Creepy - The Ghosts of the Cooper-Evans House

Episode Date: May 31, 2021

Some places should be left alone...***Written by William Falo and narrated by Megan McDuffee and Owen McCuen***Bonus episode: I Wasn't Always Claustrophobic, written by Polterkites and narrated by Steve Blizin***Check out our reward tiers at patreon.com/creepypod***You can also subscribe to us on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/creepypod***Produced by Steve Blizin***Title music by Alex Aldea***Intro/Outro Narration by Joe Stofko 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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A podcast dedicated to sharing the most famous, chilling and disturbing creepy pastors and urban legends in the world. Whether these stories truly happened or our simply fabrications is for you to decide. These stories may contain. graphic decisions of violence and explicit language. Listener discretion is advised. Creepy Presents The Ghosts of the Cooper Evans House, written by William Falo,

and narrated by Megan McDuffey, Owen McHughan, and Danielle Hewitt. Produced by Steve Blizzin. I wanted to write this down, even though nobody will believe it. I know what happened and I will never be the same again, but you must make up your mind if it's true or not. I won't tell you the town's name, for fear that somebody will try to find the location, and I would be afraid of what could happen if anyone did.

Here is my story. I guided the drone over the old house, searching for anything worth taking a picture of with the onboard camera. The abandoned house looked lifeless, and there didn't appear to be anything worth. taking a picture of, so I stared it back toward me. I needed some pictures to sell, since I lost my job due to COVID, and the pictures brought in money. People paid more for shots of wildlife and nature since the virus. I heard rumors of an albino deer in the area that lured me to the Cooper Evans house, but I never saw the rare white one, although I spotted a few deer. The drone got closer when I heard what sounded like a group of cats.

I set the drone to hover, and I couldn't see anything on the monitor. It was hard to leave my car on the narrow road near the sewage plant across from the house. It could get hit, and someone might get hurt, so I put the flashers on. I could get a ticket, and I can't afford that. It could get stolen,

but it was in such bad shape, I doubted it. So I headed into the woods with my drone leading the way. I carried a knife. A woman had to be prepared for anything. I climbed the fence surrounding the property and walked past a no trespassing sign. The house looked peaceful from a distance, but as I got closer, a strange thing happened. A chill overcame me, and the wind picked up. The drone hovered near the front of the house, and I approached the door.

I looked around. The trespassing charge would be more expensive than a motor vehicle violation. If this weren't 20-20, I wouldn't be taking chances, but with nothing to lose, I continued with the hope of at least finding the albino deer. Things were so tough for me. I considered taking all the sleeping pills I had left more than once. I tried the front door, and it didn't budge. Somebody boarded up the windows and drew a sad face on one of them. The strange thing is that when I looked at it, sadness overwhelmed.

me. It was a bad omen, and I should have gotten out of there. I heard a shriek and almost jumped out of my skin. A raccoon stared at me. I stared back at it, then lowered the drone for a shot. Nobody paid for a raccoon picture, but I liked the bandits. But this one was different. It threw a pine cone at me and hit my eye. You don't have to believe me, but it happened. I yelled, you stupid bandit. After rubbing my eye, it was gone. I looked at my reflection on my cell phone and saw a black circle under one of my eyes. I looked like a raccoon.

How did it throw a pine cone? Worse yet, I missed the shot. Noises came from the barn, and I headed that way, despite something inside me, telling me to leave. My vision was a little blurry now, and I stumbled a few. few times. The dizziness increased as I reached the barn. I opened the door and it creaked louder than I wanted. I stepped inside and saw a lot of cats. Most of them hissed at me and I stepped back and shut the door. One small cat squeezed out of the door before it closed. I backed away and it followed me. Then I tripped over an old log and darkness found me. When I opened my eyes, the cat was staring at me.

I got my phone out, but there was no service. I spun around and couldn't believe it was almost night. Something flashed on the house's second floor window. But that was impossible. It was boarded up. The drone crashed in the field behind the house. Cats poured out of a hole in the barn's wall, heading into the woods,

looking like an army going to war. But the one that snuck out stayed with me. I'm Molly, I said, still afraid to pet it. I needed to retrieve the drone. There was no way to replace it. I could never afford another one. I walked behind the house while chills ran up my spine. Someone was watching me, and it wasn't a cat.

I could feel eyes on me coming from the house, and I spun around so fast the cat ran a short distance away. There was nobody there, and I ran to the drone. It was in pieces, and right next to it, Was a broken up headstone. Or backward and crawled away like an upside-down crab. What was happening here? I wanted to get away, but I needed the drone.

