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Good

2:02

evening.

2:12

I'm Storyteller Otis Jyrie.

2:21

And I ain't your grandfather.

2:24

From where I'm from, we don't do

2:27

bedtime stories. And

2:29

if that's what you were expecting, you're

2:32

in the wrong place.

2:36

If it's terrifying tales you're after,

2:39

well then, I've

2:41

got just the thing. Get

2:43

comfortable. So win. Turn

2:47

off the lights. If you

2:49

dare. Your

2:51

night is about to get a whole

2:54

lot darker. Who

2:59

needs sleep anyway?

3:03

Ha ha ha

3:10

ha ha ha! Good

3:13

evening! You're listening to

3:15

Scary Stories Told in the Dark. Welcome

3:18

dear listeners to Season 14, Episode 3. I'm

3:22

your host Otis Jyrie,

3:25

and in this episode I'll be performing

3:27

four tales to terrify you, courtesy

3:30

of authors Joshua Hood, Hailey

3:33

Hansen, Dale Thompson, and Finn

3:35

McCool. Tonight we'll hear stories

3:38

of raucous reflections, devilish

3:40

deliveries, purgatorial printings,

3:43

and hideous hits. You're

3:45

listening to the standard edition of tonight's program,

3:48

which contains the first two spine-tingling

3:50

stories. If you'd like to show

3:52

your support and enjoy an extended

3:55

version of this and other episodes with

3:57

Twice the Terror, visit... and

4:01

click patrons in

4:03

the upper menu to sign up today. Thank

4:05

you for your support. Now,

4:08

it's time to take a walk together down

4:11

the moonlit trail. So

4:13

lock your doors, turn your lights

4:15

down low, and settle in. The

4:18

show is about to begin. Mwahahahaha!

4:28

Life can be interesting, an interesting

4:31

thing upon reflection. And

4:33

by that I mean both in the musings

4:36

of the past as well as what can be seen,

4:38

literally, when you look in a mirror. Take

4:41

heed then, as Joshua Hood

4:44

leads you into a tale in which you

4:47

may not want to see what's looking back

4:49

at you. Without further ado,

4:51

I present to you, The Green

4:54

Mirror.

4:59

I had to ask myself, was it possible

5:01

there were slumbering demons from

5:03

our past that

5:05

might be

5:06

better left unawakened? Carol

5:09

Runyon, The Secret of the Dark

5:11

Mirror. St.

5:13

Clair of Azizi slid down

5:15

from the gentle curve of the

5:18

brass ring and landed on the matted

5:20

carpet. Elma frowned.

5:23

She dusted off the top of the Philco predictive

5:25

TV set as though that would

5:27

help the pewter effigy stick

5:29

better.

5:31

St. Clair, recently a ordained

5:33

saint of television, fared

5:35

no better the second time as she, almost

5:37

deliberately it seemed, plummeted

5:40

back to the floor. Elma

5:42

rubbed her lower back and thought about leaving the

5:44

figurine where it lay, but felt

5:46

guilty of that idea. She

5:49

groaned to the floor and retrieved it, then set

5:51

it down on the shelf next to the predicta.

5:54

Soon after, Ed Sullivan

5:56

glowed from the TV and into her living

5:58

room, which suddenly became a dark, gloomy place.

5:59

Finally felt less small, like

6:02

a window to the world had been opened.

6:04

When she turned off the TV an hour later,

6:07

it was like the window closed.

6:10

The world came zooming in like the type of

6:12

special movie effect that she

6:14

was now able to watch at a whim. She

6:17

smiled and got up. The

6:20

sun had set, and for the first time in

6:22

memory, she hadn't turned a light on

6:24

before dark. Moving her way

6:26

into the bedroom, she found a switch and clicked

6:28

light back into her world. In

6:31

the living room, the pale green window of

6:33

the predictor suddenly became a mirror.

6:36

Motionless, silent, it

6:39

darkly reflected back the shapes

6:41

and movements of the room. Elma

6:43

shut the door just as St. Clair took

6:45

another tumble to the carpet. Another

6:49

day, very much the same, Elma's

6:52

fingernail scratched away some flaking

6:54

paint on her egg shell white refrigerator

6:56

door. The flakes, no bigger

6:59

than dimes, fluttered to the floor, bringing

7:02

to life the shiny silver metal

7:04

behind them. A shiver went

7:06

up her old spine, threatening

7:08

to lock up her hips. She

7:11

looked away from the glimmering steel quickly

7:13

down at the floor, where the paint flakes

7:15

settled to rest. She

7:17

slapped her wrinkled hand over the gap

7:20

in the egg shell white and swore she could feel

7:22

the metal. Beneath, moving

7:24

in an unholy way, she

7:26

breathed again and realized it was all in

7:29

her head. It had probably all

7:31

been in her head for the past forty years,

7:34

but now was no time to change. The

7:37

filco hummed the distinct voice

7:39

of Jack Benny from the living room. Without

7:42

looking, she slid a magnet from the center

7:44

of the egg shell white and over the

7:46

spot under her hand where the polished

7:48

steel shone through. When

7:51

she has it, it'll look slowly.

7:54

The spot was covered, no reflection. She

7:56

was out of egg shell white, but had some blue

7:59

sky paint. closet. It

8:01

wouldn't match, but oh well. By

8:04

the time the blue splotch dried, Jack

8:06

Benny had become your hit parade,

8:09

and Elma was back in her comforted. She

8:12

capped a pen and blew the ink dry

8:14

on a small square—thank you, no

8:17

interlop. Then she tucked it into

8:19

an envelope, addressed to the church charity

8:21

drive that had given her, amongst other things,

8:24

the Philco TV and the stainless steel

8:26

Maytag refrigerator. Groaning

8:29

to her feet, she placed the envelope on

8:31

the shelf next to the TV, then

8:34

kissed her fingers and gently touched the

8:36

head of St. Clair, now taped

8:38

soundly to the shelf. She twisted

8:41

the predictor's knob until the window became

8:43

a mirror. Then she went to bed. That

8:46

night she dreamed, for the first time in a long

8:48

time, of being forty years

8:51

younger in a smoky room with Turkish

8:53

rugs nailed to the shelves. She

8:55

could hear the clink of glass and the laughter of

8:57

drunkenness so loudly that the single-panel

9:00

wooden wall between her and the saloon might

9:02

not even have been there. Incent

9:05

smoke hung heavy in the air. The

9:07

little crucifixes on the sensors

9:10

had gone unnoticed by everyone so

9:12

far, as Mama Magdalisa—that

9:15

is to say—the ones in future

9:18

Elmas, Catholic roots

9:20

had shone through even then, long

9:23

after she had given up the habit. She

9:25

could feel, in that way dreams have,

9:28

the weightless presence of a chain of silver

9:30

coins that hung around her neck and

9:33

faux gold bracelets around her

9:35

wrist. As soon as she

9:37

acknowledged them, the bar room didn't

9:40

cease, and the sound of jewelry

9:42

clanking resounded loudly in its place,

9:45

bringing a sense of nostalgia that she hadn't

9:47

experienced in a long time. A

9:49

knock sounded at the door, and Mama Magdalisa

9:52

bathed the nogger to wait a minute in her best

9:54

Romani accent as

9:56

she flared her maroon in gold-threaded

9:59

robes. around the pillow on which she sat.

