S1 E08: Bubble Burst

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I can't believe I'm actually doing this. I just arrived at the abandoned Springfield Corporation building towards the edge of town. It's... It's dark. Took me forever to find this place and the whole facility is nearly covered in brush and overhanging trees. This shitty weather isn't helping. This place is in the middle of the woods.

I don't know how or why they built it here, but there's a pretty big fence blocking me from driving any closer, and it doesn't look well kept or guarded in any way, so I'm thinking I can climb through a broken piece. Recorder's going in my jacket pocket, just in case I see anything noteworthy. God. I'm really about to play detective here. What the fuck am I doing? presents How I Died

The facility is a big gray building. It's kind of bland looking with faded red lettering up the side. It obviously said Springfield at one point but the letters are almost gone now. I am not seeing anything here, surprisingly. I would have expected to see some equipment or signs of other people here, but nothing. I wonder if they really did just close up shop immediately after the accident.

I'm coming up to what looks like a shipping entrance. I can't imagine it'll be unlocked. Yeah. The chain is loose enough for the door to open a little. If I can... squeeze through, I might be able to fit. Come in. Okay. It is dark in here, but not pitch black. Got my phone for a little bit of light. Thank God for smartphones, huh? No doubt the power won't work, even if I could find some sort of switch. But there's actually a light in the distance down this hallway.

I hear someone talking. It's coming from the glowing area. There's a corner here. The light is coming from around it. I'm in front of a big set of thick doors and a broken out observation window. This definitely looks like a lab. No signs of another storm, though. Good, good. More time. We have more time. I can hear someone talking on the other side, but I don't see anyone yet. I'm going to get closer to the window. Who are you?

I don't know you. Don't know you. Don't know you. Whoever that was just walked through the wall and then stepped back to the other side. He had a white lab coat, but he's clearly a ghost. I was not expecting that. Excuse me. Do we have the crochet in place? Yes? Good. Hello? No storm in sight. No storm in sight. Let's get back to work. He doesn't seem to notice me. He's just...

pacing around this empty lab. Huh. In the far side, most of the wall is actually destroyed. I can see right back out that side. Should have come in that way. George! I need you to move your ass!

We're busy today. Mike? Hey, are you Mike Melba? You know my name. He knows my name. You're not George or Steve. What do you want? I just came to see you, actually. I need you to scan your ID to come in then. I'm very busy. We're all very busy. I don't have an ID. Then I cannot help you. Goodbye. Ray Melba sent me? He's your brother, right? Ray?

Ray sent you? Ray- Ray sent you! Yeah, I actually met him a few days ago. He told me I might find you here. Can you please tell him that he's fired? He hasn't come back to work in 10,922 days. That's grounds for forfeiting his position. And now I'm in charge. He hasn't been to work? Mike, how can I get in there? Use your scanner on the ID. The doors will open. I don't have a- Use your scanner on the ID. The doors will open.

Okay. Yeah. Doors are... I might be able to climb through the broken window if I can find something to... Here we go. Making a mess. Making a mess. Steve. Steve, get a broom. Ouch. My. Oh, my. Fuck. Oh, no. You've made a mess. Everything is ruined. I'm sorry. I can clean it up. It's okay. Do we have an injury? Call medical. It's okay. It's okay. I'm busy. Who are you? I'm... I'm John. There's no John on our team.

John, this is a restricted area. I'm sorry to interrupt you. I used my ID on the door and just came to visit. Oh, you did? Yeah. Why didn't you say so? Steve, George, get back to work. Nothing to see. Back to work. Can I talk to you for a second? Very, very busy. Wait, where are you going? Damn it. He walked through another wall. I don't know what to do here. I don't think Mike is aware that he's dead. Wow. This lab is huge. And that light from before is actually coming through the ceiling.

It's completely see-through. There's some sort of glass or plastic about halfway up the far wall, and it goes across the entire ceiling. It looks like a window frame you'd see in a museum exhibit, except we're on the inside.

This has definitely got to be the bubble project. How do you know about the bubble? Are you here to shut us down? Jesus, you think I'd be more used to this by now. Ray, your brother told me about the project that you two were working on. Where? We are working on it. I am working on it. He's fired. I'm working on it. And he is fired. Right. Of course, of course. I meant the project you are working on. I'm working on it. I know.

