CLANCYPASTA | "Trapped in Joshua Tree" by Sam Moody

[00:00:04] Trapped in Joshua Tree Written by Sam Moody

[00:00:09] Narrated by ClancyPasta I don't know what to do.

[00:00:20] I tried to call the police, but the dispatcher thought I was crazy.

[00:00:25] Jesus, even I think I sound crazy.

[00:00:32] I came to Joshua Tree a couple of days ago.

[00:00:35] It was sort of a treat.

[00:00:37] A chance to spend some time alone somewhere beautiful and chill out.

[00:00:42] I wanted to switch off, maybe hike in the park.

[00:00:47] So I booked this cool little one-bed place out in the middle of nowhere that I found

[00:00:52] online.

[00:00:53] The pictures were amazing.

[00:00:56] Acres of rock and sand with a dirt road to nowhere.

[00:01:00] I thought I'd hit the jackpot when I pulled up.

[00:01:05] Just me and my thoughts, and the resident tarantula that wandered onto the patio.

[00:01:13] When the night came and I heard the coyotes howl, I was excited.

[00:01:17] I even found some tracks near the house in the morning and took photos.

[00:01:22] As an English townie, the most interesting bit of wildlife I'd been around before

[00:01:27] was a fox.

[00:01:29] I'd never visited somewhere like Joshua Tree.

[00:01:33] It felt otherworldly, like there were vibrations coming up through my feet and raising the

[00:01:40] hair on the back of my neck.

[00:01:42] I was alone, I knew, but it was as if I'd stepped under the eye of the desert.

[00:01:50] An instinctual sense that I was watched.

[00:01:54] And I was judged.

[00:02:01] In the day, I wandered the trails in silence and marveled at roadrunners and rock formations.

[00:02:09] Then every evening, the coyotes sang as I decided, once again, that I would leave a

[00:02:14] nightlight burning.

[00:02:18] Tonight felt like any other.

[00:02:20] I had made a large coffee to go with a fast food burger I'd picked up on the drive back

[00:02:25] from a trail.

[00:02:26] A family of jackrabbits live near the barbecue pit that's maybe twenty feet from the house,

[00:02:33] so I decided to sit and enjoy an early dinner in their company.

[00:02:39] I'd just licked the last crumbs off my fingers when the rabbits went very still, then dashed

[00:02:46] into their warren.

[00:02:50] I looked around.

[00:02:53] It was the eyes I noticed first.

[00:02:57] The coyote was very still, crouched amongst the brush less than fifteen feet away and

[00:03:04] almost invisible.

[00:03:06] It stared straight at me.

[00:03:11] The first feeling I had was excitement.

[00:03:16] The animal was larger than I expected, nearly twice as big as a fox, but not exactly threatening.

[00:03:25] I stood slowly, not wanting to startle it.

[00:03:30] Then I realized.

[00:03:32] It wasn't one coyote, but a pack, maybe fifteen or more.

[00:03:38] They sauntered from the bushes, unafraid and unwelcoming.

[00:03:45] My spine prickled.

[00:03:49] I became aware all at once that I was very alone and far enough from the house that

[00:03:56] I wouldn't beat them in a race.

[00:03:59] One coyote had been a thrill, but fifteen was a worry.

[00:04:05] Then the pack separated, five circling to the left of the barbecue pit and three or

[00:04:11] four more heading straight at me.

[00:04:20] You shouldn't run from a predator, I thought to myself.

[00:04:26] Taking up the coffee mug as the only weapon to hand, I backed towards the house slow and

[00:04:32] steady.

[00:04:33] I couldn't afford to trip.

[00:04:37] For every step I took, they stalked closer.

[00:04:41] Just wary enough not to close the distance, but one, a scared and lean animal, must have

[00:04:48] been less than six feet away when my foot finally touched the patio pavers.

[00:04:55] The thin thread of bravery I'd clung to broke, and I dashed into the house, hands shaking

[00:05:00] so hard I could barely lock it behind me.

[00:05:07] We don't allow pets anymore.

[00:05:10] The owner had written in the confirmation email.

[00:05:14] The coyotes have been a bit braver recently.

[00:05:20] At the time, I'd thought nothing of it.

[00:05:22] I wasn't bringing an animal after all, but now as I watched the pack circle the house,

[00:05:30] I wondered how long the eyes I'd felt in the darkness belonged to them.

[00:05:37] There's no boundary here, I realized.

[00:05:40] Between the wild and me.

[00:05:43] And as the last hints of sunlight over the mountains faded to purple and black, the coyotes

[00:05:49] lifted their heads and howled.

[00:05:54] I retreated to the bedroom, pulling the curtains tight.

