# Most Disturbing 5 True Dunkin Donuts Horror Stories For Sleep That’ll Keep You Awake!

An episode of [AfterDark Reddits](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1896809423), 14 Oct 2026, 33 min.

Audio: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74987432/utf_8_q_078_most_disturbing_5_true_dunkin_donuts_horro_utf_8_q_r_stories_for_sleep_5f_that_e2_80_99ll_keep_you_awake_m4a.mp3



## Transcript

[0:05] Speaker 1: Hi, my name's Jace, and this is a story I'll
[0:07] Speaker 1: never forget. It all started when I got my first
[0:10] Speaker 1: job at Dunkin' Donuts. I was excited, but also a
[0:14] Speaker 1: little nervous. On my first night shift, I was left
[0:17] Speaker 1: in charge of the entire store. I thought it would
[0:20] Speaker 1: be easy. How hard could it be to sell donuts
[0:22] Speaker 1: and coffee? It was a quiet night. The store was
[0:26] Speaker 1: bright inside, but outside, the parking lot was almost completely dark,
[0:31] Speaker 1: except for one flickering streetlight. The only car there was
[0:34] Speaker 1: an old, rusty red pickup truck that had been parked
[0:37] Speaker 1: all night. Nobody came in for hours, so I sat
[0:40] Speaker 1: behind the counter, scrolling on my phone. But something felt weird.
[0:46] Speaker 1: The air felt heavy, and the lights buzzed louder than usual.
[0:51] Speaker 1: Every time the coffee machine clicked or the refrigerator hummed,
[0:54] Speaker 1: I jumped a little. Stop being silly, Jace, I whispered
[0:59] Speaker 1: to myself. Then... At exactly 1.58 AM, the little bell
[1:05] Speaker 1: above the door rang. Someone walked in. The man was
[1:09] Speaker 1: tall and skinny and his clothes were soaking wet, dripping
[1:12] Speaker 1: water onto the floor. It hadn't rained all day, so
[1:16] Speaker 1: I thought, where did this guy come from? He walked
[1:20] Speaker 1: up to the counter, his wet boots squeaking on the
[1:23] Speaker 1: tile floor. He smiled at me, but his smile didn't
[1:26] Speaker 1: feel right. His teeth were sharp and shiny like the
[1:29] Speaker 1: edge of a knife. I froze for a second. Black coffee,
[1:34] Speaker 1: he said, his voice sounding scratchy, like he had a
[1:37] Speaker 1: sore throat. I nodded and quickly made his coffee. My
[1:42] Speaker 1: hands were shaking as I handed him the cup. When
[1:45] Speaker 1: his hand touched mine, it was freezing cold, like he
[1:48] Speaker 1: had been holding snow. His eyes, bright and strange, stared
[1:52] Speaker 1: into mine. You should leave this place, he said quietly.
[1:58] Speaker 1: His voice sounded more serious now. What? I asked, but
[2:03] Speaker 1: he just smiled again, turned, and walked out. I ran
[2:07] Speaker 1: to the window to watch him leave, but he wasn't there.
[2:11] Speaker 1: The parking lot was empty. The truck was still there,
[2:13] Speaker 1: but the man had vanished. I stood there for a
[2:16] Speaker 1: long time, staring at the empty parking lot. My hands
[2:19] Speaker 1: felt clammy, and my heart was racing. I rubbed my eyes,
[2:23] Speaker 1: wondering if I had just imagined the whole thing. When
[2:27] Speaker 1: I went back to the counter, I saw the coffee
[2:29] Speaker 1: cup sitting there. It was the one I had just
[2:31] Speaker 1: handed the man, but it was untouched. Steam rose from it,
[2:35] Speaker 1: swirling in the air, even though it had been a
[2:37] Speaker 1: few minutes since I poured it. I picked it up
[2:40] Speaker 1: and checked the security footage. I wanted to see if
[2:43] Speaker 1: the man had somehow slipped out of view. As I
[2:47] Speaker 1: rewound the tape, my stomach flipped. On the screen, there
[2:51] Speaker 1: was no man. There was no one walking into the store,
[2:55] Speaker 1: no bell ringing, and no boots squeaking on the floor.
[2:59] Speaker 1: The footage showed just me, standing at the counter, holding
[3:02] Speaker 1: the cup and talking. To nothing. I dropped the cup,
[3:07] Speaker 1: and coffee splashed everywhere. My hands were shaking so much
[3:10] Speaker 1: I couldn't clean it up. I wanted to call someone,
[3:13] Speaker 1: but it was late, and I didn't want to sound crazy. Instead,
[3:18] Speaker 1: I sat there, staring at the counter and waiting for
[3:20] Speaker 1: my shift to end. The next night, I told myself
[3:25] Speaker 1: I was overthinking. I convinced myself it was just my imagination.
