The NoSleep Podcast - NoSleep Podcast S12E19

Episode Date: April 21, 2019

It's episode 19 of Season 12. On this week's show we have tales about reality, and how fleeting and unreal it can truly be.   "Keep Your Eyes on the Road" written by Charlie Wells (Story starts around 00:06:20) Produced by: Phil Michalski Cast: Nick – Kyle Akers, GPS – Jessica McEvoy, Tracy – Addison Peacock, Cook – Dan Zappulla, Waitress – Sarah Thomas "City in the Clouds" written by Logan LePage (Story starts around 00:17:30) Produced by: Phil Michalski Cast: Phillip – Atticus Jackson, Dio – Kyle Akers, Nile – Jessica McEvoy, Susie – Nichole Goodnight "Destination" written by Ashlyn Walker (Story starts around 00:57:00) Produced by: Jeff Clement Cast: Benjamin & The Entity – Jeff Clement "It Lingers Still" written by Nickolas Johnson (Story starts around 01:18:00) Produced by: Phil Michalski Cast: Jacob – Mick Wingert, Ron – David Cummings, 911 Operator – Nikolle Doolin "Mountain Air" written by Spencer Sabinske (Story starts around 01:36:20) Produced by: Jesse Cornett Cast: Narrator – Jesse Cornett, Mr. Young – David Cummings. Mr. Benson – Elie Hirschman, Thatcher – Mick Wingert, Voice – Erika Sanderson Click here to learn more about the voice actors on The NoSleep Podcast   Click here to enter the Yuppie Psycho Contest   Executive Producer & Host: David Cummings Musical score composed by: Brandon Boone "Keep Your Eyes on the Road" illustration courtesy of Mark Pelham Audio program ©2018-2019 - Creative Reason Media Inc. - All Rights Reserved - No reproduction or use of this content is permitted without the express written consent of Creative Reason Media Inc. The copyrights for each story are held by the respective authors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan, thanks for coming. I can't say I had much choice. So tell me, how's your first day going? You're joking, right? I never joke about serious corporate matters. Well, let's see. The office is a literal hell pit. I'm constantly getting attacked by mutant secretaries,

sentient printers, deranged employees. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. I get the picture. So it's all going well? And then there's this witch I'm supposed to kill. I don't even know where to start. I just wanted a nice, quiet office job, get a foothold on the corporate ladder. You know, maybe you're not cut out for this job.

Perhaps you could do better. Uh, me? No, no, you, listening in on us. Fancy your shot at making it through the day in this workplace from hell? If so, you need Yuppie Psycho. Yuppie Psycho will be available on April 25th, 10 a.m. Pacific Time on Utomic and Steam, and is available for wish listing now. It's a hot new video game developed by Baroque, Decay, and published by another indie.

Yuppie Psycho is a first-job survival horror inspired by the real-life corporate experiences of the lead developer. Poor guy. It's horror satire, but don't think it's going to be an easy ride. As our pal can attest to, things get real violent and real terrifying. In fact, the game is the story of Brian Pasternak. Hey, that's me! A young man hired for a job beyond his abilities and qualifications, which is significantly more complex than he could have guessed.

His first task to kill the witch, maybe his last. So yeah, I kind of really need your help if I'm going to solve the mystery of Centricorp, defeat the witch, and maybe even get the girl. Hey, hey, no inter-office romances, buddy. But you should follow at Baroque Decay and at another Indies on Twitter. And go find the game on Utomic or Steam. Remember, it's out on April 25th, which might be coming up or might have already happened. Time is strange here, just like everything else.

Speaking of, meetings adjourned. You need to buck up your performance, buddy boy, or I'll be first. firing you, literally. Wait, hold on. You're not even my boss. You're just my co-worker. Co-worker, schmow worker. Nothing's as it seems at CentroCorp, but we sure are going to have fun finding out what's what? Speak for yourself. And, uh, can you untie me now? Ha ha. See you at break time, Brian.

Uh, Hugo? Anyone? And remember, check out Yuppie Psycho on Steam or Utomic. I'm really going to need the help. Welcome to our sleepless sanctuary. You enter at your own risk and choose to be entertained with dark and disturbing horror stories. You have been warned. For the dark hours, when the elves of horror to frighten and disturb,

as the sleepless hours tick. Brace yourself. for the No Sleep Podcast. Welcome to the No Sleep Podcast Sanctuary. I'm David Cummings. Our service this week features tales about reality and how fleeting and unreal it can truly be. On a weekend when many of you are hunting for gifts of chocolate Easter eggs,

we'd like to offer you the chance to win a special gift. We're starting a new contest to celebrate a new video game called Yuppie Psycho. If you have ever worked in an office and felt like it was a circle of hell, then you'll want to dive right in to Yuppie Psycho. In Yuppie Psycho, you'll join Brian Pasternak on his first day at one of the world's largest companies, Centricorp. Uncertain, unprepared, and massively unqualified, will Pasternak have what it takes to shine

in Cintracorp's hierarchy? It all depends on how he performs on his first assignment, and whether he's survived. survives it. Yuppie Psycho is a terrifying, gory, violent trek through one man's first day at the most unconventional of workplaces. Face off against monstrous printers, nefarious co-workers, and even the infamous witch in order to survive until clocking out time. The game will be available on April 25th, 10 a.m. Pacific Time on Utomic and Steam for PC, Mac, and Linux, and is available for wish listing now. But thanks to the kind folks at another indie, The No Sleep Podcast has 20 steam keys to give away. To be in with a chance of winning,

simply email us at contests at the no sleeppodcast.com and tell us your idea of the scariest place to work. 20 entries will be chosen at random to win a steam copy of Yuppie Psycho. The competition closes on May the 4th be with you. So get ready for gainful employment. For full contest details, head to contests.com. But until then, you can listen to what we've achieved in our hellish workplace, because now it's time for our service to begin. Bow your heads and hear our words. In our first tale, we meet a man who romantically shows up and surprises his long-distance loved one.

