Derek Hayes (4:17)

We're of course talking about North Carolina, and each and every one of tonight's submissions take place right there in the old north state. So sit back and enjoy tonight's collection of calls from the state of North Carolina. And to kick things off, we visit with Ryan to hear about a well known North Carolina institution.

Caller (4:44)

Hey, Derek, this is Ryan from Asheville, North Carolina. I'm sure you've heard of the Biltmore estate in Asheville. Pretty famous place. A lot of visitors every year. I actually worked there as a maintenance guy back in 2005, and during the summer they have a summer concert series. During that concert series, we were kind of brought in as like, extra security. You know, there's a lot of people there and things like that. So one of my duties during the concert was to go in the Biltmore house and, you know, make sure nobody had wandered into the house because no one was allowed in the house, you know, during the concert. So it was about, I want to say, midnight, something like that. And I was walking around the Biltmore house, you know, by myself, making sure nobody had wandered in there. Well, I was on the first floor of the Biltmore house. I'm like in the main entranceway and I start hearing what sounds like a fire, like fire popping, like a fireplace. So, you know, I'm just kind of listening to it for a second. Then I start walking down the long tapestry gallery, which actually is a long corridor that you can walk out on the balcony and like, see the mountain things. It's pretty famous for taking pictures and things like that. At the end of the tapestry gallery is the library. So I'm walking down through there and as I get closer to the library, I hear like the fire popping and cracking, like louder and louder. And I know there's, you know, not supposed to be any kind of fire, you know, going or anything in there. So, you know, I'm like, figured you know, somebody's in there, and they're not supposed to. So I walk into the library, and as I walk into the library, I look to the left and there's a man standing there with his back to me, kind of looking at all the books and things. And I actually just kind of froze for a second. He wasn't dressed like, you know, traditional 2005 clothing. He was like a real old Victorian clothing. So I'm like, hey. And he doesn't move. So I say it again. I'm like, hey. I say a little louder. And the second time I say it, he just real slowly turns his head and looks around at me and smiles real big and turns back around. And I'm like, well, this guy ignored me or whatever, you know. I say, what are you doing in here? And he doesn't move. Well, about, you know, three or four seconds go by, he just kind of turns and walks toward the fireplace. And there's this little, like, maintenance closet in the corner of the room, and he just kind of walks toward that room. And as it gets closer and closer to the fireplace beside that room, they just kind of like fades off and disappears. So me freaking out, you know, I kind of walk really fast back toward the front corner or whatever. And the guy I worked with was actually in the front corridor when I got back, and I told him what I'd seen, and he kind of, you know, lashed it off like, you know, I was messing with him or whatever. Boy, it gets even crazier because the next morning, you know, we always had a meeting of a morning kind of go over what we're going to do for the day. I'm telling the guys what I've seen, and, you know, I kind of explained what he looked like and stuff. So another guy I worked with, he brought up a picture and he's like, is this the guy that you see? And I was like, yeah. Oh, my God, that's him. Well, long story short, apparently what I think that I saw was George Vanderbilt, who actually was responsible for building the Biltmore estate. And it just, like, brought complete chills over my body because I got to talking to the guys that do the tour, and apparently the library was George Vanderbilt's favorite place to be. I'm 150% sure that that's what I saw, and it freaked me out at the time. But, you know, now thinking about it, I thought it was pretty cool to be one of the rare ones that actually seen that. But anyway, enjoy the podcast. Keep doing what you're doing. Have a good.

Derek Hayes (9:19)

Thank you Ryan. Now, since I don't believe we've ever covered this place here on the program, the Biltmore Estate in Asheville is the largest private residence in the United States. Construction began in 1889 and finished in 1895 to the tune of $6 million. In 1890s money, that's pushing 200 million present day. Now, the mansion was originally the home of George Vanderbilt ii, his wife Edith, and their only daughter Cornelia. The lavish mansion sits on 8,000 acres of gardens and forest and boasts 250 rooms which include 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, 65 fireplaces, an indoor swimming pool, a gymnasium, and even a bowling alley.

Derek Hayes (10:12)

And the most well known ghost is that of the original owner, George Vanderbilt ii. The very ghost Ryan believes that he saw. And given the legends surrounding this haunting, he might be onto something. Because witnesses have claimed to see George curled up on an oversized chair by the fireplace in his impressive two story library and have heard the disembodied voice of a woman whispering George. In the same location, the exact same location where Ryan had his experience.

Derek Hayes (10:48)

So I agree with you Ryan. You should consider yourself lucky to have had such an experience.

Derek Hayes (10:55)

Now, I don't have exact numbers when it comes to sightings like yours, but I have to imagine they don't happen every day. Thank you again sir for making the call.

Derek Hayes (11:09)

Now, folks, want to return more Tar Heel tales of terror. But first, a quick ad break.

Caller (11:17)

Almost perfect crop.

Derek Hayes (11:20)

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Derek Hayes (12:24)

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Derek Hayes (13:45)

And use code MAU at checkout bambas.com.

Derek Hayes (13:52)

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Derek Hayes (14:03)

Now from the sounds of things, North Carolina is just crawling with ghosts. And if you don't believe me, you can take Ariana's word for it.

