S6 Ep328: Episode 328: Night Shift Horror Stories

If you work in university maintenance, Granger considers you an MVP because your playbook ensures your arena is always ready for tip-off. And Granger is your trusted partner, offering the products you need, all in one place, from HVAC and plumbing supplies to lighting and more, and all delivered with plenty of time left on the clock. So your team always gets the win. Call 1-800-GRANGER, visit Granger.com or just stop by, Granger, for the ones who get it done. Music Welcome to Dr Creepin's Dungeon. Music It was none other than Vincent van Gogh who said, I often think that night is more alive and more richly colored than the day, but it might seem that way until you work the night shift, as we will learn into night's four stories. We begin with why I am no longer a prison guard, by Beardify, then we have I'm a night janitor for a haunted elementary school, by F4C3M3L73R. After that we have I'm a night security guard, and I just watched surveillance footage of my own death by Mr. Owl, before rounding off with my friend's dead dad haunts me by mortally. Now as ever before we begin, a word of caution. The night stories may contain bad language, as well as descriptions of violence and horrific imagery. If that sounds like your kind of thing, then let's begin. Now to clarify, I never set out to work in corrections. I graduated from a private, expensive university with a degree in philosophy. I'd chosen the school because of how the campus looked in fall, and I'd chosen the major because my girlfriend at the time wanted me to go into law. Well when the dust settled, I was back in my appellation hometown, minus the girlfriend, plus $60,000 of debt. Wondering how the hell I was going to scrape a life together. My family treated me like I was still a teenager, and it wasn't long before their silly rules and needling questions about my future grew too much to bear. I couldn't stand to see this mug, how the mighty have fallen, faces of my conservative uncles, over one more Thanksgiving dinner. No, I had to get out, and job sites were just smeared with listings for, name redacted, correctional facility. I was skeptical at first. The pay seemed too good to be true, and my friends never missed a chance to regale me with horror stories about jail. In the HR people were friendly and helpful at my brief interview, and the facilities seemed modern and professional. I had some moral qualms about working in a for-profit prison, but like any sell-out, I convinced myself that having $600 in the bank grounded me some ethical wiggle room. On my tour, I learned that the complex had been built in the 1850s, and had been played with scandal and corruption until, the tight-bunned, smartly dressed corporate rep said proudly, it was bought by our company in the 70s and reformed. We run a very tight ship here. The overall effect, though, was a Frankenstein building, sure shank redemption by way of Steve Jobs. Later, when I tried to find architectural diagrams at the place, it was clear that it had been renovated and rebuilt so many times no one was sure of anything really. The place sat on a twisted tentacular maze of pipes, basements, and dead corridors. Imagining those dank, lightless tunnels provided plenty of nightmare fuel on my first day. Well, it was worse, and at the same time, not as bad as I'd feared. The prisoners were from a different world than mine, and they knew it. Getting a rise out of newbies like me was one of the few entertainment options in their sterile, sunlight-free world. My first walk down the cell block, a Jamaican drug runner who'd shot two kids in a drive-by, ran to his bars and spat blood at me, laughing as I sputtered and tried to wipe it off. I later learned he was HIV positive. On the other hand, my co-workers understood how difficult the first days could be, and presented a pretty united front. As days went by, I came to understand the prisoners better to, their culture, how to interact with them, and the fact that they were humans like me. Well, things got so routine, to be honest. I got a little bored. It was hard to socialise with the other officers. I had no interest in who won the game or how to keep a wife in line. I just started looking at things, trying to really see what was going on around me, and in this silent, solitary mode, I began to notice something strange. Power among prisoners is determined mostly by stature, either social stature in some gang or because of some exploits, or physical stature, as in the ability to beat the daylights out of someone. There was one guy in the yard, though, who didn't fit the bill. A slight, tanned white guy, clean shaven, with grandfather wrinkles and silver hair styled like a corporate executive. Unlike the other cons, who'd lift weights, huddling circles, gossiping, or play basketball, he would walk briskly around the yard or do some kind of methodical, yoga-like stretches. Sometimes you'd just lay staring up at the clouds, or mark in a little notebook he always carries. I thought prisoners weren't allowed to have pencils, but something about the guy made me keep my distance. How I sage ancestors lived is prey for millennia, and now I think it may have been those instincts that kept me away from Dave. Whenever I asked about him, everyone knew immediately who I was talking about. Ah, that's Dave, came to reply, followed by a hasty, or stay away from him. And that was where the information stopped. Any further inquiries were met with vague answers at best, or not so vague threats at worst. Like having a job, like having a face, the CEO told me finally, and stop asking. I know I shouldn't have, but curiosity got the better of me. I waited until one of the computer terminals was unwashed and searched for Dave. Nothing came up. I searched his ID, his cell number, everything. It was like the man didn't exist, and in our meta-data-driven world, that's quite an accomplishment. We amassed huge dossiers on cons, crime, gang affiliations, sexual habits, an extufkin, an NSA-wet dream. There wasn't even a date for Dave's arrival here. I kept watching, and the more I watched, the stranger things got. It was a windy day in October, gray and dreary, plastic bags, dead leaves, and junk, or eyes like hanged men in the double fences of the yard. Dave was squatting alone, with his notebook out. I walked behind him on the pretext of doing my rounds, and I was amazed by what I saw. Dave had sketched a caterpillar with a skill like Da Vinci, and the opposite page was an illustration of a dandelion with the same artistic and scientific detail. Something about the way he shuffled made it clear he knew I was there. As I trudged away, I felt his electric blue, intelligent eyes burning into the back of my head. Brain boiling, boiling like a pot of worm, so I thought, and had to stop the mad laugh building in my throat. The other prisoners stared. What was going on? I'd somehow lost several minutes. I was back at the gate to the yard. I felt tears on my face, cold in the biting wind. Later that week, I played sick to escape my duty during Dave's yard time, and went to check out his cell. Technically, that was just as illegal as looking up his personal information, since Dave was in block C and I worked in block B. But I was obsessed. When I reached his cell, I found it had a door, like a science classroom, not bars, and that my ordinary key wouldn't open it. Well, the cell seemed normal, apart from the banned items in neat piles inside. Books and accompanying notes in several languages, more sketches, a chalkboard and abacus, even candles. This was all in clear violation of regulations, but then again, who would I report it to? My CO had already made it crystal clear how he felt about discussing Dave. There was nothing to do but go back to my duty, with more questions and answers. When I returned to the yard the next day, the weather had cleared, all the sun seemed to put all of us, cons and guards alike, in a good mood. The relaxed atmosphere gave me a lot of time to think about some of my recent decisions. Here I was, with a good job, good hours, finally getting a handle on life. And I was going to throw it away for some funny old man. Ugh, I'd been stupid. It was just the time in life, I suppose. I made everything seem so odd and uncertain. I was so caught up in my musings, I didn't realise that Dave was not among the other prisoners. I knew he'd been behind me before I turned. I moved with the dread of a child looking under his bed after a nightmare, but I hadn't expected him to be so close. Prison rules state that inmates maintain a certain distance from guards, and those rules are hard and fast. Yet Dave's face was less than an inch from mine. He stood there grinning and chuckling his old man's laugh. Even then I knew that laugh would echo in my dreams. I felt a scream welling up inside, and then early arms were around me, pulling me into the bright fluorescent lights and away from the horror in the yard. I don't remember the stern lecture the CEO gave me, or the IV drip in the Med Ward after, the harsh conversations of the nurses. I do remember laying in near paralysis on the petobismal pink sheets, staring at the broom closets, waiting for it to open like a toothless mouth while everyone's backs were turned. Faint laughter would echo out, and then it would pull me in. When I woke I caught my worried family and muttered something about dizziness. I ate a sticky bun from the vending machine, barely tasting it or noticing the dark glances of my coworkers. It wasn't until I got home that I found the torn bit of yellow notebook paper in my pocket. It was a da Vinci perfect sketch of me sleeping in my bed at home. When I compared that drawing to my bedroom at my parents' house, everything matched, from a coffee stain on the table to the pattern of the sheets. I lay all night with the lights on, listening to classic rock and trying to think of other things. After that day it seemed that Dave and I had a sort of truce. I wouldn't pay him undue attention and he wouldn't, well, do anything further to me. I knew that I'd been let off with a warning, and not just from the CEO. The nightmare stopped. I moved into a new apartment and started seeing a girl from OK Cupid. Life, it seems, was going back to normal. Until Salvador, sweet Rodriguez, showed up. Now, sweet had been arrested at age 19 for shooting up a minivan to complete his gang initiation. In and out of juvie. This was his first stay in big boy prison. He showed up with a wild, violent look in his black eyes. He was determined to make it clear that no matter how thin and handsome he was, he was nobody's meat for the showroom. And a cheerful looking old white man seemed like an easy target. By the time I got to them, it was too late. Dave had been staring at a dead tree, motionless apart from a slight rocking back and forth, and the autumn breeze ruffling his hand. Sweet stalked over to Dave and snatched the pencil from the old man's loose grip, snapping it. Do something, bitch, sweet snout. Bitch, queer, old peckerwood. Two husky lifers, as well as all the guards, were running to save the loudmouth boy from himself. It was almost funny in a way, if not for the look in Dave's eyes. Reminded me of a man who finds a fly in his soup trying to decide whether to eat it or not. While a storm blew up that night, everyone was on edge. The congenial mood we'd had earlier was gone. It was almost a riot when we ran out of grips, and the corridors rang with the sounds of angry prisoners hooting like animals and pounding on the bars. We'd broken up three fights already. I'd been assigned to wash the cameras. I wasn't sure if it was my history of the day, or just my status as a newbie, but I was left alone in the main security hub, watching the CCTV feeds. I was hunched up, biting my nails, but couldn't say why I was so nervous. Around midnight, long after quiet hours, something came up that made me freeze. Surely I was seeing things. Frank DeWittle, a hunking lifer who'd brutally castrated a pedophile with a launch trade during my first week, was helping one of the guards carry sweet Rodriguez down the central hall of Block B. Even if this wasn't a violation of every Prince Fair transfer protocol in the book, Sweet was obviously screaming his head off. I buzzed the guard. No response. No response from anyone. I could only watch as Sweet was dragged from Block B to Block C, toward a tiny room with a door like a science classroom. I was running before I could stop myself, but when I saw the door to Dave's room close, I knew I was too late. It did its job well, cutting off Sweet's screams just as they began. The con and guard could have stopped me easily if they'd expected me to do what I did. I wouldn't have expected it myself. I snatched the key from my co-worker's hand and jammed it into Dave's cell door, shoving it open with my shoulder. Dave looked up from writings of Epicurus with a bemused expression, as though I were a dog that had padded into the room looking for a petty. And I knew then that all that was left of Sweet Rodriguez was a few flecks of red at the corner of Dave's mouth. He looked up at me and smiled. I'm working on a new sketch, you know. I was let go that evening. I went through the process in a daze. I didn't have the mental fortitude to put up a fight. I never went back, or even drove by the prison again. I got a job waiting tables with a local Applebee's. My buddy behind the bar lets me polish off unfinished martinis until I'm finally drunk enough to sleep. But sometimes I still wake up crying. HVAC and plumbing supplies to lighting and more, and all delivered with plenty of time left on the clock so your team always gets the win. Call 1-800-GRANJER, visit granger.com or just out by GRANJER for the ones who get it done. Saving seekers, we hear you. Seeking energy savings, always keep your energy prices under the price cap. With Next Pledge, your energy prices are guaranteed to always stay below the price cap. Satisfy those savings cravings. Check out our full range of tailored energy solutions at eonnext.com forward slash save. Eonnext, we make energy savings work. Next Pledge is a 12-month fixed-term trachotariff with variable rates lower than Ofcham's price cap for standard variable tariffs. Direct debit required. Teas and seas apply. Well, the life of a storytelling doctor is not always an easy one. So I like to follow the advice of one of my favourite writers, Stephen King. I work until beer o'clock. