The NoSleep Podcast - S18 Ep4: NoSleep Podcast S18E04

Episode Date: July 17, 2022

Tune in to Episode 4 of Season 18 for tales taking you to strange places!“Heaven Doesn’t Want Him” written by Lindsay King-Miller (Story starts around 00:02:20)Produced by: Phil MichalskiCast: Narrator – Erika Sanderson“The Abyss Within” written by Jeremiah Dylan Cook (Story starts around 00:06:10)TRIGGER WARNING!Produced by: Phil MichalskiCast: Narrator – Nikolle Doolin, Medical Examiner Creed – Mike DelGaudio, Medical Assistant Shelly – Atticus Jackson, Female Voice/Mrs. Creed – Nichole Goodnight, Secretary – Wafiyyah White“Zepar’s Rock” written by John Krane (Story starts around 00:18:40)TRIGGER WARNING!Produced by: Phil MichalskiCast: Sam – Mary Murphy, Alex – Graham Rowat, Reporter – Elie Hirschman“Yuma Lines” written by J.L. Schnelle (Story starts around 00:39:15)TRIGGER WARNING!Produced by: Phil MichalskiCast: Narrator – Jeff Clement, Amelia Banks – Sarah Ruth Thomas, Triss Sanchez – Erin Lillis, George Suggert – David Cummings, Kaytlyn Jackson-Perez – Katabelle Ansari, Samantha Park – Kristen DiMercurio“Pay the Fine” written by Thomas Díaz (Story starts around 01:04:35)Produced by: Jeff ClementCast: Sam – Kyle Akers, Trevor – Jesse Cornett, Police Officer – Dan Zappulla, 911 Operator – Danielle McRae“Elkhorn Trail” written by K.G. Lewis (Story starts around 01:21:35)TRIGGER WARNING!Produced by: Jesse CornettCast: Narrator – Linsay Rousseau, Deputy Davis – Mick Wingert, Sheriff Holt – Peter Lewis, Nurse – Wafiyyah WhiteThis episode is sponsored by:Upstart – Upstart believes people are more than their credit score. We take a holistic view of an applicant, rather than write them off because of their credit score. We want to empower people to take control of their debt and financial future. Get started by going to Upstart.com/nosleepShipStation – ShipStation makes it super easy to manage and ship all your online orders faster, cheaper and more efficiently. You’ll spend a lot less time on shipping and a lot more time growing your business. Go to shipstation.com and click the microphone icon at the top of the page. Enter code NOSLEEP to get a 60-day free trial.Click here to learn more about The NoSleep Podcast teamClick here for the “Goat Valley Campgrounds” soundtrack by Brandon BooneClick here to learn more about Jeremiah Dylan CookClick here to learn more about Thomas DiazExecutive Producer & Host: David CummingsMusical score composed by: Brandon Boone“Yuma Lines” illustration courtesy of Alia SynesthesiaAudio program ©2022 – Creative Reason Media Inc. – All Rights Reserved – No reproduction or use of this content is permitted without the express written consent of Creative Reason Media Inc. The copyrights for each story are held by the respective authors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You might enjoy being scared by the No Sleep podcast, but you don't want to be scared by the sticker price of a new car. That's why the new 57 Oldsmobiles won't scare your bank account, not with a list price starting at only $1,299. Can you imagine a time when a new car was so inexpensive? Yes, yes, I know, adjusted for inflation and all that. But these days, it's not easy to deal with inflation. the uncertainty of debt. We've all been there. Seemingly out of nowhere you get hit by an unexpected expense or bill. When that happens, it can feel like the weight of the world is coming down and it's normal to not know where to turn. That's why we want you to know about Upstart. Upstart powered personal

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After my father's burial, I found him on my doorstep, clods of earth clinging to his eyelashes. Who would desecrate his grave? Christ, who wouldn't? The man had more enemies than teeth. Instead of asking questions, I called the gravedigger, paid his fee, and watched as he buried my father beside my mother. Again. The next day the corpse lay in his own bed. Spiders crawled from his mouth and made homes in the sheets. I paid the gravedigger double to take the bed too. I woke that night to feel myself being dragged, my wrists caught in a death grip. Skeletal hands. tossed me into a hole where I lay stunned as earth was shoveled over me.

Then I heard my mother's voice. If you won't take him back, you can take my place, she said. And soil filled my screaming mouth. NSP presents the No Sleep Podcast Hour, starring David Cummings and the No Sleep Players. Nights of Darkness. Fear creeping through your soul. pounding heartbeats. Join us for tales of horror during the dark hours when you dare not close your eyes. And we're warning you. Brace yourself for the No Sleep Podcast.

Good evening. I'm David Cummings. Thank you for daring to be with us at the No Sleep Podcast hour. If your dad won't stay in the ground, hear this lesson. quite profound. If he returns to you quite often, you really should lock his coffin. A good word of advice from author Lindsay King Miller, from the tale which was this episode's cold open. Heaven doesn't want him,

performed by Erica Sanderson. As we're now in the heart of summertime, I'll bet many of you are thinking about camping in the great outdoors. If so, might I recommend Goat, Valley Campgrounds? Well, no, no, not the actual campgrounds. Those might be a good thing to avoid. I'm talking about the musical score to the Goat Valley Campgrounds series we did in season 17. Brandon Boone has released the haunting score he wrote for Goat Valley. You can find it on all major music streaming services. Just search for Goat Valley Campgrounds, and I'm sure you'll find it.

