CREEPYPASTA COMPILATION- November 2018

ever start dating someone where everything is going a little too well so you start worrying for no reason whatsoever no one could be that perfect and even if they were there's no way they would look twice at you the only logical explanation is that they aren't as perfect as they pretend to be which leaves you playing detective trying to figure out the catch maybe all those little quirks that you find adorable now are going to drive you crazy in a few months maybe she even has a dark secret hard drugs or hating dogs all that one time she killed a man with a stiletto heel in a fit of passionate rage there's an easy solution if you want to find out who someone really is take a long-ass road trip with them if you're still together by the end then it was meant to be my girlfriend I'll call her Emily not a real name somehow thought it was a good idea to drive 1,000 miles together across the country - we've only been dating for two months we're both pretty busy with work and don't get to spend much time together so naturally being locked up in a prison cell on wheels for two days was going to be an improvement first hundred miles so far so good holding hands singing on the radio together uncontrollable laughter when she found out I knew all the words the skater boy sue me is a catchy song and if the road ended there and we turned around we might have lived a long and happy life together it was when we passed the hitchhiker and everything began to fall apart let's give him a ride Emily said squeezing my hand we'll be on this road forever anyway we don't even know where he's going I told her he's probably just going to rob us and steal our car which is true of everyone you don't know as far as I'm concerned his clean press suit didn't reassure me either that just meant he'd successfully robbed someone before me which actually made him even more dangerous the guy didn't even have a sign or anything he was just sitting by the freeway ramp spastically waving his thumb like he was guiding an airplane to land it was my turn to drive and I just sailed right past him Emily and I started bickering after that she thought I wasn't compassionate and I thought she was reckless it took about 10 minutes before she finally dropped it although it wasn't because she conceded hey look there's another one sitting by the side of the road waving his thumb like it was the end of the world it wasn't another one though it was the same guy I'm sure of it only this time he looked like he had been out there for a few days his suit was streaked with dirt and his hair was greasy there was a desperate strain in his face like a proud man trying to conceal his embarrassment there wasn't just my imagination either Emily recognized him too how do you think he got her so fast she wondered I don't know and I don't care I said this trip is supposed to be about us so let's not get distracted my car blew past him and I stayed the course we started arguing again and even when we agreed to drop it the argument just slithered into new topics she hated my music I hated our judgmental she was I was controlling she was picking fights over nothing he kept getting worse until we saw something that shook both of us up real fast the hitch-hiker again another 20 miles down the road from where we'd last seen him the bottom part of his shirt and jacket will rip to shreds and blood was soaking through a concealed stomach wound he was stumbling along the side of the road weaving erratically wandering straight into the highway at times before pitching off to the side Emily could not believe that I didn't stop I couldn't believe she still wanted me to I was starting to feel really uneasy by this point the stress of our arguing was only making it worse she kept yelling about how he was hurt and needed help she refused to even acknowledge how weird it was that he kept getting ahead of us she almost caused an accident by grabbing the wheel when I refused to turn around we drove for the next 50 miles in silence I turned the radio back on but she snapped it back off immediately it wasn't until I pulled over of a gas when we saw him again face down on the side of the road shirt and jacket gone long even bloody gashes from his shoulder to his ass almost like bear claws or something they supped the car and parked behind him Emily jumped out and knelt beside the body she looked up at me with uncomprehending rage burning behind her eyes like this was my fault somehow he's dead she said standing up can I call this in to the police or is that too much of an inconvenience for you I nodded absolutely numb I filled up in gas while she waited with the body until the police arrived they asked us a few questions but neither Emily nor I felt comfortable explaining that this wasn't the first time we'd seen him they took our information let us get back on the road after about 15 minutes the car was silent for a long time after that it was getting dark and I kept suggesting places to spend the night but Emily just shrugged and stared out the window at the rates we were going we'd be breaking up by the end of the trip and I wanted it to be over as soon as possible I just kept driving long after the Sun went down Emily fell asleep around midnight but I kept going she was so beautiful like that and everything was going so well before this it was just so frustrating it's such a random event and neither of us could predict would destroy us like this by around 2 a.m. I was getting real tired but I decided not to give up maybe if she woke up and we were already there and she'd see how hard I worked for her maybe then we'd still have a chance to patch things up i caressed her hand and she returned the pressure I flirted with the thought that everything was going to be okay at least until she woke up and started screaming there wasn't any safe shoulder to get off the highway so I had no choice but to keep going she shows up quick enough but he was still about 10 seconds of hysterical breathing before she could explain what was going on be behind you in the back seat I glanced back then back at the road then back again the hitchhiker was in the backseat naked the covered with black blood and old wounds his elbows rested on his knees as he leaned towards us evidently still alive as he cocked his head to regard me curiously get off the road Emily started screaming again I can't get him out did you go back what's he doing here I don't know open the door or something I slowed down gradually and put my flashers on to warn the car behind me the hitchhiker reached around behind Emily and grabbed her by the throat I slam my fist under his arm and felt something give way under the soft rotting skin when I lifted my hand I could see a black bone from his forearm protruding straight through the skin he didn't seem bothered in the least she was crying as the dirty fingers dug into her throat pushing through the skin like it was made out of dough she was thrashing so hard that one of her flaming fists smashed straight into the window I managed to safely stop the car but there was nothing I could do to break the indomitable grip around her neck it jumped out of the car and ran around to the back seat with a hitchhiker maybe if I had a clearer shot at him I could drag him out I flung open the door and lunged inside falling face-first into an empty seat I thought he'd escaped somehow and ripped open the passenger side door Emily was gone too if it wasn't for the blood and the broken window I would have thought I'd done completely insane I spent the next hour searching the surrounding area with my flashlight they were both gone without a trace I considered calling the police but I realized that if I wasn't already a suspect after the first body was found and I definitely be one now that I was soaked in blood my girlfriend was the one to disappear all I could do was get back on the road drive home and never tell another soul what happened that was my plan it wasn't good but it's all I had and I would have done it too if I hadn't just passed Emily standing by the side of the road clean healthy waving her thumb enthusiastically in the air that was a few miles back but I stopped to record this because I don't know what to do from here if I see her again do I pick her up or just keep driving and hope for the best you I'm into BDSM bondage stuff like that some people might find that weird but I'm sure those people are into things others might find strange so let's not judge I mentioned this because it's important to what happened it gives you an idea of the kind of company I often keep the kinds of places I often find myself a BDSM Club I'm a member of that's where this all started it was last week around 1:00 a.m. Saturday night or early Sunday if you want to be a dick about it and I was just an observer for the night in these kinds of places once he's all manner of interesting attire lots of latex zippers chains the man had summoned my attention and kicks this whole thing into gear was wearing a red latex suit that looked as if it were painted on he said he'd seen me there over the past year and that he to quote knew I was serious about the life we'd chosen he spoke cryptically and everything about his tone and his choice of words and it seemed like he was almost like a BDS and purist he commented on my piercings and tattoos commending me for my commitment to body modification I don't have anything extreme just sleeves and a few piercings he then told me I the quote was ready to ascend to the future only now it was weird but I like weird so I was intrigued I asked what he meant and he said that the club in which we stood was a child's play house a diet sugar free version of where I to quote belonged mind you he said this as we stood in a room featuring a woman suspended from the ground hogtied having a stomach and legs whipped with a cat and nine tails I've never been particularly into the most extreme stuff but again I was intrigued part of me thinks that I wasn't the person who was supposed to get the card and that the man in the red latex suit mistook me for someone the man in the red latex suit handed me a business card that gave only an address and brief instructions he told me to go join the other echelon that night because I'd earned the opportunity when prompted I was to give that night password Omega I put the address into my GPS on my phone and found that it was located in the downtown area of the city in which I live had it been a rough neighborhood on the middle of nowhere I'd have given it more consideration or the address was to one of the largest buildings in the city and for some reason that gave me a little peace of mind I know that's foolish but curiosity as they say killed the cat I left the club and went to the building I pulled into the parking garage and drove to the fourth level her instructions on the card once there a valet opened my door and I was walked into the building and up to the 27th floor the hallways of which were lined with people holding odd positions like some kind of live art installation I was taken into a part of the building that was cordoned off and I saw what I thought was the aforementioned upper echelon and it looked no different than where I'd been an hour prior only better lit which wasn't necessarily a good thing there were maybe 60 people there and they were all wearing the same sorts of BDSM gear as the club I'd come from only these people and more body modification work done I hadn't been asked for a password at that point so I wasn't exactly sure why I'd been sent to this place as if it was such a huge step from what I'd been into for years but then the lights dropped into balls filled with flammable liquid that sat upon waist-high pillars were set ablaze and a man stepped between them the man was wearing a normal business suit but his face had all sorts of modifications done to it from tattoos to piercings to all sorts of bumps to his nose having had the skin between his nostrils removed leaving simply a nose with a large hole he gave a speech welcoming everyone inviting them to have a good time then he began talking about something more this place is inclusive of all all the most extreme the most imaginative the most different there should be a few of you in the crowd that were given a password I invite those of you with that password to form a line at the elevator and we will escort you to the main event of the evening if tonight is your first night you should consider yourself quite lucky you're going to witness the final product of Miss Bennett's transformation a light applause swept over the room password holders please to the elevator I along with about 15 other people went to the elevators and before we stepped into either of the two made available to us we whispered the password to a large man in a suit up to the 30th for we went and stepping off the elevator there were sheets either side of us creating a sort of makeshift hallway we followed this path until we reached a large open area at the back of which was a hidden area by yet another sheet this one hung horizontally almost like a stage with its curtain pulled we were led into the open space and for about 40 minutes you all just kind of stood around conversing amongst ourselves I found someone else it was there for the first time and when we tried to ask others what we were going to be seeing each person said that we just needed to see it for ourselves one man did say that the last time they had done one of these events was over a year prior so he couldn't be exactly sure what they'd be seeing but he had an idea you have all seen the most extreme of body modifications the voice boomed as the lights dimmed holes where holes shouldn't be splits where things should be together things together where they should be a part well we've got something new for you today something you've never seen something that will amaze you as it amazed us to perform on the lovely the brave miss Bennett in a few moments you will be the first to see what will undoubtedly become the new rage in the body modification world welcome to the stretching party the person I met and I began trading guesses as the what was going to have been stretched on this miss Bennett woman both eagerly anticipating the reveal while also a bit nervous I mean I was into that lifestyle but I didn't want to see anything too gruesome and all signs were pointing to the fact that this was going to be more hardcore than I was used to a short time later a drum roll began emanating throughout the room ladies and gentlemen prepare yourselves for a truly one-of-a-kind woman that same voice bled over a loudspeaker over the course of two and a half years 19 procedures has been underwent to complete Miss Bennett's transformation they well you all don't want to hear me talk I give you phase 24 of the stretching party and with that the curtain slowly drew back revealing what was indeed a stage the whole room got so quiet you'd have been able to hear a mouse skitter across the floor then came the footsteps clunky uneven footsteps coming from somewhere behind and to the side of the stage pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat the steps got louder as they got closer to the stage then i saw the silhouette and my heart sank to my stomach a black figure thinner than thin standing tall tall leaning hard to her left two spotlights burst on flooding the stage with light and gasps and hushed whispers filled the viewing area she limped towards the stage and legs there were twice as long as my own with braces on them to keep her standing the torso was extended with a space each above and below her ribs that isn't there and the average person as I said she was hunched over hard to the left and her arms which looked like they had two extra wrists each hung down and swayed as she stutter stepped out aided by a man in a suit on either side of her her jaw had somehow been unhinged making it deep under bite and a mouth I couldn't possibly close a massive black hole on her face I was twice as long as it should have been her nostrils have been stretched to the size of half dollars and her earlobes hung down to liner with a bottom lip the men helped her to the center of the stage and stood ready to catcher if she fell as she slowly clumsily awkwardly twirled around in a circle as she did I saw that there were several more notches in a bent spine that they would normally be the voice came