August 13, 2025 • 23 mins
Join us as we delve into the eerie world of online dating, where the promise of romance sometimes takes a dark turn. In "Digital Haunts: Unveiling the Shadows of Online Dating," we explore two spine-chilling tales that highlight the unseen perils lurking in our digital lives. In the first story, what begins as a promising connection with Luna on a dating app leads to a night of terror in an abandoned house, revealing a mysterious photograph and an unsettling presence that challenges reality itself. As you listen, you'll feel the tension rise with each step taken into the unknown. The second tale is a harrowing account of a mistaken identity that spirals into a nightmare, culminating in a home invasion. Experience the raw fear of confronting an intruder, the rush of adrenaline, and the enduring struggle to reclaim a sense of security in the aftermath. These narratives serve as a stark reminder of the dangers that can hide behind the façade of digital connections and the enduring impact of fear on our lives. Tune in for a gripping exploration of the dark side of online dating and the haunting experiences that leave an indelible mark.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
When it comes to online dating, I've always been pretty careful.
You hear all sorts of horror stories about people being catfished, scammed,
or worse, and I.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Wasn't about to let that happen to me. So when
I matched with.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Luna on a dating app, I made sure to do
my due diligence. Her profile seemed legit, pictures of her
at different locations, posts about her love for photography and hiking,
and a few mutual friends. Nothing stood out as a
red flag. We started chatting, and from the very beginning
Luna was different. She had this mysterious vibe about her,
(00:35):
but not in a creepy way, at least not at first.
She was funny, witty, and seemed genuinely interested in getting
to know me. We exchanged messages every day for about
a week, and I started to look forward towards to
our conversations. She was quick to reply, always had something
interesting to say, and she even sent me a few
photos of her latest hikes, each one more stunning than
(00:58):
the last. After about a week of chatting, I suggested
we meet up. I was excited, but also a bit nervous.
Meeting someone from an app always carried a certain level
of risk, but Luna seemed so real, so genuine, that
I pushed those worries aside. We agreed to meet the
following weekend at a cafe near a popular hiking trail.
It was a public place and it seemed like the
(01:20):
perfect spot for our first date. But then things started
to get weird. A few days before our scheduled date,
Luna messaged me with a change of plans. She said
she couldn't make it to the cafe because something had
come up with her family, but she didn't want to cancel. Instead,
she suggested we meet at a different location, an old,
(01:40):
abandoned house on the outskirts of town. At first, I
thought she was joking. Who in their right mind would
suggest meeting at an abandoned house for a first date.
But when I asked her about it, she assured me
that it was a beautiful spot with great views and
lots of history. She even sent me a photo of
the house taken at sunset, with the light filtering through
(02:03):
the trees in a way that made the place look
almost magical. I was hesitant, but Luna was persistent. She
told me she'd been there before, that it was one
of her favorite spots and that she'd love to show
it to me. Against my better judgment, I agreed Something
about her made me want to trust her, even though
every logical part of my brain was screaming that this
(02:25):
was a bad idea. The day of our date arrived
and I found myself driving out to the address Luna
had given me. The road was long and winding, leading
out of town and into the more remote wooded areas.
As I drove, the trees grew thicker, the houses fewer
and farther between, until I was completely surrounded by forest.
(02:46):
The sun was starting to set, and the further I went,
the more I began to doubt my decision, but I
had come this far and I didn't want to back
out now. I kept telling myself that Luna was just
a quirky, adventurous person.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
And that this was all part of her charm.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Finally I reached the location. The house stood at the
end of a narrow gravel road, hidden away behind a
wall of trees. It was old, much older than I
had expected, with crumbling stone walls and boarded up windows.
The roof was partially collapsed, and the yard was overgrown
with weeds and ivy.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
It looked like it hadn't been lived in for decades.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
I parked my car and got out, the crunch of
gravel underfoot the only sound in the otherwise eerie silence.
I looked around, expecting to see Luna's car or some
sign that she was there, but there was nothing. The
place was deserted. I pulled out my phone to text her,
but there was no service. The screen displayed a single,
lonely bar flickering in and out of existence. I started
(03:46):
to feel uneasy, the hairs on the back of my
neck standing up as I realized how isolated I was.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
But I had come this far and.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
I didn't want to chicken out. I walked up to
the house, the wooden steps creaking under my weight. The
door was slightly ajar, hanging off its hinges, and I
hesitated for a moment before pushing it open. The inside
of the house was just as dilapidated as the outside.
The floorboards were warped and rotten, and the walls were
(04:14):
covered in peeling wallpaper and mold. A thick layer of
dust coated every surface, and the air was stale and musty,
like the place had been.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Sealed up for years.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
I called out for Luna, but there was no answer.
The house was completely silent. My footsteps echoed in the
empty rooms as I walked through the house, my heart
pounding in my chest. I reached what looked like the
living room, a large open space with a fireplace at
one end and a few pieces of broken furniture scattered around.
(04:46):
I stood there for a moment, listening to the silence,
when I noticed something on the floor near the fireplace.
