Scary Horror Stories by Dr. NoSleep - 3 Blockbuster Horror Stories

Episode Date: March 2, 2026

Three horror stories of abandoned Blockbusters with sinister secrets that were never meant to be uncovered. Fuel your nightmares with ⁠NoSleep Coffee⁠ — fresh, same-day roasted beans shipped r...ight to your door. Use code NOSLEEP20 for 20% off your first order: ⁠https://nosleepcoffee.com⁠ Huge thanks to all our sponsors for making this episode possible: BetterHelp: Sign up now and get 10% off at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠betterhelp.com/dns⁠⁠. Quince: Go to ⁠quince.com/dns⁠ for free shipping and 365-day returns. Shopify: Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at ⁠shopify.com/dns⁠. Author: Matt Doggett * * * CONTENT DISCLAIMER: This podcast contains explicit content not limited to intense themes, strong language, and depictions of violence intended for adults. Parental guidance is strongly advised for children under the age of 18. Listener discretion is advised. #creepypasta #horrorstories #drnosleep #scarystories Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:03 If you've been listening to the show for years, do me a favor. Check that you're still following. Platforms, sometimes auto-unfollow during updates. All right. Now let's get into it. Story one. The cursed rental. I'm standing behind the counter, joking around with Macy, when the entry door chime sounds. Hello? I say without turning around. Welcome in! Macy says with genuine excitement. It's how she always greets. blockbuster customers, and it's one of the reasons I'm crushing on her so bad. Before we can
Starting point is 00:00:40 resume what I hope is flirting, something hits me in the middle of my back. Ow! I spin around in time to see a raven-haired woman with tattoos all over her arms rushing back out through the store's entrance door. At my feet lies a clamshell rental case, blue, white, and yellow with the Blockbuster logo. Before I glance away, I notice something. something odd. The first B in Blockbuster isn't yellow like the rest of the letters. It's a deep crimson. What the heck was that about? Macy asks, her bubbly energy down to a low sizz. Do you know her? I shake my head, watching through the store windows as the woman stops directly in front of a silver camry parked in the lot, which I assume belongs to her. She freezes, seeming to stare out at
Starting point is 00:01:32 nothing. A late afternoon breeze stirs the leaves. Birds peck its seeds or insects on the grassy verge bordering the road. The tattooed woman throws herself onto the Camry's hood and slams her forehead into the windshield. I suck in a shocked breath as I hear the muffled thud. She slams her head into the glass repeatedly, weakening it with each hit. Then she changes tactics and jams her head into the middle of the weakened glass, creating a hole as if she's trying to warm her way into the car. Once her head is halfway through the glass, she starts whipping it side to side, up and down, like she's trying to do ultimate damage with the jagged edges of the hole. The scene is so insane I'm paralyzed with shock, trying to remember if I've ever interacted with this
Starting point is 00:02:23 woman before. But that paralysis breaks, and I leap over the returns counter racing outside. As I approach the woman, the damage she's done to her face is sickeningly clear. Skin hangs from her cheeks and ragged flaps. Her eyes are completely ruined, leaking their delicate fluids and gels, along with her precious blood, which is splattered all over the windshield now. Before I can grab her, she shoves her head all the way through the hole and resumes her thrashing. But this time, the violent movements slam her neck into the edges of the jagged hole. Blood spues out from several wounds in her throat as I grip her ankles.
Starting point is 00:03:03 The canvas of her Chuck Taylor high tops somehow hot under my hands. I yank her out of the hole, doing even more damage to her throat in my attempt to save her. I drag her off the car and onto the concrete. By then it's too late. Her blood is everywhere but where it needs to be. She thrashes, rolling onto her back, her ruined eyes pointlessly staring at the afternoon sky. Then she goes still. The bizarre incident turns my life into a days-long circus,
Starting point is 00:03:36 complete with clownish reporters, strong-man detectives, and barking acquaintances, all of them asking the same questions over and over again. Eventually, the circus leaves town, at least temporarily. It's nearly a week later, and I've all but forgotten about the VHS tape the woman threw at me, until I see it again. Macy and I are working together, but there's no friendly banter, no flirting. She seems to think the woman knew me,
Starting point is 00:04:09 that it was somehow my fault. But try as I might, I can't ever remember seeing the woman in the store. That doesn't mean much. She could have patronized the place when I wasn't on shift. I'm manning the checkout desk while Macy works on restocking shelves when I hear the familiar clatter of a video being pushed through the quick drop return slot.
