[SPEAKER_00]: The way of the hollow star as a tame candle's horror story, please take care of yourself and check the content warnings for each episode.
[SPEAKER_00]: Listener discretion is advised.
[SPEAKER_03]: the three of you step into cathedral space.
[SPEAKER_03]: Each of you having been here before, and some, or the others.
[SPEAKER_03]: It is dimly lit thick with incense and filled with the sounds of birds of ocean and of music.
[SPEAKER_03]: It all induces a lightheadedness, the sense of being in a spotlight, as though heaven
[SPEAKER_03]: the three of you stand in the room and there is a thin veil separating the three from Father Cathedral.
[SPEAKER_03]: Only two of you have ever stepped further in and to his bedroom and private corridors.
[SPEAKER_03]: You can see his silhouette once your eyes have adjusted to the shadows all of you have learned to adjust to so many shadows.
[SPEAKER_03]: Sister Angela, how does this process usually go?
[SPEAKER_04]: Usually, what happens is that Sister Henrietta will be his voice.
[SPEAKER_04]: She lands down next to him and he'll whisper in her ear and she will speak with the voice of a God.
[SPEAKER_04]: It doesn't really matter who's voice it is, because it's his words.
[SPEAKER_04]: I know it's their words, and that's all that matters.
[SPEAKER_03]: How do the three of you feel without sister Henrietta being there with you?
[SPEAKER_04]: Disarmed.
[SPEAKER_01]: Unsure.
[SPEAKER_05]: Afraid.
[SPEAKER_03]: It is a special day, is it not my family?
[SPEAKER_01]: That is Father Cathedral, I'm not in the last thing I would want to do is ruin such a fantastic day such as this, you're birthday and all.
[SPEAKER_03]: Do you think you have the ability to ruin something I would not want to be ruined?
[SPEAKER_03]: No, forgive me, I'll come close, brother Retrinote, come here and hear the barrier.
[SPEAKER_01]: My breath is anywhere put in my lungs.
[SPEAKER_01]: I feel like I've been petrified on the spot, singled out by God and asked to step forward.
[SPEAKER_03]: my brave right hand you will be strong today.
[SPEAKER_03]: Tell me what burdens you brother of original.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know how, but the feits they
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know, they're snooping around or something, they're on their way, I've gotten worried they're on their way and I'm worried that it might ruin your birthday.
[SPEAKER_03]: If destiny invited them to my celebration, I would be a rude guest to turn them away, hand out the gun's brother, Reginald.
[SPEAKER_01]: Of course, of course, right away, I will just be a moment with these, too.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I rush out of the room, my head down.
[SPEAKER_01]: A happy birthday.
[SPEAKER_01]: Father Cathedral.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I leave the room, my head down, not looking either sister Angela or mother Holly in the eyes.
[SPEAKER_03]: Mother Holly, sister and Jala, it is so good to see you both in the room at once.
[SPEAKER_05]: I think we both look at each other, and exactly the same time.
[SPEAKER_05]: We definitely do.
[SPEAKER_05]: Um, yes.
[SPEAKER_03]: Happy birthday.
[SPEAKER_05]: Happy birthday, father, cathedral.
[SPEAKER_05]: Happy birthday, father.
[SPEAKER_03]: are you both ready to be filled with the light of the future tonight as a special night?
[SPEAKER_05]: Well, of course, as I already am, aren't I?
[SPEAKER_05]: And I just start to my abdomen.
[SPEAKER_03]: What has always been is also now, and will continue to be so.
[SPEAKER_03]: You are forever to me, Mother.
[SPEAKER_05]: Thank you, Father.
[SPEAKER_03]: Now, what weighs heavily on the both of you besides joy and joy approaching so abundantly?
[SPEAKER_04]: I am sorry to share this with both of you,
[SPEAKER_04]: Brother Clive and Sister Renetta left some time last night.
[SPEAKER_04]: I found a note from this morning, I wanted to tell you father so that you weren't expecting them tonight.
[SPEAKER_04]: It saddens me that more of our family have lost their way, leading up to such a special day.
[SPEAKER_03]: I bless your gentle heart.
[SPEAKER_03]: It was written as such, too will flee to the marshland to be lost in the field.
[SPEAKER_03]: We are on the correct path.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yes, Father.
