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Derek Hayes
It's. Good evening and welcome to Monsters Among Us. I am your guide, Derek Hayes. How's it going everyone? It's great to have you with us here again tonight. Now I have quite a collection lined up for you here this evening and given that it's a Tuesday, it's going to be a themed collection. Continuing our long line of state specific episodes, we venture to the American South. Tonight's calls all stem from the eighth most populous state, the fourth state admitted to the Union, a state named after King Charles II of England and home to some 11 million residents. Tonight we're going to explore the Peach State, home to Atlanta, Savannah, and any number of other supernatural hotbeds. So join me this evening as we visit Georgia. And to kick us off, we begin with Cody.
Cody
Hey Derek, it's Cody from Georgia again. So me and my husband were exploring this old abandoned insane asylum. It's called a Central State Hospital. It was the largest insane asylum in the world at its peak. It was so big that it had its own postal service and two prisons. It was its own town basically. And it was shut down in 2010 because of concerns of how patients are being treated. And more than 10,000 people died there. There was also a bunch of graves for them, but because of landscaping or something like that, they lost all the graves. So now they just have a bunch of numbered markers. But if you go, you can explore. It's open to the public. You just aren't supposed to go inside any of the buildings. So we started going down there wanting to get in and explore some of the buildings. I guess I should warn people I don't recommend it. There is some Security that patrols the area, and there are cops there, too. But we were down there and we had been exploring a couple of them, and we were recording some stuff for YouTube. So first we were just in one of the buildings and we kept hearing. It sounded like someone was running back and forth down the hallway up above us. So it was kind of creepy, but I mean, it was all boarded up. We had to go through a window. So we didn't really think anyone would be in there. So we just know, carried on. So we go to get out. We had to jump out of a window again. And my husband swears that something was running down the hallway and was going towards the room that we were using to get out. So he just jumped out the window and didn't look back. But we did find our way into one of the prisons. So we were in there just walking around, and we had explored pretty much all of it. Didn't see anything, didn't find anyone. No one was in there. So we had left, went to go get some lunch or whatever, and then we came back. So we go back inside, and to get in, there's a big, like, heavy metal, solid gate. It was a prison, so it was a big, heavy gate. And when it closes, it made a loud, like, clanking metal noise. It was very distinctive. So we were inside and we were walking down towards some of the cells, and we heard what sounded like the gate to get into the complex slam shut. So immediately we turned off all of the flashlights and stopped recording and ran out of there. That was the end of it. We never saw anyone there when we got out. Like, we didn't see any of the security guards or anything. So we had absolutely no idea what it was. Thought it might have been the wind. But again, it was a really heavy, like, solid gate. So I don't think it was the wind. And it really wasn't like a windy day. It was just a clear, you know, summer day. And so we leave, go home or whatever. And as I'm sitting there editing all the video we had recorded, I came across that spot again. And this time when I was listening to it, it sounded like someone saying, get out right after you hear the gate slam shut. So I just thought it was super kind of creepy. You know, the whole place has a really, like, creepy, sketchy feeling while you're in there. You know, I mean, haven't been back since. It really freaked us out. And I also sent you the video. But anyway, that was my experience. And yeah, thanks.
Derek Hayes
Thank you, Cody. Now, before we go Any further, I should probably say, for legal reasons that we here at Monsters among us do not condone trespassing, even if it is to look for ghosts. Please do all of that at your own risk. But if you do do it, be sure to share any experiences you might have. Now, if you'd like to learn more about Central State Hospital, we have a link up in tonight's show notes. But everything Cody said seems to check out. 10,000 deaths on the property. With death toll numbers that high, it's no wonder the place has so much activity. A big thanks to Cody for sharing his entry here this evening and for kicking us off here tonight. Now it's time for a quick break, but I'll be right back with more right after this local sports talk show.
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Derek Hayes
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Derek Hayes
Now, at least historically, one of the first things I think of when I think of the state of Georgia is the American civil war. So it's only fitting that we work any story related to that dark time in our nation's history. So, Heather, welcome to tonight's program.
Caller/Guest
Hi.
Heather
So my name is Heather, and back when I was around 10, I lived in this house that my family had built in the middle of Georgia on the back roads where you would actually have to drive to find it and where we lived. My nana told me it was on a civil war hospital grounds. If I can remember where the property stood, our house was, let's say about 20 yards away from where the hospital building was, which the hospital was demolished. And in the house it was a five room, one bath. And in one of the rooms we had a picture of a confederate soldier painted on. We called the painting Uncle Steve. Not related to us at all. We just called it that. And that was like the guest bedroom where my father would sleep when he came to visit or when he lived there. Also where I would sleep. And every few nights where it's absolutely pitch dark, I would be able to see the eyes sort of glow and watch me sleep, will watch me laying there. And every few days or multiple times a day, we would hear cabinets open, slam, stuff appearing out of nowhere, stuff vanishing from like, let's say the table or the counter when we just had
Nia
it in our hand.
Heather
And for it to appear hours later, like it never moved, even though we would tear open like the entire catcher for it. But I remember one night when I was about 10, 11, first grade, little me, I was laying in the big bed and in the corner of my eye, it was around midnight or so, everyone was asleep but me. I could see a figure in the corner watching me and I could to this day see the outline of a Civil War Confederate soldier. And I genuinely thought that was Uncle Steve in the corner. And when I whispered Uncle Steve, he just faded into the corner. Ever since then, nothing related to the guy happened besides a few light flickers and the same reoccurring cabinets opening closing stuff. But that's basically all that happens with Uncle Steve. Bye bye.
