Shownotes Transcript
This episode of The College Tapes contains violence. Listener discretion is advised. From luminary and atypical artists, you're listening to The College Tapes. This is episode 17, In Tenebris, by Lauren Shippen.
Hey, Prime members! Are you tired of ads interfering with your favorite podcasts? Good news! With Amazon Music, you have access to the largest catalog of ad-free top podcasts included with your Prime membership. To start listening, download the Amazon Music app for free. Or go to amazon.com slash adfreepodcasts. That's amazon.com slash adfreepodcasts to catch up on the latest episodes without the ads.
Oh my god. I don't think I've ever seen him fall down like that. I know, right? The kid is amazing on the football field, but you make him play flag football instead of the real thing? It's like watching a baby deer learn how to walk. Look at him go. It's like he forgets he has fingers.
I tried to teach him how to knit once, and it was exactly the same thing. I've never met someone so athletic and so not dexterous. I don't know. Caleb's pretty good with his hands. Wow. I, like, really didn't need to hear that. Sorry. Whatever. Like he hasn't said a million inappropriate things about you. Man, we were pretty insufferable, huh? Were? He still says those things. What? What?
You mean about Cole? Oh my god, enough about Cole already. I told you, that's over. Yeah, but when they- No buts. Nothing really happened between them. God, you and Frankie both. Cole this and Cole that. What, does Frankie have a crush on him too? Psh, no. Frankie tends more towards the lady folk, but he's a serious romantic. Hence his instant falling for Caitlyn.
He loves love. Loves hearing about you, whenever Caleb would talk about you, even after you guys broke up. Frankie was still gunning hard for you, but I think he saw how much Caleb was hurting, so call. He just wants to see his friends happy and in love. He can get a bit carried away. Right. What about you? Are you happy and in love? Happy's a bit relative at the moment. I'm happy my new friend isn't dead, but I'm scared out of my mind. Yeah, I get that.
In love? Not so much. I date. That's what college is for, right? But I haven't found my person yet. I mean, that's the way it's supposed to be, right? You date around your teens and early 20s, and then you find your person when you're both adults. What are you talking about? No one ends up with their college sweetheart.
And definitely not their high school sweetheart. Uh, no. Tons of people do. Okay, yeah, sure, but people who only do that because that's what they expect or they're scared to be alone and they'll end up getting divorced when they're 30. Straight people marry the first person they meet. Queer atypicals don't.
Okay, first of all, I'm straight. You are? Yeah, some people are straight, Adam. No, I know, I just... Because I'm a jock, you just assumed I wasn't into dudes? That's pretty binary of you. I wasn't... I'm not done. I get that you have an idea in your head of what your life's supposed to be or not be, but who the fuck cares? Yeah, there's a lot of people out there, straight and not, who are bogged down in heterosexual, patriarchal nonsense and end up with the wrong person for the wrong reason.
But there are also just people who are in love, who find their partner when they find their partner, and they don't let some millennial bullshit about breaking norms dictate what they do. We're not millennials. You know what I mean, Adam. You bucking the idea of marrying your high school sweetheart because that's what the hets do is the exact same thing as someone getting married young because that's what's expected of them. Spinning in the face of how things have been done isn't actually independent thinking if it's not what you want. Wow.
Did I actually make Adam Hayes speechless? I just... I didn't expect all that. Hmm. I'm a philosophy minor, you know. Arguing about free will and society and moral truths is a bit of a hobby. Yeah, well, you're good at it. Thank you. Do you... do you ever worry that you're gonna do it wrong? Do what wrong? Life. Sure. I guess. I worry... I'm gonna hurt people I love? Or...
That I'll be unhappy, or that I'll never get a job. I mean, you did choose to minor in philosophy, so... Ha ha. Well, I don't know if there is a way to do it wrong. I mean, no. Of course there is. We can't be totally driven by our desires, because then we just go around getting what we want all the time, even if it hurts other people. Yeah, I knew a guy like that. But I don't think there's...
