrambled to his feet, breathing heavily.
00:15:40.326 --> 00:15:47.649
He looked down at Rick, not with predatory menace, but with a strange mix of fear and annoyance.
00:15:47.649 --> 00:15:55.076
Shouts erupted outside as other guests, drawn by the commotion, peered nervously towards the cottage.
00:15:55.076 --> 00:16:00.876
Just get out, arthur, said his voice shaky.
00:16:00.876 --> 00:16:03.974
Get the fuck out before I call the cops.
00:16:05.105 --> 00:16:09.153
Rick, aching and utterly spent, dragged himself up.
00:16:09.153 --> 00:16:11.957
He didn't look at Arthur, he couldn't.
00:16:11.957 --> 00:16:23.634
He stumbled out of the cool darkness of Cottage Six and back into the oppressive glare of the afternoon sun, the concerned or curious faces of his other guests blurring past him.
00:16:23.634 --> 00:16:32.350
He retreated into his own small house, collapsing into his armchair the rusty machete forgotten on Arthur's floor.
00:16:32.350 --> 00:16:41.135
He sat there for hours as the sun dipped lower, the certainty of his terror dissolving into a swamp of shame.
00:16:41.135 --> 00:16:43.687
Had he imagined it all?
00:16:43.687 --> 00:16:55.153
Was he losing his mind when twilight finally painted the sky in soft, bruised colors, bathing the lake and cottages in a deceptive calm.
00:16:55.855 --> 00:16:57.359
Rick couldn't stand it anymore.
00:16:57.359 --> 00:16:59.188
He had to apologize.
00:16:59.188 --> 00:17:09.177
He splashed water on his face, combed his hair with trembling fingers and walked slowly, hesitantly, back to cottage six.
00:17:09.177 --> 00:17:11.949
He knocked softly this time.
00:17:11.949 --> 00:17:17.139
The door opened and Arthur stood there looking wary.
00:17:18.545 --> 00:17:22.228
Look, rick began his voice thick with embarrassment.
00:17:22.228 --> 00:17:28.293
I I am so incredibly sorry about earlier the heat.
00:17:28.293 --> 00:17:29.735
I haven't been sleeping.
00:17:29.735 --> 00:17:32.596
It's no excuse, but I wasn't.
00:17:32.596 --> 00:17:34.239
I wasn't myself.
00:17:34.239 --> 00:17:35.640
I understand.
00:17:35.640 --> 00:17:40.746
If you called the police or if you want to leave, I'll refund you.
00:17:40.746 --> 00:17:45.990
Of course Arthur regarded him for a long moment, his expression unreadable in the dim light.
00:17:45.990 --> 00:17:51.836
Then, surprisingly, he offered a small, tired smile Forget it.
00:17:51.836 --> 00:17:53.898
Rough day for both of us.
00:17:53.898 --> 00:17:57.020
I guess no cops called you want a beer?
00:17:57.020 --> 00:17:59.605
I know I could use one.
00:17:59.605 --> 00:18:03.030
Stunned, rick nodded.
00:18:03.612 --> 00:18:11.596
They ended up sitting on the small, slightly rickety porch of Cottage Six watching the fireflies begin to blink over the darkening lawn.
00:18:11.596 --> 00:18:21.259
The air was still thick and humid, but the shared silence felt less tense now, almost companionable after the earlier chaos.
00:18:21.259 --> 00:18:26.913
After a few sips of cold beer, rick couldn't hold back the question any longer.
00:18:26.913 --> 00:18:29.397
A few sips of cold beer.
00:18:29.397 --> 00:18:32.503
Rick couldn't hold back the question any longer.
00:18:32.503 --> 00:18:32.644
Why?
00:18:32.644 --> 00:18:39.165
He asked, looking at Arthur, why didn't you press charges?
00:18:39.165 --> 00:18:40.446
I mean, I forced my way in, I had that, that thing.
00:18:40.446 --> 00:18:41.008
I was shouting crazy stuff.
00:18:41.008 --> 00:18:42.528
You had every right.
00:18:42.548 --> 00:18:43.911
Arthur took a slow drink from his bottle.
00:18:43.911 --> 00:18:49.276
Arthur took a slow drink from his bottle, gazing out towards the black silhouette of the woods.