Caller (14:14)

Hi Derek, My name is Arianna and I'm calling from Asheville, North Carolina. My story happened when I was about four years old. I grew up in Asheville, North Carolina. But once a year we would go visit my mother's grandmother way up in the mountains of North Carolina. I'm not even sure which town it was because I was so small, but we would go visit her and we would go at the same time as our aunts, uncles, cousins. It would just be a huge family thing and we would go visit her and she lived in a rock house up on a mountain. It was very steep and it was probably there since the 1800s. It was way back in a forest and there was a stream that ran behind her house over to the side a little bit. It kind of ran down the mountain and everybody referred to it as the spring. So I Was always told to stay away from the spring, that I could fall in, that I could hit my head on the rocks, just stay away from it. And I remember one day that my family were all just kind of hanging out. And of course, being a four year old child, I wander off and I'm curious about the spring. So I go straight there and I'm kind of playing around the spring. I'm looking at it. I remember how it kind of ran down the mountain. It made like a little waterfall. Wasn't a very big stream at all, but there were a lot of rocks. And there was a lady that just kind of came out of nowhere, Just a regular lady, an older lady, a very old lady as a matter of fact. And she kind of looked at me and she said, baby, you don't need to play around the spring. Those rocks are slippery and you can fall in the water, you can hit your head. And so I remember thinking, I'm in trouble, she's going to let my parents know. And I just said, okay. I turned around and I went back to my family. Well, over the course of the day I would see the rest of the aunts and uncles and cousins, but I didn't see this older lady. So I kind of told them myself and I asked my mom, I said, well, where's the older lady? And she had no idea what I was talking about. I said, yeah, there was an older lady outside and she still had no idea what I was talking about. And finally I just told her the whole story. I was just really curious about it. Where had she gone? And my mom got really, really excited. I had no idea why. She got out a box of photos. She takes out a photo and she shows me her great grandmother. And I said, yeah, that's her, that's the lady. And she was even wearing the same apron in the picture that she was wearing when I saw her beside the spring. And she just got really, really excited because she knew that it was her great grandmother that I had seen. And my parents had gone there to visit my mom's grandmother every year prior to me being born. And then the four years, you know, after I was born. But later that year my mom's grandmother passed away. So we never went back. She was the only one that lived in the house. I would have to ask my mom what even happened to the house and the land. But I had never gone back. But that was just a really fond memory. But it always stayed with me. Looking back, she did look just like an older lady standing there. There was nothing really off about it, except that she was very pale. And by pale I don't mean her skin is pale, but she was not translucent but very, like faded. She was just really dim. But you could make out, you know, her face and what she was wearing. And obviously she was a person standing there. And she spoke to me, but she was just a little bit lighter than everything around her. So like I said, that was just a really fond memory for me and thank you for letting me share it on your great podcast. Thanks. Have a great day.

Derek Hayes (18:03)

Thank you. Ariana, what an incredible story. Scolded by a ghost. A great grandmother ghost to boot. And I love that the ghost was trying to warn you of the dangers of the spring. I imagine the exact Same rules applied 80, 90, 100 years ago. And like with Ryan, I'd say you should consider yourself lucky, Ariana, to have had such an experience. I know I would. So thank you again for taking the time to call in.

Derek Hayes (18:42)

And folks, if you have a tale to tell, give us a call at 888-6089. That's 888-608-NIG HT. Or you can shoot us a voice memo at Monsters Among Us podcast gmail.com. and don't forget about Monsters Among Us, Junior. We're slowly picking up steam over there. You wouldn't want to get left out. Tune in every other Wednesday or check out the back catalog of nearly 30 full episodes.

Derek Hayes (19:14)

But if your little one has a story they'd like to share, have them give us a call at 833-maukids or email us at monsters among us jrmail.com.

Derek Hayes (19:27)

We'Re looking forward to hearing from all of you, regardless of how you reach out.

Derek Hayes (19:35)

Now, who here is ready for another story? How about an unusual story about a ufo? Please welcome Brian to the program.

Caller (19:51)

