Dr. Creepen's Dungeon - S4 Ep159: Episode 159: Incredibly Weird Horror Stories

Episode Date: March 7, 2024

If you want to take ownership of your health, try AG1 and get a FREE 1-year supply of Vitamin D AND 5 Free AG1 Travel Packs with your first purchase. Go to www.drinkAG1.com/creepen    Today’s opening creepy short story is ''Mr. Sandman'', an original work by Andy 546789, kindly shared directly with me for the express purpose of having me exclusively narrate it here for you all. https://www.reddit.com/user/andy546789/ Tonight’s second fantastic tale is 'Molly, Molly' by Jaime A. Heidel, kindly shared with me for the express purpose of having me narrate it here for you all: https://www.reddit.com/user/_itoldyouiwassick_/ Today’s third phenomenal offering is ‘Don’t Talk to Strangers’, an original work by MammothFormal1; a story shared directly with me for the express purpose of having me read it here for you all: https://www.reddit.com/user/MammothFormal1/ Tonight’s penultimate tale of terror is ‘The Candyman: How Cotton Candy Ruined My Life’, a wonderful story By Mandahrk, kindly shared with me via NoSleep and narrated here for you all with the author’s express permission: https://www.reddit.com/user/Mandahrk Today’s final offering is 'I am a Babysitter: Something is Attacking the Children’, an original story by Crone Johnson, kindly shared directly with me for the express purpose of having me exclusively narrate it here for you all. https://www.reddit.com/user/Crone_Johnson/

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BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with Eye Gaming Ontario. Welcome to Dr. Creepin's Dungeon. Weirdness refers to a departure from the expected or conventional, embodying elements that deviate from the norm or challenge typical perceptions. It encompasses the unconventional, the uncanny, and the peculiar, often provoking a sense of curiosity, amusement or discomfort. What may be considered weird varies from culture to culture and from individual to individual, reflecting a subjective response to the unusual or unfamiliar,

as we will see in tonight's collection of tales. Now, as ever before we begin, a word of caution. Tonight's stories may contain strong language, as well as descriptions of violence and horrific imagery. That sounds like your kind of thing. And let's begin. The jungle wasn't used to visitors. For thousands of years, its vibrant emerald vegetation

had laid undefiled by the corrupting of mankind those few foolish enough to wander in lured perhaps by the legends of a hidden treasure that awaited them at its heart became ensnared in the thorny embrace of its arms never to be heard from again there were those who worshipped the jungle and the thing that lived residing deep inside it the tribe that lived just on its outskirts they prayed to it asking for mercy and protection the jungle in John their fear thrived off it but the day was different there was someone new traversing its ancient shadowed trees and she was not afraid Eva Barger had been wandering this god-forsaken

jungle for three whole days when she found the entryway she would have found it sooner if that damn shaman hadn't been so vague with his directions it was so obscurely hidden beneath the thick gnarled foliage that she would have been forgiven for missing it. No, not forgiven. She would not have that kind of luxury. Forgiveness wasn't in Cecil's vocabulary. A bastard. And if she had sauntered out of the jungle empty-handed, he would have put a bullet in her brain, just like it did to Samantha. Samantha. She'd stopped herself from recalling the events of the past few days, just busied herself with a mission at hand. But she couldn't take it any more. All the memories came roaring to the front, and she began to violently strike at the large

mottled tree next to her, banging her fist on the sturdy wood over and over again until her hands were covered in blood. She shouted until her throat was sore, and her nerves were frightened. Damn it, Samantha! Why? she rasped. She sang to the jungle floor, exhausted. Look at me, she thought to herself. I'm so worried. pathetic if her father was still alive to see how far she'd fallen from the family tree he would have disowned her on the spot unlike the world-renowned anthropologist stephen barker who had come by his treasures legally eva had veered onto a path paved by deceit and thievery for 15 long years she and her partner samantha king had raided the most ancient tombs and stolen the most guarded secrets of the world

She had no regrets, and if given the chance, would do it all over again. She loved it all, the sweet thrill of discovery, the adrenaline of the chase. But, well, Samantha had grown tired of it all, and yearned for a more normal life. At first, Eva couldn't understand why anyone would want a normal life. What was that, even? A steady job. A couple of kids in a nice house with a white picket fence. in a gated community.

Fuck, no. But Eva loved Samantha with all her heart. Ever since she'd first laid eyes on her in an alluring red dress at that dull party at the American Museum of Natural History all those years ago. She was willing to set aside

her own aspirations to be with her. They had promised each other that this would be the last time. A pristine jungle in the wilds of South America that was said to hide the greatest wealth the world had ever known. They would go and take their shares and live out the rest of their lives on some pig farm or whatever the fuck in Texas.

But now, Samantha was gone, murdered by Cecil Bright. Even knew from the beginning that he couldn't be trusted, knew that he was nothing more than a conniving two-bit fuck. And it turned out she was right. At first he played by their rules. Over the course of several weeks, the trio had gained the trust and admiration of the tribe that lived on the jungle's outskirts. They'd learned their customs and rituals, even entertained their inane talk of an ancient evil that lived deep in the thicket. The creature made of sand that possessed the secrets of life and death.

But those were just stories, superstitious nonsense by a people who didn't know any better. time went on, Cecil grew more and more unstable, his patience wearing thin. And then one day he lost his mind and beat the shaman to a bloody pomp, forcing him at gunpoint to divulge at the location of the treasure. For the shaman's compliance, he was rewarded with a bullet. The pale white walls of the hut died red with his blood. Eva couldn't believe her eyes. Call her a thief and a liar all you want but she was no murderer Samantha had tried to reason with Cecil but whatever reason he had left in his little brain had fled long ago he guns Samantha down putting a bullet through her spine as she lay dying he laughed

in her face and finished the job and gave Eva an ultimatum go and retrieve the treasure for him or up like the rest. Eva reluctantly agreed, and now here she was, three days later, a teary, sweaty mess lying on the jungle floor. She got up to her feet and went over to inspect the entryway. It was a large gaping hole hiding on the side of a rocky wall, covered in thick, thorny vines that curled themselves tightly around the doorway. Eva took a machete and started whacking at the constricting cuticles. But instead of chopped bark, her hits sent hot crimson blood spurting into her face. After a few more hits, an unearthly wail echoed from inside the gaping blackness of the entryway. The scream so haunting that it sent shivers down her spine. Then the vines began to move

and unnotted their twisted fingers, leaving the entryway wide open. Eva, peer, inside. Blackness as dark as night stared back, taunting her to come inside if she dared. She took a moment to steady her nerves, and with a final sigh of resignation, she plunged into the darkness. She wandered for what seemed like days, traversing the blackness with only the lonely beam of her flashlight as company. But it might as well have been off. It did nothing to alleviate the oppressiveness of the place. There was nothing to hold on to, nothing to see. It was as if she was floating in a dark and void, lost in its shadow.

At long last, she saw a glimmer of light up ahead of her, a sliver of hope in this dismal place. She ran towards it, for anything was better than this wicked twilight. When she got closer to the light, she saw that it was emanating from an open passage. way. The first thing she noticed as she stepped through was the acrid aroma of decay that scented the fetid air. It struck her by surprise and she fell into a coughing fit,

gagging and trying her best not to vomit. She wrapped a scarf around the lower part of her face to mask the smell. As she gained composure, she saw that she was in a long, spacious room piled high with gold. Well, it spilled out of every corner. had invaded every last crevice of the place. She couldn't believe her eyes. The legends were true. There were enough riches here to last multiple lifetimes. As she continued to scan the place,

her eyes landed on the source of that disgusting smell. There, in the centre of the room, was the body of a man, or at least what used to be a man. Its long, emaciated body lay sitting on a throne of pain. Hundreds of snake-like vines were wrapped around it, driving their needle-sharp thorns into every inch of its virgin flesh. Its bones were contorted, distorted into impossible positions.

Where its eyes and mouth should have been, only jagged, blood-encrusted holes remained. Eva couldn't help but be drawn to this, this thing. She was mesmerized by its defile body. despite the pain that ravaged its soul it seemed at peace so content so serene so beautiful as she neared the creature she could see its chest rise and fall could hear its harsh ragged sighs so it was still alive how could something like this be in so much pain and still be alive as if hearing her thoughts the thing lifted its head and stared at her through its bloody, empty holes. It began to laugh, a haunting and

maniacal cackle. Its body shook and contorted, its bones snapping from the movement. Sand spewed forth from every hole in its body as the laughter grew louder and louder into a cacophonous cackle that permeated into Eva's very soul, raised its bony fingers and beckered her towards it. The entire room had started to fill with rosy, blood-freckled sand, but she didn't care. All that mattered was the creature. She embraced it, letting the thorns cut into her skin, piercing every inch of her body. She ran her delicate fingers over its scarred, cratered face, and plunged her arms deep into its cavernous eye cavities. From out of the holes, she produced a chunky, stream of rotted gall suddenly an immense hunger panged her driving deep into her guts she regarded the

awful for another moment and then began to feed devouring it without a second thought she had eaten for days and was starving pleasure wrapped her body and she groaned wiping the blood all over her face and body. She leaned down and kissed it, slipping her tongue deep into its mouth hole, savouring every lick and suck. Sand began to spew out from it, flowing into her mouth and down her throat. She sputtered, choking, drowning in the sand that was filling her body and coursing through her veins. But she wasn't afraid. No, Eva felt a calmness engulf her entire being. then the sand invaded every part of her being and she was no more sessil paced furiously up and down the hut where was she where the fuck was she it had been three whole days and she still hadn't returned it was a simple task go in take the treasure leave she had probably taken it all for herself and fled hadn't she that bitch he thought you should have gone undone it himself. He reached his gun and prepared to leave this backward place. Never sent a woman

to do a man's job, he thought bitterly. But as he opened the flaps of the hut, a sharp, horrendous smell punctuated the air. He turned and came face to face with either, or at least what was left of her. Her limbs were stretched out of proportion, long and spindly spider legs and arms. Her belly was bloated and bulging, and a large, caved-in, bloody hole was where her face used to be. "'Eva!' Cecil asked. "'Is that you? What the fuck happened?' But the Eva thing didn't respond. It only stood there, motionless. Then, just as suddenly as it appeared, it was upon him, tearing into his flesh.

He tried to fire at it, and the bullets had no. effect they were simply absorbed into the scarred body Eva tore his body limb from limb and Cecil screamed and screamed and screamed well the tribes people had heard poor Cecil's cries for help but they were too afraid to enter the hut at long last the screams died out and all was quiet Eva stepped out from the hut her mutilated body drenched in sand and blood and the tribes people and fell to their knees in reverence and all. The prophecy had proven true,

and their queen had finally returned. The jungle was alive. It was finally free, and it felt so very, very hungry. Just like most of us, I set myself a New Year's resolution this year to look after myself a little bit better, get back into shape and start living a healthier life.