A rule book? To follow or not follow? Just because you fell in love with someone when you were 16 doesn't mean that's not real. That wasn't what I was... No, it is, isn't it? That's what all this is about. I get that we don't know each other super well, but you're a person who knows what he wants. You're going to graduate with honors and get a dream job and move up the ladder until you're the most sought-after publisher in New York. How... I am literally quoting Caleb verbatim.
Look, I don't know the truth of what happened between you two. Not really. But Caleb fed me a lot of bullshit about how you were holding each other back and needed to grow on your own. Or whatever. And if you ask me... Just so we're clear, I didn't... That's all just fear talking. You're afraid that you're going to be the person who stays with their prom date forever and that will somehow hold you back from being the person you want to be. But if you and Caleb are really right for each other, you'll never be that person without him. So...
You think we should be together? Ugh, what the fuck does it matter what I think? The only opinions that matter here are yours and Caleb's. And you think he? Oh my god, Adam. You need to talk to him. I'm not saying you guys are soulmates or anything, but I'm saying that if you think that, which it seems like you do, then you need to tell him. Right. Well, thanks. You're welcome. I'm gonna regret introducing you to Caitlin, I think.
Adam? Yeah? Speak of the devil. What? Look, Caitlin. Where? Over there. What is she doing? Last I checked, she was in her room texting with Frankie. Like, ten feet away in the living room. Idiots. She must be looking for me. She said she needed to talk to me. She was acting so weird on the phone earlier. How so? She was, like, really happy. Like, Stepford wife happy. Probably from texting with Frankie.
Wait, is she going inside? Guess she gave up on lecturing me. Or she's looking for you. Why wouldn't she call? Isn't she kind of mad at you right now? I don't really know. I thought she was, but then she wasn't. But then I started talking her ear off, and I mean, how do we know she's not in trouble? We don't, I guess. I'm just gonna call. Hey, Kate, um, so...
Don't be mad, but I'm sort of staking out Russell Library and Sadie and I. Oh, Sadie's here too. Hi, Kaylin. We saw you go in and I just, well, just wanted to make sure you were okay. All right, just text me when you get this. I mean, it's not like we've seen anyone else go in there. Other than that old guy. Right. Right. So... I'm going to call her again. Yeah, you should do that.
Come on. Maybe she fell asleep. Why don't we just go in there and check? Can we walk into a trap? Adam, we don't know if it's a trap. Hey, have you gotten a hold of her? Kaitlyn, what are you... I texted him. When you couldn't get through, I thought it was a good idea. Yeah, and Frankie had already texted because apparently... Kaitlyn was talking a lot tonight about needing to figure something out.
I thought she was just going for a walk, clearing her head. But you think she decided to go rogue? We have to go after her. Are you crazy? If she is in trouble, we need backup. Real backup, like actual adults who know what they're doing. We're adults. We can't just wait for something to happen. She could be in danger. Don't you think I know that? She's my best friend. I don't want to put her in even more danger. We can't call the cops. And who the hell knows where the real grown-ups are anyway? They haven't been much help. We don't really know, do we? Maybe they've already gotten this under control. It's not like we've heard anything.
We were supposed to go with Ben tomorrow to... Wait, where's Ben? They're totally fine. They're locked in the apartment. And I plugged a fan in I found in the closet so they can draw energy from it if they need to. But they didn't exactly want to walk into a lion's den, which I get. Exactly. They had the right idea. We can't just go marching in there. It's a library, Adam. Why are you treating it like it's a mythical monster? It's a library I got trapped in for three days. Look, between my electropathy and Sadie and Caleb's, you know...
Human strength? We should be a match for a bunch of weirdos who hang out in a library! Oh, and Adam is just useless? No. Mythical monster or no, Adam talks about this library like it's his favorite pet, so Adam is gonna show us where to go. Wow! So... this is your favorite spot on campus? Yep. Well, used to be. Are you... okay? This is why it's great. It's always this empty.