10:02

She straightened her long black braid

10:04

and almost said to come in. Then

10:07

she saw, in balance in front of her,

10:10

in its magical brass table-stand, erstwhile

10:13

plant-holder, a polished

10:15

obsidian oval that dreaded kept from

10:17

her memory for the past four decades.

10:20

Suddenly she feared, who waited

10:22

on the outside of the door, suddenly

10:25

she wanted to wake up very badly. With

10:27

a thump, the black obsidian mirror toppled

10:30

over on the table and she startled awake.

10:33

Sun shone between the curtains, filtered

10:35

through the newspaper, that she'd taped

10:37

over the windows. Sounds of

10:39

the city in the early morning replaced the sounds

10:42

of the claustrophobic room. Someone

10:45

knocked on her apartment door.

10:47

Elma forced herself to stop shaking

10:49

and bade the visitor wait, just

10:51

as Mama Magdalisa used

10:53

to do when a client arrived. She

10:56

wrapped herself in a robe and went to the door. Father

10:59

Davis waited on the other side. He

11:01

smiled with genuine warmth, still not

11:04

recognizing, after four decades,

11:07

the gypsy fortune-teller whom he'd

11:09

gone to see as a nervous young

11:11

man just entering seminary. Good

11:14

morning, Miss Tolman, he said. How

11:16

is your newest addition working for you? Oh,

11:19

just fine, Father, Elma replied. Come

11:22

see. She walked him over

11:24

to the TV and clicked it on. A woman

11:27

with black braids and a bandana tied

11:29

around her head appeared. She was

11:31

gazing into a crystal ball with a mysterious

11:34

gaze. The number K666

11:38

and the words, Call now, blinked on

11:40

the screen. Oh, my! Elma

11:43

exclaimed, twisting the channel

11:45

up until a game show came on. What

11:47

a terrible thing to broadcast so early

11:49

in the morning. It's okay,

11:52

Elma, Father Davis said. A

11:54

thoughtful look on his face. Recognition,

11:56

perhaps.

11:58

Just so long as you're still finding time.

11:59

for a devotion," he teased. "'Of

12:02

course,' Elma said. "'Oh, can

12:04

you take this?' She handed him the thank-you

12:07

note from the shelf. "'It's the

12:09

least I could do.' "'Absolutely.

12:12

But you need do nothing for us. We just

12:14

want to help,' the father said. They

12:17

continued talking for some time, having

12:19

coffee and toast. Elma

12:21

was grateful for the company. "'You

12:24

know,' he said, during the lull, "'I

12:26

went to see a fortune-teller once, much like the

12:28

one we just saw on TV.

12:30

She gave me some very bad advice. "'You

12:34

don't say,' Elma said. "'It's

12:36

true. It was a long time ago.'

12:39

"'In her mind, Elma relived that

12:41

day from so long ago. A

12:43

handsome seminary student still

12:45

in his collar had timidly come

12:48

into her den, holding his hat in his

12:50

hands. Her first thought was that

12:52

he was too good-looking to be taking about celibacy.

12:56

She firmly believed then that only

12:58

ugly men should be allowed to enter the clergy.

13:01

She had him sit and began their reading.

13:04

He didn't want his cards read or the crystal

13:06

ball. He practically sneered

13:09

at the idea of the spirit board. He

13:12

simply wanted to know if he was making the right

13:14

decision by entering the clergy. She

13:17

told him that if he was desperate enough

13:19

to come see her, then clearly

13:21

he wasn't. She told

13:24

him to toss out his Bible and run the other

13:26

way. Catholicism

13:28

was just another superstition, after all.

13:32

Clearly he hadn't listened, which was good,

13:34

because if he had then she

13:36

wouldn't have a brand-new filco in her living room

13:38

right then.

13:40

Elma smiled. "'Well,

13:42

I'm sure the Lord has forgiven

13:44

you,' she said. "'Oh,

13:46

I'm sure,' he smiled back. "'Well,

13:49

thank you for the coffee. I must be going.' "'Oh,

13:51

so soon,' Elma was genuinely

13:54

disappointed. "'I'm afraid

13:56

so. But at least you have your new TV

13:59

to keep you company.'"

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She'd all but forgotten the eyes

18:01

in the mirror, the eyes she couldn't always

18:03

see but that could always see her.

18:07

When the memory had faded into the distant past

18:09

she began to get lonely again, like

18:11

all single women her age who, for

18:14

one reason or another, don't go

18:16

outside. She never got lonely

18:18

enough, though, not enough to let the eyes

18:20

back in. Little

18:22

cowboy dummy on TV had just began

18:25

cracking jokes. When Elma's eyes

18:27

closed the TV faded

18:29

to the background as she slept distant and

18:32

obtrusive, not loud enough to overcome the

18:34

din of the saloon and the clanking

18:36

of brass bracelets. The

18:38

polished obsidian, the black mare,

18:41

loomed before her in the small,

18:43

smoky broom.

18:45

It was bigger than it had been in life,

18:47

as was befitting the gravity

18:49

of the thing. This was the day

18:51

that everything had changed. The

18:54

man sitting across from her was very

18:56

different than the good-looking priest she'd

18:58

last been thinking of. He

19:00

was short and hairy, and as drunk

19:02

as any of the patrons from the bar next door.

19:05

There were her best customers, despite their

19:07

sometimes presumptive attitudes. This

19:10

one wanted to know the future of horse racing.

19:14

Mama Magdalisa was always very

19:16

careful about giving exact details. If

19:19

the patron was sober enough, she

19:21

had a dozen ways to divert or distract

19:23

from the question. But if they were

19:25

drunk like this side, then she'd

19:27

just make up whatever they wanted to hear to get

19:30

the biggest tip, and trust that they'd

19:32

forget about it by morning. "'You're

19:34

in luck,' she told the side. This

19:37

mirror just arrived from the far

19:39

east, dug up from the tomb

19:41

of a pharaoh, and said to me

19:44

by the greatest magician in Persia.

19:47

Good secrets know no bounds. As

19:50

they say, you can speak directly to the great

19:53

gatara, and he must answer three

19:55

questions." The sought

19:58

swayed sideways a little and hiccuped. Unimpressed.

20:02

Elma skipped the rest of the bit. She

20:04

chanted some nonsense over the black mirror

20:06

and waved as much of the sage as theatrically

20:09

as possible. Normally she'd

20:11

light it with the candles so the smoke would swirl

20:14

around mystically, while she explained

20:16

that sage would protect them from the evil

20:18

spirits. But she figured it was

20:20

unnecessary to impress this lose.

20:23

Maybe that was what went wrong. The

20:25

next thing she knew she was staring into

20:28

the vague reflection of someone who

20:30

wasn't in the room.

20:31

Black mirrors, obsidian specifically,

20:34

didn't actually polish to a shine. If

20:37

anything they'd lose most of their reflective

20:39

capacity when buffed, but somehow

20:42

this one had become as clear as a funhouse

20:44

mirror and just as dizzying.