Only it turns out she's not much for surprises. so he does what any man would do and passes the time in a diner. But as author Charlie Wells shares, some diner food can be to die for. Performing this tale are Kyle Acres, Jessica McAvoy, Addison Peacock, Dan Zapula, and Sarah Thomas. So don't litter, put your tray away, and most importantly, keep your eyes on the road.

Hey, babe. So guess what? What's up? I'm on my way. Huh? Yeah, my classes for tomorrow were canceled, and with Memorial Day on Monday, and a pocket full of cash,

I'm coming over. It'll be fun. And you know you can't resist me. At this rate, I'm not going to see you until sometime in August. I know. No, hold on a day. I'm sorry. Cell phones are the damnedest things.

Back in the old days, when you hung up on someone, you'd get a clatter as a phone was placed into the cradle in a dial tone. By comparison, The low tone that follows an ended cell phone conversation seems, I don't know, colder. Tracy and I had only been talking for a couple months, and had only seen each other twice since in real life. The first time we met, she was at Mason for JMU's away game. We hit it off pretty well after she accidentally spilled my beer and bought me a new cup.

We got along in spite of our collegiate rivalry, and she gave me her cell number. After a week of texting, we met in Richmond and spent the weekend together. We had talked about doing it again, so I decided what the hell. All I needed was the time. So there I was on I-66, westbound, headed to someone who doesn't know. I had already passed a dozen or so exits when it finally occurred to me that I had no idea where in the hell I was going. I looked down at the plastic brick in the passenger seat. It's soft white glow shining up into the car.

Okay, phone? Navigate to the nearest diner. Calculating. In 1.2 miles, take exit 294 and keep left at the fork. I realized then that I-66 terminates at exit 300, where it splits off to I-81. I wasn't quite sure there really was an exit 294, but I followed and found myself in a two-lane highway, surrounded by bright white LEDs and muted yellows behind thin window shades as I rolled through a sleepy town I'd never heard the name of. Your destination is in 0.3 miles on the left.

As promised, I crested the top of a hill. There was a bright yellow sign off to the left. A moment later, I pulled into the parking lot and turned the car off. I looked down at my cell. No missed calls. Just you tonight, hon? Seems like it. Hmm, pity.

The hostess wore a faded pink uniform and crisp white shoes. I noticed she swayed her hips slightly as she walked through the narrow aisles. She stopped at a booth and turned to face me. Here's good? Just fine. How about a drink? Black coffee, please. I sat down and poked to the laminated novella of a menu.

I knew that if I opened it, not a damn thing would look appealing. On the other hand, I hadn't eaten since before I left, so I guessed anything would do. I watched as the waitress approached me with a mug in one hand and a small carafe of coffee in the other. She set the mug on the formica table and filled the mug about halfway, and set the coffee pot next to it. Gonna need a minute? Eggs and sausage with a side of toast. Can't go wrong with the classics. I'll be back in a couple minutes. The waitress gave me a slow wink, her smoky mascara eye suggesting something I had no interest in hearing.

Again, I pulled out my phone, this time dropping it on the table. The screen lit up. No notifications. Shit. I've been accused of overthinking things before, and I suppose it's a correct observation. It was a cold comfort, however, as my screen dimmed, then flickered back into a black mirror, showing me the other side of my chin. I sighed and took a long sip of my coffee. I didn't even notice the waitress approaching me.

I was shaken out of myself pity by a plate of hot food being slid across the table underneath my downturned face. Here you go. Need any ketchup or other condiments? Nah, I'm good. Enjoy. She gave me a small smile and walked away from me. Her hips swinging again in that slow rhythm that I first noticed when I came in. I looked down at my plate and instantly noticed my bacon was blackened on the edges and dry.

I unwrapped my silverware. and lifted a piece of egg into my mouth, shuddering at the taste. It tasted like someone had bathed the egg in oregano and salt, and then just let it sit on the grill for far more time than it should have, judging from the deep brown color running through the off-white yoke. Everything had been gestating in my head. The $10,000 college bill I had to pay, getting ghosted by a crush,

and a sudden road trip which would end with me not doing anything of value other than driving along an interstate. And now this. I'd had enough. Excuse me, miss? Is everything okay? Not really. My bacon is burnt to shit, and these eggs are just, I don't know, bad.

