[ominous music]
[ominous music continues]
[Stephanie] Why do we create,
and then destroy myths?
Oh, come on, people.
This is humanities.
The study of human culture.
The why is integral to our understanding.
Okay, here.
Why do we feel compelled to believe in the first place?
Yeah?
You mean, like, in God?
Sure.
God, gods, the devil, evil,
anything intangible.
God helps us understand things we can't explain.
Without God, we wouldn't know
the difference between good or evil.
What about the 23 percent of Americans
who identify as Atheist?
Surely, they are not all amoral?
No, but just because they don't believe,
doesn't mean there isn't God or the devil.
Prove God and the devil exist.
Faith.
[eerie music]
[rasping]
[rasping continues]
Babe?
[rasping]
Steph?
[rasping]
[rasping continues]
Stephanie?
[door opens]
Babe, please come back to bed.
[screaming]
[Stephanie] Faith is an admirable quality, but...
we often have to distort the facts
in order to serve faith.
Question.
Can we have...
faith...
and facts?
Yeah, Cleo.
Well, I think it's important to trust facts,
but shouldn't we be open to the possibility
that there might be something else?
-Like myth? -Yeah, sure.
Then, why the need to destroy it?
[eerie music]
[eerie music intensifies]
[Cleo] By destroying what we create,
perhaps we're all evolving beyond myth.
You know, beyond God and the devil.
Humanity is waking up to the fact
that we just don't need them anymore.
Exactly.
[thumps]
[foreboding music]
[sheet rustling]
[ominous music]
[ominous music intensifies]
And if that's the case,
I'm afraid there's nothing
that God or the devil can do about it.
[class chuckles]
-[Cleo] Professor Hancock. -[Stephanie] Yeah?
Oh! Oh, uh...
[nervous chuckle] Okay, uh, class dismissed.
[ominous music]
[ominous music intensifies]
[bone cracks]
[eerie music]
["Draining" by Silversun Pickups plays]
[brakes squeaking]
[hydraulic door hisses]
¶ You ask me To be stoned again ¶
[sighs]
¶ Been waiting out here For a while ¶
¶ At least the wait Could be the end ¶
¶ But not likely ¶
[Stephanie] It's a creepy tree off of Buckout Road.
And, and then I wake up.
-[Lawrence] You wake up? -Yes, I wake up.
Yesterday, I woke up on my neighbor's lawn.
Something terrible is going to happen.
I think I'm being punished.
[Lawrence] What do you mean "punished"?
I am going to die.
[remote clicks]
[sharp exhale]
That was four days ago.
[Harris] Hmm.
Well, you're the psychiatrist. What's your diagnosis?
It's my opinion
that Stephanie was suffering from schizophrenia.
Mm-hm.
Just to be thorough, I'll review all of her files
and come back with an official diagnosis.
-I appreciate it, Lawrence. -Yeah.
[clears throat]
-[Lawrence] You okay? -Yeah, I'm fine.
Hmm.
Hey, Lawrence, hold up.
I'm sorry if I was rude in there.
Cleo is taking her teacher's death pretty hard.
Look, I, I know it's been a few years,
uh, but do you think maybe you could--
Bring Cleo by tomorrow.
-We'll have a chat. -Thanks.
[Lawrence] Okay, my pleasure. Okay?
-[Harris] Okay. -[Lawrence] All right.
Oh, hey, uh, how's, uh, how's Aaron doing?
He's due back soon, isn't he?
Shit.
[car approaching]
[Lawrence] Hey, I'm so sorry, Aaron.
I was at the police station.
-[car beeps] -Police station already?
Wow, I just got here.
[Lawrence pants]
[Lawrence] Were you waiting long?
You tell me. What time were you supposed to pick me up?
[Lawrence grunts]
Unbelievable.
[tranquil music]
[Aaron sighs]
[Lawrence] All settled in?
Yeah.
Hmm.
Oh, yes. Well...
[retreating footsteps]
[utensils clanking]
[Lawrence] Slow down.
Chew your food.
You're mad at me because I didn't pick you up?
Is that it?
No, I'm mad because I totally saw it coming.
[sighs]
Well, hmm...
You have something to say?
Then say it.
I'm not one of your patients, Dr. Powell.
All right.
On my five-and-a-half-mile walk
from the bus station to the house,
I had plenty of time to think.
And the only question I find myself asking is,
"Why the hell am I here?"
[Aaron] Ever since I was a kid,
from boarding school, to college, to NPS,
I've never been more than an afterthought to you.
And I thought that,
maybe once,
you'd put me first,
and not just put me away.
Sit down.
Now.
[Lawrence] You could have easily called.
You could have taken a cab.
But no.
You need a reason to be angry with me your whole life.
And I'm sympathetic to that.
But you need to remember something.
The night you lost your parents,
I lost my only daughter.
When you came to live here,
my job, from that moment on, was to do everything in my power
to ensure that you grew up
to be a strong, independent, well-adjusted man.
And now, you're gonna leave my table,
and accuse me of disrespect.
It seems like I still have work to do.
[dramatic music]
[knocking on door]
Uh...
[soft chuckle]
Dr. Powell didn't move, did he?
No, he's here. Come in.
I'm his grandson.
Cleo.
Ah, you ready?
[Cleo clears throat]
[birds chirping]
[door creaks open]
Kant. Seems a little ironic, given the whole
"soldiers having to take orders for a living" thing.
I don't know.
I think it's important to examine cause and effect
without relying solely on empirical knowledge
and analytical reasoning, don't you?
Philosophy jokes, I see how it is.
[Aaron chuckles]
I'm Aaron.
Cleo.
So that's your major?
Double major in religious studies
and philosophy.
I did it to piss off my grandfather.
[Cleo] Wow.
I think Freud might have something to say about that.
[Aaron] So how long have you been seeing
the great Dr. Powell?
