18 True Disturbing Horror Stories Animated

[Music] the night began like any other at the 7-Eleven where I work the graveyard shift my name is Melissa and I thought I'd seen it all from the late night drunks to the early morning Rush of cab drivers but nothing nothing could have prepared me for what was about to unfold it was around 2: a.m. when he entered a man cloaked not just in the darkness of the night but in the palpable tension That immediately filled the air he locked the door behind him and with a cold steady voice announced that no one would be

leaving the security cameras he revealed with a twisted Pride had already been taken care of my heart raced but my years behind the counter had taught me to keep a cool head there were four others in the store with me a young couple who had been arguing over chips a weary truck driver stacking up on coffee and a quiet man lost in a book Until that moment the mask f figure his weapon a silent promise of violence demanded our phones and then surprisingly started what he called his experiment he said that he knows about our

darkest Secrets he knows what we fear what we hold back the sins of our pasts and the worries that we hide with a smile every day he then added that he would ask each of us some questions questions that cut to the core of who we were or who we had been he already knows The answers but do we have the courage to say it in front of the others he said that he carries a mic which is broadcasting their conversation directly to the radio station channel and being heard by thousands there was just one

rule if we lie we die to the young woman he asked what is the lie that you live every day her eyes filled with tears met mine before she conest to cheating on her husband been with three other men to her partner he posed what have you taken That was not yours to take the man's face drained of color as he admitted for the first time to a hit and run he had committed in his youth a secret he carried like a chain around his neck the truck driver was next whose life did you ruin

without ever looking back with a heavy sigh he revealed the story of a family business he had Sav sabotage to save his own unaware of the downward spiral that caused them leading to their suicide and to The Quiet Man engrossed In his book until our Collective nightmare began the question was what truth do you hide behind your silence his reply was the most shocking a confession to embezzling funds from the nonprofit he worked for driven by desperation and shame as each secret spilled into the the open the air in the store became heavier suffocating it

was a psychological strip tease each Revelation stripping away the layers of pretense until nothing but raw painful Truths remained then it was my turn that are you most afraid of he asked me his voice a blade that seemed to slice through the very fabric of my being I thought of lying of conjuring some trivial fear but the weight of the confessions around me pressed me down and I found myself speaking my truth a fear of dying without ever having truly lived trapped in a cycle of monotony and unfulfilled dreams the shooter his identity still masked

nodded as if each Confession was a piece to a puzzle only he could see as the night dragged on the boundary between captor and captives blurred our secrets binding us in a maob camaraderie but as Dawn approached with the police surely on their way a palpable sense of urgency took hold it was clear this experiment was nearing its Climax and the MK figure promised one final Revelation that would change everything the tension in the air was Thick as we awaited the Final Act of this Twisted drama the man who had terrorized us who had peeled

back the layers of our lives with his probing questions seemed almost calm now as if the culmination of his experiment was at hand he turned to face us the gun no longer the focal point of his presence you have all revealed truth tonight he began his voice eerily steady but the greatest Revelation Is Yet To Come My Heart pounded in my chest the fear and Anticipation mingling into a potent cocktail that made my head spin what more could he possibly R from us we had laid bare our darkest Secrets our deepest shames what more was

there to reveal then with a flourish he removed his mask and the room went silent the face that stared back at us was not that of a monster but of a man we all recognized Professor Gladwell a respected figure in the community and a renowned Psychologist the real experiment he said his eyes a light with a fervor that bordered on Madness was to see if then faced with extreme stress in say threat of violence people would reveal truths they normally keep hidden and you all P this flying colors the room erupted in chaos the Revelation

too much to process the young couple clung to each other the truck driver shouted in disbelief and The Quiet Man simply stared his eyes wide with shock Gladwell continued Undeterred by their reactions fear he declared is the most powerful motivator it strips away the facade revealing the essence of who we truly are but before he could continue the sound of sirens pierced the early morning calm and within moments the store was swarming with police Gladwell made no attempt to flee or resist instead he surrendered with a smile as if this was the ending he had

envisioned all along in the aftermath as we gave our statements and The reality of our ordeal began to sank in I felt a strange sense of clarity gladwell's experiment had been unethical a violation on so many levels but it had also forced me to confront a truth I had long denied I didn't want to be a clerk Forever Living in a fear of a life unlived the trial that followed was a media sensation Gladwell was deemed mentally unfit to stand trial and was committed to a mental institution his career in reputation in ruins the Hostages

myself included were hailed as victims of a madman's game our personal Revelations overshadowed by The Sensational nature of the case but for me the experience marked a turning point point I quit my job at the 7-Eleven went back to school and pursued my dream of becoming a writer and though the memories of that night still haunt me they also serve as a reminder of the strength I found in the face of fear gladwell's experiment was meant to Expose our weaknesses but instead it revealed a resilience I never knew I had and while I can never

forgive him for what he did I can't help but wonder if in some Twisted way he gave me the push I needed to finally start living the night at the 7-Eleven will forever be etched in my memory not just as a tale of survival but as the moment I stopped being a victim of my fears and started to confront them head on I remember the day it all began with A Clarity that still haunts me a day like any other in the sun soaked Skies of California my name is Kiara and until the events I'm

about to recount my life was remarkably uh runchy I was an only fans model a career choice that Drew as much criticism as it did adoration but it allowed me to express myself and connect with people in ways I never thought possible and find new adventures from the comfort of my bedroom that was until I received a request from an anonymous subscriber that would unravel the very fabric of My reality the request was peculiar yet intriguing to mimic poses from ancient paintings while wearing a revealing outfit the subscriber who went by the moniker the painter

offered a substantial sum for my compliance I was used to handling weirder requests so I didn't think much about it the first pose was from a painting I recognized immediately bodell's The Birth of Venus I had taken an art course in college it felt strange positioning my body to mirror the goddess of love the requests grew stranger each painting older and more obscure than the last and with each new request the sum which I was being paid jumped as well first by a few hundred and then by a few thousand but I noticed that with

every pose I recreated an inexplicable chill crept into my apartment when I posed about a woman with a flower vase behind her a Vase of flowers I had kept behind me suddenly flew off and smashed on the wall then came The Whispers soft at first like the rustling leaves they grew in intensity each night speaking in a strange language I couldn't understand but felt it in my bones my sleep also became fitful I would suddenly wake up in the middle of the night plagued by the dreams of a dark-skinned woman whose body is Twisted in

an unnatural form curled from the waist and hands thrown Around with dislocated shoulders she would hum a whale a whale that resembled the moans of a Dying whale and then she would suddenly start weeping blood from her dark eyes after which I would wake up panting and covered in sweat the realization hit me one evening as I set up for another photo the paintings the poses there seemed to be a connection between them each one seemed like a piece of a larger more Sinister puzzle in my naivity I had prom probably Stepped into something darker

but every time a doubt would linger in my mind I would suddenly be offered a few thousand extra dollar the painter it seemed could read my mind just by seeing the expression on my face he had me and he definitely didn't want to let me go desperate for answers I scoured the internet for information about the painter my search led me to a decades old legend about a reclusive artist who shunned by the world for his unsettling Dark and gory Works finally sought immortality through his paintings he was rumored to have made a packed with

dark Forces before suddenly Vanishing offering his soul in exchange for the power to trap the essence of life itself on canvas the realization chilled me to my core I was not just mimicking poses I was completing rituals that summon these Spirits into my home the final request arrived on a night when the air in my apartment hung heavy charged with Anticipation I was getting paid $100,000 for it the kind of money no one in my family had ever seen before the painter asked for a recreation of a painting I could not find in any records

a portrait of a woman whose eyes seemed to weep blood her form Twisted in an Agony of either ecstasy or torment it was impossible to tell which as I prepared to mimic the a dread unlike any other filled me The Whispers crescendoed into a cacophony the shadows in my apartment Expanded into forms that were almost human I realized then that I was not alone I never had been since the first photo I uploaded the horror of my situation was complete but it was the truth behind the painter that would unravel the last threads of my

sanity the truth was as cold and unforgiving as the Shadows that now danced freely in my once peaceful apartment he said that as an artist he got so consumed by his craft that he Crossed into the realm of the occult seeking to capture not just the image of his subjects but their very Souls his name was lost to time but his legacy would live on as I stood in my living room the air thick with a presence of the Unseen I had a feeling that the final pose was not just another ritual it was the

culmination of them all the key to unlocking whatever Darkness the painter had contracted but the $100,000 were on my mind the things I Could buy finally gift a car to my father with trembling hands I set my camera to capture the pose my heart heavy with the knowledge that I was about to complete a cycle that began long before I was born I struck the pose mirroring the Twisted Agony of the woman in the painting and at that moment the apartment seemed to sigh a sound so full of sorrow and relief that it was Almost

Human the camera clicked and the shadow searched forward enveloping me in Darkness I braced myself for the end for the cold Embrace of whatever lay Beyond but the end did not come instead the shadows receded and The Whispers faded leaving behind a silence so profound it rang in my ears I was alone truly alone for the first time since the painter had entered my life I rushed to my computer but the painter was gone disappeared while I received the message of a transfer of $100,000 in the days that followed my Life returned to a semblance

of normality but the peace as I always knew in my heart was going to be shortlived the twist in my tail the truth that haunts me to this very day came unexpectedly a week later there was a knock at my door I opened it to find no one there just a small box at my foot I took it to the kitchen counter and opened it carefully to find a note which said thank you but what accompanied it was an image an image that shook me to My bones it was my final picture as I posed

in a Twisted form in a revealing outfit to mimic the last painting which I had received but right behind me was a naked dark-skinned woman with eyes that wept blood her form Twisted not in agony but in relief it was a portrait of me but I never realized that this spirit this Soul behind me finally escaped into the real world I am Kiara a model from California who once sought connection through the digital world only to find Herself entwined in a centuries old Narrative of art Obsession and the Quest for freedom my apartment is quiet

now the Shadows nothing more than the absence of light but sometimes when the sun sets in the world quiets I can hear the faint echo of a brush against Canvas OR slight breaths on my neck it was probably 2 in the night when I got her text Clara wants to send you a message on Instagram a notification had popped up I was on the verge of dozing Off when the alert made me open one eye she had replied to my story with a laughing emoji and that was it nothing more but something about her picture

caught my attention I had seen that face before an above waist shot in a burgundy crop top smiling at the camera while posing on what looked like a beach yes she had apparently been on a lik spree a few weeks ago you know one where someone keeps on liking all of your images back to back did she want to grab my Attention I had thought but forgot about it but when I received her text that night I didn't know if I was supposed to respond how do you even respond to an emoji so I just

replied with a smiley this time her response came back in seconds you don't remember me do you was I supposed to she was incredibly gorgeous she seemed a little short in height but her affable smile pretty much didn't let you focus on it round spectacles adorned her oval Face and her dark dense hair with casual brown highlights complimented her pale skin she had a few of her pictures admidst a gallery of beautiful shots of nature and animals and shoes but her face didn't ring any bells uh Vegas silly I jumped yes I had been to

Vegas 3 months ago but that was a trip with my friends last I checked she wasn't one I serious iously had no idea who she was so I immediately searched for her Facebook profile to Check for any mutual friends but failed to find it she has a pretty common name so I scrolled back through her pictures on Instagram and surprisingly enough she had posted snaps of her vacation in Vegas at around the same time that I was there weird you're not one of those guys are you did we meet in Vegas you're kidding right bewildered