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, when the doctor's work is done, I like to sit back and relax with a nice cold beer or two. Now, as you might know, I've recently moved to the Low Countries, so these beers are from my part of the world. And let me assure you, some of the greatest beer on the planet comes from around here. So, how does a free case of eight Belgian craft beer sound? And that's why I'm so excited to help you transport yourself, figuratively, to a cosy little Belgian beer cafe. Why not celebrate the country's ancient and world-famous beer expertise with a case of eight craft beers from some of the finest breweries for free? That's right, for free. All you have to do is go to beer52.com slash creep and cover the £5.95 postage and beer52 will deliver them straight to your door. Now, let me tell you, I've been enjoying beer52's products for a while now, and every month they visit a different country. They find the best of the small batch brewers for you and then carefully curate a case to be sent to their lucky members. What a hard job, eh? Well, somebody has to do it. And I know what you're thinking, oh, this is the world of the strong dark beers. Well, if you don't like dark beer, choose the light option. It's that easy. So why not take the opportunity to discover some of the wonderful beers, like Stainbrugger's 6.5% Blonde, Breurée Lecker's Belgian IPA and Avon's Dubelle. Each case also comes with the award-winning beer magazine, Ferment, as well as a tasty snack to enjoy with your beer. And of course, I should mention, there's no minimum commitment. You can just take the free case, try the beers and see what you think. If it's not for you, you can pause or cancel at any time. So, just go to beer52.com slash creep to claim your free case of 8 craft beers. Again, that's beer52.com slash creep. In our second story, we move on from terrifying prisons to haunted elementary schools. I'm a night janitor for an elementary school. My work hours are from 3pm to about midnight. Sometimes I stay until almost 3am, when there are after-school activities. I have to help set them up and then clean when they're over, leaving me to clock out at almost dawn sometimes. My designated section has 24 rooms that I clean alone. Lately, it's been getting dark rather early. When the clock strikes 6, the sun begins to descend into the horizon of swaying trees and half-lit homes, eventually disappearing. Around the same time, all of the other staff members hurry out of the building, leaving me to my work. I'm going to leave the name of the school, my real name, any other real names and the location out of this one because I just want to keep my identity and the image of the school safe. So, for this story, I'll be Tim. Since I work nights, I always get that paranoia that I'm being watched. I always chalked it up to my mind, playing tricks on me, since I'm all alone in this building for several hours at a time. But it was right after Halloween, when something strange began to occur. It was that time of year when the trees lose their leaves and take on a skillet or silhouette. Autumn. I started to notice that more and more of the students looked as if they were shaken up about something, always looking at the floor and walking, quiet, anxious, signifying a sort of retreat. This didn't set well with me. The students were dismissed at 3.30, so I'm present while they're still in class. I'm a first-time father and cared for these children, maybe just a janitor, but I'm not some weirdo or heartless guy who just wants a paycheck. These kids were young and they needed to feel safe. So I talked with them when I was given the chance. They called me Mr Tim, the Vacuum Man. I'm in my 20s, so I'm approachable to a younger crowd, and I felt this brought a sense of comfort to them, rather than some creepy night janitor who is unwelcoming. I saw a child who was walking down the hall and was obviously frightened about something, constantly looking over his shoulder with his eyebrows raised. I asked quietly, is something bothering you kiddo? He let out a short yell. Whoa, it's okay, it's just me. Is everything all right? I tried to reassure the boy. Oh, hey Mr Tim. Yeah, I'm okay, he said nervously. You know, if there's something bothering you, don't be afraid to tell me about it. I can probably help you. I missed a Tim, the Vacuum Man. He laughed and then said, yeah, I know. Okay, well, whenever I use the bathroom, I see this tall man smiling at me. I immediately got chills. What? Is it someone in the school? Someone you recognize? He replied, no, I can barely see him. He's all black. It's like a shadow, but I know he's there. I know it. This could have just been the child's imagination. I mean, Halloween had just passed, so maybe he was just scared from that. But all of the other students were behaving rather odd. So maybe this boy was really seeing someone or something stalking him in the bathroom. That just sounds like it's your imagination, kiddo. I wouldn't worry about it. Maybe it's just your mind playing tricks on you since Halloween just passed. Just try to focus on your school work more. Maybe it'll go away. I tried to calm him. Yeah, I'll try. He spoke softly. All right, off you go then. But this bothered me. Was there some pervert hiding in the bathrooms here? My mind began to race. I couldn't just ignore this information. My first thought was to tell the principal. When I did, her reaction was exactly as I imagined. She called the student to her office and asked the child to explain to her what he had told me. He did, sort of frantically, and this made the principal uneasy. The next day she hired a security guard to patrol the hallways. After about a week, the kids still remained anxious, but never spoke of this figure. No one really pried on the matter anyway. We just expected this to be some sort of scare tactic to make this person flee if there was anyone there to begin with. It seemed like it worked. So the security guard was dismissed, and the staff resumed their cheerful outlook on their jobs, instead of being worried about a creep that may have been lurking in the shadows ready to pounce on a helpless child. Well, I'm just glad this wasn't the case. I remember one particular shift. My calendar read that there was going to be a cup scouts meeting in the media centre at 6.15 and basketball practice at 6.30. So that meant I would most likely be here until just before the break of dawn. Around 6, I unlocked one of the front doors for the cup scouts counsellor and the coach of the basketball team. Moments passed, and the cup scouts counsellor walked through the doors. I greeted him, helped him set up, and went back to my normal duties. I didn't have to help the coach, since the gym had everything he needed for sports. I just had to lock the doors once they were done, and refinish the gym floor for all the shoe marks and, well, any trash on the ground. As for the cup scouts meeting, it was the same concept. Just had to vacuum around the used area and disinfect any surfaces used, along with throwing any trash left behind away. During my normal shift duties, I couldn't help but feel as if I was being watched. I kept telling myself that it could have been a student or parent watching me from a distance, but I was in a more secluded area of the building, away from the after-school activities. No, this was different. It felt like someone was nearby. You know how you can hear someone coming from around a corner without hearing their footsteps or physically seeing them. It was just like that, only all around me. Once the after-school activities had come to an end around eight, I made sure every person was out of the building and locked the doors. The front doors had windows on them, and it was pitch black outside. Once I finished engaging in the last lock, I couldn't help but notice a tall and dark-cloth man behind me in the reflection. I quickly turned around only to see that no one was there. What the hell, I thought to myself. I sighed and continued on with my duties. I started with the gym floor and began buffing the floors. This was the job that took the most time, so I wanted to get this done first. As I finished, I turned the machine off, and in the distance I could hear muffled screams. It was coming from the building. Okay, something isn't right here, I exclaimed. I got all of the equipment into the receiving room and left the floor to dry, and I could still hear the faint sounds of screaming. It was coming from my section, and I still had rooms to do. I decided to put some headphones in and listen to music, so I could ignore this strange occurrence. I decided to put on classical music, as it helped calm my nerves. I started with Moonlight Sonata, a piece from Beethoven, and just let my playlist shuffle. When I cleaned the rooms, I normally just focus on what's right in front of me. But tonight, I couldn't help but look around me as if I were to see the man in a corner somewhere. I tried my best just to ignore it, but when I got to a part of the room located by a window, I felt compelled to look outside. All I could see was just total darkness. Pitch black, not a streetlight, no dim and distant lights from a home. Just darkness. And then the power went out. I was absolutely terrified. What I saw outside will haunt me for the rest of my life. It was the most sinister, elongated face I have ever seen in my entire life. His eyes sunken in, but wide and focused, wrinkled skin with a white complexion and the most menacing smile I could ever imagine, complete with what seemed to be over a hundred teeth that looked like needles. I wasted no time when I ran out of that building without even clocking out or looking there. I ran outside to my vehicle without looking over my shoulder to see if that thing was following me. And when I started my car, I drove out of the parking lot, to the left of me. In the playground, I could see him watching me. He was waving. The next day, my supervisor was furious that I had just left without clocking out or calling security to lock the doors. I explained what happened and, well, he fired me. One day, on my own accord, I went back to that school and wanted to warn the principal about what had happened to me. I met with her and I told her to hire an exorcist or get someone to cleanse that school spiritually because, well, there is something evil in that school. She replied, Tim, I don't understand. What happened? I told her everything. How this tall man had scared the living shit out of me. How I'd heard screams, everything. Her mood changed. She seemed uneasy. She let out a big, long breath and began to say, There's something I want to show you. She went to a filing cabinet and opened it. Sifting through files, she finally pulled out a book. It was a yearbook from 1986. What's that for? I asked. She then flipped through some pages and finally stopped on a page that had pictures with descriptions under them. She pointed one out and said, Here, take a look. What I saw was a tall man mopping a floor with a smile I will never forget. It was the man I'd seen that night. It had to be. Oh, my God, I said while shivering. He was the janitor here from 1984 to 1986. I was told he would go into the bathroom and spy on the kids, smiling at them. My heart sank. I let out a whimpering cough trying to clear my throat, which was now gasping for air. What happened to him? I asked. She closed the book, looked at me and said, Aside from the spying, he got fired for constantly scaring the children, even after Halloween was over. He would make them scream in terror. Those were the screams I'd heard. After he got fired, he would stalk the students. They would go missing. At first, no one thought anything of it, but a detective brought him in for questioning. He was then arrested and admitted. He'd kidnapped, raped and killed 15 students. The detective claimed that he was smiling when he confessed. He was given the death penalty by a lethal injection and it said he was even smiling as he died. Saving seekers, we hear you. Seeking energy savings, always keep your energy prices under the price cap. With next pledge, your energy prices are guaranteed to always stay below the price cap. Satisfy those savings cravings. Check out our full range of tailored energy solutions at eonnext.com forward slash save. Eonnext, we make energy savings work. Next pledge is a 12-month fixed time trachotariff with variable rates lower than off-chance price cap for standard variable tariffs. Direct debit required. Tease and seize apply. Oh, it's bad. What? What would people do