The NoSleep Podcast - NoSleep Podcast S13E01

Episode Date: June 23, 2019

It's episode 01 of Season 13. On this week's show we have tales about the ups and downs of trying to escape. "Elevator Code" written by Christopher Maxim (Story starts around 00:06:30) Produced by: P...hil Michalski Cast: Narrator – Mike DelGaudio, Partygoer – Addison Peacock, Claira – Sarah Thomas "Shreds" written by D. Williams (Story starts around 00:21:40) Produced by: Jeff Clement Cast: Rob Warren – Elijah Wood, John Frazier – David Cummings, Ciara King – Addison Peacock, Christian Culler – Mick Wingert, Isaac Miller – Peter Lewis, Neil – Jeff Clement, Shreds Intro Voice - Jamey Jasta "Red Meat and Rats" written by Marcus Damanda (Story starts around 00:52:00) Produced by: Phil Michalski TRIGGER WARNING! Cast: Rowan – Jessica McEvoy, Timmy – Matthew Bradford, Buddy – Mick Wingert "Best Left Buried" written by Evan Dicken (Story starts around 01:24:40) Produced by: Phil Michalski Cast: Ally – Addison Peacock, Kyle – Kyle Akers, Mueller – Mueller – David Ault "Blood, Gridlock & PEZ" written by Kevin David Anderson (Story starts around 02:00:00) Produced by: Jesse Cornett Cast: Craig – Atticus Jackson, Gina – Nichole Goodnight, Pitt – Dan Zappulla, Alec Harrison – Jesse Cornett, Young Police Officer – Kyle Akers Click here to learn more about the voice actors on The NoSleep Podcast   Click here to learn more about the Visitations podcast   Click here to learn more about Christopher Maxim   Click here to learn more about D. Williams   Click here to learn more about Marcus Damanda   Click here to learn more about Evan Dicken   Click here to learn more about Kevin David Anderson   Executive Producer & Host: David Cummings Musical score composed by: Brandon Boone Shreds intro theme music by: Phil Michalski - Additional heavy metal music courtesy of Jamey Jasta "Shreds" illustration courtesy of Jen Tracy Audio program ©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

Transcript
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Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey folks, Cummings here. We're excited to kick off our 13th season, but before we do, I want to ask you something. Is there something interfering with your happiness, or is preventing you from achieving your goals? I know there have been things in my life. I recently went through some pretty major life changes, end of a long-term relationship, moving to a new place, and so many other changes and transitions. It was tough, but the thing which really helped me get adjusted was being able to speak with a therapist. talking to someone who's trained to help us put difficult moments into perspective. I'm in a much better place now because I've had really helpful therapy sessions. That's why I'm excited to tell you about BetterHelp.
Starting point is 00:00:44 BetterHelp is an online service committed to making professional counseling accessible, affordable, and convenient so anyone who struggles with life's challenges can get help anytime, anywhere. Better Help will assess your needs and match you with your own licensed professional. therapist. You can start communicating in under 24 hours. Now, it's not a crisis line. It's not self-help. It's professional counseling done securely online. There's a broad range of expertise in BetterHelp's counselor network, which may not be locally available in many areas. This service is available for clients worldwide. You can log into your account anytime and send a message to your counselor. You'll get timely and thoughtful responses, plus you can schedule weekly.
Starting point is 00:01:30 video or phone sessions, so you won't ever have to sit in an uncomfortable waiting room. Plus, you can even chat and text with your therapist between sessions. Better Help is committed to facilitating great therapeutic matches, so they make it easy and free to change counselors if needed. It's more affordable than traditional offline counseling, and financial aid is even available. And listen, I know how much therapy has helped me, and for those of you who deep down know there are things in your life you need help with, you really should consider BetterHelp. You can visit BetterHelp.com slash No Sleep and join the over 500,000 people taking charge of their mental health with the help of an experienced professional. Again, No Sleep listeners get 10%
Starting point is 00:02:17 off your first month at BetterHelp.com slash no sleep. And now, it's season 13 of the No Sleep podcast. Dark tales when we dare not close our eyes. Brace yourself for the No Sleep Podcast. Welcome to the No Sleep Podcast video store. I'm David Cummings. Our VCR is ready to play stories about the ups and downs of trying to escape. It's our season 13 premiere.
Starting point is 00:03:58 We're excited about our new season and even more excited about our special guest star joining us this week. Podcaster Elijah Wood will be joining us on our second story. Yes, some of you might know him from Blockbuster movies, TV, video games, etc., etc. But to me, he's a podcaster first and foremost. And that's true. Elijah, along with Daniel Noah, are two of the partners behind the award-winning production company, Spector Vision, responsible for hits like A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, and Mandy, to name a few. These two producers have always been fascinated by the dark allure of horror, even audio horror, like our podcast.
