 Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and is intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised. Welcome Weirdos, I'm Darren Marlar and this is Weird Darkness. Here you'll find stories of the paranormal, supernatural, legends, lore, the strange and bizarre, crime, conspiracy, mysterious, macabre, unsolved and unexplained. Coming up in this episode, it's a fiction edition with three stories that I'll be sharing. We'll begin with a story called Black Sludge by Timefreak. We'll follow that up with a story from Weirdo family member Angie Trafford entitled Never Trust a Pretty Face. Then we'll end the episode with a popular creepypasta from Adrian Johnson called The Elevator in the Woods. If you're new here, welcome to the show and while you're listening, be sure to check out WeirdDarkness.com for merchandise, my newsletter, to connect with me on social media and more. Now, bolt your doors, lock your windows, turn off your lights and come with me into the Weird Darkness. I used to work the late shift in an old fashioned cafe in my hometown. I lived in a relatively small town where everybody knows everybody and everything about everybody. Honestly, I really liked my job as a barista. I found pleasure in the constant smell of coffee and in the looks on customers faces as caffeine leaked into their bloodstreams, slowly but surely causing smiles of relief to replace their formerly anxious expressions. The last night I worked there was a Friday. I didn't plan on leaving the way I did, but I haven't been back to that cafe yet. My shift was from five to ten o'clock. It's weird for a cafe to be open that late, I know, but my boss, the owner of the cafe, that is, he was an odd man that just didn't seem to care that we rarely had customers after 8pm. My shift was usually slow but never boring. I was the only barista working during those hours and the only other person at the cafe with me was my boss, who opted to stay in his office behind closed doors. That night my shift started out like it normally did with a slow flow of people, the same people, the regulars with the same order as yesterday and the day before, just like clockwork. Then he walked in. Before I even looked at him, the hair on the back of my neck stood straight up. His whole bald head was smeared with what appeared to be dark mud. In eerie contrast he was wearing a dark black suit with no signs of dirt or grime, not even a wrinkle to be seen. His hands and neck were so pale, he nearly blended into the sunlight shining through the front window of the cafe. It was hard to tell how tall he was as he was slouched over as if he had the spine of an old man, though clearly he was taller than me. I couldn't get a read on his age either. I had no idea who he was. He kept his gaze on the floor as he walked over to the two-seater table by the front window and sat down. His hands hung limply at his sides as he peered out the window and just stared. He just looked out the window toward the street. I was about to go over and check on him, but some internal force held me back. Looking back now it was probably the basic survival instincts. I felt as if my feet had been cemented to the floor. Besides I had more customers coming in anyway, none of which I noticed wearily even glanced at the man. I ignored the man for the moment and went back to my work. My mind got caught up with making different coffees and I peeked up at the clock resting on the wall opposite me, 6.27. My head turned and I looked at the strange man. My heart lurched up to my throat. He was staring at me. His small black pupils appeared to look in me more than at me. He saw my surprised face and turned his head slowly back to the front window. Drugs. He was high on something, or really drunk, though he didn't really seem uncoordinated. At this point I wanted to tell my boss, who was still huddled up in his office, but there was a continuous flow of customers coming and the man really hadn't been there for that long and I didn't want to risk overreacting. I continued to work for the next hour, every now and then stealing a glance at the man. He just kept staring out the window, hands hanging limp at his sides. Around 7.30 it was just me and the man alone in the room. I watched him as I walked around the counter to scrub tables near the back of the café. He didn't seem to notice me as I turned my back to him and began washing the table in the other corner of the room. I wiped off the table, then spun back around, only to nearly jump out of my skin. The man had stood up and turned around. He was again staring at me. His expressionless face smeared with dirt from who knows where, sent involuntary chills down my spine. Can I help you? I said quietly. No response. He was standing right next to the chair he'd been sitting in, but I'd have to go around him to get to the opposite side of the counter. It was too high for me to attempt to climb over. I was trying to think of something to say or a way to go around him when he opened his mouth. I thought he was going to speak, but his jaw just hung open. Before I could react, a black substance that I could only describe as sludge began to leak from the corners of his mouth and down his chin. That was it. I screamed. The man audibly snapped his mouth shut as my boss came hurrying out of his office. What's going on here? His voice trailed off as he got a look at the stranger's appearance. He paused for a moment to take the man in before snapping out of his stupor and yelling, hey, get out of here. There was no real force behind his words as he seemed at a loss for them, and the volume of his outburst seemed to startle him more than anybody else. He didn't seem to know what to do. The man continued staring at me. He waited a long moment after my boss had yelled before turning on his heels and taking short, quick steps out the front door and to the right. He stared ahead as he robotically paced back and forth outside the front window of the cafe. Not once did he look back inside. My boss seemed just as shocked as I was as his gaze followed the man, before jerking his head towards me as if he had suddenly remembered I existed. Are you okay? He asked quickly. I nodded, my eyes on the window. Well, let me know if anything else happens, I guess. He said awkwardly before shuffling back into the office. The soft click of the door latch confirmed my solitude. My boss clearly didn't know what to make of the man, and judging by his reaction, he'd never been in a situation like that. And that black sludge? What the hell was going on? I sat down at the table I had washed just moments before and rested my head in my shaking hands. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths, attempting to make sense of what had just happened. I stayed in that position for what seemed like mere seconds, trying to clear my head when the bell indicating the front door had opened, causing me to jump up so quickly that I knocked my chair over behind me. A middle school aged girl was standing there, watching me with wide eyes. I released a breath I didn't know I was holding and laughed shiggly. I walked awkwardly behind the counter as embarrassment set in. Um, are you okay? She asked, still observing me with wide blue eyes. Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, just a bit tired. High school will do that to you, I said, in a feeble attempt at a joke. She laughed nervously and looked away from my face. So what can I get for you? I asked, in what I hoped sounded like a light-hearted tone. I took her order and went about making her coffee. I glanced at the clock as I made myself busy. 8.36 PM. I handed the girl her coffee. That'll be 2.78 please. She reached into her Hello Kitty purse and pulled out a few crumpled dollar bills. What was a girl this young doing out this time of night? The man was still out there, somewhere. What are you doing out this late at night? I asked, again in my artificial, cheerful tone as I handed her change to her, fully aware of how creepy the question might have sounded. Oh, I'm just on my way home from shopping with my parents. They're out in the car. I just asked if we could stop for coffee, she said, smiling shyly while depositing the change in her purse. I was relieved that she would not be alone outside. I watched as the girl left the café and walked across the street before hopping into the backseat of a car on the other side of the street and driving off. I took another deep breath and told myself not to let the stranger, who I was beginning to suspect was simply under the influence of drugs, get to me. But that black sludge. No, no, I wouldn't think about that. I went back to cleaning tables, followed by the counter, before heading to the kitchen to wash the dishes. No other customers arrived. Just as I had finished the dishes, my boss came out of his office with his coat on and car keys in hand. He didn't look panicked or worried. In fact, he looked relieved. His shoulders were relaxed and his eyes held a soft look as he told me, I'm heading home for the night. Lock up after your shift? This wasn't unusual. He often left me to lock up the place, and by then I was convinced the man that had appeared earlier was just an addict and that I had nothing to worry about. I checked the time on my phone, 9.13 p.m. We closed at 10. Sure, I replied, great, my boss said, see you next week. He walked past me, the bell chiming on his way out. I kept my eyes forward, lost in thought. People rarely come in this late, but I couldn't help but imagine what I would do if the man returned. I shook the thought off and made myself a cup of coffee. Employees aren't supposed to make coffee for themselves, but considering the night I've had and the fact that I was left in charge, I felt a little entitled to a latte. Then the bell rang. I turned, expecting to see my boss coming back in because he forgot his phone or something of the like. I was wrong. Oh, how wrong I was. It was the man, standing right by the door, staring at me, just staring at me. I froze by a whole body with the exception of my heart locked in place. I stopped breathing. My blood ran cold and fell as if it had stopped dead in my veins. My heart pounded like a ticking time bomb, a bomb that was mere seconds away from painting the walls with my insides. The man opened his mouth slower than before, as if he was taking his time. More of the mysterious sludge poured out of his mouth and he began making a gurgling noise deep in his throat, as if he was drowning. His arms hung loosely at his sides and his eyes remained wide and unblinking. No, more than that, his pupils dilated until his eyes were all black, studying my ghostly pale face. No, on second thought it wasn't his pupils. It was the sludge, now seeping out of his eyes as well. This thing was from hell. Then he moved. With rapid, shuffling footsteps, he approached me. He was remarkably fast and with each stomp, his eyes somehow grew wider and wider. He let out a gurgling scream as the black sludge continued pouring like a fountain from his throat and eyes as well as from his ears and nose. He was just feet away from me when my body clicked in emotion. I grabbed the coffee I was making from the counter beside me and flung it into his horrid black eyes. The scalding liquid hissed against his skin and his scream amplified. He attempted to bring his hands to his face but could do nothing but flail his limp arms helplessly. I bolted. I jumped to the side and ran around the creature, ducking under its long arms as I made a break for the door. I went as fast as I could in spite of the sludge-covered tile floor. Unsurprisingly, I slipped and fell forward, mere feet from the door. I didn't look back as I staggered to my feet, but I could hear it behind me, a sound like nails on an underwater chalkboard filled the room and echoed through my skull. Was it laughing? I pushed open the door and ran to my car, which was parked on the same side of the street a few parking spaces away. I pulled on the door handle, locked. In my haste I had left my keys on the counter