[SPEAKER_04]: Thank you.
[SPEAKER_03]: Sister Andrew Lud was so good to see you.
[SPEAKER_03]: Brother Reginald has something for you.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yes, Father.
[SPEAKER_04]: Thank you.
[SPEAKER_04]: Happy birthday.
[SPEAKER_03]: Happy birthday, sister Angela.
[SPEAKER_04]: And Angela with a thrilled smile on her face, walks out of the room.
[SPEAKER_04]: She places a hand on mother Holly's arm, gives it a quick squeeze, a gesture of comfort and familiarity.
[SPEAKER_04]: They are family.
[SPEAKER_03]: We see brother Lairmy around the cabins.
[SPEAKER_03]: Following a sound until he finds it, a single drone hovering above the community room, and also cathedral's cabin.
[SPEAKER_02]: I think Lairmy is concerned.
[SPEAKER_02]: There's an instinct in him that despite maybe some of his
[SPEAKER_02]: more skeptical thoughts and some of the concerns that have arrived recently that he still feels a desire to take care of the people here and to take care of this community.
[SPEAKER_02]: There me looks up and finally seeing it just says,
[SPEAKER_02]: Fuck, shit.
[SPEAKER_02]: And you see him reach behind underneath his linen shirt into his jeans and pull the gun from his back.
[SPEAKER_02]: It's a six shot revolver kicks like a son of a bitch and is going to be loud and probably not great at a distance, but he jumps into action.
[SPEAKER_02]: and runs toward the cabin to try to get close enough to it to see if he can take it down.
[SPEAKER_03]: If you would roll me a six D6.
[SPEAKER_03]: Two six is no one's.
[SPEAKER_03]: A single shot in the drone falls to the ground.
[SPEAKER_03]: Brother Neil Cassidy jumps with the sound as he was attempting to start a fire on the pile of body he had hastily made.
[SPEAKER_03]: The drone twitches for a moment and then goes quiet and does not move.
[SPEAKER_02]: There he runs over to the drone.
[SPEAKER_02]: Carefully sets his bare foot on top of the drone away from the blades.
[SPEAKER_02]: I think having just shot, he hears the side as Reggie exits the building and he looks back to see if Reggie heard the gunshot and notices him there.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean I can almost imagine it as if like I was like I'm storming out of you know the house and like I'm like okay I'm on a mission.
[SPEAKER_01]: My mind is a buzz because I've heard the voice of God for the first time and he's told me to go get the guns and start phasing them out to everyone in preparation for our guests and I think like it's very much like that like dissonant tone in my mind as I'm going and going and all of the
[SPEAKER_01]: and then boom, the gunshot goes off, and all of it clears.
[SPEAKER_01]: And just like dead focus on like the sound, and I turn, and your direction.
[SPEAKER_02]: Uh, brother, Reggie, um, what the hell, uh, this fucking drone was, uh, flying over the cathedral's cabin, uh, father, cathedral's cabin, and uh,
[SPEAKER_02]: And he kind of like looks down at his hand, with the gun.
[SPEAKER_02]: I was actually just coming to tell you, hey, come here.
[SPEAKER_02]: Listen, not more bad news.
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't want to give you more bad news, brother Reggie.
[SPEAKER_02]: Tell us a mystery.
[SPEAKER_02]: Neil.
[SPEAKER_02]: He killed someone.
[SPEAKER_02]: And he shut this gun into his hand.
[SPEAKER_02]: No, no, no, it was a reporter.
[SPEAKER_03]: There is a large burst of flame, as brother Neal has added lighter fluid to the pile of man.
[SPEAKER_02]: As Reggie turns, so like see that big mushy flame, Laramy's going to grab his shirt.
[SPEAKER_02]: Listen, Neal, I think he's losing it.
[SPEAKER_02]: He's freaking out, he's sort of chopping up the body.
[SPEAKER_02]: I came to find you, and then I saw this drone.
[SPEAKER_02]: I figured something's going on, somebody's trying to get to us.
[SPEAKER_02]: I shot it down, and it just reacted.
[SPEAKER_01]: I put a hand on the shoulder, and take him just a deep breath.
[SPEAKER_01]: You did good.
[SPEAKER_01]: Let go to the shed, get every gun you can find.
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's start giving them to those that are left.
