Creepy - My Father Slowly Went Mad

Episode Date: January 31, 2022

Or did he?***Written by B_ent Thoughts***Bonus Episode: "The Grate" written by Harry Lauture aka Gemini529 and narrated by Nate DuFort***Find our reward tiers and how to get your bonus magnet at patreon.com/creepypod***You can also subscribe to us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/creepypod***Sound Design by Steve Blizin of Black Crow Audio***Title music by Alex Aldea Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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and explicit language. Listener discretion is advised. My father slowly went mad, written by bent thoughts. The rain pattered loudly against the tin roof of the converted barn. Though still rustic, this barnhouse is now a small rental off the Gulf Coast of Florida. And naturally, with this being the Gulf Coast of Florida, it had been raining since last night. I'd planned on coming here to do some fishing. I wasn't a huge fan of fishing.

but my father had been. I knew in his last few months of his life he'd been visiting this place pretty regularly. And this was how I was going to grieve him. A few, or maybe several, cold beers, and participating in his favorite pastime at one of his favorite places. However, it seemed that Florida might get in the way of that.

Well, in the way of the fishing, anyway. I was already nursing my second beer of the evening, about to go sit outside and stare at the tide edge in closer and then crawling back out to sea. Tomorrow, I promised myself. Tomorrow I would take my father's fishing kayak out under the water and honor and by trying to catch something, rain or shine. It hadn't stopped raining yet, so I didn't want my plans to be dependent on that anymore. As I sat outside, still working on my...

second beer, a third already waiting on the small table in front of me. A fog rolled out over the water. In the dying light, the purple haze of the sky, and smoky blue with a fog combined to make a darkening shadow over the ocean. There was nothing as far as the eye could see towards the horizon, but the shadows playing across the placid water and the deepening darkness of the sky. When I woke up the next morning, the sky was still a dark gray. No rain, but it was. No rain, yet, but the thick billowing clouds didn't look promising. I downed a cup of black coffee, then committed myself for preparing for my day. Despite it being 9 a.m., I went ahead and packed a small soft cooler with a few beers.

On a whim, I also poured a healthy amount of my father's favorite bourbon I'd brought on the trip into a travel mug, and put that in the cooler as well. I figured if I was going to do this, I wanted to do it right. and maybe also a bit buzzed. I retrieved my father's fishing rod, kayak, and paddle from where I'd propped them against the wall near the front door. The barn's high ceilings had made it possible to store the boat upright indoors, away from the rain and wind. I dragged and lugged everything down to the water's edge, which wasn't too far a walk from the barn. The morning year was cool, but still humid.

I pushed off into the calm waters and paddled out for a while. while. There was mist shrouding the surface of the water and dark clouds hung ominously overhead. I decided I didn't want to be out here long. My entire purpose for being here was to experience something my father enjoyed so that I could, I wasn't sure exactly, so that I could have some resolution, so that I'd have closure. I hadn't spoken to my father in almost a year when he died of a heart attack. We hadn't had an outright falling out, but I had begun to avoid him.

He'd become increasingly paranoid and off. His health declined. He lost too much weight and he muttered to himself. He would call me in the middle of the night rambling about shadows and evil and telling me he was being watched. If I'm being honest, it was unsettling. I chalked it up to my father. his penchant for drinking a little too much, which had seemed to increase closer to his death.

I told myself I need to distance myself from him and his problems. Even though I'd stopped talking with my father, my brother still kept in touch with him, and I knew from the few times I was willing to talk about my father, he'd continued to spiral. He was coming out to this beach more often and coming back more and more frazzles. and manic. And then, one day, soon after visiting this very place, my father had a heart attack and died. For months, the guilt ate away at me, and I'd wake up in the middle of the night expecting me to call for my father about the shadows he feared. I cracked open a beer and drank deeply. So needless to say, I didn't attend the funeral.

