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The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/HeadOfSpectre on 2024-10-17 11:17:44+00:00.
I told Spencer that he was just jumping at shadows.
He swore up and down that he wasn’t. He insisted that those pills he took were ‘keeping him safe.’ It sounded like a load of bull to me.
“It’s killing you, is what it is,” I told him while we were on break. I’d just watched him toss back more of that poison and I couldn’t in good conscience do it anymore.
“That’s all those pharmaceuticals do. Do your research, it’s a scam. That shit doesn’t heal you, it’s part of some fucked up eugenics program!”
“I… I dunno, I’m better off with the pills.” Spencer had said.
“Why? Cuz some quack doctor said you did? Did you know they have one of the highest suicide rates? You wanna know why that is? Because they can’t really stomach what it is they do to people. They’re sick people, Spence. Sick fucking people!”
“Actually it’s more naturopathic… y’know, herbal?”
He sounded like he was making excuses.
“That’s worse!” I said. “Look - our bodies are made to heal without that stuff. That’s the real natural healing! Any medical process you can get, that’s not natural! It doesn’t help you. Not really. Be honest with me. What exactly is that stuff treating? Anxiety? Depression? Some other fake shit in your brain?”
“No… not exactly…” Spencer murmured. “Look, we should really get back to work, Tony…”
“In a minute! I wanna know what you’re taking them for.”
Spencer hesitated for a moment. I knew he didn’t like being put on the spot but this was literally for the good of his health!
“When I’m off the pills… I see things,” He admitted. “Shapes… people who aren’t there. Stuff like that. Doctor said it was a seizure or something…”
Judging by his tone, he knew it wasn’t.
“Uh huh. And what happens when you aren’t on the pills son, you see things?”
He nodded.
“Yeah.”
“You ever consider that it’s the withdrawal that makes you see things?”
“I was seeing them before the pills, though…”
“People experience all kinds of weird symptoms! It’s cuz of that shit they put in the water. It does things to people, and then Big Pharma just prescribes shit to keep the symptoms going! It’s a psy-op, trust me.”
He didn’t look convinced, but I knew I could sway him.
“Tell you what. Just try it. Yeah? Take a few days. Go without the pills. I guarantee… you’re gonna be feeling better. You hear me? Guaranteed?”
“I don’t think that’s smart…” Spencer murmured, but I cut him off.
“Spence - have I ever steered you wrong?”
He knew I hadn’t. In the year and a half that we’d been working together, he’d very quickly learned that I was always right.
The bell sounded. Breaktime was over. We had a truck to unload.
***
I noticed the next day, during our break, that Spencer didn’t take his pills.
Didn’t even bring them to take them.
“Taking my advice, huh?” I asked as I took a sip of water.
“Um, trying it…” He said. “It… it would be nice if I didn’t have to take them. They do mess with my head a little. Make it harder to think clearly.”
“See? Now you’re getting it!” I said, and clapped him on the shoulder. “Attaboy!”
He nodded shyly, offering me a meek little smile.
“Yeah… well… I mean I guess that naturopathic doctor was a little weird. She had sorta a New Age vibe to her.”
I scoffed.
“Course she did. Let me tell you something Spence, there’s some real fucking freaks out there. The smartest thing you can do is not to trust ‘em. Me? There’s one man I trust and one alone, and that’s Jesus Christ. Greatest American who ever lived.”
“Jesus Christ wasn’t an American…?” Spencer tried to say, but I cut him off.
“You gotta get in with the right crowd of people, Spence. Trust me. The right people are gonna save you in every way you can be saved.”
He didn’t answer, but I’ll bet he knew I was right. I was always right. Spencer was a good kid, and I’d taken a liking to him ever since he’d started working with us about a month ago. He lived with his Mom, his Dad had passed when he was a kid and he wasn’t great with social interaction but he was a good kid. He had goals. He wanted to make something of his life. He wanted to save up money to go to College. It was kinda a waste if you asked me. Nobody I know ever actually got a real job from a college degree. But I was sure I could probably talk some sense into him, given enough time. He was a hard worker and that was what mattered. Spencer was young, he was allowed to be a little bit of a dumbass, and the way I saw it, it was my job to help him. I’d been around the block long enough to know just how much of what we think of as reality is just some fucked up performance put on by the Elites, trying to keep us numb to the realities of their depravity. I’d been trying to educate him during our shifts together. Most folks didn’t want to take the blinders off, but Spencer was a smart kid. He knew how to listen.
