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The Storage Papers is a fiction horror podcast.
Discretion is advised.
Transcript
WRITTEN BY JEREMY ENFINGER
It took me about thirty minutes to get to the hotel. It had been three days since I spoke with Joseph Foye, and the entire drive had me contemplating this whole thing. The podcast, when I started it, I thought was going to be something of a “monster of the week” type of thing. Entertainment for people who enjoy tales of the unexplained. I never could have imagined the shift it would take. My drive to the hotel was reflective.
Look at me now. I’m a character in what was supposed to be a story about other people and their strange experiences. It never occurred to me before my drive that the peoples’ stories I was sharing and the often life-changing outcomes that happened as a result; Perhaps they weren’t my stories to tell. It’s kind of fitting that I’m in their position now in a sense. I mean, I have a choice regarding whether or not to tell my own developing story and keep the podcast going, but at this point, I think I’d be a hypocrite to stop, right? I guess I’m trying to find the right balance between my own privacy and following through on something I’ve started.
Part of me really thinks these stories need to be told. You don’t hear about them on the news, but they happen. Law enforcement, and a majority of people in general tend to ridicule these types of things, and they need to be normalized. Perhaps I should make more effort to randomize some personal information when I share them on the podcast. I can’t help but feel like getting this out there is still doing some good though.
Look at me… I’m rambling into a microphone like a crazy person. At least for now, I think it’s important to continue sharing everything I’m learning, at least for the people of San Diego and the bordering Southern California regions. This stuff is going on without most peoples’ knowledge, and there needs to be accountability.
That said, as I neared my destination, I felt uneasy. I couldn’t explain it until I turned into the parking lot. I stopped after my car cleared the driveway before looking for a parking space. The lot was fuller than I’d seen it before, but from my perspective inside the car, I couldn’t help but imagine my view in the spectrum of infrared, as I had seen it so many times before. This was the hotel where Joseph Foye’s alternate self had been decapitated by a gunshot wound. It’s where I observed the Grinner on video for the very first time, and it’s where Ron’s presence was confirmed by a version of that video given to me by Doctor Patel.
I couldn’t help but wonder why this location was selected. Was there something about it that remained pivotal? I parked my car, and without hesitation, began walking toward the room that I was familiar with from the video. There were a lot more cars in the parking lot than I expected. I wondered how many people realized there was a grizzly crime scene here. That thought had me contemplating how this hotel was different than any other, and how many deaths actually occur at hotels that we don’t even know about when we stay at them. I can’t explain my morbid train of thought, but figured I’d share.
As I approached the door to the room, I pulled out my recorder and hit the record button. As I raised up my closed fist to give a wrap on the door, it swung open before my knuckles could make contact. Brianne stood and beckoned for me to come in. The lights were off and the curtains were drawn.
My eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness of the room, and before I could ask her any questions, she leaned in and whispered, “That won’t work in here”, placing her index finger on my voice recorder.
She was right. I had left the recorder on during my entire visit to the hotel room, but static interference was all it picked up; A phenomenon that I haven’t ever observed with that digital recorder before.
She used the same index finger to raise it to her pursed lips, indicating she wanted me to be quiet. My eyes weren’t quite adjusted just yet, but I made a shrugging motion, wondering why I needed to be quiet.
She placed both hands on my shoulders and turned me toward my right, then pointed towards one of the beds. I couldn’t believe my eyes as the room revealed another person within the room. Joseph Foye was above the bed, seemingly hovering in mid-air like some kind of magic levitation trick you’d expect to see at a county fair. Only, he appeared to be asleep.
Brianne leaned in and whispered, “He’s been like that for a couple of hours. Apparently, he goes into some kind of trance state to locate the Pyramidion right before it’s about to appear. Sometimes he turns in the air like a rotisserie chicken. Fucking crazy, right?”
“Fucking crazy” was definitely accurate. I stared for quite a while until I realized my mouth was agape. Something about watching him hover in the air like that was mesmerizing. I turned to look at Brianne, and was about to ask her why we had to whisper when she became startled while still looking in Joseph’s direction.
Being somewhat surprised by her expression, I turned to look at Joseph again, and I don’t know how the hell he did it, but he was standing upright about a foot away from me, fully awake, as if he’d been there with us the whole time. I don’t know how he was able to go from hovering above the bed to handshake distance within what seemed like a nanosecond, but it made my hair stand on end.
“I’m glad you came,” he told me. “I know where it’s going to be.”
