Muse

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thank you for arriving this fast i said struggling to bring the strap of my purse into the back seat of the car. The driver murmured something. Sorry, I said, still adjusting. Shut the door, the man boomed. I pulled the strap completely into the car, finally. The door actually shut. I tried wiping down the seat with what remained dry from my jeans. The man didn't seem to notice that part. I could see his eyes through the rearview mirror looking at me. I had, after all, gotten the back seat of the car wet. Why did they even make these things out of leather anymore. The ride was going to be cold, and from what I remembered, it was going to be a long one. This weather, right? I said, trying to tone things down a bit. He ignored me, or probably couldn't hear me, from the rain drumming on the roof of the old black Camry. I looked down at the back of the seat and then down out the window. A sudden urge to step out into the rain again came over me. The locks clicked shut, and I looked at the driver, and then he looked at the mirror that looked at me. He said something, but I didn't hear him. I nodded, and he nodded. He looked away, and I looked toward the window again. What was supposed to be a simple ride is about to turn into the most haunting experience for one of them as the drive into a dark and rainy night begins. Just be ready for when it happens to you. My name is Edwin, and here is Gary Story. the rain was crying its way down the glass and disappearing into the wind behind us the window wouldn't close all the way so some of it was seeping into the car but i wouldn't worry about it anymore the blurry lights had long disappeared in the distance and now it was going to be a stretch of nothing but trees around us until we pulled up to my home or what remained of it it was just a house now not a home i pulled out my phone to check the time I still had about 40 minutes to make it. I was glad that the whole small talk part was thrown out the window from the start. I looked at the back of the driver's head. Bald, he was, with huge scars by his ears, or perhaps what remained of a tattoo that had faded a long time ago. His hand was held tightly in a fist, and it made me feel uncomfortable, angry. There was lots of stuff I grew up around, and fists were not uncommon around where I lived. They were the tools of husbands and bullies. Tools you get to use until you get something better. Something sharper. You learn to find the fists. And it's like this. The eyes give it away first. You know when someone's about to do something. You have a look down at the fists. And be ready for it. Either you run. Or you get punched. If you fight. Or you get punched too. Plus the girls from my town were evil.

some of them quite literally but you learn to use evil as a tool eventually or you die their choice i looked at the driver and again he looked at the mirror that looked at me i looked down at his fist and then at the area where the handbrake was an automatic transmission he was never going to open up that fist and i couldn't tell from his eyes just yet but something about his posture told me that he was planning something. I should have been scared here at his sudden anger with the door at the scar on his head by his ear but I wasn't. Not after everything that happened these past couple of days. There was nothing to look at out the window but my own thoughts as I played back the mental track about what got me to the city. The phone call I got at the motel where I stayed for those two nights. The call had come from Mike. A guy I had met one of the meets for this group I was a part of pie he said paulina was my name but he could never say it i was able to make it out let's just start over i don't think this is for us he said a strange seriousness in his voice he used to be so gentle and dark it was true