Starting point is 00:04:40 They've started their first podcast called Visitations. On it, they explore the exhilarating, entertaining, and sometimes even therapeutic experience of facing one's fears in art. Gosh, I can relate to that. Each episode, Elijah and Daniel, travel to the home or workshop of one of their favorite creators in the genre community and beyond. Taika Waititi, director and star of What We Do in the Shadows and Thor Ragnarok. Friends of the show, Mike Flanagan and Dan Harmon. Anna Lily Armapore, writer-director of A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, plus musicians, fashion designers, and more.
Starting point is 00:05:20 Listen in on intimate conversations with these exciting artists as they explore the ways in which they've turned their deepest, darkest fears into art. I wonder if they do that in the dark hours when you dare not close your eyes. That's actually the kinds of things we're going to be doing in season 13 of the No Sleep podcast. The theme this season is the horror slasher films of the 80s. And if you're old enough, I mean mature enough to remember the days of movies on VHS tapes, you'll remember the thrill of watching those greats and sometimes cheesy flicks in your own home. We have lots of exciting features planned and live experiences and other goodies.
Starting point is 00:06:00 So be sure you stick with us for our things. 13th season. And make sure you subscribe to the first season of Shutter's original podcast visitations. It's now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, shudder.com, or wherever you listen. So we're back, baby, and it's time to kick season 13 into high gear. So turn down the lights and grab the remote, because it's time for our feature presentation. In our first tale, we meet a board event planner. You know what it's like. You're stuck somewhere for work. There's nothing to do, but you've got to stay. In this tale, shared with us by author Christopher Maxim, we discover that sometimes when you go looking to alleviate boredom, you'll find more than you bargain for. Performing this tale
Starting point is 00:06:57 are Mike Delgado, Addison Peacock, and Sarah Thomas. So be careful when your restlessness leads you to stumble upon random numbers and even more careful about where you enter them, because one of them just might be the elevator code. As a freelance convention planner, I stay at many hotels over the course of a year. I spend about a week per trip in an all-expense paid suite of my choosing, doing nothing but studying the location and interviewing staff on hand to get a feel of the hotel and its traffic. I then spend another week organizing the event. vent and ensuring my client is satisfied with my plans. Now, there's a little bit more to it, but that's the overall gist of my job. If you can get over the constant jet lag, it's actually not a bad
Starting point is 00:08:00 gig. In all my years of planning conventions, I must have stayed at over a hundred hotels, with similar floor plans and architecture and staff training, they all kind of blend together in my mind. But one in particular will always stay. stay with me. The Grovewood Inn, located just on the outskirts of Cape Cod. That one, that one kept me up for many nights, even after I left. At first, my trip to the Grovewood seemed mostly forgettable. The convention I was planning. It was really just a glorified book club meeting for a group of older women and some local authors. The service, the food, the layout of the hotel, we're all average and unexciting. The only thing I liked about the place was Clara, the desk clerk. I'd have even
Starting point is 00:08:57 asked her out on a date if she hadn't been married. Now, I had planned boring conventions before, and I'd been to many sub-bar hotels, but this trip was remarkably mind-numbing. I just, I couldn't wait to be done with it. So one night at the inn, after a long day of mundane event planning, I flipped on the TV, poured a glass of wine, and climbed into bed. I grabbed the program guide from my bedside table and looked it over, open to find the porn networks. Anyway, as I glanced through the channel listings, something at the bottom of the page caught my eye.
Starting point is 00:09:34 Written crudely and permanent marker was the following. Elevator code. 0.3.08. 06.B1.04. 02.07. B2-05-01. This was odd. I knew of hotels that had pin pads on their elevators, usually to prevent children from using them,
Starting point is 00:09:59 but the Grovewood Inn was not one of them. Plus, most pin-pad elevators only required a four-digit code. Intrigued, I decided to call up the front desk to find out more. I was sure the code would turn out to be something trivial and uninteresting. But it was, at the very least, an excuse to talk to Clara again. Though unrecipricated, I enjoyed flirting with her, if for no other reason to hear her infectious laughter. Well, a sip of wine and a few failed pickup lines later, I was back at Square One. Clara didn't know anything about it, claiming there were no devices in the entire building that would require a code like that, much less one of the elevators.
Starting point is 00:10:42 She did, however, point out that the numbers in the code aligned with every floor of the hotel. One through eight plus the two basement levels. We both found this odd, but ultimately we couldn't make sense of it. Well, after getting off the phone with Clara, my curiosity got the best of me. I left my room, walked over to the elevator, and stepped inside. I then pressed the buttons in the order they were written on my channel guide, just to see if anything would happen. And much to my disappointment, the elevator did nothing.