He walked over to a little circular table in the room where he had a laptop and pulled up some information. I couldn’t see exactly what it was, but after a couple of minutes, he picked up the hotel phone and made an outgoing call. Brianne and I could hear through the receiver that someone picked up and said, “Hello?” before he immediately hung up the phone and told us, “We’re going to need to wait until sundown to head out.”
We all spent several hours in that hotel room. We each let our guards down a little and got to know one another. Joseph was… well, grandfatherly. He had old war stories and loved a good joke. He had a kindness and consideration for Brianne and me, and was generally pleasant to be around. Still, there was sadness about him. I sensed some element of regret. He held back his emotions, even when I asked him about Malcolm, but you could tell they were lingering, hidden behind bottomless blue eyes that contrasted with his light gray hair.
Brianne, on the other hand, had seemed to relax. She was smiling and laughing. I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever seen her smile, and I couldn’t help but feel a bit of relief knowing that she was enjoying the company. She’s a strong woman who’s been through a lot, and she’s handled herself quite well among the circumstances she’s been put in.
We ordered pizza from this mom and pop place nearby and had it delivered. It was probably the best pizza I’d had in California, and that’s saying something considering how long I’ve lived here. I never knew this pizza place existed, and when I practically cried after taking my first bite, Joseph gave me one of those winks that grandfathers do and said, “Good, isn’t it?”
Once our bellies were full and the conversation began to die down, we all began checking the clock on the nightstand. Sundown was around 6:00 p.m. that night, and we all got into Brianne’s car as soon as the light left the sky. Joseph directed her to drive to Coronado Island.
After crossing the bridge, Joseph directed Brianne to a residential street uncomfortably close to the Naval Air Base on the island. She stopped, turned off the engine, and asked Joseph, “Okay, what’s next?”
Joseph said, “Wait here for a minute,” and exited the vehicle. We watched him walk across the road, past the house on the corner, and perhaps one or two houses down the street beyond that before stopping and pulling out a cell phone. Brianne and I glanced at each other wondering what he was doing.
He paced back and forth for a couple of minutes while he was on the phone, looking at a couple of the houses as if reporting information about them, and eventually hung up and started walking back to the car. Once back, he said, “Now we just need to wait a few minutes.”
Less than five minutes later, a fire truck came around the corner with sirens blaring. Six firemen exited the truck and began to go door to door knocking and evacuating people from their homes. While people gathered in confusion across the street from the fire truck, where the firemen were now inspecting the gas main, Joseph had a mischievous smirk on his face.
He said, “Gas leaks can take a little while to find. Are you two ready?”
Brianne and I both chuckled and nodded, then Joseph led us toward the corner house, on the adjacent side where the fire truck and all of the home occupants couldn’t see us. I watched him scale a shoulder-high brick wall like I probably could have 15 or 20 years ago myself, amazed at his physical abilities. The man just kept surprising me. Brianne followed, and then I did, admittedly a bit more awkwardly.
The backyard was mostly level, but toward the adjacent wall, there was a steep downhill portion that Joseph motioned to. We were able to see one of the firemen in the window of the home, likely the kitchen, and remained out of sight until we saw him exit that room. Once it was clear, Joseph led the way and stopped in front of a large open wastewater drain pipe big enough to walk in hunched over. Once inside, he pulled out a flashlight. The smell was pretty bad, but thank goodness there was only an inch or so of water in the bottom of it. I’m not sure I’d be able to handle it at a waist-deep level.
He led the way straight back for a while, and then made a right turn. After 10 feet or so, the tunnel opened up to a larger room where several other drainways entered. Joseph turned around and assisted us out of the pipe to the level ground within the room. Then he picked up a piece of rebar he found on the floor of the chamber and drew a big “X” next to the tunnel we just came out of saying, “In case we get turned around in here.”
I looked around the room and asked, “Where to next?”
Joseph said, “It will be here shortly. Not sure if you’ll be able to get much use out of your recorder, but you might as well turn it on and try.”
And try, I did. I pulled out my field recorder, turned it on and pressed “record.” We stood there and waited for about 20 minutes, but then… I can’t even begin to explain what happened using words. I want to play back what the audio recorder picked up at first before I give you some additional information.
SOUND: Distorted, unintelligible talking is heard, then it distorts completely to a warbled, almost science fiction-like noise.
In case you couldn’t understand that, I asked if it was possible that he might be misinformed about the location this thing is going to show up at.
It was dark and I couldn’t see him, but I could feel him glaring at me as if I asked a stupid question. He told me I was very perceptive.
We felt a great rumbling, like an earthquake. That’s when Joseph said, “No, it’s coming.”
