5 Seriously Scary Stories to Listen to in the Dark ― Creepypasta Story Compilation

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chilling tales for dark nights [Music] Franklin waters checked in on my night audit shift I'd been working at the pink Ridge in for about eight months originally during the evenings but I was offered the 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. shift after a few weeks because the previous night otter had graduated from college and moved on to a new career it was mostly uneventful mostly paperwork I had my fair share of walkins overnight but Franklin waters was different he was a very particular man and had some special requests when I took down his information first and most importantly he explained was that he worked at night and slept during the day as a night Auditor I understood his sentiments he had a groggy look to him as if he didn't sleep much at all let alone during the day he had drooping bloodshot eyes and graying 5 o'clock shadow he was wearing a Hall & Oates shirt that I commented on as a mutual fan and we struck up some polite small talk regarding their songs his favorite was privatized I can go for that equipped he smiled for the first time during the check-in process at my joke but it didn't last long his second rule no housekeeping this wasn't so peculiar we had handful of long-term guests while I worked there and a lot of them weren't comfortable with having strangers in the room while they were absent but Franklin slept during the day and would rather clean up after himself then be woken up I made at 11 o'clock in the morning once again I get it I'm a night owl too the third rule was that we were not to transfer any outside calls to his room or even tell someone whether he was there or not once again not so strange in fact this was standard procedure at hotels guest privacy was taken very seriously by our staff so I had no problem assuring him that a stay would be no one's business but his own he explained that it recently divorced and so he wanted peace from his bitch of an ex-wife as he called her he made one exception though if his son called we were to transfer his call immediately I told him my name was Andrew he smiled again this time it lasted longer Andrew is my son's name too he explained that he hadn't spoken to his son in over six years estranged some big fight between them that he wouldn't get into a sob story I was interested but didn't let on his last rule no one could charge his credit card unless he authorized them to he would call once a week to give us his consent and we could hit his card for payment then none of his requests were out of the ordinary so we finished up his registration and sent him on his way after that I never saw Franklin again for the first two weeks everything was fine with 401 he called every Friday night to have his credit card charged he would ask how the night was going he asked if I had seen the game the previous night I never knew what game he was talking about I wasn't big into sports but on the third week he failed to call for payment this happens often at hotels people forget what day it is guests may be low on money and try to slip by for a few days until they can get a paycheck or alone the morning staff monitor balances types up a friendly reminder letter and slides it into the door room 401 always said they do not disturb sign posted so management never did more than slide a note under the door and hope to hear back soon most of the daytime people were a bit wary Oh 401 because no one other than me had actually seen Franklin they never heard a peep from his room never got calls from him no requests for clean linens or towels after a while you just assume they're a very private person and forget all about them after three days Franklin still hadn't made payment and Doc was a buzz in the office about eviction so that night I set up my assisting guests will return shortly sign and made my way up to the fourth floor it was around three o'clock in the morning so the hallways were empty the corridors had recently been painted a dark shade of brown in the old yellowing wall sconces really left the whole fourth floor very dim hotels had always been eerie but fascinating places to me especially at night you could walk from floor to floor and never meet a soul never hear a sound from anyone if you didn't know better you might not even remember what floor you're on they all look the same all the rooms look the same everything is made to be standard uniform a repeat of a repeat of a repeat mix that with the long empty halls that ended at closed doors and there was just something I don't know creepy about the place 4:01 was at the very end of the hall farthest away from the office as I neared the room I could hear faint music as I drew nearer I made out what it was private eyes they're watching you they see your every move private eyes they're watching you private eyes they're watching you watching you watching you it was coming from 401 I paused at the door I always felt awkward knocking on people's doors the idea that these people living their own lives suddenly interrupted by a banging on the door the Do Not Disturb sign was still on the handle I knocked away nothing and knocked again waited thirty seconds not again waited a minute there was no answer but the music kept playing I sighed and walked back down to the office for the night I hated being ignored especially when I knew someone was in the room I grabbed the sheet that had all of the room extension numbers on it and called 401 after a few rings Franklin picked up I could still hear hall & oates in the background when he said Oh Franklin its Andrew down at the front desk I said I was just letting you know that your payment has been overdue for a few days can I go ahead and charge a card oh sure my apologies Franklin said go right ahead I've just been so detached from the world lately it slipped my head no problem just remember that it's due every Friday okay I said then I joke I haven't seen you in a while where have you been hiding oh I've been floating around here someplace he said and he calls for me not that I've gotten no I said nothing from my son no sir I said I felt a little bad for him because he didn't say anything for a few seconds after I answered he eventually told me to have a nice night and hung up another month passed and things went about the same 4:01 would miss a payment I'd go up to the fourth floor to hear the same song playing down at the end of the hall why you try to put up the front from me I'm a spy but on your side you see slip into any disguise and I'll still know you I would knock no answer I would call and Franklin would pick up with the music in the background I would ask to chart his card he would consent he would ask if his son had called I told him he had not know and then there would be some small talk but one night in particular he asked me Andrew why are you looking up my name I was startled by the question because I had the night shift was a boring job and sometimes my curiosity would drive me to Google and guess that seemed a little off I never found much the occasional arrest record a LinkedIn profile searching Franklin waters hadn't turned up anything interesting either I take that back I had found one thing a police report behind a paywall and from the brief abstract I could access it mentioned a child abuse case and a domestic disturbance on file I looked at Franklin's registration card the city and state on his ID matched the area where the police report was filed a week later for all one's payment was overdue again it had become routine by now that I would ascend to the fourth floor knock on Franklin's door and get no answer by this time however I was going frustrated with the situation why couldn't this man just remember when he had to make payments I stood at his door and knocked longer than usual louder than usual after a few minutes I swiped my master key and the door unlocked but when I tried to turn the handle it was jammed I tried a few times to no avail then I leaned in to peer through the peephole even knowing that this was not how peoples worked as I leaned in the familiar hall and oates song was going into its final verse looking to my private eyes they're watching me they see it oh they're watching you I could only make out a blurry elimination coming from within the room as I leaned closer I put my eyes against the lens hoping I could see something anything in the light then something moved in front of the hole blocked the light completely I jumped back I didn't stick around any longer and retreated back to the office I didn't even call for a one that night for payment every inch of me was rattling with adrenaline my fingers shook I left a note from my manager that I needed to take my vacation days as soon as possible the next morning my manager called we worked out a schedule so that I'd be off for the next week that would rain all over the vacation hours I'd saved but I didn't mind I needed to get out of that hotel for a while I took my vacation at home drinking hanging out with friends catching up on Netflix my nerves were starting to unwind and I felt like I'd be ready to face the hotel again after my much-needed rest but on the fourth day my manager called he talked very softly as he asked how my vacation was going asked if I had gone anywhere special I could tell by the tone of his voice nonetheless that my time off was not what he was interested in well my manager