back in the cafe. Out of more sensible options, I ran down the street like a wild man screaming at the top of my lungs when suddenly two bright lights appeared from behind me. The next thing I knew, everything, went dark. I woke up in a hospital bed with an IV in my arm. My parents were there, standing over me with terrified expressions on their faces. On the other side of the bed, there was a police officer who looked like he had better places to be. And then a lot of things happened at once. My parents hugged me and cried as a nurse suggested my IV, and the officer attempted to gather my story. I told him everything that had happened, with as much detail as I could, right down to the consistency of the black sludge. Both my parents and the officer appeared skeptical. Asked my boss, I cried, steadfast in my claims. He was there. He saw that thing. He yelled at it and told it to get out when it first came in. The officer exchanged a glance with my parents. Son, I'm here to find out how you ended up in this hospital bed, the officer began, but I'm also here to talk to you about your boss. I regret to inform you that his body was discovered underneath an overpass early this morning. Upon seeing the look on my face, he added, I'm sorry for your loss. He continued, however, his face was very dirty and his clothes didn't have a speck of dirt on them. Not so much as a wrinkle. That's strange, if it's true that he had been at work all day. They were in perfect condition, except for the blood and that tear down the front. He trailed off. What? I whispered, reluctant to hear the answer. The officer blushed, as if he realized he should not have mentioned that. He sighed and continued, this time refusing to make eye contact. He was cut open down the middle, from the tip of his chin, all the way through his… he glanced up at me. You know. My parents started to say something, but I couldn't hear them. All I could hear was nails on a chalkboard hidden beneath the waves, ringing through my skull, taunting me. Once again, everything faded to black. I woke up the next day with a monstrous headache that lasted an entire week, and everything within that time was a blur. More testimonies to the police, more people looking at me like I was crazy. Maybe that's why they kept me in the hospital for so long. Miraculously, my only injuries were some cracked ribs and a sprained wrist. The police never made an arrest. They never even identified a suspect, nor did they have any idea who provoked me as they put it so condescendingly in their police report and killed my boss. I'm writing this to warn you. The police won't listen. No one believes me. Someone has to listen. Maybe I'm doing this for my own sake, so that I don't feel guilty when it happens again. Because it will happen again. In that event, at least, you'll know the truth. Though in the end, does it really matter if you know what kills you? In the end, you're dead anyway. Up next, Weirdo family member Angie Trafford shares a fictional story entitled, Never Trust a Pretty Face. Central Massachusetts is a land of oddities and apparitions. Stories of the strange and paranormal have been passed down from generation to generation, and only the local populace has any idea of just how vast and deep their superstitions run. The world around you is much more than you can touch, taste, smell, see and hear. Some of the stories are funny, some are sad, but all of them give you a taste of what it's like to be from the oddest part of the United States. You can't have a region of the country that has been settled for centuries without getting a few odd tales out of it. Open up a whole new world of fact and fiction that will leave you with a deep appreciation for the strange and bizarre ghosts and heroes await, and the only thing they need to live on is you. Slightly Odd Fitchburg by Ed Sweeney, now available on Kindle, paperback and audiobook versions on the audiobooks page at WeirdDarkness.com. It was a late summer's evening, and the sun had not yet set, so being a young girl of the 80s, I was still outside playing. Well, actually, I wasn't out as my parents believed and always have, but was in a house a few doors along which belonged to an elderly man called Tom. Of course, because I was a kid, I looked on him as an elderly man, but looking back now, he was probably only in his 60s. Before you even think it, no, there was nothing creepy about our friendship. I just liked his stories. As for him, I think he just appreciated any company he could get, even if it were from some kid. So I was sitting around there with a glass of pop and a pack of crisps while he was telling me a story about his time in the army. I was listening to him and looking at the pictures he was showing me. I knew he was talking about a world war, but I don't know where he was serving. I can't really remember any of his stories, but I found them fascinating at the time and could listen to them all day. Sadly, he never got to finish his story about his time in the medical tent because there was a knock at the door. My first thought was that it was going to be my parents, and as they didn't know I was there, I was going to be in big trouble. Following my instinct, I ran into his small bedroom to hide from whoever it was at the door. Tom was used to my strange behavior, so he did not even ask why I would hide. He just shrugged his shoulders and loudly announced that it was a bit late for visitors. Tom made his way to the door and opened it. Had it been modern times, you would have expected him to open it just to crack, but since we lived in the 80s, he threw the door all the way open. It ricocheted off the wall, making the glass panel inside vibrate in protest. A beautiful young woman stood there and smiled. Sorry to bother you, sir. My car is just broken down and I was wondering if I could use your phone? Yours was the first house I came to. Of course, it's right over there. He pointed to the phone and stepped back to allow her to walk inside. Tom glanced toward his bedroom, probably