True. Mike hadn't been to our meets in a while. He had gotten into a fight with one of the leaders of the group over a thing that he forced us to do. A part of a grand ritual, he called it. Not everyone agreed with it, but we all did it. Even Mike. Something changed in him after that night. Everyone could tell. And yet everyone knew that he was planning on leaving. Nobody liked it, not even me, because once they left with what they know, they can bring us all down. But Mike hadn't been heard of in a while. He had left the state, and who knows how he got the number of where I was staying. Plus, we all knew about what happened with Erica and Manny. Their dried up hands were still hanging on a wire by the back entrance of the house, a stern reminder of consequences. Manny tried to leave first, and Erica helped him. And then both got the shovels. I know now of just how bad it was. and I can blame it on how naive I used to be or how dumb whatever but none of that matters now I had chances to leave everyone did and we didn't I tried though I mean I ended up in a motel in a dark alley for goodness sake I walked halfway there before I was picked up and asked to be dropped off anywhere in the city I had no address only a plan to leave later that week and get across the state. Maybe find a church and confess everything we had done if I managed to stay alive. But now I had until midnight to make it back before I would have to dig my own grave. My hand was to become another dangling reminder of what happens when you try to leave the night backers. It's the name of the group. And I took it. I was going to go back. There was more to do. People that still needed to pay. So they sent a driver for me within minutes. Mike told me that they aren't as large as they seem. They only stay around the town and a couple of neighboring ones. They don't go out and find you anywhere in the world like they say that they do. There are ways to leave and stop dealing with all the things they make us go through. But at the time, it's not to be weird or anything here. Revenge was pretty sweet. It still is. Because imagine this. being able to watch as a person who made you eat their leftovers and took your birthday money gets struck by a car sweet isn't it what if i told you that you made it happen or that the person who spit on you while you were tying your shoe the same loser who stole your dad's lawnmower was found dead in a ditch stuck in the mud for two days found but did not survived the thirst it was baked in the sun along with the mud that surrounded him petty right a

little bit but fair who's to say but here's the thing that balance comes from somewhere favors aren't free it's how i lost my family at least it's what i believe and what i was told over and over that's why you can't leave you see there's always something to balance out like a never ending game of seesaw where things aren't ever perfectly aligned anymore. Where you're always fighting rights to fix wrongs and someone always gets in the way. To pay, you always take away from someone and it always seems to be you that makes the payment. But evil doesn't even begin to describe what this is. Too many nights I spent trying to decide on that first ritual and when I finally did it I couldn't remember it I knew the kid from a couple of babysitting gigs too and once I knew where he slept I went back and grabbed him I even went to his funeral that's when they found where I had left him it's easy when you don't remember what you did as far as I know I didn't do it whatever took over did it he remembers it for me and I just carry on doing these little tasks so was i ready to leave no mike not yet i looked at the time again we were never gonna make it even if the driver sped through the rest of the road in the woods it would be too late then i saw his fists shaking as he looked at the mirror that looked at me I could do nothing I told him to hurry and even I was surprised at how stern my voice came out He stepped on the gas and I felt my body lean back on the seat It was like that for a few minutes and before I knew it there were only two minutes left So I looked at him and he looked at the mirror that looked at me His whole body was trembling

And he pulled over, and quickly he reached for his door. Shut the door, I yelled. It was my turn to boom now. He ran out, nearly tripping on the edge of the asphalt by the trees. Was he thinking of leaving me there? My door was unlocked when he stepped out, and I pushed it open. I ran after him, but I couldn't get close. I saw his eyes. The fear I loved and missed so much. But that fist, my mind couldn't take it. I saw the small beads now dangling from the side of his hand, and I only imagined what was inside. I looked at the darkness, and it called to me. I followed as fast as I could. I don't remember much as to how I got back that night, or of what happened to the taxi driver, but I made it back in time. i'm still in the same old town away from the same old people and yes i think of those that i've harmed often i think of those that i've scared to death sometimes though only sometimes

this is bethany frankel from just be with bethany frankel it's hard to be a person who loves ice cream. It truly is, particularly if you're a lifelong ice cream lover, okay? And the so-called better for you ice cream options are lying. They say they're creamy, they're delicious, they're chalky, airy, gross. Here is the good news. Yasso is the real deal. They took everything people love about ice cream and upgraded it with creamy frozen Greek yogurt that actually tastes incredible. My freezer is always stocked with it. And now they've launched something I'm genuinely obsessed with Yasso Spoonables. Now it comes in containers, around 400 calories, 19 grams of protein, comes in five amazing flavors, chocolate chip cookie dough, cookies and cream, fudge brownie, mint chocolate chip, and coffee chocolate chip. You know I love their bars, sandwiches, pop-ables, and chocolate crunch bars, all made with the goodness of Greek yogurt. Here is the kicker. Now through April 30th, Yasso is giving away 40,001 Spoonables to anyone who has been disappointed by so-called better-for-you ice cream. Visit yasso.com slash iHeart to enter and upgrade your freezer. That's yasso.com slash iHeart to enter and find full giveaway details, rules, and regulations.