[SPEAKER_01]: Feds are all no way.
[SPEAKER_03]: If either of you would like to examine the drone, please roll me 66.
[SPEAKER_02]: There are means running from wise right now he's not concerned.
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, that was bad.
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, that was really bad, actually.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, how about no sixes, two ones?
[SPEAKER_03]: Well, these things are true.
[SPEAKER_03]: The world is dark.
[SPEAKER_04]: There is a screw loose.
[SPEAKER_04]: Father Cathedral did not sigh or that baby.
[SPEAKER_02]: The fire spreading quicker than it should.
[SPEAKER_03]: Sister Angela knows the method of ascension and we are behind you wish you could take the time to look at this brother Reggie, but time is being taken from you by the world and the pace of this story collapsing.
[SPEAKER_01]: I take over and there's no thoughts in my mind other than the words he spoke to me.
[SPEAKER_01]: There's only following orders now that God has spoken.
[SPEAKER_01]: I immediately drop down to the ground, pry open the loose board and find the stash of weapons that
[SPEAKER_01]: you've been saving for a time.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, not this bad, but one also we're going to use them.
[SPEAKER_01]: You expect days like this because you have to.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a worst case scenario.
[SPEAKER_01]: You expected
[SPEAKER_01]: It'll happen, but you just hope it's not as soon as it winds up being.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I quickly grab as many as I can hold on my person.
[SPEAKER_01]: I imagine there's rifles with like a band a layer and like a strap so I can like put them around like shoulders and my chest.
[SPEAKER_01]: The holster on my hip, I like, I tuck one like a handgun in and then one in the back of my pants.
[SPEAKER_01]: There's nothing bigger than a rifle per se, I mean, there's a shotgun, but there certainly is something more dangerous.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think to myself as I take out this,
[SPEAKER_01]: box.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's like this old metal box that someone probably picked up from like a XS like supply.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, yeah, an army surplus store.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I opened it up and there are like five of it inside of it.
[SPEAKER_01]: I take them by their clips and I just hook them onto the bandalier that's of like one of the guns.
[SPEAKER_03]: It is not the first time or the last time that lovers of liberty will need to stand up against a tyrannical government that is trying to disrupt their community.
[SPEAKER_03]: You are the next chapter in the long line of heroes that stood for wild and free spaces and were willing to defend them.
[SPEAKER_03]: Brother Reggie, you turn covered in firearms and see brother Laramie standing there behind you.
[SPEAKER_03]: The sound of fire and smell of smoke is growing slowly, despite the rain.
[SPEAKER_01]: Grab any ammo you can, and I toss you the shotgun.
[SPEAKER_02]: Laramie catches it, and quickly says,
[SPEAKER_02]: Brother Jeno obviously time is of the essence and maybe something worse is coming Do you really want me to arm kneel?
[SPEAKER_02]: I'll take care of me.
[SPEAKER_02]: I I can do it.
[SPEAKER_02]: I just I'll take care of a kneel.
[SPEAKER_02]: You get to the others.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes, yes, but they're a couple.
[SPEAKER_02]: Of course.
[SPEAKER_02]: I'll go check on Sister Angela and mother Holly.
[SPEAKER_02]: All right
[SPEAKER_01]: And I, I'm March off.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I think he grabs the shotgun and lets Reggie pass and goes in and probably grabs a few more guns as well to be able to pass out and do with as he needs to do.
[SPEAKER_03]: Sister Angela now also glowing exits the community building and sees all this activity,
[SPEAKER_04]: Brother, brother, Laramie?
[SPEAKER_04]: What's happening?
[SPEAKER_02]: Brother Reggie mentioned something about feds, and I shot a drone down.
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, that was over.
[SPEAKER_02]: Over, Kathy Dut, Father Cathedral's cabin, and Neil, and kind of like pulls you away from the fire.
[SPEAKER_02]: Neil.
[SPEAKER_02]: killed a reporter, and then chopped them up.
[SPEAKER_02]: Right?
[SPEAKER_02]: Things are getting bad, Angela.
[SPEAKER_02]: This building, I just learned, has a lot of ammunition.
[SPEAKER_02]: If we don't get away from this building, we might be in for the danger.
[SPEAKER_02]: Brother Redgese said, he's going to take care of Neil.
