Original subtitles

[ominous music]

[indistinct TV chatter]

[screams]

They lived in this huge mansion.

[distant cough]

(man) This is private property!

(man) At first, I thought the time alone

might be a good thing for me.

[person coughs]

[screams]

Then there was one really, really bad night.

[retches]

(woman) No one would believe our crazy story.

[gasps]

I was losing my mind.

(woman) He slit their throats.

(man) I wasn't convinced

that it was all some sort of weird hallucination.

[faint whispers]

[panting]

[footsteps]

[footsteps]

- [gasps] - Found you!

- [exhales] - Now I get to stay up late.

A little late.

Oh, come on. I don't have school tomorrow.

It's summer.

And I got a cut.

Well, stop running into branches.

Aw, come on.

Okay, fine.

And your mom left money for pizza.

Oh, sweet. Save me a dollar?

Aaron, why do I need to save you a--

Please.

Okay.

I'll save you a dollar.

(Kaylie) It was right after I graduated high school

when I met Aaron's mom.

She and his dad had divorced earlier that year.

Aaron had some behavioral problems.

He didn't have any friends in school,

and the guidance counselors were worried

about his compulsive lying.

But instead of trying to deal with it,

his mom spent pretty much every night out

partying with her new boyfriend.

They lived in this huge mansion.

The place had, like, seven bedrooms

and a massive garage underneath with butler's quarters.

I guess she got the house after the divorce.

(woman on TV) Seriously?

I was just peeling back wallpaper in the guest bedroom.

(man on TV) Yeah?

(woman on TV) It's been there too.

[laughter on TV]

[TV conversation continues in background]

[gasps]

[chuckles] Don't do that.

Don't forget the dollar.

Weirdo.

Aaron was a sweet kid,

but he was definitely an oddball.

Leave the dollar right there on the dresser.

You know this is a job, right?

Like, I'm supposed to be using this money

for books or probably beer.

Thanks.

Good night, buddy.

Leave it open.

[door creaks]

It wakes me up when he has to open it.

Wh--

[clock ticking]

[sighs]

[cheers and laughter in the distance]

[clock continues ticking]

[glass shatters]

[door creaks, footsteps]

Aaron?

[suspenseful music]

[clock chiming]

♪ ♪

Hey, buddy, are you up?

♪ ♪

(Kaylie voice-over) I thought maybe he'd gotten up to use the bathroom

and closed the door when he went back to bed.

[door creaks]

But when I got inside, he was sound asleep.

And the dollar was missing.

- [gasps] - Shh!

Ms. Chatham, sorry, I didn't realize you were home.

What are you doing up here?

I was just checking on him.

[sighs]

I like having you here, and I know Aaron does too.

Thanks. We have a lot of fun.

But...

I've had some things go missing--

earrings, bracelet.

You can't be serious.

I would never steal from you.

[sighs]

Okay, well, we'll see you tomorrow at 5:00.

[eerie music]

♪ ♪

[thud]

[door closes]

(Kaylie) It looked like Ms. Chatham was watching me leave.

But then she was actually standing there in the kitchen.

It made no sense.

[glass clinks]

(Kaylie) 15, 16,

17, 18, 19...

- Tw-- [glass shatters]

Aaron, if you make that much noise,

I'm gonna find you right away.

(Aaron) That wasn't me.

He'll go away if you turn on the lights.

That's why he turns my lights off

before he comes into my room.

Who?

He's not scary,

as long as you pay him.

(Kaylie voice-over) The more weird things he said,

the more I believed his guidance counselors

were right about Aaron having a problem with lying.

♪ ♪

That noise was probably just the dishwasher above us.

And if you want money, then just ask for it.

Let's go.

Aaron.

(Kaylie voice-over) There it was,

all of his mom's missing jewelry,

along with the money that I'd given him.

Just--just leave it.

You know your mom accused me of stealing.

Please, please just leave it.

It--it wasn't me.

My grandmother's locket? You went in my purse?

No!

Don't lie and make it worse, Aaron.

Don't ever go in my purse again, okay?

Bedtime, now.

(Kaylie) I was so angry at Aaron,

especially after his mother had the nerve

to accuse me of stealing.

