The NoSleep Podcast - NoSleep Podcast - Waiting for 15 - 02

Episode Date: August 16, 2020

While we're in between Season 14 and 15 we have two tales which will steal you away. “The Other Side of the Door” written by Alex Gaskin (Story starts around 00:04:40) Produced by: Jesse Cornett Cast: Ann Ingersoll – Addison Peacock, Judy Porter – Mary Murphy, Ben Donehue – Mike DelGaudio, Bethany – Jessica McEvoy, Radio – Dan Zappulla “Zero Boundaries Podcast: Episode 182” written by Carson Winter (Story starts around 00:44:30) Produced by: Phil Michalski Cast: Lester Holland Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do-to-do... Time to check today's work requests. Oh, God. An ad read from Olivia. Oh, God! It's about home security! You know what that means. It means that I'm going to read some copy about being safe at home,

and then while I'm doing the read, Olivia's going to send some horrifying destructive force my way to illustrate the point. It happens every time. I've literally moved to 18 different hideouts in the last six months, And she finds me every time. And yet, I keep doing it. Why, you ask? Because I'm dedicated.

I'm a team player. Even if it means I get haunted, attacked, crushed, locked in, locked out, or possessed. I'll do my bit. And because, thanks to my experiences, I really, truly, understand the importance of home safety. That's why I'm not. I want to talk to you about Simply Safe home security. They're longtime friends of the No Sleep podcast, and for good reason. Simply Safe has made it easy to finally get comprehensive protection for your home.

There's no technician or salesperson that needs to come and disrupt your house, and you don't need to pay any outrageous monthly fees or sign it to your contract. You just order online. Send it up yourself in under an hour. Being able to set the system up yourself is so important right now, and Simpliceafe allows you to find people. of mind without risking a breach of your self-isolation. And once set up, your home is protected 24-7 with emergency dispatch for break-ins, fire, and more.

And you can get this all for just 50 cents a day. We're not the only fans of SimpleSafe. U.S. News and World Report named SimplySafe best overall home security of 2020. Right now, when you head to Simplysafe.com slash no sleep, our listeners will get free shipping in a 60-day risk-free trial. That's simplysafe.com slash no sleep to make sure they know that our show sent you.

So, stay safe, stay at home, and make your home safer with SimplySafe. And Olivia, if you can hear this, I'm begging you. Please let me stay safe at this new hideout. That's really sweet. It's got a pool table and arcade machines and a bar and a 10-lane bowling alley

and... Okay, fine. I'm squatting behind the lanes of a bowling alley. If you send some horror to destroy me, you're going to be destroying the fun of children. Won't someone think of the children? Oh, she sent me a text. Don't worry.

I'm giving you a break this week. Oh, sweet. Well, that's one less thing to... Ah! Oh, man. Another bowling ball to the head. Oh, well. That's the price of safety, I guess.

Well, for you, the price of safety is just 50 cents a day. That's simplysafe.com slash no sleep to make sure they know that our show sent you. Welcome to the No Sleep podcast. I'm your host, David Cummings. We're in between seasons 14 and 15, working hard to get the new season ready to launch on August 30th. And this week, we have two tales for you, previously released on Season Pass episodes. from the past. With season 15 starting on August 30th,

that means we're only two weeks away. So next week we have a special episode for one and all. We're calling these episodes, sleepless decompositions. New stories in a state of decay, you might say. There'll be our chance to play around and experiment with horror tales. We'll do them from time to time

Whenever we have stories, we don't want to let fester. So compose yourself and join us on August 23rd for some sleepless decompositions. Now, while we wait for 15, we wait no longer for our sleepless tales. In our first tale, we join Anne, a young woman who finds herself stranded during a road trip. Thankfully, there's a very kind coffee shop owner on hand to offer Anne. somewhere to stay. Time to kick back and explore the location, right? Well, in this tale, shared with us by author Alex Gaskin, we discover that it's not safe to go out at night. Performing this tale are Addison Peacock, Mary Murphy, Mike Delgado, Jessica McAvoy, and Dan Zapula.

So hunker down overnight, don't go looking for trouble, and whatever you do, don't trust whatever is on the other side of the door. Ben, are you supposed to be wearing your uniform when you're out on a date? Hey, now, I'll have you know I'm here on official police business. It's true. Ben found me stranded by the side of the road and whisked me away with promises of fresh coffee and a break from the cold. I'm Anne, by the way. Lovely to meet you, Anne.

I'm Judy. You know, Ben doesn't usually bring stranded motorist in for a drink. I'm just trying to be hospitable while things are slow. Look, if I thought the station needed me... Up there, I don't at you. We need your assistance. Got a 1091D at the Rasmussen Farm, and they're giving me an earful about it. Yeah, I'm on my way. Should be there in 10.

Judy, can I owe you for whatever Anne gets? She's drinking on the house today. Thanks. And Judy is good company. But anything negative she says about me is a total fabrication. Judy, I have a car I can't drive, a road trip that's been delayed for who knows how long, and my not-a-date just ditched me. What do you have to make all those problems go away?

I have coffee. One coffee, then. I think I'll join you if you don't mind. Sure. How long have you had this place? I've been here about 15 years now. I guess I'll keep added until Starbucks finds our little town and pushes me out. I'm surprised this area isn't better known.

It seems lovely here. Honestly, I thought it would be all fields and farmlands until the next highway. We aren't on many people's radars. Hell, you've probably already noticed a cell service is basically non-existent. Hard to get more out of touch than that. Well, I'm sure I'll have a great time exploring. tonight and tomorrow while I wait for... Oh, God, I just realized, is there a motel nearby?

Ben said I shouldn't expect repairs until at least tomorrow, and I completely forgot to ask him about it. The closest motel's about 50 miles from here. There was a woman who lived by me, Margaret, who would keep her spare room nice to rent to people when they came through. but she passed away a few weeks ago. Oh, God. I'm sorry about your neighbor. That's sweet of you to say, but we...

Well, we weren't close. And at her age, it wasn't a surprise to anyone. I guess I could reach out to Ben, see if the station can do anything. But if not, I hate to ask, but... Could you possibly give me a ride to the nearest motel after you close? I can pay for the cost of your gas. Gosh, driving at night, it's risky. The roads outside town are in bad shape and they aren't lit.

