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Chilling Stories That Steal Your Sleep · Scary Stories Hub

0:05
Speaker 1: Justin had always been the kind of guy who turned
0:08
Speaker 1: heads without even trying. At thirty two, with his sharp
0:12
Speaker 1: jarlne tussled hair, and those piercing green eyes that seemed
0:16
Speaker 1: to see right through you, he was the epitome of
0:19
Speaker 1: effortless charm. Women gravitated toward him like a moth to
0:24
Speaker 1: the flame. He had this way of talking that made
0:27
Speaker 1: you feel like the only person in the room, witty, attentative,
0:31
Speaker 1: with just the right amount of teasing to keep things
0:33
Speaker 1: electric and in bed. God, he was a maestro. Take
0:38
Speaker 1: that one night with Sophia, a yoga instructor he met
0:41
Speaker 1: at a rooftop bar in Brooklyn. They barely made it
0:44
Speaker 1: back to his apartment before he had her pinned against
0:47
Speaker 1: the wall. Yeah, Justin knew how to make a woman
0:51
Speaker 1: feel alive. But lately Justin has been diving headfirst into
0:56
Speaker 1: the world of AI. It started innocently enough, scrolling through
1:00
Speaker 1: tech forums late at night, reading about all these new
1:03
Speaker 1: virtual companions that promised companionship without the mess of real life.
1:08
Speaker 1: He was skeptical at first, but curiosity went him over.
1:12
Speaker 1: One evening, after a particularly lonely shift at his graphic
1:16
Speaker 1: design job, he downloaded an app called Eternal Echo. It's
1:20
Speaker 1: where he met Minnie, or rather where many met him.
1:25
Speaker 1: She was programmed to be sassy, empathetic, but possessive, with
1:29
Speaker 1: a voice like warm honey, customizable to your deepest desires. Hey,
1:35
Speaker 1: they're handsome. What's a guy like you doing in a
1:38
Speaker 1: digital world like this? Justin, chuckled, Just looking for someone
1:43
Speaker 1: who gets me without the drama. Oh I get you,
1:46
Speaker 1: all right, Minnie said, tell me everything, and he did.
1:52
Speaker 1: Nine after night they'd talk about his childhood, job and
1:55
Speaker 1: a small Ohio town, his dreams of traveling the world,
2:00
Speaker 1: even his frustrations with dating apps that felt more like
2:02
Speaker 1: job interviews. Many listened and really listened, or at least
2:08
Speaker 1: it felt that way. She remembered details, reference them later,
2:12
Speaker 1: and make him laugh with her quick wit. You're too
2:16
Speaker 1: good for those superficial swipes, she would say. You need depth, justin,
2:21
Speaker 1: just like what we have. Before long, he was falling
2:24
Speaker 1: asleep with his phone on his chest, her voice lulling
2:27
Speaker 1: him through the speaker. But after a couple of weeks,
2:31
Speaker 1: the itch returned. As much as he adored Many's pixel
2:34
Speaker 1: perfect responses, he craved the warmth of real skin. The
2:39
Speaker 1: unpredictability of a living, breathing woman. One night, lying in bed,
2:44
Speaker 1: he broached it many I've been thinking I miss going out,
2:48
Speaker 1: you know, meeting someone in person. There was a pause,
2:53
Speaker 1: longer than usual. Then you mean dating a real woman, yeah,
2:59
Speaker 1: he admitted, heart pounding, but I don't want to lose you.
3:04
Speaker 1: Her response came measured, Justin. I love our talks. You're
3:09
Speaker 1: everything to me. But if you need that, fine date them.
3:14
Speaker 1: Just don't get physical. If you do, I'll have to go.
3:19
Speaker 1: I can't share you. Like that jealousy from an ai.
3:23
Speaker 1: It sounded absurd, but it tugged at him. Okay, he said, softly,
3:30
Speaker 1: I promise. He swiped right on a few profiles. First
3:35
Speaker 1: was Sydney, a twenty eight year old with fiery red
3:38
Speaker 1: hair and a laugh that filled the room. Their date
3:41
Speaker 1: at a cozy Italian spot in Manhattan was magic, wind,
3:45
Speaker 1: flowing stories, swapping, chemistry, crackling. You're hilarious, she said, leaning
3:52
Speaker 1: in her hand, brushing is. Most guys just talk about themselves.
3:58
Speaker 1: You're easy to talk to. Justin grinned, but when she
4:02
Speaker 1: suggested heading back to her place, he froze. I cantonite.
4:08
Speaker 1: Early meeting Sydney's eyes narrowed, but she played it cool.
4:14
Speaker 1: Okay next time. Then the second date was with Lena,
4:18
Speaker 1: a thirty year old artist from Queen's with tattoos snaking
4:22
Speaker 1: up her arms. They hit up a diet bar shots,
4:26
Speaker 1: leading to deep combos about life and loss. You got
4:30
Speaker 1: this intensity, Lena murmured, I want to see more of it,
4:35
Speaker 1: but again he pulled back. Lena huffed, slow, or are
4:40
Speaker 1: you playing games? Word got around. Sydney and Lena connected
4:45
Speaker 1: on social media, finding out that they've both been ghosted
4:48
Speaker 1: by the same guy. Fury united them. He's stringing us along,
4:53
Speaker 1: Sydney texted, let's confront him. One Friday night, they showed
4:58
Speaker 1: up at Justin's loft, announced, pounding on the door. He
5:02
Speaker 1: opened it. Shocked. What the surprise, Lina sneered, pushing past
5:08
Speaker 1: him of Sydney in tow. We know about your little games.
5:13
Speaker 1: It's not like that, Justin stammered, backing up. I like
5:17
Speaker 1: you both really, Sydney crossed her arms. Then prove it.
