# "I delivered pizza to a house I’d never seen. They were wearing my family's faces" Creepypasta

An episode of [CreepsMcPasta Creepypasta Radio](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1492008134), 11 May 2025, 35 min.

Audio: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/66025817/i_delivered_pizza_to_a_house_i_d_never_seen_they_were_wearing_my_family_s_faces_creepypasta.mp3

CREEPYPASTA STORY►by Saint Zander Creepypastas are the campfire tales of the internet. Horror stories spread through Reddit r/nosleep, forums and blogs, rather than word of mouth. Whether you believe these scary stories to be true or not is left to your own discretion and imagination. LISTEN TO CREEPYPASTAS ON THE GO- SPOTIFY► https://open.spotify.com/show/7l0iRPd... iTUNES► https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast... SUGGESTED CREEPYPASTA PLAYLISTS- ►"Good Places to Start"- • "I wasn't careful enough on the deep ... ►"Personal Favourites"- • "I sold my soul for a used dishwasher... ►"Written by me"- • "I've been Blind my Whole Life" Creep... ►"Long Stories"- • Long Stories FOLLOW ME ON- ►Twitter: / creeps_mcpasta ►Instagram: / creepsmcpasta ►Twitch: / creepsmcpasta ►Facebook: / creepsmcpasta CREEPYPASTA MUSIC/ SFX- ►http://bit.ly/Audionic ♪ ►http://bit.ly/Myuusic ♪ ►http://bit.ly/incompt ♪ ►http://bit.ly/EpidemicM ♪ This creepypasta is for entertainment purposes only

## Transcript

[0:01] Speaker 1: The rain had been falling hard for most of the evening,
[0:05] Speaker 1: hammering the wind shield in waves, sweeping sideways. When the
[0:08] Speaker 1: wind picked up, the wipers couldn't keep up. I kept
[0:14] Speaker 1: one hand steady on the wheel while the other balanced
[0:17] Speaker 1: the warm pizza box across my thigh. It had come
[0:21] Speaker 1: from one of those new vending machines set ups. Some
[0:24] Speaker 1: kimmicky start up people had started ordering from. The machines
[0:29] Speaker 1: handled everything order, prep box, and seal. My eyes bounced
[0:36] Speaker 1: between it and the road. I couldn't help wondering what
[0:40] Speaker 1: made this so popular. The car jolted hard over a
[0:45] Speaker 1: speed bump I hadn't seen in the rain, and I
[0:48] Speaker 1: felt something slide off my lap. I looked down. One
[0:54] Speaker 1: of the slices had slipped half way out the box
[0:56] Speaker 1: and landed right across my thigh. I pulled over and
[1:01] Speaker 1: brought the car to a crawl. Glancing down again, my
[1:05] Speaker 1: shirt was soaked in red. I lifted the slice by
[1:09] Speaker 1: the crust, and somehow it looked perfect hardly any saucers
[1:15] Speaker 1: missing from the surface. The rest of it must have
[1:18] Speaker 1: been some excess pulling at the bottom of the box.
[1:22] Speaker 1: It didn't smell like pizza, though, I couldn't tell exactly
[1:27] Speaker 1: what The liquid on me smelled like some weird oil
[1:31] Speaker 1: they used. The sauce hadn't changed the slice's appearance. I
[1:36] Speaker 1: pushed it back in with the others. It looked perfect
[1:40] Speaker 1: to me, so I figured the customers wouldn't complain. I
[1:45] Speaker 1: wiped my fingers against the side of the seat and
[1:48] Speaker 1: closed the box again. I pulled up to the curb
[1:52] Speaker 1: outside the modest two story house, headlights cutting through the
[1:56] Speaker 1: sheets of rain. The windows were forged from the inside.
[2:02] Speaker 1: I grabbed the box, stepped out, shielding it from the
[2:05] Speaker 1: downpoor as best I could, and jogged up to the walkway.
[2:10] Speaker 1: I rang the bell. A second later, a muffled voice
[2:15] Speaker 1: called out from inside Sweet Tea. Just like we practiced,
[2:20] Speaker 1: go get the pizza delivery. The door clicked open. A
[2:28] Speaker 1: little girl stood in the doorway, about seven years old.
[2:32] Speaker 1: Her hair was tied in two loose puffs, pulled back evenly.
