(Bonus Episode) “AMATEUR IN CHANCERY” by George O. Smith (Short Sci-Fi Story) #WeirdDarkness

Two scientists travel toward a remote village deep in Brazil. During the journey, they become stranded near an isolated settlement — often described in logs as a mysterious airport village populated by ancient people with strange customs and rituals. What begins as a scientific expedition turns increasingly unsettling as the travelers encounter a place that seems disconnected from ordinary reality.  Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/OTR CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = Show Open 00:01:30.028 = CBS Radio Mystery Theater, “Land of the Living Dead” (November 03, 1977) ***WD 00:45:56.814 = BBC Ghosts From The Past, “A Warden For All Saints” (April 29, 1992) 01:29:37.398 = Barry Craig — Confidential Investigator, “Sneak Assassin” (November 21, 1945) 01:58:53.759 = Hall of Fantasy, “Markheim” (April 24, 1947) 02:24:56.192 = Harry Lime, “See Naples And Live” (August 10, 1951) 02:50:31.703 = BBC Haunted Tales of the Supernatural, “Channel Crossing” (July 14, 1984) ***WD 03:17:06.208 = The Haunting Hour, “A Corpse There Was” (April 21, 1945) 03:41:56.690 = Hermit’s Cave, “The Black Band” (1930s-1940s) ***WD 04:06:03.980 = Mystery Is My Hobby, “Buried Treasure” (1945-1950) 04:29:32.110 = Sherlock Holmes, “Singular Affair of the White Cockerel” (December 28, 1946) 04:58:52.931 = Show Close (ADU) = Air Date Unknown (LQ) = Low Quality ***WD = Remastered, edited, or cleaned up by Weird Darkness to make the episode more listenable. Audio may not be pristine, but it will be better than the original file which may have been unusable or more difficult to hear without editing. CUSTOM WEBPAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/WDRR0665

Zombies might be relentless brain-munchers, but the real terror is how quickly bad ideas spread—rising from the dead, infecting minds, and shambling through our culture long after they should’ve been buried. EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources and full transcript): https://weirddarkness.com/ZombiePolitics FEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: The one great thing about a zombie apocalypse, if one were to ever take place, is that we might finally be free from the stupidity of politicians. Or… would we? (The Politics of the Zombie Apocalypse) *** We’ve heard quite a bit about supply shortage during the Covid pandemic – but how bad could it get, really? I mean, we’re not talking famine, right? We’re not going to go armed to the teeth in the streets to steel food from others, that’d be un-American. Well, tell that to the people of Richmond, Virginia in 1863 who rioted when the final straw for them was the price of bread going too high. (The Richmond Bread Riot) *** After numerous twists and turns to get into position, the fighter pilot shot a total of 64 30mm shells at an extraterrestrial spacecraft to bring it down or destroy it altogether. Most all of his shots were direct hits – but his target continued on without a scratch. (Air to Air Combat With a Flying Saucer) *** What happened at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant will forever be burned into the hearts and minds of scientists and historians worldwide. Two people died instantly from the explosion – dozens more from radiation poisoning in the months to come. But not everyone is buying the story we’ve been told. They believe something more sinister took place and that it’s being covered up. (Chernobyl Conspiracies) *** In February 2008 a contract murder took place, but there seemed to be no reason behind it. Who would want Lindsay Buziak dead – and why? (Who Killed Lindsay Buziak?) CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00:00.000 = “Apocalypse” (short story) 00:19:21.004 = Show Open 00:21:58.777 = Politics of the Zombie Apocalypse *** 00:30:57.458 = The Richmond Bread Riot 00:35:24.977 = Air to Air Combat With a Flying Saucer *** 00:40:51.546 = Who Killed Lindsay Buziak? 00:48:07.599 = Chernobyl Conspiracies *** 01:02:36.686 = Show Close *** = Begins immediately after inserted ad break LISTEN ON PODCAST APPS: Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://weirddarkness.com/wdapps *No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast* SOURCES and RESOURCES: Fictional short story at beginning of episode, “Apocalypse” by Regisatra: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/49n3kdkp “Air to Air Combat With a Flying Saucer” from Earth-Chronicles: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4z8k6ste “The Politics of the Zombie Apocalypse” from Esoterx.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/y9ffywve “The Richmond Bread Riot” by Jenny Ashcraft for Fishwrap: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/ysf8pnz6 “Chernobyl Conspiracies” by Colleen Conroy for Graveyard Shift: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/3p59u3ax “Who Killed Lindsay Buziak?” by Bipin Dimri for Historic Mysteries:

A small bird-faced geologist drilled to the center of the Earth and came back with an answer no one wanted, and the song that grew out of it sits somewhere between a confession and a question that won't let the listener go. GET THE SONG: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/staticwax/how-does-it-feel-to-know MORE FROM THE BAND: https://hyperfollow.com/staticwax THE EPISODE THAT INSPIRED THE SONG: https://weirddarkness.com/wdrr0640/ THE MUSIC: https://weirddarkness.com/music WEIRD DARKNESS PODCAST: https://weirddarkness.com/listen

An 11-year veteran of the St. Charles County Police Department spent four dollars in quarters at a bowling alley arcade to coax a little girl out of a claw machine she had climbed into for the toys. SOURCES, LINKS, AND PRINT VERSION: https://weirddarkness.com/claw-machine-cop Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://pod.link/1078714736 *No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast* WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness. #WeirdDarkness, #WeirdDarkNEWS

Alexis Nelson sent her mother a Happy Mother's Day message in May 2025, and then her phone went silent for six months before anyone in her family realized something was wrong. SOURCES, LINKS, AND PRINT VERSION: https://weirddarkness.com/alexis-nelson Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://pod.link/1078714736 *No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast* WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness. #WeirdDarkness, #WeirdDarkNEWS