And there's a link in the show notes for Brandon's Band Camp page where you can purchase the music for a very reasonable price. It's the perfect soundtrack to listen to while you're camping under the stars in the dark woods, far away from anyone, when you're vulnerable to whatever's lurking out there. Well, never mind that. Just grab Brandon's music and enjoy the heck out of it. Now, adjust the antenna, tune in our signal, and settle in front of the TV to watch this week's Nightmares. In our first tale, we have a dead body to contend with.

Ah, but don't worry, it's all in a day's work when you're a medical examiner. As we learn in this tale, shared with us by author Jeremiah Dylan Cook, a man's common cause of death should require a simple autopsy, certainly not a descent into something much darker. Performing this tale are Nicole Doolin, Mike Delgado, Atticus Jackson, Nicole Goodnight and Wafia White. So don your gloves and take up your scalpel. The cadaver awaits, and so does the abyss within.

The following is a recording recovered from the Hazel Peak autopsy of a John Doe. If you have any knowledge of what occurred, please contact the Hazel Peak Police Department. This audio has not been edited in any way. This is Hazel Peak Medical Examiner Creed, starting the autopsy of an unidentified white male. Subject was delivered by Hazel Peak Police after being found incapacitated outside a school playground. According to police, subject was alive and talking about a shadow man he met. Subject was pronounced dead by arriving EMTs. The cause of death is presumed to be a heart attack.

Subject was wearing a suit upon arrival. black pants, jacket, and a white dress shirt. Underneath were flannel boxers. A subject has no tattoos or piercings. Weight is approximately 320 pounds, and he measures six feet in length. Nothing of note regarding male genitalia, and anus shows no sign of injury.

Hair is graying brown, and eyes are... Dole blue. No facial hair. Rigormortus is not yet present. Proceeding with examination of chest cavity. Doesn't the microphone hanging above the body ever get distracting? You get used to it. Why don't you make the Y incision to get us started? Are you sure? I haven't been here that long. If you're going to take over for me one day, then you'll need to start doing this kind of stuff. Okay. And don't forget to narrate for the rations.

Starting the incision, cutting from the right shoulder to the middle of the chest. Now cutting down to the belly button, struggling due to this guy's huge gut. Um, let's keep it respectful. Sorry, uh, this guy's, um, enlarged intestinal area. Oh, not bad. you'll get better as you go. Completing Y incision with cut from left shoulder, setting aside my scalpel,

and peeling back the subject's skin. All right, here, I'll help. Thanks. Subject's ribcages below. Should I get this all? Not until you've got your skin flap secured. My mistake. Now I've got it.

Good. All right. Now you can start the saw. And remember to stop the saw before you try to narrate again. Starting the saw now. Halfway cut? But there's something strange. Don't be shy.

Put it on the record. It feels like there's a draft coming from inside the body? I noticed to chill myself, but I doubt it came from the body. Our air conditioner probably kicked on while you were sawing. That must be it. resuming saw sawing complete proceeding to

remove the rib cage God can you verify what I'm seeing it it can't be should we get someone else in here no not yet not until we know

this isn't some kind of wild joke a joke is there another possible explanation help me try to get him on his side. Yeah, good idea.

Almost got him up. The table is all that appears under the subject. How is that possible? Let's drop them back down. I don't understand how it's possible. Should we narrate it for the record? Yeah, I'll do it. Medical Assistant Shelley has just completed the removal of the subject's ribcage.

Inside is... Well, all of the subject's organs are missing. and... And there's a fucking staircase leading down inside of this guy. It doesn't make any sense. And when I stuck my arm inside the cavity, it goes beyond the point where it should hit the table. What medical assistant Shelley says is accurate.

The stairs appear to be some kind of black stone. They feel cold to the touch. And the chill Shelley previously noted is coming. out of the staircase. I can't see the bottom. Can you? No. But it's so dark.

I count. Fifteen stairs before I can't see anymore. Are you sure this isn't some kind of ritual hazing? The old scare the new staff member with the MCSher corpse bit? If only. Do you think one of us could fit inside? You can't actually be considering going down those stairs. Well, I for one, want to know what the hell is going on here.

Yeah, but why don't we get a police officer or someone to go down there? This isn't exactly in our job description. Maybe you're right. Jack, is that you? It's so dark down here, Jack? Holy hell. Did you just hear someone shouting up from down there? What is that in my head?

You're not Jack. Who's there? That's your first name, isn't it? She's asking for you? It's not possible. I know that voice. None of this is possible. I'm sure we'll wake up at any moment.

Who is it? My. But isn't she? Dead. For eight years. Drunk driver sent her off a bridge. Jack, I've got Emily down here. She's doing great.

Come down and see. Wait, stop. What are you doing? I have to go down there. You're crazy. We need to call the police. Or better yet, the FBI. No one but my wife knew the name we picked out for our unborn child.

Your wife died pregnant. I didn't know. I'm so sorry. I have to check if she's really down there. I can't stop you, but I highly recommend you reconsider. Just think for a second. This is all insane. What are the chances your wife has returned from the grave with your unborn child inside a deceased stranger?

Jack, it's so cold down here. It's dark. I can hear you, but I can't find my way out. I need light. Emily needs you. I'm coming, honey. Hold on. Shelly, hand me that flashlight.

Here. But be careful. Do you need anything else for me? Just stay here. In case I need you to throw something down. For the record, I'm climbing atop the man and squeezing inside the cavity now. I'm going to keep talking because I don't know what the hell else to do. Jack, or a medical examiner Creed, is descending the stairs inside the corpse.

I can see his light growing dimmer. Are you okay so far? Yeah, nothing to report yet, just stairs. Honey, are you near? I can see her light. You're almost to me. Medical Examiner Creed's light just vanished abruptly. Sir?