You know, I still have the bed in my daughter's old room. You could stay with me if you like. Oh, no, I don't want to impose. Are you sure? It's available free of charge. And I can even throw in a hot meal. I don't get to cook for anyone that often. It's been so long since I got my daughter to bring her kids over for a nice family dinner.

Are you using parent guilt on me? You caught me. Really, you're sweet to offer your place, but are the roads at night really that bad? I just... You don't go out after dark! You don't! Bethany, it's all right. Not at night!

Not at night! Is she? Is she all right? Her son's gone missing. He was supposed to spend the weekend in Lincoln with friends, but he tried to drive home Friday night. They found his car abandoned at the edge of town, but they didn't find his body. That's awful. He just disappeared?

She must be going through hell. I guess I'm just being naive, but... but it's strange to think of something like that happening in a little town like this. It just seems so peaceful here. Yes, it really does. Okay, I admit I had my reservations, but zucchini noodles were actually really good. I told you, people only stick with carbs out of tradition or laziness.

She visited your sister. A couple of years since I went out to see her, but she spent a few days with us when our dad passed. And we always talk on the phone. We were both hoping Mom would join me on the drive, but these last few months have been hard. I know she just needs time, but it's tough to see her struggle.

It's not easy. I think it was about a year before I really got through it all. Never fully goes away. God, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to dredge those feelings out. No, no. It's been years. I'm not afraid to talk about it. And I can tell you, after losing Albert, having our daughter around, trust me, it helps. Does your daughter still live in town? She does. She's a teacher at the school. One of the lucky ones her age who could actually find a job here. She was determined, though. She kept telling me she couldn't imagine raising kids anywhere else.

Two daughters later, and she's still committed to sticking around, even as the class sizes keep dropping. I guess you guys must really love this place. Honestly, I'm only here because she's still here. Really? With the shop and how long you've been here, you'd want to leave? Things are different here now. from how it was when I was young.

It's hard to look at what it's becoming sometimes. I can make coffee. Would you like some? It's decaf. That sounds great. I'll be right back. While I'm doing that, why don't you look out the window?

There's something you should see. Um, sure. What am I looking for exactly? Nothing specific. I just want you to have a look around. It's so dark out. I can't really make anything out. Well, that's actually what I wanted you to see.

I told you the roads outside town aren't lit, but it's not just them. There are no lights on in the town, and I don't mean just street lamps either. No stores, no bars, no stoplights. Even homes keep their blinds closed. No one goes out at night. here. Not ever. Bethany's son, he knew better than to try. He must have been too drunk to think it through. It must make for some good stargazing. No light pollution. I bet you could... Anne, no one goes out at night here. And I need you to promise me you won't try to go out either

for any reason. Are you seriously telling me I'm not allowed to leave? I am. Look, I can explain what's happening. It might be hard to believe, but I think you deserve to know. I don't like this, Judy. You're telling me I can't leave. It's a little upsetting. I'm sorry.

I didn't want to scare you, but I need you to take this seriously. We should get away from the window. I thought about not telling you. just hoping for the best or I don't know it's not easy to talk about I tried to tell you that our town's been having problems we're losing jobs being forgotten and losing people but it isn't what you think we're not just dying out we're being hunted what I don't understand I'm not just dying out we're being hunted what I don't understand I'm not sure when it started, but I became aware of it around 20 years ago. They're patient, but they're relentless. Sometimes it's weeks or even months before another person is lost. They're out there every night. And I don't think they'll go away until this town is completely empty. Judy, you're not making sense. You're being hunted? Who would even do that?

It's vampires, Anne. What? Anne, I know how it sounds. What? I know it sounds crazy, but it's true. It's... Nope. Nuh.

I don't know if this is a weird town ritual to freak out travelers, or if you just thought it would be funny, but I've had a really long day, and I don't need you playing games like this. I know how it sounds, Anne. There are people who live. live here who don't believe it. My own daughter won't believe,

even though they've taken some of her classmates and other people she knew. For some, the thought is just more than they can process. But I've seen some of the bodies. I've been in search parties and come across them in the woods. I'll play along. How is this not a news story? You say you've found bodies, so there's evidence. There's no way this stays quiet.

They don't just attack physically. Their presence here affects a residence. They cloud people's minds. They can make you see things and hear things. They can look and sound just like us. That's how they catch people at night. Even people who should know better. Oh, that's convenient.

A monster that can look and sound like people and can magically make the rest of the world not believe in them. I think you should take me to a motel. I know it's dark and the roads are supposed to be scary. I just, I think it would be best. Anne, think about what you just saw. Why is everything so quiet and so dark? It's that way for a reason.

We don't want people to leave their homes at night. Our homes are the only safety we have. Why do you think Bethany was so upset? Judy, just stop! Don't use that woman's grief to say these awful things. Fine, I'll leave her out. Do you want to know what Ben was called away for? Sure, fine. Tell me.

When a call came in asking Ben to check out a 1091D, he was being asked to investigate the death of someone's animal. and there's only a need to report a death when it's not from natural causes. And I'm sure that happens all the time. A fox or a coyote or whatever gets after a pet or some chickens. I'm not falling for this. The Rasmusans only have one animal, a big and remarkably foul-tempered bull. Ben can take a report, but he wouldn't even try to track down something that was able to kill that bull.

not when it was so close to sundown there are no lights anywhere in town you saw that yourself if we leave and we get stranded we're out there alone with whatever it is that did that you don't have to believe in vampires to believe it's a very bad idea to be stranded outside in the dark

with something that can kill a bull right no how do I know you aren't making this up Halbert volunteered at the station for years, and I still have his old book with the police codes. I can get it for you if you need proof. Okay, fine, something might be out there.

But vampires? That doesn't even fit what happened. If they made the report this afternoon, their bull must have been killed during the day. The Rasmusans have been out of town visiting their son in the hospital. It could have happened. happened days ago, and they would have only just found out. Well, you're thorough, I'll give you that.

You can keep outing these details to your story, but you're not going to convince me that there are vampires. That's just not happening. I understand. In God, I wish I could join you in that disbelief. But this town is being preyed on. Even the people who make the most noise about not believing avoid going out after the sun sets.