I'm sorry.
That's none of my business.
-I was just-- -[Cleo] Dude, relax, it's fine.
Your grandfather was my shrink
back when my mother died five years ago.
Been having these really weird nightmares.
Sorry, I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable or anything.
I mean, I know that we're veering
into a union thing here, and well,
your Kantian brain might not be able
to grasp what's happening, so...
Hey, uh, would you ever want to get coffee,
-[car approaching] -or dinner?
[siren whoops]
[Harris] Cleo, in the car, please.
Is that your dad?
Sadly.
See ya.
Seriously, Dad?
[car door opens]
[car door closes]
[Harris] Seatbelt.
[engine revs]
[Cleo] Next thing I know,
I'm being tied at the stake with kindling at my feet.
And then I wake up.
[Lawrence] Do you know where they take you?
[Cleo] Yeah.
A clearing off of Buckout Road.
[Lawrence] Are you afraid?
Terrified.
[beeps]
[audio rewinding]
[beeps]
A clearing off of Buckout Road.
[Lawrence] Are you afraid?
Terrified.
[Aaron] Hey, Grandpa.
Uh, Aaron...
[clicks]
What is it?
I'm, I'm just going to bed, I just wanted to let you know.
Okay.
Ah.
[Lawrence] Hey, Aaron.
I'm glad that you're home, son.
[chuckles]
[sighs]
[dramatic music]
[dramatic music continues]
[grunts]
[sighs]
[exhales softly]
[distant siren wailing]
[Lawrence] Thank you.
Hey.
Hello?
[Cheryl] Oh, hey there, Dr. Powell.
What can I do for you?
Hey, Cheryl.
I'm, I'm looking for Roy. Is he here?
Um, no, sir.
Responded to a call out at Buckout Road.
-Really? -Mm-hm.
Couple kids messing around
at the Stephanie Hancock crime scene.
I swear, there's just not enough on television
-to keep some people occupied. -Mm-hm.
Well, just tell him I stopped by, okay?
Oh. You can tell him yourself.
[Erik] Please, man. Please, man, we're the victims here.
[Derek] We didn't do anything.
[both] We wanna make our phone call.
Will you two, please, shut the hell up!
Hey, Lawrence.
-Bad time? -Oh.
Ganzer boys.
Loitering at the Stephanie Hancock crime scene.
Idiots were sleeping under the tree,
right inside the yellow tape.
Hey, why don't you give Caroline a call.
I'm sure she's worried sick.
What can I do for you, Dr. Powell?
[Harris] Lawrence?
You mind if I talk to them?
[phone ringing]
Yeah, sure, sure. I'm not gonna process.
Just hold them here until their mother comes.
Hopefully, scare some sense into them.
Come on back.
We want our phone call.
We're entitled to a phone call.
You haven't been arrested...
yet.
[Lawrence] I'm Dr. Lawrence Powell.
I'm a psychiatrist.
We're not crazy. Is that what you think?
Dude, we're not crazy.
Nobody's saying you're crazy.
Twins, right?
[both] Fraternal.
What were you doing at this tree?
We just woke up there.
You fell asleep there?
No, we woke up there.
Sleepwalking?
[Erik] Yeah.
Tell me about the sleepwalking.
Well, it's, uh, it's when you fall asleep in one place,
-wake up in another. -[thwacks]
[Maitland] You and Tweedledum here
compromised an active crime scene.
You think we can't smell the weed
seeping out of your pores?
Look, okay, okay, we, we got high and...
we went to sleep at our house.
We had a nightmare
and we woke up under that gnarly tree.
That's the truth.
You both had nightmares?
[both] A nightmare.
Tell me about it.
It's the 1970's
and we're driving down Buckout Road.
["Highway Star" by Deep Purple playing]
¶ Nobody can... ¶
-[music stops] -[engine shuts off]
[ominous music]
Do it, man.
[sighs]
If you do it, I'll make it worth your while.
[upbeat music]
[belt clinks]
[Harris] Okay, all right.
That's, that's enough. [scoffs]
But you wanted to hear it.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. You honk the horn three times,
and crazy albinos come out and they eat you.
Everybody around here knows that story.
Go on, Erik.
Uh, Derek.
[slaps]
-Dude! -Just...
skip the hand job.
[horn honking]
[ominous music]
[laughs]
Okay.
I gotta take a leak.
[grunts]
[car door closes]
I think I'm gonna go too.
[eerie music]
[car door closes]
[Derek] Hm.
[trickling]
[Becky] Erik?
Erik?
Where are you?
I'm back here!
[twig snaps]
[suspenseful music]
Erik?
Where are they? I'm getting scared.
-[growls] -[screams]
I can't see you!
-[loud thwack] -[gasps]
[groans]
[Christine screams]
[scythe pierces flesh]
[squelching]
-[Erik] Where are the girls? -[Derek] Dude!
We have to go now!
-[tires screech] -[engine revs]
[Derek] And that's when we woke up.
You expect me to buy for one second
that you two stoners
had the same '80s slasher movie dream?
'70s.
-[slaps] -[Derek groans]
All right.
If I catch either of you two at that tree again,
I'm going to arrest you for criminal trespass.
Do you understand?
[Maitland] All right, come on.
Let's go. Move it out.
Come on, let's go.
[door closes]
[Lawrence] Interesting.
Now, what did you want to talk to me about?
Uh, it'll keep.
Oh, the Stephanie Hancock file, can I close that?
Uh, give me one more day.
I wanna be thorough.
[sighs deeply]
[tense music]
[Lawrence] Do you know where they take you?
[Cleo] Clearing off of Buckout Road.
[Stephanie] Something terrible is going to happen.
I think I'm being punished.
[Derek] We had a nightmare
and woke up under that gnarly tree.
[clattering]
[Lawrence sighs]
[ominous music]
[brakes squeaking]
[answering machine beeps]
[Lawrence] Hello, this is Lawrence Powell.
