CreepsMcPasta Creepypasta Radio - "The Rule Was Simple. Never Stay Past Dark" Creepypasta

Episode Date: April 4, 2025

LISTEN TO CREEPYPASTAS ON THE GO-SPOTIFY► https://open.spotify.com/show/7l0iRPd...iTUNES► https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast...Creepypastas are the campfire tales of the internet. Horror stories spread through Reddit r/nosleep, forums and blogs, rather than word of mouth. Whether you believe these scary stories to be true or not is left to your own discretion and imagination. SUGGESTED CREEPYPASTA PLAYLISTS-►"Good Places to Start"-    • "I wasn't careful enough on the deep ...  ►"Personal Favourites"-    • "I sold my soul for a used dishwasher...  ►"Written by me"-    • "I've been Blind my Whole Life" Creep...  ►"Long Stories"-    • Long Stories  FOLLOW ME ON-►Twitter:   / creeps_mcpasta  ►Instagram:   / creepsmcpasta  ►Twitch:   / creepsmcpasta  ►Facebook:   / creepsmcpasta  CREEPYPASTA MUSIC/ SFX- ►http://bit.ly/Audionic ♪►http://bit.ly/Myuusic ♪►http://bit.ly/incompt ♪►http://bit.ly/EpidemicM ♪This creepypasta is for entertainment purposes only

I was 13 the summer we moved. We left the city behind in a cloud of dust, trading traffic and noise for long, empty roads that stretched on forever. Our new town, Hollowbrook, was, for a lack of a better term, frozen in time. Main Street had a diner, a single gas station, and a convenience store that doubled as a bait shop. Everyone seemed to know everyone My mom loved it instantly My dad muttered something about peace and quiet I

Hated it It wasn't just that I had to leave behind my friends My school, my entire life It was the fact that there was nothing here No movie theatres, no arcades, no malls Just houses, trees and a school that looked like it had been built a hundred years ago. The first few days were the worst.

Boxes stacked in every room, the smell of fresh paint, the hum of cicadas outside. No Wi-Fi for the first two days, which meant I had nothing to do but help unpack or stare at the ceiling, counting the tiny cracks in the plaster. Then, I met Ethan, Jake and Will. It happened at the basketball court behind the school. I wasn't even playing, just sitting on my bike, watching. Ethan was the first one to talk to me. He had shaggy blonde hair, a red socks cap pulled low over his face,

and a kind of easy confidence that made it impossible to dislike him. Jake and Will were always with him. Jake was stocky, with a sharp jaw and a habit of cracking his knuckles. Will was lanky, quiet, always a step behind the others. Ethan dribbled the basketball absent-mindedly, squinting at me. So, you just moved here, right? I nodded. Yeah, last week.

Where from? Jake added. Boston. All three of them looked at each other, then back at me. Whoa, Ethan said, grinning. City kid. Yeah, I muttered. unsure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Will spoke up for the first time. But it's way better there. I shrugged. I don't know, I guess. Ethan passed the ball to Jake, then turned back to me. You have ever had a hideout before? I blinked. Like, a real one?

Jake snorted. No, a fake one. I mean, no, never. Ethan's grin widened. Dude, then you're gonna love this. Jake smirked. We gotta hide out. Best spot in town.

Will nodded. Deep in the woods, no little kids there. I poked up. For real? For real. Ethan said. said, We'll take you tomorrow. That was how it started. Ethan showed up at my house after lunch, knocking on the door before I even saw him coming. He had his bike with him, one foot resting lazily on the pedal. Come on, he said, we're taking you with us. I barely had time to grab my own bike before we're off, peddling through the quiet streets, cutting through yards, jumping over curbs. The first of the first of the first. The first of the Further we went, the fewer houses there were.

Soon, the pavement turned to dirt, and the town faded behind us, swallowed by towering pine. And at some point, Ethan told us to ditch our bikes. I expected them to stop at some random part of the woods and then take a hidden trail. But instead, we ended up on a narrow dirt road, tire tracks worn deep in the ground. It snaked through the trees, winding up a gentle hill before disappearing ahead. I squinted. Wait, if there's a road, why don't you guys just ride your bikes all the way? Jake chuckled, nudging my arm.

Where's the fun in that? Ethan smirked. Yeah, what's cooler? It's cooler, walking through the woods to our secret hideout, rolling up on bikes like we're going to the grocery store. We'll grinned. We're off the grid, man. No roads, kind of.