Starting point is 00:04:33 I turn around in time to see a tall, balding man straightening on the other side of the return slot. He glares through the window. His look, so rage-filled, I take an involuntary step back. It takes me a moment to realize he's not looking at me. I glance over my shoulder, trying to see what he's staring at. But I see nothing out of the ordinary. When I turn back, I'm sure he's going to start slamming his head into the window, but he doesn't. Instead, he drops to his knees in front of the return slot, which is like a mail slot in a front door, only bigger and without the hinged metal flap.
Starting point is 00:05:13 I can't see him because the slot is built into the wall below the window, but I can see through the return slot as he places his right ear against it, as if he's trying to listen to something happening inside the store. Sir? I ask. Are you okay? There's no answer. My eyes flick down to the video he's just returned. My throat thickens when I see that the case has two dark crimson letters on it,
Starting point is 00:05:39 the B and the L at the beginning of Blockbuster. I rush over to the window, slightly to the side of the padded crate that catches the returns. I peer down, seeing that the man has put a pistol to the side of his head. No! My scream is obliterated by the... the sound of the gunshot. A mixture of blood, brains, and skull bits erupts through the return slot, creating a fan of gore on the floor and the crate. I stumbled back as Macy comes running up
Starting point is 00:06:08 and starts screaming. My legs go numb. I hit the counter and slide down, staring at the blood-covered rental case with the two red letters. The circus comes back to town. This time, it's worse. The cops try to pin it on me, but they have no proof. I don't tell them about the video. They'll just think I'm crazy if I tell them. They let me go with the warning not to leave town. I returned to the store for my last shift the next day, before they open again. Macy has outright quit.
Starting point is 00:06:44 She refuses to step foot in the place again, and she refuses to come near me. I'm tempted to quit without notice as well, but I don't know. need to know. I find the tape waiting on a cart, ready to go back onto the floor. It has been cleaned, along with the rest of the blood and brains that had once been in a man's head. There is no title on the case, which is odd. I open it. No title on the tape either. Just a plain black VHS. But there is a barcode on the cover. I scan it and pull up the tape's history. The police identified to both victims. The woman was Laurie DeSalle. The man was Brian Creed. Their names both come up in the computer system. The last two renters. The only two. Where the title is supposed
Starting point is 00:07:39 to come up in the system, there's only a blank spot. I throw the tape on the floor and smash it with my heel, feeling the satisfying crunch of plastic breaking. What the hell are you doing? My manager. Ramiro shouts as he rushes over. I pause glaring at him. He holds his hands up and backs away. Two minutes later, the VHS is in pieces. The tape ribbon ripped apart.
Starting point is 00:08:06 It's pieces, along with the case, are in the trash, which I tie up and take out the back, tossing it in the dumpster. I don't bother going back inside. I walk around the building, get into my car, and leave. Picture this. It's late at night. You're scrolling, and suddenly you find exactly what you've been looking for. You add it to your cart, maybe browse a little more than head to checkout, only to realize
Starting point is 00:08:34 you don't have your wallet. But then you see it, that purple shop pay button, and just like that, you're done in seconds. That's the power of Shopify. It supports millions of businesses and drives 10% of all e-commerce in the U.S. From major brands like Mattel and Jimshark to entrepreneurs just getting started. With Shopify, everything you need is in one place. from customizable store templates to built-in AI tools that help write product descriptions and enhance your images. It also makes marketing easy with integrated email and social campaigns.
Starting point is 00:09:06 And if you get stuck, Shopify's award-winning customer support is there for you 24-7. See less carts go abandoned and more sales go with Shopify and their shop pay button. Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at Shopify.com slash dns. Go to Shopify.com slash DNS. That's Shopify.com slash DNS. For a while, I kept an eye on the news, looking for any reports of suicides at blockbuster video stores. I did this for a year before I stopped,
Starting point is 00:09:44 confident destroying the tape worked. More years passed. I moved away, met a girl, got married. I tried to put the horrific incidents behind me, And, for the most part, I do. But I never set foot in a blockbuster again. Shortly after our son is born, the three of us traveled back to my hometown, so my aging parents can meet the little guy, whose name is Tyler.