00:18:49.276 --> 00:18:54.840
He turned back to Rick, a peculiar quiet smile touching his lips.
00:18:54.840 --> 00:18:59.787
It was different from the tired smile earlier.
00:18:59.787 --> 00:19:16.257
Well, rick, arthur said, his gaze locking onto Rick's with a friendly yet chillingly smile, his voice dropping to a soft, almost intimate murmur.
00:19:16.257 --> 00:19:17.744
Then his smile widened slightly.
00:19:17.744 --> 00:19:25.583
Because I can't very well get your blood if you're locked up in jail now, can I?
00:19:25.583 --> 00:19:32.046
A cold shock seized Rick.
00:19:32.046 --> 00:19:32.927
He stared at Arthur's smiling face.
00:19:32.927 --> 00:19:33.930
The friendly mask suddenly terrifyingly thin.
00:19:33.930 --> 00:19:38.098
The paranoia he'd felt earlier surged back, but this time it wasn't a frantic delusion.
00:19:38.098 --> 00:19:40.993
He hadn't been entirely wrong after all.
00:19:40.993 --> 00:19:47.713
He just picked the wrong time and the wrong way to confront the truth, hiding patiently in plain sight.
00:19:47.713 --> 00:19:50.406
Or was this a joke?
00:19:50.406 --> 00:19:52.872
Was Arthur messing with him?
00:19:52.872 --> 00:19:56.499
That's when Arthur lunged.
00:01:22.367 --> 00:01:25.374
The heat in central Florida doesn't just press down.
00:01:25.374 --> 00:01:32.814
It clings like damp gauze thick, with the buzz of insects and the smell of simmering algae from the lake.
00:01:32.814 --> 00:01:34.705
Rick knew this heat.
00:01:34.705 --> 00:01:38.730
He'd owned the Cypress Knee Cottages for 15 years.
00:01:38.730 --> 00:01:47.027
Eight little wooden boxes perched uncertainly on the edge of Lake Istokpoga, baking in the relentless sun.
00:01:47.027 --> 00:01:57.588
Behind them, the woods began, a dense, tangled wall of cypress oak and strangler fig that seemed to swallow the light whole.
00:01:58.700 --> 00:02:01.009
Lately Rick had started hating the woods.
00:02:01.009 --> 00:02:05.329
It hadn't always been this way.
00:02:05.329 --> 00:02:07.484
The cottages were his escape.
00:02:07.484 --> 00:02:13.064
His small kingdom carved out of the humid wilderness, but business was slow.
00:02:13.064 --> 00:02:19.972
The paint was peeling and the quiet stretches between reluctant tourists were getting longer, deeper.
00:02:19.972 --> 00:02:25.093
But today all his cottages were all occupied, but for one.
00:02:25.093 --> 00:02:31.326
This was the first time in a long time and it happened in a short period of time.
00:02:32.669 --> 00:02:35.493
Lately Rick spent too much time alone.
00:02:35.493 --> 00:02:41.968
He had a couple of old friends from his time in the Air Force staying there for a while, but they moved on.
00:02:41.968 --> 00:02:53.665
Rick now spent his nights listening, listening to the cicadas drone, the plop of unseen things in the lake and the rustle and click from the tree line.
00:02:53.665 --> 00:02:56.544
After dusk it started subtly.
00:02:56.544 --> 00:03:08.264
A guest in Cottage 7, the one closest to the woods complained about strange noises at night, scratching, maybe Hard to tell, over the air conditioner's rattle.
00:03:08.264 --> 00:03:13.542
Rick blamed raccoons, patched up a loose board, forgot about it.
00:03:13.542 --> 00:03:16.047
Then came the couple in cottage.
00:03:16.047 --> 00:03:19.074
Eight Pale folks kept to themselves.
00:03:19.074 --> 00:03:21.323
Mostly came out after sunset.
00:03:21.323 --> 00:03:32.072
Rick saw the man once near dawn retreating from the wood's edge back to the cottage, moving with a quick, furtive silence that snagged Rick's attention.
00:03:32.072 --> 00:03:37.028
Rick found a dead possum near their porch later, oddly bloodless.
