Impact Winter · Audible Originals

Episode 5. Under the Bruise

August 15, 2024·38 min·3 clips

Lydia collapses as her aneurysm ruptures, forcing Hope to make a desperate choice to save her.

This episode follows Hope, Lydia, and Penelope as they seek a mythical healing spring on the island of Guernsey. Hope narrates their desperate journey, while Lydia and Penelope are her vampire and human companions. Their mission is personal, driven by the hope of finding a cure for their turned sister, Darcy. The group lands on a tidal islet called Alderney to investigate a medieval priory rumored to house a sacred spring. They are immediately pursued by a pack of "blighters," forcing them to take refuge in the priory. Inside, Lydia reveals she read about the Well of Last Resort, linked to Joseph of Arimathea and the Holy Grail, in old intelligence files. A blighter infiltrates the priory through a narrow window, attacking Lydia before being killed. Discovering their boat destroyed, they realize they are trapped. Lydia privately confesses to Penelope she has a brain aneurysm and hoped the spring might offer a supernatural cure. Hope devises a trap using paint thinner to burn the blighter pack in the priory's octagonal chapel. Lydia bravely acts as bait, luring the creatures into the fire trap, which succeeds. A surprising moment occurs when Lydia, after her heroic run, suddenly collapses, speaking of a sour taste in her mouth. Penelope reveals Lydia's secret aneurysm is rupturing. In a tense confrontation, Hope demands Penelope turn Lydia into a vampire to save her life, but Penelope refuses, stating it is too late. A shocking turn sees Hope forcibly using Penelope's blood, drawn with a knife, to make Lydia drink it. Penelope is horrified, stating, "You should not have done that." The episode ends with the group waiting to see if Lydia will transform, with Penelope staring blankly in betrayal. The tone is intensely dramatic and suspenseful, blending elements of gothic horror with intimate character moments. The style is a first-person narrative, rich with atmospheric description and emotional urgency. Listeners who enjoy apocalyptic survival stories with deep personal stakes and moral dilemmas would be gripped by this episode. Those who prefer lighter, less tense narratives or are sensitive to scenes of medical crisis and bodily horror might find it too distressing.

As heard by us

Storm battered banter gives way to folklore, dread, and body horror.

A storm-battered crossing on a fishing trawler sets the tone fast, and the tension comes from what people keep around the edges of the conversation.

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Why you'd press play

When the storm closes in, the conversation gets uglier than the weather, and that matters too.

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