S22 Ep1: NoSleep Podcast S22E01

Speaker 1 The Mercedes-Benz Dream Days are back with offers on vehicles like the 2025 E-Class, CLE Coupe, C-Class, and EQE sedan. Hurry in now through July 31st.

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Speaker 1 The phone is ringing.

Speaker 1 A message from an unknown caller.

Speaker 1 A voice unrecognizable.

Speaker 1 Audio messages from the shadows.

Speaker 1 But one message is clear

Speaker 1 and it says

Speaker 1 Brace yourself for the no sleep podcast

Speaker 1 Hello,

Speaker 1 it's David David Cummings.

Speaker 1 I need help.

Speaker 1 I'm stuck somewhere. I'm in a dark room.

Speaker 1 I've got tubes sticking out of my arms. I'm in so much pain.
Please, please, I need your help.

Speaker 1 Can you call me?

Speaker 4 Welcome to the No Sleep Podcast. I'm your host, David Cummings.

Speaker 5 And this marks the premiere of our 22nd season. We're glad you're remaining sleepless with us.

Speaker 5 Our theme this season is based around the idea that phone calls, voice messages, audio memos, that they can can be horrifying things to receive.

Speaker 5 And it's not just the unwanted call from your boss or your partner messaging you to say pick up something from the store, just as you've already checked out.

Speaker 5 No, these audio messages are from the darkness, the unknown, and from voices that you don't know and that make your blood run cold.

Speaker 5 So I guess you could say this audio horror show is about audio horror.

Speaker 5 Sounds awfully good.

Speaker 5 And as we're now into December and the holiday season, I want to mention something that many of you are asking about. Can you give the gift of a sleepless sanctuary membership? Yes, indeed you can.

Speaker 5 Just go to sleepless.thenosleeppodcast.com and in the top right menu you'll see a link to gift a subscription. Click there, follow the instructions, and unto us a gift is born.

Speaker 5 You can choose a 3, 6 or 12 month subscription to either of our tiers. So consider giving the gift of sleepless horror this frightful festive season.

Speaker 5 And as you know, we have a wonderful team of people who make this show possible.

Speaker 5 In the show notes, we always have a link to a page on our website where you can learn much more about the contributors to this show.

Speaker 5 We've recently done a big update to that page and added lots of new faces to it.

Speaker 5 So either follow the link or go to contributors.thenosleeppodcast.com to learn more about our voice actors, production and music team, our editorial team, our illustrators, and more.

Speaker 5 And since most of us have links to our social media accounts, consider following us to let us know you like what we do.

Speaker 5 Now, we've waited long enough for the horror. It's time we launch into the episode and the new season.
And listen, when you need some help, there's nothing wrong with reaching out for some.

Speaker 5 Just keep in mind the lesson this episode teaches us. Sometimes those who are willing to help you out don't always have your best interests at heart.
Hmm, don't say you weren't warned.

Speaker 5 Now, do you dare pick up your phone and listen to the voices calling to you?

Speaker 5 In our first tale, we find ourselves dealing with an absence of something that fuels many horror stories. Yes, that's right, the blood reserves at the blood bank are running low.

Speaker 5 Who better to ask than previous owners of their precious life fluid? But in this tale, shared with us by author Keith Lozer, there's a concern that something else might be driving the drive.

Speaker 5 Performing this tale are Nicole Doolin, Graham Rowett, Jeff Clement, Mike Delgadio, Mary Murphy, Dan Zapoula, Kyle Akers, Lindsey Russo, Jesse Cornett, Wafia White, Peter Lewis, and Sarah Thomas.

Speaker 5 So sit back, roll up your sleeve, and wait for the little prick as we discover what lies underneath.

Speaker 15 In a small home office sits a man at a desk. The house is empty and motionless, save for the occasional clacking of a keyboard.
The man at the desk dials a phone number.

Speaker 15 Each digit entered breaks the silence with small robotic chirps.

Speaker 15 The phone begins to ring in the headphones he is wearing. An unfamiliar voice answers a question that hasn't been asked.

Speaker 15 Yes?

Speaker 16 Hi, this is Keith, calling on behalf of the Pennsylvania Blood Bank.

Speaker 7 I'm trying to.

Speaker 16 Alrighty?

Speaker 15 The line goes dead with a prolonged tone, the flat line of the cellular world. In the space that follows, a few keyboard strokes punctuate the silence.

Speaker 15 A number is dialed, and the short, robotic tones are heard again.

Speaker 15 The phone begins ringing and is answered without a word.

Speaker 16 Hi, this is Keith, calling on behalf of the Pennsylvania Blood Bank. I'm trying to reach Vince.
Yeah, that's me.

Speaker 13 Hi, Vince.

Speaker 16 The PA Blood Bank is experiencing an unprecedented shortage of blood due to a decrease in donations.

Speaker 16 Our records from your last visit in 1981, it looks like, indicate that you are O-negative, which is a universal donor, meaning your blood can be used in substitution of any other blood type.

Speaker 16 We're calling to see if you'd be interested in scheduling a donation appointment. Uh, no,

Speaker 16 no, thanks.

Speaker 13 Alrighty, well, you have a good day, Vince.

Speaker 16 Mm-hmm. Thanks.
Bye.

Speaker 15 The man at the desk sighs softly, like a slowly deflating balloon. Soon the keyboard clacks away at the silence.

Speaker 15 The soft clicking sounds seem loud amid the quiet. like hail on a window.
The typing stops, replaced by the chirps of a number being dialed.

Speaker 15 The phone rings in the man's earbuds.

Speaker 16 Hi, this is Keith calling on behalf of the Pennsylvania Blood Bank. I'm trying to reach Brian.

Speaker 16 Are you serious? Why in the hell are you calling me right now?

Speaker 16 Uh, I'm calling to see. I don't give an actual rat's ass.

Speaker 16 The only reason I'm still on the line is to tell you to take me the hell off of whatever call list you got.

Speaker 3 Okay,

Speaker 3 well.

Speaker 17 Sheesh. Asshole.

Speaker 15 Another louder exhalation follows the abrupt end to the call, like the compression of bellows.

Speaker 15 The man at the desk rubs the back of his neck, then clicks away at the keys on his computer. As he is typing, he feels a sticky substance on his fingers.

Speaker 15 When he looks down, there is a dark red liquid congealed on the keys. It seems to be blood, yet he checks his fingers and finds no injury.
He leaves the room and returns with a damp paper towel.

Speaker 15 He begins methodically wiping down the keyboard, following the trail of sticky substance with a protracted swipe.

Speaker 15 He sighs once more before dialing the next phone number.

Speaker 15 It sings its robotic song, and while it does, the man notices something.

Speaker 15 The place where his blinking cursor was is filled with the jumbled letters that were pressed when he cleaned the keys.

Speaker 15 What's strange is the fully formed phrase in the middle of the nonsense?

Speaker 11 P-L-L-O-K-J-G-G-H.

Speaker 15 It lies in wait.

Speaker 15 B-B-M-B-C-C-F-G.

Speaker 15 He stares at it while the phone rings in his ear. He must have somehow hit Ctrl V and pasted whatever was on his clipboard.
Yes, that's the only explanation. It's strange, though.

Speaker 15 He doesn't remember copying that text.

Speaker 15 Despite himself, he feels a shiver crawl up his spine as he deletes the text.

Speaker 15 The phone stops ringing in his ear, and he is met with a robotic voice saying, Mailbox full.

Speaker 15 He moves down to the next caller on his list and enters the phone number.

Speaker 15 As it rings, he hits Ctrl V just to see what's on his clipboard

Speaker 15 and a link gets pasted.

Speaker 15 Very strange.

Speaker 15 He deletes the link before the ringing in his ears is interrupted by a single word.

Speaker 15 Hello.

Speaker 16 Hi, this is Keith, calling on behalf of the Pennsylvania Blood Bank. I'm trying to reach Susan.
This is she.