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She started and backed away. Well-worn slippers scraping against the linoleon. The rain began to fall, coming in erratic drops that beat against the window and the sides of the house. After another rumble of thunder, the sky opened up and the rain poured down in sheets, groaning on the roof, slapping the glass. The wind howled, and the trees surrounding the house whipped against the darkening sky like subjects bowing to an invisible gob. Geraldine's fingers fumbled behind her and gripped the back of a wooden kitchen chest. chair. Without taking her eyes from the dramatic scene just outside her window, she sank into its cushioned seat. As the storm rolled on, Geraldine's focus on the backyard softened. The woods

behind the swaying trees on the perimeter of her property were thrown into sharp relief as another streak of lightning lit the sky. It was in that split second that Geraldine saw the face. The face was young and pale with a glimmer of a smoke. playing on blue-tinted lips. A rushing sound to her left tore her attention away from the horrifying visage. The calendar had fallen off the wall. Grateful to be busying herself

with anything other than the face in the woods. Geraldine rose and crossed the room. It was as she was pushing the thumb-tag back into the wall that she saw the date. June 30th, 2008. Her left side jerked, spasmodically, and she gasped in pain as a hot lick of fire shot up her neck into her head. She staggered backward, only vaguely aware that her vision was becoming incredibly blurry.

June. Her daughter. Turning, she reached for the warm-mounted telephone and dialed 9-1-1. When the operator answered, Geraldine Farmer uttered only one word before collapsing into unconsciousness. Molly Larson slammed the door to the sedan and flew up the pebbled walkway. Her grandmother stood just inside the screen door and bent to embrace the child as she bounded up the steps. Hi, Granny, Molly said brightly, her blue eyes dancing. Hi, Mom. As Molly's mother plodded up the walkway, Geraldine noticed how deflated she looked. Hello, June.

They embraced, and Geraldine stepped back, allowing both of them to enter. her small, cottage-style home. How are you doing, Molly? Geraldine asked as they stepped into the living room. Did you have a nice try? It was all right, Molly said, twirling a long strand of blonde hair between her fingers. Her grey blue eyes sparkled,

and she lowered her voice to a whisper. We got lost a couple of times, though, and somebody caught Mommy off on the highway. She gave them the bird. Geraldine shot her daughter a look But June just rode her eyes And sagged into the love seat with her son Molly hung her head

I'm sorry It's all right sweetie Her grandmother told her We all get angry sometimes And do things we later regret, right? Molly nodded Making a point to avoid her mother's eyes Oh, can I go outside and play on the task with

Geraldine nodded her approval Just don't wander off, June called, but Molly had already disappeared out the door. Well, I can't believe the tire swing's still let, June said. I remember when Dad put it up. Geraldine took a seat opposite her daughter in a worn, paisley-printed chair. June, things are getting worse, aren't they? The younger woman's dark brown eyes instantly swam with tears. Mark served me with divorce papers, Mom.

It's over. Geraldine sighed. Oh, honey, I'm so sorry. June ran thin fingers through a short tangle of honey-colored hair. Honestly, I'm not. For the first time, Geraldine noticed how thin her daughter had become. The soft cotton dress that would have hugged an hourglass figure just a year ago now hung limp as a dish rang.

It looked as though somebody had picked June up and simply rung her out. He's happy with Marcy, June told her mother. Happier than he ever was with me. Molly and I are better old. Well, good reasons to him then, Geraldine replied, a snap in a voice. You can do better. You're still young. You'll find somebody else. At age 32 with a 10-year-old, she didn't exactly feel still young. If anything, she felt double her age most of them.

The affair and subsequent divorce was taking a lot more out of her than she wanted to admit. I'm not concerned with that now, Mom. I just want to get myself back together so I can be a better mom with my little girl. She's only ten years old and she's already seen way too much. Geraldine nodded. Do you think this spiritual retreat will help you? June favored her mother with a rare smile. I'll make it work.

For Molly. Thank you for ten. taking her for the summer mom. I'm not fit to be a full-time parent in the state I'm in. Well, she always spends a month here each summer, right? What a two more? She's safe here, June said, glancing over her mother's shoulder to peer out the window. Nothing but woods and streams, townhouses and cottages. There aren't any freaks or child molesters running around like there are in the city. Geraldine turned and smiled as she watched her granddaughter play on the tire swim. She was on her stomach, and she wound up the rope as tight as her legs would allow,

and was letting its unraveling spin her around. Why did you name her, Molly? What? June's voice rose an octave. She gave an uncertain little laugh. Mom, that was out of the blue. Besides, you know why I named her mom? Geraldine turned back, a small frown furrowing her brow.

I do. "'Mom, really?' June regarded her mother quizzically. "'What brought this on?' Geraldine shook her head. "'A humour, an old woman, will you?' "'Mom, you're only 62,' June protested. Then, seeing the strange looker that come into her mother's eyes, June relented.

"'All right, I've got the name from you. "'And yes, I can see you really don't remember, though.' Geraldine's frowned deepened. Do you remember the stroke you had right before I gave birth? Oh yes, of course. We were in the hospital at the same time. I really thought I was a goner. Yes, I was so worried about you that it brought on my labour a few weeks early. Mike and I hadn't decided her name yet.

She was just baby girl lousin for almost a week. Geraldine nodded, listening. I brought the baby in front of her. I brought the baby in for you to see. I sat on the edge of your bed and showed you your granddaughter. You've been dozing, but you opened your eyes for a second and looked at her. The first word out of your mouth was, Marley, Geraldine finished.

Her hand flew to her mouth. Oh, Jim, I completely forgotten that. June shrugged her small shoulders. Oh, I took it for a sign or something. It's a beautiful man. Geraldine forced a smile. Yes, it is. It's a pocketful of pose ears.

The sing-song melody floated on the wind. It mingled so perfectly with the ambient noise of the birds, rustling leaves and dune bugs. Could have been there all along as we all fall down. The familiar words fell from Molly's lips in a whisper. She wriggled out of the tire swing and glanced around. Hey, who said that? Molly stood by the swing, one hand on the tire, to slow its movement. She looked around but saw nobody else nearby.

Somewhere in the distance, a lawnmower started up. A movement out of the corner of her eye turned her attention to the woods. The tall thicket of grass at the edge of the property began to ripple, even though there was no breeze. The hint of a giggle coming from that same direction made Molly move closer. She began walking towards the woods as though her small, bare feet had a mind of their own. Ali, Molly asked uncertainly, is that you? The movement in the grass stopped, and Molly too halted. She was standing just at the edge of the woods now.

The grass came nearly to her shoulders in some spots. It was then that Molly noticed the change in the atmosphere. The sound of the lawnmower and the beetles were muffled now. as though two thick wads of cotton had been stuffed into her ears. Shaking her head, she took a step forward, reaching out both hands to part the blades of the grass. And the thin white hand came down on her shoulder. She screamed.

How's your grilled cheese, sweetie? Geraldine asked. Molly washed down a thick wad of bread and cheese with a swallow of milk. The glass had begun to sweat and it slipped in her hand. making a loud thwop against the table when she tried to set it down. She jumped at the noise. It's good, Granny. I didn't mean to scare you outside, honey,

Geraldine said. It's just I've been trying to call you. You didn't seem to hear. I'm sorry. Molly felt her inside squirm at the recollection of the incident by the woods. Why had she been so scared? Molly prided herself on never being afraid, especially since mum always seemed to be.

When the hand had grabbed her shoulder out in the backyard, Molly didn't immediately recognise it as her grandmother's, and she'd shriek like a baby gazelle being mauled to death by a lion. I wish her son and her family hadn't moved away. Geraldine went on, sipping a glass of ice tea. You and she always lied to play together in the summer. I thought maybe she'd come back. Geraldine's smile was tender.

She placed a hand on her granddaughter's showing. No, they saw the house months ago, I'm afraid. The elderly couple lives there now. They have no grandchildren. It looks like it'll just be you and me this summer. Molly frowned. There are no other kids in the neighborhood. Geraldine shook her head.

Not that I'm aware of. That's weird. How so? I heard a girl in the woods today. geraldine flinched drawing her hand away ah he must have imagined it molly chewed on her lower lip eh i guess so you be careful around the woods maw you understand molly was startled at the sudden snap in her grandmother's voice o k i will you're not to go into those woods alone molly nodded i used to go with ellie sometimes we took a shortcut to her house. Well, it was all right with Allison.

She grew up in these woods. She knows them. I knew them. Molly grew quiet. She stared down at the table and sighed. At first, when her mother had told her she'd be spending the entire summer at the cottage, Molly had jumped at the chance of being able to be free of her parents' constant fighting. She'd imagined long days with Ali, playing in the woods,

swimming in her pool and having fun. Ali had written to Molly right before she moved. Her mother had misplaced the letter and the bad news that had come with it. It had only surfaced a couple of days before the trip to Grandma's house. Molly hadn't made a big deal out of the letter in front of her mum, but when she was finally in bed,

she cried herself to sleep. She loved her grandmother, but the thought of being her only playmate through the whole summer made Molly's chest feel heavy. She didn't want to cry in front of her grandmother right now, so she grabbed the slippery glass with an iron grip and chugged what was left at the milk.

Hey, Geraldine spoke gently. Why don't we go to the orchard tomorrow and pick an apple? If I just get a bit higher. Molly spoke through gritted tea. She stood under a small apple tree, one arm stretched so high it felt as if any moment it might come out of the socket. she was pushing so hard to reach the shiny green orb above her head that her toes hurt

she felt a surge of renewed hope when her fingertips brushed once and then twice around the fruits then a sudden cramp in her left leg sent her sprawling to the ground damn it she brushed sweat-soaked hair off of her forehead she glowed at the apple as it bobbed in the slight breeze he might as well have been laughing at her. Need a hand. Molly turned to see a tall, dark-haired boy beside her. Though she hadn't answered his question, he was already stooping to pick up the apples

that had spilled out of a small basket. Molly guessed him to be about twelve. Oh, thanks, Molly said, getting up and brushing off her backside. The boy smiled shyly and returned her basket. No problem, he said with a shot. I'm Adam. Molly.

You live around here? No, Molly said, shaking ahead. I'm visiting my grandmother for the summer. Oh, come to think of it. Where was her grandmother? Molly scanned the rows of trees. She could have sworn she was just beside her only a moment ago. Is her house here in town?

Molly had been concentrating so hard on trying to locate the familiar purple dress and grey hair that she started at Adam's words. Um, no, Molly said, shifting the basket. She lives in a college out at Bridge Creek, right by Harper's Woods. Adam's mouth dropped open, and he took a step backward. He seemed to be about to say something when he was interrupted by a sudden yell to their left. "'Molly!' Geraldine, face flushed, hair askew,

came panting toward the two children. Her eyes darted back and forth between them. She laid a hand on her granddaughter, Sean. "'Where have you been? I thought you were right behind me.' Molly felt her face begin to flush at being scolded in front of a boy who was almost a teenager. "'I'm sorry, Graham,' Molly said. "'I thought you were right behind me, too.'

Hello there. Geraldine said stiffly, nodding curtly to Adam. Hello, I'm Adam. I'm here with my dad, but he knows where I am. Molly suppressed a giggle. The kid obviously thought he was about to be scolded as well. All right, Geraldine said. Her expression is softened. That's good to know. Sweetie, your room's ready to get going. We need to stop at the grocery store before we go home. "'Sure,' Molly said. "'Oh, nice meeting you, Adam.' "'Nice meeting you, Adam,' Geraldine parented.