expecting me to come out and meet this new girl, but something was telling me to stay where I was. My mother had always told me to trust my instincts. He just shrugged again and returned his attention to the woman who was now on the phone, trying to explain where she was. I am at… hold on for just a moment. Sir, can you tell me the name of this road? Dawkins Lane. No need to be so formal. My name is Tom. She relayed the information over the phone and then turned to Tom with a perfect smile. Thank you. My name is Lily and it's a pleasure to meet you, Tom. She turned as if she was going to leave as suddenly as she had appeared. Tom stopped her as she put her hand on the door handle. You're free to wait here if you want to. You want something to drink? I wanted to run outside to scream at him not to let her stay. I don't know what it was about her that made me feel afraid, but I did. There'd be no way that Tom would have listened to the ramblings of a six-year-old girl, so I just stayed where I was, nervously watching. Do you have any tea? Of course. Go and sit down and I'll bring it right over. Milk? Sugar? He glanced again toward the bedroom door, but my feet did not want to move. Just milk, please. She'd reached the seat where I'd been sitting a few minutes before and looked at the photo album that was spread over the seat. You were in the fighting? My brother got mixed up in all of that trouble. I even had scars to prove it. Tom walked back over carrying the mug of tea. I hope your brother made it out of there in one piece. She shook her head slowly, her raven black hair swaying softly around her scalp. I'm afraid not. He reached over to close the album. Maybe we should talk about something less depressing. Or maybe you should just drop down dead, like my brother. You don't remember him, do you? You let him die. She spoke in such a light tone that even he did not take her seriously. He fixed his attention on her and she did something. I'm not sure what, as I was behind her at the time, and he sank to his knees, clutching at his chest. That was the moment the whole room changed to suddenly show the inside of the medical tent. I could hear the sounds of war going on around, as well as the moans of people within the canvas. She gestured toward a young man who was lying on a stretcher. Tom's eyes went wide. He wouldn't have survived. No, but that would have been it. My brother would have died in the battle, which is dignity. Instead, you did something that meant his soul did not leave. Do you need reminding of what you did? We needed blood, and he was there. I didn't kill him. He was your enemy, and you took his blood, his very life source, and placed it into your men. His very soul remained to bear witness to be in the body of the person who killed his friends. That is a fate worse than death. I have been searching for you ever since. I didn't know. Tom was just about begging. Too late. She clicked her fingers, and the room returned to normal. Tom slumped to the ground, where he remained motionless. Thank you for the tea, she called out, as she closed the door behind her. I ran outside the bedroom and ran over to my friend to try and rouse him. Nothing worked, and I was terrified, so I ran out of the house. The woman was just standing and watching me. I didn't even have it in me to scream at that moment in time. It felt like I was stuck to the pavement beneath my feet. She simply waved at me and blew a kiss before vanishing into the air. My motivation suddenly came back to move, and I ran home. Tom was found a few days later by a neighbor, and it was determined that he had died of a heart attack. Only I knew better. That woman had done it. That beautiful woman, and managed to bring the past to life and take a revenge. Nobody would have ever believed me, either then or now. But ever since that day, I have never trusted anyone pretty asking for help. One more fictional story to go. We are going to end with a popular creepypasta from Adrian Johnson. It's called The Elevator in the Woods. Are you a member of the Darkness Syndicate? The Darkness Syndicate is a private membership where you receive commercial-free episodes of the Weird Darkness podcast and radio show. Behind the scenes, video updates about future projects and events I'm working on. You can share your own opinions on ideas to help me decide upon Weird Darkness contests and events. You can hear audiobooks I'm narrating before even the publishers or authors get to hear them. You also receive bonus audio of other projects I'm working on outside of Weird Darkness. You get all of these benefits and more, starting at only $5 per month. Join the Weird Darkness Syndicate at WeirdDarkness.com slash syndicate. That's WeirdDarkness.com slash syndicate. The last thing I remember hearing once I ran out of the school building were the excited shouts and screams of every student around me, trying to start their summer break right away. Many people tried to push and shove their way through the exit doors, swarming out like flies, wanting no more of that constant boring school day and more of the exciting fun outside of school. It was insane. Everyone was desperate to start their summer vacation like there was no tomorrow. To be honest, I don't mind school much, so I didn't really care if it were to be the last day of school or not. Probably the one guy I know who's crazy about breaks from school, or basically any day where there's not school, is my best friend, Barry Amsterdam. Barry was the guy at school who got into detention countless amounts of times for, well, a lot of reasons. Most of those reasons are because of slacking and not doing much of a schoolwork. Some other reasons involved skipping classes by hiding in the boys restroom, texting during class, and being disruptive immaturally for, well, for fun. Even though he does these things at school, he's actually a pretty good guy once you get to know him. I became best friends with Barry when I started middle school a few years ago. He sat with me at lunch for absolutely