October 10, 2025 • 61 mins
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hey, this is Dane and this is Scary Stories and Rain.
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(00:22):
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exclusive. And as a reminder, we are now
four months away from my first movie release in.
Theaters Gale Yellow Brick Road.A dark and terrifying
reimagining. Of the Wizard of Oz.
(00:45):
If you want to check out the. First trailer click.
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Scary Stories after Dark the. Links are in the description.
Thank you so much for being hereand I really hope you enjoy this
episode So. Back when I was living in El
(01:11):
Paso, TX, my mother and I rentedout a very small apt, 2 room and
1 bath. It worked out well since it was
only her and I. I think I was around 8 years
old, but my mom had to work graveyard at a truck stop.
She trusted me enough to let me stay home alone and gave me the
basic instructions like do your dishes and go to bed at a
(01:34):
reasonable hour. So one night she kisses me on
the forehead and leaves. I had been watching SpongeBob
SquarePants and it was really really late.
I think it was about 11:00 PM atthat point.
At that point I hadn't listened to my mom's instructions, I
didn't do my dishes, and my bedtime was 9:00.
(01:56):
So I decided to go to bed, forgetting to check if the doors
were locked. So I go to bed and instead of
sleeping I read Alice in Wonderland.
Not sure how much time passes, but I fall asleep.
When I wake up, my book is on the floor and my night light is
on. I remember being confused as to
(02:18):
why I was awake, so I decided tobe brave and check it out.
I walk around the apartment wondering if my mom got home
early and accidentally made a noise, and that's when I realize
the front door is unlocked. Not too concerned, I walk toward
it to lock it, but when I go forit, it's almost as if someone is
(02:39):
twisting it the other way. The door won't lock if it's
being held like that. I'm trying to lock the door when
my ears focus on someone's breath.
It's not mine. I freak out and start to push on
the door, convinced that there'ssomeone out there.
My heart drops when I start to hear laughter.
(03:02):
You see, this apartment complex is rather calm and peaceful.
There's almost no disturbances, ever.
I shove on the door and I feel the tears well up in my eyes.
The laughter turns into unintelligible words, and
although I can't make out what they're saying, I know it's a
man. He had a deep voice and it
(03:24):
sounded really raspy. The tone of his words sounds
sharp and angry, so I start audibly crying while saying
something along the lines of I'mcalling the cops.
The laughter starts again, but the resistance stops.
I lock the door as fast as I canand run to my room, locking the
(03:44):
door behind me. I end up reaching for my phone
and calling my mom through tears.
I'm telling her what happened and she's trying to calm me
down, telling me that it'll be OK.
She's telling me that she's coming home when I hear it
tapping. It sounds like tapping on my
window and I can hear the laughter again.
(04:07):
I'm crying louder at that point,telling my mom begging her to
come home. Now this is where the story
gets. Blurry.
I remember hiding under a blanket and crying until my mom
burst through the door yelling for me.
I don't remember when the tapping stopped or when the
laughter faded, but I remember my first glimpse of true fear.
(04:31):
We called the cops and they saidthey couldn't do much.
We ended up dropping it and my mom called our landlord begging
to move us to a second story apartment.
Luckily we were able to move thenext week.
On Thanksgiving weekend of 1950,a brutally frigid Nor'easter
(04:55):
storm was battering the coast ofMassachusetts and was
particularly harsh on the small town of Marblehead near Salem.
Beryl Atherton, a 47 year old elementary school teacher who
had 25 years of service under her belt, was home alone with
her dog Esky, a white Spitz who was her constant companion since
(05:19):
the death of her father. Esky was about the only company
she ever kept and Atherton was aself-described spinster with no
close friends or family. It is said that her favorite
pastimes was watching old movies, and she would drive to
the movie theater in Lynn to catch a show, but always went
alone. With the freezing winds lashing
(05:41):
at her drab clapboard cottage onSewell St.
Beryl ran a few final errands before her small town was due to
be snowed under. She made a run to the grocery
store to pick up vital supplies,including a few extra cans of
dog food for Esky, before she took a few bags of garbage out
to the trash cans outside her home at around 6:00 PM that
(06:02):
Saturday evening. When she did so, she spotted a
young neighbor boy watching her from a window of his home.
She gave the boy a wave, and this was the last time she was
seen for a good few days. As predicted, Marblehead was
completely snowed under through the course of Thanksgiving
(06:22):
weekend, and it took until Monday, November 27th for the
town to dig itself out and resume normal activities.
The town's milkman, known among the locals simply as Pint,
called on Miss Atherton's home to deliver her milk.
Usually speaking, Pint would just leave a person's milk
delivery on their doorstep, but he knew that Miss Atherton was
(06:46):
extremely thin and frail at barely 100 lbs and was concerned
about her well-being after such a vicious snowstorm.
So on this occasion, he actuallyknocked on Miss Atherton's door
to ensure she was OK. He knocked once, but there was
no answer. Then again, but there was still
(07:07):
no answer. On a hunch, Pint tried the door
handle and found that it was unlocked.
He wandered slowly through Miss Atherton's home, at first
calling her name, then walked into the kitchen, finding a
scene that would take his breathaway.
Miss Atherton was lying on the floor, face up in a pool of her
(07:30):
own clotted blood, with Esky lying near her body, muelling in
a considerable amount of pain. Pint screamed as he fled the
house, careening to the home of one of Miss Atherton's neighbors
and pleading with them to call the police.
When the police arrived, they deducted that Beryl Atherton had
(07:51):
been dead for days. On the kitchen tables were her
brown paper grocery bags, still full of food she had brought
home on that last day. She had been seen alive by the
curious neighbor boy, meaning that it had been only moments
after this encounter that her murderer had pounced.
And within maybe an hour of waving to the small boy, Beryl
(08:12):
Atherton was lying in a pool of her own blood.
She had several broken ribs and bruising around her throat,
where she appeared to have been strangled, strangled so hard
that there were still fingernailimprints in her cold, dead
flesh. Her killer had been used a small
blade to slice her throat, but had done so in a very peculiar
(08:34):
manner. Not only had he cut her neck
open horizontally, but had also inflicted A dreadful vertical
wound from her ribs to her chin,essentially stabbing a cross
into her neck. The cuts were so deep that Beryl
Atherton had almost been decapitated, and she had bled so
heavily from her wounds that herblood vessels were completely
(08:56):
exsanguinated. A sample would have been
extracted directly from her heart by the examining coroner.
The killer then let himself out of the house, but not before
breaking several of Little Esky's ribs as the loyal hound
tried to avenge his fallen mistress.
Infuriatingly, the crime scene was almost completely devoid of
(09:17):
any clue as to the identity of Beryl's murderer.
There wasn't a single sign of forced entry anywhere on the
property, there were no fingerprints on any surface and
no shoe or boot prints on the grounds surrounding the house.
And despite questioning Beryl's neighbors, no one but the dog
(09:37):
Esky had seen the killer in the flesh.
If Miss Atherton cried out for help, the severity of the storm
would have probably drowned out any urgent pleas on that fateful
night. No one in the surrounding
neighborhood had heard or seen athing.
Despite the grotesque violence of the scene, there appeared to
(09:58):
be few signs of a struggle, apart from a broken necklace
caused by the impact of the killer's blade, which also had
broken during the savage and unprovoked attack.
And aside from a few broken fingers that suggested she had
tried and failed to defend herself from her attacker, it
seemed that he had managed to sneak up on Beryl while she was
totally unaware. The crime scene was so lacking
(10:22):
and useful evidence that it had been theorized that the killer
actually hung around for a little while, ensuring that
there were no fingerprints, fibers, or DNA present.