Speaker 16 Hi, Susan. I'm calling because there's an extreme shortage in blood donations, and our records indicate from your last visit to us that you are O-negative, which is a universal donor type.

Speaker 16 That means your blood-Yes, I know what that means. I'm a registered nurse.

Speaker 13 Don't your records indicate that?

Speaker 1 No, ma'am.

Speaker 16 We don't keep that kind of personal information in our could you please take me off your call list?

Speaker 16 Of course, ma'am. I'm sorry to have disturbed you.

Speaker 21 Sure, you are.

Speaker 16 Here you are.

Speaker 13 God, what a...

Speaker 15 The man sighs a long, exasperated breath and then opens the desk drawer.

Speaker 15 He removes a bottle of medicine and shakes out several pills, swallowing them dry.

Speaker 15 He sets the bottle on the desk and again rubs his eyes and temples.

Speaker 15 Finally, he enters a new phone number.

Speaker 15 The grainy ringing in his headphones conjures up a low-quality voice on the other end.

Speaker 15 You've reached Derek. I can't come to the phone right now, so just leave a message and lie in wait.
Thanks.

Speaker 22 Uh, hello, this is Keith.

Speaker 16 I'm calling on behalf of the Pennsylvania Blood Bank. We're currently experiencing an all-time low in donations, so we're calling all Universal Donors in our records.

Speaker 16 According to our chart, you last donated a few months ago, so if you are able to donate again, it would be a huge help. Just call us back at 800-771-0059 to make an appointment.
Thank you.

Speaker 16 Have a nice day.

Speaker 15 The computer screen displays a list of names, each one with a small entry written beside it. The keys clack away, and the resulting phrase appears on screen, one letter at a time.

Speaker 15 Left message.

Speaker 15 Something tickles at his subconscious mind, vying for his full attention. He isn't sure what it is, but he feels slightly uneasy and he's not sure why.

Speaker 15 The man rubs the back of his head and his hand comes away red with blood.

Speaker 15 Confused, he glides his fingers carefully over the back of his head and neck and finds a sensitive spot. There is a fine vertical cut just at the bottom of his skull.

Speaker 15 It hurts now that he is aware of it, yet he has no idea where or when or even what it is from. He leaves the room room for more paper towels and washes his hands.

Speaker 15 Once cleaned up and convinced he is okay, the man again presses down 10 digits and then listens to the phone ringing in his ear.

Speaker 15 It splits the air like an alarm, and somehow the silence between rings seems quieter than before.

Speaker 15 With each ring, the man's anxiety heightens until it is finally interrupted by a voice.

Speaker 15 Hello?

Speaker 16 Hi, this is Keith. I'm calling on behalf of the Pennsylvania Blood Bank, and I'm trying to reach Michael.
Yeah, that's me.

Speaker 13 Hi, Michael.

Speaker 16 I'm not sure if you're aware, but blood donations are at an all-time low right now.

Speaker 20 Yeah, I think I saw something about that.

Speaker 16 Well, we're calling because you donated with us previously, and you are a universal donor, so we actually just got a tattoo.

Speaker 20 That's why I didn't donate this month.

Speaker 16 Oh, well, that's understandable. I'm sorry sorry to have taken your time.

Speaker 20 Yeah, that's all right. I'll just lie and wait until I'm able to donate again.
Then I'm sure you'll see me.

Speaker 16 Okay,

Speaker 16 yeah.

Speaker 16 Yeah,

Speaker 16 thank you very much for your time.

Speaker 20 Everything all right?

Speaker 13 Huh? What?

Speaker 7 Oh, yes, fine.

Speaker 16 Thanks. Mm-hmm.

Speaker 13 Bye.

Speaker 15 The man stares at his computer screen with a confused expression on his face. A minute passes in total silence until he slowly begins typing again.

Speaker 15 When he finishes his entry, he stares blankly at the screen for another few minutes, not really seeing anything.

Speaker 15 The computer shows a list of names with phone numbers beside them, followed by short entries such as remove or left message or made appointment.

Speaker 15 Before he has time to think better of it, he is dialing the next number and listening to the same old purgatorial ring

Speaker 16 Hi, this is Keith. I'm calling on behalf of the Pennsylvania Blood Bank.
I'm trying to reach Sharon.

Speaker 16 Hey, you reached me.

Speaker 5 What can I do for you?

Speaker 5 Hi.

Speaker 16 We're calling all of our previous donors who have a universal blood type and asking them if they could make an appointment to donate.

Speaker 16 Due to the

Speaker 16 unprecedented shortage we are experiencing, we're calling you to see if you might be able to donate.

Speaker 20 Yeah, I think I could be enticed into donating. I may have time next week.

Speaker 16 Oh, great. That's great news.

Speaker 16 We'll actually have a donation bus in the Ephrida Walmart parking lot, I believe.

Speaker 16 Let me double-check.

Speaker 27 Yes, the Walmart parking lot.

Speaker 16 If that's near you, you could go there anytime next week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Speaker 16 If not, we can schedule an appointment for you.

Speaker 28 No, that should work.

Speaker 20 The Walmart parking lot, though, seems kind of sketchy to me. You fellas aren't going to jump me, are you? Lie in wait and then kidnap me?

Speaker 16 Wait, what did you just say?

Speaker 26 Nothing. I'm just messing with you.

Speaker 16 No, no, I mean, what did you say after the jump me bit?

Speaker 26 I said, you're not going to lie in wait for me, are you?

Speaker 26 Yeah,

Speaker 13 that's so weird.

Speaker 16 The last two people I called used that phrase.

Speaker 13 Why is everyone saying that?

Speaker 16 I'm sorry.

Speaker 27 That was a strange thing to say.

Speaker 15 At the sudden sound of dial tone, the man rubs his eyes until he sees fireworks. He drags his hands down over his face and lets out a muffled groan from beneath his palms.

Speaker 15 He pushes away from his desk, and the chair scrapes back across the old wooden floor. His footsteps recede from the room and into the kitchen.

Speaker 15 Returning moments later with a glass of water, he slumps back into his chair.

Speaker 15 The weight of each vapid rejection, an irate caller, is almost visible on his shoulders.

Speaker 15 He sits for a few minutes before dialing the next number on his endless list.

Speaker 22 Hi, this is.

Speaker 16 Uh, yes, my My name is Keith, and I'm calling on behalf of the Pennsylvania Blood Bank. I'm trying to reach John.

Speaker 13 Hello?

Speaker 27 Are you still there?

Speaker 27 Always.

Speaker 16 Well, we have records indicating that you are a universal donor. With our current shortage, we are wondering if we could get you to schedule an appointment to donate.

Speaker 19 Hello?

Speaker 16 Okay, well, I'm gonna hang up now.

Speaker 16 Just call us back if you want to make an appointment.

Speaker 16 He lies in wait, Keith.

Speaker 15 The man's heart is pounding so loud, he can hear it in his ears, and he can feel his anxiety climbing higher.

Speaker 15 A look of wide-eyed fear spreads across his face before he closes his eyes and rubs fiercely at his temples. Slowly, the rapid thumping of his heart recedes and slows.

Speaker 15 He opens his eyes and stares straight ahead blankly, trying to convince himself he accidentally dialed a previous number.

Speaker 15 One of the angry customers probably just wanted to mess with him as payback. Yes, that's all it was.
A re-dialed number and a cruel prank.

Speaker 15 His slow and measured breathing is the only sound in the room until he hears a creaking in the hall.

Speaker 15 He goes still and listens.

Speaker 15 There it is again.

Speaker 15 The wooden floorboards groaning under the weight of feet.

Speaker 13 Hello?

Speaker 16 Is there someone out there?

Speaker 15 Very slowly, he moves towards his office door. When one of his steps causes the floor to squeak, he suddenly hears heavy footsteps running away from the door.

Speaker 15 The running sound trails off further into the house, and then there's the sound of a door slamming.

Speaker 15 He is in a full-blown panic now and grabs his phone to dial 911.