20:47

The face warbled as Elma's head

20:49

swam.

20:50

They looked around the room, then back at Elma.

20:53

It was impossible to make out features in the

20:55

uneven surface. Elma

20:58

was shocked. She picked up the polished

21:00

stone at a junk cell for a nickel.

21:03

Raw, she asked. The

21:05

face had nothing but Chukut's head. Had

21:08

she been right? Was there actually

21:10

a spirit in the stone? Did

21:12

this hocus-pocus actually work? What

21:16

do you see? The sod

21:18

asked. It's the

21:20

spirit of the things to come,

21:22

Elma hedged.

21:24

The face nodded.

21:26

Who's going to take the purse, then? Hegged

21:29

up the sod. Elma

21:31

ignored him and stared at the face. Tell

21:34

him, the face said. Exterminator

21:37

at thirty to one. It

21:39

was a male voice that echoed as though it came

21:42

from a tin can. A

21:44

slight grating, was it a growl,

21:46

rumbled under its words. Tell

21:50

him. It demanded. Elma did

21:52

voice wavering. Exterminated.

21:55

That spindle. I

21:58

ought to get my quarterback.

21:59

The sot said, year

22:01

worthless. He

22:03

belched and stumbled out the door. Elma

22:06

looked down, and the face was gone.

22:10

The next night exterminator took the purse. When

22:13

she woke up, the cowboy dummy had been replaced

22:15

by the faux gypsy, staring

22:17

into a crystal ball. The

22:20

number K, 666, was

22:22

at the bottom of the screen. Elma

22:26

shivered and moved as quickly as her old

22:28

legs could carry her to the filco.

22:30

She clipped it off, and the room grew quiet.

22:33

She fought the urge to look around for the eyes

22:35

she could swear were watching her. Impossible!

22:39

She painted everything. It was bedtime,

22:42

anyway. Last

22:44

than an hour later she was dreaming again.

22:46

The sound of a horse-track and full swing

22:49

faded from the dream as silence

22:51

descended. She held a smoldering

22:53

smudge of sage, but it was too late

22:56

for that. The face swirled

22:58

in the obsidian mirror in front of her. A

23:01

pile of money more than she'd ever had

23:03

before sat next to the mirror. Bracelets,

23:06

real gold ones, rattled soundlessly

23:08

on her wrists.

23:10

Blood dried under her fingernails.

23:13

Madame Blavatsky is nothing

23:16

to you. The face spoke

23:18

without moving its mouth, which was

23:20

barely discernible half the time, but

23:23

the sound came through the echoing distance

23:25

clearly. Mama Magdalisa

23:27

will be the name on all their tongues. Followers

23:31

will flock to us, but it's not

23:33

over yet. You never said

23:35

anything about hurting anyone, Elma

23:38

said.

23:38

Some circumstances are

23:41

beyond my control, for now,

23:43

but soon it will be as you will it.

23:46

Fame, fortune, whatever you wish. Was

23:49

justice not served tonight?

23:52

The dream suddenly shifted like a hard

23:54

cut in a detective's show to the

23:57

memory of the bad man cowering in a dark

23:59

corner of some danky alley. Eyes

24:01

scratched and bleeding, maybe blind.

24:05

It wasn't supposed to be dangerous. The gun was unloaded.

24:08

The face had said as much. His

24:10

pockets, however, were loaded with the money

24:12

he'd stolen from people who didn't know that.

24:15

The face said he'd be easily scared,

24:18

susceptible to blackmail, that

24:20

he'd pay handsomely to avoid the police.

24:22

And why not? It wasn't his money,

24:25

anyway. Not really. Well,

24:27

the gun wasn't loaded, but she hemmed

24:30

too long, mauling over the rightness

24:32

and wrongness of the thing, so that

24:34

by the time she confronted him, he'd

24:36

just come from a pub and was full of enough

24:39

liquid courage to shatter a whisky

24:41

bottle over a dumpster and start

24:43

swinging shards at her. This

24:46

is why you must do exactly as I say.

24:49

The face admonished. If

24:51

the face hadn't shown up when he did—a

24:53

swirling reflection of the jagged

24:55

bottleneck in the mugger's hand—Elmo

24:58

would have been seriously hurt, or worse.

25:01

It was the first time she'd seen the face

25:03

somewhere other than the black mirror. She'd

25:06

felt like it had been growing stronger,

25:09

and she knew it. Fortunately,

25:12

she was less surprised in the mugger, and

25:15

in his hesitation she raked her long

25:17

red nails across his face, felt

25:19

them sink into the soft white of his bulging

25:22

eyes, and made off with his pocket

25:24

of cash. The face was

25:26

appeased. The dream

25:29

cut back to the room, but now it was the next

25:31

day. The table held nothing

25:33

but the black mirror and more sage. She

25:36

was alone in the room when a hard knock

25:38

came from the door. Elmo

25:40

panicked. How much stronger

25:43

would it become? Had it become? Suddenly

25:46

she wanted to be gone from there, to

25:48

wake up from the dream, but this time she didn't.

25:51

The knock came again, echoing like a tin

25:54

can. Mama Magdalisa

25:56

quailed and shrieked a little. She

25:59

feared who had been there. on the other side, because the

26:01

obsidian mirrors stayed black.

26:04

The door rattled,

26:06

and she inched back from the table,

26:08

legs asleep beneath her.

26:10

Then gathering a burst of courage, fueled by

26:13

fear and the portent of many

26:15

terrible things,

26:16

she reached out and smashed a black

26:19

rock against the table so hard that

26:22

it shattered into a thousand glittering splinters.

26:25

Her hand burned with a dozen paper-thin

26:27

slices, but she didn't pay them

26:29

any heed.

26:30

She held still, listened.

26:33

The door was silent.

26:35

When she woke up, it was still dark, barely

26:37

an hour had passed. She felt around

26:40

in the shadows of the night until her hand lit upon

26:42

a rosary. She clutched it

26:44

and prayed, a habit she'd presumed

26:47

on that very day, when she smashed

26:49

the black mirror. Not

26:51

long after that, she gave up the spiritualist

26:54

lifestyle and returned to the church in earnest.

26:57

The sounds of the dream faded behind a

26:59

dozen muttered Hail Marys, and

27:02

got our fathers until she

27:05

could breathe steadily. She

27:07

hadn't seen a reflection since that day.

27:09

Everywhere she went she'd painted, taped

27:12

or scratched off, ineffectual

27:14

every reflective surface she'd come

27:16

across.

27:18

But she hadn't considered the television.

27:21

Maybe it was old age, maybe it was the disbelief

27:24

of time and distance,

27:26

or maybe it was just loneliness.

27:28

When she opened her eyes after a dozen prayers

27:31

she saw the dull glow of filcope

27:33

through the dark frame of her

27:35

bedroom door. The screen

27:37

swirled with the shadowy reflection of something

27:40

unseen. Morning

27:42

came, but Elma didn't crawl out from under the covers

27:45

until an aged bladder made it imperative.

