CreepCast - I'm Blind, I'm Not Sure How Many Steps My Staircase Has | Creep Cast

Episode Date: February 2, 2025

A blind person lives alone. One day they trip down the stairs. The amount of steps keep seeming to change. How can that be? And what is this stuff on the ground? Learn more about your ad choices. Visi...t megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:02:28 sure how many steps my staircase has god that would suck i just kind of hit i mean title oh my god i'm blind i'm not sure how many steps my staircase has that's got to be a predicament for every blind person right or do you think they count them uh i think you do count them because i think you are very aware of every like spatial thing around you right um because like i've talked to blind people who are like yeah i know how to get through my house because i know exactly how many steps it takes to get to every part of my house. They know how to talk. I'm just kidding.
Starting point is 00:03:00 No, the, uh, I'm joking. No, the, uh, this is, this is an interesting. I was really caught by two things with this. The title is creepy because it alludes to like, oh, uh, there's more stares than there was last time or there's fewer stairs than there was last time. I think it's good. And then, uh, I like that the, the author's username is Emma Watson, but dumber. I enjoyed that as well.
Starting point is 00:03:26 Yeah, it's a pretty good name. I checked her out. Her name is Helena. No, let's watch out. Let's all focus. Let's all focus on, let's all focus on Hunter making fun of blind people.
Starting point is 00:03:42 I think that's the important thing here. As a matter of fact, I'll add it to the list of things he hates, the disabled. I love, what are we going to say? Go ahead. I love disabled people.
Starting point is 00:03:51 That's what I thought you were going to say. That is somehow even worse. I do. That's even worse. that is even worse okay her name is helena castellan i believe it's pronounced or castellan uh she seems like a very prolific uh no sleep writer a bunch of different stories on her subreddit uh and on her reddit she also has a buy me a coffee account it seems but otherwise i don't see any links to her being published anywhere at least from like a just a cursory glance this is actually an
Starting point is 00:04:19 interesting uh model i haven't seen a lot of people on her cofi like her buy me a coffee you can purchase like extra parts to stories and stuff like that which i think's a cool idea yeah show a lot the story free and then if you want more of it well there it is that's neat i think from what we saw here there's four parts we're going to be reading today and there's more parts on her uh coffee so if you like it support the author go participate in the coffee indulge more into all their art you know it just nothing but support them and help them create more and more cool shit so yep it looks pretty sweet but for now we'll go and get into it i got a bet this one is a hunter fine you know those are few and far between
Starting point is 00:04:56 um and i got to say i like the title i think sorry i got choked up complimenting good fucking lord uh i say i like the title i think it's an interesting topic i do think it's interesting i don't really think about like how life is different for some people like that like i remember
Starting point is 00:05:14 when i was reading house of leaves in the intro it talks about like uh the police are investigating a apartment building that someone died in um and they're like at first the police had questions as to why none of the what was it
Starting point is 00:05:31 nothing in the house had labels the light in the fridge was out stuff like that it's like oh he was blind and it's like oh yeah I guess you wouldn't need the light bulb in the refrigerator it would take a lot more for me to make that delineation I think
Starting point is 00:05:48 there were more layers than that actually hold on man you're really putting you're really selling House of Leaves is a real crime thriller here. I mean, they went in and the fridge didn't have a light bulb, so put two
Starting point is 00:06:02 and two together. He's blind. Wow. I feel like I'm listening to Jody Foster and Sons of the Lambs right now. That's impressive, man. Wow. His apartment, however, didn't come close to anything envisioned by Joel P. Okay, hold on. Hold on.
Starting point is 00:06:24 Hold on, I'm trying to let me make my case. Until... Okay, here it is. Sure, his place was eclectic, but hardly grotesque, or even that far out of the ordinary. Until, of course, you took a more careful look and realized, hey, why are all these candles unused? Why no clocks? Not on the walls.
Starting point is 00:06:43 Not even on the corner of a dresser. And what's with these strange pale books are the fact that there's hardly a bulb in the whole apartment, not even in the refrigerator? Well, that, of course, was Zampano's greatest. ironic gesture, love of love written by the brokenhearted, love of life written by the dead, all of this language of light, film, and photography, and he hadn't seen a thing since the mid-50s. He was blind as a bat. So, but I don't have a clock on my walls. Listen, the reason that's significant is because when they police investigate his house, it's covered in writings. There's
Starting point is 00:07:16 like stories written across books and books and books and there's journals everywhere and he's been riding on the wall, but then he's blind. So how was he doing that? And that's where the question comes from. Yeah, the kicker was the light bulb in the fridge. You really have to go of your way to remove the light bulb in the fridge. Well, if it goes out, you're not going to replace it. When have you ever been in your life? When have you ever heard someone be like, hey man, I just got to turn out. I have to change the light bulb in my fridge. Listen, no, I have had a garage fridge. We know every, why middle class family has the garage fridge, right? You know, I'm talking about. No comment. Okay. That fridge, you're not holding up a sign right now or
Starting point is 00:08:02 anything. No, no. Because you do that to me sometimes. I'll have a sign that's like psychopath or whatever. That fridge out there, I've had the light go out there, but everyone just leaves it because they're like, well, it's a garage fridge. Who cares? It is possible for the light bulb to go out of a fridge. Yeah, but that's a blind person's house. That happens to. So you would, would never know. So you would never know. That's true. Okay. The, hey, if you guys are listening to this, this enthralling episode of a cat and mouse,
Starting point is 00:08:33 um, listen to it on Spotify. We appreciate you. I really, and I got, and I got to tell you too, we really need a, uh, this needs to be a strong story last week. I've been seeing the people, our, our viewers are revolting against us. We need a. We need a strong one here. If you didn't enjoy that, then I don't know who you are because I was having the time of my life.
Starting point is 00:08:58 You are me. You're him. You get, if you didn't enjoy that, you were me. And you didn't know that fridge's light bulbs could go out. That's you. That's what you sound like. God, my stomach hurts today. Fuck.
Starting point is 00:09:12 It's true. Well, I'm just letting you know. I've been drinking this chocolate milk. I think it's spoiled. I think it's gone bad. Are you still drinking it? I mean, it's almost done. I feel bad if I just dump it.
Starting point is 00:09:21 out. If it's bad, throw it out. You and Kayla are the same way. She will eat rotten food because she's like, I don't want to be wasteful. It's like, it's already gone to waste. This is, this is definitely. It's, it's, it's almost, uh, it's like a Greek tragedy. I'm like, it's like Eipus Rex or something. I'm looking at this and it's resembling the last bit of chocolate milk in the bottom of the chateau local milk bottle is, uh, it looks like the diarrhea that's going to be in my toilet later. That's what it feels like. Okay. Can we guess is a story before you say something else. I don't like. like sour like a warhead yep let's do it milk should not be okay actually I'm going to step
Starting point is 00:10:01 right here to my mini fridge I'm going to grab a drink so one sec you pull on a giant a giant bottle of vodka all right I was actually sitting here listening to see if you had anything snarky to say and you did so you failed I thought I thought you could hear me I was obviously talking to you. And that time I got up actually to get the drink, so I tricked you twice. You're a sick fuck.
