(tense brooding music)
- [Jackson] So you don't find this weird at all?
- [Clyde] Not really, but I'm not surprised that you do.
- [Jackson] I'm just saying why outta nowhere?
- Hey! - Hey!
- We brought beer. - You guys are the last two.
- Well, we had to buy this lovely pack of beer.
- We have beer here at the house.
- So are you gonna pitch a tent and stay out here
or you gonna let us in?
- (laughs) No, man. Come on in.
(men laugh)
- Man, it's been a while. - Definitely has.
I'm glad you guys could come up for the weekend.
- Yeah, of course.
- So this is a house you were talking about?
- Yeah. Got a great deal on it.
- This place is huge! - Yeah.
- They must've spent a fortune on the upkeep.
- The owner just kept it in pretty good condition.
The only thing that really needed
to be cleaned was the backyard.
- Well, we'll try not to make too much of a mess.
- Here. Put that beer in the kitchen.
Everyone else is waiting in the living room.
- This is only you, champ.
- Why are you doing that to me?
- Oh, because I'm tired of carrying it.
(footsteps shuffle)
- [Jackson] Yeah, you've definitely been gone for a minute.
I know you guys are broken up.
I at least know that much,
but I figured you guys could at least be cordial.
- [Connie] I have nothing against Jackson.
- Same here. - Good.
Well, I'm glad you guys could both come this weekend.
I would've hated to have issues between you two.
- [Jackson] Yeah,
but we all know you would've chosen me though.
- The world will never know. - Well, on that note,
I'm gonna go ahead into the other room with everyone else,
not because I don't wanna be here,
because I know you two have some catching up to do.
(Jackson sighs)
- Can't believe you're just trying to throw me
under the bus like that. - It had to be done.
(men laugh)
Man, it's good to see you. - It's good to see you, too.
It's got so many questions.
- I've got a few questions of my own.
I can't believe you and Connie broke up.
- Yeah, I mean, well, things were good for a while,
but you were gone.
Just can't expect everything to be exactly how you left it.
- Yeah, I, I guess you're right.
Yeah, but last I heard,
you were off to here to look for some ancient architecture
like you were Indiana Jones or some shit.
You had the biggest smile on your face
like a kid in a candy store. - Yeah, yeah, I remember that.
- Wait, so did you end up finding it?
- Yes and no. It's kind of a long story.
- I'm sorry to hear that. - No, it's fine.
I stayed in Europe for a while and was able
to see some other good places and meet a lot
of interesting people with the same passion as me.
- Okay. So it sounds like it worked out well in the end.
- Yeah, I learned and experienced things I never
would've been able to if I stayed in the box I was in.
Sometimes you just gotta step out and take risks.
- Yeah. That's not really my style.
I like to live my life off of probabilities,
not possibility. - Yeah, I know.
You're like a human calculator.
That's why we work so well together.
Ever since we were kids,
I can always count on you to get me out of trouble.
- Yeah, and always found your way right back into it.
- (laughs) Well, what can I say?
I go where the wind takes me,
and a lot of times, it's into trouble.
- The wind took you here. - Precisely.
(slow dramatic music)
- It's not a bad place for the wind to take you.
- Do you know what kind of house this is?
- Yeah. It's Victorian, built in the 1800s, right?
- Yes. And do you know what that means?
- [Jackson] No. What does it mean?
- It's an old house, a very old house.
- [Jackson] Well, I kind of figured that much.
- From the floors
(tense music)
to the walls,
ceiling to the cabinets to the doors to the chairs.
It's an old house, old stories to tell.
- Stories, huh? - Yes, stories.
Many people say houses are like living things.
It has eyes and ears and even a mouth.
They say that they'll talk to the people
that are willing to listen.
- Have you heard the house peaking to you?
- Ever since I stepped foot inside.
- And what does it say? - Everything.
- (sighs) Thomas, what happened to you?
I mean, I know you left the country,
but you didn't call, text,
or you can write for two whole years.
Where'd you go?
- That's a good question.
I went to a lot of places, but the night is young,
and we have plenty of time to talk about it, but for now,
let's go in the other room with everyone else.
I'm sure they're waiting on us. I've missed you, man.
I'm gonna go make sure all you guys' rooms
are ready and prepared.
Make yourself at home. Mi casa es su casa.
(footsteps shuffle)
(hands slap)
- Hey, I didn't know Daniel was gonna be here.
- I mean, that is his little brother.
Why wouldn't he be here? - Yeah,
but it's not like he used to hang out with us in the past.
- Do do you have a problem with him being here or something?
- No, I don't have a problem with him being here.
You know, it just might be weird drinking
around him and stuff.
- Was he supposed to be away for school or something?
- Yeah, but that was two years ago.
Who knows what he's up to now?
- Well, we'll find out sooner or later, right?
- I think you're scared that Daniel
might take Connie from you. - First off,
that could never happen, second off, Connie hates my guts,
and third, I'm with Rebecca. - Yeah.
Connie's definitely not your biggest fan,
at least not anymore. (laughs)
- Well, things happen, you know?
People break up and go their separate ways. It's just life.
- What'd you guys talk about in the kitchen?
- I mean, nothing really, but I still have hella questions.
I'm gonna let it go for now though.
- No, you won't.
(men laugh)
- Let's join the girls over there.
There's too much masculine energy over here.
(Will laughs)
(sighs) What are we talking about?
- Nothing much., just catching up.
- So Daniel, what have you been up to?
We haven't seen you in a while. How's school?
- It's not too bad. Does suck to be away from home though.
- Man, how are you feeling?
We know you went there to get help for something, right?
- I didn't really need help.
My, my mom found some weed in my room
and decided I needed to go away to boarding school.
- Really?
Thomas did say you guys' parents was pretty strict.
- Yeah, but he could've told us it
was over something small like that.
- Well, he didn't tell us much about the situation at all.
He probably didn't want to talk about him,
plus he was on his way to Europe at the time.
- Must suck going to a school like that on some damn weed.
Didn't they send you to a school where juvenile kids go to?
- Yeah, but it could be worse.
As long as you keep your head down and stay to yourself,
you don't get messed with that much.
- Must be good to see your brother after so much time.
- Yeah, I used some vacation days to come up here.
After he stopped writing us, we all got a little worried.
- So you haven't heard from him either?
- Not recently, and then you just sent me a text
about coming up here for the weekend
and not to tell our parents about it.
- Why didn't he want your parents to know?
- They probably would've asked like a million questions.
They definitely wouldn't have let me come up here.
Once Thomas was allowed out of the house,
he always wanted to stay gone. - You know, growing up,
he wasn't really allowed outta the house
unless I was with him. - Good old reliable Jackson.
- But he, he does seem a little different.
- You think so, too?
- I mean, he was gone for years.
Everyone's gonna change a little over time.
- [Daniel] I see what you mean.
- Are you doing the Jackson thing again?
- [Jackson] What Jackson thing?
- You have to be suspicious about everything.
- I was just curious.
- Are y'all gonna be weird this whole weekend?
'Cause I'm not here for that. - No, we're not.
- Well, for what it's worth, I'm excited for this weekend.
We get to enjoy ourselves
with an old friend in an old house.
- (laughs) He's not really an old friend.
He hasn't been going that long.
- Yeah.
I bought some fishing gear if anyone's down to fish with me.
- I think you are the only one that wants to fish, Will.
- Yeah, I'd rather it come caught and ready to cook.
- Oh, we're not gonna cook it.
We're just gonna catch it than release it.
- Oh yeah, even worse.
- You already know that's a no for me.
- Same here.
- I wouldn't mind fishing with you.
- You know, you're a true friend unlike these other guys.
- Hey, you know you don't have to fish
with him if you don't want to.
- Yeah, but I, I wanna do as much
as I can before I have to go back.
- Fishing is a good skill for you to learn, young man.
You'll never go hungry, as the saying goes.
- Your guys's rooms are ready to go.
- Dope. - So Clyde,
you and Dakota have a room together,
and then Jackson, Will, and Danny will share a bedroom,
and Connie, you have a room to yourself.
- Wait, wait. Why does she get a room to herself?
- Because there's only one bed in that room,
and I'm not gonna force her to share with one of you guys.
- Why can't she share a room with Dakota?
Her and Clyde can be apart for a couple of days.
You know, absence makes the heart grow fonder.
- The preparation's already completed.
Just think of it like when we were
in the dorms back in school.
- Yeah, but we're not in college,
and I haven't shared a room with another dude in years.