How is it going? Not well. Not well. Why not? There was a storm we weren't prepared for. Right. Ray told me about that. He said it came kind of suddenly in 1989. No, no, not that one. Not that storm. That storm was 10,922 days ago. There was a second storm. That must have been what Crowley was talking about when she said fire rained down from the sky twice. Yes, yes, of course. Today is 10,922. The last storm was day 8,000.

8,515. 8,515. So it was recent. 365 in a year and about 2,400 different. That was what? 2013? 2014? What is going on around here? Day 8,515! Right. Crochet should be working, but it's not. The crochet? I heard you say that earlier. What is it? It is... what it is. Storms are coming. We must be ready. Mike. It could be any day. The bubble's still not working. Mike, listen to me. Do you know exactly what happened in 1989? What day?

Um, day one, I guess. Yes, day one. Come back to work after the storm. Steve was on time, but George was late. Ray never showed up. There were more people here than now. Oh, I got it. No, I meant day zero then. Day zero. Day zero. I was working. Sky went red. And then what? I don't like day zero.

Please, Mike. I don't like Day Zero. I don't like Day Zero. Ray asked me to find out. Ray, I saw him on the other side of the glass. He looks so scared. And then I looked up and the bubble was cracking. The flares. And then I was hit. I felt it in my whole body. It was... It was what? And then it hit him too. Who? Ray? No. It hit him. Him.

He wasn't supposed to be here. There was someone else in here with you? Yes, yes, I'm telling you. But Ray said it was just you two. Is he dead too? Dead? What? No, he's trapped. Trapped... Trapped where? Here. No, listen! You don't listen. He is trapped out there. Out... Outside? Yes. The pressure in the room. Crack the wall. Couldn't move. He could. He crawled out as the crack was big enough. Huh. Some broken parts of the wall look like they have flecks on them. It definitely could be blood.

He clawed at it. I kept yelling for him, but he couldn't hear me, and then he ran. Ran where? I... I followed him. I kept yelling. Why couldn't he hear me? I... I don't know. You! What? Me? You have to help him! Wait, where are you going? Shit. He just ran through the broken wall. I think I can climb through. Damn it. All this goddamn rubble. Mike! Wait! Mike! What's going on?

What do you mean I have to help him? He's trapped out in the bunker. You can get him out. I can't. I can't open the door. Maybe you can. Wait. He took off in the woods. Oh, damn it. John, are you seriously going to follow a ghost in the woods in the middle of the night? Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Fine. Mike! Mike, I'm coming. Ready to launch your business?

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I'm Amy Nicholson, the film critic for the LA Times. And I'm Paul Scheer, an actor, writer, and director. You might know me from The League, Veep, or my non-eligible for Academy Award role in Twisters. We come together to host Unspooled, a podcast where we talk about good movies.

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What in the hell is this place? This way! Between all the trees there's actually... There's something sticking out of the ground. The bunker! It just looks like a mound of dirt, but... I can see some metal sticking out. That looks like a vent. And there's more over here. Yes, yes, here, the hatch. What do you mean the hatch? Oh my god, there's actually a bump in the dirt here. I can see... Oh my god. There's a... There's a hatch here. Like a submarine door. He's in here!

Yes, yes, open it. I can't. It's stuck. Open it, open it. I can't. He's going to die. Are you sure that there's someone actually in there? Jesus Christ. Hello? Hello? Is someone down there? Holy crap. I told you. If you were a ghost, he could have just passed right through the wall. No. There must actually be someone down there. Hold on. Hold on. My phone. My phone. Who are you calling? Crowley. It's John. I know it's late.

Look, I've got an emergency. I found someone trapped in a bunker in the middle of the woods. Yes, really. By the back of the old Springfield Corporation building. Maybe 100 to 110 feet back in the woods. South, I guess. I don't know. Just bring the fire department or something to break open a metal door. I'll stay here. Call me when you get close. They're coming?

They can get him out. I can't believe someone is actually in there. Hello. If you can hear me, we have people coming. Stay calm. What is his name? Who is it? Ah. Alex? I don't remember. Alex, help is on the way. Get him out, get him out. How in the hell did he survive so long? Day 10,922. Exactly.

That is a long time down there. And how did he survive the flare when you died? I what? Oh, shit. I didn't mean... I'm not dead. I can't be dead. No. I didn't- I'm not dead. Not dead. Did Bray tell you to come and trick me? Is that it? No. Ray. Ray and I spoke the other day. He's dead too, and he's been blaming himself for the accident.

