[SPEAKER_01]: Welcome to Crooked Stories Theatre, where each week we bring you strange and quirky tales, stories with a small twist and odd setting, a unique character.
[SPEAKER_01]: It could be a drama, a light horror, a sitcom, really any kind of story, as long as it's just a bit crooked.
[SPEAKER_01]: Today we're excited to bring you part 5 of our 8-part supernatural western drama Devil's Do.
[SPEAKER_04]: Previously on Devil's Do.
[SPEAKER_01]: And now we present Devil's Do Episode 5, sins of the Father.
[SPEAKER_04]: Walt stumbled back into the cabin, blood running down his right cheek.
[SPEAKER_04]: He struggled to stay upright as a room spun wildly around him.
[SPEAKER_04]: The ringing in his ears disorienting as it was at least gave him something to focus on.
[SPEAKER_04]: If he could make it stop, then maybe... Help me bar the door!
[SPEAKER_04]: Solomon let forward to slam the door pose as Nathan pushed a trigger across the opening.
[SPEAKER_04]: It wouldn't hold long, but it might by the one more pull of the trigger.
[SPEAKER_02]: The shot!
[SPEAKER_02]: Where'd it come from?
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't know.
[SPEAKER_02]: Someone's been following us.
[SPEAKER_04]: Solomon peek from a window hoping to catch a glimpse of the shooter.
[SPEAKER_02]: We might be able to make it up to back.
[SPEAKER_02]: Can't just go out the back.
[SPEAKER_02]: We don't know how many of them there are.
[SPEAKER_02]: How in the hell did you get tangled up with him?
[SPEAKER_04]: The two men glanced at wall.
[SPEAKER_04]: Now slumped against the far wall.
[SPEAKER_04]: Head in his hands.
[SPEAKER_04]: Walt ignored them.
[SPEAKER_04]: He was busy fighting to regain his senses.
[SPEAKER_04]: He wiped his cheek.
[SPEAKER_04]: And stared at the blood on his hands.
[SPEAKER_04]: Walt was naive back then, at least more so.
[SPEAKER_04]: But that moment, some 35 years earlier, had changed him.
[SPEAKER_04]: The incident of the wagon in pale blood.
[SPEAKER_04]: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,
[SPEAKER_04]: If the horse hadn't been startled, if his brother wasn't standing in that exact spot, if the wagon had been loaded in any other way.
[SPEAKER_04]: If the break-hand failed, Nigel wouldn't have been there in front of Walt, held up only by the metal rod running through his gun.
[SPEAKER_05]: I'm gonna try to pull y'all off, fight.
[SPEAKER_07]: Ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh.
[SPEAKER_07]: He is so worried.
[SPEAKER_07]: I can't just leave you hanging here.
[SPEAKER_07]: It could be hours.
[SPEAKER_07]: Please.
[SPEAKER_07]: You got to.
[SPEAKER_05]: What are you asking?
[SPEAKER_07]: Take care of her.
[SPEAKER_07]: My daughter, Rachel's a sweet girl.
[SPEAKER_07]: No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
[SPEAKER_04]: I swear it.
[SPEAKER_04]: With that, Walt drew his pistol and held it to Nigel's head.
[SPEAKER_04]: You know.
[SPEAKER_04]: Ha ha.
[SPEAKER_07]: Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh
[SPEAKER_04]: Walt hadn't seen the little girl staring at him from behind the wagon.
[SPEAKER_04]: He scooped her up, hurried away from the site.
[SPEAKER_04]: He couldn't erase what she'd seen, but staying around wasn't going to help.
[SPEAKER_04]: It was several years later when he found himself in the poker game.
[SPEAKER_04]: He didn't plan for it to change his life, or hers.
[SPEAKER_04]: But after that night, nothing would ever be the same.
[SPEAKER_06]: I'll take one.
[SPEAKER_04]: The men rarely mention the accident, though it forever hung in the air.
[SPEAKER_04]: Solomon, always ready to lend a hand, had been a good friend in Nigel, and now, to all.
[SPEAKER_05]: I sure do appreciate the invite.
[SPEAKER_05]: Few things in life better than the home cook meal, I mean, anything beats saloons, rougher, campfire beans, but, yes sir, your wife cooked up a good one tonight.
[SPEAKER_04]: When the rest of the house had finally fallen asleep, Solomon had suggested if you rounds a poker to cap the evening.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, one for me also.
[SPEAKER_04]: Now the night was winding down.
[SPEAKER_04]: Solomon motioned a Rachel, asleep in the corner.
[SPEAKER_06]: So, Walt, it's been a year now, you uh, are you gonna settle down any time soon or what?