it? Maybe. I thought you'd be into it, so. What, me? No, that's deeply offensive. Harry, you're wearing socks and sandals. In public. Come on, I travel in style. You don't. It's a new low. They're the mullet of footwear. And what's wrong with mullets? Sharing moments you'll never live down. On the train, you can. After the horrors of a haunted elementary school, in our third story, we look at the work of a security guard who witnesses something horrible on surveillance footage. I'm an after-ass security guard for a medium-sized downtown office building. Not in a terribly dangerous city. Just average. Glamorous, I know. On top of that, I'm either losing my mind or in the midst of some really strange shit. A few nights ago, my boss gave me security tapes that he wanted me to look over. Apparently, the guard that I rotated shifts with had quit, but it was a bit unconventional. He didn't give anybody any prior notice. It appears as if he simply left in the middle of his last shift, and we haven't been able to contact him since. On the same night, there'd been a break-in. Seemingly nothing stolen or damaged. Just the front glass door, which was now shattered. I knew about the break-in beforehand, but not about the guard. It was weird, but this is kind of a shitty job, so it wasn't anywhere near shocking. My boss wanted me to try and identify who'd done it, and said that the cops are lazy and it would take weeks for them to even look at it. His quote, not mine. Sure, it was an annoying request, but I guess it's on me for not finishing college. It was a pretty quiet night when I got around to it. My boss told me to look it over on my own time, but well, that wasn't happening. So, around 2am, I finally began watching. Took a lot of fast forwarding until I finally got to something. We were right. The old security guard, Chris, literally got up and left. At exactly 2.17am that night. Even weirder was that he left all his shit behind. He just walked away. Okay, I thought. Shit happens, whatever. I kept watching until the break-in at 3am. Some medium-built dude dressed in a stereotypical burglar outfit, ski mask included, took a baseball bat and smashed through the front glass door. I'm pretty sure that Chris never even locked it behind him when he left. So that was a waste. Also, our alarm didn't go off because we didn't have one. Go cost wherever you can, it's a wonder and I still work here, given the fact that some guy could literally break in, stab me to death, and the cops wouldn't even know about it until the morning. But, well, that's beside the current point. The intruder walked in and entered the stairwell, so I tracked him. A bit of a complicated process, but I finally found him on the 6th floor. That's when he took out what looked like a wire. I felt my skin crawl a bit upon seeing that. There's only a few reasons as to why a person would carry wires around in their pockets, and one of them stands out as being particularly unsavory. He started making his way down the corridor, in a manner that I can only describe as methodical, purposeful even, as if whoever he was stalking was not yet aware of his presence. Moments later, the door to a room up ahead of him flung open. He reacted quickly, ducking into an adjacent hallway as somebody else came out. Let me tell you, I was not prepared for who it was. It was... me. A near replica. I say near because the guy's face looked borderline emaciated, while his clothes barely clung to his limbs. I was more of a muscular build myself, but I had been skinny before. I knew what I looked like, and that was it. My copy was wearing what looked like some kind of white, heavy-duty jacket. Almost looked like something a soldier would wear in an Arctic climate. On top of that, there was a large streak of red covering his chest. Polly doesn't take a detective to figure out what it was, given the circumstances. He also appeared to be exhausted, with one bony hand holding the wall whilst he was doubled over, exhaling like hell. Eventually, he started moving, stumbling towards the intersecting hallways where the mystery man was presumably waiting for him, hands clasped around the wire. I found myself instinctively reaching for my phone to call 911, when I realized this wasn't happening in real time, but even if it was, how was I supposed to describe the situation? As my copy passed by, the mystery man pounced on him, but it seemed as if he was anticipating it. My copy, that is, an ambitious struggle ensued. Despite my copy's frail appearance, he still managed to hold the upper hand against the mystery man for a while. Let me tell you, I sure as hell can't fight like that. The combination of the military grey jacket and the hand-to-hand training that this guy clearly practiced yielded a few possible avenues of explanation, but I was going to need a lot more info in order to really understand what was going on here. Despite being pounded on for a good few minutes, the mystery man eventually landed a lucky uppercut that staggered my copy. He quickly took the opportunity, rushing and forcing the wire around his neck until he went limp. That struggle ended, and what followed was… interesting. He dragged the body back to the room that my copy had come out of, and shut the door behind him. I fast-forwarded up until today. Nobody else came out, nobody went in. There was nothing I could do for the rest of my shift, but just sit there absolutely flawed. The next day, my boss asked me what I'd seen. I told him a fabricated version of what had happened, that some dipshit high school kids in Mars broke the door down for fun. Nothing we can do about it beyond installing an actual security system. He said he'd look into it. Sure he will. Now, I considered just forcing myself to forget about it. That would have yielded more sanity, but some things are just too bizarre to overlook. During my next shift, I decided to take a look at the sixth floor myself. I assumed that it'd just be a bunch of cubicles up there, but I was obviously interested in one specific room. Once up there, I started walking around. It almost felt surreal being in a place where something so strange had just happened. In fact, it got me questioning whether or not I'd just lost my mind for a few minutes, and if anything on that tape was even real. But I got my answer when I saw the stain on the carpet. It was barely noticeable, but I knew what I was looking for. A speck of blood from the struggle. I wasn't sure whether it was from my copy or the mystery man. I kept going down the corridor, trying to locate the room that my copy had come out from. On the footage, it was pretty evident that it had to be the fourth door on the right. I tried the handle. Locked. And then I tried something that would certainly cost me my job. But I rationalized it by realizing that if anyone was ever going to watch the tapes, it was once again going to be me. I kicked the door down and headed in. It was a conference room, but one that looked to be under renovation. There were dry paint cans, an unfinished carpet job, and dry wall covering the walls. But nothing unusual. Yet there was bound to be something here. For the first few hours that I stalked the room, I couldn't find anything noteworthy. The other way out of the room was a stairwell exit, so it was reasonable to assume that he simply escaped through there. I was about to give up when I stumbled upon something hidden under one of the desks. A device of sorts, well, maybe. Couldn't really tell you. Despite being rather small, it was incredibly heavy. A cylindrical shaped metallic item. It was smooth all around, safe for a few buttons that did nothing when I pressed them. Oh, and a dried bloody thumbprint. Wonder who that belonged to. I stood there, trying to decipher the particulars of the item for an indistinguishable amount of time. But an abrupt noise jarred me back to a tentadness. Footsteps in the hallway. Footsteps getting closer. I was not doing my job. A few ideas regarding the identity of the intruder ran through my head. Obviously, none of them were good, and one of them was really bad. In any case, I made a beeline for the stairwell, and I took the metal thing with me. I didn't go back to the building until about 5.40am, 20 minutes before the end of my shift. To my surprise, the new glass door that we'd installed was still intact. But I definitely knew that I'd heard steps out in the hallway. Maybe they'd found another way in. Maybe I'm just going insane. Well, I'm still holding the device in my hand. What am I going to do with it? No freaking idea. But I do know what I'm doing next. Time to pay a visit to the old security guard. Chris has to have some kind of answer here. I never knew Chris all that well. He was a work friend at best. I knew where he lived, and that was all the information that I needed. I went over to his place and knocked. No response at first. Didn't really know what I was expecting, in all honesty. But I stayed put in my pursuit for answers, continuously pounding on his door. I mean, wasn't it kind of peculiar that he conveniently quit on the night that the break-in took place? Well, I must have stood outside his door for about 20 minutes. Logic would dictate that he simply wasn't home, and I was beginning to believe that. Until I heard a noise on the other side. Sounded like somebody accidentally knocking over a pair of shoes. This ass was silently staring at me through the people. Chris, open the damn door, I said, in a borderline threatening tone. Still no explicit response. He wasn't doing a great job of concealing the fact that he clearly knew something about what had happened. And then he slipped a piece of paper under my door. He messily scribbled writing. This is what it read. Can't tell you anything. He'll know. Okay. I thought to myself, that doesn't sound good. That doesn't sound good. I tried knocking for a few more minutes before his neighbors started poking their heads out. I decided to leave before somebody caught the cops on me. But I wasn't planning on dropping this. I ran the facts through my head as I walked home. He'll know. I didn't want to admit it, but those words greatly concerned me. Who the hell is he? I stewed on these thoughts as I made my way up to my apartment. When I got there, I realized that I may have fucked up big time. My lock was busted and my door was half open. Call me a pussy, but I dialed 911 immediately. The cops came over in a reasonable amount of time and began the investigation. All in all, the only thing that was taken were 50 bucks in cash that I kept in my drawer. Well, that's what they put on the official report after all. But that wasn't all to the story. There was something else that was missing. The device. In retrospect, the fact that I took it in the first place was a dumb ass move on my part. No shit it was going to have some kind of tracking system in it. I didn't even know what the hell it was. This posed a conundrum for me, of course. It was, presumably, the mystery man that had broken in. He knows where I live. He also tried murdering somebody who looked just like me. Safe to say, I was probably in danger. The cops said that they were stationed a vehicle outside my apartment complex in order to keep an eye on me for the night. I wasn't really sure how effective that was going to be, but it couldn't hurt, I suppose. But still, I didn't sleep. That night there was a knock on my door around 2am. I nearly shit my pants. But then I heard police open up, coming from the hall. I looked through the peephole, and it was indeed the two cops that had been assigned to wait outside my building. One of them chuckled when I opened the door. How the hell did you do it? He said to me. How'd I do? What? I asked in confusion. He simply scoffed and then abruptly cuffed me. Although tired as hell, I still relentlessly questioned them about what the hell they thought I'd actually done. It was only when I'd waited for half an hour in an interrogation room, when a detective came in and gave me the answer. Apparently, I'd entered the building that I worked in, knocked the new night guard unconscious, and broken into one of the upper floor rooms. They also showed me the proof. Security footage of exactly what they described happening. A person in a stereotypical burglar outfit waltzed in just as the new guard was locking the door for the night. They got into a fight. The mystery man won, but not before the guard managed to rip his ski mask off. Split seconds that displayed his exposed face yielded all the evidence that they could ever need. It was me. Again. The footage then tracked him all the way up to the sixth floor, where he entered a room. Guess which one that was. He was also carrying a bag with him the whole time, and it really wasn't a mystery regarding what was in that either. The last recorded footage caught him running out of a fire exit. I couldn't even begin to attempt to answer the detective's questions. I know I didn't do it. Well, you know what I mean. I just kept trying to analyse what kind of situation this put me in. If the mystery man that I'd first seen was also me, and that means there had been at least two copies of me out there. And they were trying to kill each other. Then the situation with Chris made more sense. Maybe one of my copies had threatened him. The answer has to be in that device. Hello? The detective bowed to me. You listened to me, Mr. Case? No, I wasn't. He sighed. Look, we're just trying to figure things out. What was the plan here? I reciprocated a sigh. I don't freaking know. That entire