I checked her profile bio Delaware ey future lawyer past nerd presently preparing to conquer the world she had about 1,700 followers Followed about 120 seemed like a genuine profile but I had no idea who she was I'm sorry but I seriously doubt that we've met before June 30 around midnight Omnia remember holy crap I I was actually there that night om Nia in Caesar's Palace is one of the most popular nightclubs of Vegas but I still didn't remember her yeah you were with your friends that fat one hit on my bestie bouncers came yes my

friend dick was being a dick to These girls but we sorted things out they actually joined us afterwards but I still didn't remember her yeah but I'm pretty sure you weren't one of them you're kidding right remember you're still not over your girlfriend's mysterious death this was it no way not even my closest friends were aware of it I had left my hometown 2 years ago to build a new life after my girlfriend was found well let's just say that there was no way she could have known who are you How do you know this

you told me in Vegas you weren't even that drunk anyway just wanted to let you know thought we could reconnect but clearly you don't want to no no I I was pretty sure that I did not meet her at any point of time neither in Vegas nor even in my freaking dreams so I did what any San guy would I took a Snapchat of her piic and sent it to my friend dick but even he didn't remember seeing that woman my memory wasn't betraying me I had never met that Woman in my life but then

how on Earth did she know about my girlfriend's mysterious death I got back to her a few minutes later okay this is crazy but there is no way on Earth that I would forget meeting someone it's fine this must be really random for you I understand but how do you know all that stuff because well we spoke with each other for a while before your group separated remember okay there's no way I could have told you about my girlfriend Or you were drunk beyond your senses LOL blackout I closed my phone threw it on the

bed almost died as I saw it making an abnormal bounce and Landing just short of the edge but I couldn't bloody remember meeting her at all she wasn't in that group of girls I I could have been mistaken but she had narrated almost all the details of that night with absolute accuracy and yet she was never there something was wrong and that is when I remembered my Girlfriend's middle name was cl the phone buzzed again I opened Instagram again and saw that she had sent an image found this it was a pick which made my

head swirl it was a pick which made me sick to the stomach it was a pick which made me rub my eyes more than a dozen times she had casually clicked my picture that night outside of Caesar's hotel same jacket same shoes same glasses but in my glasses I saw her reflect Which sent a wave of shivers down my spine her high cheekbones her thin lips her sharp jawline her dark hair her hazel eyes it was my girlfriend my girlfriend whom I had buried with my own hands I opened her profile again and in all

the images of Clara I saw my smiling beautiful dead girlfriend as tears ran down my eyes she texted me again I miss miss you on this side [Music] Boo the first night on the job at Greenways promised nothing out of the ordinary just a routine shift that my friend Stuart and I hoped would pass quickly with banter and the occasional restocking the store with its sprawling aisles filled with everything from fresh produce to canned goods gleamed under the fluorescent lights our laughter echoed through the empty store filling it with life as we made light of

the typical graveyard shift stories ghostly customers checking out at midnight Steuart joked pushing a card along I laughed playing along with Tales of spectral cashiers the first sign that the night wouldn't be as mundane as we'd hoped was the cold draft that swept through aisle 5 chilling us to the Bone we exchanged puzzled looks scanning the closet doors and windows for any sign of a breach finding none an uneasy silence fell between us broken only by The Faint directionless Whispering that seemed to emanate from the very shelves we were Stalking the sound was barely there

like the sigh of a distant wind but unmistakably present it was unsettling how quickly our laugh died replaced by a growing sense of dread someone was there so we split up walkie-talkies in hand Stuart ventured into the Back store rooms while I took to the aisles the plan was simple check for any signs of a Breakin or perhaps a faulty HVAC system anything to explain the draft and The Whispers no sooner had I had taken a few Steps into the first aisle a can of soup tumbled off the shelf behind me followed by a box

of cereal then another and another I spun around half expecting to catch a glimpse of some prankster but there was only emptiness my heart raced it was then Stuart's scream pierced the night a raw agonizing sound that cut through the walkie-talkie Stewart I shouted into the device talk to me man but there was no reply just the crackle of static Panic set in as I raced Towards the stor rooms finding steuart's walkie-talkie aband Abed on the cold tile was a moment of pure horror my calls for him went unanswered as well it must have taken

me 15 minutes before I spotted Steward at the end of an aisle relief flooded through me I called his name but he didn't respond I walked up to him but he didn't seem to be looking at me it was when I touched him that his face turned but he seemed numb unable to hear me I must have turned for just a Moment but when I looked back back he seemed to have vanished Into Thin Air my heart was a drum beat of Terror as I stood Frozen I just turned and sprinted towards the security office

but as I entered inside I saw Stuart calm as if nothing had happened munching on a donut I asked him about the screaming and The Disappearance but he seemed oblivious I took her around and came back here I never ran into you impossible but when he produced his walkie-talkie I froze Then whom did I see before I could grapple further with the impossibility of the situation the entire store plunged Into Darkness the security monitors flickered with static before coming back to life a shriek bone chilling in its intensity filled the air its source untraceable yet

ominously close our eyes were drawn to the monitors where a shadowy thing figure moved with purpose through the aisles its form Beast likee Panic surged as the Realization hit us the entity the source of the night's Horrors was real and it was coming for us the figure on the screen seemed to defy the laws of physics its movements jerky and unnatural as if it were a creature of another realm forced into our reality we watched transfixed in horror as it drew closer the cameras nearest US flickering out one by one we ran and it chased

us its form was a swirling Vortex of Shadows the store transformed into a Labyrinth of Terror each turn an aisle of potential trap as we fled the Relentless pursuit of the enraged spirit that is when Gerald the security guard appeared out of nowhere clutching an ancient silver Talisman with a strength and resolve that belii his age he confronted The Entity the Talisman growing brightly in his hand the light seemed to repel the darkness creating a barrier that the entity couldn't cross seizing the opportunity Gerald ushered Us toward the exit once outside under the safety of

the night sky Gerald shared the Grim tale of the land upon which Greenway stood a cemetery centuries old had been Disturbed during the store's constr destruction its Graves desecrated the resulting place of countless Souls upturned among them was a spirit powerful and vengeful awakened by the violation of its grave now seeking retribution against the living the realization that our night of horror Was rooted in a history of disrespect and desecration was a weighty one the store its gleaming aisles and modern facade could not erase the sanctity of the grounded occupied Gerald's intervention had saved us

but the knowledge that many spirits still lingered bound to the sight of their unrest was a haunting thought that would linger far longer as Dawn broke painting the sky with streaks of light Stewart and I watched the store from a distance Its Windows now just mirrors reflecting the morning sun the horrors of the night were over but the experienced had changed us a start reminder of the past's enduring presents and the Unseen worlds that brush against our town in the end Greenways remained a beacon in the community but for Stuart and me it was a

monument to the Unseen and a reminder that some things once Disturbed demanded to be acknowledged their stories heard and respected our night Shift at Greenways was over but the Echoes of the past would whisper through its aisles long after we were gone my name is Stephanie and I volunteer at a local library one day I found a phone nestled between a discarded newspaper and a worn out chair in the quietest corner of the place it was an ordinary smartphone slightly scuffed around the edges whoever it belonged to probably forgot it there the head librarian had

left taking the keys With her so I kept the phone with myself in case the owner called but that night as as I lay in bed scrolling through the phone's Gallery hoping to find a clue about its owner who appeared to be a fantastic photographer I suddenly found an image of me me at a cafe it shook me as I scrolled further I found more of them me walking through a park and then a railway station and then at the airport the pics were always taken from a distance a chill ran down my spine but

Ality told me there must be a reasonable explanation or did I have a stalker but as the night grew deeper the new photos appeared escalating in their intimacy and Terror one showed me sleeping soundly in my bed a vantage point impossible without someone else in the room another captured me in the shower the steam swirling around an obscured figure reflected in the mirror my heart pounded against my rib cage how could someone take these photos without me Noticing amid my growing panic I noticed a folder marked secret protected by a pass code my attempts to

guess it were futile it was then another photo appeared this one different it was of the phone itself lying on my kitchen table with a 4digit code scrolled beneath it I didn't understand how these pics were magically appearing but with trembling fingers I entered the code and to the phone what I found in the secret folder was a digital Rabbit Hole leading Me straight into the life of a man obsessed with fear the phone belonged to a recently deceased local photographer renowned for his unnerving ability to capture pure Terror in his subjects newspapers had mentioned

an unfinished project a series of photographs meant to explore the thin veil between life and death my mind raced piecing together the unsettling truth this wasn't just a phone it was something bigger but why me why were these photos appearing now as The night bled into the darker hours the presence I'd sensed through the phone began to seep into the very walls of my apartment it started with the mirrors each reflection seemed to Harbor a shadow that wasn't mine a silhouette of a man with a camera perpetually aimed as if waiting for the perfect shot

of my escalating fear Windows too became frames for the spectal photographers glimpses catching me off guard with fleeting images of his figure always Just out of focus always chillingly silent sleep became a distant memory as my nights were invaded by nightmares where flashes of light chased me through endless corridors it was as if the photographer even in death was continuing his final ghastly project through me making me the subject of a gallery I never wished to be a part of driven by a mix of Terror and determination I resolved to end this I tried everything

to destroy the phone Smashing it drowning it and even burning it but each attempt was in vain the phone remained unscathed as if protected by some unseen Force the photos began to change then no longer content with capturing my fear they showed places dark and decrepit locations that sent shivers down my spine with their mere appearance each was linked to the photographer's life and his mysterious untimely death Clues I realized to a puzzle I was being compelled to solve Was his Spirit Seeking Justice or Revenge then one night it rained a video call from an

unknown number hesitation gripped me every Instinct screaming to ignore it but the Need For answers pushed me to accept the call the screen flickered to life revealing the interior of a room I recognized from one of the haunting photos and there in the dim light stood the photographer his skin pale almost translucent behind him arrayed like trophies were photos photos Of of many women their eyes wide with the terror as well his voice when it came was a whisper yet it filled the room filled my mind with a chilling Clarity you are the last one

the final peace I understood then this wasn't just about capturing fear or even about his untimely death it was some kind of ritual one that needed a final living subject to complete his death had been no accident it was a sacrifice one that he now sought to replicate with me panic And Clarity wed within me as I realized the truth the phone wasn't just a medium for his hauntings it was the anchor keeping him Tethered to this world allowing him to complete his ghastly project and I the last subject was the key to either his

ultimate Masterpiece or his banishment with the ghost's eyes boring into mine through the screen a plan formed desperate and dangerous if the phone was the anchor then it was the key to Breaking his hold over me and the others he tormented channeling every ounce of willpower I directed my gaze back at him at the camera and forced a smile you want fear I asked my voice steadier than I felt then you're looking at the wrong subject I put on a smile a big big smile and immediately he was rattled my room's Windows started shaking and

mirror started shattering I was scared but somehow I was managing a smile he yelled an ungodly cry from the Other side and even my bed started shaking frames were falling off chairs were sliding but I kept smiling from ear to ear and then everything stopped silence the call was disconnected my pictures were gone and so was the secret folder the harrowing night finally came to its end the night I decided to follow the mysterious man from the 7-Eleven my life changed forever it was a decision born out of curiosity a need to understand Why every

month at exactly 8:00 p.m. this stranger would come in and purchase three seemingly unrelated items a lighter a pack of salt and a single candle my colleagues had told me Tales of his visits how they coincided with unexplained power outages and a chill that would sweep through the store the man always came once every 30 days bought his stuff then met the Shady store manager in his office and left my colleagues joked about it but their Laughs never quite reached their eyes I was the new guy Lou the one who hadn't yet learned learned to

stay behind the counter and mind my own business on that faint full night I watched as he made his purchases and walked out into the dark my curiosity got the better of me and I followed him keeping my distance as we ventured deeper into the heart of the town the streets were deserted the only sound of my footsteps echoing against the pavement and the distant Towel of the wind he led me to the outskirts of town to a clearing that I never knew existed the moon hung low in the sky casting an eerie light over

the scene the man began some sort of ritual arranging the items he had bought in a precise pattern on the ground he started chanting in a strange ancient language I couldn't understand his voice steady and mesmerizing it could have well been old Spanish or native Indian lingo but I was clueless to it I hid behind a tree Watching my heart racing with a mix of fear and excitement then I made a mistake I stepped on a branch and it snapped under my foot with a sound that shattered the silence like glass the man turned sharply

