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need. This

1:02

is Into the Paranormal

1:04

with Tony Bruski. There's

1:07

something about the walk home at night, the

1:09

silence, the way the streetlights

1:11

pool into perfect circles of light

1:14

while the spaces between them seem

1:16

to stretch into endless voids.

1:18

It's the kind of silence that

1:20

makes you aware of every sound

1:23

your own footsteps make and every sound

1:25

that doesn't belong to you. Some

1:28

stories creep up on you slowly, like

1:30

a shadow growing longer at dusk, others

1:33

strike fast, a sharp cold hand on

1:35

the back of your neck. What

1:37

you're about to hear? It's

1:40

a little of both. It started with

1:42

a gift, the ability to sense what

1:44

others couldn't. But gifts like

1:46

that, they're not always a blessing. Sometimes

1:48

they're an invitation. This

1:50

story isn't about a haunted house, a

1:52

cursed object, or a long -buried

1:54

secret. It's about the kind

1:56

of thing that waits outside in the spaces

1:58

we pass through every day. The spaces

2:01

we never think twice about

2:03

until they remind us they

2:05

were never empty. And when

2:07

you realize something's there staring back, the

2:10

only question left is, do

2:12

you stand your ground or do you run? Let's

2:16

get to the letter. They write, Tony, I

2:19

need to tell you this story because honestly,

2:21

I'm tired of carrying it around

2:23

by myself. I've told a few

2:25

people, friends, family, but every time I

2:27

try, they either laugh it off or

2:29

look at me like I need help. I guess that's

2:31

why I'm writing to you. You've

2:34

heard it all, and I have this feeling

2:36

you won't just brush it off. So, here's

2:38

the truth. My name's

2:41

Danny, I'm 18, and for

2:43

as long as I can remember, I've had

2:45

this weird ability. I see

2:47

auras, not all the time,

2:50

just enough to know it's real. When

2:52

I was a kid they

2:54

were everywhere bright colors wrapped around

2:57

people like little weather systems

2:59

flashing and shifting with every

3:01

mood they had But now

3:03

it's different now. I mostly

3:05

just feel them like pressure

3:07

in the air or a

3:09

weight behind my eyes

3:11

Sometimes I catch a glimpse, but

3:13

it's rare like a dying

3:16

signal cutting in and out

3:18

It's not something I talk about much because who

3:20

wants to be the freak who

3:22

sees people glow. But

3:25

it's important you know this part

3:27

because I think it's why this

3:29

thing saw me. Why it

3:31

chose me. This happened

3:33

about two years ago. I was walking

3:35

home with my two best friends, Ryan

3:37

and Mark. The three of

3:39

us had hung out at this little

3:41

get -together, nothing wild, just talking, playing

3:44

games, whatever. We weren't drinking

3:46

or high or anything like that

3:48

in case you're wondering. We

3:50

were completely sober when it all happened and

3:52

our street, Hollow Street I'll call it, was

3:55

the same boring stretch of pavement

3:57

we'd walked a thousand times before. Nothing

4:00

ever happened there. Until

4:02

that night. We were about

4:04

halfway down the block just getting close to

4:06

Mark's house when we saw it. At

4:09

first I thought it was a cat. A

4:11

lump of something dark sitting right in

4:13

the middle of the road under the streetlight.

4:15

It wasn't moving. and the light

4:17

was flickering just enough to mess

4:19

with my eyes. I remember

4:21

squinting at it, trying to make sense of

4:23

the shape. Maybe a sweater

4:25

someone dropped or a trash bag

4:27

someone forgot to bring in. But

4:30

as we got closer, something

4:32

felt wrong. You

4:35

know that feeling when you walk into a room

4:37

right after two people finished fighting. The

4:40

air's thick like it's holding onto the tension.

4:42

That's what it felt like standing there,

4:44

looking at that thing in the street. The

4:47

closer we got, the heavier the air became. Mark

4:50

was the first to speak. He joked that

4:52

it was probably a raccoon. We

4:54

laughed, but it didn't feel right. The

4:56

laugh just hung there, dead in the

4:58

air, like it didn't belong. And

5:01

then came the sound. I

5:04

can't describe it the way it deserves, but

5:06

I'll try. It was a scream,

5:08

Tony. But not just

5:10

any scream. It was part

5:12

woman, part baby, part animal. High

5:15

pitched and warbling like someone

5:17

was twisting the sound itself

5:19

into knots. It was loud

5:21

enough to make us all jump, and I swear

5:23

to you, when it started, the thing in the

5:25

road shifted. That's when

5:27

I realized Mark wasn't laughing anymore. None

5:30

of us were. And Ryan...

