Don't Fall Asleep

Tonight, let’s play the Goodnight Game!

Our protagonists are three siblings faced with the unfortunate task of cleaning their childhood home after their last living parent, their father, passed away. Among his effects they discover stacks of journals he had been keeping for decades. Within them, he records the strange events that occur after midnight, and the birth of the Goodnight Game.

This story is called: Not Tonight

And was written by M.M. Saints

Tonight, let’s meet some “out of towners” on the road home!

A tragic scenario—a young man accidentally strikes a teenager with his car on the way home. Horrible! He stops and calls paramedics; stays by the side of his young victim. Perhaps it’s the shock of it all—people sometimes react to shock in strange ways, but there seems to be something… OFF, about this young man.

This story is called:

I hit a man with my car. He almost killed me. 

And was written by D.D. Wikman<

To the Midnight Host,

I came across your contact information while reviewing my files. It is strange. I have the vaguest recollection of communicating with you about something previously, but I cannot recall what the subject might have encompassed.

The following transcript was procured from the official records of the Cleveland County Sherrif’s department. On September 12th of 2024, a certain Mr. Marcus Coughlin placed a 9-1-1 call relating to a camping incident which involved his friend. This friend did not return from their trip and what followed developed into an in...

Tonight, let’s find out what happened to Edmund Harrow!

You know that old adage: dead men tell no tales. It suggests that the best way to keep someone from telling your secrets is to see them into a grave. But what about a man who’d kill because of someone else’s secret? And what if the dead can tell no tales, but they can show you their scars?

This story is called:

The Statements Concerning Edmund Harrow

and was written by M.M. Saint

---che...

Tonight, lets take a stroll through a haunted house!

It’s a classic setup; our protagonist discovers a letter in the mail one day: "your grandmother has passed, and she left everything to you!" Including an old Victorian home in Massachusetts worth a pretty penny!

But when they arrive and walk through the beautiful old house, they discover that something terrible may have happened there—may STILL be happening there...

This story is called I inherited a valuable old Victorian home. I am getting rid of it ASAP after reading my G...

Tonight, let’s find out if cameras really can CAPTURE your soul!

Adrienne and her husband Michael are in a situation which will be all too familiar to parents—they’ve gone to the mall to have winter portraits done for their young son, who has decided THIS is the moment to have a meltdown. Add to that, the studio where they usually go is CLOSED due to a family emergency.

But what luck! Look there, on the lower level! A pop up portrait spot! How devilishly lucky. But say, don’t those pr...

Tonight, let’s attend a reunion, and perform a ritual!

4 friends are gathering at an AirBnB, excited to finally have the chance to reconnect. As the stories and drinks flow, one of them gets a wild idea; why don’t we try the Midnight Game? With the supplies in hand and the ritual directions pulled up, they begin their long circuit around the house.

And that’s when the strange things begin to occur.

This story is called After Midnight, and was written by M.M. Saint

M.M. Sai...

Tonight, let’s discover the burbling horror that calls out from a further room.

This story begins with a quest to rescue an innocent kitty trapped in an abandoned house. Three friends set out to break into old Ms.Macon’s house, where the meowing of a naughty kitty can be heard. But as they shimmy in through a broken basement window, one of them reflects on the bizarre local legend of the house’s erstwhile owner. Is any of the tall tale actually true? And did you hear that CREAKING coming from above us?

Tonight, let’s get our ears lowered in a classic, old-timey barbershop!

Ray Miller barely recognizes the world he lives in anymore. He feels like a relic from a bygone age—the slow living of his youth has been replaced by the high speed of modernity.

But there is one place that still feels like home; Frank’s barbershop. Unchanged after all this time, it remains a sort of “boys club” where he can reconnect with his youth and feel at home.

But as he steps through the door, a strange, y...

Tonight, let’s play hide and seek…with a monster.

Our protagonist is a young boy spending the summer with his grandparents on an old farm in Virginia. One afternoon he is playing by himself in the attic—where all things creepy happen, I might add—when a storm rolls in. When he wakes up, he realizes he has begun playing a terrible game without realizing it—and something has come looking for him.

This story is called Hide and Seek, and was written by Aprile Keith.

Tonight, let’s sit down and have some coffee together!