[3:30] Speaker 1: But things got stranger. It was another quiet shift, and
[3:33] Speaker 1: the parking lot looked the same as before. The old
[3:36] Speaker 1: red truck was still there, parked in the same spot,
[3:39] Speaker 1: even though no one had ever gotten in or out
[3:41] Speaker 1: of it. Around 2 a.m., I went to wipe the
[3:44] Speaker 1: glass doors at the entrance. As I sprayed the cleaner,
[3:47] Speaker 1: I noticed something. There were fingerprints smeared across the glass, long,
[3:52] Speaker 1: skinny ones that didn't look human. They weren't there earlier.
[3:56] Speaker 1: I leaned closer to the glass and realized the smudges
[3:59] Speaker 1: formed a word. Leave. I stepped back, my heart pounding.
[4:06] Speaker 1: My breath fogged up the glass and I turned around quickly,
[4:09] Speaker 1: thinking someone was behind me. The store was empty, but
[4:13] Speaker 1: I could feel... something. It was like I wasn't alone.
[4:18] Speaker 1: Is someone here? I called out, my voice shaky. The
[4:22] Speaker 1: lights flickered once, twice, and then stayed on. I couldn't
[4:26] Speaker 1: take it anymore. I needed answers. That old truck in
[4:30] Speaker 1: the parking lot had been bothering me for days, so
[4:32] Speaker 1: I decided to check it out. After locking the store,
[4:36] Speaker 1: I grabbed my phone and walked outside. The night air
[4:39] Speaker 1: was cold, and everything was quiet. The truck looked even
[4:43] Speaker 1: older up close. Its windows were foggy, and the red
[4:46] Speaker 1: paint was peeling. I peered inside, cupping my hands against
[4:50] Speaker 1: the glass. At first, I didn't see much, just an
[4:53] Speaker 1: empty seat. But then I saw something on the dashboard.
[4:57] Speaker 1: A photo. It was a picture of me. My stomach
[5:01] Speaker 1: turned and I stumbled back. That's when I heard the
[5:04] Speaker 1: door of the truck creak open. I froze as a
[5:07] Speaker 1: shadowy figure stepped out. It was the man from the
[5:10] Speaker 1: night before, his wet clothes dripping onto the asphalt. You
[5:14] Speaker 1: didn't listen, he said, his voice low and angry. I
[5:18] Speaker 1: ran back into the store, slamming the door behind me.
[5:21] Speaker 1: I locked the doors and grabbed my phone, dialing 911.
[5:25] Speaker 1: My hands were shaking so much that I dropped the phone,
[5:27] Speaker 1: but when I picked it up, there was no signal.
[5:29] Speaker 1: The man was standing outside now, staring at me through
[5:32] Speaker 1: the glass doors. His smile was gone, replaced with a cold,
[5:36] Speaker 1: angry glare. Suddenly, the lights in the store went out.
[5:40] Speaker 1: The hum of the machines stopped and everything was silent.
[5:44] Speaker 1: The man raised his hand and pointed at me, mouthing
[5:46] Speaker 1: the words, LEAVE. I grabbed my bag and ran out
[5:50] Speaker 1: the back door, not stopping until I was far away
[5:53] Speaker 1: from the store. The next morning, I called my manager
[5:56] Speaker 1: to quit, but when I told her what happened, she
[5:59] Speaker 1: was quiet for a moment. You're not the first, she
[6:03] Speaker 1: said softly, and you won't be the last. That Dunkin'
[6:07] Speaker 1: Donuts closed a month later. No one ever explained why,
[6:12] Speaker 1: but I'll never forget the warning. Some places aren't safe,
[6:15] Speaker 1: no matter how ordinary they seem. Hi, I'm Harry. I
[6:29] Speaker 1: work the night shift at Dunkin' Donuts, the one just
[6:32] Speaker 1: off Maple Street. Most nights, it's quiet. Just me, the
[6:36] Speaker 1: hum of the coffee machines, and a few late-night customers
[6:39] Speaker 1: grabbing donuts. But this one night was... different. It started
[6:44] Speaker 1: with a delivery. It wasn't unusual for trucks to drop
[6:47] Speaker 1: off supplies late at night, but this time, the delivery
[6:50] Speaker 1: guy didn't stick around. He left a single, small box
[6:53] Speaker 1: on the counter, nodded at me without a word, and
[6:56] Speaker 1: walked out before I could even ask for a receipt.
[6:59] Speaker 1: The box was odd. It was wrapped in brown paper,
[7:02] Speaker 1: tied with string, and sealed with thick red wax. It
[7:06] Speaker 1: wasn't marked with a label, so I had no idea
[7:09] Speaker 1: where it came from. When I leaned in to check
[7:11] Speaker 1: it out, I heard something faint. It was like a whisper,
[7:16] Speaker 1: but I couldn't tell what it was saying. At first,
[7:18] Speaker 1: I thought it was my imagination. I chuckled to myself
[7:22] Speaker 1: and slid the box onto the counter. thinking maybe it
[7:25] Speaker 1: was a prank or something someone forgot to deliver earlier.
[7:29] Speaker 1: But as the night dragged on, I couldn't stop thinking
[7:32] Speaker 1: about it. What was in the box? And why did
[7:35] Speaker 1: it feel like it was... calling to me? I decided
[7:40] Speaker 1: to leave it for the morning shift. Let someone else
[7:43] Speaker 1: deal with the mystery. But when the next night rolled around,
[7:46] Speaker 1: there was another box. Same size, same whispering sound. This
[7:52] Speaker 1: time I couldn't ignore it. Something strange was going on,
[7:56] Speaker 1: and I was about to find out what. The second
[7:59] Speaker 1: box showed up exactly at midnight, just like the first.