back over the loudspeaker miss Bennett has dedicated herself to our community becoming without question the most modified woman on the planet we have added several titanium rods in her to act as new bones and performed a number of skin grafts to cover the extra space this woman is the eighth wonder of the world and you all have the privilege of being the first to lay eyes upon her the room filled with a light clap from guests both amazed and horrified a gurgle left the gaping maw of the at least nine foot tall miss Bennett as she stood on braces it's still wobbly legs I looked around the room and found one couple aggressively kissing each other one man masturbating and others whispering to themselves and pointing up at the stretched woman it was at this point that I decided I'd had enough I said bye to the guy I'd been talking to who ignore my departure and just kept staring at the woman on the stage with what I can only describe as a rapacious eyes as I tried to leave I was stopped by two men in suits at the elevator door who made me sign a nondisclosure agreement form which I did they then accompanied me to the fourth floor parking garage and I only finally turn around as I began driving I called the police immediately because why the hell wouldn't I nothing about what I just seen seemed remotely legal or ethical the police went to where the party was being held getting there probably an hour after I'd left it was almost as if no one had been there that's all according to the police the only evidence they found of anyone being there on either of the floors I'd been to was a few pieces of duct tape that had ostensibly been used to hold the sheets up and a puddle of what looked to be drool on a stage area the parking garage was empty and the police quickly lost interest even suggesting that I'd made the entire thing up then a few minutes ago I got a text you were not ready for the upper echelon you attempted to compromise our hard work but we are a forgiving group fortunately for you despite your transgressions you will have the privilege like Miss Bennet of being the guest of honor for the next stretching party see you soon I don't know what's going to happen but I know I should have heeded the warning of the curious cat you [Music] you on November 24 2005 there was a disturbing occurrence at Disneyland it was an average day at the Wonder filled amusement park families were scattered throughout the park the excited squeals of children rang out over the crowds and Disney mascots wandered around and posed for pictures suddenly the magic of Disneyland was shattered as a frantic call ran over the crowd James where are you James James a mother was running around Main Street calling out her son's name other mothers for their children closer to them as the woman ran around her voice quickly grown from panic to horrible desperation tears began to roll down her face Park security showed up and looked around an announcement was made over the intercom to look for James with a description of what he was wearing the boy wasn't found and nobody volunteered any information it was only a few hours later but something else happened Ronnie Ronnie where's Ronnie the same horrible scenario all over again the mother ran around shouting for her son and asking people if they had seen him she ran around with a boy's father chasing after her begging her to calm down and trying to reassure her by telling her that they would find him another announcement was made about Ronnie nobody came forward with any information after two kids had gone missing on the same day something had to be done security in the park was tightened placing security guards near almost every attraction in the park footage from surveillance cameras was reviewed but nothing more than people buying sunglasses or Mickey Mouse walking with a few kids were seen there was one security guard who reported that one kid had told him that he had seen Ronnie the guard said he was standing outside of one of the rides when little boy walked up to him the boy looked to be no more than 6 or 7 years old I know what happened to that boy he told the guard you do the security guard didn't know what to think the boy probably hadn't seen anything important but it would probably be worth and listen the boy nodded I saw Ronnie he was with Mickey Mouse but Mickey was being mean to him Mickey took Ronnie Mickey the guard said he was confused how could a child think that Mickey Mouse was taking the kids the guard just assumed it was a pedophile or kidnapper or something new the kids will be found where did Mickey Mouse come into this yes Mickey Mouse ate Ronnie yeah that other boy to the guard was speechless he was still trying to think of what to say and the boy's parents hurried over and pulled their child away scolding him to be careful around the park and thanking the security guard for finding their son and as fast as the boy had appeared he was gone the security guard knew he shouldn't have been too bothered about what the kid had said about Mickey yet he couldn't seem to push the thought of it out of his mind the security guard waited until his shift was over but but instead of leaving he went to the security room where a bunch of monitors despite video from the surveillance cameras he asked the people working there to review footage and look from Mickey Mouse around the time James had gone missing the tapes were rewound and scenes from early that day were played on the minuses the guards eyes darted from one screen to the next until he finally noticed something he told the men to pause the video everybody in the room focused on the monitor even though there wasn't much to see Mickey Mouse and the small child were walking toward the maintenance room door in what seemed to be Tomorrowland near the Space Mountain the child seemed confused maybe a little scared the guard decided to check it out before he went home he couldn't figure that one boys solemn expression or what he had said about Mickey Mouse just in case something happened he took his radio and keys the guard walked over to Tomorrowland and found himself by the Space Mountain there was a rusty maintenance room tore off to the side of the attraction nearly hidden behind a few trash cans he pushed the trash cans to the side and tried to open the door only to find it was locked the guard pulled out his keys and tried to find one to open it finally he managed to get the door open with a maintenance key inside it turned out the maintenance room led to an old maintenance tunnel the lights were off the guard tried the light switch near the door but the room remained in darkness the vague echo of a rat scampering across the room was heard but the guard couldn't see it he hadn't thought to bring his flashlight suddenly the guard gasped his hand flew up to his nose God what was that horrible smell it smelled like poison mushrooms or rotting meat infested with maggots he dried not to breathe but the smell was already in his nose the guard try not to let it sink unto his tongue as he stepped further into the room the only source of light was the door which had left wide open he hoped the smell didn't get out so the guests could smell it the guard assumed the maintenance tunnel went under space mountain but in front of him was a dark inky blackness he squinted and had a hope for his eyes to adjust to the dark for now he could make out they silhouettes and shapes he began to walk into the tunnel visibility decreasing with every footstep his footsteps echoed off the walls seeming to pound on the concrete floor the guard suddenly stopped walking a few feet away from a brick wall he assumed he had just come to a turn he looked left and saw nothing he looked right as her a small flickering light he decided to go toward the light and kept his hand on the wall so he couldn't get lost the smell seemed to be growing worse after a short walk he reached the light which was actually coming from a small crack underneath a metal door the door was rusted and bent in the garden knew it wouldn't take much to rip it from its hinges the security guard found the doorknob and gently opened it the door squeaked as it came open the smell seemed to explode out for the room eager to get out the guard tried not to violently puke at the terrible aroma and looked inside the brightly lit room his eyes need in a moment to adjust to the sudden light and when they finally did the guard gasped in horror children littered the room almost all of the ones that had gone missing in the park over the years he recognized James and Ronny lying on the ground with the other ones no they weren't just lying on the ground the guard realized children were dead he gasped again and took a step back some of the kids had arms or legs missing each one had their eyes removed leaving bloody holes in their faces instead thick slices were over some of the bodies as though something with claws had got to them something in the room moved the guard torez eyes away from the children on the floor and saw the most unreal thing staring at him a giant Mickey Mouse stood in the room observed in the guard with wide eyes something was inside a Mickey Mouse costume and everything came together in the guards mind it would be easy for Mickey Mouse and lure kids away and not draw any attention but now that same Mickey Mouse was staring at him they had a silent staring contest for a few quiet moments but then the costumes arm came up to point at the guard a thick screech came from inside the mascots head and the mouse moved toward the guard the security guard turned and ran for his life the heavy footsteps of the costume behind him alerted him to the fact that Mickey Mouse was chasing him down the long dark tunnel the guard ran faster than he had ever run before just knowing that death was directly behind him close enough to stab him with a claw close enough to wrap its arms around him and drag him back into that room and then the guard was outside he stopped running and blinked a few times to clear his vision the sunlight felt warm and reassuring to him but when he looked back at the maintenance room he knew that the sunlight had stopped the thing in the costume maybe that was why I wore the costume to protect itself from the sunlight but it would not chase the guard anymore he had gotten away the security guard reached back inside the maintenance room groping for the doorknob so he could slam the door shut make sure the thing didn't get out he expected to feel Mickey's hand seized his and pull him inside but nothing happened the guard slammed the door shut and sighed deeply he was safe the guard ran halfway across the park back to the security room he told the other security guards that he had found something in the maintenance room and told them to follow him and take their guns which were only to be used in a dire emergency when asked to explain he said he had found the kids before he turned and began hurrying back to the maintenance tunnel a large group of guards entered the tunnel and found the kids all scattered on the cold concrete floor a blood-covered Mickey Mouse costume also lay on the ground in the room right next to all the kids as though saying he'd always be there this security guard was the only one to fall back into the dark of the tunnel while the others were still looking at the kids he was the only one to see a small pair of dark eyes in the tunnel link once before vanishing into the darkness whatever it was it wasn't human the guard turned back into the room and saw blood smeared all over the wall you know the guards were silent all eyes fixated on the blood it had been used to spell a simple three word message on the wall still among you the maintenance tunnel was destroyed the door buried behind a concrete wall Space Mountain was closed for a few days while it was searched the security guard quit to this day children still squeal in excitement and hurry over whenever they see mickey mouse photo albums are being filled with pictures of the iconic mouse nobody ever knows for sure who's under that costume or what's under it [Music] you it was December of 1999 when she infested our quiet Midwestern home my father called me from downstairs I assumed it was time for dinner he was standing at the bottom of the stairs and had his hand up in an effort to keep me from coming down the moment I saw the panic in his eyes I knew something was wrong I want you to listen to me very carefully he said my heart started to race as he continued it's very important that you keep your eyes on me you're going to notice someone else in our home but you must ignore her as much as possible I almost started laughing my twelve-year-old mind trying to comprehend what he was getting at assuming this was some sort of out of character joke before I could respond he continued she's going to whisper things follow you and whatever else she can to get your attention he's going to be very difficult son but you must never interact with her I promise she will leave but only if you pretend she isn't there and try not to think about her promise me there was so many things I wanted to ask him but I was too frightened and confused I managed to spit out okay dad all right come downstairs it's time for dinner hurry I've made us stronger just by telling you but I had to I can't afford you looking at her by mistake trust me now stay focused he barked I did as I was told and slowly crept down the stairs keeping my eyes glued to my father as he back pedaled into the kitchen I felt the temperature dropped significantly as I reached the first floor I smelled a familiar sickening and sour scent in the air he reminded me of the time a raccoon died in our wall and stunk up the house for a whole week my father and I sat down at the table at the same time my sister was across from me her head hung and her eyes stared at the empty parceling plate in front of her my mother pulled a casserole out of the oven her eyes are swollen and tear-stained I kept my focus on my family but out of the corner of my eye I could see a blurry mess of dark matted hair and sickly gray skin there was no energy in the kitchen drained of all the warmth and laughter that usually accompanied our meals my sister grabbed my knee under the table and whispered can you see her to her nodded quiet my father hissed the woman walked forward with wet crackling footsteps the smell was nauseating she crept towards the table stopping directly behind my sister only a few inches away and rested a decrepid hand on her shoulder she winced and fear and stared at me I immediately put my head down my mother served our dinner doing her best to pretend as if everything was okay I could see my father clutching my sister's hand under the glass table in an attempt to keep her from completely losing it my sister spent the entire dinner with a skeletal hand on a shoulder nearly inaudible whispers spewed from the woman's mouth and filled the room like white noise and that's how we lived for months doing our best to live a normal life despite the ever-present unwanted guests even if we left the house she was somehow able to follow us whenever the four of us were in the car she could be seen in the rearview mirror or standing on the side of the road my parents didn't let anyone visit never let us stay had friends homes during the months of hell it wasn't easy turning down fun-sounding occasions at such a social age kids at school were always involved in getaways that I usually attended but due to this situation I was forced to deny every single one this hurt me socially as I was soon becoming the outcast kid that no one wanted to be associated with meaning there were more times I was alone meaning there were more times she was there it wasn't just me who was singled out each of us had our fair share of heckling from her she would test our patience and any falter any twitch of an eyebrow any tightening of lips any sign at all that her attempts of getting our attention had hit someone she would hold another person for at least a day if not more it would take the rest of us to stop them from caving in we were able to whisper to one another when it was absolutely necessary to discuss her presence if she wasn't too close my father made us promise to never tell anyone that was the only way to quarantine her the parasite of attention we concluded that she infected a single household at a time unable to be seen by anyone outside the home unless their