27:48

She stared at the floor all the way to the

27:50

bathroom, then stared at the floor, as she

27:52

went to the bedroom door and slimed it shut. For

27:55

a brief instance she thought she'd heard

27:58

an echoing whisper say her name.

28:00

Not Alma Tolman,

28:02

but Mama Magdalisa. She

28:05

thought of calling Father Davis, but

28:07

what would she tell him? That

28:09

a demon in her TV had come through to get

28:11

her after so many years? She'd

28:14

be in an institution surrounded by shiny

28:16

mirrors before she knew it. All

28:18

the same, she knew that she couldn't hide

28:21

forever. A quick search

28:23

through her closet, and she found the sky-blue

28:26

paint can. She thought of painting over

28:28

the glossy new TV, saddened her. The

28:31

loneliness of silence, broken

28:33

only by emotionless and boring radio,

28:35

niggled her mind. She could

28:38

think of nothing else. Even

28:40

the tape and newspaper were out in the kitchen,

28:43

past the thing in the green mirror.

28:45

She had to do it.

28:47

She wouldn't even bother with a brush, just charge

28:49

out and splice the color of pure

28:51

sunny sky over the screen. It

28:54

would talk to her, tempt her. She

28:57

promised such beautiful things, and

28:59

she knew she was weak. No

29:01

weaker than anyone else, perhaps, but

29:04

all people are weak in the face of temptation.

29:07

That was the strength of the face and the mirror.

29:10

Not its ability to see the future,

29:13

but the temptation of the things it offered.

29:16

She'd have to be quick. Stealing

29:19

her elderly heart, she pried off the paint-can

29:21

lid, twisted the eggshell

29:23

white door knob, and threw open

29:25

the door. Why chase away

29:28

a friend? It has sailed immediately. This

29:30

life can be so lonely I can help

29:32

with that. She shuffled

29:34

out the door. We can leave together,

29:36

be

29:37

out of this apartment forever, see

29:39

the sun again.

29:41

She passed the chair. I

29:43

only want to help you, Mama. We can

29:45

be great again. She

29:47

lifted from her head as the speed of her

29:50

fuzzy slippers raised a static

29:52

charge. How about that,

29:54

Father Davis? Still handsome

29:57

after all these years, he's

29:59

thinking of her tiring from the clergy, you know.

30:02

She's slow, but only for an instant. Imagine

30:05

you two together. It won't cost

30:07

you much. Just devotion

30:10

to me, your old friend. Elma

30:13

cocked back a can of paint, ready

30:15

to plunge it forward, and stopped.

30:18

A very wise choice. Just

30:21

hear me out, Mama. And the possibilities.

30:25

She smirked.

30:26

The reflection smirked, too. Where

30:29

shall we begin?

30:30

Elma lowered the paint can and reached out

30:33

her empty hand. With

30:35

a quick twist of the

30:37

knob, that old familiar face

30:40

blipped out of view and was replaced by

30:42

Bozo the Clown's permanent smile.

30:45

The sound of kazoo music in children's laughter

30:48

filled the room as the voice of temptation

30:51

fell silent. A

30:53

window to the world had opened. Another

30:56

day, very much the same, a fluke

30:58

of paint drifted to the bedroom floor.

31:00

A

31:01

golden glint of a polished brass

31:03

doorknob reflected the blue-gray

31:06

flicker of the filco predictor

31:08

across the room. A

31:10

woman reclined in the chair

31:12

not ten feet from the screen, ignoring

31:15

all else. The demon

31:17

of wanted things peered over her

31:19

shoulder, face warbling

31:21

in the tiny brass mirror. It

31:24

marveled at the glowing screen as an advertisement

31:27

for Goodyear tires played jauntily.

31:30

The demon sighed. He

31:32

knew a lost cause when he saw one.

31:34

An image of a little boy

31:36

with an ice-cream cone replaced the shiny cars,

31:39

and the old woman twitched a glance

31:41

at the freezer, reflexive, unconscious.

31:44

The

31:45

demon marveled again, feeling

31:47

obsolete. With another

31:50

heavy, otherworldly sigh, he

31:52

disappeared back into the hazy mist from

31:55

which it came, leaving Elma

31:57

alone forever. He

31:59

knew when he was outmatched.

32:10

I hope you enjoyed the Green Mirror

32:12

by Joshua Hood, as performed by yours

32:14

truly. If you enjoyed that

32:17

tale and would love to read more from tonight's

32:19

very talented feature author, you

32:21

can help support him by visiting

32:24

simplyscarypodcast.com slash

32:27

joshua dash l

32:29

dash hood. That's

32:31

simplyscarypodcast.com

32:34

slash j-o-s-h-u-a

32:39

dash l dash

32:41

h-o-o-d. You

32:44

can enjoy two book collections

32:46

of his works currently on Amazon, and

32:48

he appears regularly on our podcasts,

32:51

and even more especially, you can

32:53

catch him in our Chilling Tales for Dark Knight's

32:55

Anthology, Volume 1, in

32:57

which you can read another sinister tale

33:00

of demonic troubles.

33:02

Thanks again for your support of this program

33:04

and tonight's featured author. I

33:07

once went to a fortune teller at a state fair

33:09

to explain what she saw in the future. She

33:12

foresaw a long and exciting

33:15

time for me.

33:16

I told her I wasn't interested in my future

33:19

but hers.

33:20

She didn't say anything,

33:22

but looked into her crystal ball, started

33:24

screaming, and ran out into the crowd.

33:28

I told the guy in line behind me he'd probably

33:30

be waiting a little while before

33:32

his turn came up. He

33:35

sighed, put his shovel away, and

33:37

said he'd try again another night.

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Call or online. Line 3, what's hating you? No

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Uncrustables are the best part of the sandwich. Sorry

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Listen closely.

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I might just know what you're looking

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for. Maybe

36:19

it's a little bit more excitement in your life.

36:22

A joke

36:23

to the system to

36:25

get the blood pumping again. Just

36:28

the smallest, tiniest

36:30

taste. Something

36:33

to gnarly pupils. Do

36:37

allow me to welcome you to the horror

36:39

of him. What

36:41

a getaway I know about. A

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place with scenic overlooks. With

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36:48

even the most discerning carnesores

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36:55

the ghastly, gory and grotesque

36:58

stories that I've handpicked from the works

37:00

of previously published and indie

37:02

authors by subscribing

37:04

to Horror Hill on Apple Podcasts,

37:07

Spotify, or wherever you

37:09

prefer to get your horror

37:10

fix. My name

37:13

is Jason Hill. You

37:15

can take my word for it.

37:17

Oh, then remember. But

37:21

something's supreme. Right?

37:36

So, I suppose I did a terrible

37:38

job playing matchmaker, as accidental

37:41

as that was. But sometimes,

37:43

some people just really aren't made

37:45

for each other. I guess it all depends

37:48

on how and where you meet. Because,

37:50

as Hayley Henson's about to show us, sometimes

37:54

what looks like a perfect match

37:56

doesn't quite fit.

37:59

Whatever I do, I present to you, it's

38:02

hard to resist Omega.