[8:03] Speaker 1: The delivery guy left without a word. I watched him
[8:06] Speaker 1: drive off, my heart thudding in my chest. It was
[8:10] Speaker 1: almost like he was in a hurry to leave, like
[8:12] Speaker 1: he didn't want to stick around for whatever was about
[8:14] Speaker 1: to happen. I stared at the box for what felt
[8:17] Speaker 1: like hours before finally giving in. I grabbed a knife
[8:20] Speaker 1: from the counter and carefully cut the strings. The wax
[8:23] Speaker 1: seal broke with a soft snap, and the whispers stopped.
[8:28] Speaker 1: For a second I thought it was empty, but then
[8:30] Speaker 1: I saw what was inside. It was... a heart. A real,
[8:36] Speaker 1: bloody heart. It sat on a piece of old parchment
[8:40] Speaker 1: covered in strange writing I couldn't read. The smell hit
[8:44] Speaker 1: me next. Iron and something musty, like the box had
[8:47] Speaker 1: been buried for years. My stomach turned, and I almost
[8:51] Speaker 1: threw up right there. I wanted to call the police,
[8:54] Speaker 1: but I didn't even know how to explain it. Hi, officer.
[8:57] Speaker 1: Someone delivered a heart to Dunkin' Donuts. Yeah, right. They'd
[9:02] Speaker 1: think I was crazy. Instead, I shoved the box into
[9:05] Speaker 1: the back room and tried to pretend it hadn't happened.
[9:09] Speaker 1: But I couldn't stop thinking about it. Who sent it?
[9:13] Speaker 1: Why here? And whose heart was it? As the night
[9:17] Speaker 1: went on, I kept hearing whispers, even though the box
[9:20] Speaker 1: was out of sight. It felt like the walls were
[9:23] Speaker 1: watching me, like something was waiting for me to do. Something.
[9:28] Speaker 1: The next morning, I was scrolling through my phone when
[9:31] Speaker 1: I saw the news. Local Dunkin' Donuts employee missing after
[9:35] Speaker 1: night shift. My stomach dropped. The article said her name
[9:39] Speaker 1: was Lily, and she hadn't made it home after her
[9:42] Speaker 1: shift the night before. Lily worked the same shift as me,
[9:45] Speaker 1: but on different nights. She was always smiling, always laughing.
[9:51] Speaker 1: I couldn't believe she was gone. And then I thought
[9:54] Speaker 1: about the box. The heart. Could it have been hers?
[9:59] Speaker 1: I couldn't shake the thought. feeling that the two were
[10:01] Speaker 1: connected i asked my manager about lily trying not to
[10:05] Speaker 1: sound too suspicious she was a good kid he said
[10:09] Speaker 1: shaking his head but weird things happen around here sometimes
[10:14] Speaker 1: you've probably heard the stories what stories i asked but
[10:19] Speaker 1: he just gave me a look and walked away. That night,
[10:23] Speaker 1: I stayed late, hoping to find some answers. As the
[10:27] Speaker 1: clock struck midnight, I waited by the counter, but no
[10:30] Speaker 1: delivery guy showed up. Instead, I heard a faint sound
[10:34] Speaker 1: coming from the back room. It was the same whispering,
[10:37] Speaker 1: only louder this time. I grabbed a flashlight and headed
[10:41] Speaker 1: back there, my hands shaking. The whispers seemed to be
[10:44] Speaker 1: coming from behind a stack of boxes. When I pushed
[10:47] Speaker 1: them aside, I saw it. a door I'd never noticed before.
[10:51] Speaker 1: It was small, hidden, and looked like it hadn't been
[10:54] Speaker 1: opened in years. I don't know what made me open
[10:56] Speaker 1: that door. Maybe it was curiosity, or maybe it was
[10:59] Speaker 1: something else, something pulling me toward it. The door creaked open,
[11:04] Speaker 1: and a cold draft hit my face. The room was dark,
[11:08] Speaker 1: but when I stepped inside and shined my flashlight around,
[11:11] Speaker 1: I froze. In the middle of the room was a table.
[11:15] Speaker 1: It was covered in candles, all burned down to stubs.
[11:19] Speaker 1: Symbols were drawn on the table in what looked like chalk,
[11:22] Speaker 1: and in the center was a photo of Lily. Around
[11:25] Speaker 1: the photo were strange markings, the same kind I'd seen
[11:28] Speaker 1: on the parchment in the box. I felt sick. My
[11:32] Speaker 1: legs felt like they were going to give out. I
[11:34] Speaker 1: wanted to run, but I couldn't. That's when I heard it.
[11:38] Speaker 1: A low, raspy voice coming from the shadows. You shouldn't
[11:42] Speaker 1: have opened the box. I spun around, but no one
[11:45] Speaker 1: was there. The voice came again, louder this time. You're next.
