Lighthouse Horror Podcast - I found a Tunnel In My Basement. It had a STRANGE LIST OF RULES | Scary Stories

Episode Date: November 21, 2024

Scary Story exclusively written for the channel by The Lighthouse Horror Team Cover Art from Ninerio More of the artist’s works at ninerioarts  Original YouTube link: I found a Tunnel In My Basement. It had a STRANGE LIST OF RULES.  Merch: lighthousehorror.shop For more stories like this one, check out my YouTube channel: Lighthouse Horror | YouTube  Patreon: Lighthouse Horror | Patreon 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!

I never thought I'd find myself staring down the steps to the basement. Not like this. That door had been shut for years. After Lily was born, we moved everything important upstairs, got rid of whatever clutter we could, and let the rest of it sit down there, gathering dust. There was never any reason to go down again, until today. The afternoon had started like any other.

I could still hear her laughing just a few hours ago, go. Lily was playing with her dolls in the living room while I skimmed the news on my phone. I looked up once, saw her giggling in some imaginary friend, then looked back down. By the time I looked up again, she was gone. It was quiet. Too quiet. You know the way kids are, always making noise, never still. One minute they're there, and the next. Nothing. Lily? I called for her, checking the usual places, under the dining room table, behind the couch, even upstairs in her bedroom where she liked to hide under the covers. Nothing.

Every corner of the house was empty. I tried the backyard next, shouting her name, my voice bouncing off the fences and trees and still nothing. And then I remember the basement. I don't know why it came to me, but it did. and that's why I was now standing there at the top of the stairs. I opened the door, and that smell hit me. Dust, mildew, stale air. Everything creaked as I reached the bottom.

The light bounced off the old cardboard boxes, stacked against the far wall. For a moment. Everything looked as I remembered. Forgotten furniture, broken appliances. Nothing out of the ordinary. except for the door. There was something at the far end of the room, something that definitely wasn't there before. A door, plain but weathered, stood against the back wall, half hidden behind some old shelves. Its wood was cracked and splintered, almost rotten, as if it had been

there for decades. On it, someone had scrawled a strange symbol, like a jagged loop or an eye carved deep into the wood. I took a step closer, and that's when I noticed the paper. It was tacked to the door, yellowed and brittle, as if the edges would crumble if I touched them. The handwriting was sharp and deliberate, written in ink that seemed to bleed into the paper itself. Rules for the tunnel, it said. Rule number one. Enter alone. Rule number two. Do not touch the walls. Number three. If you hear footsteps, do not stop.

They're not yours. Number four. Ignore anyone that calls your name. Number five. At the third door, knock twice before entering. And number six, when you find her, leave immediately. Don't look back. I read it again and again, each time feeling more disconnected from reality.

It was absurd. What tunnel? There'd never been a tunnel down here. And what did this list of rules have to do with Lily? But there was something in me, a feeling, that told me this was no prank. Something was wrong, deeply wrong, and I had no other leads, no other options. With a deep breath, I turned the handle on the strange door, and I pulled it open. Behind it was the tunnel.

It stretched out into the darkness, narrow and claustrophobic, with walls made of rough, uneven stone that looked like they'd been carved out of the earth itself. The air inside was damp and cold, much colder than it should have been. My flashlight flickered, casting shadows that seemed to shift and warp as I moved forward. The first rule repeated in my mind. Enter alone. Of course I was alone. There was no one else here. Nobody who could help. The second rule came back to me.

Don't touch the walls. I kept my hands at my sides, avoiding any contact with the slick stone that pressed on me. The tunnel was very narrow. Every few steps, I felt like it was closing in, like the ceiling was dropping lower, but I kept moving forward. And that's when I heard it. Footsteps. Not mine, though. They were slow, deliberate, and they echoed from behind me. My instinct was to turn around to see what was there. But I knew the rules. If you hear footsteps do not stop, they're not yours.

I kept moving faster now, but not running. Running would be too loud. I just walked, keeping my eyes forward, ignoring the sound behind me. I couldn't tell how close it was, but it felt like it was right there. As I moved, the tunnel seemed to stretch longer and longer. after what felt like hours. I saw the first door. It was just like the one from the basement,

old cracked, and covered in the same strange symbol, carved deep into the wood. My hand froze on the handle, as I remembered the next rule. At the third door, knocked twice before entering. This wasn't the third door, though.

I pushed it open and stepped through. The tunnel on the other side was different, It was wider, the ceiling higher, but there were no walls now, just darkness. The tunnel was open on both sides, as if I was walking through a bridge suspended over a void. The only sound was my footsteps on the stone floor. And then, I heard it. Daddy. Lily's voice.