Speaker 15 His heart is pounding relentlessly as the phone rings.

Speaker 15 Someone picks up, and almost immediately, he begins sobbing.

Speaker 20 911, what's your emergency?

Speaker 13 Please help.

Speaker 16 Please, there's someone in my house. There's...
What is your location, sir?

Speaker 18 I'm in my house, and there's someone inside.

Speaker 16 I'm at 42 East Richland Drive. Please send someone.

Speaker 16 Please, stay on the line and remain calm. I will stay on the call with you until help arrives.

Speaker 13 Okay, thank you. Thank you.
Are you in a safe place?

Speaker 13 Yes.

Speaker 11 Well, I think so.

Speaker 16 I'm in my office, and the person is outside in the hall somewhere. Can you lock the office door and hide anywhere in the room?

Speaker 13 Yes, I think so. Yes.

Speaker 13 Okay.

Speaker 16 I'm hiding under the desk now.

Speaker 13 Please hurry. Okay, Keith.
Just lie and wait there. We are on our way.

Speaker 15 He stares at his phone screen as the length of the call ticks higher. The number at the top shows 911.

Speaker 15 He hangs up and feels a new kind of fear. A sort of disbelieving horror.
He stares at his phone in shock until more thumping footsteps can be heard through the ceiling, rousing him from his stupor.

Speaker 15 He listens to the sounds and trembles underneath the desk when suddenly his phone, still clutched tightly in his hand, begins to ring.

Speaker 15 His pulse immediately spikes at the unexpected ringing in his earbuds. He looks at his phone's screen and the ID simply says unknown.

Speaker 15 The sound of his heart is like a sloshing pressure in his ears.

Speaker 15 He doesn't answer the call, but stares helplessly at the screen as it rings.

Speaker 15 The screen finally shows missed call,

Speaker 15 but almost as soon as the buzzing stops, it begins again.

Speaker 15 He can scarcely breathe now as he answers the call with shaking hands.

Speaker 15 He doesn't say anything, just simply accepts the call. The voice that greets him is a deep, droning whisper, and it seems to struggle at forming words.

Speaker 15 He frantically hangs up the phone and he hears the tell-tale beep.

Speaker 15 And his screen shows the call has ended. Yet the voice still whispers in his ear.

Speaker 15 He can taste bile in his throat as his heart pounds on the back of his ribs. He holds his ears closed with his fingers and screens with closed eyes.
But he can't stop the whispers.

Speaker 15 He tears the headphones out of his ears and throws them across the room. Yet the croaking whisper continues inside of his skull unceasing.

Speaker 15 He holds his ears closed with his fingers and screams with closed eyes. But he can't stop the whispers.

Speaker 15 It

Speaker 15 lies

Speaker 15 in wait.

Speaker 15 It lies

Speaker 15 in

Speaker 15 wait.

Speaker 15 It

Speaker 15 lies in a wait.

Speaker 15 He screams and pounds at the side of his head, hoping to stop the recitation.

Speaker 15 Suddenly, it ceases as inexplicably as it began.

Speaker 15 In place of the voice and ceaseless noise, there is left a total silence.

Speaker 15 When he opens his eyes, however, he is greeted with an almost entirely different scene. His office is darker somehow, and the shadows are so dark as to seem tangible.

Speaker 15 He stares out into the room from below the desk, and the darkness in the corners appears to crawl and reach toward him.

Speaker 15 Somewhere outside his office door, he can faintly hear the whispers getting closer.

Speaker 15 There are creaking footsteps and the sounds of heavy chains dragging on the hardwood floor.

Speaker 15 He can feel an an encroaching presence, drawing near yet unseen.

Speaker 15 He is so far beyond panic now, into the realm of unadulterated terror and horror, that he doesn't know what to do.

Speaker 15 He simply sits, curled up under the desk, staring out toward the office door.

Speaker 15 The creaking steps halt outside the door, and the sound of heavy chains drags to a still.

Speaker 15 The man's breathing is heavy and labored until the doorknob begins to turn.

Speaker 15 Then he holds his breath completely.

Speaker 15 The door slowly swings open into the room, revealing nothing but a rectangular abyss of black where the hole should be.

Speaker 15 The darkness is impermeable,

Speaker 15 like a physical wall.

Speaker 15 From out of the void, there appear two disembodied arms extending into the room

Speaker 15 They are wrapped in pale white skin With sores and wounds spreading up and down them Each arm bears a shackle around its wrist with a chain receding into the dark

Speaker 15 They reach into the room opening wider as if seeking an embrace

Speaker 15 A deep groaning noise reverberates through the room, like the swaying limbs of an ancient tree.

Speaker 15 Their whispers drift in from that black absence, repeating the same four words as before.

Speaker 15 He stares in abject horror as the gaunt limbs reach impossibly far into the room.

Speaker 15 Suddenly, they begin swinging together and clanging the chains against each other.

Speaker 15 The chains ring out hollowly, then the arms open and swing back together again.

Speaker 15 The chains continue to ring out, louder and louder, until the man wakes up and the whole world shifts.

Speaker 15 The ringing of the chains becomes the irritating ring of his phone in his earbuds. He realizes he fell asleep at some point and is still sitting at his desk.

Speaker 15 His phone sits on the top of the desk and displays the caller as Central PA BL.

Speaker 15 He rubs at his eyes and forehead with one hand, and then he accepts the call with his other hand.

Speaker 15 He answers with his typical greeting for the boss while opening his eyes. It's then that he sees the repeating text beside every name on his call list.

Speaker 15 Just like his crazed fever dream, every entry has been replaced by that horrid phrase. He stares in shock, then looks around with unease settling into his gut.

Speaker 15 Everything is as it should be,

Speaker 15 yet he swears that he faintly hears deep whispers, and his boss hasn't said anything yet. Has she?

Speaker 15 There is only a faint static hiss in his earbud,

Speaker 15 and maybe

Speaker 18 far off,

Speaker 15 the sound of chains dragging.

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Speaker 5 Being a huge fan of a band is a big deal, especially if that band is no longer around. You want to track down all the old music and merch, right?

Speaker 5 So what better place to do that than an internet forum tailored to fans of classic rock?

Speaker 5 But in this tale, composed for us by author Bran Gray, our online music aficionados discover a note or two that suggests a sinister undertone to one band's history.

Speaker 5 Joining me in performing this tale are Lindsay Russo, Jesse Cornette, Danielle McRae, Matthew Bradford, Alante Baraket, and Ellie Hirschman.

Speaker 5 So sign up, log in, read the rules, and get posting as we do a deep dive into the rock and roll history of planetary malice.

Speaker 4 Rock Classics Forum.

Speaker 33 Merch Booth.

Speaker 11 Buy, sell, trade.

Speaker 5 Fade to blank.

Speaker 4 Subject Planetary Malice Tour Merch Hunt 1987 to 1994.

Speaker 28 Sending out a call to all you hoarders and scavengers, I'm looking to buy any Planetary Malice Tour merch from their final five tours.

Speaker 28 So, anything from the Screaming Void Tour 1987, Break the Dead Tour, 1989, Dark New Day Tour, 1990, Fill the Chalice Tour, 1993, Farewell Harvest Tour, 1994.

Speaker 28 Any shirts, posters, stubs, backstage passes, anything you got, throw it at me. Also, no mall bought shirt.
Needs to be from the live shows.

Speaker 33 Death Dealer Dan Subject: Re Planetary Malice Tour Merch Hunt, 1987-1994.

Speaker 4 Hey, F2B, this is Danny from Rock Lock Collectibles.

Speaker 25 I'll check the storeroom and let you know what I find.

Speaker 2 Going to take me a while.

Speaker 25 The back room looks like the end scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark. I know I spotted some of their older glam-era stickers a couple of weeks ago, but it sounds like you're looking for the darker stuff.

Speaker 18 Rock on

Speaker 7 3D.

Speaker 5 Cindy on the Drums.