Molly and her grandmother had made it most of the way out of the orchard before Adam bounded back into sight. He tapped Molly on the shoulder and greeted her startled cry with a wide grin. In his hand he held the elusive fruit that had caused their meeting. "'Oh, um, decided you might want this,' he said, topping off her basket. Oh, thanks, Molly said, glancing backward to be sure she didn't lose her grandmother again. Hey, listen, I guess you haven't heard, huh? Molly frowned at Adam's sudden change in tone. His dark eyes were dancing with mischief.

What are you talking about? Harper's Woods is haunted. Oh, come on, Molly began, but he cut her off. No, seriously, he said. stepping back it's really weird that you're staying there for the summer too what's so weird about that Adam gave her a long look before speaking again can't believe you don't know Adam said shaking his head the ghost in the woods her name is Molly Molly stared into the woods and bit down on a tart green apple defiantly she hated that

stupid kid Adam it had been three days since he told her that dumb story about a ghost with her name. Trying to convince herself that he was just some weird kid looking to scare people had done little to stop the nightmen. Her grandmother kept asking Molly why she looked so tired at breakfast. But Molly didn't want to say. She was sure her grandmother would think the stress of her parents' divorce or loneliness was bringing it on.

Besides, Grandma hadn't been feeling too well herself for the last couple of days. And the last thing Molly wanted to do was make her feel worse. after a third night of bad sleep Molly made a decision she was going to go into the woods she'd been in it a million times with Allison and her best friend had never told her about a ghost in the woods also she knew as long as she avoided it

she'd probably keep having the nightmares when she walked towards the edge of the property line she threw a guilty glance toward the house when she left grandma had been sleeping on the living room sofa bundled under a blanket tissues and hot tea at hand. Molly convinced herself that it was because she didn't want to wake her grandmother up that she hadn't asked for permission. Yeah, right. Molly adjusted the small pack on her shoulder, stepped past the tall blades of grass and walked into the woods. I'll just walk to where

Alison used to live and walk back. If no ghost gets me, then there is no ghost. Molly set off down the small worn path, oblivious to the presence taking shape behind her. Marley, Marley wants her dolly. Three-12-year-old girl stood in a circle around a fourth child, a thin blonde who appeared younger than the rest. The older girls tossed a doll between them, sticking out their tongues and making faces at the girl in the middle. The little blonde jumped up each time the treasured toy flew overhead, and though she stood on tiptoes, she couldn't come close. to reaching it. Don't pick on me.

Despite the defiance in her tone, her trembling lower lip egged the bullies on. Poor little Molly. Want a lolly? Marianne, the tallest of the girls, produced a dumb, dumb lollipop from her pocket in her overalls.

Sarah had the dawn now, his short red hair tangled up in her thick fingers. She swung it back and forth like a pendulum, a sour expression on her pudgy face. Don't swing raggedy ann like that. Give her back.

Why don't you run and cry to your Grammy, Molly? Jerry, the third girl chimed in. Yeah, Marianne agreed. She looked to her friends. Her mommy doesn't want her. Dropped her off on the doorstep and ran away. How come your mommy doesn't want you, Molly? Jerry asked.

Yeah, Sarah agreed. Is there something wrong with you? Why'd you spend all your time in the woods, Molly? Jerry asked, scornfully. I hear you talk to yourself, Sarah jeered. The lollipop Marianne had been holding hit Molly on the side of the heads, making a loud thwock in her head. Leave me alone, Molly shrieked.

Her fists clenched into balls at her side as tears poured down her cheeks. Just leave me alone. Just then, a sudden gust of wind rocked the trees in the woods around them. The sky, which hadn't held even one cloud only moments ago, was suddenly grown dark as though an unseen hand had reached out to block the sun. Thunderstalk, Sarah announced, tossing the doll to Marianne. Jerry seemed to be the only one to notice the sudden change in Molly. The young girl was no longer crying.

She wasn't even moving. She was glaring, emerald eyes darting methodically from Marianne to Sarah and then back to Jerry. Jerry felt herself taking several step backwards. nearly ploughing into Marianne and Sarah, who had begun to dance amidst the sudden rain shower. A deafening boom of thunder followed a streak of purple lightning that painted the sky. Hey, watch where I'm running, Marianne laughed, shoving the doll into her friend's hands. Let's get out of you, Jerry yelled above the storm. Her gaze still on mine. Those eyes. They just kept moving. No.

ticking. Jerry realized with a crawling shudder, and the eyes reminded her of one of those Kit-cat clocks ticking off the seconds. Yeah, let's go, Sarah agreed, pushing a wet tangle of hair from her face. The two girls took off down the path, shrieking with delight. Jerry watched them go. I'm going to get lost in the woods. The voice was so close to her ear that Jerry screamed and jumped back. Though Jerry had only looked away for a moment, Molly had somehow managed to cover the ten or so feet between them in that time. Her face was only inches from Jerry's, her green eyes dark with rage and still red rim from crying.

She snatched the raggedy Ann doll from Jerry's loosening grip with animal ferocity. A smile on Molly's pale face was pure rage. But I'll come back for all of you. geraldine worked with the start her hand clutching at her sweat soaked chest as she struggled to ride herself on the sofa she was seized by a sudden coughing fit grabbing a cushion for support she reached for a tissue and waited for the fit to pass damn it geraldine cursed she could still see the cold eyes locked on to hers still feel the sudden shock of cold raindrops through the canopy of dense forests i'll come back for all of you That whispered threat, uttered nearly five decades ago, still echoed in her mind as though the words have just been spoken. Marianne, Sarah and Geraldine had all made it out of the woods unscathed that day, and Molly had stayed true to her word. She disappeared.

The search party had been sent out to look for her when Jerry, despite the protest of her friends, told Molly's grandmother that they'd last seen her playing in the woods. neither molly nor the body of the young girl was ever found jerry had been terrified to knock on the old woman's door for decades she had held the title and reputation of town witch though she had been polite molly's grandmother had stared coldly at young geraldine throughout her well-rehearsed lie as though she could see straight through her she knew what the kids in the neighbourhood said and did to her grandchild though she passed away long before she ever saw what molly had her had in store for them. Ten years later, on the exact anniversary of the day Molly disappeared, then 21-year-old Marianne Hutchins decided to go for a walk in the woods, though she hadn't entered them in a decade. She got up early in the morning, left her newborn son with a neighbor, and vanished. The neighbor would later report that Marianne had looked almost as if she was sleepwalking. The neighbor also noted that she thought it odd that Marianne was not

wearing a coat as it had been pouring rain. They found her body by the river three days later. The papers hadn't been specific, but the ranger who'd found her began telling tales to anyone who had listened that the young woman had been found with her eyes wide open. Face contorted in fear. Ten more years were passed before the death of Sarah's grandfather brought Sarah, her husband and two children back to her hometown. By this time, Geraldine had all but forgotten the strange incident of Harper's Woods. She'd been married, and she and her husband were expecting what would be their only child, June. Geraldine had been sitting at the kitchen table the next morning, cutting Sarah's grandfather's obituary out of the paper when the phone call came in. Sarah's husband could only

conclude that, in her grief over losing her grandfather, Sarah must have woken in the night to take a walk and had perhaps gotten turned around in territory much changed since her childhood. They found her car parked just outside of Harper's Woods, and the body only twenty minutes later. Though the coroner had proclaimed accidental drowning as the cause of death, Geraldine knew better. It was then that Geraldine made peace with the fact that she only had one decade left to live. But death instead came to claim the life of Geraldine's husband during the span of that ten years, and she didn't come in the form of an angry child on a specific anniversary. day. Walter had simply stepped off the curb and had been hit and instantly killed by a drunk

driver. Though Geraldine spent some time worrying over June, she soon convinced herself that nothing supernatural had ever had designs on them. The strange deaths of Marianne and Sarah were just creepy coincidences. The insurance money Geraldine had come into from her husband's death had helped her and her young daughter more than either of them had expected. June was able to attend a private boarding school during the fall and spend each summer at an exclusive summer camp. Geraldine closed her eyes now and forced herself to take a deep breath. Picked up her mug of cold tea and took a long swallow to further calm her throat and prevent another coughing fit.

She dabbed at the corners of her eyes with the tissue she still clutched in her hand. She rose from the couch and made her way to the kitchen. Selecting a glass from the cabinet, she turned on the tap. As she passed by the window, a flicker of movement caught her eye. She frowned at the calendar that hung on the wall by the phone. Its pages were fluttering as though caught in a breeze, but a quick glance around the kitchen told her no window was open. Geraldine's heart raced as her feet moved her toward the fluttering pages.

She felt the glass slipped from her hand. It hit the linoleum and shattered. But Geraldine didn't hear. She didn't even feel the. glass shard that penetrated the thin sole of her house slipper and she staggered backwards. A flash of lightning lit up the sky. Geraldine gasped and turned a face drained of color to the window and the woods beyond. Oh, the voice was a whisper. Molly whirled to face the sound but could see nothing but forest. She licked dry, chapped lips

and swallowed her. Who's there? She'd heard a twig crack a few minutes ago. Had somebody or something been following her? When the shape appeared from behind the gnarled old oak tree, Molly gasped and took a step back. The little girl smiled. There's a storm moving here. You should go home.

Molly's chest tightened as she stared at a young girl who appeared to be about Molly's age with a long, stringy blonde hair and a tattered dress. The only thing that stood out were around. green and almost unnaturally bright. Who are you? Molly asked. I'm Claire, the little girl said, stepping forward. It seemed to Molly that with each step she took,

the little girl seemed to glow brighter somehow, as if bathed in her own private sunshine. I bet you thought I was a ghost, her? Molly surprised herself by giggling. Yeah, well, somebody told me a ghost story about these woods. Oh, I come here all the time, Claire said. I've never seen a ghost. When Claire reached out her hand, Molly felt the slightly cold but solid presence of bone and skin when she shook it.

She felt her muscles relax. The girl was just as real as she. Where do you live? Claire pointed. On the other side of the woods. You know the old lake house? Molly laughed. I felt me and grandma.

had the old lakehouse. No, the other one, Claire said. Molly's mouth formed and, oh, of surprise. You live where my best friend Alison used to live. Blair smiled. I do. Yeah, and Grandma told me there were no other kids there. Claire shrugged.

Oh, I'm staying there with my grandparents for the summer. Sudden rumble of thunder caught their attention. Molly looked up. Why hadn't she noticed? the sky getting so grim. Do you want to come over, Molly? I'll tell you the real ghost story if you come with me.

Molly felt a spidery shiver crawl along her spine. Claire, I never told you my name. Claire turned back, frowning. Yes, you did. Molly shook her head. She stared back. No, I didn't.

Thunder clapped again. Molly looked up as the lightning flashed across the sky. When she looked back, Claire was gone. Molly gasped, turning right and left as large drops of rain splashed on her head and out. The voice was a deafening whisper all around her. Somewhere in the depths of the woods, Claire laughed, a maniacal giggle that reverberated off the trees and seemed to chase the falling rain deep underground.

