It was five of us in total. Me Tie matt Reyese, and the pilot. His name was Rick, old guy maybe late fifties, went out, hoodie work boots laced to the ankle. Didn't say much beyond basic safety instructions. He met us in a clearing past the last subdivision, Just this empty stretch of field that smelled like burned grass. No fences,
no signs. The basket was already upright, balloon half filled and swaying and tie book the ride on a whim found it on some forum, said that it'd be about forty five minutes in the air, sunset flight, smooth, scenic. The post said bring a jacket. That was all. We took off at seven point fifteen, still light out barely. The burner roared overhead, loud but somehow comforting, and the balloon rose clean. No lurch, no pull, just this silent lift that made the whole thing feel like a trick.
Rick barely looked at us once we were up, just worked the burner, adjusted the cords while we passed our houses that looked like monopoly pieces. The air felt thick with sun worm silence. At first, it was fun ty, cracked jokes Matt was filming on his phone. Reese leaned over the edge more than I was comfortable with, spitting once, just to see how long it took to disappear. I was quiet, watching shadows crawl across the ground as the light slipt west. It felt calm until it didn't. I
can't say exactly when it changed. Maybe fifteen twenty minutes in. The trees looked darker, longer. The fields were endless, no more houses, no roads, just an ocean of green that turned black the second the sudden dropped below the hills. I looked at rereg He was still standing with one hand on the burner valve, staring ahead like he was like he was waiting for something. His expression hadn't changed since takeoff. Ty asked how long until we come back down?
No response. Rick didn't move, He didn't blink. Rhese laughed nervously, Hey man, you good? Still nothing. The Matt reached out and touched his shoulder. Rick didn't react. He was breathing, but stiff, frozen, like he'd fallen asleep with his eyes open. The burner fired again, flame roared above us. We were still climbing. I could feel it in my ears, pressure building, wind had vanished. The trees were just a dark smear
now no lights below, just no signs of life. I think we're too high, I said, three stepped back from the edge. I don't see anything anymore, no town, no glow. Shouldn't we be seeing like street lights or something. Ty's voice was tighter. Now what is this man? Nobody had an answer. Then Rick moved, not much, just to shift in his weight, a small turn. His eyes scanned past us, not quite making contact. He let go over the burner, walked to the edge of the basket. No build up,
no words, no warning. He climbed over the edge. We old frone. Ty grabbed the side, Yo, yo, what the hell are you? But Rick was halfway over, one leg, dangling, calm as anything, and then he stepped off. Gone. No scream, no no thud, no flutter of clothes, just gone. We rushed to the edge, looked down darkness. At first I thought I saw something movement below, a shadow against shadows. Then Maurice spoke, almost a whisper. There's another one, what
Matt asked? Look He pointed below us. Another balloon, identical, same striped envelope, same wicker basket, same shape, four figures inside, all standing, all looking up. I followed Reese's gaze upward above us, another balloon, same balloon, four more figures, all facing down. None of them moved. The air got colder. Matt stepped back, shaking his head. The fuck is this? What is this? Restarted, pulling the emergency cord over and over. Nothing happened. We're not descending, I said, why are we
going down? Laberner hissed again, still climbing. The four of us pressed in close now, no one talking, just breathing harder, watching the balloons above and below, like mirrors in the sky. They weren't reflections, they weren't delayed, they weren't random, each one of them. It was us, same heights, same builds, same silhouettes. Matt spoke, voice tight, that's that's not possible, right, that's not shut up, Ty said, just shut up for a second. The balloon above us was drifting lower, slowly,
like it was being drawn to us. I felt at first a low shift in the air pressure, like something large was coming towards us without making a sound. Then restepped towards the edge. Matt caught his arm. Don't Reefe didn't look at him, didn't say anything. He climbed up. I moved to stop him, too late. He stepped over. Gone, just gone. We rushed to the side balloon below. Three figures now, Ty started backing into the corner of the basket, staring at us, then down, then up again. His voice
was cracking. Just down there, that's him, that's Reese down there. That was breathing heavy. This isn't real. This isn't this isn't real. And then back against the burner frame. My chest hurt, my fingers were numb. Above us, the balloon was closer, much much closer. I could make out details now. One of the figures was leaning towards elbow on the edge, looking straight at me. He didn't blink. I think I think he was me. It's just three of us now, Me,
Tie and Matt. Reese is gone, Rick two. The balloon keeps climbing. The one above is maybe fifty feet away. Now I can see it stripes more clearly, yellow, red, dark green like ours. The envelope flickers softly, and the moonless, dark, almost glowing from the heat of its own burner. And the people inside they don't move, They just stare. I tried yelling no reaction. Ty won't stop whispering. It's like he's talking to him self, but low and fast, like he doesn't want us to hear. I saw his jacket,