My brother had to do the planning and arrangements since I'd refused, and our mother hadn't been in our lives since our parents had divorced when we were young children. I just couldn't be there. I couldn't see his body that had wasted away, or think about his mind that had wasted away just as much, if not more. This trip, though, this was supposed to be where I said goodbye. I'm not traditionally poetic. But I thought I'd try to do something that felt like saying goodbye in a language that

could understand in a way that helped me remember what I loved about him. I quickly finished my beer and opened another one. Not only was I not traditionally poetic, but I also did traditionally suppress my feelings. I cast the fishing line and secured the rod to one of the fishing rod holders built into the kayak. I lazily continued drinking and waiting for a fish to bite. A loud crack of thunder jolted me awake. Stardled, I spilled the beer I was loosely holding down the front of my shirt. I cursed.

I must have knotted off, but I wasn't sure for how long. Large drops of rain began pelting my body, and I saw lightning weave across the clouds overhead. More thunder seemed to shake the sky. Shit, I repeated. I quickly reeled in the fishing line and grabbed my paddle. I looked around, but I didn't see the sky. shore. Panic threatened to seize my mind so I gulped down several deep breaths of the salty ocean air. How would I floated so far out? It looked like I dozed off for a decent bit of time.

I took more deep breaths as I tried to ignore my growing fear of not knowing how to get back to land. All of a sudden, I saw a large light dance across the water. Curious, I followed it towards the horizon and looked up. A lighthouse rose up against the dark sky. Its light swiveling out amongst the waves that were beginning to pick up in response to the swelling storm. Given that I couldn't see the shore and I didn't want to capsize in the ever-escalating water, I desperately paddled toward the patch of land, the lighthouse sat atop. Bains of lightning still laced the clouds around me.

The thunder was ear-splitting. I knew that storms could crop up fast here in the Gulf. but I was still surprised at the intensity and swiftness of this one. By the time I reached the sandy shore of the lighthouse, my arms were burning from the effort of paddling through the waves. The storm was roiling across the ocean, and I knew I need to wait until morning to attempt to get back to the barnhouse. Water logged from the downpour that was only steadily picking up.

I slowly drank the boat far enough onto land that I hoped it would still be there in the morning. I walked up to the door of the lighthouse and knocked. I wasn't really sure how this worked. Were there still lighthouse keepers? When no one answered, I tried the rusting metal handle on the dry rotting door. It haltingly turned, and I pushed the door open. A shiver ran out my spine as the hinges creaked in an unsettling way. The darkness inside was suffocating.

I pulled my phone from my pocket. I had no signal here, but the flashlight worked fine. I shined the bright white light around the lighthouse. Nothing too special. There was a very small stove to the far left with a metal tea kettle sitting on top. A rickly looking table with two chairs sat to the left of me as well. To the right, a spiraling staircase led upwards, resigning myself to an overnight stay I decided to explore. I ascended the staircase, curious about what else would be here.

The stairs led to another even smaller floor that had only a narrow bed. The stairs continued upwards from there to the very top, where the roving light bulb was perched. I went back down the stairs and sat in one of the wooden chairs on the first floor. Sheets of rain battered the old building, and thunder echoed across the ocean outside. Since I'd already resolved to be here for the night, I figured I'd figured I'd had. go ahead and get as comfortable as possible. I slung my soft cooler off my shoulder and onto the table, taking out the travel mug filled with bourbon.

I took a long swig and let the burning liquid fill me with a more comfortable warmth than that of the humid climate of Florida. I took another drink and closed my eyes, and then I was crying. I felt the hot tears slipped down my face, escalating in intensity just like the storm. outside. I hadn't let myself cry yet, but the exhaustion and stress of paddling, getting lost in a storm coupled with a hundred proof of this bourbon took away any strength I had left to stuff my feelings. It felt good to release some tension. It had been a long day. Hell, a long last few months. I raised a cup and an imaginary cheers to my father and took another drink.

rubbing the back of my hand along both my eyes and wiping away my tears. I felt a light-headed numbness spread throughout my body. My shoulders relaxed a little, and I breathed in the smell of dust and old, damp wood. And then I heard something. The storm raged on outside, but I heard something. Inside. There was a tapping noise coming from the upper levels of the lighthouse. At first I froze, trying to brace myself against the dizziness from both my drink and the rush of adrenaline, and I suddenly felt.

