The NoSleep Podcast - NoSleep Podcast S15E08

Episode Date: October 18, 2020

It’s Episode 08 of Season 15. Our lost highway journey drives deep into the night. “Phone Call” written by P.L. McMillan (Story starts around 00:05:40) Produced by: Phil Michalski Cast: Leah – Sarah Ruth Thomas, Katie – Jessica McEvoy, Drew – Kyle Akers, Man – Mike DelGaudio, Woman – Erin Lillis “I Don’t Drive at Night Anymore” written by Dagen (Story starts around 00:21:40) Produced by: Phil Michalski Cast: Narrator – Matt Bradford, Attendant – Jeff Clement “What Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Tales or race yourself for the No Sleep Podcast. David Cummings. And now it's dark. Hey, have you heard about this crazy worldwide pandemic going on these days? Wild, huh? I guess a lot of folks are staying home most of the time. Well, if you find yourself stuck inside on Halloween this year, there are a couple of things for you and any wee kitties

who are craving Halloween treats in lieu of. of trick-or-treating. The first is a special podcast created by our own Aaron Lillis. Aaron realized that a lot of kids aren't going to be scouring their neighborhoods for candy this Halloween, so she wanted to give them some audio treats. She's put together a horror podcast for kids called The No Knapp Podcast. Hmm, that name sounds oddly familiar. It features a lot of voices you know from No Sleep and other fiction podcasts, and a lot of familiar writers. The show will present a whole bunch of bite-sized, spooky stories appropriate for children. Of course, as parents, you might want to screen the stories first,

just to make sure the nightmares are kept to a minimum. But otherwise, this podcast would make the perfect Halloween evening treat for everyone's ears. It comes out on Halloween, and you can find a link to it in the show notes. The No-Nap podcast, ghastly fun for all ages. The second option on Halloween is to join the No Sleep Live Stream. We'll be live streaming on our YouTube channel on Saturday, October 31st. We have an original live script we'll be doing. We may do one or two classic Halloween live scripts.

And myself and a bunch of the team will be hanging out and sharing spooky stories, laughs, undoubtedly some rude jokes, and eating copious candy corn. Times and more details to come, but it's a lot of time. If you have an internet-connected device handy that day, you'll be able to join in the fun. We're at YouTube.com slash the No Sleep Podcast official. So even if you're inside on Halloween, we hope you can still enjoy the spirits of the season. And speaking of spooky stories, we have some coming right up. Now, let's begin our journey down this lost highway.

In our first tale, we're abruptly woken from our slumber by a shrill ringing. We've all been there, safely away in the land of nightmares, when suddenly you're rudely awoken by a friend who needs help urgently. But in this tale, shared with us by author P.L. McMillan, what starts out as a ride home turns into a ride through terror. Performing this tale are Sarah Thomas, Jessica McAvoy, Kyle Lakers, Mike Delgado, and Aaron Lillis. So take care of your friends, sure, but maybe take notice of their behavior.

Is something up? It can be hard to tell on a simple phone call. I woke with a jolt, scrambling around for my phone to turn off the alarm. It took me a second to realize that my phone was ringing. It wasn't my morning alarm. My eyes stung from the brightness of the screen as I squinted. to read the time. It was 3 a.m. and it was an unknown caller. Hello? Katie? Katie was my closest friend since I'd moved here for college. Leah, I need you to come get me. I leaned over and turned on my

bedside table lamp, blinking some more in this more encompassing light. What happened? Where are you? I'm by the old wait cemetery at a pay phone. I'm somewhere and I won't go back. I was struggling to gather my thoughts, rubbing my forehead and stifling a yawn. No one is making you go anywhere. I promise. Why are you there? It's the middle of the night. I came here with Drew. He had this crazy idea for his midterm project and wanted to do a photo shoot with me in the cemetery at night. He said, I don't know, that it was key to the tone of his project or some shit. But please, Leah, you have to come get me.

Why can't Drew drive you home? What happened? I was equal parts frustrated with how dramatic Katie was being and nervous that something serious may have happened. Moon was out and everything was so bright, like silver. Then the clouds came. I pulled back the curtains and looked up at the sky where a feckoned moon hovered above the rooftops,

casting a bright veil over all things. Katie's voice dropped to a shaky whisper as though she were trying to remain unnoticed. So dark here, Leah. I need to go home, but Drew wouldn't leave. He said he needed his perfect shot to take me home, that I would come back tomorrow if that's what he wanted, but he was acting so weird, like a stranger.