It was a photograph, half buried in the dust. I
picked it up, brushing off the dirt, and my heart
skipped a beat when I s I saw what it was.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
It was a picture of Luna.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
She was standing in front of the very house I
was in, smiling at the camera, the same mysterious smile
I had seen in her profile pictures. But there was
something off about the photo, something I couldn't quite put
my finger on. The colors were faded, the edges worn,
and the paper felt old, like it had been sitting
there for years. A chill ran down my spine as
(05:23):
I realized that the photo couldn't have been taken recently.
The house looked exactly the same as it did now, abandoned, crumbling, lifeless,
but Luna looked younger, different. It was her, but not her.
The hair was the same, the eyes, the smile, but
there was something that didn't fit. I stood there, staring
(05:43):
at the photo, my mind racing. None of this made
any sense. I tried to rationalize it, but deep down
I knew something was very, very wrong. I decided then
and there that I needed to leave. This whole thing
felt off, like a bad joke that had gone too far.
I turned started to make my way back to the door,
but as I did, I heard something, a faint sound
(06:04):
like a whisper, coming from somewhere deeper in the house.
I froze, my heart pounding in my ears. The sound
was so soft, so quiet, that I almost thought I
had imagined it. But then I heard it again, clearer
this time, my name whispered from the shadows. Every instinct
I had was screaming at me to get out of
that house, to run and never look back. But something
(06:27):
about that whisper rooted me to the spot, a morbid
curiosity compelling me to find out what it was. I
turned slowly, the darkness of the house closing in around
me as I strained to hear where the whisper had
come from there.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
It was again, my.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
Name, whispered softly, almost pleadingly, from somewhere down the hallway.
I didn't want to follow it, didn't want to go
deeper into that house, but my feet started moving on
their own.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
I walked down the narrow.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Dimly lit hallway, the floorboards creaking under my weight, the
walls seeming to close in around me. The whispering continued,
growing louder with each step, and as I rounded a
corner I saw her. Luna was standing at the end
of the hallway, her back to me, her long, dark
hair cascading down her shoulders. She was wearing the same
dress I had seen in her photos, the same one
(07:16):
she had described to me in one of our messages. Luna,
I called out, my voice trembling. She didn't respond. She
just stood there, perfectly still, as if she hadn't heard me.
I took a step closer, and as I did, the
temperature in the hallway seemed to drop, the air growing
cold and heavy. Luna, is that you? I tried again,
(07:38):
but there was no response. Something about the way she
was standing, so motionless, so unnaturally still, sent a chill.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Down my spine.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
I took another step closer, and that's when she finally moved.
She turned around slowly, her movements jerky and unnatural, like
a marionette being pulled by invisible strings. And when I
saw her face, my blood ran cold. It was Luna,
but not Luna. Her eyes were hollow, empty, her skin
pale and gaunt, as if she hadn't seen sunlight in years.
(08:06):
Her lips were twisted into a grotesque smile, and as
she opened her mouth to speak, a raspy, echoing voice
whispered my name again. I stumbled back, my heart pounding
in my chest, fear gripping me like a vice. This
wasn't real. This couldn't be real. I had to be dreaming,
had to be imagining things. But the fear was real.
The cold, the darkness, the whispering, it was all real. Luna,
(08:30):
what's going on? I asked, my voice barely more than
a whisper. She took a step forward, her movement slow
and deliberate, her eyes locked on mine. What are you
doing here? She whispered, her voice barely more than a breath.
I couldn't answer. My mind was racing, my thoughts a
jumbled mess of confusion and terror. I wanted to run,
wanted to get out of that house, but my feet
(08:51):
wouldn't move. What are you doing here, she repeated, her
voice growing louder, more insistent. I finally found my voice,
but it was weak, trembling. I thought we were meeting.
You asked me to come. Her smile widened, but it
wasn't a smile of warmth or happiness.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
It was cold, cruel, and.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Filled with something dark, something that sent a wave of
nausea through me. I didn't ask you to come here,
she whispered, her voice echoing through the hallway, seeming to
come from all around me. You shouldn't have come. I
took another step back, my back pressing against the wall,
my breath coming in short, panicked gasps.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
What are you, I managed to choke out.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
Her eyes seemed to darken, the shadows around her deepening
as she took another step forward. I'm what you wanted,
she whispered, her voice soft and haunting. I'm what you
were looking for. I couldn't take it anymore. The fear,
the cold, the darkness, it was all too much. I
turned and bolted down the hallway, my footsteps echoing off
the walls as I raced for the door. I could
(09:56):
hear her behind me, hear the whispering. The cold air
rushed past me as I ran. But when I reached
the door, it wouldn't open. No matter how hard I pulled,
how desperately I tried to force it open, it wouldn't budge.
It was as if the house itself was holding me captive.