I was hoping we could meet.
I'll be stopping by this evening if you're available.
Take care now. Bye.
[ominous music]
[high-pitched ringing]
[suspenseful music]
[Lawrence] The night you lost your parents...
[flame crackling]
[foreboding music]
[engine revving]
[suspenseful music]
[squelches]
[Lawrence] Aaron.
I'm glad you're home, son.
[shrieks]
[phone ringing]
[ringing continues]
[suspenseful music]
[Harris] Aaron.
It's, uh, it's Roy Harris.
Um...
[overlapping radio chatter]
I'm afraid there's been an accident.
[distant siren wailing]
I, I'm so sorry.
[ominous music]
[sirens wailing in distance]
[somber music]
Thank you.
[Harris] He was a good man, son.
[Cleo] I'm so sorry.
Thank you.
[somber music]
[sighs]
[TV turns on]
[Lawrence] Tell me about these dreams.
The dream is fragmented.
I'm in this room
with two other girls, just... waiting.
[Lawrence] Do you recognize these girls?
No, but in the dream I know they are my sisters.
[Cleo] Then suddenly we're pulled out.
[Lawrence] And then?
And then I wake up.
Do you know where they take you?
A clearing off of Buckout Road.
[Lawrence] I want to talk about your mother for a moment.
Five years.
Next week, yeah.
[Lawrence] How do you feel about that?
I really miss her.
[suspenseful music]
[heavy breathing]
Grandpa?
[doorknob clicks]
[door creaking]
[eerie music]
[heavy breathing]
[eerie music continues]
[eerie music intensifies]
[Aaron sighs]
[foreboding music]
[birds cawing]
[foreboding music]
[door opens]
[door closes]
From the book of Job.
"As long as my breath is in me,
and the Spirit of God is in my nostrils,
my lips will not speak falsehood."
"And my tongue will not utter deceit."
Good verse.
My grandfather loved Job.
He called him the best bet God has ever made.
Are you a man of faith?
No.
I'm more of a pragmatist.
Uh-huh. But who hath put wisdom in the inward parts?
And given understanding to the mind?
Point taken.
How can I help you?
I haven't been here in years.
[Aaron] This was my grandfather's church.
[Mike] Welcome back.
What's your grandfather's name?
Pastor Powell.
Lawrence Powell?
You knew him?
I never met the man.
He'd left the church before I took over this parish.
But he called here last week, left a message,
said he was going to drop by, but didn't show.
I don't mean to be insensitive,
but, I understand he lost the faith.
After my mother died, my grandfather decided to...
practice psychiatry full time.
Oh. How is Dr. Powell?
He's dead.
I am so sorry.
[exhales sharply]
Seems like you are searching for something.
I just feel like I hardly knew the man.
When God takes those we love,
we're often confused and angry.
It's a clarion call to action.
Keep searching.
I believe you'll find what you are looking for.
[Mike] Would you like to pray?
No.
Thank you for your time.
-[Mike] Mike. -[Aaron] Aaron.
-[Mike] Welcome back any time. -[Aaron] All right.
[dramatic music]
[distant clanging]
[suspenseful music]
[creaking]
[indistinct whispering]
[door creaks]
[clattering]
[indistinct whispering]
[suspenseful music]
Hey!
Okay, whoa, dude!
This is not what it looks like, man.
-Who are you? -No, no, man,
this is a misunderstanding, okay?
Why you breaking into my house?
[Cleo] Because I asked them to.
I know this looks bad.
We just need answers.
Tell me what's going on.
There's something you should see.
[clicks]
This is Buckout Road.
It connects White Plains to West Harrison, New York.
This particular stretch
is home to some of the country's most infamous urban legends.
[Cleo] Buckout Road,
is the most haunted road in America.
This is the site of Buckout farmhouse.
Built in 1852, it was the home of John and Mary Buckout.
[Cleo] John Buckout was a slave owner,
who, according to legend, was driven mad by jealousy,
and beat his pregnant wife Mary
after she allegedly had an affair with a slave.
According to legend, Mary miscarried
and in a desperate act of self-defense,
killed John and then hanged herself.
Mary's ghost is said to come back at night.
An apparition, holding a lantern,
luring lost travelers through the forest
and to their doom.
There are dozens of urban legends
surrounding Buckout Road,
including the one about the flesh-eating Albino twins
that lived in this house back in the 1970's.
Now, the story goes,
that if you pulled up in your car
and honked the horn three times,
the Albino Twins would appear...
[both] And then eat you.
The most notorious of the Buckout Road legends
is of the three witches
who were burnt at the stake in 1650.
Three X's marked where they were killed.
And if you walk over them at a certain time of night,
peculiar things will happen.
Temperatures drop.
Cars have been known to crash.
None of this is real.
Only one in 20,000 people carry the Albinism gene,
so the chances of two in the same family
are pretty slim.
And cannibals? Really?
Throughout recorded history in America,
there has never been a single person
who was accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake.
[Erik] But what about Mary's ghost?
The lady in white? Does she still roam the woods?
[twins] Lantern in hand?
Sorry, folks.
Might make for good campfire stories,
but there are no evil spirits haunting the famed Buckout Road.
[keyboard clacks]
It was our class project.
"The Creation and Destruction of Modern Myth."
We chose the Buckout Road urban legends.
About three weeks ago, we started having these
really vivid nightmares.
And then, the sleepwalking started.
[Erik] Okay, we have a theory.
No, dude, you have a theory.
Dude, you said it seemed plausible.
Yeah, we were high,
anything's plausible when you're high.
We think we might be cursed.
And we're going to end up killing ourselves,
just like Stephanie did.
Get out of my house.
All of you.
Your grandfather recorded all of his sessions, okay?
There might be something in those videos, right?
Something that could help us.
Out!