said Andrew the reason I'm calling is about 401 Oh what about him did he miss another payment I asked you just have to call him sometime at night he sleeps during the day no no he said well you see his credit card expired yesterday so we slipped a letter under his door to contact us as soon as he could but we didn't hear anything from him so we went up to see if he was there and couldn't get in eventually maintenance had to cut the lock he was he was hiding in there I asked chuckling to myself as I grabbed a capri-sun from the refrigerator no my manager said no he was dead I closed the fridge door slowly staring out the back patio door dead yeah I well we think suicide right now he said slowly we called the police out the coroner came we actually really need you to come down here Andrew when was the last time you talked to mr. waters right before I went on vacation well I didn't talk to him but I went to his room and I heard him playing music someone was definitely moving around inside but the door was Jim then - Andrew listen he said all the food in the room was spoiled all those payment reminders we slipped under his door or just piled up the corner is here he's saying that Franklin waters must have been dead for a while at least a month what if I stammered a you newsroom now are you at the hotel no I'm actually in my car I'm driving over to pick you up is that okay yeah okay I said I hung up I hung up as fast as I could and close the curtains how's it brimming with horror not because of the conversation not because I had spoken to a dead man but because when my manager told me that he was in his car I heard something in the background his car radio volume turn low playing been watching you watching you watching I always hated visiting my grandpa's old cabin that might make me seem spoiled or ungrateful what kid doesn't enjoy seeing her grandpa especially considering he was the only grandparent I had ever known both of my mom's parents were killed in a car accident before I was born and my dad's mom walked out on him when he was very young he still doesn't know where she is or if she's even alive so that only leaves my paternal grandfather my parents desperately wanted me to have a good relationship with him my dad insisted that although grandpa was Stern and quiet he really did love me he just didn't know how to express it I figured that was probably true but it didn't change the fact that trips to his house were filled with idle hours watching television and reading while he worked during the day followed by awkwardly silent dinners in the evenings I rarely saw him and he seldom spoke in any loving way he just kept a wary eye on me like he was waiting for me to break something of his or talk out of line still my parents insisted on sending me to spend a week with him every summer since I was 10 old enough to look after myself for the day I had visited his isolated cabin in the woods several times before with my parents but this would be the first time I stayed overnight by myself there were no kids my age around or neighbors of any age for that matter so I would have to pass the time by myself this may sound awful for a ten-year-old girl but I was used to being alone I was an only child and was always a bit of an introvert truthfully I knew I probably wouldn't be able to make new friends even if I had the option so on my first day at the cabin I set out into the woods with a Nancy Drew book tucked under my arm to find a peaceful area to read away from the musty old person smell of the cabin after walking for a while I found a little clearing illuminated by the Sun breaking through the trees pushed against a large oaken surrounded by pretty flowers was a large hollow log the whole scene reminded me of a place where the characters and my stories would have their adventures so I decided to make this little clearing my own special spot for the next six days I plunked myself onto the center of the log leaned against the trunk of the oak tree and began to read thinking that I might be able to enjoy my week here after all I was incredibly comfortable in my new place the smell of the flowers the hum of the insects around me in the gentle breeze soon had me drifting to sleep content with the feeling of nature the wonder was gone when I suddenly awoke hours later to find that the Sun had set the moonlight cast eerie shadows on the ground the trees that felt so welcoming during the day were spooky silhouettes against the darkness bending and snapping in the wind the insects pleasant buzz was replaced with a distant howl and the low hoot of a nearby owl the dry leaves scraped across the forest floor beside me with a rustle that chilled me to the bone i sat up on the log rubbing my eyes and attempting to clear my sleep fog mind just as I was realizing the trouble I would surely be in for coming home so late I heard it to my left at the end of the log I heard a voice say two words hello Ella I froze I have never felt so cold so vulnerable there was something wrong with that voice it was too creaky too low too dry I heard the leaves scrape across the ground again but I felt no more wind the air was oddly still the realization suddenly hit me that this creepy rustling noise was not leaves it was the low raspy giggle of whoever had spoken they were laughing laughing at me slowly I turned to the source of the awful laugh and felt my blood freeze at the sight beside me a little girl crouched at the end of the log her cracked and bloody fingernails scraping the dark wood her hair was probably blond but it was also slicked with dark red blood pouring from the horrible gash on the side of her head the blood trickled unto her gray bruised face her eyes were bloodshot as though she had been crying for hours maybe even days but I could only assume she eventually ran out of Tears and decided instead to smile oh god that smile a grin stretched unnaturally wide on her bruised face clashing with the sadness of her eyes giving her the look of one who has truly gone insane her teeth were mostly stained with blood but the parts that were not shown white bright white she continued to giggle but did not part her teeth she giggled through them and stretched that grin even more as she watched me she sprang from her crouched position on the ground and perched beside me on the log the movement was so sudden that I clam heard back crashing onto the soft ground and staring in wide-eyed terror at the thing above me she giggled louder at my terror sounding like the static on a phone and tilted her head to the left as she observed me she tilted it so far that I could swear I heard her bones cracking before she spoke you're scared she said grin never wavering head still tilted it was not a question but I could somehow tell that she wanted a response I tried to speak but all that escaped was a pitiful squeak and then I did what any child would do what most adults would probably do in this situation I peed myself the creature noticed her awful eyes observing the growing darkness on my jeans and let out a hiss of delight good it said at this point my mind finally gained control of my body and I managed to get up and run I got back to the path and was out of there the girl didn't chase me she stayed perched on that log like some gruesome bird and continued to laugh I couldn't get away from that laugh it didn't get quiet as I ran on the contrary it continued to get louder and louder the closer I got to my grandpa's cabin only when I reached the yard did it start to fade by the time I threw open the door to the house it was only a whisper once I raced through the living room down the hall and into my bedroom it was barely audible just before it faded completely away I heard it say one more thing so softly I wasn't certain I'd heard it correctly better lock the door and it was gone no whisper no laugh I turned on the light switch and slammed the bedroom door leaning against it to catch my breath where have you been a gruff voice demanded from behind me I spun around thinking for one horrible second that the creature had followed me home and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw my grandpa kneeling beside my bed I began to stutter about dead little girls and chilling grins and evil laughs my grandpa rolled his eyes and cut me off before I had formed one coherent sentence whatever I don't care he grumbled climbing to his feet enough excuses you're home now but know that you won't get off easy next time no crazy ghost stories will help if this happens again I was devastated he didn't believe me of course he didn't what adult would definitely none like my mean old grandpa something smells he griped wrinkling his nose and glaring at me what's all over your pants all right I uh I went myself I admit it quietly blushing at my shoes when I got scared Oh grandpa groaned disgusted I thought you were old enough to be done with that sick crap clean up and get to bed I'm not going through this every night my loving grandfather then stomped out of the room ignoring my apologies and slammed the door great guy that Gramps of mine admitting defeat I changed into my nightgown and clean panties putting the soiled ones in the washer I felt better as mean as my grandpa could be he's still an adult who I knew would protect me from whatever was in the woods after all the giggling had stopped once I reached the bedroom I felt safe there until I went to bed still on the edge I left the lights on and read a funny book to calm me down I was beginning to