Scary Horror Stories by Dr. NoSleep - I Rented a Remote Cabin in the Woods. The Owner Left Me a Strange List of Rules | Part 2

Episode Date: August 12, 2026

Tariq books a remote cabin for his annual friends’ getaway. The place seems strange, but harmless, until one bedroom becomes a blood-soaked mess and the owner’s rule binder finally explains why. Some rules sound ridiculous. Others sound impossible. But one line matters more than all the rest: if a rule is broken, they have until dawn to make it right… or face something worse than death. Dr. NoSleep Premium: ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/drnosleep⁠⁠ – Cancel anytime. No commitment. Are you still drinking that stale, store-bought coffee? Head to ⁠⁠⁠NoSleepCoffee.com⁠⁠⁠ to try our fresh roasted-to-order coffee delivered straight to your door! Be sure to use promo code NOSLEEP20 at checkout for 20% off your first order! NoSleep Coffee – The freshest coffee money can buy. Guaranteed. Huge thanks to our sponsors: BetterHelp: Sign up now and get 10% off at ⁠betterhelp.com/dns⁠. Shopify: You don’t need anyone’s approval to make a living. Build your own business with a free trial at shopify.com/dns Author:  Jake Bible Check out all of Jake’s horror story collections at: https://jakebible.com/short-storiesnovellascollections/ * * * CONTENT DISCLAIMER: This episode 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.  #drnosleep #scarystories #horrorstories #doctornosleep #creepypasta #horror Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Sometimes the best way to understand a service is to hear from the people who have actually used it. BetterHelp makes that simple. Head to BetterHelp.com slash reviews, where customer feedback is updated every day and hundreds of people share what their experience with therapy has been like. BetterHelp currently has an average live therapy session rating of 4.9 out of 5 across more than 1.7 million client's session reviews.

More than 6 million people around the world have used BetterHelp. Help, and every BetterHelp therapist has at least three years and 1,000 hours of hands-on experience, plus the education, training, and certifications required in their field. To get started, you answer a few questions and BetterHelp matches you with a therapist based on your needs. And if that therapist isn't the right fit, you can switch at any time. See the reviews, see what stands out, and see if BetterHelp is right for you. Visit BetterHelp.com slash DNS. That's BetterHELP.com going on vacation. We're here for it. With kids who turned the backseat into a courtroom drama over whose tablet is louder, whose charger is faster, and while watching the same cartoon for the

hundredth time is a human right? Yep, we totally have vehicles to handle that, because whether it's a road trip or a business trip, where your flight's delayed, your phone's at 2% and your dinner is whatever is open. Yeah, here for that too. Enterprise. We're here for it. Part 2. Can't we just play Scrabble? You can't go on that shut alone. I say to Alicia. Yeah, don't worry. I'm not.

She says enhance me the key. Then she locks the lock and her whole body shutters. I need real clothes on. This quilt ain't going to cut it. Guys! Jeff roars. Coming! I roar back. I glanced at Alicia. Right? Yeah. Let's go see what the hell is.

is happening in there. She looks over her shoulder at the shed. Then we come back out here. I just puked up a key, Tariq. Kind of think that may mean something. I do not like the shed, but I don't say that. I just nod and pat the key in my pocket. Yeah, you're right, but we deal with Nicole first. Nothing new there. Alicia wraps the quilt, tight about her body, and strides off around the cabin to the front porch. I hurry to keep up. Jeff is standing at the front door. We can easily hear three people shouting. One voice sounds like Artie trying to calm things down.

The second voice is definitely drunk Nicole. The third voice is a woman's, and I don't recognize it. I go to ask Jeff a question, but he shakes his head and opens the front door. You have to see it for yourself. I peeped up a key, Alicia says. Yeah, that tracks. Jeff says. I walk inside the cabin and see Artie in the hallway trying to hold back an enraged

Nicole. If that bitch thinks she can say that shit to me, she has got another goddamn thing coming. Nicole shrieks. Come here, bitch. Say that to my face again. Oh, I will, you hussy. I will. A voice echoes out of a framed picture hanging on the hallway's wall. A hand flies out and slaps Nicole across the face. Hors like you deserve to rot in hell.

