What's In The Bag?
He struggled greatly to keep his balance as he lifted the suitcase up, into the air and over the steps. “What on earth is in here?” He grunted as he took deep, labored breaths.
He had to act fast as he quickly pulled out his phone and called 911. His face grew pale as he told the cops what he had discovered in the big, heavy bag.
Long Drive
Tim Stevens woke up early to head to the airport. He had to pick up Emily, his wife, who had been on a business trip for a few days now.
He had a three hour drive to endure that day, so he quickly had his cup of coffee and hit the road. The journey was supposed to be uneventful, just like every other airport trip, but today, Tim was nervous as he repeated his apology speech over and over again, as he neared the airport.
Loving Family
Tim was a lovely husband and father. He shared two children with Emily and he loved his family more than anything. But despite this, him and Emily had their fair share of arguments and battles along the way.
Before Emily set off for her business trip, her and Tim had fought about the trip. He didn't want her to go, he stressed too much when he was left alone to look after their children. But now he realized that his request was selfish. His apology was a little too late.
He Missed Her
He got to the airport and although he was nervous to see Emily, he was still excited to have his wife back. He didn't know how she was feeling or what was on her mind, but never would he have guessed that she would be returning home with devastating secrets.
When he spotted her, he approached her and gave her a tight hug as he expressed how much he had missed her. As he started apologizing for their fight, he suddenly noticed something odd.
Confusion
He saw the big suitcase next to her. What confused him was that she had left with only a backpack. Where did the suitcase come from? “You did some shopping I see?”, he tried to make sense of it, and she just smiled as she said, “Let’s go home.”
“Sure. Let me get that”He tried to grab the suitcase but she grabbed it first, She laughed nervously when she saw his surprised expression and said, “It’s fine. I got it.”
Odd Behavior
He tried to shake the off situation, but once they go to the stairs of the car park, he knew he could no longer ignore it.
Tim heard her ask another man to carry the suitcase down the stairs for her. He couldn't understand why she would ask someone else when he was right there. He rolled his eyes and grabbed the suitcase. As soon as he lifted it, his breath stifled.
Not Just Clothes
It was so heavy. He struggled greatly to keep his balance as he lifted the suitcase up, into the air and over the steps. “What on earth is in here?” He grunted as he took deep, labored breaths.
“Nothing!” Just clothes - everything was on sale!” She tried to sound casual but he could hear that she was nervous. He knew that clothes couldn't possibly be this heavy. He had to know what she was trying to hide from him.
Only Chance
Before they got to the car, Emily excused herself and approached the bathroom. Now was his chance. He waited until she could no longer see her, that was when he unzipped it and took a look inside.
He prepared himself for the big reveal, his curiosity growing. But what he saw awakened horror in him.
Looking Inside
He got own on his knees and pulled the luggage closer to himself, checking over his shoulder to make sure his wife was gone. Once he was sure that he was in the clear, he slowly started to unzip the bag.
He instantly saw the weird texture, and continued to unzip it. That was when a solid shape began to appear. His eyes grew large.
Calling 911
He jumped back, he was frightened. He was frozen in place as he looked into the bag. His heart was pounding now.
He quickly dialed 911. He grew pale as he told them what he had found.
Rising Tension
When his wife reappeared, Tim was shaking. “What on earth have you done?”, he cried. “What on earth are you hiding in there?”.
Tim watched as Emily’s eyes widened. She looked at him and followed his gaze to her suitcase. Suddenly, several police cars flooded in.
Caught Red-Handed
They yelled at both of them to stay back as they approached the suitcase. Tim watched Emily’s confused expression with intense scrutiny.
“What’s happening?”, Emily yelled. “That’s my suitcase!”. But before she could say anything else, a cop opened the zipper to reveal what was inside.
Human Dummy
Inside Emily’s suitcase was a human dummy. Tim had mistaken it for a human body! “Why do you have that?”, Tim asked Emily. Emily looked at him in disbelief. “Hold on - was all of this your doing?”, she asked Tim.
Before she could explain herself, the cops intervened and apologized to Emily for interrupting her day.
The Truth
Emily accepted their apology and quickly explained that she was at a first-aid training center for work. She was tasked with taking the dummy back for further staff training.
She also had a bunch of expensive first-aid equipment in her suitcase which added to the unusual weight. But why did she lie to Tim?
Moving On
She didn’t want Tim to know that the work trip she took was a training course she volunteered for. She knew he didn’t approve of her going. If he found out that she went on a trip she didn’t need to in the first place, he’d be even more upset with her.
Thankfully, in this case, it was just a dummy in the suitcase. But a group of teenagers found something far, far more horrific…
Strange Times
The summer of 2020 was a time when bowling alleys, movie theaters, and restaurants were closed.
