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Episode 21: The Russian Sleep Experiment &"Don't Look, Don't Listen"
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Happy Monday Guys!
In today's episode Ellie tells Lana about the Russian Sleep Experiments and the horrors of that.
Lana tells a spooky story about a weird forest, and something that lurks in it.
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Russian Sleep Experiment: Myth or Fact https://creepypasta.fandom.com/wiki/The_Russian_Sleep_Experiment Don’t Look, Don’t Listen - Creepypasta
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Transcript
Introduction to Scared But Curious
00:00:04
Speaker
Hey guys, I'm Lana. And I'm Ellie. And welcome to Scared But Curious.
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Weekend and Health Updates
00:01:55
Speaker
All right. Good morning. Good afternoon. Good afternoon. It's technically still morning for me. It is like 10 something for me. So yeah. So I guess still good morning. How was your weekend?
00:02:12
Speaker
Uh, honestly, really good. I was able to relax a little bit more. My body did kind of attack me. I got a little sick for a bit, but I'm okay now. I'm okay now. Oh no. Yeah. I have us, you know, chronically ill. Look at us go. Yeah. Yep. Yeah. But when they don't have an answer, what do you do? Anyway, I digress on that bullshit. Me and you both understand that.
00:02:42
Speaker
Yeah, and anyone who has those invisible illnesses, you get it. You get it. Yep, yep, exactly. Yeah, my weekend was my weekend was something. Yesterday, I had to take one of my cats to the vet emergency. So but he's I'm actually after we're done recording today, I'm going to go pick him up. So
00:03:04
Speaker
he uh he's doing he's doing good it was just you know when you're a pet owner you just you're like something's something's up something's up and then you uh i mean that's the thing about cats though you they suffer in silence they won't let you know that they don't feel good so you really have to pay attention so yeah you did good mom you did a good mom i'm a good cat mom
00:03:30
Speaker
I was like, wow, you're not... I mean, you're sleepier than normal. Weird. Yeah. Why are you falling asleep sitting up there, buddy? What's going on? I'm so glad you saw that too because we were on video chat. You're like, oh, he's falling asleep standing up or sitting up. And I was like, yeah, it's cute, but also that's not normal. That's not normal. Yeah. Yeah. You know him better than I do, but yeah. Yeah.
00:03:57
Speaker
But it's just nice that, you know, it sucks that it happened in December. But, you know, when I have absolutely no money because of Christmas. But, you know, I love my boys.
St. Augustine Lighthouse Revisited
00:04:07
Speaker
Yes. So I want to talk like before I even start talking about anything that I'm doing today. OK, I want to call back to the last episode where I spoke about St. Augustine Lighthouse and all that kind of happened there. And I read some information after the fact.
00:04:27
Speaker
That was like great. That would have been great to add to the story. And it's important information. It's not like, oh, I missed one of the keepers because I definitely know I did. There were so many. But when I mentioned the three girls, I only mentioned two of the girls that passed away.
00:04:46
Speaker
and it was Eliza and Mary and turns out that his there were three daughters that were actually playing on that cart and only two of them had passed away which was Mary and Eliza the third is a four-year-old named Carrie and she was actually the only one that was rescued from the crash
00:05:06
Speaker
But what I find even more impactful than even, I mean, it's a child's death. It's awful no matter what. But I find it very interesting that there was actually another girl. There was four girls in total playing on that cart, but they don't mention that fourth girl very often. And I was trying to figure out why I couldn't even find her name. And I think it really comes down to racism because she was a black girl and
00:05:35
Speaker
Yikes. Yeah. It's disgusting because they don't even acknowledge her. But they'll talk about the two white girls. Yep. Yep. That's disgusting. It is. So I wanted to make sure that I brought attention to the fact that, no, it was not just the two girls that people talk about. It was actually three girls that lost their lives and they were young. They were all around the same age and Carrie, the youngest, was the only one.
00:06:02
Speaker
And the only reason Carrie was able to escape was because they said a nearby, this is what the article said, a nearby black worker, which made me think, was it an enslaved person? Yeah. And I'd like to acknowledge the fact that the only one that went after the cart to make sure everyone was okay and save the girls was that person. Yeah, that is, yeah, it just makes me so upset that they just completely wrote her off.
00:06:33
Speaker
to the point where it's been hundreds of years from now and we almost lost her name to history and we almost lost her to history.
00:06:44
Speaker
Yeah, I'm really glad that I was able to find that article. And of course, do you think I saved that article? No, I'm gonna have to go find that again so I could post it in the show notes. But I thought it was just really important that she was actually remembered to light. Yeah, she was definitely remembering that she was just as important. Exactly. The little white girls, because there's really no difference.
00:07:10
Speaker
Exactly. Well, I mean, we were even having that conversation the other day, I'm looking into a case right now, where if it was but if it was white, there would have been a lot more written about it. And this was just in 2011. There would have been a lot more written about it. But because they are black, it was yep, this happened. Okay, on with your day. And it's so sad. So America do better.
00:07:37
Speaker
honestly it's crazy how years from now or if it was what 10 years ago do better yeah i mean think of how often you look at history and you learn about the different things that have happened and you go wow we have come so far and yet not far at all too far enough yep
00:07:58
Speaker
Yeah, there should be no argument on any human life being considered less than someone else's. It does not matter where you come from, what color your skin is, what your job is. Unless you're on death row, then I don't care, but I digress. And again, it has no color. Yeah, no color at all. If you're on death row,
The Russian Sleep Experiment Story
00:08:22
Speaker
fuck you and as long as you were rightfully convicted oh yes yes as long as you're rightfully convicted and you're just a fucking asshole fuck you yeah if you're a pedophile i hold no remorse nope not at all
00:08:37
Speaker
But I digress. Anyway, so what yeah, what story do you have for me today? I know that it's a little bit of a crazy one. So it is absolutely crazy. And I think that some of our listeners will know exactly what this story is when I start telling it, because I am not going to read the title like I normally do. I'm just going to get right into the story. And I'm also going to read it word for word. It's going to be a bit of a hard read.