Look at you. Nothing but a painted harlot is what you are. Oh, it's on now! Nicole shakes Artie off and grabs the picture from the wall. She holds it up above her head, then tries to bring it down over her knee. Tries to, at least. A fist comes out of the painting and punches her in the left breast as the picture passes by her chest.

Nicole screams and drops the picture, letting it clattered to the floor as she clutches her wounded boob. What the hell, bitch? She shouts down at the picture. I move closer and can see a woman sneering up at Nicole. That's what whores deserve. A swift punch to a jug. The woman shouts at Nicole.

Now get out of my house. Your house? Artie asks. Nicole kicks the picture and it slides to Artie's feet. What are you? Some mixed breed? The woman in the picture yells at Artie. How dare you come into my home with your dirty blood?

Um, I'm Italian, Artie says and shrugs. Even worse, greasy pigs the lot of you, the woman screams. Since you refuse to listen to me, I have no other choice but to teach you a lesson. Arms shoot out of the picture and grab Artie about the ankles. He's yanked off his feet and falls backward. His head making a horrible noise as it connects with the floor. Artie groans. I lurch into the hallway and shove Nicole out of the way.

That freaking hurt. Artie mumbles as he rubs the back of his head. The moment he tries to sit up, his feet are pulled inside the picture, bending his lower legs at an awkward angle. Ow! He shouts. Then the shout turns into a blood-curdling scream as blood sprays up out of the picture. Oh, shit!

I jump over the picture, landing close to Artie's shoulders. He's still screaming as I get my arms under his pits and try to pull him away from the picture. It's eating me! It's eating my feet! Artie screams, Oh, God! He's not wrong. The woman has his toes between her teeth.

I'm trying! I pull harder, but he isn't budging. At least not from the picture. The frame itself scoots across the hallway floor, making it harder for me to gain any leverage and get Artie out of this mess. The woman in the picture is laughing as she continues to shove Artie's feet inside her mouth.

Her jaw distends like a snake, and she chomps down on his right foot, severing it from the leg. I stumbled back a little. little as the pull on Artie eases. But the woman still has his right foot, and she's pushing it deep into her ever-widening maw. This time, she doesn't chomp down, but keeps shoving and swallowing. Artie screams as his left leg comes free, sands his foot, and his right leg is swallowed deeper and deeper into the woman's throat as she laughs around it, her eyes wild

and filled with fire. Damn, bitch is hungry, Nicole says, leaning against the wall. Shut up and help me! I yell. Now, moves. Artie screams louder as his right leg is swallowed past the knee. Pulling with all of my strength, I feel something pop in my back. And when I try to adjust my stance, I slip on all the blood pouring from Artie stump where his left foot should be. I fall onto my ass and pain shoots up my spine. I definitely slipped a disc or something. Alicia drops her quilt, pushes Jeff out of the way, shoves past Nicole, and comes to help me. But she's too late. Before I can get a better grip, Artie is yanked out of my arms and pulled completely into the picture.

A geyser of blood shoots up from the frame, coating the ceiling, the walls, Alicia, and me. Then the geyser stops, as if someone has casually turned off a spigot. Alicia stares down at the picture frame. I stare down at the picture frame. Inside is the woman, and she's laughing as she kicks at a legless Artie, who is screaming and trying to crawl away across a black and white frame yard. Damn, Nicole gasps. Touched a bullet there.

Mine and Alicia's heads snap up, and we aim our enraged glares at the callous woman, a woman who doesn't have a drop of blood on her. What are you two so pissed about? Nicole asks. Not my fault you decided to get in the way of that mess. What is wrong with you? Alicia shouts. What?

