Hi,
SPEAKER_00:this is Jason Beard, creator of Leo Braun. You are listening to episode 2 of Leo Braun, entitled The Bird. I hope you'll find this series as exciting as it has been for us at Shoestring TV in creating it. If you enjoy the episode, then I have some good news. You can join us at patreon.com slash shoestringtv. You'll get early access to each episode, and if you feel inclined to subscribe, it's only$5 a month. With this subscription in the coming months, you'll get exclusive access to bonus episodes, artwork, and content to further explore the world of Leo Braun. Additionally, this subscription will allow us to continue to produce a series we hope you'll come to love. With that said, we hope you enjoy Episode 2 of Leo Braun. Thank you for listening. A dapper man in a well-fitted tailored suit enters a darkened control room surrounded and illuminated by brightly lit surveillance monitors. He approaches a man wearing a drab gray uniform sitting in front of the monitors. The man in the suit brings a lit cigarette to his lips and takes a deep drag of the smoke. He taps the uniformed man on the shoulder and points to a monitor that is of particular interest. The man sitting in front of the surveillance monitors begins to turn around. He seems shocked that this unannounced guest is here. Just keep your eyes on the monitor. Yes, sir. Playing out in black and white on the screen is Leo Braun, sitting at a dining room table with Philip Weston. How's our guy? So far, he's an ace, nothing unusual. Well, except Mr. Weston's uninvited guest isn't Chips, so Bronny may have his work cut out for him. From a shadowed corner of the control room, another figure emerges. Stout, stocky, and cloaked in an overcoat, and topped with a worn fedora, the short man approaches the dapper man with the cigarette. Everything is set. In the message?
SPEAKER_01:It was sent. And Bender's gun, removed from the scene. Thank
SPEAKER_00:you, Piggy. Okay, let's see. Mr. Braun, will you go by the book or follow your instincts? The illusion of free will. Gotta love it. Philip, if you can hear me, I need you to know my name since I have all your words.
UNKNOWN:I'm Liam. Liam Brown. I can see you anywhere I come into. It won't be too long.
SPEAKER_00:Back at the Weston residence, Leo's eyes meet Philip's. His eyes seem to have sunken deep into his sockets with bloodshot sclera and solid black iris. Philip slowly reveals a toothy grin with a gnarly, twisted, rotten tear. It is followed by a sinister laughter that is not his own. The shock of Philip's eyes and sudden tooth decay are only matched by his pallor, a grey, deathly pain. Captain Mangut said that there'd be cases like this, but to kill him? To kill Philip? Now, by and large, our job, our duty, is to release the hold the demonic spirit has on the subject. Returning the living to their normal life and the demon back to hell, that's what we're supposed to be doing. Only in the worst case scenario. And by that, I mean you have absolutely no other fucking choice because the baddie has you by the shortened curlies. They've already eviscerated every last living soul. Then, and only then... As if on cue, the briefcase vibrates. Shit. Leo ignores the incoming message in the briefcase for the moment. Philip smirks and makes an odd gesture. He taps his left temple with his left index finger and then says, No, no, no, no, Chip. That's good, Philip. Use your words. Those tips have always been a bit unreliable. I mean, you know that already, don't you, Philip? Philip isn't here. Well, you keep saying that. Then what should I call you, huh? Feel free to share. I am a descendant of one of the eight sub-princes, the only to have power over the king Asmodai, a descendant of the one to rival Asmodeus. My name is not known to you. It can't be found in book or grimoire. What I am to you is a reckoning. It is coming. The demon through Philip exhales, emitting a foul, acrid odor. Leo once again covers his nose with his tie. Well, descendant of the eight sub-princes. He who is not known. If the next thing will appear in my briefcase is a breathman, I hope you won't be offended. Dolores Weston begins losing consciousness. Her eyelids grow heavy. Leo is running out of time. He could open the briefcase, wield whatever weapon of choice was transported to the briefcase and end this nightmare, but there is no guarantee Philip won't be lost. But he can't risk the lives of Dolores and the children either. Leo must act fast. Philip, if you can hear me, your children, Alex and Oliver, they're scared and they're hurt. Oliver is barely breathing. If you can hear this... Philip can't hear you. Oh, shut the fuck up. These ears you see, they're just hanging meat. If Can't be used to hear. They're just like these eyes. Phillip can't see you. Just like... Yeah, just like his mouth. Can't speak. I get it. And these delicate hands. They can't feel. Or can they? Leo looks in disgust as the spirit-controlling Philip breaks every finger of his left hand, molding the fingers into a crude, mangled fist. The demon slams Philip's mutilated hand on the dining room table. The wooden table splinters in two, each half crashing to the dining room floor. The demon exhales again as more putrid vapor surrounds Leo. Dolores is passed out on the couch, leaning against her daughter, already unconscious. I'm not impressed to send it with these cheap