And since the murder took place in Beryl's kitchen, the killer
may have well. Had ample.
Access to cleaning supplies in order to ensure the scene was
scrubbed of evidence. Both police and friends were
(10:45):
surprised by the fact Miss Atherton kept a diary which
yielded information about a handful of male acquaintances.
The information therein offered no help in solving the crime.
It was discovered she had been deeply disappointed over a
broken love affair, but this proved not to enter into the
case either. In the aftermath of Beryl's
(11:07):
murder, with police unable to come up with any suspects or
clear motives for her killing, the small town of Marblehead
became rife with rumors and gossip.
Some said Beryl was leading somekind of double life and had
become embroiled with organized crime down in Boston that had
come back to bite her. Others believed it was a jilted
(11:27):
lover from a broken love affair that had sought revenge after
Beryl had broken the engagement off, or perhaps a relative who
learned of a sizable inheritancethat either wish to access early
or were about to be cut off from.
Yet her estate only consisted ofabout $25,000 and no jewelry or
other items appeared to have been stolen from the house, so
(11:51):
it seems that financial gain maynot have been the motive.
But chillingly enough, there aresome living in Marblehead today
who claim they know full well who killed Beryl, and a handful
who assert that the killer is still alive.
Given that the killer might wellbe up to 80 or 90 years old,
(12:11):
it's more than likely they may pass away before ever facing any
charges for the murder they committed.
And so it seems that the brutal crime committed that
Thanksgiving weekend may foreverremain unsolved, and that yet
another cold and callous murderer will escape justice,
free to walk the streets in the knowledge that they committed
(12:32):
the worst act a person is capable of and got away with it.
I grew up a military brat in SanDiego, CA.
My dad was in the Marine Corps for 25 years, eventually
reaching the rank of Gunnery Sergeant before he retired in
(12:52):
2011. I'm really proud of him and I
love him very much, but I won't sugarcoat it.
Growing up with a parent in the military wasn't easy.
He wasn't at home much, and whenhe was, he was something of a
disciplinarian. I didn't have nearly as much
freedom as some of my friends did, but that was as much of A
(13:13):
boon as it was a burden because it kept me on track at school
and gave me the means to get into a good college later in
life. But without a doubt, the worst
part of him being in the Marine Corps was when he had to go to
war. Although he wasn't part of an
initial invasion force, Dad was deployed to Iraq in June of
2003. I was 11 years old at the time
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and it really, really sucked having to say goodbye to him, no
matter how much he tried to. Assure us.
That he would be OK. I was old enough to be acutely
aware that it might well have been the last time I ever got to
talk to him, the last time I ever got to hug him, the last
time I'd ever got to see him alive.
(13:58):
Needless to say, the next six months were some of the most
stressful of my life. Every little news report I saw
on the TV gave me the worst anxiety, and every time we got
news that a service man had diedover there, I feared the worst.
Mom tried to shield me as best as she could, but at the risk of
sounding a little full of myself, I was smart, inquisitive
(14:22):
and sensitive, and she could only do so much to keep me from
worrying. So in September of 2003, Mom
decided to take me to Disneylandfor the weekend to take my mind
off things. To be honest, it was exactly
what I needed. I was huge into Disney movies
when I was a kid, and although Ihad been over to Disneyland a
(14:43):
few times before, being so stressed around the house meant
seeing it again was like doing so through fresh eyes.
I took pictures with as many of the characters as I could and
each ride me and mom went on seems to alleviate my anxiety
and depression a little bit more.
The whole first day was going wonderfully well.
(15:05):
That was until we got in line toride the Big Thunder Mountain
Railroad. I'm pretty sure it was about
11:30 by the time we got into the little rail cars for the
ride itself. Everything was going smoothly at
first. We are speeding along these
twists and turns until we hit the little fake desert setup and
then up an incline into a dark tunnel.
(15:28):
I just remember feeling like this jolting sensation shake the
cars all while we're in the dark.
Then this horrible grinding of metal and a thud before people
in the cars in front of us started screaming.
Everything came to a sudden stopand everyone was all really
shaken up from it. But it's then that I heard some
(15:49):
of the worst things I've ever heard in my life.
This woman starts asking. Mark, Mark, Mark.
Wake up, wake up. Mark, we are all mostly in the
dark, but there's a little bit of light coming from the
openings of the tunnel on each side of us.
And I remember seeing how some of the cars weren't even on the
(16:09):
track anymore, and that the carsin front of us were all wet and
shiny with some kind of fluid, Afluid that I would only later
realize to be someone's blood. In the moments after the rail
cars came to a stop, people started clambering out of them
and walking down the tunnel as fast as they could, calling out
that someone was really, really badly hurt and that we needed
(16:30):
help up there as soon as possible.
As me and my mom climbed out of the rail car and followed, I
could see that the train car thing at the very front of the
coaster had derailed, and that the rear of the thing had like
mounted the car behind it. It was only then that I realized
that whoever was in the car behind it would have taken the
full force of the thing as we speed up that incline.
(16:54):
But there were also people in the cars ahead of us who were
trapped by it, stuck in the railcars and unable to get out
because of the way they were positioned in the tunnel.
Thankfully me and my mom weren'ttrapped so we could just get out
of there, but I think it took like another half an hour before
firefighters could get them out so that paramedics could treat
them before taking them to the hospital.
(17:16):
All the people that could get out were herded by park staff
towards the River Belle Terrace where a medical treatment area
had been set up. Like I said, me and mom were
mostly OK, just a little shaken up from the whole thing, but
there were people with some pretty serious injuries who
hadn't been so lucky, and we later found out that a guy who
had been in the first car had actually died of his injuries.
(17:40):
It's horrendously tragic that someone should lose their life
when all they wanted to do was go to Disneyland and have fun on
a few roller coasters. And I know it's kind of messed
up for me to think of it like this, but we really got lucky
that day as way more people could have died.
And honestly, I was surprised when I found out that it was
(18:01):
only one person that lost their life that day.
At least half the riders on thatcoaster could have died from the
way the train just straight up mounted the cars behind it.
Since that day I have never everridden a roller coaster and
theme parks in general just kindof creep me out.
I know they're super fun and I hope I get past my fear of them
(18:24):
one day, but for the time being I'm more than happy to just
avoid them and stay safe. Because even the sound of people
screaming while having fun on them reminds me of Big Thunder
Mountain and the way that poor woman just kept screaming for
her husband or son or whoever hewas to wake up.
(18:49):
I was 22 years old at the time. I witnessed something that no
one should ever have to witness in a million lifetimes.
I am now 36 and I won't. Lie it has deeply affected.
Me. As if it happened yesterday.
So on this. Beautiful Saturday afternoon.
I hop in my car to go to the little neighborhood store that's
(19:10):
located at the front of my neighborhood, One of those
little convenience stores where the owner has known you since
you were in. Diapers.
To preface, this store is located right across the.
Street from a very busy train track and the road between the
store and the tracks is an extremely busy Main Rd.
Two lanes one way, two lanes theother way as I'm putting my car
(19:35):
in park. I step out and walk towards the
door of the store. I decided to finish smoking my
cigarettes. As I'm puffing away, I noticed a
middle-aged woman, maybe mid late 40s, standing on the.
Sidewalk across the street. Next to a bus stop sign, but
something. Was very off about this.
Woman, mainly because she was yelling and arguing with the bus
(19:58):
stop sign, making a huge scene. Now where this woman is standing
and throwing herself about is across that busy main road on
the sidewalk where the bus stop sign is and the train tracks are
behind her. It was very obvious.
She was either on something. Or.
Was a serious mental health case.