[11:51] Speaker 1: The door slammed shut behind me, and the room went
[11:53] Speaker 1: pitch black. I screamed, banging on the door, but it
[11:57] Speaker 1: wouldn't budge. The whispers grew louder, surrounding me, filling my head. Then,
[12:02] Speaker 1: everything went silent. When I woke up, I was back
[12:06] Speaker 1: at the counter as if nothing had happened. The store
[12:09] Speaker 1: was quiet, the lights humming softly. I thought maybe it
[12:13] Speaker 1: had all been a dream, but then I saw it.
[12:15] Speaker 1: The box. It was sitting on the counter, tied with
[12:18] Speaker 1: string and sealed with wax. My name was written on
[12:21] Speaker 1: the top in bold, black letters. I didn't want to
[12:25] Speaker 1: open it. I wanted to throw it away to run
[12:27] Speaker 1: and never look back. But I couldn't. My hands moved
[12:31] Speaker 1: on their own, breaking the seal and lifting the lid.
[12:35] Speaker 1: Inside was a photo of me, surrounded by the same
[12:38] Speaker 1: strange markings. Beneath it was another piece of parchment with
[12:42] Speaker 1: a single word written on it. Run. I didn't wait.
[12:47] Speaker 1: I grabbed my stuff and bolted out the door, never
[12:49] Speaker 1: looking back. I quit the next day, and I've never
[12:53] Speaker 1: been back to that Dunkin' Donuts since. But sometimes, late
[12:57] Speaker 1: at night, I think I hear whispers, and I wonder
[12:59] Speaker 1: if I really escaped, or if the next box is
[13:02] Speaker 1: just waiting for me to let my guard down. Hi,
[13:12] Speaker 1: I'm Harrison, and I work at a Dunkin' Donuts down
[13:14] Speaker 1: on 5th Avenue. It's one of those 24-hour shops where
[13:18] Speaker 1: people come in for their late-night cravings or grab coffee
[13:21] Speaker 1: before they head to work. It's a pretty quiet job,
[13:24] Speaker 1: mostly just me and my co-worker Emma on the night shift.
[13:28] Speaker 1: Emma's been working here for a while, and she always
[13:30] Speaker 1: has this strange look in her eyes when she talks
[13:32] Speaker 1: about the building. You've heard the stories, right? She asked
[13:37] Speaker 1: me on my first night, her voice low like she
[13:40] Speaker 1: didn't want anyone else to hear. I had no idea
[13:43] Speaker 1: what she was talking about. The stairwell, she whispered. Don't
[13:48] Speaker 1: go near it. The elevator works fine. Just use that.
[13:53] Speaker 1: But the stairwell. She shuddered and trailed off. What's wrong
[13:59] Speaker 1: with the stairwell? I asked, half joking. Emma looked at
[14:03] Speaker 1: me for a long time, like she was deciding whether
[14:06] Speaker 1: to tell me. Then she sighed, shaking her head. Just
[14:11] Speaker 1: trust me. You'll see. I didn't think much of it
[14:15] Speaker 1: at the time. I figured it was just a silly superstition.
[14:19] Speaker 1: After all, it was just an old office building, right?
[14:22] Speaker 1: But the more she said it, the more curious I became.
[14:26] Speaker 1: There was something about the way she said it, like
[14:29] Speaker 1: she knew something I didn't. Little did I know, my
[14:32] Speaker 1: curiosity was about to get me into something far darker
[14:35] Speaker 1: than I could have ever imagined. It was my third
[14:38] Speaker 1: night working the shift. Emma wasn't around. So I was
[14:43] Speaker 1: all alone in the store. The night felt different from usual. Quiet.
[14:49] Speaker 1: Too quiet. The usual hum of the city outside felt muffled,
[14:53] Speaker 1: like everything had slowed down. The lights in the store
[14:57] Speaker 1: flickered a few times, but I figured it was just
[15:00] Speaker 1: the old wiring. I couldn't stop thinking about the stairwell.
[15:04] Speaker 1: Emma's warning kept running through my mind. The elevator works fine.
[15:09] Speaker 1: That's what she always said. But I couldn't help myself.
[15:13] Speaker 1: I needed to see it. After finishing up a few orders,
[15:16] Speaker 1: I told myself it was just a quick look. No
[15:19] Speaker 1: harm in that. I grabbed my flashlight and slipped through
[15:22] Speaker 1: the back door into the hallway of the building. The
[15:25] Speaker 1: elevator was right there, but I ignored it. Instead, I
[15:29] Speaker 1: walked toward the stairwell door, which was almost hidden behind
[15:31] Speaker 1: a stack of cleaning supplies. I turned the handle, and
[15:35] Speaker 1: the door creaked open. A cold breeze hit me, and
[15:39] Speaker 1: I shivered. It didn't feel like a normal stairwell The
[15:43] Speaker 1: air felt heavy, thick, like something was watching me. I
[15:47] Speaker 1: took the first step, then another. The stairs creaked under
[15:50] Speaker 1: my weight, but there was something strange about the sound,
[15:54] Speaker 1: like it was echoing in a way it shouldn't. Just
[15:57] Speaker 1: a quick look, I whispered to myself, but I wasn't
[16:00] Speaker 1: sure why I was trying to reassure myself. The deeper
[16:03] Speaker 1: I went, the colder it got. It wasn't just the temperature,
[16:07] Speaker 1: it felt wrong. The walls of the stairwell were covered
[16:11] Speaker 1: in old, peeling paint. But the further I went down,
[16:14] Speaker 1: the stranger the walls became. At first they were just
[16:17] Speaker 1: plain white, but then I started to see something strange.