Jack? It's fine down here, Shelly. Come down, you won't believe it. I already don't believe it. I don't need to come down there. Why don't you come up? I need another light. Please, bring me one.

I can toss one down. Would not be good enough? It would break. Please, help me get my wife and child out of here. Help us. No. I can't. It's too weird for me.

You're going to let me and my family die down here? Lost in the dark? Okay. I'm coming down, but I'll meet you halfway. I'm not going to the bottom of the stairs. Just going to the edge of the light. Okay, that's fine. Yeah, that'll work.

I'm crawling inside the body now. Descending the stairs. I'm stopped on the 15th stair. Can you see my light? Just wait there. Can't you see how grand it is down here? I don't see much of... Wait.

It's getting brighter. I can see walls. It's enormous down here. It's like a cavern. There's something wide a few steps below me. Did you notice that on your way down, Jack? Jack fell, we need you to come further. I can't support him without you.

No. No, I'm going back up now. I won't come down any further. The light is brighter now. I could almost make out whatever it is on the steps. and looks like, oh my God. Join us down here in the dark. We need company.

Come on, Shelly. It feels marvelous. You can't be. I'm staring at what's left of your... The body's chest cavity is closing above me. No. Help! You and the newbie want me to order lunch?

Jack? After several hours, medical examiner Creed's Reported him and his assistant missing. A search of the facility discovered nothing out of place. The John Doe's corpse remained on the table with the rib cage removed. The organs were present inside. An additional examination revealed the man died of a heart attack as assumed. The body remains unidentified.

And the medical examiner and his assistant remain missing. When you're young and in love, it's natural. to feel like your love will last forever. But soon you learn that life can change and carry on. But in this tale, shared with us by author John Crane, we meet two people who were in love as teenagers, finding themselves together again in their special spot, proving that love can run quite deep.

Performing this tale are Mary Murphy, Graham Rowett, and Ellie Hirschman. So allow yourself to start. smile as you remember young love. Just be wary if you find yourself returning to Zephyr's Rock. I remember the path to Zepper's Rock as being fairly long. It isn't. I hiked the trail in about an hour this time, the first time in 17 years, and bound everything to be a little bit smaller than I remembered. The rock itself is an unassuming hunk of greenstone, tall enough to serve as a point of no but too plain to serve as a point of interest, mostly unremarkable,

apart from a small plaque commemorating the discoverer, Karl Zepper. I never bothered to read the inscription on the plaque, and I didn't bother today either. I did look closely at the base of the stone itself, where I found it, Alex and Sam, forever. It was slightly faded, and surrounded by dozens of profane engravings,

that were much more imaginative than anything we'd been able to come up with back in 2005. Still, it was there. For the first time in a week, I felt a small tinge of relief. That changed when I heard the footsteps behind me. I heard his voice before I saw him. But as soon as I heard the leaves crumble under his shoes, I knew he was there. The feeling was mutual.

Of course it's you. Let me take you back to a night in 2005, to the best of my abilities. I remember the fresh smell of pine, mixed with the slightly bitter decay of the deadwood. I remember holding my hand in front of my eyes as we followed the trail to the peak. I remember looking at Alex and seeing him brush his hair back self-consciously. He caught me looking at him and tried to appear nonchalant. We followed the trail quickly at first. Nervous energy propelling us up the mountain.

We'd walked it nearly every weekend for a year, and we'd established a rhythm. One of us would start talking while the other listened, throwing out the occasional joke. Our pace would gradually quicken until it became unsustainable. Then we'd stop and take a moment to look around us with fresh eyes, tropping our teenage irony to let the cold air of the Minnesota woods breathe into us. Then, of course, we'd kiss.

We were 18, and there was no greater electricity in the world. We'd resume our walk until we made it to the peak of the trail, where Zephyr's rock stood alongside a picturesque cliff. We'd rarely see other hikers, especially when the weather was cold. A big part of the reason that we'd made the trip so frequently. That night, Alex spoke him frequently. At one point, he picked up an all-burn leaf and stuck it in my hair. It was corny, but it worked.

Romance must be unpredictable, earnest, and a little cliched. Teenagers are fantastic at meeting all three requirements. When we reach the top of the trail, the nervous electricity began to peak, as was often the case. We enjoyed the gorgeous overlook of the surrounding mountains. From there, we could see the lot where we'd parked. Alex's bright red Chevrolet Cavalier sat alone, awaiting the return of its lovesick passengers.

It would have to wait. You look great today, Samantha. Alex wasn't much of a word, Smith, but that didn't matter. We fell into a kiss, every nerve burning with satisfaction and release. Then, that night, we went further. It was the first time for both of us. And it was awkward, but still wonderful. In my memory, we talked for hours afterwards, but it might have been 15 minutes.

Time is different on the mountain. Before we made our way back down the trail, Alex surprised me with one more grand romantic moment. It was the most predictable, earnest, and cliched gesture imaginable. Look here, I got this knife last week. It's a good one, a case knife. I want to test it out. And he turned to Zeppers Rock,

the silent third party that had watched us enter a new phase of life. After a few moments of inartistic scratching, Alex stood back and we admired his work for a moment. Alex and Sam forever. Alex and I broke up six months later. I wish I could say that we split up amicably, then went on to live wonderful lives and raise families. But that's not true. At the end, he was jealous and selfish. He accused me of cheating on him three times.

times and cheated on me with my cousin. By that point, I was relieved to have a guilt-free reason to get out. I stopped speaking to him, and after a week or two, he stopped trying to contact me. I moved to Illinois, where I earned a degree in sociology, which gave me excellent qualifications for my full-time job at the local Walgreens. I am far removed from the fragile awkwardness I felt in the Minnesota mountains, and I do not think of that night often. That changed last week, and here we were, staring at each other on the same mountain. I knew you'd be here. His words had a strange venom to them. I could say the same, I said, hoping my words held the same quiet anger. I studied him for a second. The years hadn't been kind.

but not entirely unkind. His thinning hair had the same swooping look with an extra touch of gray. He'd gained a good amount of weight, but that's expected. I wasn't exactly about to squeeze into my prom dress. But his eyes had a look of obstinence and anger that I thought I recognized.

