Creepy - Welcome to Bedside Manor Part 2

Episode Date: January 25, 2022

Oh Jack...***Written by Jack Townsend with narration by: Owen McCuen, JV Hampton VanSant, Cole Burkhardt, Alicia Atkins, Nate Dufort, Megan McDuffee, Michelle Kane, Jimmy Ferrer, Heather Thomas, Nichole Goodnight and Joe Stofko***Check out Jack's other podcast The Snake's Paw at: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-snakes-paw/id1438590701***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.

Welcome to the Bloody Disgusting Network. 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 experience. Licit language. Listener discretion is advised. Creepy Presents.

Tales from the gas station. Welcome to Bedside Manor, Part 2. Written by Jack Townsend, with performances by Owen McCune, Megan McDuffey, Nate DoFort, Nicole Goodnight, Joe Stoffco, Michelle Kane, Jimmy Ferrer,

Cole Burkart, Alicia Atkins, and J. V. Hampton Van Sant. The following story was written by Jack Townsend, author of the four-volume book series Tales from the Gas Station, now available on Amazon, Kindle, Audible, and everywhere else books are sold. To learn more about Jack's work, visit his website at gas stationjack.com.

The only other place I could think of to look for Jerry was our room. I kept my eyes down as I cut through the parlor in Great Hall. As far as I was concerned, there was no reason to talk to any of these people ever again. That socialized enough for one year. Before I reached the base of the grand staircase, I noticed that the air smelled like sweet tobacco smoke. I soon realized that smell was coming from the front door.

Now that I didn't have a blade against my face, I could see the situation in front of me with much more clarity. It was obvious where Jerry had disappeared to. All I had to do was follow the smell of smoke. I pushed open the front door right as another crack of lightning filled the night sky. The thunder ended, followed by a guilty sounding. Hey, buddy. It was Jerry.

He and Tobias looked back at me from the porch railing, both equipped with lit cigars and half-empty glasses. Jerry held up his Monte Cristo number three and said, It's not what it looks like. I don't care. Really? He said, raising an eyebrow. I think you do. Well, I don't.

You do a little. Nope. Okay, agree to disagree. then. You said he weren't going to leave me alone. I did say that. But then T-bone here dropped his wallet. Had to come give it back to him. Oh, T-bone dropped his wallet, did he?

Tobias flicked his ash over the railing and said. It must have fallen out of my jacket pocket. I was already over this conversation. Tobias? I'm sorry to interrupt. But I need a moment alone with Jerry. Sure. Go ahead. I'll stay out here. Actually, we're going to need to pay. patio to ourselves.

He sipped his drink, darted his eyes back and forth between Jerry and me, and said, Is this something time sensitive? I'm only asking, because I just lit this and... I switch tactics. Your wife's looking for you, Tobias. Bridget's looking for me? Why? She spilt jam on her dress.

Jam? Tobias said incredulously. Yep. Jam. All over her dress. Just... all over it. I didn't even know they had jam in there.

Well, they don't anymore. So you're saying, just so I understand the situation, not only did Bridget spill jam on her dress, but she somehow managed to spill the entire party's supply of jam on her dress. Jeez, what is this guy, the jam police? Jerry cleared his throat abruptly.

It sounded an awful lot like a snickery couldn't hold back. Look, dude, I don't know what to tell you. But I promise I would never lie about something like this. Your wife was devastated. She was crying and everything. Asked me to go find you. He cocked his head slightly and gave me a long, uncomfortable glare until Jerry stepped in.

Don't worry, T-bone. I'll keep your cigar warm for you. Tobias finally surrendered. Okay. I guess I'd better go make sure everything's all right. With Addy, handed Jerry's cigar and walked past me. The moment the door closed, Jerry asked. Do you think I look good with a mother? No, of course not. Now shut up for a second and listen.

I have a very serious question. Is there any chance that you somehow orchestrated all of this as an extremely elaborate hoax just to give me a perverted sense of misadventure? Because if that's the case, I really appreciate the impressive effort, but we'd like to opt out now. No, but damn, that would have been a good idea. I'll have to remember it for your birthday. Please don't. We need to leave.