drift off feeling safe and warm when I heard that dry raspy voice say the words I would never forget you didn't lock the door Ella I shot straight up and looked at the window there she was both hands pressed against the glass grinning that awful grin the wild red eyes looking from me to the door the unlocked door the giggle was mocking me celebrating that she would win even though she gave me a head start she continued to laugh as I flew from the bed to the door and locked it as I heard the satisfying click I heard her croak never forget it stopped she was no longer at the window the raspy chuckle was not heard I didn't go back to the woods that week I stayed in the house to watch the news and read boring was good boring was safe I locked my bedroom door every night and every night I woke up to that rattle of someone trying to get inside my room the doorknob would shake loudly as the creature would grow frustrated with its resistance the banging against the strong wooden door would shake my bed I never moved - nor made a sound I waited for her to give up which she would the shaking would stop and I would hear low deep breaths just outside the door sometimes the breathing would cease after a few moments and sometimes it would follow me into my dreams but it was always gone in the morning years went by I continued visiting my grandpa for one week during every summer and I continued to spend those days indoors locking the door became a ritual and I knew to expect the rattling as the creature tried to get me it no longer fazed me part of the reason for my lack of fear was that I knew that the thing couldn't get past my door for whatever reason but I also wasn't afraid because I was fascinated the incident had sparked an interest in the paranormal I was no longer a frightened child I was a no adult teenager I wanted to know more about the ghoulish girl who was she how did she know my name why did she tell me exactly how to escape her there came a point where my curiosity outweighed my fear I had a chance to encounter something few people ever will I could find answers other people would never find that is why when I was 15 I made the decision to unlock the door and confront the spirit I was an idiot the first night of my stay that summer I got ready for bed and closed the door resisting the natural urge to lock it I tried to ignore the heavy dread that settled on me as I climbed into bed I had made up my mind I would no longer be a scared little girl so I waited I had no intentions to sleep that night I pulled out my iPad and played some games alert to every creak and groan of the old house it was close to midnight when I heard them footsteps coming toward my room this was it I froze goosebumps all over my body my heart pounding out of my chest I set my iPad aside and watched the door that protected me for so long the doorknob slowly turned I held my breath the door was opening this all happened in just a few seconds but it felt like hours the door was completely open now revealing a larger silhouette than I expected I fumbled for the lamp next to my bed grabbed the thin chain and tugged light flooded the room to reveal my grandpa I laughed I couldn't help it the relief was overpowering there was nothing to fear my disappointment that I would not discover the secrets of the Dead was pushed aside by the sheer joy that I was safe no dead girl stood before me it was only my grandpa smiling at me in a way that he never has before as he stepped into my room grandpa you scared me I laughed pushing my hair back with shaking hands you left the door unlocked for me he noted smiling warmly and closing the door softly behind him yeah I did I couldn't stop laughing at my own foolishness for leaving it locked for so long I knew you'd come around pretty girl my grandpa whispered sitting beside me and tucking a strand of hair behind my ear I knew I just had to be patient for you what was he talking about I could have unlocked it myself he continued I have the key of course I thought many times about using it but I resisted I knew I had to give you the choice to let me in it's more special that way I knew you'd come around this wasn't my grandpa my grandpa was strict and never smiled he never had a kind word to say my grandpa doesn't sit on the bed and touch my hair and he certainly doesn't run his hand up my thigh like he's doing right now stop it I cried slapping his hand away and jumping out of the bed what are you doing a flicker of surprise past his face quickly before he relaxed back into that sickly sweet smile honey I won't hurt you just come back to bed we'll take it easy this wasn't happening this couldn't be happening I felt like I was going to vomit I went in something paranormal something otherworldly but this this was real far too real shy all of a sudden the man on my bed asked chuckling allow me to break the ice then with that he grabbed my hand and pinned me onto his lap before I had a chance to react with surprising strength he squeezed my arms to my side and silenced my cries with a crushing kiss no no no summoning all my strength I broke away from him and tore out of the room I heard a surprised Yelp and his pounding footsteps as he quickly chased after me but I didn't look back I hurried out of the cabin ghost or no ghost I was heading for the woods I wasn't sure where I was going to go or what to do I just ran as fast as I could my grandfather right on my heels cursing and screeching that I would regret this I ran hoping there would be a house on the other side of the woods or maybe he would trip and break something or maybe he would grow tired and give up I didn't know we reached the clearing where I had met the little girl five years earlier and I was struck with an insane idea I'm not sure what I expected to happen I just knew that my grandpa was threatening and I was desperate to stop him I raced to the old log and fell to my hands and knees peering into the hollow darkness within help I screamed my panicked voice echoing back to me please help it was unlocked the door was too strong hands grabbed my shoulders and whirled me around I was looking into the face of the lunatic I once called grandpa his eyes rolled wildly in his head his thin white hair stuck out at odd angles and his mouth was twisted into a furious snarl panting and heaving his red face was full of hatred and contempt for me I saw no love there no mercy you he wheezed are going to regret he stopped I heard something moved behind me and his eyes widened in terror as he gaped over my shoulder with a scream he pushed me away and jumped back I fell on my butt and backed away turning toward my Saviour her skin was still gray and her wound was still bleeding that impossibly wide grin was still plastered across her bruised cheeks her eyes however were no longer sad they glowed triumphantly as she approached my whimpering grandfather you he stammered falling backwards and attempting to scramble away seemingly unable to break eye contact with the dead girl she chuckled as she watched his horror giggled louder when he let out a painful cry and clutched his chest giggled louder still as he fell to his side clawing at his heart laughed harder and louder than ever when he turned his head toward the night sky the life fading from his eyes I squeezed my eyes shut my back against a tree and prayed for it to end soon it did the girls laugh faded away whispering one last message goodbye Ella the next day I called the police to let them know that I had gone for a hike that morning only to stumble upon the corpse of my beloved grandpa some nice officers arrived to comfort me and to get my statement before driving me home cause of death was a heart attack some people thought it was odd that he had been in the woods when he died but no one questioned too much it wasn't unheard of for him to take late night walks I didn't tell my parents what happened I didn't think there would be a point it would only cause more pain he was dead that was all that mattered I even went to help them clean out his old cabin I was tasked with boxing up the books as I pulled an old photo album off the shelf I managed to let it slip through my fingers and hit the floor sending poorly secured photos flying everywhere cursing my clumsiness I bent down to gather them all I picked up the photo closest to my feet and froze it was her sitting on the porch of my house holding a baby and grinning a wide grin that was much more pleasant when it matched her eyes her skin was creamy white and her cheeks were rosy no wound spilt blood onto her beautiful blonde hair but there was no doubt this was the grinning girl that I had feared for so long I hollered for my father and asked who she was looking at the photo he paused for a long moment as tears filled his eyes well the baby is you and the girl holding you she's your sister Abbie he looked at me with a sad smile sorry kiddo he said softly we weren't trying to hide her from you or anything it's just difficult to talk about she died when she was 10 you were barely a year old we should have told you all of the sooner but we weren't sure how to go about it at some point I guess we just decided to let it go figuring it would come up when the time was right I could hardly register what he was saying I heard myself ask how she died she was playing in these woods out here running around and having fun when she tripped banged her head on a log and died instantly she was found in the same general area they found my dad at these words he broke