38:07

Before

38:10

I even get into this, I've

38:12

got a very important public service

38:14

announcement, for those of you already judging

38:16

me, based on the title of this

38:19

alone. I don't want any

38:21

of you giving me lip in the comments

38:24

about how I shouldn't have even gotten on

38:26

Omega.

38:27

Oh, it's Omega. What

38:29

did you expect?

38:31

Come on, bro, you should have known you were going

38:33

to see some wild stuff on there.

38:36

What are you even doing on Omega?

38:38

Yeah, I don't want to hear any of it. Trust

38:41

me, I've been through enough. In fact,

38:43

you should be glad I'm posting this at all.

38:46

At the expense of my dignity, I'm

38:49

going to explain my situation so

38:51

I really don't need the judgment, okay? I

38:54

just need you to listen, and please

38:56

heed my warning. Stay

38:59

off of Omega.

39:01

Sure, the allure of talking to strangers

39:04

is cool and whatnot, and it definitely

39:06

helps to pass the time, but

39:08

sometimes you get yourself into situations

39:10

that you can't easily get out of. This

39:13

is one of those instances. It

39:16

all started last Friday night. One

39:19

of my friends was stuck with his girlfriend,

39:21

one was out of state, and the other

39:23

two were at a party that I had no interest

39:26

in attending. So that meant

39:28

I was going to order a pizza, maybe play

39:30

a little Halo, and throw back a couple

39:32

of beers.

39:34

Babbies Pizzeria, this is Daniella speaking.

39:37

The girl's voice on the other end of the line was

39:39

monotone and uninterested.

39:41

She sounded like she hated her job. Great.

39:45

I could already tell that the customer service

39:47

was going to be stellar. Hey,

39:50

yeah, I'd like to place an order, carry

39:53

out her delivery. I scoffed,

39:56

the snarky teenager cutting me off,

39:58

and loudly smacking

39:59

gum into the receiver. Delivery.

40:03

Gotcha. What can we get you started

40:05

for? I had internally

40:08

cringed when I heard her pop a bubble before

40:10

she said, Hello?

40:13

Yeah, sorry. Can I get one large

40:15

pineapple and ham pizza? Got

40:19

it. Anything else?

40:21

I could hear her annoyance the longer I stayed

40:23

on the line. And then the muffled

40:25

sound of someone in the background. Danny,

40:28

you almost done with that call? Addison

40:30

Ray's mom's going live on TikTok and

40:32

you've got to see this.

40:34

Yeah, one sec. I've got

40:37

to get this boomer off the line first.

40:40

Excuse me? My brows

40:42

furrowed as I clenched the phone.

40:45

That's twenty freaking four.

40:47

Oh, sorry about that. I thought I had

40:49

you on mute. She sort of giggled

40:52

before she said, Is that it

40:54

or yeah, that's it? Name

40:57

of the order? Rired at Kentwood.

40:59

Okay, give me one second. I

41:02

spent the next few minutes on hold. She was probably

41:04

watching that stupid TikTok live. This

41:07

was ridiculous. Right

41:09

when I thought about just hanging up and calling

41:11

another place, she finally got back

41:13

on the line and I gave her my address. She

41:16

said it would be about thirty minutes, so

41:18

I decided to find something to keep me occupied

41:21

until then. Something

41:23

told me it was going to be a bit longer than

41:25

thirty minutes. As

41:27

I scrolled through some YouTube shorts,

41:29

came across a guy that I'd

41:32

subscribed to a couple of months back. He

41:34

always did these hilarious Amagle videos,

41:37

where he catfished the men on

41:39

there into thinking he was a woman.

41:42

That was what gave me the brilliant idea

41:44

to try out Amagle for

41:47

myself. I'd always

41:49

watched the other videos of people checking

41:51

it out, and it looked like I'm as fun.

41:54

Looking back now, I wish I'd put

41:56

bleach into my eyes instead.

41:59

After the first couple of people I was starting

42:02

to get kind of bored.

42:04

It was all the same thing, guys with guitars,

42:06

amagel, riser, girls

42:09

who had eyelashes so fake that

42:11

they looked like they could fly away

42:14

every time they blinked. And

42:16

countless dudes with their third,

42:19

well, for the sake of keeping this clean.

42:22

Let's just say they forgot to put their pants

42:26

on. By the

42:28

time I decided to call it a night, I connected

42:30

with a woman and she was drop dead gorgeous.

42:33

In a way, I was completely and utterly

42:36

mesmerized, and this time I

42:38

didn't find my finger hovering over the skip

42:40

button. Instead, I found myself

42:42

sitting there and staring at her like a lovesick

42:45

puppy.

42:46

Hey, how you doing tonight?

42:48

Her voice was like velvet, silky

42:51

and smooth. Oh,

42:53

I'm good, I smiled, stuttering over

42:55

my words. A deep blush

42:57

settled over my features as I tried my best

43:00

to contain my nerves. My fingers

43:02

toyed with a string on my hoodie as I

43:04

looked her over. Raven-colored

43:07

hair cascaded down her shoulders in

43:10

a mass of voluminously shiny

43:12

curls. My eyes moved

43:14

down her face slowly, drinking in features

43:16

that stood out in stark comparison.

43:20

Seafoam green eyes gazed back

43:22

at me framed by thick dark lashes.

43:25

Oh, really? What's your name? Then

43:27

she smiled, and

43:29

I swear to you on everything holy

43:31

that in that very moment I thought the

43:33

heavens themselves opened up, and

43:35

angels started singing.

43:38

Perfectly full lips painted a

43:40

dark shade of crimson parted slowly

43:42

and revealed a row of pearly

43:45

white teeth. This woman

43:47

was absolutely stunning. Are

43:50

you okay? She asked. A

43:52

singular dark brow raised as she smirked.

43:56

This woman had to know what she was doing.

43:58

There was no way that she would be able to be a good person.

43:59

she could look as good as sin and

44:02

be totally oblivious to the fact that

44:04

she had

44:06

did that to me. With

44:09

a nervous chuckle I wiped a drool

44:11

from my mouth and rubbed the back

44:13

of my neck anxiously. She

44:15

was easily an eleven out of

44:18

ten on the smoke-show meter

44:20

and I was going to kick myself if I

44:22

fumbled this.

44:24

He's just

44:27

really beautiful is all.

44:28

I'm Ryder, but you

44:30

can just call me Ry. She

44:33

was silent for a moment and this silence

44:35

is what caused me to ramble. In

44:38

fact, you look a whole lot like someone

44:40

I know. I laughed awkwardly

44:42

and then continued, you

44:44

know what? You sort of remind

44:47

me of my ex.

44:49

I internally cursed when I realized

44:51

what I just said. I

44:54

accidentally word vomited and now

44:56

I absolutely obliterated

44:58

any chance I had at bagging

45:01

this smoking-hot babe. It's

45:03

over for me now and I might as well just throw

45:06

my whole entire PC out the window.

45:09

You're X.

45:10

Lilla gave me a funny look before she announced.