I turned around, my heart pounding in my chest, and
saw Luna standing in the doorway at the end of
(10:18):
the hallway, her eyes locked on mine, her twisted smile
still fixed in place. You shouldn't have come here, she whispered,
her voice echoing in my mind, growing louder and louder,
until it was all I could hear. I screamed, the
sound tearing from my throat, echoing through the empty house,
but there was no one to hear me, no one
(10:38):
to help, And then everything went dark. When I woke up,
I was sitting inside my car. The sun was just
starting to rise. For a moment, I didn't know where
I was or how I had gotten there. My head
was pounding, my body aching as I was trying to
piece together what had happened.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
And then it all came flooding back the.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
House, the whispering Luna or whatever it was that had
been pretending to be Luna. My heart racing as I
looked around, expecting to see her, to hear the whispering,
but there was nothing, just the empty, abandoned house and
the quiet of the early morning. I didn't waste any time,
my hands shaking, desperate to get out of there, I
started the engine and sped down the gravel road, not
(11:21):
looking back, not daring to slow.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Down until I was miles away.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
It wasn't until I reached the main road that I
finally pulled over, my hands gripping the steering wheel so
tightly my knuckles were white. I sat there for a
long time, trying to calm my racing heart, trying to
make sense of what had happened. I knew I couldn't
go to the police. What would I tell them that
I had been catfished by a ghost, that the girl
(11:47):
I had been talking to was dead. They would think
I was crazy, and maybe I was, But the fear
was real. The cold, the darkness, the whispering, it was
all real. I deleted the app that same day, block
Luna's profile and wiping all trace of her from my phone.
But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't erase
the memory of her, of that house, of the terror
(12:09):
I had felt. My experience with online dating had always
been up and down. I'd had my share of awkward
dates and ghosted messages, but nothing that.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
Had made me want to give up on the whole
thing entirely.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
So when I matched with this girl, I didn't think
much of it, just another conversation, another potential date. Her
profile was familiar in a way I couldn't quite place
at first. It wasn't until we started chatting that I
realized why Hannah and I had gone to high school together.
I hadn't seen or heard from her in years, but
she looked just as I remembered, same bright smile, same
(12:56):
blonde hair, same.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
Care free vibe.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
We weren't close back then, more like acquaintances who shared
a few classes and exchanged the occasional hello in the hallways,
but there was something comforting about reconnecting with someone from
my past, especially after all the random strangers I'd met online.
Our conversation flowed easily, like we were old friends catching up.
We talked about high school memories, what we'd been up
(13:21):
to since graduation and the usual small talk about work
and hobbies. She even joked about how we should have
gone to prom together back then, and I found myself
laughing along the nostalgia, softening my usual skepticism about dating apps.
After a few days of chatting, we agreed to meet
up for coffee. I was actually looking forward to it,
a chance to see someone familiar and reconnect in person.
(13:46):
We set a time and place, and I spent the
rest of the week in a surprisingly good mood thinking
about what it would be like to see her again.
Things started to get weird the day before our plan date.
The first red flag came in the form of a message.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Late at night.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
I was in bed scrolling mindlessly through my phone when
I saw that Hannah had sent me a text. Can't
wait to see you tomorrow. Just wanted to make sure
you live alone now right. I frowned at the message.
It was an odd question, especially considering we hadn't talked
about anything related to my living situation before, but I
(14:22):
brushed it off, figuring she was just curious. Maybe she
was trying to avoid an awkward encounter with roommates or something.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
I replied with a simple yeah, I.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
Live alone and left it at that, But as soon
as I hit send, I felt a strange unease settle
over me. Something about the way she asked the question
felt off. I tried to shake it, telling myself I
was overthinking things, but the feeling lingered. The next day,
things got even stranger. Hannah started sending me more messages,
(14:53):
asking increasingly personal questions about my daily routine, when I
usually left for work, when I got home, if I
had any security cameras, things like that. It was like
she was trying to map out my schedule in detail,
and it was starting to creep me out. I finally
decided to confront her about it, typing out a message
asking why she needed to know all this stuff, But
(15:15):
before I could send it, I got another message from
a different number. Hey, it's Hannah. Someone's been using my
pictures to catfish people. If you've been talking.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
To me on a dating app, it's not really me.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Be careful. My stomach dropped. I reread the message, my
mind racing. If the real Hannah was warning me about
a catfish, then who the hell had I been talking
to and why were they asking all these invasive questions?
Speaker 2 (15:42):
A cold sense of dread settled.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
Over me as I realized that whoever I had been
chatting with wasn't just playing a harmless prank. They were
trying to get close to me, trying to learn everything
they could about me and my life. I immediately blocked
the fake Hannah and deleted our chat history, my heart
pounding as I tried to wrap my head around what
had just happened. I felt stupid for not catching on sooner,
(16:07):
or letting my guard down just because I thought I
was reconnecting with someone from my past. But the fear
that gnawed at me wasn't just about being tricked. It
was the realization that this person, whoever they were, knew
where I lived, knew that I was alone, and had
been asking questions that suggested they might be planning something
(16:27):
far worse than just pretending to be someone they weren't.
