Scary Stories and Rain – Ep. 271 – "Black Ocean"

Date: October 27, 2025
Host: Dane (Being Scared)
Theme: Unsettling true horror stories narrated over calming rain, focusing on brush-with-death experiences, hauntings, real-world dangers, and eerie unexplained phenomena.

Episode Overview

This episode weaves together six chilling true stories—from haunted restaurant kitchens and near-lethal urban explorations to doppelgänger apparitions, legendary hauntings, a life-and-death 911 call, and a violent home invasion. The soothing rain soundscape contrasts with the intensity of these personal accounts, aiming to both chill and captivate listeners during a stormy night.

Story 1: The Haunted Restaurant Kitchen

[00:32 – 13:11]

Key Discussion Points

• Setting: Small, multicultural restaurant in a historic community.
• Initial Strange Events:
  • Self-opening glass door during a staff meeting, despite no obvious cause ([01:30]).
  • An empty drill case thrown with force at an employee when alone in the restaurant ([02:10]).
  • Ingredients mysteriously disappearing when the narrator briefly leaves and returns ([03:30]).
• Escalation:
  • On a busy kitchen day, all ambient kitchen noise suddenly stops.
    • “It absolutely got dead silent. Almost like an invisible soundproof blanket got thrown over the three of us.” – Dane ([05:50])
  • The effect is confined only to the “cook line”; noise returns when stepping away.
  • Narrator experiences dizziness and tunnel vision; boss urgently requests items for a cleansing ritual, convinced a malevolent entity was present ([08:35]).
  • That night, narrator is haunted by visions:
    • “All night that night I tossed and turned unable to really sleep. ... I would see a screaming demon-like thing right in front of my face.” – Dane ([09:45])

Memorable Quotes

• “I had no idea that it was about to get a whole lot more terrifying for me.” – Dane ([04:25])
• “She had felt something walk through her on the cook line that wasn't good.” – Dane ([08:51])

Story 2: Escaping a Burning Detroit Abandoned House

[10:01 – 16:34]

Key Discussion Points

• Narrator: Self-described fearless “blue collar dude.”
• Urban Exploration Gone Wrong: Goes alone to explore abandoned Detroit houses.
• Stalked and Ambushed:
  • Pursued by three men in a back alley, narrowly avoids them ([11:30]).
  • Decides to enter a boarded-up house anyway.
• Attack: The men set the house on fire, trapping the narrator in a smoke-filled, boarded-up house.
• Desperate Escape:
  • Finds attic stairs and escapes through a window onto the roof, then jumps to a neighboring house ([15:00]).
  • Chased through yards, nearly caught at his truck.
  • “Like a bad movie. My hands were trembling so badly I dropped them [the keys].” – Dane ([16:13])
  • Drives off, injured, with attackers in pursuit.

Memorable Quotes

• “Get it together. Your life literally depends on it right now.” – Dane ([13:36])
• “All night I tossed and turned unable to really sleep.” – Dane ([09:45])

Story 3: Doppelgänger Encounters at the Beach Apartment

[16:46 – 23:17]

Key Discussion Points

• Source: Narrator’s mother, describing two events from her youth.
• Event 1: Nighttime Apparition
  • Awoken by sense of being watched—sees her boyfriend (the narrator’s future father) standing in the dark, but he's actually in another room, snoring audibly ([18:45]).
  • Both she and her sister witness the figure.
• Event 2: Daytime Apparition
  • Sees her boyfriend’s double in a mirror while he naps nearby; figure disappears ([21:00]).
• Unexplained Nature: Both women saw the doppelgänger, unsettling them; family still puzzled by these events.