Courage, Molly. I checked my phone. No reception. I couldn't send an emergency alert. I would be in trouble. I scooped up the drone and saw the name on the headstone. My name was on it. The date of death?

was today. I rubbed my eyes as a red fog started past me. Was I hallucinating? The darkness came so fast it was like someone flipped a light switch on the world. I stumbled away from the headstone, carrying the drone like a baby. I was defenseless. My hands shook too much to use the knife in my pocket. The raccoon rubbed its little hands together like it was satisfied by what it did to my eye.

I reached the front of the house, and the door was open. I walked faster, and once I was far enough away, I looked toward the house and saw a man looking back at me. He pointed to the creek. I don't know why, but I followed his direction, and when I turned around, somebody shut the door. Near the creek, I gasped. Bones.

I shivered. I dropped the drone and ran, then climb the fence. and reached my car. There was a ticket on the windshield. I jumped in and heard a purring sound. The cat that stuck by me was in the passenger seat. How could it be there? It was impossible. And then I noticed the passenger's side window was open. I knew that I wouldn't leave it open. I turned the key. Please start. The car started and I drove away. In my apartment, the cat stayed with me, like it belonged there. My black eye reminded me of the crazy raccoon.

I reported the bones to the police. Fortunately, they didn't arrest me. The next day, they called and said they didn't find any bones and warned me about trespassing. I gathered my courage and went back to retrieve the drone. Despite the police telling me not to go there, I climbed the fence but stayed away from the house. I quickly searched the surrounding area,

but there was no headstone, and I looked everywhere. The cats remained hidden. The raccoon was nowhere to be found, but I pictured him, rubbing his greedy little hands together while he watched me. There were no bones. The only evidence of me even being there was the cat who stayed with me, and she couldn't talk. I hoped not, anyway. They got out of there, convinced something dark happened there in the past. I would need to do further research, but might never find out exactly what happened there.

Inside, I changed. After seeing my name on a headstone, I wanted to live more than ever before. I found happiness in the small things that I took for granted. I volunteered to help people whenever I could. I contacted other family members I avoided in the past. I never took more than one sleeping pill, and the suicidal thoughts? stayed away. Seeing your name on a headstone changes you. I became obsessed with the game Animal Crossing. An orange cat in the game named Tangy always made me laugh. I even took a job

delivering food and Spooky came with me despite it being against the rules. Yes, I named the cat spooky. The name fit, maybe even too well. I always wore my mask and stayed socially distant and I slowly got better. Delivering food was hectic due to COVID, and the restaurant I worked at closed for good, so there was no going back there. The driving strained my old car, and the contactless deliveries kept me isolated, except for spooky, by my side. The calls kept coming, and a few workers called out after coming in contact with a COVID-positive person. I did everything, including answering the phone, online deliveries, and the drop-offs.

I received one online message that said the delivery was urgent. Somebody needed a pizza immediately. Nobody needed pizza that badly. But the promise of a big tip made me rush. When I knocked on the door, I heard a scream. I knocked again, and a male's voice yelled out. Leave it. We wanted a contactless delivery.

I put it down, then heard, help. Help! I hesitated, then tried the doorknob. It was locked. I put my mask on and went to a side door, and it was unlocked. I got out my knife, and inside saw a man wrestling with a woman. Get away from her. Who are you?

He yelled at me. The pizza delivery driver. Leave the pizza and get out. I pointed my knife at him while I held out my phone with the other hand. I hoped he didn't have a gun. I'm calling 911. He looked at the knife and shook his head. He was thinking of charging me.

I glared at him, and he dropped the woman and marched out the front door. I made sure he didn't take my car and saw Spooky looking out the front window. The man kept going down the street. The woman cried as I ran around, locking the doors. She put on a mask and hugged me as I backed away. You ordered the pizza to get help. Yes. He let me do that.

I hoped somebody would come that could help me. That was smart. We waited for the police in awkward silence until she started pacing around the room. I'm finished with men, she said. You better press charges on that one. Do you have a boyfriend? No, I have a cat. I sounded proud of it.

You don't go out with men. I didn't want to have this conversation now. No, maybe. I'm not sure who or what I like. I'm Amber, she said. Molly. You're a hero. No, I'm not.

I'm no hero. I stayed with her until the police came. I hoped they didn't remember me from the missing bones call, but they eyed me suspiciously. After I gave a statement, I got out of there, but not before Amber pried my phone number out of me. I never expected to hear from her again. But she called again and again.