45:14

Well, she must have been absolutely stunning. With

45:17

a wink she smirked before running a hand through

45:19

her luscious locks. Once

45:21

again I paused, a bit caught off guard.

45:24

I didn't know what good I'd done in my past

45:27

life to deserve that second chance, but

45:29

I was incredibly thankful for it.

45:32

I thought for sure I'd screwed it up.

45:35

Do you live by yourself or do you have a pretty

45:37

little roommate to keep your company? she suddenly

45:40

asked, distracting me from my internal

45:42

dialogue. Oh, yeah,

45:45

it's just me. Why? A

45:47

part of me was completely flabbergasted.

45:50

She seriously asking me that

45:53

because she wanted to know if I was

45:55

single.

45:56

Maybe I was just overthinking this. She was

45:58

completely out of my league. Perfect!

46:01

Lily's face lit up at my answer, jet-black

46:05

fingernails twirling a piece of hair around

46:07

her finger before her cheeky look slid

46:09

across her features. I

46:12

just so happened to live in a heart of Dixie

46:14

myself. With a sly grin

46:16

she bid her bottom lip and continued, Want

46:19

some company?

46:21

For all of five seconds I freed.

46:24

I couldn't help but wonder how the heck she

46:26

knew where I lived until I realized

46:28

that she could probably see the

46:31

Alabama, born and bred, rolled tide

46:33

bolster on the wall behind me. At

46:35

this revelation I breathed a sigh of relief

46:38

and got my head back in the game. An incredibly

46:41

gorgeous woman was asking to

46:43

come over to my house, and

46:45

I was not about to miss out on the time

46:48

of my life. Now

46:50

before I continue, I know what you're thinking,

46:52

Dude,

46:53

she's a complete stranger. You

46:56

don't understand. I wasn't thinking

46:58

of the consequences. In fact,

47:00

I wasn't doing much thinking at all.

47:04

From the moment Lily smiled at me I was

47:06

a complete goner. I was eating

47:08

out of the palm of her hand.

47:10

I was wrapped around her little finger. I

47:12

promise you, usually I wasn't

47:15

this desperate, but you've got to believe me.

47:17

This woman altered and rewired

47:20

my whole entire brain chemistry

47:23

every time those gorgeous lips of hers opened.

47:26

She could be telling me that I was a thirty

47:28

filthy worthless piece of crap, and

47:31

I swear to you, I'm convinced that I would have heard

47:33

the complete opposite.

47:35

You live in Tuscaloosa? My lips

47:37

moved. The words sliding past them

47:40

before I fully understood what I was saying.

47:43

I'm in the area. This

47:45

night was getting a whole lot better by

47:47

the second. I mean, what were the chances?

47:51

I'm

47:51

sure a little company wouldn't hurt,

47:53

but the most charming smile that I

47:55

could muster. I leaned back in my gaming

47:58

chair and cracked my knuckles.

47:59

This was gonna be one heck of a night.

48:02

Just give me a few minutes to run a quick errand, I'll

48:05

be over there in two shakes." That's

48:08

when I realized that Lily wasn't in her room

48:10

anymore.

48:11

I'd been so caught up in what she'd looked like, I'd

48:14

totally disregarded anything in the background.

48:16

In fact, it sounded like she was in her vehicle.

48:20

A couple of car horns could be heard blurring

48:22

in the background, the typical

48:24

sounds of Friday night traffic. No

48:27

rush, I reassured her, before continuing.

48:30

And say, are you hungry? Starving,

48:32

she exclaimed, bottom lip shalloting

48:35

out in a playful pout. Well,

48:37

you're in luck, I just ordered a pizza, and

48:40

it should be delivered here in a little bit. I

48:42

hope you like pineapple and ham. I

48:44

knew pizza wasn't an impressive dinner, nothing

48:47

fancy, or candlelit, like she

48:49

was probably used to. But I did have

48:51

a couple of bottles of wine that might spice

48:53

it up a little. She deserved that much

48:56

at least.

48:57

That's crazy,

48:58

she giggled. That's actually my favorite.

49:01

Where'd you order from?

49:03

Gio's subpar, and

49:05

I'm not a fan of Pizza Hut sauce. It's

49:08

always too sweet. I watched

49:10

in slight amusement as Lily pulled a face,

49:12

her finger pointed slightly down

49:14

her throat in a barfing motion.

49:18

It's a family-owned one, Pappy's

49:20

Pizzeria has some of the best pizza. The

49:23

teenagers that worked there are a little snooty,

49:25

but their thin crust is to die

49:27

for. Oh, I love Pappy's Pizzeria.

49:30

Lily smiled bright and before she said, I'm

49:33

actually... I didn't get

49:35

a chance to hear the rest of her response, though.

49:38

The video cut out and my screen went blank.

49:41

I didn't even get a chance to give her my number.

49:45

With a frustrated sigh, I leaned

49:47

back in my chair and kicked my desk.

49:50

I reached for my phone, absent-mindedly

49:53

scrolling through my Twitter, for a

49:55

couple of minutes before I thread down and stared

49:57

up at the ceiling. This

49:59

pizza was too big.

49:59

taking forever. I was already

50:02

annoyed and my patience was hanging by

50:04

a thread.

50:06

Suddenly, the ding of the doorbell caught me

50:08

off guard. There was about time,

50:10

whatever tip I'd even thought about giving

50:12

the driver, was going to stay buried

50:15

in my wallet. Happy as

50:17

Pizzeria had topped here pizza, but

50:19

their customer service sucked. As

50:22

I got to the door, I snatched up my wallet

50:24

and pulled out some cash. I

50:26

had been waiting on this pizza since the

50:28

dawn of time, and if this wasn't

50:31

my pizza delivery, I was about to go kick

50:33

some kittens. I pulled open

50:35

the door, wholeheartedly convinced that it

50:37

was going to be one of the snotty teenagers from

50:39

the pizzeria, but instead

50:43

I was met with raven-colored

50:45

hair and sea foam green eyes. Wait

50:48

a minute, what the heck? I

50:51

faltered, confusion settling over my

50:53

features, until I noticed that Lily

50:55

was holding a pizza.

50:58

Once again, what were the

51:00

chances? I figured

51:02

I'd just swing by and pick it up for you. Her

51:05

smile was big and her eyes twinkled

51:07

innocently. I just so happened to catch

51:09

the pizza boy out in the parking lot, and it turned

51:12

out that he was getting ready to deliver

51:14

your order. Literally everything

51:17

Lily said felt incredibly fishy,

51:20

and any sane man would have slammed the

51:22

door in her face. But

51:24

unbeknownst to me, she had a trick up

51:26

her sleeve. Before I even had

51:28

time to react, I felt her hand

51:31

reach out and grab my arms, her fingers

51:33

lightly caressing my skin. And that's

51:36

when I felt it.

51:38

All my doubts, all my confusion,

51:41

all the questions dancing on the tip of my

51:43

tongue melted away the second she

51:45

gazed up at me and whispered,

51:47

Ry. He believed me, telling

51:50

the truth. Lily's

51:52

voice was like some warm honey

51:54

dripping into my ears, and the

51:57

second it took her to grace my skin,

51:59

I felt it. She'd easily well

52:01

be in a submission suit my thoughts,

52:04

and completely snuffed out the warning bells

52:06

that were screaming at me, only a

52:08

few seconds beforehand.

