Lighthouse Horror Podcast - He got $40,000 to survive this ABANDONED town | Scary Stories

Episode Date: November 27, 2023

Why was it abandoned?      Story from stackofbones   Make sure to check out more of their work at u/stackofbones                           Original Post: Rules of the Desert : r/nosleep  Original YouTube link: He got $40,000 to survive this ABANDONED town       For more stories like this one, check out my YouTube channel: Lighthouse Horror | YouTube  Patreon: Lighthouse Horror | Patreon Merch: lighthousehorror.com  Music: Lucas King - YouTube Myuu - YouTube  Incompetech Darren Curtis Music - YouTube  Thank you for listening to this scary story! If you enjoyed this new creepypasta story, please check out some of my other horror stories. We'll be uploading new episodes every week, featuring ghost stories, haunted encounters, mysteries, true stories, creepypasta, and anything supernatural and paranormal. Don't miss out on the thrill and suspense that await you in each episode!

Have you ever wanted something that could kill you? That's what I felt about storm chasing. The adrenaline rush, the danger, trying to get that perfect footage of a massive tornado without getting killed. That was my dream. But sometimes dreams turn into nightmares. Let me tell you how it all started. It was a hot summer day, and I was just getting back for my lunch break. Despite my office job paying well, the work was much.

mind-numbing. So even though the day was sweltering, I dreaded going back inside, and then my phone rang. It was an unknown number. I thought it must be another telemarketer, so I ignored it. When I got to the elevator, though, it buzzed again. This time, there was a voicemail from the same number, and I was curious at this point, so I played it on the way up. A soft voice echoed through the phone. Afternoon, this is a lane with Alco Meteorological Group. It looks like you have quite the portfolio, so I'll cut to the chase. We'd like to talk business if you're looking for work. Get back to us when you can."

The voicemail ended with a beep. I was speechless. I stopped the elevator, and I made my way inside a nearby stairwell to call the number back. After ringing for what felt like in eternity, the same person picked the next door. up the phone. Alco Meteorological. How can I direct your call? She asked. Yeah, hey, this is Lance. Looks like I just missed your call. I responded. Oh, of course. Yes, glad to hear back from you. After following your media presence, we've singled you out as a potential candidate for an upcoming job. It would only last a week, but you'd open yourself up for more jobs if you accept.

She said. Okay, how's the pay? I asked on reflex. Money was never my goal as a storm chaser. But I still had bills to pay. A full week off work won't be easy. Forty thousand, half up front as a sign-on bonus, Elaine explained. I was in shock.

Forty thousand was half of what I made in a year. So getting paid that much in a single week to do what I loved, it seemed like the luckiest break I could ask for. Yeah, yeah, I'd love to. When would I need to start? I asked. As soon as possible, if you give me your email, I'll send the details and a few forms your way. We could then get you started by tomorrow. She responded.

After giving her my email and a few other details, I thanked her for the offer and ended the conversation. After a good 30 minutes of processing everything, I got back into the elevator, and I returned to the bottom floor. I gave my boss a call on the way out. I did my best to sound heartbroken, as I explained that I'd be out of the office for a while due to a family member's passing. He was a bit suspicious, but he agreed to let me go and wished me well. Though he did say that company policy didn't allow for paid time off. It's not like it mattered that much in this case. And I suppose I would have felt bad for accepting

paid leave. Following a 40-minute drive in my oven of a car, I arrived back at my apartment, sitting at my computer, I pulled up the email. As expected, the official job offer from Alco Meteorological was at the top of the left. I clicked on it and I found a number of employment forms. After reviewing the documents, I gathered a few key points. The first being that this job would be very far away. It's located in the middle of the Sahara Desert. There wasn't even a town listed on the page, just a set of coordinates.

And I'd have to stay within a 10-mile radius of the location for a whole week. week. The second thing I had to consider was how dangerous this position could be. The email warned that dying that far in the desert was a very real possibility, and that meant I can't go out unprepared if I wanted to make it back alive. They've attached a long list of supplies that I need to bring. Now the third thing I noticed about the job offer was the strangest of all. Throughout the email, They repeatedly stated that all weather events, no matter how dangerous, needed to be documented. Failing to return with sufficient documentation could result in reduced pay. I already knew the dangers of storm chasing when I first taped a weather vein to the roof of my car.