(20:18):
At this point I've already finished my cigarettes but could
not stop watching this crazy woman actually arguing with a
bus stop sign. Then out of nowhere she somehow
makes eye contact with me. Literally beelines her attention
right to me. Before I could even register,
she was looking at me. She.
(20:39):
Basically jumps into the road and proceeds to play Frogger
across the busy St. ducking, dodging cars, running right
towards me. She didn't seem to even notice
that she was almost hit three times trying to make it to the
store and to me. I am in such shock and awe
watching this woman. I couldn't move.
(21:02):
And let me remind you. Her whole trip across this road.
She never. Not once.
Took her eyes off. Me.
She somehow makes it over to where I'm standing at the front
of the store. Once she's within 3 feet of me,
she starts screaming about how she needs a cigarette, loudly
and very aggressively, all whileher arms and legs and head are
(21:25):
jerking around. What we call flopping.
Really. Bad.
I reach into my bag to get this poor woman a cigarette and as I
go to hand it to her, I can hearher saying over and over.
Gotta hurry, gotta hurry. It's almost time.
Still stuck in awe, I extend my lighter out to her so she can
(21:47):
light her cigarette the second she takes a drag.
A very. Loud train whistle is heard now
when she hears this train whistle, I kid you not.
It's like I watch this. Strange sense of calm wash over
this woman and her head jerks soquickly in the direction of the
train whistle her body almost goes limp.
(22:09):
She drops her cigarettes. And takes off running back.
Across the busy Rd. Without hesitation, I watch her
get back to the sidewalk. Walk up a small embankment to
where the train tracks are and she stands there, hands behind
her back, leaning forward like an excited little kid waiting to
see. The Choo Choo.
(22:30):
Her head looks left, then right,then left again, and at this
point I can see the train coming.
Oh, and it's an Amtrak train, soit's going a good 100 mph as the
train nears where this woman is so patiently standing.
I watched this woman. Ever so casually.
(22:52):
Like she was stepping. Through a doorway step right.
In front of the speeding train, to be honest.
It happened so fast and so. Suddenly it didn't quite
register at first. All I could see is this fine red
mist spray all over the train, the tracks and the sidewalk.
(23:16):
My jaw was on the floor. I couldn't.
Speak. Blink.
Look away. I don't even think I had
actually taken a. Breath for a good three.
Minutes By the time I came back down to earth, the store owner
will call him Sammy runs out of the store with his hands over
(23:36):
his mouth and his. Eyes as wide as saucers.
And is standing next to me. Neither one of us could.
Speak. Once Sammy and I were able to
process what just happened, Sammy runs back in the store to
call 911. When Sammy returns back outside,
he looks at me and asks, did youjust witness that woman jump in
(23:58):
front of a moving train? The only response I could muster
was she didn't jump, she just simply stepped right in front
of. It like it.
Wasn't a speeding train. But a fluffy cloud.
It didn't take the police long before they were on the scene
calling for the Biohazard crew to come literally scoop this
(24:21):
woman's remains. Or what was left of her off the.
Tracks in the sidewalk. And when I say scoop, I mean
they. Showed up with actual shovels.
So still in utter. Shock, I tell the police
officers exactly what just occurred.
Detail for detail. And wrote my statement once I go
(24:42):
to hand the. Officer his clipboard back.
I look at his face. And his eyes.
Were also as wide as. Saucers and his jaw was on the
floor as well as he is getting ready to go.
Over and talk. To what I could only assume were
his superiors, he says, ma'am, you might want to think about
receiving some counselling afterthis.
(25:04):
Now I know he was just being polite and showing concern, but
the only thing I was able to getout of my mouth was a dazed and
confused Yeah. I don't know how much longer I
just stood in that same spot even after the cleanup crew had
gone, my brain continuously replaying that horrid scene over
(25:26):
and over until Sammy comes back outside and claps his hands
right in front of my. Face I.
Shake my head as if I come back.To reality I look.
At Sammy and simply. Say I gave her her last
cigarette. I fished my keys out of my
pocket, got in my car and went home, not even getting what I
(25:49):
came to the store for in the 1st.
Place. I want to end this crazy day in
my life with a simple message. If you or anyone you know is
suffering with an addiction or mental health issues, don't go
it alone. Seek help please.
(26:15):
For a little bit of context, this was more than 20 years ago
when I was just a kid young enough to believe in the Easter
Bunny one night before Easter. I was having a sleepover.
With my cousins at my house talking and having fun.
All until it was time to go to sleep now.
(26:35):
As it is relevant. To the story.
I used to always sleep. On my stomach since it was more
comfortable for me when I was younger I could never just sleep
on my back or on my side as mostpeople did.
Note we were all sleeping on thefloor.
I laid on my stomach as I usually did and listened to my
(26:56):
cousin's conversations get smaller and smaller until
finally everyone. Fell asleep.
The room was pitch black and quiet outside of.
The home being even quieter as Ididn't hear even the crickets
making noise. I stayed awake through the.
Silence. The excitement to see the Easter
(27:17):
Bunny taking over my mind. It seemed like an eternity that
I was laying there while everyone else peacefully slept.
Until I heard heavy footsteps inthe living room, which was
rather close to the room my cousins and I were sleeping in.
It's the Easter Bunny, I thoughtto myself.
(27:39):
I immediately shut my eyes once I heard him enter the room, even
though my head was facing away from the.
Door I decided to. Close my eyes just in.
Case the heavy footsteps. Didn't seem to wander around the
room. But straight towards where I was
sleeping, I started to get a little.
Confused since I didn't hear him.
(28:01):
Just place down some baskets or bags and then.
Leave. I laid there still as I heard
the footsteps stop abruptly right beside.
Me. It felt like hours that I could
just hear the heavy. Breathing above me, piercing
through the silence of the room until suddenly a long and pointy
(28:24):
fingernail. Touched.
The back of my neck. I felt myself become paralyzed
in fear as the Easter Bunny madea mark of an X on the back of my
neck, though it was not sharp enough to make me.
Bleed or leave a scar? On my neck, it still terrified
me enough to make me just stay. Still.
(28:45):
And not dare turn around. I ended up falling back asleep
not having anything else to do. But fall back asleep.
I don't know what it was that walked into my house that night,
but what I do know, it was not the Easter Bunny.
(29:11):
I am addicted to liminal spaces.You can find plenty of videos
with examples across YouTube. Before I knew what liminal
meant, I was enthralled. With the idea to put.
It as simply as I can. The definition of liminal
describes the initial or transitional stage of A.
Process. It is also the.
(29:33):
Boundary of a threshold. I guess I identify most with the
stillness and strangeness of these places.
There's usually no exit. You can see they are empty and
most have an overwhelming. Nostalgic feel.
It's like we have been. To these places before.
(29:53):
Seeing a living room with no furniture, an old 80s style
green carpet speaks to some of us.
I'm sure most had a friend's. Place that looked like this.
Or maybe it was your own house when you image search liminal
spaces. There are a lot of hallways that
pop up. I'm sure not many of us had
(30:15):
hallways in our home, but you must have been to a.
Hotel or two, right it's. Familiar but eerie.
It's the best example of liminalit's a transition.
A hallway takes you somewhere, but when you can't see the exit
immediately, it is sometimes heart pounding.
(30:38):
There is something about the. Fear of these places that.
Appeals to me. Don't get me wrong, I love the
nostalgia, but fear is what drives.
Me fear keeps you alive the deeper I dove into.
Liminal spaces the deeper down the rabbit.
Hole I got, I live. Here, now I seek it.
(31:03):
I seek. What you are too afraid to find.
I have been in the back rooms and survived.
My first time I didn't even knowwhat was happening.
I had no idea I was. There after I realized what.
Happened to me and how fortunateI.
