Creepy - The Torn Man & If You Live in My Town

Episode Date: May 21, 2026

The Torn Man***Written by: Jason Duck and Narrated by: Nate DuFort***If You Live in My Home Town, You Will Never See Your Grandchildren Grow Up***Written by: Gerden Ibrahim***Support the show at patreon.com/creepypod***Sound design by: Pacific Obadiah***Title music by: Alex Aldea Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No. This is creepy. A podcast dedicated to sharing the most famous chilling and disturbing creepypastas and urban legends in the world. Whether these stories truly happened or are simply fabrications is for you to decide. These stories may contain graphic depictions of violence. and explicit language. Listener discretion is advised. Happy hump day, everyone,

and all that saying implies. Halfway through the week and that much closer to the weekend. Not that it's something I think that much about these days. I've really been digging being at the station. It's starting to feel more and more like home. And honestly, for all the complaining

I used to do about being alone, I think it's more that the introverts of me was just isolating myself too much. The people who work here are really funny. I mean, I'm not sure if they're trying to be, but... The other day, the receptionist Carol was talking about how lately she feels like someone is watching her while she sleeps. Oh, man, that Carol, always something with her.

Uh, anyway, I gotta go have a chat with HR in a minute over some stuff that I don't think is that interesting to you all. So let's get right into the stories. First up, from writer Jason Duck and narrated by Nate Dufort. Creepy Presents, The Torn Man. Dan Robertson looked up at the high brick walls of the Castle Ridge Hotel. His battered red fiesta crossed over the wooden drawbridge that spanned the moat and drove under the Port Cullis, its sharp points promising death.

His blue eyes scanned the Gothic structure with his imposing columns, high arches and stained-glass windows. He parked his vehicle in the car park before strolling through the main entrance. By next week, the Castle Ridge Hotel would be closed for the winter. Presently, though, the hotel's foyer was filled with people going about their business. The interior was what you'd expect in a building of this kind, knights in armor standing silently to attention, clasping swords and pikes and steel gauntlets, swords, shields, flags, and tapestries depicting scenes long since past, adorning its stone walls and high ceilings. He made his way to the manager's office, weaving through the throng of holidaymakers who were snatching the last days of summer.

Already, Dan noticed there was a chill in the air, and the days were getting shorter and shadows longer. Dan was a lifeguard at the hotel, but since he'd been thrown out of the apartment by his girlfriend, Linda. He didn't have a place to stay. So what if he was having an affair? Big deal. He hoped he'd found a solution to his situation. He reached the manager's office and knocked on the thick oak door. Dan vaguely remembered being told this was originally a door in one of Henry VIII's palaces, but couldn't remember which one. Didn't care anyway. A gruff voice came from the other side of the pockmarked door ordering Dan to enter. Dan opened the door and stepped into the manager's office.

Mr. Torrance, the manager, sat behind a large oak desk. He was in his mid-50s and wore little reading glasses that sat at the end of his long nose. He pointed to one of the two Louis XIII chairs that faced him. Dan sat in one. So, you want to stay here over the winter to look after this place, Mr. Torrance said. Dark eyes peering over his glasses at Dan as if he were in. insect? Yes, that's right, sir, Dan answered, shifting uncomfortably under the manager's glare. You know, I don't like you very much, Mr. Torrance said. You're too work-shy and don't get on with authority.

The statement hung in the air like a bad smell. Dan stayed silent, a false smile, plastered across his handsome features. But sadly, no one else has come forward due to the incidents we've had over the years. Dan nodded. He didn't care about the weird happenings that occurred during the winter months, disturbances such as windows being left open, loud knocking on doors and mysterious singing echoing through the halls. He just needed a place to stay. Since Mr. Campbell, the caretaker, disappeared last winter,

there's been no other people willing to stay here over the winter months, apart from you. I know this will suit you well, Mr. Robertson. Nothing to do all day but sit around and do the air. occasional bit of work for a generous wage. Dan said nothing and continued with his fake smile. At last the week was up, and Dan entered Castle Ridge with a rucksack across his broad back and a smile on his face. The sun was hanging low in a late September sky, its rays already weakened by the season. Soon, there would be no warmth from it as the winter months took hold and the coldness rained like a vengeful conqueror. All the guests had departed, and a few members of staff were milling around,

saying their last farewells, as Dan strolled into the foyer, ignoring them as he passed by. He ascended the main staircase, taking two steps at a time. As he was the only guest for the next five months, he could choose any of the 101 rooms to sleep in. He chose the James I royal rooms, where the famed English and Scottish monarch once stayed. Dan threw his rucksack upon the king-size's four-poster bed and explored the luxurious rooms. The rooms consisted of the main bedroom that was bigger than his old entire apartment. This led into an en suite bathroom with a huge Victorian bath and rainforest shower. There were living quarters with a dining room table that could seat four.