Judy, please let this go. It sounds ridiculous. I get it. But can you at least trust me that you're better off here than trying to find your way around in the dark, in a community where no one is going to answer their door or check on a scream, or ever know you're out there? Can you at least believe me that I'm telling you to stay inside for your own safety? Yeah, fine. Sure.

That's good enough for you. me. The door to Tina's room locks from the inside and the window is sealed shut. I didn't want to take any chances. You know, you actually kind of look like her. Yeah? You'll have to look at the photos of her that are on her old dresser. She loves this town, and nothing's going to take her away from it. And nothing's going to take her away from me. I'm still here to make her to make her sure of that. And I'll stay until I'm sure my granddaughters will be safe too. So, I guess as long as the door shut, we're supposed to be safe? Isn't that the role that vampires have to be invited in? If I promise to leave the door alone, can we please drop it? Yes, but it's a little more difficult than it sounds. They can enter physically, but they can still get into your head, confuse you, trick you into letting you.

them in. Even while you're asleep, they can invade your thoughts. I can't help but notice you haven't tried to drink your coffee yet. Yeah, sorry. Been a little preoccupied. Wait, before you take a sip, I should tell you something. I added something to your drink. I put it in mind, too. It's a local remedy to help you sleep. Jesus. It helps you sleep. It helps you sleep. without dreams. It's to keep you safe. I keep it around because I need it sometimes. It's... Are you out of your fucking mind? I'm getting out of here! If I was trying to trick you, why would I tell you? Don't know, don't fucking care.

Anne. Anne. Look at me, Anne. See? This is your cup. I'm drinking from it. I put it in both cups, because I intended for us both to have it. Like I said, I use it too. I should have told you up front, and I'm sorry I didn't. But I just want us to be safe. You don't have to take anything, but I'm telling you, having them in your mind is bad,

but having them in your dreams is so much worse. Judy, this isn't... Please, I just... I'm going to bed. It won't take long for me to fall asleep now. You won't bother me if you stay awake. You might even be better off staying awake. But no matter what, that front door stays closed.

Please. The bedroom you're in will lock from the inside. You don't even have to see me in the morning. Just leave me a note of some kind and let me know, you left safely. Time is it. I'm 30. Oh, God, I can't breathe in here.

I'm getting a water. God, it's bright. I thought I turned off the lights in the hall. What? Are you in there? I need you to let me in. I hope you're still okay. Can you hear me?

It's me. I'm here. What's happening? I need you to open the door, Anne. It's Judy. You're not safe with her. I'm... What?

I'm so sorry. I didn't know anything until tonight, but as soon as I found out, I came here. You're not safe with Judy. What did she do? It's bad, Anne. It's really bad, and I need you to let me in so I can deal with her before she tries to hurt you. Deal with...

Are you here to arrest her? Are you alone? I can't see anything through the people. It's so dark. I can't believe I trusted her. Look, I'm gonna keep you safe, and I'm gonna make sure Judy doesn't hurt you or anyone else. I... I'm...

Anne, get away from that door right now. Judy? It's Ben. He's here to... He wanted to check on us. That isn't Ben. What you're hearing is just what it thinks you need to hear in order to open the door.

Don't do it. Judy, that story of yours... I just can't believe... I warned you they go out at night. And... I warned you they would try to trick you into opening the door. What are the odds Ben just happens to show up with some urgent story in the middle of the night, asking to be let in? What are the odds? What the hell the odds have to do with any of this? And, of course, it's me. Who the hell else would it be?

You're a vampire. You're doing what they do, trying to mess with our minds to get inside. A vampire? Oh, God. Damn it, are you really? Open the door now. If you let me in, I can tell you what's really going on, but you need to move quickly because you're not safe in there with Judy. It's just in your head, Anne. When you break the hold, it will retreat and will be safe.

You want to know what's really going on, Anne? Okay, some people like Judy actually believe our town is being preyed on by vampires. And they'll sometimes go out of their way to scare travelers with their stories. It was the seed of an idea spread like three decades ago by a traveling minister named Gary Orson. He was one of those traveling types who wanted to cash in on the satanic panic of the day. Only he claimed his devil worshippers took their inspiration from vampires, not witches. I'm sure people tried to ignore him at first, but he made some slick speeches, offered up a few creatively interpreted Bible references, and even tried to start leading his followers on daylight

raids after a couple of kids went missing. People who are hurting can put their faith in whatever gives them relief. The cops back then had to scare Orson into leaving because he quickly became a public menace. Most people don't even remember him, but his story stuck with his followers. And over time, it mutated into nonsense about actual vampires. Now we even have to leave all of our lights off at night just to humor these cranks who still believe. Ignore it, Anne. It's just telling a story, one that it hopes will get it inside. You don't have to listen to anything it says.

Just go back to bed and... How are you awake right now, Judy? You said the stuff you tried to give me would... I was only giving you a small amount. I'm used to taking a larger dose, so it had less of an effect on me. It was enough for me to fall asleep, but not enough to keep me asleep. When I heard noises in the hallway... Judy, I'm going to let...

Ben finished talking. Anne. I'm going to let Ben finish talking, Judy. You can stand there or you can go back to bed. Ben? I think at this point, all of the vampire talk from some of the old folks drives kids away as much as the lack of jobs. Everything that's happened to this town has happened to countless other places,

especially these last few years. Friends and neighbors get sick and die, and so they blame Ben. You know what they should be afraid of? Old age and opioids, just like every other dying town. Addiction and depression and loneliness break people all the time. I can't blame them for wanting it to be something else's fault, but you know how crazy this sounds. Anne, get away from the door and stop letting this thing get into your head, please. Hey, Judy, maybe instead of pretending I'm not real, you should ask me,

why I showed up tonight, because I learned some pretty wild stuff about you earlier. What was it? That isn't Ben. Stop acknowledging it and walk away. You're going to get away from that door even if I have to drag you. If you take another step, I'm opening this door right now. And... I'm letting him finish. Ben, what did you learn? Judy had a neighbor, Margaret, who passed away just a few weeks ago. Most people didn't think anything of it. She was old. She was a heavy drinker.