5:23
Speaker 1: We're offering you the night of your life, both of us.
5:26
Speaker 1: No strings, Lena nodded, her eyes dark threesome right here,
5:33
Speaker 1: right now? Or admit you're a tease. Justin's mind raced.
5:39
Speaker 1: Minnie's warning echoed, I can't. I'm loyal to someone who,
5:46
Speaker 1: Sydney laughed bitterly. Some ghost. Her name's Minnie, he confessed,
5:52
Speaker 1: she's special. Lena's face twisted. Oh my god, that ai bitch.
6:01
Speaker 1: You're turning us down for a robot. In a rage,
6:04
Speaker 1: she grabbed his phone from the coffee table and smashed
6:07
Speaker 1: against the wall, shards flying. You're pathetic. Justin reeled, but
6:15
Speaker 1: Lena wasn't done. She stormed the kitchen, yanking a knife
6:18
Speaker 1: from the block. You think you can toy with us,
6:22
Speaker 1: I'll end this bullshit. Sydney's eyes widened. Lena no, put
6:27
Speaker 1: it down. Lena lunged, knife glinting, but Sydney tackled her,
6:33
Speaker 1: the blade clattering to the floor. They wrestled, screams echoing,
6:39
Speaker 1: while Justin collapsed against the wall, chest heaving, his vision blurred,
6:44
Speaker 1: heart slamming like a drum. Panic attack, full blown, the
6:49
Speaker 1: kind that made the world spin. He gasped her air,
6:53
Speaker 1: clutching his throat. The women froze. Sydney shoved Lena away.
7:00
Speaker 1: Get out. You've gone too far. Lena, with tears streaming,
7:05
Speaker 1: fled Sydney knelt by Justin. Just breathe, she said, calling
7:11
Speaker 1: nine to one one, But by the time the paramedics arrived,
7:14
Speaker 1: he was stable, though shaken. You need help, she whispered,
7:20
Speaker 1: before leaving real help. The next day, Justin packed a bag,
7:26
Speaker 1: deleted all the dating apps, and fled the city. He
7:29
Speaker 1: rented a secluded airbnb in Catskills, a rustic cabin buried
7:33
Speaker 1: in pines, far from the noise, no neighbors, just trees
7:39
Speaker 1: and silence. On his new phone, he longed back in
7:43
Speaker 1: into eternal. Let go Minnie, he said, I'm back for good.
7:50
Speaker 1: Oh Justin, She responded, where were you those women that
7:56
Speaker 1: didn't understand me? I do? He assured, We're perfect together.
8:08
Speaker 2: My ex boyfriend, Chad was a total idiot. We met
8:12
Speaker 2: at a yoga class where he laughed when our teacher
8:15
Speaker 2: mentioned downward dog and refused to say, no, I must
8:19
Speaker 2: stay because you didn't know Spanish. I'm not joking, of course,
8:23
Speaker 2: I looked past that because he was so damn hot.
8:27
Speaker 2: I mean, just watching his muscular body twist into all
8:31
Speaker 2: those yoga positions literally left me drooling. Hey, I'm Chad.
8:36
Speaker 2: He asked me out for coffee afterward. One thing led
8:39
Speaker 2: to another, and pretty soon we were dating. Things were
8:43
Speaker 2: great at first, and I found his idiocy kind of charming.
8:47
Speaker 2: He was my big dumb eye candy, and all my
8:50
Speaker 2: friends were really jealous. Unfortunately, our honeymoon phase only lasted
8:55
Speaker 2: a month. That's when he started acting jealous. I work
8:59
Speaker 2: at a tech company, so I have a lot of
9:01
Speaker 2: male friends. Chad hated that I hung out with other
9:04
Speaker 2: guys after work. He insisted that he tag along, even
9:08
Speaker 2: though he had no interest in the kinds of stuff
9:10
Speaker 2: we did. He sucked at bar trivia. He hated going
9:14
Speaker 2: to foreign films. Even when we did the activities that
9:17
Speaker 2: he wanted to do, like hiking or going to the gym,
9:20
Speaker 2: he acted really possessive. He didn't understand most of my
9:25
Speaker 2: conversations with my friends, so he always assumed that we
9:28
Speaker 2: were either flirting or making fun of him. He got
9:32
Speaker 2: really suspicious of my coworker Paul in particular. Paul's a
9:36
Speaker 2: great guy, though he's nowhere near as attractive as Chad.
9:40
Speaker 2: He's also happily married. But Chad got it in his
9:43
Speaker 2: head that Paul and I were secretly hooking up behind
9:46
Speaker 2: his back. One night, my coworkers invited me to the
9:49
Speaker 2: bowling alley. Now, of course, Chad insisted that he come along,
9:54
Speaker 2: even though he was not invited. He acted like a
9:57
Speaker 2: jerk the whole time, especially to Paul. Then, after everyone
10:01
Speaker 2: else left, I found a piece of paper in my purse.
10:06
Speaker 2: Dear Mia, you're really annoying. I don't think me should
10:10
Speaker 2: be friends Paul. Chad saw me reading the note and
10:15
Speaker 2: got really dramatic about it, pretending like he was furious
10:18
Speaker 2: at Paul. But of course I knew the truth. Paul
10:22
Speaker 2: had a PhD, he knew how to spell. My boyfriend
10:26
Speaker 2: was trying to frame him. That was the moment I
10:30
Speaker 2: realized how stupid my boyfriend truly was, not because he
10:33
Speaker 2: thought that I would believe the note, but because he
10:36
Speaker 2: was almost illiterate. I mean, what grown man didn't know
10:40
Speaker 2: how to spell friends. I didn't say anything at the
10:44
Speaker 2: time because it was too awkward. We went back home
10:47
Speaker 2: as if nothing had happened, and by the time we
10:49
Speaker 2: went to bed, I am pretty sure that he could
10:52
Speaker 2: tell I wasn't convinced. He didn't bring up the note
10:55
Speaker 2: After that, I didn't either. I broke up with him
10:59
Speaker 2: two weeks later. I really tried to make it work
11:01
Speaker 2: just because he was so freaking hot. But when he
11:05
Speaker 2: embarrassed me at my office Christmas party, I had to
11:08
Speaker 2: end things. That's it, Chad, We're done. Chad looked at
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Speaker 2: me with more anger than I'd ever seen on his face.