Nothing. Just dealing with all this. Nicole replies, waving a hand at the blood, the picture on the floor, than the cabin. I ain't never tripped like this before. Gotta remember to thank Mikey for these killer shrooms. Alicia starts to say something, then shakes her head and walks off, headed upstairs. Wait, um, Nicole? I ask. Yeah. Do you think this is all a hallucination? Yeah. Obviously, I took too many shrooms and I'm paying the price. I should know better, but, eh, At least this shit isn't boring.

It's not boring because it's real, Jeff shouts, still having not moved from his spot by the front door. He looks like he's either going to collapse into a fetal position and start crying, or bolt out of the cabin and disappear into the woods. The woods that are rapidly getting darker now that the sun is setting. Bullshit! Nicole says. She scoffs at the mess. Bitches climbing out of pictures and starting shit ain't real.

That blood ain't real. She taps her temple. It's all in my head. Then how the hell are we seeing it too? I ask, slowly getting to my feet. I try to wipe some of the blood off me, but it's pointless. Maybe none of you are real, Nicole says. The real yous are probably outside making s'm just having a bad trip.

She looks toward the kitchen. Gonna need more whiskey to ease this come down. She sighs. You guys see Mark and Helen? They still back there banging? She puts a hand to her mouth. Hey, horny toads, take a breather, will you? She chuckles to herself, and all I can do is stand and stare.

One thing I've learned from building businesses is that getting started is usually the hardest part. When we launched No Sleep Coffee, we already knew exactly what we wanted to sell. We just needed a website. Shopify made that step incredibly straightforward. We set up our storefront, added our products, uploaded the descriptions and images, and within a few days we had a fully functioning online store. What I really value is how Shopify takes care of so much behind the scenes. The checkout experience is extremely smooth.

Customers complete their purchases quickly, giving you peace of mind as an owner that you're not losing sales at the last step. If you've been considering selling a product online, whether it's coffee, merch, or something you made yourself, Shopify is definitely worth a look. With Shopify, nothing stands between your idea and a real business, so go make it one. Start your free trial at Shopify.com slash DNS. Start your free trial at Shopify.com slash DNS. If you're into horror with a heavy dose of sci-fi, classified experiments, and things humanity was never meant to understand,

check out my other podcast, the SCP experience. Each episode pulls you into the hidden world of the SCP Foundation, where dangerous anomalies are studied, contained, and sometimes unleashed. These aren't just scary stories. They're classified nightmares. Click here to listen now or search for the SCP experience wherever you get your podcasts. I hear the shower upstairs start. Alicia must be getting clean.

I could go for that right now too. I did not have getting coated in blood on my vacation bingo card. You're not tripping, I finally say, and shove past Nicole, making sure I put a little force into it. Hey! She complains. And no more whiskey, I say. First, you do not need to keep drinking. Second, you already drank it all.

I open the fridge and start to grab a beer. But then the image of Artie chugging one makes me stop. Artie is gone, pulled into a picture with a crazy woman, who I think I can still hear laughing. Where are my earbuds? God, I really need to throw on some lo-fi beats, close my eyes, and disappear from the world for a minute or two, or a thousand. Closing the fridge, I turn and lean my back against it. Then I feel something poked me in my pocket and jump. What?

Jeff asks, his voice paranoid and full of anxiety. What's wrong? What did you see? What did you hear? Huh? I ask him. You just jumped. You saw something, didn't you?

He twitches and cringes, ducking his head as he looks into all of the dark corners. of the ceiling. Is it bats? I hate bats. Bats? What are you talking about? Bats! Did you see bats? Jesus Christ! Yeah, this is great. Just great. Nicole is in complete denial mode, thinking she's only tripping on shrooms and that none of the horrors that we've witnessed have actually happened. Awesome. And Jeff is in hyper-awareness panic mode, which is making him hyper-focus on his fear of bats, even though we haven't seen a single bat since we've arrived. We've seen our friend's bodies exploded all over a room with dandelion wallpaper. We've seen Artie get devoured by a crazy old woman who lives in a picture,

and I've watched Alicia vomit up a key. A freaking key! Good times. Well, at least Alicia is getting a shower. Have you tried the phone again? I asked Jeff. He barely looks my way, still checking out every shadow in the room. For bats, I assume. Why? What's the point? I don't know. Maybe we'll eventually get through. My eyes go wide as I feel something poke me in the pocket again. Oh, right, the key. I don't really want anything to do with it, but it reminds me of what I was doing before. I run upstairs to my room and hunt around until I find my car keys.