conversation understandably produced zero conclusions. The detective stepped out and left me alone with my thoughts once again. But no matter how I framed this situation, it was always inexplicable beyond my comprehension. I sat in shock silence for about 15 more minutes before the rabbit hole was dug even deeper. I started hearing commotion out in the hallway, and then gunshots. The detective suddenly rushed back into the room, looking confused as hell once he saw me. How the ffff! It's all that he managed to get out. What's going on? I asked him. He just shook his head before coming over and pulling me up, or while I was still in cuffs. Oh, we've got to get you out of here. He started directing me towards a back exit. Well, some kind of hell was going in the background. At this point, gunshots were going off left and right. We were just about out the door when I saw a bullet go through his skull. I made it out just before him, so I didn't suffer the same fate. But I did see who'd done it. It was my copy, staring blankly at me and standing at the other end of the hall. He fired off a few more shots at me, but they were stopped by the door. Fueled by perplexed adrenaline, I simply started running. I wasn't really sure where I was going, so I just ducked into a nearby forested area. Once there, I hid myself in some bushes. I stayed there till sunrise, and luckily, my copy never found me. I heard police sirens all night. It was bound to be a lot of explaining to do if they ever caught me. However, I'm sure they'll be just as confused as I am once they view the security tapes inside the police station. Once I convinced myself that the coast was clear, I got up and tried to figure out where I was. It was an excruciating process, trying not to be seen by anyone, given that I still had handcuffs on, but I eventually managed to find my way. I went to somebody who I knew could help me out in this situation, my friend Jack. Now, Jack was a drug dealer, and before you judged me for being friends with a drug dealer, let me preface that by saying that he only sold weed and cocaine, and he's never killed anyone before. I'm pretty sure of that. It was about a three hour walk from the city to his farmhouse, but I eventually made it, finally getting the damn cuffs off in the process. Now, he asked questions, of course, questions that I could not answer. Right after shoveling some food down my throat and smoking a joint to calm me down, I went on the internet and looked for any news coverage about the incident. I can't estimate how many cops were killed, but it seemed like there were a lot, so this should have been a big story. But there was nothing. At first I found a few detailing some vague incident near the location of the police station, but after a few refreshes, they disappeared. Somebody was trying to hide this. I can't speculate what's really going on here, but maybe they know something that I don't. It's probably better for me that my face isn't plastered across every TV screen in every local diner, but this also begs even more questions. I'll try and explain the situation to Jack later. Maybe he'll believe me. Maybe he'll think I'm a freaking loom. But as for right now, I don't see a ton of options. My copy is probably searching for me right now. The events that have transpired over the past week have taught me that I really don't know much about the world, but I do know one thing. I couldn't stay at Jack's anymore. The few days I've been here have pretty much consisted of me simply lounging around. I'll admit it, I'm scared shitless to go back into the city. All I know is that my copy hasn't been tracking me. I'm not entirely sure how he found me at the police station, but what matters is that he can't seem to find me now. But a new problem has presented itself. I think somebody else is looking for me. Last night I was having a cigarette on the back porch when I noticed some kind of disruption in the crop field. It was dark and I wasn't paying really good attention, well initially, so I didn't catch it until it was uncomfortably close. Something was moving around in there, making its way toward the house. I was on extreme edge at that point, so I immediately ran back in. I told Jack what I'd seen, and he subsequently stormed out there with his shotgun. I waited, tensed for what felt like about 15 minutes, and then I was jarred by a booming slug, and then another one. Jack rushed back in, eyes frenetic and locked the door behind him. What the... he said, sounding petrified. Don't tell me they're after you. What do you see? Did it look like me? I asked him. He shook his head. What? No. Like some dudes in body armour or some shit. I don't know. Look, if they're after you, you best speak up. That was the issue. I didn't know who the hell he was talking about. The situation suddenly escalated when I saw flashing red and blue coming from outside. The cops are here as well, presumably drawn in by the gunshots. Oh, freaking Christ. Jack blurted out, oh my shit's here. They better not snoop around. And then he turned to me. Look, if something's going on with you, then you should probably leave. Leave, I asked him in disbelief. This cop's our friend, and weird armoured people in the bag. Where am I supposed to go? He shrugged. I don't know. We could hear heavy footsteps making their way up to his front door. I suppose you could take your chances and hide here. Can't stop you now. And then they started knocking. I made my way upstairs while Jack opened the door and talked to the cops. As I hid in one of the bedrooms, I eavesdropped on the conversation. It started out calm enough, but it escalated rather quickly. All of their voices started raising at an exponential rate. It sounded like Jack was on the defensive about something. I could make out what he was saying, albeit barely. There's no one here. All of a sudden, footsteps began storming up the stairs. I didn't have time to ask what the hell they were looking for me in, for too many obscure reasons to probably count. I opened the window and jumped out before they could find me. When I was out there, I considered attempting to steal the police car. But I suppose I wasn't really balls enough for that. So instead, I simply started running. I knew that there was another town that was about a two hour drive from where I was. But in terms of walking, well, let's just say that I had a trek ahead of me. After about an hour of walking along the empty road at night, a truck stopped for me. Now, under normal circumstances, there was no way in hell that I would have gone with this freaking guy. To put it bluntly, he looked like a serial rapist. But the situation at hand seemed to necessitate it. Plus, it started to feel like I was being followed again. Going somewhere, bud, the driver asked, with a black tooth grin. I smiled back. Yeah, you down to give me a lift? Unsurprisingly, he didn't go where I was directing him, instead leading me down some sketchy trail. I started anticipating where my first move was going to be. I'd taken a pocket knife from Jack's house and was clutching it in my hand as he drove. I decided that the time was right when he stopped us in front of a rusty shack. All right, he said, sounding comically foreboding. Time to get out. I could see him start reaching into his pocket, but I was faster. One jabbed the ribs and he was screaming. I followed up by elbowing him in the face and dumping his squirming body on the ground outside. But not before I took his wallet. As I started driving away, I could see about four more equally sketchy looking dudes coming out of the shack. I shut it, not really wanting to think about what they had in store for me. In any case, I had bigger issues at hand. I drove to the town that I was talking about earlier, and used some cash I'd taken from the guy's wallet to rent a motel room for a few nights. Whilst I was sitting in my dingy accommodation, I started trying to put the pieces together. My copy was trying to kill me. There are multiple versions of my copy. There were dudes in armor roaming around Jack's crops. The cops were looking for me. And, well, I really couldn't go back to my apartment. Nope. I had no freaking clue where this was going. Feeling frustrated, I decided to head out for a few drinks. This asshole had about 600 bucks in his wallet, so I was going to splurge on a few Heineken's. I'd also found a small revolver in his truck, so I took it with me. Safe to say, I wasn't feeling that safe. I made my way over to the tavern and sat at the bar. I ordered two beers and some chicken wings, because why not? Just as I was getting relaxed, the bartender seemed to recognize me. Hey, you again? He said to me. Oh, God, no. I thought to myself, apparently my copy had been here earlier, presumably looking for me. How long ago? I asked him. Looking confused, he responded. About ten minutes ago. You don't remember? Ten minutes. Shit. Feeling a bit nauseous, I went to the washroom and weighed my options. I suppose that it made sense to stay, given the fact that the copy had already left. He wouldn't have any reason to come back, right? As it turns out, wrong. Out of nowhere, I started getting a headache. And my vision went wonky. I mean, I could still see, but my sight was distorted. Best way I can put it. Well, it quickly subsided, but the nuisance was replaced by sounds of commotion coming from the bar. Sounded like somebody was arguing about something. Sounded like I was arguing about something. It was my voice. It was him. The bathroom door suddenly kicked open and somebody walked in, eventually coming to a stop right outside my stall door. I wasn't taking any chances. I pulled out the revolver and fired off two rounds right then and there. I was met with surprised, laboured groans as I climbed out the top. I landed right beside him, right beside my copy. This was the first time we'd stared each other down directly. Staring into my own hateful eyes was something of an abstract feeling. Sure as hell, didn't feel right. The headache and vision problems began coming back. I could tell it was affecting him as well. He also looked like he was wearing a bullet-proof vest, so that explained why he was still standing. Fight or flight, I thought. An extremely quick deliberation yielded flight. I fired off another round at him, the bullet narrowly grazing his ear before running the hell out of there, into the confused and horrified faces of the bar patrons. Behind me, he fired off a few shots of his own, but luckily none of them connected. Zigzagging my way through the streets and alleys, I took a convoluted route back to the Motel parking lot, where I got into my commandeered vehicle and floored it out of there. I only made it about a half hour before the shitty truck broke down. It then took two more hours of walking in order to reach civilization again. Another small town, another dingy Motel. And that's where my current situation has placed me. Obviously, I don't see an end inside here. I'm on constant high alert, adrenaline fueling my paranoia. I think it's paying off, honestly. I've seen the same Black Sudan drive past my window about four times now. Yep, the Black Sudan is definitely on my ass. How many people are chasing me at this point? I couldn't find any spare revolver ammo in the truck and I don't think buying a gun is feasible right now. Not like my shooting was any good, regardless. The Sudan just made its seventh trip past my window. And they're just taunting me at this point. It certainly feels like it. Also, I've been experiencing some weird shit. Not like the headaches or anything, but sometimes I'll blink and the lights to my room will suddenly become darker, or a window will move over a few inches. What do they call these? Glitches in the matrix. Well, add them to my laundry list of problems. I've been forcing myself not to sleep, since I reckon these guys could probably just break in and shoot me in the head at any time. They know I'm here, so I honestly don't know what they're waiting for. I've considered running off, but where am I going to go? They're obviously tracking me somehow, so it seems fruitless. I never remembered falling asleep at any point, but I must have, given the fact that I was jarred awake by gunshots. I rushed over to my window and looked outside, seeing the Sudan now riddled with bullet holes, and guess who'd done it? Yeah, it was my copy. I'm not sure if he thought it was me inside the vehicle. Maybe he had multiple targets. Whatever. He was certainly after me now. I could feel another headache coming on. Not only that, but the room around me seemingly started to shrink. Still in a reasonably cogent state of mind, I told myself that it wasn't real. I knew that it wasn't real. It all came to a head when I saw a shadow passing by the curtains. In a rather irrational move, I fired a shot at it. Not really sure what I was thinking there. Probably just pent up frustration. I simultaneously missed and gave away my position. Still reeling from the headaches, I ran into the bathroom as I heard my door being knocked down. He was in. A hidden tent of silence as I heard him walk around the bedroom. This wasn't going to work, I thought to myself. There weren't many rooms that he had to go through before finding me. Only two bullets left. I grasped the revolver as he approached the bathroom door. The last room that he hadn't checked. The door suddenly flung open. I took my last two shots. Both misses. I was cornered now, and my headache was reaching near unbearable heights. The last ditch effort, I