October 1, 2025 • 19 mins
Welcome to Reddit Stories, the podcast that dives into the most fascinating, bizarre, and captivating tales from the depths of Reddit. From heartfelt confessions to jaw-dropping revelations, Reddit Stories brings you the most compelling narratives that will leave you hooked. In Reddit Stories, we explore everything from life-altering decisions and mysterious encounters to shocking twists and wholesome moments shared by Redditors worldwide.Each episode of Reddit Stories uncovers the intricate details of real-life events, offering a fresh perspective on the human experience. Whether it’s true crime sagas, paranormal encounters, or personal triumphs, Reddit Stories has something for everyone. Our team carefully curates the best threads to bring you stories that are funny, inspiring, terrifying, and thought-provoking.Reddit Stories combines authentic storytelling with expert insights, creating an immersive experience for listeners who love hearing raw, unfiltered tales. From the confessions that tug at your heartstrings to the mysteries that keep you guessing, Reddit Stories offers a deep dive into the online world’s most intriguing narratives.Join us as we explore viral threads, Reddit mysteries, and the hidden gems of the internet. Reddit Stories is your go-to podcast for a rollercoaster of emotions, offering a mix of entertainment, inspiration, and education.Join Our CommunityFor an ad-free experience and exclusive bonus episodes, join our community at LoadingServices.net. Connect with fellow listeners and enjoy uninterrupted content from Reddit Stories.Support Our ProjectIf you love Reddit Stories and want to support our work, consider buying us a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/meditationproject. Your contributions help us continue bringing you the best stories Reddit has to offer.Subscribe to Reddit Stories on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite platform. Share Reddit Stories with friends who love unique, engaging tales that cover a wide range of topics, from true crime to paranormal encounters. Stay tuned for new episodes as we delve deeper into the fascinating world of Reddit.Reddit Stories—the stories you never knew you needed, straight from the world’s favorite online community.
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Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
It's funny how desperation makes you take what you can get,
even if it's the worst. The moment I stepped out
of prison after seven years, it felt like the world
had moved on. Not that I could blame anyone. My
identity was stained associated with theft, vandalism, and crime. The
only luxury I was left was my old jalopi and
sausage sandwiches. So when I found the ad for a
(00:24):
job as a housekeeper in Caroline's villa, I didn't think twice.
No more sleazy part time jobs at Hooters, no more
drunken creeps treating me like crap. I just wanted something
to keep me off the streets. The interview was unsettling. Caroline,
the lady of the house, was a seventy five year
old widow. From the second I saw her, something felt wrong.
(00:47):
Her smile stretched too far, like it didn't belong in
her face. Her eyes darted around, wild and jittery. Then
without warning, she let out this soft, eerie giggle that
sent a chill down my I caught her lips moving,
whispering to herself, too quiet to make out. My gut
screamed at me to leave, but I needed this job.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
There's not much to do, just clean and help look
after my son Judas.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
She said, her eyes widening.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
He's been resting. My daughter. Dahlia likes to keep to herself.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Caroline's laugh filled the room, a high pitched, eerie sound
that made my skin crawl.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Ellia's a good girl, quiet though she doesn't talk much,
just stares.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Despite the weird vibes. I took the job. What else
was I gonna do? Sleep in my car forever. I
packed up my few belongings and moved in the next morning.
The house was huge, but not in the grand, cozy
way you'd expect. No, it was dark and musty, and
every corner felt like somebody's gonna jump out at you.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
Caroline showed me to my attic room.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
Y'all star tomorrow, Caroline said, grinning again.
Speaker 4 (02:04):
There's only one rule. Never step outside your room past midnight.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
The annic door slam shut behind her, and I was
alone with my thoughts and a mess outside the world
stuck with me. As I lay down, I didn't sleep well.
The sound of winds scraping against the old windows, mixed
with a faint hum of whispers from below, kept me
on edge. By morning, I was already regretting my decision,
ignoring everything, I started cleaning. The house was a disaster.
(02:35):
Caroline and Dollia lived like they had five lives. The
filth touched the roof, dirty towels everywhere, dishes crusted with
old food. The bathroom was a horror of its own.
But my nightmare was Judas's room. He was in a coma,
She'd said so. When I walked in, I wasn't expecting
the stench of bleach to burn my nose. His room
(02:57):
was spotless, like a hospital ward, but the air was
thick with chemicals. Judas lay motionless on the bed, pale
and sickly. For a moment, I could swear he wasn't
breathing at all, but the beeping of the heart monitor
reassured me. By nightfall, I was exhausted and passed out.