It was faint, far away, but it was her. It echoed from the darkness to my left, soft at first, then louder. Daddy, where are you? I stopped in my tracks. Every fiber of my being told me to run, to follow the voice into the darkness. But I remember the rule. Ignore anything that calls your name. That wasn't her.

I kept walking. Her voice grew louder, more than. desperate. Daddy, please. I'm scared. The voice echoed, distorted, until it didn't sound like Lily at all. The tunnel stretched on,

and Lily's voice, no, not Lily's, faded into the distance. The second door came into view. This one looked worse than the first, as if it had been there for centuries. The wood was splintered, And the frame sagged as if barely able to hold the door upright. I pushed it open, half expecting it to collapse in my hands.

The next stretch of tunnel was cold, really cold. My breath fogged the air, and I could feel the temperature drop the further I went. I tried not to think about how deep underground I must be, how far this tunnel had taken me. There were no sounds now, no footstown. no voices, just the crunch of stone beneath my feet. And then I saw it. The third door. This was it, the next rule.

Knock twice before entering. I stopped in front of it, staring at the symbol etched into the wood. The door seemed to pulse, as if there was something on the other side. My hand shook as I raised it to knock. The sound echoed. It was like knocking on a coffin. For a moment, nothing happened. The tunnel was still, dead silent.

And then slowly the door creaked open on its own. I stepped through. The room beyond wasn't part of the tunnel at all. It was something else. The stone walls gave way to concrete. and the floor was smooth, almost like tile. In the center of the room was a small table, and on it, a single object. Lily's doll, the one she'd been playing with earlier that afternoon before she vanished.

It lay there, perfectly still like it was waiting for me. I stepped closer. Then I heard it again. This time the voice wasn't distant. it was right behind me. Daddy. I froze. It was her voice, clearer than ever.

So close I could almost feel her standing there, but I knew better. Ignore anything that calls your name, the rule had said. I didn't move. I didn't turn around. Daddy, please. Why won't you look at me? The voice was right in my ears now,

soft and pleading. But it wasn't her. It couldn't be. My mind screamed at me to turn, to grab her to run. But I couldn't. I couldn't break the rules, not now. Daddy, don't you love me? It didn't matter how much I wanted to.

I couldn't look. It wasn't her. I left the room, and I pulled the door shut behind me. The voice stopped. It was like everything stopped. I stood in the tunnel again, holding the doll, my breathing steady. I thought of the last rule. When you find her, leave immediately.

Don't look back. But this wasn't over, not yet. I hadn't found her, not really. But the doll was a sign, a clue, I guess, something to tell me that maybe I was close. I continued down the tunnel deeper into the dark. I held Lily's doll tighter as I walked deeper into the tunnel, unsure of what to expect next. The rules had been clear so far, but their purpose was still unknown to me. I hadn't seen her, hadn't touched her, only heard her voice and it wasn't real.

But the doll, that was hers. I knew it was. It felt real. The tunnel seemed to go on forever. I tried not to think about how far I'd gone or what might be waiting for me. I didn't know how much further I had to go, or how many more rules there were to follow. The list had said nothing beyond the third door, nothing about what might come after. The silence was terrible now.

Every now and then, I thought I heard something, a distant noise, like someone was moving just out of sight. I didn't dare stop the look. I kept my eyes forward, as the list had said, ignoring whatever else might be in the tunnel with me. Then, after what felt like hours of walking, the tunnel changed. The walls shifted, curving and sloping in strange ways, almost as if the space itself had changed. The air was heavy, with the scent of damp stunts. and something else, something old. It wasn't until I reached a sharp bend in the tunnel,

that I realized I wasn't alone. I froze at the sight of a figure standing out of me, barely visible in the faint light. They were hunched over facing the wall. Their back to me. Their clothes were tattered, covered in dirt and grime, and their long tangled hair covered most, of their face. I couldn't seem much more than that, but I knew that something was wrong.

The list hadn't mentioned anything about others in the tunnel. I hesitated. Should I speak? Keep walking? The figure didn't move. Didn't acknowledge me. Just stood there motionless. Then I remembered the third rule. If you hear footsteps, do not stop. They're not yours. The figure hadn't made any noise, but I was not going to take any chances. I kept walking. I kept my distance. As I passed the figure, I kept my eyes forward, refusing to look at them directly. I could feel them behind me, but I didn't turn around and I didn't stop.