The waitress leaned closer to inspect my plate, gave an almost inaudible sigh, and then picked the plate up. I'm really sorry about that. Let me see if I can get this remade for you. I really appreciate that. I know that college students are supposed to be hungry all the time, but I really can't eat this. I did my second phone check. no flashing lights, no notifications. A moment later, a squat, dark man, and a cook's white apron came out,

holding my plate in one hand and a trash bag in the other. I'm really sorry about the food. I'll remake it or anything you might want. We'll charge it as an employee meal. Just do me a favor. Bag this up, will you? I didn't know what to make of the cook's odd request at first. It took a moment before it dawned on me that there might be wildlife

who weren't as picky about eating the food as I was. Why me, though? I don't work here. Just as a favor. I had no idea what to make of the request, but I wrapped it up. I looked at the waitress and waited as she sashed across the restaurant. Check? I put some cash in the battered leather billfold she brought over and left.

As I walked to the car, I saw the dumpster from the corner of my eye, then looked down at the thick can liner in my hand. With a shrug, I slid the door back and chucked the bag in. I got back in the car inside, not a car. expecting anything. I checked my phone again. This time, however, there was a blue flashing light above the display. When the screen flickered to life, I saw that I had one missed call. From Tracy. Shit. I must have forgotten to turn my ringer back up. To my own surprise, I found myself wondering what to do as I stared down at the screen. I looked up for my phone at the unexpected sound

and saw three dark figures huddled around the dumpster, rummaging through the open door. A moment later a plastic bag appeared over the lip of the door, and I watched his thin, pale hands scrabbled at the container. It suddenly came open and the three figures huddled closer together and began to eat the meal I had just bagged up, their hands shoveling handfuls of food into their mouths as quickly as they could move. So that's why the cook wanted me to toss it out here, I thought. For reasons I still don't understand, I opened the car door and got out.

One of the figures turned quickly and glared at me. A worn hood fell away, revealing a tangle of mottled gray hair and pale wrinkled skin that looked as though it had been in the sun for decades in spite of its pallor. She snarled at me and went back to her feeding with the others. Hey, uh, if you guys need some money for food or something, I... I leaned back against the car door and watch as the old woman stepped toward me, seemed to grow larger with each step. I was about to run back to the suddenly inviting lights of the greasy diner, when the old woman backed away and slapped blindly at her other packmates.

The other two hoods fell away. Both were women, one with a round face, framed by dark ringlets of hair going steel gray, and the other with a thin, young face. The older woman's hand scrabbled at the bag and held it close to her chest as she walked away from the dumpster toward the dark beyond the asphalt. The other two walking closely behind. None of them took their eyes off me for a moment as they slinked into the night.

The older woman edged into the dark, but the younger stood on the edge between the asphalt lot and the grass and stared at me hard for a moment. There was a promise in her stare. Of what I couldn't say. I still don't know. It held something that was purely animalistic and yet strangely welcoming. What? Your destination is directly ahead. I quickly fumbled my phone out of my pocket.

There was a green arrow pointing away from me, into the field where the other two women had retreated. I looked up from my phone and saw the fleeting figure of the young woman as she slipped soundlessly into the dark. What the fuck? The green arrow on the screen flickered. Your destination is 50 feet ahead. Recalculating. Your destination is 75 feet ahead. Recalculating.

Your destination is 100 feet ahead. Recalculating. I jumped into my car, slamming it into gear, and peeled out of the parking lot. I was halfway to the interstate by the time I realized I couldn't see much of the road ahead of me, and I turned on my headlights and buckled my seatbelt. Everything I saw before I got on the interstate passed by in a blur. By the time I got back onto I-66 heading east, I decided to just keep driving until the signs began to look familiar again.

I never heard from Tracy again. I didn't bother to replace my phone for at least a couple months. No need to, really. I'm done with road trips for a while. Winners don't do drugs. That's an ancient proverb, but one that the characters of this tale, shared with us by author Logan LaPage,

have clearly never heard. It's a yearly tradition, meet up, take drugs, have fun. But this year, the fun's in short supply when the group finds themselves caught in a shared hallucination. Performing this tale are Atticus Jackson, Kyle Acres,

Jessica McAvoy and Nicole Goodnight. So listen out for those bells and watch out for what might be ringing them in the city in the clouds. The bells, the blasted bells. They were barely perceptible at first, but now they fill my waking hours. They even chase me in my sleep, ingratiating themselves amongst my precious dreams. I think about ending it with the package in front of me, falling down into the dark abyss that continues to clatter away with its torturous melody. It wasn't always like this, and in fact it wasn't until recently that it started happening. It's best I start from the beginning, though.

My name is Philip. I work a typical nine to five job at a tech firm with good benefits. I have a fiancé I'm supposed to get married. to in a few months. We're not wealthy, but we don't really have to worry financially. But put on my tie every morning, come back in the evening, and crack open a beer. Saturday is our date night. It might not be the most exciting life, but I like it. You wouldn't think looking at a pencil pusher like me that I was a bit of a hooligan in my youth. Originally, it was just my friend Donald and me. Past middle school, he always insisted on being

referred to as Dio. Yes, like the metal singer. Everyone laughed at him at first, but Dio had a certain charm that was irresistible. It was this charm that got us into and out of so much trouble. Eventually, he was able to use that charm and roping a girl named Susie. He had nicknamed her Suse, though, and of course it eventually stuck. Susie was quiet and sensitive, an interesting juxtaposition to Dio's grandiloquence. It worked, though, and eventually Susie's friend Nile started hanging around us too.