I stopped by the upstairs bathroom door and shout, I'm going for help. I'll be back. What? I can't hear you. What's happening? Alicia asks, but I'm already racing down the stairs, taking them two at a time. Without a word to Jeff or Nicole, and without even a glance at the bloody hallway and insane picture, I run out of the cabin down the porch steps and over to my corolla. Here we go, I say, and put the key in the ignition and turn. Click.

I pretend like I didn't just hear that. I turned the key again. Click. Turn. Click. Turn. Click. Turn click.

Turn click. Turn click. Turn click. Son of a bitch! I shout and slam my hands on the steering wheel. Then I reach down and grab the hood latch. I pull it and the hood pops up a couple of inches. I'm out of the car and running to the front.

My fingers easing under the hood and releasing the catch. Lifting the hood, I pray for a break. I don't get it. My engine is slag. That's the only way to describe what I am seeing. Wires, hoses, ducts, and every piece of metal are melted into a pile of useless scrap. I have to laugh because I'm surprised I even got a click when I turned the the engine. The way everything is fused into one chunk, I don't even know what could have made

that click. Slamming the hood back down, I turn and shuffle to the porch. Alicia is standing at the top of the steps, dressed in sweats and a long-sleeved t-shirt as she dries her hair with a towel. We should try the shed, she says. I puked a key for a reason. Maybe in a bit, I say as I stepped past her. I need to sit and think first. Think about what, T? She asks, following me into the cabin. No phone, no cars. We don't have a lot of choice here. No cars? Jeff asks. What does that mean? What happened to my car? He doesn't wait for an answer and runs outside. In about five seconds, we hear him shouting and cursing. He comes stomping back inside, his eyes filled with rage. Which one have you destroyed my engine? He snaps, and his eyes go wide. Was it bats? It was bats,

wasn't it? Alicia gives me a puzzled look. Bats? It's a new thing. You were in the shower. Do I want to know? Do you? No. Then there's your answer. Hey, well you two shut up! Someone has destroyed my car. This is serious. Jeff shouts. Do you know how much time and money I put into my car? Yes, you tell us every time you see us. Alicia says, and throws her towel at his face. Tarek's car is just as messed up, so stop whining. No one did this to you. It's being done to all of us. Just feel lucky to still be a live, asshole. The cabin goes silent until I ask.

Why? Why what? Alicia responds. Why is this being done to us? We done broke some rules, Nicole says. She's back on the bar stool, but gratefully minus a tumbler of booze. Even high as shit, I know that. You go to a cabin and read weird rules out of a binder or off a notepad or out of a book made of human skin.

whatever. But once you read them rules, they're real. And we done broke some, so... She shrugs. Mark and Helen died before I read the rules from the binder, I say. She shrugs again. Hey, I didn't make the rules, so don't look at me. The rules, the rules. I groan. My back is killing me. So I just sit my ass down on the floor. It doesn't help much. How many rules have we broken? Two, Alicia says. No screwing in the Dandelion room outside of whatever those hours were.

8 p.m. and 1130, Jeff says. I can't see him anymore because the kitchen counter is between us. But I would bet he's still cringing over imaginary bats. Then the picture rule that Nicole broke. Alicia says, her voice pure anger and ice. Hey, that bitch gave me a side eye that none of you would have let slide. So don't be getting on my ass because I wasn't going to take no side-eye shit from some stuck in a picture, cunt. Nicole shouts.