00:03:37.028 --> 00:03:39.762
Probably coyotes, he told himself.
00:03:39.762 --> 00:03:41.747
But the thought felt thin.
00:03:41.747 --> 00:03:45.295
Pap, sleep became a luxury.
00:03:46.016 --> 00:03:54.560
Rick would sit on the porch of his own small house, set back from the rentals, nursing his bourbon eyes fixed on the black wall of the woods.
00:03:54.560 --> 00:03:58.966
He'd see things, or think he did.
00:03:58.966 --> 00:04:07.040
Pale shapes flitting between trees where the moonlight struggled to reach, eyes reflecting back light.
00:04:07.040 --> 00:04:12.170
That wasn't his flashlight beam, or were they just phosphorescent fungi?
00:04:12.170 --> 00:04:19.050
The constant drone of insects seemed to modulate, taking on whispering tones just below hearing.
00:04:20.252 --> 00:04:24.288
Paranoia took root, like the invasive vines choking the Cyprus knees.
00:04:24.288 --> 00:04:32.254
He started researching online late at night, the laptop screen casting a sickly glow on his now haggard face.
00:04:32.254 --> 00:04:46.574
Local folklore, missing persons reports from decades ago, always hikers near remote lakes, lakes fringe theories about blood-drinking cults, then inevitably vampires.
00:04:46.574 --> 00:04:49.841
It sounded crazy even to him at first.
00:04:49.841 --> 00:05:00.489
Vampires In Florida, not the suave counts of Europe, but something feral, adapted to the heat and shadow of the swampy woods.
00:05:00.489 --> 00:05:04.035
He began to watch his guests with suspicion.
00:05:04.035 --> 00:05:12.252
The family in Cottage 3 seemed normal, but didn't the father flinch when Rick mentioned going fishing at sunrise?
00:05:12.252 --> 00:05:20.843
The young woman in Cottage 5, always wearing long sleeves despite the oppressive heat, hiding bite marks?
00:05:20.843 --> 00:05:26.740
He started leaving the porch lights on all night, burning through electricity.
00:05:26.740 --> 00:05:37.466
He couldn't afford lining his own windowsills with pungent strings of garlic bought from the nearest town, feeling ridiculous and terrified all at once.
00:05:38.487 --> 00:05:47.689
One muggy afternoon, driven by a gnawing dread, rick ventured into the woods behind Cottage 8, armed with a rusty machete he barely used.
00:05:47.689 --> 00:05:53.829
The air grew heavy, still sunlight filtered down in sickly green shafts.
00:05:53.829 --> 00:06:09.264
He found a sort of clearing, trampled earth, more bones, small animals, birds picked clean, unnaturally clean, and in the soft mud near a cypress root, a footprint long, narrow.
00:06:09.264 --> 00:06:17.242
Definitely not animal, not quite human either, or so it seemed to his increasingly frantic mind.
00:06:17.242 --> 00:06:29.591
He scrambled back out, heart hammering, convinced he'd heard soft laughter echoing just behind him, he stopped interacting with guests unless absolutely necessary.
00:06:29.591 --> 00:06:37.168
He stayed inside his house after dark, peering through the blinds, jumping at every Creek of settling wood.
00:06:37.168 --> 00:06:39.192
Every night birds cry.
00:06:39.192 --> 00:06:42.546
He imagined them watching him waiting.
00:06:42.546 --> 00:06:48.201
Why Were the cottages just convenient feeding grounds?
00:06:48.201 --> 00:06:50.106
Or did they know he knew?
00:06:50.106 --> 00:06:52.652
Did they know he was watching?
00:06:54.240 --> 00:06:57.266
One evening a new guest checked into Cottage 6.
00:06:57.266 --> 00:07:02.904
A tall, gaunt man with dark, deep-set eyes and skin like bleached parchment.
00:07:02.904 --> 00:07:09.930
He arrived just as the sun bled into the horizon, paid cash and retreated inside without a word.
00:07:09.930 --> 00:07:14.464
Rick watched him from his window, breath held tight in his chest.
00:07:14.464 --> 00:07:16.329
This was one of them.
00:07:16.329 --> 00:07:17.610
He knew it.