People who knew her knew it would happen sooner or later. But what I couldn't figure out was why Judy was the one to find her. I mean, they lived next to each other, sure. But they weren't friendly. Anne, it's all made up. Nothing it says has any bearing on reality. You aren't fooling me anymore, Judy. I couldn't stop thinking something was amiss.

So, I had a toxicology report done on my... Margaret's body. It was waiting for me on my desk when I got to the station this evening. Turns out, she's been poisoned with antifreeze. It's actually pretty easy to mask in food or in beverages like tea or coffee. It's just a trick. It's trying to turn what's in your head against you. I don't, Anne, no, you'll be dead the moment you open that door. As much as we have a lot of people with health problems. It seems like people in Judy's orbit get sick or worse pretty often. Sometimes a person she butts heads with winds up in the hospital. Sometimes a disobedient grandchild is bedridden with stomach problems. Hey Judy, hasn't it been a while since Tina brought her kids over

for one of your big family meals you love to host? Don't you dare say her name? And all that got me thinking. Didn't Albert die off awfully suddenly? Sure, he'd been sick, but he was getting better. And then, Bha! Drops dead. So, I made some requests. I'm going to dig up his body, Judy. I'm going to run some tests on it and see if we can't find out what really happened. Shut up.

Just... Anne, none of this is real. Everything it's telling you, it's just a trick. This isn't Ben. I know how it sounds. I'm still having a hard time believing Judy is capable of murder. But isn't it a lot harder to believe that vampires exist? Look, you've got two choices here, and one of them is literally impossible.

How did you know I was staying with Judy? What? You said you came here for me, but how did you know I was staying here? I know Judy's one of those who won't leave the house tonight. I just assumed she would have offered you her spare room. Look, if I'd suspected anything this afternoon. But you did suspect something. That's why you tested Margaret's body.

If Ben Donahue, the real Ben, thought you were in trouble, he would have made absolutely sure you were safe. That's the kind of person he is. This thing doesn't understand men like that. It has no concept of decency. I'm sorry. I messed up. I was flustered and I had to go and...

Damn it! This is what she does, Anne. She's the one who plays tricks. She's the one who you need to be afraid of. It's just... I don't know. Anne, just please, don't let her fool you. Let me in so I can protect you.

Think about your safety. Think about your family. Imagine how much pain it'll cause your mother losing her daughter just after losing her father. I... I didn't tell Ben about my father. I told Judy during dinner, but Ben doesn't know anything about it.

No, you did tell me. It was on the ride to the coffee shop. How else did I know? I didn't say anything about my father to Ben. I remember because I actually felt guilty about it. I felt like I was trying to keep it hidden because we were having a nice time and I just wanted to put it out of my mind for a while.

Anne, you've had a long day. You've been through a lot. You're just misremembering. You did tell me about. your father. I'm sorry to bring it up like this, but I need you to... Stop it. Just leave. I'm not letting you in. Ann! Godstand it! Anne! You need to open that door right now! You're in danger! Just walk away from the door, Anne. Once you walk away, it will give up.

Ann! You have to let me in, Anne! Right now! Open the goddamn door! She's gonna help you! She's gonna tell you, Open it now! Open a door! You added it? I did. I put in just enough to help you sleep for the rest of the night. No dreams. I...

A thing out there. I know. It's a lot to take in. I... I don't understand how it's possible. I'm not even religious. I don't have room for this. We were lucky.

They don't always make obvious mistakes like that. But what do we do? If these things are out there, they have to be in other places. How do you deal with it? One of the advantages of being in a small town like this is that there wasn't much of a nightlife to give up. The lights being out of hell, at least for the peace of mind to not look out a window and see one in the shadows.

Even the skeptics mostly take the right precautions. But can we do something about them? I don't know. In the movies, you're supposed to find their coffins during the day. I don't think they come from coffins. A few of us have gone out and checked the cemetery, but there's never been any signs of a disturbance. They seem to hunt alone,

but I believe they nest together when the sun is out. There's a cave just beyond town, Out to the northeast. The ground around it... Well, it's all dead. Cracked dirt and withered tree trunks. I've been there in the daylight. You could feel the change in the wind when you get close.

It sours. The air hurts your lungs. I believe it's where they go during the day. You went out there? Why? After Albert died, I was the only one to look after Tina and her girls, who were still so little.

This was after Tina's husband. Put it this way. Albert passed from natural causes. My son-in-law didn't. Tina's convinced her husband abandoned them. And I think that I did. is less painful than believing he could have been killed by those things. But I had to make sure I could protect them.

So I tried to study them. Asked around to other people in town, did as much research as I could, though most of it was worthless. I found the cave by looking at aerial photos of the land around our town. That one spot was so empty of life, it just felt like the right place. You wanted to confront them? I thought I might be able to,

but it's hard to tell how deep that cave is, and the protection from the sun might make them able to defend themselves. An attack was too risky, but I couldn't let them hurt, Tina, or my granddaughters. I couldn't. What did you do? I made a couple leaps of faith. If they can reach into our minds,

I thought maybe there was a way to talk back. And if they nest together, there might be a leader that coordinates their behavior. So I tried to reach the leader, and I offered it a deal, something to convince them to spare my family. The deal? What was the deal?

That I bring them offering. whenever I can. Offer? Oh, no. Oh, Judy, no. I... I'm sorry, Anne. I hoped I wouldn't have to. But after one came to the door,

they'll know I have someone here. I wish there was some other way. Judy! Anne, I'm sorry. The medicine stops you from dreaming. It's a mercy to keep them out of your dreams, even at the end. Have you looked at your wireless bill lately? You're probably paying too much.

It's 2020. Network coverage is better than ever, no matter your wireless provider. So why pay more for the same service? That's where Mint Mobile comes in. They can cut your bill down to $15 a month for the same premium coverage. I know what you're thinking. This is too good to be true, but these guys know what they're doing. My old wireless contract was ridiculous.

Each monthly bill was way more than I should have been paying. Switching to Mint Mobile was like treating my phone to a hot date. A fancy meal, a walk under the stars, then having some meaningful conversation at make-out point. Compared to my old bill, the amount I pay now is incredible. And coverage is fantastic too. I'm basically never stuck without a signal wherever I go. Your old wireless bill pays for expensive overheads.