Was I was addicted? You think it's hard to no.
(31:26):
Clip back to reality. Try.
Doing it dozens of times. This is the first.
Time it happened to me. Three years ago I was a deputy.
Sheriff for one of the larger cities in the US at the time.
I was assigned to the electronicmonitoring unit.
(31:47):
We installed and monitored tethers or ankle bracelets each.
Officer had a caseload of. 30 to40 If the offender was fortunate
enough to receive a tether as part of their bond condition,
then we would enforce the rules.Associated with said tether.
Usually it went well, with most obeying their court ordered.
(32:11):
Curfews or house arrest rules. Some men and women were assigned
alcohol tethers. It's like a handheld preliminary
breath test. Which they had to.
Blow in five times a day to prove they are not inhibiting
alcohol. Of course, these are mainly
given out for drunk driving typeoffences.
(32:32):
I'm. Sure, you could figure that part
out. I was sitting at my desk
monitoring my caseload, doing paperwork, whatever encompasses
my day-to-day work life. A partner of mine C, came up to
me dropping a file on my. Desk, What's this?
(32:52):
I said. Names not important.
She has missed several blows. Can't get a hold of her.
I have a couple. Locations she might be at, Do
you want to go look for her withme?
He said. This is another.
Part of our job. One that is always exciting when
someone tries to cut their. Device off.
(33:13):
Or doesn't fulfill their responsibilities imposed on them
by. The court we go look.
For the offender, we call them absconders.
They are now violating their bond conditions and we have to
find them being that alcohol tethers don't have Agps element
to them. We have some work to.
(33:33):
Put in to find them. As mentioned, the offender he
was looking at had not taken an alcohol test in a while.
He made some calls determining what the last location.
She was at. We started there to set the.
Scene. The subject.
Was at a location in southwest Detroit, not a great area.
(33:56):
It was about 8. O'clock at night in the late
fall, which meant it was cold and dark.
Tough conditions to start searching for someone pulling up
to the possible last known location.
We were looking at a house that looked out of place for that
area. Southwest.
Is known to have one bedroom ranch style houses.
(34:19):
This residence. Looked like something out of.
Hill House. It was a well kept.
Maybe a three bedroom 3 bath home.
The lawn was beautiful, the lanterns outside.
Were pretty, but felt foreboding.
As soon as we approached the front door, I had a bad feeling.
I posted at the. Corner of the house.
(34:41):
My partner C went to the front door after knocking on the door
and announcing ourselves. As part of the sheriff's.
Department IT. Slowly opened a lady.
Slowly. Peeked her head out.
Strangely enough, she focused her gaze on me.
Not my partner right in front ofthe door.
(35:03):
I'll never forget her face. It was human, make no mistake.
About that, but it looked like. Paper mache with a long scraggly
wig on top. I honestly couldn't tell what
ethnicity she was. Her skin had a glisten to it.
But the color was off. Putting Gray, my partner
(35:26):
continued with the mission. Ma'am, we're here with the
Sheriff's Department. Is Camille here?
She finally moved her gaze from me to my partner.
Her dead black eyes stared at sea.
For a moment before she finally spoke Camille.
Yes, yes, she is here. My partner looked at me with a
(35:52):
what are we getting ourselves into kind of look.
OK great. So can we come in and talk to
her? He asked her without.
Technically giving consent, the supposed homeowner turned around
and waved us inside. I made my way inside behind my
partner. While C.
(36:12):
Talked to the strange woman. I immediately noticed a Ledger
book on an older looking desk right in front of the door.
It had several entries. From what appeared to be.
Caretakers. The person signed their name
when they arrived, when they departed, and a summary.
Of what they did. As I suspected, these people
(36:33):
were caretakers of sorts. This.
Lady obviously could not take. Care of herself.
And needed some in home nurse help.
I quietly tapped. My partner on the shoulder
showing him the book. The name of the person we were
looking for was in the book several times, although she had
not signed in on the day we werehere.
(36:55):
Not quite sure what our next move was.
We talked about searching this place.
At this moment I felt a bump on my leg.
While we were. Talking, we both seemed.
To forget about the lady. We were talking to.
Looking down, I jumped. Back a bit seeing the.
(37:15):
Strange woman on all fours at my.
Feet. She slowly looked.
Up at me, Camille is all she said.
And that. Is all she would say.
Louder and louder. Camille, Camille, Camille.
(37:38):
She almost screamed. She scooted around on her butt,
using her arms to move her body around the floor.
Now we were in real disbelief. OK, man, let's just clear this
house and if we find her, we find her.
C said. We both knew this situation was
off, but started searching the house.
(38:01):
The entire time this woman was yelling for Camille, never once
getting back to her feet, just kind of following us on the
ground. The time must have been around
9:00 at night, and it was dark. The inside of the home had one
light on. There were no TV's or any
electronics of any kind. The house had a.
(38:23):
Strange feeling to it, the. Layout of this older style.
Home had about four bedrooms andtwo floors.
Every time I left a room I swearI was in a part of the house I
had not just been in. I would enter a hallway and
seemingly be in another. Part of the house.
Like I entered A dimensional gapor something, the woman would
(38:45):
sometimes be right behind me without making a sound.
I was starting to question how. All of this was possible.
At one point we both entered theupstairs, which looked.
To be a regular upstairs. With bedrooms or maybe a
bathroom at the top of the. Stairs.
As we opened the door initially,it would not.
(39:07):
Budget, it appeared. That it had been sealed somehow,
like it had been painted over and the paint had dried in the
seams. Of the door after.
Putting a little extra effort, the door opened, revealing an
attic, not bedrooms. If you remember Paranormal
Activity when the guy finds a picture of his.
(39:29):
Wife as a child. In the insulation.
That's what it looked like. There was nothing but storage
space, insulation and an older. Style light bulb with a.
String hanging from it. The lady was just.
Sitting at the bottom of the stairs, watching us,
occasionally yelling for Camille.
(39:50):
After what seemed like an hour of searching this house,
repeatedly going into rooms, I. Swear I had just left.
We called it and cleared the property.
As we drove off. The woman was now standing right
in front of the door, staring at.
Us as we left. According to when we called
dispatch and when we cleared, wewere only there for 20 minutes
(40:15):
it felt like. We were there for.
Well over an hour or two. I don't know what was more
unsettling. The fact that it was.
Late at night, the lady yelling Camille's name and scooting on
her hands and knees. Her.
Quietly showing up right behind me when I had not heard her move
or the. Fact that she was.
(40:37):
Standing at the door just staring at us.
As we left. We have not returned.
To this house we didn't. Tell anyone the true.
Story of what had. Happened.
It wasn't. Until much later, I realized.
I was in some form of the back rooms.
My partner too. I imagine it is a.
(40:58):
Miracle we both survived. At one point I opened a bedroom
door and was outside behind me. My partner bumped into me.
We both reached for our. Weapons, thankfully seeing the
threat. With each other.
I already searched out there. He said.
(41:19):
I was confused. But just let it go.
I couldn't understand what we were doing here.
That. Is what started my fascination
of the liminal world. I began actively looking for
this world again. I have found it plenty of times.
I quit my job with the Sheriff'sDepartment.
(41:41):
I now traverse the ethereal plane known as the back rooms.
I have conquered the main levels, even finding some of
the. BI levels I have.
Traded with and met some great explorers.
I can't admit this to anyone, but I've been trying to find
that original house that led to my first backroom experience.
(42:06):
I have not found it, but I know it's out.
There I will travel for the rest.
Of my life until I see it again,in this world or the next.
(49:41):
Yeah. Yeah.
(58:36):
Yeah. Yeah.
Hey, this is Dane and this is Scary Stories and Rain.