Derek Hayes
Thank you, Heather. Nearly 550 battles and skirmishes were fought within the borders of Georgia. Some 40 of those were considered major engagements, and over 35,000 Georgians died in that war. It's no wonder Heather saw strange things in her home related to this unfortunate conflict. Now, it's spooky stuff, Heather, and exactly the sort of thing we appreciate here on the program. So thank you once again for making the call. Now gang, if you too have a story you would like to share, give our hotline a call at 888-608-night. That's 888608, Nig HT. Or you can record a voice memo and email it to me at monsters among us podcastmail.com and this is pretty much your last call for Hometown Legends. That segment is fast approaching and this could be your last chance to submit one. So again, give us a call 888-6089. Now next up, something shadowy. Please welcome Nia to the program.
Nia
Hey Derek, my name's Nia and I live in Georgia. I was listening to season one episode 15 the other day and a guy talked about some poltergeist type activity in his apartment. You said something along the lines of maybe the entity wasn't getting the response it wanted, so it decided to intensify things. That made me think of a shadow person story I've been sitting on for a while. My mom thinks something similar might have happened. So I was a teenager, probably about 17, and I was driving home from a youth group. My youth pastor had told me about this different route home that he thought might be faster, and I decided to try it. But being quite directionally challenged, I of course got lost. So I was driving down back country roads at night, surrounded by nothing but trees, no houses, no other cars in sight, and I was listening to this college radio station that was playing this weird, like, I wouldn't even really call it music. It sounded like a Halloween sound effects kit playing over some ambient tones. It was kind of creeping me out. But I hadn't turned the station yet because I was fiddling with my phone, trying to pull up the gps. Of course, it was taking forever to load, so I was pretty distracted and a bit panicky already when I glanced to my left and was startled by this thing racing past my car and disappearing around the bend in the road ahead. It looked like a human shadow, but it was 3D rather than 2D. It was going in the same direction as my car, but way faster. I was going probably around 45 miles per hour. No human could move that fast, given my heightened nerves in the moment. I chalked it up to my imagination and didn't think much of it. But over the next several months, I kept seeing it. It was in the same spot almost every time. I would be sitting at the kitchen table, always alone. And to my left was an armchair in the living room. It would suddenly appear standing behind the armchair, startling me every time. I would see it in my peripheral vision, and when I tried to turn and look at it full on, it would disappear. It was always in the same spot. So I thought maybe it was some weird mix of eye floaters and pareidolia or something. I also recently learned about the ghost frequency. And in hindsight, maybe something in that spot of the kitchen was creating that frequency. I don't know. And it never did anything but stand there. So I kind of stopped being afraid of it. After a while. I started saying stupid stuff to it, like, oh, long time no see. Nice of you to pop in. My mom thinks that maybe it got bored of me or something because it wasn't getting the fear response it wanted. So it just left me alone. It decided to go out with a bang, though. The very last time I saw it I was brushing my teeth at night before bed. This bathroom was at the end of a long hallway and I had the door open. This shadow thing appeared at the opposite end of the hallway and it charged straight at me. I yelped and turned to look at it just before it was about to reach me and it disappeared in its usual fashion. That one scared me. I had a hard time sleeping that night, but thankfully I haven't seen it since. So, yeah, that's my shadow person story. Thanks for all you do. I love the podcast.
Bye.
Derek Hayes
We appreciate the call, Nia. I'd say you're right here. Your shadows seemed dead set on capturing your attention. For what reason I do not know, and frankly I shudder to imagine. Now, Nia did mention the ghost frequency. I don't have a ton of time to go into it, but essentially the ghost frequency, or the ghost note is an inaudible tone that puts off a frequency that can cause strange side effects in humans. Dizziness, paranoia, the feeling of dread. It's about 19 hertz if you're curious. And I'd play a section but you wouldn't be able to hear it, though you probably would feel it. Now, this won't be the last time we discuss this strange but natural phenomenon, but for now, thanks again, Nia, for sharing your entry. Now let's work in one more call before we take our next break. So John, welcome to tonight's program.
John
Hey Derek, my name is John. I'm From Georgia, about 30 miles west of Atlanta. This happened just about an hour ago. It's March 11, probably about 9:30 at night. I was out in the backyard by a fire, just happened to look up in the sky. And best as I can tell, moving probably east to west, there were 10 to 15 maybe white orbs going across the sky in a single file line. I've never seen anything like that before. You can see a lot of plane traffic from my house. We've got a major, you know, airport here in Atlanta and it didn't look anything like that. There were no navigation lights, no flashing lights. They were just solid white orbs moving really close together. Didn't look like a satellite or anything. I see those a lot. They were a lot closer together than any of the satellites moved, that I can tell. Pretty weird.
Heather
Love the show.
John
Listen to you at night. I'm a truck driver at night. You know, I'm looking to the sky all the time at night. Never seen anything like this before, so love to hear what you think about it.
