The Last Podcast

True crime podcast host Rebecca Steele is preparing to record an episode of her show about serial killers. She sits at her desk in the studio space and takes notes on a pad of paper. As she is writing Jason enters quietly into the studio and stands behind her. Rebecca senses a presence and turns around, shocked to see Jason in the room. She collects herself and stands to shake hands with him, introducing herself. He is the audio engineer she hired to help record this episode. He grips her hand tightly and for a bit too long as he explains how excited he is to work with her. Rebecca welcomes him and is impressed by the amount of professional audio gear he has brought with him. Jason explains his commitment to capturing perfect sound and offers suggestions for improving her setup.

As they prepare to record, Jason adjusts Rebecca's microphone placement and convinces her to wear a lavaliere microphone from his own equipment for the best sound. Rebecca trusts his expertise and allows him to attach the microphone to her clothing. They begin recording an episode of her podcast. Rebecca speaks into the mic as she introduces the episode and dives into the topic about the patterns serial killers. Jason repeatedly interrupts the recording, claiming there are technical problems with the audio. Each interruption gives him another opportunity to move closer to Rebecca and adjust the lavaliere microphone.

After he interrupts a second attempt at recording the episode, Jason removes the microphone and examines the cord. He hypes himself up for the moment and listens to the silence intently. He says he has a new idea for best placement and he wraps the microphone cable around Rebecca's head and neck under the pretense of improving the recording quality. Rebecca holds her hair up for him initially but quickly questions the procedure. Jason assures her it is necessary to get the best sound and slowly pulls the microphone cord tighter and tighter. At first she is confused and asks him to stop repeatedly. As the pressure increases she realizes she is being attacked and struggles to escape. She hits towards him and he moves quickly to position himself behind her. Jason continues pulling on the cord while monitoring the sounds through his headphones. He becomes fixated on capturing every detail of her fear, breathing, and attempts to fight back. Rebecca coughs and cries out in pain from the intense pressure. She slaps at Jason and pulls at the cord wrapped tight around her neck trying desperately to break free. Jason listens closely to her struggle in his headphones and becomes lost in the moment while continuing to pull tight behind his victim.

Rebecca looks up at her attacker and sees him lost in the moment and uses the distraction to pull her full weight off the chair and get away. Jason holds on tight and follows Rebecca off the chair. He moves with her stepping across the room and she moves erratically desperate to break free as Jason keeps the microphone positioned close to her mouth and throat. Rebecca is pushed facedown onto the table with Jason holding her in place with his body pressed against her. Rebecca claws at the cord wrapped around her neck and arches back while pushing on the table. Her eyes roll back and her tongue sticks out as she shakes and writhes in place on the table while Jason maintains his grip. He leans in close and pushes the podcast microphone close to her mouth to capture all the noise. Jason listens intently through his headphones while Rebecca grows weaker from lack of air. Drool spills from Rebecca’s mouth as she struggles in place and the cord digs tightly into her neck.

Eventually Rebecca collapses to the floor while Jason follows her down without letting go. She shakes and spasms on the floor, pulling at the cord and hitting towards Jason as she tries and fails to get free. Her feet kick against the floor and one of her shoes flies off during the struggle. Her fur body spasms and shakes while she is on the floor, eyes crossed and tongue sticking out. The pressure causes drool to collect and foam in her mouth and she spits up big globs of saliva as her throat continues to be constricted by the wire. Jason continues pulling the cord until her breathing turns into faint rattles. Both her hands fall to the side and there is a sudden crack. Rebecca’s eyes go wide and the microphone records her last breath then the audio levels fall silent.

Jason remains still for a moment, listening to the silence through his headphones as he continues holding the cord for a long moment. Satisfied, he lets go of the cord and falls back exhausted. He leans in close and looks at Rebecca’s body while her eyes remain open and locked off with her drool covered mouth hanging open. He grabs a towel from the kitchen and wipes the drool away from Rebecca’s mouth, then he unwraps the cord from her neck and looks at the bruise from the attack. He wraps up the microphone and puts it away. Then stands and hoists up Rebecca’s body, placing it back into her chair. He speaks into the podcast microphone to finish the episode, announcing that Rebecca Steele has been silenced forever and describes the murder as a masterpiece of true crime. After stopping the recording, Jason begins editing the audio on Rebecca's computer. He modifies his own voice to conceal his identity and listens back to sections of the attack. Pleased with the results, he uploads the completed recording and publishes it. He looks across the room at Rebecca's body and smiles as the episode goes live.