Mint Mobile is all online. They make savings and they pass them onto us, their customers. Imagine the savings are going to bank when you switch to Mint Mobile and pay just 15 bucks a month. Every plan comes with unlimited nationwide talk and text plus crazy fast 4GLTE. Use your own phone with any Mint Mobile plan, keep your same phone number along with all your existing contacts. And if you're not 100% satisfied, MintMobil has you covered with their seven-day money-back guarantee. To get your new wireless plan for just $15 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 wireless bill to $15 bucks a month at Mintmobile.com. In our final tale, we delve into a somewhat familiar area of entertainment. Podcasting. Yes, some of you may have heard certain horror podcasts, but I can guarantee you haven't heard this one. It's a paranormal urban exploration show run by one Lester Holland. And in this tale, shared with us by author Carson Winter, thanks to an unknown archivist,

we're able to listen to the final ever episode of this mysterious show. Performing this tale are Atticus Jackson and Jessica McAvoy. So come join us on the Black Pilgrimage as we, along with Holland, hike through the forest on the trail of missing people. All that and more in Zero Boundaries podcast, episode 182. Editor's note, the following was painstead. vaguely transcribed from Luster Hollen's digital recorder. We have done our best to preserve his voice for ease and accuracy of analysis.

All right, so, I think this is rolling. Well, wait, fuck. Yeah, okay, we're on. I'm recording. Can I even say rolling anymore? Is that allowed? Does a digital recorder roll? Whatever your verb preference.

This is episode 1,8. Two of Zero Boundaries, the premier paranormal urban exploration podcast. And this time, we're going live. Well, almost. I'm recording live on the scene, but you guys'll hear it whenever it hits iTunes or whatever. Losers. Editor's note, Zero Boundaries is no longer available online for the greater listening public. Right now, speaking from my...

digital recording device, I'm parked at a campside on the edge of Olympic National Park in Washington State. And I'm about to go on a week-long hike in an attempt to piece together a mystery that won't stop unraveling. And because I'm in the field, so to speak, I'm going to be recording all my thoughts. And what mysteries does this lush, green, beautiful forest hold? Hundreds of missing people, for one. But make no mistake, that's only where the story begins. To pass the time on the trail, I've brought all my research with me. Throughout the next week, I'll lay out everything I know about the Black Pilgrimage while...

Drumroll, I'm actually walking it. I take my first steps on the trail tomorrow morning. Until then, this is zero boundaries. I've been hiking for about... Let's say three hours now. I've just been kind of enjoying the scene, really. It's one of those things you have to see to appreciate. Sun is out.

Air smells crisp and clean. I don't think I'll mind roughing it in these parts. So, just to recap for all those who don't know how this works, I'm going to be recording this episode in the forest itself. I have a couple fully charged batteries for my recorder, and I'm assured I could record a hundred hours straight if I wished. If you remember the Detroit episode where we spent the night in the Haunted Factory, this is going to be kind of like that, except way more ambitious.

I'll explore the mystery, kind of go through the facts in my downtime, and report anything I see or hear. It'll be fun and hopefully spooky. To complete the experience, I also brought a camera, And when I get home, I'll post some stuff to the Zero Boundaries blog, just so, you know, you can get the whole picture. Yeah, I know, I know. I'll be here all week. Literally, double singer. Editor's note. Blog no longer exists. Unfortunately, to our knowledge, no pictures have been recovered yet.

But anyways, let's get to why I'm here. The Black Pilgrimage. What paranormal investigator Kipler Rochey called an unacknowledged Holocaust, the most prolific serial killing in the history of the human race? A deadly trail that some say is the Pacific Northwest's Bermuda Triangle, discovered in part by non-profit missing but not forgotten, a foundation intent on solving missing persons' mysteries with the help of a large and active community user group. The site's flagship application,

The missing map was used as a tool to help keep track of high-risk areas and to highlight the possibility of a human trafficking ring operating in the United States. A couple users local to Washington noticed the high density of dots in and around the perimeter of the forests, and from there, the ball started to roll. Who were these people who all so suddenly vanished? Well, at first glance, they had no connection to each other at all. They were normal people who lived quiet lives both online and off, flew to the northwest, headed off towards the forest, and were never heard of again. One of the most interesting pieces of evidence in regards to a sort of anomaly is this blog post by Jeff Coons, a man who allegedly sat next to a woman named Marcy Pollock on her plane ride to Seattle.

Coons found out the woman was missing a couple weeks after his flight, and came forward to reveal his recollections and hopes that they could help the authorities. He writes, She was quiet, kind of tense, maybe a little sad. I tried to lighten the mood with her a couple of times and chatted a bit. I asked her if she lived in Seattle, and she said, No, I'm just going home. I took that to mean she grew up there, but moved away.

The wording stuck with me, though. Editor's note. Holland misquotes Coons' blog post here. In the original post, Coons writes that she says, No, I'm coming home. There are no known records of Marcy Pollock having any connections to Seattle or the Northwest. The last places the missing or seen are often at gas stations, campsites, are sometimes on the trail itself.

And to be true to the case, I've made all the obvious things. stops in the obvious places. Some listeners have suggested in preparation for our Black Pilgrimage episode that someone who works at one of these common sites is scoping potential victims. If this is true, I've left a strong enough trail for anyone to follow. They know where I'm going. The only thing I didn't tell them was my real name in what I was doing here. Editor's note, this was Holland's first misstep.

The pseudonyms he left at various hotels, restaurants, and gas stations obfuscated his comings and goings. He chose intentionally bland names like Robert Brown or Jeff Williams, names found at other registries in the area, thus widening the search when it could have been more focused. According to my map, I've made it to my first real stopping point today. Time to set up cam. Tomorrow, I'll tell you all about the little mystery. that's guiding my journey and how it connects to the Black Pilgrimage. Peace out!

I'm eating breakfast now. I'm eating the good shit. Bake beans cooked over campfire. Authentic smoked in flavor. The night was quiet. I heard a couple of animals, but nothing too Blair Witchy. Slapped pretty decent, but I'm a city boy. And I reserve the right to be tore up from a day of hiking.