I strained my ears to try and make all what the noise could be, and then I shook my head in embarrassment, telling myself it was probably a leak, or at the very worst, it trapped seagull. I settled back into the creaky wooden chair and took another swig of bourbon. I could see in this sort of setting how my father might have felt a little unnerved. He had come here so often, according to my brother. It couldn't have been good for his paranoia. I suppressed my unease and checked my cell phone to see if I had any signal. Still nothing.

And then the tapping resumed, but more feverish. I felt my booze-warmed body go cold. There was definitely something alive making that noise. Deciding that I didn't want to develop any kind of debilitating paranoia, I squared my shoulders and stood up. With my phone flashlight in hand, I cautiously approached the stairs. I braced myself on the metal railing for a moment. My head was swimming a bit from the whiskey.

The tapping sounded sort of like footsteps, like someone was climbing up and down the stairs on the other two levels. But something wasn't quite right. There were too many taps for this to be footsteps. It sounded like something on four legs. Confused, I used my cell phone light again and swayed up the stairs, frustrated with how quickly the alcohol had gone to my head. As I got to the second level with the bed, the tapping noises stopped. I walked to the thin bed that was against the wall and frowned.

The sheets were turned back, like someone had recently gotten out of the bed. I didn't remember this from earlier. Then again, I hadn't been paying close attention. I rolled my eyes at my own paranoia and sat on the bed. As soon as my body hit that bed, I felt exhaustion, weigh me down. I was so tired. And the rain outside, with the intermittent thunder, felt like an invitation to sleep. I hesitated to lie down with tapping noises had ceased again.

Was I making this up? Was it just the rain or the wind or a leak? I set an alarm on my phone for the morning. I decided getting at least some rest to be helpful for when I tried to set out the next morning. It had been a long day. According to my phone, it was 3 a.m. when I heard tapping again. This time it sounded closer. And in my half-a-sleep state, I showed my flashlight wildly around the room.

For a moment it looked like the light caught the glint to several reflective orbs in the corner of the room. And then whatever it was, was gone. I squinted into the dark and pointed my flashlight in the direction of what I'd seen. But there was only darkness. Something wasn't right about that darkness, though. And it took me a moment to realize what it was. My flashlight wasn't able to pierce the shadows in the corner of the room. My phone wasn't illuminating anything.

The darkness swallowed the light. That uneasy feeling of not being alone pricked the hairs on my arms. Then I heard the tapping overhead on the floor that housed a large light bulb. More awake now, I was feeling a little bolder. I didn't want to let this place drive me mad. And deep down, I also didn't want to be alone in this. the room with that corner of shadows. Attempting to steal my nerves, I began ascending the spiral staircase.

As I rounded the last corner, my phone's flashlight caught something quickly disappearing into the shadows. Slowly, I followed whatever it was with my light and then dropped my phone. A creature, the size of a child, was sitting in the corner of the room. Its legs and arms were just elongated. stumps without hands or feet. Its head had scraggly strands of hair hanging down, and its face had only a large gaping hole with broken shards of teeth.

Several large, unblinking, milky eyes stared at me. I slowly backed up, not bothering to pick up my phone. At my movement, the thing rose up onto all fours of its unnervingly long limbs, and with alarmingly speed scrambled towards me. So I ran. I ran so fast, and then I tripped going down the stairs and fell onto my face on the landing to the second level of the house.

Quickly getting to my feet, I felt warm, sticky blood run from my nose. I'd heard the quick tap into the creature's stumps running after me until I'd fallen. It was silent in the lighthouse again, save for the sounds of rain and now receding thunder outside. Feeling frozen,

wasn't with fear, I stood still, straining my ears for any noises from whatever that thing was. And then I heard something dragging outside. Startled, my body tensed. Then I listened more carefully. The sound was familiar, but I couldn't place it. The sound of something being dragged across sand? My eyes widened. And I ran to the top level of the lighthouse and looked out of the panoramic window.