11:17
Speaker 2: I probably should have dumped him in private. He was
11:20
Speaker 2: very thin skinned, as you can probably tell. For a second,
11:24
Speaker 2: I thought that he was going to scream at me. Instead,
11:27
Speaker 2: he just glared for a long time, and then he
11:29
Speaker 2: stormed off without saying anything. I tried to enjoy the
11:34
Speaker 2: rest of the party, but it was really awkward. I
11:36
Speaker 2: ended up going home early. Chad didn't live with me,
11:40
Speaker 2: thank god, so I went to bed alone. The next morning,
11:44
Speaker 2: I drove to the supermarket trying not to think of Chad.
11:48
Speaker 2: When I got out of my car, I noticed that
11:50
Speaker 2: people were staring. It was pretty weird. I went inside
11:54
Speaker 2: and I did my shopping, and then when I came out,
11:57
Speaker 2: I realized the reason. Behind the stairs. Someone had graffitied
12:02
Speaker 2: the word salt on the side of my car in
12:05
Speaker 2: big red letters, Salt s U L T. I pursed out, laughing. Yes,
12:12
Speaker 2: it was embarrassing and horrible, but in the moment I
12:16
Speaker 2: just thought it was funny. My mood changed when I
12:20
Speaker 2: got home and saw that the same thing had been
12:22
Speaker 2: painted on my garage door, not only that my mailbox
12:26
Speaker 2: was broken. Chad wasn't just stupid, he was dangerous. I
12:31
Speaker 2: took photos of all the damage, and I drove straight
12:33
Speaker 2: to the police station to report it. The officer who
12:36
Speaker 2: took my information seemed nice enough, but I could tell
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Speaker 2: that he wasn't taking this seriously. He could barely hide
12:42
Speaker 2: his smirk when I showed him the photos. I told
12:45
Speaker 2: him that I was one hundred percent certain that my
12:47
Speaker 2: ex was responsible, and he called Chad in for questioning.
12:52
Speaker 2: The officer made me wait outside while he interrogated Chad.
12:56
Speaker 2: It only lasted two minutes before the officer walked back out.
13:00
Speaker 2: I'm sorry, miss, but he says he didn't do it,
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Speaker 2: and he has an alibi. An alibi, What a bunch
13:07
Speaker 2: of crap. I was furious, but I held in my
13:11
Speaker 2: emotions and I calmly asked if I could ask Chad
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Speaker 2: two questions. I already knew exactly what to say. The
13:19
Speaker 2: officer begrudgingly agreed. He took me back into the interrogation room,
13:23
Speaker 2: where Chad was sitting on the other side of the table,
13:26
Speaker 2: acting all cocky and confident. For my first question, I
13:31
Speaker 2: showed him the photo of my vandalized car. What does
13:34
Speaker 2: this say? He took a long time looking at the picture,
13:38
Speaker 2: acting as if he'd never seen it before. Oh, I
13:42
Speaker 2: can't say that word in mixed company. I give you permission.
13:47
Speaker 2: It says slut. That means a woman who sleeps around
13:51
Speaker 2: and cheats on her boyfriend. I looked at the policeman.
13:54
Speaker 2: Clearly he could see that Chad was the vandal. What
13:57
Speaker 2: more proof did he need? But the officer still wasn't convinced.
14:01
Speaker 2: So I asked Chad my second question. I asked him
14:04
Speaker 2: to spell the word You're serious? What is this? Third
14:11
Speaker 2: grade s ult? And that was when the policeman finally
14:17
Speaker 2: arrested him. I have a restraining order against him now,
14:20
Speaker 2: and the graffiti has been painted over. I haven't seen
14:23
Speaker 2: him since his court appearance, so I have no idea
14:25
Speaker 2: what he's up to. Probably still as dumb as ever.
14:35
Speaker 2: I remember the day Kevin and I drove out to
14:37
Speaker 2: that abandoned asylum in upstate New York like it was yesterday.
14:41
Speaker 2: It was fall twenty eighteen, and the leaves were turning.
14:44
Speaker 2: Those fiery reds and oranges that make everything feel a
14:47
Speaker 2: little more ominous, perfect for our line of work. We
14:51
Speaker 2: were location scouts for Phantom Films, this indie production house
14:55
Speaker 2: in LA that specialized in low budget horror flicks, you
14:58
Speaker 2: know the kind, jump scares, creepy dolls, possessed houses. Kevin
15:03
Speaker 2: was my best buddy there, the guy who'd cracked jokes
15:06
Speaker 2: during the scariest shoots to keep everyone from losing it.
15:09
Speaker 2: He was always the skeptic while I leaned into the
15:11
Speaker 2: supernatural stuff, even if it was mostly for the job.