Speaker 10 Subject: Subject, Re, Planetary Malice Tour Merch Hunt, 1987-1994.

Speaker 32 Dude, that's my dad's favorite band. I'll ramit his closet because I'm positive I'll have them.

Speaker 32 Pretty sure he went to at least one of these shows. Any other bands you're also looking for? I'm trying to scrape up some cash for a new ride symbol, so everything must go.

Speaker 4 Blister Fingers 419.

Speaker 10 Subject, Re, Planetary Malice Tour Merch Hunt, 1987-1994.

Speaker 2 Yeah, buddy, Cold Lifeless is one of the best albums ever. You looking for any of the rare LPs or singles? I can make some rips, but it's going to be pricey if you want the originals.

Speaker 2 They're my babies.

Speaker 8 Fade to Blank.

Speaker 10 Subject, Re, Planetary Malice Tour Merch Hunt, 1987-1994.

Speaker 28 Hey everyone, thanks for the quick responses. Anything you can find between those concert dates, I'm hungry for.
Cindy, thanks, but no thanks. Just Planetary Malice this time.

Speaker 28 So if you can find it, let me know. Blister, if you have live recordings from any of those tours, I need them.
Name a price for the originals. I want to make sure they are raw, so no rips.

Speaker 5 Leather Carrot.

Speaker 10 Subject, Planetary Malice Tour Merch Hunt, 1987-1994.

Speaker 13 I forgot all about that band.

Speaker 9 What happened to them?

Speaker 34 Like, i know they broke up or whatever but the radio just stopped playing the singles and nobody talked about them after that they were pretty big right like all the girls had a hard on for the lead singer danny czar

Speaker 19 cindy on the drums subject treasure i found it i found it shirt from the 90s tour boom god pics right here

Speaker 4 Included on the post are two pictures of a faded black t-shirt.

Speaker 35 The first photo is the front of the t-shirt, a worn but still visible image of a dark sun rising over the horizon.

Speaker 35 Tiny, shadowy humanoid figures on the landscape have their arms raised, reaching up for the oncoming dark sun.

Speaker 35 Sharp red letters above the image read, Planetary Malice, and below the image, in smaller white font, Welcome home.

Speaker 35 The second photo is an image of the back of the same t-shirt, with Dark New Day Tour 1990 and a list of the tour cities in the same red font.

Speaker 35 West Court, Wisconsin, Greenwater, Texas, Brooks, Wyoming, Black Hitch, Arizona, Tewkes, Vermont, Sandelo, Nevada, Wolf Island, South Carolina, North Caint, Texas, Nunns Mouth, New Hampshire, Contell, California, Farway, Michigan, Snakehead, Wisconsin, St.

Speaker 35 Lucia, New Mexico, Ronstan, New York. Underneath the list is a headless snake bordering the city names.

Speaker 19 Also, yeah,

Speaker 32 Danny Czar was hot. I mean, gotta be an old man by now, but

Speaker 14 still.

Speaker 7 Blister fingers 419.

Speaker 3 Subject, re-treasure.

Speaker 27 What drunken tour bus driver took that route?

Speaker 2 They bounced back and forth all over the country. Genius navigation there, buddy.

Speaker 8 Fade to blank.

Speaker 3 Subject, re-treasure.

Speaker 28 Perfect fine, Cindy.

Speaker 17 One request.

Speaker 28 Ask your dad which city he saw them in and if he stayed till the end of the show.

Speaker 5 Leather Carrot.

Speaker 3 Subject, re-treasure.

Speaker 24 No kidding, blister. Also, look at all those lame places.
Why aren't there any big cities on that tour? They were a huge band and they couldn't find a venue in Dallas or San Diego.

Speaker 34 Why go to these butt-fuck butt-fuck nowhere towns?

Speaker 4 Four-string werewolf.

Speaker 3 Subject, re-treasure.

Speaker 36 Dude, those are like legit butt-fuck nowhere towns. Like I can't find them on a map.
Is that sure to cheap knockoff or something?

Speaker 8 Fade to blank.

Speaker 3 Subject, re-treasure.

Speaker 28 Not a knockoff, no typos. This is exactly what I was looking for.
I think something weird happened during these tours.

Speaker 5 Leather Carrot.

Speaker 22 Subject.

Speaker 6 Something weird.

Speaker 24 Weird, like they had a fake tour or like they put fake city names on the t-shirts.

Speaker 8 Fade to blank.

Speaker 6 Subject, re-something weird.

Speaker 28 Weird, like, I think these places existed before the band visited them. Not getting into this.
Don't need judgments, just need merch.

Speaker 7 Blisterfingers 419.

Speaker 6 Subject, re something weird.

Speaker 2 Oh, we are definitely getting into this, buddy. We talking about ghost towns or alien abductions.
I mean, what's the score? You hunt and graze there, Mulder?

Speaker 4 Four-string werewolf.

Speaker 6 Subject, re something weird.

Speaker 36 Did I wander into a conspiracy theory?

Speaker 19 I'm stoked.

Speaker 36 Can I join in and hunt anything down?

Speaker 24 I'll be your scully.

Speaker 35 Cindy on the drums.

Speaker 22 Subject, re

Speaker 6 something weird.

Speaker 32 I leave for an hour and it turns into this.

Speaker 32 So my dad says he doesn't remember where the concert was, but he knows he left early. He claims he was feeling sick and left before the end of the show.

Speaker 32 But bought the shirt from the merch booth on his way out. I'm betting he got too stoned and freaked out.

Speaker 32 Too many inflatable devils in Pyrotechnics.

Speaker 8 Fade to blank.

Speaker 22 Subject, re

Speaker 6 something weird?

Speaker 13 Fuck it.

Speaker 28 Cards on the table. I think the the towns that the band toured through have all disappeared.
All the concertgoers, the buildings, the locals, everything just vanishes.

Speaker 28 I've talked to a handful of people that have vague memories of attending the shows, but none remember where and all had reasons for leaving early.

Speaker 28 This has been driving me crazy since I stumbled onto it. I'm positive there is something in the tour merch that will have answers.
Nothing else seems to. There has to be something in the route.

Speaker 28 It's impossible to pinpoint where they went because those places no longer exist. But if I can follow the states, maybe I can at least try to figure out a pattern.

Speaker 8 Death Dealer Dan.

Speaker 22 Subject.

Speaker 4 Farewell Harvest Tour Poster.

Speaker 18 What the hell did I walk back into?

Speaker 25 I'm alone in the shop after hours and not ready to deal with this. I found a poster from their 94 farewell.
Got a bunch of cities I've never heard of on this tour, too.

Speaker 25 I'll send a picture, but fuck me. I'm too old to be thinking like this.

Speaker 4 Included is a photograph of the aforementioned poster.

Speaker 35 The large, vibrant blue font reads, The Farewell Harvest Tour, over an image of a massive clawed hand linked to hundreds of iron chains.

Speaker 35 The chains appear to be shackled to tiny humans, pulling them towards the pit where the hand erupted from.

Speaker 11 Below the art, in bright green, reads, Planetary Malice.

Speaker 4 So long, and thanks for all the flesh, followed by a similar list of of cities and states at the bottom of the poster.

Speaker 7 Blister Fingers 419.

Speaker 11 Subject, it doesn't get better.

Speaker 2 I was going to call you all a bunch of bitches, but I found something. Japanese bootleg of the 90s tour, the show in Arizona.
Track 17 gets fucking weird. Get ready to wet them panties, bro.

Speaker 33 Included is the file B-H-A-Z underscore 90 underscore scatter B final.

Speaker 4 The audio audio is raw and unclean.

Speaker 35 The band plays their song, Scatter Your Bones, as an encore. The audience is loud and excited until the last chord of the song is played.

Speaker 35 The audio begins to distort and a heavy concussive sound clips out the recording. There is a brief high-pitched screeching noise.
Then it goes silent.