Derek Hayes
Thank you. Thank you, John. Well, I'LL tell you exactly what it is that you saw because I think I know. It's Starlink, the satellite Internet provider. They've been launching hundreds, if not thousands of small satellites up there for years. Now they're tethered together using a cable, sometimes 20 to 30 units strong, all in a line, just as John reported. Now there are online trackers that are available to help you know when to look up and see this strange sight. These things are floating all over the globe. Hit up the show notes to find that tracker. And thanks again, John, for allowing me to shine some light on this commonly reported occurrence as he deals with a hamstring injury. Okay. Or the clothes.
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Derek Hayes
The way he walks, he walks almost ginger. Now, with over 11 million residents, surely there are more than a few homes in the state of Georgia with a reputation for being haunted. So let's hear from one now. Hello Felicia and welcome to the program.
Felicia
Hey Derek, this is Felicia calling from Savannah, Georgia.
Heather
So this takes place about two years ago. Me and my husband had moved to
Felicia
a townhouse in a little apartment complex in Savannah.
Heather
And my husband worked night. So I was home alone that night. It was about 9pm with my two dogs. I was sitting on the couch. My dogs were kind of laying in front of the front door and they were facing our back door which was
Felicia
a glass sliding door.
Heather
It's kind of important to also mention the sliding door had those really long
Felicia
like floor to ceiling plastic flaps, like
Heather
a kind of like a curtain that you could use a little rod to pull back and forth for privacy.
Felicia
So it was like long plastic flap curtain deal.
Heather
So anyways, I was sitting on the
Felicia
couch and from the couch I can't
Heather
see the glass back door. I would have to stand up and
Felicia
walk forward a bit to glance over
Heather
at the back door.
Felicia
So where my dogs were, they could
Heather
see the back door perfectly. They were facing it. So I was sitting on my couch.
Felicia
I noticed my dogs both look up in unison and they were asleep.
Heather
They both just woke up.
Felicia
They looked straight up and stared right
Heather
at the back door. And I couldn't see what they were looking at, but I just figured they
Felicia
saw maybe a raccoon or a poss. The curtains were closed, but who knows?
Heather
So I sit there waiting for them to get up to go investigate. And they don't.
Felicia
They're just staring. Within five seconds I hear the sliding
Heather
glass door, the swoosh of it sliding open.
Felicia
And it was a heavy door, so it's very audible when it's being open. I instantly tensed up. I thought to my head, someone's breaking in. How did they get in? That door is always locked. I don't say a word.
Heather
I don't move.
Felicia
I'm waiting for my dogs to get up and aggressively go after the person that just opened the back door. But they haven't moved in. They're just staring, which is crazy because they bark at anything. They don't like strangers, so they're staring. I'm sitting there as tense as can be. My heart racing. I'm bracing myself for an attack. I don't hear anything. I'm waiting to hear footsteps. Nothing. I'm hearing the flapping of this plastic floor to ceiling curry things like someone has just opened the door, stepped through the flaps. I'm hearing them like tick, tick against each other because they're plastic. Nothing's happening. Eventually I gather up the courage to just lean as far off of my couch as I can to peer over to get a glimpse at the back door, fully ready to be staring at someone. This is where it's just horrifying. The glass door was closed completely. The flaps are still silently, like about to stop flapping. They're still moving a little bit, but they're not clanking against each other. But there's still movement. I jump up, I run to the door. It's locked. The bar that a lot of sliding doors have, like, it's like a metal bar that you can put to the bottom of it to just further prevent access. It's in place. There's no way that door could have opened. I yanked on it.
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My dogs are back asleep.
Felicia
I'm freaking out. I call my husband sobbing. I make him leave work early to get back because I don't know what just happened.
Heather
I don't know.
Felicia
I think it was something paranormal. There's no physical way that a human could have opened it. And I never heard it closed.
Heather
That's the same.
Felicia
Never heard it close. So that's my story. Thank you for all that you do and hope you have a wonderful rest of your week.
Jesse
Bye.
Derek Hayes
Thanks, Felicia. You can't fool the pets. They always seem to know what's going on. And apparently they're smart enough to know when they should keep their yaps shut as well. Now it's super eerie, especially not knowing if it's a ghost, an intruder, or simply the wind. Wild stuff, Felicia. And we thank you again for making the call.
Chris
No.
Derek Hayes
Houses aren't the only places in Georgia known to harbor a ghost or two. The Peach State is also home to the old Pink House in Savannah. Built in 1771, this Georgian mansion, now a restaurant, was once home to Joseph Habersham Jr. His apparition is most often reported between October and March, appearing throughout the building. Guests have also seen a man in revolutionary era clothing at the bar who vanishes when not directly observed. Then there's the Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta. This 40 acre cemetery, holding nearly 70,000 graves is one of Atlanta's oldest burial grounds. Visitors report hearing ghostly roll calls and responses in the Confederate section. Other sightings include a hanging Union soldier and the spirit of Jasper Newton Smith emerging from his statue at night. And there's also Heritage hall in Madison. Built in 1811, this historic home is best known for the spirit of Virginia Nesbet, whom died there in 1851 during childbirth. A mysterious mark on the fireplace resembles a woman holding a baby, a mark that's said to be tied to her legend. Visitors have reported hearing her voice, sensing her presence, and even seeing her lie on the bed. There are all sorts of haunted places there in Georgia to choose from. Any link to a more extensive list can be found in tonight's show notes. Now, speaking of doorways and the ghosts that inhabit them, won't you join me in welcoming Chris to tonight's broadcast?
Caller/Guest
Hey, Derek.