I decided to stay home that night, canceling the coffee
date I had planned with the real Hannah. I told
her what had happened, and she was sympathetic, apologizing for
the situation even though it wasn't her fault. She urged
me to be careful to lock my doors and keep
(16:48):
an eye out for anything unusual. And that's exactly what
I did. But as the night wore on, my anxiety
only grew. I spent the evening trying to distract myself,
watching t playing some video games, anything to keep my
mind off the creepy messages and the growing sense of
dread that had settled over me. But no matter what
(17:09):
I did, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
The house felt different, too quiet, too still. Every little
noise made me jump, Every shadow seemed to hide something sinister.
I kept checking the windows, peering out into the dark street,
half expecting to see someone standing there watching. By the
(17:29):
time I decided to call it a night, it was
well past midnight. I did a quick check of the house,
making sure all the doors and windows were locked before
heading to bed, but sleep didn't come easily. I lay
there staring at the ceiling, my mind racing with all
the worst case scenarios. It was sometime in the early
hours of the morning when I heard it, a soft
(17:50):
scraping sound coming from somewhere outside my bedroom door. I
sat up in bed, my heart pounding in my chest,
straining to.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Hear it again.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
It was a faint, almost imperceptible noise like someone trying
to open a door, very slowly, very quietly. Panic surged
through me as I realized that someone was in the house.
I grabbed my phone, my hands shaking as I dialed
nine one one, But just as I was about to
press call, the noise stopped. The silence that followed was
so complete, so absolute, that it was almost worse than
(18:22):
the sound itself. I sat there, holding my breath, waiting
for something, anything, to happen, and then I heard it again,
a soft, almost gentle knock.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
On my bedroom door.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
I froze, every muscle in my body, tensing as I
stared at the door, my mind racing. The knock came again,
a little louder this time. I didn't know what to do.
Part of me wanted to call out to demand who
was there, but another part of me was too terrified
to make a sound, too afraid that any noise would
trigger whatever was on the other side of that door. Instead,
(18:55):
I slid out of bed as quietly as I could,
my feet barely making a sound on the car floor.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
I moved to the corner of the room where I
kept a baseball bat.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
For protection, a habit I had picked up living in
a rough neighborhood during college.
Speaker 2 (19:09):
The knock came again, this.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
Time louder, more forceful, followed by the sound of the
doorknob turning. I tightened my grip on the bat, my
heart racing as the door slowly creaked open. For a moment,
nothing happened. The door was partially open, a sliver of
darkness beyond it, but no one entered the room. I
could feel my pulse in my throat, every instinct screaming
(19:32):
at me to run, to hide, to do something, but
I couldn't move. I was frozen in place, my eyes
locked on the door.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
And then a figure stepped into the room.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
I could barely make out their shape in the darkness,
a tall, shadowy silhouette, the outline of a hood pulled
low over their face. They stood there for a moment,
as if assessing the room, before taking a slow, deliberate
step forward. I couldn't breathe. The fear was suffocating paraly
I wanted to swing the bat to defend myself, but
(20:03):
my arms wouldn't respond. All I could do was watch
as the figure move closer, inching their way into the room.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
Their movements slow and measured.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
The intruder reached the foot of my bed and stopped,
their head turning slightly as if they were looking directly
at me. I felt a wave of nausea roll over me,
the realization that they could see me, that they knew
exactly where I was. And then they spoke, you shouldn't
have blocked me. The voice was low, raspy, and filled
(20:31):
with a quiet, chilling intensity that sent a shiver down
my spine. They took another step forward, and I knew
I had to act. My survival instincts finally kicked in,
and with a burst of adrenaline, I swung the bat
with all my strength, aiming for the intruder's head, but
they were faster than I anticipated.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
They ducked the bat.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Whushing through the air just above their head, and in
one swift motion, they grabbed my wrist yanking the bat
from my hand with a surprising strength. Stumbled back, fear
turning to pure panic as I realized I was defenseless.
The intruder raised the bat, holding it menacingly, and for
a moment I thought this was it, that they were
going to kill me, right there in my own bedroom.
(21:14):
But then, just as they were about to swing the
sound of sirens pierced the air, growing louder by the second.
The intruder hesitated their grip on the bat, tightening as
the sirens drew closer, and then, without a word, they
turned and bolted out of the room, disappearing into the
darkness of the hallway. I didn't wait to see where
(21:35):
they went. I grabbed my phone, still connected to the
nine one one operator, and ran out of the house
as fast as I could, not stopping until I was
standing in the middle of the street. The police arrived
within minutes, their lights flashing. I was shaking, my mind
reeling as I tried to explain what had happened, but
the words felt jumbled, incoherent. They searched the house, but
(21:59):
the truth was long gone. They found evidence of a
break in. The front door had been jimmied open, the
locks damaged, but nothing else was missing, nothing else out
of place, except for the fear that had taken root
inside me. The days that followed were a blur of
police reports, sleepless nights, and a lingering sense of dread
that I couldn't shake. The police never caught the intruder,
(22:22):
and I never found out who they were or why
they had targeted me, but the damage was done. My
sense of security was shattered, replaced by a constant, gnawing
fear that they would come back, that they were still
out there, waiting for another chance. I couldn't stay in
that house anymore. The memories of that night, the terror
I had felt, were too strong, too overwhelming. I packed
(22:45):
up and moved out, leaving behind the place I had
once called home, hoping that distance.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
Would help me forget. But it never really did.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
Even now, in my new place, I still find myself
double checking the locks, peering out the windows at the
slightest noise, my heart racing at every unexpected sound. I
stopped using dating apps, deleted all my accounts, and tried
to put the experience behind me. And I can't help
but wonder if they're still out there, still looking for me,
still waiting for the right moment to strike again.