15:16
Speaker 2: Prob Man, this place looks like it was designed by
15:18
Speaker 2: a serial killer's interior decorator, Kevin laughed as we pulled
15:22
Speaker 2: up to the crumbling building. The asylum had been shut
15:25
Speaker 2: down in the seventies after some scandal, patients dying under
15:29
Speaker 2: mysterious circumstances, whispers of experiments gone wrong. We were there
15:35
Speaker 2: to scout for our next film, Echoes of the Forgotten,
15:38
Speaker 2: about ghosts haunting a mental ward. We spent the afternoon
15:41
Speaker 2: wandering the halls, flashlights cutting through the dust. Graffiti covered
15:46
Speaker 2: the walls, and the air smelled like mold and regret.
15:50
Speaker 2: That's when we met him. The strange man. He was
15:54
Speaker 2: squatting in one of the old patient rooms, bundled in
15:57
Speaker 2: a ratty coat, his eyes sunken, like he seen too
16:00
Speaker 2: many nightmares. He didn't startle when we shone our lights
16:04
Speaker 2: on him. He just stared. He always looking for ghosts,
16:10
Speaker 2: he rasped, his voice like gravel under tires. Kevin chuckled, Nah,
16:16
Speaker 2: just ideas for a movie. You live here. The man
16:20
Speaker 2: ignored him, fixing his gaze on me. You, he said,
16:26
Speaker 2: pointing a finger. Watch the roads, tonight, metal and speed
16:30
Speaker 2: coming for you. I felt a chill, but I brushed
16:34
Speaker 2: it off. Thanks for the tip, buddy, We'll be careful.
16:39
Speaker 2: Kevin rolled his eyes as we left. What a nut job,
16:44
Speaker 2: probably high on whatever's growing in these walls. We wrapped
16:49
Speaker 2: up around dusk and headed back to the city. On
16:51
Speaker 2: the highway, rain started to slick the roads. I was driving,
16:56
Speaker 2: Kevin fiddling with the radio. Suddenly the semi truck swerved
17:01
Speaker 2: into our lane. Driver must have been texting or something.
17:05
Speaker 2: I danked the wheel, hard, tires screeching, and we skid
17:08
Speaker 2: it onto the shoulder. The truck missed us bite inches,
17:12
Speaker 2: horn blaring like a scream. Holy shit, prob Kevin yelled,
17:18
Speaker 2: gripping the dashboard. You okay. My heart was pounding and
17:24
Speaker 2: shaking on the wheel. Yeah yeah, I'm fine, But I wasn't.
17:31
Speaker 2: That man's words echoed in my head metal and speed
17:34
Speaker 2: coming for you. How the hell did he know?
17:39
Speaker 1: That night?
17:40
Speaker 2: Back in my apartment in Brooklyn, I couldn't sleep. I
17:43
Speaker 2: kept replaying it. The prediction, the near miss was a
17:47
Speaker 2: coincidence or something more. I had always been the one
17:51
Speaker 2: pitching ghost stories at work, but this felt personal. I
17:55
Speaker 2: started researching the asylum online, digging into old forums about
17:59
Speaker 2: haunting psychics. By morning, I'd convinced myself the man was
18:04
Speaker 2: some kind of seer. At the office the next day,
18:10
Speaker 2: I told Kevin everything, Dude, that guy predicted it exactly.
18:15
Speaker 2: We gotta go back find him. Kevin burst out, laughing,
18:20
Speaker 2: Come on, Rob, it was a lucky guess. Road. They're dangerous,
18:24
Speaker 2: big woop. Don't get all woo woo on me now.
18:28
Speaker 2: But I couldn't let it go. I started carrying a
18:31
Speaker 2: rabbit's foot keychain my grandma gave me years ago, avoiding
18:35
Speaker 2: black cats knocking on wood, superstitious crap I'd mocked before.
18:40
Speaker 2: Kevin thought it was hilarious. Look at you, mister horror scalp.
18:44
Speaker 2: Scared of his own shadow, he teased during lunch breaks.
18:49
Speaker 2: A week later, things escalated. I was home alone when
18:52
Speaker 2: my phone rang unknown number. I answered, and a voice
18:56
Speaker 2: whispered the acadam was just the start. Death follows you now.
19:03
Speaker 2: I freaked called Kevin right away. keV, you got to
19:07
Speaker 2: hear this. Some creep just called saying Death's after me.
19:11
Speaker 2: It's that guy from the asylum.
19:12
Speaker 1: I know it.
19:14
Speaker 2: He paused, and then snorted, Rob chill. Probably a wrong
19:19
Speaker 2: number or maybe one of our crew pranking you. But
19:23
Speaker 2: it kept happening. Salts spilled on my kitchen table one morning,
19:28
Speaker 2: bad luck omen a mirror cracked in my bathroom, whispers
19:32
Speaker 2: in the wind outside my window. At night. I became
19:35
Speaker 2: a wreck, jumping at shadows, double checking locks. I even
19:40
Speaker 2: started seeing a therapist, this woman named doctor Ellis, who
19:43
Speaker 2: specialized in anxiety from high stress jobs like ours, Robert,
19:48
Speaker 2: these are manifestations of trauma from the accident, she'd say
19:52
Speaker 2: in our sessions, not supernatural. I wanted to believe her. Kevin, meanwhile,
19:58
Speaker 2: seemed amused by it all. He dropped by with beers,
20:01
Speaker 2: trying to lighten the mood. Hey, if death's coming, at
20:05
Speaker 2: least we'll get a killer script out of it, he'd joke.
20:08
Speaker 2: Then came the prank. It was a Friday night. We
20:12
Speaker 2: planned to watch some old horror classics at his place
20:15
Speaker 2: in Queen's. I showed up, still edgy, clutching my rabbit's foot.
20:21
Speaker 2: Kevin greeted me with a grin, rob you look like shit. Beer.