The thing was dragging my father's kayak into the water. While I was debating whether or not to scream at it or try and hide, it turned its head towards me at an unnatural angle as it pushed the kayak into the water. The light from the lighthouse gleamed off the jagged remnants of its teeth and reflected off its several bulging eyes. After a moment, it began sprinting again towards the lighthouse on all four appendages, moving with the same fluid swiftness of a spider. I turned and took the stairs two at a time,

running towards the lighthouse door. I slammed the wooden door closed and it shuttered against the force. I latched it and stepped back, shaking in terror. And then I heard something ram into the door. I backed up further. My eyes not leaving the door. The thing was using its long stumped arms to beat against the door as if it had battering rams at the end of each arm.

Dorseig from the assault, and then one of the thing's arms broke through. Through the splintered wood, I saw a familiar face, and I blanched. My father. A few more moments in the door burst apart, and there was my father's fore, raised up on all fours, with rounded stumps at the end of the unsettlingly long limbs.

in the doorway, only not my father exactly. Whatever this creature was doing to mimic him could only get the general likeness of his face. But the eye sockets were empty, and the mouth was still a gaping hole full of sharp teeth. I backed into a corner falling to the ground. I felt icy terror, and then sinking dread as I watched the distorted imitation

of my father slowly twisted. head sideways, a strangled voice said. My father's voice. The creature's mouth didn't move even as words hoarsely reverberated through the house. You didn't say goodbye. The creature choked out my father's voice again. I began shaking, tears, fraley falling, out of terror and a shadow of guilt. I wasn't sure how this creature knew these things, and I didn't know how to respond.

how to respond. The skin on the creature's face began to sag. My father's likeness began to melt. The empty eye sockets widening. Please, please help me. I'm being watched. I can't get away. My stomach turned.

This was an exact conversation I had had with my father. My father's strained voice continued. knew pouring out of the things gaping mouth. The shadows. The shadows have eyes. They watch me at night. They ask me to do terrible things. The shiver shuddered through my body.

I tried very hard to repress this memory. This voicemail I'd gotten just days before my father had died. I hadn't told anyone, not even my brother. They say to hurt you and your brother, but I don't want to. I don't want to. My father's voice choked at these words, and I felt my throat tighten. They say, if I don't, they'll hurt me. And I don't want that either.

Any resemblance the creature had to my father melted away with its skin. Its face returned to what it was. it looked like originally, with its too many unseeing bulbous eyes. It cracked its head to the other side and my father's voice continued, but the voice became full of static and slowed down like a broken tape. You'll understand, won't you, you and your brother will understand. We'll be okay. We'll be okay. I watched without hope of escape as a creature bent its arms and legs with a sickening, cracking noise and sprinkled. I woke up to my alarm going off at 7 a.m. Stardled, I jumped out of bed and looked around the

room with my heart racing. There was nothing. Nothing in the room, no storm gusting outside. There was no sign of the night before, or what I thought had been the night before. Had it all been a dream? Feeling confused and uneasy, I walked down the stairs, eyes darting around the lighthouse, looking for anything out of place. The mug of whiskey from the night before sat empty on the kitchen table. I felt my face warm. There had been a large pour in this mug.

Exhaustion and dehydration could have caused some vivid nightmares. I let out a breath. That had just been a nightmare. A terrible, real feeling, nightmare. When I got back to the barnhouse rental, I would try and maybe process that nightmare a little more. And I felt a heaviness in my stomach. When I got back.