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(00:22):
starting now, today, every Sunday, I'm going to release the
ultimate. Episode 6 to 12 hours.
Long Ultimate Scary Stories for a Rainy night subscriber
exclusive. And as a reminder, we are now
four months away from my first movie release in.
Theaters Gale Yellow Brick Road.A dark and terrifying
reimagining. Of the Wizard of Oz.
(00:45):
If you want to check out the. First trailer click.
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Check them out Scary Stories andFire and.
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Thank you so much for being hereand I really hope you enjoy this
episode So. Back when I was living in El
(01:11):
Paso, TX, my mother and I rentedout a very small apt, 2 room and
1 bath. It worked out well since it was
only her and I. I think I was around 8 years
old, but my mom had to work graveyard at a truck stop.
She trusted me enough to let me stay home alone and gave me the
basic instructions like do your dishes and go to bed at a
(01:34):
reasonable hour. So one night she kisses me on
the forehead and leaves. I had been watching SpongeBob
SquarePants and it was really really late.
I think it was about 11:00 PM atthat point.
At that point I hadn't listened to my mom's instructions, I
didn't do my dishes, and my bedtime was 9:00.
(01:56):
So I decided to go to bed, forgetting to check if the doors
were locked. So I go to bed and instead of
sleeping I read Alice in Wonderland.
Not sure how much time passes, but I fall asleep.
When I wake up, my book is on the floor and my night light is
on. I remember being confused as to
(02:18):
why I was awake, so I decided tobe brave and check it out.
I walk around the apartment wondering if my mom got home
early and accidentally made a noise, and that's when I realize
the front door is unlocked. Not too concerned, I walk toward
it to lock it, but when I go forit, it's almost as if someone is
(02:39):
twisting it the other way. The door won't lock if it's
being held like that. I'm trying to lock the door when
my ears focus on someone's breath.
It's not mine. I freak out and start to push on
the door, convinced that there'ssomeone out there.
My heart drops when I start to hear laughter.
(03:02):
You see, this apartment complex is rather calm and peaceful.
There's almost no disturbances, ever.
I shove on the door and I feel the tears well up in my eyes.
The laughter turns into unintelligible words, and
although I can't make out what they're saying, I know it's a
man. He had a deep voice and it
(03:24):
sounded really raspy. The tone of his words sounds
sharp and angry, so I start audibly crying while saying
something along the lines of I'mcalling the cops.
The laughter starts again, but the resistance stops.
I lock the door as fast as I canand run to my room, locking the
(03:44):
door behind me. I end up reaching for my phone
and calling my mom through tears.
I'm telling her what happened and she's trying to calm me
down, telling me that it'll be OK.
She's telling me that she's coming home when I hear it
tapping. It sounds like tapping on my
window and I can hear the laughter again.
(04:07):
I'm crying louder at that point,telling my mom begging her to
come home. Now this is where the story
gets. Blurry.
I remember hiding under a blanket and crying until my mom
burst through the door yelling for me.
I don't remember when the tapping stopped or when the
laughter faded, but I remember my first glimpse of true fear.
(04:31):
We called the cops and they saidthey couldn't do much.
We ended up dropping it and my mom called our landlord begging
to move us to a second story apartment.
Luckily we were able to move thenext week.
On Thanksgiving weekend of 1950,a brutally frigid Nor'easter
(04:55):
storm was battering the coast ofMassachusetts and was
particularly harsh on the small town of Marblehead near Salem.
Beryl Atherton, a 47 year old elementary school teacher who
had 25 years of service under her belt, was home alone with
her dog Esky, a white Spitz who was her constant companion since
(05:19):
the death of her father. Esky was about the only company
she ever kept and Atherton was aself-described spinster with no
close friends or family. It is said that her favorite
pastimes was watching old movies, and she would drive to
the movie theater in Lynn to catch a show, but always went
alone. With the freezing winds lashing
(05:41):
at her drab clapboard cottage onSewell St.
Beryl ran a few final errands before her small town was due to
be snowed under. She made a run to the grocery
store to pick up vital supplies,including a few extra cans of
dog food for Esky, before she took a few bags of garbage out
to the trash cans outside her home at around 6:00 PM that
(06:02):
Saturday evening. When she did so, she spotted a
young neighbor boy watching her from a window of his home.
She gave the boy a wave, and this was the last time she was
seen for a good few days. As predicted, Marblehead was
completely snowed under through the course of Thanksgiving
(06:22):
weekend, and it took until Monday, November 27th for the
town to dig itself out and resume normal activities.
The town's milkman, known among the locals simply as Pint,
called on Miss Atherton's home to deliver her milk.
Usually speaking, Pint would just leave a person's milk
delivery on their doorstep, but he knew that Miss Atherton was
(06:46):
extremely thin and frail at barely 100 lbs and was concerned
about her well-being after such a vicious snowstorm.
So on this occasion, he actuallyknocked on Miss Atherton's door
to ensure she was OK. He knocked once, but there was
no answer. Then again, but there was still
(07:07):
no answer. On a hunch, Pint tried the door
handle and found that it was unlocked.
He wandered slowly through Miss Atherton's home, at first
calling her name, then walked into the kitchen, finding a
scene that would take his breathaway.
Miss Atherton was lying on the floor, face up in a pool of her
(07:30):
own clotted blood, with Esky lying near her body, muelling in
a considerable amount of pain. Pint screamed as he fled the
house, careening to the home of one of Miss Atherton's neighbors
and pleading with them to call the police.
When the police arrived, they deducted that Beryl Atherton had
(07:51):
been dead for days. On the kitchen tables were her
brown paper grocery bags, still full of food she had brought
home on that last day. She had been seen alive by the
curious neighbor boy, meaning that it had been only moments
after this encounter that her murderer had pounced.
And within maybe an hour of waving to the small boy, Beryl
(08:12):
Atherton was lying in a pool of her own blood.
She had several broken ribs and bruising around her throat,
where she appeared to have been strangled, strangled so hard
that there were still fingernailimprints in her cold, dead
flesh. Her killer had been used a small
blade to slice her throat, but had done so in a very peculiar
(08:34):
manner. Not only had he cut her neck
open horizontally, but had also inflicted A dreadful vertical
wound from her ribs to her chin,essentially stabbing a cross
into her neck. The cuts were so deep that Beryl
Atherton had almost been decapitated, and she had bled so
heavily from her wounds that herblood vessels were completely
(08:56):
exsanguinated. A sample would have been
extracted directly from her heart by the examining coroner.
The killer then let himself out of the house, but not before
breaking several of Little Esky's ribs as the loyal hound
tried to avenge his fallen mistress.
Infuriatingly, the crime scene was almost completely devoid of
(09:17):
any clue as to the identity of Beryl's murderer.
There wasn't a single sign of forced entry anywhere on the
property, there were no fingerprints on any surface and
no shoe or boot prints on the grounds surrounding the house.
And despite questioning Beryl's neighbors, no one but the dog
(09:37):
Esky had seen the killer in the flesh.
If Miss Atherton cried out for help, the severity of the storm
would have probably drowned out any urgent pleas on that fateful
night. No one in the surrounding
neighborhood had heard or seen athing.
Despite the grotesque violence of the scene, there appeared to
(09:58):
be few signs of a struggle, apart from a broken necklace
caused by the impact of the killer's blade, which also had
broken during the savage and unprovoked attack.
And aside from a few broken fingers that suggested she had
tried and failed to defend herself from her attacker, it
seemed that he had managed to sneak up on Beryl while she was
totally unaware. The crime scene was so lacking
(10:22):
and useful evidence that it had been theorized that the killer
actually hung around for a little while, ensuring that
there were no fingerprints, fibers, or DNA present.