Starting point is 00:10:30 That's very house of leaves of you. Okay, shut up. That's an amazing book. Well, I'm just saying that, like, brilliant cat and mouse game you're playing with me. It reminded me of my favorite horror crime novella. What are you talking about cat and mouse game? Just cat and mouse. That's what
Starting point is 00:10:47 all crime throws are. You're trying to catch the perp. When they go in, they're like, how exactly... Okay, but the cat, no, no, no, no, no. What I was reading is the opening of house of leaves. That has nothing to do. The cat, no, no, no. The cat asks, if he's blind, how did he write on the wall?
Starting point is 00:11:04 And then the mouse does, you'll have to find out that mouse. Okay. All right, let's get into it. Can we get to, okay, let's get into it. I've always been blind, and that's fine by me. I'm glad I never got to see and then lose my sight. That would have been too depressing. Instead, I don't get to mourn something I've never had.
Starting point is 00:11:26 I've lived in this Upper East Side Flat for a really, really long time. As a rider, it's important for me to have my own space. I've been told my writing style is exquisite, because I cannot see. I focus on the other senses and my writing shines by stimulating them. I don't say a red apple. Red has no meaning for me. I say warm, firm, and sour. A bit sweet, fits in your hand, smells of grass at childhood.
Starting point is 00:11:53 I'm not going to lie, this flat was nice for a while, but really tiny, and I want to learn to play the piano. So naturally, since I've saved up a lot of money for my works, I bought this beautiful mansion in the suburbs. At least, that's how my friends and family called it. I don't care. I can't see anyway. I just needed to fill the warm sunlight in the kitchen and the kremen. crisp air from my balcony. I drink my coffee in the morning and listen to the birds, and I work day and night. People thought it would be a problem if my house had an upper floor, because according to them, even if I've lived my whole life blind, I cook, chop up things, take baths and clean the
Starting point is 00:12:31 house. I apparently can't climb some damn stairs. No problem for me. I counted the steps of my staircase. 14. Eventually, I got used to it, and I even started going up and down the stairs faster since I knew exactly how many steps I needed to climb. That's the thing when you're blind. Some movements become reflexes. Since you live alone, you learn how to position certain things and you always find them in the same place. One day, however, I was going down the stairs and I tripped.
Starting point is 00:13:00 Where I expected the floor to be, there was this additional step. And I didn't think much of it. Figured I must have not paid attention. I mean, yes, it was odd because after 30 years of being blind, Tripping wasn't really a common thing, but I don't look much into it. Aha, look. However, when I went up again, I tripped at the top. That was definitely unusual. Sure as it was, one extra step. I went back the stairs and counted. 15. Counted again. 14.
Starting point is 00:13:34 The fuck? Sure enough, 14 steps. Whatever, I went to sleep. A few days passed and I didn't trip anymore. I played it off. some error my tired mind made. Then one night, as I went downstairs to get a glass of water, I tripped again. This time, I really fell down on my foot. That was not a skip step. There were at least two additional steps. I felt around and stood up. My foot heard a lot, but the ankle was good. I couldn't really stand up on it, but no serious damage. I went up carefully, counting. 16 What the fuck It's funny because there's no quotes
Starting point is 00:14:14 You're just coming in to say the obscenity Yes That's really fun I like it that's good Keep it going Sure you mess up You count one more or one less But two more
Starting point is 00:14:25 The house was so still So silent No birds, no bees No cars passing Normal people fear the darkness I fear the silence I went down the stairs again counting
Starting point is 00:14:36 By the time I reached the bottom I counted 14 again. I went up again, 18. That was absolutely ridiculous. Was someone messing with me? How could they even mess with me like that? I've never heard of a burglar, burglars.
Starting point is 00:14:53 I've never heard of a burglar to break into someone's house and add steps to their stairs. Still, I went to check to see if I locked the door. I can make my way around pretty neat, through the kitchen, then into the hallway. And then I bumped into some. something. I froze. My organs tinsed up. My hair stood up all ears. I never felt so much fear in my life. Decided to go on and check the door. Yeah, locked. I made my way back upstairs. This time I
Starting point is 00:15:23 didn't bump into anything or anyone. 18. For fuck sakes. All night, all I did was go up and down like a lunatic, each time I got different results. Back upstairs, I decided to go down and make one final count. 14. Okay, it's probably going to be more. 15. Nope, still going. 17. 19. 21. That's a record. 27. 33? That could not be possible. 52. 88. I could absolutely feel this sense. of impending doom. Something was there with me. And it was vile, disgusting, and unnatural. And this staircase was never ending. 102. I finally gave up. Whatever this was, I didn't want to reach the bottom. I went back up. The moment I turned my back to go up, I tried to be brave, but something got over me and I ran on all fours, desperate to reach the top, desperate to run, run, run back to
Starting point is 00:16:29 my bedroom. I don't remember how I got inside and locked my door, but I did. And I'm sitting in here and typing. This house is strange. It's eerie and disturbing. And I think if I'd gotten to the bottom of the staircase, I would have left this world. I don't think that was my house anymore. However, no matter what stupid, cryptic, eerie, unnatural staircase I unveiled is important not only that I don't go down there, but then nothing comes up here either. And right now, I can hear it creaking. End of part one. That's awesome. That's the end of part one. That was sick. No, okay, so we don't really talk about this a lot because we're kind of like we operate under the impression of like well this is a horror story that's submitted to no sleep uh and then the author has to act like they're
Starting point is 00:17:18 really there or whatever right but this is one of the only stories we've read where it because of its length and the way it's written it actually kind of feels like the tone of someone who is in this situation yeah well i think um i just like that there's not a lot of fat around to it like i mean exactly yeah it's just so to the point the use of numbers and i think the idea to what what really elevates this is you could do this as well and have it be creepy if you could see but having it be blind is now even we the audience are left to imagine what is like what is happening to the house around them to have it you know just magically these stairs keep adding or you know decreasing in in number it's it's it's just a lot of fun and
Starting point is 00:18:04 to just this subtle element of like not really emphasizing too much in what's in there with this person. Something's in there with them. It's just creepy. I mean, it's nice to go like it's, you're stepping into this pit effectively or like if the staircase keeps going, who knows,
Starting point is 00:18:19 like it goes all the way down to hell, right? You have this like infinite staircase, but they can't see it. Like it could be one step at a time right in front of their feet or it could be this chasm that's opened up. But then being blind adds a layer to it. The way that it's worded makes it.
Starting point is 00:18:34 feel very real given our situation stuff like yeah i i really like that that was that was a great intro the um do you think that this author is blind do we have any evidence for that uh this is i would say no because the title of this story is i am blind so it's like that's the unique thing there and then a bunch of our other stuff doesn't none of the title seem to do that yeah well i mean just because you're blind doesn't mean everything has to be about being blind but just just curious just because it was so well spoken to i really like the idea too of uh people say that her writing is rich because she doesn't say the apple's red it's you know like more of the taste and feel of something just little little things that i mean we were kind of talking about you just
Starting point is 00:19:20 you you really take for granted your eyesight yeah and stuff you know i think like you you you really reject a lot of the other senses because of that so yeah i don't know it's a lot of fun That was a really quick one too, so I'm curious to see if the other parts are as, you know, are they as condensed? Does she start getting longer with her writing? Going to be curious. Yeah. Yeah, it's got me hooked. I certainly liked it.
