9 - Making Ends Meet

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hi

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philip a mcleyman here

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just wanted to thank you for listening

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to my podcast

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it's a blast making it and an even

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bigger blast knowing you are enjoying it

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if you are enjoying the podcast please

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consider supporting it with a one-time

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donation of three dollars

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which is about the price of a cheap cup

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of coffee

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right there at the top

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i am usually drinking coffee when i

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record the podcast so it kind of makes

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sense okay thanks again for listening on

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to the next episode and the next cup of

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coffee

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[Music]

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[Music]

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human

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extinction level

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yes

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prologue

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beverly sanders knew he didn't resent

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her

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she knew that the anger that so quickly

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flared to the surface of so many recent

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conversations

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and the meanness that resulted

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lashing out like a tendril and tearing

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into her soul

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was not actually her fault

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she knew that

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mark knew it too

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she was sure of it

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it wasn't even that she took the job

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neither she nor her husband was

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possessed of dated sensibilities that

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said a woman's place was in the home

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they were partners and as such worked

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together to raise a family

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and make their way in the world

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it took two

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but now there was just the one

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doing the work of two

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she knew he didn't resent her

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but her working two jobs and he working

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none aided him like a cancer

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for while their sensibilities were well

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rooted in the 21st century

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he was still a man

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and a man worked to provide for his

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family

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and now he couldn't

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it wasn't a physical injury that

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disabled him

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that could have been viewed as a badge

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of honor a visible sign of his

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indescribable bravery that compelled him

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to step in harm's way and eliminate the

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threat

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though many had died

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many more were alive because of what he

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did

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a desperate individual with planning and

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forethought had laid waste to so many

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but not to all

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sunny island was a state park

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it was an oasis of land in the center of

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lake jeremy

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a favorite gathering spot for campers

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and families looking to create memories

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the island could only be reached by

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ferry

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it was founders day and scott hammond

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had been looking forward to it for weeks

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he boarded the ferry with nothing in his

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possession but the clothes he wore

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he was invisible among the throngs of

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people making their way to the island

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had he survived it would have argued

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against his case that he didn't know

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what he was doing at the time

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the authorities theorized upon seeing

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the huge cachet of weapons and

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ammunition

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that he had stockpiled for a long time

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security footage confirmed that he had

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made several trips to the island in the

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days and weeks leading up to the

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clydesville founders day celebration

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mark sanders was there with beverly and

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their young son tommy

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times being what they were

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mark took the opportunity to work

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security for the event

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they could use the extra money and he

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still got to enjoy the day with his

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family a little

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until the shooting started

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hammond had dug in high on a hill

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overlooking a wide expanse of beach on

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the south side of the island

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the beach was where everybody had

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gathered for good food and good music

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under a clear blue sky

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when he started shooting it looked like

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the beach at normandy

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bodies just blew apart

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people screamed and ran

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fell and died

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he was dug in and had an elevated

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position with a clear line of sight

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it would have been an hour maybe more

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before the authorities could have

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responded with anything that might have

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been able to stop him

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so while the few other cops working the

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event hunkered down

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mark sanders stormed the hill

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in the face of the deadly onslaught

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it took minutes that seemed to stretch

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into hours in his mind

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not being able to simply stroll up the

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hiking trail to the summit

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bobbing and weaving diving and hiding he

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fought for every inch until he got to

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the top

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armed only with his service pistol he

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charged the hill

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and eliminated the threat

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though no bullet had touched him it was

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only later discovered that he was in

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fact deeply wounded

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he could no longer be around crowds

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acute agoraphobia

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resulting from post-traumatic stress

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prevented him from being out in the open

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and around people

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he was getting help

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but the process was slow

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and it prevented him from being able to

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do his job as a clydesville police

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officer

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or do any job at all

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so beverly took a second job

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on the night shift

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just to make ends meet

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chapter one

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i'm sorry too i love you mark

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we're going to get through this

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beverly sanders stared out the

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windshield and drove through the night

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towards the clydesville power station

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they had gotten into a fight

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like they always did just before she had

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to leave for the night shift

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he had called to apologize

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just like he always did

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before she was even halfway there dr

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foster says you're making progress but

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that it's important to focus on

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achievable goals

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and not to get frustrated

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she said

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she could hear him sigh and knew that

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those words wouldn't even make a dent

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she listened as he recounted again how

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sorry he was

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how pissed off he was

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what a failure he was

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no

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i won't accept that you're not a failure

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mark

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people are alive because of you that's

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what you need to focus on

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that and the next goal okay

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she said

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there was silence on the other end and

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she knew he was processing

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we'll get through this

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until then we do what we have to do

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right

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what do you always say when faced with a

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problem

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ain't nothing to it but to do it

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she heard him laugh just a little

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but it was enough

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and she knew they were good for the

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night

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having to work an entire shift without

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having smoothed it all out was a

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we're doing it and we're going to keep

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doing it until it's done

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she said

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he told her he loved her and a tear

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rolled down her cheek

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i love you too

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kiss tommy good night for me okay

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see you in a bit

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she said

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then hung up

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she tossed the phone on the passenger

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seat

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and stared at it for several long

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seconds

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when she looked up

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it was too late

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she screamed and whipped the wheel to

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the left

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but she still hit her there was a

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sickening thump a distant look and a

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blank stare of a wide-eyed female face

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caught in her headlights

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then the face was gone as the woman

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tumbled into a ditch by the side of the

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road

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beverly slammed on the brakes and

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brought the car to a stop across both

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lanes of traffic

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panicked and shaking she fumbled for the

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door handle and got out

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she ran to the ditch to look for the

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woman

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when she got there the woman was

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struggling to her feet her left leg was

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twisted at an unnatural angle but it

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didn't stop her from trying to rise and

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walk

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beverly rushed into the ditch the woman

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didn't turn or cry out or even shout

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obscenities at her

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beverly ran up to the woman and put her

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hand on her shoulder stopping her

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oh my god oh my god are you all right i

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the woman turned and looked at beverly

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and the stare blank and empty brought

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her up short

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beverly's voice caught in her throat as

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she stumbled back her skin crawled and

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her only thought was to get away

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i'm going to call somebody okay stay

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right here and i'll get help

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beverly said

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beverly ran to her car flung open the

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passenger side door and grabbed for her

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phone

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it wasn't on the seat

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beverly's eyes scanned the interior

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finding the phone on the floor

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she grabbed it and held it up in front

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of her face

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with shaking hands she tried to remember

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the number for 9-1-1

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when she finally got it dialed an

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automated voice recording played in her

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ear

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we're sorry all circuits are busy

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please try again later

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beverly pulled the phone away from her

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ear and stared in her at the display

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no

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she screamed

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she hit redial as she ran back over to

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the ditch to check on the woman

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the same automated message played in her

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ear

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as beverly frantically scanned the ditch

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for the woman who wasn't there