S2 E09: Blurring The Lines

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Get out of there. This whole place is coming down. No time. There's no time. The bubble, it won't hold. You have to go. Goodbye, Ray. That's me. Hey! I was there too. Yes, yes. Obviously you were there as well. Man, those were some good old days. What do you say? Should we tell them? Fine, I suppose. But I won't enjoy it. You can't make me. Yay!

Ahem. Welcome to Mike and Ray's fantastical adventure. This is Dr. Jonathan Spacer, popping in to give you a general note about the show. What you're about to hear may disturb you. Ray and Mike's brains were a little scrambled in the bubble explosion, and as such I wouldn't really trust the recounting of anything that happened at the Springfield facility. That being said...

Prior to moving on, Ray led me to a series of recordings that he made while he was working there. It reads, This is the true and completely serious retelling of the events leading up to the last day. Welcome to Mike and Ray's fantastical adventure. Episode 1. I don't... I don't know what to do with this information. Mike and Ray's Fantastical Adventure. A lighter look at the Springfield Corp experiments. Available now at patreon.com slash howidied.

And in some more tragic news from last night, 22-year-old Felix Matthews was killed during a camping trip gone wrong. Saturday evening, a group of Matthews' friends headed out to the Springfield County line north of town, the woods with the Old Corporation facility. After some partying, Matthews and two friends broke into the facility.

One friend says that Matthews tried to climb onto some old equipment when part of the wall collapsed. Matthews was killed immediately, according to local orthopedic surgeon Nathan Clark, filling in at Springfield General's pathology lab. Ugh, what a hack. Greg Picker, one of Matthew's friends who was with him on the night of the accident, spoke out earlier today. It was terrible. I watched Felix fall and the wall just crumbled.

I heard a sound, and then the next thing I know, I see Felix standing next to me. Or like, floating, I guess. He looked just like normal. He wasn't see-through or ethereal, just there. I thought it was him at first, but then he looked back at me and I blinked. He was gone. We went towards the wall and found his body under some of the rocks. He did his head. It was... No one should ever have to see those things. A ceremony for Matthews will be held tomorrow.

The family has asked that all donations be sent to a local charity instead. And in lighter news, Shosho the Monkey has learned to say Storm Shock in sign language. Oh crap.

Audio Media presents How I Died two one yeah three hours that's as long as you said you'd wait but you're not turning on the car are you Nope. Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope. It's official. I'm losing my mind. Why am I doing this? I got no job. I know where to be. So instead, I'm sitting outside in my car, stalking some kid whose friend just died. What is the plan? What's the plan, John? If he came outside that door right now, what would you even do?

What if he saw what he thinks he saw? God damn it. Maybe just a couple more minutes. I think I've got an idea. Where did I put that tape recorder? There we go. All right. You work for some obscure newspaper. You're here to talk to him about the story, right? Hello, this is Dr. John Spacer. Oh, no, no doctor. Hello, this is John Spacer. I'm just talking to myself and thinking aloud.

Doing nothing conspicuous and definitely not crossing any lines. Did that record? Ugh. I think this is who I am now. I have no purpose, so I'll just ramble to myself and waste time until I die, right? Oh, shit. Is that him? Looks like him. He's already in his car? I missed my opportunity. Damn it. Alright. Follow him? Oh crap. Oh, please just stop at a grocery store so I can bump into you. Please. And nope. Right by Sherman's. Okay.

Which the traffic circle on the left and he's taking the second exit and turning the left Circle around so he doesn't see me, but it looks like he's Keeping right at the fork. Where's he going? This is towards the edge of town. Alright, I see him in the distance. He's passing by the second exit on the right and keeping left. Actually, he's turning right onto Pennsylvania Road.

And he's going exactly where I thought he would. Toward the Springfield facility. There's nothing else out this way, and it makes sense, right? Not just because his friend died, but because he thinks he saw a ghost or something.

I mean, I'd go back to the source too if it were the first time I saw one. Unless this kid actually did see a ghost. I need to figure out what happened and why. He's pulling down the side road that leads to the facility. I'm gonna wait and park off to the side so he doesn't see me. I don't want it to look like I'm following him. This is familiar.

Sitting in front of this rickety gate that leads to the old Springfield Corporation facility. Only this time there's more police tape. And I'm still talking to myself out loud like an idiot. All right, well, he's gone up the road, so I should be good to go. It's my first time seeing this place during the day. The gate actually opens this time. Look at that.

And I know an easier way in now. You'd think there would still be police around here. Somebody at least guarding this area. Huh. I wonder if...

did you go today? Mike? Who are you? You're not Felix. Mike, do you remember me? We met before. I'm John. I don't know you. I figured as much. Why are you in my lab, and how did you get here without a badge? I'm just passing through. That doesn't answer my question. How are you, Mike? Tip-top-top-tip-tip-top. Why? Just checking. You've been here a long time. How many days has it been? It's been 11,162 days since the last storm and two days since the last accident. Not a great record.

Your memory is so interesting to me. You seem to completely understand the passage of time. Why wouldn't I? Time isn't relative. Einstein was an idiot. I bet. But you don't seem to be degrading at all, and you've been here a long time. My mental faculties are as good as ever, thank you. I couldn't have said it better myself. You sure you don't remember me?