00:09:07
Speaker
Yeah, I'm not going to be reading my own. Yeah, I'm not reading my own writing for this. Yeah. So usually, usually I don't really we don't really know what cases we're doing or like we haven't heard them before. But I know this one. And I should probably go get a blanket or something to like
00:09:26
Speaker
I mean, I have a cat, so I guess I can just pet them when I'm not feeling okay. There you go. Perfect. And I'm not going to tell you anything else until the very end. So you, those of you who absolutely get mortified on this story, because it's okay to be, because I'm going to give a trigger warning right now, there is going to be gore, there's going to be some, some grossness going on. Yeah. But it's a very,
00:09:56
Speaker
Interesting. Yeah, interesting, complex. I'll be very interested to hear what you guys think. So there's going to be a poll on this episode specifically where we talk about what you guys think of this type of writing because this is going to be, I don't know, I don't want to give too much yet. We'll talk more about this at the end, but I'm going to start this, okay?
00:10:21
Speaker
Russian researchers in the late 1940s kept five people awake for 15 days using an experimental gas-based stimulant. They were kept in a sealed environment to carefully monitor their oxygen intake so that the gas didn't kill them, since it was toxic and in high concentrations. This was before closed-circuit cameras, so they had only microphones and a five-inch thick glass porthole-sized window. So that was their way of seeing in. It was a little
00:10:50
Speaker
little port window kind of like what you see in like movies where it's like that little slit in the like mental yeah well porthole so i'm thinking more of like a yeah it's definitely a circle but i was thinking the like where you can barely see in type of a thing because it's such thick class yeah and keep in mind that this is the 1940s late 1940s so those of you who know history just keep that in mind
00:11:19
Speaker
So the chamber was stocked with books, cots to sleep on, but no bedding, running water and toilet, and enough dried food to last all five for over a month. So this was going to be a temporary experiment. These test subjects were political prisoners deemed enemies by the state during World War II. So, um, starting off good, right?
00:11:45
Speaker
Everything was fine for the first five days. The subjects hardly complained, having been promised, falsely, that they would be freed if they submitted to these tests. And they did not sleep for 30 days. Their conversations and activity were monitored, and it was noted that they continued to talk about increasingly traumatic incidences in their past.
00:12:07
Speaker
And the general tone in their conversation took a darker aspect after a four-day mark. After five days, they started complaining about the circumstances and events that led them to where they were and started to demonstrate severe paranoia. They stopped talking to each other and began alternately whispering to the microphone in the one-way mirrored porthole. So it's mirrored on the inside. They can't see out. They just see themselves.
00:12:34
Speaker
Oddly, they all seemed to think that they could win the trust of the experimenters by turning over their comrades, the other subjects in captivity with them. So they were trying to turn each other over to maybe win. I want to win the experiment by winning the experimenter. Yeah, yeah. At first, the researchers suspected this was an effect from the gas itself. They didn't actually think that these people wanted to.
00:13:02
Speaker
After nine days, the first of them started screaming, like a blood curdling scream. He ran the length of the chamber, repeatedly yelling at the top of his lungs for three hours straight. He continued attempting to scream, but was only able to produce occasional squeaks.
00:13:22
Speaker
The researchers postulated that he had physically torn his vocal cords from how hard he was screaming. Oh my gosh. The most surprising thing about this behavior is how the other captives reacted to it, or rather didn't react to it at all. They continue whispering to the microphones until the second one of the captives that started screaming. I guess that got their attention when the second one started.
00:13:46
Speaker
They're like, well, that's weird. When did that happen? The two non-screaming captives took books apart, smeared page after page with their own feces, and pasted them calmly over the glass's porthole. The screaming promptly stopped. And so did the whispers in the microphone. Oh. Yeah. Kind of gross. They're smearing poop on the wall, but whatever, I guess. I mean, when you work in caregiving, that's just normal.
00:14:16
Speaker
After three more days passed, the researchers checked the microphones hourly to make sure that they worked since they thought it was absolutely impossible for no sound to be coming through with five people inside. The oxygen consumption in the chamber indicated that all five must still be alive. In fact, it was the amount of oxygen five people would consume while doing a long period of strenuous exercise.
00:14:46
Speaker
On the morning of the 14th day, the researchers did something that they said they would not do to get a reaction from the captives. They used the intercom inside the chamber, hoping to provoke any response to the captives. They were afraid they were either dead or vegetables.
00:15:02
Speaker
They announced, we are opening the chamber to test the microphones. Step away from the door and lie flat on the floor, or you will be shot. Compliance will earn one of you your immediate freedom. To their surprise, they heard a single phrase in a calm voice respond, we no longer want to be freed. Uh, not a fan of that.
00:15:28
Speaker
Not a fan of that at all. Debate broke out among the researchers and the military forces funding the research. Unable to provoke any more responses using the intercom, it was finally decided to open the chamber at midnight on the 15th day. The chamber was flushed of the stimulant gas and filled with fresh air. The immediate voices from the microphone began to object.
