The Truth Beneath

0:00Today's podcast will feature three stories where things are not what they seem. The audio from all three of these stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel and has been remastered for today's episode. The links to the original YouTube videos are in the description. The first story you'll hear is called Deer Crossing, and it's about a man's drive home from a night out quickly turns into a nightmare. The second story you'll hear is called Ancient Beast, and it's about a plane crash survivor who describes the insane final moments before impact. And the third and final story you'll hear is called Stay Forgetful, and it's about a man who wakes up on the side of the road with no idea who he is or how he got there.

0:39But before we get into today's stories, if you're a fan of the Strange, Dark, and Mysterious delivered in story format, then you've come to the right podcast because that's all we do and we upload twice a week, once on Monday and once on Thursday. So if that's of interest to you, please tell the follow button you're taking them on vacation to Universal Studios, but then just take them to the dentist for a root canal. Okay, let's get into our first story called Deer Crossing.

1:25been sitting on a business idea. My advice, don't overthink it. Just take that first step And make sure you have the right tool, a robust selling platform like Shopify, to help turn your idea into something real. Shopify checkout takes just one click, so it helps more of your customers finish their purchase. And when they come back, their details are already saved. With Shopify, nothing stands between your idea and a real business. So go make it one. If you're ready to stop putting off your business and start hearing cha-ching, then you're ready for Shopify. Start your free trial at shopify.com slash mrballin today.

1:59You heard that right. Start your free trial today at shopify.com slash mrballin. Again, that's shopify.com slash mrballin. Auto insurance should not be one-size-fits-all, especially for people whose lives definitely aren't. That's why USAA Auto Insurance offers coverage designed for the military and their eligible families. When your life demands precision, USAA gets the details right, like helping you find savings on auto insurance when you switch. Visit usaa.com slash auto quote to see how much you could save. Membership eligibility and product restrictions apply and are subject to change. USAA means United Services Automobile Association and its affiliates, San Antonio, Texas.

2:46At around 8 p.m. on December 16, 2023, a 31-year-old man named Nestor Flores was driving down a highway just outside of Dallas, Texas, with both his hands tightly gripping the steering wheel. Nestor was very stressed out on this ride. All he wanted to do was get home because he was worried that on this ride, he might get pulled over by police. I mean, this was a route he had driven a bunch and he knew there were loads of state troopers that patrolled the area. And from his perspective, it seemed like they kind of pulled people over all the time. And Nestor had spent the night out with a couple of friends and he had had a couple of drinks.

3:19You know, he didn't feel he had had too much to where he couldn't drive, but he knew if he did get pulled over, you know, he could be in trouble. And then on top of that, you know, in the back of Nestor's mind was the fact that he had had a couple of minor run-ins with the law over the past couple of years. And so he kind of had this fear of police already. And also Nestor was not born in America. And so he was worried that on top of all that, if he got pulled over, you know, he could risk being deported. And so on whole, Nestor just does not want to see any police officer. He just wants to get home and go to bed.

3:51And so as Nestor is doing his best to not draw any suspicion to himself and is trying to follow all the rules of the road, he decides to have a sip of his Diet Coke. And his Diet Coke was right in the middle console. And so as he's driving, eyes straight ahead, he reaches down and he grabs the Coke. He pulls it up. He uncaps it, takes a sip. But then as he puts the drink back down, again, he's keeping his eyes on the road. He hits something with the drink and he feels the drink slosh out of his cup and it hits his hand. and instinctively, you know, he took his eyes off the road and looked down at the coke and he managed to put the drink back in its cup holder.

4:22And then when he brought his eyes back to the road, there was a deer in the middle of the road. He was too close to swerve out of the way. And so at full speed, he smashes into this deer. The deer hits his front windshield and basically caves in the passenger side windshield and flips up and over the back of his car. And Nestor amazingly was composed enough to not swerve wildly post impact because he knew if he did that, he could run into oncoming traffic or something. And so he just kept on going straight and gradually slowed down and pulled off the side of the road. And as he did, he looked over his shoulder, seeing if this deer was basically lying in the road or even worse, maybe it hit some other car.

4:57But when he looked over his shoulder, the road was clear. There was no deer. Now, even though Nestor was obviously very shaken up at this point, I mean, he just had this horrible car accident with this deer and he's already on edge about getting pulled over by police. But for the moment, it was just peaceful on the highway. You know, no cops were coming up to him and he's pulled over to the side. You know, physically he was okay. You know, it seemed like the deer was okay. It clearly ran off the road or something. And there was damage to his car. I mean, the deer really smashed in the front of his car and the windshield, especially on the passenger side, was basically caved in.