Starting point is 00:19:44 Even if that was just a standalone vignette, like by itself, it'd be like, that's cool. Yeah, just a spooky little, you know, story is nice. Yeah. So, part two. As I typed out the first post actually dictated it, I would stop from time to time to listen. The creaking was not consistent and almost imperceptible. A normal person couldn't probably hear it, but my remaining four senses were overly sharpened. I guess what scared me most was the silence in between.
Starting point is 00:20:13 That was one thing, too, I forgot to say in the first part was really like the use of like the silence, like kind of really raising, like the absolute, the nothingness from all your other senses would make you so scared versus being like in the dark and not being able to see anything. imagine being in a place where you're descending these steps and like all you can hear is just the sound of your feet on the floor you know like no cars you have absolutely no idea what's going on it really does feel like your house just gained more steps all of a sudden yeah yeah you have no visual on it yeah yeah i'd speak to dictate i'd hear the creaking i'd stop the creaking would stop too it's almost if it's almost as if it was mocking me i didn't want to think of the thing I'd bumped into. It felt like bumping into a coat rack or something, but I didn't stop to feel around. I have a consistent urge to flee any dangerous situation I'm in
Starting point is 00:21:09 because I know I can't fight it. Even if I were fast, even if I were strong, I can't fight something I don't fully understand. They could be standing right in front of me, and if they were still enough, I wouldn't know. As I finished writing, I reached for my phone. I figured I'd call my sister. I was starting to fill the warmth of the morning light on my shoulders through the windows and here's some birds. Judging on how stiff I felt, I must have been up all night. The creaking had stopped and it made its way up to my door. Was it standing on the other side? Hey Siri, call Daphne. My voice sounded so hoarse. Usually I talk to myself a lot. I sing whatever. I play music. This time I've been so quiet, so afraid to make a sound, so afraid to breathe.
Starting point is 00:21:56 The phone was ringing. Hi there. You good? It's kind of early. What time is it? Like 6 a.m.? Damn. I'm sorry. Everything okay? I stopped. Slowly, I grab up to the door and place my ear on the oak wood to listen. I can feel someone's presence outside, waiting. Oof, that's creepy.
Starting point is 00:22:18 I think someone broke into my house, and they're being very discreet. about it. I've started noticing things. Unusual stuff. I trip when I shouldn't, and last night I bumped into something. Like a coat rag. What? Are you sure? Yes.
Starting point is 00:22:37 And the staircase kept creaking. Right now, I've locked myself into the bedroom, but I think it's waiting on the other side of the door. Fuck. That's so creepy. I have to be the office at 9, but I'll phone it if I'm late. I'll come check it out. Thanks. Do you have a key? Silence.
Starting point is 00:22:54 Def, do you have a key? No. Why? Didn't I give you one? You did, but I didn't take it. I felt weird having a key to your house. For fuck's sakes. Whatever, just come.
Starting point is 00:23:13 I'll fucking go downstairs again and let you in. Okay. Stay safe. Yeah, whatever. After that, so here, that silence, Do you think that something inter, like, it feels like something was interjecting into that conversation, right? A complete tonal shift. Am I wrong? No, I think you're right where it's like, do you, you, everything was fine up until do you have a key?
Starting point is 00:23:36 What's I'm saying? Also, Daphne's response, you would think would be more intense where she's like, I think someone's in my house, right? You think it'd be like, oh my gosh, I'm calling the police. I'm getting whatever, but she's just kind of like, that's creepy. Well, I have to be at the office at 9. She's kind of almost dismissive of it a bit. So then that, do you have a key?
Starting point is 00:23:56 Silence. Do you have a key? No. And then you did, but I didn't take it. I felt weird having a key to her house. I think the whole idea of like being, you're waking up at 60 and they're like, it's kind of early at 6. She's kind of groggy.
Starting point is 00:24:08 And then she's like, I think someone's in my house. I feel like you'd be like, what? What the fuck? That's weird. Like, I think she was giving off normal vibes. And then even when she's like, well, I'll just call in and say, I'm going to be late and I'll swing by. Like, It's very receptive, and then all of a sudden, do you have a key?
Starting point is 00:24:23 No, it's like very short answer before it was very ever flowing. So I don't know. There might be something there. That's interesting. I think you're right, though, that there's definitely a tonal shift on purpose there. No matter what, the one thing's for certain is that that chock of milk is work. I mean, like I am having to hold everything in right now. Go ahead.
Starting point is 00:24:41 You can run to the bathroom. No, I want to see. I'm kind of hooked right now. On scene, if you can hold it in or the story? The story. maybe both what would happen if you just violently if I had a violent diary in my pants I would show the audience I would show you the back of my legs and everything okay
Starting point is 00:25:00 but I want to I want to know what happens okay if that if that milk gets too bad you need to let me know you know I'll switch to mobile and I'll record that way okay all right um I hung I'm imagining now that like the camera is cutting back and forth
Starting point is 00:25:23 between my normal setup and you like in a dark bathroom with the phone right under your chin and light you can just hear very loud toilet noises
Starting point is 00:25:31 I don't want to come to that please read I hung up and sat on the floor back against the door waiting listening nothing was going on
Starting point is 00:25:43 did I scare it off she texted me she had 10 more minutes until she got to my place Okay, finally. I stood up and unlocked the door. I stood there in silence for a while. My options were very limited. Normal people could literally look around and make out if they were alone or not. I couldn't. All I could do was listen. If whatever was there was being really still, really silent, my worst option was to feel around. That terrified me. I've talked to
Starting point is 00:26:17 Others, something similar for them, was sticking their hand out in complete darkness. Thought of touching that thing made my skin crawl. The direct contact was so unbearable, so much more dangerous, but I had no choice. Because everything was silent, so I stuck my hands out. My heart raced with every step. I wanted to keep going, but at the same time, I wanted so badly to stop and turn around. made my way to the stairs 14 steps
Starting point is 00:26:49 back to normal I was barefoot in the hardwood force felt so cold so unusual against my skin I thought that bothered me until I stepped into something sticky you you fuck fuck fuck what the fuck
Starting point is 00:27:04 I gagged and wipe my foot on the carpet I was gonna ask Daphne what that was made it to the door without any other occurrences I unlocked it and was greeted by the familiar voice of my sister Hi, oh God, I'm so sorry you have to go through this I'm ready to call 911 dialed up and everything
Starting point is 00:27:24 I'll take a look I wanted Ryan to come too But you know how it is with him and work I felt her warm hands around mine and her sweet perfume Thank you it's such a comfort that you're here Yeah, no problem Please take a look tell me if you notice anything unusual Linda stepped into something sticky in the living room Please tell me what it is.
Starting point is 00:27:44 Okay, I will. Let's see. I order pace the room carefully, without saying a word. Silence. So, what is it? Anything weird? Um... Silence.
Starting point is 00:27:55 I wasn't she speaking. It's nothing alarming. It's just odd. What did I step on? First of all, that is jam. Jam? Yeah, jam. Are you sure?
Starting point is 00:28:05 Yep. There's a jar on your counter. Open. Maybe you forgot about it? No, I did not... I did not fucking eat jam. Hmm. but that's nothing but things are a bit out of order how usually pretty neat right now it's a bit of a mess
Starting point is 00:28:21 weird got a pan on the floor and this painting propped up on your dinner table taken from the wall a pile of clothes spread around almost in a pattern what the fuck go upstairs and check too bro if someone has just been living in her house someone not only has someone been living in your house but they're like basically doing some kind of like fucking ritual or something and they're trash in the place. Yeah. Yeah. They're just like, they're just throwing clothes and they're eating. You know how I'm terrified that? I've never considered that. If you were blind in a really big house, there is, if someone was really quiet, really sneaky, they could just live in the house with you. Yeah, 100%.