00:15:52
Speaker
Three different voices began begging as if pleading for the life of loved ones to turn the gas back on. The chamber was opened and the soldiers were sent in to retrieve the test subjects. They began to scream louder than ever. So I guess not all of them lost their voice. Just two or just silently sitting there, right? And so did the soldiers when they saw what was inside of that chamber.
00:16:19
Speaker
So four of the five subjects were still alive. Although no one could rightly call the state of what they were in life. Oh, God, my brain is thinking of all the. Yeah. Okay. The food rations past day five had been not so much of touched. So after five days, they stopped eating. Yeah, this is a little gross. So hold in there, guys.
00:16:48
Speaker
There were chunks of meat from the dead test subject's thighs and chest stuffed in the drain in the center of the chamber. Blocking the drain, which allowed four inches of water to accumulate on the floor. Precisely how much of that was water and how much of that actually was blood was never actually determined. What? All four surviving, using that loosely, test subjects also had large portions of muscle and skin torn away from their own bodies.
00:17:23
Speaker
The destruction of flesh and exposed bone on their fingertips indicated that the wounds were self-inflicted by their hands, not with teeth. That's what researchers initially thought.
00:17:36
Speaker
A closer examination of the position and the angles of the wounds indicate that most, if not all of them, were actually self-inflicted. They didn't do any of this to each other. The abdominal organs below the ribcage of all four test subjects had been removed, while the heart, lungs, and diaphragm remained in place.
00:17:59
Speaker
What? The skin and most of the muscles attached to the ribs had been ripped off, exposing the lungs through the rib cage. All the blood vessels and organs remained intact. They had been taken out and laid on the floor, fanning out around the eviscerated but still living bodies of the subjects.
00:18:22
Speaker
the digestive tract of all four could be seen to be working, digesting food. But it quickly became apparent that what they were digesting was their own flesh.
00:18:36
Speaker
which they had ripped off and eaten over the course of, I guess, the rest of the days after five. 10 days. 10 days. This is day 15. You're right. Look at you keeping up better than me. I know. Look at me. Most of the soldiers were Russian special operatives at the facility, but still many refused to return to the chamber to remove the test subjects. They continued to scream to be left in the chamber and begging and demanding that the gas be turned back on.
00:19:05
Speaker
But they eventually ended up falling asleep because, you know, I don't do that for so long, I guess. I don't know what's going on here. To everyone's surprise, the test subjects put up a fierce fight. I mean, yeah, they just, they didn't want to be removed, but how? Okay.
00:19:24
Speaker
Quite literally everyone's surprised. I'm surprised right now. I'm surprised, yeah. But they put up a fierce fight and being removed from the chamber. One of the Russian soldiers actually died from having his throat ripped out. What? Yep. Another was gravely injured and having his testicles ripped off and an artery in his leg severed by one of the subject's teeth.
00:19:49
Speaker
what what yep what you guys can't you guys can't see her face right now but she's going through all stages of grief right literally i am at i am what yep i think the worst part is that we're not even done yet honestly though another five of the soldiers lost their lives if you count the ones that committed suicide in the weeks following this incident
00:20:17
Speaker
In the struggle, one of the four living subjects had his spleen ruptured and he bled out immediately. I mean, if it was on the floor, I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner, but yeah. He was injected with more than 10 times the human dose of morphine.
00:20:36
Speaker
so wow wow but he still fought like a cornered animal breaking the ribs and arms of one doctor oh my god that would suck so bad his heart was seen to beat for a full two minutes after he had bled out to the point where there was more air in his vascular system than blood
00:20:56
Speaker
what even after it stopped he continued to scream and flail for another three minutes struggling to attack anyone in reach and just repeating the words more over and over she eventually became weaker and weaker until he finally went silent
00:21:15
Speaker
The surviving three test subjects were heavily restrained and moved to a medical facility. The two with intact vocal cords continuously begged for the guests demanding to be kept awake. They did not want to go to sleep. The most injured of the three were taken to one of the surgical operating rooms.
00:21:34
Speaker
that the facility had. In the process of preparing the subject to have his organs, you know, placed back in his body, it was found that he was effectively immune to the sedative they had given him. That's one of my biggest fears is like going into surgery and the stuff doesn't work.
00:21:52
Speaker
Anesthetic It was found that he was effectively immune to the sedative they had given him to prepare him for surgery. He fought furiously against his restraints when the anesthetic gas was brought out to put him under.
00:22:06
Speaker
He managed to tear away from them, and they were like four inch wide leather straps on the wrist. There was even a 200 pound soldier holding him at the wrist as well. It took a little bit more anesthetic than normal to put him under. In the instant his eyelids fluttered and closed, his heart stopped.
00:22:25
Speaker
In the autopsy, the test subject who died on the operating table, it was found that his blood was triple the normal level of oxygen. His muscles that were still attached to his skeleton were badly torn and he had broken nine bones in his struggle. Just to not be subdued. Yeah. Most of them were from the force of his own muscles that he was exerting.
00:22:48
Speaker
The second survivor had been the first of the group of five to start screaming. This was like the guy who destroyed his vocal cords.
00:22:56
Speaker
He was unable to beg or object to surgery and he only reacted by shaking his head violently and disapproval at the anesthetic gas. When it was brought, you know, anywhere near him, he was like, fuck that without saying fuck that. He shook his head when someone suggested reluctantly. Maybe they tried the surgery without anesthetic and did not react.
00:23:21
Speaker
for the entire six-hour procedure of replacing his abdominal organs and attempting to cover them with the remaining of his skin. Jeez! So they went ahead without putting him under and he didn't feel a thing.