[ominous music]
[shower running]
[shower shuts off]
[thuds]
[high-pitched ringing]
[gunshot]
[thuds]
[suspenseful music]
-[knife pierces flesh] -[squelches]
[EKG flatlining]
[squelches]
-[Mary screams] -[John] You think I didn't know
what you and that filthy slave were up to?
Now look at you!
With this nigger baby inside you!
-Get up! -[Mary panting]
[John] Come here.
How many times
-has he put his filthy... -[Mary] No! Stop!
-...hands on you? -[Mary] My baby!
-[John] Huh? -[Mary] My baby!
[Mary] No! Please.
-Answer the question. -No, John.
-[voices distorting] -[Mary gasps]
How many? [John grumbles]
-[grumbling continues] -[Mary whimpers]
[grunts]
-[John] You... -[Mary] No!
...are an unclean whore!
[Mary whimpers]
[Mary] No.
You have nothing to say, huh?
[John] You have nothing to say?
Very well.
I'll say it for you.
[Mary] No.
[gun cocks]
No!
[heartbeat thumping]
You're next, boy!
[gunshot]
Christ.
[panting]
[moaning]
[eerie music]
Aaron.
You should come on in.
[Cleo] What are you doing here?
I'm having dreams too.
What?
Tell me everything you know about Buckout Road.
We're gonna need some help.
[upbeat music]
[Derek] Yo! We got it!
[Erik] We have to return it in an hour.
Make a copy of that,
or it's going to cost me another eighth.
What is that?
That is the unauthorized biography
of Westchester county.
It's like a off-the-record recording
of some of the crazier shit that happened around here.
Alse Young?
Right?
Who's Alse Young?
It's the Woman of Windsor.
[Erik] First recorded instance of a person
being executed for witchcraft.
She was hanged in Hartford, Connecticut,
but there's nothing about Young's trial
or specifics about the hanging itself.
There is no record of this in Hartford.
Okay, it says here that Alse originally lived here
in Westchester with her parents and three sisters.
After she was hanged in Hartford,
a group of vigilante zealots came back here and found them.
In a private tribunal,
Councilor Jonathan Black ordered their execution.
All three women burned at the stake,
off of Buckout Road.
[Cleo] The entire family of five were killed.
Holy shit.
The urban legend is real.
Make that copy and meet at my place in an hour.
[Erik] Let's go.
[Derek] Dude.
Dr. Powell's final report on Stephanie Hancock,
retrieved from the crash site.
Well, I'll take it.
Thank you.
[tense music]
-Cheryl? -[Cheryl] Yes, boss?
[drawer clatters]
I'm going for a drive.
What does it say about Buckout Road?
There wasn't a Buckout Road back then.
But there is this,
"The landeth is anon cursed
and from this day forward shalt be-est known asdéofol's path."
Déofol?
The devil.
[car door closes]
[Cleo] Buckout Road is the Devil's Path.
[Aaron] The dreams,
what do we know?
[Cleo] Each of us is having a dream
related to a Buckout Road urban legend.
We are all sleepwalking.
-What are we missing? -Everything, man.
Why are we having them? How do we stop them?
Are we gonna die?
Is this all just a stupid coincidence?
Buckout Road.
[Aaron] What do we know now that we didn't know before?
We know the legend of the witches is real.
They put a curse on the road.
What are we missing?
How any of this could be even remotely possible.
Come on, we're never gonna get answers until we just admit it.
Admit what?
We're being punished for our project.
Oh, you think we hurt evil's feelings?
Come on!
[Cleo] What's your explanation?
Uh, power of suggestion? We're not cursed.
-But what if we are? -We're not!
-What if we are? -Listen to yourself.
There's no evil. There's no God.
That's why we did this project in the first place,
because I'm an atheist and so are you.
Not anymore.
[scoffs]
If you're the ones being cursed,
why am I having dreams of a pregnant woman
being beaten by slave owners?
[Erik] Wait,
you dream about John and Mary Buckout?
And witches, and '70s muscle cars,
and messed up suicides!
That's something.
But we're dreaming about a specific urban legend,
-right? -[Cleo] Yeah.
And you're dreaming about all of them.
Maybe it's like a virus.
Yeah, like that dream flu that's been going around.
Has the sleepwalking started yet?
No.
It will.
-[Harris] Cleo? -[door opens]
Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you had company.
What are you two idiots doing here?
[scoffs] Dad!
[Harris] I'm sorry, what's going on?
Those idiots...
-Yeah? -...are my friends!
[Cleo] They're actually in my class so,
way to be paying attention, Dad.
Yeah, speaking of, where were you today?
How do you know I wasn't in class?
Your phone.
-You're geotagging me? -I'm concerned about you.
I don't want you hanging out with any of those guys,
especially Aaron.
You don't want me hanging out with Aaron
because his grandfather died?
[Harris] I think, given what's happened--
[Cleo] What are you afraid of, Dad?
That I'm going to commiserate?
You should be grateful I have someone that's there for me.
I'm sorry, Dad.
Invite your friends to dinner.
[retreating footsteps]
-[crickets buzzing] -[utensils clanking]
[Harris] So how are you holding up, Aaron?
-I'm good. -Mm.
Next couple weeks I'm just gonna be taking care of the estate.
Have you got someone to help out?
No, my grandpa took care of everything,
so, I just have to sign a bunch of paperwork
-and sell the house. -Oh.
Are you leaving?
[Aaron] Yeah, I'm going to go back to NPS eventually.
Navy Post-graduate School.
Well, tactical training?
Masters, religious studies and philosophy.
[scoffs]
Dad.
[chuckles] Well,
seems like you're not taking advantage of the facility.
Will you, uh, spend your military career praying?
Dad!
Not all wars are fought on the battlefield.
Most are fought in the mind.
Oh, well, you would know.
Is there something you would like to say to me,
Detective Harris?