Chris
This is Chris from Atlanta. This story occurred back in January of this year. I was in my living room around 2, 3 o' clock in the morning. My wife and kids were asleep, so I decided to check out this horror film, Hereditary. Anyone who's ever seen it knows it's a very disturbing, creepy film. So I was watching the movie and earlier that day, my mother had come over to our apartment and brought me these little portable door alarms because we recently moved. So like these little door alarms were on battery. I had them sitting in my kitchen and they were turned off. They were still in the box. I hadn't even unboxing yet. All of a sudden, in the middle of the movie, the door alarm goes off. And it's like this piercing, loud, obnoxious noise. So I go to see what's going on, and I unboxed it and it switched off, but yet it's going off. So I take batteries out, and then immediately after I take the batteries out, the other one goes off like that. And so I unboxed it and took the bag without the other one. And so, yeah, I mean, it was definitely some creepy stuff. That was the first time something like that ever happened to me. So I think definitely similar to that film. And, you know, I know some people have told me that some spiritual thing happens when those movies have that kind of divine stuff. So, yeah, that's my story. So I said, keep it up.
Nia
Thanks.
Derek Hayes
Thanks, Chris. Now, I'm not sure that those cheap door alarms are the most reliable of products, so hearing that one has gone off on its own is sort of expected. But maybe these weren't the cheap kind. And perhaps there was more to this situation than simple faulty electronics. Whatever was going on, we appreciate you sharing it here with us. Chris, thanks again for bringing in. And while we're still on the subject of haunted locations, let's bring in Anonymous from, of course, the state of Georgia.
Caller/Guest
Hey, Derek.
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I am from a small town in Georgia called Hazlehurst. And this house that I'd lived in ever since I was a little kid that my mother still actually lives in has always been kind of iffy, you know, little things here and there. But there are several small occurrences I wanted to tell you about. The first being when I was probably around 6. I was washing my hands in the bathroom, kind of, you know, looking up over the counter at the mirror. And it happened so fast, it was crazy. It looked like somebody had peeped around the corner because the door was right behind me and was looking in the mirror at me. It was like as if my little kid was looking around the corner too. Scared the crap out of me. I started screaming and my mom ran in. What was wrong? I told her. I explained it to her, and she finally told me, it's okay.
Bonnie
Don't worry about it.
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I thought she didn't believe me, you know, little kid being a little kid. But later on, she told me that she had experienced things in the house as well. She was laying in bed asleep one night, and the COVID was a little further down on her and the COVID just kind of moved and covered her up. She said thank you to whatever it is, and that was that. But another story in the house. I was probably around 8 and I'm laying in bed and I look straight down after waking up for some reason and there's a pair of green eyes staring at me. And again I did the whole screaming thing. Mom came in, you know, she assured
Chris
me, yada yada yada.
UPS Store Advertiser
It was just so strange. And I didn't sleep a wink the rest of the night. And the final one I want to tell you about is one that kind of still happens to this day and doesn't. It's kind of followed me. One night I'm laying down asleep, I wake up and I see a shadowy figure standing in the corner of my room. I stare at it for five seconds and then it proceeds to walk into the closet. And for some reason this one I wasn't afraid of. I just kind of sat there and stared at it, fell asleep again, woke up the next day and asked mom what she was doing in my room.
Bonnie
And she told me she was not
Derek Hayes
in my room at all that night.
UPS Store Advertiser
Now the only reason why I say it still kind of happens is because ever since then, off and on, I have sleep paralysis. And I see the shadow people from time to time. Sometimes I don't see them at all during it. Sometimes I see them all the time.
Caller/Guest
Alrighty. Well, thanks.
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I hope you can use it. Bye.
Derek Hayes
Thank you caller for the entry. Now if these ghostly entries are any indication, then the state of Georgia is chock full of haunted houses. But does that really surprise anyone? Thank you again caller for sharing the entry. Alright gang, I have lots more to share with you right after this quick break. Don't move a muscle. Who's number two on your list?
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Bonnie
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Derek Hayes
Now stepping out of the ghostly realm and into the realm of high strangeness, please welcome Jesse to the airwaves.
Jesse
Hi Derek, this is Jesse. I live in the metro Atlanta area of Georgia and my story takes place about 15 years ago in Atlanta. I worked in the city at the time and while I was out on my lunch break, my car was stopped at a red light as a heavyset man was riding his old school cruiser style bicycle across the crosswalk. There wasn't anything particularly special about him, but I was really fixated on him as he passed, and when he got about halfway across the street I saw what looked like a long snake's tongue flick out of his mouth quickly and go back in. He never turned his head or did anything else. There weren't any cars ahead of me. It was a bright sunny day, so I had a clear view of him and I felt pretty confident that I saw what I saw, but I was feeling pretty nonchalant about it and the light turned green and I went on my way. Well, I came to another red light and this time there was a gas station to my left and I noticed a man lying on the ground like in one of the parking spaces in front of the gas station. And he was more like reclining. So he had propped himself up on his elbow and his elbow was resting on the curb where you would step up to go into the gas station. And it looked like he was staring at me, but I couldn't tell for sure because his eyes were black or they looked black. And at first I thought maybe his eyes were closed, but the more I looked at him I could feel him looking back at me. And I knew his eyes were really open, but for some reason they were just black like one big pupil. And a random observation I had about him is that he really reminded me for some reason of Mr. Tumnus, who was the fawn in the lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. So that's kind of a side note, but that time I did get freaked out and drove straight back to the office. I've never experienced anything like that before or since. And I have no idea what that was about, but that was my weirdest day in Atlanta. Thanks for letting me share my family and I love the show.