I laughed, shaking my head. But I had to admit, it did feel cooler, like we were heading somewhere no one else knew about. And then I saw it. searched in the thick arms of an old oak tree was the treehouse. It was perfect. The kind of hideout every kid dreams of, big enough for all of us, but not too big, like it belonged in some fancy magazine. The wood was weathered but sturdy, the boards nailed tightly together, a simple rope ladder hung from the entrance, swaying gently in the breeze. Ethan climbed up first, followed by Jake and Will.

I hesitated, staring up at it. I'd never been to a place like this before. Never had a clubhouse, a fort, a secret spot to escape to. In the city, we had cracked sidewalks and fire escapes. This was different. I grabbed the rope ladder and climbed. Inside, the walls were covered. in drawings and initials carved into the wood. A few old camping chairs were tucked in the corner,

a flashlight and a deck of cards sat on a crate. It smelled of dirt, pine, and the faint smell of something I couldn't place at the time. Ethan flopped onto the ground in the corner. So, what do you think? I sat across from him, still taking it all in. It's awesome. Jake grinned, told you. For a while, we just talked about nothing. The kind of stupid conversations kids have when they're bored. Who would win in a fight, Batman or Spider-Man? If aliens were real, if we'd ever drink beer when we're old enough.

It felt normal, like I'd always been here. Then, Ethan leaned back and stretched. Man, I wish we could just stay here. all night. I raised an eyebrow. Why can't you? Jake groaned, tilting his head back dramatically, because our parents are lame. Ethan sighed.

They don't like us being out past nine. Will rolled his eyes, especially after Sarah went missing. That name stuck with me. I'd heard it before on the news. A girl from school gone. without a trace. I frowned. So they think kids are getting kidnapped or something?

Jake scoffed. Dude, parents think everything is out to get you. They hear about one kid going missing and suddenly they act like we're going to get snatched off the sidewalk. Ethan nodded. Yeah, like, I get it, but it's annoying. We're not little kids anymore. Will grinned, knocking his nose.

ankles against the wooden wall. I mean, come on. We got our own house and everything. Jake sat up, smirking. Exactly. We got a house. We got furniture. We got food.

Ethan held up a half-crushed bag of Doritos. Rations. We're laughed. We're practically grown-ups. We even clean sometimes. I grinned. Yeah. Except your house.

doesn't have a bathroom. Jake tossed the balled up napkin at me. Dude, it's called nature. We all cracked up after that, and for the first time since moving, I felt like I wanted to be here. As the afternoon stretched on, the air cooled and the trees outside cast long shadows across the forest floor. Sometimes we find stuff moved around, Jake said. after a particularly long stretch of silence. I looked up. What do you mean? He shrugged.

Like, we'll come back and a chair's been moved and one of our flashlights is missing. I frowned. You think someone else knows about this place? Jake shook his head. Nah, we never told anyone. Will leaned back, staring at the ceiling. If we started asking around, people might get curious.

They'd come locking, and then we wouldn't have it to ourselves anymore. Ethan sighed, so we just ignore it. The sun was beginning to dip behind the horizon when Ethan suddenly checked his watch. Crap, it's almost nine. Jake groaned, standing up and dusting off his jeans. Ah, fine. Will sighed. Guess we gotta be responsible and head back.

By my second week, I couldn't go anywhere without hearing about Sarah. Her face was still on flyers, taped the telephone poles, pinned up in the school office, stapled to the bulletin board at the grocery store. Missing. Last scene, Hollow Brook Elementary. It didn't feel like something people talked about in whispers. It felt like a weight everyone carried. The teachers looked tired. Parents were extra careful about pickups

and kids traded stories in hushed voices at lunch. Things like this didn't happen much in a small town like this. But there was one person who didn't carry that heavy energy with him. Mr. Harris. He was the kind of guy every kid liked, tall and broad-shouldered, mustache and an easy smile. It wasn't like other adults.

He actually listened when kids talked, didn't yell when someone ran in the hall, even slipped us candy sometimes when teachers weren't looking. How are you liking, Hollowbrook? He asked me one afternoon. I had stayed after school to grab a notebook I left in my locker. Mr. Harris was mopping near the gym. I shrugged. It's all right.

Not too boring for you, he chuckled. Kids from the city usually think are a bunch of weirdos. I don't know, I said. I kind of like it. He nodded, leaning against the mop handle. Yeah, this town grows on you. Always been real close-knit. I shifted, unsure what else they say.