no reason and started talking to me. I was just flat out confused. He talked to me as if he knew me about what he did before school started. What happened was that he brought a stray cat, he said, that he found outside on his front porch. He had it dressed up in a skunk costume and had let it roam free around the school. Well, it surprised a lot of students. They were running away thinking it was a skunk. Teachers, too, were freaking out. The principal had found out and given him a few weeks' worth of after-school detentions. I remember that day. Someone came up to me and told me there was a wild animal roaming around in the school and it ran past us. Took me a minute to realize that it was too big to be a skunk. It was a simple prank, but thinking about it more, it was a bit cruel to do that to an innocent animal. Barry was in a few classes with me, so I actually got to hang out with him in school and after school. It was really nice to my parents when I first introduced him to my mom and dad and played some video games in my bedroom. My parents know about the kind of trouble he usually gets in, but Barry told me that he'd never act like himself around anyone related to his friends or family unless he wanted to. Sometimes. I was introduced to his parents. His parents didn't care much about what they were in the house. His dad was a man who drank a lot and usually wore a white tank top and shorts that had a few stains on them. I wouldn't ask what the stains are, though, but he's actually pretty welcoming once you get to know him, just like Barry. His mom was the kind of parent who was hardworking and tried to keep the house clean, usually drenched in sweat every time you'd see her, but she's also kind as well. It reminds me of the old saying, don't judge a book by its cover. You know? That's just what Barry and his parents are like, but I'm the opposite. I live in a small, decent house that's always clean for anyone to come and visit with my mom and dad and my little sister Cassandra. You'd pretty much expect what they did for a living. Both have great jobs, they have great well-behaved children, and they live in a great life. As long as I'm doing well to make my parents happy, which they always are whenever I do something better, especially in school, I'm happy with the way I am. I'm currently out in the school parking lot, standing as I wait to see if Barry would come out and ride our bikes home. Most of the time, he'd be in the principal's office, either about whatever shenanigans he got himself into, or about whatever dropping grade he has in some of his classes. I have a way of finding out if that were to be the truth by counting down from 50, because he's usually one of the first people to come out of the school building. If he doesn't come out by the time I finish counting, he's obviously in the principal's office, or in some classroom. I decided to start counting down from 50 as I looked around for him, which was kind of hard since I was surrounded by a big crowd. 50, 49, 48, you know, Barry so far, 47, 46, 45, nope, still isn't here yet, 44, 43, 42, he's still not here with me, so I continued counting. As soon as I reached zero, the parking lot was less crowded with students and teachers, so I was able to run back into the school without having to run into someone. Getting to the principal's office, I saw Principal Horace and, you know who, slouching into a chair as he sat in front of his desk. I decided to wait a few minutes for him to come out, which didn't take long at all. Barry came out with a disappointed look on his face, which surprised and shocked me at once. Usually when he's out of the principal's office, he seems to shrug it off as just a warning, but this was rare for him to look at me as if his whole world had just turned upside down. What's up? I asked him, looking down at his hands, which were behind his back as if he had something he didn't want me to see. Barry tried to avoid eye contact with me, so I tried to get his attention. Hey, I'm right here. Now tell me, what did he say? I asked him, snapping my fingers in his face. He finally managed to show me what was in his hands, which was a piece of paper that had his grades throughout the eighth grade school year, which were bad, of course, but underneath all of that was something that almost made me lose my mind. This had never happened to Barry before. He'd usually go into different grades every year, but this time he's being held back into the eighth grade. Yeah, I'm not going to the high school with you this year, said Barry. I let out a loud groan and shoved the paper into his face, moving it around as if I was smearing a pie into a clown's face as a joke. What have I told you about raising your grades a little? Always get, at least, a passing grade in some of the classes. Barry and I said it once, him knowing what I said many times before. I know, I know, but school is just boring. If they made it a lot more fun that I'd participate in learning a lot more, you're like my parents. I just want to be with you throughout the rest of school, and then we're off for good. But then I have to wait a year for you to graduate, or maybe a lot more if you're going to keep this up. Come on, let's get home. And then Barry and I walked out of the school and towards the bike rack, getting our bikes and heading home. It was nighttime. A sat and ate some Italian food for dinner with my family, and I was about to stay up and quietly play my video games. My bedroom was dark, but I was able to see some of my surroundings with the illuminating light from the television screen. Picked up my controller and turned it on, but then I heard a slight buzz come from my phone. Picking it up, I noticed that Barry, of course, had sent me a message. He was the kind who would non-stop text anyone, even if people are busy with something, and Barry would still try and text them, mostly trying to start a conversation. I opened up my phone and checked out what Barry had to say, only to find a short message. Open your bedroom