down into fresh tears I comforted him numb Lee knowing I would never tell him what I knew in my heart he need never question his idea that his daughter was playing happily before she died it would be cruel to tell him that Abby died running away in terror of the man that he called dad nor would he ever know how long her spirit lingered in that play unable to rest in peace until she warned the sister she knew so briefly of the danger only leaving once the monster was dead looking at the photograph of the smiling girl who held me so securely in her arms I could only think of two words as my eyes filled with tears thanks sis [Music] everything all of this chaos and madness all begin with the black fog it was just an ordinary day when the news reported a strange phenomenon a wispy black cloud of fog steadily making its way toward the west coast of the country from over the ocean nobody really cared at first as you'd expect he wasn't hurting anyone except maybe the sailors and planes flying over the ocean but life for everyone else continued as normal whenever the news would talk about what we now know was the black fog people would nod show mild interest say something like oh yeah that's interesting and be done with it until the black fog hit the West Coast cities on the seaside were the first to be hit and covered with the black fog the news went crazy every station frantically pointing their cameras at the fog to capture footage of the unique event personally it always looked like a thick cloud of smoke to me instead of a city covered in fog the news said that nobody from the outside world could contact anybody in the fog a nationwide panic began and it grew fast people who had previously disregarded the black fog looked for ways to leave the country as the news reported that the black fog was still heading east as though determined to devour the entire country with mass hysteria of that magnitude as one might have imagined plenty of doomsday prophets came forward with explanations about the Foggs origin it quickly became obvious to me that these prophets of the apocalypse were nothing more than crazies who walked into the news stations from off the street nearly every scenario imaginable was told as a reason for the black fogs existence God's wrath on humanity the apocalypse aliens seeking a safe place to land their spacecraft the black fog was simple fog mixed with pollutants in the air it was a publicity stunt for a new movie it was the government using the fog for some purpose Cthulhu was rising we heard everything but none of the theories seemed to make sense there were a few more days of chaotic news reports and then the black fog came to my town I'd been walking home that fateful afternoon and then turned a street corner to see my two-story home come into view down the street cars breezed past me at a steady pace coming toward me down the sidewalk was a mother pushing a baby stroller with an enthusiastic little boy running ahead of her cheerfully telling his mummy to hurry up the grass was bright green in the warm summer atmosphere and there were only a few white clouds in the sky to distract from the wild blue yonder above a red car the sides splattered with a thick mud raced past me the bright yellow orb in the sky beamed down onto the world covering us in sunlight if there's anything I remember from that day it was the colors suddenly I would have nowhere a dark giant stood up over the horizon and loomed over the city blotting out the Sun cars stopped in the middle of the road leading other cars to crash into them people began to scream some hysterical woman wailed it's here as I looked up at the black fog blotting out the sky it swept over the city quickly shrouding me in a cave of blackness I stumbled through the fog unable to see my own two hands in front of me the world around me looked as though it had been covered in smoke but I could breathe in it normally I heard people screaming the sound frightfully clear it was the screeching of tires as cars stopped in the crunching of metal as other cars crashed into each other in my mind I can picture the street as it had been before the fog hit my house was a few yards down the street I figured that if I could find my way inside I could wait out the fog and see if it would disappear and and leave the city I began walking toward my house uneasily still hearing people cry out for help it was as though I had become blind I took my steps with care and tripped over a blunt object when I was halfway across the street I climbed to my feet with my sense of direction disoriented how close to my house was I I just gave it my best guess and made my way forward I had to walk around a parked car and after tripping over the curb and falling onto the sidewalk on the other side of the road my shoes felt grass beneath them I wasn't entirely sure if it was my yard I worked my way to the front door of the house and sighed in relief when I realized it was mine I hurried inside quickly closing the door behind me the fog hadn't gotten into my house which I was thankful for only a little of it got in my eye opened the door but I could still see the windows displayed nothing but black it was though I was standing in my house at night a starless moonless night I sat down took a few deep breaths to calm myself turned on the TV and began to watch the national news if anything was being done about the black fog surely they would have reported it the news anchors were calm but to my dismay they had nothing to report they said the black fog was perfectly natural and explainable they said that the entire nation was being covered at an unbelievably quick rate and the President had been evacuated for his own safety I changed the channel right there cutting off a blonde news woman mid-sentence on a local news channel they weren't calling the fog natural they weren't talking about the president they weren't pretending this wasn't a national emergency instead they were panicking people who look like normal civilians ran around the station in a frenzy while the cameras view rested on a guy sitting behind the news desk sitting in the middle of all the chaos he stammered as he spoke apparently trying to maintain some semblance of order there that there were no reports of rescues from any seaside city nor did the black fog show any sign of receding the guy was saying as I watched he managed to stop one of the frightened civilians and asked him to say a few things for the camera hi my name is Adam Adam began breathing heavily out there it's crazy man like alike it ain't fog it's something else Adam wiped off his sweaty forehead and cleared his throat we heard rumors that you can see in the black fog if you had a flashlight or fire we sent a guy out into the black fog with one of those big flashlights II ain't come back eeeh I remained in my living room in complete disbelief about what was happening I barely registered anything the news said not that it said much the only thing they could talk about was the black fog and because nobody knew anything about it there wasn't much to say I couldn't tell if it was day or night outside so I had tried to sleep according to the clocks in my house I slept on the hardwood floor in the living room to weary and afraid to climb upstairs to my bedroom when I woke up I immediately turned the TV on again inside the news station there were sleeping people mixed with people standing off-camera who were in rapid discussion about what to do It was as though they had forgotten the camera was on I decided to wait and see if they were going to give any piece of news that was worthwhile and went into the kitchen to fix myself something to eat fortunately I had made a trip to the grocery store the day before it all started despite this my appetite still wavered when I looked at the food the black fog didn't feel real to me almost like some kind of demented nightmare but it still hurt to think about I returned to the living room without eating anything sat down on the couch and stared at the TV after staring at the screen and listening to the people in the news station talked for an hour I groaned survival was boring I turned my head to the living room window and examined it from where he sat curiously I recalled that Adam had said something about being able to see in the black fog with I jumped off the couch and stumbled over to the hall closet after shuffling through coats and miscellaneous things I found what I'd been looking for a flashlight clicking it on I sighed in relief when a bright beam of light shot out I pointed the flashlight toward the living room window and froze when I saw a face outside there was a man standing outside the window with his thin Noah's barely touching the glass his face was horrible yet I couldn't look away the skin hung loosely on him making him look like an old man he had long silver hair on his head a few strands of which were dangling limply over his face but also huge bald patches the worst part about the men was that he was smiling at me he had a wide toothy grin but his eyes had black irises and white pupils near the bottom of the window I could see that he was wearing a torn up white shirt but my gaze was repeatedly drawn back to his smile which threatened to hypnotize me his eyes burned into mine there was no color to the man at all even the thin cuts on the side of his face were an inky black he was perfectly still only moving the slightest bit as he breathed the the light from the flashlight didn't seem to affect