Caller/Guest
Bye.
Derek Hayes
Thank you, Jesse. So, lizard people, is that what we're talking about here? Long tongue, strange eyes? Could it be lizard people? Or is this simply your typical downtown strangeness? Either way, it's fun stuff. Jesse, we thank you for calling and sharing your weirdest day in Atlanta. Now switching gears here a bit, please welcome Emma to the platform.
Emma
Hey there. This is Emma calling from southern Appalachia. But the story takes place actually on some dark back roads in Georgia. Going from Statesboro, Georgia up to Athens, probably around 2012, I believe. I was taking a road trip with my best friend in college, Chris. And Statesboro is a really small town, so we would go to the bigger cities around us on the weekends and see some of our friends. Atlanta, Athens, Savannah, things like that. This is one of those evenings. It was a beautiful, clear fall evening. I believe it was somewhere around Halloween. A little bit before or a little bit after. It was very late at night, you know, it was probably between 10 and midnight. Incredibly dark. Not a single streetlight, two lane road, not a dirt road, you know, but a backcountry road. I don't recall exactly which road it was, but we had like come to this dead end and GPS wasn't working. We didn't have MapQuest printed out at that time anyway, so we took a left hoping it was correct. It was, but it brought us through, though we couldn't see it at night. A gentle, like, rolling hills mountain range beginning. Athens is a little bit more elevated and hilly than the other areas of
Jesse
Georgia as it gets closer to Appalachia.
Emma
Completely clear night, but we couldn't see anything but the road. It was an older car too. Pretty weak headlights on a city for probably 50 miles in every direction. And we saw these two glowing orbs falling from the sky. I would say they were about 200, 300 yards away from the car. And they looked to be at minimum, like 5ft in diameter. At maximum, they really could have been up to 20. It was hard to tell. But when they fell completely silently and they like impacted on Earth, there was no, you know, sonic boom. There was no shaking. It just glowed. Kind of like when a bubble pops, you know, or like imagine a cartoon of a bubble popping and you see the orb itself kind of like disintegrate and expand. And so anyway, these balls of light burst into. I don't even know how I would Say that the light spilled out onto everything around it and then it was gone. Kind of like a lightning bug. It was a pulse in some sense. And it just fell one and then the other boom, boom, glowed. And then there was nothing. I looked into this later on because I was just absolutely amazed and confused. And you know, I found ball lightning on the Internet as an explanation. Like that's like the closest phenomena I could come up with. But I have to say, like after seeing videos and reading about, didn't seem electric, you know, it didn't seem like lightning. It was like an orb. So I'm not sure, you know, if there's other things like this. But it was very strange and peaceful. I didn't get a weird vibe. I remember actually thinking how beautiful it made the mountain look because that's how I knew in the night suddenly that we were in the mountains was. It glowed and I could see just all the elevation and all the trees. And so I don't know, it was a little weird. It's been almost 10 years now and I still wonder about it sometimes. So have a good day.
Derek Hayes
Thanks, Emma. Now, normally when we share a story similar to this, we jump to the same conclusion that Emma did ball lightning. And this very well could have been an instance of that very real but very rare phenomenon. But these particular balls of light seem to behave differently than how most ball lightning has been described to behave. At least that I'm aware of. I'm not sure what that means, but I am sure that this story piqued my interest. I'm a bit jealous of Emma's experience, which is to say it sounds like a fun thing to see. So thank you again, Emma for taking time to share your call. Now, whatever that thing was, it was technically a ufo. It was flying. Unidentified. And it was an object. And on the subject of UFOs in Georgia, as is tradition here on these state specific episodes, lets go through the top ten cities in Georgia in regards to UFO sightings beginning at number ten with Roswell. And how fitting. Number nine is Kennesaw. Number eight is Athens. Number seven is Columbus. Number six is Augusta. Number five is Cumming. Number four is Lawrence. At number three is the haunting city of Savannah. Number two is Marietta. And the city where you're most likely to see a UFO in Georgia is of course, Atlanta. You can explore this list yourself. There's a link in the show notes and it comes courtesy of the National UFO Reporting Center. Now speaking of UFO stories, here's a good one. Please welcome Anonymous to the show
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Hi, I'd like to keep my name anonymous just for the legality of some of the activities, but I'm from a town in South Georgia called Moultrie and a couple buddies and me were at his house. It was kind of mid summer and we had all decided to trip. I took psilocybin and all three of my buddies were on acid. But we all saw the same thing at the exact same time on his front porch. It was kind of early in the evening. They were still alive. It was summertime. So you know, there's a lot of light. There's a massive, massive storm rolling in. Very huge storm clouds. And we were all looking up at the clouds and there was this very bright gleam of light that came off of something coming out of the cloud. And as we looked at it, I realized, and they realized that it was a silver kind of lipstick tube shaped ufo. And it came out of one cloud. It wasn't moving super fast, but it was moving fast enough. No lights on it, nothing like that. Just the silver gleam and then lipstick tube and it went directly across and into another cloud. And that is the whole experience. I turned to them and I asked them if they saw what I saw and they were all like, yes, but I don't want to talk about it. We kind of all came to the agreement that if I told anybody, they'd probably think we were all hallucinating. So it had to be a hallucination. But we were not all on the same substance and we all saw the exact same thing, the exact same, exact same time. Anyway, I really enjoy your podcast, so
Chris
thank you,
Derek Hayes
thank you caller for sharing your story. Well, here we are again. Another paranormal experience involving hallucinogens. Leaving us to ask the age old question, was the craft the gentleman saw a shared hallucination, a result of the drugs they were on? Or did those substances cleanse the doors of perception and help them to see what had been there all along? A silver craft floating in the sky. That is a tough one because you never can tell. But I will admit these sorts of stories make for fun entries. So thank you again caller for taking the time to share.