When it comes to online dating, I've always been pretty careful.
You hear all sorts of horror stories about people being catfished, scammed,
or worse, and I.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Wasn't about to let that happen to me. So when
I matched with.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Luna on a dating app, I made sure to do
my due diligence. Her profile seemed legit, pictures of her
at different locations, posts about her love for photography and hiking,
and a few mutual friends. Nothing stood out as a
red flag. We started chatting, and from the very beginning
Luna was different. She had this mysterious vibe about her,
(00:35):
but not in a creepy way, at least not at first.
She was funny, witty, and seemed genuinely interested in getting
to know me. We exchanged messages every day for about
a week, and I started to look forward towards to
our conversations. She was quick to reply, always had something
interesting to say, and she even sent me a few
photos of her latest hikes, each one more stunning than
(00:58):
the last. After about a week of chatting, I suggested
we meet up. I was excited, but also a bit nervous.
Meeting someone from an app always carried a certain level
of risk, but Luna seemed so real, so genuine, that
I pushed those worries aside. We agreed to meet the
following weekend at a cafe near a popular hiking trail.
It was a public place and it seemed like the
(01:20):
perfect spot for our first date. But then things started
to get weird. A few days before our scheduled date,
Luna messaged me with a change of plans. She said
she couldn't make it to the cafe because something had
come up with her family, but she didn't want to cancel. Instead,
she suggested we meet at a different location, an old,
(01:40):
abandoned house on the outskirts of town. At first, I
thought she was joking. Who in their right mind would
suggest meeting at an abandoned house for a first date.
But when I asked her about it, she assured me
that it was a beautiful spot with great views and
lots of history. She even sent me a photo of
the house taken at sunset, with the light filtering through
(02:03):
the trees in a way that made the place look
almost magical. I was hesitant, but Luna was persistent. She
told me she'd been there before, that it was one
of her favorite spots and that she'd love to show
it to me. Against my better judgment, I agreed Something
about her made me want to trust her, even though
every logical part of my brain was screaming that this
(02:25):
was a bad idea. The day of our date arrived
and I found myself driving out to the address Luna
had given me. The road was long and winding, leading
out of town and into the more remote wooded areas.
As I drove, the trees grew thicker, the houses fewer
and farther between, until I was completely surrounded by forest.
(02:46):
The sun was starting to set, and the further I went,
the more I began to doubt my decision, but I
had come this far and I didn't want to back
out now. I kept telling myself that Luna was just
a quirky, adventurous person.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
And that this was all part of her charm.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Finally I reached the location. The house stood at the
end of a narrow gravel road, hidden away behind a
wall of trees. It was old, much older than I
had expected, with crumbling stone walls and boarded up windows.
The roof was partially collapsed, and the yard was overgrown
with weeds and ivy.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
It looked like it hadn't been lived in for decades.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
I parked my car and got out, the crunch of
gravel underfoot the only sound in the otherwise eerie silence.
I looked around, expecting to see Luna's car or some
sign that she was there, but there was nothing. The
place was deserted. I pulled out my phone to text her,
but there was no service. The screen displayed a single,
lonely bar flickering in and out of existence. I started
(03:46):
to feel uneasy, the hairs on the back of my
neck standing up as I realized how isolated I was.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
But I had come this far and.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
I didn't want to chicken out. I walked up to
the house, the wooden steps creaking under my weight. The
door was slightly ajar, hanging off its hinges, and I
hesitated for a moment before pushing it open. The inside
of the house was just as dilapidated as the outside.
The floorboards were warped and rotten, and the walls were
(04:14):
covered in peeling wallpaper and mold. A thick layer of
dust coated every surface, and the air was stale and musty,
like the place had been.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Sealed up for years.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
I called out for Luna, but there was no answer.
The house was completely silent. My footsteps echoed in the
empty rooms as I walked through the house, my heart
pounding in my chest. I reached what looked like the
living room, a large open space with a fireplace at
one end and a few pieces of broken furniture scattered around.
(04:46):
I stood there for a moment, listening to the silence,
when I noticed something on the floor near the fireplace.
It was a photograph, half buried in the dust. I
picked it up, brushing off the dirt, and my heart
skipped a beat when I s I saw what it was.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
It was a picture of Luna.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
She was standing in front of the very house I
was in, smiling at the camera, the same mysterious smile
I had seen in her profile pictures. But there was
something off about the photo, something I couldn't quite put
my finger on. The colors were faded, the edges worn,
and the paper felt old, like it had been sitting
there for years. A chill ran down my spine as
(05:23):
I realized that the photo couldn't have been taken recently.