window. I slowly got out of the bed, quietly walking over to the window and lifted it open, only to see Barry with his bike waving up at me. God, dude, what are you doing here? It's already dark, my parents are asleep. I whispered loudly at him. Come on, man. It's summer break. We're supposed to have fun. Come and get your bike and let's head out. He said, patting his bike seat as if he wanted me to get on with him. To where? I don't know. Maybe get as slushy at the gas station and hang out at the park? First of all, I'm not sneaking out with you when it's so dark outside, and second of all, I don't have any money. And that's why I always cug prepared. Barry held up his wallet showing it to me. Yep, you ought to guess correctly, I went to sneak out into the night with my best friend, who kept pressuring me to go out. I had to grab my bike out of the garage without my parents who were asleep waking up to see what was happening. Out in the cold night, the moon was already shining bright and the silence was being broken by Barry's loud howling as we pedaled down the empty streets on our bikes. I tried to get him to quiet down but he just ignored me as he had all the fun in the world while I had to be dragged along when I could have enjoyed a good video game. Don't get me wrong, like I explained earlier, Barry is a really great guy when he's not wild and crazy, but he can be a pain in the ass sometimes. It only took us a few minutes to get to a gas station downtown. It was still open with the lights on inside. The parking lot was empty, pretty much expected, except for a motorcycle that was parked on the side of the building, possibly belonging to the worker or the register. We walked in after we parked our bikes next to the motorcycle, and even colder breeze hit me like a brick. Hey, the worker at the register said in a casual hello tone, Barry nodded at him in greeting. I did the same as we both walked closer to the slushy machine on the other side. I got myself a blue raspberry-flavored one while he got cherry cola. As we got to the register to buy our slushies, the worker, an older teen named Ray, according to his name tag, smiled at us as he scanned the cups. Startin' your summer break fun, huh? Ray asked, handing us our slushies. Barry and I nod. Heck yeah we are, Barry said, giving Ray a fist bump, followed by a mimicking sound of an explosion from the both of them. Man, I remember being able to sneak out and start doing whatever I want the moment I got out of high school. That was awesome. All right guys, you have a great night, Ray said, shuckling. We went to head out of the gas station, but he stopped us before I pushed open the glass doors. You just don't do anything too crazy, okay? Sure, I said. Then we both walked out and headed to the park. The national park was closed for the night hours, but Barry pressured me into sneaking in. I went to drink my slushy as I sat on a swing while Barry went down a slide with his, some of it splashing out of his plastic cup. He made as much commotion as he could, acting like a little kid on Christmas when waking up to find presents. Once he tired himself out, which was when I was halfway finished with my slushy, he walked over and sat next to me in another empty swing. Come on, why aren't you having fun? Barry asked me, noticing how down I was. I didn't answer him for a few seconds, but then I decided to say something. It's just that we're not going to be in the same grade together. I'll be at high school with you eventually. Come on, cheer up. He started poking me with his finger in my ticklish spots, trying to get me to smile. With each poke he did, he kept saying, huh? In the weirdest voice he could. I eventually let out a laugh, feeling a bit better. Yeah, you're probably right. I stopped talking as I heard a noise coming from somewhere around us. I couldn't make out what it was, but I could tell Barry heard it too. He was looking into the forest that was by the park, his attention only looking deep through the dark trees. I heard it from those woods. I said we check it out. He dropped his cup and ran off into the woods, leaving me alone at the park. Barry, wait! I got off the swing and ran off to go look for him. It was almost pitch dark. I could only see the outlines of trees. I stopped running every now and then to see if I could hear any sort of noise, at least a twig or a leaf crunch. Barry? I didn't hear anything. I continued running, but then I saw someone standing still a few meters away from me. I tried to be quiet, walking closer to inspect who or what it was, finally able to see that it was Barry. His back turned to face me. There you are. What in the heck are you doing? I asked him, trying to get his attention, but he didn't even bother to face me or say anything. What are you looking at? I stopped to look at what appeared to be some sort of an elevator out in the middle of the woods. I went off to touch it, expecting it to be a hallucination, but I actually felt cold metal once I placed my hand on the doors. This really was an elevator. The kind you'd see in any building. A nice one that would have the buttons you'd press to go up or down any floor, but except taken out and placed randomly in this spot. What's this doing here? I asked, both surprised and confused at the same time. Should we go in it? You know, to see if it works? Barry asks, finally speaking. He ran up to the elevator and pressed a button on the side that had a down button on it. A few seconds later, a loud ding rang out as the elevator doors slid open, revealing a nice interior as if nobody had ever been inside. The elevator had a red carpet, white wallpaper and a brass handrail, just an average looking elevator. What's not so average, however, was why it was here in the middle of the woods, out in the clear opening with no trees. Yay, it works, I said before both of us went in. It felt a bit warm inside, not enough for me to start sweating right away. Barry pressed the down button, the others being the up button, first, then second, third