The moment I fell on the bed, it had to
be around one am when it happened.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
An ear piercing scream smacked me right out of bed.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
My heart nearly fell off my mouth when the screams
came again, sharp and desperate. Without thinking, I grabbed my
flashlight and bolted downstairs. My steps halted outside of Judas's room.
The door was slightly open and the bed His bed
was empty. The heart monitor was off, the sheets were rumpled,
(03:43):
but there was no sign of Judas. My breath caught
in my throat. Could he have woken up? Could someone
in a coma just get up? A low, guttural chan
echoed from the basement. My feet moved on their own,
carrying me towards the sound. I should have turned around,
should have run out of that house, had never looked back,
(04:03):
But I couldn't.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
My legs had grown a mind to their own.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
I crept down the stairs, one slow step after another,
until I reached the basement door. It was a jar,
and an eerie orange light flickered from within. The scene
inside had me frozen. Caroline was hunched over a wooden plank,
her hands hovering over Judas's still body. The guy wasn't
in a coma. He was gone, gray skin, lips sunken,
(04:30):
eyes half open. It wasn't Judas but his corpse. And
beside Caroline, Dahlia stood shivering like a leaf. Her eyes
were wide with terror.
Speaker 4 (04:41):
What the hell are you doing?
Speaker 1 (04:43):
I yelled, not knowing it could be my worst mistake.
Caroline's head snapped up, her eyes wild. The woman was possessed.
Speaker 4 (04:51):
Be quiet, I'm bringing him.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Back, she screamed.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Next, I was flung backward, crashing into a shelf as
Caroline wrapped her claws around my neck.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
White spots danced in my vision.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
But just before a complete blackout could take over, Dolia
somehow swung a heavy candlestick square at her mother. Caroline
collapsed unconscious. Dolia dropped to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
I tried to stop her.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
She whispered, her voice trembling.
Speaker 4 (05:22):
She just died five days ago. She fell down the stairs.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
Hummuh.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
She wouldn't accept it. She said the practice could bring
him back.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
The bile rose in my throat as the realization hit hard.
The smell, the bleach, the chemicals. It all made sense now.
Caroline had been clinging to her sung. We immediately rang
the cops, but I was already gone before they arrived.
I didn't wait for explanations, didn't want to hear them.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
As I drove away, my eyes glued to the rear
view mirror.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
I have expected to see Caroline's deranged face grinning back
at me, but there was only darkness. I could be
free from that house, but I would never be free
of its dreadful memory. I was thrilled to start my
new job at Whitlock and Associates, acquain to counting firm
(06:18):
nestled in an old brick building downtown. The office had
a vintage charm. My desk was by one of those
grand windows, and directly across from me sat a woman
with long, dark hair that cascaded over her face. She
glanced up briefly as I settled in, offering a slight
nod before returning to her work.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
I smiled, Hi, I'm Alma, nice to meet you.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
She didn't respond, her pen moving furiously over a notepad.
The scratching sound was relentless, almost aggressive. I shrugged it off,
assuming she was engrossed in something important.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
As the morning wore on.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
I couldn't help but notice her intense focus. Pages filled
up rapidly, each one covered in what looked like halphazard scribbles.
Curiosity nodded me. At one point I tried to peek
at what she was writing, but she immediately slapped her
hand over the page. I still hidden behind her air.
During lunch break, I joined a few colleagues in the
(07:17):
break room and caught a smoke with Lily.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
So the woman who sits across from me, does she
ever joining guys for lunch?
Speaker 3 (07:27):
She gave me a puzzled look.
Speaker 4 (07:29):
Who do you mean?
Speaker 2 (07:31):
The woman was long, dark hair, always writing in her notepad.
Speaker 3 (07:36):
She chuckled nervously.
Speaker 4 (07:38):
Must be one of the otters from upstairs.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
It on, Joel Back at my desk, she was still there,
pens scratching away. She didn't eat, didn't stretch, didn't even
shift in her seat. The pile of filled pages was
now spilling onto the floor.
Speaker 4 (07:55):
You know, it's okay to take a break sometimes.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
Silence.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
I returned to my work, but the incessant scratching was maddening.
