S23 Ep19: NoSleep Podcast S23E19

Speaker 1 WNSP

Speaker 5 Welcome back to The Darkness of the Night, WNSP's overnight programming.

Speaker 6 DC here with you as we enter hour three of our program.

Speaker 7 And yes, it's still raining out there.

Speaker 8 And as much as we're used to our fair share of rain here in Cryptid Valley, This storm has been torrential.

Speaker 4 And looking at the radar, it doesn't look like it's gonna let up anytime soon.

Speaker 11 I just hope the storm drains can handle it.

Speaker 7 And I also hope there's no Ratman living in them.

Speaker 12 Oh, surely you know about the Ratman?

Speaker 13 He was spotted in the main rainwater runoff tunnel near

Speaker 6 people.

Speaker 7 Brothers saw a creature they say was large, covered in black fur, and with huge hands it used to pull itself through the tunnel towards them.

Speaker 7 The brothers ran off, but returned the next night better equipped for another encounter.

Speaker 10 But the rat man was never seen again.

Speaker 15 Let's hope he hasn't made his way to Cryptid Valley.

Speaker 16 We don't need anything blocking our storm drains.

Speaker 2 And as the water keeps flowing, I think it's time to get some horror flowing for you.

Speaker 20 So enjoy this new episode of Horror Stories from our friends at the No Sleep Podcast.

Speaker 7 A rustle of the leaves.

Speaker 15 A fleeting movement at the edge of your vision.

Speaker 23 How often have you walked a forest trail at dusk, only to feel the unmistakable sensation that something unseen is watching you?

Speaker 28 For centuries, humans have populated the darkness with creatures of legend whose existence remains unproven, yet whose presence is undeniable in the whispered tales of those who dare venture too deep into the wild of the wild.

Speaker 29 Brace yourself for the No Sleep Podcast.

Speaker 13 Welcome to the No Sleep Podcast.

Speaker 30 I'm your host, David Cummings.

Speaker 30 How about this weather, huh?

Speaker 32 Hmm, you're thinking, after 15 years, Cummings has run out of things to talk about.

Speaker 31 No, no, it's not that.

Speaker 30 But recently, a lot of people in our audience have dealt with some unusual weather.

Speaker 33 Snow down south, lots of wind and rain in other places.

Speaker 32 Somewhat strange weather for this time of the year.

Speaker 30 So, I was just curious if you've been weathering some storms lately.

Speaker 30 And if you're looking for a deluge of podcast recommendations, I have a couple for you.

Speaker 32 The first will be featured on November 19th.

Speaker 13 We're going to do a feed drop in our free feed with an episode from the new podcast, Conversations with Ghosts.

Speaker 32 It's from the same team that brought you Archive 81.

Speaker 33 It's all about loss, history, and the things we leave behind.

Speaker 32 So check the show out now and be sure to check out the episode we'll share with you on Wednesday.

Speaker 31 The other podcast podcast recommendation is from the team behind Mailtopia and Gentlemen from Hell.

Speaker 33 It's called Burned by a Paper Sun,

Speaker 30 a horror anthology podcast featuring stories that can be standalone or interconnected, often involving unsettling characters and situations.

Speaker 10 Here's a short trailer for Burned by a Paper Sun.

Speaker 37 After the great darkness of 1999, shadows tore free from their casters, and the night began to walk.

Speaker 18 Humanity, broken, trembling, and half mad, clings to the last scraps of light as cosmic horrors whisper their soul-shattering truths.

Speaker 37 Across the wasteland of a ruined world, relics of nightmares linger. A tower of teeth piercing a bruised sky.

Speaker 37 Forests forever trapped in autumn, murmuring in their sleep, and stars that no longer burn, but stare hungry wicked and waiting this is the post-noctom world where nightmares survive sleep and madness runs like rivers check out burned by a paper sun a new horror anthology wherever you get your podcasts enter the darkness

Speaker 33 Be sure to find Conversations with Ghosts and Burned by a Paper Sun now, wherever you get your podcasts, or check the show notes for links.

Speaker 2 Both shows are highly recommended.

Speaker 33 And so, as I was saying, storms can whip up in our lives in many different forms.

Speaker 7 From bad weather to the maelstroms of life's rough waters, we all have to deal with these dark times.

Speaker 13 And the episode this week features tales about people who are looking for refuge from the storms, both real and metaphorical.

Speaker 30 So grab that umbrella and put on your boots.

Speaker 9 You'll want to be as warm and dry as you can as you tune in, turn on, and brace yourself for our sleepless tales.

Speaker 42 In our first tale, we meet a man who is lamenting the rain.

Speaker 34 So much rain.

Speaker 35 Not the cozy romantic rain, but the incessant kind.

Speaker 34 And in this tale, shared with us by author Caleb Greenfield, the man soon reaches his limit on that never-ending rain. He's ready to go outside and deal with it once and for all.

Speaker 13 Performing this tale are Kyle Akers and Jesse Cornett.

Speaker 43 So the old song might ask, who stops it?

Speaker 32 But we have no answers when it comes to the rain.

Speaker 19 It is always raining.

Speaker 46 I don't know how many days it's been now.

Speaker 46 Or maybe it's been a matter of hours.

Speaker 46 Minutes, even?

Speaker 46 I don't know. All I know is that the deep, mind-numbingly repetitive tap, tap, tap of the rain against every surface has drilled its way into my skull.
It It will never, ever leave me.

Speaker 46 Sometimes I can escape it, steal a few hours of sleep, but even in my dreams, it's there.

Speaker 46 To the point I can no longer tell whether I'm awake. I don't know what I did to deserve this.

Speaker 46 The power's been out since the first time I woke up. My phone must not have charged very long before it went out.
because it's been dead the entire time. I can't hear any of my neighbors.

Speaker 46 Not even the man above me who has a revolving door of sexual partners. Or the couple below me whose young child cries incessantly throughout the night.
I am completely alone in the world.

Speaker 46 There is only the rain.

Speaker 46 Sometimes I can hear the distant rumble of thunder, but in the end, the only constant is the tap, tap, tap of the rain.

Speaker 46 When I first woke up, I assumed it was before dawn, so I laid back down after doing my business and tried to focus on stealing a few more hours of sleep.

Speaker 46 The constant slap and patter of the rain made my heart race more than I'd like to admit, the fear closing like a vice around me. But eventually, I did manage to drift off.

Speaker 46 It was still dark when I woke up again.

Speaker 49 Okay, I thought.

Speaker 46 Maybe I just didn't sleep that long. After a few more repeats, I realized something wasn't right.
There was no way it could still be nighttime. I thought about knocking on Mrs.

Speaker 46 Hendrix's door, asking her if her power was out too.

Speaker 46 Surely it had to be, since every apartment in the building was hooked up to the same grid, you see.

Speaker 12 But decided against it.

Speaker 46 This was my off weekend at work, and damn it, I wasn't leaving my apartment unless I absolutely had to.

Speaker 46 And so, with nothing else to do, I went back to sleep. I don't know how many times I've woken up now to the goddamn rain pounding against the building.
It's there.

Speaker 38 It's there.

Speaker 50 It's there, and it won't leave me alone.

Speaker 46 No matter where I go in my home, the rain follows. Sounding for all the world like it's about to break through my ceiling.
Even in the rooms without windows, I can hear it.

Speaker 46 And I swear to God, it sounds louder, like it's angry that I try to slip away from it. I've started trying to count the seconds.
Minutes.

Speaker 46 Hours, but I always lose track. The steady assault of the rain always breaks through.

Speaker 46 Always.

Speaker 46 Always, always.

Speaker 46 It is always raining.

Speaker 2 I tried to leave once.

Speaker 46 I stepped outside my door, expecting to find myself in the dark, familiar hallway of my apartment building. But I found myself in an almost pitch-black meadow.

Speaker 46 Ice-cold rain lashed against me and stung my skin. And I was soaked to the bone in seconds.

Speaker 46 I turned to go back inside, but there was nothing around me me but mud and grass, and the trees circling me, bowing and creaking in the wind, and the sound of the rain. Still tap, tap, tapping away.

Speaker 46 The wind hit me in gusts that threatened to knock me over, driving the rain hungrily towards my flesh.

Speaker 38 And I felt like it finally had what it wanted. It had me.

Speaker 46 I don't know how long I stood there in that half-drowned meadow. The never-ending rain pelting against me with a ferocity and malice malice that almost made it feel alive.

Speaker 46 Predatory.

Speaker 46 After a while, I forced my stiff legs awake and started walking. The only sound was the spattering of the rain and the squish of my bare feet through the mud.

Speaker 46 Despite the fact that the tree line couldn't have been more than a minute's walk ahead of me, I swore I walked for hours and it never got closer. I started running.

Speaker 46 Sprinting, until my legs ached and my lungs burned, and I stumbled over my feet and still the tree line seemed no closer.

Speaker 46 Shadows began to emerge, peeking around the corners of the trunks and giggling to each other. I couldn't hear their taunts over the sound of the rain, but I had the idea that they were talking to me.

Speaker 46 I don't know what planted the idea, but I was convinced they must have put me here. They must have started the rain.

Speaker 46 I must have screamed myself hoarse, hurling pleas and then insults and eventually threats at them.

Speaker 46 At first they showed no sign that they had heard me, although I swear their shapes began to swell and bulge as if they were feeding on my words.

Speaker 46 Eventually though, they turned those ever-shifting faces towards me.

Speaker 46 They had no eyes or mouths or noses to speak of, but I got the distinct, crawling feeling they were looking at me and that they hated me. They crossed the clearing in their lumbering sort of way.

Speaker 46 Not quite walking, but giving the impression of doing so. I realized out of nowhere that I had stopped walking.
Had I even been walking in the first place?

Speaker 46 I couldn't move. Some combination of fear and awe paralyzing me as they drew nearer.
One of them at last reaching out a not-quite hand.

Speaker 46 Its fingers dug into my jaw, cold and clammy. And still the rain pelted the both of us.
But it didn't seem to feel the assault.

