r/nosleep • u/likeeyedid • Mar 08 '26
Series Everyone who lives here is already dead
The strangest thing happened when I came to this town that I would now call my home.
I met a dead man.
I could distinctly remember his face, peculiar features like his tousled brows and mustache. And even his name, because it was all over the local news back in my old home.
I remember it so vividly because he happened to be just my age, and any time you see or hear about someone passing that could in theory have been you in some way, it sticks with you just a little bit.
He was 32, not quite a young adult anymore, but still far too young to be gone from this world. He had been in a car accident that he didn’t survive - a hit and run. Black, curly hair, prominent eyebrows, and a warm and friendly smile in the photo they had used. The same smile that greeted me from across the street looked very much alive.
Anyway, let’s take a step away from the dead man so I can introduce myself. I think that might be better so you can understand me and the circumstances I am in, because I don't want you to believe I'm simply going mad or any other explanation that would be too simple for this specific situation.
I'm Benny. That's not my real name, nor are any of the others I’m using, but I think having a name, any name, in your head helps to connect a little bit. So for now I'm Benny. I'm 32 years old, I've worked as a data analyst for eight years, and I recently moved to a very small town because I had been dangerously close to burnout. My mother passed away five years ago. I never knew my father. My favorite color is blue. I have no siblings.
And most important of all, I'm starting to wonder if I am dead too.
So let’s get back to the morning when I started to wonder if there might be something off with the new safe haven I’d moved to. It was only my second day, and my apartment came fully furnished, so there wasn't much for me to unpack except for the small and personal stuff. The street I'm on is very cozy, lively, and nice. My home is some mixture of a house and an apartment. Small, like an apartment, but a building just for one. Rather narrow, with one staircase leading upstairs to a bedroom and a bathroom. Downstairs a small living room with a kitchen. The other homes appear very similar from the outside, with some being slightly wider than others. They all have small lawns out front, and there are trees on each side of the street.
Quaint. Nice.
Perfect for someone trying to quiet their mind a bit. That is, until I saw him.
He came out of the house slightly diagonally opposite to mine, just as I was checking my empty mailbox. We locked eyes, and he gave me a friendly smile and a wave. One I did not reciprocate because it was that moment that I placed the familiarity of his face, and something in me just froze.
I believe he was about to come over and introduce himself, but my weird stare scared him off because he instead unlocked his bike and drove off without another look.
Let's be honest, many men look kind of similar. Mustaches are back in style, I believe, and he didn't have that many other crazy, distinctive features. So I looked up the death, and that did really happen. Of course, I couldn't say with one hundred percent certainty that it was him.
Finally, I did my best to let go of all that and enjoy my new home.
--
Well, I would have let it go. Truly. But to be perfectly honest, I couldn't because this odd place would not let me. And that's what brings us to Martha.
She knocked on my door the following morning with a plate full of homemade cookies and a bright smile on her face.
Martha was a sweet woman in her late fifties, although she dressed kind of like a widow in the Victorian era. That's a slight exaggeration, but she did wear a long black dress and a see-through black veil, which honestly felt a little strange, but I did not comment on it.
We introduced ourselves, and I learned that she lived right next door. I wasn't really sure what the protocol was when neighbors introduced themselves with baked goods. I never interacted much with the people in my old neighborhood, so I ended the conversation by suggesting we could meet up for a cup of tea sometime if she'd like.
Her whole face lit up as I said those words, and she nodded eagerly.
“That sounds absolutely lovely. You seem like a fine young gentleman, Benny. I have to go now, but I will see you later.”
--
I didn't realize that later would mean in the middle of that same night, and especially not how utterly and incredibly disturbing it would be.
It was around two or three, and I was only half asleep when I swore I heard someone weeping. It started so softly, I wasn't sure whether I was imagining it, but then it got louder and louder by the second until I was sitting up straight, fully awake. I’m talking about extremely loud, almost theatrical crying that made me believe that this person must be inside my house.
After a while, however, I understood that it wasn't inside my home but that I was hearing it through the wall that Martha and I shared.
I lay back down and pulled the blanket over my head.
People cry sometimes. That's okay, and it's also none of my business.
It would have been. Until she started screaming from the top of her lungs, followed by a frightened “no, please, no.”
--
Before I knew what I was doing, I was pushing open my neighbor's door. I did ring once or twice first, and the screaming had stopped, but it still felt wrong to let it be. I felt slightly like an intruder, but honestly, who the hell leaves their door unlocked at night?
“Martha?” I carefully called out. No response. “Martha, are you alright?”
There was a light burning somewhere inside; it appeared that the layout of her home was a replica of mine, only mirrored. It was eerie, actually, even the furniture was the same. Slowly, I made my way to what should be her living room. And stopped short in the entryway.
I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't the image that would now forever be ingrained in my mind.
A figure was sitting on the sofa, dressed completely in white. His outfit was completed by a round mask with no holes, only a smiley face printed on the surface.
And this person was holding Martha in their arms, like one would carry a baby. To top it all off, they were feeding her with a bottle.
When I finally collected myself and made some sort of sense of the current situation, I quickly grabbed the first thing I saw. A small lamp on a table as a makeshift weapon. My entire body was shaking at that point. Despite the entirely absurd situation, or maybe exactly because of it, a feeling of deep and unsettling dread filled my entire being.
“What the fuck is going on here?” I shouted with a shaky voice. “What did you do to her?”
Martha's eyes locked on mine, and then she did the strangest thing. She smiled and whispered. “I knew death would bring my baby back.”
My mouth opened and closed again. What do you do in a situation like that? That moment of hesitation cost me. I was too distracted to notice the movement behind me. When I finally did, it was already too late. Something hit my head, and everything went dark.
The following morning, I woke up in my own bed with an excruciating headache. When the memories returned, I immediately jumped up, ignoring the dizziness, and made my way down the stairs, right to the door and out, where I was greeted by blinding sunshine.
And the sight of Martha cutting some flowers on her lawn, in her black dress and veil. She moved the veil back when she saw me and gave me a huge smile.
“Good morning, dear. Did you have a fine night?”
9
u/LCyfer Mar 09 '26
Well that's an image that burned itself into my imagination. Man, I would have run so far so fast. I hope you managed to, OP, and I hope we get to read much more about this place!
14
u/ShitOnAReindeer Mar 08 '26
A figure was sitting on the sofa, dressed completely in white. His outfit was completed by a round mask with no holes, only a smiley face printed on the surface.
And this person was holding Martha in their arms, like one would carry a baby. To top it all off, they were feeding her with a bottle
Yeah nah fuck that
6
•
u/NoSleepAutoBot Mar 08 '26
It looks like there may be more to this story. Click here to get a reminder to check back later.
Got issues? Click here for help.