Hey, Derek. My name is Brian. I live in Greenville, North Carolina. This happened to me in 2018. I was taking my dog out to use the bathroom before work, which for me is 3:45 in the morning. We get down to the middle of the driveway and I get a weird feeling, like, almost like I'm being watched. So I'm looking around, and in between the house directly across the street and the one to the left of it, I see a Venn diagram. It's two circles on the bottom and one circle on top. And it's like the circles are made out of fog. So after looking at it for about 10 seconds and getting weirded out, I decided I was gonna take a picture of it. So right when I get to my camera. I'm like about to lift my phone up and aim it at this thing and it's like these lights come on me. And I look at where the lights are coming from and this craft has appeared above the house. It's black, diamond shaped with a light on each corner. I felt like it was saying, don't do that. I get freaked out. I drag my dog to the front door and into the house and I go right to the window and look at this craft one more time. I don't even know what to do. So I call my girlfriend at the time, not even realizing how early in the morning it is. And to this day, she says she thinks somebody died when I was first talking to her because of how like, flustered I was. Anyways, after a five minute phone call with her, I go back to the window and the craft is no longer there. I didn't hear it leave, I didn't see it leave. But I look over and the Venn diagram is still there. So I just knew if that thing was still there, like something fishy was still going on outside. So I was too scared to go to work. So I stayed hunkered down in my kitchen and then at the first sign of light, was as far as sunrise. That's when I finally looked out the window and the Venn diagram was gone. I never saw it leave, which it was like. Said it was like three circles that were probably like a little bit bigger than basketballs made out of fog. So I don't know what the heck they were. I'd never seen anything like it in my life. There was no other fog in the area, and I knew once I saw the black craft that the two things were related. But anyways, ended up being two hours late for work and I ran over my trash can on the way out of my driveway. That's how I can remember it was Thursday, the day that it happened. But a year later after that, nothing else had happened until then. And I'm sitting in my kitchen one day and there's a lightning storm going on. And I walk to the front door and I'm looking across the street and every time the lightning strikes, I can see something looks funny in the cloud above the same daggone house every time lightning strikes. So I told my wife, like, every time that lightning strikes, it looks like there's something in that cloud. And she kind of was like, whatever. So I pulled out my phone, snaps a bunch of pictures in a row, and sure enough, I got a picture of a cloud above that same house during a lightning strike. And it looks like there's like a circular shaped craft above the house. I'm gonna send it to you along with this story. I'm interested to know what you think about it. Anyways, love the podcast. Keep up the good work and take it easy, man.

Derek Hayes (23:40)

Thank you, Brian. You know, at first I thought for sure Brian simply saw some sort of rocket launch. My dad up in Ohio was fooled by one. A few months ago he thought for sure he caught a UFO invasion on camera. But a little research proved it to be some sort of SpaceX launch out of the state of Florida.

Derek Hayes (24:03)

But I don't think that's the case here. Even without the presence of the black craft, the details just don't add up.

Derek Hayes (24:12)

But what does that leave us with? I'm afraid I have no idea. But as for Brian's second experience, he did send in the photo and I must say it's very impressive. If I didn't know any better, I'd say we were looking at a saucer like craft of enormous proportions, hundreds of miles wide. Perhaps. I've tossed the photo up in the show notes and I'll do my best to get it up on our socials soon as well.

Derek Hayes (24:45)

Take a look because I'd love to hear what you all think.

Derek Hayes (24:51)

And if it was some sort of alien technology, it makes sense that it was witnessed in North Carolina, because according to New Fork, North Carolina ranks 10th in the U. S for UFO sightings with 3,874 reports. The most recent being a November 23rd encounter in the skies over holly Springs. A small orb moving erratically through the air.

Derek Hayes (25:20)

And as for how the cities of North Carolina fare in regards to UFO sightings, here is the top ten. At number ten you have Gastonia. Number nine is Cary. Number eight is Winston. Salem. Number seven is Asheville. Number six is Durham. Number five is Fayetteville. Number four is Wilmington. Number three is Greensboro. Raleigh comes in at number two. And topping the charts with two hundred and fifty three sightings reported. The city of Charlotte.

Derek Hayes (25:59)

Well, up next we explore what might be divine intervention in the tar heel state. Please welcome Tony to the program.

Caller (26:10)

Hey, Derek. This is Tony out of Asheville, North Carolina. I was calling about a little thing that happened to me. I don't know if there's a lot of people that believe in spirits and ghosts and stuff like that, but ever since I was little, I was diagnosed as a epileptic, meaning I had seizures real bad. And when I was in the hospital, my parents had gotten notified by the nurse that asked if I had any siblings that was in there with me. And they said no and everything. Well, he's up in there talking up a storm to somebody and they come in there and I was like, yeah, I'm talking to my guardian angel. Is that. He's sitting right there. Can't you see him? Well, fast forward a few couple decades. February of 2020, I was diagnosed with stage three stomach esophageal cancer. And I was on my way to work. It was right after I found out about it. And you know, I was sitting there and I'm a religious man, I am. And I was talking to God. I asked him to give me a sign, you know, the. If my guardian angel was still there, you know, to let me know that I wasn't alone fighting this.

Caller (27:34)

And I just felt a firm pressure on my right shoulder and I don't know, I just knew everything was going to be all right. And here I am, cancer free and ready to go. But yeah, I firmly believe that there is people, they have a good presence that follows them. And then I also believe that some people have bad presences that follow them. But mine is definitely good. He's always been with me. But thanks and love the show. You're doing a great job.

Derek Hayes (28:12)

Thank you, Tony. What do you think here, folks? A wild coincidence of some sort of. Or was this the work of a guardian angel? Whatever it was, it certainly seemed to intervene, Tony, and we're sure glad that it did. And we're happy to hear that you're cancer free. Hopefully your guardian angel helps keep it that way. And thank you again, Tony, for calling in. Now folks, when we come back, more scary stories from the Tar Heel State. Don't touch that dial.

Caller (28:50)

One other winner in here.