No. I'm just curious how you're dealing with all that's,
you know, all that's happened.
I'm fine.
You got it all handled? Do you... No, uh...
No sudden urges?
What are you doing?
He's trying to ask me,
in the least subtle way possible,
if I'm going to burn down my grandfather's house.
Why would you burn down your grandfather's house?
Because I did it before.
[scoffs] Dad, is this true?
If he says so.
I mean, by law, I wouldn't even be allowed
to comment on a sealed juvenile case, so...
You know, if you didn't want me to hang out with your daughter,
you could have just manned up and told me to my face.
Excuse me.
Thank you for dinner.
[door closes]
What the hell was that?
Aaron Powell is an unstable young man.
That fire nearly killed someone.
And this is how you want me to find out?
Like this?
[door closes]
They're coming back, right?
Get out.
[crickets buzzing]
[somber music]
[door opens]
[door closes]
[Cleo] You shouldn't leave your door open, you know.
All kinds of crazies out there.
[Aaron chuckles]
Tell me what happened.
My parents had just died in a freak car accident.
I was an angry kid.
One night, I took...
all the family photos I could find
and put them in a trashcan and set them on fire.
[Aaron] I accidentally...
knocked that can over,
and the fire spread to the rest of the house.
My neighbor, Mr. Cooper, pulled me out,
but not before he sustained third degree burns
across 40 percent of his back.
[exhales sharply]
Jesus.
I was arrested for arson,
diagnosed with having a psychotic break
by the esteemed Dr. Lawrence Powell,
who then committed me to the psych ward.
Your grandfather was the one who sent you away?
My whole life.
He shipped me to boarding school.
Boarding school turned into college,
and then I enlisted.
Um, I was at this friend's party,
I wasn't actually allowed to be there.
And I kept seeing the caller ID on my phone.
And I just kept thinking,
I'm dead.
My dad's actually gonna kill me.
[Cleo] I didn't answer the first three times he called.
But then on the fourth, I ran outside somewhere quiet
and I answered.
[Cleo] He was calling from the hospital.
My mother had swallowed over 15 pills.
They couldn't save her.
I just threw up, right there,
on the lawn.
[Cleo] People walking past, laughing.
I just looked like any teenager at any party,
who had had too much to drink.
A week after the funeral, my dad went back to work,
and...
two weeks after that he just stopped talking about it.
Five years this Saturday.
The worst thing about it was...
she didn't even seem depressed.
[Cleo] Nobody saw it coming.
Can we just watch some TV?
[Aaron] Of course.
-[TV turns on] -[sniffles]
[grunts]
[indistinct TV chatter]
[wind howling]
[suspenseful music]
[suspenseful music continues]
[Jonathan] These three are in league with Satan!
The devil's children!
[banging on door]
...these three out!
Lucifer's daughter!
[door creaks open]
These are the ones.
Everything is prepared.
Bring them to the clearing.
[heavy breathing]
[Lawrence] Are you afraid?
[man 1 on TV] I have fixed it,
so it locks and bolts from the inside.
But up here, all these windows?
Why, we'd never know where they were gonna hit us next.
[man 2 on TV] You got a point, Mr. Cooper,
but down in the cellar, there's no place to run to.
I mean, if they did get in,
there would be no back exit. We'd be done for.
[clears throat]
[man 2 on TV] We can get out of here if we have to.
We've got windows to see what's going on outside.
[groans]
[gasps]
[pants]
Cleo?
[eerie music]
-[matchstick rasps]
Hey, Cleo?
[screams]
[flame roars]
[screaming]
Okay. All right.
All right.
Oh, my god.
What's happening?
[Mike] Come and see me again next week.
-[door opens] -[Aaron] Reverend Mike.
[Mike] Aaron!
[Mike] Change your mind about praying?
"Suffering spirit. Suffer hell on earth."
-Where'd you hear that? -Where did you?
Did your grandfather ever show you the archive room?
[Mike] It was thought that some churches were built
to fight the evil that plagued the area.
The land was cursed.
The church became a sanctuary.
In the case of this particular church,
it was built because of Buckout Road.
You know about Buckout Road?
Everyone here knows about Buckout Road.
"The most haunted road in America."
[Mike] Sumerian legend.
Enki was lord of the earth,
and Inanna was a deity.
She was sent to hell. Enki tried to save her.
She came back to Earth, but was accompanied by demons
who insisted she wasn't free,
until someone else took her place.
Enki made the choice to replace her.
It's an old fable.
Passed down to many religions throughout history.
Hindus call it Karma,
we've come to understand it as Revelations 22,
verses 18 through 19.
"If any man shall add onto these things,
God shall add onto him the plagues
that are written in this book."
Checks and balances.
If you believe and respect, everything's in balance.
If you don't,
well...
[paper rustling]
What is that?
[Mike] It's an ancient symbol predating Christianity.
Roughly translated,
"It's a call to serve."
Zealots would often brand themselves with it in obedience.
[Aaron] Is there anything in that book about the evil?
[Mike] There's whole sections about the devil demanding
five sacrifices.
Spirits of the departed guiding the living.
Sending Satan back to hell.
Wait, wait, wait. What, what did you just say?
Sending Satan back to hell.
No, about the spirits
guiding the living.
It's meant allegorically.
It's the passing on of traditions and values,
preparing one for the future.
[Aaron] And you believe in all of this?
I believe we've come a long way as a species since then.
Things that were important then,
just aren't very much today.
But isn't it your job to believe?
My job is to offer comfort and council for people who do.
Look.
it's getting late and I have a service to prepare for.
If you'd like to come back tomorrow
and talk some more, you're welcome.
[Aaron] Well, well.
Detective Harris.
[Harris] You know, Aaron,
lately I've been feeling a little bit
like old Job over there.
Like I'm constantly being tested.