his eyes finding mine in the darkness there was a flash of anger and then a profound sadness I don't know how he did it but he just vanished before my eyes leaving me alone in the clearing the chill of the night suddenly more biting than before I didn't understand what I had done but I felt it in my bones a mistake that had irrevocable consequences I hurried back to the 7-Eleven my mind racing trying to convince myself it was all a product of my imagination but the town had changed Shadows moved with life of their

own Whispering threats and voices only I could hear the street lights flickered as I passed plunging me into darkness before flaring back to life I felt like I was being hunted chased by something I Had inadvertently Unleashed I made it back to the 7-Eleven panting and drenched in sweat but the store was different the air thick with an unspoken Terror my colleagues were gone and in their place were Shadows that watched me with Hungry Eyes I barricaded myself in the office panicking and that is when I heard my manager's Voice who was sitting alone in

the dark he spoke of a guardian a being that Protected our town from something ancient and malevolent the items the man bought were part of a ritual to keep the Darkness at Bay a ritual I had interrupted as he spoke further the reality of my situation sank in I was alone in a town overrun by nightmares with no knowledge of how to reverse what I had done the night stretched on an endless parade of Horrors that tested the limit of my sanity Shadows whispered my name and black formless creatures of Darkness pressed against the windows

their red eyes gleaming with malice I was in a living Nightmare and Dawn seemed an eternity away the night wore on each minute stretching into what felt like hours as I huddled in the cramped Office of the 7-Eleven with the manager whose quiet and aloofness we had all taken for being strange and Shady and then I learned his reason he was aware of the darkness the mysterious man and his rituals he held All of these secrets inside of him and then something happened a tall Shadow entered inside and with swiftness rushed to the manager he

convulsed his eyes rolled up and he was lifted off his feet into the air possessed I was freaking out but the manager fought the evil yelling the same thing on repeat almost like a mantra light repels the darkness it seemed overly simplistic but desperation lends weight to even the most cliche of adages I remembered the Items the mysterious man always bought a lighter a pack of salt and a candle they were tools of protection elements to ward off whatever now lurked in the shadows armed with this knowledge I ran to the store picked up a

lighter a candle and salt with these items in hand I set about to the room my hands trembling as I placed the candle in the center of the en circled it with salt just like I had seen that mysterious man do the moment I lit the candle the Oppressive Darkness seemed to recoil and my manager fell back on his feet The Whispers grew frantic angry and the Shadows at the window surged forward only to be repelled by the barrier of salt it was working but I knew it was was a temporary measure the candle would

not burn forever and the salt could not hold back the darkness indefinitely that is when I received a text from an unknown number which spoke of a heart of light and words of ceiling For some reason I knew exactly the man who had sent it I interpreted this as needing to strengthen the rituals core the candle's flame was something personal I took a deep breath focusing on my desire to protect to undo my mistake then speaking words of apology and hope I used my own breath to Fan the flame it was a shot in the

dark but the candle flared brightly as opposed to burning off the effect was immediate and dramatic the Shadows screamed a sound of Fury and pain as the light washed over them dissolving them into nothingness The Whispers died away and the Darkness retreated beaten back by a single candle's light I maintained the ritual until the first light of dawn crept Through the Windows as the sun rose the normal sounds of the Town returning felt like music to my ears the darkness had been banished the town saved from a night of Terror but the cost the cost

was etched deep into my soul I stepped Outside the Morning Light warm on my face a stark contrast to the cold dread of the night the town looked the same but I saw it with new eyes I had faced the darkness both the one I had Unleashed and the one Within Myself the mysterious man never returned to the 7-Eleven and I never learned his name but I kept up the ritual month after month it was my penitence my responsibility now the town remained safe under my watch but I knew the Darkness was always there lurking

at the edges waiting for another chance to see Ben I realized later that the true horror wasn't the darkness of the creatures it hid it was the ease with which a single act of curiosity could unravel the safety of an entire town I was scarred forever changed by a night of unspeakable Terror but I had survived and in that survival I found a purpose my name is Elena and what I encountered during my first night shift At a Florida Walmart still haunts my dreams it was the leadup to the holiday season yet the store was

eerily quiet a start contrast to the festive cheer that filled the air outside I was assigned to restock shelves a simple task I thought until I reached Isle 7 Isle 7 with its array of toys should have been a place of joy and laughter but instead it was the epicenter of unexplained phenomena that had both staff and SHO whispering in hushed tones toys are found scattered Off their shelves an inexplicable chill surrounded you as soon as you walked there and sometimes if you listen closely you'd hear the cries of a child on that first night

as I approached the aisle I thought that I saw a child staring at me from the distance odd hours not many adults around I worried that the child was lost but as I went towards him he disappeared another employee sensing my confusion casually remarked that it's Samuel that Is when I learned that a few years ago the store was engulfed in a small fire a woman was Trapped In Flames her boy ran and saved her but suffocated in the smoke this Revelation cast a shadow over Isle 7 The Joy it once held replaced by a

lingering sorrow The Haunting grew more intense with each passing night toys hurled off shelves with unseen Force aimed directly at me spectral Footprints appeared in the dust leading nowhere and Samuel sobbing became a Constant backdrop to my shift while my colleagues largely ignored the obvious paranormal phenomenon I somehow felt that he was reaching out to me desperate to communicate driven by a mix of fear and determination I resolved to understand Samuel's purpose to find a way to help him find peace as my shift Drew to a close Samuel sobs echoed one last time down Isle

7 I knew then that I could not turn away and have to help this lost soul no matter the Cost the next evening I returned to Walmart with a dare I would communicate with Samuel reach out to him in a way that transcended the barriers between the living and the spirit trapped in sorrow armed with sacks of salt from the store shelves I reached Isle 7 I researched about communicating with Spirits online and found that salt acts as a powerful medium to bridge the gap I punctured the sacks and spread the salt on the dark

floor the store was quieter Than usual the fluorescent lights flickered above casting Long Shadows that seemed to dance at the edge of my vision I called out to Samuel my voice steady despite the pounding of my heart Samuel if you're here I want to help help you can you understand me but nothing I saided again and this time a toy truck flew off the shelf to my right the air suddenly grew colder and then the salt began to shift forming words in response to my Plea his response was a single word but it carried the

weight of his longing and confusion my eyes welled with tears as I realized that the depth of his despair Samuel didn't know he was gone trapped in a world he no longer belonged to Samuel you're safe with me I want to help you find peace the salt shifted again the grains moving with purpose it was then I understood Samuel was lost not just in the afterlife but in his understanding of his fate he was Searching for his mother clinging to the hope that she could still save him as we communicated Samuel revealed his heart's desire

before the fire his mother had given him a ring in his last moments consumed by smoke and Flames he had lost it he wanted his mother's ring the Revelation was a turning point if the ring was the key to Samuel's unrest then finding it was my mission a coworker intrigued by my late night Endeavors shared a piece of Forgotten lore the Store had been rebuilt flooring had been done over the original if the ring existed it was hidden beneath us fueled by a new found resolve I Enlisted the help of sympathetic co-workers after hours armed

with tools borrowed from the hardware section we began our dig beneath the store the work was hard the floor unyielding but the thought of Samuel's Soul finding peace drove us forward finally our efforts bore fruit beneath layers of dust and debris we Found a ring its metal warm against the cold ground as I held it Aloft the store suddenly plunged Into Darkness the lights flickering out leaving us in an abyss of Shadows when the lights returned the ring was gone from my hand but so was the chilling presence that had haunted Isle 7 in its

place was a warmth a comforting feeling that enveloped us the air was lighter the shadows receded and the oppressive atmosphere that had Dominated the store was lifted Samuel's sobbing the laughter and the cold giraffes were gone Isle 7 once a sight of sorrow and fear now felt just like any other part of the store the toys lay in their places Untouched by unseen hands the air free of the sound of weeping as Dawn broke casting its light through the front windows of the store I knew Samuel had found his peace the ring a symbol of

a mother's love had freed him allowing His Spirit to move on the store once a sight of tragedy now held a sense of calm a testament to the power of compassion and determination walking out into the Morning Light I felt a weight lift from my shoulders The Haunting of Isle 7 was over and with it my fear Samuel's Story a tale of loss and longing had reached its end but the journey had changed me taught me the strength of the human Spirit and the Unbreakable bonds of Love New York City's Skyline was a dazzling array

of lights and dreams a perfect backdrop from my life's latest chapter I Elena had transformed from a struggling contemporary artist into a successful only fans model who knew that the more clothes I'd drop the more dollars I'd make my high-rise apartment with its floor to ceiling Windows offered views that seemed surreal skyscrapers touching the skies the Hustle of the streets below a stark contrast to the small dimly lit shared flat I used to call home the luxurious brands that now filled my closet the exclusive parties I was invited to in the sleek black card that

awaited me downstairs struggling artists have done worse but then I came across Adrien and it changed everything he was different than my other patrons he never forced me to do questionable things in fact he liked me covered up he said that he just Wanted my company it felt as if he saw through my facade within a week he slid into my DMs offering to sponsor my content exclusively for his eyes it was accompanied by a transfer that dwarfed any income I had seen in months the gesture was Grand yet it was his words that captivated

me a promise of no strings attached and a lore of something more profound than mere transactional support Adrien was an enigma wrapped in the mystery of his digital Persona What Drew me to him was not just the Financial Freedom he offered but the way he spoke with a depth and understanding that seemed Beyond The Superficial interactions I was accustomed to his messages were filled with references to Art literature and a life that seemed both lavish and introspective there was a vulnerability in his words a reflection of my own insecurities and aspirations that made me feel

seen understood and inexplicably connected to Him our first meeting was set against the backdrop of an art gallery opening a world I was familiar with yet had felt alienated from it in my recent life my heart raced as I dressed for the occasion slipping into a dress that felt like a piece of art itself my reflection in the mirror a stark reminder of the Dual life I'd LED but when I got there I was scared to find no one and just when alarm started going off in my head as I heard a sound of glass

shattering in Walked Adrien handsome sve kind eyes he said that he wanted to surprise me so he arranged a private tour a day before the opening oh God who was this guy as we walked through the gallery Adrien shared stories behind each piece his passion for art evident in his every word we talked about the struggles of artists the beauty of creation and The Masks people wear to Shield their true selves it was a conversation that flowed effortlessly and then we came across an Ornate mirror an art installation titled inwards as we saw our Reflections

and spoke further I felt a connection that was both exciting and dangerously intimate that is where he grabbed me by my waist and kissed me passionately I couldn't get him out of my mind that night as he dropped me home and left and the next morning I woke up to the delivery of the same mirror a gift worth $80,000 however it soon gave way to Unsettling occurrences my reflection in the gifted mirror began to move independently a chilling echo of my actions yet distinctively separate and then messages I didn't remember sending appeared in my only

fans inbox their content eerily personal and revealing these occurrences increasingly bizarre and frightening seemed to coincide with the deepening of my relationship with Adrien he with his enigmatic Aura and profound understanding of my psyche Appeared to be the only one who could offer explanations yet his responses were cryptic deepening the mystery that surrounded him Adrien the man who had entered my life with Promises of support and understanding now stood at the center of a whirlwind of doubt and fear his true intentions as elusive as the shifting Reflections in the ornate mirror he had gifted me

he was a walking red flag yet there was something off about him which I couldn't put my finger On as my relationship with Adrien evolved so did the nature of his involvement in my life he would come over to my apartment and watch me fall asleep he began to dictate the content I posted subtly at first then with increasing assertiveness he suggested changes in my appearance asked for pictures and specific poses and I never realized how he had slowly isolated me from the community I had built each suggestion was wrapped in the guise of Caring