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Derek Hayes (29:56)

It's the time of year to chase that cozy feeling and Bombas has the socks, slippers and tees to make you feel all warm inside. Plus, Bombas make great gifts. Sherpa lined Sunday slippers for my parents, all purpose performance socks for my brother who owns his own gym. And there are even baby Bombas with gripper bottoms so my little nephew who just started walking doesn't slip on the hardwood floor. By the way, Bombas is really stepping up their slipper and slide game this season. They have new shapes and styles. Some some fluffy, some suede. There's truly something there for everyone. And everyone on your gifting list can always use a new pair of slippers or slides. Best of all, for every item you buy, Bombas donates one to someone facing homelessness, which makes me feel great about my choice to shop at Bombas. For me, the quality of Bombas really stands out from the rest. It makes sense that they offer a happiness guarantee, which means if you're not 100% into what you got, make it right. No risk and all reward. Head over to bombas.com.

Derek Hayes (31:08)

And use code MAU for 20% off your first purchase. That's B O M B A S.com MAU and use code MAU at checkout bambas.com forward/MAU and use code MAU.

Caller (31:29)

Are you planning for your retirement.

Derek Hayes (31:35)

Now? I have several more stories to share, so I better pick up my pace here with another unidentified flying object. Is J out of of course, North Carolina.

Caller (31:50)

Hi, this is Jake from North Carolina. So this is something that I experienced on Fort Bragg Military Base, now Fort Liberty. This was back when it was still called Fort Bragg. I think it was just two years ago. So I was driving for doordash. I was driving down Zabotovsky.

Caller (32:09)

I want to be as specific as.

Caller (32:10)

Possible and I look up and I see this light. At first I think, oh, it's a plane because there's an airport right at the end of the base. But then it starts moving kind of strangely, like side to side in the sky, up and down, forward, backwards. It was kind of weird, so I thought maybe it's a helicopter. And then it zoomed across the sky in a near instant, in. And I thought, okay, that's not anything. I thought it could be. I watched it for about 15 minutes before I decided, okay, I know I'm driving, but I need to take pictures and record this. So I take out my phone and I take a few pictures. A couple minutes after that, I start recording it in a video which I have posted on YouTube. I'm going to send you the link later. And this thing starts framing itself in the video is the best way I can put it. Like, it knew I started recording it. So at first it was in front of me. Then as I'm driving, it moved across the sky to the left side of my car, the driver's side. And it was much easier to record it because originally it was over all the way on the right side of my car and then floated across the sky miles very quickly. And it was like it just gently but swiftly went across the sky and it went off perfectly so I could frame it in my phone. So I'm recording it, just describing it best I can because it's like, it's not a plane, it's not a helicopter.

Caller (33:54)

It'S not a drone.

Caller (33:55)

Done anything I've ever seen before. And it starts flashing on and off slowly. Not like a plane would not like blink on, blink gone, not like that. It was like slowly fades in, slowly fades out. And it would be out for a couple seconds and then it would come back and it would stay on for.

Caller (34:17)

A while, then it would go.

Caller (34:18)

And it didn't have any discernible pattern to it. So I'm seeing all this. And when I get to my delivery, I have to stop recording. I walk up to the front door of the building that I'm at and I look at the light and I say, well, I guess I can't look at you anymore.

Caller (34:36)

Bye.

Caller (34:37)

And it just disappears completely all at once. I could see slightly the shape of it. It was like a upside down egg is the best way to put it. And I was just sitting there trying to figure out what on earth did I just see. This silent. Even my first ufo, that one was my third. And I had another one on base again, which my mom saw that was getting chased by a jet. I didn't get to record that one. Anyways, love the podcast.

Caller (35:08)

Have a good one.

Derek Hayes (35:11)

Thanks, Jay. Now, if Jay did send those photos and I cannot find them. So if you're out there, Jay, hit me up with those photographs and I'll be sure to update the show notes. And if you did send them and I missed them. I apologize. In the meantime, that's eerily similar to Brian's entry from earlier. Must be a North Carolina thing. Either way, thank you again, Jay, for calling in.

Derek Hayes (35:41)

Now, what would you say to another ghostly tale? Please welcome Leslie to the program.

Caller (35:52)

Hi, Derek. This is Leslie, and I'm from North Carolina. This is actually a story that my mother would share. She grew up in the eastern part of the state on a tobacco farm. She had many cousins, and they would come and they would help out on the farm. They also fished and all kinds of good stuff that you do in the country. And they were very close as children. And she had one cousin. His name was Kenny. He actually grew up. He was drafted into Vietnam. He was deployed. Of course, that was always a big thing with the family because everyone was very close. My mother actually told the story up until she really kind of started losing her memory. But she was standing in the kitchen cooking, as she always did, helping my grandmother. One Saturday afternoon in the summer, she looked out the corner of her eye. She saw a tall, blondish young man in, like, overall with a fishing pole over his shoulder. She kind of just is like, well, there's no one else here. So she kind of turns around, she walks out. She sees this person literally walk all the way through the house. It was an old farmhouse, like one story, and walks out the front door and.

Caller (37:30)

Just disappears. Well, fast forward. Probably about two or three days later, the family receives a message that Kenny had been killed in battle. And so my mother always said that he came back to the place that he loved after losing his life. I don't know how, like, true that was, but my mother always kept faith. That was who came to visit her. She's had many experiences. She's very sensitive. But that one was always so very dear to her heart. Thank you so much for sharing this. I love this show. Please continue to do what you do and have a great day.

Derek Hayes (38:30)

Thank you, Leslie. And don't worry. We have no plans of stopping anytime soon. You all keep listening and sharing the show, and we'll keep cranking them out.