him at all summoning of what little courage I had I moved closer to the window and wrapped my fist on the glass but the colorless man only stared I turned the flashlight off and the man disappeared into the fog I turned the light back on and he was visible again Adam was right it was possible to see in the black fog with a flashlight though I was no longer sure whether that was a good thing I was intrigued by the colorless man but also very frightened how long had he been outside my window a shiver ran down my back when I realized that he could have been watching me sleep I was unnerved by his endless staring an amused smile as much as I wanted to watch the news in the living room I instead found excuses to stay out I found myself looking through the same pantry in my kitchen for almost half an hour soon after I found myself sitting alone in a chair in my room upstairs quietly thinking about when the fog would lift but I couldn't stay out of the living room forever and I eventually went back the first thing I did was flashed the light at the window to see if the colorless man was still there he was and didn't seem to have moved at all since I first realized he was there unsettled I turned off the flashlight to conserve the batteries but also so I wouldn't have to look at him made myself comfortable on the couch and turned my attention to the news where the same reporter was talking again things in the black fog are everywhere he was saying because the fog is probably covering the whole world by now stay vigilant a miracle has to happen soon it seemed that I wasn't the only one who had detected the presence of the things in the fog Adam delivered reports of mutilated bodies found in the streets with their eyes in their mouths and their teeth in their eye sockets more of the news station survivors chimed in behind him with more information and told of strange thumps outside safe shelters where people were holed up waiting for it to end there was no denying it something unnatural was in the black fog maybe something beyond the colorless man outside my window I decided to sleep upstairs in my bedroom that night I shined the flashlight at the window before trudging upstairs to see if the colorless man had left he was still there only his eyes had moved to follow me once I had gotten upstairs I placed the flashlight under my pillow knelt next to my bed and did something that I hadn't done for a long long time I prayed that night I dreamed that the light had returned to the world families walked down sidewalks children shouted to each other as they played the grass was a dark green and the sky burned blue the wind was crisp gently caressing my cheek as it passed by I looked around and wonder and then noticed somebody standing behind me I whirled around to see if the colorless man standing there with that same grin on his face only this time there was no glass separating us I woke up sweating the first thing I saw was my bedroom window out of curiosity I took the flashlight from under my pillow and pointed it at the window my thumb flicking the switch on I don't know what I had expected to be there I probably thought that the colorless man would somehow be outside my second-floor bedroom something was out there but it wasn't him this time it was a woman with pale skin and long black hair she looked younger than the colorless man probably in her 20s but she still had the same crooked grin the same vacant eyes in the same unsettling stare she was also completely drained of color as well I immediately fell off my bed and screamed as the colorless woman stared on I crawled to my feet and slammed my bedroom door closed as I hurried out into the hallway as soon as it had shut I noticed another window in the hallway I flashed the light at it and gasped when a fat colorless man came into the light grinning as though laughing at a private joke I didn't know what to do total panic seized me causing me to flee from the unseen eyes in the black fog I shined the flashlight at every window I came across I found another colorless woman in the guest room window and a thin colorless man looking into the upstairs bathroom before I managed to reach the stairs I practically flew down them and dove into the kitchen where I ducked under the table and tried to catch my breath out of the corner of my eye I could see the kitchen window as much as I didn't want to know if one of them was there I still flashed the light at the window this one was the worst one yet he resembled a wolf with a wide snout shaggy black fur and pointed ears and he stared at me with wide hungry pupil us white eyes for a crazy moment I I thought it must have been a wolf skull or mask but then a thick dog tongue slid out of its mouth and licked its chops as he continued to gaze at me there was a colorless person at every window in my house I realized I stumbled out of the kitchen to get away from the starving eyes of the wolf and found myself standing in the living room I flicked the flashlight on and pointed it at the window to see that the colorless man was still there patiently waiting as I stared his grin widened and revealed fangs like razors in the back of his mouth his eyes flashed red the first color I'd seen since the black fog had arrived and then the flashlight died leaving me alone in the dark as I stood there blinking in the utter blackness that surrounded me and pressed in from all sides something began tapping on the living-room window as if in response the colorless people began tapping on every window in the house the sound was maddening completely in unison and growing louder more frequent as every second crept past and I've been listening to them ever since all of them just tapping on the windows the sound never leaves never stops never pauses listening to that endless noise I just know that it's tearing my mental state in half I don't know how much longer I can take this I just heard a window break I hope to god it isn't the wolf [Music] first I need to apologize to you I'm so sorry I'm coming to you in my time of need please help me please read this to the end that's it that's all I ask I don't know what to do or where to turn please just help me that's all I ask my name is Andrea and I'm a single mother I don't tell you this like that's some badge of honor and I'm expecting cookies milk and chocolate-covered snowflakes like most of the others in my social circle would they want your Pat's on the back in recognition I just want some of your time I see motherhood as a burden necessary yes but still a burden my son's name is Jesse he's 11 that's 5th grade for the math haters Jesse started the fifth grade this year like any other kid would there was a little bit of trepidation and lots of excitement here's a happy-go-lucky sort of kid full of life and energy and all that changed after he met Stan on Tuesday Stan was a late addition to Jesse's class but transfer student from another district and Jesse's teacher sat Stan next to Jesse when I picked Jesse up after school on Tuesday he told me that Stan was his new best friend he wasn't acting like himself though he was pale and sweaty I took his temperature but he wasn't running a fever I asked about his day and all he would tell me was that stan was this new best friend Stan's my new best friend Jesse would say I know I can't wait to meet him I'd say back mom Stan is great you should meet him he's my new best friend the best in the world we must have had this same conversation a thousand times that night when I took Jesse in bed he looked up at me with tears in his eyes he put his little hand in front of his face and wiggled his index finger telling me to come closer I bent over him and he put his hands to either side of his mouth you know the little kid way of telling a secret well I turned my head and he whispered something into my ear that chilled me at the time I didn't know why it chilled me but it did he whispered you believe me right mom i sat back up and looked down at him believe you about what honey Stan he said Stan's my best friend I nodded and took his temperature once more again he wasn't running a fever I went to bed but I couldn't really sleep that night on Wednesday when I pulled up to the school to drop Jesse off he got this really weird look on his face and told me that he didn't want to go in are you feeling sick I asked no he said he was chewing on his bottom lip like crazy this was something else I'd never seen him do know I need to go to school he opened the car door and he got out no goodbye no I love you nothing he trudged up the front steps of the school with his head down I slowly let off the brake and turned away to drive to work a little boy was standing right in front of my car two more seconds and I would have run him over the boy was pale with a mop of blond hair that was almost white and he's bright blue eyes he knocked on the hood of my car twice waved once and walked up the stairs to school when I picked Jessie up after school at Wednesday he looked a lot better he was a tiny bit paler than normal but he seemed happy he told me about his day he told me about dinosaurs and music and math and then he told me about recess and then after math period we had recess mom you'll never guess what I did today at recess tell me I said smiling to myself as I'm driving I'm thinking hey AG football keep away all the things I remember the boys doing at recess when I was that age something benign something normal I joined a church I founded this a church at recess Jessie