I already knew that I would end up going to get her, so I let her talk, pulling on some jeans and a sweater. Pictures and the flash was blinding me. He wouldn't listen to me. I begged him to stop, but I could. I couldn't see him, just the flashes. Okay, Katie, and you said you're just outside the cemetery? Where is the payphone?

Can you tell me a street or something? Help narrow things down. I grabbed the keys for my beat-up Camry and reached down to pull a pair of sneakers from under a bulging bag holding even more bags. Answer me, so I ran. It's a small cemetery. It's so small I knew I had to be able to get out. I should have bumped into headstones, but there was nothing there.

Nothing. Katie, can you just chill a bit with the theatrics? I'm on my way, okay? I'll be there in like ten minutes. Just stay by the payphone. I shook my head, jogging down the concrete stairs from the fifth floor to the first. Honestly, I'm surprised you even found a payphone. Didn't they get rid of all those old things?

It's getting lighter here. Is it almost morning? I stepped out into the cold night air and shivered as I looked at. at the sky over the building's opposite. Um, sure. I guess it's getting close to morning. It seemed almost blasphemous to break the calm of the pre-dawn silence. The beep of my car as it unlocked was ear-piercing.

I dropped in and blasted the heat, pulling away from the curb as quietly as I could, one hand on the wheel and the other still holding the phone. I could tell she was close to crying from the way her voice was breaking and catching. Yeah, babe, just hold on. Your nice, warm ride is on its way. Seriously, though, you need to stop hanging out with Drew. I've told you this a million times already.

He's a jerk. She didn't reply. There was no sound but the hum of my car tires on the pavement and the crack of my jaw as I yawned again. Sure, it saves me the 20 minutes to drive you home then. I have a class at seven this morning, you know. I pulled onto Baker Street. Ahead, a streetlight flickered over a large iron sign.

Wade's Cemetery. I slowed to a crawl, turning to scan one side of the street, then the other. Do you see me? I'm on the street now. The cemetery is up ahead. Where are you? I'm here at the pay phone. I can see a store across from me. It's a Chinese restaurant.

I leaned forward against the steering wheel. The street was pretty. dark, that was for sure. The only light was the one flickering above the cemetery entrance. I slowed to a stop in front of the cemetery gates. Katie, honey, can you just come here to the entrance? I can't see where you are. Just come here where the streetlight is. I'm right here. Something slammed into the side of the car, rocking it on its wheels. Before I could react, the passenger's side door was jerked open and Drew fell into my car scrambling to close the door behind him. He locked it and turned to me with wild rolling eyes. Thank God, Leah, thank God. Drive. Drew, what the hell?

Get us out of here, Leah. Drive. If you want to go home, why don't you just drive yourself, you asshole? Now stop screaming at me or get out of my car. Please, Leah, we have to get out of here. Katie, she, she, something happened. I realized I still had the phone pressed to my ear and I could hear silence. I lowered it. The call had ended. Dude, you left her out here in the middle of the night. What is wrong with you?

You don't understand. We were out here doing a photo shoot. As soon as we were inside, Katie got super weird. She dragged me into the oldest corner and pointed out a gravestone. She said it was someone from her family. I thought it would be cool to shoot her on top of the stone, like a generational statement. Then a cloud covered the moon, and when it passed, she was shaking. Her eyes turned up to the sky, but completely black.

She kept shaking. I tried to grab her to stop her shaking, and she attacked me. He turned the other side of his face to me, where his skin had been slashed open from temple to right nostril, his right eye nothing but a seeping wound. Drew turned away, clutching his hands to his chest. But... But she called me.

She called me from a payphone out here begging to be picked up. Not her. It's not her. Not her. It's not her. He was rocking back and forth. It may have been a trick of the shadows, but it looked like a wet chunk fell from his face to the floor mat. I shuddered. Maybe she's back to normal. She's on her way. I'm taking her home.

The rumble of the car gearing up was thunderous in the quiet night. My headlights flashed on, highlighting something hulking and dark directly in front of the car. I jerked the car into reverse and jammed my foot against the pedal. I remembered Katie and eased off the gas, coasting to a stop, then applying the brakes. The thing was gone. What are you doing? What are you doing? We need to go.

I can't leave without Katie. You idiot, you saw her. She was just there. Drive! Drive! Drive! I reached down and grabbed my phone. We can't just leave her here? Thank God.