She was a bit cold and standoffish, but she had a mind like a razor and wasn't bad once you got to know her. Before we knew it, the four of us were hanging out just about every day. The ritual hadn't started until a few months later. It was the summer just before our senior year of high school. Dio had finally gotten a hold of some psychedelics and wanted us to take them with him. Susie seemed on board, but I'm pretty sure she would have done anything if he asked back then. Nile and I resisted at first, but, like usual, Dio's charm took the day. We didn't know it at the time, but that was the start of an annual ritual.

We continued to hang out, occasionally smoke pot, drink, get thrown out of stores and whatnot every weekend. But there was one day out of every year that we went real far and did what Dio would call a spirit. journey. We stayed good friends through college and continued the ritual. Even after we started to drift apart after graduation, along with Dio and Susie's breaking up, we still made sure to do it every summer. Regardless, it wasn't until a month ago when Dio called that I had realized the date was growing nearer. Hello? Philip. How are you, man? Deal? It's been a while. Same old, same old, What's up? What's up?

Don't you know what month it is? Um, September? That's right. Just 30 days away from our meetup. Of course. What did you have planned? LSD, mescaline, or psilocybin? I got something real good.

Took a while to get it too. I know you're about to be a married man here soon, but do you think Howard will let you get away? He's not the problem. It's work that I'm worried about. Nah, don't worry about that. Only supposed to last 12 hours? What exactly did you get? Some real good stuff from Africa.

I had to pull out of strings to get it over here. Don't want to save what I paid for it either. There's no direct translation from Amharic, but apparently over here in the States, they call a Ractor. Look, I don't want holes in my brain and my organs melting. Phil. Have they ever steered you wrong? Look, if your eyeballs fall out or you sprout a second head, I'll make sure to take care of it. I've been researching it for a while, and the worst that you might have is a bit of a headache the next day.

Not bad for a mind-blowing spirit journey, communing with the gods. You say that every time. Forget about all those other times. This stuff is the real deal. Plus, this is going to be our 10th anniversary. I really was having reservations about it, but Dio's enthusiasm is contagious. It took a little more cajoling, but I eventually agreed to it.

Apparently, the others were already on board anyways. Susie had been kind enough to offer her house for the meetup. It was about a three-hour drive into the country. In all honesty, I didn't really care about the spirit journey, but it would be nice to see all of them. I talked to Howard, and he gave me that look, but said he wanted to visit his sister anyway. He could make a trip of it. The next month was more of the same, and before I knew it, the weekend was upon me.

I took off early on Friday and drove over with a packed bag to Susie's house. It's odd now that I think about it, but even then I knew there was something wrong. First, curiosity had gotten the better of me, and I looked up this Ractor drug deal had been boasting about, and turned up little. The best I could find was an old GeoCity's page, giving a two-sentence description of it, and an out-of-print book from the 70s. What I did find on it didn't exactly inspire confidence in me either, the apparently user saying that they could peer past the veil of reality and look at the true nature of things. Of course, if I would have actually known the truth about Ractor, I wouldn't have made the trip. Whatever doubts I had about it, though, quickly evaporated when I reached Susie's house and saw Dio enthusiastically waving from the front porch.

The house itself was over a hundred years old, and it apparently belonged to Susie's great aunt, and she had inherited it a little over a year ago. With ornate shutters, carved balustrades, and a steeple roof, it was made in the Victorian style typical to the time period. And with the sun just starting to set, it had an orange glow that made it simultaneously inviting and ominous. Getting out of the car, Dio greeted me with open arms. He was deeply tanned from his time spent at the beach with a small pouch starting to develop

around his midsection. His face was still as jovial. His sandy hair and round face made him look more like an overgrown school kid. Susie, who had just come out of the house, apparently spent most of her time indoors. She was incredibly pale, with large glasses that always threatened to slip off her face, but never did. After our initial greetings, I grabbed my bag and came in. Dio handed me a drink and started talking loudly about one of his clients. He worked as a stockbroker and was paid handsomely for it.

Susie, on the other hand, contented herself with just watching his converse as she said, her drink. About half an hour after I arrived, Nile managed to show up. Ah, there Nye is. Dio stood up and opened the door. Nile, who Dio had christened Nye, was tall, dark-skinned, and more than a little bit intimidating. She had a bit of an aloof and stern demeanor, but once you got her loosened up, she was all right. Nile sidestepped Dio's outstretched arms and instead cordially shook his hand. I see her just as cold as ever. I see that you are enjoying yourself just as much as ever. Nile looked down at Dio's stomach, causing Susie to giggle.

Dio frowned, but didn't say anything. There was another set of greetings, followed by everyone sitting down in the living room. Susie had spent some time cleaning everything up, but there was still a relative level of decay evident in the overall structure. The rug was frayed at the ends. the wallpaper was starting to come up in places, and there was this squeaking in the upper floors that may have just been the wind or something small scampering.

We spent the next few hours talking and drinking, and before I knew it, it was past 11. Oh, look at the time. If we're going on Dio's spirit journey, you better get some shut-eye. I'd normally call you old, Phil, my boy, but this time I'm going to agree with you. Dio stood up, taking his typical power stance

when he wanted everyone to notice him. Good night's rest, because tomorrow's going to be a hell of a trip. Hopefully for you, this trip requires a bit of walking. Oh, stop it. I'll show you all where to sleep. It wasn't until I was following Susie through the house that I realized how big it actually was.