[2:37] Speaker 1: One front tooth was missing. She wore a pink hoodie
[2:41] Speaker 1: she'd scribbled on with permanent marker. My arms went slack.
[2:50] Speaker 1: It was my sister. I stepped back once with an
[2:54] Speaker 1: audible gasp, staring. She tilted her head a little and
[2:59] Speaker 1: gave gave me a tiny shrug. Humm. I blinked. The
[3:05] Speaker 1: rain was cold against my collar. My arms moved on
[3:09] Speaker 1: the roan and passed it over. She took it without question,
[3:14] Speaker 1: said thank you with a smile, and shut the door.
[3:20] Speaker 1: I kept standing there, staring at the closed door. That
[3:26] Speaker 1: was her, I was in imagining it. It wasn't someone
[3:30] Speaker 1: who looked similar or reminded me of her. It was her,
[3:36] Speaker 1: from the chipped nail polish on her fingers to the
[3:39] Speaker 1: way she rocked forward slightly on her toes before closing
[3:42] Speaker 1: the door. I bagged down the steps slowly and got
[3:46] Speaker 1: into the car, my hands trembling as they found the
[3:49] Speaker 1: steering wheel. The wet fabric of my shirt clung tighter now,
[3:55] Speaker 1: and I noticed fresh red smears on the upholstery where
[3:58] Speaker 1: I sat. I stared at the house through the windshield.
[4:04] Speaker 1: What the hell did I just see? It was in
[4:08] Speaker 1: a resemblance That was her. I tried forcing logic back
[4:16] Speaker 1: into my head. Maybe she was spending the weekend of
[4:19] Speaker 1: a friend's place and I just delivered to her without
[4:22] Speaker 1: either of us registering what was happening. She could have
[4:26] Speaker 1: been distracted, still, she had stared right into my face,
[4:32] Speaker 1: and I saw no familiarity in her eyes. Surely my
[4:37] Speaker 1: sister would have recognized me. My brain kept whirring in
[4:42] Speaker 1: my head like I'd missed something massive. I gript the
[4:46] Speaker 1: steering wheel harder and muttered to myself. I reached for
[4:51] Speaker 1: my phone and diled my mom If anyone knew where
[4:55] Speaker 1: my sister was, it would be her. It rang, then
[5:01] Speaker 1: rang again. I tapped my foot and looked up at
[5:04] Speaker 1: the house. I hung up, then called again. Still nothing.
[5:13] Speaker 1: My leg bounced harder. I felt the wet fabric shift
[5:17] Speaker 1: under me, sticking to my skin. I leaned my head
[5:21] Speaker 1: back and stared at the ceiling of the car, whispering,
[5:25] Speaker 1: come on, pick up. I dropped the phone onto the
[5:31] Speaker 1: passenger seat and stared at it, then out the window,
[5:35] Speaker 1: then back at the house. This is insane, I said,
[5:40] Speaker 1: under my breath. I can't believe I'm about to do this.
[5:46] Speaker 1: I popped the door and stepped out into the rain.
[5:51] Speaker 1: I didn't go straight to the front door. I walked
[5:54] Speaker 1: around to the side of the house, following the edge
[5:56] Speaker 1: of the hedges until I found a spot where a
[5:59] Speaker 1: curtain and didn't fully cover the window. My shoes were
[6:03] Speaker 1: soaked every step squished, and the cold water crawled up
[6:08] Speaker 1: past my ankles. I just needed to see, just a peek.
[6:16] Speaker 1: I leaned in, squinting through the glass. The inside of
[6:20] Speaker 1: the window was foggy, but I could still make it
[6:23] Speaker 1: out there. I saw my sister again, sitting cross legged
[6:29] Speaker 1: on the carpet with a book spread out in front
[6:31] Speaker 1: of her. But I also noticed my dad sitting at
[6:39] Speaker 1: the table, focused on a newspaper. What looked to be
[6:43] Speaker 1: my mom, No, what was definitely my mom scrolled on
[6:48] Speaker 1: a phone across from him. She was on a phone
[6:52] Speaker 1: right now, but she hadn't picked up my call. The
[6:56] Speaker 1: TV was on low volume, with some cartoon humming in
[7:00] Speaker 1: the background. I pressed my palm flat against the window
[7:04] Speaker 1: and stared harder. That was them, all of them, But
[7:12] Speaker 1: it couldn't be. They were supposed to be at home.
