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Mr. Freeman:
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Hiya, Doc. Sorry I'm late.
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Dr. Balis:
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Hello, Jerry. Good to see you. It's all right; you're only ten minutes late. No harm done.
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Mr. Freeman:
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Thought I was being followed. Had to change direction before I got here just to make sure. I'll be okay as soon as I catch my breath.
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Dr. Balis:
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Jerry, here's a glass of water. Just take your time, we can begin as soon as you're ready.
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Mr. Freeman:
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Thanks, Doc. That helps.
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Dr. Balis:
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Jerry, might I ask how you get here?
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Mr. Freeman:
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Sure, Doc. I drive my car. It's an old wreck I use to get back and forth to work in. Where I work, you sure don't want to park anything new in that lot. There's tons of big equipment in the yard and on dry windy days, there's dust and dirt just flying everywhere. On rainy days, we come out of there with two inches of mud and sludge on top of all the crap--sorry about the pun--all the glop we get from down in the sewer chambers and tunnels. Of course from there, we take city vehicles--trucks, vans, cars...you name it--and head on out to our assignments. Oh yeah, you asked about getting here. Well, I drive my old heap over this way, then park about two to three blocks away. That way, I have a better chance of seeing if anyone is tailing me.
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Dr. Balis:
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You seem concerned about being followed or watched, Jerry. Could you expand on that?
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Mr. Freeman:
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Sure. But here's where you're really going to start to think I'm nuts. Doc, I'm going to tell you a little story that you probably won't believe, but here goes. Do you remember seeing the news about the big sewer collapse last year, the one that swallowed a house?
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Dr. Balis:
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Wasn't that around the Sea Cliff area?
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Mr. Freeman:
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That's the one, Doc. Well, if you recall, the newspapers treated that as an accident. They blamed it on that century-old sewer line and the storm that came through that night. A natural occurrence or maybe one that was caused by bad maintenance or a man-made problem, but just the kind of thing that occasionally happens. In fact, there have been sinkholes and sewer collapses in Florida, Virginia, Minnesota...hell Doc, just about everywhere. I'm here to tell you that the San Francisco sewer collapse was no accident. You might remember that one person was killed there. Well, guess what, Doc. He was one of us--one of the few who knew about Them and they killed him.
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Dr. Balis:
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He was killed underground, wasn't he?
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Mr. Freeman:
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Damn right, Doc. The papers made out that he was just some schmuck that worked with the City of San Francisco Sanitation Department. The story goes that he was down there doing some surveying on the Richmond Transport project tube. We're always going down in the tunnels--usually we go out to check out bad smells, gas leaks, that sort of thing. We get calls all the time. Usually there's nothing wrong, but we've got to check out every single complaint. Normally we don't go below unless we're in teams. But for some reason, Jake was down there by himself that particular time. There's no real rule that says we've got to go in teams, but it's something that most of us who are aware of the problem have been doing lately. Anyway, Doc, Jake paid for it big time.
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Dr. Balis:
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So what happened, Jerry? Why do you feel his death wasn't an accident?
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Mr. Freeman:
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Doc, the newspapers didn't investigate the whole story, as usual. And if they did, they sure as hell didn't report the whole thing. Part of our job, any time there is a suspected leak or bad smell or anything at all strange coming from the sewers or drains in an area, is to canvass the neighborhood. Talk to anyone and everyone we can. Some people notice things while other folks don't have a clue. Course it could just be the way the wind blows at a particular time, you know what I'm saying, Doc? Anyway, after the so called accident, me and a few of my crew buddies checked out the neighborhood. You want to know what we found out, Doc?
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Dr. Balis:
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Yes, Jerry, I...
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Mr. Freeman:
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Well I'll tell you, Doc. We found about ten people who all felt an explosion before the sewer collapsed. Some of them said they thought it was a small earthquake tremor--a really minor one. But we checked, Doc. There was no recorded tremor at that time, that day. What those folks felt had to be an explosion, for sure.
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Dr. Balis:
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Are you saying you feel there was a deliberate explosion set off to cause the sewer collapse?
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Mr. Freeman:
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Hell yes, Doc! Think about it. There's poor old Jake down there, all by himself. Now Jake is...was one of us. He knew about Them. My guess is he finally caught sight of one. Really made a discovery, you know? And they killed him. Don't know how they pulled it off so fast, but I'm positive he was snuffed, just like that. He got too close, Doc.
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Dr. Balis:
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Well, Jerry, that's quite a story. Did you report your suspicions to the authorities?
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Mr. Freeman:
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Jesus Christ, Doc! Of course not. I told you before that the fat ass city officials think anyone who talks about Them is crazy. Hell, we learned a long time ago that those bastards in City Hall aren't the least bit interested in anything below the City. As long as the sewers stay unclogged and we don't have water main leaks and the mayor's yard stays green and the goddamn politicians aren't inconvenienced by missing babies in their district....
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Dr. Balis:
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It's okay, Jerry. Just sit down for a bit. You seem a bit dizzy.
