Episode 7 - The Ex-Man

## Summary

We all know Chet is a figure with tragic ties to Susan Wexler--we all knew that right? If you don't know that you may have skipped an episode or two. But it turns out Susan may not be the only Monster Hunter with a connection to the stranger in Haverford. Things turn harsh quickly in the woods near Camp Onomatopoeia and Adam ends up running for his life--while CEJ fights for his own. Secrets get spilled, blood gets spilled, and someone even spills the beans! But who could it be? JK, it's Shamanda.

CW: Suicide

## Previously On...

Hey Everybody this is Susan Wexler, and I gotta tell you what happened last week!

We found out that Shamanda made a deal with the Devil. She got a Pod that plays more than twenty songs at a time on it. She would let me hold it for a little while...but everyone's very mad at Shamanda because of her *choices*. And so we've been having a lot of big talks about choices that the kids are loving. Then I find out that nobody's listening to my talk about choices, because they are going to a make-out party at that Camp Onomatopoeia.

So we get there and see what's going on and to figure out is there gonna be some problems there, cause something seems wrong here. I can smell it, I've got a smell for that. And we get there and guess what? Everyone is running towards the lake as if that's gonna be fun and that's when I put it together, right away, within seconds, it's gonna be the Goonch! And I got the kids home. Didn't have one problem with that. Some of them are calling me Ah Eck, but I love a new nickname. I've been needing one.

And guess who else is there? My ex. Chet.

## Plot

### CAMP ONOMATOPOEIA

The Monster Hunters Club is standing in the burned out mess hall of Camp Onomatopoeia as Susan confronts the tall, darkly handsome Chet Gibbons. Her former lover. Jordan Vincent, all color drained from her face, cowers in the corner, terrified of the adult man that seemingly attacked her. Chet greets Susan with surprise and warmth, which is not returned by Miss Wexler. When remarking that she has continued hunting while he quit, Chet is hurt. He tells her that she is the best monster hunter he's ever met, which does not soothe Susan's ruffled feathers.

The club questions what Chet was doing with Jordan, and he seems flustered. He tries to explain that he had gotten himself involved in the mystery, wanting to figure out was going on. He hadn't meant to scare Jordan. Krashlee does not buy his story. Her *suspicious mind* makes her certain that he is lying to them.

Saying that she should not be underestimated, Krashlee dresses down Chet and demands he come clean. Chet is not swayed, and instead gets ready to leave, commenting that he isn't needed here. Susan grabs his wrist and tries to slow him down. While touching him, Susan feels a spark. Chet stops, his body tense, and Susan can feel that there is something still between them. Susan asks him to tell her the truth about why he came to the camp, and Chet tells her. He heard about the trouble at the camp, near where Susan was working. He thought it would be just the excuse he needed to fall back into her life.

> "You're here for me?" Susan asks Chet, surprised.
> "I'd be anywhere for you, Susie." Chet says to her wistfully.
>
>

The club is shocked at the turn of events. Shamanda tries to figure out *what is up* with Miss Wexler, because something seems wrong, or out of character. Susan tries to defend herself and Chet, while getting more and more flustered. To try to divert attention, Susan questions Shamanda's intentions about Adam's soul. Shamanda protests that she would *never* sell Adams soul. Without his consent.

The club heads to the lake to investigate the mystery. Some of the teenagers stayed behind at the boat launch, committed to the make-out party. Adam scans the water for Goonch activity, trying to *read a bad situation*. Shamanda heads into the woods to clear out more of the teenagers. At the end of the dock Adam steps on an old, damaged piece of wood which cracks under his weight. He falls through the dock and is submerged in the inky black water of the lake.

CEJ runs to the lake to help his cousin, but the dock starts to crumble under him and he tumbles into the water behind Adam. As he falls, CEJ smashes into the side of the dock, and a rusty nail scrapes into his thigh, causing 1 harm. The dock is fully collapsing, debris falling into the water, and a piece of wood falls directly on Adam Miller's skull, and he takes 1 harm, dazing him. CEJ lands on Adam, forcing him underwater and Adam flails, unsure which way he needs to swim to breach the surface of the lake.

### THE WOODS

While two of the club struggle to swim, Shamanda comes across Paul DeBello and a high schooler named Susan making out in the woods. She tells them to get out of the area. Susan wants to leave, and Paul walks her to her car. Before he goes, he asks Shamanda if she's okay, and if she needs someone to talk to. She unloads on him, starting to cry, and he assures her that once he gets Susan safely to her car that he will be back to listen. They share a sweet moment together before he walks away.

### THE LAKE

Adam and CEJ are struggling in the lake, Susan pulls a canoe into the lake and paddles out to save the boys. Krashlee grabs Chet's hand to keep him from leaving. Chet pats her hand soothingly, as if comforting a small child.