I hated it at first, but then something happened, and I worried when she stopped calling me. I started calling her. I didn't have friends. I didn't want any, after so many awful school experiences and afterward, both by boys and girls. But Amber grew on me. On a rainy night, I told her my ghost experience. I risked our friendship. She might think I'm crazy. She might never call me again, but something unexpected happened.

We became better, friends. Friends were a giant leap for me since I was broken inside. The repairs would take a long time. Everything I did seemed to end up in some kind of drama. I rented a drone and headed to the woods, far away from the Cooper Evans house in another state. I needed to take more pictures to sell. Delivering pizza wasn't enough to pay my rent, another bill.

I guided the drone toward three fox kits. There was no sign of the mother. I snapped many photos and then directed it back toward me until I saw someone looking up at the drone. Flying a drone in a national park was illegal. A roar made me pause, and on the drone's video, I saw a bear crash into the ranger. They tumbled to the ground. Help! The ranger called out.

I dropped the controller and ran toward him with my bear spray out. I ran straight into the area. The bear stopped and stepped toward me. Its shadow covered me in darkness, and I froze. The ranger moaned, and the bear turned back toward the ranger. Stop! Come after me instead! The bear turned, and I sprayed at his eyes. He tried to swat it away, but the spray covered its face.

Roared and wandered away. I hurried to the ranger, then grabbed the radio, Help! I read his name tag. Ranger Mike was attacked by a bear and needs medical help. I knew they would follow the GPS signal. The Ranger grabbed my wrist. You're the drone pilot. I need to write you a citation. His voice trailed off.

What's your name? Molly. What? I lowered my mask. Molly. I'm... I'm Mike. He closed his eyes.

The silence of the woods made me shiver. The bear could come back. A pain in my chest intensified. They fought back a panic attack, then wiped the blood off his face. He opened his eyes. You're still here. I wouldn't leave you alone. Thank you.

Two men arrived with medical bags. They wore masks, and I pulled mine back on to protect me from the virus and hide my face. One called for a helicopter while they frantically worked on the ranger. I faded into the woods unnoticed and threw up under a pine tree. When I drove away, I saw a dead fox. It could be the mother. The three fox kits would spend the night alone. I knew they would be terrified.

I knew I would be too. I spent the night wondering about the ranger and the fox kits and worried about how I could go forward. without a drone. My only escape was Animal Crossing. I fell asleep with the game by my head and often woke up by two wolves, an angry squirrel or the sassy tangy wandering through my make-believe island. I jumped up and turned the game off. The fox kits might be out there alone. I gathered the courage to go back to the woods, found the fox kits, and put them in a crate. I tried to scratch me and succeeded a few times before I corralled them into the crate. I avoided the spot where the bear attack occurred.

I couldn't face the scene or any police investigating the attack. I kept my eyes open. The bear could still be nearby, and it might remember me. The Wildlife Center took the fox kits, and I petted each one goodbye. I read online that the Ranger would survive without serious injury. He stated that he wanted to find a drone pilot named Molly who saved his life. He promised he wouldn't give her a citation. I knew he would still be here on my way back.

Would he give me a ticket? I might call the hospital and find out. Maybe even do a virtual visit. I smiled for a second. Either way, I now needed to pay for the rental drone. The bills and trouble kept coming. I might have another friend now, but the cost was hurting me. Was it worth it?

Maybe. In any case, the house still haunted me. And then I got a call, my drone was fixed. When I got the drone back, there was only one picture on the camera. A white deer stood in an open field. I couldn't retrieve any other photos. Through research, I discovered that the house was built on burial ground for the Lenape Indians. I couldn't find any details.

The location was vague, and my research was hampered by COVID. Everything was closed, and I feared walking in the woods because the possible. of something happening. I was a magnet for trouble, whether it was a bear or ghosts. I visited my mother and father's gravesite during a cold rain and saw a shadow in the distance. Could the man at the house follow me? If I saw a raccoon, I might run screaming into the office. I started to think I needed to see a therapist. But how could I tell them about the house? They would put me away. I got the strength to follow the shadow into the mausoleum and saw it turn a corner. Chills ran down my spine, but I kept going until the shadow ended up disappearing into a small chapel. I saw electric candles

there, then put some dollars in and lit too for my parents. When I walked out, I looked back and they were both off. The wind blew through my hair, and I stumbled through the graves trying to get back to my car. The rain intensified. and I took out my phone and called Amber. I tripped over a marker and hit my head, saw yellow eyes in the darkness. I heard my name and looked down. My name was on a headstone. It was the same house, and the man pointed at the creek again.