I continued down the tunnel. Finally, after a long time, it opened up into a larger space. The stone walls gave way to something else, wood, old, and decayed, like the inside of an ancient, rotting cabin. The air here was thick with the smell of earth and mold, and the floor was soft beneath me. It felt like I'd entered some kind of forgotten room hidden deep underground for centuries. I saw a faint light in the distance, just ahead of me, flickering like a candle. I quickened my pace, hoping that this would be the end, that I would find Lily waiting for me there. But as I got closer, I realized that the light wasn't coming from a

door or a room or anything that made sense. It was coming from a figure. They were standing in the middle of the tunnel facing me, their body glowing with a strange light. At first I thought it was Lily. They were about her size. But the figure was wrong. Their face was covered. Their clothes were old. And their eyes, they were hollow and black. They didn't move. And I didn't know what to do. The list didn't say anything about this. There were no more rules, no more guidance. Just me, this thing, and the tunnel stretching out behind me. I could feel the weight of the doll in my hand, reminding me why I was here, but I didn't know what to do. And then without warning, the figure spoke.

Do you know where she is? I didn't answer. The figure stepped forward, it said. I took a step back. She's not here. I said finally, my voice barely a whisper. I'm looking for her. The figure stopped at that.

They turned their heads slowly as if they were thinking, and they stared at me. Oh, you're looking for someone too? After a long moment, they turned and stumbled away. I watched them disappear into the darkness. I didn't wait to see where they went. I turned and ran back down the tunnel. I had to find Lily and get out of this place.

The tunnel twisted and turned around me, and then I saw another door. But this one was different. It was newer and cleaner, not covered in symbols or rotting away like the others. It looked like it was new, like it didn't belong in the tunnel at all. There was no handle, no lock, just a simple, solid door right in the middle of the tunnel. I didn't hesitate. I pushed it open and stepped through. The room on the other side was small, dimly lit by a single bulb hanging from the ceiling.

The walls were concrete, the floor bare, and in the center of the room was a single chair, sitting in it. Her head down was Lily. She was tied to it. I ran to her, dropping the doll and kneeling beside her. Her eyes were closed, her face pale, but she was breathing. She was alive. I fumbled with the ropes around her wrist, my hands shaking as I worked to free her. As the last knot came undone, her eyes came open, and she looked up at me. Daddy? Yeah, baby, I'm here. I'm here.

I'm going to get you out of here, okay? But as I held her, I heard something. Laughter. I looked back down the tunnel, and standing completely still in the distance was a clown. It held two red balloons in one hand, and with the other, it saw. slowly began to wave at me. Daddy, I don't like clowns, Lily said. I remember the last rule.

When you find her, leave immediately, don't look back. I stood up, lifting Lily into my arms, and I headed for the door. I could see in the corner of my eye that the thing had started moving towards us fast. I looked just for a moment, and I saw that it wasn't running exactly. It was doing cartwheels. Its bright orange costume fluttering up and down as it laughed and moved towards us. With every move closer, it laughed louder. I didn't know where the door led, or if it would take us out of this place, but I didn't care. I just needed to get her the hell out of here. As I reached the door, I heard the clown laughing behind us only steps away now. I carried her through the door, and I slammed it shut behind me. And just like that, the tunnel was gone. We were outside.

No, no, we weren't outside. At first it looked like we were. There was light. The cold air seemed to lessen. And I thought just for a moment that I'd done it. I'd found her, saved her, and we'd escaped. But it only took a few steps for me to realize the truth. The sky wasn't a sky at all. It was wrong. The light had no source. It just seemed to hang in the air like a haze. The trees, if they were trees, were too still, too evenly placed, almost like props. And there was no sound, no wind, no birds. Just silence. I put Lily down, taking her hand, and we walked.

together through the eerie, unnatural clearing. She didn't say a word, and I didn't ask her to. Ahead, the clearing ended at the mouth of another tunnel. It looked like the first one, rough, stone, damp, with strange walls. And there, nailed to the side of the entrance, was another sheet of yellowed paper. I didn't want to read it. Every rule I had followed so far had only pulled me deeper into whatever this place was, but what choice did I have?

I couldn't just wander aimlessly, not with my daughter. So I pulled the paper from the wall, and I held it up to the light. Rules for the final door, it read. Number one, if you hear a voice you recognize, do not respond. number two, if something touches you, do not move. Number three, there will be four rooms. Each room will have something waiting. Do not look too closely.

Number four, you must choose the correct door at the end. And rule number five, once you open the door, leave immediately. If you hesitate, you will never leave this place. place. Four rooms. One final door. I folded the paper and put it in my pocket, gripping Lily's hand tighter as we walked down the tunnel. She still hadn't said anything, and I wondered if she even understood where we were or what was happening. As we entered, the stone walls seemed to close in on us. Lily's face was pale, her eyes wide. We walked in silence for a long time, though time didn't seem to mean much in this place.