5:32

Ryan just stood there, staring. His

5:35

face was pale and his mouth hung open like

5:38

he was trying to say something, but the

5:40

words got stuck halfway up his throat. I

5:43

should tell you something about Ryan. He's always

5:45

been a little psychic, not like a

5:47

TV psychic, but sensitive. He

5:50

picks up on things the rest of us

5:52

miss. I've seen him know things he

5:54

shouldn't. Little stuff, like who was about

5:56

to call before the phone rang

5:58

or exactly where someone lost their

6:00

keys. It's not a

6:02

party trick. It's just Ryan. And

6:05

that night, Ryan said

6:07

something I'll never forget for as long

6:09

as I live. He whispered, It's

6:11

going to kill us. He

6:14

didn't shout it, he didn't panic, he

6:16

just said it quietly, like he was

6:18

telling me the time. And Tony, when

6:20

someone you trust that much says

6:22

something like that, you believe them. That's

6:25

when Mark bolted. No

6:27

hesitation, no goodbye, just

6:30

gone. I didn't blame him.

6:32

Every part of me wanted to follow

6:34

him, to run until my lungs

6:36

gave out. But Ryan, Ryan

6:39

didn't move. He just kept staring

6:41

at it. And the

6:44

thing... It stood up. I

6:46

say stood up. But that's

6:48

not quite right. It

6:50

unfolded. It stretched itself

6:52

tall, pulling upwards like smoke in

6:54

reverse. Wasn't solid,

6:56

exactly. Its edges

6:59

shimmered, flickering between form and

7:01

nothing like my eyes couldn't decide

7:03

if it was really there. And it

7:05

didn't walk toward us. It glided.

7:07

It was slow. Too slow. Like

7:10

it wanted to savor the fear, like every

7:12

second we stood there made it stronger. I

7:15

wanted to run, but Ryan grabbed

7:17

my arm and hissed, don't move! I

7:20

could barely breathe, but I trusted him, so

7:22

I stood there, heart hammering against my

7:24

ribs. The air

7:26

felt thick, Tony, not cold,

7:28

not hot, just heavy.

7:32

My skin prickled all over like

7:34

static before a storm, and

7:36

somewhere inside me I knew. This

7:39

thing wasn't here by accident.

7:41

It was here for us. That's

7:44

when I realized something else. I

7:46

couldn't see its aura. Everything living,

7:48

everything with energy. It has a

7:50

color, a glow. Even insects

7:52

have this faint shimmer like

7:54

heat rising off pavement. But

7:57

this thing, it was nothing.

8:00

A perfect black hole in the center of

8:02

the world sucking up every bit of

8:04

light and life around it. It

8:06

kept coming. That awful scream

8:08

never stopped. It just faded in and

8:10

out like it was coming from somewhere

8:13

far away and right next to me

8:15

at the same time My legs locked.

8:17

I couldn't run even if I

8:19

wanted to Ryan shook my arm hard

8:21

enough to jolt me loose and that's when

8:24

the anger hit me not just fear

8:26

anger Like this thing had

8:28

no right to be here. No right to

8:30

invade our stupid boring walk

8:32

home I don't know why,

8:34

but I thought of my grandfather.

8:36

He died a few months earlier. He

8:38

was the only person who ever

8:40

really understood my aura thing. I

8:43

whispered his name under my breath, begging

8:45

him to help me to do

8:47

something, anything. And

8:50

Tony, I swear to you, my right hand

8:52

started to glow. It was

8:54

faint at first, just a thin outline

8:56

around my fingers. But the

8:58

longer I stood there, the brighter it got. Pale,

9:02

silvery white, like moonlight poured

9:04

into my skin. I

9:06

could feel it too, a warmth that started

9:08

in my palm and spread up my

9:10

arm straight into my chest. I

9:12

didn't know what I was doing, but I stepped

9:15

forward holding my hand out like some

9:17

idiot trying to stop traffic. The

9:19

thing, whatever it was,

9:21

stopped. It wasn't

9:23

afraid, it wasn't angry,

9:25

it just noticed. Like

9:28

it finally saw me, really saw me.

9:30

And for one terrible second, I

9:32

felt its sea inside me. I

9:35

don't know how long I stood there,

9:37

hand glowing, arm trembling, heart racing. Time

9:40

didn't work right in that moment. It felt

9:42

stretched and crumpled at the same time. But

9:45

I do know this. When that

9:47

thing saw my hand, it didn't come any closer. It

9:49

just hovered there. Maybe 10

9:52

feet away. Close enough

9:54

that I could see the edges of

9:56

it flicker like it couldn't hold itself

9:58

together anymore. The scream

10:00

had stopped, but the silence that

10:02

followed wasn't comforting. It was

10:04

worse. I could hear

10:06

my own breathing, way too loud

10:08

in my ears. Ryan

10:10

whispered my name, but I couldn't

10:12

turn my head. The thing

10:14

was waiting. I could feel that, Tony.

