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The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/PietvanSandwijk on 2024-10-19 14:05:48+00:00.

Something strange is happening at the small church near my house. I’ve stumbled upon some horrific things there, and I’m not sure what to do.

I live in the suburbs, in a quiet area with 15 houses scattered around. Going into the city takes 40 minutes by car. I don’t know any of my neighbors; I only know John, who lives closest to me. I work as a Data Engineer for an insurance company, but I won’t bore you with the details. What matters is that it takes me two hours to get to work, so my days are long. I wake up at 5 a.m. and don’t get home until 8 p.m. I usually don’t do anything once I get home because I am too exhausted. Only on the weekends do I have some time for myself, which I use to work on my photography skills.

Last Wednesday, I went to a restaurant with my colleagues for a team outing after work. I still had to work a 9 to 5 that day, so I felt drained before it even started. Socializing is already tough for me as an introvert, and keeping up with the group was exhausting. I mostly stuck to polite conversation, as I’m not sure what kind of conversations I’m supposed to have with colleagues that aren’t work-related. We stayed at the restaurant until 9 p.m., and since it was in the opposite direction of my house, I had a two-and-a-half-hour drive ahead of me to get home.

As I was driving back, I hit another delay—a crash on the highway that added another 30 minutes. I was frustrated, knowing I’d barely have any time to rest before the next workday. It was nearly 11 p.m. when I finally got onto the quiet suburban roads near my house. It was pitch black, and even with my headlights on, I had to be extra careful because wildlife could jump out at any moment. It once happened to me that a deer jumped in front of my car and just stood there. I barely managed to stop in time, but ever since then, I’ve been extra careful.

When I was about 10 minutes from home, I passed by the small church. It always seemed a bit eerie to me. It’s never really used except for the occasional funeral. The building seems to be on the older side, so I assume it’s kept around for its historical value.

The church looked particularly sinister that night. Despite my tiredness, I saw an opportunity to take a good picture for my photography portfolio. I stopped the car and took a few photos, then went back inside to review them. In one of the photos, I noticed something. After adding some filters to the photo to enhance the quality, I saw a bike and a person sitting on a bench near the church. It wasn’t visible in the other pictures, probably because of the angle and the darkness.

It was strange for someone to be at the church that late, so I looked back at the bench from my car, but I could not see the person sitting there. Curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to check it out. I got out of the car and walked toward the church. The bike was still there, but there was no sign of the person. Then, I heard a noise coming from inside the church. Why would someone be inside at this hour?

Looking back, my tiredness had clouded my judgment, as I decided to investigate. I walked up to one of the windows and peered inside. Instead of seeing the main hall, I saw a small side room. I couldn’t get a view of the main area, so I quietly made my way to the front door and opened it. As soon as I did, I could hear chanting. I moved further in, hoping to hear what they were saying. I found myself in a small hallway that led to the room I had seen earlier and another door that opened to the main hall. The chanting was coming from there.

I peeked inside, and what I saw made my stomach turn.

Six people were standing in a circle, chanting in front of the altar. I recognized one of them as my neighbor, John. He’s always been a down-to-earth guy. I could not find a reasonable explanation for why I found him in a situation like this. In the middle of the circle was a young girl, tied up with a piece of cloth in her mouth, presumably to stop her from screaming. The chanting continued, and that’s when a seventh person entered the room, holding a staff. He must have been their leader because the others immediately turned toward him as he approached the altar.

“Tonight, we will live. The world is against our practices. Therefore, we shall not engage. But sacrifices must be made. Not for us, but for him. Fearless leader, accept our offering. Bless us with your guidance, your wisdom, and riches.”

I realized I had walked into some kind of cult ritual. The group resumed chanting as the leader approached the girl. After they finished, each of them cut their arm with a knife, letting the blood drip onto her. “Please accept our offering and bless us with your guidance, wisdom, and riches.” Before I could fully grasp what was happening, the leader plunged the knife into the girl’s stomach.

Without thinking, I screamed, “No!”, which I instantly regretted. Their heads turned toward me. One of them started running toward me, and I bolted out of there as fast as I could. I made it to my car, locked the doors, and started the engine just as the man tried to open the door. He stared at me with a big, twisted smile as I sped away.

I called the police as soon as I got home, explaining what I had witnessed, but they believed I was prank calling them. I didn’t sleep at all that night. The man who chased me saw my face. John knows who I am. They’ll find me.

This morning, I found a letter in front of my door. “You are invited to celebrate the church’s 350-year anniversary."

Please help me.