Starting point is 00:10:13 One night, after dinner and putting Tyler to bed, the four of us are sitting in the living room, chatting. I'm so engrossed in a conversation with my mom and my wife that I almost miss my dad putting a VHS tape into the VCR. The device swallows the tape and the TV screen comes to life. You still haven't switched to DVDs? I asked, amazed. My dad answers, something along the lines of, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. But I barely hear his words, because I'm so focused on the open clamshell case that now sits by the VCR. It's a blockbuster case, blue, white, and yellow. But There's something odd about it. The first three letters in Blockbuster are a deep crimson.
Starting point is 00:11:01 Dad? I ask, staring at the case. My throat dry. Where did you get this movie? At the blockbuster up the road. They were having a going out of business sale. I bought a bunch of movies for cheap. Footage comes on the screen. Taken outside of a familiar Blockbuster video. In it, a dark-haired woman with tattoos steps out of the store and freezes in front of a Toyota, staring straight at the camera for several long moments. I know what happens next, but I can't stop watching. Without looking, I can tell my parents and my wife are also watching. When the bloody scene ends, a new one starts. One of a man standing outside the return slot at the same blockbuster. He stares through the window into a camera.
Starting point is 00:11:48 On the TV screen, I see a younger version of myself turn and look. But there was no camera there. I would have seen it. I know what happens next, but I can't stop watching. When the bloody scene ends, a new one starts. This one is familiar too, but in a different, more immediate way. It's of four people sitting in a living room, staring directly into the camera. Right where my parents' TV is, on the screen.
Starting point is 00:12:18 one of the men gets up. It's me. I'm getting up. On the screen, I disappear out of frame. A few moments later, I come back with the sledgehammer in my hands. On the screen, I stand behind the couch, raising the sledgehammer and taking aim at the top of my wife's head. As I slam the hammer down, I realize it's not only happening on the screen. Allow me to ruin the mood for just a second. You know that store-bought coffee sitting in your kitchen? It was roasted months ago, and every day it gets a little more lifeless. No Sleep Coffee is different. We use specialty-grade beans,
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Starting point is 00:13:21 Story 2. I know why Blockbuster really went out of business. Welcome in! The man behind the counter said, as Dylan and I stepped into the air-conditioned interior of our neighborhood blockbuster video. I had been in my own little world until I heard those two words. With them, a bucket of anxiety poured over my head as I realized I would have to interact with people I didn't know. When Dylan had first suggested getting high and going to run a movie, I thought it was a fantastic plan. Now, I suddenly felt that I had a blinking neon sign hanging around my neck that said, Stoned!
Starting point is 00:14:06 With an arrow pointing at my face. Namely, my bloodshot half-closed eyes and the stupid, vacant look I was surely wearing. Yo! Dylan said with a jaunty wave, heading into the rows of shelves lined with DVD cases. baggy, JNCO jeans swishing. I made the mistake of looking over at the man who'd welcomed us into the store. He wore the obligatory navy blue polo shirt with the blockbuster logo on the breast. We made eye contact, and his average white 30-something features seemed to warp as he smiled.
Starting point is 00:14:43 I faced forward and hurried after my friend, wondering why I had agreed to go out into public, stone out of my mind. It was only the third time I'd gotten high. I was still getting a handle on it. I rushed through the store, which smelled sweetly of plastic and freshly vacuumed industrial carpet, with a faint tinge of ozone from the several TVs placed around, playing movies on mute. The place was empty except for me, Dylan, and the employee. It was nearly 11, closing time for the store on weeknights. Since it was summer vacation, and I was crashing at Dylan's house, we had free rain. Dylan's parents were away celebrating their anniversary. Dude, I whispered to my friend, who was perusing the new release wall. I think that guy knows we're high. So? Dylan asked,
Starting point is 00:15:40 selecting a display case from the shelf and reading the back. Feeling as if the man's eyes were on me, I had to fight not to look. I thrust my hands into my pockets, feeling my can of bonaca mouth spray, all the rage these days, and Dylan's lighter, which I had absent-mindedly pocketed after cashing out the bowl in Dylan's car. In a frenzy, I pulled both items out, thrusting the lighter at Dylan, as if it was damning evidence of a heinous crime. Jeez, Dylan said, taking the lighter. Chill. I took the little plastic cap off the bonaca and sprayed three squirts of the minty stuff into my mouth.