If I got back. I ran to the door and flung it open, looking for my kayak. It was right where I'd left it, though more sandy and with some water I'd need to live. let out. I dared to let myself feel some relief. I packed up the kayak, bailed the water, and decided to try and find the shore. I knew it was a bit foolhardy, but there was no way I'd stay here another night. I could see if I got cell service, and I figured I could try and use my phone's compass. Not half an hour had passed when the shore and the rental house came into

view. I felt bewildered. It felt like as soon as the lighthouse had passed out of view, the shore had become visible. I almost started crying at the sight of it. When I finally pulled the kayak onto the sandy beach, I dropped to my knees and began shaking. It took at least five minutes before I could regulate my breathing and stand up. I'd never felt so grateful and relieved in my life. I walked my slow and tired body to the house,

and I immediately took a shower. I let the hot water calm and relax me. But I couldn't get my father's voice out of my head. Couldn't stop replaying the words from the voicemail he'd left me. It had gurgled from that creature's mouth. After my shower, I put on clean, dry clothes. I poured myself a glass of bourbon, but didn't drink it. The thought of something bringing on another nightmare was enough for me to opt for a glass of water.

even though I wanted to leave and never see this place again, I decided to stay one more night so that I could drive while rested. The rest of the day I sat in the living room of the house, staring into space, trying not to stare at the shadows in the room. As night came on, dread fell over me. I wanted to sleep, but I didn't want to dream. I felt paranoia about every corner of the house. I felt like something was watching me.

I kept looking over my shoulder, expecting to see the creature from the lighthouse. But nothing was ever there. I felt a little bit of relief. It was over. It was a nightmare. And even though I'd gotten lost, I'd somehow made it back. When my heavy body and eyes couldn't take it anymore. I lay down on the couch in the living room.

My eyes were closing when I heard loud tapping coming from the kitchen. My father's voice called out. Please. Please help me. For your bonus episode, Creepy Presents, The Great, written by Harry La Chure, aka Gemini 529, and narrated by Nate Dufort. to whoever finds this. This may be my only and last message.

Unfortunately, finding this letter reports that you are sharing this living hell with me. I don't know where I'm going or how long I've been here. My name is... I don't remember. It'll eventually come back to me. Let's start from the beginning. The beginning of this waking. nightmare. I was heading back to work when I walked over a sidewalk great. You know, the greats

people walk over without ever giving a second thought. Suddenly, it gave way, and I fell through. Once I regained consciousness, I immediately felt the temperature. It's hot, not terribly hot, but a bit uncomfortable. I was in a large room with walls and the floor made a gray, large cinder blocks. The ceiling-mounted artificial lights flickered on and off, with a slight buzzing sounds heard. I slowly sat up while attempting to clear my head. It smelled earthy.

I noticed in one end of the room a square opening in the ceiling and in the opposite direction, a large sealed stone door. I tried to stand, but my legs felt like jelly and almost collapsed to the ground. Kneeling to one knee, I closed my eyes to clear my head. Moments later, slowly standing in the fog lifted within my head, I headed towards the hole. As I began my approach, cool air gently percolated from it.

Beneath it, I looked up. I saw a long, dark, vertical tunnel, with the other end a point of light leading to the outside world. the noises of the city sounded so distant, muffled, too high to jump to reach. I yelled while cupping my mouth with my hands. With each attempt, I screamed louder and louder until my voice was hoarse. No use. I'm too far down for anyone from above to hear. I might as well be an insect trying to get your attention.

I retrieved my phone from my pocket. and prepared to dial out. Damn, no signal, I muttered to myself. It must be too far down. While putting my phone away and looking for a way to get up, I noticed a dark slab slowly jetted out of the side of the wall within the hole. The hope of escape was disappearing in front of my eyes. As I watched the opening seal, the cool breeze evaporated and replaced dry heat.

I slumped down onto my knees on the floor and tears brimming in my eyes. I scanned the room for something to prevent the opening from closing. The room was completely empty. Sweat beads appeared on my brow. I wiped it away with my arm when something bumped into me. I whirled around and found nothing. Surprised, I noticed the sealed door open. Beyond the threshold, it was pitch black.

As the temperature was rising, I was sweating profusely. While seeking my next course of action, I heard what sounded like a door clicking. The door was slowly closing. I ran for the door. While running, I could feel something trying to slow me down, as if I was running across molasses. I scanned the ground beneath my feet and expected to find hands or something.

I saw nothing to impede my progress. Stay focused, I said to myself. With effort and determination I reached the door, but to my whore, the door was closing at a faster rate. At the last minute I leapt head first and slipped through as the door closed and sealed. I landed face first on a surface compiled of dirt, fresh, Earth caked my face and lips. While I swiped the dirt away, I glanced around. The immediate surroundings engulfed in darkness.