Anyways, I said yesterday I was at my first real stopping point, which means I should probably talk about the map. If I were to describe it to you, you'd think it rather unremarkable. The map itself, or my copy at least, is a print-off of a scan, an old map of the National Park with heavy black vein-like lines hand-drawn over the illustrated topography. Each vein ends in the near center of the forest, reaching like a tendril from its edge to its darkest depths.

These are the trails. They all lead to the same black dot, and they all have a number of disappearances attributed to their entry points. This is the McAllister map. This is what is leading me onward. For 15 years, the McAllister map has been passed around on the Internet as a lesser-known piece of internet folklore. Some users of sites such as 4chan and Reddit recall seeing it posted occasionally,

dating from around the early millennium onward. Much of its rather limited popularity came from its unnerving visual factor. Basically, if you look at it, and I'll be posting this to my blog along with any other pictures I come up with, you'll see that it looks pretty creepy. But initially anyway, that was the problem with the McAllister map. It didn't have any real staying power.

It didn't have a name or a purpose like Slender Man, therefore never experienced the same sort of growth. Back then, the names floating around were sillier and more decidedly horrific, like Satan's eye or worm waves. It wasn't even widely acknowledged as a map back then, not until a user from a form dedicated to unsolved mystery, commented that the map was of Olympic National Park.

From there, one map was connected to the other, and the fervor began. Internet researchers pinpointed the first sharing of the map back to 2001 in the golden age of online piracy. It was posted to an anonymous and now defunct image board at 9.36 p.m. October 12th. There were a couple of comments, all of them lowercase, mispelled and not altogether too interesting. But someone who saw it there downloaded it and then included it in a file titled creepy.orgie.

Now, it was not actually executable, but simply an image gallery. Most agreed that the title was likely written by a kid who thought it sounded techie. The file contained a host of typical creepy images, one of which was the McAllister map. CreepyDottyXE became a starter kit of sorts for kids on the internet, and this is when the image started to spread, albeit modestly.

But once the Black Pilgrimage became a specifically Northwest phenomenon, the map took on a new weight, as users noticed similarities. The comparison took minutes to make, and pretty soon commenters were pointing out that both depicted Olympic National Park and, more disturbingly, the entry points on the McAllister map correlated with the largest congregation of dots on the missing map.

People began to wonder how it came to be, what it was, and when it was made. Well, the first clue was the map itself, not what was drawn upon it, but the original untainted map. Users matched it to a roadmap published in 1952, stocked in gas stations and convenience stores across the United States. On the blotch of green that is Olympic National Park,

the black lines were drawn, probably in marker, designating a number of trails that all led to the same spot in the shadow of Mount Olympus. The McAllister map is a black and white scan of that map. The scan's distortive quality highlighting its sinister undertones with the ragged, stark aesthetic of horror movies like the ring, the grudge, and earlier, seven. This coincidence, along with the growing mystery surrounding the Black pilgrimage,

cemented the McAllister map as more than just a map, but something innately sinister. The plot thickened when a man named Buck Farr claimed to of the original download on an old computer, saved on a whim from the original image board. Farr said, in the now lost but endlessly screenshot at my space post. Me and a friend, way back in the pimply ages of middle school,

used to use the site as a discreet way to share pictures of, well, porn. It wasn't as widely used as 4chan, so it felt a little less skeevy, too. I mean, we were still looking at naked women, but it was pretty tame in comparison. Kid shit. Recently, my friend saw the picture of the map and sent it my way, knowing I was into spooky shit. He had no recollection of it at all, but when I saw it, it took me straight back to being 13 and staying up late and reading creepy threads. I remember seeing it, not thinking much of it, and then saving it. Back then, I saved everything that even remotely caught my eye.

The map was weird and kind of cool to look at. When he told me that it was becoming a big deal, I had to dig out my old computer. Far did the mystery a huge service by finding the original download and uploading it, and an even bigger service by exposing its metadata, revealing the file to have been uploaded by a Lewis McAllister the third. All it needed was a name, and the McAllister map became canonized into internet folklore. We're going to switch gears before we get back to Lewis McAllister, But remember that name, because it's not the last time you'll hear it.

On each trail, or veins as they've started to be called, are smaller dots. Internet commenters called them blood clots. Charming, right? Well, I've been hiking for a while now, and I think I've found my first blood clot. Should just be over the hill here. So, no one actually knows for sure what these represent, but as we get deeper into the tangential material surrounding the Black Pilgrimage,

the McAllister map, and the damned abattoir, more theories will present themselves. The general consensus is that they're pit stops of some sort. Either way, we're about to find out for sure. Very soon. Editor's note, Holland mentions the damned abattoir, but never speaks about it at length,

save for a few illusions. It is not yet clear whether Holland acquired a copy or is using what he has seen online as a reference point. Oh my God. This is amazing. I can't believe what I'm seeing here. Incredible. Here, let me try to describe this.

I'm looking at the vein I'm following, and this is the first of two blood clots before we reach the end of the map. I can't even... I'm seriously so excited right now. This is real headway. Well, and I've seen this before, I'd live to tell the tale. All right, let me take a deep breath.

Awesome! I was walking up this hill. It was super rocky, but still, let me tell you. Beautiful. Gorgeous. Green on everything. Even the moss here is fluorescent. We get to the top, and the trail tells me to steer loft down the side of the other hill,

which leads to a small valley. Down in the center of the valley, which is maybe, let's say about 200 feet of flatland flanked by heavily wooded hills, there is a structure. Man, made definitely. Stone, but overgrown vines and moss.

It looks like an arch, kind of stone-angious, you know? But I'm going to take a lot of pictures because I want to know when this is built, but I don't want to get it. sometime in the rest hundred years. It's amazing. And it's getting back.

I'm in camp here for the nine and got us some more data to take it back with me. It's morning. I'm still alive. No devil's whispering in my ears. Although I'm pretty sure someone did walk through my camp last night. But I'm thinking it was probably just another hiker. Freaked me out a little bit when it happened, but what are you going to do? I'm in the woods.