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Derek Hayes
You are on earth and your vision is very limited. It's like watching poker. All right, down to the last few stories of the evening. And kicking off this final segment is Bonnie from Savannah.
Bonnie
Hi, Derek and crew. This is Bonnie from Savannah, Georgia. I wanted to report an incident that happened a few years back when my daughter broke her leg and tore her
Derek Hayes
knee up really bad.
Bonnie
She was confined to the living room for a while, and her friends brought her a bouquet of mylar balloons. And so these balloons kind of hung out at the ceiling for three weeks, which seems like to me, but then they started to fall away until like three remained and they were kind of moving around. But eventually it was just one. And this was like maybe four weeks later. Well, this balloon was so weird. It would cross the room in front of my fireplace and it would be going up and down and up and down and across and across. I wished I had pulled my phone out to, you know, record it, but I just didn't want it to know it was upsetting me. So this went on for a while, and I'd just be watching TV and
Derek Hayes
it do its thing.
Bonnie
And then after like a week of this, it crossed to the opposite end of the room, went down the hallway, which is pretty long, toward the bathroom. And at the time, I was lying in my bed, and the door was open, which is right near the bathroom, and the balloon turned and faced me. And then it continued back down the hallway and then around the corner, up the stairs to the landing. And it just kind of stayed there until it, I guess, lost all its gas or whatever. But it was like a six week process. And I have seen a video on a paranormal show that the same thing kind of took place in a bar. So I guess I'm not the only one that's experienced this. But love your show. Me and my daughter listen to it, especially while we're traveling.
Chris
So thank you. Goodbye.
Derek Hayes
Thank you, Bonnie. I'm not sure what this activity is, but I agree you're not the only one to experience it. I've actually shared a handful of stories describing oddly behaving balloons here on the program. Season 12, episode 11, season 14, episode 16, season 18, episode 31's beyond portion, and season 18, episode 33's beyond portion. And believe it or not, I'm actually still sitting on a few calls that are very similar. I'll be working those in next season. So I can't say that this is paranormal, and I can't even say that this is abnormal. But I can say that other people, too, have taken notice. So thanks again, Bonnie, for sharing the call. I'll be sure to keep my ears open going forward. Now, up next is yet another ghostly encounter. Please join me in welcoming Lucy to tonight's show.
Caller/Guest
Hi, my name is Lucy. I'm calling a story from North Georgia. This happened at my friend's house. We used to host D and D gatherings at his home. And he had told us that there were ghosts in his house. And he had, like, three residual ghosts there, like they were tied to the land. The home that he lived in was a farmhouse tied to a plantation home back in the 1860s or so. So there are three, like, historical ghosts, like, tied to the home. But there was, like, one very intelligent ghost. And this intelligent ghost was demonic in nature. We knew about the historical ghost being in the house and, like, the one intelligent being there because my friend who owned the house, he was practicing pagan, in which. And my best friend, too, was clairvoyant and could also confirm about, like, the number of spirits in the house and their nature. But my friend who lived in the house, he had plenty of stories of the intelligent being, like, tormenting him. And that's why I say demon is just because of the years he spent having this thing torment him. Stories of, like, him trying to, like, just sleep at night and this thing standing beside his bed and telling him awful things and attacking him otherwise. But because of, like, whatever reason, you know, it had started to chill out and wasn't, like, attacking people anymore. And you always felt like you were being watched in this house. Like, we would be playing D and D and like, later in the evening, there's always, like, this feeling like something was just around the door watching us or looking into the room, or there'd be, like, really cold spots just out of nowhere. But one night we're playing D and D. It gets real late, like 1am And I'm falling asleep at the table. And they decide that it's too unsafe for me to drive home that night. And my friend decides to host me there in his house. And he lets me sleep on his couch in the back living room. Well, he sets me up back there. He goes on to his bedroom and goes to bed for the night. I've got my blanket turn and I'm sleeping with my face against the back of the couch. And as I'm laying there, there's a curtain separating this room from the rest of the house. And you hear the curtain move and just. Goodbye.
John
It's cold.
Caller/Guest
You just hear real soft on the carpet, like something walking into the room and walks right up to my back. And it's colder than it's been this entire time now. And I feel queer as day. This hand reach out and hold onto my shoulder. It scared me so bad, and I just knew not to turn around. I knew that it was the intelligent ghost. And so I just laid there, held my breath, and tried to be real calm about it. And soon enough, it let go of my shoulder and I heard it walk back out of the room. And that was it. I just tried to ignore and go to bed. We certainly had other experiences in the house, but that was probably the scariest things that happened there. Anyways, we love your show and thank you so much.