And since the murder took place in Beryl's kitchen, the killer
may have well. Had ample.
Access to cleaning supplies in order to ensure the scene was
scrubbed of evidence. Both police and friends were
(10:45):
surprised by the fact Miss Atherton kept a diary which
yielded information about a handful of male acquaintances.
The information therein offered no help in solving the crime.
It was discovered she had been deeply disappointed over a
broken love affair, but this proved not to enter into the
case either. In the aftermath of Beryl's
(11:07):
murder, with police unable to come up with any suspects or
clear motives for her killing, the small town of Marblehead
became rife with rumors and gossip.
Some said Beryl was leading somekind of double life and had
become embroiled with organized crime down in Boston that had
come back to bite her. Others believed it was a jilted
(11:27):
lover from a broken love affair that had sought revenge after
Beryl had broken the engagement off, or perhaps a relative who
learned of a sizable inheritancethat either wish to access early
or were about to be cut off from.
Yet her estate only consisted ofabout $25,000 and no jewelry or
other items appeared to have been stolen from the house, so
(11:51):
it seems that financial gain maynot have been the motive.
But chillingly enough, there aresome living in Marblehead today
who claim they know full well who killed Beryl, and a handful
who assert that the killer is still alive.
Given that the killer might wellbe up to 80 or 90 years old,
(12:11):
it's more than likely they may pass away before ever facing any
charges for the murder they committed.
And so it seems that the brutal crime committed that
Thanksgiving weekend may foreverremain unsolved, and that yet
another cold and callous murderer will escape justice,
free to walk the streets in the knowledge that they committed
(12:32):
the worst act a person is capable of and got away with it.
I grew up a military brat in SanDiego, CA.
My dad was in the Marine Corps for 25 years, eventually
reaching the rank of Gunnery Sergeant before he retired in
(12:52):
2011. I'm really proud of him and I
love him very much, but I won't sugarcoat it.
Growing up with a parent in the military wasn't easy.
He wasn't at home much, and whenhe was, he was something of a
disciplinarian. I didn't have nearly as much
freedom as some of my friends did, but that was as much of A
(13:13):
boon as it was a burden because it kept me on track at school
and gave me the means to get into a good college later in
life. But without a doubt, the worst
part of him being in the Marine Corps was when he had to go to
war. Although he wasn't part of an
initial invasion force, Dad was deployed to Iraq in June of
2003. I was 11 years old at the time
(13:36):
and it really, really sucked having to say goodbye to him, no
matter how much he tried to. Assure us.
That he would be OK. I was old enough to be acutely
aware that it might well have been the last time I ever got to
talk to him, the last time I ever got to hug him, the last
time I'd ever got to see him alive.
(13:58):
Needless to say, the next six months were some of the most
stressful of my life. Every little news report I saw
on the TV gave me the worst anxiety, and every time we got
news that a service man had diedover there, I feared the worst.
Mom tried to shield me as best as she could, but at the risk of
sounding a little full of myself, I was smart, inquisitive
(14:22):
and sensitive, and she could only do so much to keep me from
worrying. So in September of 2003, Mom
decided to take me to Disneylandfor the weekend to take my mind
off things. To be honest, it was exactly
what I needed. I was huge into Disney movies
when I was a kid, and although Ihad been over to Disneyland a
(14:43):
few times before, being so stressed around the house meant
seeing it again was like doing so through fresh eyes.
I took pictures with as many of the characters as I could and
each ride me and mom went on seems to alleviate my anxiety
and depression a little bit more.
The whole first day was going wonderfully well.
(15:05):
That was until we got in line toride the Big Thunder Mountain
Railroad. I'm pretty sure it was about
11:30 by the time we got into the little rail cars for the
ride itself. Everything was going smoothly at
first. We are speeding along these
twists and turns until we hit the little fake desert setup and
then up an incline into a dark tunnel.
(15:28):
I just remember feeling like this jolting sensation shake the
cars all while we're in the dark.
Then this horrible grinding of metal and a thud before people
in the cars in front of us started screaming.
Everything came to a sudden stopand everyone was all really
shaken up from it. But it's then that I heard some
(15:49):
of the worst things I've ever heard in my life.
This woman starts asking. Mark, Mark, Mark.
Wake up, wake up. Mark, we are all mostly in the
dark, but there's a little bit of light coming from the
openings of the tunnel on each side of us.
And I remember seeing how some of the cars weren't even on the
(16:09):
track anymore, and that the carsin front of us were all wet and
shiny with some kind of fluid, Afluid that I would only later
realize to be someone's blood. In the moments after the rail
cars came to a stop, people started clambering out of them
and walking down the tunnel as fast as they could, calling out
that someone was really, really badly hurt and that we needed
(16:30):
help up there as soon as possible.
As me and my mom climbed out of the rail car and followed, I
could see that the train car thing at the very front of the
coaster had derailed, and that the rear of the thing had like
mounted the car behind it. It was only then that I realized
that whoever was in the car behind it would have taken the
full force of the thing as we speed up that incline.
(16:54):
But there were also people in the cars ahead of us who were
trapped by it, stuck in the railcars and unable to get out
because of the way they were positioned in the tunnel.
Thankfully me and my mom weren'ttrapped so we could just get out
of there, but I think it took like another half an hour before
firefighters could get them out so that paramedics could treat
them before taking them to the hospital.
(17:16):
All the people that could get out were herded by park staff
towards the River Belle Terrace where a medical treatment area
had been set up. Like I said, me and mom were
mostly OK, just a little shaken up from the whole thing, but
there were people with some pretty serious injuries who
hadn't been so lucky, and we later found out that a guy who
had been in the first car had actually died of his injuries.
(17:40):
It's horrendously tragic that someone should lose their life
when all they wanted to do was go to Disneyland and have fun on
a few roller coasters. And I know it's kind of messed
up for me to think of it like this, but we really got lucky
that day as way more people could have died.
And honestly, I was surprised when I found out that it was
(18:01):
only one person that lost their life that day.
At least half the riders on thatcoaster could have died from the
way the train just straight up mounted the cars behind it.
Since that day I have never everridden a roller coaster and
theme parks in general just kindof creep me out.
I know they're super fun and I hope I get past my fear of them
(18:24):
one day, but for the time being I'm more than happy to just
avoid them and stay safe. Because even the sound of people
screaming while having fun on them reminds me of Big Thunder
Mountain and the way that poor woman just kept screaming for
her husband or son or whoever hewas to wake up.
(18:49):
I was 22 years old at the time. I witnessed something that no
one should ever have to witness in a million lifetimes.
I am now 36 and I won't. Lie it has deeply affected.
Me. As if it happened yesterday.
So on this. Beautiful Saturday afternoon.
I hop in my car to go to the little neighborhood store that's
(19:10):
located at the front of my neighborhood, One of those
little convenience stores where the owner has known you since
you were in. Diapers.
To preface, this store is located right across the.
Street from a very busy train track and the road between the
store and the tracks is an extremely busy Main Rd.
Two lanes one way, two lanes theother way as I'm putting my car
(19:35):
in park. I step out and walk towards the
door of the store. I decided to finish smoking my
cigarettes. As I'm puffing away, I noticed a
middle-aged woman, maybe mid late 40s, standing on the.
Sidewalk across the street. Next to a bus stop sign, but
something. Was very off about this.
Woman, mainly because she was yelling and arguing with the bus
(19:58):
stop sign, making a huge scene. Now where this woman is standing
and throwing herself about is across that busy main road on
the sidewalk where the bus stop sign is and the train tracks are
behind her. It was very obvious.
She was either on something. Or.
Was a serious mental health case.