Our story opens in the small Connecticut town of Mourner’s Crossing. Behind the counter stands an older man, eyebrows knit, eyes watching a spot on the counter as he cleans it with a rag. Next to him a nervous-looking young man is holding a cup of coffee and shifting his eyes quickly from the clock to the front door and back again.

Strange things start happening here, I’m told, on the 11-7 shift.

This story is called: I Work t...

Check out Maynard's Box on Youtube: https://youtu.be/SVtAWaHRwqQ

Tonight, let’s hit the road and do a few good deeds!

Our protagonist is a wanderer infected with a supernatural hunger, put there by a certain Maynard. Woof—even speaking the name is bad luck. This uh… sorcerer appeared in another story as a matter of fact! If you’d like to give that a listen, I’ll put a link to Maynard’s Box in the show notes or on the screen.

Our wanderer comes upon a boy i...

Tonight, let’s pull a home invasion Robin Hood!

What do I mean? You’re right; that sounds a bit mixed up. Our protagonists are down on their luck and in need of some cash—badly. One of them stumbles across a very successful toy review channel, and out of their jealousy and sense of economic justice, the two hatch a careful plan.

But surely you remember what Robert Burns wrote about the best laid schemes of mice and men?

This story is called: We kidnapped the rich kid from the toy...

Tonight, let’s go viral!

Our protagonist is a writer hungry for just a taste of recognition. One day he crafts a character guaranteed to capture the imaginations of the masses and adds a bit of mystique to her, and suddenly Sweet Jane is born! It takes off beyond his wildest dreams! Ahhh, what a thrill. Mmmm...

But then, the murders begin.

This story is called “Sweet Jane”, and was written by M.M. Saint

Check out Marc's Substack: https://substack.com/@mmsaint

Contact us: dontfallasleep.contac...

Tonight, let’s knock out a few pesky chores! And maybe we’ll even survive till bedtime!

Our protagonist is worn out. He works hard, and there just don’t seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything done. This is how he finds himself at his apartment complex’s laundry facility late at night, listening to podcasts and pondering the world. Perhaps some of you can relate; I’d wager more than one of you is doing laundry right this instant.

But hark! Wherefore comes that rap rap rapping on the windowpane...

Tonight, let’s celebrate a birthday in true horror style!

Our protagonist is a young boy whose household has a very strange ritual on his birthday. They go out into a cabin in the woods, lock him in a secure room, and only bring him out in the morning. What could possibly be going on here?! I mean I’ve heard of a lock in, but not like this, and never with only one or two guests!

This story is called: My dad got a strange and creepy email from one of his...

Tonight, let’s see if we can discover an ancient curse, and get out alive!

Our protagonist lives a somewhat isolated life in a small town in the UK. Life is good here though, comfortable enough with a few nice amenities and a town where everyone knows everyone else. There’s just one tiny little problem—a haunting, melodic sound that drifts down over the town every once in awhile, and asks for a gruesome gift.

This story is called My childhood town isn't on any map.

And was written by Ben...

Today, we’ll be checking in on a colleague of mine.

She’s well-liked by her students, takes care of the needy, and truly sees the people that her students are. What an educator, right?! Well I’ve received some reports that she’s been acting rather strangely lately.

This story is called: There's something wrong with Ms. Wexler 

and was written by: WeirdSuggestion152

Tonight, let’s do some soul searching in the woods!

Our protagonist has headed off into the great outdoors after having a difficult conversation. He hopes to prove to himself that he can be assertive and capable.

But as he looks around and wonders where on earth the trail got to, a voice on the breeze lets him know he may not be the only soul IN these woods.

This story is called Off Trail, and was written by A.G. Hilton

Tonight, let’s walk among the ghosts of our childhood homes!

It’s a tale as old as time: A young family snags a great deal on a spacious old house. A bedroom for both kids, and room enough for an office or two! Big back yard to play in, imaginary friends with too much skin, shuffling footsteps in the night, and little doors that don’t lead where they should! It’s the American dream. Wait just a moment. What were those last few things again?

This story is called: I think my...

Tonight, lets have a little therapy!

Our protagonist is a young therapist in the first few years of their practice. They meet a new client with a problem that I’ve never read about in the DSM—they’ve stopped being a person. Well, sounds pretty treatable, right? Ha ha ha… well, wait’ll you hear about the OTHER symptoms.