I slipped on my headphone stood drown it out. Later,
needing a respite, I decided to get some coffee. As
I stood up, I glanced at her. She was perfectly
still except for her hand. The way she wrote was
almost mechanical, repetitive. In the hallway, I bumped into Mark,
(08:23):
one of the it guys.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Hey, do you know if there's a problem with a heating?
It's freezing by my desk.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
Mark raised an eyebrow. I haven't heard any complaints.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
I'll check the thermistad back at my desk, the temperature
seemed to have dropped even more. I rubbed my hands together,
glancing at the thermistad on the wall. It read a
normal seventy two degrees. The afternoon sun cast reflections on
the window behind my colleague. I noticed something odd or
reflection didn't match her movements. While she wrote feverishly. A
(08:58):
reflection sat eerily head, slowly turning to face me. My
breath caught in my throat. I blinked hard. When I
looked again, her reflection matched her actions. As the day
neared its end, most of the office began to pack up.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
Hey, we're all heading out soon. Do you need any
help with anything?
Speaker 1 (09:20):
She stopped writing slowly. She lifted her head, but her
face was still obscured by hair. A whisper reached my
ears so faint, I wasn't sure I heard it.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
They can't see me.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
A chill ran down my spine.
Speaker 4 (09:35):
Excuse me.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
She resumed writing, even more frantically than before. The lights
above flickered. I looked around the rest of the office
seemed unaffected. Gathering my belongings, I hurried to leave As
I exited, I glanced back. She was watching me, her
face partially visible. Her eyes were dark, sunken, filled with
(09:58):
an emotion I couldn't place. I couldn't shake the feeling
that something was terribly wrong. The next day, I arrived
to find a sticky note on my monitor. See me
in my office, mister Thompson. Great Was I already in
trouble in his office? Mister Thompson gave me a concerned look. Emma,
is everything all right? Some of your colleagues mention you
(10:20):
seemed distracted.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
I'm fine, he nodded slowly. Let us know if you
need anything.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
Back at my desk, the woman was absent. Relief washed
over me. Maybe she'd taken the day off. Hours passed
and she didn't show. As I focused on a particularly
tedious spreadsheet, the overhead lights flickered again. The screen glitched,
lines of random numbers and symbols replacing my data. Frustrated,
(10:48):
I called it. Mark arrived, frowning at the monitor. That's odd,
looks like some kind of data corruption. As he worked,
I noticed a reflection in the darkened part of the sky.
Behind me stood the woman, her face inches from mine.
I spun around but no one was there.
Speaker 4 (11:07):
Did you see that?
Speaker 1 (11:08):
Mark denied. He gave me a sympathetic smile. Take care
of yourself, okay. By late afternoon, the office was nearly empty.
I decided to investigate. I approached her desk. The notepad
was there, covered in frantic handwriting. I hesitated, then picked
it up. The pages were filled with a single phrase,
(11:30):
repeated over and over.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
They don't see, they don't see. A sudden cold enveloped me.
Speaker 4 (11:38):
You see me?
Speaker 1 (11:41):
I whipped around. She stood directly in front of me.
Hair no longer hiding her face. Her skin was pale,
almost translucent, eyes hollow and filled with despair.
Speaker 4 (11:52):
I was like, you knew, eager what happened.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
Speaker 4 (12:03):
They pushed me too hard. You'd see, you'd see.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
The room darkened, the office light first, plunging the room
into darkness. I stumbled back, tripping over a chair. When
I looked up, she was gone. Emergency lights flickered on.
I couldn't move. Days later, after taking time off, I
returned to collect my things.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
I couldn't stay there.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
As I packed up, I found a small envelope on
my desk. Inside was a faded photograph of the woman
smiling surrounded by people in an office party. On the back,
a name was scrawled Helen Brooks. I approached mister Thompson.
Speaker 4 (12:45):
Mister Thompson, what happened to Helen Brooks?
Speaker 3 (12:49):
He's stiffened, eyes narrowing. Where did you hear that name?
I showed him the photo. He sighed heavily.
Speaker 5 (12:58):
Helen was an employee here, She left us some time ago.
Speaker 4 (13:04):
Why did no one mention her?
Speaker 1 (13:07):
Uh?
Speaker 5 (13:08):
She jumped from the window where you sit after she
was denied a deserved promotion, different manager than She kept saying,
they don't see me.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
It's not something we discuss.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
As I left the building, I glanced back at the
window by my desk. For a moment, I thought I
saw her standing there watching. Then she faded, like a
shadow in the sunlight. I never saw her again. Maybe
she felt like someone saw her and she finally found peace.