00:23:36
Speaker
That's my like, I mean, at least he didn't feel anything or at least he just didn't react. Yeah, I guess. Yeah, that one. Hate it. The surgeon presiding repeatedly stated that it shouldn't be medically possible for this patient to remain alive. One terrified nurse assisting the surgery stated that she had seen the patient's mouth curl into a smile several times whenever his eyes met hers.
00:24:04
Speaker
Gross. I hate that just with normal people. Yeah, let alone they have no face. Yeah. Nasty. Or minimal face. Oh, I don't know. Okay. When the surgery ended, the subject looked at the surgeon and began to wheeze loudly.
00:24:24
Speaker
attempting to talk while struggling. Assuming this must be something of drastic importance, the surgeon had a pen and pad fetched so the patient could write his message. It was simple. Keep cutting. I'm gonna throw up. I forgot how much I hate this frickin' story. Nemo, Nemo, can you stop cleaning yourself and come hug me? I need a hug. I need a hug real bad. I need a hug real bad.
00:24:54
Speaker
The other two test subjects were given the same surgery, both without anesthetic as well. However, they had to be injected with a paralytic so that the duration of the operation they didn't move. The surgeon found it impossible to perform the operation while the patients laughed continuously. Once paralyzed, the subject could only follow the attendant researching, the attending researchers with their eyes.
00:25:22
Speaker
The paralytic cleared their system in an abnormally short period of time, and they were soon trying to escape their bonds. The moment that they could speak, they were again asking for the stimulant gas.
00:25:35
Speaker
The researchers tried asking why, you know, right? It's Red Bull, gas Red Bull. Literally. Red Bull sues us. The research, actually, it might be math. I was thinking the same thing. I was like, well, might have just been, you know,
00:25:55
Speaker
vaporized meth. But you know, I mean, it is a thing that I can't remember it was like the Nazis, they which is the same time period, they would give their soldiers, like, I can't remember what they called it pretty much turned them into berserkers, pretty much. But yeah, they were pretty much just giving them meth. And
00:26:20
Speaker
And then they realized, oh, maybe don't do this. So, you know, those are drugs. Okay. Yeah. The researchers tried asking why they had injured themselves, why they had ripped their own guts out. And why they wanted to be given the gas again. Only one response was given. I must remain awake. Oh, yep, it's meth. It's meth.
00:26:46
Speaker
All three subjects' restraints were reinforced when they were placed back into the chamber, awaiting determination on what should be done with them. The researchers, being faced with the wrath of the military benefactors for having failed the stated goals of their project, considered euthanizing the surviving subjects. I mean, did they really fail? I mean, not really. They wanted to see what would happen, and they did. And they saw what happened, right?
00:27:16
Speaker
The commanding officer, XKGB, instead saw potential and wanted to see what would happen if they were actually put back on the gas.
00:27:25
Speaker
No. Well, the researchers strongly, strongly objected. Good. But they were overruled. But you know, because. Yeah. Because humans. I mean, what are you going to do now, I guess? In preparation for being sealed in the chamber again, the subjects were connected to EEG monitors and they had the restraints padded for long-term confinement.
00:27:51
Speaker
To everyone's surprise, all three stopped struggling the moment it was let slip that they were going back on the gas. It was obvious that at this point all three were putting up a great struggle to stay awake. One of the subjects that could speak was humming loudly and continuously, was straining his legs against the leather bonds with all of his might, left and right, then left and right again, for I guess something to focus on.
00:28:16
Speaker
The remaining subject was holding his head off his pillow and blinking rapidly. Having been the first to be wired to the EEG, most of the researchers were monitoring his brainwaves in surprise. They were normal most of the time, but sometimes they would flatline unexpectedly.
00:28:41
Speaker
It looked like he was repeatedly suffering brain death before just returning back to normal. It's like they turned off the switch and turned it back on. Short-circuited. As they focused on the paper scrolling out of the brainwave monitor, only one nurse saw his eyes slip shut for the moment that his head hit that pillow. His brainwaves immediately changed to that of a deep sleep, but then it flatlined.
00:29:10
Speaker
But the flatline was the last time because, you know, the heart stopped. What? The only remaining subject that could speak started screaming to be sealed in now. His brainwave showed the same flatlines as the one who had just died from falling asleep. Commander gave the order to seal the chamber with both subjects inside, as well as the three researchers. What?
00:29:36
Speaker
Yeah. One of the named three immediately drew his gun and shot the commander point blank between the eyes. Then turned the gun on the mute subject, blew his brains out. He pointed the gun at the remaining subject, still restrained in the bed as remaining members of the medical and research team fled the room. He says, I won't be locked in here with these things, not with you.
00:30:02
Speaker
He screamed at the man strapped to the table. What are you? He demanded. I must know. The subject smiled, which I would hate that response so much. Have you forgotten so easily? The subject asked. We are you. We are the madness that lurks within you all, begging to be free at every moment in the deepest animal mind.
00:30:27
Speaker
We are what you hide from in your beds every night. We are what you sedate into silence and paralyze when you go into the nocturnal heaven where we cannot tread. Researcher paused before he aimed at the subject's heart and fired. The EEG flatlined and the subject weakly choked so nearly free.
00:30:56
Speaker
and that is the end of that story. I have goosebumps and I always hate that one because I hate it. I don't have any words. That's why I hate it is that I don't have any words. That's why I was so quiet during it because I hate it. Because I hate it. You know what's going to happen and you still
00:31:20
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, you sit there and you're like, yep, I know it's coming. Yep, and I still hate it.
00:31:26
Speaker
Ah, still gross, okay. And now, for those of you who did not recognize the story, it is called the Russian Sleep Experiment, as I'm sure you kind of maybe gathered that much. Wait, really? It was your sleep? Wow, okay. It was an experiment? What? Yeah. And the author of this story is unknown. Not sure who wrote this.