Starting point is 00:28:59 Oh my gosh. No, sir. No, sir. Oh, that would be. Oh, man. I could tell she didn't want to. based on her hesitation. Eventually, I heard her climb the stairs and walk around a bit. So, anything? Please speak. There's nothing weird upstairs and no one anywhere. It's pretty neat. That bothered me for some reason.
Starting point is 00:29:29 How neat? Well, the usual bed made things in order. My bed is made? Yeah. Oh. I didn't make it. Oh, God. I don't like that.
Starting point is 00:29:42 I don't like that at all. I didn't make it. Oh, no. I was literally sleeping in it. Then I woke up to get a glass of water. Then the weird should happen. I locked myself in the bedroom. Didn't stop to make my fucking bed.
Starting point is 00:29:56 I mean, it's not perfectly made. Like a child tried to. Oh, God. What a haunting detail. Like, God. He said no one was there. That brings me out a little bit. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:30:09 You said no one was there. No one. Call the police. I heard her getting downstairs. Look, I can't. Why not? Someone's definitely fucking around in my house. And tell them what?
Starting point is 00:30:22 Someone made your bed? Place your pan on the floor? No signs of force entry? You didn't get hurt. I bumped into something. In the middle of the night, in the dark? How unusual? Okay, well, someone was definitely there.
Starting point is 00:30:36 Look, there's not much I can do. I've checked everything. You're pretty safe. you have no attic no basement no back door windows locked doors locked you're good i'll help you clean up and i'll get going if there's anything weird call me okay i had to ask her even though she was going to think i'm crazy how many stuff does my staircase have what count them for me um 14 as usual okay okay uh for one i want to call out her daphne's comment where she says, our author says, I bumped into something and Daphne says, in the middle
Starting point is 00:31:16 of the night, in the dark, how unusual? That was a jerk thing to say. That was very rude to be like, oh, it was dark out. How could you see? Yeah, it seems a bit odd because it's like, well, that doesn't really matter. But I'm still under the impression. I don't know. The sister character, it just seems like it's not, well, I'm making leaps and bounds, but I'm like, it just seems odd. I don't, I don't know. I feel like there's something up with her. I also feel like, yes, I understand. Like, if my sister called me right now and I came over, she was like, I think someone's been here with me. Granted, my sister's not blind, of course. But I'd probably be like, have you considered the possibility that you're stupid? Yeah. Have you considered not being dumb? Have you ever thought of that? Um, like, I don't know
Starting point is 00:32:01 if I'd immediately be like, you're right. I'm calling the police and telling them that there's a man living in your house. Yeah. It's not broken into, you know. Um, so I kind of get it. But, I also feel like the painting off the wall and like the living room situation was a bit odd. The thing about it's like a child made it. Yeah, that comment is fucked. This is great so far, by the way. Just the premise of like a blind person having someone live in their house is terrifying. I definitely felt I had flipped a switch with that question because after that question, the way she talked to me changed.
Starting point is 00:32:35 She was overly patient, overly calm, kept telling me to put on some music, distraving. take a bath, listen to one of my audio books, and don't panic. I felt an ounce of heartbreak, to think my sister didn't believe me, but I moved on. After that, a few days passed, when I kept staying alert, but nothing happened. No weird stuff, everything had gone back to normal. Christmas came and I hosted, had friends and family over, and forgot about how lonely and desolate I'd felt in that house. Maybe I just had an episode of
Starting point is 00:33:07 wandering. Maybe my mind had just been somewhere else. When you live with a disability, sometimes it's hard to stay on track. And to be fair, she was just going back and forth. Like you could, you could make an argument for herself of being like,
Starting point is 00:33:22 I mean, I was counting my steps and it was crazy. Who knows? Maybe I just like had a weird, you know what I mean? Like just. Yeah, well, granted,
Starting point is 00:33:31 I'm not in her position. but I feel like a hundred steps I would be like, okay. Well, that's what I mean, though, is maybe she's like, maybe I did have like a fucking weird mental. Maybe it was like a step moment. I don't know, yeah.
Starting point is 00:33:44 So what if my mental health had taken a hit? I was aware of it and decided to see a therapist. Months passed and nothing happened. I was happy. My new book had been published and I hadn't felt scared or watched in ages. Thanks for good. One night,
Starting point is 00:34:00 I was on the couch, drinking some wine. and watching The Bachelor. Well, not exactly watching, but listening. You know what I mean. It's still entertaining. The AC was on and blasting waves of warmth around the house, and I was starting to feel sleepy.
Starting point is 00:34:15 I reached out my leg out of the blanket and touched the floor. The cold floor. Reach my hand out and felt the couch. Cold, too. This coldness was everywhere. How could it be? I had the AC on for the whole evening. Why was it so cold?
Starting point is 00:34:32 I reached for the remote and turned up the AC. It wasn't working. Stupid fucking air conditioner. I'm going to turn it off and on. Wrong problems require modern solutions. I told you. I talked to myself a lot. So I pressed the big button.
Starting point is 00:34:47 The AC beeped. Hmm. The beep was wrong. It should have been lower. It's higher when it turns on. Was it off this whole time? Couldn't be. I'd literally felt its warm breeze on the back of my neck.
Starting point is 00:35:01 Oh. Oh, it's like a gut punch. Hunter, I'm scared. What you? I'm scared. I'm afraid. Wait, when did she say she felt it while she was on the couch? Yeah, it was just behind her breathing right behind her.
Starting point is 00:35:31 So I was like, ah, my word. And like, it's just, like she's just watching TV and it's just there with her. Yeah. The whole time.
Starting point is 00:35:40 And it could be anything. It could be a giant fucking baby. Monster. Don't like that. I wonder if like, we have to have some blind viewers, right? Well, listeners,
Starting point is 00:35:49 I guess. Oh, we have to have some blind audience members, right? Is this like, is this like, I guess it would be a recurring fear or a common fear
Starting point is 00:35:58 about someone being in a room with you, about right yeah i mean there's that great movie called hush i think it's about a blind woman in the house and i mean i don't know i would i would assume just somebody watching no hush is a deaf woman oh deaf woman oh okay yeah that that that movie rules too but yeah no i think it's just the idea of someone being in your house you just don't know because you're just you're missing one of your senses and it just leaves you a little more vulnerable yeah i wonder if that's like a common thing because now that I'm thinking about it
Starting point is 00:36:31 that would be I mean obviously as someone who like isn't used to it and just like afraid from a distance I feel like that would be like nightmare fuel story I feel like stories like this would be like terrifying yeah you know even just home invasion stories
Starting point is 00:36:47 like I know people who are super susceptible to just like home invasion stories and stuff very real weird thing but yeah I stood there in silence trying to process it was as if I was just stalling, delaying the moment of realization because I didn't want to. I didn't want to admit someone or something have been breathing on my neck. It's probably still there, but the breeze
Starting point is 00:37:15 had stopped. I turned the TV off. I needed absolute silence to focus. I said there for what felt like hours, listening. The floors didn't creak. I could almost make out the carpet being pressed. Steps. Normal people wouldn't have noticed, but I did. Steps were irregular. The pattern was weird. The pacing uncoordinated.