The air was stale, and a tinge of electricity filled the air. I rose and took out my cell phone. Using my phone, the light glowed in the darkness, but it was dull. I peaked toward the left and right. Darkness traveled for what seemed like infinity, despite the light from the cell. Growing more and more uneasy, I forwarded the light ahead. From the left, I heard a sound of shuffling nearby and getting closer. I shine the light in the direction of the sound.

Nothing but darkness in the nearby ground illuminated. My ears strained to hear the slightest sounds, and then I heard the shuffling, and the deep, slow, soul-wrenching growl next to my left ear. With the cell phone in hand, I sprung up and headed deeper into the darkness. A sticky skeletal hand grabbed my left ankle, causing me to trip forward. Instincts and fear took command. I gave a hard kick with my right foot to whatever touched me. It shrieked and released.

I raced toward the unknown. I didn't care where I was going. but I wanted to put as much distance between that and me. I ran, ran, and ran while my lungs were ready to burst. When thoughts to stop crossed my mind, I heard the growls and scuffle nearby. So I continued until I stumbled on something unobserved and tumbled downward as if I fell through a trap door.

The phone dropped from my hand as I tumbled and eventually, came to rest on my back on a cold stone floor. exhaustion and feeling the pains and bruises swallowed me whole and drifted me off to unconsciousness. My eyes open to reveal a corridor containing torches hanging on each side of the walls. The crackling of the flames reverberated throughout the corridor, like a concert hall. In between the torches are grayish metal doors with no handles or knobs, but each had small closed rectangular slits at midsection. On both sides, the doors and torches stretched to the far distance with no end in sight.

As I sat up, grimacing from the aches and pains of the fall, lifting my head, busyness, and a fog descended. I closed my eyes momentarily to clear my head. Once I opened my eyes, my phone laid undamaged in front of me. I reached for the phone and placed it to my pocket. I was facing the opposite direction and noticed a seal opening in the ceiling. I must have fallen through that, I thought to myself. Beyond the sealed ceiling notch was a tunnel aligned with rocks and wooden beams, similar to a mine. It was somewhat dark in there, dimly lit with small halogen lights decorating the walls.

I rotated back and pondered my next move, but which way should I go? I muttered. As I walked, I noticed the flames from the torches behaving in a strange manner, as if someone is controlling them with invisible strings and making them act as one. Some of the slits on the doors were opened and others closed. Light and shadow shine through the openings. While walking, I came across a peculiar black door

without a knob or handle, but a keyhole. Cold air passed through it, chilling my eye. The room was barren except for a child wearing tattered dirt-stained garments with dark green skin standing in the middle of a room facing the door. Thick, frizzy, long black hair hid the face. I felt the eyes, gaze through the hair.

Suddenly the head jerked up. I blinked in an instant the keyhole is all white. The thing was staring back. Startled, I felt backward and landed on my back. Suddenly the door opened. I bounced up and ran. I ran as fast as I could. My running slowed when I felt there was enough distance between me and it.

Time passed and I continued down the hallway. Feelings of doom washed over as my eyes darted from side to side. precipitously from behind and distant the faint sound of thunder as heard. I began to tire and decided to rest for a moment. I slumped against the wall. Funny, after all this time here, I'm not hungry or thirsty, I thought. Sitting under a torch, the sound of the thunder was getting closer and louder.

The roar sounded angry, evil, and ready to rip into living flesh. Panicked, I scanned the nearby area, looking for a safe harbor. The sound was not thunder, but a stampede. Nearby there were two doors, one with an open slot, and the other was closed.