This was closer to the Alex that I found sneaking out my cousin's window than the gallant dweeb who'd led me to adulthood. So why are you here? I could detect some urgency in his voice. The same reason as you, I guess. You couldn't help it. He spat on the ground.

And you... Well, that means you feel it too, I suppose. Yeah, we stood in silence, looking off at the mountains. He kicked a small rock while walking up to the precipice of the overview, and we watched it fall. I didn't hear it hit the ground. When did it start? You first. I sighed.

He hadn't changed much. A week ago, at work. I work at a pharmacy. Someone bought a red bull. It smelled like pine needles. Then later, when I was throwing out a bag of trash in the dumpster, I felt the air of the mountains. Exactly like it feels right now,

and I smelled the pine needles again. But with an earthiness. Not earthiness. Decay. And you kept thinking about that night, didn't you? Yes. Not romanticizing it. Not even wishing that I was young again.

Just remembering. The details kept coming back. The sun was going down. And the air was cold. It was three days ago for me. Same thing. The smells, they came back first. that I couldn't think of anything else, that it was everywhere around me.

How do we stop it? He looked at me again, and this time his gaze didn't seem unkind. I don't know. Maybe something wants us to be together. Here, where we started. I sighed. He was still romantic at art. I think we both know that this isn't about lost love.

Do you have these? I rolled up my sleeve, wincing slightly from the pain. Alex looked at my arm and his eyes widened. He nodded. Then you know we're not here to lose our virginities again. And the longer we stand here, the less time we have to figure out what we're going to do. Well, there's nothing to do. We didn't do anything wrong, except what I did later to you.

I'm sorry about... I know. It's okay. We were... kids. But you weren't exactly innocent either. That awful look was in his eyes again. If I felt sorry for him at all, that was no longer the case. I didn't cheat on you, Alex. I gave you everything I had. No, you fucking didn't. He moved towards me, not aggressively, but insistently, as if by standing tall enough, he could make a stronger point. You were done with me. Pretty much as soon as we got back to

the car, and we stayed together for six months after that. I could feel you pulling away, and you just... He kicked another rock. It hit a few branches on its way down the face of the cliff, then disappeared from view. Forget it. It doesn't matter. I didn't even think of you at all for years, up until this week. The wind picked up suddenly, bending a line of white cedars towards us. I should have ended it earlier. I didn't know how. We were silent for a moment. No point in digging up old wounds.

Like you said, we were kids. But I am sorry. He reached out and held my hand. That surprised me, both the gesture, and how warm and pleasant his hand felt. When he spoke next, his voice was trembling. It sounded old, and that scared me. Listen.

The longer we wait, the harder it's going to be. Don't talk like that. I'm just saying what you're thinking. No, you're not. Yes, I am. And it's just how it is anyway. We don't have a decision to make any more than those trees or that goddamn rock. You feel it, don't you?

I did, but I didn't say that. My arm was burning. And so was my stomach and my back and my legs. My legs had the oldest ones. My forehead began to tingle. That would be the next one. Show me yours. You're going to have to be more specific.

I rolled my eyes and managed to laugh. But Alex knew what I meant. And he was already rolling up his pant leg. He was bleeding. And as I felt my clothes start to stick to my arm, I knew I was too. There it was. etched into his leg, as if carved fresh by a brand new case knife.

Alex and Sam forever. Surrounded, of course, by a heart. It wasn't the same as the etching on the rock. The words were spelled out, perfectly legible with no jacket letters. Blood dripped from the wound, giving more prominence to the delicate heartbrae. Alex winced with pain. I knew from his face that another one was starting somewhere. They start soft and faint.

Then they rise up until they erupt from the flesh. And they never stop burning. When a new one starts, you can't help but think of how much it's going to hurt. That's the worst part. I can't take it much longer. I've got dozens of them. I know you do too. At first there was a new one every few hours, but now it's every few minutes.

Some big, some small, but they all hurt the same. But it's not just the pain. Stop looking at me like that. It's how everything smells and tastes like this fucking mountain. Hugging my kids and feeling the rotting leaves in their hair. More than any of that, it's what it says to me at night, what it tells me. I'd been wrong. That obstinate look in his eyes wasn't for me.

me, he was trying to hide his fear. It talks to me, too. I know that, Sam. His eyes moved over me, and he shook his head. Christ, look at you. Blood was dripping out of my sleeves. I felt the etching on my forehead break through, and it seemed to sizzle with anger. I felt the blood dripping down, and I wiped it away before it reached my eyes. Tenderly, Alex patted my hand. And I felt, Alex patted my hand. then walked to the edge of the cliff. He leaned against the rock, gesturing at the graffiti around our heart, clever obscenities and earnest hopes of a new generation of assholes and lovers. The only good thing about this is that they have to go through it too.