Pronto. He carefully placed Tobias's cigar next to his own and the ashtray on the table by the railing. He didn't have nearly the appropriate sense of urgency. With a smirk, he asked. Did something ominous just happen? The lady with a kleptomaniacal tween son knows my name. She said my luggage showed up in her room.

Well, that's convenient. And also quite alarming. Thank you for confiding in me. Jerry, listen. Then, while we were getting ready, somebody went out in the rain, found our car, broke in, packed a mother-flipping bag, and brought it back to the manor. Why would anyone do something like that? He leaned against the railing, put on his thinking face, and mulled it over for a few seconds before responding. It must be because you said you needed your medicine in order to stay the night.

So, that means two things. First, someone must not want us to have any reason to leave here tonight. And second, someone was watching. us. Great. Our room is bugged. I guess I can assume they have videos in me in the shower. Oh. Jerry's eyes got alarmingly wide. What? I think I know what's going on here. What?

Yeah, that's definitely it. What? You're not going to like it. What? He cleared his throat, looked me dead in the eyes, and said, I think we just stumbled into a sex cult. I waited for just a moment. As to not sound like a broken record, then...

What? Think about it. I will do no such thing, and you can't make me. He lifted the glass through his mouth, but I slapped it out of his hand before he could take another drink. It shattered against the porch. Hey! That could be poison for all we know.

Oh, yeah. Now that you mention it, it probably is. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go! Okay, yes, but no. Jerry, I'm not playing around. I've seen this. movie, I know how it ends. If we go back inside... I hear you, but let's think this through.

His voice was annoyingly calm and level. First of all, we can't leave without your medicine, and I think they know that. Oh, they probably want to use you as some kind of virgin sacrifice to a Norse fertility god. Why would they... Additionally, you and I probably aren't the only strangers in a strange land, if you know what I mean. What about the other guests? Either they're all complicit in the grand strategy to keep us here. He was making a lot of sense, and I hated it.

I let out a frustrated sigh, then finished his thought. Or there are other victims we'd be abandoning if we left right now. We just need a plan. Here's what I think we should do. One of us goes and causes a distraction in the parlor, preferably fire-related, while the other sneaks downstairs to the basement and uses the phone to call for help. That's the plan? I couldn't hide my apprehension, nor did I feel the need to try.

We're going to split-up, gang? How many times... The front door opened. A second later, Bridget's head peered out. She looked around, then said... Oh, I thought Tobias was out here. Have either of you seen him? I searched for a good lie, but all I could come up with was...

Tobias spilled jam all over his trousers. Just... all over them. He went to your room to change. She narrowed her eyes at me, slowly backed into the house, and closed the door. That was a close one. As usual, the least bad plan we could come up with was still pretty darn bad. Dividing up tasks was easy. While I'm rarely the sneakiest person in the room, distractions were undeniably Jerry's bread and butter.

I never count on everything going according to plan, but I was still surprised by just how quickly things went off the rails. As soon as we shut the front door behind us, Maggie popped up out of nowhere and said the dinner was ready and our presence was required. She then heard it us into the dining room, where the rest of the guests were gathered around a long wooden table, chatting, laughing, and enjoying their drinks. The immediate silence that occurred when we entered may as well have been accompanied by a record scratching to a stop. Jerry whispered,

Is it just me? Or do things feel a little hostile right now? Tobias and Bridget had that oh-so-unique look of, why'd you lie to me about jam on their faces? Just all over their faces. Hope shook her head and folded her arms at the annoying guy who really walked away from her mid-sentence. Lauren made a subtle but-threatening gesture of running her thumb across her neck. Even old man Nathaniel What's his name the third had turned to face us,

making a toasting gesture with a glass of brandy that someone else must have gotten him after I said I wouldn't bail. That's when it occurred to me that I'd already managed to piss off every other group here. Maggie stood in the doorway as we took our spots at the dinner table. Jerry sat to my right, protecting me from the blind man. Lauren sat to my left, protecting Claire from me. The rest of the group took the other side, with Wolfgang my direct opposite. Nobody took the empty seat at the head of the table. I was trying to work out how we were going to cause a distraction when Jerry made things weird.