00:07:17.610 --> 00:07:23.528
The way he moved, the way he didn't seem to sweat the utter silence from the cottage.
00:07:23.528 --> 00:07:28.985
He was the leader, he's the leader, of the vampire nest.
00:07:28.985 --> 00:07:30.748
That's how they do it.
00:07:30.748 --> 00:07:41.846
The followers come in first, scope out the place and make sure it's safe for their father, the one that birthed them into their evil and vile existence.
00:07:41.846 --> 00:07:44.692
That night was worse than ever.
00:07:44.692 --> 00:07:48.629
Every rustle outside was them testing his defenses.
00:07:48.629 --> 00:07:51.468
Every shadow held a waiting predator.
00:07:52.459 --> 00:07:58.127
Rick sat in his armchair, shotgun across his lap, usually unloaded, but not tonight.
00:07:58.127 --> 00:08:03.027
He didn't care much for guns, but it felt necessary.
00:08:03.027 --> 00:08:05.353
The air conditioner wheezed.
00:08:05.353 --> 00:08:07.437
He didn't care much for guns, but it felt necessary.
00:08:07.437 --> 00:08:08.939
The air conditioner wheezed.
00:08:08.939 --> 00:08:10.759
No-transcript.
00:08:11.005 --> 00:08:14.675
Around 3 am, a tapping started at his back door.
00:08:14.675 --> 00:08:22.391
Soft, rhythmic and insistent Tap, tap, tap.
00:08:22.391 --> 00:08:24.137
Rick froze.
00:08:24.137 --> 00:08:26.228
His blood turned to ice water.
00:08:26.228 --> 00:08:30.490
It wasn't the wind, it wasn't a branch, it was deliberate.
00:08:30.490 --> 00:08:33.571
They were here, they knew he was alone.
00:08:34.144 --> 00:08:38.667
The paranoia had blossomed into full-blown terror, a suffocating certainty.
00:08:38.667 --> 00:08:42.432
He couldn't breathe, couldn't think past the sound.
00:08:42.432 --> 00:08:46.279
Tap, tap, tap.
00:08:46.279 --> 00:08:51.850
He squeezed his eyes shut, picturing sharp teeth, red eyes, the bloodless faces from his nightmares.
00:08:51.850 --> 00:08:54.614
Teeth, red eyes, the bloodless faces from his nightmares.
00:08:54.614 --> 00:09:00.500
He saw the woods creeping closer, swallowing the cottages, swallowing him.
00:09:00.500 --> 00:09:07.569
The tapping was inside his head now, echoing the frantic pulse in his ears.
00:09:07.569 --> 00:09:09.113
Rick started to question his sanity.
00:09:09.113 --> 00:09:11.238
Was any of this real?
00:09:11.238 --> 00:09:14.387
He never checked the door.
00:09:14.387 --> 00:09:20.730
He stayed frozen in the chair until dawn, painted the sky in hues of bruised purple and feverish orange.
00:09:20.730 --> 00:09:23.316
The tapping had stopped hours ago.
00:09:24.258 --> 00:09:28.695
Exhausted, trembling, rick finally forced himself to look outside.
00:09:28.695 --> 00:09:33.668
There was nothing there, no footprints in the dew-kissed grass.
00:09:33.668 --> 00:09:41.970
On his doorstep sat a small dead frog, probably dropped by an owl, or maybe not.
00:09:41.970 --> 00:09:44.537
Rick stared at it.
00:09:44.537 --> 00:09:46.873
Then, at the dark line of the woods.
00:09:46.873 --> 00:09:50.134
Were they testing him, playing with him?
00:09:50.134 --> 00:09:58.895
Or was it all just the heat, the isolation, the slow creep of his own mind unraveling in the humid Florida silence.
00:09:58.895 --> 00:10:00.237
He didn't know.
00:10:00.237 --> 00:10:11.913
And that he realized as the sun climbed higher, promising another day of suffocating heat and gnawing uncertainty, was the most terrifying thing of all.
00:10:11.913 --> 00:10:17.802
The woods remained silent, watching, holding secrets.
00:10:17.802 --> 00:10:24.597
He could only guess at, secrets that might only exist in the crumbling cottages of his own mind.