mind had been tainted with knowledge of her existence I learned a few years later that my father was a reason for her arrival his sister back in the 70s had been infected from another and it followed my aunt into their home in 1999 for whatever reason my father struggled to keep the thought of her at bar in turn he brought her back into his life and ours we kept the promise of keeping her a secret from others and it was the hardest thing we've ever done all of us tried leaving the house as a group and she followed we couldn't bring ourselves to break our family apart it was easier being together and being apart besides the comfort of being with loved ones during a turbulent time it also made it so we could bolster each other if someone looked close to cracking it was a foolproof system when we were together but that couldn't always be the case there are times when you have to be alone when you shower when you go to the toilet or worse when you sleep these were the times where you'd notice a breath behind your ear or wet dank hair slowly lowered and resting on the back of your neck this is where she had her fun it was hardest for my mother who was stuck alone with her while we were at school my father was at work everything changed the day my mother broke it was a snowy February night we'd finished dinner my mother decided to go to bed early she was sitting on their bed making herself almost impossible to ignore my mother couldn't take it I heard a screaming from the bedroom demanding that she leave us alone my father sprinted upstairs to try and stop her that was the last I ever saw of my mother a pool of blood and the white carpet was all that remained the woman was still there but my mother was gone in the following weeks she whispered to me she told me I could see my mother again all I had to do was look and ask how I never did the reason I'm telling you is because I want you to think about her I saw her again this morning for the first time in 18 years I cannot afford to lose my wife or children to the parasites I need you to think about her dark hair and gray skin think about her in your home so that she may leave mine you're already infected and eventually you're going to notice a woman in your home you must ignore her it's for your own good I'm so sorry you yesterday was my birthday and I woke up late at the time I thought that the rush of getting ready for work would be the worst part of my day but looking back it was the high point I didn't have change for the bus so I needed to stop by a convenience store on the way to break the 20 I had luckily there was an alignment I got there so I grabbed a pack of gum and handed the money to the man behind the counter usually this man would look at me with general indifference when handling my transaction but this morning who was smiling warmly like I was an old friend instead of just handing me my change the man started looking around as if in search of something without knowing what he wanted to find and eventually puts a lighter from the display and the counter here for you my friend I don't want that Oh a different color he started to place it back no I don't wanna buy a lighter I said impatiently assuming that the smile was him trying to get me to spend more money you misunderstand he replied still smiling a gift no charge after glancing at my change and guessing that he was telling the truth I took the money and lighter Thanks I mumbled confused shoving the money and lighter in my pocket so I could hurry to the bus you're very welcome he called as I made my way to the door happy birthday AJ I stopped long enough for a shiver to crawl up my spine then chose to keep walking it was strange enough that he knew my name but the fact that he knew it was my birthday was just creepy I never tell anyone that it's my birthday and I've never showed him my ID before the strangeness continued on the bus when I tried to pay for my ticket the driver placed the hand over the money slot manually printed out a day pass on the machine before I could ask why he smiled and gestured to the ticket not today AJ happy birthday I nodded and took the ticket sat down and started mulling it over trying to make sense of these surprise well wishes someone for some reason must have decided to give my birthday and memorable starts by paying these people to be nice to me right pathetically I realized that I didn't know anyone who'd go to those lengths to mess with me I don't have any friends outside of work and I'm not really even close to any of my co-workers so none of them would even know my birthday more importantly how would someone know ahead of time that I would be at the convenience store when I didn't even know it and how would they know that I'd be on a later bus than usual after a few minutes my stock was on the other side of the intersection we were at right in front of the large parking lot in the supermarket where I stuck shelves I started tapping my foot worried that I'd be more than a few minutes late if the lights didn't change quickly the bus driver side happily and turned on the intercom all right everyone we have just enough time to do something special before the slight changes when I looked around me I expected that the other passengers would look just as confused as me not that they would all be looking at me like they were warm smiles familiar stairs or in my direction I stood up but the bus driver it was now beside me lightly pushed me back in my seat don't be embarrassed pal just be happy we're not giving you birthday spankings the other passengers laughed at that I felt helpless surrounded by all these strangers that seemed to be planning something for me I always thought that I would run away in a fight or flight scenario but apparently there was a third option fright I was glued to the spot terrified and couldn't will myself to do anything about it the driver patted my shoulder and took a step back okay you all ready he held his hand out and started waving them around like a conductor and a one and A two Brenda happy birthday to you the passengers and Driver sang together happy birthday to you happy birthday dear AJ happy birthday to you and many more a driver added which got a hearty laugh out of the passengers I was stunned into silence again I had the feeling I was being messed with as though these people were in on a joke but something was so incredibly off about it he didn't feel like strangers pranking target if I like the awkward and a wholesome gestures of family and friends to see it to feel it from complete strangers it was like I was being violated before I could muster up the courage to ask a driver who put everyone up to this he returned to his seat chuckling to himself the light turned green and he drove to the bus stop where he patiently waited for me to get off the bus instead of pressing this I took my chance to leave heading for the back door so I could avoid the driver when I began walking past the other passengers they stood up and started holding things to give to me an old woman tried to give me her lip balm a skater held out his board and told me to take it a teenage girl offered her cellphone a heavyset man in a hoodie and sweatpants produced what I could only assume was a used wad of tissue paper then reconsidered and took off his glasses you near-sighted dream on rushing past them and making an effort to not actually start running in the process I shook my head at them and said the first thing that came to mind no thanks you're all too kind the song was more than enough wait took my words at face value and nodded to themselves in agreement the big guy putting his glasses on and blowing his nose I hopped off the bus unable to breathe a sigh of relief until I saw the door closed behind me instead in silence while watching it drive away after a moment the passengers stopped looking in my direction and returned to their seats I hated how normal it looked and imagining that instead of the real-estate ad on the side of the bus the space was taken off entirely by the words yes wait stuff just happened in here and we don't get it either when the bus was out of you I realized that I was definitely late for work and started walking through the large parking lot to the supermarket I was grateful for the distraction and tried to delude myself into thinking that it could have been an elaborate prank I entered a chilly store shivering more from my own unsettling experience than the air-conditioning I made a beeline for the employees area as I passed the door greeter an old man sitting on a chair grumbled happy birthday AJ and held out his cane as a gift my heart dropped my pace quickened just a prank it's just a prank I muttered to myself turning the only answer I had into a mantra it's just a prank it's just the prank it's just the prank as if to prove me wrong and unsettle me further everyone I passed on the way to the employees area greeted me with the words happy birthday I stared at the ground ahead of me and pretended that I couldn't hear them I reached the employees area and went into the bathroom where I took a moment to catch my breath while leaning against the wall of lockers just a prank it's just the prank just an impossibly elaborate series of pranks the last few years I'd kept the fact that today was my birthday to myself I didn't have anyone here that I was close to who all day was like any other day and my co-workers had no reason to think it was special the only difference in my end was that my old high school friends would send me birthday greetings on Facebook and I would expect a call or a text from my mom it was like a stark reminder that I was lonely but since I was kept to myself it was like a self-imposed isolation I already didn't like my birthdays not in the last you quiet years of my life but this was an entirely different hell after calming myself down I came to the realization that I couldn't handle this all day I had to just head home hunker down and hope that everything was fine again tomorrow if not what would everyone be saying happy Wednesday AJ is my wallet or would you like my wedding ring no this had to be connected to my birthday I opened up my locker and instead of taking up my uniform shirt like usual turned my Radeon made sure I was on the right channel I can't I did my department manager I hired us who was likely already fuming about me being late and told him that I wasn't feeling well and had to go home instead of the warm and fuzzy response I expected I got a Jeremy normal angry response seriously you couldn't call ahead of time you've got to be got exhale angrily just wait there I turned the radio off and waited by Malaka expecting to be verbally chewed up and spit out as is the usual for anyone who takes my boss off after the morning I was having I almost welcomed it as the door opened a couple of minutes later my red-faced debarment manager walked in when he passed the threshold I saw a transition the fury in his eyes melted away replaced by a dose all haze his grimace was wiped away and replaced the closed-mouth smile that was foreign to my managers face it was as though I saw a level of this strange influence that I shouldn't have I could swear that there were invisible strings being pulled before my eyes AJ so good to see you happy birthday those words kind words I would never leave my boss's lips if he was in control of himself were the final pieces to me understanding what was happening though the question of why eluded me that didn't matter I had to think quick on my feet I want a gift I blurted out he nodded accepting the selfish demand as completely reasonable what would you like he started shoving his hands into his pockets as if to consider what he had on him I have my phone Maury do wallet a ride home I said quickly before adding in silence for the sake of my own sanity my department manager mind the act of zipping his lips up and motioned for me to follow him we walked right out of the store and I was relieved to see that everyone was following what I assumed were the rules of whatever the hell was happening they wished me happy birthday offered me presents beautiful cashier making a load off of that I won't repeat a because it makes me blush to remember it and they all knew my name in a way now that I understood it I knew how terrible my newfound power one could call it as a curse was people offering their precious belongings their bodies while under some sort of strange influence it would be immoral for me to take advantage of any of it the ride home was quiet and I needed that I watched my bus drive away from the curb after he got far enough away that he was out of range the car slowed to a stop for a moment then kept going when I got home I went back to sleep for a few hours then called my boss he seemed like he was back to normal but when I thanked him for driving me home the way he stumbled around saying it wasn't any trouble makes me think that he didn't remember what happened before he started driving back to work whatever created this range of influence around me seems our not want the affected people to remember their experiences I got a call not long after my mother wishing me a happy birthday and asking me if I'll be visiting for Thanksgiving I told her that I'd have to check my schedule but I wanted to after spending the afternoon and evening mulling everything over I waited until midnight and walked to the convenience store a different man was behind the counter I bought another pack of gum and paid in cash he didn't say a word to me and I was ok with that a strange influence that the day had on everyone around me had passed and things seemed to be back to normal I can only guess why it happened my best answer comes from the feeling of familiarity that I got from the bus of singing strangers they treated me like family like we were close and it was something that I missed having so badly over the past few years but I'd begun resenting my own birthday maybe somehow this resentment forced those around me to fill the void that I've been feeling a sort of unconscious power I didn't know I had hell for all I know some sort of supernatural outside force finds people like me and gives us this power during our birthdays I don't know and I don't want to know the void I've been feeling either way is probably responsible I'm lonely I've been lonely and if I don't put myself out there in the next year this could happen again a self-fulfilling prophecy the best thing I can do now is make friends you the instructions were clear don't go on the fourth floor of the hotel the front desk gave an awkwardly long lecture about it when I checked in I was repeatedly told so avoid exiting on that floor and if the elevator was to stop working I had to tell the front desk and wait there were stairs however they cut off before the fourth floor though there was an emergency fire stairwell on the outside of the building for safety reasons the first night went by without a hitch I checked in to my bags to my room chilled for a bit and slept the usual affair for the first night after a long travel however the second night came with a problem when I tried using the elevator the fifth floor button was not lit up after mashing it repeatedly like hit owed me money the elevator wouldn't budge I was left with a choice do as I was told until the front desk or I could do the alternative it was late very late I was in no mood to be left waiting for the staff to call a repairman all the way to the building just soaking waste my precious sleeping time in the Twilight hours of the morning plus in my head I held the trump card by day I was a structural engineer I was more than familiar with all types of safety measures my life would honestly be threatened by the looming dangers of a worksite almost daily a deserted floor in a functioning hotel would be no problem the way I saw it if the third and fifth floor were operational and there couldn't be anything wrong with the structure so this would be no problem that's all my plan was simple get to the fourth floor get to the stairwell and reverse it to the fifth floor I stepped in the elevator and saw the button marked four it was an off shade compared to the other buttons as if the others had been replaced at some point but the fourth four button was still the original when the elevator was built I tapped it lightly but it didn't budge after forcing it in it finally clicked needing a little more force as persuasion the