5:29But Nestor was able to see through his side of the windshield. And when he put the car back in drive and hit the gas, the car seemed to drive just fine. And so even though Nestor felt kind of bad that he had smashed this deer, he thought, you know, what am I going to do? Go find the deer and make sure it's okay. Like, he can't really do anything. It's nighttime. So he made the decision that, you know, nobody saw this and it seems like everything's okay. So I'm just going to drive home and I'll take care of my car tomorrow. But after driving 38 more miles from the impact site, Nestor's car began making this horrible rattling sound from the engine and also smoke began to billow up out of the front of his car.

6:06And so Nestor knew, you know, this is so conspicuous. He's going to get pulled over if he doesn't stop. And so feeling really annoyed because he was actually pretty close to home at this point, Nestor pulled off the highway and came to a stop in a parking lot of a fast food restaurant. And so at first, all Nestor did was just turn off his car and wait for a couple of minutes in hopes that, you know, that would be enough to cure his car. But after a couple of minutes, you know, the smoke continued to billow out of his car. And then when he tried to turn it back on again, the car simply wouldn't start.

6:34And so at this point, Nestor knew he had to call a tow truck. But when he reached for his phone, his phone was dead. and he didn't have a phone charger in his car. And so he's like, great, I can't even call a tow truck. But then he looked up and saw the fast food restaurant was open and he decided he would just go in there and he would ask one of them if they had a charger. So Nestor gets out of his smoking car, he walks into the restaurant, he goes up to the counter and he asked the person behind the counter, like, hey, you know, my phone's dead. Do you have a charger? Do you mind charging my phone?

7:02But the employee, they didn't say anything back to Nestor. They just stood there with their mouths open and their eyes wide staring at Nestor. Like they couldn't believe what they were looking at. And so Nestor's thinking like, what's wrong with this person? You know, hey, do you have a charger or not? And the employee, who by this point is pale as a ghost, just shook their head at Nestor. Like, no, they don't have a charger. And then they just stood there still staring at Nestor. And so now Nestor is genuinely just furious. I mean, the whole night has completely derailed here. All he wanted to do was get home.

7:30And it's like one horrible thing happens after another. And so Nestor was just like, OK, fine. And he turned around and he left the restaurant and went back to his car, thinking maybe if I search the whole vehicle, you know, there's bound to be a charger in there somewhere. And so Nestor gets back into his car, he climbs into the driver's seat, he shuts the door, and as he begins looking around his car for this charger, he begins to feel really sleepy. And actually, he eventually just kind of leans forward and falls asleep in his car.

7:59More than two hours later, Nestor woke up to the sound of somebody tapping on his window. So Nestor groggily turned and looked, and it was like the worst case scenario. It was a police officer who was shining his flashlight into the vehicle, clearly gesturing for Nestor to roll his window down. And so Nestor was totally compliant. He rolled the window down and he looked at the officer. And before Nestor could even say anything, the officer said, get out of the car. He's thinking to himself, you know, why is he acting so aggressively towards me? Like, what have I done here? And so Nestor, you know, he gets out of the car.

8:29And again, before Nestor can ask any questions, the officer just says to Nestor, what happened tonight? Like, what's going on here? And so Nestor, you know, he knows his car is jacked up and here he is sleeping in the parking lot. And so he turns to the officer and begins explaining the deer story. You know, he was driving down the road. He hits this deer, you know, it went over the top. He didn't see it. He didn't report it. And as he's telling the officer this, he's thinking, oh my gosh, like, is there a law? Like if you hit a deer, are you supposed to report it? Is that what's going on? Maybe the deer did die and it was in the middle of the road and somebody saw his license plate and now the cop was here.

9:00And so Nestor began to panic, you know, trying to explain the logic behind leaving the deer and how sorry he was. He should have stopped. He should have called the police. But the officer finally just put up his hand, telling Nestor to stop talking. And then the officer took his flashlight and he shined it past Nestor at his car. And when the officer did that, the officer immediately grabbed his radio and began barking orders into it, saying he needed backup. And so Nestor's like, what is going on here? Like this whole night has been such a disaster. Like, what did I do? And so Nestor, he turned to see what the cop was looking at on his car that would elicit such a big response from him.

9:35And when he looked at the passenger seat of his car, where the cop's light was now shining, Nestor froze for a second and then just started to scream.

9:47It would turn out that even though Nestor believed he had only had, you know, a few drinks and he was okay to drive, the reality was he was completely annihilated drunk and should never have been behind the wheel. And when he was driving on the highway, you know, anxiously trying to get home, Well, he didn't hit a deer. He hit a 45-year-old pedestrian named Terry Ivory, and he hit this guy with so much force that Terry went through the windshield on the passenger side and then landed in the passenger seat, minus one leg, which had been severed on impact. And then Terry's dead body sat there in the passenger seat with Nestor having no idea.