Getting close to a supercell storm didn't bother me. However, their strongly worded warnings for the job did. Despite that, I emailed them back with all the forms filled out and I called it a night. The next morning, I woke up to a notification from my phone. $20,000 had been deposited into my checking account and another voicemail confirming that the upfront payment was complete. I was also told to start as soon as possible and report back when I was on site. I quickly jumped into preparing for the job. Storm chasers were always known for being able to deploy at a moment's notice.

But even with all our tracking equipment, storms can be highly unpredictable. I'd be crazy to spend a week in the middle of the desert with dollar store equipment. After downing half a pot of coffee and reviewing the list they provided, I headed out to grab my supplies. And by the end of the day, I had burned through the 20,000 plus, and additional 5,000 of my own savings. I ended up dropping over half that amount on a used camper van, enough canned food to last a month, gallons and gallons of water, and a satellite phone. I also made sure to stock up on replacement batteries. The remaining few thousand was spent attaching various bits of equipment and cameras to the exterior of the van. Once that was done, I almost

felt like a professional storm chaser. With the van properly modified and loaded up for the journey, I decided it'd be best to head out the following day. A last-minute plane ticket and some other things set me back another 5,000. It was a significant chunk of savings, and I had to remind myself of the next 20,000 I get at the end of the week. The trip over to the Sahara was pretty uneventful. Pretty much the only thing about this whole job that went according to plan. Upon arriving and picking up the van, I started my road trip through small towns that got shabbier the deeper I went into the desert. The camper van I'd purchased. It was actually pretty nice, with a dedicated air conditioning unit on the roof and a driver's seat almost like a sofa. So the long trip was

actually pretty good. But after five hours, of driving down, the only road leading to my destination. Things started to get weird. I was roughly 20 minutes away from the job side when I began to notice strange statues in the distance. Sometimes they're on the side of the road, and sometimes they're sitting awkwardly on top of sand dunes. They looked like totem poles. The faces carved on the poles looked like a mix of human and animal faces, but some of them were creatures that I'd never seen before. Some had multiple bulging eyes, some had tentacles, or huge circular mouths filled with sharp teeth. It felt like all those faces were watching me.

On the road ahead, a small town. slowly became visible through the dust, a random town that didn't show up on any maps was strange to say the least. The only visible sign of life was a wrecked pickup and trailer on the side of the road. One of the totem poles was snapped in half and embedded in the engine of the truck. Various supplies that I assumed were from the trailer were spread out in a hundred foot radius around the wreck. I saw everything from bags of rice to torn clothes, so I figured the wreck was recent. The driver wasn't anywhere in sight, but I figured it'd be best to head into town and let somebody know about this. And things only got stranger once I arrived in town.

It was completely abandoned, not in the sense of a long-forgotten ghost town, but in the sense that it was recently evacuated. The houses were well capped, with plants sitting in the window cells and flowers blooming along front porches. Things that wouldn't survive this kind of heat without human care. I parked the van in a lot of a small convenience store near the center of town, and I stepped outside. The first thing I noticed was that it was outrageously hot. I hadn't stepped outside since I picked up the van at the airport. The heat was dry, and a way that made the weather back home seem like a brisk fall day. It was the kind of toasty that would result in a heat stroke in less than 20 minutes without shelter and water.

And the second thing I noticed was that I was right about the town being abandoned recently. Though the doors to the convenience store were locked, a light on the ceiling along with a small fan were still running. and that means the electricity was on. Looking through the windows of a few other locked buildings, virtually everything was in good shape. The interiors were clean, with dust just beginning to form on surfaces, and I could hear the faint sound of a radio playing somewhere. It was like everyone had just suddenly vanished.