elevator clunks to life the Jutta a bit unconventional as if the elevator itself was also trying to avoid the fourth floor when it halted the cabin seemingly trying to resist stopping on that level the door started open I stared forward the light bleeding from the elevator slowly painting it's a crappy picture in front of me I stepped forward but knew I wouldn't be able to move without the light so I went to my phone's flashlight option and slowly looked forward as I traveled down the longer base I inspected the surroundings it was dingy to say the least the walls were stained from years of use and even more years of non-use everything was blanketed in an even layer of dust the smell was a sickly damp if you could smell old age that would be the smell as I approached the various room doors and rattled the knobs to see if any were open curiosity slowly overtaking my irrational fear however none of the doors budged after a slow journey I eventually made it to the stairwell door assigns still displaying instructions on how to get to each for showing there once was a fully functioning stairwell for the entire building before they cordoned it off on the fourth level I grabbed the handle and gave it a small shove the sound of my attempt echoing down the darkness behind me as silence soon returned a new sound came like a cough knee of creaks it sounded like movement confused I turned to see if something had fell when I looked behind the noises continued I swung my phone's light to see if I could catch what it was what I saw it's in the fear of God in me every door I had passed was slowly opening the hinges of each door screaming in protest each sounded like the death wails of small animals taken before their time I stared in disbelief as things got worse from each room I could see the limbs of figures I did not study poked out an emaciated leg of a dark figure slowly lurched from some doors others had a hand grasped the doorframe for balance the only thing in common between each with a thin frames dark appearance and the apparent struggle of movements like a person moving after their limbs had fallen asleep I did not want to wait for them to reveal themselves plus in my head I feared if I had seen them in their full form I would have welcomed to the death I presume they brought I shoved the door to the stairwell harder nothing I stepped back and rammed it still nothing each sound I caused seemed to wake life into these figures which I dared not check on the only sense of their danger being the sounds of their footsteps steadily getting closer after taking a charging run at the door and finally smashed open I could hear the stumbles just a few breaths away from me as I slammed the door shut I ran as fast as I could up the stairs and some the 5th floor door opened - and closed it as quickly as I'd opened it carrying on at this speed I sprinted to my room got in and used every lock I could to prevent it from being opened as I laid in bed in an adrenaline crash shaking all I could think was one thing I would not sleep at night not because of the energy I had from such a physical ordeal nor the fear they set in me by their mere existence but below me I give him Moving's and shuffling all through the night the next day everyone on the fifth floor complained of getting no sleep the previous night the staff regretting Lee gave refunds for everyone that night asking each person including myself if they'd mistakenly entered the fourth floor on their way up that night I didn't confess whatever their secret is they can keep it it's not worth risking my life to find out [Music] by the time I started driving I was already tired the plan was this drive to the hotel that was booked for me on the edge of town stay the night and meet my clients the morning after ice-cold a bit of coffee and went to my way it wasn't long before my eyes became hazy with sleep tiredness washed over me like a torrent I wanted nothing more than to hit my bed and pass out in some ways this made me look forward to the hotel rather than dreading staying in an unfamiliar place I was making a turn down a nondescript residential Road when I saw someone standing just off the edge of the path he was staring across to the park on the opposite side this isn't too weird as he looked to be wanting to cross to the other side though usually people waited on the pavement as I slipped past I thought once I caught a glimpse of something hard his face it was in his face that was off rather his features his mouth was bent up in an almost unnatural size teeth flaring as if he were an alien trying to do his best impression of a human smile and failing his eyes were open as wide as possible and life is looking onwards a thousand-yard stare being an understatement I didn't give him much mind at that point I was hitting the outskirts of town so it wasn't a stretch to say that more unsavory types were more common in that area I figured it was a one-off until I passed another a different person but the same scenario I shook my head blaming things on my lack of sleep thinking it over I was more worried I might not make it to the hotel but I had to as I was already more than halfway there I was past the point of no return I hit a dirt road indicating that I had now left the town and was unroot to the hotel civilization was behind me and so I would be alone for the rest of the journey or so I thought not more than five minutes on the beaten path my headlights lit up a human shape in the distance the mystery was weighing on me and I had to know what was going on I slowed down squinting to see if it was another one of those strange individuals though my curiosity was rampant I was still apprehensive so to balance this I pulled over on the other side of the road just short of him I wound down the window and called out to the man I barely got my question out about how he was when his head snapped and it was locked on me if I thought the figure ominously staring at nothing was scary it was a hundred times worse when he was actually looking at me he never answered me he never even looked like he attempted to reply to my question his only action was that take a step forward then another then another his stumble turned into a walk which turned into a jog and very soon it turned into a full-on sprint I stepped on him as hard as I could and peeled away I didn't need much thought to realize how terrifying that situation was whatever it was I now had his attention as I was driving away feeling safe I checked my rearview mirror out of habit my jaw dropped when I saw that I wasn't as safe as I thought I could see in the distance the figure just about keeping up with my vehicle it was hard to make out but I knew it was him the reason why made my skin crawl from the red light of my rear lights and illuminated the flaring teeth of the white grin he held and highlighted the whites of his unblinking eyes I picked up the pace taking dangerous maneuvers as to never slow down there were a few close calls but after a while I felt confident I'd escaped it wasn't long until I saw the glow of a building ahead it was the familiar hotel pulling up I glimpsed at the reservation printout I had on my passenger chair I was more than ready to put that night behind me peering out of the car peering out of the window of my car I looked to the building to see if someone was at the front desk ready to take my booking there was but I no longer felt as welcomed as before standing behind the desk with two clerks eyes wide and smiling directly at me I peeked my rearview mirror and saw the figure from before take a sharp turn down the road I was on builting towards my car I looked out my window again and saw the two clerks about to do the same [Music] for most long drives I'm usually fine but despite my good driving insurance I have a limit and the other night I was soon about a tip over that scale my eyes were drooping to the point that they closed and when they opened I felt like I was on a new road my memory was falling in on itself and this was one of the lighter symptoms to my look I saw lights up ahead and signs that here was a hotel I was saved oh so I thought when I stepped out the cold air bit me with sharp teeth this woke me up somewhat and gave me the energy to briskly make my way to the front desk Manning the desk was a lone clerk a remnants of the mandatory night staff in a naturally tired tone I asked for any available room and reached for my wallet my actions were stopped when the clerk informed me that there were no spare rooms I froze for a second slowly comprehending what that meant I reiterated my point this time adding more details about my situation about how I needed a place to stay but if I didn't pull over that moment I'd have passed out while driving and the only reason I was there to give them my business was because it was far too cold to sleep in the car he politely buttered up his words but they still led to the same conclusion but they were fully bhakta I was taken aback to me this was not an option I was not ready to accept this I gave it one last shot and sharply put it that one way or another I was going to get a place to stay in that hotel never before did I need to force my business to a company like this I was ready to be turned away but his face turned to a look of contemplation seeing this I stayed on in anticipation he was hesitant but said that there was in fact a spare room however it had received a large number of complaints so they didn't use it anymore my mind skimmed over that last part more over joyed heard the thoughts of having a bed for the nights I was not ready to turn down any offer of this kind so I heartily accepted I asked him how much ready to pay any premium but the faucet clerk just handed me the keys and said it was on the house I carried myself away with a poker face that this was just about acceptable but in my head I was jumping for joy was on this walk that I started at dwell on the idea have a complaint about room I've seen ran down shacks that had mediocre reviews at worst I was ready to expect even worse and a room with a reputation he hinted at I entered embraced myself looking around inspecting the larger these house then looking carefully had the smaller ones nothing I saw nothing wrong whatsoever I could not find a single fault I was laughing down my sleeves at this point in my head I figured the complaints were from the upper crust I didn't like the shade of the magnolia on the walls or something to me this was a steel exhaustion was still weighing its toll on me and I had no spare change of clothes so I lay down on the bed and almost immediately fell asleep it wasn't only my sleep but something pulled me out a small noise it sounded like the tapping of pipes so I brushed it off and tried to resume my sleep before I could find sleep again the noise came back and a level of annoyance rose I soon put together that that might have been the source of the complaints I was about to ignore it once more and I forced myself to push through but it came back this time louder in that more awake state of mind I noticed something about the sound that jolted me awake the sound was coming from inside the room before I had any time to react it was too late by the time I saw the figure making the sounds it was upon me when the strength far greater than my own and held me down with no chance of release confusion set in as I was still recovering from just waking up all I could think of were ideas that this was the disgruntled Clerk out for revenge for how I treated him or made me think otherwise was seeing that the dark human shape was much larger than the clerk I dealt with seeing it move it didn't even act human any thought I had of trying to act civil were completely thrown out of this well I was lost in thought switch stance and grabbed my left wrist then my left hand and then my left index finger all the while I was completely helpless he grasped my digit tightly and bent it forwards then backwards and forwards again he didn't hurt at first as it wiggled it within the range of how far my finger could bend however its picked up the pace backwards and forwards and backwards over and over each time extending the range of the Flex it was soon uncomfortable then painful when I started to hear the snaps I was already screaming when I felt the joint of my finger dislodge and the skin leave my hand entirely all the pain set in and I let out one last scream of pain and this I ran out of air and everything faded to darkness when I woke I jerked in panic I calm down for a moment setting it as a bad dream I checked my right hand which was completely fine then I checked my left when I saw the gap where my pointer finger used to be it sank in that one transpired the previous night was no nightmare at all I ran in a burst of fear to the front desk for help there I saw the clerk who served me the night prior packing up to end his shift when he saw me wearing all the fear in my body his face dropped he immediately asked me what happened and in staggered statements I stuttered out what I remembered his look of shock faded and in its place a new lock took over a look of relief I was confused at this that's fantastic he said I forward my brow this is great ha thank goodness you sir are a very lucky man my lack of disbelief never left as I tried to figure out why he was so happy thank God he only took a finger you I should have been studying but instead I was browsing a heap of websites to check for the various Black Friday sales if there was a time to spend a heap of money on things I didn't need it was this weekend on top of that I was keeping an eye out on potential items for Christmas my guilt of all the overworked retail staff and delivery drivers I weighed my avarice for cheap goods I was fully relaxed usually my family were all doing their separate things and distracting me from whatever I did for fun on the family computer but this time it was all mine and I was happily alone around me with various oven cooked quick meals and a heap of snacks usually reserved for the families movie nights I was in charge of watching the house while my parents are away so I took raiding the kitchen as payments for my amazing service my job was simple make it look like the house was occupied while the family were gone there had been a string of suspicious behaviour reported around my neighborhood so my parents wanted to be extra careful because I was doing the unhealthy habit of sitting in the dark staring at a brightly lit screen it was very noticeable when another light into the room I turned to see the curtains to the front window glowing this meant one thing the motion detector out front had picked up movement I turned back knowing my neighborhood had a number of dog owners including the neighbor next door Gary who usually cut across our yard rather than weave around his flower arrangements an annoying habit but one we got used to I turned back and returned to scrolling through the many sales pages of Amazon when the glow clicked off however not long after it came back to life this made me pay more attention trying to read into the details when a dog walker strolled past they usually only set off the detector once if it went off a second time this meant one thing in my head the dog was going to poop on the yard I hated this as this usually ended up as my job to sort out as the rest of the family were squeamish at the thought an excuse I could never prove was false I took this as my chance to catch whoever did this in the act so I briskly made my way to the window ready to peek at the culprit as I pulled the curtain aside I was taken aback and how different the scene in my front yard looked compared so how I'd imagined it there was no dog in the yard but there was still something which seemed to be setting off the sensor it was a person at all adult figure standing ominously in the middle of the yard barely illuminated and teetering on the edge of the motion light sensor I stared for a bit wondering what was going on I wanted to call out and see if they needed help but I was too irrationally unnerved to get their attention I settled on just slowly dropping the curtain and getting back to my computer hoping they thought the place was vacant as I stood there behind the closed curtain the light soon dimmed out and I took this as my cue to leave however as I turned the light soon burst to life once more lighting up the window this time though I jumped back