The perfect, undisturbed study spot. Yeah, except it shouldn't be this empty right now. It's definitely not. Uh, I just mean, we saw two people come in here and we haven't seen them leave, you know? Caitlin? Caitlin? Caitlin, are you here? Come on, Kate. Where are you? Look, we know you're pissed at us, but this is not cool. Caitlin? She's not here. We'll find her. I mean, there's a lot of library left.
How far back did the stacks go up there? Far. But she's not there. How do you know? I told her about the basement. About seeing weird stuff through that grate. Do you see anything? It's super dark. Here. Ugh, so bright! Well, you didn't have to look directly at it, dummy. Guys, shut up. Look. It's a room. A creepy underground room. But no one's there.
That can't be the only room down here though, right? Right. We just have to find the entrance. Okay, so how do we do that? Uh, we fan out, go to all the stairwells and try to find a door? We should go in pairs. Oh, Clue style? We gonna draw matchsticks too? Come on Sadie, you and me will take this whole side. Caleb and Adam can take over there. Oh, actually- Holler if you find something! Right.
We should... get moving. Yeah. Great! Another stairwell that only leads up. We'll find a way. How are you so sure? We have to. Yeah, well... It's a creepy secret society cult made up of atypicals. I think they'll have made an effort to cover their tracks. What does them being atypical have to do with it? What? It's just... that doesn't make them bad. No, I know that. I was just saying, it's a secretive bunch.
Come on, Caleb. You can't deny that atypicals aren't the most forthcoming people. You can't just lump us all together like that. Besides, you dated me for years and you wouldn't say I kept secrets from you. I wouldn't? Did you hear that? Yeah. Sounds like someone's down there. Maybe a couple of people. Back here. Caleb, we can't just go back there. Only librarians are allowed back there. Adam, you're in the library past midnight looking for, as you called it, a creepy secret society cult. I think we can go behind the information desk. Okay, good point.
Oh my god. Look. Sadie, Frankie, get over here! It's a door. Here. Holy shit. Oh my god. Is that a trap door? Stairs. Down to the basement. Sounds like it's not just Caitlyn down there. Well, are we going? Sadie, turn off the light. Are you serious? We won't be able to see. But they also won't be able to see us. Right. They're coming from over here. Be careful. Caleb, are you sure? Caitlyn?
What the hell are you? Who are you? What are you doing down here? Oh, holy shit, that's fire. Fire is coming out of her hand. Sadie, we're not looking for a fight. We just want to find our friend. Is that Alexis? Oh, fuck. Adam, you're looking for Caitlin. Where is she? Look, Neil, those volunteers that you wanted. What are you... What the fuck? Neil! We don't have to actually hurt them. You bet your ass you won't. Ugh!
You don't scare me! Sadie, be careful, there's... What the hell? Are you trying to kill me? I'm trying to stop you! Alexis! Get... off! Get off me! Sadie! What did you do to me, you freak? Ha, not so tough now, are ya? Caleb! Adam. Oh, God. Dude, are you alright? Yeah. Frankie? I'm... yeah, I'm okay. In here. Oh my God, you're okay. Yeah.
Yeah, I'm fine. Come on. What? What the hell happened? Where have you been? I got a little bit kidnapped. What? Shh. Caleb, are you okay? Yeah, man, that looked like a nasty hit. At least your fist wasn't on fire. Nice quick workout there, Electro Boy. Thanks. That was... I've never used my power on someone else. Not like that. You good? Yeah, I'll be fine. Caleb. Yeah, I...
Thank you. What are you thanking me for? You got Adam out when I... Oh, yeah. Of course. It's okay, Caleb. You don't get to choose how you react to this stuff. Fight, flight, or freeze, our body chooses for us. She's right. Yeah. Yeah, sure. How do you know where we're going? I don't. Everyone still back there? Yeah. Are you okay? Let's just get out of here.