Should I? No, probably not. I gave you some bad news last time. Is it about Ray? Yeah, it was. Sort of. Tell him he is fired! I will definitely do that. Good. Now, this is a sterile environment. I assume you have permissions to be here? Of course. Say, Mike, you mentioned something earlier. I was hoping you could clarify for me. Shoot.

You said a name in an accident from two days ago. Was someone named Felix killed here? Hello? Hello? Oh. Hi. I'm sorry, you're Greg... Picker, right? From the news? Yeah. Who are you? My name is Jack. I'm... I thought your name was John. Are you with the police? Look, I'm sorry if this is trespassing. I just... I'm not with the police. I'm a journalist. Got the recorder and everything. Is that why you were talking? Can both of you just...

Please get out of my lab. You're disrupting my work with this ridiculousness. Just taking notes. I'm following up on the story. About the accident? No, actually. It's about you. Um, maybe I should go. Sorry, I didn't mean you specifically. I heard your report on the news and I decided to come see this place for myself. I'm not a typical journalist. I'm investigating some paranormal activity. Like hauntings? Sort of, yeah. I was... This thing is ghosts. Science has proven otherwise.

You heard the clip of me saying I saw Felix, right? Yeah, I did. It was stupid. I didn't mean anything by it. Sure you did. You're here right now. I could just be here to grieve. But you're not. What channel did you say you're with again? Look, Greg, I'll be honest with you. This is off the books. I came here to check into a ghost sighting. You think any local channel is going to run that?

I guess not. I didn't expect to run into you here, so I'm perfectly happy pretending we never saw each other. I'm just going to go check out the death site if you don't mind. I'm hoping to get some readings on Philip's ghost. Oh, thank goodness. Goodbye. Uh, I... Excuse me. Come on. Take the bait.

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Each episode covers multiple topics that are likely relevant to you. I'm the host, Mike Carruthers, and listen, we've got over 1,000 episodes, over 4,000 mostly five-star reviews. I invite you to check out Something You Should Know, wherever you listen. Come on. His name was Felix. Hmm? What was that? He said Philip. My friend's name was Felix. Oh.

Sorry about that. What are you doing anyway? Just seeing if I can get a reading. With a recorder? What happened here anyway? I... I thought you listened to the story already. In my experience, the paranormal tend to react to people talking about them, especially loved ones. Maybe remembering him will help? Probably only if you get his name right. Felix. Right. Felix, are you here? Anything? Not yet. Do you mind? It was his birthday today. We were celebrating when it happened.

I'm sorry to hear that. It's fine. Why here, if you don't mind me asking? I don't know. He was drunk. He liked these woods. We were supposed to be camping, and it just seemed like a cool place to check out. That was a lot of reasons. You're trying to explain it away? I'm just trying to make sense of it. It all happened so fast. One minute he's there, and the next... And the next he's there again. I was just tired and panicked. Do you really think you saw him? Maybe...

Have you ever seen a ghost? No. But do you believe in them? I think a lot of people do. Yeah, well, a lot of people don't go on the news and say they saw one. Surprised there isn't a seance here, honestly. People in Springfield love this stuff. I'm sure this place will be a mob scene by tomorrow. Were you hoping you'd see him again? That's a loaded question. Why is that?

Of course I want to see him again. But at the same time, do I really want to be that guy who swears he saw a ghost? You're here because you're already that guy. Great. Thanks. Anytime. I feel weird saying this because I barely know you, but uh, thanks for talking to me. I think I needed it. What did Felix look like?

I don't really want to think about his body. No, I mean the thing you saw standing next to you. If it was a ghost, what did it look like? It looked just like Felix, which was why I was so freaked out. Was he translucent? No. He was completely normal. No cuts, no blood, no crazy black eyes or monster teeth or whatever people claim they see when they see ghosts. Yeah.

What stood out to you then? He was standing right next to me when it happened, I mean. I, like, felt him next to me for a second and turned, and he was looking right toward this spot, just like we are now. Honestly, I'm getting a chill just thinking about it. So you think he was looking at the accident with you? That's what it seemed like. You think he didn't know it was his body? Like he thought he was still alive? Maybe...

I have no idea. It was only for a second. I looked at him and he looked right at me. He like winced and then looked down and disappeared. Winced how? I don't know. Like he touched his neck. By the C6? The what? According to the report, he was impaled by a pipe right in between his two spinal column vertebra. That's disgusting. How do you know that? Journalistic privileges. Uh-huh. You said he looked down. Looked at what? He was floating.

Like an inch off the ground. And that was it. He was gone. What did it look like when he disappeared? Is that recorder on? I didn't agree to being in an interview, and that's... That's what this turned into, didn't it? No, it's off. I'm such an idiot. You're just looking for a story. It's not like that. I... I'm leaving. You're an ass for trying to exploit someone while they're grieving. Greg.