People hikes. Just for the record, I didn't see the hiker, but I did hear him, and I can see his footprints right now. I'm taking some more pictures for the blog, just in case. Just to be clear, I'm not fearful for myself right now. I'm more concerned that I'm documenting the latest victim to fall into the Black pilgrimage. So, hopefully, that's not what's happened here. Either way, time to break care.

On the trail again, saying goodbye to our first blood clot. Looks like my trail is taking me in a different direction than the footsteps of our fellow traveler. Am I a pussy for saying I'm relieved? Yes? Fair enough. Changing gears here. Another piece of the puzzle. More fodder from message boards of the days past. Remember when discussion boards were big?

Before all discussion was centered in Facebook groups. It's a thing of wonder, really. I'm on the trail right now, so forgive my foot stomping in the background. This next thing. I actually knew about this before I ever got into this black pilgrimage stuff. Way before. The Zero Boundaries listener actually tagged me in a story, and I thought at the time it was a cute mystery.

Small potatoes, but still intriguing. It was a video pulled from a local news broadcast out of Bismarck North Dakota, a little fluff piece surrounding a 73-year-old blind woman who paints. Let me talk a little bit about her art, why she chose painting, her struggles with her disability and her can-do optimism. Meanwhile, they cut to some folks who I assume were from the Bismarck art scene, and they all have some really nice things to say about her painting technique. Nice, right? It's a fun story that you could probably see your local news running, too. The paintings are no great mystery.

They tend toward the abstract and are almost purely expressionistic. She is blind, after all. But they do have a very nice raw quality to them that makes them appealing. Well, there's one scene in the video where the interviewer is standing in Abby's studio, and they're talking about her art. They go through a couple of her paintings, and she talks a little about them. In the background of the studio, we see all these... paintings hanging on the wall.

And this is where whoever uploaded the video zooms in and digitally circles a single painting. You can barely see it. And the video itself was produced around 1996, so the quality isn't quite up to snuff in the first place, but you can see pretty clearly that this painting in the background is the only of the set that isn't abstract.

It's a mountain surrounded by forest. and it's tucked into the corner of her display. Well, this definitely raised an eyebrow for me at the time, but I shrugged it off and moved on. I mean, there's the obvious answer here. Abigail's door wasn't always blind, and she painted the nature scene back when she had sight. Boom, gaze closed.

Except, that's not correct in the least. Abigail Zadour was born blind due to Libra's congenital amaurosis, an inherited disease. She has never known sight. Editor's note, it is possible Abigail Zadour possessed limited sight throughout, or early in her life. Holland seems confused or is sensationalizing Zadour's story. However, it is still a remarkable feat for her to have painted this piece. Either way, it is suggested that her sight is in parallel with the damned abattoir. That in mind, new questions emerge.

Did she actually paint this? Was it purchased? Would a blind woman purchase someone else's art? Does she personally enjoy art, or does she like the way it allows her to express herself? One of our users went online and did some research. Fresh Jack 13 found a great number of her paintings on a big card. Tellside run by her surviving family. Abby died in 2004, and wanted her paintings to be sold cheaply to people who would have appreciated them.

Well, why do you know? The mountain painting wasn't there. And for good reason, too. It was sold four years ago. You gotta give credit to Fresh Jack 13, because he goes a lot deeper than your average researcher. He found a painting online. resolution scan, and the title. Where did he find it?

A deep web message board called The Abattoir. The painting. The red. Editor's note. Abituary user Doug Jackson has claimed to be Fresh Jack 13 and has submitted screenshots of emails sent between himself and Holland as proof. Mud, with a clear scan, we can see a lot more detail. In fact, as soon as we posted a mini-episode mystery of the scan, we knew we were onto something a lot bigger.

Almost instantly, our Northwest readers shined in. The painting was of Mount Olympus, the mountain I can see right now looming. And, if I'm being totally honest, I'm fairly close to the painting's perspective, about a day's hike from the next blood clot. It's chilling to see it like this, because the deeper you get into the black pilgrimage, the more things connect, never exact, but they have a way of falling into place. The painting, why is it called the red?

There's no red in it. It's just motel art, albeit more ominous. The reason is another of those puzzle pieces, one that never quite fits into place, but another question to inspire endless debate. But let's deal with the abattoir first. Hidden in the deep web, discovered by Fresh Jack 13 from a lone Lincoln,

a cult forum that's been dead for about a decade, is an old-school message board centered around a mystery. Well, that's not quite the right way to put it, huh? It's populated by devotees of a mystery. Anyways, the first big accident of the whole trip. Talking to myself, tripped. That about sums it up. If I'm correct, I'm still about two days from the end of the journey.

The blood clot on the radar for tomorrow. I'm just torn up right now. I fell down into a, I don't know, a ravine. Is that right? I guess so. I hit a lot of trees on the way down. I might have twisted my ankle, which is the majority of the pain I'm feeling right now,

but hopefully it's not actually sprained. I managed to get myself back to where I tripped and a little farther, but I'm still about a mile short of where I originally wanted to stop. And it's still light out, and it will be for another three or four hours, but I'm going to set up camp and try to rest my foot. Peace out. Editor's note. Sound file available in primary documents forum.

Editor's note. From here on out, Holland starts to sound fatigued, possibly dazed from the encounter he had the previous night. This could also be a compounding of factors, including exposure to the elements and potential injuries. From the damned abattoir, they walk and they shamble through the woods like a flock of sheep. They walk all day and they walk all night, and I smell like bourbon and brains. I don't know what to think anymore. I was afraid to leave the tent this morning, you know. I didn't want to get out of my fucking tent.

I'm taking pictures of the footprints, all that kind of stuff. I know I need to, but it's hard because right now I'm not sure. I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing. But make no mistake They were here I can see the footprints About ten of them And they were all around the tent

And they were talking to me But I don't know what they were saying Would it be cowardly to just convince myself It was a dream and move on? I'm kicking myself For turning on my recorder at all Yay, zero boundaries podcast premier paranormal.

Editor's note, Holland trails off and says nothing for 43 seconds. This is a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. A lot. I'm going to eat something, and then I'm going to go to the next blood clot. God help me, I am a stupid man, a little shaking up still.