Speaker 46 It leaned in close, its voice the hiss hiss of rain through a drain pipe.

Speaker 46 Don't try

Speaker 46 if you can.

Speaker 46 When I woke up, it was still raining.

Speaker 9 WNSP will return after a word from our sponsors.

Speaker 6 You want longer episodes, no ads, and lots of bonus content?

Speaker 51 Find out more at sleepless.thenosleeppodcast.com.

Speaker 10 This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp.

Speaker 3 Seasons are changing, and the days are growing darker sooner.

Speaker 13 And while that's great for horror stories, it can be a tough time for many.

Speaker 13 This November, BetterHelp is encouraging everyone to reach out, check in on friends, reconnect with loved ones, and remind the people in your life that you're there.

Speaker 13 Just as it can take a little courage to send that message to someone you haven't seen in a while, reaching out for therapy can feel difficult too.

Speaker 45 But it's worth it.

Speaker 2 And it almost always leaves people wondering, why didn't I do this sooner?

Speaker 15 Trust me, keeping in touch with others pays dividends dividends you might not expect.

Speaker 10 Just like therapy.

Speaker 13 BetterHelp therapists work according to a strict code of conduct and are fully licensed in the U.S.

Speaker 13 With over 30,000 therapists, BetterHelp is one of the world's largest online therapy platforms, having served over 5 million people globally.

Speaker 15 And it works, with an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 for a live session based on over 1.7 million client reviews.

Speaker 8 This month, don't wait to reach out.

Speaker 31 Whether you're checking in on a friend or reaching out to a therapist yourself, BetterHelp makes it easier to take that first step.

Speaker 13 No sleep listeners get 10% off their first month at betterhelp.com/slash no sleep.

Speaker 52 That's betterhelp.com/slash no sleep.

Speaker 21 Thanks, BetterHelp, for your continued support.

Speaker 3 Now, back to WNSP's presentation of the No Sleep Podcast.

Speaker 30 If the weather's turning bad and you don't want to go out, you can always order in some food for delivery.

Speaker 33 Well, you could, but try to have some sympathy for the poor delivery person.

Speaker 13 And as we'll learn in this tale, Shared with us by author Barry Pirow, Jason's desire for food in the midst of a blizzard doesn't seem quite right, especially to all the people asking him to let them in.

Speaker 10 Performing this tale are Matthew Bradford, Mike Delgadio, Dan Zapula, Nicole Goodnight, Graham Rowett, Wafia White, Aaron Lillis, and Jesse Cornette.

Speaker 34 So throw some pizza pockets in the micro if you're hungry.

Speaker 53 When it's storming out, don't try to get takeout.

Speaker 54 It's going to be blisteringly cold tonight, and we can expect some heavy winds and up to a foot of snow overnight in parts of Bayfield, with the heaviest snow coming in tomorrow.

Speaker 54 The state police are advising everyone to stay indoors tonight, as driving will be treacherous.

Speaker 54 As you know, in this part of the world, we're just not equipped for this kind of snow, so we don't have the apparatus to keep the roads clear.

Speaker 55 Yeah, I hear it's supposed to be really bad tonight. Thanks for still taking orders.

Speaker 56 No What can I get for you?

Speaker 55 Okay, I'll have an eggplant parmesan hero and a side of garlic nuts.

Speaker 57 It comes with a salad. What kind of dressing?

Speaker 55 Uh, do you have blue cheese?

Speaker 57 Yeah, we can do that for you. So we got uh one eggplant palm hero, one order of our delectable garlic knots, and a side salad of blue cheese.
Anything else?

Speaker 55 No, that's it.

Speaker 57 Want a drink with that?

Speaker 56 We get orange crush, seven up, Pepsi, diet Pepsi, you name it.

Speaker 55 No, I am all good.

Speaker 56 And just your first name, phone number, and address, please.

Speaker 55 First name is Jason. My cell number is 425-6670.
The address is 37 Ridgewood Place. There's a call box in the lobby, so just tell your delivery guy to ring apartment 3C and I'll buzz him in.

Speaker 38 You got it, boss.

Speaker 57 Give us about

Speaker 57 45 minutes, maybe a little longer.

Speaker 56 It'll be soon, but everyone's out there ordering because of the snow.

Speaker 57 There's a lot of hungry people out there tonight, believe you me.

Speaker 18 Yeah, I'm sure there is.

Speaker 55 Yes, nobody wants to go out to dinner on a night like this, right? And uh, I'm one of them. Anyway, thanks, and I'll keep an ear out for your delivery guy.

Speaker 55 Yeah, and uh, good luck with the storm.

Speaker 58 Yeah, thanks, bud. Take care.

Speaker 55 Okay, thanks. Bye.

Speaker 55 Hello? Hey, sweetie. How's my honey doing?

Speaker 59 Jason, I didn't think I'd hit on you this early.

Speaker 57 Did you get out of work early?

Speaker 55 Yeah, this storm's supposed to be really bad, so they sent everybody home at four. I ran out to the grocery store to pick up a few things, but uh, stupid me forgot to get something for dinner.

Speaker 55 Oh, but the place was a zoo, too. I mean, why the hell do people buy bottled water during snowstorms, anyways?

Speaker 10 I never get that.

Speaker 59 Yeah, the water thing is a mystery to me, too. How's the snow there?

Speaker 55 Well, I'm looking out the window. It's pretty dark out, but the parking lights are on, and I don't see much coming down yet.
Just a few flakes, but it's really windy.

Speaker 55 I just ordered takeout, and the pizza guy told me me it's supposed to start pretty soon here. Yeah, how's it by you? Any snow yet?

Speaker 59 My god, yeah, it's really coming down and the wind is crazy. I think we're supposed to get about a foot tonight, then another two feet tomorrow.
I wish you lived closer.

Speaker 59 Hey, maybe I'll come over tonight and we can keep each other nice and warm during the storm. Snuggle up under the blankets as nature intended, you know, ring in the storm in style.

Speaker 57 It'd be a lot of fun.

Speaker 26 Yeah, that would be amazing.

Speaker 55 And you know, I'd love nothing more than to spend the night naked with you riding up the snowstorm. No pun intended.
But

Speaker 55 as tempting as a proposition, it is. No, I don't want you making the hour drive over here tonight in this weather.

Speaker 55 It'd probably take you double that to get here on a night like this, and even if you don't slide off the road and land in a ditch.

Speaker 59 Are you saying I'm a bad driver?

Speaker 7 No, no, no, no.

Speaker 26 Well, yeah, but...

Speaker 57 Jason!

Speaker 55 Come on, you know I'm only joking.

Speaker 26 You're a great driver.

Speaker 55 Every time I get in the car with you and speed around those hairpin turns, I think it'll be my last day on Earth. But no, you...
you always prove me wrong.

Speaker 55 I survived the trip every time, and I emerged very shaken, slightly more religious, and grateful that I'll live to see another day, in spite of your driving.

Speaker 57 Oh, you.

Speaker 10 Okay.

Speaker 55 No, but seriously, though, not only will the roads be shit tonight, but if you did come over, you'd have to drive back early tomorrow morning to take care of your grandma. Myrna, right?

Speaker 55 Is that her name?

Speaker 57 Yeah, Myrna Voyd.

Speaker 55 Hey, wasn't that an old movie actress?

Speaker 59 That's Myrna Voy. My great-grandparents were big movie fans, so they gave my grandmother that name because it sounded like the movie stars.

Speaker 55 That's so funny. How's she doing, by the way?

Speaker 57 Grandma? Oh, she's as good as she is.

Speaker 59 That's the best I can say about her. She forgets where she is sometimes.
She's always singing these old songs she used to know from her childhood.

Speaker 59 Moonlight Bay is her favorite, and sometimes she thinks I'm her sister who died 30 years ago, but it's okay.

Speaker 59 She's pretty lucid half the time. Luckily, someone's there with her during the week.
I just have to stay with her on Saturdays to make sure she doesn't wander off. Poor grandma, she's really sweet.

Speaker 59 Hey, maybe you can stop by tomorrow. My sister's supposed to give me a break at around noon.
We could go out and grab some lunch or something.

Speaker 55 I'd love to. You know that, but I can't.
You know how shitty my car is in the snow. Besides, I gotta go into work for a while tomorrow afternoon.
I just hope the roads are plowed by that.

Speaker 59 I can't believe they're asking you to work on a Saturday.

Speaker 55 Well, I guess that's why they pay me the big bucks.

Speaker 60 Yeah, right.

Speaker 59 Oh, I wanted to tell you. My parents asked us over for lunch next weekend.
Do you think you can come? They're having a party for my sister because her birthday's the following Wednesday, but

Speaker 55 yo, hold on a minute. There's somebody at the door.

Speaker 57 Who is it?

Speaker 55 I don't know. I didn't check the lobby camera yet.

Speaker 2 Hold on a minute.

Speaker 55 I wish they'd put in a bigger screen for the lobby monitor this thing is about the size of my iPhone it always takes a second for it to come on

Speaker 52 yo okay there it goes

Speaker 55 okay it's just some guy I wonder what he wants

Speaker 55 hello can I help you Zabelles take out delivery Zabelis for real I just called a few minutes ago Yeah, well, with the snow on the way, they're rushing all the deliveries.

Speaker 64 Dude, no, that's impossible.

Speaker 55 Zabelli says at least a 30-minute drive from here. They couldn't have even made the food yet, man.

Speaker 55 I literally just got off the phone with the place like two minutes ago, and the guy who took my order said my delivery would take at least 45 minutes. Um, are you sure you have the right address?

Speaker 63 Are you Jason? 37 Ridgewood Place, apartment 3C?

Speaker 55 Yeah, yeah, that's that's right, but no, that can't be my food, dude. That it must be somebody else's order.
You can't have driven all that way over here in that little time.

Speaker 63 Phone numbers 425-6670?

Speaker 55 Yes, but I'm telling you, that can't be my food, man. They must have given you the wrong information or something.