I was concerned about our safety. Then my head began to hurt. Brianne was asking if I was okay and the audio just kind of warbled out until it was no longer recognizable. That sound proceeded to last approximately twenty seconds on my recorder, but there’s a couple of things I am struggling to explain about it.
First off, I have a 32 GB micro SD card in that recorder that was formatted prior to pushing the record button. It should be good for at least 12 hours at my current settings. Including the 20 minutes of standing around prior to hearing those strange noises, there’s just a little over 22 minutes of audio recorded on my SD card… yet the SD card’s memory is completely full. What I just played for you took up a majority of the memory storage, which seems impossible to me.
The other thing that’s troubling is what actually happened after my head started hurting. We were 5 feet or less from the Pyramidion for what seemed to be at least 10-12 hours. So not only was the digital recorder memory maxed out after 22 minutes, but after we left, and once I got home, I was greeted by my wife who was not happy with me. According to her, I had been missing for nearly a week. She had even called Detective Anderson, who knew what we were headed out to do, and he was able to reassure her a bit, but he wasn’t able to estimate how long I would be gone. I’ve gotta say, my employer wasn’t happy with me at all either.
I’m happy to describe what happened during my perceived 10-12 hours near the Pyramidion, but like these details I’ve just shared with you, I can’t say I understand it completely, or even try to explain it, so I’ll just summarize it from my own experience.
It all started with the rumbling sound that was similar to an earthquake, and then we heard this kind of pulsating, almost mechanical sound as the Pyramidion phased into the room. It was like it wasn’t there, and then all of a sudden, it was.
Brianne didn’t hesitate at all. She walked right up to it and placed her hand on it. She seemed to be reacting with it, almost like she was having a conversation, but not using words. She would nod her head, well up with tears, and make hand gestures. After a few moments passed, I could hear – not with my ears, but internally within my head – her conversation with her brother, Ben. It was like a doorway to the dead, but that’s not all that resided within it.
Joseph motioned for me to get closer to it. I was hesitant at first, but after taking some slow steps toward it, my emotions became uncontrollable. Tears flowed down my cheeks as I felt an overwhelming sense of joy. I’d never felt this happy before, and I could hear Brianne, Ben, and Joseph’s voices inside my head in unison say, “It’s beautiful, isn’t it Jeremy?”
At that point, I closed my eyes. I instantly saw into my past. It was like my brain was reduced to downloaded information that I had long forgotten, and I just received some kind of upgrade that allowed me to instantaneously remember a lot of my memories. I remembered my children being born, my wedding day, and things I was doing with my life before my wedding. I remember bits and pieces of the Hydra experiments. I remembered for the first time the process I had undergone to previously erase my memories. The process that has been disguised as my accident. I didn’t recognize the people strapping me into that chair just before losing consciousness, but I knew they were Hydra. Deep down, I had hoped I could remember my parents, but that didn’t happen that night.
It’s a dangerous thing, mettling with ideas you’ve cut yourself off from for so long. I had made peace with the fact that I might never remember my parents, but I guess some part of me still had hope – at least after Joseph suggested there was the possibility that my brain might be healed here.
The entire time all this was occurring, I could see different things. They weren’t complete, but I could see some of Brianne’s memories. She hadn’t said anything to me, but the injection that Dr. Patel had caused her harm in some way. I concentrated to see if I could learn more. It was removing her abilities over time. Brianne was with us in hopes to gain them back, and to potentially even grow her abilities beyond what she previously had. She had been keeping a majority of them secret from me.
The Brianne who’s head I got into at the Pyramidion was not the Brianne I had come to know. It’s hard to explain. She had an insane amount of initiative and was out for purpose. I think I’ve spent so much time observing her grieve, it was unexpected. She was ready to take on challenges, to fight the uphill battle, to destroy Hydra. It’s hard to explain this shift in perception, but let’s just say I’m glad we’re on the same team.
I was also able to see some of Joseph’s memories. He had regrets, mainly over Malcolm. He hadn’t lost hope for him, but he was damn close. At one point, I got the sensation that Joseph was aware that I was voyuerizing his memories. For a brief moment, it almost felt as if Malcolm was there with us. I could sense his presence, but at the same time, I figured it was likely just a memory or sensation of Joseph’s that I was tapping into. Still, I easily recognized it after being near him a couple times now, and it reminded me of our conversation in the prison.