Speaker 35 The only thing following is the voice of Planetary Malice's bass player, Chris Calden, yelling out, Thank you and good night. The audio cuts out immediately after.

Speaker 11 Leather Carrot, Subject, Re, It doesn't get better.

Speaker 18 The fuck?

Speaker 35 Cindy on the drums.

Speaker 11 Subject, re, it doesn't get better.

Speaker 17 I'm out.

Speaker 32 DM me if you still want to buy the shirt, but I'm not fucking around with this.

Speaker 19 Nope.

Speaker 8 Death Dealer Dan.

Speaker 22 Subject, Re.

Speaker 11 It doesn't get better.

Speaker 25 Don't have a good segue.

Speaker 25 Got this notification.

Speaker 25 We'll be taking an out-of-state vacation.

Speaker 35 Thanks for the heads up.

Speaker 35 I'm gone.

Speaker 35 Included link to website Metal Maniacs colon. After 30 years, Planetary Malice has reunited and is coming to your city.

Speaker 4 The image shows the band, either an older photo or they have not aged a day since the farewell tour.

Speaker 8 Fade to blank.

Speaker 5 Subject: canceled dates.

Speaker 28 My city is on that list. I'll pay for the tickets.
Who's coming with me?

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Speaker 31 Be sure to listen to our episode, Period Positivity, Talking to Our Daughters, where we explore how period positivity begins with open, informed conversations, especially as girls and young women head into a new school year and a new stage of life.

Speaker 31 In this episode, we learn how mothers and caregivers can foster dialogue with girls and young women about periods that can build confidence and strengthen bonds, and how early education around menstruation can lead to lasting comfort and understanding across all stages of a woman's life.

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Speaker 31 Listen to hear something good on women's health and longevity on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your favorite shows.

Speaker 1 The Mercedes-Benz Dream Days are back with offers on vehicles like the 2025 E-Class, CLE Coupe, C-Class, and EQE sedan.

Speaker 1 Hurry in now through July 31st, visit your local authorized dealer, or learn more at mbusa.com/slash dream.

Speaker 5 Living with a cardiovascular disease is tough. There are so many things you have to worry about and manage.

Speaker 5 Sometimes you need a break to just kick back, relax, and take a trip to get away from it all.

Speaker 5 And in this tale, shared with us by author Nat Ryer, When Maisie and her boyfriends stop at a gas station on their way to their campsite, they're faced with more than just heartache.

Speaker 5 Performing this tale are Kristen DiMakurio, Dan Zapula, and Aaron Lillis.

Speaker 5 So prepare to feel your heart skip a beat.

Speaker 33 You're beginning to tremble.

Speaker 5 Your pulse is racing.

Speaker 4 You're experiencing tachycardia.

Speaker 23 My heart's a machine gun. Nerves on the trigger.
Sometimes I stress myself out over nothing, and next thing I know, the barrel's running hot and darkness is creeping in at the edges of my vision.

Speaker 23 When I was younger and couldn't control the fainting, my dad made me wear a helmet. I hate thinking about it, because I'm always thinking about it.

Speaker 23 My anxious heart, tempting the 300 mark and sending me down, out, gone.

Speaker 23 I ditched the helmet when I hit high school, and now I'm supposed to blow on my thumb when I'm nervous. Imagine already being antsy about something and now you gotta blow on your goddamn thumb.

Speaker 23 But sometimes, I feel the telltale flutter in my chest. And that's ballgame.
I'd rather blow on my thumb than pass out in Chet's car, so I do what I gotta do, dutifully.

Speaker 23 Blowing on your thumb tickles your vagus nerve, tricks your brain into thinking you're calm, and lowers your heart rate. Beats wearing a helmet.

Speaker 23 Chet sees me blowing, so he raises an eyebrow and turns down the heavy metal war crime that's been blaring for the last half hour.

Speaker 2 You need me to pull over?

Speaker 23 He sounds worried, but he's not. He's more concerned about making it to the campgrounds on time than he is with me.

Speaker 2 There's an exit right up ahead. I can probably find a gas station and get you some ice water.

Speaker 23 I shake my head, pull my thumb out of my mouth. It's fine, I say,

Speaker 23 and put my thumb back in my mouth.

Speaker 22 You sure?

Speaker 23 Chet squints at me, suspicious. Then he mutters something under his breath and hits hits the off-ramp.

Speaker 2 Screw it. I need to take a leak anyway.
I can grab you something cold to calm your nerves, alright? Can't have you passing out and shitting your pants all over my car.

Speaker 23 Thumb back out.

Speaker 23 I love you too.

Speaker 23 Even Chet can tell when he's gone too far. We've been dating since sophomore year.
Back when we popped each other's cherries behind the bleachers after marching band practice.

Speaker 23 This was, in hindsight, the dreary peak of our romance.

Speaker 2 I just want you to be comfortable, honest. You pooping your pants on the leather seat would be the second worst part of the situation.
You being miserable?

Speaker 2 That takes the top spot for me, babe, every time.

Speaker 23 It takes him 20 minutes to find a gas station. The exit spilled us out onto an even creepier shade of nowhere than the highway had to offer.

Speaker 23 Just Spanish moss winding around barbed wire fences, flanking fields of brittle yellow grass. I'm not even sure where we are at this point.

Speaker 23 Just that this is clearly where the citizens of Ass Nowhere come when they need to get off the grid for a bit. We pass a couple of whiteboard signs baking under the summer heat.

Speaker 23 The words, gas station, up ahead, scribbled and sharpie.

Speaker 23 I squirm in my seat, swallowing spit that isn't there. I hate out-of-the-way places.
Back home, at least we're near civilization.

Speaker 23 People to call an ambulance for me, EMTs to shock me back to life, surgeons to cut me open and set me right.

Speaker 23 I was against the idea of going camping, but Chet insisted, said he wanted his first acid trip to be with me and the boys, of course.

Speaker 23 The plan is to drop LSD in the woods and have a religious experience. Minus Mr.
Christ and his signature party pooper energy. Normally, I would take a beta blocker.

Speaker 23 My doc prescribes me propronolol, 30 milligrams. But I don't know what mixing that with acid would do, so I won't.
Still no sign of the gas station.

Speaker 23 I'm about to insist we turn around, head back toward the highway and its promise of reunion with the rest of humanity.

Speaker 23 But suddenly, there's a squat, yellow shack up ahead with a row of pumps stationed out front.

Speaker 23 The pumps are dull red cylinders, and the creamy plywood front was clearly a few shades whiter when it first went up. The whole operation rests on a bed of black gravel.

Speaker 23 Chet whistles merrily and parks in front of one of the pumps. My stomach's hot, and it's hard to breathe.
He hands me his debit card and asks me to pump.

Speaker 2 You don't mind, do you? I can grab whatever you want from inside.

Speaker 23 I don't think this place takes card.

Speaker 2 Everywhere it takes card, Maisie.

Speaker 23 I hand the card back to him and he shakes his head, clearly annoyed.

Speaker 2 I'll just pay for everything inside.

Speaker 23 He slams the car door behind him. The storefront glass is so foggy that I can't even see the shape of him once he enters.

Speaker 23 I try to play on my phone and distract myself with the Twitter hashtag of the day, but my data is dry as a well, and I know better than to check for Wi-Fi.

Speaker 23 The back road stretches infinitely in both directions. The summer heat distorting and destroying everything more than 50 yards away.
I feel trapped. And my heart starts to pick up, gaining steam.

Speaker 23 I get out of the car and pace around on the gravel, taking deep breaths.

Speaker 13 In for five, out for five.

Speaker 23 I refuse to suck on my thumb again. I do this for five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen, with no sign of Chet.
My nerves rattle, and my heart rattles with them. The old thought emerges.

Speaker 23 Old as me, and just as fearful. Is this what it felt like? Is this what my mom felt?

Speaker 17 It's hereditary.

Speaker 23 This clattering heart of mine passed from mother to daughter wrapped in a blood-colored basket. Don't let that in, I remind myself.
But that's like telling someone, don't think about an elephant.