00:31:52
Speaker
And it is, in fact, a fictional story. Guys, this is not real. It's not real. As far as we know.
Real vs. Fictional Stories
00:31:59
Speaker
Yeah, thank God. But also... Yes. So would this count as a creepypasta? Or is it just... I believe it is actually on the creepypasta website. Okay.
00:32:11
Speaker
I believe, I don't remember if it was like a 4chan or if it was just creepypasta. I think it was creepypasta. And essentially, for those of you that don't know what that is, it is a website that is an accumulation of
00:32:26
Speaker
of online anonymous stories and things that are really creepy, you know? Yep. Yep. And that's where Slenderman comes from. That's where Momo comes from. Yeah. Yeah. And this is one of those stories that really stuck with me growing up. I mean, this came out years ago.
00:32:47
Speaker
You told me the only reason I know the story is because you told me this story. I feel like the one the thing in Atlantis moles backstory is like you told me and I don't want to know. That's what I feel like in this story is like you told me. And I'm good. I never wanted to know the story. Nope. I hate how everyone else does. Yeah, if I have to suffer, you guys have to suffer too.
00:33:10
Speaker
I wanted to actually bring this story to the podcast because I wanted to see what people thought of it actually being a fictional story. There was a very big, every time it goes in rotation, they talk about how it's like a social experiment almost to see people's reactions to it and how oddly enough when you're listening to the story, you only doubt bits and pieces of it, not all of it. There are parts of it that you're like,
00:33:40
Speaker
feel like they would yeah yeah yeah so that was that uh fictional again fictional story guys yeah yeah it's not real hopefully thank god yes um hopefully but like well i think it's also
00:33:59
Speaker
We tend to sort of believe it because we have heard real stories of things like this happening. I mean, in World War II, you know, we know about hypothermia. We know what certain drugs do to the body because there were German doctors that did experiments on the Jewish population or, you know, just the people in the concentration camps.
00:34:19
Speaker
So it's one of those things of if they could do that in real life, who's to say that this didn't actually happen?
00:34:29
Speaker
You know, so I think that's why we kind of tend to be like, well, I mean, because humanity is dark. I mean, we are a society of we do things for the sake of science all the time. We do things that would be considered bad or immoral or yeah. Yeah. For the sake of science.
00:34:51
Speaker
Yeah, and if you guys enjoyed this story and would like more stories like that, do not hesitate in the comments below or where you can leave comments on each of the episodes on Spotify specifically. Let us know if you enjoyed it, if you didn't enjoy it, if it was something that you
00:35:11
Speaker
would prefer us to stick to factual stories and kind of stay away from those if you'd like us to maybe do like a segment maybe like once a month or something because also I am a person that I like factual stuff more than like because I know a lot of true crime people they do a lot of like reddit posts or like reddit creepy stories and it's like those are good but also
00:35:36
Speaker
meh, you know, I'm a little meh about it. But we could if people are into it, I would be okay doing it like once a month or stuff like that. Yeah. So I think it's a little bit of a taste of something else, you know, like it's not just spooky, ooky and true crime. But every once in a while, we'll throw in something that really gets your mind thinking. I mean, yeah.
00:35:57
Speaker
I was even thinking of going over something similar to, I don't know how many gamers are listening to this, but I myself, Ellie, is a gamer. Ellie is a gamer. But there's the Outlast series. Oh my gosh, yes. And the story behind that one. It is a very interesting story. It's thankfully not real. Thankfully fictional, because that one is a lot.
00:36:26
Speaker
It's a lot and it's very gory and really messed up, but it's a very good story. And if you'd like us to maybe even go over that at one point, we totally could. I guess I just really want to say thanks for listening to that pretty, pretty bad story. Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Definitely good on the trigger warnings.
00:36:48
Speaker
Yes, I tried to give you some fair warning there. Yeah. But I guess there's only one more thing to say. Yeah. SPC out. SPC out.
Fitness and Hydration Tips
00:37:01
Speaker
Hey guys, as many of you know, I work out every day and I care a lot about fitness and what goes into my body. And one of my absolute must haves is liquid IV. But the great thing about liquid IV is that it isn't just for working out, it's for everyday use.
00:37:17
Speaker
On recording days, we are both nonstop for hours. And so in the mornings, I like to take my liquid IV, so then throughout the day, I don't feel so rundown. With just one stick, you can hydrate two times faster than water alone, plus get essential vitamins and three times the electrolytes of leading sports drinks. They have so many good flavors. My favorite is the strawberry and golden cherry.
00:37:40
Speaker
Ooh, that sounds really good. But I have to say my all-time favorite is watermelon and strawberry lemonade, but they have flavors for everyone. They really do, yeah. Like I said, one stick of liquid IV in just 16 ounces of water hydrates you two times faster than water alone.
00:37:57
Speaker
It also contains five essential vitamins, B3, B5, B6, B12, and vitamin C, with three times the electrolytes of leading sports drinks and made with quality ingredients. It's non-GMO and free from gluten, dairy, and soy, which is so nice.
00:38:16
Speaker
LiquidIV believes that access to clean and abundant water is the foundation to a healthier world. They partner with leading organizations to fund and foster innovative solutions that help communities protect both their water and their futures. To date, LiquidIV has donated over 39 million servings to 50-plus countries around the world.
00:38:36
Speaker
Yeah, that's amazing. I'm so proud that Liquid IV has done that. Real people, real flavor, real hydrating. Get 20% off when you go to liquidiv.com and use code SBCP at checkout. That's 20% off anything you order when you shop better hydration today using promo code SBCP at liquidiv.com.