- It's not a big deal. You can have the big bed if you want.
Me and Danny get in where we fit in.
This is supposed to be a fun trip, ladies and gentlemen.
Let's not start arguing already.
- Right. - You guys
get your stuff settled,
and me and Danny get the fishing gear.
- All right.
I'm gonna go grab some water and then head up to my bedroom,
the bedroom that I have all to myself.
- Okay, let's go get our stuff situated, my love.
- You're a trip.
You're selfish leaving me in the room with a bunch of dudes.
- [Jackson] Hey, you'll be all right.
(soft music) (water runs)
(birds chirp)
(footsteps shuffle)
- Hey, Thomas, was there someone other than us
that you invited over the weekend?
- Yeah, but it's a surprise.
Why don't you go out your room and get your stuff put away.
We've got a ton of stuff to get to,
and there's also a game I wanted to play as well.
- Ooh, game. - That's a surprise, too,
but you probably already know it.
(footsteps shuffle)
(soft music) (footsteps shuffle)
- I'm excited for this weekend.
- Same.
(items clatter)
Hey, listen,
I gotta take a couple phone calls about work this weekend.
- Is everything all right? - Yeah, yeah, yeah, of course.
It's just some work stuff,
nothing I haven't dealt with before.
- Aye aye, Mr. Clyde.
- Please. Mr. Clyde is my father.
You can just call me the love of my life.
- All right, the love of my life.
You know someone's gonna have to go fishing
with Will later, right?
- Didn't Daniel say I'll go with him?
- Do you really trust Will and Daniel
out there by themselves?
- I mean, Daniel seems like a responsible kid.
- Daniel's not the one we're worried about.
Well, if push comes to shove, we still have Jackson here.
He'll take care of it.
- You know, maybe we should give him the weekend off.
- He likes being the superhero though.
- Yeah, but he hasn't seen Thomas in years.
I'm sure they have a lot of catching up to do.
(soft music)
- All right, I'll keep an eye on him.
I can't believe he tried to take this room from us.
- I know, right? (laughs)
- Have you found anything yet?
- Yeah, I think I found a few places,
but I'm just gonna continue the search after the trip.
I just want us to relax for the weekend.
- That's a good idea. I mean, we have plenty of time.
- Yeah. We might get a good deal.
- Well, the money's not what I'm worried about.
I just want it to be in a good neighborhood.
- You know, be nice to live in a place like this someday.
Slightly smaller.
(Clyde chuckles)
This looks straight out of a scary movie.
- (laughs) I wonder how they keep this house clean.
Do you think they do it themselves?
- Well, it's just Thomas living here right now.
- You're right.
- [Dakota] Or maybe he'll hire some help.
(soft tense music)
- You know, my dad used to work as a butler.
- Really? - Yeah.
He worked for this wealthy family down south.
Helped put him through law school.
- Must've worked pretty hard.
- (laughs) Yeah, he did. He hated it.
- Ah, he hated that he had to clean up after other people.
He hated that he had to answer to people.
He hated that he had no control, but they paid well,
so he was able to make a good amount of money.
He actually managed to make enough
to where he didn't have to work there anymore
but stayed there the whole time he was in school.
Said that every day he worked there,
it reminded him of what life would be like if he failed.
Helped him to get good grades
and pushed him to stay committed.
- You never told me this story before.
- I guess it's something that I just kept internally,
reminded myself what life would be like if I don't succeed.
- You don't have to worry about that.
You're doing great. I know your dad's proud of you.
(soft music)
- I wonder when dinner's gonna be ready.
- We just got here.
- Yeah, but Jackson didn't wanna stop
while we were on the road.
- Oh, you're gonna be all right.
You're not gonna die. Let's go downstairs with the others.
(door creaks)
- It's a huge place. Stuck sharing a room.
The house is beautiful though. Design is one of a kind.
Except the walls have stories, huh?
(laughs) All sex stories by the look of this bed.
This is a Sleep Number?
I didn't know they had Tempur-Pedics in the 1800s.
(body thuds) (Jackson sighs and sniffs)
I mean, these sheets smell amazing.
(sighs heavily)
(phone rings) (soft music)
- Hello? - Hey.
- [Rebecca] Hey! How's the trip going?
- It's not bad. It's like we never were apart.
It's crazy how much we all haven't changed.
- [Rebecca] That's a good thing, right?
- Yeah, it's actually refreshing.
You know, we expect it to be weird in the beginning,
but, you know, we pick up right where we left off,
and it's like we saw each other yesterday or something.
- [Rebecca] How's Connie doing?
- (laughs) Your number one fan? She's all right.
I mean, well, Connie is Connie.
She's mostly herself, but there has been something weird
that I can't quite put my finger on.
- [Rebecca] Babe, can you not play kid detective
for one weekend?
Just try to relax and go with the flow. Have some fun.
Hey, things could get freaky and you might get lucky
with my number one fan, wink, wink.
- Don't threaten me with a good time.
- [Rebecca] I'm not worried. I picked you for a good reason.
- You picked me?
If I recall, it was me who made the first move.
- [Rebecca] Yeah but after I gave you the signal
that the coast was clear.
- Okay. I'll agree that it was a 50-50 effort.
- [Rebecca] I know you've been stressing a lot recently,
so try to relax because things
are gonna get unrelaxing very soon.
- I know, but I think I got it.
- [Rebecca] Okay, we'll see about that.
- What? You don't believe me?
- [Rebecca] I'm just saying it's okay
to be scared in this situation.
- It's perfectly fine. Actually, I can't wait.
- [Rebecca] Okay. Okay.
(scary music)
- Where did this come from?
- [Jackson] Hello? Hello?
Are you still there? Jackson, hello?
Can you hear me? - Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I'm, I'm still here.
Hey babe, let me, let me, let me call you back.
(soft music) (pages shuffle)
- [Speaker Voiceover] Everything is going well.
The house is just as beautiful as advertised.
A little big for my liking, but Victoria loves it.
Victorian house for Victoria.
She's especially in love with that gazebo in the back.
She just sat there for about an hour while I unpacked.
It's good that she's been able to smile again.
It's best that we get away from the city for a bit.
It'll clear both of our heads and I can focus more
on my work while her and Jeffrey can use this time
for more creative activities.
- [Jackson] I wonder when they used to live here.
- [Speaker Voiceover] Work is picking back up,
and things are definitely improving.
We haven't had any of those arguments,
and the house feels a lot more energetic.
Hide and seek has been the theme recently
since the house is so big.
I wish I was better at hiding. Jeff and Vic are like pros.
I have to go away on a work trip soon and I'm a bit nervous.
This will be the first time I've left them alone
at the house, but if anything comes up,
I'll be on the first plane back.
- (chuckles) I haven't seen a diary in a long time.
I have to keep reading.
It doesn't look like it's dated though.
- [Speaker Voiceover] I'm starting to think now
that I shouldn't have gone on that trip.
Ever since I've been back, things have been a little off.
We had one of those fights we used to have.
I know that I messed up,
but I don't know how I can make things better.
We fight and then she goes out back and sits at that gazebo
while I pretend I have work to do.
I know that none of this is good for Jeffrey.
I need things to get back to how they were before I left.
(soft tense music)
Things aren't getting any better.
The fights are starting to get more into a frequent thing.
She's not even listening to me at this point.
There's nothing I can say to make things better,
and she's always at that damn gazebo.
Those beautiful moments that we were experiencing
in the beginning are a thing in the past.
At least Jeffrey is having fun playing hide and seek
by himself while his parents argue all day.
I don't know what else to do.
- Well, that escalated quickly.
- [Speaker Voiceover] I need help.
I don't think I can handle this on my own anymore.
Victoria only comes in the house to sleep.
She rarely eats,
and she doesn't even say a word to me anymore.
She talks to the walls more than she talks to me.
I'm starting to miss the arguments.
Jeffrey is always missing someplace.
We never know where he's at. I just want my family back.
Victoria suggested that we have s'mores in the back tonight.
It's the first word she's spoken to me in days.
Maybe this can be a starting point in the right direction.
(dark tense unsettling music) (Jackson speaks indistinctly)
- [Speaker Voiceover] If you're reading this.
(knock thuds) (Jackson gasps and pants)
(child laughs)
- Who's there?
(door opens)
- Everything all right in here?
- Did y'all hear that? - Hear what?
- Laughing.
- We were just laughing.
- No, no. It's like a, like a child's laughter.
- What was you laughing about? - No, no.
I'm not talking about Daniel.
