It's like Columbo.

"Yeah, yeah, you’re obviously starving to death." "We have a problem." "They’re infiltrating my yard." "This is no laughing matter, ___." "I’m not rightly sure I understand." "They’ve invaded. Just look!" "This is a serious problem, ___." "It’s not that I doubt your story, but… that’s… just not possible." "Are you sure you didn’t just miss these?" "You’d best be careful how far into them woods you go." "It’s the neighborly thing to do." "I appreciate the offer." "Hell, I’ve never seen anything like this." "Look, let me help you with this." "Is there anything I can do?" "I feel like I’m going crazy." "You might want to consider talking to a lawyer." "We’ll see what happens tomorrow." "Nope! We’ll have none of that, young man!" "It’s not much, but it’s warm and it’s a place to lay your head while you sort all this out." "What I’d like you to do is quite simple." "I don’t think I quite heard you right..." "When children misbehave, there must be consequences." "If a lesson is delivered effectively the first time, then I needn’t waste my time repeating it." "I’ve lived here my whole life." "I’m asking--- no, I’m begging you. On your gentler nature." "Isn’t there some other way?" "I suggest you gather your things, ___." "Valentine’s Day has always been associated with romance, violence and blood." "Fancy meeting you here." "You couldn’t have left me just one?" "If I’d known you we’re coming, I'd have baked a cake." "You leave anything other than coconut creams?" "Happy Valentine’s Day, ___.”

"I wish I could tell you." "I’m afraid we must speak." "Morning, stranger." "Is there something I can help you with?" "I believe you'll do just fine." "You have a lovely home." "You can relax, ___." "It will not happen again." "You’d best remind those old biddies who they’re dealing with." "Will you come?" "Just let me know if you need anything." "We got today handled." "Won’t you come in?" "We will survive this and there ain’t nothin’ nobody nor nothin’ can do to stop us." "Supper will be on soon." "You got any proof of that, ___?" "I know you don’t think it’s safe, but it’s what we have to do." "Do you know where we are right now? What happened here?" "I don’t know anybody around---" "Oh, he’s stubborn, is he?" "But in the end, he did the best he could, yes?" "I think we should get on the road, don’t you?" "It’s a little late for a social call, ain’t it?" "Is everything all right out here?" "They’ll kill you deader’n ten doornails." "The time for talking is done." "You need to get on now." "How did all this get started anyway?" "They chose poorly." "That is no concern of yours, ___." "This don’t look safe to me at all." "Seems I always find you here." "Still alive and kicking, I see." "Don’t let her get under your skin." "Mighty nice suit you got there." "Let’s get this over with." "Don’t you move!" "Look out!" "You don’t know what you’re dealing with out here." "Not even a little bit sorry." "We’ve got to hurry!" "Are you still with us?" "Tell me. How bad was it this time?"

"It’s common knowledge. Sometimes you end up on the long end of the stick, and sometimes you get the short." "Hang on, now..." "I ain't got no money." "Oh, he looks just like him." "I gotta be going." "I ain’t got time for this." "After people figured out what kind of ‘good, God-fearing men’ they were, nobody that could help them would." "I’m sure they won’t mind." "That's gonna be me, one day." "When you gonna put a stop to all this nonsense?" "We'll be just fine." "That wasn't a request." "Help you with something, ___?" "I hope you didn’t lose anything important." "It’ll be ok. We’ll figure something out." "I hope you’ll allow me to assist." "You’ve saved me from an evening of boredom." "I think I can help you out with that. I have a proposal." "It’s a business proposal, not a gift." "Of course it’s legal, ___!" "That seems more than fair. "We all know what they say about good intentions, don’t we?" "He’s been so kind to us." "This looks good, ___. You do mighty fine work." "I shouldn’t’ve doubted your word." "No harm intended. I’ll let you be." "I’ve got another special favor I need to ask you." "Think you can take care of that for me?" "Who’s this, come calling at my home this night?" "I’ll... see you in a couple weeks?" "To what do I owe the pleasure?" "I assure you, you won’t find a harder worker." "Looks like you’ve made a great impression." "You can’t make me take a job I don’t want." "Don’t you ever let on that you know anything is wrong, understand?" "Act like everything is normal. It’ll all be fine."

