Full Body Chills - The Cave

Episode Date: October 7, 2021

A story about the secrets buried beneath an old amusement park.The CaveWritten by Jordan KowalkoYou can read the original story at http://fullbodychillspodcast.com/ Looking for more chills? Follow Full Body Chills on Instagram @fullbodychillspod. Full Body Chills is an audiochuck production. Instagram: @audiochuckTwitter: @audiochuckFacebook: /audiochuckllcTikTok: @audiochuck 

This episode was produced with audio effects in full surround sound. For the best experience, we kindly recommend you listen with headphones. Hi, listeners. I'm Marlee Martinez, and I have a story I want to tell you. A story about the secret buried beneath an old amusement park. So gather round and listen close. Tales of the Old Amusement Park remained in the acrid air of our town for a decade. The bones still stood in rapid decay behind a simple chain-link fence that did nothing more than add to the ambience.

No trespassing signs littered the area. Careless whispers of nothing more than empty suggestions and hopes that kids and adventurers alike would keep off the property. But to no avail. A place with a secret always holds a mysterious charm for those brave enough to look. The park left a blemish on our small town after a 16-year-old boy named Sam disappeared there. The 10-year anniversary loomed before us like a dark entity. 10 years was supposed to mean something.

Maybe a fresh look at the case, maybe some extra media coverage. But I knew that it meant nothing. There was a vigil every year on this day. Candles scattered in circles like the ultimate seance. But it never brought him back. After the park shut down due to excessive safety issues, rumors spread like the common cold. Everyone had heard the tales. Urban legend books were published in local libraries. Local kids claimed they saw him, heard him, felt him. There was a monster at Highland Park, and everyone knew it. The first time I went back was exactly two weeks after Sam's

disappearance, after the section of the park where the incident occurred had been closed for investigation. I snuck into the exhibit where I last saw him. I became obsessed with the place ever since. Ten years and I was back again, the same way I had been back every day since my initial visit. I had a backpack slung over one shoulder filled with only essentials. I climbed up a small ravine and made my way through overgrown brush and tall trees to a clearing with a broken chain link fence. I saw one of the no trespassing signs had fallen, laying among the tall weeds and I kicked it over so it was unreadable. Climbing the hill, the cloudy breeze was picking up. The long hair I had kept covering my scars was blown over my face.

I tied it back and stared up at the sky. The sun was hiding behind the clouds while the air turned hot and stale. I ignored the signs of a storm with trepidation, knowing that this is where I needed to be. I thought about Sam as I began my trek through the wilderness. Sam and I had been in a relationship for a year before he disappeared. Thoughts of my painful past came beating into my mind. I could almost feel his fist colliding with my face again, of hands pinning me to the cement, of my own screams leaving my throat dry and raw. I had to stop walking. I lingered for a moment with my head held in my hands. Sam put me through hell, but even worse than the abuse, the memory of that day he vanished

scorched my thoughts like a wildfire. I hated Sam. I blamed him for the nightmares, the loneliness, and the trauma that plagued my life. I could see the Ferris wheel, a lonely skeleton covered in ivy and defaced with a kaleidoscope of graffiti. You'll never survive was scrawled sloppily on one of the cars in bright blue. Meanwhile, warning signs like do not climb were posted all around. The memory of that day burns bright in my mind. A picture perfect playback of every moment gone wrong. I replayed it once again. It was sunny and hot that day.

The air smelled strongly of fried dough, hot dogs, and sweat. Every piece of metal was hot to the touch, and my hair stuck to my face. We spent the entire day at the park riding roller coasters and swimming at the water park. Dusk was approaching, and I wanted more than ever to slow the day down.

We hadn't had this good of a day in a long time. This day was my day, my anniversary present from Sam for one year spent together. Sam! I screamed. Let's go on this one. I pointed to the Ferris wheel. From the moment we arrived, I romanticized the idea of us riding the towering wheel, lights aglow under the night sky. Sam was tall. His strong arms were holding an oversized bag of popcorn and a giant lemonade as he looked over at me. With a mouth full of food, he gave me

a thumbs up and I laughed. A smile lit up his entire face as he came over and asked if I had heard about the new exhibit. I told him of course I had, but it wasn't open yet. The cave. It was an interactive exhibit full of animatronics and animal displays that would come to life with one flick of a switch. Sam proceeded to tell me that he had friends who had snuck into the exhibit, and that they had told him it was amazing and that we had to do it too. I told him that there was no way I was doing it. He rolled his eyes and scoffed. Little, little. The tension was palpable. One wrong word

from me could throw Sam off for an entire day, and his annoyance was the last thing that I wanted. He said that he would go by himself and stormed off. Despite my feelings about breaking in, I stuck at his heel. I followed him to the side of a giant black warehouse-looking building. The place was guarded, so Sam leaned against a wall and pretended to be on his phone. I followed his lead. After waiting nearly forever, we overheard the employee radio in, saying that they were going on a break. Sam smirked at me with a look that said, we were going in. He grabbed my hand and pulled me through a giant metal door labeled employees only.

Before I knew it, Sam was touching every button in the exhibit. The lions began to tumble, fight, and roar. The animals were so lifelike, it was like watching a movie. Their movements were so fluid, their skin so soft. Even their teeth looked dangerously real. I was both mesmerized and terrified. I don't want to do this, I said, my stomach churning with unease. Sam chastised me for being afraid, so I kept quiet. I stared into one of the empty glass boxes. It was lit up in a deep fluorescent glow and decorated with a coral reef. Suspended and motionless was a menacing shark,

wielding several rows of sharp teeth. As I stared into its abysmal black eyes, my hand hovered over the exhibit button. Sam came up behind me and slapped his hand over mine. My breath caught in my throat. The ravenous shark came alive, its mechanical body twisting and turning throughout the miniature reef. It barred large teeth sharp as pickaxes and swam right up to the glass before returning to its stationary position.