This story is called OAK, and was written by D.D. Wikman…

Wikman's story archive and socials: https://www.reddit.com/r/Saturdead/comments/1f84fo5/archive_socials/

Tonight, let’s finally settle some urban legends about our school!

Our protagonist and his friend Alex are curious middle schoolers, who enjoy investigating silly urban legends that circle around their old school. Haunted bathrooms, pools on the roof, you know the stuff!

There’s only one problem: urban legends aren’t supposed to be real. As the stone staircase behind the janitor’s closet twists away into the dark, the boys may have finally confirmed one…. at their peril.

This story is called 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27… thirty 

and was written by Weird-Sugges

Tonight, we’ll meet Dalton; a perfectly ordinary—if a little BROKE—young man living in a comfortable, small town. Until a social media notification dings in one evening that changes everything: Rest in peace, man. Gone too soon.

Surely it’s a joke, or some new trend. The dead don’t keep going to their 9 to 5, do they?!

This story is called: I'm not dead. My social media says otherwise. And was written by J.L. Goodwin

Here is a playlist of more of J.L. Goodwin's stories! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?l...

Tonight, let’s knock off early and put a line in the water!

Ahhh yes, the classic, soothing pastime of fishing. No longer a necessity for food, now we don’t even have to catch anything! Just sit back in the shade, have a cool drink, and let the world slide by.

Speaking of sliding by…did you see that? It was probably nothing.

But uh, say—do you remember the story Floods? I’ll put a link on screen for our YT viewers, and a link to the story in the sho...

Tonight, we’ll shelter together from the storm!

Have you ever had to shelter in place during severe weather? Let me tell you, it’s frightening enough all on its own! But what if you knew that your neighbors were disappearing one by one during the storm? That someone, or something was striking your neighborhood at it’s most vulnerable and isolated?

This story is called A Knock on the Storm Cellar, and was written by D.D. Wikmin…

Check out Cabin: 17 Tales of Terror...: https://a.co/d/00tFwjFk

Tonight, we’ll confront a classic case of the camera capturing more than the eye!

Tonight’s protagonist is newly wed to the love of his life, Hana, who is an enthusiastic amateur photographer. But when certain anomalies begin to appear in some of her pictures, it reopens old wounds from the past, and threatens the future of the happy couple.

This story is called “My wife thinks the camera has a glitch. I know what the glitch looks like. I dated her for 2 years. “ and was written by Hal Fallon

Check...

Tonight, we’ll tie up a few loose ends!

You recall our intrepid detectives Samuel and Gerard, don’t you? Undoubtedly there are some newer fans out there who haven’t heard of these two yet. Allow me to put a link on screen for our Youtube viewers! For our podcast listeners, I will include two links in the show notes. It’s not required listening, but you will get a lot of helpful context.

This story is called Loose Ends, and was written by A.G. Hilton.

Jaws of Fate (Pa...

🫣 Join the Don't Fall Asleep midnight newsletter for bonus stories and behind the scenes peeks → https://dont-fall-asleep.kit.com/a1cc7fe612

Tonight, I'll try my hardest to get under your skin! Wait and see...

Imagine you work in a morgue, and the police have wheeled in a new cadaver. There are several unusual things about the cause of death, but your job isn't to figure out the WHY, but the HOW.

But when a journal tumbles out of the cadaver's pocket, could you resis...

Tonight, we’ll explore the horrors of a traumatic brain injury!

No, no, I’m not going to change the show into a spooky, serialized medical drama! Unless….

No no no, tonight’s story isn’t even about the brain injury! It’s about the things that Ben can see after the accident. Swirling colors, light trails, all kinds of visual disturbances any time anything moves. Except…this one thing.

This story is called:

"Colours are bleeding, and deformed children are stalking me", and was written by RohanRedfang

Tonight, we'll take a little stroll around the undercity! The DEEP under city.

Our protagonists have started a YouTube channel that highlights spooky and abandoned places—ha! Join the club. But these two do Urban exploring—unlike yours truly. They decide to climb down into the sewers in search of a major break- NYC’s mysterious Sewer people.