Memorable Quotes

• “She recalls feeling uneasy and chilled to the bone during these sightings. Like she wasn’t supposed to be seeing what she saw.” – Dane ([22:12])
• “To this day, she believes it was some sort of astral projection or some kind of out of body experience.” – Dane ([22:34])

Story 4: Haunting at the Whaley House, San Diego

[23:17 – 28:57]

Key Discussion Points

• Backdrop: Whaley House, famed San Diego haunt.
• After-hours Visit: Group sneaks into courtyard at 2am for drinks and scary stories.
• Supernatural Encounter:
  • Hear “metal dragging across the brick pathway”; see men’s shoes and a silhouette ([25:03]).
  • Large man in period clothing, holding a noose and sword, yells “get out” and lets out a “blood curdling scream” ([26:33]).
  • Sudden gust of wind, group flees in terror. Apparition reappears at car—pursues them until they speed away.
  • “My heart was racing and it was hard to breathe.” – Dane ([27:30])

Memorable Moments

• The figure's “huge smile” while chasing them ([27:00]).
• “I don’t think I’ll be able to go back for a while and will never go there at night again.” – Dane ([28:34])

Story 5: The Life-Saving 911 Call – Pinewood Street, Detroit

[28:57 – 35:16]

Key Discussion Points

• Incident: 911 dispatcher receives multiple fragmented calls from a kidnapped woman ([29:00]).
• Escalation:
  • Gruff male voice: “There is no afterwards.” ([29:45])
  • Dispatcher triangulates cell location with address info, relays to police.
  • Multiple calls, cries of “Don’t hit me, please.”
• Rescue:
  • Cues from call help police find the car thanks to “switch off the hazard lights.”
  • Police intervene, arrest Derek Smith—previous offender just out of prison.
  • Two sisters saved; call and tracking tech credited for their rescue ([31:00]).

Memorable Quotes

• “‘There is no afterwards,’ comes the ominous reply.” – Co-host ([29:50])
• “It’s an ironic twist that today’s seemingly intrusive surveillance technology…can actually…be used to preserve human life as well.” – Dane ([33:47])

Story 6: Roommate’s Secret – The Home Invasion

[35:17 – 45:59]

Key Discussion Points

• Narrator: Moves to Pennsylvania as a young college grad, finds a too-good-to-be-true apartment with “Darryl.”
• Red Flags:
  • Darryl is vague about his job, has upscale lifestyle ([35:49]).
  • Mysterious visitors have private conversations with Darryl in his room.
  • Narrator is approached twice by a stranger asking about Darryl’s schedule ([36:44], [38:44]).
• Crisis:
  • Late-night—three masked men invade, hold narrator at gunpoint, shoot Darryl in his room, then torture him until he confesses and gives up money and drugs ([41:56 - 44:22]).
  • Narrator survives, Darryl is hospitalized but recovers.
  • Aftermath: “He wasn’t a gangster. He just didn’t have that kind of personality. Which I suppose is what made him the perfect prey for the actual criminals.” – Co-host ([45:42])
  • Darryl’s $20,000 loss, lasting trauma, physical scar.

Memorable Quotes

• “I was absolutely terrified. I mean, more scared than I’ve ever been in my life.” – Co-host ([42:29])
• “How they seemed to take an immense amount of personal pleasure in causing us both as much pain and distress as was physically possible.” – Co-host ([44:04])

Notable Quotes & Moments by Timestamp

| Timestamp | Speaker | Notable Moment | |-----------|-------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------| | 05:50 | Dane | “It absolutely got dead silent. Almost like an invisible soundproof blanket got thrown over the three of us.” | | 13:36 | Dane | “Get it together. Your life literally depends on it right now.” | | 18:45 | Dane | Doppelgänger story: “Her first instinct was to ask my aunt… if she was seeing what she was seeing…” | | 26:33 | Co-host | Whaley House ghost screams: “Get out.” | | 29:45 | Co-host | “There is no afterwards, comes the ominous reply.” | | 42:29 | Co-host | “I was absolutely terrified…” | | 45:42 | Co-host | “He wasn’t a gangster. He just didn’t have that kind of personality…” |

Summary

"Black Ocean" stands out as a tension-filled episode, blending the supernatural, the unexplained, and the dangers of the living. Dane’s calm narration against the constant, soothing rain intensifies each unsettling account, making it the perfect companion for a sleepless, stormy night.

Listeners are reminded that terror often wears many faces: it can haunt quiet kitchens, urban ruins, family apartments, historic landmarks, chilling phone lines, and even the homes we trust. The stories are delivered with empathy for the narrators and sensitivity to real trauma, offering as much catharsis as dread.

For exclusive, longer stories and giveaways, Dane encourages listeners to subscribe via Spotify and check out the Scary Stories and Fire as well as Scary Stories After Dark.