[SPEAKER_02]: So just, come on, let's go.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, yeah, brother Reggie is going to go get me home.
[SPEAKER_04]: Okay.
[SPEAKER_01]: Can I say that as you're saying that, um, I think,
[SPEAKER_01]: While our camera is focused on you, Reggie is fulfilling their moment.
[SPEAKER_01]: And as you say that, you just hear a gunshot go off.
[SPEAKER_03]: Breather Reggie, if you could roll me 5d6 to see if you find your hope in this moment.
[SPEAKER_01]: That is 1-6 no-ones.
[SPEAKER_03]: Brother Reggie, what about this moment brings you hope?
[SPEAKER_01]: It is due or die.
[SPEAKER_01]: Now is the time we come together, and we see this thing through.
[SPEAKER_01]: God has spoken, and as his arm I will move as he says, and I will trim the fat where it needs to be trimmed, so that we are lean and can sprint into the future.
[SPEAKER_01]: And kneel tragically.
[SPEAKER_03]: Brother Neal Cassidy rocking back and forth as he sits in the blood in the mud, back and forth, once, twice, and then never again.
[SPEAKER_03]: As two heavy of a star enters the back of his skull, and he falls forward in his face lands in the fire.
[SPEAKER_04]: You hear Angela Scream.
[SPEAKER_04]: She moves like she's going to run forward, but I imagine... Let me immediately.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_02]: Generally.
[SPEAKER_02]: Catch us there.
[SPEAKER_03]: Father could the troll emerges from behind the curtain, slowly, somberly, he approaches you, mother Holly.
[SPEAKER_03]: And as though setting down a destiny that has become too heavy, he looks at you and he size.
[SPEAKER_03]: Looking so normal, so plain, hair and a beard more gray they used to be, I is not
[SPEAKER_03]: He falls to his knees in front of you and wraps his arms around your thighs, resting his head gently on your belly.
[SPEAKER_03]: Am I doing the right thing, Holly?
[SPEAKER_05]: My idea still question that.
[SPEAKER_03]: It was easier before I had so much to look forward to.
[SPEAKER_03]: Faith is hard when you're in love.
[SPEAKER_05]: What do you mean?
[SPEAKER_03]: Sometimes during prayer I find myself thinking of you and winter and I and if we could just leave, finally vanish.
[SPEAKER_03]: But I would rather have faith fail me than have I fail it.
[SPEAKER_03]: but sometimes I waver my love.
[SPEAKER_03]: But if one word of assurance from you and I'll hold on as long as it takes.
[SPEAKER_05]: I am.
[SPEAKER_05]: I feel... I feel afraid.
[SPEAKER_05]: But I want to speak that I feel similarly.
[SPEAKER_05]: Is that a test?
[SPEAKER_03]: Are you testing me or am I testing you?
[SPEAKER_05]: Is it the world testing us?
[SPEAKER_03]: I'd be hollow without you my star.
[SPEAKER_03]: Come sit with me for a while, I need you.
[SPEAKER_05]: I think as...
[SPEAKER_05]: As cathedral releases, her thighs and sits back, she hesitates, just standing there, staring, breathing, holding onto her stomach.
[SPEAKER_05]: Is this right?
[SPEAKER_03]: It's too late for it to be anything else.
[SPEAKER_05]: But is it?
[SPEAKER_03]: Yes.
[SPEAKER_05]: Why?
[SPEAKER_03]: Because I said it.
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm sorry.
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm sorry, I guess the guards are coming to the garden, but we are safe here.
[SPEAKER_03]: This is holy ground.
[SPEAKER_05]: Then why have I so afraid?
[SPEAKER_03]: Because this is important, fear and holiness resemble each other like lovers, or tombstones.
[SPEAKER_05]: She nods her head.
[SPEAKER_03]: But I believe in you, and in the winter you will bring.
[SPEAKER_05]: I think I believe too, but it's so hard.
[SPEAKER_03]: Come sweet, Holly, show me how you kneel.
[SPEAKER_05]: She kneels.
[SPEAKER_03]: Those outside hear the sound of a helicopter approaching.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's fuck.
[SPEAKER_04]: What is that?
[SPEAKER_02]: That's time to go.
[SPEAKER_04]: Go where are we supposed to go?
[SPEAKER_04]: We can't go.