Starting point is 00:11:16 but take me to every floor of the hotel before finally stopping at the lobby. The front desk was in eye shot of the elevator, so I quickly hit the button for my floor, not wanting to explain to Clara what I was up to. Though I didn't have a shot with her, it still would have been embarrassing to tell her I was spending my night playing around in the elevator. Luckily, I was able to escape unseen.
Starting point is 00:11:41 Upon setting foot back on my floor, I noticed a member of the cleanup crew walking down the hall. That's when it hit me. The staff, they never used the patron elevators. They had their own service elevator to get from floor to floor without impeding the travel of guests. It may sound ridiculous, but I needed to know if that code worked in that elevator, if for no other reason than to placate my undying curiosity. So I inconspicuously made my way down the hall heading to the service elevator.
Starting point is 00:12:13 Once there, the familiar sting of disappointment, set in. A staff card was required to gain access and no doubt to keep guests from using it. Well, feeling defeated and realizing how crazy I was letting boredom make me, I walked back to my room. There, after a few more glasses of wine, I drifted off and entered a long, peaceful, alcohol-induced slumber. I woke many hours later to sunlight flooding my room and the familiar sound of a vacuum next door. Cleanup is always in full force early in the morning at these hotels. When the initial groginess of waking up wore off, something came to mind, something that caused me to jump to my feet and immediately exit my room. There, in the middle of the hall, was the
Starting point is 00:13:01 cleaning cart, and there was no staff in sight. Hanging from a lanyard was the maid's staff cart, right for the taking. This was it. This was my chance. And maybe it was the slight hangover. I had, or perhaps it truly was the monotony of planning a less than exciting convention. I grabbed that card and I ran to the service elevator like it was the last chance I had at having some adventure during my trip. Something about that code was calling to me. It was a mystery I desperately felt the need to solve. Upon swiping the maid's card and entering the elevator, I quickly punched in the code
Starting point is 00:13:42 and waited. At first, nothing happened. The elevator didn't move, but all the buttons remained illuminated. I thought that maybe I'd somehow busted the thing, but the preceding moments proved this theory wrong. Without warning, the elevator raced up to the heights of the hotel, ascending much faster than normal. The digital readout above counted the floors up to eight, and then kept going until it reached 12. Now, this was bizarre as the Grovewood Inn only had eight floors. And there was no discernible reason the elevator should have been able to reach that height.
Starting point is 00:14:20 By all accounts, I would have been in the sky by that point. After a few moments, the elevator door opened, revealing behind it a grand ballroom, the likes of which I'd never seen before in any of the hotels I'd been to. Victorian-era chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Beautiful silk banners danced from wall to wall. And hundreds of people dressed in old-fashioned attire and elegant facewear waltzed about as a large band played a catchy tune. My jaw was on the floor. It's hard to explain.
Starting point is 00:15:00 But a romantic fog filled the air. I watched as masked patrons danced in unison and partook in lavish festivities, completely ablaze. to my presence. For a moment or two, I completely forgot about the hotel below, awestruck by the scene before me. Something about it was just absolutely intoxicated. Just as I was about to step out of the elevator, the music stopped. All at once, the ballroom guests turned around to face me and held their gaze with mine, almost as if peering into my very soul. It became quickly apparent. that I was not welcome there. An uninvited, an unwanted visitor in a room I was never supposed to reach.
Starting point is 00:15:51 It was clear to me that it was time to... I tried pressing the button for the lobby, but it wouldn't light up. I tried floors two, three, and four. No dice. The elevator was stagnant, and I was trapped. I looked back over to the crowd, and to my horror, They had begun walking in my direction. Their march was slow, but without a working elevator, I had no means of escape.
Starting point is 00:16:20 I was at the mercy of the ballroom and its occupants now, no matter what that fate entailed. With little in the way of options, I attempted to converse with the group. Who are you? What do you want with me? My query was met with little reaction. The only response I received was the continued sound of voice. footsteps on the ballroom floor. Frightened of what was to come next, I backed up as far as the elevator walls would allow. A mouse cornered in a bird's cage.
Starting point is 00:16:52 Just as the vultures closed the gap between us, an explosion of fire emerged from the background, overcoming the guests and engulfing the entire room in flames. I began to cough uncontrollably from the toxic smoke that loomed above. Beads of sweat the size of blood. Pearls dripped down my cheeks. To top it off, the guests were still there, standing at the foot of the elevator, somehow unfazed by the fiery heat around them. In between coughs, I managed to offer them one last question, though I knew it would
Starting point is 00:17:27 probably go unanswered. What do you want? A woman at the front of the crown stepped forward. She wore a fox mask and a slight grin, though her lips would soon. soon spread apart to speak. We want to be saved. At this moment, the flames took flight, rising to the highest heights of the ballroom. Moulton's skin dripped from the woman's frame like candle wax,
Starting point is 00:17:55 as her features morphed into a gruesome arrangement of congealed flesh and bubbling blisters. Won't you save us? In a grotesque slur of unnatural movement, the woman stumbled in my direction, arms outstretched, I stood in terror as her burnt fingers made their way to my neck. Just as she was about to make contact, the doors shut behind her, and the lights went out. The bulb in the elevator, the fire in the ballroom, the energy around me had dissipated abruptly, leaving nothing but pitch blackness in its plate. A few moments of confusion passed, followed by a loud roar from the elevator shaft below.