But I thought he might be acting out

because of the divorce,

and I felt bad turning him in.

So I left the jewelry somewhere I knew his mom would find it.

[indistinct TV chatter]

[distant laughter]

[suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

[distant screams]

(Kaylie) Who's down there?

♪ ♪

[water dripping]

(Kaylie voice-over) We'd played hide-and-seek down in that basement

a bunch of times before.

I had never really noticed it.

There was an old bar hidden underneath all these boxes.

[glass shatters]

♪ ♪

Hello?

[crash]

♪ ♪

[Kaylie gasps]

You know your mom accused me of stealing.

(Aaron) It--it wasn't me.

My grandmother's locket? You went in my purse?

No!

(Aaron) Leave it open.

[door creaks]

It wakes me up when he has to open it.

Wh--

[suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

[gasps]

[gasps]

(Kaylie) I thought maybe

Aaron was playing another trick on me,

but he was in a deep sleep.

[exhales]

(Kaylie voice-over) So either I was losing my mind...

Or Aaron had been telling me the truth.

[exhales]

[ominous music]

[rustling]

[door creaks, coin clinks]

♪ ♪

(Kaylie) The door was unlocked,

and Aaron had never moved from his bed.

[breathing heavily]

(Kaylie) Aaron's mom pulled in

about 20 minutes later.

[door closes]

And the jewelry and the money--

they were exactly where I was afraid they'd be.

Ohh, I am so sorry that I accused you.

I--

I'm not sure that it was him.

[laughs] Who else would it have been?

I swear I saw something down here.

[sighs]

(Kaylie) I finally understood how Aaron felt.

His mother wouldn't even consider another possibility,

but I couldn't blame her.

We both probably sounded crazy.

Can we watch TV now?

Um...

in a little bit.

[sighs]

So who takes the dollar?

Who takes the dollar at night?

The keeper.

The keeper?

That's a weird name.

And what does the keeper do?

[eerie music]

♪ ♪

(Kaylie) Aaron and I had played in that front lawn

almost every day that summer...

And I had never noticed that plaque before.

(librarian) The house on Walnut,

the one with the garage underneath?

Yeah, that's it.

Why is it in the historic registry?

That house is 150 years old.

The garage used to be a stable.

There was a saloon there and--

(Kaylie) The librarian told me that the house was used as an inn

for travelers making their way north in the 1800s

and that the garage was a saloon with a bar.

It was an inn.

Yes, it was an inn.

That in and of itself explained a lot--

the innkeeper, the bar I saw in the garage.

But many travelers went missing on their way north,

and some people accuse the original owner

of robbing them and then getting rid of them.

He slit their throats.

You just have to leave him stuff,

like money or earrings.

So do you leave him stuff every night?

Now I do. I forgot once.

You told me you ran into a branch.

(Kaylie) Aaron had lived with it for so long,

with his mother telling him

he was imagining the whole thing,

that he just accepted it.

You know this isn't normal, right?

Can you please tell my mom that?

(Kaylie) I was practically a kid myself,

not much older than Aaron.

But I was old enough to know

that no one would believe our crazy story.

- Thanks. - You're welcome.

So I guess I did what made sense at the time.

[indistinct TV chatter]

After everything Aaron had said

and what I'd experienced in the house,

I had to test it out for myself.

[suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

[man screams]

[Kaylie gasps and screams]

(Kaylie) Why is it in the historic registry?

(librarian) That house is 150 years old.

And some people accuse the original owner

of robbing them and then getting rid of them.

He slit their throats.

(Aaron) You just have to leave him stuff,

like money or earrings.

(Kaylie) So do you leave him stuff every night?

Now I do. I forgot once.

(man on TV) Here you are, little lady.

And thank you, madam. Thank you very much.

All right, ladies and gentlemen, step right up.

Here they are, fresh roasted peanuts.

Peanuts, popcorn, candied apples...

[ominous music]

♪ ♪

[man screams]

[Kaylie screams]

[panting]

[running footsteps]

Hey, buddy? Get up.

Come on. Get up. Come on.

We're gonna wait for your mom on the porch, okay?

Come on.

Aaron's mom reacted exactly how I expected her to.