52:10

My head nodded almost on its own

52:13

accord. Suddenly I didn't

52:15

care where she came from or what she was

52:17

doing here.

52:18

I just knew that I couldn't get her

52:20

inside my house fast enough.

52:23

Charm radiated off of Flilly

52:25

like the aroma of melted cheese was radiating

52:27

off of that pizza and before I knew it, I

52:30

was inviting her in. In fact, my

52:32

brain was so clouded

52:34

that I couldn't figure out what I wanted more, the

52:36

pizza or her. Please

52:39

understand me when I say that all

52:41

of this was the biggest red

52:43

flag to have ever graced mankind, but

52:46

I was far too gone to even care.

52:48

My mind was buzzing and my heart was beating

52:51

so wildly within my chest that

52:53

I thought I was going to die if I didn't touch

52:55

her.

52:56

I didn't know what the heck this feeling was,

52:58

but I wanted more. No, I

53:01

needed more. Every smile,

53:03

every laugh, every flutter of

53:05

her lashes was intoxicatingly addicting.

53:09

I felt like a druggie begging for his next fix,

53:11

and everything about this woman was

53:13

abso-freaking-lutely euphoric.

53:17

The second Lillie stepped past the

53:19

threshold of my front door, it was like every

53:23

fiber of her being called out

53:25

to me.

53:26

So when she set the pizza down and

53:28

made it move to kiss me, it

53:30

was only a surprise when things got heated.

53:33

My hands flew to her hair, bunching

53:35

up dark curls within my fingertips, as

53:38

she moved her lips fervently against mine.

53:41

From

53:41

that point forward, everything was progressing

53:44

rather quickly.

53:45

An overwhelmingly hot whirlwind

53:48

of emotions encompassed my entire

53:50

being, all the way up until she

53:52

got an unexpected phone call.

53:55

With an irritated scav,

53:57

Lillie pulled away from the kiss and apologized

53:59

for her. I apologized before picking up her phone.

54:02

Her name glowed up at her, then made her falter.

54:05

I need to take this.

54:07

Mind if I step out of the room for a bit? Yeah,

54:11

sure. I buried my chest rapidly,

54:14

rising and falling, still worked

54:16

up from our heated make-out session. The

54:18

bathroom's right down the hall if you just want to step

54:21

in there. Perfect, she smiled.

54:23

I'll be right back. Just sit tight for a second. With

54:26

an obedient nod, I watched her disappear into

54:29

my bathroom before I snuck back into

54:31

the coach cushions. In all

54:33

honesty, I was glad to have a bit of

54:35

a breather. My thoughts were

54:37

a swirling, muddy mess, lips

54:40

swollen and red as I peered down at my embarrassingly

54:43

sweaty palms.

54:45

As I dragged in another breath, I couldn't help

54:47

but close my eyes for just a second.

54:50

I was so incredibly light-headed that

54:52

I thought I was going to pass out. But

54:55

now that she had left me alone for a bit,

54:57

I slowly regained my thoughts. The

54:59

haze from before, clearing

55:02

just the slightest. I

55:04

started from my spot on the couch, deciding

55:06

to go plate some of that pizza. Secondly,

55:09

stepped through the door, I'd forgotten that I was even

55:11

hungry at all. But now I

55:13

was starving. When I flicked open

55:15

the top of the pizza box, though, that

55:18

feeling quickly dissipated and I nearly

55:20

vomited.

55:21

A large, serrated knife was laying

55:23

right smack dab in the middle of it, coated

55:26

in blood, meaty tissue clinging

55:28

to the teeth like poorly shredded

55:31

chicken.

55:32

Fear skittered across my arms

55:34

in the form of goosebumps. As I stumbled

55:37

away from the pizza box, my eyes darting

55:39

to the bathroom. I could hear her

55:41

voice, low whispers, floating out

55:43

from under the closed door. Yes,

55:46

yes, I'm sure. I was trying

55:48

to hear bits and pieces of the conversation

55:50

as I backed into my front door, fumbling

55:52

for the doorknob. He's completely

55:55

enraptured.

55:56

I swear I won't get caught this time.

55:59

I took cautions to make sure. That

56:02

was all I needed to hear to realize that I'd

56:04

gotten myself into quite a pickle.

56:07

Whatever this lady was, she was freaking crazy,

56:10

and I wanted no part of it. In fact,

56:12

the more I thought about it, the more

56:14

I realized that the red flags were glaringly

56:17

bright. I couldn't, for the life

56:19

of me, understand how I just let this psychopath

56:22

waltz into my house. It was

56:24

like she had me under some type of mild

56:26

hypnosis. Without the

56:28

second thought, I threw up in my front door and

56:30

raced out to my driveway. All

56:32

the blood drained from my face the second

56:34

I realized that my car was nowhere in sight.

56:37

There was absolutely no trace of it.

56:40

My mouth went dry as my eyes blinked

56:42

several times. What the

56:45

actual?

56:46

Parked in the ditch across the street

56:49

was my vehicle.

56:51

It was turned completely upside down, parts of

56:53

it littering the street. Adrenaline

56:55

was coursing through me like a tidal wave.

56:58

I didn't have time to think about how it got there,

57:01

but part of me knew that she had something

57:04

to do with it.

57:05

My eyes quickly darted to the pizza

57:07

car parked just beside my mailbox.

57:10

It was still running. Lily

57:12

had left the keys in the ignition.

57:15

Another wave of nausea rushed over

57:17

me when I realized that she was so

57:20

confident in her skills

57:21

that she had purposely left a car running.

57:24

She wholeheartedly thought that I was going

57:27

to be an easy kill.

57:29

As the gravity of the situation slowly

57:31

sunk in, I couldn't help but be

57:33

thankful for that phone call.

57:36

If whoever was on the other end of that line

57:38

hadn't decided to interrupt her, she

57:40

might have been right. I would have been dead

57:43

as a doornail. Without

57:45

another thought, I rushed over to her car, took

57:47

the door open, throwing myself inside

57:50

and shoving the car in to drive. Terror

57:53

was racing through me so fast,

57:56

I didn't even realize the horror awaiting

57:58

me in the back of the car.

57:59

I only made it about a block

58:02

down the road before I realized something

58:04

wasn't right.

58:06

Then it froze.

58:07

For some reason, my

58:09

jeans felt wet and

58:11

stichey. Then

58:13

I noticed

58:15

blood

58:16

everywhere.

58:17

My hand shook as I pulled into a random

58:20

driveway. I was hyperventilating

58:22

at this point, nearly catapulting myself into

58:25

a full-blown panic attack when

58:27

I discovered something even worse. My

58:29

eyes widened large as saucers when I

58:31

peered through the rear view mirror. There

58:34

was a boy in the back, slightly

58:36

slumped over in his seat.

58:38

A hat was perched in his head, bloody

58:40

curls peeking up beneath it.