Before we begin, he announced, pushing back his seat and standing up. I believe it would be a good. good idea to say a few words of grace to our Lord and Savior. I beg your pardon. My pardon, I grant thee. You replied with a wave of his hand. And now, if you would all be so kind as to close your eyes and bow your heads, I will deliver the most amazing prayer of thanks this side of the BCAD conversion.

After a few uncomfortable seconds have passed, he repeated himself, a little louder and a little more forcefully. Please close your eyes and bow your heads. Everyone else reluctantly followed his command. Everyone but me. I held out my hands and mowed the words, What the fuck? He began speaking, praying while gesturing wildly at the door.

Dearest Lord, Hi, it's me, Jerry. We met at Vassar College that one time I did too many psychedelics and you told me birds weren't real. Anyway, I know it's been a while since we last spake. Sorry about that. Things have been wild. We come to you today to thank you for this presumably delicious meal we're about to chow up,

but first, I'd like to spend a moment catching up. It finally hit me. Nobody was looking. This was the distraction. I carefully scooted my chair back and pushed myself to my feet. I'd have to sneak around a few people, but barring a stumble or a surprise sneeze, this was totally doable. Knowing Jerry, he'd have everyone singing along to Amazing Grace by the time I made my call to the local police up back to the table. I tried to tumult while focusing on my escape, but some of his words still

broke through. Because when you think about it, that's what tattoos are for. But I digress. We come to you today to thank you for the food and drink. Heyo! And also to thank you for this wonderful lodging and the company we have here today. And the chairs and the table and the rest of the furniture. And... I held my breath as I stepped past Lauren. She was the one I was most afraid of, but her head was down and eyes closed just like all the others. As soon as I thought I was out of the woods, a hand popped out, blocking my path. It was Clare's and was holding a folded note.

The side facing me read Jack. I hesitated. And when we think of the food we're about to put inside of us, we are all reminded of the struggles that Jesus went through when he gave up sex for 40 days. I once tried to go 40 days without cupcakes. I didn't even make it a week, which is weird because I actually despise cupcakes. Claire flicked the note twice. Her eyes were closed, but I knew she knew I was here. There's no point pretending.

I reached out and took the paper from her fingers. She quickly retracted her hand, putting against her other in the sign of prayer in front of her face. There is no time to stop and read it. I kept on walking. The doorway was right there. Maggie stood in front of it, face aimed down at her feet, eyes pressed shut. I could sneak around her, but I couldn't rush it if I didn't want to be noticed. I had to focus on not making a sound.

And the pleasiosaurus, and the helicoprian, and let us not forget the Gigantoraptor. Anyway, in conclusion, thanks again for wiping out so many of the other apex predators before we got here. The building reverberated like the inside of a bass drum after it gets hit by a comet. The lights went out, plunging us into total darkness and prematurely ending Jerry's prayer. There were a few gasps, a nervous laugh. A chair scraping against the floor as someone hurried to their feet. I turned around facing the direction of the table just in time for one of the other guests to slam into my shoulders as they rushed past. Can someone tell me what just happened?

That sounded like thunder. Lights went out. Nathaniel raised his voice into a command. Everyone stay calm. Stay put. I'm sure our hosts have some candles or a torch. A short silent moment passed, and then we heard a scream. A horrifying, blood-curdling, high-pitched squeal from the Great Hall less than five steps away from us. Jerry chuckled and made a full orchestra. Dun-dun-dun-dun!

The plan had gone off the rails again. I tried sneaking back to my seat through the darkness, but a tiny spotlight lit the room. stopping me in my tracks. I was coming from Lauren's phone and pointed right at my eyes. Where are you going? She asked loud enough for everyone to hear. I covered my eyes and stammered my way through a terribly unconvincing lie. I wanted to go investigate that scream.