Starting point is 00:18:44 All at once, everything sprung back to life, save. for my fox-masked assailant. As the elevator dropped, I watched the digital readout count backward from 12. Eventually, I was back in familiar territory, safe and sound on the ground floor. Before the doors could fully open, I made a dash for the front desk.
Starting point is 00:19:05 Clara! Hey! What's got you so frazzled? And what were you doing in the service elevator? If I had told her what I'd seen, she'd think I was crazy. Instead, I composed myself and asked for some information. Oh, uh, uh, did this hotel ever have a 12th floor?
Starting point is 00:19:28 Yes, it did. The Grovewood Inn was originally almost twice this height, but a lot of it burned up in a bad fire, so it had to be reconstructed. The top floor was a ballroom, but that was a very long time ago. She pointed at a framed picture on the wall. behind her dated 1913. Why do you ask? Oh, no, no reason.
Starting point is 00:19:54 Just curious, that's all. I promptly made my way back to my room and reflected on everything. I wonder if I'd seen that picture without realizing it, and dreamt up my elevator escapade. I discarded this thought rather quickly, sure that I was wide awake when it happened. I thought it maybe was something in the wine, but that was equally unlikely.
Starting point is 00:20:17 There was no logical explanation for what occurred. That's about it. I never found out exactly what happened that day in the hotel. I mustered up enough courage to try the code again, but it didn't work. It seems I was allowed a one-time glimpse into the past. A look at what was before, and what might still be today, had the hotel not been partially destroyed. I only wish that I could have taken part.
Starting point is 00:20:52 part in the festivities before things went sour. Perhaps I could have prevented the fire and saved the patrons, just like the fox-masked woman wanted her. All I can do now is look back on that day, completely bewildered as I plan my next convention. Heavy metal music and podcasts. Two pretty awesome things. And the only thing more awesome is combining the two.
Starting point is 00:21:52 But in this tale, shared with us by author D. Williams, we joined two podcast hosts who discover just why they call heavy metal the devil's music. Performing this tale with me are Addison Peacock, Mick Wingerth, Peter Lewis, Jeff Clement,
Starting point is 00:22:09 and special guest star, Elijah Wood. So put on your headphones and crank the volume up. Yeah, here we go. Get ready to thrash, because this podcast Shredds. A Shredders, it's time for Shredd. That's hard.
Starting point is 00:22:39 Welcome Metalheads to another episode of Shreds, your number one podcast for Metal News and Interviews, bringing you new episodes every Tuesday. This is your co-host and resident power metal expert John Frazier. With me as always is the fantastic Sierra King, Master of Doom. Metal, that is. Not the game. Though I'm pretty good at that, too. I'm sure that would be true if you were old enough to have played Doom.
Starting point is 00:23:07 Well, see, the way I understand it, you've got a pretty big show set up for us tonight. A very special guess that I think the fans are going to appreciate. You are absolutely right, John. Our guest for tonight should be calling in any minute now. But first, I'd like to hear about your weekend. That's right. For those of you who don't know, I was on gig duty this weekend, and I went to see Bitter Waters perform at the Castle, this little venue,
Starting point is 00:23:33 just outside Atlanta. And what did you think? Well, you know, see, Bitter Waters falls more into your genre, your preference in metal, if you will. I do know. Listeners, in case you don't know by now, John much prefers his metal to sound like the lead guitar is capable of shooting deadly rainbow lasers out of every possible orifice
Starting point is 00:23:54 while riffing at a ridiculous speed. Absolutely true. And Bitter Waters is, well, not like that at all. But I have to say, I was impressed. It was pretty wild because, well, you know, the castle has a lot of equipment issues in the past. Not trying to be shady, just telling the truth. And in the middle of this performance, Adelaide Slaughter, the lead singer, well, her microphone just blew. Oh, damn.
Starting point is 00:24:21 Yeah, completely blue. And there was no backup available, not a thing they could do. So most bands would have packed it in right there, given refunds, and just called it a day. But Adelae, man, she kept right on going. This woman was just on stage, kept performing, giving it her all, shrieking her fucking guts out, you know? And was it the best quality of performance? No, but the professionalism to just keep going with the show. Wow.