Speaker 23 My brain takes that sliver and runs with it, past the end zone of conscious thought, spikes it into my brain. Fuck it.
I need a beta blocker right now more than I need a tab of acid later tonight.

Speaker 23 But dummy me shut the car door and now the auto lock has done its thing.

Speaker 18 Very chill.

Speaker 23 I put my hands on my hips and stare straight ahead at the foggy glass windows, daring Chet to make eye contact with me through the opaque dark. But I can't see shit.

Speaker 14 Fuck, fucking fuck.

Speaker 23 I head inside. The smell of bleach punches me in the face so hard that I physically wince.
The floors are checkered white and blue linoleum, shimmering after a recent scrub.

Speaker 23 There are a couple rows of shelves, but most of the wares are jarred candies and beef jerky.

Speaker 23 Chet's at the counter with his debit card in his hand, proffered at the clerk like he's about to swipe it between her teeth.

Speaker 6 Who the hell keeps cash on them?

Speaker 2 Look, you got a phone on you, right? I'm sure you can download some app and run this card. I am literally begging you.

Speaker 23 The clerk doesn't react. She's taller than Chet by a mile, and lanky as they come.
Her arms are long sticks with barely any flesh wrapped around them, and her body's about the same.

Speaker 23 Just a paper-thin frame with a pair of oversized overalls hanging off of it, like it's been left out to dry.

Speaker 23 Her neck is a pencil with a skull-shaped eraser fixed to top it, and her beady eyes peer out beneath a hairless brow.

Speaker 23 A mess of shock-white hair scrapes against her shoulders, the same shape and consistency as straw. Her eyes flick to me, and it feels like violence.

Speaker 39 Cash only.

Speaker 39 I'll accept labor so well, but y'all don't look like the types to get your shoes dirty.

Speaker 2 Well, we ain't got that kind of darn tootin' time.

Speaker 23 Chet's mocking her accent.

Speaker 18 Fine. Have it your way.

Speaker 2 Are there any real gas stations around here? Somewhere I don't have to sacrifice a chicken for the restroom key?

Speaker 23 She points toward the back.

Speaker 39 Restroom is free for paying customers, but I can get you some water for free if that's what your lady is thirsty for.

Speaker 23 I realize I've been scratching at my throat this whole time. I manage to eke out something small, raspy.

Speaker 14 Water. Great.

Speaker 23 She nods once. Twice.

Speaker 23 Three times and steals off to the back. Once she's disappeared behind a squeaky white door, Chet stuffs his card back in his pocket and browses the aisles.
And I don't recognize any of the brands.

Speaker 23 Nickel Nacks, Pecan Pete's, Sugar Mamas, Whistle Pops, Raspberry Red Dollars. Chat snatches a box of cherry humps off the shelf and pries it open, pops one in his mouth, and winces.

Speaker 13 Ah,

Speaker 22 these are rocks.

Speaker 2 Literally, totally rocks.

Speaker 23 He spits out a red pebble and puts the open box back on the shelf.

Speaker 2 Should charge that bitch for my dentist bill.

Speaker 18 Jesus, I felt my collarbone pop.

Speaker 23 I want to tell him that it's not cool to steal, but my heart's still pounding and everything's blurry. I try to ignore the drum in my chest, try to focus on my breathing.

Speaker 38 Five in, five out.

Speaker 17 You're not stuck.

Speaker 23 I tell myself, you're not trapped. You can leave.
You can leave anytime you want.

Speaker 2 What trap, babe?

Speaker 23 Chet's mouth is full. He's chewing on some taffy that's probably older than God.

Speaker 18 You say something?

Speaker 19 Let's just go.

Speaker 23 The words burst out of me like a curse. We'll hit up another gas station back on the main road.

Speaker 23 He chews thoughtfully on his taffy, scratching the back of his head and looking off to the side like a guilty dog next to a toppled trash can.

Speaker 23 I used to love those puppy eyes, and those big ears of his, and the way he frowns when he's busted.

Speaker 18 Don't freak out.

Speaker 23 Why would I freak out, Chet?

Speaker 23 He frowns.

Speaker 2 Let's just say that as far as gas is concerned, our market is severely limited.

Speaker 23 The world tilts, and I feel the old ticker flutter. How much gas do we have?

Speaker 2 Enough to get us.

Speaker 23 He pauses, considers.

Speaker 2 About halfway back to the highway.

Speaker 23 I want to shove Chet into a cannon and launch him at the sun. The feeling must write itself across my face because he clears his throat and says,

Speaker 2 I told you not to freak out. I can read your mind, Maisie.

Speaker 18 What if we're trapped here?

Speaker 32 What if my harper's out of my chest and shut shut up?

Speaker 23 He's right, though. The old girl's really taking off in my chest, and I'm starting to feel dizzy.
My heart is fine.

Speaker 2 It's not your heart that's the problem. It's your brain.
It's your fucking anxiety.

Speaker 18 Always worrying about what might happen.

Speaker 23 He spreads his arms wide.

Speaker 18 Look around.

Speaker 2 Doesn't get much worse than this, right? Worst has already happened.

Speaker 23 Things can always get worse, Chet.

Speaker 2 That's easy for you to say. You didn't try the taffy.

Speaker 19 This isn't funny.

Speaker 23 I press my hand against my chest.

Speaker 30 I swear to God, Chet, if I don't get out of here soon.

Speaker 2 Oh, for fuck's sake, Maisie, you're not going to end up like your mom. Come on, I'm so goddamn sick of talking about it.
Her heart only stopped because she was pregnant, right?

Speaker 2 Her heart was beating for two. And I always rap my dick, so, you know, you're good.

Speaker 18 No problems.

Speaker 23 I take every ounce of control not to slap his face into the sixth dimension. I mutter a fuck you under my breath and turn away.
Chet mutters something back as he yanks out his phone.

Speaker 23 I leave him there, chewing on his stolen taffy as I sink between the aisles and back to the front where the attendant is waiting with a small pail of water.

Speaker 39 Gwen Shithirst.

Speaker 23 I take the pail from her, trying to be gentle and gracious, but my nerves are shot and I end up snatching it from her instead. Thanks.

Speaker 17 I take a sip.

Speaker 23 The water is surprisingly cool. You said we can pay you in labor, right? Put me to work.

Speaker 23 She blinks, right eye first and left eye a microsecond later. The left side of her mouth curves upward in an attempt at a smile.
Sunlight spills onto her face through the windows.

Speaker 23 I realize now it's the only light in here. The overheads are dead, and somehow she looks almost infantile.

Speaker 23 She's a foot taller than me, and there's not an ounce of fat on her body, and yet I can't help but see a baby when I look at her.

Speaker 39 There's two stacks of brick out back.

Speaker 39 One big,

Speaker 39 one small.

Speaker 39 I've been moving them from the big pile to the small pile for a few hours now.

Speaker 39 Get that finished up, and I'll give y'all one of whatever you want.

Speaker 23 Including a gallon of gas?

Speaker 23 She blinks again. Left eye first, right eye second.

Speaker 39 Whatever you want.

Speaker 13 Good enough.

Speaker 23 I find her stack of bricks out back, roughly 10 yards apart in a small dirt lot adjacent to the woods. A creekbed runs along the border of the forest, lulling gently downriver.

Speaker 23 Rusty tools litter the ground around me. I have to work slowly, moving one brick at a time to the other stack, taking breaks in the shade when the bomb starts to tick in my chest.

Speaker 23 I could take a beta blocker, but that would mean asking Chet for the car keys, and that shit just seems beneath me right now. now.

Speaker 23 So I'm gonna move these goddamn bricks and get some goddamn gas and threaten to uncircumcise Chet with a stapler and some old gum until he drives me right back goddamn home.

Speaker 23 Because Chet can talk about me, about my heart, about my anxiety.

Speaker 19 But my mom?

Speaker 23 No.