The tunnel twisted and turned, leading us deeper underground, or wherever this tunnel actually went. The light from my flashlight flickered, and I thought it was going to shut off. But then finally, we came to the first room. It wasn't really a room, more like a hollowed out space in the tunnel, with smooth walls and a low ceiling. In the center of it stood a figure. A man hunched and ragged his back to us. His clothes were filthy and torn, and I stopped, pulling Lily closer to me. The man didn't move. He just stood there facing the wall. I waited, hoping he'd disappear like the others, but he didn't. He remained there perfectly still. I remembered the third rule. Each room will have someone waiting. Do not look too

closely. I didn't need to be told twice. I kept my eyes forward of waiting the figure, and I led Lily around the edge of the room, keeping as much distance between us and him as possible as we reach the far side. I felt something shift. The figure moved. Its body stayed perfectly still, as its head slowly began to twist around its neck. I saw long teeth, and I turned my eyes away. I didn't look. There was a door at the far end, old and wouldn't like the others, but this one looked newer, less decayed.

I pushed it open, and we stepped through into the second room. This one was smaller, tighter. The walls closer. In the center of the room was a mirror, tall and thin, framed in dark wood. I didn't want to look at it. Mirrors in this place. They weren't safe. But I could feel it pulling at me, daring me to look, to see what it reflected.

Lily tugged in my hand. No, Daddy. She shook her head up at my... She knew not to look. We moved past the mirror, keeping our eyes on the floor and reached the next door. I pushed it open quickly, and we stepped through into the third room. It was empty, or at least it seemed empty at first. The air was thick with something sweet but rotten, like dead flowers.

And then I saw her. There was a skeletal woman in a bright yellow dress. Dancing slowly around the edges of the room. She was spinning, laughing, and smiling. She paused then as she saw us, and she extended a skeletal hand out towards Lily, as if asking her to come dance. She looked like Jack Skellington's sister.

Her dancing was mesmerizing. Do not look too closely, I thought then. And I put my hand over my daughter's face and kept moving. The door was ahead of us just like the others. I opened it, and we stepped through to the final room. This one was different. It was smaller than the others, more enclosed, but there was nothing in it. Just the door at the far end, the one the list had mentioned.

The final door. I remembered the last rule. you must choose the correct door. I didn't understand. There was only one door. How could I choose if there was just one? Lily looked up at me. I could tell she felt it too that something was wrong, that this wasn't over yet. I took a step forward, but as I did, I felt something brush against my leg. If something touches you, do not move, I thought. I froze. My breath caught in my throat. The touch came again, light but deliberate, like something was testing me, trying to see if I would break the rules. I didn't move. Whatever it was lingered for a moment, then retreated, vanishing into the shadows of the room. I waited a few seconds longer and then took another step forward, keeping my eyes fixed on the door ahead. There was nothing else to do, no clues,

no signs, just the door. I reached it, and I hesitated just for a moment, and then I remembered the final rule. Once you open the door, leave immediately. If you hesitate, you will never leave this place. I looked down at Lily. She was watching me. Her eyes, pleading. I couldn't wait any longer. I grabbed the handle and I pulled the door open. On the other side there was light, real light, sunlight filtering through the trees. A forest, thick and alive, stretched out before us. The air was fresh, clean, and the sky above was this cloudless blue. It was over. We were out. I took Lily's hand. And together we stepped through the door.

As soon as we were through, it slammed shut behind us, and I didn't look back. We stood there for a moment, just breathing in the fresh air. The weight of everything that had happened pressing down on me, but it didn't matter. We were safe now. I looked down at Lily. She smiled up at May. That same innocent smile she always had. But there was something wrong.

Her eyes. There was something off about her eyes. They weren't the same. They were darker, colder, like the light had gone out behind them. Daddy? She said. Her voice familiar, but it wasn't. I stepped back staring at her. The realization hitting me. This wasn't Lily. I turned back to the door, but it was gone. The tunnel, the rooms, the rules, everything was gone. Just this endless forest? And the thing that had followed me out.

I stared at the thing standing in front of me. It wore Lily's face, but I knew better. I backed away slowly. I'd followed all the rules. I'd done everything right. But this thing standing in front of me was not my daughter. Daddy? It said again.