Starting point is 00:24:50 And the fans loved it. They went nuts because even without the mic, you could still hear her over the rest of the band. The woman has an insanely powerful voice. She does, yeah. My understanding is that she actually trained as an opera singer at, like, Juilliard or something. Well, God damn, you can tell. It was amazing. Adelaide, if you're listening, you've earned yourself a fan for life with that performance. Awesome, truly. And now this coming weekend, C is on gig duty. So who do we get to hear about next Tuesday? Well, you all are going to get the scoop on Red Army's upcoming show at the Scorpion Lounge. So,
Starting point is 00:25:30 As always, if any of you guys are there and want to say hi, want to come have a beer, feel free to introduce yourselves. John and I are always stoked to meet fans at the show. We are that. So, see, I think it's about time we put the listeners out of their misery. Get the suspense over with and introduce who our special guest is going to be this week. All right. You guys have been requesting this band forever, basically since I did that gig duty review of them last March, I think it was. You guys checked them out and loved them and then just blew up our Twitter feed about them.
Starting point is 00:26:05 So now, at long last, I am pleased to announce that we have an interview tonight with Rob Warren, lead singer of Blood of Isaac. You guys, this has probably been our most requested band in the history of the show. And I just want you to know I totally get it. I am fucking excited for this. Me too. So they're just getting back from a long and what I can only assume was grueling U.S. tour. And they're starting work on a second album now, which is why I think Rob has a little time to talk to us. This is going to be awesome. And in case you didn't know, listeners, C. and I went to see Blood of Isaac again after she did gig duty on them for the show.
Starting point is 00:26:51 Yeah, on the first leg of this most recent tour. Exactly, yeah. See went and saw them again with me Just so she could see the look on my face During their performance And it was just really fantastic Really out there If you haven't gotten the chance to see them yet
Starting point is 00:27:07 I would absolutely encourage you to do so When they go on tour again And that is our cue everybody Whoa, oh shit Rob Rob, is that you? Yeah, it's Rob. Okay, you've got to turn the music down
Starting point is 00:27:28 or step outside or something. That is way too loud for us in here. Sorry, sorry. Is that better? Yeah, that's much better. Thanks. Are you going to be able to work with that? Yeah, I can clean it up later.
Starting point is 00:27:43 Cut that section out and make a smooth transition. Are you guys still there? Yeah, we're here, Rob. Just working out some of the recording kinks. Uh, Rob, it kind of sounds like you're in a car. Is something going on? Do you need to reschedule this? No, no.
Starting point is 00:27:58 We're good. I mean, I am in a car. I'm driving to pick up Chris and then we're going to head to our jam space to do some work. Is that okay? Will that work for the recording? Chris says in Christian color, the bassist? Yeah. That actually sounds great. I thought we were only going to be able to talk with you, but if you're both cool with doing like a tandem interview. Yeah, I already talked to him. Filled him in about the podcast thing. He's totally down. So you're heading to your jam space to work on this next album. Yeah, it's still in the concept stages right now, which is why we're at the space instead of the studio. It's more for rehearsals and stuff. Seems kind of late at night to be jamming.
Starting point is 00:28:38 You're really going to piss off the neighbors. No, it's way in the middle of the woods on a friend's property, so we don't bother anybody. Location is top secret except to the girlfriends. Well, this is pretty awesome, Rob, to have you and Chris on the show. A special treat for our listeners. Why don't you go ahead and introduce yourself to them for us? Oh, uh, sure. So this is Rob Warren, lead singer of Blood of Isaac.
Starting point is 00:29:03 Welcome, Rob. It's great to have you on the show. Yeah, I'm excited to be talking to you guys. You know, my girlfriend, Darla, loves your show. I did know. She is actually the one who corresponded with us to set everything up while you guys were finishing your tour. Right, yeah, yeah. Darla, you're listening. I love you, baby. Thanks, Darla. Couldn't have done it without you. Cute guys, very cute. So before you called Rob,
Starting point is 00:29:29 Sierra and I were just talking about how we got to see you guys perform a little while ago and how really intense you get with the... I hate to use the word theatrics, but, you know... You're talking about the finale of the show? We are. So, right before your final song, you douse yourself in, well, what looks like a lot of blood. It's not real blood, I promise. Neil and Lewis are other members.
Starting point is 00:29:58 They're both vegan. They don't do real blood. But yeah, I suggested it way early on, and it fits really well with the story we try to tell with our performance, so we decided to just go with it. Yeah, yeah, fits well with your theme, too. You know, blood of Isaac. Speaking of, I had always assumed the name of the band
Starting point is 00:30:16 was some kind of biblical reference, but C here tells me that's not the case? No, it's actually a reference to Isaac. Isaac Miller. Isaac Miller. Um, I hate to admit it, guys, but I don't think I know who that is. He was a serial killer who operated just a few miles outside the band's hometown in Tennessee. Right, Rob?