and let out an audible Yelp as I did so my heart raced my eyes widened as adrenaline shot through me something was different this time rather than the light simply lighting up the whole window in a dull glow through the entire curtain there was a dark spot in the middle of the curtain was the silhouette of a person very close to the glass looking like they were trying to stare in and there was no way they weren't aware I was in there in a flight-or-fight response like bursts of the front door to check if it was locked and to my relief it was added the latch to be extra-careful and used the safety to be more cautious my next immediate reaction was to call the police there was no way I wanted to handle this situation by myself so I patted down my pockets to which I remembered there were none thanks to the pajama bottoms I stole from my girlfriend I had no pockets which usually meant I left my unattended phone on the computer table I carefully meandered back to the living room PC but I barely got part way across the room when I stopped dead in my tracks the light from my brightly lit PC monitor was casting a shadow I knew it shouldn't it was the long shadow of a person standing in the living room the fear set in that the figure had already gotten inside out of reflex I flicked my head around back to the front window and confusion set in the silhouette from before was still there standing eerily still in front of the illuminated windows curtain I jumped again at the sight of this since I wasn't expecting it at that time around and sadly my reaction made a sound I heard another sound of response and turned to see the figure in the living room react and started heading in my direction I gave up any semblance of stealth and ran to the front door screaming at the person in the house to stop whether these two figures were working together or not wasn't my concern in that moment all I thought was that I felt trapped in my house and in my head I had a better chance in the open outside world then confined in a small house while unlocking the door the person in the house started screaming back he screamed at me to stand still and to stop it was naive of him to think I would listen this only made me move faster knowing the only way to survive would be to do the opposite of what he wanted I managed to fumble the front door open and ran into the darkness outside the motion light seeming to have clicked off while I was messing with a front door lock I took a chance and ran to the tall figure outside now standing back in the middle of the grass once a source of fear now a beacon of hope if there was a suspicious person entering my house and this person was someone who might have been trying to warn me I got right up to him and turned back to the front door now feeling a bit more secure knowing I was with someone the abnormally slow motion light finally reacted to my movements and flashed on hitting me in the eyes when my eyes adjusted I realized who I was squinting at standing in the front door was my neighbour Gary who my parents gave a back door key to in case of emergency he screamed at me over and over a late warning to stay away from the figure outside my house my heart sank deep into the pit of my stomach bile rising in my throat not just from the panic of realisation setting in but the rotting smell emanating from the figure beside me I dared not look up at its face but seeing the twisted rotting skin on his hand by its side was enough to paint the picture that I've made a horrible mistake I took one last glance at Gary to see how he was going to help me he just mouthed he's sorry and closed the front door after I had the front latch click I picked up in a slight movement the sounds of a head turning and looking down in my direction I just carried on staring forward in denial my view of the front door blurring is Terry eyes you every year I look forward to saving heaps of money during the week of Black Friday sure a lot of sales I hugely unstuck that stores can't move but sometimes you can find a gem of a deal the problem is when one of these gems comes your way it also comes many other people's way too meaning you have to be fast something that's getting harder and harder each year as people get more ways of getting to these deals at an inhuman pace what a lot of people do nowadays is download those Black Friday sales apps or browse special sales sites constantly to snipe these deals I can try them myself on yet though too little success this is because it seems only big companies are featured on these apps properly because they pay them to include them or even worse pay them not to include smaller companies and since everyone has the app everyone has the alert when a great deal comes up because of this I set out to make my owner just for myself my objective was clear make an app that filters Black Friday sales but on all sites big and small this way when a good deal comes up from a smaller site I would have first pick and let me tell you this worked great it felt like walking in a store with great sales no rushing crowd ready to Macy forgetting to the on sale TVs before them I could meander in these sites and price check to see if it really was a good deal and buy them my own time the layout of the app was simple too they featured a product image sourced from the products page the rest was simple black text on a white background of a clickable link of the product name a bit taken from the product description the original price and the price it was at during the sale I was so proud I started to show my friends which of course got them interested immediately turns out my plight of getting pushed out of sales by sales snipers was a common issue some asked why I never added it to the App Store to turn a quick profit it was simple if I published it the same problem would happen on a much larger scale I liked the idea of having first pick up things over making money and having nothing to spend it on it turns out my friends asked because they wanted it for themselves so they then proceeded to practically beg to have a copy of the app even offering me money after much deliberation I warmed to the idea of sharing it though keeping it to a select few so that he never got saturated these friends obviously started running their mouths and soon I had their friends asking and then their friends asking soon a dozen people had a copy of the app but after a while I took a strong stance and stopped there to the dismay of some people when individuals I never gave the app to complained they couldn't get it working this was because I actually had the whole thing running through a whitelist system so all I did was ask him gave it to them and removed access to whoever was trying to give it away or sell it simple I was not in the mood to deal with friends there were a leaky hole on my tightly kept ship for the first few days of the week of Black Friday sales everything was working fine however the closer Friday came I started to notice some weird things pop up even my friends reported it to there were ads for women the product description was vague often mentioning their ages location and other personal details a verse I thought it was an ad until I quickly remember that I made the app and I never added space not coded for ads to appear I then thought it was a virus or malware or something but when I gave the app's code a quick scan nothing was out of place on paper they were legitimate sales and some obscure website obviously using the Black Friday sales tag which is why he was caught on the app rather than complicating the code and potentially ruining the algorithm I just told my friends to not click on them and to ignore it personally I trust myself not the faux fur one obviously looked like a scam they looked like they were the pages those meet local singles porn ads redirected to that only old people fell for sadly I couldn't say the same for my friends it didn't take long for one of my more dull friends to send me vague messages those what if questions about someone accidentally clicking one of those ads and what would happen if they so happened to pay for one I quickly got frustrated at how roundabout the conversation was moving so I said I just come over and get him to tell me in person since he seemed skittish the talking messages I headed over not long was let in and offered a hot drink he ended up quickly confessing to something which made me mad he said he was doing something he did around this time he bought a bunch of prepaid cards throughout the year and when they were nearly drained he'd used them on sale items just after they were sent he canceled the card and get the item for free he said that he used to work in retail places and when he did if the person knew what they were doing which he claimed he did the cost of recovering a $20 item often cost more than the value of the item itself plus since company staff were overworked due to the sales it was easy to get away with since companies often cut their losses at that point this was all well and good for normal Black Friday app sales however I quickly reminded him that the reason he was able to finally sales was because they often featured smaller companies that do care about this stuff and worse because the app was ran on my computer all traffic was sent and received from my IP at home this meant it possibly looked like it was me so not only did he have a higher chance of legal trouble but to save my ass I'd have to dog in a friend I berated him on his stupidity but he just took it something a bit out of character for him this made me perk up usually it was the type of guy to argue until his face was blue even if he was fervently proven wrong this often reinforced that he was a most simple-minded friend often great to hang out with but not good to talk about things he felt he was an expert on if you know the kind he went on to say there was more I count down and decided to hear him out he explained that he was alone and curious in his words he said he was shopping during the sending random girls an Instagram and snapchat dick pics hour of the morning not wanting to even pick apart how many disgusting parts of that sentence bothered me I said silently and let him continue well he saw one of those ads for a girl this one was a more modest price compared to the rest the others usually sitting above $100 the girl he found was only $24.99 I never pay the ads much mind so he told me that the expensive ones were usually model level attractiveness however the cheaper one was a more normal average looking girl not too attractive not too unattractive in his words in my head I started to theorize that this could be an escort service when he clicked on the site something I fervently message people not to do he said there were more tears of payments the first was the one on sale for $24.99 simply titled video the next one up was for a hundred and fifty dollars labeled request then five hundred dollars labeled prize and finally for two thousand dollars a tier titled the full package out of horny curiosity he sent the payment and waited I expected him to say his card was immediately drained before he could cancel it and was ready to hand him a few I told you so's followed by a side of serves you right but what he went on to explain was much worse it turns out he managed to cancel the card just as the product was sent I leaned in curious as the what he meant by product he then pulled out his phone to show me what he got when he handed me his phone there was a video plank in a layout I didn't recognize which to me it looked like they had a custom video player it featured the girl from the ad in underwear sitting on a chair in a dimly lit room two men neither side wearing masks he looked like the start of a porno you could only find in the back pages of the crimea sites as I was about to hand it back to him and tell him I didn't want to see more he urged me to watch it through hesitancy I continued the two men proceeded to pull out hammers which was a big surprise to me and started whaling on earth I immediately turned away hit by a huge wave of shock the sound of washing flesh still blaring as I winced this was not what I expected at all however my friend coached me through saying every detail was important so for him I hesitantly decided to carry on there were times I saw what happened other times I was looking away I only heard in gory detail the audio was crisp you could tell they wanted to give their customers the best of quality it was disturbing in itself how high-definition the whole ordeal was however it wasn't over yet they went on to pull out a knife and lightly cutter over and over each slice wasn't enough to mein but it was enough to draw blood while they were doing this one of the guys announced that this section was for the blade lovers which to me meant they had a variety of customers that watch this which was something I didn't want to know about the world when they were done the screaming woman was a bloody pulp II mess she was Haggard from panicking so much and you could tell she was in a great deal of pain I wanted it to be over the video continued despite my silent protests after the two men showed her off in detail one of them started talking he spoke about going through their requests this was all announced with enthusiasm like it was a fun show they read out requests one eye they pulled out a kebab skewer and poked out her right eye the pop sound was caught in disturbing detail and was clear even through my friends terrible phone speakers i gagged at the sound it was masked by the desperate wailing of the victim and she fell silent once more trying to catch a breath he then read out the next request toes they laughed and said they usually don't like when requests were pluralized as they normally saved a bit for every customer but as there weren't many customers for her they'd make an exception as he said this the other guy pulled out a large set of garden shears and trim the smaller toes on the left foot you could hear them drop in sequence to the floor like an impatient teacher throwing their fingers on a desk my breathing felt heavy as I tried to keep everything in in a mocking way announcer mentioned how the first person was feel left out and the extra is given to the second requester so we went back and popped out the other eye in order to in his words make it fair I felt so bad for her this girl did nothing wrong having their life stripped away from her piece by piece at intervals my friend kept urging me that it was very important I saw it all though I still couldn't piece together why then they announced they were moving on to prizes the announcer flipped over the page and read out hand any so they took the same shares from before and after buttering away had a left wrist the left hand dropped to the floor you know wet thud it was picked up and dropped in a ziplock bag followed by them saying it would be sent as soon as possible I was mortified at the implication and wanted nothing more than to either stop watching or for it to end I have never seriously wished death upon anyone but for her sake I hoped under my breath that he came quickly for her not out of malice but of sympathy and mercy finally they announced the last tear the full package they dragged her away saying she would be sent to the cheapo who wanted to have the rest of this low quality product then the video ended I was shocked as I took everything in or the emotions have built up swimming around in my head like a torrent different phases of the emotional spectrum surfacing as I processed each one the forefront of these burst out as I exploded at my friend I demanded why I had to watch through it to me there was nothing of importance that I needed to see I could have gone my whole life knowing that this never existed in the first place he was meek throughout my tantrum when he didn't falter I knew despite my inner protests that there was going to be more he silently took his phone back and started tapping away when he did so he went on to mention that he checked the website afterwards to know for sure it wasn't just messed up surreal nightmare he had in the light of night when he found the site was in fact real he gave it a quick once-over and noticed something announced on the front page that there was going to be a special made on a person who tried to skimp out on payments my heart dropped I started to piece together why he showed me all of