A wide bay window overlooked the magnificent gardens, allowing the dying sunlight through. A massive flat-screen TV hung on the wood-paneled wall in front of a plush sofa, two armchairs, and a glass coffee table. Dan nodded in satisfaction as he took in all the luxurious surroundings. I can live with this, he thought happily. Dan walked down the main Jacobian staircase, pausing to look out through the lead-lined window to catch a glimpse of the last of the members of staff to leave. He stood watching like a ghost as they walked across the gravel drive, their footfalls floating upon the slightly chilled early evening breeze.

He stood and watched as the last of the cars left, and his two-toned red fiesta was the only one that sat quietly in the barren car park. Dan continued down the stairs and headed to the kitchen to make himself something to eat. When he reached the kitchen, he found that the head chef had made him a meal already, fried cod, thick-cut chips, and peas. A quick reheating in the industrial microwave, and it was good to go. Dan promptly threw it in the bin. No fried food for him.

Dan had made sure they'd stocked up on plenty of chicken, meat, and fish to keep his protein levels up, to maintain his muscular physique that all the girls loved, and some of the men, too, he thought with a wry smile. It wasn't his fault that he was so irresistible. He sat up at one of the kitchen work surfaces and ate a meal he made from scratch, grilled sirloin steak, medium rare, with broccoli, washed down with bottled mineral water. His duties were fairly mundane. Do a few odd jobs and repairs and keep all the rooms clean and air them regularly. There'd be plenty of time to think and be able to use the hotel's facilities, such as the gym and swimming pool. Although Dan was sociable, since COVID, he found himself enjoying being alone more.

He looked at his phone. No signal. The hotel was situated in the craggy highlands of Scotland. These parts hardly had any mobile signal due to the environment and lack of phone masts. In the winter months, the hotel could be cut off completely by snow, so one had to be prepared. prepared for anything in these hostile parts. After dinner, he walked through the many corridors and community areas, such as the huge dining room, the many tables and chairs hidden under crisp white dust covers. Their shapes stood like silent specters as Dan walked past, his heavy footfalls echoing around the vast expanse.

The French windows that looked upon the gardens showed the sun had set and the long shadows began to extinguish the last of the daylight. Soon it would be night. As the dimness turned to full darkness, Dan got out his torch, switching it on. He was told to minimize using the lights to save on electricity. He would have ignored that order, but Mr. Torrance gleefully told him that if the energy bill went over more than 5% than it should do during the winter months, the difference would come out of his own wages.

And after his walk, Dan returned to his room, and watched some TV before retiring to bed. Dan was shocked awake. He checked his watch, the glowing numerals informing him that it was 3 a.m. The witching hour. Lying there, cold sweat coating his bare upper body and soaking the blankets of the king-sized bed, Dan tried to think what had awoken him. He couldn't recall.

He saw the crimson curtains that enclosed the four-poster bed, cutting him off from the rest of the room, move slightly, and Dan's heart froze. His fertile imagination made him think of long, dirty fingernails scratching at the velvet curtains as an unseen beast tried to find an opening. Dan slowly reached out, pulling the curtain back. Silvery light from a full moon shone through the lead-lined windows of the bedroom, showing there was nothing there. Dan let out a shaky breath and brought a trembling hand to his sweat-coated forehead.

He let out a relieved laugh. A thunderous banging on the thick wooden outer door sounded around the bedroom as loud as shotgun blasts. Dan let out a startled cry. The banging on the door suddenly stopped, as quickly as it began. Dan felt his heart beating within his muscular chest like a jackhammer, and he fought the urge to hide beneath the bedclothes. down slowly climbed out of bed and walked to the now silent door. With a shaking hand, he grasped the bronze handle and pulled the door open. Dan looked into an empty hallway. There was nothing

there but darkness. In puzzlement, Dan closed the door, ensuring it was locked. As he turned to go back to bed, voices sprang out of the darkness, causing Dan to cry out once more. The voices were coming from the living room. On legs that felt like they weren't his own, Dan walked into the living room and found the TV was now on. Dan reached for the controls that sat on the coffee table and switched it off.