Starting point is 00:30:40 Kind of. Isaac and his followers actually took victims from all over East Tennessee, as well as Virginia and North Carolina. But his compound was located about 20 miles outside of where we, I mean, us band members grew up. Wait, wait, wait. followers, compound? Yeah, well, he was also the leader of a cult. That's where they all lived. This was all in the mid-90s, a little before Heaven's Gate.
Starting point is 00:31:06 Huh, how very modern Manson family. Makes total sense for a metal band, though, drawing on some gruesome local history like that. But tell me, why the focus on the blood? Why blood of Isaac in particular? Well, the cult itself had an obsession. with Isaac Miller's blood. I think Ciara probably has some knowledge on that.
Starting point is 00:31:30 I do. So apparently, Isaac Miller and his followers believed that his blood had the power to open portals to hell through which they could summon demons. Oh, of course. To do their bidding, I suppose. Well, kind of.
Starting point is 00:31:50 See, they summon the demons so that Miller could... mate with them. Okay, gross. Yeah, I'm not super sure of the goal there. Maybe to create a race of half demons to, like, take over the world or something. I guess ordinary demons don't really blend in with the crowd. Anyway, they thought that to sustain his power, Isaac himself had to drink the blood of the innocent.
Starting point is 00:32:18 Hence, the victims. Yeah, and that's why it took such a long time for the police to figure out it was a serial. killer. The range was so wide, and the people who disappeared didn't seem to have anything in common. It was all because his followers were the ones taking them most of the time. Different followers grabbed different kinds of people. They didn't figure it out until a local girl went missing, and somebody remembered seeing her get in a cab with Isaac at a bar. See, he did sometimes get victims himself, mostly young women. They say he was really charming, I guess. But that's also why we dressed the way we do for our shows and stuff, and the dress shirts and pants. It ties into this
Starting point is 00:32:57 whole handsome missionary from hell sort of deal. Okay, okay, so, I mean, I got to know how this all wound up, but honestly feel like we're way off topic with the music aspect here. No, it's totally cool. I mean, the entire thing is actually really important to our first album, the one we just toured on. We were trying to tell the story of Isaac Miller, show it from his perspective, but in music. So this could be like a learning thing for your listeners who might not know. But anyway, yeah, the cops raided the compound after they connected Isaac to the missing girl. After a standoff, they ended up killing him and arresting most of his followers. In the aftermath, they found what was, I think, 32 burned human bodies in a pit in the woods,
Starting point is 00:33:42 just a couple hundred yards behind the main building. They also found a bunch of video recordings of the victims. Isaac and his followers killing them in this fucked-up ritualistic way, drinking the blood. Apparently, he liked to watch them over and over again when he was like doing stuff with the demons, I guess. Okay, fucking gross. Yep, and all true. And you can find those videos on the internet, which I would not fucking recommend. But I think you're leaving out the best part,
Starting point is 00:34:18 Rob. Best part? Oh, yeah. After Isaac was killed before the cops could swoop in and get the followers, they ate him. Oh, what the fuck? Dragged his body inside, ripped him apart, and fucking ate him raw. God, why? Get this.
Starting point is 00:34:43 He told them to. He taught them that if they ate him, they could preserve. his power within themselves. Then someday they'd be able to open another gateway to hell and bring him back. And then that ties in with all the blood during eat of my flesh.
Starting point is 00:35:00 That's the final song in our set, the ones you guys were talking about before. It's symbolic. Well, I think you guys really hit that nail on the head. And at least the dude's cult didn't have any illusions on where he was going to end up. Am I right?
Starting point is 00:35:15 So finally, and then I swear, listeners, we will get back on track talking about the actual ban. Why have I never heard of this guy before? Well, when it was all over, they tried to keep it kind of hush-hush, because they didn't want to freak out the general public. Makes sense. It was pretty fucked. No. I mean, what they didn't want everyone to know was that
Starting point is 00:35:39 some of Isaac Miller's followers escaped. Fuck that. Okay, Rob, that I did not know. That is creepy as hell And even so Now here you guys are Drawing attention to it again That's got to be stirring up some severe controversy for you
Starting point is 00:35:59 You have no idea I just pulled up outside Chris's place Let me go get him and we can keep talking Running late He's almost in here, just one sec You're gonna be able to clean all this up too Rolling with the punches buddy Let's go
Starting point is 00:36:25 Here take my phone put it on speaker I've got Sierra and John on the line to the podcast interview. Can you hear me still? Yeah, Rob, we can hear you. And do you have our other surprise guest with you now, too? I do. Oh, hi.