(Kaylie) Why would I make this up?

I really don't know, Kaylie, I don't.

(Kaylie voice-over) I told her everything.

It wasn't him that put all of that stuff

under the stairs-- it's not.

And of course she didn't believe a word of it.

Okay, you know what?

I think you're putting some crazy thoughts

into my son's head.

I think you should leave.

(Kaylie) To be honest,

after everything I'd been through in that house,

part of me was glad I didn't have to go back.

[suspenseful music]

And a bigger part of me was worried about Aaron.

But, I mean, what could I do?

She'd fired me.

The next summer when I was home from college,

I stopped by to check on Aaron.

They didn't live there anymore.

It was being operated as an inn again.

I was able to track Aaron down a few days later.

He told me his mom experienced something

the night she fired me.

After that she finally sold the house,

and they moved across town.

And Aaron never saw the keeper again.

(Kellen) Looking back now, it was pretty obvious I was a mess.

I'd been kicked out of my band, lost my apartment,

I was drinking too much.

Then there was one really, really bad night.

I woke up two days later in the hospital

to find out they had pumped my stomach

to save my life.

I knew I had to get clean.

My mom and stepdad were semi-retired.

They'd been flipping houses for a few years.

They just started work on this old farmhouse,

just outside our hometown.

They said a little hard work and fresh air

is exactly what I needed.

I figured it was better than staying with them.

Cool house, huh?

Built in the 1850s.

Still has all its original moldings.

Solid as a rock.

Got about three-months more work before we can list it though.

(Kellen) Yeah?

This is gonna be a very healing place for you.

I'm not sick, so there's no need to heal.

Without insurance, your overdose

and your little ambulance ride cost just over--

$18,000. I know, I'm sorry.

Look, all we ask is that you stay sober.

And do some damn work, all right?

Five days a week, I own you.

8 a.m. through 6 p.m., Monday through Friday

until you pay off your debt.

We don't think that's too much to ask.

Oh, where are you going?

You're not staying in there, it's gutted.

No, you're staying out there.

[coughing]

[parents speaking indistinctly]

(Kellen) The guest house was a dump.

[scoffs]

I knew it was all their way of forcing me

to get my life back on track.

It's a shame actually. Had to replace all the windows

that got busted out.

Probably townie teenagers.

Which reminds me, keep your eyes open at night.

I'll be back here tomorrow morning, 8:00 sharp.

Well, what about dinner?

Cook it yourself.

We stocked the refrigerator for you, honey.

First week's on us.

You're welcome.

Hey.

All right, you have a good night.

All right, everything's gonna be fine.

(Kellen) At first, I thought the time alone

might be a good thing for me.

No TV, no internet...

I was bored out of my mind on night one.

[distant coughing]

[gasping]

Hello?

(Kellen) It sounded like someone was right outside.

[coughing]

[screaming]

[gasping and coughing]

Hello?

[woman coughing]

(Kellen) I thought maybe it was the teenagers

my stepdad mentioned, messing around.

Hey.

This is private property.

[distant coughing]

(Kellen) There was a candle lit in the back room of the house.

I started to think someone was living inside the house

without my parents knowing.

[door creaking]

[gasps]

I'm calling the cops.

[coughing continues]

[woman cough]

I'm armed.

(Kellen) I checked the entire garage.

And the guest house.

No one was there.

[coughs]

[hacking]

[spits]

I couldn't stop coughing up blood.

[coughs]

(Kellen) That had never happened before.

[coughing]

(Kellen) Maybe I was sicker than I thought.

Maybe I was having withdrawals or something.

[coughing]

[panting]

(Kellen) But I didn't want to worry my mom, or go back to the hospital.

So I just went to bed and hoped I'd feel better

after some sleep.

[alarm beeps]

(Kellen) Thankfully, I did feel better in the morning.

Not perfect, but at least I wasn't coughing up blood.

A few days later, I was fine.

We started gutting the garage, ripping up the floors,

painting, cleaning gutters.

And I was actually enjoying the hard work.

[woman coughing] [screams]

[grunts]

[coughing]

[woman coughing] [screams]

[grunts]

What are you doing?

You know you're still not insured, right?