Your asshole boyfriend is here, and he's gone bat-shick crazy. We need to get him to a hospital. Drive! Yeah, drive! Before it's too late! Drew was scrabbling at my arms, leaving streaks of crimson over my white sweater sleeves. I leaned away,

trying to shrug out of his grip. I hit the auto-unlock button and heard the car locks disengage. Drew heard them too. He shrieked, a sound unlike anything I had ever heard from a human in my life. A shadow fell over the passenger side door. Drew reached for the handle, but it was pulled open. Katie? A flash of darkness and a rush of foul, rotten air, a frigid wave of dark intent.

Drew clawed at the dashboard, At the seatbelt as he was ripped from the car. I stared at the scarlet streaks he left on my car's dash, too afraid to see what was towering over the right side of the vehicle. I took my foot off the brake and stabbed it onto the gas. I was still in reverse. My right car door clipped something that was immovable. Mammoth.

I couldn't react fast enough to take my foot off the gas. I was frozen. My car spun around and rear-ended the brick wall that surrounded the cemetery. Stars erupted as my airbag deployed. Darkness enveloped me, along with the thick musk of a nearby beast. An iron grip on my shoulder, and I was pulled out of the car. I clawed at the creature. Miss, miss, settle down. You've been in an accident.

Hands grabbed my wrists, twisting them painfully to the side. I stared up into a bright morning sky and the face of a fat, balding me. man. A shorter woman stood slightly behind him, clutching a phone to her ear. Yes, yes, she's conscious. No, I'm aware you're not supposed to move an accident victim, but we were afraid the car was going to explode. It's leaking. Where is it? Where did she go? Where did who go? You were alone in the car, miss. Are you okay? How many fingers? He let go of my left wrist long enough to shove four stout fingers into my face. In my car, my phone began to ring.

My head was spinning, but I managed to jerk away from him and scramble to my car. The driver's side door was still open. My phone was laying on the floor mat. Its display showed an unknown number. Hello? What happened last night? What happened to you? I'm here, Leah.

I'm waiting for you. I'm at your apartment. Come meet me. I dropped the phone. The ambulance pulled up. On my clothes, I could still smell it. The reek of the beast. As the paramedics dropped to their knees beside me, I lost it.

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unlimited wireless plan for just 30 bucks a month and get the plan shipped to your door for free, go to mintmobile.com slash no sleep. That's mintmobile.com slash no sleep. Cut your unlimited wireless bill to 30 bucks a month at mintmobile.com slash no sleep. Get into bed with MintMobile, just like I have. And now, back to the show. Early mornings. A familiar sight for those of us who stay up through the night,

but a rude awakening when they're the start of your day. Sometimes, though, if you have a long journey ahead of you, then getting up in the twilight hours makes a lot of sense. But in this tale, shared with us, by author Dagen Strong, we discover that the darkness of the morning can hide as many evils as the darkness of the night. Performing this tale are Matthew Bradford and Jeff Clement.

So pack a bag, grab some water for the road, and get ready to set out, at least until you discover why I don't drive at night anymore. I don't drive at night anymore. At least I don't drive anywhere that isn't. very well illuminated. I know that sounds silly, and trust me when I say that my friends tease me to no end about it. They're the types that love going out for late-night cruises out around the outskirts of town and to go stargazing, both activities that I, too, enjoyed once. That was until

that one night. After that, I couldn't bring myself out of the light ever again. It was about a year ago in late July. I was living in a small town at the time in northern Alberta, staying there to get the most out of the cheap community college and low rent. I just finished my finals and was looking forward to visiting family out west for my week-long vacation. It wasn't exactly a short trip, a total of four hours at least just to even get to the next town over. To get to where my parents were was an additional six hours of travel. Driving through Alberta isn't exactly exciting either, not unless you enjoy wide-open spaces

and a lot of empty fields at least. It was about 4 a.m. when I got into my car. The bright idea to leave early that I had had the previous night was now leaving me bleary-eyed and full of regret. I headed over to the closest gas station and stocked up on the usual road trip supplies, energy drinks, chips, pretty much anything that looked good at the time. The coffee I had brought with me was starting to kick in, and I began to look forward to at least the first few hours of the trip.