Then he locked eyes with me. We can't stay young forever, Sam. Wish we could. With that, he closed his eyes and let himself fall. I reached out for him, but I was too late. I saw his arm catch on a tree branch, sending his body into unclean gyrations as it dropped. The edge of the precipice wasn't that high, but the bottom was covered in darkness. I didn't hear Alex hit the ground, and I suspected that he would be falling for a long, long time.

Time is different on the mountain. You were always a little traumatic. For a moment the burning stopped. The pain was gone. I exhaled with relief, but the scent of rotting leaves filled my senses with my next breath. Pain would be back, and soon. Maybe it lets you go, I thought.

It doesn't let you hurt once you've given in. Maybe I didn't hear him hit the ground, because it lets you avoid that part. I didn't believe that, but I let myself think that it was true. I'll avoid the tree branch at least. I can fall a lot better than he did. January 3rd, 2022, Molesville Gazette.

Two bodies were found at the base of Dantalian Mountain, identified by authorities as Alex Hunter 36 and Samantha Woods 35. We're investigating this as a double suicide, and we have no evidence of foul play, Molesville Detective Robert Andrews said. Both victims broke their necks on impact and died instantly. Our prayers are with their families. Police have closed off the trail to Zepar's Rock,

where Woods and Hunter are believed to have taken their lives. The Rock is well known as a lover's leap, and is the subject of several local legends. Over its history, Zepers Rock has been the site of 32 suicides. However, today's deaths are the first to occur at the park since 2005. You see, love has no time limit, but we're going to take some time to limit the horror momentarily. If you're one of the millions of people running your own online business these days, you know how much time it takes. When you run a business, time seems, well, more precious.

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option for every shipping scenario. In fact, 98% of companies that you ship station for a year keep using it for as long as they're in business. So it's time to let go of all those shipping tasks. Ship Station can do it better and faster. Sign up using promo code no sleep for a free 60-day trial today at shipstation.com and sign up using promo code no sleep for a free 60-day trial today at shipstation.com and start saving time with every shipment. That's two whole months of shipping made quick and painless.

And it's free to try. Just go to shipstation.com. Click on the microphone at the top of the page and type in No Sleep. Ship Station. Make ship happen. And now that we've talked about online sales and e-commerce, let's return to the horror found in the mall. In this day and age, it's not uncommon to learn about brick and mortar stores closing down due to the competition from online sales. In a similar way, shopping malls, once places packed with avid shoppers are.

are also shuddering their gates more and more. And in this tale, shared with us by author J.L. Schnell, we meet a journalism student who is investigating a local mall's sudden closure years ago, and she learns that e-commerce was the least of the mall's problems. I joined Jeff Clement, Sarah Thomas, Aaron Lillis, Catebel Ansari, and Kristen Di Maccurio in performing this tale. So enjoy them while you can, the food courts, the fashion stores, the movie theaters, but don't expect to find anything at the mall once called Yuma Lines.

What follows are the recordings of in-person and phone interviews conducted by one, Amelia Banks. Interviews with subjects Tris Sanchez, George Sugert, Caitlin Jackson Perez, and Samantha Park have been edited for brevity and clarity. real quick. I'm Amelia Banks, journalism student at NAU, and I am creating a record of the last year of the Yuma Lines Mall. With me today is Tris

Sanchez, former employee of clothing store. Tris is the 43-year-old mother of three... Jesus. Do you have to make it sound like a police interview? Oh, uh, right, sorry. Just trying to establish a record.

I know, you said. Sorry. I... Kid, chill. Listen, you've got to stop apologizing. Thank me for my time. Don't apologize for taking it up. What?

You're nervous. It's fine. But if you apologize for everything, it makes me wonder why I'm wasting my time with your projects. You have to show you believe in yourself if you want people to work with you. That's... Okay. Thank you, Miss Sanchez.

Tris, for God's sake. Tris. Right. Okay. Okay. So, Tris, how long did you work for? And how long did you work at the Yuma Line's location? Same answer for both, 10 years.

So you worked at the mall location the whole time it was open? Right. I applied three weeks, four weeks before the mall opened. Got a job right away as a cashier. Worked my way up to assistant manager and then manager. Are you still employed by... Nope. I stopped working for them out. after the mall closed. They fired us really suddenly,

didn't have time to get a transfer. They gave me a good severance, though. You said us, were several people fired at once? Everyone's still working at the mall. Oh, wow. How many people would you say that was? About two dozen of us. The mall closure happened over a surprisingly quick amount of time, didn't it?

Yeah, it did. It died off bit by bit over about six years. but there were still a lot of stores left. That last year a store closed every other week, it seemed like. And you were let go in that time period? No, we lasted to the end. Us and... It was our four staffs and the janitors that made up that last group.

We were all let go on the same night. I see. Tris, when you responded to my request for interviews, you implied you knew the real... for the sudden and complete closure of the mall. Is that accurate? Mm-hmm. I know both of them.

Both of them? The official one and the true one. So you're saying, the official story, which is the effect of the economic downturn, is not accurate? There were some economic factors. Mals are dying all over this country, you know.

No, that might have been part of it, but it's not the complete story. I see. Of course, In the four years since the mall closed, rumors have swirled. Everything from chemical spills to mop ties to... It's not that. None of that. I'll give you the real story, and you'll probably get it from other interviewees, if you've got any.

But it won't make your school paper. It's nothing they'll want and nothing they'll believe. If you try to turn in this story and you make it even halfway accurate, you'll get laughed out of the office. My gosh, you're serious. Uh, okay, uh, lay it on me. I am serious. You're not going to be able to spin this into something they'll accept. That's, that's fine.