Derek Hayes (38:43)

But as far as the story is concerned, the ghosts really know how to get sentimental over there in North Carolina. And I'm hoping that since the young man had a fishing pole with him, that meant he was on his way to a nice, sunny stretch of beach somewhere to live out his afterlife.

Derek Hayes (39:03)

Thank you again, Leslie, for sharing that touching story.

Derek Hayes (39:09)

Now, folks, don't forget about our merchandise for your holiday shopping needs. Time is running out to get your order in. In time. The USPS claims the shipping cutoff for delivery by Christmas is December 17, so get your orders in now. Visit monsters among us podcast.com and click that shop tab.

Derek Hayes (39:31)

Now back to the program. Please welcome Dawson to the show.

Caller (39:39)

Hello, Derek. This is Dawson from North Carolina. I witnessed something kind of weird on my way home from work. I work in Mooresville, but I have to travel on 150 to towards Lincolnton to go back home. And you have to cross these three bridges over Lake Norman. And normally Lake Norman is always busy in the summertime with boats, all the people that live around there. And a bit of fact about Lake Norman, there was a town underneath before they built the dam nearby. But I don't think that has anything to do with what I saw. But on my way home I was crossing the bridge and I saw a ripple of water but there were no boats nearby. And I'm looking around while I'm driving and I'm like, where's all the boats? Because normally there's a lot of boats outside, but this is around 12 o' clock and normally not everyone is out on the lake around 12 o' clock to 1 o'. Clock. It's usually around 5 when they get off work. I don't know what it could have been. I didn't see any boats nearby. I don't think it would have been a fish because there were pretty big waves and it looked like something submerged underneath. And I had heard stories about the Lake Norman monster, but I really haven't dug into that. But I just wanted to share that with you. I love the podcast. Thank you for everything you do. Goodbye.

Derek Hayes (41:09)

Thank you, Dawson. Now I can't say for certain because it was just a wave that you saw, but it's possible that you laid eyes on a monster because you're right, there are legends of large unidentified creatures in those waters.

Derek Hayes (41:28)

Normie, they call him or the Lake Norman monster. It's a legendary creature said to inhabit the lake located just outside of Charlotte. Now Lake Norman is a man made lake constructed in the 1960s. But that doesn't stop people from making reports of long, slimy, red eyed creature lurking in the depths.

Derek Hayes (41:52)

And wouldn't you know that Lake Norman isn't the only North Carolinian body of water said to harbor a monster. The waters of the Cape Fear river near Lockville are said to be infested with mermaids, or at least they used to be. These half fish, half human hybrids were first reported by drunken sailors patronizing the local tavern near the Cape Fear River. Many men have claimed to have witnessed these otherworldly creatures sitting on the rocks rinsing the salt water from their hair.

Derek Hayes (42:27)

And also said to inhabit the Cape Fear river is Willie, a 40 foot long, 4 foot wide gray scaled behemoth that set to prowl the waters of the Cape Fear River. According to legend, sightings of the River Monster date back to indigenous tribes, but reports were also made by an Italian explorer in 1524. Other notable sightings occurred in 1732.

Derek Hayes (42:54)

And most recently 1947.

Derek Hayes (42:59)

So if you find yourself in the waters down there, be mindful of where you put your feet. And thanks again, Dawson, for sharing your entry.

Caller (43:10)

Down to someone who's misplaced their debit card.

Caller (43:14)

Is it enough to last a lifetime?

Rocket Money Advertiser (43:17)

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Derek Hayes (44:17)

It's the time of year to chase that cozy feeling. And Bombas has the socks, slippers and tees to make you feel all warm inside. Plus, Bombas make great gifts. Sherpa lined Sunday slippers for my parents. All purpose performance socks for my brother who owns his own gym. And there are even baby Bombas with gripper bottoms. So my little nephew who just started walking doesn't slip on the hardwood floor. By the way, Bombas is really stepping up their slipper and slide game this season. They have new shapes and styles, some fluffy Some suede. There's truly something there for everyone. And everyone on your gifting list can always use a new pair of slippers or slides. Best of all, for every item you buy, Bombas donates one to someone facing homelessness, which makes me feel great about my choice to shop at bombas. For me, the quality of Bombas really stands out from the rest. It makes sense that they offer a happiness guarantee, which means if you're not 100% into what you got, make it right, no risk and all reward. Head over to bombas.com MAU and use code MAU for 20% off your first purchase. That's B O m b a s.commau and use code MAU at checkout bombas.commau and use code MAU.

Caller (45:52)

Or the checkout counter.

Derek Hayes (45:55)

All right, gang, this next entry comes to us from a fella named John. Please welcome him to tonight's program.

Caller (46:04)

Hey, Derek, it's John from North Carolina. So this one happened about a year or so ago on Interstate 77 here in North Carolina. On my way home from work, was just about to Mooresville, North Carolina, and I saw a low flying passenger plane, which really not that odd. It was just very low. Low enough to where I could see all of the lights inside the cabin were on as if it was getting ready to land. And I assumed that the fact that this plane was in Mooresville, it had probably been rerouted and was just circling to go back to the airport. So as a lot of people are, I'm very fascinated with planes. And being that this passenger plane was so low, I was watching on the way home and like, wow, it's really strange that this plane is so low. And so, you know, it started to make its turn to head to the airport and I looked to see it and then looked out the window to keep my eye on the highway. Well, as I turned to the left again to look out the window to look at it some more, it had completely vanished. And while that may not seem odd to you, this plane was not going very fast. As I say, it was turning to head back to the airport, but as I turned to look again, it had completely vanished. But anyway, I love this show, appreciate what you do, keep it spooky. Bye.