That was typically how it was with long car rides for me. The first few hours were great and relaxing, with the rest of the trip just slowly getting worse as I got those fun cramps or stiffness in the body from sitting for so long. Before heading out of the city, I checked my phone, queuing up my playlist of music that would keep me company, and double-checking my route out of the city on Google Maps. Damn, a red bar sat halfway between me and where I was heading. Construction ahead. Expected delays, 45 minutes. Great. That was just my luck that the main road itself was getting work done, but there wasn't anything I could really do about that. Finally pulling out of the gas station, I headed out, starting my long journey. The music pulse through the speakers as the light pollution of the

city slowly faded behind me, and the night sky grew even brighter. There was a full moon out that night, and one that complimented the sea of stars quite nicely too. That helped raise my mood a bit, and I soon got lost and thought as I cruised down that dark road. After about an hour of driving down the open highway, the sky seemed to quickly darken. The moon becoming obscured and the illuminated planes around me fading away to inky black. The only things that were visible now outside of my headlights are different twinkling lights off on the horizon and the city lights far behind in my rearview mirror. The lights ahead pulsed between orange and red with the occasional fire.

flash of a vehicle's headlights. That had to have been construction, I figured. It was another joy of driving out in these flat areas. You were able to see practically a full hour ahead of you in advance, and just really take in all that excitement. At night, without the moon's glow, it was a much different feeling than boredom, though. It kind of felt like you were driving through space itself, a massive black expanse all around you, with only the different bits of light off in the distance showing any real signs of life. Almost as though the night sky itself,

it dripped down and enveloped the ground below. I cursed and shielded my eyes as someone passed me with a set of far too bright to be legal headlights, night vision being lost immediately. By the time I could actually see again, thankfully having not flown off the road, everything that wasn't in my headlights was just, pitch black now. The edges of my car's headlight beams didn't seem to extend very far out either.

And because of this, I almost missed a pair of cars that were off to the side of the road, hazard lights going on and off to try to warn me in advance. I slowed my vehicle to try to get a better look in case they needed any help. But as I passed, I didn't see anyone in the vehicles themselves. Neither car appeared to be damaged either. Weird. Maybe the owners had car problems and had hitched a ride back to town until a tow truck could come and retrieve the vehicles. I couldn't really give much better of a guess than that, so I continued on, not wanting to rubber neck any more than I already had. The darkness at this point had become rather oppressive. I noticed that outside of my beams of light, it was now just a solid black wall, like it just

cut off immediately with no glow or anything. I had to slow my speed to half just to be safe. While trying my best to stay on the road, I must have completely forgotten about the construction zone, for when an orange pylon appeared out of the darkness, I hit the brakes. I must have missed the warning signs due to the weird blackout, but this was obviously the start of the construction zone. With due diligence, I crawled through the area, trying to catch sight of any workers or, really, any signs of life. That was when I realized that there should have been some kind of life around here. I had already seen their lights on further back down the road.

Now, as I drove through, there wasn't a single piece of equipment that seemed to be turned on in any way. Excavators sat abandoned, doors wide open without an operator inside. Flood lights had been knocked over or otherwise turned off in some other manner. Things quickly went south from there. I was about halfway through when I finally saw someone. A prone body lay face down on the side of the road. only half of the person visible from my car. I stopped the vehicle, wondering what he was doing at first,

as it looked like he had his ear to the ground. Eventually, I realized that he must have been unconscious, so I put the car in park, turning on my phone's flashlight in the car interior light before getting out to add as much extra light as I could to the area. The moment I stepped out of the car, I could feel a very stark difference in the air. It was supposed to be the middle of summer,

yet I could almost see my breath. Hey, buddy, you okay? My voice held an odd echo to it that had no right to be there. I shined my flashlight over him as I got closer before quickly stumbling back. Jesus Christ, I practically sprinted back to my car, throwing myself inside and slamming the door behind me, panicking to find the lock button.

My fingers hit it and I tried to stop myself from hyperventilating. The lower half of that man's body had been eaten. and past his stomach was nothing more than bits of gore and viscera that had been strewn out across the road. It looked like something had just ripped into him and left the rest to rot. I pulled out my phone and tried to call for help, but I had no bars. I must have been too far to get any signal. It wasn't like I could do anything to help the poor man from here, so I pulled the car out of park and continued out of the construction site.

I spotted a few more bodies in varying conditions as I tried to make my way out. And that was when I saw it. Just as I turned a corner, my headlights illuminated something that was hunched over another worker. It almost looked like a person, but it was far too dark. And it was incredibly thin, spine jutting out of its back as it faced away from me. When it turned in response to the light, it covered its malformed face with a massive hand that ended in sharp, ragged claws, pinprick wide eyes glaring at me from the shadows of its hand. It let out a shriek and bounded off into the darkness.