This story is called “We searched for NYC’s Sewer People for a YouTube video. I wish I would've stayed above ground.” And was written by Weird Suggestion 152

Tonight, we’ll take a peek behind the waterfall!

Our protagonist is a Danish man on vacation in the US. He has a deep interest in waterfalls, so he and his travelling companion decide to visit one. They find an eerily empty picnic ground, and that’s just the beginning…

This story is called Don’t go Chasing Waterfalls, and was written by Claus Holm.

Check out Tempus Investigations here!

Tonight, we’ll hear the story of a happy couple wrapped in marital bliss!

Ha ha ha, yes, you know there’s more to the story than that. Our couple has the perfect, mundane life, until one of them begins misremembering key details of their relationship. His behavior seems to change too—just slightly. Just enough. And that’s only the beginning.

This story is called The Shift, and was written by Emily Knight

Read more from Emily here: https://www.reddit.com/user/Gingerlox_/submitted/

Tonight, we’ll start a new job! And boy does it have some strange BENEFITS!

Our protagonist is a young person fresh out of grad school and desperate for some cash! With debt piling up and the job market weak, they begin applying to everything they can. They finally find a job with a bafflingly simple premise and an attractive compensation package—that’s red flag number 1. And the red flags just keep coming when you work for THE FOUNDATION.

This story is called :

The most important rule at my job is...

Tonight, YOU are going to star in the story!

Close your eyes for me, if it’s safe to do so of course. Imagine yourself behind the wheel of your car, driving down a lonely, 2 lane state road. Night is falling, and your mind is heavy from the long drive and a terrible revelation from earlier in the day. In the distance, rising toward you over the crest of a hill is a neon sign that stands stark against the pink sunset. Your mind is clouded by hunger and grief, and you badly need a...

Tonight, we’ll take to the seas, and experience a very CLASSICAL type of horror!

Our Protagonist is sailing aboard a fishing boat in the north Atlantic. He and his motley crew are looking forward to hauling in a great catch, and returning home. Something unexpected shows up in the nets, however, and alters the course of their lives forever.

This story is called: I'm the last survivor of a ghost ship. The Coldwater Marlin.  

And was written by Travis Weaver.

Check out Travis' book! https://www.amazon.com/Strange-Accounts-American-Frontier-Travis-ebook/dp/B0G...

Tonight, we’ll take a little field trip!

You know, this story hits the ground running and holds you in a vice grip until the moment it ends.

For me to reveal much at all about the circumstances behind the story would rob it of some punch. So let me just say that this story is called:

“Eyes on Your Littles”, and was written by Darren Todd. Enjoy…

Tonight, we’ll take up serpents! Well, no, not really, but we’ll wind up in a place where they just might!

Our protagonist is a young man who loses his father too soon. He doesn’t have much to remember his old man by, just a handful of paintings his father did earlier in life. But one day, he discovers something that will change the course of his life,and bring him face to face with a monster.

This story is called: My father spent thirty years running from a small town church. I just f...

Tonight, we’ll have our very own PSYCHO moment!

Our protagonist Jimmy is just an average man with an average life. He works a 9-5, and he pays the price. All he wants is to be left alone in his average home. Then why does he feel like he’s in the twilight zone? He always feels like someone is watching him, and he has no privacy! Ha ha ha…

This story is called Somebody’s Watching m- AHEM, no, it’s called I Don’t Shower with my Door Ajar anymore, and was written by J.L. Good

Link to "Jaws of Fate", our detectives' first appearance: https://youtu.be/6W9wzIxsR-E

Tonight, I have our first story of the new year! Congratulations to one and all for a chilling FOUR YEARS of horror stories! That’s right, our first video premiered in late January of 2022.

Much has changed around here since then, but tonight we’ll visit some old friends. You remember detectives Girard Washington and Samuel Cole, don’t you? From that incident back at the farm? If you’d like a refresher, I’ll add a link in the sho...

Tonight, we’ll hear another Christmas yarn from Darren Todd!

I know, you’re probably a bit tired of hearing about Christmas at this point. Not to worry! This story is not really about Christmas. It’s about the lengths we’d go to for someone we love.

This story is called You Shouldn't Have, and was written by Darren Todd

Check out "Father Christmas", also written by Darren! https://youtu.be/Gw8XfEJQ-e8