The hallways were numerous and branching, made all the more labyrinthine by the tall ceilings and walls that seemed to be just a little too close together. Thankfully, the room she let me in was a bit more cheerful than the rest. I even got a pretty excellent view of the backyard. I spent a few minutes washing up in the adjoining bathroom and laid down. I must have been more tired than I expected because when I woke, it was late in the morning. After using the restroom and splashing some water on my face,

I made my way downstairs into the kitchen. More than once, though, I had to double back because I went the wrong way or opened the wrong door. I think it was more the smell wafting from the kitchen that sent me in the correct direction. Jeez, Sus, this place is a maze. I'm not sure how you get used to it. Susie seemed to be laying it all out. Coffee, eggs, sausage, pancakes, and toast. Looking over her shoulders, she smiled. I remember when I was a kid, I used to spend hours just wandering around the upper floors looking through all the old boxes. When I was done, I would leave the room I was in and have absolutely no idea where I was.

I would say you get used to it after a while, but I've been here about a year and still occasionally get turned around. Just what we need. What did you say, Dio? We were going to commune with the dead. What better way to do it than in a haunted house? Nobody said anything about a haunted house. You all just need to get your bearings, right? You're a one to talk. I heard you walking past my door around. the midnight, apparently unaware that you were heading towards Susie's room and not your own. Nile never really smiled, but there were certain times like this when there was a mischievous sparkle in her eye. Dio only responded by carefully sipping his coffee. Even though I couldn't see her face,

I'm pretty sure Susie was blushing. After breakfast, we headed to the backyard where we were treated to a breathtaking view. Susie's house was built on the top of one of the hills, giving an excellent view of the surrounding fields and forest. Looking in every direction, I can only see a couple of houses off in the distance. To make it all better, the day didn't even seem that hot despite it being the middle of summer. There seemed to be a constant cool breeze that blanketed the entire yard. The clouds were numerous, but not a single one looked stormy. So picturesque was the scene that it was impossible to know the horror.

The deal was about to unleash on us. Gathering underneath a particularly large tree, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small metal case. It looked like one of those old cigarette cases, and I half thought we were going to have to smoke whatever this Ractor was. Popping it open, he pulled out four vials and handed one to each of us. The liquid inside was gray and bubbly. Friends, it's been ten years since we started to start. started this little ritual, and I wanted this one to be special. I know I can prattle on...

Amen. So I won't waste any more time. To friends. See you all on the other side. Dio uncorked his vile and swung it back in a single gulp. I wanted to ask Dio more about what the effects of this Ractor were before taking it, but it seemed all of nature was conspiring against me. The combination of Dio's enthusiasm, the perfect weather,

night's rest and an incredible breakfast did me in. I watched both Susie and Nile swig back the concoction without a second thought. I shrugged and did the same. The liquid itself was bitter and I immediately had the feeling of nausea. Thankfully, in less than a couple of minutes, this passed and was replaced by just a bad taste in my mouth. I sat down underneath the tree, calmly just observing the other three. Susie had brought out a drawing pad with some pencils, while Nye copied with a pen and some paper. Dio, on the other hand, always having more energy than he knew what to do with,

had taken it upon himself to start wandering around. For the first few minutes, nothing at all happened. Dio fiddled with one of the trees, while Nile and Susie exchanged a few observations. It was around the ten-minute mark that I started to feel funny, in the 20-minute mark that I started to get some vague hallucinations. At this point, Ractor was nice, but nothing special. It reminded me of plenty of other psychedelics that we had taken in the past. I noticed that the effect was starting to take place in all of my friends, too.

Dio seemed singularly fascinated with an ant-hill, while both Nile and Susie had started scribbling away. The visuals started to get more intense an hour in, followed by some auditory hallucinations. It was Susie that noticed the latter of these first. Her voice seemed to be really distant, despite sitting less than a couple of meters away. Do you hear that? I scrunched up and tried to listen, and I did hear something faint. Several minutes later, I realized they were Bell. Their sound continued, slowly and steadily increasing in volume.

Despite the cloud cover never changing, I swore from here on out it started getting noticeably darker. Almost every drug I have taken usually peaks after a couple of hours, but Ractor never seemed to stop. The leaves vibrated in all the wrong ways when the wind hit them. Shadows danced impossibly fast over the clouds. and there seemed to be a low buzzing sound now accompanying the constantly ascending bells. I had to get up at one point to look around and check if anyone was looking at us, as an uncharacteristic paranoia seemed to seep into my bones. Nile, too, seemed to be feeling it,

as she took only a moment to stop her incessant scribbling to ask Dio how long this was supposed to last. He laughed at this. I'm not sure if it was the effects of the whole thing. hallucinogen or his own malevolent nature, but it was cold and mechanical. As surreal as this was, it was his eyes that bothered me the most. They didn't seem to be there anymore, but not in the way that there were a couple of black holes in his head. It was more like there was a void in space that made it impossible for them to be perceived.

Dio turned around and started walking toward the house. his arms outstretched as if he was on a cross. I stuffed my fingers in my ears to stop the ringing and sat down to get a hold of myself. Susie was now obsessively organizing her tarot cards, following some pattern I couldn't follow. She seemed like she was panicking, occasionally looking up to the horizon as if something was coming.