He must have noticed because his expression softened. All right, kid. Go off now. Make sure to pick up those packages over there like Miss Wren asked you to. All right, see you Mr. Harris. See you, kid. The treehouse became more than just a hideout. It became home. Any time I was upset, frustrated or needed to be away from the world for a bit,

I'd find myself biking down the dirt road, cutting through the trees, climbing up that rope ladder. and I wasn't the only one. Ethan, Jake and Will used it the same way. If one of us showed up alone, the others would always come, no questions asked. We didn't talk about it, but we all needed the tree house. It was a place where nothing else mattered. The thing was, the longer we used it and the more comfortable we got with each other,

the less we thought about the rules. At first, we were careful, always watching the time, always heading home before the sky went dark. But after a few weeks, we got comfortable. If the sun set while we were still in the tree house, we didn't panic. If we stayed a little later than usual, no one seemed to notice. So, when Ethan joked about staying overnight, it didn't come. as a surprise to anyone. We basically live here anyway, he said, stretching out one of the old cushions.

Jake laughed. Yeah, we got food, we got supplies. We're like a step away from moving in. We leaned forward. Imagine how cool it would be to wake up here. No parents to nag us. I hesitated. Yeah, but I trailed off.

We all knew. what I was going to say. We weren't supposed to stay after dark. But no one else seemed worried. Dude, Jake said, shaking his head. That rule's stupid anyway. Our parents just don't want us out late because they're paranoid. You really think something bad's going to happen if we sleep here for one night?

Ethan grinned. I say we do it. Let's prove our parents wrong, man. Prove to them that nothing would happen, Jake said in a hushed tone. That part got to me. It made the whole thing feel like a challenge. It wasn't about breaking rules. It was about proving we could.

I looked around at the others. No one seemed scared. Finally, I nodded. All right, one night. That was all it took. The plan was set. That night, I waited until my parents went to bed. I stuffed my sleeping bag into my backpack, grabbed a flashlight, and quietly slipped out the back door.

The cool night air hit me as I stepped onto my bike. The town was quiet. I peddled fast, cutting through the streets, heart-hammering for no reason at all. It wasn't like I'd never snuck out before. By the time I reached the dirt road, my pulse had settled. Up ahead, I saw three familiar figures waiting for me. Their bikes already tossed to the side. Ethan, Jake and Will.

We grinned at each other. No turning back now. We made our way through the trees, flashlights bouncing off the trunks, the crunch of leaves, the only sound in the stillness. The closer we got to the treehouse, the more real it felt. This was happening. We climbed up one by one, the old wooden boards creaking beneath our weight. Inside, I was greeted by the same comforting scent we'd all gotten used to. Jake unzipped his backpack and dumped out a pile of snacks, chips, candy bars, soda cans.

Ethan grinned. We were all excited. We set up our sleeping bags, turned on the flashlights and started telling stories. It felt like every other night, like we'd done this a hundred times before, like nothing bad could ever happen. After we got tired of ghost stories, we played card games by flashlight, laughed about stupid things and ate way too much junk food. The tree house felt safe beyond words, and then we heard the rumble of an old engine.

I barely noticed it at first, half thinking it was just a wind or a plane overhead. But then, headlights, bright beams cut through the trees, casting strange, stretching shadows through the cracks of the wooden floorboards. The light flickered as the vehicle turned, angling toward the treehouse, illuminating the lower part of the trunk. We froze. For a moment, none of us panicked. Ethan sat up, rubbing his eyes.

Is that? Jake shifted closer to the window, squinting. Is that your dad? That made sense. One of our parents must have noticed we were missing. Maybe someone woke up, checked our beds, put the pieces together. I waited for the headlights to cut out, for a car door. to slam for the familiar sound of an angry dad calling a name.

But when the engine turned off, no one called for us. No voices, just silence. Jake swallowed. That's not my dad's truck. The air changed. Ethan grabbed his flashlight leaning over the windowsill. Could be a hunter, he whispered, or someone can't camping. That didn't feel right.

No one hunted at this spot in the woods. I moved closer, heart hammering, peering out through the crack in the wooden planks. The truck was old, dented, covered in dust. And then a door opened. Someone stepped out. Their footsteps crunched against the dirt, slow and careful. Will breathed out. Who the hell?

I could barely see them. Just the dark outline of a figure moving through the trees. My stomach twisted. Jake slowly moved away from the window, eyes wide. Why are they coming straight here? No one had an answer. The person reached the pace of the treehouse. For a second,

They just stood there. Then, the creek overfoot on the first rung of the ladder. Ethan sucked in a breath. Guys? And second footstep, they were climbing. I felt it in my chest now. The slow, creeping realization that something wasn't right. Jake turned toward the trap door, eyes darting.