Starting point is 00:16:21 Then, sure that I reeked of weed, I also sprayed my shirt. Dylan tittered nervously, making me feel ashamed that I was freaking out. What are you doing, dude? Before I could answer, my itchy eyes went wide as the employee came walking over, his fat white sneakers making hardly a sound on the thin carpet. His face was still doing that thing, like it was made of silly putty, and someone kept stretching it in all directions. I shoved the bonaca in my pocket and yanked a display case off the shelf, pretending to read
Starting point is 00:16:57 it, even though the words jumbled incoherently. Can I help you boys find anything? Uh, no, I think we're good. Dylan paused to read the man's name tag. Jimmy. Thanks so. Jimmy remained where he was. I could tell in my peripheral vision that he had his hands clasped behind his back as he leaned conspiratorily toward Dylan.
Starting point is 00:17:23 Would you like to see the secret rentals? What? Black porn. Dylan asked. Never wanted to beat around the bush. Not exactly, Jimmy said. Like underground movies. The most violent, heinous, hardcore stuff you've ever seen.
Starting point is 00:17:41 some of it real like snow films dylan asked voice high with unabashed interest i snuck a glance at jimmy one green eye seemed to stretch toward me as if on a stalk his lips wavered and stretched as he smiled revealing not only all his teeth but the entirety of his gums as well i muttered no thanks and went back to pretending i could read in my current state seriously Dylan asked me. Don't puss out on me, man. I shook my head. Well, I want to see. Follow me. The melted-faced man said. Dylan put the display case back and followed Jimmy to a door in the far corner.
Starting point is 00:18:25 I watched them go, wondering if the horrible feeling in my gut was because of my altered state, or if something else was going on here. Jimmy took a ring of keys from a pocket of his khaki pants and unlocked the door. He opened it, gestured Dylan in some of the door. textured Dylan inside and glanced at me before going in. This time, black, insect-like legs broke through his stretched and undulating facial skin, like some massive bug was working its way out. He stepped through the door, leaving it open.
Starting point is 00:18:56 Given my angle, I couldn't see inside the room. I glanced around the empty store, heart beating hard enough to make me sick. Unsure what to do, I eased away from the new release wall and toward the front doors. display case still held absently in my hand. Before I could step foot in the horror section, Dylan shrieked in pain from the back room. His spine-curving cry became muffled and then overpowered by a sense of wet rips and crunches. I froze in place, staring toward the open doorway, hoping this was some kind of joke. The sounds died away, replaced by the thud-thud-thud of my heart in my ears,
Starting point is 00:19:33 and the faint hum of recycled air whispering through the vents. Jimmy appeared, stepping through the doorway, covered in blood. His face was no longer morphing, and it was no longer an approximation of a human face. Three black appendages sprouted from each side of the monstrous visage. A vertical mouth lined with translucent teeth took up the lower portion, gray-black muscles and sinew exposed from the lack of anything resembling skin. A line of three insectile eyes, shiny brown and lacking iriscese. or pupils occupy the upper portion of the face. The rest of his head was either crawling with
Starting point is 00:20:12 small roach-like organisms, or the moving things were part of it, like hundreds of additional appendages. Dylan's blood dripped from this monstrous face as his eyes fixed on me. I ducked down in the horror section on instinct. Sure, this was no hallucination. I know you see my face, Jimmy called out. The words seemingly formed from the clicking of a dozen chit-ness body parts. There will be no leaving here. Dodging around the shelves of candy and popcorn, dropping the display case I'd been holding. I crashed into the glass and metal portal,
Starting point is 00:20:46 but it didn't open. It was locked. Scambling to find the dead bolt, my fingers touched, smooth metal. The door could only be unlocked with a key. If you hadn't ingested any marijuana tonight, none of this would have happened. Jimmy said, closing in.