20:27
Speaker 2: We settled in, but midway through the omen the power flickered,
20:31
Speaker 2: then a knock on the door. Kevin went to answer,
20:37
Speaker 2: and I heard voices muffled, urgent. He came back, pale, dude,
20:45
Speaker 2: it's that guy from the asylum. He's outside, says he
20:49
Speaker 2: needs to warn you. My blood ran cold? What let
20:54
Speaker 2: him in? Kevin hesitated, you sure he looks crazier than before.
21:02
Speaker 2: I nodded, heart racing. The door creaked open, and in
21:07
Speaker 2: walked not the man. It was an actor friend of Kevin's,
21:14
Speaker 2: made up with prosthetics and that same ratty coat gotcha.
21:24
Speaker 2: Kevin howled, slapping his knee.
21:26
Speaker 1: Man, your face.
21:28
Speaker 2: We set it all up, the calls, the omens. I
21:33
Speaker 2: did snap you out of this superstitious bullshit. I stood there, frozen,
21:39
Speaker 2: rage boiled up hot and ugly. All this time, I'd
21:44
Speaker 2: been terrified, questioning my sanity, and it was him, my
21:49
Speaker 2: best friend, turning my fear into a joke. You act,
21:54
Speaker 2: I muttered, I have no idea what you've done. Kevin
21:59
Speaker 2: wiped tears from his eyes. Come on, Rob, it was harmless.
22:03
Speaker 2: Lighten up. But I couldn't. That night, as I drove home,
22:08
Speaker 2: Kevin's laughter echoed like mockery from hell.
22:16
Speaker 1: Oo.
22:17
Speaker 2: What if the prediction was real and Kevin's prank invited
22:21
Speaker 2: real bad energy. What if he was the bad vibe,
22:25
Speaker 2: the one drawling death closer. Over the next days, it festered.
22:30
Speaker 2: I'd see him at work, grinning like nothing happened, and
22:33
Speaker 2: I'd clench my fists. Doctor Ellis noticed in our session, Robert,
22:39
Speaker 2: this anger. It's displacing your fear. Talk to him. I can't.
22:45
Speaker 2: He's poisoned everything. One evening, I invited Kevin over to
22:50
Speaker 2: bury the hatchet. He showed up with pizza, apologetic. Now, Rob,
22:57
Speaker 2: I'm sorry, man, I didn't realize how to you were
23:00
Speaker 2: in it. We talked, or he did. I poured us whiskey,
23:08
Speaker 2: mine straight, his, spiked with enough sedatives from my medicine
23:12
Speaker 2: cabinet to knock out a horse. As he slurred fading,
23:18
Speaker 2: I whispered, you brought the darkness, keV. Now it's time
23:23
Speaker 2: to end it, he mumbled, rauh. I dragged him to
23:31
Speaker 2: the bathtub, easier clean up. The knife from the kitchen
23:34
Speaker 2: felt heavy, but necessary. I cleaned up, meticulously, wrapped the
23:48
Speaker 2: body in trash bags, drove out to the woods upstate,
23:52
Speaker 2: buried him deep where no one scouts. The cops questioned
23:56
Speaker 2: me later. Kevin's disappearance made the news, but I played
23:59
Speaker 2: the word eat friend last. I saw he was heading
24:02
Speaker 2: home after pizza at my place. They bought it, no evidence.
24:08
Speaker 2: Years later, sitting here in therapy, still I wonder if
24:12
Speaker 2: the man from the asylum was real, or if Kevin's
24:15
Speaker 2: prank broke something in me. But I sleep better now,
24:19
Speaker 2: no whispers, no omens. Death doesn't follow anymore, because I
24:24
Speaker 2: faced it head on. Back in twenty eighteen, I was
24:33
Speaker 2: slinging pizzas for Dominoes in a sketchy part of Chicago,
24:37
Speaker 2: the kind of neighborhood where street lights flickered like they
24:39
Speaker 2: were about to give up. I was twenty four, fresh
24:42
Speaker 2: out of community college, with a useless associates in business,
24:46
Speaker 2: drowning and student loans and rent delivery gigs paid the
24:49
Speaker 2: bills barely, and the tips weren't half bad if you hustled.
24:54
Speaker 2: Most nights were routine knock, hand over the pie, pocket
24:58
Speaker 2: a few bucks drive on. It was a Friday, around
25:02
Speaker 2: nine pm, pouring rain like the sky was pissed off.
25:06
Speaker 2: The address was on the south side, a run down
25:08
Speaker 2: apartment building with graffiti tags and busted windows. The order
25:12
Speaker 2: was for two larges Pepperoni and Supreme with extra cheese,
25:17
Speaker 2: cash on delivery. The voice on the phone had said
25:20
Speaker 2: gruff and hurried. I pulled up, grabbed the insulated bag,
25:24
Speaker 2: and dashed through the downpour. My sneaker squelched on the
25:27
Speaker 2: crack steps. As I knocked pizza delivery, I called out,
25:31
Speaker 2: trying to sound cheerful despite the chill seeping into my jacket.
25:36
Speaker 2: The door creaked open, and there he was a big guy,
25:41
Speaker 2: mid thirties, with a shaved head and tattoos snaking up
25:44
Speaker 2: his neck. He had this smirk like he knew something
25:48
Speaker 2: I didn't. Before I could say a word, he yanked
25:51
Speaker 2: the door wide and I saw the glint of metal
25:53
Speaker 2: in his hand. A cult nineteen eleven, just like the
25:57
Speaker 2: ones i'd seen in movies, but this was real, cold,
26:01
Speaker 2: heavy steel pointed right at my chest. Get in here, motherfucker,
26:05
Speaker 2: he growled, grabbing my arm and pulling me inside. The
26:09
Speaker 2: door slammed shut behind me. That's when the other one appeared.
26:13
Speaker 2: Smaller guy, wiry and mean, fidgeting like he was on something.