[7:17] Speaker 1: What were they doing here? And if they weren't my family,
[7:22] Speaker 1: who the hell were they? Was there a doppleganger of
[7:26] Speaker 1: me as well? A sound cut through the air so
[7:31] Speaker 1: sharp and sudden I almost fell backward. The dog slammed
[7:36] Speaker 1: against the window, snarling, teeth bared. I hadn't even noticed
[7:41] Speaker 1: her in the room, but now she was up against
[7:44] Speaker 1: the glass, her tail stiff and ears pinned. I stumbled back,
[7:50] Speaker 1: slipping slightly in the wet grass, then turned and ran.
[7:55] Speaker 1: I didn't look back until I was in the car,
[7:58] Speaker 1: slamming the door shut and locking it. It was our
[8:03] Speaker 1: family dog, but I thought she had run away months ago.
[8:09] Speaker 1: My chest heaved, my hands trembled, and the steering wheel.
[8:15] Speaker 1: I drove the whole way home. I tried talking, sensing
[8:20] Speaker 1: to myself, they're just visiting someone, that's all it is.
[8:25] Speaker 1: I don't know. Maybe I forgot. Maybe they told me
[8:28] Speaker 1: and I tuned out. I forced out a laugh. They
[8:33] Speaker 1: don't have to tell me everything. I kept talking, but
[8:39] Speaker 1: the feeling didn't leave. Something was wrong, Something was deeply,
[8:45] Speaker 1: irreversibly wrong. As I pulled into the driveway, the street
[8:54] Speaker 1: lights cast long streaks across the wet road. My parents'
[8:59] Speaker 1: car was already there, sitting where it always did, angled
[9:02] Speaker 1: slightly toward the garage with a front bomperdent I'd seen
[9:06] Speaker 1: a thousand times. I sat for a moment, then stepped
[9:11] Speaker 1: out into the cold and walked up to the door.
[9:16] Speaker 1: The moment I opened it, I saw something. I set
[9:19] Speaker 1: alarm bells off in my head. My dad sneakers with
[9:23] Speaker 1: the grass stains around the soles, my mom's worn flat
[9:27] Speaker 1: and my sister's light velcrows. I shut the door behind
[9:32] Speaker 1: me and called out Mom, no answer, Dad, You're home.
[9:43] Speaker 1: I swallowed hard and moved deeper into the house, each
[9:47] Speaker 1: step slower than the last. I passed the living room
[9:51] Speaker 1: and the kitchen. I turned down the hall and the
[9:54] Speaker 1: master bedroom. The door was shut, but I could hear
[9:59] Speaker 1: the quiet hummer a space eater coming from inside. I
[10:04] Speaker 1: pushed it open just enough to see through the gap.
[10:09] Speaker 1: There were three shapes under the covers, one large figure
[10:13] Speaker 1: on the side, another in the middle, and a smaller
[10:16] Speaker 1: one near the edge. I shut the door gently. So
[10:22] Speaker 1: they'd been here all along, but I'd just seen them.
[10:27] Speaker 1: I'd watched them sitting together at the other house. I
[10:31] Speaker 1: know I hadn't imagined it. But if it wasn't my family,
[10:37] Speaker 1: then who the hell was at the other place. My
[10:41] Speaker 1: thoughts scrambled for answers, but every path hit a wall. Clones,
[10:47] Speaker 1: skin walkers, shape shifters. I wasn't superstitious, but I had
[10:53] Speaker 1: read stories. But those were fiction, weren't they. I lay
[11:00] Speaker 1: with my eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling fan
[11:03] Speaker 1: slowly turning above me. My clothes were still damp with
[11:08] Speaker 1: rain and sauce, and I hadn't changed. I hadn't even
[11:12] Speaker 1: turned off the bedroom light. There was no sleep coming.
[11:17] Speaker 1: I had so many questions I needed answered. I tried
[11:23] Speaker 1: going over every detail. I thought maybe I'd exaggerated it.
[11:28] Speaker 1: I told myself, people can resemble each other more than
[11:31] Speaker 1: you think that. My mind had filled in the gaps
[11:34] Speaker 1: because I was stressed or overworked. But the more I
[11:38] Speaker 1: ran through it, the more certain I became. I didn't
[11:43] Speaker 1: get it wrong. I'd seen my sister. I rolled over
[11:50] Speaker 1: and looked at the clock, and it was still early,
[11:54] Speaker 1: just before five. I got up and grabbed my keys.