The lunch bell sounded. I sighed and got up.
“Ah, back to it, Spence…” I said as I packed up my lunch bag. He nodded and followed me back to the loading dock. We’d had another truck come in over lunch, and that was gonna take over our entire afternoon.
As we worked, I ended up doing most of the talking, along with the bulk of the heavier lifting. Spencer was a hard worker, but he was a scrawny little thing who hadn’t yet built up the muscle he was gonna need for this job. He was good at packing and wrapping the skids though, so he pulled his own weight.
Well… usually pulled his own weight.
I didn’t notice it at first because I was so busy talking, and going back and forth from the truck, but Spence seemed a little distracted.
As I brought back another box, I noticed him standing by a nearby full skid, staring off into some vacant corner of the warehouse.
“You all good, buddy?” I asked and he jumped a little bit when I spoke.
“Oh, um… yeah! I’m good! Sorry… I didn’t take last night's dosage or this morning's dosage either so I’m starting to get a little out of it.”
I gave him a nod.
“Ah. Withdrawal, huh? You need a water break?”
“No! I’m good to keep going!” He insisted, trying not to glance at the empty corner of the warehouse he’d been staring in. I set the box I was carrying on the skid, and let him wrap it while I went and grabbed a new palette. As I did, I caught myself glancing over into the corner he’d been staring in.
It was empty. I dunno what I expected to see there… although… Nah… there wasn’t any movement there. The other loading team had no reason to be over there so whatever I’d thought I’d seen peeking out from behind one of those skids was obviously just my imagination playing tricks on me. Maybe I needed to change the filter on my water purifier back home? That was probably it.
I shrugged the whole thing off and got back to work. Spencer seemed to be doing the same, although he still seemed a bit on edge.
***
When Spencer came in the next day, the poor bastard looked rough. There were dark circles under his eyes and his short brown hair looked a little more unkempt than usual.
“Withdrawal kicking your ass, huh?” I’d asked him as we opened up our first truck of the day.
“Just couldn’t sleep…” He murmured. “Kept… kept seeing things last night. It got so bad that I almost went and got the pills but…”
“You’re fighting through it, huh?”
He gave a half nod.
“I mean, whatever I’m seeing can’t be real, right? It’s just… I dunno… some sort of visual hallucination. And I feel fine. Better than I usually do. Clearer head… it’s just… every time I look up, there’s something standing at the edge of my bed.”
I gave a sympathetic nod.
“Man, they’ve really got you fried on something, huh?” I asked.
“Yeah. Haven’t told my parents I’ve cut the medication yet. They’d just give me shit for it. But I don’t wanna be on those pills for my entire life!”
“Damn right! Cuz you know that shit ain’t good for you.”
He nodded back at me, but didn’t seem to reply. I caught him staring at that same corner again.
“You seeing shit right now, Spence?” I asked.
“Yeah… it’s fine, I know it’s not real… it’s just… hard to ignore it.”
“It’s alright. Detoxifying is an intense fucking process. When’d you start seeing these things anyway?”
As we talked, I tried to direct his attention back to the job at hand.
“About a year ago,” He said. “Took a bad fall during a hiking trip. I was lost for… I dunno, a night or so. I started seeing those things while I was alone in the woods. Eventually, I managed to get out… but I just kept seeing them. Things got… things got rough.”
We started to pack our first skid.
“No kidding, huh? You hit your head or something?”
“Yeah… I must’ve,” Spencer murmured. “Been seeing those shadows ever since.”
“Wow… would’ve thought a concussion would’ve healed by now.”
“That’s what I would’ve thought. But…” Spencer gave a shrug. “There’s a shadowy figure standing at the back of the truck who’s telling me otherwise.”
I caught myself glancing over at the truck. I saw nothing.
“It’s just in my head,” Spencer said, more for himself than anything else.
“That’s right, man. And you just gotta give yourself time to heal. You’re doing everything right!”
He just nodded absentmindedly, as if he wasn’t entirely sure. But I knew he’d stay on the straight and narrow.
We got through the truck without any incidents, although Spencer was still clearly a little out of it. I figured he just needed a few more days to get his bearings and he’d be right as rain. Better than before!
I knew it for a fact.
***
It was a few days after he’d quit his medicati...
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