What do we do? I'm back toward the window. We need to go, but no one moved. Another step, closer now. Whoever it was, they didn't hesitate. They were coming up. I turned back toward the window, gripping the ledge. My pulse pounded in my ears.

Another step, closer. Then they spoke. A voice, low, familiar. What the hell? I turned just in time to see the man's head push up through the trap door. His face was partially shadowed, covered by a hoodie. But I could still make out the shock in his expression. Whoever this was, he wasn't expecting us.

His eyes flickered between us, scanning the room. And then his expression changed. A slow realization, like he had just been handed something he wasn't expecting, but wanted. That was all I needed to see. I didn't wait. I jumped. I grabbed the windowsill and threw myself forward, twisting my body mid-air as I plunged toward the ground. The fall knocked the breath out of me, pain jolting at my legs as I hit the dirt,

but I was already scrambling forward, arms pumping. Above me, chaos. Go, go, Ethan yelled. Jake was already pushing past him, diving for the window. Will hesitated. Too long. The man lunged. Ethan jumped, but the man grabbed for him at the last second.

His fingers brushed Ethan's ankle as he twisted in mid-air, the force throwing him sideways. Then a sickening crack. Ethan's screams ripped through the trees. I skidded to a stop, chest heaving. He was on the ground clutching his leg, face twisted in agony. My leg! His voice was raw, broken.

I stepped toward him, about to help. But then, a thud. The man had jumped down, following us. He wasn't waiting. His boots hid the dirt hard, sending up a cloud of dust. Then he straightened, staring staring at us. Jake grabbed Ethan, trying to haul him up. Come on, dude, we gotta go.

Ethan choked back a sob. I can't. My head spun. We couldn't carry him, not fast enough. The man took a step forward, I took a step back. I ran. I hated myself for it, but I ran. Branches tore up my face, leaves whipping past as I bolted to the trees.

My breath was ragged, my legs are blurred beneath me. Behind me, a cacophony of noise. I didn't dare look back. The only thing I focused on was getting home. The dirt road loomed ahead, glowing faintly under the moonlight. I tore through it, sneakers slamming against the packed down earth. The town was a blur. Street lights, houses, the distant glow of my own porch.

I sprinted up my driveway, heart in my throat, slamming into the front door. I banged my fists against the wood, sobbing. Mom, Dad, open the door. A light flicked on inside. A shadow moved behind the glass. The door swung open, and I fell into my dad's arms. Son, what is? Call the cops, I screamed.

My mom was already grabbing the phone. I turned, chest still heaving, expecting to to see a dark figure standing at the end of the driveway. The police arrived within minutes. By the time we got to the tree house, the area was already swarming with officers. Red and blue lights flickered through the trees, casting long shadows across the dirt. The woods, which had always felt like our sanctuary, now felt like the most unsafe place in the world.

I stood next to my parents, shaking. wrapped in my mom's arms as we watched the officers search the area. They moved quickly, flashlights bouncing against the trees, the radio's crackling with updates. Jake was found first, just at the base of the treehouse. He was alive but shaken. His face was streaked with dirt. His hands were shaking, but he was breathing. Then they found Ethan.

He was curled behind a tree. barely visible in the darkness. His leg bent at a horrible angle. When they carried him out on a stretcher, his face was pale, eyes hollow. He barely spoke, barely reacted. Then came well. For one terrifying moment, I thought he was gone. But then a radio crackled, an officer had found him, running down the dirt road toward town. He said he just ran and didn't stop. I didn't blame him. We all got to go home that night.

And for a while, that was enough. I learned the rest from news reports, police chatter, and hushed conversations between my parents. At first, no one knew who had done it. The cops only had bits and pieces. the whole town went on edge. People whispered about who it could have been. A stranger had drifted passing through. Some local guy no one suspected.

The answers came days later. The police found the truck again. It had been left in a creek, half buried in mud, and in the trunk. They found Sarah. She had been missing for weeks. She'd been there the whole time Cold, wrapped in plastic

Stuffed beneath a pile of tarps But it wasn't until the police Track the truck's registration That the real horror set in The name attached to the vehicle Mr Harris I remember the exact moment I found out I was sitting at the kitchen table

Picking at my cereal While my parents stood by the counter talking in low voices. I wasn't really listening until my mom said his name. For a second, I thought I misheard, thought she was talking about something else. But then my dad sighed, rubbing his face. Jeez. I felt like my stomach had been ripped out of my body.

Mr. Harris was still on the loose, and a curfew was set. I never saw Ethan, Jake or Will at school after, so I don't know what came of them. I kept thinking about how lucky we were. If we hadn't heard that truck pull up, would one of us have been next?