Speaker 63 Listen, the order has your name and address. I have an order here for an eggplant hero and garlic knots, plus a side salad with blue cheese dressing.
Come on, man. I'm freezing my ass off down here.

Speaker 63 Just buzz me in and take your food. I gotta get back.

Speaker 53 Okay, okay, okay.

Speaker 55 Where's the bag?

Speaker 58 What do you mean?

Speaker 56 What bag?

Speaker 55 The bag of food, man. If you're from Tibeli's, where's the food?

Speaker 54 I got it right here.

Speaker 55 Listen, I don't know what kind of shit you're trying to pull, but I have you on the lobby camera and I can see you're not holding a bag of food.

Speaker 56 I...

Speaker 56 put it down, all right?

Speaker 63 But it's here.

Speaker 56 Come on, open the door.

Speaker 63 I have a bunch of other deliveries to get to before the snow starts.

Speaker 55 Buddy, I can see all the way down to your feet, and there's no bag of food there. And also, who's that standing behind you?

Speaker 65 Behind me?

Speaker 56 There's nobody behind me. And I have your food right here.

Speaker 63 Now just buzz me in.

Speaker 65 Jeez.

Speaker 55 I can see a woman standing behind you by the door with her back to the kid.

Speaker 10 Look, hold on.

Speaker 55 I'm gonna call Zabellis and straighten this out. Oh, Lauren, are you hearing this? I'll call you back in a minute.
I gotta call the pizza place.

Speaker 57 What's going on?

Speaker 55 Nothing. Just some joker at the door who says he's from Zabellis.
I gotta go. I have to call them and see what's going on.

Speaker 66 Okay, call me back.

Speaker 67 All right.

Speaker 40 Bye, hun.

Speaker 55 Damn, guess they are getting a lot of orders tonight. Must be a lot of hungry people, just like you said.
Damn, snowstorm.

Speaker 55 Hey man, I just called Zabelli's, but the number is busy. I'll try them in a few minutes.
Why don't you just go back with the food?

Speaker 10 It and hey, what the where the hell did he go?

Speaker 18 Huh?

Speaker 55 Guess he just gave up and left.

Speaker 18 Thank God for that.

Speaker 55 Oh, I almost forgot. I better call Lauren back.

Speaker 68 Zabelli's takeout delivery.

Speaker 55 Hey, how did you get in the building?

Speaker 68 What do you mean, how did I get in?

Speaker 63 This is apartment 3C, right?

Speaker 68 Jason, you ordered an eggplant parm hero and garlic nuts, side salad with blue cheese?

Speaker 55 How the hell did you get in the building? Did someone buzz you in?

Speaker 68 Listen, pal, I don't know what you're talking about. I just got here.
I gotta drop off this food and get going. And your bill comes to $24.98.
I'll take cash or Venmo.

Speaker 68 Now, would you please open the door?

Speaker 9 Shit. Now what?

Speaker 69 Lauren.

Speaker 55 Lauren, is that you?

Speaker 59 Jason, of course it's me. Let me in.
I drove all the way over to see you. The roads are shit, but I didn't want you to be alone tonight.

Speaker 55 But no, you couldn't have driven here, Lauren. I just talked to you, and you live an hour away.

Speaker 59 What are you talking about?

Speaker 59 Just let me in i told you i wanted to come over and keep you warm why don't you buzz me in then get undressed and get into bed i'll be right up to snuggle up next to you after i get all these wet clothes off come on buzz me in

Speaker 68 hey jason it's a belly's delivery listen if you don't open the door i'm gonna get in a lot of trouble I have your order here, and I have to drop it off and collect the money or I'm screwed, okay?

Speaker 68 You want to get me fired?

Speaker 55 I'm not letting you in. Take the food food back, okay? Tell them to call me and I'll pay for it over the phone, but I'm not opening this door.
You hear?

Speaker 66 Jason, let me in. Look at me.
I'm soaked from the snow.

Speaker 59 Buzz me in so I can come up and take these wet clothes off and get in bed with you.

Speaker 66 I came all the way to see you. Why won't you let me in?

Speaker 55 Lauren or whoever you are, no, I'm not letting you in. Just go away.

Speaker 68 Jason, it's the belly's pizza of your goddamn delivery here. Eggplant Parm Hero garlic nuts, salad with blue cheese pressing.
Come on, open the door and take your food for Christ's sake.

Speaker 55 God, this is fucked. What the hell is going on here? It's just too weird.

Speaker 46 911, what's your emergency?

Speaker 55 My name is Jason Lang. I'm at 37 Ridgewood Place, Apartment 3C.
Look, someone is trying to break into my apartment. I need you to send someone over right away.

Speaker 32 You said someone broke into your apartment, sir?

Speaker 47 Are you in a safe place?

Speaker 55 No, no, they're not in my apartment. They're trying to get in.

Speaker 59 How are they trying to get into your apartment, sir?

Speaker 55 There's this guy. First, he was in the lobby.
Now he keeps banging on my apartment door, telling me to let him in. He says he's the pizza delivery guy, but I know he isn't.
I mean,

Speaker 65 it can't.

Speaker 55 be him now just please send someone over have you been drinking or doing any kind of drugs sir?

Speaker 55 What? No, no, I'm telling you, there's this guy, and he's pounding on the door trying to get in.

Speaker 55 There, there, there, there it is. Can you hear it? He won't go away, and there's this girl in the lobby trying to get in, too.
She looks like my girlfriend, but she isn't.

Speaker 55 I mean, it's not, it's not really her. I think they're in on this together.
You have to send someone over right away, please. You got it, boss.
We'll send an officer over as soon as we can.

Speaker 55 Give us about 45 minutes. He'd be there sooner, but everyone's ordering takeout because of the snow.
Hey, what was that order again? Oh, yeah, I got it here. Uh, neck plant palm hero and garlic knots.

Speaker 28 Uh, that right? Anything else you want to drink with that?

Speaker 56 We got uh orange crush, seven up, Pepsi, diet, Pepsi, you name it.

Speaker 55 What the fuck is going on here?

Speaker 68 Jason, it's the belly's takeout delivery. Let me in and take your goddamn food.
I have to get back and make more deliveries. You think you're the only one who wants to eat tonight?

Speaker 66 Jason, buzz me up.

Speaker 59 I came all this way. I have to get out of these clothes and snuggle up next to your naked body.

Speaker 66 Come on, buzz me in.

Speaker 56 We'd be there sooner, but everyone's ordering takeout because of the snow.

Speaker 57 A lot of hungry people out there tonight, pal.

Speaker 60 A lot of hungry people.

Speaker 56 All right, let's see. We got one eggplant, Bom Hero, garlic knots, and a side salad with.

Speaker 55 What's that sound? What's that tapping sound at the window?

Speaker 28 Jason,

Speaker 72 open the window. It's Myrna.

Speaker 72 Myrna Lloyd, Lauren's grandma.

Speaker 52 It's awfully cold out here.

Speaker 28 Let me in.

Speaker 72 My lord, the snow is mighty heavy tonight.

Speaker 72 And this wind

Speaker 72 open the windows so I can come in and get out of these clothes. Then the two of us can snuggle up to each other naked in bed.

Speaker 73 We were saving us.

Speaker 1 You could hear their voicings ring.

Speaker 1 It's so cold out.

Speaker 1 They seem to say.

Speaker 57 See, we got one ex-plant farm hero, Charlotte Knox.

Speaker 1 the door. And we'd be there sooner, but everyone will really clean out tonight because of the smell.

Speaker 1 A lot of hungry people out there tonight. A lot of hungry people.

Speaker 60 See, we got one X Lant Farm Hero.

Speaker 53 Garlic Knots and a ton of salads.

Speaker 53 Jason, open the window.

Speaker 1 Open the window.

Speaker 68 Mr. Lang.

Speaker 64 Mr.

Speaker 74 Lang, it's the Bayfield Police. Are you okay, Mr.
Lang?

Speaker 68 Open the door, please.

Speaker 74 We know you said there was someone trying to get in your apartment, but you're safe now.

Speaker 64 There's no one in the hallway.

Speaker 74 I have another officer down here in the lobby, keeping an eye on the entrance just in case they try to come back.

Speaker 75 Open the door, please.

Speaker 76 We were sailing along

Speaker 73 on moonlight bay

Speaker 73 We could hear the voices ring

Speaker 73 They seem to say

Speaker 73 You have stolen her love

Speaker 77 Now don't go away

Speaker 72 I know you're all hungry on a night like this, but save some for me.

Speaker 16 Oh, what a nice, juicy young man.

Speaker 72 Scoop out some of the giblets for me, will you, honey?

Speaker 72 Oh, thank you, dear.

Speaker 47 My favorite part.

Speaker 9 WNSP will return after a word from our sponsors.

Speaker 2 You want longer episodes, no ads, and lots of bonus content?

Speaker 7 Find out more at sleepless.thenosleeppodcast.com.

Speaker 20 Let's agree on this. Everyone loves a good scare.

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Speaker 3 Now back to WNSP's presentation of the no sleep podcast.

Speaker 35 When it comes to dealing with weather, sometimes it's the oppressive heat that makes it a challenge, especially if you want to do some exercise outside in South Texas.

Speaker 33 Just like the man we'll meet in this tale, shared with us by author Anthony D.

Speaker 9 Herrera.

Speaker 32 He's trying to lose some weight by walking laps at a local park, but strange circumstances make the endeavor more than just hot.

Speaker 7 It becomes downright shitty.

Speaker 31 Performing this tale are Atticus Jackson and special guest voice voice actors Giancarlo Herrera and Ivy Savage.

Speaker 31 So make sure you choose the right kind of exercising. You don't want to become the shithouse exorcist.

Speaker 40 The chemical toilet in McCarran Park was a 4x4 plastic cuboid affair with an oatmeal gray roof and apple red walls.