(13:44):
All this time, desperation accompanied me, and I could think
of nothing else to do. When I noticed the ads
for a secretary, I took it. It was quite a
normal advertisement. An elderly woman required a secretary to answer
on many kinds of tasks, simple, which at that point
I took my life for all that simpler. Missus Thorn,
(14:06):
the elderly lady, replied promptly to my application and asked
me to come over to her place for my first
day at work. Her address led me to an old,
sprawling house on the outskirts of town. It had a
creepy charm to it, but I declined, paying heed to
the uneasy feelings creeping up my spine. This was my
chance to put my life back on track. When missus
(14:28):
Thorn opened the door, she warmly invited me in. She
was frail and sharp eyed, seeming to see right through me.
Speaker 4 (14:35):
Would you like some tea before I begin, she.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
Asked, her voice as creaky as the floorboards under my feet,
and to make a good impression. I agreed. I remember
the bitter taste of the tea. It was warm yet cold. Simultaneously,
as I continued drinking, my sight became blurry, my body limp,
and this is what I remember last missus Thorn's wicked smile.
(15:00):
There was no dawn yet my eye snapped open to
find myself lying in a musty, dimly lit basement where
chains bit deep into my wrists. The air inside was icy, damp,
without a sound other than the drip of water far
away echoing from some other room. Panic overwhelmed me as
I strained against the chains, which did not budge an inch.
(15:22):
Missus Thorn stepped into view at the top of the stairs.
As she slowly descended them an eerily tranquil movement.
Speaker 4 (15:30):
Welcome back, dear, she said.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
Her voice chillingly serene.
Speaker 4 (15:35):
What's what's all this? Why am I? You have a
task to complete?
Speaker 3 (15:43):
She handed me a set of tools and some wooden boards.
Speaker 4 (15:47):
Build your coffin.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
She commanded.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
My eyes snapped open in horror. I shrieked for help.
Speaker 4 (15:54):
Are you insane? Let me go right.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
Now, But missus Thorn only laughed.
Speaker 4 (16:04):
Say that on your leg.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
Then pointed to my ankle. An odd device, a bengal
like thing, was attached to my right ankle. I watched
missus Thorn taking out a small remote, then pressing a
red button on it. Electricity surged through my body. I
convulsed and barely could keep myself from crying out.
Speaker 4 (16:25):
Now are you going to do as I say?
Speaker 1 (16:29):
She asked, her eyes glinting with malevolent glee. I nodded,
shuddering in agony. I began hammering the coffin together as
my brain twisted and contorted for an escape. As missus
Thorn spoke sick fantasies to me while laboring, I found
out she wanted to have buried a person alive and
then all her life listened to the screams. Her voice
(16:51):
dripped with sadistic pleasure, and I knew I wasn't her
first victim, but I vowed.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
To be the last.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
Missus Thorn didn't know anything about my dark I had
worked for a secret hitman agency in Mexico. Wanting to
start fresh, brought me back to the States. My stealth
and combat skills weren't, however, on par with the point
at which the agency was paying. I meant to use
them as my ticket through this nightmare. As I knelt
(17:17):
to set the coffin upright, loosening the gear on my
ankle with the screwdriver dangling from my hip was merely
an automatic act. Every motion was swift and controlled, the
byproduct of the years of discipline. Missus Thorn remained oblivious
to my intentions as she basked in her sadistic fantasy. Finally,
(17:38):
I released the anklet with a jerky motion, I flung
myself at missus Thorn, knocking her down to the floor.
Although thin and fragile, she seemed to exert untold strength
and struggling.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
My greater strength than the end one.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
I strapped the device to her wrist and grasped the remote.
Speaker 4 (17:55):
Now you shall obey me.
Speaker 1 (17:59):
I hissed icy arrogance. From then onwards, tables turned. Missus
Thorn became afraid and was bound to do follow my orders.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
For the next three days.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
I forced her to write a will where she left
all her properties to me. Next three months straight, I
played the good secretary. The neighbors got used to my
kind disposition toward the elderly missus Thorn. I ensured that
everyone had my side as the dutiful caretaker of that
old granny. These three months, missus Thorn laid like a
(18:29):
broccoli around the house.