[11:59] Speaker 1: I needed to see again, I needed proof. I parked
[12:06] Speaker 1: across the street from the house and killed the engine.
[12:10] Speaker 1: The windows were still dark. The porch light had shut
[12:13] Speaker 1: off with the first rays of sunlight. I reclined slightly
[12:17] Speaker 1: in the seat and waited. Minutes passed, maybe more than
[12:23] Speaker 1: an hour. Then the front door opened. My mom stepped
[12:30] Speaker 1: out first, coats slung over one arm, digging in a
[12:34] Speaker 1: purse for keys. My sister followed behind her, wearing her
[12:39] Speaker 1: school uniform. This couldn't be a coincidence. Now I was
[12:44] Speaker 1: certain the exact same uniform. No way. They got into
[12:52] Speaker 1: their car, and I watched as my mother started driving.
[12:57] Speaker 1: I didn't even realize i'd started the ignition until I
[13:00] Speaker 1: was already following them. I followed them across town, keeping
[13:06] Speaker 1: two cars back so I wouldn't be noticed. They pulled
[13:10] Speaker 1: into the lot of West Grove Elementary, my sister's school.
[13:15] Speaker 1: I recognized the mural on the front wall and the
[13:18] Speaker 1: big plastic tiger near the entrance. I parked across the
[13:23] Speaker 1: street and watched. My mom stepped out first, guiding my
[13:27] Speaker 1: sister with a hand on her back. She adjested her coat,
[13:32] Speaker 1: glanced both ways, and crossed towards the front door. My
[13:37] Speaker 1: sister skipped behind her, bouncing at the sidewalk's edge. They
[13:42] Speaker 1: laughed about something before heading through the main entrance. I
[13:47] Speaker 1: stayed frozen behind the wheel. My hands were locked around it, stiff.
[13:53] Speaker 1: This was really happening. I couldn't wait any more. I
[13:59] Speaker 1: got out and crossed the street. The security officer at
[14:02] Speaker 1: the door didn't stop me. I walked through the main
[14:06] Speaker 1: entrance and straight toward the front desk. The woman sitting
[14:11] Speaker 1: there looked up and offered a polite smile that disappeared
[14:14] Speaker 1: as soon as she saw me. Can I help you,
[14:20] Speaker 1: she asked, voice cautious. I'm trying to find my mom
[14:24] Speaker 1: and sister. They just came in. I saw them walk
[14:27] Speaker 1: through the doors. She hesitated, glanced toward the interior hall,
[14:34] Speaker 1: then back to me. There's a parent student event going
[14:38] Speaker 1: on this morning, a lot of families, I hear right now.
[14:42] Speaker 1: Do you know what classroom they were going to? I
[14:46] Speaker 1: shook my head. I just I need to talk to them.
[14:52] Speaker 1: I'm sure they're here. I saw them come in. Her
[14:56] Speaker 1: eyes flicked down to my shirt. Her lips parted like
[15:00] Speaker 1: she was about to ask something, then stopped herself instead.
[15:06] Speaker 1: She pointed to a small cluster of chairs by the entrance.
[15:11] Speaker 1: You can sit and wait there, if you'd like. I sat.
[15:17] Speaker 1: The seat creaked beneath me, and the smell of industrial
[15:20] Speaker 1: carpet and disinfectant hit my nose. I rested my arms
[15:25] Speaker 1: on my knees and tried to quiet my breathing. My
[15:29] Speaker 1: head ached from how hard I've been clenching my jaw.
[15:34] Speaker 1: The woman at the desk glanced at me again, then
[15:37] Speaker 1: stood and stepped closer, her voice lower, Sorry to bother you,
[15:42] Speaker 1: but what is that on your shirt? I looked down.
[15:49] Speaker 1: The red stains were still smeared across the front, and
[15:52] Speaker 1: sleeves thicker near the bottom. I'd forgotten all about it, Sauce,
[16:01] Speaker 1: I muttered, had a delivery incident. It's nothing, She nodded, unsure.
[16:10] Speaker 1: I leaned back and rubbed my eyes. My thoughts spun
[16:15] Speaker 1: without direction. What was the point of all of this?