Speaker 29 Upon entering, you would immediately find yourself assaulted by an odor that, though the finer notes may vary depending on previous occupants, was a tangible miasma which groped your flesh with sweaty hands and pulled like an oil slick at the back of your throat.

Speaker 79 In the left corner was the toilet proper, whose seat was was invariably soiled, ensuring that only the desperate or depraved ever sat on it.

Speaker 40 The rest of the interior was taken up by a concrete floor that was completely bare, save for a dark, dried splatter stain in the upper right corner.

Speaker 85 The door was kept shut by a flimsy lock that could only have stopped the polite and would offer no safety from the motivated.

Speaker 86 The interior walls were covered in graffiti, about which I will expand upon later.

Speaker 40 Unlike the weathered benches, rusting swing sets, and cracked basketball courts that populated the rest of the park, the chemical toilet had no plaque planted nearby or affixed to its structure.

Speaker 42 These plaques were there to remind you that the monkey bars that drew blood in the water fountain that hasn't worked since 1987 were built in honor of some long-forgotten city councilor or state senator.

Speaker 89 Though it would have been a far more fitting tribute to the likes of such public servants, the chemical toilet was not generally considered by most to be a memorial to anyone.

Speaker 5 But then again, most people didn't know about Grénias, or how he turned that festering shithouse into a monument of pain.

Speaker 43 The road to my enlightenment concerning that cursed toilet began with a fish.

Speaker 89 I had recently started coming to McCarran Park to walk the mile-long track which makes up its perimeter.

Speaker 92 At that point, the spate of personal disasters and a lifetime of poor decisions had found me at the age of 35, living with my mother and weighing 397 pounds.

Speaker 87 With my life seemingly out of control, I chose weight loss as the key to curing my depression.

Speaker 64 And I chose McCarron Park because it was close to my mother's house, which would save on gas money.

Speaker 42 My first attempt to circumnavigate the track was on a Saturday in early October, which in South Texas terms functionally meant late summer.

Speaker 52 I began to sweat and gasp for breath well before the quarter mile mark.

Speaker 23 and would eventually puke on myself from heat exhaustion just after the half mile point.

Speaker 23 But I kept to it, mainly because I had nothing else.

Speaker 2 And by November, I could walk one complete circuit before having to sit and rest.

Speaker 5 That was around the time that I first saw the fish.

Speaker 29 The fish appeared one day lying on the grass next to the trash cans which sat six feet in front of the chemical toilet.

Speaker 40 It was a foot-long large-mouthed bass with greenish-gray scales.

Speaker 89 It had no grill marks or chunks taken out of it, even though one would assume it was barbecue detritus.

Speaker 64 In fact, the fish was perfectly intact and looked quite tasty.

Speaker 84 Being as cash-strapped as I was, I nearly picked it up on that first day to take home to eat.

Speaker 40 Luckily, some part of me realized that consuming a dead fish that had been lying near garbage cans situated in front of a public toilet would more than likely be detrimental to my weight loss, depression, and immune system in general.

Speaker 84 So I passed the fish by on that day.

Speaker 23 The next day, the fish still lay there.

Speaker 88 And again, I passed it on by and would do so again on the third day.

Speaker 41 But on the fourth day, I got to thinking.

Speaker 23 I thought about how strange it was that after four days, the fish had remained untouched.

Speaker 5 It had been ignored not only by the city workers who had recently emptied the trash cans, but also by by the swarms of flies that regularly attacked all scraps of food left behind in the wake of cash-strapped cookouts and birthday parties.

Speaker 5 Even the packs of stray dogs that plagued the park had shown absolutely no interest in the fish.

Speaker 79 There was also the fact that after nearly a week of exposure to high temperatures in the low 80s, the fish showed no signs of decay.

Speaker 80 I became fascinated.

Speaker 84 I sometimes spent up to 20 minutes just staring at the fish, contemplating an explanation.

Speaker 80 Were microplastics keeping the fish unspoiled?

Speaker 21 Was the fish a delusion brought on by a particularly pathetic nervous breakdown?

Speaker 87 Or had the fish somehow achieved a kind of sainthood where the degradations of the grave could not touch it?

Speaker 29 During the two weeks of this fish vigil, I came to realize that I was being watched.

Speaker 48 She lived in one of the houses directly across the street from the park, which afforded her a lovely view of the trash cans and toilet. A Mexican woman of about 80.

Speaker 40 She was skeleton thin with white hair and a toothless mouth.

Speaker 29 She mostly wore an aquamarine house dress and would add or subtract clothing depending on the weather.

Speaker 51 She sat on her porch every day watching the park.

Speaker 5 She didn't move a muscle, and no expression ever crossed her face.

Speaker 40 But I could feel her gaze on me while I was deep in thought about such things as the possible of fish pedification.

Speaker 89 Despite never speaking to her, it felt as though we were sharing the mystery.

Speaker 5 The last day I ever saw the fish was also the first day I heard the whispering.

Speaker 41 I was deep in contemplation, my skin itching under the old woman's stare.

Speaker 88 I was looking looking into the empty, upturned eye of the fish when the usual weekday morning silence was suddenly shattered by a drawn-out

Speaker 88 squeak

Speaker 38 coming from my right.

Speaker 21 When I looked up, I saw the door of the chemical toilet slowly opening.

Speaker 64 Once fully ajar, I could see the toilet was empty.

Speaker 42 Figuring that it had to have been the wind, I was about to return my attention to the fish when I heard it.

Speaker 34 A slithery whisper.

Speaker 5 It was clearly coming from inside that factory of filth, which was clearly unoccupied.

Speaker 23 Had my mind not been scrambled for the past fortnight by constant musings about a miracle fish, I probably would have recognized the danger and fled.

Speaker 65 But at that juncture of my life, I found the whispering alluring rather than alarming.

Speaker 48 Slowly, I crept to the toilet.

Speaker 53 The smell was already unbearable, but it didn't stop me.

Speaker 23 I realized that the whispering was getting clearer as I got closer.

Speaker 88 It was four words being repeated over and over, but it remained distant, like a radio in another room.

Speaker 93 That was the first time I entered the toilet.

Speaker 44 Public facilities on my side of town were never worth bothering with, and the sight of the stain in the corner and the streaks on the toilet seat only confirmed this.

Speaker 40 The smell was so thick, I could taste it.

Speaker 5 My mouth had gone dry, as if my tongue were trying to kill itself rather than process this sensory information.

Speaker 93 I saw the graffiti on the walls.

Speaker 23 It was a mix of street gang tags, swear words and childish sprawl, crude sketches of genitalia, and a phrase that was written six times by different hands.

Speaker 71 Grignas vive.

Speaker 89 But I took all this in peripherally for I could now clearly hear what the whispering was saying.

Speaker 89 Give me your pain.

Speaker 89 Give me your pain.

Speaker 89 Give me your pain.

Speaker 64 The soft hiss was coming from inside the toilet well.

Speaker 2 Against all reason, I leant over to look.

Speaker 50 The mountain of human waste sitting atop a pool of dark chemical blue had me gagging almost immediately.

Speaker 87 But it was the sudden appearance of furious air bubbles rising from that putrid sea that broke me out of whatever trance I was under.

Speaker 29 I tore out of the toilet, gulping as much fresh air as I could, barely holding down the contents of my stomach.

Speaker 44 When I finally got myself under control, I looked up to see the old woman staring impassively as ever.

Speaker 64 And when I looked over to the trash cans,

Speaker 64 the fish was gone.

Speaker 64 It would be a little over a week before I returned to the park.

Speaker 23 Sanity would dictate that my absence would stretch far longer, preferably into eternity.

Speaker 84 But events would soon make that impossible.

Speaker 38 First, there were the dreams.

Speaker 5 They all revolved around what I had seen in the toilet.

Speaker 38 Sometimes the dream centered on an albino hand reaching out of the blue liquid, the white skin unblemished by the chemicals and filth.

Speaker 44 In others, the dream would focus on the mound of shit which would begin to convulse.

Speaker 29 And dozens of jaundiced eyes would suddenly spring open across the rancid mass.

Speaker 79 But even worse was the fact that I could still hear the whispering. Give me your pain.

Speaker 79 Give me your pain. Give me your pain.
Give me your pain.

Speaker 88 It dug into my brain like a noxious melody, constantly repeating.

Speaker 2 Its meanings seemed to alternate with every revolution.

Speaker 40 From threat to plea to promise.

Speaker 84 I had to hum loudly and stomp my feet to drown it out.

Speaker 87 The only peace I ever got were the few blissful seconds after screaming into a pillow where the whispering seemed to vanish, but soon returned, stronger than ever.

Speaker 88 I was losing it so completely that my mother started hiding in her room and locking her door.

Speaker 95 By the fourth day, my need to stop the whispering had turned suicide from an option into an inevitability.

Speaker 90 When I received a text from one of my few friends who who stayed in contact with me.

Speaker 2 Is this the park you go to?

Speaker 50 Read the text, along with a link to a local news story.

Speaker 23 As soon as I clicked it, the whispering seemed to fade into the background until it was as distant as the first time I heard it.

Speaker 2 The report was about a murder that occurred the previous evening.

Speaker 87 A 14-year-old boy who had run away from home was believed to have sought shelter in the chemical toilet when a thunderstorm moved in during the night.

Speaker 23 At some point in the early hours of the morning, he was attacked by an assailant inside the chemical toilet.

Speaker 79 He had been stabbed several times, his face mutilated.

Speaker 87 He wasn't discovered until the afternoon when city workers had come to clean the facility.

Speaker 79 They did briefly mention the fact that the door had to be forced because it was locked from the inside.

Speaker 2 But that was quickly glossed over.

Speaker 23 Stunned, I got on my laptop and went to YouTube to search for any video reports posted by local news stations.

Speaker 80 They all provided essentially the same information, save for the fact that during the live broadcast by the local CBS affiliate, you could clearly hear a passerby scream, Grenjas Vive,

Speaker 44 as the on-scene reporter was wrapping up her story.