Speaker 3 (18:31):
And then one fine day, I.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Put missus Thorn into a wheelchair and placed her above
the stairs. She knew the end and begged for her
life with a cold, emotionless expression.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
I hit the button on the remote.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
Missus Thorn convulsed in anguish as her convulsive movements rolled
the wheelchair over.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
She fell down the stairs.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
Her neck snapping with a grotesque crack. The death was
ruled an accident. That was when the lawyer finally called
me and told me that missus Thorn had everything to me.
I pretended to cry and told him how sorry I
was and that she was close to me. I demanded
some kind of memorial and funeral should be done to
pay respects to the dead owner. During the funeral, I
(19:13):
made missus Thorn lie in that coffin which I had
built under compulsion. As the coffin was lowered into the grave,
I sat there and looked at it. My face was unreadable,
since I had survived and had ensured the future generations
would not have to pass through what I did. But
for sure, the darkness of my past and what I
went through will forever be seen as marks against my soul.
It's funny how desperation makes you take what you can get,
even if it's the worst. The moment I stepped out
of prison after seven years, it felt like the world
had moved on. Not that I could blame anyone. My
identity was stained associated with theft, vandalism, and crime. The
only luxury I was left was my old jalopi and
sausage sandwiches. So when I found the ad for a
(00:24):
job as a housekeeper in Caroline's villa, I didn't think twice.
No more sleazy part time jobs at Hooters, no more
drunken creeps treating me like crap. I just wanted something
to keep me off the streets. The interview was unsettling. Caroline,
the lady of the house, was a seventy five year
old widow. From the second I saw her, something felt wrong.
(00:47):
Her smile stretched too far, like it didn't belong in
her face. Her eyes darted around, wild and jittery. Then
without warning, she let out this soft, eerie giggle that
sent a chill down my I caught her lips moving,
whispering to herself, too quiet to make out. My gut
screamed at me to leave, but I needed this job.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
There's not much to do, just clean and help look
after my son Judas.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
She said, her eyes widening.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
He's been resting. My daughter. Dahlia likes to keep to herself.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Caroline's laugh filled the room, a high pitched, eerie sound
that made my skin crawl.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Ellia's a good girl, quiet though she doesn't talk much,
just stares.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Despite the weird vibes. I took the job. What else
was I gonna do? Sleep in my car forever. I
packed up my few belongings and moved in the next morning.
The house was huge, but not in the grand, cozy
way you'd expect. No, it was dark and musty, and
every corner felt like somebody's gonna jump out at you.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
Caroline showed me to my attic room.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
Y'all star tomorrow, Caroline said, grinning again.
Speaker 4 (02:04):
There's only one rule. Never step outside your room past midnight.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
The annic door slam shut behind her, and I was
alone with my thoughts and a mess outside the world
stuck with me. As I lay down, I didn't sleep well.
The sound of winds scraping against the old windows, mixed
with a faint hum of whispers from below, kept me
on edge. By morning, I was already regretting my decision,
ignoring everything, I started cleaning. The house was a disaster.
(02:35):
Caroline and Dollia lived like they had five lives. The
filth touched the roof, dirty towels everywhere, dishes crusted with
old food. The bathroom was a horror of its own.
But my nightmare was Judas's room. He was in a coma,
She'd said so. When I walked in, I wasn't expecting
the stench of bleach to burn my nose. His room
(02:57):
was spotless, like a hospital ward, but the air was
thick with chemicals. Judas lay motionless on the bed, pale
and sickly. For a moment, I could swear he wasn't
breathing at all, but the beeping of the heart monitor
reassured me. By nightfall, I was exhausted and passed out.
The moment I fell on the bed, it had to
be around one am when it happened.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
An ear piercing scream smacked me right out of bed.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
My heart nearly fell off my mouth when the screams
came again, sharp and desperate. Without thinking, I grabbed my
flashlight and bolted downstairs. My steps halted outside of Judas's room.
The door was slightly open and the bed His bed
was empty. The heart monitor was off, the sheets were rumpled,
(03:43):
but there was no sign of Judas. My breath caught
in my throat. Could he have woken up? Could someone
in a coma just get up? A low, guttural chan
echoed from the basement. My feet moved on their own,
carrying me towards the sound. I should have turned around,
should have run out of that house, had never looked back,
(04:03):
But I couldn't.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
My legs had grown a mind to their own.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
I crept down the stairs, one slow step after another,
until I reached the basement door. It was a jar,
and an eerie orange light flickered from within. The scene
inside had me frozen. Caroline was hunched over a wooden plank,
her hands hovering over Judas's still body. The guy wasn't
in a coma. He was gone, gray skin, lips sunken,
(04:30):
eyes half open. It wasn't Judas but his corpse. And
beside Caroline, Dahlia stood shivering like a leaf. Her eyes
were wide with terror.