Starting point is 00:37:44 I heard when it left the carpet. Then the thump indicated it was right next to me. The couch shifted. I was over it. People hallucinate. I stuck my hand on the side, ready to feel whatever was there. I didn't get the chance. Suddenly, the couch shifted back up, and I heard a whoosh.
Starting point is 00:38:07 The thing had seen me try to reach, and it moved. It didn't want me to touch it. Then I heard a click. My TV turned back on. Whatever it was, it was telling me to ignore it. Why? I was not going to sit around and watch TV with that thing next to me. I was going upstairs.
Starting point is 00:38:24 After I counted the 14 steps, for some reason, I knew the 15th would be there, went back down 17 went back up 19 back down i was 20 extra steps in and counting when i realized it was not going to in stairs were tweaking again turned around went back up into the bedroom door locked the tv's still running downstairs after while i heard it turn off others would have been terrified i was relieved that meant the thing was downstairs and not here with me wonderful this is wonderful. I'm having such a good time with this one. What a banger, dude.
Starting point is 00:39:01 That whole segment about like from from the breath on the neck to like you could hear it on the carpet, setting down on the couch to like. It's also just no fat. Just it's very just like to the point to the point. Yeah, just bam, here's your story. Yeah. Gosh, what this is sick. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:39:23 You know what you were right. We needed something after last week. think this is our medicine. I think this is doing a great job right now. Part three. I'm down. Part three. Let's go. How's the milk doing? Uh, you know what? It's one of those things where I feel like it's kind of bubbled back up in my gutty works. So I think I'm okay. Okay. I'm proud of you. All right. Part three. I've decided to install some cameras around to be safe. Then you think peculiar happened. I wanted to have a friend check them out or at least tell me I was being crazy. I set them up the next day after the incident I posted earlier. After that, I kept
Starting point is 00:39:58 minding my own business. I was terrified and I know what you guys would say. Why would you still stay there? Why were you, why were you so calm? Well, there was this odd feeling I had. Something was definitely off, but somehow I was able to go through that be okay. Almost as if you're walking on a tightrope and you know that it's dangerous, but you don't want to hesitate or stop or even slow down because you somehow feel that the less you think about it and go on safer you are from falling although in my case i didn't exactly know what my fate would be i think also it's just it's hard to just be like oh get up and move leave but then also too i think that earlier in the story does a good job i even i think that she may be rationalizing that
Starting point is 00:40:47 it's like i think that she believes she is in and there was something now But we have seen it back and forth with, like, questioning some of her actions or decisions or, like, even her own, like, you know, can she trust herself as a narrator kind of thing? The story has done, in my opinion, three things right now to not make me think of that option until she brought it up. Because I feel like any other story you or I read, we would be like, why are you just get the fuck out of house. Just drive away, get out, right? But it's done three things. For one, our character's blind, which limits options, right? assuming this is out in the countryside like she said it's implausible for her to just start
Starting point is 00:41:24 walking down the road right um she can't drive and then the other thing is it's already pre-established in the story that maybe part of this is her mind playing tricks on her and her blindness causes her to have these moments of not really delirium but she gets too caught up on one thing and doesn't realize what's happening around her you know her senses are impaired um so like that's two good reasons to not immediately leave because maybe she's ever reacting and even if she wasn't, how could she? And three, the writing has been doing so well
Starting point is 00:41:55 and I've been so hooked in. I didn't even consider that an option for the story brought it up. Which goes to show that a lot of your plot holes and like issues with stories, if you just write everything around it really well, most people won't care about.
Starting point is 00:42:08 It's true. It was Thursday. I had just come home for my job. I also teach creative writing at a university. It's important that I write down my routine that day. So, wait, how do you, I guess she... She set out in the countryside,
Starting point is 00:42:22 but I imagine there must be like public transport or something like that. I just imagine that she just got a lift or something for me, like someone else at her job. I locked the door, got inside, locked it back, took my coat off and hung it up, took my shoes off, put my keys on a table, went upstairs.
Starting point is 00:42:39 Changed, wash my hands, came back down to cook dinner. Chop, stirred, turn the oven on, set the table, worked my way around the stove, sat down and ate my dinner, washed the dishes, so on. Then went upstairs, bathroom, sent some text. Went back downstairs and turned on the TV. After a while, I began dozing off.
Starting point is 00:42:59 I cannot keep up with whatever fight was going on on the show, and my mind began lazily sweeping away, until a dream made its way in. Mixed with reality, I fell asleep. I awoke and was greeted by silence. No eerie sounds, no movement. Silence. Weird. Had I left the TV on?
Starting point is 00:43:21 Oh, okay. I reached my hand out for the remote, which wasn't in the usual spot. The whole room was silent, so the thing was either very still or it had left. I needed to call my friend and ask them to come over so that I could have them check the cameras. The house remained silent for a while until I heard his car in the driveway. Good. I let him in and he asked me if he noticed anything unusual around. Not really. I opened up my laptop and had him access to footage.
Starting point is 00:43:52 Okay, let's see. So we're looking into today, right? Yeah. I'll just down to the last 12 hours. That should be enough. Or the last 6? Just do 12. Fine.
Starting point is 00:44:03 I heard the keyboard clacking for a bit and then we waited until he said... There it is. Hmm. Fast forward. Nothing unusual. House empty. Here you are. Coming home from work.
Starting point is 00:44:16 You're taking your coat off, shoes. keys, one upstairs, nothing there. Fast forward. Here you are again. Back down, open the fridge. He fell silent for a while. At first, I figured he wasn't seeing anything, so he got tired of narrating what I was doing. I even thought the thing might not even show on camera. I didn't need another person to think I was crazy, but then the silence had gone on for too long. So, what do you see? Are you fucking with me or what? Look, I'm really not in the mood,
Starting point is 00:44:54 so please tell me if you're fucking with me. What did you see? Let's just go to my car. I'll take your laptop with us in fun and I'll download some more footage, and you'll be spending the night with me. Why? I'll tell you, I will. Let's just go.
Starting point is 00:45:10 Bro. Oh, fuck. God damn. E's a girl into it. Good Lord. Dude. God damn. That's terrifying, man.
Starting point is 00:45:31 His voice was shaking a bit, and I knew he was trying to be calm, but his movements were too rushed, too unhinged. He was freaking out. Put my coat on, took my wallet and keys, and we left. We got inside the car, he immediately turned the engine on, hit the gas without saying a word. What did you see? Just tell me. You're freaking me out.
Starting point is 00:45:49 I'm really sorry for you and what you've had to go through. That is some paranormal activity. Shit. What did you see? Okay. So you opened the fridge, took out some stuff, then started preparing dinner. I saw some movement upstairs. So, like, in the corner of the screen.
Starting point is 00:46:08 Then, uh, this, fuck, I don't know. I don't know how to explain it. It was a, it was a thing. It was like, it was so fucking creepy. It looked like a, looked like you, but, But not really, because it was longer arms and legs and had a very bony face wearing some clothes. I assume yours, so was human? No, I don't think so.