00:10:24.597 --> 00:10:29.251
The dead frog on the doorstep wasn't a tipping point.
00:10:29.251 --> 00:10:32.038
It was the final push over the edge.
00:10:32.138 --> 00:10:33.987
Rick had been teetering on for weeks.
00:10:33.987 --> 00:10:39.379
The ambiguity, owl or omen, was worse than certainty.
00:10:39.379 --> 00:10:43.434
Certainty, even of horror, was something solid.
00:10:43.434 --> 00:10:48.896
This miasma of doubt, heat and creeping dread was intolerable.
00:10:48.896 --> 00:10:58.047
His sleep-starved mind, marinating in fear, latched onto a single warped piece of vampire lore Sunlight.
00:10:58.047 --> 00:11:01.701
They were weaker in the sun, weren't they Vulnerable?
00:11:01.701 --> 00:11:09.176
He read on one of those websites that if you take out the main vampire, the rest will die.
00:11:10.785 --> 00:11:16.769
The Florida sun, currently blazing with the intensity of a furnace eye, felt like his only ally.
00:11:16.769 --> 00:11:26.395
He had to act Now, before dusk fell again, before the shadows in the woods deepened and his courage dissolved completely.
00:11:26.395 --> 00:11:28.972
He didn't grab the shotgun.
00:11:28.972 --> 00:11:31.809
The weight felt wrong, too final.
00:11:31.809 --> 00:11:38.109
Instead, his trembling hand closed around the cold pitted handle of the rusty machete.
00:11:38.109 --> 00:11:41.995
It felt clumsy, absurd, but it was heavy.
00:11:41.995 --> 00:11:43.438
It was something.
00:11:44.284 --> 00:11:49.136
Sweat dripped into his eyes as he stumbled out into the blinding noon light.
00:11:49.136 --> 00:11:52.874
The air was thick enough to swim through.
00:11:52.874 --> 00:12:02.356
Each of the eight cottages seemed to waver in the heat haze, deserted islands in a sea of shimmering asphalt and parched grass.
00:12:02.356 --> 00:12:05.813
His focus narrowed on Cottage Six.
00:12:05.813 --> 00:12:13.087
He lurched across the patchy lawn, the machete held awkwardly at his side, reaching the door.
00:12:13.087 --> 00:12:14.253
He didn't knock.
00:12:14.253 --> 00:12:18.696
He pounded his fist, hitting the cheap wood with frantic force.
00:12:18.696 --> 00:12:22.956
Get out, he yelled, his voice cracking.
00:12:22.956 --> 00:12:24.849
I know what you are.
00:12:24.849 --> 00:12:26.816
Get the hell out of here.
00:12:26.816 --> 00:12:28.221
Silence.
00:12:28.221 --> 00:12:29.105
Then the out of here Silence.
00:12:29.105 --> 00:12:32.213
Then the sound of a lock clicking.
00:12:32.904 --> 00:12:37.797
The door opened a few inches, revealing the pale gaunt man from the night before.
00:12:37.797 --> 00:12:42.355
He squinted against the sudden brightness, his dark eyes adjusting.
00:12:42.355 --> 00:12:47.057
He looked tired, annoyed, slightly confused.
00:12:47.057 --> 00:12:50.033
He was wearing a simple t-shirt and shorts.
00:12:50.033 --> 00:13:00.694
To Rick, however, fueled by adrenaline and terror, the man's pallor was unnatural his calm demeanor, the icy control of a predator.
00:13:00.694 --> 00:13:04.554
The confusion in his eyes looked like cunning calculation.
00:13:04.554 --> 00:13:10.438
What the hell do you want, the man asked his voice raspy.
00:13:10.438 --> 00:13:15.711
I know about you, rick hissed, gripping the machete tighter.
00:13:15.711 --> 00:13:21.148
I know what you do in the woods at night the animals I know.
00:13:21.148 --> 00:13:24.992
The man sighed, rubbing his temples.
00:13:24.992 --> 00:13:28.859
Look, I don't know what you're talking about.
00:13:28.859 --> 00:13:30.846
It's too damn hot for this.
00:13:30.846 --> 00:13:32.288
Go sleep it off.
00:13:32.288 --> 00:13:34.773
He started to close the door.