(20:18):
At this point I've already finished my cigarettes but could
not stop watching this crazy woman actually arguing with a
bus stop sign. Then out of nowhere she somehow
makes eye contact with me. Literally beelines her attention
right to me. Before I could even register,
she was looking at me. She.
(20:39):
Basically jumps into the road and proceeds to play Frogger
across the busy St. ducking, dodging cars, running right
towards me. She didn't seem to even notice
that she was almost hit three times trying to make it to the
store and to me. I am in such shock and awe
watching this woman. I couldn't move.
(21:02):
And let me remind you. Her whole trip across this road.
She never. Not once.
Took her eyes off. Me.
She somehow makes it over to where I'm standing at the front
of the store. Once she's within 3 feet of me,
she starts screaming about how she needs a cigarette, loudly
and very aggressively, all whileher arms and legs and head are
(21:25):
jerking around. What we call flopping.
Really. Bad.
I reach into my bag to get this poor woman a cigarette and as I
go to hand it to her, I can hearher saying over and over.
Gotta hurry, gotta hurry. It's almost time.
Still stuck in awe, I extend my lighter out to her so she can
(21:47):
light her cigarette the second she takes a drag.
A very. Loud train whistle is heard now
when she hears this train whistle, I kid you not.
It's like I watch this. Strange sense of calm wash over
this woman and her head jerks soquickly in the direction of the
train whistle her body almost goes limp.
(22:09):
She drops her cigarettes. And takes off running back.
Across the busy Rd. Without hesitation, I watch her
get back to the sidewalk. Walk up a small embankment to
where the train tracks are and she stands there, hands behind
her back, leaning forward like an excited little kid waiting to
see. The Choo Choo.
(22:30):
Her head looks left, then right,then left again, and at this
point I can see the train coming.
Oh, and it's an Amtrak train, soit's going a good 100 mph as the
train nears where this woman is so patiently standing.
I watched this woman. Ever so casually.
(22:52):
Like she was stepping. Through a doorway step right.
In front of the speeding train, to be honest.
It happened so fast and so. Suddenly it didn't quite
register at first. All I could see is this fine red
mist spray all over the train, the tracks and the sidewalk.
(23:16):
My jaw was on the floor. I couldn't.
Speak. Blink.
Look away. I don't even think I had
actually taken a. Breath for a good three.
Minutes By the time I came back down to earth, the store owner
will call him Sammy runs out of the store with his hands over
(23:36):
his mouth and his. Eyes as wide as saucers.
And is standing next to me. Neither one of us could.
Speak. Once Sammy and I were able to
process what just happened, Sammy runs back in the store to
call 911. When Sammy returns back outside,
he looks at me and asks, did youjust witness that woman jump in
(23:58):
front of a moving train? The only response I could muster
was she didn't jump, she just simply stepped right in front
of. It like it.
Wasn't a speeding train. But a fluffy cloud.
It didn't take the police long before they were on the scene
calling for the Biohazard crew to come literally scoop this
(24:21):
woman's remains. Or what was left of her off the.
Tracks in the sidewalk. And when I say scoop, I mean
they. Showed up with actual shovels.
So still in utter. Shock, I tell the police
officers exactly what just occurred.
Detail for detail. And wrote my statement once I go
(24:42):
to hand the. Officer his clipboard back.
I look at his face. And his eyes.
Were also as wide as. Saucers and his jaw was on the
floor as well as he is getting ready to go.
Over and talk. To what I could only assume were
his superiors, he says, ma'am, you might want to think about
receiving some counselling afterthis.
(25:04):
Now I know he was just being polite and showing concern, but
the only thing I was able to getout of my mouth was a dazed and
confused Yeah. I don't know how much longer I
just stood in that same spot even after the cleanup crew had
gone, my brain continuously replaying that horrid scene over
(25:26):
and over until Sammy comes back outside and claps his hands
right in front of my. Face I.
Shake my head as if I come back.To reality I look.
At Sammy and simply. Say I gave her her last
cigarette. I fished my keys out of my
pocket, got in my car and went home, not even getting what I
(25:49):
came to the store for in the 1st.
Place. I want to end this crazy day in
my life with a simple message. If you or anyone you know is
suffering with an addiction or mental health issues, don't go
it alone. Seek help please.
(26:15):
For a little bit of context, this was more than 20 years ago
when I was just a kid young enough to believe in the Easter
Bunny one night before Easter. I was having a sleepover.
With my cousins at my house talking and having fun.
All until it was time to go to sleep now.
(26:35):
As it is relevant. To the story.
I used to always sleep. On my stomach since it was more
comfortable for me when I was younger I could never just sleep
on my back or on my side as mostpeople did.
Note we were all sleeping on thefloor.
I laid on my stomach as I usually did and listened to my
(26:56):
cousin's conversations get smaller and smaller until
finally everyone. Fell asleep.
The room was pitch black and quiet outside of.
The home being even quieter as Ididn't hear even the crickets
making noise. I stayed awake through the.
Silence. The excitement to see the Easter
(27:17):
Bunny taking over my mind. It seemed like an eternity that
I was laying there while everyone else peacefully slept.
Until I heard heavy footsteps inthe living room, which was
rather close to the room my cousins and I were sleeping in.
It's the Easter Bunny, I thoughtto myself.
(27:39):
I immediately shut my eyes once I heard him enter the room, even
though my head was facing away from the.
Door I decided to. Close my eyes just in.
Case the heavy footsteps. Didn't seem to wander around the
room. But straight towards where I was
sleeping, I started to get a little.
Confused since I didn't hear him.
(28:01):
Just place down some baskets or bags and then.
Leave. I laid there still as I heard
the footsteps stop abruptly right beside.
Me. It felt like hours that I could
just hear the heavy. Breathing above me, piercing
through the silence of the room until suddenly a long and pointy
(28:24):
fingernail. Touched.
The back of my neck. I felt myself become paralyzed
in fear as the Easter Bunny madea mark of an X on the back of my
neck, though it was not sharp enough to make me.
Bleed or leave a scar? On my neck, it still terrified
me enough to make me just stay. Still.
(28:45):
And not dare turn around. I ended up falling back asleep
not having anything else to do. But fall back asleep.
I don't know what it was that walked into my house that night,
but what I do know, it was not the Easter Bunny.
(29:11):
I am addicted to liminal spaces.You can find plenty of videos
with examples across YouTube. Before I knew what liminal
meant, I was enthralled. With the idea to put.
It as simply as I can. The definition of liminal
describes the initial or transitional stage of A.
Process. It is also the.
(29:33):
Boundary of a threshold. I guess I identify most with the
stillness and strangeness of these places.
There's usually no exit. You can see they are empty and
most have an overwhelming. Nostalgic feel.
It's like we have been. To these places before.
(29:53):
Seeing a living room with no furniture, an old 80s style
green carpet speaks to some of us.
I'm sure most had a friend's. Place that looked like this.
Or maybe it was your own house when you image search liminal
spaces. There are a lot of hallways that
pop up. I'm sure not many of us had
(30:15):
hallways in our home, but you must have been to a.
Hotel or two, right it's. Familiar but eerie.
It's the best example of liminalit's a transition.
A hallway takes you somewhere, but when you can't see the exit
immediately, it is sometimes heart pounding.
(30:38):
There is something about the. Fear of these places that.
Appeals to me. Don't get me wrong, I love the
nostalgia, but fear is what drives.
Me fear keeps you alive the deeper I dove into.
Liminal spaces the deeper down the rabbit.
Hole I got, I live. Here, now I seek it.
(31:03):
I seek. What you are too afraid to find.
I have been in the back rooms and survived.
My first time I didn't even knowwhat was happening.
I had no idea I was. There after I realized what.