The house looked exactly the same as it did now, abandoned, crumbling, lifeless,
but Luna looked younger, different. It was her, but not her.
The hair was the same, the eyes, the smile, but
there was something that didn't fit. I stood there, staring
(05:43):
at the photo, my mind racing. None of this made
any sense. I tried to rationalize it, but deep down
I knew something was very, very wrong. I decided then
and there that I needed to leave. This whole thing
felt off, like a bad joke that had gone too far.
I turned started to make my way back to the door,
but as I did, I heard something, a faint sound
(06:04):
like a whisper, coming from somewhere deeper in the house.
I froze, my heart pounding in my ears. The sound
was so soft, so quiet, that I almost thought I
had imagined it. But then I heard it again, clearer
this time, my name whispered from the shadows. Every instinct
I had was screaming at me to get out of
that house, to run and never look back. But something
(06:27):
about that whisper rooted me to the spot, a morbid
curiosity compelling me to find out what it was. I
turned slowly, the darkness of the house closing in around
me as I strained to hear where the whisper had
come from there.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
It was again, my.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
Name, whispered softly, almost pleadingly, from somewhere down the hallway.
I didn't want to follow it, didn't want to go
deeper into that house, but my feet started moving on
their own.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
I walked down the narrow.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Dimly lit hallway, the floorboards creaking under my weight, the
walls seeming to close in around me. The whispering continued,
growing louder with each step, and as I rounded a
corner I saw her. Luna was standing at the end
of the hallway, her back to me, her long, dark
hair cascading down her shoulders. She was wearing the same
dress I had seen in her photos, the same one
(07:16):
she had described to me in one of our messages. Luna,
I called out, my voice trembling. She didn't respond. She
just stood there, perfectly still, as if she hadn't heard me.
I took a step closer, and as I did, the
temperature in the hallway seemed to drop, the air growing
cold and heavy. Luna, is that you? I tried again,
(07:38):
but there was no response. Something about the way she
was standing, so motionless, so unnaturally still, sent a chill.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Down my spine.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
I took another step closer, and that's when she finally moved.
She turned around slowly, her movements jerky and unnatural, like
a marionette being pulled by invisible strings. And when I
saw her face, my blood ran cold. It was Luna,
but not Luna. Her eyes were hollow, empty, her skin
pale and gaunt, as if she hadn't seen sunlight in years.
(08:06):
Her lips were twisted into a grotesque smile, and as
she opened her mouth to speak, a raspy, echoing voice
whispered my name again. I stumbled back, my heart pounding
in my chest, fear gripping me like a vice. This
wasn't real. This couldn't be real. I had to be dreaming,
had to be imagining things. But the fear was real.
The cold, the darkness, the whispering, it was all real. Luna,
(08:30):
what's going on? I asked, my voice barely more than
a whisper. She took a step forward, her movement slow
and deliberate, her eyes locked on mine. What are you
doing here? She whispered, her voice barely more than a breath.
I couldn't answer. My mind was racing, my thoughts a
jumbled mess of confusion and terror. I wanted to run,
wanted to get out of that house, but my feet
(08:51):
wouldn't move. What are you doing here, she repeated, her
voice growing louder, more insistent. I finally found my voice,
but it was weak, trembling. I thought we were meeting.
You asked me to come. Her smile widened, but it
wasn't a smile of warmth or happiness.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
It was cold, cruel, and.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Filled with something dark, something that sent a wave of
nausea through me. I didn't ask you to come here,
she whispered, her voice echoing through the hallway, seeming to
come from all around me. You shouldn't have come. I
took another step back, my back pressing against the wall,
my breath coming in short, panicked gasps.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
What are you, I managed to choke out.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
Her eyes seemed to darken, the shadows around her deepening
as she took another step forward. I'm what you wanted,
she whispered, her voice soft and haunting. I'm what you
were looking for. I couldn't take it anymore. The fear,
the cold, the darkness, it was all too much. I
turned and bolted down the hallway, my footsteps echoing off
the walls as I raced for the door. I could
(09:56):
hear her behind me, hear the whispering. The cold air
rushed past me as I ran. But when I reached
the door, it wouldn't open. No matter how hard I pulled,
how desperately I tried to force it open, it wouldn't budge.
It was as if the house itself was holding me captive.