but the undercurrent of control was unmistakable soon I was so much dependent on him that it hit me one day that I had destroyed my flourishing only fans career if Adrien screw me I would be back to my struggling days in no time one day when I suddenly woke up to find him in my room staring at my reflection in the mirror that he had gifted I lost it and confronted him I expected anger denial perhaps even an apology but his reaction was none of these instead he Challenged me to look inwards for answers and

that is when I realized that he wasn't actually in my room yet I could see his reflection in the mirror getting up and approaching me I panicked but then in a moment that defied reality his reflection touched the mirror and it gave away the mirror symbolic of the barrier between our world shattered its fragments reflecting the breakdown of the illusion Adrian had created in the silence that followed sanity hit me and The truth revealed itself with a crushing Clarity Adrien had never existed outside my own psyche he was a manifestation of my deepest desires insecurities

and fears a mirror image of my own soul he was a Persona my mind created and the bid to stop me from losing myself to the thing I was doing I created his account I sent myself messages from him I asked myself to cover up and become exclusive so that I sto engaging with the hund creeps I met On the internet every day the glass shattering was me breaking into the gallery that night and the mirror I had used every bit of money that I earned from only fans to buy it only to break it

and find my true self the realization was as liberating as it was devastating but I found my identity again now as I sit in my therapist's office recording these events as an exercise to come to terms that I am in the early stages of schizophrenia I feel content yet as as I Open my eyes I can see Adrien my mysterious gorgeous therapist going through my private pictures that I pretend to accidentally share to him yes I could see the ring on his finger but I also see him fidgeting his legs and Beads of sweat dripping

down his forehead I see the way he stares at my body and truth be told I like it these are uh these are great clicks thank you my ex took them too bad I don't have anyone to take my pictures in Lingerie again uh oh uh well I was somewhat of a photographer in college aw Adrien I don't want to bother you you couldn't even if you try and just like that I invited him for a glass of wine which he agreed to without much [Music] thinking in the Heart of Los Angeles where dreams are

as often made as they are shattered I found myself standing at the gates of an opportunity that was as Intimidating as it was exhilarating my name is Rebecca an aspiring actress who between auditions and callbacks Found A peculiar yet promising way to make ends meet babysitting for the elite of Hollywood that evening my services were required by James and Antonia a power couple whose names Grace the Silver Screen and the glossy pages of tabloids in measure their mansion nestled in a lavish Suburban Enclave was a testament to their success as I drove up the Winding

driveway the estate unfurled like a scene from a movie its opulence unabashed and its secrets well guarded the architecture was a blend of modernity and timelessness with sprawling Gardens that seemed to whisper tales of the past the interior was no less impressive with soaring ceilings artworks that spoke of rich tastes and richer wallets and a sense of grandeur that was almost overwhelming James and Antonia greeted me with smiles that were Polished their demeanor as rehearsed as any script they were Charming yet there was a distance in their eyes a Detachment that bellied their warm words

they introduced me to their twin babies angels in their cribs before imparting the house rules among them one was non-negotiable the home office is off limits James stated firmly his gaze locking onto mine to punctuate the importance of this rule I nodded not daring to ask why the couple left soon After their departure as Swift as their entrance the house in the absence of its Masters felt different larger somehow and filled with Whispers of the lavish parties and Silent screams of secret despair that had traversed its halls I busied myself with caring for the twins

their laughter a welcome respite from the Eerie silence that the Mansion now harbored as dusk turned tonight A transformation began the Mansion a beacon of luxury by day became a canvas For Shadows By Night the walls which had proudly displayed their opulent art now seemed to close in harboring darker Tales a cold draft meandered through the corridors originating from nowhere yet felt everywhere chilling me to the Bone it was then that the Unexplained occurrences began Shadows darted across the walls not in tandem with any light or movement an antique music box its origin and location

unknown filled the halls with a haunting Melody that seemed To have no beginning and no end the twins too changed their Babble turned into Unison Whispers their voices unnaturally deep their eyes fixated on something unseen drawn inexplicably towards the Forbidden office I tried to convince myself that it was all a product of my imagination a side effect of the mansion's intimidating Beauty and the stories that lingered in its Shadows but as the night progressed the bizarre events escalated each new occurrence More unsettling than the last the mansion with all its luxuries began to feel like

a prison its opulence a facade for something far more Sinister lurking beneath caught between my responsibility for the Twins and my growing fear I found myself standing at a Crossroads of curiosity and dread the home office with its forbidden allore called to me despite the warnings despite the fear that clenched at my heart I felt an Undeniable pull towards it a compulsion to uncover the secrets that James and Antonia so fiercely guarded little did I know my steps towards the office were the first into a night that would test the limits of my courage unraveling

Horrors that lay hidden within the mansion's luxurious veneer the truth behind the twins bizarre behavior the source of the cold drafts and shifting shadows and the melody that haunted the Halls were all Threads in a tapestry of Terror that I was about to unravel the mansion's once comforting silence had transformed into a cacapon of Whispers and shadows Each corner seeming to hold its breath waiting for something sinister to unfold as the twins Behavior grew increasingly bizarre there once innocent eyes now mirrored depths I couldn't fathom speaking in unison with voices that seemed to Echo From

Another World their fixation on the Forbidden office grew as If an invisible string pulls their Consciousness towards it leaving their laughter Hollow their playtime forgotten the night draped in its velvet Darkness seemed to press against the windows eager to penetrate the mansion with its unseen watchful gaze it was in this oppressive atmosphere that the Unexplained occurrences began to escalate each event more bizarre than the last Shadows darted across the walls not merely flickers of light but as if If they were entities sentient and mocking playing a game of hide and seek a cold draft persistent

and unyielding wound its way through the Halls emanating from empty rooms its source as elusive as the Shadows but what unsettled me the most was the music box its Melody haunting and beautiful played on its own filling the mansion with a tune that seemed to belong to another era despite my efforts I couldn't locate the music box it sound a ghostly Serenade that had no discernable origin as the night wore on my unease turned into dread the Mansion a Labyrinth of luxury and hidden fears seemed to close in on me the air grew thicker charged

with a presence I couldn't see but felt as tangible as the marble beneath my feet this can't be happening it's just a house just kids Focus Rebecca I whispered to myself a feudal attempt to dispel the growing Terror but the Mansion and its inhabitants had other plans the twins now eerily quiet stood at the threshold of the hallway their eyes fixed on the office door a silent challenge to the boundary I had been warned not to cross driven by a mix of concern for the children and a desperate need for answers I made a decision

that would alter the course of the night irreversibly my steps toward the office were hesitant each one a battle against the fear that clawed at my resolve the Door imposing and unyielding stood between me and the secrets it guarded with a deep breath I reached for the handle the metal cold and for booting beneath my fingers the door creaked open revealing a room bathed in Moonlight its contents shadowed and indistinct the air inside was heavy laden with the scent of old paper and something else something darker the office was a shrine to knowledge and forbidden

lore bookshelves lined the walls their volumes ancient And bound in leather that whispered of centuries past but it was the symbols that Drew my gaze etch into the furniture their designs complex and unsettling amidst the TOs of history and philosophy lay books that spoke of demonic entities and rituals their Pages filled with illustrations that chilled the blood one book lay open its Pages illuminated by the moon's Pale Light the illustration on the spread depicted an ancient demon its power growing with Each turn of the page but then in an illustration that seemed out of place

yet eerily fitting a little girl stood holding a blooded silver fork against the devil causing him to recoil in fear the realization hit me with the force of a physical blow the twins their behavior the unexplained phenomena they were all connected to something deeply malevolent something that had roots in the very foundation of the mansion and its owner past as I stood there absorbing the Horror of my Discovery the Mansion seemed to awaken fully mirrors reflected Twisted Landscapes grotesque apparitions emerged from the walls and disembodied voices filled the air a symphony of the Damned that

echoed through the opulent Halls the night had only just begun and the true horror of what lay within the mansion's walls was slowly revealing itself Peace by terrifying peace the air in the office grew colder a palpable presence of something ancient and Malevolent surrounding me the books on the Shelf seemed to stare back each spine a silent Testament to knowledge best left undiscovered the symbols etched into the furniture now felt like a warning a grim invitation to a world beyond my understanding as I stood in the heart of the mansion's Hidden Darkness the twins laughs

echoed up the stairwell their tone chillingly monotone it sent a shiver down my spine the realization that the twins were not just Possessed but overtly malevolent sent waves of panic through me and then they started speaking of a master the Mansion itself seemed to respond to the twin's declaration the atmosphere thickening Shadows stretching and contorting into grotesque shapes mirrors once reflective of the mansion's opulent Interiors now showcase Twisted nightmarish figures of young women covered in blood in the Realms of Despair and desolation that defi the laws of nature apparitions Their forms grotesque and twist Ed

began to emerge from the walls their presence of light upon the physical world the air was filled with disembodied voices a cacaphony of Whispers cries and laughter that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere in a desperate attempt to protect the twins in myself I ventured deeper into the office drawn to the open book with its illustrations of demonic entities the image of the little girl holding a bloodied silver fork against The devil resonated with me it was a symbol of resistance of power and innocence and Purity that could repel even the most malevolent forces

the twins Behavior became increasingly erratic as well their movements jerky and unnatural as if puppeteered by unseen hands they spoke of the Sacred lady watching over them a guardian of their Twisted reality hinting at a connection between the mansion's current Horrors and rituals long Forgotten amidst the chaos of a plan began to form in my head the illustration in the book The Children's unnatural connection to the entity they called their master and the ancient symbols all pointed to a ritualistic foundation for the horrors unfolding and this was when I was truly convinced that both James

and Antonia Were Somehow involved if I could understand the ritual perhaps I could find a way to break the connection to banish The Entity back to the darkness from which it came the mansion with its shifting shadows and endless rooms now felt like a living entity a mazeed designed to disorient and trap and then I found the ritual chamber hidden behind the office's bookshelf which revealed the true depth of the darkness the chamber was a grotesque Cathedral of horror its walls adorned with more symbols candles arranged in Sinister patterns and a Small bloodstained altar at

its Center and then I heard a soft voice which shook me in my stride it said that it was a babysitter once just like me but was sacrificed to a satanic demoness who was worshiped there it added that My Sacrifice will keep James and Antonia young and Powerful as the night pressed on the connection between the Twins Affliction and the couple's secret rituals became undeniable the Mansion was not just a Home it was a strong Str hold of ancient dark magic a focal point for a power that thrived on pain and suffering the realization that

James and Antonia had orchestrated this nightmare that they had sacrificed innocence for their own gain was a betrayal of every sense of humanity I held dear the previous babysitter's fate now chillingly clear was a grim foreshadowing of my own planned end but as Dawn approached bringing with it a sliver of light to The dark Ness I knew I had to act the ritual that had bound the twins to their Master could be broken but it would require every ounce of courage and wit I possessed the Mansions once Grandeur now felt like a prison each room

a potential trap set by the very forces James and Antonia had summoned the hidden passageway in the office led me to the heart of their dark practices the ritual chamber a room that rre of malevolence and whispered of unspeakable acts Standing at the threshold I felt a surge of determination I couldn't let fear dictate my actions not when the twins innocent Pawns in this Twisted game needed me the chamber was more than I had anticipated walls lined with ancient texts the air thick with the residue of rituals past and at its Center the altar stained

with the evidence of sacrifices made in the name of power and greed This Ends Tonight no more innocence will suffer I spoke to the empty room my Voice Ste steady despite the pounding of my heart the Mansion seemed to listen the air growing still as if in anticipation it wasn't long before the sound of the front door heralded James and Antonia's return they found me in their sanctum the place where they believed their power was absolute the look of surprise on their faces quickly turned to one of rage you were part of the plan a

necessary sacrifice but it seems we Overestimated your compliance their words dripping with malice confirmed my worst fears they had never intended for me to leave the Mansion alive I was to be part of their ritual a continuation of their pact with a demonic entity for wealth and power the previous babysitter's fate a mystery that hung over the town was now chillingly clear she had been a sacrifice just as they intended me to be but understanding their Plan gave me an Edge I knew what they were capable of and I knew how to disrupt the ritual

to save myself and the twins in a moment of inspiration I remembered the illustration from the book The little girl wielding a silver fork against the darkness it was a symbol of defiance of Purity combating the viest evil scanning the room my gaze landed on a silver fork part of the ceremonial items laid out for the ritual as James and Antonia Began to chant their voices merging and a cacapon of ancient words I seized the fork the ritual had started the air vibrating with the power they summoned the twins caught in the grip of The