Derek Hayes (47:42)

Thank you, John. You know, undoubtedly some minds will go directly to the paranormal to explain this odd occurrence, suggesting that the plane might have entered an alternate dimension or that it was a ghost plane or that it was abducted by aliens.

Derek Hayes (48:00)

Not me though. My first thought here was that the thing simply dropped out of the air. And John, if you know the very day that this occurred, you can do a little Google search to see if there were any plane crashes reported that day. If the answer is no, well, then we can revert back to those paranormal explanations, do some digging, and let us know, John. In the meantime, thanks again for sharing the entry.

Derek Hayes (48:31)

Now, folks, time for a shadowy entry. Please welcome Laura to the program.

Caller (48:43)

Hi, Derek. My name is Laura, and I live in the state of North Carolina. I live just below the triangle, as it's known. Raleigh, Durham, North Carolina. So I have a few paranormal incidents I'd like to relay to you. One of the scariest was actually living in my current home. And I live here currently with my family. And I was sitting late at night in the living room. There's a recliner, and I was facing the tv. I was watching tv, and everyone was asleep. And what happened was there's a wall right beyond the TV to the left of the tv. So if you can imagine, you know, there's a living room, and it opens up to a kitchen, and then there's a hallway going down. Okay, well, I'm sitting there watching television, and then all of a sudden, I see this black head of a shadow man Peeping around the corner at me. It was so freaking scary. I sat there, and at first I was, like, more in shock than anything. And I don't remember if I saw, like, the hand that was wrapping around the corner. You know what I mean? Because I was thinking you'd have to steady yourself. Like, when I tried to recreate the shadow man, how he was leaning, I personally had to put my hand on the wall to steady myself When I was peeping out around the corner. The shadow also, it wasn't too tall, I would say just a little taller than me, actually. And I'm about 5:1, so it must be kind of a smaller shadow man or woman. So I remember, too, that I got up immediately after I saw it, and I was like, oh, my gosh. And I ran into the hall. I looked, There was nothing. And then I looked into the bedrooms that were empty. And then I knew that my family was asleep in the other room room in the last bedroom. So I knew it wasn't them. And I remember, too, if I'm not mistaken, I remember that after the shadow man disappeared, like, he just whipped his head back right behind the corner. After he did that, I heard, like, a creek, like, in the first bedroom to the right when you're going down that hallway. And I looked, I flipped on the light I didn't see anything. You know, I was like trying to investigate this shadow man, so I knew it couldn't be a trick of the eye or anything. Also, I just want to say that when I saw that shadow man blacker than black looking at me, it just looked like a bald head. I didn't see any facial features. I didn't see any if it had hair, clothes, anything like that. But I will say that I felt like it was looking at me and it was like checking me out, you know, and just being like, what's this person doing? Oh, and to make this claim even more valid, I actually had my mom tell me that she had the same exact thing happen to her. She said that one night, late at night, she was sitting there in the recliner just like me and oh, shadow man pops up and she says that she just remembers seeing a head. She didn't really see shoulders or an arm like a hand like I thought I may have seen. It was darker in the house. There was only like two lamps on in the living room. And then there was nothing to backlight the shadow when I saw it. But having her validate it, and she had never told me before about this shadow man, she had seen the exact same experience I had really validated it for me. But anyway, Derek, I love your podcast. Thank you for listening to me.

Derek Hayes (53:13)

Thank you, Laura. A leaning shadow man. Not something you want to run into in your home or anywhere really. And for it to be a smaller shadow entity. Typically they're described as being taller in stature, but from time to time we do get this report. A 4 1/2 to 5 foot tall human shaped shadow.

Derek Hayes (53:40)

And not only did Laura witness all of this, but it apparently occurred in front of her mother as well. So perhaps this is one of those generational shadow men. Eerie, whatever it was. So thank you for the scares, Laura, we appreciate you calling in.

Rocket Money Advertiser (54:08)

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Derek Hayes (55:08)

It's the time of year to chase that cozy feeling and Bombas has the socks, slippers and tees to make you feel all warm inside. Plus, Bombas make great gifts. Sherpa lined Sunday slippers for my parents. All purpose performance socks for my brother who owns his own gym. And there are even, even baby Bombas with gripper bottoms so my little nephew who just started walking doesn't slip on the hardwood floor. By the way, Bombas is really stepping up their slipper and slide game this season. They have new shapes and styles, some fluffy, some suede. There's truly something there for everyone, and everyone on your gifting list can always use a new pair of slippers or slides. Best of all, for every item you buy, Bombas donates one to someone facing homelessness, which makes me feel great about my choice to shop at Bombas. For me, the quality of Bombas really stands out from the rest. It makes sense that they offer a happiness guarantee, which means if you're not 100% into what you got, make it right, no risk and all reward. Head over to Bomba's document.com/MAU and use code MAU for 20 off your first purchase. That's B O M b-s.com/MAU and use Code MAU at checkout babas.com/MAU and use CODE MAU.