[16:20] Speaker 1: Why were these copies even targeting my family specifically? And
[16:25] Speaker 1: more importantly, when was I going to see my own copy?
[16:34] Speaker 1: I was so deep in my train of thought that
[16:36] Speaker 1: I hadn't noticed the flood of parents and children that
[16:39] Speaker 1: had spilled into the front lobby. I got up in
[16:43] Speaker 1: a trance, looking around while tiptoeing trying to find the two.
[16:49] Speaker 1: Then I saw them, my mom guiding my sister by
[16:53] Speaker 1: the hand. They were headed for the exit, her purse
[16:57] Speaker 1: over one shoulder. I had to try calling out to them, ma'am,
[17:03] Speaker 1: I shouted. It didn't seem like they heard me, but
[17:08] Speaker 1: I couldn't quite tell because I was interrupted by a
[17:11] Speaker 1: hand landing on my shoulder. You're right, man, I turned
[17:17] Speaker 1: to see a security guard standing next to me, I
[17:20] Speaker 1: scanning me from head to toe, I haked my arm free.
[17:25] Speaker 1: I'm fine, I just need to talk to them. They
[17:28] Speaker 1: didn't hear me. The guard opened his mouth, probably about
[17:34] Speaker 1: to suggest I calmed down, wait or sign something. I
[17:39] Speaker 1: didn't give him the chance. I stormed out the front door.
[17:45] Speaker 1: The car had already started moving. I sprinted across the lot,
[17:49] Speaker 1: jumped into mine, and cranked the ignition. My tires screeched
[17:54] Speaker 1: against the wet road as I pulled out and began
[17:57] Speaker 1: tailing them. They pulled into the driveway and parked. I
[18:02] Speaker 1: stayed on the opposite side of the street, ducked low
[18:05] Speaker 1: behind my steering wheel. My mom stepped out and my
[18:10] Speaker 1: sister followed. The front door opened and my dad appeared
[18:14] Speaker 1: in his work uniform. I was on the cusper, losing
[18:18] Speaker 1: my mind. Every time I tried rationalizing what was happening,
[18:24] Speaker 1: I got hit with another slap in the face. He smiled,
[18:29] Speaker 1: walked down the steps, wrapped my mom in a brief hug,
[18:32] Speaker 1: kissed the forehead, and knelt and patted the dog barreling
[18:36] Speaker 1: out behind him. They all walked inside together, the door
[18:41] Speaker 1: shut behind them. I stared at the house with my
[18:46] Speaker 1: hands frozen. At ten and two, I had seen them
[18:52] Speaker 1: all of them but me. The sun had begun to dip.
[18:59] Speaker 1: By the time the front door opened again, I had
[19:02] Speaker 1: been watching for hours, parked down the street, barely blinking.
[19:07] Speaker 1: My legs were sore from sitting. My stomach had long
[19:10] Speaker 1: since given up asking for food. They all stepped out
[19:17] Speaker 1: of the house together. My mom locked the door behind her,
[19:21] Speaker 1: dropped the keys into a purse, and got into the car.
[19:26] Speaker 1: They pulled away without a glance behind them. I waited
[19:30] Speaker 1: until they turned the corner. Then I stepped out of
[19:34] Speaker 1: my car. I passed the front door and rounded the house,
[19:39] Speaker 1: stepping over weeds and bits of rotted mulch. My hand
[19:43] Speaker 1: trembled as I reached for the back door. I tried
[19:47] Speaker 1: twisting the handle, but it was locked. I stepped back,
[19:52] Speaker 1: scanned the area, found a rock near the edge of
[19:55] Speaker 1: the fence, and hefted it with both hands. My breath
[19:59] Speaker 1: was fast. I raised it and smashed it through the
[20:03] Speaker 1: back window. Glass scattered across the linonium. I cleared the
[20:09] Speaker 1: sharp edges of my forearm, climbed in and landed with
[20:12] Speaker 1: a thud in the kitchen. The moment I landed, I
[20:18] Speaker 1: heard a growl. She stood at the end of the hallway.
[20:22] Speaker 1: Ears pulled tight, tail still, her front paw lifted an
[20:27] Speaker 1: inch off the floor, her body stiff. Hey, I whispered,
[20:34] Speaker 1: it's me. You remember me, right? She growled louder, hackles raised.