Speaker 4 (04:41):
What the hell are you doing?
Speaker 1 (04:43):
I yelled, not knowing it could be my worst mistake.
Caroline's head snapped up, her eyes wild. The woman was possessed.
Speaker 4 (04:51):
Be quiet, I'm bringing him.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Back, she screamed.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Next, I was flung backward, crashing into a shelf as
Caroline wrapped her claws around my neck.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
White spots danced in my vision.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
But just before a complete blackout could take over, Dolia
somehow swung a heavy candlestick square at her mother. Caroline
collapsed unconscious. Dolia dropped to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
I tried to stop her.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
She whispered, her voice trembling.
Speaker 4 (05:22):
She just died five days ago. She fell down the stairs.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
Hummuh.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
She wouldn't accept it. She said the practice could bring
him back.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
The bile rose in my throat as the realization hit hard.
The smell, the bleach, the chemicals. It all made sense now.
Caroline had been clinging to her sung. We immediately rang
the cops, but I was already gone before they arrived.
I didn't wait for explanations, didn't want to hear them.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
As I drove away, my eyes glued to the rear
view mirror.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
I have expected to see Caroline's deranged face grinning back
at me, but there was only darkness. I could be
free from that house, but I would never be free
of its dreadful memory. I was thrilled to start my
new job at Whitlock and Associates, acquain to counting firm
(06:18):
nestled in an old brick building downtown. The office had
a vintage charm. My desk was by one of those
grand windows, and directly across from me sat a woman
with long, dark hair that cascaded over her face. She
glanced up briefly as I settled in, offering a slight
nod before returning to her work.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
I smiled, Hi, I'm Alma, nice to meet you.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
She didn't respond, her pen moving furiously over a notepad.
The scratching sound was relentless, almost aggressive. I shrugged it off,
assuming she was engrossed in something important.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
As the morning wore on.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
I couldn't help but notice her intense focus. Pages filled
up rapidly, each one covered in what looked like halphazard scribbles.
Curiosity nodded me. At one point I tried to peek
at what she was writing, but she immediately slapped her
hand over the page. I still hidden behind her air.
During lunch break, I joined a few colleagues in the
(07:17):
break room and caught a smoke with Lily.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
So the woman who sits across from me, does she
ever joining guys for lunch?
Speaker 3 (07:27):
She gave me a puzzled look.
Speaker 4 (07:29):
Who do you mean?
Speaker 2 (07:31):
The woman was long, dark hair, always writing in her notepad.
Speaker 3 (07:36):
She chuckled nervously.
Speaker 4 (07:38):
Must be one of the otters from upstairs.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
It on, Joel Back at my desk, she was still there,
pens scratching away. She didn't eat, didn't stretch, didn't even
shift in her seat. The pile of filled pages was
now spilling onto the floor.
Speaker 4 (07:55):
You know, it's okay to take a break sometimes.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
Silence.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
I returned to my work, but the incessant scratching was maddening.
I slipped on my headphone stood drown it out. Later,
needing a respite, I decided to get some coffee. As
I stood up, I glanced at her. She was perfectly
still except for her hand. The way she wrote was
almost mechanical, repetitive. In the hallway, I bumped into Mark,
(08:23):
one of the it guys.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Hey, do you know if there's a problem with a heating?
It's freezing by my desk.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
Mark raised an eyebrow. I haven't heard any complaints.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
I'll check the thermistad back at my desk, the temperature
seemed to have dropped even more. I rubbed my hands together,
glancing at the thermistad on the wall. It read a
normal seventy two degrees. The afternoon sun cast reflections on
the window behind my colleague. I noticed something odd or
reflection didn't match her movements. While she wrote feverishly. A
(08:58):
reflection sat eerily head, slowly turning to face me. My
breath caught in my throat. I blinked hard. When I
looked again, her reflection matched her actions. As the day
neared its end, most of the office began to pack up.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
Hey, we're all heading out soon. Do you need any
help with anything?