and fourth floor buttons. The doors closing and the elevator going down. What do you think those other floors would lead to? Barry joked at me, chugging. I don't know, man. What if it just leads underground in the dirt or something? What if this elevator is just abandoned here for no reason? I asked him. Well, it wouldn't work if it were abandoned. Besides, it's too weird to have something like this in the woods. It's obviously going to lead somewhere. It took us a few seconds for the elevator to stop moving and the doors to open, only to leave us where we first began. It seemed like the elevator took us right back to the woods because the only thing we could see were trees. But there's no way it would take us back outside. It'd be impossible to do that since Barry pressed the down button to take us to a lower floor. Yep, garbage. Let's get out of here, Barry said, walking out of the elevator. Barry, wait. I went to catch up with him, noticing a disappointed look in his face. You know there was no way it would take us somewhere, right? There's just no way something like this would be out here in the middle of the woods. I know, but at least it worked, right? Besides, I'm done having fun. I just want to get back home. We headed out of the woods and out of the park, riding our bikes back home. I checked my phone as I arrived. It was almost midnight. We'd been gone for about two hours. I was glad to be back home so I can relax, but at the same time I felt as if something just wasn't right. I looked around and at Barry who looked at me back. What? We're back to your house. Is this it? He asked me, groaning impatiently. I guess so, yeah. I sat my bike on the side of the house and headed inside, only to notice something wasn't right. I checked every room in the house. My family was gone. Everything was here in the house, untouched and where it should be, but my parents weren't here in the house. I was alone. I ran out of the house, noticing their car was in the driveway. They definitely didn't go anywhere. What's up? Barry asked, starting to worry as he saw how terrified I was feeling. My family is gone. No way. Yes, way. Where have they gone? Not a joke? Not a joke, I swear. I'm sure they're fine, even if they're headed off somewhere. I got out my phone and tried to call them, but I had no service, so I couldn't get a connection. I told Barry that we should go to his place and see if his parents know where my family went, and he thought that was a good idea, so we headed off. As we got to his house, we noticed that his parents were also gone. In fact, we went to look around town and noticed nobody was here, just the two of us. What's going on? Where did everybody go? Barry started hyperventilating, both of his hands on his head as he freaked out. This is just too weird for words. Calm down, man. I slapped him across the face to calm him down. Okay, so all of this happened when we got into that elevator, right? Right. So if we get back into that elevator and head back home, that probably would get everybody back. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. The two of us got onto our bikes and we were about to head off, but we stopped as we heard a noise. Maybe it's just our imagination, I thought. Probably a trick from the elevator, perhaps, if it has the ability to do things like that. Barry didn't seem to notice, so we continued to ride down the hill to the park. Barry rode his bike to the gas station first, wondering what he was up to, and I decided to follow him. By the time I got in there, he was already picking up a few items, a gallon of gasoline and a matchbox. He looked up at me as I stood at the entrance with the doors open. What are you going to do with those? I asked him, out of curiosity. I might use it for some sort of emergency, he replied. Like what? I'm thinking about burning the elevator once we're out of here. But you know it's surrounded by large amounts of trees, right? You want to cause a forest fire? But at least the fire could stop the elevator from working properly somehow. Eh, you do have a good point. The worker ray was gone too, we both noticed that. Getting out of the gas station and to the park, we pedaled fast to the point where our legs were burning and we were sweating. A few minutes later, we finally got to the park. We were about to go into the woods, and I heard that same noise from earlier. This time it was a bit more audible, as if the source of the noise was coming closer to us. Hear that? I asked Barry, who held the gasoline up to him like a shield, looking around at his surroundings. He only nodded, trying to stay quiet in case the noise would appear again. The sound of what I could finally make out as footsteps. The footsteps were getting louder, but we couldn't see anything in the dark. I kept looking around and stopped to see a dark figure standing far away from us. Barry noticed that I was looking at it too and took a step back. The outline of the figure moved a bit, getting a bit bigger as it got closer. Each time we stepped back, it would make the same movement as we did. I thought we were alone, I thought. Feeling terrified, Barry and I started running, the sound of footsteps now becoming rapid and loud. With every single piece of energy I had in my body, I kept running, dodging trees that were in my way. Eventually, I stopped to see if we outran whatever it was chasing us, but I noticed that Barry was gone. My heart started to pound hard in my chest. I looked around in the darkness, staying where I was. Barry? I whispered out loud. Nothing. Everything was just quiet, except for my heavy breathing from running too much. Barry? I almost yelled at this time. At that moment, I felt something push me to the ground, knocking me over to the grass. I tried to punch and kick whatever it was on top of me, but I stopped to see Barry. A few scratches and light bruises all over his face. We need to get out of here, he said, pulling me up as we started to run further into the woods. We eventually found the elevator. I immediately