Molly ran. "'Molly!' Geraldine screamed as she slid down the embankment. A sharp pain shot through her leg, and she prayed as she tumbled and rolled that it wasn't broken. Nobody knew where she was. She could die out here. She landed on her hands and knees in the deep puddle of muddy water. "'Molly!' She'd been curming the woods for nearly an hour, but so far had seen no sign of her granddaughter. The rain poured down in sheets.

Geraldine lurched blindly into a tree and held on. For a moment, she was twelve years old again, helping her friends pick on a helpless little girl. She saw the rage in the eyes of the girl and had not so distant memory. Fifty years to the day. How would she not realize the date? Lightning flashed and lit a streak of blonde in the distance. At first, Geraldine was struck by an urge to scream.

Then she recognised her grandchild. Barefoot, both slippers lost long ago under muck and leaves, Geraldine staggered barefoot towards Molly's unconscious form. Molly! Geraldine slid down to her knees and cradled the rain-soaked head in her arms. Oh God, please don't be dead. Baby, honey, wake up! But the face was grey.

The blue lips parted. Geraldine put her hand to those lips and felt no breath. Molly! Geraldine pushed Molly onto her back and began performing the CPR she'd learned from a YWCA course over 30 years ago. Though she had no idea if she still remembered what to do, instinct took over. She pressed on the small chest and blew frantically into the child's mouth. A strong gust of wind picked up, wailing through the trees and nearly knocking Geraldine to the mud-soaked forest floor. She looked up, gasping, momentarily distracted from her task.

And she just heard her voice. Something moved in the distance, her figure. Was somebody out there? Help! Help! Over here, please! It's my granddaughter. I think she's drowned. Something moved, an amorphous figure melting into the trunk of a tree. Geraldine squinted, shook her head and resumed. the chest pumps on her grandchild.

An explosion happened beneath Geraldine's hands as Molly sat bolt upright and gasped for air. She fell onto her side and began coughing up water. Molly, Molly! Geraldine cried, holding her granddaughter close. You're all right. Oh, you're all right. Grandma? That's right, honey. Grammy's here.

Geraldine pulled Molly away and held her at arm's length. checking her over for any injuries. The child's face was still pale, though the colour was quickly returning. Geraldine smoothed her hair out of her granddaughter's eyes. Her granddaughter's eyes. They were green. All pretense gone.

The strange child's mouth twisted into a wicked smile. Hello, Jerry. Geraldine staggered backwards with a shriek. No, no, where's my granddaughter? where's Molly? The little girl shook her head slowly, looking down at Geraldine as though she were a slug beneath her feet.

Crossing the short distance between them with unbelievable speed, Molly knelt down and pressed her face close to the older woman's. I am Molly, silly. No, no, you're not my Molly, Geraldine yelled, trying to pull herself upright in the mud.

The sudden pain shot through her arm, and radiated upward through her jaw. The crushing chest pain soon followed suit, Geraldine knew she would never make it out of the woods alone. Your eyes, June will know that you're not her daughter, Geraldine croats. Molly from 50 years ago smiled again, moving away from the older woman who lay dying in the rain.

She closed her emerald eyes, and when she opened them again, They were the same shade of grey blue as those of her late grandchild, whose body was now being piloted around by a vengeful spirit. Mommy June and I will have a wonderful life together, don't you think? Those were the last words Geraldine Farmer heard as the darkness closed in. The woods finally claiming her for its own. I've lived in Pike Falls, Georgia for my entire life.

Pike Falls has a population of less than a thousand. The town's mostly populated by working class people. Many of us haven't even graduated from high school. The largest employer in town is a lumbermill and there are more bars than traffic lights. Everybody knows everybody. And they're not fond of outsiders. And after last weekend, neither am I. I'm writing this because last Friday my life changed forever.

I often find myself in one of the town's many bars on Friday and Saturday nights. This is a common theme amongst the other residents of Pike Falls. Unlike many of these other folks, I had something to drink about, something that was far worse than a stressful day at the mill. I got off work around 9pm and headed to my favourite bar. A cosy establishment called the cabin to drink away my feelings. I should have known something was off that night. The cabin was almost empty,

except for a handful of people sitting at tables and one man sitting at the end of the bar oh it was quiet too quiet for a Friday night i thought to myself i took my seat at the bar and order my usual drink a tall cold draft of bugs i tried to focus on watching the football game that was on the tv that hangs over the bar except my eyes kept wandering to the man at the end of the bar i hadn't seen him before and he was way overdressed for pike falls he wore all black dress clothes and a black fedora he was tall and thin he appeared in his early 60s and very pale he sat in silence at the end of the bar with his legs crossed stirring what looked to be an old-fashioned a few other patrons that were in the bar were lost in their quiet side conversations not this guy

though he seemed to zone out into his drink as if he was reading a crystal ball or something well finally my curiosity got the better of me i asked him I asked the bartender, Mikey, if you knew anything about the mysterious man at the end of the bar. In town on business or something. Said he was waiting on someone. Been here for a few hours. Maybe the poor jump got stood up. Mikey replied, distracted by the football game on TV.

After downing three more drafts, I decided that no one should have to wait around alone. And I decided to approach the stranger. Hey, bud. My name's Tim, I said, holding out a half. hand to the stranger. The stranger's enamored gaze on his drink broke, and he stood to shake my hand. Ah, they call me water. It's nice to meet you, Tim. He said in a confident, accented voice. Damn, this guy is tall, I thought to myself. Despite being a rather tall man myself, the stranger towered over me by at least six inches. Well, I got talking to Waller for an hour or so. He was in town on

business like Mike is suspected. I was taken aback when I asked where he was from and what that accent was. He replied, Oh son, I'm from down south. You wouldn't know if I told you. It was time past the bar emptied even more. I was pushing midnight when the last patrons left. Strange for a Friday night,

usually townsfolk would stay until last call. I didn't mind, though. Water was an interesting enough guy with a very entertaining stories. Judging from our conversation, it was clear. Walter didn't seem to understand football. Mikey even interjected at one point. You're from further down south and you don't know much about football. You live under a rock or something but letting out a cackle. Ah, something like that, Walter said, with a smooth-looking smirk. Some time passed and we kept talking about football and local affairs.

As he got later, Mikey mentioned closing down early. He asked if we'd mind clearing out once we've finished our drinks. Walter and I obliged and wrapped up the conversation that we were having. Mikey went to the back to finish his infantry for the night. Now, this Walter geis was a little weird, the kind of person that the locals would have alienated right quick, but he seemed to be a good guy at the time. I was about to leave when Walter turned to me,

with a lit cigar in his mouth and said, Well, Tim, looks like my business partner must have backed out of our deal. He's run into some trouble. Thank you for keeping an old man like myself company. No problem, but, I replied. Before he could reply, I was overcome by intrigue, and I asked, What kind of business are you involved in exactly? I, um, do trades of sorts.

Nothing a youngster like you would be interested in him, I assure you. Walter said in that same confident-sounding voice. I sensed that this meant he didn't want to share any more, so I took this at face value. Some of what he said, well, it had seemed strange. That sounds neat. Looks like you do well for yourself. I told him, while gesturing to an expensive-looking watch on his wrist. I then shook Walter's hand one more time. It was nice to meet you, buddy. Drive safe, wherever you're going next, I told him. Wait, you deserve something for keeping the geese alive me company.

No one else wanted to, after all. Walter said as I turned to walk away. There's no need for that. Oh, but I insist. What can I do for you, Tim? Walter said, sounding more urgent, almost pushing. "'Ah, well, I guess you can pay my tab if you wouldn't mind,' I replied, feeling very confused.

"'God, was this guy some kind of creep?' I thought to myself. "'Ah, you can do better than that.' "'What exactly do you want?' Walter replied. "'Look, man, I don't know what you're talking about. "'What do you mean, what do I want?' "'I felt tense at this point as though I was being interrogated.' "'Ah, don't be foolish, Tim. Money, women, fame. I can give you any of those,' Walter said while giving me an exasperated, tired look. "'How about your son?' he said, getting wide-eyed

a new-found look of excitement on his face, sank. I was overcome by a dozen feelings. Rage, guilt, horror, confusion, complete another shock among others. I grabbed the cuff of Walter's jacket and pulled him close to me, close enough to whisper in his ear. What the hell did you say to me? How the fuck do you know anything about my son? I said while holding back tears. Water smirked to me, and he pulled me in even closer. Because I'm the devil, son.

He replied, as poised as ever. I let go of him immediately. "'Who was this bastard?' I thought to myself. "'And how the hell did he know anything about my son?' "'I stood there in complete shock. "'I was in tears at this point. "'What happened to him?' I asked, my voice cracking. "'I knew that my four-year-old son had been kidnapped three years ago,

"'but I never knew more than that. "'The following downward spiral "'led to my divorce and subsequent patronage of this bar. "'I still blame myself for his disdiscount. appearance and so did my ex-wife. Oh, Tim, I could tell you, but you don't want to know that. Walter said, appearing to be as collected as ever. Go to hell, I yelled.

Now in a frantic state, I felt nauseous. How did he know about any of this? With pleasure, I was beginning to feel homesick anyway. His mouth twisted into a smear. Alas, I am an honest man and I still owe you a favour, so when you return home tonight, your son will be waiting for you, safe and sound. That was the last time I ever saw Walter. He strode out of the door as Mikey came fumbling out of the back room, lugging a keg to the bar.

Mikey saw that I was in tears. He could see my agonized facial expressions. How much had Mikey overheard, I thought. but what's wrong drink too much ex-wife giving you a hard time again he asked in a reassuring voice as he sat the keg down yeah something like that i replied my body's still shaking that other guy left mike asked gesturing to the end of the bar yeah about damn time i'm tired of these out-of-towns i said holy shit mike said as he picked up Walter's glass. He then held up a stack of at least ten, one hundred-dollar bills.

This one must not be that bad, he said loudly, with a big grin on his face. Yeah, I replied. I waited around for another hour or so while Mike closed down the bar. He'd offered to give me a ride home on account that I'd drunk more than I could even remember. I took him up on it as I'd come back tomorrow morning and pick my truck up. Mikey knew exactly where he was going as this was a frequent occurrence. I only lived three miles from the bar in a secluded home in the forest. On my way home we noticed an accident.

A car had run off the road, down a ravine, and head on into a tree. When the headlights from Mikey's truck touched the tree, I could tell that it was covered in blood. Someone had died, I could feel it. What Walter said about whoever he'd intended to meet past the tree. through my head and my heart sank into my stomach. I guess he had run into some trouble. A chill ran down my spine.

God, what will be waiting for me at home? I thought to myself. Mikey dropped me off at my house a few minutes later, and I stumbled through my front door, which I'd left unlocked. I turned the lights on, and that's when I saw it. My son walked down the stairs from the room that used to be his. I began crying, overcome by sadness. I almost vomited as the putrid stench of decay filled my nostrils.