Possession began to chant alongside their parents their voices unnaturally Deep In A desperate gamble I stabbed my own hand with the fork the pain sharp and immediate holding it aoft blood dripping from the wound I interrupted the flow of the ritual the reaction was Instantaneous Shadows record spiled as if burned the chanting ceased and the room fell into chaos my actions were sudden fueled by Instinct rather than knowledge The Entity a shadow within Shadows recoiled from the silver its form wavering James and Antonia their concentration broken stared in horror as the ritual backfired the power

they sought to control turned on them their screams filling the room as the darkness they summoned enveloped Them in the aftermath the Mansion seemed to sigh the oppressive atmosphere lifting as Dawn's first light crept Through the Windows the twins released from their possession collapsed their small forms shaking with sobs Gathering them in my arms I fled the ritual chamber the mansion's corridor is no longer a labyrinth designed to trap but a path to Freedom as we escaped into the Morning Light the Mansion behind us felt like a tomb a monument to the Consequence of unchecked

ambition and the darkest desires of the human heart as the first light of dawn painted the sky in Hues of gold and pink I stood outside the Mansion the twins huddled against me despite the warmth of the morning sun a chill lingered in my bones a reminder of the horrors we had escaped the Mansion once a symbol of affluence and power now stood silent a witness to the night's terrifying events the police and emergency Services swarmed the Property their lights piercing the remaining Shadows I watched a bystander to the aftermath as they ventured inside only

to emerge later their faces etched with confusion and disbelief James and Antonia were gone vanished as if swallowed by the Mansion itself the only evidence of the night's ordeal was the ritual chamber Untouched by human hands yet stripped of its power the darkness that had once Thrive there now a mere Echo they were here they were part of Something something evil my words felt inadequate a feudal attempt to explain the unexplainable the officers listened their skepticism palpable yet unable to dismiss the tangible fear in my voice or the innocence in the twins tear stained faces

as the day wore on the Mansion was declared a crime scene though no bodies were found no sign of James and Antonia nor any trace of the Demonic presence that had orchestrated the night's Terror It was as if the Mansion itself had purged the evidence of its dark past leaving more questions than answers the twins now free from The Possession clung to me their eyes wide with the memory of their ordeal they were too young to fully understand what had transpired yet the experience had left its Mark a shadow that might never fully recede in

their silence there was a bond an unspoken understanding that we had faced the darkness together and emerged if not Unscathed then at least alive as the authorities began their investigation piecing together the fragments of the story I sat with the twins watching the mansion from a distance the horrors of the night still echoed in my mind a reminder of the thin veil that separates our world from the darkness that lurks just beyond our sight the climbed higher its light a balm to the night's wounds the twins exhausted from the ordeal fell asleep in my arms

their breathing steady And calm in their innocence there was hope a promise that the darkness had not claimed everything I knew the road to recovery would be long both for the Twins and myself the trauma of the night's events had changed us finding us together in a shared experience that few could understand yet if in the light of day the Shadows that had seemed so menacing now appeared less formidable a reminder that even the darkest night must give way to the Dawn as the Emergency Services packed up leaving the Mansion to its silence I made

a silent vow I would never forget the horrors we had faced but I would not let them Define us the twins deserved a future unmarred by the darkness of the past and I was determined to help them find it with one last look at the Mansion a symbol of our ordeal I turned away the twins safe beside me the horrors of the night might echo in our memories but they would not hold sway Over our lives we had survived and in that survival there was a strength that no Darkness could diminish my name is Brad

and I'm an accountant the most boring job in the world sure on most days I would have agreed with you but then I experienced things that I wouldn't wish on my worst of enemies and it made me realize how happy I actually was by being a normal boring accountant I work for Ora guard a company specializing in something you Wouldn't typically associate with debits and credits Feelgood Stones they claim these Stones harness mystical energies offering protection against evil eyes and bad vibes as for me well let's just say I'm more of a numbers guy than

a believer in mystical mumbo jumbo orig guard is a global Enterprise marketing these stones with all the flare and persuasion of a topn sales team you got to give it to them they know how to sell a dream but deep down I can't help but View it all as a cleverly disguised multi-level marketing scheme the thing is skepticism doesn't pay the bills and in this economy a job's a job but then there was my colleague Rose she was a firm believer in what we sold Rose would often talk about the positive energy she felt from

the stones how they changed her life I admired her conviction even if I didn't share it but something changed in her over the past few weeks she became distant her usual vibrant Self replaced by a somber Shadow I would catch her staring blankly at her computer screen lost in thought the spark and her eyes dimmed then last week tragedy struck Rose the same Rose who was always the first to arrive and the last to leave who could brighten up the room with her smile took her own life she jumped off our office building a fall

that silenced her forever the news was like a punch to the gut disbelief grief confusion I felt it all the office Wasn't the same without her her empty chair was a constant reminder of the life we'd lost I never thought I'd miss her this much in the the wake of her passing her workload was unceremoniously dumped onto my desk long hours became my new Norm staying back at the empty office trying to make sense of her unfinished business it was during one of these late nights the clock ticking past midnight then I stumbled upon something

unexpected Rose's Journal hidden in a secret compartment of her desk it was an ordinary looking leatherbound book but as I flipped through its Pages what I found was anything but ordinary the initial entries were mundane filled with everyday office activities meetings and deadlines but then something caught my eye entries that continued well after her death dates that shouldn't have been there written in Rose's unmistakable handwriting my mind raced with questions How was this possible was someone playing a cruel joke or was there something more Sinister at play each new entry was a window into Rose's

thoughts but these thoughts were supposedly penned when she was no longer with us it sent a shiver down my spine sitting there alone in the dimly lit office the atmosphere shifted the air grew colder the silence heavier I felt a chill run down my spine an eerie Sensation that I wasn't alone the shadows and the corner Seemed to dance and flicker in the faint light I told myself it was just the fatigue the stress of the situation Playing Tricks on my mind with a deep breath I closed the journal deciding it was time for a

coffee break but as I locked up and stepped into the deserted hallway a feeling of unease washed over me the quiet was oppressive and I couldn't shake the feeling that something or someone was watching me from the Shadows I quickened my Pace to The coffee machine and just for a second I could see a shadow standing before it it was impossible there was no one yet the shadow on the wall was clear something invisible was obstructing the light I changed my mind and rushed out to grab a quick smoke but even as I stepped out

into the cool night air I couldn't help but glance back over my shoulder half expecting to see a figure standing in the darken Windows of the office the night was still only the Sounds of my footsteps echoing and yet the feeling of being watched lingered I called my boss hoping he'd let me continue the work tomorrow but he just woke up from his sleep mumbled something grumpily and cut the call if my bonus didn't depend on impressing him I would have rushed back home without care the smoke calmed me down and I thought I must

have been hallucinating but the journal with its posthumous entries lay heavy on my mind so I picked it up again As soon as I ventured inside each entry was like a puzzle a piece of a larger more ominous picture that I was yet to fully comprehend initially the journal entry seemed mundane detailing Rose's daily routines and interactions at orig guard but as I delved deeper the tone shifted there were cryptic references subtle at first then increasingly alarming Rose wrote about the stones with a tone that oscillated between all in fear hinting at a truth far

removed From the simple energy boosting properties we marketed as I was pouring over these puzzling entries that I noticed more Shadows this time at least three they seemed to Flicker and move in the corner of my eye each time I looked directly at them they were still innocuous but the moment my attention returned to the journal they danced again then the phone calls began the first few were just Anonymous callers hanging up as soon as I answer it I Wrote them off but then multiple phones started ringing the Silence of the phone breaking was jarring

and each time I answered there was nothing but an eerie static as if someone was there listening but not speaking I tried to rationalize these occurrences stress lack of sleep the emotional toll of rose's death they were all plausible explanations for what I was experiencing yet a part of me couldn't Shake off the feeling that something truly unexplainable was happening I took another coffee break and this time I took Rose's journal with me I flipped to the last entry she had written before her death it was frantic almost illegible a stark contrast to her usually

neat handwriting I know too much the stones they're not what they seem there's a Darkness to them an ancient energy that's not meant to be tampered with I Fear I've stirred something that should have remained hidden chills ran down my spine as I read her words what had Rose discovered what was this Darkness she spoke of as I contemplated her warning the office lights flickered casting an eerie glow the hairs on the back of my neck stood up I looked around the corridor half expecting to see something emerge from the Shadows just then a phone

rang slicing through the silence I hesitated then picked it up static Filled my ear but this time admidst the crackling I thought I heard a faint Whisper of voice so soft it was almost inaudible I strained to listen but for a moment I felt that it was Rose and then I heard chocolates and turn ups I hung up instantly and ran from my desk my heart racing the room felt colder the Shadows deeper this time I was assured that the Shadows were watching me probably playing with me but chocolates and turn-ups I knew exactly what

it was Rose when alive had an inside joke with the rest of the accounting staff and this was her password I knew then that I couldn't ignore what was happening there was a mystery here something dark and dangerous and it was beckoning me I had to know more I had to understand what Rose had discovered what had driven her to such despair that she jumped off the building and so I made a decision I would delve deeper into the secrets of orig guard into the true nature of the Stone we sold little did I know

this decision would lead me down a path from which there was no turning back the more I dug the more I realized that the stones we were selling were Not Mere trinkets of a multi-level marketing scheme but something far more Sinister I put the password and logged into Rose's computer there was a file named X and I opened it to my shock the accounts in Rose's folder grew darker and more desperate as they progressed She had recorded videos of her having nightmares shadowy figures moving in her apartment and an overwhelming sense of dread that they

followed her both in and out of sleep her words painted a picture of someone on the brink of a terrifying Revelation one particularly chilling entry caught my attention Rose recorded away to a hidden room within our office building the place she believed held the key to understanding the true nature of the stones the thought of such a place With in the confines of our mundane office building seemed ludicrous yet something in her words rang true driven by a mix of fear and curiosity I decided to search for this hidden room it was a Fool's errand

wandering the corridors of the office after hours tapping on walls and looking for secret panels like a protagonist in a cliche mystery novel but to my utter disbelief I found it tucked away behind a seemingly innocuous bookshelf in the Founder's old office Was a small dimly lit room the air inside was stale thick with the dust of decades the walls were lined with shelves holding various artifacts ancient looking Stones old books with indecipherable scripts and disturbingly photographs the photographs were old sepia toned they showed our company's founder a man I had only seen in corporate

portraits in a very different light he was pictured with a Native American tribe his hands clasped around The stones that seemed eerily similar to the ones Ora guard sold the expression on the faces of the tribal members were not a friendship or partnership but a fear and mistrust I felt a deep unease settle in my stomach as I looked around the room it was as if the very walls were imbued with a dark energy I realized that Rose's fears were not unfounded the stones were not just a part of a scam they were something an

ancient something that held a power we Were not meant to meddle with as I stood there absorbing the gravity of my Discovery a sudden wave of dizziness overcame me the room seemed to spin and for a moment I thought I was going to faint but it wasn't just a loss of balance it was as if I was being pulled into a different time a different realm suddenly Visions flashed before my eyes disjointed and terrifying I saw rituals dark and ancient the stones at their Center there were chants sacrifices and A sense of an overwhelming malevolent