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Mr. Freeman:
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Doc, Jake was my friend. I knew his wife and two kids for God's sake. We actually went to see the Giants a couple of times. Hell, I counted him as one of the few friends I really had, Doc. And the SOBs just wrote him off like he was nothing. To them, hell, he was nothing. None of us mean a damn thing to the people in this city, Doc. It's like we're invisible. As long as we keep the shit flowing, man, everyone's happy. But let something go wrong...bam! You never hear so much whining and complaining, and I tell you, Doc, the bullshit factor goes through the roof. Jake didn't deserve to die the way he did. And we're going to get the goddamn Chud's for it, I can tell you that!
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Dr. Balis:
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Okay, just try to relax a little bit. Take a breather, try to calm down. I understand how you could be upset over the death of your friend, Jerry. Would you like some more water?
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Mr. Freeman:
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Yeah, yeah. Thanks, Doc. It's just that I get so worked up when I think about it.
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Dr. Balis:
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That's understandable, Jerry. You mentioned Chuds--I think that's what you said. Is that a reference to Them?
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Mr. Freeman:
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Oh, that. Well yeah, Doc. It's a reference to Them but it's not what they are. Chud is just a name we gave Them because it's easy to say and it... hell, we didn't have anything else to call Them. There was an old movie--you might've seen it, Doc--called C.H.U.D. It stood for Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers. Well, that's not an accurate description of what we're up against, but the name was convenient, so we use it. It's just a nickname we use.
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Dr. Balis:
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I see. Could you tell me more about Them, Jerry? What they are, what they look like, that sort of thing?
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Mr. Freeman:
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That's kind of hard to answer, Doc. You see, no one's really got a decent look at one of Them yet, the underground ones anyway.
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Dr. Balis:
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So you're saying that a group of you know they are there, but haven't actually seen one of Them yet?
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Mr. Freeman:
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I knew you'd think I was crazy, Doc. I just knew it.
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Dr. Balis:
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Jerry, I'm just trying to understand exactly what you're telling me.
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Mr. Freeman:
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There's two kinds, Doc. The ones down below are sneaky, dark and smart. Man are they smart. That's a big part of the problem, you know? Wherever we string the lights in the tunnels, or wherever the electricity still works on the permanent fixtures, you won't see Them. They are always just smart enough and quick enough to stay out of sight. And the damage they do. Man, it's costing the taxpayers a fortune just to replace the lights they break. Doesn't matter that most of the lights are in wire cages, they get broken anyway. The only way you can really see'em is when you jerk your head around unexpectedly, and then, maybe then, you catch movement out of the corner of your eye. But they are there, Doc. Goddamn as sure as I'm sitting here, they're there.
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Dr. Balis:
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What do you think they want?
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Mr. Freeman:
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Well, that's the tough part, Doc. We're not sure yet exactly what they are after. But they are massing. We know that for sure. There's been more and more sightings, especially in recent months. We know they're up to something and whatever it is, it ain't going to be pleasant when they spring it on us. And we know they can kill. Poor Jake...hell of a way to go.
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Dr. Balis:
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You said there were two kinds, Jerry. What's the second kind?
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Mr. Freeman:
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I'm sorry Doc, I've got to get out of here. Been sitting too long. How about if we take that up the next time I'm here, okay? Talking about Jake upsets me and now I've got a mother of a headache. Think we can finish this up? I've got to get to work even though this was supposed to be one of my off days. Told them I had a doctor's appointment for hemorrhoids this morning, but that I'd be in later. I figured they wouldn't question anyone who's telling them he has a pain in the ass, huh Doc?
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Dr. Balis:
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Probably right, Jerry. Our time is nearly up anyway. But before we finish, I wanted to ask if you've had more incidents with your hands shaking since I last saw you.
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Mr. Freeman:
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To tell you the truth, Doc, yes. I had a couple of times when I got the shakes for a few minutes. But the shakes aren't my problem. Hell, didn't hardly bother me at all, they went away so fast. But, there was one....
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Dr. Balis:
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Yes, Jerry?
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Mr. Freeman:
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Oh sorry, Doc. Sort of wigged out on you there for a second. Uh, there was one big incident as you call it. My girlfriend--the one I told you about? Well, she and I were just getting it on after getting home from this bar--Do you know the Skeleton Key, a bar near the Waterfront?--well anyway, we were in my apartment and she was, like, well...climbing on me. Hell, Doc, you know what I mean, don't you? Anyway, I'm laying there and she's bouncing up and down and son of a bitch if my hands didn't start shaking like a bastard. Hell, Doc...she loved it. I just grabbed ahold of her tits and held on for dear life. Hands were shaking so bad she didn't have a clue I wasn't doing it on purpose. Drove her nuts, man. First time the damn shakes ever did anything good for me, you know, Doc?
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Dr. Balis:
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Well yes, Jerry. I get the picture. I still think we might want to look into some medications though. Will you think about it before our next visit?
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Mr. Freeman:
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I got to stay sharp. But I'll think about it. Sure thing, Doc. Will do.
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Dr. Balis:
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How does Monday, the 24th, at nine in the morning look for you, Jerry?
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Mr. Freeman:
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That'll be great, Doc. See you then. And, hey, Doc?
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Dr. Balis:
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Yes, Jerry?
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Mr. Freeman:
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You're okay, you know that? You're okay. See you next time.
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Dr. Balis:
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Thank you, Jerry. Goodbye.
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###
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Doctor Balis' Notes on this Session
Transcripts of Jerico Freeman's Communications