I see. A voice cries from the hallway. Oh, it's on again, you dumb bitch! Nicole yells, jumping up from the bar stool and sending it crashing across the room. You think I won't throw your living inside a picture ass onto a goddamn bonfire? Huh? You think I won't do it? Alicia steps in front of Nicole and punches her in the nose.

Nicole cries out and stumbles back, both hands to her face. Alicia cries out and stumbles back. Her fist clutched to her chest. Shit, I think I broke my hand. Alicia cries. Bitch, you broke my nose. Knowing it's going to hurt like hell, I scrambled to my feet and step between the women

just as they go for each other. Stop! I roar, not just because I don't want them to fight, but because I don't want to be caught in the middle since I know they both can hit hard. Just stop! Did you guys hear squeaking? Jeff asks.

Jeff, I will throw you in that picture with our if you don't shut the hell up about bats. I scream. Everyone goes still. Alicia backs away. Nicole backs away. Jeff just looks hurt. Sorry.

I say and let out a long breath. Sorry. That was an awful thing to say. No shit. Nicole responds and plops her ass back onto the bar stool. You gotta chill out, T. You are way too high-strung for us to have any fun this weekend. Fun?

Alicia snaps. I hold up a hand. She thinks she's still hallucinating from the shrooms. Don't talk about me and like I'm not in the room, Nicole says, adjusting herself on the bar stool. I may be seeing shit with my eyes, but my ears work just fine. Thank you very much. Then she pulls a joint and a lighter from her pocket. She pops the joint between her lips. Jesus, Nicole, really? Alicia says. Maybe sober up a little.

little. This shit is serious. She holds up a finger before Nicole can respond. And this is not a hallucination. If you say you think this is a hallucination, I will beat the ever-living shit out of you. I'd love to see you try. Nicole says with a laugh. She flicks the lighter, getting the joint blazing. After a long drag, she chokes out. You ain't got the balls to take me down. Whatever, Nicole. Alicia says and walks over to the couch. She sits down and crosses her arms over her chest.

So, what do we do now? The phones don't work. The cars are trashed. Jeff whispers. We're at least what? A four-hour hike to the closest piece of civilization? There was that gas station, I say, leaning against the fridge to take some pressure off my back. Damn, I really messed it up.

That's what I'm talking about. It was a good 60 miles back. I can walk about 25 miles an hour. What about you all? I'm not walking anywhere. I say and place my hands on my back. At least not at 25 miles an hour. You can really walk that fast?

Jeff asks. It ain't that fast, Nicole says. I bet I can walk 30. Shut the hell up. Alicia mutters. Nicole doesn't take offense, luckily, and just rolls her eyes. Then she frowns at her joint. Damn thing won't stay lit.

She says and flickers the lighter again. The flame sputters, but doesn't catch. Careful. Alicia says with a wry smile. You've been drinking so much whiskey. The fumes from your breath may catch the air on fire. Nicole flicks the lighter again. Still no flame.

Still no flame. Flame. Yeah. Well, if my breath does catch on fire, I'll aim my dragon mouth right at you. Why are you two still fighting? Jeff asks. We got bigger problems. Exactly, I say and pointed, Jeff.

Three of our friends are dead, supposedly because we broke two rules. Artie may not be dead, Nicole says. What? I'm just saying that he could still be alive inside that picture. Maybe that angry, ugly bitch put turnicates on his legs or something. I bet she's going to make him her legless sex slave, throw him in a dank cellar and do awful rural shit to him. What is wrong with you? I ask.

Shit if I know, T, she says, and the lighter finally lights. She burns the end of the joint, takes a hit, then starts to say something else. Except, she doesn't get the words out. Instead, she frowns and starts coughing, just as her eyes bug out. Oh, no. She manages to whisper a half second before her entire head is engulfed in flames. Rule three! Alicia shouts, jumping off the couch and rushing into the kitchen.