Speaker 13 I hadn't given much thought to the phrase Grenas Vive when I first saw it on the walls of the toilet.

Speaker 10 At its most literal, Grenius meant tangle, but was often used as slang for pubic hair.

Speaker 23 So I took the phrase to mean something like, pubic hair lives,

Speaker 51 or

Speaker 65 long live pubes,

Speaker 23 which made about as much sense as anything else sprawled on those walls.

Speaker 87 But I started to have the feeling there was much more to it than that.

Speaker 2 By this point, the whispering had come back full volume.

Speaker 71 It was obvious to me that my future held only two options.

Speaker 41 Insanity and suicide.

Speaker 87 Or face whatever killed that boy.

Speaker 88 Though both options meant death, the second one would at least bring enlightenment.

Speaker 2 But if I was to die, I didn't want to face my murderer in total ignorance.

Speaker 42 I needed to know exactly what I was dealing with.

Speaker 87 Unlike crumbling mansions or abandoned hospitals, there was no dusty tomes or city records detailing the macabre history of park toilets.

Speaker 89 So I would have to go to the only person I knew who would have any expertise on this matter.

Speaker 69 The old woman. As soon as I made the decision to return to the park, the whispering stopped.

Speaker 79 Though it was initially a relief, I knew that if I reneged on my promise, it would soon return and never cease until I did.

Speaker 84 I waited four more days just to be sure there was no longer a police presence.

Speaker 92 I arrived around 5 p.m.

Speaker 75 I parked the ancient Toyota Tercel that had once been my little brother's decades ago and walked out into the first cold and blustery day of the season.

Speaker 2 I tried not to look at the chemical toilet as I passed it.

Speaker 64 But in the periphery of my vision, I could see the remains of caution tape flittering in the wind all around its red walls.

Speaker 42 The woman sat on her porch as usual.

Speaker 79 There was a heavy quilt covering her legs, but her arms remained bare.

Speaker 64 The brown, paper-thin skin covered in liver spots.

Speaker 42 As I approached, I lowered the hood of my jacket and became self-conscious of the food stains on my sweatpants.

Speaker 41 She seemed to stare right past me as I stood before her in silence.

Speaker 44 After several torturously long seconds, I finally managed to blurt out.

Speaker 38 Uh

Speaker 40 hello?

Speaker 10 Um Mahim?

Speaker 45 There was no response.

Speaker 42 She simply continued staring.

Speaker 44 And I tried a few more half-hearted greetings before finally concluding that she hadn't been watching me at all.

Speaker 23 Her eyes may have been open, but she couldn't comprehend a thing.

Speaker 87 I was about to turn and go when suddenly she spoke.

Speaker 87 Grinjas.

Speaker 93 Grenias? Yes.

Speaker 87 What is Grenias?

Speaker 98 Grenias.

Speaker 98 A soul of sorrow.

Speaker 99 A heart of violence.

Speaker 98 A stranger, he came one day, lived in the ditches, slept on the benches, ate from the trash. He could hear the angels cry and the demons sing.
He screamed, he screamed, he screamed.

Speaker 98 His hair a jungle, nuts covered in bogs. He had no name.
We christened him Grenias.

Speaker 98 Pets disappeared. Blood on the trees.
Jesus forgives.

Speaker 84 She paused to swallow and smack her lips absently.

Speaker 98 The freeze came. No power.

Speaker 89 Deep cold.

Speaker 98 Texas hell. We were lost.
Grenias went to the toilet to escape the wind and the snow. It would not save him.
Death was coming. He took a knife, stabbed himself.
Kidneys, lungs, heart.

Speaker 98 He died by his hand, not God's plan. Frozen.

Speaker 98 Snow melted, body taken. But he remained.
That is his house. That is his pain.

Speaker 90 Very slowly, her head began to move.

Speaker 41 and she looked right at me.

Speaker 98 Give him your pain, fat man.

Speaker 41 Then she went back to staring into space.

Speaker 67 Now that I knew who my killer was, I returned to my car and waited.

Speaker 84 The only thing that kept me company was the whispering,

Speaker 80 which had returned.

Speaker 2 At 11 p.m., when the park officially closed, I made my way to the chemical toilet.

Speaker 82 It felt so much colder than the 45 degrees that my phone was claiming.

Speaker 5 The wind ripped straight through my jacket and sweatpants.

Speaker 64 Even my layers of fat couldn't hold the sting of the icy night at bay.

Speaker 2 I began to run,

Speaker 79 some foolish part of me certain that it would be warmer once I was inside the toilet.

Speaker 51 When I opened the door, I could see the boy's bloodstains dried to the concrete.

Speaker 23 They were the same color as the stain in the corner, and I realized that Grinius' suicide had been its source.

Speaker 82 The facilities were as disgusting as my last visit, so I chose the least offensive corner near the door and sat.

Speaker 2 When I leaned against the wall, the whole structure seemed to shift, but soon settled.

Speaker 41 I locked the door just to be safe.

Speaker 94 Though I had expected something to happen by midnight, it was already 1 a.m.

Speaker 29 when I started to get sleepy.

Speaker 64 The whispering had taken on a soothing quality, almost like a lullaby.

Speaker 82 Those four words were stretched and softened until they were like silk gently caressing my brain.

Speaker 23 I nodded a few times before finally succumbing.

Speaker 41 I dreamt of a garbage dump blanketed in snow beneath a sunless cobalt blue sky.

Speaker 42 All around me, the discarded remnants of human existence seemed to shiver before shattering into pieces.

Speaker 2 Half buried in the snow, thousands of rats cried out in pain before they too shattered into pulpy red shards.

Speaker 40 The ground began to shake and then split as a cloud of crimson gas erupted.

Speaker 94 When the cloud hit me, it was the worst thing I had ever smelled.

Speaker 12 It was pure decay.

Speaker 87 The decay of everything.

Speaker 2 Body, mind, and soul.

Speaker 45 It shredded my nostrils so violently that it woke me up.

Speaker 94 But I quickly found that I had not escaped it.

Speaker 65 The smell was all around me.

Speaker 28 Suddenly, a sickening gurgle erupted from within the toilet well.

Speaker 28 I was frozen with fear as a kitchen knife with a four-inch blade covered in the brown rust of dried blood slowly began to rise out of the well.

Speaker 28 It was gripped in a hand that was the same blue as the chemicals within.

Speaker 28 There was an ear-piercing screech as another blue hand appeared and gripped the edge of the seat. The thing within began to pull itself out.

Speaker 28 At that moment, All convictions about meeting my fate disappeared. I quickly rose and furiously tried opening the door, but the lock wouldn't give.

Speaker 28 As my screams mixed with the shrieks coming from the being pulling itself from the pit, I began throwing myself against the wall.

Speaker 28 But each blow was like ramming my body into granite, and some force was holding the structure firm.

Speaker 28 Despite the pain, I clamped my eyes shut and continued hammering against the unyielding wall, my cries for help not drowning out the sickly squelch of that inhuman form birthing itself from an obscene womb.

Speaker 28 I was on the verge of shattering my left shoulder with another futile collision when an icy chuckle stopped me dead.

Speaker 28 Seemingly against my will, I slowly opened my eyes and beheld Grinas.

Speaker 82 He was squatting atop the toilet well, knife in his right hand.

Speaker 91 His skin wasn't blue as I had initially thought, but transparent, like plastic.

Speaker 23 It was a thin sheet that held within it a dark blue liquid.

Speaker 82 Inside the liquid floated large gobs of human affluence, toilet paper, used tampons, cigarette butts, and other trash.

Speaker 44 The body was naked.

Speaker 38 thin, and wiry.

Speaker 41 The skeletal face smiled at me, a thick cloud of waste floating inside the transparent skull.

Speaker 51 A wild and filthy tangle of human hair sat atop his head like a crown.

Speaker 94 I stared at him in awe and terror for a few seconds.

Speaker 61 Hey, Fat Man,

Speaker 61 give me your pain.

Speaker 64 He launched from the toilet and had his legs wrapped around my midsection in an instant.

Speaker 28 I didn't have time to react before he brought the knife down three times in my left shoulder. I was so shocked that I didn't feel it until the dull knife got stuck in my flesh on the third stab.

Speaker 28 I screamed in agony as he wiggled the knife back and forth, trying to wrench it out.

Speaker 28 His frustration bubbled over as he reared his head back and, with a vicious snarl, lunged forward and snapped his teeth around my left ear, almost ripping it off in one bite.

Speaker 28 As he tore at the left side of my head with his mouth, his free hand clawed at my face, tearing flesh with each swipe.

Speaker 28 Desperately, I tried to dislodge him, but his legs were like iron bars around my waist. As the clawing continued, His thumb found its way into my mouth, and on instinct I bit down.

Speaker 28 The clear flesh ripped like a water balloon, and my mouth was filled with the dark liquid. I could feel little chunks of awfulness dance around my tongue.

Speaker 28 Despite the bloody carnage being done to my face at that moment, all my energy was devoted to keeping that putrid slush from going down my throat. In that...

Speaker 28 I failed.

Speaker 28 As the liquid snaked its way down my gullet, it felt like a river of ice flowing through my body.

Speaker 28 It seemed to inundate my cells until my flesh, organs, and bones were assaulted with the deep knowledge of physical death.

Speaker 67 I could feel what it meant to rot.

Speaker 67 My senses panicked as I came to the conclusion that I was now nothing more than a mass of putrefying, oozing meat.

Speaker 44 While the liquid was teaching my body these lessons, it was also filling my mind with visions.

Speaker 45 No,

Speaker 12 not visions.

Speaker 79 Memories.

Speaker 96 Memories of a life indistinct from hell.

Speaker 16 Violets.

Speaker 41 Violence at every turn.

Speaker 64 Never once compassion.

Speaker 2 Never once pity.

Speaker 88 A childhood that would break any mind.

Speaker 51 And at the center of that nightmare was one figure.

Speaker 23 A towering, shirtless man with an extension cord wrapped around his fist.

