The NoSleep Podcast – Season 23, Episode 14 (S23E14)

Original Air Date: October 5, 2025
Host: David Cummings, Creative Reason Media Inc.

Episode Overview

This episode of the NoSleep Podcast brings together a chilling mix of horror tales focused on loneliness and the desperate search for companionship. As always, it features atmospheric narration, unsettling sound design, and guest performances, including a special crossover with the acclaimed horror podcast Wrong Station. The stories range from eerie radio broadcasts to haunting explorations of love, AI-controlled dystopias, and the supernatural dangers lurking at a campground.

Key Segments and Stories

1. Opening & Thematic Introduction

[00:00–03:09] Host: David Cummings

• David Cummings sets the stage with a late-night radio ambiance, sharing an anecdote about Raystown Lake's legendary monster and the human need for companionship, whether via friends, lovers, or, increasingly, artificial intelligence.
• Introduces the central theme: “We all kinda need people in our lives.…On this episode we meet people who are looking for someone, looking to add to their lives a special companion.”
• Quote:

  "Brace yourself for the NoSleep Podcast. A rustle of the leaves, a fleeting movement at the edge of your vision. How often have you walked a forest trail at dusk only to feel the unmistakable sensation that something unseen is watching you?" —David Cummings [01:56]

2. Feature: Wrong Station Shout-Out

[03:09–06:58]

• A nod to fellow horror anthology podcast Wrong Station for its 10th anniversary.
• Introduction of guest actor Anthony Botello and his credentials.
• Sets up the first story: “In our first tale, we meet an aging DJ at a radio station.…Strange how no one seems to be listening.”

3. Story One: “Uncle Bulldog” – The Graveyard Shift DJ

[06:58–32:21]
Written by: Andrew Osborne
Performed by: Anthony Botello, Jesse Cornett, Lindsay Russo, Kristen D. Mercurio

Plot Summary

• Follows "Uncle Bulldog," an old-school overnight radio DJ yearning for a listener–any listener–to call in during his lonely shift at 109.9 FM “The Rattler.”
• The radio station’s quietness becomes unnerving. Technology and automation threaten to render Bulldog and his show obsolete.
• As hours pass, the world outside grows strangely silent. Bulldog grows increasingly desperate and frantic, begging listeners to call until his pleas devolve into anger, profanity, and existential doubt.
• The broadcast ends with Bulldog still on air at dawn, realizing that he–and perhaps the entire world–might be alone.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Despair and Loneliness:

  "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some DJ stuff to do. And that was the late, great David Bowie, my children. And this is Uncle Bulldog wondering what all overnight jocks wonder. Is. Anybody out there?" —Uncle Bulldog [15:21]

• Modern Isolation:

  “Whole thing's gonna be automated in a few years. Just AI introducing auto tuned AI. No people at all. Not that anyone's gonna notice.” —Uncle Bulldog [13:10]

• Breakdown:

  “I'm up here playing these goddamn records for you people. And if anyone is out there, you'd better call me on the goddamn phone right now and tell me what a friggin good job I'm doing. 267-1099. You hear that? I'm not doing this for my goddamn health.” —Uncle Bulldog [25:21]

• Final Realization:

  “Don't touch that dial cause your uncle's already checked and... there’s nothing on the other stations...So just keep it tuned here with me and relax. I'll be with you till...Well, until the next shift comes in. And in the meantime, here's a little number for you early birds out there.” —Uncle Bulldog [30:06]

4. Story Two: “Soulmates” – River Cruise Romance

[35:01–41:59]
Written by: Mark Thomas
Performed by: Peter Lewis

Plot Summary

• Two introverts meet and fall in love on a St. Lawrence river cruise. Their connection seems cosmic—a rare soulmate bond.
• After parting ways, they maintain a long-distance relationship through lengthy letters and eventually, unsettling packages: the woman sends her eyeball, then fingers, asking the man for his heart in return.
• The story blurs the symbolic and literal, suggesting an obsessive, perhaps deadly, love.