Struggling to see up close? Make it visible with Viz. Viz is a once-daily prescription eye drop to treat blurry near vision for up to 10 hours. The most common side effects that may be experienced while using Viz include eye irritation, temporary dimmer dark vision, headaches, and eye redness. Talk to an eye doctor to learn if Viz is right for you. Learn more at Viz.com.

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The TV was loud, blaring to an unknown static channel as I realized where I was. The bleak decorations of the hotel room being lit up with that blue light from the screen. I was able to make out the shapes around the bed. Silhouettes that jumped with a light around the room. Everything in sync. My wife started tapping around the bed, searching for the remote control. a thing we never used while on vacation, until I leaned over and hoarsely said that I would turn it off. My wife hurled away from me as I stepped over the front of the room. But then I saw it. A strange face appearing on the screen, distant and cold among the bits of black and white that were moving around like a million ants. But the face, that of a man, and started getting closer. Its wide smile came flashing across the screen and then, Hello, it said. My wife rolled on the bed and quickly sat up. What is that? My wife whispered. Hello, it said, slower this time and I could swear that it looked in the direction of my wife. I remember thinking it was weird at first and probably chuckled at the thought that it was some prank on us. Maybe it was, I don't know, nervousness. My wife didn't find it funny. I could tell by her wide eyes and the way she was curling up with a bed sheet against the back of the bed. Hello, it said again, angrier. And then something replaced the screen of people in the rooms.

Some of them still sleeping, and others approaching the screen as if trying to turn it off. Others were screaming, and I could hear voices next door, people that were going through the same thing. I couldn't find the switch to turn off the television, so I looked around for the cable, but it was hidden behind the board that held it up on the wall. The volume got louder, and my wife was up and looking around for her sandals. I checked the time. 2.56 in the morning. There was a commotion outside. I could see silhouettes moving through the people on the door. It flicked on the light. Sandra was on her way to me already and reaching for it, tightening the night robe around her waist. Outside was much worse than I expected. The whole floor seemed to be out of the rooms. Children were screaming. Confused parents were on their phones looking around to get signal. People were running around the halls and toward one particular staircase. my wife and i looked at each other as the other televisions seemed to be blaring the same sounds the echoes of the hellos coming from all around us as we lined up for the staircase people were shoving each other in a panic unaware of what was going on i don't know how i was able to stay calm maybe it was from trying to reason everything out i watched as an elevator opened up and everyone shoved themselves inside, yelling and shouting until the doors closed. We were on the 14th floor, and even though it would be a long way down, I dragged my wife to the other staircase at the end of the building. There was no alarm, no smoke, nothing but the panic of people trying to get away from whatever was replaying on these screens. Huge faces of a man with his face up against a TV as we passed by the wide open rooms toward the end of the hall. The staircase was quiet, with few footsteps going downstairs two or three floors below us. Guests were whispering to each other in confusion. But as we passed down the floors, we got to see other people running and shouting in a panic. Grown men were wiping tears from their eyes as they ran in the opposite direction. It took us a while as we worked our way down the stairs, and with every floor that we passed, we saw the doors of the rooms were wide open. what is going on my wife yelled i tried to keep her calm as i reassured her that we were almost at the base floor to just keep going and that we would find answers the echoes of those televisions were everywhere loud and getting louder we finally got to the floor where the reception was and rushed out two other families were crowding up the desk while everyone else panicked in the lobby. I thought about us simply going outside, catching the eyes of a calm security guard standing by the door. His demeanor was nothing I wanted to see at that moment. He simply smiled and looked away once again. That is not a problem, I heard the receptionist say