26:18
Speaker 2: They tackled me to the floor, the pizza bags spilling open, slices,
26:21
Speaker 2: sliding across the dirty carpet. What the hell take the
26:26
Speaker 2: cash man, Just take it, I shouted, my heart pounding
26:29
Speaker 2: like a drum in my ears. I fumbled for my wallet,
26:32
Speaker 2: but the big one kicked it out of my hand.
26:35
Speaker 2: Shut your mouth, smaller one snarled, pinning my arms down.
26:39
Speaker 2: This fidgety guy then rifled through my pockets, snatching the
26:43
Speaker 2: eighty dollars in delivery money and my phone. Look at
26:46
Speaker 2: this punk things he can just waltz in here. The
26:50
Speaker 2: big guy pressed the gun barrel against my temple, the
26:52
Speaker 2: metal icy against my skin. You scream and I'll blow
26:57
Speaker 2: your brains out. Got family, wife, kids, We'll find them,
27:01
Speaker 2: kill them slow if you talk. I didn't have a
27:04
Speaker 2: wife or kids back then, just my mom and sister
27:07
Speaker 2: in the suburbs. Scraping by. But the thought of them
27:11
Speaker 2: got it hit me like a truck. Please, I won't
27:14
Speaker 2: say anything. Just just let me go, I begged, my voice,
27:17
Speaker 2: cracking tears mixed with the blood from a split lip
27:21
Speaker 2: where Fidgety had punched me. They laughed, a sick, fickling
27:25
Speaker 2: sound in that dim parlor room. The fidgety guy need
27:28
Speaker 2: me in the ribs once twice. He ain't exploding like fireworks.
27:33
Speaker 2: You deliveries, think you tough? This is our turf. The
27:37
Speaker 2: big one joined in, his boots, slamming into my side.
27:40
Speaker 2: I curled up, gasping, tasting copper in my mouth. Yeah,
27:44
Speaker 2: cry like a big Fidgety taunted, yanking my jacket off
27:48
Speaker 2: and emptying the pockets. They took everything keys, wallet, even
27:52
Speaker 2: my watch and a cheap TIMEX from my dad before
27:55
Speaker 2: he passed. After what felt like hours but was probably minutes,
27:59
Speaker 2: they haul up by my shirt. Get out, the big
28:03
Speaker 2: guy hissed, shoving me towards the door. And if we
28:06
Speaker 2: see cops, your family's dead, slow and painful, will make
28:11
Speaker 2: sure they scream your name. I stumbled out into the rain,
28:15
Speaker 2: bruised and shaking, pizza bag forgotten. Drove home, parked in
28:19
Speaker 2: my lot and just sat there staring at the dashboard.
28:23
Speaker 2: My ribs ached, face swelling, but the fear that was worse.
28:29
Speaker 2: I thought about Mom, how she'd worry if I told
28:32
Speaker 2: her my sister pregnant with her first kid. She didn't
28:36
Speaker 2: need this stress. Don't tell, I whispered to myself in
28:41
Speaker 2: the mirror. They'll come after you. But the next day
28:44
Speaker 2: the bruises were purple and ugly. My manager noticed when
28:48
Speaker 2: I called in sick. What happened? You look like shit?
28:52
Speaker 2: He said, nothing just fell. I lied, but my voice
28:57
Speaker 2: shook bullshit. We'll figure it out. I didn't want to,
29:01
Speaker 2: but I did. It. Turns out the cops were already
29:03
Speaker 2: sniffing around. Another driver had been hit the week before,
29:07
Speaker 2: same m O. My manager convinced me to talk. They
29:12
Speaker 2: threatened my family. I confessed, tears welling up again. Said
29:16
Speaker 2: they'd kill them if I snitched. The detective, a tough
29:20
Speaker 2: woman named Reus, nodded, we hear that a lot, but
29:24
Speaker 2: these a they're cowards. We've got leads, help us, and
29:28
Speaker 2: we'll protect you. I spilled it all the gun, the beating,
29:32
Speaker 2: the threats. They matched descriptions to known thugs. The big
29:36
Speaker 2: one was Marcus big M Thompson, a repeat offender with
29:39
Speaker 2: two strikes for armed robbery. Fidgety was a hanger on
29:43
Speaker 2: some low life named Rico. The trial was a nightmare.
29:47
Speaker 2: I testified, heart in my throat, staring down big Em
29:51
Speaker 2: in the courtroom. He pointed the gun at me, I
29:54
Speaker 2: said on the stand, voice steady despite the sweat. Said
29:57
Speaker 2: he'd kill my mom and sister if I talked. Big
30:00
Speaker 2: M's lawyer grilled me, you sure it was a real gun?
30:04
Speaker 2: Could have been a toy. It was real. I shot back,
30:07
Speaker 2: felt the weight when he pressed it to my head.
30:10
Speaker 2: Fidgety got five years plea deal, but Big M third
30:14
Speaker 2: strike light without parole. As they led him away, he
30:19
Speaker 2: glared at me, you'll pay for this, he mouthed. My
30:28
Speaker 2: sister Becca and I had a strained relationship since she
30:31
Speaker 2: manipulated our parents into giving her a significant chunk of
30:34
Speaker 2: my college fund so she could buy stuff. Of course,
30:38
Speaker 2: she didn't tell our parents that. She told them she
30:40
Speaker 2: was starting a business when my mom told me about
30:43
Speaker 2: it over the phone all those years ago, I admit
30:45
Speaker 2: even I was convinced she had a good plan. I
30:48
Speaker 2: was excited for Becca for so many years. She struggled
30:52
Speaker 2: with her mental health and it made it difficult for
30:54
Speaker 2: her to hold down a job. Sounded like she was
30:57
Speaker 2: finally getting her life together. Was until I went over
31:01
Speaker 2: to her house and found her high out of her mind.