Speaker 82 His eyes were wide and glowing with rage above a coal-black beard.

Speaker 41 He rained down blows relentlessly.

Speaker 51 And with each strike came his refrain.

Speaker 88 This is my pain, Migalito.

Speaker 10 This is my pain.

Speaker 100 Every time the figure repeated the phrase, the fear grew stronger and stronger.

Speaker 82 But I realized that the fear wasn't mine.

Speaker 40 It was borrowed. The fear belonged to someone else.

Speaker 91 All of this took mere seconds to absorb.

Speaker 23 But it was time enough for Grinas to wrench the knife from my shoulder.

Speaker 18 As he raised the blade, screeching, ready to bring it down into my left eye, I quickly shouted, This is my pain, Migalito.

Speaker 50 This is my pain.

Speaker 82 The effect was like a shotgun blast.

Speaker 75 Rinas was launched into the wall opposite and crumpled to the floor.

Speaker 97 Not wasting any time, I shouted again.

Speaker 40 This is my pain, Migalito.

Speaker 96 He writhed and screamed on the concrete as the refrain tortured him like his whisper had tortured me.

Speaker 93 He was thrown into such violent spasms that his joints bent and snapped at sickening angles.

Speaker 70 His lower jaw twisted to the back of his head while his hateful eyes remained on me.

Speaker 41 Finally, when he could take no more,

Speaker 82 He dug the knife into his chest and split his body open, the liquid gushing out and flooding the concrete.

Speaker 96 Praying the spell was now broken, I threw my body against the door. It flew open and I ran for my car.

Speaker 50 I thought not at all about my bloody ruined face or the wounds in my shoulder.

Speaker 91 I simply got in the Tercel and did the only thing I could think to do.

Speaker 2 Drive my car through the park and ram it straight into the chemical toilet. The walls of the toilet exploded in all directions, and my back right tire sunk into the well.

Speaker 41 I got out of the car and satisfied with the destruction, quickly passed out.

Speaker 90 It was a video taken by a neighborhood woman that would lead to my infamy.

Speaker 44 She ran from her house and excitedly narrated the footage she captured of my bloated body lying in front of the wreckage of the car and toilet.

Speaker 64 A screen capture from the video soon became a viral meme template used for instances of personal disaster.

Speaker 41 And when I finally told my story, I was dubbed the shithouse exorcist by the internet.

Speaker 93 I'm facing prison time, of course.

Speaker 36 My face is permanently disfigured, but it was never much to begin with.

Speaker 94 I spent a month in the hospital from the bacterial infection caused by my wounds, which led me to losing 60 pounds.

Speaker 67 I've also gained several new followers online, and their well-wishes have really buoyed my spirits.

Speaker 21 I must admit, I haven't felt this good in a long time.

Speaker 21 As for the fish,

Speaker 2 I still have no idea what was behind that.

Speaker 93 Most likely it was God.

Speaker 25 It usually is.

Speaker 34 Welcome to Goat Valley Campgrounds.

Speaker 36 Looking for a place to escape your busy life and reconnect with nature?

Speaker 9 Goat Valley Campgrounds features 300 acres of quiet forest and peaceful scenery for you to enjoy.

Speaker 21 Come meet Kate. She runs the place like her parents before her.

Speaker 3 We know you'll enjoy your stay as long as you behave yourself and follow the rules.

Speaker 36 Your survival depends on it.

Speaker 26 The No Sleep Podcast presents Goat Valley Campgrounds Season 2 by Bonnie Quinn.

Speaker 15 Chapter 9

Speaker 47 My family has a strategy for dealing with the inhuman. We don't confront them directly.
Okay, we don't confront them directly with a few exceptions.

Speaker 47 Those exceptions are usually the creatures that can be effectively shot with a gun or set on fire. Everything else, off-limits.
It's a survival strategy.

Speaker 47 I know that's rather ironic considering that the prior generation isn't making it to see their 60s, but hey, I'm here, right?

Speaker 65 It's sort of working for us.

Speaker 47 Because the creatures we can't shoot or burn also tend to be the ones with rules. You follow along with what they want, you generally turn out okay.

Speaker 47 Most of the long-term creatures on this campground are like that, and my family knows how to handle that. We don't attack them directly because it doesn't work.

Speaker 47 But a creature that has plans, has schemes that go back generations,

Speaker 47 that's a new sort of danger and one that we don't have any history dealing with. There's no playbook.
This time, I have to write the rules, so that's what I'm going to do.

Speaker 47 And we're not going to be playing the Man with No Shadows game anymore. I'm bad at seeing through his deceit and I don't like it.

Speaker 47 We're going to play my game instead, and that game is just good old-fashioned violence, the family specialty. My name is Kate, and this is Goat Valley Campgrounds.

Speaker 47 It isn't obvious which house is mine on the campground. It's tucked away in a corner, separated from the rest of the grassy field by a wooden fence.
The family graveyard is back here as well.

Speaker 47 Just around the corner, screened by a thick clump of trees, are the other houses belonging to people that make their residence here.

Speaker 99 My aunt and uncle are among them.

Speaker 47 Campers don't have a reason to come to this part of the campground, and those that stumble across it tend to respect the private property signs posted at the fence.

Speaker 47 There are sometimes exceptions, though.

Speaker 47 Yeah, what is it?

Speaker 101 A man with no shadow wants to see you.

Speaker 47 Rule number 17! Don't talk to the man with no shadow. How is this so hard to comprehend?

Speaker 101 He's at his grove.

Speaker 46 He swears he won't harm you.

Speaker 101 It's meant to be a peaceful conversation.

Speaker 47 He abruptly turned and walked away, his task done and the message delivered. I watched him turn down the road leading back to the camping areas and then he stopped.

Speaker 47 He looked confused, but after a moment he shook himself and began walking off, clearly satisfied with whatever excuse his brain had invented for him being in a place he didn't remember walking to.

Speaker 47 I looked hard at his shadow, searching for the second shadow that I knew had to be there. It was a mere sliver, but I saw it turn and look back at me for a brief moment.

Speaker 47 Just how many pawns does this asshole have?

Speaker 47 At least he was one of the inhumans that would keep his word. If he said I'd be safe visiting him in his grove, then I would be.

Speaker 47 The other creatures in the deep woods wouldn't even harass me until our business was concluded. There was etiquette to be respected.
I didn't even bother to bring my shotgun along.

Speaker 69 It's a lovely little grove.

Speaker 47 The trees are thin enough that grass grows in the clearing and flowers crowd around the base of a large boulder resting in the middle.

Speaker 47 It feels inviting, like an angler fish luring the prey into its mouth. I hope you don't mind, but I'm not going to set foot in there.

Speaker 12 But I gave you my word.

Speaker 47 It's the principle of it.

Speaker 22 Fine.

Speaker 12 But I hope you don't mind if I stay within the boundaries of my grove. Humans are nearly as honest as we inhumans.

Speaker 47 What did you call me out here for?

Speaker 12 You owe me something.

Speaker 47 Like hell, I do.

Speaker 81 Pity.

Speaker 12 I thought you were smarter than this.

Speaker 12 Think hard, Kate. You have all those rules floating around in that head of yours.
How do they apply to you?

Speaker 12 To your family?

Speaker 53 To your childhood? You?

Speaker 47 Is this about when you took my friends?

Speaker 47 My mother knew you left the campground. Wait,

Speaker 47 how did she get you to release my friends?

Speaker 38 We had a bargain, your mother and I.

Speaker 10 She let you leave.

Speaker 69 She gave you permission.

Speaker 12 Three times, I could ask. That was our agreement.
I used it twice before she died.

Speaker 47 Well, she's dead now, so sucks for you, I guess.

Speaker 58 Oh,

Speaker 12 that's not how this works. You know, that's not how this works.

Speaker 47 I'm aware. I don't honor my mother's bargain, and you get all offended.

Speaker 47 But I think the relationship between us went bad a long time ago, and I don't give a shit if I insult you by refusing to uphold an agreement. I'm human.

Speaker 47 I'm not bound to these agreements the way you are. I get to choose.

Speaker 12 Yes, you do get to choose. And I'm fully aware of your feelings towards me.
Your mother hated me just as much as you do. So I built some leverage into the agreement.
Do you remember your friends?

Speaker 47 You let them go. Mom said you let them go.

Speaker 12 And I did.

Speaker 96 No mind control there.

Speaker 12 Well, except for the one that started the whole mess. I claimed her mind long before your mother came to rescue everyone.
But the rest went free.

Speaker 12 Except for one tiny thread.

Speaker 12 One weak and useless little tie that'll dissolve once our business is concluded.

Speaker 12 Unless you break the agreement, that is.

Speaker 12 Then that tie is no longer so small, and I can do whatever I want with them.

Speaker 12 Feel like killing your friends with your own hands again, Kate?

Speaker 12 I don't doubt you could. Your mother raised you well.

Speaker 47 They're They're not my friends anymore. I haven't seen them in a long time.

Speaker 12 Except when you go into town, of course. When you see them with their families, whispering about you behind your back.
Look, that's Kate, they say to their children. Stay away from her.

Speaker 12 She's dangerous. She gets people killed.

Speaker 12 Shut up! Ultimately, it's your choice. You can refuse my request, of course.

Speaker 12 I think some part of you wants to kill them, if only to remove yet another reminder of how alone you are.

Speaker 89 Damn it!

Speaker 69 Damn you!

Speaker 12 Take a moment to think it over if you need to, but I will need a decision before you walk off.

Speaker 72 You want to leave?

Speaker 49 Fine.

Speaker 47 What day do you want to leave on?

Speaker 12 I'm going to need a window. Humans are treacherous after all, and I'd rather not discover there's a pack of black dogs waiting for me just outside the gate.

Speaker 12 Two weeks. I can leave for 24 hours at any time within the next two weeks.

Speaker 47 You have my permission.

Speaker 12 Exact wording, if you don't mind.

Speaker 47 You can leave for 24 hours at any time in the next two weeks. Are you satisfied now?