Starting point is 00:36:46 This is Christian Color. Friends call me Chris. I play bass for the band. Hey, Chris. Great to have you on with us. Thanks. Thanks. It's cool to be here.
Starting point is 00:36:56 I mean, well, not here, here. Here is just a Pontiac. But, like, here on the show, I mean, I'm sorry, I've never done this before. There's a reason we don't put a mic by his face during shows. Don't worry, Chris. We're just talking. Rob was telling us a little bit about the inspiration for the band's name. Oh, oh, yeah.
Starting point is 00:37:20 Yeah, that's some pretty scary stuff, man. A very cool choice for a band like yours. Uh, thanks. So, Chris, Rob was also telling us there's been some controversy related to the band. You want to weigh in on that? What the fuck? You told them about the fucking email? God damn it, dude.
Starting point is 00:37:40 We should not be talking about that. I didn't, but you just fucking did. God damn it. I knew, I knew I shouldn't have trusted you to deal with this interview by yourself. Me? You're the one who fucking blabbed about it. I didn't even do anything, and it's just a fucking email anyway. Uh, uh, just a fucking email?
Starting point is 00:38:01 You need to pull your head out of your ass. Whoa, whoa, guys, guys, whoa. What's going on here? What email? It's nothing. No, man, you already fucking said it. Just tell them. I mean, I'm curious.
Starting point is 00:38:17 Listen, I'm sorry I mentioned it. I really don't want to talk about this. Don't be a pussy. Just pull it out of my phone and read it to them. It's already out there. Fucking fine. Hold on. Okay.
Starting point is 00:38:36 I got it here. Uh, yeah, yeah, yeah. You ready? Yeah, man, go for it. We see what you are doing. You should not mock what you do not understand. Stop now or you will regret it. He returns soon.
Starting point is 00:38:55 Then you will know the true power of the blood of Isaac. We got this bullshit in the band email about halfway through our last tour, and shit has been fucked ever since. Okay, that is, okay, really pretty unsettling. Yeah, I don't like the sound of that. But, I mean, surely it's just some crazy fan. Who sent it to you guys? That's the thing.
Starting point is 00:39:22 There was no sender. It didn't come from any address. It just fucking appeared. No way to reply. No way to track down who sent it. It's nuts. This is definitely not what I was expecting when I asked about controversy.
Starting point is 00:39:35 Come on, guys. It's just a stupid email. Fuck you, no, it's not. After we got this, someone carved stop into the side of our tour van in huge letters. We would stay at motels for the night
Starting point is 00:39:50 and wake up to find red paint or some shit smeared above the doors. Going on stage to perform, there would be these people in the crowds, man. They're not fans. Just these creepy fucking people. They would just stand and stare at us, and by the end of the set, they'd have disappeared.
Starting point is 00:40:09 It happened at almost every goddamn show. It didn't matter how far we'd travel. And once we got home, man, I found a fucking deer disemboweled in my driveway. The cop said it was probably just roadkill that somebody had pulled it aside. It wasn't roadkill, goddammit. Okay?
Starting point is 00:40:30 This weird shit has been happening to me and to Lewis and Neil, And even fucking Rob, even though he's never going to admit that it's not a prank and then it really is fucking scary. Okay, okay, fine. So some creepy shit has been happening, but that doesn't mean that... Oh, shit! Whoa, guys, what's going on? Are you okay?
Starting point is 00:40:57 Fucking shit, dude, what was that thing? Rob, Chris, can you still hear us? What happened? I hit a fucking dog. He ran out into the road and I hit it. Oh, Jesus Christ. Theara, this has gone completely off the rails. I think we need to cut this now and do what we can to save it in editing.
Starting point is 00:41:16 I don't think there was a fucking dog, man. That was way too big to be a dog. Of course it was a dog. You can see it right there. Guys, I think it's going to be best if we let you go, so you can... No, no, no, no. Please stay on the line. I think there's something really fucking wrong here.
Starting point is 00:41:33 Oh, God. What's the call? Stay on, I guess. Oh my god, it's moving. It's still alive. I gotta try to... Don't! There's something definitely wrong with it.
Starting point is 00:41:50 Do not go out there. But it's still alive. We gotta take it to the animal hospital or something. What the fuck? What the fuck? What? What's going on, guys? Oh my God. What's wrong with its face?
Starting point is 00:42:07 Pull around, man. Just fucking drive around it. It's getting up. How can it be good... Holy shit, it's moving. Drive, Rob. Fucking drive! Guys, you have got to tell us what's going on.
Starting point is 00:42:33 It was like a dog or a wolf or something. His face was all fucked up. It was all just fucked up. And his eyes tried to jump on the car. And out all these bones sticking out of its fucking skin. And it still tried to jump on the car to go through the wind. What the fuck was that thing?