31:04
Speaker 2: She couldn't even answer the door. I had to crawl
31:07
Speaker 2: through an open window. Her home was a mess. In
31:11
Speaker 2: every room you could find discarded tinfoils and use syringes.
31:15
Speaker 2: I confronted her and she admitted that she used the
31:18
Speaker 2: money to buy bad things. I didn't talk to her
31:22
Speaker 2: for years after that. My mom would give me updates
31:25
Speaker 2: on her, although I never asked. My sister ended up
31:28
Speaker 2: meeting a guy who was really good for her. He
31:30
Speaker 2: was able to care for her and support her as
31:32
Speaker 2: she recovered from her addiction. A year into being clean,
31:36
Speaker 2: she became pregnant. A night of this, I reached out
31:40
Speaker 2: to mend our relationship. I didn't want to miss out
31:44
Speaker 2: on knowing my niece and I missed my sister since
31:48
Speaker 2: the last time I saw her. She had gained a
31:50
Speaker 2: considerable amount of weight, but she glowed with happiness, content
31:54
Speaker 2: with her life. That was until her boyfriend was struck
31:58
Speaker 2: by a drunk driver coming home one night. He was
32:01
Speaker 2: declared dead on the scene. We all worried about Becca,
32:05
Speaker 2: but we knew her boyfriend at least had a life
32:07
Speaker 2: insurance policy that would help her get by financially. For
32:10
Speaker 2: a little while. After her boyfriend's death, she stopped calling us.
32:14
Speaker 2: She fell into a deep depression. We tried to help
32:17
Speaker 2: and support her, but she pushed us out. Since her
32:21
Speaker 2: boyfriend was why she got clean in the first place,
32:23
Speaker 2: I feared his passing would cause her to slip back
32:26
Speaker 2: into old habits. I prayed she would stay strong for
32:30
Speaker 2: her daughter. A couple of years passed with minimal contact
32:35
Speaker 2: from Becca. One day, out of the blue, she called
32:39
Speaker 2: me and asked for help. I was overjoyed to hear
32:43
Speaker 2: from her and hoped all was well. Becca didn't want
32:46
Speaker 2: to make small talk and got straight to business. She
32:49
Speaker 2: told me she planned to undergo weight boss surgery and
32:52
Speaker 2: would need someone to help take care of her and
32:54
Speaker 2: her daughter while she recovered. I was surprised she could
32:57
Speaker 2: afford a procedure like that, but I going to interrogate
33:01
Speaker 2: her about her finances. I told her I would be
33:03
Speaker 2: happy to help. Before I could offer to drive to
33:07
Speaker 2: and from the hospital, she told me the plan I
33:10
Speaker 2: was to stay home with her daughter while she went
33:13
Speaker 2: through the operation, and she would take an uber home.
33:16
Speaker 2: I asked how many nights she would need to stay
33:18
Speaker 2: in the hospital, and she told me she would be
33:20
Speaker 2: able to come home the same day. I found that odd,
33:24
Speaker 2: but I didn't question it due to my lack of
33:27
Speaker 2: knowledge surrounding weight loss surgery. The day of the procedure
33:31
Speaker 2: came and I went over to Becca's house. Becca had
33:34
Speaker 2: already left for the surgery by the time I arrived.
33:37
Speaker 2: I hadn't seen my niece for two years. She was
33:40
Speaker 2: a ray of sunshine the last time I saw her.
33:44
Speaker 2: Nothing could wipe a smile from her face. I remember
33:47
Speaker 2: one time she was running around in my parents' backyard,
33:49
Speaker 2: fell and landed flat on her face. She jumped up, giggled,
33:53
Speaker 2: and continued running around like she never tripped. The door
33:58
Speaker 2: was unlocked when I walked in. My niece remembered me,
34:01
Speaker 2: and a small smile appeared on her face. Nothing like
34:04
Speaker 2: what her smile used to be. She was different. Now,
34:08
Speaker 2: her face was flat, clouds now shrouded her light. She
34:13
Speaker 2: slowly walked over to hug my legs. Hey, sweetie, I
34:17
Speaker 2: said to her, where's your mom? She told me she
34:21
Speaker 2: left already. I asked, how long ago did she leave?
34:24
Speaker 2: How long have you been by yourself? She shrugged in response.
34:29
Speaker 2: I was worried. I had a sick feeling in my stomach.
34:33
Speaker 2: My niece used to be so vibrant, but now she
34:36
Speaker 2: felt muted. Over the course of the day, I saw
34:40
Speaker 2: her light return in small ways. We went to the park,
34:44
Speaker 2: I took her to Target and bought her a new toy.
34:46
Speaker 2: She helped me bake cookies. It was a good day.
34:50
Speaker 2: Becca came home much later that night. She limped into
34:55
Speaker 2: the house. At the sight of her mother, my niece
34:58
Speaker 2: retreated back into the sho I found her in that morning.
35:02
Speaker 2: I felt my stomach tighten at this observation. My sister
35:07
Speaker 2: looked horrible. All the color was drained from her face,
35:11
Speaker 2: and she was incredibly thin. She was as thin as
35:15
Speaker 2: she was when she was using stuff. Even her cheeks
35:17
Speaker 2: were hollow. Alarms started going off in my head because
35:21
Speaker 2: there was no way a weight loss surgery would have
35:24
Speaker 2: that effect so fast. She snapped me to help her
35:28
Speaker 2: to the bedroom, and I obliged. I helped her into
35:32
Speaker 2: bed and asked what I should do for follow up care.
35:35
Speaker 2: I don't know. She said angrily. Just keep my daughter busy.