00:13:35.774 --> 00:13:40.008
That dismissal, the casual wave off, snapped something in Rick.
00:13:40.008 --> 00:13:45.628
He shoved the door open, stumbling into the cool, dim interior of the cottage.
00:13:45.628 --> 00:13:51.129
Blackout curtains covered the windows, plunging the room into near darkness.
00:13:51.129 --> 00:13:54.837
The air smelled stale, conditioned.
00:13:54.837 --> 00:13:58.370
I know you're the leader of the others.
00:13:58.370 --> 00:14:08.059
Rick demanded, swinging the machete vaguely Now I'm ending this he lunged towards the window, tearing at the heavy curtain.
00:14:08.059 --> 00:14:10.365
Sunlight flooded the room.
00:14:10.365 --> 00:14:19.467
The pale man recoiled, shielding his eyes, letting out a startled cry hey, what are you doing?
00:14:19.467 --> 00:14:21.029
Get out of my room.
00:14:22.231 --> 00:14:26.220
In that instant Rick saw it or believed he saw it.
00:14:26.220 --> 00:14:32.852
Instant Rick saw it, or believed he saw it, the man's skin seemed almost translucent in the direct light.
00:14:32.852 --> 00:14:33.936
His eyes flared with something red.
00:14:33.936 --> 00:14:37.145
Or was it just blood vessels reacting to the sudden brightness?
00:14:37.145 --> 00:14:45.326
And Rick could swear he saw for a split second his teeth look unnaturally sharp, vampire.
00:14:46.367 --> 00:14:48.753
Rick screamed, raising the machete.
00:14:48.753 --> 00:14:53.567
The man yelped, scrambling backward, tripping over a suitcase.
00:14:53.567 --> 00:14:58.297
He threw his hands up defensively Are you fucking crazy?
00:14:58.297 --> 00:15:00.306
Get the fuck away from me.
00:15:00.306 --> 00:15:02.230
Rick lunged.
00:15:02.230 --> 00:15:15.134
The pale man yelped, scrambling backward and kicking out defensively, his foot connected with Rick's knee, sending him sprawling the machete skittering away across the floor.
00:15:15.134 --> 00:15:23.635
Rick landed hard, knocking the wind out of himself, the cheap particle-board nightstand digging into his ribs.
00:15:23.635 --> 00:15:33.990
He lay there gasping, the red haze of panic slowly receding, replaced by a throbbing ache and the cold, sharp stab of humiliation.
00:15:33.990 --> 00:15:40.326
The pale man, arthur Penzler, scrambled to his feet, breathing heavily.
00:15:40.326 --> 00:15:47.649
He looked down at Rick, not with predatory menace, but with a strange mix of fear and annoyance.
00:15:47.649 --> 00:15:55.076
Shouts erupted outside as other guests, drawn by the commotion, peered nervously towards the cottage.
00:15:55.076 --> 00:16:00.876
Just get out, arthur, said his voice shaky.
00:16:00.876 --> 00:16:03.974
Get the fuck out before I call the cops.
00:16:05.105 --> 00:16:09.153
Rick, aching and utterly spent, dragged himself up.
00:16:09.153 --> 00:16:11.957
He didn't look at Arthur, he couldn't.
00:16:11.957 --> 00:16:23.634
He stumbled out of the cool darkness of Cottage Six and back into the oppressive glare of the afternoon sun, the concerned or curious faces of his other guests blurring past him.
00:16:23.634 --> 00:16:32.350
He retreated into his own small house, collapsing into his armchair the rusty machete forgotten on Arthur's floor.
00:16:32.350 --> 00:16:41.135
He sat there for hours as the sun dipped lower, the certainty of his terror dissolving into a swamp of shame.
00:16:41.135 --> 00:16:43.687
Had he imagined it all?
00:16:43.687 --> 00:16:55.153
Was he losing his mind when twilight finally painted the sky in soft, bruised colors, bathing the lake and cottages in a deceptive calm.
00:16:55.855 --> 00:16:57.359
Rick couldn't stand it anymore.
00:16:57.359 --> 00:16:59.188
He had to apologize.
00:16:59.188 --> 00:17:09.177
He splashed water on his face, combed his hair with trembling fingers and walked slowly, hesitantly, back to cottage six.