tried tackling him. Thankfully, it took him by surprise, and we went tumbling back into the bedroom. But, well, that was about the extent of the fight I put up. I didn't have any combat experience after all, either on foot or on the ground. He delivered a few blows to my stomach, and I was suddenly laid out on the carpet, with him standing over me, aiming a pistol point blank at my temple. Wait, I asked him, trying to come to terms with my obscure loss. Look, you won, but could you do me a small favor and please explain to me what the hell's going on? He lowered his gun slightly before smirking. Yeah, sure, at least I could do. So, I got my answer. But I'm still not entirely sure if I fully understand it. He is me. Not a clone. We were one and the same, just from different realities. He explained how the universe that he'd come from was considerably further ahead, technology-wise, than mine. Far enough to the point where they'd affected a form of dimension hopping. But in his world, he was also a criminal. A large-scale thief. His most recent endeavor, stealing one of the devices that would allow somebody to traverse to different realities. Things went messy during his plan, and he was forced to use the device in order to orchestrate an extremely convoluted escape. And ultimately, he ended up here. But the problem with entering different realities lies in the fact that there will likely be another version of you. And that directly goes against the laws of the natural universe. You see, he and I are identical. But at the same time, we're not. There are subtle differences that set the realities apart. And when they start bleeding together, even in the slightest, the universe just can't accept it. At first, the problems are marginal. But the longer that two different versions of the same entity exist in one reality, the worse it gets. Not just for the two involved, but for the reality that they're inside as a whole. That's why killing you was top priority for me. He said to me, nothing personal. That's a given. But I can't evade the fuckers that are trying to chase me if this reality begins falling apart. You felt the headaches, haven't you? Seen the visions? That's the universe saying that one of us has got to go. I can deal with everything else later, but for now, he raised the gun once again. Oh, this needs to end. Oh, for fuck's sake. I put my arms up in a defensive gesture. He hadn't explained everything yet. Like, why was there more than one copy of us in this reality? Like the one he killed when I first stumbled upon the security footage. But, well, we never had a chance to get to that. Drop the gun. A booming voice suddenly came out of nowhere. At first, I thought it was a police. But I threw that idea aside as I caught glimpses of who it was. Four large men wearing what looked like expensive militarized suits of armor were pointing massive armorence at us. Across their chests were the white letters N-C. My copy side. Shit. Before looking at me, eyes filled with annoyance. Now look what you freaking done. The armored men talked among themselves before one of them approached us. You took out some kind of device with a holographic screen. Look into this, he said to me. Without much of another option, I obliged, staring into the center of the screen as the thing seemingly scanned my face. After a few seconds, it was over. He's the Craig version. Take the other one away, he said, before putting the device away. The rest of the men restrained and led my copy out the door. I could barely react as all of this was happening. Simply standing dead still until the sun came up. When everything was said and done, I finally went back to my apartment, still in an extreme state of shock. I haven't made any contact with the police, nor have the police attempted any contact with me. So I'm not really sure where that's going. I suppose I should be glad that this whole ordeal seems to have been concluded, but there's one thing that still disturbs me. The last I saw of my copy, he was smiling. Next, pledge is a 12 month fixed time trucker tariff with variable rates lower than off-chance price cap for standard variable tariffs. Direct debit required, T's and C's apply. It's time once again to round off proceedings, this time with the tale of a haunting parent. So, I have a situation, well, more of an unusual paranormal phenomena than a situation, which has me puzzled. I'm trying to find out why it's happening to me and what I can do. So please, if it seems like a veer off course, let me know and I'll get back on track. I'll start it from the first encounter that happened that day. Then I'll go on every day I actually had encounters, instead of day by day. I'll start with a dream that I've constantly had since well, since I could remember. I'm driving in the middle of the night, I'm in the hurry to get somewhere, I don't know why, all I know is I have to get there. And then, boom, the car in the opposite lane has swerved into my lane, accidentally clipping me into losing control of my vehicle and crashing into a tree. Me not having my seatbelt on means I go flying out of the car and barely missing the tree, but landing on the hard surface of the asphalt. Legs are broken, ribs broken, and impaled into my lungs as I lay there. I'm still alive, but not for long. I see a figure approach me, and I muster whatever energy I can to call for help. And everything goes dark. Then I awaken in my room, looking up at my ceiling again, hearing my dad calling for me to go downstairs while my phone alarm was going off. I muster up the energy and shake off the pain that comes with that dream, shut my phone off, and get up. I go downstairs to see my father already having breakfast on the table in his work attire, ready to go. Morning, my father said. Morning, I replied, while rubbing the sore spots on my body. You know, if you keep sleeping in like this, I'm gonna have to attach an alarm clock to your head. Sorry, I don't know what it is. It seems like I just can't get enough sleep. Ah, you're just growing. Just gotta always plan around these things, though. Like, I don't know, go to sleep earlier or set multiple alarms on your phone or something. He was right, as always, giving me hindsight on how I should handle things. Though I didn't mind it much because, at the end of the day, they did help, even though some were kind of obvious. We finished breakfast, and we did the usual goodbye hug before we went our separate way. As I'm making my way to school on foot, I see the same three things, basically landmarks of a sort. I see Benito's tire shop, Tom's Burgers, and that older gentleman standing by the tree off T Street. He never replies, just gives the glare as I walk past him. His shoes are scuffed, full of holes and covered in mud. He doesn't seem to cause any trouble, so I don't really feel threatened by him. I mean, he's been by that tree for years, ever since I began walking this way. Also, I have about 30 pounds on him, so if he does try something, I doubt it would end well for him. I get to school to meet up with my friends, Todd, Sam, who's a girl, by the way, and Luke. All three have been friends since elementary school. And although we're all the same age, I do look three years older than them. I usually have a foot in height over them. Also, I've got facial hair on top of it. They tease me by saying I was held back four years, or that I'm a Sasquatch's son. Both are possible, especially the fact that I don't look a lot like my dad. So we all make our way into school. I guess I should explain a bit. Well, it's a normal high school, like seen on TV. There are the cliques, such as the jocks, the me and girls, the stoners, the emo, the goth, and the nerds. But the difference was, nobody ever had any beef with the other. Sure, there were a couple of bullies here and there, but overall, everyone was pretty decent to each other. Being a freshman, it was still a lot to take in. That and the ridiculous amount of homework you have to do. But things weren't so bad for me. I was actually accepted to the Varsity football team as a middle linebacker. I'm sure it had to do with the fact in my first year I was already outlifting the team, and even some of the coaches. Well, not to toot my own horn or anything, but I was already up to four plates on my bench press. And for those who have no idea what that is, it's a little over £400. I never liked the sport, but it was a good way to take out my anger on people. Well, possibly having a chance to get to go to a good college for free. Anyways, not the point, sorry for going off course. The reason I bring that up is that there is a Varsity cheerleader that cheers for our games. Who? For some reason, I cannot stop looking at, but not in that perv way that would make me into a stalker. Like, well, just wanted to get to know her. Seems so interesting, I don't know. So, every game we're at together, I turn into my awkward wave, and she smiles and waves back. Then I go and crush someone's soul on the field while everyone cheers. But this time, she approached me. Hi, Abel, right? She asked. Um, yeah. Although, my friends call me Abe, like Lincoln. You know, because I'm so tall. And Abe Lincoln was taller. Right, I get it. She laughed. I'm Ann. I was thinking maybe sometime we should hang out, like go watch a movie or something. Looking down, rubbing my head. Still kind of nervous, because she's three years above me, after all. Now, don't blame a kid for being nervous. So, I look back up, ready to say yes, when I saw the man from the tree behind her. And pause in shock, looking around at the expressions of everyone else, to see if they see what I'm seeing, but none of them seem to notice him. I look forward again, and before I can even react, he spoke. Um, yeah, that sounds good. We should do a group thing with all of us. It'll be a blast. I repeated what he said to her word for word. She loved that idea, and so did my friends. Well, because we're freshmen, and they all agreed, and started making plans and talking to each other. The chat has started to become more silent to me, because, because I couldn't get over the fact that I'm seeing this person who I'm convinced is a ghost man. He used me like a puppet. But, as soon as I said those words, he was gone, and I was staring at Anne's smiling face, and it kind of washed the fear I had away from me. Later that week, we all went to the movies, and just like that, we were always together. Never as a couple though. I thought about the idea once, and thought it made me want to vomit. We had a sleepover once as well, with all my friends and hers. Luckily, one of her friends, Kate, I think, her parents were out of town for the weekend, so we had a little more fun with drinks, which almost got one of my friends laid, but until he puked on her, of course. Classic Luke. But it led to me being alone with Anne, while the others tended to Luke and his fout in a vomit that wouldn't seem to end. We sat outside to avoid the smell. I think the alcohol was starting to remove the illness I felt when I thought of Anne as more than a friend. She looked up into the stars above us, with a smile that was so cute. Your dad's okay with you staying over here? I wouldn't know. He died before I was born. My mom wouldn't be happy. She knew you were here also. You know, thinking every teenager is wanting to have sex and so on. God, it killed me to ask her to help me get birth control. Look on her face, though. Is if I asked her to help me bury a body. She started to laugh, as did I. Sorry to hear about you, dad. It must be tough, I told her. It's okay. I didn't really know the guy. All I have is pictures to go off of. But I heard he was a good man and was happy to hear that my mom was pregnant with me. She replied, smiling and looking up to the stars. Oh, anybody would be lucky to have you in their life. You must have known how you were going to turn out. I mean, Miss UCLA University, we're talking about. I answered. She smiled, but didn't say any more. And I had this urge. I couldn't help myself. I hugged her from the side and leaned in for a kiss on her cheek. Shocked, she turns to me with a look of confusion. Oh, sorry. I couldn't help it. You just look so adorable with it. I stopped in my track as that same man appeared again. But this time he wasn't talking. He pounced on me, holding my throat in a rage. I couldn't shake him off. It was like I had an elephant on my chest. All I did was go to my side, looking at me while I struggled with this man. But how could she not see him? I thought to myself as I continued to struggle for my life against this psycho. He finally spoke again. Not her. Anyone but her. I nodded in response. And just like that, he vanished without a trace. A gas for air. As Anne helped me up, seeing that there was something wrong with me. Remembering what he said, I broke from her grasp. What the hell did I do? She yelled. Oh, nothing. I'm sorry. I just don't want to be touched, is all, I answered. I think the drink's got to me. I need to go home. I got up and before she could say anything, I walked off. I don't know what to do. I approached the man whenever he's by the tree, but he doesn't respond. He just stands. Anne's now freaking out by the fact that I'm freaking out. And we're starting to grow more separate. Which, in my heart's something I don't want, I want to be there for her. Please, someone, give me an idea of what's going on. Saving Seekers, we hear you. Seeking energy savings. Always keep your energy prices under the price cap. With Next Pledge, your energy