I couldn't move. He called out. The yellow eyes penetrated my soul, and a cat screeched. I crawled until I reached the creek. In the water was a blue ribbon. I grasped it and collapsed in the water. A hand grabbed my shoulder and pulled me up. Molly.

My vision was distorted. My eyes stung and water dripped off me. I coughed up water for a long time. Amber, I mumbled. Are you okay? No. Yes. I looked in my hand and saw it was empty.

Let's get you to the hospital. No, home. I was afraid they would lock me up. Please, no. I grabbed Amber's hand so hard, her skin turned white. Okay, but I'm staying with you. We left my car and called the office. We would get it soon.

Amber helped me get washed up, gave me clean clothes, covered me with blankets, and gave me a warm cup of hot chocolate. It. They told her what happened. After a debate, I agreed to call the Ranger and told him about the blue ribbon. He agreed to look into it since I saved him from the bear. I closed my eyes and fell asleep. I felt safe with Amber.

It was something I never knew before. The Ranger called back and he convinced the local police to search the creek. They found a blue ribbon and believed it belonged to a missing girl. Her name was Melody, but she was never found. They hoped the blue ribbon would help find her. I cried. Another sad thing that haunted me. I got spooky and stayed with Amber for a few days, except for work.

They shivered at shadows and jumped at unknown sounds, but I was tough and would not let it stop me. The Ranger checked up on me a few times and promised to visit. It seemed like many bad things happened to me, but I found a close friend, another friend who may get closer, and a cat named Spooky. It's a pretty good trade. Yet, sometimes, a nagging thought works its way into my subconscious, that maybe I imagine the whole thing and that I'm losing my mind. Whenever that happens, I find Spooky the cat, and I know that she is very real. Despite her sometimes getting angry at me for petting her too much, she forces me to face reality. I avoided that road and refused to tell anyone about that day and night except for Amber.

I'm not sure if I could ever tell the ranger about the house and how it haunted me. He may think I'm crazy. I can't let that happen. I can't let people know what happened. Only Amber, I framed the picture of the white deer and wondered if it somehow saved me. Or maybe the cat did. I didn't know. But I think I could have died.

So when people say goodbye to 2020, I will join in for a special reason. I will be happy to be alive in 2021. You can refuse to believe this story, and that's okay. The only proof I have is a cat that became attached to me for some unknown reason. But spooky isn't speaking. I won't tell anyone about the location. If something happened to them, I could never forgive myself.

If you look for the house and see an army of cats, or a raccoon rubbing his hands together, or a man at the door pointing in the distance, please stay away. I beg you. You never want to see your name on a headstone. You will never be able to forget it. Believe me, I know. What haunts me now is that I recently heard about plans to to restore the house, and that's why I'm still afraid.

For your bonus episode, Creepy Presents, I wasn't always claustrophobic, written by polterkites, narrated and produced by Steve Blizzin. The entrance was big enough to crawl through. Crouched down in the dried up riverbed, my older brother Kai peered inside. I watched from up on the riverbank edge as he reached into his saddlebag, pulled out a flashlight, and beamed the light into the cave. This was our yearly tradition. Find an unexplored cave and explore it. Not the safest hobby, but it worked for us. I just enjoyed spending time with Kai. He's the kind of guy you turn to when life turns to shit.

Calm, measured, focused. He cared about people, no matter the risk. Finally, Kai looked up at me and grinned. He raised his arm and gave me a smooth thumbs up. I nodded and made my way down the riverbank. It was steeper than it looked. The sun moved behind the mountain summit and shadow crept over us. It was quiet out here in the LaSalle Mountains of Utah.

Quiet and peaceful. Like the first day of summer, back with... My foot slipped. I tumbled backwards and slammed against the hard-packed dirt. Before I knew what happened, Kai stepped over to me and extended his hand. You okay, he said, looking down with concern. Yeah, I took his hand and he pulled me up. Dust plumes rose up from behind.

"'It's about fifty feet to the chamber,' said Kai, turning back towards the cave entrance. "'Chamber?' "'Yep.' He pulled out his red-orange hard hat from the saddlebag and put it on. I did the same. This was going to be a crawler, stomach flat against the ground while ceiling scraped against your back,

like army crawling, under an endless sagging bed. Kai went in and I followed. Back then this was like meditation. Focus on moving forward one pole at a time. Don't think about the rock above. Don't think about the fact that you might get stuck. Just breathe. Breathe and move forward.