The eerie atmosphere was starting to get to me, so I went back to the van, and I saw that the sun was setting. I drove outside town to the top of a tall sand dune onto the peak. The location provided a stunning view for miles. I checked that all my equipment was in working order. I was going to start off the expedition by taking some baseline atmospheric measurements. Looking around from the top of the dune, the main thing I noticed was how the totem statues expanded.

in an enormous circle around the town for what seemed like miles. Now their exact placement seemed completely random, but from the high ground I could see a clear, rough circle with a town in the center. There were easily more than a hundred in total, and this had me very on edge. One of them was roughly a few hundred yards from where I parked. It was getting dark, and I decided it was best not to be wandering through the desert after sundown. I latched some protective covers over the outside of my vehicle. If a storm hit, I didn't want any flying debris to smash my new equipment. I also checked to make

sure the cameras I installed on the van's roof were working. I could see what was going on outside while remaining inside my tiny house on wheels. A small solar kit on the roof gave only enough power to keep a small system running. After ensuring that everything was set up, I settled in for the night and dialed the number of the people who'd hired me. This time, someone different answered the phone. Alco, meteorological, Darrell speaking. A deep voice answered. Yeah, uh, hey man, I'm currently out on an expedition for you.

Elaine wanted me to give an update once I made it here. I responded. There was a brief pause before he spoke again. Lance, I assume. Yeah, I could relay the message. I imagine the scenery is rather interesting, huh? He asked, with a slight chuckle. I paused for a second, realizing that they were likely already aware of how weird this place was. What makes you say that? I replied, the ghost town or the creepy totems?

Yeah, less people mentioned the same thing. Once they'd arrived on site, higher-ups wanted to leave it out of the job description to stop scaring all of other prospects. He added. Anything else they left out? I asked. Somewhat annoyed. Oh, no, no, not too much else. The last guy told us to go to hell after calling it quits three days in. Didn't really explain why. He did mention, though, that the weather was dangerous, something about it being highly unusual. So do be careful, he responded. Oh, okay, yeah, yeah, well, thanks for the heads up, I said. Yeah, no problem. Just don't mention that I

spill the beans about the last guy, huh? I'd rather still have a job once you're done out there. He added. Yeah, sure, you got it. Take it easy, huh, Darrell? Yeah, yeah, same to you. Be careful out there. He said before hanging up, my mind was trying to process how I'd gone from a desk job to a dangerous research expeditionist in the middle of the night. In the span of the span of two days. At some point, the day caught up with me, and I fell into a deep sleep. A few hours later, I woke up to the sound of rain pattering against the van. After powering up my laptop, the outside cameras confirmed that there was a fairly decent rainstorm underway.

With some movies I downloaded for the trip, I settled down to wait out the storm. And a few hours later, the rain had picked up to an alarming extent. Even through my headphones, I could hear the thundering downpour. I sat up in bed and I opened the laptop. Every camera except one was non-functional. Three of the four showed nothing but static. The only working camera was lying on the ground beside the van and occasionally. flash of lightning came from the desert. All the equipment was heavily secured outside the vehicle, so a camera being removed without a cutting torch, it was just impossible.

I didn't have much time to wonder what happened, though, as a loud thud echoed along the outside of the van, and then another and another. Within minutes, the pounding was almost louder than, the rain and rocking the whole camper. It wasn't hail because it wasn't just hitting the roof. It was coming from every side of the van. I panicked, thinking that maybe the town wasn't abandoned. Maybe some locals didn't like having an outsider parked here. After what felt like hours, the banging in the rain, it just went quiet and looking at my phone. I realized that I'd actually fallen asleep at some point.

It was now eight in the morning, and I silently made my way to the door, and I slowly opened it. Warm rays of morning light came through the opening, temporarily blinding me as I stepped outside. Now the first thing I noticed was that despite the storm last night, the sand was completely dry. even when I dug my hands deeper into the sand, it was just bone dry. But I forgot about the sand. The moment I looked at the van, the van had been pulverized. The loud banging from the night before left huge dents that covered the entire surface. Even the protective covers made of sturdy polymer were beginning to crack.

thankfully most of the equipment seemed undamaged. The only casualty was the single camera that was forcibly ripped from its steel housing and now just lying on the ground. It'd been crushed by something. It was little more than a compressed mess of broken pieces. The sun was higher in the sky, and it was already starting to get hot. So I went back to the van. to have a light breakfast. After what happened the night before, I chose to leave the window

covers on and the doors locked. I sat down to check the previous night's footage, and to my surprise, the other three cameras were still working, and their feed had only been temporarily down during the night. The fourth, which was now a pile of scrap, had actually managed to upload its footage before getting destroyed. After booting up the file, I watched the feed. It showed the rain starting slowly, then working its way up to a downpour, and then something just struck the camera, knocking it out of its housing with a loud crack. But the camera kept recording.