I don't know what the hell happened
between you and Cleo last night,
but she is not doing very well today at all.
So, I'm going to ask you nicely.
Please,
stay away from her.
She told me about her mother's suicide.
Five years ago, right?
She also told me how you shut her out afterwards.
She needs you.
Just...
stay away.
[door closes]
[whooshes]
[suspenseful music]
All right, Grandpa.
Show me.
[suspenseful music]
[Lawrence] Five years.
Five years.
[screaming]
[Cleo] The witches put a curse on the road.
["Highway Star" by Deep Purple playing]
¶ Nobody gonna take my car ¶
-¶ Nobody gonna take my car ¶ -[engine shuts off]
[horn honking]
¶ Ooh, it's a killing machine ¶
¶ It's got everything ¶
[knife rasps]
[gasping]
[grunts]
[cell phone ringing]
Hello?
[Aaron] Cleo, you need to get over here.
Right now.
[tense music]
[Aaron] Are you sure the twins are headed there?
[Cleo] Yeah, my dad said he arrested them under the tree.
[swooshes]
[Cleo] Aaron! There they are.
[Aaron] Oh, my god. You were right!
[Cleo] Careful when you wake them up, okay?
Remember what happened to me.
[hand brake locks]
[seatbelt clicks]
[car doors close]
[axe rasping]
[Cleo] Erik! Derek! Hey!
[Cleo] No, no, no.
No! No! No!
[cracking]
[ominous music]
[grunting]
Oh, my god!
[Cleo sobbing]
[indistinct radio chatter]
What the fuck happened back there?
Dad, just back off okay?
What did you do?
He didn't do anything. Jesus!
What, what kind of trouble are you in?
You wouldn't understand.
Look, I can't help you unless I know what's going on, Cleo.
Would we have called you
if we had anything to do with this?
[indistinct radio chatter]
All right. Get home.
Whoa, whoa, not you.
-[Cleo] Wait, Dad, what are-- -Home! Now!
If you're not on the first bus out of town tomorrow,
I will build a case against you
that will tie you to all of this.
Maitland, you should take Mr. Powell here home.
You got it. Come on.
[distant siren wailing]
[Mike] Sending Satan back to hell.
[blood splatters]
[Mike] It's a call to serve.
[Cleo] They put a curse on the road.
Before thy sister Alse was hanged,
the wretch did confess her sins.
Shall ye confess anon?
Confess to heresy?
Confess to defiling the name of the one true Lord?
[Jonathan] Lord saith unto him,
"All these things will I give thee,
that thou wilt fall down and worship me.
Then saith Jesus unto him,
"Get thee hence, Satan!"
For it is written,
-thou shalt worship -[Aaron] Cleo!
-the Lord thy God -Wake up!
and him only shalt thou serve.
[Jonathan] Submit yourselves therefore unto God.
[sisters indistinct chanting]
[Aaron] Hey! Hey.
What's, what's going on?
Wait.
Don't pull me away.
Please, you have to let me help her.
Jesus Christ, just stop!
[screams]
[suspenseful music]
[indistinct dialogue]
[Jonathan] Be afflicted, and mourn and weep.
[flame crackles]
[overlapping chanting]
[Aaron] Oh, my god.
[Jonathan] Your soul will burn and I shall bathe in the ashes!
[Jonathan] You shall burn the brightest of all.
Stop!
[sisters screaming]
Arrest that man! Now!
[Aaron] Oh, shit!
Wake up.
Wake up!
Cleo!
[ominous music]
[Aaron] Cleo! Cleo!
Wake up!
-[Cleo screams] -[Aaron] Cleo, it's just me.
I know what's happening now.
[Harris] Freeze! Back away from her now!
Okay. All right.
All right.
-No, Daddy, what are you doing? -Get back in the house now!
Daddy, he didn't do anything!
Lock your door, Cleo! Lock your door!
Daddy? He didn't do anything!
[heavy breathing]
[car door closes]
[Harris] Sit down.
[Aaron] You need to protect Cleo.
What do you think I'm doing right now?
-No, listen to me, okay? -[scoffs]
Lock her door.
Stop her from sleepwalking!
Good night.
Please!
[ominous music]
[doorknob clicks]
-[door opens] -[Cheryl] Rise and shine.
Bus leaves in three hours.
Detective Harris would really appreciate it if you were on it.
-[Aaron] Hey. -[Cleo] Aaron.
Look, you were right.
You've been cursed.
And this evil won't stop until you're all dead.
[sighs]
But I think I know a way to stop it.
How?
We have to go to the church tonight.
There's something there that can help us.
If my dad catches you...
Meet me there at ten o'clock.
What are you doing here?
I just wanted to say goodbye.
[crickets chirping]
[glass shatters]
-[door opens] -[Aaron] Stay close.
It's right over here.
[door creaks open]
[clatters]
-It was right here. -What?
What's it look like?
It's around here somewhere.
Try over there.
[door opens]
[clatters]
[screams]
Oh, my god!
[Cleo] Every night, this gets worse and worse.
I'm gonna die.
I can't control what happens in my dreams.
-Yeah, but I can. -What?
Last night, I didn't just see what you were dreaming.
I was in it, okay?
I could change things.
It's gonna sound crazy.
We are way past crazy.
My grandfather.
I always thought he was trying to send me away
'cause he didn't want to deal.
He was trying to protect me.
Prepare me.
Prepare you for what?
For this.
[car approaches]
Dad's at the station.
-[Aaron] You sure? -Yeah, I geotagged his phone.
Grab some blankets, something warm to wear, okay?
[eerie music]
[engine starts]
[engine revs]
I'm so tired.
Sleep.
This will all end tonight.
[ominous music]
Take me to her.
[Mary sobbing]
[indistinct arguing]
[Mary wails]
[John] You think I didn't know
what you and that filthy slave were up to?
Now look at you!