[20:42] Speaker 1: It's me, girl, it's me. The dog lunged forward, barking
[20:48] Speaker 1: with a snarl that echoed down the hallway. He barely
[20:52] Speaker 1: managed to raise my arm before she collided with me,
[20:55] Speaker 1: her teeth snapping at my forearm. I twisted and showed
[21:00] Speaker 1: with all my weight, throwing her sideways into the wall.
[21:04] Speaker 1: She yelped as she hid the ground hard. She didn't
[21:07] Speaker 1: move after that, but I checked her chest, still breathing.
[21:14] Speaker 1: I pushed into the living room and tried to steady
[21:16] Speaker 1: my breathing. I moved through the house room by room,
[21:21] Speaker 1: turning over drawers, peeling open photo albums, and flipping through paperwork.
[21:27] Speaker 1: The diplomas were on the wall. Their wedding photo sat
[21:30] Speaker 1: crooked on the dresser. I opened my sister's closet. Her
[21:35] Speaker 1: clothes were exactly as I remembered them. I checked the
[21:39] Speaker 1: drawings taped to a wall in my parents room. I
[21:44] Speaker 1: rifled through the drawers one by one until I hit
[21:47] Speaker 1: the one near the bottom. It stuck a little. When
[21:50] Speaker 1: I pulled it, swollen from humidity. I yanked harder. A
[21:56] Speaker 1: stack of old text documents and receipts billed forward. Beneath them,
[22:01] Speaker 1: Wrapped in a hand towel was a revolver. I unwrapped
[22:07] Speaker 1: it and turned it in my hands. The chamber was empty.
[22:12] Speaker 1: I had come here and prepared if I was about
[22:15] Speaker 1: to meet a group of skin walkers and monsters. I
[22:18] Speaker 1: realized then that I needed a way to defend myself
[22:21] Speaker 1: at the very least. I kept searching, and eventually I
[22:26] Speaker 1: found a box of rounds beneath a row of passports
[22:29] Speaker 1: and family records. I loaded the cylinder, clicking each bullet
[22:34] Speaker 1: into place. Six rounds. I sat on the couch and
[22:40] Speaker 1: stared at the hallway where the dog lay. I just
[22:44] Speaker 1: wanted to end it. I wanted someone to tell me
[22:47] Speaker 1: why this was happening. It was dark by the time
[22:53] Speaker 1: their headlights swept across the wall of the living room.
[22:57] Speaker 1: I turned every light off. I sat in silence, revolver
[23:01] Speaker 1: resting in my lap, heart steady. Now I had been
[23:06] Speaker 1: waiting so long that the silence had begun to settle
[23:09] Speaker 1: around me like furniture. The car door slam shut. The
[23:15] Speaker 1: front door unlocked, swung open, and they entered together, chatting
[23:20] Speaker 1: about something casual. Then they saw the dog. The laughter stopped.
[23:29] Speaker 1: My mom dropped her purse. They ran forward, crouching down,
[23:34] Speaker 1: reaching for her. My sister gasped and pressed herself against
[23:38] Speaker 1: the wall. That's when I stepped forward from the hallway.
[23:44] Speaker 1: They turned as one. I lifted the revolver and cocked it.
[23:52] Speaker 1: They froze. My dad raised his hands slowly. My mom
[23:57] Speaker 1: didn't move. My sister stared at me with her eyes
[24:01] Speaker 1: wide and wet. I didn't blink. Who are you? We
[24:08] Speaker 1: all asked at the same time. I didn't answer, and
[24:13] Speaker 1: they didn't either. I waved the gun around. I asked
[24:18] Speaker 1: the questions. I corrected my posture. Why are you copying
[24:24] Speaker 1: my family? Still nothing? I saw you all here, I said.
[24:32] Speaker 1: I delivered that stupid Peter here and saw my little
[24:35] Speaker 1: sister and my entire family in this home. But I
[24:38] Speaker 1: saw them my family back home, lying in bed. So
[24:44] Speaker 1: who are you people? Why is there no copy of me?
[24:48] Speaker 1: Am I not good enough? My voice cracked at the end,
[24:53] Speaker 1: but I swallowed it back. You're not them. My dad
[24:59] Speaker 1: started to say something low and even don't, I said,
[25:05] Speaker 1: don't start acting now. I reached into my coat pocket
[25:10] Speaker 1: and pulled out the roll of duct tape i'd brought
[25:13] Speaker 1: from the kitchen drawer. I tossed it across the room.