It was then, but I first saw the city. Just the smallest glimmer out there, but coming toward us all the same. While it was barely visible on the horizon, I felt a current of ice go down my spine. It was like a floating city, but the architecture was all wrong. Buildings went up at the wrong angles, parts of it swayed that shouldn't have, and the very light around it seemed to act absurdly. I shuddered away from the side and looked back at the house. I noticed immediately that Dio had made it up to the top floor and was standing in front of the window,

also staring at the horizon. My heart jumped out of my chest as I saw the shadowy figure behind him. Whatever it was didn't seem to have a head, but made up for it with extra limbs. Dio! Watch out! Neither Nile or Susie paid me any attention. But Dio seemed to hear me. Looking down, he smiled. His void-ridden eyes all the more prevalent.

I waved my hands dramatically, but he just waved back nonchalantly, and then proceeded to look back at the horizon. The multi-limbed monstrosity behind him continued its slow but unstoppable pace. I don't consider myself superstitious or emotional, but I knew from some deep-seated instinctual place. the deal was in great danger. Running into the house, I slammed the door behind me, and the bell sound stopped abruptly. The silence pressed in on me oppressively, and the feeling of being watched increased exponentially. I walked in the direction of the stairs, passing by several sets of

doors on the way. The hallways seemed to turn and twist onto themselves, and doors would seemingly appear out of nowhere. Each room I entered was different. I eventually found myself back in the kitchen near the back door. The silence continued, but I could feel the sensation of something moving above me. So I went back into those blasted hallways with peeling wallpaper, and rooms filled with rotting, moth-ridden boxes. How long did I walk through there? It must have been less than an hour, but it felt like days. Time itself was abstract for me, stretching out and folding in on itself. The shadowy figure behind Dio filled my mind, and at every corner I expected to find it lurching from the shadows. While I never did see it, the feeling of being watched never left

me. In the end, I started to get frantic, throwing open doors and running down the hallway. I yelled just to hear something, but it sounded far off, like my voice was behind a wall. Regardless of how diligent I was, I always came back to the kitchen, even when I knew it shouldn't have been possible. I found myself panting and my hand shaking. I knew I had been beaten. The silence felt like it was dragging me under, like water pressure built up in my ears until it was unbearable. With numb hands, I grabbed the handle of the back door and twisted. The pressure broke immediately.

What I was greeted with was a wall of sound. The bells felt like they were right on top of the house. Immediately across from me was the horizon. And the city that had danced far off in the distance was now excruciatingly closer. It's bizarre proportions and preternatural physics now undisputed. The wind ripped around in a torrent toward the house, as if it was radiating off of the floating city. Worse yet was what was behind the city. Like Dio's eyes, it was a void that my eyes couldn't follow.

Then everything went black. I don't remember waking up. Just there suddenly being sensation. My mind couldn't figure out what I was seeing or hearing, so I just lay. there for a good while. Eventually concepts started to trickle back, and with them I got some idea of where I was. I was in what appeared to be a park. My phone was dead, and I was terribly thirsty. Orange light broke through the trees, leaving long shadows. I slowly sat up, every muscle in my body screaming. My head pounded as I waddled over to the water fountain. I drank. I drank.

for a long while, my body greedily sucking it up. The park was abandoned and seemed to be located nowhere in particular. I wandered around for a few minutes until I found a road leading out. As I did so, memories of Ractors started to come back to me. None of them pleasant. Each image that assailed me was worse than the last. I didn't consider myself a violent person, but Dio deserved a couple punches to say the least.

His research either was faulty or the dose he gave a subsemly high, because I have never blacked out from something like that before. I found a road with a billboard I recognized from coming to Susie's house. After about 45 minutes of walking, all the time wondering how the hell I had manned such a journey, tripping as hard as I was, I made the turn onto Susie's road. Nightfall had almost completely set in before I got to her house.

My body screamed out in pain, and it was only my anger at Dio that pushed me forward each grueling step. Walking into the house, I felt odd, like the air was too thick, and that the shadows clung a little too much at the corners. The shiver went down my spine as I remembered my journey through those cursed corridors. Suzy? Hello? Nile, are you here? Dio? Hello? The only thing that greeted me was the typical creaking of the house and the swaying of the trees outside. I plugged my phone into the charger and went to search the house for any life. This time it was infinitely less confusing, but only slightly less unsettling. Somewhere on the third floor, I started hearing a frantic scribbling. Listening carefully, I followed it through the hallway. Opening the door, I was greeted by a thousand gruesome sights.

Plastered on every wall and all over the floor were drawings. The pictures varied from dark figures with too many limbs, doors situated in the sides of mountains and trees, and lines of blasted monoliths that seemed to float in the sky. The memories of that impossible city started to come back, and I revolted in horror at those shapes. Sitting at the table, never hesitating for a moment, sat Susie. Her typically pale skin was now that of a cadaver.

Dark circles were underneath her eyes, and her hair was a tangled mixture of sweat, dirt, and dirt, something undefinable. As I got closer to her, I could smell a distinct iron tinge. Susie, are you okay? She never broke her attention from the drawing in front of her.

This one dashed with a spectacular spatters of crimson in the form of some incomprehensible figure. I gotta draw them. They need to be drawn. What do you need to draw, Susie? They need to be drawn. They want. to be drawn. They need to be known again.