I turned around, my heart pounding in my chest, and
saw Luna standing in the doorway at the end of
(10:18):
the hallway, her eyes locked on mine, her twisted smile
still fixed in place. You shouldn't have come here, she whispered,
her voice echoing in my mind, growing louder and louder,
until it was all I could hear. I screamed, the
sound tearing from my throat, echoing through the empty house,
but there was no one to hear me, no one
(10:38):
to help, And then everything went dark. When I woke up,
I was sitting inside my car. The sun was just
starting to rise. For a moment, I didn't know where
I was or how I had gotten there. My head
was pounding, my body aching as I was trying to
piece together what had happened.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
And then it all came flooding back the.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
House, the whispering Luna or whatever it was that had
been pretending to be Luna. My heart racing as I
looked around, expecting to see her, to hear the whispering,
but there was nothing, just the empty, abandoned house and
the quiet of the early morning. I didn't waste any time,
my hands shaking, desperate to get out of there, I
started the engine and sped down the gravel road, not
(11:21):
looking back, not daring to slow.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Down until I was miles away.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
It wasn't until I reached the main road that I
finally pulled over, my hands gripping the steering wheel so
tightly my knuckles were white. I sat there for a
long time, trying to calm my racing heart, trying to
make sense of what had happened. I knew I couldn't
go to the police. What would I tell them that
I had been catfished by a ghost, that the girl
(11:47):
I had been talking to was dead. They would think
I was crazy, and maybe I was, But the fear
was real. The cold, the darkness, the whispering, it was
all real. I deleted the app that same day, block
Luna's profile and wiping all trace of her from my phone.
But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't erase
the memory of her, of that house, of the terror
(12:09):
I had felt. My experience with online dating had always
been up and down. I'd had my share of awkward
dates and ghosted messages, but nothing that.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
Had made me want to give up on the whole
thing entirely.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
So when I matched with this girl, I didn't think
much of it, just another conversation, another potential date. Her
profile was familiar in a way I couldn't quite place
at first. It wasn't until we started chatting that I
realized why Hannah and I had gone to high school together.
I hadn't seen or heard from her in years, but
she looked just as I remembered, same bright smile, same
(12:56):
blonde hair, same.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
Care free vibe.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
We weren't close back then, more like acquaintances who shared
a few classes and exchanged the occasional hello in the hallways,
but there was something comforting about reconnecting with someone from
my past, especially after all the random strangers I'd met online.
Our conversation flowed easily, like we were old friends catching up.
We talked about high school memories, what we'd been up
(13:21):
to since graduation and the usual small talk about work
and hobbies. She even joked about how we should have
gone to prom together back then, and I found myself
laughing along the nostalgia, softening my usual skepticism about dating apps.
After a few days of chatting, we agreed to meet
up for coffee. I was actually looking forward to it,
a chance to see someone familiar and reconnect in person.
(13:46):
We set a time and place, and I spent the
rest of the week in a surprisingly good mood thinking
about what it would be like to see her again.
Things started to get weird the day before our plan date.
The first red flag came in the form of a message.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Late at night.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
I was in bed scrolling mindlessly through my phone when
I saw that Hannah had sent me a text. Can't
wait to see you tomorrow. Just wanted to make sure
you live alone now right. I frowned at the message.
It was an odd question, especially considering we hadn't talked
about anything related to my living situation before, but I
(14:22):
brushed it off, figuring she was just curious. Maybe she
was trying to avoid an awkward encounter with roommates or something.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
I replied with a simple yeah, I.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
Live alone and left it at that, But as soon
as I hit send, I felt a strange unease settle
over me. Something about the way she asked the question
felt off. I tried to shake it, telling myself I
was overthinking things, but the feeling lingered. The next day,
things got even stranger. Hannah started sending me more messages,
(14:53):
asking increasingly personal questions about my daily routine, when I
usually left for work, when I got home, if I
had any security cameras, things like that. It was like
she was trying to map out my schedule in detail,
and it was starting to creep me out. I finally
decided to confront her about it, typing out a message
asking why she needed to know all this stuff, But
(15:15):
before I could send it, I got another message from
a different number. Hey, it's Hannah. Someone's been using my
pictures to catfish people. If you've been talking.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
To me on a dating app, it's not really me.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Be careful. My stomach dropped. I reread the message, my
mind racing. If the real Hannah was warning me about
a catfish, then who the hell had I been talking
to and why were they asking all these invasive questions?
Speaker 2 (15:42):
A cold sense of dread settled.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
Over me as I realized that whoever I had been
chatting with wasn't just playing a harmless prank. They were
trying to get close to me, trying to learn everything
they could about me and my life. I immediately blocked
the fake Hannah and deleted our chat history, my heart
pounding as I tried to wrap my head around what
had just happened. I felt stupid for not catching on sooner,
(16:07):
or letting my guard down just because I thought I
was reconnecting with someone from my past. But the fear
that gnawed at me wasn't just about being tricked. It
was the realization that this person, whoever they were, knew
where I lived, knew that I was alone, and had
been asking questions that suggested they might be planning something
(16:27):
far worse than just pretending to be someone they weren't.
I decided to stay home that night, canceling the coffee
date I had planned with the real Hannah. I told
her what had happened, and she was sympathetic, apologizing for
the situation even though it wasn't her fault. She urged
me to be careful to lock my doors and keep
(16:48):
an eye out for anything unusual. And that's exactly what
I did. But as the night wore on, my anxiety
only grew. I spent the evening trying to distract myself,
watching t playing some video games, anything to keep my
mind off the creepy messages and the growing sense of
dread that had settled over me. But no matter what
(17:09):
I did, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
The house felt different, too quiet, too still. Every little
noise made me jump, Every shadow seemed to hide something sinister.