"Mind your manners." "I didn't know anything had happened." "I did not see you return." "I need to speak with you in private." "We're heading south." "You were that scared of him, were you?" "Just right back there on the left." "That's not--- that's not yours." "I can probably guess who you are." "Never liked that woman." "Are you ready yet?" "What the hell is this?" "I’m guessing you've seen things like this before?" "Let's just try to get some sleep now." "We need to call for assistance!" "I could not help but overhear your conversation." “I shan't ask again, friend. Move along." "We understand each other, now, yes?" "I'm done for the day." "Come back in the morning." "What are you doing here?" "You wait just a goddamn minute." "I seek nothing more than what I’m due." "Do you think that the world is that simple?" "What does any of that have to do with me?" "It will be a delight!" "What are you implying?" "I’d have you play to your strengths in this venture." "Not one more step, you hear me?" "Stay there, I’ll be right down!" "Probably some form of curse or protection spell." "Where have you brought us?" "Every wall has its cracks; every barricade its hand holds." "This isn’t a place for the likes of you." "This is business, plain and simple." "Oooh, I like your spark, ___, I do indeed." "Talk to me, honey, what’s going on?" "Everything’s gonna be all right, I promise you." "Take a deep breath, now. That’s good... hold it just a second there." "We’ll be ready for ‘em." "Could have spared you that last bit." "How... how can I trust you?"

"I don't see how that's any of your concern." "You know I’m not at liberty to give out that sort of information." "I know someone who can help." "You should expect a visit later today--- tomorrow morning at the latest." "Uh, where you want these bags?" "You pay your tab before you leave... or you don’t leave. Not on your feet, anyway." "Why am I here?" "I’ll explain over lunch." "The circumstances are strange." "I deal in things I can prove." "I wouldn't ask if I didn't think it was important." "So, gossip and ghost stories. That’s supposed to help me in some way?" "I believe I’m expected." "It’s getting late in the day, and we gotta head on home." "Believe me when I say I’m doing what I think is best here.” "How are you holding up?" "Why don’t you tell me what happened?" "Why don't you try me?" "Don’t do nothing that I wouldn’t do!" "What will become of me?" "You will understand soon." "I know I’m not what you expected." "You are safe here, and on that, I give you my word." "Won’t take more than a minute, I promise." "I'm sorry." "Take your time, there’s no hurry." "I need help. Can you help me?" "It’s all right--- it’s over, and you’re safe now." "Nobody’s gonna believe what really happened." "You are not to blame." "Do we understand each other, ___?" "Don’t get caught breaking the law. Simple as that." "Hey ___, come here a minute." "Ever onward and ever forward, yes?" "You must take pride in your work!" "Think nothing of it, my friend!" "You owe me. Let’s leave it at that."

"There are places in these mountains that are safer than others." "Come on now, sugar--- let’s get you inside." "It's good to see you." "What's your favorite subject?" "I guess we have a few things to talk about, don't we?" "I promise you, we mean you no harm." "Do you really think y'all can help me?" "I'm gonna try my very best." "I want you to close your eyes and take a deep breath." "This I can promise you with no reservations--- no one and nothing can hurt you here." "You just relax and sit quiet. That’s all you have to do." "We can go talk to them first thing in the morning." "Just wanted you to know you didn’t--- you didn’t take that lick for nothing. "I don’t want to talk about it." "Gonna miss you, ___. Just a little bit." "It’ll be sunup by the time we get everybody home." "Whatchu doing out here in the middle of the night?" "Do you live around here?" "Just passing through." "We go wherever we're needed." "That's the best part!" "I thought I was done for." "You could come with us, if you wanted to." "I think we're about to head out." "I told y’all, y’all can’t trust none of them haints you meet out here." "Just calm down. What in the hell is going on here?" "You just let me take care of this, all right?" "Looks like to me you’ve had enough for one night." "You ain’t no good to nobody, the state you’re in." "No man deserved to die like that." "Uh, I’m sorry to wake you, but we need to have a word." "Do you know anything about what happened to him?"