Oh, were you moonwalking in there? Looks like you're facing the wrong direction to be going towards the scream. For some reason, Jerry took her side. Yeah, Jack. Why are you acting so suspiciously? Look, it was dark, okay? I must have gotten turned around. The house lights flickered back to life. Tobias and Bridget clapped, but only Jerry joined them.

Everybody seemed confused on multiple levels. I assume the lights are back. Jerry turned to him and asked. How do you know that? I gathered as much from your applause. Oh, was that while we were clapping? I was wondering. Well, what are we supposed to do now?

Hope's soft voice crept into the group conversation. Hey, guys. Where did Miss Maggie go? I looked around and discovered that the old woman had pulled her surprise, sneak up on you act again, only in reverse this time. Jerry made eye contact with me, pushed his chair back, and announced, We'll go check it out, right, Jack? Why don't we all go? Lauren asked. There's something unnerving about her accusing eyes and sarcastic tone.

After all, there's safety in numbers. Right, Jack? Yeah. Tobias agreed as he and Bridget pushed out their chairs. Let's all go and see what the commotion was. Then maybe we can finally eat. I'm starving. The commotion, it seemed, was the foretold murder.

The victim was lying face down in the Great Hall. Poor old Maggie been done in during the brief blackout. It wouldn't take a master detective to conclude that her untimely demise had something to do with the large kitchen knife protruding from the center of her back. But the perpetrator of the crime was anyone's guess. Jerry put his hands on his cheeks and wailed and pretend distress. Not Maggie! Nathaniel was the last entered the room, tapping the floor in front of him as he walked.

Did something happen? Lauren answered casually. Our hostess was murdered, and I'm pretty sure Jack did it. What? I tried not to sound too defensive. Why me? Bridget laughed and added. I'm sorry, Jack.

No offense, but it really looks so. like you're busted. Tobias raised his hand and said, I would also like to cast my vote for Jack. Now hang on! Nathaniel interrupted. Let's not jump to conclusions. Surely if a murder occurred,

there will be clues here to prove the killer's guilt. We just need to take a moment and investigate our surroundings. The others reluctantly began searching the area, giving me an opportunity to finally sneak away. Tobias and Bridger were hand-in-hand looking at paintings as they passed. Lauren and Claire inspected a suit of armor. Hope is talking to Nathaniel while Wolfgang played with a fire poker. Before I could reach the door to the basement, Jerry called out my name.

Jack! I turned to see him waving me over, crouched next to the body of our fallen hostess. Jack, come here! I had to admit she was doing a terrific job with playing dead. I couldn't even see her breathing. I crossed the room and knelt down next to him. Yeah? His voice was low.

His eyes fixed on the health of the dagger. First of all, I want to apologize. I didn't like the suddenly serious timber of his voice. Okay. For what? I guess a lot of things. Sorry, I didn't listen. Sorry we didn't get out of here when you said we should.

Sorry I dragged you along on this road trip. I was surprised he was saying all of this right in front of old Maggie. I knew she was hard hearing, but still. Hope called out to us from the other side of the room. Remember, if you find any clue, lose, you're supposed to share with the group. Bridget Callback. We found something.

There's a series of numbers in the frames on each of the paintings. The crowd flowed over to join them. Jerry yelled out. We'll be right there. Then he dropped his volume to a whisper and said, You were right. I really did not like the sound of that. What's wrong?

Yeah, I know. I have eyes and ears. She's probably killed... No, no, no. You don't understand. Maggie, her body is... How do I put this delicately? She's leaking.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and made a point to cherish this moment. The moment before things went bad. The moment before all hell broke loose. It was nice. But it was just that, a moment. And it was over all too soon. When I opened my eyes again, Jerry had been. pained expression on his face.

Are you mad at me? I looked down and noticed all the blood pooling around the body. Some coming from the wound. Some from her open mouth. Her eyes, magnified by the broken glasses, were enormous, focused on nothing. That depends. Did you kill her? No.

Did you? No? Are we certain that she's not just a world-class actress? Hang on, let me check. Jerry licked a finger, stuck it under the woman's glasses, and poked her exposure. eyeball. When she didn't blink, he wiped his finger off on my jacket, then said, Yep, we're sure. What are we supposed to do now?