With this nigger baby inside you.
[Mary] This is your baby! Please.
-[John] That is not my child! -[Mary] What are you doing?
-[John] Filthy whore! -[Mary] You've gone crazy, John!
No, no, no!
-Cleo! -[crashes]
-[Aaron] Stop! -[Mary] Jordy! Help me!
-[Mary] He'd gone crazy! -How dare you walk
into my house, you filthy goddamn nigger!
Help me! Help!
-[grunts] -[gun cocks]
[gunshot]
[tense music]
[John grunts]
[Mary] John! Leave him alone!
[John] You have defiled my marriage
and now you are going to die!
[groans]
-[thuds] -[Aaron grunts]
[Mary sobbing]
-[thuds] -[grunts]
-[gunshot] -[groans]
-[body thuds] -[Mary gasping]
-[Mary whimpers] -[body thuds]
[suspenseful music]
[groans]
[Becky] Come on! Get back in here and do it!
You promised.
Shit.
[sighs] Okay.
What are you doing?
Do you dare me?
Cleo, do not honk that horn, okay?
You mean this horn?
[horn honking]
[tense music]
Wait, who's Cleo?
-[screams] -[man grunting]
Cleo!
-[Albino man grunts] -[yelps]
[Albino man yells]
-[bone cracks] -[Albino man screams]
[Albino man panting]
[growls, pants]
-[squelching] -[Albino man yells]
[panting]
You've gotta be fucking kidding me.
[grunts]
[squelching]
[blood trickling]
[grunting]
[tense music]
[thuds]
Oh!
-[thuds] -[blade rasps]
[grunts]
-[scythe pierces flesh] -[Becky grunts]
[blood gushing]
[body thuds]
[pants]
[Cleo] Jesus, it's Derek.
Cleo, is that you?
Yes, Aaron, what the hell is going on?
[shrieks]
[Jonathan] ...wretch did confess her sins.
[Jonathan] Shall ye confess anon?
[Jonathan] Confess to defiling the name of the one true Lord?
For it is written,
thou shalt worship the Lord thy God,
and him only shalt thou serve.
Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you.
-[sisters chanting] -[Jonathan] Cleanse your hands,
ye sinners.
[Jonathan] And purify your hearts, ye double-minded.
-Be afflicted, -[flame roars]
and mourn and weep.
The fire shall cleanse,
and burn away your damnation.
-[chanting continues] -Come and you'll burn.
[Jonathan] Your soul will burn and abate in the ashes!
You!
You shall burn the brightest of all.
-[thwacks] -[Aaron grunts]
-[knife pierces flesh] -[Jonathan groans]
-[knife piercing flesh] -[groans, chokes]
-[squelches] -[groans]
[suspenseful music]
[Cleo] Where are my sisters?
[Aaron] Cleo, I need you to wake up.
My sisters! Where are my sisters?
[Aaron] Hey, hey, hey.
It's over.
Cleo, it's over. This isn't you.
-[distant growling] -[Cleo sobbing]
[suspenseful music]
[snarling]
-[bones cracking] -[low growling]
Let her go.
[snarls]
Let her go now!
[Stephanie groans]
[gasps]
[panting]
[Cleo] Aaron?
-[Aaron] Cleo, it's you! -Oh, my god.
Five years, five souls, and by thine own hand.
-[Aaron] Cleo, wait! -Aaron, we were so wrong.
I saw everything. I saw everything!
I know what it wants!
What are you talking about?
The three witches didn't put a curse on Buckout Road.
They were binding the evil that has always existed here.
In order to break the binding, on the fifth year,
the road needs five sacrifices by thine own hand.
Suicides.
Yeah.
[Cleo] Inna Geme ka wasn't a curse.
It was meant to protect us.
-He's coming. -Who?
I know what we have to do. We just have to wake up!
-[pitchfork pierces flesh] -[Cleo groans]
Die, witch. Die!
[Cleo gasps]
-No, no, no. -[Cleo groans]
-[grunts] -No. No.
[groans]
[sharp exhale]
[Cleo] Wake up.
[gasps]
[Aaron] Oh, no. No, no, no.
Oh, god.
[dramatic music]
[sirens approaching]
[sirens wailing]
[Maitland] Let me see your hands!
Drop that knife! Get down on your knees!
[dramatic music]
[inaudible dialogue]
[dramatic music continues]
[somber music]
[Maitland]Do yourself a favor.
Confess.
Manslaughter, you're out in ten.
But if you make us do the work on this,
we're going to hit you with murder.
First degree.
-[loud thud] -You hear me?
[door closes]
The advantage of a small-town police station.
[clicks]
Privacy.
Good news.
Cleo survived.
I want a lawyer.
Don't you worry. Where you're going,
you'll have plenty of lawyers to choose from.
See the thing is, Aaron,
I am very good at what I do.
I'll bet you think you changed something.
That you brought down some sort of divine providence.
Well, this is a cycle...
son.
And it's unending.
Anything you think you changed, you didn't.
Nothing changes.
[Harris] It's been this way forever.
My job is to make sure that if a sacrifice is required,
everything runs smoothly.
[ominous music]
[Harris] I no longer question.
Back then there may have been more of a ritual.
-But the job... -[brakes squeal]
has always remained the same.
[engine rumbling]
[Harris] Every five years, he must have his sacrifices.
I'll admit, my job is a lot easier if you don't have faith.
But faith makes you competitive.
Faith makes you dangerous.
And that's when I'm required to get a little more hands on.
[dramatic music]
[doorknob clicks]
[Harris] You know what the difference is between our sides?
[clinking]
Your God would never allow Abraham to sacrifice his son.
Not because Abraham wasn't faithful.
Because your God...
doesn't have the balls.
-Dad's at the station. -You sure?
Yeah, I geotagged his phone.
Grab some blankets, something warm to wear, okay?
[Harris] When you are called, you serve.