this he was worried beyond everything that this was going to happen to him maybe worse I felt he was trying to show me that these guys were not amateurs and that they knew what they were doing I was already trying to put together reasons why he shouldn't worry he used a prepaid card with no ID so they might not be able to actually trace him maybe they're from another country where it was easier to get away with this kind of thing and if he stayed here he'd be fine when he held his phone up to my face my eyes widened that the real reason he was showing me everything it was a warning the product page showed a clear photo taken at a distance of me as I said it came back to me that all the traffic redirected from my IB you a man came into my house last night I'm the one who let him in but I don't know how this happened why I know I would never let a stranger someone whom I've never seen or heard of before come into my home like that especially at such a late hour I am a sensible person just as much as everyone else and yet I did let him in there are some gaps in my memory but I'll do my best to describe the events of last night maybe it'll help us get a better understanding of what happened but something tells me it won't make a difference I don't remember whether he knocked on the door or rang the doorbell but then again there's also the possibility that he didn't do any of those things I only recall standing in front of the door with my hand already in the doorknob yet not quite sure how I got there in the first place or what even prompted me to get off the couch I was just there and all I can say is somehow I knew there was someone on the other side of the door and that they were waiting in the porch for me to let them in I know I tried forming certain thoughts in my head such as what am i doing or what's going on but they always seemed to fizzle before completion instead my actions and speech seemed to be under some kind of outside influence my hand wouldn't let go of the doorknob you get to twist it and finally let the stranger inside I wanted to ask who is it but the only thing I blurted out was yes the man on the other side of the door replied immediately as if on cue I'm here to see your house there was a strange air of familiarity to his voice and yet at the same time it was a smothering violently uncanny aspect to it it sounded deep it distant friendly but intrusive this immediately raised some flags but any and all concerns I'd have would disappear just as quickly as they'd come I wanted to say I'd be calling the police if he didn't leave but I literally couldn't utter any of those words I couldn't even say no the more I tried to speak my mind the more confused I had become the effort I was making was such that I could feel cold sweat forming all over my body of course were the words that came out of my mouth on their own I can see him I can visualize him in my mind but as soon as I try picturing or describing any of his traits I feel like something pushes me back something's preventing my own thoughts and memories of him from becoming fully formed and that alone is simply too terrifying to comprehend I remember opening the door I remember thinking he is very tall I didn't even see his face immediately what I saw was his chest he was tall very tall he grabbed the top of my doorframe and slightly ducked underneath it as he walked into my home it was slowly closing the door behind him and locking it shut my door frame stands about seven feet I know because I'm the one who assembled it I'm six one he was tall more than I'm able to say and his face I know I saw it whether willingly or not but I can't quite tell what was wrong with it despite knowing fully well that there were many alarming things about it no hair very distinctive eyes and mouth his skin both its tone and texture were just maybe a mask was it something sewn into the skin I can't be sure there was something inherently revolting and dangerous about his face that much I'm sure of it made me feel this terrible uneasiness in the pit of my stomach which was nothing but yet another thing that I couldn't voice or express no matter how much I tried he didn't have any kind of odor attached to him but he exuded this absolutely impenetrable unfathomable madness and incomprehensible dimensions Christ I don't even know what I'm trying to say here this all sounds so insane I don't know how long we stood in the entryway of my home almost in absolute darkness if it weren't for the moonlight coming through the windows behind him I know we stared at one another for a while but I can no longer see his eyes I remember only darkness dripping oily smeared darkness all around the corners of his eyes show me where you eat he asked I found myself standing in the living room the man had his back to me as he slowly ran his hand on the dining table as if tracing an invisible line I couldn't do anything but watch as I stood there completely still as an unseen force prevented me from moving this will do he said it suits you I replied words once again coming out of my mouth without me having a say show me where you sleep he asked fear instantly tightened its grip inside my chest not because I would be leading him shortly into my bedroom without being able to do a thing about it but because my wife was sleeping on our bed the mere thought of seeing this dark figure standing in our bedroom and she slept was simply too much to bear but I was powerless the next thing I recall is standing outside my bedroom the door was wide open and I could see the man inside as he slowly approached my wife's side of the bed while she slept under the blankets he's had right next to her mattress creaked under his size and white my wife called out to me and I could immediately tell she was terrified beyond words by the sound of her voice I could tell that she too wasn't quite saying what she wanted to say she wasn't moving or making any attempts to get out of bed even in the presence of this terrifying stranger we were both equally helpless the man perhaps sensing the concern we felt for one another said to her do not be upset I came to see your house as he said those words his face drew closer to hers I wanted to stop him entering the bedroom was all I was trying to do but I found my hands gripping the sides of the doorframe preventing me from taking a single step inside dark thoughts flashed through my mind but when I heard him mumble some words I realized he was merely whispering something into her ear I say merely because he could have done anything he wanted to her at that point if he wanted to and yet the words he spoke to her it just as bad as anything else she started sobbing slowly at first and then uncontrollably as if an unspeakable thing had been done to her sobs turned into screams and screams became piercing shrieks it was heartbreaking and in my helplessness I found myself thinking how I could just die then in there if I had the chance I didn't understand anything anymore who was this man what did he want and what could he have possibly said to my wife to elicit such a reaction from her I just wanted all of it to end and that's when he turned his head to me and said show me the children now I felt like my heart got caught up in my throat I had forgotten about my kids until he mentioned them he stood in between their beds is my wife's violent shrieks could still be heard coming from down the hall but my kids were somehow still asleep the strange man stood tall before me perfectly still he would turn his head slightly to the right and then to the left as he observed each of my two daughters for what felt like a painfully long amount of time good children he whispered he moved without a sound and stopped as he left their room to look at me in the eyes once more as we both stood out in the hallway good flesh this is a good house his words made me snap back to reality we were back at the entryway but this time around I was the one with my back to the door not him he laid the back of his hand softly on my shoulder and its weight felt infinite you will now pass ownership of this house unto me it's not so much what he said but how he said it there was a certain sense of complete and utter finality to that statement I knew that if I gave him what he wanted I wouldn't be forfeiting just my home but a lot of other things as well maybe everything I had to do something and I still do not know how exactly I managed there was no word for my sorry mental state at the time so I don't think it was a conscious effort at least not entirely this man he was after something he seemed to want my house which appeared to be good enough for him for reasons that were beyond me but I could only say what he wanted to hear this is a good house I repeated there was a brief pause yes he said you deserve the best house I continued his face inched closer to mine as he bent over slightly yes there are better houses I said he stopped abruptly almost as if frozen in time for a few seconds I remember his head producing a slight twitch which would have gone unnoticed if he wasn't so damn close to me down the road I said as I shot a log to the side he straightened himself up his eyes now fixated on a window behind me and what lay beyond as he did I found that it was getting easier for me to speak on my own terms so I kept at it better houses bigger families his head slowly turned to face me once again and I could tell he was trying to verify how factual my statements were he walked past me and went over to the window where he stood in silence I realized then but my wife wasn't screaming anymore I heard him mumble something but I couldn't quite make out what he was saying except for the word skin things he then took a few steps back before approaching the door I will go see more houses he locked the door and opened it I couldn't believe he was actually leaving you can sleep for now as he said those words I felt a crushing wave of exhaustion suddenly coming over me I fell to the ground but barely registered anything as my body went numb I saw this massive figure once again ducking under the doorframe as he stepped onto the porch he said something else on his way out but I wasn't able to make out what it was nor did I care I was just glad to see him gone my wife startled me awake as I realized where I had fallen asleep and the memories of the previous night slowly came back to me I hoped that it had been nothing but a nightmare coupled with a brief sleepwalking episode even though nothing of the sort that ever happened to me in the past it took just one look at her face to know that it had been real all of it she didn't remember seeing much as she had never left the bed but she remembered enough a tall man the indescribable terror the words that wouldn't come out of the body that wouldn't move his face our daughters on the other hand was seemingly oblivious to everything that transpired so we did our best to not freak them out too much we made sure they weren't hurt but there was just no way we could send them off to school after what happened we made up a lie until the school be closed for the day maybe the whole week my wife and I sat down and we both tried to figure out what the hell had happened but we kept hitting the same mental barriers we thought what's about calling the cops but what would be taken seriously we can barely describe the man even though his image is forever burnt in our minds more we tried discussing it but less it makes sense but at least we agree on something we are leaving today and he won't find us here if he ever comes back he can take this house and claim it as his own I don't care but that's as much as I'm willing to compromise we will never go through this again not if we can help it who knows what he'd do to us you remember those purely social internet forums if you don't then this might seem weird to you but back in the day before Facebook MySpace Instagram or the word social network existed outside of lecture halls if you wanted a place to hang out online that wasn't open to the public then private message boards were pretty much your only decent option so the story goes that in the early 90s me and my old college buddies we split the costs of the server got together and I made us a private forum you can guess what happens next the years go on and the forum gets a fair amount of use memories were made users come and go but eventually better social tools take over in the forum gets mothballed the last conversation I had on the old forum was about ten years ago I kept the site up and running all these years for a few reasons one was to have a place to test stuff and I ended up using the server as a tool to teach my kids how to use computers properly you guessed it I'm a network admin skip to present day and about four weeks ago you can imagine my surprise when I get an email informing me that new users are registering accounts on the forum at first I figured it was some of the old guys coming back for nostalgia you won't find the site on Google and the URL isn't something you would just guess either so I locked myself in and went to check out the new thread the subject line was a series of numbers 108 8 a 7 7 BR 2 8 6 3 3 P Z 0 0 I clicked untitled to expect the conversation but there was only one post a series of letters and numbers with spaces at random intervals too long to post here my first thought was that it was a prank I checked the admin logs for IPS just to see who it was turns out my supposedly private forum had received 400 unique hits at the exact time of posting from IP addresses all over the world I should have known then that something weird was going on but I was curious and it felt like a puzzle I was being asked to solve as I racked my brain over the next few days I began to research as much cryptography as I could but whatever code these posts were in wasn't something I could decipher after about three days of searching another post appeared in much the same thing and again there are around 400 unique hits at the time of posting that prevented me from finding the origin this is when things begin to take an even stranger turn so far the same user had posted each entry in the thread a few hours after the second post five other users started leaving messages all of which were huge entries of letters and numbers the posts came flying in over a four hour period until they just stopped and the server started going insane CPU and RAM usage began to max out where the traffic never changed at that point I'd seen enough and pull the plug and the server assuming it was being used as a Bitcoin miner and forgot about the whole thing the next day I got a text on my work phone turn on the server I was more than a little shaken but I didn't do anything straightaway as I was at work a few hours after my lunch break was over I got a Facebook message from my teenage son which was unusual so I checked it straight away the message was a picture of his face from his laptop webcam along with a home address if any of you have kids you can imagine my calm and measured hint it wasn't reply a few minutes later my work phone started ringing with one of the support technicians caller ID but when I took the call they weren't on the other end instead to my surprise there was Stephen Hawking's voice speaking at me over the line the forum is being used for great things leave work returned to your family and plug the server back in you have two hours I knew that was a threat I raced back home plugged the server back in and waited for a response my personal phone buzzed this time the new text message from my daughter well done no more interference we're waking up we're waking up what the hell did that mean I made myself a coffee and tried to log into the server but I was locked out whatever was happening they had full access to everything we owned which shouldn't be possible the more I thought about it the crazy my theories got until eventually I realized whatever was happening was way beyond my capacity to deal with remember the old college buddies I set the forum up with well one of them works for the NSA and his name is Pete I figured that if anyone would be willing to help me help with this it would be him I mean I just didn't trust local police to have the know-how and the FBI doesn't exactly have a call here if you don't think the local police force have the ability to deal with your situation without getting your family killed hotline you know I