It’s hard to describe in its entirety what I was feeling at that moment, but I knew three things: One – that I felt a bit ashamed, like I had been witnessing something unintended, yet I continued to watch. Two – Joseph became immediately aware of it and had the ability to shut it down, though he didn’t seem upset. It was like the acceptance a parent experiences when they catch their child telling their first lie – it’s just a part of being a child. And three – If he hadn’t done that, I would have seen more. I don’t know how I knew it, but he had a lot of answers that I was seeking, but I just couldn’t tap into them. I only knew it was there once it was gone… a void space, like a tooth that had been pulled that your tongue can’t help probing. I also got the faintest notion of something else though. It was almost as if Joseph had some kind of hidden motive for bringing me here, but that moment was fleeting.
At one point, it was almost as if he suggested I not focus on the petty information of the past, and guided me toward greater possibilities, focusing forward. He seemed to already be aware of some events that he wanted me to see, and telepathically encouraged me to focus, so I did. Once I knew how to look there, I knew what was going to happen in the coming weeks, and when I leaned toward the Pyramidion and concentrated, I could see further into the future. I stepped closer to the Pyramidion and my ability to see these things exponentially increased. I can’t and won’t tell you about some of the things I witnessed in the pristine reflection, in and around me, for fear of those things coming to fruition. But I will share one of those things I was initially afraid of. I saw my own death.
I can only share this with you because I could feel my emotions at the moment of my death. It wasn’t necessarily sad. I am comforted. I have closure. I was also able to see beyond my death, but it was confusing. I could see myself growing old with my wife, living by a lake in a log cabin, enjoying a quiet life with nature and stargazing next to a fire at night. But it’s all happening after I die. I’m so confused. I’m not sure which version is real.
I turn to look at Joseph, who has his eyes closed and his right hand is outstretched toward me. What’s he doing? I try to perceive his thoughts but can’t any longer, but I still feel somehow reassured that I can trust him.
When I touched the Pyramidion, my inner self awakened, and I could see into the abyss. I now have knowledge of things that are there, of the beginning and of the end. Alpha and Omega exist outside of our perception of time. They just are.
The feeling of elation was basked in for hours after I made contact with it. There was no fear, no stress, no being worried about anyone or anything. In that time, we just were… and it felt amazing.
And then all of a sudden, the feelings subsided and silence befell us. I opened my eyes to darkness, knowing I had permanently changed. My body ached and I was exhausted. And eventually Joseph said we needed to return to the hotel.
The car ride back to the hotel was silent. It was like we already knew what we’d say to one another, and speaking in that moment would just ruin it. We savored it while it lasted. I do recall that feeling subsiding as we re-entered the hotel room. It was almost disappointing being away from the Pyramidion, like returning home after a long, relaxing vacation, with the knowledge that you inevitably need to return to the mundane routine on Monday morning. Brianne and I were a bit disoriented when Joseph started speaking again.
He told us that we’d each experience new abilities over the coming weeks, and that came with a few warnings. He said that would attract the attention of entities that hadn’t known us yet, and that using those abilities was like turning on a lighthouse in the dark. It would draw them near us as we grew brighter. He encouraged us to use those abilities sparingly. He said there were things that would flourish in our light, and there were also things that would seek to destroy it once they were aware of its presence.
He also warned us about Malcolm. He said he may be able to somehow sense us now, or perhaps inherently know that our abilities are growing without having been with us. He told us Malcolm had been exposed to the Pyramidion as well long ago, and that he desired to be near it again, and we should not underestimate the lengths he might go to in order to make that happen.
One final thing he suggested was to more thoroughly review the documents that Dr. Patel had sent me before her untimely death. He believed I could gain more insight into Malcolm’s current motives by reviewing any information contained within those files. He seemed sad again at this suggestion, and if I hadn’t perceived it previously, it would be apparent that he held some level of regret whenever he brought up his grandson.
As we began to leave the room, I felt exhausted and somewhat sore. My legs were tired, which made me think of my physical condition as reported to me by my physicians. As far as the “healing powers of the Pyramidion,” I can’t be sure. I certainly don’t feel any different right now. The headache I had when it first arrived went away as soon as I had touched it. But I suppose I’ll need to wait until my next doctor’s appointment or brain MRI before I’ll know if any physical benefits occurred as a result of my exposure.
As Brianne and I got into the car, I sat for a moment and contemplated asking her about having her abilities removed by that injection Dr. Patel had given her. I wanted to know more about her motives for getting them back. I couldn’t muster the courage to ask though, and I didn’t want to seem too nosy for peering into her thoughts without her consent back there. As she pulled out of the hotel parking lot and began to drive away, I got a glance of the hotel from the street just for a moment. The door to Joseph’s hotel room had been reopened, and I saw someone else walk in before it left my line of sight from the car.
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