presence being invoked at midst it all stood a figure a dark monstrous entity its form barely discernable yet its Essence terrifyingly clear I stumbled out of the room gasping for air the Visions faded but their imprint lingered in my mind what I had seen was not of this world not of this time it was a glimpse into a past that we steeped in darkness and danger a past that orig guard was directly tied to shaken I Realized the true depth of the Abyss I was peering into Rose had uncovered a secret so dark so dangerous

that it had cost her her life and now I too was entangled in its web the encounter in the hidden room left me reeling the Visions I had experienced were not just mere hallucinations they felt too real too Vivid to be products of my imagination the more I thought about them the more I realized that I had witnessed something ancient and Malevolent a dark secret that orig guard had buried deep within its foundations I couldn't shake the images from my mind the Sinister rituals the chanting the sacrifices they were scenes from a forgotten past yet

they felt ominously relevant the dark entity that appeared in my visions was particularly haunting it was a formless shadow yet its presence was overwhelmingly oppressive exuding a sense of ancient evil in an unbridled malice every time I Closed my eyes I saw that dark monstrous figure it was as if the entity from my Visions had escaped the confines of my mind and was now lurking in the corners of my reality Shadows seemed to move with a life of their own and the night got filled with strange unsettling noises but the burning need kept me from

running away to understand to uncover the truth behind orig and the stones it sold Rose's journal the hidden room the photographs and the Visions they were Pieces of a puzzle that I was determined to solve I went back to Rose's Research delving into the history of orig guard and its founder the more I read the more the pieces began to fit together the founder Nicholas had been a man man of ambition and ruthlessness obsessed with ancient rituals in the pursuit of forbidden knowledge he had sought out the Native American tribe in the photographs not as

a friend but as a conqueror seeking to harness the power Of the stones for his own purposes the tribe had warned him of the dangers of the dark energy that the stones contained but he had not heeded their warnings instead he had taken the stones using them in unspeakable rituals that he had Unleashed something terrible something that should have remained hidden as I pieced together the history I began to understand the nature of the entity from my Visions it was a guardian of sorts a dark protector of the stones Of Secrets its Awakening was tied

to the stones to the rituals that the founder had performed but why has it appeared to me now was it because of my probing into the company's dark past or was there something more something that tied me to this ancient evil the answer came unexpected ly as I was going through more of rose's journal entries I stumbled Upon A Passage that sent chills down my spine Rose had written about a prophecy an ancient prediction that Spoke of a reckoning a time when the truth of the stones would be revealed and the entity would be Unleashed

and then I found a new entry which I was sure wasn't there half an hour ago as if Rose wrote it when I was gone you are the key the key will save the world feel the presence of the entity a larger Shadow than the others lurking and watching from the corners a suffocating darkness that seemed to press in on me From all sides as I made my way to the hidden room again the air grew colder the Shadows deeper I could sense the entity's malevolence its anger at my intrusion it was as if the

very building was alive aware of my intentions and determined to stop me I opened the door to the hidden room and there it was the entity a swirling mass of Shadows its form constantly shifting and changing it was like nothing I had ever seen a Nightmare made real its presence was Overwhelming a tidal wave of Darkness that threatened to engulf me I stood there Frozen in fear as the entity moved towards me its Whispers filled the room a cacophony of voices that were both terrifying and seductive it spoke of power of Secrets of the darkness

that lay within all of us but then something unexpected happened a new entry appeared in Rose's journal the pages flipping open as if Guided by an unseen hand the entry was written in Rose's handwriting But the words were meant for me use the key it read say koala exaa I didn't understand how or why but I knew I had to trust Rose's [Music] [Music] [Music] but there was one last surprise waiting for me as I turned to leave the room I saw her Rose's Apparition standing there smiling at me she nodded a gesture of gratitude

and farewell and then faded Away her spirit was at peace her mission complete I knew then what I had to do I had to finish what Rose had started I had to expose Ora guard's dark secrets to bring the truth to light it wouldn't be easy but I owed it to Rose to the victims of the entity to myself I left the office that night The Shard of emerald safely tucked away in my pocket the night was still the Stars bright above I felt a sense of purpose a determination to see this through to the

End Ora guard's days of exploiting the dark energies of the stones were over I would make sure of it as I stepped into the dimly lit C cavernous space of the Walmart in Austin the air was thick with tension a stark contrast to the usual hum of daily Commerce the call had come in as a typical hostage situation surprisingly just when I was driving to work to quit my job but I changed my mind because the brief on the suspect was anything but Typical a woman claiming invisible forces controlled the fate of all within had

shot dead three people and taken several hostages she came armed with makeshift weapons and DIY bombs her demand she just wanted the president to acknowledge that there was no Free Will and invisible threats were manipulating their lives I approached cautiously the store looked like the aftermath of a storm chaos everywhere I had to walk for a good 10 minutes to reach the counter Where she had barricaded herself in the hostages the woman was Dr Cassandra ly a name that had once been associated with groundbreaking theoretical physics but now was synonymous with chaos she was wheezing

like a rabid dog crying then laughing then talking to herself then suddenly shooting a bullet in the air welcome negotiator she called out as if she had been expecting me her figure emerging from the Shadows she was smaller than I'd imagined but the guns in her hands were unmistakably real and deadly I introduced myself keeping my voice steady Dr ly let's talk about how we can resolve this peacefully a laugh escaped her peace there's no peace in being controlled it's just a state of mind and the world will know it soon she had a lot

to say so I had to patiently listen make her believe that I could be on her side she lectured on the nature of reality control and the experiments that Had shattered her mind it was evident that Cassandra was not just smart she was a genius pushed to the brink her theories once celebrated in the academic world now served as the foundation of her delusion that she could untangle her Fate by exposing others to the truth of their manipulation the chaos she orchestrated around us was a demonstration of her Theory shelves toppled over messages written with

bullets hostages positioned In calculated spots along with motion sensors throughout the store if one tried to run two others would be shot by homemade sensor triggered guns they were all Lab Rats to her look around you she urged gesturing to the chaos this is no random act it's a carefully constructed experiment and that's when it hit me I was a part of it too the negotiation my presence was her plan for someone who believed the world is controlled by invisible threads she wanted to prove That she's controlling this the stakes have never been higher I

wasn't just negotiating for the host's lives I was fighting to prove we weren't just pawns and her deranged game her movements were unpredictable yet patterned it was clear she was steps ahead head anticipating moves in a game only she fully understood as we spoke her monologues veered between Lucidity and Madness she spoke of her research detailing experiments that blurred the lines Between physics and philosophy reality and perception the hostages were chest pieces in her grand design she wanted the world to see to understand the invisible threads she believed controlled them but in her eyes I

saw more than just a desire to Enlighten there was a plea for validation for someone to acknowledge her genius realizing this I shifted tactics engaging her not as a negotiator to a hostage taker but as a peer to a Scientist I questioned her theories challenged her conclusions and in doing so saw the first flicker of Doubt across her face it was a small victory but a crack in the armor she had built around her psyche I'm not your enemy Cassandra I found myself saying using her first name and an attempt to reach the person behind

the psychosis but this isn't the way to prove your theories her laughter sharp and sudden cut through the tension you think this is about proving Something to the world no this this is about proving something to myself the game changed in that moment it was no longer about the invisible threads of control but about a woman trying to reclaim her Authority the realization was my opening the weakness and her strategy I had been searching for with careful words I began to dismantle the world she had built in the store pointing out the inconsistencies and her

actions and the reality she perceived Slowly the fervor in her eyes dimmed replaced by confusion than realization the guns lowered her posture slumped and for the first time since the standoff began Cassandra Lyall looked defeated it was then in her moment of vulnerability that the real battle was won the SWAT Team having waited for my signal moved in securing the store and ensuring the safety of all inside Dr Lyall was taken into custody in the aftermath as the hostages were L out to The Embrace of waiting love ones Cassandra was pulled away by four men

as she yelled at the top of her voice and threw her hands around the store lights flickered back to normaly and just as the mad woman was being taken out past me she stopped looked into my eyes for a few seconds and smiled before saying I broke the threads so I will be put down but they don't know that you broke them too this left me puzzled what did she mean by that and that is when it hit me If she had not orchestrated all of this I would have quit my job right now the

invisible threads wanted that of me but because of her deadly game I changed my fate and learned her Theory I broke the invisible threads too because of her the truth like the invisible threads she spoke of remained elusive Tangled in the intersection of science belief and the human mind's unfathomable depths but I had a feeling that I had a lot more work to Do I've always been an avid hiker and have gone on literally hundreds of different hiking trails over the last several years I've explored just about every Trail and good place to hike near

where I live and whenever I travel the first thing I do is look for good trails as well I really enjoy being out in nature whenever I can and it makes me feel really good and relaxes me anyways the story I'm I'm telling you occurred about 2 years ago now I went to a trail Near a wooded area which was about 15 minutes away from where I live really out in the wilderness there was a hiking path in the area but I wanted to go off the path a little bit because I had been on

the hiking path before there was some great land in the area and even though there wasn't an official path in this one spot there was plenty of space to walk around and it was kind of an unofficial Path I walked down that ways for a good 30 minutes or so but then the terrain started to get really rough and after a while I wasn't really equipped for it with the shoes that I had on so I turned back to return to my car I got back and drove all the way home before realizing that I

didn't have my phone on me I got that terrible feeling you get when you lose your phone and after looking around in my car I realized I hadn't remembered using my Phone since I had been way out in the woods I realized that I knew exactly where it probably was well not the exact location but an estimated area of where it would be I realized it likely fell out of my pocket as I walked over the rough Terrain in the Woods by now it had gotten dark out and I was a little bit hesitant to

go back out there but I had been out in the woods at night before and I wasn't Scared at all I hadn't seen anyone else in the park that day either so I wasn't too concerned anyone would take my phone or anything like that like most people I used my phone for everything so even though it was nighttime I decided to drive back and quickly go to get my phone I was very confident I would find it and as I got there and set out to the path again I couldn't help but feel slightly creeped

out entering the woods at night all by Myself I walked on the path to the point that I had gone off of it earlier I have always been really good with directions and landmarks so I knew it was the same spot then I followed the little unofficial Trail until the part with the bumpy terrain to where I expected my phone to be and as I entered the area I thought I heard a noise of a tree tree branch cracking in the distance maybe 50 ft away it caused me to pause in my tracks and go

silent but I heard nothing Else as I started to walk again I heard more noises though I thought it was some type of animal and looked in the direction I didn't see anything I then heard the noise of walking in the distance again but it sounded distinctly like a human the way the footsteps were still I knew it was unlikely that anyone would be out here now I nervously decided to call out hello on the slim chance there was another person out there but I got no Response I wasn't sure what kind of animal it

would be though and as I slowly walked closer suddenly I finally saw my phone on the ground it was such a relief to finally see what I had been looking for now I could get out of the woods I picked it up and as I did I started to hear the noises again coming towards me I just couldn't tell what was making the noises I looked all around and finally off in the distance I thought I saw what Appeared to be a person duck behind a tree all I really saw was a leg for a

second and that was it but I decided to get out of there as quickly as I could I didn't want to run so I started slowly walking but it quickly turned into a fast walk and as I heard noises behind me I couldn't take it anymore and I turned it into a full Sprint I ran as fast as I could through the woods hearing some noises behind me as I did the noises weren't really that close and I couldn't tell for sure if I was being followed or not but I was not wasting a second

in there longer than I had to to I had my phone and I was just happy to get out of there when I finally made it back to my car I immediately started it up and left I drove home and once I got back I finally was able to respond to some texts that I had gotten and things like that as I was on my phone I noticed that the camera app had been opened I went on it and noticed some Photos on my phone that I didn't recognize there were several pictures taken on my