Caller (56:42)

People in California, we were out of time today.

Derek Hayes (56:48)

Now next up is a call from Elena. Please welcome her to the program.

Caller (56:55)

Hi Derek, this is Elena from North Carolina. This story I was kind of nervous about calling in because it still creeps me out pretty badly to this day. We lived on a back road in North Carolina and I remember that I was 7 years old because that was the year that my dad worked out of state. So it was just my mom and I in the house and we lived on this back road and every time it would storm we would lose power, which really wasn't a big deal. It took them a while to get our power turned on because we lived so far outside of the city Limits. But I mean, just about every single time there was a thunderstorm, we would leave power for a little while. Well, one night it was storming and I went to bed and I had one of those little kid flashlights, like the chunky plastic kind. And so I took my flashlight to bed with me. And I'm laying there in bed and I'm not scared, but I can't sleep. The storm is loud, the lights are flickering and I know they're gonna go out just any moment. And so I'm laying in my bed, my mom's in her room in her bed, asleep. And all of a sudden the power goes out, the lights are out, and it's dead silent. It was summertime, so there's no air conditioning on, there's no noise, no light. We did have neighbors, but they weren't close to us. So it was pretty much pitch black dark in my bedroom. I lay there a little bit, I turn my flashlight on and it's just really dark and it's really quiet. So I decide I'm going to get up and I'm going to go get in bed with my mom. And so I get out of my bed and I reach for the door handle to my bedroom door. And as soon as I do that, my flashlight goes out. Just when my flashlight goes out.

Caller (58:48)

I hear a voice in my left ear and it's kind of a deep whisper, like an airy whisper in my ear. And it just says boo. And I could feel like the wind, like somebody's breath when they're whispering in your ear. I could feel it hit my ear. And then I got really scared and I took off. I didn't even fumble in the darkness. Somehow I reached the doorknob, jerked the door open, ran straight into my mom's room, closed her door. She slept on the side next to the door. So somehow I got around the bed, got in the bed with her and just lay there. And I guess in my seven year old mind, since I was in my mom's room and in bed with her, I was safe. And I never really thought about it much after that as a kid and I never even told my mom. I did tell my husband. He's the only person I've ever told until now. And this was about 30 years ago. So sometimes now I think about it and I feel like it scares me more now than when I was a kid because I never really thought about it again back then. And there will be times if I'm ever in pitch black darkness like you get up to Go to the bathroom at night or something, and it's a few steps before you get to a lamp or a light switch. And just in that moment, I'm thinking, please, please don't whisper in my ear. Please don't let that happen again. So that was the really scary thing that happened that I just have no explanation for. So I was wondering if anything like that had happened to anyone else. So thanks for letting me tell my story. I really appreciate it. Have a great day.

Derek Hayes (60:19)

Thank you. Elena, a voice right in your ear, which means that whatever that thing was, it was in close proximity to you and you didn't even realize it. Now, if that isn't unsettling, I'll allow you to tell me what is. And speaking of unsettling, this next entry is just that. Please welcome Jasmine from, of course, North Carolina.

Caller (60:49)

Hi, Derek.

Grainger Advertiser (60:50)