Speaker 23 And after that, he can't even lend me a hand? What the fuck is he even doing in there?

Speaker 23 My answer arrives, draped in the harsh sound of shattering glass echoing from inside. I rush back in, dreading whatever fresh bullshit awaits me inside.

Speaker 23 Chet's back at the counter, a mess of shattered glass and still bouncing chunks of hard candy. The girl in overalls has her hands around his, trying to yank something out of his grip.

Speaker 23 But Chet is stronger and meaner, and he shoves her away. He pushes the phone back against his ear.

Speaker 2 You hear that, Dad? You can add assault to the list of charges.

Speaker 19 He pauses, pretending to listen.

Speaker 18 Uh-huh, I agree.

Speaker 2 That's a a tort. She torted me, 10 years behind bars.

Speaker 23 Then to the girl.

Speaker 2 My dad says you're in big trouble and that you're probably going to jail.

Speaker 23 The girl shakes her head violently, so quickly and with such force that I'm afraid her neck might snap.

Speaker 2 My dad's a big-time lawyer.

Speaker 23 He pretends to listen again, and it takes physical effort to stop myself telling him to shut the fuck up, put the phone down. Your dad is a goddamn math teacher.

Speaker 2 He says we can let this go with the warning if you just give us some gas. Either give us some of those sweet liquefied dinosaur spirits or you can be Big Bertha's girlfriend in lockup.
Your choice.

Speaker 23 She's stopped shaking her head, and now she's just

Speaker 38 sobbing.

Speaker 23 She yanks at her hair and twists the blonde strings into hairied, bleeding knots. Tears run down her face, and in the darkness, they almost look black.

Speaker 17 There's something up with her eyes, too.

Speaker 23 Maybe a trick of the light, but I could swear that they're further apart than they should be. Chunks of gooey, bloodied hair stick to her palms like hideous gloves.

Speaker 23 She reaches out to Chet, like she's begging him for mercy, but he brushes her away. When she doesn't relent, he shoves her away.
Too hard, Chet, and her back smacks against the counter.

Speaker 23 It's a sickening crack, and she howls in pain. Those pleading eyes turn feral and angry.
She opens her mouth and keeps opening it, and keeps opening it and keeps opening it.

Speaker 23 The flesh on her cheeks splits apart, tearing off her face in bloody ribbons, and her lips peel, crack, divide, revealing bleeding gums and crooked yellow teeth.

Speaker 23 She lurches forward and bites down on Chet's head.

Speaker 23 His phone clatters to the floor as his hands flail and his feet scramble nowhere. He looks comical, like a cartoon character gearing up to run and kicking up animated dust underneath him.

Speaker 23 A curtain of shimmering red drapes down the bottom half of his face, his neck, his shoulders. She tilts him up above her, lets gravity do the work.

Speaker 19 Inch by inch,

Speaker 23 she swallows him whole.

Speaker 23 She's at his throat by the time he stops screaming. And after that, she just keeps going, chewing as she goes.
Periodic spurts of blood spraying from her mouth and dotting the ceiling.

Speaker 23 By the time she's at his knees, the soles of my shoes have unstuck themselves from the floor, and I've bolted out the back, past the two brick monoliths, over the creek running along the woods, and into the sea of trees.

Speaker 23 I run so fast and so hard, and with such stupid abandon that I start to get dizzy, and the world tilts.

Speaker 23 There's a drummer in my chest, and he's on coke and crack and meth all at once, and his heart might explode right along with mine.

Speaker 23 The world tilts and spins above me, and for a moment, I think I'm actually gonna pass out.

Speaker 19 Then I'll be eaten.

Speaker 17 Swallowed.

Speaker 23 Shat out next to a chet-shaped pile of crap. So I steady myself against a tree and let my legs buckle beneath me.

Speaker 23 I land in the dirt, make sure to bring my knees up to my chest as soon as I can, but my heart's still going buck wild, and it feels like I'm breathing through a straw.

Speaker 23 Darkness closes in at the edges of my vision. She'll be up on my ass soon, so I force myself to stand, bracing my back against the tree as I rise.

Speaker 23 Then I shift my weight forward, put my hands on my knees. Standing, bent over, breathing heavy.
Best heart rate recovery position.

Speaker 23 It forces more air into your lungs that way, gets that precious oxygen flowing. It's all about breath.
I try not to think about it.

Speaker 38 About her, about Chet.

Speaker 23 Stupid, goofy Chet, who died being a dick, but hadn't always been a dick. Might have moved beyond his dickishness and become a good person again.

Speaker 23 I didn't love him, but I loved his smile. I loved the way he flipped that little curly cue in his hair.

Speaker 23 I loved the way he always brought me popcorn at the movie theaters, even though it was overpriced and he was broke.

Speaker 23 Beautiful, innocent Chet, who had gone and gotten himself eaten with the keys to his car still in his goddamn pockets.

Speaker 14 No car, no beta blockers.

Speaker 23 I have to move. And I have to move now before

Speaker 23 a rustle behind me. Twigs snapping.
Leaves crunching underfoot. It's small at first, then it gets louder and louder, and now I've got my palm over my mouth to stop me breathing so loud.

Speaker 23 I plug my nose too, just in case. My heart's no calm monk.
I'm probably still in the 120-130 range, but I can let my breathing go irregular for a bit and avoid passing out.

Speaker 23 But if it's her, and she sees me, We're in for a sprint, and it won't matter who runs faster. One will fall over, and the other will feast on her sleeping body.
She's breathing heavy,

Speaker 23 deep and strained like you'd imagine a fish would gasp out of water. The high-pitched southern drawl is gone, replaced by a deep, mammalian growl.

Speaker 23 The exhale is wind through a cave, the inhale like air escaping from a tire.

Speaker 23 I listen closely, inching around the tree to avoid her line of sight, keeping the bark between me and her.

Speaker 23 Rounding the tree slowly while my heart goes bullet train inside me. Like aiming a sniper rifle while perched on a washing machine.
But somehow, I make it.

Speaker 23 Can hear the sound of her footsteps receding. Then there's a snap, far off in front of me.
Some squirrel losing his nut or a twig finally coming loose and hitting the ground.

Speaker 23 Behind the tree, behind me, she snarls. Wild simian grunts follow, along with the hoofbeats from hell as she sprints back my way.

Speaker 23 A blur lumbers by me, pale blue arms swinging in both directions, directions, her spindly legs bounding awkwardly in front of her like she hasn't quite figured out how to run yet.

Speaker 23 The drape of tangled, bristly blonde hair looks almost comical, like a wig on a skeleton. She sprints a few yards ahead of me.
10, 20, 30 yards.

Speaker 23 And then she stops dead, lifts her head upward, turning.

Speaker 17 Her eyes are black as coal, jutting from either side of her head.

Speaker 23 Her python mouth moves up and down, flapping softly like she's murmuring to herself. She's even thinner than before.

Speaker 23 Aside from her gut, her belly is massive and distended like a trash bag with too much crap in it. Chet, I tell myself.
Too much chet in it.

Speaker 23 If she looks directly to her right, she'll see me and I'll be dead.

Speaker 17 I slip away slowly.

Speaker 23 keeping my eyes on her as I go. We wander away from one another, her searching in the wrong direction as I back up, slowly, eyes on the shimmering white blur in the distance.

Speaker 23 If she spots me, she'll clear the distance in under 30 seconds.

Speaker 17 But she doesn't spot me.

Speaker 23 And before I know it, she's gone, swallowed by the forest. I stick my thumb in my mouth and blow.
The sound of running water reaches my ears and I follow it back to the creek bed.

Speaker 23 I trace the current until I'm back at the gas station, at the two piles of bricks out back, at the car whose keys are dissolving in stomach acid.

Speaker 23 I could break the windows and fish out my beta blockers, but that would trigger the alarm. I'd have a brief and bloody fight on my hands.
I drink from the creek, splashing the water over my face.

Speaker 19 It's surprisingly cool, but my heart won't behave.