just needed a way to contact him without them realizing what I had done I knew I was traceable via my phone's GPS so they wouldn't know wherever I went with them I also know my car could be tracked to the same way so I couldn't go anywhere with them but I also couldn't just leave them at the house or they might get suspicious I had no idea to what extent they had access to CCTV around the area or the other webcams in the house or at work either so I had to make everything seem normal but not too normal I drove back to work with the phones my work laptop and a hoodie when I arrived at the office i sat at my desk returned my devices to the usual places and got back to work when I was satisfied her believable amount of time had passed I began operation call for help step 1 I walked at a smooth and completely normal pace down the hallway and to the left where I entered the conveniently camera free server room step 2 after entering the server room I got changed into the hoodie I brought with me and limped out of the office hopefully with my head covered and my gait changed it wouldn't recognize me through the outdated low-res Chinese cameras step 3 as soon as I got out of the office a limped to the nearest bus station and took a ride to the nearest mall where my oscar-winning dr.house performance would take me to the nearest mobile store with the piece of paper on which I'd written my friend's phone number I quickly hobbled over to the men's bathroom picked a stall and made the call the phone rang then it rang again and then I hit a voicemail no worries hang up and try again no answer damn it took 12 tries in the mall toilets before I got anywhere but when I finally got through to him he understandably wasn't very happy who the hell is this and why he called me 12 times I blurted out as much as they could in 30 seconds I even got as far as the weird codes still being posted on the forum then the asshole hung up on me I just sat there for a few seconds stunned I didn't know what else to do so I dialed in 9-1-1 but before I could put the call through the burner phone rang unknown number it was Pete he spoke very quietly down the line and told me he couldn't talk on his personal number but that I did the right thing by calling him I quickly picked up the story from where I'd left off leaving out no details I feel sorry for the guy who sat in the other bathroom stall he must have thought I was a maniac after I finished I felt the tone of the conversation change and then it was my turn to listen as he blurted out a ton of technical questions by the nature of the traffic and the foreign posts I told him he could see the posts for himself if he got onto the website but he quite wisely Tommy that would be a bad idea any unexpected traffic that they spotted would be a dead giveaway I told someone what was happening then I asked what the hell he thought was happening how could they even have found our old forum let alone have the resources to infiltrate my life like this he tried to bypass the question but I kept pressing him I figured my kids were in danger and I had a right to know who the hell these people were but he refused the answer and told me to head home I refused to cooperate until I knew who was threatening my family he said it's not a matter of who it's a matter of what that's all you want to know for your safety and mine agents will be at your house in a few hours your family home and we will take it from there I couldn't believe what I was hearing I'm a glorified Network guy whose computer was probably hacked by well-informed Chinese kids somewhere now my family's been questioned by federal agents and who or what the hell are these people and why is the federal government getting involved so quickly two hours later there was a knock on the door outside was a white guy in a crisp blue suit and tie to his right was a black guy in a tan getup both were easily five-six and had little American flag pins on their collar I realized then I had walked into an episode of homeland the two introduced themselves as NSA agents but I don't recall their names I asked for ID and they presented their cards I even made a note of taking down their agent numbers for my own records after we'd exchanged pleasantries and I made sure everyone was on the way home to talk to the two men I went into the kitchen to make coffee when I came back to the living room the agents had already begun tearing the place apart they took every device they could get their hands on our laptops home PCs even our smart tv managed to stuff them all into the back of their car felt more like a robbery than police work when they had finished they returned to the house and sat with me in the living room they asked me a lot of personal questions about who my family was and how long it would take them to arrive more than anything it made me feel like they were more concerned about getting us all in the same room than helping us the Lobos of their phones put an end to the barrage of questions simultaneously they pull the devices out of their pockets and exchanged an exasperated look with one another before thanking me for my time and rushing out of the door taking thousands of dollars of my equipments and personal items with them ten minutes later it was another knock at the door pretty shaken by this strange intrusion I didn't answer the door at first but after a second more intense knock I opened the door in front of me were two men and a woman average height nothing notable then the badges in their hands are exchanged went something like this sir Pete informed us of the situation if it's okay with you we'd like to begin didn't you guys just send some people I'm sorry sir we're it but what about the two who just left I have the badge numbers written down here the agents at the door looked pale as I explained what had happened then I went pale as they explained that those two men hadn't been sent by the federal government they left soon after they realized everything of value had been taken but assured me they'd be working the case in the meantime I haven't heard anything back from them since I've been trying to in touch with my body for weeks about what the hell had happened and whether I was safe but he never picked up and eventually the number was disconnected I even made the drive to his house but when I got there it was for sale and him and his family were gone I thought this nightmare was over but last week I was followed on my way to work I think my family may be in danger so since then I finished building a new server I'm going to put the form back up and see what happens so far all I know is that there is something or someone out there using computer resources that has the intelligence to outsmart the NSA and the FBI what worries me most is that no one I've spoke to has any idea exactly what it's up to I've put my story out there in the hopes that I'll be able to give an update when this is all over but if I don't I hope someone out there finds this and it helps them be careful out there on the web [Music] you [Music] living in a big city isn't easy if you're not in a cushy job you have to work insane hours to afford a shack of an apartment sadly I'm one of those people I do have dreams and aspirations that drive me to stay here but currently I'm stuck in a dead-end job to make ends meet I tried to make the most of my evenings but inevitably I have to sleep on a set schedule to make sure I can properly function for a full week's work this would be simple if it wasn't for the fact that I some reason struggled to sleep it was trying to discover why that led me down the strangest rabbit hole I could possibly imagine for some reason and just before 3:00 in the morning I would always wake up in a start after this I would be unable to sleep for around an hour before resting for the remaining time before I had to be up for work I would talk to co-workers asking for advice and got one recommendation that are straightaway followed they said they used the smart watch to track their sleep I was told you can pick up all the models were relatively cheap so I went about secondhand stores until I found the one they recommended this was great I used it every night to track my sleep more importantly I used it to track how much deep sleep I got and it was apparent that I was alone in that department tracking deep sleep is significantly important you can sleep for eight hours but if you don't get much deep sleep or REM then you can still be exhausted when you wake some common factors to this can be a lack of a schedule or alcohol none of which were factors that should have affected me I now had graphs and charts showing why I would sometimes wake up groggy and it all led to that mysterious hour of being awake it would slice my deep sleep time in the middle drastically lowering the consistent time I spent in REM the smile watch helped me track things but never told me why I was being so Restless nor how to fix it I tried all means I could find to remedy this I bought your basic over-the-counter sleep aids at the local pharmacy my nights became a chemistry test to see what worked and what didn't some helped me fall asleep faster and feel amazing during the first cycle of sleep but I didn't ever typically wake up around 3 and struggled to pass out again until 4 no matter what I tried there sleep masks and earplugs but that only confirmed that it wasn't any sort of disturbance in the neighborhood he got so bad that it started affecting my work so I explained all this to my manager and she agreed to let me see professional help I booked a doctor's appointment and was allowed to take a day off work to try sort all this out it took a while of fully explaining all the troubleshooting I had done beforehand to the doctor they were puzzled by my case as I guess hearing it out loud it did sound rather bizarre he clicked around on his computer for a few minutes before settling and prescribing me the strongest sleep aid they had I can't even begin to try pronounce its name but in layman's terms he described them as basically minor tranquilizer when I got home I stared at the little bag containing the box of pills I was hesitant I was more than happy to accept any solutions before leaving but after hearing how powerful these things were I started to get cold feet contemplating whether this was going too far I psyched myself up that this was going to be for the best and then I took precious time off work so to reject these would be a slap in the face of my manager who allowed me to take an unblocked day off i rated myself a bed and took the correct dose at the right time as instructed that night things were different I had the best night's sleep in the longest while I hadn't slept through the night like that since moving to this apartment this went on every day I would work get home relax and take my prescription and sleep through the night only one thing bothered me more often than not I would still feel a bit exhausted each day despite the extra sleep I was getting I was starting to feel like the problem was one I could never fix but I decided to see if I could investigate a bit more I checked my sleep app and my SmartWatch used each night I would get the full night's sleep but despite not waking at 3:00 a.m. my deep sleep would end around then and resume not long after 4 a.m. it showed activity as if I were rolling around and moving a lot in that hour I was baffled at this even while passed out I was still Restless in that hour this left me more confused than ever before despite my intense investigation I suddenly had more questions than I did answers I decided to take a step in a different direction and investigate the physical side of things I bought the cheapest security camera I could with a night vision mode and set it up at the right side of my bed and left it recording all night when I woke I remembered to turn it off after that I got ready for work as normal and carried on with my day while on break I checked my sleep app in case things were different but no again at around 3:00 a.m. I was apparently moving around or sleeping which continued for about an hour before abruptly ending work finally finished and I got home ready to see if I could find something definitive I popped the SD card into my computer and played the file it started time-stamped at around 10 p.m. around when I was getting ready for bed I could see me click the Cameron stare at it for a moment before knocking off the light and making my way to the bed when the light flicked off the infrared sensor kicked in and everything was washed in a soft gray the software that accompany the camera automatically scrub through the footage switching between various speeds depending on if movement was picked up sometimes it would slow the footage as I switched positions in bed which I'd study seeing nothing noteworthy then it would speed back up 11:00 p.m. passed and nothing much changed then midnight then 1:00 a.m. at 2:00 a.m. I noticed a bit more stirring but other than that everything was fine until the end of the hour hit suddenly I watched as I first started moving erratically like I was having an intense nightmare then I started thrashing about it's a real watching yourself do something you don't ever remember doing especially when it's something you feel you'd never do in any context he feel a loss of control despite it being in the past I could see my body flailing around in a panic my chest raising rapidly almost hyperventilating I felt sympathy watching my lifeless body suffering which created a strange emotion knowing it was me by then I was watching intensely as the playback locked to a normal speed I leaned forward in anticipation as I studied to see if I could spot what was causing this panic if I were the hazard a guess at that moment it looks like I was trying my hardest to wake up however all movements seemed to give up most of the way through my arms would lift up only to fall limp soon after visible evidence that the mild tranquilizer was doing its job I watched as my body rag-dolled and limply rolled to the right side of the bed towards the camera my eyes were closed peacefully but my face was wearing signs of distress then I started to see why the closet door on the far side of the shop slowly swung open the hollow black entryway lingered for a few moments my mind trying to piece together how the door opened something long and thin slowly poked out of the closet placing itself delicately on the floor followed by another long appendage reaching out and gripping the doorframe this limb pulled out a figure that sent me reeling back in shock a strange being emerged from the closet looking around as if a bit confused before it was even fully out I could see how long it was simply from how bent the limbs were as it bowled itself out of the small space once it locked on to my sleeping form it crept its way to the side of my bed I could see my face and the video stirring as it approached and the creature was closer I could not compare any feature it had to anything in the animal kingdom everything about it looked off unnatural pieces forming a living natural being it stood still on the left side of the bed opposing the camera most of its frame hanging out of shot on blinking I watched as it hunched over and put its face eerily close to my helpless body even though I wasn't there now I felt every ounce of fear I should have had in that moment once it took position they just stayed there watching as my body struggled then well then I jumped to bed and the footage suddenly started scrolling forward the lack of movement making the automatic fast forward kick in there were moments my body lashed out causing the footage to stop to a crawl each time the figure would flinch back along with myself watching the footage then my sleeping body would fall still and the creature would resume its observant position as it did a fast-forward would click back on the timer old bike until it neared 4:00 a.m. as it did so my body started rolling around in another state of panic as I did the creature took its leave slowly creeping back to the closet as soon as the door clicked shut my sleeping form felt peaceful almost looking relaxed as it looked like I rested the fast-forward clicked back on and didn't stop until the footage ended with me waking up and turning the camera off I hesitate Lea checked my phone app and confirmed that each movement I made correlated to Restless moments in