I would like to start this story by saying that Ray was great. A perfect gentleman and consummate professional. He didn’t send a single untoward word or glance in my direction the entire time we were together. Even when things got scary, he put my safety first. And in spite of everything that happened to us, we’re already talking about working together again. I just want to lead with that, because I know that as soon as I start to tell my story – tell you that I’m an amateur female model who did a nude photoshoot with a male photographer twice my age in an isolated location in the countryside – most of the people reading this are going…

You don’t know me. But perhaps you know my voice. I’m a narrator. Specifically, I narrate horror stories online. I scour the internet with a raven’s eye, searching for gems buried amongst the thousands of short fiction stories posted to places like nosleep and Nightscribe. It’s a time-consuming task. Believe me, I’ve lost entire evenings descending deeper and deeper into a rabbit hole of the worst scenarios a human mind can imagine. There are more stories out there than a single person could read in a lifetime of lightless nights. I discard many: those that are too amateurish, too derivative, or that are churned out by AI. But if I keep searching, I am rewarded with something truly terrifying, or…

I last saw my girlfriend around seventeen years ago. Although for me, it was last week. I know that doesn’t make much sense. I’m not even sure why I’m writing this. It’s not like anybody will believe it. And even if they did, the truth would only make things worse. I just need to tell someone, anyone, even if that “someone” is the anonymous hive-mind of the internet. Maybe then I’ll be able to sleep again. Perhaps even start to move on with my life. I doubt it, though. I don’t think I can ever “move on” from the way I feel right now. So, where to start? Well, you can call me Joe. Obviously, that isn’t my real name.…

It’s been 25 years to the day since my friend Baptiste disappeared. Not officially. The date in the police record says ‘September 14’ because his aunt didn’t report him missing until three days later. I was the last person to see him though. I know when and where he disappeared, and I told the cops, but they brushed me off. I was just making things up to protect my friends, they said, and that I had watched too many horror movies. Baptiste and I were thick as thieves ever since first grade. To most people, we must have been an odd pair. The shy, withdrawn kid with the thick Haitian accent our classmates often made fun of, to a point…

I’m not sure I’m allowed to post this here. If there’s a better place, please let me know. I really just want to figure out what happened, so I’m trying to share this on as many forums as possible. If anyone experienced something similar or knows somebody who has, please contact me. I’d be grateful for any information because I really think I’m going insane over this. I’m a pro wrestler. And yes, I know what people think: Wrestling is stupid and fake, and I should grow up and get a real job already. Heard it all before, don’t care. I’m not a big deal by any means. Unless you’re from the Huntsville area or attend smaller shows in Alabama…

This happened to me many years ago, but I just can’t get it out of my head. Maybe writing it down will help, so here it goes. My divorce had been finalized a few weeks before all of this happened. There were no hard feelings, no drama. To make a long story short, we had been one of those couples. Barely out of high school when we tied the knot, didn’t really know what to do with our lives, and once we figured that out, we realized our newfound directions didn’t align. We put it all on the table and agreed that it would be best to make a clean cut, move on, and not needlessly complicate things. My ex…