So, when three bored teens in Seattle stumbled upon a mysterious new app that promised to lead them on an unexpected adventure in their own neighborhood, they decided to try it out. Little did they know, the app would lead them to something so sinister that the authorities had to get involved.
Normal Teens
Henry, Natalie, and Gabbi were a group of normal teens living in the digital age. They made TikTok videos, posted selfies on Instagram, and followed all the latest social media trends.
When videos of other teens using a strange app began cropping up, they decided that it was just the thing to bring more excitement into their lives. Of course, they never realized that they could be playing with forces that they didn’t understand.
The Infamous App
The app was quickly developing a frightening reputation. TikTok and YouTube users from all over the world had been uploading creepy footage of their strange experiences, many with the title “Please do not use this app.”
The app’s hashtag racked up over 200 million views on YouTube that summer -- but Henry, Natalie, and Gabbi’s discovery was the most frightening of all.
Eerie Experiences
The app, called Randonautica, sends its users on random adventures to explore their local surroundings after setting an “intention” -- often, with eerie consequences and strange coincidences.
For instance, one TikToker shared a video of the app leading him to a pair of headstones that turned out to be the graves of his relatives, and many other users have reported being followed by strange cars after using the app. It wasn’t long before parents everywhere were up in arms.
The Three Rules
Randonautica has three golden rules -- don’t use the app at night, don’t travel alone, and keep a positive mindset. But many users have been ignoring these rules, which, according to the app’s creator, can have dangerous consequences.
In fact, the app’s creator said he was “shocked and surprised” when he saw Henry’s video on the news.
Not Heeding The Warnings
It was a dreary day in June when the three friends headed out. Gabbi downloaded the app and was immediately struck by its forboding icon -- a creepy owl’s head.
They set the location within a 6-mile radius. After they focused on their intention, the app spat out a random GPS coordinate. So, the teens set off, not knowing what was waiting for them on the other side.
Akai Beach
The app had sent the friends to the shoreline of Akai Beach -- a typical Pacific coast town on the west side of Seattle.
The teens wandered through the small shops that lined the sidewalk of Pike’s Place Market, just opposite the shore where the pointer on the map flashed. Henry began to record the adventure on his phone as they drew closer to the location.
On The Rocks
The teens began to explore the beach, searching for what the app was pointing them to. They were walking on the damp sand -- laughing, chatting, and goofing off -- when they all suddenly felt drawn to a pile of rocks close to the shore.
Henry kept the camera rolling as they got closer. Then, they spotted it.
The Chilling Video
Arguably the most chilling aspect of the footage is the fact that Henry, Natalie, and Gabbi had no idea what kind of situation they were walking into.
The authorities who showed up on the scene later said that the teens could be traumatized for the rest of their lives because of what they found. What had they stumbled upon?
Discovery
Down a small embankment was an abandoned black suitcase, sitting on the rocks. Henry giggled with excitement. It was a large traveler’s suitcase with wheels.
“Maybe there’s money inside!?” he exclaimed excitedly. The friends couldn’t believe their luck. But, they quickly realized that the shore was a very strange place for someone to leave a suitcase…
The Suitcase
The sudden change in weather wasn’t helping the atmosphere, either. The grey Seattle sky began to darken as the friends stood there in awe.
What had started out as a fun adventure was quickly becoming creepy. The teens suddenly couldn’t shake the feeling that something just wasn’t right. Natalie cautiously climbed down the rocks to take a closer look.
Strange Smell
Gabbi mustered all her courage as she walked over to the suitcase. The other two stood back and egged her on. “Open it!” Henry yelled. Natalie searched the ground until she found a long stick to try and pry back the suitcase’s lid.
But, as soon as she did, she jumped back as a terrible stench filled the air.
A Plastic Bag
From what they could see, the suitcase contained a black garbage bag. That’s when the friends began to get nervous. The mood of the footage was somber as Gabbi took a prod for herself and pulled out her phone.
Natalie had a frightened look on her face, and Henry could be heard narrating in the background: “OK so she's calling the police.”
They Didn’t Come
But the police didn’t come. Henry, Natalie, and Gabbi didn’t want to hang around, so they left the beach. More than two hours went by before the police showed up. Apparently, they thought it was all an elaborate prank.
Later, the three friends returned to the scene and filmed the police cars that swarmed the beach. What was inside the suitcase?
Investigation
The teens’ curiosity had lead them to something they certainly wished they hadn’t found. What was in the mysterious suitcase? We may never know.
It was taken by the Seattle Police Department and an investigation has been launched. The ironic part about the story is that the friends had set their intention to “travel.”