nodded the Church of Stan I thought this must be some sort of new make-believe game that the kids were playing these days what's the Church of Stan I asked its Stan's church mom Jesse laughed like I was the silliest person in the world for asking the question well what do you guys do though you know as members lots of stuff today though we just listened to stand talk he was handsome funny words and I got sleepy and I dozed off a bunch of us did I pulled into the driveway at home and we got out was that it I asked things sounded weird for sure but the kids didn't seem to be doing anything wrong Stan gave us flyers - Jesse pulled out a crinkled up piece of paper and handed it to me it was a piece of manila paper with three words written in black marker Church of Stan again weird but nothing wrong I just thought the boys were playing make-believe I was wrong and when I picked Jesse up after school yesterday I could tell something was very wrong with my little boy he looked panicked and scared what's going on honey I asked reaching out to feel his forehead no fever we played the slow game today he said Jesse's head was on a swivel he couldn't sit still he kept looking all around as we headed home the soul game I asked Jesse just nodded and kept trying to look everywhere all at once beads of sweat dotted his upper lip what's the soul game I asked Jesse shook his head no and said nothing Jesse what's the soul game I asked I told him I didn't want to but he said he wouldn't be my friend anymore if I didn't play who wouldn't be your friend where were the teachers Jesse started breathing harder but still answered me it happened in the church he said then he whispered teachers aren't allowed in the church the Church of Stan I asked Jesse nodded and a tear slipped down his cheek what's the soul game Jesse I'm your mother you tell me right now and I will take care of everything I said I can't tell you mom I can't the rules are bad they're so bad what about Stan I asked well Stan tell me the rules no Jesse screamed and this scared me half to death don't ask him the rules please don't mom please I pulled into the driveway scared and confused promise me mom promise me promise me promise me promise me promise me please Jessie was balling now terrified I took him into my arms and I rocked him I hadn't rocked him like that since he'd been in kindergarten he fell asleep in my arms right there on the driveway and I carried him inside I took him a street to his room and got him ready for bed he just needs sleep I kept telling myself all he needs a sleep I put him to bed and ate dinner alone I checked up on him around 9:00 when I went to bed and he seemed to be sleeping well so I decided to go to bed I woke up to him screaming at the top of his lungs 18 minutes after midnight last night I ran to his room but he wasn't in his bed I turned on the light and Jessie came flying out of the closet like something was chasing him he latched onto my leg and kept screaming I tried to calm him down I tried to calm me down and asked what was wrong all at the same time and he wasn't making any sense he kept screaming about the soul game he was impossible I kept asking what it was but he still wouldn't tell me I tried to put him back to bed but he would have none of that finally I just took him to my room and he slept in my bed he fell right to sleep lying there on my side next to him I watched him drift off stroking his hair when his eyes popped open and he stared right into mine I'll tell you the rules after school tomorrow lady he said then he closed his eyes what was going on with my kid in the darkness I stared at the ceiling for a long time before rolling over to my side and staring into the bathroom you know how when you're on the edge of sleep sometimes your leg will kick and jerk you awake or you'll imagine you're falling or that you've just tripped over something and you get jerked awake yet well that happened to me all last night only I kept being ripped from my sleep by seeing something in the doorway to the bathroom every time my eyes would start to slip shut I'd see the dark outline of something large in the doorway and a jerk awake of course nothing would be there and I would start falling asleep again the outline would appear in the doorway once more but it would be closer to me like it had taken a baby step over and over this happened until morning this morning on the way to school Jessie seemed out of it lethargic I felt the same way I was even more exhausted I thought of asking Jessie about what he'd said right before he fell asleep but I couldn't I was afraid it would send him into hysterics again so I left it alone I drove him to school and he didn't say a word the whole time he was acting like a robot listless unemotional I got a call shortly after dropping him off to come back and pick him up he'd vomited in class when I picked him up he was the same I asked him several questions but he only gave me grunts in response the plan at home was to get him changed out of his dirty clothes and then take him to a doctor he didn't say anything until we pulled into the driveway can Stan come over today he asked he stared out the windshield at the garage door you're not feeling well honey do you really want him to come over I asked I wanted to meet this kid but it didn't sound like Jesse wanted him over I however wanted to get to the bottom of things yes Jesse said okay I said do you have his parents number he already asked his parents and they said it was okay we have to wait until he's out of class and I'd still like to talk to his parents okay Jesse got out of the car and we walked into the house do you have their number I asked as I shut the door behind us no he said I started to ask him how I was supposed to call them if I didn't have their number but someone knocked on the door I was still standing right next to it I opened the door and standing on my front step was that pale little boy with the blue eyes and the mop of white blond hair that I'd almost run over on Wednesday a little girl stood next to him with the same complexion yes I asked stepping outside and closing the door partway behind me hydras the little boy said is Jesse home this little boy standing on my front porch should not have known that name that was my nickname from a college created on a drunken night amongst my girlfriend's shortened from Drizzy no I said that's fine the little girl said my name is Devon and you already know my brother's name Stan I said the little girl covered her mouth and giggled Stan smiled and shrugged it's really quite simple rule one don't walk past mirrors in the dark rule two don't leave any doors open when you go to bed tonight ask your son what rule three is and remember a creek means you're falling behind a rustle means you've almost lost when the lights go down hopefully you won't see the dark shadow standing in the corner of the room hopefully you won't hear it breathing as your eyes shut and you begin to sleep and if you hear a bang well hopefully you never hear a bang Stan turned and walked away with his sister I stared after them both and shook my head I wouldn't play their stupid game I walked back into the house and found Jesse sitting at the kitchen table crying what's wrong I asked I heard a bang he whispered my mouth went dry when does the game end I asked it doesn't he whispered never ends my heart started beating faster what's the third rule Jesse his face fell and he sucked in a deep breath Rule three knowing all three rules makes you a player my stomach dropped what happens if you lose when it's dark you'll hear them coming they like to let you know when they're getting close who Stan and Devon Jesse said they'll reach out through the mirrors or open doorways and drag you through how do you win I ask you win if you tell more people the rules to the soul game than the person that told you does like I said I am so sorry but thanks for helping really I'm going to go enjoy my newfound freedom and I hope that you enjoy your night give Stan and Devin my best I ignored Jesse's fifteenth text this is heavy you jerk I was far less concerned about Jesse's potential hernia than my position on the leaderboards the stupid 14 year old doctor dread 43 refused to move away from the turret and I was getting destroyed the game stuttered for a moment and my connection dropped fucking Comcast I muttered and shoved back from my desk my phone buzzed again god damn it Jesse my side shoved my feet into some sandals and walked out the door Jesse and Kenny were shoving and grunting at a truly massive couch that was wedged in the stairwell nothing's gonna kill you both I said Jesse flashed one of his trademark movie star smiles at me then flipped me off Jesse was perfect wealthy parents perfect curly blond hair ABS of a demigod genius IQ and a sweet southern drawl that melted panties at ten yards most of the time I hated him we've been friends since high school I think I shit myself Kenny grunted come on you lazy fuck help us I kicked off my sandals so I'd have a better grip on the old wood flooring then wedged myself under part of the sofa and shoved slowly with much sweat and profanity the three of us got the sofa into the apartment we kicked aside half-full boxes and the three metal folding chairs and shoved the sofa against the wall opposite the huge flat-screen jesse had bought on a whim one weekend the sofa was long enough to stretch from one wall of the apartment to the other it completely filled the space like the