Happened to me and how fortunateI.
Was I was addicted? You think it's hard to no.
(31:26):
Clip back to reality. Try.
Doing it dozens of times. This is the first.
Time it happened to me. Three years ago I was a deputy.
Sheriff for one of the larger cities in the US at the time.
I was assigned to the electronicmonitoring unit.
(31:47):
We installed and monitored tethers or ankle bracelets each.
Officer had a caseload of. 30 to40 If the offender was fortunate
enough to receive a tether as part of their bond condition,
then we would enforce the rules.Associated with said tether.
Usually it went well, with most obeying their court ordered.
(32:11):
Curfews or house arrest rules. Some men and women were assigned
alcohol tethers. It's like a handheld preliminary
breath test. Which they had to.
Blow in five times a day to prove they are not inhibiting
alcohol. Of course, these are mainly
given out for drunk driving typeoffences.
(32:32):
I'm. Sure, you could figure that part
out. I was sitting at my desk
monitoring my caseload, doing paperwork, whatever encompasses
my day-to-day work life. A partner of mine C, came up to
me dropping a file on my. Desk, What's this?
(32:52):
I said. Names not important.
She has missed several blows. Can't get a hold of her.
I have a couple. Locations she might be at, Do
you want to go look for her withme?
He said. This is another.
Part of our job. One that is always exciting when
someone tries to cut their. Device off.
(33:13):
Or doesn't fulfill their responsibilities imposed on them
by. The court we go look.
For the offender, we call them absconders.
They are now violating their bond conditions and we have to
find them being that alcohol tethers don't have Agps element
to them. We have some work to.
(33:33):
Put in to find them. As mentioned, the offender he
was looking at had not taken an alcohol test in a while.
He made some calls determining what the last location.
She was at. We started there to set the.
Scene. The subject.
Was at a location in southwest Detroit, not a great area.
(33:56):
It was about 8. O'clock at night in the late
fall, which meant it was cold and dark.
Tough conditions to start searching for someone pulling up
to the possible last known location.
We were looking at a house that looked out of place for that
area. Southwest.
Is known to have one bedroom ranch style houses.
(34:19):
This residence. Looked like something out of.
Hill House. It was a well kept.
Maybe a three bedroom 3 bath home.
The lawn was beautiful, the lanterns outside.
Were pretty, but felt foreboding.
As soon as we approached the front door, I had a bad feeling.
I posted at the. Corner of the house.
(34:41):
My partner C went to the front door after knocking on the door
and announcing ourselves. As part of the sheriff's.
Department IT. Slowly opened a lady.
Slowly. Peeked her head out.
Strangely enough, she focused her gaze on me.
Not my partner right in front ofthe door.
(35:03):
I'll never forget her face. It was human, make no mistake.
About that, but it looked like. Paper mache with a long scraggly
wig on top. I honestly couldn't tell what
ethnicity she was. Her skin had a glisten to it.
But the color was off. Putting Gray, my partner
(35:26):
continued with the mission. Ma'am, we're here with the
Sheriff's Department. Is Camille here?
She finally moved her gaze from me to my partner.
Her dead black eyes stared at sea.
For a moment before she finally spoke Camille.
Yes, yes, she is here. My partner looked at me with a
(35:52):
what are we getting ourselves into kind of look.
OK great. So can we come in and talk to
her? He asked her without.
Technically giving consent, the supposed homeowner turned around
and waved us inside. I made my way inside behind my
partner. While C.
(36:12):
Talked to the strange woman. I immediately noticed a Ledger
book on an older looking desk right in front of the door.
It had several entries. From what appeared to be.
Caretakers. The person signed their name
when they arrived, when they departed, and a summary.
Of what they did. As I suspected, these people
(36:33):
were caretakers of sorts. This.
Lady obviously could not take. Care of herself.
And needed some in home nurse help.
I quietly tapped. My partner on the shoulder
showing him the book. The name of the person we were
looking for was in the book several times, although she had
not signed in on the day we werehere.
(36:55):
Not quite sure what our next move was.
We talked about searching this place.
At this moment I felt a bump on my leg.
While we were. Talking, we both seemed.
To forget about the lady. We were talking to.
Looking down, I jumped. Back a bit seeing the.
(37:15):
Strange woman on all fours at my.
Feet. She slowly looked.
Up at me, Camille is all she said.
And that. Is all she would say.
Louder and louder. Camille, Camille, Camille.
(37:38):
She almost screamed. She scooted around on her butt,
using her arms to move her body around the floor.
Now we were in real disbelief. OK, man, let's just clear this
house and if we find her, we find her.
C said. We both knew this situation was
off, but started searching the house.
(38:01):
The entire time this woman was yelling for Camille, never once
getting back to her feet, just kind of following us on the
ground. The time must have been around
9:00 at night, and it was dark. The inside of the home had one
light on. There were no TV's or any
electronics of any kind. The house had a.
(38:23):
Strange feeling to it, the. Layout of this older style.
Home had about four bedrooms andtwo floors.
Every time I left a room I swearI was in a part of the house I
had not just been in. I would enter a hallway and
seemingly be in another. Part of the house.
Like I entered A dimensional gapor something, the woman would
(38:45):
sometimes be right behind me without making a sound.
I was starting to question how. All of this was possible.
At one point we both entered theupstairs, which looked.
To be a regular upstairs. With bedrooms or maybe a
bathroom at the top of the. Stairs.
As we opened the door initially,it would not.
(39:07):
Budget, it appeared. That it had been sealed somehow,
like it had been painted over and the paint had dried in the
seams. Of the door after.
Putting a little extra effort, the door opened, revealing an
attic, not bedrooms. If you remember Paranormal
Activity when the guy finds a picture of his.
(39:29):
Wife as a child. In the insulation.
That's what it looked like. There was nothing but storage
space, insulation and an older. Style light bulb with a.
String hanging from it. The lady was just.
Sitting at the bottom of the stairs, watching us,
occasionally yelling for Camille.
(39:50):
After what seemed like an hour of searching this house,
repeatedly going into rooms, I. Swear I had just left.
We called it and cleared the property.
As we drove off. The woman was now standing right
in front of the door, staring at.
Us as we left. According to when we called
dispatch and when we cleared, wewere only there for 20 minutes
(40:15):
it felt like. We were there for.
Well over an hour or two. I don't know what was more
unsettling. The fact that it was.
Late at night, the lady yelling Camille's name and scooting on
her hands and knees. Her.
Quietly showing up right behind me when I had not heard her move
or the. Fact that she was.
(40:37):
Standing at the door just staring at us.
As we left. We have not returned.
To this house we didn't. Tell anyone the true.
Story of what had. Happened.
It wasn't. Until much later, I realized.
I was in some form of the back rooms.
My partner too. I imagine it is a.
(40:58):
Miracle we both survived. At one point I opened a bedroom
door and was outside behind me. My partner bumped into me.
We both reached for our. Weapons, thankfully seeing the
threat. With each other.
I already searched out there. He said.
(41:19):
I was confused. But just let it go.
I couldn't understand what we were doing here.
That. Is what started my fascination
of the liminal world. I began actively looking for
this world again. I have found it plenty of times.
I quit my job with the Sheriff'sDepartment.
(41:41):
I now traverse the ethereal plane known as the back rooms.
I have conquered the main levels, even finding some of
the. BI levels I have.
Traded with and met some great explorers.
I can't admit this to anyone, but I've been trying to find
that original house that led to my first backroom experience.
(42:06):
I have not found it, but I know it's out.
There I will travel for the rest.
Of my life until I see it again,in this world or the next.
(49:41):
Yeah. Yeah.
(58:36):
Yeah. Yeah.
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