with a wide smile. We will have that looked at immediately. She then handed them vouchers for something and then looked at the next person in line. I cut in and shouted, what is going on? there was no reason to be calm in such a moment everyone was scared out of their wits sir she said firmly i will help you right after them i looked at my wife and she was shocked at the manner professional yes but at that moment it was the same thing the family was complaining about the man on the television but they couldn't turn it off same script by the receptionist apologizing radioing the maintenance person to have that looked at immediately and then offering vouchers. Confused, the family just stepped away. The receptionist looked at me and smiled. The television turned on by itself and we saw something very disturbing, I started. She looked at me intently, as if she hadn't just heard the same story two times before, right in front of me, and waited for me to finish. That is not a problem, sir. I am sending someone to look at that right away. what is your room number? Room 1407, I replied, nearly whispering, realizing that none of this made sense. What if it was a dream, or a strange practical joke? She looked at me, smiled again, and offered two vouchers for breakfast, and some other things that I didn't pay attention to. Holding them tightly in my hand, I stepped back, my wife looking around, confused as well. There was no one around us anymore. We looked at the receptionist and she looked back at us, pointing us in the direction of the elevator. We walked toward it slowly, pushed a button that opened up the doors immediately. What is going on? I whispered to myself. Neither of us could offer anything here and simply stayed quiet. We got back up to our floor.

everything was quiet. The maintenance man was waiting for us at the front of our room. We showed him inside, and he lifted a small compartment behind the television, unplugging it from the wall. He was about to take out a tool from his belt, but I stopped him. Can you just leave it unplugged? We'll be okay with that, please. No problem, he said, in the same tone as a receptionist. He smiled. He stepped out of the room and shut the door. we stayed in complete silence for a while not even sure when we fell asleep but we did eventually did that actually happen last night my wife said from the bathroom very early the next morning she stepped toward me it was strange the man on the screen yeah and the commotion in the building she continued. I was disturbed by the views of other people's rooms and panicked faces of everyone out in the hallways. It was as if reality slipped for a bit and all I was left with was the margins in between. Spaces where our minds reach an edge that we should all be afraid of crossing in fear we can never get it back. We got to the breakfast area early. We were the only ones there in the buffet. But it was hard to even get something down. That nauseating feeling that something was wrong wouldn't leave me. And I wasn't alone. My wife was very concerned with everything and it was her that suggested that we leave early. We got the reservation for another night left. Without questioning it, we agreed to get our things from the room and get back to the lobby. And we did so very quickly. We looked at the television with the unplugged cable and relived everything in my mind. The face of a man I've never seen before greeting me with that hello on repeat. We shut the door after a quick look around the room and before we knew it, we were at the lobby again. Sandra went to sit by the couches with our things while I went to cancel the remainder of our stay. Aw, the receptionist said with an exaggerated frown. but I understand. What is your room number? We got a full refund for the remainder of our stay and I went to regroup by the couches. We had no other plan then. Where else to stay or where to go with our things? Let's just go. There's a bunch of places on this block, Sandra said, concerned. I could tell she was even more disturbed by everything than I was. I walked out to the front with our bags. The same security guard from last night was holding the door open for us what happened last night i blurted out all three of us stood there still he seemed confused so i mentioned the man on the screen the commotion the panic of everyone around the hallways the guard seemed more normal than the staff at the desk or the maintenance guy

no fake smiles and didn't speak all professionally or whatever man you're giving me the creeps he said you're not the first person to leave just like that but I'll tell you this whole building right here there were only two other rooms besides yours that were occupied I looked at him in shock he continued I've been here all night I know what I'm telling you he let out a nervous chuckle I had never been so relieved to leave a place like I was that day and even now when my wife and I talk about it, we can't believe that it happened ourselves. We were able to find reviews of the hotel for a while, the Belkin Hotel and Spa, but it showed nothing strange. We checked for a couple of weeks up until the listing disappeared. It was renamed to something else, and now who knows what it is. To this day, I don't know what happened. And honestly, I still wonder if it happened at all.