"Ya'll come eat, now." "I promise you it will outshine Rome in the eyes of its citizens." "He’s family. Just like y’all." "You heard me right." "Yeah, thems cows." "Are you hungry?" "Are you sure he's ready?" "Greater men than he have been lost on that journey." "We know a secret way." "Who died out there?" "___ told me he saw a ghost out there." "What d'y'all do out there?" "Whatever was out there seemed like it was waiting to be fed." "They had no idea how wrong they were." "Ain't you the lucky one." "Some time out in the woods will do him good." "From here on, we are in the lands of the wild—unclaimed by any man and kept in check only by mother nature herself." "Stick by me, got it?" "Acts such as these have consequences. Trust that they do." "Watch where you step." "I hate it when he does that." "Last chance to turn back." "It's time to start heading back." "We got things to do." "You'd better come with me now, or---" "What's going on here?" "___, honey, what's wrong?" "You can't do that!" "I was supposed to watch out for him--- I was supposed to take care of him!" "I'm right here, ___." "We, we thought you were---" "Don't tell them what happened, please." "You sure you're okay, though?" "You take that back, ___, you ain't no better." "He was a hero, damn it!" "I know it’s easier to pretend that’s not true. But it is." "I’ll make sure this don’t get brought up again." "We need to have a little talk." "Am I in trouble?" "Now this is important: I need you to hold real, real still for me." "Everything's gonna be fine." "What if I'm not okay?" "You trust me, ___?" "You know as well as I do that surprises don’t go real well out here." "This is a pleasant surprise."

"Hear us now." "We see you." "We beg your mercy!" "Make them understand the true meaning of lost." "Can't you see? We've come home." "No time to rest these weary bones." "Best not to walk these woods alone." "Best stick to the roads." "Mind who you meet out by the tracks. Mind well." "See, that's his job: to work, and then die." "Loneliness is a different bird entire. It nests under the breastbone, a hard but brittle place where the ache for family is born." "There are places in this world that humanity was never meant to see. "We cry out in lamentation and calamity and beg the unheeding heavens for mercy, so shocked to find what we have so clearly sought." "Tell me, where did you sleep last night?" "Best to leave them ghosts alone." "When you live someplace where an honest living ain’t an option sometimes you just have to move on." "There's power in a name. Believe it and know." "That was doc-u-ment-a-ble." "I don't think you've been real bad, have you?" "A lot of stories just end that way." "Oh, where is it?" "This must be the place." "We got us a problem. All of us." "What has happened here?" "We need to stay together." "We'll not be able to trust our eyes." "He doesn't have the same spark of dumbass in him." "Come with me, wont you?"

"She needed the money." "You're looking a little peaky, honey." "This was different." "Years of good work, wasted!" "Blood is blood, I suppose." "Good afternoon, ___." "I'm sorry, do I know you?" "My name is... unimportant." "We're all about second chances." "I'm afraid you're mistaken..." "Where is it? What have you done with it?" "Stop--- give that back!" "You don't have to be nasty." "How positively literary of you!" "To what do I owe this visit?" "I brought you a gift, a peace offering of sorts." "I'm not going back." "I didn't come here to talk about that." "I'm not trying to buy your affection." "I have no need for such gifts." "You can't possibly be happy here." "We've come to collect that which does not belong to you." "I have no idea what you're talking about." "If you refuse us, there will be consequences." "To be quite candid, we dearly love consequences." "It seems you've chosen the hard way." "Oh lovely, look at the snow." "We do so love a white Christmas." "You don't need nobody's permission." "I believe I'd like that." "It'll just take time to get used to her, is all." "I don't like it, and I don't like her." "There's something not right about that girl." "You mark my words, this will not end well." "I promise I'll take good care of it." "God can't help you here." "Cast your eyes up if you dare and behold." "You have no name for what I am." "This world does not allow for perfection." "Then it all went wrong." "What say you?" "We're so proud of you!" "I bind you, I break you, I cast you out." "She earned it. She deserves it." "All debts will be repaid." "No one, I mean no one, is safe."

"Don't you worry about that none." "Best keep moving, sister." "You're too late." "You frightened me." "Do you understand me?" "Where did you get this? Did you steal this?" "You know how dreams work in this place, don't you? They never seem to stay all the way on the other side, now do they?" "The magic of vengeance is never a clean thing." "That's a story for another time." "I mean, hell, you go without having any kind of power, at all, having to hide what you have for so long that when you do get to let a little bit out, well it can be right painful to go back into hiding." "We can't be trusted with that kind of power without being broken by it." "We are doing no such thing." "I don't think we're welcome here." "Oh, it's that kinda thing, is it?" "That's right, you better back it up!" "It's hate. And it's vengeance all right." "So, what do we do?" "So, uh, you're saying you'll need bait, then?" "Oh god, this is bad!" "It's so much worse than you can imagine." "No structure is ever truly impregnable." "That might change a person, might it not?" "Out here, family comes in many forms." "Why are you out here trying to fight like one of these bad boys, hm?" "No harm needs to come to you." "You're early. So, I guess we've got some time to kill." "You better just go on home now!" "Thought they might come in handy." "You've wronged yourself." "You need to let us help you." "Might just be best to let the woods take it." "Yeah, that feels right."