phone during the time that it had been lost in the woods one appeared to be of the sky and another couple were of the ground that were blurry then I saw one that appeared to be a man but it was really blurry I couldn't make out any details of his face with how blurry it was or anything like that but seeing those photos really gave me the creeps that Woods was really Out there in kind of the middle of nowhere and I can't believe anyone else was out there much less who would have been on

my phone I'm quite certain whoever took those photos was the person out there in the woods with me this happened 2 years ago now I'm a female and live alone in an apartment building like many people I have an Instagram page that I post on pretty Regularly I would say I post on average at least once a month I enjoy posting pictures on Instagram but I know that occasionally you have to deal with a bot or a creepy person for the most part I hadn't had any bad experiences until this happened one day I opened

the Instagram app app and saw that I had a direct message it was from one of my followers a guy named Tim I didn't know him and I didn't follow him either I'm not sure how long he had been following Me for but he sent me a message asking if I could come and hang out with him I found this to be kind of weird and did not respond I mean he didn't even have a conversation with me and I didn't know him he couldn't possibly expect me to just say yes and based on his

profile picture I wasn't interested in him I figured that he wouldn't messaged me again after that but the next day he sent me another message he once more asked me to hang out with him and said That he could pick me up this time I responded and said no thanks I appreciate the offer though now he had to understand that I wasn't interested Tim then tried to convince me but I ignored him I didn't really know why he was sending me these messages seemingly out of nowhere the next day I didn't get any more messages

from him I figured that he would stop communicating with me at that point the following night I went grocery shopping after work I would go Shopping occasionally here and there whenever I needed to I didn't have a particular routine or anything I was inside of the store shopping for about 20 minutes the time was probably about 8:00 p.m. or so after I was done shopping I headed out to my car in the parking lot by now it was mostly quiet but there were a few people here and there I got all the way to my

vehicle only to see that there was a car parked next to me I started to take my Groceries out of the cart and put them in my car that's when the door opened to the car next to me and a guy got out I did not recognize him he just seemed like another guy going shopping but he didn't walk to the store and instead headed straight for me at first I was confused but he then said my name and asked me why I thought I could ignore him I realized that it was Tim from Instagram

and I did recognize him from his picture at that point I was too Confused to say anything though he said that he was here now and we were together so we may as well hang out I finally spoke and asked him what he was doing and how he knew I would be here he claimed that it was a coincidence I finished putting my groceries in my car and said that I had to get home I closed my trunk and then tried to walk around him to my driver's door but he stopped me by grabbing my

arm he told me to come on and go with him I asked him to let me Go and said that he was hurting my arm but he started to pull me away to towards his car he was a lot stronger than I was and we started moving towards his vehicle then I started yelling as loud as I could I was yelling help and telling him to let me go there were luckily a few people that were walking to their cars in the parking lot a ways away they took notice of what was going on though

and when Tim saw this he let me go and told me to shut up I instantly Ran around my car for the driver's door and got inside Tim followed me but I locked the door before he could get in I didn't waste any time and I drove out of there Tim had to run back to his car and I left the parking lot extremely fast by the time he started his car I had already left I went around another nearby store that was out of his sight then I took some random residential roads until I

was sure he wasn't following me after that I drove home I Was so focused on not letting him follow me that I forgot to call the police for a while but eventually I did I told him everything that happened but when I got to my Instagram page account was gone I think he deleted it still after that night I never saw Tim or heard from him again I used to live in Southern California in the Los Angeles area I moved about a year ago but still live in the general area over here there's a popular

grocery store chain called Ralph's the stores aren't that big but are pretty nice and generally clean and organized that was always my main place to go shopping and get groceries and I went there more times than I can count I'm a female and during my time in LA I lived in a house that I rented with my roommate Jenna I met her shortly after moving to LA and we became good friends we decided to rent a house together and it was a two-bedroom place where obviously I had one bedroom and she had The other I

had been out one day and stopped at Ralph's on the way home to get groceries it had been a while since I had gotten them and I was running low on many things it was probably about 7:00 p.m. or so maybe 8: I really really don't remember so when I got inside the store it was kind of busy like this particular location always seemed to be I got a shopping cart and began getting everything on my list I had made on my phone when I shop I'm usually really Focused and I don't really look around

at the other people so I had shopped through the store for maybe 20 or 30 minutes and was sort of near the end of it when a woman approached me she said excuse me and I looked up at her I had no clue what she could possibly want she focused her eyes a ways away and asked me if I knew that man over there I had no clue what she was talking about I looked over at the man in question there was this guy standing a pretty far ways Away kind of looking at items at

the end of an aisle he was wearing a black T-shirt and a black hat I had never seen the man before that I was aware of no I told the woman I don't know who he is the woman's response sent a chill down my spine well I could be wrong but he seems to be following you all around the store she continued I don't know if you know noticed or not but I thought I would let you know she went on to say that she saw him follow me from one Aisle to another and it

just seemed weird she later saw him trailing me again in another section of the store I told the woman thanks for letting me know and I would watch out for him I was almost done shopping anyways the woman was really nice and even asked if I wanted her to go talk to the man and ask him what he was doing I told her that that wouldn't be necessary and I was confident that it wouldn't be a problem I decided to get the last few items and Then leave the store was still pretty busy so overall

I didn't feel like I was in any danger I went over to the final aisle that I needed to go in to complete my shopping list when I was in that aisle only one other person was at the other end I spent about a minute there and just as I put an item in my cart I saw somebody enter the aisle from the other side it was the guy in the black hat he very briefly looked at me and then started examining something on the Shelves facing away from me he carried a shopping basket with

a few random items in it I felt like like maybe he actually was following me all around and I possibly should have took the woman up on her offer to question him I quickly pushed my cart to the end of the aisle and towards the check Lanes when I got out of the aisle I looked behind me but didn't immediately see the man I got in line to check out and waited for a few minutes I kept looking around the whole Time now really aware of my surroundings when I was putting my items on the

conveyor belt I noticed the guy again there were a couple of people now behind me in line and he got into the back of the line I I tried to keep an eye on him making sure I knew where he was my items were scanned by the employee and put into bags as this was going on I saw the man suddenly leave the line and walk away I was happy to see this and didn't really pay attention to where exactly he Was going to I thought maybe he saw a line that was shorter or something

either way it made me feel better knowing he was moving away from me soon I paid for my groceries and put the bags in my cart then I left I walked out of the store and into the parking lot now now that I was outside of the store I was extra careful I was afraid the guy would be out in the parking lot waiting for me or something but I didn't see him I carefully made my way to my car and Loaded up the groceries in the back then I got inside started my engine and

drove off I felt relieved to be out of there and that I hadn't seen the man I wondered who he was and why he had been following me I believed the woman that the guy had in fact been following me around the store when he went down that last aisle and then got in line behind me it confirmed it either way everything was fine now I drove home getting there probably 20 minutes later when I got Home my roommate Jenna was back as well for the day I cooked some food for myself as Jenna had

already made something and was eating then I went into my bedroom to eat relax and watch a show my door was open and probably 20 minutes later Jenna was in my doorway she said that there was a car parked out front that seemed weird she asked me if I was expecting anyone I got up and told her no my heart then started racing remembering the man who had seemingly Followed me around Ralph's I quickly told Jenna about it she said that she noticed a car running and parked on the side of the road right in

front of our house we both went over to the window to check the car was still there the headlights were on and we could sort of see somebody inside of it but couldn't make out any details for the next several minutes we kept an eye on it nothing changed though the person didn't get out or drive away we decided to just Forget about it it it had to be just a coincidence or something I returned to my bedroom as Jenna was hanging out in the living room I told her to let me know if the

car left probably 10 minutes went by and I heard Jenna running over to my room suddenly when she arrived at my doorway she told me that she heard somebody get out of the car we both walked over to the window to look out before we got there though there was a knock on the front Door he was now right there on the step we both very carefully went to the front window to look out we were extremely careful not to be seen by him and barely lifted up parts of the blinds I saw the same

guy from Ralph's and it was definitely him he was wearing the same black shirt but now he didn't have on his black hat and was wearing a different one it was a Domino's Pizza hat the guy was also holding one of those pizza bags we were not going to Answer the door and after a few moments he knocked again this time he said something pizza delivery we couldn't believe this guy was trying to pose as a pizza delivery driver we looked out to his car it was older looking and didn't have a Domino's thing on

top of it or anything the guy was definitely trying to trick us he then spoke again someone ordered a pizza to this house they paid for it I'm just trying to deliver it is anybody home he seemed desperate to try To get inside the house but we weren't going to fall for it we both kept silent and just hoped that the man wouldn't try to break his way in he stood there quiet for about a minute then to both of our surprise he actually tried opening the the front door it was locked obviously and he

couldn't get in the man then began walking away back towards his car we both breathed the sigh of relief when we saw this we watched him put the pizza bag in his front passenger seat and we Thought he would then get in and drive away but he didn't he started walking back up through the front yard towards the house both of our hearts sank what was he doing now the man did not walk to the front door this time though but to the side of the house Jenna and I started to panic we wondered what

we should do if we should call the police or something about a minute went by and we heard our back door knob turning the man was trying to get in through the Back door that was the only other entrance to the house thankfully it was also locked then about another minute later we watched him return into view in the front yard the guy then walked back to his car again this time he finally got in the driver's seat we kept watching and we didn't take our eyes off the car until it drove away that was

a huge relief to see we just hop that he wouldn't come back and thankfully he didn't we both could not believe that He'd actually tried entering our house multiple times knocking on the door and posing as a pizza delivery driver was bad enough but trying to open the door was insane at least he hadn't tried breaking in after that I never saw the man again this happened just a couple of weeks ago when I went to Walmart one night I think it was about 8:00 and I went there to only get a few things when

I got inside the the store it seemed Pretty normal to me it wasn't too busy and it wasn't completely dead either I didn't waste any time and started walking to the right the first thing on my list was to get some more soap as I was walking down that way I remember seeing a man walking in the opposite direction he was wearing a shirt that said human mammal on it I specifically remember seeing that but afterwards I passed him by and kept walking after getting the soap I then headed towards The back end of the

store I was over there getting the last several items and it took me a little bit over 5 minutes then I headed back towards the front end of the store when I made it a little more than halfway to the front that particular area was very quiet but there was one person there and they caught my attention it was the man that I had seen earlier and he was standing in a random aisle just pushing things off the shelf it was like he was Trying to make a mess the man had slightly long dark hair

was somewhat big and a little bit less than 6t tall all when I saw him doing this I couldn't help but look I was going to just keep walking past him but when I got kind of close to him I stopped the man looked at me as he continued throwing things on the floor I asked him what he was doing I didn't say it in a way as if I worked at Walmart or as if I was mad at him I was just genuinely curious the man Looked at me as I spoke but did not

stop his actions after my question he looked away and completely ignored me I looked around and did not see any employees in the immedi Medi area when I looked back to the man he was giving me the middle finger I thought about saying something to the guy but decided not to and just walked away somebody would see what he was doing soon enough and he would probably get kicked out of the store or banned I walked the rest of the way over To the self checkouts then I checked out and started to leave well I

guess as I was checking out the man in the human mammal shirt walked over to me without me knowing because as soon as I was walking into the parking lot I looked back and saw the guy walking behind me he was like 50 ft back and at first I wasn't sure if he just happened to be leaving at the same time as me or not I don't even know why I decided to look behind me but I'm glad that I did the Guy appeared to be looking right at me which was strange but I ignored

it I continued as normal and got to my car unlocked it and went inside I wasn't in a rush to leave or anything but when I started the engine and was getting ready to back out I saw him the human mammal had followed me all the way to my car and was now standing right behind it he was looking at me through the rear window of my vehicle I waited for about a minute and he didn't move at all then I rolled down my window and yelled to the guy asking him to move he ignored

