Scary Stories For A Rainy Night – Ep. 279 – Whispers At 2 A.M.

Podcast: Scary Stories and Rain
Host: Being Scared (Dane)
Original Release: November 4, 2025
Theme: Real-life unsettling encounters and uncanny experiences, told in a calm, atmospheric style set against a backdrop of soothing rain.

Episode Overview

This episode invites listeners into a collection of true, chilling stories perfect for sleepless, rainy nights. Host Dane recounts a set of first-person narratives—ranging from supernatural legends in the Smoky Mountains to unsettling late-night human encounters. The signature style combines spooky accounts with a gentle, rainy ambiance, producing a uniquely cozy yet haunting listening experience.

Key Stories & Discussion Points

1. The Legend of the Yunhwi Sunzi – Smoky Mountains Terror

(Starts around 02:20)

• Setting: Appalachian woods near the Smoky Mountains, early ‘90s: four college friends on a hiking trip.
• Key events:
  • Car trouble leaves the group stranded with no cell phones.
  • While pushing the vehicle, Shane (one friend) sees “five midgets eating a deer's carcass” (06:58), causing panic.
  • The group later hides in the woods. Around 1 a.m., unexplainable "gibberish" sounds begin in the trees above them, escalating their fear.
  • Witnesses “a person that must have been less than 2ft tall...a beard, big ears, long mangy hair, disproportionately large feet...wielded a very large knife” (10:33). More of these beings appear, exhibiting coordinated, threatening behavior.
  • After a harrowing night of hiding, an elderly couple rescues them in daylight, reacting skeptically: “Make sure you know what mushrooms you’re eating next time” (13:00).
  • The narrator later confides in his Cherokee grandfather, who identifies the beings as Yunhwi Sunzi, or "the little people," legendary woodland entities both protective and vengeful.

Notable Quotes:

• “Shane then says get in the car. I just saw five midgets eating a deer's carcass.” (06:58)
• “There we were, lying down, trying to remain hidden, and we saw one of these creatures standing there, flaring its nostrils as though smelling for us.” (12:20)
• [Grandfather]: “You can thank your heritage that you're still alive, but part of me thinks that there is some truth to that statement.” (13:33)

2. Factory Fears & Nighttime Terrors (Urban Exploration Tale)

(Begins at ~14:20)

• Setting: Abandoned factory on a wooded trail, explored regularly by a group of athletic friends.
• Story beats:
  • Early unease grows with repeated visits. The group encounters nothing eventful until a night punctuated by a blood-curdling scream from an unseen person—”It sounded like someone had just been killed.” (17:29)
  • They discover signs of habitation—Red Bull cans, blankets—but witness a tiny person suddenly sitting up, sending the entire group fleeing in terror.
  • Later, the same factory is occupied by a truck with blacked-out plates, shovels, and garbage bags, adding a real-world element of threat (gang activity suspected).
  • The final visit: the group encounter a deranged old man in a bloodied wheelchair and another unhinged person brandishing a broken bottle, who chases them out as they flee. The group resolves never to return: “The cool graffiti just is not worth it.” (22:44)

3. Psychedelic Nightmare After the Renaissance Fair

(Starts at ~23:40)

• Summary:
  • A first-time visit to a Renaissance fair ends with what seems like a drugging, leading to vivid, terrifying hallucinations and severe physical discomfort for two days.
  • Experiences include: auditory hallucinations, seeing “dozens of Satans or cockroaches crawling around the walls” (26:13), and dissociative symptoms at work.
  • After consulting a psychiatrist, the narrator concludes: “someone slipped me a cocktail of very powerful hallucinogens into one of my beers” (28:40).
  • No long-term effects, but lingering confusion and curiosity remain.