Speaker 1 (09:20):
She stopped writing slowly. She lifted her head, but her
face was still obscured by hair. A whisper reached my
ears so faint, I wasn't sure I heard it.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
They can't see me.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
A chill ran down my spine.
Speaker 4 (09:35):
Excuse me.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
She resumed writing, even more frantically than before. The lights
above flickered. I looked around the rest of the office
seemed unaffected. Gathering my belongings, I hurried to leave As
I exited, I glanced back. She was watching me, her
face partially visible. Her eyes were dark, sunken, filled with
(09:58):
an emotion I couldn't place. I couldn't shake the feeling
that something was terribly wrong. The next day, I arrived
to find a sticky note on my monitor. See me
in my office, mister Thompson. Great Was I already in
trouble in his office? Mister Thompson gave me a concerned look. Emma,
is everything all right? Some of your colleagues mention you
(10:20):
seemed distracted.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
I'm fine, he nodded slowly. Let us know if you
need anything.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
Back at my desk, the woman was absent. Relief washed
over me. Maybe she'd taken the day off. Hours passed
and she didn't show. As I focused on a particularly
tedious spreadsheet, the overhead lights flickered again. The screen glitched,
lines of random numbers and symbols replacing my data. Frustrated,
(10:48):
I called it. Mark arrived, frowning at the monitor. That's odd,
looks like some kind of data corruption. As he worked,
I noticed a reflection in the darkened part of the sky.
Behind me stood the woman, her face inches from mine.
I spun around but no one was there.
Speaker 4 (11:07):
Did you see that?
Speaker 1 (11:08):
Mark denied. He gave me a sympathetic smile. Take care
of yourself, okay. By late afternoon, the office was nearly empty.
I decided to investigate. I approached her desk. The notepad
was there, covered in frantic handwriting. I hesitated, then picked
it up. The pages were filled with a single phrase,
(11:30):
repeated over and over.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
They don't see, they don't see. A sudden cold enveloped me.
Speaker 4 (11:38):
You see me?
Speaker 1 (11:41):
I whipped around. She stood directly in front of me.
Hair no longer hiding her face. Her skin was pale,
almost translucent, eyes hollow and filled with despair.
Speaker 4 (11:52):
I was like, you knew, eager what happened.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
Speaker 4 (12:03):
They pushed me too hard. You'd see, you'd see.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
The room darkened, the office light first, plunging the room
into darkness. I stumbled back, tripping over a chair. When
I looked up, she was gone. Emergency lights flickered on.
I couldn't move. Days later, after taking time off, I
returned to collect my things.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
I couldn't stay there.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
As I packed up, I found a small envelope on
my desk. Inside was a faded photograph of the woman
smiling surrounded by people in an office party. On the back,
a name was scrawled Helen Brooks. I approached mister Thompson.
Speaker 4 (12:45):
Mister Thompson, what happened to Helen Brooks?
Speaker 3 (12:49):
He's stiffened, eyes narrowing. Where did you hear that name?
I showed him the photo. He sighed heavily.
Speaker 5 (12:58):
Helen was an employee here, She left us some time ago.
Speaker 4 (13:04):
Why did no one mention her?
Speaker 1 (13:07):
Uh?
Speaker 5 (13:08):
She jumped from the window where you sit after she
was denied a deserved promotion, different manager than She kept saying,
they don't see me.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
It's not something we discuss.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
As I left the building, I glanced back at the
window by my desk. For a moment, I thought I
saw her standing there watching. Then she faded, like a
shadow in the sunlight. I never saw her again. Maybe
she felt like someone saw her and she finally found peace.
(13:44):
All this time, desperation accompanied me, and I could think
of nothing else to do. When I noticed the ads
for a secretary, I took it. It was quite a
normal advertisement. An elderly woman required a secretary to answer
on many kinds of tasks, simple, which at that point
I took my life for all that simpler. Missus Thorn,
(14:06):
the elderly lady, replied promptly to my application and asked
me to come over to her place for my first
day at work. Her address led me to an old,
sprawling house on the outskirts of town. It had a
creepy charm to it, but I declined, paying heed to
the uneasy feelings creeping up my spine. This was my
chance to put my life back on track. When missus
(14:28):
Thorn opened the door, she warmly invited me in. She
was frail and sharp eyed, seeming to see right through me.