00:17:09.177 --> 00:17:11.949
He knocked softly this time.
00:17:11.949 --> 00:17:17.139
The door opened and Arthur stood there looking wary.
00:17:18.545 --> 00:17:22.228
Look, rick began his voice thick with embarrassment.
00:17:22.228 --> 00:17:28.293
I I am so incredibly sorry about earlier the heat.
00:17:28.293 --> 00:17:29.735
I haven't been sleeping.
00:17:29.735 --> 00:17:32.596
It's no excuse, but I wasn't.
00:17:32.596 --> 00:17:34.239
I wasn't myself.
00:17:34.239 --> 00:17:35.640
I understand.
00:17:35.640 --> 00:17:40.746
If you called the police or if you want to leave, I'll refund you.
00:17:40.746 --> 00:17:45.990
Of course Arthur regarded him for a long moment, his expression unreadable in the dim light.
00:17:45.990 --> 00:17:51.836
Then, surprisingly, he offered a small, tired smile Forget it.
00:17:51.836 --> 00:17:53.898
Rough day for both of us.
00:17:53.898 --> 00:17:57.020
I guess no cops called you want a beer?
00:17:57.020 --> 00:17:59.605
I know I could use one.
00:17:59.605 --> 00:18:03.030
Stunned, rick nodded.
00:18:03.612 --> 00:18:11.596
They ended up sitting on the small, slightly rickety porch of Cottage Six watching the fireflies begin to blink over the darkening lawn.
00:18:11.596 --> 00:18:21.259
The air was still thick and humid, but the shared silence felt less tense now, almost companionable after the earlier chaos.
00:18:21.259 --> 00:18:26.913
After a few sips of cold beer, rick couldn't hold back the question any longer.
00:18:26.913 --> 00:18:29.397
A few sips of cold beer.
00:18:29.397 --> 00:18:32.503
Rick couldn't hold back the question any longer.
00:18:32.503 --> 00:18:32.644
Why?
00:18:32.644 --> 00:18:39.165
He asked, looking at Arthur, why didn't you press charges?
00:18:39.165 --> 00:18:40.446
I mean, I forced my way in, I had that, that thing.
00:18:40.446 --> 00:18:41.008
I was shouting crazy stuff.
00:18:41.008 --> 00:18:42.528
You had every right.
00:18:42.548 --> 00:18:43.911
Arthur took a slow drink from his bottle.
00:18:43.911 --> 00:18:49.276
Arthur took a slow drink from his bottle, gazing out towards the black silhouette of the woods.
00:18:49.276 --> 00:18:54.840
He turned back to Rick, a peculiar quiet smile touching his lips.
00:18:54.840 --> 00:18:59.787
It was different from the tired smile earlier.
00:18:59.787 --> 00:19:16.257
Well, rick, arthur said, his gaze locking onto Rick's with a friendly yet chillingly smile, his voice dropping to a soft, almost intimate murmur.
00:19:16.257 --> 00:19:17.744
Then his smile widened slightly.
00:19:17.744 --> 00:19:25.583
Because I can't very well get your blood if you're locked up in jail now, can I?
00:19:25.583 --> 00:19:32.046
A cold shock seized Rick.
00:19:32.046 --> 00:19:32.927
He stared at Arthur's smiling face.
00:19:32.927 --> 00:19:33.930
The friendly mask suddenly terrifyingly thin.
00:19:33.930 --> 00:19:38.098
The paranoia he'd felt earlier surged back, but this time it wasn't a frantic delusion.
00:19:38.098 --> 00:19:40.993
He hadn't been entirely wrong after all.
00:19:40.993 --> 00:19:47.713
He just picked the wrong time and the wrong way to confront the truth, hiding patiently in plain sight.
00:19:47.713 --> 00:19:50.406
Or was this a joke?
00:19:50.406 --> 00:19:52.872
Was Arthur messing with him?
00:19:52.872 --> 00:19:56.499
That's when Arthur lunged.
SEARCH PAST EPISODES
Search past episodes of Bite Sized Nightmares Podcast.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Scott McLean, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.
EDIT
Thank you for helping to keep the podcast database up to date.