Starting point is 00:21:03 But some humans can see past our disguises with the help of T.H. see. We're not sure why yet, but we will know soon. I threw myself over the blue counter, landing on a foam footpad behind the registers. Unable to think of what else to do, I grabbed one of the computer monitors, yanking its cords out as I lifted it above my head. I was thinking of throwing it through one of the front windows, but when I saw Jimmy rushing at me, vertical mouth opening in anticipation, I knew I only had one option. I threw the monitor at him. The leg-like appendages sprouting from either side of his face, caught the monitor, and snapped it in half. I scrambled over the opposite side of the counter and tried the entrance
Starting point is 00:21:44 door. Locked. I dodged away. The creature followed as I backed through the family section, knowing I was about to die. Dylan, I thought. Oh man, Dylan. Implacable sadness swept over me as I thought about my friend, hoping beyond hope that he was somehow still alive. Her last interaction played in my head. The way he laughed nervously as I sprayed myself with, Bonaca! With that thought, a desperate plan came to mind. I darted around a shelf and pushed it over into the creature on the other side. A hundred plastic cases fell to the floor as the thing shouted and flipped the shelf back toward me, but I was already moving, sprinting into the back room and slamming the door shut. I locked it, knowing Jimmy still had the key, but it would
Starting point is 00:22:31 buy me time to do what I had to do. Spinning around, I nearly vomited when I saw Dylan's body on the floor. His head had been twisted completely around, and his face was like a butcher's pile of bloody, cast off parts. I dropped to my knees next to him, blood soaking through my jeans as I dug into his pocket, finding what I needed. Lurching back up, I heard the key sliding into the doorknob on the other side. I positioned myself next to the door, lighter in one hand, and bonaca in the other.
Starting point is 00:23:01 The mouth spray had been banned at my school because it was highly flammable. Plus, more than one kid had been sprayed in the eyes with the stuff. As the door opened, I flicked the lighter, birthing a flame. I positioned the bonaca behind it and took aim. Jimmy walked in. I jerked my hands forward, getting as close to his face as I dared before spraying the bonaca through the flame. Those strange appendages dragged across the backs of my hands,
Starting point is 00:23:28 gouging deep rivets in my flesh, as Jimmy screamed and jerked backward, the flaming liquid dousing his face. Despite my pain, I kept after him, spraying as fast as my finger would go, setting fire to his face and head. In his pained flight, he tripped over his own thick sneakers and fell next to a drama shelf. I dodged around the shelf and shoved it over, sending it crashing down on his upper body. I leaped onto the overturned shelf and jumped on it like a trampoline. I felt and heard his bones crunch as he struggled. But I kept jumping until he stopped moving.
Starting point is 00:24:03 When I finally climbed off the uneven shelf, both ankles hurting from twisting them as I jumped, I was shivering with fright. Somehow, I still limped over to the store's phone and called the police. When they arrived, I was sitting against the wall, staring at Jimmy's lower body, which stuck out from below the toppled shelf. I was sure that when the cops lifted it, there would be a normal man underneath. the horrific face having been a figment of my imagination. Maybe the weed was laced with PCP, I thought.
Starting point is 00:24:37 But when two cops lifted the shelf, they dropped it back down after seeing what was underneath. I caught enough of a glimpse to know I was wrong. The face was still there, although broken and distorted from all my jumping. A lot of people think that Netflix put Blockbuster out of business, but that's not true. That was just the story the public was told.
Starting point is 00:24:58 In reality, a special wing of the U.S. government found that Blockbuster had been infiltrated by an extraterrestrial species who were putting subliminal messages into the movies to prepare for when the invasion of Earth started. Two guys in dark suits found the necessary equipment in the back room. The messages were supposed to make us humans docile and appreciative when the invading force showed up. Over the next several years, a clandestine operation took place to hunt down each and every interloper who worked at Blockbuster. When they found the last one, the government forced the business to declare bankruptcy. The stores closed. Well, all but one. The last remaining Blockbuster video is in Bend, Oregon.
Starting point is 00:25:49 You can see it for yourself if you want, but if you do, don't go in there stoned. matter what. Story 3. Rewind. Oh my gosh! The man carrying a stack of rental tape says when he sees me. Jordan! I didn't know you worked here! My throat clicks as I swallow, but I force myself to meet his gaze. It's my second day! He sets the stack of tapes in their blue and white blockbuster cases on the counter between us.