[25:17] Speaker 1: He bounced once, then stopped near my dad's foot. Start
[25:22] Speaker 1: tying all of you arms, legs. Don't test me. My
[25:29] Speaker 1: sister started crying. My mom didn't move and to my dad.
[25:34] Speaker 1: Knelt and began wrapping her wrist, muttering that everything was
[25:38] Speaker 1: going to be fine, that they'd do what I said.
[25:42] Speaker 1: He woked quickly, quietly, barely looking up. He bound her
[25:48] Speaker 1: ankles next, then moved to my sister, who flinched with
[25:51] Speaker 1: every motion. I tied my father's wrists myself. You're coming
[25:58] Speaker 1: with me, I said, We're going to see the real ones,
[26:02] Speaker 1: the originals. My dad looked up at me, confusion twisting
[26:10] Speaker 1: into fear. I'm going to get my answers. I marched
[26:18] Speaker 1: them outside. The street was empty. I had them walk
[26:23] Speaker 1: in a line, slow and careful. My finger never left
[26:27] Speaker 1: the trigger. I opened the door of the car and
[26:31] Speaker 1: shoved them into the back seat, one at a time.
[26:35] Speaker 1: My sister sat in the middle, wedged between them. Their
[26:38] Speaker 1: faces were tight with panic. My dad tried whispering something
[26:42] Speaker 1: to her. I told him to shut up. I got
[26:47] Speaker 1: behind the wheel and started the engine. I drove toward
[26:53] Speaker 1: my house. My fingers tightened and the wheel with every mile.
[26:57] Speaker 1: My throat was dry and the weight of the revolver
[27:00] Speaker 1: pressed against my thigh. I kept my eyes flickering between
[27:05] Speaker 1: the road and the mirror. We pulled into the driveway.
[27:12] Speaker 1: My hands were shaking on the wheel, slick with sweat,
[27:16] Speaker 1: even though the night air had turned cold. I left
[27:19] Speaker 1: the engine running and stepped out first, keeping the revolver
[27:23] Speaker 1: low but steady. Out I said, voice dry, come on,
[27:30] Speaker 1: let's go. The dad shuffled out of the car slowly.
[27:35] Speaker 1: His hands were still taped, arms held away from his sides,
[27:39] Speaker 1: like he thought any movement might set me off. He
[27:43] Speaker 1: looked at the house for a second, then at me. Look,
[27:49] Speaker 1: he said, trying to meet my eyes. Please just think
[27:53] Speaker 1: about this. You don't have to do any of this.
[27:56] Speaker 1: This is a mistake. You're confused. I can tell I
[28:01] Speaker 1: didn't say anything. He kept going, breath picking up. You said,
[28:07] Speaker 1: we are copies, doppelgangers. What if that's not what this is?
[28:12] Speaker 1: What if you just mix something up? We walked toward
[28:17] Speaker 1: the front steps. I was right behind him. Ah, he stuttered,
[28:23] Speaker 1: if I'm a copy? What's my name? I stopped walking.
[28:31] Speaker 1: The question buzzed in my head, dull and ugly. His name.
[28:38] Speaker 1: I should be easy, I'd said it a thousand times.
[28:42] Speaker 1: I opened my mouth. Your name is? He defensively raised
[28:49] Speaker 1: his arms, awaiting an answer. I raised the gun again.
[28:54] Speaker 1: Shut up, just shut up. You're about to meet them.
[29:00] Speaker 1: Him down the hallway. Every light in the house was off.
[29:04] Speaker 1: I didn't bother with the switches. I just I wanted
[29:08] Speaker 1: to get this over with. They're in there, I said,
[29:13] Speaker 1: the real ones you'll see, and when you do, I
[29:17] Speaker 1: want to hear you say it. I want you to
[29:19] Speaker 1: admit you're a copy. He didn't speak. I reached for
[29:26] Speaker 1: the master bedroom door and pushed it open with a
[29:29] Speaker 1: barrel of the gun. It creaked. The air inside was thicker, warmer. Somehow,
[29:38] Speaker 1: my family was still in there, sleeping. I stepped in
[29:44] Speaker 1: first and flipped the light switch, and then I stopped breathing.