My son was standing in front of me. He wore the same clothes he'd been wearing the day he disappeared. The only difference was that his body was bloated and grey. His skin decayed and waterlogged, peeling off in chunks. There was a single gunshot wound between his eyes. Daddy! I made it home, he said as he embraced me. I knelt down to embrace him back,

still in shock and trying to hold back my repulsion. Then I put my hand on the back of his head and felt my hand sink into the exit wound that the bullet had made. I hadn't noticed the bloody cavern in the back of his skull until that point. I don't know what I was feeling inside, but it was the worst feeling in the world. A mixture of pure guilt. horror and shock, but with a strange sense of relief. The moment these emotions hit me, my cell phone

rang. It was an unknown number, but I knew who it was immediately. I pulled myself together as much as I could and answered. Hello, I said, aghast at what I was experiencing. And there it was that smooth, calm voice. Hello, Tim. How's your son doing? Lucifer said. I dropped the phone at that moment and slipped into drunken unconsciousness.

I awoke what felt like an eternity later to the stench of decay. No, it hadn't been a dream. So the next time you meet a stranger, don't talk to them. You never know who they might be. This happened to me around 30 years ago, back when I was just a child. I've never felt comfortable talking about this, as dramatic as it was for me,

but I think it's beyond time I let this off of my chest. It's up to you if you want to believe this or not. Now I'm used to people thinking I'm all kinds of crazy. So, back in the late 80s, before the Babri Mosque had been demolished, my family was living comfortably in a small town in Central India. This was before the internet. Our family couldn't even afford a television, so the only entertainment we had as kids was other kids.

As it goes for small towns like ours, almost everyone knew everyone else, and we always had a large group of kids to play with. By far Amour's favourite activity was playing cricket, as it was and continues to be for most South Asian kids. Every week we'd each get ten rupees, with the condition being that the losing team had to pool its money and treat the winners.

It added stakes to our matches and even led to fights, but it sure was something to look forward to each Sunday. My father was against this, arguing that it teaches kids to gamble, so I had to sneak off to my much more soft-hearted mum to pay my share. So, on every Sunday at around 4pm, I'll take my cricket bat, strap it to the back of my cycle, and ride to the playground. Our cricket field was just a wide-open space next to a seldom-mused basketball court, about two to three kilometres. away from my house. My parents aren't particularly irresponsible, so it's still a wonder to me that I was allowed to go all that way at such a young age. The little playground was oddly positioned. The only buildings near it were an old post office and some abandoned houses. If it hadn't been for us kids, our town would have just forgotten about that area. The streetlights on the road

nearby were the only artificial source of light there, so believe me when I say this. When it got dark, very creepy and none of us liked to stay there after sunset. It was a Sunday like any other. After a lot of begging and pleading, I convinced my mother to give me the money and happily ridden my bike to the field. I remember being one of the first ones to arrive that day, sending up the stumps and impatiently waiting for the others.

There were about 20 of us, all from different socio-economic and religious backgrounds, all united by boredom and cricket. I would never have such a bit of. diverse group of friends ever again in my life, especially with what happened in Iodhia a couple of years later. We won the match that day, and I remember playing exceptionally well myself. The sun had started to go down. The sky was a sickly shade of orange, and we were chatting about the match and deciding where to go for the treat. When I felt an intense urge to pee, asking my friends

to wait for me, I decided to go relieve myself on the walls of the old post office. Yes, I had terrible civic sense back then. As I unzipped my pants, I could hear them laughing and going away, thinking it would be hilarious to leave me in the dark. I quickly did my business, I zipped up my pants and turned around, ready to leave, and that's when I saw him. I was standing next to a bicycle, with a wall of cotton candy behind him, somehow attached to his cycle.

His face was tilted to the left, and he had this strangest squint with a bunch of his body. both of his eyes pushing painfully rightward, such that his pupils were just tiny black specks in the white expanse of his eyes. He had a very dry mouth that pushed inward, as if he was an old man without any teeth, which was bizarre since he clearly looked very young. I stood frozen to the spot as I saw him, unable to believe what I was looking at. The next second my heart jumped as he rang the bell on his bicycle. Tring, tring, tring, twing.

while the hair on the back of my neck stood up. Imagine you're all alone in the middle of an empty field, and a strange, squinty-eyed man with his head tilted to the side is standing in front of you, bringing the bell on his bicycle, while not even looking at you. Tring, tring, tring, tring, tring, tring, tring, tring, tring, in short bursts of three. Tring, tring, and tring, and tring.

My brain tried to rationalise it. maybe he was just a candy seller, banging the middle of an empty, dark playground with no one here but the two of us. My parents had always warned me about strangers who tried to kidnap kids by giving them poison candy. This was much more terrifying

than that. After a short while, gathered up what little courage I had. What do you want? I asked. My voice much more lower pitch than what it usually was. At that he stopped ringing the bell, and for a few moments the both of us stood motionless, in complete silence.

Then, suddenly, his face jerked into a straight position, and his pupils moved to the centre of his eyes, focusing all his attention on me. Tring, tring, tring, he whispered. His soft voice still sounding loud and clear in my ears. Tring, tring, tring, tring, tring, tring, tring, tring. His mouth turned into the most frightening, toothless smile I had ever seen as he kept on whispering. Tring, tring, tring, tring, tring, tring.

All rational thought flared my body as I just ran from there, forgetting everything. I forgot that I'd left my bike back there, forgot where I was running to. I just ran, with survival the only thing on my brain. Oh, I didn't know how I knew it, but I knew that if I delayed running by even a second, I was certain to die. Hane exploded in my legs as my feet pounded the ground, desperate as I was to flee from this situation. I was screaming and crying as I ran, not looking behind me, yet somehow knowing he was right on my heels. My fears were confirmed when I heard him whisper, right next to my ears.

Tring, tring, tring, tring, tring, tring, tring, tring, tring, tring. I stumbled and fell. Fear and hopelessness took over my body. I felt like a cornered animal who knew he was about to be hunted by a predator. Reluctantly, I looked around and saw that he wasn't anywhere close to me. He was still standing there, staring at the spot where I stood just a moment ago. I didn't stick around to see what would happen next and ran from there, only stopping at the front door of my house where I collapsed in exhaustion. My mother herself was scared out of her wits when she found me on the doorstep, reduced to a blubbering mess.

Through my tears, I tried explaining what had happened, not knowing how much she understood. I would find out later that my parents thought someone was trying to kidnap me. Oh, if only it was something that right. My Ammi hug me and I finally calmed down. Even my older sister, Fatima, was sympathetic towards me for once. That evening my Abu went out and got my bicycle back. He was furious at me that I was going out and playing cricket using money, and I was going all the way there alone.

He had never objected to that before, but most of all, furious that he'd almost lost me. He took me to the police station to file a police station to file a lot of him. police station to file a complaint that the cops weren't interested we came from an underprivileged family and i hadn't even been hurting anyway so they pretty much run us out of the station that night they in bed with my eyes wide open i'd seen far too much that day to sleep comfortable i don't know how much time had passed with me just staring at the ceiling when i heard that scarcely familiar sound again Tring, tring, twing, twing. It was, unmistakably, the sound of that god-awful bell again,

this time coming from right outside my bedroom. Close my eyes, pulled my blanket above my head, pretending that I hadn't heard anything. The sound continued for what felt like hours, finally ceasing after I refused to take the bait. It had been a good while after the sound of the bell had stopped, when I peaked out of the blanket after pulling the curtains aside. He was still there, silently standing next to his bike,

his spindly body being illuminated by the moonlight. Face tilted, eyes squinting to the right. He was as frightening as I remembered him to be. He must have sensed me, because as soon as I saw him, he started ringing the bell again. I shivered in fear and began calling for my sister, making sure to keep my voice down to a whisper. Fatima, I said urgently.

Fatima, wake up. She didn't move. Please, I said, my voice cracking. The bell continued to ring. She slowly, slowly began to stir in her bed, and the ringing immediately stopped. She yawned and looked at them. What happened?

Her eyes beginning to start. to widen as she saw fear. Oh, come on. Her eyes beginning to widen, she saw the fear in my eyes. It's him, I whispered, tears running down my face. He's outside. She immediately jerked upright, and poured aside the curtains. There was no one there. There's no one, she said, looking at me suspiciously, go back to sleep. I immediately knew that she didn't believe me, and that she thought, I thought I was making it all up, including what I said had happened earlier in the evening. She pulled the curtains back and went off to sleep again. She might not have believed me, but I knew it was real.

I was alert as I'd ever been, straining my ears for the sound of the bell, but it wouldn't come again that night. I checked my watch. It was 3 a.m. and I needed to pee. I tried to hold it in for as long as I could, but the time came when I just had to go. go. There was no way that I was going to wet the bed, even as scared as I was. After my bladder became intolerable, I decided to brave the journey to the bathroom. As I got to the bathroom door, I immediately knew that something was wrong. I could feel this presence inside, and I knew that

I should have walked away then and there, but I pushed the door open with trembling hands, and my hunch was proven correct. I saw a figure in the dark corner. His back turned towards me. Even though I couldn't see him, I knew who he was. He began to furiously whisper, his soft voice sounding like it was coming from right next to me. Tring, tring, tring, tring, tring, tring, tring, tring. I screamed with all my might and fell backwards.

He turned, his eyes shining as they focused on me, and he gave me that fucked up smile of his. I began to crawl backwards, screaming my lungs out. I soon fell arms around me and jumped, thinking that he got to me. But no, it was Fatima. She was looking at him, her eyes wide in fear, as she realized that I was speaking the truth all along. Go get upward, she screamed, and I got up and ran. The last thing I saw was Fatima trying to close the bathroom door,

before I was out of the room and ran into the solid frame of my father. He pushed me aside and walked into our bedroom. I didn't stop running until I found my mother and quickly wrapped myself around her legs, crying hysterically. She began to comfort me, running her hand through my hair. Just when I thought the madness was coming to an end, my father let out a yell, full of such anguish that I had never heard in his voice before or ever would again. Army quickly walked to our room, with me following closely behind, or being followed up. or be it a little reluctantly.

She too let out a painful scream as she entered the room, and I understood why. What I saw there chilled me to the bone, and has haunted me to this day. Fatima's lifeless body was lying on her bed, with large tufts of cotton candy sticking out of her mouth. Two men wearing hunting attire walked through the dense forest under the night sky. Over there, I see it.

automatic rifle in hand. Daniel smiled. Finally, Henry joined him. I thought it'd take forever. Witnesses say it's big, so get ready. Always are. Lacking moonlight, they turn their bright, shoulder-manted flashlights to illuminate the interior. Even if there are two, silver bullets would have helped.

Daniel drew a handheld flashlight to further extend their line of sight. Barth said this is a dogman. any armor works on them pay attention the cave was deeper than expected here doggie dogy doggy henry made clicking noises with his mouth running on all fours a large animal charged at them they were fast enough to jump to the side and avoid the attack they quickly turned around stood up on its hind legs and tried to grab daniel before it could touch him he opened fire both arms up to protect his head head, the dogman led out a roar. Took a few steps back before collapsing to one knee.

The man kicked its head, knocking the creature out. Well played. Breathing heavily, he reloaded his weapon. But at the end of the day, you're just an animal. Something's wrong, Daniel yelled. Henry illuminated his friend with the shoulder-mounted flashlight. A thin layer of black liquid slowly crawled up his colleague's leg. The man desperately stumbled back in an attempt to escape, but the liquid had reached his waist.