Speaker 23 It's still galloping inside me, missing beats and sending flutters up my chest and into my throat. My left arm hurts, but I tell myself I just pulled a muscle.
Because this isn't how it happens.

Speaker 23 This can't be how it happens. It's a long walk to anywhere.
One direction stretches toward the highway, the other going even deeper into this pocket of nowhere.

Speaker 23 I'll shoot for the highway, follow the road as close as I can, and if she spots me,

Speaker 7 you'll die.

Speaker 23 The voice in my head sounds a lot like Chet.

Speaker 2 She'll dig her teeth into your skull and swallow you.

Speaker 2 Inch by miserable inch.

Speaker 14 I can't outrun her.

Speaker 23 If I try, my heart will fail, and at best, I'll pass out. I can't sneak past her because the only road back home is a straight line back to the main road.
All I can do.

Speaker 23 Old rusty tools litter the tiny back lot behind the gas station. I comb through them until I find a pair of hedge clippers jutting out of the ground.
I yank them out of the dirt.

Speaker 23 Unscrew the center bolt holding them together.

Speaker 17 Two little swords.

Speaker 23 Reasonably sharp.

Speaker 38 Can't run. run.

Speaker 23 Can't hide. Can't stay here and wait for rescue.

Speaker 38 I gotta kill the bitch.

Speaker 23 The thought calms me, somehow. Rocks me into a gentle, dreamlike rhythm.

Speaker 38 I'll kill her.

Speaker 23 It's as cruel and as simple as that. The plan arrives in my head, fully formed and screaming.
Bash the window in and let that alarm go hard as a mother.

Speaker 23 I won't have time to snatch my bag, and besides, beta blockers don't even kick in for a half an hour. But I want her coming my way.
I want her close, and I want it on my terms.

Speaker 23 I'll hide somewhere, and when she comes for the noise, I'll be ready. I'll jam it in her throat, in her skull, in her goddamn heart if I have to.

Speaker 23 I'm still scared shitless, but at least I have something to hold on to. Something to carry me to the end of this thing.
I return to the creek, splash some water on my face.

Speaker 23 Let the cold water drip down my cheeks and my neck. It's simple, Maisie.
Kill her or be killed. Stand and fight the way mom fought.

Speaker 23 She fought for 19 hours of labor, pushing me into the world while her heart collapsed inside her. She fought, so I'll fight too.
I'll fight, and if I die, I die, and that'll be

Speaker 14 a shimmer beneath the water, right at the corner of my eye.

Speaker 23 At first, I think it's a fish, but then I realize it's far too large. Two black eyes stare up at me, flanking a massive mouth and rows of crooked, dagger-like teeth.

Speaker 23 A trail of white hair flows beneath it, ebbing with the water.

Speaker 17 A halo of dirty blonde.

Speaker 23 Its spindly arms lash out from beneath the water, wrapping around my hips. Wet claws tear through my jeans and dig into my skin, and I'm being pulled under, hips first, into the water.

Speaker 23 My legs slip out from under me, and I kick at her, the heels of my shoes slamming into her face. I reach for one of my makeshift knives, discard it along the bank.

Speaker 23 Her face emerges from the water, glistening pale, and those god-awful jaws unhinge. Those teeth clamp down on my thigh.
Flesh tears away as she jerks back, red strings of meat flapping between us.

Speaker 23 I've got one of the blades in my hand now, and I bring it down hard, stabbing in every direction, just trying to hit her, any part of her.

Speaker 23 She screams. It sounds like breaks that don't work right.

Speaker 23 And then she's back in the water, a mouthful of me dangling from her lips. I watch the pale, fish-like body slither away beneath the surface of the creek, fleeing downriver.

Speaker 23 And I crawl away, fighting for every miserable inch. My leg doesn't even hurt.
It's just cold. I leave a dark red trail behind me.
She tore out my femoral artery.

Speaker 23 And now it's painting the dirt red like a rogue fire hose.

Speaker 19 I'm going to die.

Speaker 23 I don't even know how. But I managed to make it to the front of the gas station.
The sun's getting low. I lean against the side, gasping gasping for air like I'm breathing through barbed wire.

Speaker 38 I'm going to die.

Speaker 23 I stay conscious longer than I expect to. I've lost so much blood that I can practically feel the color leaving my face.

Speaker 23 My brain floods with tourniquet how-to videos, but none of them account for the fact that my leg is fucking gone.

Speaker 14 That I'm all alone.

Speaker 23 That I can barely hold my head up and that everything's going dark at the edges.

Speaker 38 I'm going to die.

Speaker 23 And there she is. Right on queue, walking through the stark sunlight.
She looks almost phony, like some shit from a movie set, rubber suit squeaking with the effort of movement.

Speaker 23 Her feet are webbed, just like her hands, and pulsating slivers of red glisten on her neck. Her stomach is still huge and distended, still filled with chet.

Speaker 23 She looks down on me. Those black eyes filled now with more curiosity than rage.
A bloody scar cuts across her face, a river of blood running down her left jowl.

Speaker 23 She's breathing heavy, and chunks of meat, chunks of me, dangle out of her open mouth, fibers of bloody muscle tissue caught in her teeth. I'm going to die.

Speaker 19 Maybe my heart will go out before she can eat me.

Speaker 23 Maybe I'll go into cardiac arrest and die clean, here on the ground with my skin still stuck to my bones.

Speaker 17 But my heart is quiet.

Speaker 14 Steady.

Speaker 17 What are the odds of that?

Speaker 23 It's almost comical. Maybe it's because I've lost so much blood and my whole system is going into shutdown mode.

Speaker 19 But maybe it's because I'm calm.

Speaker 23 And my heart is calm with me. Nothing bad can happen to me anymore.
Tomorrow can't hurt me because today already has. In a way, I'm safer than I've ever been.

Speaker 23 I might as well be an old woman on her deathbed, watching the sunlight dim behind the window. I might as well be dead already.

Speaker 38 I'm going to die. I'm dead.

Speaker 23 I'm already gone.

Speaker 39 And because you can either laugh or cry, I go for the giggles.

Speaker 23 They burst out of me like vomit. Involuntary at first, but God, doesn't it feel good to laugh? It's a relief.
I'm dead. I'm dead.
I'm dead. Nothing can hurt me anymore because I'm dead.

Speaker 23 I bow over, laughing. A real work-the-abs laugh, hand over my chest and the quiet heart it houses.

Speaker 23 She starts to laugh with me.

Speaker 23 At first, I think she's choking on something, but then I see that shark-like smile curl up toward her ears, and she throws back her head and it sounds like a car that won't quite turn over.

Speaker 23 Her chest and her belly bob with the effort, and the bits of bloody meat fly from her mouth as she laughs. Everything's dark now, but I can't stop cackling, and neither can she.

Speaker 17 I've never laughed so hard in my life.

Speaker 17 Our phone lines have been cut.

Speaker 20 The cell signals are lost. But we will return to delve into your darkest hang-ups when the calls will be coming from inside your house.

Speaker 20 The No Sleep Podcast is presented by Creative Reason Media. The musical score was composed by Brendan Boone.

Speaker 20 Our production team is Phil Michalski, Jeff Clement, and Jesse Cornett. Our editorial team is Jessica McAvoy and Ashley McAnelly.

Speaker 20 To discover how you can get even more sleepless horror stories from us, just visit sleepless.thenosleeppodcast.com to learn about the sleepless sanctuary.

Speaker 20 Add free extended episodes each week and lots of bonus content for the dark hours, all for one low monthly price.

Speaker 20 On behalf of everyone at the No Sleep Podcast, we thank you for taking our nightmarish calls.

Speaker 20 This audio program is copyright 2024 and 2025 by Creative Reason Media Inc. All rights reserved.
The copyrights for each story are held by the respective authors.

Speaker 20 No duplication or reproduction of this audio program is permitted without the written consent of Creative Raisin Media Inc.

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