pressed the up button and waited for the elevator door to open. Then the same sound of footsteps came in, mixed in with the crunching of leaves and twigs on the ground and it got closer to us from behind. Come on! Come on! I shouted as I banged on the elevator doors, waiting for them to open. I turned around to see Barry opening the gallon and pouring the flammable gasoline all around us and then threw the empty container onto the ground as he finished. He turned and looked at me as if he wanted me to finish the task. I opened the matchbox and got out a matchstick, igniting it as the flame on the matchhead appeared. I threw it on the ground, a circle of fire instantly surrounding us. It started spreading, fast, and yet the elevator door still hadn't opened. From over fire, we saw the light of the fire shine onto a blood-covered Barry, another Barry coming closer to us. Two berries? Why is there two of them? And what was that following us? What? Don't just ignore it! Let's just go now! The Barry next to me said, Don't! The other Barry from the other side of the fire ring muttered. I turned around to the elevator, noticing the door's opening. I felt as if good luck had hit me fast, grabbing Barry as we both got into the elevator. I pressed the up button inside the elevator, the doors closing a few seconds later. The last thing I heard from the other Barry before the doors closed still left a stain in my memory, something I can't stop thinking or hearing in my head over and over, the words being a painful scream that still terrify me to this day. Don't leave me, please. A few months later, summer break had ended and it was time to go back to school. Barry and I had decided to forget about the elevator and never dared speak a word about it, even if it came back into our minds as an unforgettable memory that would stay forever with us for the rest of our lives. I still have a few questions about what the elevator was and what its purpose was, which I can't seem to figure out a reasonable answer. There were other buttons as well, but if they did lead to other floors, what would they be like? There was nobody in town when we went to that one floor, but what was with the clone of Barry? Was it something that had to do with the elevator? Has anyone ever encountered this before? And most especially, where did it come from? A lot of other questions kept coming into my head, but I just thought about letting every one of them pass. I had my first day of high school, which was actually better than I expected. I got to meet a lot of new people from different grades. I had great teachers, but it still isn't the same without Barry. After school, I went over to the middle school to wait for him. I started to count down from 50. 50. 49. 48. In those few seconds, I saw Barry run toward me with a smile on his face. Hey man, how was your repeating year in middle school? I asked him. Great. I'm actually doing great in most of my classes. Who knew learning could be fun? He replied, giving me a few school papers of his. I looked through each one, noticing all of them actually had good grades marked on the corner. Most of them were Bs. One of them was an A, which was rare for Barry to get a grade like that. Wow. You actually took my advice, I said. Surprised as I looked through the corrected papers, he got on some of his work. Yep. I changed. It's almost as if I'm not who I once was anymore. The old Barry. Those words that came out of his mouth somehow gave me an unnerving chill, hoping it was nothing, but I couldn't help but ask him the question that I felt like asking. Um, Barry, how do I know if you're the real Barry? What? Barry was looking at me with a confused expression on his face. Never mind. Ever since that day, I have started to question myself whether or not Barry is who he says he is. The clone from that strange version of our town seemed to be the only person or thing there was, and it took the form of my best friend. I've noticed a few differences from him, but just hoping for the best that it's just a change he's willing to make himself to be a better person. For example, one time when he came over to my house for a sleepover, he actually had good manners at the dinner table, unlike him usually being a fast eater who would chew loudly and make a few messes. He also seemed nicer than usual. He apologized to every one of his teachers for his behavior from before, which is unusual for me since he cringes whenever he's forced to apologize for anything. I don't know. There's no way that the Barry that was left out of the elevator could be the real one, the one I've been best friends with throughout my middle school years. But could it be? Thanks for listening. If you like the show, please share it with someone you know who loves the paranormal or strange stories, true crime, monsters, or unsolved mysteries like you do. You can also email me anytime with your questions or comments through the website at WeirdDarkness.com. That's also where you can find all of my social media, listen to free audiobooks, shop the Weird Darkness store, sign up for the newsletter to win monthly prizes, find my other podcast, Church of the Undead, and more. Plus, if you have a true paranormal or creepy tale to tell, you can click on Tell Your Story. Creepypasta episodes are works of fiction, and links to the stories or the authors can be found in the show notes. Never Trust a Pretty Face was written by Weirdo family member Angie Trafford. Black Sludge is by Timefreak, and The Elevator in the Woods is by Adrian Johnson. Again, you can find links to these stories in the show notes. Weird Darkness is a production and trademark of Marlar House Productions. Copyright, Weird Darkness. And now that we're coming out of the dark, I'll leave you with a little light. Romans 8 verse 28, we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. And a final thought, one of the biggest mistakes we make is assuming that other people think the way we think. I'm Darren Marlar. Thanks for joining me in the Weird Darkness.