Starting point is 00:26:26 Whoa, that's just great. Growing up, taking on responsibilities. How exciting! His name is Todd, and his mom used to babysit me and my sister when we were younger. Although in his early 20s at the time, he lived at home and was often around when we were there after school, sometimes even filling in for his mother. The unwavering gaze from his narrow, light blue eyes, brings back a rush of memories. Most of them bad. Gale force winds whip at me as I recall one afternoon in particular.
Starting point is 00:27:00 My skin goes tacky, and a cold sweat springs up in my armpits. He were always such a good kid, Todd says wistfully, his smile revealing unnaturally white and straight teeth. He still dresses the same, with a pastel polo shirt tucked into khaki slacks with a brown belt. I can tell he's waiting for a response. My manager hoverses behind me, included in the stilted interaction by his close proximity. I only stare at it. I only stare at it, Todd, trying to fight off the memories of that afternoon when I was nine and my sister twelve. When it's clear, I'm not going to say anything more. Todd's smile fades. He taps the top VHS tape on the stack and says, well, I'm going to find some other stuff to rent. Great seeing you, Jordan.
Starting point is 00:27:49 He shoots a finger gun at me with a wink and a click of his tongue before heading into the store. I stare after him. The hurricane of long buried emotions, keeping me both tethered to the spot on the outside and thrashing on the inside. You okay? Liam, my manager, asks, as he moves past me to grab the stack of return tapes. Yeah, fine, I say, still watching Todd as he peruses the family section. You sure? I nod.
Starting point is 00:28:21 Liam seems like a good guy, considering I've only known him for a few days. He's in his late 20s, with shoulder-length dirty blonde hair. that mostly stays tucked behind his larger than average years. He wears holy jeans with pajama pants underneath, and he has an olive green cardigan over his Blockbuster shirt. From far away, he looks a lot like Kurt Cobain. May he rest in peace? He transfers the stacks of tapes over to one of the computers
Starting point is 00:28:51 and picks up the top one, popping the clamshell case open. Son of a bitch, he mutters. What is it? Liam shakes his head. Dude never rewinds his tapes, not ever. There's a special place in hell for people who don't rewind their rentals. I mean, it says it right on the fucking front. He points at the white label with the blue lettering on the VHS.
Starting point is 00:29:14 Please remember to rewind! Liam's outrage over this minor issue gives me the push I need, serving to enrage me further. Doesn't surprise me. The guy is a creep. Liam pauses before opening the next clamshell case. What do you mean? I shake my head, unwilling to say the words. Nothing.
Starting point is 00:29:35 He's just a creep, that's all. Liam stares at me, brown eyes sparkling in a way I've never seen before. The moment stretches, and I look away, feeling like he's just been rooting around inside my head. He shifts his gaze out across the store, eyes settling on Todd. But he continues speaking to me. You know, you can tell a lot about a person by how they treat Ravis. rental tapes and DVDs. I've been working here for a long time, and that's something I've found to be true. If someone consistently brings back tapes that aren't rewound or DVDs that are
Starting point is 00:30:11 scratched to shit, you can bet they're an asshole in other ways. I laugh. Yeah, I'm sure. I'm serious, Liam says, and he is. I can see it in his face. I'm going to go stock some more. As I walk away from the front counter, I glance back to see Liam opening another of Todd's returned tapes, his face contorting in rage at what he sees. For the next five minutes, I busy myself with stocking the shelves, trying to avoid Todd. But just as closing time hits, he comes over to me. So, how's your sister? I haven't seen her in a long time.
Starting point is 00:30:52 I can't help myself. The words just come out. Don't fucking talk about my sister. Todd takes a step back, looking genuinely shocked. What? What? Why? Come on, man. I saw you two come out of the bathroom that afternoon when your mom wasn't around. I saw the look on my sister's face and the surprise on your face.
Starting point is 00:31:14 She was fucking 12 years old. And you know what? She hasn't been the same since. You wouldn't know why that is, would you, Todd? Todd chuckles nervously and looks around. his face flushing. Are you serious? What do you think happened?