[16:22] Speaker 1: The walls were covered in carvings. Faces. Faces twisted in pain.
[16:28] Speaker 1: Their eyes wide with terror. Their mouths open in silent screams.
[16:34] Speaker 1: I stopped, my flashlight trembling in my hand as I
[16:37] Speaker 1: shined it on one of the faces. It looked almost lifelike.
[16:41] Speaker 1: like someone had carved it in the past few hours.
[16:45] Speaker 1: A shiver ran down my spine and I took another step.
[16:48] Speaker 1: The whispers started. At first it was just a faint sound,
[16:52] Speaker 1: something I couldn't quite make out. But then it grew louder, clearer.
[16:57] Speaker 1: It sounded like voices calling my name. Harrison dot dot dot.
[17:03] Speaker 1: I froze. I knew no one else was supposed to
[17:06] Speaker 1: be here. Emma wasn't due back until the morning shift.
[17:09] Speaker 1: and no one else came to the building at this time.
[17:12] Speaker 1: But there it was. Someone, or something, was calling me.
[17:17] Speaker 1: I turned around, but the stairs seemed to stretch up
[17:19] Speaker 1: and down endlessly. No matter how much I climbed or descended,
[17:23] Speaker 1: the landing never appeared. My flashlight flickered and buzzed before
[17:27] Speaker 1: going out completely. Panic rose in my chest. I wanted
[17:31] Speaker 1: to turn back, but I couldn't. My legs moved as
[17:34] Speaker 1: though they had a mind of their own, carrying me
[17:37] Speaker 1: deeper into the darkness. By now I was sure that
[17:39] Speaker 1: this wasn't just a normal stairwell. It was as if
[17:42] Speaker 1: the building itself had decided to trap me. The further
[17:46] Speaker 1: I went, the more the walls seemed to close in.
[17:49] Speaker 1: The faces carved into the walls had changed. They were
[17:52] Speaker 1: no longer just scared. They were angry. Their eyes seemed
[17:57] Speaker 1: to follow me with every step. I began to hear
[18:00] Speaker 1: footsteps behind me, slow and deliberate. I spun around, expecting
[18:05] Speaker 1: to see someone. But there was no one there. just darkness.
[18:11] Speaker 1: The air was so thick I could barely breathe. Harrison
[18:15] Speaker 1: dot dot. This time, the voice was right behind me,
[18:19] Speaker 1: almost whispering in my ear. I could feel the breath
[18:23] Speaker 1: on the back of my neck. I turned quickly, but again,
[18:27] Speaker 1: I saw nothing. My heart pounded in my chest and
[18:30] Speaker 1: I ran down the stairs, desperate to escape. But the
[18:33] Speaker 1: stairs didn't end. The building felt like it was shifting,
[18:37] Speaker 1: like it was pulling me deeper into its heart. The
[18:40] Speaker 1: faces on the walls were now screaming. I could hear
[18:42] Speaker 1: the whispers of people begging for help. I was trapped,
[18:45] Speaker 1: and I realized too late that no one had ever
[18:47] Speaker 1: returned from this place. I don't know how long I've
[18:50] Speaker 1: been in this stairwell. Time doesn't seem to matter here.
[18:54] Speaker 1: Every time I think I'm close to the bottom, I
[18:56] Speaker 1: turn and see the same endless steps stretching upward. The
[18:59] Speaker 1: faces on the walls keep changing. They stare at me
[19:02] Speaker 1: with eyes that seem to know every fear I've ever had.
[19:06] Speaker 1: The whispers are louder now, more desperate. Harrison, help us.
[19:11] Speaker 1: You're one of us now. I finally understand what Emma meant.
[19:16] Speaker 1: The stairwell isn't just part of the building. It's part
[19:19] Speaker 1: of something much older. A place where those who enter
[19:22] Speaker 1: are never meant to leave. And now as I take
[19:25] Speaker 1: my final steps, I know there will be no escape.
[19:29] Speaker 1: The next person who dares to walk through the back
[19:31] Speaker 1: door of Dunkin' Donuts will find the stairwell waiting for them.
[19:35] Speaker 1: Just like it waited for me. And the whispers will
[19:37] Speaker 1: call their name too. My name is Marcos, and I'm
[19:54] Speaker 1: about to tell you something that still gives me chills
[19:56] Speaker 1: every time I think about it. I didn't believe in ghosts, spirits,
[20:00] Speaker 1: or anything supernatural before all of this happened. I just
[20:03] Speaker 1: thought it was all stories, stuff people made up to
[20:06] Speaker 1: scare each other. But that all changed when I started
[20:09] Speaker 1: working at Dunkin' Donuts. It was my first job, and honestly,
[20:14] Speaker 1: I was excited. I loved the idea of being around
[20:17] Speaker 1: coffee and donuts all day, even though it meant working
[20:20] Speaker 1: late hours. I didn't mind. I thought it'd be fun.