Notable Quote:

• “I also felt like I had to hold on to my desk to keep from falling over...I saw dozens of Satans or cockroaches crawling around the walls and floors behind him.” (26:13)

4. 4th of July Gas Station Encounter

(Begins around 29:55)

• Narrative:
  • Following fireworks, a young family stops at a gas station on the edge of town.
  • The narrator, a woman with her young daughter, notices a man exhibiting threatening body language and unblinking attention.
  • The man becomes hostile when refused a ride, especially toward the narrator.
  • Husband deters further advances by threatening to call police; the family quickly flees. They reflect on the possible danger: “I don’t want to imagine what would have happened to my young family if this man hadn’t given up when he did.” (33:20)

5. Midnight Paper Route Close Calls

(Starts at ~33:45)

• Recollection of three unnerving incidents:

  1. Jump Scare Cat: A black cat dashes from the darkness, startling the narrator.
  2. Mystery Deer: While on a remote farm route, reaches into a mailbox and comes eye to eye with a silent, unbothered deer.
  3. Midnight Watcher: Repeated sightings of a slow-moving vehicle and, on one night, a human-shaped figure lurking at 2 a.m.—ultimately revealed to be a scarecrow as part of a town competition.

• Reflection: “I moved on to a better job shortly after...but I was left with a lot of interesting stories from the short time on my route.” (39:10)

6. Rest Stop Stranger: Late-night Drive Dread

(Begins at ~39:45)

• Story Details:
  • A 19-year-old woman makes a solo overnight drive to visit her ill mother. She stops at a rest area around 2:45 a.m. as part of an agreement to check in periodically.
  • She’s approached by a seemingly normal man who asks to use her phone. Something in his eyes—the “dead shark eyes”—unnerves her (42:12).
  • She fakes a phone conversation to avoid him, and only feels safe enough to return to her car after a prolonged standoff.
  • When she finally drives away, she sees the man get into a previously “locked out” vehicle and leave, confirming her gut feeling about the potential threat.
  • She later discovers the area is notorious for trafficking and targeting vulnerable young women, making her close call all the more chilling.

Notable Quotes:

• “He had dead shark eyes…you know what I’m talking about. It’s the Ted Bundy, Dick Cheney, actress in a Glade commercial who’s trying to convince us she’s in love with some dumb guy who doesn’t know how an air freshener works. Eyes.” (42:12)
• “I watched the truck head back out to the freeway and drive out of sight.” (44:30)

Notable Moments & Atmosphere

• Rain and Night Theme: Each story is accompanied by the soft, continuous patter of rain, enhancing the episode’s intimate and haunting mood.
• Humor and Self-awareness: Despite the frightening content, narrators often reflect with humor or wry disbelief, such as blaming overactive imaginations for scarecrow sightings, or grandfathers jovially invoking old legends.
• Survivor Wisdom: A recurring thread is listening to one’s intuition—whether dealing with supernatural folklore or the all-too-real dangers posed by strangers at night.

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Smoky Mountains “Little People”: 02:20 – 14:00
• Factory Urban Exploration Horrors: 14:20 – 23:35
• Renaissance Fair Psychedelia: 23:40 – 29:55
• Gas Station Predator: 29:55 – 33:45
• Paper Route Paranormal: 33:45 – 39:45
• Rest Stop Standoff: 39:45 – 46:00 (approximate end of episode before outro)

Tone & Delivery

• Dane’s narration is measured, conversational, and laced with empathy—making the delivery calming but no less chilling. First-person accounts retain their original voice, rich with personal details and humor amid tension.
• Rain sounds create a lulling yet immersive backdrop, intensifying both suspense and the solitary, reflective atmosphere.
• Speaker attribution is clear throughout, and each anecdote feels genuinely rooted in lived experience.

Conclusion

Episode 279 of Scary Stories and Rain delivers a masterfully crafted medley of true horrors—some supernatural, some all too human—each unfolding with patient, evocative storytelling. Whether it’s entities from folklore, unpredictable strangers in the night, or one’s own mind turning against itself, the episode repeatedly reminds listeners: things are scariest when the world seems still, the rain falls, and you’re alone at 2 a.m.