Glimped down the hall, something numerous and large was looming. I began to rise when my body protested. Sinking to the ground, I crawled to the door with the over, I pushed the door, realizing that it would only open if pushed with much effort. Pushed harder and harder as the sound of the stampede was fast approaching, and a rush of epinephrine flowed through my bloodstream. I pushed the door open, crawled inside, and slammed the door as the

stampede thundered by. The sounds resonated through the entire room. I felt the thumping of many on the door as the door swelled. Closing my eyes, I pushed all my weight against the door. As I silently prayed for the door to hold, I heard a voice whisper in my right ear to open my eyes. Against my better judgment, I complied. My temporary oasis was a room, made stone dusty and old with no windows.

A wooden ring hung from the ceiling center by a rusted chain link filled. by six lit, thick, blood-red candles. It reminded me of a medieval dungeon. An odor filled the room. I rumpled my nose and sniffed the air. The smell of death and decay saturated the air. Standing in the center, with their backs facing me,

were four hooded figures wearing midnight black-colored robes. They were standing in front of a wooden table with someone on it. I strained to see the rest of the table. While looking at it, the pounding on the door subsided. Watching the figures and table, I allowed myself to release my hold on the door. Slowly, the figures parted. In full view, I grasped the whore presented to me. Someone strapped to a rack, chain snaked around their wrists and ankles,

were in clothing alike to me. A black hood identical to an executor hood covered their head with holes for the eyes. The head jutted from side to side and sometimes lifted its head as if it were screaming, but no sound. I took deep gulfs of air

and it turned and looked directly at me with eyes wide like small saucers. I heard the sordid sounds of tendons and muscles gradually pulling apart as the wheels at the ends of the rack rolled. When I could not take it anymore, popping replaced the same.

the tearing of limbs, blood spilled and stewed like dark red syrup. The hood slipped away. My blood went, ice cold, and a scream escaped from my throat. The person on the rack had my face. The face was distorted with pain and agony. The mouth opened inhumanly wide as if freed death screams traversed from the soul. The figure's heads unnaturally turned ever so slowly towards me, while the rest of their bodies remained facing the rack. One had a dark featureless face. The second had one large eye and smiled revealing its gleaming sharp teeth.

Third, had a white skull with no pupils in the eye sockets. And the fourth had a metallic smooth mask, except for two glowing small slits for the eyes. Frozen and horror, I watched a large metal mallet smash the face of the victim on the rack. Eyes bulged open, then fell from their sockets, while the sounds of bones, flesh and brain, bounced in my head. In unison, they said in a low, monotone voice,

Join us, enjoy the pain. In slow motion, arms and hands extended from the figures heading for me. The hands covered in grayish, bluish skin with long blackened fingernails. I pushed the door to escape, but it would not move. I pushed and pushed again. Nothing. I scanned the door for a knob or a latch while keeping an eye on the figures. The door was blank, like a painter's canvas.

The hands were getting closer. I was running out of options. I was petrified, so scared that I felt like my soul might jump out and run. I closed my eyes and waited for the end. Suddenly, the door opened. I retreated using my hands and feet until I exited the room. I leaped to my feet and slammed the door shut. Sliding down, I leaned against the door in relief.

While savoring my escape from unimaginable agony, the door pulsed and started to push. Despite my efforts to keep the door closed by leaning on the door and applying my weight, the door gradually pushed open. Not knowing what to do, I got up and ran. As I retreated down the hall, I felt the feeling of eyes burning my back.

I dare not turn to look back, but I knew the figures are in the hallway, staring at their prey, escaping. Time passed as I continued. The doors on both sides of the walls were replaced by stone. I kept going, even though I was about to pass out from exhaustion and fear. I wiped my brow with sweat raced down my back as I continued down the hallway. In the distance, something hung on the sides of the walls,

in between the torches and large cavities populated in the floor. Gradually I reached the objects hanging on the wall. They were the mummified heads left on display and forgotten. They were mounted to metallic small square boards attached to the wall. They had a blank and expressionless look to them, but at the same time, their eyes seemed to follow me. Beneath the heads were rectangular grates, one on each side from wall to wall.