The faceless ones that wait at the bottom, they had been feasting on our leftovers for too long. Too long. Maybe you should stop. You seem tired. The smell was more potent as I slowly moved closer to her. I noticed one of her hands was dangling at her side, not moving. No, they want to be known again.

They need to be known. Her voice was more of a growl. But despite her obvious agitation, she never broke her eyes from the paper. I was now just over the drawing, and I noticed something was wildly wrong with it. What kind of ink is that? I ran out of ink long ago. I had to move to pencils, then wax and charcoal, and I raided the refrigerator for some condiments. Susie, what are you using?

She only laughed and raised her hand. or what was left of it. There was several slice marks where she had drained her blood into as many of her pins as possible. The dripping I had heard was the sound of her blood falling into a puddle beside her.

I grabbed her good hand. Her laughter turned into a monstrous whale as she looked me in the face. I let go immediately when I saw she only had a void where her eyes were supposed to be. I tripped out of her eyes. of the room and ran down the stairs. I nearly fell down as I took each step three at a time,

and more than once I bashed into a wall taking a corner too fast. Getting into the living room, I grabbed my phone and turned it on. After what seemed like an eternity, it finally completely booted up. But when I went to unlock it, I froze. At first, I thought it was a mistake. But as if in sync, the grandfather clock struck the exact time that it set on my phone confirming the hour. It was Sunday. We had apparently been out for not 12 hours, but 36. I had lost an entire day of time. Those next few hours went like a blur. I grabbed my stuff and ran out of the door like a madman. I do remember frantically calling both Nile and Dio as I sped back home, the speedometer a breaking a hundred.

Despite how many times I called Dio, he refused to answer. Nile, on the other hand, did answer, only saying not to call her again. Any other calls went straight to voicemail. Arriving home, I went directly into the shower and just sat in it well after the hot water ran out. Howard could tell something was wrong almost immediately after seeing me. He asked me a couple of questions, but I tried to play it off like nothing was wrong. Each time my mind wandered during the conversation, I would hear the far-off sound of those bells.

Eventually, Howard relented, but I could tell that he still thought something was wrong. I went to bed and almost immediately fell asleep. I dreamt of long roads filled with all sorts of ridiculous figures. I would always avoid looking at them as the misshapen bodies only instilled trepidation in me. The roads themselves would be distorted, turning at weird angles for no particular reason, or branching off into twisted dead ends. The buildings were always windowless, some of which seemed to stretch to no end. The sky itself was impossible to look at, as it was dominated by a large shadow sun that stretched from horizon to horizon.

I tried for a couple days going to work, but found it. increasingly difficult to focus as the bells picked up in ferocity. I also couldn't ignore how hard it was now to navigate the hallways of the office building I worked at. I was often unsure what floor I was on, and always fearful that one of those multi-limbed monsters would be waiting for me around every corner. I left in the middle of the day on Tuesday without telling anyone. As I was driving home, I could just make out what looked like storm clouds on the horizon. Ignoring the bells, the constant stream of phone calls from my work, and the cold sweat that I would break out in,

I frantically searched for some sort of answers on the internet all the next day. Early the next morning, after another night of prowling through those blighted streets, I found a message from Nile saying only, come over. I tried calling and messaging her back, but to no avail. It was the first time in days that I had heard from anyone, and considering Nile's house was just on the other side of the city, I decided going over was better than just being trapped inside. I drank a cup of coffee and took a cold shower to focus my mind before I left the house. Despite this, I still found it incredibly difficult to ignore both the bells and the dark shape that was starting to take form on the horizon. The door was already cracked open when I arrived at Nile's house, so I just walked in.

Most of the house was dark, with the exception of the glow of her office at the far end. I could hear every clatter of my footsteps on the tile floor. Like Susie's house, the silence seemed to act like a physical substance, sticking to everything and threatening to suffocate me at any moment. As I turned the corner to walk into her study, I was greeted by the warmth of several candles. The room had been thoroughly lived in. Pizza boxes, chopsticks, and empty water bottles decorated the cabinets and tables.

As if to fit the college dorm room motif, large books, some open and others closed, filled the tables. Their titles danced around wildly. Everything from physics, astronomy, and botany to more esoteric things like witchcraft. mythology and tarot reading. On one wall was a bulletin board full of all sorts of notes, pictures and drawings. A couple of which I immediately recognized

as wrought by Susie's hand. Thankfully, these had been done when she had still been using ink. I took them with me before I left. Nile's voice made me jump. She sat, unmoving, in the darkest corner of the room. Nile, it's good to find

finally see you. Do you know what happened? No, I don't think anyone could know exactly what happened. I think Dio and Susie saw a lot more than we did, though. Have you seen Dio? And Susie is... Lost her mind? I know. Susie was always the most sensitive of us. As for Dio... No, I don't know what became of him.

Last I saw, he was on the top floor of Susie's house. She grinned sardonically then. There was little love lost between her and Dio. I've been doing a great deal of research these past couple days. Many of these books are too old to take out of the library. Thankfully, I'm on good terms with Dr. Armitage at the university. I don't know the full story of what happened to us, but I doubt anyone does. All I have to go by is a few excerpts and some old stories that only mention Ractor in passing.