It's hard to describe how I'm feeling because, well, I've never had to feel anything like this before. I'm isolated. Like, really isolated. If I wanted to get back to civilization, I'd probably have to hike a good 50 miles. I mean, it all fits together, right? That's what makes a good mystery.

Is that at the end you can see the pieces fall into place? Well, right now, I'm wondering, you know. What if this isn't a good mystery? What if this bad mystery? I'm getting tired. I've only been hiking for an hour, and I'm tired. I'll try to push through. God.

Where were we? The abattoir is a forum on the deep web. A scary term for the Internet that isn't part of the... search engine databases. Imagine all the websites you go to being on a map. Wait. Sure, a map. Not the map, but a map, like a roadmap. It's all documented. You can trace the lines, outline it with a marker if you want, make stops along the way. But now, imagine some cities haven't been put on the map yet. And to get there, you just need to know how to get there.

Well, that's the deep web. That's the abattoir. It's not cataloged and you won't find it on any maps, but it's there. And this is where we start to go deep. Maybe too deep, if you ask me. The abattoir is a dedicated form for everything related to the Black Pilgrimage. If we'd found it a long time ago, we'd have saved a lot of legwork. But the truth of the matter is that it has to be already known about.

It's like the chicken and the egg. How do you find a way to know something you're already supposed to know? I feel like I'm going to be sick. You know, all those women who write to serious... The men who fall in love with them? The abattoir is a lot like that. The masthead is made up of the faces of the missing. Now you think, like, maybe it's like, for remembrance.

They're trying to help the families or something. But look at the name. The abattoir. Do you know what an abattoir is? Do you? It's a slaughterhouse, man. Editor's note, it is possible that Holland is congested here as the tone of his voice changes. Some users claim to hear sniffling too, after the masthead and later during eloquent user speculation.

Users are split on whether the congestion is emotional or viral. This is the slaughterhouse, the forest, a giant meat grinder. They have threads upon threads with thousands of pages of eloquent user speculation. We were talking about the red, right? Well, they know all about it. They've deconstructed the technique, have a rough timeline of when it was painted, and they know who bought it. Remember McAllister, the kid who uploaded the map,

the one who gave it its fucking name. Or guess who bought the red? Go ahead. Fucking guess. Another McAllister, the second this time. His father. It just keeps going deeper. You can ask yourself why.

You can ask yourself why so many times, but it never comes together. Everyone wonders what they're doing now, who they are. they are. You don't need the abattoir to figure that out. You don't. At the age of 15, Lewis was found guilty for the murder of a 12-year-old girl. Before that, he was known as a quiet kid with a good family. That's right. Ask anyone who knows them. The McAllister's are a good family. But then again, most of those people aren't on the abattoir, right? Editors note, most users remain anonymous.

Lewis was quiet. His mom and dad were around a lot. They were decently upper middle class. But Lewis would sometimes act out in school. Some people thought he had undiagnosed ADHD. Sometimes he'd had goofy to get attention. And then, one night, he lured a younger girl out of her house and killed her in the forested area of an evening.

nearby park. Details are vague, of course, but someone in the police department came up with the fact that he pulled out her eyes, cut off one of her fingers, then buried them nearby. Editor's note, another parallel from the damned abattoir.

I buried pieces of her along the trail in hopes that her flesh would act as seedlings and grow. Lewis McAllister III is in prison for life, His family has spoken out against his actions, have condemned them vehemently, and have offered nothing but support to the family of the girl. Still, still, there isn't a week that McAllister, too. This is a visit with his son. I'm looking at the map now, and I'm getting close, really close, chillingly close.

I'm in spitting distance of the perspective of the red. It's like I'm seeing the painting right now. It's unreal. The ground is quicksand, I guess. I'm at a loss for words. I'm looking up right now at Mount Olympus. I feel sick. I feel tired.

I feel out of my element. And right this second, I'm seeing the red in a way no high-deaf scan can ever represent. But the ground, it's like a marsh. I met the blood clot. The exact same perspective of Abysador painted. Jesus fucking Christ, the exact same. I don't know what to say.

There's no structure. Nothing man-made, just this marsh and the view. I can't tell if I'm underwhelmed or terrified. I don't know what I can say about any of this anymore. All I can think about is the fact that I'm starting to warm up to the idea that I might not make it out of here. Is that dramatic? Too dramatic to say? Maybe. I might be stuck here. I might be the...

Editor's note, Holland exhales slowly, theatrically even. Some users believe Holland had already. prepared this line before he entered the forest and is now using it regardless of his dire situation I might be the latest black pilgrim I don't even know what to think about that I can see it now my face my smiling face will appear in newspapers they'll take quotes from my friends I'll ask my family what I was like growing up all this will be published. Then it will be forgotten. And the only place I'll survive is on the abattoir. They might even put me on the masthead. They'll plot my course and imagine my terror

at what I might have seen. What might have happened to me. You know, on the abattoir, they have a forum called the Goodbye. You know what they post there? Well, it's right there. Right in the name. It's just a natural extension of the hobby. Once you start researching the Black Pilgrimage, eventually you'll want to take the trip yourself. Once you read the literature, once you see all the facts, the mysteries become too great. And when it's time, when you finish your tattered copy of the damned abattoir, when you've discussed the disappearances until you've memorized all the canonical victims, when you've seen the red, when you've read about the McAllister murder, when you start changing your desktop backgrounds to pictures of the forest,

when nothing else interests you, you say goodbye, and venture onwards as a fellow pilgrim. Marsh, I think it's moving. Editor's note, the dull roar in the background makes the audience. difficult to hear, but as user Bedlam II suggested, it is clear that Holland is reciting the last lines of the damned abattoir, where the narrator, in free verse, gives himself over to an unnatural living structure, most often referred to as the tower. Bricks, mortared, sealed and stuck with dice and pinups. End of transcription. Editor's note. tape was found 24 miles in, following the McAllister map's trajectory, starting from Vane 4 with some minor deviations.

The above was transcribed for ease of analysis. Lester Holland was never found by authorities, but this recording was found and sent in by user at the last underscore 45. Please do your due diligence and keep these materials off the greater web. All materials are presented to you by the abattoir. The spells are wearing off for now, but the magic will linger. The shop will be open again next week with more spells to enchant you. 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. 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, Inc.