[20:22] Speaker 1: but I was wrong. So wrong. I'd only been working
[20:26] Speaker 1: there for a couple of weeks when I first noticed him.
[20:29] Speaker 1: He was always there sitting in the same booth near
[20:31] Speaker 1: the corner, drinking his coffee in complete silence. It was
[20:35] Speaker 1: strange because most people came and went quickly, but not
[20:38] Speaker 1: this man. He sat there for hours, never really speaking
[20:43] Speaker 1: to anyone, just staring into his cup. I started asking
[20:47] Speaker 1: some of the regulars who the man was, but no
[20:49] Speaker 1: one seemed to know much about him. One person, An
[20:53] Speaker 1: older lady who came in every morning told me he'd
[20:56] Speaker 1: been coming there for years. No one knew where he
[20:59] Speaker 1: lived or who he was with, but he was always there,
[21:03] Speaker 1: never missing a night. Something about him didn't sit right
[21:06] Speaker 1: with me. I couldn't put my finger on it, but
[21:09] Speaker 1: it was like he was waiting for something, watching everyone
[21:14] Speaker 1: and everything. Every night I'd look over and see his
[21:17] Speaker 1: dark eyes fixed on his coffee, and it would send
[21:20] Speaker 1: a shiver down my spine. I told myself I was
[21:23] Speaker 1: just imagining things, but deep down, I felt there was
[21:27] Speaker 1: something more to it. Something strange. It was a late
[21:32] Speaker 1: shift on a Thursday when everything changed. I was finishing
[21:36] Speaker 1: up my work, wiping down the counters, getting ready to
[21:38] Speaker 1: close up. The man was there, like usual, sitting in
[21:42] Speaker 1: his corner booth, his cup of coffee untouched for the
[21:45] Speaker 1: last hour. I noticed him staring at me now, more
[21:49] Speaker 1: than usual. It felt like his eyes were burning into me,
[21:52] Speaker 1: following my every move. I tried to ignore him, but
[21:55] Speaker 1: it was hard. The atmosphere in the Duncan felt different
[21:58] Speaker 1: that night. It was quieter than usual, and the lights
[22:02] Speaker 1: flickered every now and then. My manager, Linda, was at
[22:05] Speaker 1: the back cleaning, and I was the only one left
[22:07] Speaker 1: on the floor. It was like the entire world outside
[22:10] Speaker 1: had vanished. The town was asleep, and there I was,
[22:15] Speaker 1: alone with him. I had always been a little scared
[22:18] Speaker 1: of being alone at night in the store. especially since
[22:21] Speaker 1: it was so big and dark when all the lights
[22:23] Speaker 1: were off. But tonight, the fear I felt was stronger.
[22:28] Speaker 1: It was like I was being watched, not just by
[22:31] Speaker 1: the man, but by something else. I couldn't explain it.
[22:35] Speaker 1: As I cleaned the tables near his booth, I finally
[22:38] Speaker 1: worked up the nerve to speak to him. I asked,
[22:41] Speaker 1: Are you going to finish that? He didn't reply. His hands,
[22:45] Speaker 1: shaking slightly, just gripped the coffee cup. staring at it
[22:49] Speaker 1: like it held the answers to every question in the world.
[22:52] Speaker 1: It was then that I started to feel a strange unease.
[22:56] Speaker 1: What was this man waiting for? That night, after closing
[23:00] Speaker 1: the store, I decided I was going to find out
[23:02] Speaker 1: what was going on with him. I waited until Linda left,
[23:06] Speaker 1: then stayed behind, pretending to clean up more. It was
[23:10] Speaker 1: a risky decision, but I needed answers. I had this
[23:14] Speaker 1: nagging feeling that something was wrong and I couldn't shake it.
[23:18] Speaker 1: The man was still sitting there when everyone else had left.
[23:21] Speaker 1: He was staring at the coffee again, his fingers twitching.
[23:26] Speaker 1: I stepped closer, my heart pounding in my chest. My
[23:30] Speaker 1: footsteps were so loud in the empty diner like they
[23:32] Speaker 1: echoed all around. When I got to the booth, I
[23:36] Speaker 1: asked him, Why are you always here? What are you
[23:39] Speaker 1: waiting for? For the first time, he looked up at me.
[23:44] Speaker 1: His eyes were dark, almost too dark. They looked empty,
[23:49] Speaker 1: like there was nothing inside him. But then, a small,
[23:52] Speaker 1: twisted smile crept across his face. He whispered, You'll see
[23:57] Speaker 1: soon enough. I didn't know what to say. His voice
[24:01] Speaker 1: sounded so... hollow. It sent a cold shiver through me.
[24:06] Speaker 1: My hands were shaking as I backed away from him,
[24:09] Speaker 1: but as I turned to leave, I noticed something strange.