I'm curious. Seriously, I want to know. I used to go to that movie theater and I always wondered why it closed, you know? So that's how you got started on the project? Yeah. So you weren't curious about the ghosts? I can't say I was. You never heard the rumors?

No. It closed when I was 15, so I found another theater. What do you mean ghosts? Ghosts? The dead? The monsters. Maybe they weren't ghosts. I can't imagine what kind of person, Jr. would have been.

Junior? Yeah, George Jr. George Suggert's son. What follows is a partial understanding. interview with George Sugert, former head janitor at Yuma Lines Mall. This is Amelia Banks with George Sugert. George is 53 years old and was the head janitor for the entire 10 years the mall was open. George, thank you for agreeing to this interview.

Of course, I'm happy to. It sounds like fun. I hope so, but maybe not. Uh, George, real quick. I did want to let you know that you're one of three people that responded to my ad, and your name actually came up at yesterday's interview. Oh, yeah? Yes, I was speaking with Tris Sanchez. Tris Sanchez. Holy shit.

I love that woman. How's she doing? How are the kids? She seems fine. Very serious. Her kids, I don't... We didn't talk about them much. Ah, yeah, that's fair. That's a shame. She was a lot of fun back in the day. Lines changed all of us, though.

Yes, she, um, she told me a bit about the mall. More than a bit, I bet. I'm sorry? You look like someone who was told there were ghosts at the mall, and you can't believe it. Well, yes, that's a pretty accurate summation. She told me some disturbing, But it's all a bit hard to believe, you know? Yep, but don't worry. There weren't ghosts, said you maligns.

There were monsters. Like George Jr. Yep, old Georgie Porgy, all pudding and pie. And he was your son. Well, I named him. And I guess I kind of figured you don't get to name things unless you're responsible for them in some way. Who is George Jr.?

Junior is the upside down man. He lives in the vents. Sorry, you... You... Please understand. This is all very strange for me. Well, of course it is. You never worked at Lines

and only the extremely unlucky met Junior if they weren't around all the time. Can you tell me more about Junior? Happy to. See, he was part of the building. He was there before I ever got a locker assigned, and I was there. two weeks before the place opened to the public.

I saw him the first time about three days before we officially opened. I was doing a basic sweep, making sure everyone's garbage from unpacking was taken care of, you know? Uh-huh. Right. Well, if you ever went to lines... I did, actually. Oh, great, okay, so you know that it had five levels.

Four above ground, including the theater, and one below ground where we kept the gym. Uh-huh. So there were elevators, and there were also closed stairwells, and mostly guests didn't take them. But there were secondary stairwells built into the back hallways that employees used to get around. By the end of the first year, most of the staff, they used the guest elevators, no matter how many memos management sent out. Can you imagine getting off an eight-hour Black Friday shift from... And being willing to see customers again? Boy, that's how much we all hated those back stairways.

Because of Junior? Hold on, hold on. Let me tell this the way it needs to be told. Oh, of course. Sorry. So, I was on this shift, and the guest elevators weren't even powered up yet, and there were no employee elevators, but that's okay, because we all used the back stairways at this point. It was around three, I guess, just before my break. and I did that sweep, like I said.

And I round the corner between the third and fourth floor, and I see this face, just barely peeking around the wall on the fourth floor. And I tell myself, George, there are a hundred people using this staircase. Of course she'll see someone. But it wasn't a normal face. I got closer, and I realized the face is white. White, white, whiteer in you or me. Chalk, white.

and it's big. I realize its head is the size of a platter you put a turkey on at Christmas, and it's got no hair, no ears, but human-looking eyes, just, well, sized to match its face. And it's got a mouth, but no lips, just this, like, thin slit. And we're looking at each other from five, six feet away, and it starts to smile. It's the biggest smile ever seen on this earth,

and it's the meanest. And it just keeps stretching up. And it's weird, knot lips finally pull apart, and he's got teeth like a goose. You ever see them hiss? Yes. Yeah. So I threw whatever I had in my hand at him, and I fucking ran. Ran all the way to the first floor, and almost ran out the door and never came back.

Why did you stay? Well, shit, you got to eat, you know. Continuation of interview with Tris Sanchez, manager at... Why did you respond to my call for interviews? Because I can't sit with this story alone anymore, and I can't talk to anyone who worked there. Why not? That place was poison. Working there damaged almost everyone that ever clocked in.

Talking to each other is just transferring that poison back and forth. And it was poisoned because of Junior? No. Yes, he was hurting us, but it wasn't just Jr. The whole place was bad, built on sour ground or made of concrete mixed with graveyard dirt or cursed or something. I can't convey it in words to someone who didn't live it, but it, the air was violent. Everything there wanted to hurt you. How do you know others were affected the same way?

The Obitz. As in the obituaries? The obituaries, yes. I recognize a lot of names. Some of them are ODs, but mostly it's heart failure. Car accident, sudden illness, most of them were still young. Oh, God. And they tested for carbon monoxide.

Chemicals in the vents? Yep, and we had monoxide meters everywhere. So everyone who worked there was terrified, and nothing was physically wrong. Bingo. Junior just seemed to like to scare us. Whatever was in there never hurt anyone physically, as far as I know. But they came close once. What?

Who else responded to your ad? What? Oh, uh, uh, George Sugert, weirdly enough. That doesn't surprise me. And Caitlin Jackson Perez. Why? Don't remember Caitlin, but George is a good source for this. Here, give me your phone.