My name is Jess and I'm in Raleigh, North Carolina. So I've been sitting on this story for a while, honestly, because I am not crazy about telling it. And I don't know why, because let me just preface by saying, like I have been into anything and everything paranormal for the majority of my life. As much as I believe in, you know, aliens, bigfoot, all the things, I'm more skeptical about stuff. But even given that I've never had, aside from this one instance, I've never had anything weird or out of the ordinary happen to me or I've never seen anything. So back in 2016, 2017, I was probably 24 or 25 and I'm 32 now. I was living in my parents house and they live in a suburb of Raleigh. And the way that their street is set up is they're at the bottom of a cul de sac and they have neighbors, you know, 20, 30ft to the right, 20, 30ft to the left. So the bedroom I was staying in is upstairs and it's in the middle of these three bedrooms. So my window, where my bed is facing, my head is to the wall and my feet are pointing towards the windows that look directly out to our neighbor's house. On the side of their house, if I walk up to the window, I can see their back porch and, you know, their backyard and the side of the yard. And to the left of where I'd be looking out the window would be the cul de sac. So this happened in the middle of the night. And all I remember is that I woke up or was woken up and I couldn't move anything below my neck, but I could turn my head and I could blink and Move my eyes around the room. So I wake up and I'm immediately scared. Like I didn't become scared. It's like I was feeling that way before I woke up, if that made sense. But I mean, I have never been scared like this in my life. I don't have nightmares or sleep paralysis or anything like that. This has never happened to me since then. That in itself is weird. So I woke up, was terrified, and look over to my right and standing over at my bed is all I can describe it as. Is like somebody in a hazmat suit. I think it was like a lighter color. I don't know if it was white or like a yellow or anything like that. It was like a lighter color and they were completely suited up head to toe so I couldn't see them. But the impression that I got was that I woke up in the middle of something happening. I could turn, look straight and see that there is this huge bright light shining from where the cul de sac would be. My neighbors don't have floodlights. Like they didn't have any kind of spotlight that would be motion triggered. Their porch lights. I couldn't see from my room like that. This was like crazy, crazy bright light coming from the left of the house and coming down into my room. And so when I woke up, I could move my head. And I'm like repeating in my head like, this can't be happening to me. This can't be happening to me. I mean like visceral fear. Like when I think about it, I can't find the words to describe it other than it just felt so like animalistic and like almost like I didn't have control over how I was feeling. It was like totally like caveman brain, like instinctual fear. And so when I'm looking over at this thing standing next to me, I again couldn't tell if it was human or what it was. I did get the idea that there was other people or something outside that it wasn't by itself. And it was in the process of like kind of reaching over me. And then when I opened my eyes and looked at it, it kind of pulled back. And I don't know if there was something in its hands or anything. I was just terrified. And then next thing I know, I fall back asleep. I wake up and I'm like, what? I was so confused. I talked to my parents and I was like, you know, did you guys like hear anything or, you know, I didn't want to like worry them, but I also wasn't sure what that was all about. They didn't ever hear anything about it. I ended up telling my mom years later, and it did disturb her and she couldn't explain it, but she wasn't happy about it. I'll just leave it at that. But, yeah. So other than that, though, that's been the one thing that I could think of that is kind of weird. And it's never sat right with me, and it's been years now, and I always think back to it. And like I said, I've never had a dream like that since. Like, I don't sleepwalk. I don't have sleep paralysis. This definitely did not feel like a dream. And I think the other thing that's weird, too, is, like I said, I've always been into this kind of stuff. And regardless of what books I've read or documentaries I've watched, I've never had a dream about it, if that makes sense. Because at first I wanted to chalk it up to being I read something that day or I heard something, you know, and it just came out in a dream. That's never happened to me. So, anyways, thank you so much for all you do. I think the work you guys do is great. You guys are awesome.

Caller (66:20)

Thanks.

Derek Hayes (66:22)

Thank you, Jess, for calling in. Now, if this call sounds familiar, there might be a reason. Just a few weeks ago, we covered a story almost identical to this one, a story out of Pennsylvania from a caller named Brandon. The common thread between those two calls, you might ask. Well, it was the hazmat suit.

Derek Hayes (66:47)

Here is a truncated version of that call from season 20, episode 11.

Caller (66:54)

There's a guy in full hazmat garb, like, neon yellow hazmat suit with, like, thick winter gloves and thick winter boots. He was wearing, like one of those N95 face masks, too. So the only thing you could really see on this guy were his eyes. And I could kind of tell that he was smiling really big under that face mask. Like, his eyes looked like they were scrunched up like you would if you were giving a really big grin at somebody. He was almost abnormally tall, like well over six foot something. And the way he was walking, it looked like he didn't really know how. And his arms were moving in a really exaggerated motion. It almost looked like he was dancing while he was walking is the best way I can describe it.

Derek Hayes (67:55)

Thanks again, Brandon. Pretty similar, don't you think?

Derek Hayes (68:01)

And when that original call aired, I had a few people reach out with possible explanations, and one in particular really made sense to me. The following came to us from Adam the Grommet in the Spotify Comments the following is what that listener had to say about Brandon's encounter.

Derek Hayes (68:22)

As far as the Hazmat guy is concerned, I was an emergency responder on a Hazmat team for years. We had to wear the Cerenex chemical suits at all times of the day, any weather, and in the most random of places. We often caught people off guard in the woods when a facility they didn't know of had a major chemical release. We never disappeared into thin air though.

Derek Hayes (68:47)

And as helpful as that was in explaining Brandon's encounter, it does little to solve the mystery. Just detail. And sure, there could be workers out there wearing these suits even in North Carolina, but I seriously doubt they'd find themselves in Jess's house.

Derek Hayes (69:07)

So whatever you experience Jess, sleep paralysis, alien hallucination, or even some sort of alien abduction event, it sure made for a great story. And we can't thank you enough for taking the time to share it with us.

Derek Hayes (69:26)

And folks that's going to do it for this all North Carolina episode. A big thanks to all of tonight's callers and a huge thanks to you, dear listener, for tuning in here this evening.

Derek Hayes (69:39)

The Monsters Among Us podcast is written and produced by me, Derek Hayes, copyright Red Crow Media. Additional support is provided by Sarah Carter Hayes, Delaney Bowers and Connor Ryan. All media used in this production is done so under the protection of fair use. Be sure to follow us on our social media pages, join us on our Discord server, give us a like and follow follow on YouTube and leave us a rate and review wherever that sort of thing is possible. Now don't forget, you can catch the show every Saturday evening at 10pm Eastern on the ON X Digital Network. Just visit on xnetwork.com to tune in. Tonight's score was provided by Iron Cthulhu, Apocalypse Co AG Music and Carl Casey at Whitepad Audio. Now don't forget to watch our film. Borregotriangle.com will get you there. And don't forget to join us in the beyond either. Visit monsters among us podcast.com and click that Patreon tab to listen in. All right folks, I'll catch you all back here on Thursday with a brand new episode, but until then you keep it spooky. And of course if you're sound a good night.

Derek Hayes (71:38)

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