[29:53] Speaker 1: The sheets were stained, dark red splotches soaked through the
[29:56] Speaker 1: fabric and crusted it around the edges. The man behind
[30:00] Speaker 1: me led out a soft, hoarse sound. Why he said,
[30:06] Speaker 1: voice breaking, why are you showing me this? I looked
[30:12] Speaker 1: at him. I didn't speak. I raised the gun and
[30:18] Speaker 1: shot him once in the chest. He dropped to his knees, gasping.
[30:24] Speaker 1: Then I stepped forward, placed the barrel against his head,
[30:28] Speaker 1: then fired again. His body fell sideways under the carpet.
[30:34] Speaker 1: I stood there for a while still. There was noise
[30:38] Speaker 1: in my ears and fan word above us. I didn't
[30:42] Speaker 1: say anything. I just turned around and walked back toward
[30:46] Speaker 1: the door. The rain had returned by the time I
[30:50] Speaker 1: stepped back outside. It drifted over the street in soft sheets,
[30:55] Speaker 1: thin and consistent, slipping into the collar of my shirt.
[30:59] Speaker 1: As I crossed the yard, the sidewalk glistened beneath the
[31:03] Speaker 1: street light, puddles gathering in the same uneven cracks that
[31:07] Speaker 1: had always been there. I walked toward the car with
[31:11] Speaker 1: the revolver down at my side. My mom sat rigid,
[31:16] Speaker 1: mouth sealed beneath the tape, eyes locked on the door
[31:20] Speaker 1: of the house. The sister sat next to her, shoulders trembling,
[31:25] Speaker 1: hands pinned in a lap with the tape still tied
[31:28] Speaker 1: across a wrist. Their faces were red from crying. They
[31:33] Speaker 1: had seen the flashes through the window. They knew. I
[31:41] Speaker 1: stood there for a moment. No one said anything. I
[31:47] Speaker 1: opened the driver's side door and looked at them. My
[31:51] Speaker 1: mom's eyes flicked to mine. Her head shook slightly just once.
[31:58] Speaker 1: I raised the gun and fired. The bullets struck her
[32:05] Speaker 1: just beneath the left eye. Her head jerked back and
[32:09] Speaker 1: smack the seat with a dull thud. Blood sprayed the
[32:12] Speaker 1: inside of the window and rolled in slow streaks down
[32:15] Speaker 1: the side of her cheek. My sister screamed against the tape.
[32:20] Speaker 1: She writhed sideways, twisting as far as the restraints let
[32:24] Speaker 1: her move. Her knees kicked to the dashboard. She tried
[32:28] Speaker 1: to turn away. I walked around the car. Her eyes
[32:32] Speaker 1: met mine through the side window. I opened the passenger door.
[32:38] Speaker 1: She tried to speak, her voice caught behind the lays
[32:41] Speaker 1: of tape and panic. I raised the gun again and
[32:45] Speaker 1: fired twice into her chest. Her body slammed back against
[32:50] Speaker 1: the seat, then folded sideways. The screams stopped. Blood soaked
[32:57] Speaker 1: through a shirt, soaking into the seat be lower. One
[33:01] Speaker 1: of her arms dropped loose at the elbow, limp over
[33:04] Speaker 1: the edge of the cushion. I stood there, staring at
[33:09] Speaker 1: the mess for a long time. My arm trembled beneath
[33:15] Speaker 1: the weight of the gun. I let it drop to
[33:17] Speaker 1: my side and stepped back from the car, breathing through
[33:21] Speaker 1: my mouth. The rain hadn't let up. I turned and
[33:28] Speaker 1: walked back inside. My shoes left a trail across the
[33:33] Speaker 1: tiles in the entryway. The copper smell inside had grown stronger.
[33:38] Speaker 1: It crawled into my nose, into my throat, and settled there.
[33:43] Speaker 1: I sat down on the couch. The revolver clacked as
[33:47] Speaker 1: I placed it on the table in front of me.
[33:50] Speaker 1: I leaned back and stared at the wall. My hands
[33:54] Speaker 1: rested in my lap. I could still feel the recail
[33:58] Speaker 1: in my fingers. Minutes passed, maybe more, and then far
[34:05] Speaker 1: off I heard sirens. They were coming. I looked at
[34:14] Speaker 1: the revolver again. One shot left.

Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them.