[24:13] Speaker 1: The air around me felt colder, and the lights flickered again,
[24:16] Speaker 1: this time longer. until the whole place went pitch black.
[24:20] Speaker 1: I froze. The only light left came from the street outside,
[24:24] Speaker 1: casting long shadows through the windows. I could feel something
[24:27] Speaker 1: else in the room, something unseen, watching. When the lights
[24:32] Speaker 1: finally flickered back on, the man was gone. I looked
[24:35] Speaker 1: around frantically, but there was no sign of him. He
[24:38] Speaker 1: had just vanished, like he had never been there. My
[24:42] Speaker 1: heart raced as I tried to gather myself, telling myself
[24:45] Speaker 1: it was just my imagination. Maybe I had been too
[24:48] Speaker 1: tired from working. But then, something caught my eye. On
[24:54] Speaker 1: the table where the man had been sitting, there was
[24:56] Speaker 1: a napkin. It wasn't there before I was sure of it.
[25:01] Speaker 1: I picked it up, my hands trembling. There was a
[25:04] Speaker 1: message written in red, as if someone had used a
[25:07] Speaker 1: marker to scribble it quickly. It read, You never leave.
[25:12] Speaker 1: I felt my stomach drop. I looked around the empty diner.
[25:16] Speaker 1: My breath coming in short gasps. What did it mean?
[25:21] Speaker 1: Why would he leave this for me? I had to
[25:24] Speaker 1: get out of there. I quickly grabbed my stuff and
[25:27] Speaker 1: locked up the doors. The message haunted me as I
[25:30] Speaker 1: walked home that night. My mind racing with possibilities. Who
[25:35] Speaker 1: was this man? What did he want with me? The
[25:38] Speaker 1: next morning I woke up to a strange news article.
[25:42] Speaker 1: A report about a man who had been found dead
[25:44] Speaker 1: in the Dunkin' Donuts parking lot. It wasn't just any man.
[25:49] Speaker 1: It was the same man I had seen every night.
[25:52] Speaker 1: The article said he had been a regular at the store,
[25:55] Speaker 1: a customer who had died years ago in a tragic accident.
[25:59] Speaker 1: But here's the thing. No one had ever known exactly
[26:02] Speaker 1: how he died or when. His death was shrouded in mystery.
[26:07] Speaker 1: And now, with his name coming up again, people were
[26:10] Speaker 1: starting to whisper. I couldn't believe it. How could this
[26:14] Speaker 1: man who had died years ago Still be haunting the Duncan.
[26:18] Speaker 1: Was it possible? Had I somehow been interacting with his
[26:22] Speaker 1: ghost this entire time? My mind raced as I tried
[26:25] Speaker 1: to make sense of it all. The message he left me.
[26:29] Speaker 1: You never leave. Was that a warning? The truth hit
[26:33] Speaker 1: me all at once. That man wasn't just a ghost.
[26:37] Speaker 1: He was stuck. Just like me. Trapped in that same place,
[26:42] Speaker 1: in that same booth. Unable to leave. And now, I
[26:47] Speaker 1: was part of the story. I was the one who
[26:50] Speaker 1: would never leave. Hi, my name's Victor, and I have
[27:00] Speaker 1: a story to tell you that still scares me to
[27:02] Speaker 1: this day. I work as a reporter in a small town,
[27:05] Speaker 1: and recently, something strange started happening. People started disappearing one
[27:10] Speaker 1: by one. At first, it didn't seem that unusual. I mean,
[27:14] Speaker 1: people go missing sometimes, right? But this was different. These
[27:17] Speaker 1: people were all last seen at the same place. The
[27:20] Speaker 1: Dunkin' Donuts down on Maple Street. I knew the place well.
[27:24] Speaker 1: I'd often stop by for coffee during my shifts. But
[27:27] Speaker 1: this was more than just a couple of lost folks.
[27:30] Speaker 1: Something about the way they vanished felt... wrong. I decided
[27:35] Speaker 1: to investigate. As I spoke to more people around town,
[27:39] Speaker 1: they mentioned one thing that stood out. A strange man
[27:42] Speaker 1: who was always lurking in the corner of the Dunkin'.
[27:45] Speaker 1: He never spoke to anyone, just watched the people who
[27:48] Speaker 1: would disappear, his eyes always fixed on them. His smile,
[27:52] Speaker 1: they said, was the creepiest part. It never changed, no
[27:57] Speaker 1: matter who walked in or out. One night I decided
[28:00] Speaker 1: to visit the Dunkin' Donuts myself, hoping to find some answers.
[28:05] Speaker 1: I wasn't sure what I was looking for. Maybe just
[28:07] Speaker 1: to see the place for myself. Maybe to meet this man.