he says, reees he's wearing his jacket down there. Matt finally snaps, we don't know that. You didn't see anything. I did. Tie, his says louder. Now you just don't want to believe it. They start arguing. Right. I can't follow it. I'm focused on the horizon, if there even is one. It's all black now. The air's thin cold, My skin feels dry, like my body's trying to shrink itself. And then I see the lights, just three out in the dark below us, A faint glow, barely visible at first,
and then clearer. A barn wide and sagging in the middle, one side caved in, a factory windowless except one tall smoke stack with a faint flickering light behind a window near the roof a church, long narrow, crooked spire pointing into the void. We pass over them. Did you see that? I ask? Matt nods yeah. Tie doesn't answer. He's pacing arms crossed tight across his chest. His lips are moving,
but he isn't saying anything out loud anymore. Five minutes later, maybe ten, then the buildings come back, saying exact buildings, same broken barn, same crooked spire, same flickering factory window. Okay, Matt murmurs, that's not possible, that's not I counted the shingles. I whispered, that's the same barn, ties in the corner, and knees pulled up to his chest. Now we drift in silence. The burner fires again. And now now I realized something worse. We're not just drifting past the buildings.
We're We're stuck on a loop, like a like a cheap simulation if the world below was just paper, the same strip of terrain playing again and again and again. Where the hell are we? Matt whispers, No one answers. The balloon above closer. Now I can see the face of the one leaning over. He's got my build, my shoulders. His head tilts slightly when I move, like a reflection with slacking. And then Matt goes still. His eyes are fixed on something behind me. Someone's coming down. I turn
from the balloon above. One figure is climbing hand over hand, slow down the rope, netting legs, swinging slightly with a breeze, steady, no fear, and how he moves like he knows exactly where he's going. I take a step back, head thudding hard enough to hurt. Ty starts rocking now, mumbling something rhythmically, faster and faster. Matt stares at the climbing figure like he's frozen, and then Matt bolts. He doesn't say a word, just runs to the edge and jumps. He doesn't hesitate,
he doesn't cry out gone. I spin, I grab the side balloon below. Two figures now me and Tie. I stagger back, my breathing too fast. I feel like my body's turning inside out. The figure from above is almost here. I could hear the soft creak of the rope ladder, now, the wooden clunk of his foot landing on the basket. I don't want to look, but I do. He stands a few feet away, same height, same jacket, same hands, face in shadow, But I know, I know it's me.
He just stares, tilts his head and tilts it back the other way, not mocking, not curious, just copy. Tie finally screams it's sudden, and it's raw, and it's loud in the dead air. He jumps to his feet and points. There's more. He yells, I look the balloon below. It's no longer just one. There's two, stack slightly offset, both rising and above us. Another's appeared higher still. I don't understand. It's not just one above and one below anymore. It's layered,
dozens of them, going up, going down. Some of them have baskets filled with people, some of them have none, some have me. The one in our basket hasn't moved, still staring and still watching. I don't I don't know what I'm supposed to do. Tie backs away, arms trembling. Then he grabs the burner valve and yanks it. The flame shoots up with a scream of gas. He pulls again and again. No control, just panic. We have to get out, he mutters. It's going to keep going. It
doesn't end. I shout at him, but it's no use. He's lost it. He steps to the edge, one foot over, no tie. He looks at me just once, and then he falls backwards into the darkness. The balloon below just one figure, now me in the other, still staring We're both standing here in the same basket. Burner cuts off, no flame, no sound, no movement. We just float above and below copies of us. I sit down, slowly, staring into the black. Then I hear the wind shift just
a little. The copy of me walks over, sits beside me, not touching, just just sitting. We stare out together at the horizon where the barn, the factory in the church. Repeat again for the fifth time. I'm not sure which one of us is the real me anymore. I've been writing this for a dozen or so cycles. Now. If you can see this, then I guess my phone has
reception and you know what I've had to do either. Kids, It's me, mister Creepasta, and I just wanted to tell you thank you so much for watching tonight's video or for listening to tonight's episode of the podcast. And as always, I want to give a very big thank you to everybody who supports me over at Patreon, Patreon dot com slash mister Creepypasta. I cannot thank you guys enough. You guys have been there when I'm struggling like a half of the past year, and it sincerely helps me stay alive,
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