> "You seem like a good girl." Chet says kindly. "I am!" Krashlee responds defiantly.
>
>

Susan cuts through the water expertly and fishes the boys out of the water. She dumps CEJ and Adam onto the shore and Chet rushes to them and pulls them out of the water.
Chet chides the boys, saying that they shouldn't be out here monster hunting. Adam mouths off the Chet, telling him snottily that he is not his father, frustrating the older man who starts to berate Adam. This annoys the teen, and he casts *mental dominion* on Chet, breaking into his mind and giving him an order of his own. CEJ, trying to calm the situation, puts a hand on Adam's shoulder, leans over and comments that, maybe this guy could be Adam's dad.

> "Adam, I know you just said he's not your dad, but...maybe he is. All we know about your dad is, nothing. At all. And all we know about this guy is that he's a philanderer. So it's really possible." - CEJ
>
>

Adam is not swayed and completely dominates Chet's mind. He questions him about his whereabouts before Adam was born and is shocked to learn that Chet was, in fact, passing through Haverford. Chet had even met Adam's mom when she worked at the Whiskey Revival, a bar that used to be in the building that is now Tom's Nets.

Standing next to Chet the Club marvels at how similar Chet and Adam look. This all but confirms in the mind of the club members that Chet Gibbons is actually Adam Miller's father. Chet denies that Adam is his son, which causes Adam to feel rejected and flee.

### THE WOODS

Shamanda runs into Jordan Vincent, leaning against a tree. They start talking, and Jordan tells Shamanda about her plans with Wyatt. Apparently, they were planning on going to 'track 15' for the first time, a euphemism for sex. Shamanda asks how Jordan knows that she's ready, and Jordan tells her that they only reason they had waited, was because Wyatt was saving himself for marriage. Something was different with Wyatt over the last few months, and he completely changed his attitude about sex.

While talking with Jordan, Shamanda thinks this might be a prime opportunity to solve her soul problem. If she can convince Jordan Vincent to sell her soul to the Devil, she may be able to pass that soul off as Adam Miller's.

Shamanda tries to convince Jordan to sell her soul, and Jordan is freaked out. She pushes past Shamanda and walks back to the camp, calling out for the other teens to come back.

> "I hope the Goonch gets ya, you dummy." Shamanda mutters and heads back to Susan.
>
>

### CAMP

The high schoolers head back to the bonfire, and Paul gets close to Jordan, intimately close.

Chet confronts Susan about Adam Miller's humanity. He tells Susan that Adam is a monster, and as Susan dismisses his worries, Chet leaves. Susan tries to scare the teens with her flame thrower, but they don't leave, they just get out of her way.

Serena Ladd takes a tumble while trying to get away from Susan and breaks her leg. Shamanda, Susan and Krashlee go to help her.

### THE WOODS

Adam is running through the woods with CEJ on his tail. He is rejected and hurt by, in his mind, neither of his parents wanting him. CEJ struggles to keep up on his injured leg. They eventually stop to catch their breath and CEJ vents about how he is having 'the worst day' after cutting up his leg, tearing his pants, and being in another monster club mystery.

"What a terrible day for ME." - CEJ to Adam Miller

While they are resting, Adam asks CEJ whether CEJ's parents may have been in the pile of corpses back in the cave by Lake Mystery. CEJ flippantly responds in the negative, as his parents 'hate piles'. Adam poses a hypothetical about asking someone who could tell him where CEJ's parents are. When CEJ pushes, Adam admits that he has a secret master who may know about CEJ's parents. CEJ tries to figure out what is up with Adam, who gets nervous and lies that Susan Wexler is actually his secret master. With that lie, CEJ now believes that Susan has known what happened to his parents the whole time.

Adam and CEJ head back to the group. A branch or stick on the ground snaps, and when Adam turns around to look, CEJ is gone.

Chet Gibbons has a hold of CEJ and is telling him that he has to understand that Adam needs to die for being a monster. CEJ pushes his body past his physical limits while breaking hold of Chet's grip and wrestles him to the ground. The physicality of the move completely exhausts CEJ who needs to rest immediately. Chet breaks from CEJ's hold and grabs him once again. CEJ does the same exact move with the same result.

Sick of the resistance, Chet pulls out a gun and trains in on CEJ. Chet forces CEJ around and nudges him with the nose of the gun in the small of CEJ's back, causing the teen to stumble forward through the dense foliage of the forest. They head toward the parking lot where Chet throws him into a car trunk.

### CAMP

Serena Ladd is moaning and complaining about even coming to a make-out party when she doesn't need the help finding people to make out with. Her broken leg makes it impossible for her to leave on her own. Krashlee is surprised Serena would be making out with people besides Paul DeBello, when Serena haughtily corrects her, saying Paul is not her boyfriend. Asking why she would make out with someone who isn't her boyfriend, Serena disgustedly asks if Krashlee is a virgin, and Krashlee denies this, while not knowing exactly what a virgin is. With Serena's tone, it can't be good.