When you serve, you are rewarded.
By thine own hand, by my hand.
It really doesn't matter.
It's all His hand.
[dramatic music]
[Harris] I am his emissary.
I am his vessel.
And I will get my reward.
You see, 15 years ago, I was given a test.
[Harris] Your parents.
[Harris] And with every test I pass, I grow stronger,
more supported.
More protected.
And now, my friend, I am too big to fail.
You, on the other hand, have failed at every turn.
I have taken everything from you,
but now I'm giving you a chance to pass your test.
Tonight, in your cell,
you will find a very sharp knife under your pillow.
And maybe,
you cut your veins,
and you sleep.
[Harris] Think about Cleo.
Do you really want her to suffer night after night?
Take your life and I can promise you,
Cleo will be safe.
The dreams will end.
But if you don't,
you will be stuck in a hell that is never-ending,
and you will die regardless and it'll be for nothing.
Have your sacrifice mean something.
Save Cleo.
Pass your test.
He is coming.
And there is nothing that you can do about it.
-[thuds] -[grunts]
[tense music]
He may be coming,
but he ain't coming tonight!
[Maitland] Hey!
Come here, you.
[grunts]
[groans]
[thuds]
[Maitland] What the hell happened?
The kid went off.
-He snapped. -[Aaron coughs]
[Maitland] You are going away for a long time.
Come on.
You see?
It's like I said.
Protected.
[Maitland] Come on!
[somber music]
[indistinct chatter]
[doctor] This is the commissary. I mentioned Harold.
Harold! You having a good day?
Good!
And this is Aaron Powell.
Admitted five years ago.
Convicted of multiple homicides and attempted murder.
Reportedly there's a history of psychotic episodes.
But I haven't seen a single one yet.
In fact, he hasn't spoken a word since he arrived.
Most days he sits by this window and stares out at the grounds.
[ominous music]
[ominous music continues]
Okay.
[Aaron breathing slowly]
[orderly chuckles]
Sweet dreams.
These assholes again?
[sighs]
[Aaron] I just fought these guys three nights ago.
[Cleo] Hey, soldier boy.
Cleo?
Are you really here?
You've been at this a long time.
Night after night.
You never gave up.
You did this for me.
[Cleo] Hey.
["New Noise" by Refused playing]
What do you say we kick these guys' ass and go home?
Yeah, all right.
¶ Can I scream? ¶
¶ Can I? ¶
¶ We lack the motion ¶
¶ To move to the new beat. ¶
¶ Woo ¶
¶ We lack the motion ¶
¶ To move to the new beat. ¶
¶ It's here for us to admire ¶
¶ If we can afford The beauty of it. ¶
¶ Can afford the luxury Of turning our heads. ¶
¶ If we tried, if we tried If we tried! ¶
¶ Adjust The thousand-dollar smile ¶
¶ And behold The creation of man ¶
¶ Great words won't Cover ugly actions ¶
¶ Good frames Won't save bad paintings ¶
¶ Woo ¶
¶ We lack the motion ¶
¶ To move to the new beat ¶
¶ Yeah ¶
¶ We lack motion ¶
-¶ When the day's over ¶ -¶ Hey ¶
¶ And the doors Are locked on us ¶
¶ Money buys the access ¶
¶ And we can't pay the cost ¶
¶ How can we expect Anyone to listen ¶
¶ If we're using The same old voice ¶
¶ We need new noise ¶
¶ New art for the real people ¶
¶ We dance To all the wrong songs ¶
¶ We enjoy all the wrong moves ¶
¶ We dance To all the wrong songs ¶
¶ We're not, leading ¶
¶ We dance To all the wrong songs ¶
¶ We enjoy all the wrong moves ¶
¶ We dance To all the wrong songs ¶
¶ We're not, we're not ¶
¶ Leading ¶
¶ We dance To all the wrong songs ¶
¶ We enjoy all the wrong moves ¶
¶ We dance To all the wrong songs ¶
¶ We enjoy all the wrong moves ¶
¶ We dance To all the wrong songs ¶
¶ Here we go ¶
¶ We dance To all the wrong songs ¶
¶ We enjoy all the wrong moves ¶
¶ We dance To all the wrong songs ¶
¶ We're not ¶
¶ Leading ¶
¶ Yeah ¶
¶ The new beat, the new beat ¶
[vocalist] Thank you.
["Do You Want to Die Together" by Stars playing]
¶ I love you Till the day I die ¶
¶ So don't die today Please don't die today ¶
¶ Everything but you Is an ugly lie ¶
¶ That's not how you pray That's not what you say ¶
¶ If I'm here when you're gone I'll fall apart ¶
¶ Stop your crying now Stop your crying now ¶
¶ What's the point of life Without my heart ¶
¶ You're not dying now You'll survive somehow ¶
¶ Do you want to die together? ¶
¶ Yes I do, yes I do ¶
¶ Do you want to die together? ¶
¶ Yes I do, yes I do ¶
¶ Do you want to die together? ¶
¶ Yes I do, yes I do ¶
¶ Do you want to die ¶
¶ Together? ¶
¶ It's been the night Since you've been gone ¶
¶ Please I have to go Please, please let me go ¶
¶ What's the use of writing One more song? ¶
¶ 'Cause it's what you know 'Cause it's what you know ¶
¶ It was you and me That's what you said ¶
¶ And it's always true Aren't I here with you? ¶
¶ I may look alive But inside I'm dead ¶
¶ Then let's make it true Let's make it true ¶
¶ Do you want to die together? ¶
¶ Yes I do, yes I do ¶
¶ Do you want to die together? ¶
¶ Yes I do, yes I do ¶
¶ Do you want to die together? ¶
¶ Yes I do, yes I do ¶
¶ Do you want to die ¶
¶ Together? ¶
¶ Yes I do, yes I do ¶
[ominous music]