He stood in the darkness, wondering how the TV had switched itself on. Must have been pre-programmed to do that, he mused. He'd sorted out in the morning. He went back to bed. There were no other disturbances that night. Dan awoke the next day and checked the TV to find there was no pre-programmed alarm that he could find. He couldn't understand what had happened.

He did some tasks around the hotel but mainly watched TV and used the leisure faculties. His nights were undisturbed for over a month when once more he was woken, though this time by gentle singing. At first, Dan thought he was dreaming, but within the womb of his curtained. in bed, he could still hear the sweet singing, as if it had followed him from his dreams. Dan checked his watch, 3 a.m. He sat there and listened intently. It was indeed singing, and the voice sounded young and female. As if enchanted, Dan pulled back the heavy curtains and climbed out of bed. There was a chill in the air as the mid-November air blew in through the open bedroom windows. Dan hadn't recalled he'd open them before going to bed that night.

He followed the singing into the living room and discovered both living room windows that overlooked the gardens were wide open. The curtains pulled back and gently blowing inwards. He definitely hadn't opened these windows. They'd been closed and locked. The curtains drawn. He would have sworn by it. The singing sounded like it was coming from the gardens. Dan approached the and looked out. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw a nimble, pale figure dancing along the path that ran between the hedgerows and flower beds. Dan rubbed his eyes and looked out again, but the figure remained. The singing continued, but he couldn't quite make out the words. They didn't sound like English, maybe a foreign or an ancient tongue, he thought. As Dan looked down into the gardens,

he could see the figure was of a young woman. Her supple naked body was bathed in pale moonlight. As the figure sang and danced, Dan felt himself grow hard within his pajama bottoms. The figure stopped singing and looked up. Dan saw the young female smile and beckon him down with a slim pale hand. She then continued singing and dancing. Dan rushed across the living room and into the bedroom,

his breathing coming in short bursts as his excitement mounted. Dan opened the front door and stared into a face of nightmares. The face twisted and bloody opened its mouth and screamed. Dan turned away from the grizzly specter. His lust depleted. Dan felt himself falling as he tried to move away from the approaching ghoul. Then darkness greeted him. Dan awoke, eyes snapping open,

and found himself lying on the bedroom floor with pale sunlight streaming through the closed bedroom windows. I must have fainted, Dan mumbled under his breath, as he slowly got to his feet and staggered into the living room. The windows overlooking the gardens were also closed, and the curtains drawn. Dan walked over to the windows and, pulling the curtains back, gazed out. The gardens were empty. No singing nymph dancing naked among the flowers and hedgerows. Dan shook his head. He must be losing it.

But the image of the girl and the horrendous figure of a man with a blood-washed face still lingered in his brain. He promised himself he'd lay off the brie and crackers for a while. Another two weeks dragged on. In this hotel, time seemed to go much slower than in the outside world. A day here could be two or three back home. He'd been thinking of Linda recently in the apartment that's. they'd shared. He was missing her. Maybe when this was all over he'd try to patch things up, but in his heart he knew he'd never be faithful. There were too many temptations in the world.

He'd fallen asleep quickly as he had done a heavy workout in the gym before taking a hot shower and going to bed. He was awakened again by low singing, his watch confirming it was the witching hour once more. Dan felt his heart beating faster as he was a lot of He remembered the figure dancing in the gardens, her nymph-like body pale in the moonlight. Quickly, Dan climbed out of bed. The windows were once again wide open, the curtains blowing inwards by the winter breeze. Dan grabbed his torch before walking towards the bedroom door that led out to the corridor. He hesitated for a brief moment as the image of that hideous face appeared once more in his mind's eye

before it was pushed out by the image of the mysterious girl. He switched on the torch and opened the door to reveal an empty corridor. Cautiously, Dan walked down the darkened corridor towards the staircase. The singing seemed to be coming from downstairs, the beautiful voice echoing around the cold stone walls of the deserted castle, excitement overriding any fears he may have propelled Dan onwards. He got to the bottom of the stairs and walked past the row of knights who stood like sighted. Silent Sentinels watching him go by. Dan's breathing quickened as he entered the huge dining room

and saw the girl standing at the far end. Her hair, the color of autumn, swirled around her as she danced gaily in the cavernous dining room. You shouldn't be in here, he half-heartedly said, as he stared at the young girl, lust dancing in his eyes. Dan guessed it was a student who needed somewhere to live for a while and a closed hotel was ideal. Either side of him stood the tables and chairs, shrouded by starch white sheets.