tricks. You think ruining some furniture or breaking a few fingers is going to have me quivered in fear? These things can be fixed, repaired, and replaced. Is this what we should expect from your bullshit reckoning? Is this really the best you can do? I'll never understand your kind. Your idea of possession is some little girl bedridden puking up pea soup and using foul language. Can't fathom what real pain and destruction is. What can be found in Abaddon, that fiery plain in the realm of the dead, the abyss? No. You make pretend with little girls who need nothing more than a doctor's note, depicting the legends and the legions as... Toys with your pretty lights and pictures to scare your neighbors. That power of possession, never reaching further than a doorstep. You, you, wastrel, can never understand how far reaching a grasp true possession can really have. It doesn't stop at human, nor animal, nor livestock, nor land. We only need the wingspan and a tight grip. I can see this, Mr. Braun. What I see is a half-assed power trick performed by a wannabe demon who is still waiting for his 15 minutes. Let Philip go. Precisely. This is why you are blind, Mr. Braun. I'm no longer speaking through Philip. With a cat-like nimbleness, the youngest child, Olimus, springs to his feet on the couch, shredding through the twine that had bound him. He stands tiptoed on the sweat-soaked couch. spasming and hunched over. Oliver, no. Leo jumps from his chair and races towards Dolores and Alex, but Philip is too quick. He stands to full height and swipes at Leo, who is running towards him. Philip's mutilated fist thrashes against Leo's face. Leo is thrown by the strike, landing hard against the tile floor. Oliver straightens, still on his toes, and looks directly at Leo. Mr. Brown, is this my grip? The frightening young boy hops down, landing with a thud on the living room floor. He grabs his unconscious sister by the throat, and with his free hand, slaps her across the face. Like Philip before him, Oliver exhales of all good breath. This time, the vapor seems to have an effect, as it irritates his mother's skin. Her cheeks turn red and blister. Oliver throws his unconscious sister to the floor. Philip now stands in place, unmoving as if in a trance. Leo shakes off being dazed by the blow and his focus turns to the briefcase. He quickly crawls to the briefcase, releases the clasps, and opens it. Hoping to find a dagger, revolver, or shotgun, he is instead met with a white envelope. He rips open the envelope as Oliver kneels over his sister Alex. Opening the envelope, he pours the content into the palm of his hand. One silver ring.
SPEAKER_01:What the fuck?
SPEAKER_00:Leo puts the silver ring in his pocket. He notices that Oliver has stopped the assault on his sister and just stands, almost gingerly, What do you have there? face me you little bastard leo begins whispering to himself as he unties alex and then he moves to dolores oliver giggles somewhere in the house he returns alex gently to the couch all right remember your training what did he say he's a descendant of a prince and uh had a power to rival asmodeus I should have paid more attention. Somewhere in the house, something crashes to the floor. Oliver giggles once again. What you have there, Mr. Brown? Oh, shut the fuck up, you little shit. Okay, think, think. A prince as powerful as Asmodeus. A Maimon. A Maimon, I think. Leo looks at Philip, who is now slumped in his chair. He turns his attention to Dolores, her face red from the chemical burns and blistered. Suddenly, Leo remembers something. Unbeknownst to Leo, The man in the expensive suit and expensive cigarette has been watching the whole scene play out on the surveillance monitor.
SPEAKER_01:What did he just put on his finger? Can you zoom in? Uh,
SPEAKER_00:sure. Just do it. Sorry, the picture will get a little blurry. What is that? It's a ring. Did we send the ring? No, sir. Well then, Piggy, find out who did. Sir, should I zoom out? He's moving out of frame. The man in the great uniform turns to face the man in the suit, but he's gone. The only proof of his presence is the cigarette still billowing with a stream of smoke on the vinyl floor. Uh, hello? Then suddenly and inexplicably, the power goes out. Sir? Well, I monitor things here in the dark. Like a damn jackass. Leo searches for Oliver. The young boy, now possessed by a descendant of a Maimon, is nowhere to be found. But he's still here. The ominous giggles of a demented child ring throughout the house. I'd love to find out what's so funny. Why don't you come out? Tell me a joke. Oliver? Leo stands in the living room. A book topples off a bookshelf and lands on the carpeted floor. As he begins to investigate, a droplet of stringy drool drops in front of him. Leo quickly turns his attention to the ceiling. Oliver is hanging upside down. They meet face to face. Oliver's mouth opens and the possessed boy attempts to vomit in Leo's direction. Leo dodges the puke but can't escape his malodorous nature. Fleeing a direct hit of the spew, he lunges forward, landing a well-placed punch to Oliver's forehead. This blow sends Oliver flying, crashing into the dining room. Leo, wasting no time, tackles Oliver and attempts to overpower him. You see this? Shit! Wrong finger! Has to be a consecrated ring worn on the middle finger. Leo swiftly transfers the ring to his middle finger. He