me completely he just stood there with barely any expression on his face this guy was really confusing to me I honked my horn and he still didn't move so then I turned my engine off and got out of my car at first the man still didn't move I asked him what his problem was and he still ignored me I wasn't really sure what to do I didn't want to get in the guy's face or anything because he seemed Sort of unpredictable I decided to walk back inside Walmart as I went through the parking lot the

man calmly walked behind me following me yet again by the time I made it to the doors he was maybe 10 ft behind me when I walked inside I wasn't really sure where to go so I just started walking but when I made it sort of past the self checkouts I saw a few employees standing around The Man Behind Me was still about 10 ft back and one of the employees approached him he tried to Walk past but another employee walked in front of him I heard that they were confronting him about throwing things off

the shelves of the aisles somebody must have seen him or possibly he was seen on security cameras this allowed me to get away from the guy and I turned around and left the store while he was still there this time he wasn't able to follow me I left and haven't seen him since hopefully he was banned from the store or something I'm really not sure Why he did all of that it was like he was just trying to cause problems I had a terrifying experience last year I live alone in a smaller house and I've

been living there for 3 years now it has two bedrooms and just one bathroom but it's enough space for me I also have a somewhat small front yard and a fenced in backyard as well one Friday night I got home from work a little early I didn't have anything going on that night but was going to hang out with some Friends the following day I decided to do all of my chores right then and there and get them out of the way there are a lot of chores that I do throughout the week but also

some that I leave for the weekends like doing laundry and vacuuming the carpet in my house which is all carpet and a few other things as well so after getting home I did laundry vacuumed and cleaned the bathroom as well I also organized a few other things it only took me like an hour and a half To do everything and then I was going to cook some food I had a recipe that I saved on my phone and I was going to try however I realized then that I couldn't find my phone obviously I didn't

have it when I was cleaning and stuff normally I would have left it on the coffee table in the living room or sometimes I left it on the couch when I looked in both of those places though I couldn't find it I was not worried until I looked in the entire kitchen and it wasn't there Either I went into the bathroom and my bedroom as well and I knew it wasn't there but I looked anyways after not finding in it at all I wondered if I lost it somewhere at work or something but then I

remembered that I had my phone shortly after arriving back at my house I had texted one of my friends so I knew that it had to be around here somewhere I took all of the cushions off of my couch and it wasn't there I basically turned the entire Place upside Down but the phone just wasn't anywhere this really puzzled me I did not have a house phone or any other phone so I couldn't call to see where it was the last place that I decided to to look was the basement I had an unfinished basement

which I really never used there were all kinds of pipes and beams down there and I also stored several large boxes and other items I kept my vacuum down there but just next to the base of the stairs so I had only gone down there Earlier just to grab the vacuum and then put it back maybe just maybe on some slim crazy chance it was down there I mean I didn't know where else it would be I turned on the light and then started to head down the stairs the light did not do a whole

lot and it only lit up one measly bulb near the base of the stairs after walking down I looked on the floor next to the vacuum but saw nothing I was about to turn and head back upstairs but then heard a noise I Also thought that I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye it was mostly out of my sight and also in a darker area of the basement when I heard this I stopped and turned to look in the direction of it that's when I saw a man come into my view

from behind a large box he was really creepy looking and I honestly couldn't believe what I was seeing he was a ways away and I was so shocked for a second or two that I didn't know how to react the man then Stood up and actually started walking towards me I then turned and bolted up the stairs like my life depended on it I made it up to the top and left my basement then I slammed the door shut behind me and ran for my front door I did not stop until I had made it

all the way outside during this I didn't think at all it was really all reaction I just wanted to get out of my house after leaving I realized that I hadn't grabbed my keys or Anything at all obviously I didn't have my phone so I couldn't call the police and I couldn't get in my car either I also didn't want to go back inside my house so I ran to a neighbors I didn't go next door because I thought the guy might run outside after me so instead I ran several doors down and then knocked

on the front door of that house I didn't know who they were but I just hoped that they would answer luckily after about 30 seconds they did I asked Them to call the police and then told them what was happening they agreed to call the police and we both waited on their front step and watched my house we saw no sign of anybody leaving I wasn't sure if the guy had already gone out or if he was still inside the police were really quick to respond though and got there probably within 2 minutes I went

back over with my neighbor and met an officer there the police then entered my house as we Waited outside they came out a while later with the same man that I had seen in my basement he had still been in the house in fact he was found hiding in my basement and on him he had my cell phone in his pocket I was able to get my phone back but the whole thing really creeped me out a lot I'm not sure when or how he got my phone the only thing that I can think of

is that he was already in my house when I got back from work then he might have came upstairs without my Knowledge and took the phone and went back down how he got in the house and when he got in the house I also don't know maybe I simply forgot to lock my front door or maybe he entered through a window there were no signs of a Breakin either way since that experience I bought security cameras and I'm always sure to make sure that my doors are locked this happened to me when I was in

college it was during my second year at My University I lived in a small house which I shared with my roommate Thomas the university I went to is rather large and I think has about 20,000 total students this took place sometime during the first semester I remember that one day I went on Instagram and saw that I had a new follower I clicked on the profile and it was a girl named Rhonda she had my school initials in her profile as well as what I assumed would Be her graduating year she was also followed by

two people that I knew from college none of my really close friends but some guys that I knew who they were and followed them I realized that Rhonda must have went to my school and I followed her back on her profile she didn't have too many pictures a few selfies and some pictures of her dog that was about it after following her back I went on with things and didn't think much of it a few days went by then One day I noticed that Rhonda liked all of my pictures on Instagram now I had about

40 posts or so dating all the way back to my early years of high school she liked every single photo and I found that nice but also a little bit random and odd I thought that maybe she liked me or something she didn't comment on anything or send me any messages though now several more days went by after this then one night Thomas was studying at a classroom and I was at home by myself There was then a knock on the door it was probably about 9:00 at night and I wasn't expecting anybody and had

no clue as to who it was I had been in my room so I didn't hear the knock very well I got up and went out into the hallway and then I heard another knock but I realized then that the knocking was coming from the back door of the house not even the front door now this was really strange I walked over to the back door and looked out the window when I Did I saw a girl standing there it was Rhonda but at first I didn't recognize her because cuz I had only seen some

selfies of her on Instagram I don't think that I had ever seen her in person before as I was standing by the door she tried opening it up then I opened up the back door and said hi to her I then asked her what she was doing here she asked me if she could come inside I had a bad feeling about it something about her was sort of creeping me out maybe it Was the fact that she showed up unannounced to my back door at 9:00 at night and by the way she had no way

of knowing where I lived I asked her how she knew where my house was she just asked to come inside again I really didn't want her to so instead I told her that I was really busy with homework and I had to get back to it she just stood there for a moment looking disappointed then she said that she was just going to go and walked off sort of angrily I was Glad that she was going but more confused than anything after she left I went back inside and went into my room then I blocked

Rhonda on Instagram I felt that she had crossed the line by showing up unannounced like that when Thomas got back home I asked him if he knew Rhonda at all he said no I showed him her picture and he still didn't recognize her I told him what happened and he was just as confused as I was I was hoping that maybe he had known Rhonda and she asked him for the address or something but the fact that he didn't made it that much more creepy and weird the very next night I was pulling a late

night session of homework I had some stuff do at 11:59 p.m. I was trying to get it done at the last moment it was probably like 11:30 and I was almost done when I heard Thomas call me from the living room he was in there watching TV and I asked him what he wanted then he told me that there was a girl Standing at the front door I knew who it was I got up and walked out into the living room I looked out the front door to see Rhonda just standing there but she didn't

knock on the door or anything she appeared to look over and notice me then she turned and ran off it was the creepiest thing thing ever I went back and finished my homework and then joined Thomas watching TV in the living room we kept glancing out the windows to see if she would come back but luckily she Didn't after that I never saw her again I remember I asked Thomas to look her up on Instagram months later in the school year she had a few more pictures then and appeared to still attend our University I

still don't know what she was doing it was really creepy Behavior though I went shopping one quiet night last year it was later at night but my local grocery store was still open and they're always open pretty late I think it was About 11:00 p.m. and what I liked about shopping at that time was how quiet things were on that night in particular I saw a couple of other shoppers but not many at all the store was rather large and had just about any kind of groceries you could want I started out near the produce

and then started going down one aisle after another with my car there were a lot of things that I needed to get but with the store being nearly empty I was able to shop rather fast I Had gotten to one of the middle aisles in the store and I don't remember exactly what was in it but I had been shopping for probably 20 minutes and was getting close to being done I was the only person in that aisle and the store was quiet just a soft volume of music played across the store speakers out of

nowhere I heard a loud crash from the next aisle over from mine I decided to walk over and check out what happened out of curiosity it Had sounded like a bunch of things was falling off the shelf I left my cart there where it was and walked over to the next aisle over when I got there I first noticed somebody sprinting out of the aisle at the other end they then went out of sight within a second and I only saw the back side of them but it appeared to be a man then I saw

the damage that he had caused a bunch of items laid across the aisle on the ground it was like somebody had pushed Them all onto the floor whoever had done it was gone so I took it upon myself to put the items back on the Shelf it did didn't take too long maybe 2 or 3 minutes there was probably about 15 items or so that had been knocked over this had been a pretty strange thing but when I was done I just returned to my cart in the next aisle over then I continued my shopping

like I said I was close to being done and I just had to get a few things from the dairy Department I made my way over there seeing only one other customer along the way when I arrived at the dairy I was getting yogurt and noticed another customer it was a man wearing jeans and a gray shirt he was standing around in the far back corner of the store I didn't pay much attention and kept on what I was doing but then something crazy happened I saw the man moving towards this display that the store

had of a drink product the guy walked right Over to it and then shoved the display causing it to fall over all of the cans of the drink fell down and it caused another loud noise drinks went everywhere but luckily none of them broke open or spilled I found this to be really strange and also realized that this was probably the same man who had caused the other mess in the other aisle I figured it would be a good idea to stay away from him after the man knocked the display over he walked at a

fast Pace in another Direction I finished up getting the last few items that I was going to get and in that time I saw an employee of the store walk over and see the mess he saw me as the only other customer in the area and asked me if I saw what had happened I told him the story and mentioned the incident in the other aisle as well the employee shook his head and then walked over to go clean things up I went into another direction to go check out I got to the Empty checkout

lane at one of the three check Lanes still open in the store soon I had paid for everything and was on my way I left the store and headed to my car in the quiet parking lot when I had made it fairly close to my vehicle I started to hear footsteps behind me they were moving at a faster pace so I turned around to see and when I did I saw the same guy who had knocked over all the stuff inside the store he was walking aggressively in my direction it seemed As though he wanted

something with me but I didn't know what I kept walking to my car but there was no way I was going to make it before he got to me when I had just about reached the backside of my car the footsteps were right there so I stopped and turned around now I was face to face with the man he stopped and stood there across from me the only thing between us being my shopping cart I said hi to the man not knowing what else to do the guy responded by Demanding the keys to my car

he told me that he needed them this really surprised me and I told the guy no the guy then reached forward and grabbed my shopping cart from the sides he then proceeded to knock the shopping cart over spilling all of the grocery bags onto the pavement as the cart fell over I turned and ran for the front door of my car the man had actually created a bit of an obstacle for himself I pushed the unlock button on the keys of my car Only when I was right outside of the driver's door then I opened

the door and hopped in I locked it immediately after the man got there just seconds later and tried opening my door he then started aggressively banging on the window I started the engine and backed out as fast as possible I actually backed into my shopping cart which was laying on the ground still then I sped away leaving the man standing there when I was out of the parking lot and on the road I called The police I reported the whole incident and let them know that the man was still in the parking lot unfortunately all

of my groceries were left at the store there was no way I was going back there and I had to go shopping again the next day at the end of the day though I'm just happy that the man didn't catch me