obelisk from 2001 except horizontal it's fabric was a deep red world and modeled with darker red that was nearly black each of its eight thick legs were carved to resemble claws clutching spheres atop pedestals along the back of the sofa merely obscured by the overstuffed cushions was a solid length of dark oak intricately carved in flowing geometric patterns dude this is gonna be awesome Kenny said scratching his beard Kenny was in a lot of ways the physical opposite of Jesse his hair though curly was an unruly mess he was generally round with a doughy face covered with more neglect than beard appearances aside Kenny had an infectious boy like charm that made him a great fun to be around come on let's try it out Kenny found the motherfucker an assortment of remote controls that he had taped to the outside of a huge Jack Daniel's bottle on my desk Jesse grabbed us each beers from the beer fridge and we all sat down on the sofa Jesse's flat screen turned on and Kenny's PlayStation 3 started playing the so familiar dum-dum-dum strains of the intro to star wars episode 4 through my AV unit speakers the sofa pili was comfy a significant improvement over metal folding chairs or the hardwood floors the cushions were large and overstuffed but not too soft with the three of us sitting on it there was still enough room for another two or three people this is pretty nice guys where'd this thing come from I asked we totally snagged it off the curb Kenny said I jumped up nah man that's gross there could be lice or bed bugs or something no way Kenny said I checked it out there's no bugs or anything ken he got down on the floor and knocked on one of the sofas large wooden legs this is solid oak kill dried you can't get furniture like this anymore well you can maybe but you'll pay twenty grand or more this baby has eight way hand-tied Springs and I don't know what the fabric is but it's high-end stuff I don't know how old it is but my guess is at least 80 maybe a hundred years old as far as I knew Kenny had never worked for a furniture store or dealt with antiques but he had a talent for research huge retention for random facts and you guys just found this on the side of the road I said Kenny stood up yeah who was down on Blanchard in third along with a bunch of other stuff you know how they set out stuff when people get evicted I saw it this morning when I was going to class and had Jesse help me pick it up after it's fine man if it had been out in the rain or something we know by the smell Jesse said I did the sniff test all over it and under the cushions smells like old perfume or something but not anything bad we sat back down on the sofa drank our big Aaron watched a movie that we've all seen a hundred times I noticed the smellin faint like tobacco and flowers or perfume I didn't sleep well that night I had my first nightmare not the first nightmare of my life but the first real one the first one about the sofa in my dream it was somehow alive the sofas modeled red fabric glistened like raw wet muscle stretched taut over bones that groaned and ground against one another there was something unsettlingly sexual about the way the muscles flexed against each other I saw my hand reach out to caress a cushion it was warm almost hot to the touch and it felt very good I snapped awake my heart was racing I felt an indescribable sense of dread I looked at my phone 5 a.m. way too early to wake up but too late to get any rest before my alarm went off at 6 I threw on a robe and shuffled to the kitchen I nearly dropped my cereal bowl and I saw Kenny sitting on one of our mismatched kitchen chairs the hell are you doing up I asked he looked up at me as if surprised that I was standing there insomnia happened sometimes I just couldn't get comfortable on my bed so I thought maybe I'd go sleep on the sofa he pointed into the gloom of the living room looks like Jesse beat me to it he sighed stood up and walked to his room leaving me to eat cereal to the sounds of Jessie snoring in the dark I was a wreck that day and the next and the next earlier and earlier every night I would wake up to the same dream the sofa but somehow beckoned to me some nights like a lover and other nights like my mother who passed away when I was 12 every time I woke sweating breathing as if I'd run a marathon it I felt the same sense of dread after the first night I refused to get up instead I stayed in my bed willing myself to go back to sleep some nights I heard Kenny walking around on the other hand Jessie seemed positively manic he was upbeat chipper even in contrast to his usual surfer Zen attitude been sleeping on the sofa man he said best sleep I ever had never felt better but at night through the thin wall separating the living room from my bedroom I heard him whimpering in his sleep Jessie brought a new girl Jenny over that Friday night Jenny was thin blond and insecure another of Jessie's future ex-girlfriends she laughed at everything he said and I don't believe she broke body contact with him the whole evening we all sat on the sofa drinking smoking and playing video games as the night wore on Jessie began to give us significant looks so we staggered off to our rooms leaving him with an increasingly affectionate - Jenny you better not stain the sofa Kenny grumbled to me before closing the door to his room I woke from another dream about the sofa something thumped against my wall look I groaned another thump and a moan thump thump damn it I said and rolled off my bed I threw on a shirt and shorts and stumbled literally out of my room down the hall and into the living room I tried not to look at Jessie humping some girl but I did want to get his attention Jessie keep it down it's late thump in the dim blue glow of the flatscreen I saw Jessie straddling arms locked around her throat his swim-team shoulders bunched and the tendons of his arms stood out like cables Jenny's face was black her eyes open and bulging her tongue thick and bloated protruding from her mouth one arm thumped weakly against the wall holy fuck Jessie get off her I ran to the sofa and shoved him as hard as I could he didn't move Jenny wake up help Jessie turned to me eyes wide open but blank is the flatscreen he turned back to Jenny and gave a final wrenching squeeze her leg twitched and kicked once I hooked an arm around Jessie's neck and pulled as hard as I could help get up now he let go and I fell back against the floor with his weight on me I kicked and shoved him off of me and onto the floor and scrambled away the lights came on Kenny stood in the hallway mouth a gate Jessie lay on the floor naked staring up at the ceiling Jenny's nude body sprawled on the couch head tilted at an awkward angle face a horrible purple-black jenny was listed as dead on the scene her neck had been totally crushed a friend of a friend was interning at the coroner's office and suggested that the coroner himself was impressed that Jessie had been able to shatter - neck vertebrae with his bare hands the cops wouldn't tell us much other than that jessie was under psychiatric evaluation Jessie hadn't spoken since that night and was completely unresponsive to questioning Kenny began acting strangely stranger than normal for Kenny he spent most of his time at home sitting in a beanbag chair staring at the sofa writing notes in a battered old notebook when he wasn't at home he was gone sometimes for days at a time two guys from his study group showed up looking for him after he missed class for the third session in a row they had heard about Jessie the whole town had and wrote off Kenny's behavior to a coping mechanism I began to dread returning home from class the dreams were getting worse the sight of the Crimson sofa hunched in the dimness of early morning was often enough to rush me out of my apartment without breakfast I told myself it was pH D stress I told myself that it had nothing to do with a piece of furniture in my living room Kenney showed up at the bio lab one evening clutching a thick notebook I was staying late working on my thesis I was behind on my research and the lack of sleep was getting to me Jesse's dead he said what how I asked his mom called me a few minutes ago she said he killed himself I thought he was in a psych ward the cops say he strangled himself how is that even possible I don't know man they told his mom that they found him in his cell with his hands around his throat but but listen that's not all I want to talk to you about we need to get rid of the sofa Kenny said what the fuck are you talking about Kenny I'm serious man I I've been doing some research on the sofa I laughed and shook my head Kenny waved his notebook at me it was thicker now rag it with newspaper clippings it's only there take a look I took the notebook and began leafing through it Kenny sat at a workstation next to me I got to thinking where did that sofa come from like originally and why was it just sitting out on the curb like that it's a really nice piece of furniture so I went back to where I found it the apartment was vacant so I called and told the landlady I wanted to rent it some Phi Delta girls had been renting it before the landlady told me that dude bad shit happened to the three girls who had that place before the first one drove headfirst into a tree no alcohol or drugs or anything the second one went nuts like clawed her own eyes out nuts she's still locked up the last one though Kenny shuddered she was a babysitter she locked herself and three kids in the family car and took a long