She grabs the sprayer from the sink, turns on the faucet, and aims the stream at Nicole's head. Someone get a blanket or a towel! Got one! Jeff yells, picking up the towel that Alicia had thrown at him earlier. Nicole lets out a pained whale like I've never heard before. Her entire head is a giant fireball. She shoves away from the bar stool, even though that puts her out of range of the kitchen sprayer. Alicia is yelling for her to get closer while Jeff runs at her, holding a towel over his head, ready to throw it onto Nicole.

All I can do is stand and stare. Look for a fire extinguisher! Alicia cries. Check under the sink! Right, sorry! I shout, then dive for the cabinet under the kitchen sink. My back screams at me, but it can eat shit. I am literally watching a woman burn to death,

so a little back pain can wait its damn turn. I get the doors open and nearly cry when I see the red canister. I stand, scream, and pull the pin from the extinguisher. Before I can squeeze the trigger, Alicia yanks it out of my hand. basically vaults the kitchen island and lets loose with white foam just as Jeff throws the towel over Nicole's head. Get it off! Get it off! Alicia shouts. Nicole's screams are like nails on a chalkboard, but they are getting weaker by the second. Jeff pulls the towel off Nicole's head, and I'm pretty sure a good amount of what's left of her hair and her scalp go with it.

Alicia sprays Nicole from head to toe in white foam. Then she tosses the extinguisher aside, yanks the towel out of Jeff's hands, and starts wiping Nicole's face off, getting the phone. bum away from her mouth and nose so she can breathe. Unfortunately, she also literally wipes away most of Nicole's face off. Skin slides away with every wipe. Nicole lets out a strangled cry and then falls backward onto the couch. Her head, one entire blackened blister. Jesus, Christ!

Alicia says, backing away from the couch. What the hell? Jeff mumbles. Rule one, I say. No fires unless inside designated receptacles. I'm guessing that means only the wood stove or the fire pit outside. Shit? Alicia says.

Is she going to make it? Jeff asks. Nicole groans. Alicia and I share a look. Maybe. Alicia says. Let's get some towels and wet them down. We'll place them on her until we can get out of here.

Get out of here. How? The cars are trashed. Jeff shouts. He points at the ceiling. And there are bats! Did you take some of Nicole's shroom? I ask him.

Hell no. So, then what? Alicia asks. You're just back shit crazy? We all pause. Then burst out laughing. We laugh and laugh, tears streaming out of her eyes and down our cheeks. We laugh and laugh and...

Nicole coughs and blood spews from between her lips. We stop laughing. I'll get the towels. Alicia says. She hurries off to the linen closet. Jeff stares at me. How are we getting out of your man? I don't know. Maybe someone will check on us when the sun comes up.

Why would they do that? We booked the cabin for the long weekend. I doubt someone will show until Tuesday. Yeah, well, if you have a binder like the one that's in that drawer at your vacation rental, maybe you check on the occupants a little more often. I say and hold my arms out. You know, because... Okay, we'll have to switch these out regularly, so one of us will need to stay awake with her. Alicia says, returning with a stack of hand towels, and a plastic wash tub filled with water. I'll take the first shift.

You two should get some sleep while you can. She eyeballs me. Set an alarm. Two hours, then you relieve me. Jeff can go third. Why do I have to go third? Jeff asks. Because if she dies,

it's probably going to be sooner rather than later. Do you want to see that bat boy? Jeff doesn't respond. He just sighs and walks to the stairs, keeping his eyes directed away from the mess in the hallway. You good with that? Alicia asks. Yeah, I say.

I mean, I'm not good with any of this, but I know what you mean, so, um, yes. You could have stopped it, yeah. Alicia replies with a smile. Go get some sleep. Don't forget to set your alarm. She looks around and sees a clock on the wall. It's after midnight now, so we have... Wait, what? I check the clock. She's right. It's almost 12.30.

How the hell did it get so late? Didn't the sun just go down? Are you seriously trying to find lots? in all this crap? Right. Yeah, sorry. I'll take over at 2.30. That work for you? Yeah. Okay, I say and head up the stairs. Ready to definitely not sleep a goddamn wink.