[28:12] Speaker 1: I sat at the counter sipping my coffee, trying not
[28:14] Speaker 1: to look too obvious. The place was quiet and only
[28:18] Speaker 1: a few regulars were around. As I sat there, I
[28:21] Speaker 1: overheard an old man talking to the barista. He seemed
[28:24] Speaker 1: to know everything about the town's strange happenings. Something's not
[28:29] Speaker 1: right about that man, he muttered, his voice low. People
[28:32] Speaker 1: go missing when he's around. You'll see him staring, never blinking,
[28:37] Speaker 1: until they're gone. My heart skipped a beat. This was
[28:41] Speaker 1: exactly what I had heard. I leaned in closer, trying
[28:45] Speaker 1: to catch every word. The old man went on to
[28:48] Speaker 1: explain how he'd seen the strange man multiple times, just
[28:52] Speaker 1: sitting in the corner, staring at people. He was there
[28:56] Speaker 1: the night the last person disappeared. Who is he? I asked,
[29:01] Speaker 1: my voice trembling. The old man just shook his head.
[29:05] Speaker 1: I don't know, kid, but you'd better be careful. He's
[29:09] Speaker 1: always watching. I couldn't shake what I'd learned that night.
[29:13] Speaker 1: The image of the strange man's smile haunted me. I
[29:17] Speaker 1: thought it was just an old man's ramblings. But the
[29:20] Speaker 1: more I thought about it, the more I felt something
[29:23] Speaker 1: was off. Over the next few days I began to
[29:26] Speaker 1: notice something unsettling. I would catch glimpses of a tall
[29:30] Speaker 1: figure standing across the street staring at me. Every time
[29:33] Speaker 1: I passed by, I'd spot him out of the corner
[29:36] Speaker 1: of my eye, standing motionless, always in the same spot
[29:42] Speaker 1: i brushed it off at first telling myself it was
[29:45] Speaker 1: nothing but then i saw him again this time he
[29:48] Speaker 1: was standing outside my office building watching me through the
[29:52] Speaker 1: window i froze my heart pounding in my chest he
[29:57] Speaker 1: didn't move he just stood there smiling at me. The
[30:02] Speaker 1: next night I decided to go for a walk to
[30:04] Speaker 1: clear my head, but as I walked through the empty streets,
[30:08] Speaker 1: I heard footsteps behind me. Slow, deliberate. I turned around,
[30:15] Speaker 1: but no one was there. Just the sound of my
[30:18] Speaker 1: own heart racing. I couldn't shake the feeling that someone
[30:22] Speaker 1: or something was following me. The days went on, and
[30:26] Speaker 1: the encounters with the strange man became more frequent. He
[30:30] Speaker 1: started showing up in places I never expected, outside my
[30:33] Speaker 1: apartment window watching me from across the street while I
[30:35] Speaker 1: walked to work. Every time I looked at him, his
[30:39] Speaker 1: smile seemed wider, more unsettling. It was like he was
[30:43] Speaker 1: enjoying the fear he was causing. I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat.
[30:49] Speaker 1: I felt like I was losing my mind. One night
[30:52] Speaker 1: I went back to Dunkin' Donuts hoping to get some answers.
[30:56] Speaker 1: The lights were dim and the place felt colder than usual.
[31:00] Speaker 1: I didn't see the man right away, but then I
[31:02] Speaker 1: spotted him sitting in his usual corner staring at me.
[31:06] Speaker 1: I walked over to him, my breath coming out in
[31:09] Speaker 1: shaky gasps. What do you want from me? I asked,
[31:14] Speaker 1: my voice barely above a whisper. The man didn't respond.
[31:18] Speaker 1: He just smiled, that same creepy, unblinking smile. And then,
[31:23] Speaker 1: for the first time, his lips moved. You're next. He
[31:28] Speaker 1: said in a voice that sounded like it came from
[31:30] Speaker 1: somewhere deep inside the earth. I froze, unable to move,
[31:35] Speaker 1: my heart pounding. I turned and ran, bursting out the
[31:39] Speaker 1: door into the cold night air. But I could feel
[31:42] Speaker 1: him behind me, his presence growing closer, like he was
[31:45] Speaker 1: right there in the shadows, waiting. I didn't stop running
[31:49] Speaker 1: that night. I didn't stop running for days. The man
[31:52] Speaker 1: with his wide haunting smile followed me wherever I went.
[31:56] Speaker 1: But no matter how fast I ran or where I hid,
[31:59] Speaker 1: he always found me. I couldn't escape him. It was
[32:03] Speaker 1: like he was everywhere. Always just behind me. Always watching.
[32:08] Speaker 1: One day I found myself back at Dunkin' Donuts, standing outside,
[32:12] Speaker 1: staring at the empty store. I had no idea how
[32:16] Speaker 1: I got there or why I felt drawn to it.
[32:18] Speaker 1: But when I stepped inside, I saw him. He was
[32:22] Speaker 1: sitting at his usual corner booth, his eyes locked on mine.
[32:26] Speaker 1: You're here, he whispered, his smile even whiter than before.
[32:31] Speaker 1: And that's when I realized I had become one of them,
[32:35] Speaker 1: just another person trapped in his twisted game. The man
[32:38] Speaker 1: had gotten to me just like he had with everyone before.
[32:42] Speaker 1: And now, I would never leave. The man's smile grew,
[32:48] Speaker 1: and I could feel myself fading, disappearing into the shadows,
[32:52] Speaker 1: just like all the others. That's the last time I'll
[32:55] Speaker 1: ever be seen,

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