I imagined the glass shattering and the shark devouring me in one bite. Sam continued to play with everything. He was pressing buttons and tapping on glass. He messed with doors and levers, and before I knew it, he was halfway through an unlocked bear exhibit. He asked me to take a picture of him as he went up to a gigantic brown bear that hovered in the air, claws fully exposed above him.

He mocked the bear's stance and made a low growl. Come on, camera. he said impatiently. But before I could even pull out my phone, the whole exhibit began to shake. Suddenly, one of the mechanical tour guides came marching around the corner. The tour guide, anthropomorphic in its movements and appearance, was so human-like that I don't think I would have known any better if it weren't for its dead black eyes and too happy smile. Lock down all exhibits. Lock down all exhibits. It repeated as it shut Sam in. Our tour is about to begin.

Sam and I shared a panicked look before he ran to the door. He pushed, shoved, and kicked, but it wouldn't budge. He mouthed my name through the glass, the same feeling of impending doom etched onto his face as I'm sure was on mine. Too shocked to notice, a moving cart rode up behind me, sweeping me into its seat. A robot guide buckled me in despite my defiance. Hands and feet must stay inside of the cart at all times for passenger safety, the robot said. No, I shouted. My eyes darted back to the bear exhibit where Sam was pounding on the glass frantic. Please stay silent so all passengers may hear the rules. I screamed for help as I haphazardly tried to free myself, but the buckle was locked around me and I couldn't move more than a couple inches.

Sam! I yelled again. Just then, the bear behind him reared with a terrible roar. I looked away from the scene just as the tour guide ascended upon me once again. If you cannot adhere by the rules, I will have to dismiss you from the tour. Screw you! I shouted. With incredible force, the robot seized my arms.

Locked into my seat, I wailed as it began to pull from the chair, stretching my bones free from their sockets. At the last pop, the robot released me, letting my arms fall loosely to my side. That's when I heard the scream. I should have never looked as I heard Sam's feeble cry. I should have never glanced behind me to see a giant bear ravaging his body, twisting it and throwing him around. I shouldn't have, because I replay this moment in my mind over and over again. I shouldn't have because it gives me a sinister high that I'm afraid to admit. Near the base of the cart was a small emergency release button.

With whatever strength I had, I slunk down, reaching with my foot and barely managed to kick it. The belt popped off and instantly I scrambled out of the cart towards the exit. Escort to exit required. The robot said calmly. But I kept running. I kept running towards the red etched letters that burned so tantalizingly close. Meanwhile, all around me a menagerie of machines were coming to life. A booming crash made me jump as the shark from before pummeled against the glass,

its teeth scraping the cage like nails on a chalkboard. I was nearly out and so close to safety. But I stopped. What about Sam? I thought. Didn't I love him? Could I be so selfish as to only save myself? It was this hesitation, this moment of pity that earned me my scars. Pouncing from an open exhibit, a wild chimpanzee latched itself onto my back. With my arms dislodged, all I could do was flail around as the creature tore skin from my face. I

whipped my neck, kicking the chimp off, and made a blind dash for the door. A security guard was waiting outside. He was drawn to the sudden noise and was standing there with a horrified look as I came running out, bloody and screaming. I fell into his arms, tears mixing with blood. The last thing I remember before passing out was looking back at the bear exhibit and seeing Sam's body gone. The police searched the entire park, but Sam was never found. The closed-off exhibit was perfectly intact, no blood, no malfunctioning animatronics. The developers of the ride couldn't even get them to replicate the bizarre behavior. Overall, police questioned the legitimacy of my story.

However, they couldn't disprove my injuries. And my injuries would only be the first of many. Not long after what happened, the park was hitting headlines following a number of freak accidents. In one case, a woman drowned after jumping the fence into a koi pond. The whole time she was screaming for help, saying she was on fire. Later, I discovered that same woman abused and neglected her five children. Police found them locked in the basement of her home. Sometime after that, a man jumped from the very top of the Ferris wheel.

He had recently robbed a liquor store, killing the cashier and getting away with all the money. It was only a matter of time before Highland Park closed their gates for good. Whatever rides could be sold were disassembled and shipped off across the country. Now, all that's left are the broken bones of a lost world, whose mystery exceeds even my own dark secrets. But I've grown to love this tragic place. I truly believe that it saved my life.

So, if you happen to hear rumors of Highland Park, rumors that it's haunted by ghostly spirits, that the cries of a missing boy can sometimes be heard echoing from beneath the park's decrepit grounds. Just know, they aren't lying. On the 10th anniversary of Sam's disappearance, things were just as they say. I stepped into the cave, the very exhibit where Sam was last seen. Sometimes the robots still twitch all these years later, undoubtedly in stages of their own rigor mortis. I then opened a giant metal door hidden beneath a layer of brush and climbed down a ladder.

I go down closer to the screaming and moaning of a forgotten monster. A monster that fell through a trap door after being discarded by a mechanical bear. A monster that I once thought was worth saving until he spat in my face on that very first visit. A visit where I made the decision to let the park have him. This monster, only a fragment of a man now, was chained to the wall. His mouth was mangled and speechless. A grotesque tapestry of scars covered the length of his warped body, only covered by the same clothes he wore ten years ago.

Hi, Sam, I said, setting down a small cake with candles. Happy anniversary. This series was produced by Ashley Flowers and David Flowers. This episode was written by Jordan Kowalko and read by Marlene Martinez. This story was modified slightly for audio retelling, but you can find the original in full on our website. Full Body Chills is an Audiocheck production. So what do you think, Chuck? Do you approve? No!