At that point, I slammed my foot down on the gas and floored it out of there, having to swerve once or twice to avoid the abandoned equipment. Eventually, I rocketed out of the sight, going far too fast but unable to slow down. In my rearview mirror, I could see them, a collection of wide eyes that trailed along behind me in the distance. The creatures didn't make any sound, but I was. I could tell they were getting closer, little by little. I must have had at least some luck that night,

since when I made my way over the next hill, I could see off in the distance a gas station that was still lit up, a beacon of light and the sea of darkness that surrounded me. I managed to get to it in only a few minutes, my tire screeching across the pavement as I came to a halt directly under the gas area. The darkness was like a wall all around it, and I had a clear path to get inside the building,

Taking a deep breath, I escaped my vehicle and sprinted up to the glass door. When I got to it, the attendant inside was already unlocking it and pressing a button on the side to power it on, letting it open enough to get me in before he closed it again with a lock in place. Are you all right? I stumbled away from the door, trying to put distance between me and the numerous windows that covered the front wall of the station. I felt vulnerable. There in that little store, the panes of glass being the only thing between us and all that darkness outside, just waiting for the lights to go out. I started to try and explain to him what I'd seen, when outside the bulbs began to blow one by one around the top of the gas station,

with the darkness encroaching closer and closer until it was pressed up against the windows. What little light was left inside didn't seem to phase them at all now. Through the glass, I could see them again. small sets of white eyes dipping in and out of the darkness. The attendant backed away from the glass. What the fuck is going on? The first crack appeared on the window, the tip of a clawed hand pressing into the glass. I don't know. Just help me barricade this.

I started shoving the shelves towards the front of the store. The glass held long enough for us to get a sort of half wall set up, but I knew it wouldn't hold them back forever. Is there a security room or somewhere else we could go to hide in here? In the back room. It's small, but it should fit us both. We got into the security room and shut the door, sliding the heavy lock into place before settling in.

The room was small, but well illuminated, with a row of six TV screens showing different camera angles from around the building. Four of them were completely blacked out, with only two left that were inside the store itself. One was positioned in the main lobby, and the second was pointed just outside our door. Only a few minutes after we had entered the security room, the front window shattered. We only got to see a couple of seconds.

We watched the shelves get pushed aside before the interior went completely black. Now all of the cameras were dark, and when the single bulb above us started to flicker, I turned on my phone's flashlight just in case. The door being sealed along the bottom, so there weren't any cracks for whatever this thing was to filter in through. We sat there in silence for a time. neither of us brave enough to break it in fear of attracting unwanted attention. But then came the sound of scratching, which eventually led to a chorus of low whispers just outside of our door.

They sounded like normal people. And if it wasn't for what I had already seen, I might have thought that we were being rescued. But their voices were too low, and underneath their pleas for us to come out, I could get that sense of danger just on the edges of it. Like if we didn't comply, there would be consequences. I don't know how long we were forced to sit there and listen to the scratching and whispers.

The TV monitors eventually came on, one by one, as the darkness seemed to recede, the sky, a pool of red and orange that signaled sunrise. We waited until the sun was well above the horizon before opening the door slowly and taking our first steps outside. The store was trashed. everywhere, along with what looked like hundreds of footprints that had trampled across the merchandise. My car appeared untouched, and I got it running again after the police arrived to aid the attendant. I still don't know what I saw that night. I don't think I ever will. But I think that's for the best, as there are some things that should probably stay in their darkness.

Ah, siblings. Is there anything better than having a brother or sister? Not when you have a close bond and create content with them, at least. And following in the footsteps of my brother, my brother and me, and two scared siblings, we're introduced to another relative show. But in this tale, shared with us by author T. Taketa Wise, this brother-sister duo end up in a terrifying situation that familial love alone can't overcome. Performing this tale are Jesse Cornett, Nicole Goodnight, Aaron Lillis, Atticus Jackson, and Graham Rowett. So let's join Frank and Lee as we head to Allentown. We're sure to solve some mysteries there,

but will we solve the biggest mystery of all when we ask? Whatever happened to the Frankly Folklore Podcast? Hey, what's up, guys? Welcome back to the Frankly Folklore Podcast. It's me, your host, Frank. And, of course, Lee. Hey, everyone. So tonight, my friends, tonight, we have something very special for you planned.