this is bethany frankel from just be with bethany frankel it's hard to be a person who loves ice cream. It truly is, particularly if you're a lifelong ice cream lover, okay? And the so-called better for you ice cream options are lying. They say they're creamy, they're delicious, they're chalky, airy, gross. Here is the good news. Yasso is the real deal. They took everything people love about ice cream and upgraded it with creamy frozen Greek yogurt that actually tastes incredible. My freezer is always... stocked with it. And now they've launched something I'm genuinely obsessed with, Yasso Spoonables. Now it comes in containers, around 400 calories, 19 grams of protein, comes in five amazing flavors, chocolate chip cookie dough, cookies and cream, fudge brownie, mint chocolate chip, and coffee chocolate chip. You know I love their bars, sandwiches, pop-ables, and chocolate crunch bars, all made with the goodness of Greek yogurt. Here is the kicker. Now through April 30th, Yasso is giving away 40,001 spoonables to anyone who has been disappointed by so-called better-for-you ice cream. Visit yasso.com slash iHeart to enter and upgrade your freezer. That's yasso.com slash iHeart to enter and find full giveaway details, rules, and regulations.

Struggling to see up close? Make it visible with Viz. Viz is a once-daily prescription eye drop to treat blurry near vision for up to 10 hours. The most common side effects that may be experienced while using Viz include eye irritation, temporary dimmer dark vision, headaches, and eye redness. Talk to an eye doctor to learn if Viz

is right for you. Learn more at Viz.com. Don't miss Renewal by Anderson's one month only sale event. Buy one replacement window or door and get the second 40% off. Plus, enjoy zero down, no payments, and zero interest for 12 months. It's the perfect time to upgrade with windows engineered for strength, beauty, and energy efficient performance. Designed for Florida's unique climate, our acclaimed impact windows help keep your home cooler, quieter, and more comfortable. Offer ends April 30th. Restrictions apply. Schedule your free consultation at bestwindowsflorida.com. Licensed CGC 1527613. Thank you all for waiting for the stories to

come out. I really hope you like these. We have lots more coming up, I promise. A lot of these stories I make are inspired by things I see or hear, and this was no exception. I actually fill up my notes app with a ton of ideas that would make a good story, and this time, since I was traveling to take care of a few things i was staying at hotel rooms taking a lot of ubers taxis it was tiring but i was staying at a hotel room where i was the idea just popped up because i heard very early in the morning it was still dark out the tv suddenly turned on coincidentally i'm pretty sure this is a coincidence at least i want to believe that staying in the sixth floor room 606 i promise i have pictures of this stuff i might just upload these on my instagram at one point make a short story out of it or something but um if you're not following me there i'm edwin cove edwin cove all one word on instagram tiktok facebook um yeah it was really eerie and when that happened i didn't think of anything of it at the moment until after when i was like did you hear that uh static sound in the morning and my wife was like yeah that happened uh really really creepy that's actually part of the the you know what triggers some of these stories um but anyway you guys used to send me ideas through the reviews and comments about things that you you think would make good stories um and i want to follow follow up on those like i want to make stories from your idea so send them over again please let's come up with some new stuff around here if you want to join our community on scary plus and get these stories early and without ads go to scary plus dot com everything together scary plus dot com and try it free for two weeks you can cancel anytime this podcast is written and produced by me edwin covarubias if you're subbed i'll be back next week with more stories. Thank you very much for listening. Keep it scary, everyone. See you soon.

for strength, beauty, and energy-efficient performance. Designed for Florida's unique climate, our acclaimed impact windows help keep your home cooler, quieter, and more comfortable. Offer ends April 30th. Restrictions apply. Schedule your free consultation at bestwindowsflorida.com. Licensed CGC 1527613.

Uh-oh, trouble is on the way. Your sister's bunch is coming for a visit. Spilled drinks, chips, crumbs, sticky fingers, yuck. Your living room furniture will take a real beating.

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The sky becomes the main event as the Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival returns to OAAP April 30th through May 2nd. Dozens of vibrant balloons, sunrise launches, nightly balloon glows, live entertainment.

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