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The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/jhurl24 on 2025-05-29 04:55:05+00:00.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

The lights from the ambulance and police vehicles were blinding as we approached. “Looks like they’ve blocked off a perimeter.” Will said, his voice matter of fact.

“That’s what I was afraid of.” Sgt. Wells added, his face unchanging as usual.

We walked to where the line of cruisers sat. “Stop there,” an unknown voice spoke from behind the flashing lights.

“We work here. Let us through.” I said, a hint of annoyance underlaid in my voice.

“There’s nothing to see.” He said. “Let us do our job and move on.” 

A figure stepped into the light. I still couldn’t see him clearly, but his voice sounded familiar. “Let me through.” Sgt. Well’s voice boomed with authority from behind me.

“Sir?” the man asked, stepping closer. It was Officer Bradley, a newer officer for the police side of the department. Fresh out of academy. Fear flashed over his face followed by embarrassment. “Sergeant Wells, I didn’t know it was you.” Scrambling to pull back the barricade. “Go on through sir. Sorry for making you wait.”

Sgt. Wells stepped past Will and I, “It’s fine. Just doing your job.” There was a slight bitterness in his voice – barely noticeable, unless you really knew Sgt. Wells like we did. It wasn’t anger or annoyance. It was concern, maybe even fear.

Will and I moved to follow Sgt. Wells. “Just him.” Bradley barked, feigning authority. His tone didn’t sit well with me, he wasn’t genuinely trying to power trip. The tone was that of someone trying to cover-up genuine fear.

“It’s fine guys, go home. Get some rest. I’ll tell you what I can later.” Sgt. Wells ordered.

I turned to Will, shooting him a look of ‘was that an order?’. “Yessir.” Will said.

He patted me on the shoulder, almost pushing me away from the barricade. “Will–” I began.

“Not here.” Will said sharply. “C’mon. Let’s go.”

We walked back to our cars. The lights flashed in the distance. “The fuck man?” I spat. “This is our turf. Why wouldn’t they let us in?”

Will took a deep breath, “Because it probably wasn’t involving an inmate.”

“What?” I said. “Well, I guess that makes sense.” I scratched my head. “What do you think happened then?”

Will gave me his famous, ‘is that a real question’ look. “My guess, a hiker got lost or mauled and stumbled their way to the perimeter in a last ditch effort for safety only to drop dead on our doorstep.” He smiled, “Or at least that’s what the cover story will end up being.”

“Has this happened before?” I asked.

“Not in my time,” Will said, “but it wouldn’t surprise me if that’s the story they fabricate.” He breathed out an annoyed breath, “Plausible enough for the general public not to ask questions, obvious enough for those ‘in the know’ to know better than to question it.”

“Fuck, you’re right.” I sighed. “I just need to know what’s going on. How else are we supposed to figure this shit out?” I said, clearly annoyed and angry.

“And what difference does that make?” Will argued, “Where does that knowledge get us? Unless it’s someone we know for a fact is connected, it’s just another tally mark on the woman’s death count.”

Will was right, it wouldn’t get us any closer to solving this. If anything, it would only throw another loose end in the mix. I wanted to be mad at Will for arguing, or Bradley for power tripping, or even Sgt. Wells for not fighting to get us back there. But deep down, I knew Will was right, Bradley was terrified, and Sgt. Wells was protecting us. Everything in me wanted to scream in frustration. We stood in silence for a while. “You’re right,” I sighed, “and honestly, even if it was someone we knew was involved, I don’t know what information that would reveal, if any.”

“What was that?” Will said jokingly.

“You heard me,” I said.

“No no no,” Will joked, “I want to hear you say it.”

Rolling my eyes in jest, “You were right,” I moaned.

We laughed for a bit. It felt good. “See, was it really that hard?”

“Y’know, the last time I was asked that exact question,” I joked, “your mom walked away smiling and limping and I got a juice box.”

Will just stared at me in feigned shock, “I cannot believe you, sir! My mom said those juice boxes were only for my lunches!”

I laughed, “That’s the take-away from what I said?”