Derek Hayes
Thank you, Lucy. Touched by a ghost. An intelligent ghost at that. Maybe you can get it to help you with your taxes. No, I'm kidding. But it does sound like a spooky situation. Lucy, it may be not fun for you, but it's certainly fun for us to hear the tale. So thank you again for taking the time to call in. And, gang, that takes us to tonight's final entry. Nicole Marie, the mic is all yours.
Heather
Hi, Derek.
Jesse
This is Nicole Marie calling from Atlanta, Georgia.
Nia
There was a girl that had called in where she had seen a ghost in modern clothing. And you had said, yeah, you never see a ghost in Jinkos or something like that. Well, I've got a story for you. So my husband and I collect haunted objects and we have a couple of haunted dolls. And there was this psychic we were talking to who was selling a supposedly haunted doll. And the story was she was in an antique shop and she saw this little old doll wedged behind a bookshelf. And when she pulled it out, she immediately felt that there was some kind of spirit trapped in this doll. And when she asked the owners of the store about buying the doll, they were like, we have no idea what that is. We didn't even know that was in here. Yeah, go ahead and buy it. So she brought it home and she did some psychic work with it and came up with the spirit that was trapped inside this dollar. His name was Jake, died of a head injury. And she said, but he's very sarcastic and jokey. I asked him, what do you need? What can I do for you? And he said, I need a vj and at this point, my husband and I are dying laughing because obviously we get the reference. The psychic does not get the reference. And she, in all seriousness, says, I tried looking it up. And all I can come up with is this bar in Chicago. So maybe he's attached to this bar in some way and we're just dying. We're crying, laughing. If you know, you know. And we're like, we have to buy this doll. We have to. So we buy this Jake, this haunted doll, and we get him home and we do all of our paranormal investigations. We've got EMF detectors, we try a spirit box session, we've got cat balls. We even have a tripwire. Nothing. Nothing's going on with this dollar. And actually, we find that to be true with almost all of our haunted objects. I honestly think haunted objects are site specific. Like maybe it's entities that live in that location that are manipulating the object. And then once you sell them or buy them and get them in a different location, nothing really happens anymore. So that's what we're expecting with Jake. So after, you know, a week or two of different investigations with him and nothing coming up, I have a sighting. We have this small half bathroom in a hallway between our living room and our kitchen. And when you're standing at the sink in front of the mirror, you can see off to the left into the kitchen. And I'm standing there washing my hands and I hear footsteps coming towards me. And I'm expecting one of my family members to be walking down the hall. And I look up into the mirror to see who it is. And there's this boy, this young man, I would say maybe late teens, early 20s. And he's wearing Jenkos, and he's wearing this navy blue and white striped long sleeve polo shirt. And he's got this like sandy blonde, shaggy haircut and this hemp braided choker necklace straight out of the late 90s, early 2000s. And I'm just staring at him in
Emma
the mirror and I'm like, oh my
Nia
God, who's in my house? And I whip around to look at him with my own eyes and there's nothing there. And I turn back to the mirror and there's nothing there. So I think maybe I saw Jake and he was a ghost in Jinko's.
Caller/Guest
There you go. You're welcome. Bye.
Derek Hayes
Thank you, Nicole Marie. A ghost in JNCO jeans. Now, for those of you too old or too young to get this reference, JNCOs were popular in the 90s and early 2000s. They're super baggy jeans. You'd probably know them if you saw them. And I bet you've even seen a pair of at the skatepark. Now, once you've laid eyes on this unique apparel, imagine getting killed wearing a pair of them. Now that's your ghost outfit for the rest of eternity. Choose your outfits carefully each and every day. I guess that's the lesson to take away here. Now, the tragedy of it all aside, wouldn't it be cool if someone died wearing our merchandise? Talk about viral marketing. The ghost of a guy in a MAU Dogman shirt designed by Jonathan Dodd. Available at monsters among us podcast.com and by clicking on the Shop tab. That would be wild. And your stance on haunted items Nicole Marie I'm afraid I have to agree with you. Over the years, people have sent me all sorts of items that they swore up and down, held energy or even spirits. Some fun, some scary. But as of yet, not a single one of those objects have given me an ounce of trouble, much to my disappointment. So you might be onto something here. Perhaps the move does drain whatever magic is held within, or it severs the connection to the entity causing the issue. I don't know. But I do know that I enjoyed your story, Nicole Murray and I do recall asking about ghosts in Junko Jeans at one point years ago. So thanks for throwing me a bone. I hope that's gonna do it for this All Georgia episode. And I think we learned tonight that the Peach State is awfully strange, but the ghosts there, they reign supreme. Now. 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 like us on our social media pages, give us a like and follow on YouTube, join our Discord server 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 Unex digital network. Just visit on xnetwork.com to tune in. Not tonight's score was provided by Iron Cthulhu, Apocalypse Co AG Music and Carl Casey at White Bat Audio. Now don't forget to watch our movie Shadows in the desert. Visit borregotriangle.com for all the deets. Check out Monsters Among Us Jr. Brand new episodes drop every other Wednesday. And finally, join us in the beyond. Visit monsters among us podcast.com and click the Patreon tab. All right, gang I'll catch you all back here on Thursday with a brand new installment. But until then, you keep it spooky. And please have yourselves a good night. Sa.
