Scary Horror Stories by Dr. NoSleep - The Abandoned Blockbuster

Episode Date: August 18, 2021

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Dr. Nicely. Josh, Saul, and Elliot. You guys now have full access to all Dr. No Sleep bonus episodes. So be sure to check them out and let me know what you think. For those of you who'd like to gain access, check out my Patreon page at patreon.com slash DR No Sleep. You'll instantly get full access to all my past and future bonus episodes for only five bucks a month.

So be sure to check it out. You can find the link in the podcast description. No time for the story. If you grew up during the 90s, it's pretty much guaranteed that you'd you spent a significant time browsing the shelves at Blockbuster. It was the ultimate method of watching movies comfortably at home. All you had to do was just drive over to one of their thousands of locations, pick out a couple of movies and some snacks,

and head home with a bag full of VHS tapes for a night of movies. But with the rise of the Internet and the dozens of streaming services that arose in the last decade, it's no wonder that Blockbuster inevitably closed their doors, fading into the non-stopping tides of time itself. This often happens when big franchises closed down. Blockbuster left behind several buildings, not bothering to properly close them down. Instead, some of the shops were just abandoned, turning them into ideal places for urban explorers like myself.

Researching and visiting old abandoned buildings was one of my favorite pastimes as I grew up. And though I wasn't particularly brave, I frequently visited lockdown places, accompanied only by my best friend, Eric. Together, we visited abandoned asylum. hospitals, malls, houses, you name it. And though it had always been exciting and scary, we'd never been in any true danger. That was until last year, when we decided to visit a recently discovered blockbuster,

situated in the middle of nowhere. The peculiar location actually made strategic sense when thinking about business. We lived in a small town where the vast majority of the population traveled to a bigger city, all using the same highway to get to and from work. So on the way home,

home, plenty of people stopped by the blockbuster to find their entertainment for the evening. Sadly, the place was rendered obsolete, and due to road construction, the place had been pushed back away from civilization. It was perfect. We planned the adventure for a Saturday evening. A lot of these places, though seemingly abandoned, had security guards and cameras, which could leave us with hefty fines if we ignored the keep-out signs. But as we arrived just before midnight, We knew for sure that no one had set foot in there in years. There were no fences blocking the building off, no lights, no power lines, no cameras. It was dead, just a building with a half-decaying sign reading, Blockbuster.

Told you it would be awesome, Eric said gleefully as we approached the place. He'd already scouted it out, but he hadn't set foot inside. That was a privilege he had saved for a time we could do it together. He had a knack for finding these places, as if he had some sort of sixth sense allowing him to sniff abandoned building. The door was locked, but being mostly rotten and covered in glass, we could practically crawl through one of the holes to get inside. A rush of adrenaline surged through my body as I took my first step inside. The feeling of visiting a forgotten place so full of history is mesmerizing.

That mixed with a feeling of heavy nostalgia for my own childhood made me almost emotional. Holy shit! I heard Eric call out as he walked ahead of me. What is it? I asked. But as I placed myself beside him, I immediately realized what had excited him so much. There were rows upon rows of shelves, and each and every one of them was stocked to the brink with old VHS tapes. The place hadn't been just abandoned, but everything

inside had been left behind as well. In the back there were more shelves filled with snacks that had all expired years ago, and though everything was covered in a thick layer of dust, the items seemed weirdly well-preserved. I went from shelf to shelf, studying the movies, but it wasn't until I brushed the dust away before a disappointing realization hit me, that all the covers were blank. Of course, it could have been washed away by time, meaning the original pictures were just faded, but it didn't feel wrong. I took some of the VHS tapes out from their respective boxes to look for titles. This is weird, I said out loud. What is? Eric asked. I showed him the tape. Instead of a printed title displaying the name of the movie,

all it had had was a letter and a number, crudely handwritten onto the spine of the tape. tape. D1024, it read. Should we check it out? Eric asked. How? There must be an old VHS player laying around here somewhere. I mean, they left everything else behind, right? He explained. Well, even if we found one, they cut power ages ago. Yeah, but we'll take it home with us. It's not like they'll miss it. So we went on a search for a VHS player. Though the blockbuster had clearly closed down before streaming services took over, most of the shelves were marked with signs reading DVD player, but they were empty. My theory was that they'd taken the DVDs and modern products with them as they closed down, leaving the outdated equipment behind.

Found one, I heard Eric yell from somewhere behind the counter. He'd found a door leading into one of the offices, which had a table, a television, and a VHS player already connected. The cables were all zip-tied along their paths, making it hard to remove without a knife or scissors. You didn't bring anything sharp? I asked. No, but maybe a lighter would work. Just be careful not to melt the cable, I said. Don't worry, I got the... Before Eric could finish that sentence. A loud static buzz filled the room alongside a bright light emerging from the television. We stumbled back in shock, staring at the TV in disbelief. Despite the power being cut off, it had seemingly come to life all on its own.