- Then I don't know what you're talking about, man.
You're confusing me.
We was told to come upstairs to come grab you.
Tripping. - I'm just stressed.
- Let's go! - All right. All right.
Here I come.
- [Will] Jackson, let's go!
(footsteps shuffle)
- Dude. What's up?
There you are. Where have you been?
- It's not my fault you guys get ready like Speedy Gonzalez.
- We've all been down here waiting on you.
- How long have you been waiting for?
- For a while now. What were you up to up there?
- Well, I was on a phone, and then I found this notebook.
I was just laughing.
- Were you practicing self love?
- No. - Treating yourself a little?
- No. - I mean, it's okay
if you were. - I know it's okay.
(people shout indistinctly)
- Just be honest, Jackson.
- Mr. Peterson, what are you doing here?
- Thomas sent me an invite, and I couldn't refuse.
- I thought that Mr. Peterson
would appreciate this architecture and also wanna see you.
It's been a while since we all been together
in the same room.
- And this is a really beautiful house.
I mean, and it's pretty textbook.
You can tell that a lot of work has gone into this place.
Almost looks brand new.
- Did you expect anything else?
- I guess not, but when you went MIA for a while,
I thought you had lost a passion for architecture.
Then you pop back up with this beautiful house.
Guess I wasn't a bad teacher after all.
- This is my little brother Daniel.
- David Peterson. - Nice to meet you.
- This is me and Jackson's high school history teacher.
- Cool. - He also taught
all my architect classes.
He was the one that started my love for it.
- These two troublemakers kept me young,
but it's students like them that keep me teaching.
Two very bright men here.
- I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you,
so this is a celebration for you as well.
- So is it game time yet? 'Cause I'm ready.
- Game time? - Yeah.
Connie said Thomas has something in mind.
- I do, but it's not something we haven't played before.
I thought a game would be a good way
to spend the time until dinner.
Let's all sit down. - All right.
- You gonna play with us, Mr. Peterson?
- [David] I'm down with that.
- [Thomas] So I think you guys all remember
how to play Raise the Stakes, right?
- Ooh.
- (laughs) I thought you hated that game.
- I didn't hate it. I just always lost.
- Well, today isn't gonna be anything different.
- How did you lose in Raising the Stakes?
- You technically can't,
but everyone knows who wins and who loses by the end.
- What, what's Raise the Stakes?
- I'm wondering the same thing myself.
- Do you wanna explain it, Clyde, since you made it up?
- I'd be happy to, but first, I gotta use the bathroom.
- [Connie] I'm gonna go grab some tea
that I made from the kitchen. - I'll go with you.
(footsteps shuffle)
Hey, are you gonna be all right?
- What do you mean? - I mean,
you and Jackson haven't seen each other in a while.
Are you guys gonna be all right
in the same house for the weekend?
- Why is everyone so worried about us?
We're both adults. We'll be fine.
- Yeah, he's just been stressed a lot lately,
and I don't know why. - You guys talk much?
- Keep in touch, yeah. - That's, that's nice.
- If you're curious, you can just ask.
- How are things with him and the new girl?
- I think they're pretty good. - That's good, right?
- Okay. Anyways, what are you drinking?
'Cause that is not tea. - Yes it is.
- Where'd you get it from? - From a store.
- What store? - Anyways,
how are things with you and Clyde?
Your guys's anniversary coming up soon, right?
- Yeah. It's pretty exciting.
- Still? You guys have been together forever.
You think it'll get less exciting.
- Oh, you find ways to keep the spark going,
but Clyde needed this weekend,
and so I'm glad Thomas reached out to us.
- Yeah, it's kind of weird how he contacted us
like that out of nowhere after all this time.
- You've been around Jackson since too long.
- Give me a break. I can never get like him.
- He means well.
- Wonder who that lady was.
- What lady?
- There's a lady out back that I saw earlier.
- Ooh, was she pretty? Was she prettier than me?
- Yeah, she was pretty in like a fun aunt type of way,
but it was, it's kind of weird.
Could've sworn than I met her before.
- Maybe you have.
Maybe you met her back when you and Jackson dated.
- I would've remembered.
She had this unique look to her and she smiled at me.
She looked...
(soft tense music)
- She looked what? - Sad.
- Maybe she was left out there.
- She wasn't a child.
- No, I mean, maybe she got dumped
and she went over here to get over ex.
- So Thomas is her rebound?
- I mean, possibly.
A lot can happen when someone feels abandoned.
Loneliness can kill a person.
Maybe that's why you guys felt a connection
'cause you're both single.
- Okay, first off, I would never die 'cause of a boy,
and second off, rude!
- You even do that first off thing like Jackson.
- Okay, he got that from me! - No.
I've known him since high school.
You definitely got that from him.
Who knows? Maybe it was a ghost.
- Ha ha ha!
(soft tense music)
- Dammit.
It'll come. There's no need to panic.
They just need a little bit more time
to realize how perfect for the job you are.
Let's just go downstairs and enjoy this weekend.
(laughs) Damn. Jackson must be rubbing off at me.
Oh. (laughs) Sorry about that.
- No worries.
- I didn't know Thomas had to wait staff in the house.
- I'm just passing by.
Sound like you had some troubles in there.
- What? Oh, no, I was just figuring some things out.
- Of course. I don't mean to pry.
- Yeah, it's nothing that won't resolve itself.
Anyway, I'm gonna head back downstairs.
Everyone's waiting on me.
- What happens if it doesn't resolve itself?
- I'm sorry. What?
- If it doesn't figure itself out? What will you do then?
- I'm not too worried.
(soft tense music)
- Would that mean you're a failure?
How would your father feel about that? Or your mother?
What about Dakota? How would she feel?
Would she still love and respect you? Would she leave you?
Huh, Clyde? Are you a failure?
Anyway, I'm just passing by.
I'm sure it'll all work out like you said.
(people chatter indistinctly)
- You got a weird butler.
- What took you so long? - (laughs) Very funny.
- We should start this thing now.
- Most of you know how to play,
but for the two people that don't,
I'm going to explain how to play a game I made up
called Raise the Stakes.
Here's how you play.
Someone starts off by their asking someone else a question
or asking that person to tell a story pertaining
to a specific topic.
After that person answers,
they then get the chance to do the same thing
to another person, but the twist is that that question
or story has to be more personal
or tougher to answer than the previous one.
Go around the room and until we decide to stop playing,
usually when the question or story gets too personal
and the person doesn't wanna play anymore.
Obviously, since it's my game, I get to go first.
Thomas, first question's for you.
- Shoot. - How'd your Europe trip end?
- Oh, that's a good one. - That is a good one.
- So, as you guys know,
I went overseas to Europe because I got a message
about a place that really interests me.
So I get to Europe, and I meet the guy,
and he takes me on this long trip that felt
like it took many sons and many moons to get there.
Now I know what you're think, and, and trust me,
I thought at one point he was gonna try
to murder me as well, but, you know,
he seemed like a nice enough guy, and he wasn't very big,
so I knew I could take him if I needed to.
- Did you have a weapon on you?
- I did not.
That probably would've been the best idea, but like I said,
I was super curious about this place where you're going to.
- It's a gift. How can you be so carefree?
- Well, when you grow up in a family like we did,
you start to enjoy being spontaneous.
I'm sure Daniel would agree with me.
- Yeah, it definitely isn't easy.
- Anyways, long story short,
we get to the location he was talking about,
and now I'm super excited,
and my heart is racing because of the anticipation.
So we get to the place, and, to my surprise,
the place isn't like anything that was in the message,
and, in fact, people are still living there.
So obviously, I'm upset.
I left my home and my friends to come and check out
what I thought was gonna be a special one
of a kind piece of art.
- So boy, did he scam you or did he not know?
- Probably a little bit of both.
He seemed shocked to see people there as well.
- It's a tough break. - Yeah, but, you know,
after talking to the guy,
I realized he was super knowledgeable in architecture,
and having someone like that next to you
in a foreign country is a great asset.
So we joined together and found a few places
that actually were abandoned.
Some of these places were so unique.
He even filled me in on stuff
about Victorian houses just like this one.
He told me about the design, materials used,
ideas behind why the houses were created.
These houses have a reputation
for being scary places through movies and film.
Most people only know 'em because of that.
Either they saw it in "The Addams Family"
or in a Hitchcock film, and, obviously,
my guide told me all the ghost stories as well.
- So there are haunted houses out there?
- Well, I personally believe there are.
- Have you ever seen one? - Unfortunately, no.