We reached the chamber after about 20 laborious minutes. Holy fuck. Kai's voice echoed. like a gymnasium. I pushed up from the tunnel and took it all in. Holy fuck was right. The chamber was big enough to fit a 737 inside, twisting pillars of rock and stalactites up to five feet long.

We didn't say anything. We just looked at each other and that was enough. This was incredible. We spent a good three hours exploring every little nook and crowsy. of the chamber. No more tunnels. We should head back, I said, turning for the exit. Kai shrugged and followed after.

I reached the tunnel, hunched down, and... Wait! said Kai. I look back over my shoulder. His back was turned to me. He looked off into the chamber, the flashlight on his helmet cutting through pitch dark. What? I asked.

No response. I pushed up to my feet and walked over. When I reached his side, I finally saw what he saw. Tucked behind a fallen boulder, another passage, even smaller than the main entrance. Kai stepped over and squat down. The light from his helmet beamed inside. Ear-dripper, he said.

The word hit me like a bad smell. Ear-dripper was a loving nickname for water-filled tunnels. Imagine crawling through a storm drain with mere inches of breathing space. We call them ear-drippers because your ears get filled with stagnant cave water when you turn your head to avoid getting a mouthful of stagnant cave water. Let's come back with water gear, I said. Kai flicked his hand, swatting my eyes. idea down.

About 60 feet away, he said. There's another chamber. He looked back up at me, that familiar grin on his face and that familiar spark in his eyes, like Indiana Jones hunting treasure. What if it rains, I said. Forecast is dry for weeks, he said, turning back to the passage and crawling forward. I shook my head and followed after. When Kai's not worried, I'm not worried. I'd follow Kai if he went to hell.

Back when we were kids, one of the balry boys pushed me into a rushing torrent. My head smashed against a rock and I blacked out. When I woke up five minutes later, I was on the shoreline and Kai was pumping my chest. He jumped in after me and pulled me out. When I asked him why he'd risked his life, he shrugged, shaking his head as if to say, beats me. That was Kai, summed up. I could handle tight spaces.

Water, on the other hand, not so much. I always felt like something was hiding underneath the surface, waiting for me, like some ancient evil lurk there since time began, waiting for me to crawl by, just so he could finally clamp down his rotting teeth on my screaming jugular. Perhaps watching the descent, while high on acid, wasn't the wisest decision. Regardless, I crawled after him, turning my head. I sealed my mouth shut as lukewarm cave water lapped up against my face, like slithering tongues.

My helmet scraped against the pock-mark limestone as murky water rippled below. It was only about five to six inches of space between the water and the sea. ceiling here. We crept forward, bit by bit, both of us twisting and pulling through the even smaller tunnel. Sixty feet away, I said bitterly. Twenty minutes had gone by with no chamber in sight. Give or take, said Kai, chipper as ever. I sighed and squeezed through another slippery crevice.

Wait, said Kai, holding still. I stopped moving. What? He looked back at me with questions in his face, my light reflecting in his eyes. Silence. What? I said.

He pulled something out of the water, slimy and dripping. The object in his hand was about the size of a shoe. "'I think it's a shoe,' he said, pressing his upper back against the rock wall and twisting to the side. He yanked his free arm up from the water and clawed the muck away from the object. A tedious process. Sure enough, it was a shoe, an old-timey leather work boot. We sat there in silence for about five seconds until—

"'Hah!' said Kai, unceremoniously dropping the shoe. shoe back into the water and pressing onward. Wait, I said, not moving. It's a shoe, he said, not looking back. Yes, but maybe the first time somebody lost a shoe, he said, pulling through another crevice. I shook my head and followed after. When Kai's not worried, I'm not worried. Five minutes of laborious crawling went by until,

"'Fuck!' said Kai. "'This time I saw what he saw. "'A dead end. "'Sort of. "'A wall of limestone cut down into the water. "'Carved into the wall was a hole "'about the size of a dinner plate. "'Through the hole, on the other side,

"'was more tunnel. "'I think it runs through,' said Kai, "'shutting his eyes, "'taking a deep breath, "'placing his hands flat against the, the ceiling and wait i called out he slept beneath the water fuck now it was only me and the sound of bubbling murk ten long seconds went by until finally he came up on the other side i exhaled relief it's not bad said kai grinning wide and squinting as my light shone into his bloodshot eyes