I don't know, but the longer we go without saying anything, the weirder it's going to be when the rest of the group figures out we were just chilling next to a dead woman this whole time. Maybe they won't have to find out. Ah. Jerry nodded. I see. A second passed, then...

Actually, I don't see. We just need to get everyone out of here so we can move over to the basement and call the police. who let the authorities figure out the sex cult murder mystery for once. Terry stood up, cleared his throat, and announced. Jack and I just found a clue. No, no, no, don't come over here. The clue says we should all go to our rooms and await further instructions. The other stared back.

Tobias stepped forward, saying, Can I see this clue? No, it's, you're just going to have to believe me on this one. Why? Jerry waved his hands in the air like he was conducting music. All will be revealed in due time, I promise. But for now, we must go to our rooms. I feel as if we haven't yet found all the clues necessary to solving the mystery of bedside manner. Jerry needed some help.

Unfortunately, I was the only one able to give it. I stood up, nearly lost my balance, but found it at the last possible second. I turned to the others, took a step forward, and said, the first thing to come to mind. Look, everyone, I know you're probably... But then my foot didn't stop like it was supposed to. Instead, it whipped out from under me, slipping in the puddle of blood. Before I knew it, I'd hit the ground.

Except that wasn't quite it. No, it was much worse. The others all screamed at once. Oh my God. Whoa, shit. I tried to play it off, get back to my feet, tell him I was fine. The soft bag of garbage had broken my fall. Then I realized that I'd actually slipped and fallen right on top of the dead body.

The others surrounded us. Jerry pulled me to my feet and tried to calm everyone down. Not to worry. This was all part of the act. Please go back to your rooms. Nothing to see here. Lauren shut me out of the way as she and Bridget dropped either side of Maggie, asking a lot of questions they weren't going to get answers for.

Are you okay? Are you hurt? Can you hear me? Maggie. Tobias put a hand on my shoulder and spun me around to face him. Is that blood on your shirt? Are you bleeding? Yes.

I mean, no. It's jam. I mean, Bridget gasped and covered her mouth. It didn't take them very long to figure it out. There's a pretty smart crowd, and we just lost control of the narrative. I had to try something, no matter how desperate. How much does the polar bear away? Unsurprisingly, it didn't work.

Lauren jumped to her feet, grabbed Claire by the hand, and backed away a couple steps before saying it. She's dead. She's really, actually dead. What? Jerry tried. Nah. She's not really, she's not really, she just, see what happened was. He exhaled loudly and lowered his head.

Okay, yes, she is really dead. I know this looks bad, but. Hope screamed. The room erupted into chaos. People shouted over one in a night. another. Somehow I got knocked down again. I crab crawled away until my back was against the bookshelf. Everyone was arguing. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but Lauren and Tobias were both pointing at me. And I knew that wasn't a good sign. A loud shrill whistle finally managed to shut everyone up.

Nathaniel had everyone's undivided attention. Everybody, please calm down. Nobody was calm. But at least they were all silent now, which is close enough. It seems that things have... gotten quite out of hand. Before we bite out each other's throats, I'd appreciate some level-headed

fact-finding. Bridget, are we sure Maggie is? Bridget grabbed her husband and said. Yes, she isn't breathing. She has no pulse. And that knife, someone really stabbed her. Hope had her arms around her son.

We know who it was. It was that man, Jack Townsend. He has a whole pharmacy stockpile worth of antipsychotics in his backpack. Clearly he forgot to take his meds. Whoa! Not that it's any of anyone's business, but I didn't forget to take my meds. I have an alarm set on my phone that always reminds me to take my meds because if I don't... Yeah, this isn't helping.

I shut up a little too late. Tobias attempted to keep the peace. All right, let's just try and stay cool. Maybe it was Jack, maybe it wasn't. Either way, we need to call 911. Lauren was the first to say. My cell isn't getting any service. Next was Bridget, then Hope, then finally Tobias. There is another phone. It's in the basement, landline.