[SPEAKER_06]: It just, it don't seem right taking that poor girl all over the place.
[SPEAKER_05]: The fellow shooting blanks telling me what I'm doing wrong.
[SPEAKER_05]: What the hell?
[SPEAKER_06]: They don't need to get personal like that.
[SPEAKER_06]: I'll raise.
[SPEAKER_06]: Call.
[SPEAKER_06]: Damn.
[SPEAKER_05]: Not my night.
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah, I'm sorry.
[SPEAKER_05]: Look, trust me, you don't want to kid anyway.
[SPEAKER_06]: Well, I'll tell you that to my wife.
[SPEAKER_06]: I swear she's fixing to leave me.
[SPEAKER_06]: Don't think a kid will change that.
[SPEAKER_06]: Probably truth.
[SPEAKER_06]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_06]: Still, I think it'd be nice, you know?
[SPEAKER_06]: I have a kid.
[SPEAKER_04]: Last hand, you're going to deal or what?
[SPEAKER_04]: Solomon sat back in his chair.
[SPEAKER_04]: I thought sweeping over it.
[SPEAKER_06]: You know what, I'll play you for what?
[SPEAKER_06]: What kind of a hair-brained idea?
[SPEAKER_06]: So it's not yours, Walt, you don't even want her.
[SPEAKER_06]: You basically just said, so I made a promise.
[SPEAKER_06]: Yeah, I know, I was, I heard what you said, that you'd see to her care, right?
[SPEAKER_06]: And what better way than to give her a family, a bed, and some real food in her belly?
[SPEAKER_06]: Solomon dealt the cards.
[SPEAKER_06]: Carefully said he needs,
[SPEAKER_06]: Every girl needs a mom.
[SPEAKER_06]: One hand.
[SPEAKER_06]: I win, I take the girl.
[SPEAKER_06]: She'll have a good home one.
[SPEAKER_06]: My wife and I will see that.
[SPEAKER_06]: I lose, don't you dare all for money.
[SPEAKER_06]: My farm, Walt.
[SPEAKER_06]: You settled down.
[SPEAKER_06]: Give the girl a home.
[SPEAKER_06]: She deserves it.
[SPEAKER_04]: Walt looked at the little girl.
[SPEAKER_04]: He turned back to the table, picked up the cards, and acceptance of the deal.
[SPEAKER_05]: Oh, doubt, we'll be judged by this moment.
[SPEAKER_05]: I've already been judged.
[SPEAKER_04]: Walt's stared at the cards in his hand, a pair of jacks, pair of eights, and a three.
[SPEAKER_04]: He tossed the three on the table.
[SPEAKER_04]: I'll take two.
[SPEAKER_04]: Solomon sawst a fresh card to Walt, and dealt himself two cards.
[SPEAKER_04]: Walt peaked at his card, another jack, a full house.
[SPEAKER_04]: Walt stared at his hand, frozen by his luck.
[SPEAKER_04]: Call, you oughta show first.
[SPEAKER_04]: Call.
[SPEAKER_04]: Solomon dropped his hand on the table.
[SPEAKER_04]: Two pair.
[SPEAKER_04]: Queens and Tans.
[SPEAKER_04]: Not enough, Walt knew.
[SPEAKER_04]: He had the hand.
[SPEAKER_04]: All he had to do was drop it onto the table.
[SPEAKER_04]: Walt swept his hand into Solomon's and quickly shuffled it into the deck.
[SPEAKER_04]: Mm, you best treat her right.
[SPEAKER_06]: I won't really, oh, man, whoo, okay.
[SPEAKER_06]: I mean, I don't know Walt.
[SPEAKER_06]: I mean, there's no way we can actually do that.
[SPEAKER_06]: Lots you didn't mean it.
[SPEAKER_06]: Well, when you said you'd take her, I thought a bet's a bet.
[SPEAKER_06]: No, of course, I meant it.
[SPEAKER_06]: Yes, Walt picked up the sleeping girl, gently shook her awake.
[SPEAKER_04]: Listen, you're going to be staying here now, all right?
[SPEAKER_04]: She nodded as Walt searched her eyes.
[SPEAKER_04]: He could see fear, of course, but he also thought he saw something else.
[SPEAKER_04]: Relief.
[SPEAKER_04]: But then maybe he was just seeing what he wanted.
[SPEAKER_04]: You'll be okay.
[SPEAKER_04]: Walt grabbed his hat and headed for the door.
[SPEAKER_05]: He turned.
[SPEAKER_05]: Promise me you'll take care of her.
[SPEAKER_05]: Not for me, from my brother.
[SPEAKER_06]: I will.