prices are guaranteed to always stay below the price cap. Satisfy those savings cravings. Check out our full range of tailored energy solutions at eonnext.com forward slash save. Eonnext, we make energy savings work. Next Pledge is a 12-month fixed-term trucker tariff with variable rates lower than Ofchance price cap for standard variable tariffs. Direct debit required. T's and C's apply. Vally Stream, New York It was a typical Tuesday evening when I decided to run some errands at my local war mark. I entered the store, made my way to the cleaning supplies aisle, and began browsing the selection. That's when I heard it. Faint whispering sound coming from somewhere nearby. But first I thought it was just someone talking on their phone. But as I listened more closely, I realized it was something else entirely. The whispering seemed to be coming from behind one of the shelves. I cautiously approached and peered around the corner. What I saw made my blood run cold. There standing behind the shelf was a man in a dirty suit. His skin was pale and clammy, and his eyes were sunken and hollow. He was muttering something under his breath, but I couldn't make out what he was saying. Feeling uneasy, I tried to back away slowly, but as I did, the man's muttering grew louder. Suddenly he turned and looked directly at me. His eyes seemed to bore into my soul, and I felt a wave of terror wash over me. Without a word, the man began to shuffle towards me. I tried to run, but my legs felt heavy and uncooperative. My stomach wouldn't fell to the ground, and the man loomed over me, his muttering growing louder and more frantic. Just as I thought it was all over, I heard a shout from somewhere behind me. I turned to see a group of employees rushing towards me, and the man in the dirty suit vanished into thin air. The employees helped me to my feet and called the police. When they arrived, they searched the store, but found no trace of the man. It was as if he'd simply vanished into thin air. Until this day, I have no idea what happened in that warm house. Was it hallucination, a ghostly apparition, or something even more sinister? I may never know, but I'll never forget the feeling of pure terror that washed over me that night. DEARBORNE, MICHICAN It was a dark and stormy night when I decided to stop by Walmart to pick up a few things. As I entered the store, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. The lights seemed dimmer than usual, and there was an eerie silence that hung in the air. I quickly grabbed what I needed and headed to the checkout. But as I approached the registers, I noticed something strange. The cashiers were all staring blankly ahead, their eyes glazed over, as if they were in some kind of a trance. I felt a chill run down my spine. I tried to call out to them, but they didn't respond. It was as if they were frozen in time, trapped in some kind of strange limbo. As I looked around, I realized that the other customers in the store were in the same state. They were standing still, their faces expressionless, as if they'd been put on pause. My heart raced as I realized that something was terribly wrong. I tried to leave the store, but the doors wouldn't budge. It was as if I was trapped in some kind of nightmare. As I wandered through the store, I noticed something even more disturbing. There were strange symbols etched into the walls and floor, symbols that I couldn't understand. They seemed to be pulsing with a strange energy, and I could feel a sense of malevolence emanating from them. Suddenly, I heard a faint whispering sound. It was coming from the back of the store, where the electronics section was located. I cautiously approached the area, and as I drew closer, the whispering grew louder. As I ran out of the corner, I saw a figure standing in the shadows. It was tall and thin, with long spindly arms and legs. It seemed to be composed entirely of shadows amissed. I was frozen in terror as the figure turned to face me. Its eyes glowed with malevolent energy, and I could feel its presence suffocating me. Just as I thought all was lost, the figure suddenly vanished, and the lights in the store flickered back on. The cashiers and customers resumed their normal behavior, as if nothing had happened. I stumbled out of the store, shaken and terrified. I never spoke of the incident to anyone, but I knew that something strange had happened that night in Walmart. Something that I would never forget. Worcester, Massachusetts It was a quiet evening at Walmart, and I was finishing up my shopping. I had picked up a few groceries and some new clothes for my daughter. I was eager to get home and relax. As I made my way to the checkout line, I noticed something strange. All of the other customers had disappeared. I looked around, but there was no one in sight. But first I thought it was just a coincidence. Maybe the store had closed early and everyone had left. Then I heard a noise coming from one of the aisles. It was a soft whisper, barely audible. I tried to ignore it, but it was too eerie. I slowly made my way towards the sound, feeling my heart racing in my chest. As I turned the corner, I saw something that made my blood run cold. There was a figure standing in the aisle, dressed in all black. His face was obscured by a hood, and it seemed to be muttering something under its breath. I was terrified. I wanted to run, but my legs felt like lead. I tried to call out for help, but my voice was barely a whisper. Suddenly, the figure turned towards me. I could see that its eyes were glowing a bright, unnatural green. It stared at me for a moment, and then disappeared. I was left standing in the empty aisle, shaking with fear. I couldn't explain what had just happened, or why I'd seen the figure. All I knew was that I wanted to get out of Walmart as quickly as possible. As I rushed to the exit, I noticed that the store was back to its usual bustling self. Customers were shopping, the cashiers were ringing up purchases, and everything seemed normal. I couldn't shake the feeling that something had happened, something that I couldn't explain. I left Walmart with a sense of unease, and a fear that I might never be able to shop there again without feeling like I was being watched. Farmingdale, New York It was a typical evening in the Walmart Supercenter. The fluorescent lights hummed overhead, and the aisles were filled with shoppers pushing their carts and browsing the shelves. Something was off. Something that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I had just come to Walmart to pick up a few things for dinner, as I made my way through the aisles. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched. Everywhere I turned, I caught glimpses of a figure in the shadows, moving just out of sight. It was as if someone, or something, was following me. I tried to ignore the feeling and continued my shopping, as I made my way towards the back of the store. The feeling grew stronger. I heard a faint whisper in my ear, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. As I turned down an empty aisle, I saw something that made my heart skip a beat. The shelves were completely empty, stripped of all their contents. But it wasn't just the lack of merchandise that was unsettling. There was something in the air, something that made me feel like I was being watched. As I made my way through the empty aisle, I saw a figure in the distance, standing in the shadows. It was a tall shadowy figure with long arms and legs, and glowing eyes that seemed to pierce the darkness. I froze, unable to move or speak. The figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing its twisted, contorted face. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before, a creature straight out of a nightmare. The creature began to move towards me, with long arms outstretched. I tried to run, but my feet wouldn't move. I was trapped, unable to escape this creature's grasp. Just when it seemed like all was lost, the creature disappeared, leaving behind only the faint echo of its chilling laughter. I was left alone, shaking and sweating, unable to explain what had just happened. To this day, I still can't shake the memory of that night. I refused to ever set foot in that warm heart again, convinced that it's haunted by something far beyond human understanding. Kierney, New Jersey It was a typical Saturday afternoon, and I just finished my grocery shopping at Walmart. I'd loaded my bags into the trunk of my car and was just about to drive away, when I saw something strange. In the parking lot, there was a woman in a white dress, standing in the middle of an empty space between two cars. She was staring straight ahead with a blank expression on her face. At first, I thought she might be lost or confused, so I got out of my car and approached her. As I got closer, I realized that something wasn't right. The woman's eyes were completely black, with no whites or pupils visible. I was frozen in my tracks, unsure of what to do. The woman didn't seem to notice me, but she didn't move or speak either. I could feel a sense of unease and dread building inside me. Suddenly, the woman's head snapped in my direction, and she started moving towards me. Her movements were jerky and unnatural, like a marionette being controlled by an invisible puppeteer. I turned and ran back to my car, fumbling with the keys to unlock the door. I could hear the sound of the woman's footsteps behind me, getting closer and closer. Finally, I managed to get inside my car and lock the doors. I looked out the window and saw the woman standing in front of my car, staring at me with those black eyes. I started the engine and drove away as fast as I could, still shaking from the experience. I didn't know what I'd just seen, but I knew that it wasn't something that could be easily explained. As I drove home, I tried to rationalize what I'd just witnessed. Maybe it was a prank or a costume, or maybe the woman was suffering from some kind of medical condition. But deep down, I knew that none of those explanations could account for the sense of terror that had washed over me. To this day, I still avoid that particular warm-up. Every time I see a woman in a white dress, I can't help but feel a shiver run down my spine. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania It was a typical Friday night, and I'd gone to Walmart to do some shopping. As I walked down the aisles, I felt a sense of unease creeping up on me. It was as if the store was too quiet, too empty. As I made my way towards the electronics section, I noticed that something was off. The TVs and computers were all turned on, but instead of displaying their usual screens, it was showing strange, distorted images. I felt my heart rate quicken as I tried to make sense of what I was seeing. The images were dark and twisted, showing scenes of violence and death. I tried to look away, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from the screens. As I walked further into the section, I noticed that something was off. As I walked further into the section, the images became more intense. I saw images of blood and gore, of people being tortured and killed. It was like something out of a horror movie. My fear turned to panic as I realized that I was completely alone in the store. There were no other shoppers or employees around, and the only sound was the hum of the electronics. Suddenly, I heard a noise behind me. I spun around, but there was nothing there. I tried to run, but my legs were not heavy, as if they were made of lead. The images on the screens began to swirl and twist, forming into a single figure. It was a dark, shadowy creature, with glowing red eyes and long, sharp claws. I tried to scream, and tried to run, but the creature was too fast. It lunged at me, its claws slashing through the air. I felt a searing pain in my chest, and then everything went black. When I woke up, I was lying on the floor of the war mart. The TVs and computers were back to their normal screens, and there were employees and shoppers milling around. I tried to tell them what had happened, but they looked at me as if I was crazy. They told me I must have had an hallucination or a panic attack, but I knew what I'd seen. I knew that something strange and terrifying had happened in that war mart, and I knew that I would never forget the experience. Manchester, Connecticut It was a dark and stormy night, and I just finished my shift at war mart. I was tired and eager to go home, but something strange was happening in the store. As I made my way to the employee entrance, I noticed that the lights were flickering, and there was an eerie silence throughout the store. The usual hustle and bustle of customers and employees had vanished, and the only sound was the sound of rain pounding against the roof. I started to feel uneasy. I'd worked at war mart for years, and I'd never seen anything like this before. I quickened my pace, hoping to get out of the store as quickly as possible. But then, I heard something that made me stop in my tracks. It was a faint whisper, a voice coming from somewhere deep within the store. I couldn't make out what the voice was saying, it sent shivers down my spine. I cautiously walked towards the source of the whisper, my heart pounding in my chest. As I turned the corner, I saw something that made my blood round cold. In the center of the aisle was a figure, hunched over and whispering incoherently to itself. It was wrapped in a tattered blanket, and its face was twisted into a grotesque expression. I