I looked at him, uncertainty filling my face. It's okay, man, he said. Take your time. He looked back over his shoulder. I think we're almost there. For real now. I breathed in slow, exhaled, breathed out again, shut my eyes, and... Wait!

said Kai. His voice sounded different, worried. I look back through the whole. hole. All I could see was the back of Kai's head, wet and dirt-stained, my light catching the scuff marks on his red orange hard hat. What's up? I said. Are you okay? said, Kai. But he wasn't talking to me. He was talking to somebody else, and he sounded scared. Only once in my life did

I ever hear Kai sound like that. Back in our childhood, mom was in a bad car accident. I sat at the kitchen table mid-homework while Kai talked to the hospital over the phone. Is she hurt? asked Kai. I never forgot the way his voice shook. And now, for the first time in 16 years, I heard it again. "'Kai, what's going on?' I said. A long silence followed. "'Up ahead.' He spoke in hushed tones. "'Somebody's here.'

My stomach churned like knots. Silence. Nothing but the drip, drip, drip of water. Are you okay? Kai asked again. Another long silence. And then... Help!

A voice from the darkness replied, small and weak. Please help me. They sounded on the verge of tears. But underneath the sadness something else lurked. A building tone of anticipation. almost excitement like they were about to pull a joke on us a horrific unspeakable joke i whispered are you hurt kai asked the stranger more silence followed no said the voice calmer now i couldn't think i could barely breathe kai let's go i hissed looking back over my shoulder nothing but wet darkness like a mangled throat we'd gone farther than i thought the tunnel stretched on forever

when i turned back kai was gone kai silence fuck i took in a slow deep breath a deep rumble echoed from behind. Thunder. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I peered out through the hole

into the dark ahead. Kai! I said, louder now. The water was rising. Rainstorm. Ka!

I yelled. Still, nothing. I screamed his name until my throat bled. Nothing replied. But the sound of rising water. The metallic taste of blood on my tongue, I took another deep breath, shut my eyes, and...

I stopped. If I went ahead, if I tried to save him, I'd never leave the cave. I knew it. Deep down, I knew it. At least that's what I tell myself to justify leaving him behind. It took me two hours of crawling, gasping for breath, and pulling myself through biting cold to finally escape.

When I scrambled out of the cave, it was night. Rushing Torin poured down through the once-dry riverbed. The thunder stopped, but the rain didn't. A vicious downpour like anything I'd ever seen. Staggering my way back down the mountain, I finally reached Kai's four-wheeled Jeep. No cell phones back then, so I drove. pedal to the floor all the way to the nearest gas station.

I screeched to a stop in the parking lot and leapt out. Key still in the ignition. Engine's still running. I burst through the gas station front door so loud the clerk went for his gun behind the counter. Phone! I weezed, hands on knees, dripping black mud onto the white plastic floors.

The clerk studied me, hands still reaching for the gun. Phone! I screamed. My eyes filled with dread. Finally, he understood. He went back, grabbed the wired telephone, and handed it to me. I called the park ranger and told her where my brother went missing.

She told me a team was en route. Told me to stay warm. Stay safe. I dropped the phone and wandered back outside. I staggered through the parking lot and climbed back into my brother's Jeep. Engine still running, driver's side door still open. I sat there until the rain finally stopped, until the sun finally crept up over the western mountains,

until the fuel tank emptied, and the morning sparrows started singing. They never found Kai's body. Fifteen years later, and I still haven't told anyone about the voice from the darkness. not even my wife. I know that's bad. I know I shouldn't keep secrets, but I'm not ready yet.

Maybe in a few years. Needless to say, I don't go caving anymore. I've got trouble with basements now, too, and elevators. I keep thinking about Kai's last words. Are you hurt? Kai was everything to me. Back when we were kids, after Mom passed in that car accident, Kai became father, mother, brother, friend,

all in that one person. I don't know what that was down in the caves. I don't want to know. It's weird, but sometimes I get a feeling like I'll run into them again. That stranger from the caves. sometimes i wake up and i can't go back to sleep sometimes it feels like the voice is about to call out any second now waiting in the dark waiting to pull me away into nothing of course it never happens but the feeling never goes away like any minute now they'll show up that small voice calling out from the night waiting To pull me into nothing, I don't think I'm ready yet.

Maybe in a few years. Maybe never. But despite it all, I do know one thing. When the day finally comes, when the stranger from the caves finally returns, I'll ask if they're okay. told on this podcast, please visit creepypod.com. If you'd like to submit a story for consideration or recommend a story, please see our submission page at creepypod.com slash submissions.

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