It was awkwardly angled in the sand, half recording the sky, and one side of the van. Once the banging started, that's when things started getting really weird. From the camera's position, I could see the massive dents on the side of the vehicle seeming to just appear out of nowhere. Between flashes of lightning, dense would just appear in clear view of the camera with nothing causing them. Or rather, what was causing the damage? dense, I couldn't see. Humanoid figures. They were almost completely invisible to the camera

and made of what appeared to be the falling rain outside, darted around the outside of the van. And then something struck the camera and it just cut off, leaving only static. I shut the laptop, and I wondered what the hell I was going to do. I decided it'd be safer to move to a different spot and after removing all the protective covers I returned inside crossed my fingers and I started it up I put it in gear and I tried to drive forward only to find the tires were stuck in the sand trying more just seemed to make it worse I decided to take some food and water in a backpack and head into town for help it was only a half mile walk, but with the sun overhead, it was unbearably hot.

Arriving in town, I could not find a single soul after I searched for two hours. I decided to sit down in the shade of one of the houses. And then I heard something shatter inside the house. So I decided to knock on the door and announce my presence. Hey, um, yeah, my van ran into some trouble just outside Tile. Is anybody there? Could you lend me a hand?" I asked. I was met by silence. And after knocking again, I started making my way off the porch, and then the door opened

behind me. Turning around, I saw this frail old man with a cane just standing in the doorway. Oh, you really shouldn't be here, he stated. Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean a trespass, I said. My van stuck and I could use some help getting it out, I replied. The old man looked around outside before waving me in. All right, come in, let's talk.

Best not to be inside of the totems, he sent. Before limping back inside. I followed him in and I closed the door behind us. The inside of the house was run down, and I don't think it had electricity. Candles were on every table and shelf. He started a small table in the kitchen, waved me over, and I took a seat. You need to leave here as soon as you can, he said. Any particular reason why?

I mean, what the hell is he even going on here? I replied. I'll tell you the same thing I told the last two gentlemen that stopped by. This town will kill you. And the longer you stay here, the worse your chances are going to get. He paused before continuing. There's a lot of strange things here that even the residents didn't understand. The weather is dangerous.

us. Those totems show up and disappear without warning. They move. But we learn to work around and live a normal life. But you have to stay away from them. You saw that old truck that crashed into the totem, the edge of town? Well, that's when things changed. The weather got real bad. And those of us that didn't leave. We were picked off one by one. Yeah, well, if you were here last night, I assume you got to see the things that come with the storm. We don't know why it happens. We just learned to deal with it. I paused for a moment before asking. So what would have happened if I'd been outside during the storm. Not sure, the old man said.

You'd be gone in an instant. But even then, I'm not sure what exactly would happen or where you'd go. Likely not too pleasant. I was about to ask him another question when a faint rumbling in the distance cut me off. Yeah, looks like another storm's coming. Might want to be on your way, he added. Before standing up and walking towards the door, and I took it as my cue to leave, following him.

He closed it behind me without saying another word, and I made my way down the porch and back to the street. On the horizon, a line of that. dark clouds were approaching. There was a deep rumble and flashes of lightning in the clouds telling me that a large front was coming in. I jogged back to the van with enough time to spare to latch all the window covers and lock myself in. Safely inside, I booted up all my equipment and I carefully watched the camera feed. I expected a repeat of the night before. Now, nothing strange. happened at first. It was a simple lightning storm. No rain, just bright flashes and crashing

thunder. I was about to give up. When something caught my eye, at the top corner of one of the camera feeds, a single bird, I think it was a buzzard was flying overhead. Lightning flashed in the background and in an instant the bird was just gone. Well, it wasn't really gone, but all that's left was its bones. And it wasn't struck by lightning. No visible bolt of electricity hit it. It was simply reduced to nothing more than bones. Rewinding the footage didn't help at all.