How Dio managed to get a hold of this stuff is a miracle, because it hasn't been mentioned in any science textbook in a sense. century and a half. She pulled out a pack of cigarettes from her jacket pocket, took one out, and lit it. She took a long drag. I'm hearing bells and seeing things. She laughed at this. It brought me back to Dio's robotic laughter while we had been tripping.

I shivered despite the warmth of the candles. You've seen it? I know you have. Susie did for sure as well. She scribbled it so much. for sure. The city. That impossible, blasted, black city in the clouds. It's apparently a common element among those that have taken Ractor. The city and the bells and those things. I don't know how much you know about physics, but I think that the city is only one part of it. What we saw

was the ability to look past the curve of our normal space, an area no human was meant to see, into another realm of existence that is below our own, that follows a different set of rules. Like the mini-worlds theory? Yes. She jumped up from her seat. She now talked, moved around, and smoked all at once. We always imagined it as a bubble, but instead it's closer to a funnel. All the lost energy and mass of countless universes just pooling down at the bottom.

It's where the leftovers of infinity find themselves. That city is just one part of it. No doubt you saw the void behind it. I don't know about seeing. It was like my eyes couldn't focus on it. Exactly. You can't focus on nothing. And that's what it is.

I don't think I understand. Nothing is behind it? I thought it had mass or whatever. The city is what nothing would look like if you gave it form. Remember, there are different rules in this bottom place. the countless rules of the entire multiverse that dictate it. She seemed like a priest, and not one of those from a new age church either. Rather the fire and brimstone ones,

those ones that love to talk about the end of times. What does Ractor have to do with all of this? Ractor is just a key to unlocking that part of our brain that can perceive this bottom universe, a part of the brain that I think has something to do with creativity itself. Is it not a wonder that Susie was hit the hardest? And that someone like Dio, who was terrible at regulating himself, is lost? I'm a scientist, so I'm objective by nature. And you're notorious for being uncreative.

I let the comments slide. I was always a bit of a bitch anyways. Plus, she wasn't exactly giving me the answers that I wanted. As much as I tried to follow her, most of what she said was nonsense. She took another few puffs of her cigarette, and then pointed dramatically to the candle next to me. I'm using these to keep track of them. I think they're attracted to heat. Remember how it got colder when they started to appear?

I think they used the heat as a way to sustain themselves in our universe. Look, nigh. I was kind of hoping you knew a way to make it stop. I don't care about different universes and activating different parts of my brain. I just wanted to go away. Phil, don't you understand? This can change the face of physics as we know it. She grabbed me and looked me right in the eye.

I had to blink, because I could have sworn for a moment there that she didn't have any eyes at all. Instead, you should come with me. Here, look what I got. She went over to her bookshelf and pulled out a small case. It popped open, and she pulled out a small vial. My heart immediately jumped when I saw it. Inside was the gray bubbling liquid. What are you doing? Are you crazy?

I already knew the answer to that question, though. I fell backwards as she tried to put the vial in my hand. Whatever sanity she had left went away at that moment. My eyes unable to see her own as they were swallowed up in the void. Come with me, Philip, and look at the secrets of the universe. the place that isn't supposed to be. Let us dance with these creatures in their impossible city. She laughed mechanically,

and I jettisoned my body out the door, breaking the handle. I shot one last look behind me, and saw as she threw back the vial. I jumped in my car and raced home, the sound of the bells filling my ears, the city making it slow but relentless movement toward my location, watching dark figure. that danced across the windows.

Four days ago, making it nearly a week since I took the drug. Howard eventually stopped trying to coax me out of my office. Last I heard, he said he was going to stay at a friend's house. While my work has stopped calling, my phone hasn't stopped ringing. The numbers that come up are hundreds of digits long. And when I answer, I can only hear the sound of bells on the other words. end. It started to get colder now, and I'm pretty sure there was something in the house with me. Last time I left to get something from the kitchen, I got lost for a couple of hours, despite it only

being about 30 feet away. I've stopped looking out of my room completely. The last time I did, I saw that the city started to make its way over my neighborhood. The neighbors have all been replaced by those shadowy figures. They're grotesque shapes watching me with sightless eyes from every window. I'm running low on food and water, but the worst of it is the bells. They ring constantly now and with ferocity. I have laid here for hours, just having them completely absorb my thoughts. I've looked over a hundred obscure message boards.

Old websites, obscure historical references. I've even delved into a few physics books to find some answers. I've walked back and forth across this wooden floor countless times, racking my brain on what to do. It was just yesterday when I had made nothing short of my thousandth lap around the room, that I noticed it. A small case that looked an awful lot like one of those old containers, that hold cigarettes.

I opened it with shaking hands and found the source of my ills. A single vial with Ractor in it. I threw the case on my desk and refused to look at it. There it still sits, calling me,

beckoning me. If I'm not paying attention, I find it in my hands. One too many times I found a vial uncorked and pushed up to my lips. As crazy as it sounds, I want to take it. I want to see with void-filled eyes that brand new,

but terribly ancient, dark place, ants. As our service concludes, we send you away with our blessings. If you would like to find out how you can hear the full-length versions of our audio program, please visit the no sleeppodcast.com to learn about our season past program. Over 60 hours of content for only 1999. On behalf of everyone at the No Sleep Podcast, we thank you for listening. Join us again next week in our sleepless sanctuary. 2018, 2019 by Creative Reason Media, Inc.

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