10:17

I wasn't guessing or wondering what I'd do

10:19

next. It knew. It had

10:22

seen inside me, into places I don't

10:24

even go myself. It knew exactly

10:26

how much fear I could take before

10:28

I broke. And I

10:30

could tell it wanted me to break. I

10:33

wish I could say I felt brave that the

10:35

glow in my hand made me feel powerful

10:37

like a hero in a movie. But

10:40

I didn't. I felt like a

10:42

little kid who accidentally kicked a hornet's nest

10:44

and had nothing left to do but wait,

10:46

that's when I did something I still don't

10:48

fully understand. I

10:50

took a step forward. Not because

10:52

I wanted to, but because something

10:55

inside me, something older than

10:57

fear, pushed me. The

10:59

thing flinched just slightly, but

11:02

it was enough. That's when

11:04

I knew it wasn't invincible. I

11:06

don't know if it was instinct or desperation,

11:08

but I raised my hand higher and

11:10

took another step. The glow

11:12

around my fingers brightened and I

11:14

felt this rush of heat pour through

11:17

my chest like someone opened a furnace

11:19

inside me. It wasn't

11:21

mine, Tony. I knew that much. It was

11:23

my grandfather. He was there. I

11:26

don't know how, but I felt him just for

11:28

a second. the weight of his hand over

11:30

mine. The same hand that used

11:32

to ruffle my hair, hold me steady when

11:34

I was learning to walk, and in my

11:36

head, clear as a bell, I heard his

11:38

voice. You stand your ground,

11:40

boy. So

11:42

I did. I took one more step, and

11:45

that was it. The thing

11:47

collapsed inward, like smoke sucked

11:49

down a drain. No flash,

11:51

no explosion, just gone. The

11:54

second it vanished, I felt the heat leave

11:56

my hand. and the glow

11:58

winked out. I stood there shaking,

12:00

empty, the whole street

12:02

spinning around me. Ryan

12:05

grabbed me before I fell, but I

12:07

couldn't even hear what he was saying. The

12:09

air was still thick, like whatever had

12:11

been there hadn't fully left, like

12:13

it was still watching from somewhere just out

12:15

of sight. The next thing

12:17

I remember, I was waking up at home. My

12:20

family was there, Ryan too. They

12:22

told me I passed out right there in the street. Ryan

12:25

had to drag me halfway home until Mark's

12:27

parents came out and helped. I don't

12:29

remember any of that. What I

12:31

do remember is the

12:33

look on Ryan's face when I woke up. He

12:36

wasn't scared anymore. He looked

12:38

angry. Why didn't you

12:40

run? That's the first thing he said. I

12:43

didn't have an answer. I still don't. My

12:45

mom thought I'd had some kind of anxiety

12:47

attack or maybe a seizure. They

12:50

wanted to take me to the hospital, but I refused. How

12:53

do you tell a doctor you passed out because

12:55

you stared down a thing that tried to

12:57

eat your fear? The weirdest

13:00

part The street was

13:02

empty when they found me no

13:04

sign of anything no scorch marks

13:06

no weird stains nothing just me

13:08

out cold on the pavement I

13:10

Tried to forget about it. Tony. I

13:13

really did For a while. I

13:15

almost convinced myself. It was some

13:17

elaborate panic attack a shared hallucination

13:19

between me and Ryan But

13:21

then the watching started

13:24

That's the part I don't talk about not to

13:26

my friends not even to my mom, but I'll tell

13:28

you It's been two years,

13:30

and I still can't sleep

13:32

right Every time I close my eyes. I

13:34

feel like something's standing at the foot of

13:36

my bed not every night, but

13:38

enough Enough that I keep

13:40

a light on even now

13:42

Sometimes I catch movement out of the

13:44

corner of my eye just a flicker

13:47

like someone slipping around a corner right

13:49

before I turn my head I'll

13:51

be brushing my teeth and the

13:53

mirror will bend for a second

13:56

like the glass is rippling underwater

13:58

Then it's normal again and

14:00

the auras They're

14:02

different now Dimmer

14:04

like something rubbed

14:06

them thin People used

14:08

to glow bright blue for

14:10

calm red for angry yellow for

14:12

excited But now they're muted

14:15

almost smudged and every once

14:17

in a while. I'll see a hole

14:19

in someone's aura Just a

14:21

little patch where the colors should be

14:23

but there's nothing Like

14:25

something took a bite out of them like

14:27

I don't know what that thing was

14:29