That's right, we're diving deep into our own local lore. Now, this is something that's been highly requested by a lot of you, so we decided what the hell. We might as well give the people what they want. As most of you know, both Frank and I have lived in Corinth, New York for basically our whole lives. Not much happens around here. Unless you really like hiking or camping. Or cornhole. Yeah, or that.

But we're not here to tell you about Corinth or Cornhole. We're here to tell you about another stranger place. Allentown. From the first episode we mentioned it, you guys have been asking for more. So, here it is. More. Now, we've discussed some of the stories surrounding Allentown before. Stories about cannibals and witch-hound. and satanic sacrifices and strange rituals

and possibly the most shared one that the whole town is entirely populated by just one big inbred family. And apparently this family doesn't appreciate outsiders because a whole lot of people have gone missing around this area. All unexplained, all unsolved. Recently, yet another hiker has vanished, a young woman. Now, I'm not saying her disappearance has any.

anything to do with Allentown, but it is curious that so many folks go missing around here. What? Stop looking at me like that, Lee. I don't know. I just think it's a little disrespectful to our family, Frank. Disrespectful or not, it's just bad timing. We've been planning this for months. Yeah, true. Well, anyway, there's a lot. There's just bad timing. We've been planning this for months. Yeah, true. Well, Anyway, there's a whole lot of strange and spooky tales about Allantown, all of which you can hear more of on our other episodes. Tonight, though, we're not just going to tell you about Allentown. We're going to show you. Well, at least, sort of.

That's right, folks. As those of you who watch our podcast may have noticed, we're not in the usual recording slash filming location. For those of you just listening in, Lee and I are currently way out in the middle of nowhere in my trusty car. The sun is setting. The moon is near full. We're about to go explore. And all of this will be directly streamed into your eyes or through your ears with our brand new GoPro. Lee isn't too pleased about it. I mean, I wouldn't mind looking around. It's just why do you insist on us doing it at?

night. And now, with that lady missing? Dangerous, if you ask me, right guys? Feel free to comment in the live chat below, though bear in mind we probably aren't going to be looking at it too often tonight. And we have to give the people what they want, Lee. Besides, the witches, the cannibals, those inbred freaks and the man-eaters only come out at night. Now, lace up your boots, grab the camera. Let's go. So, we're in the woods right outside Allentown. For those of you just listening, the woods are dark, the trees are thick, and it's getting pretty damn hard to navigate through them. How you doing, Lee?

Oh, you know, just scared shitless. Ah, don't be scared. People know we're out here. Nothing's going to happen. And if it does, well, the people will know. Just so you guys watching or listening know, we decided to park off North Shore Road and walk, just in case. Yeah, that was my idea. I didn't think driving through or parking in Island Town was a great plan.

I figured the ticket, if we end up with one, would be better than death. Yeah, I really don't want to be shot or anything by... Shh. Stop talking. Did you hear that? Sounded natural. Probably just a tree branch snapping or something. That didn't sound natural. Sounded like metal.

Get a check. It's nothing, Lee. Come on, let's keep going. And turn your flashlight off. If someone is out there, they'll see you before you see them. Okay, fine. Whatever. Just know that if we die, it's your fault.

Uh, so I don't know if you guys are. watching can see or not, but we're making our weights towards the supposed ruins of an old house on the outskirts of Allentown. Do you even know where this thing even is? Of course I do. Do north. That's the direction we're walking. Okay, but how do you know that? You left your phone in the car. I'm using a compass, you idiot, old school style. Now, for those of you just listening in, Lee is really struggling out here in these woods. You're such an ass, Frank. It's dark as hell out here, even with the full moon.

Can't we use some sort of light? The night vision thing on here doesn't do much. I'm not even sure if it's really night vision. Can you guys watching even see anything? Hang on a sec, Frank. Let me check the chat. Oh, ha, ha. Very funny, you guys.

What are they saying? They're fucking joking about how we're being followed by someone generally trolling us. I told you this would have. happen if we had a chat? Well, guess you guys are going to see us die tonight. Don't say shit like that, Frank. It's not funny. You guys aren't funny either. There's no one following us. See? For those of you just listening, Lee is now wildly swinging the camera around trying to convince everyone we're not being followed. I'm not swinging it wildly around. I'm panning nice and easy across the landscape. Okay, now they're saying we're being too loud and that we should talk quite.

and that there's definitely someone hiding behind a tree watching us. Whatever, they're just trying to scare me. Thanks, guys. Come on, Frank. Let's just get to that damn house and get this over with. You heard her, everyone, and we're going. So, Lee, what do you think we should do when we get to that house? Depends on what it looks like.