Even in slow motion, all I could see was the previously alive buzzard, suddenly reduced to nothing but bones, which tumbled to the ground. ground like a bag of rocks. I sat looking at the screen for two hours, and it happened three more times. A bird would enter the frame, and nothing but bones would fall into the ground. And I couldn't help but imagining the same thing happening to me if I'd been stuck outside on my way back. And then almost as quickly as the storm appeared, it was just gone. Within two hours, the clouds overhead had moved onto the horizon. I cautiously made my way to the door, and I stepped outside.

Looking around, I noticed small bones scattered everywhere I could see. I decided I better go check on the old man and possibly get some more information about what was happening here. So I quickly re-entered the van to grab more supplies for the trek back into town. As I started packing, my head started to hurt. It came on suddenly, and it was terrible. It felt like my head was in an industrial paint shaker. A faint, steady hum in the background seemed to be the cause of it. But at that point, I was just waiting for my skull to implode. I left the van again, tripping over my own feet and tumbling roughly 50 yards. yards to the foot of the sand dune. By that point, I was clutching my head in agony, but within

minutes it did get better. I looked up then, and my blood went cold at what had caused the sudden migraine. One of the totems had moved right next to my van. In a deep humming, it seemed to come from the totem itself. Now, how an eight-foot-tall was totem pole that was likely anchored to the ground, moved all by itself. It was beyond me, but at this point I needed answers. I walked through the bone-littered street until I made it to the old man's porch, and I was surprised to see him already sitting on the steps as if he'd been expecting me. Well, hello there.

Glad to see you made it. But you need to leave, he said. Yeah, I guess you could say that, I replied. You know, one of those totems showed up right next to my camp, and my head has been killing me. His expression morphed to something between fear and concern before he spoke again. Son, I said it once and I say it again, but now I mean it more than ever. You need to leave. Things are about to get a whole lot worse now, and you really, really don't want to be here for that.

I scratched my head. Yeah, well, I wish I could leave. But I'm 20,000 in the hole and flaking on this job. It's probably going to bankrupt me. Look, this is pretty bad, but I just got to ride this out for three more days. I said, Well, for your sake, son, I really hope you can, he replied. Now to say the old man was right would be a drastic understatement. Things, in fact, got much worse.

When I got back to the van, I found that the totem had moved around 30 yards down the embankment. I silently cursed it out and went in the air. inside, making myself lunch to kick off the remainder of a week. And for the next two days, the storms got so much worse. A storm blew in nearly every two hours. The rain and wind. They were so violent that the van nearly toppled over a couple times. The strange pounding on the outside, it became much worse as well.

Some of the previous dens were turning into spruce. spreading cracks in the sheet metal. But as much as I hated the situation, I stayed. I wasn't going to let this town break me. And really, for the sake of my finances, I couldn't afford it either. Then finally, the long-awaited day arrived. I'd survived a whole week in this hell. And it was finally time to leave.

I woke up as usual with bloodshot eyes and this headache from the sheer violence of the weather throughout the night. I stayed up to document everything to make sure I'd get my much-needed payout. After stretching and making a small pot of coffee, I noticed something strange. It was quiet. It was way too quiet. There hadn't been a storm in six hours. And despite it being 10 in the morning, the temperature hadn't begun to rise.

In fact, it had gotten much colder. I poured my cup of coffee and I opened my laptop. And as expected, the skies were overcast, but nothing was happening yet. The sensors, however, they were going absolutely ballistic. The pressure and humidity readings were switching between extreme high. and extreme lows every few seconds. Something big was coming. That much was clear. So I kept watch, staying in the computer in the van for the day. But I saw nothing. The skies were overcast, and that was it. And at some point I must have dozed off. I woke at seven in the evening from a

loud banging. I froze, expecting more hours of pouring rain, and whatever those rain figures were trying to break into my van. And then I realized that the banging was to the door of the van. Hey, I know you're in there. You need to get as far away as possible right now. There isn't much time, the voice said. It was the old man. I quickly stood up and opened the door, finding that the temperature outside was lowering by the minute. I could see my breath now. The old man stood there with an arm full of wooden planks and motioned to the still-stuck tires.