I'm giving you a number. This is for Samantha Park. She worked at the store next to mine for three years. If you call and leave a voicemail with all your information and the fact that I sent you, she may call you back. And if she does? Then you may get to hear the worst story I ever heard from there. Excerpt from interview with Caitlin Jackson Perez, short-term employee of... Thank you for your time today, Caitlin.

No problem. Just remember, it's K-A-Y-T-L-Y-N. K-A-Y-T-L-Y-N. Right. So what did you want to know? Whatever you want to tell me, honestly. I'm investigating why Yuma lines closed so suddenly, and any information helps. Oh, okay.

Well, I worked there when I had just turned 16. Like, I applied at the... A week after my birthday, I was so excited to make my own money. And you also got this small, wide discount that even counted at the theater and the gym. So I was like, oh, yes. So I actually only worked there for like six weeks, and I left like three years before the place closed. So I don't know if I'll be much help. But I'll tell you whatever you want to know.

Thank you. Did you enjoy the work? Does anyone enjoy work? Oh, no, God, I sound like such a communist. Sorry. No, I mean, it was okay, you know? I got free pretzels and I could afford to see a movie every weekend. And that ruled.

Was it pretty busy? Oh, yeah. I only worked weekends and Friday night, so it was always slammed. Did you leave through the employee stairwell at night? Uh, why do you want to know? I'm just trying to get a feel for how it worked and... No, you're not. You know about the monster and you want to know if I know.

You're right, I'm sorry. I didn't want to lead you. I wanted to see if you even brought it up. Okay, well, I saw him on my last day. Is that why it was your last day? Duh, I was fucking 16 years old and no one told me to not use that creepy old staircase. And I always felt like something was following me, but nothing was. Then one day I saw fingers just wiggling, just long fucking wiggling fingers out of like one side of the vents in the walls.

And I was so worried a kid had gotten like trapped or something like that. And I yanked the cover off. and I saw that thing smiling at me. It was rolled over on its back, and it was smiling at me. And I ran until I literally ran into my mom's car, and I never went back. I see. I'm sorry for bringing that memory back, but thank you again for your time. Don't mention it, seriously, ever again.

Additional excerpt from interview with George Sugert. So you definitely spent the most time. around junior, it sounds like. Oh, yeah, yeah. My team would switch out pretty regularly. You know, get new guys. But I was there long enough that I knew where to watch for him. You know, it's kind of funny.

I only ever saw him smiling after that first time and always upside down somehow. Everyone that talked about him said the same thing too. So maybe that first time was the first time he saw a human. or something. When did you stop calling him the upside down man? You mean you is in me or you, everyone? Both.

Pretty fast, honestly, for both. I didn't tell anyone about him because, you know, I would sound crazy. But someone else brought him up. And soon everyone seemed to be muttering about him. So I told a few of my guys about the first experience. And it got around that I was the first one to see him. And it, well, just went from there. Did it ever feel like they blamed you for him in any way?

Yeah, but that's okay. People aren't their best when they're scared, and I knew he wasn't my fault. Earlier you said you saw him as your responsibility. Well, yeah, but that's different. I was responsible for him. I saw him first, and maybe I'm the reason he was the way he was. So he was my responsibility to wrangle. So the first time anyone showed up looking like they got sucker punched,

They got sent to me. And you did an introduction to junior talk. Yeah, exactly. If I can be blunt. Please do. You seem less affected by the thought of Junior than Tris was. Why is that? I acclimated.

I'm sorry? Well, my buddy drives to Cali any chance he can get. He's a big diver. It's his favorite thing. You can dive pretty steadily and be okay. But if you come up, you got to go slow. slow or you get sick. You have to spend time at each pressure level acclimating or your blood can explode. That's the bends, right? Ah, smart girl. So Junior was like that, in reverse. It was like I was

going down further and further, and every time I got used to a new pressure level, it would get a little higher. But I also couldn't go back up. Every time I got used to a new level, I was stuck there. The only way to go was deeper. That's how I was able to spend 10 years back there in his part of the mall. So then, what's it like living out here without him? Absolutely terrible. Recording of a phone call placed to Samantha Park. Hi, this is Samantha. Sorry I missed your call.

I'm either busy or you're a number I don't recognize. Either way, leave a message and I'll try to get back to you. Hi, Miss Park. My name is Amelia Banks. I'm a student at NAU working on a journalism project. I don't know how to say this, so I'll just jump in. Tris Sanchez sent me. I'm working on a story on the Yuma Alliance Mall and would love to speak with you. If you're comfortable with that, please give me a call at 928-451-8697.

Hope to speak with you soon. Recording of a phone call between Amelia Banks and Samantha Park. Are you serious? Are you recording this? What the fuck? Hello? Is your ring-through message for real? Yes. I just want people to know. I'm sorry. Who is this? Samantha Park, you called me?

And now I have to consent to being recorded? Yeah, sorry. I had a professor, but the fear of God into me once. You never know where someone is calling from, and if it's a different state, they have different recording loss. That could be fixed by not recording everyone that calls you. Yeah, but... But... But what? I'm trying to think of a non-shitty way to say, I want to.

You're a terrible reporter. You woke me up, yelling at me. It's 543 my time. It's 534 my time, too. Then why are you calling me? Do you want to talk about them all or not? I... Holy shit.

Yes, yes, I do. That would be great. Can you meet today? Where? Anywhere, your choice. Are you in Yuma? Yes. Do you know the...

On 16th? Yes. I'll be there in an hour. I'll see you there. Recording of interview between Amelia Banks and Samantha Park. Thank you for this. I'm doing this for Tris. For six years, she was like a second mom to me, and if she sent you,

maybe you'll be okay to talk to about this. I'll do my best. A waitress interrupts at this point. The next minute, 18 seconds involved their drink orders. Okay, so I spoke to Tris and also to George Sugert, and a woman that worked there for six weeks when she was a teenager. So, you know about Junior? Yes, a lot about him.