Speaker 4 (14:35):
Would you like some tea before I begin, she.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
Asked, her voice as creaky as the floorboards under my feet,
and to make a good impression. I agreed. I remember
the bitter taste of the tea. It was warm yet cold. Simultaneously,
as I continued drinking, my sight became blurry, my body limp,
and this is what I remember last missus Thorn's wicked smile.
(15:00):
There was no dawn yet my eye snapped open to
find myself lying in a musty, dimly lit basement where
chains bit deep into my wrists. The air inside was icy, damp,
without a sound other than the drip of water far
away echoing from some other room. Panic overwhelmed me as
I strained against the chains, which did not budge an inch.
(15:22):
Missus Thorn stepped into view at the top of the stairs.
As she slowly descended them an eerily tranquil movement.
Speaker 4 (15:30):
Welcome back, dear, she said.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
Her voice chillingly serene.
Speaker 4 (15:35):
What's what's all this? Why am I? You have a
task to complete?
Speaker 3 (15:43):
She handed me a set of tools and some wooden boards.
Speaker 4 (15:47):
Build your coffin.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
She commanded.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
My eyes snapped open in horror. I shrieked for help.
Speaker 4 (15:54):
Are you insane? Let me go right.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
Now, But missus Thorn only laughed.
Speaker 4 (16:04):
Say that on your leg.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
Then pointed to my ankle. An odd device, a bengal
like thing, was attached to my right ankle. I watched
missus Thorn taking out a small remote, then pressing a
red button on it. Electricity surged through my body. I
convulsed and barely could keep myself from crying out.
Speaker 4 (16:25):
Now are you going to do as I say?
Speaker 1 (16:29):
She asked, her eyes glinting with malevolent glee. I nodded,
shuddering in agony. I began hammering the coffin together as
my brain twisted and contorted for an escape. As missus
Thorn spoke sick fantasies to me while laboring, I found
out she wanted to have buried a person alive and
then all her life listened to the screams. Her voice
(16:51):
dripped with sadistic pleasure, and I knew I wasn't her
first victim, but I vowed.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
To be the last.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
Missus Thorn didn't know anything about my dark I had
worked for a secret hitman agency in Mexico. Wanting to
start fresh, brought me back to the States. My stealth
and combat skills weren't, however, on par with the point
at which the agency was paying. I meant to use
them as my ticket through this nightmare. As I knelt
(17:17):
to set the coffin upright, loosening the gear on my
ankle with the screwdriver dangling from my hip was merely
an automatic act. Every motion was swift and controlled, the
byproduct of the years of discipline. Missus Thorn remained oblivious
to my intentions as she basked in her sadistic fantasy. Finally,
(17:38):
I released the anklet with a jerky motion, I flung
myself at missus Thorn, knocking her down to the floor.
Although thin and fragile, she seemed to exert untold strength
and struggling.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
My greater strength than the end one.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
I strapped the device to her wrist and grasped the remote.
Speaker 4 (17:55):
Now you shall obey me.
Speaker 1 (17:59):
I hissed icy arrogance. From then onwards, tables turned. Missus
Thorn became afraid and was bound to do follow my orders.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
For the next three days.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
I forced her to write a will where she left
all her properties to me. Next three months straight, I
played the good secretary. The neighbors got used to my
kind disposition toward the elderly missus Thorn. I ensured that
everyone had my side as the dutiful caretaker of that
old granny. These three months, missus Thorn laid like a
(18:29):
broccoli around the house.
Speaker 3 (18:31):
And then one fine day, I.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Put missus Thorn into a wheelchair and placed her above
the stairs. She knew the end and begged for her
life with a cold, emotionless expression.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
I hit the button on the remote.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
Missus Thorn convulsed in anguish as her convulsive movements rolled
the wheelchair over.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
She fell down the stairs.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
Her neck snapping with a grotesque crack. The death was
ruled an accident. That was when the lawyer finally called
me and told me that missus Thorn had everything to me.
I pretended to cry and told him how sorry I
was and that she was close to me. I demanded
some kind of memorial and funeral should be done to
pay respects to the dead owner. During the funeral, I
(19:13):
made missus Thorn lie in that coffin which I had
built under compulsion. As the coffin was lowered into the grave,
I sat there and looked at it. My face was unreadable,
since I had survived and had ensured the future generations
would not have to pass through what I did. But
for sure, the darkness of my past and what I
went through will forever be seen as marks against my soul.
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