58:43

My eyes zeroed in and the words printed across

58:45

the front before I stumbled out of the car and

58:47

took off sprinting down the street. Staring

58:51

back at me in big block letters was

58:53

Pappy's Pizzeria.

58:56

I'd been staying at my friend Mark's house ever since

58:58

that night.

58:59

When I crashed him and his girlfriend Friday

59:02

night slumber party, they were both

59:04

slightly annoys until they

59:06

realized I was covered in blood. Both

59:09

of them were quick to console me before they shoot

59:11

me off to the shower. My

59:13

clothes were ruined, but Mark was more than glad to

59:15

supply me with some new ones, stuffing

59:18

the dirty ones into a freezer bag for the police.

59:21

The authorities carefully scoured my car

59:24

and my house, and very quickly everything

59:26

around me was tied up into a big bowl

59:29

of bright yellow crime scene tape.

59:32

The

59:32

police had been thoroughly investigating everything,

59:35

explaining to me that there had been a string

59:37

of unusual murders tied to

59:39

Lily, and unfortunately they

59:42

had been coming up empty-handed. As

59:45

of right now, she's evaded their every

59:47

move, always one step ahead.

59:50

I don't know exactly what she is, but

59:52

Mark's convinced that she's a succubus.

59:55

I gave him the rundown on everything that had happened the

59:58

second she stepped foot into my house. And

1:00:00

honestly, his assumption sort of

1:00:02

makes sense. This woman,

1:00:05

or demon, or whatever she is, had

1:00:07

a hold on me that I can't quite explain

1:00:09

that she's still out there.

1:00:11

She's still killing, and

1:00:13

she won't leave you alone until she's

1:00:15

devoured every last bit of your soul. I

1:00:18

know she's not done with me. I

1:00:20

got a text from Lella last night. I

1:00:23

thought I was safe at Marx, but now I'm not so

1:00:25

sure. If anything, I feel incredibly

1:00:28

guilty for pulling Amy to this crapshoot that's

1:00:30

become my life. Everything's

1:00:32

in his shambles, and now I don't know what to do

1:00:35

or where to turn. I'm

1:00:37

stuck with an impossible decision.

1:00:40

Hi,

1:00:40

Ryder. You've been very

1:00:43

naughty. The place can't help you,

1:00:45

but I can. In fact, I'll make you

1:00:47

a bargain.

1:00:48

If you give me Marx's soul in exchange

1:00:50

for yours, I'll spare you. You

1:00:52

have twenty-four hours to make your decision. See

1:00:55

you soon. Mark

1:00:58

and I are heading out to his parents' lake

1:01:00

house tonight when I get off work.

1:01:03

I read him the text, purposely glossing

1:01:05

over the partbook, Lily's bargain. I

1:01:08

was terribly conflicted.

1:01:10

He'd been a good friend to me for as long as I

1:01:12

can remember, and the last thing I wanted to be was

1:01:14

a coward. Both of us decided,

1:01:17

after that text, that going off the

1:01:19

grid to wait this out was our best bet

1:01:21

for the next few weeks. But

1:01:23

little does he know that might not work out

1:01:26

in his favor.

1:01:27

I still don't know what to make of her text,

1:01:30

but I'm sure she isn't bluffing. One

1:01:32

way or another, Lily's going to find us, and

1:01:34

when she does, I'm

1:01:36

going to have to figure out whether our friendship is

1:01:38

more important than my life. The

1:01:40

pressure that I'm feeling is so incredibly heavy,

1:01:43

and I can't help but feel that I'm stuck between

1:01:45

a rock and a hard place. On

1:01:48

one hand, I brought this upon myself

1:01:50

by talking to a complete stranger, but

1:01:53

in my defense, my mind wasn't

1:01:55

my own. This woman, Lily,

1:01:58

she's not normal. She's got a big... is

1:02:00

that I can't even begin to comprehend. I know

1:02:03

I said before that when she spoke the heavens

1:02:06

opened up and sunshine spilled

1:02:08

out, or whatever bullcrap I spouted

1:02:11

when I was under her trance, but

1:02:13

now I'm seriously wondering if that was

1:02:15

hellfire instead. In

1:02:17

the meantime, those of you in the Tuscaloosa

1:02:19

area or any part of Alabama, heck,

1:02:22

even those of you in the surrounding states,

1:02:24

I'm begging you,

1:02:26

please

1:02:27

stay off of Omegle.

1:02:30

I'm pretty sure I met a suctubus there,

1:02:32

and

1:02:32

now I'm bargaining for my life.

1:02:43

I hope you enjoyed It's Hard to Resist

1:02:46

Omegle by Ailey Ensign, as

1:02:48

performed by yours truly. If

1:02:51

you enjoyed that tale and would love to read more

1:02:53

from tonight's very talented feature author, you

1:02:56

can help support them by visiting simplyscarypodcast.com

1:03:00

slash Ailey dash Ensign. That's

1:03:03

simplyscarypodcast.com slash

1:03:06

h-a-i-l-e-y

1:03:09

dash h-e-n-s-o-n.

1:03:12

She made her debut back on this program

1:03:15

on the first of our two Halloween episodes

1:03:17

this year, though if you're not a

1:03:19

patron, you may not have caught it. If

1:03:22

what you heard tonight caught your interest,

1:03:24

stay tuned to the end of tonight's

1:03:26

program for more information on

1:03:28

how you can hear that story and

1:03:31

many more. In the meantime, that

1:03:33

story is available for reading on creepypastastories.com,

1:03:38

and you can find more stories on Reddit

1:03:40

under the moniker Just The

1:03:42

Girl Next Door. Thanks

1:03:45

again for your support of this and

1:03:47

tonight's featured author. If

1:03:49

you enjoyed what you've heard tonight, I'd

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like to remind you one last time

1:03:54

that all of tonight's featured authors can be

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found by visiting our website. Thanks

1:03:59

again for your support. for all of tonight's featured authors.

1:04:04

Now, before we go, I'd also

1:04:06

like to take a moment to thank you personally for

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1:04:11

Stories Told in the Dark. If

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Until next week, stay spooky.

1:05:47

Get some sleep,

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if you can.

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Ha ha ha ha ha ha

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ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Thanks

1:05:54

for listening.

1:05:57

You've been listening to...

1:05:59

Two scary stories told in the dark,

1:06:02

a production of Chilling Entertainment and

1:06:04

the creative team at Chilling Tales for Dark

1:06:06

Nights,

1:06:07

and a proud member of the Simply Scary

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Tonight's program was hosted and its

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1:06:28

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1:06:34

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to get more spooky tales from me and the crew

1:08:11

and another episode of this program each

1:08:13

and every Wednesday. And don't forget

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to hit that thumbs up button to

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tell us how we're doing and leave a kind word

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or a request.

1:08:22

And don't forget to visit us at chillingtalesfordarknights.com

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and consider supporting the team by becoming

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1:08:39

including those you've heard on this program.

1:08:41

As for me, I'll be back

1:08:43

next Wednesday with more terrifying

1:08:46

tales to keep you up all night. But

1:08:48

that's alright. Who needs

1:08:50

sleep anyway?

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