[00:05:59] With my family and friends an ocean away, I reached out to the only person I knew how

[00:06:04] to contact.

[00:06:06] The rental owner.

[00:06:08] I could message them through the booking app, and perhaps if I was lucky, they'd be nearby.

[00:06:15] There are coyotes here.

[00:06:18] They're all around the house.

[00:06:20] What should I do?

[00:06:21] I typed.

[00:06:23] I felt so stupid almost the moment it's sent.

[00:06:29] What should I do?

[00:06:31] What should I do?

[00:06:34] Calm down.

[00:06:36] Take a breath.

[00:06:37] They're basically dogs.

[00:06:40] And now I'm inside, I told myself.

[00:06:45] I gulped down air until I didn't feel like my heart was climbing my throat.

[00:06:50] Just a stupid overreaction to a situation that wasn't even a big deal.

[00:06:56] So what if there are coyotes in the desert?

[00:07:00] Where the hell else would they be?

[00:07:03] But I couldn't fight the seed of fear planted in my belly.

[00:07:08] There was no way, I thought, that I would sleep here tonight.

[00:07:13] My best bet would be to pack an overnight bag, jump in my rental, and grab a room at

[00:07:19] a motel back in town.

[00:07:22] So I grabbed a few things and stuffed them in a backpack.

[00:07:26] I would run out to the car and jump straight in.

[00:07:29] It wasn't far from the front door.

[00:07:33] Just a few steps.

[00:07:35] Easy.

[00:07:38] I ducked past dark windows, feeling like an idiot, and stopped at the door.

[00:07:44] My hand paused over the handle.

[00:07:48] Just one check of the spyhole.

[00:07:50] That was a normal thing to do.

[00:07:53] I leaned in, taking a second to adjust to the darkness beyond.

[00:07:59] The moonlight was just bright enough to make out the car.

[00:08:04] All clear.

[00:08:06] I sighed.

[00:08:08] Hell, the coyotes were probably…

[00:08:14] Something moved, just at the edge of the brush, almost out of sight of the people.

[00:08:22] For a second I thought it was a man, before I realized the legs and head were all wrong.

[00:08:31] A coyote, but stood on its back legs as it walked up to the door in a strange broken

[00:08:39] stagger.

[00:08:42] I felt the hair on the back of my neck rise and stumbled away.

[00:08:48] The phone in my pocket chimed.

[00:08:52] I fumbled for it and saw a reply from the owner.

[00:08:59] Check the windows.

[00:09:03] Check the windows.

[00:09:06] Why would I?

[00:09:08] But through the kitchen, I saw it.

[00:09:11] Saw those same eyes staring inside.

[00:09:16] Distorted paws picking at the unlocked screen.

[00:09:21] And god help me, I ran.

[00:09:26] Now I'm here.

[00:09:29] Locked in a tiny windowless bathroom.

[00:09:33] My back against the door, my fingers cramped from holding the lock shut.

[00:09:38] I don't know when it'll be dawn, but I hear them breathing in the darkness.

[00:09:47] The click of claws on tiled floors.

[00:09:55] The police won't come.

[00:09:58] I can't get out.

[00:10:01] And I don't know what to do.

[00:10:25] I hope you enjoyed tonight's episode of Clancypasta, and thank you for listening.

[00:10:30] If you enjoyed, I'd really appreciate it if you would give the channel a subscribe

[00:10:35] or a follow, give the episode a like, and I hope you come back for the next episode.

[00:10:40] Huge thanks to Sam Moody for writing such a fantastic tale.

[00:10:44] The author's links as always are in the description.

[00:10:47] And I need to give a huge thanks to all of my Patreon and YouTube member and anchor supporters.

[00:10:53] The $2 and up supporters are on screen now, and I will go ahead and verbally thank all

[00:11:01] of the $5 and up supporters.

[00:11:03] So thank you so much Carlos A, GalaxiaXP, Downy Dolphin, Uma Manick, Folor, Lydia P,

[00:11:12] Ref, Skylar Mae Morningstar, Tim W, Gabriel B, Jared B, Nathan P, Ankle Mania, good name,

[00:11:23] Dweller, Nicola F, ObsidianBlade87, Joshua, MCMonkeyMan, KingDucetti, David L, ChiefAzlin,

[00:11:34] EyelessJack, and thank you to Frankie C. Thank you all so much for your support.

[00:11:41] It's been a little while since I last uploaded, so thank you all so much for sticking around.

[00:11:47] It will not be that long again, I can promise you that.

[00:11:52] The beginning of April ended up just being an unpredictable time, but it's going good.

[00:12:00] So thank you all again for listening, I really hope you enjoyed, and I will speak to you

[00:12:05] all very soon.

[00:12:08] Have a good night everyone, and cheers.