Shamanda jumps to Krashlee's defense. "Hey, don't talk to my cousin like that, I'll steal your soul! I'm fucking crazy!"

Susan slings Serena over her shoulder and starts walking her to the parking lot. As Serena continues to mouth off, Susan gets fed up, puts her down, and walks away. Shamanda is sick of Serena belittling Krashlee and calls her crew to deal with Serena.

Astrid and Adriana drag Serena away and to the parking lot.

### THE WOODS

Adam senses a bad situation brewing as CEJ is missing and he is alone in the woods. The need to find and protect CEJ pulses through Adam as he looks around for his cousin. Chet steps into the clearing, hands up, trying to appear non-threatening. He admits that Adam may be his son, and asks Adam if he could have a hug. Feeling vulnerable, Adam comes close to Chet, ready to let him in.

Chet gets down an a knee and puts his arms out. Adam goes to hug him and feels Chet stab him in the back with a knife, causing 2 harm. Chet apologizes as he does two harm to Adam.

Using his last command for mental dominion, Adam tells Chet to go kill himself by walking into the lake. As Chet's body is moving against his will, Chet tries to explain that he had to do what he did to protect Susan. Saying over and over again that Adam was going to hurt her. He disappears into the woods.

Adam is bleeding freely and feels himself weakening. He is startled as a gun shot cracks through the night. Susan, Shamanda, and Krashlee, running toward the sound, discovers him in the clearing. Susan rushes to give him first aid and stops the bleeding. She tells Shamanda and Krashlee to stay with Adam while she investigates the gun shot and heads to the lake. Two teens are standing by the lake, one holding a gun on the other. The boys, Wyatt and Paul, are having a tense exchange about Paul sleeping with Wyatt's girlfriend, Jordan. Wyatt points the gun up at the air while yelling at Paul. Recognizing Chet's gun, and seeing ripples in the water Susan steps closer, resigned to save the life of her former lover.

"Put that gun down you numbnuts! And you watch my back!" Susan dives into the water.

Chet is peacefully lying in the water, and Susan tugs him out of the water. Chet's body is hot to the touch. Susan knows that she needs to break Chet out of Adam's mental dominion, and slaps him across the face.

Susan snatches the gun from Wyatt's hand, and feels that he is also hot to the touch. When she looks at his shadow, she sees two red eyes flash from the darkness.

## Characters

**Main Cast**

* Rashawn Nadine Scott as Shamanda Felt
* Jeff Murdoch as Adam Miller
* Erin Rein as Krashlee Grenadine
* Claire Linic as Susan Wexler
* Alan Linic as CEJ
* Tyler Samples as Chet Gibbons, Susan, Paul DeBello, Jordan Vincent, Serena Ladd, Wyatt Vargas, and everyone else

## Introductions

Tyler: Welcome to Mystery County Monster Hunters Club, a Monster of the Week actual play podcast. I'm Tyler Samples, your keeper of monsters and mysteries. Let's meet our players.

Rashawn: Hi everybody, I'm Rashawn Nadine Scott and my character is Shamanda Felt, the Crooked. And someday I'll fly, someday I'll soar, someday I'll be so much, so much more. Because I'm bigger than my body gives me credit for.

Jeff: Hi, I'm Jeff Murdoch and I'm playing the character Adam Miller, the Monstrous. He's a kid, much like any kid in America. But he's got a secret. And it's uh, that he's a Moth Man. Yeah.

Erin: Hey, I'm Erin Rein. I'm playing Krashlee Grenadine, the Flake. I'm a girl detective. I have clients to deal with. I'm connecting the dots. I'm making things happen. Some day I'm gonna get hugged.

Alan: Hi, I'm Alan Linic and I play CEJ, the Mundane. And I am not and have no intention of ever being Krashlee's boyfriend. I don't know who started that rumor. Please stop.

Claire: Hi everybody, I'm Claire Linic. And I play Susan Wexler, the Expert. And she puts the *pert* in Expert! I'm just kidding you guys, she puts the *ex* in Expert.

## Notable Quotes

* "But I'm just gonna say this and I'm just gonna drop a few words and you can put together the puzzle if you like. Cheating. Adultery. Ruinous. Bad man. Heartbroken. Shocked. Photos. Found. And, I'm just putting out words and you can draw whatever conclusions you want, because I would never come out and say that a man is a cheater." - Susan Wexler
* "Ooh, you stupid Chet, look what you just did!" - Shamanda Felt
* "I don't trust Paul. Paul is the Devil." - Adam Miller
* "Oh sorry, can you hear me better over your loud pee now?" - CEJ
* "Oh my god, what are you, a virgin?" - Tyler as Serena Ladd

## Links

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