"It feels like every step is going to be my last." "There was time." "You home?" "Be silent, you goddamned haints!" "Welcome home." "Oh God, no..." "You're finally home." "You play the hand you're dealt." "They seemed good folks, full of easy smiles." "What is your name?" "I've been on my own since I was real little." "Do. Not. Lie." "Who are you? What are you?" "Think careful on that, now." "No bargains. No offering." "Hey there, darlin'. You ready to go home? "Something was wrong." "I need you here!" "I'll be back soon as I can." "That one is gonna be a mess." "Over here. Now." "What are you doing?" "Do you know what he is?" "He is great and he is horrible." "He's a liar and a cheat." "If you're gonna kill me, just kill me you bloody cow." "You're not dying today." "Do you remember? You let me right inside." "I said no." "You arrogant, petty little pony." "Is that what you think?" "Oh, I learned plenty." "Trust me. We're not done."

"We'll talk about them another time." "We don't need to talk about them." "Some say he’s a ghost, others say he’s a harbinger, still others say he’s something else entire." "Get on home!" "He didn't look right." "It was just too much and I..." "Are you lost?" "That's a catastrophe, in case you didn't know." "What are you doing out at this hour?" "Been lookin' for you." "You'd better make yourself plain." "Walkin' around like every day's a dream-- but it ain't a dream, is it?" "Cat got your tongue?" "You think you're dreamin' now?" "Still feel like a dream?" "I ain't gonna lie to you..." "It's said that absence makes the heart grow fonder." "I'll give you two guesses. Hell, the first one won't even count." "Are you dead? You don't look dead." "She's downright regal." "There had been a time when she believed she made the right choice." "Don't worry, there's more to come." "Things are gonna change in the new year." "S'what I thought." "It was beginning-- or ending, depending on how you looked at it." "His voice sounded like a mouthful of wasps." "You are ___, are you not?" "Please let us come in." "That is not an option." "Do not make this any more difficult than it has to be." "I'm afraid you have no leverage in this situation." "This wasn't as hard as she said it would be." "I could do this all day, couldn't I?" "If we only had more time." "I suppose we must be merciful, or at least efficient." "If I told you they were in a better place, I'd be lying to you." "Best not to dwell on it." "That means something. Don't you think?" "Hold on tight."

"Count your blessings, boy." "You'd better be grateful." "You don't just let men die like that." "They all knew the risks." "No one ever really gets away, do they?" "Just for a moment." "Who's down there?" "Do you need help?" "There was always a price to be paid." "That couldn't be right." "We didn't find them." "Honey, look at me." "We face a difficult task this day." "Can you do what must be done?" "We must honor that sacrifice." "They deserved better than that." "Wasn't that the Christian thing to do?" "Best to follow their orders, at least for now." "I have never seen anything like this." "It's the right thing to do." "She wasn't wrong, though." "It's a dog." "How are we?" "It's good to see ya'll." "Don't you worry." "We're not ready to go home just yet."

"The air here is heavy." "There's a time for them, just not right now." "That's where it started." "This was the worst case scenario." "They were hailed as heroes-- fools, but still heroes." "She was angry, she was confused, and she was hungry. None of those were the same as scared." "You just come on with me now." "Well, ain't that a shame." "I cannot escape the darkness." "This was not a place a little girl should ever play." "Run girl, they've seen you. They've got your scent." "I said RUN!" "I told you, that's where all this started." "It'll all be over soon, honey." "Just close your eyes." "Take it back, you can have it back." “I wish I could tell you.” “I do my best to always speak true.” “Let there be kudzu with suffocating canopy, light swallowing gorges, the dark places where sunlight goes to be cinders.” “Let them scream.” “Let us finally admit we were digging graves this whole time.” “Let us confess that tomorrows never mattered to us.” “Let us end this.”

"Folk who live here don't trust easy." "They see us feed ourselves to the earth like martyrs." "First come, first served." "There is a curse upon my every waking breath." "She was as guilty as anyone ever was." "Bear with me now." "The boy was a liar, of course, as so many boys were." "Some say that place will find you, if it wants you there." "Oh, you've got to try harder than that!" "What are ya, her priest?" "Why don't ya come in and sit a spell?" "Are ya completely stupid?" "Show me your true face." "I come to offer you much." "I'm just fine out here." "You sound like the church people." "All we have to do is wait." "Come closer, let us talk of many things."