Dan was so enthralled by the girl before him that he failed to see the sheets begin to move. Dan's vision changed from the faraway pale figure to a storm of white as the sheets shot off the furniture as if propelled by invisible hands smothering him. Dan's excitement turned to panic as he battled against the material, trying to slip the sheets like a swimmer trying to escape riptides. Dan's head broke free from the sheets, crying out as he gasped for air. The sheets seemed to be tightening around his body, and he found himself falling to the floor. He rolled around, bumping into tables and chairs as he tried to escape the sheets.

Kicking and screaming, he managed to escape and run out of the dining hall into the foyer. He had lost his torch, but blind panic drove him on. He ran past the suits of armor, and as he reached the stairs, the last suit of armor fell upon him. Dan screamed as he felt the heavy suit of armor, fall against his naked back, causing him to fall upon the stairs. With pure fear, ripping at his pounding heart, Dan turned and pushed the night away. The clang of armor rang out in the foyer like a death knell, and Dan swore he felt a presence in the suit of armor, as if someone or something was within. Dan scrambled to his feet, gripping the banister, but to his horror he felt a gauntlet-clad hand grip his ankle.

Dan screamed in the darkness as he kicked the hand loose and ran up the stairs. He blindly ran along the corridor, bumping into walls and side tables, as he desperately tried to get back to his room. The corridor seemed to be getting longer as he raced along it, the sound of clanking armor ringing out behind him as if the suit of armor was pursuing him up the stairs. Dan let out a little cry of relief as he finally reached his room. He rushed in, slamming the door behind him, locking it. He leaned against the heavy door, eyes closed, his breathing coming in quick gasps. He strained his ears, trying to hear any sound on the other side of the thick wooden door. He couldn't hear anything.

Then the door shook as if an army were trying to batter the door in. Dan cried out, pushing his body up against the door. the wood as it shook in its frame. Then the banging stopped, and silence reigned once more. Dan tried to control his breathing as his heart hammered in his chest, in cold sweat ran down his back. Then out of the darkness, Dan heard another sound. It was coming from the bathroom, a dripping noise,

as if tiny drops of water were falling to the floor. Dan peeled himself off of the door and staggered to the unsweet, bathroom. The sound of dripping was louder here. With a shaky hand, he reached for the light cord that dangled in the darkness, like a hangman's noose, and pulled. No light came flooding into the room. Darkness remained. Dan cursed and moved further into the bathroom toward the sound. His eyes were adjusting to the darkness and he could see a little. The shower curtain was drawn so Dan couldn't see within. With trepidation, he held his breath and pulled the curtain aside to reveal an empty bath. Dan let out a shaky breath and

almost laughed. Then the light came on and flickered. In the harsh strobe light, Dan felt a presence in the room. A smell reached his nostrils, a mixture of copper and off meat. Dan didn't want to look but he was compelled to. Stiffly, he turned to face the mirror. That hideous face was staring out at him from the mirror. Dan felt the front of his pajamas go wet, a scream locked in his tight throat. The face smiled, revealing blood-stained teeth. Flesh from its cheeks hung in ribbons as if talon-like nails had ripped it from the bone. The whiteness of its jawbone shone through the gore and rotten flesh of the apparition. The face's left eye lay on one bloody cheek by its optic nerve. Dan couldn't move his eyes from the hideous face.