Should be able to reach the outside. We'll go check it out. But first, we need to get everyone else together. If there's a killer on the loose, we can't let them pick us off one at a time. We'll go tell the workers. Lauren said. Taking Claren leaving before anyone could argue. As soon as they were gone, Jerry walked over to my side. Well, this has been fun.

He said, helping me back up again. Sounds like you guys have this thing totally under control now. No reason for us to stick around. Ready to go, Jack? Tobias step closer to us. And where exactly do you think you're going? Anywhere but here. I mean, Jack's got this thing about murders.

He hates when this happens. Bridget crossed her arms. I'm sorry. When this happens, has this sort of thing happened to you before? Jerry laughed. Yeah, once or twice. Tobias narrowed his eyes. That's awfully suspicious.

I know, right? Which is exactly why we're going to go before the police arrive. Otherwise, they're going to think we had something to do with it. I didn't want it to come to this, but if you insist. Tobias bent over, pulled up his pant leg and retrieved a small handgun from the holster above his ankle. He kept it aimed at

the ground for now, but the presence of the deadly weapon was all it took for his commands to gain a lot more authority. You're both going to stay right where you are until we figure this out. A gun? Really, T-bone? After all we've been through? That's not very cash money of you. I don't want to use this, but I can't just let a killer go free. Shoot them in the legs, just to be safe.

Lauren ran back into the room shouting. Guys. She froze at the side of the weapon. Whoa, what's happening? It's okay. I have a concealed carry permit for this. Well, that's a relief. Lauren responded disingenuously. But before we start blasting away, we need to tell you something.

What is it? Claire wandered in the room behind her sister and announced, There's nobody else here. What do you mean? Lauren elaborated. There's no one in the kitchen. No workers, no actors, no staff. There isn't even any food back there.

We're all alone in this house. Hope, Bridget, and Tobias said it at the same time. What? That's not all. There's something else. you should know. Claire and I aren't even supposed to be here. Jerry and I are sure to look. He asked, what do you mean? I mean, we're not really guess. Our car broke down this morning while we were passing by.

The hair's on the back of my neck stood straight up. Oh my God. Hope exclaimed, clutching her chest. You're not going to believe this, but we're not supposed to be here either. We were on our way home when our car died right up the road. We had to walk here. Maggie said we could stay here, but we had to pretend to be guests. This was one twist I did not see coming. Bridget grabbed her husband's arm and gave him a serious look.

Then said, Yeah, that's exactly what happened to us. My truck has less than 10,000 miles on it. There's no reason it should have stalled. We had to hike a couple miles up the hill. The lady told us to mingle and fake like we belong. here. Jerry tisk-tisked and said, Well, I for one, am shocked.

Here we are paying full price, and they're just giving away rooms for free. I'll be telling Yelp about this. I punched him in the shoulder and set the record straight. We're all in the same boat. Wait, if none of us are really guessed, then how did Nathaniel? We looked around and realized at the same time that the blind man had, evidently, disappeared into thin air. Tobias was the one to say what we were all thinking.

What the hell is going on here? As is usually the case for situations like these, the person with the gun became the de facto man in charge. I will give him some credit. He started off okay. Our first course of action was a group field trip to the basement, where Tobias put in a call to the local authorities. We were informed that, owing to the storm and our remote location,

he'd take an hour before anyone could reach us. That's when Tobias' leadership skills took a steep nose dive. In the end, he stole Jerry's original plan and told everyone to go wait in our rooms until the authorities arrived. With the allegedly blind man now in the wind, I had slipped to the number two spot in the group's most likely to be the killer list. But that didn't mean they were ready to line up and do trust falls with me. Tobias kept his gun in hand as he chauffured each of us to our rooms,

instructing everyone to lock our doors and stay put. As Jerry wandered the sweet looking for bugs, I sat at the edge of the bed trying to make sense of everything. But this puzzle was missing too many pieces. How could someone have orchestrated something like this? Why would they? Who killed the old woman? What's going to happen next?