Starting point is 00:46:28 It's, it's arms bent so weirdly, and it was taller than you, and it walked. Fuck, what the fuck? It walked so strange and acted so strange. And it had this hair thin and falling off, and the face. The face? Yeah, eyes were really big, but that was, without a doubt, the scary. shit I've ever seen and fixated on you the whole time.
Starting point is 00:46:52 What? What was it doing? This is going to sound crazy, but I think it was mimicking you. It literally watched you non-stop and the shit that freaks me out the most is that it was in front of you the whole time. While you cut the vegetables while you ate
Starting point is 00:47:10 while you were watching TV, studying you. Poorly mimicking what you were doing. Then you fell asleep. he watched it all time took its bony finger and at some point pressed the press the off button on the remote
Starting point is 00:47:27 it's basically literally sat like two inches from yours for a while just stared till you woke up and walked I don't know if I can call it walked upstairs but oh man
Starting point is 00:47:41 wow wow fuck fuck my god it's just riding front like a giant spider thing just a giant you spider also just so weird too like wearing your clothes it just like wants to be you it's staring at you it wears your clothes it makes your bed for you it turns the TV off for you it breathes on the back of your neck oh after you finished talking he said in silence for a while I didn't know what to say he parked his car
Starting point is 00:48:14 and we went up to his apartment, sat down to download the rest of the footage. For fuck's sakes. Well, I swear to God. It's been watching you non-stop. Like, I've downloaded the footage since the cameras were set up. So there's two months ago and it's here. All the time. Sometimes it climbs up to the corner of your wall or on the ceiling and watches.
Starting point is 00:48:37 Other times it shadows you. Huh. I felt sick. all this time when I thought it was alone. And this isn't even the weirdest thing. Two months ago, it didn't have hair. Oh, it's her hair.
Starting point is 00:48:56 Oh my gosh. Two months ago, it didn't have hair. I think the hairs is not its own. What? I think it got it from somewhere. Like, I think it's been picking out your hair when you're sleeping. It's trying to become
Starting point is 00:49:12 human to become you. God. Fuck! I'm back to paranoid, Isaiah. I've got the door open. I'm like, I'm angling it to the right monitor. There's going to be some gangly giraffe bastard in your bathroom
Starting point is 00:49:30 picking out of the hair from your fucking drained. Oh my gosh, dude. Oh, gives me chills, man. Della, just the idea of it being like right behind you all the time. It being up in the corners, like looking down at you. Ugh. Even the moments when you're not there, it takes your things, tries them out. It looks fucking terrifying. It is literally learning, studying you. I knew for some reason, and I didn't
Starting point is 00:50:01 even need proof. I just knew it had to come from the stairs, climbed up from whatever portal I'd been there, and I knew it was trying to lure me down there so it could take my place, so it could become me. I explained everything to my friend There was nothing I could do Except get out I didn't know how to close the portal And I needed my friend's help if I wanted to try
Starting point is 00:50:24 I was trying to evaluate my risk My options When my friend said something that made my blood run cold Look If you don't groove through that portal stuff They'll probably just kill you and take your place I think the next time you return home You will have figured that out
Starting point is 00:50:39 Yeah so the only logical solution Is to never go home And fireball in the house Yeah, so basically he's just saying, if you go back, you're going to die 100%. If you go back, this thing is certainly going to kill you. Yeah. There's no question. All right.
Starting point is 00:50:55 Are you ready for the final part? Oh, boy, I'm ready. How are we doing, Milk Boy? You ready? Can you do it? I am so stoked. I can't wait to have a diary after this. It's going to be awesome, isn't it?
Starting point is 00:51:05 And then while you're doing it, you can think about a hunter, a spider hunter right behind you on the wall. A gangly spider hunter who's learning how to have a diary. Yeah, he's like taking all of his sour milk and drinking it profusely And he's just like, oh Up in the corner Oh, yeah Oh, yeah
Starting point is 00:51:22 Oh, no, my first time, bud. Yeah, Hunter just makes friends with it. Yeah, I'm like, you're right, but he wants some more sour milk This big nasty cicada person Yeah, I don't want to give you more So I'm like Fucking pussy Drink
Starting point is 00:51:44 All right. Last public part, I'm stoked. If you guys haven't noticed yet, you should 100% sign up for this coffee and read more of this story. Yeah, this is great. I think Emma Watson,
Starting point is 00:51:59 but Dumber has proven herself quite well. If I do say so myself. Very stoked. Last part, I'm ready. Let's go. My sister knew now that I wasn't crazy anymore. Everyone had seen the footage. It's become some sort of news around my family,
Starting point is 00:52:13 friends, they were all dying to watch it, some morbid curiosity making them want to see what traumatized me for the past months. I was grateful they saw it too. But the same time I had to move out and sell the house. And that was a bummer. It sells a strong word. Has no one contacted the news yet? Yeah, I mean, is there a thing here? I guess just like a, well, I mean, we don't have to derelict the story too much. But like, would you just, I mean, could you even show this to the authorities or would it be just something where they're just like, you should just burn the house down or like you know what i mean i don't know if that'd be legal advice but i think uh that that's what i would come to that's decision i feel like there's no regard you could show
Starting point is 00:52:53 the police this and they would believe it and just be like okay that's all right thank you for that yeah i was struggling financially and i knew i couldn't just buy another house i'd sell this one first and that obviously meant i had to go back there and get my things i was not planning to go alone though or not it's i mean maybe it's it's things now i think i can just like get a new TV. I think that's fine. I'm only going back if I have like a SWAT team. You know, if I, if I, if I, if I can walk in with even though man around me, you know, well, here's the thing, right? She assumes that it is a thing that lives in this house because of the staircase and because it showed up when she got there. Right. But like, that could it this thing be anywhere? Why does it have to be part of the house, right? I am still like,
Starting point is 00:53:41 you're assuming that there's one you know how do we know that i didn't even think about that that's a good point you know i don't know way more it could be like a nest of them that's what i'm saying it's like some weird fucking bug family i don't know oh oh that'd be sick would you what would it take for you to go back into the house um i think that like to like i think it would be to go back and help somebody like if it's if it's like oh my wife stuck in there or something Yeah, you know, like that. Although I, I really don't know of earthly possessions where you would be like, I have to have this. Yeah, I can't think of anything I own that would make me go back.
Starting point is 00:54:20 What about a pet? Would you go back for a pet? Yeah. Yeah, I'd go back for my dog. I don't know. How many guys would you bring with you? God. I'd be, you know, it would be something where like, I'd be like, hey, Isaiah, you want
Starting point is 00:54:34 to help me move something? And I'd, like, I'd be going and I'd shut the door. I'd hear the rustling. and then I'd make a dead sprint from my beagle and I would leave my bass and I'm like pressed up against the window like oh my god oh no you can see it like pulling the hair out of my head like yeah exactly and like well it's giant lips kissing the window okay all right you had to you would be the one that as I'm being torn apart would be like ha ha he has big lips is why that's funny it would look like its face would be your
Starting point is 00:55:10 drawing of me. That's perfect. That would be its head. That's perfect. Well, it's a, it's a beautiful representation. So you should be happy. Okay. That you said, when I said I die, you said that's what I get for what? What were you about to say? Oh, I can't
Starting point is 00:55:26 remember. Okay. I'm sure it was something my, my, uh, my asshole is, is like Alcatraz right now. And a few, a few little prisoners are about to escape if you catch my dress. I wonder, I wonder how much longer if I keep rambling until I desperately want you just to read so bad.