places his hand with the ring right in front of Oliver's laughing face and gives him the bird. Who's laughing now? Oliver becomes panic-stricken. Leo thinks to himself that Oliver looks like a young, scared little boy for the first time since entering the house. The child cries out, one last demonic exultation, and then he collapses. I'm sorry, kid. Leo feels for a pulse. It's weak, but the boy is alive. The boy is just a boy again. Dolores, Alex, and Oliver rest in patio chairs on the front porch of the Weston house. They remain unconscious, but alive. Leo is carrying Philip through the front door. He places the recently possessed man in a rocking chair. The night air will do them all some good, Leo thinks. He looks over Philip, who is worse for wear, but is no longer pale and gaunt. More importantly, he is free of the demonic descendant of a Maimon, Prince of Hell. Unfortunately, the night air, or being free of a demon, will not heal Philip's hand. He will need medical attention. In the distance, the sound of a car approaches. Leo races back inside the house and grabs his briefcase. Back on the front porch again, Leo observes a car races towards the western residence and then screeches to a halt. A tall, husky black man enters the vehicle and rushes towards Leo. Leo! Leo! Wait, stop. Who are you? I realize we haven't met yet, but let's save introductions for the car. Hey, asshole. I'm not going anywhere with you until you tell me who you are. Me? I'm the asshole who's going to get you back to Stuart Bender's place of death before you end up trapped in limbo for eternity. I'd say you got about 18 minutes. Or we could stay here and get to know each other. Up to you. Let's go. Now in the car, Leo throws his briefcase in the backseat. I'm Willie. Nice to meet you. Leo. Willie turns the key to the ignition, but the car does not immediately start. Come on! Don't do this shit! Why didn't you leave the car running? Why did you take almost three hours to bag this bitch? The car starts. Willie puts it in gear and tears out of the front yard. Willie drives down winding back roads hoping to avoid traffic. He places a clicking timer on the dash. Countdown, Leo. I hope to shit we make it. How long until we arrive? I don't know. I'm doing this by memory. Wait. Leo turns on the center dash panel and navigates through several options. He types an address in. He turns to Willie and looks proud. GPS.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, Leo. There you go.
SPEAKER_00:The friendly electronic voice indicates they will arrive at the Prairie Preserve Hammock Trail Park in eight minutes. Willie looks at the timer. Shit, we won't make it in eight minutes. We have about five before you're a permanent member of the undead. Well, gun it! Willie puts the car into high gear, weaving through the back roads. Three minutes! I can see that, Willie. Shit! Willie takes a sharp turn. The car almost flips, but Willie corrects just in time. The car steadies. Stunt car driver. From my past life. You were a stuntman? No, man. I'm an actor. Willy Topaz. Sorry.
UNKNOWN:Nothing. One minute.
SPEAKER_00:The car bursts through some brush and almost careens for the entrance of the park. Willy slams on the brakes and the car slides to a stop. The timer on the dash of the car rings its pleasant familiar chime. Damn it. Go. I'll see you on the other side. Leo grabs his briefcase and rushes through the park, passing heavy brush and trees. He finally reaches the clearing with the lake. He finds the spot where Stuart once laid. He sets the briefcase aside and lays face down in the grass with all that he's endured in the last few hours. Hearing the crickets chirping, the frogs barking, and gentle waves moving across the lake, he takes in the last few moments of peace before... Leo awakens. He's on a bus. He is one of only a handful of occupants during this late night drive. The bus drives under an overpass, and soon in the distance, city lights emerge. As the bus nears the entrance to the city, Liu looks out the window. In my past life as a detective, there were those cases you have a hard time shaking loose. You don't want to bring it home. Some colleagues, they can't shake it. I almost never had that problem. I could see the worst, most heinous acts a human could do to another... But as soon as I was home, opened that door, there was my wife, my kid. Well, I was home. He notices a homeless man holding a handmade sign. As the bus passes by the man, Leo catches a glimpse of what the sign says. It reads, Welcome to Hell. Yeah, I won't be shaking this case loose anytime soon, but one thing is for sure. This place ain't home. Leo Braun is a production of Shoestring TV. You can find us at patreon.com slash shoestring TV, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms. Leo Braun was written and produced by me, Jason Beard, and starring Stitch Mainville as Leo Braun, Dave Moxley as the Dapper Man, Terry Briscoe as Willie Topaz, and Jim Frong as the Stout Man. Speaking of Stitch, he hosts his own excellent podcast called Gentleman's Nightery, You can find out more information by going to thegentlemansnightery.com. All music and sound effects provided royalty free by Soundstripe and Freesound. You can find the artist information in the show notes on our Patreon site. Stay tuned for Leo Braun episode 3, The Devil is in the Details. Thanks again for listening.