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Host: Derek Hayes
Date: March 31, 2026
This episode of Monsters Among Us dives into the eerie and supernatural side of Georgia, the Peach State. Host Derek Hayes curates a collection of firsthand accounts from listeners, exploring haunted locations, shadowy beings, UFO sightings, and other high strangeness. Each tale comes straight from those who experienced it, offering a chilling exploration of Georgia's paranormal landscape—from historical battlegrounds and asylums to suburban homes and lonely highways.
"You just know, carried on...we heard what sounded like the gate...slam shut. Immediately we turned off all of the flashlights and stopped recording and ran out of there." – Cody [04:58]
"I could see a figure in the corner watching me...I genuinely thought that was Uncle Steve in the corner. And when I whispered Uncle Steve, he just faded into the corner." – Heather [11:15]
"This shadow thing appeared at the opposite end of the hallway and it charged straight at me...just before it was about to reach me, it disappeared in its usual fashion." – Nia [16:35]
"Your shadow seemed dead set on capturing your attention. For what reason I do not know, and frankly I shudder to imagine." – Derek Hayes [17:19]
"I'm a truck driver at night…never seen anything like this before." – John [19:33]
"It's Starlink...they're tethered together using a cable, sometimes 20 to 30 units strong, all in a line, just as John reported." – Derek Hayes [19:43]
"I hear the sliding glass door...I thought to my head, someone's breaking in...but the door was closed completely. The flaps are still moving a little bit." – Felicia [23:24]
"You can't fool the pets. They always seem to know what's going on." – Derek Hayes [25:29]
"I go to see what's going on...it switched off, but yet it's going off. So I take batteries out, and then immediately after I take the batteries out, the other one goes off." – Chris [28:05]
"Ever since then, off and on, I have sleep paralysis. And I see the shadow people from time to time." – Anonymous [32:18]
"I saw what looked like a long snake's tongue flick out of his mouth quickly and go back in...his eyes were black, like one big pupil." – Jesse [35:00]
"These balls of light burst...the light spilled out onto everything around it and then it was gone." – Emma [39:00]
"We were not all on the same substance and we all saw the exact same thing, the exact same, exact same time." – Anonymous [44:25]
"This balloon was so weird. It would cross the room...and it would be going up and down and across and across." – Bonnie [48:15]
"I feel clear as day this hand reach out and hold onto my shoulder. It scared me so bad, and I just knew not to turn around." – Lucy [53:20]
"And there's this boy...he's wearing JNCOs, striped long sleeve polo, shaggy haircut...straight out of the late 90s, early 2000s...and I just stare at him in the mirror..." – Nicole Marie [58:19]
"A ghost in JNCO jeans. Now, once you've laid eyes on this unique apparel, imagine getting killed wearing a pair of them—now that's your ghost outfit for the rest of eternity." – Derek Hayes [58:47]
On ghost frequency:
"It's about 19 hertz if you're curious. And I'd play a section but you wouldn't be able to hear it, though you probably would feel it." – Derek Hayes [17:19]
On the persistence of folklore:
"If these ghostly entries are any indication, then the state of Georgia is chock full of haunted houses. But does that really surprise anyone?" – Derek Hayes [32:34]
On the perils of haunted objects:
"Perhaps the move does drain whatever magic is held within, or it severs the connection to the entity causing the issue." – Derek Hayes [59:30]
| Timestamp | Segment | Speaker | Topic/Story | |-----------|---------------------------------------------|------------------|---------------------------------------------| | 02:55 | Cody’s Experience at Central State Hospital | Cody | Haunted asylum explorations | | 09:47 | Heather’s Civil War Home Haunting | Heather | Glowing eyes, "Uncle Steve" | | 13:53 | Nia’s Shadow Person | Nia | Shadow person roadside/home encounters | | 18:29 | John’s UFO/Starlink report | John, Derek | White orbs in a line | | 21:55 | Felicia’s Sliding Door Incident | Felicia | Haunted door, dogs uncharacteristically quiet| | 27:56 | Chris’s Haunted Door Alarms | Chris | Door alarms inexplicably triggered | | 30:04 | Anonymous – Haunted Home in Hazlehurst | Anonymous | Faces, glowing eyes, shadow people, sleep paralysis | | 34:24 | Jesse’s “Lizard Man” & Black-Eyed Stranger | Jesse | Snake-tongued cyclist, black-eyed man | | 37:24 | Emma’s Glowing Orbs in the Mountains | Emma | Massive glowing orbs, peaceful encounter | | 43:08 | Anonymous UFO Sighting on Psychedelics | Anonymous | Shared UFO sighting while tripping | | 47:19 | Bonnie’s Haunted Balloon | Bonnie | Balloon displaying willful behaviour | | 50:58 | Lucy’s D&D Ghost Encounter | Lucy | Ghost’s icy grip during sleepover | | 55:01 | Nicole Marie’s Ghost in JNCOs | Nicole Marie | Haunted doll, modern-dressed apparition |
If you've never listened to Monsters Among Us, this episode's Peach State special is packed with diverse, atmospheric stories from asylums, highways, haunted homes, and night skies. The host balances credible context and skeptic curiosity with open-mindedness, and every caller’s voice adds to the complex picture of Georgia's truly weird and haunted side. Whether you believe or not, these tales are sure to keep you looking over your shoulder—and make you wonder what lingers in the shadows of the South.
Remember:
"Choose your outfits carefully each and every day. I guess that's the lesson to take away here." – Derek Hayes [58:47]