drive inside the family garage no note nothing Kenny pointed out some newspaper clippings there's the obits there and some newspaper articles about the deaths it gets worse Kenny said and wiped a slightly shaky hand across his forehead I asked around and it turns out one of the frat guys in my Cal 3 class dated girl number two the one who hit the tree I nodded yeah well before they started dating when he was still trying to get into her pants he helped her pick up some furniture off the curb a red sofa I said he said it was a fantastic find I had them tell me where they found it that place was a nice hold house it was up for sale so I called the owner had him meet me first showing he said he'd inherited the place of his father who passed away about two years ago said he'd sold all the original furniture but he put some of his stuff out on the curb I laughed and told him I just found an awesome old red sofa on the curb just a few weeks ago he laughed - and said it was probably his dad's and that he remembered how heavy it was when he picked it off the curb the first time he figured since he found the sofa on the curb it was only fitting to put it back there as a way to give back he was all jovial and shit till I asked him how his dad died then he got all cold and said it was a family matter pretty much shoved me out that door Kenny looked at me but you can't guess who his dad was no clue Larry Munson oh fuck Munson had abducted raped and killed six young college girls over the course of three years it was a town scandal and an embarrassment for both the local cops and the FBI Munson was 63 years old far older than the normal profile for a serial killer he never had any priors and didn't appear to have any tendencies before he started killing I thought they blamed that on a brain tumor yeah a brain tumor Kenny said or a fucking evil demon sofa we both laughed for a moment then stopped I realized that both of us it glanced toward the door toward our apartment as if it might be listening anyway before he kicked me out I got munsoned jr. to tell me where he picked up the sofa said a lot of mean things about my mom but he eventually told me he picked it up on Laurel Avenue the building is gone now but it was the site of a brothel it was a nail salon for years but everyone knew what was really happening there got busted about four years ago as part of an international human trafficking sting they found a bunch of bodies buried in the sub-basement apparently the managers would retire employees who didn't perform up to standards can he flipped a few pages in the notebook take a look at that he said pointing to a newspaper photo the grainy newsprint showed the brothel manager's office posh with expensive furniture exotic plants and a large overstuffed sofa I bet it'd be red if this were a colored photo they said got hard to track after that obviously I couldn't talk to the brothel manager or any of the employees the managers in federal prison and most of the workers were deported then I thought what if I just look for the worst things that happen in this town then look for a sofa kenny pulled out a yellowed glossy photo no fucking way man this is too much every school kid in town can tell you who WC Malone was he was our town's Al Capone a small-town gangster who ruled the whole county with a bloody fist from 1922 to 1928 Capone might have been wealthier and more high-profile but rumor had it that Capone himself was appalled that Malone's tactics according to some sources Malone invented the Colombian necktie in which a victims throat was slashed and his tongue pulled through the cut leaving the victim to slowly drown in his own blood historical estimates but Malone's personal body count in the hundreds and his gangs count approaching a thousand Malone's reign of terror ended abruptly in 1928 when his girlfriend stabbed him to death with an ice pick she went to trial for murder but not a single juror voted against her the photo showed WC Malone in his trademark white hat grinning around a cigar he was leaning against the overstuffed back of a sofa if the photo had been in color instead of grainy newsprint I would have bet the sofa would have been a deep deep red Kenney rubbed the hand across his unshaved face what really gets me man is where did Malone find that sofa did he find it on a curb - what what if that thing has always been curb furniture getting passed along owner to owner for nearly a hundred years we need to get this thing out of our apartment I said we stood at the door to our apartment neither of us wanted to touch the knob just open it already i hissed fine Kenny muttered and twisted the knob the door swung open into the short hallway that led to the living room I flicked on the lights the sofa sat against the wall no demons flying out of the cushions no witches just the big dumb piece of furniture he said and chuckle nervously I wedged the door open Kenny grabbed one end of the sofa and I the other we both lifted the sofa was very very heavy Kenny took the lead walking backwards toward the door by the time we got to the door we were both exhausted and dripping with sweat we sent the sofa down for a moment turn it like this I said gesturing with my hand we'll have to angle it to get it into the hallway Kenny grunted agreement as I picked my end of the sofa up something snagged my thumb ah fuck I yelled and dropped my end Kenny staggered back from his end what man what he shouted eyes panicky white nothing I said there's tax under the edge one of them must have got my thumb I held my thumb up to the light the wound was superficial but bleeding I watched as the drops splattered onto the sofas mottled red surface the fabric seemed to absorb the blood greedily I pressed my thumb against the padded arm my blood didn't seem to smear into the Rick it felt cool very nice snap out of it man Kenny said he was shaking my arm you've been staring at the sofa for a few minutes I shuddered suddenly repulsed by the thing let's get this bitch out of here angle it up and out right then it's a few feet to the stairway than a straight shot out the door Kenny grimaced and grabbed his side of the sofa again we twisted and shoved and moments later had the sofa filling the length the hallway I'll go down first just follow my lead he said the cut should have been a warning I should have known what was going to happen we both should have I've gone over this part a hundred times a million times and this is what I still remember happening I had the sofa by the end arms braced around the heavy oak legs Kenny had a similar hold he called out the steps one two three four five at 6:00 the sofa twisted it rippled like a living thing bucking in one wild thrash ripping itself from my hands Kenny fell backwards skidding down the remaining stairs the sofa fell after him no I must be honest the sofa leaped after him it's narrow edge crushed his skull like an eggshell I saw this all as I fell forward to land on the upturned sofa cops EMTs neighbors nobody saw the sofa I suffered a severe concussion a fractured ankle and the broken wrist the nurses and eventually the cops told me the stairs collapsed they said the property management company was accepting full responsibility they offered me condolences condolences for what the only thing I could think of was the sofa I didn't even think about Kenny until later I kept having migraines the doctors said they were from the concussion the nightmares got worse every night I dreamed about the sofa the cops quit talking to me the migraines made concentrating difficult I could barely walk I had no place to go my apartment building was still under investigation so I slept in a closet in the bio lab finally after a particularly bad night I realized one morning that I was standing in the lobby of the police station screaming about a sofa one of the police officers recommended psychiatric care I agreed and checked myself into a facility therapy helped maybe it was the drugs maybe it was just being away from my situation after a month or so I felt better or at least well enough to leave as per facility policy I had to meet with the director before I left the facility dr. Mahmud met me up the door to his office he was shorter than me but had a kind face that somehow matched his voice I hear you feel it's time to leave us he said yes sir I smiled I'm really feeling a lot better now in that case let's do our exit interview he said and walked around to his desk chair he gestured behind me please have a seat I turned and my smile slipped from my face this is my new sofa it's a beautiful antique I found it on the curb just last week how could someone just leave something so beautiful on the curb I can assure you it is very comfortable chilling tales for dark nights [Music]

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Channel: Chilling Tales for Dark Nights

Views: 65,136

Rating: 4.7167315 out of 5

Keywords: scary creepypasta, 5 scariest stories, scary stories podcast, top 5 scary, creepypasta, scariest creepypasta, scary story, creepypasta stories, podcast, scary stories, 5 scary true stories, scary stories mr nightmare, scariest stories ever, best scary stories, no sleep podcast, reddit nosleep stories, reddit horror stories, horror audiobooks, audio horror, top 5 scariest, ctfdn, 5 scary stories, 5 scary

Id: Fty2qYcUWgg

Channel Id: undefined

Length: 94min 52sec (5692 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 03 2018

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