I kept checking the windows, peering out into the dark street,
half expecting to see someone standing there watching. By the
(17:29):
time I decided to call it a night, it was
well past midnight. I did a quick check of the house,
making sure all the doors and windows were locked before
heading to bed, but sleep didn't come easily. I lay
there staring at the ceiling, my mind racing with all
the worst case scenarios. It was sometime in the early
hours of the morning when I heard it, a soft
(17:50):
scraping sound coming from somewhere outside my bedroom door. I
sat up in bed, my heart pounding in my chest,
straining to.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Hear it again.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
It was a faint, almost imperceptible noise like someone trying
to open a door, very slowly, very quietly. Panic surged
through me as I realized that someone was in the house.
I grabbed my phone, my hands shaking as I dialed
nine one one, But just as I was about to
press call, the noise stopped. The silence that followed was
so complete, so absolute, that it was almost worse than
(18:22):
the sound itself. I sat there, holding my breath, waiting
for something, anything, to happen, and then I heard it again,
a soft, almost gentle knock.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
On my bedroom door.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
I froze, every muscle in my body, tensing as I
stared at the door, my mind racing. The knock came again,
a little louder this time. I didn't know what to do.
Part of me wanted to call out to demand who
was there, but another part of me was too terrified
to make a sound, too afraid that any noise would
trigger whatever was on the other side of that door. Instead,
(18:55):
I slid out of bed as quietly as I could,
my feet barely making a sound on the car floor.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
I moved to the corner of the room where I
kept a baseball bat.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
For protection, a habit I had picked up living in
a rough neighborhood during college.
Speaker 2 (19:09):
The knock came again, this.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
Time louder, more forceful, followed by the sound of the
doorknob turning. I tightened my grip on the bat, my
heart racing as the door slowly creaked open. For a moment,
nothing happened. The door was partially open, a sliver of
darkness beyond it, but no one entered the room. I
could feel my pulse in my throat, every instinct screaming
(19:32):
at me to run, to hide, to do something, but
I couldn't move. I was frozen in place, my eyes
locked on the door.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
And then a figure stepped into the room.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
I could barely make out their shape in the darkness,
a tall, shadowy silhouette, the outline of a hood pulled
low over their face. They stood there for a moment,
as if assessing the room, before taking a slow, deliberate
step forward. I couldn't breathe. The fear was suffocating paraly
I wanted to swing the bat to defend myself, but
(20:03):
my arms wouldn't respond. All I could do was watch
as the figure move closer, inching their way into the room.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
Their movements slow and measured.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
The intruder reached the foot of my bed and stopped,
their head turning slightly as if they were looking directly
at me. I felt a wave of nausea roll over me,
the realization that they could see me, that they knew
exactly where I was. And then they spoke, you shouldn't
have blocked me. The voice was low, raspy, and filled
(20:31):
with a quiet, chilling intensity that sent a shiver down
my spine. They took another step forward, and I knew
I had to act. My survival instincts finally kicked in,
and with a burst of adrenaline, I swung the bat
with all my strength, aiming for the intruder's head, but
they were faster than I anticipated.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
They ducked the bat.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Whushing through the air just above their head, and in
one swift motion, they grabbed my wrist yanking the bat
from my hand with a surprising strength. Stumbled back, fear
turning to pure panic as I realized I was defenseless.
The intruder raised the bat, holding it menacingly, and for
a moment I thought this was it, that they were
going to kill me, right there in my own bedroom.
(21:14):
But then, just as they were about to swing the
sound of sirens pierced the air, growing louder by the second.
The intruder hesitated their grip on the bat, tightening as
the sirens drew closer, and then, without a word, they
turned and bolted out of the room, disappearing into the
darkness of the hallway. I didn't wait to see where
(21:35):
they went. I grabbed my phone, still connected to the
nine one one operator, and ran out of the house
as fast as I could, not stopping until I was
standing in the middle of the street. The police arrived
within minutes, their lights flashing. I was shaking, my mind
reeling as I tried to explain what had happened, but
the words felt jumbled, incoherent. They searched the house, but
(21:59):
the truth was long gone. They found evidence of a
break in. The front door had been jimmied open, the
locks damaged, but nothing else was missing, nothing else out
of place, except for the fear that had taken root
inside me. The days that followed were a blur of
police reports, sleepless nights, and a lingering sense of dread
that I couldn't shake. The police never caught the intruder,
(22:22):
and I never found out who they were or why
they had targeted me, but the damage was done. My
sense of security was shattered, replaced by a constant, gnawing
fear that they would come back, that they were still
out there, waiting for another chance. I couldn't stay in
that house anymore. The memories of that night, the terror
I had felt, were too strong, too overwhelming. I packed
(22:45):
up and moved out, leaving behind the place I had
once called home, hoping that distance.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
Would help me forget. But it never really did.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
Even now, in my new place, I still find myself
double checking the locks, peering out the windows at the
slightest noise, my heart racing at every unexpected sound. I
stopped using dating apps, deleted all my accounts, and tried
to put the experience behind me. And I can't help
but wonder if they're still out there, still looking for me,
still waiting for the right moment to strike again.
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