For day zero, he wanted me to tell you that he's sorry. I have to get back to work. Don't run away again. Please, Mike, just talk to me. I have so many questions. Damn it. Hello? Yeah, I can hear the sirens. Head up the hill behind the building. Yeah. No, I can see the flashers. Yep. All right, up here. Hey! Whoa! Jesus! Don't run me over. Yeah. Hey. Yeah, right here. Below me.

It's some sort of hidden bunker or something down here. And there's someone in there? Yeah. I heard him on the other side just a minute ago. Where are you going? I have to check something. I'll be right back. What? I'm sure the fire department can handle opening the bunker door. John, get back here! I'll just be a minute. Damn it, Mike, where did you go? John? Mike. Hey. I thought you went back to the lab. I was on my way. What stopped you? The car. On its way up here, I...

It hit me and I... You went through it. Yeah, I did. Why? I don't know if it was from the flare or from just being left alone for so long, but Mike... You're a ghost right now. And Ray killed himself thinking that he was the reason you died. I spoke to him as a ghost too. But you're not a ghost. No, I'm not. The flares, I remember it hitting me. I watched my body fall to the ground. I am so sorry. And then I just felt like something was wrong.

Ray wanted me to tell you that he's sorry too. He wished you both could have left before the storm started. After my body collapsed, he slammed on the windows and doors. He screamed and cried. I remember. I remember. Yeah, so does he. Trust me. Mike, tell me, what are the flares? What was the bubble project for? Geo.

Geomagnetic flares cause mental abnormalities in those affected. Abnormalities? How so? The bubble was supposed to dissipate any concentrated blasts in order to reduce hazardous effects. No, you're not saying that the bubble... I don't know for certain, but the bubble may have spread the effects of the blast to the entire town. Like that can't be. What are the effects?

What happens to people? John! Not again. Mike, please wait for me. I... I have to get back to work. Mike, no, please. John! What in the hell do you think you're doing? What?

There was no one in there. In the bunker? There was nothing! No. Of course there was. I heard him. Go look for yourself if you don't believe me. And I swear, if you waste my time on one more damn... Come on, guys. We've got a real case to look into. That's impossible. I heard him. I heard him knocking. Ghosts can't interact with the physical plane. All of this shit is lining up. The surge of deaths in 1989.

And then the curse that everyone's been talking about, it's just caused by the flares. And then there was another blast in 2013. And then another slew of deaths after that.

Jesus Christ. I know I say this about almost every episode, but episode 8 was absolutely one of my favorite episodes, not only to put together, but also to listen to. The sound design in this one was a ton of fun. I actually recorded a lot of the stuff in my car. I did a lot of the sound effects while I was actually walking around, so it was a lot of fun to put together. But I think Mike's character here and part of the story that we've revealed...

This episode was pretty interesting. He was a lot of fun to write and work with. He's a good friend of mine and he also wrote and composed the How I Died theme song. So working with him on this was a lot of fun. I came up to him one day and I said, I'm thinking about making your character kind of nutty and completely insane.

How do you feel about that? And he was like, awesome, let's do it. Like I said, I really love the mystery of this one. I love the sound design. I think it was probably one of our standouts. So I hope you guys enjoyed this episode.

Before we get into the credits, a quick reminder to head to iTunes and leave us a review if you're enjoying the show. Don't forget you're going to be entered into that giveaway. We're going to be announcing the very first winners at the top of every month. So get in there, leave a review. There's only about 30-something right now, so your chances of winning are actually really, really good if we're picking three people for this first one. So thanks so much. Now let's get into the credits.

How I Died is an audio media original production, co-starring Vince Dijani as John Spacer and Shana Waring as Sheriff Fran Crowley. This episode featured an amazing guest performance by Mike Lynch as Mike Mella. Audio editing and sound design was done by Vince Dijani with mastering by Alexander Mark. Sound effects and Foley provided by freesound.org are created in-house at Audio Media. The How I Died theme song was created by Mike Lynch at silentmikemusic.com.

and special thanks to all of our patreon supporters without you guys we wouldn't be able to continue making this awesome show and providing the additional content that we have so we really appreciate not only your listens but also your support Thank you to and Teresa Waring. Check it out, patreon.com slash howidied. Thank you again for listening, and until next episode, try not to die.

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