[SPEAKER_06]: I will and my wife is she's gonna be so happy with that wall headed out.
[SPEAKER_04]: Walt's head hung low as he rode alongside a calm lake.
[SPEAKER_04]: He held back tears as he thought about the promise he had made to his brother.
[SPEAKER_04]: To Rachel really, but he had been no father, no matter how hard he tried, and he could never be the mother that the younger will really need it.
[SPEAKER_04]: He shook the thoughts off for what they were, justification.
[SPEAKER_04]: No matter how he wanted to spin it, it was failure.
[SPEAKER_04]: He dismounted, stared at the lake.
[SPEAKER_04]: Slowly, he slid the pistol from a toaster.
[SPEAKER_04]: He put the barrel in his mouth.
[SPEAKER_04]: It was cold against his tongue.
[SPEAKER_04]: He could taste the oil from an afternoon cleaning, smell the gunpowder from shots past as a mix with a scent of leather from the holster.
[SPEAKER_04]: All he had to do was pull a trigger.
[SPEAKER_04]: HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
[SPEAKER_04]: While he heard the voice, as it rose up inside him, he felt the darkness around it.
[SPEAKER_04]: Give it to me, O-O-B-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-
[SPEAKER_04]: cow.
[SPEAKER_04]: No more.
[SPEAKER_04]: Walt emptied the bullets from the pistol cylinder and dropped them into his pocket.
[SPEAKER_04]: He had come too close, he thought.
[SPEAKER_04]: He had considered tossing the gun into the lake, but in his line of work, the gun was a necessity.
[SPEAKER_04]: He couldn't go without.
[SPEAKER_04]: Still, if he ever had thoughts of killing again, even himself, he wanted at least one step between the thought and the
[SPEAKER_04]: From a distance, Walt watched Rachel grow.
[SPEAKER_04]: He tracked the good times and the bad.
[SPEAKER_04]: Often visiting Solomon to keep him on the straightest path possible.
[SPEAKER_04]: He saw Rachel pick Solomon up when her stepmother died.
[SPEAKER_04]: A free farming accident ending that phase of Rachel's life in an instant.
[SPEAKER_04]: He saw her battle Solomon's demons, the violence, the alcohol, the self-doubt.
[SPEAKER_04]: He watched her grow in strength when she finally stood up to Solomon, while could see the power dynamic shift, with every bit of growth for Rachel, Walt's Prime, also grew.
[SPEAKER_04]: So it hit particularly hard when Solomon visited Walt that day, 18 years ago, he's
[SPEAKER_06]: What?
[SPEAKER_06]: That can't be!
[SPEAKER_06]: How?
[SPEAKER_06]: Soundbirth won't.
[SPEAKER_06]: He was soundbirth.
[SPEAKER_04]: And... Well, the baby?
[SPEAKER_04]: Solomon shook his head.
[SPEAKER_06]: I'm sorry.
[SPEAKER_04]: There was nothing I could do.
[SPEAKER_04]: Walt could know was all a lie, a dramatic reaction to Solomon's changing status with his daughter, a fight to retain what little control he had left.
[SPEAKER_04]: With the new baby, Rachel had been asking questions.
[SPEAKER_04]: Solomon wasn't about to share.
[SPEAKER_04]: He had his own secrets to protect.
[SPEAKER_06]: I'm bad bad buried in the nond.
[SPEAKER_06]: I think your brother would all like.
[SPEAKER_04]: Walt never visited his brother's grave.
[SPEAKER_04]: It was all too overwhelming.
[SPEAKER_04]: It was a fact that Solomon hoped to leverage.
[SPEAKER_04]: He counted on Walt's pain keeping him far, far away.
[SPEAKER_04]: And for 18 years, the plan worked.
[SPEAKER_04]: Until Walt met the boy.
[SPEAKER_04]: You following me?
[SPEAKER_04]: No.
[SPEAKER_03]: Well, yes.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's just that I hear you're the best, and I was really hoping to ride with you to learn how to operate.
[SPEAKER_05]: Next time on Devil's Death.
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm going for the doctor.
[SPEAKER_05]: You should stay.
[SPEAKER_08]: Hold her hand.
[SPEAKER_03]: Please, clear the way.
[SPEAKER_08]: Move!
[SPEAKER_08]: She's gone, Nathan.
[SPEAKER_08]: And how did a world repay her?
[SPEAKER_08]: With a cold hot hand, a dark cabin, and barely, she deserved better.
[SPEAKER_03]: Hey, wait, wait, wait, what do you know it?
[SPEAKER_03]: She would be alive if not for him.
[SPEAKER_03]: I want to know why.
[SPEAKER_01]: Episode 6, Sunrise.