While I was in Europe,
I never came across a single haunted house.
- I think that's more fortunate than unfortunate.
- Yeah, but wouldn't that be kind of interesting
to come across?
- No. - No.
- No, not really. - No.
- (laughs) But how'd you end up leaving?
- Right, right.
So after a few hit or misses,
we found out about this place here,
so we packed up our bags and came to check it out.
- Wait, both of you? - Yeah.
He stayed for a bit but ended up going back home,
and I just decided to stay.
- So how long have you been staying here?
- [Thomas] For about three months.
- Damn. You been here for that long?
- Yeah, I just couldn't bring myself to leave.
- And what made you call us over?
- Because I haven't seen you guys in a while.
- Yeah, I mean, you know, it's time to come home for a bit,
you know, clear your head,
put the Indiana Jones hat down for a moment.
- I feel like my head is as clear as it ever been.
- I mean, look at this place. It's beautiful.
- All right, well, that was a great story,
and I think we can all agree.
Thomas, who has the honor of raising your stakes?
- Connie. Why did you and Jackson break up?
- (laughs) That's a good one.
- And I asked Connie, not Jackson,
so it's only her to speak.
- Well, as you know, we dated at a young age
when we were still figuring life out,
and people grow apart over time.
- [Will] We need more than that.
- Yeah. Let's hear some tangible things.
Was he mistreating you behind closed doors?
- (laughs) Why does that have to be my fault?
Because most likely you did something wrong.
- It was a mutual decision.
We grew apart and realized we wanted different things.
We fell in love fast.
In the beginning, it was all rainbow and sunshine,
but we all know that those times don't last.
You start wanting more than just a good time,
and you start having needs the other half just
can't give you.
There's nothing wrong
with two people going their separate ways.
- Well said. I think we should just leave it at that.
- I agree. - My turn.
Will. - Yeah.
- Who are you closer to? Jackson or Clyde?
- (laughs) Oh, that is a great question.
- Yeah, but we already know the answer to that.
- How do you know what I was gonna say?
- Wait, I'm curious. Who is it?
- It's Clyde. - What?
- Yeah, I already knew that.
Y'all damn near the same person.
- Wow, I didn't know that, but yeah,
to be fair, you guys are pretty similar. (laughs)
- Me and Will are cut from the same cloth.
We come from very similar backgrounds.
- Now let me preference this.
Although I am closer to Clyde,
always know I can count on Jackson.
We all know he's not the most outgoing person,
but we all love him very much, and honestly,
everyone needs that dependable person in their lives,
and Jackson is a person where everyone
might not wanna be but needs to be.
He's our captain for a reason.
- That's a fact.
We have all the fun and Jackson cleans up after us.
- Hey, all right now.
I'm not always gonna be there to save you guys.
You're gonna have to learn how to save yourselves.
- Nah, you're too dependable.
- Okay, Will, who you got?
- Dan.
Tell us something from school, something that'll shock us.
- I don't have, I don't have too many school stories.
I mean, I haven't been there that long.
Plus like I said before, I tend to keep to myself,
but, I mean, I have seen a few things.
- Two years is pretty long to me.
- Like what?
Well, there's a variety of kids who get sent to that school.
I mean, we have a lot of troubled kids who get sent there
'cause they have no other option,
and we have kids who get sent there because their parents
don't want to deal with them for whatever reason.
A lot of times, the bad kids rub off on the others,
so there's lots of violence and drug use
and other things I'm sure you can think of.
- Well, it's pretty scary.
- I was got sent to that place too when I was younger.
If I decided to go to school and do what I'm doing now,
I would've been in the same boat.
- Good thing it's temporary.
You don't have to be there for much longer.
- Yeah, I'm sure Mom and Dad will forgive me
and take me back in.
- I wouldn't hold my breath on that.
Mom and Dad aren't exactly the most understanding people
in the world.
If anything, you can come live with me here at this house.
- Thanks. - All right.
Let's change the mood to something a little less depressing.
- Well, I guess it's my turn then.
Mr. Peterson, what'd you do before you were a teacher?
Is that really raising the stakes?
- It's allowed this time
'cause it's their first time playing, and also,
we should change up the atmosphere a bit.
- Well, believe it or not,
I was a freelance architect and a pretty good one.
In my 20s, I traveled all over the world designing any
and everything I can get assigned to.
There's nothing more exciting
than experiencing other people's culture
and adding that to your knowledge library.
That's why when Thomas told me about the opportunity
that he had to learn about something so rare,
I was excited for him.
- Didn't you write his recommendation for school?
- I had to call in a few favors for that one. (laughs)
Maybe if he had Jackson's grades it would've been easier,
but even in class,
I could still feel that same ambition
that I had for discovery.
Not many people are as curious as we are,
at least not the ones that live to tell about it.
- Curiosity definitely kills the cat.
- So what'd you discover while you're out there?
- That beauty is in the flaws.
- Of architectural design? - Of everything in life.
We worry about everything being perfect,
but there's no thing.
We discredit the smallest details.
But those are the ones that actually make it unique.
- What a life to live.
- Yep, but it wasn't always rainbows and sunshine.
Since I was a freelancer,
there were times where my money was tight.
I had to rely on the charity of nice people just to survive.
I even had to work manual labor just
to keep a roof over my head and some food in my belly.
- I spoke too soon.
- (laughs) But it was all part of his master plan though.
If I hadn't been down bad,
I would've never met my wife, Susan.
- I didn't know you were married.
- Yeah. I was once married.
While in Europe, in between jobs,
a older architect reached out to me.
He had saw my work and took taken an interest in me.
He stated that he wanted a young and creative mind
to kind of take a look at some
of the things that he was working on.
So I stopped by the office to check it out. (laughs)
He was an interesting fella,
a very reclusive man with eyes that would always dart
around the room as he spoke in a soft-spoken voice. (laughs)
And you can tell that his mind
was always computing something
without actually getting to a solution.
But with all that being said,
he was as professional as it gets
and wise beyond his years, definitely a interesting fellow.
But one day while looking over some plans with him,
a young lady stormed into the office,
going on about a house that was barely still standing.
Her name was Susan Meyers. See, Susan was his mentee.
She had been studying under him for the last year,
but she was different.
She didn't care about the structure or anything
or the materials used or trying
to create something new or creative.
Nah, all she cared about was the people
that inhabited these places.
She wanted to know why these people chose these houses
and buildings to live and work at,
how each place fit each person's needs
or even how it inconvenienced them.
(chuckles) If she could,
she walk up to each individual person and have an interview
asking about their everyday lives. (laughs)
She was interesting as well,
definitely just as interesting as her mentor,
so they definitely had that in common.
But anyway,
I wasn't too interested in what she was saying at the time.
I was too caught up in what I had planned next.
Just lost in my own selfish world
with my own selfish desires.
- [Thomas] Yeah, I think we can all be guilty of that.
- But yeah, that didn't last for long though
because somehow, I got dragged along on one of her missions.
She would go on these places with the littlest information.
This one, and this one particular place had no information
at all, so obviously, I wasn't gonna let her go alone.
She was like a meerkat, small and determined, ferocious.
I think I went on every single mission with her after that.
I always said that was like our first date.
- Oh, that's so sweet!
- So we came back to the states together shortly
after that and got married.
I got me a more stable job as a lead architect at a company,
and Susan continued her dream as a restoration architect,
just as free as ever.
- Damn. This is like the perfect love story.
- Yeah, and it was for a bit, but nothing's perfect.
You start to see imperfections,
and you just look at them as imperfections.
Over time, you start to have fights,
and those fights lead to doubts.
(soft melancholy music)
It's true what they say.
The grass isn't always greener on the other side.
I started to miss the time I had in Europe,
feeling like maybe I settled down too early,
thinking to myself, "What else is out there for me to see?"
Then one day I got another message
from that old man from the past.
I couldn't believe it. It was like he knew the exact moment.
He wanted to talk to me about returning
to Europe for a bit to work on a project with him
and that Susan and I both could come along.
So I talked to Susan about it,
and she told me she couldn't go.
Said she had an old house that she was scheduled
to check out and that I should come with her.
(sighs) The anger I felt,
I can, I can remember it like it was yesterday.
The, the whole time she got to live out her dreams,
and the one day I wanted to go back
and get some excitement in my life,
she couldn't put aside her selfish needs.
So I went without her.
(breathes shakily)
A few days later, I got a phone call.
It was from a man I never met before.
Apparently he was the same man
that told Susan about the house.