What did you do? I asked. Nothing. It just turned on. How was that even possible? As the adrenaline wore off, I tried to more logically assess the situation. I tried the various light switches, in addition to attempting to turn on anything in the vicinity, but apart from the player, nothing would come to life. It's probably connected to a separate circuit or something. I don't know. I know nothing about these things, Eric said. It's weird, kind of creepy. Still, now that we have a functioning player, should we check out some of the tapes?

He asked. A part of me just wanted to turn around and leave the building. My lizard brain was on high alert, but logically, There couldn't be anything dangerous about an old TV, so I ignored my gut instinct and handed Eric one of the tapes. Here we go, he said, still excited. The static image faded ever so slightly, partially getting replaced by a blurry image. We were expecting some kind of logo, followed by a movie, but instead the silhouette just lingered there in the middle of the screen. We stared at it for a few moments, trying to figure out just what we were looking at.

Is that a man? I asked. I think so. But he's just standing there, Eric said. No, look at his head. I said as I pointed out the mild rocking movement. He seemed to be shaking his head. Each movement, a tiny snap. Too fast and jerky for any real human to reproduce.

Almost as if each move was breaking his neck. Then a picture appeared on screen. It only stayed there for a split second, immediately reverting back to the staticky man. Did you see that? Eric asked. Yeah, it's a picture of a room, I think. You saw it too?

Sort of, I mean, I couldn't tell exactly what it was, but it somehow felt familiar that another picture flashed on my screen. Isn't that? I began. It's my bedroom, Eric said in shock. That time it lingered half a second, giving us a clear view. By the next time the screen flashed, we even noticed Eric himself sitting on the bed, getting ready for our trip. It was film this morning. How is that even possible? But the film didn't end there. The image turned back to static, with the barely visible. man hidden among the snow. He seemed to be just a bit closer then, still jerking his head in unnatural ways. Let's just leave, I suggest. No, I need to see this, Eric said, still in shock. Then another scene appeared on the screen, an empty road we both instantly recognized. It was the old turnoff that led to this place. A car came into view, with Eric driving it. The footage was taken from the street, as if someone had filmed it personally with shaky hands. But the area was rid

any plant life, completely flat. Had a person been standing there, we'd easily have seen them. Then a second of static with the man standing even closer, before the tape showed a view from inside the blockbuster looking out. We could see Eric park his car and look over the area as he waited for me. Oh, fuck, he's here, Eric said. We let the tape keep playing as we looked around the room. Once we ensured the building was empty, we retreated to the office and shut the door. The film we were met with froze us both in place. It was the two of us standing in the office, watching the tape real time, and the footage was taken from directly behind us. We spun around in fear, and I let out a relieved sigh when I realized there was nothing there. But as I turned to Eric,

I noticed the look of utter horror plastered upon his face. He was staring straight ahead, as if transfixed by something. What's wrong? I asked. Don't, don't let him get me. He led out meekly. Who? But Eric never got a chance to respond. as he suddenly threw his arms up in a defensive pose. Only a split second later, I could see large gashes appear on his forearms before his flesh was torn from bone. He fell to the ground and screamed in agony

as more and more of his muscle, fat, and skin got stripped away. I stood frozen by his side, not able to see the invisible attacker. Then I did something I will regret to the day I die. I started to run. I opened the door, giving a final glimpse behind me to see the truth of what was happening. That would be the only time I got a glimpse of the monster,

as a picture on the TV screen, a grotesque, massive creature hunched over, slashing at Eric with overly long arms, looking more akin to knives than actual limbs. Even had I tried, there was nothing I could do to help him. I ran out from the store, got in my car, and drove away as I called the police. But being distracted by the phone and adrenaline pumping through my veins, I swerved off the road and crashed into a ditch. As the airbag emerged and hit me in the face, the world just turned black around me. It wouldn't be until I heard the sirens.

I awoke for my slumber. As the paramedics pulled me out of the car, I kept repeating Eric's name, telling them to help him. The police went to check out the location, but all they could find was an old, abandoned blockbuster. With broken shelves, rid of all merchandise, the office was little more than a dust-covered room with a plane table and nothing more. The tapes, the VHS player, it was all gone. Even Eric's body was missing, leaving no trace of his existence behind. I spent some time in a psychiatric institution after that. Eric was listed as missing, and I was put on the list of suspects for a while. But due to the lack of evidence, I was quickly cleared.

No one believes what happened that day, but I saw it. And I saw hundreds of other tapes. Eric was just the first of many victims, with the rest just waiting to find their tapes. Maybe mine is hidden somewhere inside as well. Lazang sur-gillet, Puisance-Moyerned for 15 minutes. We're like it's the

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