I approached the grate to the right and stopped at the edge and peered down. Darkness obscures below, but sounds of moaning, muffled screaming, and pain reverberated. The grate to the left emitted a glowing yellow light. Peering down, I froze at the ghastly sight. I had to force the bile from bellowing up. The room below had human beings in different states of decomposition, hanging from hooks attached to the walls. Some were missing body parts Others had their chest or skull opened

The air filled with the smells of feces, vomit, and decaying flesh Choking at the smell I used the top of my shirt to cover my nose It made no difference. The odors were ever present. Each of them was looking up and pointing at me. I jumped back and walked back into the hallway to escape their gape, trying to decide what to do next. Behind me I heard in the distance a heavy door swung open,

followed by heavy footsteps. I turned and struggled to see the source. Nothing appeared. But something from deep down told me to leave. Immediately. Once again I turned to face the grate, noticed additional grates planted beyond the two closest and going off down the hallway as far as I can see.

In the middle a thin line of stone separated the grates. I decided to use it to traverse. Slothfully I started to walk the path. Abruptly a loud, agonizing scream erupted from one of the grates. I lost my balance and fell forward. The side of my face struck the surface of the grate, hard. The grate buckled beneath me and gives. As I fell and tumbled, the world around me was a sight of light and dark.

darkness. I emerged from the darkness with a fog floated in my head, and my vision blurred. I do not know how much time it elapsed. I placed my hand over the side of my face that contacted the grate. I winced when I touched the growing lump and observed dried blood on my hand. With a souvenir, I'm ready for a photo shoot, I chuckled. As my vision cleared, there were two entryways. One left, in one right. The entry on the right illuminated with a purplish, colored, pulsing light, and fog seeped out. Heat and the distant roars emanated from within the thick fog. The second entry was illuminated with a vertical puddle of yellowish-colored water, like triples in the pool of water after a stone falls into it. Waves of stale air and a howling wind

originated from the portal. Undecided, I did not know which path to take. Behind me, a dead end. I observed no entrance door or hole to explain how I arrived at my present location. Unexpectedly, my cell phone rings. I jumped, retrieved the phone from my pants pocket, and tentatively I lifted the phone to my ear. Hello?

I said nervously. In a low, almost growling, scratching voice, Someone or something replied Choose now I dropped the phone Without much thought and fright I spun around and ran into the yellowish puddle of light As I passed through the barrier

The feeling of electricity raced down my back And my body felt like it was being burned I emerged on the other side Screaming but whole and without injury I wanted to let out a huge breath of relief but decided against it. I looked ahead and saw a circular room with a large wooden door on the opposite side. Strange undecipherable writing was inscribed on the door.

In the center of the room, a large hole going down to the right. A stone staircase descended downward. From my vantage point, the staircase disappeared into the darkness, but the light from a distant source shimmered. Imagine the room shaped like the letter Kee. Q. I advanced to the short wall that lay before me and peaked over. Looking down, there were multiple levels descending downward, to a point I could not see more. All the levels were constructed the same as the present level. Coming from below, the familiar sounds of civilization bawled.

I felt myself getting excited. Dreams of escape entered my mind. As thoughts of rejoining the world, Gumbulled in my mind, heavy footsteps approached. I could not discern the location. I thought it came from below. Fear slithered and smothered hope. Choosing not to go further, I turned to go back through the barrier, but instead of the portal, a wall replaced the barrier. Desperate I went to the wall and touched and pushed as if this would force the barrier to appear.

No avail. I turned and headed to the staircase. As time passed, dread and hopelessness were my constant companions as I descended further down without getting closer to the source. Perceiving this notepad and writing instrument left by a poor soul and wanted to jot down my adventure. In closing, I sincerely hope you and I will find each other and bring solace to each other from the despair and loneliness.

Perhaps one day you or we will find an escape from the shadows, pain, and trepidation to the world of the sun, people in hope. If we do not meet and you do escape, remember this, don't walk over a great. For more information on this podcast, including how to submit your own story for consideration. Please visit creepypod.com. You can also follow us at creepypod on social media and YouTube.

All stories told on this podcast are done so through creative common share-a-like licensing or with written consent from the authors. No portion of this podcast may be rebroadcast or otherwise distributed without the express written consent of the creepy podcast production team and the stories author.