Susan went to the house by herself the day before.
It was, it was an old house, a really old house.
The, the, the wiring was, wasn't up to date,
and the house caught on fire with Susan in it.
- [Dakota] Oh God.
- She didn't make it out, and they,
they found her body the next day.
The man told me some, some more information.
It was...
Apparently, she had just found out she was pregnant.
She wanted to surprise me with the house.
She wanted to remodel the house so that we
could move in together with our new family.
So I stayed in Europe for a little while longer,
and then I came back to the states,
took a teaching job and been here ever since.
- I had no idea of that. Yeah.
You kids reminded me so much of myself
that I, I, I didn't want to take that away from you.
You guys are, have so much potential.
It's important for me
to help the youth reach their destination.
But anyway, I think that's it for me.
I'm gonna head upstairs for a bit.
You guys keep playing without me.
(footsteps shuffle)
- Well, I guess I'll start it back up.
- Should we really keep playing?
- Yeah, let's just give Mr. Peterson a moment to himself.
- Jackson. - Hmm.
- What was your phone call about earlier?
- What do you mean?
- Earlier when we all went to our rooms.
- Oh yeah, okay. You heard me on the phone.
- I mean, I couldn't make out any words,
but I could hear you were talking to someone.
Our rooms aren't that far apart,
plus you told us when he came downstairs.
- And did you hear that laughing?
- No, I didn't hear any laughing.
- Like a, like a loud bang. - Ah, nothing like that.
You were on the phone for a while though.
- We heard you talking to someone, but, I mean,
we didn't want to barge in and interrupt anything.
- Okay, but I wasn't on the phone at that point though.
- So you were just talking to yourself then?
- Are you okay?
- I have been feeling a little stressed recently.
- You've been off recently. What's up with you?
- Well, I did wanna tell you guys during this trip.
I just couldn't find the right time,
but I guess now is the right time.
- Spit it out, man.
- Me and Rebecca are having a kid.
- Wait, what?
- Congratulations! - Damn!
I thought we'd be the first ones
in our friend group to have a kid.
I must be shooting blanks
or something. - Oh, shut up.
- She's four months pregnant.
- Congratulations. - Thanks.
(soft music)
- That's why you've been so stressed out.
That's probably why you were talking to yourself
and hearing those noises.
You've been under so much stress recently,
it's getting to your head.
This is a real celebration now.
- Let's go fishing and celebrate.
- All right, I'm going, but I'm not doing any fishing.
- Actually, me and Jackson brought some fireworks with us.
We'll let 'em off while they fish.
- Isn't it too bright outside for that?
- I'm sure it'll be all right. - Well let's go then.
It'll get my mind off food for a bit. (laughs)
- So who won the game?
- We'll leave that up for you to decide.
Come on, let's go get the gear, man.
- Hey, hey. I wanted to talk earlier.
I just couldn't find the right time.
- It's fine, Jackson.
You don't have to tell me these things.
- Hey, I know I don't have to tell you.
It's just I'm sorry I didn't tell you.
- Stop! Don't do this.
- I guess some things have changed from the past.
- Yeah.
You'd know that if you, Kevin touched these few years.
- Come on, man. How many times do I have to apologize?
- You haven't apologized once.
- I'm sorry. I'm sorry for leaving.
You're my best friend. We've been through so much together.
There wasn't a moment that went by over there
that I didn't wonder what you were up to.
- Then why didn't you reach out?
I could've easily told you what was going on back here.
- It's complicated. - It's complicated?
(sighs) You would say that.
You know, you're my best friend, too,
and there was times where I needed you.
I needed somebody to help me make sense
of what was going on. - You're the logical one.
I probably wouldn't have been much help with that anyways.
- I mean, maybe, but now we'll never know, will we?
- Like I said, it's complicated.
- (laughs) Well explain it to me then.
What happened in Europe?
And don't gimme that bullshit story you told everybody else.
What's up with this creepy ass house?
Something's been off ever since I stepped foot in here.
(dark brooding music)
- Do you know what nirvana is?
- Of course I know what nirvana is.
- I'm not talking about the band.
- I know you're not talking about the band.
- I'm talking about true nirvana,
a place of true peace and happiness.
- I don't think there is such a thing as true nirvana.
- But there is though.
There's a place with no worries or doubts,
no fear or confusion,
a place where you don't have to worry about being a father.
- You're saying you found this?
- Yes.
- So this is what you found in Europe, just nirvana?
- Precisely.
- So you just stumbled across nirvana.
- Of course not.
That day that I got to Europe,
I found something way better than an abandoned house.
- Hey, you guys coming?
We're all outside waiting for you.
- Actually, I'm gonna hang back
and make sure everything's ready for dinner.
You guys go on without me. We'll talk more later.
(birds chirp)
- Hey, Dan, you go ahead. We'll catch up.
- Hey, ease up a little bit, man.
- He can't just come back, say some nonsense,
and act like everything's cool!
- Man, I get it. I get it.
It's a little strange for me, too,
but I'm sure he has his reason.
I'm sure we'll all end up understanding in the end.
- You're starting to sound like him.
- Remember when we first met?
- I'm not trying to go down Memory Lane right now.
- Humor me for a moment.
- Had freshman year of bio together, right?
- Right.
We were both new to campus, but I was from out of state,
so I didn't know anyone.
- You used to always sit in the corner by yourself.
- Yeah. Used to be scared outta my mind.
Didn't know the first thing to do to make friends.
Sat in that corner hoping that someone would come up
to me and invite me to a party or to study or,
hell, even to copy off my homework.
I would've done anything at that moment.
- If I remember correctly,
I had better grades than you in that class.
- Yeah, you did.
The thing is, I sat in that class for a few weeks,
and you came up to me.
You know what you you said?
- I said, "Why don't you ever talk?"
- Right, and I told you I was from out of state
and I didn't know anyone, and you told me, "Say less.
I got you."
The funny part is I don't remember you talking
in that class either, so I was like,
"What the hell's he talking about?"
- You know I'm not much of a talker.
- Yeah, I know that now.
The thing is, Jackson,
you generally care about other people.
You saw I needed help me and you came to my rescue, right?
Listen, the moral of the story
is I know you're a little afraid of becoming a father.
It's a lot of responsibility,
and you don't wanna make a mistake and mess up that kid,
but everything's going to be okay.
Everyone makes mistakes, and it's partially our fault
because we rely so much on you to save us.
I know I'm guilty of that.
But for this weekend, just us, be a little irresponsible.
- All right. I appreciate it, man.
Look, I'll try, but I'm not gonna make any promises.
- And be nice to Connie. - I am nice.
She's the one with the attitude.
- Watch.
You guys are either gonna make up
or have a big fight at the end of the night.
- Nah, we'll be fine.
(water splashes) (Mr. Peterson pants)
- Why'd you tell 'em that story?
(dramatic music)
- Why did you tell 'em that story?
I think you know why you told 'em that story.
Do you wanna know what I think?
- They needed to know.
They look up to me and I wanted them to know the truth.
- And what is the truth?
- That people make mistakes that you can't take back.
- Is it so?
- You know, Thomas reminds me a lot of you.
- Really?
I'd like to think I was a lot more calculated than he is.
- (laughs) No way. If anything, you were worse.
- I'm offended.
- (scoffs) Remember the Stanford's motel project?
- Of course I do.
- Only you would take on a project like that
with no information and no short notice.
- I don't think it was that bad, David.
- Not that bad? Half the rooms were fire hazards.
The bathrooms looked like they
were just thrown together overnight,
and the main office was the size of this bathroom.
- Okay,
so maybe it needed a little bit of work here and there.
- (laughs) And then you got yourself locked
in one of the rooms, and it took us hours to get you out.
- Yeah. I remember that, too. It smelled so bad in there.
- And it didn't help the cost that we had
to break through one of the walls to get you out.
- Yeah. You guys busted in like superheroes.
- (laughs) And even after all of that,
you still were determined to work on it.
- It's like you said, I'm a meerkat.
- A goddamn meerkat.
(laughs) Always getting into things, making me worry.
- You were worried about me? - Always.
- Then why did you abandon me?
I know you what you're thinking.
You're thinking, "She's not real."
(soft dramatic music) (water splashes)
And now you're thinking, "Why's she still here?"
"That should've worked." - You're not real.
- But I am real, David,
as real as that sink that you're touching,
as real as that story you told,
as real as the guilt that you are feeling right now.
- Why didn't you tell me? - You didn't wanna know.