[SPEAKER_04]: What are you talking about?
[SPEAKER_02]: Sister Angela we don't we don't have a choice anymore.
[SPEAKER_02]: They're making the choices for us
[SPEAKER_02]: This whole fucking thing isn't supposed to happen till midnight and it is far from midnight right now.
[SPEAKER_02]: We do not have a choice.
[SPEAKER_02]: You just watch, brother Reggie, kill, kneel.
[SPEAKER_02]: We have to go that whatever whoever is in that thing, they're not coming here to say hello to help us fucking transcend.
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay, and we need to leave.
[SPEAKER_02]: It's time.
[SPEAKER_04]: We can't go without Mother Hall and Father Cathedral.
[SPEAKER_04]: We have to go back.
[SPEAKER_04]: We have to get them.
[SPEAKER_02]: We can't holly.
[SPEAKER_02]: And we go.
[SPEAKER_02]: Let's go where, where, where did you leave her?
[SPEAKER_04]: She's still inside.
[SPEAKER_02]: We go get her.
[SPEAKER_04]: OK.
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think Laramie will take your hand and lead you towards the sink.
[SPEAKER_02]: He considers handing you a gun, but seeing the state that you're in, he's like, no way.
[SPEAKER_02]: I think it's better of it.
[SPEAKER_02]: And just like kind of like shoulders the shotgun and stuff's the gun that he was going to give you into his pocket.
[SPEAKER_02]: I think just like walks to the porch and without knocking, it's just going to open the door.
[SPEAKER_04]: The last thing Angela sees as you lead her into the building is when she looks back she sees brother Reggie standing over the now burning corpse of Neil, the youngest of our family, her friend, she'll never see again.
[SPEAKER_03]: Some things are accidents and some things are miracles.
[SPEAKER_03]: A screw is loose, this is a thing that is true.
[SPEAKER_03]: As though you were protected from above, something begins to go wrong, the helicopter begins to wobble and buck up half of smoke and then it plummets from the sky.
[SPEAKER_03]: Crashing not far in the distance, rather a wedge of you hear screams from the craft.
[SPEAKER_03]: and also screams from the tunnel beneath it, now collapsed as the half dozen agents that were making their way from above, burn alongside those that were arriving from below.
[SPEAKER_01]: Standing in front of all the fire and death amongst the chorus of screams of unseen people,
[SPEAKER_01]: and seeing how, despite the fact that everything is so utterly and totally fucked, there still seems to be a divine providence over this, those that need to make the journey
[SPEAKER_01]: are still safe.
[SPEAKER_01]: The people that we're coming to make, all of our hard work, our effort, our blood, our sweat, our tears be wiped away with their cold, uncaring bureaucracy and
[SPEAKER_01]: and drowned out by their screams.
[SPEAKER_01]: This truly does feel like the day that I've heard the voice of God, and what he has told me will come to pass.
[SPEAKER_01]: This is a joyous day.
[SPEAKER_03]: If you could roll me 5d6 to see if yet another gift will be bestowed upon you.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'll take a gift, sure why that!
[SPEAKER_03]: No six is one one, but I would love to do have your hope die, so you can add an X-Girl D6 that succeeds on a 5 or a 6.
[SPEAKER_03]: Okay, let me run that.
[SPEAKER_01]: That was a 6.
[SPEAKER_03]: You see Zoe Glass emerge from behind the tree, now with a video camera, now rating what is going on and taking footage of the fire and of you.
[SPEAKER_03]: Are they in range of my rifle?
[SPEAKER_03]: Easily.
[SPEAKER_03]: Then I will do what must be done.
[SPEAKER_03]: If you could roll me 5d6 plus your hope die as you attempt to kill your blood for the sake of your family,
[SPEAKER_01]: But it's no success.
[SPEAKER_01]: It may ones.
[SPEAKER_03]: These things are true.
[SPEAKER_03]: The world is dark.
[SPEAKER_04]: Cathedral will not put their hands on Holly.
[SPEAKER_04]: It was mother Holly who extended her hand out to a young and fragile Angela and brought her into the family.
[SPEAKER_01]: During a recent bodily communion, Reggie lost their virginity to Angela.
[SPEAKER_02]: Holly smells like lavender.
[SPEAKER_01]: And we are alive.