Starting point is 00:55:43 What if I didn't, though? What if I said here for a while to try to convince my friend to come with me? He was really scared, but I had to get all my stuff. It'll be even longer. It was me reading, no shit. All right, all right. It took a while to try to convince my friend to come with me. He was really scared, but I had to get my stuff out.
Starting point is 00:56:01 And that man spent in a few more nights there. Why? Why would you do that? Anyway. So last month, me and my friend went back to the house. just one friend, by the way, unarmed, I imagine. As soon as we entered, he let out a sigh. I asked what was wrong, and he just replied with,
Starting point is 00:56:17 he's been making some changes around here. What changes? Well, it took food out of your fridge, your clothes are torn, I think it's even slept in your bed. It's not going to like you being back. That's funny. I'm going to assure that thing that I'm not saying. Yeah, there's some weird language here and stuff like that.
Starting point is 00:56:39 the, maybe English is the second language. I don't know. I'm going to assure that thing that I'm not staying. Like, I'm going to make sure it knows that I'm not sticking around. This is its house now. Okay. I'm going to assure that thing that I'm not staying. I'll leave you, I'll leave, oh my, fuck! I'll leave soon enough.
Starting point is 00:56:55 And I'll be free to, and it'll be free to torment whoever comes your next. I fucking hate my life. Right? I hope you guys are reading the screen because I'm like a nonsensical fucking schizophrenic right now reading the shit. God. I hate, I hate myself. I hate my fucking ape brain. How's that, how's that milk doing, buddy? It's not good. Not good.
Starting point is 00:57:21 So we started packing and cleaning. It's a bit harder for me. And we called for backup. My other friend, Jessica, she refused to come without her boyfriend. Now, the four of us versus that thing meant it would be too scared to do anything. Yeah, you, you hope. Yeah, what's the fuck? Where are you getting that? What math? Where are you getting that math? I didn't know much about it, but from its behavior, I learned it mainly focused on me. And when it's transformation, it would be complete. It would try to take over my life and send me to the other place, down the stairs. We worked on it for a few days, and what we'd left was just some furniture to be moved.
Starting point is 00:57:58 I was extremely grateful for my friend support who, like my sister, believe me from the beginning. We'd had so little to do left, just some furniture, as I said. So little, I hadn't expected it to end like this. It was me, my friend, the one who saw the footage first, we'll call him Adam, my sister Lisa. They were downstairs, wrapping up the TV, and I was upstairs lifting up the mattress. I could hear their voices downstairs. Yeah, like that. Wait, no. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. You're literally, you're not holding it so heavy. Okay, now help me up with the wrapper. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:58:36 You drunk it on my phone. Foot. Please just be careful. Bring me the scissors. I'm thinking I'll just cut this tape up like this. I'd mostly ask them to speak more just so I wouldn't listen to the silence. Silence for me met danger. After a while, they stopped talking. I could only hear the sound of footsteps and things being dragged around. Oh, fuck.
Starting point is 00:59:01 Lisa. Lisa? Adam? No answer. Guys? My heart dropped. I made my way downstairs. I subconsciously counted the steps. 16. Whatever.
Starting point is 00:59:17 Lisa. Adam. No answer. Feeling around, the house was empty. No one was in the living room. No one was in the kitchen. Just boxes and clothes. I sat on the couch, listening.
Starting point is 00:59:33 Hoping to hear some footsteps. But I was only greeted by silence. So heavy, almost a being of its own. I had the urge to leave. Made my way to the front door, but just as I was about to turn the door knob, something. This feeling stopped me. I turned around and pressed my back on the door, feeling the phone in my pocket. Hey, Siri.
Starting point is 00:59:58 Call Lisa. She picked up. Yeah. Will. Is that you? Yes, where are you? Where are you? Where are you, Lisa?
Starting point is 01:00:07 Where's Adam? Why would you leave like this? You know you shouldn't leave me here alone. What do you mean? Where are you? In the living room? Well, where are you? In the goddamn living room.
Starting point is 01:00:21 There's no one here. I don't understand. You came on the stairs as you're now sitting on the couch looking at me. How is this? Who's calling me from your phone? It's me. Lisa, it's me. I'm telling you. I'm in the living room. And who is sitting on the couch if it's not you?
Starting point is 01:00:43 The moment of realization hit both of us gradually. I knew who was on the couch or what was on the couch. And I knew that wherever I was, that wasn't my house anymore. I'd finally managed to go down to the other place. And the thing had come back up. But this time, with a more efficient disguise. Listen to me, Lisa. that is not me
Starting point is 01:01:06 I need you to leave the house take Adam with you please just get out suddenly she said something that shocked me how do I know how do you know what it's not you
Starting point is 01:01:19 on the couch it's the thing just sort of staring at you yeah well move around a bit it knows I'm blind so we'll pretend if it's blind too if you do something unexpected
Starting point is 01:01:31 and it follows you with its eyes you'll know okay I didn't hear much next. Just movement. Then I could hear her say, Oh my gosh, true. What do I do now?
Starting point is 01:01:41 Well, I'm scared. I don't think it'll hurt you. Just don't let it know. You know it's not me. Wouldn't they, wouldn't it know already if on the phone call? It is right. Okay. I'll just go back upstairs,
Starting point is 01:01:53 and I hope I can somehow make it out. Anything you understand what we're saying? I don't know. Because if it does, then it also knows it no. Then it also knows it no. Jesus gross. No, then it also knows it. No. I felt helpless. For the first time of my life, I wished I could see so
Starting point is 01:02:10 badly. I just wanted to get out of whatever this place was, back to my real house, but I could not find the staircase. I was stuck. What if I wasn't going to make it out of this place? Please stay on the phone with me. Okay. Adam, come here. No. What? He talked to the thing. He thought it was you. And what's going on? Adam here. Take the phone. I heard Adam's voice. Yeah? Adam, listen.
Starting point is 01:02:38 This is me. This is Will. I'm stuck in this place. That if there is not me. Please don't talk to it. Don't let it know. You know it's a copy. What?
Starting point is 01:02:49 Will. Is that you? Are you serious? Shut up, shut up. Oh, buddy. Don't touch me. Stay there. Freak.
Starting point is 01:02:57 I need to call the police. Don't call the police. If it knows you don't believe it's an illusion, I don't know what it will do. Lisa, take this. I've called the police. I'm tired of the shit. I heard some muffled voices and then Lisa again.
Starting point is 01:03:10 Maybe it's good they's calling the police, right? Maybe the thing doesn't understand. We know it's not real. She stopped. I don't act scared of it, Lisa. Act normal. I'm trying, but it just stood up now. Please!
Starting point is 01:03:22 I don't know what I can do. It's walking towards me. I'm just scared. Ew, what the fuck? What? I listened as her voice changed from confusion to disgust, to fear, to terror. What? Lisa? Adam! Couldn't make out what she was saying.
Starting point is 01:03:39 At some point I thought I heard Adam. I was still desperate to feel around for that staircase. I heard a thud, meaning she dropped the phone, and some screams, then muffled crying, and some sounds I could not make out. At this point, my whole body was tensed up, and my heart was beating so hard I was about to faint. The more noises I heard, the more I was convinced something sinister had happened,
Starting point is 01:04:00 and as much as I tried to deny it, I knew. I had no chance but to listen to this scene through the phone, unable to help, and even if I'd been able to get out of this place, I couldn't see anything either. At some point, after I'd screamed my lungs out, my face drenched in sweat and tears, the noise stopped and the silence remained. The silence.