10:22He thinks there's a deer back there, but there was never a deer. There's just a dead guy next to him. And Nestor just drove 40 more miles with Terry's dead body next to him. And then when Nestor's car began to smoke and make noises, he pulled off the highway to that fast food restaurant parking lot. And then when he went inside the restaurant to try to get a phone charger, the reason that employee was so shocked to see Nestor and could basically not even speak when Nestor was trying to talk to them was because Nestor was covered practically head to toe in blood. Terry's blood. Now, it's not entirely clear why that employee did not immediately call police.

10:56But, you know, after Nestor left the restaurant, went back to his car, and fell asleep, during the time Nestor was sleeping, someone inside the restaurant did call the police, and that's why they showed up and knocked on Nestor's glass. Nestor was charged with collision involving death in December of 2023. However, his case has not yet been adjudicated.

11:23Summer is a great opportunity for kids to review challenging concepts, strengthen core skills, and head into the start of the school year feeling more prepared. And this is where IXL can help. A couple of things that I like about IXL is that it's really easy to fit into my kids' busy summer schedules, and the instant feedback helps them understand what they missed instead of just moving on. My kids also like how engaging it is, which makes a big difference because they actually want to use it instead of it feeling like just another assignment. IXL is an award-winning online learning platform that helps kids truly understand what they're learning.

12:00IXL is used in 96 of the top 100 school districts in the U.S., and studies show kids who use IXL score higher on tests proven in all 50 states. Make an impact on your child's learning. Get IXL now. And Mr. Ballin Podcast's Strange, Dark, and Mysterious Stories listeners can get an exclusive 20 % off IXL membership when they sign up today at IXL.com slash Mr. Ballin. Visit IXL.com slash Mr. Ballin to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price. Everybody learns a language for different reasons. Maybe you just want to watch K-dramas without subtitles. Or you want to talk with family members but in their native language.

12:39Your life is unique, so your language learning should be too. I remember trying to learn a new language before a trip, and most of the systems that I tried felt pretty generic. But with Rosetta Stone, it was completely different. It adjusted to how I was learning, so it felt more like I was actually preparing to use this language, not just learning how to regurgitate it. Rosetta Stone Sapphire is designed for personalized learning, helping you go beyond generic lessons and focus on the topics that matter most to you. If you want to take your language skills to the next level, don't wait to try Rosetta Stone Sapphire.

13:11Mr. Ballin podcast listeners can get 20 % off their Rosetta Stone Sapphire subscription when they sign up today. You'll get unlimited access to all 25 Rosetta Stone languages, plus all the new Sapphire learning tools. Visit rosettastone.com slash mrballin to redeem your 20 % off. Again, go to rosettastone.com slash mrballin and start learning a language for real. Getting paid twice a month does not mean money is scarce. It just feels that way. That feeling makes you do weird stuff, like putting things on a card you didn't need to. Earning removes that feeling. With Earning, you can access up to$150 per day of money you have already earned, plus up to$1 ,000 between paychecks.

13:51Standard transfers take 1-2 business days with no mandatory fees, and expedited transfers start at$399 and cap at$599. Five million people are already on it, and honestly, it's wild it didn't exist sooner. Download Earning on the App Store or Google Play. Spelled like earning money without the G. Type in Mr. Ball and Podcasts, Strange, Dark, and Mysterious Stories under Podcast when you sign up. It'll really help the show. Earning is a financial technology company, not a bank. Access limits are based on your earnings and risk factors. Standard cash outs take one to two business days with no mandatory fees.

14:25Expedited transfers available for a fee. Tips are voluntary and don't affect the service. Available in select states. Terms and restrictions apply. visit earnan.com for full details.

14:38Our next story is called Ancient Beast.

14:53On August 25, 2010, a small twin-engine propeller plane sat on the tarmac at Kinshasa International National Airport in the Congo. As the plane was being refueled, the co-pilots, 62-year-old Danny Fillemont from Belgium and 39-year-old Chris Wilson from England, walked up the stairs and into the cockpit. As the pilots got settled in and began their internal systems checks, the flight attendant walked up the stairs, she said hello to the pilots, and then she began preparing the cabin for the passengers. The main cabin began boarding at 11 a.m., and by 11.30 a.m., all 18 passengers that were expected to board had taken their seats.

15:30So the flight attendant closed the doors, went into the cockpit, and told the pilots they were ready for takeoff. This was going to be a one-hour-long routine domestic flight to Bandundu, which is a province that was just outside the border of Kinshasa to the east. This particular crew had made this flight dozens of times in the past without any issues. As the little plane made its way over to the runway, the flight attendant demonstrated what to do in case of various in-flight emergencies, and then by noon the plane was airborne. One hour later, residents of a town located just southwest of Bandundu remembered looking up into the sky and seeing the small prop plane falling through the clouds in a near vertical nosedive.