Those particular mysteries were way too abstract for my brain to find any foothold. But I had no trouble with this one. Why does Tobias want to be? to stay in our rooms. It made no sense. Tobias had demonstrated a certain degree of intelligence that would lead me to assume he knew why separating into smaller, easier to target groups was a bad idea.

We only needed to survive for one hour. Why wouldn't he want us to stay together? The answer came to me out of nowhere. He needed to get rid of us so he could use the phone without any witnesses. I couldn't explain how or why I knew, but I was certain this was. the answer. Tobias had a secret. He was playing dumb, but he knew more than he was letting on,

and he might not have been the only one. I suddenly remembered the note, the one Claire gave me shortly before the lights went out. I dug it out of my pocket, unfolded it, read the message. We are all going to die here tonight. Oh, that is singularly unhelpful, I thought, crumpling the paper and tossing it into the trash can against the wall. Jerry fell onto the bed next to me with a defeated sigh. I can't find the bugs anywhere, dude. Jerry, you remember when we first left the car and I explicitly said, No weapons?

Yeah. Is there any chance you completely ignored what I told you and smuggled one up here anyway? He took a conspicuously sharp intake of breath and said, What answer won't make you mad at me right now? Oh, thank God. Where is it? Jerry rolled off the bed and crawled into the bathroom. When he returned a moment later, he was holding his jeans. He dug through the pockets until he found the police-grade stun gun that he'd smuggled up here without my knowledge.

Then tossed it to me. I was both annoyed and relieved. At least now we could defend ourselves if we were lucky enough to see trouble coming ahead of time. But trouble always has a way of sneaking up on... Jack? I spun around to see what trouble had just snuck up on me. She was standing next to the bookcase, looking very different from how I first met her. She let her hair down and changed into a pair of jeans and a Nirvana t-shirt.

If not for the black lipstick, I may not have recognized her right away. Lauren, I said, careful not to make any sudden moves. If she'd come here to kill me, it was awfully generous of her to give me a warning first. I didn't see any weapons in her hands this time, but I wasn't about to assume anything. Hello there. Jerry said like this was a perfectly normal encounter. I didn't think we'd have any company tonight. Quick question, are you the murderer?

She crossed her arms. No, are you? He turned to me and said, I believe her. I don't know why, but I do. I couldn't hold the question in any longer. How did you get in here? There's a secret passage behind our bookshelves connecting the two rooms.

She explained, pointing at the new entryway exposed in our wall. Must be part of the murder mystery or whatever. You guys know this whole situation is totally fucked, right? I answered, yeah. and Jerry said Totally She went on We're getting out of here

You boys want to come Jerry eagerly answered Always But I wasn't so sure I could trust anyone who trusted us The only way she could possibly know that neither of us was a killer Was if she already knew who the killer was, right? Not so fast What makes you so sure you even want us to come with you?

Claire trusts you That's good enough for me But why does Claire trust us? Lauren seemed confused. She tilted her head and said, You do know what she is, right? What is she? You mean, you don't already know?

Can we just cut to the chase here? I'm so tired of beating her on the bush. Claire, she... Well, she knows things she shouldn't know. Sometimes she remembers things before they happen and... Lauren, stop. and looked around the room. And what?

And she can tell when people are about to die. I thought about the note crumpled in the trash and asked the question I didn't want to know the answer to. Is she ever wrong? Well, she told me you were like her. Was she wrong about that? There's something messed up with me. I think that's what she meant. If what you're saying is true, then I think she and I ended up on opposite.

ends at the freak show lottery. We've already spent too long discussing it. As I'm sure you've gathered by now, we're being watched, which means they'll know any plan we come up with. Her best option is work fast and stick together. Agreed. Let's get going. Claire is waiting for us. I knew the clock was ticking. I didn't have time to second guess. Survival instincts get kicked in and now we were making our escape. Who the fuck's Claire? Jerry asked as we walked through the secret passageway. She was waiting for us. at the end of the plain, dim-lit corridor connecting our two rooms. Claire held Lauren's butterfly knife and her hand fully extended, pointed at the floor.