Is it still standing? Burned down? Protted away. I don't know. Everything I read about it is probably just urban legend, you know? Still, they decided to live out here for all the fresh air or nature or something. Until one day, one day, they all disappeared. Good timing.

Shut up. They just disappeared? Like, vanished into thin air? I don't know. Probably just up and moved away. Got sick of the ship people on Allentown were pulling. Hey, look. Looks like we found that house. Holy shit. Guess it's still standing. Damn. Looks like it was built ages ago.

All brick with a janky roof. Huh. That's weird. What? It looks too well kept, doesn't it? I mean, like someone's cleared away all the weeds and brush around it, right? And look, there's a... Pentegram.

I guess. But maybe a deer just, I don't know, ate it or something. Definitely doesn't look like someone lives there, though. And the pentagram is probably just graffiti. True. Well, we're here. What do you think, Lee, should we go inside? Should we check the chat?

No. I don't want to know what everyone's saying. Let's just go inside and get it over with while I still have the courage. Come on. It smells like shit. Probably because someone or something shit in here. Or maybe an animal died. Should we look around?

Yeah. Let's be careful, though. I don't want to fall through the floor or anything. Looks like there may be only one floor. You don't think there's a basement or an attic? Definitely no attic. It didn't look like there was one from the outside. Maybe there's a basement, but if there is,

I sure as hell ain't going down there. Oh, well, look who's scared now. Shut out. Hey, don't you think it'd be a good idea to set up in here and tell some spooky tales about Allentown? Uh, no. Really? I mean, I guess we could, but screw that, honestly? And haven't we already told all the stories they're hard to tell? Well, I meant more about this place.

Like what else? Like the story of what happened to the people who lived here? here and then the people who came to investigate. I thought they just got sick of the folks from Allentown, ostracizing them from not being related, so they moved away. That's what you told me, Frank. I might have lied. What the hell, Frank? Why? For dramatic effect?

Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Geez. I'll tell you. It's not that bad. And I mean, just like with all the other shit, people say about Allentown, it's probably just an urban legend. Aren't you the guy who always insists there's a grain of truth in all legend and lore? Well, yeah, but the grain of truth could be something as simple as these people just existed. I don't know. I'll tell you, and you can decide.

So, back in the day, a family of five lived here. That's true. There was a dad and mom and an older sister and a middle brother and a newborn baby. The dad made his living in carpentry, whittling things. People of all sorts traveled for miles to buy. The mom was a homesteader. She kept bees and made cheese from the few goats they owned. The family lived happily for a while, maybe a decade and a half, until one day,

Some out of town or stopped by for something or other and found them all cut up. Cut up? Chopped up. Dead. All five of them. Even the baby. That's ridiculous. I thought so too, until I did some digging.

And? Well, they called the cops from a bigger town in to investigate and they went missing. The cops? Yeah. Never heard. from them again. That's the stupidest thing I've ever. What the fuck?

Holy shit. Can you help me? It hurts. What the hell is wrong with your arm? It hurts. Can you help me? Please help me. I've been trapped for weeks.

They just let me... No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Frank, let's go. Come on. I need to catch my breath. See which way we're going. Fucked up. Can we fucking go? I want to go, please. Yeah, yeah.

Now, just, just hang on a second. Holy shit. Like, what the fuck even was that? Was her head coming apart? Did she say she was trapped? Check the chat. See if people saw, heard it better than us.

No, Frank, we need to call the police who cares about this stupid goddamn podcast. Let's go. Come on, just check it. Maybe they saw something we didn't. Are you serious? Is this some sort of sick joke to you? Is this a prank or something? No, it's not.

Look, I swear to God, it's not, Lee. I have no clue what that was or who that woman was. Are you right? Maybe we should call the police. Okay, but let's go first. Then we can call from the... It's a fucking clicking noise again. What is that?

It sounds close. Frank, are you fucking with me? Please, please, please, please tell me if you are. No, I'm not fucking with you, Lee. I promise. Listen. Look, over there. Do you see that?

What's that? Flashlight? We could probably lose. him if we ran fast enough. Which way is the car that way? Hey, I can hear you. Don't move. I'm military. I just want to talk.

Jesus, man. You preparing for the apocalypse or something? What the fuck are you doing out here? Where did you come from? We could ask the same to you, sir. There's a woman over in that abandoned house. There's something wrong with her. People kidnapped her or something.