A Spooky Forest Encounter
00:39:04
Speaker
So I kind of have a story along the same lines as yours. It's a little spooky. It's a little bonkers. It's bonkers. So just like Ellie's story, I found this story online, and I'm going to be reading it word for word. So if it doesn't sound like my reading, that's why. But this one is a spooky ooky. Okay, I'm getting comfortable. Let's let's get this started.
00:39:31
Speaker
while others can find forest unsettling in the dark. The rustling of small animals through the leaf litter and the sound of the forest floor crunching beneath my boots. I had decided to take a walk through the woods of my hometown. I always did this when life got too much and today I really needed to clear my head. Ah, peace and quiet, I said to myself as I began the hour or so walk I had taken countless times before.
00:39:57
Speaker
The walk ended at a beautiful lake that I used to play around in when I was a child. That's where I needed to be. I had to be. The lake always had a way of making me feel great nostalgia for a past life I wish I could be back to. A life I would never forget. The moonlight lit most of my trail, and for a while I had no need for my flashlight. The forest made its familiar sounds. What I wasn't expecting was a low grumble of thunder in the distance.
00:40:25
Speaker
Oh no, please don't rain. I wasn't dressed properly for a storm, but nothing was going to stop me from getting to my destination. I continued. I knew the woods like the back of my hand, every tree, every rock, like a navigation tool for me. The lake wasn't far, maybe a half an hour or so away. And that's when I heard something that caught me off guard. A laugh. I'm sure it was. It was faint, and it was clearly off in the distance.
00:40:51
Speaker
It was a woman's laugh, not a maniacal laugh, but a playful giggle. This was enough to make me feel somewhat uneasy. However, I told myself that it must've just been a sound of the forest or some sort of animal, and I continued on. Okay, hold on. How can an ant, maybe a bobcat in heat or something? Like what? Oh, I hate that. Imagine you hear something in heat and it's like,
00:41:18
Speaker
No, no giggles. That's what a bobcat sounds like. Did you know that? I don't know. I don't know what that was. Either way, it's definitely terrifying to hear in the forest. Okay. I made it to the lake and I found a place to sit. The moonlight bounced off the water, illuminating the whole lake. I grabbed a stick and moved it through the lake, listening to the sound of the water gently ripple.
00:41:47
Speaker
I sat there for a long time, and I had completely forgotten about the giggle that I heard earlier. I didn't want to leave, but the hour was growing late, and I thought it was about time I get back. So I stood myself up, and then I gasped. Across the lake, there was a woman. She caught me by surprise. Why was she out here this late? I noticed, weirdly, that she was naked. I'm sorry, what? A random-ass naked woman? You just heard a giggle, and now there's a naked woman.
00:42:16
Speaker
I mean, maybe she's having fun. You don't know that. Okay. It wasn't horrifying, but she was beautiful. However, it was a cold night. So my immediate thought was that she was in danger. Hello. Are you all right? I said, she didn't respond. She just stood there looking at me and smiling. There was a low rumble of thunder again. And the approaching clouds started to cover the moon. And then I couldn't see her anymore. All I heard
00:42:45
Speaker
was a quiet giggle echo across the lake. All the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I didn't know why. I wanted to go around the lake and try and help her, but something was telling me that I needed to leave. Now. I turned around and started to go back the way I came, but every footstep I took, I heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps behind me.
00:43:09
Speaker
I felt the eyes on me like daggers on the back of my head. I didn't turn around. I was scared. Was it her? What did she want? I didn't turn around. I carried on walking until I heard a whisper behind me. Turn around. No. No. Bitch, the fuck. Don't tell me why I live my life. I'm out of here. I jumped out of my skin and quickly turned around to find her standing behind me, standing with her arms straight down by her side.
00:43:38
Speaker
like a soldier standing at attention. I turned on my flashlight and pointed it at her. And there was something not right. Her teeth were black. Her eyes, they had no irises, just two white eyes with a pair of tiny pupils. Her grin stretched across her face as she smiled and black liquid seeped from the corner of her mouth.
00:44:01
Speaker
Don't forget, she said, followed by yet another playful giggle. With this, she slinked back slowly into the forest and disappeared behind a tree. I didn't follow. I turned around and walked as quickly as I could. What? You don't fucking follow. I was about to be like, okay, you know, you already too deep. If you follow, I feel no mercy. I didn't follow.
00:44:30
Speaker
I turned around and walked as quickly as I could. I knew that if I ran, I would lose my way and it was beginning to rain. It was so dark now that I couldn't see. All I could see was what my flashlight was illuminating. I finally came to a clearing where the path diverged into two. I had recognized the tree that stood between the two paths. I had seen it countless times before. Was it left or was it right? Shit, how could I not remember? I've walked this trail hundreds of times
00:44:59
Speaker
It was like muscle memory to me. Okay. I think, I think it's left. It's got to be left. I quickly walked down the trail to the left and almost as soon as I did, I heard that fucking laughter again, but this time it was loud and hysterical. I shown my torch through the trees, the laughter. It sounded like it was coming from all around me until it stopped abruptly. I turned my attention back to the path and there she stood, but she wasn't smiling anymore, just staring at me.
00:45:28
Speaker
Her appearance seemed to have... Her appearance seemed to have changed once again. Her arms had become unnaturally long, almost touching the floor, and her skin was deathly pale and gray. Eww, I'm not a fan. I'm about to go turn on every light in the house. Be right back.