Tony But I know it saw something in

14:31

me Something I don't

14:34

fully understand And

14:36

I know it's still out there. I

14:38

Can't prove it. I don't have

14:40

video no pictures no evidence

14:42

just a story But I also

14:45

have this a few nights

14:47

ago. I woke up to that scream again Faint

14:50

this time, like it was coming from

14:52

down the block. I sat

14:54

up, heart racing, but the

14:56

street outside my window was empty. No

14:59

shadow, no shape, just

15:01

silence. But here's

15:03

the thing, my right hand was glowing

15:05

again, just for a second,

15:07

just long enough to make me

15:09

wonder if it ever really ended, or

15:11

if this is just the beginning. I

15:15

don't know if you'll believe me, honestly, I wouldn't

15:17

blame you if you didn't. But I

15:19

had to tell someone who understands

15:21

that sometimes the scariest things don't

15:23

live in haunted houses or graveyards.

15:26

Sometimes they're waiting right outside under

15:28

a broken streetlight, just hoping you'll

15:30

come close enough to see them. Signed,

15:34

Danny. You know, stories

15:36

like Danny's always stick with me

15:38

long after the recording ends, not

15:40

because of the jump scares or

15:42

the flashy supernatural moments, but because

15:45

of what's underneath. It's

15:47

never just about the ghost. It's

15:49

about the invitation. See,

15:52

there's something about people like Danny, people

15:54

who are a little more open to

15:56

the world around them. Call it a

15:58

gift. Call it a curse. Either

16:01

way, they shine just a little brighter than

16:03

the rest of us. And if you

16:05

shine bright enough, something is always going to

16:07

notice. Now the rational side of me

16:09

wants to reach for explanations. Sleep

16:11

paralysis. Sure,

16:14

that could account for the sensation of being

16:16

watched at night. Anxiety, maybe

16:18

even PTSD from a traumatic

16:20

encounter. That could explain

16:22

some of the flickering shapes, the distorted

16:24

mirror. Our brains are

16:26

masters at protecting us from what

16:29

we can't handle, even if that means

16:31

rewriting the story until it fits something

16:33

we can explain. But

16:35

then there's the other side of me, the part

16:37

that's heard too many of these stories from

16:39

too many people who have no reason to lie.

16:42

The part that's learned that some

16:44

things don't want to be explained. They

16:47

just want to be noticed. What sticks out to me

16:49

the most is that scream. Sounds

16:51

like that don't come from nowhere. And the

16:53

way Danny describes it, the mix

16:55

of animal, human, and something else, it

16:57

lines up with what's been reported in

16:59

some of the oldest accounts of supernatural

17:01

encounters. In folklore, these things

17:04

are called harbingers. Entities that announce

17:06

themselves not with a whisper, but

17:08

with a wail. A warning that

17:11

something's coming. And then

17:13

there's the aura that flicker

17:15

of protective light Danny saw

17:17

around his hand That's not the

17:19

first time I've heard about something like

17:21

that either whether you believe in

17:23

spirit guides ancestral protection

17:25

or just the raw

17:27

power of belief The fact

17:29

that his grandfather's presence seemed

17:31

to manifest at the exact

17:33

moment He needed it

17:36

most That's hard

17:38

to ignore But here's what

17:40

really unsettles me Danny says

17:42

he won that the thing

17:44

disappeared but did it or

17:46

did it just mark him because

17:48

if it truly wanted to destroy

17:50

him Why wait? Why

17:52

hesitate the moment he showed even

17:54

the faintest flicker of power? Maybe

17:58

it wasn't defeated at all. Maybe

18:00

it was just choosing and

18:03

now It watches

18:05

it waits and

18:07

Danny whether he knows it or not might be part

18:09

of a much larger

18:11

story, one that didn't

18:14

end on Hollow Street, one that's only

18:16

just begun. And if you

18:18

think you're safe because you don't see

18:20

ours or hear voices in the dark, think

18:23

again. Because sometimes it's not

18:25

what you see that matters. It's

18:27

what sees you. That's

18:29

the end of this story. But something

18:31

tells me Danny's story isn't over. Want

18:34

more real ghost stories from real

18:36

people? Then press subscribe

18:38

now. We're dropping new ghost

18:41

stories every single day. This

18:43

is Into the Paranormal with

18:45

Tony Bruski.