The apparition was dressed in navy blue overalls, the denim ripped and bloody, like the material had been torn apart by a wild animal. The apparition reached out with crimson hands, dripping blood upon the floor. It screamed a most unnatural sound, mouth twisted and fury. Its tattie arms reaching out of the mirror towards Dan, its hideous torn face and body, following close behind. Dan managed to move his fear-wracked body and back away from the horror, releasing his scream that resonated around the bathroom. Dan felt a blow to the back of his legs as they struck the bathtub. The force caused Dan to fall back into the bath, legs going up into the air

as his head smashed into the tiled wall. The next thing Dan was aware of was lying in the bath, legs dangling over the tub dazed and confused. Daylight from the bedroom windows streamed into the bathroom. As the horrors of the night before came flooding back, Dan looked up at the mirror, no hideous apparition grinning back in him. Dan slowly got out of the bathtub, a brutal headache pounding in the back of his skull. He touched the back of his head and felt the stickiness of congealed blood, wincing slightly at the touch.

He had to leave. Getting out of the bathroom as quickly as he could, he threw some clothes on, grabbed his car keys and raced into the corridor. Running down the stairs, there were no sounds apart from the hasty footfalls that were his own. He vaulted over the suit of armor that lay at the foot of the stairs and raced outside. The pale sun hung in the slate gray sky, and as Dan got to the safety of his car, he began to slow and then stop. In the cold light of day, Dan started to doubt himself.

Was it real? Dan began to think of where he would go. He couldn't go back to Linda's, and he wouldn't get the full payment for Mr. Torrance for taking care of the place. What would he tell them, that he'd been spooked by a ghost? He'd never live that one down. For a moment, Dan stood by his car, weighing up the pros and cons of staying or going. In the end, he decided to stay.

And with his head hung low, he slowly walked back to the hotel. Another six weeks had passed, and no more incidents. As the days and weeks dragged on, Dan convinced himself it was all a product of an overdeveloped imagination or present worries manifesting themselves into phantoms. He'd read somewhere that long-term loneliness can have a negative impact on the mind. He was in the gym tonight. The weather forecast on the TV had said there was, was a violent storm approaching, and they weren't wrong. Even in here, Dan could hear the

driving rain lashing at the walls like an invading army and thunder rolling across the blackened heavens like drums of war. He slammed his fist down on top the stop button of the treadmill, the belt coming to a halt. Yeah, Dan yelled, his voice echoing around the gym. He was pleased with himself for beating his own record. He jumped off the machine and toweled himself. down. As he was catching his breath, taking a swig from a water bottle, he heard gentle singing. He followed the sweet music, the tone almost magical. It reminded him of a bedtime story as mum used to read to him when he was little of a man dressed in colorful rags, tempting the village's children away from their loving parents using his magical flute. The singing seemed to be coming

from the indoor swimming pool. Dan scrolled through the door that led to the pool. The 50-meter pool lay out in front of him. Low lights from the pool and the ceiling cast the surroundings and shadows. One wall of the pool area was glass, and through it Dan could see the violent storm raging outside. The pool area was empty. The singing stopped. Then the lights went out. A bolt of lightning cut through the blackened skies like a knife slash.

And in that ghostly light, Dan saw the young woman once more. more. She stood naked by the pool, her lean body deathly pale. The dim lights in the pool and ceiling came back on. As Dan got nearer, he saw her breasts were full and legs long. Light freckles danced across a little button nose and below stunning emerald eyes. To Dan, those eyes seemed to hold an ancient knowledge, but that was impossible as they stared out of a face no older than 20. As Dan looked on, she turned and dived into the pool. Come join me, the girl cooed, hair fanning out like a fiery halo upon the surface of the water. Ignoring his better judgment, Dan stripped naked and dived into the pool.

As he broke the water's surface facing the girl, she wrapped slim arms around his neck. Dan moved in to kiss those waiting full lips. She smiled, eyes burning with a hunger that Dan couldn't quite comprehend. Then, tentacles burst out of her body, coiling around Dan like vipers. Dan stood in terror as her lips peeled back, revealing an unnatural gaping mouth, filled with razor-sharp teeth. A movement by the pool side made Dan turn. He saw the ghastly figure of the torn man.

It shook its head slightly. A single drop of blood trickled down one ripped cheek like a crue. crimson tear. Dan saw in its bloody overalls a name tag. It read, Mr. Campbell, caretaker. Dan looked back at the creature as he was dragged towards that gaping mouth and gnashing teeth and realized how foolish he'd been, not to heed the warnings of the torn man. And next step from writer, Gerdin, Ibrahim, and eroded by... Oh, me. Funny. Creepy presents.