You knew something was going on, but you didn't wanna ask.
- That's not true.
You saw all the signs, but you chose to look away.
- That's not true.
- You left knowing that something was going on.
- I asked you to come with me.
- But you knew I wasn't going to, though!
- No, I didn't! - And you left anyways,
even after I told you stay! - I had to leave!
- You abandoned me, David! - That's not true!
- Why did you tell 'em that story?
(slow dramatic music) (David breathes shakily)
- Because I wanted someone to know.
- To know what, David?
- How much pain and regret I'm filled with.
- And why do you have so much pain and regret, David?
- Because I abandoned-
(voices laugh)
Thomas?
(eerie tense music)
What's going on here?
- Mr. Peterson, it's so nice of you to join us.
Why don't you take a seat? - And who might you be?
- I'm Mr. Clark,
owner of this beautiful home that you're staying in.
- [David] What? What are you talking about?
- Why don't you sit down? Dinner will be ready soon.
We can have our little chat before then.
You were in the bathroom quite some time.
Is everything all right?
- Yeah. I'm just, just a little tired.
(soft tense music)
- What do you mean you're the homeowner?
I thought Thomas bought this house.
- He is also the homeowner. Technically, we all are.
- Were you here the whole time?
- This house, it was on the verge of going away,
and while we are eternally grateful to Thomas for saving it,
surely you can understand this as well, Mr. Peterson.
Nobody likes to be thrown away.
(people whisper indistinctly)
- Thomas! Who was that? - I'm starving.
- Just in time. We just got done.
- It smells really good.
- You doing all right? - Yeah.
- I know that earlier you've just been a little-
- [David] Yeah, yeah, I'm just little tired from my travels.
- All right, I'll go grab the stuff.
- I can't wait to dig into this food.
- Did you have a good time fishing?
- This is delicious. - Yeah, it was all right.
(people chatter indistinctly)
- What made you purchase the house?
- They just called me, nothing more than that.
- Mom and Dad are gonna go nuts
if they found out you bought this place.
- Yeah, I know.
That's why we're not gonna say anything to them.
You didn't tell them anything, right?
- No, of course not. Why would I?
- All right, good.
- Must feel good to see each other after so much time apart.
- We're used to being apart.
My parents never wanted me to corrupt him
with all my bad habits.
When I found out you got caught,
it was, it was kind of a relief.
I guess I'm not the bad one after all, huh?
- Okay, maybe if they weren't so far up our asses
about everything, I, I wouldn't have needed a de-stressor.
- I thought you say you only did it once.
- No, I, I only got caught once,
but I've been smoking for a while now.
You guys don't know how hard it's to live in that house.
- [Jackson] Growing up with Thomas,
I could always tell they were pretty strict on you guys.
- Strict is an understatement.
You would wake up in the morning and wonder
if you were getting parents or if you were getting bankers.
It always felt like they just saw us as a bad investment
that they're just trying to break even on.
- Do you remember that time we tried
to sneak outta the house to go to the basketball game?
- How could I forget that?
I mean, I came up with a foolproof plan for us to get out.
(boys laugh) (soft music)
So we waited for our parents to fall asleep,
and then we snuck downstairs in the kitchen.
Then I had Daniel turn on
the microwave - The microwave.
- while we went out the front door
so it would hide the noise.
Then we hid our phones in the mailbox
because our parents had Location Finder on our phones.
Then we just rode our bikes down the street
where I parked my car, and we drove to the game.
- You must've really wanted to go to that game.
- It was the perfect plan. - Yeah.
Well, I mean, at least we thought until we got back home
and Dad was just sitting in the living room waiting for us.
- (laughs) We didn't have him fooled one bit.
- Not even for a second.
I mean, he was waiting for us
to come home the minute we left the house.
He even grabbed our phones from the mailbox.
- You guys must've got an earful that night.
- No, not that night.
He just told us to go to our rooms and go to bed,
but the next day, it was a very different story.
I got a long speech about choices and responsibilities
and how short-term investments can lead to long-term misery.
It, it definitely made me feel like shit.
- I bet. - Yeah.
The, the game was definitely not worth the ass chewing.
- Thomas, you must've gotten it the worst
since you are the oldest.
- Nah, he didn't say anything to me.
It was just life as usual.
I stopped getting the choices
and responsibility talk a long time ago.
- That's good. It means he trusts you.
- Does it?
(soft tense music) (silverware clinks)
- I've never snuck out before.
- (laughs) I'm not buying that.
- [Dakota] (laughs) Why is this so hard to believe?
- Sweetie, I love you, but I gotta call it on that one.
- Why, why is this so hard to believe?
- You've left plenty of family functions to come see me.
- Okay, no, that's you. I didn't sneak out.
I told 'em up front that I'm gonna go see you.
Even in college, I didn't stay out past curfew.
I'm not a delinquent like you guys.
- Delinquent? Delinquent? - Oh, delinquents. Okay.
Connie, you was her roommate in college.
You can't tell me she snuck out at least once.
- She's actually telling the truth.
After Clyde would drop her off, she'd study,
maybe watch some TV, and then head to bed.
Even when the other sisters had events,
she wouldn't go unless it was in line with the rules.
- See? Life isn't all about having fun.
I have morals and beliefs. - Are you trying to say
that we don't have any morals or beliefs?
- Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying.
(group laughs)
- Oh! - She got you good.
- Hold on. A second ago, you were just calling me a liar.
You think I forgot already? - I was hoping you did.
- I would never second guess anything you tell me.
- I know, sweetheart. Shouldn't have doubted you.
- How are you so trusting?
- Why would I be with someone I don't trust?
- That makes sense.
- You know, I may have had my doubts in the beginning,
but Clyde always pulled through when he said he would.
He's never given me a reason to not trust him,
so why shouldn't I?
- Easier said than done. - And I get that,
and I understand that trust is built up over time,
that not every guy is worthy of that trust,
but Clyde is, so what can I say?
- Must be nice.
- Do you have something you wanna say to me?
- I am merely responding to what she was saying.
- Oh, here we go.
I knew this was gonna happen sooner or later.
- All day. you've been making faces inside comments.
So if you have something you wanna get off your chest,
let's just get it over with.
- The world doesn't revolve around you, Jackson.
Jesus! That's your issue!
- Oh, what's my issue? Please tell me.
- Your issue is that you think your problems
are the only problems that matter.
- Oh, is that what I think? - You are so selfish.
You care about nobody but yourself,
and as soon as someone doesn't follow your program,
then it's an issue.
Well, newsflash. People have a mind of their own.
- Of course I have my program like most people,
and of course I want my girlfriend to get on that program,
but if there was ever a better option,
I would be happy to go with it.
- I wanted things to work. You are the one who didn't.
Did you ever stop to listen about how I felt?
- Listen? All I did was listen.
And all you did is talk about how you didn't like this
and you didn't wanna do that.
All I ever did was listen and still
couldn't figure out what the solution was.
- You didn't try, which is fine,
but let's not act like you didn't give up on me, Jackson!
- You gave up on yourself!
(slow dramatic music)
I tried, Lord knows I tried,
but nothing I ever did made you happy.
You were angry and upset with everything.
I loved you, but I care about myself as well.
You didn't wanna change, you didn't wanna move forward,
so I just thought it was best for us
to move forward without each other.
You don't think it was hard for me?
Someone had to be the bigger person
and just accept the fact that we were done.
There was just no future between me and you.
- Now we'll never know. - You're right. We won't.
- I think I'm full already.
I'm gonna go outside and get some fresh air.
(footsteps shuffle) (Jackson sighs)
- Well, that went exactly how I thought it was gonna go.
- I'm done. I'm gonna go upstairs and take a nap.
- Don't hog all the good sheets.
- Looks like I'm out, too. - Where are you going?
- I gotta take a quick phone cal, but you can stay here.
Go console your friend. - Looks like dinner is over.
- You guys can go. I'll clean everything up.
- Hey, Dan. Come with me to the car for something.
- [Dakota] All right, I'm gonna check on Connie.
(crickets chirp) (bugs chatter)
- Where's Connie?
- She just went through the bathroom.
- Is everything okay? - Yeah.
I think she's calmed down a bit.
- Does it, does it happen often?
Well, when they were together, yes,
but this is the first time since they've broken up.
- Okay, yeah. I see.
- Where's Will?
- Oh, he's still out by the car.
He's getting the fishing gear.
- Fishing gear?
- Will brought some weed along.
- Oh, okay. - Yeah.