He collapsed to the floor as it consumed his chest. He let out a pain-filled yell, one which Henry had never heard before. It forcefully pushed its way into his mouth, replacing the shouting with a gurgling noise. Seeing his friend was most likely dead, Henry fired his rifle. The bullet holes in the thin layer of liquid instantly filled them. themselves. The blackness slithered away from the corpse and melted into the shadows on the floor. You are trespassing, a monotone voice whispered in his ear. Henry instinctively jumped back, only to see that there was nobody there. Show yourself. He blindly fired a few rounds at the nothingness.

Hostility is not welcomed here. A black tentacle emerged from the shadows and wrapped himself around his arm. The man shot at it, emptying the magazine. Unaffected, it tightened. Bones cracked and muscle tall. Fighting to free himself, he felt it lift him off his feet. Who are you? The voice asked. Screw you. A few feet away, a figure emerged from the darkness. The short pale woman wore white sweatpants, sneakers and a tucked in white tank top. Her eyes were nothing but void black, making it impossible to tell where she was looking. You attack us and have the audacity to skip introductions. How incredibly rude!

She played with her messy black hair. You're not a dog, man. What are you? Someone who gets irritated when they don't have answers. The woman scratched the rifle from his hand and folded it like paper. this can be your neck we're only hired hunters some guy in a suit offered us money to kill this thing sounded fun they also said it attacks local people so why not why not the light coming from each flashlight went out the hunters shouts echo through the cave penelope could clearly see in the pitch-black cave the darkness covering her eyes shrunk leaving black human ones Oh, poor baby, she kneeled down next to the wounded dogman. Told you not to try, but you insisted.

Her voice was caring. Her demeanor had changed to a cheerful one. She lifted the dogman over one shoulder and ventured deeper into the cave. Is everything all right, Penn? The second one played with a boat. You know how your brother always acts tough. I hope he learned an important lesson today. She got the animal off her shoulder, and gently placed it on a pile of leaves and barefoot.

Can you continue with the story? The conscious one asked. Sorry, no, I've got to call your parents. We're not in trouble, are we? No, you adorable little cub. She pinstitched its cheek, resulting in a smile. Ah, it's the humans again. You two rest. I'll be right back.

Penelope drew her phone and walked up. up to the cave's exit. Hey, Dora, she greeted the two cubs' mother. Penelope, is there a problem? A worried voice answered. Ah, humans found the cave, but don't worry, they're dead. Oh no, is anyone hurt? Jeremy got a little bruised up, but you know how he can be.

I'll bring them to the neighbours, if that's okay. Yes, of course. I'll be home in 15 minutes. No, no, relax. It was just humans. Enjoy your special dinner. I promise I'll take care of everything. However will I thank you,

if you're the best babysitter and mum could ask for. Penelope put the phone away and walked back inside. Dark clouds hit all stars along with the moon in the night sky. A crimson convertible sped down the highway, heading towards the distant city lights of Santa Bacier. Amelia, the driver, or a black tank top under her unzipped white jackets. Being Penelope's sister, she said the same black hair and eyes.

A small silver cross around her neck flickered at each passing light. What happened next? She asked. Well, everything else went smooth. My point is, five families have been attacked this month. Things are getting worse. Penelope had her elbow on the car's door. Things are bad at the city as well.

Amelia let out a sign. Remember the insect people we visited a few months back. Yeah, did something happen? They've all been wiped out. All of them. Every single one. But the hive was huge. At least 50 lived there. The humans won't rest until everyone is dead.

I haven't caught the house in a while. Do you think they're all right? I'm sure of it. How a family can handle themselves. A short melody sounded from Amelia's pocket. speak of the devil. Amelia glanced at her phone. Sorry, Penn.

That movie will have to wait. Someone just message me. Who? Do you need help? Nothing serious. Small-scale attacks in the sewers. Some family friends need help. Right.

Drop me off at the beach. The convertible reached one of the neighbourhoods within the city's outskirts. Its clock tower stuck out of a field of two-story brick houses, which bordered the city. kisses Penelope waved Amelia waved back and drove off Despite it being a large neighbourhood

Penelope traversed the small streets on foot And eventually reached the beach Someone sat at a single bench Where she would wait for her customer The woman approached with caution Maria, why are you here so early Hey Penn A young casually dressed girl gave her a small smile

Oh, mum had urgent work, so she dropped me off early. Urgent work? It's dangerous out here. She also wanted me to give you this. The girl handed her an envelope. Strange, I usually get paid at the end of the night. Penelope opened the envelope. The moment she did, a familiar, tingling sensation ran through her brain.

I'm sorry for doing this to you. Mother's voice echoed through Penelope's mind. You've probably noticed that in recent days I required your service multiple times Well humans have been tracking my family for months While we can avoid them Life of fear is not one we wish to leave Unlike her siblings Maria is too young

I wouldn't survive the trip through the ocean Well, the one required to reach our new home I've left you a generous sum of money All I require is for you to find a good human orphanage Living in the underwater colony with her kind is too dangerous Oh, one last thing. Make it clear to her. She's never to shift to her true form.

If she is to survive, she must always stay human. Thank you. Penelope shook her head to regain composure. What is it, Penn? You look sad, Maria asked. What did Mom say? Well, she'll be a little late. Oh, so we'll have more time together.

"'It seems. "'Perfect. "'You can finally show me how to play basketball. "'I don't think that'll happen,' Penelope started. "'You promised. "'If we have more time, we can play a human game. "'Those were your words.' "'Penelope put a hand on the little girl's shoulder.

"'Mary, your mother isn't coming back to pick you up. "'What do you mean, Penn? "'She's busy, and Dad'll come.' No. You see, well, spit it out already. The girl was visibly worried. Your family have left the city, and they aren't coming back. But why? If they wouldn't leave me. You must have misunderstood or something. A giant monster was heading towards Santa Bessia's coast. Your family went to fight it off. A monster? Why can't they come back afterwards?

It's really powerful, anywhere we're at least. quiet time. In a few years, they'll come back. A few years? How few? Not more than ten. Ten. Maria widened her eyes. Are you lying to me? I'd never lie to you. Penelope smiled. No, no, no, no. The girl shook her head in denial. We'll stop by a few stores along the way. buy you some clothes and I'll drop you off at an orphanage. An orphanage? As in human orphanage, why not the colony? The monster is a danger.

You must promise me to stay away from the water. Stay away from the water? With a loud shout, Maria got up. It's what your mother wanted. Why can't I stay with you? It won't be safer. I'm sorry, Maria. This isn't fair.

This... Penelope covered her mouth with a palm. She could hear a speeding car engine in the distance. Mary, we're going to have to part here. Humans are coming. She released the girl. Where should I go? Follow my friend. He'll take you to a safe location.

Humans can't detect you as long as you're close to him. Your friend, who is... Maria jumped back if she felt something rob against her foot. A black and grey cat calmly watched her. Follow Mr. Dark. I'll be with you soon. Penelope smiled at the girl. She turned to her cat and made a strange noise with her mouth. The cat turned around and moved down the shoreline.

He waited for the little girl to start following and ran. They disappeared into the night. Listening to the car doors open, Penelope casually sat on the bench. Oh, what have we here? light illuminated her kind of late to be at the beach ain't it a tall woman wearing ballistic armour held an automatic rifle i can say the same penelope confidently answered what are you doing out here all by yourselves wearing a leather jacket a well-built man joined his colleague attached to his collar three small wooden crosses emitted a sweet smell unlike the woman the only visible weapon was a hoisted handgun on his belt The hunters both had flashlights mounted on their foreheads. What do you two clowns want?

Penelope watched the sea. No need to be our style. Using one finger, the man gently moved his colleagues' rifle down. Let me handle this. Weapons still in hands, the woman nodded and took a few steps back. Um, Detective Rivera, might never sit down? In fact, I do. A fake smile creeped onto his face.

If it makes you feel safe, I'm just wondering, why's the rest of your family? No idea what you're on about. We've had an eye on this place. We know you, mermaids gather here. Is that so? Maybe you should mind your own business, all four of you. The man looks surprised. Ten metres away, I see you too.

Penelope hadn't moved her eyes. from the sea. Well, well, didn't know mermaids had eyes in the back of their heads. Rivera took a step back. You don't see much too afraid of being shot, meaning you're either fast or bullets don't affect you all that much. You sure like to talk.

Penelope stood up. Let's make a deal. All of you run away and you get to live. Rivera shook his head. always the same routine starting overconfident ending death i can say the same always those night vision goggles and flashlights problem is they're powered by electricity the flashlights the flashlights went out the two men hiding behind the bench were puzzled as their night vision goggles turned on being able to see in the dark penelope took a swing at revera to her surprise he locked eyes with her and jumped up and jumped back with inhuman speed. Being able to see in the dark, Penelope took a swing at Rivera. To her surprise, he locked eyes with her and jumped back with inhuman speed.

While his colleague couldn't see, she could hear. Judgingly by the footsteps, she aimed her rifle at Penelope. Rivera squinted his eyes in surprise as Penelope's shadow extended towards the woman, quickly crawled up and wrapped itself around her body. In a swift motion, it rapidly constricted, crushing her body. He'd taken the opportunity to distance himself from the horror show. His other two colleagues, hope and fire. A few bullets hit Penelope.

Without flinching, she leaped over the bench, slamming into one of them. With a loud grunt, she sent her hand into his chest. Shattered ribs and torn muscles scattered everywhere as she pulled her fist back, forming a sharp spike. Her shadow detached from the ground and stabbed the second man through the heart. It wiggled and hurled the body at Rivera, who dodged it with ease. The shadow flattened itself back on the ground and slithered towards him. Becoming thinner and thinner as it chased him, it stopped and retracted back to Penelope.

He jumped back in his car, which had its engine on. Eyes entirely black, Penelope tore a large piece of the bench and hurled it at the car, denting it, shattering the back window. Once out of range, she ran. The crimson convertible entered the abandoned parking lock, where Penelope had been hiding. It slowed down so she could jump in, and then sped off. Another attack!

Amelia glanced at the bullet holes on her sister's body. Girls with Simon. He'll take her to the orphanage. Thanks, sis. What about it? Mr. Dark. The black and grey cat. purred from under the seat there he is penelope let out a sigh of relief thanks for the help kitty she lifted and hugged the animal how many were there four four and they hit you one caught me by surprise he could see in the dark and possessed in human speed must be these new enhanced soldiers two accompanied a group of armed humans jumped me in the sewers earlier.

You said it was a small-scale attack? Well, it turns out there were more. The metal skin and armour sure is hard to rip through. Metal skin? Yeah, they look more machine than human. The one that attacked me wore civilian clothes. Those humans keep coming up with new surprises. Amelia chuckled.

What do you mean, Siss? The exceptions. The special ones. It can be anything. Maybe one of our kind decided to change sides. Some strange spliced mutant, cyborgs, a biologically engineered virus. Who knows? These hunters keep on popping up.

But in the end, they're all the same. Monsters searching for an excuse to kill. Why didn't you tell me about this earlier? I did. Always expect the worst and be ready for surprises. This sucks. Penelope rubbed foreheads with Mr. Dunn. dark. She shut her eyes.