00:45:56
Speaker
She took one step forward towards me and I took one step back. She whispered, don't forget. The smile reappeared on her face and the black liquid poured out of her mouth again. This time it was like a river of blood flowing down her neck and chest. I was frozen in fear, watching her as she bent down on all fours and crept slowly around me disappearing once again. It took me a while to snap back into reality. The fuck?
00:46:28
Speaker
and stop eating the dirt of the lake. Like, what are you doing? The dirt of the lake. Like black liquid. I don't like it. Why why is my picturing like the girl in in that crawls out of the TV? Why is my brain? Oh, the ring, the ring. I'm picturing like the girl from the ring. I scanned the forest in front of me and I couldn't remember anything. The path ahead.
00:46:58
Speaker
The trees, everything looked alien to me. All I could do was follow the path ahead of me and hope to God that it led me out of the woods. The forest was quiet now. The rain had stopped, no wind, no rustling of the leaves, no crickets, no birds, nothing.
00:47:19
Speaker
I tried to remember how long I had been on this path, but I seemingly had no memory of anything besides the woman. I didn't even remember how I got to the forest or why. I stopped in the middle of the path, desperately looking around for anything that would jog my memory. All the while, the deafening silence continued. Not a damn thing could remind me where I was or how to escape.
00:47:45
Speaker
As my eyes glanced around, they fixed to something irregular. There seemed to be something carved on a tree. I slowly walked forward and realized they were words. When I got close enough to the words, it said, don't look at it. Don't listen to it. My flashlight started to flicker. No, no, no, no, no.
00:48:10
Speaker
I hit it against my palm until mercifully it sprung back to life. And then the force wasn't quiet anymore. I could hear breathing. Heavy, labored breathing. Almost like someone was having an asthma attack. I shone my flashlight towards the noise and saw a hand clutching the side of a tree.
00:48:34
Speaker
I couldn't see the body, just the hand, but it was so far up the tree that this thing must have been at least eight feet tall. The breathing didn't stop and my flashlight began to flicker again as whatever this thing was began to move. It tilted its head slowly around the tree. It looked at me, two huge white eyes
00:49:04
Speaker
gazed into my very soul. I wanted to close my eyes and press my hands over my ears, but I was frozen again. Look at me, it said. You know how much I would not do that? If this guy's like, look at me, then I'm like, okay, you know what? Now I have a reason to not look at you. It's like a fuck yourself. It then took a slow, giant step
00:49:33
Speaker
out from behind the tree. It was even taller than I thought, almost as big as the tree itself. Its arms were long and bony and its spine was twisted and contorted. It struggled as it moved. Slowly towards me. As if its body was being controlled like a puppet. What in the back rooms is going on right now?
00:50:01
Speaker
It then stopped in front of me and slowly bent down and walked on all fours, its body clicking and snapping as it did. Listen, it said. It was inhaling its words as it spoke, as if gasping for air. Its smile stretched further across its emaciated gray face and its cold white eyes didn't blink.
00:50:27
Speaker
As if nothing could get any worse at that point, my flashlight gave in and died. I was in complete darkness. I couldn't see a thing. I could hear it getting closer as my legs began to tremble and give way. I fell to my knees. The air smelled more and more like decaying flesh the closer it got to me and the sound of breaking bones as it moved itself across the floor was getting louder and louder until I could feel its breath on my face.
00:50:55
Speaker
Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew, ew. Oh, God. Well, that's an image to hear. Time out. Hold on. Breaking bones. Oh, that's so crunchy. Ew. So crunchy. Imagine someone like, oh, no. I don't like it. I don't. I don't like it. Ew.
00:51:25
Speaker
So does it, does it walk or does, so is it, as it takes steps on all fours, it's just like crack it all over the place. Like it's just breaking more. Yeah. Dot, dot, dot, dash, dash, dash, dot, dot, dot. Yeah. Oh God. Gross. I'm.
00:51:56
Speaker
I closed my eyes as tears started to roll down my cheeks. I braced myself for the end, and then I felt it. A cold hand brushed against my cheek, wiping away the tears. What? What do you mean? It's gone touch. Don't touch me. What? I am violated for this person. It even has hands. I'm taking a, I'm sorry. I'll carry on. I'll shut up. Goodbye, it said. And all the sounds were gone at once.
00:52:25
Speaker
That was the last time I saw it. I'm still here. I don't remember my name. I don't know this place. Why am I here? How do I get out? I don't remember. I don't remember.
Reflections on Horror and Fear
00:52:39
Speaker
The end. So now this motherfucker just dies in the forest because apparently it got its tears wiped. Um,
00:52:51
Speaker
If you could do that, like, when I'm thinking about my anxiety, and I just don't remember my anxiety, sounds great. Yeah, right. When I'm thinking about my past, you know, if you could just wipe those ears, thanks. Wait. I have a question though, okay, so if they can't remember who they are, where they came from, what's going, how the fuck do you remember the whole story and this demon thing? I don't know. I don't know. Yeah, so, how'd you like that? It wasn't amazing.
00:53:24
Speaker
I hated it, if I'm honest with you. Pretty fucking creepy. Coming from both of us who grew up in the P&W and love hiking.
00:53:39
Speaker
and who are always around trees and lakes and stuff like that. This actually really messed me up because my favorite place in the whole world is there's a lake out here and it's surrounded by trees because it's the P&W. I was going to say, what lake is not surrounded by trees up there? I'm sorry. This one, you have to go through trees to get to this lake, just like in the story. This lake is my happy place.