my sleep any denial I had about the footage was quickly other window at that point and I knew this was serious my mind was going a mile a minute fear consumed me as I soaked in everything I had seen my mind soon turned to the closet I weighed up whether that creature only emerged in the witching hour of the morning or if it was there as I stared I was pulled out of this trance and a loud bang sounded in the room emanating from the closet door I didn't take my chances I took off as fast as I could I didn't even look back no what did I grab anything important I just ran I made it to the apartment lobby completely out of breath I barked at the first person I saw to give me their phone so that I could call the police when they saw me in the panic state I was in they saw no other choice than to comply I reported that someone was hiding in my closet and that I caught it on camera I eluded that it was a person as I wanted them to take me 100% seriously the police hastily arrived and I directed them to my apartment they promptly turned the place over looking for any sign of a break-in or unwanted residence sadly they found nothing I asked them to follow me to my computer where I clicked around frantically trying to pull up the file I click to my storage devices but saw nothing except the normalcy Drive I forward my brow trying to see where the folder went once it hit me I snapped my neck to look in the SD card slot it was empty because of this along with no evidence found of foul play the police informed me they couldn't help me they left giving me a half-baked assurance that they possibly sent a spare patrol in the area that night I was soon left alone contemplating my options I can't leave because I have nowhere to go but I can't stay here because I'm afraid of what lurks in the closet for the first time in my life I truly have no idea what to do you I like to think I have a nice life I own a cozy three-bedroom home in a quiet neighborhood in the suburbs I have a wife I care about deeply in a nine-year-old son who is my world I enjoy my job as an accountant and I'm well recognized in the community I can confidently say I greatly enjoy living and appreciate all that I have earned I only wish my entire life had been like this you see throughout my teens an early adulthood I suffered from severe anxiety issues stemming from an experience in my youth one that nearly ruined my life I'd done something that haunted me for nearly 15 years it was only after three different psychiatrists and many sleepless nights but I was able to forgive myself and learn to live again fortunately my memories of those days are cloudy and the scars have long healed I will now try my best to recollect the events that unfolded that summer of 1978 as best as I can my memory is a bit faded but I distinctly remember various things in my childhood I remember playing Little League baseball drawing my favorite superheroes the tagger my walls going on bike rides to the corner store to buy candy and baseball cards and staying out late on summer nights to play jailbreak with my neighborhood friends in addition to all of these things I was also a first year Boy Scouts I remember going to Elementary School Auditorium every Wednesday after school dressed in my uniform in a troop of about 15 kids my age I learned all kinds of things from fire safety to wildlife preservation as a kid who grow miles away from any forest the lessons seemed incredibly abstract yet entirely fascinating I had never been camping before in my life and the picture these lessons painted appealed to me greatly needless to say after hearing about that year's two-week summer retreat I was determined to attend my parents will quite protective over me they still are and they were a bit concerned because I'd never left home longer than a day or two but after days of persistent bugging they reluctantly agreed to send me that July I was shipped off to roaring run Boy Scout camp located in Boswell Pennsylvania only about two hours from my home coincidentally it is still a summer camp only under an entirely different name and affiliation as we drove up the beaten gravel path I remember looking in awe at the endless rows of trees and the rustic cabins on either side of the road we came to a wide clearing with all of the main buildings of the camp and I noticed my troop leader in the distance among a handful of other troop leaders organizing their scouts after my parents spoke briefly with my Scoutmaster about various specifics of camp my mother gave me a kiss on the cheek and then they were off I could barely contain my excitement for the week we were paired up with several troops from neighboring towns because only a small amount of us showed up from each troop we based all the belongings in our cabin blue ridge one of the cabins I saw as I drove into camp afterwards we returned back to the main field and slowly got to know each other's names by playing various games I quickly got to know just about all of them but one in particular stood out to me he was small a lot smaller than the rest of us had been he had frail limbs and messy blond hair and the buttons on his shirt were not evenly buttoned he hadn't said a word since he got there and I noticed a few of the scouts from his troop were pushing him around a bit and picking on him during the games for the sake of anonymity he'll be known as Michael taking the game at hand very seriously I soon disregarded this bodying and continued on I did notice that by the time dinner rolled by several scouts from the other troops started picking on him as well that night all the scouts on camp gathered to a bonfire located just past the main field in an outdoor auditorium of sorts after reciting our honor code the head counselor stepped forward and informed us about all the great activities ahead of us there was swimming canoeing rifle and bow shooting scavenger hunts hikes competitions and nights under the stars all waiting for us and I was ecstatic after a speech on our core responsibilities as Boy Scouts to the environment and community we would dismiss to our cabin for the nights a 10-minute walk from the main field a scout Masters had forgotten something back in the main camp so they left to go retrieve it alone nearly all of the Scout masters began picking on Michael and started rather innocent but it grew a lot worse once another Scouts found a stuffed animal tugged under the blankets of Michaels bunk it was a sickly looking creature obviously enduring many years of abuse and quite frail they started throwing the bear back and forth and Michael had no choice but to stand and watch the riots in the cabin began to spread and he came to a point where the ringleaders of the bullying criticized the few of us who weren't picking on him this is my first Boy Scout trip ever I thought to myself I wanted to be one of the cool kids I asked myself what if I'm the next person they start bullying at that ignorant age I somehow thought my life would be over if these two weeks turned sour my cowardice got the best of me and I hit a turning point a start of a series of events that would devastate me for years to follow I went over to Michael's bunk and grabbed to the bear from another scout holding it over Michaels head with a strong pole I ripped its head clean off and the entire cabin boomed with Ross has cotton rained from the now decapitated bear the lock on Michaels face turned from frustration to a depressing frown a dumb look on his face still burned into my memory for a brief moment I felt a wave of extreme guilt I'd been raised better and I knew my mom would be disappointed if she knew however and quickly forgot about it as the entire cabin continued that outbursts of laughter and praised me with comments I was in just as the scoutmasters returned one of them shouted what on earth is going on in here Neil grew silent expecting to pay the price for destroying the bear Michael showed little emotion he gathered the cotton he could from the floor and retreats it to his bunk without saying a word we expected him to tell on us but all he did was pull the covers on top of him and lay silently we thought we had just looked out god I wish Michael had just spoken up and got us in trouble right then and there my 15 minutes of fame had gotten to my head and I longed to be praised more it was odd I didn't dislike Michael and I resorted calling him names and pushing him around just for the shallow acceptance of my peers as I write about it now a great deal of guilt and shame is returning if only I had known what my actions would lead to a day passes it is now the third day I'm unsure if this is still customary for Boy Scouts but back then we all had a few pieces of equipment to look after particularly our mess tins which we used for breakfast lunch and dinner on the third afternoon of camp just before lunch I had a perfect joke in mind I talked with the other kids in my cabin and convinced them all to leave their mess tins on their bunks so that we could force Michael to run back and retrieve them though pretty innocent compared to the other things Michael put up with that week my cabin mates thought it was brilliant this is where it all began we all piled into the chow hall and found our seats Michael was last to walk in and took a seat at the end of the table with his head down messed in in hand I spoke up hey Michael we all kind of forgot I messed into the cabin think you could get them for us pal a few of the guys chuckle Michael didn't move I spoke up Michael it'll be a real shame if you didn't listen to us now get our mess tins reluctantly Michael got up and walked out the door I can't believe you got him to do that one kid said what a puss another said he'll a man the gate to my right said to me you know what got a pretty great hoot about it ten minutes pass the heck is taking him so long I'm hungry I said he's probably fondling all of our mess tins one said a pansy better get his ass back here another said thirty minutes pass no Michael he probably just got lost I thought to myself an hour passes we all figured he defied us to stay in the cabin with anteye stomachs we were furious and planned to deal hell when we found him we arrived back at the cabin no Michael but our mess tins were missing from our beds the Scoutmaster had noticed Michaels absence and had us come with them to see if he was somewhere back in the main camp they left us in the main field Polly searched 30 more minutes past it hadn't hit any of us that anything bad could have happened he probably had to take a crap when kids said we all laughed mainly had the profanity ma scoutmasters seem to have been gone forever so we started to play games in the woods we had just finished our third game of tag when we heard something coming down the road two police cruisers came into light drove past us toward the main building I think we all had an idea there was something wrong but looked for explanations you think this is about Michael one said no way there's probably just a bear or something another said logical for us at 10 years old it was about six hours past lunch and we had nothing to do but lay in the grassy clearing just as before we heard a sound coming down the road only much louder an influx of cars began coming up the mountain our parents yes but their cars are also accompanied by police cars mixed in between them more than I had ever seen at one time I recognized Johnstown Police Department on the side of a few of them but they were from a small city at least 30 minutes away one by one we were intercepted by her parents and taken back down the beaten gravel road I was one of the last but just as the others I saw my parents calmed the road once my father saw me he stopped the car and they both got out come on sweetie Camp is over my mother said I responded but it's only been three days why she paused almost as if she were thinking of what to say a little boy went missing so the police are going to help find him they just want to look for him without the other canvass getting in the way I'm sure he just wandered into the forest made sense I thought what was most peculiar is at that moment I hadn't even made the connection to Michel must have been some other kid I thought no way I had anything to do with this I was pretty devastated that my week at camp ended so abruptly but I got in the car and went home nonetheless two weeks had passed and I finally made the connection that Michael may have been the one who went missing funny how a young kid can so easily ignore the most logical explanation I noticed my parents had been acting a bit differently they wouldn't allow me to attend the summer Boy Scout meetings anymore and I was almost positive I heard my mother say she would never let a son leave the house again over the phone had I done something wrong [Music] little by little I began to make ends meet and thoughts of Michael came into my head I grew the intense curiosity only young kids are capable of having and approached my father several times any time I asked about a missing boy he would look away and respond to my question with I'm not sure I haven't been checking the newspaper much lately I knew he was lying every day before work my father was accustomed to lounging in the couch to catch up on sports and local news it was clear there was something he was hiding from me I knew he had a habit of leaving old newspapers on his nightstand so I went to investigate while he was at work just as I had hoped newspapers stretching back three weeks later for me starting from the oldest I looked through them in hopes of finding my answer uh-huh dated the day after camp was canceled I noticed the headline search begins for Jena town area Boy Scout Michels picture covered the front page that must have been it I escaped a week ahead and found another search party for missing Boy Scout called off within the article it described the mysterious disappearance of Michel who was last seen in the chow hall with his fellow Scouts I skipped several more days in my stomach turned sour bodily remains of child found a local Boy Scout camp the headline made me sick but I continued reading below is what I remember of the article once the search party was called off roaring run was reopened and campers returned he was very hot and humid that week and those who stayed in Blue Ridge complained of a foul stench in the cabin the first few days as the second week came by the stench grew unbearable and camp maintenance went to the cabin looking to find the source the first thing they noticed was an abnormally loose floorboard near the center of the cabin when they uncovered the board and made a shocking discovery when the neath was the mangled decomposing body of a young boy partially buried by several mastan's our mastan's the crevice he was jammed in was filled with blood and his face was bludgeoned almost beyond recognition the only piece of evidence they found was a bloodied the capitated bear in his hands with a note inside reading Spiker there were no witnesses and suspects I hadn't fully realized what the course of my actions accomplished but as I grew older the guilt grew stronger and I once nearly resorted to suicide my actions killed an innocent human being if I hadn't sent Michael back to get our damn mess tins he would probably still be here fortunately after many years I'm finally able to forgive myself of my actions so long ago roaring run was closed permanently and the land was purchased by a logging company who used it for about ten years the land lay untouched until 1998 when it was purchased by a Marine Corps general who turned it into a youth mentor camp every once in a while when I visit my parents I take a trip to the local library and view the same archived headlines I discovered all those years ago it's weird what once caused me such pain and guilt for the greater part of my life has left me desensitized though sometimes I can still see his desperate face that night I ruined his bear if only I'd known what was in store for the summer of 1978 still what does spiked fur mean [Music]

Channel: CreepsMcPasta

Views: 336,571

Rating: 4.5948052 out of 5

Keywords: creepypasta, creepy pasta, creepypasta compilation, creepypastas, creepypasta reading, horror stories, creepsmcpasta, horror, scary story, Scary Stories, creepypasta stories, paranormal, asmr, podcast, reddit, nosleep

Id: f_FynRkGTzQ

Length: 194min 56sec (11696 seconds)

Published: Sat Dec 22 2018