Starting point is 00:31:30 Don't play dumb. You know what happened. How many little girls did your mom babysit over the years? How many of them did you take to the bathroom? That's ridiculous. Ask your sister what happened. She'll tell you. I didn't do anything.
Starting point is 00:31:45 Oh, I asked her. She refused to talk about it. Whatever you said to scare her work, you fucking sicko. Jordan, I swear. A baseball bat whips into my vision from my right. The sound of the aluminum connecting with Todd's skull makes my bowels go watery. I flinch as blood splatters my face. Todd falls to the floor.
Starting point is 00:32:07 His rental case is scattering across the industrial carpet. I stared down at him, at the flap of bloody scalp dangling from his head. Before I can take another breath, Liam drops the bat and kicks Todd onto his back, straddling him. He grabs one of the clamshells from the floor. and rips it open, yanking the tape out. With one hand, he levers Todd's mouth open. He jams the tape in with the other, but it won't fit.
Starting point is 00:32:34 So Liam smacks it with one hand, ripping the corners of Todd's lips, and breaking some teeth to get the VHS in. Hammering the hard black plastic with the side of his fist, Liam drives the tape farther in. He screams, punctuating each syllable with the hammer of his fist. B! Thwack! Mind! Thack!
Starting point is 00:32:59 Todd, who had been dazed from the hit to the head, suddenly regains control of his faculties. He gags, choking on his own blood, and the tape jammed into the back of his mouth. His hands come up, grabbing Liam's wrists. Memories flash across my mind. The horrified, faraway look on Jenny's face as she came out of the bathroom. The way she grew sullen and erratic in the months and years after that day. The way Todd smiled at me when he came in, not even ten minutes ago. Driven by an overpowering rage,
Starting point is 00:33:32 I stomp on the edge of the VHS tape sticking out of Todd's mouth. I can't tell if it's the tape breaking or the back of Todd's throat collapsing. Put the sound is a million times worse than when the bat hit his head. Todd's hands let go of Liam. They fumble bonelessly at the tape. But Liam puts both hands on it and holds it down. Todd coughs a geyser of blood from his ruined mouth. Spasms.
Starting point is 00:33:57 Spuse more blood from his nostrils. and then go still. I sit down hard on the floor, panting, fighting the urge to puke. Liam lets go of the tape jammed down Todd's gullet and leans back. Arise meet. He smiles. A week later, Jenny and I are watching TV when we see a report about how police are still searching for information on the whereabouts of one Todd Lipscomb.
Starting point is 00:34:25 Holy crap, Jenny says. Todd's missing? I hope he's okay. I whipped my head to look at her. You hope he's okay? Didn't he? Jenny looks at me expectantly. Didn't he what?
Starting point is 00:34:40 Come on. You don't have to do that. I was there, remember? I saw you two come out of the bathroom. Jenny's brows come together over her deep brown eyes. Are you serious? You still think something happened? I saw the look on your face when,
Starting point is 00:34:57 Jesus Christ, Jordan. I got my period and sharded in my pants that. day. Todd helped me get cleaned up. There, are you happy now? I didn't want to tell you because I was embarrassed. All this time you thought he did something to me. I stare at her. Searching for the lie and not seeing it. Bile climbs up my throat. That's it? That's why you were in the bathroom together? Yes. I was so embarrassed I started crying about it and Todd helped me. He got me a pair of his mother's underwear that barely fit, but it was better than nothing. He turned away when I changed. Then he took my soiled underwear and washed them. He even told his mom about it, and she talked to
Starting point is 00:35:41 our mom about it. I was dying of embarrassment the whole time. I mean, getting your first period is bad enough. But combine that with shitting your pants? It was so messed up. But what about you changed after that? You got all hormonal. Is that the word you're looking for? I was a girl going through puberty. No shit I changed, genius. Oh my. What's wrong with you, Jordan?
Starting point is 00:36:12 You look like you're going to puke. I stare at the TV, mind reeling. The next news segment comes on, about a robbery at a pizza hut. I barely hear it. I'm searching for something to cling on to. And then it comes. He never rewound his tape. I tell myself nodding.
Starting point is 00:36:31 He got what he deserved. Thanks for tuning in. If you enjoyed the story, be sure to follow or subscribe and share the show with a fellow horror fan. I'll see you in the next one.

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