If you live in my hometown, you will never see your grandchildren grow up. I live in a very young town. By young, of course, I don't mean that it's new. No, our people have lived here for generations. Just not altogether. As someone from the outside, it might sound a little odd, and as we are quite an understanding bunch, we get it. It is a strange concept.

No, one that has proven to be quite successful. No, the town itself is not young, but the inhabitants who get to live here are. The ones who get to live in a community of progress, fun, and of course, a little bit of love. Not a single person in this place we call Milton is unemployed. There are opportunities for every individual. Poverty does not exist. There's never a lack of food or drink. Despite the town's small size, we have lively nightlife, wonderful restaurants, and great bars.

Hardly anyone is lonely. We're all peers in some way. No one is better than another. Yes, some jobs might be more powerful than others, but those who hold them are often quite visionary. We retrieve our energy exclusively from renewable resources. Big windmills stand tall in the field surrounding us. Behind the windmills, there isn't much more than a forest that we never cross, as behind it we would find the other place. We call it sector B.

There are two simple laws where we live, and when we abide by them, we're allowed to live a fruitful life in a place that seems to be more advanced than the entire rest of the world, but not accessible to anyone who wasn't born on our ground. The first law is that you only live in sector A until you have children of events. your own. If you reach a certain age, realize that children will not be a part of your future, and decide not to adopt, then you move away. That part is an unspoken rule. Nobody will throw you over the gates. But if you don't add to the community, then you won't find work. And buying a house will be rather difficult as well. It's the social norm. Few leave, but most want to stay. As I said, life here is as close to perfect as it can get.

When you do decide to have or raise a member of the next generation, you only get to do so until they have children of their own or decide to leave town. As I said, the latter seldom occurs, partly because if they leave, they don't get to come back. And we see what the world outside looks like. It's dark and cruel. It's stuck in time in too many ways. Progress is seen as something to be feared, whereas here it's one of our core values.

When you reach that certain age and the time has come for you to see your first grandchild, you're asked to pack your bags and move to sector B. If you happen to have multiple children, you wait for the last one to have a child of their own. The second law is for sectors A and B to never mix. When you leave the first chapter, you're bound to the second. Life in the other sector is just as lovely, only more relaxing. Resources from the young part are shared, and life is therefore made even easier for its residents. It sounds like punishment, but it's a reward.

You work hard to deserve that peace, and even if you have to miss your kin for a while, they'll come and join you when their time has come. Some decide to have many children with large age gaps to ensure that they will spend as much time with them as they can. Others have one when they're very young and hope the time will come soon that they can enjoy in early retirement. I come from a traditional family, or at least I always thought so. Ever since I was a teenager, my parents preached to me how wonderful it is to have children of your own, to see a young soul look up to you and grow up to be its own person. Don't get me wrong, it does sound nice in many ways,

but I never saw myself having children. I feel in many ways I can hardly take care of myself. You should have seen the look on my parents' faces when I found out that I had a girlfriend, a real serious relationship. I tried to hide it for as long as I could because I knew exactly how they'd react, and I was nowhere near ready for that kind of pressure.

Keeping secrets into town this small house, however, is close to impossible. And when they finally heard the news about Fiona and me, they were thrilled. No, possibly not entirely ecstatic, as her parents didn't have the best of reputations. They had six children and were planning to have more as long as they biologically could. You're not marrying the family, only the girl after all. It's fine, my mother said with a fake smile. I rolled my eyes.

Marrying? Geez, Mom, we're just dating. Who knows if it'll even work out? was my response back then. Fiona was great and all, but I was young and planned on not settling down anytime soon. Maybe things wouldn't work out. Maybe I'd date many more people. Back then, I was a little cautious when it came to love.

But the longer we were together, the more I started realizing that Fiona was the one. She was critical of living here. Well, not of where we were, but of where we would be going one day. She couldn't imagine living with all those old people. I mean, we weren't used to any. I told her that we would be old too then, but that didn't make the whole concept sound any better to her. She was similar to her parents in that way. Back then, I hadn't even told her that I wasn't planning on having children.

Although I believe we were in a silent agreement on that. We often joked about all the places we would visit if we ever got exiled. Unfortunately, life never goes as planned. My feelings were never as muddled as on the day Fiona told me she was pregnant. We were sitting in her parents' garden, watching her little brother play in the grass. We were alone and he was too young to understand why his sister was smiling and crying at the same time. A child changes everything, everywhere, even more so in Milton. Fiona's parents were happy for us.