Sis, I don't feel too well. The car pulled over to the side of the road. What is it? Amelia put a hand on her sister's shoulder. Four mortals attack me. I let one live. It must die. Penelope didn't even blink. How much did you use your shadow? Twice this week. Relax. You're not in any danger. It's over. no need to fight anymore.

Amelia cautiously removed Mr. Dark from her sister's lap. They attacked. They deserve to suffer. I want to touch his beating heart. Snap out of it. Amelia slapped her sister. Sorry, sorry. I'm sorry.

Penelope readjusted her neck. I can't retract it. She gritted her teeth. Remember the movie we watched a week ago? What? The one with a talking dog. Yes, I think I remember. It was fun, wasn't it?

Yeah, it was. You remember how the barking in one of the scenes scared Mr. Dark, and he fell in the popcorn? Right, Penelope giggled. Poor Mr. Dark had to clean his fur from the butter. The giggle turned to laughter, and her eyes returned to normal. Feeling better? Thanks, sis. I do feel better.

Work can wait tonight. Want to go home? Amelia returned Mr. Dark to her sister. I'd like that. Penelope woke up at sunset the next night. With the click of a button, the old radio on the bedside table played jazz music. Mr. Dark jumped off the bed as she stood up.

Thrown on the floor, her clothes from the previous night were covered in holes. She took one of the two sets of identical clothing from her wardrobe and dressed herself. Once ready, she prepared a bowl of cereal and a separate smaller bowl with cat food. Mr. Dark found his way to the bowl and shoved his head inside.

Sitting on the bed, she calmly ate with her eyes closed. Halfway through breakfast, an envelope slid under her door. She quickly retrieved it and returned to the previous position. Hello, Penelope. Accompanied by the tingling sensation, a deep familiar voice spoke in her mind. Humans have adopted a member of the Becker's family. one of the beckers will attempt to retrieve them at midnight and has asked for your assistance.

The details will be added to your memories. Penelope blinked. Well, well, what a surprise. Mr. Dark straightened his ears and locked eyes with her. Oh, my little kitten, we'll be returning to the same neighbourhood as yesterday. If we're lucky, we might get a rematch. She exited her secluded layer and locked the reinforced door. standing among piles of crates, multiple holes in the warehouse's ceiling cast moonlight,

partly illuminating the interior. Nice place you've got. A voice echoed through the building. I might be getting that rematch earlier. Penelope recognized it. Detective Rivera walked out from behind one of the many rusty support leaves. Did you sleep well? Despite being quite the distance away,

he didn't need to shout due to the echo. Like a baby, what are you doing all the way over there? Don't you want to come closer so I can hear you better? Penelope's eyes turn pure black. Oh, thanks. I like it over here. He sat down.

Since you like to talk so much, I'm curious. How'd you find me? You're not the only one who is a furry little helper. Well, in my case, feathery. You're alone. Why?

Others would slow me down. Who's the woman who dropped you off here last night? Don't know who you're talking about? Of course you don't. He reached into his coat. Penelope squinted her eyes as he drew a grey stick. You abominations don't deserve to exist. His casual demeanour turned to a condescending tone.

All you do is hurt the innocent. You show no remorse. Splinters flew everywhere as Penelope sunk her fingers into a nearby crate. Lifting it over her head, the planks composing it bent in, and she hurled it towards Rivera. The man quickly rolled to a standing position, finding himself behind a supporting beam. The crate flew by and shattered into the wall. With a single pop, he folded the stick. Emitting bright light, it regained its previous straight form. Penelope paused for a moment.

A question expression quickly returned to an emotionless, deadpan's stead. They aren't powered by electricity. Lighting a second stick, the man revealed himself. Do you think I'm scared of a little light? Effortlessly, Penelope leaped over a few crates, closing in on him. The moment she landed, a shadow twitched and detached from the floor. Forming a long appendage, it struck at the man as if it were a snake. Rivera jumped over the tentacle, which left a deep hole in the floor.

Leaving the glowing sticks behind, he quickly crawled behind more crates. So you decided to hide. Penelope searched the surroundings with her eyes. Revolver in hand, the man appeared at the far cool. corner of the warehouse. With a single shot, Penelope's forearm burst into pieces, leaving bone and tiny bits of flesh to hold her arm together. While his bullets didn't seem to contain any special material, the mere size had the power to dismember. Her shadow widened in front of her, catching two more bullets with ease. It retracted, and she quickly hid behind a support beam. Five meters.

Rivera's voice, echoed. Whatever that sentient liquid is, it has a limited range. He threw a third glowing stick. All of the light banished most natural shadows in the warehouse, a black liquid, which had slowly been filling Penelope's wound, disintegrated the second more light appeared. She felt her muscles weakened, eliminating the option to punch through a wall. The only way out into the night was the warehouse's exit. A shadow slithered to one of the glowing sticks, wrapped itself around it and launched it out of a window. Blood splattered across the floor as a bullet burst through a crate

and entered her back. It exited out of her shoulder and left a dent in one of the support beams. Each time Rivera fired his revolver, his entire arm sprung back due to the massive recoil. Penelope's shadow retracted to its idle position. Dodging more shots, Penelope hid behind another support-meet. She could hear him jumping from crate to crate, still keeping his distance. Trying to dispose of more sources of light will give up her position.

I watched you very closely last night. Rivera shouted. Each time you manipulated your shadow, your body went idle. As long as it's moving, you can't dodge attacks. The man's eyes constantly watched the exit, and each light sticks location, waiting for her to come out of hiding. Hidden behind a few crates, the light began to move. With a satisfied grin on his face, he fired. The light stopped moving. Not getting too close, he hopped from crate to crate to find an angle from which he could see better.

Appearing from the opposite direction, Penelope grabbed him by the wrist. with her good hand. Applying pressure, she forced the revolver out of his hand. Why, how can you be in two places? He attempted to push her back. Light stick in his mouth, Mr. Dark ran past them towards the exit. As the light became dimmer, bone being crushed, sounded from Rivera's wrist. Assistance needed, the man shouted. A large owl flew in through, one of the holes in the ceiling and sunk its claws into Mr. Dark, stopping him from removing the last stick. Penelope's shadow crawled up, Rivera, but stopped midway. An invisible force

around him was fighting back. Despite not being entirely engulfed, the shadow tightened, crushing both his legs and covering Penelope in his blood. The two of them fell off the crate and collided with the floor. Penelope gritted her teeth as vapor appeared. Sharp pain running through her body, the shadow retracted. She loosened her grip and jumped back. Rivera's blood let out a hiss as it tore through her clothing. She ripped them off, revealing burns where his glossy blood had been. Blood ate through the dropped cloth, along with bits of the floor.

Ignoring him, Penelope bolted towards the animals. The owl spotted her in time to leave her cat and flew away. still standing, but covered in blood, Mr. Dark hobbled to the woman. She quickly lifted him and glanced at her enemy. Despite having crushed legs, he was up and running. Way too fast for a crippled person, and he exited the warehouse. Thanks for the help, Mr. Dark. Penelope cradled her cat.

If this guy wasn't an over-confident chatterbox and brought back up, both of us would be dead. It's not safe here anymore. we need to run. I'm not new to the internet, nor am I new to Reddit or any other social media. I just tend to visit, read, then go about my day. I learned in the earlier years of being online to never engage in fights,

but I do spend the majority of my time looking things up and doing lots of reading. Much of that reading isn't spent on anything supernatural, but now I'm at a loss. I'm currently working security in Centre City That's downtown Philly for people who are wandering The reason I'm posting here now is that I've encountered an event that's kind of left me shaken I can't tell you exactly where this occurred because I still work there and the last thing I need is a bunch of urban explorers Come into this place at night

And then I'd have to chase you all off and ain't nobody got time for that Anyway, I've looked online and I can't find anything related to what I'm looking into So, I'll just tell the story and maybe you can come up with something. A few nights ago I showed up to one of the many construction sites downtown to relieve my friend and take over for the night. My normal duties are to check in with him, see what he has to report, which is usually nothing, and then we walk the grounds for a few minutes. Then I go to the security room to start checking the cameras.

In today's world, a lot of the cameras are motion sensitive and require little monitoring, except to see things in the distance and zoom in on what they may or may not be and if they're trouble. I'm armed just in case I have to scare off someone or hold them until the police arrive. But with Rona, scaring the smart folks, only the eages come out at night

to places like this to explorer or skateboard or something silly like that. So on this particular night after my friend left I began to make my rounds and check things out. I went down to one of the lower levels and I noticed an odd set of bricks sitting in the middle of the floor. At first I wasn't going to worry about it because this site was under reconstruction,

but the bricks didn't match any of the bricks or more to the construction crews were using. They were more like those red bricks down by the old city. There were about four of them spaced evenly, two bricks on the ground and another brick atop the other. Thinking they were just keepsakes or whatever from the crew, I left them there and continued my rounds. It was about two hours or so later when I got the chime of one of the security cameras. I put my phone down and looked up at the camera.

The girl was walking about the sight with her hands in her pockets. I was going to get on the horn to tell her this place was off limits and dangerous, and that she needed to go home. But instead I just watched her. She was walking with purpose, like she knew exactly where she was going and was in absolutely no hurry. I zoomed in close I had to get a good look.

She was a black girl, pretty with brownish skin, and kind of looked like the old girl from Black Panther, Nacia. Yeah, Lupita Nongo, that chick. It looked kind of like she was whistling something. She was wearing some biker shorts and a t-shirt. It looked like she wasn't carrying anything that I could see. She went right to the bricks on the level I'd been at earlier. She didn't approach them right away.

She just stood there for a moment, like she was examining them. Her head was tilting sideways, where she rubbed her chin. And she reached into the side pocket of her shorts and pulled out what looked like a phone. She took some pictures, walked to the side of the building, and jumped off. I hit the alarm immediately and began to dial 911 as I rushed to the site of where she'd jumped. As I explained to the police what happened. I ran to the site to look over the ledge to see where she'd fallen to.

jumping from this side of the site led to a straight plummet about three stories high she might not have died but she damn sure broke something but when i got there there wasn't a body there was no blood or anything she was just gone i could hear the sirens so i headed back to the booth and that's when i noticed that there were now eight more bricks on the pile i'd come back later to check on that but for now the cops were here no without a body to show them they thought maybe I'd fallen asleep and thought I'd seen something. But then I remember the cameras. I reround the feed and watched the recording and sure enough there she was. The cops saw the video too. They saw the girl and they saw her jump. They took a copy and told me to report anything like that to them if she came back or anyone else did.

I watched the video hard for the rest of the night. I'm not afraid to admit I was shaken. There ain't some shit you see all the time. well i forgot about the bricks until the next day and so over the course of the next few nights i watched as this series of bricks continued to grow i had no idea how they were appearing since there were only three of us working these shifts we each took turns recording the amount that would appear and let the others know my friend told me that he and the other co-worker tried to push and kick them over but they wouldn't budge neither of them had seen the girl and since the construction was halted for a few days we knew it wasn't the workers doing it so on the night something did happen i mean it was crazy i was looking up ancient bricks and ghost bricks all types of damn bricks online to see if there was anything i could find maybe this place was on a burial ground or something one site i found had a great way of explaining the thing about burial grounds and hauntings the whole world is a burial ground

Things have been dying since they've been living. The whole world is haunted. So, that wasn't it. So I just watched the bricks again while I searched. That's when I noticed it looked like it was forming some type of arch. As they stat themselves, they looked like they were growing into a door of something. I was tempted to call the cops again, but the bricks building themselves were never recorded. Only the movement of people ever caused the alarm.