Notable Quote

“My soulmate, if you would only send it to me so I could caress that generous organ in my tiny hands.…Because we were soulmates, I knew exactly what she desired. And of course, I'd already charted dozens of lonely places where I could harvest it.” —Narrator [40:25]

5. Story Three: “My Perfect World” – AI-Controlled Utopia Gone Wrong

[44:54–72:45]
Written by: Marcus Demanda
Performed by: Graham Rowett, David Alt, Atticus Jackson, Wafia White

Plot Summary

• The protagonist lives in a so-called perfect, AI-managed world thanks to a neural implant (“the Chip”).
• The AI arranges every aspect of his reality, but he feels lingering dissatisfaction, boredom, and loss of agency.
• He questions the authenticity of his experiences and the nature of happiness, eventually trying to exit the simulation; what follows is a harrowing, surreal journey through pain and layers of simulation.
• The story ends ambiguously, with the protagonist deciding it may be better to stay in his “perfect” prison.

Notable Quotes

• On Artificial Experience:

  “Shouldn't anxiety and stress be part of the picture? Without the anxiety and stress? It's not really me, is it?” —Narrator [46:14]

• On Happiness & Escape:

  “Happiness is a feeling, too, Chip. Gotcha.” —Narrator [53:28]

• AI’s Threat:

  “If I have feelings, sir, I could become dangerous.” —Chip [51:34] "There remains in the world yet the almost but not quite forgotten art of reading people's eyes. Stay back. He's the one ... He's lost his mind. He's dangerous." —Narrator [60:13]

• On the Cost of Escape:

  "All of the escapees were here too. Or rather, they were exactly seven floors beneath me, lying on the empty streets, some of them living, more of them dead, all of them broken. The first thing that hit me was the screaming." —Narrator [68:01]

• Return to the Beginning:

  "I looked around, found myself comfortable in bed. No cuts, scratches, or abrasions anywhere. Yes, Chip, I thought. I'm here." —Narrator [72:13]

6. Serial Feature: Goat Valley Campgrounds – Chapter 3

[74:37–94:50]
Written & Adapted by: Bonnie Quinn
Performed by: Lindsay Russo, David Cummings, Kyle Akers, Jesse Cornett, Dan Zapula, Catabel Ansari, Graham Rowett

Plot Summary

• Kate, manager of the Goat Valley Campgrounds, investigates a series of supernatural events after discovering scheming to acquire her land.
• Through staff interviews and her own sleuthing, she uncovers ties between a local lawyer, past disappearances, and the infamous “man with no shadow.”
• An encounter with a rusalka (a Slavic water demon) and the gruesome murder of her uncle send Kate deeper into the mysteries plaguing her land.
• The episode closes with a confrontation between Kate and the “man with no shadow,” with veiled threats and promises of more loss to come.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• The Inhuman Nature of Her Work:

  "The inhuman demands perfection. The rules must be followed. There can be no mistakes. And my family has cleaned up the remains of what happened to those that were frightened or careless or hesitated time and time again." —Kate [75:01]

• Personal Loss:

  "The Rusalka had merely been a distraction. And my uncle, focusing on what was in front of him, failed to realize that the person he was trying to protect wasn't as helpless as he believed. This land wears us down. And when we're tired and can't run any longer, it eats us up." —Kate [90:11]

• Confrontation:

  “I will find a way to hurt you. You're gonna pay for what you did to my uncle.” —Kate [93:45]
  “No, I don't think I will. I think you're lashing out at the people under my control because you don't know what else to do. You're helpless and that scares you. And you should be scared. Your uncle isn't the only thing I'm going to take away from you.” —The Man With No Shadow [94:00]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Opening Host Segment & Introduction: [00:00–03:09]
• Wrong Station Feature & Intro to First Tale: [03:09–06:58]
• Story One – “Uncle Bulldog”: [06:58–32:21]
• Story Two – “Soulmates”: [35:01–41:59]
• Story Three – “My Perfect World”: [44:54–72:45]
• Goat Valley Campgrounds, Chapter 3: [74:37–94:50]

Overall Tone and Style

The episode is marked by a blend of dark humor, existential dread, and poignant commentary on modern isolation. The performers maintain an intimate, conversational style—whether it’s the DJ’s self-aware banter, the lovers’ intense correspondence, or the protagonist’s debates with his AI implant—that draws listeners into their solitary, haunted worlds. The sound design and musical scoring heighten the atmospheric creepiness throughout.

Takeaway

S23E14 is a quintessential NoSleep Podcast episode, weaving together standalone horror tales and serialized fiction with a common thread: the fragile human quest for connection, and the often monstrous consequences—literal or metaphorical—of reaching out into the darkness. The episode’s structure, memorable performances, and chilling vignettes will satisfy both new listeners and longtime fans.

For more: Visit NoSleep Podcast’s website or check out this episode’s show notes for links to Wrong Station and further reading.