Starting point is 01:04:23 I hate silence. I kept wailing, hoping someone would respond. It could have been hours until I got a response, but not the one I hoped I would get. I heard some harsh movement, and then this hoarse, rotten voice. That wasn't even a voice, but something like an animal
Starting point is 01:04:40 trying to mimic a human. I think I'll just sleep in. For some, it would have been comical, but I knew that was just one of the phrases I used to say. It had just mimicking me again. I listened, petrified. Meanwhile, my foot hit something. Stairs.
Starting point is 01:05:11 Was it letting me go? I climbed up the stairs and found myself in the hallway. I could feel the familiar carpet under my feet. I went downstairs and sensed the smell that I couldn't identify. The floor was slippery. Lisa, Adam? I heard something run up the stairs, just like that I knew the thing had left for now. but my mind wasn't on the creature
Starting point is 01:05:34 but on Adam and Lisa guys walking around in the slippery floor my foot hit something it felt like hair nothing in the world
Starting point is 01:05:45 could describe how I felt in that moment there's nothing I can type down here which will help you visualize because not everything feels like something else there's no analogy I can make when you discover a crime scene
Starting point is 01:05:57 you usually see it first I had it I've just been walking around the body's close for a good few minutes. You know how it feels to not know if something is blood until you slip on it? To have to see if someone is alive by desperately feeling around her to find their hand, neck, pulse, just crawl around in their blood, running your hands through the mess, trying desperately to see any signs of life, calling out their name. I heard the door open. I realized the police had come. Adam had probably
Starting point is 01:06:26 called them and they had finally managed to make an appearance. They found me, obviously. covered in their blood next to them. I didn't even know what the creature had actually done to them. No matter how hard I tried, they would not listen to me. They thought I was crazy. The next following days were a blur. Luckily, I had the footage of the thing from the past months and the testimony of my remaining friends and family.
Starting point is 01:06:50 Plus, Adam's call that clearly said, something is pretending to be my friend and it may hurt us. They had downloaded the footage of the actual murder, but they refused to describe it to me. They just asked me to rest. But I can't, because no matter what, I want revenge. I'm determined to find out the story of this thing, the story of this house, and it's a weird portal staircase, and I want to kill this creature, even if it's the last thing I do.
Starting point is 01:07:16 For now, this is my final update. I might post more of my account, depending on what I come across. For now, I need rest. I've begun seeing a therapist, and I'm recovering. I still get nightmares. I wonder what I could have done better, but the truth is, I think I was doomed from the beginning. From the moment I counted one extra step on my staircase, the nightmare had begun.
Starting point is 01:07:40 And that is the story. And that is the story. That was good. I enjoyed it. Yeah. The tension was really well done. Yeah. I feel like she is not justified for going back to the house.
Starting point is 01:07:53 And I think she's directly responsible for her friend's death. Yeah, 100%. I think that the only part where the story kind of slipped up for me is that kind of rationalization of, I think that the monster should have left the house. Like it gathered enough and it should have been trying to find her or something. Going back outside and like putting people in that predicament is, uh, is a bit silly. Yeah, that was a bit too much. I also feel like, uh, I am glad it didn't do the thing.
Starting point is 01:08:17 I thought it was going to do where it's like I am now in jail for my friend's murder. But it was like, no, the police like saw the footage and then they were like, uh, you should go home. Yeah. I think, uh, I don't know. I kind of wish we'd never even went to that angle. I kind of almost just be trapped in the house. Now she's just kind of writing there forever, but she can't leave.
Starting point is 01:08:39 The portal aspect I'm not really totally sold on either. Kind of wish that it's like this, if it was this thing's house. Because also I made this connection earlier of when she's like, so I bought this new house and people said, it's a mansion. I was like, what the fuck?
Starting point is 01:08:52 You know, like you're an author and you're getting this mansion. But it's like if it's this weird place that people have like, they don't want to buy or it has some weird history that she doesn't know about. of course his large house might be super cheap but if the thing is living inside of it trying to like mimic somebody you know maybe it's like something where it like opens up a door and like the staircase it's extended down into some weird cellar that's what i was thinking that that's what my mind was that there's like a house underneath the house and they switch it's like a mirrored
Starting point is 01:09:19 yeah but that being said i don't think that the ending completely didn't just like trip and stumble i still think it landed it albeit a bit shaky but i love the idea of like just like taking an element of someone being blind and throwing like a home invasion, uh, twist into that. I honestly think that that segment where she's sitting on the couch watching the bachelor and she goes from turning on the AC to feeling it set down is like an all time moment like that. Yeah, one of the strongest creepy moments. It, it felt, it felt similar to, uh, like in Pimpow. We're on the river and like the person's on the outside watching and like, you know, running through. Is that your favorite moments? Is that your favorite moment from any story we've covered? Which
Starting point is 01:09:59 moment the the pin pal river moment that might be yeah that i remember that one being the the cream it just the way it was described and even like the woman and the house and the old woman they used to be friends with it was just it was really nice that one and also the whenever uh the thing was like living under the the the uh the like under the what is it the porch or whatever they thought that was great too um yeah i don't know this story was awesome i think that i really like that it was short sweet and not tons of fat all like I said all be it it seems like trying to explain this like weird portal thing or how they came across that is kind of like it's it's a little it's a little uh doesn't stick the landing precisely to you know what I'm saying but I'm just being you know just trying to I guess
Starting point is 01:10:46 justify the thoughts I'm having that are running through my head right now but I'm also diarrhea ridden so you are so we'll go ahead and get over it I will say one last time that you can check out Helena over on buy me a coffee coffee whatever uh and you can buy uh more parts to this very story so that's a cool model to have like your story set up and then it's like well there's a sequel to it if you want over here so if you're interested you can check that out or just support her online uh check out her uh reddit at emma watson but dumber uh but yeah thank you very much uh helena for such a cool story yeah that was great i really loved that and a much needed change from last week's if I might add.
Starting point is 01:11:24 Yeah, I think that I'd be, I'd love to just check out more of what this author has done and just a lot of fun. Yeah. Had a lot, tons of fun and just appreciate, uh, how to the point it was. It doesn't linger or anything like that. It just, it's really to the point and it delivers the scares in a fun way, very elegant and how it's written. So all and all, fucking amazing.
Starting point is 01:11:45 We appreciate you. And just want to say, thank you guys so much for, if you were listening to this on Spotify. Thank you so much for listening to this on Spotify or Apple Podcast. It does help us out. We appreciate it. And until next time, everyone, you stay scared, you fucking imbeciles. We'll see you next time.
Starting point is 01:12:00 Well, that was a little harsh. I'll just say that I love you and I hope it was creepy. Bye. Checkmate, Hunter. Thank you. I don't know what I'm going to be able to I'm going to be able to I'm going to
Starting point is 01:12:35 I'm going to I'm going to I'm going to I'm a little bit of a I'm a I'm a I'm I'm going to be...
Starting point is 01:12:59 ...when... ...their... ...that... ...the... ...the... ...that...

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