They would have time to see their grandchild for years before their youngest child had one of their own. My mother and father were crying tears of joy at first. It was all they ever wanted. They had been looking forward to the day they'd be moved to sector B all their lives, until they laid eyes on their granddaughter, and they knew they knew they'd be. could never leave her voluntarily. If a child changes everything, so does a grandchild. The traditions were swiftly thrown overboard,

and the tears of joy turned into tears of fear. My parents were picked up on a Monday in a van driven by Thomas Miller, who went to the same school as I did. He was one of the few chosen to work for the town committee at a young age. Thomas had lost his parents as a young child. They died in an accident. When we were little, he was almost like a brother to me. My mom made two lunches for me to bring to school for years, one for each of us.

As we grew older and Thomas was chosen to work for the committee, we lost touch. Thomas stayed behind when the two officers got out of the car and made their way to our front door. Hours, as in Fiona and I, would now own the house. My father's hand was trembling when he opened the door. His eyes were bloodshot. He hadn't slept the second last night. Mom didn't either. She held my daughter in her arms the whole night, holding my hand at the same time.

I never believed that out of all people, my mom wouldn't be ready to say goodbye. She loved the life she had in sector A of Milton and couldn't wait for the next chapter. Ever since they received a letter that told them they'd be picked up soon, however, she'd spent every second fighting with my dad, who wasn't thrilled either, but was too scared to break any rules. You wanted this, I heard him say yesterday. You wanted this life while you were young. You can't change your mind now that you've grown out of it.

Ben will come and live with us soon enough. I shuddered at the thought. There was no way in hell I would ever leave my child and live in the other sector. I doubted very much that Fiona was into that idea either. In two decades? Three or possibly even four? What if her granddaughter decides to leave? Even if she doesn't?

Who knows if we'll even be alive long enough to ever see her again? I didn't hear much more their conversation. But Fiona and I had talked as well, and we knew we never wanted to be in the place my parents were now. But now that we have brought a child into the world in Milton, There was no way for us to get out of it. I cried for the first time since I was a child, when they guided my parents to the vehicle. They both tried to smile, but we all knew that this was not a happy day.

I tried to talk to the officers to tell them that we needed them just a little longer to help with a child, but it was no use. They're going to love the next chapter. Stay put, boy. one of them hissed at me. The other pushed me back. If this was such a happy day, why were they being violent? My gut was screaming as I tried to shout at them. I shouted at my parents that they couldn't leave, and those bastards that they couldn't just take them.

The body started trembling so much that I thought I'd throw up any second. This was wrong. This was just wrong, and these people were smiling. smiling like shells with no emotion on the inside, smiling gladly while taking my devastated parents away. Only Thomas looked serious. He was leaning against the side of the car, smoking a cigarette while avoiding eye contact entirely.

It was an odd sight, as I'd never seen him smoke before. At that moment, I was distracted by much more important things, of course, but as they finally drove away and the only sound we could hear was my mind. little girl crying, he noticed that Thomas had left something behind, a pack of cigarettes on the ground. Now, seeing him smoke was a little unexpected, but throwing a pack of cigarettes on the ground was impossible. No one ever littered in Milton, especially not someone working for the committee. If I hadn't noticed, or if it hadn't been such a strange sight, maybe I would have continued my life in ignorance. But I didn't.

I picked it up before anyone else saw it. I don't know why. Maybe it was just a gut feeling. But I went back into our house to open the package instead of throwing it away. There were no cigarettes inside, but something else. Polaroids. There weren't many, and the quality was bad, but it was obvious what I was seeing on them. Dead bodies.

Lifeless bodies. hanging in a row with cuts so they'd be empty to their blood. I even recognized a few faces. Neighbors who had welcomed grandchildren recently were taken away to live in the other sector behind the forest. Only now did I realize why our resources were so full, why we had so much, why even the ones working for the committee were always young. I don't know how brainwashed they were, but this seemed to be all right with them.

I understood why we had so much. We were not sharing with the elderly. There was no perfect place for their retirement. When they finished doing their work, they were disposed of. Maybe they were moving on to a better place, but it was certainly not, Sector B. For more information on this podcast, including how to submit your own story for consideration.

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