00:54:09
Speaker
So I can think of a couple of places that that fits. And yeah. Oh, God. I I loved loved. I still love the forest, I think. I don't know. We'll find out next time there. But is it the whole time I'm listening to this? I'm like, OK, wait, how fat is this tree that it can like hide behind the tree, but also be like 700 feet tall? Like I'm
00:54:36
Speaker
And then also how does it go? Wipe away your tears, then your memory. And yet you can still recall the story. I'm poking holes because that made me freaked out. Okay. Well, I mean, like yours, it's not very true to begin with. So I know, I know. So it's yeah. Luckily, there are holes to be poked in that it's not like someone to be like, Oh, this is true.
00:55:00
Speaker
because it's a creepypasta. It's just somebody who's writing of it. Whoever wrote this, you have holes in your story. Answer them now. How could they recall that they go through, they remember where they are based on the tree locations, but then not know anything anymore and not know
00:55:25
Speaker
I'm just kidding. That was actually a pretty good story. It really was. That was that story. Also, I have a thing about uncanniness. I don't like uncanny valley. That's actually one thing that will freak me the fuck out. I hate it. I hate it so much. Anything that looks human but isn't, nope.
00:55:52
Speaker
hate it. I actually had to stop watching. For those of you who, who don't actually know what uncanny valley means, or what that term refers to, it's a when you look at something, and it doesn't look right, the proportions are off.
00:56:09
Speaker
So for example, you look at like, there's something that's called the knot deer. And it's essentially like you look at this deer and the legs are too long, the face is too long, the neck is too long, the mouth is too large. Like there's just proportions are off and it's really off-putting. It's not a comfortable thing. About that knot deer, why did you bring that up?
00:56:37
Speaker
Because right after I said it, I immediately was like, oh, wait, I didn't. Yeah, I didn't mean to do that. So luckily it's like it's not a story for an entire episode on like I would have been like, oh, I'll maybe tell that on another episode or like make a whole episode about it. But it's like too short to make it a full episode. So so when me and my husband were going on our honeymoon
00:57:06
Speaker
we were driving down kind of towards Oregon. And if you guys know anything about Oregon, Washington area, around like the mountains area, it's very treed. And so we're driving and we see a couple of deer and then we keep driving. And then there was something that didn't quite look like a deer.
00:57:34
Speaker
Um, my husband is a huge skeptic. Like he will poke holes in anything. We, it's so funny because we'll watch like ghost adventures or whatever. And he's always trying to prove them. Like he's trying to do the scientific thing. Um, but with that, my husband was driving and he said, did you see that? And I said, uh, yeah. And he goes, what was that? And I said, I don't know.
00:58:03
Speaker
And he said, that looked like a deer to you, right? And I went, yeah. And he went, but not right. And I said, yeah. And he's like, we're just gonna go a little bit faster. And to this day, we don't know what it was. We don't know. We say it was a deer. We say it was a deer. Because I don't wanna know what it was. So I'm not saying that it wasn't a deer.
00:58:30
Speaker
But I've seen a lot of deer in my life. I'm saying it might be a not deer.
00:58:38
Speaker
which I think you came to me after the fact and told me about the story. And I was like, I'm gonna have you Google something real quick. Oh yeah, because I didn't know what a not deer was. I didn't know what it was. You're the one that told me about
Conclusion and Listener Engagement
00:58:54
Speaker
it. And I was like, I'm sorry, what? Because we thought, you know, maybe it was a log that was weird or maybe we just didn't look at it right. But we kind of knew and the back of our minds of like, no, that's a thing. Like that was a living thing.
00:59:08
Speaker
um and even now i'm like wringing my hands like as i'm telling the story like this thing freaks me out so much because i was with my very scientific-minded husband and for any of you that you know maybe we should post a picture of an odd deer for our instagram thanks i hate it so have fun with that but well i mean thank you for
00:59:38
Speaker
telling that awful story. It's not like I live around trees or anything or by a lake at all. It's great. Thanks. I'm so sorry. Yeah, so I'm so sorry about that. I hope you guys can sleep well tonight. Think of happy thoughts, like the sound of forest creatures on the floor.
01:00:03
Speaker
of unforced litter. Not the creepy thing though.
01:00:12
Speaker
Gross. It makes it sound like it's a litter box, but it's a forest of litter. That's what it reminds me of. That's funny. It's just little cat poops over here. Yeah. It's like tidy cat everywhere. Yeah, pretty litter. Just different spots of different colors.
01:00:36
Speaker
you're like there's like a cryptid out there and you're like um i think you have a urinary tract infection just probably get that checked out thanks it looks like your pee's a little acidic um you might want to change some of your diet yeah drink some more water drink some more water probably don't eat any you know like dirt stop bleeding black shit all right yeah
01:01:03
Speaker
Oh, God, it's gross. How are we going to even post pictures? I know what pictures I'm going to have for mine because there's some photos that come with my story. I'll look it up. I'll just post pictures of the forest, like creepy pictures of the forest. There you go. Have fun with that. Oh, man. OK, I have to end this one a little early because apparently my husband needs me to call him. Oh, OK. Don't know what that means. We'll find out. Oh, great. Maybe he saw another not deer. Yeah.
01:01:33
Speaker
Oh, hell no. Okay. Well, there's one more thing to say then. Yep. All right. SPC out. SPC out.
01:01:57
Speaker
All right. Thank you so much for listening. And remember to follow us on Instagram at Scared But Curious Pod. And we have a Twitter. Follow us at Scared Curious on Twitter X and join our Scared But Curious Facebook group. And if you're listening on Spotify, please rate us. Five stars, please. And if there are any stories or cases you would love to hear us cover or anything you don't hear enough about, please don't hesitate. Email us at Scared But Curious Pod at gmail.com.