- That kind of fishing gear. Gotcha. (laughs)
Yeah, Clyde's gonna be upset that he's missing out.
- So you, I can see smoking,
but Clyde does not seem like the type.
- Yeah, well, I mean, not often but sometimes.
It helped him through law school,
and it helped me through my nursing program.
- I, I didn't know you were in nursing school.
- Oh yeah. I mean, I've always wanted to help people.
Unlike Clyde, I think I was the only one
in my family that thought like that.
Parents wanted me to be an accountant
'cause I was good with numbers. (laughs)
I, I don't think I could ever do a job like that.
No matter
how much money my parents said an accountant makes, I just,
I don't think I could commit to a profession like that.
- No. - I mean, don't get me wrong.
There's nothing wrong with being an accountant
or wanting to follow in your parents' footsteps,
but, you know, if anything,
that's what I like about Clyde is that he
was able to make his parents' passion his own.
Yeah, anyways. Jackson's not a bad guy.
- I didn't think he was.
- You know, Jackson and I are a lot alike.
That's probably why I defend him so much.
We bonded because we had the top grade in math class,
(laughs) which is funny because we both hated math, so.
But we both like to take care
of the people we're closest to.
- Clyde's lucky to have you. - Sure is. (laughs)
- Yeah, I, I never really had friends
as close as you guys are.
I used to just watch you guys from a distance,
and I could always tell if you were,
you know, really enjoying each other.
You actually got me really excited to go to college.
- Well, college itself was mad,
but I made a lot of good friends.
You don't have to be so nervous around us.
You're just as part of the group as everyone else.
You can relax a little.
- I mean, it's, it's easy to say.
You guys are all so in sync with each other.
- Oh my gosh, yeah.
You just see us when we don't have anything weird
like this going on with, you know,
Connie and Jackson having their issues
and Clyde having his work issues
and us being invited to this new house outta nowhere.
The atmosphere has just been off.
- Clyde's having work issues? - Yeah.
Don't tell him I told you. He thinks I don't know.
- Okay, yeah.
I'll, I'll just, I'll add it to my list of secrets.
- Well, it looks like our meeting's adjourned.
- And here comes Will with the fishing gear.
- Oh, to save the day.
He always knows what to say in these situations
or to bring, in this case.
(Daniel and Dakota laugh)
(Jackson sighs)
- What are you doing, Jackson?
That's great. I'm about to be a father soon.
(tense music)
- [Child] Want to find me, Jackson?
(dark dramatic music) (Jackson pants)
Getting warmer.
Getting warmer!
Cold!
You're hot!
- (gasps) What the fuck is going on?
(Jackson pants)
Where did this come from?
(soft tense music)
- [Speaker Voiceover] If you're reading this,
then I probably haven't made it out of this house.
Victoria isn't in her right mind,
and there's people standing in our backyard.
I took Jeffrey and I told him that we were playing hide
and seek and Victoria was the seeker.
He's hiding under the bed right now.
The old homeowner dropped by today
and was standing in our kitchen.
What he told me about the house is heart to believe,
but now that I'm seeing Victoria acting this way,
I don't know what to believe.
Here's what he said.
- [Susan] You didn't have much to say in there.
- What could I have said?
- I don't know. Aren't you their teacher though?
- Was their teacher. - That's true.
I'm sure they'll figure it out. They're still young.
(soft tense music)
- Why are you here?
- Because I wanted to talk to you.
- But you're not real. - Here we go with this again.
- Are you?
- I know it's been rough for you recently.
We've been apart for so long,
longer than either of us wanted.
- How'd you get here? - Thomas.
Thomas brought me here just like you brought you guys, too.
We belong here, David.
We can live happily right here in this house.
- What do you mean?
- After tonight, we won't have to worry about the past.
Everything we went through, it won't even matter anymore.
- But I abandoned you. - It's okay.
I forgive you, my love. It wasn't your fault.
You were lost and scared.
That's what the world does to people.
It prays on a person's weakness
until they break and succumb to it, but it's different here.
Everyone is happy and at peace.
- Peace, huh? - Yes.
And you deserve to be at peace.
- Peace, huh?
- Sleep for now, my love. We'll soon be together.
(crickets chirp) (owl hoots)
- I didn't know you guys had it rough like that,
especially Thomas.
He seems so confident in himself.
- Yeah.
Our dad's a lot to handle,
and Thomas dealt with him longer than I had to though.
He was the favorite for awhile.
(soft ethereal music)
- When did everything change?
- Well, we all know Thomas isn't the best
when it comes to school, right?
- Yeah.
Jackson said that he had to tutor him
through middle school and high school.
- Yeah. Our dad wanted him to be a doctor for a while.
He would bring it up almost every day at dinner.
He would ask him about his studies
and what he did for the day,
and we all know Thomas isn't the studying type
or the type to talk about studying, so,
but when my dad would ask him, he'd more than talk about it.
You'd almost believe he loved it.
One weekend, me and my mom went on a trip,
and Dad had work so he couldn't come,
and Thomas was coming to a party with Jackson,
so he stayed behind, too.
When we came back, the whole dynamic had changed.
We walked in the house,
and they were sitting on opposite sides of the room.
That night at dinner,
our dad didn't ask Thomas any questions.
They just sat there and ate their food
without speaking to each other.
Actually, he never asked him about it ever again.
So soon, it became a thing of the past.
Silence actually became the normal thing for awhile.
One night, he turned to me
and asked me the same questions he used to ask Thomas.
Thomas just sat there, his head down eating his food.
That became the normal routine.
- Something big must've happened over the weekend.
- That's what I heard.
Every time I've asked him about it,
he just ignores the question.
All I know is that the relationship changed that weekend,
and Thomas started spending a lot more time with Jackson.
Jackson is the more responsible one, so that makes sense.
He's like the father out of the group.
- It's a good thing he's around then.
Was he always like that? - Like what?
- The father of the group. - Pretty much.
- Dakota probably knows him better
than anyone else except Thomas,
but ever since I've known him, he's been like that,
probably because he was raised by a single mother.
He always felt like he needed to be father out of the group.
- And now he's gonna be an actual father. Wow.
- He's just someone you can always trust.
He's someone who doesn't have any alternative motives,
puts other people in front of himself,
but that might be his downfall.
- Yeah, I agree. - Death by being too kind?
- There's gonna be times when you gonna have
to put yourself first.
It's just not him anymore.
He has a little one to think about.
- I think Connie needs to go do something.
- Yeah, she does.
- Fine. I'm already high anyways.
- All right. I'm out, too.
Clyde should be waiting on me.
(footsteps shuffle)
- I guess it's just you and me.
- Yeah. - You as well.
- Any news? - Nothing yet, boss man.
- Come on, man. I need this job.
I already turned in my two weeks.
I have people counting on me. - These things take time.
- How much time?
- [Clyde's Dad] I wouldn't be able to tell you that.
- And that's, that's the problem.
- [Clyde's Dad] Hey, if push comes to shove,
just walk back into your job,
take your two weeks notice back,
say that you thought it over or something.
- I can't go backwards. I have people that count on me.
- [Clyde's Dad] Yeah, you have people who count on you
to have a job and not be stubborn in these situations.
I'm sure your girl is gonna stay with you regardless
if you put your pride to the side
and take your old job back.
- She doesn't even know I put my two weeks in.
- [Clyde's Dad] That's your first mistake,
don't you think?
(soft dramatic music)
- The first time I saw Dakota,
the first thing I noticed about her was,
was her beauty, obviously,
but the second thing I noticed was her posture.
- Her posture? - Yeah.
She stood straight up like a tower,
never slouched, never wavered.
Do you know how much concentration
and discipline it takes to never slouch?
Most people wouldn't notice such a thing, but I do.
I always have, and I still do to this day.
That woman is not an ordinary woman. She's special.
I understand you're telling me that she would probably stay
with me even if I crawl back to my other job,
but what I'm telling you is that she shouldn't.
A woman like her deserves a man that can push forward.
So I'm not gonna retract my two weeks, Dad,
and I'm gonna get this job because we don't bend
and we don't fold under pressure.
That's the man that she deserves.
- [Clyde's Dad] Good answer, son,
but hoping and wishing is not the world we live in.
Results is what decides our future. Stay by the phone.
I'll call you if anything comes up.
(line clicks)
- [Connie] I just wanna talk to you. Stop being so stubborn.
(door opens)
- Hey, babe. How'd your call go?
- It went well, nothing I didn't already expect.
- Well, I'm beat, so how we slip under these covers,
see how nice these beds are?