Will smacked my chest, “Well yeah, she’s a grown woman who can do whatever she wants. BUT those juice boxes were mine! I had dibs!”

For a moment we both keeled over, crying laughing at our own stupid jokes, forgetting about everything happening. It was nice.

When I stood straight to catch my breath from laughing, I could see the flashing lights in the distance. Just like that, the fun ended. We were brutally snapped back into reality as we watched the flashing lights stop, one by one. “Let’s go, Jay.” Will said.

“They aren’t driving away.” I pointed out.

Just then, we saw in the distance, a line of black SUVs drive up to the scene. “Well, Feds are back. No use hanging around waiting for answers, they’ll likely be here all night.”

“Yeah, let’s go.” I sighed. We got in our cars and drove off.

After days of unanswered questions and growing paranoia, I found a note in my locker. It simply said ‘The Expert’ with an address below.

I was expecting the directions to take me to a metaphysical store or something similar. As I drove, the GPS took me out of town. I took a turn into an abandoned housing community. The roads were paved but cracking. The sidewalks were bulged and splintered. Foliage was growing through the cracks, like a parasite sucking the life from its prey. While driving to my destination, I could see rows and rows of plots in neat lines. Some plots were empty. Littered throughout, I could see the remains of what were once promising houses, now wrought with decay. These forgotten monuments of prosperity, now marked the graves of forgotten dreams. Something deep inside told me if I were to get out of my car, I might see the ghosts of families that never were, a community only occupied by the memories that weren’t made.

I saw a single completed building down the road. A minute or two later, I pulled into the parking lot of what was clearly a house that someone had turned into a business office. It was a small building and it had an attached garage. My heart began to race when I noticed that the house was nestled up against the edge of the forest, the looming canopy casting long finger-like shadows on the ground, claiming this land, almost holding it in its grasp. On closer inspection, the shadows fractured and split, steering clear of the land where the building staked its claim.

When I stepped out of my car, a wave of calm washed over me, dissolving the unease placed by the land outside. Any prior doubt I had vanished, I knew I was where I needed to be. “Hello, Jay.” A voice came from the front door.

When I looked up, I saw a slender man standing there. He was older, about my height, with long brown hair. His clothes looked like they were stolen from a 1970’s hippie movie. “How did y–” I choked.

He walked towards my car. “I know many things, Jay,” his tone was calming and conveyed care. “We don’t have long, come.” He waved. “My name is David by the way.”

The feeling this land, even David, gave off starkly contrasted the surrounding forest. It felt natural…..human. I followed him into the house. “So, what DO you know?” I asked, the sharp tone caught me off guard. I cleared my throat. “I mean—what did Sergeant Wells tell you?” I tumbled to sound more casual.

David chuckled briefly. “I know you are marked, and don’t know it or why. More importantly,” he paused, “I know you are out of your depth and your only chance at survival is to learn from me.”

My eyes widened, “Marked?” panic filling my throat. “What do you mean, ‘marked’?” My heart raced as I tried to compose myself.

“Hey,” he said, placing a calming hand on my shoulder, “it’s going to be okay.” His face showed compassion, but his eyes, however, showed something else. I studied his face for a moment. The wrinkles on his brow displayed experience. His eyes spoke of exhaustion—apparent yet overshadowed by his calm demeanor. Maybe there was something else behind his eyes, but I chalked that up to fatigue. His smile, practiced yet genuine, gave the feeling of reassurance. “I’m here to help. Wells told me a little bit about the situation you’re in. There was only one piece of information he gave me that I didn’t already know.” I stared into his eyes, there was no sign of deception or malice, but something just didn’t sit right. “Can you guess what that was?” he asked, his grip tightening slightly, almost unnoticeable.

I let his words digest before I spoke. Something deep inside told me this was a test, and I didn’t want to know what would happen should I fail. “My name.” I said plainly. That’s when it hit me, his eyes held this mix of trepidation, empathy, and a slight hint of willingness to harm.

David’s smile dropped. His gaze matching mine. The room fell silent. Him not braking his focus, me maintaining mine....

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