Shut up, Lee. A woman? Yes. Yes. She was seriously hurt. Her leg was broken. Her fucking bone was sticking out. She looks crazy and sick or both.

I don't know. Maybe a drug addict? Heroin, meth? No, no, no. It wasn't drugs. She didn't seem high or anything like that. She had some kind of black shit all up in her arm, some sort of goo or a fungus or slime or something eating her arm away.

Yeah, it was fucked up, man. Her head was... The polite split open. Did you see anything else? Anyone else? No, man. We got the fuck out of there. The woman was asking for help.

We... We shouldn't have left her. She needs help. She said she was trapped. Where was this? In the abandoned house over there. Like, I don't know, five or ten minutes that way. All right, hang tight.

I'm going to go check it out, see if it's clear. If it's not, I'll make it. sure it's clear. I'll come back, walk you to your vehicle. Can we just walk back while you're doing that? I wouldn't recommend it. What's that supposed to mean? Just stay here. I'll be back. What did he mean by make sure it's clear? Is he going to help that woman? And why the fuck is there an army dude wait out here anyways? And why is he he alone? And why does he have a camera and a shotgun? I don't know. I don't care. I just want to leave. It looked like that woman was wearing hiking boots. You think she was that lady who went missing?

I don't know, Frank. I just want to go. So what? Some guy in fatigues with a couple guns told us to stay? We don't even know if it was really military or some. I am very bad-ass loser. Let's just go. We can't do anything about him or that woman, we need to get the police. Should we check the stream or the chat just in case? I just... Fucking joking. You know what? I'm done.

Here, take it. Recording for all I care. I'm done. I'm leaving. Give me the keys. No. Frank? Give me the fucking keys now!

Leave, wait. It isn't safe. And not just because that guy told us to... Wait, I don't want to get hit by lightning and I don't want you too either. Let's find a place with fewer trees, somewhere lower and hunker down until it passes. Come on. How far are we from the car? I don't know.

It took us, what, 10 minutes, give or take to walk to that house. So, we're probably pretty close. Then fuck it. Please, wait, it's too dangerous. We're surrounded by trees. No, Frank. I'm going. You can wait a view. That didn't sound like thunder. Shot her? He fucking shot her?

Fucking go. Please! Please! Stop! Please! Are you serious? Well, I smashed the brand new GoPro. Awesome. I don't know if you guys can see or not. Hopefully at least you can still hear me. Please go.

gone. I hope to God she waits for me in the car. You kidding me? You fucking kidding me. My car is gone. Well, to everyone, I guess my lovely sister decided to run back to the car and leave my ass behind. Awesome. My goddamn phone was in the car. Someone's coming. Maybe it's leave. No, it's a truck. Shit. Hey, buddy, you stuck down here? Yeah, yeah, I am.

Hey, you've got a phone on you I can use? No, I'm sorry, don't want those microwaves, scramble up my brain cell. But there's one in town you can use. Come on, I'll give you a ride. Which town? Island town. You live there?

Morning bread. Now you're coming or not. Can't wait around all night, you know? Yeah. Yeah, I'll come. Thanks, man. Hey, are you filming? I don't want to be on camera. I don't condone it. I'll give you a ride, but you need to turn that off. Now, the camera's busting, man.

Are you sure about that? It's not recording at all? I'm pretty sure. The screen's busting, man. All right, we'll climb on in, get you out of that rain. What are you doing out here so late? Hiking, camping. You know. I see.

You alone? No. My sister was out here with me. She got scared by the storm. She left you? No. She just went into town to get some supplies. You don't sound so sure.

Sure. Did you hear that? Hey, man. Why are you stopping? Man? Hey, that's my property. Stop! I told you to stop recording! Your sister, that brunette in the Honda?

How did you... You out here to spy on us? Think it's funny to call us freaks and harass us? Or mess with things you shouldn't be messing with? No. We were just camping. Joining us on our journey down the lost Highton was composed by Brandon Boone.

Our production team is Phil Michalski, Jeff Clement, and Jesse Cornett. Our creative content manager is Olivia White. I'm your host and executive producer, David Cummings. If you would like to find out how you can hear the extended editions of our audio program, please visit the no sleeppodcast.com. to learn about our season past program.

25 episodes, each over two hours long, and three exclusive bonus episodes, all for only 2499. On behalf of everyone at the No Sleep Podcast, we thank you for listening. As the darkness fades, it feels like you're going to... This audio production is copyright 2020

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.