- Have you been smoking? - (laughs) Maybe a little.
Apparently, Will brought some with him.
- Damn. I'm surprised you didn't tell me about it.
Is there more left?
(Dakota laughs)
(footsteps shuffle)
(door opens) (dark tense music)
- This room looks just like how I remembered it.
Thomas gave me the best room in the house.
- Sorry. Can I help you with something?
- Oh, Connie, you poor thing.
- Wait. Are you the girl that I've been seeing outside?
I noticed you a couple of times. Do you live around here?
You startled me. I wasn't expecting anyone to come in.
How do you know Thomas?
Are you staying here with us over the weekend?
I wanted to introduce myself earlier. I'm not doing much.
We can head back downstairs and talk if you want.
- I absolutely love it back there.
Most of the time, I'm out there just watching,
watching everyone as they go by.
They're like little birds. - Yeah.
I like the people watch, too.
Sometimes you can catch them doing something they
know they're not supposed to be doing.
- I've noticed you as well.
I've noticed all of you guys, but especially you.
- Why me?
- I've noticed the way that you look at Jackson.
Reminds me of the way I used to look at my husband.
Brings back memories.
- I don't know what you're talking about.
- I noticed that you barely touched your food at dinner.
I've noticed that your special tea is actually a detox.
It helps you lose weight.
It's important for us women to stay beautiful.
They always say that they would love us unconditionally
and that, no matter what, they would stay loyal to us,
but that's all just a bunch of crap.
Just words they would say to the next girl
if they got the chance.
- There's no such thing as unconditional love.
Sounds like you and your partner went
through some hard times. - Yes, I do live around here.
This is actually the room that my husband
and I used to stay in.
- You used to live here before?
- We had some really good times here.
I remember how little Jeffrey used to crawl
in our bed every time he got scared,
but then they made me realize the truth.
- What truth? - Oh, I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to startle you.
Thomas is a very important person to us.
He's like family now.
- Sorry, I'm just a little confused
as to what's going on right now.
- Yes. We will be staying with you for the weekend.
I'm surprised that Thomas never told you anything.
I also wanted to introduce myself earlier,
but I thought that now was the perfect time.
I'd love for us to chat. I also have all night.
Would you like to head out back to the gazebo?
I think they're planning on making s'mores.
- My friends will be here soon.
- Nobody is going to show up for an ugly,
fat, worthless piece of nothing like you!
- No! No, no, no, no!
No, no, no! - Hey, hey.
- Hey, it's me. It's me.
It's me. It's me.
It's okay. It's okay.
It's okay. - I'm sorry.
- I know, I know. - Please don't leave me.
- I won't.
- I'm so, so sorry. - It's okay, it's okay.
I know. I know.
- (sobs) Don't, please.
(lips smooch)
- What's the matter, baby? - It's nothing. Sorry.
(lips smooch)
- I brought that thing you like.
- Is tonight the night?
- Tonight is the night. - Hell yeah.
- I'll go get it. - Sounds good.
(Clyde gasps) (scary music)
- What's wrong? - Dakota, move!
- What are you talking about? - No!
- What the hell is going on? - Jackson?
- Hey, we gotta get outta here.
- Have you seen that butler guy, too?
- No, but I think I know what you're talking about.
I'll explain everything later,
but right now we gotta grab the others
and get the hell out of this house.
It's almost time. - Time for what?
- Okay, what the hell is going on? Can someone fill me in?
Those people you guys have been seeing,
they aren't people at all.
They're actually the ghost of the people
who used to live here. - Wait, wait, wait.
So this house is possessed? - Not necessarily.
I mean, the house feeds off of lost souls,
and every time the house wants to feed,
there's a ritual that takes place
where the residents sacrifice new people to the house.
- Oh shit. - Yeah, exactly.
So we gotta get the fuck outta here.
You guys pack up and head out to the truck out front.
I'll go grab the others. Where's Will and Daniel?
- [Dakota] They're out smoking in the gazebo.
- Okay, I'll go get 'em. - How is it this late?
- Time is all jacked up in this house.
A minute can be an hour.
- So we really don't have time.
- Exactly, but the only thing is now that we're aware of it,
it can't affect us. - Okay, yeah. Yeah.
(dramatic music) (people chatter on TV)
- Mr. Peterson, Mr. Peterson, wake up.
Hey, you guys (speaks indistinctly).
(people speak indistinctly)
Hey, I think we're gonna head out.
- [Thomas] Why are you guys leaving so soon?
- [Jackson] You already know why.
- The room's not to your liking?
- [Jackson] You're trying to sacrifice us!
- No. I'm trying to free you guys.
I'm trying to help you guys let go of doubt and fear.
You've seen it.
You've seen everything that's gone on with the people
who live in this house. - I have, and it's terrible!
This house has ruined people's lives!
- No, those lives were ruin before they got to this house.
They were damaged people, people scared and frightened,
but were, well, were lost.
This house gave them a way out.
- Is that what this is for you? Your dad was mean to you.
Boohoo, get over it.
- [Thomas] You don't have the right to speak on my father.
- What gives you the right to sacrifice people?
- You don't know what it was like.
- Yes, I do. I was there.
You can't be mad at him. You got what you asked for.
It's not what I asked for. - Yes it is,
and then you walked in on your father with another woman,
and he asked you what he could do to make you forget.
You said you didn't wanna be pressured
into doing anything that you didn't wanna do,
I mean, no more lectures about school or grades
or how you needed you to do better.
- [Thomas] I didn't ask not to have a father anymore.
- But you asked him to stop being the only father he knew
how to be.
(Jackson sighs)
- When I was in Europe,
I found out my father told my mother about the affair.
- He cut you off. - What else should I expect?
I was no longer keeping his secret.
- It's not too late. You have people who care about you.
Why do you think we drove all the way up here to see you?
- It's too late for me. - No, it's not.
You're great at what you do. Ask Mr. Peterson.
You don't need your father's money.
You have something more important.
You have friends who care about you and love you
and would do anything for you.
Plus, my son needs a godfather.
You're having a son? - Yeah.
Found out a couple days ago.
- Thank you, man. It's too late.
- No, it isn't. - No, Jackson,
you, you don't understand.
I already did the sacrifice. I'm part of the house now.
- What? - Yeah, yeah.
I, I can't leave anymore. - No, no.
Thomas, if you're already sacrificed,
we wouldn't be able to physically touch you.
- What do you mean?
- I mean, it's just an observation,
but if you already sacrificed,
we wouldn't be able to touch you,
I mean, not until the next sacrifice.
- Wait, I, I was there for the sacrifice.
They told me I was dead.
- I mean, I think they just told you that
to make you think that it was too late,
but they needed to be alive to bring us here.
- So I'm alive?
(dramatic music) (Thomas groans)
- Hey, hey, hey. We gotta get outta here.
Hey, come help me. Quick, quick, grab him.
Let's go, let's go. - Wait, where are we going?
- [Jackson] We're gonna take him out front.
(people speak indistinctly)
(door opens) (crickets chirp)
(people speak indistinctly)
- [Jackson] Where's Will?
- [Clyde] I don't know. I think he's still out back.
- [Jackson] Okay, I'll go grab him.
- Wait, there's not much time! We have to go.
- Hey, hey. They filled me in on what's going on.
Now I know I may may not be the best person
to be saying this,
but you have a child on the way and people that need you.
- [Jackson] I know. I'll make sure I come back.
(footsteps shuffle)
(door opens)
Hey, we have to go!
Jackson, Jackson, did you hear that loud voice?
What was that? - It's almost time.
Jackson, Jackson. (shouts indistinctly)
Jackson, Jackson!
(door slams) (dark dramatic music)
- Where's Will? Where's Will?
Jackson! - We gotta go.
(doors slam)
(door creaks shut)
(soft piano music)
(birds chirp) (engine rumbles)
- It's such a beautiful house.
- Yeah. I wonder why it's been vacant for so long.
I mean, it didn't really cost that much.
- Yeah. Well, it's ours now. - Welcome to our new home.
- (sighs) This is exciting.
- I think this will be a good place for us to reset,
and I know we've had our problems in the past,
but I think this will be a good thing for us.
- Yeah. Well, I am gonna go take a look inside.
- All right. I'll let everybody know we made it.
- Sounds good.
(door slams)
(phone chimes) (phone dings)
Hey. - Jesus.
- The house is beautiful, but there's,
there's a strange woman out back in the gazebo.
Do you, do you know her or?
(tense music)