Holy shit. Did that just really happen? Is everyone okay? I don't know, dude. I'm just so glad you're okay. Frankie, that was... I mean, I saw... Thanks. What the hell just happened? Why don't you tell us, Nancy Drew?
Katelyn, what were you doing down there? Investigating what were you doing down there? Looking for you! Good job! You found me! Actually, you found us. What the hell was that back there? Was it just me or was... you know, the whole basement moving? Yeah, I thought that was weird too. Oh yeah, you sound really freaked out. I think that was one of their abilities.
That Neil guy? Yeah, is he the one who kidnapped Ben? I think he could manipulate space or something. Which is why we ran right into them when we thought we knew where they were. Right. Why it was so hard to get out of there. Where even are we? Uh, Hill House? How is that possible? We can't have walked that far. I'm gonna guess atypicals is how it's possible. I can't believe it. Why would they want to hurt us? Why would they kidnap Ben? I think I know.
That old guy, Professor Blackwell? He wants to do something, some kind of ritual to remake the world. That doesn't sound good. It has to do with that weird book those guys you know were messing around with. I mean, do you even know what it is? Not really. It's just a book. It's not just a book. Whatever it is, Blackwell wants it. To do what? Something on Halloween. What? He's doing a ritual on Halloween? As in tomorrow? Yep. Okay, so...
We have... a day. One day to figure out what the book is for. And what Blackwell wants with it. There's something else. Of course there fucking is. They need a... a... participant. It was going to be Ben, and then me, but... A participant? A sacrifice. Yeah. But he doesn't have one anymore, right? Right, but that just means he's going to find someone else. So... on top of everything else, we have to figure out who he's gonna kidnap, and... stop it.
Yep. Okay, we have one day to save someone's life. Maybe we should get the police involved, or the A.M. No, we can figure this out. I won't freeze this time. I can fix this. Okay, everyone slow down. We need to go back to the apartment, make sure Ben is okay, and make a plan. Right. Caleb? Yeah? Hang back a sec. Go on, we'll catch up with you. Caitlin, what the hell? Seriously, I need to talk to Caleb.
Alone. Caitlin, if this is about what I said on the phone, you really don't need to get involved. Adam, I just need you to trust me, okay? This isn't about you. Okay, well, uh, we'll see you back at the apartment. Caitlin, what's going on? What were you and Adam talking about? What does he not want you to get involved with? Something that is genuinely not important right now. No, that's... Adam's feelings are always important, but...
I was on the phone with him earlier, when you were on the phone too. Okay. Who were you talking to? Um, Alice. Funny. Do you usually call Alice Oliver? You overheard. Yeah, and not just who you were talking to. You better start coming clean, Michaels. Caitlin, I don't know what you heard, but- What did you do to me? What? When you and the rest of your club got here today, I was-
I felt great. So happy to see you, all of you. But then I talked to Adam and he made me realize how weird I was acting and then I heard you talking to Oliver and... What exactly does an empath do? Feel other people's feelings. But what else does an empath do? Look, I'm sick of being lied to, Caleb. People who hide things from me are not my friends. Caitlin. So I'm going to ask you one more time. What did you do to me?
The College Tapes is brought to you by Luminary and Atypical Artists. The series is written by Lauren Shippen, Brigham Snow, and Megan Fitzmartin. This episode was written by Lauren Shippen. In it, you heard the voices of Alex Gallner as Adam, Emily Kirk as Sadie, Victoria Grace as Caitlin, Brigham Snow as Caleb, Zach Baric as Frankie, Declan Michael Laird as Neil, and Gabrielle Archambault as Alexis. This episode was directed by Lauren Shippen and sound designed by Misha Stanton. The series was sound designed by Misha Stanton and Brandon Grugel.
Original score by Evan Cunningham. The College Tapes is produced by Lauren Shippen, Brigham Snow, Lillian Holman, and Evan Cunningham. Thank you for listening, and stay strange. ♪