I didn't respond. The rules had warned me not to. Instead, I kept stepping back. My mind erased. The list had mentioned nothing about this, nothing about what would happen if I got out of the tunnel and found something pretending to be her. I needed to think. I needed to figure out what I'd missed. There had to be something, some clue,

some sign, something that would tell me how to get out for real. But the forest, there weren't any answers. Just that thing standing in front of me. Then I remembered the doll. I dropped it back in the tunnel when I found her, when I thought I'd found her. But now I realized, that maybe the doll had been, I don't know, a kind of anchor, a connection to the real lily. And now it was gone, left behind in that twisted maze of rules and doors. The thing in front of me wasn't real. But if I could get back, I could find the real lily. I had to go back in.

The thing that wore my daughter's face tilted its head slightly, as if curious, Where are you going, Daddy? Don't you want to stay with me? I ran. The forest blurred around me as I sprinted through the trees, not caring which direction I went. All that mattered was finding the door, the tunnel, and the way back. I dodged branches and leapt over roots, my mind racing faster than my feet. Somewhere behind me. I heard the thing's voice again, echoing from.

through the trees and growing fainer. Silly, daddy, come back. But I didn't stop. And then, just when I thought I'd never find it, there it was. The door. It stood alone in the middle of the clearing, just like before, weathered and cracked, with that strange symbol carved into the wood. I skidded to a stop in front of it.

My hand shaking as I reached out. I didn't want to go back inside, but I had no choice. I pulled the door open, and I stepped through. The tunnel was just as I'd left it, dark and narrow. But this time I knew what I had to do. I wasn't here to follow the rules anymore. I was here to find Lily and bring her home. I moved quickly, retracing my steps through the maze.

The figure in the first room was gone. and the mirror in the second room was cracked and shattered. The air felt different now. Colder. As if the tunnel somehow knew I wasn't following the rules anymore. It was fighting me, resisting my presence, but I didn't care. I had one goal and I was going to find her. The third room was silent now.

Whatever had been there before was gone. I passed through quickly. and then finally I reached the room where I'd found the fake lily, the room with a chair in the center. It was empty now, except for the doll lying on the ground where I dropped it. I picked it up, holding it tightly in my hand. It was cold, covered in dirt,

but it was real. It was hers. I glanced around me, searching for any sign of her, any clue that might lead me to where she was being held. The rules had mentioned nothing about what would happen after the fourth door. They'd only given vague instructions, but I hadn't hesitated. I'd left the room too quickly. I hadn't given it time.

And now I was back at the start, no closer to saving her. I clutched her doll closer, closed my eyes for a moment. And then I heard it. A faint sound, but unmistakable. A soft crying coming from somewhere beyond the walls of the room. Daddy? It was her. This time I knew it was her.

I ran towards the sound, pushing through the far wall as if it wasn't even solid. The tunnel stretched on ahead of me, longer than before. But I followed her voice. And then there she was. Lily? She was standing at the far end of the tunnel. Her small figure huddled against the wall. She was crying. It was her. Her eyes were wide with fear, but it was her. We're getting out of here, I said. I'm taking you home now. She nodded, clinging to me as I carried her back through the tunnel. I didn't care about the rules anymore. I didn't care about the rooms or the voices

or the figures lurking in the darkness. All that mattered was getting her out. The tunnel seemed to fight me with every step, but I didn't stop. I kept moving. And then finally, we reached the entrance. The door. It stood there waiting, just like before. But this time I knew why. I had to do. I wasn't going to leave anything behind. I wasn't going to let this place take her from me again. I set Lily down gently and turned to the door. The symbol carved into the wood seemed to pulse, and I saw a figure in the corner of the room, but I didn't hesitate. I pulled the door open, letting the cold, damp air from the tunnel rush past us, and I stepped through, pulling my daughter with me.

We were outside? Really, outside this time. The sky was clear. The trees alive with the sound of wind. The sun was shining overhead. It was real. I turned back to the door, my hands shaking as I grabbed the edges of it.

I wasn't going to let it stand. I wasn't going to let it remain here, waiting for someone else to stumble upon it. With all the strength I had left, I ripped the door from its hinges, tearing it from the ground. It groaned and creaked, but I didn't stop until the woods splintered and cracked,

until the strange pulsing symbol carved into the surface, faded and died. I threw the pieces of the door into the forest, letting them scatter among the trees, disappearing into the undergrowth. Lily stood beside me, silent, just watching. It's over, I said. We're going home. She smiled, that innocent, real bright smile that I'd miss so much.

The real Lily, my daughter. I took her hand, and together we walk. walked away from the clearing, away from the tunnel, away from the nightmare that had tried to take her from me. And as we left, we didn't look back.