You don't know a lot about Junior unless you worked with him. Oh, well, I heard you saw something worse than Junior, I mean, obviously. Waitress returns with drinks. Next two minutes, 23 seconds is small talk and food orders. Sort of. I saw Junior repeatedly, of course. How frequently would you say?

At least once every six months. Were they ever tied to anything? As far as you could tell? Like what? I guess day of the month or if it was a full moon, things like that. No. Not that. I ever knew, but...

Okay, so a lot of people knew they had a sighting coming up. What do you mean? Um, you know how you feel when you're coming down with something, but you're not actually sick yet? Yes. Like that. You'd just feel in your joints that you'd see junior soon. Did that help you avoid it at all?

No. You weren't supposed to. Me and Kurt tried. I'm positive. That's why it happened. What happened? Kurt and I got stuck doing inventory one night. It was a small enough store they wouldn't budget more people for it,

even though it meant we didn't leave to close to 2 a.m. We'd both indicated to each other because you learned to do it without talking about it, that we had junior encounters coming up. We both felt like they were close. We were both tired of being scared. So we took the elevator down. George said a lot of people took the elevator down. Yeah, with customers.

This was just me and Kurt. Did that make a difference? Yes. Okay. So what happened next? We parked on the first floor. Most employees did. So we hit one.

And the elevator barely moved before it came to a weird stop. Shaky. Shuttering. It felt less like a machine and more like an animal. The display said three. And the doors opened. I was looking out on a bay of windows that looked out on darkness. Pitch black.

No lights, no nothing out there. But there are always a ton of lights in that area. And there are no windows in that hallway. There can't be physically. That wall is connected to the stairwell and it's solid concrete. What? And I felt like... Like I was dying.

Not just like I was in danger, but like I could feel my cells getting ready to die all at once. like the air was poisonous. And Kurt was high all the time, I think, to deal with it. And he just laughed and started to walk out, said, I guess we're taking the stairs. And I grabbed the back of his shirt right before his second foot landed on the hallway because I knew, I knew that if he took that step out,

the doors would close and I would never see him again. And I remember the feeling, every part of it, how his shirt tightened in my hand as it hit his throat. throat, how I got dragged forward one step by his momentum. I remember him turning towards me, half in the doorway, and how he stopped when he was facing the hallway. His face looked like a corpse. I yanked him in, and I hit the door close button over and over again, and I heard a dozen footsteps sprinting down the hall, and I think I screamed at the door. Then I realized Kurt's foot was still blocking it, and that he was messing up the center, and I threw him across the elevator.

This six-foot-two, healthy guy, and as the doors were closing, I saw a little. I saw a little bit of A shadow of something I didn't recognize. And then we were on the first floor. And that's my story. Waitress arrives with food. Next two minutes, 30 seconds is filled with noticeably subdued small talk. Did, uh, did Kurt ever say what he saw? Once.

I gave him a ride home since the buses had stopped running. He was quiet almost all the way home. Right before I pulled up to his place, he said, It was all faces and horses and hair. I dropped him off, and I never saw him again. Two years ago, he OD'd. Jesus, was it? I mean, do you think...

I don't think it was the only reason, but I don't think it helped. The rest of the meal is eaten in silence. Excerpt from interview with Tris Sanchez. This is all a lot to take in. And I'll be honest, even if it's all true... It is... Why did they close them all so fast? Everyone had been putting up with Junior for years.

What changed? In that last year, the feeling got worse. A few stores would drop here or there due to money issues. And it was like because it was spread out over fewer people, it would affect everyone more. Which just made each closure make the next one more likely. That makes sense. What happened with those last stores, though? Do you have any ideas?

I do, actually. You remember the basement level where the gym was? Yes. Its leasing contract with the building was weird somehow, and as a result, there were no employee areas that connected to it. The only way in or out was to drive or take the elevator or the stairs down to that level and enter through the front door. Okay. Well, when it was just the last group of us, we started leaving and entering as a group. No one went anywhere alone.

You could tell it was a worse idea every day. We also started parking on the basement level because it gave us an excuse to use the customer elevator and most of the time, that was the safest. Most of the time? Samantha will tell you if she wants. Okay. Well, we went down there and the big window next to the glass door

was shattered, completely out. We sort of complain about teenagers and how destructive that was. And then Jerry, who worked at the theater, suddenly looks really scared. and says we should go. And we looked, and we saw what he saw, and we all peeled out of there. And the next morning I got the call from corporate.

What was it? What did you see? The glass was broken outwards. The complete recordings were found on a flash drive in the parking lot of a well-traveled fast food restaurant. At this time, we have been unable to locate Amelia Banks or find any record of Huma Line's mall. and while we have located all of the interview subjects,

all have declined to comment. Hope you survived our terrifying tales. Join us again next week, if you dare. The No Sleep Podcast Hour is presented by WNSP in conjunction with Creative Reason Media. The musical score was composed by Brandon Boone. Our production team is Phil Mikulski, Jeff Clement and Jesse Cordette.

Our creative content manager is Olivia White. Our editor-in-chief is Jessica McAvoy. If you would like to find out how you can hear the extended editions of our 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 $25. On behalf of everyone at the No Sleep Podcast Hour, we thank you for tuning in. This program is copyright 2022 by Creative Reason Media, Inc. All rights reserved. The copyrights for each story are held by the respective authors.

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