Hey!

What are you doing?

I, uh, thought I saw--

What were those metal brackets on the windows for?

Hold the bars in place.

Bars? What bars?

Why were there bars?

Security, I guess.

What out here, in the middle of nowhere?

What do you care?

Have you been drinking?

No.

No.

(Kellen) I knew my stepdad didn't believe me.

I didn't want to give him another reason

to think I was drinking again.

So I just dropped it.

[horn honks]

There were more brackets all around the doors and windows

of the guest house.

All on the outside.

Almost like the bars would have been there

to keep someone locked in.

- [woman coughing] - [gasps]

[panting]

[woman sneezes]

[woman continues coughing]

[panting]

(Kellen) I knew my mind and my body had been through a lot.

But at that point it had almost been a full week

since I'd been out of the hospital.

I just--I wasn't convinced

that it was all some weird hallucination.

I needed someone else to tell me I wasn't crazy.

If this is some kind of sad booty call

I'm gonna kill you.

Thanks for coming.

(Kellen) Megan was my girlfriend in college.

She was a serious student, always sober.

So you know, that didn't work out for obvious reasons.

But she was my oldest friend from back home,

and I knew I could trust her to be honest.

All right, come over here and lay down.

Uh, no.

I'm not gonna do anything weird.

I promise.

I'm serious, just--

All right.

Close your eyes.

[woman coughing]

So, you coughed in my ear.

That wasn't me.

- Right. - It wasn't, I swear. Just...

lay here for a second, okay, just listen.

Just wait.

[woman coughing]

Someone's here.

No, there isn't.

Megan, wait, wait, wait.

[woman hacking and coughing]

I think I'm gonna go now...

[screaming]

[woman coughing] [screams]

[grunts]

[woman coughing]

Someone's here.

(Kellen) No, there isn't.

[woman hacking and coughing]

I think I'm gonna go now...

[screaming]

Megan and I saw the same woman at the same time.

It took a while for me to calm her down

and explain what I'd been experiencing.

But once I did, she agreed to let me

spend the night at her place.

(Megan) Do you know when the house was built?

(Kellen) And being a nerd...

Some time in the 1850s.

(Kellen) She immediately started doing research.

- Whoa. - What?

(Megan) In the 1890s there was an outbreak of tuberculosis here

and the crazy part is that people thought

the sick were vampires.

So they locked them up and just waited for them to die.

Right here in Connecticut, in this town.

(Kellen) Did we see--

So we saw--

This could have been a quarantine.

From what Megan read, these quarantines happened

all over New England in the 1890s.

So, I wasn't sick, I wasn't crazy.

We need to go back.

(Kellen) Maybe that woman had died in that house.

What, like, now?

(Kellen) I wasn't trying to go back there.

But Megan was always really persistent.

- [woman coughs] - Hello?

(Kellen) Especially when it came to figuring out

something that she didn't understand.

So I knew I didn't have a choice.

I couldn't let her go alone.

[woman coughing]

(Megan) Hello?

Hello?

What is that?

I don't know.

(Kellen) All the way in the back of the garage,

where I hadn't been yet,

it looked like there was something buried

under the dirt floor.

[thud]

Oh, my God.

(Kellen) It was a mass grave.

The authorities confirmed there were nine men and one woman.

I'm pretty sure I know who she was.

The police found four more graves on the property.

And all of the bodies were torn apart.

Apparently, the townspeople had dug up the graves

and did awful things to the bodies.

Ever seen anything like this before?

No.

(Kellen) They were afraid that the vampires

would rise from the dead, so they beheaded the corpses,

pulled out their hearts,

and arranged the bones in these weird patterns.

After the story broke, my parents had trouble

flipping the house, so they took it off the market

until people forgot about it.

[strumming unplugged electric guitar]

Since it was free, I figured I'd stay for a while.

Help my stepdad finish up the remodeling.

Honestly, the first few nights I didn't sleep at all.

But eventually, I got used to it.

And I never heard or saw anything

that I couldn't explain again.

I think the woman in white just wanted

someone to finally find her.

Find out what they'd done to her.

And after we knew her story, reburied her bones,

she moved on.

At least, that's what I like to think.