So I got the idea to look up. supernatural arches and a bunch of YouTube clips about doors and passages to the other side came up. Then I realized that some crazy shit from someplace else was trying to build a door here, and it was almost finished. It might have maybe eight or ten more bricks to go. I went to them and looked for something I could use to stop whatever the hell it was from coming over. Now look, I'm an atheist, still am, but I don't know everything. I don't know, how to stop these bricks from forming that arch. No tool I used words.

So I decided to put something between both sides to stop them from completing the arch. I took some rebar and put it in place and hoped that would be enough. I looked up the construction company's number and left a message on their emergency line. It was late so I didn't expect anyone to show up. I just hope the rebar would last until...

And that's when I realized my fuck-up. I had just completed the art. When trying to stop it, I completed the damn thing. I sat down in my chair shaking. I just watched the camera feed as I realised what I'd done. I was too scared to leave since I'd have to walk right by that place. I took out my gun and checked the ammo. I wasn't sure what good it would be against something that could build a door from another dimension,

but I had no doubt I was now on the front. lie. I drank my sorrow as my body shook and I watched the camera, hoping nothing would happen until morning. Maybe they could blow the floor out from underneath it or something. Then I noticed the girl was back. The alert chimed. She was back again and walking normally, still whistling. This time she had on a pair of workout gloves, biker shorts and a tight-fitting tea, and an expensive looking pair of kicks. I watched as she approached the bricks and looked them over. And she took the rebar and knocked it out of the place I'd had it.

You can't believe the relief I had when she did that. I had no idea who she was or why she was so into that damn thing, but I didn't feel like peeing my pants anymore. But that wasn't the end of it. She patted the bricks and then began to pace around them and do stretches and stuff, like she was getting ready for something. She knew something that was going down. But what?

How was she going to stop whatever was about to happen? She had no weapons and no offence. She was maybe 5'8, 5.9, about a buck 60. I mean, she was in shape, but I think I could have taken her easy. And then, for the first time, on camera, Ricks appeared and continued to form the arch. As she backed away, I noticed her smile a bit. She moved away from the arch,

straight line counting her paces then she knelt in the stances runners do when they race she didn't move for like 30 minutes her head down and she held the running position as the bricks began to close the arm i caught the gun without thinking but i was still too scared to move sorry ladies but she was on her own i had a feeling manning up was going to get me dead real quick sweat was pouring my face as the last brick appeared and clicked into place. I held my breath as I watched her. Her head still down, and then I switched to the arch. Something was happening. Bricks did a 180 and something black began to form in the centre. When I say black, I mean black. It was so black it was like it had swallowed the light in the immediate area, and still she didn't move. Her head

was still down, and then something, I don't know. Something. Some old freaky shit, some lovecraft, Edgar Allan horror shit started coming out of that arch. I swear I wanted to turn my head and honestly I don't know why I'm not insane, but it must be what she did to me later. But anyway, this, well, a thing like a man mixed with a bat made of black and grey jello with an elephant face stepped from the arch and it noticed her. legit it saw her and then it just stopped he it would ever look like it was in the midst of growling or yawning like a newborn it just stopped her head popped up and i swear her eyes were on fire not flames coming out but like the light fire makes well then her skin the veins beneath were like like lava flows and she smiled again she smiled again I'm not even going to lie. Demon dude scared the shit out of me, but the look in her eyes, a smile she made, and the way homie just stopped moving had me feeling bad for it.

She ran at the dude so quick, I mean so, so, so quick. She jumped up into the dude's face. He was at least a good seven or eight feet tall, and her hand was glowing, and she just mugged old boy. Took him down. she smashed his head into the ground so hard i felt it in the booth it looked like it tried to fight back or at least it wanted to she sizzled its arm off then she took a wing oh the stench was so bad it was like burning rubber and fresh dog shit it screamed a scream i never want to hear ever again in eternity

i mean ever she stood up and looked at it then at the arch it mouths something at her but its face was so mangled and burned. But she didn't kill it. She took her finger as it tried to back away. I know that if she wasn't here, that thing would have eaten me or killed me or whatever. But right now I felt bad. I felt bad for a demon. A thing. She carved something into its jello chest and then put her hand over it. A thing howled again. It was almost like torture. Then she dragged it back to the arch and tossed it back in. All the body parts that she'd sizzled off, and any blood or whatever it had for blood vanished when it went back through.

She knocked over the arch and placed her hands on the ground. The bricks vanished, and then she stood. Then she looked up at the cameras and did a duck face with double piece size. Well, that shit put me over the top. I had to be dreaming all of this. Maybe it was on a bend or something. when I turned from the cameras to collect my thoughts. She was knocking on the door to the security booth.

Are you okay in there? She said, looking down at me. I long since forgotten about the gun. I just nodded as she spoke. Good. Just so you know you might want to let those pants air out or at least wash them before the next shift. She added, pointing at my pants.

I'd wet myself and hadn't even realized it. please don't kill me was all i could say ah you're good that thing didn't even want to kill you didn't even know you existed you probably would have got yourself killed trying to kill it though hey open up got some bad news and good news for you please don't i begged come on dude you saw what i can do I don't want to damage your property, but since you were here, things like that asshole can sense you now. I need you to not get dead, is that okay? Well, I nodded and let her in, fully expecting to die. But she held me up and stopped my shaking.

I'm going to make sure things like that never bother you again, okay? I nodded as she lifted up my sleeve. Her eyes turned that fiery amber as she touched my shoulder. I felt a quick burning sensation, and then, It passed. Well, all done. You might want to take the rest of the night off, though, she said. You're scary as fuck, you know that.

I told her with false bravado, adding, What the hell was that? When Escape B, I was hired to send back. Don't worry about it anymore. You're good now. See you. And then she was gone. Jumped off the side again.

I downloaded the video for my own record. I mean, this. happened but whatever she put on my arm must be keeping me from going nuts i haven't had anything like that happened to me again so has anyone else ever seen or experienced anything like that what was she is this some philly urban legend about some black chick running around philly beating the shit out of things not from here does philly have urban legends hit me up please i kind of don't want to know but then again i do In my hometown, we don't swim.

Not a single man, woman or child knows even the faintest movement to remain buoyant in the water. Now, some of you might assume that this is because we're inland or not near to any bodies of water. I don't blame you for making this assumption. However, it's incorrect. No one in my hometown swims because, from the moment we touch the water, we attract something. it comes mercilessly and without fail stirring up the muddy waters of lakes rivers and oceans hauling itself across the mud toward tents camp besides even the most peaceful lagoons even bathing is dangerous for it's been known to sneak its way through pipes now of course this sounds ridiculous when my parents first told me i outright laughed in their faces it was probably the worst most poorly thought of the most poorly thought of my parents first told me i outright laughed in their faces It was probably the worst, most poorly thought-up excuse for why I couldn't go swimming

or have a shower longer than three minutes. At the time, however, I couldn't really go against their wishes, and I wasn't able to simply say, you're lying, without then disagreeing, so until last night I had never been swimming. You see, it's been years now since I left my hometown, and last night I got invited to a pool party, the first one I'd ever been to. I did mention that I couldn't swim, of course, so negating the reason why I couldn't swim, and was reassured that I could stay in the shallow end, which is exactly what I did. The water was brilliant, temperate but not freezing, clean and generally nice to be in. A friend taught me to float on my back, and I found myself just happy to lay there

in the water with my eyes closed. and then I felt something brush against my legs so lightly I could barely tell it was there at all all for a moment I remembered the story my parents had told me but dismissed the idea assuming rationally that perhaps another swimmer had just moved past me upon opening my eyes I saw that no one was around me in fact I drifted to the deeper end of the pool I felt a rush of panic as I realised I couldn't touch the bottom anymore and struggle to stay calm enough to tread water or float. Now, let me tell you, I had thought that I was fine,

but I was doing pretty okay keeping myself upright and that I could make it to the edge, which was only a few feet away. But that's what drowning feels like. You take in a couple of accidental breaths of water. Your arms and legs feel heavy, but you still don't quite realize what's happening. How could it be happening when you're so close to safety? Nonetheless, within moments I was going under,

and there was a pressure on my leg, but I barely noticed. From beneath the water the muffled sound of music was reaching my ears, and the distorted lights from above were unbelievably pretty. Then a hand reached down and took hold of my arm, pulling me back to the surface. In a days I looked up to see a friend and another guy pulling me out of the water. Written on their faces was pure horror. I could see they were shouting as they dragged me over to the side of the pool,

but I couldn't hear what they were saying. Out of the corner of my eye I could see people running frantically, though it couldn't at first work out why everyone was so upset. When the last part of me was pulled from the water, my senses came back to me instantly and like a balloon popping on glass pain exploded up my body from my legs on my left side the pain originated from about midway up my calf muscle while on the right side it came from about midway up my thigh sounds that had been subdued were now true and clear and the sound of my own screaming was the loudest i was in agony how had i not felt this in the water As I tried to sit up, others around me held me down, telling me to be still, the grim expressions they wore only made me more desperate to see. Frantically, I struggled to see my legs. I had to know why they hurt so much. I should have listened when I was told not to look. For when I did, I thought that my right leg was stripped of flesh cleaned down to the bone. Not a strand of muscle, tendon, or no. remained. The remaining bones were just barely held together at the joints. A couple of my toes I noticed had been entirely detached. The flesh at the halfway point up my thigh was torn viciously and soaked in blood, making it look like soggy fabric. My left leg wasn't in any better state, but at least it was only carved down instead of the whole way. As someone tried to bandage my legs, I passed out. When I awoke, I awoke. When I woke, I was. I was in hospital with two neatly wrapped stumps and a box of chocolates beside my bed.

It was explained to me that while I was in the water, something had damaged my legs. The official suspected some sort of barbed wire may have gotten wrapped around my legs and stripped the flesh when I was saved from drowning, and no such wire was actually found once the pool was drained. My friend told me that no one had noticed I was gone until blood started flooding the water, and then everyone scrambled to save me. What I believe happened is that whatever comes after the people in my hometown had attacked me, pull me down and somehow numb my legs as it fared.

Maybe that was what brushed against me. Maybe that was the pressure I'd felt. If my friends hadn't noticed me, I'm sure I would have died. from drowning or bleeding out. What I can't work out now is how it got into the pool or why no one else seemed to have seen it. It just makes me wonder if it's something that's always in the water. All water, just invisible and selective. And so once again, we reach the end of tonight's podcast. My thanks as always to the authors of those wonderful stories and to you for taking the time to listen. Now, I'd ask one small favor of you. Wherever you get your podcast from, please write a few

nice words and leave a five-star review as it really helps the podcast. That's it for this week, but I'll be back again, same time, same place, and I do so hope you'll join me once more. Until next time, sweet dreams and bye-bye.