Speaker 38 I am.

Speaker 12 And your family's debt is fulfilled. You made the right choice.
Part of me is a little disappointed. I won't get to see you destroy yourself by killing your childhood friends.

Speaker 12 But I'm glad to see you aren't so far gone that hostages won't work on you. Your father would be proud.

Speaker 47 Don't you dare mention my parents again.

Speaker 12 See, this is why I wanted to have the conversation at my grove.

Speaker 12 You're itching to have another go at me, aren't you? Well, I'm safe in here, and you're safe out there.

Speaker 12 Works well for both of us.

Speaker 47 I'm starting to think the lady with extra eyes didn't help me after all. I liked it better when I couldn't have a conversation with you.

Speaker 12 Well, I'm done here, so you don't have to tolerate my presence any longer.

Speaker 49 Run along, Kate.

Speaker 12 I got what I wanted.

Speaker 47 I flipped him off as I walked away. Petty, but it was about all I could do, and the frustration of it all ate at me.
A two-week window. The rally the town was planning fell within that timeframe.

Speaker 47 Since I wasn't meant to find out about it, I had no doubt that the man with no shadow intended to be there.

Speaker 47 I also figured that if he got even a slight hint that I'd figured out what was happening, he'd change tactics.

Speaker 47 If I wanted a shot at him, then I had to make him think everything was working the way he intended.

Speaker 47 I worked with Russell on our plan. We communicated via text so that he wouldn't be seen at my house too much and so neither of us could be overheard on the phone.

Speaker 47 This is one advantage we have over the man with no shadow, technology.

Speaker 47 For the first step, we needed to convince the man with no shadow that he had me cornered, that I was too afraid to leave my campground, and that my fear was causing me to drive people away.

Speaker 47 The sheriff's idea was to stage a highly visible blow-up at one of my staff, yell at them over something trivial, make it look like I was stressed to the point that any little thing would set off a collapse.

Speaker 47 I was still considering which staff member to target, who would be the most resilient to being unexpectedly yelled at, when my brother presented himself as a target instead.

Speaker 47 It wasn't an intentional change of plans. We were meeting in town for lunch and it just sort of happened.

Speaker 47 I'm not even sure how the conversation turned towards selling my campground, but it did, and things just escalated from there. You wanting me to sell the campground like everyone else?

Speaker 65 No, why would you think that?

Speaker 47 Because if this place isn't owned by the family anymore, then you're not on the hook for it.

Speaker 47 You don't have to worry anymore that someday something will kill me and then you'll be the one listening to the little girl crying outside your window.

Speaker 42 Yes, I don't want the campground. I never did.
But that doesn't mean I'd try to take it away from you.

Speaker 42 I know how important this place is to you, and I know what will happen to the town if it ever stops being old land.

Speaker 69 Really?

Speaker 47 Is that more important than your family? Your wife hates me and I know it because she's afraid whatever child you have someday will end up inheriting the campground.

Speaker 96 I can't deal with this right now.

Speaker 88 Go home, Kate.

Speaker 102 I think the stress is making you say things you don't mean.

Speaker 47 I'm ashamed to say that wasn't part of the plan. It was an honest fear, one that finally broke free under the weight of all the paranoia I was carrying.

Speaker 47 My brother has certainly been the target target of my anger before. I've said a lot of apologies over the years.

Speaker 47 But as I watched him walk away, I wondered if this would be the last time he'd tolerate it. If maybe sorry wouldn't be enough this time, and there was no one left to hate but myself.

Speaker 47 At least it set the scene nicely for our final act. We played it out at the sheriff's office where Russell was filling in until the election and there were plenty of prying ears around.

Speaker 47 Small towns are especially efficient at distributing gossip.

Speaker 42 Damn it, Kate.

Speaker 71 You keep doing this.

Speaker 42 Your parents are gone, and your brother is all that's left.

Speaker 47 Oh, sure. That's easy for you to say when you don't have to deal with this crap every single day.

Speaker 47 It wasn't entirely an act either. Russell hadn't warned me in advance what our argument would be over.
He went straight for the open wound.

Speaker 21 Oh, look at me.

Speaker 84 I'm Kate, the campground manager, and everyone hates me.

Speaker 74 I better make sure it stays that way so I can keep the tough girl act going.

Speaker 51 It'd be awful if people realized how scared I am.

Speaker 47 I'm not scared!

Speaker 47 Kate,

Speaker 42 you've been scared since the day your parents died.

Speaker 47 I closed my eyes. He wasn't wrong, but I couldn't say that.
At least, not in a way that the eavesdroppers in the other room would hear. I had to let my anger take the reins instead.

Speaker 47 Fuck you, Russell. You don't have the right to tell me how I feel.

Speaker 65 Fine.

Speaker 44 Go hide in your house.

Speaker 51 If you want to be alone so badly, we'll all be happy to oblige.

Speaker 47 Even when you know they don't mean it and that you'll be able to reconcile when it's all over, it still hurts when someone turns on you like that.

Speaker 47 I wasn't in the best state of mind when I went to complete the final step of the plan, but honestly, it was better that way. It helped me sell it.
I hadn't told Russell about this.

Speaker 47 He'd find it too risky. He might have tried to stop me.
We would have fought for real if that happened. I will sometimes listen to suggestions, but I do not take kindly to being told what to do.

Speaker 47 I went to see the man with no shadow. The weather was mild that day, so I wore a shirt with a low collar so that the discoloration on my neck and face was clearly visible.

Speaker 47 The bruises given to me in the courthouse basement were taking their time to vanish.

Speaker 47 Purple and yellow blotches covered the entirety of one side of my neck down onto my collarbones, with lingering patches on my jaw. It was still very tender.

Speaker 47 With those visible and with my shotgun in hand, I went to the grove where the man with no shadow lives.

Speaker 47 He watched me approach, sitting on a large stone, one barefoot tucked up close to his body, the other stretched out to touch the grass.

Speaker 47 He conspicuously eyed my gun a moment and then lazily glanced up to meet my gaze.

Speaker 12 I thought we'd already reached an agreement.

Speaker 40 Surely you don't want to go back on your word.

Speaker 47 No, I've got a different offer. You want off this land? I'll release you if you promise to leave.
Go somewhere far away. Another state would work for me.

Speaker 47 Kate. Oh,

Speaker 47 Kate.

Speaker 12 I thought you were smarter than this.

Speaker 47 He hopped off the stone and walked towards me. I hoisted my shotgun, letting my hands shake, and he hesitated only briefly at the edge of his grove.

Speaker 47 Then slowly, deliberately, he stepped out of his territory and continued to advance towards me. I pointed the gun at him and he paused, barely a foot away from the barrel.

Speaker 12 That's not what I want.

Speaker 47 Then he jerked a hand up so quickly I might not have been able to react if I weren't expecting it. It was an effort to not squeeze the trigger.
I almost did.

Speaker 47 My hand twitched reflexively, but I fought the urge down and let him grab the gun and rip it out of my hands. He tossed it aside onto the forest floor.

Speaker 47 I cried out in surprise and stepped backwards, but he wasn't letting me escape. He lunged forwards, grabbed the front of my shirt, twisting the fabric between his fingers, and he pulled me close.

Speaker 47 I was forced to tilt my head back to look up into his eyes, and the bruises on my neck were clearly visible.

Speaker 47 He traced them with one finger of his free hand, and I didn't have to pretend as I trembled in fear.

Speaker 12 Or maybe you're not being stupid.

Speaker 12 Maybe you're desperate.

Speaker 12 Poor thing.

Speaker 12 Humans aren't really cut out for this. Wouldn't it be a relief to let it all go?

Speaker 12 Is your family's legacy worth this?

Speaker 47 He gently brushed a lock of my hair behind my ear, the tenderness of the gesture offset by how tightly he still held my shirt, pinning me in place.

Speaker 12 I have some authority over the town.

Speaker 12 I can tell them to stop trying to kill you, give you a little peace in which to make your decision. But Kate, wait too long, and I may not be able to restrain them entirely.

Speaker 12 That hatred you see in their eyes is not entirely of my making.

Speaker 12 They won't kill you, but neither will they leave you

Speaker 81 intact.

Speaker 47 The threat was not unexpected. Even though I'd mentally prepared myself for this on the walk to the grove, I still felt sick hearing the words and understanding their full implication.

Speaker 47 My words stuck in my throat, and I was unable to reply.

Speaker 12 I'll give you some more time. A gesture of kindness.

Speaker 12 I don't actually want you dead, after all.

Speaker 12 I just want you to sign the campground over.

Speaker 47 It all sounded very convincing, and without the lady's tea, I would have believed every word.

Speaker 47 I still don't understand why you want to make the campground no longer be old land.

Speaker 12 You don't have to understand.

Speaker 12 You just have to do what I want.

Speaker 47 He smiled broadly and patted me on the cheek. Then he let go of my shirt and briskly walked away, casually putting his back to me.
I eyed the distance between myself and the shotgun.

Speaker 47 I admit, it was very tempting. I wasn't sure I wanted to gamble all of this on having better reflexes than him, though.

Speaker 12 This was a good talk. It's nice to have actual conversations.

Speaker 12 Maybe I'll visit the lady in the woods and give her my thanks for supplying you with the tea.

Speaker 12 And then I'll kill her, of course.

Speaker 47 My pride was shattered, and I was trembling in frustrated anger. But it was done.
I'd offered him escape because I knew he wouldn't take it. He didn't know that I'd discovered the buyer's identity.

Speaker 47 I knew what he wanted was control.

Speaker 47 The rally announcement had stirred up the town enough to ensure a good turnout at the meeting. It was likely that almost everyone would be there.

Speaker 47 All the man with no shadow had to do was go out in front of them and introduce himself and they would all be his.

Speaker 47 Everyone in town that was undecided or still on my side, they would be his.

Speaker 47 Unless, of course, someone killed him. What a shame that would be.
Since I was without a car, the plan was that Brian would pick me up shortly before the meeting was scheduled to start.