Starting point is 00:42:53 Jesus fucking Christ! Guys, guys, I think you need to take a breath, okay? Calm down. It sounds like maybe you just hit a rabid dog or something. No, man, that was something else. I don't know what it was, but it was not just some rabid dog. There's more of them. What?
Starting point is 00:43:13 Keep your eyes on the fucking road, man. They aren't chasing us or anything. They're just, they're just there. On the side of the road, just just walk. Just watching. Jesus, I must have passed ten of them already. Okay, there is definitely something not right happening with you guys right now. Maybe you should just turn around and head back home for the night.
Starting point is 00:43:34 We can't. Neil and Lewis are already at the space. What if those things go all the way out there? What if they're, they've got them trapped inside and they need help? We've got to make sure they're okay. Listen, we're all still on Rob's phone, right? Yeah. Okay, use Chris's phone to call the others and make sure they're okay.
Starting point is 00:43:55 We'll stay on the line with you until you know. Leave me a message and we'll get back to you. You're not answering either of them. Okay, well, just keep trying. They're going to... Oh my God. Chris, did you say the building is on fire? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's on fire.
Starting point is 00:44:55 Neal's car is here and Lewis is too. I think, I think they were inside. Oh, God, oh, oh, fuck! I think they're inside! You guys need to get out of their net. The fire could spread. Get Rob and get out of there. People? People? What people? What's going on over there?
Starting point is 00:45:32 Look out! What the fuck! I'm right here. You have to keep running. Where to find them? Call Darla. Darla? God damn it! Rob said only the girlfriends know where the jam space is. Well, she is Rob's fucking girlfriend,
Starting point is 00:46:58 and you need to call her and tell her to send the cops. out there right fucking now. Her number's saved in my phone. Do it now. Okay. We'll hang up. I'm right here. It's going to be fine.
Starting point is 00:47:26 Just keep running. I try. It's so dark. It's okay, Chris. You're okay. Talk to me. Talk to me. You have to get up and keep running.
Starting point is 00:48:05 Get again. The bone. The bone is out. to hold really still and try to be really, really quiet. It's dark. Maybe they won't see you. Can you be quiet for me? Okay.
Starting point is 00:48:40 Okay. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Oh, she's not answering. Is there anyone else we can call? I don't know anyone else. Keep trying her.
Starting point is 00:49:02 He's coming. It's here. Oh, my God. It's him. Who, Chris? Who is it? No, no, no, please, please, no, please, please, please. Jesus.
Starting point is 00:49:40 Chris, please answer me. Oh, my God. Oh, John. Where the fuck is Chris? What the fuck did you do to them? How does he know our names? I'm afraid a Christian. Can't talk right now
Starting point is 00:50:05 And as for your names There are very few secrets in hell Who the fuck are you, man? My name is Isaac. I thought you would know Since you've been talking about me so much Fuck you, you're not an undead fucking serial killer You're just some obsessed nutcase out hurting people
Starting point is 00:50:32 for no goddamn reason. Oh, you think so. Well, either way, disrespect does not go unpunished. Yeah, well, I'm sending the cops out there right fucking now, and they are going to blow your ass away. I'm not sure you're going. What are you doing? I'm trying Darla again.
Starting point is 00:50:54 We've got to reach her. We've got to get someone out there. Rob and Chris, they could still be alive. They need help. That was him. John, that was really him. What? What are you talking about? That was Isaac Miller.
Starting point is 00:51:11 That was his voice. Oh, you're fucking crazy. No, John, I've seen the fucking videos. The rituals his followers taped. That was his voice. No doubt. What if this is real? What if he's really back?
Starting point is 00:51:39 What if he can do the things they said he can? I mean, the dogs they saw fucking hellhounds. Just shut up, C. It's not real. What the fuck? How did he get her phone? Was she with them too? Was she at the rehearsal space? No, John.
Starting point is 00:52:05 I told you. It's real. He's back. What the fuck is this? Sorry, John. You were a good friend. It tastes better. Just like you said, it's been such a long time.
Starting point is 00:53:03 I was so... Quiet and well-behaved. Not even the foster families. Not even John. Did you record it like I asked you do? I did the best I could. It's only audio, but nowadays people seem to really like it like that. Oh, I'm sure I will do.
Starting point is 00:53:37 I'm so glad you're home. You so much. As the lights come back on, our stories come to an end. Please remember to be kind and rewind. 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. On behalf of everyone at the No Sleep Podcast, we thank you for listening. Join us at the video store next week.
Starting point is 00:55:05 Our door is... always open. This audio production is copyright 2019 by Creative Reason Media, Inc. All rights reserved. The copyrights for each story are held by the respective authors. No duplication or reproduction of this audio program is permitted without the written consent of Creative Reason Media, Inc.

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