tried to back away, but the figure suddenly turned towards me. I saw its face. It was covered in scars and bruises, and its eyes were dark and empty. I screamed and ran towards the exit. The figure followed me, whispering unintelligibly all the while. I burst through the doors and into the rain, but I could still hear the figure's whispers echoing in my ears. The next day, I asked my co-workers about the strange occurrence, and they had no idea what I was talking about. There was no evidence that anything had happened, and the security cameras showed nothing out of the ordinary. But I knew what I'd seen and heard, and the memory haunted me for years to come. I never went back to Walmart after that dark and stormy night. I always kept an ear out for the whispering voice that lingered in my mind. I was just an ordinary day when I decided to run some errands at my local Walmart. I walked up and down the aisles, picking up the items on my list, when I noticed something strange. In the corner of my eye, I saw a man staring at me, who was standing by the frozen food section, motionless, and with his eyes locked onto mine. At first, I tried to ignore him, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. The man was dressed in a black suit, and his skin was pale, almost like he was wearing makeup. He looked like he was in his 50s, and his eyes were piercing and dark. I tried to avoid him by moving to different aisles, but every time I looked up, the man was still there, staring at me with his intense gaze. As I made my way to the checkout, I heard the sound of footsteps behind me. I turned around and saw the man walking towards me, his eyes still fixed on mine. I felt a shiver run down my spine. The man stopped in front of me, and for a moment, I felt paralyzed. He then leaned in close to me and whispered, You shouldn't be here. With that, the man turned and walked away, disappearing into the sea of shoppers. I felt a wave of fear wash over me, and I quickly made my way to my car, trying to ignore the feeling that someone was watching me. That night, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. I kept thinking about the man in the black suit, and his ominous warning. I tried to brush it off as a strange encounter, but I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to it. A few days later, I heard a news report about a strange incident at the same Walmart. Apparently, several shoppers had reported seeing a man in a black suit wandering around the store, acting erratically. When security tried to approach him, he vanished into thin air. I was terrified. I knew that I'd seen the same man, and I couldn't shake the feeling that he was something otherworldly. I never returned to that Walmart, for I couldn't shake the feeling that the man in black was always watching me, maybe from beyond the gray. Sorghus, Massachusetts It was a typical Saturday evening, and I was at my local Walmart doing some grocery shopping. As I pulled my cart down the aisles, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. The store was unusually quiet, and there was an eerie sense of emptiness in the air. As I made my way to the check-outs, I noticed a woman standing at the end of the aisle. The woman was dressed in a long, flowing dress, and she was staring at me with a blank expression. I felt a shiver run down my spine, but I tried to brush it off and focus on checking out. But as I approached the cashier, something strange happened. The woman in the dress suddenly appeared behind me, as if she had materialized out of thin air. I jumped, startled, and turned to face her. Excuse me, can I help you with something? I asked nervously. The woman didn't respond, and stared she just stared at me with a vacant expression. I felt a wave of unease wash over me, and began to feel like I was in danger. Suddenly, the lights in the store flickered, and I heard a strange humming noise coming from the ceiling. I looked up and saw a strange object hovering above me, a black orb with pulsating veins. I tried to run, but I felt like I was moving in slow motion. The woman in the dress was still staring at me, and the humming noise was growing louder and louder. And then, everything went black. When I woke up, I was lying on the floor of the Walmart. I had no memory of what had happened or how I'd ended up there. When I tried to stand up, I realized that something was wrong. My body felt different, like it had been altered in some way. As I stumbled out of the store, I felt like I was in a daze. I couldn't explain what had happened to me, but I knew that something had changed. And I knew that I'd never be able to shop at Walmart again without feeling a sense of fear and unease. Hamilton Township, New Jersey It was a typical weekday afternoon when I decided to make a quick trip to Walmart. I needed to pick up a few items, and I figured it would only take me a few minutes. As I walked through the aisles, I noticed that the store was unusually quiet. There were no other shoppers around, and the only sound was the hum of the fluorescent lights overhead. But as I turned a corner into the next aisle, I felt a chill run down my spine. There was a man standing in the middle of the aisle, facing away from me. He was wearing a black hoodie and jeans, and his back was hunched over as if he were looking at something on the shelf. I tried to walk past him quietly, but as I got closer, I realized that something was very wrong. The man was not moving at all, not even breathing. It was completely still, like a statue. I hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do. Then I heard a strange sound, a low rumbling noise that seemed to be coming from the man's direction. It was a deep guttural sound, like the growl of an animal. Suddenly the man's head whipped around, and I caught a glimpse of his face. It was contorted in an unnatural way, like something out of a horror movie. His eyes were black and sunken, and his mouth hung open in a silent screen. My heart raced as I turned and ran out of the aisle, not stopping until I was outside the store. I couldn't explain what had just happened, but I knew that it was something terrifying and otherworldly. As I stood outside the store, trying to calm my nerves, I noticed that the parking lot was eerily empty. There were no other cars around, and no people in sight. It was then that I realized something very strange was happening. I stumbled upon a glitch in the matrix, a moment when the rules of reality had been suspended. Well, from that day on, I avoided Walmart at all costs. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about that store, that there was a dark force lurking just beneath the surface. And I knew that I never wanted to experience a glitch in the matrix like that again. Louisville, Kentucky It was a typical Tuesday evening when I decided to do some grocery shopping at the local Walmart. I had a long list of items to pick up, so I knew I'd be spending a fair amount of time in the store. As I made my way through the aisles, I noticed something strange. Every time I turned a corner or moved to a new section of the store, I saw the same woman. The woman was dressed in a long, flowing dress and had long, tangled hair that obscured her face. I couldn't see her eyes, but I had a feeling that the woman was watching me. First, I tried to ignore the woman, thinking that maybe she was just a fellow shopper who happened to be in the same sections as her. But as I continued shopping, I realized that the woman was always one step ahead of me, as if I was leading her through the store. I had a growing sense of unease as I continued to see this woman. I tried to shake the feeling off, but it only grew stronger. Finally, I decided to confront the woman. Excuse me, I said, tapping the woman on the shoulder. I've been seeing you all over the store. Is this something I can help you with? But when the woman turned around, I was shocked to see that she had no face. There were no eyes, no nose, no mouth, just a smooth, featureless surface. I screamed and ran from the store, abandoning my cart full of groceries. I later learned that the Walmart had a history of stranger currencies and was rumored to be haunted by the ghosts of former employees. From that day on, I never went back to that Walmart, and I never forgot the feeling of terror I experienced while shopping there. I had no explanation for what I'd seen, but I knew one thing for sure. I never wanted to see that faceless woman again. Albany, New York It was a typical Saturday afternoon and the Walmart was crowded with shoppers. People were pushing carts down the aisles. Children were running around and the checkout lines were long. Then something strange happened. The lights flickered and a chill swept through the store. The air felt heavy, but I could feel the light. I was in the middle of the street, and I was in the middle of the street. I was in the middle of the store. The air felt heavy and oppressive, like something was weighing it down. First people didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Then they began to see strange things. In aisle 6, a man reported seeing a shadowy figure moving between the shelves. In the electronic section, a woman claimed that a TV turned on by itself, displaying a static field image. As the minutes passed, more and more people began to report stranger currencies. A child reported seeing a woman in a long dress walking through the store, but when his mother looked, there was no one there. In the toy section, a group of teenagers claimed that a doll started talking to them, even though it had no batteries. The mood in the store began to shift from bustling to uneasy. People whispered to each other, wondering what was happening. Was it a prank? Am I functioning in an electrical system? Or was it something more sinister? And then, just as suddenly as it had started, the stranger currencies stopped. The lights returned to their normal brightness and the air felt lighter. The shoppers couldn't shake the feeling that something had happened, something that they couldn't explain. The Walmart staff tried to downplay the incident, insisting that it was just a glitch in the system. Some people couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to it. Was the store haunted? Or had they witnessed a glitch in the Matrix, a moment when the rules of reality had been suspended? From that day on, people whispered about the stranger currency at Walmart. Some claimed that they'd seen things that they couldn't explain, while others dismissed it as a mass hallucination. No one could deny that for a few moments, the store had been in a place of it unexplained strangeness and eerie happening. Charlotte, North Carolina It was just another day for me when I decided to stop by Walmart to pick up some groceries. As I walked through the aisles, I noticed something that felt off. It was a strange feeling, almost like I was being watched. I tried to shake it off, chalking it up to my own paranoia. But as I continued through the store, this feeling only grew stronger. And then I saw something that made my blood run cold. It was a figure standing at the end of the aisle, just out of view. I couldn't make out any details, but I could see that it was a tall figure dressed all in black. And it was watching me. Tried to turn and walk away, but my feet wouldn't move. It was as if I was rooted to the spot. The figure started to walk towards me, slowly but steadily. As it got closer, I could make out more details. The figure was wearing a hooded cloak, and its face was obscured by shadows. But I could feel its eyes on me, cold and malevolent. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my chest, as if something was squeezing my heart. I gasped for breath, struggling to stay upright. And then everything went black. When I came to, I was lying on the floor of the Walmart, surrounded by concerned shoppers and employees. I tried to sit up, but I felt weak and dizzy. As I was helped to my feet, I noticed that the figure was gone. I couldn't explain what had happened, but I knew that it was something otherworldly. It was as if I'd encountered a malevolent spirit, a creature from beyond the veil. I left the Walmart, feeling shaken and disturbed. I couldn't shake the feeling that the figure was still watching me, waiting for another chance to strike. And I knew that I would never be able to shop at that Walmart again, without feeling the cold presence of the supernatural lurking in the shadows. I was late at night when I entered the Walmart. I had a few things on my shopping list, and hoped to get in and out quickly. As I walked down one of the aisles, I noticed something strange. The lights were flickering, and there was a strange odor in the air, like something burning. I felt a sense of unease creeping up on me, and I was wondering what was going on. I was wondering if I was going to be able to walk out of the Walmart, and I felt a sense of unease creeping up on me, and I wondered if I should leave and come back another time. But before I could make up my mind, I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. I turned a look, and my heart skipped a beat. There in the middle of the aisle was a doll, whose ordinary looking doll, with a frilly dress and curly hair. There was something off about it, something that made my skin crawl. I tried to shake off this feeling and move on, but as I walked away, I heard a sound. It was a faint whisper, like someone was speaking in a language I didn't understand. I turned back to the doll, and noticed that it had moved. It was now facing me, and its eyes seemed to be following me. I felt a cold shiver run down my spine and knew that I had to get out of there. As I walked away, I heard the whisper again. This time it was louder, and I could make out some other words. It was like the doll was speaking directly to me, in a voice that was both eerie and seductive. I felt like I was in a nightmare, and I couldn't wake up. I stumbled through the aisles, trying to find my way out. It was like the store had become elaborate. Finally, I saw the exit sign and bolted for the door. As I stepped outside, I took a deep breath of fresh air and looked back at the Walmart. It was like a different place now, like this strange occurrence had never happened. I never went back to that Walmart again. I couldn't explain what had happened to me, or how the doll had moved and whispered to me, but I knew one thing for sure, and never wanted to experience anything like that again. Chicago, Illinois It was just another ordinary day at Walmart, also it seemed. The store was bustling with activity, with people rushing up and down the aisles, grabbing items off the shelves. But as the day wore on, strange things began to happen. Items on the shelves began to move on their own, seemingly without any human intervention. First people ignored it, thinking it was just their imagination playing tricks on them. Then the store began to get colder and colder. The air conditioning had been turned up to full blast. It was still getting colder. People began to shiver, and their breaths misted in the air. Then the lights began to flicker. It started out as just a minor annoyance, but then the lights went out completely, plunging the store into darkness. People began to panic, fumbling for their cell phones to use as flashlights. But even in the darkness, people could see strange shapes moving around them. Shadows seemed to dance in the corner of their vision, and they heard strange whispers and murmurs coming from the darkness. As the minutes ticked by, the situation grew increasingly tense. People began to huddle together, seeking comfort in numbers. But the cold, the darkness, and the strange occurrences were beginning to take a toll on their nerves. And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, it all stopped. The lights flickered back on, the air began to warm up, and the strange occurrences ceased. People began to leave the store in a hurry, eager to put the experience behind them. No one knows for sure what caused the strange occurrence in Walmart that day. Some say it was a power outage or a technical glitch in the store's systems, but others believe that something else was at work, something supernatural and malevolent. And some people, to this day, refused to enter that Walmart, thinking that they might experience the same strange occurrences that they did that day. Memphis, Tennessee It was a typical day at Walmart, and I was running some errands. I was picking up groceries, toiletries, and other odds and ends. As I wandered through the aisles, I felt a growing sense of unease. At first, I couldn't put a finger on what was making me so anxious. Then I noticed something strange. The store was nearly empty, and there were no employees to be seen. As I walked through the store, calling out for someone or anyone, there was no response. It was as if the store had been abandoned, even though it had been bustling with activity just minutes before. As I continued to wander through the empty store, I began to feel a sense of dread. I felt like I was being watched, like something was lurking just beyond my line of sight. And then I saw it, a figure standing in the corner of the store. It was humanoid, but it didn't seem quite human. Its body was twisted and deformed, and its face was distorted beyond recognition. I tried to run, but my legs wouldn't move. I was in a state of fear, and it began to move towards me, slowly at first, then with increasing speed. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I could feel sweat pouring down my face. I was sure that I was going to die, that the figure was going to reach me and do unspeakable things to me. I was afraid that I would be able to move. I was afraid that I would be out of my face. I was sure that I was going to die, that the figure was going to reach me and do unspeakable things to me. But then, suddenly, it was gone. The figure had vanished, as if it had never been there at all. And then, just as suddenly as it had disappeared, the store was bustling with activity once again. Employees were restocking the shelves, customers were pushing carts, and everything was back to normal. I tried to tell myself that it had all been in my head, that I had imagined the figure in the corner. But deep down, I knew that something had happened in that warm-up. Something that I couldn't explain. I didn't want to experience ever again. Warren, Michigan It was a typical evening at the Walmart Supercenter. The store was bustling with shoppers, picking up groceries and household items. But as the sun began to set and the crowds thinned out, something strange began to happen. I was one of the employees, stocking shelves in the pet food aisle, when I heard a strange noise. It sounded like a low growling or snarling, coming from somewhere nearby. First, I thought it was just a stray animal that had somehow gotten into the store. But as I looked around, I realized that there was no sign of any animals. The noise continued, growing louder and more insistent. It seemed to be coming from the end of the aisle, where the cat food was kept. I cautiously made my way down the aisle, my heart pounding in my chest. As I approached the cat food section, the growling noise grew louder and more intense. And then, I saw something that made my blood run cold. One of the bags of cat food was shaking violently as if something was trapped inside. My first instinct was to run, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from this bag. I watched in horror as the bag began to tear open, revealing a pair of glowing red eyes. Before I could scream, the creature lunged out of the bag, a rotesque mixture of fur and scales. It was a creature unlike anything I'd ever seen, with razor sharp teeth and talons. I tried to back away, but the creature was too fast. It leapt at me, its claws tearing at my flesh. As I lay on the ground, bleeding and in pain, the creature disappeared into the darkness. When the other employees arrived to help me, they found no trace of the creature, or any explanation for what had happened. From that day on, I refused to work in the pet food aisle. When the other employees would often hear strange noises and see bizarre shadows moving throughout the store after closing time. Some even believed that the warm-up was cursed, and that the creature had been summoned from another realm by some unknown force. Despite numerous investigations and attempts to explain the phenomenon, strange occurrence at the Walmart Supercenter remained a mystery, source of fear and speculation for years to come. Don Woody, Georgia You have something strange happening at the Walmart on the outskirts of town. No one knew exactly what it was, but rumors were spreading like wildfire. People said they'd seen strange figures lurking in the aisles, heard eerie whispers in the empty corners of the store, felt an unexplainable sense of dread whenever they walked through the doors. It all started with a disappearance of a stock boy named Tim. Tim had been working the night shift when he vanished without a trace. The police searched the store from top to bottom, but they found no sign of him. Then customers began reporting strange sightings. Some claimed to have seen shadowy figures darting between the shelves, while others reported feeling an icy chill in the air. The employees were the most affected by the strange occurrences. They claimed that strange things were happening after hours once the store closed for the night. Items would be moved or go missing altogether. Strange noises could be heard echoing throughout the store, but the most disturbing reports were the ones about the ghostly figures that had been seen wandering the store at night. They were said to be pale and spectral, with empty eyes that seemed to stare right through you. One employee named Susan claimed to have seen a ghostly figure while working late one night, standing at the end of one of the aisles motionless in silence. She could feel its gaze upon her and a sense of dread washed over. The strange occurrences continued for months and the employees were becoming increasingly afraid. Some refused to work the night shift altogether, while others quit their jobs entirely. The store eventually closed down, with no explanation given, but the room was continued to circulate and some even claimed that the store was built on an old burial ground, that the spirits of the dead were responsible for the strange occurrences. To this day no one knows for sure what really happened at the Walmart on the outskirts of town. The stories continue to be told and the memory of the strange occurrences still sends shivers down the spines of those who've heard them. Bedford Park, Illinois It was a typical Friday night and I decided to do some grocery shopping at the local Walmart. As I walked down the aisles, picking up items from my list, I noticed something strange. The store was almost empty and the usual hum of activity was eerily absent. As I turned a corner, I saw a group of employees gathered around one of the aisles, their faces pale and tense. I couldn't see what was happening, but I felt a chill run down my spine. I approached the group and asked what was going on. First no one wanted to tell me. Finally one of the employees spoke up. Something in the store, he said in a hushed tone. Something that shouldn't be here. I felt a wave of fear wash over me. I'd heard stories of strange occurrences in Walmart's stores, but I'd never taken any of them seriously. But now seeing the fear on the employees faces, I knew that something was wrong. I asked the employee what he meant, but he just shook his head and said he couldn't explain it. All he knew was that something was in the store and it wasn't human. I felt my heart pounding in my chest. I continued my shopping, my eyes darting nervously around the aisles. I felt like I was being watched, like there was something lurking in the shadows. As I approached the checkouts, I heard a strange noise coming from the back of the store. It was a low, guttural growl. It made my skin crawl. Suddenly the lights in the store flickered and went out. I was plunged into darkness and I heard the sound of something moving towards me, something that was not human. I stumbled backwards, trying to find my way out of the store, but it was too late. Whatever was coming towards me was getting closer and closer. Now I knew that I was in grave danger. As I closed my eyes and braced for impact, the lights flickered back on and the store was once again filled with activity. The employees were back to their tasks and the aisles were bustling with shoppers. But I knew that something had happened, something that I could not explain. As I walked out of the store, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had encountered something truly terrifying in that warm-up. Indianapolis, Illinois It was a typical Friday evening and I was browsing the aisles of Walmart, trying to find the perfect birthday gift for my niece. I'd been there for about half an hour when I noticed something strange. As I walked down one of the aisles, I heard the sound of a child laughing. At first I assumed it was just a kid playing nearby, but then the laughter seemed to be getting closer and closer. I looked around but I didn't see any children nearby. Then the laughter suddenly stopped. I shrugged it off and continued shopping, thinking it must have just been my imagination. But then it happened again. This time I heard the sound of a little girl singing. The voice was soft and sweet and it sounded like it was coming from somewhere nearby. I looked around but I still couldn't see any children. As I continued down the aisle, the singing grew louder and louder. I followed the sound until I came to the toy section. There I saw something. There I saw something that sent shivers down my spine. In the middle of the aisle there was a toy that was moving on its own. It was a doll dressed in a pink dress and it was singing the same song that I'd heard earlier. There was no one nearby and the doll seemed to be moving all on its own. I felt a wave of fear wash over me. I'd heard stories about haunted toys before and this seemed like something out of a horror movie. I quickly grabbed the gift I needed and hurried out of the store trying to put the creepy experience behind me. The memory of the haunted doll stayed with me. I couldn't shake the feeling that something strange had happened in that Walmart and I vowed never to go back there again. As I drove home, I couldn't help but wonder what other stranger currencies had taken place in that Walmart. I knew that something wasn't right and I had the feeling that I'd stumbled upon something truly terrifying. So the night shift is not all it might seem as we saw in those four stories which I do hope you enjoyed in this week's episode of the podcast. Well that's it for this week but I will be back again same time, same place next week. I do so hope you'll join me once again. 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