Look, I'll take the tape out. There's nothing in it right now, I promise. Ah, damn it. Felix? Felix Matthews, are you here? My name is John Spacer, and I came to talk to you. John Spacer? I thought your name was Jack. Jack Spacer. No, no. John sounds right. Forensic pathologist. I didn't say that earlier. You do remember me. Of course, John. John Spacer. You talk to dead people. That's right. Do you remember what happened last time? Last time? Never mind. It's not important, I guess.

We were interrupted earlier. By Greg. That's right. From the television. Right. Greg from TV. Listen, earlier you asked where Felix went. Was he here? Not today. Yesterday. He wasn't much help. Much help with your project? Yes. He gave me bad news like you did. So he told you he was dead. And so were you. I don't remember. There are police officers here. They had badges, but not the right kind to enter the office. I asked them to leave. Did they? Eventually. Everyone dies eventually. They do.

Do you remember Felix saying anything else? Maybe about a pain in his neck? Yes, he kept holding his neck. Strange. Greg must have been right then. He really did see Felix's ghost. Wait, Felix was a- Yeah, he was. And Greg saw him. Like, actually saw him. I saw him too. I can see ghosts. Yeah, me too, buddy. Me too. But Greg couldn't see you.

That doesn't make any sense. Must be residual. What do you mean? The residual energy. From the storm? The blast in 1989? You've got to be kidding me. My neck hurts too. Mike, I need you lucid right now. I'm very lucid, thank you very much. Very much. The stuttering. Wait, you didn't stutter last time. And it seems pretty mild now. It only took Curtis about six months to fully degrade, and my mom pushed through for over a year. I've never seen the onset be so slow. It's been decades for you.

How is that possible? The residual! The residual! The bubble works! The bubble? You said last time it was meant to trap and slowly dissipate the energy from the geomagnetic storms, right? If that's true, then it would explain why it's taking you so long to degrade. And possibly why you keep reverting to thinking you're alive. I am alive. And the pain. Felix's neck pain could have been tied to how he died initially.

Could Greg's ability to see Felix for a minute be an effect of the energy here? Hmm. Bianca's body wasn't found too far from here. Route 83 up the street. And she was trapped inside her body and blind. Are you talking to me? Come to think of it, Will from all those months ago. The guy who got his head cut off, he was...

unable to appear until I put his head back on his body. You know that is a vital part of being alive. This is all making sense. The energy from the blast is still centered around here. It sort of explains why some of the rules of being a ghost are being broken. At least in this area. It explains a lot, actually. Mike, I need you to come with me. I can't leave in the middle of a workday.

I'm sure you can make an exception. And think of the things I can get done. There's nothing to get done. There's a bigger problem with the town than just this broken invention. The broken invention is the big problem with the town. Yeah, you might be right, but- I'm always right. I still need you to come with me. I have so many questions, and I think being away from here might actually help you be more aware. Come on. Don't you touch me! Mike, I can't anyway. Just follow me. You're-

arm went right through me. Come this way. I'll explain everything. Um, I don't know how I feel about this. Just come through the debris and we'll walk down the path here. Is that your car? Yeah, why? It looks so advanced. What model is it? 2012 Prius. 2012? I thought you were aware of the passage of time. Uh, John? what did it work john what's that it's my card you just said that it hurts what what hurts Mike what are you doing Mike

What's going on? Damn it. Mike! Mike! There you are. What happened? Hello? Who are you? Mike, it's me. We just spoke. Do you have a badge? I don't. I was hoping to get you out of here. You'll need a badge. This is a restricted area. You really don't remember me. Do you work here? If so, you should go see the doctor. You sound a little stressed out. The doctor? Aye, very stressed out, yes. The doctor. Dr. Kim. Dr. Kim? Yes, in employee health. You should set up a visit.

I think I'll do that. Good. Now, without a badge, you'll really need to leave. Yeah. Thanks, Mike. I hope I get to see you again. Bring a badge next time. Bye, John. How I Died is an audio media original production created and written by Vince Dijani, directed and edited by Chroma Sikora, with sound design and mixing by Eric Howell. The How I Died theme song was created by Silent Mike. Starring me as John Spacer.

Shana Waring as Sheriff Crowley, David Dixon as Curtis, Luis Bermudez as Eric Mendez, Vin Vox as Dr. Kim, and Caitlin Roberts as Amelia. This episode featured guest performances by Silent Mike as Mike and Kieran Regan as Greg Picker. Also featuring Matthew Bettley and Karen Heyman as the news anchors. Thanks so much for listening. And until next episode, try not to die.

Alright girls, this is the place. We'll get everything loaded over to the boat and we'll lock up the truck. Don't leave anything behind. Wait, is that it? That's where we're going? Yeah, that's it. Seal Skin Rock. Wow. Return to the mysteries in Don't Mind, Seal Skin Rock. Subscribe now to catch the premiere, and we'll see you on The Rock.

The Warning Woods has haunting horror stories that are sure to linger with you long after listening. I'm Miles Tridel, writer and narrator of The Warning Woods. Each week, I write an original scary story and share it with you on The Warning Woods. I've written two novels and nearly 200 short stories spanning the horror genre. If you're into scary stories,

you need to check out The Warning Woods. Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for The Warning Woods and click play at your own risk.