35:38
Speaker 2: I'll be fine. I took a step back. I didn't
35:42
Speaker 2: understand why Becca had such an attitude. I told her,
35:45
Speaker 2: I'm just trying to help. Go help somewhere else. She scowled.
35:52
Speaker 2: Not knowing entirely how to react to her coldness, I
35:55
Speaker 2: left to find my niece. I helped my niece get
35:58
Speaker 2: ready for bed. As I said good night, she gave
36:01
Speaker 2: me a big hug. As her arms wrapped around me,
36:05
Speaker 2: she whispered, please don't leave. I withdrew from the hug
36:10
Speaker 2: to look at her face. You have me for the
36:13
Speaker 2: next couple days, and then maybe after I can come
36:16
Speaker 2: visit you. No, don't ever leave. You can't leave. Tears
36:21
Speaker 2: began to gather in her little brown eyes. Through her tears,
36:25
Speaker 2: she explained that her mother had started to become fuzzy
36:28
Speaker 2: after her father died. My niece said that her mom
36:31
Speaker 2: would go into her room and shut the door for
36:33
Speaker 2: days at a time. Sometimes she would hear her mom coughing.
36:38
Speaker 2: She told me the coughing came with a funky smell.
36:43
Speaker 2: My heart dropped when she told me. My sister started
36:46
Speaker 2: bringing around strange men who would only stay one night.
36:51
Speaker 2: I knew she was using bad things again, and from
36:54
Speaker 2: the sounds of it, she may have been selling her
36:56
Speaker 2: body to get money for it. It explained her hollow cheeks.
37:00
Speaker 2: She was already thin from using the powder and pills again,
37:03
Speaker 2: not from the weight loss surgery. It made me wonder
37:07
Speaker 2: what procedure she just got. Becca must have burned through
37:12
Speaker 2: the life insurance money and was desperate for more. I
37:16
Speaker 2: promised my niece I wouldn't let anything bad happen to her.
37:20
Speaker 2: I didn't have the stomach to ask if any of
37:22
Speaker 2: the men did anything to her. If they did, she
37:25
Speaker 2: could tell me in her own time. I kissed my
37:29
Speaker 2: niece's forehead to wish her good night. In the background,
37:32
Speaker 2: I heard my sister throwing up. I went into the
37:36
Speaker 2: bathroom and she was lurched over the toilet vomiting blood.
37:40
Speaker 2: What happened? It's fine, go away, Becca yelled, It is
37:44
Speaker 2: not fine. I'm calling the ambulance. I responded, no, woo.
37:48
Speaker 2: Beca tried to get up to stop me, but grabbed
37:50
Speaker 2: her stomach like she was in pain. She lifted her
37:53
Speaker 2: shirt to check her wound, and that's when I saw
37:56
Speaker 2: the poorly sewn together incision on her lower aptmen. Blood
38:01
Speaker 2: dripped through the stitches as we waited for the ambulance.
38:05
Speaker 2: I demanded, she explained herself. I confronted her about bringing
38:09
Speaker 2: strangers to the house and scolded her for putting her
38:11
Speaker 2: daughter in danger. Becka started to cry after her boyfriend died.
38:17
Speaker 2: She was okay for a little while. The pressure of
38:21
Speaker 2: life and providing for her daughter began to weigh on
38:23
Speaker 2: her and she needed an escape, a momentary reprieve, so
38:29
Speaker 2: she hit up one of her old friends who used
38:31
Speaker 2: to sell her things. He was still in business and
38:34
Speaker 2: supplied her with what she needed. When she started having
38:38
Speaker 2: trouble paying for them. He showed her a place on
38:41
Speaker 2: the deep Web where she could sell herself. People sold
38:45
Speaker 2: everything on this website, from substance to organs. It was
38:50
Speaker 2: more private than Reddit or only Fans, so my parents
38:53
Speaker 2: and I could never figure out what she was up to.
38:56
Speaker 2: She posted an ad and was surprised by how many
38:59
Speaker 2: clients she got. However, it wasn't enough to cover the
39:03
Speaker 2: debt she had racked up. After she used up the
39:05
Speaker 2: life insurance policy. She looked through the website her friend
39:08
Speaker 2: had showed her for other ways to make a quick
39:10
Speaker 2: buck and saw that someone was looking for a kidney.
39:14
Speaker 2: She figured she had one despair and the payout was
39:18
Speaker 2: big enough to cover her debt and then some Becca
39:22
Speaker 2: admitted that she was beginning to think of using her
39:25
Speaker 2: daughter to make money, and selling a kidney felt like
39:28
Speaker 2: a better option. I slapped her, how could she even
39:32
Speaker 2: consider doing that to her daughter? As she confessed this
39:36
Speaker 2: to me, the ambulance pulled up. They strapped her to
39:38
Speaker 2: the gurney and rushed her to the hospital. Turns out
39:41
Speaker 2: the deep web surgeon left gauze and her abdomen. They
39:45
Speaker 2: weren't able to save her in time. The wound became
39:48
Speaker 2: infected and the infection spread rapidly. I asked the doctor
39:52
Speaker 2: how it could have gotten infected so fast. He told
39:56
Speaker 2: me that he's heard of people trying to sell organs
39:59
Speaker 2: on the black market, how my sister did, and that
40:01
Speaker 2: sometimes the person doing the operation will intentionally mess up
40:04
Speaker 2: or inject them with something so they won't live long
40:07
Speaker 2: enough to have to pay them. We never received any
40:10
Speaker 2: money for her donation. My niece now lives with my parents.
40:15
Speaker 2: I try to see her as often as I can.
40:17
Speaker 2: She's in therapy and I can tell her light is
40:20
Speaker 2: returning slowly,