"'All right, come on, let's get you out of here,' he said, as he began to wedge one of the planks under the wheel." I nodded and joined him, not questioning his sense. sudden sense of urgency. And within 15 minutes, all the planks were in place, and I re-entered the van. After flooring it a few times, it eventually got traction on the plank and rocketed backwards. I parked it and opened the door, motioning for the old man to hop in. He sat in the back, while I carefully drove down the embankment and returned to the main road. I drove away from the town, and after a few minutes

I decided to break the silence So You care to explain what's going on? I asked And the old man's voice was shaking as he began When the temperature drops like this The totems become active That's what mostly cleared out the town

The first time I'm guessing your encounter with one a few days ago. I think it made them angry. What exactly do we need to do? I asked. Driving faster now. You need to get as far away from here as you can.

And don't look back. As for me, drop me off at this wreck up ahead. He responded. I looked ahead, noticing the wrecked truck and the totem. still in its engine from the drive into town. Is that your truck by chance? I asked.

Yeah, that would be correct. I figured that this little accident damned this town. And I think it's only fair that I stay. He replied. I was about to speak before he interrupted me. Now, don't try and convince me otherwise. I've made up my mind. And so I pulled.

pulled up next to the wreck, and I parked. It was in the same state as before, and by this point the temperature had dropped to what felt like sub-zero levels, and a layer of frost was on the windshield. The old man shakily stood up, made his way to the door, and left the van. I watched him slowly limp his way over to the wreck, lean on the base of the broken totem. and just sit down in that weather. I didn't think he'd survive more than an hour. I was ready to get him some blankets.

When I heard the unmistakable hum of a totem, and then another, and another, I looked out the windshield to find dozens of them coming from all sides. They didn't drift across the sand, but they just appeared and disappeared instantly. Whenever I blinked or looked away, first there were five, then ten, then twenty, and soon I swore there were fifty of them,

and they all seemed to be converging around the wreck. Although I wanted to jump out and drag the old man back in, I realized that the totems were starting to block the road, and if I didn't leave now, I knew I'd be stuck here as well. So, in a split-second decision, I drove away. My head was beginning to pound, and I could see the totems drawing closer. I floored it while dodging the quickly multiplying statues. And I just knew then that they were somehow intelligent,

like they were trying to block me on purpose. After what felt like in eternity of weaving through the totems, I broke through and I heard the lightning behind me. My head slowly stopped hurting, and the road ahead was clear. I'd survived the week. The radio remained off the entire way back, and I rode in silence until I reached the airport,

whether I was in a state of shock or exhaustion, I couldn't tell. I dropped the van off, boarded the plane, and I stared out the window, while the desert slowly vanished underneath the thick layer of clouds. The trip went quickly, and before I knew it, we were landing. I grabbed my luggage and I left the airport. As soon as I made it to my apartment, I immediately found. face planted on the couch and I slept for 12 straight hours. And then I woke up to my phone ringing, and I instantly recognized the number from Alco Meteorological. Angry now, I picked up the phone, and I was greeted by a familiar voice on the other end. Hey, Lance, Daryl here. How'd the expedition go?

Take a wild guess, I replied. I imagine it was a... Interesting, huh? I also assume you got some good stuff to show for it. So you know what? Just send it our way and we'll send you the remainder of your payout. Yeah, we'll do, I replied. I wanted to punch them through the phone. I, uh, I suppose we couldn't interest you in more work, could we?

He asked. Go to hell. I replied before hanging up. And as expected, after sending all the data had collected, I woke up the following morning with an extra $20,000 in my account and shining praise from their research team in my inbox. Despite more job offers with large payouts, I block them from my contacts and I returned to my office job two days later.

Will I ever pursue storm chasing as a profession again? Probably not. I took it as a brutal, yet kind reminder that some things are better left as hobbies. So if you ever find yourself presented with that once in a lifetime too good to be true opportunity, I ask that you consider my warning. Be careful what you wish for. I don't know.