16:11Seconds later, the plane crashed into the ground right in the middle of the neighborhood. Luckily, the crash did not kill anybody on the ground, but unfortunately the pilots, the flight attendant, and 17 of the 18 passengers died on impact. and the one passenger that survived was very badly hurt and was left in a coma. An investigation was launched into what happened and very quickly it was theorized that they must have run out of gas because when they hit the ground there was no explosion, there was no fire, but upon closer inspection it would turn out the plane had plenty of fuel. The black box, which is a device that records the audio inside the cockpit, was recovered but unfortunately it was inoperable so it didn't give them any other clues as to what happened.

16:53Investigators were stumped. Did they strike a bird in the air? Did the engines suddenly fail? Was it operator error? They didn't know. A few days after the crash, the one surviving passenger miraculously came out of their coma and remembered in vivid detail what happened up in the skies right before they crashed. They said as the plane was making their final descent into Bandundu, the flight attendant was walking down the aisle reminding everyone to put away their big devices and put their seat in the upright position. And as she got about halfway down the aisle, she looked towards the back of the plane and she suddenly gasped and covered her mouth, turned around and walked very quickly back towards the front of the plane into the cockpit where she disappeared.

17:33The passengers that had seen her do this were immediately concerned that something was wrong with the plane. And so they stood up and looked towards the rear of the plane where she had been looking and right away they knew what it was she was concerned about. There was a hissing crocodile making its way up the aisle. someone must have smuggled it on. And as passengers realized what was happening, they all panicked and stampeded towards the front of the plane. This sudden shift in weight threw off the plane's center of gravity, causing a nosedive that the pilots could not recover from before they crashed.

18:04After hearing this story, the investigators remembered that a living crocodile had been found around the wreckage, but no one had thought much of it because in the Congo, lots of exotic animals are smuggled onto flights. Specifically, crocodiles are smuggled onto these planes with such regularity that passengers often can recognize the very specific crocodile smell somewhere in the cabin. And they'll tell the pilots, he'll come back, they'll find the crocodile and the owner of said crocodile, they'll kick them off before takeoff. But obviously this time, nobody smelled the crocodile.

18:42The third and final story of today's episode is called Stay Forgetful.

18:57On the afternoon of July 13th, 1994, a man woke up feeling very confused and disoriented, and he felt some pain in the back of his head. And as he opened his eyes, he kind of slowly realized that he was on his back in a ditch on the side of the road looking up at a big blue sky. The man tried to sit up, but as soon as he did, he felt this throbbing pain in the back of his head, and he reached back to touch it, but the second he did, you know, it hurt even worse, and he definitely felt there was a pretty big lump on the back of his head, and then when he brought his hands in front of his face, he saw he had all these bruises around his wrists that he had no idea what they were from.

19:31And so as this man in the ditch is trying to figure out what's going on, suddenly this older man who he didn't know just appeared by the side of the road and looked down and said, hey, are you okay? And so the guy in the ditch is looking at this guy. He's got no idea who he is. And he wants to say like, what's going on? Where am I? Who am I? What's happening? But he couldn't find the words. It's like he just kept looking at this older guy, looking at his wrist and feeling his head and having no idea what's going on. But then for some reason, three names popped into this guy's head, the guy in the ditch.

20:00He thought of three names. He had no idea whose names these were. but for some reason he felt like those names were really important. And so after a few minutes of awkward silence as the guy in the ditch is trying to talk, he finally just blurts out these three names. He says, Pat, Joel, Chris. And so the older man who had asked the guy in the ditch what was going on, he didn't really know how to react to this guy blurting out these names. And so he kind of ignored it and just said, okay, hi, my name's Steve. And then Steve, the older man, helped the guy from the ditch out of the ditch. And then once the man in the ditch was on his feet, kind of looking around, he looked at Steve and suddenly he could say other words.

20:38And he said to Steve, where are we? And Steve looked at him and said, we're in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Now, the guy in the ditch didn't know why, but he immediately felt like Wyoming had to be wrong. Like there's no way he could be in Wyoming. But the guy in the ditch didn't know where he was supposed to be. He didn't know who Steve was. He didn't know who Pat, Joel, or Chris was. And so it's all totally confusing. And so he just stood there kind of saying nothing. and as he did, Steve said, hold on a minute, I'm going to get my stuff. And so Steve kind of shuffled down the road like 10, 20 feet away where there was a shopping cart full of cans and there was a backpack and some other things dangling off the side.

21:13And as Steve grabbed the shopping cart, turned it around and slowly began pushing it back towards the guy in the ditch, the guy in the ditch stared at Steve and kind of put together that, you know, Steve must be homeless. And this realization made the guy in the ditch think that, you know, maybe he was homeless too. And so suddenly, instinctively, the guy from the ditch began reaching into his pockets, thinking maybe he had an idea or something that would show him who he was, that would show he was not homeless, that he had a place that he needed to go to. And he reached in his pockets, but there was nothing.