Speaker 47 The old sheriff was already in position. I'm not sure what it says about him that he knows how to get a good angle on the town hall with a scoped rifle, but I'm glad he's on our side.

Speaker 47 I was armed with a pistol and a shotgun. There was a knock at my door as I sat waiting.
Startled, I grabbed my shotgun and hurried to answer, surprised that I hadn't heard Brian's truck pull up.

Speaker 47 The man with the skull cap was on my doorstep. This is a bad time.
Can we talk about that kiss some other day?

Speaker 12 What makes you think I came here to talk about that?

Speaker 12 Perhaps I am here because of how you tried to refuse my offer of a drink.

Speaker 47 I froze, like every muscle in my body was shot through with ice.

Speaker 99 Locked up in terror.

Speaker 47 Some part of my brain gibbered that I was going to die horribly. And while I heard what he said next, I didn't register the words.
Not until he said my name to get my attention and repeated himself.

Speaker 12 I am not going to kill you. Not after all I've done to keep you alive.
But you will have to atone for your mistakes. And there have been many as of late.

Speaker 47 He sighed and traced the rim of his cup with one finger, his eyes half closed.

Speaker 12 When you went to the vanishing house, I told you not to empty the cup. It is easy enough to refill when it runs low.
Refilling it when it is emptied is another matter.

Speaker 79 I honestly would have preferred you return it empty and let me refill it, as I could have managed it properly.

Speaker 12 Instead, you returned to me something flawed, and a flawed vessel can only hold together for so long.

Speaker 12 But what's done is done, and now you need to finish what you started.

Speaker 47 Uh, what was wrong with how I refilled it? Blood that was already there, blood freely given, and blood forcibly taken.

Speaker 47 He looked me dead in the eyes, and with a flat, emotionless stare that never wavered from my face, he turned the cup sideways until the liquid spilled out and puddled on the porch.

Speaker 47 He tilted the cup upright before the last few drops fell. Blood from what was already there.
Then he lifted his hand to his mouth and bit carefully down on a knuckle.

Speaker 47 The skin split open, and brilliant drops of blood beaded up. He tipped his hand so that they collected together and spilled out and into the cup.
Blood freely given.

Speaker 47 The man with the skull cup handed it to me, along with his knife.

Speaker 38 The requirements are

Speaker 38 higher

Speaker 12 when it has been emptied.

Speaker 12 Blood of an enemy forcibly taken. That's where you went wrong.

Speaker 12 Don't screw it up this time.

Speaker 47 Blood of an enemy. The sheriff was forced into his role.
He was never my enemy. But the man with no shadow sure as hell is.
Brian and I arrived at the town hall fashionably late.

Speaker 47 I took a shallow breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm myself, and then gave up on that. Screw it.
I didn't need to be calm. I needed to be angry.

Speaker 47 Anger had carried me through every hard thing I'd done, whether it was just or not, and it would carry me through this as well. I slammed the door of the pickup truck behind me.

Speaker 47 Brian's dogs watched me go, lined up at the edge of the pickup's bed with their tongues hanging out.

Speaker 47 I walked alone to the closed doors of the town hall, took a breath, and then shouldered them boldly open.

Speaker 47 Kicking them open would have made a more impressive entrance, sure, but I didn't want to risk spilling the contents of the cup I carried.

Speaker 47 The man with no shadow stood behind the podium at the four of the room. Beside him was the buyer.
My unwitting cousin looked nervous, his eyes wide and his forehead shining with sweat.

Speaker 47 He seemed ready to bolt at any moment, and for a brief second he looked relieved for the interruption.

Speaker 47 Then he saw the knife in my hand and he went pale, opened his mouth to say something, perhaps to yell for someone to call the police. And then that died when he realized that no one else was moving.

Speaker 47 Like, this was normal. It kind of is around here.
I stopped halfway to the man with no shadow, who had not moved from the podium. He stared at me in fury and shock.

Speaker 47 Clearly, our gamble had paid off, for he did not expect me to be here. I raised the knife and pointed the tip at him.

Speaker 47 That is not your friend. That is an abomination no different from all the other monsters that I keep trapped on my land so that you can all sleep safely in your beds at night.

Speaker 12 Kate,

Speaker 12 didn't you get a concussion recently? Maybe you should see your doctor about these outbursts you've been having lately. Is your brother speaking to you again yet?

Speaker 47 The old sheriff had picked up some things during his tenure.

Speaker 47 Things about surveillance, and he'd wired up the podium so that he could listen in to what was being said while he was in his sniper position.

Speaker 47 At the moment when the man with no shadow paused, before anyone in the room could react, a bullet came through the window and into the side of his head. The force of it knocked him over.

Speaker 47 My cousin, the buyer, shrieked and threw himself to the ground. The rest of the room stirred, some stood, but before real panic could set in, the man with no shadow slowly picked himself up.

Speaker 47 The assembled townsfolk went still and quiet.

Speaker 1 Fine.

Speaker 81 Fine.

Speaker 12 This plan was annoying, anyways.

Speaker 12 I don't like being around humans.

Speaker 79 I don't like pretending to be your friend.

Speaker 81 I just

Speaker 38 want

Speaker 81 to feed.

Speaker 47 He knocked the podium aside with one sweep of his arm. It smashed sideways to the floor.
People were on their feet now.

Speaker 47 Someone screamed, and they bolted to the edges of the room, crowding near the walls, desperate to get away from the creature that was stalking down the aisle to where I stood.

Speaker 47 I saw raw hunger in his eyes. They all saw him for what he was.
Standing there, bleeding freely from a bullet hole that would have killed a normal human instantly, cursing their humanity.

Speaker 91 And it didn't matter. Come!

Speaker 65 Come to me!

Speaker 47 They went. They turned over chairs in their haste, eyes maddened and empty.
I saw the intention in their mindless stares as they rolled across the room in a wave of human flesh.

Speaker 47 They would tear me apart and feed me to their master, whose words poisoned their minds and overrode their senses and turned them into monsters. I've dealt with plenty of monsters on my land.

Speaker 47 We have a simple strategy. Guns and dogs.

Speaker 47 And Brian's hounds came in through the door, ripping it off the hinges with the impact of their body weight, and they rolled past me in a black, angry pack of fur and fangs.

Speaker 47 They hit the line of people closing in on me, a heavy collision of muscle and fur into flesh, and they all went down. A veritable barricade of flailing and fighting.
There were screams.

Speaker 47 I couldn't tell if it was rage or pain, for the dogs had cleared a pathway between me and the man with no shadow, and I was running forward.

Speaker 47 The man with no shadow came to meet me, stretching greedy fingers towards my shadow, ready to rip it to pieces and devour it.

Speaker 47 I gripped the knife tight, and just before we collided, the old sheriff took his second shot, and the man with no shadow's knee exploded into red ruin. I reached for him.

Speaker 47 I'd hold his head and slit his shadow's throat and it would be all over. I had the full weight of my anger pushing me forward and nothing, not even my own doubts, could stop me.

Speaker 47 Then someone grabbed me from behind, wrapped their arms around my torso, pinning my arms to my side.

Speaker 89 What are you doing?

Speaker 92 Let go!

Speaker 70 I'm not letting you just

Speaker 32 murder someone.

Speaker 47 He's a monster, damn it!

Speaker 79 I'll see you at my grove, Kate.

Speaker 47 His body collapsed into shadows. They flitted like moths across the ground, past the townspeople, past the dogs, and out into the night.

Speaker 69 The room went quiet.

Speaker 47 Even the people that were on the ground, pinned under the weight of the dogs, subsided into muffled whimpering. They stopped trying to get to me.

Speaker 47 They just stared, wide-eyed, breathing fast, and no one dared to speak. I told you he was a monster! Was the fact he survived a bullet to the head not enough for you? Now let go, you idiot!

Speaker 47 This time, I was able to throw the buyer off of me. He landed hard on the ground, but I ignored him.
The man with no shadow had bled plenty, and I wasn't going to waste it.

Speaker 47 I crouched and carefully scooped up in my hand some of the blood pooling on the ground from Russell's gunshots. I poured what little I'd collected into the cup, hoping it would be enough.

Speaker 47 Blood of my enemy, forcibly taken.

Speaker 52 Then I left.

Speaker 47 No one tried to stop me.

Speaker 31 Goat Valley Campgrounds, Season 2 was written and adapted for audio by Bonnie Quinn.

Speaker 26 Produced for the No Sleep podcast by Phil Michulski.

Speaker 13 Musical score composed by Brandon Boone.

Speaker 34 Starring Lindsey Russo as Kate, Jesse Cornett as Russell, Jeff Clement as Tyler, Graham Rowett as the man with no shadow.

Speaker 26 Mick Wingert as the man with the skull cup, Ollie A.

Speaker 79 White as the camper, and Joel Blackwell as the buyer.

Speaker 34 Join us next week for chapter 10 of Goat Valley Campgrounds Season 2.

Speaker 13 Our tales may be over, but they are still out there.

Speaker 27 Be sure to join us next week so you can stay safe, stay secure, and stay sleepless.

Speaker 31 The No Sleep Podcast is presented by Creative Reason Media. The musical score was composed by Brandon Boone.

Speaker 26 Our production team is Phil Michulski, Jeff Clement, Jesse Cornette, and Claudius Moore.

Speaker 24 Our editorial team is Jessica McAvoy, Ashley McInelly, Ollie A. White, and Kristen Semito.

Speaker 24 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 24 Add free extended episodes each week and lots of bonus content for the dark hours, all for one low monthly price.

Speaker 24 On behalf of everyone at the No Sleep Podcast, we thank you for joining us and seeking safety from the things that stalk us in the night.

Speaker 24 This audio program is copyright 2025 by Creative Reason Media Inc.

Speaker 19 All rights reserved.

Speaker 24 The copyrights for each story are held by the respective authors. No duplication or reproduction of this audio program is permitted without the written consent of Creative Reason Media Inc.

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