Dead Stop

Should have turned right back at that freeway.

But I cannot...

I can't read this thing at all.

-Admit it, dude. -Dude, we are not lost.

We're just not where we're supposed to be.

I think that's called being lost.

Shut up.

Great. Now, what are we supposed to do?

We've been driving down this road for hours.

Hey guys, this is a wild idea,

-but why don't we turn back? -Hey, listen, punk,

nobody wants you here, okay? Including your sister.

But somebody's got to babysit your ass

because your parents are out of town.

And they sure as shit don't trust your goth ass home alone.

Hey leave him alone, alright?

He probably wants to be here about as much as you want him here.

Besides, it's your dumb ass that got us lost.

Whatever.

He's probably right, though. We should turn back.

Fuck that.

I can barely even see the road. We're camping here tonight

and we'll figure it out in the morning.

What an idea.

I bet you two are glad we picked you up, huh?

Well, that's what happens when you hitchhike.

But hey, we're cool.

And that's the fucking attitude I was looking for!

Cozy.

Did we bring any flashlights?

There are two in the back.

Okay.

-You have to jiggle it. -I am jiggling it.

No, you got to really jiggle it.

I am really jiggling it.

Like this, baby.

-Yeah. -There you go!

-Yay! -There we go,

you just got to sweet talk it a little like a woman.

Thanks.

At least there's one real man around here.

Oh, I'll show you a real man.

Stay off my girl.

- -What the hell was that?

-Probably just a coyote. -No way,

that did not sound like a coyote.

What are you, a wilderness expert?

It was probably just a rabid raccoon or something.

If you don't bother them, they won't bother you.

Actually, they will bother you.

And if they're rabid, even if they're unprovoked.

What are you, a wilderness expert too?

Actually, yes.

I used to be a professor at Berkley.

Joe taught zoology.

Oh, nice, we got our own little private nature show.

Fact of the matter is, there are no raccoons out here.

Only coyotes and an occasional mountain lion.

But with all the commotion you've made in the last ten minutes,

I don't think you have to worry about that either.

Good times.

Look, I got some sleeping bags in here.

And I've heard good things about body heat.

Besides, seven of us sleeping in this?

-Not good. -Whoo!

Wazzup! Oooh.

You coming?

No.

I'm not really in the mood to watch you guys

get drunk and grope each other.

Point taken.

This is fun, huh?

Yeah, that's right. It is now.

Thanks.

So what are those things over there?

Oh, those are incense from Kathmandu, Nepal.

They burn longer than any others, up to six hours.

A friend of mine, a Buddhist priest,

taught me how to make them.

Now, I sell them at the colleges when I lecture.

-Helps fund or trips. -What kind of trips?

Carolyn and I travel the world.

Hmm, doing what?

Exploring, enjoying life.

Generally avoiding the politics and rat race

of teaching college.

And the nine to five thing.

I did that for 15 years.

Where have you guys been?

I guess the question is, where haven't we been, right?

Nice.

-I like that. -

- -

Going to his phone like that?

Get it girl.

Pump it up.

Pump it up.

Woah.

Sorry. What's going on, man?

Nothing.

Turn the headlights off and come sit with us.

I promise Josh won't be a dick, okay?

Okay, Josh will definitely be a dick, but...

come anyways.

It'll make your sister feel better.

Alright?

- -Come on.

Guys, what's the craziest thing you've seen in your travels?

I guess I'd have to say that time when we were...

in India on the coast.

We saw this ten-year-old boy,

he was just like, gliding on the water,

on top of an elephant that was swimming

to an island about a mile and a half or so

out in the ocean. It was just...

incredible.

I'd pay to see that shit.

What about you, Joe?

I don't know, that was pretty incredible.

He doesn't really like to talk about it,

but Joe's seen some pretty crazy shit.

Tell them, honey.

Tell the about Everest.

I don't think that's the kind of story they want to hear.

No, that sounds good.

Tell it, dude.

It's kind of morbid.

Even better.

About ten years ago, when I was still teaching,

I was asked to join a team of researchers,

heading to the mountains above Nepal.

Purpose of the mission was to search for evidence of the Yeti.

What's a Yeti?

It's like the cousin of Bigfoot,

but it's all white with fangs and longer fingernails.

Yeah, that's right. In the early '50s,

an Everest expedition led by a climber named John Hunt

resulted in photos of what was believed to be a Yeti.

We were going to retrace his steps and see

if we could uncover any supporting evidence.

-Yeah, I know it sounds hokey. -Thought it was pretty silly myself.

The team consisted of myself and some local scientists

and one of my colleagues, Simon Malloy.

By the third day, we hadn't found much

and Simon was getting really frustrated,

so he decided to head out on his own for a few hours.

Next morning, when we woke,

Simon wasn't in his tent.

He hadn't come back.

The team and I spent most of the next day scouring the area.

Didn't find a thing.

So he never came back?

I mean, did you call the police?

Local authorities sent out a search party,

and the university did as well, but no luck.

Eventually, they found a part of Simon's backpack.

And a hiking boot.

Both covered in his blood.

So what do you think actually happened?

I don't know.

But Simon went out there to find something that evening.

Maybe that something found him.

Bullshit!

What? That's bullshit!

Woo-hoo-hoo, something found him!

-Josh! -Believe what you want.

But this kind of thing happens all the time.

People go hiking, climbing, camping,

and they just disappear.

Sometimes they find the bodies...

and sometimes they don't.

Point is,

nobody ever really knows what happened.

Okay. Now, I'm a little freaked out.

Yeah, whatever. I'm going to get some more beer.

And if something comes and gets me,

Todd, you take Sarah.

Oh, shut up!

Drink, drink, drink.

Drink, drink, drink, drink.

Oh, come on, baby, drink it!

- Shotgun!

Need someone, uh, to hold that for you?

Uh, no.

I mean, that would be great, but I'm kind of with Sarah.

Oh, that's okay.