I instantly knew without asking that she was afraid of knives. She hated touching them. The only reason she had this one was because Lauren insisted she'd take it and arm herself moments ago, before heading through the secret passageway and leaving her alone and vulnerable. But did I know that because of the look on her face? The body language? Or was there something else at play? Was something putting ideas into my head again?

I really need to get my medicine before we leave. Claire smiled with her eyes when she saw us coming. I noticed that she'd already changed clothes for the escape. A knee-length floral skirt and black long-sleeved blouse that didn't quite match. Still, it would serve its purpose well enough if we needed to run. As we entered their room, I forgot what was going on and tried for the mandatory pleasantries. Claire, this is... She cut me off.

Jerry, I know. Jerry smiled and whispered. I'm famous. Lauren took her knife from Claire and asked. Is it safe? Claire shook her head. I can't tell. There's something about this house.

It's like trying to see through fog. All I know is what's right in front of me. Lauren looked at me. How about you? Is it safe? How the hell should I know? I told you. I'm not psychic.

She sounded like she was running out of patience. Not psychic, just sensitive. Sometimes when people are close to death, they can hear something whispering from the other side. For whatever reason, Claire's talent has a certain effect on people like that. She's like a signal boost. A jolt of electricity ran up my spine, followed quickly by a wave of nausea. The earth quaked. The hull shook.

I nearly lost my balance again. and in an instant. It was over. I reflexively reached up and grabbed my throat, right where the phantom pain was beginning to subside. Did you guys feel that? Jerry shrugged. Feel what?

Claire was holding on to Lauren for balance. Her head turned down as she took deep breath. One of her hands was pressed against her throat. When she finally looked up, we shared the same thought. She let me be the one to say it. Someone just died. Oh, snap! Jack's got the shining. Quick, what number are I thinking of?

Lauren quickly replied, It doesn't work that way, you idiot. The number he was thinking of was 69. She turned her attention to her sister and asked. What did you see? Nothing, but I felt it. I looked at Jerry and jester to the door. He didn't need to be a mind reader to know I meant,

time to move. He led the way into the hall. We followed, down the first flight of stairs. The ground floor was already in sight, and then Lauren screamed. We saw her in a crumpled heap at the landing on the second story, bleeding into the carpet. Hope's a lifeless body. Her terror-stricken face drained a color, a kitchen knife protruding from the center of her throat. That must be why she didn't make a sound.

The killer cut off her voice before she could alert anyone else. Smart, because a simple scream was all it took to bring the rest of the house running to meet us. Thanks a lot, Lauren. At this point, Bridget's scream just felt redundant. Tobias, predictably, pulled out his gun. What happened? Oh, my God. Oh, my God! Bridger went to check for a pulse, but it was nothing more than a formality.

We could all see if she was done for. After a few seconds, Bridger looked up and shook her head. I considered signaling the others and making a break for the stairs. But Tobias' gun was seriously complicating our route of escape. Somebody better start talking right now. Jerry made a valiant attempt. Hey, don't look at us. We were hanging out upstairs together when this happened.

Why were you out of your rooms? We were planning our escape. Don't worry, T-bone. I was going to come back for you. That's when Lauren reminded me of the worst part of Hope's death. Someone has to tell Wolfgang. Tell me what? I turned and saw the boy standing in the open doorway to his room. Lauren and Tobias moved fast, cutting off his line of sight.

They talked over one another, speaking too quickly for me to understand either of them. Wolfgang walked towards me, pushed his way between the two of them, approached the body of his dead mother, and looked down where she lay in a pool of fresh blood. The others were too focused on finding the right words to say or figuring out what was going on or casting blame and doubt. They were all too distracted to notice what I noticed. The briefest flicker of a smile on Wolfgang's face.

The preceding story was written by Jack Townsend, author of the four-volume book series Tales from the Gas Station. Now available on Amazon, Kindle, Audible, and Everywhere Else Books are sold. To learn more about Jack's work, visit his website at gas stationjack.com. Music, sound design, and dialogue editing for this series was provided by Steve Blizzin at blackcrowadio.com. 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 Commons Sherrillite 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 story's author.